Welcome Back 2007 World Series MVP!!!

The Red Sox did not get their prize, the Yankees spend money like they're afraid of it.  From the standpoint of a Bostonian, multiple stages of emotion probably went through your head when you first heard New York stole Teixiera right under your Christmas tree.  First and foremost you were probably filled with rekindled rage.  For the first time in my life, the Yankees were an afterthought last season.  They didn't make the post-season, didn't notch a blip on Red Sox nation's radar.  Now they've decided to throw boat loads of money at the top three free agents in the 2009 offseason, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixiera.  For Teixiera and his low life dirt bag agent to dangle the Red Sox for the past month and then skip like a fairy to New York is blood boiling.  

The next likely emotion is frustration.  The Red Sox were a pinch away from having their boy.  They had their ridiculous amount of money on the table and Teixiera turned it down.  Many people don't understand what's another 1.5 million dollars a year to match what the Yankees offered.  Let me answer that one, 12 million dollars.  Sorry that's not chump change.  The Yanks have a ton of money coming off their payroll and a bidding war with them is insurmountable.  

So now the question needs to be asked, are the Yankees the best team in baseball? Not even close.  Are they the best team in their division? Nope.  Lets take a look at what they've lost heading into the upcoming season.  Their starting right fielder Bobby Abreu, statistically speaking their two best pitchers Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite (34 combined win), and the indefatigable  Jason Giambi.  Teixiera is an obvious upgrade over Giambi, but we'll see about Sabathia and Burnett.  The former being the highest paid pitcher of all-time and a notorious post-season choke artist and the latter being a guy who has only won more than 12 games once in his ten year career.  

I say let the Yankees spend absurd amounts of money on baseball players while our country is in a recession.  It's laughable, hilarious and doesn't make their team the best in their own division.  Is CC Sabathia a better left-handed pitcher than Jon Lester? You can call this a biased answer but one of them has a no-hitter/World Series ring. The other, like a fat fish, needed an extra 20 million dollars hooked on a line to lure him to New York.  This puts a smile on my face.  As last season's ALCS proved, money isn't the only factor in major league baseball. Good, smart decisions combined with health and a small amount of luck go a long way.  Don't get me wrong though, money can be nice.  

Forget the Yankees for a second.  Where can the Red Sox put their Teixiera money? We certainly need a fourth outfielder and another starting pitcher couldn't hurt.  Ben Sheets, who started the all-star game last year for the National League would be a great addition if he could stay healthy.  Starting pitching wins championships and the Red Sox would have hands down the best rotation in baseball.  Sheets is flat out better than A.J. Burnett and would be worth the money he's paid. 

Looking down the line all signs point to Joe Mauer being a big signing for the Sox. He's the best catcher in baseball, and a perennial batting champ.  The way he works the count would be a perfect match for Boston's philosophy.  

So here's to a healthy Mike Lowell, a healthy David Ortiz and a very good 2009 Red Sox baseball team.

Who is Tyler Hansbrough?

Before you begin reading this I have a statement to make.  This is not a negative Tyler Hansbrough piece. Even though most of the great North Carolina ballers left school early or didn’t get many minutes as freshman, for him to be the all-time leading scorer is very impressive. He’s one of the hardest working and efficient college players I’ve ever seen.  His technique may look a little awkward and his shots would have you speculate that he lacks a normal equilibrium, but two points are two points.  Hansbrough’s probably the greatest living example that slick style alone makes no change to the scoreboard.

            With those positive points officially on the record, make way for the critisicm. I can’t blame Tyler for the national media’s decision to blow a load all over him every chance they get, but when Jay Bilas, a respected ESPN analyst and Duke graduate, said he thought he saw more heart and determination in Hansbrough than one Michael Jordan, well there are ridiculous statements and then there’s that. 

 Did Hansbrough deserve the Naismith award last year? If the NBA never ingrained their one and done rule then yes.  Since they did, the most talented and complete player in the nation, Michael Beasley should have won the hardware. 

That’s all in the past though.  Taking a look at this season, much like Tim Tebow losing his Heisman to a Sooner, Hansbrough is second to Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin at the power forward position.  We’ll see whom the voters like, but numbers don’t lie and Blake Griffin is clearly the most talented force in college basketball. 

            Coming back to the ever-mercurial Psycho T, how does the next level look? Not all that good.  There’s never really been anyone quite like him.  If you were to analyze him strictly on his game, there’s a good chance he’d slide to the latter half of the second round.  He’s undersized but has a decent mid-range jump shot.  Can he bang down low for four quarters with elite NBA forwards?  Not likely.  He’s listed at 6’ 9” and tends to bring the ball down while in the paint, a definite no-no. 

            With all the records that he’s compiled, is Hansbrough a winner?  Running the vicious NCAA Tournament gauntlet is arguably the hardest thing to do in all of sports, but with that being said North Carolina has ended their season on a sour note every year he’s been there.  Last year’s blowout loss to Kansas was downright embarrassing as Hansbrough was outplayed for stretches by true freshman Cole Aldrich. 

