Preaknasty

It's finally arrived. The horse race none of us actually watch but go to anyways because we get to pay 45 dollars so we can drink large quantities of alcohol in a giant field.

Preakness, it's a beautiful thing. Obviously the race hasn't happened yet, but I had a free moment here to update everyone on what's been going on lately. I've got a ton of friends in town, all here to enjoy the fruits of uninhibited drinking. Last night we made our way to Bethesda for some bar action where it was a sort of reunion after a semester abroad for many. I've been running around all over Maryland trying to keep up with everyone whose in town. I literally think I've promised over 20 people to sleep at my house and am just now realizing the painful consequences. Tomorrow we leave for Pimlico at around 9am and I'll definitely have a post about this whole thing up on Monday or something. I've also got a column in Monday's Daily about what it's like to attend a Triple Crown Race.

And to Pete and Graham...ummmm...If I were in Dallas right now I would probably try and make my way over to Texas Stadium, break in, and take vomit on each and every star on the turf. Then I would stand under the opening of their roof and proudly sing 'Hail to the Redskins' with my hands wide apart a la Terrell Owens (in a cocky way like when he played for the Niners, not how he does it now).


Loud and proud, just like in the picture

David Stern has no soul

When I saw the hipcheck by Robert Horry to Steve Nash, I actually didn't think that much about it. Yes, the foul was unnecessary and deserved the flagrant 2 it got, but I didn't think much would come of it given the importance of the Suns/Spurs series. And then yesterday happened and now we have a game 5 without Amare Stoudamire, without Boris Diaw, and without Big Shot Rob. And while most said Horry's suspension was warranted, I disagree. This is the playoffs. It's supposed to be physical and hard fouls like Horry's add intrigue into the series. I don't think David Stern and Stu Jackson understand how important the outcome this series will have on the rest of the league. I'm of the belief that the winner from this Spurs/Suns series will win the NBA Title, but more importantly this is the series that has the most potential to create that lasting, special moment that every playoffs has. Remember last year's Dirk Nowitzki drive to the hoop and foul in game 7 of the conference finals? Or MJ's shot/offensive foul against Bryon Russell back in the day? And what about Derek Fisher's miracle shot with the Lakers a few years back? Those are memories that stick with NBA fans forever and now a potential one could have been altered because Stern has once again overstepped his boundaries, like he always seems to be doing these days.

Seriously, everytime I see an interview with this guy, I leave thinking what an egomaniac he is. For God's sake, you're 5-foot-whatever, old, and probably haven't played competitive sports since age 10. Yes, he has had a great impact on the globalization of the game, but that's what he's supposed to do, not impact actual games. The Suns had a giganticly huge momentum-building win in San Antonio where they finally showed the moxie and toughness of a championship-caliber team down the stretch. And let's be honest with ourselves here, both the Spurs and the Suns and championship-quality teams when at full strength. But without Stoudamire and Diaw, who is Stoudamire's backup, the Suns are likely going to have to count on little-used reserves Pat Burke and Jalen Rose (Holler!). Not to mention the Suns were having a hard enough time dealing with Tim Duncan when Stoudamire was playing. Now, Tim will have even more free reign to do what he pleases in the post.


I HATE YOU!

This isn't the first time Stern has fucked up either. I was vehemently against all of his shenanigans involving what players dressed like on the court. For him to tell someone like Allen Iverson to take off an arm sleeve is totally crossing the boundaries. And then when he instituted the new ball, despite the backlash it caused from many players, he looked like a giant douche when he was forced to revert back to the old ball in January. I understand that Stern and the commissioner's office want to avoid bench-clearing melees like the infamous Palace debacle a few years back, but Amare and Diaw came nowhere near the scuffle. It just seems unfair to me that the team that initiated this whole mess (the Spurs) are gaining an upper hand because a bunch of dickhead executives feel the need to show how much power they have.

