Running The Point

Shiny new digs - We've moved!

2008-05-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

Since the time came for a redesign of this standard template, I decided, why not take it up a notch and really make this site shine? So, instead of staying here on the wonderful (read: free) Blogspot, Running The Point has moved to – the aptly named – runningthepoint.com

Please come by and check out the new place. All the archives have been transferred so you can read your old favourites as well.

Click here for the new site.

Ninth inning horrors

2008-05-13T03:08:00.000-04:00

People in Milwaukee should be feeling two different emotions over the same the situation right now. How can a guy (Eric Gagne) that they have just signed to a very large contract ($10-million US) to do a job (close games) just come out and beg his boss to not let him go out and try to do what he’s supposed to. The feelings that Brewers fans should have are right now:

A) Outrage and B) Relief.

So this guy is basically quitting and giving up on his job that he is being massively overpaid for? Are you kidding me? A little outrage should also be directed at Brewers management who signed the Canadian pitcher who was clearly on a steep down slope career-wise after last year's disastrous stint in Boston.

As for relief, here's Gagne's line so far in 2008: 1-2. 9 saves with 5 blown. 6.89 ERA with a WHIP of 1.85. 18 hits over 15.2 innings.
Is that who you want to call in to "save" the game for you? Didn't think so. Look for anybody to come out of that mess Milwaukee calls a bullpen to save games. They should really look into making a deal.

In St. Louis, long-time incumbent Jason Isringhausen isn't going to be closing games for the Cardinals any more. Having an ERA of 7.47 will cause you to lose that responsibility. Well, he had a good run for a guy drafted in the 44th round back in 1991. Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer figure to get shots in the ninth while Izzy tries to work things out.

In Cleveland, the human rain delay of closing, Rafael Betancourt had a little scare of his own. First, he was nailed just above his (non-throwing) left elbow by a come backer. Then, stayed in the game and gave up three runs in the tenth inning to the Blue Jays. And the Jays hadn't scored a run in the previous 31 innings. Well, if Betancourt can't go for Cleveland, they can always trot of save-king Joe Borowski.

The funniest part about all of this? Brad Lidge hasn't allowed a run this season and Troy Percival is lights out closing games for the Rays.

This weekend in the NBA

2008-05-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

What happened this weekend in the NBA you ask? Well I'll tell you what I saw.

How dare the fans in Utah boo Derek Fisher. Nearly a year to the day that he flew across the country after being by his daughter's hospital bedside to play for the Jazz and hit some clutch shots in a win, he's being booed during the introductions of Game 3 of the Lakers-Jazz series. Utah let Fisher leave the team to play for L.A. so his daughter could get better treatment over the offseason. There shouldn't have been any ill intentions, so why the boos? This should have been a amicable split but Utah booing Fisher is in poor taste. Why not just boo Kobe? It would make a lot more sense.

It's a good thing that the Celtics have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs because they absolutely cannot win on the road. Its getting a bit ridiculous. Has a team ever won the championship without a single road win? It seems that all it may take to bounce Boston from the playoffs is one win at the Garden. Taking that advantage from the C's may be the equivalent to taking their playoff lives.

And speaking of home court woes, how are the Pistons the only team to win on the road so far in round 2? Not to knock Detroit or anything, but it's pretty sad that contenders like Boston, New Orleans, San Antonio and the Lakers can't win on the road. Of those four, Los Angeles has it the toughest. Utah has been one of the best home court teams in the league all season long and are playing them tough. With the Hornets and Spurs, both of them are playing amazingly and are playing the best seven-game series of this year's playoffs. The fact that San An can't shut down the Bugs offence is a true testament to Chris Paul's play and the fact that they can ratchet up their game is a testament to their entire squad.

And the Celtics, well read one graf up.

So the Phoenix Suns have let coach Mike D'Antoni walk out of the desert to New York for a large amount of money. This move really shows that the Suns aren't going to continue their break-neck-paced offensive style and perhaps move to a game plan based on saving Steve Nash's career. If they can find a way to keep those Nash-Amare pick-and-rolls going while not having Nash take the punishment and wear from the speed game, the Suns could get better. They do have the pieces to do well in the West and really need a find a coach who can change their culture and institute some tougher defensive standards. As D'Antoni's new team, the Knicks may have paid a lot for his services but he'll be worth it. That hiring is such an upgrade over Isiah Thomas that the Knicks could actually contend for the playoffs next season.

A bad day for Clevelanders

2008-05-09T00:30:00.002-04:00

Cleveland sports fans and residents haven't had very many super days in their history and yesterday wasn't great either.

First, on what should have been a joyous day for every hungry person or glutton in Cleveland's city limits, Papa John's was giving away large, one-topping pizzas for 23-cents. "What a deal!" you might say. In a move that perhaps every one was too dumb to see happen, there were hour-long waits for said pizzas. Of course, just as predictably, people got mad and police had to guard some shops.

Look, when you have fast food ultra cheap, there will be a whole bunch of people wanting it and it may not be pretty. Prepare for the worst.

Then there was the monstrousity that was called "Game 2" taking place in Boston. TD BankNorth Garden, or whatever they're calling the Garden now, is not a very happy setting for LeBron. In the Cavs two losses to open the second round series, King James shot an outstandingly awful 8-for-42. Yes, he missed 36 shots in two games. I think that every one in the world was expecting more from LeBron, regardless of how touted Boston's defence is. If he can't do better than that in the playoffs, can we really compare him to MJ — regardless of the lack of talent on the Cavs' roster?

Ouch!

2008-05-08T00:17:00.001-04:00

A bad thing happened yesterday to the city of Detroit as well as fans of their basketball team. Chauncey Billups went down with a hamstring injury in the first quarter of their game Orlando. This could be the opening the Magic need to dig themselves out of the 2-0 hole the were put in to begin their second round series.

Point guard, as I'm sure you may know, is a very pivotal position in basketball and it is very hard to continually advance if you don't have a decent floor general leading the charge.

If Billups can't get back into the lineup and play at — the very least — 80%, Jameer Nelson might actually be the better point guard in this series. Of course, we've all heard stories of playoff heroics and guys playing through injuries. This whole situation may turn out to just be a single-game storyline.

The final four and more ramblings

2008-05-07T00:23:00.000-04:00

Since I was lazy yesterday and not much has changed today, how about some ramblings about some recent going-ons? I thought you'd say that.

There are only four teams left playing for the Stanley Cup. While I'm sure that the NHL isn't too happy the West Coast and Canada not being represented in the final four, having Sid the Kid and the Pens in is great. Matching up Pittsburgh with their natural rival. the cross-state Flyers is going to be a great series. In the West, having Dallas still playing could draw the southern markets; Detroit has always been a hockey hotbed and an original six draw. It'll be interesting to say the least.

A-Rod apparently passed out in the hospital while his wife was giving birth to their first daughter. Am I supposed to care? If an average player — say Morgan Ensberg, who's filling in while A-Rod is injured — had passed out during child birth, would anybody care. Also, this incident happened in 2004. Get over it.

Kobe Bryant deserved the NBA MVP more than Chris Paul did. Whoever is calling this a "lifetime achievement MVP" is an idiot. Bryant was by far the best player on the best team in the best conference and was playing without another all-star — unlike Paul. Don't get me wrong CP3 had an amazing season and was a very worthy candidate, but was not more valuable than the Black Mamba.

Roger Clemens. I don't even know what to think any more about the Rocket.

So Ronaldo allegedly beat up some cross-dressing prostitutes after finding out they were, in fact, men. I've seen the pictures of the prostitutes. Either Ronaldo has severely awful taste in women or he's blind. They were obviously dudes. And it's nice to see he's finding time to get in the news while rehabbing his torn ACL.

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni won't be with Phoenix for long after getting team approval to shop his services around. The best possible fit would be Toronto where his former boss Bryan Colangelo is running the show. D'Antoni could turn Jose Calderon into a surefire all-star.

Nice game, Gavin Floyd! The previously written off starter pitched 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before one of the best batters in the game (Joe Mauer) managed to beat him. Floyd is showing more and more this season that the Phillies were wrong to send him packing and that the White Sox were smart to take him on. And just how do you allow a run on three walks and an error in a game? I don't think the were in a row either.

A big congratulations to Big Brown for winning the Kentucky Derby. But with the second-place finisher running on broken ankles, how weak was the rest of the pack? Also, for the record, I did pick Big Brown to win, even if I am just saying it days after the fact.

And, finally, how did LeBron miss that last layup? That seemed a bit ridiculous to me and if you didn't find Game 1 boring, you must have a far better tolerance for defensive tilts than me. Spur-Celtics could be even worse than Spurs-Pistons if San Antonio makes it.

Rooting against, not for

2008-05-05T00:35:00.000-04:00

After watching Boston throttle the Hawks yesterday I was very disappointed. Not because Atlanta lost, I'm not a fan. It was because Boston won and advanced. It wasn't so much that I was rooting for the Hawks to win, I found myself cheering for the Celtics — and, to an extent, the entire city of Boston — to lose. It was why I was even watching.

Sure, it's kind of non-sensical cheering on a team with no real shot of winning it all, but seeing the scrappy Hawks tumble the goliath C's with their Big Three would have been a great story even if they would be swept next round by King James.

A Celtics-less playoffs would draw less ratings and I'm sure that everyone wants to see an instant-classic finals like Lakers-Celtics, so maybe it was a bit obvious that Boston would take game 7 at home in a league where referees are — fairly — criticized for questionable, league-friendly calls.

Also, Kevin Garnett's dirty play these playoffs has to stop. I have no clue why he hasn't been suspended. David Stern needs to pull his head out of his ass and actually watch what is happening. For the second time in series, KG throw an elbow at Zaza Pachulia. It is downright filthy and dispicable that an elite player would stoop so low. I honestly would've expected a bit from a guy who was an alleged MVP candidate. I'm glad he didn't win because MVPs are better than that.

Only in Canada

2008-05-02T00:15:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Football League has stepped it up in terms of ridiculous rulings in a desperate attempt to keep up with their Canadian brethren — the NHL. But this could be a landmark in stupidity we're looking at. What happened prior the CFL draft is even worse than the NHL changing a rule MID-PLAYOFFS. It's that bad.

Now, following in the NFL's and NBA's footsteps of stripping teams of first round picks for cheating (See: SpyGate), when the league found out that the Montreal Alouettes had violated salary cap rules by going over, the looked to punish them. Here's where the problem and stupidity comes in.

Montreal had traded away their pick to Hamilton before the draft.

Now common sense would tell you that Hamilton is not the team that the league was trying to punish for breaking a rule, therefore they could keep the pick since they traded for it before it was stripped. No. Hamilton lost the pick.

I could go on an angry rambling about how dumb this league is but, the way I see it, why complain about a minor league football organization. It's not like any of the guys could compete in the NFL.

Coach of the year eh?

2008-04-30T00:37:00.000-04:00

Let me just say this before I start complaining: Congratulations Byron Scott, you did a great job coaching the Hornets this season and are quite deserving of the Coach Of The Year award.

Now, does he honestly deserve it? There were a ton of great coaches this season. Greg Popovich did a great job while missing at least one of his big three for parts of the season and dealing with his roster aging. As much as I dislike Mike D’Antoni, having to change his team’s style of play while still maintaining position in the West gets him some kudos. Nate McMillan did an amazing job with a team that had been written off before the season started – even if the Blazers petered out. And let’s not forget that Phil Jackson won the West with Kobe, almost a half season with Gasol, and a roster full of “not that good”
players.

That’s right, absolutely no love for Doc Rivers. We know that it’s KG coaching that team.

The COTY award too often goes to coaches who are simply at the helm of teams that had a tremendous turnaround from the previous season. Look at last year’s winner, Sam Mitchell of the Raptors. The only reason he kept his job because the media looked past the roster overhaul and saw a big win-total jump. Now, I’d hardly be surprised if Sam was fired after another first round exit.

How would my ballot have looked you ask? D’Antoni would be third, Scott would be second and Phil Jackson would be first. Did you know that would be the Zen Masters second COTY award? How does a guy with nine – NINE – NBA championships win the coach of the year award only once? A tad ridiculous, don’t you think?

Isiah Thomas gets the comedic vote and a landslide victory.

Two awards in one day?

2008-04-29T11:31:00.000-04:00

Sure it may not have been completely official, but the NBA pretty much announced two of its regular season awards in one day. After announcing the Magic's Hedo Turkoglu had won the Most Improved Player award, word started spreading that the Hornet's Byron Scott would be the coach of the year winner.

Turkoglu played amazing this season and was a huge reason why Orlando won their division. He may not be the best player on his team but still was an integral part of the Magic's lineup. He also had big shoes to fill after Grant Hill's departure. Nobody took as big of a leap talent-wise as Turk did.

As for coach of the year — to be formally announced today — Scott is a good choice. He helped turn around the Hornets and coached them to second place in the hardcore West. He may have had Chris Paul running the floor but he didn't have as much depth up front as I thought they did going into the season.

I would really like to know who does the voting for some of the NBA awards as well. It is apparently by a panel of sports writers across North America but some votes are just too dumb to have been cast by people who follow the sport for a living.

Honestly, who could possibly think that Shaquille O'Neal was the second most improved player this year? What an idiot. Oh, there were other questionable votes too: LeBron James, while steadily improving on his greatness, should not be getting a first place vote. Al Jefferson falls somewhat into the same category. Giving Monta Ellis some votes is kind of questionable considering he won the award last year. Come on, most improved in the entire league twice in a row? Andrew Bynum greatly improved but was injured for half the season.

Personally, I think that Hedo deserved it and I would have given the second place vote to Jose Calderon while David West would get my third place vote.

What an NFL weekend

2008-04-28T00:29:00.000-04:00

Sure the draft went down on Saturday and Sunday but there is a much more pressing subject that needs to be brought up. Brett Favre on the cover of Madden 09? This can mean one of two things: Either somebody thinks No. 4 is coming back this season or this is a good homage to a great quarterback who was one of Madden's boys forever. If the first scenario is the case, somebody should have told the Packers before they drafted Chad Henne. And we can all look forward to a lot of jokes along the lines of Favre never throwing another touchdown after getting the cursed cover.

As for my draft thoughts:

Picking Chris Long second makes sense for the Rams. If they had taken Glenn Dorsey there, Adam Carricker would have to switch positions again. Putting Long outside and having the former Cornhusker inside makes the most sense.

You heard it here first, Matt Ryan is going to be a dud in Atlanta. I can't wait to see the mocks three years from now with the Falcons taking another "stud" QB with a high pick. Either that or D.J. Shockley will have stepped it up by then.

I really hope nobody was shocked that the Raiders took Darren McFadden. It was out there from every insider for weeks now.

The Jets taking Vernon Gholston ahead of the Patriots is more than just a spite pick. Eric Mangini is going to love that guy.

Picking Felix Jones over the higher-ranked Rashard Mendenhall looks risky for the Cowboys. The clincher for Jones had to have been an acceptance of a supporting role to Marion Barber. Remember, Jones split time with McFadden at Arkansas.

And as for Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora, an outside linebacker for Idaho, was the lucky guy taken last in the draft. Vobora was drafted with the 45th pick of the seventh round — 252nd overall — and will go down in history as a trivia answer. Congratulations buddy.

The end is near

2008-04-25T00:04:00.000-04:00

It's the beginning of the end for a few things in the NFL. SpyGate may finally be resolved now that Matt Walsh is going to come forward and talk to the league and possibly produce the tape of the Rams' final walkthrough. This had better be worth the wait but after hearing what his demands were to talk — assurance that the Patriots will not sue him and a free flight to New York — it has to be something big and juicy. Why else would he want immunity if there was nothing that could get him in legal trouble?

Commissioner Goodell has also stated that if Walsh can produce evidence of the Patriots further cheating, New England is going to be hit by more fines and levies. If their first penalty was any indication of how serious this "crime" is, the Patriots should get ready for a huge blow.

And, what we, as sports fans, are all looking forward to ending is the millions of mock drafts that flood the internet this time of the year. How many different opinions of what *might* happen do we need? One per publication is about as much I need.

Then, even when it's all over, we'll be mowed down by NBA draft mocks.

NFL Trade mania

2008-04-24T00:46:00.000-04:00

Strip club owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area should be either jumping for joy or cowering in fear today. Pacman Jones is a Cowboy. According to ESPN and The Associated Press, the Cowboys and Titans came to an agreement on a deal yesterday but the paperwork on it won't be filed with the league office until today. This addresses needs for both teams; Dallas gets a very good corner to flank Terrence Newman while the Titans get rid of Pacman. Now the only hurdle for Dallas is getting Jones reinstated.

The Chiefs ensured they had enough picks early in the draft to help their ongoing rebuilding cause by dealing away franchise defensive end Jared Allen to Minnesota. This move gives the Vikes a very good shot at winning the NFC North — which may be quite easy with Favre "retired" — and maybe even win 10-12 games next season. Many teams are going to be having fits trying to block the defensive line of Minny that already had two Pro Bowlers before landing Allen. They'll just have to see how far Adrian Peterson can carry them.

There's also some non-trade mania heating up:

Cincinnati has told Chad Johnson that he's not getting dealt and may be sitting out this season. Looks like opening his mouth severely back-fired for Ocho Cinco. The Bengals may be painting themselves into a corner as well; turning down a trade off from the Redskins that would have netted two first-round picks could really hurt in the long run.

Another receiver the 'Skins tried and failed to pull in was Arizona's Anquan Boldin who's a bit bitter over his contract situation. The Cardinals may have turned down Washington's advance but if Philly keeps on dangling surplus corner Lito Sheppard we could have a swap on the board.