            Comparing Hansbrough to someone in the NBA is very difficult.  Athletically he’s not on par with anyone in today’s league and his game is so mysteriously successful that fans have wondered since he was a freshman how it would translate to the professional ranks.  The way he attacks the basket is so irky-jerky, so mechanically bizarre.  Can you imagine him getting the ball on the block with Kenyon Martin guarding him? Four pump fakes and a prompt swat to the eighth row later and you’ve got yourself a wasted draft pick. Hustle and tenaciousness can only get you so far as a professional athlete. 

            I will say this though, people said the same thing about David West before he was drafted.  An undersized power forward who was thought to be too small to have an effect in the league, West is an all-star. Of course that’s where the comparisons end between the two.  David West has arguably the best range for someone his size while Hansbrough would seriously need to work on his.  His teammate is also the best point guard of the last 20 years so that helps a tiny bit. 

            In the end, Hansbrough’s legacy will be a puzzling one.  For those who like him, he’ll go down as one of the greatest college basketball players of all time.  For those that don’t, his short NBA career will speak for itself. 

Old Formula for Future Success

Ah the world of sports. Much like everything else, it’s cyclical. Take a step back and look at the Boston sports scene over the past eight or nine years.  No championships, no winning, no happiness until Tom Brady jolted into our lives.  A sixth round draft pick who before the 2001 season, had to fight and claw his way into being New England’s fourth option at quarterback.  Years later, Brady is one of the most successful athletes in American sports history and a wonderful example of what a tireless work ethic can do for a person, franchise and community.  During that span, where the Patriots won three Superbowls and transformed themselves from one of the least successful franchises in league history to the team of the decade, the other teams in Boston eventually caught up. 

            The Red Sox, behind fresh ownership and local whiz kid Theo Epstein, snatched up two rings in three seasons, catapulting themselves from sympathetic underdog to budding dynasty.  The combination of unprecedented middle of the lineup power in Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, with pitchers who intravenously insert cold water into their bodies (Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett) had the Red Sox on top of their sport for the first time in nearly 90 years. 

            That’s two out of the four major teams from Massachusetts who were suddenly the envy of all their peers.  Twisted ankles and separated shoulders were suddenly popping up all over the country from fans who tried to fit on the Boston bandwagon but found themselves getting booted off. 

            Why stop there? Next came my favorite and the most unlikely team of them all.  We all know what happened here.  Danny Ainge pulled off one of the greatest trade sequences in recent memory and the most historic franchise in basketball history was once again relevant.  Kevin Garnett’s attitude, Ray Allen’s Crisco slickness and Paul Pierce’s undeniable grit led the C’s to a 17^th banner and placement on top of basketball’s hierarchy.  Here they joined the Patriots and the Red Sox as the best teams in their respective sports. 

            As they say, nobody stays on top forever. 

            Not saying either of the three have fallen off their perches, but others have officially begun gaining on them.  With a loss in last year’s Superbowl and the subsequent season ending knee injury for the Golden Boy, the Patriots are no longer expected to dominate the AFC every season. 

            After losing in seven games to the division winning Tampa Bay Rays in last year’s ALCS, and then watching two of the best pitchers available via free agency get plucked by the Yankees, the Red Sox are still stable, but reeling.    

            The Celtics, looking even more impressive this year then the last, have an inevitable showdown with Lebron to worry about as well as a possible finals rematch with Kobe’s crew. 

            So here’s where things get interesting as the teams from Boston fight to remain where they were for most of the decade. Right now the Patriots are without their MVP, the Celtics entered the season James Posey-less and were thought to have tougher competition this time around, and the Red Sox although still in the running for Teixera, saw their season end last year with out Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz as the two offensive juggernauts.

   Right now the Patriot’s life raft is Matt Cassell.  Unlike Tom Brady, Cassell wasn’t drafted in the sixth round.  He was picked in the last.  His remarkable season is either a nod to Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick or an incredible case of lightning striking twice in the same place. 

            I guess the point here is that if Boston doesn’t end up with Mark Teixera, we’d be right back where we were when Tom Brady was coming into age.  Dustin Pedroia is as physically imposing as an eight-year-old,  but in my opinion the best player in baseball, Rajon Rondo is going toe to toe with the best point guards in the league with his team coming out on top literally every night and Matt Cassell is the backup turned coming of age superstar. 

            While I could devote an entire book to what makes Rondo such an essential part of the Celtics success, I’ll leave it to this quote from future hall of famer Ray Allen after a late November contest. 

            “It’s funny, cause when the game was over I told him ‘When you play like that, we are a beast to contend with,'" Allen said. "And he said, ‘When you play like that’. And I told him ‘I feed off you'. 

Sure there's the Big Three, everybody knows that.  However the emergence of Rondo as an all-star caliber point guard is clearly catching the league off guard.  Just look at this KG quote.

