The Jay Cutler criticism goes too far...

If everyone is thinking alike then somebody isn't thinking.  ~George S. Patton

The Jay Cutler ridiculousness exemplifies this...

 

Sportynation for starters, Cutler’s toughness should not be questioned.  The guy played with undiagnosed Type I diabetes in 2007, losing more than 30 pounds and never missing a practice or a game because of it.  Unless the team doctor in Denver was Nick Riviera, M.D., Cutler also said or did nothing to prompt the medical staff to think that maybe a simple blood test was in order.

Here, the issue arose from the perception that Cutler wasn’t flustered by his inability to play.  And that perception was fueled by televised images of a disinterested player who didn’t seem to be upset about the situation — and who wasn’t (at least in one image) actively helping Caleb Hanie sift through the information he was feverishly processing while sitting right next to Cutler.

So here’s what should have happened.  Once it became apparent that Cutler had a knee injury that likely would keep him from playing again in the game, the P.R. person assigned to the sideline for the game should have gotten word to coach Lovie Smith that the smart move would be to leave Cutler in the locker room and to tell the press box that he would not return.  (Or, after he tried to play and couldn’t in the third quarter, Cutler should have been sent to the locker room.)

Sure, Cutler still would have been criticized for disappearing.  But that would have happened without FOX being able to broadcast from sea to shining sea images of Cutler looking not obviously injured and obviously not troubled by his predicament.

Would such a maneuver have been unprecedented?  Not really.  In October, when the Eagles hosted Mike Vick’s former team at a time when Vick was injured and relegated to No. 3 quarterback duties, the Eagles kept Vick in the locker room for the entire game.

Why?  Because FOX would have been televising reaction shots of Vick after every good or bad play by Kevin Kolb.  And everyone would have been scrutinizing Vick’s demeanor for evidence that he wasn’t properly supporting Kolb in the game against the Falcons.

The goal of P.R. isn’t to simply issue press releases regarding photo opportunities.  The P.R. staff should protect and advance the image of the team, the players, the coaches, and the front office.

On Sunday, the Bears’ P.R. staff should have urged coach Lovie Smith to leave Cutler in the locker room for the second half.

COURTESY OF PROFOOTBALL TALK.

Psycho T's Pacers get silly

Sportynation, it has been far too long. I've gotten so busy with work that I have neglected the blog. For that, I am sorry.

Currently, something insane is happening...

The Indiana Pacers are 16-of-16 from field in 3rd quarters and up by 28 pts. Six of those shots are 3-pointers

And now, 4 mins later they are 20 of 20 from the field in the 3rd quater. They're up by 39 now.

The Indiana Pacers just had 54 points in the 3rd quarter while shooting 20-21 from the field. This is without question one of the oddest things ever for two reasons. #1 the Pacers are not good. Infact, they should finish somewhere at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. #2, the Nuggets seem actually be good. Sure, it's early, but they have been a playoff team for years now and still have one of the top 10 players in the game and on the court in a league where you play 5 players at one time. So that is a bad bad bad team beating a good team by 39 points while shooting 20-21 from the field (95%). Sportynation, this couldn't happen in a videogame. If you were to get on the sticks and start playing NBA2k11 and someone where to make 10 shots in a row while taking outside shots, you'd think something fishy was going on. If 20 consecutive shots were made, you'd shatter the controller, break a window, and maybe put a whole in the tv. This just doesn't happen.

Sportynation, sorry for being gone for so long. I am more or less back. More frequent posts are imminent. Take care. This is a mini-Minority Report.

When bad gets worserer

"Everyone rises to their level of incompetence." -Laurence J. Peter

“Success builds character, failure reveals it"-Dave Checkett


“Success is never final; failure is never fatal” -unknown

Sportynation, look I'll be the first one to tell you that we shouldn't criticize "children," but geez. C'mon. Sometimes, you've got to call it like it is and sometimes is incomprehensibly silly, outrageously, mind-bogglingly dumb and asinine.

To further understand the incomprehensible, please see below. The first video, one can empathize, sympathize, and understand logically how "the play" can happen (nonetheless, it remains silly), but the second video is something that is inexplicable and something that can, will, and should stick with you. 


Enjoy, review, and comment. Gotta know what you think...


This is my mini-Minority Repoty!






And now the big kahuna.

Jay Marrioti's "credibility"

Early Saturday morning in Los Angeles, Jay Mariotti was arrested for felony domestic assault after police found his girlfriend with “cuts and bruises“ following an alleged altercation between the two. After spending the night in jail, Mariotti was released on $50,000 bail and ordered to appear in court on Sept. 17.

Sportynation, this is Eliot Spitzer-esque. Granted Spitzer was an elected official and was instrumental in laws and actually affected people's lives in a real way, but talking heads and pundits like Marrioti whom routinely beat the athlete's that they cover to an absolute pulp are awful.

Marrioti is getting killed on blogs, twitter, and the such, but that's about it (so far atleast.) No one in the real media has dared to criticize. Zero chance ESPN says anything about its own and I wouldn't expect them to do that. I do, however, believe that ESPN being critical of itself and its own people would strengthen its credibility as a news entity and would begin to minimize the great hate and backlash. That being said, this media giant does whatever it wants and will continue to be on to for the foreseeable future. Nvm, "There's a sucker born every minute." Suckers don't challenge things.

