Author: Vin

Vin is a Philly boy who shouldn't be invited into your house because he'll judge you on your book and music collection. He owns Dawkins, Utley, Iverson, and Lindros jerseys, which is all you really need to know about him. He can be reached at [email protected].

Categories
Boston Celtics

Ricky Davis traded to Timberwolves for Wally Szcerbiak

Minnesota trades Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a first rounder to Boston for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two second rounders.

This trade started off two weeks ago as Olowokandi for Blount, which seems to me like trading a Pinto for a Gremlin, but then blossomed into a multiplayer deal including Wally and Ricky Davis, and trade fodder. The deal gives KG a much needed second scorer who can create his own shot in Ricky “Andre3000” Davis. Meanwhile, the Celtics get rid of the albatross that is Blount and his contract but pick up another hefty contract in Szcerbiak; however, Olowokandi’s contract is up after this year. I think this is a neutral trade (yes, going out on a limb) but let’s see what they’re saying in the blogosphere.

Timberwolves fan reactions:

[Citypages.com]: Is it the perfect deal? No, it isn’t highway robbery. It might not even turn out to be a good deal. But for those clamoring for the Wolves to do something, to shake things up, it does do that.

[
Kevin Garnett Source]: This is a good trade for the Wolves. The way I see it, Davis is slightly better than Wally and Blount is slightly better than Olowokandi. We certainly just lost some shooting and rebounding, but in Davis, the Wolves have acquired the all-around, slasher type player that they need.

[Twolvescentral.com]: Both teams probably washed. But with names like Ron Artest and Steve Francis floating around, you’re going to tell me this was the best that we can do? … I very highly doubt this was little more than a trade between two old friends (McHale, Ainge) making a move out of desperation with both of their jobs on the line.

Celtics fan reactions:

[Johnny Bag O’Donuts ]: Szczerbiak may be the one guy who could disprove the myth that Boston will embrace any white basketball player (Raef and Scal don’t count–I’m talking talented players). Granted, this town does love us some honkeys (nothing necessarily wrong with that), but I don’t think Szczerbiak’s act will fly here. Boston can deal with whining (Ainge, Antoine Walker), nuttiness (Manny Ramirez, Ricky Davis), self-aggrandizement (Curt Schilling, Ty Law) and prettiness (Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson) but all four on a bad team? That might not work out too well.

[Boston.com forums]: scottboy79: Is Danny Ainge the wold’s largest d!ckhead, or is it just me?? Isn’t Kandi Mark Blount, version 2.0?

[BSMW Full Court Press]: This trade adds a player who can space the floor for Jefferson and Perkins, who has shown much more in the post offensively than I would have expected. Wally’s arrival, coupled with Delonte West’s incredible shooting over the past couple months, gives the Celtics a troika of players (with Pierce) who cannot be left alone or their opponents will surely pay the consequences. Forcing an opposing coach to decide between defending the post against talented young big men or the perimeter against dead-eye marksmen can only help the Celtics put up more W’s today and tomorrow.

Categories
New York Knicks

Isiah Thomas got opponents boozed up

It’s not just Knicks fans that hit the sauce because of Zeke. Another detail came out in the sexual harrassment suit against Isiah Thomas: Isiah used to work with concierges at hotels where visiting teams were staying to encourage players to go to bars and strip clubs the night before a game. I’m pretty sure NBA players don’t need much prodding to hit Scores but this is tampering and the Knicks could get fined or disciplined. It could be worse, at least he didn’t send hookers to opponents’ hotel rooms like Lawrence Taylor did.

Man, it’s not a good time to be named Isiah.

[NY Daily News]: Isiah booze probe ‘likely’

Categories
NBA General

Isaiah Rider arrested for kidnapping a woman



Keeping the Jailblazer tradition alive

Isaiah J.R. Rider was arrested yesterday for kidnapping and battery in Marin, CA.   Now, when I read the headline, I thought perhaps Isaiah had pulled a Rick James and kidnapped some woman, chained her to the wall, and burned her cigarettes, but it turns out he just got into an argument with a female acquaintance and drove off with her against her will. Police her heard screaming and pulled him over.

Who could have possibly guessed that Isaiah was capable of such a thing. I mean, sure, he used to spit at fans and once kicked a woman in the back at an autograph signing, but, really, who hasn’t? I say let he who has never made a bong out of a Sprite can cast the first stone.


[Marinij.com]: Former NBA player Isaiah Rider arrested for kidnapping
[Naxcom]: Isaiah Rider rookie card = $0.10

Categories
All Other Sports

Bode Miller (not drunk) says Bonds and Armstrong cheat


I didn’t think it was that big of a deal when Bode Miller said it was hard to ski while wasted. But Bode now seems to suffer from TO syndrome – the inability to keep his mouth shut. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Miller suggested that Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds are both cheating by taking performance enhancing drugs.

Right now, if you want to cheat, you can: Barry Bonds and those guys are just knowingly cheating, but there’s all sorts of loopholes,” he told the magazine.” If you say it has to be ‘knowingly,’ you do what Lance (Armstrong) and all those guys do, where every morning their doctor gives them a box of pills and they don’t ask anything, they just take the pills.

[CBS5.com]: Bode: Bonds, Armstrong ‘Knowingly Cheat
[Sirius.com]: Ask Bode Anything (“Bode, what % of baseball players are on steroids?”)
[Bodelicious.net]: Bode Miller profile

Categories
All Other Sports

Flying Frank – he’s the dog with a blog

This blogging thing is getting out of control. Flying Frank is the latest internet celebrity that makes no sense. He’s a greyhound who has his own blog (interests: “I just chill with me bitches. Oh yes and I like dogging”), a column for the Sun, and has launched a campaign to save his race track from a greedy housing developer.  There’s a rumor that the developer is dressing up as a ghost to scare the locals away but that is unconfirmed.

