NBA Mock Draft 6/27

I was so impressive on my NFL Mock Draft, I figured I'd give the NBA a shot!

As always, I wouldn't be going to Vegas with these, but lets just see how wrong I can be........

1. Toronto Andrea Bargnani (Italy, 7-0, 225, PF, 20)
2. Chicago (via New York) Tyrus Thomas (LSU, 6-9, 229, PF, Fr.)
3. Charlotte Adam Morrison (Gonzaga, 6-8, 205, SF, Jr.)
4. Portland Brandon Roy (Washington, 6-5, 195, SG, Sr.)
5. Atlanta Hawks LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas, 6-11, 234, PF, So)
6. Minnesota Rudy Gay (UConn, 6-9, 222, SF, So.)
7. Boston Celtics Randy Foye (Villanova, 6-4, 205, SG, Sr.)
8. Houston Rockets Marcus Williams (UConn, 6-3, 205, PG, Jr.)
9. Golden State Warriors Shelden Williams (Duke, 6-9, 250, PF, Sr.)
10. Seattle SuperSonics Patrick O'Bryant (Bradley, 7-0, 260, C)
11. Orlando Magic Rodney Carney (Memphis, 6-7, 205, SF, Sr.)
12. NO/OK Hornets Cedric Simmons (NC State, 6-9, 225, PF, So.)
13. Philadelphia 76ers Ronnie Brewer (Arkansas, 6-7, 220, G/F, Jr.)
14. Utah Jazz JJ Redick (Duke, 6-4, 190, SG, Sr.)
15. Hornets (via Bucks) Hilton Armstrong (UConn, 6-11, 245, PF/C, Sr.)
16. Chicago Bulls Saer Sene (Senegal, 7-0, 230, PF/C)
17. Indiana Pacers Sergio Rodriguez (Spain, 6-3, 185, G)
18. Washington Wizards Alexander Johnson (Florida State, 6-10, 230, Jr.)
19. Sacramento Kings Shawne Williams (Memphis, 6-9, 225, SF, Fr.)
20. Knicks (via Nuggets) Mardy Collins (Temple, 6-6, 205, PG, Sr.)
21. Suns (via Lakers) Thabo Sefolosha (Switzerland, 6-7, 210, SF)
22. Nets (via Clippers) Jordan Farmar (UCLA, 6-2, 180, PG, So.)
23. New Jersey Nets Maurice Ager (Michigan State, 6-5, 180, SG, Sr.)
24. Memphis Grizzlies Shannon Brown (Michigan State, 6-3, 190, G, Jr.)
25. Cleveland Cavaliers Kyle Lowry (Villanova, 6-0, 185, PG, So.)
26. L.A. Lakers (via Heat) Guillermo Diaz (Miami, 6-2, 185, G, Jr.)
27. Phoenix Suns Rajon Rondo (Kentucky, 6-1, 175, PG, So.)
28. Dallas Mavericks Paul Davis (Michigan State, 6-10, 250, PF, Sr.)
29. Knicks (via Spurs) Marcus Vinicius (Brazil, 6-10, 230, SF, Age 22)
30. Blazers (via Pistons) Quincy Douby (Rutgers, 6-3, 175, G, Jr.)

We'll see how it turns out tomorrow,

Bill

When Real Sports Heroes Existed! 6/26

If you've ever wondered why I'm the way I am now, click on the title.....

Bill

ps............ the traitor makes an early appearance here!

Hey look, I have a Mock Draft! 4-28

I've read about 75 different predictions in the past week by the "experts" which tells me no one has any idea what's going to happen so I thought I'd give you my prediction. Let's see how wrong I can be!

1) Houston - Reggie Bush - USC
2) New Orleans - Mario Williams - North Carolina St
3) Tennessee - Matt Leinert - USC - I keep hearing they'll take Young but that is a smoke screen. Fisher is a USC alum and Chow is Leinerts former offensive coordinator there. Tennessee is hoping someone will jump up and want to make a trade in order to get Young, hence all the rumors going around.
4) Jets - D'Brickasaw Ferguson - Virginia - Not a sexy pick, but a stud offensive lineman. Keep in mind the Belichick ties here now in the staff. They will not pick a quaterback, running back or receiver this high as you can ALWAYS find that lower in the draft..... They'll draft for value.
5) Packers - AJ Hawk - The Ohio State. This pick and the 49ers pick next, I see everyone predicting this so I'll go with it......
6) 49'ers - Vernon Davis - Maryland
7. Oakland - Vince Young - Texas - the wild card... Can Al Davis pass on a talent??? No.
8. Buffalo - Haloti Ngata - Oregon State
9. Detroit - Michael Huff - Texas
10. Arizona - Jay Cutler - Vanderbilt
11. St. Louis - Jimmy Williams - Virginia Tech
12. Cleveland - Chad Greenway - Iowa
13. Baltimore - Brodrick Bunkley - Florida State
14. Philadelphia - Bobby Carpenter - Ohio State
15. Denver (from Atlanta) - every "expert" I read has them taking a wide receiver, so I'll go with one also - Chad Jackson - Florida
16. Miami - Winston Justice - Miami - They need protection for Culpepper, so I'll go with the best offensive lineman on the board. However Santonio Holmes might go here too....
17. Minnesota - Ernie Sims - Florida St. - they continue building the defense.
18. Dallas - Manny Lawson - North Carolina St.
19. San Diego - Antonio Cromartie- Florida St. - No player has been shooting up the draft boards quicker recently as Cromartie. He's coming back from a torn ACL and didn't take a snap in 05, but is 1 of the most talented players in the draft. Has the same potential as Champ Bailey...
20. Kansas City - Tye Hill - Clemson
21. New England - Kamerion Wimbley - Florida St. - a big time defensive end who could go as high as 12. I keep reading they'll take a running back to start replacing Corey Dillon but NE does not select running backs this high..... also if Cromartie falls to them here, they won't be able to get their card in quick enough as they'd love to have him!
22. San Franciso - They were hoping for Wimbley, so if NE passes on him, they take him..... But seeing as how I do have him gone, I'll go with - Richard Marshall - Fresno State.
23. Tampa Bay - Donte Witner - Ohio State - versatile player capable of playing 4 positions on the defense.
24. Cincinnati - Jason Allen - Tennessee
25. N.Y. Giants - Santonio Holmes - Ohio State - Giants are amazed he's dropped this far and although they were planning on going defense, they get an incrediable player at 25.
26. Chicago - With Jerry Azumah (UNH alum....) retiring, they'll go cornerback - Jonathon Joseph - South Carolina
27. Carolina - Lendale White - USC - best big back in the draft.
28. Jacksonville - Thomas Howard - UNLV - Del Rio likes linebackers and Howard is as athletic as they come.
29. NY Jets (from Denver through Atlanta) - Nick Mangold, a center, was who I was going to give them but with Cedric Houston in an auto accident, I think they take - Deangelo Williams - Memphis.
30. Indianapolis - Laurance Maroney - Minnesota. With the loss of "Edge", they're thrilled to have 1 of the top running backs fall to them.
31. Seattle - Ashton Youboty - Ohio State
32. Pittsburgh - Sinorice Moss - Miami - Santana's brother and capable of taking over the 3rd wide receiver spot left vacant by Randal El leaving.

A couple notes about the draft. Obviously I didn't factor in any trades (which I don't see happening much in the 1st round anyways), but if someone makes a jump up to get one of the big 3 QB's, then the picks could change drastically. Secondly, concerning the Patriots and a running back, if they do select one look for them to go with Joseph Addai out of LSU in the 3rd or 4th round.

I also want to go out on a limb and say that 12 years from now when we look back on this draft we'll say how could teams consider taking Vince Young over Leinert, as Leinert will have a stellar career. Also I see Reggie Bush getting injured down the road, and when they retire, Lendale White will have had a better career......

There you have it, my 1st official nfl mock draft! Lets take a look at it next week and see how wrong I am.........

Ciao,

Bill

Dinner Table - 4/13/06

Name 3 athletes, alive or dead, you'd like to have dinner with. Here's my 3:

1) Jackie Robinson - The man went through so much and handled it all with dignity. I'm sure he'd be very satisfied with how far sports have come with integration.

2) Wilt Chamberlain - You need someone at the table who is full of stories and admittedly I'd be grilling him on all his "conquests".....

3) Babe Didrikson - I had to include 1 woman in the group and it was a tough choice between the greatest female athlete of all time or Anna Kournikova (best looking female athlete of all time!)............ Babe dominated golf and track and field like no female athlete before or since. In golf she won 55 tournaments (including a string of 13 in a row) and she was one of 3 people to start the LPGA tour. In track and field, she won the womans 1st olympic javelin and set a world record in the 80 meter hurdles. She was named the female athlete of the year 6 times.

I think these 3 would be a good start.

Bill

Thinking Cap......... 8/29

1) I think Terrel Owens made a stupid mistake by all his talking and holding out of camp. The Eagles will never renegotiate his contract now, and I think Owens has lowered his market value tremendously. If he had come to camp, shut his mouth and negotiated quietly, Philly would have given him a bump, and the public would be loving him.

2) I think Ricky Williams on the other hand has done a great job by coming to camp and keeping his mouth shut. The Dolphins will either trade him after he comes back from his suspension, or they’ll move him next off season when his market value will be high again (2nd round pick). If he was running his mouth now, everyone would be burying him.

