The Goop n' Pros Show

Why two losses aren't the same

2009-07-20T19:38:00.004-05:00

Today on Mike & Mike in the Morning, Mike Greenberg and Chris Carter debated what Tom Watson should be feeling after finishing second in The British Open. Greenberg took the side of the non-jock -- saying Watson should simply be happy that his 59-year old body held up for four days and allowed him to be within eight feet of his ninth major. Carter, on the other hand, wasn't as optimistic. As a former athlete, Carter said if he was in Watson's shoes, he would feel zero satisfaction. The fact is, he didn't win, which means he isn't a champion.

I've heard this topic debated between the two before and Carter is all about winning, no matter the circumstance. I agree with the former Minnesota Viking that there is no moral victory by finishing second, or third, or fourth. However, I lean toward Greenberg's perspective on certain occasions.

There are moments in sports when the probability of something happening is so slim that if it does happen, it seems almost sureal. I'm not talking about the Arizona Cardinals surprising some people and making it all the way to the Super Bowl. If I'm Larry Fitzgerald, there isn't an ounce of me that is satisfied with merely exceeding expectations. Arizona could of, and some would say, should have, won the Super Bowl. If you make the playoffs in the NFL, anything short of the Super Bowl is unacceptable.

But every once in a while there comes a moment when not finishing on top shouldn't elicit the same feeling of failure as what the Cardinals felt. For instance, when George Mason made its Cinderella run to the Final Four, it was absolutely ridiculous. No one thought the No. 11 seed would upset No. 6 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And when they topped No. 1 seed Connecticut in overtime to reach the Final Four, everyone adopted the Patriots as their team. At this point, they could lose by 100 to Florida and it wouldn't matter -- they had more than exceeded expectations, they had done the impossible and silenced every critic. When George Mason returned home and reflected on their season, they didn't feel the same as the Cardinals. There was massive disappointment, of course, but that disappointment was outweighed by the amazing run. The Patriots could take solace for knowing they forever put George Mason on the map and changed the school forever. It's the same feeling Tom Watson had yesterday. Of course he's furious he missed a short putt to win his first major in 26 years, but he also know the odds of him getting to that point were astronomical. I doubt he'll feel the same anger a week from now as he would have 30 years ago.

There are different degrees or losing, and although Watson and the Patriots are all as competitive as they come, their loses are more than just loses.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Brandon Inge!

2009-07-13T21:39:00.005-05:00

A few notes from tonight:

Poor Brandon Inge. Really. I feel for him.

I'm pretty sure I found my calling tonight -- be the guy whose primary job is to wipe the sweat off of Albert Pujols' head after he swings. If I can't get that spot, I'll be the kid that gets to stand behind the wall in center field and catch homeruns.

You could tell Pujols was pissed. After his second round swings, he didn't even say anything to the little kids handing him his fresh Gatorade! You can't blame the guy, he's the best thing St. Louis has had Mark McGwire -- who wasn't in the pregame slideshow of Cardinal great (like he said, "I'm not here to talk about the past").

I expect to never hear anything positive about Nelson Cruz again.

In the past month, Pujols' legacy has skyrocketed. ESPN's Tim Kurkjian surveyed 10 current major leaguers and one former about the best batter-pitcher matchups, and every player picked Pujols. Then he became the first player to hit 30 homeruns in his first nine seasons. Kurkjian also wrote another article titled "The Perfect Player." Add in the All-Star Game being player in St. Louis, and Pujols has become the ultimate savior to the game of baseball. Poor A-Rod.

So I took a break from Arrested Development...

2009-06-29T21:42:00.007-05:00

Update: Timberwolves GM David Kahn will likely get off the hook. He'll end up trading Rubio for some good players and have a starting point guard to show from the draft. But could it be that Kahn is actually smart? So smart that he saw all this coming -- Rubio not signing, teams lining up for him -- and now knows he can get a good deal for Rubio? I doubt it, but who knows?

-- I'm not hear to whine about last year's Mark DeRosa trade. When Cubs GM Jim Hendry dealt the utility man last summer, it was to free up space for Milton Bradley. The deal has clearly not worked in the Cubs favor, but that's neither here nor there. I just find it funny that on the same weekend the Cardinals make a deal for DeRosa to add some sort of credibility to their lineup outside of "The Machine," the Cubs send Aaron Miles, who was supposed to be DeRosa's replacement, to the DL (which is code for "You're batting .203 and you suck"). Actually, this is what's code for "You Suck" -- when a google image search for your name, "Aaron Miles," first produces a picture of the former Kansas Jayhawks point guard.

-- Out of all the hoopla surrounding Michael Jackson's death, the one thing that sticks out to me is his legacy. For the past two decades, any mention of Jackson was almost always negative or was accompanied by a child molestation joke. But suddenly, every media outlet in the world praises him as a cultural icon, someone who changed the world of music and performance forever, etc, etc. All those things are mostly true, but it's like the past 20 years never happened.

-- Am I happy with who the Bulls drafted? It's another, "eh" draft. I don't hate either pick, but I don't like them. I don't get the feeling either player will make much of an impact in the league. Ideally, I didn't want the Bulls to draft anyone. It's just two more rookies that the Bulls will have to develop when they should be spending their energy trying to get further in the playoffs. The money used on those two contracts could have been spent this summer or next. And there had to be takers, I mean, the Timberwolves have spent the last week justifying their selection of two point guards, and it STILL makes no sense. Are James Johnson and Taj Gibson going to push the Bulls further in the playoffs? No. But Chris Bosh will.

-Pros

The fifth sport?

2009-06-28T20:13:00.004-05:00

Behind the NFL, the NBA, MLB and the NHL, soccer has comfortably taken a hold on US's fifth biggest sport. Haha, not yet.

Soccer will be out of the mainstream media by Tuesday. But for the time being, today's Confederations Cup Final between Brazil and USA is the talk of the town.

I'm usually not one for moral victories. As an athlete, that's the last thing you want. I hate using this saying, but Herm Edwards was right -- "You play to win the game." But this is different.

It's been waaaaay too long since US Soccer was as strong a force in the media as it is today. Although the attention will be gone in 24 hours, Team USA did accomplish something. Their performance won't change the way US Soccer is viewed or anything drastic like that, but casual soccer fans, like me, were glued to the TV today. Ashton Kutcher and Bill Simmons among others were tweeting their way through the match, and ESPN Radio and SportsCenter were all over the game. Soccer will be out of sight, out of mind soon enough, but people will remember this past week when the World Cup roles around next year.

I'd like to think my interest in soccer is that of most sports fans. I could care less about it unless it's a big match/tournament. This past week, Team USA showed up in two huge matches, and I was totally into it. My brother and I were playing NBA Live 2009 this morning, and we ALWAYS look at the stats afterwards. But today, we bypassed that normal step to watch the game. We freaked out when Clint Dempsey redirected the first goal. I probably won't watch another US soccer match until the World Cup, but when the team goes back to South Africa next year, I'll remember this weekend and watch again.

On another, more important note, at what point does a soccer player become "great." Kaka has become "The Great Kaka" according to today's announcers. How does Bill Gates become "The Great Bill Gates?" How has Bill Gates not earned that name yet? Ah, soccer is so confusing!

-Pros

Why Zen works

2009-06-17T19:47:00.008-05:00

Phil Jackson is dating Jeannie Buss, the 39-year old daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
He lives in Los Angeles.
He's coaching the second-best player in the NBA.
He's dating a 39-year old and he's, yes, 63. Somewhere Celine Dion is smiling and saying "I told you I wasn't weird!"

But Jackson is more than a stud, he's the greatest NBA coach -- ever. Those who disagree will say the late Red Auerbach, who coached the Boston Celtics to nine championships, was the best.

Red won eight titles in a row with Boston, a feat that will likely never be topped. (But let's not kid ourselves, Jackson would have won eight straight in Chicago had Jordan not gone and played that other sport.)

Jackson has 10 titles in the salary cap/free agent era, where players constantly jump ship for money. Red coached essentially the same core group for most of the championships, Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek and Bob Cousy. Jackson has won titles with four different groups: the 1991-93 Bulls, the 1996-98 Bulls, the 2000-02 Lakers and the 2009 Lakers. Nothing against Red, but winning 10 titles in this era is significantly harder than it was in the '60s.

Everyone wants to say Jackson had all the talent. He had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe on his side. But no one brings up the fact that when the NBA announced the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, FOUR were from Red's dynasty with the Celtics.

Red had Russell, who for all we know is pretty much the greatest teammate ever. Dealing with egos wasn't as difficult as it is nowadays, and when you have a guy like Russell on your team, it makes it that much easier. Look who Phil had to deal with. Jordan -- who wouldn't pass to his teammates at the end of a game (much like a certain #24 on the Lakers) until Phil got there. He somehow got Dennis Rodman to buy into his philosophy and help win three titles. He made sure Scottie Pippen, who would have put up far better numbers had he been the man (he set career highs in scoring and rebounding in 1994, when Jordan was playing baseball), never let the fact that he was Jordan's Robin effect the team. Then he somehow got Kobe and Shaq to coexist. Everyone knows the two didn't get along, but he got the two to play together.

Some believe that you can't argue which coach was better, I for one thought Phil was the best before this year. But now that he has 10, the fact remains that Phil has more titles than Red in a much harder environment.

Big gulps, eh?

2009-06-13T19:36:00.009-05:00

Without any true connection to either the Red Wings or Penguins, my mind was free to wander after Game 7 on Friday. It was neat to see Sidney Crosby accept the Stanley Cup as the youngest captain in NHL history and to see Mario Lemieux hoist it above his head. But the multiple awkward moments truly made it a memorable experience.

To begin with, we have to watch Marian Hossa shake hands with the Penguins, the team he played with for four months last season. Next, NBC microphones pick up Red Wings coach Mike Babcock telling Crosby, "that's great leadership." Crosby says thanks, but doesn't really look Babcock in the eye. You almost feel bad for him, like he was trying to be nice and Crosby just didn't reciprocate.

A few minutes later, Evgeni Malkin, who had the highest playoff point total since the L.A. Kings' Wayne Gretzky in 1993, was presented with the Conn Smythe Award. So....Crosby....yeah. He's kind of the posterboy of the NHL, so was he really happy for his teammate? NBC did a good job of showing his reaction, and he looked pretty happy for him. But still, fun to ponder.

This part happens every year, but there are few things as uncomfortable to watch as when the Stanley Cup gets passed around. It starts with the captain, who usually passes it on to an elder teammate. Once the old guys have their chance, it starts to get interesting. The player looks at his group and thinks "Hmm...you weren't important, you were, you weren't, oh, ok, I'll give it to you."

When NBC's on-ice reporter interviewed Marc Andre Fleury it was like listening to Ozzy Osbourne during the seventh-inning stretch.

And who will ever forget poor old Gary Bettman. You knew he was the most disappointed person inside Joe Louis Arena when Pittsburgh won. He knew he'd get hear the boo birds, but presenting the Stanley Cup to the Penguins in Detroit? You know who else knew? The two guys who were smirking while carrying the Cup onto the ice..."Oh man, I can't wait to see that little guy behind the mic!" Bettman literally had to scream to be heard over the booing, and if that wasn't enough, his whole body shakes when he screams.

Love me some NHL.
-Pros

Anyone can jump out of a pool

2009-06-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

We all know the Jarron Gilbert can jump out of a pool. Just in case you've never seen it, here it is.

When this video came out, it was one of the most impressive things I had ever seen.

A few days ago, this video surfaced of Washington Redskin wide receiver Keith Eloi. Sorry Gilbert, but you got owned.

Second-best? Yup.

2009-06-08T21:49:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not people, but you're watching the second-greatest shooting guard to ever play in the NBA — J.J. Redick. Coach K just smacked his forehead. I mean Adam Morrison. His tailor just smacked his forehead.

The Black Mamba, ladies and gentlemen. He's here all week, or until he breaks his jaw from clenching it too hard.

Whether the Lakers win this series is irrelevant. Bryant's name is firmly etched in stone as the best shooting guard not named Michael Jordan. Jerry West is his toughest competition, but Bryant tops him.

West was a 14-time all-star, and one of the toughest and competitive players to play the game.
He also hit a 60-foot buzzer-beater to send Game 3 of the 1970 Finals against the Knicks into overtime, which only added to his legendary status as "Mr. Clutch." His numbers were staggering (27ppg, 5.8rpg, 6.7apg) and are better than Bryant's (25.1, 5.3, 4.6). But here's where Mr. West loses ground — he was 1-7 in the NBA Finals. If you want to play the But-wait-Kobe-had-Shaq-card, well, West had Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, so explain that. Bryant is 3-2 right now, and that will likely improve to 4-2 in the next few days.

Figuring out the best at a certain position is hard. There are so many factors. Some people lean heavily on pure statistics while others label team success as the main barometer. It has to be a mix of both. West had better numbers, but played his whole career with two Hall of Famers. Bryant's best year, 2005-06, was with this team. Shivvers. Of course Bryant's numbers were inflated because of the inferior nature of his teammates, but it also says something that when Kobe was the man, he absolutely dominated. It's an unfair point because West never had that opportunity, but West also played with Baylor and Wilt and ended with just one title.

When I stop and think about it, labeling Bryant behind Jordan still seems ridiculous. It feels like only yesterday he was a cocky first-year guard who airballed like 3000 shots in a game one time. But then again, if Nike turns you into a puppet, you've got to be pretty good.

Maturity won't be the problem folks

2009-06-04T15:32:00.003-05:00

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I love this time of the year. Not only do you have the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and division races in the MLB heating up, but the NFL is still taking up headlines as well!

Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has decided he will be joining NBC as a studio football analyst. Yesterday he came on "Waddle & Silvy," a morning sports talk show in Chicago and was asked about a variety of football topics. Being interviewed by a Chicago station, of course the talk steered towards the new quarterback in town, Mr. Jay Cutler:

"[The Bears] took a risk [trading for Cutler]. I think they took that risk specifically with beating the Green Bay Packers in mind," Dungy said. "I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But I am not sure he has won enough to merit that yet."

When asked specifically about him having the maturity to lead the Bears, he had this to say:

"That remains to be seen. He is a very talented guy who can throw the ball very well. But quarterbacking is so much about leadership and so much about doing things under pressure. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him," Dungy said. "We'll see about his maturity level. That's what I would question. And some of the things that happened leading to him leaving Denver ... that would concern me as a head coach," Dungy added, according to the report. "He can make all of the throws, but quarterbacking is much more than just making throws."

Here is the link to the article on ESPN.com and radio bit.

Welcome back to the football world Coach Dungy, glad to see your back! People close to me know I have been supporting the trade that brought Cutler over from Denver, even after that messy divorce. They paid a high price but a price that will be worth it if Cutler continues to grow as a player the way he has his first several seasons in the league.

However, people have been on both sides of the fence when it comes to Cutler and how he handled the situation with new Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. Supposedly, after the last coach, Mike Shanahan, was fired, Cutler asked owner Pat Bowlen for assurance that no one else from the offensive staff would be let go. Bowlen said sure and soon after the staff was axed. McDaniels then comes on board, tells Cutler he is excited to work with him and develop him into an even better quarterback. Word comes out soon after that McDaniels had been actively trying to trade Cutler in hopes to bring Matt Cassel, the quarterback he worked with at his last stop, the New England, to the Broncos.

What followed was a he said this, he said that dialogue between Cutler, McDaniels, and Bowlen. Lot of bad talk, ignored phone calls and text messages, and essentially feelings hurt. It was quite the soap opera that had the NFL world hooked, seeing what would happen next and where Cutler would end up. The result was a Cutler trade to the Chicago.

Here's what I think of that situation: No one handled the situation perfectly, not even Jay Cutler. That said, if the information that came out is true, that Bowlen went back on his word about the offensive staff and that McDaniels came in thinking to himself that Cutler was not ideal for his offense and wanted to trade him from the start, then I got some real beef with that. New coaches who come in and make wholesale changes rarely have immediate and/or long-term success. I think how Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, handled getting the job several years back. Tomlin was a defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and a strong supporter of the 4-3 defense. He did not come in saying they must switch from the 3-4, a staple in Pittsburgh throughout the years. He also had dinner with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, outlining what he wants to do and hear what has been successful. He got on the same page with everyone right from the start.

McDaniels needs to do a lot to make up for running the franchise quarterback out of town. If McDaniels hadn't gotten hired, Cutler would still be there most likely. The fact remains that Cutler was extremely well liked by the fans and more importantly his teammates. He was getting better every year, already with a Pro Bowl appearance under his belt. The trade the Chicago Bears made for Cutler is a once in a lifetime kind of deal. You do not see 26 year old quarterbacks who aren't even in their prime yet go on the trade market. YOU JUST DON'T. Teams usually cater to these guys, these potential superstars, knowing they will be the face of the franchise for the next decade. They know these guys will make or break season ticket sales and fan support for the years ahead. Why do you think the Los Angeles Lakers picked Kobe Bryant over Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal?

We clearly don't know everything that happened behind the scenes in Denver. Some of the media and some fans began to label Cutler as a "crybaby" or a "prima donna." Again, I say maybe he didn't handle the situation perfectly but he is afforded some respect and deserves some honesty. Denver made a commitment to him, both verbally and by rewarding him with a new deal, and then they hire a young guy to run the team and who wants to run him out of town. Something isn't right.

Now regarding what Coach Dungy said, there is no doubt the Bears took a risk. Any time you give up your quarterback and two first round draft picks, you are taking a risk. In regards to his maturity level, time will tell. Again, this guy had teammates who loved him and the same with his coaching staff. I believe Bears general manager Jerry Angelo when he says they did their homework and believe this is an isolated situation. Like I said, it's not every day when a 26 year old Pro Bowl quarterback is available. Angelo knows what character issues can do to a team and I have faith that he won't bring a guy with maturity or leadership issues on board.

I'm more excited for this upcoming season than any one in recent memory. I've already seen a Cutler jersey on the streets of Chicago and they will begin to pop up everywhere. Bears fans should have faith in this guy and believe in him and the team. All too often we are too negative about this stuff and want to jump on an individual and/or an organization. I think the Bears got this one right. If Jay Cutler fails in Chicago, it won't be because of "maturity" issues.

Kobe has grown up, just like you and I!

2009-05-31T18:26:00.003-05:00

Apologies for those looking for a post yesterday. Gotta adjust to things on the fly in life, ya know?