Some quick April ramblings

2008-04-23T00:54:00.001-04:00

Jake Long's going to be the first-overall pick on Saturday in the NFL draft. Moves like these (signing no. 1 picks before the draft) takes all the suspension and anticipation out seeing the commissioner walk to the podium. The least the could do is negotiate a deal and keep it quiet.

The Seahawks did the right thing by cutting Shaun Alexander. If you watched him at all last season, you could tell he wasn't the same back that ran all the way to a touchdown record and a Madden cover shot. So is this the worst case of the Madden jinx yet?

The Sharks are lucky Jeremy Roenick didn't retire last summer. His performance in game 7 last night was off the hook and a huge reason why San Jose won.

The NHL lost out on a ton of ratings by seeing Alex Ovechkin and his Capitals lose. Had Washington beaten the Flyers, Alex the Great would have been facing off of with Sid the Kid in round two. Hockey could have gained a lot more fans watching those two go at it.

Looks like C.C. Sabathia reads this blog. He finally stepped up his game and got back to his winning ways last night. Now, I'm just going to have to wait to see if he can keep up this form against non-Royals.

The Raptors are outmatched by the Magic. They can win one game but I'd doubt if they can take two. That might have been the worst play I've ever seen drawn up to end a game last night.

The Suns had better start turning up the Heat on the Spurs if they don't want to make an early exit. They have to play as hard as they did in game one opposed to how the started to fade down the stretch in game two if this series is going to live up to its billing.

And congratulations to Jay-Z and Beyonce for finally getting married. Those two have been together for what? like ten years?

Lucky Game 7s

2008-04-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

It's starting to look like the only thing that the NHL has going for it is playoff game sevens. No league can build up to head more the NHL, not the NBA and not Major League Baseball; that's right, hockey actually wins at something.

The thing that makes an NHL game seven that much better than the rest of series-style playoff sports is the physicality of the game. In Basketball, you have intense matchups — some one-on-one throughout the series — but if you were to hit a guy, inflict some physicality, you'd be called for a foul. In baseball, there's no physicality except occasional dustups that are nothing special and series are more based on managing strategy than the other sports.

This is especially the case when it comes to one of the longest-running rivalries in sports like the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. And, in a surprisingly predictable turn of events, the Canadiens put the beat down on Boston 5-0.
The rivalry will continue with the same result for decades.

Tonight, the lucky fans of hockey get two more game sevens. First Alex Ovechkin — the most electric player in the game — and his Capitals face off with the rough and tumble Flyers who are well on their way to getting back their image of low-life goons. Then, after east coast fans will probably be asleep, the Flames try to take down everyone's chic choice to win it all, San Jose.

And for the record, I'll only be watching because I've got work.

A quick look at the NBA's game 1s

2008-04-21T12:36:00.001-04:00

There’s a few things you should be surprised by after this weekend’s NBA playoff opening games. The top seeds (Lakers and Celtics) rolled through their opponents. Orlando didn’t have too tough of a time with the Raptors while Dwight Howard put up a 25-22 game. And San Antonio and Phoenix played a great game that went into double OT before the Spurs made the Suns set.

Then there were some surprises. Philadelphia, who has looked frisky throughout the season, went into Detroit and beat a talented, deep team in a very close game. I don’t think there’s been this much happiness or optimism for Sixer fans since their finals appearance when Iverson was still carrying them. It surprised me that a team that people had started to write off - even if they were only a game out of first place – the Hornets, took it to the Mavs like they did. Maybe playoff experience and coaching matchups don’t matter that much.

One quick case of surprising some: LeBron and the Cavs beat the Wizards. A lot of people took the Wizards to win this series despite Cleveland having the best player (and not much else). We’ll have to see if King James can keep up the winning ways against a deep opponent.

And in case you’re one of the few people who care about who the Lakers play next round, the Jazz beat the Rockets in game 1.

Now we’ll see how every adapts to their opponents.

The playoffs are here!

2008-04-18T00:11:00.001-04:00

Now that the whole mess of teams near 50 wins has been sorted out in the West, we finally know what the match-ups are for the only conference that really matters in the NBA. You could argue that the Celtics and the Pistons have a chance to come out of the East and bring some noise, but who are we kidding here? The only chance they really have is the eventual Western champion getting banged up on the way to the finals.

First, let's just bang out some unimportant East predictions so they're out of the way.

Celtics vs. Hawks: Boston sweeps Atlanta with little resistance.
Pistons vs. 76ers: Philly is better than you think but won't hold up Detroit's march onwards. Detroit in 5.
Magic vs. Raptors: Matchup-wise, Toronto may have an advantage, but I really can't see them winning this series. Orlando in 7.
Cavaliers vs. Wizards: Is actually the Wizards vs. LeBron and i'd still take that one man over the whole Washington team (Do you think the league would let King James get bounced early?). LeBron in 6.

Heading out West, where some of the best basketball in many years will be played:

Lakers vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets look so good on paper because of their big names but facing the Lakers in the playoffs when Kobe Bryant is around is a tough task. The Nuggets are not nearly mentally focused enough to take down the West's top dog. And seriously, do you really expect an 8-over-1 upset two years in a row? Lakers in 4 although Denver could steal a game.

Hornets vs. Mavericks
The upset that everyone is going to pick. Does that really make it that much of an upset any more? Dirk and the Mavs have looked great recently and are rolling heading into the post-season. I see a lack of playoff experience ultimately killing the Hornets. Dallas in 7.

Spurs vs. Suns
Any NBA fan's dream. The Suns traded for Shaq simply so they could beat the Spurs playoff time. Now they have to prove that move paid off. The Spurs also are out to prove they still have since doubters have been riding them all season. Amare Stoudemire has been an absolute force since the Shaq trade and will cause problems. But you also have to count in that the Suns have no one capable of guarding Manu Ginobili. In the end, whichever team can turn the "it" more will take the series. I think it's the Spurs in 7.

Jazz vs. Rockets
The least appealing matchup in the first round and whoever takes this series is going to just be fodder for the Lakers — who may have Andrew Bynum back at that time. Utah is a great team at home and will ride the Rockets there while taking at least one on the road. Jazz in 5.

I'll call the second round matchups when I see them, simply because the Spurs-Suns series will impact the entire playoffs. But if I was calling it now, I would have the Lakers beating the Pistons in 5 games.

What did I do to deserve this?

2008-04-17T01:41:00.000-04:00

I don't know how it happens, but it seems that every year I end up drafting a guy to my fantasy baseball team who should be good, but proceeds to tank awfully. This year, C.C. Sabathia is killing me.

In three starts — including a 13-2 loss to the underachieving Tigers last night — Sabathia is 0-3 with an ERA of 13.50 and a WHIP of over 2.50. He's struck out 14 batters while also walking 14. Do those sound like the numbers of a contender's ace?

How a pitcher coming off of a Cy Young award winning season goes into the gutter so quickly and sharply is a mystery to the universe. It's not like he's battling injuries either, no such concerns have risen on that front.

Even worse, his value was highly inflated because he's in a contract year! This is the season where he was supposed to be at his best and earn a nine-figure deal from (most likely) New York. They probably had a pin-striped No. 52 already made up for him.

C.C. should give fellow hefty pitcher / former A.L. Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon a call and ask him how his story went along. Colon, who's now a minor leaguer for the Red Sox is hoping he can crack Boston's rotation one day. His best chance may be through injury troubles though. Sabathia had better get back on track fast or it may not just be fantasy teams that are passing him over.

Sports debate: TV vs. Live

2008-04-16T03:48:00.000-04:00

Having recently attended a major league baseball game, a thought came to mind: Is baseball the only sport where it might be beneficial to stay at home rather than go out to the ballpark? Out of the big North American leagues , it probably i,s which is a sad statement for a great sport.

Let's break down the sports that make up the front pages of your daily sports section — with one omission: Golf. But I'll get to that later. Also, I'm judging by my own experience having watched games from reasonable, affordable seats, not the MSG Spike Lee court-side special.

Football: There is nothing better than seeing a game of NFL football live. The experience of watching the game unfold combined with the elements of being outdoors and the "socially lubricated" fans that surround you make football the best sport there to get out to. This is probably the reason why nearly every game sells out, regardless of where you are. How do you know it's sold out? Because if it isn't, you can't even watch it on television because it will be blacked out in the area.

A game at the stadium even has most of the benefits that television would provide (replays, out-of-town updates) as well as eliminating potentially annoying commentary. And if you want commentary, bring along a radio.

Basketball: A great arena sport to watch live. Especially when the stars come out to shine. Watching Kobe Bryant play anywhere is a treat and worth more than the price of admission. Again, you lose out on annoying commentators and still have updates on televisions around the arena. But the big gain is that instead of commercials during TV timeouts, you get cheerleaders or a chance to grab another beer.

Hockey: Pretty much the same benefits as basketball, but colder. While rinks are kept at a reasonable temperature, it can get chilly for those not used to it. The NHL is fast-paced enough to be more entertaining live but is also viable to watch on TV (especially in hi-definition if you have it). The biggest benefit of watching hockey live is the lack of commentators. The NHL somehow managed to employ the worst commentators out of all sports. Watching a hockey game while listening to the commentators will, most of the time, amount to being bashed with over-the-top homerism, severely slanted points of view, people yelling points for no good reason and former players or coaches talking who are about as smart as the pucks they had played with.

Baseball: I'm a huge fan of baseball and avid supporter of the game, but even I got bored when at the game last week. This wasn't a snoozer either with a 9-7 score and several dingers. But sometimes a guy has to change the channel and sometimes a guy has to drink past the 7th inning (cut off time at most stadiums). On television, you get a better view of the field and a superior view of pitches. There is no way you can get a better angle at a pitcher’s delivery or the ball coming in than on TV. That is, unless you’re one of those goofs who bring binoculars and a glove to the game when you’re 45-years-old.

As for the fringe sports:

Autos: If you're a fan of racing — I'm not — you're going to enjoy cars going around in a circle (NASCAR) and also get to see the wrecks first-hand. But all that noise and a good view of only a portion of the track does not sound appealing to this sports fan. When I do watch races, I like to know the information I gain from TV.

Lacrosse: Nearly a combination of UFC and Hockey. Watching guys pummel each other is a great way to spend a night if you're in a city with a NLL franchise.

Golf: Has to be the worst spectator I can think of. Watching guys either tee off or putt will not draw a casual fan. That casual fan would more than likely rather be playing 18 holes than watching an event on his day off.

What's wrong with the NHL: Apr. 08 edition

2008-04-15T01:13:00.001-04:00

How a league changes a rule any time during a season, let alone in the PLAYOFFS, like they are thinking about doing now is a reason for outrage. Especially when this new rule contradicts what the league has been trying to accomplish (increase scoring). And worst of all it can be argued that this rule change is only in the fast-track because it "victimized" a great, top-tier player and it was perpetrated by one of the sports biggest "villains."

Let me set the scene for you: With the Rangers on a power play against the Devils, New York's super-pest did what any coach would want a player to do in front of the net, screen the goalie — in this case, Martin Brodeur, a future hall of famer. What Avery did though, instead of the conventional stand-in-front, watch-the-play-develop style you would normally see, is face Brodeur as if he was guarding him basketball style. Avery would wave his hands and stick in Marty's face without touching him, obviously taking the Devils netminder's mind off of the puck. The play resulted in a goal that Avery tucked in while in front of the net and then was warned by officials he would get a penalty if he tried that sort of antics again.

Now, I don't see what was wrong with the play — which is soon to called under the umbrella of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. I think it was a great, innovative idea. If you have no qualms with about being hit in back with a potential shot, you should be allowed to face-guard goalies.

Netminders have gotten away with cross-checking, slashing and abusing opposing players in front of their creases for far too long. It's absolutely preposterous that —during the playoffs — a rule is being added because a villian thought up a sound idea.

And, finally, why the hell wasn't there a Devils defenceman around to clear out Avery? That may be the worst part of all of this.

This is all yet another reason why the NHL is dumb.

A Yankees-Red Sox filled weekend

2008-04-14T01:04:00.001-04:00

With the two teams duking it out in the series rubber-match last night at Fenway, there was a more interesting story developing in New York, rather underneath the new Yankee Stadium. It turns out that a construction worker — and member of Red Sox Nation — tried to curse the new field by planting a David Ortiz jersey in the cement foundation. After hearing reports of this and getting tips on its whereabouts, workers promptly jack hammered it out to remove any potential curse. They even turned this lame publicity stunt around and donated the tattered (from the jackhammers) jersey to a charity for a possible auction. Who would've thought the "Evil Empire" would have a heart?

As for the construction worker, he may be staring down the barrel of a lawsuit from the Yankees’ empire for such negligence. This guy had better not show his face around the Bronx any time soon or he may not walk out looking so pretty.

In the game, I have no idea how these two teams can prolong a nine-inning game like they do. While it is understandable that games with higher scores tend to go longer than pitching duels, four hours for a game is a reason why casual fans get turned off of baseball. The Red Sox were able to hold on and win despite an attempt at a comeback by the Yanks after Phil Hughes looked unspectacular again.

And hey, what's wrong with Big Papi? He is certainly not himself so far this season despite having off-season surgery to correct his ailing knee. In fact, he was scratched from the starting lineup last night to get some work in with the Sox hitting coach, Dave Magadan. Ortiz has a very un-Big Papi like .070 batting average – going three-for-43 this season, even if one of those three was a home run. It's so bad that J.D. Drew is a more viable option for the three-hole in the lineup and that Alex Cora, a usual target of offence-related jokes, has as many hits as Ortiz, but in only three at bats. Now, being a Red Sox Nation hater, I couldn't be more pleased by this development, but then again, being a human being and a baseball fan, it's kind of sad seeing a big name in the game struggle mightily.

Remember folks, you have to care to hate.

The Wild West

2008-04-11T23:47:00.001-04:00

After the Nuggets victory over the Warriors on Thursday night, 2008's playoff teams are pretty much set in the NBA. Golden State is now one game out of eighth place but since Denver holds the tie-breaker, Golden State would have to finish a win up on them. Each team has three games remaining each but the odds of the Warriors winning all three while Denver only takes one seems a bit out of reach. The Nuggets do have a tougher schedule with Utah, Houston and Memphis remaining while the Warriors have the Clips, Suns and Seattle.

Now, the seeding is a huge jumble in the West. While New Orleans is looking like the King of the Mountain, four teams in the one and a half to two and a half games out. The last three games on the schedule are going to be very interesting seeing how a team like the Lakers could potentially drop from second in the conference to sixth. Utah seems to be the luckiest team in all of this, firmly locked into the fourth spot.

In the East, where nobody really cares, the Hawks have a two game lead on Indiana, seemingly clinching the right to be swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Free the cheap seats!

2008-04-10T01:19:00.000-04:00

It looks like the Toronto Blue Jays are on the road to eliminating their $2 Tuesdays offer and it's a crying shame. The promotion that lets fans buy tickets for the upper deck as well as the 200-level outfield seats for only two bucks is in danger of going the way of the dodo because some fans apparently can't hold their liquor very well. That and they're mistaking America's pass-time (Baseball) for Canada's game (the goon sport of hockey). Yep, mix alcohol and idiots with a lack of security and entertainment that is not so entertaining at times and you get fights. A lot of them too. Several broke out at Tuesday night 9-8 loss to Oakland before the flow of beer was cut off and security was positioned at every gate.

The first step that the Jays are taking is eliminating alcohol service in the entire upper bowl. Are you serious? Do they not realize that a large percentage of baseball fans may need a beer or two to enjoy the game? Also, not everyone who drinks gets belligerent after a few cold ones.

This decision may even hurt the bottom line for the organization. How much revenue do baseball clubs — or stadiums in general — make off of their over-priced beer. The fact that spectators are still willing to pay the exorbitant prices should be evidence enough that fans need a beer to loosen up.

It is not very hard to see this decision coming back to bit the Jays and any other team that tries ban alcohol. A lot of casual fans will be scared away.

Memphis blows it

2008-04-08T01:02:00.001-04:00

I don't know how you a) win 38 games in a season and b) get to the national championship game and c) have a two point lead with 10-point-something seconds left while shooting free throws and lose a game. Memphis deserved to lose the game. Any team that cannot hit game-clinching free throws should not be a national champion. Even worse, after bricking two free throws, they were able to get the offensive rebound and draw another foul! And the consensus number 2 pick in the coming NBA draft could only hit one of his two tries. I would be remembering that sequence if I drafted Derrick Rose.

Then the Jayhawks Most Outstanding Player, Mario Chalmers, nailed a death-defying three to tie the game and send it to overtime — where Memphis never had a chance. Chalmers' shot, with two Tigers in his face, was about as clutch as you can get. Nearly Kobe- or LeBron-esque.

Now, in retrospect, despite the absence of a cinderella story or even a 2- or 3-seed making it into the championship game or even the Final Four, the fact that two number one seeds duked it out in the final makes both the tournament and especially pools, somewhat more interesting. I had figured it was going to boring for poolies, seeing that many experienced entrants would not go against history and taking four number 1s. But the most exciting part about your pool is now "who took the right 1s?" Anybody who wanted to go against the masses and picked against UCLA and UNC is obviously raking in the dividends now.

The other playoffs

2008-04-07T01:35:00.000-04:00

While every sports fan waits in anticipation for the NBA playoffs to start, another sport is on the brink of starting their post-season. That's right, the red-headed step child of the sporting world, the NHL, is about to start its extended run towards the Stanley Cup.

So who're the favourites? Well you can start with last year's champs, the Ducks of Anaheim who have the fourth seed in the West but will have a tough matchup in the second round with the Red Wings — the best team in the league — if all four top seeds roll.

An upset wouldn't be out of the question as Colorado has a good chance of knocking off Minnesota and the Sharks could choke against Calgary if the Flames catch fire.