I've never believed it to be exciting or fulfilling to see the downfall of someone and Marrioti deserves the benefit of the doubt even though he refuses to get it to anyone that isn't his friend or family, but this thing is eye-opening. I'm wanting to say it's a good thing, but can't find myself saying that.  Is Rick Reilly next? Skip Bayless perhaps? Moral police should be careful. We are human and with flaws and should not lose perspective. There is a thin thin line separating "us" from "them" and a short transition to "we".

Finally, just a week before Marrioti was arrested for felony domestic assault, Mariotti wrote - in a column for AOL Fanhouse - of recent punishment meted out by MLB in response to violent conduct by league players.

Below is a detailed account of many of Marrioti's views JUST on the abhorrent crime of domestic abuse (not his personal attacks on people he has never met or had brief contact. See Ricky Williams). For his sake, I hope he is innocent, but at this point I'm not sure it matters.



COURTESY OF SBS

The arrest follows a period of 15 years in which Mariotti, in his formerly regular CHICAGO SUN-TIMES column, harshly criticized athletes for their involvement in domestic violence against their girlfriends and wives.

In a Sun-Times piece dated January 3, 1996, and titled, “Nebraska’s Title Tainted by Phillips’ Participation,” Mariotti wrote that Nebraska’s ‘96 NCAA college football championship was “tainted” because of a misdemeanor domestic assault charge against then-Cornhuskers star Lawrence Phillips. Excerpt:

Dr. Tom would like his program stamped as a dynasty today, the first team to repeat as unanimous national champions in 40 years, the team that dented history and deflated Steve Spurrier’s little-boy ego on the same night.

Sorry.

The 62-24 thrashing of Florida was only a footnote to a deplorable sight in the (Ad Space Here) Fiesta Bowl. That vision would be Lawrence Phillips, running free in the desert, galloping for 165 yards and three scores and playing the hero’s role. Assuredly, this fellow is no hero. At a time when domestic violence never has been a more pressing issue - and largely involves the sporting genre - Phillips begins the new year as a horrid symbol of why the problem still isn’t taken seriously enough.
Pummel the girl, play in the big game, do your touchdown moonwalk, revive your pro career. Afterward, say, “I knew we would wear them down. It feels good to be with my team and win another national championship.” What a fine statement for young America.

Of Phillips Mariotti wrote:

If we can give Phillips some credit for facing the national media and our questions, we give him little credit for his answers. Osborne’s few backers in this case will say he is trying to save a kid’s life. But why, when other societal offenders must pay penance, should Phillips get such a huge break?

On July 21, 1998, Mariotti assailed the Chicago White Sox for signing Albert Belle in part because of a pending domestic violence charge against Belle that involved abusing the ballplayer’s girlfriend at the time. Excerpt:

Fifty-five million dollars. How many hungry children could be fed for $55 million? How many lousy roads could be fixed for $55 million? How many air conditioners could be installed in sweltering city apartments for $55 million? How many schools could be renovated for $55 million?

The White Sox spent $55 million on Albert Belle. Never has it seemed a more tragic waste of money than today. Where has this grand investment taken them? How has it benefited the team’s sagging relationship with the community? They’ve been a lame club since he arrived. Only recently has he begun to produce like a big-time power hitter. He has been a colossal jerk in the clubhouse, anathema to Sox fans who tried to like him but gave up.
And now, we have the first Chicago-related allegation that he has become what his surly reputation suggested.

A menace to society.

With a convicted wife-beater playing first base and enough public-relations problems to threaten their extinction, the last thing the Sox needed was an off-the-field incident involving Belle. Now they have that albatross, too, after the temperamental, ever-troubled slugger allegedly punched a 25-year-old woman in the back, twisted her arm, knocked her to the floor and ripped a telephone cord out of the wall as she attempted to call 911 for help. When she tried to rise, assistant state’s attorney David Coleman said, Belle pushed her back down.

Sends shivers up your spine, doesn’t it?

The Belle signing followed the White Sox’s decision to sign Wilfredo Cordero, who was also cited in the past for domestic violence against his partner, which Mariotti noted:

He and Reinsdorf better be careful. It is one thing to give Wil Cordero a final chance after his history of domestic abuse. But to have two players with the same problem, if the Belle allegations prove true, would be devastating to a franchise that has hit rock bottom in credibility. The nerve of Reinsdorf to keep using two gimmicks to bring in fans.

Earlier, on April 9, 1998, Mariotti had written of Cordero in the Sun-Times:

The public has it all wrong, Wil Cordero said. He is not the man we think he is. “They make it seem like I’m the kind of guy who will go home after the game and beat my wife,” he said. “But that’s not who I am. That’s not the kind of person I am.”

No? Then who was the person who admitted to beating his wife last June in Boston? The person who, police say, left dried blood on his wife’s nose and red marks on her throat and arms? The person who allegedly threatened to kill her as the authorities hauled him away? The person who pleaded guilty to four charges, including felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon?

