Cantu, Part II

I love fantasy baseball. Fantasy football is great and fantasy hoops makes my favorite pro sport even better, but fantasy baseball is my favorite. I explained the five reasons why last year in a column that you can find here, but the point is that I love it so much that I have to indulge myself with a nerdy fantasy baseball post everyone once in a while. So if you are wondering why I am about to offer up a breakdown on a little-known second baseman when my coverage of the amazing NBA Playoffs has been spotty at best, well, that is why. Now, on with the show.

Every year it seems like a sleeper comes out of nowhere to become a key factor in fantasy leagues everywhere. In baseball, this is especially common at key positions like catcher and middle infield. So when Jorge Cantu exploded with 117 RBI at 2B, he became a vital cog in many a title team. Of course, because Cantu was an unkown youngster playing for the offensively challenged Tampa Bay Devil Rays, many owners waited too long before picking him up. My job is to make sure it doesn't happen to you again. Folks, meet this year's Jorge Cantu ... Jose Lopez.

Lopez is Cantu all around. He is a young second basemen that hits for a good average with moderate power and plays for a team that doesn't score a ton of runs. However, he personally has a knock for picking up RBI by the boatload. He's currently FOURTH in the American League in RBI with 37, while hitting .309 with 7 home runs. He's on pace to hit 25 home runs and drive in a whopping 130 runs, yet nobody owns him in fantasy. Do yourself a favor, pick him up.

Over and out.

Suns-Clips, Courtesy of Bill

Rather than give my own thoughts on the Suns-Clippers Friday nightcap, let's take a look at some Bill Walton gems from the broadcast:

- "Tim Thomas is one of the great reclamation projects of all time."

- After calling Mike Dunleavy "Mike D'Antoni," he exclaimed with disgust, "There are simply too many Mikes!"

- After a Nash pass led to a Marion three: "Whenever something good happens for Phoenix, it is almost always because of Boris Diaw's intangibles." (Diaw was on the bench with foul trouble.)

- "That is the liability of having Brian Grant on the team." (After Grant missed a five-footer.)

- "Chris Kaman sucks." Oh wait, that was me, not Bill.

- "The Suns are a uni-dimensional team."

- "Steve Nash's left-handed passes off the dribble without ever touching it with his right ... a thing of beauty!" (The key to this quote was the way he added all the extra description without pausing. Talk about a thing of beauty!)

- "Elton Brand represents everything that is right in the NBA ... and in the world." (This calls to mind classic quotes such as “John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!”)

- "Boris Diaw is making drives and flip shots reminiscent of the legend, Elgin Baylor."

- "Volume shot attempts! Forget the pump fake. Jack 'em up there. Get running. Who's in shape? Who wants to play?" (This quote really happened.)

- "Kaman is just too quick!" (After Marion shot one right into Kaman's elbow.)

- "All these pretty boys just want the defenders to get out of their way." (Discussing Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell.)

- To Mike Tirico after an offensive foul on Maggette: "I love to hear the enthusiasm when you make that offensive foul call. In a day and age when the rules allow offensive players to do whatever they want with no repercussions, finally, a return to normalcy and human decency."

- After a bad shot by Tim Thomas: "Maybe the worst shot selection we've seen in this year's playoffs."

- "That was an easy play to call, I don't know why Shawn Livingston is complaining, although he is - Shawn Livingston - one of four Illinois Mr. Basketball winners to go straight to the NBA, out of Peoria." (All one sentence. Genius!)

- After a big Cassell airball: "I might have to reevaluate my position from earlier that Tim Thomas' airball was the worst shot selection in this year's NBA playoffs." (I loved that he referenced his own hyperbole. So good.)

Okay, I have to throw a few thoughts in here. 1) What was Dunleavy thinking with his lineup down the stretch? I know you want to ride the hot hand, but come on. 2) I thought the Clippers were looking poised to crush Phoenix in this series and become a threat in the West, but if they can't beat the Suns in a key home game when Phoenix shot 7-28 from three, they are in big trouble. 3) Huge redemption for Marion, who had one of those monster fantasy lines we all know and love, but for once did it in the playoffs. 4) Phoenix might be the worst NBA team I've ever seen at closing out close wins, which is weird since they are so good from the line and have a two-time MVP at point guard. They should be built for holding leads. 5) How about Nash hitting the huge fadeaway after struggling all night? Big time shot. I was surprised to see the Clippers let the clock run there, because technically, Nash could have dribbled it down to one and then heaved it into the air ala Magic in the 1991 Western Conference Finals, allowing time to run out.

Heat-Nets

The second round of the playoffs hasn't been real interesting, but Friday night's games finally gave us some quality entertainment value. The first game featured a nice comeback win on the road by the Heat and here were some things I feel compelled to mention:

- Pat Riley is ridiculous. We all know he's keeping half of the tanning salons on South Beach in business and that he completely screwed up Miami's title chances by breaking up a fantastic team last summer. However, we are also seeing how bad of a coach he's become. He can't get figure out to enter the ball to Shaq from the top of the key (while he's moving across the lane, making it much harder to square up for a flop), his rotations are bizarre, and he was trying to guard Richard Jefferson with Gary Payton for much of the second half. However, the biggest indictment came when D-Wade caught an elbow to the face and was lying prone on the ground. Somehow, Riley failed to call a timeout, letting Jason Williams kill a limo driver (oh wait, wrong Jason Williams), I mean shoot a three-pointer, and then he failed to order an immediate foul. Wade nearly got his head stepped on during the ensuing fast break. Just moronic coaching.

- I'm sick of big men flopping. Block a shot one time, for crying out loud. I can understand Collins trying to flop on Shaq, because he has no other choice, but if he injures Wade in this series with one of those cowardly step-under moves, I swear I am going to burn his basketball card in effigy. Is anyone else sick of big men sliding under airborne guards, trying to take charges? Grow a pair and block a shot.

- While we're here, get rid of the backup point guards trying to "man up" on defense. First it was Sasha Vujacic in the Phoenix-Lakers series, now it is Jacque Vaughn of the Nets. Look, I know that you are barely in the NBA, but if you have to come off the bench bodying everyone up to try to get a paycheck, it is time to hang them up. No one wants to see a crappy guard out there chest bumping everyone across the court. And for the love of Derek "Patron Saint of Chest Bumping Defense" Fisher, please don't complain when you get called for doing it.

- Vince Carter should never pass, because he seems to turn it over every time that he does. However, he should shoot, A LOT, for two reasons: 1) No one else on this team can, and 2) he never seems to miss. Other than maybe Kobe and T-Mac, nobody makes more difficult shots than Carter. Some of his baskets late in the game were just ridiculous.

- Don't look now, but Wade might be developing a three-point stroke. He made another one tonight after hitting three in the first quarter of Game Two. If he adds this to his game, there will be no stopping him.

- Just a reminder to Heat fans: every time GP makes a dump pass or bricks a three, and you feel a sense of dismay, just remember that last year the backup point guard was Keyon Dooling - a negative force so great that I had to start tallying his +/- and reporting "The Dooling Factor" after every playoff game. I remain convinced that it was Dooling's mere presence on the roster, rather than Wade's injury, that single-handedly cost Miami a title last year.

Glitch in the Matrix

The Suns are down 2-1 to the seventh-seeded Lakers and are in danger of bowing out of the playoffs in the first round. This isn't terribly surprising, as they are without Amare (and have been all season) and Kurt Thomas (and now possibly Tim Thomas as well), and are playing a Lakers team that really found the range down the stretch. I had L.A. in six, so I personally can't say I'm surprised. What is more interesting to discuss is not the "what" here, but the "why." Most people are crediting Kobe Bryant and his sudden interest in team play as the reason the Lakers are in front. I find this somewhat hilarious, because all he's doing is playing hard and letting his teammates dominate inside. Seems like common sense, but hey, this is his year, so it is all praise be to Kobe. Regardless of whether you think 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting is worthy of a parade, I think reasonable minds can agree that currently-number-eight-soon-to-be-number-24 probably isn't the biggest reason the Lakers have seized control of this series.