In the East, Washington went from the ninth-seed to the three seed with one win and will meet the up-and-down Flyers. It will be interesting to see who Philly sends out to try to injure Alex Ovechkin.

The struggling Senators who will be without their captain, Daniel Alfredsson and centre Mike Fisher for at least the first round and have to face Sid the Kid and Malkin in Pittsburgh. Look for an easy series for the Penguins.

The Canadiens are the first seed and deep enough to give a lot of teams fits. A concern about Montreal is that they're leaning on a rookie goaltender, Carey Price, to carry them.

As for the poor saps who weren't good enough to crack the NHL's top-16 teams, at least the draft lottery is today.

Sad, funny irony

2008-04-04T01:23:00.000-04:00

It may be a bit rash to call it funny, especially when you figure in the victim and potential severity of the situation, but there was a ton of irony in when, on a tour of Fenway Park, a student was attacked by a red hawk.

What's so funny and/or ironic about that you may ask? The student's name was Alexa Rodriguez. That's right: and A-Rod was attacked in Fenway Park. Even more delicious, Alexa is 13-years-old. A-Rod wears number 13 for the hated Yankees.

But seriously, Alexa only suffered a cut to her scalp from the hawk, which apparently had a nest nearby with a solitary egg. Alexa was brought to the hospital via ambulance and should be no worse for wear. She may be afraid of predatory birds for some time though.

Everybody hates Chris

2008-04-04T01:01:00.000-04:00

Poor Chris Henry. After getting in trouble with the law several times over the past few years and even getting suspended by the NFL for the first half of last season, the Cincinnati Bengals have finally had enough of the mercurial receiver. Henry was released by the Bengals yesterday after being charging with punching an 18-year-old in the face and then breaking his windshield with a beer bottle.

Bravo Chris, Bravo. Stay close to your phone, the Raiders and Cowboys are probably looking up their scouting reports on you right now. Too bad you're not more talented, Cincy might've been able to get a late-round pick back in a trade.

So, when you combine everything that he's done off the field, is there a way he could possibly get away with NOT being suspended for the entire coming season? This may not be as bad as what Pacman Jones did, but the repeated offences combined with the prior bad behaviour banishment should be the tipping point.

More Hot-Lanta controversy

2008-04-03T01:07:00.001-04:00

We may be headed for a second replay of the season if the NBA sees what everyone else who caught the end of the Raptors-Hawks tilt last night saw. Because of some wackiness perpetrated by the Atlanta timekeeper, the Raptors' final attempt to win the game was waved off because time had apparently expired and the game was to head to overtime — where the Hawks eventually won. But not so fast.

Upon further review, which the refs didn't look into, the timekeeper had started the clock before T.J. Ford had touched the ball to lay it in. It was almost .2 whole seconds fast, which doesn't sound like a long time, but would have been enough time to give the Raptors the win.

This could be the second time this season that the Hawks may be forced to play a replay. The only difference between the Hawks-Heat replay and a potential Raptors-Hawks replay (which should happen, this was an ugly error) is that there is playoff ramifications now. Had the Raptors won the game, they would have clinched a playoff spot in the weak East. Since the Hawks are also in the playoff running – and not that far behind Toronto – seeding is front and centre here. If (more like when) the Raptors file a complaint and are awarded a replay of those final .5 or more seconds, a lot will be at stake.

Oh, and apparently the timekeeper also kept the clock running a few fractions too long after Atlanta had scored the game-tying bucket, leaving just .5 seconds on the clock. And aside, Ford's defence on Bibby's tying shot was horrendous.

You're making how much?

2008-04-02T02:33:00.000-04:00

The numbers have been released and it turns out that the average major leaguer will make $3.15 million this season. It is the first time ever that the league average has topped $3 million and it doesn't look like the climbing salaries will stop in the near future.

Also, the median in salaries is now $1 million! That's right, half of the entire league is making over a million dollars to play baseball. It's incredible how this number can be so high when you consider that half of the league isn't very good at all. Plus there are a ton of younger players who are still on contracts around $300,000. It is ridiculous.

It's kind of odd that on this day in 1997, Albert Belle became the first player to ever be paid more than an entire team. Belle's $10 million deal was higher than the Pittsburgh Pirates

A-Rod is, predictably, the highest paid player in the majors and will actually make $6.8 million more than the entire Florida Marlins roster this year. Here's the tally.

A-Rod: $28 million.
Florida Marlins: $21.8 million.

It's actually kind of funny when you figure in this.

A-Rod: Zero World Series championships.
Florida Marlins: Two World Series championships.

Money can't buy you happiness or championships. Unless you're Boston.

Opening day, v 3.0

2008-04-01T01:28:00.000-04:00

Sure you could count the A's-Red Sox series in Japan as the MLB's 2008 opener. Or you could count Sunday night's tilt between the Nationals and the Braves has the beginning. But yesterday was truly Opening Day for the season. With 26 teams slated to be in action, it was truly when baseball took off for the year.

It was a soggy day in New York, meaning the Yanks and Jays couldn't open their season. The same can be said for the Cardinals and Rockies who started out their game before it was called in the third. It was a good thing for the Rockies who were down 5-1 when it happened (I'm glad this isn't going to count towards Jeff Francis' stat line).

The Rays official lost the Devil and won their first opener on the road in seven years. It was just against the Orioles who, after trading away their top talents, is pretty much at the Rays' level.

There were a few extra inning thrillers like the wild 12 inning affair that saw the Pirates spoil Tom Glavine's home-coming. There was the Brewers dealing the Cubs a loss after Chicago had ceremonies honouring Ernie Banks. Then there was the Royals showing the Tigers that money can't buy wins.

Joe Torre won his debut while Dusty Baker lost his. Seattle won its first game with Eric Bedard on the hill and Minnesota entered the post-Johan and Torii era with a win over Hunter's new squad, the Angels.

All in all, even after just one full day, it's looking like it'll be a good season of baseball.

The Final Four

2008-03-31T14:01:00.001-04:00

This will be, with all certainty the year your NCAA pool was won by the person who knew the least about college basketball going in. North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas – all four regional number one seeds – made the Final Four this year. How boring is that? Sure you have great teams but how much of a copout would it have been to take the best teams to make it this far? It’s the first time ever this has happened; and I’m not very pleased with it.

I used to enjoy fleecing people in pools who had all top seeds winning through, now, I’m the one with the busted bracket. Even worse, I have absolutely no shot at winning because of the four possible champions there are now, most people took UCLA like I did. It was fun while it lasted but it looks like I’ll have to wait until next year when hopefully some people will believe that the selection committee will get it right again with the top seeds.

As for the Final, my revised prediction is: UCLA 72, UNC 66.

By the way, the most noteworthy tidbit of this tournament is not the all-top-seeds-final-four, or USC bombing out or Stephen Curry leading Davidson with his amazing scoring ability. It is the fact that Robin Lopez – the one with the hair – is dating Michelle Wie. Both go to Stanford and both are highly touted athletes, seems like a match to me, except for the huge height difference.

Season openers abroad

2008-03-28T01:53:00.000-04:00

It's getting a bit ridiculous and cheap ploy for publicity when almost every North American sports league opens their regular seasons overseas. The NHL did it in London for the beginning of their 07-08 campaign and are doubling efforts next season with openers in Prague and Sweden. The NFL played a game in England last season and even had a minor league running in Europe that was forced to close down. The NBA is looking at European expansion as their future and are marketing heavily in China. Even the English Premier League was looking into having regular season games on the other side of the pond.

But here's the nuttiest one of them all: Major League Baseball – who has been opening in Japan for several seasons now — staged games in Tokyo featuring the Red Sox and A's while the preseason was still being played out stateside. Even better, the A's and Red Sox will come back and play more preseason games after they've already opened their seasons. How does this make any sense at all?

Even when the Braves and Nationals open the regular season in the states on Sunday night, there will still have been three Spring Training games that took place during the afternoon. I would expect this kind of lunacy from a shifty league like the NHL but not from MLB.

The players who are forced to travel and play at what amounts to six a.m. on the body clocks only hurts their performance and can throw a monkey into the beginning of the teams' seasons. Maybe they're lucky that they can have a tune up before playing more real ball, but I don't see how this benefits anybody.

The simple solution would be to make the Japan games exhibitions, but then you may not draw a big crowd and teams would likely bring over more scrubs than stars. Would you be a Tokyo-er if you couldn't watch Manny or Big Papi?

So can we try to straighten this out sometime soon? Having a fantasy baseball draft a week earlier than usual to try to get in two games is quite absurd.

A true fantasy

2008-03-26T04:23:00.000-04:00

Every year major league baseball tries to tell us that fantasy baseball infringes on their copyrights and every year they can’t stop anyone from drafting their teams on a wide array of sites. MLB thinks that its players names, their stats and all their information are somehow copyrightable and their exclusive property – not to be used for the purpose of games. But since when was information not public domain? Well MLB can keep on spinning its wheels over that while I set up my sweet team for the 2008 season.

Who did I manage to snag you may ask? Well here’s how my team, in a standard Yahoo! Public rotisserie league:

C: Ivan Rodriguez. Catchers were running out and he was the best available. Hope he holds up.
1B: Mark Teixeira. Last pick in the second round. Monster numbers at first.
2B: BJ Upton. Great potential and a solid five-tool player. Can also play OF.
SS: J.J. Hardy. I missed out on the early, better shortstops. Hardy can play though.
3B: A-Rod. How could I not be happy about this? I wouldn’t have minded drafting second and getting Reyes to clean up in steals though.
OF: Hideki Matsui. In a contract year and is usually good for 100-25-100 with average.
OF: Juan Pierre. I’ve got to get steals somehow and he’ll score more runs with L.A.’s new lineup.
OF: Jeff Francouer. My sleeper. Had 19 homers last season and 20 doubles that bounced off the wall. Now that he’s put on 20 lbs of muscle, I expect great things.
Util: Todd Helton. Doesn’t have as much pop as he used to but a discount in the 12th round.
Bench: Aaron Rowand, Stephen Drew and Jose Guillen. I don’t think I’m too bad off if I’m hit with an injury or two.
SP: C.C. Sabathia. Contract year/Yankees audition.
SP: Cole Hamels. Number 2 in the rotation means easier matchups.
RP: Bill Wagner. The Mets are going to win a lot of games.
RP: Trevor Hoffman. A saves stud. Even if he’s getting up there in years
P: Jeff Francis. Only getting better and 17 wins last year.
P: George Sherrill. Could save 35.
P: C.J. Wilson. Needed one more closer.
The pen: Heath Bell. Matt Garza. Bell in case Hoffman goes down and Garza has a lot of hype behind him.

Overall, I’m feeling pretty good about my team. I could use a few more steals and I’m not sure about my K’s but we’ll see how the season plays out.

It begins...

2008-03-25T01:25:00.000-04:00

The MLB season is upon us once again as the defending champion Red Sox will face off against the A's in Tokyo today (this morning, whatever). Oakland seriously has it rough in this match up when you consider that Boston will be starting the pride of Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka who made the trip overseas and left his pregnant wife in North America. There's also the fact that Oakland went into full out rebuilding mode over the winter and jettisoned some pretty good players like their ace Dan Haren (dealt to the D-Backs) and slugger Nick Swisher (dealt to the White Sox). Don't expect too much from the A's this season.

What else should you expect this season? Well just in time for the opening pitch of the 2008 season, here's Running The Point's predictions.

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Anaheim Angels
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: San Diego Padres
NL Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers
Most improved team: Houston Astros
The "If they could only stay healthy" team: Toronto Blue Jays
Most disappointing team: Colorado Rockies
AL MVP: Manny Ramirez
NL MVP: Jose Reyes
AL Cy Young: Eric Bedard
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
Most Homers: Ryan Howard
Barry Bonds will end up with: The Yankees

I'm kind of baffled by the way nobody has suggested Bonds going to the Yankees. They always seem to be hit with injuries and love to grab big name players off the wire midway through campaigns. Is it too much of stretch to see Barry in pinstripes? I don't believe so. This should be another great season of baseball — even if we have to deal with Roger Clemens stories way too often.

For every Cinderella...

2008-03-24T01:05:00.001-04:00

For every feel-good, cinderella story that the NCAA tournament can give you, there's always the heartache that this princess just destroyed your bracket most likely. Sure it's really nice that Davidson bounced Georgetown and San Diego faced off against Siena in a battle between a 12- and 13-seed, but who had those two teams in their bracket? One upset maybe, surely not two.

Davidson especially hurt my pool chances, causing me to put several crosses through Georgetown's all the way to the Final Four. Losing the first of your four is always the hardest and it's exponentially tougher the earlier that it happens. I'm not sure if I've ever lost one of my regional champs in the first weekend of play.

Let's hope, for the sake of my bracket, that UCLA, Tennessee and Texas can withstand the pressure and earn me some cashola.

How's your bracket doing?

2008-03-22T01:50:00.000-04:00

With the first two exciting days of the NCAA tournament over and done with, are you happy with how your bracket is doing? My answer is somewhere in between "It could be better," and "I'm semi-worried."

While doing alright on Thursday, Friday's upsets didn't really work out for my bracket.

Having lost only three sweet sixteen teams (USC, Drake and Vandy) and none from my elite eight, my prospects don't look so bad. Except for one thing that is. I have the kiss of death working against me. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com fame picked my exact championship outcome: UCLA over Tennessee. I seriously should have changed that at the same time I took USC out of my final four. I really dodged a bullet with that one.

As for the round of 32, I'm feeling confident in Duke going down and some glass (Cinderella) slippers breaking. Siena's looking like the team that's going to go the furtherest out of the possible Cinderella teams. It was good while it lasted San Diego and West Kentucky, who actually play each other next.

Finally, I'm sick of all the "Maybe this year's George Mason will be George Mason!" speak. I'll try to remember not to take them next season.

And in case you wanted to know, I'm currently beating the Intern by 2 points and he's lost 4 Sweet Sixteen teams (Gonzaga, Vandy, Arizona and UConn).

Pryor makes his choice

2008-03-20T01:29:00.000-04:00

The number one high school quarterback in the states has finally chosen where he'll go to college. After weeks of deep thought — and much speculation — Terrelle Pryor has picked Ohio State.

Ever since learning Pryor is athletic enough to not only be a top recruited quarterback, but also is talented enough to recruited as a top-end basketball prospect. How could someone that immensely talented not be on of my boys?

Who knows, maybe next year we'll be seeing Pryor lace up his sneakers for Ohio State for the beginning of the NCAA tournament. Maybe he could be coming off leading OSU to Bowl win in January. Now that would be an accomplishment.

A break from your bracket

2008-03-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

I have, like many of you out there, have already been slaving over my bracket, analyzing — over-analyzing maybe — the upsets, the favourites and the locations of games. How about a quick break?

So, where will the Rockets incredible winning streak end? Hell, I thought they'd be through playing the Lakers on the weekend, but with Gasol hobbled, they weren't facing that team at their peak.

Their next test comes tonight, at home to the mightiest team in the East, the Boston Celtics. Can they win and keep their roll going? I think so for one reason. Tonight is Boston's second night in a row facing one of the top teams in the league. Last night they had to take on the defending champion Spurs which is never an easy game. They did win but it took some late heroics; how will that translate into tonight's game?

Next up is the Hornets tomorrow night. If the Celtics don't end the streak tonight, Chris Paul will end it in New Orleans tomorrow. Playing their second game in two nights and being on the road is not going to help Houston. The pressure of the streak will only be magnified by those two factors.

If the Rockets can slip by those two tough games intact, Friday night isn't going to be any easier. Playing against the Warriors in Oakland is always tough and with the season winding down, their fans will be even more ravenous.

After that are the Suns on Saturday before finally getting a break by playing the Kings back in Houston next Monday.

It's going to be really tough for T-Mac, Rafer and company to last until that easy Kings game.

The Madness begins

2008-03-17T10:41:00.000-04:00

Selection Sunday: the day that kicks off March Madness. Where the brackets are drawn for all to see and for everyone in a pool to start plotting a route to the championship for their team of choice.

I'd be lying to you if I claimed to know anything in depth about all 65 of the teams that qualified for the "Big Dance" so let me tell you what I do know.

— I'm not surprised by any of the number ones. It seemed pretty clear cut this year. North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas were the best in the U.S. this season. Anybody dumb enough to take a 16 seed over a one doesn't even deserve to fill out a bracket.

— There might be something wrong with the system if a team that's one game above .500 (Georgia at 17-16) can get into the tourney. I don't care if you fluked your way into winning your conference, well, actually, it'll be easy to pick their demise in the first round. Thanks for giving me an easy one Georgia.

— Did Duke really deserve to be a number 2 this year? I haven't heard a thing about the Blue Devils and they're usually pretty well covered by the media.

— USC vs. Kansas State should be a great game to watch. Michael Beasley, the potential first overall pick this coming NBA draft, vs. O.J. Mayo, a highly touted scorer. Both are freshmen and both can make or break their teams chances in the first round.

— I'm taking George Mason as my 12-over-5 upset. It's a bonus because that 5 happens to be Notre Dame and I have an irrational hate for the Irish.

— Do not discount the fact that North Carolina is basically playing home games in the first four rounds. You would have to be very bold to go against them before the final four.

— Finally, I'm taking UCLA to win it all. It's not because I love Kevin Love or Darren Collison. Not because they won the tough Pac-10 conference championship. No, it's because I've taken them for the past three years, done fairly well and why change something that's working fine? It's not nearly as fun to cheer on a number 1 seed, but hey, they're my team.

I'll no doubt have more on the tournament as Thursday draws near and I actually inform myself about the teams I've already written off and as i begin to doubt the picks I've already made.