Count me as a Suns fan for the rest of this series. I was already leaning towards them because of various reasons including my disgust with Bruce Bowen, no matter how good at defense he is. Also, when did Tim Duncan turn into the biggest crybaby in basketball. I bet Timmy was that kid in school who got caught cheating on a test redhanded and then bitched to the teacher about how everything was culturally biased and ended up getting away with it (I hope everyone caught my Blue Chips reference there). Seriously though, according to the Big Fundamental he has apparently been everytime he shoots the ball and hasn't yet committed a foul all season long. Oh wait, I forgot he raised his hand a couple times in game 5 to indicate he had in fact committed a foul when he would wrap both arms around Amare when he had sure dunks.

But in the end here, David Stern is only hurting his own league with this ruling on the suspensions. This is the marquee matchup of the playoffs with the Mavs out, and it's being ruined because of some egomaniac who seems to have lost his grip on reality.


I bet these jackasses planned this out together.

EJ, The Jet, and Chuck

Last night was a tremendous night to be watching the NBA Playoffs. For one, you had a doubleheader of Cavs/Nets and then the Spurs/Suns. Then there was the fact that the games were being televised by TNT, which meant my favorite pregame/halftime/postgame combination would be alive and kicking. And for icing on the cake, the one and only Shaq was a guest analyst alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley. Personally, I hate it when games are on ESPN because it means we get a boatload of bullshit from their bushleaguers like Jamal Mashburn, Kiki Vandeweghe, and Dee Brown. I really don't understand why ESPN doesn't just go with Tim Legler and Greg Anthony all the time because they are definitely solid. But they certainly aren't at the level of the TNT guys.

What makes TNT's studio guys the best is that you can tell NBA players actually watch them. You hear it in their interviews when they call out Chuck or make fun of Kenny. And there's some real genuine comraderie within the show. They've all been doing it together for so long now that even Ernie Johnson can crack on Sir Charles. But if none of the guys knew anything about basketball the shenanigans would be meaningless. That is not the case though. Barkley consistently has reasoned responses to the game's action and definitely gives actual insight. Kenny's got his pictures where he details a key aspect of the ongoing game. And last night was even better because Shaq was in studio just ragging on Chuck and Kenny. He was dissing Kenny for being nothing but a three point shooter and Chuck for not having any titles. But Kenny and Chuck shot right back with The Jet showing off some video of Hakeem The Dream annihilating Shaq in the Finals when he was with the Magic. And Chuck had video of a near-brawl started by Chuck in which Barkley definitely got the upper hand.


They stuck together when Shaq tried to get cute and make fun of them on their own show.

But after all of the joking around (It was hilarious when they showed a montage of Shaq's funniest quotes) there was actual talk of the games like how the Nets need to turn up the tempo if they want any shot at getting past the Cavs. And Chuck was able to draw on personal experiences when it came to Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudamire leaving the bench after Big Shot Rob hipchecked Steve Nash into the boards. Chuck concluded that he wouldn't be surprised if both were suspended one game because the NBA is very strict in sticking with its "don't leave the bench during a fight" rule. And Kenny pulled no punches when he called out the Suns' coaches for their bullshit about how Amare was leaving to go check in. From my vantage point, I agreed. Amare was looking to knock some heads not wipe his feet on the little rubber mat to check in. A few weeks ago everyone on the TNT set was talking about the Emmy they won for best pregame and having watched over these playoffs, I'd have to agree. Those three are consistently entertaining, and actually say something meaningful when they talk.

To sum up the show you had to watch the end of Inside the NBA (the postgame show which is officially my favorite show on television). Kenny bet Shaq that if he made 2 of 3 free throws, two guys would pour a bucket of water on both Kenny and Charles. What made the situation more hilarious was seeing Charles stand instead of his normal sit behind the desk. The man has literally put on 100 pounds since retiring and he was wearing beige khakis and white shirt, a blazer, sparkling white sneakers, and his gut hanging over his belt. He really looks like that disgruntled 70-year-old who seems to live in every neighborhood around America and is always yelling at the kids to get off his fucking lawn before he sicks his dog/shotgun on them. SO of course, Shaq takes the bet saying if he doesn't make it he'll donate a 1000 bucks to Kenny and Charles' chrarities. And of course he misses his first two. Being a betting man, Shaq wants double or nothing. But this time it's only Kenny who gets the water on him. And again Shaq misses both. Which prompted this from Sir Charles to end Inside the NBA, "No wonder ya'll are the worst defending champs of all time".