3) I think my pre, pre, pre season picks for the SuperBowl are New England and Minnesota. The Patriots are self explanatory but the Vikings will no longer have the distraction of Randy Moss and they’ve done a great job updating their defense. With all the losses NE has experienced this offseason, it’s easy to write them off, but they are the 2 time defending champion and I think they have the most talent on the roster as they’ve ever had.

4) I think Gus Ferotte will be the starting QB in Miami, beating out A.J. Feeley. Will this make a difference in their season? No……

5) I think San Diego will come back to earth this year and be 8-8.

6) I think the Arizona Cardinals will be the “surprise” team in the NFL and running back J.J. Arrington will be the Offensive Rookie of the year.

7) I think when Raphael Palmiero comes out and talks about why he tested positive for steroids, no one will believe him. Does he still deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? I say yes he does.

8) I think my predictions for the baseball postseason, go something like this:

AL East – Red Sox
AL Central – White Sox
AL West – Angels
AL Wild Card – Yankees
NL East – Braves
NL Central – Cardinals
NL West – Padres
NL Wildcard – Astros
Red Sox over Angels, Yankees over White Sox, Red Sox over Yankees
Cardinals over Padres, Astros over Braves, Astros over Cardinals
World Series – Red Sox over Astros

9) I think after “reading” the Playboy article with Jose Canseco’s ex wife, he’s 1 lucky guy. Although apprarently he has small testicles….

10) I think if you have never read “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams, you owe it to yourself to read it. Very informative, entertaining and a lot of great ideas if you have a young son that is interested in baseball. Pick it up here www.tinyurl.com/7m3ax

11) I think it’s great that the Contender is coming back for another season. ESPN has picked it up and the new season starts in October. If you didn’t see it last season, it’s worth it just to laugh at Slyvester Stallone pretending he’s actually a boxer not an actor.

12) I think another great fighting reality show that has just been renewed I also highly recommend. The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV I thought was even better than The Contender last year. I’ve never been into Ultimate Fighting, but after watching the first season, I’ve now started following the sport. This from a guy who gets weak when I cut myself shaving and see blood…. Go figure. It can be seen on Monday nights at 11pm on Spike TV.

Until next time,

Bill

Knives, Rumors and Players Heads Who Have Exploded 8/2

1) Raphael Palmerio: "I've never intentionally taken steroids". Sounds alot like Bonds last year when he thought "the clear" was just soothing his aching muscles..... With the revelation this week that Palmerio tested positive for steroids, where do you put Jose Canseco on the believability scale now with his accusations from his book? Here's an interesting quote I heard last night, "Of all the players in the 500hr club, it took Palmerio longer to hit 30hrs in a season than any other player (8 years before his first season of 30+). He first did it in 1993 when he was a teammate for the first time with (Drumroll please....................................) Jose Canseco. What are the odds!!! The big thing in the media with this is whether the sports writers will still vote for him for the Hall of Fame. My take is he'll get in, it just won't be on the first ballot.

2) Bonds calling it quits for the year - With Palmerio's "shocking" news yesterday, the King of all Media, Barry Bonds, came out with the announcement that he most likely won't be back this year. Amazing how he came out with that news on the day that another big story broke, in order to minimize his. It's certainly taking a long time to recover from having his knee scoped isn't it? That damn thing just won't heel....... When he originally had the surgery back in January, most reports had him back in time for the end of spring training based on the normal recovery time of other athletes that have had the same procedure. I say he comes back next year, hits about 27hr homeruns and then retires. You heard it here first!

3) Bret Boone - Here's another person mentioned in Canseco's book who's head size has tripled in the last 5 years and is in the news..... In case you missed it, he was released by Minnesota on Monday, after being on their roster for a month (after being released by Seattle earlier this year). Here's a player who since 1998 has averaged 26 hrs, 97 rbi's and a .275 batting avg a year, but after a drug testing policy goes into affect, suddenly can't get a job....... He's currently hitting a robust .201, with 7hrs and 34 rbi's. Steroids couldn't possible have had anything to do with his previous production could it???? Nah, didn't think so......

4) Knife Wielding Vendor - On Sunday at Dodger stadium, a fight broke out in the parking lot when a vendor selling illegal tee shirts was approached by security guards and asked to turn over his merchandise. He apparently pulled out a knife and ended up stabbing 3 people in his rush to escape. He did get away and police are still searching for him. Nice place, that Chavez Ravine!

5) Dodger Blue or Red? - Scarlet Red. In other Dodger news, it's being reported that LA Dodger pitcher Derek Lowe has been having an affair with a local female sportscaster. A professional athlete having an affair? Shocked, shocked I tell you! More info here: http://tinyurl.com/ckrof In other news, it's being reported that some professional athlete's take steroids...........

6) Neon Deion - In our style category, I felt it was important to mention this fact about Deion Sanders. He apparently has over 1,900 suits and he keeps them in a 2500sq ft closet. Just think about that for a minute.......

7) Koren Robinson - Former 1st round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks, checked himself into an alcohol rehab center this weekend http://tinyurl.com/bs3h7 . I wish I could put money down somewhere saying that he'll end up playing for "Da Raiders" this year. He sounds like a perfect fit for them, as they only require their players to complete 5 of the 12 steps in an alcohol program! :)

8) Link of The Week - Grip it and Rip it! http://www.thunderingwaters.com/web-content/dalysplash2.html

I know what I'm watching this Wednesday. Evel Knievel jumping the Grand Canyon! Or something close to that.....

By the way, I heard a rumor hockey is back.........

Till next week,

Bill

Pigskins, Pot and Poker 7/26

1) NFL - With mini-camps opening up this week, I thought I'd touch on some of what's in the news with football;

A) Ricky Williams- Let me ask you a question. If the arbitrator had ruled in favor of Ricky and said he didn't need to pay back close to $9 million dollars to the Dolphins, do you think he'd be making a comeback right now? In his press conference he talked about how much he missed playing, what it meant to him, blah, blah, blah...... I didn't hear him once say he needs the money. At the end of the day, it's just what Rod Tidwell said in "Jerry McGuire", "Show me the Money!" We'll see what happens, but I can't imagine there are too many teammates in his locker room that are happy to have him back. I say when he returns after his 4 game suspension, he is a bit player and the Dolphins try to trade him at the end of the year.

B) Renegotiations - Touchy topic here. Several big name players (Terrel Owens, Javon Walker and Richard Seymour) are threatening to sit out the year unless their teams renegotiate. My stance on this is that the player agreed to the contract, so honor it. The argument you hear is that the club can cut the player anytime so why should the player honor the contract. My feeling is that argument has 2 flaws in it. First of all, you have signing bonuses, which have come about in order to give the players guaranteed money. They know when they sign those contracts, the only thing they're guaranteed is the upfront money, NOT the base year salaries. Secondly, this structure is what the Owners and Players Association have agreed to in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. If the players don't like it, they need to fire the head of their Union (Gene Upshaw), and when the CBA expires, renegotiate a different pay structure. Until then, they need to shut the hell up, get into camp and play football!

##### Editor's Note ##### Just as I get done writing this bit and go to publish it, I notice ESPN has an article on it. You can read it here http://tinyurl.com/7hsew


2) Money Ball - In case you haven't noticed, the hottest team in baseball right now are the Oakland A's. After getting off to a horrible start, the A's have won 37 of their last 50 games including 7 in a row, and are currently only 5 games out of first place. After tearing apart their pitching staff in the offseason, very few people gave them any chance this year. What they've discovered is a young staff which is giving up very few runs and an offense which has been scoring at will lately. The General Manager, Billy Beane, was criticized for ripping the team apart, but with this latest surge, his "money ball" philosophy is being lauded again. If you haven't read the book about him and his baseball beliefs, I highly recommend it. One of the neat things about it is some of the young guys he drafts in the book, are now making their debuts on the Major League team and are big contributors to this latest turnaround. Check it out here http://tinyurl.com/avqs3

3) Love Em or Hate Em - I heard this on ESPN radio the other day and thought it was interesting. Michael Vick. I'd have to say LOVE HIM, because he is a tremendous athlete and fun to watch play. HOWEVAAA, if I'm a head coach, I probably hate him, because he'll be too quick to try to run, instead of running the offense. Probably drive me crazy.

4) Link of the Week - Next time you go to Vegas and you're wondering what to do, you need to take the advice of professional poker player Antonio Esfandiari. http://tinyurl.com/73l9x


Till next time,

Bill

Ramblings - 7/20

1) MLB trade deadline - Some interesting races shaping up out there and a couple big names being tossed around. Baltimore is reportedly going after Florida's A.J. Burnett which could seriously affect the East. Skankees and Red Sox have discussed minor deals (Yank's talking about Byrnes in Oakland, Red Sox just acquired utility player Graffanino from KC), but look for both to pull the trigger on big deals at the July 31st deadline. Who are they looking at? Red Sox are discussing JC Romero from Minnesota and Tom Glavine from the Mets (he grew up in Massachusetts and is a longtime Sox fan) and the Yanks have inquired about Jason Schmidt from San Fran. and Ken Griffey Jr.

2) White Sox - Can anyone stop them? Right now as I type they are 62-30 and hold a commanding 12 game lead in the Central. My prediction? They'll finish with 105 wins and get knocked out of the playoffs early, similar to what happened to the Mariners a couple years ago.

3) Super Agent? Although I don't always agree with Drew Rosenhaus, it was nice to read the story about him rescuing a drowning boy http://tinyurl.com/aukt3 I guess agents aren't all bad!