Crystal clear

2008-03-14T01:15:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't heard, the New York Yankees are taking spring training so seriously that they signed comedian Billy Crystal to a one-day contract. Seems the team is taking a fantasy camp approach instead of, say, training seriously and getting ready to try to dethrone the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

Crystal, who looked surprisingly good during batting practice the day before, actually worked the count to 3 and 1 before going down swinging. And he did make contact, fouling a ball down the first base line. Now, how embarassed would Paul Maholm (an average major league pitcher) be if a 60-year-old comedian had gotten a hit off of him? Would he be sent to the minors immediately? I certainly wouldn't want a guy like that on my squad.

While the big news may have been regarding Billy's hoopla, Mike Mussina pitched a great game. A perfect five innings in fact. Granted, it was against the Pittsburgh Pirates though. Let's take that at face value during our fantasy drafts.

The amazing Rockets

2008-03-13T01:31:00.000-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that I wrote off the Rockets when Yao went down. There's no hiding from it; I thought they were doomed. Now the fact that they're on the second longest winning streak in NBA history is truly amazing. Even more so when you realize that nobody has come near a 20-game streak in over 30 years.

Believe it or not, the guy that every Houston fan wanted out in the off-season, Rafer Alston, has been a leader on this team throughout this incredible run. Hell, even management wanted to cut him out by acquire fellow point guards Mike James and Steve Francis.

And you can write it down with permanent marker, they'll hit 21 games. Their next opponent is the lowly Charlotte Bobcats. Then we'll be treated to a battle for the Western Conference's top spot against the Lakers.

Pacman a Cowboy?

2008-03-13T01:30:00.000-04:00

So the nefarious Adam "Pacman" Jones — of strip club and making it rain fame — has come out and said that if he's reinstated by the NFL, he'd want to be part of the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe I'm overlooking all of the obvious setbacks to having a personality like Pacman on the team, but he would fill a crucial spot on the Cowboys roster. The other side of the field — the half that Terrence Newman can't shut down — Dallas has been lacking a quality corner for years now. In fact, Jacque Reeves, who played there most of last season, was the most thrown at corner in the NFL. Sure, it's mainly because you want to throw away for Newman, but you don't want a guy who can be picked on like that. Pacman, most people forget, was an all-pro calibre corner before he was involved in strip club-related incidents.

And you know what, if he can swing it, Jerry Jones may just be crazy enough to go for Pacman. He did make a run at Randy Moss this off-season.

D-Wade done

2008-03-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

In suitable fashion, Dwyane Wade has been shut down for the season by the Miami Heat. I'm surprised it wasn't sooner. The Heat are doing everything they can to increase their shot at winning the lottery and drafting first overall to get Michael Beasley.

The truth is that Wade should not having been playing the amount of minutes he did. He's probably put more mileage and wear on his body than any player I know with his amount of experience. And now he may suffer more and more injuries throughout the rest of his (probably shortened) career.

He battled back from a separated shoulder that was actually much worse than anybody could have imagined. His knee has already been surgically repaired (and now he can fully rehab it). Are those two qualities you want in your superstar guard whose best ability is being able to get to the basket?

It was the right move to shut him down, but it came too late. Hopefully he can rework his game to stop barreling down the lane and risking injury. Whether or not that will keep his name among the elite is questionable. But his name might be on a flamed-out-too-young list if he keeps playing wreckless.

One step closer

2008-03-10T01:45:00.001-04:00

One step closer With the Brett Favre retirement/cry-fest in the rearview mirror, the next big thing on the tips of everyone's tongues should be Spygate, again.

Apparently Matt Walsh, the guy who was the cameraman for the Patriots and was supposedly ordered to help them cheat, has been hammering out a deal with the NFL to talk. The hold up in this process is that he wants immunity of something of the sort and his lawyers should have no problem getting that. But really, immunity from what? He's a semi-por golfer in Hawaii now or something; it's not like he's still around the league in any capacity.

When Walsh does eventually talk — it's not an if any more — we can finally get to the bottom of how much cheating that Belichick has been doing and for how long. I've said it once and I'll say it again: If he has been cheating by taping opponents signals or practices, he should be banned from the NFL. It would be a travesty to the game.

Another, somewhat harsh, response could even be reverse the outcomes of all the games the Patriots had cheated in. Including their Super Bowl wins if the evidence is there. I don't think an asterisk is good enough at this point.

Save the Sonics!

2008-03-07T01:09:00.000-05:00

Over at ESPN.com, Bill Simmons has been campaigning to keep the SuperSonics in Seattle for a few weeks now. It's an admirable cause and seriously should be on the tips of more peoples' tongues. The fact that they could be leaving town after a 41-year stay makes no sense. And basically, it's all because their owner doesn't think the arena there is good enough. Also, he wants to move the team to his hometown of Oklahoma City.

Granted, I see nothing wrong with moving a team to, or maybe even expanding to, Oklahoma City. They proved they can support a team when they had the Hornets following hurricane Katrina. But stealing a team from a city with loyal fans is border-line despicable. Why not move a team that's struggling for support in their market? How about taking the Grizzlies or Bobcats or even the Hornets away from their cities that are giving them fledgling support at best? It makes more sense than stripping Seattle of the team that gave the city its' only championship.

The fact that David Stern is sitting on his hands, doing nothing at all, makes this whole situation worse. What makes it exceedingly worse is the fact that he's stated

There was some good news yesterday though: A group of local investors have upped their bid to buy the team as well as refurbish KeyArena in order to keep the team in town. Of course, it probably won't happen, sadly, because the NBA seems more concerned about screwing over Seattle and its' fans than saving them.

Enter Aaron Rodgers

2008-03-05T14:24:00.001-05:00

Trust me, it’s not too often that big news happens on a Tuesday. Seriously, look at the archives and see if anything significant really happened on a Tuesday. Please note, I’d probably post it on a Wednesday. But an event like this; an event several years in the making has come to fruition: Brett Favre has retired from pro football. An era has ended.

Everywhere you look you can find a story about how great Brett Favre is/was so I won’t delve too far into that. The real question that should be asked is: Can Aaron Rodgers led the Packers? The one game I can point to this season, when he played was against the Cowboys when Rodgers looked every bit as good as the Brett when Favre had to be replaced because of an injury.

But in almost chance that Rodgers has had to play, he’s gotten injured it seems. In terms of durability, he’s like an anti-Favre. Durability is essential to becoming a top-flight quarterback in the NFL; it’s one of the reasons why Favre was one of the best ever.

And how about this: Eli Manning ended both the Patriot’s dynasty, undefeated season and Brett Favre’s career. That’s quite the resume. If he wasn’t playing for the Giants, I’d be tempted to call him a giant killer.

Oh, what a race!

2008-03-03T23:53:00.000-05:00

Manu for MVP? It's getting pretty easy to build a case for him after the incredible run he's been on. Leading the loaded Spurs back to the top of the league, for a time without Tony Parker, is worthy of mentioning. But honestly now, a white guy winning the MVP for the fourth season in a row is utterly ridiculous. So let's move onto the the two real candidates. Kobe and LeBron.

It's been a few seasons since I've seen such a tight heat for the prestigious award. And let's get this straight, I don't think Steve Nash deserved his two MVPs, but he did deserve to win over Dirk (who was great, but not the best) last year.

While many will look at numbers to judge who the winner should be, there's a lot more to it. Both Kobe and LBJ have exhibited stunning leadership, taking hold of teams that were thought to be not quite top-rung, and carrying them (sometimes singlehandedly) towards the apex. There have been times when you would have been shocked had they missed a circus shot, that's how on they can get.

The case for Kobe is intensified by the situation he was in to start the season. After demanding a trade after failing to get help in the offseason, he still gave it his all and even raised the talents of his teammates. Who would've thought that Andrew Bynum would get this good (before getting injured). How about Sasha Vujacic who now looks like one of the better shooters out there? Now, with Pau Gasol, it's not unrealistic that the Lakers could not only take home the championship this year, but next as well. He's consistantly called the best scorer — even player — in the league and he's living up to that title this year. Oh, and let's not forget that he's playing through a torn ligament in his pinky finger.

Then there' LeBron James. It seems like every game he's got his motor running all out which he didn't have going for the first half of last season. He's getting better on defence and at rebounding while leading the league in scoring. He's the guy that the powerhouse Celtics and the Pistons don't want to face any time in the playoffs because they and everyone else know that when King James steps on the floor, there's nobody better out there. At crunch time, the only player who comes close to his ability to score is Kobe, but I'd take James nine times out of 10.

The race in the West may get billed as the one to watch in the NBA's stretch run (nine 50 win teams? are you serious?) but Kobe vs. LeBron for MVP is what I'll be looking at.

NFL free agent frenzy

2008-03-03T00:14:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year when the NFL's new season officially starts and players are let loose on the open (and sometimes not so open) market. Players are dealt, college players are scouted for the coming draft and even some trades are made. So what happened over the weekend you might ask? Well I'll tell you.

Dallas dealt oft-injured defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to Miami for pretty much nothing. When he's healthy, Ferguson is a solid guy to have in the middle of your line. If Jason Taylor does stick around, Miami could have a decent pass rush going on. Even better depending who they draft first-overall.

Shaun Rogers had his own battle of Ohio going on. Before being sent to the Browns, the Bengals had a deal in place for him that fell through.

Derek Anderson cashed in on his Pro Bowl season and is staying with the Browns for three more years. I don't expect him to be around after one when Brady "The Future" Quinn takes the starting job from him. Look for Anderson to be traded around this time next year.

In Jets land, Alan Faneca and Kris Jenkins have hopped on-board. Faneca inked the biggest deal in the league for an offensive lineman while Jenkins was traded from the Panthers. The team sent stud linebacker Jonathon Vilma packing to New Orleans also. Vilma is a great young player and I'd want him as my middle linebacker.

The 49ers are the new owners of old Isaac Bruce. At this point in his career, he can still play a bit, but is more so collecting some cash for retirement. The Niners also picked up Justin Smith to play defensive end. Their defence has quite a few big names now; let's see if they can play together though.

The over-rated Michael Turner and his highly inflated 5.5 yards per carry landed in Atlanta. They will be disappointed when that number crashes back to earth without the Chargers' line blocking and the increased pressure of being a number one guy.

I still don't know why the Falcons dropped Alge Crumpler, the best player the had pretty much, but he's signed on with the Titans now. I guess he likes playing with scrambling quarterbacks and missed having a Michael Vick-type throwing to him.

Lance Briggs is staying with the Bears but Bernard Berrian is not. Smart move signing Briggs, he's worth the cash and keeps the Bears LB core around the top of the league. Dumb move letting Berrian walk, he was the best wide out they had.

Just a quick note to Dolphins who inked quarterback Josh McCown: He is not the solution. You might have been better off keeping Joey Harrington if you think McCown's going to help.

And nothing makes me happier than seeing the current Pats exodus. While star cornerback Asante Samuel left to sign a huge deal with Philly, their other starting corner Randal Gay signed on with the Saints. New England may have to play d-back again if this keeps up.

Quick note on Samuel for Eagles fans. He's soft and he's more than likely not going to work in your system. You would have been better off keeping Lito Sheppard.

Randy Moss is more than likely not staying with the Pats. He's going to make some big money from any team that needs receiving help. Jacksonville, looking your way.

And alas, Daunte Culpepper is unemployed still. There's talk he may follow Moss wherever he goes in an attempt to resuscitate his career.

Poor Yao

2008-02-29T00:02:00.001-05:00

It's a tough spot that both Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets are in right now. Quite a unique one as well. Yao, who is the most recognizable Chinese person in the world (come on, he's 7'6") has a stress fracture in the foot and will be out for the rest of the NBA season. That part is not in doubt; here's the tricky side of it: Yao is the centrepiece of not only China's national basketball team but is a key cog in relations between the NBA (maybe even America) and his native country.

Don't forget, the Olympics games are being held this summer in China, and they'll want to show the world exactly what they can do in every sport. It is very possible that they could "persuade" Yao to come back a bit earlier than he probably should to play in the games.

Have you ever heard a story of a player coming back earlier than he should with a positive ending? More often than not, the injury is aggravated and the player's career (and sometimes even life) are adversely affected by rushing themselves into action.

The Rockets did know what they were getting into when they drafted the Chinese big man a few years back, now his and the team's future could be quite clouded due to this horrid politics.

NHL Trade Deadline '08

2008-02-27T00:59:00.000-05:00

I will give the NHL credit where it is due, which is not in many areas, but their trade deadline is probably the second most exciting in the sports world. Major League Baseball is first because there are a lot more buyers and sellers than in hockey, due to the retarded amount of parity combined with an even dumber point system and playoff structure.

Some big names even moved, but unless you actually follow this dying sport closely, you may not recognize who the top performers are.

Brian Campbell, a good puck-moving defenceman was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a prospect and a first-round pick. He's due to become a free agent after this season and demand something bigger than the $18-million, three year extension that Buffalo offered him. He is sure to crumble under the pressure of that deal, pretty much ensuring he'll get a no-trade clause and piss off a team for quite some time.

Marian Hossa, another "rental" player was dealt to the Penguins who look like a surefire cup contender. Boasting Hossa, Crosby and Malkin up front, they could score at will if they mesh. There's still that pesky problem of defence and goaltending that aren't exactly top-notch in Pittsburgh. Atlanta got some good young kids back in the deal but are halfway between the Southeast crown and the top of the lottery — which isn't very far apart.

Brad Richards, who earned a big deal from Tampa Bay after winning the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP on their Cup run, was sent packing along with mediocre goalie Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for Mike Smith, a second-line centre at best (Jeff Halpern) and shootout specialist Jussi Jokinen. This looks and smells like a salary dump with the Lightning out of the running. It makes sense after inking Dan Boyle to his big extension.

The Wild traded for crazy Chris Simon. Why? Who knows...

The Montreal Canadiens — fifth in the East, three points out of first — dealt away their starting goaltender for a second round pick. That was their only move. I would completely understand this had they swung another deal for a new goalie, but now they're left with rookie Carey Price to carry the majority of the workload. This sounds almost as dumb as something Toronto would do.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they dealt away three of their mediocre players for four mediocre picks. That's a great way to rebuild guys. They're just good enough to sneak into ninth place still, ruining their shot at a good pick. Also, considering how awful the Leafs are at drafting, were these moves really that smart?

Now with the stretch run at hand, I can safely go back to hardly caring until the playoffs start or some goon does something stupid a la Todd Bertuzzi.

What is wrong with the NHL. Feb. '08 edition

2008-02-26T00:23:00.002-05:00

There's a reason that most sports, leagues and teams consistently stray from including no-trade and no-movement clauses in a player's contract. It's because it is dumb. Why would a team willing put itself in a situation where their hands are completely and utterly tied. When should the employee have complete control of a situation over their employer? It makes no sense.

What is a no-trade clause? It's as simple as it sounds. These guys cannot be traded unless they actually want to be moved. So if a player has become more valuable to their team if traded away for, say, some prospects or draft picks because the team's season is all but over.

A whopping 121 players in the NHL have no-trade clauses in their contracts. Compare that to ONE active no-trade clause in the NBA, according to ESPN. That one player is a guy who was willing to waive that clause during the summer as well as being an all-star that the team would be stupid to get rid of, no matter what their situation. It's Kobe Bryant in case you were wondering.

So 121 players in the NHL are at the equivalent of Kobe Bryant? Yeah right. I wouldn't say anyone in the entire league is comparable to what Bryant is doing and has done on the hardwood. There are players like the Maple Leafs' Pavel Kubina or the Bruins' P.J. Axelsson who cannot be dealt without their permission. This guys are mediocre at best and demonstrate how weak the guys running teams are to cave to scrubs demands.

In the NFL, no-trade clauses are a non-factor. There's hardly any trades and many have to demand one to get out of town. With most contracts not even guaranteed, I would severely doubt there will ever be a no-trade clause in the world's best run league.

Major League Baseball, on the other hand, has a stipulation that is interesting regarding a no-trade clause: If a player has played ten seasons and at least five in a row with one team, he gains 5-and-10 status. His loyalty to a team gives him the right to refuse a trade. There are players with straight-up no-trade clauses, but not a wide-spread amount like in the dumbest of all associations, the NHL.

No-trade and no-movement clauses should be allowed only to a certain calibre of players. Why anyone would give this right to menial talents is astounding and another example of what is wrong with the NHL.

The Whitewash

2008-02-25T00:32:00.000-05:00

It may be common knowledge or it may not be, but the whitewash is becoming a rare phenomenon in the NBA. What exactly is a whitewash you may ask? Well it was what you could a team that fields a five-man squad of white players. It may sound racist to some, but come on, it's only a joke. Besides, despite the fact that white players has won the previous three MVP awards in the NBA, we all know the best players are black.

An interesting point was brought up by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons. He claimed the Toronto Raptors were not, in fact, rolling out a whitewash with their Calderon, Delfino, Kapono, Bargnani and Nesterovic lineup because European players don't count. How could this be possible? I will give him the benefit of the doubt on Delfino, who has tanned skin, negates the whitewash, but there's no real foundation to the claim that a whitewash has to be made up of American players.

Should a whitewash not be based on the colour of your skin and not include qualifiers regarding nationality? It makes as little sense as the Kansas City Royals fielding a team ever year (We all know they can't compare to the better triple-A teams). So why try to ruin the fun of a whitewash Simmons, it makes no sense. In my books, there will not a be Euro bias.

I'm not sure if the Lakers have tried this one out yet, but a line of Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Walton, Radmanovic and Gasol is a nice whitewash too. They could also put Coby Karl out there too. But then again, how often is Kobe not on the court for them.

