Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas! May this year be a year full of blessings for you and your family and many victories for your favorite teams and players!

Player Spotlight: Adrian Peterson

In light of the Mitchell Report and the finger-pointing of athletes, I thought it would be good to highlight athletes that overcame challenges to achieve success or exemplify team sports. So, here now is a debut segment on FTRS dubbed Player Spotlight.

Every year I play Fantasy Football online. For those of you unfamiliar with fantasy football, the essential definition is it's a game played online where you assemble a team via draft and play against other teams in a league with points based on real-life play. I usually try to draft players that play as a team (I have in the past turned down chances to draft superstars Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson for this reason) mostly because I find I have much more respect for them and they're easier to root for. This year, I drafted Adrian Peterson, running back of the Minnesota Vikings, in the 10th round. My intention was to have him be the number three running back on the depth chart, but instead he has arguably been my season MVP. Leading up to the draft, I did some basic looking up of people to see if they were guys I could really root for during the season. Here's what I found on Peterson:

Adrian Peterson was born and raised in Palestine, Texas, 112 miles southeast of Dallas, a town of about 17,000. His family life was full of hardships including the deaths of his brother and stepbrother (in separate incidents) and his father spending ten years in prison on money laundering charges. Adrian was a prodigious athlete in high school, competing in track, basketball, and football. In 2003, he was named the top high school player in the country by multiple publications. During three seasons at the University of Oklahoma, Adrian ran for 4,045 yards, 75 short of Oklahoma's all-time record. If it weren't for a broken collarbone he suffered in his final season, he would have gotten the record.

The Minnesota Vikings picked Peterson 7th overall after some teams were scared off by his potential for injury. Of the 12 games he has played this season, he has rushed for 1,278 yards, scored 14 total touchdowns, and added 247 yards receiving. Interestingly, Adrian is known as "AD" as in All Day, his mentality to play well all day long. According to Wikipedia, he stated his goals prior to the season as 1) being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and rush for over 1,800 yards, which would set a record. Already he has received numerous NFL awards and broken as many records. Prior to the season, he said to IGN, "I'm a player who is coming in with the determination to turn a team around. I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win…and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what I can do next. Things like that can change the whole attitude of an organization. I want to win." Saying things like I want to help my team win aren't said nearly enough in today's multi-million dollar sports world.

For source info, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Peterson. Feel free to leave feedback on this and other segments.

George Mitchell Press Conference Video

Just a quick note for today. The following link leads to a YouTube video is a portion of the George Mitchell press conference at the unveiling of his report. What are your thoughts on the Mitchell Report?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMsUWQXqs_8

Mitchell Report Unleashed: An Op-Ed

Photo credit: AP via SportsIllustrated.com

The Mitchell Report, a 21-month study of "the steroid age" in baseball, was released yesterday. My first reaction, as it was with the Michael Vick dogfighting case this past summer, is that we have a standard of innocent until proven guilty in this country. In addition, after looking over several pages of the actual report and various excerpts available online at ESPN.com and other media outlets, the bulk of the evidence seems to come from shady clubhouse attendants and MLB and the federal agencies that were already investigating will have to verify that the evidence is sound.

While some names that were mentioned in the report weren't a surprise (Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi - all previously involved with the BALCO investigation), others were very surprising, particularly Andy Pettitte, a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, and relief pitcher Mike Stanton, known for his Yankees career. These two guys appeared to be great players (Andy is a great competitor and has one of the coolest pickoff moves and Stanton was practically a machine when he pitched.) Both weren't players of the Randy Johnson 20-strikeouts-a-game level, but were known for the way they played the game and being great teammates. Andy was also known as a family man, to the point where he played for his hometown Houston Astros for a few years saying it was for his family.

So what does a fan do now? Do you trust a player that denied steroid use, but was then implicated in the Mitchell Report? Do we punish players retroactively? Personally, as much as I would like to see these players banned from the game and their records/titles stripped (given that the evidence is true and verified), I question what effect that would have. Although they cheated, there wasn't official drug testing until 2002, the year after Barry Bonds hit 73 homers. That is not to say that the players don't deserve blame, but rather guidelines and rules simply weren't in place because the steroid problem wasn't being addressed by MLB, the Players' Association, or the players themselves.