The biggest reason why L.A. looks like the powerhouse in this series is that Lamar Odom is playing like he did in the 2004 playoffs with Miami. More to the point, he is KILLING Shawn Marion right now. Odom is averaging 19 points, 13 boards, and 4 assists while shooting 53% from the field, while The Matrix (supposedly the far superior player) is going for 17, 8, and 1, on 43% shooting. There's the difference in the series. Odom is gathering in passes and finishing at the rim, while Marion is blowing layups or getting his shot blocked (by Odom, in many cases). Marion is consistently getting beat by Odom off the dribble, causing the Suns' defense to completely break down. Odom has poured in 5 big threes while Marion is 2-for-9 and missing one huge shot after another.

There are a lot of reasons why L.A. is poised to win this series - and one of them is certainly the solid defense and good teammwork of Bryant - but none is bigger than the absolute woodshed level beating that Odom is laying on Marion right now. For the Suns to have any hope of winning this series, they need to get the Playoff Glitch ironed out of their Matrix.

Earth to Bibby

On Tuesday night, the Sacramento Kings nearly stole home court advantage from the Spurs, but lost a three-point lead in the closing seconds and now are in danger of being swept. If you watched the game, you know that the Kings kicked the Spurs up and down the court for 48 minutes, only to lose in overtime. What happened? Well, a lot. Bonzi Wells fouled out of the game on a completely phantom foul call in the closing seconds. Brent Barry got a lucky bounce on a game-tying three (made possible by bad Sacramento defense and a moving pick by Duncan). But most importantly, Mike Bibby played like he was shaving points out there. 1-for-13 in regulation, 3-for-17 in the game, and countless moronic passes, dribbling mistakes, and missed defensive assignments. All of which leads to the question: what in the world has happened to Mike Bibby? It seems like just yesterday that he was torching the Mavs and Lakers in the 2001 Playoffs and building a reputation as one of the best clutch shooters in the game. Now he is a shell of his former self, getting dominated by Tony Parker and dragging his team down. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kevin Martin, and Bonzi Wells all played outstanding games, but thanks to the dreadful play of Bibby, it was all for not.

The other side of this is how to view the Spurs after such a game. They nearly squandered home court advantage in a game with no Artest, no Miller for the final 20 minutes, and virtually no Bibby. And this team is supposed to roll to the Finals? I don't think so. The Spurs are not as good defensively as they were last year, Duncan is better at complaining now than he is at taking over games, and Ginobili is hit or miss (sometimes helping the opponent more than his own team). If not for Brent Barry turning back the clock, the Spurs would be on the ropes right now. I expect them to win the series 4-1, but they had better take it up a notch if they want to beat a hungry, deep, and talented Mavericks team.

Get Your Playoff Picks!

The spring is always a crazy time of the year for predictions. March Madness, the start of the baseball season, and the NBA playoffs all hit in rapid succession. And if you are one of the 18 remaining hockey fans, well, you have the NHL playoffs to contend with as well. Why I mentioning this? Because normally I write a fantastic, hilarious, and insightful column detailing my NBA playoff predictions, but this year, I am tired of making picks. It doesn't mean I won't do it, just that I am going to take less time and throw them here on the blog. Read on for the picks from the Insider Bloggers.

Zambrano Loses His Mind

I've made no secret of the fact that I think the Cubs can beat the odds and win the NL Central this year. (And, therefore, win it all, since the baseball playoffs are a crapshoot.) However, if Carlos Zambrano keeps performing as if he has rocks for brains, I might have to back off of that prediction. Today on a glorious afternoon at Wrigley, Zambrano bumbled his way to a bad loss against the Reds. He tried to pick off pitcher Eric Milton while Derrek Lee was playing behind the runner. Result: Balk. Then he was so rattled that he beaned Ryan Freel to put two runners on. This was followed by Zambrano doing his favorite thing, which is getting behind the hitter, and then to him serving up a 3-1 fastball to Felipe Lopez (who is going to get PAID at some point). He also screwed things up later when he got behind Milton 3-1 and allowed a triple. Seconds later, he tried to pick the pitcher off of third base and fired it into the stands (where it appeared to clock an unsuspecting fan). Four runs allowed because of ridiculous decisions. This guy has to be the Cubs ace this year and that means keeping his emotions in check, getting ahead of hitters, and not flying off the cuff with ad lib decisions. Otherwise, I'm taking back that "Cubs win! Cubs win!" prediction.

Going on Record

There were plans to do a full preview column over at WIS, but since that has been delayed, I thought I would get my picks down "on paper" somewhere. Here we go.

AL West - Anaheim (I'm not a believer in Oakland; I like the Angels' pitching)
AL Central - Cleveland (will win the most games in the AL)
AL East - Boston (Papelbon answers the big question)
AL Wild Card - Chicago (Sox top Yanks in a race that goes down to the wire)

NL West - San Francisco (pitching will carry the Giants past an underrated LA team)
NL Central - Chicago (that's right, the Cubs)
NL East - New York (love the middle of that order; bullpen is vastly improved)
NL Wild Card - St. Louis (Cards edge Astros and Braves)

World Series - Boston over New York (Sox have Schilling and Beckett and plenty of pop; they beat Pedro in terrific WS)

AL MVP - Vlad Guerrero (stays healthy and goes .340/35/120 while carrying Anaheim to the playoffs)
NL MVP - Derrek Lee (another moster year, this time Cubs win enough games to get him the hardware)

AL Cy Young - Curt Schilling (hard to believe he has yet to win this award)
NL Cy Young - Roy Oswalt (it is his time to reign in the NL)

AL Rookie of the Year - Jonathan Papelbon (40 saves for a division winner should do it)
NL Rookie of the Year - Josh Willingham (this guy can rake)

And The Winner Is ...

Now that we are bearing down on the end of the NBA regular season, it is probably time to pick my MVP. The only probem is that I'm still not exactly sure who that should be. A month ago, I was still convinced that Nash was the guy. The way he pulled together a new group in Phoenix and kept that team elite was remarkable. Plus, his numbers were up across the board. However, while the MVP isn't all about individual stats, you still have to perform all the way through. As discussed in an earlier post, Nash and the Suns went through an extended slump that may have hurt his chances. At the very least, it made this race WIDE open coming down the stretch.

You might also recall a post on this blog that detailed the makeup of every MVP from the past 25 years, in terms of team winning percentage. Of the past 25 winners, 24 of them came from either the first or second best team in the NBA. The lone exception, Michael Jordan in 1987-88, came from a Bulls team that finished third in the East and seventh overall. Of course, you could argue that was one of the top five greatest individual seasons in NBA history (I smell a future post!). Are we really on the brink of seeing #2 out of the last 26 years?

Coming into the season, there was a 4% chance that a team from outside the top two would produce an MVP, but unless the Mavericks can vault past San Antonio in the final week and a half, it looks like it might happen. Tim Duncan has been down this year, Tony Parker isn't quite MVP worthy, and Chauncey Billups needed a record-breaking season from his Pistons to break out of an ensemble cast and win the award. So if Detroit and San Antonio finish 1-2 in the NBA, we are probably going to see a major break from tradition.

Here are the top candidates, complete with where their teams rank in the standings (Conference/Overall).

1. LeBron James (4/7)
2. Steve Nash (3/4)
3. Dwayne Wade (2/5)
4. Dirk Nowitzki (2/3)
5. Kobe Bryant (8/12)

You can basically just toss Kobe out, because that would be too far out of character for voters, and in a year with so many viable candidates from top teams, you just can't make a case that THIS is the season where we need to pull an MVP up from a 41-37 team.

That leaves the other four and that is where it gets tough. All have stats that work in their favor, all have intangible qualities, all are part of success stories. The Suns are the most unlikely elite team. The Cavs are finishing the strongest. The Mavs have been the best of this group and have done it with only Dirk as an All-Star and amid a plethora of injuries. The Heat are steady and Wade is now clearly their best player and arguably the best player in the NBA. How do you sort this out?

For me, it comes down to consistency. There is only one player on this list that hasn't had even a minor slump this year. Only one player that is about to become the fourth player (along with Big O, MJ, and West) to EVER go 30-7-6 in a season. Of this group, LeBron is playing the most minutes and has the best efficiency numbers. He has put the "clutch" problem to bed for good with a series of game-winning passes and shots (and now Elias is reporting that he is by far the best shooter in the NBA in the final two minutes of close games). Plus, his team is on fire down the stretch. If they pass New Jersey for third in the East (currently a half-game back), they would finish third in the conference and seventh overall ... the same place in the standings enjoyed by Jordan's Bulls 18 years ago. I kind of like the symmetry in that.