Classic.

We Forgot About Someone

It's going to pain me to write this but...I was thoroughly impressed with the Detroit Pistons last night. Not only did they come back from a 19-point deficit against the Chicago Bulls, they also propelled themselves atop my list of Eastern Conference team that will make the NBA Finals. It's funny how everyone kind of pushed the Pistons under a rug this season after their historic start last year. This season most analysts acknowledged how good they were, but kind of shrugged them off for more interesting teams. Well, the Stones are letting it be known loud and clear that they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. I really thought the Bulls were going to give them a run for their money in this series, but maybe the Heat were really that bad and the Bulls really weren't that good. That's about the only way I can explain it.

I seriously hadn't seen a team with basketball players over the age of 12 go that cold for such an extended part of the game. It was almost depressing watching the last five or so minutes of the fourth quarter because it wasn't as if the Pistons were really pulling away. It was really the Bulls just fading away into oblivion. Let's be honest with ourselves, coming back from 3-0 in an NBA series is nearly impossible (and in fact has never been done). And I can already hear the catcalls from the peanut gallery: But what about LeBron and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals? Well unless LeBron takes his game to a level we didn't know he's capable of yet, then I just don't see the Pistons losing that series. The bottom line is that they simply have more quality players than the Cavs.


Access Denied Big Ben

Some Other Ramblings
-It's a must win in Oakland tonight for Golden State. They absolutely gave away game two the other night. I definitely didn't see a Utah Jazz conference finals appearance in my dreams before the playoffs.

-I want to be at the pregame ceremony where Dirk Nowitzki accepts his MVP trophy. It will be awesome comedy as David Stern hands over the award in front of a hostile crowd. You know there's no chance in hell Stern is going to have a smile on his face.

-I give the Tigers a lot of shit...mostly because Krauss likes them, but have you looked at their record lately? Sheff has been crap most of the season, and the bullpen has taken a step back and yet still, the Tigers sit at 21-12 atop the AL Central. I don't know if my pride can take having to sit through another pennant race in the Metro Detroit era.

-Word just broke the Ricky Williams tested positive for cheeba again. I got a feeling playing professional football will be out of the question now that Roger Goodell has a hard-on about player conduct. But take solace in this Ricky...we've got a running back opening on the Mudbowl team and there are no drug tests involved to play.


Hey, even the best of men give in to the ganj.

Long Time No See

Man, it's been literally over a week since I've posted on here and if you got scared that I'm not doing this anymore...well you're wrong. I just had a ridiculous week back in Ann Arbor without internet access, so I couldn't really update. But I'm back and the blog should be better than ever now that I've got a summer full of awesomeness on the horizon. I'll check back in later tonight after some time to collect my thoughts.

Who's Gonna Beat the Spurs?

The San Antonio Spurs, the most consistent team in basketball, will win the NBA Championship this season. Mark my words. But seriously, who in the Western Conference is going to beat them. Their series with the Suns is a study in contrasts with the Spurs wanting to slow it down, and the Suns trying to speed it up. Unfortunately for the Suns, the game matches up extremely well for San Antonio. Think about it, I have a real good feeling this series is going to be miserable for one, Steve Nash. He's not only going to have tp be at his best on the offensive end, but he's going to have his hands full on defense attempting to guard Tony Parker. In their three meetings during the regular season (the SPurs won two of them), Parker averaged over 28 points per game. And Parker might be the one guy in the NBA who might be able to stick with Leandro Barbosa. My gut tells me that Parker is going to wear down Nash when all is said and done since Nash is a mediocre defender at best.