"If Rondo is not the best point guard in three or four years, I'd be very, very surprised. He has all the tools to lead a team. His defense is unlike any other guard I've seen," Garnett said just days before the season began. "He has the quickness of a Tony Parker. He has the eyes and the passing skills of a Jason Kidd. He has to establish that 15-foot jumper, make it stick and be consistent. But I'm very, very, very, very impressed with Rondo."           

Boston may not be on top (except the Celtics and Bruins) but we’re certainly not out of the picture. 

            

Since When is Being Yourself Not OK?

There is no phrase in baseball more obnoxiously overused, yet honestly accurate than "Manny being Manny". As with all things in life, there are two sides to the Manny Ramirez story. Roughly 50% of Red Sox fans have seen enough. His long list of zany antics both on the field, in the clubhouse and on the streets of Seattle have New Englanders fed up.

On the other side of the fence is where I've been for the past six or so seasons. The side that defends Manny and looks at him as an irreplaceable Hall of Famer and arguably the best right handed hitter of my generation. If his personality resembled that of someone who always said the right things no matter what adversities his team faced, someone who reacted to controversy like a teenage blond reacts to Jason Voorhees, then he'd easily be the 107 year old franchises most renowned player.

Williams, Yaz, Rice, Foxx, and Lynn are up there, but none can say they were a World Series MVP.

Now, in the middle of a pennant race, Manny is faking injuries, stubbornly sending public messages to management, and demanding a one way trip out of Massachusetts.

With the trade deadline coming tomorrow at 4 p.m., I had planned on giving various trade scenarios for Theo Epstein, but in the aftermath of the Angels getting Mark Teixera and the Yankees replacing an injured Jorge Posada with Ivan Rodriguez, trading Manny makes literally no sense if Boston wants to get to the playoffs. Right now they need him, just like he needs them.

Also the Rays, a team ready to call up former number one pick David Price and possibly make a deal for Jason Bay (one of the best Canadian baseball players in the league), are still streaking and show no signs of coming back to Earth.

At 36 years old, Manny is slowing down only if you want to compare him to his younger self. His statistics may not reveal a player worthy of making $13,000 per inning, but few top earners can justify what they're making (just look at Derek Jeter's contract).

What Boston needs to do in order to catch up to the Angels and Rays is simple.

Play better.

In my opinion, on paper, the Red Sox are still the most talented team in baseball. Sure they have a few bullpen flaws, a couple hitters at the bottom of the order caught in a slump, and one or two starting pitchers that need to pick it up a bit, but the organization can't panic.

Epstein has a penchant for the future. He loves his prospects and by holding onto Manny for the remainder of the season, the team would most likely get two compensation picks.

(If Ramirez were to sign with a team slotted for a first round pick between 1-15, it's protected. For example if the Yankees decided to sign him, the Red Sox would receive their first rounder along with another compensation pick that would fall right after the first round and before the second round, but if the Padres were to sign him, Boston would not get San Diego's first round pick because due to their poor season, it would be protected.)

If Theo does choose to trade his left fielder, there is no telling how those players expected to replace Manny will handle playing at Fenway Park in the middle of September. The pressure has been known to get to a number of players who simply can't take the smothering atmosphere.

So if Manny does get traded, Red Sox Nation can kiss their chances of repeating as World Champions good-bye. And along with it, a once in a lifetime baseball talent.

Second Chances

Greg Norman is a teacher. Leading the Open Championship after 54 holes of golf at the ripe age of 53, you could say his performance has been about as feasible as Zimbabwe running a clean election. As predictable as Charles Barkley's favorite slot machine. Today's lesson from Professor Norman is a simple one.

Age ain't nothing but a number.

Facing hurricane like winds that could (but probably wouldn't) deafen a Tiger's roar, Norman has defied logic, pulling driver time after time, hole after hole. On the same weekend Christian Bale hits the big screen as the Dark Knight, Norman is playing the role of one certain escape artist, coolly eluding deep roughs and sand dunes that play as intimidating as any in the world.

Greg Norman's legacy up to this weekend, however unfairly tagged, has been that of a choke artist. In 1986, he led all four majors after the third round but only saw victory in the British Open. Ten years later at Augusta, Norman had a six stroke lead heading into Sunday but blew it, and the tournament, losing to Nick Faldo by five strokes.

What the 137th Open Championship could do for Norman is completely change how people will remember him.

Call it a second chance.

So if Greg Norman is the teacher, who are his students?

The answer to this question is obviously very general, but let me narrow it down to a select group of men who I'm guessing play a little golf, but have another sport preoccupy their time.
These men are the owners of your local baseball team. Unfortunately, not all of them have the fortuitous end game that their fans want. Money tends to make things cloudy. Some don't have enough, some hold it and never let go, and then there's the ones who live. The ones who spend. The ones who win.

Before I get too off topic here, let me layout my point. The all-time home run leader is sitting home this summer waiting for his phone to ring. Everyone talks about his baggage. His notorious ego that has seemingly cost him a second chance.

I have no doubt in my mind that Barry Bonds did steroids, but lets be serious. The New York Yankees, a team in need of a left fielder and another bat, won't sign Bonds? Jason Giambi, who actually admitted to using steroids during his MVP campaign in 2000, is employed by the Yankees for millions of dollars. He grows a mustache and barely falls out of the all-star game and is all of a sudden admired by everyone in America.
Funny how facial hair can make the public forget about your past.

