Is Ubaldo Jimenez The Next Bob Gibson!?

To put the season Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez is having so far into perspective one name comes to mind, Bob Gibson. Through Jimenez's first 11 starts on the season, including throwing a 4 hitter most recently, Jiminez is the majors first 10 game winner with a 10-1 overall record. Despite those being absolutely fabulous numbers for a guy who before last season was never more then a back end of the rotation type of pitcher, he is having not just a great but historic season. The reason his season is historic is mostly because of his earned run average. Jimenez currently carries with him a astonishing 0.78 ERA. That means he is allowing less then 1 run per game on an average, in this day in age of booming power numbers that is almost unreal. On top of the eye popping low ERA, the rest of his stat line rounds out pretty nicely as well, 70 strikeouts, only 26 walks, and a 0.90 WHIP (walks + hits / per innings pitched), oh and I didn't even mention the no hitter he threw against Atlanta. This is coming from a Colorado pitcher who plays his home games in one of the best HITTERS ballparks in baseball history so much so the baseballs were place in a humidor several years ago in an attempt to even the playing field. There have been many legendary pitchers over the years but none have put together a season like this since the legend himself, Bob Gibson.

The St. Louis Cardinal franchise is one of the best ever, it has accumulated the most World Series titles in National League history, 10, along with 17 total NL pennants. When most fans think of the success of this franchise the powerful hitters such as Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, Mark Mcgwire, and Albert Pujols as well as the spectacular defensive gems like Ozzie Smith come to mind, however, the Cards have also been blessed with incredible pitching talent. Bob Gibson spent his entire 17 year hall of fame career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched from 1959 to 1975 compiling 251 wins, 174 losses, 255 complete games (pitchers actually went the distance back then without throwing a perfect game), 3,117 K's, a 1.188 WHIP, and a 2.91 ERA. Gibson was also apart of 3 NL pennant winners and 2 world champions in his illustrious career. His best season came in 1968 when he became one of the select few pitchers to not only win the Cy Young but also the MVP award. In the 68 season Gibson completed a stat line that looks like something out of a video game now a days, 22 wins, only 9 losses, a 0.853 WHIP, a league leading 268 strike outs, and a astonishing 1.12 ERA. 1968 the Cards did not win the Fall Classic, the Tigers were crowned that year, but it was the season that made Gibson more then just an ordinary hall of famer, he became a true legend. The players of that era including the great sluggers can often be heard trading war stories of how over powering Gibson was during his prime especially that wonderful season. It is important to note in the same time frame Gibson pitched notable legends who are now enshrined in the Hall of Fame including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Carl Yastrzemski, Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Willie McCovey just to name a few, all were in or near their prime and on opposing teams. 

While Jimenez has a long way away before he comes anything close to a career like the one Gibson put together over 30 years ago his 2010 season so far stacks right up with the best Gibson has to offer. It can be said, coming off the steroid era, that the baseball landscape has almost morphed to be completely  different than it was during Gibson's playing days but putting together the stat line Jimenez has compiled to this point in the season is certainly something to be praised no matter what side of the fence you are on of this current era in MLB. While Pujols, Howard, and Heyward may not be Aaron, Mays, and Clemente yet, they are great players having great seasons with the first 2 (Pujols & Howard) on pace to join Gibson in Cooperstown someday, so far this summer Ubaldo Jimenez has had no problem making them all look stupid. Can Jimenez keep this up and be able to put his season right next to Gibson's 1968 campaign as two of the best statistical years in baseball history or will he come back down to Earth? Time will tell, either way sit back, buckle up, and enjoy as Ubaldo Jimenez continues to make baseball history with every pitch! 

Jordan Repping Reebok!

I wonder how Nike feels about their marketing legend being forced to wear a competitors logo.... In anticipation of the Stanley Cup Finals the United Center decided to show their support for their other tenant. The Chicago Blackhawks are making their fist finals appearance since 1992 and their first since moving to the home of 6 NBA titles thanks to Jordan's Bulls, The United Center. The Jordan statue symbolizing his most famous image and the picture that comes to mind when thinking of the best to ever ball, has been draped with a Jonathan Toews jersey, helmet, and ice skates until the awarding of the cup. The only problem is that Michael Jordan has and still is the most known Nike athlete in history, he has made the logo more profit than anyone else even including Tiger Woods. The skates Jordan is currently wearing on his statue have a clear Reebok mark on them. Reebok is the sponsor of the Chicago Blackhawks. It is a bit shocking this has not either been changed or dealt with in some way already, when Jordan attended the Western Conference Finals in support of the Hawks against Detroit last season he was seen in the a box wearing a jersey with the a distinct black mark directly over the Reebok logo. Why did Reebok care a year ago and all of a sudden not give a damn now? I appreciate anytime the NBA and the NHL are thought to be unifying for any purpose but does Nike?

Look very closely when the skates are shown.

What Hossa is Playing For....

Redmption: The Ron Artest Story

 If this isn't destiny, then destiny doesn't exist. Ron Artest is easily the worst shot selector in the league. After bricking two ill advised shots he catches a rare air-ball (or was it an assist?) from one of the best closers ever, and  puts it back at the buzzer. I understand Phoenix is resilient but how do they bounce back from this? Think about it, they are down 3, Ron Artest takes a shitty shot, they give up an offensive rebound Artest is wide open at 3 he misses it even though he should have killed time, then they get 3 chances to make a game tying 3 on the 3rd chance Richardson banks it in. Not to mention they were down 18 at one point. Every opportunity to win, but still lose. Now the best case scenario for the Suns is playing a game 7 at Staples where the Lakers haven't lost a game. It seems as though the clock has struck midnight.

Stanley Cup Final Preview

(2) Western Conference Champion Chicago Blackhawks
Regular Season Record: 52-22-8, 112 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 0-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1961
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1992
Total Championships: 3
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009)
Stanley Cup Rings: Andrew Ladd (06, Carolina), John Madden (2, 00 & 03, New Jersey), Tomas Kopecky (08, Detroit)

(7) Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers
Regular Season Record: 41-35-6, 88 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 1-0
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1975
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1997
Total Championships: 2
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Chris Pronger (07, Anaheim)

Before I begin, it is very important to point out that never before in the history of the four major team sports has a notable player been on the losing end in three consecutive championship finals of his sport with 3 different teams! Hossa would be the first if the Blackhawks fail to win their first cup since 1961. Twice before, both in baseball, did a player even appear in his sports championship final three years in a row while a member of three different squads. Eric Hinske was on the 2007 RedSox, 2008 Rays, and 2009 Yanks picking up rings from the 07 BoSox and 09 Yanks. Don Baylor was a member of the 1986 RedSox, 1987 Twins, and 1988 Athletics winning the World Series with the 87 Twins. Hossa would officially be the only guy to be on the losing effort of three consecutive championship finals in the four major team sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA)! No NHL player has ever even appeared in the Cup Finals three years in a row with three different teams.

I just had to make all that clear, I find the possibility Hossa could become the answer to this horrible trivia question absolutely hilarious. Jim Kelly and Andre Reed lost four straight Super Bowls, Fran Tarkenton quarterbacked three Super Bowl losses, Karl Malone has an 0-3 record in NBA Finals, Jerry West picked up only one ring out of the nine NBA finals he took part in, Jackie Robinson is his equivalent in baseball playing in five World Series but winning only one, Roger Clemens won only two World Series despite playing in six, Don Shula lost four of the six Super Bowls he was on the sidelines for, and there are many other athletes who unfortunately had a lack luster record in their sports final or endured multiple defeats whether consecutive or spread out, however, if Chicago loses for whatever reason Hossa may actually be able to claim that he is in fact the true cursed athlete and has suffered the most pain in the history of the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and Stanley Cup. At least Hossa didn't have a 20 year legendary career without ever even appearing in the post-season, Ernie Banks accomplished that with the other cursed Chicago team, the Cubs. I guess not everyone can be Bill Russell (11 rings in NBA) or Yogi Berra (13 rings as player and coach in MLB).


Now onto the series at hand. This is a series of teams with polar opposite paths to get this far. The Blackhawks have been one of the best teams all season long while the Flyers needed a shootout victory over the Rangers to even get in the post-season. Despite these roads last years Conference Final losers get over the hump and are going to head to head as both franchises attempt to end long title droughts.

