Thursday, April 19, 2007

Thursday 04/19 A.M. Quickie:
Bring On the NBA Playoffs (Please!)

UPDATE: Tomorrow is planned to be "Orange and Maroon Effect" Day. Wear the Virginia Tech colors, or put them on your blogs. I'll try to have some color changes on the blog -- what I'm really trying to find is a link to the "VT ribbon" jpg that I can put on the sidebar tomorrow. Just thought I'd pass that along to those who hadn't heard about it yet. (Update: Here's one from reader/blogger Travis Liles. And here's another.)

Distracting thoughts while contemplating what the love-child of Rosie O'Donnell and Jason Whitlock would look like...

NBA: End of Regular Season/Start of Playoff Season!

This NBA season has been totally lame. The top highlight was Henry Abbott's True Hoop blog being acquired by ESPN. (That's not to dis Henry in the slightest, but to show how thin the season's on-court highlights have been. Go True Hoop!)

When the league's uber-fan, Bill Simmons, has to resort to naming "The Fans" as his league MVP, it's the ultimate sign the sport has plummeted this year. (Snarkily, one might ask, "What fans?" Doesn't Bill like to say that there are only 10 "real" NBA fans left anyway?)

That said, with the exception of the way the NBA continues to schedule the first-round games to be dragged out as interminably as possible, the first round of the NBA Playoffs actually shape up with some truly compelling match-ups:

WEST:
Mavs-Warriors (Golden State plays -- and is playing -- precisely the kind of way that can shock Dallas... and they will.) Warriors in 7. (Yes, I know this is put-down-the-pipe crazy.)

Suns-Lakers (Nash-Kobe II? Delicious.) Suns in 6.

Spurs-Nuggets (I think the Spurs will win the West, but Denver is hot enough to shock.) Spurs in 7.

Jazz-Rockets (Eh, they can't all be compelling.) Rockets in 7.

EAST:
Cavs-Wiz (Rematch from last season, this time with the Wiz without Gil Arenas – or Caron Butler. Seemingly an easy route for the Cavs, but you never know. Spoken like a truly misguided Wiz fan.) Cavs in 7 5. (Commenters have showed me the error of my ways, and that was before 9 a.m.!)

Raps-Nets (Vince Carter back in Toronto? Delicious.) Raptors in 7.

Heat-Bulls (Defending champs vs. the team with the most potential to assume the title mantle in the future.) Heat in 6.

Pistons-Magic (How about "Darko's Revenge?" If he can't motivate for this, he can't for anything.) Pistons in 5.

Feel free to add your own picks/analysis in the Comments now. Complete NBA playoff picks, through the Finals, coming tomorrow.

MLB Stud: Mark Buehrle, who not only pitched a no-hitter, but faced the minimum 27 batters.

MLB Dud: Felix Hernandez, who left the game in the first inning with elbow trouble. (Cue ominous bullpen music.)

Virginia Tech Update: More from VT student Nick D. of The Dugout and AOL Fanhouse.

NCAA: Panel votes to ban text messaging to recruits. This is ludicrous: It's how teens communicate. Come up with a way to deal with it besides simply trying to forget it exists. (I guess you could call it the "Meyer Rule," for the way Urban Meyer became so effective – so publicly – with texting.)

NCAA Spring Football: Mike Conley Jr. will be an honorary coach of Ohio State's spring game. (Greg Oden couldn't do it.) Jim Tressel sure gives good pander. Conley says his extensive experience with football video games will help him call great plays. Like many of you, I actually have always wondered what would happen if teams gave the play-calling reins to someone with an expertise in football video gaming.

NFL: Finally fined Brian Urlacher for wearing a "Vitamin Water" hat at the Super Bowl. Hope whatever they're paying him was worth the $100,000 fine.

NFL Draft: The hot trend? 'Fessing up to college pot smoking at the combine. (1) The NFL p.i.'s will find out anyway; (2) you get tons of credit for being "mature"; (3) it gets the issue out on the table early and out of the way by April, when momentum really matters.

(I think this goes back to two things: Initially, the cautionary tale of Warren Sapp, who dropped based on draft-day rumors of pot-smoking. More recently, Luis Castillo admitting to steroid use up-front, yet still being a first-round selection. Agents saw the sea change.)

Colin Cowherd does it again: Last week, it was violating FCC regulations. This week it's hate speech. The funny thing is: He's not even a clever bigot. (Then again, I suppose most bigots rarely are.)

Here's the quote: "Olbermann is bright and talented and a really good broadcaster, but he's about as middle-america as a transgender film festival. He's a Northeast Intellectual Baseball Guy....he doesn't speak to the NFL fan at all!"

