Stuart Scott's Eye

Second Annual Stu's Eye Bracket Showdown

2009-03-19T02:05:00.007-04:00

It's that time of the year again folks. March f'n Madness!

We all know it, we all love it. It's the time of the year where you pour over your brackets, join office pools, don't go to work, skip classes and just enjoy the best two days of the sports calendar year.

This year, as last year, K-Mart and I will go mano e mano in what will be the Thunderdome of bracket showdowns.

There will be blood raining from the skies, the skies will darken, families will cower in fear and children will cry when it's all said and done.

Or we'll both just sit in the dark holding our brackets wondering where it all went so hideously wrong.

You know, what happens every year.

Tom's Bracket:

K-Mart's Bracket:

"CURSED" NO MORE!

2008-10-29T22:05:00.004-04:00

WE DID IT!!!!!!!! 25 YEARS OF LOSING IS OVER!

For the first time in my life, a Philadelphia team has won the championship. I couldn't be happier. This feels good.

Overrated? Nah.

2008-10-26T14:51:00.004-04:00

One can only be wondering what was going through Terrelle's mind in that picture... I hope it's something like "I should have gone to Penn State". If anyone missed the Penn State/Ohio State game last night, shame on you. It's probably the best game I've seen since... well the 2005 Penn State/Ohio State game (and I'm not just saying that because we won). In a college football season that has seen two top ten teams combine to score 90 points (I thought the SEC was known for defense?), seen the Big 12 quarterbacks put up insane passing numbers, and is seeing Michigan get ready to miss the postseason for the first time in 34 years, Penn State and Ohio State reminded everyone that low scoring, hard hitting defensive games are just as exciting as watching Georgia beat LSU 52-38.

Penn State came into this game ranked 3rd in the nation, and were actually favored against #10 Ohio State even though it has been 30 years since Penn State beat Ohio State in Columbus. Despite being favored, everyone and their mother was picking against Penn State this game... admittedly, even myself. The game stayed close throughout the game, and was a near mirror of the 2006 Penn State/Ohio State tilt. Both teams struggled to do anything on offense in the first half until Darryl Clark found Graham Zug wide open for a 46 yard pass. Unfortunately, Penn State went right back to struggling on offense and had to settle for a FG. Ohio State came right back and engineered a nice drive and tied it up as the half ended. Ohio State added another field goal in the third quarter, as Kevin Kelly missed one early in the 4th. Ohio State moved into their clock killing drive when... Terrelle Pryor ruined everything. He neglected to follow the planned play and tried to bounce a QB sneak outside when Mark Rubin came in and jarred the ball lose. Pryor was about to fall on the ball when Tyrell Sales made a heads up play and batted it away and Navarro Bowman eventually recovered on OSU's 38. Pat Devlin came in for the injured Darryl Clark, and Penn State's running game finally started to gain some traction. A few Evan Royster runs and a pass interference call on OSU landed Penn State at OSU's 1 yard line when Devlin ran it in for the touchdown and the lead. Penn State stymied Ohio State on their next drive, and then Royster took over and used his legs to drive Penn State into field goal territory. Kelly didn't miss this time and Penn State took a 13-6 lead. Pryor had one more shot to tie the game, but he threw an interception to Lydell Sargent in the endzone and that iced the game.

Downtown State College exploded once the game ended and all of Penn State emptied into Beaver Avenue to celebrate (read: riot). It was pretty well controlled until the riot police decided that they were tired of us being out there and started macing the crowd. I myself had a cop go out of his way to elbow me in the stomach. I'm not pleased with how they handled themselves.

But Penn State proved they belong. They have an excellent shot at going 12-0, and with a little bit of luck, they could be playing for a national title come January. LETS GO STATE!

We Have a Fever, the Only Cure is... Less Cowbell?

2008-10-21T23:38:00.011-04:00

So the 2008 World Series is upon us. This season it pits the NL East Champions Philadelphia Phillies against the AL East Champions Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies are trying to end a 25 year title drought in the city of Philadelphia, while the Rays are trying to complete their worst-to-first run in typical Disney style. Tom and I decided it was a good idea to break down what we're expecting from this series.
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K-Mart's Prediction

What's Good:
We aren't seeing Manny vs. Boston. Two weeks ago, ESPN was fawning over the chance of having Manny Ramirez and his LA Dodgers to exact some measure of revenge against Boston for the tumultuous end he experienced there. It's also nice to see two high powered offenses go at it in one of the friendliest hitter's parks in the nation, Citizens Bank Park. This likely won't be a quick series either. I can't fathom either team sweeping this series.

What's Bad:
The faux fans in Tampa get validation for being fans for about a month. We have to listen to them shaking their cowbells and Dick Vitale rail on how "his" Rays are awesome. Jamie Moyer breaks down again.

What to Expect:
Cowbells in Tampa, raucous fans in Philly. Lot's of scoring. The Phils bullpen proves the difference in this series.

The Prediction:
Phillies win in 5. They steal game one in Tropicana Field, then sweep their games at home. The Phillies really want to win this at home.

The MVP:
Chase Utley. Utley continues his hot streak and finally starts driving in some runs.
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T. Kinslow's Prediction

What's Good: No more FrankTV ads and the rest of TBS' awful postseason coverage. God that was so bad. Like really bad. It was Seussical bad. Chip Carey is terrible, he was slurping the Rays all postseason long and really just had a lack of professionalism. Buck Martinez was...well...Buck Martinez, which mean's he's horrendous. Whoever that other guy was terible too. Also, tell Craig Sager to get his ass to the Men's Warehouse and get a real suit.

What's Bad: The sound of cowbells ringing in your ears long after the series has ended. Man those things are awful. They just sum up why I hate that loser fan base. Combine that with the blue Mohawks and we should just lump them into the Axis of Evil right now.

Axis of Evil

Iraq
Iran
North Korea
Tampa Bay Rays Fans

What to Expect: Home runs, and lots of them, especially in that homer dome in Philadelphia.

The Prediction: Phils in six. Anyone but Tampa, go Phils.

The MVP: Shane Victorino. It's always guys like Victorino that usually walk away with the MVP award. He should have won the NLCS MVP so look for Victorino to have another big series.

The City of Tampa Bay Can Sit On Their Thumbs

2008-10-20T00:49:00.006-04:00

There, I said it.

This group of "fans" makes me wanna wretch. Just look at all of them dancing around with those fresh Rays caps on, with the tags still on them. They can take their annoying ass cowbells and sit on them. The fans suck, the stadium sucks, the city sucks and they don't deserve to enjoy a winning baseball team. I hope the Rays move to a city that will always support them. I don't care where, it could be in Moscow, Russia and go by the name the Moscow Bolsheviks for all I care.

I don't get what it is with these loser cities that don't go all year to watch these teams, then they make the playoffs and they all act like they're diehards. They should be put in a rocket and fired directly into the sun. I really hope that the Phillies destroy them. I mean just bludgeon them into a slow, painful, merciful end.

As good as the Rays were, and they were the better team, I just don't get how Joe Maddon gets so much credit. He overmanaged the whole series and nearly cost his team a trip to the World Series. How many high draft picks did Tampa have for years? I mean, if this were a football team, people would be like, well it's about time they made something of themselves. But all of a sudden Joe Maddon is a genius. Give me a break. If he's a genius, Terry Francona's a member of MENSA...and he's a moron.

On another note, if TBS gets another playoff game again, I'll cry. Chip Carey is awful, I'm sick of hearing about FrankTV, and if I come home to see Steve Harvey on my TV when a ball game should be on again, I may hurt someone.

Turning my attention to the Red Sox....

Go away Jason Varitek. Go far, far, far, FAR away. Go so far away that I forget who you even were. You fossil. You had one hit, ONE HIT in the whole series. You couldn't even call a good game anymore. How many fastballs can you throw to Evan Longoria before you realize that he's going to hit them, and far. You suck, that is all.

Coco Crisp, die slow. Learn how to slide in to second you jackass.

Alex Cora, go away. I'm looking at you too Julio Lugo.

I've never seen a team get so far with 7-9 hitters so pathetic. I mean every time I saw the names Varitek, Cora, Kotsay and someone I'm forgetting, I knew we were going hitless. Something needs to be done about that in the offseason.

Make a play for Mark Texieria and try to move Lowell for bullpen help. Combine that with a trade for one of Texas' young catchers and we're in business. Make sure Jed Lowrie is the starter next year at shortstop and try to get Jacoby Ellsbury's head out of his ass.

Yes, I'm bitter. Tampa doesn't deserve this team. Go Phils.

The March to 100: Win #99

2008-10-15T23:49:00.003-04:00

This was the big one. The Phillies up 3-1 on the Dodgers in the NLCS pull off a HUGE win against Manny Ramirez and the rest of the Dodgers. Jimmy Rollins started off the game with a lead-off homerun. Sound familiar? He did the same thing against the Brewers last series and they clinched the series in that game. Ryan Howard had a big game going 3 for 4. Shane Victorino had a great game out in the field, and Cole Hamels was his usual shut down self for 7 innings. Ryan Madson came in gassed up and was throwing 97 miles an hour before giving way for Lights-Out-Lidge in the 9th. I can't believe it. 4 more games!

This is it Boys!

2008-10-15T16:21:00.003-04:00

Phils @ Dodgers. Game 5. Phils hold a 3-1 series lead. Cole Hamels who has been lights out this post season goes up against Chad Billingsly who the Phils knocked around for 8 runs in game 2.

I talked to my panel of experts today about their thoughts about tonight's game. This is what I got:

Greg Martin: Are you just looking for blog fodder?

Woody Decasere: 6-2 Phillies

Wayne Deitrich: Hamels goes 6, gives up 3 runs. Madson then lidge. Billingsley rocked early. We score 8. I feel like Feliz and Utley have a big game tonight. LA fans are the worst, they have given up already. I've got my 1980 Phillies stein with the Inquirer page printed on it. I'M ALL SET TO ROCK!

So there you have it.

My prediction? Phillies win 4-1. Lidge stays perfect on saves.

Penn State Video

2008-10-13T15:35:00.001-04:00

#6 Penn State at #26 Wisconsin Live Blog

2008-10-11T20:01:00.054-04:00

8:01 PM- Penn State kicks off, Wisky returns to their 15. 1st and 10

8:03 PM- Navarro Bowman tackles PJ Hill for a loss on 3rd and 2. Punt upcoming.

8:05 PM- It's good to see Jordan Norwood back on the field. Derrick Williams drops a ball at the 5. He's got the dropsies. 3rd and 5.

8:06 PM- Darryl Clark fumbles the snap. 4th and 8. Punt upcoming. Touchback.

8:07 PM- First impressions: Penn State's defense looks good, Penn State's offense has the jitters, but should roll once they settle down.

8:10 PM- Wisconsin red shirt freshman halfback John Clay could be dangerous this game.

8:12 PM- 3rd and 8 for Wisconsin. Aaron Maybin with the sack! Punt upcoming. SHANKED! 1st and 10 for Penn State at their own 48.

8:15 PM- Penn State with their first first down. 1st and 10 at Wisconsin's 41.

8:17 PM- Darryl Clark throws underneath on 3rd and 5. 4th and 2 on Wisconsin's 33. Kevin Kelley hits a 50 yard field goal. 3-0 Penn State

8:21 PM- Penn State kicks off. Wisconsin returns to the Wisc. 20. 1st and 10.

8:21 PM-(20:21:01) Tom: you know why it took awhile
(20:21:05) Tom: for people to hop on
(20:21:08) Tom: old people move slow
(20:21:11) K-Mart: LOL
(20:21:18) Tom: put that in the live blog lol

8:22 PM- Wisconsin has only called run plays so far.

8:23 PM- Everidge sacked again. Both times Wisconsin has tried to pass, he's been sacked. Ollie Ogbu this time. 4th and 9. Punt upcoming.

8:26 PM- Penn State 1st and 10 from their 44.

8:28 PM- Wisconsin has too many men on the field and calls timeout before Penn State can run a play.

8:29 PM- Espn runs a Wisconsin commercial featuring Wisconsin's band... I'm not sure that's the part of Wisconsin I'd want to promote right now...

8:31 PM- Penn State punts, Wisconsin ball at their own 10.

8:33 PM- Wisconsin actually gets a pass off. Incomplete. Punting from their 15. Wisconsin's punter sucks. Penn State's starting postion- their own 29, their own 48 their own 44 and their own 49.

8:34 PM- End of the first quarter. Cake time.

8:38 PM- Oklahoma St. beating Mizzou 7-3. Florida beating LSU 10-0. BYU beating New Mexico 21-3. New York Rangers beating Philadelphia Flyers 4-1.

8:39 PM- Darryl Clark hits Jordan Norwood for 20 yards. 1st and 10 on the Wiscsonsin 17.

8:41 PM- Darryl Clark rush up the middle on 3rd and 5. 1st and Goal from the 3.

8:43 PM- Option. Evan Royster with a 2 yard TD run. 10-0 Penn State. Ashley A-frames: 1

8:53 PM- D-Will with a 61 yard punt return for a TD! 17-0 Penn State. Ashley A-frames: 1

8:59 PM- 1st and goal Wisconsin from Penn State's 4.

9:03 PM- Wisconsin scores. 17-7. Penn State needs to score again.

9:10 PM- Penn State punts. The returner doesn't call for a fair catch and got pasted at the 15. Plus an illegal block in the back. Wisconsin ball at their own six.

9:11 PM- Everidge fumbles! Penn State ball at Wisconsin's 17. 1st and 10.

9:13 PM- Clark to the endzone! Pass interference. Clark with a two yard sneak- TD! 24-7.

9:23 PM- Everidge sacked again.

9:25 PM- 24-7 at the half.

9:45 PM- Start of the second half. Darryl Clark hits a Deion Butler and Derrick Williams for consecutive first downs.

9:50 PM- Clark throws on 4 consecutive plays then runs it in for 6. Play under review again. We think it's cuz he's black. 31-7.

9:57 PM- Wisconsin's left tackle is down. It doesn't look good.

10:00 PM- Evan Royster tackled for a loss. First negative play of the day for Penn State.

10:03 PM- 3rd and 20 from Penn State's 7, Clark complete to Norwood for 21 yards. Yea.

10:06 PM- Wisconsin holds Deion Butler and he still gets open for an easy 44 yard TD reception. 38-7.

10:12 PM- Interception Lydell Sargent!

10:16 PM- Stephon Green tackled for a loss. That's two negative plays in the 3rd quarter. SHAPE UP O-LINE!

10:17 PM- Wisconsin's playing the Rocky theme through the P.A. system. I take offense to that. Get your own folk heroes!

10:19 PM- Kevin Kelley hits a 30 yarder for a 41-7 lead.

10:22 PM- 3:08 left in the 3rd quarter and the back-up QB is in for Wisconsin and goes 2-2 on his first two completions. He just equaled Everidge's output for the day in two plays.

10:25 PM- Backup QB Dustin Sherer throws an int to Lydell Sargent at the PSU 2. Returned to Wisconsin territory. Wisconsin now chanting "Let's Get Wasted!"

10:33 PM- Clark makes his second mistake of the season. Interception Wisconsin. Game's in hand though.

10:38 PM- Mark Rubin with the INT!

10:42 PM- Interception called back. That was a bad call.

10:45 PM- Backups in the game.

10:52 PM- Penn State comes oh-so-close to a safety.

10:57 PM- Wisconsin is getting chippy. Roughed up Pat Devlin well after the play.

10:59 PM- ESPN reveals they voted Penn State as having the most iconic jerseys in college football.

11:01 PM- Devlin sneaks up the middle for a TD. 48-7. The backup kicker is in.

11:04 PM- Just for the heck of it- Eli Manning.

11:06 PM- Todd Blackledge on Wisconsin's remaining schedule: "If I'm a Wisconsin fan, by the time we get to Cal Poly, I don't care anymore."

11:08 PM- Sherer gets DRILLED on an incomplete pass. 13 seconds left.

11:09 PM- GAME OVER! 48-7. "Penn State is back and really really good this year." - The other announcer that isn't Todd Blackledge.

#12 Penn State vs. #22 Illinois

2008-09-26T01:43:00.003-04:00

STOP HYPING PENN STATE BECAUSE OREGON STATE BEAT USC. It doesn't mean anything. USC would have won that game: a) Had it been played anywhere else, or b) 9/10 times. Penn State is not better than USC because they beat Oregon State. That's faulty logic. Yes, Penn State looks great right now, but we still haven't proven anything yet. OSU had to travel cross country and play in the toughest stadium in all of football, that's a daunting task for any team. So please, please do not overhype Penn State until we start beating real teams. I don't want to anger the College Football Gods.

Anyways, Penn State's first real test rolls into Beaver Stadium this week. #22 Illinois comes in riding a 3 point victory over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Not exactly a stellar win, nor a win that strikes fear into the heart of opponents. Penn State is coming off a 45-3 drubbing of Temple. A game in which they blitzed 0 times and came up with seven official sacks, and at least five more plays that i thought should have counted as sacks. Again, a victory over Temple isn't exactly something to be awed about either, but Penn State's defense looked the best it has all season while facing possibly the best QB they had to handle to date. This will be a statement win for whomever pulls out the victory in the end.

Offense:
Penn State's offense is fourth in the nation in scoring, while Illinois put up 42 on Mizzou before looking anemic vs. the Cajuns and looking shaky against Eastern Illinois. Illini QB Juice Williams will be the key to Illinois attack as he is a threat to pass and rush. His main target will be wide receiver Arrelious Benn, who had a monster year last year, and had a monster game against Mizzou, but has only had 58 yards on 8 catches over his past two games. If Penn State can shut down the passing game and force Illinois to run, the Illini are in trouble. Williams has been the team's leading rusher this season after the departure of Rashard Mendenhall. His replacement, Daniel Dufrene, has averaged 6.7 yards a carry this season, but hasn't found the endzone. The Illini also have depth issues at RB and will be without their starting right tackle.

Penn State on the other hand has dominated on the ground and through the air this season. They have a very balanced attack, as they've averaged 274 rushing yards per game and 264 passing. Evan Royster leads the way with 379 yards and 7 TDs on just 47 carries. He's averaging 8.1 yards a carry. He's been spelled by redshirt freshman Stephon Green who as blazing speed and has made defenders miss to the tune of 292 yards on 40 carries for a 7.3 yards per carry average and 4 TDs. Penn State also throws the ball around pretty well as they have speedster do-it-all WR Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood (best hands in the nation) and Deion Butler who always seems to come up with a big play. Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin have been splitting snaps at QB. Clark has completed 61.5% of his passes for 7 TDs and 1 INT. Devlin has completed 51% of his passes for 2 TDs and 0 INTs and the 3rd string QB Paul Cianciolo has gotten in the mix and tossed 1 TD pass in his five completions this season. Oh, and Penn State's offensive line just happens to be the best in the Big 10.

Edge: Penn State

Defense:
Illinois defense gave up 52 to Mizzou, 21 to Eastern Illinois and 17 to Louisiana-Lafayette. Penn State on the other hand has allowed 10 to Coastal Carolina, 14 to Oregon State, 13 to Syracuse and 3 to Temple. Penn State's d-line has provided constant pressure this season without getting very creative or blitzing very often. With Abe Koroma and Maurice Evans coming back, this could be a long day for Juice Williams and the Illini offensive line.

Edge: Penn State

Prediction:
It's a white-house, Penn State is rolling and Illinois isn't going to stop them. Williams will give the Penn State defense all they can handle... for about a quarter.

Penn State 38, Illinois 17

The Detroit Pistons Sign The Black Darko

2008-07-29T02:36:00.003-04:00

Kwame Brown's search for another fresh start is taking him back to the Eastern Conference.

The center and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a two-year deal -- including a player option for the second season -- worth $8 million, team president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told The Associated Press on Monday night.

This is atrocious. Note to Joe Dumars -- set down the crack pipe and put down the phone because this is the worst free agent signing in recent memory. Not only did you give this guy a contract. You gave him eight million dollars over two years WITH a player option. This guy is pathetic. There's no mincing words. He's garbage. Joe Dumars has just paid Kwame Brown 8 million dollars to watch basketball for two years because there is no chance in hell this guy sees meaningful minutes.

I just want to know what was going through Joe Dumars' mind when he picked up the phone to call Kwame Brown's agent, I really do, because this is the most mystifying thing I've witnessed from him since he took over. What happened to big changes Joe? What happened to re-tooling this team? Picking up a guy to sit in Darko's old spot next to the towel boys is not re-tooling this team. This better be the start of a bigger move because if myself and the rest of the Pistons' fans have to watch this pile of garbage in a Pistons uniform, it is a slap in the face to this fanbase to try and pawn this guy off on us like he has talent when we know he has none.

Hell, even Kwame knows he's a piece of trash. He should show up to the press conference in a ski mask and a white canvas bag with a dollar sign on it because this guy is going to be stealing paychecks.

ESPN: Dumars: Brown agrees to two-year deal with Pistons

VAMOS!

2008-07-06T17:01:00.004-04:00

Rafael Nadal FINALLY breaks through and wins Wimbledon in what is quite possibly the best final in Wimbledon history. Nadal raced out to a two sets to none lead, before a rain delay halted the third set. Roger Federer came out from the delay to take the third and fourth sets in tiebreakers, but Nadal came through in the fifth set, breaking Federer at 7-7 and then holding on for the win. The final score was 6-4 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(8) 9-7. Nadal broke up Federer's bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon final and kept Federer without a Slam title so far in 2008. Federer has one last shot to win a Slam this season, otherwise it will be the first time since 2003 that Federer has not won at least one Slam title.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-04T16:32:00.001-04:00

Enjoy the hot dogs, fireworks, burgers and the baseball.

The Championships, Wimbledon

2008-06-22T22:40:00.005-04:00

Ahh can you smell it? It's the scent of freshly cut grass in late June, which can mean only one thing, it's time to break out the white clothing and head on over to rainy England for The Championships, Wimbledon. Power tennis at its finest will be on display here over the next fortnight (a favorite word of the British announcers) as Roger Federer looks to win his first Grand Slam of 2008, his sixth straight Wimbledon title and his 13 overall Slam title. Here's hoping to some fine tennis in the country where tradition and custom is as much a part of the atmosphere as the tennis itself. But first, a quick look at some of the contenders:

Men's Draw:

#1 Roger Federer
Roger Federer has had, for the most part, a forgettable season. He has won a grand total of two titles to date, a feat he generally achieves the second week of February. Federer rebounded from his horrendous loss to Rafael Nadal in the finals at the Roland Garros to win the Gerry Weber Open and extend his winning streak on grass (he hasn't lost on the surface in about six years). Has Federer finally found his form or is he destined to lose to Nadal again?

#2 Rafael Nadal
Only three men have played in the last four Wimbledon finals, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal. Nadal has played in the last two Wimbledon finals and pushed Federer to five sets last year. It is clear that Nadal has raised his game of grass, and Bjorn Borg has gone on record as saying "If Nadal can get through the first couple of rounds at Wimbledon, he can win it". That's high praise from the man that Rafa is trying to emulate.