Chicago is the clear cut favorite in this series and it really has been their cup to lose for weeks now. The Blackhawks have tons of young talent including Toews, Sharp, Kane, and of course Hossa. These guys are studs who can erupt at any time and immediately are a presence every time they touch the ice. While these top line players need to produce it has been the role guys and the secondary scoring that has carried Chicago throughout the playoffs. Duncan Keith has become more then just a defensive goon he has added 10 points, Bolland, Brent Seabrook, and Kris Versteeg have also picked up clutch goals been contributors to numerous key scoring rushes. Dan Byfuglien has been a beast so far and has been the main non star to step up. He has almost carried this team through three rounds. Every past champion has had stars but year after year it is the grind line players that step up and are the main factors to their teams hoisting the cup. Kris Draper, Kurt Maltby, Darren McCarty are not going to the Hall of Fame but Yzerman, Shanahan, Robitaille, Hasek, Osgood, Fedorov, Lirianov, Hull, and Lidstrom either are already in or are locks to be in someday but may not have rings if it was not for the success of the "grind line" during the Red Wing title seasons.

The Flyers send out Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter (now fully healthy), and Danny Brierre but when they have needed that extra punch it has been the grinder type role players such as Claude Giroux, Carcillo, and Ville Leino who have come up big. These guys all need to continue to produce for Philly to have a chance at the upset but like Byfuglien has been the main spark plug for Chicago Leino has been that man for the Flyers. Leino is another late round gem by Ken Holland and the Detroit brass and has fully made a name for himself this playoffs. Every one of his twelve points has been huge and truly has helped to make Philadelphia appear as a team of destiny. Despite his resurgence along with other less known Flyers the Blackhawks have much more scoring depth overall and have way more fire power.

On defense, Chicago is captained by Seabrook who has the ability to score and actually defend while Philly has arguably one of the best dmen over the last twenty years, Chris Pronger. The only other blueliner with a better resume since Pronger came in the league is the immortal Niklas Lidstrom who may go down as the best ever. Whoever Pronger is put on will get shutdown. The Hawks do not have a guy who can stop a top scorer by himself. The Blackhawk scoring depth will come into play when it comes to Pronger because he can only stop one man. The Flyers have a stronger defensive core but will it matter?

Goaltending could go either way. Niemi who was inconsistent at best in the first two rounds truly stood on his head in the Conference Finals. I actually feel like I owe him an apology, every other post concerning the Blackhawks I ripped him as their only weakness. He still can go south at anytime but just needs to play relatively well with the star studded group in front of him. Leighton, a career backup and former Hawk cast off, was called into action after literally every other person who owned a set of pads in the organization went down with an injury of some kind. First was the man brought in to bring this team this far, Ray Emery, he was forced into season ending surgery just before playoffs started. With Emery out former Flyer product and another career backup, Brian Boucher, took over and held serve to keep Philly alive. During their historic comeback from down 0-3 to Boston, Boucher sprained his MCL, he will not be returning. Leighton played well in the East Finals but who knows if that will keep up. If someone told me the Flyers would have burned two goalies and got down to the third string and were in the finals I would have said that person was doing more crack then the 86' Mets, however, they are.


My pick: I know I was wrong in both Conference Finals but I think this series is pretty cut and dry. The Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup since winning back to back titles in 1975. The franchise has also only won 2 Cup Final series out of the 9 it has taken part in. While history is not usually on their side it has been even longer and less often for the Blackhawks. Chicago has not hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since the days of Bobby Hull in 1961 and is in the finals for the first time in 18 years, 1992 losing to Pittsburgh. The curse of Hossa and his birth right to be in the finals but lose also does not help bring a positive omen. When all is said and done, the jokes and trivia questions will be meaningless because the Blackhawks are just to talented, to strong, and to motivated to fail on their quest now. Hossa will finally get his ring, Toews will pass him the cup first, as is tradition when a veteran finally gets to drink from hockey's holy grail, then Hossa will cry like a bitch. Chicago passes the longest drought off to Toronto and wins the Stanley Cup in 5.

May Musings

The NFL has always done a great job at capturing the attention of their fanbase on a year-round basis despite having the shortest season of the four major American professional sports. Just days ago the NFL sent waves around the country by announcing that the new co-owned Giants/Jets stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey would be the site of the 2014 Super Bowl. The story seemed to garner as much, if not more attention, then the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals. With just days until the NHL drops the puck on the Stanley Cup Finals, the NFL threw a media wrench into the mix.

Putting a Super Bowl in New York is pure genius, but it's incredible how difficult it was to overcome the "cold weather" stigma. The record low temperature for a Super Bowl at kick-off is 39 degrees, and Super Bowl forty-eight in New York will likely break that record, but the looming threat of another "snowpocalypse" should be the furthest thing from people's mind. This past winter was the worst that the New York region has seen in almost fifteen years. Record snowfall like they had this winter is unlikely to happen again for a while. It was not the norm.

Putting a Super Bowl six miles away from a city of 18 million people is just good business. There's more to do in New York then in any other city in the world. From Broadway, bars, independent movie theatres, an array of superb restaurants, American landmarks and shops, New York is the perfect place for a one-time cold weather Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a championship game and it sells itself--putting it in the biggest market in the world is great business strategy.

And again, how often do we see NFL teams playing in seventy degree weather with superb weather? The elements are a huge part of the game, and the teams that are able to separate themselves in November and December are the ones who play in January and into early February. Even in 2006 with harsh rain falling the Colts aerial assault managed to light up a very good Chicago defense.

But moving on from a cold Super Bowl that isn't going to happen for another four years, it's been an interesting month for the NFL in what is usually the most boring 31 days for the sport. Santana Moss may get suspended for HGH use, Byron Leftwich is holding firm as the Steeler's early season replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, and of course the array of rumors about guys "breaking out" or looking "washed up" start to come out despite the fact that it's not even summer yet and teams are in voluntary non-contact drills almost exclusively.

But amidst all the muck you may have read about certain players, here is what you should buy and sell.

BUY

1. Kenny Britt as the Titans leading receiver in 2010.
After a disappointing off-season where Britt first showed up to drills out-of-shape and facing negative publicity from his pre-NFL career, Britt seems to have turned the corner and coach Jeff Fisher sees a noticeable difference in his work ethic. Still, Britt is third on the depth chart in May behind Nate Washington and Justin Gage. By August I have no doubt that Britt will be the Titans number one receiver. He'll likely be the only Titans receiver to top 1000 yards assuming Vince Young builds on a positive 2009 campaign.

2. Chris Johnson's new contract.
The Titans are a little worried right now about Johnson's shelf life so it's unlikely to see Johnson taking 322 carries again in 2010. Even so, he's entering just the third year of his deal and he was clearly the best running back in 2009. Johnson has leverage to hold out after the two seasons he's had, and Tennessee doesn't have a viable replacement for him should he follow through with his threats. It may not be a long-term extension, but the Titans are going to have to cough up around seven or eight million a year.

3. The Bills offense falling flat on it's face again.
There is still no viable receiving threat outside of Lee Evans, the offensive line is exceptionally young and currently very unhealthy. The quarterback situation is no better than it was a year ago with Trent Edwards currently penciled in as the starter with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm nipping at his ears. It's ugly and it's going to stay that way. Gailey worked wonders with Tyler Thigpen, but this is still a tall order. The Bills can't seriously expect rookie C.J. Spiller to be their most reliable offensive weapon.

4. Terrell Owens remaining unsigned.
It's very simple. He's 36 years old in a league that values youth. He's coming off the worst season of his career and he isn't going to get paid like a top-flight starter if that's what he's holding out for. His best days are in the rearview mirror and too many teams see him as a locker room problem.

5. Darrelle Revis' new contract.
The Jets are going to explore new contracts with Nick Mangold, David Harris, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and maybe Holmes, Edwards, or Cromartie depending on the type of season that they have, but Darrelle Revis is getting a new contract. I'm guessing a six-year deal worth around 100 million dollars. The Jets want him for the rest of his career and he's valuable enough to be a 100 million dollar player.


