Roman's Pac-12 Hoops Blog

Summer in the Pac- 12

2011-04-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's been 24 days since the NCAA National Championship game ended in a dud, and it's been too many days to count since I've updated this blog. I miss college hoops and I miss writing, so here we go.

I'll start by taking a shot at the Big East.

Big 6 conferences in order of total # of draft picks over last 10 drafts:

........total picked.....lottery pick.....1st rounder(not lotto).....2nd rounder

1-ACC- ....71...................21........................21..........................29

2-Pac 10-...66...................18........................15..........................33

3-big east-..62...................19........................15..........................28

4-big 12-....48...................14........................14..........................20

5-SEC-......44...................12.........................8...........................24

6-big 10-....33....................9.........................12..........................12

Despite having 6 fewer teams, (4 starting this season) the Pac-12 has four more NBA draft picks over the past 10 seasons and a whopping 33 more than the Big 10. I'm not saying the Pac-12 has the most talented players every season, NBA general managers are saying it.

Links

Arizona

Arizona basketball is still in the Top 20 in attendance.

Attendance actually dropped from last season, 13,815 in 2010 to 13,680 in 2011. Arizona ranked 1st in the Pac-10, but the Pac-10 ranked 7th among conferences, even behind the Mountain West.

Daniel Bejarano is officially transferring, as expected, making Arizona only 1 player over the scholarship limit for next year, meaning they still need lose 1 player scholarship before the season starts.

2011-12 (Limit of 12 because of NCAA sanctions)

Gone: Jamelle Horne, Derrick Williams

Off scholarship: Dondre Wise

Seniors

1. Kyle Fogg

2. Brendon Lavender

3. Jesse Perry

4. Alex Jacobson

Juniors

5. Solomon Hill

6. MoMo Jones

7. Kyryl Natyazhko

8. Kevin Parrom

Sophomores

9. Jordin Mayes

Freshmen

10. Sidiki Johnson

11. Nick Johnson

12. Josiah Turner

13. Angelo Chol

My thought is Alex Jacobsen, a 5th year senior will either transfer or choose to pay his own way, but with 6 guards, all of whom can really play, we may see a transfer. Lavender may be the 6th man in the guard rotation, so he may be the one who's out.

Arizona St.

ASU's basketball program is a sinking ship right now and Herb Sendek's job may be on the line after this season, but Sun Devils fans can turn on the NBA playoffs for some ASU hoops nostalgia.

James Harden is getting plenty of quality minutes after the Jeff Green trade, Eddie House can be seen making wide open jumpers for the Heat, and former Sun Devil Lionel Hollins is coaching the Grizzlies to potentially one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.

Cal

This happened a while ago, but it's worth noting. De'End Parker de-committed from Cal and is going to UCLA. Important because Parker is one of the top JUCO transfers in the country, and UCLA last juco transfer, Lazeric Jones became their starting point guard last season.

Colorado

After going to the NIT, Colorado loses a ton, including lottery pick Alec Burks, but they do gain Carlon Brown, a transfer from Utah, who threw down this sick, ridiculous dunk a few years back.

Oregon

Oregon's recruiting class is ranked No. 19 by scout.com, so there's some hope for next season in Eugene. Jabari Brown, a guard who played in the Jordan Brand Classic is the gem.

Remember Michael Dunigan, a former prized Oregon recruit who left the Ducks to play pro ball in Israel, and then Estonia, that's right, a rival of Latvia. Well, he's eligible for the draft this year. Chad Ford says he's got a lot to prove to be considered for the 2nd round.

Oregon St.

Speaking of Europe, Oregon State went to the land of meatballs and Abba to sign a point guard for next season.

I'll get to the second half of the Pac-12 tomorrow, hope this whet the appetite.

Say goodbye to Mannywood

2009-05-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

It was a sad day in Mannywood today-- or rather Dodgertown-- as the "Manny section" of Dodger Stadium has been renamed.

Just when you think the steroid era couldn't shock you anymore, it does.

I was stunned, saddened, disappointed, angered.

You duped us Manny. You suckered us into thinking that you were this happy-go-lucky character. You were too dumb to figure out about steroid cycles and multi-syllable drugs. You conned us into thinking that you were just being Manny.

You were different than the others. You didn't have the big head of Barry Bonds. You had the big dreads. You didn't have the seriousness of Alex Rodriguez. You were fun to be around. You didn't point the finger like Rafael Palmeiro. You preferred to wave.

For the two and half months you've worn a Dodger uniform, you changed the city. The Dodgers had their first face since Mike Piazza. You were the next Mania. The next Hideo, the next Fernando. Except you were even bigger.

But we're suckers for believing you, and now all we have is this bogus statement from you and your scumbag agent. We're not dumb enough to believe your pitiful excuses. No one in their right mind could believe you took women's fertility drugs with just cause.

The Dodgers lost today. They lost twice. They lost their dignity while the news cycle took its course and then they lost a game at home for the first time this year. The Dodgers and you were a part of something special. Today, they looked dejected. As each National touched the plate to turn a 6-0 lead into an eventual 11-9 loss, the faces in the dugout were glum. You brought a spark to the clubhouse and now it's gone.

The 2004 Red Sox were the idiots and you were one of them. You never looked like you knew what was going on, from your outfield gaffes to your clubhouse antics. You were the personification of innocence and naivety.

But you had us fooled. When will we hear the end of the steroid stories and who will be next?

Today hurt Manny.

In Mannywood, the story was too good to be true.

Not an April Fools Joke

2009-04-02T01:40:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the man who hired John Mackovic to keep 'em guessing. The amount of people who even mentioned the words Tim Floyd as a candidate for the Arizona job was none. Unless they were hiding behind the woodshed.

Today, a new chapter in Arizona basketball was written. Tim Floyd will reportedly be hired as the next coach of Arizona after meeting with athletic director Jim Livengood.

This comes as a surprise. Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mark Few, Jamie Dixon, Lon Kruger, Jeff Capel, Reggie Theus all mentioned, none hired. Even Russ Pennell would have been less shocking.

Which is not to say that this was a bad hire. Just kind of ironic it came on April Fools Day. A Pac-10 coach leaving a program he rebuilt to join another Pac-10 program he will have to rebuild? Head coaches don't leave to coach another program within the same conference. It just doesn't happen.

The good thing about Tim Floyd is that he wins. He led USC, Iowa State, and New Orleans to the NCAA Tournament.

The bad thing is that no one is exactly sold that Floyd is doing things the right way. There's the curios case of OJ Mayo and what (if any) involvement Floyd had in that fiasco. There's Daniel Hackett and his dad Rudy who reportedly were a package deal (Floyd denies this). There's the recruitment of Dwayne Polee Jr. who committed before he ever played a high school game.

So if you're willing to have a few scandals but win on a consistent basis then Floyd is the right man for you. Interestingly enough, the Trojans had a similar season to Arizona this year. Like the Wildcats, the Trojans underachieved, and then made a run in the tournament. In the case of USC, it was the Pac-10 tournament and the NCAA Tournament, where USC upset Boston College.

Floyd has had enough recruiting coups in the last several years (Mayo, Demar Derozan, Renardo Sidney) to establish himself as one of the premier recruiters in the country. That's a good thing. Does it matter to you how he's getting these players? Do you think John Calipari has World Wide Wes hanging around but is Mr. Clean?

The buzz in Wildcat country, similarly to the talk in the Bluegrass State, surrounds the notion that a new coach's recruits will follow him to his new place of business. While getting Renardo Sidney, Dwayne Polee, or Solomon Hill (originally committed to Arizona) would be nice, I doubt that it will happen.

So Floyd will have to rebuild the same way he has at his other non-NBA stops. Defense. And isn't that refreshing? Wildcat fans have been clamoring for defense for a while now and Floyd will surely change the philosophy upon arrival.

I'm still not sure what to think. It was a good hire, but not great. Floyd is a very good college coach, but perhaps it's not the sexy hire everyone wanted. Hiring another Pac-10 coach was certainly unexpected and still needs some digesting.

I can't help but wonder who else would have taken the job. I doubt Pitino or Izzo, but would Mark Few or Jamie Dixon be better choices. Will one of those coaches take the USC job. If Floyd struggles, we will revisit those questions in the near future.

I'm puzzled by how this came to fruition and I'm curious as to how Floyd's personality fits as the new face of Arizona basketball. I'm still having a hard time picturing Floyd roaming the Arizona sideline, but I think I'm ready to start getting used to it.

Tim Floyd, the head coach of Arizona. It's gotta a ring to it.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it

2009-03-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

You know what the good news is about the Donte Stallworth situation? Now Michael Vick will have someone to throw to in jail.

Gus Johnson announcing the UConn/Chatanooga game yesterday: (Cue Gus Johnson music by Fort Minor (the remix)

"Khalil Hartwell...HE'S BEEN AWESOME TODAY!!!!...drives...TO THE BUCKET!!!!... AND SCORES...CHAT-A-NOO-GA CUTS THE LEAD TO 52!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(Note): Not sure if he did that game, but that's what it would have sounded like.

My upset special of Thursday: No. 12 Western Kentucky over No. 5 Illinois

My not so upset special: Cal over Memphis in the 2nd round...oops.

My upset special of Friday: No. 13 Portland State over No. 4 Xavier (in Idaho)
The Vikings already beat Gonzaga this year and lost to Washington by 1.

And finally, you can never have enough of The Machine.

Breaking down the Cats with Duff

2009-03-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

DoofyUofA (3:50:27 AM): still bloggin?

romoballa (3:50:58 AM): no, haven't kept up with it, between work, partying, and laziness, kind of stopped, but i'll pick it back up eventually

DoofyUofA (3:51:42 AM): if we play like we played against zag and kansas and when we were on the streak

DoofyUofA (3:51:50 AM): i think we can go to the final four....

romoballa (3:51:55 AM): big if, if chase stops being a pussy

romoballa (3:51:57 AM): wow

DoofyUofA (3:51:58 AM): ya

romoballa (3:52:04 AM): i was just talkin bout beating utah

romoballa (3:52:09 AM): i have wake in the final four

DoofyUofA (3:52:10 AM): i think we have an easy road

DoofyUofA (3:52:17 AM): we beat louisville last year

DoofyUofA (3:52:22 AM): i think wake will be the tought game

DoofyUofA (3:52:33 AM): we have two lottery picks on our team...(if chase isnt a pussy)

romoballa (3:52:45 AM): did u see chase against asu in the pac 10 tourney

romoballa (3:52:52 AM): that was the worst game i've ever seen anyone play

DoofyUofA (3:52:59 AM): and arguable three of the top 5 or 10 players at their positions in the tourney

romoballa (3:53:01 AM): that includes big softie's aau team

DoofyUofA (3:53:07 AM): id say jordan is a top 5 big man in the tourney

DoofyUofA (3:53:28 AM): chase is at least top 10 sf/sg

romoballa (3:53:29 AM): i agree, but we only have 3 guys and one of those guys looks like a big vagina

DoofyUofA (3:53:37 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:53:44 AM): cinderella coach

DoofyUofA (3:53:51 AM): underseeded

romoballa (3:53:56 AM): join the other 15 cinderalla coachs

DoofyUofA (3:53:56 AM): chip on the shoulder

DoofyUofA (3:54:00 AM): barely got in

DoofyUofA (3:54:04 AM): its got the makings

romoballa (3:54:39 AM): u know what the biggest thing about our team...watch us in huddles, no one is encouraging each other, no one has cool handshakes

DoofyUofA (3:54:46 AM): that is true

romoballa (3:54:48 AM): the camaraderie isn't there

romoballa (3:55:00 AM): there's a lack of leadership

romoballa (3:55:19 AM): and chase is a pussy, he played himself out of the 1st round

romoballa (3:55:27 AM): here's a kid who was top 5 coming out of high school

romoballa (3:55:33 AM): now might drop to the 2nd round

DoofyUofA (3:55:35 AM): he looked fucking awful in that asu game didnt he

romoballa (3:55:45 AM): ya, don't show ur kids

DoofyUofA (3:55:49 AM): woody and wesley said it best...white men cant jump

romoballa (3:55:59 AM): except that he can, he just refuses to

DoofyUofA (3:56:02 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:56:13 AM): you think we have any chance of making it 26 next year?

romoballa (3:56:17 AM): 0

romoballa (3:56:25 AM): unless, our big 3 come back

DoofyUofA (3:56:30 AM): how about a nucleus of zane johnson kyle fogg and jamelle horn leading ur u a wildcats

romoballa (3:56:31 AM): which would be a miracle

romoballa (3:56:35 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:56:46 AM): i actually like fogg though

romoballa (3:56:46 AM): ladies and gentleman, ur 2009-10 arizona basketball team

romoballa (3:56:49 AM): me too

DoofyUofA (3:56:55 AM): even though he plays defense like a jack ass some times

romoballa (3:56:56 AM): he's my favorite wildcat

romoballa (3:57:03 AM): ya, but he plays hard

romoballa (3:57:24 AM): i actually like zane johnson too, he's not afraid to fire

DoofyUofA (3:57:27 AM): pennell better have the coaching run of his life

DoofyUofA (3:57:34 AM): cause hes been out coached quite a bit this year

romoballa (3:57:46 AM): pennell has done a great job, but he's clueless sometimes

romoballa (3:57:58 AM): he made 0 adjustments against ASU, and we fell apart in the 2nd half

DoofyUofA (3:58:09 AM): and then theres lute on the sid lines...touching his face all the time and shit

romoballa (3:58:25 AM): lute has completely lost it

romoballa (3:58:55 AM): he feels like an anvil just dropped on his had

romoballa (3:58:56 AM): head

romoballa (3:59:04 AM): and he's seeing stars

DoofyUofA (3:59:15 AM): i was waiting for some joe dimaggio type speech at that game where he was honored

DoofyUofA (3:59:18 AM): and it was like

DoofyUofA (3:59:20 AM): thanks

DoofyUofA (3:59:21 AM): im out

DoofyUofA (3:59:40 AM): id like to thank god my momma and biggie smalls

DoofyUofA (3:59:42 AM): peace

22 reasons why Buller is an Idiot

2009-01-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

In honor of Buller's birthday, here is the annual "Reasons why Buller is a dumbass list."

1. Buller doesn't know who Joe Paterno is.
2. On the same day Buller wore Oregon shorts and a Notre Dame sweatshirt; two different people came up to him to talk about those teams and he knew nothing about them.
3. Buller now owns an Eastern Michigan sweatshirt with the initials EMU on the front.
4. Buller says "No homo" to his basketball club team at practice.
5. Buller won 19 straight regular season games in fantasy basketball and then didn't win a fucking dime in the playoffs.
6. Buller's football team was the Falcons, then the Chargers, at some point the Patriots and the Raiders, and now the Falcons again...since you know they made the playoffs and everything.
7. Buller's favorite football team is subject to change in the next 3 weeks.
8. The idea for this blog came from Buller.
9. After I told Buller I was already at No. 8 after about 3 minutes, he asked, Baller 11 15 21 (4:04:55 PM): is it really that easy?
10. I told Buller I made a tuna sandwich with Mayo, and he asked if it was O.J. Mayo.
11. One of the major factors of Buller becoming an idiot was in high school when everyone was learning Buller had the following thoughts going on his head...
A. How can I take off Larry's shirt
B. How can I take off Nick Kindel's pants
C. Hey Frank, you're fat as fuck, let me get a large popcorn with extra butter, hold the popcorn.
D. I can't see the TV because of your box ass head
12. One of Buller's favorite activities is jumping over shopping carts
13. Buller sent out an email to all the parents of his team asking them to please "reseda the email."
14. Buller is 22 years old but still wears braces.
15. To save 12 dollars from the store price, Buller bought an X Box on Amazon.com and it was broken.
16. Buller pays for a gym membership but never goes
17. When Buller does go to the gym, he lifts kids weights.
18. Buller has over 25 jerseys that he never wears. The one jersey he does wear is a game worn Ira Newble jersey.
19. Buller goes to bars with nba logo socks on.
20. Buller calls Skyler "sky" and calls the show entourage "auntie"
21. (from Skyler) "He backed ur car up into a wall, dumbass."
22 This is the kind of shit Buller does on his Birthday:

Baller 11 15 21 (3:57:06 PM): you might have to put amanda peet, mary j blige, damien wilkins, kevin boss, and tony allen in there too cause its their birthdays as well

Baller 11 15 21 (3:57:14 PM): happy birthday to them as well man

A second to think

2009-01-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post this link because too often we take our way of life for granted. This blog was posted by a friend of a friend I had met last year who is doing a documentary in Israel.

When Vegas freezes over

2008-12-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

After almost 24 hours in airports and on airplanes, I guess it's time to post a blog. It's about the only thing I haven't done on the internet thus far. Well, no porn either. I'm pretty sure that's illegal at the airport and I'm not Larry Craig.

My parents were supposed to leave for Latvia three hours after me and they will get to the other side of the earth faster than I can get to Hartford. This all thanks to a snowstorm in Las Vegas. That's right...Vegas. What snows in Vegas stays in Vegas. That's how the slogan goes, right?

I can't complain though. The operator on the 1-800 number said I wouldn't be able to leave LA until Friday morning, but after waiting in a 3-hour line, I was able to finagle a flight to Chicago where I was the lone person in the airport for about 2 hours, before my connecting flight to Hartford. (Word of advice: be nice to the people at the counter).That got me to thinking about that movie The Terminal with Tom Hanks and led to the following conversation:

romoballa (4:33:12 AM): wat did tom hanks character in the movie do

romoballa (4:33:23 AM): haha, aight, im gonna pass the time by looking that up

greenmachineAZ (4:33:23 AM): he was from another country

greenmachineAZ (4:33:27 AM): which ended up being in a war

greenmachineAZ (4:33:33 AM): so he couldn't go back there because it would have been dangerous

greenmachineAZ (4:33:40 AM): but he couldn't get a visa or something to be in America

greenmachineAZ (4:33:47 AM): so he ended up working around the airport

greenmachineAZ (4:33:50 AM): built a nice bathroom

greenmachineAZ (4:33:58 AM): and almost hooked up with catherine zeta jones

greenmachineAZ (4:33:59 AM): almost

romoballa (4:34:19 AM): wow

romoballa (4:34:31 AM): i'd be down to almost hook up with czj

greenmachineAZ (4:34:38 AM): haha

greenmachineAZ (4:34:39 AM): sure

greenmachineAZ (4:34:40 AM): well

greenmachineAZ (4:34:44 AM): go build a nice bathroom

greenmachineAZ (4:34:45 AM): with a fountain

greenmachineAZ (4:34:48 AM): and I'm sure you could

Now onto the sports section of the Empire.

Speaking of Vegas, big day for Arizona in the City of Sin on Saturday. Basketball/Football doubleheader with Arizona taking UNLV on the hardwood followed by Arizona/BYU in the Las Vegas bowl.

The hoops squad continues taking on Arizona coaching candidates facing Lon Kruger after toppling Mark Few and Gonzaga in a shocking upset. I'll quote a facebook status I saw after that game. "If you can't beat us, join us, Mark."

One Arizona football player got the partying started a little early. Linebacker Sterling Lewis was charged with DUI in Tucson and was suspended for the game.

Speaking of gambling, Jamelle Horne had this to say after Arizona's win over San Diego State when asked if the victory had any special meaning for him.

"Of course," Horne replied. "More than half of those guys were AAU traveling teammates or guys I know from San Diego. So we were chirping for the entire game. We even had a little wager on the game. We'll be going out to dinner and my dinner will be paid for."

Then Horne said that no wager actually took place and he wanted to apologize for suggesting it did, through a statement of course.

"I understand that sports and gambling do not mix," Horne said. "In an effort to be funny after a tough game, I made a poor choice of words and now realize that I should choose my words more carefully."

And more gambling news:

The Suns traded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell to the Bobcats for Jason Richardson as Suns fans quickly soured on Diaw and Bell while Steve Nash sobbed quietly in the corner. Diaw, left with some parting shots.