#3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is having his best season on tour so far, he has won one Slam this year and reached the semi's of the other. Grass is much more suited to his game and he should breeze through to the semi's where he would most likely meet Federer. He managed to beat Federer in one Slam this year, can he do it again?

#6 Andy Roddick
This has been a so-so year for Andy Roddick. He's been injured and had a poor showing at the Australian Open, but he has beaten Nadal and Djokovic en route to a tournament win earlier this season. Roddick knows how to win on grass, and used to be the second best player on it, being a runner up twice to Federer at Wimbledon. A favorable draw could have him easily in the semi's, but that all depends on whether or not he's fully healed from the back problem that sidelined him at Roland Garros.

Quarterfinal Predictions:
#1 Roger Federer v. #11 Tomas Berdych
#3 Novak Djokovic v. #7 David Nalbandian
#4 Nikolay Davydenko v. #6 Andy Roddick
#2 Rafael Nadal v. #12 Andy Murray

Semifinal Predictions:
Federer v. Djokovic
Nadal v. Roddick

Finals Prediction
Federer v. Nadal

Champion
Nadal

Women's Quarterfinals Predictions
#1 Ana Ivanovic v. #8 Anna Chakvetadze
#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova v. #6 Serena Williams
#9 Dinara Safina v. #3 Maria Sharapova
#2 Jelena Jankovic v. #10 Daniela Hantuchova

Women's Semifinals Predictions
Ivanovic v. Williams
Jankovic v. Sharapova

Finals Predictions
Ivanovic v. Sharapova

Champion
Sharapova

Doubles Champion
Bob and Mike Bryan

I'm Moving...

2008-06-19T22:06:00.003-04:00

To the few of you that actually read this... I'm moving to my very own hockey blog, brawling for brotherly love. I will still post about baseball, football and tennis on here, but I feel like I need my own hockey blog, so my aspirations in the hockey blog circles don't conflict with Tom's vision for Stu's Eye, after all, this is his blog. So catch me over at my new site: brawling for brotherly love

Bill Belichick is Behind this Somehow

2008-06-11T19:40:00.003-04:00

There was a jewel heist in Massachusetts this past weekend. The thieves made off with over $2 million in jewels. Some of the stolen jewelry included the Super Bowl rings that were made for the Giants coaching staff. There is only one possible explanation for this: Bill Belichick engineered the entire caper because he still thinks he deserved the win in Super Bowl XLII.

Read for yourself

St. Louis Cardinals: World Class Enigmas

2008-06-11T14:45:00.003-04:00

Seriously, how are the Cards this good? The Cubs had a 9 game win streak and the Cards were still right behind them. Let's take a look at their roster.

The pitching staff is one motley crew. Ron Villone and Russ Springer are two journeymen. Ryan Franklin is a former top prospect for the M's who never reached his potential. Todd Wellemeyer was a middling reliever for the Cubs and is now the staff ace. Huh? Kyle Lohse just plain sucks. Everyone else is a minor leaguer or some kind of prospect. Can that group really keep up the pace? A team ERA of 3.90 all season?

Two of the worst hitting catchers in baseball are the Cards' backstops: Yadier Molina and Jason "I got traded for $1" LaRue.

Everyone's least favorite SS, Cesar Isturis, bats behind the pitcher for God sakes. At second base they have three of the GRITtiest players in baseball, Aaron Miles, Adam Kennedy, Brendan Ryan. (For those that don't know, GRIT means a a small white player who is not a good athlete and has limited range in the field and no power but puts the ball in play and steals bases and is played up as being better than he is because he "tries". Perfect example is former Cardinal David Eckstein).

The outfield is more former prospects who are now playing like they should have, like Ludwick and to some extent Ankiel. However, those two are possibly two of the worst fielding outfielders in baseball. Who thought Ryan Ludwick would hit .318? Silence, just as I thought.

Looking at this group, can we really expect them to stay this hot? I don't and most experts don't either. With Pujols now hurt, it's only a matter of time before we see the real St. Louis Cardinals.

NBA Finals Live Blog: Game 3

2008-06-10T20:56:00.019-04:00

8:53 p.m: David Cook sucks. The Lakers should be shot for having this joker sing our national anthem.

8:57 p.m: Then make up for it with a great presentation with a projection on a massive screen set to "Ain't No Love (Heart of the City) by Jay Z.

8:59 p.m: "And so it continues...."- ABC intro. Epic.

9:03 p.m: Three finals games. Three really bad Doc Rivers pregame speeches.

9:08 p.m: Lamar Scrotum with a quick foul. He sucks.

9:13 p.m: Lakers taking it strong to the rack, been getting some offensive rebounds and Kobe got to the line.

9:14 p.m: Garnett is building a house with these bricks. 0/3, continuing his struggles from the field. Rondo with a reach and Kobe's right back to the line.

9:15 p.m: Celtics haven't scored a basket in almost four minutes. Fisher with a nice strip and Allen fouls Kobe before he can slam it on his head. Timeout Boston. Lakers 9, Celtics 2.

9:20 p.m: Scrotum picks up his second foul. God he's horrendous.

9:21 p.m: Kobe just got mugged on that play by Rondo. No call.

9:22 p.m: Pretty fadeaway by Kobe.

9:23 p.m: Scrotum finally taking a seat on the pine. Bout time.

9:24 p.m: Our first half-hearted Boston Sucks chant.

9:25 p.m: Shuttlesworth picks up his second foul and he's headed to the bench.

9:26 p.m: Kobe just got called for the steps and he's not happy.

9:27 p.m: Kevin Garnett's having a party. What kind of party? A block party. Who's invited? Everybody.

9:28 p.m: Radmanovich picks up his third foul and he's on the bench looking like he's been shot. Timeout Lakers. Lakers 17, Boston 14.

9:33 p.m: Garnett and Pierce: 0/9 shooting and they're only down one. Uh oh.

9:35 p.m: Sam "I've never seen a jumpshot I haven't liked" Cassell puts the Celtics up two.

9:37 p.m: There's some sort of disagreement between the Lakers and Joe Crawford and he's really giving it to Kobe. No means no Kobe.

9:38 p.m: Posey airballs a three at the buzzer and we're through one. Game is tied at 20.

9:44 p.m: Cassell just keeps on chucking. Four shots, three minutes. Note to Doc: STOP PLAYING THIS LOSER. You do have Eddie House ya know.

9:46 p.m: Puke Walton misses an easy bunny. Guy has has one good game in his career.

9:47 p.m: Every Laker touches the ball on a pretty possession ending with a three by Vujacic and a BANG! by Mike Breem.

9:48 p.m: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Farmar and PJ Brown almost go toe to toe after Brown fouls Farmar. Then Farmar realized he'd get his ass kicked and thought better of it.

9:51 p.m: Double techs on Brown and Farmar. I say let em fight. Forget the halftime show. Just a couple rounds of bareknuckle boxing.

9:54 p.m: Kobe with the pretty scoop layin in traffic. Looked like he might have traveled.

9:56 p.m: Ray Allen brings the alley and Kevin Garnett brings the oop. Pretty play. Timeout Lakers. Lakers 34, Celtics 27

10:00 p.m: Everyone who used to be anyone is in attendance. I'm looking at you Eddie Murphy and Sly Stallone. Also I think Van Gundy wants to have sex with Wall-E.

10:02 p.m: Kobe drills another shot. 19 points for Kobe.

10:02 p.m: "Pierce gets Bryant up."- Mike Breem. Tee hee.

10:03 p.m: Kendrick Perkins fouls Gasol. Perkins is still the angriest man on Earth.

10:04 p.m: Gasol has one point. Way to be Pau.

10:04 p.m: Perkins with a slam and a primal roar. I think he's still angry.

10:05 p.m: Pierce picks up his third foul and are in the penalty.

10:09 p.m: Kobe called for a tech for complaining. Celtics miss the shot.

10:10 p.m: "We're still gonna win the game."- Doc "Ass of the Century" Rivers.

10:11 p.m: Our second Boston Sucks chant.

10:14 p.m: Gasol is softer than Charmin. Too scared to make a move on the last possession and it lead to a bad pass. Then he misses an easy bunny in traffic. Timeout on the floor. Lakers 43, Boston 34.

10:18 p.m: Halftime. Lakers 43, Boston 37. Kobe won't say shit to Michelle Tafoya, who looks like a cow about to be hit by a train, she has no idea what to do.

10:45 p.m: Wow, worst continuation call in the history of basketball. Perkins with the bucket and the foul. Radmanovich has four.

10:45 p.m: Perkins misses. Ball don't lie.

10:46 p.m: Allen cuts it to four points.

10:47 p.m: Rondo is coming back to the game with a slight limp after tweaking his ankle. Timeout Lakers. LA 47, Boston 43.

10:53 p.m: Eddie House drills a three and it's a two point game. You could hear a pin drop at Staples right now.

10:54 p.m: Garnett drills a deuce and we're tied.

10:55 p.m: Garnett again and the Celtics lead. Pierce picks up his fourth foul and Kobe's going to the stripe.

10:56 p.m: Shuttlesworth hits a three and the Lakers call timeout. Celtics up 54-50.

11:00 p.m: Scrotum hits a jumper, his first of the game and the Laker fans let him know what they think.

11:02 p.m: Farmar throws a bad pass that somehow leads to a Lakers bucket.

11:04 p.m: Kobe hits a pretty shot over Allen. Damn.

11:06 p.m: Timeout on the floor. Celtics up 61-58.

11:07 p.m: Hey there's Tobey McGuire, what a loser.

11:08 p.m: Gasol hits his first shot of the game and the Lake Show goes down two.

11:09 p.m: End of three. Celtics 62, Lakers 60.

11:13 p.m: Vujacic hits a three and the Lakers take the lead.

11:14 p.m: Allen answers with a three of his own.

11:17 p.m: Scrotum picks up his fourth. God he's garbage.

11:19 p.m: Why are these moron Laker fans chanting MVP while this guy's shooting big foul shots. He missed the first and almost punted the ball he was so angry.

11:20 p.m: Farmar draws a charge on Pierce and that's his fifth.

11:21 p.m: Timeout on the floor. Celtics lead 66-64

11:26 p.m: Vujacic hits a two to tie it. If this were NBA Jam, he'd be on fire.

11:27 p.m: Posey hits two foul shots to tie it.

11:28 p.m: Finally, Rondo's back in the game.

11:29 p.m: Kobe drills a wide open three pointer and the Lakers lead by one.

11:30 p.m: Fisher hits two big foul shots and the Lakers go up three.

11:31 p.m: Kobe demands the rock and just draws the foul off the dribble and hits two more to go up five. 7-0 run.

11:33 p.m: Gasol decides not to be invisible and puts the Lakers up 9.

11:33 p.m: Pierce gives a stiff arm to a Laker defender and there's no call and then Pierce gets hacked and there's no call. Timeout Lakers.75-70 Lakers. Hilarious reaction by Jack Nicholson as we go to break.

11:37 p.m: Scrotum misses a jam and Gasol tips it in.

11:38 p.m: Pierce....AND THE FOUL!

11:39 p.m: ....and he chokes.

11:41 p.m: Kobe picks up a blatant foul and starts whining. Timeout on the floor. 78-72 Lakers.

11:45 p.m: Pierce hits both from the stripe and it's a four point game.

11:45 p.m: Gasol just throws the ball at the hoop and by the hoop, I mean over the backboard. It was brutal. Gasol did get mauled though.

11:46 p.m: Vujacic hits a big three in the corner and it's a five point game.

11:47 p.m: Pierce misses a shot in traffic and Garnett misses a tip. Fisher draws a foul on the other end.

11:51 p.m: Kobe just drills a jumper and it's a seven point game. Eddie House comes right down and nails a three.

11:52 p.m: Kobe just pumpfaked Shuttlesworth out of his shoes and hits the pretty shot in the paint. Timeout Boston, it's their last. Lakers up 6.

11:53 p.m: Lakers just played amazing D leading to an illegal screen on Garnett.

11:54 p.m: WHAT THE FUCK LAMAR ODOM?! Guy can run out the clock and he goes for a jam and gets called for an offensive. He's lucky the game was out of reach. Game over. Lakers win 87-81.

NBA Finals Live Blog: Game 2

2008-06-08T20:28:00.020-04:00

9:00 p.m: A shot of the 2004 Pistons. Good times. We haven't won a title since Sheed changed his number from 30 to 36. Just saying.

9:01 p.m: Good to see that Mike Breen has moved on from his "I slept in an alley" look. He looked so bad on Thursday he made Jeff Van Gundy look presentable.

9:03 p.m: Doc Rivers with a shitty Tony Dungy analogy. If I were a Celtics player I'd just tune this joker out.

9:07 p.m: Gasol can't even out jump a guy on one ankle. Good sign.

9:08 p.m: Kobe settles for a pull-up jumper instead of going to the rack. Be a man, go strong to the hole.

9:09 p.m: Pierce hits a three. It'll be interesting to see what happens to his shot as the game slows down.

9:10 p.m: Ladies and gentleman we have a Trevor Ariza sighting.

9:11 p.m: Kendrick Perkins with a pretty fade over Lamar Scrotom.

9:12 p.m: Pierce for two and the foul. He's been getting to the basket at will so far. Good finish.

9:13 p.m: Pierce has 6 points, the rest of the Celtics -- 2.

9:14 p.m: Kobe hit Gasol in a bad place with a pass -- the hands. Turnover Lakers

9:14 p.m: Gasol just jammed it right in Garnett's face. Owned.

9:15 p.m: Offensive foul on Boston. Four turnovers already and a technical on Garnett. I'm sure there were a few son-of a bitches and motherfuckers thrown out there by KG.

9:16 p.m: Scrotom with a pretty tip-in over Garnett.

9:17 p.m: Ray "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Allen with a lay in.

9:17 p.m: Timeout Lakers. Los Angeles 15, Boston 12

9:20 p.m: Oh great. A Paul Pierce knee injury retrospective. For the love of God someone stop the madness!

9:22 p.m: Garnett with a pretty spin move on Gasol and an even prettier finish. Gasol is softer than Charmin.

9:22 p.m: Puke Walton with a bucket. I like how he thinks he's tough with those tattoos.

9:23 p.m: Shuttlesworth with a three and the game is tied at 17. Kobe got owned by the ball screen (ha. ball screen) by Garnett.

9:24 p.m: Kendrick Perkins with his second foul and its time to ride the pine. PJ Brown in.

9:25 p.m: Kobe's 1-4 and he just picked up a foul to put the Lakers in the penalty. He's arguing but he should have learned that no means no by now. Right Kobe?

9:27 p.m: Kobe just got another foul call. An offensive. Kobe threw a slight elbow to Allen's face. TV timeout. Los Angeles 19, Boston 18

9:29 p.m: I am so sick of that Alonzo Mourning G2 ad. First off, G2 tastes like shit. Secondly, Alonzo Mourning sucks. Add the two together and you have one big Shitty Extravganza.

9:32 p.m: Marc Jackson, I hope you told Kobe to put a condom on before you hopped on his dick.

9:33 p.m: Van Gundy wants to get rid of fouling out. Sure let's get rid of it. Then we can get rid of traveling, or double dribble's. Why even have baskets? Jackass.

9:34 p.m: Scrotum with his second foul. Major foul trouble for the Lakers.

9:35 p.m: Farmar hits a big three to give the Lakers a two point lead. Shuttlesworth misses a three at the buzzer. Los Angeles 22, Boston 20

9:38 p.m: I love these WNBA "Expect Great" ads. They're priceless. They tell me every reason why I don't watch the WNBA. Plus, when they get a girl who has a lisp, the funny factor goes WAY up.

9:43 p.m: Turiaf had a nice block. Too bad he fouled Powe.

9:44 p.m: Lakers turn the ball over on a travel. 8 turnovers for the game, as many as they had in all of Game 1.

9:44 p.m: Powe gets fouled....AGAIN. He's only been in the game three minutes and has been fouled four times.

9:45 p.m: Farmar throws up a horrendous shot which leads to a Pierce three and a Lakers timeout. Boston 30, Los Angeles 22. A 10-0 run for Boston.

9:49 p.m: Marc Jackson thinks Paul Pierce is better offensively than Larry Bird. Fire that man.

9:51 p.m: Ninth turnover for the Lakers.

9:52 p.m: Posey drills a wide open three. 13-2 run by Boston.

9:52 p.m: Leon Powe again is fouled. This time it was the And One variety. Guy has seven points in five minutes and five of his points came from the stripe.

9:53 p.m: Powe converts. Make that six of eight points from the stripe.

9:54 p.m: Kobe hits back to back jumpers. He has nine.

9:57 p.m: Gasol fouls Perkins in the act, and one. Gasol hit the deck pretty hard. TV Timeout. Boston 40, Los Angeles 32.

10:01 p.m: Hey, there's Curt Schilling looking fatter than holy hell.

10:02 p.m: There goes Kevin Garnett with the worst alley-oop pass in the history of alley-oop's. Be a man Garnett, go strong to the hole.

10:02 p.m: Perkins picks up his third foul. Back to the bench for the Angriest Man in the NBA.

10:03 p.m: Gasol just took Paul Pierce to school for the bucket and the foul. Gasol converts and he has 11 points.

10:04 p.m: Timeout Boston. Boston 41, Los Angeles 37.

10:06 p.m: Wow...go figure that the black Marine can't swim. Way to go U.S Marines with that ad.

10:08 p.m: I think Pierce just hit that three from the banks of the Charles River.

10:09 p.m: Shuttlesworth with a three and the Celtics are back up 10. Timeout Lakers. Boston 47, Los Angeles 37.

10:11 p.m: Kobe tried to force the issue and threw a lucky pass to Radmanovich who hit a three. Kobe just picked up his third foul and it looks like he's going to the bench The crowd is heckling Kobe now.

10:13 p.m: The Celtics have 17 attempts from the line, the Lakers have two and one of those was a technical foul shot.

10:14 p.m: Rondo with a block and the lay in and the C's are up 11.

10:14 p.m: Fisher picks up his third foul. Looks like Rondo might have pushed off but who knows.

10:16 p.m: Gasol just got mugged so bad that I think he lost his wallet. Halftime. Boston 54, Los Angeles 42.

10:41 p.m: Kobe gets tee'd up after a basket. Smart move Kobe.

10:42 p.m: Odom misses a jam and it leads to a Pierce three. Perkins fouls under the basket and I believe that's four.

10:45 p.m: Odom is called for a foul on Garnett after looking to appear to be straight up. Weak.

10:46 p.m: Timeout Lakers. Boston 65, Los Angeles 49.

10:49 p.m: Marc Jackson said that the Celtics are keeping the Lakers from going to the line. That, or they're not calling the fouls.

10:50 p.m: Scrotum gave a nice hard foul to Rondo.

10:53 p.m: Nice little give and go ending with a Gasol slam.

11:00 p.m: Bad shot by Kobe leading to another Celtics bucket. Another miss by Kobe.

11:01 p.m: Odom just spiked that ball off of a Celtics player. Hella owned.

11:02 p.m: Shuttlesworth with another three. Lakers miss a basket leading to an alley-oop from Rondo to Powe. Timeout Lakers. Boston 79, Lakers 59. An 11-0 run.

11:05 p.m: I'm convinced that this Celtics pa guy loves Guns N Roses. First Welcome to the Jungle and now Paradise City. Scrotum just picked up his fifth on a charge.

11:06 p.m: Leon Powe just threw it down so, so hard. 12 points for Powe.

11:07 p.m: Leon Powe with another slam. End of the third quarter. Boston 83, Lakers 61.

11:12 p.m: Powe again for another deuce. Lakers are soft.

11:14 p.m: Leon Powe: 18 points. Everyone on LA minus Odom, Bryant and Gasol: 24 points.

11:21 p.m: Vince Young in attendance. Get back to studying your playbook loser.

11:21 p.m: Powe again. Dear. God.

11:22 p.m: The crowd is chanting "Leon Powe." That will be the first, and last time you hear that.

11:26 p.m: Boston timeout. Boston 96, Lakers 78.

11:31 p.m: I got to admit. I'm kinda zoning out now. Garbage time.

11:33 p.m: Boston timeout. Celtics 99, Lakers 86.

11:36 p.m: Lakers timeout. 102-91 Boston. 20-7 run by Los Angeles.

11:41 p.m: We have a game baby. 6 point game. 27-9 run.

11:42 p.m: FOUR POINT GAME! Radmanovich with the jam. He walked.

11:44 p.m: Rondo with a brick. Kobe fouled by Pierce. 38.4 to go.

11:45 p.m: Kobe cuts it to two.

11:45 p.m: Pierce draws the foul. 22.8 to go.

11:46 p.m: Pierce hits both. 4 point game.

11:49 p.m: Radmanovich's three was blocked and the Celtics were fouled. No touches by Kobe on that possession. Odd.

11:51 p.m: Game over. Boston 108, Lakers 102. Good sign for LA.

Domination.

2008-06-08T12:54:00.003-04:00

Well, I predicted a solid Nadal victory over Roger Federer. I wasn't expecting this. The absolutely shocking statistic is that this is the first time in NINE YEARS that Federer has been bageled in a set. Congrats to Nadal for becoming the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles, and has become the first man since Bjorn Borg to win the French without dropping a set. Nadal is truly amazing to watch on clay, if you've never watched him play before, you're missing out. Congrats to Anna Ivanovic for capturing her first Grand Slam title yesterday and claiming the #1 ranking away from Maria Sharapova.

NBA Finals Game 1 Live Blog

2008-06-05T21:04:00.017-04:00

9:03 p.m: What the fuck happened to Mike Breen?! Guy had a bandaid over his left eyebrow and a shitty goatee. I smell a weeklong bender...

9:06 p.m: Doc Rivers is the worst at giving pre-game speeches I've ever heard. It's a travesty that this joker got Coach of the Year.

9:08 p.m: I'm surprised Garnett isn't cursing at that Verizon employee. "You mean I can watch any motherfucking show I want?! On any fucking TV in my motherfucking house?! Get the fuck out!"

9:10 p.m: Ray Allen a.k.a Jesus Shuttlesworth just looked like he was late for his bus and was called for the steps. Has there been any athlete to fall off as fast as Ray Allen? Rocky Balboa in Rocky V thinks Ray Allen has fallen off.

9:11 p.m: It's less than an hour in to the coverage and I've seen Eddie House's crack baby twice. Excellent.

9:12 p.m: Two possessions for the Lakers, two bad calls by the refs on out of bounds calls.

9:13 p.m: Lakers need to box out. Garnett out hustled them on two rebounds. Ray Allen also missed a wide open three pointer.

9:14 p.m: Doc Rivers doesn't think he's job has changed. He's right. He still sucks, this time he just sits back and watch The Wee Three do their own thing. I like to call it the Flip Saunders Special.

9:15 p.m: Derek Fisher misses a pair from the stripe. Gotta hit those if you're gonna beat Boston.

9:16 p.m: Kendrick Perkins is a very angry black man. This guy never smiles. Ever. If this were the XFL it would say "Angry Black Man" on his jersey.

9:18 p.m: Garnett with a big jam, sending the Boston Bandwagoners to their feet. Also, am I the only one who thinks that the huge NBA Championship sticker at mid-court is just a smidge gaudy?

