Thursday, April 28, 2005

7 & 3 ... What a Joke

7 points and 3 rebounds. These are the stats you get while your team gets blown out of the arena a few days after shooting off your big mouth? C’mon Kenyon – be smart for once. Either you keep your mouth shut and play ball the best you can (I would recommend this) or you talk as much as you want and then you back it up with great play. Frankly buddy – you're not that good, so just shut up and just ball.

Tim Duncan and the Spurs abused the Denver Nuggets in the worst ways on Wednesday night and exploited them for being exactly what they are – a streaky team that isn’t at the championship level. They also showed the world why the New Jersey Nets weren’t overly keen on keeping Martin in the Garden State when he demanded super star money after the 2003 season. K-Mart is exactly what his nickname suggests, decent quality. If you want a guy to be a great 3rd or 4th option on your team – he can do that…but if you’re hoping that this guy can carry the load at times during the season or even come close to hitting a big shot – don’t hold your breath, you’d die before either would happen.

I like his heart and fiery emotion (at times), but when you talk-talk-talk all the time and hardly ever back any of it up, to me you’re an idiot. He acts crazy most of the time, pulling on his jersey when he dunks, smacking the backboard on dunks, jumping up and down and screaming if he happens to block a shot but really other than a little bit of show, is he that good? I really don’t think so. The one thing I can’t argue is that for 6’9” and 240+ pounds, he’s athletic. I’d say more than half of his 15 points come on dunks, but his shot is pathetic and his ball handling skills are that of most 8th graders. It’s a good thing he’s played his career with All-Star point guards like Jason Kidd and Andre Miller – guys who routinely break down the defense to give him easy dunks and alley-oops.

Let us also remember that this is a guy who was drafted 1st overall in the 2000 NBA draft. 15 and 7 for a career and not a clutch bone in his body…was he really worth it?Maybe if he kept quiet and didn’t rile up the other team’s best player we wouldn't realize how inept he really is.

So again, I encourage you Mr. K-Mart to keep quiet and just play.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Jamal Who?

Major League Baseball just issued its fourth steroid suspension today to minor leaguer, Jamal Strong. Strong is a 26 year old that has never been considered much of a home run threat, maybe they looked into him because of his last name? Here’s my opinion on the situation: Give me a break with your attempt to calm the public’s concerns about steroids.

It is insulting to all intelligent people that love this great game that MLB is handing out suspensions to around 40 or so minor league players and just a handful of major leaguers – none of whom are anywhere near established. What about the superstars? What about the guys that EVERYBODY suspects? Did they all get clean immediately last season knowing full well that testing would happen this year? Or have you tested them? Why is it that when the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees were tested about a month ago Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi weren’t tested? C’mon – it’s a joke.

Steroids in baseball and sports have tainted my opinion of not the players, but the leagues in which they play…and the idiots that run the leagues. The ‘turn and look a blind eye’ routine is making me sick. When you suspect that a player or players might be doing something illegal or something that will enhance their performance do something about it. Don’t take it out on the guys that don’t even have a fighting chance. When there is a major corporate scandal in a company the first person to take the fall is the President or CEO. How come nobody has called for Bud Selig’s resignation?

MLB would rather keep Pete Rose - the all-time leader in hits out of the Hall of Fame, but refuses to come clean with a much bigger problem. This steroid problem made hitting 45 homeruns look typical. It helped guys run faster, throw harder and hit better but wasn’t addressed in a serious way until the United States Congress stepped in. Did Selig and his fellow officers of MLB not realize that guys looked more like professional wrestlers than your average athlete?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that these minor leaguers are getting suspended – it’s cleaning up the game and it’s also going to keep these guys healthy longer into their lives. I just wish people would be straight with us…and I hope that baseball returns to the game that I grew up loving.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Biggest Winner at the NFL Draft

The NFL draft took place this weekend and several teams had a great weekend by many experts’ opinions. I’m not an expert by any means, but ESPN has guys that have broken down each and every draft pick – they know how much they weigh, how much they bench press, how fast they run, who they hang out with and how many times a week they urinate. It’s absolutely incredible, and the craziest thing is they’re usually correct about a good or bad pick. ESPN.com says that the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys did the best during the draft. From what I know about the guys that each of these teams picked, I would agree and I would also add that the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers both had good drafts as well. These teams not only filled immediate voids on their rosters, they improved their teams for the future by drafting players that will develop and become impact players over the next several years.

The biggest winner during the draft wasn’t a team…it was a player. Or a former player. This kid didn’t play last year and had less desirable workouts for several teams and the at the NFL Combines. I am talking about former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett.

Clarett somehow was the last pick of the 3rd round - Wow. The 101st overall pick and 9th running back selected. He didn’t even play football last year and as I said earlier he had a few less than pleasing workouts. Clarett must have thought he was floating on a cloud, because a few months ago all the talk was that he would be a sixth or seventh round pick…nowhere near the 101st pick overall. And the best part of it all is that he was drafted by the run-happy Denver Broncos and Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Maurice has the style and potential now to be a very good player. In many ways he has the capability to be a 1,000 yard rusher in the Broncos system…Did anybody think that Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary or Reuben Droughns would be so good? No. Maurice is a better pure running back than all of those guys and behind the Denver run blocking schemes should flourish and be productive. Shanahan knows running backs and has said he thinks this was not a gamble, but a smart move.

I’m not a Maurice Clarett fan or hater – I’m just happy that the kid will now have the opportunity to make and play on an NFL team. He was incredible at Ohio State and went through more junk than any kid should have to at such a young age. The people who know him say he’s a good kid and wants to be a good football player. I wish him nothing but the best because hopefully it will let him put all of the lawsuits and allegations and other bad stuff behind him. Now, he’s just another rookie trying to make an impact in the NFL.