I want to give a shout out to the "Mougars" team of City Year Chicago for putting on a beautiful service day. Everything from the volunteers to the murals to the grilling was fantastic, big props!

One of my favorite things to do is talk sports with casual sports fans; that is, people who might not watch sports on a regular basis and follow a particular team or sport closely. It's funny thinking that in high school and college, I was surrounded by people who I talked sports with 24/7. Whether it was with Pros, on the radio at DePauw, with my fraternity brothers, the arguments and debates never stopped and they got pretty heated at times, even down right nasty. Debates became personal and the facts became moot. Those were the days.

Working at City Year Chicago the past ten months, I've been around only a couple people who I share the same passion for sports with. My team would tell you that I talk sports more with the 3rd-5th graders we work with in our after school program than with anyone on the team. Pros can attribute to that as when he came to my school just several weeks back, he got into a great conversation with one of my favorite kids on how the Chicago Bulls would improve this off season . Mind you, this kid is in fourth grade but he was dropping names and strategies left and right. Pros, we need to get Kristopher on the blog soon, ok?

I bring up this point of "casual fans" because of all the talk about Kobe Bryant, the leader and superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers. The amount of Kobe haters out there is mind blowing, especially with the recent "holiness" of LeBron James. People love to hate Kobe and there are plenty of things that people point to:

- The rape charges and how he's a horrible human being and an awful family man.
- His past relationship with Shaquille O'Neal and the falling out they had after the 2003-2004 season, along with Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who left the team only to come back about a year later.
- His scoring numbers during the Lakers rebuilding years, people pointing to Kobe as a ball hog and a selfish teammate.

The people who make these statements forget how much they have grown themselves in their own lives. People make mistakes, people do bad, regrettable things, what not. The funny thing when it comes to Kobe is that people take the things from his past and apply it to his life and basketball career right now. It's even harder when Kobe is being compared to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. However, people fail to think about how Michael grew as a player and a human being (if you want to even argue that second part...). Michael filed for divorce several years back with his wife Juanita and there were enough rumors on what exactly prompted that. Couple that with his horrible gambling habits that carry their own juicy stories (year off anyone?) and the fact he too was routinely seen yelling at teammates and coaches, how is Michael any different of a person than Kobe?

Yes, I am a Kobe Bryant fan and I'll tell you why: because this guy has grown up and is the best basketball player I've ever watched, period. I barely remember watching Michael as I wasn't even a huge basketball fan back then. This is not about LeBron versus Kobe or what LeBron will do later in his career. I'm asking people to look at what Kobe has done, is doing, and what he might accomplish in a month's time.

We as fans all too often want to point to an athlete and bring him down as a human being. I find sadness in this as in many ways, they are no different than you and I. Kobe pumps his own gas, he goes to the grocery store, and he cries. Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Team USA basketball came to my school earlier this year to talk with students about the importance of reading. He talked about following your dream as well and then talked about Kobe. Let us remember that this past summer was the first time the grizzled veteran Kobe Bryant got to wear the red, white, and blue for Team USA in the Olympics (he was injured in 2004). Coach K said that when the players were issued the jerseys, all the other players such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul, threw on their jerseys and flashed big smiles, high fiving each other. Kobe did not put his jersey on, instead staring at it and began crying in front of all the guys. It took LeBron and Dwyane Wade to come over and calm him down because he realized he finally got to do something he hadn't done and that he would represent his country in the Olympics.

People need to take a step back when making judgements on people, especially when it comes to athletes and celebrities. It's amazing how quick we are to put a label on people and how those labels stick on certain individuals. It's also about crafting your own argument and not jumping on what others have to say. Weren't we taught at a young age to question what is said and what is around us daily? When it comes to the media and sport, we need to do that. Yes, Kobe is on the verge of accomplishing something special and is about to reach the top of the mountain after being there and being thrown off, some to his own fault. He has battled his way back and has learned how to be a true, all around basketball player, especially after winning the MVP last season for the first time in his career. He always talks about the journey and working hard to attain what he wants, something that few in the NBA do better than him. Let us examine those attributes and his growth and let us think about that while we watch the NBA Finals. If you're gonna say he doesn't pass the ball to his teammates, watch an entire game first. If you're gonna say he is a bad person, try to examine something he might be doing well instead of focusing on the faults. Then let's talk.

Morning Wrap-Up

2009-05-29T09:16:00.013-05:00

Why I love Danny Ainge: During day two of the NBA Predraft Camp this morning, Andy Katz interviewed Boston Celtics G.M. Danny Ainge. Katz spoke to Ainge about his health, after the former Celtic suffered a heart attack over a month ago. Then Katz asked Ainge what he thought of the new predraft format, which went away from the traditional 5-on-5 scrimmage to a NFL-like combine. Good thing to know we're on the same page:

"It's horrible. These next three house are a waste of time. I could be playing golf right now. "

Fantastic

New logo?: Last night Jerry West, whose silhouette is on the NBA's logo, told ESPN's Niel Everett he was open to a possible change to the logo. He said Michael Jordan should be on the new logo. How sick would this look on the NBA logo?

Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" on ESPN radio has a contest to see who can come up with the best MLB logo. It's currently this, but a combination of this, this , this and this would look pretty good.

And of course: LeBron was pretty good, yeah. But four of his teammates scored in double-figures, which is the only reason the Cavs won last night. Game 6 is Orlando's to lose. The pressure has shifted from solely being on Cleveland to being on both teams. Cleveland is expected to win the series, but only eight teams have blown a 3-1 series league in NBA playoff history.

-Pros

Anger in sports? Let's chill folks...

2009-05-28T12:14:00.003-05:00

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Sports, or should I say competition in general brings out the best and worst in people. People who've known me for a while remember how back in junior high gym, I was the person no one wanted on their team. I broke my fair share of badminton rackets and yelled for no reason really, arguing this call, saying this was bogus or that my teammate better get their act together or else. I even remember playing freshmen football and getting a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty for spiking the ball after what I thought was a bad call. Those were the days and people who know me now still might see that competitiveness every once in a while, but I'd like to say I've mellowed out.

If you didn't catch Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano's crazy tantrum yesterday, you must check it out now. This guy might be the most bonkers athlete out there right now and I'm so incredibly proud he is part of my beloved Cubbies...not. Seriously, who else is up there with this guy in terms of crazniess? Would you want to rile this guy up?

I find it quite comical when athletes, coaches, managers, or anyone else associated with sports goes on one of these tirades. I really think to myself if it's all an act or not. Remember that guy who threw the bucket of baseballs on the field? Or any manager getting inches away from an umpire, saying just nonsense the majority of the time? Is this what sports is about? People slam sports figures for being role models but rarely do we point to these foolish behaviors that happen on the field of play.

The anger these guys have built up is insane. I consider myself quite a peaceful person and could never imagine going looney over a play in front of millions of people. Yes, I have acted in some stupid ways but again, I believe I've learned a thing or two over my lifetime and I'm 21 compared to Zambrano who is almost 28. It's one thing if you're Troy Polamalu and you're aggressive on the field playing a position in a sport that demands that aggressiveness. It's another thing if your Milton Bradley or Carlos Zambrano and you lose your head over a call here or there (by the way, that was a good call Z so shut it). I try to imagine myself in these athletes' shoes; knowing I'm being paid millions of dollars to perform and I need to be doing everything I can to be the very best. At the same time however, how does Big Z look at himself after watching how he acted yesterday? Does he say that's just how he is and we need to deal with it? That's how he expresses himself? Hogwash!

Going specifically to Zambrano, yesterday was a prime example why this guy will never be a true ace. I will never feel confident with this guy on the mound in a crucial game. "Mike & Mike" were talking about him this morning with Tim Kurkjian and they all said the same thing. Cubs fans, how can we feel good about this guy? It's people who are mentally unstable like this that make us the butt of jokes. We are lacking the kind of attitude you see of championship teams. Sure, you can point to championship teams littered across the ages and find crazies but those are the anomalies and I'll pass. I'll take a professional team that goes out and competes and that is honorable over a group of maniacs any day of the week.

It's annoying to watch this kind of behavior from a player on one of the teams I support. The public needs to get more on him. If he doesn't want to change his behavior, then I personally don't want him wearing the Cubbie blue. Call me crazy but please don't call me BIG Z crazy.

5/28 Morning Wrap-Up

2009-05-28T08:31:00.006-05:00

Lamar has risen Odom had 19 points and 14 rebounds during the Lakers' Game 5 win. Both numbers are highs in the series. Mike Greenberg said that Odom is the most important player among the final four teams, saying his play most dictates his team's success. In the Lakers' last five playoff loses, Odom hasn't topped 10 points.

Shocker The Memphis men's basketball team has been charged with major NCAA violations from the 2007-08 season under former coach John Calipari. Through the Freedom of Information Act, the Memphis Commercial Appeal obtained a letter detailing the allegations first reported the story Wednesday. The allegations include "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team. The redacted player is Derick Rose, according to a source. Click here for more.

Mr. 300 After six inning, three hits and one earned run, San Francisco Giant pitcher randy Johnson notched his 299th career win. It's very likely that we will never see another 300-win pitcher. Here is a list of notable pitchers "nearing 300."

Randy Johnson -- 299
Mike Mussina -- 270 (still owned by 1.4% ESPN baseball fantasy users)
Jamie Moyer -- 249 (he'll reach 300 at age 51 if he wins 10 games per year)
Andy Pettite -- 219 (mucho mas HGH)
Pedro Martinez -- 214 (if he comes back and can repeat 1997-2000, then yes)
John Smoltz -- 210

Aside from Johnson, none of the above will make it. But the following have a chance.

C.C. Sabathia -- 121 (He's 31. I don't see his body holding up that long)
Johan Santana -- 116 (He's 30. If he keeps up his 15 wins per year average, he'll be 43).

After those two, the future rests on the young guns. SI's Tom Verducci wrote an article in April highlighting baseball's top young pitchers. Will any of these 10 reach 300? My money is on Lincecum. Dominant stuff, no injuries, but will have to get on a team that can give him run support.

-Pros

Lakers/Nuggets Game 5 — beyond the game

2009-05-27T21:01:00.044-05:00

I haven't missed a night of the NBA since I moved to Hartford for the summer. I usually just zone out in the third quarter, but for the rest of tonight's game (it's halftime), I'll share with you what's going on in my big head.

Final Lakers took care of business. Off to Denver. Thanks for reading!

1:02, Fourth Kobe's eighth assist was as pretty as they come. Surprised how he has played this quarter, but that was a great pass.

2:24, Fourth That was the most contact I've seen all playoffs without a foul being called. And guess what? That was a lot more enjoyable to watch. Got to love when the NBA cross-promotes with movies.

3:04, Fourth Gasol has a season-high five blocks. He has four blocks twice in the playoffs and never had more than three in the regular season. Classic Odom: pretty good game, misses two free throws.

4:02, Fourth The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off. The wheels on the bus are falling off, blah blah blah blah blah. Kobe, where are you? There's Fisher, finally.

4:58, Fourth What's weirder? there's less than five minutes left in a must-win Game 5 and Kobe has 10 field goal attempts or that Shannon Brown is still in the game?

7:03, Fourth Who would have thought that two straight plays going into Gasol would result in a field goal and two free throws? Call me crazy. These LeBron/Kobe commercials are just hilarious.

Kobe: LeBron! Who is it?

LeBron: That was Mrs. Lewis from downstairs. She says you ain't got no defense!

Double negative?

8:54, Fourth Another example of NBA inconsistencies. Anthony destroys Kobe and no flagrant. Not that I think there should have been, but refs have been calling plays like that as flagrants. And yes, I know Jack is there, no need to show him after every play, especially since I can see him during every play because he sits right next to George Karl.

9:42, Fourth: OH MY. Hello Lamar Odom! The Birdman just got owned. Speaking of Andersen, if the Nuggets lose, it's his fault. He doesn't have the mohawk. Instead, he went back to the middle school/high school look of gelling up the front part of your hair. "The Hangover" looks fantastic. Any movie with Mike Tyson, the smart guy from National Treasure and Andy from The Office, plus a Tiger and a funny looking fat kid sounds good to me.

End of Third: J.R. Smith has matured before our very eyes. He has gone from solely shooting 3-pointers to being able to drive and dish. And instead of forcing a low-percentage shot from under the hoop a moment ago, he kicked it out. He's still inconsistent, but he's getting there. Alright, Kobe clearly took the "I'm going to defer to my teammates route" tonight (18 points on eight field goal attempts), but that will change soon. I know coaches hate the interviews in between quarters, but Phil Jackson hates them the most, no question.

Hugh Hefner: Did that really just happen on ESPN?

3:53, Third: That's the second time tonight the refs have made a poor offensive foul call. Earlier Billups was called for one on Ariza and Kobe was just called for one. Although Van Gundy said Smith was "clearly" there in time, he was leaning in. OK, this is getting weird. The Nuggets just committed their fourth straight turnover, and LeBron had eight last night. No one told me this was "Derrick Rose Impersonation Day." Sorry, I had to.

5:46, Third: Gasol says not to Jones and being denied by Andersen earlier. Lakers are down five, which means Kobe is going to start smelling blood shortly.

7:58, Third: Everyone from ESPN writers to the woman on the corner has been complaining about NBA referees. Well here's the solution: let the players ref themselves. Each team will appoint one, level-headed player to accomplish this. For example, Dahntay Jones would not be one of those player, but Billups would. For the Lakers, Kobe is too competitive to objectively call fouls, but Fisher would be perfect. The players know what is a foul and what isn't a foul better than the referees, so let them do it.

Facial Hair: Everyone knows of Chris Andersen's hair, but there seems to be a trend of Jafar-esque looks. ESPN is interviewing Rashard Lewis right now, and he's getting there, but no one comes close to the Celtics' Kendrik Perkins. Gross. Speaking of Perkins, I cannot recall one smile from the Celtics/Bulls series. He has jumped into my "Top 5 People I Don't Want to Meet in an Alley."

Hockey Update: Hawks just lost. I don't know what to feel. Do I care? Yes? Hmmmm....still trying to figure this sport out.

Halftime: I'm going to be really disappointed if Kobe can't pull through in this series. Not only do I want to see LeBron and Kobe in the Finals, I want more puppets. Mike Breen said Derek Fisher had "10 good points" in the first half. I wonder what "10 bad points: looks like. Regardless, Fisher hit double-digits for the first time since Game 1. Vujacic hit a big three to end the half. The only way the Lakers win tonight is if they get production outside of Kobe. 27 from Fisher, Byrun and Odom is a good start, but this brings me to the biggest question of the series: Paul Gasol. How does the best big man on the court have four field goal attempts at the half? Coming into the game, Kobe had 98, Gasol had 40. Gasol had 55 in the first four games of the Houston series.

I'm really curious to try Domino's bread bowl pastas. They can't be that bad? Right? Eh.

Earlier, Mark Jackson proved his worth once again. After Chauncey Billups started the game with a 3-pointer and a good dish to his teammate, Jackson commented that is starting strong because his team is facing the pressure, which makes him a great leader. No doubt Billups is a great leader (Chauncey + watching Kobe over the summer = Carmelo Anthony's development), but explain to me how the Nuggets have all the pressure? A) They're on the road, B) They are the lower seed, C) They aren't favored to win, D) They haven't been to the NBA Finals since 1976, E) THEY'RE THE NUGGETS.

Stop complaining, let's watch greatness be defined!

2009-05-27T20:43:00.005-05:00

Follow me on Twitter.

I wish someone knocked some sense into me in high school regarding my sleeping habits. While I now have a job that requires me to wake up at 5:30am, I've begun to fall into bad habits sleeping wise. I've been incredibly disciplined the majority of the year but the NBA Playoffs are bringing out the lazy part of me. However, last night, after going out to dinner with my girlfriend and her beautiful family, I told myself I'd go straight to the sack and pass out. And that's exactly what I did, in bed proudly at 10pm on the dot. Thank you.

I then wake up at 5:30am to a text message from one of my friends saying exactly this:

"LeBron is still on a holy mission, the rest of the team isn't. All great players need a Scottie Pippen. Mo Williams ain't no Scottie Pippen."

Laughs and eyebrow raises courtesy of @Soysaucer1, follow him for some funny stuff.

So yeah, I missed the game and I quickly read up on it and watched the highlights on my computer this morning. I haven't missed a game or an ending this playoffs but forgive me, my health was the prevailing need last night. And yes, I felt greatttt this morning. It's amazing how one can put sports on the backburner of things in life, right? The day has come, thank you again!

The result of the game last night is one I was not surprised by. Orlando has played fantastic this series and the mismatches they have in their favor compared to Cleveland are ridiculous, I've been saying that all along since watching how they came out hard in game one.

I heard Colin Cohwerd say yesterday the Lakers aren't as good of a "team" as we all want them to be but I don't buy that, yet at least. I do however wonder why people haven't said this about LeBron's crew. LeBron is doing what Kobe did several years back, shouldering the load of scoring in a "holy" way if you will. Kobe might be doing that a little out west and yes, that might be the reason they are deadlocked at 2-2, but the Lakers have showed why people think they are the favorites to win. The talent they have dwarfs any team in the NBA really. Oh yeah, let's feed Gasol the ball a bit more.

It's funny reading what people are writing online about Kobe versus LeBron, seeing all these commercials through Nike and Vitamin Water, and seeing a special that ESPN made on "The Dream Season: 23 & 24." I kept telling people this media blitz would get amped up beyond belief if we got that matchup but what are we thinking now with Orlando up 3-1? Will Adidas and Nike team up to make new puppet commercials with Dwight and Kobe? Ha, that would be something. I want a new puppet commercial with Kobe showing a new mixtape of LeBron's teammates being "unholy."

Some people are saying it's a poor decision for ESPN and Nike to be doing all this showcasing of LeBron and Kobe, especially since enough people believe the NBA "fixes" their games for better viewership (check out this interesting read by Sam Smith). While officiating is always questionable, I don't buy it. We wouldn't have seen Golden State beat Dallas several years back and the Clippers wouldn't have won the draft lottery. Let it go people. The question marks people have on this stuff and the anger that comes with them takes up more of the arguments than deciding who is truly the better team or who the better player is. It's a waste of time, let it go. Just do a quick search on Twitter and you'll be quickly laughing. Watch the games as what they are: entertainment. To say the games aren't entertaining is anyone's prerogative, that's cool. To get overly caught up in the officiating or the "fixing" aspect is dumb in my humble opinion. Let us watch greatness be defined people and then let's have some friendly debates.