And hey, just for fun, what would the ultimate whitewash in the NBA look like right now? Including Europeans, of course. Well the first two members of the squad are easy; Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki are givens for the 1 and 4 spots. Manu Ginobili is a good fit in the 2 spot. At 3, Hedo Turkoglu is having a great season and is worthy candidate. 5 is a toss up in my mind, but the Lakers' Pau Gasol beats out the Clippers' Chris Kaman and Big Z for my team. I'm sure I'm probably forgetting a lot of worthy white boys, but hey, this isn't something significant like the Academy Awards we're talking about.

(Speaking of the Oscars, Ellen Page was robbed.)

What's this? A deadline deal?

2008-02-22T00:46:00.001-05:00

In case you couldn't recall, last year's NBA trade deadline was a complete and udder dud. In fact, the headline on this site was "DEADline", because, quite frankly, three deals involving a total of four players (the biggest name being moved was Juan Dixon). This year was quite a contrast.

Cleveland made the biggest move of the day, completing a three-team, 11-player deal at the buzzer to haul in some help for LeBron — and in this writer's opinion, made them the favourite to come out of the East. The Cavs shipped out, namely, Larry Hughes (who's been hugely disappointing for his big money deal), Donyell Marshall and Drew Gooden, the most talented of the group. In return, they acquire Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from Seattle and Ben Wallace and Joe Smith from the Bulls. The Sonics were willing to jetison anyone who doesn't fit into their plan for Oklahoma City (their assumed future home) while the Bulls didn't want Wallace's financial burden any more.

Big Ben is the huge question mark in this blockbuster. He's never been great on offence but is a former defensive player of the year. I wouldn't doubt for a second that LeBron can't motivate Wallace to a return to his past self. If you were to pair up Big Z and Big Ben, they could have a decent match up with some of the twin towers out west when finals time comes around.

They other deals made were comparatively minor:
—Bonzi Wells and Mike James were shipped to New Orleans for Bobby Jackson. This deal gives the Hornets some more depth on their already fine bench and a lot better chance to hold onto their surprising Western Conference lead.

—The Rockets also dealt for Gerald "G-Money" Green. It's too bad that dunkoff success doesn't translate to NBA game success.

—The Raptors, looking for rebounding help, acquired a big man who can't rebound (Primoz Brezec) for a back up guard who is merely a spot-player for Detroit now (Juan Dixon).

—And if you've ever heard of Von Wafer (yes, that's a real guy's name) well you're on the same level as Portland who dealt Taureen Green for him.

So, sure, you could argue that no big deals were made last year at the deadline because there was some moves made weeks beforehand, but the same happened this year with all-star players like Pau Gasol, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Shaquille O'Neal. Let's hope that the years to come have the excitement that led up to and took place this time of year.

Shaq vs. Kobe

2008-02-21T00:39:00.001-05:00

It's a rivalry that may be bigger than what some teams endure. Two players, former friends and teammates, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to what many consider dynasty-dom, had a falling out and words were exchanged that can't be taken back. Kobe Bryant, in own his prima-donna way, forced Shaq out of town so the Lakers could be his own. Shaq retaliated by winning a title with his new little buddy D-Wade in Miami while Kobe wasted away on a talent-stricken team.

That brings us to this season. Kobe played a little "I want out" drama to begin the season but in the process, turned his game up to its full, amazing potential. Then the Lakers somehow stole Pau Gasol from Memphis to give Kobe his fist all-star calibre companion since O'Neal departed.

Shaq, on the other hand, looked very clearly on the down-slope of his career, not just this year, but even the 2006-07 campaign. With Miami pretty much destined for a high lottery pick, Shaq and his huge contract were dealt to Phoenix for an unhappy Shawn Marion. Why? Who knows, it was more likely to get rid Marion's presence than get the washed-up Diesel.

Then, in a great twist, Shaq chose to come back from a hip injury and face his "nemesis" Kobe Bryant (who is playing through the pain of a torn ligament in his pinky finger) and new big buddy Gasol.

Sure, the Suns did their best to hang around but — and Shaq even played for nearly 30 minutes to everyone's surprise — but they could not keep up with, and especially not defend, the Lakers. If the move they made to get Shaq was to help them win (which we should assume it is), it may not turn out for their benefit.

Given, I'm also keeping in mind that it was Shaq's first game back from injury and his first game with a new team that plays a drastically different style than he's used to. But the Lakers were missing their third best player, starting centre Andrew Bynum who's easily good enough for a double-double any night he plays.

If these teams meet in the playoffs it should be the Lakers moving on.

A wonderful time of the year

2008-02-20T14:03:00.001-05:00

Spring training has arrived folks, just in time to draw some interest in the sporting world in that pesky gap between the Super Bowl and the NCAA tournament. Yes, those lucky dogs who get paid, for the majority of their time, to stand around and wait for things to happen get an all-expenses paid trip to either Florida or Arizona for camp.

But most importantly, everyone who is a fan of baseball finally has an opportunity to check out their teams' new addition(s), their players returning from injury and can even catch a glimpse prospects getting at bats against some of the games' best.

Some guys will be trying to learn new pitches; some guys will try out new arm angles. Some players will get looks at what they might be facing in the regular season and might even try changing their hitting or fielding mechanics.

But this year a dark, heavy cloud is hanging over many major league camps; its name: The Mitchell Report. Anybody who was named in the damning document will have to talk about why it was in and if they are guilty or not. It’s like they’re reporting to a firing range, albeit with the media and some teammates armed with questions, not guns and ammo.

Astros should be the most fun, with Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada both in some very hot water. Clemens has to live with his puzzled responses to the interrogation he endured on Capitol Hill while Tejada may get deported if it turns out he lied under oath. This should be a fantastic season for Houston, Craig Biggio couldn’t have timed his exit better.

And has anybody heard from Barry Bonds? He still wants to play but he’s not having any luck finding an employer. I guess everybody finally got fed up with his antics.

The playoff push begins!

2008-02-19T14:16:00.001-05:00

After quite the all-star weekend that more than lived up to its expectations, the NBA season’s “second half.” Of course it’s not the real second half of the season literally because all teams have already played more than half of their 82-game schedule, but who’s complaining? What can we expect from rest of the 2007-08 schedule? There’s plenty of storylines and questions abound.

With Jason Kidd-to-Dallas finally going through, how much will he help the Mavs? Kidd may be aging but he still has game and only makes the players around him look that much better. He’s less flashy than Steve Nash but can also rebound and knows how to play at least some defence. It would be interesting if the two matched up in a playoff series.

How much will Kobe Bryant’s injured pinky affect the Lakers? With Pau Gasol in town and Andrew Bynum still on the mend, Bryant is pretty much forced to play through the pain of his torn ligament. If Bynum were healthy and the Western race wasn’t so tight, I don’t think that Kobe would forgo surgery. How effective he’s going to be while playing hurt is the big question mark though, he hasn’t looked awful so far.

Will Shaq produce in Phoenix? As long as he doesn’t have a heart attack from all the running he’s going to be doing, Shaq should be fine. He’s still a better than average defender but I wouldn’t be counting on him for 30 minutes a game in the Suns track-meet style of play.

Will Denver get Ron Artest? They want him and can use a tenacious defender like the insane Ron-Ron. Will they be willing to give up enough picks/prospects to get him off of the seemingly rebuilding Kings, who knows? Allen Iverson and Carmelo can score all the points in the world and having a guy like Artest would help them out on the back-end.

In the East, how will Kidd’s trade affect the Nets? They may not be toast since Devin Harris is a good, young point guard and apparently a .500 record might get you the sixth seed in the East.

Toronto better learn how to defend LeBron, who makes a nice habit of slicing them apart whenever they meet. Unless a big slump by the Magic or either the Raptors or Cavaliers, those two teams are meeting in the first round. It won’t even be a close match up unless the Raps take a nine-iron to King James’ knee.

Will Detroit be able to catch Boston? They might not want to. As it stands now, the top seeds won’t have any problems with the low-seeds in the East, meaning Detroit would be facing Orlando in the second round while Boston would draw LeBron. Who would you rather face?

All this and we still haven't reached the trade deadline...

Win some, Lose some: Jason Kidd’s non-trade

2008-02-15T00:46:00.000-05:00

With the news of Jason Kidd apparently heading to the Mavericks – up to the point that he left the Nets and actually got on a plane to Dallas – and then the subsequent blocking of the trade by Devean George, why not do a little win some-lose some about the whole situation?

Win some: Devean George. Congratulations on keeping that starting job in Dallas until Josh Howard returns from injury. Well, even if you’re not traded, you might not be holding unto that spot for long if you keep up 0-for-11 performances like the one you did just hours after blocking the trade on Wednesday.

The NBA. David Stern is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief now that he won’t have to figure what to do about the all-star rosters. Had the Kidd trade gone through, it would have made him the first player to be a voted starter to switch conferences after making the game. Would he play for the West? Does someone on the West get booted? Who fills in on the East? Who starts for the East? Do the East get a 13th player now that the West gets Kidd? These are questions that would’ve dogged Stern that he no longer has to deal with.

Lose some: The New Jersey Nets. They would’ve got a lot of cap room to build around and a young point guard who could one day be a star (not quite superstar) in the league. Also, sadly, in the East, you don’t even have to be a .500 team to make the playoffs it’s starting to look like.

Jason Kidd. We all know that he wants out of the swamp and getting to play with Dirk instead of cry baby Vince Carter surely would’ve put a huge smile on his face. He’d also get even further away from his trifling ex.

Jerry Stackhouse. Reports are that the Nets would have bought him out, leaving him free to rejoin the Mavs in 30 days. A 30 day, midseason vacation? Sounds like something Shaq has been doing the past few years.

Jose Calderon. With Ray Allen being named to replace the injured Caron Butler already, there would be no doubt that the Raptors point guard would’ve made his first all-star squad. Seriously, who else would play the point on that team?

On the fence: The Dallas Mavericks. Sure they would have Jason Kidd, but who knows how that would have turned out. It’s not like Devin Harris was bad or anything and they will be getting Stack back in 30 days, but there would’ve effectively been no future in Big D. Without their emerging, young PG and giving up two first-round picks (regardless of draft position), this team could fall apart easily down the road with team’s age after adding Kidd and if Dirk can’t sustain his play.

Clemens cooking

2008-02-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

After a few hours worth of testimony to the grand jury along with accuser/former trainer Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens' public image is not looking very hot. He's cooking, but not in the good way. One could even say his pants are literally on fire. It would explain why he came off as nervous when being grilled about his accused use of Human Growth Hormone and steroids.

And his death-stares and McNamee were so chilling one could have thought that somebody's — either Clemens or McNamee — head would explode from the sheer force being exerted in that look.

But the all-time word of the hearing had to "misremember." It could be used in a sentence like: "Andy Pettitte misremembers some things." Hilarious. It might even be construed as smack-talking since Clemens may be updating his Christmas card list when you consider that Pettitte's under-oath claims that Clemens admitted to him that he used HGH are VERY damning.

There isn't much known for 100% truth in the situation still but if there's one thing that we do now know, it's that somebody may be going to prison. All of these depositions were under-oath in a court and, as we know from the Barry Bonds indictment on perjury, you cannot tell a lie to the government without them getting their retribution. The U.S. government do not like looking like fools, despite who their leader is.

A quick non-Clemens, MLB thought.

2008-02-13T23:36:00.001-05:00

Ryan Dempster is dumb. Going out and saying that your team will end their 100-year World Series drought is ballsy, but quite dumb. There are forces beyond his power at work behind the scenes at Wrigley Field that will keep the Cubs from winning. It's called a curse. Besides that, the Cubs are by no streak the best team in baseball. In fact, I'd take the Yankees to beat the Cubs and they have hardly any starting pitching. After the Yanks, the Red Sox, Tigers, Mets and even the Dodgers have a better shot in my mind than the Cubs.

How about that LeBron?

2008-02-12T10:46:00.000-05:00

Last night, to my — and the rest of the guys working in the sports section — surprise, LeBron got the type of "help" that the Cavaliers thought they would be getting when the signed a guy named Larry Hughes to a huge deal. The 40 points he scored last night were a season high, but you could have probably guessed it would have been considering we're talking about Larry Hughes here.

I still maintain that, had the Cavaliers been able to sign Michael Redd during the offseason that they acquired Hughes, the team would have had a better shot at winning the championship last year. The only downside to the Cavs having Redd would be that Hughes is a far better defender. Redd though, can shoot the lights out on any given night.

If I'm the Cavs and LeBron, I'm hoping that Hughes can play like some more, especially down the stretch and take some pressure off the King. James, by the way, picked up the double-double with 29 points and 10 assists.

A frightening moment

2008-02-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

While I'm sure that not many people tuned into watch the Florida Panthers play against the Buffalo Sabres yesterday but there was a moment that would've created quite the stir to those who saw it.

Panthers captain Olli Jokinen went into the corner in an attempt to hit Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur but something went awry; Jokinen missed his target, was upended and his skate came up and sliced teammate Richard Zednik in the right side of his neck. Blood started pouring out while Zednik clutched his neck and raced to the Panthers' bench where a trainer helped him off the ice. He was taking to a local hospital where surgery was needed to close the wound.

The bigger question here isn't about players' safety and brutal injuries, it's about whether or not they should have finished the game. I find it ridiculous that after watching a fellow player, friend and teammate (for the Panthers) suffer a possible life-threatening injury they had to continue playing a hockey game. Could their minds and thoughts possibly be anywhere except with Zednik at the time? Even worse, the players, coaches and fans had to endure a 15-minute break while the ice had to be scraped clean of all the blood that had stained it. How could anyone continue playing a game after that?

It's not like a game postponement is out of the ordinary after something like this. When Detroit's Jiri Fischer collapsed on the bench after his heart failed and was revived, the game was discontinued until a later day. Why couldn't this have happened after Zednik's blood stained the ice? It really makes no sense.

The fact that NHL vice president Colin Campbell was at the game and witnessed this whole scene happen doesn't inspire confidence in the league either. How could a high up guy like that not ice the game to hold up some league integrity?

Ultimately, if the Panthers fail to reach the playoffs by one or two points, which they could have achieved by winning last night's game (The Sabres won 5-3 and scored after the incident), they can look back at last night in Buffalo as to why they're golfing early.

Win some, lose some: The Toronto Bills

2008-02-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hey, remember that feature I did once before? Well it's back! What's there to debate this time? The Bills have put together an agreement — originally reported months ago, finalized Wednesday — to bring the Buffalo Bills to Toronto to play a total of eight games over the next five years. Five games will be regular season tilts while three will be boring preseason games that matter nothing to anyone except players desperately trying to make the roster or upgrade their depth chart position.

The winners here? Football fans worldwide. This move could be the first in the a long line of steps towards putting a team in Toronto, or an international location. While it's not exactly feasible to put a team in Europe right now, settling a franchise in Canada, or maybe Mexico, would be beneficial to the league — which is always looking to grow the product.

Fans from both Buffalo and Toronto are winners here considering that while Toronto Bills fans won't have to venture south of the border, the Buffalo-natives get to road trip and see their favourite team in a different locale. It's not like Bills season ticket holders are losing out either, they get first dibs at tickets.

The losers here? Something called the CFL (Canadian Football League) which seems to think they would go bankrupt if the NFL invaded their borders. This could actually be a real possibility. If you were a Canadian football fan and watched a severely higher quality game at a stadium where a CFL team plays, you could realize just how crappy the quality of play is in the league. It wouldn't be too shocking if a CFL ticket holder would rather save up and watch a better product than have to sit through an Argonauts-Eskimos game.

Another group of people who might be a loser in this case is the people of Buffalo. It has been stated that after Ralph Wilson passes — sadly, it may not be too far off — that the team will be up for grabs. If the team pulls in a good chunk of money during this experiment, why wouldn't a group of Toronto investors try to take the team up north. We'll have to wait for ol' Ralphie on that one though.

The verdict here: Unless you're living in the city of Buffalo and a die-hard Bills or are a pessimistic CFL enthusiast, the Bills playing in Toronto is a great idea.

Spygate II

2008-02-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

So what happens if it turns out to be true that the Patriots cheated in a Super Bowl, specifically their first win against the Rams, you know the one that's drawing comparisons to the one the lost on Sunday to the Giants. Taping a team's final walkthrough, which the Patriots reportedly did, would be the equivalent of looking at another player's hand poker. If there's a worse type of cheating — other than taking a dive — I don't know what it is.

You may also ask what business U.S. Congress has investigating a matter like cheating in the NFL. You can also wonder why they became involved in the MLB-steroids mess of the past while as well. Let's just remember where these leagues play their games: in stadiums that were built in large parts thanks to tax dollars. These tax dollars were alloted by whom now? That's right the government. Basically, when you're playing in somebody else's house, you better abide by house rules and try not to put your feet up on the furniture.

The real question I have about Spygate II is what exactly are they going to investigate? The NFL already requested tapes and notes from New England, said they'd reveal what was on them (and didn't until pressed about it last week) and then destroyed the tapes for no one to ever see again. Why? It makes no sense. It was reveal that the Pats did cheat in at least six games during the 2006 season though, and why has there been nothing done about that?

Also, what did the NFL ask the Pats for? Was it just last year's tapes? If so, then New England can say they complied with the league's orders and commissioner Roger Goodell seriously dropped the ball. The NFL has to disclose what the Patriots had, how they did it, how far they went and when they cheated. It's the only way to not make themselves look like fools and come out looking alright.

As for consequences, If the allegations of cheating that go back to the victory over the Rams (and maybe even before) is true, then Bill Belichick should be suspended from the league for life and SEVERE fines should be laid on the team. It's the only way to go. All of the Patriots records should be tarnished, sullied with asterisks everywhere they belong.

Goodell has gone above and beyond what any previous commissioner has in terms of disciplinary measures to uphold the integrity of the league. If he drops the ball on Spygate II in the same fashion he did with the original, more than a few people will be calling for his ousting. I'll be one.