SELL

1. Darrius Heyward-Bey is not going to have a break-out year.
The Raiders are still a poor pass blocking team, their strength still lies in their depth at running back and their run blocking, and Heyward-Bey is working with a new quarterback. Please.

2. Knowshon Moreno is not going to break out either.
With Ryan Clady likely missing all of training camp and games in September, a lack of depth in the interior, and Moreno's fatigue problems from a year ago, in a crowded backfield, with a coach who loves committees, I can't see Moreno breaking 1000 yards.

3. The New York Jets winning the AFC East
Just as a whole. By far the most overrated off-season in the NFL. Could the acquisitions pay off? Absolutely. And if they do, watch out. But the Jets gambled far too much this off-season. Cromartie is a ball-hawk, but he's been battling hip injuries for the past two seasons and even when he's healthy he doesn't like to tackle and is a major liability because he's a gambler. The Jets replaced Kerry Rhodes with five-time concussed former Brown Brodney Pool. They will be without Santonio Holmes for the first four games, and have a plethora of one-year deals. They look an awful lot like an NHL team right now. Oh and as much as I dislike Alan Faneca, right now second round pick Vladamir Ducasse is penciled in as his replacement. Ducasse has major upside, but he's a project at this point in his career. In the short-term, it's not going to be a smooth transition. This is a wildcard team at best.

4. The entire Bears offense.
Mike Martz's offense is about vertical threats, great offensive line protection, and a blocking-first tight end. Does any part of that fit with the Bears offensively? Their best weapon is Greg Olsen who is likely going to be horribly underused in 2010. Cutler is behind one of the worst pass blocking lines in football with project receivers (though Knox and Hester do have high upside in this offense). It all comes down to that porous offensive line and a GM/coach combination that made desperation moves this off-season in an effort to save their collective jobs. Wave goodbye to Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith.

5. Brett Favre's 2010 season.
He's not going to retire, but 2010 is not going to be anywhere near as good as 2009. Favre is coming off ankle surgery, he's probably going to do very little in training camp, and he's another year older. Favre's 2007 and 2009 campaigns are going to be seen as a blip on the radar screen. Anomalies for a quarterback who is well past his prime. He's not going to be able to handle a workload like that again. Will the numbers be bad? Probably not, but they won't even sniff his 2009 numbers.

From The Top of The Mountain to The Floor of The Grand Canyon. Will the Canadiens Ever Regain Their Glory?

As I'm sure everyone waits for my Stanley Cup preview here is something to tide you all over. The Montreal Canadiens are the oldest franchise in their sport. They are also the Yankee like organization historically speaking in hockey, having won the most championships by a long shot, 24 Stanley Cup titles. Toronto's 13 (has not won one since 67) and Detroit's 11 are the next closest amount of rings collected over the history of the NHL. However, as this video will describe this once proud franchise now has turned into an organization that sets cars on fire and burns down old mom and pap stores after winning a single playoff series. This is also a fan base that now celebrates losing in 5 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Montreal Canadiens may have 24 cups on the shelf but have not been in or won a Stanley Cup Final since 1993. That season saw Montreal pick up its first title since 86', provide the likes of Patrick Roy another ring, and star players like John LeClair and Mathieu Schneider their first and only. Since their bitter divorce with Roy, following that season which saw the head coach ordered not to pull him during a blow out just out of spite to hurt his personal stat line, the Habs have been mediocre at best. Some say this franchise and all Canadian teams for that matter (Vancouver 94, Calgary 04, Edmonton 06, Ottawa 07, have all lost in Cup Finals since Roy left Habs) are now cursed by Mr. Roy. While that may have been remedied a couple years ago, he finally allowed his 33 to be sent to the rafters and retired by the Canadiens, it could also be said maybe he still kept his curse on the franchise in secret. I am not saying Hab fans should not be proud of an 8 seed winning 2 playoff series, winning 2 road game 7's, and eliminating the President's Trophy winner along with the defending Stanley Cup Champions but should the Montreal Canadiens ever be an 8 seed at all? I doubt Lord Stanley himself would have ever thought the darling Canadiens would just barely squeak in the post-season. Will this organization ever get back to the good ol days and their rightful spot on top of the hockey mountain?

The Greatest of All Time

With the World Cup right around the corner I cant help but keeping thinking that this could be the World Cup where we could have witnessed the greatest World Cup team ever (Spain) and that this World Cup could also lay rest to who is the best player in the world, Messi or Ronaldo. And the stage is set for one of these two to ultimately become the greatest player of all time.

First lets tackle Spain and why this is their year. They are without a doubt the most talented team in the World Cup. Spain's preliminary roster includes a dozen players from Madrid and Barcelona and even features new comers such as David De Gea and Cesar Azpilicueta who probably wont see much time but down the road will become central players for Spain. As i said all the big names are here for Spain, at forward they have Barcelona's new addition in David Villa (21 goals) and Fernando Torres (18 goals) who is coming back from injury. Glancing over the midfield you have the likes of Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Xavi Hernandez. On the backline they trot out Carlos Puyol and Sergio Ramos and in net they will have Iker Casillas. So can anyone even sniff stopping La Roja?

The answer to that question is no. Spain will navigate through group play with little resistance, but their match up with group G in the round of 16 should present somewhat of a challenge for them. Group G includes the likes of Ivory Coast, Portgual and Brazil. Spain should handle any of these teams with ease. As in the past the biggest question is not the other team but rather Spain itself. Spain has always had talent but somehow found a way to underachieve in big games, look no further than last years Confed Cup lost to the U.S. If you think that Euro 08 rid them of their demons you are sadly mistaken. I understand that talent does not always win championship, but with a team that has to be considered one of if not the most talented World Cup team of all time don't you think they are do? Especially seeing as how their best finish was 4th... in 1950. I say this is their time and they put on a sceptical the likes of which we have never seen. I look for them on June 16th to open up with a thrashing of Switzerland and never look back.

Now onto the real argument at hand. Does Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo have what it takes to become the greatest soccer player of all time? Yes. First, Ronaldo. I believe that Ronaldo is still better than Messi. In his first season with Real Madrid Ronaldo did not disappoint, scoring 26 goals in 29 games. Out of those 29 games Ronaldo eight times scored two goals. Whenever Madrid needed a goal Ronaldo was there to provide them with one. Ronaldo has all the tools to become the greatest of all time, he is extremely fast and agile with the ball, has a dangerous shot and also has one of the best set pieces in soccer. I know people consider Zidane or Eric Cantona the greatest of all time but today soccer is much different, the players are faster, stronger, quicker and more agile. I think its more impressive to dominate the game today than in the early to late 90's. On the other hand Ronaldo does catch a lot of shit because of his diving. In six games at the 2006 World Cup Ronaldo only found the back of the net one time. If Portugal plans on getting out of a difficult group they will surly need him to do better. 2010 is Ronaldo's stage. The World Cup is the biggest stage and Ronaldo has shown that he can perform in some of the biggest stages in the world with Man U and now Madrid. I am excited to see what he can do, if Ronaldo fails to perform however in the World Cup would he start to be soccer's version of LeBron James. An athlete with immense talent but fails to win? We shall see.

On to Messi. To me it seems that Messi is the new flavor of the month if you will. I think Soccer is the only sport where year in and year out the best player changes, (05-Ronaldinho, 06-Cannavaro, 07-Kaka, 08-Ronaldo,09-Messi). If you go back three to four years everyone would have said Ronaldinho is the best hands down without a question. Then just a year ago everyone was on the Ronaldo bang wagon and now everyone has jumped off the Ronaldo bang wagon and jumped onto Messi. There's no denying Messi's talent and at the age of 22 the sky is the limit. Now is everyone slightly overreacting to Messi's unbelievable season(34 goals/10 assists)? I think yes, Messi carried Barcelona so much so that they edged out Mardid by 3 points to win the Primera. In 09 Messi was very good with 23 goals but nowhere near as good as he was this season and like Ronaldo he has yet to perform well on the big stage, however he was only 18 in 2006 so you can not take a lot away from that. With the addition of David Villa to Barcelona there is no way Messi produces like he did this year. But does he have the ability to become one of if not the greatest of all time? Yes and if he were to lead Argentina all the way to the World Cup championship then the legacy of Messi would take on a life of its own. All I know is if I were building a team I would still take Ronaldo, despite the knock on his leadership abilities watching him on the field is like watching none other. He just has it, the ability to single handly put the team on his back and carry them. Looks like the 2010 World Cup will be deciding much more than just the best team.