9:20 p.m: TV Timeout. Boston 10, Lakers 10

9:24 p.m: Lamar "Scrotom" Odom was just called for a goal tend. Looked clean to me.

9:25 p.m: Vladimir Radmanovich was just called for his second foul. Time to ride the pine and hopefully shave that beard.

9:27 p.m: Lakers called for a bad backcourt violation. No love from the refs. David Stern probably met with the refs prior to the tip and was like "Alright guys, we need to milk this for all it's worth. It's going seven games. Ready............break!

9:28 p.m: Lakers timeout. Boston 19, Lakers 14. Ray Allen hit a three to really get the bandwagoners jumping. He's got 6 points on two of three shooting.

9:30 p.m: Adam Sandler in "You Don't Mess With The Zohan." The man must be stopped. I can't remember the last time the guy made a movie that I really enjoyed.

9:33 p.m: Pau Gasol just blocked the shit out of Kendrick Perkins.

9:34 p.m: "I've got a play...post Garnett."- Jeff Van Gundy. Too bad Garnett is the anti-clutch.

9:35 p.m: Kobe Bryant is 1/7 from the field....and Kevin Garnett misses an alley-oop. Garnett = Fail

9:36 p.m: Make that 2/8 for Kobe.

9:37 p.m: End of First Quarter: Boston 23, Lakers 21.

9:38 p.m: "I give you the center of the earth."- Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth." There's one movie I won't be seeing. I'd rather watch "The Marine" with John Cena until my eyes bleed, which would be halfway through the first showing, than watch that turd.

9:41 p.m: An interview with Phil Jackson. I never got these interviews. Don't these guys have coaching to do? Plus, why should we have coach speak shoveled down our throats?

9:42 p.m: Lamar Odom out rebounded by Ray Allen leading to a Celtics basket. What pile of trash he is.

9:44 p.m: Sam Cassell hits a contested jumpshot. Good for that geezer. I'd give him that all century. That Gollum looking bastard couldn't hit that all day if he tried.

9:46 p.m: Maybe I'm wrong...again. Cassell hits a contested fade away shot. Sam's hitting the rewind button on his career.

9.47 p.m: TV Timout: Boston 29, Lakers 25

9:48 p.m: "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army." I just found a movie worse than that Journey to the Center of the Earth crap. How long until "The Dark Knight" again?

9:51 p.m: Now we're discussing if Kobe is as good or better than Jordan. Here's the answer. NO!

9:52 p.m: Cassell hits another one. The Celtics must have showed him this blog.

9:53 p.m: I'm so sick of the fellating of Boston. Let's just tell it like it is. They tanked to try to get Oden or Durant and that didn't work. So thanks to them not getting the pick the tried to tank for they got Garnett and Allen and the Wee Three and a whole generation of bandwagoners were born. Yes, I'm bitter.

9:56 p.m: "I can't believe they said Kevin Garnett isn't a winner because he hasn't won."- Marc Jackson. Hate to break it to you Marc, but winning a title makes you a winner. Not making it to two conference finals ever.

9:57 p.m: Another bad foul call on Gasol. Let the players play.

9:58 p.m: Garnett hits another jumper and has 16 in the first half

9:59 p.m: TV Timeout. Boston 40, Lakers 35

10:03 p.m: Cassell draws a charge on Kobe. What the hell is going on? Cassell came down the floor and missed a three, so maybe we're back to the normal Sam.

10:04 p.m: Pierce is called for a charge and that's three fouls. Time to sit the pine. Only three points for him by the way.

10:05 p.m: Gasol throws it down strong. Not a man in that frontcourt for Boston that can stop him.

10:06 p.m: Rajon Rondo is bitchmade. Plain and simple. Guy heard footsteps and fumbled the ball away.

10:07 p.m: Gasol with another jam. He's got eight and the Lakers take a 43-42 lead.

10:08 p.m: TV Timeout. Lakers 45, Boston 42.

10:13 p.m: Ellen Pompeo from "Grey's Anatomy" is in the crowd. Someone kill her and stop the madness!

10:16 p.m: Derek Fisher is up to 13 points. Damn.

10:17 p.m: Halftime. Lakers 51, Boston 46.

10:28 p.m: The Magic/Bird ad just aird and let me just say that Larry looks like hell.

10:33 p.m: Man, what the fuck was Larry thinking with that moustache back in the day?

10:39 p.m: WOW! Pierce gets fouled, heaves up a three and banks it in. You'll see that in your SportsCenter Top 10.

10:40 p.m: Pierce completes the four point play.

10:42 p.m: It's 10:42 p.m on Thursday, June 5, 2008 and Kendrick Perkins is still angry.

10:43 p.m: Radmanovich picks up his fourth foul. That's trouble.

10:45 p.m: "Don't eyeball me boy!"- Jeff Van Gundy to Marc Jackson. Racist much Jeff?

10:47 p.m: Kobe hits a pretty runner in the lane and Pierce is down on the ground holding his calf. It looks like Perkins landed on him or something. Timeout on the floor. Lakers 62, Celtics 58.

10:50 p.m: Paul Pierce headed to the back in a wheelchair. What a pussy.

10:51 p.m: LOL at Paul Pierce being carried. At least Brian Scalabrine is earning that paycheck somehow.

10:52 p.m: Perkins is up to four fouls, three in this quarter and now he's limping...but still angry.

10:54 p.m: Shuttlesworth hits a three and the game is tied and the crowd is back in it.

10:55 p.m: Lamar Scrotom misses two from the stripe and the crowd goes nuts as Pierce comes hopping out from the locker room...and he's checking in.

10:56 p.m: Pierce has a sprained knee and has a sleeve on said knee.

10:57 p.m: TV Timeout. Boston 63, Lakers 62.

11:00 p.m: Did Doc Rivers say "What did the guy from South Africa say?" Ugh.

11:03 p.m: Perkins has a left ankle sprain and is returning. Garnett fouls Vujacic on a three. Way to go Anti-Clutch.

11:05 p.m: Derek Fisher brought the Alley and Kobe Bryant brought the Oop.

11:07 p.m: PJ Brown's having a party. What kind of party? A block party. Who's invited? Everybody.

11:08 p.m: Pierce hits back to back three pointers and the Celtics are up four.

11:09 p.m: Pierce picks up his fourth foul.

11:10 p.m: Did Marc Jackson just compare Paul Pierce to Willis Reed? Fire that man.

11:10 p.m: Rondo was shaken up on a collision. These guys need to suck it up before they havta change their name to the Boston Bitchmade's

11:11 p.m: End of the third quarter. Celtics 77, Lakers 73.

11:16 p.m: Puke Walton is called for a loose ball foul after a bad shot. Someone bench that man.

11:18 p.m: "Chants of 'defense.' They've heard it all year long."- Mike Breem. And so has every other NBA team...jackass.

11:19 p.m: Brian Scalebrine looks awful pissed off during that shot of the bench. Must have got Pierce's leg sweat on him while carrying him.

11:21 p.m: James Posey hits a big three and the Celtics go up 86-76 and the Lakers take a timeout.

11:27 p.m: Seven minutes to go and the Lakers have Puke Walton, Lamar Scrotom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic. Where's the Mamba?!

11:28 p.m: TV Timeout. Boston 86, Lakers 82.

11:31 p.m: An ad for The Strangers. If you're into horror movies in the least bit, check that one out. I enjoyed it.

11:32 p.m: The Mamba's back in. Whew. All is right with the world.

11:33 p.m: Vujacic misses a wide open three and Gasol misses an uncontested two spot. Epic Fail. Puke Walton fouls PJ Brown. Way to go kid. Way to suck as much as your Dad does at broadcasting.

11:35 p.m: Scrotom with a dumb push off on a missed shot and fouls Pierce. Lakers in the penalty.

11:36 p.m: Pierce is bleeding thanks to Scrotom. At least he got a good piece of him I suppose.

11:37 p.m: Kobe misses a highly contested shot with no ball movement. Bad possession. There are other players on your team Kobe.

11:38 p.m: Scrotom...AND THE FOUL!!! TV timeout. Celtics 90, Lakers 84 with less than three minutes to go.

11:41 p.m: Lamar Odom hits a foul shot. IT'S A MIRACLE!!!

11:42 p.m: Shuttlesworth is fouled and only hits one of two. Six point game.

11:43 p.m: Two minutes to go.

11:43 p.m: Look at Doc Rivers try to act like he's involved. It's cute in a pathetic sort of way.

11:45 p.m: That went of Radmanovich? Seriously? C'mon Dick Bavetta.

11:46 p.m: Dear. God. Kevin Garnett is a bad, bad man. Follow up slam by The Big Ticket. There was no box out and Gasol will be on a Kevin Garnett poster in the near future.

11:48 p.m: Garnett hits two big foul shots. Could he no longer be the Anti-Clutch? Nah.

11:50 p.m: WHY ARE THE LAKERS NOT FOULING? Morons. I blame Scrotom for this.

11:50 p.m: Lakers waited until 16.6 seconds left in a three possession game to foul. Awesome.

11:52 p.m: 10 point game. Time to close up shop. Game two on Sunday.

11:53 p.m: The Lakers are 5/20 from the floor in the fourth. I'm no expert, but I believe that's where the game turned in the Celtics' favor.

11:54 p.m: "I just sucked it up and pushed it."- Paul Pierce. That's what she said.

Alrighty readers (Do we have readers?). I'll be back for Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday for more of my "insight." Until then, enjoy 72 hours of Finals coverage by ESPN.

Victory!

2008-06-04T23:26:00.002-04:00

Boston's Ortiz to DL, May Miss Rest of Season

2008-06-03T15:50:00.003-04:00

If the Red Sox are going to repeat as world champions this season and win their third title in five years, they may have to do it without David Ortiz.

After injuring his left wrist during the Red Sox’ victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, Ortiz learned yesterday he has tendon sheath damage that will keep him sidelined indefinitely. According to a source, Ortiz’ wrist will be immobilized for roughly the next month to determine whether the injury can heal on its own.

If it cannot, the Red Sox and Ortiz very well may face a harsh reality:
Season-ending surgery.
Red Sox officials confirmed after last night’s 6-3 loss to the Orioles that Ortiz has a partial tear of the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon sheath in his left wrist. The sheath covers the tendon on the top, outside part of the wrist. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game.

“Surgery is very unlikely,” manager Terry Francona said, “but he will be placed on the disabled list, (in a) soft cast.”

Well I'm offically freaking out. If we don't have Big Papi we're not going to repeat in my opinion, plain and simple. Hopefully the sheath can heal itself and he can get right. Manny is going to have to continue to produce like he has to help carry us through this.

Boston Herald: David Ortiz Out At Least A Month

Pistons Fire Flip Saunders

2008-06-03T12:06:00.002-04:00

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars said it's "time for a new voice to lead our team." Saunders had a year left on a four-year deal he signed in 2005. The decision comes three years after Saunders took over for Larry Brown, who led the Pistons to two straight NBA Finals.
"Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular seasons," Dumars said in a statement. "However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change."
The Pistons will hold a 2 p.m. ET news conference. A message left for Saunders on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

It's just a shame that Flip could do his best coaching job ever and be fired for it. There's other issues on this team other than Flip and I think Joe knows that. I'm just glad that he's being aggressive already and getting some stuff done.

ESPN: Seeking new voice in coach, Pistons fire Saunders

Stanley Cup Finals: Game Three Live Blog

2008-05-28T20:13:00.061-04:00

8:14 PM- It's only pre-game and I'm already sick of NBC talking about Crosby.

8:17 PM- When NBC said the game was starting at 8 PM, they apparently meant it'll start sometime after 8. It's 8:18 now, and they're in their third commercial break already. I wonder if the game will ever start.

8:20 PM- Marc-Andre Fleury did not fall flat on his face this game! That's an improvement! Puck finally drops at 8:20.

8:22 PM- It looks like all the complaining Michel Therrien did after game two is already paying off.

8:24 PM- Pittsburgh comes close a couple times, but Chris Osgood answers. Detroit killed off the powerplay, and Jordan Staal promptly draws a roughing penalty. I'm keeping track of these tonight, maybe they'll top the eight they had last game. Pitt Roughing Penalties: 1

8:28 PM- Pittsbugh and Detroit have each successfully killed off their first penalty. Whistle blows, and pushing and shoving ensues. Three Penguins against one Red Wing. That seems about right. Penguins only have spine when they have numbers.

8:30 PM- Pittsburgh forwards just cannot get any space in the middle of the ice. As soon as they get out to center, Detroit just swarms to them. It's pretty effective.

8:31 PM- Detroit gets a chance, good save by Fleury. Crosby had a step the other way, but was quickly neutralized.

8:33 PM- During the commercial break, I flipped to the Phillies game. It's 1-1 in the fifth inning. The Phils have already drawn six walks. Only two hits tonight though, after 46 in the previous three games. EDIT: Chase Utley hits a second deck three run homer as I write.

8:37 PM- Every time Pittsburgh tries to counter attack the Red Wings defense just shuts them down. It's not that Pittsburgh is even playing sloppy, the Red Wings defense is just that good.

8:39 PM- Geoff Jenkins hits a two run homer for the Phillies. Another big inning this week for the Phils.

8:40 PM- First in game interview with Michel Therrien. The guy is such a douche.

8:41 PM- Finally some offensive chances! ...and just like that, it's over.

8:42 PM- Pittsburgh takes their second penalty of the game. This one for hooking.

8:44 PM- Interesting tidbit- Detroit is 1/15 on the powerplay. They would have blown Pittsburgh out in both games if their PP was even a little better.

8:46 PM- Pittsburgh has killed it, but can't clear. Detroit is now 1/16 on the PP.

8:49 PM- Pittsburgh gets their best chances of the game, but a couple of nice saves by Osgood, and some very active sticks by the defense keeps the puck out of the net.

8:52 PM- Detroit turns the puck over at the blue line and Crosby manages to trickle one through for their first goal of the series.

8:55 PM- Detroit called for their second penalty of the game. Pittsburgh could gain a huge advantage here if they score.

8:57 PM- Pittsburgh nearly scores at the end of the period, but the shot hit Nick Lindstrom in the butt and went wide. The announcer has now referred to Crosby as Cindy Crosby twice accidentally now. It's a world-wide phenomenon.

9:01 PM- Colorado pitcher Greg Reynolds finishes the night with eight walks, six runs allowed on five hits.

9:16 PM- Aaaaaand we're back. Pens nearly score again, but the breaks aren't going their way.

9:17 PM- Detroit 2/2 on penalty kills tonight, but they're going back on the kill. Kronwall called for hooking. A bit weak in my opinion.

9:19 PM- Cindy strikes again. PP goal for the Pens. Three Pens down low to one Wing makes it tough on Osgood.

9:21 PM- Now Detroit is the one that can't get anything going in the offensive zone. Fleury has turned away a few weak shots, but really hasn't been tested tonight.

9:24 PM- Referee in the corner gets tripped and falls to the ice. Osgood makes two HUGE saves. The Pens are swarming. Detroit needs to regroup, the t.v. timeout couldn't have come at a better time.

9:27 PM- I'm not a big Chris Draper fan, but he put a nice hip check on Crosby there.

9:29 PM- Kennedy throws a late hit after a clear icing. No call.

9:30 PM- Michel Therrien complaining about the refs calls again, no surprise there.

9:32 PM- Hal Gill mugs Thomas Holmstrom in front of net, Detroit goes back on the powerplay. Two for cross-checking.

9:33 PM- Detroit with instant pressure, but nothing to show for it.

9:35 PM- Detroit scores, but only after the net was off the moorings. Pittsburgh's penalty killing is walking a fine line.

9:37 PM- Pittsburgh kills off another penalty. Detroit is 1 for 17 on the PP this series. Atrocious.

9:39 PM- Mike Babcock remains unflustered despite his team being outplayed. Interesting.

9:40 PM- Cindy has a hit tonight! His first all season. He gets a gold star!

9:41 PM- Gill back in for mugging/cross checking again. Therrien is irate, though it's an obvious penalty.

9:45 PM- Johan Franzen dipsy doodles around three guys and roofs it. Beautiful.

9:49 PM- Therrien, you can't complain, Jordan Staal just got away with a clear high stick. Also, I wish the announcers would pronounce his name right. It's "Me-shell" not "My-kull".

9:54 PM- Pittsburgh wins the first half the period, Detroit wins the second half. 2-1 Penguins after two.

9:56 PM- Phillies win 6-1 for their first sweep of the season.

10:13 PM- It looks like we're finally getting ready for the third period. It should be a good one.

10:18 PM- Hossa clangs one off the post. Osgood then stops a deflection by Pascal Dupuis. Crosby gets tangled up after the play and starts mouthing off after the refs get in between him and the other player. Classic Cindy.

10:20 PM- Franzen gets a great shot of, but a nice shoulder save by Fleury keeps the lead intact.

10:21 PM- Brian Rafalski gets a wide open slapper and misses the net.

10:22 PM- Crosby slashes Rafalski's stick and breaks his own, refs called that a penalty against Derian Hatcher in the Montreal series...

10:24 PM- Adam Hall shoots the puck off the back of Osgood's legs for a 3-1 lead. Detroit needs to dig down deep now.

10:25 PM- Detroit takes a shot that looks like it hits the back of the net, but apparently never went in.

10:29 PM- Detroit just can't keep a handle on the puck tonight. End to end action for the past eight minutes though, exciting game.

10:30 PM- Apparently Fleury made the save, the puck didn't hit the post. Amazing.

10:33 PM- Mikael Samuelsson makes it a one goal game again!

10:35 PM- Gill cross checks Holmstrom hard from behind, injuring his back. No penalty though, it's only the third time Gill has made that play tonight.

10:40 PM- Evgeni Malkin takes an offensive zone penalty with just over four minutes left in the game. Smart move.

10:44 PM- The difference in this game? Detroit's inability to score on the powerplay.

10:46 PM- Detroit has good puck movement, no shots.

10:48 PM- Penguins hold on at the end to win. Oh well, it'll be their last.

Final Score: Penguins 3, Red Wings 2

NBC will now commence with the requisite Cindy loving.

You'd Think This Would Happen More Often...

2008-05-27T12:24:00.003-04:00

That's Chris Bruton of the Spokane Chiefs who clearly had a case of the dropsies with the championship trophy and broke the cup off of it. I've always wanted to see someone drop the crystal football given to the college football champion but I'll settle for this...for now.

Deadspin: What Not To Do With A Championship Trophy

Mitchieville: We Are The Champions

Pistons Even Series at Two

2008-05-27T04:32:00.003-04:00

"Mama there goes that man."

That man is Antonio McDyess. That is the man who hit the rewind button on his career and pulled out his best performance of the playoffs. Dyess had 21 points on 8-14 shooting and grabbed 16 boards -- both game highs.

It's been a long road for Antonio McDyess. From superstar, to injured, to roleplayer, McDyess has taken it all in stride and willed his team to a victory at the Palace and helped even the series at two.

McDyess has been with the Pistons since 2005 and came within one win of that elusive ring and McDyess knows his window is closing on his chance to win one.

"I'm almost at the end of the road," McDyess said. "You only have so many opportunities. I'm at the end of my career, and I just feel like giving everything I can out on the floor. Don't have any excuses. I've just tried to do that this year."

McDyess gave everything he had tonight and so did the rest of the Pistons, jumping out to an early 10-0 lead and never trailed throughout.

One area of concern, however, has to be the play of Chauncey Billups. Billups once again struggled with his play, scoring 10 points on 3-5 shooting. Billups said after the game that he felt better but he didn't look better. However, Billups was much more vocal during the game and helped get his teammates involved with seven assists.

Rip Hamilton, once again, was a rock for the Pistons, scoring 20 points and helping lead the Pistons down the stretch. Tayshaun Prince continued his struggles from the field, shooting 3-12 from the field for seven points.

Now the series shifts back to Boston, with a win putting the Pistons firmly in command of the series.

Stay Classy Penguins

2008-05-26T22:52:00.003-04:00

Well it's halfway through the Stanley Cup Finals, and Detroit has jumped out to a clean 2-0 lead. It doesn't get much cleaner than what they've done. So far Chris Osgood has faced 41 shots, and he has made 41 saves. Game two was slightly closer than game one (the Red Wings won 3-0 instead of 4-0), but the Penguins haven't been able to do anything this series. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's face plant prior to the game on Saturday has proven to be a metaphor for the rest of the Penguins. The Penguins breezed through the first three rounds of the playoffs, and expectations have been high for the finals, but now one must wonder- did the lack of adversity in the prior rounds leave them at a severe disadvantage for these finals? As I said in my Stanley Cup preview, the Pens haven't faced a deep offensive team, a deep defensive team and Fleury hasn't been tested. My concerns over all three areas have come to pass, and Pittsburgh has been caught completely by surprise. Luckily for the Penguins, they still have two games at home, and no one has beaten them there yet. So game three should give us a pretty clear picture at where this series is going. Will the Penguins make a series out of it? Or will they become the second Pennsylvania team to suffer a sweep in the finals at the hands of the Red Wings?

On a different note, I am a little disappointed in the Penguins. They aren't handling this losing thing very well. They took a full eight roughing penalties in game two tonight. Those were coupled with two goaltender interference penalties (one wiped out a powerplay), a slashing call and a 10 minute misconduct (given to my "favorite" tough guy/cheap shot artist Gary Roberts after his second roughing penalty of the night). The Penguins are looking a lot more like the Broad Street Bullies they claim to abhor (albeit, they've also been a lot less successful). Detroit ended the game on a 5 on 3 powerplay when the game still could have been close had the Penguins scored a quick goal. The discipline that the Pens displayed throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs has quickly gone M.I.A. They're lucky this game wasn't a blowout. They handed Detroit nine powerplays, and Detroit was unable to convert on any of them. It's not like the Pens fans can even complain about the calls being against them, roughing, goalie interference and slashing calls are the easiest calls for a ref to make.

And this will never get old:

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100

2008-05-26T22:36:00.005-04:00

Wins #28 and #29
Now this is just speculation, but I believe the Phillies just had their best two game run output ever. 35 runs over two games is close to a league record (Texas had 39 in a double header last year) so it must be close to (and probably is) the Phillies record. A quick recap of both games:

Phillies 15, Astros 6
Cole Hamels turned in his worst start of the year. He gave up six runs on seven hits and recorded no strike outs for the first time since 2006. The Phillies managed to keep the game close, despite Hamels leaving after four innings. Then in the sixth, the Phillies exploded. They batted around, scoring five runs in the process and turned their two run deficit into a three run lead. The inning was highlighted by Pat Burrell's third home run in four games and Shane Victorino's two run double. The Phillies batted around again in the seventh, this time scoring six runs. Greg Dobbs provided a two run triple, and a few batters later, Chase Utley hit a majestic home run that reached the second deck in right field. The Phillies bullpen was solid, giving up only three hits over five innings of work.