Then, I have to believe the Spurs are going to stick Bruce Bowen on Shawn Marion. Some would say that is a giant mismatch, given that Marion has about three-four inches on Bowen. But don't forget that Marion is not a traditional post-up player, so it's going to be hard for him to take advantage of the size differential, unless he completely alters his game. And on the perimeter, we know what a tenacious defender Bowen can be even if he may have lost a half-step the past couple seasons.


All the key cogs, including Amare and Shawn, will need to be at their best to beat the Spurs.

Now, if you look back to their Western Conference finals series two years ago, the one Sun who absolutely obliterated the Spurs was Amare Stoudamire. I can't envision Amare not having a good series, but do I think he's going to replicate the 35-point, 20-rebound averages of two years ago?...Hell No. The Spurs are going to have this series move at snail's pace if possible because the last thing they need is to run up and down the court with the Suns. And by keeping it slow, Amare's stats are bound to go down. But here's why I think they set up so well with the Suns. For short amounts of time they probably will be able to run with the Suns. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are great open floor players, who would do it more if they didn't play for Gregg Poppovich. Now if the Spurs are going up and down every possession, they will be in trouble. You can't really compete in an up-and-down game with a roster that includes Nash, Barbosa, Stoudamire and Marion.

And before we get ahead of ourselves, let's remember that the Spurs have one of the best big men of all time in Tim Duncan. And while he doesn't put up the ridiculous numbers that Amare sometimes has, I would take him any day of the week. Duncan is one of those players that whenever the Spurs need a big basket, he'll get it for them. Besides, the Spurs slower tempo means less possessions and therefore less scoring opportunities which explains his sometimes lower stats. Amare is not a good on-the-ball defender and if the Spurs were smart they'd try to get him into foul trouble whenever he's left guarding Duncan in the post. A key for the Suns is going to be getting Duncan into foul trouble. They have two big men, in Amare and Boris Diaw, who can take it to the hole or post up and it needs to be taken advantage of. Get Duncan on the bench and the Spurs lose any semblance of a post game, which will affect their entire offense.


Nash will have to play at an MVP-level on both ends of the floor to win this series. We should truly find out what kind of legacy he'll leave with this series.

The bottom line is that I truly believe the key to this series will be Steve Nash. He will not be able to get away with just igniting the offense and setting up his teammates like in the Lakers' series. Tony Parker exploding and Duncan being his usual-consistent self will be enough to get by the Suns. Nash is going to have to be the complete player that most two-time (and possibly three-time) MVPs should be. For once, he might have to play some defense. This is a series that could come to define Nash's career. He's got the two MVPs but we all know he wants a championship, and this is probably his best shot. He's already 33 and he's got a gimpy back, meaning he's got one, maybe two good years left in him. And with Shawn Marion likely leaving after next season, the time is now for Nash to prove himself as one of the best in the NBA. But I just don't see him doing that. There's no way in my mind he'll be able to stick with Parker this series. And you have to believe Gregg Poppovich has a plan to slow down Nash, and it probably involves Parker wearing him down on the defensive end. The Spurs just held the Nuggets, the second-highest scoring team in the NBA, to under 100 points in every game of their first-round series. They won't replicate that against the Suns. They just have too many weapons. But they'll do it enough to win the series.

Spurs in 6.

Baron, a Poor Man's Gilbert?

Since Baron Davis has been unquestionably the best player in the NBA playoffs so far, I started perusing YouTube to find some clips of his awesomeness from the past. I don't think people realize that this isn't the first time Baron has gone off in the postseason. In 2002, in just his second season in the league, Baron was unreal for the Hornets in the first round, only to get eliminated on some bogus call by a ref.

But as I was looking at some of his nastiness over the years, I stumbled upon this, click the link below:

Baron Davis at his finest

I understand it's over five minutes long, but Baron Davis working the drive-thru of a McDonalds in Oakland will never get old to me.


