A Scientific Survey about LeBron James

Given the relentless speculation and the fact that the media is reporting rumors as fact regarding the LeBron James announcement, and given LeBron's hugely narcissistic hour-long announcement circus, and given the pendulum-like nature of which team is in the lead to gain LeBron's services for the next few years, I conducted an extremely scientific survey of one former Cleveland resident to determine what LeBron's seemingly imminent (at least for right now) departure means for all of Cleveland, Ohio, and perhaps the Midwest in general.

1. If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the heart of Cleveland, what building or neighborhood best symbolizes the back of Cleveland where LeBron can plant the knife?

Former Cleveland Resident:

That would have to be the Slavic Village. Oh. I thought you said the backside of Cleveland. The backbone has to be the Cuyahoga River. We'll go with that because it has the consistency of the back fat that so many Clevelanders have, and when LeBron pulls out the knife, maybe someone will have the good sense to set his hand on fire. Where's BP when you need it?

2. In the long run, where would a potential LeBron departure rank in terms of Cleveland Sports Disasters?

Former Cleveland Resident:

I actually already ranked this today. A LeBron departure in and of itself wouldn't be so high (everyone has kinda been expecting it for two years). It would be the fact that he staged an hour-long show just to tear everyone's hearts out. In fact, there will probably be a moment, not unlike when Lisa Simpson broke little Ralph Wiggum's heart, where you could pinpoint the moment the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame starts to explode.

1. Art Modell turning the Browns into the least likable team in the NFL (and them winning a Super Bowl three years after leaving)
2. LeBronapocylapse
3(tie). The Drive
3(tie). The Fumble
5. Jose Mesa
6. The Shot
7. Any of the MLB playoff collapses to the Red Sox
8. Red Right 88
9. Delonte West meeting Gloria James
10. Ten Cent Beer Night (who am I kidding? That was great. My dad's old boss still has second base from that night in his office.)

3. What will be the term that comes to describe a LeBron departure? I.e., the "Backstab," the "Betrayal," the "Another Cleveland Sports Disaster," "Pulling an Akron."

Former Cleveland Resident:

The most public yet of our many humiliations.

Now, on to the media circus. Nearly every news outlet has been pushing some sort of LeBron story - US Magazine says LeBron is likely going to Miami because he has hotel rooms booked there this weekend; ESPN reported that LeBron is likely to stay in Cleveland and then, this morning, changed tune and states now that LeBron is going to Miami. Last week, New York was in the lead. The truth is none of these folks know where LeBron is going. It's all speculation - except for, maybe, Stephen A. Smith's prediction that the whole thing is a done deal (Smith may have insider knowledge, but also has been pretty accurate with regards to free agency). Since no one knows what LeBron is thinking, speculation becomes rumor which in turn becomes fact. Since it's the off season and there just aren't a lot of sports headlines, what would otherwise be a slow week (or two) has become a crescendo of web traffic driven by speculation and driving revenues.

As nearly everyone and their mother knows by now, LeBron has five real options: the Nets, the Knicks, the Bulls, the Heat, and the Cavs.* If he goes to the Nets, he gets the New York media market, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and Avery Johnson. If he goes to the Knicks, he gets the New York media market, teammate Amare Stoudemire, and an up tempo system with Mike D'Antoni. He does not get a ring unless the Knicks manage to finagle a fantastic point guard. If he goes to the Bulls, he gets a franchise-altering point guard with Derrick Rose, a defensive center in Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer along with new head coach and alleged defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau. If he goes to the Heat, he gets to play alongside Dwyane Wade who is a bigger superstar in Miami and Chris Bosh who wins fans over with his sense of humor - essentially, LeBron becomes LePippen to Wade. If LeBron stays in Cleveland, he does not stab his most loyal fans in the back and he remains a big fish in a small pond while making more money than he could make anywhere else.

I'm guessing and hoping LeBron stays in Cleveland. Why? You just can't go on national TV and tear out the hearts of your most loyal fans and expect to get respect. Oh, and LeBron really likes money, which Cleveland can give more of to him, and has a massive ego (limestone bust of himself much?).

* C'mon, the Clippers? Would any serious and sane player want to be traded to the Clippers? Here are several reasons why the answer is always no: Donald Sterling, the Clippers, Vinny Del Negro, Baron Davis's inability to not shoot a contested three pointer with 18 seconds left on the shot clock, the curse of the Clippers, Donald Sterling, increased likelihood of career-crippling injury, the Clippers, and Donald Sterling. The reasons to go to the Clippers? Clippers dancers, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman.

The King's Announcement

ESPN.com is reporting that LeBron James will announce his free agency decision Thursday night at 9 ET during a one-hour special on ESPN. 

Assuming that it takes, I don't know, 20 seconds for Lebron to make his announcement, what are they going to do with the rest of the hour?  Am I crazy, or did Lebron convince the "World Wide Leader in Sports" to provide him with a free hour long tribute. That is CRAZY.  

While it is easy to understand why ESPN would agree to air the "special" - in exchange for one hour of TV time on a slow summer Thursday, they are getting an exclusive on the biggest free agent announcement in sports history - do we as fans have to like it? Should we even watch it? 

Me, I know I shouldn't but I'm sure I will.  What can I say, I love the King!

What about you?

Clipps Get New Coach

Reports are in that the Los Angeles Clippers have selected Vinny Del Negro as their new head coach. Does anybody care? Does it really matter? Can LA-2 ever be good?

Really Michael Vick? Really?

On Friday, renown dog fighter/tax evader (and part-time NFL quarterback) Michael Vick celebrated his 30th birthday party at a Virginia Beach night club. The end of the night was unfortunately marred by gunfire. Vick initially told authorities that he and his entourage were long gone before the shooting took place. But spokesman for the Guadalajara restaurant Allen Fabijan provided footage of Vick and his entourage leaving the night club exactly three minutes before the shooting.

So that's shady, right? But perhaps Vick meant he was gone and had no idea that a shooting took place. That's not lying, really. Sure, Vick has lied to the police, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the past, but this is the rehabilitated Michael Vick. That was probably just a semantics discrepancy. I mean, Falcons WR Roddy White backed up Vick's story. So there's some additional credibility.

So who got shot at this shindig? Some random who shelled out the $50 for the privilege of attending the birthday of a convicted felon? No, it was apparently his good pal Quanis Phillips, who testified against Vick in the trial for his infamous dog fighting ring. Phillips also apparently was involved in slapping Vick's fiancee's hand as she fed him birthday cake, which made her smear some cake on Vick's face. So, a guy who testified against you and then got your wife to smush cake into your face got shot three minutes after you left that night?

Oh, boy.

This looks really bad, even by Michael Vick's standards. Looks like he might not get to throw mediocre passes for the Philadelphia Eagles this year, and though nothing official has happened yet, Philadelphia trading Donovan McNabb away to the Redskins suddenly looks a lot stupider.

Another Case of Bad Parenting

In Toronto, the parents of two 15 year old boys are suing the team for damages after both sons were cut from a youth team. 70 boys between the ages of 13 and 16 tried out for the team. The team had expected to carry a 17 man roster. That means that going in, everyone knew that 53 of the 70 boys were going to get cut. I have a few years of youth coaching under my belt, and I've dealt with some bad parents, but this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

The lawsuit is asking for $25,000 from each of the four coaches and another $25,000 from the league for a total of $125,000. Seriously? If your sons were "irreparably damaged" by getting cut from a youth hockey tryout, you are shitty parents. There is no way around that. The frivolity of this lawsuit is an affront to honest parents and coaches of youth athletes everywhere. I sincerely hope that the judge laughs at the allegations and demands the plaintiffs pay legal costs for both sides if this nonsense ever goes to trial.

LeBron, Bosh to Bulls?

This would be a coup for Chicago, if it pans out:



The NYT has the original story on Chris Bosh moving from the Toronto Raptors, and free-agent-extraordinaire LeBron James from the Cavs, moving in tandem to the storied Chicago Bulls.

ESPN has the follow up, along with the above video.

Local hockey fan continues to watch boring television

Yes, my off-season sports chats sound like headlines from The Onion. I got called out after my last rant about the NHL Network by a facebook friend-of-a-friend. (Sad, I know. It wasn’t even a friend of my own. I have a very Charlie Brown-like existence.) But, my new FFOF pointed out that there is plenty going on in the hockey world right now to keep a fan (okay, fanatic) engaged. There have been shocking trades, the new schedules have been released, the recent NHL awards and NHL draft, and July 1 will open up free agency. She’s right. There's still plenty of action around the NHL, and the awards and draft have been broadcast on Versus. It’s not exactly the body-crushing action of watching a game every night, but it keeps things interesting. And for some reason, watching teams I mostly don’t care about draft young players I’ve never heard of is way more interesting than whatever else is on TV these days. I don’t know if that speaks to how much I love hockey, or how bad television programming is these days. Probably a little of both.