(1) There were plenty of ways to describe K.O. as not a fit in Middle America besides hate speech of ripping on the transgendered, who are an easy target for bigots/bullies. New ESPN ombudswoman LeAnne Schreiber could make her living on Cowherd alone.

(2) Olbermann doesn't speak to the NFL fan at all? I think the millions of fans who watched him talk about the NFL during the Golden Era of SportsCenter would disagree. And Cowherd's own bosses might resent the idea that an "intellectual" doesn't work for NFL fans; after all, they just named one of the great football intellectuals to sit in the "Monday Night Football" chair.

Video Games: LaDainian Tomlinson turned down "Madden '08" cover. Keep saying it's about the "money." Yes: If "money" means "curse." (h/t Darren Rovell)

-- D.S.

110 comments:

Matt said...

The cavs and wizards in 7 games are you smoking crack????? last year in the postseason it only wernt 6 and that was WITH agent 0 and caron. get off the cavs hate dude! Lebron's in 5.

Matt T said...

This first round of the playoffs looks like it could be the best ever. Every matchup in the west is interesting and I could see any of the teams winning the series, I don't think the Warriors will win the series but they will push the Mavs.

In the east, Nets/Raptors and Heat/Bulls should be fun.

Again, I appreciate you posting the links to Nick's VA Tech writings.

Anonymous said...

as a wizards fan they haveno chance. and by the way will 5 series go to 7 gagmes no chance.

and you also statedthat a houstun utah sereis u claimed would go 7 would be uncompelling.

Natsfan74 said...

Cavs will win that series in 5, at the very most. The Wizards are fading faster than (*insert crass Colin Cowherd joke here) and don't have any chance to win more than 1 game in any week (see the last 3 for example). I guess, since the first round takes 3 weeks, maybe they could get to game 7.

Speaking of ridiculous ESPN radio talk, while the comment was offensive, the sentiment is not incorrect. I understand that 90% of the readers of this blog are from the Northeast and will disagree, but Olberman is long past his ESPN roots and is too divisive for FNIA. This move will alienate an entire fanbase. Heck, even Cowherd gets it.

RevScottDeMangeMD said...

I normally have ESPN radio on in the background at work, so I actually caught Cowherd's rant yesterday. I've already made it known that I cannot stand Keith Olbermann. But even what Cowherd said was a little off. I think Olbermann will be great in the sense that he does know sports (ie: him working for Sportscenter). I DO think Cowherd has the same worries that the majority of fans have...and that's Keith bringing a political statement into the show. WHICH IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN!

When I heard Dan was going to talk to Olbermann about the quotes, I decided to listen. Of course Olbermann acted like a jerk as always. He pretended to not know who Cowherd was and decided to treat him like a child. Immaturity on Keith's part to stoop to Colin's level.

It's just two douchebags fighting like little girls. And the sad thing is they suckered me into listening. I guess that's how you get good radio.

Again...Cowherd needs to stop pissing off random people and Olbermann needs to go get another hooker and prematurely ejaculate.

Whittle said...

"Jazz-Rockets (Eh, they can't all be compelling.) Rockets in 7."

The Jazz surprise everyone and come in first in their division after winning only 26 games two seasons ago. The Rockets FINALLY get it together and have a phenominal season and actually had a better record than Utah. This will be a great series.

CMFost said...

Yeah the first round of the nba playoffs might be great but since they take a month or more to play it is hard to get into a series or the playoffs at all. That is why the NHL playoffs are 100% times better then the NBA. The teams play every other night until a series is over.

CMFost said...

NATS and REV, if you leave your personal hatred for KO aside you have to see what Cowherd said is wrong and biggoted. Hate Keith all you want by comment like that are wrong and should not be said.

And it is funny that you say the KO is long past is ESPN roots. I could of sworn he is on ESPN Radio for an hour everyday talking about sports. I am pretty sure he knows more about the NFL then the 2 of you combined.

I know your mad and think the Keith is the reason the conservatives do not have control of the congress anymore but that is not the reason. The reason is the person running that is running the country is running it is the wrong direction and a majority of the American People felt that there needed to be some balance in our government in order to keep things from getting worse. Keith only gets 800,000 or so viewer a night that is not going to effect 50 or 60 million people when only that many watch.

Sorry for the long rant.

Anonymous said...

ya see...this is how little i watch the nba these days...when did they change the first round from 5 games to 7?

Anonymous said...

i got raptors in 6 heat in 7 cavs in 5 detroit in 5

gs in 7 (im feeling it too) phx in 7 sa in 6 houst in 6

Jack Kidd said...