“It definitely wasn’t as fun,” Diaw told The Arizona Republic. “… It wasn’t as exciting for the fans. It’s not as fun for everybody (on the team). I’ll always remember Phoenix with Mike (D’Antoni). We went from a winning team that was the most exciting team in the league to a half-winning team that wasn’t exciting at all.”

Kudos to Suns fans for cheering D'Antoni in his return to the Valley of the Sun.

And finally:

I'm a little shocked at myself but I actually agree with Joey Porter's comments regarding Plaxico Burress. And I don't blame Burress for his Cheddar Bob impression. No, I'm not being sarcastic.

"Plaxico is like a brother to me. I take it real personal how he's being treated," Porter said. "Everybody has their mistakes, but that's exactly what they are ... Until you've been in that situation, when you've been robbed at gunpoint or you've had a gun waved in your face or had your house broken into before or been carjacked, you really don't know what it's like."

"For a person to carry a gun, I mean, you're not carrying a gun to show that 'I'm tough.' It's safety, it's nothing but safety," Porter said.

"When you get out of a situation like that and you've been in harm's way, the first thing that goes through your mind, I'd rather get caught and take the little penalty from the media, whatever the situation may be, than not have a chance to save my life," Porter said.

"It's tough out there so I'm not gonna say I condone what happened. It was a mistake by [Plax]. I know he wish he never did it. But I don't think it's as bad as everybody made it seem, either."

I understand why the gun laws are in place, but after knowing that your teammate was robbed at gunpoint and having an NFL player killed in his own house I don't have a huge problem with Burress carrying a gun. Yes, he should have known the New York law. As an adult that's his responsibility. But the possibility of serving five years in prison for shooting yourself in the leg on accident is astounding.

Like Porter said, Burress wasn't there to shoot anyone. He was carrying the gun as protection. Every American has the right to bear arms and NFL players are no different. Intent must matter in a case like this, though it's obviously hard to prove.

Unfortunately, Burress has a long rap sheet of transgressions so the media and the publc won't give him the benefit of the doubt. Usually I think that's fair, but in this case the proposed punishment doesn't fit the crime.

Every person deserves the right to protect himself.

Roll up Corie Blount

2008-12-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

When people get in trouble with the law, it's either shocking or you just knew it was going to happen all along. When Corie Blount entered the NBA, I knew this day would come.

Granted Blount is no Nate Newton, but 11 pounds of weed is a nice chunk. With a last name like Blount and that expression on his face, this was inevitable. I had the following conversation with Buller after it happened.

Baller 11 15 21 (4:31:54 PM): you see corie blunt just got caught for large amounts of marijuana lol

romoballa (4:32:17 PM): ya...lol i could see it coming when he was drafted

Baller 11 15 21 (4:32:31 PM): heard that

Baller 11 15 21 (4:32:40 PM): and he just finished majoring in criminal justice lol

Baller 11 15 21 (4:32:43 PM): the irony just never ends

romoballa (4:33:06 PM): so he can now defend himself

Michael Vick needs a leash:

This blog about Michael Mick brings up a good point. Vick has shown little remorse for his actions, and continues to blow large amounts of money while trying to protect himself from his creditors. According to a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he spent $3.6 million dollars in the three months before he went to jail, including the purchase of a $99,000 Mercedes. Some people never learn. Of course this story got me thinking about Vick's future and motivated me to write this response to the blog.

I'm a life long Cowboys fan and I know the Cowboys are one of the most likely teams to sign Vick when he comes back, but if they do, I'm done. Let's not forget that Vick's crimes weren't solely for dog fighting but also the vicious way he killed defenseless and innocent animals. This blog is right in that Vick has shown no real remorse for his crimes, and some of Vick's NFL peers (like Clinton Portis) have gone on record saying Vick's actions weren't that serious. I'd love to see Vick come back and redeem himself by changing his attitude toward this subject and toward life in general, but I highly doubt that will happen.

How does this make any sense?

Matt Jones was suspended three games for possession of cocaine, but six NFL players including Pat and Kevin Williams of the Vikings are being suspended four games for using a weight loss supplement.

Suns stuck in a Valley

2008-11-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

I won't rub salt in the wound of Phoenix Suns fans. The fans at U.S. Airways Center already did that with the loud "Let's go Lakers chant" which forced a comment from the TNT broadcast team.

I'm here for a different reason. I've been an unabashed Suns hater for almost five years now, but as a basketball fan, I always stepped away and thought to myself, I love the way the Suns play. As smug as Mike D'Antoni was and the battles the Suns and the Lakers have had in recent years, I still respected how good the Suns were.

That's why I was shocked and appalled at the Suns don't let the door hit you on your way out approch with Mike D'Antoni.

The early polls are in and as I expected D'Antoni is doing a great job with a horrible Knicks team which is off to a 6-5 start.

On the other hand, the Suns are going nowhere fast, starting out 8-5, but mired in the middle of the Western Conference. I've asserted all along that the blame falls on Robert Sarver who continuously traded away draft picks for cash, and after letting D'Antoni go, settled on a cheap coach who wouldn't rock the boat.

And that's what you got Suns fans. Perhaps you wouldn't have won the title with D'Antoni but you would have been a better team than you are with Terry Porter.

Here are some excerpts of the conversation I had with my buddy and big Suns fan Adam Green. He makes some valid points, but for the record he was not one of the fans pushing D'Antoni out.

greenmachineAZ (3:35:26 AM): Suns fans got tired of the no bench, no defense way

greenmachineAZ (3:35:47 AM): people who weren't Suns fans saw a team that won 55 games a year and was fun to watch...with no emotional investment, why wouldn't you like that?

greenmachineAZ (3:36:01 AM): but Suns fans got tired of the same result every year, with no sign of getting better

greenmachineAZ (3:36:16 AM): it's like Shawn Marion...Suns fans knew how bad his shortcomings were/are

greenmachineAZ (3:36:24 AM): and had less issue with him being traded

greenmachineAZ (3:36:37 AM): whereas people who didn't really watch the Suns think he is some great player who you couldn't trade away

romoballa (3:36:50 AM): i just wouldn't give up on a coach who 1. got you to be a good team 2. played a fun style for the fans (isn't that what it's about ultimately entertainment) 3. was liked by the players

greenmachineAZ (3:36:59 AM): right

greenmachineAZ (3:37:09 AM): but if the goal is to win a title, his way has not done it so far

romoballa (3:37:09 AM): and 4. almost won the title has some things gone his way

romoballa (3:38:36 AM): one of the top 5 coaches in the league

And that got me thinking. So here's my order.

romoballa (3:48:54 AM): 1. phil jackson

romoballa (3:48:57 AM): 2. larry brown

romoballa (3:49:04 AM): 3. greg popovich

romoballa (3:49:13 AM): 4. mike dantoni

romoballa (3:49:16 AM): 5. byron scott

And my revised 6-8...Jerry Sloan, Donn Nelson, Rick Adelman

1. When you have 9 NBA championships, it's hard not to be No. 1

2. Larry Brown has turned more bad teams into good teams than anyone other coach in history. The man led the Clippers to the playoffs, coached the Kansas Miracles to an improbable title and led the worst team in history to make the Finals, the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers with guys like Eric Snow and Aaron McKie playing prominent roles.

3. Greg Popovich minus the Ted Kuzinksi beard has the titles, the players respect' and the consistency to be one of the greatest coaches of this era.

4. Mike D'Antoni is fairly new to the NBA compared to the first 3 guys on this list but the early returns show a .610 winning percentage. Also please remember in his first season when he took over the team about a quarter of the way, he went 21-40. The next year, he led the Suns to 62-20 record and a trip to the Conference Finals. And thus far, he's exceeded expectations with the Knicks.

5. Byron Scott is a rising superstar in the coaching profession. He's taken two bad Nets teams to the Finals and has rebuilt a Hornets team into a perennial contender. He runs an offense that has a lot of Princeton principles and also has a tough defensive mentality. In addition, he's one of the most respected guys in the league. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to coach the Lakers in the future.

Wow!

2008-11-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Aside from "Wow!" what more can you really say. Here it is if if you haven't seen it.

gatosalvajech (2:42:22 AM): theres no words for that

gatosalvajech (2:42:40 AM): i ve never even seen that ...

gatosalvajech (2:42:48 AM): after someone made a crucial mistake

gatosalvajech (2:42:51 AM): you repeat it

gatosalvajech (2:42:56 AM): with less the a second left

gatosalvajech (2:43:01 AM): and momentum into OT

romoballa (2:43:29 AM): if u want to see the dumbest loss in the history of sports
just tune into today's arizona game

gatosalvajech (2:43:35 AM): thats like Jalen Rose calling time out after webber already made that one famous mistake

And that's what it comes down to. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me -- you can't get fooled again.

That's a little George W. Bush for you. It fits with the stupidity of Arizona basketball.

I understand Kyle Fogg's mistake. He's a freshman who just scored his first two points of the game and was too excited to remember that his bucket tied the game. It was in the heat of the moment as the cliche goes.

But Jamelle Horne, the same guy I blasted in my last post about Arizona basketball for gloating in an exhibition game, fouling to lose the game after a timeout?

Wow. Wow. Wow.

The phrase I've never seen that before is overused but it applies in this case. It would be like Jose Canseco having the ball go off his head and over the wall on two consecutive fly balls.

I just want to know what Horne was thinking. What was said in the timeout. How could you not discuss what you do if the shot is missed? Or was Horne really just spacing out?

“I saw the guy with the ball going 94 feet and the last thing I wanted to do was give him an uncontested shot,” Horne said. “And I saw him in front of me so I tried to foul him and the ref called what. … I don’t know what he called it.”

Now that's a very Bush like quote.

What did the referee call? He called an intentional foul. It's what happens when you grab a guy's jersey from behind and hold on to it to stop him from shooting. In the sport of basketball, that's an illegal move. Who has Horne been talking to lately, Donovan McNabb?

On the bright side, if there actually is one since I've had to watch the Sportscenter anchors incredulously describe the sequence of events while shaking their heads in disbelief, maybe this will teach Horne about some humility. I'm starting to sound like a fan of a bad team. I'm somehow trying to grasp onto a positive side of this tragedy.

I'd just like to say that the actions of November 18, 2008 by two of Arizona's basketball players in no way, shape, or form represent the University of Arizona and it's alumni.

The other phrase I've heard a lot recently is "it's gonna be a long season."

1. In terms of how frustrating it will be to watch Arizona play, I agree.

2. In relation to how Arizona is going to fare this season, I disagree. The Pac-10 is really bad aside from UCLA. Oregon already lost to Oakland, Cal State Northridge hung in with Stanford for the majority of the game, and Oregon State had the court rushed on them against Howard.
Plus, after this game, it can't get any worse, right? Right?

See, I'm trying to stay positive.

Of course it had to happen when I moved to the East coast.

There will be no Laker games on tape delay this year. KCAL will now show games played in the Eastern time zone live.

That could have been my biggest television pet peeve. But since I no longer live in LA, I don't even get to enjoy the change.

And finally, even USA today has an article on how ugly the last year or so has been for Arizona basketball.

It's worse than I thought

2008-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not so sure it was a good thing I was able to watch Arizona's first exhibition game at work. It was downright scary.

Against a division II team that I a) had never heard of and b) lost 11 games last season, Arizona trailed by one early in the second half. The Wildcats gave up 83 points. On the bright side, Jordan Hill had less than the 9 turnovers he had in the Red/Blue game.

However, the most despicable moment came in the first half. It was a moment that made me cringe. I felt embarrassed to be an Arizona basketball fan.

We all know this is a team that's going to need help to make the NCAA tournament. The majority of these guys aren't blue chip prospects, so it's going to take hard work, dedication, and a scrappy effort to make up for the lack of talent.

It appears that Jamelle Horne is far from comprehending that concept.

Horne was one of the few players who was making shots early. He hit several contested three pointers that would have been bad shots if he didn't make them. After hit hit a third, Horne ran down the court dancing, with his tongue out, his hands in the air, like he had just won the national title. Meanwhile, the guy he was guarding beat him down the court and hit a wide open 3.

Thankfully, Russ Pennell had the wherewithal to sit Horne at the next break. But that play alone put a damper on any positive thinking I had regarding this team.

Maybe this team would rally with all the surrounding conflicts. Maybe this team of under-recruited players would change the stigma of soft Arizona teams. Maybe they still will. Maybe I'm reading too much into a glorified scrimmage.

But maybe I'm right. Maybe the first impression will tell the story. Maybe this team will fall in the face of adversity.

I hope it doesn't happen but judging from the beginning, it's worse than I thought.

Check it out:

Though I don't want to affiliate myself with any kind of Phoenix Suns propaganda, check out Michael Schwartz's new website, valleyofthesuns.com. It will be well-researched and well-written.

What now for Arizona basketball?

2008-11-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Now that the dust has settled, the destruction is apparent.

The Arizona program is in shambles. The top three players in the 2008 recruiting class (Brandon Jennings, Italy; Emmanuel Negedu, Tennessee; and Jeff Withey, announced his transfer last week) are gone. With the de-commitments of the three players who made up the 2009 recruiting class, only the ruins are left. There's no top 10 players coming in to save the day. Once Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill say their goodbyes after this season, this program that rivals anyone on the West side of the Mississippi will be down to hoping and praying that it can hire a man who's capable of restoring pride in Arizona basketball.

The rebuilding process will be harder that I could have imagined. The transition was anything but smooth.

Still, I'm stunned at the "Don't let the door hit you on the way out" approach many fans have adopted. One facebook group which I was asked to join is entitled "Good riddance, you demented old bastard." Several of my friends are members.

For a man who took a program from the gutter to 23 straight NCAA tournament appearances and national championship, it seems a harsh farewell. Sure Olson didn't handle the situation as well as he should have. But does one year of mistakes override 24 years of brilliance. Always a private man in a public man's profession, Olson shot himself in the foot in terms of public relations.

I had gotten to know Lute Olson in my three years of covering the team, and though he was often guarded, he always presented himself with dignity. Though he wasn't always forthcoming, he always cared about protecting his players.

His resume and his years of playing by the rules (no major infractions) should not go forgotten. We live in a what have you done for me lately society, but don't judge the man on his last chapter. Judge him by the entire book.

Now Arizona must move forward. The program will never be the same.

And now for potential replacements (note I don't have any inside information on this, these are just guys I'd like to see and who I think are plausible)

1. Mark Few
2. John Calipari
3. Jamie Dixon

Few- He turned around a Gonzaga program in a mid major conference and made the Bulldogs a national power. Because Dan Monson began the ascension, Few doesn't get as much credit as Olson, but he's still done a tremendous job and would be a major coup.
Calipari- According to a friend who used to work at the Best Damn Sports Show period, Calipari said he would leav Memphis for the Arizona job. Certainly, that's hope for Arizona fans. Calipari has a great thing going for him and is just coming off a national championship game appearance. He's a good recruiter, a master PR man, and a terrific coach. He also brings with him some baggage (see Worldwide Wes). Moving to a bigger conference could be the next challenge for Calipari but will Arizona pay him the type of salary he will demand?
Dixon- Following Ben Howland at Pittsburgh, Dixon has quietly pit the Panthers near the top of the Big East year in and year out. He doesn't have the name power of the other two coaches on this list, but he can bring a defensive philosophy in badly need of one. Dixon is also from the West coast (San Fernando Valley) so a move would not be out of the question.

Every coach who turns down the job will be a step backward. It's important not to rush into a decision. It's important to make a big name hire. This job is not for an assistant or a coach with little experience. This is a big name job and a failure to lure that big name should put Jim Livengood's job in jeapardy. Recruiting at Arizona isn't as easy as Olson made it look. Kids came to play for him and as witnessed by recent recruits migration away from the program, it's not going to get any easier.

Arizona will play basketball this season, but it's nowhere nearly as important as what happens after the season. It will get worse before it gets better.

So get ready to go through some hard times Arizona fans. There's a good chance that the next time you'll be talking trash to ASU fans, you'll be saying, wait till football season.

Lute Olson is stepping down

2008-10-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

You knew this was going to happen some time but you weren't sure how you would feel about it. The time has come and Arizona's biggest legend is retiring according to ESPN's Dick Vitale.

Olson didn't show up to practice Wednesday and missed his annual Rotary Club preseason meeting. Assistant coach Reggie Geary claimed Olson was battling laryngitis.

Associate coach Mike Dunlap will take over the head coaching duties on an interim basis, according to Vitale's report.

The 74-year old Olson took a leave of absence last season though denied it was health related.

The Empire will have more on Olson in the coming days.

Stay tuned.

Arizonaaaa......Bear Down

2008-10-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

Just another day at Arizona stadium last Saturday. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Wildcat.

Ho, hum, another win over a top 25 team under Mike Stoops. The Wildcats continue to beat teams they're not supposed to beat on the heels of losing to teams they're not supposed to lose to.

Kirk Herbstreit who predicted the Wildcats would pull the upset, saw it coming, and frankly I'm not close to surprised at the 42-27 outcome. I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona beats USC on homecoming Saturday, or at the least plays the Trojans tough like they have the past three seasons.

Last year, Arizona lost 20-13, was up 13-10 early in the 4th quarter.
2006, Arizona lost 20-3, was down just 10-3 early in the 4th quarter.
2005, Arizona lost 42-21, was down 28-21 early in the 4th quarter.

Add to that the fact that for some reason, the Wildcats love to pull off huge upsets on Homecoming and you might have yourself quite a ball game.

I'm bummed I won't be there to tailgate, participate in Frog Friday's and reminisce at Dirtbags after the game. I will be there in spirit, though.

Speaking of the Trojans ...

This is funny. The USC football team gets hypnotized. Either this hypnotism thing really works or the USC film school is really good.

How bad is the Pac-10? Only one team is ranked in the top 25 (USC).

Meanwhile, Arizona received six votes in the AP top 25.

If you're a Laker fan and a Jew you will find this Vic the Brick Jacobs signing bit funny.

Not sure how I missed this a few weeks ago, but Bill Simmons wrote a great article about Elgin Baylor.

Four main points from the article

Baylor once averaged 38 points and 19 rebounds while playing only on weekends during the 1962 season because he was doing military service.
He scored 71 points in a game against Wilt Chamberlain's team.
Baylor was associated with the NBA for 50 years and was the oldest high ranking employee before he got unceremoniously canned by the Clippers.
He made first team All-NBA in 10 of 11 seasons from 1959-69, and pretty much created the jump shot, the kind where you actually get hang time before you shoot.

The Stairs to stupidity

2008-10-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

This, ladies and gentleman is the man who beat the Dodgers in game 4.

I present to you the quote of Matt Stairs, after his two run home run gave the Phillies a 7-5 lead.

“When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys — there’s no better feeling than to have that done.”

Thanks for the thought Matt.
Now onto more inappropriateness.

Big Cajones

The blog rumor mill says that Kellen Winslow's undisclosed illness is actually a case of the big balls. Usually, that's something a soldier like Winslow would be proud of, but in this case its a disease called hydroceles, which usually occurs on males either 1-2 years old or 40.
Pro Football Talk, quoting a league source, says Winslow was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic because his balls swelled to the size of grapefruits."

What a day in Big D

If you thought Hard Knocks was a great publicity stunt, how about Tuesday.
Tony Romo is out four weeks with a pinkie injury, Felix Jones is out up to four weeks, the Cowboys trade three picks for Roy Williams, PacMan Jones is suspended for at least four games, and more importantly Brett Favre called Romo.
In other essential news, I made a phone call to my mother.

Coast to Coast

2008-10-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things I noticed on my way from Los Angeles to Bristol.

There won't be a shortage of corn any time soon.
Speeding tickets in Iowa are a lot cheeper.
Chicago is like a better smelling version of New York.
People are insane no matter where they live as noticed by someone stalking Luke Walton.

(Note: Another person stalking Luke Walton's jumpshot was not found; neither was Walton's jumpshot)

Did you know Elgin Baylor actually worked for the Clippers. Baylor is out as "general manager" of the Clippers but he could have basically kept doing the same thing he was doing."

A source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that Baylor resigned because the Clippers were willing to let him retain his salary and title but were stripping him of any authority. The source also said the Clippers were willing to have him return in a consultant's role. The Clippers are now not expected to fill his position."