The first round of the NHL draft was Friday night and the only players I knew by name were the number one and number two draft picks: Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. I’ve heard plenty of speculation about which one would be chosen first, but I still have no idea which one is which. I think that Taylor is the one that turns into a werewolf and Tyler is the vampire that sparkles. Or is it the other way around? Whoever they are, you never hear about one without a mention of the other. It’s a good thing NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was behind the podium, because the pre-packaged marketing opportunity of this rivalry must be giving him a raging hard-on. Next season the NHL can branch off from the constant comparisons between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Except this Taylor/Tyler thing may be even easier for the league to exploit. I bet no one has ever had a problem telling Crosby and Ovechkin apart.

So, the 2010 NHL draft is over. The Oilers have Taylor Hall, the Bruins have Tyler Seguin, and the Maple Leafs have to live with the fact that they gave up two draft picks this year, including their shot to acquire a promising young player with a built-in marketing ploy (along with a 2011 first round pick!) to the Bruins for Phil Kessel. For last year's draft, Toronto’s GM Brian Burke tried to trade up for a shot at John Tavares (spoiler alert! His attempts were ill-fated. Tavares just finished his first season with the Islanders and did very well for them.) This year they essentially gave up one of the –ylors. Better luck next year, Toronto. Oh no, wait – you traded away your first round 2011 draft pick too. Well, better luck in 2012 then.

Now that the NHL Awards show and the draft are over, I know I can count on the NHL Network to replay them for the remainder of the summer alongside old playoff games. I wonder how many more times I'll see Kevin Connolly. I was totally not expecting to see E from Entourage announce the Islanders pick.

And The Stage is Set: Round of 16 Preview

The final games of group play have finished, and the elimination rounds of the 2010 World Cup are now set! Spain fought back from their surprise loss to Switzerland with a big 2-1 win over Chile, propelling themselves to the top of Group H and avoiding a Round of 16 matchup against Brazil, who faces Chile instead. Interesting fact, Chile gave up 7 goals to Brazil in their two matches during World Cup qualifying; not exactly the best record you want when facing the #1 team in the world.

How did the various continents do? Well, Europe did worse than last time around, and the rest of the world did better:

Europe - 6 (down from 10 in 2006)
South America - 5
CONCACAF (N. & C. Am., Caribbean) - 2
Asia - 2
Africa - 1
Oceania - 0

And who has the easiest path to the semi-finals, and who has the hardest? Let's look at the brackets (using pre-World Cup FIFA Rankings):

Weakest: #14 USA v. #32 Ghana, #16 Uruguay v. #47 S. Korea
#2 Spain v. #3 Portugal, #31 Paraguay v. #45 Japan
#1 Brazil v. #18 Chile, #4 Netherlands v. #34 Slovakia
Strongest: #6 Germany v. #8 England, #7 Argentina v. #17 Mexico

Things look good for Team USA; they are in the weakest bracket by far, and while Ghana is the strongest team in Africa and Uruguay is the original power team, the Yanks are fully capable of winning their bracket up to the semi-finals if they play the way they did back in the Confederations Cup, where they beat Spain in the semi-finals and went up 2-0 over Brazil in halftime of the finals, only to give up 3 goals in the second half. We may see a rematch of that Confederations Cup finals (held in South Africa last year), as Brazil and the USA are on the same side of the brackets, able to meet up in the semi-final match. But it won't be a cakewalk for Brazil, either; though they are heavily favored to trounce Chile yet again, they haven't looked in top form yet this World Cup (though all signs suggest they're just waiting for the elimination rounds to play their real game, which should blow us all away), and may face European powerhouse Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

On the other side, the toughest trek by far will be where perennial European powerhouses Germany and England face off. Both are playing some of the ugliest football we've ever seen them play, with England finishing second in Group C after being unable to beat Algeria and drawing with the Americans (sort of like the War of 1812). Not only should that first match be a knock-down, drag-out street fight, but the winner of the derby faces red-hot Argentina, who is one of the few teams who look like they're ready to win the whole thing, maybe even more so than Brazil. And don't count out Mexico, which has been playing like a top 10 team and may be the Cinderella story of this World Cup. Whoever comes out of this strongest group will probably face the winner of Iberian neighbors Spain and Portugal. Spain has definitely not looked like the European champions so far, with star Liverpool striker Fernando "El Nino" Torres still scoreless and an apparent inability to convert on strong chances. UEFA Euro 2008 hero David Villa (Valencia) has stepped up, though, and it will be interesting to see whether he continues to be the big finisher for La Roja (who confused me by wearing blue today in their final group match).

Portugal, too, has been lackluster, with the biggest disappointment being the lack of goals from international superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) (especially after the epic Nike ad campaign). In 270 minutes, Ronaldo has hit the back of the net just once, of seven Portuguese goals. If Spain is in top form, we'll see Barca-inspired dominance of possession, meaning fewer chances for Portugal. Ronaldo will have to execute on the opportunities he does have if he hopes to make the Nike ads into a reality.

But here back home, all eyes are just focused right now on USA v. Ghana. By all measures, the USA is favored, but that's not how the World Cup works. Emotions will be running high; Ghana and the US were both in the same group in 2006, and the African Cup Champions nabbed the second slot out of group play behind Italy (remember when Italy used to make it out of group play), with Ghana beating the US 2-1 in the final group play match, sending the Yanks home and dooming Americans to another four years of pretending that the world cares about MLB's World Series. As always, Team USA has a lot to prove to proto-fans at home, and there is never a venue better than the World Cup to teach Americans to love soccer. But the Black Stars will be under a lot of pressure as well; not only are they looking to make another run in the World Cup, they're now the only remaining African team in the first African World Cup in history. It's a lot of pressure from an entire continent, and while the players and coaches claim to welcome it, how they handle it come tomorrow is yet to be seen.

Saturday
Uruguay v. South Korea, 10am EDT, 7am PDT, ESPN
USA v. Ghana, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT, ABC

Sunday
Germany v. England, 10am EDT, 7am PDT, ESPN
Argentina v. Mexico, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT, ABC

Monday
Netherlands v. Slovakia, 10am EDT, 7am PDT, ESPN
Brazil v. Chile, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT, ESPN

Tuesday
Paraguay v. Japan, 10am EDT, 7am PDT, ESPN
Spain v. Portugal, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT, ESPN

USA Advances!!

The party is still raging here in Pretoria as the US won a stunner in stoppage time to advance to the knockout stages and play Ghana.

The match was intense. The US played well but was consistently unable to finish. And I can't explain why the first goal was called back. But now, I don't really care. Maybe the US has used up its share of bad calls and we'll get some good ones moving forward.

Right before Donovan scored, the US was attacking pretty fiercely. The stadium would get up and down with the ebb and flow of the attack. Some of the strikes were pretty solid and the Algerian keeper was played extremely well today.

But the eruption after the goal was insane!! People dancing in their seats, chucking beers all over the place, hugging any American sitting next to them, the Algerians strangely silent and pissed at the same time. It was a great experience being there and sharing in 92 minutes of pain and then the on-going celebration.

Random fact: The USA finishes on the top of their group even though they held the lead in their three matches for a total of one minute.

See you in Rustenburg boys on Saturday!

Jeremy Roenick is not my ex-boyfriend

While some J.B. Sports Chat bloggers were watching international sporting events, others were back home in the U.S. of A. coping with life in the off-season. I don't know what other hockey fans, NBA fans, or NFL fans watch on television, but I always catch myself flipping to the NHL Network like it's an ex-boyfriend's facebook page. I know it's over, but sometimes it's nice to check in and see if there's anything going on.

Much like my exes, the NHL Network programming has gone downhill since it ended. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on June 9th and effectively played the last NHL game until the pre-season starts up in September. In between seasons, the network often replays recent playoff games, or shows classic finals games from any time during the last 40 years or so. These are hard to watch when you already know the outcome. Over the weekend, I watched something I hadn't seen before. They aired several episodes of the Pokerstars.net NHL Charity Poker Tournament. This is exactly what it sounds like - NHL stars playing poker for charity. Surprisingly, it wasn't that boring. I saw Jeremy Roenick, Mats Sundin, Eddie Olczyk, Alex Ovechkin, and many other NHL stars alongside some professional poker players. And Kevin Connelly (E from Entourage.) ?? It was like watching a competitive poker tournament, but with celebrities you recognize.

I watched the poker games pretty passively as I was multitasking at home, but I knew they were not recent because at one point Scott Hartnell (Flyers) was playing against Kris Versteeg (Blackhawks) and there was no mention of the series they just finished weeks ago. I went online to find out just how long ago the games were played, and it turns out I had been watching poker games from one year ago.

My question is this: Which is sadder, watching NHL players (and E from Entourage!) playing a year old game of poker, or stalking an ex's facebook page? Because right now, they are both feeling equally pathetic. It's time to move on, but baseball just doesn't satisfy me the way that hockey does.

Man, this relates on so many levels. I'm just going to go on with my life and thank ESPN for making poker an official sport. Maybe later this summer I can watch Chris Pronger and Chris Chelios compete in a spelling bee from 2008. Thank God for sports television networks.

Bookend Tackles?

