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
NBA General

Around the Rim: Move Em Out!

1. Country Roads, Take Me Home
Nothing comes between a Texan and his rodeo, so for the next two weeks the Spurs will have to vacate the AT&T Center as the arena is inundated with denim and livestock.  San Antonio began an eight game road trip yesterday with a close win over the Lakers in overtime.  Going back to last week, the Spurs are in the middle of a stretch with 11 of 14 games coming on the road.  But things could be worse; at least Tim Duncan has been putting up some of his best games of the year of late.  Timmy has flirted with triple-doubles in each of the past two contests.  Against Memphis on Friday Duncan finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks; he followed that by coming one assist shy of a triple dip (21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists) against the Lakers yesterday afternoon.

2.  Randolph Shoots and Shoots and Shoots
Portland’s Zach Randolph put up a career-high 42 in a double overtime win against Memphis on Saturday, but the points didn’t exactly come in spectacular fashion.  It took 47 minutes and 40 shots before Randolph finally grabbed his personal offensive record, and he only hit 16 of the franchises’ new record in attempts.  Only one other player has jacked up at least 40 shots over the last five years, the Mamba himself.  Kobe Bryant has done it with regularity as he has pulled off the feat six times in five years.  The only difference between Bryant and Randolph is that Bryant’s 40+ shots usually result in point totals somewhere between 50 and, say, 81.

3. Long Balls
At the end of the first quarter of yesterday’s game between New York and Milwaukee, Knicks guard Nate Robinson shot and made a buzzer-beater from just inside the midcourt stripe.  Unfortunately, the trio of party-pooping refs wouldn’t allow the shot to count after reviewing the replay.  So, with time running out at the end of the first half, Robinson took a pass and heaved up a shot from about three-fourths of the court that hit nothing but net.  Maybe Nate should be in the three point competition instead of the slam dunk contest.  After all, he did go two for two from 35 feet and out, while it took him close to 20 attempts before hitting a slam off the backboard.

Sunday’s Player of the Day:  Antawn Jamison @ Boston 41 min, 34 pts (FG: 13-22, 3FG: 4-8, FT: 4-6), 7 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch:  Phoenix (36-8) @ Minnesota (21-22) Since suffering through a season-high six game losing streak, Kevin Garnett has his team rolling after an impressive road win over the Clippers.  Think that sounds good?  Neither do the Suns.  Phoenix is the hottest team in the league after they picked up their 17th straight victory, which is tied for the fifth longest in NBA history.  The Suns are now over half way to the all-time record set by the 1971-72 Lakers who won 33 in a row.  But don’t expect Phoenix to be grabbing that record anytime soon.  Should they win 34 straight, it would occur against Charlotte on March 7.

Buzzer Beater: Looks like Ben Wallace escaped with just a scare after colliding with Miami’s Udonis Haslem on Saturday.  An MRI on his left knee showed no structural damage, leaving the center listed as day to day.  But the Bulls would love to get Big Ben back soon as they begin a seven game, Western Conference road trip on Wednesday.  Three teams are separated by one game in the Central Division so there’s not a lot room for error; and Ben Gordon can only do so much without a little help defensively.

Categories
MLB General

Jan 29 in Sports History: Inaugural Hall of Fame classes

In 1936: The first members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY were named. The first class to be inducted was Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner. While the term hall of fame was always used metaphorically, the Baseball Hall of Fame was the first of its kind in sports. Now, there’s a Bowling Hall of Fame (St. Louis), a Motorsports Hall of Fame (Talladega, AL), even a freaking Shuffleboard Hall of Fame (St. Petersburg, FL). Although, the selection process has been tweaked over the years, it still takes 75 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA –  sounds more like a porn group on Myspace) to be enshrined.

In 1963: The first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced on the same day 27 years later. The list of inductees was much longer than baseball’s. It included Sammy Baugh, Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, Bert Bell, George Halas, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, George Preston Marshall, Johnny “Blood” McNally, Red Grange, Mel Hein, Ernie Nevers, Dutch Clark, Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson, Tim Mara and Joe Carr. Each member had to be inducted by a unanimous vote that year. The selection process has changed over the years, and the current voting only allows for three to six members to be enshrined every year.