4) Michelle Wie - I like her. OK, I like her alot. I think she's talented and pretty darn cute for 15. I just don't feel women should be playing in men's tournaments. That is what the LPGA is for. When the LPGA starts letting men (or maybe in this case, teenage boys) play in their tournaments then the girls can start playing in the mens. Going along with this, how come women reporters are allowed to interview men in the locker room but male reporters are not allowed to go into women's? So you're saying women would never let their eyes wander but men would???? Ok, bad example, but you get the picture!

5) Tour De France - I'm pulling for Armstrong to win again, and with only a few stages left, he's pretty well wrapped it up. When he retires, this sport will once again go back to being barely mentioned here in the states as well it should be....

6) Calling Brown- No I'm not talking about UPS but Larry Brown. Can't wait to see him behind the bench in Madison Square Garden. It'll be good for basketball and I'm sure the NBA will play it up big time. Expect to see the Knicks on NBC every Sunday afternoon this winter.

7) Time For a Brew - Good news for all us Patriot fans, as it looks like Tedy Bruschi will be back playing this year after suffering a stroke back in February. Hopefully he's not pushing it too much, as along with being a great player he's also a devoted dad and husband and his health needs to come first. ***** EDITORS NOTE******** Looks like I jumped the gun on this one! http://tinyurl.com/93fp8


8) Naive or is something going on? So she just decides to let him take topless photos "for himself"...... Come on, something must have been going on between them. Where are these women, and how can I get them to let me photograph them? Apparently in Russia.... http://tinyurl.com/dln6t

9) Link of the Week - The man's my Governor...... http://tinyurl.com/a7y64

Until next time,

Bill

The NBA is so "Money"...... 2/17

With the NBA All Star game upon us, I thought I'd give out some mid season awards and do it "Swingers" style... So with no further ado, Double Down and Mikey will take it from here. (All quotes from the movie "Swingers")

1) Trent: "You know, I'm gonna find me two waitresses here and I'm gonna pull me a Fredo."
Mikey: "Yeah, Well they're all skanks"
Trent: "What are talking about? Look at all the beautiful babies here"
Mikey: "The beautiful babies don't work midnight to six on a Wednesday. This is the skank shift."

This quote is for our "Most Surprising Team" award. You never know when you're going to find a beautiful baby and this year the Phoenix Suns have been it. Nobody was expecting too much from them before the season started but they've surprised everyone by putting together a record of 41-12 and leading the Pacific Division by over 7 games. How are they doing it? Just like us in "Swingers", old school baby, old school. They get out,run and push the ball, and remind everyone of the great up-tempo teams of the 70's and 80's. They are leading the NBA in points per game by averaging over 110 per game which is 7 points more than the next closest team. Do they play defense? Nope, not a lick. That's what makes them so much fun to watch. They come out every game and dare you to out score them. Will they win the Championship? Probably not, but they sure as hell are fun to watch. I wish more teams played like them, it would make the league much more entertaining.

2) Rob: "I'm considering taking a part as Goofy"
Charles: "Well, at least it's Disney, right?"

Disappointment, as our buddies Rob and Charles touched on, comes in many ways. The "Most Disappointing Team" in the NBA so far has to be the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here was a team that had the best record in the Western Conference last year, making it all the way to the Western Conference finals, and here they are a season later not even at .500. Currently they are in 9th place and if the playoffs started now, would be on the outside looking in. They just fired Flip Saunders (here's a scoop for you, Head Coach of the Lakers next year...) and Kevin McHale has come down out of the General Managers Suite to take over. What's their problem? Mainly dissension in the locker room. Both Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell are looking for new big money contracts (they both have families to feed and 9 million a year just doesn't go that far anymore....), and with the Timberwolves refusal to give it to them, they've pretty much tanked the season. Garnett has been continuing to play great, but he can't do it alone. If McHale can motivate them, they do have a favorable schedule in the 2nd half. We're going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they get a little giddy in their hop and overtake the Lakers for the 8th and final seed.

3) Trent: "They're gonna give daddy the Rain Man suite! You dig that? We're going to Vegas, Mike."
Trent,Mike: "VEGAS!"
Mike: "You think we'll get there by midnight?"
Trent: "Honey, we're gonna be up five hundy by midnight!"
Trent,Mike: "VEGAS, BABY! VEGAS!"

Ahh, the excitement and suspense of Vegas. This quote brings us to the "Most Entertaining Player" in the NBA. Lots of good choices out there (Nash,Nowitzki,Stoudamire), but for our money, we like Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat. Wade has been like Superman so far this year. Everyone knew Miami would be good with Shaq, but Wade has been the heart and soul for them. At the end of every close game, Wade is taking all the shots, and more times than not, making them. He leads them in points per game, assists, steals and is 3rd in rebounds. And unlike other marquee players, he plays defense too. He's one of the few players in the game that really holds your attention for a whole game. Truly entertaining to watch.

4) Rob: "Where is this place?"
Mike: "For some reason the cool bars in Hollywood have to be hard to find and have no sign. It's kind a like a speak easy kind a thing. It's kind a cool, like you're in on some kind of secret. You know, you tell a chick you been some place it's like bragging you know how to find it."

When you want to make it big, sometimes you have to move to someplace new and learn how to fit in. This leads us into our "Rookie of the Year" award. For our money, we like Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats. Okafor has been everything for the expansion Bobcats that he was for the NCAA champion Connecticut Huskies: a rebounder, a shot-blocker and a tough inside scorer. His impact has everything to do with why the Bobcats have been so competitive when everyone expected pushovers. Others getting mentioned here are Dwight Howard, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon.

5) Trent: "She can't roll the dice. She's business class."
Mikey: "Business class?"
Sue: "Big butt. You know, can't fly coach."

Sometimes you have high hopes for someone but inevitably they just let you down. In other words, disappointment. This brings us to our "Most Disappointing Player" award. We feel so far in the first half that goes to Carmelo Anthony. He does average 20 points a game, but his .395 FG% is pathetic given how many shots he takes, and other than his 5.7 rebounds, he doesn't contribute impressively in any category. Unless he can raise his FG%, steals, and 3PM, he's never going to be anything more than an average player at best. After his breakout season last year, he just hasn't lived up to all the hype, and has been a huge disappointment for us...

6) Trent: "Our little boy is groweds up tonight! And you know what big boy, you're groweds up! you're groweds up! Yeah, dig that!!!"

Our "Most Improved Player" award goes to Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons' improvement has been dramatic. He won a spot on the Clippers because of his hustle and defense, but he has taken a huge leap offensively this season, averaging 15.9 points on 47.1 percent shooting. His career averages beginning the season were 5.5 points on 40.3 percent shooting. With all the negative things that always seem to follow the Clippers, he is one of the bright spots. On top of it, he seems like a good guy who appreciates the good fortune that has come to him.

7) Trent: "I don't want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone's really hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you, know, the guy you're not quite sure whether or not you like yet. You're not sure where he's coming from. Okay? You're a bad man. You're a bad man. You're a bad man....."

Who's a bad man in the NBA and the winner of our "Most Psychotic" award? Why Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers of course! Nobody will forget the scene of Artest bolting from the scorer's table into the stands in Detroit to ignite the worst fans/players brawl in American sports history. The reigning defensive player of the year, the Pacers' All-Star forward was suspended for the season. He is the ultimate Psycho, too frustrating to embrace and too valuable to let go. The guy has all the talent in the world but just can't keep his emotions in check. I hope his singing career is going well, because at this rate he's NFL (Not For Long) in the NBA. Der Kommissar Stern is now just looking for reasons to run him out of the league.

8) Trent: "Look at all the beautiful honeys here. Excuse me darling, I'm sorry, wow. I want you to remember this face here, this is the guy behind the guy behind the guy."

Who's our "Coach of the Year" so far? We've got to go with Nate McMillan of the Seattle Supersonics. McMillan has taken a team that was 37-45 last season and has them playing fast-paced, unselfish basketball that creates plenty of shots for everybody. He also has imposed tougher defense and a more aggressive, attacking offense, a style he has long wanted to use and the results have shown why. McMillan is in the last year of his contract, and with Seattle not anxious to renew him, he's started taking risks figuring he's got nothing to lose. And it's paid off.

9) Sue: "I'm telling ya you're money."
Trent: "You're so f*&%$ money!"

Who's been the "money" so far in the NBA? Our mid season "MVP" goes to Lebron James, followed closely by Steve Nash. Lebron has elevated his game to the next level and has led Cleveland to a 30-20 record (3rd best in the Eastern Conference). The Cavaliers only won 35 games last year and actually the last time they won 30 games before the all star break was back in the 92-93 season when they went to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lebron's averaging 25.4 pts, 7.7 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals. He walks into every game with a big bull’s eye on his back and still produces every night. Earlier in season, he reached 2,000 career points quicker than any person ever and apparently there is no stopping him. Nash is getting a lot of mention because he is the trigger man for Phoenix's great offense. While we like Nash alot and think he's playing great, we just can't give the award to someone that doesn't play defense. You at least have to make an attempt on the defensive side if you expect to win the MVP award.

10) Trent: "Who's the big winner here tonight at the casino? Mikey, that's who. Mikey's the big winner! Mikey wins!"