Hey Dan...I just wanted to see if you had the same feelings for the outcome of the games if they were still the way they should be, only a best-of 5 series.

Airyoda said...

If the Mavs lose to the Warriors, the Dallas/Fort Worth area will implode. The Stars are about to spit the bit in the first round, the Rangers just got no-hit, the Cowboys are the very definition of fair-to-middling. It can't happen.

Now, if this were still a 5 game series, I could see it happening a la Mutombo's Nuggets over the Sonics. But, I can't see the Mavs losing a 7 game series to the Warriors unless Dirk, JHo and JET all get kidnapped. And if it happened, Mark Cuban would have to end it all after seeing Don Nelson dancing on the Mav's graves.

Dan Shanoff said...

Two things: (1) Note how I changed my crack-smoking "Cavs in 7" to a more reasonable "Cavs in 5." Any non-Wiz fan would agree with that. (And most Wiz fans, too, actually.)

(2) Make no mistake: Picking the Warriors over the Mavs in 7 is as crazy as picking 16-seed Oral Roberts to beat 1-seed Memphis. The 7-game format makes upsets very unlikely -- that was one of the biggest problems with the switch from the 5-game to the 7-game format.

I just felt like I needed one big, bold (read: "insane") pick, and I happen to really like this one right now.

Mikepcfl said...

The transgendered part was a bigoted, low-blow by Cowherd. But the rest of his points about Olbermann were on the mark. Olbermann comes across as a snooty, know-it-all who believes he is better than everyone else. Maybe there is a polo or windsurfing competition he can comment on if he wants to do sports again.

B. Viddy said...

Mavs losing to Golden State? A team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 94? I cant take you seriously anymore. Here is the difference in the Warriors and the Mavs: Golden State has confetti celebrations when they beat teams like Dallas in March (they did in fact have one after their win), Dallas has confetti celebrations when the beat teams like PHX and SA 4 times in May and June. Like I said, I can't take you seriously anymore.

Patriots64 said...

Cavs over Wiz in 5, Raps over Nets in 5, Bulls in 7, Det.in 5

Suns, Mavs ,Spurs and Utah all win.

jhawkjjm said...

Can I turn my NBA MVP award in for something else? I could care less about the NBA and its playoffs. I'll pick the Mav's to win it just to see if Cuban says anything to Stern afterwards.

This VT thing is just so messed up. I'm glad to see that my alma mater KU is signing posters to send to VT.

TJ said...

Maybe I'm a bigot too (I don't think so), but I don't really see the point of getting all upset about the Transgender comment. Transgendered people aren't exactly "middle America," and I don't think anyone would think they are.

verbal97 said...

There's been some misguided comments about political spectrum on here and some really, REALLY dumb ones today (I won't mention names). So, unless you want this blog to devolve into a fire-throwing contest, just stop.

As much as people hate KO, you can't excuse what Coward said. Just like, much as I hate women's bball, I can't excuse what Don Imus said.

And what is this N-B-A people are talking about? Didn't someone throw a no-hitter yesterday?

chitown italian said...

What is the NBA? Never heard of it.

Heard about the no hitter but he pitches for the other Chicago team. Actually I do like Buerhle even though I am a Cubs fan.

AJ however is an ASS (A good friend of mine drafted out of UGA played ball with him A ball. My friend was a pitcher so I believe him that AJ is an ass.) so I would have preferred anyone else catch it besides AJ.

Natsfan74 said...

I agree -- let's stick to sports. I do agree that what Cowherd said was offensive (see previous post) and I did not attack Olberman or show any hate.

What I did say, as it relates to sports, is that Olberman is a divisive individual and could have that type of impact on FNIA. If I were putting together the most expensive sports program for a network and trying to win over as large of a fan base as possible, I would pick a commentator who is as knowledgable about the game as he is vanilla in his personality. Having Rush Limbaugh or KO or anyone who could be considered not appealing to the masses is not how networks appeal to viewers.

Heck, I think that James Carvel is as funny as they come and actually enjoy seeing him speak. But if I were building a network franchise event (such as FNIA), I probably wouldn't put him on the air every week.

Unknown said...

I saw the final three innings, and Buehrle was sharp last night. I'm a Cub fan, too, but I enjoy watching him pitch. He works fast and throws strikes -- what a concept! Wish more guys had that kind of M.O.

Trey (formerly TF) said...

I believe...in Magic.

Corny, Yes.

Go Magic

RevScottDeMangeMD said...

THIS JUST IN!!!