A star is being born in these playoffs. Baron is going to be the 2007-08 version of Gilbert Arenas.

A Savage Debate

Well I told you in my last post that The Wonder Years marathon that was on TV had piqued my interest. To be specific, it got me thinking about the Savage brothers, Fred and Ben. Fred was Kevin on the Wonder Years, a kid who grew up in the 60s and had a father that he was petrified of. Ben was Cory on Boy Meets World, where we literally saw him grow up in front of our eyes, from middle school all the way to marriage. But who's better? Fred or Ben?


Are you a Kevin fan?

Well Fred has a leg up since he was an SAE at Stanford. And don't forget how smokin' Winnie was on The Wonder Years. And I realize this shouldn't dictate a debate between who was better but think about it who would you choose? The guy who constantly went after his extremely good looking innocent crush (Winnie) or the guy who got the girl and she promptly decided to put on 10 pounds every season (Topanga)? But the supporting cast around Ben was phenomenal. Shawn, especially before he got all emo when his Dad died, and Eric, who got funnier every season, were indispensable. Fred, meanwhile, had a dorky best friend and an annoying little sister. BUt you could argue that this is something that should favor Fred since he did carry an entire show all by himself.


Or is it Cory Matthews?

However, The Wonders Years wasn't really a versatile show. It was kind of the same concept for every season...and then it ended with Kevin moving away. Boy Meets World on the other hand went from middle school to high school to college to marriage. And I guess The Wonder Years were also similar in that it showed Kevin growing up. You know the more I think this through, Fred and Ben are actually interchangeable. I could seriously envision either one in the other's show and it would still work.

Maybe if we examine their work after the shows went off the air, then we'll be able to determine who is the best. Well Fred had that awful NBC show, Working, that...well...sucked. He was in Goldmember with a cameo role in which I'm sure half of America went "Hell look it's the Wonder Years kid" when he got in that fight with Mini Me. And his most recent endeavors include voice work for both The Justice League and Kim Possible. Wow. That's embarassing. I always wondered who did the voices on random cartoons and now I know: washed up 90s TV stars. Speaking of which, Will Friedle, who played Eric, does the voice of Ron Possible. I saw huge things for him especially after he did My Date With the President's Daughter, which had a rockin' Presidents of the United States of America song as its theme. But now he's just Ron Possible. But back to Kevin, err I mean Fred, atleast he got another sitcom. The closest Ben has been to sniffing the big time of network television was a guest spot on Still Standing (it was a great episode though). Oh before I forget Ben will also be in a film starring Tom Arnold coming out this year. And if you've seen Nine Months, I'm sure you're thinking what I'm thinking: automatic hit. Wait, what? Nine Months was made 14 years ago.

So in conclusion both Fred and Ben were damn lucky to get the parts they did in the shows they did. Each essentially played the same character except they were 10 years apart. But since Fred showed his real depth as an actor when he did that made-for-TV movie where he beat up the girl who played DJ on Full House, he gets the nod over Ben in this one. For the record it was called "No One WOuld Tell" and I realize what the first thought that came to your head was and the answer is no it didn't win an Emmy. The people who run TV are jealous of the Savage dynasty that we got to live through from 1987-2000 when The Wonder Years and Boy Meets World were on, so the award went to somebody else.


I wonder if NBC ever put this bad boy out on DVD.

Supersize Weekend

Back home in Maryland and as you can imagine I had very little to do over the weekend. Its real nice being done with finals and all and frankly it means I can devote myself to sports. And it was quite a weekend for television dedication what with the NFL Draft, the NBA PLayoffs, the NHL PLayoffs, baseball, HBO Sunday, and even a Wonder Years marathon on some random channel on the digital cable (more on this in a future post). But in getting down to business I leave you with this disclaimer: I have a nice HDTV in the basement of my house with two leather chairs and a couch. I literally rotated between the three all weekend while watching the various sports on TV. And if you know me you know that I'm an incessant channel changer, which is a good and bad thing. But I think I caught most of what went on so I figured I'd leave some thoughts.