"C'mon Dwight! GET SOME REBOUNDS!"

Charles Barkley's NBA 2K curse must have come in effect at the onset of the Eastern conference Finals this year. 7 points and 7 rebounds, really man!? You were outplayed by Glenn Davis. Last year when he lead Orlando to the Finals we were hearing comparisons to Shaq, which was total blasphemy. Is Dwight Howard even Ewing? Forget that, is he even Mike Olowokandi?  Ramos was right about Dwight all along.  He just doesn't have it. He can dominate a smaller teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, but when he plays a tough, experienced D like the Celtics he just simply doesn't perform. Before this series I thought Dwight Howard was hands down the best big man in basketball. Now he's not even in my top 2, maybe even outside of my top 3. Which brings me to my next point.

Pau Gasol is the best big man in basketball today, bar none. If I had to make a list of top power forwards in the NBA Dirk Nowitzki would be #1 of course, but I'm referring to true post players. He is the only big man that has been consistently productive in the play-offs this year. He's putting up 21ppg 12rpg and 2bpg and he's 58% from the field. Is Gasol the type of player you want to build a franchise around? Probably not, but he's been an excellent sidekick for Kobe Bryant. He and Bryant have made the perfect union because of their fundamentally sound game and unparalleled basketball IQ. Say what you want about the Celtics exploiting his softness in the '08 Finals, but that was two years ago. Gasol along with the rest of the Lakers have matured and become more physical. If we see a rematch this year, Pau will not be bullied.

Big Ten Decides to Expand to 120 team Conference

After months and months of deliberating the Big Ten Conference has decided to expand its conference from the 11 teams it currently has to a 120 team super conference. "It comes down to money" said Jim Delany current Big Ten commissioner. "We have taken a long and hard look at the landscape of college football and to be honest its disturbing" Delany said. In what ESPN college football analyst Andre Ware calls" a fucking disaster" to college football, many around the country are excited at what the future holds. Dick DaSilva a fan of the North Texas Mean Green says the possibility to play some big schools is a down right "knee slapper". " For the past few seasons we been getting the piss beaten out of us by those boys from Troy, so when i heard that the Big Ten adopted us and everyone else well, you bet I'm excited. The prospect of losing to USC on ABC or traveling to Florida is really exciting." Delany did say that teams such as North Texas will be placed in the "Rosa Parks" Division, or as Delany described it "the back of the conference." SEC commissioner Mike Silve said he was not even aware that his schools joined the Big Ten." I was vacationing in Georgia with Ben Roethlisberger when i received a tweet from Delany that read "HAHAHAHA....I WIN YOU LOSE." Silve went on to say that upon receiving the tweet he immediately left the nightclub they were at and headed to Gainesvillve to seek out Tim Tebow's advice. Other conference such as the Pac-10 were not as surprised to hear the news, "We heard weeks ago that Rick Neuheisel waged our conference in a back door poker game, apparently he had pocket 2's but felt confident." that was the quote from a coach at USC who choose to be left anonymous. Delany went on to add that all teams that are joining the Big Ten will not only get a piece of the revenue the Conference brings in from their Big Ten Network but that each team will get their own personal Facebook page and Myspace. Delany went on to break down what the Conference will look like once all the teams are in. "There will be 10 subdivisions of the Big Ten each consisting of 12 teams." The "Air McNair division is the division Delany said he will keep a close eye on as that is the division where teams that are most likely to cheat will be place. Delany concluded the press conference by adding " weather Notre Dame likes it or not they will be in our fucking conference."

MISSING PERSON ALERT!

NAME: Rashard Quovon Lewis

AGE: 30

HEIGHT: 6'10 

MISSING SINCE: 5/10/2010

LAST SEEN: Phillips Areana in Atlanta scoring 17 points in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 

IF FOUND PLEASE CALL STAN VAN GUNDY AT 1-800-CHOKE9

REWARD: $110,000,000 over 6 Years  

JaMarcus Russell: His Future, His Legacy, and What He Means to Rookie Waging

So as the dust settles on JaMarcus Russell in the week after he was released by the Oakland Raiders he has received a few nibbles, but has yet to resurface even as a back-up, and I can't say I'm surprised. Former Raiders and Colts running back Dominic Rhodes played with Russell briefly and he noted that Russell doesn't have the passion for football that makes an NFL quaterback. Russell would be content as a back-up, and that means that unless Russell is in need of money, I doubt he's going to take a job anytime soon.

Russell may not be the same head case that Ryan Leaf is, at least in a verbal and front page scale, but he certainly had his issues.

I think it's safe to say that JaMarcus Russell's career as an NFL starter is over. He started 25 career games and appeared in 31. The former number one overall pick was guaranteed $31.25 million dollars coming out of LSU in the 2007 NFL Draft. Russell was a disaster from day one. He held out and didn't sign with Oakland until September 2007 after Oakland had already taken the field. Russell would play in one game and start four in his first season. By and large, it was a redshirt season.

But Russell was named the starting quarterback for 2008 after the 07 season finished, and the expectations were high...for owner Al Davis. From the get-go, people said that Russell was overdrafted at first overall because of Oakland's dire need at quarterback and Al Davis' love of incredible athletes with huge arms.

In a top-heavy 2007 draft that saw Joe Thomas, Calvin Johnson, and Adrian Peterson all get taken in the first seven picks, the Raiders passed on all three of those players to grab Russell. Even so, my expectations were never high, and he didn't have the same type of expectations that players like Tim Couch, David Carr, and Ryan Leaf did...unless you were Al Davis.

Russell's 2008 season looks moderately respectable from a statistical point of view. Well, that really only holds up when you realize that he threw only eight interceptions in fifteen starts. But at the same time Russell failed horribly to move the offense. He threw just thirteen touchdown passes, had just 6.6 yards per attempt, and his completion percentage was in the low 50's--just appalling. The Raiders went 5-10 with Russell starting, and Russell had six games where he completed less than half his passes, in some cases under forty percent of his passes.

In 2009, Russell seemed to go backwards. His ability to push the offense down field became even worse and he completed less than fifty percent of his passes in nine starts and twelve appearances while throwing three touchdowns to eleven interceptions. Russell also coughed the ball up nine times on the ground...twenty five total in twenty five games in his career.

So Russell was a huge bust. 7-18 as a starter, lifetime completion percentage just a hair over fifty, a career yards per attempt of 6.0 (that's just awful), and he averaged about 130 yards per game (in a full 16 game season that would be about 2100 yards...awful).

And then there's the work ethic issues. He constantly showed up to camp weighing near 300 pounds (40 pounds over his playing weight) and looking like an offensive tackle. He fell asleep during team meetings and in film sessions. Lane Kiffin didn't even want to draft him in 2007, and probably cost Kiffin a job. Add in Russell's just bone-head, deer-in-headlights play on the field and you may want to call him the greatest draft blunder in history. That may be true.

And as the number one overall pick in 2007 that makes him the new king of busts right? Wrong. It's still Ryan Leaf. Leaf was taken 2nd overall in 1998 and like Russell got big money right away. A four-year deal worth 31.25 million (which was ENORMOUS in the late 90's) and a signing bonus of 11.25 million (largest ever given to a rookie QB at the time). The Chargers traded up to get him, and had the option of moving up to #1 to get Manning, but said they felt comfortable with whichever quarterback the Colts didn't take. The expectations around Leaf were beyond enormous. Leaf said after the draft he was expecting a couple of Super Bowl trips, Pro Bowls, and a few parades in downtown San Diego.

Leaf won the first two games of his career. He won just two more the rest of his career. He tried to get out of practice once by claiming a hand injury...and was found to be playing golf. He was supposed to be rehabbing his shoulder injury that cost him all of the 1999 season, and wound up playing flag football in Ocean Beach when he was supposed to be rehabbing. His infamous blow up on a member of a San Diego media forced him to be restrained by futuer Hall of Famer and then Chargers linebacker Junior Seau. Leaf still holds the status as greatest draft bust in history.