In 2005, the New Orleans Saints used their 13th overall pick on a left tackle who would go on to make the Pro Bowl in his second and fourth years. But during their 2009 Super Bowl run, Jammal Brown was sidelined with a hip injury and a sports hernia. The Saints prevailed without him, which is why they were willing to give him up to the Redskins for a conditional 2011 draft pick.

The Redskins offensive line couldn't stop anything last year. They were BP bad. For many fans, this was priority number one. So how does the line stack up now? With rookie Trent Williams on the left and Jammal Brown on the right, not too bad. (*note: Williams was a right tackle in college, Brown played left for the Saints. Currently the Redskins have them slotted oppositely, but this could change as the preseason progresses).

What can bookend tackles mean? A lot. It's the key to the outside run. You might recall very successful campaigns for Stephen Davis and Clinton Portis when Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen were healthy. In the middle, Big Mike Williams and newcomer Artis Hicks duke it out to start opposite incumbent right guard Derrick Dockery. And then there's old reliable Casey Rabach at center. Don't get me wrong, it's not the Hogs, but if they stay healthy, I like our odds.

Recovering from emotional rollercoaster of USA Slovenia

It's taken two days to calm down after the Slovenia match to be able to write this. The game was the most emotional sporting event I've ever attended, by far. I got to the match and was immediately impressed by the density of American supporters. In a stadium that holds 60,000 people, there must have been at least 80% USA fans! In comparison, the England game was probably 35% American supporters in a stadium that seated 40,000.

All the supporters had come out in brilliant costumes. My favorite was a trio in NASA space suits holding signs that read "South Africa! We have landed!". I'll get up pictures as soon as I get them off my camera. The place was rocking by the time the teams came out onto the fields for their national anthems.

So we are all yelling and screaming and blowing a few vuvuzelas and then Slovenia slips through for their first goal. The oft-cited criticism is that the US leaks bad goals. My opinion after watching two games is that the critics are right. The USA leaked two bad early goals and immediately put ourselves in a hole. Timmy Howard is an amazing keeper and has definitely kept the team in the game any number of times, but if his defense won't mark up and close out and run players off the ball in the box then we are going to give up bad goals.

The stadium was very quiet after the first goal but we got back on the horse and continued urging the team on. And we had a really good attack going for a while, highlighted by Donovan's near goal that was kicked away at the last possible moment by a Slovenian defender. But then the heartbreaker - after a good ten to fifteen minutes of American domination, the Slovenians slipped in on the counter-attack. It was a beautifully played throughball, assisted by more sloppy American defending, that was slotted into the back of the net.

So there we are, thoroughly disheartened, going into the half down two-zero. Thankfully Bradley made two important changes at the half. Anyone with half an eye could have told you Findley was ineffective in the first 135 minutes of play and he was removed. Torres played a mostly uninspired defensive midfield, with the exception of one nice set piece, and was also removed. Donovan was moved up to a forward position and immediately rewarded the decision with a cracker of a goal two yards in front of the net. From there on out, it was USA almost the whole half. This is the type of soccer I came to South Africa to see! The US imposed their will on Slovenia, making nice runs, putting together crisp passes, and taking well-aimed shots.

And we were rewarded in the 80th minute with a beautifully set up play, a drop-down header from Altidore, who was playing like a rock in the front, and a slammed home volley from Bradley junior. We were back in the game!!! The crowd erupted in a roar I've never heard before. We were feeling really good and continued to press the attack. It seemed as if Slovenia was content to merely try and hang on for the draw at this point. But they could not deny the US attack and the Americans scored a beautiful goal of a Donovan set piece.

Even though the Slovenians appeared helpless before the American assault, the referee was not and blew the now-infamous phantom penalty against our side. The goal was mysteriously called back. By now there has been enough venting and complaining and I'm willing to accept the absurdity of it all. A beautiful goal nullified and no explanation given. At the match I was beyond upset. But the English draw against Algeria has put the ball firmly into the American court. It we win, we advance. That's all a team can really ask for anyway. And somehow, a win with a Slovenian loss or draw puts us through in first place, avoiding Germany in the round of 16. And thanks to a weak group A, we would most likely play Mexico or Uruguay in the quarters. It is hard to imagine a better road to the semis than that. Not an easy one, but infinitely better than facing Argentina or Brazil early on.

All in all, I'll take where we are at. I hoped for better, prayed for no worse, and now the USA is in control of its destiny. Oleeeee, ole ole, oleeee. Ole----- USA!

Notes from the Cup

Here's another post from our friend Eric in South Africa - apologies for the tardiness. I blame the time difference.

I went to the USA v. England match last week. It was a nice healthy drive from Joburg to Rustenburg on a small highway that clearly wasn't intended to transport that many rabid fans to a stadium in the middle of nowhere. My friend and I parked the car a few miles from the stadium and hopped on the bus with masses of singing English fans. Cruised into the stadium without problems, found our seats, and the game began.



The Brits are far in front of us with their cheers, and songs, and hand claps and general insults to hurl at the other team. A lot of us American fans resorted to a scattering of old college cheers. We need to get a consensus on this guys! Any songwriters out there want to get us some good music to taunt our foes across the pitch?

The first goal against was brutal. The USA came out looking sloppy and unprepared for the quickness of the English attack. Within minutes we were down 1-nil and the USA fans looked despondent. When a goal is scored so quickly there is a lot of time to get back in the mix though, and after the first ten minutes the US started to play a lot better. Our goal was a miracle of course - no competent keeper should have let that one through.



In the second half the game opened up a lot more. Timmy Howard was my MVP of the game, with brilliant save after save. Jozy's sweet run that ended in a shot off the crossbar almost had the USA fans in fits. What a sweet victory that would've been. I'm getting ready for the Slovenia game now and I think it will go well for our boys. We should have some confidence after drawing England and come out a little more comfortable and ready to play. I think Donovan and Jozy could be a little more assertive, and I'm still not sure who the other striker paired with Jozy was, but please, bench him. He showed nothing the entire match except drawing one penalty at the 40 yard line.

Good luck boys!

For a look at what happened on Friday and what it means, check out Kevin's post.

What Today's U.S., England Draws Mean?

In case you weren't actually at the match (Eric), playing hookey from work at 10am Eastern (Beau), or half asleep on your parents' couch at 7am Pacific (me), you may have missed an edge-of-your-seat 90 minutes of USA soccer today, with our Yanks fighting back from a nil-two deficit going into the half to almost pull off a Laker-esque come-from-behind victory. In fact, but for the worst reffing ever, Team USA would now be sitting happy atop the Group C standings. Unfortunately, they suffered from a non-foul called a foul, plus failure to call a penalty kick, resulting in a 2-2 draw, and Slovenia kings of Group C.

Oh yeah, and then England drew 0-0 with Algeria, proving definitively that England (ranked #8 in the world by FIFA) was overrated coming into this World Cup, and that Rooney's Premier League top-striker title fails to translate without a star international supporting cast.

So what does this all mean? Slovenia has 4 points, the U.S. and England each 2, and Algeria 1. The U.S. has its own destiny in its hands; a win means it moves forward with five points, regardless of how England vs. Slovenia plays out. The U.S. also moves forward with a tie if Slovenia and England draw at 0-0 or 1-1 (for any draw higher, the U.S. would have to draw at a goal higher as well to progress; i.e., a 2-2 Eng/Slo draw would require a 1-1 U.S./Alg draw).

This is all because the first World Cup tiebreaker in group play is Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed), and the second tiebreaker is total Goals For. Right now, Slovenia is sitting on a +1 GD, the U.S. and England are at 0, and Algeria is at -1. For Goals For, Slovenia and the U.S. both have 3, the English just one, and Algeria none.

If both the U.S. and England win, they'll both move forward. Who finishes first in the group (thus getting a hypothetically easier draw in the Round of 16) depends on who wins bigger next Wednesday (remember, GD is the first tiebreaker and the U.S. and England are currently even on that front).

Whether it'll be a blessing or a curse to come out of group first is yet to be seen; the winner of Group C plays the Group D runner up, and Germany fell 0-1 to Serbia today, with best-in-Africa Ghana yet to come.

Talking Points Memo

I just posted a piece on what to look for in tonight's historic match up over at Beatbots.

Here are some talking points that might not be absolutely beaten like a dead horse by announcers tonight:

What the absence of Kendrick Perkins does for the Lakers
Can Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom take advantage of Rasheed Wallace's limited movement? My guess is yes, yes, yes, and very much so. If the Lakers go inside consistently, this game could be over before the half.

Lamar Odom or Bizarre Odom
Dwyer says it better and with more words, but Lamar Odom simply has to show up tonight at his all-star level best.

Rondo's Availability on Offense
Rondo failed the Celtics in Game 6 partially because the Lakers know he doesn't have a perimeter game. If Rondo gets involved in pick and rolls and pick and pops or even hangs out on the low post after his initial pass, the Lakers simply have to pay attention to him, which makes life much easier for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce (and keeps Kevin Garnett where he should be - near the basket). Watch for Rondo's movement and involvement in screens. If you see it, that's great for the Celtics.

