Scandal, Stupidity, Stanley Cup Recap

When the college basketball season is over, we usually focus on the prospects going to the big programs and see those move on to the NBA during the summer. We almost always forget that there is a scandal or two that comes out involving a big time program or a big time coach. Former Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson was the last big name to be punished for of all things, texting to much to recruits. USC and their coach Tim Floyd will soon be punished for the O.J. Mayo scandal involving money and gifts. The same seems to be happening now to the Memphis basketball program. It involves Derrick Rose who is now in Chicago playing for the Bulls. Allegedly in high school one of Rose's grades was elevated from a D to a C. Obviously it doesn't concern Memphis, if it happened at his high school, but the other allegation is more troubling. Allowing Rose's brother to fly on the team charter plane and stay at the team's hotel free of charge.

Now why would it even be a policy to allow anyone to fly on the teams charter. According to Memphis AD R.C. Johnson it is. It is schocking to a degree, but then again not so much. A big time program allowing "Joe Schmoe" or even a players relative (allegedly) to buy a seat on the team charter plane. Former Memphis coach John Calipari should have known who was on that plane and not allowed it if it did in fact happen. According to the NCAA Calipari is not in any trouble, yet. They want him to attend a hearing scheduled for next week on the allegations for the Memphis basketball program. He has some history hear. He lead UMass to a NCAA title game over a decade ago and later left for the NBA before the NCAA took away the appearance because UMass player Marcus Camby was being paid by agents. Now that he bolted for Kentucky, the Memphis program is getting some heat. Kentucky got what they paid for and knew of the allegations at Memphis when hiring John Calipari. The Wildcats better hope they don't follow into their program.

Speaking of Kentucky. They have now counter sued their former coach Billy Gillispie after he sued them for six million dollars of money they owe him. Now let me get this straight. Gillispie never signed a formal contract that would guarantee him money in case of a firing which was going to happpen. Lets face it, Kentucky did not like him from the start and they knew it when he wouldn't sign a contract. It shouldn't be as simple as that, but it is. Billy Gillispie is a good coach, but not a great coach. I don't fault him for taking the Kentucky job even though it wasn't the best job for him, but come on Billy. Sign next to the X so that your assured of something in case the school decides to can you. Kentucky claims the memorandum he did sign was on a year to year basis because of his unwillingness to sign a long term contract. Gillispie says otherwise and wants the rest of the money guaranteed in the memorandum. Fine. Settle out of court and go your separate ways. Hope you learned a lesson about contract negotiations there Billy.

I was foolish to think the Carolina Hurricanes were going to push the Penguins to six or seven games. I was even more foolish to think the young Chicago Blackhawks were going to beat the defending champion Red Wings in seven. Alas, we have a rematch in the Finals. The first since 83-84 when the Islanders and Oilers met in the Finals for the second straight year. Thanks to the NHL's stupid TV contract they play on back to back days this weekend. Detroit is a little banged up, but they should be ready to go this weekend. Pittsburgh is motivated and hungry for revenge. Crosby and Malkin are playing great and their goalie Fleury has been spectacular. The Red Wings have the same group from last year with Marian Hossa changing sides. I don't expect a one sided affair from Detroit this time around. The Penguins should have that going for them this year. Sid the Kid, the NHL's golden boy and savior will hoist his first of what could be many Cups this year. Pittsburgh in six.