The scary thing is that dozens of British celebrities have joined in his cause including Simon Jones, Brian Lara, Teddy Sheringham, and other people we’ve never heard of. I suspect it’s only a matter of time before attention whore Curt Schilling makes his way across the pond to toss his 2 cents in about this issue.

Sadly, this is only the second worst dog blog we’ve ever seen. But we don’t like housing developers taking away the people’s right to drink and bet their money… unless they’re building a casino. So go ahead and sign the petition.

[Savethestow.com]: Petition to save Walthamstow Stadium
[BBC]: Dog with a blog

Categories
MLB General

WBC now officially a joke

I understand Selig is trying to take a page out of David Stern’s international revenue book but this thing is turning into a disaster. The WBC today announced rules for the tournament that only served to make it more laughable in the minds of American baseball fans. The pitch count rule is designed for one reason only and that is to make sure that the cash cow of MLB will not be compromised by WBC play.

As set forth by World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI), pitchers will be limited to 65 pitches in Round One games, and be ineligible to pitch for four days following any outing of 50-plus pitches. Pitchers will have to lay off one day after throwing 30-plus pitches, obviously meant as a safeguard for long relievers. And, to prevent closers from being over-used, pitchers won’t be allowed to work more than two consecutive days.

The WBC also acknowledged the huge disparity in talent between teams with their mercy rule, which stops the game if a team is up by 15 runs after 5 innings or 10 runs after 7 innings. I guess when you have to round out the tournament participants with teams from Italy and the Netherlands, you don’t want anyone to be embarassed. Like the mercy rule isn’t embarassing enough. By the way, check out the shameless propaganda on the last link below.

[Talking Baseball]: WBC now resembles Little League

[MLB.com]: WBC announces rules for event
[MLB.com]: Reasons aplenty to buy WBC tickets

Categories
NFL General

Now watch this! You don’t think everyone hates Paul Maguire?

Today, Dr. Z handed out his ratings for NFL announcers and the ESPN Sunday Night crew got 0 stars. If only there were a way to give out negative stars. Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire have ruined Sunday night football games so much that I sometimes hated having the good matchups on Sunday Night. Oh, and I can’t even begin to describe how annoying Suzy Sunshine Kolber. Thank god ESPN is breaking up this team next year.

I remember the last game of the season when the three stooges were reminiscing about their time together and even brought back Pat Summerall to speak incoherently. Meanwhile, the rest of the nation was celebrating the fact that we would never have a game announced by these fools again. Here’s a typical exchange:

Maguire: Now watch this block. You don’t think he really loves to block? [The replay actually shows the fullback merely glancing off the shoulder of a linebacker but that doesn’t stop Paul.] Bam! That’s one hell of a block I tell you.
Theisman: I tell you what, Paul, if the Redskins want to win this game, we are going to have to get a TD here.
Patrick: Let’s throw it down to Suzy Kolber.
Kolber: I talked to the assistant trainer and _____ is definitely hurt. Back to you, Mike. [Meanwhile, a whole play has gone by while we have to watch Suzy squint.]

[SI]: Dr. Z’s TV Commentator Awards

Categories
New York Knicks

Trading for Marbury bites Isiah Thomas in the butt

And we’re not even talking about the fact that the Knicks have gone 70-98 since trading for Marbury or that they’ve gone 30-61 since Starbury proclaimed himself the best point guard in the NBA. Nope, the problem that Isiah has is that Marbury’s cousins, Hassan Gonsalves and Tasheem Ward, seem to be key names in the sexual harassment suit filed against him.


MSG President Steve Mills told Browne Sanders in the fall of 2004 that MSG chairman James Dolan wanted her to create jobs for Gonsalves and Ward, even though both men were “completely unqualified,” the lawsuit said.

“Gonsalves was ultimately fired by MSG, at Browne Sanders’ urging, because he engaged in repeated and flagrant sexual harassment,” the lawsuit added. “His firing did not occur, however, until he had sexually harassed several women on the staff and had on numerous occasions defrauded the company.”

Sources close to the team told the Daily News that Gonsalves threatened Browne Sanders after he was fired, telling her, “We know you have kids. We know where you live.

Ahhh nepotism at its finest. We’re glad it worked out so well this time.

[NY Daily News]: Marbury kin key players in harass fight

Categories
General Sports

We Love Adriana Lima

Is there anybody who doesn’t love Adriana Lima? Women may gush over how beautiful Heidi Klum is but every single guy I know always names Adriana as their favorite Victoria’s Secret model. She’s Brazilian and of French, Portugese, Native-American, and Caribbean descent. I’m not sure what that all means except she’s too hot for you.

Maxim named her #57 in their top 100, which leads me to believe the guys at Maxim are insane. I am pretty sure you can’t find 56 women hotter than her.

Oh, and check out this Adriana Lima shocker.

Thanks to JDWC for the suggestion.




Categories
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks will win Super Bowl XL Part 2

On Tuesday, I talked about how the theory of scrabble-tivity suggested the Seahawks will win the Super Bowl. Well, here is a slightly more scientific reason. According to a sports psychologist who has developed a system (yeah, yeah, everyone has a system) that has accurately predicted the winner or team that will cover in the past three Super Bowls, the Seahawks will win.

Dr. John F. Murray’s “Mental Performance Index” calculates a rating based on every single play in the playoffs. On a scale of .000 to 1.000, he says the Seahawks outscore the Steelers .566 to .530. He says the Seahawks will win by 5 to 10 points. Hmmm, that’s +160 money line on the Seahawks is looking pretty good about right now.

[Seattle PI]: Hawks will win, shrink calculates