Alright, who's the big winner in the first half of the season? We feel there are alot of pretenders out there, but the "Team to Beat" award goes to the San Antonio Spurs. Miami, Phoenix, Detroit, Dallas all are doing great, but it's the Spurs with their team defense concept that is still the ones to beat. They've got a record of 41-12 (tied with Phoenix), score 97.1 pts a game but only allow 86.4 (best in the NBA). If you want to win the title, history shows us you better play defense, and nobody plays it better. On top of it, Duncan is having another monster year, and Parker and Ginobili form the "best foreign backcourt" in the game. I see San Antonio facing Miami in the finals, and if Shaq is healthy, it could be a classic, ala Frazier/Ali. Two heavyweights going toe to toe for 15 rounds with the Spurs winning game 7.

There you have it, the 1/5th first mid season NBA awards. I think I'm in the mood for a martini and some Big Bad Voodoo Daddy!

Until next time,

Bill

Wild Times and Rampant Roids 2/14

As Tom Cruise said in Cocktail, "everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn't end". So goes Jose Canseco's departure from baseball. He's burning all bridges, naming names, and making accusations all over the place. I love it! Gossip columns and talk radio shows are eating this up and so am I.......

1) Steroids – I had a chance to catch the Canseco interview on 60 minutes Sunday. The main thing I came away with is “what human growth steroid is Mike Wallace taking?” He’s what 105, 106 and he looks like he’s 45……. Seriously though, I thought overall the interview was credible, although I’m sure Canseco is exaggerating to an extent. I’m curious why so many people are quick to discredit him, and say there is no way the allegations can be correct? Yes I know his background, arrests, etc… but still, with all the evidence we’ve seen about steroid usage in MLB coming out lately, why are his comments so far out of reality? Now if this was a court of law, yes his comments wouldn’t hold weight, but it’s not. I’ve heard a couple people (Walt Weiss, Tony La Russa) come out and say McGuire didn’t take steroids, but for the most part, other people that were there have been quiet. Maybe they know what really was going on and don’t want to lie about it. If there is anything you can say about Canseco, it's that he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to steroids. In the last 10 years, we’ve seen certain players explode in size and conversely have seen records fall left and right. It’s a shame MLB has waited so long to take a stronger stance on this issue (only doing the testing now after the government threatened them), but hopefully these stronger testing measures will help clean the illegal drug usage up.

2) Bonds – I heard on Fox news over the weekend that Barry’s mistress has come out and accused him of using steroids….. A Major League player is using illegal drugs? He has a mistress? Next I’ll be hearing that they just play for the money. Come on, tell me something I don’t know!

3) Hockey – Bob in Canada was complaining about hockey being cancelled…… Does anyone else care about this??? For being the so called #4 major sport, there is an awful lot of indifference. I grew up a big hockey fan (Boston Bruins) but since moving to California, I just don’t really care about it anymore. I’m sure hockey’s “better” than it used to be but as a youngster I loved the fights and rough play, and guys like Terry O’Reilly, Tai Domi, Cam Neely, Bobby Clark, Ken Dryden, and Matthew Barnaby. You had good guys, bad guys, teams you absolutely hated (Flyers with their “broad street bullies” era), teams you loved. One thing you didn’t have then were a bunch of European players with names you couldn’t pronounce or identify with. I know the hockey purists will tell you about how Selanne, Samsonov, Tchdivalinsky, Federov, et all, are so talented, but basically I don’t care. And judging by the apathy I see about this lockout, I think most people agree with me. My personal feeling is that I hope the league breaks the union, contracts 4 teams, sets a salary cap, and goes back to playing physical hockey. Until then, I refuse to watch any more NHL hockey. What do you think about that idea, beauty eh?

4) Malone / Miller retire – I was happy to hear both of them announcing their retirements. I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about hall of fame. Malone, obviously 1st ballot. One of the best power forwards of all time. Yes at times he could be annoying, but Malone and Stockton will go down in history as one of the greatest duos of all time. At their peak, running the pick and roll, it was a thing of beauty. Best play in basketball, and no one did it better. Miller will make it in too because of his longevity and consistency. After 18 years in the NBA he’ll end up with some pretty impressive numbers. One of the best spot up shooters of all time, when he got going, he could shoot with anyone. He’ll be best remembered for scoring 8 points in the last 8.9 seconds of the playoff game in 95 against the Knicks along with the battles against Jordan and the Bulls.

5) Football – Heard there was a football game over the weekend… Is the pro bowl the least watched all star game? Why do they even have it? No one cares about it, including the players…. They are there for the all expenses paid trip to Hawaii. Instead of the game, why not have a skills competition type deal? Maybe an NFL Superstars competition, or something like that. I’d be interested in that more than a football game, where no one plays defense, or hits, or cares…….. Heard Manning “won” the MVP of the game.. Way to go Peyton, you’re my favorite accountant, cut that meat!

6) Randy Moss- Speaking of football, I want to make a prediction about where Randy Moss will end up next year. I'm going to say the Baltimore Ravens. I think they have the infrastructure (word of the day) there to handle him. With Billick as coach, along with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, you've got some strong personalities with the playing (and coaching) ability to back up their comments and keep Randy in line. I also think they are an organization that is willing to risk giving up players and picks to try to get them back to the Super Bowl. The Jets are also being mentioned as suitors, but I don't see them as willing to risk taking on "a head case" like Moss. He is definetly someone that, while obviously as talented as any player in the game, can disrupt your organization and be a bad influence on the younger guys. Herm Edwards, Terry Bradway and the owner Johnson are not big risk takers, and I think in the end, will decide to pass on Moss.

7) Timberwolves- I also wanted to mention the firing of Flip Saunders because right now he is an example of a coach being let go, instead of making personal changes. He's been with Minnesota for something like 10 years, done a great job, got them to the Western Conference finals last year, and now because of some players not trying hard (Cassell and Sprewell), he's being removed as coach. I hope the organization takes a tumble and falls further down in the standings (currently 9th). I just wish one of these times, an owner would standup for the coach and say "it's not his fault we're doing bad, it's the players", and then cut the problem people. Going along with this, expect Sam Mitchell in Toronto to be let go as coach as there are players there that are unhappy with him. The General Manager made a comment this weekend that Mitchell owes an apology to some players... Red Auerbach must be choking on his cigar right now...........

8) Link of the Week – If anyone wants to purchase me a signed autographed copy, here you go:

http://www.josecanseco.com/

Until next week,


Bill

Tee Shirt and Hat Games - 2/10

Super Bowl Thoughts – As Tedy Bruschi said after the game, “we’re a team that lives for the free tee shirts and hats games……” Did the game play out as I expected? No. It wasn’t until the 3rd quarter that NE started going 4 and 5 wide and spreading out Philly’s defense. They started running screens off that formation and opened up the game for them. From the Eagles standpoint, I said going into it they needed McNabb to have an error free game in order for them to win, and obviously that didn’t happen. I don’t care how many yards he threw for, for a guy who threw only 8 interceptions on the year, for him to throw 3 in the Super Bowl, is just unacceptable. Do you credit the Patriots defense or did McNabb just have a bad day??? (yes sarcasm is dripping off the page right now….). I tip my hat to Owens for a courageous game. What he did was unbelievable. Westbrook also played well for Philly. From the Patriots standpoint, it was once again a huge team effort. Branch, Brady, Dillon, Bruschi, Harrison, Seymour all played excellent. In the 2nd quarter their depleted secondary took another hit with the broken arm of cornerback Eugene Wilson so they inserted their 51st player on the roster and kept going….. In the end, New England just wore Philly down, and even when the Eagles got the ball back with 46 seconds left, did any one think Philly could score? They were not just beaten physically but mentally as well. NE is a great, dominate team who have won 34 of their last 37 games(some by close scores, some by blowouts), which is something no team in the history of football has done. Did you realize that the combined regular-season record of the New England opponents was 40-8. Based on regular-season records of opponents, that makes this the most difficult Super Bowl title in NFL history. The previous best combined regular-season record of opponents on the way to a Super Bowl title was the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs, at 34-7-1. Which leads me into my next topic.

The “D” Word – Are the Patriots a dynasty? Five years ago that would have been like saying “Halle Berry is going to win an Oscar some day”. Seriously what were the odds of that happening?? Everyone seems to have an opinion on this dynasty thing, so I’ll throw mine out too. Yes I feel they are a dynasty but not one of the great “teams” of all time. You look at some of the rosters of the great teams, the 85 Bears, the Steelers in the 70’s, the 49ers in the 80’s, Packers in the 60’s, Boys in the 90’s, Browns in the 50’s, they were all filled with stars. New England, in this era of salary cap, has to approach it differently. They may not have the best 22 players on the roster, but they have the best 53. They are able to fill holes when starters go down with injuries and not miss a beat. They have an owner, player director and head coach who are all on the same page about what type of players they want (how unusual to say that in sports today?) and they stick to that philosophy. With the salary cap it’s hard to stay on top now. Look at the teams in recent years that have made it to the Super Bowl. They’ll have 1 or 2 years, then they blow out the cap, have to unload talented veterans and start over from scratch again. Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Tennessee, Oakland and Carolina are all teams that in the last 5 or 6 years each built themselves up, made it to the Super Bowl (some won, some didn’t), but then had trouble with the cap, age, etc… and had to retool their teams. Just look at the NFL draft this year. Tampa Bay picks 5th, Tennessee 6th, Oakland 7th, Carolina 14th and St. Louis 19th. As Jerry Glanville so elegantly said one time, “you know what the NFL stands for don’t you? Not For Long…..”. That holds true nowadays more than ever…. As for New England, who knows what’s going to happen to them over the next couple years. They’ve lost their offensive and defensive coordinators, so that is priority one over the next few weeks. I’m sure Belichick has been preparing for this but it’ll be interesting to see who he picks. From a salary cap standpoint, they’re pretty well set. They have two contracts that will need to be addressed. Brady (who has already gone on record saying he’s willing to renegotiate) and Ty Law who keeps going back and forth on whether he wants out or is willing to stay and take less (his latest is that he’s willing to talk). From my standpoint, Law is expendable, let him go. If you’re Belichick you can always replace a cornerback, no matter how good. Keep the rest of the defense in place, and keep acquiring as many talented players as possible. The formula has worked great, why stop now? So to recap, dynasty? Yes. One of the all time great teams? No.