CBS pregame just hired Sean Hannity.

ESPN NFL countdown just hired Jimmy Carvell

Qwagmire said...

Have they fired Schrutebag yet?

He is supposed to be there for our entertainment, not his own ego.

nep1293 said...

Mavericks in 6
Suns in 5
Spurs in 5
Rockets in 7

Pistons in 6
Cavs in 4
Raptors in 5
Bulls in 7

CMFost said...

Nats there is a big difference between Limbaugh and KO is that KO actually has knowledge of sports.

Unknown said...

Normally I might say that this was biggoted but it was Cowherd that said it. I sometimes listen to his show, and he has said numerous times that he doesn't have a problem with anybody; blacks, gays, martians, are all the same to him. I think he was just using an example of something that the random white american football fan just doesn't relate to. I read the quotes, and he also said something about KO being an "elitist baseball guy". This may be true, and I think that's what he was trying to say. That said, I love KO esspecially with DP on the "big show" and look forward to seeing him on FNIA.

RevScottDeMangeMD said...

Rush talks sports on his show everyday. Rush knows more football than Olbermann. Keith admitted he doesn't know much about football, but he knows how to do highlights and will sell the product.

Look, again, it's not a dem/rep thing. 1.) I think all of these pregame/postgame shows are already over crowded. 2.) I think they should have 1 host named either Jim Nantz, Bob Costas, or James Brown. Everyone else should be ex-players.

I don't think that's unreasonable to ask.

Ken Dynamo said...

you call THAT hate speech? that was a lame joke by cowherd but give me a break. i know you justifiable dont like cowherd, but you sound like a pussy (oh no! mysogynistic hate speech!)

plus dont you know that the classification of hate crimes is a savage hypocrisy.

Matt said...

Thanks Dan for redeeming yourself, 5 and 7 are close on the keyboard...im sure it was just a mis hit

The Poobah said...

I HATE Cowherd. I'll get that out of the way. He sucks. COmpeltely sucks. But I don't see how his remarks are bigoted. He was pointing out that a transgender film festival is not Middle America. Well, it's not. That's like saying country music is not New York City. It's not. I don't see why we'rer getting so upset about this.

Dave Kern said...

This whole thing has gotten way out of hand.

First of all, to those of you who like to "just talk sports" I applaud your effort. I would love if we only talked sports, but that's a load of crap because we almost never just talk sports on this page.

Second, all the comments about KO and his politics are ridiculous. Just calm the fuck down.

"Olbermann comes across as a snooty, know-it-all who believes he is better than everyone else. Maybe there is a polo or windsurfing competition he can comment on if he wants to do sports again."

Seriously? Are you fucking kidding me? You could plug in the name Hoge or Salisbury or Marino or Bayless or any other talking head that doesn't know shit into that quote and it would make perfect sense. Personally I'd rather have an intelligent, well-spoken guy talking sports with intelligent things to say regardless of his politics instead of Bettis, Sharpe (both of them), Esiason, Bradshaw, Theismann whoever who is only there because they are a former player.

So honestly, calm the fuck down, realize that idiots almost exclusively do these types of shows, and most importantly remember that it doesn't fucking matter. Do you really care about the pre-game? We're talking pregame!?! (Iverson voice)

Christ, if you want to complain, complain about the in-game broadcasters who ruin the actual game itself. Seriously, who gets this upset about the pre-game?

Oh, and if you use the phrase "maybe I'm a bigot too" than yes, chances are you are a bigot too.

Brian in Oxford said...

I'd prefer NO ex-players, actually. Baseball radio booths do it just fine in a lot of cities. Many of the ex-players are unintelligible, and very few of them actually educate the viewers. A couple of smart passionate fans are really all you need to do a give-and-take over highlights.

Look for the Mavs to sweep GS. GS only *thinks* they can play with Dallas, and I sense this as a chance for Dallas to make an early statement.

I think the easiest sum-up of Cowherd is that ESPN radio in New York cut his show to make time for a show for Stephen A. Smith. Really, that's pretty bad, no?

The other thing that kinda sucks about the NBA playoffs is that too many teams really do make it. Aren't Chicago and Houston really the first time the 5 seeds were ever a legitimate threat to make a splash? (Maybe fewer playoff teams makes the lottery better, too.)

CMFost said...

yeah but Brian the opposite happen in Boston, ESPN890 gave him an extra hour and got rid of Jim Rome whent hey changed the Hours of the Mike Felger show. So basically they got rid of one crappy radio host who act is so old and dryed up and he does not realize it for a guy who is just not good.

Dave Kern said...