In 1995: Another year, another NFC team destroying an AFC team in the Super Bowl (I’m telling you, it ruined my childhood). This time, Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers did the honors by beating the 19-point underdog San Diego Chargers 49-26 (in one of the worst non-covers of all time). Young found Jerry Rice for a 44-yard touchdown on the game’s third play and went on to a record six touchdown passes. It was the eleventh straight win for the NFC, and the fifth Super Bowl in as many tries for San Francisco.

Categories
Boston Red Sox

Top 10 Dumbest in-game Injuries: #6 Clarence "Climax" Blethen

[Sportscolumn is running down the ten dumbest in-game injuries in sports.  Here’s #6.]

We’re going old school with this injury.  Clarence Blethen isn’t a name that most baseball fans know, but once you’ve heard his story he’s pretty hard to forget.  Blethen was a toothless 30 year old rookie pitcher for the Red Sox in 1923.  Climax felt that he appeared more intimidating on the mound when he removed his false teeth.  In order to keep his choppers safe while pitching he would keep them in his back pocket.  On September 21, it finally happened; he forgot to reinsert his dentures and while sliding into second base, he literally bit his own ass.

Back to #7 | Forward to #5

Categories
NFL General

The reports of Terry Bradshaw’s demise greatly exaggerated



I’m alive dammit!

We kinda like ProFootballTalk.com but they really screwed the pooch this time. On Thursday, they ran a story with the headline “Terry Bradshaw Dead?” which said, “We’re picking up some unconfirmed reports from diverse sources that… Terry Bradshaw died in a car accident on Thursday.”

Listen, PFT, just because you put a question mark in the headline and say it’s from “unconfirmed sources” doesn’t mean it’s any less irresponsible. PFT makes a good living making up shit… er… reporting on rumors… but you can’t post a rumor that someone is dead. (For the record, Terry Bradshaw isn’t dead, he’s just on vacation.)

One possible source of the rumors is that a TV station in Louisiana reported an accident on the Terry Bradshaw Passway and it was interpreted as Terry Bradshaw passed away. How about a little fact checking? And people wonder why traditional journalists hate bloggers.

By the way, the guy who publishes PFT ran a post where he actually ends up blasting traditional journalists for blasting him cause he screwed up. Now that, friends, is chutzpah… or self-delusion.

Links:
[Philly Daily News]: Blogged to Death

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The Top Ten


1. Same Ol’ Faces
The fans have spoken and what they said really wasn’t all that surprising. After all, the typical NBA consumer bases their vote on popularity instead of looking at legitimate value over the first half of the season. In the East it’s going to be Shaq, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas. The West will be made up of Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. The lineups could be tweaked, but that will happen about seven minutes into the game. At least the fans didn’t overlook Bosh as he remains isolated in the Bizarro World. But in the end, it really doesn’t matter who gets the starting nod. The coaches are going to give everyone some minutes and then play their hottest five during the fourth quarter.

2. Late Rally
Leave it to Gilbert Arenas to provide some last minute dramatics and be on the winning side of one of the closest voting margins to ever determine a starting spot on an All-Star team. Two weeks ago, Arenas was 214,460 votes behind New Jersey’s Vince Carter for one of the Eastern Conference’s guard spots. But in a matter of 14 days, Agent 0 closed the gap and just barely surpassed Carter by only 3,010 votes. This isn’t the first time that Vinsanity has lost his starting spot to a Wizard. In 2003, Carter gave up his role as a starter to fellow North Carolina alumni, Michael Jordan. The fact that Arenas has been talking smack about dropping “84 or 85” on Duke has to make the demotion a little easier to take for Carter.