Lakers Clog the Lane
In Game 6, the Lakers absolutely destroyed the Celtics with their defense. Anyone in green who entered the lane found hands reaching in and grabbing the ball. Fisher from Garnett. Everyone from Tony Allen. This worked in part because the Lakers could slough off on Rajon Rondo and/or Tony Allen. If Rondo gets involved, it's tougher.

Benches need improvement
The benches have to play like it's the last game of the season. Why? Because it is. Big Baby needs a double-double for the Celtics. Tony Allen needs to suffocate Kobe. Farmar needs a repeat of Game 6. Shannon Brown can dunk all he wants, but tonight, he's going to have to use his gray matter.

Ray Allen needs to show up
He's done it before, even in this series, but the Celtics struggle mightily when this member of the Big Three doesn't play well. In the conflated id-ego-superego, mind-body-soul mixed triumverate spread across the Big Four, Allen shares the duties of the mind with Rondo but also holds the role of superego. He is the savvy veteran with control and he absolutely cannot disappear tonight. Keep an eye out for a few offensive rebounds from Ray. If he has a couple, this will be a real game rather than another rout by the Lakers.

Where Amazing Happens in Crocodile and Chinchilla

From astute reader Kevin, we're proud to present the coolest jacket of all time for the discerning NBA fan (Clippers, Nets & Knicks fans need not apply). As Kevin said, "Happy Birthday. Merry Christmas. Chinchilla, bro. Chinchilla."


Voila.

Authentic Jeff Hamilton CHINCHILLA Jacket With NBA Logos Done In CROCODILE. Absolutely Amazing. Lined In Heavy Bridal Satin With Silver Plated Snaps. Retail $14,000.00

You can pick it up on eBay right now for $6,999. Doing so would allow you to:
- Revel in its combination of chinchilla and crocodile.
- Flaunt its sheer gaudiness with pride.
- Rejoice in helping the economy.
- Use it as a blanket on a cold night (it's size XXL).
- Fend off other awkward animal combinations through pure awesome.

The jacket is being sold by Jackets For You, a company which gives a 20% discount to Arizona residents for "Their Enforcement Of Federal Immigration Laws." Jackets For You also penalizes those it doesn't like: "San Francisco & West Hollywood Clients & Liberal Democratic Politicians Get A 20% Surcharge For Being Anti American, & To Cover Our Arizona Discounts." I'd bet the newest proposed Arizona law's unconstitutionality doesn't bother Jackets For You one damn bit.

Haynesworth: Fat and Unhappy (and Filthy Stinking Rich)

Free agency has come and gone. The NFL draft has passed by as well. But Albert Haynesworth has decided that now, in June where nobody will trade a Canadian nickel for him, that he no longer wants to be a Redskin. Haynesworth alleges that promises about where he would play and what type of scheme he would play in have been broken. I'm sorry, but for $100 million, you can break just about any promise you can make to me.

Haynesworth is unhappy about the direction the team is moving in. One year removed from his record-setting contract. Not to beat a dead horse, but for $100 million, you can move me in any direction you want. New defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is transitioning the Redskins defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4, which means Haynesworth would have to become a nose tackle. Okay, that's something to be annoyed about. But said his agent: "The Redskins are trying to establish a new regime with new schemes at Redskins Park, and it is not an organization that Albert would have ever been attracted to just a short year ago - regardless of the money." Regardless of the money? What else would have brought him here in the first place? The wimpy unenergetic coach? The two decades worth of mediocrity? Ben's Chili Bowl?

Dan Steinberg breaks down Fat Albert's earnings with the Redskins. Per snap, he made over $55,000. Per snap. I'm sure many of us don't make that much in a good year. Redskins fans don't know whether to kick him to the curb for the cheap late round draft picks we're likely to get for him, or to eat the salary cap and have him sit on the bench festering so that no one will ever want him again.

Congrats, Fat Albert. You have officially joined the overpaid under performing ranks of Heath Shuler, Sean Gilbert, Dana Stubblefield, Jeff George, and Adam Archuleta. Thanks for the 12 dissapointing games.

Things I would rather watch than NBA basketball

The NBA has bastardized its sport more than any professional sports league in the world. I tried watching ten grown men from LA and Boston duke it out on the court for the title, but the ball-hogging and cry-babying made me want to take my own life. Here is a list of things I'd rather watch than NBA basketball:

-A swim meet between Mali and Uzbekistan
-The National Spelling Bee
-Several college football conferences bucking tradition and dissolving into an unrecognizable mess
-A hockey game between teams from Phoenix and Tampa
-The Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Pirates playing cricket against each other
-The Baltimore Orioles' games-out-of-first total skyrocketing
-Two Oakland Raiders fans making love (or whatever they call it in Oakland)
-Congressmen playing jai alai
-Major League 2
-Joe Buck kissing Troy Aikman's ass for three hours on a Sunday
-Curling
-Denmark scoring a goal against themselves
-Amputees playing lacrosse
-Actors playing poker
-NASCAR with electric cars
-Preseason rugby
-Israel vs. Palestine in water polo
-Chess

This is of course not a comprehensive list. The spirit of any sport is damaged whenever whiny millionaires are responsible for the quality of the game, but for some reason the NBA is much worse than other leagues. Players' sense of entitlement is topped only by their lack of defense. Call me when NCAA ball starts up again.

US v. England

Much has been made of the tie between the United States and England on Saturday. Some people snarkily called the tie the greatest victory for US soccer. Others predicted it. No one expected that hilarious lack of skill exhibited by the English goalie, Green.

The Guardian has a pretty good recap of the goals here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2010/jun/14/world-cup-2010-england-usa-brick.

Yes, it's a Lego version of both goals. And yes, it's awesome.

World Cup Update for the Jealous... including all of us

Yes, boobies are a fantastic opener to a blog post. However, this post comes from our wonderful in-country correspondent Eric. As an editor, I apologize for posting this so late. The truth is I had a hot date that may or may not have involved someone you know. Such is the adventurous life of a sports blogger. Editorialisms aside, here is Eric's take from South Africa:

I've never seen a stadium get down like I did in Pretoria this afternoon. South Africa scored a beautiful goal at the start of the second half to open scoring for the World Cup and a 1-0 lead over Mexico. I was at a Fan Fest with 30,000 other people who all went completely bonkers. The vuvuzelas were screeching, people were screaming, everyone was hugging and it was sweet pandemonium. I have video which I will upload as soon as I find a speedy enough internet connection. Celebrating with an entire country is a unique and wondrous thing.

As loud as a goal for RSA was, the silence was absolute when Mexico broke through and equalized. After the keeper had made a stunning save in the first half to keep the score nil-nil, it was quite sad seeing the Mexican goal come on a blown offsides trap. In America, it's a golden rule, pummeled into you from youth soccer, to get out of the box after a corner. So while 9 out of 10 South African players moved beyond the 18, one remained and three Mexicans moved in behind him. When the cross was delivered, it was an easy blow into the back of the net. And into the bellies of 40 million South Africans.

In the end, a 1-1 draw wasn't the worst way to start. And with France and Uruguay tying as well, the group is wide open. And after seeing all four teams playing I'm not convinced any of them are worthy of going through.

All in all though, a great first day to World Cup action. And now to dream of the US beating England tomorrow!! This game I will be there live.

World Cup - Who You Got?

So one of our readers has an interesting discussion going on her Facebook page. She is from Poland (who did not qualify) and now is facing the dilemma of which team to support.  Her issue is that as a long suffering Polish fan, she doesn't want to back a bad team and go through all the heartache for an adopted Country.  At the same time, she is worried that she will lose some of her fan purity if she picks an amazing team like Brazil or Spain.   

I would say back a team like the Netherlands. They are real good and fun to watch, but if they were to make the semifinals (or even the quarters) it would be a little bit of a surprise. Hey, if the US don't do well, I might just have to jump on the orange train myself (I mean check out that guy below)!

What do you guys think?  Please help our friend and fellow reader decide who to support this world cup!

The Demise of the Regional Conference

If you've turned on ESPN in the last 24 hours, you've heard the big news: Colorado will be leaving the Big 12 to join the Pac-10, and Nebraska is headed off to the Big 10. Rumors suggest that Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State may also be on the way out, possibly all also over to the Pac-10 (soon to be known the "Pac-16"!?!). Making a play on Notre Dame (in addition to picking up Nebraska), the Big 10 may also soon compete as a "super-conference," the kind that used to be unheard of except for, you know, the Big 12.

While it's true that Arizona and Arizona State are located in a state that does not sit on the Pacific Coast, there was still undoubtedly a regional coherence to the Pac-10. Same can be said for the Big 10 and Big 12, the Big East and SEC. But with the departure of Colorado signed in ink, Nebraska not far behind, and the Texas schools smelling blood (a.k.a. big media market money) in the water, the Big 12 seems on its last legs. The Big 10 may still make some claims to being a regional conference, but a Pac-16 including Texas and Oklahoma can make no such assertion. Throw in there the potential that Notre Dame basketball may go along with the ride for Notre Dame football to join the Big 10, and you see the death of the Big East as well.