The Fun of The Game

THE FUN OF THE GAME
I am sitting here watching the rain delayed Coca Cola 600 Nascar race and thinking about sports in general. Being 47 years old and having watched sports change over the years, the last few years have really troubled me. What with players being accused of rape and murder and drug use and needless to say Michael Vicks charges for dog fighting. I have had a rough time really enjoying watching professional sports as of late. That is until a colleage of mine who I respect for his love of his job Tim McCallef, who is an anchor at The Score Television Network in Canada and also a member of facebook reminded me why I loved sports in the winning the game which is nice it is the fun of the game. Now Tim who is a man who I respect greatly and is one of the funniest and knowlegeable announcers around showed me where I was going wrong without actually speaking directly to me.
On facebook you can put up pictures and videos and audio clips etc. Now I don't know where he found this particular video but the video is on You Tube which is a video site where you can see music videos and sports clips and basically anything you want to put online for all to see. Now I am not sure of the exact link to the clip but when I went to youtube.com I simply searched for this clip (dance off USF vs Uconn) and the video came up. Now even though I am going to tell you what I saw you really must see it for yourself. In this video the players involved were sitting out a 5 cunt em 5 hour rain delay during the Big East Baseball Tournament. Now if you have ever played baseball and have sat through a rain delay then you know how boring it can be. Now this is true for both fans and for the players and media as well. So what did the players do to occupy themselves? did they watch tv in the clubhouse? Did they stretch to keep loose? Did they have lunch? No to all of those. What they did was entertain the fans. The players held The 1st annual Big East rain delay dance off. Thats right the players put down the bats balls and gloves and broke out the chicken dance the Macarena and James Brown's classic moves and had themselves a blast. The score of the game doesnt matter. Who won and lost? Who cares? They had fun and isnt that what it's all about. So thanks Tim for sharing this with me and to all of you I say remember it's still just a game so have at it.

Vick is Free from the Federal Pound

If you haven't heard from the constant lawn coverage in Virginia this week, Michael Vick is out of jail. His motorcade was mapped out from his jail cell in Kansas to his home in Virginia. You talk about nothing going on. I mean I'm sick and tired of this. How is it that someone who is released from jail now has to have non stop coverage of his every move. Do we really need to know that he will be working for $10 an hour at a construction job? Do we really need to know that he will be electronically monitored? Do we really need to know that he is not allowed to have a dog? I will go ahead and answer these questions without any b-s answer from a spokesperson or attorney. Working for $10 an hour brings him to reality compared to the millions he threw away for something so heinous. The monitor is so the same people who put him away can come down on him for so much as driving by a dog park. Of course he should not be allowed to have a dog. I would not let him have a goldfish.

The main issue I have with this is not that he was released too soon. Not even the media coverage, although it's tough for me. The problem that I have is with Michael Vick's outlook on the rest of his life. Forget football Mike. That should be the least of your worries. Yes someone will take a chance on you, but you still need to face that fact that Commissioner Roger Goodell holds your key in his hands. You did lie to him before you were indicted on the charges and later plead guilty. He's not going to forget that I guarantee it. My question to you is are you truly sorry for what you did and regret every minute of it? Or are you sorry that you were caught? That was my question two years ago and still is today. Do you regret doing it or getting caught?

I really can't stand these animal rights groups. That's the only thing I have Vick's back on. Yes they have free speech and can say what they want. Enough is enough though. The man served his time and if he truly is sorry and helps spread the word about animal abuse, let it alone. It seems that Peta will be mobilizing when and if he gets back in the NFL to protest his reinstatement. For the record I would stand in front of Peta headquarters and eat a bucket of KFC extra crispy chicken as my way of protesting them. No doubt. I believe this man is truly sorry, but I can't be sure about it until he shows it.

The picture above shows Michael Vick at his press conference after being indicted on federal dog fighting charges back in 2007. What a joke of a presser that was. Reading a prepared statement from your attorney. Not showing any remorse for your actions and not realizing that you are not invincible from the law. You have had a long time to think about what you did and what you could have done differently. You can't dwell on that now. Stay down, show up to see your probation officer and don't even think about playing in the NFL this year. Mr. Goodell will not welcome you with open arms and the majority of the league will not want you. Maybe your knuckle head teammates who flaunted "Free Mike Vick" t-shirts during a game in 2007 will, but that was before they realized what you did. I look forward to seeing you 24-7 since our culture dictates we must know your every move. Memo to the NFL network in particular. I know it's the most boring time of the offseason, but shut up about Michael Vick now. Same to you ESPN. He is not reinstated. Stop the speculation on who he would be a good fit for. Never has an athlete that was considered the best in his sport fallen so fast.