Jose Canseco – With his new book scheduled to come out next week, reports are saying that he’s naming some former players like McGuire, Giambi, Palmerio, Gonzalez and Pudge Rodriguez as steroid users. Well as you can imagine, they are denying any usage.
My opinion? Innocent until more information comes out (with the obvious exception of Giambi, which the information has already come out)……. One persons accusation shouldn’t ruin someones career, but I do feel they shouldn’t also just be blown off as baseless accusations. We’ll have to wait to see if anyone else steps forward and can corroborate Canseco’s story (Pudge, is it true you got your nickname when you, Jose and Raphael were doing Viagra together???)…… Until I read the book and see what else in it, I’ll withhold judgement, but needless to say, this storyline is dominating the airways right now and will continue to be a big story. I'll have more on this next week.

Donald Young – Yes, I know right now you’re saying, “huh,who is Donald Young?” Well in my never ending quest to allow you to win bar bets, he’s the future of men’s tennis. At 15, this American is the youngest ever ranked number 1 junior player in the world. He won the Australian Open Junior Title this year and became the first American to win the Australian since Andy Roddick did it back in 2000. As a left hander, he is frequently compared to John McEnroe. Ok, now your informed about the future of men’s tennis.

Link of the Week –

This takes balls to do this……. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050208/80/fbzpn.html

Until next week,

Bill

Super thoughts and Rowdy Roddy Pipper.. 2/4

1) Super Bowl – First off everyone knows I’m biased, so let’s start out with that. But the more I look at the teams the more confident I am that the Patriots should win this game. With or without T.O. the Eagles are going to have a hard time scoring enough points to keep up with New England. I see the keys to the game as follows:

a) Iggles – McNabb has to have a monster game, moving in the pocket, forcing NE to change defenses, leaving the wide receivers in single coverage. He can’t force passes and throw interceptions. If he starts turning the ball over, watch for a blow out. Whether or not T.O. plays I don’t think will make a huge difference. Bryant Westbrook also has to have a huge game out of the back field. Defensively they need to keep NE from striking quickly and getting into a high scoring game.
b) Patriots – If they can shut down the Eagles running game, then it’s a matter of making McNabb a pocket passer and that’s when the turnovers will happen. Easier said then done, but it can be done. Offensively if Dillion starts ripping off big runs, it’ll set up the play action pass, and Brady can hit the intermediate routes to Graham, Givens, Branch, Patton and Brown all day long.

From everything I’ve been reading, watch for NE to start 5 wide, in order to spread the Eagles defense and keep Jeremiah Trotter off the field. If they start having success there, that’s when the draws to Dillion will happen, and with Philly spread out, big chunks of yardage will occur. I think NE will get up early, cause turnovers and build up a big lead (ala Pittsburgh game). I really don’t see Philly making it close.

Final Score – New England 34, Philly 17
MVP: Corey Dillon ............By the way, back in my November 7th column, under the Football write up, my super bowl prediction was pats vs. eagles. Boy I really went out on a limb there, huh???? There’s a reason why you pick the favorites!

2) Rudy T quits – As Rowdy Roddy Pipper used to say “just when they think they know all the answers, I change the questions”! That’s what Rudy’s doing with the Lakers now. Just when they’re starting to gel and figure out how to play (they’ve played well with Bryant being out), he ups and quits on them……. I’ve heard a few rumors about his leaving, but nothing other than conjecture at this point. Do I think Phil Jackson will return? No. The Knicks job is out there if he wants it, and Isaiah will pay him an ungodly amount of money.

3) Sosa to Baltimore – Is this even a story anymore? Does anyone really care where he plays? Maybe if this was 4-5 years ago, but what’s he done in the last couple years, that Magglio Ordonez or Richie Sexton hasn’t??? Whether he was using steroids or a corked bat, old age or what, I’m not sure, but at this point in his career, there are probably 25 guys I’d rather want on my team than him…..

4) Max Schmeling – German legend of boxing past away yesterday at the age of 99. Known for his 2 fights against Joe Louis, Schmeling was the first German (and European) heavyweight champion of the world. He knocked out Louis in their first fight in 1936, which the Nazi regime hailed as “Aryan Supremacy”. Louis got revenge in 38, knocking out Schmeling in the 1st round. Over the years the 2 boxers stayed close, and later on in Louis life when he was destitute, Schmeling lent him money and paid for Louis funeral when he died in 1981. By all accounts he was a good person that brought a lot of notoriety to boxing in its infancy, and will be missed.

5) Love Em/Hate Em – Knowing that there are a lot of Laker fans that read this…… Rudy T, love him or hate? Admittedly I’ve always liked him, so I’ve got to say love him! When he went to the Lakers, I liked him less, but hopefully he ends up on his feet, is healthy and after a year or so as a “consultant” with the Lakers, gets another head coaching job….

Till next week,


Bill

Celebrating the Holidays with Madonna 1/27

As Madonna said back in 1982 “If you took a Holiday, took some time to celebrate, just one day out of life, it would be, it would be so nice!” Well I took more than one day to celebrate the holidays, but it was definitely nice. Now that I’m rested and relaxed, it’s time to get back into it. Here are a couple thoughts on some topics I’ve been following:

USC/OKLAHOMA – Well it didn’t turn out to be quite the game everyone expected (ie, me), as USC destroyed them. I really thought Peterson would have a huge day, but the Trojan defense shut him down forcing White to throw and then it was turnover city.

Leinert Returns – Good for him, I hope it works out. Yes he’s turning down a ton of money, but hopefully no injuries occur and he comes back next year and has a monster year. With all the defections of high school athletes to the pros, and players leaving school after a couple years, it’s always nice to see someone having fun and enjoying himself in college. The pro’s will be there when he graduates.

NFL – Well I predicted a while back New England would make it back there, and they’ve looked dominate so far in the playoffs. Can Philly stop them? I don’t think so. Then again this is why they play the games, you never know what’s going to happen on any given Sunday. McNabb will have to have an error free game for Philly to have a chance. Their defense will have to cause turnovers and create opportunities because if the Patriots start putting points on the board, McNabb will be forced to sit back in the pocket and start looking downfield, and that’s when New England will start causing turnovers. With Owens doubtful (and certainly not at 100% if he does play), and Philly now missing their starting Tight End Chad Lewis, Westbrook will have to have a monster game coming out of the backfield. Next week I’ll give my predicted outcome and score of the game.

PreGame Shows – After spending the last month watching a lot of NFL pregame shows, I rank them in this order 1) ESPN 2) FOX 3) CBS. With CBS, I always seem to get bored with Nantz, Marino, Deion and Boomer. I don’t know why, it just seems to drag on. The only reason to watch is to follow the conflicts between Marino and Esiason…… I like the people at FOX. Brown, Bradshaw, Long and Johnson. They all seem to get along, are knowledgeable and have quality information they’re passing along. It also doesn’t hurt that I like Jillian Barberie and her cleavage, tattoo’s and navel (like her? No I LOVE HER!). ESPN to me is the gold standard. I admit I love Berman with his nicknames and humor. I like listening to someone who’s enjoying himself, and after all this time, he certainly seems to be doing that. Jackson, Young and “The Playmaker” have a good mix of knowledge, interesting interviews and camaraderie. After not really seeing Steve Young for awhile, I was shocked to see him looking so old. At first I thought it was John McEnroe up there. Next week though, I think he colored his hair, because suddenly all the grey was gone!

Tennis – Yup, the Australian open is going on, and I know everyone out there are huge tennis fans……… I was never a big Serena Williams fan, but now since she’s been knocked down a couple notches in the last year or so, I’m pulling for her in this tournament. As I write this, she just knocked out Sharapova (HATE HER), and will be facing Davenport in the finals. I’ll say 6-4, 6-3 for Williams. On the men’s side, I’m going to say Marat Safin takes out Roddick in the finals 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4….. Safin is a player who has all the skills and if healthy can beat anyone (as he did by knocking out Federer yesterday). Roddick I think is overrated.


Jamal Lewis Starts Serving His Jail Sentence – I hate things like this… If it was you or I who admitted to setting up a drug deal, we’d get more than 4 months in jail and we’d have no say in when we serve it. The cuffs would be slapped on then and we’d be hauled off to jail. I can just imagine me saying “uh, judge, I have a couple houses in escrow that are closing in the next few months, can we just postpone my jail time to my off season when I’m not busy?”. That would go over real well…. How do athletes/celebrities get breaks like this? Is it because they have money and can hire “better” attorneys? Please one of my lawyer friends out there give me an answer to this as it always drives me crazy…… Old Jamal should be out of jail just in time for spring training to start, causing him not to miss any games (or money).