At the end of the day, will the only regional conference left be the SEC? Is it time to abandon this conference nonsense altogether and just create four regional super-conferences once and for all: Pac-16, Big 16, ACC, and SEC (and possibly abandon the NCAA in the process)? And even though Football is King, what does this mean for basketball powerhouses outside of the new super-conferences (especially those in the dying Big 12 and Big East, like Kansas, KState, and Gtown)?

Lots of questions, but no clear answers yet for how this will all settle at the end of the day.

Picking up World Cup Tickets

This is via email from our newest contributor, Eric, who is in South Africa for the World Cup.

When I entered the World Cup lottery for Team USA tickets 16 months ago, I didn’t realize that winning the lottery meant you immediately purchased the tickets you selected. I was under the impression that I was bidding on the right to buy tickets and a winning lottery number meant I could then purchase a ticket at my discretion. And really, a lottery makes it sound like you win something instead of the reality of forking over some cash to FIFA.

Being the proud owner of twelve tickets to the World Cup meant I had to get over to Africa. Which is where I am now, hanging out in my posh hostel in Cape Town. The official World Cup Ticketing Centres (thank you England) officially opened this week and I went over to pick up my tickets.

The good news: My tickets to see the USA take on England, Algeria and Slovenia!

The better news: Two of my three tickets were upgraded to CAT-1. For free.

Or through a blunder in the otherwise flawless execution of these games. See pictures of unfinished stadiums and highways as well as reports of crime in South Africa and other ineptitudes from FIFA, all to be found on Google. I don’t have the heart to take pictures of it myself. They really are working hard here to get everything ready.

CAT-1 tickets mean I’m sitting center pitch for the matches, rather than tucked into the corners.

The bad news: All of my tickets are, by random, in the upper levels. There is only one price for a ticket in CAT-1, regardless if you are in the mid-field 2 rows back or sort of on the side close to the goal in the upper level. Same goes for all the other categories. Price is determined by where you are on the circle around the pitch, not how far back you are from the pitch.

The worse news: Knockout stage game tickets are only issued after the results are known for the prior games. Therefore, I didn’t get my knockout stage tickets. Which means I have to go back to an official Ticketing Centre three more times. And since I’m leaving the country before the quarter- and semi-finals, it’s a mystery how those tickets will be purchased and given away as gifts to some dear friends I haven’t met yet.

Obviously I have no real reason for complaining though. I’m here in beautiful South Africa, getting to know the country and her people, and mentally preparing for an epic US-England matchup.

Hey SportsCenter, meet my friend Title IX

After watching the highlight shows earlier this week, I could tell you about Urban Meyer's esophageal pain, exactly how much fluid Andrew Bynum had drained from his knee (2 1/2 ounces), the make of Tyreke Evans's car (Benz s550), and that Ben Roethlisberger wore a yellow T-shirt at his first practice back with the Steelers. Here are some of the things I couldn't tell you: who won in the WNBA, and which women are still alive in the French Open. I can, however, tell you all about Venus Williams's controversial undergarments.

This is from a column in last week's Washington Post by Sally Jenkins. I understand and empathize with her observations. She's right. I showed that paragraph to a guy friend and he responded with intrigued enthusiasm, "Ooh... Venus Williams has controversial undergarments?!?" It is unfortunate because female athletes should get the credit they deserve, but the limited coverage they do receive often revolves around clothing or undergarments. Brandi Chastain's sports bra is a good example. I have a theory as to why there is so little coverage: Women's sports are boring to watch.

I'm sorry Ms. Jenkins, and I'm sorry to all my sisters out there who are athletes (and could probably kick my ass.) Women's sports are not as fast, not as gritty and not nearly as fun to watch as men's. I am a huge hockey fan, I'll watch any game that's on - at any level. But I would tune into women's hockey only if it was the only game on. What can I say? The no-checking rule really dulls things down.

Jenkins' column goes on to ask:

Ever had this experience: You want the score of a women's game, and can't get it? You wait through a half hour of the evening news or ESPN's "SportsCenter," hoping to be rewarded with a fleeting mention of the Mystics, or the NCAA softball championship. You stare at the crawl line, trying to read the tiny print, only to hear about an NFL player's Achilles' in June.

As a matter of fact, NO. I have not had that experience. I have however had this experience: Living in DC and transferring every day at the Metro station within a few feet from the Verizon Center, yet on game nights, I see no indication that there is a Mystics game at all. No one in Mystics jerseys, no WNBA caps, nothing. I board the same Metro that is often crowded with Capitals fans or Nationals fans on their game nights, but I'm oblivious to the WNBA because I see no fans, no hint of a sporting event in the neighborhood. Do the scalpers even sell tickets on the street? I have no idea. Despite the Mystics banners inside the Verizon Center from their record-breaking attendance, I see little exposure of the team anywhere.

But then, that is really the whole point of this column. The author acknowledges that female athletes and fans are used to being marginalized in the sports news. And it's easy to understand why they would be marginalized, given the lack of interest, and the lack of money in women's sports when compared to men's. There's big money in men's sports at every level. Women's sports simply don't have the audience or the money. But that seems to be the author's beef. The highlights shows are not acknowledging women's sports because there's no interest, but her argument is that there's no interest because the highlights shows don't cover them. These shows set the agenda. She points out:

...it's difficult for any sport to develop connections with viewers when no one sees their replays, hears their echoes, or gets to know the players.

Again, I can't argue with her, she's right. I am a sports fan and SportsCenter often plays on a continuous loop on my television. There's not really much that I'd rather watch. I can relate. There are some sports that I will always go out of my way to watch, but everything else in the sports world I rely on SportCenter or other highlight shows to tell me what is important. If something were to change and suddenly these shows consistently covered women's sports, would it create more interest and awareness by sports fans? Possibly. Would it make women's sports less boring? Probably not.

John Wooden

The most celebrated college coach of all time has gone to the great game in the sky. John Wooden has passed on. If you know and love basketball, you know his name, if only as myth. He was the equivalent of Red Auerbach, yet on the West Coast and coaching the college game. He coached Red's favorite team's most certain and tall opponent in Kareem. Wooden also coached one of the best passing centers of all time in Bill Walton, who managed to find a late resurgence on a Celtics team in the 80s. He did things as a coach that are simple pipe dreams these days.

In case you're confused: John Wooden = dynasty. 10 championships in 12 years.

His players woke up early. They started in the morning. They worked harder and more often. It was expected. If you've read the best basketball book of all time, "The Breaks of the Game," you know that in the 60s and 70s, ballplayers thought there should be two championships: one for UCLA and one for the rest of the country. Wooden was just that good - as a coach, as a recruiter, as a persuader. If you've read that Halberstam book, you know very well that Wooden was as flawed as the rest of us. The thing is, John Wooden and Red Auerbach and Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are all made of the same mettle. There are a small number of others made of that special stuff - Morgan Wootten, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade - and we are entirely lucky to see them exact their joy/competition/hate through basketball. Wooden brought his irreplaceable fire to college basketball and a level of joy and hope it might never reach again.

There's the story of when Wooden's scrubs (including Bill Walton) beat his starters in a pre-season scrimmage. His starters won the National Championship that year. His scrubs won it later as starters. He coached a young guy named Lew Alcindor, who was on the losing side of that scrub team. Wooden always got the best players. He also got the best out of them. He is the one coach any other coach in the history of the game would love to play against and be okay losing; after an 88 game win streak, it was expected. Wooden brought the NCAA to the nation with his unstoppable march toward victory.

Goodnight, John Wooden. 99 years is a great run. It's even better when you're one of the best of all time. Thank you.

What's your favorite Ball?

The New York Times Italy, 1934? Mexico, 1986? South Africa, 2010? Find your favorite World Cup ball.

Special thanks to AWP for pointing out this link!

Goodbye Ken Griffey, Jr.

Ken Griffey, Jr. has retired after what had become an unfortunate end to an otherwise illustrious career. 10 Gold Gloves and a MVP. 13 time All Star.

Tim Brown at Yahoo! Sports thinks Griffey may have been the best clean player in the steroid era.

He was “The Natural” long before it meant anything more than a man whose skills seemed derived from the heavens. From the day of his first MVP vote in 1990 to the day of his last in 2005, 16 of 32 MVP recipients eventually were linked to performance-enhancing drugs, Barry Bonds accounting for seven alone. Enough others – Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa, Ken Caminiti, Mo Vaughn and Juan Gonzalez – were rumored to have used, accused of using, or admitted to using, to have fouled those 16 seasons.

Was he? What about Ripken? Did Ripken's career not overlap enough with the steroid era? Pujols?

World Cup Correspondent

We're hoping to unveil a World Cup correspondent shortly. While he doesn't have the renown of Steve Nash, who will be reporting for www.cbssports.com, he does have a law degree, which must count for something. Right?

For now, though, you all can bask in the mystery of who this guy could possibly be.