Let's start first with the NFL Draft...

Time to air out some dirty Landry
I am really unsatisfied with this LaRon Landry pick by the Redskins. I understand he is uber-talented and as he said in his presser today "He's gonna give 100 percent on every play". But the guy plays the same position as Sean Taylor. I was almost in tears when the Skins picked and the ESPN guys started raving about how Landry is going to be the run stopper and Taylor will the be the center field coverage safety. I got news for ya Skins: You tried that last year and it didn't work. Sean Taylor gave up God knows how many long balls and the defense was next to last in the NFL. And if you look at my picks from the previous post you'll notice that I guessed the Skins would pick Landry. What I've come to realize is that the Washington Redskins don't think like normal teams when it comes to the Draft. The Redskins think "Oh man, we can get another Sean Taylor, that will be an awesome secondary. They should be thinking "Oh we already have a Sean Taylor, let's fill an actual need when we have a top 10 pick in the Draft. I would have much rather seen the Skins trade down but according to other reports that really wasn't a possibility. I still think this is a playoff team next season.


Such a blah pick

Can a Skeeps All-Star turn into an All-Pro?
-I think Alan Branch will be the steal of the Draft for the Cardinals to start off the second round. There's a reason this guy was projected as a top 5 pick when he came out. People are questioning his desire, his productivity, and his work ethic. All the football writers at the Daily think he hasn't worked out since the season ended. And I will admit I saw big Alan at Skeeps and Rick's a ton this past semester, but you can't teach his size and athleticism. People want to talk about how poor his workouts were but I want everyone to take a moment and look at his 40 time and bench from the NFL Combine and compare them to that of Amobi Okoye, a consensus top-10 pick. Alan ran a 4.92 40...Amobi did it in 4.97. Alan repped 225 33 times...Amobi 29. Okoye weighed in at 302 at the Combine even though he played about 20 pounds lighter than that at Louisville. Alan weighed in at 326 but remember was still faster. It's easy to get back into shape, it's not-so-easy to be agile at 6'6 and 325 pounds. Besides which, all the man needs is a little motivation. Stick some short, white sorostitutes on the practice field and tell Alan that every good practice he has he'll get a girl. The man has two things that are his kryptonite: food and sorority houses, so you combat one with the other.


I'm just loyal to this guy. I respect the women he goes after at the bars.

-David Harris to the Jets in the second round is what people are calling a steal... and I would agree if it were with a different team. Harris is going to have to play OLB there since Vilma is the clear starter. Harris is a nasty MLB, but I just don't see him transitioning to the outside since he doesn't have that sideline-to-sideline speed and athleticism. Also good to see Leon Hall get drafted in the first round. This year was a weak one for CBs and that's why Hall was rated so highly. Let's be honest with ourselves here: Leon Hall is no better than a No. 2 corner in the NFL, and frankly if he were on my team I would not want to see him on the field except in nickel or dime packages.

Sam Huff is a lunatic...and I love him for it
-Extra props to the Skins for taking Tyler Ecker in the seventh round which leads me into maybe the funniest radio segment I've heard in awhile. So the Dan Snyder-owned radio station had Sonny Jurgenson and Samm Huff commenting on the picks by the Skins and the subject of sixth-round pick linebacker H.B. Blades (Pitt,) came up. Here's what the convo looked like:

Sam Huff: Sonny, he's got initials for a first name. That means you know he can hit.
Sonny: What?
Sam Huff: It's a proven fact that people with initials for first names are big hitters when it comes to the NFL.

My reaction: That's why I love Sam Huff

-Those Steve Spurrier Under Armor commercials were absolutely priceless. The Ol' Ball Coach going "ooooookkkk...click clack" in order to hang up the phone will never get old. They actually showed that commercial during every break on both ESPN and the NFL Network and I seriously laughed every single time.