Well that’s it for now. I possibly have a couple of upcoming interviews so be on the lookout for that. Also I’ll be back next week with my Super Bowl prediction…


Aloha,

Bill

Christmas Thoughts 12/22

I was asked a few times this week why I'm doing this. Simply put, back when I was single and in my 20's, I would spend a couple hours a week at sports bars hanging around talking sports. I don't get that opportunity anymore, hence this has become my "electronic" sports bar. So there you have it......

I'm still scrambling around trying to finish all my Christmas shopping, so just some quick thoughts this week.

1) Baseball - To many signings to cover all of them, so just some major ones.

a) Pedro - As I mentioned in my article on 11/7, I didn't want the Red Sox to pay over $36 million for him, so I have no problem with him signing with the Mets. I think they overpaid. If I was Pedro I would have taken the money also (a reported 4yrs, $53 million), so I wish him well, and thank him for the past 7yrs, it was great. HOWEVAAAA (as always in my best Stephan A. Smith voice), I do think he's acting like a whiny little baby with all his comments about Boston not respecting him....... they offered him a fair contract, he took another deal, be done with it. Good luck, and don't blow out your shoulder in 2 years.......

b) Beltre and Sexson to the Mariners - I like this deal. Seattle just upgraded their team tremendously. Although Beltre has just had the one big year last year, I do think he's for real, and barring injury, will be worth the money spent. Sexson has a ton of ability, and will also prove valuable. The one problem now with Seattle is they currently have so little pitching I just don't see them competing with the Angels in the West.

c) Wells, Clement and Renteria to the Red Sox - I like all these deals. For all the talk about Wells and his weight and age, the man has been tremendously durable over his career. They need him to be the #3 starter (replacing Lowe), and I feel he's an upgrade there. Clement they need to be a #2 starter. Boston's #2 guy last year put up these numbers: 16-9, 3.90 era. Clement, in 30 starts for the Cubbies, was 9-13 with a 3.68 era. Hopefully, backed by one of the top run scoring teams in baseball, he'll put up the same type of numbers that Pedro did. Renteria is a superstar in the making, expect him to get more notoriety now that he's in a larger television market. The man can flat out play!

d) Orlando Cabrera and Steve Finley to the Angels - "The OC in OC". I mentioned this in my article on 11/7, that this deal had to happen. It was just too perfect a fit. Obviously I like the deal a lot. He's going to help them out big time defensively and with Finley in center, makes their lineup one of the most dangerous in baseball. Finley, who turns 40 on opening day, was one of the best off season signings in my opinion. I really like what he brings to the game (36 hrs, 94 rbi's, .271 batting avg, and Gold Glove defense). Watch out for the Angels this year as I think they've got it all.

e) J.D. Drew to the Dodgers - I know I'm jumping the gun on this as it's still being discussed as I type this, but I think its a good deal for them. I think his production will be similar to Beltre's and if the numbers I'm seeing are accurate, they're paying him about $9 million less than what it would have cost to keep Beltre..... All in all, I think it's a good fit.

f) Mulder to Cardinals, Hudson to Braves - My feeling is these are good deals all around. Yes, if I'm an A's fan, it sucks initially, but you weren't' going to be able to keep the big 3 together anyways, so you might as well pick up some big time prospects which you did... I'm a big fan of Billy Beane (highly recommend reading "Moneyball" if you haven't all ready), and enjoy watching him wheel and deal, so I'm looking forward to seeing how Oakland does this year. Besides, it not like you were able to get out of the 1st round with Zito, Mulder and Hudson, so you might as well try something different. As for the Cardinals and Braves, obviously they picked up number 1 starters, but they did have to give away some top minor league talent. They probably have a 3 year window to win the world series, lets see if they do it or not.


2) T.O. done and so are the Iggles - I think his injury really affects the NFC. From what I'm hearing, he has a slight chance of making it back if the Eagles make it to the SuperBowl, which at this point, I don't think will happen....... Who's the team I'm most impressed with right now? The Carolina Panthers. If (and that's a big if), they make the playoffs, I feel they can run the table like they did last year and win the NFC. I like their defense more than I like Phillys. I'm not a big Mike Vick fan, as I feel he's too erratic. He can lose a game for you, as easily as he can win it, and that doesn't work well in the playoffs. Anyway, my prediction is now Carolina coming out of the NFC. (I can't believe I just wrote that.....)

3) Shaq, Kobe on Christmas day- This is the first game in about 3 years I'm excited to watch and I'm actually going to Tivo it so I don't miss anything. I hope Shaq goes for 45 points, 19 rebounds and fouls out Mihm, Grant, and any other stiff the Lakers try to guard him with. You know Kobe will score about 48 (on 39 shots), as he trys to show that the Lakers can win without Shaq. Dwayne Wade will take over down the stretch, hitting some big baskets, and showing everyone that Miami is not just one player. Miami wins 105 to 99.

4) Suspension reduction - It just came out today that an arbitrator ruled to reduce the suspension of Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers from 25 games to 15 games for the brawl that took place in Detroit on November 19th. I mentioned in my article on 11/25 that I agreed with the suspensions except that O'Neal should only get 10-15 games as he didn't go up into the stands. Apparently the arbitrator is a reader of "The Fifth"........... Also the NBA just announced they will protest the ruling in Federal Court (meeting to be held Thursday morning), so it will be interesting to follow what happens from here.

5) Soccer Trivia - The next time you're sitting around drinking a beer with a couple buddies, you can toss this out....... "Who was voted as soccer's player of the year for 2004?" Well the answer is Ronaldinho from Brazil. The 24 year old Brazilian plays for Barcelona in Spain, and is the 4th Barcelona player in the last 13 years to win the award. Maybe you can win a free drink or something with this knowledge!


Link of the Week - This was forwarded to me a couple weeks a go and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since http://www.czabe.com/audioclips/easterns_video.avi.wmv Lavar Arrington has now become my new favorite player just for this commercial...... I walk around all the time imitating him "Let Eastern Motors, finance it all the way....." (and of course doing the thumbs up) If anyone out there comes across any good links, please forward them along as I'm always looking for some good ones.


Well that's it for now. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas, and if you come across any links or would like to send me a comment, please reach me here billtolman@hotmail.com

Until next time,

Bill

Who's on the Goose? 12/16

Well ESPN has their "Budweiser Hot Seat", so I have to have my own interview segment and catchy phrase for it (and obviously it has to do with alcohol because this is "1/5th of Bill"). So in honor of my favorite alcohol, Grey Goose vodka, I present the first segment of "Who's on The Goose?" Hopefully I’ll have 1 or 2 of these a month to post. For my first interview I was fortunate to be able to sit down with former Major League pitcher Jeff Heathcock. Jeff was a pitcher with the Houston Astros throughout the 80's who career got shortened because of injuries. Jeff graciously took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with "The Fifth" and answer a couple questions;

Bill: Jeff, what are you doing nowadays?

Jeff: Well I'm a husband, still married after 21 years and father of an 11 year old son. I'm a field rep for Fannie Mae, cover five western states and in my spare time I do what I love, coach baseball.

Bill: What was the highlight from your baseball career?

Jeff: 1st major league win. 7 1/3 innings giving up one hit against San Francisco; 1st and only major league hit against the Reds (Pete Rose handed me the ball).

Bill: Biggest regret?

Jeff: Covering first base on a ball hit to the first baseman in my fourth start of the season 1984, Glenn Davis gave me a bad feed and I blew out my knee. I was never the same after that. I wish I would have had a brain cramp and forgot to cover that night!!

Bill: Best word of advice you ever got?

Jeff: Got a lot of advice over my career, some good and a whole lot of bad. Best piece of advice I got regarding baseball was my senior year in high school, I was pitching in a summer league game and the shortstop had just committed his third error of the inning. I was throwing a tantrum on the mound kicking the dirt, loosing my composure and making a fool of myself, when the coach, Dave Demerest came out and chewed my butt for what seemed to be forever. I remember the home plate umpire coming out to break up the meeting, realized what Coach was doing and turned around and went back to the plate. He explained to me that I needed to grow up and that the guy that made the errors already feels bad enough and I was making things worse. He told me that my job was to pitch, throw strikes and get ground balls and that was it, period. I think that moment changed my demeanor on and off the mound forever, throughout my career I was known as a guy that never got rattled and never lost his composure, period. Worst advice, a story for another time!

Bill: With so much attention right now on steroids, what percentage of ball players do you think are using them?

Jeff: Boy that's a tough question, I've been out of the game for quite sometime now, but I believe it's more than we want to know and I don't think it's just hitters but pitchers as well.

Bill: Concerning Barry Bonds, should an asterisk be put next to the records he’s set?

Jeff: Yes, and not for steroids but for that puss pad he wears on his elbow!

Bill: If you had a vote, would you put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?

Jeff: Yes! Not only best hitter I ever saw/played against, but a guy that played the game @ 110% all the time. I just wish he would have come clean from the beginning. I think if he had he would have been more easily forgiven.

Bill: Most feared hitter you ever faced?

Jeff: Jack Clark, Andre Dawson & Dave Parker, they hit ball extremely hard!

Bill: Best Manager you ever played for at any level?

Jeff: Fred Hoover @ Goldenwest College, he really taught me the game and a devastating slider. Best pitching coach, Jim Brewer @ Oral Roberts University. He taught me how to pitch along with the mental part of the game which intern kept me in the game long after I tore up my knee.

Bill: Nolan Ryan, Love him/hate him?