We Meet Again

For the 12th time in NBA history, the Lakers and Celtics will meet in the Finals. The Celtics have 17 titles in 21 trips to the Finals. The Lakers have 15 titles in 31 trips. The Celtics are 9-2 against the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Celtics embarrassed the Lakers in the most recent matchup in 2008, wrapping up the title with a Game 6 blowout. Will 2010 be any different? To answer that, we need to weigh the differences between these teams and this matchup in 2010 with the 2008 versions.

The biggest personnel differences are Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, Nate Robinson, Ron Artest and a healthy(ish) Andrew Bynum. For Boston, the personnel changes are basically a wash, as they provide the same skill set as the players they replaced (with the notable exception of 'Sheed's 3-point shooting). For Los Angeles, Ron Artest should help shut down Paul Pierce, and Andrew Bynum's presence will mean a lot, even if he is slowed by his knee injury.

The series itself is different this time around, too, as the Lakers have home court advantage. In the Finals, this is much more important than in all previous rounds because of the 2-3-2 format. It's extremely difficult to win 3 games in a row in the NBA Playoffs. This puts the underdog at a severe disadvantage - instead of winning one game on the road, the Celtics will probably have to win two games on the road as it's very likely they will drop at least one game at home.

The themes of this series will be: Kobe vs. the Celtics' team defense; Rondo vs. the individual defender tasked to guard him (probably Kobe); Ron Artest's defense on Paul Pierce; the battle of the big men and whether Ray Allen can catch fire.

There are a ton of other things to discuss when looking at this matchup, and I'm not going to get into any of them. My status as a Laker fan precludes me from performing a rational, streamlined analysis. I am excited and nervous. This is going to be a great series.

I'm taking Lakers in 6.

World Cup to Use High-Speed Adidas Ball

"World Cup: Adidas' Jabulani Ball Promises Higher Scores, Anguished Goalies":

[F]or the 11th year, Adidas earned the right to field its version of what a world-class ball should look like.

This tournament's ball, called "Jabulani," which means "to celebrate" in Bantu, represents advances in both design and innovation.

Rather than being made of leather, which is traditional, the Jabulani ball is constructed of synthetics. Instead of 14 panels, there are only eight, which are held together by thermal bonding, not hand stitching.

That "grip 'n' groove" technology makes for improved wind channeling and, thus, a truer flight, Adidas officials say. Fewer seams also translate into a greater striking surface, making the Jabulani the roundest and most accurate soccer ball ever created.

As a result, this ball is faster than ever -- potentially making for higher-scoring games. That's a plus for markets, like the U.S., where less soccer-savvy audiences are less appreciative of a sophisticated defense than of the primal thrill of a boot into the net.

US National Team Announced!

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, your US National Team!

From US Soccer:
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (All-Time World Cup Roster Appearances)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (2010), Marcus Hahnemann (2006, 2010), Tim Howard (2006, 2010)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (2006, 2010), Jonathan Bornstein (2010), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006, 2010), Jay DeMerit (2010), Clarence Goodson (2010), Oguchi Onyewu (2006, 2010), Jonathan Spector (2010)
MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006, 2010), Michael Bradley (2010), Ricardo Clark (2010), Clint Dempsey (2006, 2010), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006, 2010), Maurice Edu (2010), Benny Feilhaber (2010), Stuart Holden (2010), José Torres (2010)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (2010), Edson Buddle (2010), Robbie Findley (2010), Herculez Gomez (2010)

Look at that... no Brian Ching. I have to admit, I'm surprised but happy Ching isn't there. 15 players on this team will experience their first World Cup in 3 weeks. That's an amazingly young team for a tough group. To catch the US team in their last match before the Cup begins, check out ESPN2 this Saturday at 2 pm when the US takes on Turkey in Philadelphia.

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes

Thanks to my fellow J.B. Sports Chat blogger, Beau, for inviting everyone to watch Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals Saturday night. A sports bar sounds like a great place to go at 8:00 this Saturday. I wonder if there's anything else in the wide world of sports going on Saturday night. Anything else going on? Anything at all?

Sure, you can come out and watch Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Or you can watch game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This year is particularly exciting for me because it's the first time since 2007 that I won't have to pick between the Penguins and the Red Wings, two teams I love to hate. It's also the battle of the comebacks. Chicago has only seen the finals once since 1973. The last time the Flyers won the Cup was in 1975, although they have made several ill-fated appearances in the finals since then. Chicago and Philly both making it to the finals this year is the most surprising comeback since Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler.

I am vexed by the oversight on my fellow blogger's invitation and I was all set to make this into a snarky, faux-feminist rant about how I'm being oppressed as the only female blogger here at J.B. Sports Chat. At once I took the omission of my favorite sport as a personal insult. But the truth is, any exclusion against me probably has less to do with me being a chick, and more about me being a hockey fan. These guys will pick their bright orange bouncing ball over my three inches of vulcanized rubber any day, and they have a history of excluding hockey. What can I say? They love balls. I respect that.

Still, my favorite sport was left out of the original invite. Even though it has been fixed now (thank you Beau) I still feel there is a score that needs to be settled. So that's right, Saturday night is now Lakers vs. Suns, Blackhawks vs. Flyers, and Kathleen vs. Beau. I will seek to settle the score throughout the night by challenging Beau to random games of both skill and chance. This may or may not include drinking games, arm wrestling, and seeing who can walk longer in stiletto heels without falling down (Beau has totally got that one.) The smart money on Saturday night is on Lakers, Blackhawks, and Kathleen.

Saturday Night Special

The Suns just beat the Lakers in what was just a sloppy effort by everyone on the Lakers not named Kobe Bryant. Derek Fisher deserves some serious blame for this one after some late game mistakes. And really, zone defense? Come on, it's just not that good. The Lakers are good enough to pick apart the zone with a couple of passes and a drive. The triangle offense isn't something that only works against man to man D. It works against all defenses; that's its beauty. But, it relies on the offense reading the defense and reacting. That just didn't happen appropriately last night. And these Lakers should be killing these Suns. Sure, the Suns have a fantastic offense, a deep bench (yet woefully inconsistent in this series), and Steve Nash's broken face, but the Lakers have Pau Gasol. If Pau erupts for 38 instead of Kobe, the Lakers win easy when the Phoenix defense collapses too much to keep Ron Artest and Kobe from sniping threes all night. But now, this suddenly best of 3 series is going to 6, at least.

In honor of Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, we're having a viewing party at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill in Washington, DC. The game starts at 8:30 pm. We'll be there around 8:00 to talk basketball. Just so you know, very few of the contributors on this here blog actually live in DC. Our main Lakers guy is in L.A. and therefore won't be joining us. But that shouldn't stop some basketball fans from getting together and talking trash.

Hope to see you there.

The Rumor Mill

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated from the playoffs, the rumors about LeBron have begun in full force. Some of the rumors aren't even related to his free agency. Personally, I am not a fan of the rumor mill. I would rather wait-and-see than speculate endlessly. And, obviously, rumors are just that: rumors. They range from "a credible source within [the organization/LeBron's inner circle/the ownership group/the coaching staff] tells me" to something some media member cooked up in his head.

Despite my aversion to the rumor mill, the consequences of the LeBron Sweepstakes are very interesting, and I'm not talking about the team that ultimately signs him. When this is all said and done, the teams that have sold out on everything and everybody to sign LeBron only to come up empty handed will be devastated for years to come. Teams are already attempting to position themselves as the front-runner in the LeBron Sweepstakes by making moves that will have a long-lasting effect on the organization, whether or not LeBron decides to end up there.

One of the biggest examples of this is the recent firing of Cleveland coach Mike Brown. Now, I am not a big Mike Brown supporter. His offensive "schemes" were dribbling around the perimeter and/or isolation with #23. He was unable to get his team to focus and get serious when it mattered most, and he underachieved in the playoffs. But, he was the winningest coach in Cleveland Cavaliers history, had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons, went to the playoffs in all five years of his tenure and even took the team to the NBA Finals in 2007. To fire a coach that has shown a track record of success in the hopes of signing LeBron James to a max deal so he can pick his coach is a little short-sighted. Now, obviously much of that success is because of LeBron James. But it would be foolish to give Mike Brown no credit for the team's success. If you're going to blame him for his failures, give him credit for his successes. If LeBron leaves the Cleveland, what is next for the Cavaliers? They are left with no on-court leader, no coach, Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison. Good luck getting any marquee free agent to sign there at that point. The Cavs are all-in for LeBron, and if they come up short, it's going to be a long, hard road ahead for Cavs fans.

Of course, the first team to go all-in for the LeBron Sweepstakes (or the 2010 Free Agent Class Sweepstakes, more appropriately) was the New York Knicks. They slashed and burned like rainforest loggers and now have the ability to sign two players to max deals. In the process, they have basically given the finger to their fanbase for the last four seasons, expecting the fans to wait until 2010-2011 for a remotely competitive team to root for. They are a complete embarrassment and are now not even seen as the front-runner for signing LeBron James because the franchise is such a mess, even though it is the #1 media market in the world. Of course, in this internet day and age, it's a little ridiculous to assume that James has to be in New York to be a marketing phenomenon. So all of that for nothing? Well, not exactly. So all of that for Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh? Great. Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and David Lee do not a championship contender make. Enjoy another 5 years of mediocrity, Knicks fans.