But Russell won't be forgotten anytime soon. Some draft busts are forgotten, and they fall into the nothingness. Does anyone really remember that Michael Haynes was taken in the Top 15 in 2003 and proceeded to do nothing in his career? Or that the Jaguars took R.J. Soward over Laveranues Coles in 2000? Some busts fade into nothingness. Will anyone outside of Minnesota remember the inability of Erasmus James to get after the quarterback despite being a top 20 pick in 2005?

Russell was the number one overall pick, and the Raiders bet the farm on the cannon-armed quarterback from LSU, who probably wouldn't have gone until the second round if it hadn't been for a huge performance in the Sugar Bowl against an inept Notre Dame defense followed by one of the best combine performances in history (which means almost nothing for a quarterback) Russell never would have gone as high as he did. At best, he'd have been a late first round pick with an incentive-laden contract. By giving the work-ethic deficient Russell a gigantic contract from the get-go, he was on a similar level salary-wise as Tom Brady who is going to one day be enshrined in Canton. That doesn't do much to help someone whose work ethic was notoriously poor.

This is the final straw for those pushing for a rookie cap. The number of high-profile busts has fallen over the last decade because scouts now have to nitpick everything about draft picks because of the amount of money teams are investing in Top 8 picks. But if a rookie cap is installed in 2011, things are going to change--and they need to. The Jets took Vernon Gholston 6th overall in 2008 after a decorated career at Ohio State where Gholston looked like a professional athlete throwing amateur linemen around like rag dolls, and in some cases, professional ones like Jake Long in his final game against Michigan. Right off the bat Gholston got a 5-year 32.5 million dollar contract. While there were incentives for another 17.5 million, Gholston had 21 million guaranteed. So why bother going for the incentives? He was already a very rich man as a 22-year old.

Players need something to work for. Albert Haynesworth was immensely talented coming out of Tennessee, but people saw his work ethic issues amongst other things and he fell into the second round. Haynesworth became a dominant force at tackle for the Titans and then earned an enormous contract with the Redskins. While the Skins may regretting that contract now, the point is that Haynesworth worked for it. For the majority of first round picks this isn't a huge issue, but for top eight players it's major.

Vernon Davis is entering a contract year and conveniently had his break-out season the year before. He's now poised for a huge extension with the 49ers. Did the light suddenly flick on? For some players, it does take time to adapt to the NFL, but this is a little too convenient. The NFL needs a rookie pool and they need it badly. Scale rookie wages and force them to earn their money. It will even the playing field because guys with work ethic issues but are super talented all of a sudden will have something to work for.

And then maybe they'll be a giant free agent bust, or maybe the light will have fully turned on and they'll earn their money, but the NFL must bring in a rookie pool because that will put the honus of scouting on a player's skills first and foremost instead of his personality. While that will never leave scouting, talent will become the most important thing because players will have to work for big contracts. A second round pick will make between $500,000 to $700,000 annually on his rookie contract, but with the potential to make ten times that a player with the talent will work his ass off to do the job. You think DeSean Jackson didn't have first round talent? He's proving it now because he wants a big contract.

Roger Goodell has made this a priority, and this has to be a sticking point in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It's good for the players and it's good for the game. There will be more money available for teams to re-sign their drafted talent. It's time to get it done. Thanks for once again bringing this problem to light JaMarcus Russell.

So, do all of you morons still think LeBron James is the best player in the NBA?

Sorry Steve. I know you were hoping to advance to the Finals for the first time ever, but you can't. Kobe doesn't want you to. As for LeBron, well he's hangin' out at the 40/40 with his boy Jay-Z talking about how he is going to betray his home and his people because he is a money-grubbing, marketing-whore. While he is watching the second best player of all time (yeah, that's right I said it) torch Phoenix throughout 3 quarters. Could he have dropped 50? Yeah, but he didn't have to. People are always saying "What's with you and Kobe Bryant? Get off his dick.". Not that I need to explain myself to you but I love the sport of basketball, so how can I not admire the most complete basketball player there is? I wish Wayne was out of the prison so he could put out "Kobe Bryant pt.2" Well I guess he'll just have to do it next year when Kobe is still dominating.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

I wrote this before game 1 and haven't changed it, I didn't get to post it beforehand but here it is anyway.

2. Orlando Magic (59-23)
Last Championship: n/a
Previous Play-Off Run: 2009 Lost Finals 4-1 to Los Angeles
Previous Round: 4-0 Over Atlanta
Best Play-Off Performer: Jameer Nelson 20.5ppg 5.3apg
Biggest Concern: Dwight Howard's performances against good defensive centers

4. Boston Celtics (50-32)
Last Championship: 2008
Previous Play-Off Run: Lost second round 4-3 to Orlando
Previous Round: 4-2 Over Cleveland
Best Play-Off Performer: Rajon Rondo 18ppg 6.3rpg 11.1apg
Biggest Concern: Orlando's outstanding perimeter shooting that allows them to stretch the Boston defense

Last Play-Off Meeting: 4-3 Orlando
Season Series: 3-1 Orlando
Most Intriguing Match-Up: Jameer Nelson vs. Rajon Rondo

This should be a great series. Orlando and Boston are playing their best basketball all season. Orlando dismantled the Hawks, and LeBron's lackadaisical performance overshadowed the tremendous series played by the resurgent Celtics. It cannot be denied, Orlando has played the best basketball in the play-offs thus far but I am not about to write off the Celtics. If they want to win however, Paul Pierce needs to show up. Orlando is too good to bet against, but I'm going to anyway. Call me old-fashioned, but as a basketball lover I would love nothing more than another Celtics-Lakers Finals.

Prediction: 4-3 Boston

The Economy is Based on Lebron James!

If Lebron leaves the entire city of Cleveland will get together for a mass suicide. The Cleveland sports curse (no titles since Browns in 1964) will continue for generations. The city will basically end. This would be the biggest change of teams for an athlete since Gretzky was sent to Los Angeles from Eedmonton following the 1988 season. The main difference is the Oilers had already won 4 Stanley Cups with "The Great One" and even won the cup again in 90' just 2 years after he left, Gretzky would take the Kings to 93' Cup Final but never win another championship. As previously stated many times by Ramos and Marcus, Lebron with the Cavs, 1 finals appearance, 0 wins during that finals sweep by Spurs, and 0 championships. I see 0 after too if he says peace to the cursed city.


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NHL Eastern Conference Finals Preview

(7) Philadelphia Flyers
Regular Season Record: 41-35-6, 88 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 2-2
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1975
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1997
Total Championships: 2
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009
Players with Stanley Cup Rings:
Chris Pronger

(8) Montreal Canadiens
Regular Season Record: 39-33-10, 88 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 2-2
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1993
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1993
Total Championships: 24
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009
Players with Stanley Cup Rings:
Scott Gomez (2), Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Hal Gill

I would have bet all the steroid needles in the Balco labs that this would not be these would not be the last 2 East teams standing, however, they are here. Over in the West the top 2 seeds and teams all season long will be meeting for a chance to play for Lords Stanley's Cup, here in the East the last 2 overall seeds going in the playoffs, yes the 15 and 16 seeded teams are meeting for that same opportunity. The only similarity these teams have to their west counterparts is that a drought still has a chance to end. The Flyers had become only the third team in NHL history and 4th in sports history to comeback from a 0-3 series hole to win a playoff series. 1942 Toronto came back from being down 0-3 to win the cup over Detroit, in 1975 the Islanders started their dynastic run with a game 7 win over Pittsburgh after an 0-3 start, and of course baseballs Boston RedSox rallied back from 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS to beat the hated Yankees before going on to beat St. Louis to break their curse in the World Series.