vicks career Goes To The Dogs

VICKS CAREER GOES TO THE DOGS
Wednesday May 20th Michael Vick, former Atlanta Falcolns quarterback was released from Prison in Kansas to complete the last two months at his home in Virginia. Now most people know why he was there so I am not going to hash this out on this blog.
The reason for my blog today is to ask, What will happen to Vick after he is done with his sentence? The Atlanta Falcolns have already let it be known that he will never play for them again. The speculation is that when he is done they will relaease him so that he and they can move forward. But to me that is putting the cart before the horse. Vick is going to have to prove not only to the NFL and its players, coaches, officials, fans etc but also to the rest of the animal loving world. He has already reached out to The American Humane Society and has met with the president of the organization in prison. Now I am a very forgiving person and I can even forgive this transgression but even I need to see proof that he is truly remorseful.
Ok so he has served his time and proved he is remorseful (play along kids). He meets with The Comish and is allowed to play in the league once more. What will Vick be like as a player? Will he still have the skills that made him the toast of Atlanta and one of the best players in the league? And even if he shakes the rust off and is nearly as good as he was, who will pick him up. And if he does everything needed to be back in the league how fast will PETA set up camp at NFL stadiums near you to protest his playing? I don't know but it should be interesting.

Steel Cage Match between WWE & The Denver Nuggets

Whether you follow the fake spectacle of the WWE or not, you've got to appreciate some good trash talking. Vince McMahon the CEO of the WWE laid the smack down on Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke on Tuesday. Click here for the video smack and to make matters even funnier. The WWE event has been moved from the Pepsi Center in Denver to the Staples Center in LA. Nice.

Vince vs. Stan The Main Event of 2009

NBA Conference Final Preview

While the losers, sorry, non playoff participants of the NBA gather for the NBA Draft Lottery tonight. Four teams are now left to fight for the championship. The Nuggets beat the Mavs on and off the court. Cleveland has not lost a game yet after beating Atlanta. The Magic outlasted the Celtics in seven games in what was the best series of the semifinals. And Los Angeles had to beat the Rockets in seven. All the excitement is now geared towards finding out if the NBA gets its dream matchup of Laker vs. Cavs or the latter Nuggets vs. Magic.

Eastern Conference Finals

1 Cleveland vs. 3 Orlando

MVP LeBron James is very close now to getting that chance again at a championship. I didn't think it would be this quick that he would be back here. We all knew the supporting cast needed tweaking and boy has it worked. Mo Williams and Delonte West are great additions and LeBron has been playing great basketball at both ends. I have never seen a player more motivated and physically dominant in the NBA. The Magic have another start in Dwight Howard who poses a matchup nightmare for Cleveland. Howard's supporting cast of Turkoglu, Lewis and Lee have to be making their shots. Orlando's coach Van Gundy has to keep his cool as well. Major cred goes to him after beating Boston in the last two games to win that series. The key player in this series is no one. It's all of them on both teams. Everyone has to do their job in order to get to the Finals. Cavaliers in six.

Western Conference Finals

1 LA Lakers vs. 2 Denver

The Lakers got through a scary wake up call against the Rockets. Denver got through a near brawl with the Mavericks. Kobe and Pau have to become the dynamic duo that was realized when Pau came to LA. The Lakers can't fall asleep at any point in this series because the Nuggets will exploit that. Chauncey Billups will be ready to rip the Lakers defense up just like in the 04 Finals. Carmelo Anthony is as good if not better now than in any other time in his career. The Nuggets bench of Smith, Anderson and Kleiza are performing at a high level and will be difficult to contain. This series will show the Lakers true colors. Will they play like a team that wants to win it all or just treat it like another day at the arena. Once again there is no key player because at this point you must show up or go home. Lakers in six.

Cuban is a Joke, Stan Van has got to go, Delaware the new Vegas?