Yes, we're back....

2009-05-27T09:10:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone who is still subscribed. Please tell people they can subscribe via email or via RSS reader, both on the right. We will also be setting up a Twitter account so if you aren't TWEETING, get an account. Right now, I'm @guptafour and Pros is @Peeeeeeeej. Alwayssss a pleasure!

Morning Wrap-Up

2009-05-27T08:35:00.005-05:00

Cavs/Magic -- If Todd from SNL's Superfans was a Magic fan, his heart attack count would be at 14 after LBJ missed a 35-footer to give Orlando a commanding 3-1 series lead. LeBron has scored 40+ in each of Cleveland's three loses, so the man is frustrated. He committed eight turnovers, something he did just once during the regular season, with the majority coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. Translation? LeBron's frustration with his teammates is drawing parallels to Kareem's in "Airplane!" He's the best player on the planet and he's on the verge of bowing out before the NBA Finals with a better team than when he made the finals in 2007.

Greinke -- Juan Marichal can't be too happy right now. Kansas City star Zack Greinke is the first pitcher to sport a sub-1.00 ERA after 10 starts since Marichal did it for the San Francisco Giants in 1966. Greinke is now 8-1 with an .84 ERA. He threw his fifth complete game of the season last night in the Royals' 6-1 win over the Tigers.

Watch that foot -- Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones was given a flagrant foul1 by league officials after his intentional trip of Kobe Bryant in Game 4 on Monday night. But the story here is that the flagrant fives Jones three flagrant-foul points, and if a player exceeds three flagrant-foul points, he receives an automatic one-game ban. Jones has played just 65 minutes in the series, but his energy and aggressiveness has helped feed the Nuggets' success. Although Denver hasn't won games because of Jones, he's not someone the Nuggets want to lose.

Quote of the Night -- LeBron James: "The ball is in my hand a lot and I may have a few turnovers, but I have to figure out how to not have eight. Eight is unacceptable for me. Fatigue has nothing to do with it."

The GP Show is BACK!

2009-05-27T08:12:00.002-05:00

After a nine-month hiatus, Goop n' Pros have returned. Goop has spent the last year working at City Year, while Pros is spending the summer at ESPN in Bristol.

We'll bring you a variety of posts this summer, so make sure you check the site!

Green Bay's Circus

2008-08-05T09:59:00.004-05:00

After doing my daily dose of reading ESPN and listening to the radio, I get the feeling No. 4 isn't going to be in Green Bay much longer. Favre and head coach Mike McCarthy met last last for multiple hours discussing Favre's future and what the flight from Mississippi was like. Mike Greenberg made a great point today. Favre doesn't want to be a distraction and Green Bay doesn't want one. Favre wants to go to Minnesota but Green Bay doesn't want to trade him there. So who gives first? How long will Favre hold a clipboard before he breaks and becomes an even bigger distraction and how long until Green Bay cracks?

My guess is that Favre isn't wearing a Green Bay uniform for much longer. At some point McCarthy and the rest of the management has to come to a sound decision and either get rid of Favre or open up the quarterback competition for real (which would go back on everything they have said since Favre first scratched his itch and be more hypocritical than when Bobby Knight joined ESPN.

I think Favre will be donning another jersey by the end of this week/start of next week. Many disagree and say he'll eventually cave in and go back to Mississippi where he has mastered the art of throwing passes to high school wideouts. But the circus usually only lasts about a week, and we are officially in Day Two of Favre in Green Bay.

Complete world domination by TEAM USA, let's go!

2008-08-05T09:48:00.004-05:00

Where to begin?

- Only a couple of days away from "The REDEEM Team," Team USA Basketball, beginning their quest for complete domination of the entire planet Earth (seriously). I hope other basketball fans are as jacked as I am. Sunday nightwill be a beautiful sight as we get to see the host nation China go down as the first official loser by Team USA Basketball in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Wake up after a afternoon nap, fire up a pot of coffee, and enjoy some biscuits and gravy for this one because it will be morning in China. Oh yeah, George W. is making an appearance, cool. Is Mike Greenberg of "Mike & Mike in the Morning" that far off saying that Kobe Bryant will outscore an entire nation during the gold medal run? Don't be surprised, really. The amazing combination of Bryant, LeBron, Wade, and Melo might outscore the whole tourney field. Maybe. Anyone wanna buy me a KOBE Team USA jersey? With the glossy back and all, no exceptions. Next to Michael Phelps being a super-freak, this is the story of the Olympics for me. Not too late to jump on the bandwagon, realize the importance of this for basketball sports fans.

- NBA commissioner David Stern must be loving this idea of "globalization." With Josh Childress leaving for Greece, more news from Europe is percolating. Word is that the same team that signed Childress for a $20 million deal is contemplating a run at KING LeBron James in 2010, when he becomes a free agent. Since there is no salary cap in European basketball, the billionaire group that backs Greece based basketball team Olympiacos can throw any amount of money at James, say $40 million? That's about $20 million than any NBA team can offer given a max contract situation (which James warrants, right?). Why stop at $40 million? Throw a billion and let LeBron's quest to a billionaire athlete come to a quick stop. The dude had dinner with Bill Gates the other night. Are you serious? Most NBA fans might think it's nuts even imagining LeBron playing in Europe. Let's dissect this a little more though. All these European contracts include opt-outs after each season, meaning LeBron could leave whenever he wants to. He will only be 25 in 2010, meaning he could play for one year in Europe, increase his global marketing (which is clearly one of his goals), and then come back in time for the Brooklyn Nets' new stadium, poppin' the campaign with his boy Jay-Z. The competition would be nothing for LeBron overseas, he could dominate and it'd be less physically demanding. He'd come back to the NBA in a huge market and be right where he left off. This one's not over folks, stay tuned...

- Glad to see the football talk really heating up the last week or so. Thursday night marks the first Chicago Bears pre-season game and the start of the watch for the first offensive touchdown of the season. What's the over/under for that, two weeks? One month? Don't hold your breath. To think the NFL continues to charge fans FULL PRICE for exhibition games is something I will never completely grasp. Then again, there are many things like that in our world and specifically in the world of sports. I digress. I've been back and forth on the Bears QB blunder all off-season but I'm here to say I have subscribed to the Kyle "Get me some Jack" Orton fan club. The guy might not light it up in practice but when game day comes, he instills confidence in me, unlike the Sex Cannon Rex Grossman. As a fan who stuck with Rexy from the get-go, I am letting go finally, deep into the ocean Titanic style. Something has been missing between the ears and while I believe he can still be a quality backup, current starting quarterback in the NFL is clearly off his resume. The offense doesn't have to do THAT much considering Hester will put them around the 50 yard line every time. Come on boys, expectations are low and that means you can SURPRISE people. Isn't that a chip on a shoulder?

- Lastly, a shout-out to the White Sox brethren out there. It must be FANTASTIC to watch your team just put the division title on a plate, sprinkle some garlic on it, and just HAND IT OVER. It ain't over till it's over, but boy is that alarm ringing loud. At the same time, this is the beauty of baseball once again. A little more than a week ago, every voice listened to on Chicago sports radio was saying how the Cubs have peaked and the Brewers are doing what is expected. Fast-forward to last night when Prince Fielder nearly ate Manny Parra, well, the Cubbies are five games in front for the division lead. Do we dare forget the tragedy of the 2007 New York Mets? Baseball is the most up and down sport. Not sure how sports commentators can go through an entire summer of one extreme to the next. Us fans take it to another level. Let's take a deep breath and make some popcorn. These division races are gonna be interesting. I want it closer than most people. I like the competition and believe in the idea of momentum. Some disagree, but this is one man's opinion. I for one am rooting for the White Sox for the sole reason that I don't have to listen White Sox fans' BS all post-season if and when the Cubs make it to the post-season. It's the truth, live it.

A moment to laugh at other people: Next time someone messes up your SANDWICH order, instead of just walking around in circles, yelling, and complaining like my mother, do with this dude did and dial 911. OKAY.

LIVE Trade Deadline Updates

2008-07-31T09:50:00.034-05:00

With the trade deadline fast approaching (3 p.m.CST), stay tuned to thegpshow.com for your up-to-the-minute updates. Share your feelings about the deadline deals by leaving a comment below.

3:58: FINALLY. ESPN.com and SI.com are reporting that Manny is gone and off to the L.A. Dodgers. The aforementioned Jason Bay deal was false, as Bay is going to Boston in this deal. The Pirates will get third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher Bryan Morris from L.A., while Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hansen also go to Pittsburgh. The final two years of $20 million club options were dropped and the Red Sox will pick up the remaining $7 million salary. Ramirez can now become a free agent this winter.

3:00: That's all folks. Manny wasn't dealt, very surprising. Red Sox keep one of the best hitters in the game but unless they can deal with the angry hitter, it could get ugly in the future. The most noticeable move of the day is clearly the Griffey trade and it's unclear at this point whether the Bay deal is in fact true. Stay tuned for an update on that. Thanks for checking in!

2:55: ESPN reports that left-handed setup man and former Cub Will Ohman is staying put in Atlanta, and the same can be said for Raul Ibanez in Seattle. Rhodes looks to be the only bullpen arm dealt today.

2:39: Cbssportsline.com is reporting that Tampa Bay has acquired Pittsburgh Pirate Jason Bay for Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann. Tampa Bay has not confirmed this report yet. The latter two are prospects but Bay adds lots of power to the Rays' lineup.

2:29: SI.com is reporting that the Boston/Florida/Pittsburgh deal has lost steam and the Dodgers are making a run at Ramirez, after initially showing interest late last night. It reports: "Boston is believed to prefer ultra-talented outfielder Matt Kemp in exchange for Ramirez, but, according to people familiar with the talks, the Dodgers have offered young outfielder Andrew Ethier, but one source is saying the Dodgers may now prefer to keep Ethier and offer prospects instead." Either way, whoever wants Manny better hurry up.

1:56: According to ESPN.com, Colorado is going to hold onto lefty Brian Fuentes, someone the Cubs were eyeing. If the Cubs don't make any moves, it means they are confident enough that Kerry Wood, who pitched a simulated game today, is going to make a return sooner than later. But you also have to look at the recent success of pitcher Jeff Samardzija as another reason GM Jim Hendry may feel content at this point.

1:37: The Marlins acquired Seattle relief pitcher Arthur Rhodes for pitching prospect Gaby Hernandez. He goes from the worst team in baseball to a pennant race, not a bad deal. With less than an hour-and-a-half before the deadline, there hasn't been much going on. Hopefully we aren't disappointed and another trade deadline passes with no major moves, but it's hard to believe Boston doesn't deal Manny before 3 p.m.

12:27: Thoughts on Griffey. Griffey is a "Big" name but this isn't a "Big" signing by any means of the imagination. After listening to ESPN Radio 1000 and reading Mike Downey's article, people are blinded by his history and believe that just because he's a first ballot Hall of Famer and has over 608 homeruns that the Sox are getting the old Ken Griffey Jr. But Sox fans, you're not. He's a mediocre power hitter and average outfielder right now, at best. This deal will only be deemed a success if he can produce for the remaining two months of the season before he heads elsewhere.

12:18: Nothing major to report, but I've heard from a few different outlets that the Cubs are eying All-Star Milton Bradley. Chicago would have to give up some good talent to get Bradley, but he would bring a big left-handed bat to the team and a crazy head. There was also talk that the A's were looking to unload Huston Street from their bullpen, but that seems to be dead.

10:34: The man who is behind the greatest video game all-time is coming to Chicago. Griffey has agreed to the trade and will suit up for the White Sox pending league approval, which shouldn't be a problem. The Sox will send infielder Danny Richar and pitcher Nick Masset to the Reds, according to cbssportsline.com.

10:20: As I write this, Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is deciding whether to accept a trade that brings him to the Chicago White Sox. Griffey, who is on a 12-game hitting streak, has never played in a World Series and approving this trade gives the 38-year old a legitimate chance to reach the holy land of baseball and gives the White Sox an extra left-handed bat. Griffey won't play centerfield everyday as his knees can't support such a move from right, but he will likely get the nod against righties. This move will likely take away at-bats from struggling team captain Paul Konerko and add to a logjam in the outfield, which could do more bad than good internally for the White Sox. But in the end, a left-handed power bat is always an important piece for any team, let alone one striving for a pennant, and Kenny Williams once proves he isn't afraid to make a move right before the trading deadline.

ESPN's Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark both believe Manny Ramirez is likely to be traded, mainly because, according to Manny, the Red Sox "don't deserve me." Whatever. It looks like Florida and Pittsburgh will help to complete this deal, but Florida may be reluctant to give up top prospect Mike Stanton. Many believe trading Ramirez is the wrong thing to do, but if the Red Sox can add Jason Bay in exchange for a disgruntled outfielder, I wouldn't be too angry (remember that the Red Sox won the 2004 WS after trading away Nomar at the deadline).

The Rays and Reds are expected to continue talks this morning regarding a deal that would send Reds' slugger Adam Dunn to Tampa Bay. But that seems to be their backup plan, as the Rays are eyeing Pittsburgh's Jason Bay as their primary target.

It doesn't look like Seattle Mariner Jarrod Washburn will be a Yankee anytime soon.

Talks about Greg Maddux to the Dodgers also looked to be stalled. The Hall of Famer told the Padres that he only wants to be traded to a West Coast team (who can blame him, the NL West is soooo good).

Deng Deal Done

2008-07-30T19:56:00.008-05:00

With a deal in place, Luol Deng should officially be a Chicago Bull through the 2014 season. The six-year, $71 million deal "includes incentives that could increase the total value to $80 million," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Bulls had to finalize the deal before Monday when Deng leaves for the European Championships as part of the British team.

That all happened this morning, so now comes the fun part. Is this deal ultimately good for the Bulls?

Prior to the 2007-08 season, Chicago offered the small forward a five-year, $57.5 million deal and his numbers declined this season as he played just 63 games. Critics will say that they overpaid and succumbed to Deng's willingness to sign a one-year tender and become an unrestricted free agent after the season, which would result in Deng likely not wearing a Bulls uniform in 2009. But I think the money was well spent. The first reason is that no one on the Bulls had a good year last year. The team severely underachieved (if there has ever been an understatement, that's it) and went through a bad situation with former head coach Scott Skiles. The second is that since 2004, Deng has been the team's most consistent player. He's proven to be an efficient scorer, rebounder, tough defender and shoots a fairly good percentage from the field. The third is that he no doubt has the potential to be an All-Star and I was confident that last year would be his breakout year. But with all the above distractions, including an unknown future, I'm optimistic that Deng has had his worst season.

Deng's deal also affects the one of Ben Gordon. His agent, Raymond Brothers, believes his client should be the highest paid player on the team since he scores the most. Unfortunately, Mr. Brothers, you fail to recognize that Gordon lacks a certain necessary skill: defense. Anytime the Bulls played a team with two legitimate starting guards, his inability to play any sort of on-the-ball defense immediately put the Bulls behind the eight ball. Sure he can score with the best of them and is one of the best streak shooters in the league. But that's it. He cannot handle the ball, he turns it over far too often, and once again, he doesn't play defense. The Bulls should either sign Gordon to a one-year qualifying offer after which he would be an unrestricted free agent or they should sign and trade the guard. I like the latter better, which Gordon would have to approve.

You may be wondering why the Bulls just don't offer Gordon a deal that would make him the team's highest paid player. Well, that would force the Bulls to pay Gordon $13 million per season and put the Bulls near the luxury-tax threshold. And if you know anything about owner Jerry Reinsdorf, he wants nothing to do with going over the salary crap, one reason why the Bulls turn the highest profit of all NBA teams, but also the reason why they are reluctant to offer big-time contracts to multiple players. And as much grief as Paxson will take for this contract to Deng, paying Gordon more would create utter chaos, and give me a heart attack.

I have said from the beginning that I wanted the Bulls to keep Deng and ship Gordon away. They accomplished part one with what the Bulls hope can be a cornerstone of their franchise and someone they can count on for 20/7/3 for the next six years. But will they go through with part two? Stay tuned.

Cubs vs. Brewers, Game 2

2008-07-30T11:55:00.004-05:00

Monday it was the seventh inning and Tuesday it was the sixth that proved to be the difference maker at Miller Park. The Cubs rallied off six straight hits and scored five runs in the inning, on their way to a 7-1 victory. Chicago secured a split in the four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers and easily took down Brewer ace Ben Sheets. Aramis Ramirez went 4-for-5 with three doubles and Cub ace Carlos Zambrano pitched a gem: 8 IP, 0 ER and 9 SO. Kosuke Fududome broke the game open with a two-run triple in the sixth, and seemed to look relieved after arriving at third. His triple was just his fifth extra-base hit of the month and first since July 20.

It would be easy for the Cubs to sit back, have an emotional letdown and lose the next two games since they just topped the Brewers' two aces. But the Cubs have to get greedy and at least take one of the next two. The psychological gain of defeating two of the game's best pitches would be all but wiped away if the Cubs can't get a win from either Dempster or Harden. No one predicted a sweep, but if the Cubs take care of business tonight and tomorrow afternoon, the Cubs will have a five-game lead over Milwaukee.

Zambrano must be considered a serious pick for the NL Cy Young. Brandon Webb (14-4, 3.14 ERA) is likely leading the charge now, but he is pitching in quite possibly the worst division in MLB history. Early possibilities Tim Limcecum (11-3, 2.78) and Edinson Volquez (12-4, 2.77) have had sub-par months of July and don't play for contenders. There's also the possibility that CC (Charleston Chew, as I like to call him) Sabathia could make a run if he continues his already dominant stint in the NL (4-1, 8 ER in five starts, three CG). Zambrano has given up seven ER in the month of July and is 4-1 in his last five starts. Barring injury, he will likely pitch 10-12 more times, and if he continues to pitch at this level, reaching the 20-win plateau is not unlikely.

Ryan Dempster goes up against Manny Parra tonight as Dempster goes for his second-straight road win. Gametime is 7 p.m. on ESPN - hope for Erin Andrews.