Combined with the utter shock of this series and the historic comeback by Philadelphia to even get to this point I did not get to put in as much time breaking this down this match up but none the less here I go. Neither of these teams were predicted to be here but both squads do have talent. The Canadiens are filled with grizzled vets such as Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, and Mike Cammalleri while Philly brings Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards to the party. The Flyers have more scoring depth and stronger bite to their line combos. Gagne, the longest tenured Flyer, and is the one constant. He has played with all 3 centers throughout the season. During the playoffs Briere was moved from his normal center spot over to a wing and he has put his injury problems and past meltdowns behind him to be the Sabres Briere from a few years ago. Gagne has developed the chemistry with Briere that the franchise envisioned when Danny was signed to a big long term deal just a few summers ago. Richards and Carter captain the top 2 lines at the all important center spot and also are 2 key guys on the power play. Outside of these hired guns the Flyers also have seen the likes of Claud Giroux and Ville Leino provide that needed grind attack. Giroux does most of the enforcing along with Carcillo and has even chipped in with 11 points on offense. Leino, a former Red Wing product, has finally become the key role player I thought he would when Detroit brought him into the league in 2008. He could never remain on the often stacked Detroit roster for long enough to fully develop and was eventually sent to Philly for next to nothing. After the Red Wings gave up on Leiono instead of sulking he has found a new home with the Flyers. Leino is a super speedster who incorporates a European style with a fabulous awareness. He has been all over the ice all post-season and has been a presence regardless whether or not he finds himself on the stat sheet. This young stud has produced 2 goals and 7 total clutch points so far. He also provides the top guys with an opportunity to rest their old legs while team does not lose a step. As you can tell I have always been a big Leino supporter and see his downside becoming the next Jiri Hudler and his upside possibly being a Pavel Datsyuk type of player, high praise either way.

The Habs elders are not the stars they once were but can still play. Gionta and Gomez are both former key cogs on New Jersey Devil cup teams and have had an awakening this post-season. These guys bring a sense of leadership on and off the ice and are 2 of the most unselfish hockey players I have ever seen. Beware of the one timers for both of these vets. Cammalleri who was once thought to be part of the future of the Kings franchise has much like Leino truly found a new home. He leads all Canadien scorers with 12 goals and 18 points so far these playoffs. Unfortunately Cammalleri may still be the lone Hab who is a threat to create an odd man rush. The scoring depth clearly goes to Philadelphia and it's really not even close.


On defense, the Flyers send out a future Hall of Famer as well as their lone player with a ring, Chris Pronger. The only man ever to win the Hart (Season MVP) and Norris Trophy (Best dman) in the same season (2000, Blues) creates havoc every time he is on the ice. Pronger is a true pest to opponents and gets under the skin of every top line player he defends. Camalleri (Pronger will be on ice his every shift in Philly), Gionta, and Gomez have not faced anything close to this yet. Pronger also can score with the best of them thanks to his blistering slap shot. Only Lidstrom tops Pronger as an overall dman in our generation. Timonen and Coburn also take up the Flyers blue line and can score and bruise with the best of em just to a much lesser extent. Andrei Markov, Jaroslav Spacek, Roman Hamrlik, and Hall Gill are the names to look out for on the defense for Montreal. Markov is a young stud offensively but can be embarrassed in his own at times, Spacek and Hamrlik are a solid second pairing, and Gill knows his role. Gill may be the most important dman in this series, maybe even more so then Pronger. Gill won a cup with the Pens last season so he has the experience and despite almost no ability to score can absolutely shutdown anyone, I mean anyone! Gill made a career of stopping Jagr and made Marian Hossa irrelevant in the finals last year. He will do anything on defense (some call his style dirty) to get the job done. Even if a player gets the better of him I guarantee they go home thinking to themselves, "how the fuck does this guy do it?" Gill also has already posted bulletin board material by saying "it's easy to hate the Flyers" after their game 7 win over Boston.


Regardless to everything I just said this series boils down to one man, Jarsolav Halak. The reason why the Habs are this far instead of getting swept in their first round like many though is because Halak has totally stood on his head. Halak's performance in net has made Canadien fans think of a rookie Patrick Roy leading Montreal to a title in 86 or Ken Dryden dominating in 1971 en route to one of the many championships won by the Canadien franchise. If Halak keeps this shit up Montreal could beat anyone, they have had the toughest path by far out of the final 4. The Flyers are down the very bottom of their depth chart in net at this point. After Emery suffered a season ending injury Boucher stepped up and lead the Flyers through the first round and part of the second. Despite Boucher being very inconsistent he did an adequate job. Unfortunately he also got hurt and now it's up to 3rd stringer Michael Leighton. Leighton will be compared to Halak all series and it will most likely be impossible for him to live up to that comparison but the Flyers may need less from their goalie then Montreal will. If Halak keeps this up he could pull a Giguere and win the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) even if his team does not win the Stanley Cup.

My pick: Still in shock this is the match up. The Flyers have the scoring depth edge and the best overall player, Pronger, resides on the Philly bench. However, the Canadiens have a much stronger blue line overall and Gill will shutdown whoever he covers. There are also no signs of Halak slowing down AT ALL. Patrick Roy who....? Montreal in 6.

LBJ Isn't Worthy of MJ's Jockstrap.

(Michael Jordan and LeBron James at the conclusion of their 7th season)

Whether you look at age or years of experience in the NBA, Michael Jordan has accomplished more than LeBron has. LeBron is in his 7th year of basketball. His accolades include ROY, 2 MVPs, 6 all NBA's, 2 all NBA defensive teams, 1 scoring title, and 1 embarrassing Finals appearance. Not saying this isn't very impressive.

By Michael Jordan's 7th year of basketball he had: ROY, 2 MVPs, 6 all NBA's (the only reason he didn't have 7 was his injury in 86) a defensive player of the year award, 4 all NBA defensive teams, lead the league in steals twice, 5 scoring titles, a ring and a finals MVP.

Accolades aside, how about reputation. Michael Jordan established himself early in his career as a clutch performer with that amazing buzzer beater over Ehlo in the deciding game against Cleveland in '89. I know LeBron had that buzzer beating 3 over Hedo in game 2 against Orlando, but its in a series that he eventually lost, so what good is it? LeBron still isn't a clutch player, let's think back to the game before where missed free-throws by LeBron eventually resulted in a 1 point loss. Or 2 games later when he missed consecutive 3 pointers that complemented his 8 turnovers in an OT loss. This year against the Celtics, he was terrible. Forget the bullshit elbow injury, he just simply couldn't get it done when he needed to. His triple-double in game 6 was nullified by 8-21 shooting and 9 turnovers.

Choo-Choo! Here comes the excuse train, allow me to derail it.
1. HIS ELBOW HURTS!- Yeah, his elbow hurts when he plays like shit, but is fine when he drops 35-7-7. Kobe Bryant is playing his best basketball all year with a broken finger and a trick knee, get over it.
2. HIS COACH SUCKS- Oh right, Mike Brown said to LeBron "Hey, go out there and play like crap. So I can lose my job. I deserve it, even though as soon as I stepped in, Cleveland made their first play-off appearance since 1998. Out of my five seasons 4 of them were over 50 wins, 2 over 60 wins, had a finals appearance, and won coach of the year in 2009. Please LeBron make this look like its my fault. I'm supposed to coach my team to victory when my best player shows up for 2 out of 6 games."
3. HIS TEAM SUCKS!- I guess 4 players that have been named to an all-star team, an all-defensive team player, and one of the deepest benches in the NBA isn't worthy of the all mighty King James. This team was built to win a championship, but LeBron wasn't.

What was most important about Micheal's 7th season is that he not only won the championship, he defeated Magic Johnson. Defeating the consummate NBA player allowed Jordan to enter the elite class and become the definitive best player in the NBA. Well, what has LeBron done that gives him the right to steal the torch from Kobe? Nothing, hasn't won a damn thing that wasn't voted on by the press.

So can somebody please explain to me why LeBron is King? What does he rule over? Correct me if I am mistaken but don't Kings have rings? I just can't figure it out, here is my list of possibilities.
1. King of the Regular Season
2. King of the Media
3. King of Crying
4. King of Choking
5. King of Showboating

P.S. Can we quit the speculating where he is going to play next year based things he said yesterday, five years ago, what fans were chanting in the Boston Garden and how he took off his jersey? Just let it happen.