Whatever. Nobody is worse than Jim Rome. That guy makes my physically angry and ill.

Brian in Oxford said...

So you're not a "clone" from "the jungle"?

Anonymous said...

i don't agree with olberman oin mot political things (it doesn;t matter though) but he will do highlights well which if i am not mistaken will be his job. You do not have to know a sport to do hgihlights thats why tehy have 15 analysts.

Unknown said...

Can't comment on NBA as I don't watch it.

however, i just bought the Tiger Woods golf game for the Wii. It's fantastic. I can't putt to save my life..and water hazards like me..but its hella fun to swing the club instead of pushing a joystick.

Unknown said...

i dunno..Rocky Horror Picture Show theatres still exist in the midwest. (as they should!)

Let's do the time warp agaiiiiiiiiiiin!

Mike said...

Hasn't the NFL fining Urlacher for the vitaminwater hat given them infinitely more publicity than they received when he wore the hat? I'm sure they'll happily pay Urlacher's fine, cheap advertising for spots on every sports show and website.

Anonymous said...

and why did the nfl wait till now to fine him?

CMFost said...

Jim Rome is the worst sport radio talk show host in the country. Unless of course you love listen to callers who spend all day writing scripts to make there calls.

Worst Sports Talk Show Hosts:
1. Rome
2. The Guys who do the overnight on WEEI
3. Cowherd

chipp said...

Mike: totally agree, WAY more publicity for Vitamin Water.

KO: On DP he said he was just doing highlights and no analysis which should be an excellent role for him. People concerned about his political slants shouldn't be too worried as he won't have much opportunity to spout off asides.

NBA: How do 7-game 1st round series make it less likely for an 8 seed to win? Didn't it only happen once in the history of the NBA playoffs (DEN Nuggets over OKC So- er, SEA Sonics)? It's hard to be more rare than once in history when 7-game series have only been around for a couple of years.

Dr. Zoom said...

I must be terribly slow, but I fail to see how making a (lame) joking reference to how a transgender film festival wouldn't be accepted by middle America is bigoted or hateful in any way.

CMFost said...

dr.zoom, it is basically saying that the people in middle america are closed minded and not smart enough to understand

chitown italian said...

Thanks guys, you had to ruin my stomach before heading to lunch.

Rome is horrible, always has been, always will be. Didn't someone almost pop his ass during an interview?

Can we get him to enter the ring with Tyson? I've got a dollar to help with promoting the fight.

Patriots64 said...

Chris Everett I mean Jim lol! That was hilarious!!

David Kippe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

uhm dr. zoom. Why did u choose that name?

and he is basically calling middle america dumb and not smart enough to understand smart people.

David Kippe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael said...

is what cowherd said really a bigoted remark? Would a transgendered film festival fit in in middle America. I don't like the guy but let's not call the P.C. police on an analogy just because he is anti bloggers. It is ridiculous to call this a bigotted remark. is noone allowed to say anything about anyone anymore without it being blown out of proportion? maybe we should only use plastic objects for our analogies. Perhaps KO would fit in like a barbie toy at an organic being contest???

lets be a little less sensitive

Mikepcfl said...

Too much KO talk, we need to lighten things up. Why dont we debate partial birth abortion? lol

Jingoist said...

Dan:

You missed the obligatory "Who had April 18 in the King Felix goes down pool?"- or are you saving it for his offical DL stint?

The NCAA is always one step behind. Go ahead, take away text messaging. Heck, even by extension, take away email. Wake me up when they ban the laptop video cam. Or better still, wake me when they start nabbing coaches' blogs that covertly recruit top prospects.

R.A. Porter said...

It was doubly offensive. "Northeast Intellectual" is a traditional coded slur for the tribe. Of course, that assumes Cowherd is on the distribution list for the memos.

Unknown said...

First of all, partial birth abortions are straight up murder. The fact that...

Ok, I was joking. There was a rumomr going around, I won't say from who, that when the Mavs made the decision to rest their bigs against the Warriors on Tuesday night the players were quite worried.

Let's face it, the Warriors have a much better chance against the Mavs than the Clippers. That said, The Mavs rested the big guys on tuesday against the Warriors, but not last night against the Sonics.

Think about that. You felt the need to rest your guys 2 games before the playoffs but not the game before?

The Warriors don't get to play the Mavs if the Mavs beat them on Tuesday. Why didn't they even try? Were they scared of looking like they cared? Scared of losing a third straight time to them this season?

Brian in Oxford said...

wait a second, does that mean that as a Gentile, I can't be a Northeast Intellectual?

Anonymous said...