Cubs vs. Brewers, Game 1

2008-07-29T09:49:00.005-05:00

Last night was as close to a playoff atmosphere a team can get without playing in October. With at least 40 percent of the fans cheering for the Cubs, Chicago was able to break CC Sabathia's three-game complete game streak and take game one of the series. Ted Lilly pitched had retired nine-in-a-row before he felt it was necessary to float a curveball right down the middle to the "Hammerin' Hebrew," Ryan Braun in the sixth. Braun's homerun was the second of five consecutive Brewer hits and shifted the momentum to Milwaukee. But with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh, Derrick Lee, who has been called "DP" recently, hit a groundball to short and it looked like the Cubs would strand three. But a hard slide into second by Reed Johnson forced Ricky Weeks to commit a throwing error and the Cubs scored two. After a homerun by Russell Branyan in the bottom half of the inning, Lee came up in the top of the ninth with runners on first and second. Despite his recent struggles, Lee doubled to deep right and scored Soriano from second. An infield single by DeRosa scored Fontenot later in the inning. I don't think i've ever felt so unsafe with a 6-4 lead. Wood is on the DL and that means Marmol gets the chance to close out the game. I was convinced he was going to find a way to blow this one, but he faced just four batters and struck out two. Hooray!

Besides Soriano's big night (2-4, HR) and Lee's possible resurrection (3-5, 3 RBI), there were two plays that really stuck out to me. The first was Johnson's slide in the seventh. It's a play that won't show up on the scorecard but it's a perfect example of why he has been so valuable to this team. He doesn't hit for power and hits around. 280, but he plays all out and is the type of role player team's need come September. The second was even less obvious. In the bottom of the third Weeks was on first when Ted Lilly tried to pick him off at first. Weeks took off for second and Ronny Cedeno missed Lee's throw and the ball rolled into the outfield. One would think Weeks would make an immediate jump for third base, but Theriot acted like he had the ball and stuck out his glove towards Weeks. Theriot's play kept Weeks at second with Hardy and Braun due up next. His intelligence on the diamond is a reason why he is arguably the team's most valuable player.

Tonight's game features Ben Sheets and Carlos Zambrano and should be awesome. Both pitched well against the other team this season, and you can count of Big Z doing something emotionally questionably tonight, seeing as there will be 40,000 + on the road in a big series. Maybe a few hits to the chest, a la Kevin Garnett? Game time set for 7:05, be there.

Notes: Have you seen a worse head shot? If so, include it in the comments section below.
Baltimore Orioles CF Adam Jones - very photogenic.

Detroit Officially Re-Named "Brawl City"

2008-07-23T09:39:00.016-05:00

Words cannot describe this, just watch:

What were you thinking?
1) Candace Parker is awesome
2) Detroit Shock coach Bill Laimbeer has a nice comb over
3) The WNBA just boosted it's number of season ticket holders ten-fold
4) Cheryl Ford can join the "Milton Bradley Club for People Who Get Hurt During Times of Madness," (see Bradley's torn ACL while arguing with umpire)
5) Shock assistant and former Piston Rick Mahorn either pushed or restrained L.A. Spark Lisa Leslie which caused her to fall. If it's the former and Leslie goes to the media angry, uh oh...
6) David Stern is behind this.

Either way, that was awesome.
In other news...

The Cubs have now lost four of five games since the All-Star break, while hitting just .206 accompanied by 13 runs, nine walks and 35 strikeouts. It's no coincidence that these games have taken place on the road. Despite having the third-best overall record in the majors, the Cubs are just 21-30 on the road, second-worst among division leaders. Thankfully I have the solution to the Cubs offensive road woes. On Mac, Jurko and Harry yesterday, Jurko spoke of a time he got wasted before a practice while trying to make the Miami Dolphins team. He was worried that he wouldn't make it through practice, but an experienced teammate told him to just focus on the fundamentals and he'll have the best practice of his life. And by golly that's exactly what happened. Problem solved.

Josh Childress is jumping from the NBA to Europe, not the other way around. If teammate Josh Smith signs elsewhere, Childress would have had a good chance to start next season, but he is taking a 3-year guaranteed contract worth over the $20 million originally expected to play with the Olympiakos of Greece. This comes as a shock to most, but you can't blame the guy. He'll be the best player on his team, earn more money than in the states and he gets to live in Greece for a few years. Despite the language barrier which will likely be troublesome, Smith will become an immediate celebrity. This begs the question, is the NBA entering a dangerous time? With the Euro's worth heavily outweighing that of the dollar, players who cannot get the big-time contracts may start heading to Europe, but it's nothing the NBA needs to be worried about, yet. When players like guard Juan Carlos Navarro and forward Bostjan Nachbar leave for Europe, it's really no big deal. When Childress leaves, it becomes a bigger issue because he's an impact player for an up-and-coming team. In reality, since this is their job, these players value money over competition and Stern can't fix the American economy. But not until an All-Star caliber players leave for Europe does the NBA really need to start fretting. Fortunately for David Stern, the one man who would be crazy enough to do such a thing just signed a six-year $111 million deal to stay in America, Gilbert Arenas.

Finally, I'd like to share my frustration with you on a yesterday's column by Jay Mariotti. Although he's annoying and has a similar case of the "screams" as Steven A. Smith, I have always thought Mariotti to be a great writer with a strong, rational opinion. Although he and Brian Urlacher publicly feuded before, this is just dumb:

"He isn't Butkus. He isn't Singletary. Which means he isn't a legend -- nor will he ever be. Brian Urlacher is a joystick attacker and tireless maker of TV ads at a time when fast and sleek sells, all the more convenient when he's the star of middle linebacker theater in Chicago. But to suggest he's an all-time great is to ignore his performance dips and off-field warts."

Clearly there is something personal behind Mariotti's opening paragraph, but this is simply inaccurate. In eight seasons Urlacher has been to six Pro Bowls and is a four-time First Team All-Pro. In 12 seasons Singletary was selected to ten Pro Bowls and was a seven-time First Team All-Pro. Optimistically, Urlacher can still reach those numbers. In terms of "performance dips," Urlacher has been the cornerstone of the Bears defense since 2000, playing in every game except the seven he missed in 2004. That year aside, he has accumulated over 115 tackles in every season and has eight (eight!) interceptions over the past two seasons. He also had 10 tackles in Super Bowl XLI, by the way. I guess I missed the boat when making commercials was a bad thing and counted against ones legacy. And in terms of "off-field warts," he definitely hasn't had the best showing, but he's never been arrested or sent to jail like other recent Bears. And since when did a players off-the-field image matter when determining onces greatness? MJ? Kobe? A-Rod?!?! Both have had their fair share of nasty events, but in the end, MJ is still the greatest player of all-time, Kobe is currently the best player in the league and once A-Rod hits his 800th homerun, no one will care if there really is a sex-tape or not. The fact is Urlacher is the face of this franchise, has been a top middle linebacker since he entered the league and when you ask a Bears fan to name the best middle linebackers in Bears' history, it's "Butkus, Singletary and Urlacher."

Let's play some catch-up Chicago fans, shall we?

2008-07-21T21:09:00.004-05:00

Busy last couple of days in the sports world for Chicago. Where do we start?

• News late in the night was that Brian Urlacher and the Bears h ave agreed on a restructured contract, one that includes a one-year extension. Next to Cedric Benson's lack of intelligence, this has been the story of the off-season and has divided Bear fans over what they think of Brian and how he has handled this situation (maybe compared to his teammate, Tommie Harris). Whatever, it is over and we can move on. Urlacher is happy and so should fans. I was pretty critical of Urlacher early on but we have made up. Teams mend fences all the time over contract, personnel, and management decisions (think Kobe and Michael Strahan most recently). His teammates love him and have pulled for him, much like he has in the past for others (remember him sporting a No. 55 jersey last year during OTA's?) Hopefully he comes to camp as fresh as ever and produces as he did near the end of last season. He was left off the Pro Bowl roster because of the body of work last season but his play down the stretch merited a spot. This also shows how many Bears management has changed their image when it comes to being cheap, sorta. I don't know if this is the lovely old Virginia McCaskey's work or Ted Phillips or our favorite goon Jerry Angelo. Sure, they don't go out and make the big free-agent splashes like some teams do, but they reward in-house first and foremost. Within the last several years, us Bears fans have not really seen a big name player on this team walk away with us fuming. Next in line for a contract? The Windy City Flyer, AKA Devin Hester. Let's hope I'm not eating my words soon...

• No word out of Bulls camp since the rumors started late last week of a Luol Deng for Tayshaun Prince swap. Bulls fan, remember: we won't be hearing anything from their camp until Deng and Gordon's contract situations resolve. Our friend Chuck Swirsky, the new radio play-by-play man for the Bulls, responded to my inquiry about the possible trade quite simply:

"Money is always an issue..always..."

At the same time, it still is so shocking how far apart the sides are on negotiations. Things will heat up soon. If you haven't checked out Chuck's new feature on Bulls.com, "Chuck Checks In," you are missing out on a very fun read. Read more...

• How about the Blackhawks making some more noise during the summer? The deal was finalized to bring hockey in the form of the Blackhawks versus the Detroit Red Wings outdoors at Wrigley Field January 1st. Bowl games? Bear football in the winter? Forget it all! This is gonna get this town QUITE rowdy. Count me in on the bandwagon. I for one will do my best to follow hockey this year, now available on TV and radio. Anybody wanna split season tickets and get a shot at these outdoor tickets? EMAIL ME NOW (just kidding, sorta).

• A shout-out to basketball fans out there: have you been noticing these HUGE offers from European teams to NBA players? The Brandon Jennings story has made the front page of every sports publication it seems but it's getting crazier. Josh Childress is seriously considering an offer from a Greek team, reported at three-years for $20 million. WOW. Bostjan Nachbar, a forward for the New Jersey Nets the past year accepted an offer from Dynamo Moscow for three-years, a little more than $14 million. And four other NBA players have already jetted, including Carlos Delfino, Jorge Garbajosa, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, and Juan Carlos Navarro. Is this a trend we should be keeping tabs on? The Euro is doing great compared to the American dollar and many of these players are getting offers from teams that will cover their taxes. Pros, get your tail over to Tel Aviv and start practicing my friend, I think you have a shot.

If you haven't subscribed, please do so on the right on the site. It's the easiest way to stay up-to-date with what Pros and I are writing. Thanks for the support everyone, it has been great so far, really!

The Prince to The Chi?

2008-07-18T14:20:00.001-05:00

According to multiple sources, the stagnant talks between Bulls forward Luol Deng and owner Jerry Reinsdorf may force Chicago to move the 23-year old forward. A swap with Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince is the hot rumor as of right now, as both teams would benefit from the deal. Detroit acquires a more aggressive and offensive minded forward, while Chicago gains leadership and experience to a team that could definitely use both.

I don’t mean to toot my own horn (well, yes I do), but did I not call this? (The Dail Lama Himself, 6/14/08).

I’m opposed to this deal at the moment. The Bulls certainly could use someone with recent finals experience because lord knows head coach Vinny Del Negro doesn’t have any, but before last year, Deng’s potential for stardom was growing and he was going to break through. Last year stalled that development, but it’s unfair to blame it all on Deng. Management screwed up and who would have though a headband could lead to such a tumultuous season. Unless Prince has an enormous inferiority complex and simply refused to take over games because of his older and more experienced teammates, the former Kentucky Wildcat has all but reached his peak. He’s still a very good player, but Deng still has room to grow.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Ruptured spleen and all coming to Chicago?

2008-07-16T17:12:00.002-05:00

Reports are starting to come out that Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Chris Simms will soon be released by the team. Head coach Jon Gruden and Simms have had a poor relationship that was capped off a few months ago with Simms saying he wants out. A trade still remains possible but unlikely as most teams at this point are not interested in giving up a draft pick for a guy that will ride the bench for this season and possibly beyond. The Bucs seem to be asking for a first-day pick. Um, no.

The Tampa Tribune is reporting the Chicago Bears are among the teams interested if Simms is released. ESPN's John Clayton was on ESPN Radio 1000's "Mac, Jurko & Harry" today and said he believes the Bears will actively pursue Simms if and when released. That said, he would ride the bench this year unless both quarterbacks get injured (which we have seen in Chicago before). It would be more of a signing for the future. Either Grossman or Orton will be back next year one would imagine with Simms being the backup and also competing for the starting spot next year. A three-way battle is in no way a realistic possibility this year.

Stay tuned...

Let the battle commence Bears fans...

2008-07-16T10:55:00.003-05:00

Wow, that was fun last night.

Let me count my blessings to every deity Hinduism offers after the MLB All-Star Game didn’t go into another stratosphere inning wise. Pros and I sat there just waiting, and waiting, and waiting, before I said PEACE and just left the comforts of his home. I did catch the end before going to bed but it hardly did anything for me. Glad to see Bud Selig didn’t implode on us with the rest of baseball alongside him.

We move on to the second and only other day of the year where there are no professional matches in any sport within the United States. That means paying attention to the taping of the ESPYs right? To some of you, um, sure. To me? Chicago Bears training camp begins a week from today and we are basically three weeks away from the first pre-season game on the year. What signifies football more than a last minute signing by the Chicago Bears? KJ, Kevin Jones, come on down!

The former first-rounder and Detroit Lion passed a physical at Halas Hall yesterday and signed a one year contract as well. Good to see Angelo is starting to streamline the process over there in Lake Forest. Are you reading David Allen these days? Same!

As we sat through the joke that was the All-Star game, Pros, his brother, and I began discussing KJ. Zach, Pros’ brother, is convinced that KJ will be given the starting job come opening day. While I dismissed the idea quickly (ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?), I backpedaled a step and thought about the bungle that comprises general manager Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith. We can’t ever hold these guys to a decision, can we?

Before Cedric Benson was cut, Lovie all but said he was the starter going into training camp. After Ced put the 371290381st cocktail into his system and Jerry said adios, all the rumblings pointed to the rookie Matt Forte getting the bulk of the carries. We still have Whoppi Goldberg (Adrian Peterson, seriously, Google the two people and tell me they aren’t related) in the backfield along with midget Garrett Wolfe. Adding Jones means two things: competition and depth.

Bears fans have gotten used to the word “competition” over the years come training camp. Lovie always preaches “competing” during training camp. He wants to work the veterans and make sure they are fighting for their positions no matter their status. It’s been said we are going to see this at the wide receiver position and of course at the quarterback position, although I still maintain whiskey drinkin’ Kyle Orton will not be given a fair chance to prove himself.

KJ adds another body and “insurance” if you want to call it that. I remember thinking this guy would be a fantasy stud several years back, drafting and him and not looking back, only looking up in the standings come end of the season. He has averaged four yards a carry over his career, which has been marked with several injuries. He’s coming off an ACL injury, which he got repaired back in January. Here is an excerpt from the Philly Inquirer back on June 20th:

“Kevin Jones darted to the right, planted his foot, pivoted, and sprinted back across a patch of grass. ‘That is what teams can't believe I can do,’ Jones said yesterday morning after completing a shuttle run in Saline, Mich.
‘I've never worked out like this, and I feel great,’ Jones said.
Surgeon James Andrews performed surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Jones' right knee in January and told him it would take up to 10 months to get back on the field. Jones believes he will be able to go through noncontact drills with the team that signs him during training camp next month.”

Very impressive. I still think Forte gets the bulk of the carries but Jones will be right there. The NFL is becoming a league where it’s imperative to have two solid running backs. Jones will be getting a good amount of carries to do some damage in the rushing attack. I wouldn’t be shocked if this guy comes back as motivated as ever and steals the show from the rookie but Angelo always stays close to his picks (see Rex and Cedric for proof). That said, it all goes back to the offensive line, which was just brutal last year. As the Bears still play “Bear” football (run, run, pass, punt), the rest of the league will be curious to see if they missed out on KJ when he was on the open market. I’ll be watching closely as well. Bears fans, hold you breath, this is gonna get interesting.

The Dali Lama Himself

2008-07-14T20:29:00.014-05:00

According to ESPN.com’s Mark Stein, Jerry Reinsdorf has taken over contract negotiations with forward Luol Deng. After Reinsdorf informed GM John Paxson that he would be directly speaking with Deng and agent Jason Levien, Paxson went out and did a sign-and-trade with the Clippers that sent Ben Gordon west and brought Chris Kaman to Chicago because he was sooooo pissed off. Then he informed Andrew Nocioni that he would be the starting small forward next season.

The sad thing is, most of you probably didn’t believe that last sentence for a second. The main reason is because it’s simply not true, but the sad reason is that it’s as unlikely a signing as it was to see Jalen Rose use his right hand while he played. When was the last time the Bulls brought in that guy that makes you say “Holy crap, they got him?!?” I can’t remember the last time I had a the-cubs-got-Rich-Harden feeling about the Bulls.

Chicago management is simply too slow. Their ultra-conservative approach when dealing with bringing in new players and coaches has cost them Mike D’Antoni and Doug Collins (although the Collins thing is more about Reinsdorf being soft, but that’s for another day). And with the 2009 and 2010 free agent signing looking as attractive as Carrie Underwood singing “All-American Girl,” the Bulls must be ready to roll. But their recent actions reinforce my skepticism.

When I heard that Reinsdorf was dealing with Deng, my initial thought was that we lost him. No doubt. And 12 hours later, I feel the same way. Before the 2007-08 season, Deng turned down a 5-year $57.5 million deal, assuming he and the team would have great seasons and his stock would rise. I don’t need to tell you that he was wrong with his prediction. But I will. His points per game (17.0), rebounds per game (6.3) and shooting percentage (48) all dropped from the previous season, and those who felt he should have been an All-Star during the 2006-07 season, bit their tongue.

And then there’s Ben Gordon. I’m pretty sure the last time he played defense was in 1991, when Tecmo Super Bowl came out. I remember the 49ers defense being fantastic, so yeah, that was probably the last time. If the Bulls re-sign him, I’m throwing in the towel. Sure he can score with the best of them, that is, when he’s actually on. You simply cannot take his volume of shots and make just 43 percent of the time, like he did last season. Fourth quarter comebacks are either breathtaking or they make you say, “STOP SHOOTING!!!” That’s never a good thing.

My hope is that the Bulls re-sign Deng and get rid of Gordon via a sign-and-trade. Will it happen? Most likely not, because the Slowsky’s are running this team. Now there is a chance they may be up to something good. They could very well be gearing up for a run at the 2010 crop, which includes the following unrestricted free agents: Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Adam Morrison, Tracy McGrady Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Manu Ginobili and Chris Bosh.