On top of all that, LBJ had that classic game on Final Four Saturday when he outdueled Wade, posted a 47-12-10 triple double, and took over the most exciting regular season game of the season. It is moments like that tend put the finishing touches on an MVP resume.

With my sincerest apologies to Wade, Nash, and Dirk, I have to take The King on this one.

LeBron James is my choice for MVP.

The Guide to Picking the AL MVP

As published over at Blog Critics. Click on the link to read it here.

Nash Running Out of Gas?

I love watching Steve Nash and the Suns play basketball. I would like nothing more than to see them stomp the Lakers in the first round, run past Denver in the second, and then boot the Spurs out of the playoffs. A Pistons-Suns Final would be fantastic for the NBA. However, the chances of any of that happening (let alone all of it) are diminishing every day. They have lost eight of their last 15 games and six of the past 10, including four by more than 14 points. Marion's play (particularly his shooting) has tailed off, guys like James Jones and Tim Thomas are struggling, and Raja Bell looks like he's out there shaving points half the time. More than anything, Nash looks beat. He had only nine points and five assists against the Clippers tonight while shooting 4-for-11 from the field and committing five turnovers while Shaun Livingston torched him on the other end. Over his last five games, his 14/9/3 numbers look more like a good stretch for Carlos Arroyo than the type of stats we're used to seeing from the prohibitive favorite to win a second straight MVP award. Which begs the question: is Nash losing his hold on the MVP award? His recent cold stretch is certainly opening the door for the likes of Dirk, Wade, and even LeBron. It should be interesting to see if Nash and the Suns can rebound in time to save what looked like a glorious season.

Claiming First Mover

I know it is lame to highlight your own work, but I just want to point everyone to a column posted in January. At a time when Larry Brown was still being treated like the prince of all things basketball, I decided to send a little blame his way. Now, over two months later, people are finally turning on the golden boy. ESPN's Chris Broussard took Brown to task in his blog and Total Basketball's Ken Shouler absolutely blasted him in a column that appeared today on the Worldwide Leader. All I'm saying is I want credit for this. Is that too much to ask? (Don't answer that.)

The Wrist or the Headlines?

Something is messing with Dwayne Wade's game, the question is whether it is his tender wrist or the sudden MVP hype that he has been receiving over the last week. For the past two months, D-Wade has been destroying people while leading Miami on a torrid run. Then, suddenly, he was being discussed as a leading MVP candidate for the first time all season. He also crashed hard to the floor and seemed to re-injure his sore wrist. In the four games after those two things happened, he has struggled mightily. His scoring is down almost 5 points per game, his boards are down 2, his turnovers are at an all-time high (4.8 per), and his normally terrific shooting (.504 for the season) has been abysmal (.375). Plus, the Heat are 2-2 over that span with a win over New York and a one-point victory over the Bulls. What is going on? It is clear that Wade is either hurt, or is not responding well to all the MVP talk. I would guess the former, because he seems too down to earth to let hype go to his head, but either way, if he can't shake off this recent slump, the MVP chatter will be gone just as quickly as it came.

All-Tournament Team (First Two Rounds)

PG - Marcus Williams, UConn. You don't normally see guys from top-seeded teams truly shine in the first rounds, but UConn was in a couple of dog fights (pun totally intended), and if it weren't for Williams, they might be the answer to a pretty rough trivia question. As it stands, Williams averaged 20.5 points, 8 assists, almost 4 boards, a block, and a steal per game, while dropping 5 threes, shooting 62% from the floor, and hitting 10-of-11 free throws.

SG - Brandon Roy, University of Washington. Not only did Roy carry UW back to the Sweet 16, not only is he going to be the best NBA shooting guard to come out of college since Dwayne Wade, Roy also averaged 24.5 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block, while shooting 53% from the floor and 81% from the line. (Apologies to Allan Ray, who bounced back from a gruesome eye injury to score 44 points and hit nine threes in the first two games.)

SF - Joakim Noah, Florida. I know that he doesn't play small forward (an equally deserving Corey Brewer mans this post), but his play on the wing was incredible against UW-Milwaukee. Besides, I needed to get Craig Smith on this team as well. As for Noah, he has been everything I hoped for and more. He has the second highest assist total in the entire Minneapolis regional (13, one behind Mustafa Shakur) and is creating matchup nightmares for Gator opponents. Not only that, but he is a stat sheet stuffer extraordinaire. He's shooting 58% from the floor and 78% from the line (despite shooting from the wrong side of his head) while averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals. Those are Andrei Kirilenko numbers.

PF - Craig Smith, Boston College. He's going for 23.5 and 14.5 a game despite wearing two defenders as a second uniform. Not only that, but he made the two biggest free throws of the tournament to get BC by Pacific.

C - Sheldon Williams, Duke. I like Roy Hibbert (who my dad compared to a 6'5" third grader) and Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant as much as the next guy, but Williams' numbers speak for themselves. 25 points, 16 boards, and 5.5 blocks a game on 59% shooting from the field and 82% from the line. Wow. So what if he fouls on every play?

Top Seeds Look to Make This the Craziest March Yet

By all accounts, this has been a fantastic NCAA Tournament. After two rounds we have the Missouri Valley Conference staking its claim as a national power, the Pac-10 salvaging an off year, and two double-digit seeds reaching the Sweet 16. It all fits with the concept that this is the most "wide open field yet."

In fact, the prevailing feeling about this year's field is that anything can happen. You hear coaches talking about parity and experts saying that anyone can win it and after a while, you become convinced that this is the year that a team will come out of nowhere to cut down the nets. While this could certainly happen, the truth is that the giants are still lurking. UConn, the heavy favorite, has played poorly but remains in the field. Duke seems to be growing stronger every game. Memphis is wowing with its athleticism and depth, quickly turning into the kind of bully that UNLV was in the early 1990's (meaning: coming out of a middling conference, flying under the radar, and then blowing people away). Texas is still around. So is UCLA. The truth is that the Final Four will probably feature three of those five teams, in addition to the survivor of the Nova-BC-Florida-Georgetown bloodbath in the Minneapolis region.

The fact that some sense of order will probably be restored this coming weekend got me thinking about the possibility of all number one seeds reaching the Final Four. Wouldn't that be the ultimate irony? 2006 seems to be the pinnacle of parity in college hoops, and this tournament is being hailed as the most wide open ever. So wouldn't it be the craziest development yet if, after all of the upsets and buzzer beaters, this thing went chalk into the Indy?

For more, click on the link.

Major Statement by MVC

Unless you have been trapped under a rock for the past 48 hours or just don't like sports, you probably know that the Missouri Valley Conference has validated the selection of four of its teams for berths in the NCAA Tournament. You know that despite having only one higher seed, the MVC placed two teams in the Sweet 16, went 4-2 over the first two rounds of the tournament, and made CBS' bullying, badgering lead analyst Billy Packer eat his words.

Click on "Major Statement by MVC" link on the right side of the page for the rest of the article. You can also access this piece by viewing it on Blog Critic.

Officials: Please Take Charge

The offensive foul calls in the NCAA Tournament have reached a ridiculous level. Any contact is now a charge. Players are flopping, arriving late, sliding under airborne players, turning sideways ... all offensive fouls. I am still for whistling a guy when he goes out of control or runs over a stationary player or even tries to get away with a push-off. But this is ridiculous. Not only is it very damaging to the style and flow of the game (seriously, just watch how many charge calls there are), it has also made games a three-point shooting contest, because the incentive to drive has been all but eliminated. Threes are already worth more and are ridiculously easy to shoot (move the line back!), so why risk a turnover by going in the lane, where any contact is going to go for an offensive foul? Not to mention the fact that the refs/rules are creating an incentive for players to slide under guys when they have already left the ground (see: the horrendous charging call on Corey Brewer of Florida yesterday, which resulted in a turnover and a concussion for the Gators swingman), which is going to get some people very badly injured. This is out of hand and somebody needs to step in and right the ship before it ruins the game, or worse, ends someone's career.