Biggest MVP Chokes in NBA History

5. Karl Malone 1999, Regular Season: 23.8ppg 9.4rpg 4.1apg
Utah Jazz (37-13, 50 game lock-out season)
Eliminated: Second round 4-2 to Portland Trail Blazers (35-15)

First of all I'd like to say I think the players who finished second and third in the MVP voting (Tim Duncan, Alonzo Mourning) were probably more deserving of this award, but Malone got legacy votes. The main reason he is on this list is because this was his best chance to lead Utah to a Championship and blew it. Granted Tim Duncan and the eventual champion Spurs did go on to win another three-but Malone and the Jazz didn't even have the chance to play them. It must have been really disappointing for Utah, they have 2 incredible seasons run into the greatest player and teams of all-time, then he retires prematurely and they lose in the second round the following year.


4. LeBron James 2009 Regular Season: 28.4ppg 7.6rpg 7.2apg
Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16)
Eliminated: Eastern Conference Finals (4-2) to Orlando Magic (59-23)

Absolutely dominant regular season and undefeated till game 1 of the conference finals. LeBron played well for the most part, but not well enough. I know he hit the buzzer beater in game 2 but everyone forgets game 1 where his poor free throw shooting at the end of the game resulted in a 1 point lost and game 4 where he had 8 turnovers and bricked consecutive 3 pointers to lose in overtime.


3. Julius Erving 1981 Regular Season: 24.6ppg 8.0rpg 4.4agp
Philadelphia 76ers (62-20)
Eliminated: Eastern Conference Finals (4-3) to 3. Seeded Boston Celtics (62-20)

On paper this doesn't seem like a bad season at all. I mean they made it to the conference finals, they lost to a strong Boston Celtics team lead by on of the top 5 basketball players of all time (Larry Bird) who eventually won the title. Well ignoring the fact that Dr.J's numbers dropped from his regular season in the play-offs in each categories-they were up 3-1 on the Celtics, dropped 3 straight and were eliminated. No excuse for that.


2. LeBron James 2010 Regular Season, 29.7ppg 8.3rpg 8.6apg
Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21)
Eliminated: 2nd round (4-2) to 4th seeded Boston (50-32)

So this was supposed to be the year for LeBron. He had a great supporting cast, swept the Lakers, and posted the best record in the league for the second consecutive season. Putting up better REGULAR SEASON numbers than he ever has. Then came the play-offs, and his true colors were shown.


1. Dirk Nowitzki 2007 24.6ppg 8.9rpg 3.4apg
Dallas Mavericks (67-15)
Eliminated: 1st Round (4-2)to 8 seeded Golden State (42-40)

This may have been the biggest upset in play-offs history. The Dallas Mavericks during the regular season were untouchable. Their 67-15 record was tied for 7th all-time and Dirk was unstoppable shooting over 50% from the field. They were soon ousted in 6 games by the Warriors, and Dirk was shut down by Captain Jack Averaging nearly 5 points less than his season average and shooting 38% from the field.

Long Live the KING!

While everyone on ESPN and NBA.com will likely make excuses for LeBron's colossal choke (his elbow, his team, Mike Brown, government conspiracy) the BDL is going to play devil's advocate to balance it out. I wouldn't say that we are going to be trashing on LeBron, more like honoring his failures. Because not recognizing and exploiting these failures wouldn't do his ring-less career justice.

Jams of the week.

New edition to bdlsports, jams of the week. We will bring you the top new songs of each and every week.


1. Drake feat Jhene Aiko- "July" (Off of Thank Me Later)
2. T.I. feat B.O.B- "Not Lost"
3. The Game feat Justin Timberlake- "Aint No Doubt About It"
4. Katy Perry feat Snoop Dogg- "Califronia Girls'
5. Eminem- "Not Afraid"
6. B.O.B feat. Eminem and Hayley Williams "Airplanes"
7. Ke$ha- "Your Love is My Drug"
8. Drake and Big Sean- "Made"
9. Mike Ponser- "Cooler Than Me"
10. Young Money- "Roger That"

Better than Mark Jackson???

Mo Money More Problems

Biggie probably summed it up perfectly when he rapped about the more money you have the more problems. With the NBA playoffs winding down free agency is right around the corner. Never has a sport seen so many marque free agents hit the market. Imagine if Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson and 10 other of the NFL's best players all hit free agency. Well that is what the NBA has on its hands this off season and for many fans the course of their favorite team is about to change. Without further ado lets break down the upcoming free agents, and where they might land.

1. LeBron James: Likelihood of staying with current team- 70%
                           Other potential teams: Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Heat, Clippers

Coming off his best season of his career LBJ is set to be the most coveted free agent in league history. James is coming off a season in which he won his 2nd straight MVP and led his team to the best record in the NBA. James is all about winning and nothing else. Seven seasons into his career James has yet to win a championship. Cleveland gives him the best option to win multiple rings, and they have shown in the past they will do whatever it takes to keep him happy. You will hear a lot about him going to NY but lets be realistic the only sport you go to NY for is baseball. The Knicks are 2nd fittle and in D'antoni's gimmicky system LeBron would never win a champion. The sleeper in all this has to be the Nets mainly because they are moving to Brooklyn and LeBron loves Jay-Z like Ben Roethlisberger likes drunken college girls.

2. Dwayne Wade: Likelihood of staying with current team- 65%
                            Other potential teams: Bulls

Two months ago I would have bet you one of Craig Sager's horrific suits that Wade was staying in South Beach. It was all but signed, sealed and delivered. And then the playoffs rolled around or for the other 11 members of the Heat and Erik Spolestra summer vacation. The heat or Zombie Heat as i would like to call them did not show any signs that they even realized they were breathing oxygen. Jermaine O'Neal forever set the bar for how bad an athethle could look in a contract year. Micheal Beasley is making me wonder if he should just summit a audition tape to VH1 for the next season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. He is a bust and if we were to redo that draft Beasley would be taken 13th. If Pat Riley can get Wade another big name( Amare) and can fire Spolestra than Wade stays 100%.

3. Dirk Nowitzki: Likelihood of staying with current team- 75%
                             Other potential teams: Heat, Bulls,Knicks, Clippers

The greatest European player the NBA has ever seen as also become the guy you DO NOT want to build your team around. For such a smart guy I do not understand Mark Cuban's infatuation with Dirk. Yes he average 25 points and 8 boards, but has shown time and time again he can not get it done in the playoffs. Dirk may be the new Patrick Ewing, a excellent player who reaches a couple of finals but never gets it done. Ewing ran into Jordan time and again, Dirk well he runs into Kobe, Duncan, Wade, LeBron, Durant should i contuine? He's a great player and will go down most likely as one of the NBA's 50 greatest but at 31 he only has about 5 more very good years left and does anyone see him winning a championship in the next five years because i do not. I feel that it is a lock that he returns to Big D, however if he did not Chicago could be a very likely destination with Rose and Noah already in place.

4. Chris Bosh: Likelihood of staying with current team- 0%
                        Other potential teams- Bulls, Heat, Knicks

Lets say this you have a better chance of seeing Tracy McGrady get past the first round than see Bosh rocking a Raptors jersey next season. On Bosh's Twitter which has become the Constitution for people under 25 shows that the free agent to be removed the fact that he is the team's captain and he also switched his location from Toronto to everywhere. Toronto just can't win, the Maple Leafs suck, the Jays suck and now the Raptors are about to nose dive straight into 5 consecutive seasons of 50 plus loses. I personally think that Bosh will land in Chicago. They have the money to offer 2 max conracts and unlike some teams with that abaility that don't completely and utterly suck. A roster with Rose, Noah and Bosh and throw in a mid level guy lets say Ray Allen and the Bulls could be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the east.

5. Amare Stoudemire: Likelihood of staying with current team- 30%
                                     Other potential teams- Heat, Knicks

Coming into the season Amare was pretty much guaranteed a max contract but wasn't the most deserving of that contract. Well after tearing it up over the final five months Amare is certainly poised for a max contract. In the playoffs Stoudemire has scored at least 18 points in all but one game for the Suns. Stoudemire does have a summer home in Miami so i think that would be his most likely destination for the forward, however he does enjoy playing with Steve Nash and the Suns style of offense does fit him. A dark horse is New York because of the ties to Mike D'antoni.