More and more jinxes

2008-02-06T14:13:00.001-05:00

Just thought I’d add a few more things that lost the game for the Patriots, you know, besides their atrocious, uninspired performance on the field.

- Have you ever seen Bill Belichick wear a red hoodie before? Me neither. Why would he change up his style on the biggest night of his season?
- Tom Brady spend time during the week leading up to the Super Bowl getting not one, but two hair cuts by his personal stylist he flew in. Shouldn’t he have been studying some game tape perhaps?
- Both of Bill Belichick’s “girlfriends” were in Arizona during the week. Distractions, distractions.
- Preorders for a book entitled “19-0” went on sale on Amazon.com a week before the Super Bowl. The book was supposed to be about the Patriots’ undefeated season. I hope every skips over the last chapter; the story doesn’t have a happy ending.
- Boston’s mayor already had the Patriots’ Super Bowl parade route planned a week in advance will New York City’s mayor refused to even think about in fear of a jinx.
- And finally, when Elisha Manning and the Giants got the ball and had to travel 86 yards and score a touchdown to win, I claimed to the room: “There is no possible way Eli Manning can drive 86 yards.”

You’re welcome New York but let’s not get our hopes up for a repeat. In fact, people should be flocking to Vegas immediately and putting down their money on, believe it or not, the Washington Redskins. The seasons after the first two Giant Super Bowl wins, the Redskins have taken the title. Remember that.

Lakers rob Grizzlies

2008-02-05T11:33:00.000-05:00

Were Memphis held at gun point during the negotiations for Pau Gasol? It seems like they were after handing over the best player to ever play for Memphis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Getting rid of Kwame Brown might actually help the Lakers even more than the arrival of Gasol.

Gasol will form one of the best front court duos in the league with Andrew Bynum when the youngster returns from injury. Gasol is also a great stop-gap until Bynum is cleared to return and is certainly much better than the departed Brown.

When a good player like Lamar Odom is your fourth option on the floor and you have a good tandem of point guards who can distribute the ball as well as score like Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar, you can go far in the NBA, even if you're in the West. The only problem is how well Gasol will integrate into Phil Jackson's triangle offence, but then again, there's a good argument that maybe all Pau really needs is a change of scenery.

Sending Crittendon to Memphis makes no sense on any level as well. Why release your veteran presence third point guard (Damon Stoudemire) and then trade for another point guard when you already have a logjam at the position with young talent (Conley and Lowry)?

The only positives that Memphis can take from this deal is that they should settle into a better lottery slot, they'll have two more future first rounders — even though they be in the 20s range, and they'll have a lot of cap flexibility when the disaster named Kwame comes off the books this summer.

And if you think this deal doesn't actually help the New Jersey Nets, well you might be crazy. With Gasol and Kobe together and sure to reep some havoc on the West, don't think that a team like Dallas won't sweeten their offer for Jason Kidd's services.

Giants win!

2008-02-04T14:37:00.001-05:00

There are so many different headlines that could’ve worked here. I could’ve gone with “18-1*” -note the asterisk is still present because of Spygate (which is heating up to white hot levels). I could’ve used “Cheaters never prevail,” because quite frankly, they don’t. Or even an open-handed “Eat it Tom Brady,” which I think he kind of deserves for his smack-talking during press week. But “Giants win!” is more suitable and just a great way of showing the surprise behind what happened.

So Thomas, what did you say about getting credit for being a great offence when Plaxico predicted a 23-17 win and you claimed that you would score more than that? If anything, you threw a jinx down on your team and your own play. And the way you choked at the end of the game, with everything on the line? It was certainly Peyton Manning-esque, which is especially fitting after the comparisons between the two QBs’ record breaking seasons.

Was there even a single omen or jinx going against the Giants? It seemed like the deck was stacked in their favour on that front. Well, except for Eli’s Peyton jinx. So, in no particular order:

Gisele was in the stands to jinx Brady.
The league’s leading passer has never won the Super Bowl.
Strong defence will beat a strong offence.
There’s no roman numeral for zero so the Patriots could not go XIX and zero.
The report that the Patriots cheated in their first Super Bowl win was broken days before the game.
The 2008 Giants were eerily similar to those Pats who beat the heavily-favoured Rams.
Plaxico Burris guaranteed a win. Wasn’t that famous guarantee made in Super Bowl III predicted by a New York player on an underdog team? Broadway Plaxico doesn’t really roll off your tongue though.
And, just for Bill Simmons:
The Ewing Theory potential of Tiki Barber’s retirement was off the chart.

And if Elisha Manning can continue playing like he did throughout the playoffs, he might actually have been worth the first overall pick that San Diego used on him. Is it weird that I still don’t believe he’s a good quarterback even though he just won Super Bowl MVP? What a great story that is too. Peyton and Eli winning back-to-back MVPs is certainly something I never would have thought would happen.

In the end, even though I thought the Patriots would mop the floor with the Giants of New York, I’m glad I was wrong. Now, let’s see some heavy Spygate fallout, congress-stlye. Ban Belichick for life.

Final picks roundup.
The playoffs: 3-5-1
The season: 111-117-10

Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-02T03:01:00.000-05:00

It's the biggest annual sporting event in the world and its taking place tomorrow. The NFL's championship — the Super Bowl — is set for kick off at 6:17 p.m. ET at the home the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. It’s the Giants of New York representing the NFC against the undefeated* Patriots of the AFC and, if it all goes down like I expect it to, it’s not going to be a close game.

Sure, you can convince yourself that the New York’s front-seven will but enough pressure on Thomas Brady to force some bad throws. Sure, you can convince yourself that maybe Thomas won’t be at 100% because of his ankle injury. You can also try talking yourself into Elisha Manning turning the corner and becoming the quarterback the Giants expected him to be, or that New York’s thunder-and-lightning running game can wear down the Pats even to control the clock and game. Gambling-wise you can also remind yourself that the Patriots have won three Super Bowls by a total of nine points and that they’ve only covered two spreads since Thanksgiving Thursday.

But then you have to remind yourself that you’re wagering on Eli Manning and in the Super Bowl. Remember how Eli has those up weeks where everybody forgets that he stinks up streaks of games at a time? This is happening right now. Just earlier this year Elisha tied a record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game. Are we sure enough that we want to put our money on a hot quarterback who just had a week off to possibly cool down?

Another key factor is where the Big Game is being played: sunny Arizona. The past few games have been in poor conditions; in rain, wind, sleet, snow and generally cold weather. This greatly affects passing teams, even the best of passing teams. In relatively good conditions, the Patriots are set to have a great day passing the ball, despite the Giants fabulous d-line play.

And how dare Plaxico Burris make a prediction – that slowly turned into a guarantee by the media – that the Giant would win 23-17. Did he really need to fuel a team that was already hungry? It makes no sense. Don’t poking the sleeping bears you moron! And then missing two days of practice really helped back up that statement, which also gave your defence way to much credit.

Lastly, the fact still remains that for this cycle of the universe, Boston teams rule over New York teams. It’s just plain dumb to take a New York team when these cities match up any more. The Red Sox are going to be great for a long while, the Celtics and Knicks don’t even have to be discussed because Isiah Thomas is involved and then there are the Patriots. The NFL’s New York teams (Giants and the Jets) have less wins combined than New England. I think the pick here is obvious, but if you bump the line to Pats minus-22, I’d give you some action.

Congratulations New England on your undefeated* season. May you live with that asterisk forever, cheaters.

Dan’s Pick: New England (-12) over New York.
Dan’s Score: New England 38, New York 21.
Dan’s MVP: Asante Samuel

The playoffs: 3-4-1
The season: 111-117-10

And just for fun:
The tech guy: New England 24, New York 17.
The Intern: New England 35, New York 3. MVP: Randy Moss.

The Intern's Hard Wood: All-star teams '08

2008-02-01T08:21:00.000-05:00

Amongst all the Super Bowl hoopla this week, the NBA all-star reserves were announced. While going through the list, the obvious first thing I noticed was that one of my favourites, Jose Calderon got the royal shaft and was not named to the team. This got me thinking who else is on the All-Snub team. Definitely the biggest travesty is Hedo Turkoglu not being an All-Star. He is putting up career stats and is one of the biggest reasons why Orlando is third in the East and so far this season he has already nailed three game-winning buckets. But alas, Joe Johnson got the nod even though his Hawks are six games under .500. In the west,two players also on the snub list are Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson. Both players are having great seasons and I would love to see Captain Jack and The Baron as All-Stars but in a conference with an overabundance of talent, it’s inevitable that there will be some would-be all-star casualties. But really who would you omit. The obvious choice would be David West, but in all honesty, he is having a fantastic season and the Hornets are the top team in the west. Plus the All-Star game is being played in New Orleans. He gets my vote (also, I have him on my fantasy team).

In other news around the NBA Jason Kidd has openly admitted he wants out of the swamp. Right now Dallas seems to be in the lead in the J-Kidd sweepstakes. We shall see in the upcoming weeks were this future Hall of Famer will end up.

The Spurs acquired former Memphis Grizzlies point guard Damon Stoudamire. This is a very good signing considering their current back up point guard is Jacque Vaughn and seriously it’s pretty hard to get worse then Jacque. Well, then again, there’s always Darrick Martin. Intern Out

BoSox, Yanks lose sweepstakes

2008-01-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

I would like to extend a big thank you to the Minnesota Twins for a) not dealing one of the best pitchers in the MLB to the Yankees or Red Sox (especially Boston — could you imagine a Santana-Beckett front end?) and b) getting said pitcher out of the AL entirely.

With Johan headed to Shea, where he will no doubt anchor the Mets to the playoffs for the next few seasons barring some sort of curse, he is set to be better than ever. Imagine the best pitcher, especially a lefty, in an inferior league with a good defence behind him and a good offence supporting him.

The Twins now will have to work hard to impress their fan-base which should be devastated after giving away yet another one of their stars to a major market. It really makes no sense to get rid of Santana without putting in an honest effort to keep Torii Hunter or Carlos Silva for when they open a new stadium for the 2009 season. A lot will be resting on the surgically repaired elbow of Francisco Liriano.

The only concerns I have at this point are how Santana will be at the plate and whether the Mets will have a solid future after dealing four prospects. But anybody can be taught how to bunt, right? And the Mets can just continue signing guys while keeping around their home-grown talents (Reyes and Wright).

And these "KKKKKing of Queens" headlines regarding Johan Santana's arrival at Shea must die now. Every once in a while something as "clever" as that head graces the pages of every sports-related site on the 'net and it becomes instantly sickening. So can we be a little more creative guys? Aren't you being paid to do so? Thanks in advance should you heed my advice.

Report: Reports aren't always accurate

2008-01-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a stand right now to not get riled up about reading anything that begins with "report:" any more. After reading a report stating that Orioles ace Eric Bedard had been dealt to the Seattle Mariners, the newsroom where I work went aflutter, trying to find out if it was true and trying to find someone to write about it before deadline. Well, apparently it's not even close to going through for one simple reason: the guy who runs the team hadn't even heard about it yet and certainly didn't ok the move.

Does the Bedard trade make sense? Sure it does. The Orioles would be in full rebuilding mode and still may even be able to beat out the Rays for fourth in the AL east. Actually, if the trade had gone through, the headline here would have been something like 'Jays clinch third in AL east.' Or something to that effect.

The package Baltimore is reportedly getting from Seattle includes Adam Jones who is seen as a terrific outfield prospect. The Mariners gain a good young ace to complement King Felix and they could dethrone the Angels and win the AL west with the Bedard addition.

But, this is probably not going to happen because Bedard is a guy that Peter Angelos covets; but then again so was Miguel Tejada who's lacing up his cleats for the Astros next season.

What is wrong with the NHL. Jan '08 edition

2008-01-28T11:28:00.001-05:00

With the NHL's all-star weekend passing by, I had to write a few notes that came up explaining why hockey is dying in North America, more specifically, the states:

The slam dunk competition in hockey form. Are you serious? How dumb is it that they're holding a competition where scoring doesn't matter, people — like Dominique Wilkins — who have little-to-no knowledge about hockey, are judging and goaltenders treat the event with enough seriousness that they're rushing players and poke-checking them before they can try their moves? Yet another idiotic idea by the NHL.

How sad is it that the NHL held their all-star game in Atlanta and the majority of hotel rooms booked in the city were not for hockey fans, media or players, but for a poultry convention in town the same weekend. That's pretty much all you have to say about why the NHL is slowly fading into obscurity, especially in the southern states. Get the Thrashers out of Atlanta already.

Next season, for the second straight year, the NHL will open their season with games in Europe. This time around, Stockholm and Prague will host a pair of games each. The only problem is that the league shouldn't be worrying about marketing the brand overseas like this, they should be working on getting more people in the United States on their bandwagon. Canada's always going to have a population of hockey nuts but with the majority of the teams located state-side where popularity is dwindling, it's no wonder why the league is in rough shape. North America should be the NHL's target audience, not Europe.

Finally, while it is understandable that in pretty much any sport's all-star game, defence isn't the aspect to be showcased, it should still be brought up that these guys should at least be trying on the back end. Now, I know that hitting is "outlawed" in the all-star game to prevent injuries and I'm not saying that the teams should deploy a Devils-style trap but come on guys, you're the best players in the league and you can't show a tiny bit of hustle to get back? But this isn't so much of the NHL's problem as it is all sports' all-star games, with the exception of baseball that is.

A big ol' non-story

2008-01-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

Really? We're all supposed to care and focus intently for two weeks on Thomas Brady's right foot? Just because he was seen with a walking boot on it the other day? it makes no sense and it's not even worth thinking about. He was obviously well enough to continue playing throughout the AFC championship game and he'll definitely be able to play on it in two weeks time in Glendale for the most important game of the year.

And, of course, nobody will be talking about his foot and if he's actually injured. This will only fuel speculation that really has no business taking up space in the paper or pages on the internet. A sprained ankle (which is what it is) is just a sprained ankle and even the slowest healers can fight off that annoyance in two weeks.

Out with old, in with the older.

2008-01-24T12:01:00.001-05:00

So the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the cornerstone franchises of the weak NHL and seen as a running joke by those around the league, have finally fired their atrocious GM John Ferguson and have hired their former GM Cliff Fletcher. Firstly, after all of the horrible personnel moves and shaky decisions that Ferguson made while on the job, why wasn’t he fired sooner? Giving Jason Blake the kind of money he did ($20 million over five years) was idiotic since he was coming off a career year almost midway through his 30s. Trading away high draft picks in consecutive seasons for “starting” goalies was almost as dumb as signing both to contract extensions before they had proven themselves. Then there was the fact that he threw money at a group of players who, for guys that are called defenceman, don’t play defence quite well at all.

By hiring Fletcher again though, the Leafs are doing what they’ve always done wrong; they’re looking into the past. What they should do is look towards the future, hire someone with no ties to the organization and let him blow the whole team up. There isn’t a winner on the current Leafs roster and something has to be done about that. Blowing the team up and rebuilding from the ground up is necessary for any team who wants to succeed in a league with salary cap. As much as Leaf fans won’t like to hear it, this team is going to have to be bad for a little while longer before they escape the doldrums.

The Intern on: A Fallen Star

2008-01-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

Sitting out the rest of the season to rest ‘is a prime option for me.’ Spoken like a true winner. So the Jermaine O’Neal chronicles continue. Must be nice to be the seventh highest paid player in the NBA at $19 million per season and elect to ‘rest’ your bruised knee for the remainder of the season. It clearly seems that JO is unhappy with his current situation in Indy. But in all honestly, who cares. This team has been irrelevant ever since Ron Artest single-handedly destroyed the once-proud franchise during the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills. In the past three seasons since that infamous night, JO has missed 90 games due to illness, injury and suspension. Jermaine O’Neal, once 6 time all-star and easily one of the top players in the NBA, is now treading in the abyss of Shawn Kemp-ville. If anything Isiah should make a move for him so he can be with all the other bad contracts. Intern Out.

Talk about heart

2008-01-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

Criticize Philip Rivers all you want for his play against the Patriots on Sunday but when you're doing so, keep in mind that he was playing with a torn ACL for the entire game. That's right; many people would be screaming in pain with an injury like that but Rivers gutted out an entire game against the Patriots and if their red zone offence had clicked a bit better and hadn't settled for field goals, the Chargers might be taking on the Giants in XLII.

In fact, he actually went under the knife earlier in the week just to be able to play in Foxboro. That takes a lot of guts and when you figure in how much long-term, even career threatening, damage could've happened to him, you have to credit the kid's heart and desire to play the game.

Elsewhere, Tony Dungy is returning to coach the Colts next year. Since he's already enrolled his kids in school in the Tampa area, you have to wonder how much his head will be in the game next season. If the Colts get hit with injuries next year the way they were this past season, Dungy may not have the right mindset to guide his team the way he did. If he's not going to give 110% to Indianapolis, it might actually be better to step aside and let Jim Caldwell take over now instead of waiting for Dungy's exit.

XLII: Pats and Elisha?!?

2008-01-21T11:04:00.000-05:00

For the third week in a row, Elisha Manning and the New York Giants faced a tough adversary on the road in the playoffs and won. I don't know if I'm more shocked or disappointed or both at the same time. It wasn't even as much as his effort as it was the effort of Plaxico Burris absolutely schooling Al Harris and the two-headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw tearing up the Packers front seven.

And what a way for Lawrence Tynes to make up for his previous two missed field goals, especially the possible game-winner with time expiring in the fourth, by hitting the first ever 40+ yard field goal in Lambeau's history. He's severely lucky that Brett Favre gave the Giants the chance with that weak overtime interception.

I do know this though, I'm more sure that the Giants will lose their next game more than any of the previous three. The entire North American media scene is going to be criticizing his composure, softness and the dumb look always plastered on his face for two whole weeks. Not to mention how many references to his brother's past success and failures against the family rival, Tom Brady.