I like the kind of owner that won't lie down with his checkbook. That includes George Steinbrenner, Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder. The kind of owner that wants to win. That includes Artie Moreno, Arthur Blank, and that does include Al Davis. The good days of Al Davis. With what Mark Cuban has done with that once miserable and worthless franchise in Dallas is nothing short of remarkable. I had respect for this man who has shown that an owner can show his emotions on his sleeves for his team. That's the flaw with competitive sports. The emotion can sometimes be too much for one person at that particular time. Owner or fan.

















That respect disappeared when he went off on a Denver Nuggets fan in Dallas after Game 3. That fan happened to be Kenyon Martin's mom. Just before Mother's Day ironically. The controversy at the end of that game shouldn't be a controversy. If Mr. Antoine Wright wrapped not slapped at Carmelo Anthony this conversation wouldn't be happening. Kenyon of course took offense to Mr. Cuban and said "he would take care of it." Now I don't know if Mark ever tried to approach Kenyon after that game to apologize, but he should have made more of an effort. Apologizing on your blog instead of face to face is a bit disingenuous. You need to act like your an owner of an NBA team for goodness sake. Grow up Cuban. Admit your mistake to the man and his mom, not online.

Ron Jeremy... uh I mean Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic has been criticizing his team all season long. Specifically Dwight Howard. Now I don't see any flaws in his game, but that's why I'm here and Stan is where he is. Shaq called him the "master of panic" a few months ago. Seemed pretty funny back then, but it seems the Big Aristotle was right on. The Magic should have wrapped their series with the Celtics a long time ago. A game four fourth quarter lead was blown in Orlando and they lost. The same in game five up at the Garden.

Now when asked about the Magic fans being panic stricken after the last two games, Ron... sorry, Stan cracked back, "If you're an Orlando fan and you consider a loss like that on Boston's home court humiliating, it probably speaks more to the fact that you haven't seen enough playoff series around here in a long time." Wow, laying smack on your fans. Classy Van Gundy. Now I only act like I'm a General Manager, but I believe when the best player says he needs the ball, calls the coach out on that and he cracks back on his teams fans. Something has to got to give. I would have to strongly consider letting him go. The "master of panic" should go for the right reasons. Not so his boss can unretire and takeover midway through the season. Talking to you Pat Riley.

The state of Delaware has joined the group of sports gambling. Interesting choice for such a small state. I get the economic aspect of it, but can such a blah state turn itself into a Las Vegas or even Reno. Now it does have some good history. One of the original thirteen colonies. It is the first state admitted into the Union. That's all I got. Now if Delaware can bring in Mandalay Bay's Sports Book with its 28 foot by 30 foot screen, I'm there in a heartbeat. Until then, Delaware will have to fight the almighty NFL to get this off the ground. Good luck. The sheriff Roger Goodell hasn't lost a fight yet. With that aside, bring the Mandalay Sports book Delaware. Call me when it's in.



(Change that slogan to "Delaware is a state, we now have gambling")

NHL Conference Final Preview

All but one of the semifinal matchups went to seven games. Once again, this is probably the best playoff hockey I've seen in a while. Crosby vs. Ovechkin was epic. The only thing that could have made it better was if they met in the conference finals. Sid the Kid got the better end of the series skating past the Caps in seven. The Hurricanes surprised the hockey world by beating heavily favored Boston in overtime. Carolina is on a roll. The Blackhawks made it look too easy against the Canucks. Sorry about no Cup Canada. There is always next year. The defending champs outlasted the Ducks to have a chance to defend their Western Confernce crown and the Cup of course. The conference finals will have more of the same exciting action.

Easter Conference Finals

4 Pittsburgh vs 6 Carolina

I'll say that I'm not shocked Carolina is here, but I'm shocked Carolina is here. The Hurricanes lead by Eric Staal, Joni Pitkanen and Cam Ward have had a great postseason. Great finishes and great coaching to. Paul Maurice has won his last six playoff series. Sidney Crosby will try to get his team back to the Stanley Cup Finals, but have to get past the streaking Canes. Evgeni Malkin has to there from the start. He can't afford to be absent. Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular for the Penguins against Washington. Fleury is the key in this series. The Hurricanes will constantly be on the attack. The defense will need to be alert, but Fleury needs to continue the great goaltending to get his team back for another title shot. Penguins in six.