So far this season, Giambi's OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) has been .914. Barry Bonds posted a 1.045 last year, which, if duplicated this year, would lead the American League. Instead, New York has decided to go with Richie Sexson, one of the biggest busts in baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks, another team in need of an offensive push, have signed Tony Clark. An alright hitter, but no Barry Bonds.

Looking at him strictly as an athlete and nothing else, there is no logical explanation as to why Bonds isn't playing professional baseball. He's publicly stated that he'll not only play for the league minimum, but donate his entire salary to charity. And nobody could use him?

I believe that in life, especially relating to sports, people deserve second chances.
This is far from a comparison between Norman and Bonds (who turns 44 this Thursday). One is a beloved icon who delivered a story almost good enough to rival Josh Hamilton's home-run derby performance. The other is arguably the most hated man in sports. Nobody is asking baseball's owners to forgive him and forget his checkered past (and legally complicated future), but for the good of the game and the sake of competition Barry Bonds deserves to play in the second half. He deserves a second chance.

Feeling Lucky

October 20, 2007. Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. First inning.

With one swing of his bat, J.D. Drew drove in Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz, planting his ball over the center field fence and registering the most important home run the Red Sox had in making their run at a 2007 World Series. Being a Boston sports fan I knew I had it good, but little did I know how absurdly lucky the world of sports would be to me over the next nine months.

Here are the events in chronological order:
February 3, 2008. New England Patriots vs. New York Giants. SuperBowl XLII.

I guess you could say the moment Plaxico Burress beat Ellis Hobbs was pretty awful. The whole game was frustrating and one of the worst I've ever been apart of. Regardless though, six months later I've finally come to appreciate what they DID accomplish. Never mind what New Yorkers say (they've seen one championship since 2001), unlike the Giants, Tom Brady will be back next year and better than ever (probably not humanly possible). I'll never forget this game or what it did to me, but I guess that's because I completely forgot what it felt like to lose.

I haven't felt it since.

April 7, 2008. Kansas vs. Memphis. NCAA National Championship.

Unlike most major sports, I do not have a favorite college football or basketball team. Each season I select a squad I think has a good chance to win it all and follow them throughout the season. That may sound a little cheesy, but I rarely go with the heavyweights. Two years ago my team was Georgetown. Led by Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and John Thompson III's version of the Princeton offense, they ended up at the final four before ultimately losing a close contest to Greg Oden and Ohio State.
Last year it was Indiana. Using Eric Gordon's mesmerizing Youtube clips as my ammo, I foresaw the Hoosiers mowing down the Big 10 and playing into April. Then E.G. hurt his wrist and Calvin Sampson forgot (for the 12th time) that the NCAA has "rules" for recruiting players. When it came time to fill out my bracket, Indiana had an eighth seed and would have to beat Carolina in the second round to go anywhere.

I consider myself a loyal person, but nowhere near that loyal.
Instead I rolled with Kansas. Chalmers, Arther, Collins, Robinson, Rush. They were a cohesive, talented, athletic unit led by a coach with something to prove.

I entered two pools and heading into the final weekend, a few people were ahead, but nobody had the Jayhawks winning it all but me. They beat the Tarheels so bad on Saturday night that Billy Packer declared the game over in the first half.

Next was Memphis and eventual number one pick Derrick Rose. I've been filling out brackets since I was eight years old and have never won. I always looked at it like a lottery that I could control, but unfortunately so does everyone else. Down the stretch I couldn't watch any of Chris Douglas-Roberts or Rose's free throws. I did however watch Mario Chalmers snipe "The Shot", arguably the greatest in the tournament's history.

When Kansas won, and I swept both pools, the money was on my mind, but more importantly, I felt very, very smart.

June 16, 2008. Tiger Woods vs. Rocco Mediate. United States Open 18 Hole Playoff.

All Tiger Woods did in winning his 14th major on one leg was solidify himself as the greatest athlete of the 21st century. If Lebron James retires with eight championships, Tom Brady wins two more Superbowls and Michael Phelps ends up with 58 gold medals, Tiger will still reign.

Including Woods, I've witnessed three athletes who for at least four years dominated their sport to the point where I felt rules needed to be changed to accommodate them. The other two were Shaq when the Lakers were making their run, and Barry Bonds right about the same time. Regardless of how you feel about them as people, those two towered over their competition to the point where fouls and intentional walks were the most logical ideas people had to drag them down.

In the individual sport that is Golf, there is no equivalent. If he's playing his best golf, which he will undoubtedly do for the next 10 years, there's simply no beating him. He's an illuminating Times Square to everyone else's flickering flashlight.

June 18, 2008. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics. NBA Championship.

The Patriots have won three Superbowls since 2001. The Redsox broke an 86 year drought and have won two world series since 2004. With each ring comes the memories of up and down playoff runs and championship clinching victories.
Throughout it all, my favorite team was always the Boston Celtics. I was born in 1987. Their last championship came in '86, making me feel, in a small way, like my existence was a curse.