I tell you what: If the Packers' Atari Bigby keeps up his hard-hitting ways and continues playing the way he has been since late in the season, he'll become the next very good safety that everyone touts. He also has a great name.

The Chargers couldn't get it done in the red-zone against the undefeated* Patriots and it cost them dearly. Settling for four field goals when the could've driven home touchdowns is precisely what cost San Diego the game and a trip to the Super Bowl. It may have been because the Bolts were just too banged up or it may have been the outstanding work of New England's defence but that was the difference to the AFC Championship in my mind.

And how about Brady, who only had two incompletions last week against the Jaguars, tossing three interceptions yesterday? You have to give credit to the Chargers front-liners for actually putting pressure on Brady as well as the d-backs for their coverage which — while overmatched by the Patriots depth of weapons — did a good job containing the receivers. Quintin Jammer had a great game and deserves a lot of credit for San Diego's defensive effort.

Oh, and the early line (as set by Michael Roxborough) and my early pick for Super Bowl XLII: Patriots (-13.5) over Giants. What, you thought I would ever take Elisha?

This week: 0-2
The Playoffs: 3-4-1

The week before the bye week

2008-01-20T00:11:00.000-05:00

With the Super Bowl around the corner, I don’t think I’ve ever been looking past the conference championships more. Unless something happens and there is an upset, this week is a forgone conclusion with the favourites easily defeating the feisty underdogs. 
PATRIOTS (-14) over Chargers

There is way too much going against the Chargers in this one. Let’s make a list:
—LDT, Gates and Rivers are all injured and won’t be at 100% on Sunday.
—If Rivers and LDT can’t go, or even finish the game if they start it, you’re looking at Billy Volek and the unsensational Michael Turner trying to guide the Bolts’ offence.
—Norv Turner is facing off against Bill Belichick.
—A southern California team is playing in New England in January weather.
—The Patriots beat up on the Chargers when San Diego visited earlier this season.
—San Diego’s strength in pass rushing could be negated if the weather and field are bad enough.
—The Chargers are among the worst teams in the league in covering slot receivers while New England is one of the best teams at hitting them.
And if those aren’t reason enough, do you not think that everyone will want to see the Brett Favre vs. Tom Brady Super Bowl? Of course they do, even more so than a Patriots loss this week.

PACKERS (-7) over Giants

Do you honestly, deep in your heart, believe that Elisha Manning can win in Lambeau against the immortal Brett Favre? Well I certainly don't. The Giants' run has been nice but seriously, the Patriots need some competition in the Super Bowl and the Giants would not be able to provide that. Also, I really do not want to read any Brady vs. Manning stories for the next two weeks even if it means an unfathomable amount of pieces comparing Favre and Tom and their places in history.

Last week: 2-1-0
Playoffs: 3-2-1

The Intern’s Hard Wood: Jan 13-18

2008-01-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

This has been a very black-is-white, up-is-down kind of week in the NBA. You have the Knicks on a three-game winning streak; the Celtics drop three of their last five games and a case of a testicular tumour. I don’t know how but the Knicks of scraped together a three-game streak which started with a whupping on the Pistons at the Gardens. I know, I know the Pistons were on the tail end of four games in five nights but come on; the Knicks have as much chemistry as Tommy girl and Katie Holmes. In other Hotlantic news the Boston Celtics have shown a few kinks in what seemed like impregnable armour. Before beating the new-age Trail Blazers, the Celtics had dropped three of their last four. It started with an ugly loss to the Bobcats – yeah, I know - and finished with back-to-back losses to the Arenas-less Wizards. Also coming out of the Atlantic division is Jamario Moon getting an invitation to this years’ dunk comp. This really has my goat going or really has my goat or some other saying which involves a goat. Jamario is an incredible leaper and has the potential to put Toronto back on the NBA map and make the Raptors relevant in the NBA scene in the wake of the VC era. Also, CB4 got a much deserved player of the week. Everyone has now seen Bosh’s All-Star video, let’s get this guy to the Big Easy. In other news around the NBA Nene had a tumour removed from his testes-satchel. This guy seriously can’t catch a break. In the past 3 season he’s only played 120 games due to knee complications and only 12 games this season. He is also pulling in a cool $9 mill this season. No wonder Denver has one of the highest payrolls in the NBA. Other injury related news this week is Andrew Bynum being sidelined for 2 months with a dislocated kneecap and bruised knee bone. This is a major hit to the Lakers. They are now minus their best rebounder and interior defender. While watching the Lakers – Suns game last night, it seems like Phil Jackson is trying to use Kwame Brown to fill the void. It is not working as hoped. In the third quarter, he almost has a double-double with points and turnovers and a botched dunk. As of right now every time he touches the ball the whole Staples Center is booing him. It feels like a Knicks game. Also everyone should go out this weekend and check out Cloverfield in its B-horror goodness. Intern out

Tejada's troubles

2008-01-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

Life may be getting a ton more complicated for Miguel Tejada and the Houston Astros. While he's currently being investigated regarding his 2005 testimony and whether he lied or not the feds regarding the steroid scandal, he may lose his green card or even worse spend 15-20 months in jail.

The trouble stems from a 2005 interview when Tejada had told government officials that he had never used steroids, know nothing about them and didn't know anyone who had used before.

Tejada's situation is actually quite similar — oddly — to what happened Martha Stewart. Both lied when they were originally questioned and now that the truth has come to light, consequences must be paid. So how bad would it be if the Astros, who just traded a bunch of players and prospects to acquire Miggy, couldn't pencil him into the lineup for a long while. Adam Everett must be liking his chance of getting on the field this season.

Finally, what terrific foresight on behalf of the Baltimore Orioles for getting rid of Tejada before the Mitchell report pointed a finger at the former AL MVP. Whoever thought that the Orioles would make a legitimately smart move?

Are you serious?

2008-01-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought Pacman Jones might be back on the right track, he goes out and does something incredibly stupid again. A Tennessee woman is seeking an arrest warrant on Jones, alleging that he punched her at a strip club. Why is Pacman back at strip club? The last notably time he was there, he made it rain money and then someone was shot outside the club. Now he's (allegedly) punching people? And a woman no less? If this story comes out to be true, who do you think will be back in the NFL first? Pacman Jones or Michael Vick? If he shows up in New Orleans for NBA all-star weekend, it may very well be Vick who's back first.

It's also funny how my headline didn't have to change even though i wrote it when it applied to a story about the possibility of Tom Brady retiring after a 19-0 season and fourth Super Bowl win to spend time with his kid and girlfriend (who live on opposite coasts).

Apples for apples

2008-01-15T10:49:00.000-05:00

It looks like both Troy Glaus and Scott Rolen passed their physicals and are now on their way to their new teams. Glaus is headed back to the NL to play third base for the Cardinals while Rolen will team up with fellow Blue Jay newcomer and former Cardinal teammate David Eckstein. This trade is a great "in need of new surroundings" trade and when you look at the two players involved, they're pretty much the same. "Apples-for-apples," a coworker called it. The only real differences between the traded players are that Glaus may hit a few more home runs while Rolen is a superior defender.

Both Glaus and Rolen should do well in their new homes. Glaus will figure to play better on St. Louis' grass field and his time missed due to injuries should decrease. Rolen will play better since he won't have to deal with Tony LaRussa, who he had a very public falling out with over the past year.

The only real question left is how will Rolen adapt to American League pitching? Glaus already spent time with Arizona and should have a rough idea about some staffs but Rolen will be starting fresh. The Jays better hope he's a quick study considering their competition.

The blame game

2008-01-14T13:12:00.001-05:00

Well division-playoff weekend was certainly a tale of two days. Saturday’s games went as predicted and had no real surprises while Sunday’s games were both upsets in the truest sense of the word. Now, in the case of upsets there’s only one thing a fan can really do over the next few days: assign blame.

So, to the start, the person most deserving of blame is Dallas’ quarterback, Tony Romo. I’m really starting to hope his late season meltdowns aren’t going to happen every year like they’re starting to. In the clutch, his failure to get rid of the ball followed by his intentional grounding penalty followed by the knife in the heart interception really killed the Cowboys.

Elisha Manning is getting some of my blame for eliminating my Cowboys as well. If he keeps up this roll, I might actually call him Eli instead of Elisha. One thing’s for sure though, playing in Dallas when they’re giving you the game is a lot different than playing in Lambeau. At least this Giants win insures a Brady-Favre Super Bowl matchup.

The other Manning, Peyton, doesn’t deserve as much blame as his receivers do. The running back who botched the goal line screen that would be picked off (One handed! While being blocked!) by a defensive lineman was a backbreaker. Dallas Clark’s drop to end the game was very bad as well. They did have some blind luck like Anthony Gonzalez not stepping out of bounds, but overall it was a bad day.

The Colts defence gets some blame too. How Darren Sproles can get loose like he did on that screen pass, I’ll never know but someone should have knocked him out of bounds.

As for Saturday’s tilts:

It may just be me (probably not though) but snow games are the best football games there are. It's certainly not because of the quality of play, which suffers because of the sub-par conditions, but because of the sheer aesthetics of the snow falling in the background. The beauty of a white-blanketed field is increased exponentially when it's Lambeau Field we're talking about as well. So, you've probably guessed by now that Saturday's Seattle-Green Bay tilt was one I rather enjoyed. And to match the serene beauty of the snow falling, Brett Favre and Co. (Ryan Grant in particular) had a great game and showed why they deserved their bye week. The worst part of the game was that I decided against picking Grant (201 yards rushing, 3 TDS) in a playoff pool I'm involved in.

Has anybody else noticed that the Patriots have turned into cowards and now play like nice guys by refusing to run up the score? What happened to their bad boy, F*** you attitude? Looks like they were just pretending to be bad asses. Maybe Belichick was acting like that to seem like a bad boy and try to steal somebody else's wife. The Jaguars did play them tough, but didn't we all figure that the Pats would win anyway? There were way too many articles floating around about how the Jags could win. Time to eat your words boys.

This week: 2-1-0
This playoffs: 3-2-1

The Intern's Hard Wood: Raps-Blazers

2008-01-14T11:56:00.000-05:00

As I was driving home from the ACC, I was still trying to process exactly what went down that afternoon. Bar none, this was the most exhilarating Raptor’s game of the year. Their game vs. the Jail blazers, I mean Portland Trail Blazers, had all the makings of a playoff game. It had many cheers and jeers and the all star play of Calderon, CB4 and rookie of the year Brandon Roy. Everyone showed up to play today, even Bargs. The only real knock against him today was that he got into foul trouble early. He really needs to learn to play with his feet instead of swinging his arms around like a drunken UFC fighter. Our guard play was exceptional though. They were led by my fav Spaniard numero ocho JOOOOOOOOOSE CALDERON. Yet another All-Star performance for him. He shot 70% from the field and was 3 for 4 from behind the arc, finished with 22 points and also dished 10 assists. VIVA LA SPAIN. Somebody needs to create a website to get Jose to New Orleans. Brandon Roy also had a fantastic game for the opposition, finishing with 33 points and 10 dimes, not to mention a 3-pointer at the end of the first OT to tie it up with two seconds left. But it was the resiliency of the Raps that kept them afloat in the two OTs and eventually led to them putting the Blazers down. I seriously hope the Raps can play with this much intensity tomorrow night because we have to play the hard-nosed Pistons at the Palace. Intern out.

The Intern's Hard Wood: Raps-Knicks

2008-01-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

After being sidelined with an acute case of lethargy, the Intern is back on the horn. First order of business is to dissect last night’s Raptors game against the dysfunctional Knicks. I must say there is something very uplifting about watching a team in the same conference meltdown right before your eyes. The Swarsky put it best when he said: “This is a terrible demonstration of basketball.” That one statement sums up the Knicks performance thus far this season. They play with no intensity and what seems like no leadership. Last night was no different. The ball was constantly getting stuck, there was very little movement and you can’t forget the fighting in the ranks. Zack Randolph got pulled in the second quarter and clearly didn’t appreatiate it too much because he had a few choice for his commander-in-chief which led to him riding pine for the rest of the game. The only real bright spots were the play of Nate Robinson who was actually trying to make an impact and the consistent effort from David Lee. As much as I like ragging on the Knicks, the Raptors didn’t have a fantastic game by any stretch of the imagination. The Knicks actually shot better than the Raps and had more assists but the difference maker was the Raps shot 85% at the charity stripe. I like making fun of Isiah just as much as the next sports fan but really how much farther do the Knicks have to fall before Dolan makes a change. This whole situation reminds me a lot of Tony Montana’s rise and tragic fall in Scarface, well actually scratch the whole rise part, just the tailspin Tony goes in just before he get shot in the back with a double-barrelled shotgun. That is the future for Thomas if he doesn’t quickly contain the mess he has created. Hot damn I love the NBA.

Onward and upward

2008-01-11T15:11:00.001-05:00

While wild-card weekend had some great games, we’re moving along to some even bigger ones. Who isn’t looking forward to Jacksonville-New England? A great match up of an underdog that everyone’s riding and a juggernaut. You have to figure that Indy-SD will be a shootout and fun to watch. Eli’s going to try to prove last week wasn’t a fluke and there might even be some snow at Lambeau for Sea-GB. I can hardly wait.

PACKERS (-7.5) over Seahawks

The Seahawks didn’t look that great against the Redskins last week and the Packers are MUCH better than Washington. Factor in Lambeau conditions and the fact that Seattle won’t be able to run the ball and you have all the makings for a big Brett Favre’s heart-sized win.

PATRIOTS (-13) over Jags

The Jags are a nice rough-and-tough football team that’s seemingly built for the playoffs. The Patriots might have one of the most talented teams ever and a ton of playoff experience. The Jags more than likely would have lost had they been called for holding on David Garrard’s 4-and-2 draw towards the end of the Steelers game. The most I’m hoping for out of Jacksonville is that they beat up on New England, maybe if inflict some injuries, but I don’t see them winning this one.

Chargers (+8) over COLTS

Well somebody has to cover, right? With Harrison back in the line up, Peyton’s finally going to show what he can do with a full offence instead of just Reggie Wayne and Joe Addai like he had for a few games. The Chargers have to get more out of LDT than they did last week and it’s not as if he’ll have to do much to top those 43 yards he gained against the Titans. Everything said, I see the Colts winning a barnburner of a game, by seven.

Giants (+7.5) at COWBOYS

Why am I scared of Eli Manning? Is there something wrong with me? This is the guy who broke the record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a game. He’s facing a defensive player of the year candidate and several other pro bowlers on defence. So why am I scared? Maybe because I’m a pessimist and, quite frankly, have been one all season while routing for God’s team. There’s just something, and I’m not sure what it is that doesn’t have me all the way sold on Dallas and it absolutely kills me to admit it since they’re my team. But never think, even for a second, that I won’t be cheering my heart out watching the game.

Last week: 1-2-1

Happy Anniversary

2008-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Running The Point — formerly known as Dan's Ramblings. It's been a great experience to write (almost) everyday here and voice my opinions no matter how smart, dumb, funny or irrational they have been. The start up of this site even helped get me a job at an award-winning daily newspaper's sports section. At least I like to think that about this pet-project.

Since the beginning of this humble site there has been literal tons of subjects to write about. From scandals to amazing performances and even scandals within amazing performances (looking your way Patriots), a lot has piqued my interest daily.

If I had to narrow down my favourite stories since this site's inception, they'd probably be broken down something like this:

3. The Beckham-to-LA saga.
I know that it didn't play out like the MLS probably wanted since he didn't make the biggest impact that he probably could've, but reading stories everyday about the English midfielder and icon was always fun. It may not be have been as big or newsy as some of the other happenings this past year (see honourable mentions below) but this is my list.

2. The undefeated, cheating Patriots.
I knew going into the season that New England was going to be good. But this good? Undefeated good? No way. But more interesting to me than their undefeated season was Spygate and what followed it. If the Patriots — especially Belichick and Brady — not acted like complete assholes by running up the score of games in F U fashion, they might not be as hated as they are now. I still, to this moment, have no idea why such a good team would be reduced to cheating like that.

1. The rise (and brief fall) of Tony Romo.
Sure, it's a biased choice since I'm a huge Cowboys fan but how many people laughed in the pre-season of 2006 when Romo was outplaying Drew Bledsoe and the Cowboys' season looked doomed? Romo has came all the way from being an undrafted free agent signee out of East Illinois to a two-time pro bowler leading arguably the best team in the NFC. If not for his botched snap gaffe in Seattle last playoffs, who knows what could've happened.

Honourable mentions: Michael Vick's dogfighting scandal, Barry Bonds vs. everyone, the NHL's slide into obscurity, baseball vs. steroids, LeBron continually stepping it up and ruling the NBA.

As for the upcoming year, this site will continue to grow and expand in several ways. A redesign is coming soon to make RTP more appealing to the eyes than this bland blogspot template. Getting some more out of the extremely lazy intern would also be nice and yes, he still does want to write apparently. Also, some more all-around improvements will come over time; perhaps even my writing will get better. There is still a lot to come here and sports never stop so neither will my writing.

And, of course, I'd be remiss to not give a big thank you to all of RTP's readers and fans for their support.

Celtic shocker!

2008-01-10T08:23:00.000-05:00

Did anybody outside of the Charlotte Bobcats locker room honestly expect the lowly 'cats to even stand a chance against the Celtics IN Boston? If you saw that coming you must be clairvoyant. Sure Ray Allen wasn't in the lineup and Big Baby also sat with a sore right knee, but that is no excuse to lose to a lottery-bound team when you have the best record in the league and Kevin Garnett still on the floor. So, let's not go pencilling in the Celtics for the NBA finals just yet, tonight they were proven vulnerable.