I want to see Golden State upset Dallas.

Cavs over Wiz in 4, Raps over Nets in 6, Bulls in 7, Det.in 5

Suns(6), Mavs(6) ,Spurs(5) and Houston(6) win.

Unknown said...

I need a Northeast Intellectual membership card.

alhajir said...

Dan, Arod continues his tear, but no word from you. Dice-K continues his dominant pitching, and your all over his balls. Being a yankee-hater is one thing, but not giving Arod his due after talking trash like everyone else is being a pussy. What a homer...

Natsfan74 said...

OK, so now that we have debated what makes you a sports fan - childhood team, adopted team, whatever... what makes someone a resident?

I mean, I grew up in the midwest. Went to college in the northeast. Have lived in 10 states and a few countries. But now I live in DC. So, should I be offended by the talk of stupid midwesterners? or should I be relieved that I escaped?

Dan grew up near DC, but went to school in Chicago. Are those his formative years? What about his Boston/ NYC years? hmm.......

Natsfan74 said...

Oh yeah, and in both baseball fantasy leagues I am associated with, the number 1 pick chose A-Rod. The other 11 players in each case groaned collectively and made lots of jokes.

The guy may be Mr. April, but he's having one heck of an April at that. I can't wait until October, when A-Rod has 60 homers and DJ is still hitting .285....

chitown italian said...

I need some help. Am I really this cynical?

All the papers are boasting about Vick donating money to VT (which I am all for don't get me wrong). However you have to read very carefully that he is only donating $10,000.

Isn't $10k somewhere around 1/10 of his weekly paycheck?

Johnny b said...

In the Blue and White game Saturday, Penn State is encouraging fans to wear orange and maroon for Va Tech. Also they are giving out 800 shirts for people who want to participate in a Virginia Tech logo in the stands

just thought i'd pass it along

Jen said...

chitown~ HAHAHA I thought the exact same thing when I read that article...whooptie doo, so he gave his pocket change to United Way, just like the rest of us do.

If you are cynical, I'm sitting right there with you.

Why do I have to re-register every day!?

chitown italian said...

@ jen - Sweet I have someone on my side.

I guess Google took over blogger.com. Same thing was happening to me. There was some note that said sign in with Google.

So I had to register with Google, not actually sign up for an email account, then you won't have to sign in but every once in a while.

CMFost said...

hey A-rod lovers - It april, let's see what he does in October or even this weekend against the Red Sox before annoiting him.

Mikepcfl said...

Hey, I heard A-rod is Olbermann's favorite player!!!

just kidding

jhawkjjm said...

In regards to Vick, it's nice to see him give something to help families with funeral and transportation expenses. I won't rip the guy for only giving 10K when he doesn't have to give anything. Could he give more? Of course. But why should we expect him to give more?

The cynic in my is hoping that he came to this decision himself and didn't do it because his PR guys said it would help his image after his past incidents.

jhawkjjm said...

Ok, this is absolutely retarded.

mlb all-star voting

CMFost said...

I agree how can you determine who to vote for as an all star after 10-15 games

CMFost said...

This would be fun to watch if is could happne.


check it out

Jingoist said...

MLB All-Star Game, Read: Popularity contest.

And just wait til the votes from Japan come in. You think we have our favorites? Like Schilling's blog said... you have no idea how crazy popular guys like Daisuke and Ichiro are back in Japan.

Unfortunately for Matsuzaka, he's a pitcher and would need to be selected by the A.L. All-Star manager. If it was up to fans, he'd already be starting the game.

Natsfan74 said...

I'm guessing that if Rosie O'Donnell and Jason Whitlock had a love child, the child would be slightly overweight and green. The green part is just so that it would stand out and make people want to talk about it every day. In fact, it would be Rosie who painted it green.

Early all-star voting is purely a popularity contest. But, so is all all-star voting, so I guess it fits. I have seen and joined both sides of the debate, and as a fan of a team, I would love to see Zimmerman be an all-star (he did get jobbed out of rookie of the year and gold glove both last year), but as a fan of the game I would rather see David Wright. I guess, if I was advocating Dmitri Young as my favorite player, that would change the argument some....

jhawkjjm said...

Oh no doubt that the all-star game is a popularity contest. The retarded part is that the season isn't 3 full weeks old yet. Most teams only played about 15 games.

Jingoist said...

Somebody tell me how Kevin McHale has not been fired yet. The guy even sold himself out today...

"I don't want to walk away with the team in this state," said McHale, who said this year's team resembled the "dysfunctional" squad he inherited when he was named vice president in 1995.