Phillies 20, Rockies 5
Jamie Moyer finally notched a win against the Colorado Rockies. The win gave him a win over all 30 teams that play Major League Baseball. Moyer was solid for the third straight start, giving up four runs over seven innings. He allowed six hits, and a walk, while striking out seven. The offense did the rest. For the second time in two games, and third time in a week, the Phillies eclipsed the 10 run plateau. Finding themselves in an early three run hole, Chase Utley tied the game in the bottom of the first with his major league leading 16th home run, a three run shot. The Rockies grabbed the lead again in the third on a sacrifice fly, but Ryan Howard responded with a sac. fly of his own to retie the game in the bottom of the third. From there, it was all Phillies. The Phils batted around in the fourth, scoring six runs (see a theme?) on a couple of doubles and a few timely singles. The Phillies batted around for the fourth time in two days in the sixth inning, getting a three run home run from Christ Coste, and a two rbi single from Howard as well as an rbi single from Utley (see, six runs in an inning again!). Utley picked up his career high sixth rbi in the eigth when he singled in Greg Dobbs. Utley later scored on a two rbi single by Pedro Feliz (who went 4/6). Clay Condrey allowed a run to score in the top of the ninth, but with a 15 run lead, the Phillies were never threatened.

Some positives from this game: Howard walked three times. This is great because he is finally forcing pitchers to beat him, instead of flailing wildly at everything... Feliz's 4/6 night brought his average up to .271, which is about average for him. He also had four rbis... Chris Coste kept his good season going by going for 3/6 and driving in four runs... Dobbs had his second pinch hit in as many nights...

ECF Game 4 Preview: Must Win For Detroit

2008-05-26T05:16:00.002-04:00

After letting home-court advantage slip through their fingers Saturday night at the Palace, the Pistons will try to salvage a split at home and send the series back to Boston tied at two games a piece. The tip is at 8:30 on ESPN.

Here's five things to look for if you're a Pistons fan.

Chauncey Billups to be more aggressive from the tip. Billups responded with a strong game two performance after being much maligned for the way he played in game one and I'd expect to see Smooth play much better than he did the other night.
More Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey has been nothing short of sensational for the Pistons in this series and with his back-to-back unbelievable performances, I'd look for Flip to go to Stuckey early, especially if Billups' struggles continue.
Look to see more of the trap that the Pistons ran for much of the second half against the Boston offense. The Celtics were confused and panicked when pressured and turned the ball over, leading to the Pistons comeback.
Better shooting from Tayshaun Prince. I don't expect Tay to go 2-11 from the floor every night, regardless of how good a defender Paul Pierce is. Prince had a couple open looks the other night but they just didn't fall. Expect to see a Game 2-like performance from the Prince.
A win. The Pistons always play better with their backs against the wall and tonight is no exception. The Pistons either win here, or they head back to Boston facing a must-win and having to win two games in Boston to get to the Finals. I expect strong performances from all of our guys, especially Sheed in a Pistons win.

Roland Garros: Tennis, French Style

2008-05-25T15:00:00.002-04:00

Four years ago, 19 year old Rafael Nadal walked onto the red clay of the Roland Garros for the first time. He faced German Lars Bergsmueller in the opening round of the 2005 French Open. Nadal won the match easily, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1. Using that match as his launching pad, Nadal has begun forging an amazing legacy. He went on to hand Roger Federer a rare defeat as Nadal claimed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open. Since the 2005 Roland Garros, Nadal has lost twice on clay courts, once to Federer in 2007 that ended his clay court winning streak at 81, and once this year to Juan Carlos Ferrero. Nadal remains a perfect 21-0 at the French Open, and he will look to maintain that record and join Bjorn Borg (who has six titles at the French) as the only men who have won four French Open titles.

On the women's side of things, three time defending champions Justine Henin retired last week, shocking the tennis world. Now, instead of having one clear cut favorite, the women could have any number of people win it. It could be Maria Sharapova winning her second Slam of the year. Or maybe Serena Williams, who has crushed everyone but Henin in recent years, will put together another amazing run like she's done in the past. Anna Ivonovic, last year's runner up and this year's Australian Open runner up, could break through for her first slam, as could compatriot Jelena Jankovic. It should be an interesting two weeks for the women.

Seed Breakdown: Men
#1 Roger Federer- Despite never having won a title at Roland Garros, Federer has drawn the #1 seed again. The Slam seedings are generally based on world rankings at the time, and they usually are a very good way of seeding players, but in the case of the French Open, I truly believe they have to take into account the fact that Federer has lost to Nadal each of the past three years. That being said, Federer is also mired in the worst season he's had in a long time. Here it is, the end of May, and Federer has all of one tournament title under his belt. This is very uncharacteristic of him, so maybe he'll break through at the French Open and complete his career Grand Slam. No one is expecting him to win, so maybe the lack of pressure will allow him to make the adjustments he needs to finally capture this final Slam title.

#2 Rafael Nadal- As stated earlier, Nadal has never lost at Roland Garros, and he should be the favorite to win again this year. He has a nice draw too, he won't play a seed until the 4th round at earliest, and his toughest test before the finals should be Novak Djokovic, who he beat on clay last week. I'm predicting Nadal is 28-0 at the French by the end of this tournament.

#3 Novak Djokovic- He broke through for his first Slam win at this year's Australian Open. In my opinion, this man will be the next world #1. He has the game to compete on all surfaces, and he has the will to beat top flight players consistently. There is no love lost between him and his opponents. Djokovic is all business on the court, but he gets the job done. He should make the semis easily this year, as his hardest test should be Paul Henri Mathieu.

#4 Nikolay Davydenko- The Tennis Gods apparently do not like Davydenko for getting mixed up in all these gambling rumors. He has a potentially very tough draw should everything shake down properly. His first round match is against big serving Swede Thomas Johansson. Then in round two he could get the Russian head case Marat Safin, who has the skill to win any tournament he enters, but the fragile temperament of a Doberman. Then in round three Davydenko could face Ivan Ljubicic who was a top five player a year or two ago. Juan Carlos Ferrero, always a tough out on clay, could be waiting in the fourth round, before a quarterfinal match-up with David Ferrer. If Davydenko survives all this to make the semis again, his reward would be Roger Federer.

Quarterfinal Predictions:
#1 Roger Federer vs. #8 Richard Gasquet
#4 Nikolay Davydenko vs. #5 David Ferrer

#3 Novak Djokovic vs. #11 Thomas Berdych
#2 Rafael Nadal vs. #6 David Nalbandian

Semifinal Predictions:
Federer vs. Ferrer
Nadal vs. Djokovic

Finals Prediction:
Federer vs. Nadal (Is the third time the charm for Fed?)

Winner:
Rafael Nadal

Seed Breakdown: Women
#1 Maria Sharapova- I have never been a big Sharapova fan. I've always found her grunting and court antics a bit bush league, but even I cannot deny how dominant she has been this year. She stormed her way to an Australian Open win in January and could complete her career Slam with a win at the Roland Garros this year. A semifinalist last year, she should improve on that this year as there really is no one who should challenge her in her half of the draw.

#2 Ana Ivanovic- She is a two time runner up in Grand Slams. Last year she lost to Henin at the French, and she was crushed by Sharapova this past Aussie Open. Ivanovic has the game to win a Slam, but people are beginning to wonder if she has the mental fortitude to win one. A good measuring stick will be a quarterfinal match-up with Serena Williams.

#3 Jelena Jankovic- Last year at this time, everyone was saying how she would be the first Serb to break through and win a Slam, but the quick rise of Ivanovic has pushed Jankovic to the side... for now. Jankovic is a lot like Ivanovic, tons of game, questionable nerves. She has had the misfortune of playing Serena Williams in a few Slams, and beating her is an easy feat for no one. Jankovic should cruise to the quarters, where she will be tested by Venus Williams, but she should get through that and play the winner of Anna/Serena.

#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova- Kuznetsova is still hanging around at #4 in the world despite the fact that she has only ever won one Slam (way back in 2004). She has since been a runner up twice in Slams, but she seems to make it to the quarters of each Slam before crashing out. I expect much of the same this tournament.

#5 Serena Williams- Always the enigma, Serena Williams could easily win the French Open this year, or she could just as easily be dismantled by Ivanovic. That's part of what makes her fun. Sure, she's not the most gracious loser, and her grunting can be excessive, but when she goes on a tear it's a thing of beauty and you can't help but root for her.

Quarterfinal Predictions:
#1 Maria Sharapova vs. #7 Elena Dementieva
#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. #6 Anna Chakvetadze

#3 Jelena Jankovic vs. #8 Venus Williams
#2 Anna Ivanovic vs. #5 Serena Williams

Semifinal Predictions:
Sharapova vs. Chakvetadze
Jankovic vs. S. Williams

Finals Prediction:
Sharapova vs. S. Williams

Winner:
S. Williams

Doubles Winners:
Men: Bob and Mike Bryan
Women: Cara Black and Liezel Huber

Misc:
So I join this pool every Slam called a suicide pool. It's pretty fun and there's still time to join. I won the French Open last year and got a coffee mug and a t-shirt. The link is here.

Tom's Take: Pistons Wasting Talent, Chances

2008-05-25T04:12:00.004-04:00

Just when you think you have all of the answers, the Detroit Pistons change the questions.

The Pistons had it all; They beat Boston in their building, a feat not accomplished in eight tries by two different teams. Detroit was also headed back to the Palace, with Boston not winning a road game in six tries.

Then Game 3 happened. Boston, much like their Game 1 start, jumped out to an 11-0 run, and silenced the Pistons crowd, who were clearly not immune to the disease of over-used, bad White Out promotions.

Yet, the Pistons stormed back with a 13-0 run of their own to take a 17-15 lead with 1:52 to go in the first quarter.

Then it got ugly. The Celtics responded with a 10-0 run to end the quarter up eight. The lead soon ballooned up to 20 at halftime.

With 55 seconds to go in the third quarter the Pistons found themselves down 23.

Then the light bulb turned on, the switch was flipped and the Pistons started playing Detroit Basketball and the Celtics lead began to crumble under the roar of the Palace crowd and the fury of the Pistons merciless defense. The Pistons soon pulled it to a nine-point deficit with 3:04 to go in the game with a thunderous dunk by Tayshaun Prince.

Yet, like everything with the Pistons it turned out to be one giant tease, a ruse, a glimpse of their true ability before it faded away like a mirage. The Pistons missed shots, they didn't get stops and the comeback ended with a bitter 94-80 defeat.

There's going to be a lot of blame thrown around and some will surely land on Flip Saunders shoulders and I've blamed Flip in the past but this wasn't on Flip.

Did Flip miss open jumpers? Did Flip forget to box out? Was it Flip Saunders' lack of hustle and inspiration?

If you want to point a finger, look no further than the trio of Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess.

To be blunt, Billups and Prince should be ashamed of themselves. Billups hit one field goal all game, a three-point basket with 3:30 to go in the fourth. Billups was one-of-six shooting on the night. Billups has to take more shots, he needs to attack the basket and get to the line for the Pistons to be successful.

Prince on the other hand, has pulled a disappearing act that would impress David Copperfield. In the series against Philadelphia and Orlando, Prince was a rock for Detroit, a guy who could be a psuedo-point guard and get his own shot as well. Prince had four points on two-of-11 shooting for the night. Prince had numerous open looks all night but just couldn't sink them.

McDyess had eight points on four-of-7 shooting but after two great double-digit performances in a row a let down was expected from Dyess.

The person who brought the most spark to the Pistons once again was rookie Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey had 18 points and got to the line for 10 attempts, more than any player in the game. Stuckey attacks the rim on every possession and also showed great tenacity on the defensive side of the ball with four steals. Stuckey played 28 minutes and I wouldn't be shocked to see him get similar minutes on Monday for Game 4, regardless of how Billups is playing or feeling.

The Pistons have been to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight years. In the previous five series they are 2-3, dropping the last two to Miami and Cleveland. Before the game, the video intro showed clips from each conference finals and ended with Rasheed Wallace looking at static on a TV, similar to the movie Poltergeist, saying "We're Back."

The Pistons are back alright, and so is the style of play that has driven their fans to borderline insanity.

With the Pistons, there is no consistency. There is Good Pistons and Bad Pistons. There is Game 2 and there is Game 3. There is Detroit Basketball and there is the Pistons own brand of lazy, uninspired, entitled basketball. The Pistons played like they thought they could just show up to the arena and Boston would roll over and play their part because they had done such a good job of ripping the Celtics' hearts out of their chests just two nights earlier.

But with the Pistons, their opponents are always like Jason Voorhees; down but not out. The Pistons never check to make sure their opponent is really dead and buried. They stand over their fallen opponent and thump their chests until their opponent rises from the ashes and brings them down in to a sobering reality that sends the Pistons into another head-scratching, shoulder-slumping defeat.

The Pistons have said every year that they've learned their lesson from their previous defeats. That it's a new year and a new Pistons. Once again, they've been proven to be liars, proven to be the team everyone thinks they are. The Pistons took the night off and they gave away home court advantage to Boston in an instant. Once again, the Celtics hold the advantage.

That's not to say the Pistons are doomed to be a victim to their arrogance once more. This series is far from over and the Pistons always play better with their backs against the wall and something to prove and the Pistons should come out true to form on Monday night and play better basketball. The Pistons have not lost consecutive games all postseason and I do not expect them to lose on Monday.

But if the Pistons are to win this series and advance to their third Finals appearance in five years they need one thing: Attitude.

The Pistons need to play every possession, every quarter, every game like their lives depend on it. They need to play like Antonio McDyess, who's desire for a championship burns hotter than the flames shot into the air on Saturday night.

They need to play like Rodney Stuckey, who's passion, and hard-nosed play shows just how much a title means to him.

Players like McDyess and Stuckey aren't spoiled by success like the Pistons quartet of Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace. Neither know what it feels to experience the success that the Pistons had in 2004. McDyess, so heartbroken over the Pistons shocking defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, drove home in his jersey.

The other four Pistons didn't do that. They put on their suits, they stood in front of the press and gave a collective "We'll get them next year."

The Pistons need to realize that there may not be a next year for this aging team. Ask the Atlanta Braves or the Utah Jazz how long a window of success stays open. If these Pistons want to be remembered as champions once more, and not a walking testament to what might have been, they need to go back and look at the 2004 Finals. They need to look at the intensity, the passion and the desire that the '04 Pistons had every night that seems to leave these Pistons in the most crucial moments.

If Detroit can't find those traits that lie dormant within them, once again they'll find themselves at the podium in the press room saying, "We'll get 'em next year." Only this time, there may not be a next year.

And Here's Your Penguins!!!

2008-05-25T01:24:00.003-04:00

Found another angle for this too!

ECF Game 2 Preview: Detroit vs. Boston

2008-05-22T14:23:00.002-04:00

If the Pistons want to win this game they must get more from Chauncey Billups. Billups' hamstring clearly slowed him down and he sat much of the second quarter and didn't look like himself all night. Rasheed Wallace also needs to step up and play better on both ends of the floor. Another person that was rather invisible was Jason Maxiell who needs to provide a spark off the bench.

Here's to a game 2 win.

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100 (A Double Dose!)

2008-05-21T22:48:00.003-04:00

Win #25: Phillies 1, Nationals 0
After being shut out for the first 17 innings of the series, the Phillies finally struck in the top of the 9th on Greg Dobbs pinch hit double. The run proved enough to get the Phils the win, as Brad Lidge came on to continue his dominance in his role as Phillies closer and pick up his 11th save in 11 chances. Tom Gordon picked up the win for the Phillies even though Cole Hamels threw his second straight gem. Hamels pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out 11. In his past two starts, Hamels is 1-0 with 16 I.P., 0.00 E.R.A., eight hits, four walks and 17 strike outs. This is good news for the Phillies as he is their only starter with a sub 4.00 E.R.A.

Win #26: Phillies 12, Nationals 2
Tonight was Jamie Moyer's turn to turn in a quality start, his second in a row as well, although the Phillies bats finally came alive and provided ample run support. The Phils started it off early, with Ryan Howard doubling Shane Victorino in in the top of the first. The Phils doubled the lead in the second on a Pedro Feliz homer. They doubled the lead again in the fifth as Victorino homered and Howard launched a ball into the upper deck in right field. But the big blow came in the sixth when they tripled their lead, putting eight runs up while sending 13 batters to the plate. Every Phillie except Pat Burrell reached base safely at least once in the inning. It started off well for the Nats as Jayson Werth struck out. But after Pedro Feliz and Chris Coste got on base the real trouble started. Jesus Colome threw a wild pitch to Jamie Moyer which advanced the runners to second and third with one out. This allowed Moyer to avoid the sacrifice bunt situation and he eventually drew a walk to load the bases. Jimmy Rollins followed with an rbi single. Victorino became the beneficiary of a weird fielding gaffe by Nats first baseman Dmitri Young. Victorino had singled to right field, scoring Chris Coste, but right fielder Elijah Dukes tried to get Victorino out at first. Unfortunately for him, Young couldn't handle the throw, and it bounced off his glove and hit the camera in the Phillies dugout. This allowed Victorino to go to third and for Moyer and Rollins to score. Chase Utley followed up with a double, scoring Victorino. Ryan Howard strode to the plate for his at bat and received a first pitch fastball, which he promptly deposited deep in the right field seats. It was beautiful. Burrell flew out to center for the second out, giving the Nationals a light at the end of the tunnel. But Werth drew a walk, Feliz drew a walk, and Coste hit a bloop single to right field to score Werth. Moyer finally struck out to end the inning. The Phillies went on to win 12-2, but the real kicker is that Clay Condrey came on to pitch in the sixth inning and finished the game, earning him a save. In a 12-2 game. Awesome.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

2008-05-21T22:23:00.003-04:00

Well as much I have tried to forget it, the Pittsburgh Penguins, not the Flyers, are advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. The Flyers gave their fans a glimmer of hope after a game four win, but couldn't get any sort of momentum going in the final game of the series, and the Pens won easily. The Red Wings also built a 3-0 lead in their series with Dallas before losing games four and five. They were able to stop the bleeding and post a solid 4-1 win in game six. So the match-up is set and the puck will drop in Detroit on Saturday to start the finals.

Key Match-up #1: Pittsburgh forwards vs. Detroit defensemen
This is strength vs. strength here. Pittsburgh still has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lurking around and that alone is better than most other teams entire offense. Throw in Marian Hossa and Jordan Staal (when he's on his game) and you have the makings of an overpowering offense. However, Detroit can counter with perennial Norris trophy finalist Nicholas Lindstrom, the ageless wonder Chris Chelios, three time cup winner Brian Rafalski and Nik Kronwall. Detroit has the deepest defense in the league and they will certainly be tested during this series. There aren't many teams that can have a top defensive pairing on the ice to match up against Crosby's line and Malkin's line.

Advantage: Detroit

Key Match-up #2: Detroit forwards vs. Pittsburgh defensemen
Detroit quietly also has one of the deepest offensive teams in the league. They scored the most goals in the NHL while allowing the least. You will win a lot of games that way, and that's what Detroit has done. They have their flashy stars such as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk but they can also hurt you with guys like Jeff Franzen who came out of nowhere this post season to score 11 goals. Pittsburgh's defense was a big question mark coming into the playoffs, but they have exceeded expectations and shut down all opposition. They will be hard pressed to keep it up against Detroit as they haven't faced a team this deep yet.

Advantage: Detroit

Question marks: Goaltending
Neither team's goalies have been spectacular this post season. Marc-Andre Fleury because he hasn't had to be, and Detroit switched their goalies halfway through the opening series. Fleury has put up good numbers so far, but he hasn't been tested much, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against a better offense. The Red Wings better hope they don't need Chris Osgood to steal a game for them because he hasn't shown the ability to do just that.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

Prediction: Detroit in 6

Pittsburgh has been solid this post season, but Detroit's depth will cause problems for Pittsburgh's forwards and defensemen.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Boston vs. Detroit

2008-05-20T12:10:00.004-04:00

The Final Four of the NBA tips off tonight with Game 1 of the Celtics-Pistons series 8:30 on ESPN.
If the Pistons win the series, it's just one step closer to David Stern tossing himself off a balcony if he gets the Spurs and Pistons in the Finals.

There's a good piece from the Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press that breaks down the individual matchups and I tend to agree. But if I had to pick one matchup that's going to be key it's going to be Garnett and Wallace. Garnett has not really taken over in the playoffs and they're going to need him to step up and attack Sheed in the post and try to get him in foul trouble. Likewise Sheed is going to have to attack KG in the low post and bring him out along the three point arc.

There's a lot to prove in this series for both teams. Boston needs to prove that they aren't as weak as they looked against Atlanta and Cleveland. Ray Allen needs to prove that he hasn't been abducted by aliens and is in actuality Tyronn Lue, and Kevin Garnett needs to prove that he can get to the Finals.

Detroit needs to prove that they can maintain their focus in the Eastern Conference Finals. Let us not forget that this group is 2-3 in ECF's. Likewise Flip Saunders needs to prove that he can coach in the playoffs all the way though. So far this post season he's been doing a better job than anyone expected and here's to hoping he doesn't turn back into a pumpkin.

Even with all of this, I think it's going to be hard for Boston to win at the Palace and Detroit can get it done on the road. Not to mention I think the matchups favor the Pistons slightly.

My Prediction: Pistons in 6

Need 4 Sheed's thoughts

Jim Edmonds Flashes The Leather

2008-05-20T12:00:00.002-04:00

I don't know what shocks me more, the fact that Edmonds made that catch while running up a hill, that Edmonds is playing for the Cubs, or that Edmonds is still playing.

Boston's Lester Throws No Hitter

2008-05-19T23:21:00.005-04:00

BOSTON (AP)—Jon Lester has survived cancer and pitched a World Series clincher for the Boston Red Sox.

Now he can add a no-hitter to his already amazing list of accomplishments.

The 24-year-old lefty shut down Kansas City 7-0 Monday night for the first no-hitter in the majors since Red Sox rookie Clay Buchholz threw one last September.

It was Lester’s first major league complete game. And what a way to do it.

“You don’t feel tired in that situation. You’ve got so much adrenaline going,” he said. “I’m sure it will hit me in the morning.”

Lester (3-2) allowed just two baserunners, walking Billy Butler in the second inning and Esteban German to open the ninth; he also had an error when he threw away a pickoff attempt.

Lester struck out nine, fanning Alberto Callaspo to end the game before pumping both fists in the air.
Catcher Jason Varitek, who has been behind the plate for a record four no-hitters, lifted his pitcher into the air. Manager Terry Francona gave a long, hard embrace to Lester, who missed the end of the 2006 season after he was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I’ve been through a lot the last couple of years. He’s been like a second dad to me,” Lester said. “It was just a special moment right there.”

What a great story. Lester isn't one of those pitcher that you think can go out there every fifth day and give you a win but he's a solid, young starter and has a bright future and is an inspirational story. Good for Lester and hopefully he can have a great year. Seems like everything is turning up Jon Lester's way recently.

Yahoo!: Lester Throws No-Hitter Against Royals

Coming Soon To A Poster Near You

2008-05-13T12:09:00.001-04:00

Dear. God.

What the Heck is Going on with Roger Federer?