Western Conference Finals

2 Detroit vs 4 Chicago

Two of the original six go face to face in the conference finals. They are also division rivals and really don't like each other. The young Blackhawks have a lot to look forward to in the near future. I guess that means now. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane can't seem to be stopped. The Red Wings have Henrik Zetteberg and Johan Franzen as their one-two punch. This series comes down to who will not give up stupid peanlties, make stops at key moments, the obvious stuff. The key player is Nicklas Lidstrom for Detroit. Kind of shocking. Lidstrom was good, not great against the Ducks. He'll have to be perfect in this series. Chicago will be looking to upset their rival and take the momentum to a Stanley Cup title. Blackhawks in seven.

Talkn' Sports Season Finale

Tune in this Friday night from 7-9:30 as Wes the Sports Guy and J.R. Reed give you their top 5 Stanley Cup, World Series, Super Bowl and NBA champions of all time. You don't like our choices, then let your voice be heard. Post a comment for this blog post, email your picks and we'll share them on the air this Friday night on KLBC.ORG at 1610AM Long Beach.

Can the NHL work in Hamilton

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS EXCEPT IN GLENDALE

What is the deal with Gary Bettman and The NHL? Just a few short weeks ago its was announced by Gary Bettman (NHL Commissioner) and the NHL that although at this time they were not expanding the league that Southern Ontario could support another team in the market. That being said on May the 5th Jerry Moyes, owner of The Phoenix Coyotes declared Chapter 11 for the team which in layman's terms is basically protection from bankruptcy for the ownership group.

Now it should be known that this team has lost in excess of $100 million over the last 4 years and Mr Moyes has decided he wants out. Does this make him a bad man? Well that is something to be decided at a later date. Mr Moyes I would like to think sat down with all his partners and his Board and they made a decision to fold up the tents as they say and declare bankruptcy. now Mr Bettman says that they did not have the right to do so and that is a matter that will be decided on on the 19th.

So Mr Moyes fills out the paper work and files it with the courts in Phoenix. At some point aconversation was launched with Jim Balsille in regards to purchasing the team. Mr Balsille, Co-CEO of Research in Motion or RIM then made an offer of $212 million which included $17 million which would hold up the club while the transfer went through.

The catch to this deal is that Mr Balsille wants to move the team to the afore mentioned Southern Ontario area (Copps Coliseum in Hamilton for a time TBD). This bid would solve two problems in one deal.
1) Satisfying the creditors who have backed the Coyotes and stand to lose money by backing a team that is not being supported by the community and
2) Bringing a team to a location where the fans have been starving for an NHL franchise since 1925 when the Hamilton Tigers were sold to a group to become the New York Rangers.

Now Mr Balsille is not just blowing smoke but there are stats to back him up. If you will
1) During the expansion in which a franchise was awarded to Ottawa, Ron Foxcroft held a campaign in which Hamiltonians paid a deposit to purchase seasons tickets for the new team if it was awarded. The seats were sold out in a matter of days.
2) There are over 7,000,000 people in the area in question and only two choices for a hockey starved community (Toronto and Buffalo)
3) Mr Balsille set up an online petition at www.makeitseven.ca and in less than a week has 100,000 people who have signed up from all over the area plus North America.