Someone should have informed Baylor that he already didn't have any authority.

Cubs fans are more insane than everyone else. This Cubs fan is selling his allegiance.

Here's what I wrote prior to Saturday's Arizona game.
Go to the Pac-10 standings page and you may be shocked at what you see.
With a 2-0 record in conference and a 4-1 record overall, Arizona is at the top. The Wildcats have been blessed with an easy schedule but nonetheless, have produced against the teams they were supposed to beat. The offense hasn't scored less than 28 points in the first five games and against Washington, Arizona ran for 256 yards and gave up just 63 yards rushing on 2.3 yards per carry.

Here's what I have to say now:
It figures Arizona lost. Every time the Wildcats have a chance to be relevant, they lose. They lose when the opponent isn't intimidating but when the game matters. Like the loss to ASU that would have put them in a bowl. And this loss to Stanford when they had a chance to have the best record since the Desert Swarm just doesn't surprise me.

I bet my buddy Buller 10 bucks that Jordan Farmar would not be drafted by the Lakers a few years back. I lost. I figured there was no way the Pacers would pass him up when they clearly needed a point guard with the oft-injured Jamaal Tinsley being their starter. Instead, they took Shawne Williams and look how that's turned out. The Pacers traded Williams to the Mavericks for a bag of peanuts.

I may be wrong on Andrew Bynum. I thought it would take some time for the Lakers center to get back to last season's form. Here's a kid who's biggest knock coming out of high school was that he didn't love the game. The concern was that he wouldn't put in the time to get himself in shape. But he has. And thus far in the preseason, he's looked terrific. He put up 15 and 8 in 20 minutes in the first game and then six points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes in game 2. More importantly, he didn't lose the physical progress he made last offseason.

And 1
I don't like to mention politics on the Empire because I'm cynical about politicians actually following up on the millions of promises they make. Plus the Empire is neutral like Switzerland and doesn't want to affect opinion on this matter in any way.

Also, in no way am I proponent of Barack Obama but I do want to give him brownie points for mentioning Latvia in the second debate. Shout out to my home country.

Just had to throw that out there.

I love LA

2008-10-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I was three years old and living in Latvia, the Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship series.

I guess it was a fitting end to my time in Los Angeles. The Dodgers pulled out three of their finest performances of the season and perhaps the past two decades.

And at the same time, they're not done. Still eight games to be won. An underdog for the entire playoffs, they'll have to do work on the road before they can return home. That's how I feel. I need to do work and hopefully, I'll one day return.

Words are powerful, but these last few days they have escaped me. It's been difficult to put the gratitude I feel into my vocabulary.

"You never know what happens when you leave some place you've been," Joe Torre said after the win.

I'm anxious and excited and at the same time somber. I've shared a lot of laughs and memories recently with a lot of people who mean a lot to me. I've listened to a lot of kind words and received generous going away presents, including a sick Tony Romo jersey.

I'll miss the city, but I'll miss the people in the city more.

I can only hope to do as well at my job as the Dodgers did this week. The way Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda dazzled their way past the vaunted Cubs lineup.

The Cubs, who led the NL in runs, scored just six runs in the three games.

I can only hope to have the kind of success James Loney had. Loney had six RBIs including the tone setting grand slam in Game 1.

I can only hope to have the kind of fun Manny Ramirez has had since he traded in his Red Sox for Dodger Blue. Manny wasn't too shabby either, hitting .500 with two home runs.

It's been a great ride. Now the next chapter awaits. For the Dodgers, it's the winner of the Phillies/Brewers.

For me, it's a new job at ESPN and a new coast, the East. A new home and a new lifestyle.

It's unchartered territory but the future appears bright.

Here's to both returning home victorious.

Lute is a pimp

2008-10-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

I got a call today from my buddy Darren who was uber excited to tell me that Lute Olson got engaged.

So naturally my first thought was... wow, Lute is a pimp.

I mean, the man thinks about getting ass all the time and he's 74 years old. If I'm 70+ and dating hinas (hot chic in Spanish I've been told) in their 40s, I'd be pumped.

After a year and half of acting crazy enough to fill a show of "Lute says the darndest things," I finally understand. Lute was just sick of the hina he was married to and wanted a new hina. So he threw some tantrums and hissy fits. He got mad at recruits, fired away at the media, and had everyone thinking here comes another Joe Paterno.

He just needed a change of scenery. Hina scenery that is. So now Lute is gonna marry this woman, Kelly Pugnea, 47, who has lived in Tucson for 25 years.

"She's a fantastic lady,'' Olson told the Tucson Citizen on Wednesday night. "Everyone who meets her finds her very, very special.''

Special I guess is Lute's word for hina. Every one has their own vocabulary.

Props to Lute. He still has game.

From the this is ridiculous department: I saw a Suzuki commercial that called a navigation system a "Navi." (Me in my Jim Rome voice, Reeee-diiiic-ulooouuuuss).

Stop reading here if you don't want to know about my fantasy baseball prowess

I know no one wants to hear about other people's fantasy teams but I'll brag anyway. I was in two baseball leagues this year and won both of them. In my one year league I made a 90 point comeback on the last day/s of the year (including Monday) to win. There aren't too many things in life that equal the satisfaction of going 2-for-2 in two large, competitive fantasy baseball leagues.
O.K. that sounded bad. I need a girlfriend.

High Times

2008-10-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Three of the highest athletes in our history made headlines this week. Not surprisingly, two of them had drug related issues. We'll start however with one player, who's a failed drug test away from being banned from the NBA.

And the honor goes to...

Lamar Odom

The Lakers forward has been rumored to be relegated to a sixth man role. So here's what he had to say about the situation.

"He must have woke up and bumped his head. He probably hit his head on something -- boom," Odom said of Jackson. "To start off like that, you've got to be out of your . . . mind."

While he was rolling papers and texting Smush Parker to ask for another baggie, Odom went on to say...

"Everybody knows on my team I'll do whatever for the team," Odom said. "If you want me to be the mascot, whatever you want me to be. I'll be the doormat, the rug, whatever you want me to be."

Or in other words, I'll sit on the bench all game if you let me smoke the ganja.

Next up is...

Ricky Williams

The Dolphins running back is having a tough time right now. I mean it was his bye week and he had nothing to do. Ricky says it's hard to stay off the pot. Give the man a break.

"He said he successfully combated the latest urge to smoke by meditating instead, which gives him the same 'feeling of being free' as marijuana, according to the Miami Herald.

Don't fret pot fans, Ricky isn't giving up just yet.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm never going to do it again after I'm done," he said.

"I don't know. I don't spend much time thinking about it," he added as he licked his lips and stared at the green plants near the Dolphins practice facility.

"Oh, the possibilities," he thought.

And last but certainly not least is...

Darius Miles

The Celtics forward was so out of it he didn't even know why he failed his drug test. Seriously.

"I wish I knew. I really do wish I knew, but [Celtics president] Danny Ainge told me 'leave it alone,' so I left it alone," Miles said.

Ainge was actually telling D-Miles to leave (the bong) alone, but your boy was too busy taking another load.

By the way, Miles isn't appealing his 10-game suspension. Hmmm... That's a lot of free time. Maybe he should get together with Ricky and Lamar.

Locke-re-d Out

2008-09-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Washington quarterback Jake Locker will not play against Arizona this Saturday and is out up to 8 weeks. He was injured while making a block.
One the one hand you want your quarterback to block because it shows toughness. On the other hand, this is what can happen.
So now, Washington's best player is out against Arizona which can only mean one thing: Trap Game.
But considering that the Wildcats will be the favorite, especially at home, you may be asking yourself, when's the last time Arizona started the season 4-1?
Well, I brought out and dusted off my handy 2005 Arizona Football media guide to give you the answer.
Drum roll please...
2000, under Dick Tomey.

Arizona actually started that season 5-1, before losing its next five games and finishing the year 5-6.

Can the Dodgers break their own drought?

2008-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

We're on the verge of the best time of the year in sports. The playoffs begin in baseball, the NFL is in midseason form, the NBA started training camp today, college basketball season is right around the corner, and apparently the versus channel plans on broadcasting a sport long forgotten by the rest of the people in this country.

First and foremost, the Dodgers are in the playoffs and they didn't need a Steve Finley grand slam this time. They just needed Manny to be Manny.

The Dodgers have been to the playoffs three times since 1988, not including this season: 1995, 1996, and 2006.

They got out of the first round 0 times in those three years.

Now the Dodgers face the best team in the National League. The Cubs don't have too many names that strike fear in opponents. There's no CC Sabathia or Ryan Braun. There's no Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, or Ryan Howard. There's no Johan Santana or Jose Reyes.

The Cubbies have done it with patience, Alfonso Soriano excluded.

They're first in the NL in runs scored, obp, slugging, ops. They have almost 100 more walks than the Dodgers.

On the mound, they're first in BAA, second in ERA, and second in whip.

Ryan Dempster, the game 1 starter overacheived with 17 wins. Ryan Theriot led the team with a .307 batting average. Rich Harden overcame injuries to rebuild his career. Derek Lee bounced back as well. Kosuke Fukodome led the team in walks and name chants.

Only one Cub had 100 RBIs, Aramis Ramirez, but 10 players had at least 38.

Plus the Cubs have "America" on their side. They are the Red Sox of 2004. The Dodgers are no doubt the underdog.

What the Dodgers have is a big question mark. The column L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote at the end of the season had nothing to do with getting out of the divisional round.

It had everything to do with Manny Ramirez. The man has done everything in the second half the season to earn a huge deal, but Plaschke says -- and I agree -- that the Dodgers shouldn't give him that deal.

Reportedly, he will be asking for a 4-year deal worth $100 million. At the absolute least he will command more than the $18 million a year Tubby Jones is making for the Dodgers. The four year deal will take Manny into his 40s and will stifle any effort to go after other marquee free agents such as C.C. Sabathia, who's shopping for houses in California.

In the meantime, let's hope Manny knows that he has to continue putting up big numbers in the playoffs for his contract demands to be legit. Because without him, the Dodgers go back to being mediocre.

Just for the hell of it, I'll make a homer prediction. This Cubs feel good story is too good to be true. They are still cursed, after all.

Dodgers in five.

Before I get to today's special guest predictions, check out my last prep sports video for the Signal Newspaper.

Here's what Guido Murga, formerly of the Dorm Room Sports Chat thinks will happen in the baseball playoffs:

American League

Dev…Opps that was close

Rays vs. AL Central Division Champion (White Sox/Minnesota)

Rays win series 3-1

The Rays are a major league best 57-24 (that’s a .703 winning percentage) at home this season; add that up with these two Central teams potentially playing the season into Tuesday and the Rays go up 2-0 and close it out in 4 on the road.

Let's just hope that the fact that there will be actual people (what I like to call the Florida Fakes, think ’97 and ’03 Marlin Fans) at the stadium in Tampa doesn’t startle the Rays too much. That’s right Florida get those retirement home shuttles ready and get those old folks to the ball park.

Tucson Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels vs. Boston Red Sox

Red Sox win series 3-2

I do not know how I am picking a team that its highest paid player is J.D. Drew... but I guess that Boras guy is just a genius.

The Defending Champs have announced that they will not be able to start their ace Josh Beckett in game 1 which unfortunately means that the Sox will have to go with 16 game winner Jon Lester for game 1 and Dice K who went 18-3 for game 2, slating their ace for a game 3 start.

Boston allowed 694 runs this season and the Angels were just as good only allowing 697.

The difference: Boston Scored 845 runs (that’s +151 for the season) to the Angeles 765 (a dismal +68 in comparison). Sox lose game 1 take the next two and close it out on the road in Game 5 in the series in which I believe features the eventual World Series Champion.

National League

Phillies vs. Brewers

Phillies 3-1

It seems like C.C. Sabathia has started 6 games in the last two weeks. The over use of their Ace will not allow the C.C. to go in Game 1 meaning a game 2 or 3 start is slated with a hope for a Game 5 start.

Sorry Brew Crew…you’ll have C.C. for one more start for the rest of his Brewer Career (Sabathia is the biggest prize in Free Agency).

C.C. dazzles in his one start and the Phils take the other 3 winning it in four.

Cubs vs. Dodgers

The Dodgers have won 1 play off game since their 1988 World Series Win. LIMA TIME! Yes Jose Lima pitched that one playoff win.

And we all know the Sob Story that is Cub baseball.

The Cubs took the season series 5-2, though Chicago did not face the boys in blue from Mannywood.

Which now features Casey Blake, a hot Derek Lowe (5-1 with the loss being a complete game, two-run contest he lost in Washington), and former World Series MVP Manny Ramirez in which changed the entire Dodgers Franchise since his arrival (music is now allowed in Joe Torres Club House!)

The Dodgers have a great mix of young and veteran players with a playoff proven Derek Lowe (Won every series clinching game in Boston’s magical 04’ run) leading the way and a loose atmosphere in the clubhouse along with Joe Torre a manager that is no stranger to the playoffs.

Dodgers keep the curse going and beat the Cubs at home twice.

Also from Guido:

gatosalvajech (8:57:10 PM): you should blog about how the Ducks just signed Selanne to a two year deal

gatosalvajech (8:57:22 PM): and will end his career with the Ducks ... as the greatest duck ever

romoballa (8:58:08 PM): i'll mention it

Consider it done.

The Empire Lives

2008-09-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

I often joke to my co-workers that I'm a writer, not a reader, when they ask me why I don't read The Signal.

That's the newspaper that I had been working for until yesterday (in case you didn't know.)

But lately I've been doing a lot of reading, and not a lot of writing.

As many of the Empire's loyal following already know, the Empire is headed East to Bristol, CT and the Worldwide leader in sports.

BTW, my boy Gerry Gittleson at the Daily News actually wrote a blog entry about me.

The opportunity is no doubt extremely exciting, but bittersweet nonetheless.

I'm going to need to fill my writing appetite and that's where the Empire comes in.

Rule No. 76, no excuses play like a champion. I have no excuses for not updating the blog, except just a pure lack of effort. I've been like half writer, half season and believe me I hate to compare myself to Vince Carter.

So now that we got that out of the way, and I'll hopefully keep the Empire afloat, let's get to some things of interest:

I had to show you this. It's my main boy Gibbs catching a home run off the bat of randy Winn.

Ronny Turiaf is a Golden State Warrior. My Turiaf jersey, like the jerseys that have gone before it, the Eddie Jones No. 6 Lakers, and the No. 33 Grant Hill Pistons jersey, is now unwearable. I will remember the Ronny times fondly. Remember this is a guy who had heart surgery, a guy who's heart is a lot bigger than his game, and an enthusiasm that's unmatched. As much as I want to see the Lakers win, I also want to see the guys having fun. Ronny brought me back to a time when I always had a smile on face when I was on the court. Basketball is fun and that's why I loved watching Ronny play. It will be bittersweet to see him doing the same things in a Warriors uniform.

More evidence that Stephon Marbury has complete lost it. Starbury got a tattoo of his signature shoe's logo on the side of his head.

Brandon Jennings seems to be doing just fine. Arizona's top 2009 recruit Abdul Gaddy recommitted to Arizona. Let's hope he doesn't follow Jennings to Italy.

With that being said, let's hope Kobe doesn't follow Jennings to Italy either when he becomes a free agent. But I'd rather see Kobe in an Italian uniform then any other NBA uniform aside from the Lakers.

I was at the Arizona/UCLA football game and remembered why I miss college football so much. Arizona smashed the Bruins 31-10 and has a legitimate chance to go 5-1, with games against Washington and Stanford coming up. Of course we all know that won't happen.

Lamar Odom might be coming off the bench this year. Good because I'd rather see him play the four off the bench where he can get in the post. We all know Lamar is a horrible outside shooter and tends to float on the perimeter when he plays the three. Bad because when Lamar's role is limited, he takes himself out of games mentally.

The Dodgers will be in the playoffs only because of Manny Ramirez. No Manny, no postseason, simple as that.

Lil Wayne is now blogging for ESPN like Stuart Scott, straight out of the ESPN shop.

That's all I have for the Empire's fourth comeback. Till next time. Hopefully sooner than later.

RIP Matt McHale

2008-07-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I wish there were a lot more people like Matt McHale. For the year I freelanced for the Daily News, and the summer before when I was an intern, he was my mentor.

He was that old-school newspaper man I had always envisioned. That guy in the movies with the cigar and the notepad, minus the cigar since you can't really do that anymore in the newsroom.
And now, Matt McHale, the former deputy sports editor is dead at 50.

He was a straight shooter. When one of my articles sucked, he told me. When it was good, he heaped praise. Through every conversation I had with him in his office, I knew that he truly wanted to see me get better. He cared.

"He really liked you," another Daily News reporter told me when he called to tell me the bad news.

Steve Dilbeck wrote a great column about Matt that really gave justice to this man who passed too soon.

And I'm sad that I never got to say goodbye and thank him for his help. I sent him an E-mail after he was laid off and given disability leave but all I had was his Daily News E-mail and I'm not sure he ever got it.

I can still hear Matt's voice. "Tell the story through other people. Get rid of the cliches. Don't use the phone, this a face to face business."

It's the same stuff I hear myself saying to my co-workers at The Signal.

My E-mail was simple and short. I think it would have given him a little satisfaction. .

Hey Matt,

I heard about what happened last week and I don't really know what to
say. Both of us know I don't know shit compared to you, but I just
wanted to say thank you for all your help. I really learned a lot in
the short time we got to work together. Good luck with everything.

No Average Joe

2008-07-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Getty Images

I don't usually get excited about celebrity sightings, considering I live in LA, I don't like autographs, and I'm generally unimpressed with too cool for regular people actors, musicians, and athletes.

Saturday, however, was different. Me and a group of friends were at Zuma Beach (between tower 4 and 5 to be exact) and here comes Joe Montana with his wife and son, and sits down about 10 feet from us. Arguably the best quarterback in the history of the NFL, and this coming from a Niners hater and Cowboys fan, and he's in the middle of Zuma Beach. Not on some private beach or on some private island, but with the common folk.

He was nicknamed "Joe Cool" in his playing days and he was "Joe Cool" on the beach.

Perhaps Montana has a mystique around him because he's dropped himself out of the spotlight. While other legendary quarterbacks have transitioned into television, like Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, and Steve Young, Montana has kept quiet.

I'd love to report to you that he was our all-time Quarterback in our four on four football game, which ended after one possession each, but that didn't happen.

Instead, we got a smile out of him when we got up and started tossing the football around.

Here are a few other things we wanted to say/do with Joe Montana, whose son is on a star-studded football team at Oaks Christian High School, along with Trevor Gretzky (you guessed it) and Trey Smith (Will's son).

1. Re-Enact "The Catch."

2. Say, "hey, aren't you Steve Young."

3. Have him throw a pass to one of my buddies and then pick it off, so I could say I intercepted Joe Montana.

Tubby Watch:

Tubby received an award from ESPN.

The Least Valuable Player of the first half award. Here's what Jayson Stark wrote about Tubby and his strikeout smirk:

"If Andruw Jones's second half resembles his first half, he's potentially heading for (ready for this?) the Worst Offensive Season in Baseball History. At this rate, he'd finish with a .172 average, .261 slugging percentage, five homers, 21 RBIs, 125 strikeouts and only 64 hits. And you shouldn't be flabbergasted to learn that the all-time list of players who have had numbers that gruesome consists of, well, nobody."

Don't go Ronny:

It appears my Ronny Turiaf jersey journey is over. Turiaf signed a 4-year, $17 milion offer sheet with the Warriors and the Lakers are unlikely to match the offer according to the L.A. Times.

Who knew Corey Maggette played defense?

The new Warriors forward has Elton Brand's back. He says that Brand wanted to stay in LA but felt disrespected by the Clippers.

Euro Trip

2008-07-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

The high top fade decided that "hash brownies man" and making some cash ASAP, are more important than blonde coeds and college basketball glory.

Brandon Jennings is headed for Europe, regardless of the results of his third SAT score.
This of course, is a hit, if you will, to Arizona's chances of extending their NCAA tournament streak of 24 consecutive seasons.