"It was a bad season, there's no other way you can say it," McHale said. "It was a bad year and I did a bad job. That's the way it is."


Seriously explain to me how someone holds a job for over a decade and admits his "company" (see: team) is no better off today than it was when he started running the ship (into the ground).

If I had not improved my company in 12 years, I would have been canned loooong ago- and I work for my family's business!

I think the Celtics should hire Kevin McHale to GM under Danny Ainge. Then we could have more than our share of "The Three Stooges" parodies in the Boston media. Ainge would be Moe, McHale as Larry, and Doc Rivers as Shemp- yes, he doesn't even deserve to be Curly.

Unknown said...

Most of you are mixing up transgender with cross-dresser. Transgender implies indistinct or both male and female genitalia.

Also I have never heard of Cowherd but I agree with the sentiment that people are a little too oversensitive these days.

Unknown said...

If you can't understand how Kevin McHale still has a job then how can any reasonable rational semi-intelligent person explain Isiah Thomas having a job?

Despite having one of the worst teams the last few years, the Knicks have traded away their draft picks, have one of the highest payrolls and least flexibility against the salary cap in the NBA for the next few years. As bad as they are, they are doomed to get worse.

Like someone said in today's daily rant in the newspaper, if Dolan will keep concentrating on the Knicks, maybe the Rangers have a chance of winning. Funny but true.

TBender said...

MLB: Not having seen Sosa get picked off, I wonder if Buerhle balked... :)

Cowherd: The local ESPN affiliate runs a commerical for his show and he's talking about how football has more action in it than baseball...except he forgets that football games in person are really quite boring because you don't get all the TV replays of the last play while the players stand around and let the clock run down. He also mentions how fast a football game is...even though the timed 60 minutes takes just as long as 9-innings.

Jingoist said...

@ cycledan

Actually, "transgender" is a common name given to the individual who was born with genitalia of 1 sex or the other, but distinctly expresses mental, emotional, and physical states of the opposite sex to which their anatomical parts were assigned at birth. Transgendered persons suffer gender identity issues because they innately relate better to the gender opposite to which they were "assigned" both biological and by society.

Sorry, I am not one to go all academia or P.C., but I saw misinformation to which I thought people should be aware.

CMFost said...

Manny big a good time to hit his first home run today.

Brian in Oxford said...

I think MLB should require one day game on the schedule every single day!

The heroin sheik said...

dwk I have to agree who cares about the pregame. The only time I listen is if I can get the home team's broadcast since the ones for the bucs, gators, ning, and rays are actually pretty good. I just find that most of sports radio is too repetitive. The guys on Fox radio, Rome, etc just bore me unless it is some truly interesting player. So many athletes are such poor speakers that it get on my nerves. However I do have a soft spot for Steve Dumig on 620 am in Tampa.

MY boss is hoping the magic can take it 7 games if only so business is packed but I hated to break it to her that they are probably going to get swept.

Man the d-rays are fun to watch this year. They have so much talent. If only they could get it together on a regular basis. One can always dream.

Brian in Oxford said...

Early dud for the day: John Gibbons, taking out Halladay in the 8th while cruising.

CMFost said...

Hey Brian being a Red Sox Fan I will make Gibbons an early stud not dud. Thanks for taking Halladay out

CMFost said...

here is a stat for you - 11 out of the 16 outs that Papelbon has gotten so far this season as been via the Strikeout

Unknown said...

@brian in oxford

I definitely second the one-day-game-on-the-schedule idea. Would definitely make every day go by a lot faster. Not like I'd be paying attention to the game while I'm working or anything.

Travis said...

SOX WIN!

Natsfan74 said...

I love following day baseball. Being a Cubs fan, I do get my fair share, I guess.

But, it sucks knowing I had tickets to the Nats game today, but am sitting in my office while they almost pulled off a 9th inning comeback. This would suck extra bad, as I was at work when they pulled off their first 9th inning comback of the year 2 weeks ago (4 in the 9th off the Marlins).

Natsfan74 said...

Mitch Mustain is allegedly heading to USC. Is that a wise choice at this point, given they have quarterbacks with Heisman Trophy potential already stacked 3 deep?

If he wins the job out there, he must really be the Man. But, I guess if he doesn't win it, he will at least have a better chance of remaining anonymous (but I don't think that suits him).

Actually, given his sound bites and his family actions around all of this, I am surprised USC would really take him. It's like he's OJ Mayo or something.

Jen said...

Error by ARod

Brian in Oxford said...

you were saying, jen? :(

Jen said...

And he freakin' homers to beat the Indians in the ninth. Unbelievable!

