Big Beltran News!

Who gets their
watch autographed?

You won't see it on SportsCenter tonight. You might not even notice this vital piece of information by glancing at the Mets-Phillies box score from Thursday afternoon's game. But you can bet that fantasy baseball owners everywhere took notice of today's BIG news. Carlos Beltran - mired in a colossal slump and currently ranked 292 on the ESPN Player Rater - went 0-3 today. He failed to drive in or score a run. So what did he do? He stole a base. Not only that, he stole two bases.

Why is that important? Read on and find out.

Draft Central (Updated)

Bynum's stock
is soaring

The second half of the Draft Preview should be up tomorrow over at WhatifSports.com, so it seemed like a good time to refresh the draft chatter. Trade rumors are flying, promises are being made to awful players, and the Blazers and Clippers both appear poised to screw things up (again). Weigh in with all opinions, questions, and debates right here.

NBA Finals Wrap Up

People must have
short memories

The NBA Finals are over. Did anyone notice? The ratings were down, the Seventh Game was a brickfest (the first clue was that the guy who won Finals MVP and supposedly played a great game went 10-for-27 and missed eight straight shots in a crucial stretch), and ABC's coverage was excruciating. All in all, it was probably an act of mercy when it finally ended. Of course, I watched every minute and loved it, so I'm not sure what that says about me. Be sure to weigh in here with any Finals related rants or raves.

The Robert Horry Game

Superman
to the rescue

We've had the Flu Game, the Magic Hook Shot Game, and so many other classic Finals performances ... add Horry's Game Five, 2005 to the list. 21 of the last 35 Spurs points, ridiculous threes, high-flying dunks, and the game winner. Not bad. Of course, it never should have come to that when you factor in the awful officiating and the ridiculous double-team by Sheed, but the fact is, this will forever be Horry's game.

NBA Finals: Games Three and Four

This very bad
individual is back

Vacation is great, but internet access is slim to none, so the Game Three thread is late. Sorry about that. But if you've got something to say about Detroit's thrashing of San Antonio last night, this is the place. I'll get things started by saying this: Ben Wallace appears to be back. If he stays active and engaged the rest of the series, this one could go either way. *Note, Big Benny Wallace did indeed stay active and this series is all knotted up at 2-2. I was too lazy to start a new thread, so this will suffice until Game Five.

Draft Central

Can I use that term? Has it been copyrighted already? Whatever. Got a different take on some of my calls? Think Deron Williams really is the next Jason Kidd, or TJ Parker is gonna be better than his brother (or at least less whiny)? Is Andrew Bogut the next Joel Przybilla? Love big, slow, undeveloped Europeans with tremendous "upside?" Weigh in with questions or comments, now that I'm finally working, I should respond pretty quickly.

NBA Finals: Game Two

What team is this
guy playing for?

Well, Game Two is underway and it looks like this series is headed for Blowout City. Spurs are up 30-19, Detroit has missed approximately 47 layups, the refs have been wildly inconsistent, and Antonio McDyess is still in the process of completing the ultimate point shaving scam. All in all, it looks very bleak for the Pistons and it looks like the NBA season has once again crested during the conference finals. NBA in June = BORING. Again.

In the Year 2000

Shaq was unbelievable

Man, I loved that Conan O'Brien sketch. Anyway, I had the unexpected treat of stumbling upon an NBA Finals Marathon on ESPN Classic. I saw Blazers-Pistons from 1990 and now am tuning in to Lakers-Pistons from '88. Good times, to be sure. But the game that really warrants attention was Game 4 of the 2000 Finals, between the Lakers and Pistons. Click the link on the right side of the page to find out more, and be sure to comment on your favorite Finals observations and memories.

NBA Finals: Game One

The Anti-Dooling

Before all of you pro basketball haters get too worked up, just know that we'll be doing the same thing for the World Series, the NFL Playoffs, the BCS, and whatever else you want to break down game-by-game. So just take a deep breath and relax. Consider this home base for Game One of Detroit-San Antonio. I'll be weighing in at halftime, probably during the fourth quarter, and then after the game. Don't make me the only one.

Get Your Finals Predictions!

The Pistons need Big Ben

Well, I'm sure that most people would have preferred a different Finals matchup, but getting two of the best three teams in the NBA paired up isn't all that bad. I've come around on the Spurs being a worthy participant and I'm trying to let go of the fact that it should be Shaq and Duncan and Wade against Manu in a battle between the Heat and Spurs. Instead, we've got a different storyline: defending champs as big underdogs.

To read more and weigh on with your predictions, click on the "Get Your Finals Predictions!" link on the right side of the page.

Consistency is a Virtue

Pujols is Mr. Consistent

It seems that there are plenty of baseball players that get the job done year in and year out, guys that can be counted on to dominate certain aspects of the game. However, the number of players that are truly able to dominate even one area of the sport are few and far between. Taking the 5x5 statistical categories central to fantasy baseball (batting average, runs, RBI, home runs, stolen bases, wins, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and saves), we are able to look at the past three years and see just how rare it is. The standard was finishing in the top-five in the league (AL or NL) for that category ... and doing it each year from 2002-2004. Only 14 players (9 hitters, 5 pitchers) have accomplished the feat. Only four did it in multiple categories. And only two have the chance to do it again. Your "Mr. Consistent" Award winners: Pedro Martinez and Albert Pujols.

To read more, click on the "Consistency is a Virtue" link on the right side of the page.

Best of times or worst of times?

Butler gets ready to
drain another jumper
in Tayshaun's grill

It is hard to say whether the Heat should feel great or horrible right now. On one hand, their young stud, Dwyane Wade, was unable to finish their Game Five victory tonight. On other hand, Shaq showed once again that he can take any band of merry misfits and turn them into an elite team. It is hard to imagine them closing out Detroit without a healthy Wade, but with Rasual Butler, Udonis Haslem, and Damon Jones riding on the big man's shoulders, I guess anything is possible. We'll stay tuned for updates on Wade's health and in the meantime, consider this the new command post for discussion of all things Heat-Pistons.

The Face of Baseball

Adam's pick gets into one

ESPN is running a story wondering who represents the true face of major league baseball. They seem to have settled on Derek Jeter, which was more than enough of a reason to fire up the topic on this blog. As you can see from the photo, I have selected Miguel Tejada as my choice - explanation to follow. Over the next few days, the rest of the Insider team will make their choices and hopefully we will find ourselves in a sweet debate. Feel free to join in the fun.

Lee for MVP

Wrigley's got a new hero

Time to fire up the propoganda machine. Based on the fact that Steve Nash won the NBA MVP on the strength of November press, there is no reason to delay getting Derrek Lee's name on the minds of the voters. And why not? He has been absolutely incredible through the season's first two months.

To read more, click on the "Lee for MVP" link on the right side of the page.