Note: if you didn’t notice the two glaring mistakes in the last sentence, you should stop reading right now and unsubscribe to the blog. Just kidding, Goop will kill me. Mistake no.1: I included Morrison because I have never been so wrong about a player, but if the Bulls sign him I will grow a mustache like his and never shave again. And no. 2: I didn’t include LeBron James because he has already signed (well, basically) with the Brooklyn Nets.

But I just cannot imagine that is what the Bulls are up to. The last time I can remember the Bulls seriously going after a superstar was with Tracy McGrady in 2000. However, if the Bulls have back-to-back good seasons and make the playoffs, one of those guys will come. Right? My guess is that management will go after Wade, who is one injury away from disengaging, since he’s the hometown boy. He’ll be out within two years and that’ll be the end of him. I hope that doesn’t happen, I love Wade. But I could see it happening. Hopefully they’ll land one of those guys, but looking at their track record of free agents, I’m not optimistic.

Joe Smith – ’07. One of the worst first overall picks of all-time. Single-handedly destroyed all hopes of Kevin Garnett winning a title in Minnesota by taking away five-first round draft picks due to a salary cap scandal. No longer on the team. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Ben Wallace – ’06. I backed the Bulls for paying this guy $60 million over 4 years when in reality he deserved about half. He was the missing piece to a team that lost to the Miami Heat 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. This backfired worse than Indiana hiring Kelvin Sampson. Wait, no, that was definitely worse. No longer on the team.

Ronald Dupree/Linton Johnson III – ’04. HAHAHAHAHA. If there are ever two guys who epitomize the 10-day contract, it’s these two.

Andres Nocioni – ’04. No complaints. Love the guy. Fits Chicago “like a glove.” Note: Ace Ventura when nature calls, along with Wedding Crashers and Dumb and Dumber, are the three movies I can watch over and over and never get tired of it. Also, think of the women in these movies. Courtney Cox, Rachel McAdams and Lauren Holly. That always helps. Bulls paid $38 million for 5 years. Compared to the Wallace deal, this is a steal.

Donyell Marshall – ’02. Hit some big shots. Nothing special. Too slow.

Eddie Robinson – ’01. Hands down, no doubt, owned the coolest sweaters known to man. He only played in 144 games over his three years with the team, so trust me, there was plenty of sweater-wearing time, but he never failed to disappoint. He signed a 5-year $32 million deal in 2001 and the Bulls bought out last two years of his contract. I’ve written more about Eddie Robinson than I ever wanted to, so I’m done. No, wait, I have to say something. In 2001, this was a lot of money. Thanks for screwing us.

Dragon Tarlac – ’00. Not as big a fan as I am of the man below. Cool name. Whatever.

Dalibor Bagaric (left) – ’00. Throughout my years as a basketball fan I have never liked a bad player more than “The Lama,” as my friends and I named him. Once I saw him walking into Northbrook Court to catch a movie. I think he thought it was the United Center. My favorite memory of The Lama was when the Bulls put him into a blowout game in either 2002 or 2003. He got in, took two ill-advised shots, and did everything but give a middle finger to the organization. That’s my boy.

Ron Mercer – ’00. For a guy that had tons of talent, I felt that he had to play in Chicago for two years. I always remember telling my brother that I’ve never seen a player be able to shoot so well from 19-20 feet but could never hit a three. He actually hit about 30 percent from long range during his tenure with the Bulls. Shows how much I know.

Brent Barry – ’99. Who cares.

Sign Deng. Trade Gordon. Keep Hinrich and play him at the two. Sign a damn free agent or at least make a sign-and-trade happen for a formidable big man like I’ve been asking for years (Kaman, Kaman, Kaman). And do it before I graduate. Thanks.

It's the summer sports fans, chillax!

2008-07-14T10:32:00.001-05:00

Not sure how many of you realize it, but we have embarked on a unique part of the calendar the next couple of days. Today and Wednesday are the only two days of the year where there are no professional matches in the United States of any sort. It’s the summer and us sports fans have gotten use to this part of the year, where the focus lies on baseball, the All-Star Game, and maybe some random sports here and there. It’s always a mix within the population, whether people stay tuned with what is going on or take a mini-break, just gearing up for football season to begin. Some emphasis has been put on the Olympics, which will be starting in less than a month, but how much do people even care about that with all the protesting and drug scandals surrounding it? We got SportsCenter doing their little “Titledown” bout every night, which makes me want to spoon my eyes out. I have little doubt that behind closed doors, my boys Neil Everett and Scott Van Pelt have lamented management for this blunder, along with “Who’s Now?” and “The Greatest Highlight.” Lordie, lord.

I digress.

Wednesday does mark an important day for us Chicago fans, if anyone is paying attention that is. Bears training camp opens up at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Um, yay?

It got me thinking: how much emphasis will be put on training camp this year? This is a pivotal year for the Bears. I have said for much of the offseason that the Bears will either make the playoffs and be able to do some damage or they will go to the bottom of the cellar, possibly being one of the three worst teams in all of football. No grey area. No time for Kyle to start grabbing Jack shots. This could be your time but I highly doubt it considering how much this team has invested in the Sex Cannon that is Rex Grossman.

This is a football town, hands down. The Cubs and Sox are in first place and both might make the playoffs for the first time in all of our lives. That doesn’t change the fact that this is a football town though. It is remarkable though how a city can slowly transform. I saw it in Indianapolis, a city, if not part of a STATE that is known for basketball, that has for the most part jumped ship on their pro basketball team the Pacers and have fully supported their football team, arguably the best franchise in all of sports business, the Colts. It can happen but it takes time and it takes success and failure on both ends. Not sure if we in Chicago have both extremes or are even close to it.

I’ll admit it: for however stupid this “Titletown” thing is, I did get goosebumps watching the highlights for Chicago’s turn. Showing the ‘85 Bears, the high-fives and all. Showing Jordan clinching the championship trophy like it’s his baby, crying in the process. Even seeing the White Sox getting doused in beer, every player squeezing in together just trying to touch the World Series trophy, the one owner Jerry Reinsdorf said he’d trade all the Bulls’ trophies for. That’s pretty special, no doubt about it. I can appreciate that as Chicago fan.

I guess what I am trying to get at is I do hear a lot of this talk that, “It’s a horrible part of the year,” and “Why can’t football just start?” To me, that’s just our society talking about a problem that goes beyond sports: not living in the present. We are always looking towards the future or the past, even lamenting on it. We as a city still talk about The Super Bowl Shuffle, reliving it every day. Sox fans still don’t shut up about 2005 and feel the urge to bring it up when any talk of the Cubs begin. Hell, the newspapers still run a little blurb everyday reminding us fans that it’s been 100 years since the Cubs brought home a title. We get it, do I need to walk around with as sign showing it off even more?

There is nothing wrong with appreciating the past. With life in general, I think about the past everyday, the good and bad. But let’s live in the present people. Let’s enjoy what’s going on within sports, even if it’s ONLY baseball. It’s been a pretty special first half, here in Chicago and nationwide. Some things have happened that have never happened before. More of that is to come, I guarantee it. While Rex and Kyle are smiling and being buddy-buddy Wednesday, let’s just kick back and relax and realize it’s not everyday we aren’t fed with stuff from ESPN daily. Can we try and enjoy these next couple of days? If you start to cry because your baseball team’s league doesn’t win the All-Star game tomorrow, well, I really can’t help you there.

End rant, I think.

Picture courtesy of Flickr user Glover Bryant Communications, thank you.

He's back-back-back-back-back-back

2008-07-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

Thank you Chris Berman for that wonderful title, I know you must be thrilled to have your favorite tractor boy back in the news (today). But the homerun derby isn't until Monday.

All speculation regarding the possibility of quarterback Brett Favre returning is over. Favre formally asked Packers' team officials to release him from his contract Friday, sending a crystal clear message to everyone that he does want to play football in 2008.

Minnesota, with their loaded offense but lack of quarterback, looks like the best fit. But it's hard to imagine him suiting up for a division rival. More so, the Packers play the Vikings Week 1 on Monday Night Football, which is also when Green Bay planned to retire Favre's legendary No. 4 jersey.

All I know is I would never want to go to the grocery store with this guy. He'd be stuck between the Ketchup and Catsup with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Then he'd grab the Ketchup, go to the cashier, then exchange the Ketchup for Catsup, go back to the cashier and say in a dramatic tone, "I'm just tired mentally."

This Time it Counts

2008-07-11T14:05:00.009-05:00

With the Bulls choosing to rest Derrick Rose’s ailing knee for the final three games of summer league basketball, Chicago’s season has taken a turn for the worse. Last year Portland’s Greg Oden was lost for the season in September with a knee injury. Oden, like Rose, was the No. 1 overall pick. This is not a coincidence. That damn crystal ball was right; the Bulls should have taken Beasley. Now I have to watch the scoring machine dominate in South Beach while my Bulls are set back five years after screwing up their first No. 1 pick since 1999.

I cannot believe Evan Longoria won the online fan balloting contest for the final AL All-Star spot. That just isn’t fair. A rookie over Jermaine Dye? Dye is ahead or tied with Longoria in every statistical category. More so, Dye’s average draft selection is nearly 100 spots higher on ESPN.com fantasy leagues. And come on, Corey Hart? David Wright plays in New York, he deserves it.

Ok. I just threw up. Now I’m good.

If I hear one more person say that the Bulls drafted the wrong guy, I’m going on the anti-Jared diet. It’s comedic to think that one can draw such irrational conclusions from games played in the Orlando Magic practice facilities that are only webcasted, and in order to find out the score or time of the game, you have to wait until the camera pans to the high school-esque scoreboard. I feel like I’m my high school TV channel. .

The NBA summer league is merely a chance for guys who aren’t currently on an NBA roster to prove they can be a valuable 12^th man, or at least look good in a suit. More than half of these players won’t be wearing an NBA uniform next season and the game is more about every player getting his own than about the team.

But sure you can take a few minor things away from the week. Aaron Gray has played halfway decent, which is an improvement from last year, and former Syracuse forward Demetrius Nichols has a nice looking stroke. But what I hope people will take away from summer league is that Derrick Rose will have a lot of bumps and bruises during his rookie campaign. His high tempo style of play will get him trouble off the bat, mainly leading to an excessive amount of turnovers like the eight he had in his first two games. But don’t fret, the kid is phenomenal. Take everything you see from summer league with a ginormous grain of salt.

I cannot stand the attention the MLB All-Star game gets. The reason why? Commissioner Bud Selig. His idea to make the All-Star game mean something by giving the winning league home-field advantage in the World Series is one of the dumbest rules in sports. The players don’t care if their teams in, they are just there to have a good time. Aside from Pete Rose, you aren’t going to see anyone barreling over a catcher or go diving into the stands for a foul ball. If the AL wins, is it fair that the White Sox have home field advantage when they have no pitchers and no starters? Every time I here people talking about the All-Star game I think back to this rule and want to throw my shoe at the TV. The media should be talking about the rule, not who’s going to take Alfonso Soriano’s spot in the outfield.

Enough of this. Rich Harden is pitching tomorrow. I can't be that mad.

Xbox 360 For Life

2008-07-09T11:00:00.006-05:00

A close friend warned me that I would be shocked to hear the next words that come out of his mouth. I was skeptical, wondering if he was going to tell me that he was moving back to the homeland. But I never expected the following: “I’m thinking about selling my Xbox,” he said.

That’s like selling a child, and that’s basically slavery, so my immediate thought was my friend was a slave owner, but that mindset quickly dwindled. After my heart rate dropped back to livable and I stopped hyperventilating, my friend told me to convince him to not sell the Holy Grail of video games, the Xbox 360. I brushed off the idea as I was focused in on our game of NBA 2K8.

But this morning I realized he wasn’t kidding and that it is my responsibility to make sure the machine that has brought him so much happiness over the last few years remain in his hands. So here are three reasons why my friend shouldn’t sell his Xbox 360.

1. You DO want to play. You mentioned one of your primary reasons behind this decision was that you don’t have a desire to play anymore. You said you used to play online all the time, but ever since that phase passed you only want play with friends. So I ask you this: WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO DO WITHOUT IT? I know that sounds extreme, but think about the league that you helped begin. How are you going to have a fantasy draft again that takes five minutes? For the love of God, think about MADDEN! Are you really going to put yourself in a situation where you can’t play Madden 2009 (with text-messaging Brett Favre on the cover, may I add) because you sold your system? I mean, “Think of the children!” thanks Maud Flanders.

2. The Hawks. Do I need to say more? Do the names Joe Johnson, Salim Stoudamire, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Shelden Williams and of course Zaza Pachulia not mean anything to you? You can’t seriously do this to them.

3. To steal a line from Dane Cook, “Are you out of your f***ing mind?” This makes no sense. You don’t like taking pictures anymore yet you haven’t sold your camera. Xbox 360 > camera, so why would you sell it? Sure you’ll get a couple hundred dollars when you add in the controllers and a game or two, but will that money make you happier? You are about to spend almost a year downtown, and after a long day of work, wouldn’t it be nice to sit back, relax, and play a video game with your good friend?

I firmly believe that selling your Xbox 360 is a bad decision. I could go more in depth on each of my above reasons, but I would like to believe I have said enough. How about this, if you don’t sell your Xbox 360, I’ll buy you some candy. Sound good?

If you haven’t guessed by now, this person is Goop, and if he sells his Xbox, I am taking his name off the website (if I can figure out how).

Do you have a first aid kit handy? How you gonna fix it Chicago?

2008-07-09T09:39:00.005-05:00

Lost amidst the giggling going on because Brett Favre is texting his wishes these days was a more serious and disturbing turn of events that could send ripples through the Chicago-sports landscape and the rest of the nation as well, not in the ways one might first think though.

Holiday weekends are always fanatical times. The Fourth of July might top the list, especially in Chicago when it is coupled with the Taste of Chicago, a ten-day food festival celebrating the obesity and grease-covered restaurants that decorate Chicago. This past weekend was no different as nine different people suffered what police describe as “violent deaths,” one coming about a mile away from the Taste grounds.

I chose not to partake in the festivities this past weekend but I know several people, including my sister, who enjoyed the fireworks Thursday night. Obviously when you get a larger than normal group of people together, bad things are bound to happen. I get it, that’s “human nature,” if that even makes any sense.

Thing is though this was after Chicago police talked about upping the ante in terms of security for the weekend. And this is after the fact that Chicago has been named a finalist to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. And this is before the dream (or fact in my Cubbie eyes, sorta) World Series matchup pitting the Cubs and White Sox in a showdown for the ages. Do you see where I am going?

Chicago is a violent city, just like any major city. We are normally not on “Most Dangerous City” lists because of the weird way the Chicago Police Department tracks certain crimes. It seems as though when the spotlight shines bright on the Windy City, the blemishes come out and we see them in full light. Everybody always points to riots after good things happen, such as what happened during the Bulls’ dynasty years or let’s even stretch it back to when the Bears won their first Super Bowl during the 1985 season. Or even a happy time like the Fourth of July.

I believe most non-sports fans understand the magnitude of a Cubs-White Sox World Series. It would be total pandemonium. North Side versus South Side, Addison versus 35th, LenandBob versus HAWK and DJJJJJJ. Seriously, are you kidding me? This city would burn down, possibly in thought and hopefully not physically. Mac, Jurko & Harry, an afternoon sports radio show on ESPN 1000, talked on their show of the city possible curving alcohol sales during a possible matchup. How would that run with the Loveable Losers and Grinder Nation? Kind of sad, but still, welcome to Chicago and America world!

And then the Olympics. Mayor Daley has been flaunting our great city like it’s some Prom Queen and he is ready to rock and roll. OK Chief. This actually could be a whole different animal to tame, pretty hard to imagine in comparison to Cubs-White Sox. We are talking every nation in the world coming on our soil to compete in the Summer Games for the first time since 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, which we all know had its own set of problems. And that’s Atlanta! We are comparing Hot-lanta to the Chi? Oh no. Think about this way: population density wise, Chicago nearly quadruples Atlanta per square mile. That’s beefy.

I know lots of people are gung-ho about the possibilities Chicago faces in the near future. Part of me is, no doubt. The idea of the Cubs slapping around the Grinders down south is amazing. Ditto for the Olympics (although it always seems Olympic host cities always want the games but when they come, they complain of how nuts it quickly gets). However, a part of me is scared out of my mind and not ready for Chicago to showcase “how we roll.” Not when we turn the news on every day and see the garbage we are accustomed to seeing. Not when we pick up a newspaper and read the garbage we are accustomed to reading. It’s a reflection of the times we live in but it goes deeper than that and affects more things than just Chicago. We as citizens need to realize this and address the problems while we still can before the whole world jumps on top of us come this October and possibly again in several years. The ride is just starting fellow Chicagoans, let’s brace ourselves.

Hendry lands Harden

2008-07-08T17:42:00.005-05:00

According to Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry, the Oakland A's will send starting pitcher s Rich Harden and Chad Guadin to the North Siders for outfielders Eric Patterson, Matt Murton and Sean Gallagher and minor leaguer John Donaldson.

This fills a widening hole in Chicago's starting rotation and paired with Carlos Zambrano, gives the Cubs a deadly 1-2 punch. Harden, who is 5-1 and has a 2.34 ERA, became the Cubs top option after Milwaukee acquired CC Sabathia from Cleveland on Monday. The Cubs rotation is now much deeper with Carlos Zambrano, Harden, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly making up the first four spots. For Cubs fans, this keeps the blood pressure down, knowing Dempster, who hasn't pitched a full season as a starter since 2002, no longer needs to be the No. 2 starter.

Patterson showed signs of the potential his brother (Corey) displayed a few years ago. Murton has been a dead-man-walking ever since he cooled down from his initial hot start when he first came to the big leauges. And according to Hendry, the deal would not have happened had Gallagher not been in the mix, which speaks highly of his talent.

But all-in-all, this is a deal the Cubs had to make. Anything short of a championship this year will be a disappointment for this franchise, and losing Patterson and Murton won't hurt the Cubs depth in the outfield, especially with Reed Johnson returning and the success of recently acquired Jim Edmonds.