So Mr Balsille has offered to save the team only to be stonewalled by Mr Bettman. Mr Balsille has on two previous occasions offered to buy a team (Pittsburgh in 2006 and Nashville in 2008) only to be told that he could not move the team on the first occasion and Mr Bettman found a buyer willing to keep the team in Nashville in spite of the fan base. Now it is true folding or moving a franchise should be the last thing an owner wants to do and in the two previous cities that has worked out with both teams doing ok.

now in this case the situation is much different than the others because you have a franchise that has not drawn a profit since it was started in the late 90's and the team is now bankrupt. You have a man who's only mistake was making the announcement that he wanted the team on the condition that he be able to move the team upon purchase, and a commissioner who is stating that he is a rebel and aman who thinks he is above the league. Now I don't profess to have knowlege of a personal conflict between these two people and although I do not know Mr Balsille I get the feeling he knows there is a procedure that must take place he is just expressing his desire to save a dying franchiseand make it viable.

My only wish is is that Mr Bettman and Mr Balsille would stop talking to us and talk to each other and make the necessary steps to resolve this situation as this not only impacts two cities but also the players, coaches, scouts etc. With the draft coming in just over a month this needs to be solved as Copps will need renovations and players etc will need to know what plans to make for the coming season. Mr Bettman I implore you please let this deal go through and allow Mr Balslle to make the next step which is to make a pitch to the league govenors and let them decide what is best.

Manny Being A Dummy

I'm really at a loss. How can things get any worse for this once great pastime. Yes, I said once great. I mean, I want to think that what I watch during the highlights on TV and at the ballpark is legit. I have had it. Alex Rodriguez came as no surprise to me just three months ago. Heck even half the players named in the Mitchell Report didn't surprise me either. I'm at a loss. I can honestly tell you that in my eyes Baseball has lost all its legitimacy with me. How many more big names are going to get popped for taking steroids or an "illegal substance" as they would like to call it. If Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and Johan Santana of the New York Mets, arguably the best hitter and pitcher in the game today got caught with a positive test. Would you be surprised? You know my answer.

I had the thought that when steroids in Baseball was the hot topic and the powers that be were trying to decide what to do, I had a radical idea. Banishment for life. There are two prime examples of this and they both have a common crime with them. That of course being the 1919 Black Sox scandal and Pete Rose where gambling was involved. The cardinal sin in Baseball is gambling. Two sure Hall of Famers, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose have been banned from Baseball for life. They cheated the game. That's how it is written and always will be. You want a deterrent. One word, BANISHMENT. You want to clean up the sport. You get caught once your "outta here." Asterisks are not going to solve anything. Three strikes and your out will not send the message. Anyone gets caught goes away for life. Simple as that.








(Hey LA, I just screwed you over)



Back to the Dummy (see above). I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. That lasted for only a second. You say it was a prescribed medication from a doctor that resulted in the positive. Okay, fine. We'll let the facts come out first. The drug that triggered the positive test was hCG. A female fertility drug that is used by steroid users coming off a cycle to restart their natural testosterone production. You trying to get pregnant there Manny? Now I can't wait for the next excuse. You can't use these classics anymore, "I didn't knowingly take an illegal substance," "I was young and naive," "I'm not here to talk about the past." Or you could forget how to speak english, wag your finger in front of Congress. Heck you could just apologize and not say what your apologizing for. Take your time Manny. I can't wait for the newest excuse.

"I didn't know what I was putting in my body," is another good one. That seems to be the popular one. Even if this drug you took, allegedly, is for a legitimate reason. You do know about it. It is one hundred percent your responsibility to know what is going in you. If I get up in the morning for a bowl of cereal and instead have a bowl of nails. I'm gonna know about it. Logic and sanity dictates that you know what goes in you. But please take the high road. Use all the excuses I gave you and then some. Throw one out of left field and really wow us. Myself and I'm sure most of you have grown numb to it.