Day Two Recap

Yesterday's gimmick seemed to work pretty well, so we'll do that again. Here are the 16 games, ranked in order of MY preference, with an accompanying sentence of insight (I use that word loosely).

1. Northwestern State with the win of the opening round, coming back from a 17-point deficit with 8:30 to go and winning on a fadeway heave from three as time expired.

2. North Carolina should thank their lucky stars for two things: A) The fact that they have Tyler Hansbrough (24 points, 9 boards), who carried them to victory, and B) The fact that Murray State lost its leading scorer eight minutes into the game, because without those two facts, it is the Racers moving on.

3. I've become a Bradley believer as the tenacious Braves outlast a very good Kansas team in a game that became a contest of which team could just avoid turning it over and at least take a field goal attemept.

4. UConn nearly suffered the worst defeat in the history of college basketball, but in the end, they managed to turn that into a positive, as there is no zero chance that they will be caught flat-footed in round two on Sunday.

5. Ohio State dodges a huge upset as Davidson did everything but get a good game from its leading scorer, Brendan Winters (5-16 from the field) in a 70-62 loss.

6. Ronnie Brewer's stat line was okay (14-5-5 with 2 steals), but he did not do enough to prevent Bucknell from riding incredible three-point shooting (11-21) to their second straight opening round win.

7. Georgetown advances by beating Northern Iowa, but more importantly, produced one of the best gambling moments of the tournament when Ashanti Cook threw down an unnecessary dunk with 2 seconds left to cover the spread.

8. Memphis shoots 62% and knocks down 11 threes on their way to 94 points in an impressive offensive display against an underrated Oral Roberts team.

9. Arizona pulls off one of the biggest shockers of the tournament so far in that they hung 94 points (on 59% shooting) against the supposedly tough Wisconsin defense.

10. Penn gets the "good try" award for making Texas play their style of game and staying within striking distance throughout, but in the end, LaMarcus Aldridge made a big statement by scoring 19 points and carrying the Longhorns to victory.

11. The George Mason win over Michigan State was a pretty good game, but it was too depressing for me personally to put any higher than this (RIP former Director of CTU George Mason).

12. West Virginia makes a big statement by running their offense with ease (11 threes) against a very tough Salukis defense.

13. A rough game between NC State and Cal was decided by which team finally made a big shot, something Cameron Bennerman did twice in the final minute for a 58-52 win.

14. Pittsburgh joins Arizona as a "statement team" from Friday: the Panthers shot a school-record 67% from the field and saw big man Aaron Gray go 6-for-6 from the field on his way to 17 points, 13 boards, 4 blocks, and a probable first round selection in the NBA Draft.

15. Kentucky is going to need to play a lot better than they did in a 69-64 win over UAB to have any chance against a UConn that now looks destined to go on a torrid run through the Washington bracket.

16. Villanova wins an ugly - no, hideous - game against 16th-seeded Monmouth, but can take heart in the fantastic shooting of Allan Ray, who seems to have recovered fully from having his eye nearly removed from its socket.

Bracket Challenge Update

Over at Whatif, we are running "The Great Tournament Challenge," a showdown between WIS legend Elliot Schwartz and me that uses an intricate scoring system and features copious amounts of meat for the winner.

After Round One, E has a rather large lead over yours truly, totalling 103 points to my 80. Elliot correctly picked 23 of 32 first round games and went 3-for-4 on the crucial 8/9 matchup, outscoring me 25-8 on that particular game alone. I only got 20 of 32 (my worst first round in recent memory) and went 1-for-4 on the critical 8/9 part of the bracket.

Not only that, but he also has a slight edge going forward. E has 14 of his 16 "Sweet Sixteen" teams left in the running, having lost only Iowa and Seton Hall (yikes) up to this point. I have already lost Kansas, Marquette, and Michigan State, leaving me with 13 teams elgible to advance beyond round two. Beyond that, we both lost one Elite Eight squad, as E's Iowa team suffered that crazy defeat to Northwestern State while my MSU Spartans crapped the bed against George Mason. I can't figure out how a team that went to the Final Four failed to defeat one man. Granted, this is the guy that saved LA when he flew the bomb into the Mojave during season two of "24," but still. Safe to say that the Big 10 gets the Big Loser award for Friday.

Day One Recap

With a glorious Thursday in the books it is time to take a quick look at the day's action. Feel free to drop any thoughts about the tourney, your own brackets, Billy Packer rants, or anything else you feel like mentioning.

I'm ranking the contests in order of how fun they were to watch and how good of a game it was, and offering one sentence on each game. Speed round!

1. Boston College got screwed by the tournament with a four seed, a 10 a.m. start time, and a trip to Salt Lake City, but they overcame all that and a tough Pacific team as they rode some clutch free throws by Craig Smith and a huge three from Jared Dudley to the type of victory that so often seems to be the precurser to a Final Four run.

2. The sensational play of Indiana point guard Earl Calloway (8-9 from the field, 18 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, and 6 steals) led a remarkable comeback by the Hoosiers, who managed to beat a San Diego State team that thoroughly outplayed them all night.

3. Nobody was happier than me to see GW get a victory despite having to play a valiant UNC-W team in what amounted to a road game, albeit a thrilling one.

4. Marquette looked like a team poised for a big tournament run, but despite a great performance from frosh point guard Dominic James, they are one-and-done thanks to downright absurd shooting from the Crimson Tide of Alabama, who were led by Jean Felix with an incredible 8 threes.

5. Oklahoma sucks (aplogies to Terrell Everett), so it was good to see the gritty UW-M Panthers do their thing behind Joah Tucker (24 points) and Boo Davis (26 and 6 with 3 steals) to the tune of an 82-74 "upset" victory that was anything but.

6. The crazy Chris Lofton turnaround J (ala MJ in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game) spares Tennessee from going down as the worst 2 seed of all time, as they barely beat a Winthrop team that shot 39% from the floor and 59% from the line.

7. LSU could be a force in this tournament as they played terrible basketball and still dominated a tough Iona team behind 22, 13 and 6 blocks from "Big Baby" Davis.

8. There must be some kind of power in the name Laws as Texas A&M's Acie Laws drew upon the power of past namesakes (I'm referring to little known Andre Laws of San Diego, who had some of the biggest shots I've ever seen during the 2003 West Coast Conference Tournament - an abscure reference, I know, but there is a great story attached to it) to post 23 points, 7 boards, and 5 dimes in leading the Aggies to the "uspet" over a tired and ragged Syracuse team.

9. Gonzaga should have lost once again but not for an extremely gutsy and weird (slamming the ball against his forehead over and over) performance by Adam Morrison, who dropped 35 while leading the Zags to a come-from-behind over an Xavier team that honestly felt like the better sqaud in this one.

10. I feel VERY good about calling Brandon Roy this year's Dwayne Wade as he sliced up the supposedly dangerous Aggies of Utah State by going 11-for-19 from the field on his way to 28 points with 5 dimes and 3 steals.

11. I also feel VERY good about calling Joakim Noah the next Antonio McDyess as he went out and blew minds by nearing a triple double (would have had it in a closer game) with 16 points, 8 boards, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals ... get him on my fantasy team!

12. I think it is safe to say that Nevada needed more balance (not to mention defense) when you consider that they got 34 points from Marcelus Kemp (on 14-20 shooting) and another 24 from Nick Fazekas yet still got throttled by a Montana team that hung 87 points on 58% shooting.

13. Wichita State was so much better than Seton Hall that it almost became comical, and ultimately, led to only one thought ... suck it, Billy Packer!

14. The Illinois-Air Force game was so excruciating to watch (and I was stuck with it since I like in Chicago right now and my building can't support the Comcast On Demand tourney package - a rant for another day) that I watched NBA basketball and The OC instead (during March Madness!).

15. Duke won as expected but looked pretty brutal.

16. UCLA killed Belmont in the game that won the elusive "most boring game of the day" title.

There you have it. Let's all get a good night sleep and be back for another strong day tomorrow.