The acquisition of Harden is an example of the trade-deadline type deals that Hendry is known for. Back in 2003 the Cubs traded for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez, and got Nomar Garciaparra in 2004. Last year Jason Kendall was added to the roster around this time, too.

Hendry has done it again, and hopefully this time it will work out.

And you just got to love Lou Piniella, who just said to the media, "This was a little bit of a surprise for me at 3 in afternoon."

Sleeping and tennis: a perplexing combination?

2008-07-08T06:28:00.003-05:00

It seemed as though everywhere I turned yesterday, the talk shifted to the classic battle between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Sunday for the Wimbledon title. There was also that whisper of whether or not one watched the match. I will step up and confess right now: I turned the match off and took a nap. This was after the fact I got off work “early” (getting off at work around 10:30 AM after being there for four hours feels just great, let me tell you!) to watch the match in the first place! The fourth set was about to begin and I decided to doze off as it was just a Lazy Sunday in my book and I was just in a horrible mood. Forgive me John McEnroe, who after the match said that this kind of battle just had to put tennis back on the forefront in the United States. Huh?

It is one of those great wonders that I am sure most if not all the tennis purists out there consistently think about: why has tennis not been able to sustain itself whether it be viewership and/or overall appeal? Michael Wilbon on Pardon The Interruption yesterday brought up how his colleague Tony Kornheiser believes that the lack of an American star hurts the sport overall. Are we really this naïve America? I think so.

Seriously, think about it. If Tiger Woods was 100% Thai, born and bred in Thailand, would you really care that greatness was upon planet Earth within the sport of golf? You uber-golf fans might but not the casual golf fan, which seems to make up the majority of PGA viewership. We as Americans connect with Tiger, even the lefty Phil Mickelson. We don’t give a damn about Vijay Singh, who was ranked number one for some time. We don’t care about Ernie Els, a former number one as well (OK, maybe when he rips Tiger, thennnn we do care).

Soccer has this same problem it seems. Unless during our generation we get the American version of Pele, I don’t see soccer EXPLODING in the States. Landon Donovan? Please, what has he done internationally, against the best competition? Freddy Adu, where in the world did you go? Pretty soon we will be hearing stories of him partying a little too hard with Miley Cyrus.

Bring in Andy Roddick, who should be ashamed of himself. How many times was this goon looked at and said to be the next great only to be slapped around by Federer? After his U.S. Open win in 2003, he has done zilch and seems to be content with it. I’m sure Roddick is loving life right now though, in whatever beautiful home he resides in, in wonderful climate, with a supermodel wife to his side. Congrats Roddick, I guess you deserve it.

OK, I’ll take a step off his back. Andy, I respect you as a person and the few accomplishments you have had. Fact is, this guy could have taken America on his back. He still could I guess but with the top two players being a Swissman (is that even correct? Sounds kinda funny…) and a Spaniard, it’ll be quite tough. It looks like we are on a collision course for the next U.S. Open to have another epic battle. And between now and then, those purists will still wonder how the ratings will turn up in Flushing, New York late August. I’m sure all of Chicago will be tuning in while the Cubs and White Sox are in the thick of a pennant race.

Roddick, you may continue mediocrity. Good luck sir.

Swallowing the losses and relishing the wins in life

2008-07-06T22:42:00.000-05:00

One of those rare and questionable things happened this past Thursday, although I loved every minute of it. Sports talk radio went philosophical on us and left the realm of the hardwood and field and joined "The Grabowskis," also known as the working class. The news of the day was former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre possibly coming out of his short retirement stint and play football this upcoming season. I talked about it a little Wednesday and how I didn’t agree with the way Favre is handling the situation.

During "Mike and Mike in the Morning," a daily show on ESPN Radio, co-hosts Erik Kuselias and Michael Smith discussed how during Favre's retirement press conference in March, the quarterback talked of not enjoying the daily professional football structure anymore. Smith commented on the reasons Favre decided to retire:

“…it's about Mondays. It’s about Sunday nights after games and the way he felt. The way how he looked ahead to the next game and didn’t enjoy wins. It’s about the day-to-day-grind between games that is required of a successful quarterback.”

Smith believes that Favre will not come back and how, “it's the emotion talking.” Kuselias then took the conversation another direction. He started talking about a family philosophy that he has struggled with and that was passed down from his father to his siblings and him:

“The losses in life hit me harder sometimes than I enjoy the wins in life, and that’s a hard way to be and it’s a hard way to go through life. You have to enjoy the wins more than the losses hurt you.”

Well said. Think about that quote and how it relates to you. I first thought about Brett Favre and his reasons for retiring from football and then how that idea relates to my life and everyone around me.

Brett Favre is a human being that I have respected for a long time. He went through drug addiction problems, only to comeback and win a Most Valuable Player award and Super Bowl trophy the year after rehab. He went through his wife having cancer. He went through losing his father, the person who put a football in his hands for the first time. Year after year he has proven that he could continue to play in the National Football League, at the highest level, even if his style was a little unorthodox and his mind was elsewhere at times.

He has accomplished everything out there he can at the quarterback position for the Green Bay Packers. His losses though have taken a toll on him. Even through everything, he questions whether he can handle going through the ups and downs of a football season one more time. This is a professional athlete who is being paid millions upon millions to play a game we learn as a child.

I know every person can recall an accomplishment that he or she was extremely proud of. At the same time however, every person has also had a loss that left a lasting effect on their lives.

I’m really not sure if I have ever thought about my successes and losses/failures in life this way. It's seems like a given but one I too struggle with as I am sure many people do. That is, how quickly I move on to the next thing after a success, not even reflecting on what has happened and the process it took. Or maybe even the changes in life that occur when bad things happen more so than the good things, although that can be a blessing at times both ways.

Sports fans and even non-sports fans take it for granted what professional athletes go through. It’s those moments where we as fans understand those struggles and how those struggles transcend over to the working class, the fan paying major bucks to sit in the cold to watch a game, and our lives specifically, no matter if we are a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or a factory worker. Athletes make more money than we will ever see but at times they are mortal to the bumps in the road of life like all of us.

Next time you accomplish something, whether it be forming a new habit, getting that grade you wanted on a test, or something as simple as cleaning your room (which has been my latest prerogative), take some extra time and spoil yourself. Regardless, take a deep breath before you move on to the next task at hand. If Brett Favre is looking towards the end of the road after all he has accomplished, hopefully you understand what the stops are on that road and how to slow the journey down.

If you are interested in taking a listen to the "Mike and Mike in the Morning" segment talked about above, I downloaded it and cut it for your listening pleasure. It is about eight and a half minutes long. Either click the link below to listen in your browser or right-click and click "Save as" to download it to your computer.

mikeandmikeonfavre7_3.mp3

Time to subscribe folks!

2008-07-06T11:36:00.004-05:00

Pros and I are doing our best to spread the word once again about "The Goop n' Pros Show." However, we need the help of our great network of friends and family. Although we won't be doing podcasts anytime soon, we will continue to blog as we have gotten some great feedback from everyone and have some great ideas for more entries. Thank you for the comments and keep them coming. You can get a hold of us at rahulandalex@thegpshow.com and we will do our best to get back to any emails.

The best way to keep up to date with the blogs we post here is to become a subscriber. There are two ways, both of which are extremely easy. The first is to subscribe via email. On the right side of the main page for the website, there is a box which you can input your email address. Follow the directions that come up and you will be then emailed any new blogs we post. How cool and easy is that? No spam and no unnecessary emails will be sent, promise!

The second way is my personal preference and is the "techy" version of subscribing. I use Google Reader, which is a little site that can be the home of all the blogs and news websites you subscribe to. You need a Google account, which you really should have no matter what. There are many similar readers available but I feel this is the best. I highly, highly recommend you giving it a try. Once you have an account at Google or if you already do, go to our website and below the "Subscribe via Email" box, there is a "Subscribe Now" button. Click that and then follow the directions, clicking either Google reader as your preference or whatever other reader you have chosen. I use Google Reader for many blogs and news sites such as ESPN and CNN so I don't have to keep jumping from site to site.

We want this to be as easy as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us so we can make sure you are getting the content the right way! Thanks and continue to spread the word!

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to take a quick moment and thank everyone for supporting the blog and we hope everyone is enjoying their Fourth of July weekend! We have some great things lined up for next week so check back Monday for new updates and for the rest of the summer! It's on!

-Goop n' Pros

Free Agent Update #2

2008-07-03T09:40:00.005-05:00

This really is Christmas in July.

Baron Davis signs with the LA. Clippers and teams with Elton Brand to create one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. But wait! What’s this? The Golden State Warriors are seeking revenge from Davis’ unexpected departure? They have offered Brand, who recently opted out of his contract to create financial flexibility for the Clippers (is that what they call it these days?) a bigger deal than what the Clippers have on the table? And what’s that? Brand flew to Washington to meet with agent David Falk to speak face-to-face about the deal that could make him $20 million richer? Odds are Brand and Davis will be sharing the same huddle next season, but just imagine if Brand signed with the Warriors. Would Donald Sterling’s head roll, but like, seriously? For a Clippers fan it’d be like having your team make it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, get picked to win the Eastern Conference the following season, and then have a season comparable to Alex Rodriguez’s decision to hang out with Madonna late at night – just God-awful. Oh wait, that kind of happened to me. Yeah, that would suck.

And what’s that you say? Josh Smith may soon be calling Philadelphia home? How about a starting five of Andrew Miller, Willie Green, Andrew Igoudala, Josh Smith and Samuel Dalembert with Louis Williams, Rodney Carney and Thaddeus Young off the bench. This team ought to run a decathlon they’d be so darn athletic.

Wait, what’d you say? Corey Maggette what? He’s going to sign where? San Antonio? No way! So instead of starting Michael Finley and having Manu Ginobili off the bench, the Spurs have Maggette to take Finley’s spot? Say it with me: dy-nas-ty.

Are you serious? Stop that. Really? Chris Andersen? The same guy who needed 13 tries to throw down two dunks in the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest and who later served a two-year ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy? He’s going to sign with who? The Boston Celtics!?! He had dinner with Danny Ainge last night? How I wish I could have sat down with that happy couple.

And you just got to love Ron Artest. After deciding to not op-out of the final year of his contract with the Sacramento Kings, the often-troubled defensive machine said, “I think I made the biggest mistake by staying in my contract and I have to live with it. I don’t see myself with [the] Kinds beyond 2008-09.” Mazel Tov! Another great decision!

And how about one of the top high school recruits for the class of 2008, Brandon Jennings, publicly playing with the idea of not attending Arizona and playing in Europe for one year before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft. And so it begins.

But maybe the best news came when NBA Commissioner David Stern hired a United States Army general to be senior vice president for referee operations to supervise all aspects of officiating. Somewhere Tim Donaghy is smiling.

I seriously love Christmas.

Stay on the tractor Brett, please!

2008-07-02T16:41:00.006-05:00

If you didn't hear, Brett Favre has gotten the "itch" to come back and play football for the upcoming season. Green Bay Packers General Manager Ted Thompson has already laughed it off apparently.

Either way, Brett Favre, what is wrong with you? Really? Really? Really? Almost three months ago, you said that you were, "just tired mentally." Did you get amped up on a ridiculous amount of Red Bull? Did you find the local Starbucks that was about to close and clean them out? Did Madden plead you to come back so you could help continue the curse for the video game? Were you playing backyard football with your kids and got hit a little too hard by the dog? Or do I even dare ask, did you fall off your darn tractor? What was it this time Brett?

I usually side with the athletes, letting them do what they want and end how they please. What the fans want usually means nothing to me. This though has gone on wayyyy too long. Every off-season it's been Favre this, Favre that, what's he gonna do next, where's he going, what's he saying now. The Green Bay Packers began their post-Favre plans several years back by drafting Aaron Rodgers out of California, a quarterback who has looked decent in the little playing time he has received (players have already raved about him in mini-camps). The team's main priority this off-season has been getting Rodgers ready to be a STARTER, not hold the clipboard for Favre again.

Hey Brett, you won't find many Bears fans that will openly admit to being a HUGE fan of yours throughout the years. I loved watching you play, whether it be on TV or in person. I rooted for you to succeed in any moment not related to the Bears and I rooted for you to cement your legacy as one of the all-time greats, which you undoubtedly have. I even had a poster of you for a little while on my wall (no, I will not turn in my Bears fan card for that one, nice try though!).

This is a complete joke. Lots of tidbits have leaked out recently about Favre not being a helping hand to Rodgers the last several years, which is fine for me but not cool for the "image," which I do believe Favre cares about. There is talk that the Packers might even say, "Hey Brett, we don't want/need you anymore." That'd be uglyyy in the truest definition. Where would he go then? Some team would definitely want his services (and please Bears fans, hold your breath on this one). Just take a quick look at teams’ depth charts for the quarterback position. Yuck.

They said in April that Favre was the one to convince head coach Mike McCarthy that retiring was the best decision. Oh how time flips things. Packer fans, I am very curious to hear how this news settles with you. It’s been Favre through thick and thin but I feel enough is enough. This team needs to move on and is still right in the pack to compete for the ultimate prize. Are you ready for this distraction?

Free Agent Update #1

2008-07-02T14:50:00.009-05:00

It's only July 2nd and the excitement is already upon us!

The first move is courtesy of the Washington Wizards. Kudos to them for retaining two of their three best players. Team captain Antawn Jamison resigned for $50 million over four years, which was like killing two birds with one stone. The Wizards bring back one of the most versatile players in the East and all but guarantee the return of the one, the only, Agent Zero. Gilbert Arenas has said since day one of talk regarding his availability this summer that if Jamison returned, so would he. Well good job Washington because according to the Washington Post, Arenas has been offered a six-year contract worth upwards of $127 million by the Washington Wizards. This is the maximum contract a team can offer a player due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Wizards starting lineup looks to be Arenas, Jamison, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. After a successful draft where Washington took true-center JaVale McGee to add physicality and muscle up front, the Wizards, if healthy, will remain one of the top teams in the East.

And then there’s the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s too early to honestly praise owner Donald Sterling since the Clippers are normally the laughing stock of the NBA, but he certainly has this team going in the right direction. I personally witnessed the Clippers’ franchise point guard Shaun Livingston have his leg bend at a 90 degree angle two years ago, and knew that backup Sam Cassell wasn’t the long-term answer. But the Clippers look to have found it in former Golden State point guard Baron Davis. Reports have Davis signing with the Clippers and like the Wizards, this is taking care of more than one need, as this may keep all-star power forward Elton Brand with the team. If Brand re-signs with L.A, the Clippers will have Davis, Brand, Chris Kaman, Cuttino Mobley and Al Thornton making up their starting five. Rookie Eric Gordon will either start of be the sixth man and have an immediate impact. Davis is your prototypical do-everything point guard, but Davis’ biggest impact will be bringing attention back to the Clippers. This move puts L.A. back in the hunt of something they haven’t done since 2006, and few times before, and that is making the playoffs.

The Davis signing is bittersweet. I love the way Davis plays, but this lowers the chances of Brand coming back to Chicago. Sure the Bulls just added a once-in-a-lifetime point guard in Derrick Rose, but Davis is experienced and ready to win now. There are question marks all over Chicago since they still haven’t re-signed or decided what to do with Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, and first-year head coach Vinny Del Negro definitely doesn’t scream confidence. The Bulls must make a run at Brand to fill the enormous void left by Eddy Curry’s XXXL shorts and turn this team into a title contender.

Check back soon for more free agent news.

Say it With Me: Vinny…Del…Negro

2008-06-12T15:45:00.004-05:00

Signs your favorite team has made an awful decision:

1) When my first memory upon hearing Vinny Del Negro is him running off the court with Mr. Mickey Mouse voice Avery Johnson in the 1996 movie, Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg.
2) When the coach you just hired has yet to hold the title of: Head coach, assistant coach, advanced scout or even video dude.
3) When your new coach spent just one year as the Phoenix Suns director of player personnel in 2006 and one more glorious year as the assistant general manager the next season.
4) When you would rather think about who The Mole is than your new coach.
5) When your organization announces the hiring of your new coach and its Vinny Del Negro.

Is this for real? Did the Chicago Bulls really just hire Vinny Del Negro???

I can hear it now, the Bulls P.A. announcer on opening night saying, “And the Bulls are coached by…who? This guy? Vinny Del Negro? Bring back Skiles!”

The Bulls gave Del Negro a 2-year deal worth $2 million annually. If that doesn’t scream confidence, I don’t know what does.

Remember the scene in “The Office” when Dwight is trying describe a marijuana user? He lists the qualities of a user and mentions “slow moving” and “shows a lack of motivation?” Well, he might as well been describing this organization.

They were too lazy and too slow to sign Mike D’Antoni, even though they wanted him to take the team to the next level, but then they don’t make an offer, assuming he’ll just wait it out and not be wowed by a lucrative offer from say, oh, the New York Knicks. Then reports leaked that General Manager John Paxson was very interested in hiring former Bulls coach and current TNT analyst Doug Collins. That led to this: “His feeling was, ‘I could never fire you. I care about you too much,’ Collins said about Bulls Owner Jerry Reinsdorf. And I said, ‘Well, Jerry, then we can't get into a job where that is even a thought.’”

So let me get this straight — Reinsdorf didn’t want to have to fire Collins in the future because the two enjoy long walks on the beach, but it was A-OK to can Skiles last Christmas Eve?

Pardon my tears.

The Bulls could have waited one more week and tried to hire respected Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau who is in his 19th year of coaching in the NBA. Now Chicago must surround Del Negro with good assistant coaches, and word is former Orlando Magic coach Brian Hill will be in the running. With or without experienced assistant coaches, the fact remains that Del Negro has never drawn up a play, called a timeout or even worn a suit to a game.

Despite the recent success of first-year head coaches with no coaching experience (Larry Bird and Doc Rivers), if someone told me a week ago that Vinny Del Negro would be coaching an NBA team this year I would have laughed in that person’s face. Funny how things work.

If I can take any piece of positive energy from this debacle it’s this: Steve Kerr, Del Negro’s former boss said, “"The only reason I didn't consider him is he didn't have coaching experience and I felt that was important for a veteran team. We don't have a young team like the Bulls. He was really impressive in the interview process.” Unfortunately, when the only positive thing I can come up with is that he was a good interviewer, this can’t be good.