It was you, Wilfredo Cordero. In a matter of days, he will be heading to Chicago, eager to deliver timely hits and play first base for the White Sox. And accompanying Cordero will be the woman he hit, Ana Echevarria, who is trying to rebuild their marriage after the frightening episode of domestic abuse and allegations of other incidents.

Suddenly, a baseball franchise already battling apathy and disarray now has saddled its community with a serious social issue: whether an admitted wife beater, who has been accused by two other women of abusing them, can avoid problems this year in a local residence that also will include the couple’s newborn son.

He will arrive before month’s end. A bad idea is about to happen.

 
Still earlier, on March 24, 1998, Mariotti wrote of Cordero:

Welcome to Chicago, city of no conscience. Welcome to Chicago, where an admitted wife-beater can become an instant hero by wrapping those same fists around a fastball. Once upon a time, we were best known for pizza, architecture, Michael Jordan, nightlife, neighborhoods, TV skits, a big lake.

Not anymore. Today, we are known as the halfway house for wayward, troubled athletes with horrible tempers and wicked manners. Give us your domestic abusers, your trick-or-treat attackers, your head-butters, your drug-users, your ref-terrorists, your bat- corkers, your groin-kickers, your spectator-punchers, your .44 Magnum-carriers.
The civic track record is why Jerry Reinsdorf can pursue a proven menace like Wil Cordero, regretfully signed Monday by the White Sox, when owners in other towns are too dignified and respectful of the citizenry to try. You might think it’s a coy sort of forgiveness, taking problematic athletes into your bosom and dealing with Dennis Rodman and Albert Belle, Tony Phillips and Bryan Cox, Pippen and Bob Probert and, in a sadder sense, Alonzo Spellman.

I call it crude ignorance, frightening shallow-mindedness, a peculiar permissiveness that has been allowed to hit rock-bottom.

A trend is now a full-blown epidemic with fangs. The aforementioned problem children are mostly saints compared to Cordero, who pleaded guilty in November to charges of assaulting and threatening his wife, Ana, in a June disturbance that left her nose a bloody mess.

Two days later, March 26, 1998, Mariotti wrote of the Bears contemplating the drafting of Randy Moss:

The timing of Wil Cordero couldn’t be worse. Randy Moss knows. He has been trying, with a precise public-relations plan, to convince Chicago he won’t be a menace to society if the Bears draft him. You know, that he has matured since allegedly striking the mother of his daughter, stomping a student in a race-related brawl, smoking pot and serving 93 days in jail.

But now comes the outrageously irresponsible signing of Cordero, an admitted wife-beater who joins the White Sox today. And with it comes the reality that the Bears, already riding the morality fence on Moss, cannot choose him with the fifth selection of the first round without a horrific outcry.

Then there’s what Mariotti wrote of Moss and the fans of Chicago on Dec. 23, 1997:

Or a wickedly talented gamebreaker (Moss), possibly of Jerry Rice’s caliber, who served jail time for kicking a kid to smithereens, got bounced out of Notre Dame, violated his probation by smoking pot, did the near-impossible and got bounced out of Florida State, claims to truly hate people, assures “the hate’s always going to be there,” was charged with domestic battery against the mother of his baby daughter and donned wraparound shades for a stately Heisman Trophy ceremony watched by millions?

We know what the fans want. Evil. Always willing to compromise ethics for the thrill of victory, always ready to grant clemency to anyone who can help Chicago win a game, the people want the problem child. 

On Dec. 6, 2005, Mariotti noted of Milton Bradley and the Cubs:

A destination? Truth be told, the North Side has become a place of desperation. Why else would an embarrassed Hendry and a dazed Dusty Baker shift their anxious sights to the troubled Milton Bradley, not exactly Tribune Co.’s next Employee of the Month?

(Bradley) reportedly had his home visited three times last summer by police investigating domestic-violence claims, one in which Bradley allegedly choked his pregnant wife, bloodied her lip and threw a cell phone against a wall, though no charges were filed against him or his wife. 

Of Corey Dillon, Mariotti wrote on Sept. 7, 2000:

The best college back is Deuce McAllister of Mississippi, a two-way performer who would be a sweet fit, but he’ll be long gone before the Bears’ usual middle-of-the-road pick. Dillon could be the prize of free agency, but not if he is reprimanded by the commissioner’s office in an ongoing domestic-violence case.

 On June 19, 1994, Mariotti wrote of O.J. Simpson:

What about his no-contest plea to a wife-beating charge a few years ago? Alas, answers won’t be known until the trial, if then. O.J. Simpson should not be convicted or acquitted before then, no matter what is reported or said. Remember, this is America.

What made it crazier yet was Simpson’s reputation as a well-adjusted, down-to-earth celebrity. Other than the wife-beating charges, which may have been absurdly downplayed in the media because of his popularity, you rarely heard bad stuff about Simpson. 