On the Eve of the Tourney

I feel like a little kid getting ready for Christmas morning. There is nothing like the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Nothing. In honor of this exciting time, I am handing out some special awards. These are for individual players to watch out for over the next few days:

The "Julius Hodge" Award - Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas. The Hodge Award goes to the veteran player on a mediocre team that is most likely to dominate an early round game despite having no jump shot whatsoever. Hodge carried NC State to the Elite Eight last year and willed his team to a win over UConn while leaving his mark on the tournament. I don't see Arkansas going that far, but I think they will beat Bucknell and give Memphis a great run behind Brewer.

The "Chris Thomas" Award - Dominic James, Marquette. A few years back, Notre Dame's Chris Thomas came out of nowhere as a freshman to set the tournament field on fire. Last year, Daniel Gibson of Texas and Kyle Lowrey of 'Nova did the same thing, but Lowrey got the hardware since his team went further. As you might guess, this award goes to the frosh point guard that lights up the field. This year I've got Dominic James of Marquette. The Golden Eagles are poised to make a surprise run in this tournament, and if they do, it will be behind this explosive guard.

The "Antonio McDyess" Award - Joakim Noah, Florida. This goes to the underclassman forward that goes from "potential lottery pick" to "top five pick" in a week. McDyess took the tournament by storm back in his day and I expect Noah to have a similar ascension this time around.

The "Mateen Cleaves" Award - Darius Washington, Memphis. This goes to the point guard most likely to channel emotion into leading his talented team on a deep run. Give me the guy that is still fueled by the memory of two missed free throws in the C-USA title game a year ago. Plus, Washington has the skill to back up the fire.

The "Dwayne Wade" Award - Brandon Roy, Washington. To the player most likely to throw up a triple-double while leading his team to an upset win. If the Huskies can get past Utah State, I could see Roy pulling a D-Wade and hanging some huge numbers on Illinois in the second round. (By the way, I've also got Roy as the guy that everyone wishes they had drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, ala Wade.)

Feel free to post your own awards and get ready for some madness.

Artest Puts the Smack Down

In the days leading up to a suddenly important Kings-Lakers showdown, Ron Artest stated that he was going to "shut Kobe down." It got some play on PTI and seemed to spark some renewed interest into what was the league's best rivarly a few years ago. Until Artest made that statement, this was just a battle for the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Big deal. Now though, it is the start of a fued between arguably the best offensive and defensive players in the league. Now that is worth talking about.

Not only that, but the first round results are in. The Kings won 114-98 and continued to sky rocket up the Western Conference standings. As predicted weeks ago on this very blog, Sacramento is emerging as the "hot second half team" of 2006 and appears likely to grab the coveted sixth seed out West. They are 15-8 since Artest arrived and 9-2 over their last 11 since Brad Miller got back into the linuep. Not to toot my own horn on this one, but "beep, beep." (I guess I'm obligated to also mention that this very blog also correctly predicted that Edge would sign with Arizona, also in a post make several weeks ago. Hey, I'm just reporting the facts.)

So advantage Kings in this matchup, but the question remains: did Artest "shut Kobe down"? Considering that Bryant went for 30, 7, and 7, it is hard to call that shutting someone down. But when you consider that Artest scored 28 points of his own on almost half the field goal attempts (Kobe was 12-for-28, Artest 8-for-15), there is no doubt that Round One goes to Artest. Lets hope this is the first of many great battles.

We Interrupt This Program ...

Allow me to interject a post about 24 into the sports talk. I know it doesn't fit on this blog, but I had to post it somewhere. It felt irresponsible to write an entire column about it and I'm not reducing myself to going on some message board somewhere. So here it is: the writers of 24 are playing with fire. Here they have a fabulous show that hooks everyone who gives it a try. They have the greatest American action hero since John McLain in the form of Jack Bauer, CTU agent extraordinaire. They have the real time format, the 35 million viewers for the Season Five two-hour premier, all the momentum in the world. So what are they thinking killing off all the good characters? First, they gun down Palmer and blow up Michelle Dessler. Then they kill of Edgar. Now, Tony Almeida, who is and always has been the second most recognizable and iconic character on the show. What in the world? It is one thing to be an edgy show that keeps people guessing, but it is another thing to turn a show that balanced intricate, complex relationships and characters with relentless action into a formulaic death-fest that more closely resembles a "vote them off the island" reality show like "Survivor" than a real show. I know people die in real life, but this is just ridiculous. I will keep watching "24," but I wouldn't be surprised if thousands, maybe millions, of fans throw up their hands and say, "I've had it." I think the writers and producers are making a big, big mistake. Alright, rant is over.

A New Form of March Madness?

Every year the brackets are announced for the NCAA Tournament, and every year the selections are met with criticism, second guessing, insults, and jabs. This year though, things are going to the crazy next level. Billy Packer and Jim Nantz openly ripped committee chairman Craig Littlefield by throwing around ridiculous statements. Packer (quite possibly the most negative human being on the face of the earth) went so far as to say that he hadn't seen anyone from the Missouri Valley Conference play that year, but that he knew they were inferior to teams from the ACC. He also used horribly flawed logic like, "By putting four MVC teams and four ACC teams in the field, the committee is saying that the two leagues are equal." Um ... no. Considering the MVC got seeds of 7, 11, 12, and 13, and the ACC got seeds of 1, 3, 4, and 7, it is safe to say that no, the committee did not say the two leagues were equal. In fact, for all the "mid major loving" that the committee is being accused of, they really didn't do mid major teams any favors. They might have put them in the tourney, but they put them in positions to fail. Now it is: pull upsets or be accused of blowing your chance. Nice.

The fact is, the committee really did do a poor job with this field. The inclusion of Air Force was a joke. Leaving of Missouri State is inexcusable. And the seedings, my word, the seedings. Cal goes from the bubble to 7. Indiana somehow gets a 6. Tennessee loses four of six and lands a 2 seed. Gonzaga goes 27-3 and falls behind said Tennessee team for a 3. Southern Illinois gets shafted with an 11 seed, which in turn screws over West Virginia, who shouldn't have to play a team that good in the first round. Pacific got a 13 seed despite being arguably the fourth best team in the West (behind UCLA, Gonzaga, and UW), while Montana got a 12. How is that in the realm of possibility? Anyway, this is the place to break it all down. How did the committee do? Who is the bigger villain now, the committee or the CBS jackals who attacked them on the air? Hurry and get your thoughts in, because in three days, no one will care anymore. Once the ball goes up on Thursday morning, thoughts of omissions and seedings and Littlefield-Packer duels will be nothing but a forgotten subplot.

World Baseball Classic

Don't look now, but the WBC is awesome. The crowds are bringing the energy, the players are loving it, the quality of the games has been good ... what's not to love? I think a lot of people had their doubts about how effective this tournament would be, but most of those doubts were wiped away with one swing of the bat when David Ortiz hit his first home run yesterday and sent the small crowd into hysterics. With numerous teams able to win it all and each of them carrying a strong fan base regardless of location, the games are poised to get even better as we move along. Consider this the place to post any thoughts on the games, ranging from the Dominican's big bats, the effect of the low pitch count rules, the fact that every Cuban pitcher is built like a pear, and the improbability of Brian Schneider being Team USA's starting catcher in game one.

Alternatives to "The Duke Plan"

The newest column should be going up any minute over at WhatifSports and I'm already anticipating the anti-Duke feedback. In the column, I brought back an old idea to field an all Duke Olympic team. Be sure to check it out. No doubt the chief concern with the plan (other than the fact that I am insane) is that people hate Duke. They wouldn't want a team of Blue Devils representing our country, they wouldn't want Duke to get the recruiting advantage that would come with such a system, and so on. I can live with that. Therefore, I am looking to get out in front of the system by throwing out a few alternatives. If you look at the last thread, you know we are having fun with the idea of putting together Olympic rosters. However, I am serious about the Duke Plan. Not because it is Duke, but because the idea of bringing a roster together full of guys that played in the same system, for the same coach, in college is the perfect way to overcome the huge "familiarity" advantage enjoyed by the national teams from other countries. So this thread is about finding other colleges that could provide good alternatives to an all-Duke squad.

AI Gets the Shaft

The invitees to the US Olympic teama training camp have not been solidified yet, but the word is out and the chatter is rampant. My man Dritz brought it up in the previous post where he pondered the exclusion of AI and the snub of Hinrich in favor of Ridnour (mystifying). Consider this the post for all things US Olympic team.