So who deserves blame then? First, the players. The players were the ones willingly taking substances that could cause bodily harm and betraying the fans' trust. No one was forcing them to take the 'roids, but they put themselves at unnecessary risk all for the sake of getting a competitive edge. Second, the Players' Association and MLB. The following is straight from pages SR-11 and SR-12 of the Mitchell Report:


For many years before 2002, the Players Association opposed any drug program that included mandatory random testing, despite several proposals for such a program from different Commissioners. The early disagreements on this issue centered around testing for cocaine and other “recreational” drugs, not steroids, but the effect of the Players Association’s
opposition was to delay the adoption of mandatory random drug testing in Major League Baseball for nearly 20 years.

However, opposition by the Players Association was not the only reason that mandatory random drug testing was not adopted. In 1994, Commissioner Selig and the club owners proposed a drug program that would have included some forms of testing and would have listed steroids among baseball’s prohibited substances. Robert D. Manfred, Jr., who is now executive vice president for labor relations in the Commissioner’s Office, recalled that anabolic steroids were included in the 1994 proposal to be proactive, and the decision to include steroids in the proposal was not based on any particular concern about the use of those substances in baseball at that time. He acknowledged that at the time the drug program was not as high a priority as economic issues.

The Players Association did not agree to the proposal. Officials of the Players Association said that the clubs did not appear to regard the 1994 proposal as a high priority and did not pursue its adoption vigorously. Indeed, Players Association executive director Donald M. Fehr recalled that the proposal never even reached the main bargaining table during
negotiations.

Later that year, a work stoppage ended the season and resulted in the cancellation of the World Series. Play resumed in 1995 without a collective bargaining agreement, and the owners made no attempt to renew the drug program proposal when collective bargaining resumed. That bargaining resulted in an agreement that remained in effect until 2002, so the next
proposal for a mandatory random drug testing program was made in those negotiations with the Players Association in early 2002.

In 2001, the Commissioner had unilaterally implemented drug testing throughout baseball’s affiliated minor leagues. He used that program as the basis for his 2002 proposal to the Players Association for a major league program.


The Players Association did not want much of a drug testing program and to association head Don Fehr's credit, said yesterday, "Perhaps we and the owners could have taken these steps sooner, and for my part in hindsight, that seems obvious." Though the statement comes years late, I can at least appreciate the fact that he said it as opposed to Commissioner Bud Selig's lack of saying MLB itself shared blame. I'll leave you with a great excerpt from Curt Schilling's blog, 38pitches.com:

"There will be no shortage of media opinions, castigating, berating and blaming all the names involved. Just remember that this will be coming from the very same people who, like many, turned a blind eye to what many of us believed when we were smack dab in the middle of all the things the Mitchell Report will say.

I certainly am not blameless. I had opinions like many other people, but I also had a closer view of what was happening. I can say with a very clear conscience, to this day I still have never seen anyone inject or ingest HGH, or steroids. Do I think I know former teammates that may have been? Sure I do. Can I tell you with no uncertainty who that was? No.

And at the end of the day, from everything I hear, that’s what will be contained in the body of this report. Much speculation, conversation, and hearsay, as to what people saw and thought."

Vick Formally Pleas Guilty

I unfortunately don't have much time today, but just a few words on the Vick case. It is troubling to see that Michael Vick thought he could lie to Roger Goodell (the NFL Commissioner) and Arthur Blank (owner of the Atlanta Falcons) and not expect punishment. Vick has been suspended indefinitely without pay and will probably not be eligible to play until 2009 at the earliest, more likely 2010. A case of great talent wasted, Vick will need to go out of his way to earn the peoples' and fans' respect again.

A programming note, school is starting again this week, so there may be a few hiccups until I'm in a set schedule again. I'm looking to finish the ballpark rankings this week and then start talkin' football.

Ballpark Rankings #3: Chase Field

Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark or BOB, was my favorite stadium from 1998-2005. Even though it is a stadium that often has its roof closed, it feels more intimate than Seattle's Safeco Field. The BOB has super easy access from I-10 and I-17 and despite being right in Downtown Phoenix, parking is a breeze (on game nights when the Suns basketball team is also playing at nearby US Airways Center it gets a little tight). When coming into the BOB, most people end up at the corner of 4th and Jefferson Sts. Here, there's a plaza that usually has people cooking barbecues and its where the majority of fans enter for the game. The plaza is featured in the photo below, albeit empty:



An outstanding feature of Chase Field is just how good the sightlines are. I've sat in the nosebleeds above home plate, in right field just past the foul pole, field level on the first baseline, and on the luxury Infiniti Diamond Level in left field and not one of those seats were bad. My preferred seating area here is the Diamond Level, which admittingly is on the expensive side, but the views can't be beat.