The Clemens mess

2008-01-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

Despite everything that's been written — in and out of the Mitchell report — I believe Roger Clemens. After all, are we not supposed to believe that people are innocent until proven guilty? This stance has nothing to do with a personal bias either. While I do like Clemens and consider him the best pitcher to ever toe the slab, I'd like to see some proof before hanging him.

Now that he's filed a defamation lawsuit against the man who pointed the finger at him, Brian McNamee, we will actually get to see this whole scenario play out in a court of law. If Clemens is indeed innocent, he will be vindicated. If he loses the lawsuit and lies on the stand about his use of banned substances, then he could be facing a perjury indictment a la Barry Bonds.

And why couldn't Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes ask the best question that a lot of people want to know: "Roger, why would your supposed friend try to frame you for this?" That's the one thing that could get me to turn against Clemens. There's no 'why'. Where is the motive? We will hopefully find out soon and get this out of the way before it takes press away from the upcoming season. A long dragging case will only hurt the game of baseball further.

But out of all of this one thing is certain: This situation, as a whole, was very poorly handled.

Wild Card Wrap

2008-01-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

The Chargers didn't even need a big day from LaDainian Tomlinson to defeat the overmatched Titans. 42 yards on 21 carries is not your average day from LDT and had Vince Young not sucked it up, the outcome may have been in his team's favour. But how different would this game have been if Pacman Jones was allowed to play? Having a good corner out there like him could have made the difference in stopping Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson down-field.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Bucs did pretty much everything they could to give Elisha and Co. the win and the right to face Dallas next week. After looking strong — nearly unbeatable — in the first quarter, Tampa Bay proceeded to fall apart and placed the game nicely in Manning's lap. The Bucs shoddy offensive line did little-to-nothing in trying to the stop the Giants' pass rush which looked unspottable.

Now, do I believe in Elisha now that's he's won on the road in the playoffs? Hell no. I'm probably jinxing it by saying this but Dallas should tear him a new one next week. I'm looking forward to — for the first time in my memory — a team beating a rival three times in one season. And let's all remember that the only road game that New York lost this season was in Dallas.

This week: 1-2-1

Wild Card weekend

2008-01-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

What a great finish to the Jacksonville - Pittsburgh game. First, Big Ben leading his team back from 18 down to grab a one point lead. Then David Garrard marching the Jags down the field — including a sick fourth down scramble — to set up a gift-wrapped, chip-in field goal. If it weren't for that failed two-point conversion that the Steelers botched, we would've seen a great overtime showdown. This game was the perfect example of why playoff football is better than any other type of game. The intensity, the physicality and the emotion were all topped up. Right down to Big Ben waiting around for Garrard to finish his post-game interview to congratulate him. You would never see Tom Brady even think about doing that.

Did anybody honestly think that Todd Collins would keep his hot hand going in Seattle, arguably one of the toughest places to visit in the NFL? There was a reason why this guy was riding the pine for the past ten years. If you pinned your money on a 36-year old back up quarterback against a team that is somewhat good, you might be an idiot.

I'm just going to bring this up briefly because I'm sure I could go on about this for a long, LONG time; Bill Belichick winning the coach of the year award is every bit as despicable as Shawne Merriman making the Pro Bowl last year after being suspended for steroid use. How does someone who was caught cheating and admitted to it awarded for his work? Anyone who voted for Belichick should mark down Barry Bonds on their hall of fame ballot when it comes in the mail. Thanks for supporting cheating everyone.

The man who deserved to the coach of the year the most was Green Bay's Mike McCarthy. What he's done with the youngest team in the league is nothing short of remarkable. Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio deserves some credit as well for his fine job in Jacksonville and Tony Dungy has had a lot of injuries to deal with this season and still has Indy on the right course.

As for today's games:

BUCS (-3) over Giants

Eli Manning on the road, more than likely playing without his usual starting centre is not good for the Giants of New York. They do have a chance if Elisha can limit his turnovers and their powerful defensive line can knock around Jeff Garcia which is entirely possible considering the Bucs are on their third string left tackle now. But Garcia has a habit of beating the Giants in the playoffs and I see that continuing.

Titans (+10) over San Diego

The way I see it is that Tennessee actually hung with the Chargers in San Diego a few weeks back and legitimately could have won the game. I also think that it would be better for the Titans if Kerry Collins starts in place of Vince Young. But, I really don't believe that the Titans can actually win this game. I just think ten points is too much to be giving in this match up.

This week: 1-0-1
This season: 111-117-10

For the record

2008-01-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

SEAHAWKS (-3.5) over Redskins
and
STEELERS (+2) over Jags

More tomorrow.

One the odder stories...

2008-01-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

In late 2007, a boxer from South Korea successfully defended his WBO intercontinental flyweight championship against a Thai foe. Now, Choi Yo-sam is dead. Almost immediately after being awarded the win on points, Choi collapsed and went into a coma. Yesterday he was declared brain-dead and his organs were donated for transplants.

After seeing the photos on the wire and needing something off-beat to run for that day's paper, with our tongues in our cheeks we ran a picture of Choi being attended to in the ring without knowing the severity of his condition. A regrettable move.

But really, how sensational of a story is it that he died having won his fight and his title? At you least, you'd have to think his last memory was a very pleasant one, hoisting his championship belt in the air for his fans to see.

A situation like this should also warrant a boxing-is-dangerous column, but we all should know the health risks of being punched in the head and we all know that boxers have to go through physicals before any fight to be certified. Deaths like Choi's are rare, but a harsh reminder that anything can happen.

College bowl mania!

2008-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit it: when it comes to the bowl time of the year for college football, I'm usually more excited than I am now. This college season seems like a dud to me despite some great stories like Notre Dame sucking and the Appalachian State upset at Michigan. I just don't really care about any of the teams or players this season. There's no true number one or two in my mind and I feel that hurts the game. Both Ohio State and LSU are flawed and have lost but are competing for the BCS crown. I'm not interested in seeing a number one crowned when I know for a fact that they've actually lost to another team earlier on.

As for the BCS system as a whole, I have no quarrels with it. Sure it's flawed and many would love to see a playoff system instituted in college ball, but if everyone has so much trouble picking two great teams to compete for number in one game, how in the world would they be able to pick the eight best? Imagine the controversy behind selecting the number eight seed out of all the one and two loss teams. At least if they did go to a playoff system, there wouldn't be any more yearly columns condemning the BCS anymore. But then we'd all have to deal with BCS supporters clamouring for an about face. What a lose/lose situation the NCAA has here.

And what about the results so far this year? Well the only team I cared about (My Nebraska Huskers) didn't make a bowl game and the other team I liked (Hawaii) just got absolutely murdered at the hands of UGA. There's always next year though.

The glory of the win

2007-12-31T13:57:00.001-05:00

Now, it’s not that I’ve never won a pool before or won a fantasy league championship, but this one was different. In my first year at an award-winning daily’s sports section, I was able to topple the guy who writes the Pools column to take the L’il Super Bowl. Now, for all of eternity, the name of Coney Island Whitefish will forever be enshrined via a banner hanging from the newsroom ceiling. It was an even more memorable win as after the 4 p.m. games, I was trailing by 6 with only Rod Bironas left to play. When Bironas nailed (what turned out to be) the game-winning, 54-yard field goal to give the Titans a playoff spot, he also clinched the title for me. Emotions ran high for some while dreams were crushed for others.

Now for the playoffs, congratulations to the Titans and Redskins who both earned the wild card spots in their respective divisions while none of the other games really had any relevance. The Titans are sure to run into disappointment with a first round loss to San Diego but the Redskins may have a shot at taking out Seattle. Washington has been hot since Jason Campbell went down and Todd Collins stepped in and wowed everyone by being surprisingly competent. As for the Cowboys and Patriots, the number one seeds, they both have looked shaky coming into playoffs and it’ll be interesting to see how much they can do to remedy their problems with a bye. I’d rather back a two-seed right now than the struggling no. ones.

And as for my picks for this site, well, you can’t win them all; unless you cheat like the Patriots that is.

This week: 8-7
This season: 111-117-10

The battle for mediocrity

2007-12-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

There was no possible way this week that I could rest my starters for the playoffs with a record like the one I'm sporting. I need to get ten games right this week to hit the .500 mark but that's without figuring in ties to the equation. As if I'd do the math on that; I got into writing for a reason. Although it is strange that numbers and equations still do play a huge part of my life in sports. As for the picks, let's hope I'm clutch this time around.

Patriots (-13.5) over GIANTS

With the entire world seemingly watching, the Patriots will finish the season with a convincing win over the Giants. It doesn't even matter if New York plays its' starters, Tom and Co. will be playing too, trying to get him the passing TD record as well as make it to 16-0

Bills (+7.5) over EAGLES

How about now? Can we see Kevin Kolb now? Please? For a quarter at least?

BUCS (+2) over Panthers (-2)

The Bucs have nothing to gain but resting their starters and semi-injured guys doesn't mean that Matt Moore will pick them apart.

Bengals (-3) over DOLPHINS

Here's to hoping that Ocho Cinco comes through for me in my fantasy title game.

Cowboys (+9) at REDSKINS

The Redskins are fighting for the last NFC playoff spot and Dallas will be in full-on rest mode but you have to figure in the fierce rivalry between these two teams will keep it competitive.

PACKERS (-4) over Lions

Aaron Rodgers proved he wasn't that bad when he stepped in against Dallas a few Thursdays ago. The Lions are no Cowboys.

Jaguars (-6.5) over TEXANS

Another case of a team resting their players and the line only semi-reflects that. Surprisingly, I have confidence in Quinn Gray and the Jags second-stringers.

Saints (-2) over BEARS

With the playoffs on the line, I would think the Saints would be favoured by a bit more. More importantly, how many of the three current Bears QBs will even have jobs next year. They need to shore up that committee something fierce.

Steelers (-3.5) over RAVENS

I used my last move on Najeh Davenport to start in place of the banged up and resting Joe Addai. Here's hoping it pans out.

FALCONS (-3) over Seahawks

Seattle has nothing to really play for here and aren't as good as anyone could lead you to believe.

Niners (+10) over BROWNS

If the Niners win, they play spoilers and ruin the Browns feel-good season. They also would give the Pats a worse pick in the upcoming draft. And 10 points is a bit much.

COLTS (+6.5) over Titans

I don't care if it's the backups or not. If I see the Titans giving points to the Colts, I'm taking them.

Vikings (-3) over BRONCOS

AP and CT will run rampant over the Broncos D while trying to secure their spot in the big dance.

Chargers (-8) over RAIDERS

Jamarcus Russell playing against the white-hot San Diego Chargers? Sorry kid, but I look forward to seeing you next year.

CARDINALS (+6) over Rams

Kurt Warner is playing for a job somewhere next year. He should continue his fine season against this weak Rams' defence.

Chiefs (+6.5) over JETS

What an ugly match up. Has there every been a least interesting match up? There's no fantasy guys involved, no playoff ramifications; just plain bad football.

Last week: 3-11-1
This season: 103-110-1

Boxing Day shopping

2007-12-27T11:09:00.000-05:00

The Padres certainly got a Boxing Day deal when they inked Mark Prior to a one-year, $1 million deal. Prior may be oft (read: always) injured but has a ton of potential that he could tap in a place like San Diego. Seriously though, craptastic pitchers like Josh Towers make more money than a guy with huge upside like Prior? This is a risk/reward deal for sure but at a low price of $1 million in this day and age, there's no loser to be seen. If he hits all of the incentives in the deal, he can make up to $3 million which would be an even better bargain when you consider that he would be pitching well enough to earn that return. That is unless Prior bombs horribly, but then it's just a few games a few dollars lost. In his career, he's 42-29 with an ERA of 3.51; far better than any other pitcher to earn a contract of the little amount Prior signed for. And kudos to the Padres and Prior for giving me something to write about on an otherwise slow day.

Kobe racks up 20,000

2007-12-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

Black Mamba is now the youngest player to score 20,000 points in the NBA. Now that's saying something. If you think about it, he has a chance to become the highest scoring player in NBA history if he stays healthy throughout the rest of his career. 20 years down the road, I'm going to look back and remember how dominant Kobe Bryant was. It's not an overstatement to say he's reached legendary status already, before he's even turned 30.

As for the future, it'd be tough to not see Lebron taking the "youngest to 20,000" mantle from Kobe in a few years time. I'd even put money on it if I could.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T15:20:00.001-05:00

For Christmas this year I’ve gotten all readers of this site a very special present: a reason to hate the New England Patriots even more. Now, I’m sure we’ve all noticed and heard about the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor and the various tributes around the league. One of these tributes happened to be every team in sporting a number 21 decal on the back of their helmets. Just thought that you should know that the first team to do away with the patch was the Patriots on Sunday. These arrogant jerks are too consumed with themselves and their potential perfect season that they refuse to honour a slain comrade. Shame on you New England Patriots; if I saw any of you in the streets (especially Tom Brady) I would spit in your face.

Thanks to Brett Favre and the Packers falling apart against the Bears, Dallas now has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and an inside track to a Super Bowl berth. Let’s all remember now that Brett Favre, in his illustrious career, has never won in Texas Stadium. I’m feeling better about this Cowboy season every day.

With only a week left to play, only a few teams have something left to play for. New Orleans, Washington and Minnesota are all still fighting for the last playoff spot in the NFC. In the AFC, Cleveland and Tennessee are the only two teams who don’t know whether to book plane tickets to playoff destinations or to holiday escapes. In the end, it doesn’t really matter who makes it in. Playing against well-rested four seeds on their home turf the week after next doesn’t bode well for teams that struggle to even make it in.

This week: 3-10-1 (with Denver +8.5 tonight)
This season: 103-109-10

Fantasy fall out

2007-12-23T10:50:00.000-05:00

What a debacle.

Is there anything worse than having to root against your favourite team? It has to be one of the worst parts of playing fantasy football, especially at this time of year where your fantasy team is in the playoffs and your NFL squad is fighting for a spot or position. Last night's Dallas-Carolina tilt was the first time I've truly had to deal with the possible scenario of routing for the 'Boys not to score. You see, my opponents happened to be the number one ranked team in the league and were standing between me and a date with the finals. This week, he decided to start Tony Romo, Patrick Crayton, Nick Folk and Dallas defence & special teams. While it surely could've been worse, I was happy with the outcomes of the night (Dallas wins 20-13, Whitefish only down 11 with entire lineup playing Sunday).

And also, I'm glad that T.O. will have plenty of time to rest his high ankle sprain before playing a meaningful game any time soon.

Bad break for Pittsburgh

2007-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

You've got to feel a bit bad for Pittsburgh right now and any who started Willie Parker for their fantasy championship game only have him injured on the first play of the game against St. Louis. Losing the NFL's leading rusher is not going to help the Steelers in the playoffs two weeks from now; especially if they have to face a tough defense like Jacksonville's.

Dallas (-10.5) at CAROLINA

If I actually bet on or even picked Cowboys games, I would take the Panthers in this one. Romo's thumb injury and a line that high seems like a good combination to me. Also, apparently, the Eagles game wasn't the first that Jessica's attended this season meaning that it's just a bad idea for Tony's girlfriend du jour to attend home games against Philly.

Packers (-8.5) over BEARS

With Kyle Orton at the helm again and the Packers fighting for home-field advantage it's hard to pick against Green Bay. It may be a close game just because these two teams are bitter division rivals, but I doubt it.

Browns (-3) over BENGALS

Really? only three points for a possible division winner against a floundering 5-9 team? Would anyone not take the Browns here?

PATRIOTS (-22) over Dolphins

The Pats have had a string of close games recently but since they're playing against the nearly winless Dolphins at home in a cold-weather scenario, it's easy to think that 22 points is too low of a line.

Texans (+7) over COLTS

The Colts should be resting their starters about halfway through this one. The Texans are talented enough to keep it close against the Colts second-stringers.

LIONS (-5) over Chiefs

Two teams that have some serious off-season thinking to do. I wouldn't put money on either team but a pick has to be made. And whatever happened to the Lions team that was leading the league in interceptions a few weeks ago? What happened to that defence?

VIKINGS (-6.5) over Redskins

Interesting fantasy development of the week: I have Chester Taylor starting while my opponent has Adrian Peterson. I'm sure he has an advantage here but this makes for a very interesting carries-oriented subplot. Who gets more and who's in for goal-line TD vulture dives? Please let it be Chester.

SAINTS (-3) over Eagles

The Saints have something to play for, the Eagles don't. It's as simple as that.

BILLS (+3) over Giants

Can you actually believe that the Bills will lose with Kevin Everett in attendance? Any emotional boost like that can do wonders. Also, I'm not so sure that the Bills deserve to be the 'dog in this one; the Giants are choking and Elisha's playing on the road.

JAGUARS (-13) over Raiders

Maybe next year Oakland... Maybe next. And how about the Jags being the best five-seed in recent memory? A 12-4 wild card team is scary for some week division winners like the Browns, Chargers and beaten up Steelers.

Jets (+8.5) over TITANS

When anyone questions why Vince Young isn't performing as well as last year, why is the first and only answer not "the Madden Curse"? All this hub-bub isn't for nothing people.

Bucs (-6) over NINERS

The Niners are a sad, sad team.

CARDINALS (-10) over Falcons

Kurt Warner's playing for a 2008 contract. At least I hope he is for the sake of my beloved Coney Island Whitefish.

SEAHAWKS (-10.5) over Ravens

I will never argue against Seattle at home. These Ravens just keep on finding ways to lose as well.

Broncos (+8.5) over CHARGERS

The Broncos still have some fight left in them and shouldn't be given this many points. As for the playoffs, the Chargers might get that first-round win but they're not even coming close against Indy or New England on the road.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 5-10
This season: 100-99-9