Aside from Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, the Wildcats have a very thin roster. Nic Wise showed signs of being capable last season and will most likely be the third option. But then what? Jamelle Horne and Fendi Onobun are your next two best players. Freshman center Jeff Withey is a complete unknown. Zane Johnson would be a 13th man on UCLA.

Had Budinger known Jennings was Euro-bound, you think he would have stayed? Probably not.
"I would like to thank the University of Arizona for their interest and support through this process," Jennings said in a statement from his agent.

I'm sure the fine folks in the Arizona program were thinking of a few choice words for Jennings, starting in F and ending in you.

According to this True Hoop blog, Jennings may be overestimating how much he'll make playing overseas.

"He's not strong enough and he's not experienced enough to run an elite club. He has a world of talent, and he'll be unbelievable down the road, but experience trumps athleticism and talent every day European basketball," explained Jonathan Givony. "I'd be very surprised if a top team offered him more than $100,000, at most, but stranger things have happened.

NBA Draft.net's Aran Smith thinks going to Europe will actually hurt his stock as well. Smith dropped Jennings to No. 11 in the 2009 draft.

The loss of the No. 1 point guard in the country obviously hurts Arizona, and I figured this would be the year their tournament run ends. But then I looked deeper at the Pac-10 and reevaluated the original assessment.

Stanford, Oregon State, and potentially Cal, who lost Devon Hardin and Ryan Anderson, are on the downturn, and will battle for spots 8-10 in the Pac-10.

The Cardinal lost the Lopez twins who accounted for both its offensive and defensive strengths. It's now left with Lawrence Hill as its best player and a ton of bad guards led by Mitch Johnson. Oregon State has been horrible for the past decade and that won't change this year.

The next tier includes the rest of the Pac-10 except for UCLA, who's head and shoulders above everyone else.

USC lost Davon Jefferson and OJ Mayo, but gain Demar Derozan, who will team with Taj Gibson for well coached Tim Floyd squad. Oregon lost Maarty Leunen, Bryce Taylor, and Malik Hairston. Washington State lost Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill.
Washington has pretty much everyone back but it finished 7-11 last season.

As crazy as it sounds, I would vote for ASU to finish second in the Pac-10. The Sun Devils showed a lot of signs last year and finished tied for fifth with a 9-9 record. They return every key contributor including stud sophomore James Harden. It will be Herb Sendek's third season so the players are really starting to become comfortable with the system, and they come off a disappointment at the end of last season when they didn't make the NCAA tournament, which should serve as motivation.

With ASU as the favorite to finish second, at least by my calculations, it goes to show you that the Pac-10 isn't nearly as strong as it was last year. That means Arizona has a chance to finish anywhere from second to seventh.

Barring an injury to Hill or Budinger, this should be another first round exit team. But at least the tournament streak will be alive.

Hot Sauce to Canada
Hassan Adams signed a two year deal with the Toronto Raptors.
The article calls him a tenacious defender, a statement at which I seriously lol. The only thing tenacious about Adams, who played in Italy last season, is his dancing in the huddle.

Turiaf signs offer sheet with Warriors

According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Ronny Turiaf signed a four-year, $17 million deal with Golden State. The Lakers have seven days to match the offer for the restricted free agent. My Turiaf jersey and I, as well as those who love to watch his bench antics and appearance in Kobe commercials, are hoping they do.

Can "The Hit Man" teach the Dodgers to hit?
According to an L.A. Times report, Don Mattingly will take over as the Dodgers hitting coach.
Unless he's bringing metal bats with him, that will be a tough task, but maybe a change in leadership will give the Dodgers a spark.

Tubby watch is back

2008-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Back in April, I linked you to a Wall Street Journal article about how Joe Torre is overrated.

Though I agreed at the time -- since managing in baseball is completely overrated anyway -- after watching him manage this year, I concur even more fervently.

Case in point. Andruw "Tubby" Jones. This .155 hitter batted fifth in the lineup on Saturday, relegating the Dodgers second best on base percentage guy, James Loney to seventh. Another veteran who hasn't done much in the form of contributing this year, Nomar Garciaparra batted sixth.

The Dodgers offense hasn't improved. Torre, hasn't made the necessary lineup adjustments to get them going. There's no sign that the young guys and the veterans have built the team chemistry Dodger fans were hoping to see.

There are two things keeping the Dodgers in the race.

1. The NL West is abysmal, and that's putting it kindly.

2. Dodgers pitching has been as good as advertised, for the most part, and that's with a ton of injuries. I'll give another shout out to Chad Billingsley, who threw eight innings without giving up an earned run in his last start in an economic 93 pitches.

Pitching was a strength last season and it is again this year. Hitting was a weakness and it is again. Nothing has changed. Grady Little or Joe Torre, there's no difference.

Managing is a product of the media. Would I like to have Mike Scioscia as the Dodgers manager? Yes. But I don't believe any manager is worth more than five wins during the course of the year. Would that make a difference? Sure. But let's not overstate the importance of a manager, and let's not overestimate the effectiveness of Joe Torre, who won a bunch of World Series with a Yankees team who had a payroll twice the size of any other Major League team.

By the way, Tubby went 0-4, and left three men on base. Isn't that the power hitting RBI machine you've always dreamed of?

And the young guys, Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier, are the Dodgers top four on base guys (aside from Rafael Furcal who has been out for the majority of the season.)

Check out my articles on two amazing young athletes. If you are a baseball fan or a softball fan, you'll be hearing about both of them soon.

Trevor Bauer, a junior pitcher who throws 94 miles per hour and is skipping his senior season to go to UCLA.

Jessica Spigner, the Gatorade Player of the Year in California.

Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Rhyme

2008-07-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just watched the final scene of Cool Runnings and immediately added it to my favorite movies on Facebook. I'm not sure why it wasn't on there already. I've seen Cool Runnings a good 50 times. I love that movie and especially that scene, when the Jamaican bobsled team races down the track crashes, and then gets up and carries its sled across the finish line as someone starts the slow clap and the crowd cheers.

I know it's corny but I watched that movie for the first time when I was like 8-years old. It was one of the first movies I ever saw in the United States -- that and Sleepless in Seattle, which I don't feel as honored about.

Cool Runnings is what sports is all about. It's about rooting for the underdog and not giving up. It's about equality and about ignoring distractions. It's about bringing people together for a common cause.

When people talk about that movie they always talk about the funny moments. "Sanka, you dead? Ya, mon."
But the tear-jerker at the end is what makes it great.

Why am even writing this, aside from the fact that I'm actually not at work for the first time in about two weeks?

Because I saw the Colorado Rockies continuously come back from as much as nine runs down and eventually beat the Marlins 18-17.

Because yesterday was July 4th, and overcoming adversity is what this country is all about.

Because I feel really bad for Seattle Sonics fans.

Because the Dodgers need to come together, the only way they will break this curse of mediocrity.

Because Gilbert Arenas gave up $16 million to make his team better.

Because a 41-year old woman made the Olympic swim team.

Because a 16-year old has a good chance to make the Olympic track team.

Because as I write this, Danny and the Miracles are beating Oklahoma in the 1988 National Championship game.

And because I enjoy seeing those My Wish stories on SportsCenter a lot more than I like hearing about Roger Clemens.

Leave it to the Dodgers

2008-06-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press

Vinny always knows what to say.
"Leave it to the Dodgers," LA's legendary broadcaster said after they beat the Angels 1-0 Saturday night without getting a hit.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Dodgers were technically not No-hit because they didn't get to bat in the ninth. I'm sure that doesn't phase them, since every win a light hitting team like the Dodgers gets in a light winning NL West is important. Despite their struggles all season, they find themselves just 2.5 games out of first place.

The pitching is beginning to resemble the dominance we expected at the beginning of the season. Though Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda are on the DL, Chad Billingsley (full disclosure: he's on my keeper fantasy team) has given up just 14 runs in his last nine starts, and has pitched at least five innings in every start this season except for his first.

The Dodgers are second in the NL in ERA and first in least home runs allowed.
After dropping five straight, they've won 7 of their last 11 games. In their last three wins, they've allowed a total of 0 runs.
That ERA would be even better if they got to face the Braves with strikeout artist Andruw Jones.
Jones is scheduled to begin his rehab assignments with the Dodgers triple A affiliate in Las Vegas on Monday unfortunately. On the bright side Fafael Furcal and Nomar Garciaparra are also set to play for the Vegas 51s on Monday. Also, Jason Schmidt reportedly threw as high as 91 miles per hour in 2 and 2/3 innings for the 51s against Fresno.
As the Diamondbacks continue to nosedive, and LA inserts players from the infirmary, the Dodgers have a chance to catapult themselves into the division lead before long.

For your education:
At the same stadium where the Euro Cup Final will take place on Sunday, a lot of atrocities were committed.

No flow
Kobe has no response to Shaq's rap.

Not so fast:
It appears the East Valley Tribune may have jumped the gun a little bit. According to a source close to the team, Jennings won't know if he passes the NCAA guidelines for eligibility until July 5th. The source said he's still hopeful Jennings will don an Arizona uniform in the coming season. Stay tuned.

Drafting for Dummies

2008-06-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Upset that they weren't getting calls in the playoffs, the Lakers went out and drafted Joe Crawford with the 58th pick of the NBA draft.
Informed that Crawford was a player from Kentucky and not an NBA referee, since owning the rights to a referee is illegal aside from that game 6 against the Kings in 2002, Mitch Kupchak asked for a draft do-over. He was denied.

Kupchak wasn't the only GM looking for a draft do-over. Crawford will most likely not even make the team, and the Lakers don't really need him. They got the No. 1 overall pick in this draft, and that's Andrew Bynum. 7-foot center, good in the low post, blocks shots, has improved every year. You may have heard of him.

The Lakers will be fine, but other teams won't. Let's take a look at draft and trade mistakes, not in any specific order.

No. 1 Chicago Bulls
They drafted Derrick Rose to fill a backcourt with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. Only there's two guard spots and last I checked Hinrich was a point guard. With a four years left on his deal and more than $11 million per year due, he won;t be easy to trade either. Before the Raptors got on the Jermain O'Neal sweepstakes, the Bulls could have pulled this off: Hinrich and Drew Gooden (expiring contract) for Jermaine O'Neal.
The Bulls still draft hometown favorite Rose and get the big man they've coveted.
The Pacers take a Larry Bird type player Hinrich, who's white and has proven to be a good citizen, exactly what the Pacers have been looking for since they put together a team full of troublemakers. Plus, wouldn't you rather have steady Hinrich than the oft injured T.J. Ford and the 17th pick in the draft with which they took Roy Stiffert...I mean Hibbert.

No. 2 Charlotte Bobcats
I understand Raymond Felton is no Chris Paul, but he's not terrible. Passing on Brook Lopez to take a future back up point guard in D.J. Augustin makes no sense. New head coach Larry Brown HATES rookies, and is notoriously tough on point guards. I almost feel bad for Augustin who will be yelled at every single day and than rewarded with no playing time. I know the Bobcats are shopping Felton but there's no way Augustin is ready to come in and start.

No. 3 Seattle Supersonics
Drafting the most overrated player in the draft, Russell Westbrook, isn't the answer to help Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Sonics. He might be a good defender but he can't shoot a lick and was arguably the third best player on his college team. That's enough to be the 4th pick in the NBA draft?
I'll take proven over potential any day.

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers

They had to be on this list. I mean, no one has screwed up the lottery more time than Elgin Baylor and the Clip show. Eric Gordon averaged all of 2.4 assists per game at Indiana, can't handle the ball, and struggled in big games. And he's the answer at point guard. My money says the Clippers will be right back in the lottery next year. I do like DeAndre Jordan in the second round though, because if he ever figures out that being 7-feet tall alone won't make him good, he actually has the tools to be a solid NBA center. Big if, however.

Other thoughts:

The Raptors had to get rid of T.J. Ford and I applaud their move because Jose Calderon was head and shoulders above Ford. But I'm curious to see how Chris Bosh and O'Neal mesh together. Both love holding onto the ball for long periods of time and both like shooting 15 foot jumpers. On paper it looks great, especially if O'Neal stays healthy, which is never a guarantee, but on the court this isn't foolproof.

The Blazers will be a playoff team:
PG: Steve Blake/Jerryd Bayless.Sergio rodriguez/Rudy Fernandez
SG: Brandon Roy:
SF: Travis Outlaw
PF: LeMarcus Aldridge
C: Greg Oden

Plus they've been stockpiling assets including trading for Nicolas Batum this year, who I think will eventually turn into a solid NBA player.

I'm not completely sold on the T-Wolves/Grizzlies trade. I would have thought pairing Mayo and Jefferson together makes sense considering you always need a post threat and a perimeter threat. Instead they traded for Kevin Love and moved Al Jefferson to center. Getting Mike Miller, a proven veteran who can score is a nice addition and I would have done the deal if I was the Wolves also. Maybe the Wolves know something I don't about Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair but for the time being, they are extremely weak at the point guard position. The Grizzlies meanwhile have a nice core with O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, and the steal of the draft Darrell Arthur. So overall, this has the potential to be a good deal for both sides. Mayo, though has a chance to be an All-Star while Love will be a solid player and most likely nothing more.

Starting lineup of guys I hate:
PG: Brevin Knight (Because if u play 15 years in the nba, u should be able to make a 10 foot jumper)
SG: Stephen Jackson
SF: Vince Carter
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Shelden Williams

Note: Stephon Marbury was once on this list, but his decision to sell his shoes at $20 a piece, a reasonable price, earned him some respect. Now, I think, he's just lost it, gone off the edge. I almost feel bad for him and his craziness. And he's still a horrible player, has never made his teammates better and is a perennial loser.

Starting lineup of guys I hate in this draft:
PG: Eric Gordon
SG: Russell Westbrook
SF: Mareese Speights
PF: Anthony Randolph
C: Roy Hibbert/JaVale McGee

Draft day highlight:

No question it was the Lopez brothers, although Dick Vitale opening and folding his hands while yelling came in at second place. Not only are they both goof balls and talk like they're from some cartoon, but Brook being wired was the most comical part of the draft. Also, Robin looked like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons.

Here are a few of Brook's musings.

"Ryan just sent me a text message saying sit up straight."
"I'm gonna be like what's his name, Brady Quinn."
"Who's the management for the Nets?" Upon being informed that Lawrence Frank was the coach, Brook looked incredulous and with an OMG expression moved his head forward and said "Lawrence Frank," in his goofy voice. You really had to see it. I just watched it again since I tivoed draft. It's great every time.

Feeling the lows:

Just three days ago, I wrote that things are becoming to calm down in Tucson. With the shocking return of Chase Budinger, Arizona basketball had a chance to be good. Ummm... think again. Brandon Jennings did not qualify, reported the East Valley Tribune.
It looks now like the talk of him playing in Europe may actually come to fruition.
I also wrote about the Cats lack of depth. Without Jennings, Arizona not only loses a star, but barely has enough decent players to even compete in the Pac-10. It could be an ugly year.

Annual Mock draft

2008-06-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

(Note: This is not what I think will happen, it's what I think should happen)

The Bulls are making a mistake if they don't select...

No. 1 Chicago Bulls - Michael Beasley F, 6-7 240 Kansas State

Everyone has jumped on Derrick Rose's bandwagon after the season even though Beasley appeared to be the consensus No. 1 during. Why? Because somewhere in the rumor mill, Rose's character is winning out over Beasley's immense talent.
Forget that Beasley put up ridiculous numbers against a tough Big 12 Conference despite seeing triple teams on a nightly basis and having arguably the worst guards in the league, guys who for some reason refused to give him the ball on every possession and instead jacked up wild threes. Forget that he had the best PER of any college player in the last six years according to John Hollinger.
Forget that he has huge hands, catches everything around the rim, and has a sweet stroke from three.
Forget that he was a model citizen at Kansas State even though he had Bill Walker on his team.
That all doesn't matter because he played a few pranks in high school.
So now, the Bulls who already have a point guard, and one that played for the USA team not too long ago, and who desperately need a scorer inside, the biggest reason they haven't gone anywhere in the last decade, are going to take another point guard.
This reminds me a lot of the Hawks draft three years ago. They took Marvin Williams, the best player on their board and passed up a need position in pg Chris Paul. Williams is going to be a very good player but Paul is great. The same scenario will happen here. Rose will be a very good player, maybe an all star, but Beasley will lead the league in scoring and possibly in rebounding at some point in his career, become a perennial All-Star, and be a great player.

No. 2 Miami Heat Derrick Rose PG 6-2 Memphis

This a two player draft. You can't go wrong with either Beasley or Rose, unless you have an obvious need for scoring inside and you take a point guard (see Bulls, above). Combine Rose with Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion, and you have a top 4 team in the East. The only concern would be control over the ball. Wade has it in his hands a lot and you'd want Rose with the ball a lot too, but neither of those guys can shoot so they really can't kick it to each other. The Heat need someone like James Posey or Jason Kapono. O wait, they let both of those guys go.

No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves O.J. Mayo G 6-4 USC
With all the character concerns surrounding Beasley, O.J. Mayo is getting a relative free pass. To me, Mayo is the biggest boom or bust example. He can be one of the next great players in the league or his off court issues could derail his career. The notion that he's capable of playing point guard is mind boggling. When was he ever effective running the point at any point in his college or high school career? He's a natural scorer with a lot of NBA moves, by all accounts a hard worker, has a chip on his shoulder, and is a very good defender (see his defense on Rose in the Memphis/USC game). Team him with Al Jefferson and the Wolves have a nice 1-2 nucleus to build around. Just don't rule out Mayo getting three DUI's in one month during the Minnesota winter, having a Reggie Bush type hoopla surrounding him, or getting in a Ron Artest type melee.

No. 4 Seattle Supersonics Jerryd Bayless G 6-4 Arizona
The Bayless/Kevin Durant pick and roll will be hard to stop. So long as Bayless isn't going left. The ultra competitive Bayless, I would hope has been dribbling the ball with his right hand tied behind his back, because he has all the tools but doesn't go both ways equally, a weakness that will be exploited to the fullest extent in the NBA. I'm still not sold on his ability to run a team yet either. He's a scorer just like Mayo. He plays like Ben Gordon. He struggled juggling scoring and distributing duties at Arizona. He was most effective when teamed with point guard Nic Wise. But out of the remaining combo guards, Bayless is head and shoulders above guys like Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook.

No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies Kevin Love PF 6-8 UCLA
If you're scoring at home, that's three Pac-10 guys in the first five picks. If Memphis takes Love, they can just have Rudy Gay leak out every time, and have Love throw him a full court alley-oop. That can be their offense. With 94 point guards already on the roster, they have to go big, and Love is a sure thing, unlike Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan, Javale McGee, or any of the other tremendous upside potential guys. He needs to shed a few pounds and get in better shape, but he's the most skilled player in the draft, and he'll be a contributor for a long time. He's the Shane Battier of power forwards. He will make your team better.

No. 6 New York Knicks Danillo Gallinari SF 6-8 Italy

How can one Italian Mike D'Antoni pass up another Italian? That'd be like reverse racism. Foreigners haven't really worked out for the Knicks. Remember Frederic Weis, aka the guy that Vince Carter jumped over. Yeah, he was Knicks property. Also, Milos Vujanic, who started over Marko Jaric on Serbia's national team had his rights held by the Knicks but never came over. I've never seen Gallinari play aside from youtube, but I wouldn't draft a combo guard here when you already have Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, and Stephon Marbury. What the Knicks really should do is make a trade.

No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers Joe Alexander SF 6-8 West Virginia

If Alexander is available here, the Clippers won't draft him. They have Elgin Baylor as the GM and Donald Sterling as their owner. Draft decisions aren't exactly their strengths, despite having a lot of lottery experience. I can see the Clips taking overrated Russell Westbrook here, who averaged 12 points a game in college and can't make a jump shot. Plus with Corey Maggette likely opting out, the Clips will lack depth at the three with Al Thornton and no one else.