One of the big knocks against Chase Field is also it's most recognizable asset, the pool in right field. When the Yankees were playing the Diamondbacks in the '01 World Series, the NY writers ripped on the pool in right and mocking the stadium, making the general point that it wasn't a true baseball stadium. Who are they to say what is and isn't a true baseball stadium? Another big knock against Chase is the perceived notion that there is no history there. What do you call the 9th inning, Game 7 comeback against the Yankees in that World Series? What about Randy Johnson striking out 20 Cincinnati Reds (May 8th, 2001)? What about Brandon Webb's shutout inning streak this year? Are those not historic moments?

This stadium is also full of memories for me. When I would go to Arizona for summer vacation and see family, it quickly became a sort of tradition to go to at least one Diamondbacks game at the BOB. And most importantly, it is the place where the Diamondbacks won the Series in the best postseason Series I've ever seen.

On a side note, there has been a lot of news this week in regards to the Michael Vick case. I do intend to address this next week, probably Tuesday, when he officially enters his plea agreement. In the meantime, here are some more BOB pics:

Ballpark Rankings #4: Safeco Field

Safeco Field is a great ballpark. I visited "The Safe" in 2001 for the All-Star Game and it is still one of, if not the best game I've ever watched in person. That was the All-Star Game that featured Cal Ripken (it was his last season) and he hit a home run right into the bullpen in left-center. There was a series of pregame standing ovations for him and when he hit the home run, there were more ovations and a curtain call. It was an outstanding feat, considering Safeco Field was designed as a "pitcher's park", or a park that favors pitchers rather than hitters. It was a fitting conclusion for a Hall of Fame career.



With that being said, though, these rankings are based on the ballpark itself. There are some great features of Safeco, particularly its front facade, picture above, reminiscent of long-lost Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NY. Also, the left field beachers are a great viewing spot. For the All-Star Game, I was in the right field upper deck, which was a great spot as well. Safeco probably has the best concessions in the game. Where else could you eat sushi and watch baseball? Tomorrow's ballpark is one that was my number #1 up until 2005, but here are some extra Safeco pictures.

Ballpark Rankings #5: Angel Stadium

I really like Angel Stadium. It's super easy to get in and out, it has good concession, great sightlines, and a great fan atmosphere. This atmosphere has been in place since the Angels won the World Series in 2002 with the crowd's rally monkeys and thunder sticks. More importantly, though, is that Angel Stadium is very family-friendly. So why, then isn't Angel Stadium up higher in my rankings? It has the same problem Dodger Stadium has in that it is a great venue that just got beat by better ballparks. Tomorrow is another West Coast stadium, but here are some more Angel Stadium pics:

Ballpark Ranking #6: Dodger Stadium

While Dodger Stadium is at #6 on the rankings, it isn't a bad ballpark. When I last visted Dodger Stadium, it was before Frank McCourt took over as owner and the Stadium was in need of renovation. I revisited the Stadium this month when the Arizona Diamondbacks were playing the Dodgers and it was like going to a brand new stadium. The seats were new, they had installed an LCD ribbon marquee along the loge level seats, the other marquees were made into LCD screens, new seats were added into the foul ground, and there was new signage everywhere.



Los Angeles fans are sometimes mocked in the national sports media for "arriving in the 5th and leaving in the 7th". Based on the D-Backs/Dodgers game this month, that is a total myth. The fans on both sides were energized and yelling and screaming for their teams throughout the game. Dodger Stadium is also the birthplace to the legendary fan event - the Wave.



Dodger Stadium has a lot of nostalgia about it and even for me, someone who had not seen moments like Kirk Gibson's home run or Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale pitching in person, there's nostalgia there even for me. My dad taking my sister and I to the Stadium during the era of Mike Piazza, Hideo Nomo, and Delino DeShields in the early 90's. Of course, it was in the long decline of the late 90's and early 00's and the rise of the Arizona Diamondbacks that I switched affections. But it was the early 90's Dodgers and the trips to the Stadium with my dad that introduced my sister and I to a love of the game. And even though I root for a team besides the Dodgers, there is none better in the bigs than Vin Scully when it comes to broadcasting games.