(I'll have fifty days to smell my bats and perm my hair)







I can't read minds, but I'm sure MLB is deeply disturbed. At least publicly they will. Privately they think they've done their job. The Players Association could care less. Lets be honest, when have they ever cared about anything, but the benjamins. Don't get me wrong, MLB and the owners also care about money to. Both are at fault. The media, players, fans. The blame goes full circle here. Now we need to fix what is already broken. I'm for banishment. Test positive once and your out. No ifs ands or buts about it. I will no longer listen to the argument of this doesn't enhance hand eye coordination, bat speed. It doesn't help to hit the ball farther. Again, if it doesn't work, why do guys go through so much trouble to take it and risk getting caught, thus ruining their reputation. Here are names that were mentioned in the Mitchell Report that bought steroids and/or used as well; Troy Glaus, Rick Ankiel, Eric Gagne, Kevin Brown, Paul LoDuca, Mo Vaughn, David Justice, Miguel Tejada, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds. One thing is for certain about this list. There are many more than this, but it shows that Barry Bonds was not the only big name involved in this era of cheating. Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod and now Ramirez were already great players. Yet they had to take something to cheat the game out of its greatness. I retreat to watching "Field of Dreams." Which I think is the greatest Baseball movie ever. James Earl Jones at the end was brilliant. "The one constant through all the years Ray has been Baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. Baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again." I guess it's not over. Will it ever be?

NBA Semifinal Preview

The first round gave us some of the most exciting and lopsided basketball in recent memory. The Cavs easily got past Detroit. The Hawks had to beat Miami in seven. Orlando sent Philadelphia home without Dwight Howard in six games. Boston and Chicago had one of the most exciting opening round series in a long time. The Lakers got past Utah in five even though they blew a couple big leads. The Rockets finally got out of the first round beating Portland. Dallas beat a what seemed to be old, tired and beat up Spurs team. The Nuggets blew the lid of New Orleans including a 48 point beat down in Game 4. The second round looks to be more competitive.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

1 Cleveland vs. 4 Atlanta

LeBron and crew have had plenty of rest and studying of their next opponent. Lets be honest though. The Cavaliers were gonna win this round. Mo Williams and Delonte West are playing great basketball on both ends. The bench for Cleveland has been better than expected. Atlanta should've had their series wrapped up sooner against Miami. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby will probably steal a game, no more than two. Key player is Anderson Varejao. He needs to be up to form on defense to stop the Hawks from scoring in the paint. The Cavs win this in five.

2 Boston vs. 3 Orlando

The Celtics have been through a grueling series agianst Chicago. Ray Allen has been spectacular while Boston's bench needs to get in gear for the semifinals. Eddie House and Stephon Marbury for one, need to be more aggressive. The Magic can't afford to have Dwight Howard elbowing anyone. Paul Pierce will be his usual self, but can Ray Allen continue his success from the quarterfinals? The key player is Hedo Turkoglu. The Magic need more from him now that rookie Courtney Lee is going to miss most if not all of this series. If Hedo is still cold, the Magic have no shot. Boston in seven.

Western Conference Semifinals

1 LA Lakers vs. 4 Houston

The Lakers got their dream matchup. They did not want to play Portland. No way. The Rockets are playing great defense and score when they need to. Ron Artest and Yao Ming were nearly unstoppable against Portland. Shane Battier made big shot after big shot. Houston's bench was more than adequate. The Lakers will need more from their bench and specifically Andrew Bynum. He needs to play sound basketball with Yao Ming. Kobe, Pau and Lamar will need to be great in what is expected to be a low scoring series. Key player is Luis Scola for Houston. Scola was quiet for the most part against Portland. The Rockets will need more from their power forward to win. Lakers in six.

2 Denver vs. 6 Dallas

The Nuggets were soaring higher than the Rocky Mountains in the quarters against New Orleans. That should've been a sweep. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are going to get their 20 plus points in every game, but the Denver bench will need to play smart ball. No stupid fouls and they must play sound defense against a deeper Dallas team. Kenyon Martin and Nene need to be more involved. The Mavericks surprised a lot of experts with their series win in five games against San Antonio. Dirk Nowitzki was great, but it was all Josh Howard for the Mavs. Dallas showed that they will not go down that easily in what is probably their last run at a title with this group. The key player is Jason Kidd. He got a lot of help against the Spurs backcourt and will need it again with Billups. He needs to be the field general on offense, but must be great on the other side. Dallas in six.