How did anybody keep a straight face on the set of this ad? If he were that funny as coach of the Skins, I would have given him another year of ineptness.

-Roger Goodell's first NFL Draft and it was the longest ever. I'm really starting to hate this guy. He's bland and thinks he's the shit with this new personal conduct business. Any league that doesn't appreciate the entertainment value of seeing someone get arrested 10 times in a year just doesn't have any common sense. They should be flaunting Pacman as must see TV. What will he do next? Which person will he pistol whip next? Yes, I know he wants the league to be more professional but c'mon have some fun.

I'm putting a thousand bucks on the turtle
-A highlight from day 2 of the draft came from Suzy Kolber's interview with Michael Vick and how he vows that this is the season where he finally matures. This comes just a few days after they found animal fighting at one of his houses that apparently he doesn't actually live in. Vick blamed it on his relatives, but I'm willing to bet a whole bunch of money that Ron Mexico had his own rooster that he bred to be a killing machine. And speaking of Suzy Kolber: is it a rule in television that all legitimate female journalists have to be ugly as hell? Just a question I was wondering about.

-This was the first year that the Draft was on two networks, ESPN and the NFL Network. They each had their strengths with the ESPN guys seeming to have more knowledge of who each team was going to pick and the NFL Network being much more polished in its analysis once picks were made. Gotta give some props to Adam Schefter of NFL Network for breaking the Randy Moss trade. By the way, Schefter wrote for The Michigan Daily alongside Rich Eisen back in the day.

-Randy Moss for a 4th round pick. I'm not even going to talk about how unfair it is.

-Mike Tirico was definitely the MVP of the weekend for ESPN. The Ann Arbor native called the Heat-Bulls game in Miami on Friday night, was in NYC for the Draft by noon on Saturday, and then returned to Miami for a 1 o'clock game. That's dedication my friends.

-I can't wait to hear what Skip has to say about Brady Quinn's fall tomorrow on 1st and 10. I hope he rips into his soul, and tries to get under his skin. And speaking of skin...anyone else notice the large pimple on Quinn's face? I was really pissed when they let him go to a private room when the whole world saw that scouts actually watch football games and realized that Quinn racked up great numbers against shit teams.

-It was good to see a team like Philly fuck up the Draft for once. I have dreams of Kevin Kolb one day starting at Fedex Field.


And the dumber (and way fatter) than Tommy Amaker award goes to....Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles for their selections in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Random Musings
-John Maine of the Mets has a 1.35 ERA and is 4-0 to start the season aftert throttling the Nats today. He played for Bowie while I was there and I thought he was good, nit great. Guess i was wrong. The O's must be punching themselves for giving up a 26-year-old possible stud for Kris Benson last year.

-Just some quick things on the NHL from this weekend. Martin Brodeur looks mortal. Buffalo is lucky to be up 2-1, because the Rangers should have won game 2 in addition to game 3. And now that I've watched him a few times I really like Sean Avery. He gets a bad name for some of his antics, but he's a damn good player. Anaheim is coming out of the west, I think that's pretty apparent.

50 aka Dumbass
-This Floyd Mayweather/Oscar De La Hoya reality thing on HBO is pure genius. I need to see this fight next weekend now that I've invested so much emotional interest into the show. This talk of Mayweather being the bad guy is off-the-mark if you ask me. It's hilarious hearing him just call De La Hoya a bitch to his face and see De La Hoya just take it to protect his image. BTW...loved the 50 Cent cameo a couple weeks ago. It led to this little exchange:

FMJ: Me and 50, we real cats. That's what we got in common.
50: Yeah Floyd Mayweather is the 50 Cent of boxing and 50 Cent is the Floyd Mayweather of rap...GGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUNIT!

And if you haven's seen the show yet, you should. Mayweather's uncle and father are hilarious seeing as how they barely speak English because of how slurred their speech is. The men literally breed fighters. They've got their kids and grandkids hitting the bags as soon as they can walk.