So even though Dodger Stadium is #6 in the rankings, it is my hometown stadium and a baseball gem. It is through Dodger Stadium that my dad showed me a love of baseball that has stayed with me since. The recent changes to Dodger Stadium have made it a great place to go again. Tomorrow, another SoCal gem is up.

Ballpark Countdown: #7 - Yankee Stadium

Image courtesy of mlbroadtrip.com

Yankee Stadium is without a doubt a baseball classic. It has the history, the tradition, the loyal fanbase, so what's not to like? Well, when I visited the stadium in July of 2004, I came away from it with a different perspective. I was in NYC on vacation and wanted to visit the Stadium, so my family and I hopped on the 4 subway from lower Manhattan and rode it up to the Bronx.



When we arrived at the 161st St. - Yankee Stadium stop, we quickly realized we needed to get to the stadium quickly because the Bronx did not look like a place to be in. Lots of very old buildings, worn paint, etc. It was a gray, overcast day, which made the stadium look cold and uninviting. The main color scheme of limestone and dark blue didn't help with the uninviting feel. Since there was no game that day (Yanks were on a long road trip), we took the stadium tour, which I highly recommend for any ballpark. We went all over Yankee Stadium from the press box to the dugouts to the locker rooms to Monument Park (photo below). While some of it was indeed a great experience (being in the dugout, Monument Park) the whole buidling seemed to wear its age and not gracefully. However, Monument Park is one of my favorite spots in baseball and the legends honored here are some of the greatest to play the game (DiMaggio, Mantle, Ruth, Maris, Gherig, Berra, the list goes on). It'll be interesting to see how the new Yankee Stadium turns out when it opens in 2009.

Ballpark Countdown Primer

The above image of San Diego's Petco Park was taken by me in April of 2006.

Every baseball fan keeps a note on which stadiums they've been to and want to visit. I've had the privilege of visiting 7 major league stadiums and have my own personal favorites and not-so favored ones. Included in them are 2 classics from the East Coast and 5 from the West Coast. From the Pacific Northwest to the Northeast to Southern California, and starting Monday, I'll begin a countdown of these 7 stadiums. Here's a hint for Monday: It's in the Northeast.

State of the NBA

A general news roundup for today. I'll be beginning a series of commentaries on ballparks I've been to Monday, starting with my least favorite, Yankee Stadium.

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy (featured in photo above) plead guilty to charges of "conspiracy to admit wire fraud" and "transmitting betting information through interstate commerce." Worse, it was revealed in court yesterday that he was paid $5,000 for correct picks on games and he faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. While it is a foregone conclusion that Mr. Donaghy will face time and never officiate an NBA game again, my liking of the NBA had already sunken low and this doesn't help any. I don't like the image of many NBA players who deck themselves out in tattoos and dreds, nor some of the fans who have a penchant for being more aggressive than even the most die-hard NFL fans (the infamous Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks-Denver Nuggets brawls are just two of the examples coming to mind.) Also hampering the NBA is the lack of competition. The same teams compete for the title year after year, especially the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. This year's NBA Finals between the Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the most boring playoff series I've ever seen. What makes the NFL and MLB more exciting currently? There is so much talent in the NFL that most of the teams have a chance to have a good season plus injuries have more of an effect because the season is only 16 games. As for MLB, there are currently 15 teams vying for playoff contention out of 30 total. Also, since 2000, there has been a different World Series champion each year ('00 - New York Yankees, '01 - Arizona Diamondbacks, '02 - Anaheim Angels, '03 - Florida Marlins, '04 - Boston Red Sox, '05 - Chicago White Sox, '06 - St. Louis Cardinals).

Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record while my blog was on hiatus. Yawn. Here's to hoping another MLB star with a clean record in regards to steroids breaks the record in the next few years to make the record clean once again. Tomorrow I'll be posting a primer on my favorite ballparks in preparation of my series on Monday.

Milestone Weekend

This weekend was full of milestones for baseball.

First, Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron's home run record in San Diego. While it is a given that it takes much talent to play baseball and especially when it comes to hitting home runs, there is a pile of evidence that Barry Bonds has taken steroids and thus, cheated the game. The remarkable thing is that he has a swagger and cockiness unlike any other athlete in recent memory, which makes the whole steroids/home run pursuit further tainted. It makes it harder to root for Bonds when he exudes cockiness on a daily basis.