Coming off one of the worst seasons in their well decorated history and no foreseeable shining light in the future, I began to ask myself if I honestly thought they would ever hang a 17th banner from the Garden's rafters. The question lodged itself in the back of my head, next to "Will Nicolas Cage ever make a movie that hasn't a trace of unintentional humor?" and "Why does CBS still employ Billy Packer?" (Two of the three have been answered).

Watching Game 6 at an outside bar in Newport R.I. wasn't exactly downtown Boston, but at least I was surrounded by die hards. When the fourth quarter began and the game was already all but over, I cried like a little baby.

It didn't make up for the Patriots because only they can undo what they did. The 2008 Boston Celtics did, however, make up for 21 years of brutal heart ache.

Last Night. MLB All-Star Game.

J.D. Drew, fresh off an unseasonably warm June that deemed him American League Player of the Month, was named MVP of the 15 inning grudge match. I made a bet in April with a Philly fan on whether or not Drew would finish the season batting over .295. Something he's done just twice in his ten year career. Right now he's sitting pretty at .302.

I'm sure my luck will run out at some point, just don't bet on it happening before 2010.

Jacoby Ellsbury

He's the key igniting the other eight cylinders that make up Boston's lineup.
He's the tee raised two inches above the soil, perching the golf ball up for a 300 yard drive.

We first caught glimpse (literally) of the 24 year old outfielder's awesome speed on July 2, 2007, about a year ago. The scene was set at Fenway Park against the Rangers with Ellsbury stealing the first of what will one day end up being many bases and then instigating something extremely rare.

The ball flew by Texas catcher Gerald Laird's glove and instead of settling for third, Ellsbury managed to manufacture his own offense, rounding the base and scoring on a marvelous piece of base running. For a rookie to not only have the awareness, but also the physical skill to pull something like this off is very special.

The point in me writing about Jacoby Ellsbury is this. Playing in a town like Boston, where the average price of a ticket is almost 50 dollars (the highest in major league baseball), the pressure is enormous. Fans go out expecting a better than decent product from the Red Sox and when it's not there, they get upset. Never mind that it's the hardest sport to play and that slumps both for the team and individual are an inevitability, there is no excuse for a player at Jacoby Ellsbury's skill level to ever see a performance drop off.

The attitude towards him is one that should be reserved for a four time all-star. If Ellsbury was a year in year out regular at the mid summer classic (which he will be a few years down the road) and happened to be batting .270 as the lead off hitter then there might be a problem.

However, the fact of the matter is that he's just a rookie. A rookie that happens to be leading the American League in stolen bases with 35. A rookie that has yet to commit an error roaming one of the trickiest outfields in baseball. A rookie who is already causing chaos for opposing infielders that know any ball bobbling could cost them an out.

During last Tuesday's loss to the Rays, Ellsbury managed to reach base three times without getting the ball out of the infield. The first was a short grounder picked up by Rays catcher Dioner Navarro who hastily chucked it into right field. Ellsbury reached third. The second was a hard hit grounder up the middle, which thanks to his 4.2 40 time, caused shortstop Jason Bartlett to wildly throw the ball over everyone's head. Ellsbury ended up on second. The last and most impressive was ironically the only one ruled an error. The rookie put a bunt down the first baseline and no throw was made by the pitcher.

So for those not pleased with Ellsbury's production as of late, all I can say is relax. He's a rare talent with Grady Sizemore like intangibles who will be a premier American League outfielder for the next seven to ten years. But the Fenway faithful can't be too mad at him. Ellsbury is batting .303 at home.

Let Them Play

Expectations can make or break anyone and everyone. It's assumed that an orphopedic surgeon who is assigned the task of flawlessly scissoring out cartilage in a person's knee will get it done. After all, it's his job. He's expected to do well. If not he could lose his job, his house, even his family.

As we all know, sports are a little less grim than that. Some athletes are able to live up to their near impossible expectations and some simply crumble like a cookie under the pressure. Let's compare Lebron James and Sebastian Telfair for a second. Both came out of high-school with a label on their backs that pronounced future greatness. Superstars for the next generation. Multi-million dollar icons for young ballers to look up to.

Both of them graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as 17 year olds and both were expected to thrive at the next level.

One of them panned out, led the league in scoring this past year and took his team to the finals one before that. The other probably should have developed a jump shot under Rick Pitino.



This is what makes sports so amazing. The unpredictability of it all. Expectations shouldn't serve as big a place in them as they do, but unfortunately they're everywhere we look. Why bother having the undefeated Patriots go up against the Meadowland Underdogs in last year's Super Bowl? Why not save everyone a trip to Arizona? Games are played for a reason with nobody getting into the Hall of Fame after one season of work (except maybe Adrian Peterson) and nobody guaranteed anything (except money).


This August when the Olympics kick off in Beijing, the two biggest individual American athletes, Tyson Gay and Michael Phelps, will have the opportunity to take home the gold in more than one event. Phelps, more so than Gay seems to tower over his competition.