- I don't think I've ever seen a crowd like the one at Golden State the past two games. Seriously, with all of them wearing yellow on Friday night, it was one of the most surreal things ever, especially on HD. Baron Davis is just ridiculous right now, maybe the best guard in the NBA during these playoffs. And if this series has told me anything it's that Dirk just isn't at that elite level. And it tells me he may never get there. He's a great shooter and really skilled for a nearly 7-footer, but the bottom line is that he can't create his own shot. You put guys like Steven Jackson and Matt Barnes, who are athletic and have long-ass arms, and Dirk is a mere mortal. That being said, I think the Mavs win Game 5 at home. Can they win at Golden State in game 6 is the question. There's no doubt in my mind that if this goes seven games the Mavs win, but that sixth game is really the Warriors to lose. Oh yeah, Avery Johnson, here's a suggestion: When no one on your team can cover anyone and you're giving up a shit ton of layups...why don't you switch to a zone? But the real highlight of the series has been hearing how much Charles Barkley hates the San Fran/Oakland area. I mean the man has a legitimate beef. Here's a direct quote from Sunday's broadcast that was absolutely hysterical:

"The Bay Area sucks. I'd rather stay at Alcatraz than stay in Oakland or San Francisco. What's the world coming to when the Warriors have famous fans (like Jessica Alba)? I love Tupac though."


This is Sir Charles about 100-150 pounds ago if you asked me to guess.

To D. Snyder: Don't fuck this up!

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I think I may have gotten way too excited about David DeJesus and I just couldn't muster the energy to get my creative juices flowing. No but seriously, I'm back in Maryland now, having returned from a week of binge partying. So that's the reason for the lack of posts.

But my lack of writing isn't for a lack of sports going on. We've got baseball, we've got NBA playoffs, we've got NHL playoffs and we've got the NFL Draft tomorrow. And since I am so tired of all the coverage given to the Draft by ESPN, we'll get that out of the way right now. I think the Raiders are going to choose JaMarcus Russell when it's all said and done. In fact here's how I think the top 10 is going to play out. Keep in mind that I don't listen to the ESPN guys as much because I simply think NFL teams think a little differently than the analysts. That's why the analysts are analysts and GMs are GMs:

1. Raiders pick Russell
2. Lions trade their pick to someone (whether it's the Bucs, Falcons or whomever) and they select Calvin Johnson
3. Browns select Brady Quinn
4. This is Tampa's pick but if they trade it the LIons take Joe Thomas here. If Tampa keeps it they are going to go for Gaines Adams
5. Cardinals take Thomas if he's still around and if he's not they go with Adrian Peterson
6. Redskins are going to try and trade down. If they can't they go with Laron Landry (it's a stupid pick, I know. But lest we forget the Redskins are run by stupid people).
7. Vikings take Gaines Adams if he's still around. And if he's still around someone if going to want to trade up to get him.
8. If the Lions are here courtesy of a trade with the Falcons, they will take Levi Brown. If it's the Falcons, they will take Best Player Available which will be Amobi Okoye
9. Dolphins take Levi Brown if he's available. If he's not I'm guessing my man Leon Hall will get the nod
10. Without Peterson on the board, the Texans are going to try like Hell to trade down...possibly to the Broncos who will take Patrick Willis, linebacker from Ole Miss.


Do I think Landry will be awesome? Yes.
Would I select basically another Sean Taylor when I have so few picks? No.
Was I shocked as I drove in today to find that Sportstalk 980 was absolutely reaming out my Lord and savior Joe Gibbs? YES.

I think I've left enough room for the maneuvering that is sure to go on come tomorrow afternoon. I'm actually extremely curious how my predictions hold out. I'm literally going to be sitting in front of my HDTV tomorrow watching whatever sports may be on and am going to try and chronicle my thoughts as the day progresses. I'll even try to update periodically so there is some sort of time consistency going on (Does that even mean anything).