2008-05-10T02:01:00.003-04:00

The long, forlorn looks at the tennis racquet are becoming more and more frequent for Roger Federer these days. The man who was once the most unbeatable man in tennis is looking more and more ordinary these days. Federer lost for the sixth time this year. Last year, his sixth loss came in August, and in 2006 he didn't even lose six matches. The last time he had six losses this early in a season was in 2003. So what has happened to the previously most feared man on asphalt? Well a number of things. He started off the season slow, due to his bout with mono. Yet he still made a strong run through the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovich. Federer has since recovered, but still hasn't looked as sharp as he has in the past. Another factor in Fed's fall has been Novak Djokovich. Djokovich has the game to compete with Federer, and he has the will to finish the match. The mutual respect between Federer and Rafael Nadal (Nadal owns the clay, Federer everything else) does not exist between Djokovich and Federer. When watching to two play, the animosity between the two is evident. Djokovich's rise last year and this year has also given hope to players who previously had little, if any, shot at beating Federer. Fed's latest loss came to Radek Stepanek who after the game said "I came into the match with the belief I could win". Two years ago, you never would have heard that comment from a player like Stepanek if they somehow had beaten Federer. The quote would have been more like "I played flawlessly today and got lucky that he was slightly off his game". But Federer's falterings have given hope to all of his opponents. The aura that once surrounded him is fading fast. Federer's career is far from done, but gone are the days where he can win just by walking out onto the court and waiting for his opponent to give up. Of course, grass and hard court seasons are right around the corner, so his best work of the season is yet to come.

The Battle for Pennsylvania

2008-05-09T09:10:00.003-04:00

So I think it's safe to say that the Atlantic division is the best in the NHL. For the second straight year, it's sent four teams to the post season. This year, three teams made it through the first round, and two made it to the Conference Finals. The Pittsbugh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers will meet tonight for the right to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. The rivalry between these two teams is intense, and this series is poised to go seven testy games. The two teams haven't met in the postseason since 2000, when Keith Primeau scored this memorable goal in five overtimes:

Offense: The Penguins have a lot of offensive firepower tied up in three guys- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa. While the Flyers cannot match the raw talent of those three, they have had the most balanced scoring in the league. The Flyers had seven players reach 20 goals during the regular season and have had similar balanced scoring in the postseason. R.J. Umberger is hot right now, and he has already made a name for himself for his play against the Penguins. The Flyers offense needs to come up big for them to move onto the finals. This will be a high scoring series.

Defense: The Flyers were dealt a huge blow Thursday when they found out that Kimo Timonen will likely miss the series due to a small blood clot in his ankle. Darian Hatcher, Bradon Coburn and Jason Smith will have to play flawlessly against Malkin and Crosby in Timonen's absence. The Penguins defense has been surprisingly strong this postseason, so it will be interesting to see how they respond to the balance that the Flyers present on offense.

Goaltending: Martin Biron has been great when his team has needed him to be, despite the fact that his numbers are actually worse in the postseason than they were in the regular season. However, Biron weathered the offensive pressure the Canadiens put on him and came up huge at the opportune time. The Flyers have confidence in him, and if he continues to play big, he could very well steal the show. Marc-Andre Fleury on the other hand has put up great numbers this postseason, but the Flyers will test his mettle. The Flyers like to crash the net and let the goalie know they're there so we will see how he handles the pressure.

Special Teams: The Flyers penalty-killing has been so-so although they have gotten the job done when they need to for the most part. Their powerplay is the best in the league of the teams remaining. The Penguins powerplay is potent and is just slightly lower than the Flyers. Their penalty killing has been stellar though.

Prediction: Flyers in 6. I just can't, in good conscience, pick the Penguins to win this series.

LETS GO FLYERS!

Billups Injures Hamstring, Pistons Lose Game 3

2008-05-08T15:23:00.004-04:00

Well Game 3 was a disaster for more than one reason for the Detroit Pistons yesterday. They lost their point guard Chauncey Billups and lost Game 3 111-86.

Billups went down about three minutes into the first quarter when he slipped and got his foot caught up with Jameer Nelson and immediately went down in pain and limped off the court and did not return.

Some Notes:

The first quarter was a disaster for the Pistons after Billups left. The Pistonsfell down 18 early and the first quarter ended 30-16 in favor of the Magic
Rodney Stuckey had an admirable 19 points on 5-13 shooting. I have more than enough faith in Stuck to run the offense if Billups can't go.
Rip and Tay carried the Pistons last night with a combined 42 points on 18-34 shooting. I still think Tay should have gotten more touches but that's just me.
Walter Hermann had almost 13 minutes while Maxiell had 19 minutes and Dyess had 15. I would have liked to see Hermann see more time on the bench than he did on the floor because he really didn't give us much last night.
The fourth quarter really just blew this game away. The Pistons had gotten as close as three at one point but the Magic just came out firing from three and put the game away. The Pistons were outscored by 21
"Losing Chauncey was huge for us," said Richard Hamilton, who scored 24 points. "He means so much to our team. To not have him out there made a difference. We fought back, but we just couldn't get the win." The Detroit Free Press
Kander estimated that he’d give Billups “90 treatments” between this afternoon and Saturday night. That includes all sorts of things, from massage, to electronic stimulation to “stuff he won’t even be able to spell,” Kander said. The Detroit Free Press
Rashard Lewis had a playoff career high 33 points on 11-15 shooting and hit five three pointers
NBA Highlights of the Game
Need4Sheed's Thoughts
Game 4 is Saturday night, 5:00 p.m EST on ESPN.

One Last Hit

2008-05-06T18:06:00.003-04:00

One of the better stories you'll ever read. John Challis, an 18-year-old senior at Freedom High School in Pennsylvania is dying of cancer and has about two months to live. One of Challis' final wishes was to have an at bat in a league game.

On April 14, Challis got his wish. He came up to the plate, smacked the ball into right field and somehow made it to first. Challis got a single and an RBI.

This ran in a piece this Sunday by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Mike White. It's a great piece and a great story and I recommend that everyone check it out.

Here are some of the highlights:

"Sometimes I cry, but people cry for all different kinds of reasons," he said. "Sometimes I just want to know why, but I think I figured that out. God wanted me to get sick because he knew I was strong enough to handle it. I'm spreading His word and my message. By doing that, I'm doing what God put me here to do.

"It took me about a half year to figure all that out. Now, when I'm able to truly believe it, it makes it easier on me. And when you know other people support what you're thinking, it makes it easier."

When asked where he gained his wisdom, he answered, "Through cancer."

"I used to be afraid, but I'm not afraid of dying now, if that's what you want to know," he said. "Because life ain't about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those breaths."

Just a great story about a brave young man.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Teen Is Running Out Of Innings, But The Game Isn't Over

Sports By Brooks: Cancer-stricken Baseball Player Gets One Last Hit

Deadspin: Perfect Game

Pistons Take Controversial 2-0 Series Lead

2008-05-06T15:12:00.008-04:00

I'll just come out and say it -- I'm already tired of hearing about the clock situation at the end of the third quarter last night.

Was it a bad call? Yes. Should Orlando and their fans be upset? Yes. Did it cost them the game? No.

Orlando took the lead after that sequence and had two chances to tie or take the lead late in the game. Had Orlando been able to execute down the stretch and not take bad shots (I'm looking at you Hedo Turkoglu) they might have won the game. Alas, they didn't and the Pistons won 100-93.

Some Notes:

The play in question via YouTube Magic
Orlando went crazy in the third quarter -- hitting all seven of their three point attempts. In the rest of the game the Magic shot 4-19.
What is the world was Hedo Turkoglu thinking at the end of the game? Maybe he was having flashbacks to his game winner vs. Boston earlier this season. Mind you this sequence was after a time out. Turkoglu got the ball at the top of the three point arc and threw up a wild shot that bounced off the side of the backboard. Stan Van Gundy was as confused as me. "The Magic called timeout to set up a play, but Hedo Turkoglu inexplicably broke off the play and fired up an errant 3-pointer. "I don't know," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said of why Turkoglu did that. "I don't understand that shot at all and nobody on our team can understand it either. Down two and a full shot clock. I don't know why he did that." The Detroit News
Jameer Nelson decided to show up on the offensive end of the floor last night, dropping 22 points but couldn't stop Mr. Big Shot who had 28 points and four dimes.
The Pistons bigs were in foul trouble all night. Dyess fouled out and let his displeasure be known. Sheed had five fouls and Flip Saunders (yes that Flip Saunders) did an excellent job of keeping him from fouling out.
Theo Ratliff just got OWNED!
The Pistons had all five starters in double figures but Rip was ice cold from the floor. 4-18 shooting but did have the last Pistons basket of the game with his three pointer.
Jason Maxiell and Tayshaun Prince are just on fire right now. Maxiell had a clutch block at the end of the game and finished with 11 points on 5-5 shooting. Tay had 17 and 10 on 8-13 shooting.
Need4Sheed's thoughts and some sweet videos.
Krista Jahnke of The Detroit Free Press clears up the clock situation.
Orlando Magic blog Third Quarter Collapse on the clock situation.
NBA.com Highlights of the Game
Game 3 is 8:00 p.m Wednesday night on TNT.

This is What Happens When You're a Penguins Fan in a Flyers Town

2008-05-05T12:09:00.004-04:00

So one of my friends is a big Penguins fan. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a Flyers town. He also didn't know I was home this weekend. So I had a little fun with his car last night. Here are the resulting pictures of my fun:

Moral of the Story: Let's Go Flyers!

Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming

2008-05-03T23:34:00.000-04:00

Ah man, I just woke up from the best nap, and I had the greatest dream... the Flyers closed out the series in five... what's that? I'm not dreaming?

Yea, I'm pretty pumped right now. I did not expect the Flyers to win this series. Even when we were up 3-1, I didn't want to let myself hope. But man, the Flyers showed some real heart tonight. They went down 1-0 early, the Habs got their first lead of the series a few minutes in on a nice deflection in front. But who else but the Umburglar tied the game up for the Flyers. He scored while laying on the ice... you really just have to watch the highlights, I can't do it justice. But then the Flyers gave up two more goals and Canadiens goalie Carey Price was just stopping everything. Then the floodgates opened. Mike Richards deflected a puck with his glove to make the score 3-2. Seconds later, the Hatch Attack took a nice slap shot that Price saved, but, again, who else but Umberger collected the puck behind the net and stuffed in a wrap around. Seconds later, Scott Hartnell had a 2 on 1 with Vinny Prospal and passed the puck to Prospal. The play was broken up and the Canadiens had a counter rush. The Flyers broke that up and Kimo Timmonen found Hartnell skating all alone up the side boards and hit him with a long outlet pass and Hartnell decided to take the shot this time and ripped a slapper by Price. In my opinion, Price should have saved all three goals, but his confidence has been shaky at best this season.

The Habs tied it early in the 3rd, but with about three minutes left, Jeff Carter got in on the action. He knocked down a clearing attempt and flipped a shot towards the net, and Scottie Upshall deflected it perfectly into the net for the game winner. The Habs never really got any sustained pressure after that, and Mike Knuble iced it with an empty net goal (side note- Knuble has had three goals these playoffs, two have been empty netters, the third was an OT winner).

Series MVP: Martin Biron. The Flyers were outshot by a wide margin in every game except game five. Without Biron standing on his head for long stretches of games, this series would have ended quite differently. Biron had a .935 save percentage for the series. He needs to keep it up if the Flyers have any shot at a winning the Cup.

Honorable Mention: R.J. Umberger. With eight goals in this series, he became Carey Price's worst nightmare. Price is going to have visions of Umberger flashing through his head for the next few weeks.

Final Thoughts: The Flyers are going to need to use all the scoring depth they have if they want to beat the Penguins, their likely opponent for the Eastern Conference Finals. Vinny Prospal needs to start producing again. The whole first line really needs to step it up. Umberger carried the team through this series, which is great, but the Flyers will need production from every line to continue through these playoffs...

It was nice to see that the Flyers have been cutting down on their penalties. After having nine penalty kills in game 3, the Flyers had four each in the last two games.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Flyers were 0/3 on the powerplay tonight. While their pp% is second in the playoffs, they will have to convert frequently to make their road easier...

I was really impressed with the Canadiens fans today. I ripped them earlier in the series for dumping beer on Richards and booing the American national anthem, but they were picture perfect today. There wasn't a mass exodus after the Habs went down 5-4 with three minutes left, they stayed and cheered to the very last. Also instead of booing and throwing things on the ice, like the fake Washington Capitals fans did, they cheered their team, thanking them for a great season. Again, I was very impressed.

And finally, BRING ON THE PENGUINS (or Rangers)

Oh yea, and thank you to Four Habs Fans for keeping me entertained during the Flyers games I couldn't watch. It was nice to talk hockey with knowledgeable and passionate fans.

Pistons Keep the Switch Set to 'On'

2008-05-03T23:33:00.004-04:00

Now that's championship basketball.

The Pistons dominated the Orlando Magic tonight, winning 91-72 and taking a 1-0 series lead. The game was a back-and-forth affair until the third quarter when the Pistons went on a run to take a 64-49 lead and never looked back.

Some Notes:

Jason Maxiell had the best night of the playoffs so far. Max shot 5-8 from the floor for 12 points and had 9 boards. When Max is draining jumpers you know you've got it going on.
Tayshaun Prince finally cooled off from his recent hot streak. Prince was 6-16 for 12 points.
Dwight Howard injured his left thumb in the second half and was sitting on the bench with a rather large wrap on his hand. Howard said after the game that he'd be fine for Game 2.
Chauncey Billups led the Pistons in scoring with 19 points. Billups also logged seven assists.
Most Improved Player Hedo Turkoglu had 18 points on 8-16 shooting
The Pistons had four players in double figures -- the Magic had two.
Orlando had 13 turnovers and the Pistons -- after their struggles in the last series vs. Philadelphia only had 6
Free Press recap here.
Here's a good piece by the Free Press' Michael Rosenberg on if the Pistons really flip the switch
Series over?

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100

2008-05-03T14:58:00.003-04:00

Win #17: Phillies 6, Giants 5

Count this as the Phillies most dramatic win of the 2008 season. Down to their final strike, the Phillies won when Pat the Bat Burrell smacked a two out two run homer into the left field seats. J.C. Romero got the win, after allowing his first run this season, and first run in 28+ innings when Aaron Rowand led off the top of the 10th with a home run. It was the first home run Romero gave up in 45+ innings. Rowand, back in Philly for the first time since signing with the Giants, was greeted with a standing ovation from the fans when he batted for the first time in the second inning, joining an elite few athletes who can leave Philly and still be loved. He did, however, get booed when he hit his home run. Kyle Kendrick started the game for the Phillies and pitched well for five innings, only allowing one run. However, in the sixth he ran into some trouble and gave up two more runs. Ryan Madson came in in the seventh and promptly allowed the Giants to tie the game at four. Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge both chipped in solid innings. Chase Utley opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, hitting his 12th home run of the season, which leads the majors. The next closest player is... Pat Burrell who has 9. Burrell also leads the league in rbis with 28. Pedro Feliz provided the other two runs for the Phillies with a two run homer of his own in the fourth inning.

Philies in '08!

Ryan Perrilloux is Gone for Good this Time

2008-05-02T10:26:00.007-04:00

Well we all knew it wouldn't last. LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was kicked off the team for good today, ending his storied career of several run ins with the law. Head coach Les Miles said that Perrilloux "didn't fulfill his obligation of an LSU student-athlete". No really? I guess being involved with a counterfeiting ring, or getting caught trying to sneak onto a casino river boat with a fake i.d. isn't what is expected of LSU student-athletes. Perrilloux's latest suspension was earned after he skipped classes and team meetings and showed up late to team conditioning exercises. Perrilloux was re-instated to the team on April 6th and was able to travel to the White House with the rest of the national champions, but its a mere three and a half weeks later and he is gone for good. I guess he didn't quite get the message from his last suspension.

Source

Pistons Dominate, Eliminate Sixers

2008-05-01T22:41:00.008-04:00

*Yawn*

Well that was anti-climatic. The Pistons just ran away with that one. Game started on a three-point play with Rip Hamilton and we never looked back. That's the type of Pistons basketball I'm used to seeing. The starters got some rest down the stretch and it's back to Detroit for Game one vs Orlando on Saturday.

Some notes:

Hats off to the Sixers. They played a tough series the whole way through and Mo Cheeks cannot get enough credit with the job he did with that team this season.
Tayshaun Prince continued his hot shooting -- 5 of 6 for 12 points. In the last three games Prince shot 24 of 32 from the field -- or 75%
Pistons shot 58% from the field in the game. The Sixers -- 34%
Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 16 points on 4 of 7 shooting.
The combination of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton accounted for 44 points on 17 of 25 shooting
Shockingly, a technical was given out and it wasn't on Rasheed Wallace. Iguodala picked up the tech for Philly.

Journalists vs. Bloggers: A Schizophrenic Debate

2008-05-01T18:17:00.005-04:00

Journalist me: There's the guy who took the bread out of Tommy's mouth!

Blogger me: Who me?

Journalist me: That's right! You damnit!

Blogger me: What did I do?

Journalist me: You know what you did. You and your little blogger cronies out there in your little "blogosphere" out there are taking readers away from people like me. People with credentials. People with training. People with access. You and your kind just sit on your Mom's couch, with your Macbook, and just write something and hit send and there's no first-hand knowledge, there's no class and there's no place for it in our society.

Blogger me: Since when is it illegal to have a view point? Since when is it bad to have multiple viewpoints on one topic?

Journalist me: Since you became a threat to my very existence.

Blogger me: All I'm doing is following my passion. I love sports, I love to write. What's wrong with that?

Journalist me: What's wrong with it is that you go out of your way to embarrass athletes. Your posts are filled with words like "f---ed" and "bulls---". Where's the taste in that?

Blogger me: You're telling me you don't say the word f---?

Journalist me: Go f--- yourself.

Blogger me: You're telling me you wouldn't put profanity in the paper if you could?

Journalist me: F--- you and everything you stand for.

[The End]

Now that would be the discussion I would have with myself if I were

A) Crazy

and B) An old, bitter man like one Mr. Buzz Bissinger, seen here making an ass out of himself on Costas Now earlier this week. Bissinger, clearly threatened by people like Will Leitch of Deadspin, went on a profanity laced tirade, at one point referring to Leitch as a "piece of shit."

Even Bob Costas got in on the act with his hilarious readings from some of the Deadspin faithful.

Now listen, I have a foot in both camps. I write for this blog (whose title I'm sure my friend Mr. Bissinger would just love) and I also work as a journalist. Do I worry that maybe one day there won't be a job for me (assuming I ever graduate)? Yes. Do I read blogs? Once again, yes. I read Deadspin, I read FanHouse and I read Kissing Suzy Kolber. I even read ESPN's Bill Simmons, who does have formal training yet rose to fame for his Boston Sports Guy Blog. Hell, I even have a list of blogs on the side of this site.

Now, there is a difference between blogs like Deadspin and sites like TheDirty.com, who became famous for the Matt Leinart party pictures. Deadspin didn't start the controversy, that site did. Also, it's not like Deadspin was the only site to run with this story. Those pictures were all over ESPN as their analysts discussed the issue.

But, I must say, there is a difference between a blog and a newspaper. When someone picks up that paper in the morning they expect facts and credibility. Once a writer hits that save button at the office and that story runs the next day, there's no taking it back. If he's got his facts wrong, if he libeled someone, he and his paper are in trouble. With blogs, everything is much faster. There is no gatekeeper, there is no editor. If they post a falsehood, they just take it down. There's an inherent danger to blogging based purely on the style of the medium.

This is not to say I think bloggers should be rounded up into camps where journalists lecture them on libel law and AP style until they bleed from the eyes. I enjoy their work. I think it's refreshing to see work born from the same love that inspired myself and every other sports writer to get into the business -- a love of writing and a love of sports -- without the bitterness that surrounds some in the business today like Bissinger.

Yes it's biased. But aren't we all. Does the day I join a newspaper mean I'm a fan of no one? Hell no. I'm still going to root for my teams and root for them proudly. I just can't let it affect my writing. Bloggers get to share their passion and fanhood for the sport and their team and I can't wait to read more of their work.

Journalist me: Oh you can go f--- yourself Kinslow. Way to ruin it for all of us.

An Explanation for Martin Biron's Stellar Series Against Montreal...

2008-05-01T15:47:00.003-04:00

Simple answer: He hates the Habs. A Quebec native, Biron grew up a die-hard fan of the Quebec Nordiques. His parents were season ticket holders, and he used to paint his face white and blue for the games. He and his parents still believe that the Canadiens cheated in the Nords/Habs game on Good Friday 1984, a game where both teams channeled their inner Flyers which led to 14 fights. Biron says he doesn't view this serie as revenge for the Nords/Habs 1993 playoff series when the Nords won the first two games, then lost four straight, and watched Montreal go on to win the Stanley Cup. However, he said that the history of the rivalry brings him an emotional intensity that he draw from. Biron's passion for the Nords was evident even when he was being scouted by other teams during the 1995 playoffs. A scout for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks took him to a Rangers/Nordiques playoff game. Unbeknownst to the scout, Biron came to the game prepared. As the game began, Biron stood and began to strip off the outer layers of his clothing. The scout look worried, but Biron revealed he was wearing a Nordiques shirt underneath. He told the scout "Right now, I have no affiliation to a team, My team is on the ice and I cheer for them. But in two months, if you draft me, I'll change over to you guys."

It's lines like that that make me love Biron. If you ever find yourself watching a Flyers game, pray that he's miked up for the night. His commentary is priceless.

Source

Late Game Heroics Make K-Mart a Happy Man

2008-04-30T21:49:00.005-04:00

First off- I CALLED BRIERE'S GOAL!

Whew. Now that's out of my system. What a game. Now please Flyers, don't give me ulcers. Just win game 5. Seriously, we need a blowout win. We are close to a battle for Pennsylvania in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I think we could take that. But we still have a long road before that happens.

A few notes from the game...
-R.J. Umberger is money. 6 goals this series, this man is unstoppable
-Martin Biron is the reason why the Flyers are playing so well. He's had 106 saves on 112 shots for a .946 in three playoff wins this series. The Flyers would be done if it wasn't for him.
-Danny Briere scores a ton of goals standing at the side of the net. This is at least the fourth goal he's gotten by camping out to the right of the goalie and poking in a rebound or receiving a cross-ice pass to score.
-The Flyers showed some real guts by regrouping after giving up two goals in a minute and scoring that powerplay goal to win the game
-The Habs should just spot the Flyers a 2 goal lead in each game, because this is the second time this series and third time these playoffs the Flyers have blown a 2 goal lead. Thank god we actually won this one.
-If the Flyers don't win game 5, this series is going 7.

