Welcome to the NBA DRAFT 2008!

We have many young prospects out here, really young...frankly giving a new meaning to the saying Diaper Dandy!!!

 The winners of this draft comes through the laws of relativity. You see folks, this is not 2003, the draft that spawned the new wave of superstardom with Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. No, this is more like the Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry baby draft that is different only by the NBA's latest plan to change the landscape with their "19 Year Old" rule. So be it. While I'm not sold on many players in this draft- Derrick Rose included, my winners follow the common theme- getting the most from the position from which you stand. So without further adieu... 

 Second Runner-Up...

Continue reading "The NBA Draft- Winners... Losers still to come!"

While I promised, and will deliver, my 2008 NBA Draft Losers today, I had to first stop and comment on Baron Davis to the Clippers.

I love the move! Not only am I a big Baron Davis fan, but I am also a big Elton Brand fan. Given the opportunity for Brand to have a couple of running mates, his professionalism, leadership and post-game could easily bring a title to LA. Not yet, but Davis, Chris Kaman, Cat Mobley and Brand is a decent start. Al Thorton could be the future at the Small Forward position, and maybe #1 draft pick Eric Gordon is the man to take this team over the top at the 2.

Also, I love seeing unselfish NBA players. B-Diddy turned down $18 million next year for $13 million with the Clippers, while Elton Brand will go from a no-brainer max out player to an unselfish team player by taking $10 million less to facilitate the deal. And, let's not forget Donald Sterling first ever BIG free agent signing!!! Way to go old chap! The Clippers are now a legitimate playoff team and one BIG piece from contention...

Continue reading "B-Diddy to the Clippers! Irrelevance is relevant once again."

Stephon Marbury don't fret, you are still the Knicks most electric, talented and impactful player on the roster- and it looks like it will stay that way for at least one last season. While Chris Duhon will make for a great backup point guard for the Knickerbockers, all stock has been put in the free agent Class of 2010...and rightfully so. Duhon received a 2 year deal, as to not get in the way of the courtship of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony in a few years. But Duhon offers more. He's a steady point guard, who dishes the ball, protects the ball, and shoots the ball with success. That being said, he is a nice player, not a thunder stealer from Stephon Marbury, the man who knows he must resurrect his career before he hits free agency. The player who knows that if he can't succeed in the fun and gun style of Mike D'Antoni, where would he succeed? The player that knows he now must live up to the $21.8 million salary he has this year.

Continue reading "Duhon to the Knicks..."

I firmly believe there was no real "winners" in the NBA Draft this year, as you could read on my ealrier blog about the drafts winners. Which by default makes most everyone...well... a loser. But seeing that I am trying to get a job back into the sports world I am only going to identify the three biggest, most miserable, should lose their jobs instantly, abhorrantly disgusting losers of the 2008 NBA Draft beginning with...

The 2nd Runner Up for the Biggest Loser in the 2008 NBA Draft...

The Washington Wizards:

Just when you thought having one Andray Blatche was underwhelming enough, the Wizards go out and get another in the form of JaVale McGee. Another soft, face up seven footer, with oodles of upside, but an awful large project. I have had the opportunity to cover the Wizards over the past couple of years, and they have been frustrated with the slow progress of Blatche, who has shown flashes of stardom but has also had the "one step forward, two steps back" tag. A good story to sum up Blatche and his immaturity starts with Blatche being on the injured list. In the NBA you must wear a suit as an injured player to sit on the bench during games, Blatche, finding that rule "stupid" decided not to join his team on the bench during games. Instead he opted to wear sweats and sit in the stands...

Continue reading "NBA Draft 2008- The Losers Addition"

 The country's favorite rivalry of all sports is entering Game 4 tonight, with the Red Sox having taken 2 of the 3 first games in Yankee Stadium. What used to be national news is a mere afterthought at the moment, and the question is why?

 Is it the absence of the polarizing moments of Pedro Martinez handling the raging bull Don Zimmer?

The eery silence and lack of physical interference of Alex Rodriguez as he rounds the bases?

Maybe it's the mere fact that Red Sox Nation finally broke through the Evil Empire, therefore dousing the flames of futility and of this heated rivalry..

Or maybe it's the damn Rays of Tampa Bay. You see Boston and New York have done such a good job at making sure Baltimore, Toronto and Tampa Bay were cities of irrelevance, hogging the focus for themselves in a dog eat dog atmosphere...and then they got lazy. The Sox won a second Championship and are no longer cuddly underdogs that everyone loves to root for. The Yankees went green on us, steering away from their Darth Maul days and instead opting for young Skywalkers instead of hired hitmen like Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy over Vader wannabe Johan Santana. The rules of the league were taken for granted and now what's missing from the best rivalry sports has to offer...is...well... 