No. 8 Milwaukee Bucks Eric Gordon SG 6-4 Indiana

I'm not high on Gordon or Westbrook but at this point with Alexander gone, the Bucks need an insurance policy for Michael Redd. I don't see Gordon as a point guard because he's not a very good passer, not a particularly good decision maker, and really regressed as the season went along. Maybe it was the tough coaching situation in Bloomington, or maybe Gordon just isn't as good as he was hyped. The Bucks already have young player along the front line with Andrew Bogut and Yi so I wouldn't take Brook Lopez, the best remaining player available.

No. 9 Charlotte Bobcats Brook Lopez C 7-0 Stanford

Brook Lopez will quickly find out that playing for Larry Brown is no fun. Especially when you're a rookie. But Brown will make Lopez even better, if he gives him a chance that is. Lopez is a good low post scorer, has more toughness than he's credited for, and will be a good shot blocker and defender. He's no 7-foot stiff like Roy Hibbert. Lopez can at least be as good as Kendrick Perkins, but more likely he'll be a 15 and 10 guy by year three. In the NCAA Tournament, Stanford went to Lopez every time down
No. 10 New Jersey Nets Russell Westbrook SG 6-4 UCLA

Westbrook reminds me a lot of Leandro Barbosa. He can kind of run the point guard like the rest of the combo guards but doesn't really look comfortable there. As a sixth man, he'll be able to contribute to a Nets team that will most likely lose Vince Carter to injury at some point in the season.

No. 11 Indian Pacers D.J. Augustin PG 6-0 Texas
Aside from Derrick Rose, Augustin is the second best point guard in this draft, and even he sometimes plays like a 2 guard. Augustin is a terrific shooter, but hasn't showed that he can finish around the rim. He has career backup written all over him, but should be a good backup and a solid shooter for years to come. He'll have a long NBA career, just don't expect him to be the big tease's (Jamaal Tinsley) long term replacement. Expect Tinsley to go down in game 32 and then come back and get hurt four more times, so Augustin will get a chance to play.

No. 12 Sacramento Kings Darrell Arthur PF 6-9 Kansas
Arthur is the sleeper in this draft. He's got a lot of the same skills David West had coming out of college. Good mid range shooter, athletic, understands how to score and rebound. Mario Chalmers, who's overrated got a lot of credit for Kansas' title, but Arthur was the most dominant player on that team and has the athleticism to contribute right away in the NBA.
No. 13 Portland Trailblazers Nicolas Batum SF 6-8 France

If David Stern doesn't come up to the podium and say "There has been a trade, the Portland Trailblazers trade..." I will be shocked. There's enough young players on this team to build around and it's time to add a few veteran pieces. The Blazers still lack a point guard but there's no one at this point who can help them right away or for that matter ever. No point guard remaining will be better than Jarret Jack or Steve Blake, or Sergio Rodriguez even. If the Blazers keep the pick, they might as well draft a Euro and keep him over there until he develops. Batum is athletic enough to play in the NBA and slid because of a poor season in Europe. But he has a lot of potential to be a very good player down the road. The French players have actually turned out very well in the NBA. Look at Tony Parker, Mikael Pietrus, Boris Diaw, and Ronny Turiaf.

No. 14 Golden State Warriors Donte Greene 6-9 SF Syracuse
The Warriors only play games at home, or so it seems, and they only take one kind of player. Athletic wing guys. Greene is that guy. A self-proclaimed great shooter despite taking a ton of bad shots and shooting 40 percent, Golden State is the one place that will allow him to jack it up and not think twice. He's one of the most athletic players in the draft and should fit right in with Cap Jack and Monta Ellis.

No. 58 Los Angeles Lakers Nikola Pekovic C 6-11 Serbia

Chad Ford has the Lakers taking Davon Jefferson of USC, who I think could have been a lottery pick next year without O.J. Mayo stealing the limelight. But Jefferson, who's a 21 year old freshman for a reason, proved that he was stupid again and decided to enter the draft. He could one day turn into a good defender and scorer at the NBA level or have a long NBDL career. At No. 58, you could gamble on him, but I'd rather not waste the 300 grand or so to take him and instead leave Pekovic in Europe for a few years until Vlade Divac convinces him to bring his strength to the NBA so he can be the Lakers version of Luis Scola.

The No. 1 quote of the NBA draft: "It's been a dream since I was a little kid."

Calming down in the desert

2008-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Arizona actually looks kind of good for a change. The Wildcats were No. 25 in the preseason rankings on CBS Sportsline, and just received a commitment from 2009 center/power forward Greg Smith, a real big man.

He's already 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, and look at those actual muscles in the picture, but why is it no surprise that he has academic issues. Despite being a four star recruit and supposedly being recruited by big name programs, it came down to Fresno State and Arizona. Not exactly competing with UCLA or Duke, but anytime a bulky high school kid comes to Arizona, it's a good thing. It's too bad he still doesn't have a big man coach to develop him.

With Chase Budinger's shocking announcement that he is returning to school, and the optimism that Brandon Jennings doesn't go play in Europe (hope he passed that third standardized test),
Arizona's lineup could look like this:

PG: Jennings
SG: Nic Wise
SF: Budinger
PF: Jordan Hill
C: Jeff Withey

Bench:
Fendi Onobun
Zane Johnson
Jamelle Horne
Alex Jacobsen
Brandon Lavender
Kyle Fogg

It's obvious that depth will once again be a huge problem.
Jacobsen is nowhere near ready to play in a Pac-10 game, Lavender and Fogg are more mid-major players than power conference guys, and Johnson looked out of place a lot last season. Which leaves just Horne, who should develop into a top notch defender and good rebounder at least, and Onobun, who's solid when he has his confidence and is out of Olson's doghouse.
That's slim pickings if anyone gets hurt, especially along the front line. Once again, Arizona's is going to have to go small a lot.

It figures that one of the Dodgers in this embarrassing situation was the Dodgers first round pick.

I like the message of the 50 million pound challenge. However, for every one involved with losing the 50 million, I'll bet there's more people out there gaining it right back, plus another 50 million.
America is fat as fuck. Just look at Bartolo Colon.

Name Change

Pacman to Adam, from Thug to Jew.

I do actually have a full time job: Check out my story on Olympian Mike Day.

Look out
for my annual Mock Draft, coming soon.

The Truth Hurts

2008-06-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I always say the worst day of the year is the day when the Lakers lose their final game. This year that day came a lot later than expected at the beginning of the season.
For that delay, I am grateful. It doesn't mean the day hurts any less, however.

A lot of things hurt about the way the Lakers lost to the Celtics. First and foremost is The Truth.
As in Paul Pierce. He completely outplayed Kobe Bryant in this series and deserved the MVP. The Lakers had no answer for him, and that includes the times when Kobe defended Pierce.

Here are some other truths.

I never thought I'd say this but the Lakers were outcoached...badly.
Phil Jackson made no adjustments. The Lakers should have had Lamar Odom guarding Paul Pierce, put Vlad Radmanovic on Kenrdick Perkins or P.J. Brown and Gasol on KG. Or better yet, they should have benched Vlad and Luke Walton, and put in Trevor Ariza. They even could have gone big with Ronny Turiaf on Perkins, Gasol on KG, and Odom playing small forward. All those options would have worked better. It would have been worth a try, but Phil just sat on his ass. Pierce may still have won the series for the Celtics, but at least it would have been tougher. At least, Pierce wouldn't have been able to drive into the lane while pressing the Easy Button.
The Lakers fans (or the people who went to the Laker games in the Finals) were an embarrassment to basketball fans and real Los Angeles Lakers fans.
The Celtics crowd was terrific.
James Posey was the X factor. When he wasn't hitting big 3-pointers, he was doing a great job defensively on Kobe.
Pau Gasol was the negative X factor. Sure, Lamar Odom was inconsistent, but he didn't completely lay an egg like Pau who played softer than Charmin. Those sure hands that he had all season completely went away in the finals. At times, he looked like dare I say, Kwame Brown. He even missed an inordinate amount of free throws, a telltale sign that he was nervous.
The game 4 loss was ten times more excruciating than the end of the series.
Had the Lakers won game 4, they wouldn't have won the series anyway.
Kevin Garnett was hilarious after the game. He was crying, screaming, laughing all at once. I thought he was going to have one of those Kenny in South Park moments where his head explodes.
Nothing beat the comment "Michelle you look good tonight, girl," to ABC sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya.
Chris Mihm playing a minute in this series is a testament to Phil Jackson having no clue how to beat the Celtics.
I hope Jeff Van Gundy never coaches again. Because he's a great analyst.
I hope Hubie Brown lands a job somewhere because he puts me to sleep.
I hate ubuntu.
Ubuntu worked for the Celtics, who played together all series and showed great passion and heart.
Andrew Bynum will look good in a Lakers uniform standing next to Pau Gasol.
I wish next season started tomorrow.

The Mustard is off the Hot Dog

2008-06-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Lakers are in the Finals but Chick Hearn isn't there. It's odd. Chick was the ultimate regular at Laker games. He put the Iron Man (Cal Ripken Jr., not the movie character) to shame.
He would have loved this, his wife Marge told LA Times writer T.J. Simers in an article that had me choked up.
Just the other day at work, I was telling people how I think about Chick every game as I listen to one of the worst announcers in sports during regular season games, Joel Meyers.

"I think the kid that does the radio is tremendous and I think Chick would have thought so too," Marge said. Notice how she didn't say anything about the television announcer.

Chick's favorite saying was "since Hector was a pup." Marge's was the "bunny hop and the pea patch."
I liked the "Mustard is off the hot dog," and when people were "put in the popcorn machine."

I miss the words that accompany the game because no one said them better than Chick.
Chick loved the fans and the fans loved him back.
"And he was always proud of the fact that the person who could not afford a ticket could listen to the game and still enjoy it," Marge said. "Those were his kind of fans, those were the ones he loved."

As the Times said when he passed away,
"He always knew what to say, and now we are at a loss for words."

Keys to Game 2 today:

Kobe needs to make some shots. In all three games so far this season, Kobe has been awful. He's 24-72 for a shooting percentage of 33 percent.

Derek Fisher needs more rest so he can be fresh down the stretch. Having him play 41 minutes and Jordan Farmar just seven, didn't help the Lakers in the 4th quarter.

The bench needs to get going. Fifteen points from the Mob, like in Game 1 is not going to cut it.

Trevor Ariza has to play instead of Luke Walton. Walton, 14 minutes, 0 points, two rebounds and one assist in game is an understatement to how ineffective he really was.

Ultimately, with all that said, Kobe needs to knock down his open looks, and all the other factors can be put to rest.

Ray Allen is either pretty smart or is psychic.

"If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or 'Trade me,' " Allen said in 2004. "And we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that."

Karma is a bitch. Matt Kemp found that out. He started a fight for no reason (he admitted it was out of frustration) and got his ass kicked by Yorvit Torrealba.

NFL Conspiracy

I usually don't believe in conspiracies but this definitely is a conspiracy.

Check it out:

My article for The Signal Newspaper on Michael Montgomery who was taken No. 36 overall in the Major League Baseball draft.

Stack that Cheese

2008-06-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

The blog is back...again. It makes more comebacks than Roger Clemens, although unlike the Roided Rocket, it never misremembers.

I know what you're thinking. Be consistent, write more. I've heard all the criticism. "Did you quit?" one of my friends and loyal readers asked me last week. No, I have not. I've just been on a stacking cheese vacation. See, the problem with having a job where you write is that you're too lazy to write when you get home.

Laziness, it's a trait I share with Andruw Jones. Except, I actually go to the gym and run once in a while.

Anyways, what's been up in the sports world?

Oh yeah, the Lakers and the Celtics are in the NBA Finals. If this were the 80s, we'd be saying what else is new. But we're not. This rematch of the 1987 Finals is huge for the game of basketball. As Magic Johnson would say, the NBA is back.

Kobe's game 5 performance against the Spurs was one of the most amazing I have ever seen. It was Jordanesque. Remember, he scored at will against the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Kobe made Bruce Bowen look like a rec league player. At one point, with about two minutes left, Kobe rolled up his sleeve and then went to work, driving by Bowen and scoring over Tim Duncan.
Kobe is on a mission and he's not letting anyone get in his way. I've said it all year and I'll say it again. We're blessed to watch him play. He's unlike any player in the NBA, in terms of his dedication to basketball and the skill level he has. There's a great article in Sports Illustrated this week about Kobe's competitiveness that I unfortunately can't link because it's not available online.

In the article, it describes how Kobe used to challenge a 5-foot-7 kid named Rob Schwartz to one-on-one contests after practice in high school.
"We'd play games of one-on-on to 100," said Schwartz. "Sometimes he'd score 80 points before I got one basket. I think the best I ever did was lose 100-12."
It also talks about an 11 year old Kobe thinking he could beat Brian Shaw.
Great article and definitely a worthy read.

Like most geniuses or people who are supremely talented, Kobe comes off as a little crazy. His love of the game is over the top. That's what makes him great. There's something odd about the personalities of great people. Eminem is reportedly depressed and was afraid to leave his house despite being one of the greatest rappers of all time. Van Gogh cut off his ear.

So Kobe is obsessed with a sport.
Jerry West called Kobe the hardest worker he's ever seen. His dedication and work ethic is impeccable.
And when the Black Mamba wants to strike, no one can do anything about it.

Arizona basketball

What a mess for Arizona hoops.

Jerryd Bayless punching out Zane Johnson. Lute Olson hanging up on Emmanuel Negedu. Brandon Jennings still not being eligible. Nic Wise considering a transfer. Chase Budinger being brought to tears. The downfall continues.

Tubby Jones watch:
Tubby is out 4-6 weeks with a right knee injury. He's hitting a whopping .165 with two home runs. I feel bad for the Dodgers triple A team when Tubby begins his rehab assignment. He'll mess up their lineup also.

Do you know this man?

2008-05-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

If you saw the general manager of a Major League Baseball team, would you recognize him?

I could not.

Last week, I was covering a high school baseball game which several dozen scouts attended. Their main target, Hart High pitcher Michael Montgomery was throwing and Cutter Dykstra (son of Lenny), who plays for Westlake was hitting.

So I cozied up next to the scouts. Maybe I'd hear something interesting in the chatter. And I started making small talk. I was standing next to a guy who looked like he was in his mid 30s, wearing khakis and a polo shirt. Nothing special. I asked him how many scouts he thought were at the game and what he through of Montgomery. I asked where he thought Montgomery would go and how much potential Dysktra had.

After about 15 minutes, a man and his son walked up to him.

Hi, Josh," he said as he turned to his son.

"Son, this is Josh Byrnes, general manager of the Diamondbacks."

At that point I must admit, I felt a little stupid. I had been talking to the GM of the D'Backs thinking he was some random scout.

When I told my buddies about this, they were not the least bit surprised. They had no idea what Josh Byrnes looked like. And so that got us to making a GMs we could recognize list.

It goes like this: Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, Omar Minaya, and Ned Colleti.

That's it.

Yeah, if Angels GM Tony Reagins walked down the street, I couldn't tell him apart from the local ice cream driver.

By the way the D'Backs have the 26th and 43rd picks in the MLB draft on June 5th. Byrnes said he'd only been on 5-7 scouting trips this season, so I wouldn't be surprised if Montgomery goes 43rd to Arizona.

And as for Montgomery, who's signed with Cal State Fullerton.

"If I'm drafted where I want to be, I'm gonna go," he said.

Arizona blues

It seems like every time I post, there's another storm brewing over Arizona basketball. With all three assistants from last year gone, now come the players. Emmanuel Negedu wants out and Lute Olson does not want to release him. Negedu, one of Josh Pastner's recruits from Houston, is part of a recruiting class that also includes Brandon Jennings, Jeff Withey, and Branden Lavender. He was supposed to be the athletic wing to complement Withey down low and Jennings with the ball. Now he doesn't want to go to a school that no longer employs his lead recruiter.

Inevitably, he will get his wish and because Olson doesn't want to let him go, he's creating ill will in the recruiting community as well.

In addition, Nic Wise is considering a transfer, and Brandon Jennings has yet to qualify academically.

At this point, Oregon State almost looks like a better situation.

As Barry Bonds would say "This program is in shambles."

Not again Deron

The worst part about Deron Williams leading a crazy comeback against the Lakers in game 6 is that I had seen it all before. The 2005 Elite Eight against Arizona, when Williams' Fighting Illinois stormed from 15 down with four minutes to send Arizona home. You have confidence in your team, especially when Kobe Bryant is on the floor, and you have three free throw shooters who shoot over 80 percent (Bryant, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic). But you better believe that "not again" feeling comes over you when you witnessed the destruction Williams can bring.

Williams had seven points and eight assists in the fourth quarter when the Jazz came from 17 down to make it a two point game. He assisted on the last four Jazz threes, and he made the five points before that when the Jazz were down 13. All I know is if my team has a lead and Deron Williams is on the other side, I'm nervous.

Random Laker of the Day: Jon Barry

It was too good to be true

2008-05-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

It was too good to be true.

The Lakers sweeping through the playoffs like they were the 2001 Lakers with Shaq and Kobe dominating meddling opponents. And OJ Mayo riding his bycicle around campus like he was a true student athlete. If it looks suspicious, often times there's a good reason.

The Lakers weren't going to shoot 52 percent from 3-point range all series. They weren't going to steamroll a Jazz team that lost just four times at home all season.

OJ Mayo wasn't going to leave his questionable decision making and surrounding posse just because he switched coasts.

All you had to do was go inside his dorm room find the plasma tv screen or check out his clothes and diamond studded earrings. His mom isn't a stockbroker, afterall.

It's been a fairy tale season for the Lakers, and it was one for OJ Mayo. Neither of the situations is surprising. It's not going to be an easy road for the Lakers with a stacked lineup of opponents waiting in line even if they get past the Jazz and you better believe Mayo won't soon get rid of this controversy that's only on the fringe of blowing up.

Jordan Farmar is struggling: The former Taft and UCLA star is starring in his own nightmare. He's shooting 1-16 and has four points in the first four games of the series. In the past three games, he has a +/- rating of -40, worst on the team.

What would Walton do? The man who leads the league in blocked layup attempts did it again. With no one near him, Walton took his sweet time, took a dribble and laid up a shot that was swatted out of the air by Ronnie Price. The only people in the league that would have missed that layup are Luke Walton and Luke Walton. Can you imagine if that was Trevor Ariza on that play instead of Walton.

Phil playing mind games:

"I was angry at his teammates for dropping the ball in his lap," Jackson said of Kobe Bryant's overtime strategy. "I felt guys just bailed out on him."

Kobe took seven shots and the rest of the Lakers took three in overtime. You think they bailed on him, or he just tried to take over, despite having a back injury that was obviously hampering his game? At the end of regulation, the Lakers got back into the game with Kobe dishing to his teammates. He had six assists in the fourth quarter. And then he went away from what was working. Usually he can just take over when he wants. But his back wouldn't allow that and he should have realized his teammates could get the job done. It was an uncharacteristic display of misjudgment on Kobe's part this year.

I think Phil is just trying to take the criticism off Kobe and that's a good thing. Kobe's teammates didn't necessarily agree with that assertion, however.

"I wasn't hesitant," said Pau Gasol. "I just tried to help out. The ball got stuck too much. We took too many jumpers."

"I don't know what to say to that," Sasha Vujacic said. "I know sometimes Kobe just likes to take the game in his hands. It's normal."

Ronny's ejection was bullshit: What were the referees reviewing when they watched the videotape? That Ronnie Price only started bleeding when his head hit the floor? That Ronny was going for the ball and Price was out of control? Where was the intent? It was a hard foul. It's the playoffs. This wasn't a Marvin Williams frustration foul or a Brendan Haywood sending a message foul. This was Ronnie Price, a 6-foot nothing backup guard against a 6-10 power forward.

Thankfull, the Lakers, after talking to the league, expect Ronny to not be suspended. If he is, that would be a travesty on top of a travesty.

Some thoughts from a non-Laker fan on the call:

Shane: oh my god
such bullshit
terrible, terrible, terrible call
just terrible
he's like the nicest guy on the lakers
he never EVER is chaep
he hit a guy that is a pussy
when did he become lebron?
i was pissed
flagrant two for that?