6. Carlos Boozer: Likelihood of staying with current team- 25%
                           Other potential teams- Heat, Bulls, Nets, Clippers, Knicks

Boozer decided to come back to Utah a year ago when he could have opted out of his contract and to his credit it was a smart move. Boozer averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds despite being a undersized power forward. With the Jazz having tied up so much money in Paul Milsap last season i find it difficult that the Jazz throw a lot of cash Boozer's way. I could see Boozer ending up in Miami if the Heat were unable to acquire Amare. The Nets, Clippers, Bulls and Knicks are all in the running as well because they have a lot of cap room and Boozer is not the type of player who is to concerned with winning a ring in my opinion.

7. Yao Ming: Likelihood of staying with current team- 50%
                    Other potential teams- Nets, Clippers

You probably think I am out of my mind for putting Yao above Joe Johnson, but am I really out of my mind here, think about it. Joe Johnson's career average is 17.6 ppg and 4.5 apg, but has a major knock on him that he is not a leader and has shown in the playoffs that he does not have what it takes to lead a team. Yao's career average is 19.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Now I understand that Yao has only played in 58% of Houston's games since the 05-06 season and that he has bad feet but I believe he is worth the risk. A healthy Yao can lead a team to at least a second round appearance and also the amount of business Yao would generate a team is scary. He draws in a lot of the Asian fans and would sell tickets.

8. Joe Johnson: Likelihood of staying with current team- 70%
                       Other potential teams- Knicks

The Hawks have made it known to the world that their top priority is re-signing Joe Johnson. To bad for Hawks fan because we have already seen what this team will do with this unit. Does anyone truly believe that this team will improve enough to get them over the hump. They have shown that Johnson as their leader that they will win 45-50 games get to the second round and then just quit and get ready to hit the tee. Last summer Johnson turned down a 4 year $60 million contract from the Hawks, after his recent playoff performance they may have been a bad move. The good news for Joe is that their are 8 teams that can offer him a max deal and I'm sure that if they Knicks and Bulls strike out on the LeBron sweepstakes than Johnson would be a likely second choice.

9. Paul Pierce: Likelihood of staying with current team- 90%
                      Other potential teams- mystery

It's time for the fans of Boston to realize the Truth, that Paul Pierce is at the end of his career. Can anyone see him leaving the Celtics? probably not seeing as how he is owed to him $ 21.5 million through 2010-11. Pierce who is going to be 32 would never get that money on the market however with the CBA looming this could be his last shot to get a big contract.

10. Rudy Gay: Likelihood of staying with current team- 40%
                       Other potential teams- Clippers, Wizards, T-Wolves

Rudy wanted a contract extension last year from the Grizzlies and the team barked at his $10 million asking price. Well after averaging 20 and 6 this season Rudy is in position to cash in. I am not a huge fan of Rudy Gay, he has at best an average jump shot and has won nothing in the NBA. The Grizzlies can match any offer sheet because Gay is a restricted free agent but i think he will jump ship. Washington and L.A. are the two top choices with Minnesota having to pull of a sign an trade to get the swing man.

2nd Tier Free Agents:

Ray Allen- Stays with Celtics- 50%

Ray is getting older despite averaging 16 ppg this season. The Celtics tried this past season to shop him around and the Big 3 are aging fast. Contending teams such as the Heat and Bulls and whoever has LeBron would be interesting in Allen's services at a mid level exception. Side note: Allen did just sign his kids of for school again next year in Boston.

David Lee- Staying with Knicks- 10%

Lee is a product of the Knicks run and gun system and you can not convince him that his is not. Having said that Lee will still get paid this off season probably picking up between $40-50 million. Coming off his best season where he average 20 and 12 and made the All-Star game. Side not: Prior to the D'antoni era Lee's best season was 10 and 10

Luis Scola- Staying with Rockets- 75%

Scola is now 30 and at the end of his rookie contract. He average 16 and 9 this past season which was his best number in the NBA. With the Rockets trading away Carl Landry at the deadline it is almost set in stone that they will re-sign Scola. The only way i see him leaving is if the Nets throw him a contract worth $60 million.

John Salmons- Staying with the Bucks- 45%

Salmons has always shown he has the ability to be a teams best player but at the same time has shown that he is easily disposable. I doubt the Bucks will throw him a big deal which is why i think Salmons will test the market, but eventually i think he will re-sign with the Bucks.

Other Free Agents:

Josh Childress

Raymond Felton

Shaq

Al Harrington

Josh Howard

Matt Barnes

Channing Frye

NHL Western Conference Finals Preview

(1) San Jose Sharks
Regular Season Record: 51-20-11, 113 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 1-3
Last Stanley Cup Win: Never
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: Never
Total Championships: 0
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009
Players with Stanley Cup Rings:
Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Kent Huskins, Niclas Wallin

(2) Chicago Blackhawks
Regular Season Record: 52-22-8, 112 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-1
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1961
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1992
Total Championships: 3
Last Postseason Appearance: 2009
Stanley Cup Rings:
Andrew Ladd, John Madden (2), Tomas Kopecky

Very unlike what the East is shaping up to be, these teams separated themselves as the two best squads in the West from the jump and have held serve all season long. The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks are filled with young talent, superstar ability, and true motivation to break their respective curses (see "Will Hell Freeze Over post). As has happened many times in the past and in most sports this Conference Final may end up being the true matchup that decides this seasons champion.

Breaking down this series is easier said then done as these teams have identical strengths and weaknesses. Despite their clear similarities, both using fire power offenses to win and praying their goaltending does not shoot them in the foot too much this is how I see it going in. Top line scoring, the advantage goes to Chicago by a slim margin. The Blackhawks have Kane, Sharp, and Hossa who have all started to heat up at just the right time and have a true chemistry with each other. That chemistry has even included Hossa this playoffs despite this being his first season with the team. San Jose's has two full fledge super stars in Danny Heatly and Joe Thornton. Heatly has one of the best wrist shots in the league and is someone to keep an eye on everytime he touches the puck. He is just one of those dangerous players that opponents love to hate. Thornton on the other hand has made a career of following great regular seasons with lack luster performances in the post-season, much the same way the Sharks franchise has over the past decade. However, this playoffs aliens seem to have taken over his body and Thornton has turned it up a notch. Setting up the game winner in a pivotal over time victory in game 3 of the Red Wings series showed the sports nation that his head is finally in it to win it this year.

Despite both teams needing these name players to step it up when it matters the most championships are often won thanks to secondary scoring. These teams have had a lot of it so far in the playoffs. Joe Pavelsky has called upon the second coming of Joe Sakic with the way he has played. Pavelsky had 14 playoff points for his career coming into this season and has recorded 15 through the first two rounds leading the Sharks effort. Dan Boyle has also put aside his blunder in the first round (scoring on his own net to lose an overtime game) to be that scoring punch from the blue line and Patrick Marleau seems to have scared off past demons after scoring the series clincher against Detroit. For Chicago the role players have had a major influence on their post-season campaign. This includes Kris Versteeg's unsung effort and Dustin Byfuglien resurgence after being moved from defense to a forward position. Jonathan Toews can't be forgotten, he leads all Blackhawks with 20 points. The edge here goes to Chicago as they just have more overall scoring depth and rely on top guys less.


Defensively the Sharks have more experience with both Boyle and Rob Blake having won Stanley Cups before. This is not true for any blue liner on Chicago. Blake still has some gas left in the tank and is taking care of business down in their own end while Boyle and company are starting scoring rushes up ice. The Blackhawks have Seabrook and Duncan Keith as their top guys. They are both defensive minded defenseman with the exception of the rare occurrence when Seabrook attempt to be a forward. Nabokov is also more tested and as long as he doesn't face 40 shots can be solid in net. The Sharks preventing shots from getting to him is their main game plan. Niemi has been hot and cold. He has posted shutouts but also single handily lost games (game 1 vs Vancouver). Chicago has won in spite on him but how much longer can they keep it up? Neither team has any insurance on the bench if the top net minder falters.

My pick: Well as I said in an earlier post hell will freeze over since one of these teams has to win. The Sharks have received every bounce and call since Boyle's own goal and they seem to have got rid of almost all their demons. Taking down the hated Red Wings was a big mental road block they conquered. This will certainly be a series with goals at a premium and I just don't see Hossa going to the Cup Finals 3 years in a row with 3 different teams. Has any athlete ever lost 3 straight years in his sports finals with 3 different teams, not that I can think of. With that said, first franchise finals appearance it is, San Jose in 7.