A-Fraud is still an A-Hole

I'm the kind of person that believes if you treat others as you would like to be treated, good things will come to you. What goes around comes around you could say also. This guy is something else. Since the revelation of using steroids in February, Alex has laid low. For the most part. He had to. After that strange and disastrous press conference in Tampa where he gives a pause of what seemed to be thirty minutes to say "thank you." I still can't believe his teammates were there. But then again they had to. They are going to be asked all season long about him and his problems so lets just get it out of the way now. Johnny Damon saying that he could have done worse things than taking steroids is a good point. When asked what is worse, he responded, "murder." Yeah, murder is worse Johnny, but what about in terms of baseball. I think that was the context of the question. Now with Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts book, "A-Rod", due to come out in the next week, Alex and his teammates are gonna have more questions come their way.

I don't want to speculate about his steroid use. Whatever comes out in the future, (believe me there will be more), he took something. He says he took the drug(s) from 2001-2003. Sure you did. I'll take your word for it after your Katie Couric interview. The book alleges that Alex was using as far back as high school. In less than a year he was benching 100 pounds and went up to 300. Again, whatever. I'm more intrigued about pitch tipping. That is unforgivable in baseball clubhouse standards. Telling an opponent what pitch is coming from your teammate and expecting the same when it's your turn to the plate is beyond being a narcissist. That is being a rat and the ultimate "screw my team" move. You can't be forgiven for something like that if it's true. Would it really surprise me if it is true. No.















(Maybe Varitek can give you another good smack this season)

"To me it seems like a lot of 'He said, she said' kind of stuff," Yankees manager Joe Girardi. That maybe true if this were a marital dispute between Selena and Alex. Alex has those already with his ex Cynthia and the skeleton Madonna. Man that's gross. Joe has enough trouble already with his horrible Yankee team. To make that comment is a bit of a reach for him. Again it is all alleged, but we can't dispute this kind of stuff right off the bat. "Game of Shadows" really opened our eyes to the sickness that some athletes have over themselves and their image. This book about Alex is not like that book at all, but it reveals what many already knew about the fraud that is Rodriguez. From the other side I can see that Alex could never win. With that kind of talent that he has and the pressure that comes with that, he was brought up so fast and came down so much faster. But Alex, why did you sign that contract? He rationalized with Peter Gammons back in February that with him signing that contract it brought a lot of pressure to perform and produce at a high level. Simple solution, don't sign. Yes you would be stupid not to, but that pressure goes right out the window along with all the anger from some. You could have sticken it to Scott Boras and settled for less, like you did in 2007 after opting out of that contract and settling for less to stay with the Yankees. Use your head for once Alex.





(What were you thinking going with this succubus)






To be fair, as a society we seemed to have strayed away from the concept of "innocent until proven guilty." It's a great concept, but with the "court of public opinion" it's the opposite. I'm not here to judge by any means. Mainly to advise. As the adviser for Alex my first piece of advice would have been to come clean from the start. We forgive very quickly in our culture. You have to be honest about it and not come off as some melo-dramatic type who craves attention. Two, keep quiet. Once you have come clean there shouldn't be anything more. No stupid magazine covers that slam home the narcissist point and just play baseball. And my last piece of advice is too make an effort to tell the young generations about the dangers and stupidity of what you did. I don't see it enough from the big name athletes. They say their going to talk to the youth and tell them what they did was wrong and the dangers of it and how it affected them. WHERE ARE YOU? If it's a case of no media attention then I will point my frustration with them, but come on. I came across a story this past week on ESPN's show "E:60." A great show by the way. This man is a bodybuilder who got caught up in using and selling steroids. By looking at him is reason enough to see the dangers, but he has come to that realization only now that they ruined his life. I leave you with this quote from him that A-Rod, Bonds, McGwire and even Canseco should be telling the youth about steroid use. "I think you're an idiot if you do them, because if you get caught, you're gonna go to jail." Gregg Valentino.