I'll start things off explaining why they are idiots for leaving off Iverson. First, he was the only guy that actually brought it in Greece two years ago. He played with heart and determination and now has Olympic experience as well as a thirst for victory. Not only does that come in handy on a roster, but it is also a nice way to reward someone for actually caring. Coming off a Winter Olympics that saw freaks like Bodie Miller talk about how they didn't even care about winning, I personally don't need any more of that. Give me someone that wants to win.

Here is the bigger issue. After taking enormous heat for screwing up the last roster, the architects of the new team got too far inside their own heads. Yes, we want a roster that features role players, ball handlers, shooters, and defensive stoppers. And yes, Iverson is a tough guy to slot into a lineup. However, they are selecting 22 guys. You can't leave one spot for our best '04 Olympian? You can't think about marketing and presence and the media long enough to realize that this is the one player you can't snub? Idiots. They took seven of the top eight scorers in the league, the only left off is Iverson. It looks personal, feels personal, and when you consider that Gilbert Arenas made the team, what other assumption could one make?

At this point, I don't what you do to fix it the situation, but that was a big mistake.

The "Anything But Francis" Thread

Everything that can be said about the Steve Francis trade has been said. But seriously, what the hell is Isiah Thomas thinking? Okay, sorry, gotta let it go.

But wait, is he actually TRYING to screw the Knicks over? Ah, crap, my bad. I promised to leave it alone.

As you probably know, the Francis trade signaled rock bottom for the embattled NY GM, and it has become one of the easiest punching bags in the history of sportwriting. I don't think there is one sane person on the planet who honestly thought that trade was a good idea. But just in case there was, back-to-back blowout losses to the Nets and Wizards took care of that particular movement.

Consider this the place to come chat about the (boring) trade deadline, the lack of a functioning brain inside Isiah Thomas' skull, or anything else. In fact, we prefer "Anything But Francis."

(Don't have any other ideas? Here are some primers: The fact the 76ers are considerably better whenever Webber is not on the court, the fact that the Celtics are 5-2 since they started playing second-round steal Ryan Gomes for 42 minutes a game (and making Draft Guru Dritz and I geniuses in the process), the mystery that is "T-Macs personal problem," the distinct possibility that Eric Snow is the very worst player in the NBA, and even an investigation into the fact that seemingly 60 NBA players are claiming to be on the next Olympic team. Have at it.)

Slam Dunk Scandal!

The Dunk Contest ended moments ago and while it was generally pretty exciting and managed to bring some of the flair of the event back, the whole thing wound up being a joke. Andre Igoudala, who had perhaps the most inventive and impossible dunk in contest history (jumping under the backboard), and who consistently rammed home spectacular dunks with very few misses mixed in, somehow ended up on the short end of the stick (no pun intended). That's because the 5'9" (more like 5'7") Nate Robinson took home the crowd despite missing over 20 dunks in a mere two rounds. He missed eight times in a row while trying to go through the legs, and it got so painful at one point that I had to pause it on TiVo, wait five minutes, and then fast-forward until he finally made a dunk. Just excruciating. Somehow he still managed a 44, so when The Other AI threw up a 50, it was still a ballgame. Sure enough, Nate pulled off the Spud Webb Dunk, scored a 50 and tied it up when Igoudala had his worst dunk of the night (and most misses) in response. This took us to the finals, where Igoudala went through his legs along the baseline and rammed it home on the second try, but was screwed with a 46. Robinson, on the other hand, took an unfathomable 14 attempts at a gimmicky throw-off-the-glass attempt. He finally had to adapt it, and when he finally made it, he somehow got a 47. Just lame. You know there is a problem when the "fan favorite" is met with silence and a smattering of boos because the superior performer got ripped off. Kobe looked ready to slay somebody, Iverson could be seen screaming "we were robbed!," and the whole arena felt dreadfully uncomfortable.

The bottom line is that while I like the fact that missed dunks no longer count as "zero," there needs to be some kind of balance. Perhaps after 3 misses, you can't get a 10 from any voter. Then after six misses, no 9's. And so on. That way, there is some sort of penalty for taking 10 minutes to put the ball in the basket. My only hope is that they take advantage of this new momentum, fix the rules, and that Igoudala comes out next year like Creasy in Man on Fire.

Who Will Have the Edge?

There has been a lot of talk about Shaun Alexander in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, but the more intriguing running back that might be on the open market is Edgerrin James. He will come at a slightly lower price, but is just as good as Alexander and is one of only a handful of backs in the NFL that can run, catch, and block with equal skill. Plus, James is durable, can run in short-yardage situations, and doesn't get tired very often. What all that means is that you don't need a bunch of specialists when he's your tailback. Give him the ball 400 times and expect 1,750 yards and 15 touchdowns. It doesn't look like the Colts appreciate these qualities, which means the Edge is going to be on the open market? Where will he go? Obviously, as a top-five back, Edge is an upgrade for most teams. However, some squads already have a quality RB, some have younger runners that may be better options in 3-4 years. My guess is that there are probably three or four teams that would be the best fits for the Edge. Let's try to figure out who they are.

Finding the Surprise Contender

Every year an NBA team emerges in the second half of the season, rattling off winning streaks and striking fear in the hearts of would-be opponents. Last year it was the Nuggets. Who will it be this season? It's an interesting question, because every NBA expert has seemingly narrow the field of "contenders" to seven (Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland, and the Clippers). Obviously, the Pistons loom largest, followed by the Mavs and Spurs. The other four teams are more "conference finals" type of contenders. But seriously, there isn't anyone else? How can that be? I decided to select one "outsider" franchise to tab as my sleeper pick for the 2006 Playoffs. I flirted with the Nets, but ultimately, I can't embrace any team with a Collins Brother starting at power forward. Indiana is a team that always seems to bounce back. Memphis plays good defense. And the Sixers have some talent and Mo Cheeks teams always seem to do better in the second half of the season. However, my choice is the Sacramento Kings. They haven't had their entire team on the floor for a game since the Artest trade and I think when they do, they are going to look pretty good. Artest and Bonzi Wells are tough (and crazy) players that can provide post scoring while Brad Miller and Abdur-Rahim work in the high post. Bibby is as clutch as they come. Peja's mopey attitude is gone. Kevin Martin is emerging as a Peja-like deep threat. Francisco Garcia can't shoot, but plays defense like Andrei Kirilenko. Kenny Thomas cleans the glass. I'm telling you, this team is going to round into shape.

The best part for the Kings is that not only are they a mere three games out of the playoff picture in the West, but they are only four and a half games out of the all-important sixth seed. The team that snags the #6 seed will avoid both Dallas and San Antonio until a potential Conference Finals matchup. Remember where you heard it first.

Playing to Win the All-Star Game

All anybody talks about when it comes to the All-Star game is who gets snubbed. Rarely is there ever any discussion of the actual game. What if coaches really tried to win? What if they didn't care about getting everyone playing time and instead treated it like the playoffs. They would figure out their crunch time five, feature and 8 or 9 man rotation, and screw the other three guys. Speculation regarding who Flip Saunders will pick to replace Jermaine in the starting lineup (most likely Sheed or Bosh) got me wondering ... what if we looked at the All-Star teams and really tried to find the best squad for a serious competition? Could be kind of fun. So that's what this thread is for. I'll start us off ... feel free to jump in with thoughts and opinions.

Worst Officiated Super Bowl Ever?

I can't say for sure, but this might have been the worst officiating in any Super Bowl. Seattle was constantly undermined by the officials and never given a chance to win. Here are just a few of the many horrible calls that come to mind:

- The offensive interference called on Darrell Jackson in the first half. Not only does Hines Ward push off on virtually every route, this wasn't even a push off. Jackson put his arm out for balance and to get himself untangled with the defensive back. Unbelievable that they called something that had previously gone unflagged probably a hundred times in 39 previous Super Bowls.

- The bizarre "undercut" call on Hasselbeck. I still have no idea what they were thinking. How does a guy make a tackle and get called for a blocking penalty? Not only that, but Roethlisberger actually did go low and undercut a guy on that Randel-El pass play moments later.