3. 3rd Times Not a Charm
Three games, three points, three losses. The Nets have got to be getting sick of these last second defeats after dropping their third consecutive loss by a single point. New Jersey is in the middle of a five game, west coast road trip that has started with losses to the Kings, Warriors and Clippers. The first dagger was put in the Nets by Mike Bibby, followed by one of the best plays of the year when Baron Davis grabbed a board, pushed it up the floor and dished it to Monta Ellis who nailed the game winning 17 footer. Then, after making a big comeback, the Nets had their hearts ripped out once again on a Cuttino Mobley 3-pointer with under a second remaining. Jersey still has Denver and Utah left on the trip and they’ve lost Richard Jefferson to right ankle injury.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Ben Gordon vs. Dallas 44 min, 30 pts (FG: 12-23, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 6-6), 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Denver (22-17) @ Utah (28-15) Denver has been rolling lately, especially since Carmelo Anthony made his return. The Nuggets have won five games in a row and Utah will now get their chance to defend the newly formed superstar combo of Melo and A.I. The Jazz had won four in a row before losing to the Grizzlies in overtime on Wednesday, but Utah had some impressive individual performances in the loss. All of the Jazz frontcourt players ended with double-doubles, paced by Carlos Boozer who finished with 39 points and 15 rebounds. Not to be outdone by the big men, point guard Deron Williams dished out a career-high 21 assists.

Buzzer Beater: For a player and team to be so disgruntled with one another, the Clippers sure are turning down a lot of offers for Corey Maggette. The latest team to be snubbed by L.A. was the Heat as they attempted to piece together a three team deal that would land Maggette in Miami. But as it was with the Spurs, Warriors and Kings, the deal fell through. After all the drama that has occurred in the past few weeks, the latest rumor has the Clippers forgoing any trade opportunities and holding on to Maggette. That wouldn’t be bad for Los Angeles as Maggette is a valuable swing man but if he can’t get along with coach Mike Dunleavy then the Clips need to just pull the trigger before it’s too late.

Categories
General Sports

The Return of Poor Man’s PTI

We took most of the football season off but we’re back! We’re going to be broadcasting on a weekly basis now that football season is (practically) over.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 35 mins) or subscribe to the feed.  

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

  • recapping the Colts-Patriots game
  • head coaching vacancies and Bill Parcells
  • How long have Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith been black coaches?
  • Genarlow Wilson’s sad case
  • College Hoops
  • “Fix”ing the NBA Draft

Hope you guys enjoy the podcast.  If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating below so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email ([email protected]) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Categories
Phoenix Suns

Top 10 Dumbest in-game Injuries: #7 Kevin Johnson


[Sportscolumn is running down the ten dumbest in-game injuries in sports. Here’s #7.]

The game winning shot is a moment that most players live for but it can be dangerous when a 250+ pound man is looking to give you a celebratory embrace. Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson found out the hard way when he buried a buzzer beating bucket and an animated Charles Barkley rushed over, grabbed Johnson and squeezed him with such force that his shoulder was dislocated. K.J. had his arm in a sling while he watched from the bench in street clothes for the next two weeks. Nowadays Barkley doesn’t get that worked up unless he’s doubling down in a hand of blackjack or someone ate the last cheesesteak.

Back to #8 | Forward to #6

Categories
NFL General

Coors Light tells us what we already know



Tough choice

According to a survey sponsored by Coors Light, 44% of men spend more time on Super Bowl plans than Valentine’s Day plans. Seems reasonable. One you actually enjoy and the other is forced upon you by Hallmark. Here are some other highlights of this survey.

  • 30% would rather their team win the Superbowl than win a date with a supermodel, win a year’s supply of beer or win their fantasy football league for three years in a row. Who the hell needs a year’s supply of beer when you can have bragging rights for years to come when your team wins a Super Bowl? Although the date would the supermodel would be a toss up. She’d have to be really hot though.
  • 83% root for the underdog if their team isn’t in the Super Bowl. We root for the refs not to screw everything up.
  • Football fans rarely get off the couch during the game and when they do it is only to use the restroom (67 percent), get something to eat (55 percent) or get an ice cold beer (35 percent). Well, if you had this Lazy Boy Chair with fridge, you could totally cut down on down time. More if you buy some Depends.
  • 89% of men wish their wives would just shut the hell up during the game. OK, we made this up but we bet you it’s close to true.

Links:
[Business Wire]: New Survey Reveals Men’s Super Bowl Rituals

[Ben Maller]: Survey: Super Bowl bigger than Valentines day for men

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Christie Mania



“Who wears the pants?”