Then there's the Chicago Bulls rumors. These rumors make sense, since Vinny Del Negro is on the way out. If LeBron can't work for a hands-off, carefree Mike Brown, there's no way he's going to want to work for a detail-oriented, in-your-face Del Negro. So we've got another team firing another successful coach for the potential of signing LeBron. The most hilarious part of all of this is the rumor that Phil Jackson is going to return to coach LeBron on the Bulls. From the article:

There has been no direct contact between Bulls officials and Jackson, according to the sources, but people close to both parties have spoken and come away with the belief that Jackson would be open to a potential reunion in Chicago next season.

Note the "no direct contact" and "people close to both parties have spoken and come away with the belief" language. That basically means that somebody who knows PJ and somebody who knows a Bulls official think it could probably, maybe happen. Well, it won't, and here's why: Phil Jackson has discussed, in pre- and post-game interviews, his reasons for considering retirement. They have nothing to do with not feeling challenged, or not wanting to take a pay cut: he doesn't want to take 2-week road trips to Charlotte and Oklahoma City. Guess what? That doesn't change in Chicago. Furthermore, he is in a serious relationship with Jerry Buss' daughter, Jeannie. And who wants the MJ comparisons for 82 games plus the playoffs? I doubt Phil is excited about that prospect.

So Chicago is selling out its future to sign LeBron James, which may not happen. Unfortunately, like the Cavs, they did not have the foresight and intelligence to refrain from firing their coach before getting a commitment from LeBron. They can kiss that 8 seed goodbye.

The LeBron Sweepstakes is upon us. And after it is all over, you're going to see a number of teams who have mortgaged their future and come away with nothing. All because of the availability of a certain special 25-year-old basketball player. He can name his price, and his terms, because the example has been set. If you're not willing to let go of everything to sign LeBron, well, you're not a true contender. That's unfortunate, and it's going to leave a lot of teams in a weakened state for an extended period of time.

As for me, I'll just wait and see what happens come July 1. But I won't feel sorry for the organizations that foolishly courted a player at the expense of their team. That's on them.

Baller-in-Chief: LeBron Would Fit In "Pretty Well" In Chicago

Marv Albert interviews President Obama about basketball, broadcast at 8pm EDT on TNT:

If LeBron James isn't sure he can win in Cleveland, President Barack Obama thinks there's an opportunity with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

"You know, like I said, I don't want to meddle," Obama told TNT. "I will say this: (Derrick) Rose, Joakim Noah it's a pretty good core. You know, you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there."

[...]

"I think that the most important thing for LeBron right now is actually to find a structure where he's got a coach that he respects and is working hard with teammates who care about him and if that's in Cleveland, then he should stay in Cleveland," Obama said. "If he doesn't feel like he can get it there, then someplace else."

The Wizards Finally Catch a Break

Let's take a quick look back at the Wizards during 2009-2010... it's a sad trip in a sad time machine, but here we go...

Wizards start weak and playoff hopes quickly disappear.
Owner Abe Pollin dies.
Franchise player Gilbert Arenas brings guns into the locker room.
Second two best players on team are at the deadline.
Team struggles mightily for rest of season.
Wizards fail to nab Alonzo Gee and San Antonio picks him up after he's had a great run on the lottery bound Wizards.

Some of this is pure stupidity. Some of it is luck... okay, just the many injuries.

Now, finally, the Wizards get a little luck and nab the number one pick in the 2010 draft. Finally. Grunfeld, this is on you. Don't pick another big guy with a questionable work ethic. Don't pick up the guy who might go third. Don't sell the pick because you have a point guard named Gilbert Arenas.

Pick John Wall. Let everyone know you are picking John Wall. Then, pick John Wall. There is no other option for you.

Are the habs unstoppable?

The Flyers victory over the Bruins on Friday night made this blogger very happy. My BFF (best Flyers fan) and I sent simultaneous text messages at 9:33 p.m. with identical reactions: OMFG!! The Flyers will advance to the Eastern Conference finals beginning this evening when they face the Montreal Canadiens.

The Flyers ended the regular season as a number 7 seed - unsure if they would even make it to the playoffs until they beat the New York Rangers in the last game of the season. The Canadiens were the number 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, but don't let that fool you. In the first two rounds they have defeated two of the most daunting opponents in the east (and perhaps the entire NHL): the Capitals - who finished the season with the best record in the league; and the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Conventional wisdom would predict that after facing the crafty offense of the Capitals and the Penguins, Montreal should have no problem shutting down the Flyers. The secret weapon for Montreal has been some remarkable goaltending from Jaroslav Halak. If Halak stays on this streak, the Flyers are going to have big trouble getting past him. This series is going to come down to goaltending.

While they Flyers don't have a star goalie for the playoffs this year, they certainly have a well-rested netminder. Their last series had the Flyers returning from an 0-3 deficit to Boston thanks to the effort of not just one goalie, but two. Brian Boucher was between the pipes up until an injury in game five against Boston. Relieved by Michael Leighton to finish out the 7-game series, the Flyers were still able to take down Boston and advance to the conference finals. Leighton has only played in three games during the playoffs this year, but has had a solid performance in all three.

Goaltending has been a problem for the Flyers all season, but so far they have been able to hold their own through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Tonight with Leighton in net, they will face a goaltender on a hot streak. I'm still cheering for Philly, but it's all going to come down to Halak. The regular season shows the Flyers and the Canadiens to be a pretty fair match-up (both teams finished the season with 88 total points; the Flyers beat the Canadiens in 2 out of 3 regular season match-ups.)

I don't think Montreal is unstoppable, but this is going to be a very hard-fought series. Nothing has come easy to either team this far in the post-season. We will see how far Halak can take his hot streak, and just how rested and ready to go Leighton is for this round. The semi-finals for both conferences should be great match-ups. The top two teams in the west will compete against the winner of the bottom two playoff teams in the east. No matter who you are cheering for, we will see some incredible hockey in the next few weeks.

NYT Puts Odds on LBJ Going to the Bulls, or Staying in Cleveland

Full story here, but here is how they see the odds:

• Cleveland: 5-7
• Chicago: 2-3
• Knicks: 3-1
• Nets: 5-1
• Heat: 7-1

The fan's dilemma: Who to cheer for when your team is out of the playoffs?

Even the luckiest of sports fans (or the most talented of bandwagon fans) will eventually run into this dilemma. Your team is out of the playoffs - what do you do now?

a.) Stop watching the playoffs and start working on your golf game? Very few sports fans will fall into this category, but some team loyalists may lose interest completely when their team is out. As someone who has had to choose between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins for the finals the last two years, I have to say - it's always fun to watch, even if you love to hate both remaining teams.

b.) Choose the team who beat your team to win the conference and the championship?

or

c.) Vindictively cheer for whoever plays against the team that brutally massacred your team on the way to the finals? Speaking specifically about the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, any animosity I felt toward the Montreal Canadiens vanished as soon as I saw the faces of the Penguins fans. The disbelief that their team lost to a number 8 seed at the last EVER game at Mellon Arena was exactly what I needed to become interested in the NHL playoffs once again.

But who do I cheer for now?

Tonight is game 7 for the Eastern Conference semifinals so tonight either Boston or Philadelphia will go on to play the habs in the conference finals. I'm going to have to cheer for Philly tonight for another reason altogether. For me, the correct answer is:

d.) Make alliances with other fans and cheer for their teams. I have a close friend who is a huge Flyers fan and not only would I love to see the elated (and shocked) look on her face if the Flyers advanced, but I have no doubt she'd be standing next to me cheering for the Caps if the roles were reversed.

Let's go Flyers!!

If nothing else, I won't have to go through this dilemma again. If all I'm left with is Boston, Montreal, Chicago and San Jose... Well...

Let's Go FLYERS, dammit!!!!

The NBA's Final Four

We're getting closer. Today I'm going to rank the last four teams remaining in the NBA Playoffs based on the best chance to win it all.

1. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are playing inspired basketball since the Game 4 blowout in OKC. I did predict that Kobe would go off in the Jazz series, but what I really get a kick out of is how every blog and media outlet is now proclaiming that Kobe is back to his old form. Well, I disagree (somewhat). Kobe obviously played better against the Jazz than against the Thunder, but a large part of that was the game plan and the opposing player guarding him. Thabo Sefalosha is one of the best defensive wing players in the NBA. Wesley Matthews is not. That is the main reason Kobe went off in the Jazz series. It's not because he's all of a sudden "back".

But I digress. The Lakers are operating on all cylinders, and a nice tune-up against a poor defensive team like the Utah Jazz combined with a one-week break to rest Bynum's knee and Kobe's finger/ankle/knee should prove to be invaluable to this team. Add to that the motivation to exorcise Phoenix demons and we should see Los Angeles advance to its third NBA Finals in as many years. They are the favorite to win it all.