Most analysts believe he has a great shot at (and probably should) taking home eight gold medals which would break the 36 year old record held by Mark Spitz, who in 1972 won seven gold medals in Munich.
With expectations like that, Phelps is in one of those screwed if you do, screwed if you don't situations. I don't mean that winning eight gold medals would not be a worthy accomplishment, but the expectations from the media and his country to win every time out while competing against the world's best almost diminishes the achievement. If he wins all eight, some people will shrug it off saying he was supposed to do it. If he doesn't win all of them, he'll be sent back to the drawing board until 2012, deemed a failure. Nobody said life was fair, or sports for that matter.

In contrast, American sprinter Tyson Gay finds himself as a heavy contender to take home the gold in both the 100 and 200 meter races. Unlike Phelps, Gay has much stiffer competition in the likes of the relatively unknown 100 meter world record holder (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one) Usain Bolt and fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. His expectations are high, but the excitement for him winning one gold would be far greater than Michael Phelps winning three. In the wise words of one Tupac Shakur, that's just the way it is.

In my eyes, USA basketball should take home the gold every four years with the same regularity that an extra day will be had in February. This obviously hasn't happened with the same consistency it had once upon a 1992 Dream Team, but what it's done is humble both the American basketball foundation as well as our patriotic fans.

That's what sports will make you do if your not careful. Never expect anything out of your favorite athletes. Instead let them compete, sit back and enjoy the privilege of watching it all naturally unfold.

Celtics will be fine

When the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics in game 6 of their first round series, the basketball world was shocked. Maybe confused is a better word. Heading into the playoffs, the Boston Celtics, more than any other team in the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference and the NHL, were expected to sweep their first round opponent. What ensued instead were three embarrassing flights to Atlanta and a 24 hour period of humiliation before Game 7 at the Garden.

We all know what happened then, a 99-65 blowout that saw the Hawks suffocate under a big green blanket. Besides the obvious answer of advancement, how can this possibly be a good thing? They are the laughingstock of the country. Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy went so far as to compare Kevin Garnett to Alex Rodriguez, citing their consistent regular season stardom followed by playoffs let downs. The road doesn’t get any easier. Next up is Lebron James. After barely being able to finish their baked potato, the Celtics are now expected to down a 54 ounce Porterhouse Steak.

As a lifelong die-hard Celtic fan, I’ve seen some low times (I was born in 1987) but right now there is absolutely no reason to be concerned. The Hawks taking them to seven games was the absolute best thing that could have happened. After going through a regular season that saw a league best 66 wins, a fair assessment can be made that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen didn’t necessarily go through any real hardship. Even towards the end as the season wound itself down and Boston began to rest the Big Three for the post-season, the bench continued to produce wins (the Detroit Pistons did the

same thing by the way and found themselves in same boat against Philadelphia, but nobodies too worried about Detroit).

As Atlanta can attest to after getting thoroughly dominated by the Celtics in game 7, the Boston Celtics are a figurative giant and they’ve officially awoken from their slumber. They are a better team defensively than anybody in the entire league, including Detroit and San Antonio, they boast not only the Big Three in their starting lineup, but a center who nearly averages a double-double every night and a point-guard who could be a household name in a couple of seasons.

Everyone is asking how the Celtics can stop Lebron James in the fourth quarter when they couldn’t even stifle Joe Johnson. First of all Johnson is one of the most underrated basketball players on the planet and second of all, Lebron James does not have the youth of Al Horford and Josh Smith banging down low for him.

There is no blueprint to defeat the Celtics and heading into the second round, they are still the least likely team to get sent packing.

The series should be a close one as Lebron pits himself as an underdog in the Garden, but I don’t see Boston dropping too many games at home from now on. They are a confident beast with a leader who epitomizes the term. Lebron may be an unstoppable force, but he’s about to run into an immovable object.

Live Blog of Celtics vs. Hawks Game 4

The Celtics are coming off an unexpected game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks that finally made this series worth a view. To spice things up a little bit, Al Horford, a talented but egomaniacal rookie, decided it was a good idea to taunt Paul Pierce, a 6-time all-star (You can view the clip here) at the end of the game. Paul Pierce, a man who was once stabbed dozens of times in the chest, a man who grew up in Inglewood, a city that also raised rapper Mack 10, then started walking in the direction of Atlanta's bench with a look in his eyes that sent a stern and direct message to Big Al.

"Paul Pierce is not to be $!!#&# with".

Pierce was fined 25,000 dollars for making what the league called a "menacing gesture." The Wizards DeShawn Stevenson got fined the same amount for blatantly trying to decapitate Lebron James.

The only explanation I have for this, is the NBA decided it needed to spark some viewers into this seemingly predictable series, so they pumped it with good old fashioned controversy.
David Stern had some words on the matter during a second quarter interview with TNT's Cheryl Miller.
"Whatever [a menacing gesture] may be, the reality is we want our players not to make any gestures towards an opposing bench...because they are the greatest players in the world."