What happened to the officiating? After attempting more free throws than the Jazz in the first three games, the Lakers shot 20 less free throws than the Jazz. All of a sudden, the Lakers are being less aggressive, or did the officials call the game differently?

Jazz fans haven't learned:

You would think after all the negative publicity Utah has received for booing Derek Fisher, they would have learned their lesson. Even Jazz owner Larry Miller said there was no ill will in Fisher's decision to leave the Jazz. He took less money. Come on. It's a disgrace to boo a guy with Fisher's character and the situation that he's had to endure.

Kobe says he'll play on Wednesday:

His lower back is "sore, tight, and stiff" but you didn't really think he'd sit this out, did you?

Wholesale changes:
Josh Pastner makes it official, leaving Arizona to become an assistant coach at Memphis. One of Arizona's new assistants Mike Dunlap, a former Denver Nuggest assistant went to Pierce Community College. So that can't be a good sign. An avid runner, he did once run a 100 mile race. So I'll give him props for that.

Arizona now has yet another assistant coach opening. After filling the first two with names that lack recognition as well as guys who aren't big man coaches, I'll continue to lobby for former NBA and Arizona center Sean Rooks. Last seen as a coach in the Long Beach Summer League, Rooks obviously wants to get into coaching and there's no better opportunity than coaching big men at Arizona. Maybe the Wildcats will be able to finally recruit a good big man. It would help when the guy coaching the bigs isn't 5-10.

OJ Mayo likely won't suffer any consequences after the mess he's gotten himself into, but USC, the NCAA, and some others will. Yahoo sports discusses Who's to blame for the OJ Mayo situation.

You know it's coming:

I can't wait for the announcers to call game 5 "pivotal." This coming on the heels of a pivotal game 4 and preceding a pivotal game 6.

The Celtics need a psychological advantage apparently:

The Celtics brass thinks this will work to fix their road woes.

Andruw Watch
Last season, before the Dodgers signed him to that $36 million dollar deal, Andruw Jones hit .222 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs last season. Now, I wish he would put up those kind of numbers this year.

I went to the game on Saturday, the one in which the Dodgers mustered all of three hits and fell 5-0 to the Astros. I've never seen a Dodger crowd hate a player this much. And we were sitting in the good seats, not the pavilion or reserve section. Granted, we were a part of the yelling and berating Tubby Jones, but the crowd actually mockingly cheered every time he took a pitch. And there weren't a lot of those because in his first at bat, he swung and missed on three straight pitches.
Jones said he's embarassed by his production thus far.

Good, he should be.

And finally,
The most riveting and intense video ever. This blew me away. And it's not even sports related.

Our Team, Our time, Our MVP!

2008-05-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

I'm happy for Kobe. I'm happy that he won the MVP because he deserved it. But more than that, I'm happy with the way he's handled the situation. The way he's constantly thanked his teammates. The way he's genuinely been nervous at his press conference and at the MVP ceremony. The way he thanked the fans. The way he promised he'd be a Laker for years to come. The sincere excitement he has for playing the game and for the moment.

I'm happy for the leader he has become. I'm happy that he picks up the check for his teammates. That he believes in them. That he actually enjoys their company. That he feels comfortable in their company. And that they feel comfortable in his. I'm happy that he calls them his brothers. I'm happy that he shared the moment with his family. I'm happy that they let the fans share in the moment also. And that Kobe gave them that chance by leading the Lakers past the first round.

I'm happy that the Lakers are back in the spotlight and that Kobe has matured into not just a great player but a good person. I'm happy that we get to watch him play in a Lakers uniform. And I hope he wears it forever.

"It was an emotional night for all of us," Kobe said. "It was special. I haven't seen Staples that electric. I had goose bumps running (onto the court before the game)...because of how the crowd jumped into it."

Don't blame D'Antoni

It's funny that I'm making the transition from Kobe to Mike D'Antoni. After all, Kobe wore No. 8 because that was D'Antoni's number in Italy where Kobe revered D'Antoni as a player.

At the beginning of the season, it was D'Antoni who was being revered as a terrific coach who brought the up tempo style back into the NBA and turned the Suns into a perennial contender. Kobe was putting his foot in his mouth, the Lakers were in disarray, the fans were turning on their star, and the Suns were hopeful that this was their year.

Oh, how the tables have turned!

Kobe's leading the championship contenders and D'Antoni looks like he's on his way out. It strikes me as odd how D'Antoni is being told not to let the door hit him on his way out.

A man who took a Phoenix team to at least 54 wins in the past four seasons. A man who changed the culture of Suns basketball and brought excitement into an arena that was lacking everything but empty seats.

And now all of a sudden, because the Suns couldn't win the championship, he's to blame?

Not Robert Sarver who refused to sign Joe Johnson in order to save a couple of bucks. Who traded all of his draft picks for cash. Who refused to help his coach by adding any contributors. D'Antoni did a great job in Phoenix and will do the same with the Bulls or whatever team is lucky enough to hire him. I'd bet my house, if I owned one that the Bulls will make the playoffs with D'Antoni at the helm.

You think Steve Nash wins back to back MVPs without D'Antoni? As Stephen A. would say...PLEASE!!

You think Shawn Marion would be the all star that he became without D'Antoni? Watch how he fizzles in Miami next year without constantly being fed for layups and dunks in transition. So D'Antoni wasn't a great defensive coach. Perhaps he had a point guard who didn't play a lick of defense and zero post players except Kurt Thomas who were capable of guarding anyone. D'Antoni was forced to play Boris Diaw at center at one point.

Aside from Greg Poppovich, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, and maybe Byron Scott, I'd take D'Antoni to be my coach. Just as fast as Suns fans fell in love with him and his style they buried him as fast as they jump on and off the bandwagon. That joke of a fan base apparently blames him for an owner's mistakes and players' shortcomings. D'Antoni did all he could and fell just short. The least he deserves is a job well done.

I respect Steve Kerr but why are there rumors that he'll step in to be a coach? He hasn't coached an AAU team much less an NBA team. What make people think he's gonna be a good coach? The same goes for Mark Jackson. Why do people assume these men will be good coaches because they were smart basketball players and were good announcers? Isaiah Thomas had the same qualities and looked how that's turned out.

I don't understand the NBA sometimes when it comes to coaching changes. Everyone wants a quick fix. Bad coaches simply change teams and good coaches are routinely kicked out despite winning consistently. I guess it wasn't enough for the Suns. I have a feeling they're gonna regret it.

Green more important than black or white

For once Stephen A. Smith isn't dragging white people through the dirt. He says the NBA's flock of Europeans isn't about black and white, it's about green.

I agree. For one thing, many of these Europeans aren't white to begin with. Tony Parker, Johan Petro, Mikael Pietrus. Thabo Sefolosha, Ronny Turiaf, Luol Deng, just to name a few.

The other aspect of this is as SAS puts it: "The perception is that this is happening to appease white patrons exhausted by the behavior of 20-year-old millionaires gone bad—whose culture, and pigmentation, is different from their own."

For me, like I would hope most basketball fans, it's not about the color of the skin, it's about the attitude. It's about the culture. I can relate better to Tim Duncan than Chris Anderson, to Derek Fisher than Jason Williams. Fans want to see players who are appreciative of the gifts they've been handed. Eighty percent white audiences wouldn't pack arenas to see 80 percent black teams if they cared about the color of anything but the jersey.

All is not well at Arizona

2008-05-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Andy Katz reports (on his ESPN Insider blog) that Arizona will hire Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap:

"Lute Olson apparently got his top assistant. Whether or not he's a successor is an issue that will be debated.

But it would be highly unlikely that Arizona would make the same mistake twice and a tab a successor prematurely.

Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap is expected to be named associate head coach at Arizona. Multiple sources told ESPN.com late Tuesday night that Dunlap would accept the position. The Arizona Daily Star reported Tuesday night on its Web site that Dunlap would be Olson's top assistant. The paper quoted Dunlap that he "didn't anticipate any problems" but that nothing had been formally signed.

Dunlap is a highly respected coach within the business, coaching in Australia and winning a Division II national title at Denver's Metro State. He interviewed for multiple jobs in the West while at Metro State. But he chose to stay before going to the Nuggets two years ago as an assistant on George Karl's staff. He was also a candidate at Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, Rice and Loyola Marymount this spring. Dunlap interviewed for the Chicago Bulls opening, too.

But it would be surprising if the Wildcats made anything official about Dunlap's future after naming Kevin O'Neill as Olson's successor during his leave of absence last December. That news conference seems almost comical now that O'Neill was pushed out after the season, given a bogus administrative title within the athletic department and will likely be in the NBA by next season.

Olson is clearly looking for stability on his bench by bringing in Dunlap and former Arizona State assistant Russ Pennell to replace O'Neill and Miles Simon, who was forced out last week. Olson will likely have a third spot open, the top recruiting position, when assistant Josh Pastner leaves as he is expected to do for a similar post at Memphis. The Memphis job is going through a formal process, but all indications from sources at both schools is that Pastner will take the position.

Olson has said on many occasions since coming back last month that he intends on finishing his contract, which runs through the 2010-11 season. Olson, who will be 74 when the season begins, is clearly looking to reshape the direction of the program with a total cleansing of the staff. The only move, though, that isn't being forced is Pastner, who would be leaving on his own terms."

Miles Simon tells Doug Gottlieb (on ESPN Insider) he has received no explanation for his firing:

"Miles Simon now knows why the expression is "you cannot go home again." Simon's play in the 1997 NCAA tournament helped Lute Olson capture his only title, and Simon won the Most Outstanding Player for his terrific play in the Final Four. But Simon has never really been rewarded for coming back for his senior season.

Since deciding to come back to Tuscon more than a decade ago, Simon has sued the university for releasing his grades (a lawsuit that was dismissed by two judges), fell from a possible first-round pick had he left early in 1997 to a second round pick in 1998, hurt his foot and knee thus ending a short-lived professional career, returned to Arizona to earn his degree, worked on the Wildcats' staff for four years, and now has been essentially fired by a coach -- without the coach taking credit for the decision -- he has known for 15 years.

Simon was summoned to A.D. Jim Livengood's office a week and a half ago, after spending a week on the road recruiting with Olson, and was told his year-to-year contract with the university would not be renewed. Simon said that Livengood offered no explanation, only that the university was "going in a different direction."

Simon said he immediately went to see Olson, who acted surprised and wanted to help get him another job. Simon said he repeatedly asked for an explanation over the past week about his firing and one has not been given. In fact, Livengood told Simon that Olson was keenly aware of the proceedings and that he, Simon, should discuss it with Olson.

"It really hurts," Simon told me over the phone. "I bleed Arizona and this is how it ends? They have given me no explanation, no closure. … I have known Coach O since I was 17, and this is not a side of him that I know."

So ends a tumultuous year for the entire Arizona staff in which Olson took a leave of absence, Kevin O'Neill took over, O'Neill and several staff members clashed over every detail of the program (including Olson's involvement) and then Olson returned to take the helm again after the season ended.

Simon, who along with fellow assistant coach Josh Pastner, helped land top recruit Brandon Jennings from Los Angeles and just lost out on the Wear twins, David and Travis, who played at Simon's alma mater of Mater Dei High School but verbally committed to North Carolina. A source told me that the disappearance of Olson and the emergence of O'Neill was said to be a big factor in the Wear twins going elsewhere.

Simon was even more devastated by the loss of his grandmother, who raised him, to a long illness. At the same time, he suffered through his father having two stomach surgeries with complications, all of which came late during Pac-10 play.

So ends an embarrassing episode for Olson as well. If Olson loses Pastner to Memphis, as Andy Katz wrote in his blog on Monday, Olson would have completely cleaned house on a staff that he hand picked after getting rid of longtime assistant, Jim Rosborough, two years ago. And his last three former assistants to become head coaches were all fired this year. Jay John (Oregon State), Rodney Tention (Loyola Marymount) and Jessie Evans (San Francisco) all lost their jobs this past season, and none have arrived back in Tuscon.

In a profession in which loyalty is seemingly hard to come by, Lute Olson has shown and received very little of late. Meanwhile, Miles Simon, who was steadfast in his support of Olson all season long, has clearly been one the most loyal of Olson's men and was told to leave town. Olson at least owes Simon an explanation as to his termination. That would be the decent thing to do."

My thoughts:

I have a lot of respect for Lute Olson and how he has handled his program over more than two decades. But lately, his decision making and the way he has handled the process of making those decision has been questionable. The firing of highly respected assistant coach Jim Rosborough, the leave of absence without a real explanation, the public and unnecessary spat with the Arizona Daily Star, and now the shady firing of Miles Simon have put a black mark on a lot of years of doing things the right way. Maybe Olson needs a crash course in public relations or maybe the age factor is finally getting to him mentally, because he's still in great shape physically.

Miles wasn't the greatest coach by most accounts, but he's done a lot for the program. Olson owes not having the title of best coach without a championship in large part to Simon. It appears that loyalty in this program means very little lately. Why should players be loyal to Olson and Arizona when he has shown none of that? It's almost like Olson is completely afraid of confrontation. He refuses to back up the decisions he has made, instead deferring the firing of Simon to Livengood. Like Simon said, he's known Olson since he was 17 years old. And Olson couldn't even tell him like a man?

As for the assistant coaching carousel, it appears more and more likely that Josh Pastner will take a position at Memphis leaving Arizona with Russ Pennell, Mike Dunlap, and an assistant to be named later (possibly Rodney Tention or my

MVP, MVP, MVP

Luke Walton asks Kobe a question at his MVP press conference.

More from the most deserving MVP

Phil Jackson said he doesn't know "anybody who deserves this more, who's ever deserved it more."
See ten minutes of the press conference here, which was attended by Kobe's teammates, Jackson, Jerry West, and other team officials.

Yeah Good, Yeah Bad

2008-05-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Every day, I'm reminded why I love sports. But the sports world, unlike Disneyland isn't always the happiest place on earth. For every good, there's a bad. So here's just a sampling of the good and the bad from the past few days.

Good: Kobe finally winning the MVP he's long deserved. The announcement is expected at a news conference today.
At 29 years old and in his prime, Kobe has finally matured and realized how important he is to the team's chemistry. You can tell by his comments and the way he's interacted with his teammates, he's truly happy with the situation he's in.

"I didn't know if it was going to come in my career, but to have the moment come now is special, especially to share it with the group of guys we have here," Bryant told reporters Saturday. "We talked about [how] winning this MVP is extremely special because that means I'm doing good. I'm making my teammates better, putting them in a position to win."

Bad: The average fan not only continues to be priced out but is increasingly being disrespected and given less access. Stories like this about the Dodgers make me angry.

Good: Another reminder why Derek Fisher is not just a special player, but a special human being. He's the MVP of his family and will always be one of my favorite Lakers.

Bad: Cedric Benson and the drunk boat.

Good: Unselfish acts in sports never go unnoticed. From sac bunts to charges to taken, to stories like this one about a little softball game with about 100 spectators. But the sports world took notice.

Bad: Marvin Harrison, one of the few "good" wide receivers in the NFL getting mixed up in a shooting investigation.
Since he has done nothing wrong previously, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt until all the facts are unturned but I'm saddened to hear his name in a negative light.

Good: Moves by Chris Paul that have you talking days later. Check this one out about 1:50 into the video.
He missed the layup and it didn't even matter. Made me think of Jason Williams highlights from his kings days when SportsCenter would show him on the top 10 even when he failed to finish the play.

Bad: The term student athlete is being made a complete mockery. One hundred and fifty teams are facing scholarship losses and another 26 may be banned from post- season play because they can't make the grade.

Good: The Rays, with about $150 million less on their payroll are tied in the standings with the Yankees.

Bad: I wonder what kind of signs Red Sox fans can come up with for this. A-Rod apparently can't the pressure in the delivery room either.

Good: PacMan Jones is getting a second chance with the Cowboys.

Bad: PacMan Jones is getting a second chance with the Cowboys.

Good: Blake DeWitt (.295, 1 HR, 14 RBIs, 10 BBs, 10ks, in shape, makes $390,000)

Bad: Andruw Jones (.158 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 15 BBS, 34 ks, fat, makes $14, 726, 910)

Dodgers are Rolling

2008-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Winners of six straight, the Dodgers are back in the playoff hunt. I know, I know, it's May 2. But that didn't stop me from looking at the Wild Card race where the Dodgers are currently two games behind. Better yet, the Dodgers offense is starting to click despite getting no production from that pudgy guy who plays center field. They even scored 10 runs in an inning last week and had another game with 13 runs. Rafael Furcal is having one of the best starts in Dodger history, hitting .371 and getting on base at a .459 clip. The Dodger pitchers, even Chad Billingsley who had a tough start, are getting it done. The only thing preventing the Dodgers from catapulting to the top of the NL West is the consistency and dominance of the D'Backs. They've put together an offense combined with a stellar pitching staff. The Dodgers might need to win 25 straight to catch up with Arizona who holds a five game lead in the division.

MVP, MVP, MVP:

On Lamar Odom's website, he tells a story about a Laker team dinner at a nice steakhouse recently.

When the check came, Kobe Bryant reached out his hand for it. "As soon as he picked up the bill," says Odom, "we all started chanting 'MVP MVP MVP!'"

"I thought that was pretty funny."

Andruw Watch:

Here's a scout's take on your main tubby Dodger.

"Scott Boras ought to be arrested -- for stealing. The way Andruw's playing right now, he [should be] a defensive replacement and right-handed bat off the bench.

take two -- "I don't think you could even call him a bat off the bench, because there's no bat there. You think there's one pitcher in his right mind who doesn't want to face that guy right now?"

(From Jayson Stark's Rumblings)

Early entry:

The official NBA draft early entry list.
Did you put your name in? Because Kamy’ta Terrell Davis did.

The Suns Have Set!

2008-04-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've already alerted the police. Put the city of Phoenix on suicide watch.
When the going gets tough, Suns fans find something else to do. Well, the going has gotten tough. The Shaq trade was a disaster, Mike D'Antoni went from great coach to "let's fire him" practically overnight, and the Suns window for a championship is closing faster than you can say "Robert Sarver is cheap."

Steve Nash had a horrible series against San Antonio, posting numbers well below his season averages, especially in assists where he averaged 7.8 against 11.1. Shaq is clearly over the hill and the Suns found out what it's like to be Hack a Shaqed. General manager Steve Kerr reportedly wants a defensive team, so not only will the Suns be bad, they also won't be entertaining to watch. It almost appears that the Suns are on the verge of rebuilding. On the bright side, we won't be hearing from bandwagon Suns fans for at least several years. By the way, Luol Deng and Rajon Rondo would look pretty good right now in a Suns uniform but Sarver needed to stack that cheese.

I'm not sure how I feel about PacMan Jones. He's everything that I hate about sports.
Then again, I felt the same way about Terrell Owens and he's made me a fan. I'm all about rooting for a team, not necessarily for the players. There's always several players on my favorite teams who I can't stand (i.e. Andruw Jones, ex-Lakers Kwame Brown, Glen Rice, Brian Cook). But I can legitimately say that I've grown to like Owens on the Cowboys and cheer for him and I hope one day PacMan will make me say the same thing.

Must see video:

This 7-year old has already been suspended by Roger Goodell.

My favorite quote from the next Tank Johnson is, "I wanna do it because it's fun, it's fun to do bad things
As for what his punishment should be, "No videogames for a weekend," he said.

Andruw watch:

Hide the dog food, Andruw is coming after that also. BTW, someone called Andruw "Fatman Jones" in Bill Simmons chat today. Just wanted to let you know.

Season: .165, 29 ks, 4 RBIs.

Get out your brooms

2008-04-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Two things I never thought I'd see from the Lakers: Great defense and single digit turnovers. But that's what we got in game 3. The Lakers held a potent Denver offense to 84 points, frustrating them to the point that Carmelo Anthony said his team quit. Denver shot 37 percent on their home floor and Vladimir Radmanovic, of all people, forced Carmelo into a 5-22 performance.