On an unrelated note...
-Sean Avery has a lacerated spleen and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
-Is there a scarier team in the west than the Red Wings right now? If I'm the Flyers, Penguins, Canadiens or Rangers, I don't want to face them in the finals.
-Dallas may just be that hotter team, they are making San Jose look foolish. Marty Turco is right there with Marty Biron as the best goalie in the league right now. Will we see a Marty/Marty showdown in the finals?
-Please Rangers, win just one game to extend the series

Phear the P

2008-04-28T21:44:00.004-04:00

So I'm not sure if there is a scarier team than the Flyers in the NHL right now, either for their own fans or for the opposing team. Tonight, despite the refs deciding that Montreal earned 9 powerplays to the Flyers 3, the Flyers proved that they are still the better team in this series. They should be up 3-0 in the series for the second series in a row, but they will settle for a 2-1 series lead. The Flyers have made each of the last 4 games nail-biting for their own fans but have found ways to win in 3 of them. They have been winning these games in large part to the outstanding play of goaltender Marty Biron. The dude has literally been playing out of his mind, and if he continues this high level of play, I can't see any team beating the Flyers. In the NHL playoffs, teams only go as far as the goaltender will carry them, and Biron has loaded the Flyers up on his back and is outplaying the supposed savior of the Habs, Carey Price. Price has looked shaky at best in three games against the Flyers while Biron has been rock solid in the past two games. He's stopped 66/70 shots for a .942 save percentage. R.J Umberger has proven he's not only a Penguin killer, but he's a Canadien killer as well as he has had three goals this series. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it's hard not to, the Flyers have a great shot at taking this series and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In other news, Habs fans tried to get the upper hand in Philadelphia today by desecrating the Rocky Statue. Really, the Canadien fans have been showing the lack of control they have. So far these playoffs they've: rioted in the streets and torched a couple of cop cars after winning a FIRST ROUND SERIES against Boston, they doused Flyers forward Mike Richards with beer in game one after he took a penalty, they booed the U.S. National Anthem before game 2 and now they have gone and messed with an icon of Philadelphia (admittedly, I have no problem with this harmless prank). Not much has been made of these incidents, most have just written it off as fans being passionate about their team, but if it was Philadelphia fans doing any of these acts, they would have been crucified for them. I just wanted to point that little fact out: Flyers fans have been rather subdued, yet we will always get the bad rap. Does that seem right to you?

Edit: So ok, Philly fans booed O Canada today, but to be fair, we wouldn't have done that if we hadn't been provoked. I have been to several games when we've played Canadian teams and we don't usually boo the Anthem. that being said, they still shouldn't have done it.

Phear the P

The Day Vince Young's Career Ended

2008-04-26T20:45:00.005-04:00

By Tom Kinslow and Dave Miniaci

We're gonna need a 12 step program to get over this.

Mike Reinfeldt and company have once again ignored the fans and All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth's cries for help and have not drafted a wide receiver through the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

The Titans took RB Chris Johnson in the first round and DT Jason Jones in the second. I think it's time that some pro-active Titans fan goes to GoDaddy.com or some bullshit and registers www.firemikereinfeldt.com.

This guy is a bozo. He did a total hatchet job on the first day of the draft. First off, Chris Johnson. He has the potential to be the speed back that the Titans need but it's a flawed pick for a number of reasons. First, it admits that they fucked up when they took Chris Henry out of Arizona in the second round last year. Secondly, every wide receiver was on the board at that moment, an obvious position of need for the Titans. Thirdly, the Titans may have been able to trade up and get Johnson later in the first or early in the second.

The Titans gambled that a wideout would be available when they picked in the second round....and they lost. Limas Sweed was taking the pick before by Pittsburgh. Mario Manningham and Earl Bennett were both on the board but went with Jones instead.

Now I don't know who Jones is and I don't care. There are numerous Titans fans saying that because we have a large group of wideouts on the roster.

Let me just tell you something.

I could have 20 Ford Pintos or 20 Chevy Novas and that doesn't mean I have 20 good cars. It means I have 20 piece of shit cars. The same applies with the Titans. We don't have eight good wide outs, we have eight shitty wideouts and don't be surprised when Vince Young can't get it done next year when he's got the Roydell Williams' of the world to throw to.

Mr. Reinfeldt , what you've just done is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever witnessed. At no point in your moronic, common-sense-defying draft were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having witnessed it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

EDIT: The award for best reaction post in Titans land goes to clint taurus (that's right) for his faux news story.

In other news, Jason Jones was awarded the Chris Henry memorial award for players drafted several rounds too early...

'I didn't even have the TV on,' Jones commented to reporters. 'It was pretty much common sense that no one would draft me until tomorrow, so I was playing Nintendo with my buddies when the phone rang...I thought it was a prank at first, then I thought it was a pizza delivery gone bad...lotsa Jason Jones in the phone book, right?

'And then the dude said he was Mike Reinfeldt...I laughed and said 'who's that?', then he explained that he's some dude with the Titans who drafts people no one has heard of and stuff...I never heard of him, and it seemed really bogus that he would be drafting me in the 2nd round, but what the hell? I asked him if he would be giving me a ton of money to play football, and he said: 'yep', so I'm OK with it...'

Chris Henry tried to deliver the award in person, but kept running full-speed into the side of Jone's house, missing the door altogether...Mr Henry did notice that he could run faster given the fact that his testicles had been snipped off by the front office with the Chris Johnson selection...

when asked for comment, Mike Reinfeldt text-messaged the reply:
'WTF? LOL! OMG! LMAO! TITANS SUCK!'

An honorable mention goes to Captain Bosch for his brand new signature.

How to Go From the Most Exciting Team in the NHL to the Sorest Losers in Three Weeks or Less: The Washington Capitals Story

2008-04-24T17:54:00.006-04:00

Three weeks ago, everyone and their mother was fawning over the Washington Capitals. They were the hottest team in the NHL and they were finally drawing fans (albeit fair weather fans) to their home games. ESPN, the NHL and NBC were all hoping for the Capitals to steamroll the Philadelphia Flyers on their way to a "dream" match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Cindy Crosby. Unfortunately for everyone outside of Philadelphia, the Flyers had other plans. They pounded the Caps every chance they got and Alexandra Ovechkin showed her Cindy-side with a beautiful dive in game 3. Seriously, I'll give him a ten for that landing. Apparently fed up with the Flyers physical game, Washington Post columnist Mike Wise wrote this article about the physical aspect of the NHL playoffs. I'm guessing Mr. Wise is himself one of the three week old Capitals fans.
My favorite part of the article has to be this little nugget:

It's almost impossible to fathom, but the Capitals took the ice in front of a building as loud as Verizon Center last Friday. The fans wore orange instead of the Capitals' red, and many of the women and children looked as if they could work security for Megadeth.

I like how it's impossible to imagine that Philadelphia, who love their sports more than life itself, would be anything but a loud, raucous crowd. It's been two years since the Flyers hosted a playoff game and that is far too long for any real Flyers fan. He then moves on to credit the Capitals for creating the 'Sea of Red' (sorry, but Calgary did that four years ago on their run to the finals and the Flyers began their Orange Crush that year as well). But his crowning moment has to be his comparison of our women and children to metal heads and thugs essentially. Wait, you're insulting women and children and complaining about Philadelphia fans being classless? Am I the only one to see the irony in this statement?
Wise goes on to show how little he understands the way fighting works in the NHL with this quote:

Five minutes into the game, they showed a video of Philly's top brawls this past season, many involving Cote grabbing hold of an opponents' shirt for leverage before pummeling him to the ice, which is just a swell environment for children -- children of Patrick Roy.

According to Wise, Riley Cote is the only fighter in the league that grabs onto an opponents jersey during a fight. The other ironic part of this, is that Wise is complaining about Cote's fights, yet the Capitals employ one of the most feared fighters in the league, Donald Brashear.
It's always entertaining when someone is so desperate to win that they suggest the league step in and fix the series. Wise suggests it a few times in his article, here:

Can't Gary Bettman pay off someone to ensure his meal ticket for the next decade advances to the second round? Doesn't Tim Donaghy live close by? Does he still have his whistle? Can he skate?

here:

The Flyers are an instant repudiation of what Gary Bettman wanted the league to become. They are a reminder of the NHL's pugilistic past that just won't go away.

and here:

Quick, someone find a number for Donaghy.

But the best part of the whole thing has to be that after the Capitals finally capitulated to the Flyers in overtime of game 7, it was the Capitals fans that showered the Flyers with whatever they could throw, including beer bottles, one of which struck Jeff Carter. I pose you this question: Which fans are the thugs? The knowledgeable, passionate fans that cannot escape a checkered past? Or the bandwagon fans that jumped on late and don't know how to handle losing to the extent that they throw stuff at the opposing team.
I have always respected the Capitals since I've been a hockey fan, and you would be hard pressed to find someone outside of D.C. that is a bigger Ovechkin fan than I, but Ovie's swan dives, and the disappointing acts of their fans has eroded all the good will I have felt for them over the past several years.

...At least they can enjoy the memory of Joffrey Lupul's smiling face for the next four months while they're golfing.

NHL Second Season: Round Two

2008-04-23T12:38:00.002-04:00

Apportez sur les Canadiens! So I was close to being able to shave my playoff beard last night. Unfortunately the Flyers felt like winning, so now I have to wait through another series before I have the opportunity to shave. I totally did not expect to win that game last night, but ever since Joffrey Lupul put in the rebound off Kimmo Timmonen's point shot, I have been practicing my french so I, like the rest of my Philly brethren, can yell "F*** You Koivu" in a language the Habs will understand... anyways here are my previews and picks for round two of the NHL playoffs.

#1 Montreal Canadiens(4-3) vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers(4-3)
The Habs and the Flyers both wasted 3-1 series leads in their opening round victories. The Canadiens had a much easier game 7 as they continued their domination over Boston with a 5-0 win. The Flyers had a bit more dramatic win, as they waited until overtime to finish off the Capitals. The Canadiens should win this series as they won the season series 4-0 and dominated each of the games. However, they had won the season series against Boston 8-0 and still had to go seven. The Flyers could win if Carey Price continues his shaky play, but they need Joffry Lupul and Jeff Carter to step up if they want to continue on in these playoffs. Martin Biron has been great so far, as many of the goals scored against him you cannot fault him for, but he needs to be a lights out goalie from here on out.

Prediction: Canadiens in 6

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins(4-0) vs. #5 New York Rangers (4-1)
The Penguins have had the longest layoff between games as they were the only team to sweep their opponent. That shouldn't be much of a factor as the Rangers have also had a long layoff in between games. This series poses the most interesting match-up in the Conference Semi-finals. Can the Rangers shut down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? Does Brendan Shannahan have another Cup run in him? Will Marc-Andre Fleury outplay Henrick Lundqvist? Just how much does Pittsburgh hate Jaromir Jagr? We will see answers to all these questions as this series moves on. Both these teams have the tools to make a run at the Cup, but only one can move on. I'm going with the Vezina finalist.

Prediction: Rangers in a hard fought seven games.

#1 Detroit Redwings(4-2) vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche(4-2)
Here's a classic rivalry that has waned in recent years. In the late-90's there was no better rivalry than between these two teams. The blood was bad and the games were exciting as they combined to win 5 of 7 Cups from '96 to '02. Detroit has had some bad playoff losses lately and haven't reached a final in nearly six years. The Avalanche of today look like the Avalanche of 2001, as they brought Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote back into the fold this year. Should the Redwings fall in this series, they should be pulling for the Avalanche to win it all, as the last two times the Avs have won the Cup, Detroit has won it the following year.

Prediction: Avalanche in 6

#2 San Jose Sharks(4-3) vs. #5 Dallas Stars(4-2)
Well the Sharks escaped with a first round win over Calgary, but they didn't look good doing it. My original pick to win the Stanley Cup now faces a tough challenge in the form of the Dallas Stars. The Stars may be the fifth seed, but they dismantled the defending champs in the Conference Quarter-finals. If Dallas plays the way they did throughout the first round, they will be hard to beat in these playoffs. Marty Turco has been fantastic and Brad Richards has brought great leadership and experience to the Stars. The Sharks need their stars and leaders to step up this round or they will be going home early again.

Prediction: Stars in 5

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100

2008-04-22T12:08:00.002-04:00

Win #10: Phillies 9, Rockies 5
Kyle Kendrick was bailed out of yet another decidedly average start. Chase Utley homered for the 6th time in 5 games, while Jayson Werth had an inside the park homerun and an rbi double and Pat Burrell continued his hot streak with a two run homerun. The Phillies quickly fell behind in the game as Kendrick gave up a 3 run homerun in the second inning, but the Phillies got two back in the 4th on Burrell's homerun. Kendrick gave it right back by allowing a two run homer to Garrett Atkins. The Phillies chased Colorado starter Matt Redman with Werth and Utley's back to back homers in the 6th and then took the lead on Carlos Ruiz's two run double in the 8th. Werth and recent call-up T.J. Bohn each doubled in the 9th to drive three more runs in for the Phillies and to expand the lead to 4. The Phillies got solid relief from their bullpen for the second game in a row as they allowed only 4 baserunners over four innings. Utley made a fantastic play in the field in the third inning that saved at least two runs from scoring. With the bases loaded Clint Barmes smashed a Kendrick pitch up the middle, it skipped off the mound and Utley made a diving play to snag the ball before it made it to the outfield and was able to start a 4-6-3 double play. The Phillies have another chance to break .500 for the first time this season. They have been at .500 several times, but have not been able to pass that plateau. Tonight Brett Myers goes up against Jeff Francis.

The Boston Three Party vs. Innocent Victims: Round 1: Domination

2008-04-20T23:15:00.004-04:00

Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Boston just got finished putting the icing on the cake of a 104-82 shellacking of the Atlanta Hawks.

This game wasn't close from the start and the Big Three just ran all over the Hawks all night and even the bench was big for the Celtics tonight.

There's not really much to say about this game because the score says it all.

Celtics in 4.

Mr. Big Shot vs. Iggy: Round One: Gag Job

2008-04-20T21:50:00.010-04:00

Another year, same team, same coach, same result.

Once again, the Detroit Pistons looked flat and uninspired as they fell to the Philadephia 76ers 90-86.

Even as flat as they were, they jumped out to a 13 point halftime lead before gagging the lead away and missing crucial shots down the stretch.

There's only one solution to this problem and I will give it to you with my fan hat on.

Dear Joe Dumars, please fire Flip. Pretty please?

The team was flat and lazy and lacked the sense of urgency that Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press says that the team needed, and it falls at his feet. He's the coach, you prepare your team to play and he doesn't. This team doesn't respect him and it never well. Reggie Miller even pointed out that at one point late in the game during a substitution that Tayshaun Prince looked annoyed with him coming out of the game.

You want to know why?

Because Prince was putting the Pistons on his back at that point and carrying them offensively and had just hit a baby hook in the lane to extend the lead.

That leads me to point number two.

He's the worst playoff in-game coach I've ever watched. Mike Brown of the Cavaliers thinks this guy is a moron. He has no idea how to adjust and exploit mismatches. Samuel Dalembert couldn't guard the Statue of David and Rasheed Wallace and Jason Maxiell scored over 20 points combined on him in the first half -- Maxiell has two points in the second half.

Flip's also awful at running a bench. Other than Maxiell, no other bench player got over 15 minutes of action. We didn't even see Aaron Affalo or Amir Johnson tonight. We got to see 12 minutes and three points of Lindsey Hunter though. I know Hunter is in there for his defense but sometimes you need to actually score points to win basketball games. Crazy, I know.

Some in Pistons fan circles have said this is a good loss. To them I have this to say.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD LOSS!!!!!!!

This team looked lazy and uninspired throughout the game and so did the fans. The fans sat on their hands and booed at times late in the game. What happened to the crowds of 2004, where the roof would be blown off of the Palace? It's just another example of the latest trend in sports -- Success = Alienating your fans with high ticket prices.

While there may not be such a thing as a good loss, there are good things you can take away from it.

It took a lot for the Sixers to beat Detroit. Chauncey Billups missed three-out-of-four foul shots down the stretch -- a rarity for a 90+ percent foul shooter.
Missed layups by Wallace and Billups down the stretch.
Missed open jumpers by Prince and Hamilton.
Reggie Evans (47 percent foul shooter) hitting two foul shots down the stretch and scoring 11 points and grabbing 14 boards

Also, you have to tip your hat to the Sixers. They came ready to play and were just flat hungrier than Detroit. Mo Cheeks (a coach of the year candidate in my opinion) did one heck of a job coaching tonight with his young team and got the poise out of them that they needed to close that game.

That being said, if Reggie Evans even sniffs a double double on Wednesday, Joe Dumars shouldn't wait until the offseason to fire Flip -- and Joe Dumars knows what it takes to win a championship.

"Urgency comes from simply trying to win a world championship," said Dumars. "I think it's a prerequisite to winning a world championship. It's imperative that you have urgency to win a world championship. The urgency doesn't come from the window being open or closed. It's simply what you have to have to win."

The Black Mamba vs. The Answer: Round 1: Pau Powers Lakers

2008-04-20T21:40:00.004-04:00

Pau Gasol really wanted his first playoff win of his career.

How bad?

How about 36 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists bad?

Gasol was the driving force of the Laker attack as they powered their way to a 128-114 win against the Denver Nuggets. Kobe Bryant scored 18 of his 32 down the stretch to seal the win.

Denver needs to find an answer for Gasol quick and try to make Kobe and Co. beat them with jumpers to have a shot in the rest of the series.

Seeing as statues play better defense than the Nuggets, I'd say this one's a sweep.

D12 vs. Chris Bosh: Round 1: Yawn

2008-04-20T21:34:00.004-04:00

This one was over after the first quarter.

Orlando jumped out to a 20 point lead in the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to a 114-100 lead.

Dwight Howard had a monster 25 point. 20 rebound, 5 block game and put the Magic on his back for their first playoff win since Howard was in high school.

Toronto's Chris Bosh scored 21 points but was held under wraps for most of the game.

Welcome to the snooze my friends. This matchup doesn't have much going for it outside of the Howard/Bosh matchup and maybe a few highlight dunks from Jamario Moon.

Magic in five.

T-Mac vs. AK-47: Round 1: McGrady Can't Buy A Break

2008-04-20T01:41:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, my heart just goes out to Tracy McGrady.

This was supposed to be the year. This was supposed to be McGrady's time to get out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Then Yao Ming went down.

Then Rafer Austin was lost for the first two games of the series in Houston.

Now he's down a game and lost home-court advantage.

Maybe it's not meant to be.

The Rockets lost 93-82 and were dominated by the Jazz for a majority of the game. The Jazz opened an early lead and knocked Houston onto their heels before Houston struck back in the third and took the lead.

Then the basketball gods looked down and smote Tracy McGrady.

Carlos Boozer scored six straight Utah points. Then Kyle Korver hit two 3-point baskets. Finally, Deron Williams sank the dagger in with a three ball with 9:29 to go to put the the Jazz up double digits.

McGrady went 7-21 from the floor for 20 points but went scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Someone please pray to the basketball gods for Tracy McGrady.

CP3 vs. J Kidd: Round 1: Same Ol' Mavericks

2008-04-20T01:24:00.004-04:00

A new year, a new point guard, the same old Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks blew a 12 point halftime lead and then some in a 104-92 loss at New Orleans.

Chris Paul took over in the second half and had 35 points and 10 assists to lead the charge. Once, again, however, it was Dallas who didn't have the testicular fortitude to get it done down the stretch. Dallas' heartless leader Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 10 assists but only scored four in the 4th quarter.

This is exactly why Dallas will never, ever win a title with this lineup. They have no heart.

They had no heart last year when they played Golden State and came out in Game one with a lineup to adjust to Golden State. They were a one seed. Act like it. This starts from the top down. Avery Johnson just doesn't get his team to believe. If you're adjusting lineups to a lower seed, it tells your team you don't have what it takes to get it done.

Nowitzki recently said that they didn't want to play the Lakers. Be a man. Take on all comers. Don't fear your opponent. Too bad Dirk has no heart and has the mental toughness of a gerbil. If they keep playing like this they will lose this series, and in four games.

The Big Cactus vs. The Big Fundamental: Round 1: Don't Give Manu The Lane

2008-04-19T19:43:00.004-04:00

Only the Phoenix Suns would let Tim Duncan shoot a wide open three for the tie.

That's right, Tim Duncan.

Duncan got a wide open look for three and the tie at the end of the first overtime and he drained it. The Suns led the game by as much as 16 and in classic Phoenix fashion blew the lead and the game.

In the second overtime, after Brent Barry hit one of two at the line, Steve Nash hit a three falling away late and the Spurs decided to go without using a timeout.

Manu Ginobili had an isolation on Raja Ball and Bell only had to do one thing:

Don't give him the lane.

Yeah...about that.....

Ginobili blew by Bell and hit a bank shot while falling away with 1.8 seconds on the clock. A heave at the buzzer by Nash fell far short.

The Suns just cannot beat the Spurs. No matter what happens and how many breaks go their way, they just find a way to lose. They made the trade for Shaq to beat San Antonio and he put up a dismal 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The Big Cactus needs to get a little more prickly if the Suns want to win this series.

King James vs. Agent Zero: Round 1: Don't Poke The Sleeping Lion

2008-04-19T17:56:00.004-04:00

When you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

The Washington Wizards and their fans found out the hard way this afternoon as the Fighting LeBron's took Game 1 93-86, powered by LeBron's 20 second half points and a floater in the lane with 55 seconds to go.

Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas had a strong first half hitting four three pointers, but missed two key shots down the stretch to tie the game and the rest of the team followed suit and sputtered down the stretch and let the game slip away.

The series is still very much in Washington's hands and the bad blood is evident between the two teams. Three technical fouls were called at the end of the first half after a minor scuffle involving LeBron and Brendan Haywood.

Before the series, Agent Zero took to the blogosphere and expressed his desire to play Cleveland.

Also, earlier this year, DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron "overrated." To which LeBron replied:

"With DeShawn Stevenson, it's kind of funny. It's almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy. It doesn't make sense."

Stevenson has invited Soulja Boy to the first Wizards home game and Soulja Boy has accepted. Here's to hoping a Malace At The Palace type melee breaks out.

Agent Zero: The Blog File: Focusing on the Playoffs

FanHouse: DeShawn Says Lebron is 'Overrated'

FanNation: Wizard calls LeBron Overrated

Cleveland.Com: Wizards' secret weapon? How about Soulja Boy?

Here's to You, Austin Scott

2008-04-19T15:41:00.004-04:00

So former Penn State running back Austin Scott's rape charges were dropped yesterday. The woman who accused him of raping her back in October had been in a similar trial four years ago when she accused a man at Moravian College of raping her. During that trial, she admitted on the stand that she hadn't been entirely truthful in her accusations and the defendant was acquitted of all charges. Now, she pulled the same move with Scott and cost him his final year of eligibility for football at Penn State and fully tarnished his name forever. I, for one, would like to apologize to Mr. Scott for jumping on the bandwagon against him when these charges surfaced in October. No one deserves to be humiliated for something they didn't do.

Story

Ahh Flyers Fans, Gotta Love 'Em

2008-04-18T13:07:00.003-04:00

Why are Flyers fans the best in the league? Well, you just have to smile watching this video (NSFW).

The best part about Penn State is the fact that fans from Philly teach fans from Pittsburgh how to properly cheer, boo, and insult the other team. Philadelphia certainly breeds a distinct type of fan, and I for one would not want to be a part of any other fan base in America.