On the occasion of Scottie Pippen being selected to the U.S. Olympic Team, Mariotti wrote on July 31, 1995:

Never mind the message his selection sends to young hoop players: Toss a chair, quit with 1.8 seconds left, still make the Dream Team. Never mind what it says to society: Keep a loaded gun in your Range Rover, pile up police reports involving domestic abuse, call Chicago fans racists, still make the Dream Team. All the corporate suits know is, he can go coast-to-coast and jam better than anyone else out there. Make sure he’s in Atlanta, they demand.

Pippen is on the edge of 30. One of these years, you hope he grows up. Yet the last we saw him, not long before an assault charge was dropped by his now-former fiancee, he was speeding far above the limit on Lake Shore Drive, top down, shirt off. Hopefully, one of his current representatives will have a heart-to-heart with him before Atlanta. You know, don’t shame the country.

On May 9, 2003, Mariotti passionately defended Bob Ryan after the Boston sportswriter said he’d like to “smack” the wife of Jason Kidd - and then refused to immediately apologize. Excerpt:

Breaking one of my cardinal rules, I’ve been reading the Internet the last few days and have been astonished at some of the opinions.

But of Kidd, Mariotti wrote on June 5, 2002:

A domestic abuser is not a hero in any arena. When a group of crude, drunken fans in Boston taunted him with chants of “Wife Beater! Wife Beater!” last week, I felt bad that Kidd’s wife, Joumana, and the couple’s 3-year-old son, T.J., had to endure such courtside harassment. Victims of violence shouldn’t be subjected to cruel reminders. 

That said, did I feel bad for Kidd?

Not really.

This is the baggage he inherited, the scrutiny that never will fade.

Finally, just a week before he was arrested for felony domestic assault, Mariotti wrote - in a column for AOL Fanhouse - of recent punishment meted out by MLB in response to violent conduct by league players.

The piece was headlined: “For Acts of Violence, MLB Much Too Soft.”
Would it be unreasonable to suggest that with the aforementioned body of work, Mariotti’s credibility in criticizing athletes for violent conduct of any sort has been permanently impugned?

Suicide Watch

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”-Donahue

“I just couldn’t live with myself knowing I had just killed myself.”-?

“Why kill yourself? Life will do it for you.”-?

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”-Donahue

“Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. None should blame you for walking out early.”-Stanhope

Dustin Johnson goes on suicide watch for a "tuck-rule-esque" golf abomination/rule.

 

Dustin Johnson went from a put to Par and win the tournament to a double bogey and missing out on the playoff because he grounded the ball in a "bunker." The thing is the "bunker" wasn't a "bunker" I mean is a bunker a bunker if 125 people & camera guys stand in it?

Official USGA on bunkers...

13-4. Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions:

Except as provided in the Rules, before making a stroke at a ball that is in a hazard (whether a bunker or a water hazard) or that, having been lifted from a hazard, may be dropped or placed in the hazard, the player must not:
a. Test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard;
b. Touch the ground in the hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or a club; or
c. Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard.

The worse thing about this is that he probably would not have been assessed the penalty had it happened on Thursday or Friday and this lack of inconsistency is troubling. If Johnson had the same situation take place on his third hole of the second round, chances are no cameras would have picked it up and/or cared, so Johnson would have unknowingly kept going without assessing himself a stroke.


Later on CBS...
"I don't know if I can describe it. ... It never once crossed my mind that I was in a sand trap. ... The only thing worse could be if I had made that putt. ... I just thought I was on a piece of dirt that the crowd had trampled down. ... Obviously, I know the rules of golf. I can't ground my club in a bunker." 

"I don't know if I can describe it. ... It never once crossed my mind that I was in a sand trap. ... The only thing worse could be if I had made that putt. ... I just thought I was on a piece of dirt that the crowd had trampled down. ... Obviously, I know the rules of golf. I can't ground my club in a bunker."  

"If it was up to me, I wouldn't have thought I was in a bunker, but it's not up to me." 

Jason Sobel summed things up nicely below...

It's a bunker. He grounded his club. Should be a penalty.

The fact that there's an inconsistency between players all week never having such a ruling reviewed and Dustin Johnson having his reviewed by officials only because he was leading on the final hole is completely bogus.

If golf's organizations want to go to television replays, they need to set up cameras on every single hole of every course and review every shot afterward. Of course that shouldn't happen, but why should one player be penalized only because of bad timing for his mistimed mishap.  

Please please please somebody go home with Dustin Johnson and under no circumstance is he to be left alone not even to use the restroom. Give him days and time to cool off (not alone) and absolutely no sharp objects.  

Do you and or we care who wins now? Probably, but you can't be faulted for not caring. Undoubtedly more drama will ensue, but it can't top what has already happened. 
 

This is my Minority Report.  

So that just happened...

Just got back from a brisk 5K in my brand spankin' new shoes. Was a minute faster than two days ago in my brutally destroyed old shoes, I turned on the MacBook Pro, went to ESPN, and saw "it". I then, stood up and starred out the window for about 45 seconds as if I were watching a snake mate with a bird. Quickly, a slightly menical-smirk came over my face and I realized the world we are living in is beyond crazy.