Jen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ndyanksfan05 said...

and boom goes the dynamite...

thats what you get jen...thats what you get.

Finally decided to re-register after being blocked out...i know you all missed me soooo much.

Jen said...

yanksfan...only the Tribe makes the Yankees look so good.
What a crap series. boo-hiss.
And it's not even like I'm an A-Rod hater...I actually like him, especially if I had to choose between him and Jeter.
Damn, damn, damn. We need a closer.

Andy said...

You know what pisses me off? Atlanta not scheduling their game today during the day even though both the Braves and the Cubs have away games tomorrow and the Cubs game is a day game. Gee, that's nice. The Cubs get done playing at 9ish, fly into Chicago at 1ish, and then have to play another game tomorrow at 1ish. Granted, the Cubs could have scheduled tomorrows game for in the evening, but still, a day game for the Cubs-Braves today would benefit both teams.

Natsfan74 said...

Actually, Andy, under the Cubs current agreement with the neighborhood, they cannot play night games on Fridays. Check their schedule -- they aren't allowed to ever play night games at home.

Natsfan74 said...

2 outs, nobody on, and a 4 run lead, and the Indians still lose? They should have kept Wickman.

Andy said...

All the more reason for the Braves to show a little humanity and schedule today's game during the day. Plus, I could have watched it on MLB.TV. During the evenings, all the idiot World of Warcraft players get on the stupid slow ass college network and suck up all the bandwidth. The video will never load.

ndyanksfan05 said...

dan - you better give a-rod some love tomorrow...

Qwagmire said...

Its not that I think Schrutebag should be fired for his comments, its just his show is not entertaining anymore.

Listen to the first 30 minutes, hes yelling about something. go into work, come out for lunch, hes still yelling about the same thing using darn near the exact same working.

I actually prefer Rome and Steven A Smith to him anymore.

Qwagmire said...

pardon mispellings above, I missed the bosskey and had to do an emergency exit

alhajir said...

ndyanksfan05, i agree, if dan doesnt give arod any credit, hes a complete buffoon and espn wanna-be homer

a-rod is playing out of this world. last year, he wouldve struck out on 3 pitches...this is just amazing

alhajir said...

i might add that he was 0-4 with 2 errors before the homer, the worst game so far of the season....he has completely put last year behind him and his concentration level is at a high.

Erin said...

Have to say that I was psyched to see that Dan and a couple of others are predicting the Warriors in 7. Any amount of positive mental energy has to help. The vast majority of the brackets on Ballhype are going the other way (Mavs 106 picks, Warriors 29 picks) although not as lop-sided as the Cavs-Wizards or Pistons-Magic series.http://ballhype.com/contest/nba/playoffs/2007/bracket/

Travis said...

NY Rotation

Pettitte
Rookie
Rookie


Boston Rotation

Schilling
Beckett
Matsuzaka-san


If A-Rod sucks this weekend will he be booed back in NY even though he has been solid so far this season?

I say YES!

Kevin said...

I hate Cowherd too, but I actually kinda think he's right on this one. I'm just not sure exactly what he'll provide to their show. I'll watch, because I love Keith, but I don't really think it's a good fit.

I still don't know why every network in the universe hasn't tried to get him as a color guy for a baseball booth - that's his sport, and the pauses between pitches would allow him to dip into his deep anecdote/knowledge well. Can't we get ESPN to fire Joe Morgan and put Keith on instead?

alhajir said...

Travis, i agree...if he does not show up in the Boston series, he will get booed like hell from the so-called Yankee fans. Even yesterday before he hit a homer, he was booed when he struck out to go 0-3...this is downright pathetic.

John Paul Manahan said...

mavs - warriors

sure feels like the mavs before vs the mavs now.

mavs in an entertaining 6 gamer

kobe - raja II

nothing new, but i am sure this time, we will not see the kind of kobe in game7 last year

suns in 6

spurs - nuggets

this will be a seven-gamer if and only if we will be seeing nene and camby with offensive fire, still will be the TD and TP

spurs in 6

jazz - rockets

two evenly match teams which will all come down to a game 7

houston in 7

cavs - wizards

lebron gets the chance on unleashing more whoop-ass on the wiz

lebron in 5

pistons - magic

short series, but the huge benefiiaries will be d12, jameer, and darko

pistons in 5

heat - bulls

this will be brtual, physical, tough...

heat in 6 (if this is next year, bulls in 6)

raptors - nets

if there is a coming out party, these raptors are going to be in the frontrunning. they will stamp the new brand of toronto basketball against the first player to make an impact up north.

raptors in 6