- The no-call when Alexander was drug down by Porter. This is the infamous "Horse Collar" play that was made famous in the offseason when the rule was changed (spawned by Roy Williams busting TO's leg last year). For such a recent and notorious rule, the refs sure didn't know about it. And here's the thing: Alexander had the corner and Porter's only hope was the old horse collar. You HAVE to call that.

- The phantom holding call on Locklear that negated a pass play to Stevens. Seattle would have had the ball at the one for a sure 17-14 lead. Instead ... well, you know how it went.

These are just the plays that come to mind. I didn't even count the disputed TD from the first half. What an embarrassing effort to cap off an embarrassing playoffs for NFL officials.

Revamping the Red Sox

It's the MLB Hot Stove season, which means that teams are constantly changing directions and putting a new product on the field. Other than the Mets (who have aggressively clawed their way to the upper echelon of the NL), no team has undergone more changes than the Red Sox over the past two years. Two-thirds of the team that won the 2004 World Series is gone. GM Theo Epstein left and then didn't leave and now he's back. Meanwhile, whoever is running things in the front office continues to churn through the roster like they are a bunch of guys doing their first challenge on Pro Trade Sports. The latest and greatest move? Finalizing the deal with Cleveland that sends out stud prospect Andy Marte and a gaggle of relievers in exchange for Coco Crisp. Is it a good trade? Can Crisp adequately replace Johnny Damon in center field? Are the Red Sox better or worse than last year? Should they have made all those changes after winning the title? As my buddy, Higa used to say on our radio show ... "React!"

Western Logjam

With the All-Star voting done and the game looming, it is that time of the year: roster selections! I've always loved posting my own picks for the All-Star game, but to be honest, there aren't that many tough calls this year. Rip or Redd in the East? Maybe Jason Kidd? There's really not a lot to discuss in most cases. The only real issues are out West at the forward spot, where we have a logjam of massive proportions. So who to pick? Let's take a look.

Writing off the Heat?

On TNT tonight, Charles Barkley said that the Heats "aren't very good," and that this season is "a wash" unless they make a big trade. So this begs the question: can we write them off already? Sure they look terrible now, but they still have the kind of roster that could make some noise in the playoffs. Shaq is having a rough time, but he will have more of a chance to control the game in the playoffs. Jason Williams makes them a lot better, but hasn't been healthy. With Zo coming off the bench, Posey adding D on the wing, and Wade playing well every night, the Heat are certainly decent. Obviously they don't match up well with Detroit, but they wouldn't match up well even if they had the Western Conference All-Star team. I, for one, am not writing the Heat off. Who is going to beat them in the early rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs? Other than the Cavs, nobody in the East outside of Detroit can beat Miami. Anyway, stay tuned.

MVP Eligibility

Today my newest column should be going up over at WhatifSports.com and in it, I announce my surprising choice as the early MVP of the NBA. The whole exercise got me thinking: who is really eligible to win the award? More than any other sport, the NBA MVP seems to be reserved for a player from a winning team. Perhaps this is because a basketball player can have the most singular impact on this teams fortunes, but whatever the reason, you won't see any Andre Dawson or A-Rod type winners coming from last place teams. But how big does your team have to win? Last year I thought Allen Iverson got shafted and that he was never really considered despite the fact that he took his horrible team to the playoffs. Apparently, making the playoffs isn't enough. But what is? Top four in your conference (and home court advantage for a playoff series)? Top 2? A Division title? It's time to check it out. Read on for a breakdown of the last 25 MVP's in the NBA. (By the way, this is important when you consider that three of this year's top candidates - Iverson, Kobe, and LeBron - are on teams that certainly won't be winning their respective conferences.)

The Art of Point Creation

We were discussing Kobe's 81-point game today and his ridiculous 35.9 ppg scoring average (on pace for best since MJ dropped 37.1 per night in the 1986-87 season). Inevitably, I tried to come up with a way to say that Allen Iverson is still better and stumbled upon the idea of "points created." The concept is simple: award two points for every assist handed out (some no doubt lead to three, but it is impossible to tell) and tack those onto the actual points scored. Presto! You have the total number of points created. And by that admittedly shaky measurement, Iverson is not only more productive than Kobe, he is more productive than any other player in the league and is having the fourth best season of the past 25 years. Any guesses on who tops the list? Read on to find out.

NBA Quick Hits

Gilbert Arenas played one of his best games tonight, it happened completely under the radar, and it made me want to jot it down somewhere. But where? Put it in a column? Devote a blog entry to it? It made me realize that we need a thread here where we can note random NBA observations. Thus: NBA Quick Hits. It is a place where you can hop online and say something like, "Wow, Kwame Brown is so unbelievably bad that Devean George just took his spot in the starting lineup." Or: "Raja Bell might be the most underrated perimeter defender in the league, and that might actually give the Suns a fighting chance to win the West (provided Amare ever comes back, of course." Even: "Chris Kaman has the most horrific hair style this side of Pink." You get the idea. Read on, you can be sure the first Quick Hit will be devoted to one Gilbert "Grape" Arenas.

History in the Making?

The NFL has featured 39 Super Bowls since the game's inception in January of 1967, and never before has a team seeded fifth or sixth reached the final showdown. Now, suddenly, there is a chance that TWO teams might do it. The red hot Steelers take on the Broncos and the unstoppable Panthers go to Seattle, both looking to pull of the improbably feat. Not only that, but both teams have a great chance at winning. They are each 3.5 point underdogs, which isn't a whole lot for a low seed playing on the road. Both teams made huge statements last weekend, have momentum, and take on teams that didn't look terribly impressive in the previous round. Needless to say, it should be interesting. Consider this your place for reports, updates, comments, and bad jokes for the conference championship games this weekend.

Yellow is Denver's Favorite Color

It is halftime of the Broncos-Pats game and right now, Denver has to be downright giddy. They were on the verge of going into halftime scoreless, down anywhere from 3-0 to 10-0. Then, Kevin Faulk gift-wrapped a fumble and things spiraled out of control for the Patriots. Another fumble by Ellis Hobbs bracketed a touchdown by Denver that was controversial to say the least. With their offense sputtering, Plummer heaved one deap toward Ashley Lelie. Now, if you play fantasy football at all, you know that Lelie sucks. Sure enough, he got abused on the deep route as Asanti Samuel read it so well that he became the receiver on the play. He beat him to the route, got inside position, and made a move to intercept the pass. Despite the fact that he played the ball perfectly (and the fact that Lelie committed offensive pass interference about six times on the play), Samuel was flagged for one of those ridiculous "first and goal at the one" PI penalties that result when the foul occurs in the end zone. Denver punched it in on the next play and took a 7-3 lead. It was honestly one of the worst calls I've ever seen in an NFL game. Wow.

Hair Scare!

Jimmy Johnson, the man with the famously sculpted hair, is now rocking the "messy look" popularized by the likes of Brad Pitt. Needless to say, it is shocking. He used to have that mop plastered to his dome, now he looks like je just rolled out of bed. Insanity! Forget the games, this is the biggest new of the day. I guess Mel Kiper now stands alone as the hair sculpture MVP. (And yes, I mainly posted this so I could write the ridiculous title "hair scare." Now I know what it feels like to write for ESPN.)

Scouting the Horns

I cuaght the Nova-Texas game today and aside from the fact that it was almost impossibly ugly to watch (Nova shot 22% and still almost won), the showdown provided some insight into a couple of big time NBA prospects wearing burnt orange. Daniel Gibson and LaMarcus Aldridge are both being touted as top five picks if they leave school after their sophomore seasons. Aldridge looks a little stiff and it seems he could use a full four years in college (ala Channing Frye), but I saw enough to come away convinced that he's a legit prospect. He's a full 6'10" with long arms and great hands. His footwork isn't terribly fluid, but he looked more comfortable than most big men around the basket. I was particularly impressed with his timing. He is a good shot blocker and offensive rebounder and he does a nice job of drawing contact and getting up the shot. Unlike Frye though, it doesn't appear he has much of an offensive game outside of five feet, which is something he will need to add to succeed in the NBA. As for Gibson, I think the verdict is really out on him. People want to lable him the next Chris Paul, but I don't see it. He has decent range on his jumper and similar size and quickness, but the similarities end there. Paul was a fearless competitor and made his teammates better, whereas Gibson is a bit of a loose cannon that floats in and out of games and kills his team with excessive turnovers. During the game today, Billy Packer made the comment, "Gibson looks much more comfortable now that he's playing off the ball." Umm, that's not a good sign for a point guard prospect. I don't think he has the eye of the tiger. (By the way, my favorite guy on either team is Nova sophomore point guard Kyle Lowrey. He has no jumper, but he has heart, speed, strength, and incredible instincts. Could be a sleeper in the Earl Watson mode.)