Prior to this summer I trusted Paxson. His great mind for the game and dedication to winning were obvious from the get-go. But this is getting ridiculous. Why don’t we just tell Jerry Krause to come back and tear apart another team? Or, just bring back Dalibor Bagaric, for old times sake. That’s pretty much what Paxson is doing — sending this team in the wrong direction.

If the drawn-out and laughable coaching search is any sign of what is to come on draft night, don’t get too attached to Rose or Beasley.

-Pros

Beasley or Rose? Let the debate begin!

2008-06-09T23:23:00.014-05:00

With the Bulls set to introduce (hopefully, for the third time!) their new head coach, current Phoenix Suns assistant general manager Vinny Del Negro, the talk in Chicago will quickly and smoothly transition to the focus of the off-season, the NBA Draft. Both of us take a moment to look at the likely top two picks in this year’s draft, Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and Memphis point guard Derrick Rose and who we each feel would fit better with this current Bulls team. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Pros on Beasley:

Last year hurt.

Never in recent memory has an NBA team been so promising and come up so short. Experts had Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals and they failed to play a game in the postseason. The Bulls finished 33-49, their worst season since 2003-04. They finished fourth in the Central Division, behind the Indiana Pacers. Blah.

On Christmas Eve, General Manager John Paxson and the Bulls got with the holiday spirit and fired head coach Scott Skiles, ultimately ending the season before the new year. Interim head coach Jim Boylan had no chance, let’s be honest.

Going into the off-season, there were countless questions surrounding next year’s team. Who’s the new coach? What do you do with Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, both of whom turned down five-year contract extensions worth $50 million last fall.

But never in general manager John Paxson’s wildest dreams did he think he’d have to answer this question: Rose or Beasley?

For as great of a situation Paxson is in, he better pull the string on the right guy or Chicago fans may stop showing up to the United Center, especially after the organization’s failure to land former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni and TNT analyst and former Bulls head coach Doug Collins.

So who do the Bulls pick? When the Bulls landed the number one selection this question began to fuel much debate. People were genuinely considering both players, but most of the media and most Chicagoans are rooting for Rose. Why? He’s the hometown kid, he’s faster than any point guard in the league, he’s a leader and he could be a franchise player for the next 12 years. Rose’s excitement and ability to entertain fans has blocked out the common sense that comes with drafting former Kansas State standout Michael Beasley.

Since the departure of, dare I say, the formidable Eddy Curry after the 2005 season, Chicago has lacked any type of low-post presence on the offensive end. The one-dimensional product is one of the main reasons the Bulls floundered this past year because when your guys stop hitting jump shots in an offense based around hitting jump shots, you’re in big trouble. This has been the Bulls biggest problem and drafting Derrick Rose doesn’t solve it.

Beasley is everything the Bulls need — a proven scorer that can put the ball in the basket against double or triple teams. He’s a beast on the boards and someone who can change the game from the paint. Beasley averaged 26.2 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game during his freshmen year. Both sets of numbers beat Kevin Durant’s output at Texas.
And Beasley showed up when it mattered, too. Against Kansas on March 1 he scored 39 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. His most impressive statistic, however, was his four-for-seven showing from behind the arc. On the year, Beasley shot 38 percent from behind the arc, not to mention 77 percent from the charity stripe and 53 percent from the field.

He’s listed as 6’10” on ESPN.com but was measured at 6’8” with shoes at Orlando’s pre-draft camp, which brought concern to some experts. At 6’8”, he can still play power forward. Elton Brand is 6’8” — enough said.

I hate to bring this up, but when looking at Beasley’s negatives, which are few and far between, everyone seems to point to his “character issues.” People feel he’s immature, mainly because when you watch him play he plays with such ease. That easiness translates to laziness, which translates to not caring which translates to character issues. Until he punches someone or says something stupid in the media, this issue should be negated.

When it’s all said and done, Chicago will draft Rose. But whether that’s the right decision won’t be known for a couple years.

Goop on Rose:

Forgot for a moment that Memphis point guard Derrick Rose is from Chicago. Forget all the talk that is about the sexy “hometown kid” and the “feel-good story” it would be if the Chicago Bulls drafted Rose with the first overall pick.

If you can somehow bag up all that commotion and throw it in the Chicago River, you have without a doubt the player the Bulls should draft and make the face of its franchise for years to come in Derrick Rose. Mr. John Paxson, you cannot, I repeat, CANNOT mess this up!

I’ve always been a believer in taking “the best player on the board” over “taking a player to fit a need.” This holds true more so for teams with a high pick and are able to land superstar talent before the inevitable drop-off in every draft occurs. Any player can fit in with a team no matter the current roster, but it’s up to management and the coaching staff to find that fit and make it a winning formula. With that said, I do believe Rose is the better overall talent and has that greatness factor tied closely with him.

Rose has shown throughout his brief basketball career that he is all about winning, no mater his personal glory. If basketball fans don’t believe in the kid’s raw athletic talent and his scoring ability, take a look at some of his highlights before he began playing at Memphis. Rose got to campus and realized that with the abundance of talent surrounding him, it made more sense for him to serve as the primary set-up guy than to score 25 points a game, something coach John Calipari insists Rose could have done easily. Rose started the season off slowly as he immediately became a starter on a team loaded with veterans. However, he quickly showed down the stretch of the regular season and in the NCAA Tournament that he can take over games himself if need be.

The point guard position is slowly redefining the NBA, like it or not. What used to be a big man league has evolved into a league favoring guard play and dribble-drive penetration. Not every player in the league is Kobe Bryant, able to score whenever and wherever he wants. What teams do need are players that can create shots for others in the most opportunistic ways possible. We’ve seen this with Kobe, which has elevated him to MVP status. We’ve seen this with Steve Nash, a two time MVP winner for the Phoenix Suns. And most recently, we’ve seen it with the two young, star point guards in Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets.

Some people argue that Beasley can have the same effect on his teammates in the NBA as Rose. What exactly points to that? We don’t know how Beasley will respond to NBA double-teams which most likely will include players significantly bigger AND stronger than him. His passing ability is something rarely talked about and something he rarely showcased as a Wildcat. Big men don’t automatically have that effect on a team. A special point guard? A different story.
Rose is the leader the Bulls need and have lacked. One just needs to look at this past season, loaded with off-the-court problems and countless immature acts to understand what this team truly needs. Kirk Hinrich has used up his time as a Chicago Bull and is better fit for another team. By adding Rose to this team, the production of Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden, and maybe even Ben Gordon automatically improves.

The moment the Bulls lucked into the first pick, I wanted Rose. Nothing has changed since and nothing will change between now and the draft. Some people say the Bulls have won regardless but I don’t buy that. Franchises are built around number one picks so one cannot take this lightly. Set yourself up for years of greatness or a retreat back to the cellar. Which will it be Paxson?

Welcome!

2008-06-05T00:34:00.002-05:00

Another summer of fun is on tap for everyone. We're back for more action, dabbling into more topics than ever before. Dare we broaden our horizons? Don't doubt us, enjoy!

-Goop n' Pros

No underdogs traveling to The Alamo

2008-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

What we learned from this past weekend:

Goliath’s make history: They said it could never be done because “March Madness” wouldn’t allow for it. I laughed every year when CBS analyst Clark Kellogg picked all the number one seeds to advance to the Final Four, citing “it just has to happen soon enough.” Well Clark, ya finally got us. So did you Dick Vitale. And I can’t forget Jay Bilas! The powerhouse programs of North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, and Memphis have all taken care of business and advanced to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. It’s the first time in the history of the event that all four number one seeds have advanced. If you’re curious, the tournament has been going for almost 70 years but seedings were implemented in 1979!

This is a new era for college basketball and fans better accept it. With the NBA age requirement forcing kids to go to school for one year, the top programs are getting the best talent because of exposure and coaching, both of which can improve a kid’s stock tremendously. Two of the Final Four teams in UCLA and Memphis have key players that are freshmen including forward Kevin Love and guard Derrick Rose. Both players have been tabbed as locks for lottery picks in the upcoming NBA draft. Kansas and North Carolina on the other hand have a plethora of talent that they reload every year (not to say the other two schools don’t). Their depth and experience has soared above the competition, whether it be in their conferences or in the national tournament itself. We saw this last year somewhat too, with all number one and two seeds getting to the Final Four.

Like it or not, I truly believe we are in a powerhouse era. Yes, Davidson was a nice story. Who didn’t like the fact that even LeBron James got a ride to Detroit to watch the baller that is Stephen Curry light up Ford Field. Kansas might have beat them by only two but the final minutes clearly showed who the superior team was in every facet of the game. While everyone always seems to root for the Cinderella’s this time of the year, I’ll take the other path and root for the great programs to get to the Final Four and ultimately face-off in matches for the ages. Three of the four regional final games this past weekend were decided by double digits. I can assure you that won’t be the case in San Antonio.

Memphis deserves “elite program” status: Honestly, I don’t know why it took me this long. I always tried to find something about this team that I just didn’t like. I tried pointing to the lack of an inside presence, remembering Joey Dorsey getting eating alive by my boy Greg Oden and The Ohio State Buckeyes last year. Whatever, forget it all. Let’s just say it plain and simple, repeat after me: Memphis is REALLY good. With their win over Texas Sunday, Memphis reached the 37 win plateau, becoming only the fifth team in college basketball history to do so: They have over 100 wins in the past three seasons and their recruiting classes are easily becoming the second coming of the And-1 Mixtape Tour. All that said, Memphis is doing everything right and has gotten over the hump, reaching their first Final Four since 1985.

Credit John Calipari for sticking up for his players in front of the media time and time again, just like a good coach should. People bashed them for the free throw shooting, hasn’t mattered. People bashed them for playing “street-ball”, hasn’t mattered. People bashed them for coming from Conference-USA, the equivalent of YMCA weekend basketball, hasn’t mattered. So what does matter? Can an 18 point victory over another “elite” program in Texas validate what you have done? Some might say yes. Most would say consistent post-season success defines elite status in college basketball. Obviously, a ring would silence all the critics and the Tigers will be gunning for that this weekend in San Antonio. All they have to do is topple the definition of an elite program in UCLA, a program that hoists 11 championship banners. Yikes.

Hansbrough deserves all the credit he is getting, and some more, plus some more on-top of that: Yes, I know us college basketball fans have been crammed down the throat the fact that North Carolina junior forward Tyler Hansbrough, also known as “Psycho T”, is the hardest working player ever to walk the hardwood and wear the Carolina blue. However, watching the East regional final Saturday night clearly illustrated why Hansbrough is the clear cut favorite to win the Naismith Trophy, awarded to the top college basketball player in the country annually. Too many people are projecting what Hansbrough’s skill-set will translate into for the NBA and are forgetting what a tremendous COLLEGE player he is (and yes, I do think the kid will be an impact player in the NBA, a debate for another day).

During a crucial stretch in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals, both Wayne Ellington and Danny Green of UNC could not find their shooting touch and the Tar Heels were struggling for some offense. Enter Tyler Hansbrough. The kid from Missouri took all of Tar Heel nation on his back for the ride to San Antonio. Whether it was getting offensive rebounds, blocked shots (which has been added to his repertoire this past season), or impressive put-backs like the nasty slam following a Green miss (plus the kid can do a 360 degree dunk), Hansbrough wasn’t going to lose the game, not a chance in the world. After losing to George Mason two years ago and Georgetown last year, the Tar Heels are showing off one of their deepest and most talented teams in recent memory. These kids are on a mission and although I’m rockin’ and chalkin’ with the Kansas Jayhawks, UNC has to be the clear-cut favorite to cut down the final nets in San Antonio.

Thanks to Philly Levin for the top photo.

Western who? The Sweet Sixteen to be sour for some 10+ seeds

2008-03-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

What to look for in the third round, the “Sweet Sixteen:”

There are no Cinderellas: Well technically there are, but the saying from the new Jumpman commercial resonates especially with this next round of play. Two twelve seeds will be playing two number one seeds, Villanova vs. Kansas and Western Kentucky vs. UCLA.

Villanova had some special guard play during the last two rounds, courtesy of Scottie Reynolds. I highly doubt that he can keep it up against the suffocating defense that is the Kansas Jayhawks, who limited UNLV to just under 27% shooting.

Western Kentucky should provide an interesting test for UCLA: Kansas loves to run up and down the court, something UCLA has gotten accustom to in the Pac-10. Western Kentucky is led by three senior guards including Courtney Lee, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year. Some say experience is overrated, including myself, but one of these “experienced” teams, among them UCLA which has been in Final Four the last two years, will lose this round.

Everyone will also be keeping close tabs to the match-up of No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 10 Davidson. I’m looking for Stephen Curry to go bonkers and score a Kobe-like 81. It won’t happen, I know, but a fan can wish. For all Wisconsin has done though, I also want to see them dominate Davidson so they receive the “mad respect” they deserve. Michael Flowers, show the nation you are one of the top defenders in the country. I’m hoping Dell’s son will do his thing and the point guard from Barrington, Illinois, Jason Richards, will represent the Chi and get the win for the Wildcats. Don’t quote me.

Favorite hungry East region ready for some classic battles: It’s quite a rare thing to see the top four seeds in one region advance to the Sweet Sixteen. That very unlikely scenario has indeed unfolded in the East where No. 1 North Carolina is set to take on No. 4 Washington State alongside No. 2 Tennessee playing No. 3 Louisville. I know people like the small school Cinderella programs versus the powerhouse programs, but I’ll take these “traditional” match-ups any day of the week. UNC has had a very easy road so far, winning easily over their first two opponents by a 70 point margin. While other top seeded teams in the tourney have had their backs against the wall, the Tar Heels have been on cruise control. Expect the game to slow down quite a bit against the Cougars. UNC will look to run up and down the court and WSU will look to squeeze out every second on the clock. It’s easier to slow a game down than speed it up but the depth and talent of UNC will be too much for Tony Bennett and his crew to handle. Who will guard Ty Lawson? Get the resume ready Tony, Indiana, will be calling you shortly.

On the other hand, the Volunteers and Cards are ready to throw 100 points each on the scoreboards. The Cards, just like the Tar Heels, haven’t really been tested yet in this tourney. Bruce Pearl and his men from Knoxville were sweating it out last week against the Butler Bulldogs, a game I thought Butler should have inched out. That said, it’s a new round and a new week. Many teams in recent tournament history take close games one round and use that as motivation the next round for a better performance. While Louisville is the sexy pick in the moment, I’ll stick with my bracket pick and pick the snake that is Bruce Pearl to win the game. Scott Padgett of Louisville will impact this game for both teams. As he goes, the Cards go. I think the Cards will do everything right, but in the end the Vols will edge them out to reach the East finals against UNC.

Getting in the “Izzone”: Friday nights don’t get much better than this. This will be the best game of the round and I’m pulling hard for the Big 10 in this one, probably because I had Pittsburgh beating Michigan State and Memphis in my bracket. Regardless, I do think Memphis is ripe for an upset and the Spartans have the tools to create it. MSU is playing their best ball of the season and any fan of that team will tell you to ease the shock factor because this is expected of Tom Izzo and his crew.

While Izzo is known for his great offensive teams, he is also known for great defense and that has shown in the tournament so far. MSU will punch you in the face and that’s what you need to do to beat Memphis. We saw it last week with Jarvis Varnado and Mississippi State, who came one shot short of pulling a possible upset. The Spartans have the leadership, the poise, and most importantly, the talent, to take down the top seeded Tigers. Drew Neitzel will need to bring his best game but I don’t doubt that of the former Mr. Basketball of Michigan. MSU can play, and that will show against the Tigers, who will want to push the ball behind Derrick Rose. And with John Calipari’s club struggling at the line , this is the game that will come back to bite them. People might consider Memphis an elite program right now, but people will soon forget the flavor of the week and remember a truly elite program in Michigan State Friday night. Spartans, Spartans!

Possible upsets: Stanford over Texas, Michigan State over Memphis, and Davidson over Wisconsin.

NCAA Round 2 Recap: Conference struggles = Tourney success

2008-03-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

What we learned from the second round:

Conference struggles for pre-season elite might equal success in tourney: This easily applies to two teams who many picked to lose in their first round games: Michigan State and Texas A&M. The Spartans took down Final Four favorite Pittsburgh and the Aggies nearly knocked off the powerhouse that is the UCLA Bruins, losing in the final seconds to a special freshman named Kevin Love. Both these teams were picked to do special things in their respective conferences this season but failed to live up to expectations.

In MSU’s case, they still have a coach in Tom Izzo who has been one of the most successful coaches in the country. Let’s not forget that Izzo has reached the Final Four in four of the past nine seasons, more than any other team during that time. MSU went through an up and down Big 10 conference schedule which included two bad road losses at Iowa and Penn State. A&M started out 16-1 but upon entering the heart of Big 12 play was handed two blowout losses on the road against Texas Tech and Kansas State. It’s hard to discredit what goes on in conference play but there is something about the tournament that allows teams to play significantly better. Unlike conference play where every team knows every other inside-out, the tournament, at least in the early rounds, puts together teams with different styles and contrasting strategies. It is here where upsets are made.

Several tops seeds get their first real tests: The top four seeds in each region were a combined 14-2 in the first round, with the two losses by Vanderbilt to Siena and Connecticut to San Diego. Things got interesting for the remaining top four seeds in the second round, where several experienced heart breaking losses and others had extremely close calls. Duke was ripe for a loss after their first round struggles against Belmont and West Virginia exploited Duke for everything they were worth, which wasn’t much. Memo to Coach-K: YOU NEED A BIG MAN. Speaking of a big man, what looked like it was going to be a tough game for Wisconsin turned out to be nothing really special as the Badgers rolled over Kansas State and Michael Beasley. Michael, we will see you in the pros next year.

Stanford is loving the Lopez twins after both came up huge in their overtime win against Marquette. Tennessee survived a real scare by Butler, who didn’t even play their top game but still managed to get the game into overtime where Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism of the Volunteers took over down low. With that said, I haven’t even gotten to the biggest upset of the second round…

One special guard can ALWAYS make a difference come March: Cue up the Mike Patrick “are you kidding me?” soundbyte. Stephen Curry, welcome to the Big Dance. After scoring 40 points in the first round for Davidson, you scored 30 more against number two seeded Georgetown, 25 of which came after the break, leading to an improbable upset. The son of former NBA player Dell Curry is the definition of a gamer, a guy who doesn’t sulk after a rough stretch where his shots aren’t falling. This sophomore has ice in his veins and hasn’t found a spot on the court he doesn’t like taking a shot from. And while he had a performance that will be remembered for a long time by Davidson fans, people must realize that his team only shot 39% from the field while giving up nearly 64% to the Hoyas!