1. Newlyweds Again
After being waived by the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, Doug Christie is hopeful that he will be able to make a return to the NBA soon. Supposedly, Christie would like to rejoin the Raptors, where he spent five years from 1995 to 2000. Of course, he would have to get approval from the old lady. Maybe he could run it by her during the couple’s 12th wedding (no joke – they renew their vows every year), which will occur on July 8. But in the meantime, there are plenty of things to occupy their time. Primarily, themselves. In addition to pitching a second season of their reality TV show, Committed: The Christies, to several networks, the couple now has a self absorbed film which is based on their lives. The Christies Un-Cut, is written, directed, starring and sold by the estrogen pumping Christie and his wife, Jackie, and is available online for $19.95.

2. Can He Rebound?

We have a new leader in the NBA when it comes to rebounding. After holding the leagues best average for almost the entire season to this point, Dwight Howard was surpassed on the list. Not once, but twice. Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby are now tied for first in the category with both averaging 12.6 per game which is only slightly better than Howard. With a couple low totals in some recent games, Howard’s average is now 12.5. The slide could motivate Howard as he looks to make history this season. At 21, should Howard end the season with the league’s best average he would become the youngest player to ever win the rebounding title.

3. Shooting Guard

The Golden State Warriors just got Stephen Jackson, but they might already be regretting their decision to bring him on board. Based on some probation issues, he must appear in a Michigan courtroom on Friday where he could be incarcerated immediately for 93 days. But because of an incident outside of an Indianapolis strip club when Jackson shot his gun at least five times, there is a possibility that Jackson could be placed in prison for up to five more years. Things have really gone downhill for Jackson since he played an important role in bringing San Antonio their second championship in 2003. Larry Bird must be relieved that Jackson’s not weighing the Pacers down with his problems anymore.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Dwyane Wade @ Indiana 46 min, 32 pts (FG: 12-22, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 7-8), 5 reb, 8 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (35-8) @ Chicago (24-19) The Bulls have only lost six games at home this season but they have been struggling lately, going 5-7 in 2007. There have been lots of trade rumors surrounding Chicago over the past few weeks but Ben Gordon and some other pieces might be too high of a price to pay for Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett. On the other side of the court, the Mavs recent successes have been well documented and they have no interest in making any major moves. Dallas is on track to having home court advantage throughout the playoffs, especially if they continue stringing together double digit win streaks. Chicago could really use the boost in confidence that would accompany a win over the Mavericks.

Buzzer Beater: It’s not too often that you hear about a professional sports franchise imposing a curfew for their team, but Jerry Sloan doesn’t mind sticking out. This year, Utah players must be in their rooms by midnight when traveling on the road. Sloan said he has never made a team abide to a curfew before but some troublesome preseason behavior involving four players and an exotic dancer changed the coach’s mind. Sloan is old school; he’s not going to put up with immature behavior that tarnishes the franchise’s image. There’s a reason that Karl Malone and John Stockton’s teams never had a bedtime when playing on the road.

Categories
Denver Broncos

Jan 25 in Sports History: Elways finally loses the *


In 1998: 11 years to the day they were beaten by the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos won their first Super Bowl with a thrilling 31-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers in San Diego. The win was quarterback John Elway’s first in four tries. Terrell Davis was named Super Bowl XXXII MVP with 157 yards and a record three rushing touchdowns, despite almost leaving the game in the first half with a severe migraine headache. The game was historic not only for Elway’s and Davis’ feats, but it was the first time an AFC team had won the big one in 13 years. It was also the last game that aired on NBC until this season, as CBS took over coverage for the American Conference starting in 1998. Sports Illustrated called it “the greatest Super Bowl ever,” and they were right (at least up to that point) as the game see-sawed back and forth and was not decided until the final minute.

Green Bay, a heavy favorite to repeat as champs, jumped out to a quick lead. Elway, always known to fold like a cheap tent in these situations, rallied the Broncos, and Davis dominated on the ground. Tied at 24 with under two minutes left, the Broncos were near the goal line. Then Packers’ Coach Mike Holmgren made one of the biggest bonehead moves in Super Bowl history. Instead of ordering a goal line stand, he had his defense “stand down” and let Davis score. The Packers were unable to convert a fourth down on the ensuing drive and the Broncos were champs. Just to make sure his hall of fame career was complete and people would forget his previous tank jobs, Elway led the Broncos to another Super Bowl win the following year.