Do you know this man?

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.