Next up was Alex Rodriguez's 500th homer. And while I'm not an A-Rod fan, I hope he sets the career home run record that Bonds just tied. A-Rod has a lot of time left and he still mashes them out, so he could very well take the record.

Tom Glavine (pictured above) won his 300th game. He is only the 23rd person to win that many games and even less were left-handed, which he is. Glavine is near the end of his career, but I hope he has a few more seasons in him and he goes into the Hall of Fame. He's been one of the best pitchers in the modern era.

Mark Teixeira to Atlanta

Pending physicals, the Texas Rangers are trading their slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira (pronounced te-share-a) to the Atlanta Braves. The deal is as follows:

Rangers get
star catching prospect Jared Saltalamacchia
shortstop prospect Elvis Andrus
2 prospect pitchers (believed to be Matt Harrison and Nestali Feliz)

Braves get
First baseman Mark Teixeira
Relief pitcher Ron Mahay

The problem with this trade for the Braves is that they will be giving up their three best prospects (Saltalamacchia ranked #36, Andrus ranked #65, and Harrison ranked #90 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects) for a slugger who could become a free agent after the 2008 season. Yet, he will add power to a lineup that could use it (especially when the Braves chief rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets have lots of power). Here are Teixeira's stats:

2005 Season 43 home runs, 144 runs batted in, .301 batting average, .575 slugging percentage
2006 Season 33 home runs, 110 runs batted in, .282 batting average, .514 slugging percentage
2007 (so far) 13 home runs, 49 runs batted in, .297 batting average, .524 slugging percentage

As for Mahay, he's been all over the map having season ERA's as high as 6.81 to as low as 2.52. Which Mahay will Atlanta see? Will Teixeira stay past 2008? Does Atlanta guarantee itself a playoff position with this trade and has it "morgaged the future"?

Schill's a Gamer, Literally

Great article on The Boston Globe's website yesterday that shows one of the things Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling does off the field. Most known for his bloody sock during the 2004 ALCS playoff series and his work to fight ALS, or Lou Gherig's Disease, Curt is also an avid videogamer and is developing his own online game, similar in style to the massively popular "World of Warcraft". He's developing this game, set to debut in 2010, with R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, known master writers in fantasy genres.

What's great about this article is that it further shows an athlete doing great things off the ballfield. Athletes have personal lives as much as anybody else and while the sports world is engulfed with the Michael Vick investigation and the NBA referee scandal, it's good to see that there are athletes who contribute to society in a positive way not involving their athletic abilities. While athletic heroics (Schilling in 2004, Luis Gonzalez in 2001) and blunders (Bill Buckner in the late 80's) are remembered for years, the off-field ventures can add to society, even something as simple as an online videogame.

Here's the link to the Globe article: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/07/25/for_gamester_schilling_a_new_play/?page=2

Great Sports Newspapers: The Arizona Republic

There's no new news in regards to stories previously covered here and while there are some things that can be discussed (like the appraoching MLB deadline, Barry Bonds appraoching Hank Aaron's record, etc.) I intend to cover these topics once they occur, which should be within the next week. So, I thought about highlighting sports papers from around the country to highlight what makes a great sports paper: The ability to connect with the fans and present things from a fan's perspective. This series isn't meant to be like an advertisment, just a reading recommendation.

Living in the Los Angeles area, there are multiple newspaper outlets to get sports news. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Times, the chief paper, has columns that play the same smart-aleck, glass-is-half-empty perspective, even for the hometwon teams like the Dodgers and Lakers. So I started to look for other outlets that presented sports in a better way. The Arizona Republic (www.azcentral.com) has outstanding online sports content. Each of the local team beat reporters has a daily blog and the hometown teams are covered as they should be: From a fan's perspective. The Republic gets the idea that the town rallies around its team rooting for it to win. That perspective is very hard to find in Los Angeles papers.

Vick Banned From Camp/Stern Holds Conference

Lots of updates on the news items reported yesterday...