Continue reading "Yanks-Sox Rivalry...Just missing something."

C.C Sabathia is officially the newest member of the Brew Crew! The Milwaukee Brewers have decided to put there foot down and compete immediately. With the addition of Sabathia the Brewers now have a formidable rotation led buy the lethal one-two punch of Sheets/Sabathia. But, just like a beautiful SL 500 from Hertz- don't get too attached...it's just a rental.

 Now we've seen this before; Randy Johnson to the Houston Astros in 2000 being the best example, but have we ever seen an absolute room rental team? While we've seen two fire sales from the same franchise following emotional World Series victories in the Florida Marlins- neither of those teams was planning or expecting to clear house until the season was over and they looked at their profit margins.

 The Brewers on the other hand KNOW they can't re-sign Ben Sheets or C.C. Sabathia after this season. The Brewers know they have to trade possibly the best young first baseman in the game in Prince Fielder (we're looking at the Bronx and Queens if you want my thoughts) due to their inability to afford him in the long run. So, the Brewers make this deal having already given in to the fact that they have 3 months to make the playoffs and succeed in their goal of a World Series before they fade back into oblivion with the Kansas City's and Seattle's of the world. But hey at least they're trying....

Continue reading "Rent-A-Club is Here!"

"It's not a game, it's an arms race" - Kanye West and Fallout Boy belt this hook over and over again on a recent hit with that same title. In that context, Kanye and the Fallout Boy guys are referring to the battle of musical artists not only surviving in a competitive worldwide market, but one with hindrances around every music sharing online ripping program. While that's an issue for another day and another blogsite, it's relevance is crucial when talking about the current state of Major League baseball and the National Basketball Association.

It all began on one fateful day in January when the Memphis Grizzlies gift-wrapped a late Christmas Gift for the Los Angeles Lakers in the mold of Pau Gasol, the center that solidified Showtime as the front-runner in the Western Conference. The arms race began! The domino effect led to two desperate acts of self-destruction in Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns and Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. Those moves pushed the usually level-headed Spurs into making a level-headed move in picking up Kurt Thomas... yet the games had just begun. 

Continue reading "From the NBA to MLB, the Arms Race Has Begun"

Amongst a busy week in the life of The Moneyball- I did have to comment on this topic.

Favre leaving the Packers to me is like Derek Jeter leaving the Yankees, Magic Johnson leaving the Lakers, or Cal Ripken Jr. leaving the Orioles.

But should we be so surprised? Do we forget Joe Montana and the Chiefs, Michael Jordan and the Wizards, Wade Boggs and the Devil Rays and Yankees? Folks, it happens. It is a part of sports where teams want to move on out from the shadows of the legacies that filled their stadiums and franchise record books. From the pressure that strains front offices to put their fate in once great, but now flawed men of unimaginative power over their fans. Brett Favre draws the people, and is great...but he no longer represents the future.

So let's see Favre in purple and gold, or Tampa Bay orange. Let's get a Rodgers-Favre showdown of the Bears in Lambeau. Let's enjoy the awkwardness of an old Brett Favre on his last legs...or maybe a still prime one ready to ride his horse around the championship celebration of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay.

Continue reading "Brett Favre Leaving Green Bay"

Jason Taylor walked into his first day of training camp with the Miami Dolphins and was greeted by the teams third rebuilding project in four years, now led by the Big Tuna. Where Cam Cameron and Nick Saban failed, Tuna Time looks to pick up the pieces. Bill Parcell's has a plan that no longer had a need for a 34 year old sack machine who's defensive intensity was not the only thing that made fans adore him. It was his humor, fame and bonafide all-star status that helped him dance his way into the hearts of the Miami faithful. But fans must understand as did Taylor himself, that time had come to move along.

Where he went just happened to be perfect. Dan Snyder, the Washington Redskins owner is easily the Bonny to Taylor Clyde, the Jessica Simpson to Tony Romo, the proverbial Ying to his Yang. Not only does Snyder has a love for the big name splash (as he always looks for the opportunity to flex his testicular fortitude at Division big wig, hot head rival Owner Jerry Jones), not only does he have an entertainment company featuring Scientologist Tom Cruise, but he actually has a need for a devensive end/outside linebacker who can rush the quarterback. That Taylor can do.

Continue reading "Taylor Eases the Loss of Taylor"