1a. Orlando Magic

Of course, the Orlando Magic are absolutely crushing it this postseason. They are 8-0 and have been sitting at home watching the LeBron embarassment (hey LeBron - great players win championships) for nearly a week. Best team defense in the league, best defensive player in the league, a marquee point guard and a shooting guard who can pour it in when he's motivated enough to do so. The Magic are primed and ready to advance to their second NBA Finals in as many years. I just hope nobody sleeps on this team next year like they did this year. The only reason the Magic are #1a and not #1 is because beating Charlotte and Atlanta is not that impressive. They were clearly two of the weakest teams in the weaker conference's playoffs.

3. Boston Celtics

With their dismantling of the Cavaliers, the Celtics showed the world why you can never dismiss a championship team in future playoffs. This team is tough. This team is talented. And this team does not give up. Rondo is having a coming out party and their team defense is doing what it's so good at doing - shutting the other team down completely. Meanwhile, it looks like Paul Pierce is struggling. It will be hard for the Celtics to get past the Magic in the East Finals, but if Pierce can find his groove, it is entirely possible for the Celtics to advance.

4. Los Suns de Phoenix

The chemistry team. Steve Kerr was on the Dan Patrick show this morning and said that he could tell in training camp that this team just likes each other. That's a far cry from the usual distractions and prima donna personalities that the Suns have become known for over the past few years (hello, Amar'e Stoudemire). The resurgence of Grant Hill, the solid play of the Phoenix big men, the scoring of Jason Richardson and the masterful orchestration of the offense by Steve Nash have all combined to get the Suns to the West Finals. Unfortunately they (like almost everyone else) don't have the size to match up with the Lakers. But they do have the personnel to dictate the pace of the game, and they run the pick-and-roll as well as anyone in the league (which is the Lakers' main defensive weakness). If they can get past the Lakers, I could see them matching up well with the Magic and the Celtics. But they have to get there first.

Both of these series are going to be outstanding. I'll take Celtics in 7 and Lakers in 6 for a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals.

NY, NJ, or CHI?

Some people tell me that The Chosen One is a closer. I have yet to see the evidence.

The question now is, after losing for a second consecutive year before reaching the NBA Finals, despite having the best regular season record, what is LBJ going to do in the offseason?

The popular thinking is that, not being able to win with Cleveland, he's going to take his free agency and get the hell out of there. Only three teams really have the space under their cap to afford him: the NY Knicks, the NJ[Brooklyn] Nets, and the Chicago Bulls.

Safe money is on the Knicks, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that between Jay-Z and the new multibillionaire Russian owner of the Nets, and the promise of a Brooklyn franchise, it may be NJ/Brooklyn at the end of the day.

Thoughts?

U.S. Men's National Team for 2010 World Cup Announced

NYT has a story, and the full list is here.

Notable stats:

• 9 players are on MLS teams. The two L.A. teams each have two players a piece making the list: from Chivas USA, defender Jonathan Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan, and from the Galaxy, forward Edson Buddle and midfielder Landon Donovan.
  
• 7 players, including all 3 keepers, play on English teams (#1 GK Tim Howard plays for Everton, where star midfielder Landon Donovan was on loan earlier this year)
• L.A. Galaxy's Landon Donovan is the most experienced player on the squad, with 121 caps and 42 goals in international play. The Galaxy captain is 28 years old.
  
• The youngest player on the team is Jozy Altidore (Villareal, Spain), at 20 years old. The oldest player is backup keeper Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Eng.), at 38.
  

Was this a hoax?

What were the Celtics doing during the regular season? A 4 seed should not be giving the best team in the NBA (by record) a lesson in smart play. Boston finished the season 50-32. That's good enough for 6th through 8th in the Western Conference. They have just dominated Cleveland at home for the second time in this series to gain a 3-2 lead. Is this a LeBron collapse? His injury surely has been played up enough. The truth seems to be somewhere along the lines of Boston wants it more and Mike Brown cannot coach.

Phoenix to wear 'Los Suns' Jerseys in Game 2, on Cinco de Mayo

From Good Blog:

The Phoenix Suns will wear "Los Suns" on their jerseys in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night, owner Robert Sarver said, "to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation."

The decision to wear the jerseys on the Cinco de Mayo holiday stems from a law passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer that has drawn widespread criticism from Latino organizations and civil rights groups that say it could lead to racial profiling of Hispanics.

The "Los Suns" jerseys were designed and made as part of the NBA's "Noche Latina" promotional night, a recognition that 15% of the league's fan base is of Latino heritage, as are 18 of its players. Other participating teams are Los Lakers, Nueva York, and El Heat. 'Los Spurs' did not participate in Noche Latina, and thus will not be wearing the Latino-themed jerseys, despite Gregg Popovich's envy.

Magic-Hawks Preview

This series confuses me.

Orlando did exactly what was expected of them in sweeping Charlotte, despite not getting much scoring from Dwight Howard [Note: I do not believe that Howard played poorly - the man had 20 blocks in four games]. Atlanta struggled against an undermanned and less talented Bucks team, needing a full seven games to advance. Granted, the Bucks were better than the Bobcats. Regardless, based on first round results, Orlando should beat Atlanta easily.

But then I remember, as always, that the NBA Playoffs are all about the matchups. On paper, this is a very close series. Horford is big and athletic enough to handle Dwight's limited offensive game. Joe Johnson should be able to lock down Vince Carter. Josh Smith can take Rashard Lewis. Mike Bibby is old, but still effective. And Jamal Crawford is the well-deserved Sixth Man of the Year.

So we take into account all of the available information. Doing that, I'm going to have to say Orlando in 6.

[Predictions Recap: Lakers in 6, Spurs in 6, Cavaliers in 7 and Magic in 6.]

Forget Science

Nearly 20 years ago, my folks took me to Timonium, MD to watch some horse races. There may have been a state fair or something at the same time. I watched nine races and learned one thing: jockeys win more races than horses.

Today, I laid some friendly wagers down with some folks - whoever picks the better horse gets a beer. This isn't overly complicated. I picked Super Saver once I saw the 43 year old Calvin Borel on his back. Calvin has now won 3 of the last 4 Kentucky Derbies. He also happened to handle the inside rail at Churchill Downs rather well today in an undercard race. That's the thing: jockeys race a bunch during the day to get a feel for the track and to make some dough, though not in that order.

Next year, if Borel is racing which he surely will, a few jockeys will take and hold the rail for the entire race, come rain or highwater. Why? This is Borel's main strategy - stay at pace but back, then ride the rail to victory. Why? Borel admits it's the shortest route.

Will Super Saver win the Preakness? Maybe. I'm not going to give odds because I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool fan. As for Belmont, if Icebox is there, watch out. That horse looked like it would have obliterated Super Saver on a longer track. Further, Icebox excels at longer races.

The next month plus should be quite nice. It's too bad the Santa Anita Handicap is no longer a big deal. If you're a sports fan, make March the time to begin watching horse racing each year since the Handicap involves horses 4 years and older... thus allowing for Triple Crown contenders to test their mettle - lest they are already put out to stud.

Lakers vs. Jazz

The Lakers and Jazz couldn't have closed out their respective first round series in a more dichotomous way. While the Lakers secured a series-clinching victory with a last-second tip-in by Pau Gasol (off a Kobe Bryant isolation miss), the Jazz had the clock run out on a nearly double-digit lead while Deron Williams injured his elbow (although it looked like his wrist) on a screen by The Birdman.

While the Lakers are rolling into Game 1 at Staples on a high, the Jazz just hope Deron Williams can play (he is apparently a game-time decision). Luckily for the Jazz, this is not the NFL. It's a long, seven game series (with a notable 3-day break between Games 2 and 3).

This series comes down to whether any wing player on the Jazz is able to defend Kobe Bryant (doubtful), whether Deron Williams can be stopped or even slowed by anyone on the Lakers (doubtful/questionable), and whether the Jazz front line can hold serve against the Lakers' front line (questionable).

The Jazz have the advantage at PG (D-Will over Fish).

The Lakers have the advantage at SG (Kobe over Wes Matthews) and C (Bynum over Fesenko).

SF (Artest/CJ Miles), PF (Gasol/Boozer), Bench (Millsap, Price, Korver, Kirilenko/Odom, Farmar, Brown, Walton) and Coaching (Phil and Jerry) are a wash.

This series will be similar to the Lakers' first round series against the Thunder, with the major difference being that the Jazz do not have a premiere wing player for Artest to guard. I would not be surprised to see Artest guard D-Will for extended periods of time, if he proves that he won't get beat off the dribble. We all know Fisher has no chance, and Kobe might not be up to the challenge for a full 7 games.

I would also expect to see a lot more Kobe scoring in this series. The Jazz literally have no one who can stop him, so he's going to be taking a lot of shots, getting to the line a ton, and putting up some gaudy numbers. The Jazz front line is also deeper and more physical than the Thunder front line, so Pau and Bynum will not have the same advantage as they did against OKC.

Utah is a tough place to play and a very good team, but I don't see them getting past the Lakers.

Lakers in 6.