Sportynation, ladies and gentleman there is a page on ESPN designed specifically to chronicle Tim Tebow's "career." It is called "Tebow Watch"

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/feature/index?page=TebowWatch

Remember the days when ESPN had an NBA running free agency clock 3 months ago? And then, when July 1st happened nothing happened? People stood around and looked at each other like "so what do we do" Eventually, something happened "it" in this case was LeBron. ESPN, ultimately, lost with that "it." However, now ESPN is back to its money maker: Tim Tebow.

Sportynation, manufactured storylines are back back back. The NFL is back.

Be easy, sportynation. This is my Minority Report.

Disclaimer: I experienced a great deal of cognitive dissonance in this post. That is to say, I am writing about something that I find utterly ridiculous, "Tebow Watch" and am also attaching a link. O my. Shower, red wine, burger in no particular order here I come!

Contrarian Prokhorov

To whom this may concern:

The players are signed, the "Decision" is made, but the passions around this year's extraordinary class of NBA free agents refuses to die down. What surprises me is the amount of negative commentary directed at the three top free agents (especially LeBron James) who decided to play on the same team and to create a great franchise together. Of course, any club owner dreams of having those players, including me, but all questions of how the announcements were made aside, I respect their choice, and no one has the right to judge them.
 

I want to say that I support LeBron, the best athlete in the NBA. He had a truly difficult choice to make. Any move he made was sure to be viewed as wrong, and to leave many unhappy fans. Basing his decision on achieving results on the basketball court shows that the sportsman won the day, not the showman or the businessman. What is wrong with that?

We are seeing the birth of a new, dynamic team with such star players, and all of us can await the new season with great anticipation. I wish them success and give them my moral support. I will be happy for us to beat the Miami Heat in the conference finals, maybe not this season, but in the very near future.

Mikhail Prokhorov; Moscow

Summer 2010 NBA FA

Free Agency
July 1st 12:01am the first day of NBA free agency. A free agent (FA) is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise.

A trio of star players Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade lead the summer 2010 FA class and signed deals that would allow them to be FAs at the same time  instead of staggered. That coupled with players such as Amar'e Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitski opting out of their contracts makes an already typical free agent summer that much more ridiculous.

Due to the structure of the NBA and the savy players' contracts, the athlete has become, perhaps, more powerful than the billionaire owners. That is to say, the athlete can tell the owner what he wants, where he'll play, who he will play with, how much money he wants and needs, and who he wants his coach to be. In addition to that a city, organization(s), and governments backing/offering so much for a signature and agreement to join their favorite NBA team.

Financial implications
It has often been mentioned that LeBron James can re-sign for six years and $125.5 million with the Cavaliers, but the max deal he could get from another team would be five years and $96.1 million. Here's the year-by-year breakdown.

Comparing Max Deals

Year	Sign with own team	Sign with other team	Difference
2010-11	$16,568,908	$16,568,908	0
2011-12	$18,308,643	$17,894,421	$414,222
2012-13	$20,048,378	$19,219,934	$828,444
2013-14	$21,788,113	$20,545,447	$1,242,666
2014-15	$23,527,848	$21,870,960	$1,656,888
2015-16	$25,267,583	--	$25,267,583
Contract total	$125,509,473	$96,099,670	$29,409,803

These differences are attributable to the fact that a player's own team can offer 10.5 percent raises every season, while other teams can offer just 8.0 percent raises (in addition to the fact that a player's own team can offer a sixth season).

Perception/fairness
"You've got to love all these NBA owners and execs begging players to do something that they themselves have never done: Take less money."-Adrian Wojnarowski

Indeed, the players have almost all the power and control, but we cannot forget about the implications of the media and people within the NBA organizations. The media has been disseminating unsubstantiated reports for many months now trying to get the scoop and NB teams have been leaking tidbits consistently to increase their chances of acquiring a FA, but more importantly pre-emptive damage control. There are more teams than there are stud players. 


As it happens ...

WojYahooNBA: Knicks owner Jim Dolan called Jay-Z and complained massive Nets mural overlooking MSG was "intimidating his employees," Nets sources say.

RT @PDcavsinsider: Knicks just sent over their luggage/computers for presentation with an advance team. Folks, I can't make this stuff up.

sportsguy33: "Hey Joe Johnson - thanks for leading us to that 4-game 2nd round sweep when we lost by 20+ per game. Here's $119 million."

LeBatardShow: I know this is impatience talking but we we gathered for a 12:01 circus, dammit, and under the tent is just a sad reindeer and drew gooden

sportsguy33: Joe Johnson in Magic sweep w/ Vince/Barnes/Pietrus defending him: 12.8 PPG, 30% FG, 9-39 3FG, 19 FTA. His team quit by Game 3. $119 million?

sportsguy33: Like BP shored up the oil leak. RT @chadfordinsider: Wolves spent $33 million on Darko and Pekovic to shore up their middle.

LeBatardShow: There's a dirty, emaciated wolf under this lame circus tent and look over there! A clown gm and darko sitting atop 20 million! Party!

LeBatardShow: Minnesota giving darko 20 mil is worst basketball idea since kenyon martin tattoed a rapper's lips to his neck

WojYahooNBA: Channing Frye considering Suns 5-year, $25 million offer, and waiting on the likes of Chicago and New York to have resolution on big stars.