NHL Playoff Preview

2008-04-09T17:16:00.012-04:00

Eastern Conference:

vs.

It's an old Original Six match-up between two teams that haven't done anything in years. Montreal has had a great second half of the season and snatched the #1 seed in the East during the last weekend of play. They traded away goalie Christobal Huet at the trade deadline, a move which made many scratch their heads and wonder why, but the move proved a wise one as new starter Carey Price has been spectacular. Boston spent most of March fighting off Buffalo and Toronto for the final playoff spot and had a chance to finish as high as sixth in the East, but couldn't close. Boston showed some guts by making the playoffs with out star forward Patrice Bergeron for most of the season. If he returns (it would be foolish to risk it) it would give the Bruins a boost, but not enough to overcome the balance of the Habs.

Prediction: Montreal in 4

vs.

This is an intriguing rematch of last year's first round match-up, except this time the Penguins are everything the Senators were last year. The Penguins have the home ice advantage (although they squandered a chance at the #1 seed because they were afraid to play the Flyers in the first round), they have the better goal tending, and Ottawa did a nice collapsing job in the past two months. The Penguins could go deep in the playoffs this year, though they need Crosby's ankle to hold up and Marc-Andre Fleury can't revert to the shaky playoff performance that he turned in last year. The Senators lost top forwards Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fischer which doesn't help their cause at all.

Penguins in 4

vs.

This may be the most surprising match up in the East this year. Turn back the clock one calendar year and you have the 15th best team in the East (read: worst) playing the 14th best team in the East. Yet, the Flyers and the Capitals made huge turnarounds this year. The Flyers did it by adding key players such as Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnell. The Capitals added a couple of role players at the trade deadline, but have mostly ridden the will of one unstoppable scorer: Alexander Ovechkin. The man is on fire, scoring 65 goals this season, the first 60 goal scorer in 12 years. The Flyers won't be able to stop him, but their balance and veteran leadership should carry them past the Capitals in the hardest fought opening series in either league.

Prediction: Flyers in 7

vs.

The Devils weren't supposed to do anything this year after losing Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski. I guess we all forgot that they still have the ultimate trump card: Martin Brodeur. No other goalie carries their team the way Brodeur does, and as long as he holds up in the playoffs, the Devils will score just enough goals (they scored the fewest goals amongst all Eastern Conference playoff teams) to win games. The Rangers have had the Devils number this year however. The Rangers won the first 7 meetings of the year, before falling 3-2 in a shootout in the season finale. The Rangers present several weapons on offense, and one of the best young goalies in the game in Henrik Lundqvist, but in the playoffs, you cannot pick against Brodeur.

Devils in 6

Round 2 matchups:
Flyers at Canadiens
Devils at Penguins
Conference Finals:
Devils at Canadiens
Eastern Conference Winner:
Montreal Canadiens
Western Conference Winner:
San Jose Sharks
Stanley Cup Winner:
San Jose Sharks

Andy Roddick, A Winner On and Off the Court

2008-04-06T00:50:00.004-04:00

This has probably been one of the better weeks in Andy Roddick's life, and he didn't even win the title at Key Biscane. Early this past week, Roddick announced his engagement to swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker (sexy name, sexier body), then followed up this announcement by beating Roger Federer on Thursday. I'll bet that Roddick is wondering if he's actually dreaming this past week up. While it's sad that there was never any truth to the rumors of he and Maria Sharapova dating, he's done pretty well for himself now, and he finally beat Federer for the first time in nearly four years to improve to a whopping 2-15 lifetime record against him. Cheers to you Andy Roddick, may your successes continue this year (win a freaking grand slam please!).

ESPN: The World Wide Leader in Pissing Me Off

2008-04-05T19:44:00.005-04:00

Here's what really grinds my gears: ESPN. Why on earth would I say such a heinous thing? Sports lovers tune into the network and its bastard children all the time. So does this mean I hate sports? No, it means I think ESPN has become a piece of shit. My reasonings? Well, read on, my good readers:

1. Could any network pick more favorites than ESPN? I mean, seriously. ESPN has such a big bias it's not even funny. It picks favorites and then reports on them endlessly, thinking everyone wants to hear about the same crap they continue to spew.

"Hey, I'm gonna turn on Sportscenter and try to get some Cubs highlights. The Yankees and Red Sox are playing each other this weekend? Oh, fuck me. I guess I'm gonna have to sit through 45 mintues of debates as to which team is better."

"Yea, I wanna know what happened in the Devils game. Kobe Bryant has a cold? Oh well, I guess they're gonna talk about that for at least 20 minutes."

"TO said something? Oh great. I can forget about trying to watch ESPN at all tonight."

2. Talk about a load of boring. Some of these anchors are crap. Hell, I'll admit that when Dan Patrick and Kenny Mayne were the two head honchos, ESPN and Sportscenter weren't terrible. Now, every night it seems like there is a new anchor I've never heard of and they all SUCK. At this point, I'd rather have "Boom goes the dynamite" kid instead.

3. If the anchors are worse, the announcers for games aren't any better. Cmon, something has to be said for a network that still employs Joe Morgan even though he sucks at life. Jesus, the man is bad at announcing and hates statistics. I'm sure he's threatened sabermetricians' lives before. He's just bad at calling games.

4. Stephen A Smith is terrible.

5. Around the Horn is terrible.

Need I say more? ESPN might have once been good, but it's now terrible. I only watch it now if there's a game on. And even then, I put the TV on mute so I don't have to hear the baaaad announcers. ESPN just plain sucks.

FLYERS BABY!

2008-04-05T18:32:00.003-04:00

Flyers 3, Devils 0
All right! After a miserable year in 2006-2007, the Philadelphia Flyers are headed back to the playoffs. It's been an uneasy couple of months as the Flyers plummeted from 1st in the conference to 8th, thanks to a couple of lengthy losing streaks. But with the Flyers 3-0 win coupled with Carolina's 5-4 loss to Florida, they finally clinched a playoff spot. Now, the Flyers have one game left, and they could finish in 8th, 7th or 6th place. It is likely that the Flyers will play Pittsburgh in round one of the playoffs. They play each other on Sunday, and if the Flyers lose in regulation or OT, they will finish in the 8th spot, and the Penguins will clinch the #1 seed. If the Flyers win, and Montreal wins the Flyers will clinch the 7th seed and the Penguins will fall to #2. If the Flyers win and Montreal loses in regulation, the Penguins will clinch the #1 seed, the Flyers will finish in 7th and play Montreal. If the Flyers win and Boston loses, the Flyers will clinch the 6th seed and play Washington in the first round. Got all that? Good. If the Flyers play like they did until February, they will make a great run into the playoffs. GO PHILLY!

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100

2008-04-05T18:19:00.002-04:00

Win #2: Phillies 8, Reds 4
Eight seems to be the magic number of runs the Phillies need to win. Tonight the Phillies received an outstanding performance from Chase Utley (MVP! MVP!) who went 2-4 with 2 home runs, and 3 rbi's. Pat Burrell added a two run home run and Ryan Howard added his first rbi of the season with a sacrifice fly in the 1st. The Phillies bullpen looked good, going 4 innings an allowing only one hit. Kyle Kendrick however, struggled a little giving up 8 hits, 4 runs and 2 walks in five innings of work, so we will see how he pans out this season. 2 down, 98 to go.

Phillies in '08!

Philadelphia Phillies: The March to 100

2008-04-03T17:41:00.007-04:00

Win #1: Phillies 8, Nationals 7
Well this pre-season Jimmy Rollins boldly predicted that the Phightin's would win 100 games. In honor of his prediction, after each Phils' win I will recap the game on here. The Phillies finally won their first game of the season after blowing a lead in the opener and wasting a gem by Cole Hamels last night. Today, it was the Nationals that would blow the lead. Jamie Moyer and the Phillies' defense was a little slow to get into the swing of things today. The Phillies committed four errors and staked the Nats a 5-0 first inning lead. The Phillies and Nationals traded runs until the bottom of the 6th when the Phillies hit 8 consecutive singles to score six runs and take a 7-6 lead. The bullpen couldn't hold the lead though, as they gave the run back in the top of the 8th inning when Rollins couldn't stop a grounder from squirting through to the outfield. The Phillies managed to load the bases in the bottom of the 8th, but Jayson Werth grounded out to end the threat. Charlie Manuel proved that he's either really thick skinned, or he's an adrenaline junkie by rolling the dice and sending Tom 'I-Lost -My-Flash' Gordon on the mound after he gave up 5 runs to the Nats on Monday in a tie game. This time Gordon managed to walk a couple of batters and give up a single to load the bases, but he escaped the jam by getting Willie Harris to ground out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 9th, Geoff Jenkins gave the Phillies hope by smoking a double to right field, but the threat ended after Carlos Ruiz grounded into a double play to end the inning. Clay Condrey pitched a solid 10th inning by striking out two batters. He would eventually earn the win. Jesus Colome would get the loss in the bottom of the tenth. After allowing a lead-off single to Rollins, Shane Victorino laid down a beautiful bunt, and Rollins made a heads-up base-running play and went from first to third on the bunt. Colome then intentionally walked Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to get to Werth, but he couldn't find the strike zone again and walked Werth on four pitches to allow Rollins to score the game winning run. One win down, 99 to go.

Phillies in '08!

Larry Bowa is at it Again

2008-04-03T12:34:00.005-04:00

Well it didn't take long for Larry Bowa to earn his first ejection and suspension of the year. Bowa was ejected during the L.A. Dodgers opening day victory against San Fransisco for arguing with third base umpire Eddie Montague when the umpire tried to tell Bowa he needed to stand inside the lines for the third base coach's box. Bowa, who is already upset that he has to wear a helmet to coach, exploded at Montague for this and was ejected before manager Joe Torre could get out there to defend him. These new rules that require third base coaches across the league to wear helmets and stand within the painted lines on the field are kinda ridiculous. Yes, it's sad that Mike Coolbaugh died last year after being struck by a foul ball, but the MLB has overreacted. In the hundred some years that baseball has existed, the amount of deaths is low. One death should not cause the MLB to make sweeping changes to its rules because the chances that this will happen again is low. Also, these coaches are grown men, I think they can decide for themselves if they want to wear a helmet or not or where they want to stand. An alert third base is not gonna get hit with a ball. Coolbaugh's accident was a freak accident, but the MLB should not have reacted in this way by enforcing these new changes. With Bowa though, well it's nice to know that some things will never change.

Yahoo! Sports: Bowa Thinks Outside the Box

Oh Stu....

2008-04-02T21:17:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the good people at Don Chavez we have these lovely photos of our inspiration Stuart Scott getting his party on. The first photo has Stu getting his party on with Charles Barkley and for some odd reason Mr. Belding from Saved By The Bell. Does that guy know someone who can get cheap booze or something for him to end up at this party with those two.

Any way here's the photos and a Howie Schwab ftw.

Sidney Crosby is NOT the Second Coming of Christ

2008-03-31T14:50:00.004-04:00

Three years ago the NHL was blessed to have two extraordinarily skilled players enter the NHL. However, the way the NHL promotes its players, you would only think that one of those players had any skill. Yes, I am talking about Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. If you see any NHL ad these days, they are all slight variations of the same commercial. Each commercial features Sidney Crosby dancing around defenders and scoring some stylized goal. It's always Sidney Crosby, you never see any of his teammates with him, and you never see any player from any other team scoring a goal. It's like the NHL wants you to believe that without Crosby, and a plethora of crappy goalies for him to score on, the league is nothing. As a hockey fan, this pisses me off. There are so many good young players in the league today that the NHL could and should be more diverse in who they promote. Yes Crosby has great skill, and deserves recognition for his skill, but with players like Ilya Kovalchuck, Alexander Ovechkin, Erik Staal, Mike Richards, Roberto Luongo, the Sedin twins, Joe Thornton... I could go on and on, but my point is, the NHL has a ton of exciting talent, yet they don't make an effort to promote the league through them. It's a stupid marketing move because not only are they not promoting the best player in the league (Ovechkin plays a much more complete game than Crosby) but if Crosby suffers a career ending injury, then the league has nothing to go on anymore.

2008 AL East Preview

2008-03-30T00:50:00.007-04:00

AL East

1. Boston Red Sox

Strengths: The lineup. The Red Sox lineup is always deadly with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez and it should be even stronger with Jacoby Ellsbury starting this season. JD Drew did show some flashes in Spring Training but expect more of the same from JD Spew and look for Jason Varitek to continue his downward spiral into the abyss (0-8, 6 k in two games vs. Oakland.)

Weaknesses: The rotation. Other than Josh Beckett, the Red Sox have no other proven commodities in the rotation. Daisuke Matsuzaka looked erratic in the season opener vs. Oakland and Jon Lester got rocked in his start. Boston will need Clay Buchholz to step up along with Tim Wakefield this season and pray that Curt Schilling will be able to give them anything at all for the stretch run.

Player to Watch: Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury shined in the second half of the season and the postseason and took the starting job away from Coco Crisp. Let's see if he can put it together for 162 games. My vote is yes.

Outlook: More of the same from the Red Sox. Slugging teams into submission and winning with just enough pitching to get by except for every fifth day when Josh Beckett takes the mound. Sox win the division.

2. New York Yankees

Strengths: The lineup. Just like their rivals the Red Sox, the Yankees have a killer lineup headed up by reigning MVP Alex Rodriguez (*cough fraud *cough). Throw in Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, and Derek Jeter and you've got a lineup that can run any pitcher out of the game early.

Weaknesses: The rotation. The Yanks have a lot of young talent in the rotation in Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes and no one really knows what they will bring to the table. Mike Mussina had an awful 2007 season and I wouldn't expect much more from Moose this season. Chien Ming Wang seems to be the rock of this rotation and Andy Pettitte should do a fine job this season if his HGH shipments arrive on time.

Player to Watch: Joe Girardi. Okay, he's not a player but he's important. It will be different watching Yankee games without Joe Torre calling the shots and it will be interesting to see how Girardi handles the pressure and scrutiny of the New York news media. My bet is that he lasts two months before assaulting a reporter with a bat.

Outlook: The Yanks lose a close divisional race to the Red Sox

3. Toronto Blue Jays

Strengths: Pitching. The Jays have good starting pitching in Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett but not much behind that. They also have BJ Ryan on the back end to close the door but he's been struggling with injury problems and it should concern the Jays and what's left of their fans.

Weaknesses: Lack of depth. The Jays have some good players in Alex Rios, David Eckstein, and Lyle Overbay but really lack a deep lineup. The Jays have holes at third base (unless you consider Scott Rolen a viable option.) and shortstop and I don't know what they can do to address them

Player to Watch: BJ Ryan. Can he finally stay healthy and be the guy that we saw in Baltimore? My guess is no but it should be fun to watch.

Outlook: Talented enough to win a good number of games, but not enough talent to compete with the Sox and Yanks

4. Tampa Bay Rays
Strengths: Mentality. The Rays have been playing hard all spring and haven't backed down to anyone and expect that to translate to the regular season. The Rays are a scrappy little team with a lot of young talent and expect them to be in their fair share of games.

Weaknesses: Pitching depth. Behind Scott Kazmir and the on-and-off James Shields, the Rays have no real viable options in the rotation or bullpen. Expect a lot of no decisions for Kazmir this season as the bullpen blows a lot of his quality starts.

Player to Watch: BJ Upton. Upton batted a solid .300 with 82 RBI and 24 home runs in 129 games. Look for Upton to have a breakout season.

Outlook: A young, scrappy team that falls short throughout the season but competes each day.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Strengths: None

Weaknesses: Everything. They traded away their best pitcher in Erik Bedard and their best hitting threat in 'roided up shortstop Miguel Tejada. They have no rotation and their lineup is riddled with the Aubrey Huff's and Kevin Millar's of the world while Nick Markakis wonders how it all went so horribly wrong.

Player to Watch: No one. Don't watch an Orioles game unless your team plays them. Even then, flip a coin.

Outlook: They'll stink. They'll really really stink and finish near the bottom of the standings in all of baseball.

Other playoff picks:
AL Central Winner:
Cleveland Indians
AL West Winner:
Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card:
Detroit Tigers
AL Division Series:
Boston vs. Detroit
Seattle vs. Cleveland
AL Championship Series:
Boston vs. Cleveland
AL Winner:
Boston Red Sox
World Series:
Boston vs. New York Mets
World Series Champion:
Boston Red Sox

Other Awards:
AL MVP: Manny Ramirez
AL Cy Young: Josh Beckett

2008 NL Central Preview

2008-03-29T21:50:00.017-04:00

NL Central

1. Cubs

Strengths: Power, defense, bullpen and top of the rotation. In Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, new additon Kosuke Fukudome, and youngsters Geovany Soto and Felix Pie, the Cubs have 6 guys who could all hit 20 homeruns this season. Soriano, Lee and Ramirez should all hit 30. Lee is a deserving winner of the hollow award called the Gold Glove. Ramirez is improving on defense. Before he became a hitting threat, Soto was always a threat behind the plate. He has good calling skills, and is exceptional about blocking balles in the dirt. Fukudome has an Ichiro-like canon of an arm, nailing runners at first base on more than one occasion in Japan. The bullpen is as good as any. Bobby Howry, Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood will hold down the end of the game with underrated Mike Wuertz providing strong middle relief. Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Rich Hill are strong pitchers who should all post ERAs under 4 this season.

Weaknesses: Lineup structure, back of rotation. In no world should Ryan Theriot and Soriano be the 1-2 hitters, but that's how they will enter the season. In an ideal world, Mark DeRosa and Fukudome would be at the top. Both are exceptional at getting on base. The end of the rotation was jsut handed to Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. Both are average on a good day. Neither will be a good bet to post respectable ERAs.

Rookie to look out for: Soto and Fukudome are both contenders for the ROY entering the season.

Overall: The Cubs will have to fight off the Brewers and Reds, but should have the divison locked up. How far they go otherwise will have to be determined.

2. Brewers

Strengths: Power power power and rotation/bullpen depth. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder will be mashing homeruns this year. Bill Hall, Corey Hart, JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks should all hit at least 20. The rotation is rather average buth has potential. Ben Sheets will take lead of the rotation once again with reliable Jeff Suppan behind him. Youngster Manny Parra and Yovani Gallardo (once he returns from injury) should help this staff. After a massive FAIL last year, the Brewers rehauled their pen, adding Dave Riske and the once massively dominant Eric Gagne. Riske is consistant and Gagne can still get the job done, albeit giving some fans heart attacks.

Weaknesses: Bench, defense. Craig Counsell shouldn't still be playing baseball but he gets a spot on the bench. On the flip side, Gabe Kapler, who was out of baseball last year, is back and also claims a bench spot. Former top prospect for the Tigers Eric Munson gets the nod as the back up catcher, but there has to be something said about you if you are backing up Jason Kendall at this stage. Defense won't be great. Braun is a butcher wherever he is and Hall is new at the hot corner.

Rookie to look out for: Parra. Showed good numbers in 26 innings last year with the big club and has the minor league numbers to show he can contribute this season.

Overall: How the pitching holds together could decide whether they take second place or first place.

3. Reds

Strengths: Offense, defense, youth. Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips are jsut part of an offense that has no excuse to not score runs. Phillips, Corey Patterson, and others are all established strong defenders. The team has some of the best youngsters in baseball in Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce.

Weaknesses: Manager. Dusty Baker will no doubt start the veterans, sit the young guys previously mentioned, bat the terrible OBP guy leadoff (check that one off already), and ruin his pitchers' arms.

Rookie to look out for: Votto, Bruce, and Cueto all should put solid numbers if they can make Baker forget his fetish for veterans.

Overall: They have enough to be competitive, but I can't see them overtaking the Brewers or Cubs.

4. Astros

Strengths: Power, speed, defense. Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Miguel Tejada should provide ample power. Michael Bourn and Kaz Matsui should also both steal 30 bases and Hunter Pence should kick in a few himself. Bourn, Pence, and Matsui are all good with the glove.

Weaknesses: Pitching. Rotation leaves much to be desired behind Oswalt and the bullpen is frightening, and not in a good way.

Rookie to look out for: JR Towles. He should put up good numbers for a young catcher this year while calling a solid game behing the plate.

Overall: They used to have no offense, now they have no pitching. If the pitching could compliment the offense, then they'd have a chance. Alas, it's not to be.

5. Cardinals

Strengths: Power. Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus, Chris Duncan, and Rick Ankiel should provide plenty of homers.

Weaknesses: Rest of team. The Cards wil have one of the worst middle infield tandems in baseball this season with Aaron Miles/ Adam Kennedy at second base and Cesar Izturis at SS. Izturis will also bat ninth on occasion behind the pitcher. Ugh. The rotation features former Cubs prospect Todd Wellemeyer as the number two starter. Problem is, he's not good. And he's the number two starter. The pen primarily has old guys past their prime and inexperienced young guys.

Rookie to look out for: Colby Rasmus. He should get a chance this year and should be an All-Star for years to come when he gets that chance.

Overall: The Cards have taken a hard fall from grace, winning the World series two years ago and to now becoming a heaping pile of crap. The only thing that is keeping them from last place is:

6. Pirates

Strenghs: They have that Jason Bay kid. And I heard Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, and Zach Duke are decent. And Matt Capps may find a way to get a save when the team is winning on that rare occasion.

Weaknesses: They are the freaking Pirates. The lineup instills little fear into opponents outside of Jason Bay, who may be traded in the near future. Freddy Sanchez is listed as the number 3 hitter, but he isn't even a lock for 10 homeruns. The pitching has a chance to be good, but I can't see it yet.

Rookie to look out for: Steven Pearce. He should get a shot at first base and if he does, he'll hold it until the Pirates decide to trade him.

Overall: Another year in the basement.

Other playoff picks:

NL East: Phillies

NL West: Dodgers

NL Division Series:

Cubs over Mets

Phillies over Dodgers

NL Championship Series:

Phillies over Cubs

AL Champion:

Red Sox

World Series:

Red Sox over Phillies

NL Awards:

MVP: Ryan Howard

Cy Young: Brandon Webb

2008 NL East Preview

2008-03-29T13:00:00.005-04:00

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies (89-73)
Strengths: The Phillies strength lies in their offense. They have one of the best lineups in baseball with former MVP Ryan Howard, reigning MVP Jimmy Rollins, and future MVP Chase Utley to anchor their lineup. Shane Victorino and Pat Burrell have to produce this year like they did towards the end of the season last year in order to make up for the loss of Aaron Rowand.

Weaknesses: The bullpen, like usual, the Phillies biggest question mark is the bullpen. Last year it was decimated by injuries to Ryan Madson, Tom Gordon and Brett Myers. This year hasn't started much better now that new closer Brad Lidge is beginning the season on the disabled list.

The jury is out on: The starting rotation could be good this year if it avoids the injury bug. Brett Myers has moved back into the rotation and the Phillies should be good with Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton. Well, 4 out of 5 aren't bad, and if (read: when) Eaton starts to falter, the Phillies can plug Kris Benson into the rotation.