Roy Hibbert proved to be as clutch as Shawn Bradley for the Mavericks. Six points with only three field goal attempts? Hibbert, we will see you in the pros too. The Princeton offense which usually gives fits to teams in the tournament who aren’t used to the constant motion did not seem to faze the Wildcats at all. They just kept on chomping away and truly believed they could do it.

This is what March Madness is all about baby.

NCAA Tourney Round 1 Recap: Orange juice and upsets in Tampa

2008-03-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

What we learned from the first round:

Tampa was the place to be for underdogs: One site, four games, four upsets, two overtimes, two buzzer beaters. You can’t get much better than that. No. 12 Villanova beat No. 5 Clemson, No. 12 Western Kentucky stunned No. 5 Drake in OT at the buzzer, No. 13 San Diego held off No. 4 Connecticut’s surge, and finally, No. 13 Siena dismantled No. 4 Vanderbilt. While the first day didn’t prove much for the underdogs, the second day was full of excitement and was showcasing teams that could do damage later in the tournament.

Duke ain’t that good: Duke should not have won their game. No Duke apologists need to come and start defending their team. It’s not worth it. Who knows, maybe Coach K. was looking forward to coaching real athletes in the summer for Team USA in the Olympics. The fact is Belmont played Duke as tough as anyone could have and they didn’t even have a true big man. They were hitting their jump shots and that’s how upsets are usually made. Once Duke runs into a big boy down low though, it’ll be a swift exit for the Blue Devils of Durham.

Individual performances or the lack thereof can only take you so far: Some stars truly didn’t step up for their teams and it showed in the loss column. Others did but their supporting casts did nothing to complement them. Take O.J. Mayo of USC for example. 20 points on 6-16 shooting. Only two other players were in double figures for his team, most with horrible shooting percentages. On the other hand, Eric Gordon from Indiana, another star freshman, scored only 8 points on 3-15. He’s a guy who has scored 20+ points most games this season for the Hoosiers, so losing that scoring load against an athletic team like Arkansas can be trouble. Elsewhere, Joe Crawford of Kentucky scored 35 in a loss, almost taking the entire team on his back. The teams with better talent overall usually win. One player can’t do it all. In the case of IU, they had other factors affecting them because they were clearly the more talented team as a whole.

What to look for in the second round:

Potential bracket busters: There will be two 12/13 seeds advancing to likely play number ones in Kansas and UCLA. My guess is it’s Siena in the Midwest and Western Kentucky in the West. It’ll be interesting to see if WKU can continue keeping the pace they want, which is the video game run-and-gun style, against San Diego. Siena shot lights out from the field against Vanderbilt, including almost 50% from beyond the arc. Can Villanova stop them? I doubt it.

Good guard play versus good big man play: Marquette and Stanford will feature this in their game. Marquette has extremely athletic guards in Dominic James and Jerel McNeal. Stanford has the twin towers in the Lopez brothers. Which combo will do more damage? I think Stanford’s more disciplined play will help them move on, but it should be a very fun one for basketball fans to watch though.

Better athletes sometimes translates into wins: This goes for Xavier and Kansas State, who I think will outclass Purdue and Wisconsin respectively. The Big 10 grind it out style can go only go so far and Wisconsin won’t have seen two athletes like Bill Walker or Michael Beasley in a long time. One of these two games could get ugly. Xavier’s stingy defense will finally affect Purdue’s simple offense. Credit Purdue for loading their team up but they are going to have to ask a lot of their freshmen to get a win in the second round.

Potential upsets: Siena over Villanova, Kansas State over Wisconsin, Notre Dame over Washington State, and West Virginia over Duke.

Tips from an expert: How to make your NCAA Tourney picks

2008-03-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

With everyone printing brackets, erasing picks, and talking college basketball, The Core Junction thought it’d be helpful to offer some tips:

Big man success: The tournament is well known as a time when guards step out their play. More recently though, big men have dominated and taken their teams on their backs. Think Sean May, Emeka Okafor, Greg Oden, Glen Davis, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah. This year’s crop? Michael Beasley of Kansas State, Kevin Love of UCLA, Roy Hibbert of Georgetown (a Final Four participant last year), Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Luke Harangody of Notre Dame, Darrell Arthur of Kansas, and DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh. Having strong front court play that can take over is something most Final Four teams have in common. A team cannot fake this for an entire tournament run. George Mason tried to and then ran into that great Florida front court. A team either has it or doesn’t, plain and simple. Don’t over-think this point but don’t under value it either.

Teams building new chemistry: This doesn’t just mean teams that have rattled off a nice streak going into the tournament. If that’s the case, go check out Davidson and their nice 22-game winning streak, which is currently the longest in the nation. I’m talking teams that have had key players finally return back from injuries or other problems late in the season. Look no further than Ty Lawson of North Carolina, Levance Fields of Pittsburgh, Scott Padgett of Louisville, and Jerome Dyson of Connecticut. Teams that are peaking come tournament time usually can carry that unique momentum to the Final Four. That momentum cannot be replicated. If a team’s best basketball is behind them, then a special run is unlikely.

Ability to win ugly: You can’t expect a team to come out and play four straight perfect games in the tournament. It rarely happens. Teams that have proven they can win in different situations and with different styles are the ones that show the real poise in March. Think Ohio State of last year, with two close weeks in a row against Xavier and Tennessee. Illinois three years back against Arizona. Oklahoma State against St. Jospeh’s the year before. This year’s participants? Two heavyweights in UCLA and North Carolina have both proven they can win tight games even when their stars are struggling. Two Big Ten teams in Michigan State and Wisconsin also share the same idea. The Spartans can win games even when they have a high turnover rate while the Badgers will depend on foul shots to squeak out close games in the tournament.

Location, location, LOCATION: The tournament is set up so that higher seeded teams have a strong chance to play in a neutral site that is actually close to their home court. When Syracuse won the title in 2003, they played the regional final in New York. Illinois played the regional final three years ago in Rosemont, Illinois. Last year, both Georgetown and UCLA enjoyed short trips to their regional finals. Two teams this year that envision playing regional final games in their home state are North Carolina, which would play in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Texas, which would play in Houston, Texas. UCLA will also be playing their first two games in Anaheim, California while Memphis will be playing in Little Rock, Arkansas, two hours away from their home.

Coaching excellence: March Madness is when coaches’ legacies are etched into history. Many unknown coaches have elevated their status within college basketball and their programs with a nice run in the tournament. Other coaches are already proven and continue their success every year tournament time. Thad Matta rose up at Xavier, then continued at Ohio State. Roy Williams almost got to the top with Kansas, finally doing so with North Carolina. Rick Pitino, the only coach to take three separate schools to the Final Four, lives for the madness. Who are some of the upcoming/unknown great coaches? Sean Miller of Xavier, Brad Stevens of Butler, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, Tony Bennet of Washington State, and Trent Johnson of Stanford.

And the most important tip….

No one is wrong until Thursday afternoon: No reason to bash other people’s picks because for all you know, they could have the perfect bracket. Your mom likes Belmont to upset Duke? Ok. Your boss is really favoring Gonzaga for the Final Four? Go with it. You sister thinks UNC will lose their first game? Well, that might be a stretch. That said though, some extremely strange things have happened once this time of the year rolls around. Sure things go down easily (Connecticut against George Mason two years ago?), unknowns rise up (Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators), brackets get destroyed in the first round, relationships end. That is the beauty of this tournament. Make your picks and be confident but don’t rip on your girlfriend’s picks. You might be eating your words come April and also looking for some new loving.

Here’s a printable bracket (CBS Sportsline)

Watch YOUR TV anywhere!

2008-03-13T00:00:00.003-05:00

Gone are the days where fans had to schedule things around their favorite shows. With the rise of DVRs, TV has become more attached to people’s lives than ever before. Now, a person is just several button pushes away from having that season finale of “Lost” or the rubber-match of the Cubs-Sox series recorded for later watching.

As a passionate Chicago sports fan, my first year away from home at college proved to be a trying task. Going to school deep in The Hoosier State, I was stuck without the option of watching my beloved hometown Cubs, Bulls, and most importantly, the Bears. I also missed having my DVR at school to record my favorite shows. I didn’t have the luxury of scheduling that study session for a psychology test around an episode of “Survivor.”

Enter Slingbox, the next home theater accessory everyone must have. Simply put, the Slingbox is a device that lets you watch your TV anywhere with an internet connection. Whether you have a DVR at home or just a straight cable connection, Slingbox allows you access to that content. The device takes the normal TV feed, digitalizes it, passes it through your home network, and makes it available to internet-connected computers anywhere else.

The setup of the device is quite easy. In my case, I took the cables that normally plugged into my TV from my satellite box and plugged them to the Slingbox instead. Slingbox comes with cables you can then plug into the device that go to the TV, passing the same signal to the TV like originally. A network cable then needs to be connected. There is no wireless option that comes with the device but other accessories can be purchased to supplement the need for no wires. An added step of installation applies to people who have a satellite or cable box. Infrared sensors can be set up for remote control use over the internet.

Software than must be installed on a computer currently on the home network to ensure the Slingbox is working properly. This takes a matter of minutes in most cases. A password and device ID is than assigned for you to use whenever you want to access the box elsewhere.

The playback software is included and you can install it on whatever platform you want to access the device from. It is also available on their website in case you need to download it to another computer. In my case, I installed it on my laptop I had for school. The software, called SlingPlayer, accesses your device at home using the password and device ID assigned during the initial software installation. The program either then displays a generic remote to use to control the feed or in the case of satellite/cable box users, uses a picture the exact remote of your box to emulate the use of the real remote.

The user can then freely change channels, record shows if a DVR is used, access recorded shows, etc. Essentially, anything you would normally be able to do with your TV if you were in front of it can be done via the SlingPlayer.

The one main downside that is realized quickly after initial use is that Slingbox uses up the signal/box that it is connected to. So if it is connected to the family room satellite box and you are on a business trip in another country, whatever you are accessing or watching over the internet will be watched on the other side by your family. Both sides can control the feed although only one program can be watched at a time. Ideally, you have an extra box or jack to devote to the Slingbox.

Also, only one person can be “connected” to each Slingbox at a time. For obvious copyright purposes, that means you can’t be watching the Cubs game while you are at school in Indiana and also have your friend who is out in California watching at the same time using the same box. One box means one person.

The quality depends on the upload and download speeds of your home network. One can also fork out a little more money to buy the Slingbox PRO which enables HD use. I actually bought this one and while the quality is watchable over the internet, it still is nowhere near normal HD quality. Think of it as a video you would watch over You Tube, a little above average quality.

There is software that enables the user to access their Slingbox via certain cell phones and select Pocket PCs with specific system requirements. However, all software needed for these viewing methods costs extra.

There are many online sites and other devices priced similarly that do the same thing that Slingbox does however, none do it with even close to the quality or ease of Slingbox. For the price that you pay only once, it allows you to access your TV anywhere in the world via a stable broadband connection. The software is easy to use and makes you feel right at home. In my case away from school, I was able to watch Cubs and Bulls games live and also record my favorite shows to watch when I had free time. Slingbox’s value applies even more to people who are constantly traveling and want to have some consistency of what they watch on television. One will even be able to tune into the late local news from Chicago if they are in Beijing for business.

Pros: Access your TV from any computer with a broadband connection; great, intuitive software; no fees besides initial cost of product; great gift for any college student or world traveler that misses their local programming.

Cons: Depending on your connection speed, quality could suffer; the software for cell phone/PDA viewing costs extra; no wireless option built in (sold separately); uses up attached device during viewing.

There are three versions:
HD version, multiple inputs (Slingbox Pro, $180)
HD version, single input (Slingbox Solo, $140)
Standard definition, single input (Slingbox AV, $107)

Out of control ticket pricing in Dallas?

2008-02-12T00:00:00.001-06:00

As a season ticket holder for the Chicago Bears, I take special notice when stories come out about ticket prices and the different things teams around the NFL are doing for their fans concerning the game experience.

In anticipation of their new, state-of-the-art stadium currently in construction in Arlington, Texas, the Dallas Cowboys have released their new figures for potential season ticket holders. All lower level Club Seats, which extend from end zone to end zone, cost $340 per ticket. That’s compared to $129, the price for the same seat at Texas Stadium, the current home of the Cowboys.

While the prices alone are a steep enough incursion, to obtain season tickets, a fan must first purchase a Personal Seat License (”PSL”).

A PSL, which is becoming standard for teams across the country, grants the holder rights to purchase tickets year after year for the given stadium and the fan must pay the one time fee of the PSL for each seat “owned.” Only then does the fan pay the ticket price for each seat every year for every game.

The price for Dallas’ PSLs have been set between $16,000 and $150,000 per seat. In contrast, the most expensive price currently for a Personal Seat License in the NFL is at the Carolina Panther’s home, Bank of America Stadium. The cost is $12,000 per seat. When the Chicago Bears sold rights for the new Soldier Field in 2002, the highest price was $10,000 a seat.

For fans that cannot front that kind of money for the tickets, the Cowboys will finance the seats at an eight percent interest rate. And that doesn’t even include parking, which comes close to $1000.

February 1st had originally been set the date for current Cowboys season ticket holders to commit to buying Club Level seats in the new stadium. However, the Cowboys extended that deadline to February 11th.

Many fans in Dallas are already protesting and have said that Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones is only targeting the wealthy. Sports used to be an affordable event where one could take the whole family for some weekend fun. Now, it seems that a family may have to take out a second mortgage just to be able to get to a game.

Several economists have also said that Jones might be driving up the value of an NFL ticket himself as other NFL teams might begin to lag behind the Cowboys in revenue.

The Cowboys will be moving into their new $1 billion stadium in Arlington before the 2009 season. It will be one of the most expensive sports venues ever built, with 80,000 seats that allows for an expansion to 100,000. It will also have a retractable roof, operable glass doors which allow each end zone to be opened, and a video display board or “JumboTron” in the middle.

While the Cowboys are “America’s Team,” it doesn’t seem that America will be able to afford to watch their team. Good thing I live in Chicago, where I guess the quality of the product they put out on the field or court in any sport just doesn’t match up to those guys in Texas. After all, in Texas, everything is done bigger. Good luck Jerry.

Cowboys Cause for Concern (WFAA)

New Stadium (The Dallas Cowboys)

Upstart football leagues will provide football to fans during and after the NFL season

2008-02-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

After painfully enduring the first weeks since August without any football on television (no, I don’t care about the Senior Bowl), I saw an ad in the Chicago Tribune for the Chicago Rush, an Arena Football League team. It got me thinking: what do NFL fans watch during the off-season? Passionate college football fans can follow the recruiting season, but NFL fans who aren’t enticed by the NBA and MLB seasons suffer until the cool breezes return and players report to training camp. Football fans want more.

More may be coming in two big ways. Two rival professional football leagues are starting from the ground up to compete with the NFL, one during the regular season and one during the spring.

The first league, the United Football League (UFL), is an eight-team league created by financier and former United States Football League (USFL) minority owner Bill Hambrecht. This league plans to play games during the NFL season on Friday nights. The league seeks franchises in large metropolitan areas that have no NFL franchises, places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and maybe even Mexico City or London. Mark Cuban, current owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has lined up for a franchise already. Figures.

The other league will be the All American Football league (AAFL). This is the more intriguing of the two leagues. The AAFL will have franchises in places with a great college football tradition, places like Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama (all SEC schools I might note). This league will play games on Saturdays in the spring, and will boast the stars of college football that never made it to Sundays. They have committed a wild group of former standouts already, including former Heisman winner Eric Crouch (Nebraska), and national championship quarterbacks Chris Leak (Florida) and Tee Martin (Tennessee). Even John Navarre of Michigan has signed on! John Navarre!

Dissimilar to the NFL, where stories of dog fighting, drug use, other deplorable off-the-field behavior are becoming increasingly common, the AAFL aims to earn a different reputation: the league requires that all players must be college graduates. San Diego entrepreneur Marcus Katz, who has funded the league, says that, “There’s so much negative press about the athletes who get in trouble, about how many of them don’t graduate. Why not set a good example?”

I’ve always been a fan of competition, whether it be in sports or business- the more options, the better. While the pessimistic among us will shrug the possibility that these new leagues might compete with the mighty NFL, both the UFL and AAFL will provide an interesting complement to both the seventeen week NFL season and the high flying act that is the Arena Football League.

I often catch my friends or myself wondering what happened to random college football players that were deemed not gifted enough by NFL standards. Loyal fans and alumni will be excited to watch some the careers of their favorite college players not end with their college eligibility. The AFL and XFL seemed to fold because they lacked player recognition, but the AAFL will fix that problem by luring in big name former college football players.

The UFL on the other hand sounds like a simple plan to get fans from NFL-starved cities to open their wallets for some live professional football action. The UFL will probably also tap into the talent that comes from BCS power schools.

As a person who loves the game of football more than any other, the thought of watching the game played even more in its truest form is truly exciting. It will be interesting to see what the NFL’s next move is, if any.

Read the full article (Time)

Also see: the AAFL website and the UFL on Wikipedia

Super Bowl XLII means Super bets

2008-01-25T00:00:00.002-06:00

The Super Bowl is little more than a week away and while money is being poured into the bookmakers daily, the majority of it is being placed on the big underdog, the New York Giants. Over 80% of the bets already taken have been for the Giants, currently at +11.5 at most books. This could also be the first Super Bowl to handle more than $100 million in bets.

The current record of $94.5 million was set during Super Bowl XL between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, two teams from very small markets compared to the Giants (New York) and Patriots (New England = Boston).

Ironically, the New England Patriots team could come full circle, as they were double digit underdogs six years ago in Super Bowl XXXVI when they defeated the dominant St. Louis Rams in shocking fashion, and now they have the chance to win the “Big Dance” as double digit favorites (and become the greatest team of all time).

Whether you support gambling or are strictly against it, that fact remains that gambling is a major factor driving viewers to attend and watch games and it plays a role in keeping sports as popular as they are in our society today.

By the way, I already have locked in the Giants at +11.5. Good luck to all!