First, the Vick story. Michael Vick was banned from the Atlanta Falcons training camp earlier today by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. An excerpt of a letter written by Goodell to Vick available at ESPN.com reads, "While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," I couldn't agree more with Goodell and he has gained the utmost respect from me that a sports commissioner can receive and he's only been on the job for a year! He recognizes our courts' system of due process and is not going to jump to conclusions our courts haven't made. A link to the posted ESPN.com article is posted below, including some great video commentary by Chris Mortensen that explains the options the NFL has in regards to this case:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2946832

Now, the murkier NBA story. The details just seem to get murkier and murkier and David Stern's news conference doesn't help anything. Unlike Roger Goodell's caution to not rush to judgement, Stern has stopped just short of making Donaghy a guilty man. Details on the Stern conference available on the TrueHoop blog link here:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-26-84/David-Stern-Talks.html

Welcome Home...Here's a Dish of Scandals

So I got home from Rome Friday night and went online to find two sports riddled in scandal...the NFL/Michael Vick dog scandal and the NBA officiating scandal. There's a nice welcome home present.

First, the Michael Vick story. We live in a society that has laws stating innocent until proven guilty, so I am hesitant to hand out an indictment towards Vick. However, judging from the fact that this story has been developing for months (I first heard it on ESPN back in May, if my memory serves correctly) and from the large amounts of evidence that seems to point to Vick, my view of Vick has further been lowered from where it was, which wasn't very high to begin with. I own a dog and cannot fathom having it for the sole purpose of fighting for cash. To see dogs chewing each other to pieces and viewing it as an acceptable means to make money and have entertainment is disgusting. Yet, if by some miracle Vick is proven innocent, then the press and the public in general will have accused him of something our courts system did not find him taking part of. With that in mind, I am hesitant to hand out a condemnation, despite the evidence that currently says he was very involved with the illegal dogfighting operation.

As for the NBA officiating, I don't find it all that surprising. For starters, the NBA has had image problems for years and this just adds onto the huge pile of bad images relating to the NBA. Second, as Bill Simmons of the ESPN.com Page 2 blog has pointed out, this particular official refereed Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series, quite possibly the worst playoff series I've ever seen because of all the bad calls. I cannot even imagine the wrath Suns fans will have for this referee when he comes to town...assuming he ever does again. Since details are still leaking out from this scandal, I also cannot give a condemnation here either. However, if he did indeed fix games, may he never referee another game, pro, college, or amateur, again.

I've Got Some Explaining to Do

I apologize for the long break between posts. Summer class is pressing and needing to be taken care of. I will be in Rome from July 9th to the 21st, but other than that, there shouldn't be any breaks in the near future. Onto today's news...



A ton of NBA trade rumors leading up to tonight's draft, mostly involving Minnesota's Kevin Garnett. Phoenix is the likely suitor but what would they have to give up? Consider their lineup (all stats and salaries are for 06-07 season and all stats provided by ESPN.com):

PG Steve Nash $10.5 million, 18.6 PPG, 11.6 APG, 3.5 RPG
Absolutely no way Nash is going anywhere. He IS the Phoenix Suns.

SG Raja Bell $4.5 million, 14.7 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.2 RPG
Excellent three-point shooter and great defender (especially on Kobe Bryant). Not likely to be dealt.

F Boris Diaw $1.87 million, 9.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.3 RPG
Not a vital part of the offense and an okay defender. I consider him the "weak link".

F Shawn Marion $15 million, 17.5 PPG, 1.7 APG, 9.8 RPG
Career-long Sun but most likely to go based on his salary. That 17 PPG and 9 APG will be hard to replace.

C Amare Stoudemire $12.4 million, 20.4 PPG, 1.0 APG, 9.6 RPG
Same boat as Marion.

Bench PG Leandro Barbosa $1.6 million, 18.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.7 RPG
The reigning 6th Man Award Winner isn't going anywhere. He's a sparkplug.

Compare those with Garnett's stats:
F Kevin Garnett $21 million, 22.4 PPG, 4.1 APG, 12.8 RPG

As much as I would love to see Garnett in a Phoenix uniform, the only way I see an upgrade is if Shawn "The Matrix" Marion goes and that's going to be tough for Suns fans because he's been there his entire 8 year career. If the Suns want to upgrade, I'd like to see them upgrade from Boris Diaw and the bench, which has Barbosa and Kurt Thomas, but not much else. The other big thing is the money issue. Phoenix wil be taking on an extra $6 million if Garnett arrives and Marion departs.

Also, some late-breaking news involving Indiana Pacer Jermaine O'Neal. Rumor has it that the Nets have offered Nenad Krstic, Richard Jefferson, and Jason Collins for O'Neal. The Knicks and Trail Blazers have reportedly talked of a Zach Randolph and Martell Webster for Steve Francis and Cganning Frye deal. These late headlines courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Tying Up Loose Ends/Where are the Cavs?