Best commissioner in sports right there.

Now here are my thoughts as the game goes on. I promise no matter how ridiculous or shockingly accurate my predictions may seem, they aren't edited after the game concludes.

• The game begins with a quick 5-0 Celtics lead followed by a couple sloppy offensive positions by both teams. Atlanta looks a little nervous.
• Paul Pierce scores his first points on a three pointer from the right corner. Expect 19 more of those before the game is over.
• Garnett scores his 4th point on a turnaround baseline jumper over Joe Johnson. This is followed by a defensive rebound and a Ray Allen three pointer. The Celtics are up 13-3.
  I know his turnaround drives some people crazy, but I love it. The one reasonable criticism on Kevin Garnett's game is that he's simply too selfless. People want him to be more like Tim Duncan. Why doesn't he just back his way down low and hit those little hook shots? He doesn't have to. Nobody on the planet can guard that turnaround and Garnett can make it seven or eight times if you give him 10 chances.
  
• Al Horford called for traveling. Hmmm I wonder what's going to happen now?
  
• (Paul Pierce knocks down his second 3)
• There have been times in this series where the best player on the court for long stretches has been Atlanta's Josh Smith. He's been stuck in the dumps down in Atlanta his whole career, but now that he has the opportunity to showcase his talents on a national stage, he's really taking advantage. His dunks are obviously unbelievable and some of the best so far in this year's post-season, but Smith's blocks are hands down the most impressive part of his game. He has 10 of them through three games and when he swats 'em they stay in play. Who knows what might've happened had he been drafted to a more respectable franchise. He's a free agent after next season, and Atlanta doesn't have a great history with making smart decisions. Hopefully they'll let him free.
  
• Zaza Pachulia looks like the Cyclops from Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay. This is what the cyclops would look like if he were a flopping tool.
• At the end of the first half, besides the fact that the Celtics are down 3 and the Hawks are matching their intensity, the biggest concern I have is (I can't believe I would ever say this) Michael Donovan Bibby. He's got 18 points in two quarters after barely making an impact in the first three games and right now he looks like he could penetrate through the perimeter in his sleep (that sentence sounds wrong in more ways than I can count).
  

I don't think necessarily that the Celtics are in too much trouble if they happen to lose this game. There's no chance they'll lose a quarter in Boston barring an injury. The Detroit/Philly series is a little different. The Pistons have yet to assert any dominance at all towards a team that most felt were lucky to be in the playoffs at all and the Sixers already feel like they belong. The Celtics KNOW the Hawks can't play with them.

• If Marvin Williams and Kendrick Perkins are suspended a game for stepping onto the court during Garnett vs. Cyclops, I'm boycotting the NBA once Kevin Garnett retires.
• Speaking of Garnett, after playing a disappointingly quiet first half, midway through the third quarter he caught a pass from Rondo in the lane, took two steps and threw a HARD dunk left handed over Josh Smith, asked for a foul and then ran up the court with that Frankenstein like gaze in his eyes. That, as some like to say, was just what the doctor ordered.
  
• Right now it's the 4th quarter and the Hawks won't go the hell away. They're more annoying than Michael Smith revealing the top four picks in Saturday's draft before the thing even started. Kinda defeated the purpose there.
  

There's just under five minutes left in the ball game and the Hawks are leading 84-79. I don't think this arena has ever been louder. Where is Paul Pierce and the fiery look he had in his eyes at the end of game 3? Someone's got to counter Joe Johnson who was scoring points in the first half but they were muffled. Right now he's playing like the quietest superstar in the NBA. Johnson ended up with 20 in the 4th quarter, outscoring everyone on the Celtics combined.

• The Celtics lost 97-92. They just couldn't guard Joe Johnson at ALL down the stretch and now put themselves in quite the predicament heading back to Beantown with the series all knotted up. With that being said, it will end in six games and I will not be doing any more blogging for fear of a massive jinx for the rest of this series.
  