"In a game like tonight, on our home court, us giving up as a whole is uncalled for," Anthony fumed. "Yeah. We quit. Everybody. From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it.

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm not pointing the fingers at nobody. I didn't play worth a [expletive] tonight, and I can accept that. But as a competitor, there's no way that I should lay down and quit and lay down on my team like we did tonight."

Anthony said the Nuggets surrendered in the third quarter, although head coach George Karl didn't empty his bench until the fourth.

"You could just sense it," Anthony said. "I'm saying 'we,' because I'm part of this, too. I'm saying I quit. We all just gave up."

At least one teammate concurred.

"That's the way it seemed," Denver's Kenyon Martin said. "Everybody came out of the game. A.I. came out, and he leads the league in minutes. It's frustrating."

Congratulations to Antoine Cason who was drafted in the first round, No. 27 overall, by the San Diego Chargers. Based on all the mock drafts, Cason was a second round pick, but the Chargers looked past the scouting report that says he doesn't turn his hips fast enough and selected the Arizona grad.

With all the character issues the NFL has had recently, the Chargers couldn't have selected a better person. They got themselves a true professional, and a person who has already made a great impact in the community. I truly wish Cason the best of luck. No one deserves being taken higher than expected more than him.

Other Wildcats taken:

Larsen was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round (183rd overall), cornerback Wilrey Fontenot was taken in the seventh round by the Atlanta Falcons (212th overall) and defensive tackle Lionel Dotson was selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins (245th overall).

Draft winners:

I think it's unanimous, the Chiefs came away with an offensive lineman at No. 15, when most predicted they'd take that same lineman at No.5 Instead, they got arguably the best player in the whole draft at No. 5, Glenn Dorsey, who could be the next Warren Sapp if he stays healthy.

The fans: The first round didn't take a week, so that was nice. The new 10 minute first round and seven minute second round went over well with everyone except maybe nervous general mangers who had the guy they wanted taken right in front of them. Also, having the first two rounds on day 1 instead of the first three rounds was a good move.

Draft losers:

The Jaguars traded their first round pick, two third round picks and a fourth round pick to reach for a defensive end Mel Kiper Jr. said doesn't always show up. So they made a bad trade for a reach.

Wide Receivers:

No wide receivers taken in the first round and I'll tell you why. This was the year of character. Like the Woodland Hills Park League, where I was an All Star for many years, character counts. Wide receivers tend to have "me first" attitudes and carry some baggage with them, see Owens, Terrell, Johnson, Chad, and Warrick, Peter. Thus, no team wanted to take a chance on a guy who would burn them rather than cornerbacks. That's why Devin Thomas slipped from top 15 to the second round.

No D in AI
You know what's sad, Kirk Hinrich is a better defender than Allen Iverson.
Allen Iverson is a HORRIBLE defender. Jordan Farmar beat him off the dribble like he's a practice dummy.

He plays really hard...with the ball in his hands. But the rest of the time he doesn't really play that hard. That's the biggest misconception about AI. Everyone talks about him being a warrior and I won't deny that, but for much of his career he has been one dimensional. He averages more assists than you would think, but many of those come after he's dribbled the ball for 20 seconds and his teammates are standing around. AI is a ball stopper on offense and a gambler on defense. You can post him up, you an get by him with the dribble and you can shoot over him. I'm not here to argue that he's overrated, I'm just here to argue that the notion that he plays hard in all facets of the game is false.

Just Saying:

Pat Riley is a quitter.
The Raiders have three running backs, but no quarterback.
Darren McFadden will not get in trouble with the law.
The Wizards need to stop talking to Lebron. That means you too Brandon Haywood.
I'm shocked the Mavs are down 3-1. I thought they'd win the series and they're getting blown out.
I'm even more shocked the Suns haven't really put up a fight against the Spurs. I know they won game 4 and held leads in games 1 and 2, but I really though this series would go to 7. And I doubt that happens now.

Andruw watch:

Hide the honey buns, Andruw Jones is coming to a town near you.

Season: BA: .159, 29 ks, 1 home run

Arizona Basketball Drama

2008-04-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Breaking News and Exclusive report

Just when you thought Arizona basketball couldn't get any crazier, Lute Olson is on the verge of revamping his entire coaching staff, according to one of my sources.

Miles Simon received his walking papers from Jim Livengood on Thursday and Josh Pastner will most likely resign from his position. Kevin O'Neill, because of another year left on his contract was not fired. Instead, he was reassigned to assistant athletic director helper. Or in other words, he will be doing a lot of nothing.

Olson will not bring back Rodney Tention according to the source, and Jay John has already signed on to be an assistant under Mike Montgomery at Cal.

Supposedly, the Wildcats are looking at a current Denver Nuggets assistant coach and Russ Pennell, a former ASU assistant.

It appears that Olson has decided the KO culture change did not work, so he's going with completely new faces. At one point it appeared that Pastner was primed for coaching stardom and that may still be the case one day, but Arizona's struggles have dropped him on the coaching food chain.

As for Simon, people in the program told me on numerous occasions that he wasn't a natural coach and didn't seem to fit in that role.

Note to the NBA: Change your slogan from "Where Amazing Happens" to "Where Kobe Happens." It's practically the same thing.

Note to ESPN.com editors: When you put a picture of Albert Pujols and the headline scary sight together, expect fantasy owners (including me) to have heart attacks and sue.

Only later was I able to breathe a sigh of relief after finding out the article was about Pujols being the scariest hitter in the game and not scaring me with his elbow injury.

Ka-Pau!

2008-04-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

What is Pau Gasol doing? Someone please tell him he's not playing for a new contract.

I understand the 36 points... somewhat. But he dishes (8 assists) and goes to the boards (16 rebounds), and makes his teammates like Lamar Odom, who's been unbelievable since Pau's arrival, better.

Pau's just not that good.

The guy we gave up for him, on the other hand, was the first pick in the NBA draft and had tremendous potential. He was even drafted by His Airness, Michael Jordan.

And so now we have this Pau guy who flirts with triple doubles in the playoffs and causes Kobe to say he "absolutely" wants to be a Laker for life.

"I love the weather. I love my '63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys," Kobe said.

And he also said Mitch Kupchak went from an "F" to an "A-plus."

"He believed in the draft picks he made, he had the patience," Kobe said.

Quite the change in Kobe's demeanor, thanks in large part to this Pau guy.

Doesn't look like Andrew Bynum or Trevor Ariza will be joining the Lakers in the playoffs:

Phil Jackson called the possibility of Bynum playing in the playoffs a "remote thing."

TOL: Thinking out loud:

Not sure if I want to see the Suns lose in the first round, or get to the conference finals so they can potentially face the Lakers. Seeing them lose to the Spurs in game 1 just gave me so much joy, but a Lakers/Suns matchup, though risky, would be quite exciting.

I hate to give props to anyone on the D'Backs but this is worth mentioning:

Eric Byrnes promised to grow out a 'stache after every game in which he gets a hit, and won't cut it until he goes hitless.

So after every four or five game hitting streak, Byrnes will be rocking a stache. Here's to hoping he puts a nice 20 game string together.

What's the story with Kevin O'Neill?

Arizona fans rejoined recently when Lute Olson announced that O'Neill would not come back as an assistant coach. O'Neill, however, insists that he will be back, according to Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star.

Basketball recruits Arizona is looking at:

Several Southern California guys are on Arizona's 2009 "wish list" including Van Nuys forward Victor Rudd, La Canada center Anthony Stover, and Compton Dominguez forward Jordan Hamilton.

Andruw Watch:

Despite still bordering on obese, Jones hit his first home run of the season Friday in Atlanta. Braves didn't know whether to cheer him or boo. I'm not sure why you would boo him. He gave your club his best years, helped you win a World Series, and then got fat and saved you money by signing with another team. It was a win win situation for Braves fans.

Monday 0-4, 1K
Season: .159, 22ks

Coming for that No. 1 Spot

2008-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

The Lakers didn't even have to sweat it out in their final home game, taking the Western Conference Regular Season crown in a win over the Kings, a title few thought would be bestowed upon them at the beginning of the season.

No Brad Miller, no Kevin Martin, and no Ron Artest made it nice and easy, allowing the regulars to sit out the fourth quarter and the fans (including David Beckham who sat about 10 rows in front of me) to give Kobe a standing ovation as he sat down late in the third quarter.

Now comes the hard part, and realistically the only meaningful part of the season. The Dallas Mavericks had the best record in the West last year and all they had to show for it was a first round exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors and tons of ridicule throughout the summer.

Upcoming for the Lakers is most likely series against the No. 8 Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets still have a chance to get the No. 7 seed with a win against Memphis and a Dallas loss to New Orleans. Sounds pretty plausible, but the Hornets are locked in to the No. 2 seed and have nothing to play for. The Mavs meanwhile would much rather face the Hornets than the Lakers so you better believe they'll be playing hard. Look for Chris Paul and Co. to sit much of the game.

Onto the matchup. The Lakers have beaten the Nuggets by an average of 16.3 points per game in three games this year. Two were blowouts, while one was a four point victory for the Lakers.

The Nuggets play 0 defense. None, nada, nunca. How's that for Spanish, Kobe?

I don't expect the Nuggets to win one game, as long as the Lakers keep their focus. There couldn't have been a better matchup for the Lakers out of the top West teams and that includes Sacramento, Portland, and Golden State, three teams who didn't make the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony has bigger things to worry about than the Lakers:
According to KWGN TV in Colorado, Anthony's fiancee LaLa refused to pick him up from the police station and a police sergeant drove him back to his Ritz Carlton hotel. That launched an internal investigation into whether Anthony received preferential treatment.
DUI charges are pending toxicology results.

Are you a loyal fan?

How much money would they have to pay you for your favorite team to move out of town?

The $65,000 question (from MLB.com)

Whatever happened to Yhency Brazoban?-- Greg G., Fargo, N.D.
He's on the comeback trail after missing most of the last two seasons, first with Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, then with a torn shoulder labrum. Brazoban reported to Spring Training with his typical weight problems, pitched impressively in one exhibition game and then had a setback.
Brazoban opened the season at Double-A Jacksonville, with the goal of rebuilding arm strength and, hopefully, dropping some weight. If he keeps it up, Brazoban's likely to show up in Los Angeles sooner than later.

Ken Gurnick Dodgers MLB.com beat writer

Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. hate each other:

Not only do they talking lik they are disgusted with each other on television, but McShay wrote this in his Mock Draft 7.0 in discussing the Chiefs probable selection of Branden Albert at No.5:

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Mel Kiper's info on this pick seems to be accurate. It feels like a reach to me but the Chiefs evidently think enough of Albert to take him if they are stuck here."

High Five

Andrew Bogut high fives himself

Andruw Watch:

Tuesday: 2-3, 2 runs, 1 BB
Season: 7-47 BA: .149

Whoopeee, the Dodgers' $36 million man is up to .149!

Making sense of race:

Recently an annual report came out and stated that African-American baseball players are down to 8.2% from 8.4% in the Major Leagues. The media quickly rose to the occasion, condemning the lack of African Americans in baseball and practically shouting racism.

Here's what I'm much more concerned about. African American doctors make up only 3.9 percent of doctors in America, yet that gets no publicity. African Americans make up about 12.4 percent of our entire population according to the US. Census in 2005, yet the media is concerned about a 4% difference in baseball players, and ignores a much more important 8.5 percent difference in doctors. Maybe if these same advocates put together a Doctors in the Inner City program rather than a Baseball in the Inner City program, our country would be better off.

For now, it appears a lot like baseball is just trying to get the African American sector involved in the game for financial purposes.

Statement Game

2008-04-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant told his teammates in the tunnel before Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, this is a statement game. The Lakers made their statement.
And then Kobe jumped over an Aston Martin.

OK, he didn't do it after the game, and no the video isn't real, although there apparently are many out there who think Kobe would be stupid enough to risk his career and possibly his life by doing a stunt like this, and that the Lakers would allow their superstar to jeopardize the Lakers future.

So Kobe received some technological help in his leap and the Lakers got some help in their leap to the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Hornets lost to the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets, who held the tie breaker against the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets.

Now, with a win against Sacramento on Tuesday, the Lakers would get the West's No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the West playoffs. They'd also most likely get a matchup with the Nuggets (unless they lose both of their last two games) in the first round and a second round matchup against the winner of the Houston/Utah series. Thus, the Lakers would bypass the best three teams in the West, the Suns, Spurs, and Hornets. Of course nothing in the West will be set in stone until the final buzzer of the final West game sounds.

But for the time being, the Lakers, even without Andrew Bynum who is not expected to play at the beginning of the playoffs and Trevor Ariza, appear to be a title contender.

The crazy aspect of the Lakers blowout was the scoring balance. No one expected the Lakers to share the wealth like they have. Seven players took at least seven shots. Kobe took 14 shots, second to Pau Gasol's 15, and sat out most of the fourth quarter. More importantly the Lakers played lock down defense in the third quarter when they held the Spurs to 3-17 shooting and outscored them 26-14.

In the playoffs, things change, teams buckle down and the Spurs will have Manu Ginobilli and Brent Barry back. It's unlikely the Lakers will have any 21 point wins over the Spurs if the two teams meet in the playoffs. Still, a dominating performance against the NBA champs has the Lakers and JA Adande believing they may be the team to beat.

Maybe Damon Stoudamire isn't as much of a pothead, and dumbass as we all thought: The former Wildcat had his 4 1/2 year marijuana possession case dismissed. Then again, he probably just had a good lawyer.

Carmelo Anthony will need a good lawyer. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI Monday morning.

Andruw Watch:
Sunday 0-3, 2 BBs and a lot of boos from the home crowd
Season: 4-40, BA: .100

The list of bad Dodger contracts continues to grow. Darren Dreifort, Kevin Brown, Jason Schmidt, Juan Pierre, and now Jones.

The Masters was this weekend?

I watched the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, the Sox/Yanks game on ESPN and even caught some hockey. Wake me up when you need some athletic ability to be a golfer.

If Kobe doesn't win the MVP, then the apocalypse is upon us.

Kevin Love should leave for the NBA.

Darren Collison should not.

I knew the Dodgers shouldn't have scored all those runs on Saturday in an 11-1 win over the Padres. They needed those runs on Sunday when they got shutout by Greg Maddux and four relievers.

Just saying: Blake DeWitt is hitting .156 higher than Andruw Jones. Brad Penny is hitting .100 better.

Q&A with superstar soccer player Hoosh

2008-04-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Roman's Empire is honored to have Hoosh as our Q&A guest today. Hoosh is a new member of the Hunter College (New York) soccer team. We know your soccer schedule keeps you busy so thanks for joining us Hoosh.

Q: First of all, you worked really hard to get to where you are in your soccer career, how much of an accomplishment was it to make the Hunter team?

A: Spending my teen years in the mean streets of West Hills provided me with the mental fortitude that has allowed me to become a part of an under-funded Division III soccer program that will aim to win at least 2 games next season. My parents and I could not be more jubilant about my accomplishments. I feel fortunate that a partially torn Achilles tendon, a severely sprained ankle, and two inflamed lumbar discs have not slowed me down...yet.

Q: Your friend Nadeem's question about a theory you and him had made it into Bill Simmons mailbag, and Simmons said "Nadeem and Hoosh go White Castle" was a great movie, how cool was that?

A: Seeing my name in a Bill Simmons article was the highlight of my sports-related career. It barely beat out my 28 point JCC League performance and that one time I filled in on the Camel-Towing team and fully represented the fellas with back hair.

Q: Some people doubted that it was you. Do you think there is anyone else named Hoosh in New York?

A: You know, after my name was put up on the interwebs, a few people have tried to stake a claim to the name "Hoosh". I would like to set the record straight once and for all that there is only one true Hoosh. He enjoys long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners with that special someone.

Q: What number are you wearing for Hunter, and why did you pick that number?

A: Since our soccer program is not very well funded, we change our jerseys and numbers every season. For the time being, I am wearing #2. It represents the number of times I tried out, unsuccessfully, for the ECR basketball team. Speaking of which...

Q: At El Camino Real High School, coach Ludlow called you as if you made the freshman basketball team, and then immediately cut you. How did that experience motivate you?

A: One could argue that Ludlow cutting me was the beginning of my miraculous rise to the top. For those that actually knew me, however, it marked my fall from grace. I immediately became a chain-smoker, gained 25 lbs, and started shouting obscenities at strangers for no apparent reason. It took a seemingly effective intervention by a mullah and a rabbi (it's complicated) to set me straight...I still sneak in a pack or five here and there.

Q: You used to shoot a version of Kareem's sky-hook, the “Hooshercize”, in pickup basketball games. What kind of reaction did that get from those playing in the game with you?

A: People would have the same look on their faces as my parents did when I told them I was gonna major in Philosophy. It was a magical and rare combination of amazement, confusion, disappointment, and utter shock. I recommend all the readers to try this if they can. Tell your parents and watch their reaction, it's really quite a scene.

Now let's go our readers:

Todd from West Hills, CA asks:

When growing up in Iran, who were your inspirations as soccer players and who do you feel your game most represents?

A: Great question Mr. Wolfson. Growing up in Iran, access to a TV was a rarity, so watching famous players was out of the question. But I did admire this guy who was like the neighborhood Ronaldo, though he couldn't really shoot, or pass, or dribble, and he was pretty slow too. But man he had some really nice cleats.

Q: Now Hoosh, I understand you are possibly planning to go to dental school but you also might be playing Birmingham Hoosh in "JCC the Movie," coming out in 2009, what other projects do you have in the works?

A: Well, I also have the sequel to "Nadeem and Hoosh go to White Castle" coming out soon. The sequel has a working title of "Nadeem and Hoosh Escape from Alcatraz" and is in post-production as we speak. We tried to get Sean Connery and Nick Cage to co-star with us, but the producers felt that having two big-name actors in our movie would diminish the artistic value.

In addition to dental school and all my movies, I may also be attending graduate school to pursue a PhD in Philosophy, or I may decide to stay in NYC and begin my takeover of a multi-billion dollar investment bank. I think we can all agree that with my combination of good looks and brains to match, the sky's the limit.

Q: What do you say to kids in Iran who are trying to follow in your footsteps?

A: My message for kids in Iran is plain and simple: do your best to be born into a family that is wealthy enough to move out of Iran. If you are unfortunate enough to not be one of those kids, there may be a Nigerian prince who can aid in your escape from Iran...for a minimal fee, of course.

OK, now let's go to the quick fire round...

Q: Favorite pro soccer team?

A: Paris Saint-Germain FC, followed by Liverpool FC

Q: The best Seinfeld episode is...

A: That’s like asking me to pick a favorite between my children. “The Little Jerry”

Q: Random Laker...

A: Mike Penberthy

Q: Who would win in a game of one on one, Larry or Mathew Rosenberg?

A: I’ve heard that Larry has been hitting the gym on the regular and has bulked up to at least 125 lbs, so he’s a viable threat. That being said, Matthew Rosenberg has the quickest release in the business, and I think that will be a deciding factor in a close game. 11-9 in favor of Rosenberg.

Wednesday State of the Sports Union

2008-04-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Trent Johnson is leaving Stanford for LSU. Anyone is better than Johnson who only helped his team by getting kicked out of a game in the NCAA Tournament, but wouldn't it be interesting if Mike Montgomery returned to Palo Alto. Yes, I know he just took the job at arch rival Cal but I wouldn't put it past any coach to sign a contract and then resign to take a more desirable job just days later. We've had a lot of quick signing, quick regretting coaches lately.

Billy Donovan (Orlando Magic back to Florida) and Rick Majerus (signed at USC before resigning) among others.

Fan Behavior: I couldn't agree more with Chase Utley's statement on Mike and Mike in the Morning Wednesday.

"If a guy's not playing hard or a guy's not hustling, that's when you should maybe let him know how you feel, but if you're playing hard and you're just struggling, the more positive support the better," Utley said.

From my boy Channing Frye's blog, which is really sick. Channing is a funny ass guy:

A lot of people ask me, “What is it like being tall?”