After having to take an unannounced leave, I'm back to tie up some loose ends. The ongoing Billy Donovan story has concluded with his return to the University of Florida and the Orlando Magic hiring Stan Van Gundy. Stan, brother of recently fired Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, is a familiar face to Florida pro basketball since he was an assistant coach on the Miami Heat just a few years ago. As for Donovan, he is now the highest-paid coach in college basketball and the more than 200 fans who bought season tickets have been offered refunds by the Magic.

On another NBA note...Where are the Cleveland Cavaliers?! They're playing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals and are down 3-0 in the best of seven series. They were blown out in San Antonio during Games 1 and 2 and lost on their home court in Game 3. LeBron James didn't even make the final shot last night! He, above all the other Cavs, is in the ultimate conundrum because of the hype placed on him and his superstar status in the NBA. As for the NBA in general, this is one of the worst NBA Finals I've seen in some time. The real NBA Finals this year were the Suns/Spurs and Jazz/Spurs series. I am hoping that Cleveland pulls a miracle, but I know that the odds of that happening are very, very slim.

DUCKS WIN THE STANLEY CUP!

Photo courtesy of the Washington Post.

I'm short on time today, so I'll post more on this later.

Donovan Contract Close to Voided

Image courtest of the AP via CNN/Sports Illustrated.

According to various media outlets, Billy Donovan and the Orlando Magic are close to voiding the contract he signed with the team on Friday. Some have spoken out against Donovan due to the impact that voiding this deal has on the Magic. In Luke Winn's SI.com article, a source told Winn, '"What [Donovan] did was not taken lightly around the league. It was publicly embarrassing, and for the Magic, it was personal. If he had done this at Memphis [to the Grizzlies], it would have been forgotten more easily. But he did it in Florida, on his home turf. He gave them a ton of momentum for a new arena, for turning around the franchise, and then killed it. There are a lot of GMs that would be hesitant to offer him a job. They took it to mean he was backing away from the challenge, and that he was insecure about coaching in the NBA."' While some of their charges are legitimate, we the general population do not know the complete details from Donovan's perspective, since he has been mum for the duration of this dispute. We need to consider that he has been at Florida for 11 years and just won two national titles there. Also, Gainesville is 1 hour and 44 minutes away from Orlando, so his family wouldn't be living in the same home or town that they had been in for the past 11 years. This clearly was not a money issue (U of Florida was offering 3.5 million, the Magic offered 5.5 million a year, according to Winn). Yes, the Magic will be embarassed by this and they'll have to refund the season ticket holder who bought tickets based on Donovan's hiring, but would you want a coach who doesn't have his heart in it? It's unfortunate that he figured out where his heart was after he signed the Magic contract, but until he publicly says what happened, all we can do is speculate as to why he changed his mind.

Ducks Close to Winning Stanley Cup...But Does Anybody Care?

Photo courtesy of the CBC.

The Anaheim Ducks are a win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup if they win their next game (Wednesday at Anaheim). While there has been a fair amount of media coverage from ESPN.com and other national sports outlets, there hasn't been a ton of coverage locally. It wasn't until this past weekend that the Los Angeles Times devoted a considerable amount of space to the Ducks. If anything, it shows just how far hockey has fallensince the lockout a year ago. Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup finals were not on a major broadcast network (like Baseball's World Series or Basketball's NBA Finals), but rather on Versus, the channel formerly known as Outdoor Life Network, or OLN. According to a Los Angeles Times article, only 50% of the L.A. market gets Versus. That's not going to help build a fan base, especially here in Southern California. So, here's to hoping the Ducks win the Cup, but I have a feeling there won't be much of a reaction here in SoCal.

And I Thought Kobe's Flip-Flop Was Bad...

Image from CNN/Sports Illustrated.

Late last night, news broke that new Orlando Magic coach Billy Donovan, former coach of the two-time national champion Florida Gators, wanted out of his contract that he signed with Orlando three days ago. According to Andy Katz on ESPN.com, Donovan signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract on Friday. The Orlando Magic issued a statement early this morning, saying, "While Central Florida, the Orlando Magic and Billy were energized with the announcement of his contract signing on Friday, we know there was a different feeling in Gainesville and people have been tugging at him since that time."