Beating Around the Bush

I wasn't planning on throwing up another post until the games started on Saturday, but I feel that it is absolutely neccessary to address what I like to call the Reggie Bush Madness. It is a disease that is spreading rapidly and today it infected my boys Kornheiser and Wilbon over on PTI. They spent a signficant amount of their time (although it might have been less than 5%, which basically means it didn't happen, according to fraudulant writer James Frey) today discussing why Bush won't be a legit every-down back in the NFL. They said he wasn't big enough, that he should be used like Marshall Faulk, and that LenDale White has between a 40 and 50 percent change of rushing for more yards at the next level. Um ... what is going on here?

It's not just the PTI guys. The whole world seems to be turning against Reggie. Out of sight, out of mind. Nobody is remember the incredible runs, the consistency, the vision, the toughness. Whatever. Anyone who doubts this guy is going to regret it. As for his size, he's 6'0 and 200. He will easily add 10 pounds in the NFL, which means that he will be much bigger than Warrick Dunn (one of the best backs in the league now that they finally just let him run despite being "too small"), as big as Curtis Martin (over 14,000 career rushing yards), as big as Clinton Portis (runs exclusively between the tackles now in Washington), bigger than Tiki Barber (1,860 rushing yards last year to go with 17 appearances on late night talk shows), and only a few pounds lighter than Edge and LT. Did anyone catch Tatum Bell this year? He's a shade under six feet and right around 210 pounds. Reggie Bush is going to be a faster, better version of that. But yeah, go ahead and doubt him.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Domanick?

One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes was on tonight. George was trying to retrieve some incendiary messages that he'd left on a new fling's answer machine, leading to he and Jerry deciding on a password. They debate which song to pick ("lemon tree" being the title that George resorts to in a panic a few moments later) and briefly discuss "How do you solve a problem like Maria." For some reason, I immediately started thinking about next spring's NFL Draft. You can see how these go hand and hand, right? Regardless, reports have been made in recent days that the Texans plan to stay the course by taking Reggie Bush with the first pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. This makes sense, considering he's Superman in pads. And there is a case to be made that David Carr is worth keeping around. But what do you do with Domanick Davis? He's arguably one of the ten best running backs in the league. He's young and relatively cheap. How do you solve a problem like Domanick? Discuss.

The Worst 66-Yard Pass of All Time

Can you recall a 66-yard pass play with more negative fallout than the Carson Plamer-to-Chris Henry hookup from today's AFC Wild Card game? Not only did Henry suffer a knee injury and miss the remainder of the game, the Bengals saw their franchise player go down in a heap. Carson Palmer tore his ACL and MCL. He threw only one pass in his first playoff game. Jon Kitna had to play. I mean, this was a horrific injury. 66 yards on one play is pretty good, right? Safe to say that the numbers lied on this one.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

NFL Playoff madness is upon us. And since I blew past my deadline this week, I am going to have to skip the annual NFL Playoff Picks column and instead post my predictions here. Which is nice, because it brings this once glorious blog out of a long period of hibernation. Yes, the previous post is about the final weekend of the baseball regular season. Ouch. Hopefully, this time the blog will stay active. Read on for picks and commentary. As for what you might find, here's a hint: I've got Rex Grossman tabbed as the most important player in this year's playoffs.

It All Comes Down to This

160 games in the books. Records knotted at 94-66. Two more to play in Fenway to decide the AL East title. The chance to see if the big Randy Johnson trade was worth it for the Yankees. How is it even possible that the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry can constantly grow more dramatic each year? In 2003 they fought (literally and figuratively) through a wild seven-game ALCS that ended with Aaron "Bleepin" Boone's 10th inning walkoff home run and featured things like Pedro throwing down Zimmer, Grady Little blowing the series by leaving Pedro in too long in Game 7, and Roger Clemens getting roughed up and knocked out early in what looked like it would be the final game of his career (remember that?). Then last year ... I don't even have the energy to recap it. Now it is 2005 and the heat is turned up another notch, because this time, someone might not even make the postseason. I figured this kind of drama was as good of a reason as any to fire up the blog again. So consider this your home for MLB Postseason chatter. We'll be blogging our way through it, from the final weekend of the regular season to the final pitch of the World Series. Enjoy.

NBA Offseason Chatter

Toine is headed
to South Beach

The NBA announced the largest trade in league history last night and when the dust settled, the Heat had somehow managed to swap a decrepit Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, and the always hilarious Qyntel Woods for Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, and James Posey. Has a team ever made a trade in which all three players they got back were significantly better than the guys they traded away? Whether it works out (imagine the look on Shaq's face when Antoine casts his first 28-foot brick) remains to be seen, but you have to commend Miami, they just upgraded their overall roster significantly with this move.

Weigh in here with all chatter regarding the NBA's offseason moves; we'll discuss everything from summer leagues to trades to free agency.

Stat Central

Utley is raking

Every once in a while, it is helpful to take a look at the leaderboards to get a feel for who is playing well throughout the major leagues. For instance, you probably didn't realize that Brian Giles is third in the NL in on base percentage or that Chase Utley leads all NL middle infielders in OPS, or even that Corey Patterson still ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts despite being sent down to the minors almost a full month ago. What follows are some of the highlights, lowlights, and interesting observations pulled from the leaderboards in various statistical categories.

(To read the rest, click on the "Stat Central" link on the right side of the page.)

Slip Sliding Away

Dontrelle's ERA is
going through the roof

At the end of April, I gave Pedro my "First Month Fantasy Cy Young Award" over Dontrelle Willis. Part of the reason was D-Train's track record of falling apart late in the season; the tie-breaker went to Pedro. I took quite a bit of heat for that one. I went on a radio show and predicted that Willis would crumble after the calendar flipped to July and was chided for "assuming the worst." Well, unfortunately for Willis, it looks like I may have been right on this one. Just as he has in his first two major league seasons, Dontrelle is getting lit up in the second half of the season.

To read the rest of this thread, click on the link titled "Slip Sliding Away" on the right side.

Launch Sequence

Ensberg has been
leading the charge

A few days ago a wrote a column for WhatifSports detailing why I think the Astros will continue their winning ways and land the NL Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Since that time they got swept in St. Louis and then took three straight from the Pirates, and I remain convinced that they are going to "get it done" (I'm getting back to showing some love for Digger Phelps) down the stretch. Posted as the first comment to this thread is the column in its entirety. I forgot to get it to my editor before he went on vacation, so we'll have to house it here. Enjoy.

Vegas Summer League

The new fan favorite

I'm a big believer in the idea that the NBA needs to put a team in Las Vegas as soon as possible. But since it is not going to happen in the immediate future, I will have to take comfort in the fact that the city is hosting a sweet 16-team summer league. Given that I am obsessed with the NBA and eager to see how some of the recent draft picks are working out, I thought I would investigate. Read on to find out who is hot and who is stinking up the strip through the first three days of action.

The Gerald Green Draft

The Celtics are "lovin' it"

This is your one-stop shopping location for all discussion of the NBA Draft. The review of the Eastern Conference picks is up over at the mothership (www.whatifsports.com/insider) and the Western Conference breakdown will be up shortly. For now, feel free to use the comment option to leave scathing criticism for Isiah Thomas, Rob Babcock, or The Guru. Don't take any shots at me though, or I'll delete your post. Enjoy.

Get Your All-Stars!

Ortiz will be there

Lost in the NBA Draft excitement is the fact that the All-Star teams will be announced in a matter of days. Here are my versions of the team, taking into account the fan voting (controversial), representation rules (ridiculous), and all of the other weird twists and turns in the selection process. Be sure to weigh in with your own choices.