WojYahooNBA: As Y! reported late Wednesday night, Bucks and John Salmons progressing toward contract agreement. Deal likely worth $40 mlll., source says.

LeBatardShow: When Riley arrived at lebrons, did he ask spoelstra to wait in the car?

LeBatardShow: Jay-z has 99 problems and his pitch ain't one. But Russian mafioso owns 99 percent of team. So jay-z has 99 problems and his percentage is

LeBatardShow: Tom Thibodeau, who has never been a head coach in the NBA is 2 signatures away from becoming the greatest head coach in NBA history 

This is my Minority Report!

  

Bye bye Mr. Rah-Sheed

For all the people that hate millionaire spoiled lacking perspective athletes Rasheed Wallace has done the unthinkable. He has shown personal pride and will walk away from the final two years and $13 million remaining on his contract and conclude a 15-year career. He is leaving guaranteed money.

Sportynation, how many of you would say, "I know I am owed 13 million dollars over the next two years, but I am going to walk away from that. I have too much dignity and personal pride to do something not well or without my full heart.

This is further proof that, indeed, the rich and famous are not too far different from us regular folks.

This is my Minority Report. Have a good one Sheed. "Both teams played hard"-Rasheed Wallace

Pay the man.

Seemingly soon to be millionaire, Wesley Johnson from Syracuse University was selected 4th by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is wearing pajamas not unlike the ones pictured below. Give the man an advance. Start his per diem early. Geez. What a shame.  (juxtaposed picture coming).

NBA draft night Minority Report.

Why Paul Allen is only worth ≈ 13billion

Paul Allen is an American industrialist and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates and is one of the wealthiest people in the world with a personal wealth of US$13.5 billion as of 2010 and is clearly not the nicest most empathetic person in the world.

Paul Allen fired  GM Kevin Pritchard on draft night. The story broke just minutes before John Wall was drafted by the Washington Wizards. Curious. No? Pritchard will handle drafting duties tonight and then pack his bags for Paul Allen. He's thought of as a top NBA GM and should have no trouble finding another job.

Sportynation, this is worse than getting fired on Christmas eve.  This is more like getting fired the day before an IPO or the day before the Olympics. It's wild. This is awful. You'd think that Allen would have known this before today. No? There are only a very very few reasonable things that should occur at the 25th hour such as Pritchard commiting a crime or something taudry such as sleeping with Allen's wife, mother, daughter, or son. I'm just sayin'.

I leave you with this....who wants to work for Mr. Allen? Whoooooooo? I sure don't. Whataguy.

This is my mini Minority Report.

Why to root against the Celts...

Ten excuses Celtics fans will use if they lose to the Lakers 

Courtesy of Matthew Berry

1. Kobe got all the calls. And his fingers weren't hurt enough. Or his toes. I don't know. Kobe sucks.

2. Rondo was banged up, and everyone knows you can't win a championship with three future Hall of Famers if your fourth-year point guard has muscle spasms.

3. The Lakers stole Gasol! Rip-off trades should only happen when a beloved former power forward becomes the GM of another team.

4. Bill Simmons jinxed us.

5. The tech/ejection/suspension on Rasheed/ KG/Perkins is because the refs are out to get them, not because they're crazy and/or jerks who have complained about every call ever. (Not gonna lie -- Artest doesn't do well in this category either. But at least we only got one crazy).


6. If we aren't going to get a 38-to-10 free throw advantage like we did in Game 2 of 2008, how does anyone ever expect us to win?

7. Wait, they're still playing? I jumped off the bandwagon last year. OK, I'm back! I never bailed! Celtics forever! What? They lost? Why does this always happen to me? (This is the best and probably the most accurate one.) Of all the bandwagon fans out there, Boston has the most. See Pats, Red Sox, and Celts. The tried to do it with the Bruins, but they lost...maybe next year.

8. Fisher is a dirty player. That's KG's move!

9. Gasol flops too much. That's KG's move!

10. Pierce got confused on which injury to fake.

The last round I rooted against the Lakers and for Amar'e and Nash, but this series I absolutely have to root against the always talking, front running Celtics. Doc Rivers, Tom Thibodeau, a few other coaches, and maybe the pure shooting Ray Ray are fine by me...all the others not so much.

Rooting for the mamba. Oh the world we live in. Talk to you all soon.

This is my Minority Report

The perfect game that wasn't

Armando Galarraga, not the big Kat Andres, of the Detroit Tigers came within one out -- and maybe one inch -or less -- of the third perfect game in the major leagues this season.

The 28-year-old right-hander from Venezuela, making his third start of the season, beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 and lost the bid when first base umpire Jim Joyce ruled Jason Donald safe for an infield hit as he crossed the first-base bag as Galarraga was receiving a throw from first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who had fielded Donald's grounder.

Look, I'll be the first one to argue the importance of consistency of calls, but you have to kinda lean towards the guy working towards the perfect game particularly on an infield single which at worse was arguable.