According to Katz's column, "Donovan's hiring Thursday prompted the sale of 200 Magic season tickets by Friday afternoon. Magic communications director Joel Glass confirmed that number after Friday's news conference introducing Donovan to a standing ovation from the entire on-site Magic organization at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando." I pity the Orlando Magic and their season ticket holders. Imagine waking up Friday, you hear your Orlando Magic just signed Billy Donovan, you purchase season tickets, then he tries to get out of his deal. Donovan's got himself into a bind, tick off University of Florida fans in Gainesville or Orlando Magic fans. With Kobe's flip-flopping trade requests last week, it seems that if you feel the need to flip-flop, you might want to work in the NBA.

Book Review: The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty

Despite the ongoing story regarding Kobe, I've been hankering to write a baseball-related entry. So, I'm changing gears for today and presenting the following book review:

I purchased Buster Olney's The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty a couple of years ago and finished re-reading it recently. Yes, re-reading it. It's a great book about the pressure on the New York Yankees to win a World Series every year. The thing that makes the book work is that no one is made to be the villain, but rather people with significant flaws. Each chapter focuses on one person (everybody from pitcher Roger Clemens to centerfielder Bernie Williams to general manager Brian Cashman) while giving snippets of the game that brought the Yankee dynasty to an end: Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the most intriguing aspect of the book is its portrayal of team owner George Steinbrenner. What drives Steinbrenner is an insatiable hunger for World Series championships every year,so much so he is willing and very capable to spend any amount necessary to make his dream of never-ending championships possible. Olney doesn't portray Steinbrenner as bad, just having an unbridled passion and craving for victory with the power and pocketbook to match. Even though I am not a Yankees fan, I strongly recommend this book to anybody that is a baseball fan. This book is available on Amazon.

Kobe Waffles on Trade Demand

All it took to change his mind was a few hours. Kobe Bryant is now saying he doesn't want to leave Los Angeles. All the while Lakers fans hold their breath and prepare for the worst. It is clear that Kobe is not happy with the current state of things, otherwise this fiasco wouldn't have happened. But the question now is is he discontent enough to follow through on his trade demand or is he willing to wait more?

How did he waffle on his position? According to John Nadel of the Associated Press, Kobe told LA radio station KLAC, "'They said nothing to me about a long-term plan. Absolutely nothing. They told Phil one thing and they told me another. Actions speak louder than words." Then on Wednesday morning he told ESPN Radio, "'I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative. It's rough, man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation." Later in the day, he told KLAC, "'I don't want to go anywhere, this is my team."'

Why the sudden change of heart? Apparently, Kobe contacted Phil Jackson, who said, "'You know what, Kobe? Let's try to figure this thing out."' If Kobe finds content with the Lakers once again, Laker fans may remember this moment as the time when Phil saved the Lakers. This soap opera will continue for sure and Angelenos will watch every moment. But, Kobe has taken a gamble in that if this drags out and he is perceived as the villain, Laker fans will turn on him and demand he be traded.

All quotes in this entry are from John Nadel's AP article on this story. Here's the link to the full article: "Bryant requests trade, then backs off"

Launch of My Blog & Kobe Demands a Trade

The big headline today is Kobe Bryant demanding a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, and with the demand, the soap opera continues. Kobe has the talent, that is unmistakable, but it has always been his attitude that has plagued him over the years. From demanding Shaq be traded and getting the max contract possible from the Lakers to demanding Jerry West come back, Kobe has always wanted his way. Though he has been more of a team player in recent years than previously, his drive to get his way has trumped other people, whether it be Shaq or Jerry Buss, the Laker owner. Up to this point in his career, what Kobe wanted, he received. Now, his desire to leave the Lakers and contend for a title elsewhere will leave fans feeling blue. This situation that Kobe put himself into is one that may define him further. If he gets traded, will he find the happiness he doesn’t feel right now in Los Angeles? If he wins a title elsewhere, what happens if his team doesn’t win the title the year after? Or the year after that? Kobe will once again be in the same situation, but a different team. Teams being rumored to have interest include Houston, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Phoenix. If I were Kobe, the rumored McGrady-for-Bryant swap doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. If Kobe stays put in LA, will he accept his role or be disgruntled and push and push for a trade until fans demand one as well? Will he embrace the concept of a team and embrace the team-first style of the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons? Unfortunately, I wouldn’t count on that.