Jeff: Are you kidding? Loved him! He was one of my childhood heroes and I had the pleasure of playing with him in Houston. Great guy and an unbelievable competitor.


Thanks Jeff, I appreciate you taking the time to sit down with us. For appearing here on "The Goose", Jeff will be receiving a 1/5th of Grey Goose Vodka. Enjoy!


Bill

Hunting Little Mexican Girls - 12/15

Another week of Sports, Quotes, Entertainment and Disruption in Laker Land. I love it!

Here we go-

1) Heisman Trophy - Well guess what, I was wrong! I thought it would come down to a tight race between Leinert and White, but Leinert ran away with it. Good for him. Seems like a good kid and obviously had a great season. One thing I've got to say though is dude needs a new haircut, because the one he has now.......... DAMN! ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/football/ncaa/12/11/bc.fbc.heismantrophy.ap/?cnn=yes) I must have missed the memo about Jiri Curl being back in......

2) Man U update - Yes I know, soccer, but I can't resist. Have to update you with the Malcom Glazer take over attempt (see my "Grumblings" thread on 11/15). It's gotten so bad now with the fans, that on some of the fan websites, they're encouraging supporters to sabotage the holiday party of Glazer's Baltimore-based PR agency and to make false reservations under the agency's name at Baltimore restaurants. The fans used similar tactics to get an English PR firm to resign its services to Glazer in November. The 5th is aghast that such acts of hooliganism are invading our shores. Somebody should toss a beer at these louts to show them how to behave.....

3) Kobe/Malone - Raise your hand out there if Kobe is NOT mad at you.......... Unbelievable the soap opera his life has become. Concerning the lastest incident, I'm not saying Malones comments were appropriate, but if he's spent time with Vanessa (Malone and Bryant live 6 houses away from each other, and apparently their families have been hanging out together), I could understand how he might jokingly make the comment he did. I highly doubt he was hitting on her and trying to take her home or anything. Mr. and Mrs Bryant sound like a couple of young kids (which they are), and need to lighten up a bit. Speaking of Kobe, can you remember a player in recent memory (in any sport), who has as much influence over an organization as he does??? Jordan never had this kind of power, nor Gretzky or Magic, Bird, or anyone I can think of. What sort of photos does he have of Buss and Kupchack? About the only way now to bring harmony back to Kobe and the Lakers is have Dyan Cannon give up her seats to Lindsay Lohan.......

4) "Baseball has been very, very good to me" - That has got to be what all these players are saying. Unbelievable when you look at the amount of money these guys are making. It's amazing in todays market, where if a team signs a pitcher for under $10 million dollars, it's considered "a bargain". Lets take a look at what some players signed for:

a) Petey - 4yrs, $52 million
b) Troy Glaus - 4yrs, $45 million
c) Jaret Wright - 3yrs, $21 million
d) Carl Pavano - 4yrs, $40 million
e) Russ Ortiz - 4yrs, $33 million
f) Edgar Renteria - 4yrs, 40 million
g) Richie Sexson - 4yrs, $48 milli0n

I'll do a separate article later in the month with my opinion of the winners and losers but it's interesting to see how every team thinks every acquisition is a gem at the time. With the Skankee's signing Pavano, one New York writer approved the move by writing that Pavano is "much better than (Javier) Vazquez." That's mostly due to Vazquez's so-so 2004 season in pinstripes, including a lousy postseason (1-0, 9.53 ERA). Pavano, meanwhile, was 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for the Marlins last season and pitched well (2-0, 1.40 ERA) in the 2003 postseason. But let's look at the player the Yanks were getting at the time of each acquisition. Last year, the Yanks signed Vazquez when he was 27, with a career record of 64-68 with a 4.16 ERA and coming off a good year (13-12, 3.24 ERA) for the subpar Expos. Pavano? He'll turn 29 next month and has a career record of 57-58 with a 4.21 ERA. He has also pitched for the Expos, compiling a 23-35 record as Vazquez's teammate from 1998-2002. It'll be interesting to follow Pavano and see how his numbers match up with Vazquez this year. I do like both guys but feel Vazquez is better.

5) Love Em/ Hate Em - Last week I asked about Mark Cuban and 70% of you said you Loved Him. This week with Kobe being front and center, I have to ask about him. I know alot of you are big Laker fans, so let me know, Kobe Bryant, Love Him or Hate Him? Being a BIG Celtics fan to begin with, you can probably guess how I'll vote. You can click on the comment button at the end of this article to vote, or send it in an email to me here billtolman@hotmail.com

Link of the week - http://www.carllewis.com/video.music.1.html where can I pick up a workout outfit like that??? I'm sure I'd be really popular if I showed up at my local LA Fitness looking like that. Come on everyone now, "Let's all Work Together, You Can't Win On Your Own....." And to think I idolized this guy at one time.........

That's it for now, but be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll be unveiling a new feature called "Who's On The Goose?"

Until then,

Bill

Johnny Heisman - 12/10

I was always under the impression that the Heisman Trophy was a sculpture of John Heisman. Come to find out I was wrong. In a nutshell, the New York Down Town Athletic Club commissioned a sculptor to design a trophy of a player who is "a muscular footballer driving for yardage." The sculptor chose Ed Smith who was a top player on the 1934 New York University team.

The first year of the award (1934), it was called the DAC Award, and won by Jay Berwanger. Next year upon the death of John Heisman (who was the Athletic Director of the Down Town Athletic Club), they renamed the award "The Heisman Trophy".

One final bit of trivia. Other than the Heisman Award, what is John Heisman most recognized for? He is credited with inventing the forward pass.

For more information about the Heisman Trophy, click here http://heisman.collegesports.com/

I see the award this year coming down to a 2 man race between Jason White and Matt Leinert with White winning a close vote. If Leinert could of had a big day against UCLA last weekend, he would have taken it....

voting will finish in this order:

Jason White
Matt Leinert
Adrian Peterson
Alex Smith
Reggie Bush

Until next time,

Bill

"The Clear" and other cures for Arthritis - 12/08

Drugs, prostitutes and bowling. Sounds like a night in my college dorm room. But in this case, just another week of sports to cover in “The Fifth”.

Let’s get to it-


1) Steroid scandal: Steroids in sports? As Captain Renault said in Casablanca, "Rick, I’m shocked there’s gambling going on in this establishment. Just shocked!” (credit of quote goes to Peter King). Where to begin. Bonds must have known about the steroids. He is so conscious about what goes in his body, I have no doubt he knew. Because it’ll be tough to prove otherwise, I don’t feel the league can punish him. The public though, can and will turn on him, and I feel any good sentiments that people have had toward him have gone out the window. Every time he comes up to the plate now, he’ll be booed endlessly. Giambi is another issue. Because he admitted to injecting himself with HGH, the league is going to fine and suspend him. I don’t see how they can’t. They have to make an example of someone, and right now he’s got a big target painted on his back. Along with baseball we also have David Boston in football being suspended for steroids (shocking I know……..) and rumors swirling around track and field with Marion Jones being “outed”. I admit I’ve always been a big fan of hers so I’ve been following that closely. We’ll see what happens, and follow up as more details come out……. What famous athlete do you think will be next?


2) Denny Neagle – Pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, recovering from arm surgery, was arrested last week for soliciting a prostitute for oral sex (this while driving, lengthening the degree of difficulty… (thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week, don’t forget to tip your waiters and waitress). A few days later, Neagle (who is married with a 4yr old son), was released from the remainder of his contract, which consisted of a $10 million dollar salary next year, plus a $9 million dollar option the following year). Hence, a $19 million dollar blow job! Hope it was worth it. The Rockies say he violated terms of the contract, and it is in their right to cancel. Obviously the players union will step in (as they always do) and protest, so I expect some settlement to come out of this…. I’m now going to play the part of Nostradamous and say that Misses Neagle will be receiving a $4 million dollar ring for Christmas! Ah, the Holiday Season. It’s all about giving!

3) Bowling – The college football bowl season is on us, and while it’s unfortunate for Auburn not to be playing for the National Championship, I do think the BCS got it right this year. USC and Oklahoma have played the best football throughout the season, and it should make for an exciting Orange bowl. Here are my predictions on the major bowls:


Orange Bowl – USC 37, Oklahoma 31 – an old fashioned shoot out.
Sugar Bowl – Auburn 43, Virginia Tech 17 – Auburn takes out frustration
Rose Bowl – Texas 17, Michigan 14 – Saving Mack Brown from being fired. And ruining my prediction of Butch Davies taking over!
Fiesta Bowl – Utah 31, Pittsburgh 17 – statement game for a mid major.
Liberty Bowl – Louisville 65, Boise State 48 – I wanted to throw this one in there as it’s a match up of the 2 top scoring offenses in the nation. Louisville is the best team you’ve never heard of. If it wasn’t for a dropped interception at the end of the game against Miami, they would be undefeated and playing in a BCS bowl instead of Utah. Just a lot of fun to watch. Other than the Orange Bowl, if you only watch one other Bowl, make it this one!

4) Blue / Gray Game – Staying along with college football here, when I was growing up I always enjoyed watching this bowl game on Christmas day. It was an all star game featuring seniors from college teams who weren’t playing in a bowl game (back then there were only about 5 bowls, not the 146 they have today…….). It gave these players one last chance to showcase their abilities before the NFL draft. It was always high scoring, and a lot of great players were there. With the advent of all these bowls now (not to mention scouting combines, agent camps, etc….) they’ve gone by the wayside, haven’t been able to come up with a sponsor and have cancelled it. It’s a shame as this game (and others like it, i.e., the Shrine Game), represented to me what college football was about. Players coming together, having fun, running trick plays and scoring a lot of points. Just enjoyable to watch. It had a hometown feel about it, as it was played in a small town in Mississippi, and everyone there got into it and participated in the event. Hopefully something can be worked out and they’ll be back next year.