Jim Joyce just made an imperfect call to ruin a perfect game. Galarraga will not be remembered for his gem and what was rightfully his place in history. He is more than likely never get this moment again. In the moment, Galarraga reacted merely with a laugh. I applaud him. MDK could have occured. See "Demolition Man" for the reference. 

That being said, Jim Joyce is a dead man walking. He could be worse than Steve Bartman and Kirk Gibson.

Sportynation, like the GOP, Sarah Palin, and tea partiers. I'll say "don't be violent, but fight for what you want and believe in."

Gun to my head, gun to my head, if I woke up in the morning with some crazy news about Mr. Jim Joyce it would be the least surprising thing ever. I mean ever. Crazy news like Marshal Mathers, Kid Rock, Jim Leyland, the auto industry, James Carville, Sarah Palin, and ME joining forces together to torture and waterboard, I would not be surprised. Yes, I threw myself in there.

Sportynation, instant replay is coming. The pundits will be out in full force. Unreasonable conclusions will be made, and it's going to be one of the more entertaining things of the summer and quite possibly the year. Hyperbole this is not. 

Welcome instant replay!

No soapbox or high horse. Man, that was crazy! Largest impact of the summer?

We almost just had 3 perfect games in ONE MONTH threw maybe 25% of a 182 game season. 20 in history.

Before I forget, Griffey Jr retired an hour and a half ago. He retired on the wrong night.

Detroit just could be the saddest most unluckiest city in the U.S. Forget could be, it is. 

This is my Minority Report. My take, my opinion, nothing regurgitated, before we are told what to believe or think.

The case for Ron Ron

 

I was watching game 5 of the Lakers/Suns western conference final in my NYC rent stabilized apartment which was an already über interesting game with when it happened...Ron Artest shot a 3 pointer instead of holding on to the ball and "milking" the clock. At the moment it happened as well as today I can't say whether or not the shot was wise, warranted, incorrect, or whatever, but I can say that the immediate visceral reaction was far too much. Bill Simmons tweeted out "Ron Artest!" over and over repeatedly to strengthen his already made up mind on Ron Artest. The commentators screamed about how awful the shot was, and Phil Jackson barked at Ron on the timeout (Jackson being upset is significantly more reasonable because he is the coach and conceivably could have given orders to not take the shot and approach the situation/circumstance a particular way had it presented itself). However, Jackson unquestionably did not remove him from the game. After all, he still has value despite his widely accepted "knuckle headed" decision.

Henry Abbot and his True Hoop blog were discovered by me about a month ago. I heard about it and read it randomly and infrequently, but not regularly and certainly not as intently as I now wish I had. He clearly laid out some of the things that I was thinking such as what if Artest had made the 3 as well as the truly infuriating assumption that not shooting the 3 would result in a win or a significantly higher chance of winning while not taking into account the million potential outcomes. Henry Abbot delved further into this and eloquently elaborated further below. I used most of his framework and descriptions below and added commentary below...


With about a minute left in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Pau Gasol chased down an offensive rebound in the corner.

Steve Nash is loaded with veteran tricks. Gasol had his back turned. Nash resolved to get a steal by sneaking up behind to poke it away. It almost worked! But at the last instant, Gasol saw the approaching Canadian and whipped a pass to Ron Artest, who was just about to ignite a hailstorm of criticism.

Nash was now horribly out of position, still in the corner. Three Lakers -- Artest, Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant -- were spread across the arc of the 3-point line, and every single one of them about as open as NBA players ever get.

Without a lot of analysis, the general thought is to burn clock in this situation. The Lakers have the lead, and would be smart to limit the number of times the Suns get the ball to try to change that.

But under no circumstances were the Lakers going to get an easier scoring opportunity over the remaining seconds of the game than this moment, and they were certain to need a bucket or two before the final buzzer to win.

Three NBA players empowered by their coaches to shoots 3s. No defense. You don't have to be an idiot to consider pulling that trigger. And this regular season Artest, believe it or not, was the best 3-point shooter of those three. He made 36% of his shots from downtown, compared to Fisher's 35% and Bryant's 33%.

So he shot it. The non progressive anti-statistics driven people unwilling to accept new information and adapt will disregard the statistics and point to situational statistics and intangibles which under no circumstance can be quantified, proven, or rationally argued.

Commentators were uniformly dumbfounded. Even though Artest would later win the game with an amazing and heroic play, this shot overshadowed all as the big topic of his post-game interview.

His poor judgment features prominently in all kinds of game coverage. Which seems a little unfair, for (three) reasons:

There are a thousand sins worse than taking a wide open jumper.
If anyone hurt his team with poor judgment on that play, you'd have to at least consider the possibility it may have been the out-of-position Nash. Artest had a 36% chance at making that shot. What chance did Nash have at getting the steal, 5%? Next, is a double teamed fading away from the basket tight to the baseline 23+ feet away from the basket a quality shot? Indeed, Kobe is the best player and you want him to take the final shot, but at what costs? Are all shots (both guarded, unguarded and varying distances) equal?