Well I’m gonna give you a simple breakdown of the pros and cons of being tall:

Pros

It’s ok for me to ask for the exit row at the airplane
I can hide things in places that no one will ever find
It doesn’t hurt when playing basketball, volleyball, or tetherball
I get called cool nicknames like Stretch, Big Guy, Big Fella, Tall Drink of Water, and Humungo
I don’t have to be picky about a girl’s height because none of them are taller than me
I get the biggest short size all the time because I have the longest legs
I get automatic shotgun at all times
When I order a lot more food than what I can eat they always give me a quick look then say “I guess you need to eat; you’re such a big boy.”

Cons

Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size
No matter what I wear, unless it’s a basketball jersey, I feel like it’s just not made for people my size (I personally just make it look good)
Even though small cars are cool I can’t fit comfortably in any of them. I try and save the earth by conserving gas but I can’t fit in a Subaru or Honda, so I ride in a realy simple Tahoe. I try to do my part.
No matter what seat I have on an airplane, unless it’s the team plane, NOTHING is comfortable — absolutely nothing. It’s a mental battle the whole trip trying to keep my knees from the people in front of me smashing them with their seats. I mean, seriously, do you not see the 7-ft man behind you? Do you think it’s cool to slam your chair back on our 330-hr flight?

Other than that, I mean, there really aren’t any other cons. Being tall is great. I love it and wouldn’t change it in the world.

Andruw Watch:

The Dodgers stud centerfielder came off the bench Wednesday. That's right, he wasn't even in the starting lineup.

He went 1-2 with a strikeout.

Season totals: 5-31 10ks, BA: .129

Roses are Brown for Lakers

2008-04-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the good news: The Lakers won't have to play a game in the playoffs at the Rose Garden. For them, the Rose Garden smells like shit. They've lost six straight in Portland, a place where Lakers defense is prohibited.

Here's the solution: LA teams combine. The Lakers take the Dodgers defense, and the Dodgers take the Lakers offense. Rafael Furcal could be the Lakers shut down defender and Kobe can hit jacks. That's the only way to fix the Lakers porous defense and the Dodgers impotent offense. I mean, it's not like Andruw Jones is going to be much help.

Yeah, he's getting paid a lot of money. Yeah, he used it at Carl's Jr., Fatburger, and Greasy Tony's in the offseason. Yeah, he's fat. No, he can't hit a lick.

Andruw Watch:
Tuesday: 1-3, 1k
Season 4-29, 9ks BA: .103
=
Goooooood

Currently, the Lakers are the No. 3 seed in the West, which means potential matchups with the Suns in the first round, the Spurs in the second round, and the Hornets in the Conference Finals. In other words, the Lakers can't do any worse than getting the No. 3 seed.

Calling Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum:

Um... guys we need you. We have Vlad Radmanovic trying to guard Brandon Roy. Gary Vitti, we need your help.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 78 games) Lakers: 53-25 3rd in West

Fisher +320
Kobe +560
Turiaf +92
Odom +404
Gasol +245
Mihm -14
Walton +181
Bynum +238
Farmar +215
Radmanovic +326
Brown -44
Vujacic +112
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +18
Newble 0

Up next: at LA Clippers Thursday 7:30 p.m. PST TNT

Should he stay or should he go?

2008-04-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

The bad times continue for Arizona basketball. As most expected, Chase Budinger declared for the NBA draft.

He did not hire an agent and is therefore eligible to come back for his junior year. But that doesn't look likely. His trainer Trent Suzuki, who has been close to Chase since he was a kid, said Chase isn't coming back if he's projected to be in the top 20.

"I think if he gets it confirmed that he can get something like" a top-20 pick, he would stay in the draft, Suzuki told the AZ Daily Star. "I don't really know what his thought process is. Obviously, if he's a lottery pick, he'll come out for sure."

NBAdraft.net currently has him going 16th to Toronto and draftexpress.com has him at No. 14 to Denver. It's unlikely he'll drop any further down considering his elite athleticism and his potential in workouts.

To me, Chase is the next Mike Dunleavy, only chosen with a reasonable pick, so he won't have the pressure of Dunleavy who was picked third. The most disconcerting thing about Chase's game has been his free throw shooting this season. For someone who possesses a great shooting stroke to shoot just 70 percent from the charity stripe should be a warning sign for NBA teams about his mental makeup. Inconsistency crept into Chase's game, especially during his sophomore year. Sometimes, he just floated in games and failed to become a factor. Defensively he's soft, despite having good quickness and long arms. At the next level, only strong minded players make it.

Can Chase become a contributor or will he be the next Casey Jacobson? That's to be determined. What will be determined much sooner is whether Chase will begin his NBA career this season.
Had he come out his freshman season, he would have been a lottery pick. As people dissected his game and found his weaknesses, he dropped to the late lottery or mid teens. Staying another year allows the skeptics to dig even deeper, and there's a chance he drops even lower in the first round. With Arizona basketball in disarray as the coaching situation creates more turmoil, there's no reason for Chase to stay.

With Chase and Jerryd Bayless gone, Arizona will not make the NCAA Tournament. The duo accounted for 48% of Arizona's scoring. Brandon Jennings is a great player but he can't make up for two first round picks. Arizona's lineup will probably like this now:

PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise

SF: Jamelle Horne
PF: Jordan Hill

C: Jeff Withey

If Withey is as good as advertised, maybe the front court will finally be able to compete in the Pac-10. That's a big if for a freshman center, especially one who is still growing into his body. The back court is extremely small, but both are good shooters. Horne showed that he can be a role player this season, but can he take the next step and pick up the slack for the scoring left by Budinger and Bayless. A lot of questions, a lot of inexperience, and an old coach coming back into a difficult situation.

Should be an interesting year in Tucson.

Should he stay or should he go Part 2:

Bill Self just won the national championship. The game, by the way, made up for the two excuses for Final Four games we saw on Saturday.

Now the tough part begins. Self, an Oklahoma State alum will be offered the head coaching job in Stillwater. He'll also be offered a king's ransom by Boone Pickens, a billionaire who has donated almost $300 million dollars to OSU, 92 percent of which has gone to athletics.

It's not out of the question that Self could get around $5 million a year and potentially could become the highest paid coach in college basketball. That's a lot of money, even for a guy who's making about $1.25 million a season at Kansas.

I know Self is a good coach but is Pickens really willing to spend that much money for those boring pre game speeches that sound like bed time stories?

I understand Self is a good coach and an OSU alum but he needs to go to Dick Vitale speech class. Or just close the locker room. Shouldn't the players be excited before the game?

The bottom line is that Self can make Oklahoma State a good program, but he can be great at Kansas. If he wants to be great he'll stay at Kansas.

The Longest Yard

JKlein3030 (10:59:28 PM): i love how michael vick is playing football in prison...if you were in prison, how tight would it be to play football with vick

romoballa (11:00:02 PM): Not that tight if ur one of his wrs, he'd always either overthrow u, or hit u in the ankles

Andruw Jones watch:
Monday: 0-4, 2ks
Season: 3-26, 8ks

Ohhh and 1

2008-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time, boys and girls.

What can I say, I've been lazy. No excuses, play like a champion. A lot has occurred in the world of sports and as my almost namesake Jim Rome would say, here's what I'm burning on:

I'm currently in 2,563,361st place in the ESPN tournament challenge. I'm pretty sure there were only 2,563,362 people who entered brackets.

Television cameras spotted some kind of substance on the hand of Jake Peavy during a Dodgers/Padres game this weekend.

My question is, when are the Dodgers hitters going to be spotted with substances? The Dodgers are dead last in the major leagues in home runs, with two. They don't have warning track power. They have warning to the warning track power.

JKlein3030 (6:12:55 PM):if they're lucky

Andruw Jones is 3-22 with six strikeouts and I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. However, I didn't listen to myself in hopes that Dodger management was right and drafted him in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. As Will Ferrell would say, "What an Idiot!"

I went to my fourth Laker game of the season Friday against the Mavs, shattering my total for Laker games attended which previously stood at three all time, prior to this season. Courtesy of one of five Jews over 6-foot-8 in the country, I sat in the best seats of any of the games I have attended. So naturally there were some celebrity sightings: The guy from Arliss, B-Real, Lisa Leslie (not sure if she should be considered), and Jason Taylor. The aforementioned tall Jew happens to be a big Dolphins fan so when Taylor walked by us, he yelled "Jason, you're the man," and Taylor turned around, smiled and pointed at him.

The Nike Hoop Summit will be televised by Fox Sports Network at 1:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 12. Emmanuel Negedu of Arizona, who's from Nigeria will play for the international team. Brandon Jennings will not play at all.

Jennings did play in the McDonald's All-American game and vowed to break the assist record, which he almost did, had some of his teammates been able to finish their layups and dunks. Rocking the Fresh Prince of Bell-Air haircut, he had five assists in the first five minutes, dazzled with his ball handling and looked like the pass first point guard Arizona desperately needs.

Jerryd Bayless is entering th NBA draft and will hire an agent. Shocking. Nottttt!

Not only did ASU have a great season in basketball despite getting snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, but Wells Fargo Arena was rocking in the NIT. So much, that the ESPN announcers commented on the atmosphere numerous times. The crowd stood for the majority of the game and I'm not just talking about the student section. With James Harden coming back next season, ASU will be a tournament team and gasp, should be better than Arizona.

Brian Westbrook meet Richard Hamilton. If you remember, Brian Westbrook with his selfish stop at the 1 yard line ruined my fantasy football season. Rip had a chance to help my fantasy basketball season by not playing against my fantasy team two Sundays ago. The following is the discussion I had with my opponent before that awful Sunday, regarding Rip's injury.

evan411web (3:24:29 PM): its a sore hip

evan411web (3:24:33 PM): he has missed two games already

evan411web (3:24:36 PM): should be ready to roll

romoballa (3:24:44 PM): it should be a lingering problem

romoballa (3:24:46 PM): hopefully

evan411web (3:24:53 PM): haha

romoballa (3:24:54 PM): and they don't need him, rest up for the playoffs

evan411web (3:25:00 PM): haha he is their leading scorer

romoballa (3:25:03 PM): hold on, flip saunders is on the line

evan411web (3:25:16 PM): lol

romoballa (3:25:23 PM): hello flip, yeah i meant wat i said in the voice mail

romoballa (3:25:32 PM): yes, i'm holding ur housekeeper hostage

evan411web (3:25:38 PM): see he might not play tonight

romoballa (3:25:39 PM): do u want to see maria again?

evan411web (3:25:42 PM): since they are playing miami

Of course, he played, and I lost.

Joe Torre is not a good manager. In fact, he's one of the worst, the numbers say.

Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss were on the Dog Whisperer.

Larry Bowa, the Dodgers new third base coach is the man. He was suspended for his dustup with the third base umpire, and he wasn't even arguing a call.

"We got a memo and an edict, and they're adamant about the box and stuff," (umpire Ed) Montague said. "Don't go up in front of the box toward home plate, and don't get any closer to the foul lines. I told Bo in the bottom of the fifth, because he got up close. And that's what caught my eye. And I just told him, 'Bo, you got the memo, we got the memo, and you've got to stay back.' I went over and told Joe in-between innings what I told Bo. And Bo just said, 'I'm going to do it the way I've always been doing it.'"I said, 'Bo, if you go up, I'm going to have to run you.' And he said, 'Do what you've got to do, and it is what it is.' When he got up in front of it again, I said, 'Bo, I told you once, now get back in the box.' He argued it, and finally I said, 'You're gone.' So I gave him every chance in the book and he defied it."It's probably one of the dumbest ejections I've had."Bowa unleashed a profanity-laced tirade regarding the rule as he left the Dodger Stadium."I did it all spring, nobody said a word," he said, still irate a half-hour after the game ended. "I did it yesterday, nobody said a word. It's impossible to coach third and stay in the box with a runner at second."

To no one's surprise, Bowa also expressed anger early in spring training about having to wear a helmet at third.

Quote of the week:

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts," fellow guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We tell Derrick (Rose) the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

This idiot was on Arizona's football team. After this video, he wasn't.

Coming up: An interview with Hunter club soccer star, Hoosh.

Johnny Mountain or Dallas Raines?

2008-03-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what your weather man name would be? Every one knows your porn star name is your middle name and the name of the street you live on. But I've always wondered how you go about picking your weather man name. Los Angeles has two of the best in Johnny Mountain (CBS) and Dallas Raines (ABC). Then I ran across this list of the best weatherman names in the country.

Yes, someone actually compiled a list, researching a majority if not all of the local television stations nationwide. It's that important.

Flip Spiceland tops the list, but my personal favorite is No. 2 Storm Field. I can't imagine how much confidence a man with a name like Storm Field has. It's like when Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Power. I'm confident that Storm Field would give Chuck Norris the fight of his life in a cage match.

I've narrowed the list of names for when I become weatherman to the following five:

Larry Tornado
Tropic Snow
Bobby Heatwave
Sleet Cloud
Sonny Skies

And just for the hell of it, how about some weather related athlete names:

Eric Snow
Garth Snow
Sonny Weems
Tim Raines

Lakers get one back

Same two teams, back to back nights, different city, different result. The Lakers got one back from the Golden State Warriors in Oakland after losing at home on Sunday. Once again, the Lakers had to come from behind, took a lead, and then blew a lead. But this time, they got another chance in overtime, and thanks to the hot shooting of Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic, as well as some timely plays from Lamar Odom, the Lakers walked away with a victory. And then there's that guy Kobe Bryant who had 30 points 11 rebounds and seven assists in what amounted to a quiet game for him. Kobe started 3-13 and missed 19 of his 30 shots, yet the Lakers still walked away with a victory.

That's a good sign.

What's not a good sign is the fact that Fisher and not Kobe took the potential game winning shot at the end of regulation. So far this season, the Lakers have had Fisher, Walton, and Odom take and miss game winners. Kobe has had a few also. The point is that Kobe should at least have the ball in his hands in the waning seconds. If he's doubled and decides to pass to a wide open shooter ala Jordan to Kerr or Jordan to Paxson, that's fine. Yesterday, Kobe didn't even cut to get open. There was no screen set for him. Don't you want to free up your best player for the final shot? How many times does Lebron not get the final shot for the Cavs? Not too many. If you have to set a quadruple screen for Kobe, then do that. You can take your chances with the other guys but that hasn't worked thus far.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 66 games) Lakers: 49-22 2nd in West

Fisher +311
Kobe +528
Turiaf +93
Odom +385
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +160
Bynum +236
Farmar +204
Radmanovic +309
Brown -44
Vujacic +85
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: vs. Charlotte Wednesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Viva Las Vegas

2008-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my vacation to Las Vegas and ready to blog. Whatever happens in Vegas...is reflected on your bank and credit card statements.

Also, I said vacation, but let me tell you, betting on losing college basketball teams and yelling at the screen is a lot of work.

By the way did you know that in 14 seasons as a head coach prior to this year, Kevin O'Neill has compiled a 190-197 record (.491).

Is that someone u want leading Arizona in the future, the present, or in a charity game? Is that someone you want to bet on when your team needs a win in a first round NCAA tournament game when you still have three days left in Vegas and you hope to have enough money to at least buy food?

In addition to losing money, I'm sure I at some point lost my dignity. It could have been when I was so hammered, I danced my way off the bed and onto my ass at Tao, got kicked out as I was already leaving (still not sure why) and then stumbled to a roulette table at Balleys and put my remaining $31 on red. And I actually won, leaving me some money to bet with the next day.

On the bright side, I watched almost every game, and bet on almost every game. I took a little time off to chill by the pool, but the lifeguard refused to let me drown myself. She, like everyone else who works in Vegas was one size bigger in the chest region. So that was fun to look at.

So what's next for Arizona basketball you might be asking?

Chase Budinger has embarrassed himself to the point where he might have to come back? Needless to say Joe Alexander has replaced Budinger as the best white athletic player in the country, and this means that Arizona may once again make the tournament next year, of course as an 8 or 9 seed.

I would be absolutely shocked if Jerryd Bayless comes back and even more shocked and devastated in O'Neill came back. The KO experiment bombed like Pearl Harbor.

Next year's lineup should look like this:

PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise
SF: Chase Budinger
PF: Jamelle Horne/Jordan Hill
C: Jordan Hill/Jeff Withey

I've heard some good things about Withey, a 7-footer from San Diego lately, but as with all tall, frail white guys you have to be cautious. Having Hill go back to his natural position of power forward would be integral to keeping him out of foul trouble. It doesn't appear the Wildcats will be that much deeper next year, but Horne and Zane Johnson will be a little more ready to play in the Pac-10 and Emmanuel Negedu could see some minutes as a freshman.

Brandon Jennings will replace Bayless, but don't expect him to have a much larger impact. Jennings will have a harder time finishing around the basket than Bayless because of his 170 pound body. He's a much better ball handler, however, and will involve his teammates more. Bayless, a natural scorer who would have fit in well alongside Jennings. The days of Bayless curling off screens off the ball all day long are over because Jennings' game is with the ball in his hands.

The Lake show
Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers have been inconsistent. No post presence inside means Kobe has to work a lot harder to get his points and that causes him to be less effective on the defensive end. The 72 points the Lakers gave up in the first half to the Warriors is alarming for a team whose early exit in the first round the last two seasons was mainly due to poor defense.

Andrew Bynum is out for at least another 2-3 weeks, and the longer he sits, the longer it will take for him to get back in shape and back in rhythm. I wouldn't expect him to be his first half self immediately, especially considering the type of work he put in this summer to prepare him for his breakout season. It's a lot more difficult to get back into playing shape when you're 7-feet and 270 pounds than it is for a guard.

Trevor Ariza isn't even running on the Lakers new $75, 000 treadmill yet so he'll be lucky to be back for the playoffs.

In even worse news, Chris Mihm looks like he may be the first one of the four injured Lakers to come back. Let's hope Phil Jackson pretends that Mihm is still injured when it comes to playing time.

Dodger Blues

I never got a chance to go to Dodgertown and that makes me sad. I had a preliminary plan for a trip, even had a free Southwest ticket. But it didn't work out and I feel like I missed out.

There's been a lot written in the past few days about the memories, the Dodger legends, the fan interaction, and the tradition. And even though I never got to experience if first hand, reading about a place that was so special to so many has been a treat.

Tommy Lasorda and others reflected on Spring Training in Vero Beach after the Dodgers last game there.

Perhaps the place meant more to Lasorda than anyone else, wrote TJ Simers of the LA Times.
And the Dodger players gave him a fitting tribute, letting him walk off the field last as they stood side by side and raised their bats like swords, allowing a king to exit his castle.

The Dodgers will hold spring training in Glendale, Arizona next year, in a new multi million dollar complex they will share with the White Sox.

It will be closer to Los Angeles, about a five hour drive from Dodger Stadium. I understand why they're moving. I'll probably get to watch them in person even. But I can't help but feel like this is similar to when they took the legends off the outfield walls in favor of advertisements. The Dodgers have so much history. They're a walking baseball museum. But with every business decision, they lose some of that history.

Other Tidbits:

Trent Johnson almost cost his Stanford team the game against Marquette in the second round, and saved his team in that game at the same time. You see, his two technical fouls and the seven point play Marquette got because of it put the Cardinal in a hole. Not having Trent Johnson on the sidelines for the rest of the game gave Stanford an advantage. The Cardinal went to Brook Lopez on every possession including the last one when Lopez made a 10 foot turnaround shot to win the game. Johnson should stay in the locker room at the beginning of the game next time. He's a better coach from there anyway.

Stephen Curry is fun to watch. The kid is averaging 35 points a game in the first two rounds and single handedly dismantled Georgetown and Gonzaga, two solid defensive teams. He runs all over the court like Reggie Miller, has a good handle, and ice in his veins. Here's to Davidson being the next George Mason.

Are you for some reason not excited about the NCAA tournament? Watch this clip and you will be.

Gus Johnson is the man!

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 65 games) Lakers: 48-22 2nd in West

Fisher +312
Kobe +526
Turiaf +91
Odom +381
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +166
Bynum +236
Farmar +199
Radmanovic +308
Brown -44
Vujacic +72
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: at Golden State Monday 7:30 p.m. PST KCAL