5) Love Em/ Hate Em - Last weeks athlete was Peyton Manning and over 85% of you said you loved him. I guess I’m in the minority. This week I’m not going with a player but an Owner. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. As Jack from Will and Grace would say, “Love Him!”. I wish more owners would be like him. Is the team an investment for him? Yes. But at the same time he generally enjoys being out there and winning is the bottom line. He’ll spend the money that’s needed in order to put a winning product on the court. As a fan, you can’t ask for anymore than that. Here’s a link to his web log – http://www.blogmaverick.com/ Let me know, Love him or hate him.


Quote of the week – “You’d put in your ass!” classic quote by Jason Giambi this week when answering a question to where he’d inject steroids into his body. I’m sure they had fun with quote back in Boston!


Following up on a couple of my statements from previous columns. Calvin Murphy was found innocent this week by a jury of molesting his daughters (covered in my article from 11/15). They believed the prosecution in that it was a ploy in trying to get money from him. From my article on 11/07, I mentioned that Nomar would sign a 1 yr agreement with the Cubs, as the big money is not there for him right now. And lo and behold, that’s what he did yesterday signing a 1yr, $8 million dollar deal. For those of you who may not have followed what happened with him back when he was with the Red Sox, at one time Boston offered him a 4yr, $64 million dollar contract. He didn’t sign it because he felt the club was “disrespecting him”. He wanted a contract at least equal to Derek Jeter ($18 million a year). Boston then pulled the contract off the table. Later on, after his current injury, they offered him another contract at $12 million a year. Needless to say, he declined. Now he’s down to $8 million a year. Do you think he wished he signed the original contract??? How can he and Mia feed their family????????


Well that’s it for now. I’m working on a surprise for next week, so please be on the lookout for it.

Until later,

Bill

Post Turkey 12/1/04

Once again spanning the globe to bring you a constant variety sports!


Hope everyone is enjoying all that left over turkey………… Here are some thoughts from the past week.



Notre Dame Football- I was all set to rip into them this week then they go and fire Willingham……… Hard to believe that such a storied program has become so meaningless. Did you know that the last time they won a bowl game was 1994, beating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl? How about this….. Name the last skill position player drafted in the first round by the NFL from Notre Dame??? Waiting…… Waiting…………. Ok, It was Rick Mirer drafted by the Seahawks second overall in the 1993 draft (The Patriots selected Drew Bledsoe #1 overall that year). The big time high school players now have no reference of what Notre Dame football used to be. Do you think they know (or care) about Knute Rockne, The 4 Horseman, Paul Hornung, Joe Montana (ok, I’ll give them this one….) or Tim Brown (didn’t he play for the Raiders???)? The 18yr old athlete (born in the mid 80’s) now looks at programs like Miami, Southern Cal, Florida State, Oklahoma, Florida, etc…….. Those 5 schools represent most of the marquee (not to mention recent Heisman Trophy winners) players in the NFL today. For what ever reason Notre Dame cannot get the marquee players anymore. Hence, they are a mediocre program……….. Early word is current Utah head coach Urban Meyer (and former Notre Dame assistant) is the front runner to be offered the head coaching position.


Pro Football- I was asked this past week about Ricky Williams and why no mention of him…… What I said was basically he bores me….. No one is pointing a gun to his head to play football. Believe it or not Ricky, the NFL will go on without you. Go travel the world, smoke pot and enjoy your life…………… Oh by way, you owe the Dolphins back 8.6 million you took in bonus money! Hey, I have no problem with him coming back if he wants to play, as long as he serves his 4 game suspension, have at it. The one thing I do know, is that I wouldn’t want to be his teammate…. After quitting the way he did, and saying the things he said, I’m sure he’ll have to mend a few fences (ie, put up a couple 200yd rushing days….), before teammates will start coming around to him. Speaking of mending fences, Maurice Clarett isn’t doing himself any favors either. Even if Ohio State did some things for him, he gladly excepted them…… You can’t have it both ways….. His stock in the draft is dropping, and he’s costing himself more and more money. I’m sure some future teammates won’t be too thrilled with him.



College Basketball- Whats happened here?????? Man, growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s I was consumed by college basketball. I knew all the players, teams, coaches and the 2 greatest days on earth for me were the Thursday and Friday starting off March Madness every year. Now, who cares???? Seriously, does anyone out there really follow college basketball anymore? With all the top high school players going right into the NBA, college basketball has no star power. You used to follow a highly touted freshmen for 4 years, and get to know everything about them. Now it’s a bunch of decent players running around on the court. If I wanted to watch that, I’d go down to my local YMCA and watch them run around, it’s about the same talent… Growing up you had Georgetown’s “Hoya Paranoia” with players like Eric “sleepy” Floyd, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Williams and David Wingate, going up against North Carolina with Mike Jordan (as he was known as a freshmen), James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith….. Or Houston’s phi slamma jamma of Clyde “the glide” Drexler, Hakeem “Jelly Bean” Olajuwon (cause he ate so many jelly beans when he moved here from Nigeria….), Michael Young and Benny Anders going against Jimmy V’s NC State Wolfpack of Derek Whittenberg, Sidney Lowe, Thurl Bailey and Cozell McQueen. Who can forget the great teams of St. Johns with Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson and Walter Berry (for those of you that don’t remember Berry, he was unstoppable in college, a monster….), or Syracuse with Dwayne “the pearl” Washington, Rony Seikely or Sherman “The Little General” Douglas……. Obviously I could go on and on….. and that’s only in the early 80’s….. Think about all the great coaches and personalities back then. You had Dean Smith at North Carolina, John Thompson at Georgetown, Lou Carnisecca and his sweaters at St. Johns, Bobby Knight and his red sweater at Indiana, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, Jim Valvano at NC State, Jerry Tarkanian chewing on his towel at UNLV, Larry Brown getting UCLA back into the finals (Kiki Vandeweghe, Rod “The Rocket” Foster), a young Coach K at Duke, a young Rick Pitino at Providence, Joe B. Hall at Kentucky, Dale Brown at LSU and Denny Crum and his great players at Louisville (Darrell “Dr. Dunkenstein” Griffith, Pervis “Never Nervous” Ellison, Rodney and Scooter McCray, Milt Wagner and Billy Thompson). Today you still have a few of those guys left and some other talented coaches, but who really jumps out at you now???? One of my best basketball memories was going to a Georgetown, Syracuse game in 86 at the Carrier Dome. The attendance was over 33,000 and I sat in row XX. I literally could touch the roof of the dome when I stood up…… When Georgetown came out to warm up, they were wearing their road dark Grey jerseys and they looked like a bunch of ants running around……… Probably the most worthless thing I’ve ever done is do the wave in row XX! Today you couldn’t pay me to go to a college basketball game……….. I wish we could go back to the day when kids played college ball for 4 years before moving on to the pros. Man, I’m getting old……..



Baseball Hall of Fame- Well the ballot came out this week and some of the players on it are Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry, Chili Davies, Jack “Black Jack” McDowell, Mark Langston, Tom Candiotti and Willie McGee. Boggs is deserving, and will make it on the first ballot. Strawberry and McGee, well I think they were good players, I don’t feel they did enough to warrant HOF (and certainly not on first ballot), but will get numerous votes. The others I don’t feel have any chance of getting in. As for existing players on the ballot, I’d vote for Ryne Sandburg (just missed last year) and Jim Rice (won’t get in, but dominated in his era). Results will be announced on January 4th. As we all know the all time hits leader isn’t on the list, because he bet on baseball after he stopped playing the game…………. We have murderers in the Hall of Fame and convicted drug dealers, but god forbid “you ruin the integrity of the game by gambling”. Needless to say you know where I stand on this. Agreed he shouldn’t be allowed on the field, but to not put him in the HOF for his accomplishments is just idiotic. It brings the credibility down…….



Love Em/Hate Em – Peyton Manning. He’s going to shatter the all time single season touchdown record this year, and continue to put up amazing numbers. HOWEVER, until he can lead his team to victory in a big game, I have doubts about him……. He seems like a nice guy, hard working, honest, good teammate, but I have to say HATE HIM. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way……….. I certainly don’t love him, so’s I got to hate him!


Link of The Week- A buddy of mine forwarded this to me. I suppose there is nothing funny with someone getting arrested 96 times, but this was pretty good. Number 46 is my favorite. Think he pissed someone off?????


www.tinyurl.com/6fl3p




Some items of note – According to Brendan Collins, a big A’s fan, and loyal reader of “The Fifth”, watch for the A’s to turn around and trade newly acquired catcher Jason Kendall to the Dodgers. I haven’t read or heard about this anywhere except from Brendan, so if it does happen, credit him with the scoop. I do know that Kendall owns a home in Manhatten Beach(For those of you not living in California, it’s a suburb of LA), so I’m sure he’d be agreeable to the trade……. Also Butch Davies of the Browns quit/got fired this week, coming on the heels of me stating last week “look for him to finish out the year and then quit”…. Way to make me look bad Butch, you could have waited 5 weeks!

Oh well, until next week……..


Bill