You can't prove burning clock leads to more wins.
That's the accepted dogma, but a lot of accepted dogma is wrong. How many truly wide open shots does an NBA team get in the playoffs? Can you afford to pass up any of them? I'm not saying I know the answer, but I am saying that there is way more tradition than evidence at work. What if a Nick Anderson situation emerges (clank clank!) a turnover, a poor decision, or a good defensive play, or merely a missed shot? All of which are significant reasonable outcomes.


Are they criticizing the decision to shoot, or the miss?
Shot selection is about decision-making before the shot goes up -- not whether it happens to come down in the basket or not. This player, that spot, these teammates, those defenders, that game plan, that many seconds on the clock ... that's what matters in judging if the decision to shoot was good or not.

But we the fans and the media have a sloppy habit in talking about shot selection, which is that if the ball happens to go in, it gets a free pass. (Find me examples of experts criticizing players for poor shot selection after makes. It's not easy.)

If Artest's shot had gone in, today the world would be praising his poise and killer instinct in icing the game, not unlike the adulation Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh received in this year's NCAA tournament for a similar decision. That's the shot Artest thought he was taking. And if it had gone in, everybody would have seen it his way. It's the argument of ballsy and gutsy v. dumb and undisciplined.

Farokhmanesh would have more than likely been called sophomoric, inexperienced, not ready for the big stage, the quintessential mid major player that lacks the big time intangibles, sensibilities, and etc. within Big East and ACC players.

Sportynation, it's about playing the result and not the action at the moment. It's about being fair and trying or at least pretending to be consistent. It's about not looking for information to strengthen our already established beliefs while discounting all other information.

This is my Minority Report.

Down goes Morales down goes Morales!

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kendy Morales appeared to seriously seriously injure his left leg after hitting the game-winning grand slam in the 10th inning of the Angels' 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners Saturday.

Morales was leaping in the air, surrounded by his teammates, when he appeared to land on someone's foot. He collapsed and remained on top of home plate for several several minutes, the Angels clustered around him. Joy quickly turned to sadness, bewilderment, and unease. Trainers administered an air cast to Morales' left foot and he was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field.

Geez Louise. Funny, not funny, or both? I say funny as all get out.

5/29/2010 9:12pm Morale is confirmed to have a broken ankle. Oh my. 

The quintessential NFL analyst

Reason #1.2359801 that the NFL draft is dreck.

Famous Mel Kiper quote from before a draft.

“Blank is going to immediately energize that fanbase, that football team on the practice field, in the locker room. Three years from now you could be looking at a guy that’s certainly one of the elite top 5 quarterbacks in this league. You’re talking about a 2-3 year period once he is under center. Look out because the skill level that he has is certainly John Elway-like.”

Blank is JaMarcus Russell. He has been called the worst #1 pick in the history of professional sports.

Mel Kiper is an “expert that the typical NFL sports guy worships with every ounce of his being. Kiper’s word is gold and SHOULD go unquestioned. His “facts” or rather opinions are spewed to the masses and never checked. They aren’t checked because the typical sports guy does not think or say I don’t know. The typical sports guy looks at the glitter in primetime ofcourse, says ok, then regurgitates what he/she heard on tv sans insight and perspective of course. After all it’s easy and reasonable to repeat what an “expert” says. No?

Made for TV by TV is the NFL draft. Enjoy it at your own peril.

Gregg Rosenthal of NBC and Pro Football Talk said it nicely, today, after the noteworthy NFL Matchup show was speculated to be leaving the airwaves…

“The rest of the morning programs seem programed for high schoolers that like WWE-style manufactured storylines, forced laughter, meaningless debates, soft features, and very little football. You rarely learn anything.”

Sportynation, I am sad. It’s a shame “thinking” doesn’t sell. This is my Minority Report.

Black and White...no literally.

coming soon.

The NFL Draft is dumb...

Reason #700-#704 why the NFL Draft is absurd.

#700 No one knows how successful players will be, but act is if this is a video game strategy guide listing players' abilities. So, draft post draft grades and etc. are ridiculous.

#701 It's all misinformation. Teams have no reason or benefit to be honest and forthcoming.

#702 It's something that has been blown out of proportion for television purposes.

#703 It's lazy, speculative, consensus-building, nonsensical-babble where hindsight is 20-20 and the result is played too often.

#704 Media members comparing their draft boards to scout's and GM's boards.

SPortynation, I leave you with this. It is easy to criticize what someone else does whether or not it is music, investments, paintings, sculptures, and/or draft boards. But, when it is you, your sole decision and opportunity what would you do? Would your decision be better or just as good. What would your draft board look like sans outside influence. We are anchoring and adjusting to opinions. For example, Mel Kiper, a merely ok football analyst that is as mainstream as they come that reaches the masses because of his lazy declarations, easy stances, and monosyllabic tendencies states his point of view and then "we" as an audience adjust to what he says and base our opinions off of dribble.

Keep thinking. This is my Minority Report.

Wow Stat #2

The Washington Nationals as a team have more walks than strike outs. A relief pitcher leads the team in strikeouts! O my! O my! O my!

This is my my Minority Report factoid.

Wow Stat of the Day

On average, the Yankees' 2009 gate receipts for a seven-game home series were greater than the Pirates' gate receipts for the entire year.