Outlook: The Phillies normally get off to horrendous Aprils, but they have a favorable schedule this year, with 12 games against teams that didn't reach the playoffs last year, 6 against the Mets (who they have owned over the past few seasons), and 9 against teams that made the playoffs or were in the hunt until the last week of the season. If the Phillies can come out of April at or near .500, they have a great shot at repeating as division champs. At the very least, they will win the wild card.

New York Mets (88-74)
Strengths: The Mets starting rotation suddenly became one of the best in the National League with the addition of Johan Santana. They now have Santana, Pedro Martinez and El Duque (though he is tweaking his windup this year) which is a scary trio for any team to face.

Weaknesses: The Mets depth is one of the biggest knocks against this star studded team. The inevitable injuries to Moises Alou, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo will hurt the team again this year because they don't have anyone they can plug in that will adequately fill the gaping holes these players will leave in the lineup.

The jury is out on: Mets SS Jose Reyes. Last season Reyes put up MVP numbers in the first half of the season, but then was just mediocre after the All-Star break. For the Mets to be successful this year, Reyes has to produce all year.

Outlook: The Mets should challenge the Phillies for NL East superiority, but will fall just short again. However, they should lock up the NL wild card spot.

Atlanta Braves (84-78)
Strengths: Management. Bobby Cox has team with the potential to be a great team. He is the best manager in baseball and will be able to get the most out of his team.
Weaknesses, The jury is out on, Outlook: The starting rotation is old and fragile. Tim Hudson was a rock last year for the Braves, but Mike Hampton has battled injuries since he joined the Braves, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are a combined 82 years old and first started together in 1988. Glavine's last start with the Mets was abysmal as he gave up 7 runs in just 1/3 of an inning to complete the Mets collapse. If he and Smoltz can't come through for the Braves this year then it will be the third straight season where the Braves miss the playoffs after 14 consecutive division titles.

Washington Nationals (73-89)
Strengths: The Nationals are opening a new ball park this year.
Weaknesses: Pretty much everything else. The Nationals picked up Paul Lo Duca who is no longer juicing. They picked up Elijah Dukes who has had his share of attitude problems, and he should fit nicely with Lastings Milledge. Now they should add Barry Bonds and they could have about the most potent outfield in the league. It would make for some great entertainment.

The jury is out on: Whether the Nationals or the Marlins will be the more inept team this year.

Outlook: A fourth place finish again should surprise no one.

Florida Marlins (71-91)
Strengths: The Marlins are a young team, and have the smallest payroll in baseball. Again. Oh and they still have Dan Uggla.
Weaknesses: They no longer have one of the best third basemen in baseball and a pitcher who has shown he can be dominant. On the plus side, they have a new bucket of baseballs.
The jury is out on: Whether the Marlins will break the 70 win mark.
Outlook: The Marlins should finish the year last in the NL.

Other playoff picks:
NL Central Division Winner:
Chicago Cubs
NL West Division Winner:
San Diego Padres
NL Division Series:
Phillies vs. Cubs
Padres vs. Mets
NL Championship Series:
Phillies vs. Mets
AL Champion:
Boston Red Sox
World Series:
Phillies vs. Red Sox
World Series Champion:
Boston Red Sox

Other Awards:
MVP:
Chase Utley
Cy Young Award:
Johan Santana

Don't Expand the Playoffs

2008-03-28T12:12:00.005-04:00

Last night I read an article over on Yahoo Sports. The author advocated expanding the current playoff system to ten teams per conference. That way teams like the Captials, who had a terrible first half of the season but are now one of the hottest teams in the league, wouldn't get left out. In my opinion, this is a TERRIBLE idea. The NHL already allows more than half its teams to enter the playoffs, and if you can't make the top 8 teams in your conference you really don't deserve to be in the playoffs. All an expansion will do will draw out an already lengthy playoff season (starts in April, ends in June) and water down the competition. Yes, it's sad that an electrifying player like Alexander Ovechkin won't get a chance to shine on the NHL's biggest stage (and he really needs more exposure because the NHL likes to pretend that Crosby is the only player that exists in the league) but the Caps couldn't win early, and now they're paying for it. Sad, but that's the way these things work. Now if the NHL wants to shake up the playoffs a bit to ensure the best hockey, they should revert to their old school playoff format. In the 70's and 80's they would take the playoff teams and seed them 1 through 16 no matter what conference they were from. So sometimes teams from the same conference, or even the same division made it to the Stanley Cup finals, but it also allowed the stronger conference to send more teams if that's how it shook out. The NHL is the only major sports league to adopt this type of playoff system (I only did like 30 seconds of research on this) and it should seriously consider going back to it (though that is unlikely to happen with Gary Bettman as commissioner).

Here is the original Yahoo article

Brawling in Hockey: Does it Get Any Better?

2008-03-27T11:29:00.007-04:00

For those of you lucky enough to live in Quebec, you may have witnessed one of the great hockey brawls of the past 20 years. The Quebec Ramparts squared off against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens late in the third period of a 7-1 Sagueneens victory. Everyone on the ice paired off to fight, which has become a rarity these days. Patrick Roy's son Jonathan proved that he has the same fiery spirit that made his dad a fan favorite in the NHL, even if he doesn't have the same skill that made his father a success. The younger Roy couldn't stand not being involved in the brawl that was happening all around him, so he twice escaped referees, skated the length of the ice and barreled into the opposing goalie and just let him have it. After successfully kicking the snot out of him, Roy then flipped off the crowd before going at it with another Sagueneens skater and did a number on him too. Here's the video:

Quite possibly the best part of the video is watching the ref tackle the Sangueneens player that is trying to go protect his goalie. That makes a lot sense- protect the jerk that's beating on a player that isn't fighting back. Anyways, it got me thinking, what are the best brawls/goalie fights/regular fights of all time? I compiled a list of my favorites.

March 6, 2008
Riley Cote vs. Andre Roy

This makes the list for two reasons: first of all, I'm a Flyers fan, so I love to see it when a Flyer kicks the crap out of another player in a fight. Secondly, it's not often you see a one punch k.o. in fights, the embarrassment that Roy felt eventually led to a 2 game suspension after this meltdown in the 3rd period of the game:

December 28, 2003
Neil Little vs. Binghamton Senators
This is one of my favorite fights ever. I was at this game and the brawl happened literally right in front of me. Watching Neil Little skate the length of the ice and do a belly flop on a pile of players was one of the most shocking and funny things I have ever witnessed. The result of this three round brawl was an AHL record 373 penalty minutes doled out. The game was called early with about 30 seconds left because the Phantoms didn't have enough players to continue the game.

March 5, 2004
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators
Not to be outdone by their farm teams, the Flyers and Senators went at it two months later. They combined to set an NHL record for penalty minutes in a game at 419. This brawl also had three parts to it and I have included them all for your viewing pleasure.

April 1, 1998
Patrick Roy vs. Chris Osgood
Finally getting away from the Flyers (they like to fight, what can I say?), Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood got into a pretty good tussle during the final meeting of the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Redwings in the 1997-1998 season. The teams hated each other after Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux broke the face of Redwings forward Kris Draper the previous year in the playoffs. Osgood stood his ground pretty well, despite being considerably shorter than Roy, but the Roy family knows how to fight.

March 29, 2001
Tie Domi vs. Fan
In one of the stupider moves I've ever witnessed (I was at this game too), fans were heckling Tie Domi after he received a penalty. Domi responded by squirting them with his water bottle, which one fan took particular offense to. He leaned down on the glass separating the player from himself, but unfortunately, the glass broke and the fan tumbled into the penalty box with one of the toughest players of all time. Well Domi just let the guy have it until the linesmen tried to break up the fight. Domi 1, Fan 0.

May 11, 1989
Ron Hextall vs. Chris Chelios
In what is one of the most classic fights of all time, the most entertaining goalie of all time kicks the butt of one of the most annoying defensemen of all time. In the Flyers final playoff game of the season, Ron Hextall decided to get revenge on Chris Chelios for the dirty hit he put on Brian Propp earlier in the series which resulted in a concussion for Propp. In reality, Chelios never had a chance in this fight and he just dropped to the ice to protect himself. This move by Hextall really solidified himself in Flyers lore as he is exactly the type of player that thrives in Philadelphia. Chelios is just lucky that all three referees were there to pull Hextall off of him otherwise he could have been out for a long time. Hextall did receive a 12 game suspension for his efforts.

December 26, 1979
Boston Bruins vs. N.Y. Rangers Fans
Before there was Ron Artest, there was Terry O'Reilly. Towards the end of a heated Bruins/Rangers game, the fans in Madison Square Gardens got a little too involved in the pile up on the ice by grabbing O'Reilly's stick. Next thing you know, the Bruins are scaling the glass and jumping into the stands to go at it with the fans. One of the funnier moments of this horrific brawl is when Bruin defenseman Mike Milbury wrestles a fan to the ground, takes his shoe off, and then starts beating him over the head with it. O'Reilly was the only player to receive a suspension for the fight and it was only for eight games. Amazing.

Well I hope you enjoyed this!

Gun, Meet Foot. Foot, This is Gun.

2008-03-26T21:21:00.007-04:00

So it's safe to say that the Phoenix Suns are not quite as good as they were last year. Recently they have been playing much better now that they are used to the immovable, rhyming hulk that is Shaquille O'Neal. They managed to beat the NBA's best team (imo) at home last week, and they set out to try and replicate that success again today. They dug themselves into an early hole, but by half time had managed to pull even at 57. That's when it all fell apart. The Suns committed five turnovers in the first half of the first quarter, and committed 21 overall for the game. Boston is the kind of team that is gonna take advantage of that kind of sloppy play. They can't expect to go far in the playoffs if they play like this against good teams.

I'm Phoenix, this is my foot, and here is a gun, look at me, shooting my foot with it.

Jose Canseco "Vindicated" Excerpts On A-Rod

2008-03-26T08:59:00.007-04:00

You stay classy Jose Canseco.

Dirk Does Play-By-Play!

2008-03-26T01:11:00.004-04:00

Well watching Dirk Nowitzki doing play-by-play is the most hilarious German related thing since David Hasslehoff performed on the Berlin Wall. Thanks to the people at Odenized.

Dirk clearly can't hear though the network's shitty earpiece and just starts calling the action. He tosses in a "Bucket!" and then even heckles Corey Maggette at the end with a "short bus!" as he short arms a jumper at the end of the quarter.

Dirk should do this more often. Also, note Mark Cuban being the attention whore that he is at the end of the video. Tool.

Odenized: HILARIOUS! Dirk Nowitzki, the play-by-play announcer!

Pacman Jones Apparently Will Not Get His Party On

2008-03-25T21:54:00.004-04:00

Well, I guess I should take my #3 goal off of my personal Bucket List

3. Make it Rain with Pacman Jones

Thanks to the good people at Fanhouse, we have learned that Pacman Jones will not be at the National Street League's Grey Goose party.

"The party's still going on, but Pacman's party's been canceled," said the man who talked to Michael David Smith.

I don't know about the rest of you. But I was going to go to the party for Pacman, but stay for Young Spoaty.

I'm also not shocked at this because today Pacman was on the Michael Irvin Show and dropped this bombshell.

"I cannot say ever, ever ... But I can say they won't see me [in strip clubs] for the next three or four years."

What will our single mothers who are just looking to get back on their feet do now? Without Pacman's constant downpour of one dollar bills, our economy will continue to go into a tailspin, the value of the dollar will plummet and we'll be forced into another Depression.

I call it the "Make it Rain Effect."

Also, three or four years before going to a strip club again. Seriously? The man just can't stay away can he? He's got a stripper pole in his house, he went to a strip club the night before his meeting with Roger Goodell and now he's just going to take a three or four year break. You might want to forget playing for Dallas because Pac, you just don't get it. It's quite simple so let me break it down for you.

STAY OUT OF STRIP CLUBS!

That's it. No more making it rain, no more punching girls in the face and starting riots that leave a man paralyzed (allegedly.) All you have to do is stay home, keep your head down, follow the terms of your suspension and you're golden.

Nope. Too hard for you. You've lied to Goodell, you've lied to Jeff Fisher, you've lied to your fans and you've burnt every bridge you've crossed.

You have a daughter at home, be there for her. I hope you really turn your life and your career around, but it's sad to say that you probably never will. And that's a shame.

Fanhouse: Pacman Jones Is Not Having A Party

Fanhouse: Pacman Jones Won't Ever Visit A Strip Club Again...for Three or Four Years

Pacman Jones To Get His Party On

2008-03-25T15:52:00.006-04:00

Oh Pacman Jones, will you ever learn?

I know this is America and I know you can go to as many clubs as you want and I know you can go to your favorite strip club for dinner because they have some of the best food in America.

But come on Pac. Seriously? You still haven't been reinstated by the NFL, mainly for not adhering to the terms of your suspension. So you decide that you're going to throw a party until 6 a.m.

Nothing could possibly go wrong in this situation. Also I'm no expert in public relations, but I'm not sure saying that "WE GON MAKE IT RAIN!" is a wise decision seeing as the last time you made it rain a full scale riot broke out.

It's a simple equation to figure out what will happen at this party:

Pacman Jones + Booze + Women + Wads of cash = Disaster

Deadspin: Pac Man Jones Will Never Learn, And We Love Him For It

Fanhouse: Pacman Jones: 'Some of the Strip Clubs Have the Best Food in America

Baseball is BACK!

2008-03-25T12:21:00.006-04:00

Well for those of you who live in Japan, or, like me, were up late studying and decided to watch the game, baseball kicked off their season at 6 a.m. eastern time. The Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics began their season in a fashionable way- extra innings. When the game finally ended around 10 a.m., the Red Sox had escaped with a 6-5 win. The Sox trailed most of the game despite a brief lead in the 6th inning, but they tied it up in the 9th, and took the lead in the 10th for good. They escaped trouble in the bottom of the inning thanks to a base-running gaffe by Athletics left fielder Emil Brown, but a win is a win. Now to commemorate day one of the 2008 season, enjoy this YouTube video that combines two of my favorite things- baseball and Star Wars.

Phillies in '08!

Looks Like Dickie V Forgot To Take His Crazy Pills

2008-03-24T10:49:00.006-04:00

Dick Vitale must be a Georgetown fan.

You may ask why. Well Dickie V took to the airwaves on ESPN Radio this morning and talked about how Roy Hibbert fouled out after only 16 minutes on the court. He then proposed a rule change.

"I really think basketball, we're the only sport where a player is penalized, and put out of a game with a whistle. And you take your star player who you prepare all week with, you work, you develop your offensive, defensive schemes, all of a sudden, boom boom, two fouls, he's out of the game.

"Hibbert played 16 minutes in the game. Vital player for Georgetown. I'd like to see a rule where a player can stay on the floor, at the coach's discretion, and every foul after the fifth is two shots and the basketball if he fouls, you get two shots and the basketball. ... Think about it. Basketball is the only sport where a guy is disqualified because a guy blowing a whistle controls the whole scenario."

First off. Is this a joke?

Secondly, Basketball isn't the only sport where a ref can disqualify you. Soccer comes to mind when I think of a sport where a referee can toss you based on his own discretion.

But to Vitale's point. I mean, could you imagine basketball without fouling out? Also I think giving up two shots and the possession is an awful idea. It isn't a technical foul, it's just a regular foul.

Also what is "at the coach's discretion"? Are you telling me that if Hibbert had fouled out under your rule change that John Thompson III would just go "Okay Roy, that's five, take a seat."?

Like seriously. What coach would sit a star player after five fouls?

We have a foul limit for a reason. So we don't have crazy rules like having unlimited fouls but after the fifth personal for ANY player on the court it's two shots and possession. We do have the bonus for a reason.

Dick Vitale should go back to trying to get Bob Knight a job and fawning over Duke and North Carolina.

Fanhouse: Dick Vitale Advocates Eliminating Fouling Out

Bracket Roundup: Round 2, Tom's Bracket(s)

2008-03-23T22:04:00.006-04:00

There are no words. The Madness has taken them from me after two rounds.

Let my brackets speak for me.

Bracket Breakdowns- Second Round Style

2008-03-23T21:53:00.003-04:00

In the first round it was Siena beating Vanderbilt. Now we have Davidson beating Georgetown in round two? Just who do they think they are? Hopefully the Sweet 16 won't cost me anymore of my Final Four teams. Anyways, here is an update of my increasingly worsening brackets.

Top 10 Dunks In NBA History

2008-03-23T01:25:00.007-04:00

Okay the top 10 dunks in NBA history. Here are the simple criteria:

Cannot be in a dunk contest
Cannot be in an All Star Game

Okay simple enough let's get to the countdown

10. Michael Jordan Over Dikembe Mutombo

This dunk is classic Jordan: Break free from his man, took it strong to the hole and finished hard and posterized the much bigger defender. Bonus points for taking Mutombo's man hood with the finger wave.

9. Vince Carter Over Dikembe Mutombo

Remember when Vince Carter was good and relevant? Here's a glimpse of an early Vinsanity just stuffing it home over Mutombo and giving him the death stare afterward. Who would have thought at this point that Dikembe Mutombo would be more relevant that Vince Carter at this point in time? Certainly not Vince Carter.

8. Vince Carter Over Alonzo Mourning

Again, more Vince Carter, more ownage. Not to mention it's on Alonzo Mourning who I hate so it's all good.

7. Vince Carter Over Weiss

Noticing a trend? I had some internal debate on whether or not this should count because it came in international competition but I leaned toward yes because it's such an ownage dunk. Although it does suffer because it's over some French lackey.

6. Kobe Bryant Over Yao Ming

Welcome to the NBA Yao Ming. Gotta love this dunk for a number of reasons.

How soft Yao goes up to stop him
How Kobe was looking for it the whole way
The call of the dunk
The ownage factor

5. Julius Erving Rocks The Cradle

Going retro with this decision (sorry for the quality). When you think dunks you think of Dr. J and this is one of his more famous dunks that lead to a Sixers world title and I've got to represent my home town and the Spectrum at some point.

4. LeBron James Over Rasheed Wallace

Pretty much sums up Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals where LeBron went off for 48 points and took the fight out of the Pistons. If you look at it, it's not really Rasheed's fault. Prince gets owned (whose defense has been majorly slipping since the 04 Finals) and Webber (god I hate him so much) is a step too late and leaves Rasheed all alone and LeBron gives him a facial and spot on a poster as he goes to the stripe for one more.

3. Tracy McGrady Over Shawn Bradley

That's Bradley's career in a nutshell right there. He came in as a joke. Was a joke for years. Then got retired by Tracy McGrady. I just like how he ducks. Stand there and take your medicine like a man. Also, great call of the play.

"He just sucked the gravity out of the building!"

Classic.

2. Kobe Bryant Over The Whole Knicks Team.

Amazing dunk. Great take to the basket, great elevation, body control and the jam. Bonus points for the pose after and it also goes into classic status with the call of the dunk.

"Kobe Bryant! With no regard for human life!"

1. Michael Jordan Over Patrick Ewing.

OWNED! First off Jordan breaks down two Knicks. Then climbs right up over Ewing and right in his face. Then he just stares Ewing down. Priceless. As nice as Jordan is off the court. Once he steps on it, he will do anything to win that game and he does not mess with anyone.

Round 1 Update

2008-03-22T02:07:00.007-04:00

Hey guys, like Tom, I have my tail between my legs. After a solid day one of games in which I went 14-2, I went just 9-7 on day two (Siena seriously?!). Luckily I've only lost one elite 8 team and one sweet 16 team (though I would've have been totally alright with it if duke had lost). So I'm posting my espn and my yahoo brackets now. I consider my espn bracket to be my official bracket. Roll 'Heels.

Bracket Roundup: Round 1, Tom's Bracket(s)

2008-03-22T01:00:00.008-04:00

Well it is Saturday morning and if you're like myself, you're staring at your bracket with a lifeless stare wondering how it all went wrong. I'd also like to thank ESPN's Digger Phelps for taking his time out of touching Bob Knight to tell me that 24 out of about 3.5 million have a perfect bracket after the first two days of action.

Now I want someone to tell me who in their right mind picks Villanova, Siena, Davidson, San Diego, and Western Kentucky.

ALL ON THE SAME BRACKET!?!?!?!?!

This person.

That's who.

Only someone who has never heard of these teams or even remotely follows college basketball could pick all of those right. I'm curious how many people sat there and looked at the bracket and said. "Hmm, got a REAL good feeling about San Diego."

The only thing that could possibly pissed me off more was if Duke had lost and someone had taken Belmont on top of this. I may have had to jump into freeway traffic to avoid the pain.

Then you go and look at their scoreboard.

Digger Phelps must be living in Bizzaro World. There is no leader with a perfect bracket. The top guy on the leader board has Oregon and Winthrop. Who clearly are no longer in the dance.

But yes, this is a bracket round up. I am now posting both my Yahoo and Facebook brackets to try and prove I'm not missing a chromosome. This will likely end in double the humiliation.

A Whale's Vagina Beats UConn

2008-03-21T18:19:00.005-04:00

For those of you that missed today's early action you missed a couple classics. The first set of games saw #5 Drake beat by #12 Western Kentucky on a three point buzzer beater in overtime.

Then in the second slate of games #13 San Diego beat #4 Connecticut in overtime as well. I personally enjoyed watching the game behind this whole table of pro-UConn tools whose stunned silence was music to my ears. Long live March Madness!

Tom's Tourney Madness!

2008-03-20T01:30:00.006-04:00

It's my favorite time of the year and well I'd like to share with you, as Kyle has, my "expert" picks. I'm sure I'll beat Bob Knight because he was stupid enough to pick Pitt. Then he will subsequently throw a chair at me and choke me while I'm on the ground. (Click picture to enlarge)

Tournament Madness

2008-03-20T00:01:00.002-04:00

Well it's tournament time, and you know what that means: fill out your brackets! Here are my "expert" picks for the tournament. (Click on the picture for full size.)

Best. Rick Roll. Ever!

2008-03-18T17:41:00.003-04:00

Let me just say that this is a hilarious video. The Rick Roll is quite possible the most underrated internet phenomena going on right now. Not only is the song hilarious, the video is also great. From Rick Astley's dance moves right down to the random guy jumping against a fence for no apparent reason.

Here's the original below.

(Random guy at 2:07)

St. Louis Cardinals: Kings of Hypocracy

2008-02-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

Today the St. Louis Cardinals announced the release of Scott Spiezio after being charged in a six-count complaint involving drunken driving and assault in a car crash this past December.

When asked about the move, Cardinals manager Tony Larussa said "it’s a consistent message about what the team represents.”

Something with that picture doesn't seem right.

Maybe it's because LaRussa had his own DUI arrest last March and pled guilty in November.

If this is a constant message about what the team represents, LaRussa would be out of a job right now. It is the ultimate definition of hypocracy for LaRussa to say that the Cardinals organization takes a stand against DUI when LaRussa got no punishment whatsoever from the club.

LaRussa called his own DUI an "embarrassment," and apologized to "anyone who is close to me, members of the Cardinals organization, our fans."

I think it's embarrassing for LaRussa to come out and say what he said and owes Scott Spiezio an apology for his comments.

There's an old saying that says that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I think it's about time someone gave Mr. LaRussa some stones.