Miguel Tejada got hosed

If you like sports chances are you watch ESPN, and if you watch ESPN, chances are you've seen a commercial for their show "E:60" which is highlighted with Houston Astro's short stop Miguel Tejada defiantly getting out of his chair mid-interview after being shown his birth certificate.
During the interview, ESPN investigative reporter Tom Farrey confronted Tejada about his actual age. The certificate saying he was 33 instead of the younger 31 he's gone by since 1993 when he was drafted by the Athletics.
Ever since the news broke last week, Tejada has been on an absolute tear. Since April 16, the former all-star has watched his batting average rise from .296 to .370, he is currently four RBIs off the major league lead, and in his last two games has a combined eight hits. San Diego has ESPN to thank for having to deal with the infuriated Tejada.
I guess what I don't understand is why this is such a big deal. It's not a big deal to Houston's ownership, it's not a big deal to Tejada's teammates, and it's not a big deal to their fans. Why then would ESPN embarrass a major league baseball player in front of millions? The obvious answer is this.
Controversy = More Viewers.
This isn't anything new, but that does not mean it's OK. ESPN, in attempt to dig up a juicy story to boost their ratings, came off as shameless.
Miguel Tejada originally lied about his age when he was 17. A young prospect trying to make it out of his poverty stricken home country of the Dominican Republic, Tejada was told by his coaches that his age was all that was holding him back.
"When they signed me back in '93, I was a young kid," he said. "I really wanted to sign with professional baseball because I thought that was the only way I thought I could help my family. That's the way that everybody did it back in those days. My coach told me that's how we are going to do it, and I followed him."
Let's be serious. This isn't the first time a player from Latin America has lied about his age for his own benefit (Case in point: One Jose Contreras), and for Miguel Tejada to be singled out is a step below the New England Patriots getting crucified for stealing signals. I'm well aware of the old saying "just because everyone's doing it, that doesn't make it alright", but you can't single a team or an organization out. If you want to investigate the entire league then go for it.
Does he deserve this harsh treatment? He was one of the bigger names listed on the Mitchell Report and instead of receiving a sanction from major league baseball, Tejada was greeted with a new team and 26 million dollars over the next two seasons. Is this just his karma catching up with him? I say no.
Tejada says he was ambushed in the Philadelphia interview.
"They called me about two days before the interview and told me it was going to be more about baseball," he said. "When I got there, I thought it was about baseball and they throw me a 98 mph fastball inside."
What ESPN did was lie to a lier. They put themselves in an awkward situation as the world wide sports news leader. Instead of reporting news, they've created it, making themselves apart of the story.
I obviously do not condone the "alleged" steroid use or any other morally incorrect actions Miguel Tejada has committed, but in this case, let the man just play some baseball.

Celebrations Gone Too Far

2:46 seconds into the third period of a tied game 6 elimination game, Alexander Ovechkin, possibly the best natural goal scorer in the NHL in the last 15 years, finds a break in the defense, gets a perfect breakaway pass from Viktor Kozlov and leaves a helpless Martin Biron literally on his heals. It is the first of two goals Ovechkin will score in a winning effort, forcing the first Washington Capitals Game 7 since 1992.

This column is not about Ovechkin and how undeniably breathtaking all 68 of his goals were this season (including 13 game winners). It is about what he does as soon as the red-light flashes and the fans go crazy. Ovechkin, only 22, acts a little too much his age, enthusiastically giving fist pumps in celebration as if the goal’s importance is on par with Bobby Orr’s Stanley Cup winner. It pumps up his team while simultaneously making his opponents blood boil.

In professional sports, everyone celebrates after a meaningful goal, basket, homerun, save, block, hit, or touchdown, but when does it become too much?

Boston Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew represents the exact opposite side of the spectrum and for some strange reason, his mannerisms seem to annoy just as many people as Ovechkin’s. Drew has been accused by many over his injury plagued and controversy filled career, of not playing baseball with enough emotion. Never cursing at himself when swinging at an un-hittable curveball with two strikes against him. Never slapping himself upside the head after bobbling a line drive hit to right. He almost looks like he does not care when he steps into the batters box. The same, solemn look shows on his face after a ground out or a home-run.

So what is the happy medium between angering your opponents and pleasing your hometown fans?

In football, touchdown celebrations should be allowed, but only in cases where they are to take the lead or tie a ball game. If Chad Johnson wants to celebrate a big 4^th

quarter touchdown after bringing his team (whoever they may be) back in the game, then let him do whatever he wants. It’s entertaining.

Baseball is a game of highlights. Classy players who are Baseball Tonight regulars will usually make great plays and act like they’ve been there before. A walk-off home run or a game saving defensive play (similar to the one made by Jimmy Rollins’s backup on Sunday night against the Mets) is always acceptable for celebration.

Hockey and Soccer, two low scoring, unpopular American sports give players the right to rejoice after a goal, but players (like Ovechkin) need to put them in context. In a meaningless regular season game with a four goal lead, there is no need for a fist pumping spectacle. Another good example is college basketball player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough. I spent the entire season watching him pump his fists and kick his legs like a rockette dancer, usually in a situation where North Carolina had a double digit lead. It’s annoying and if I were a player on the other team, it wouldn’t make me too happy.

The bottom line here is that it’s ok to be an intense player. It gets your fans energized and sets an example for your teammates (nobody defines this person better than Kevin Garnett). Celebrating an individual achievement like a three-pointer or a goal should not be regularly followed by a personal parade, unless your name’s Tim Duncan.

Selfless Athletes Are Not a Dime a Dozen

What if every professional athlete in America took their ridiculously large paychecks, set aside a million or two and either started a charitable foundation or donated to one of their choice?

Instead of spending gross sums of money on Ferrari trucks and solid gold ceilings, professional athletes could be sharing their wealth and bettering the world we live in. They make more money than nearly every other profession on earth and if they got together, they easily could make a collective difference.

Imagine what would happen if Michael Jordan cared less about his legacy on the basketball court, and more about his legacy as a humanitarian. Forget about the money he made playing the game, what if he took half of his endorsement earnings from the likes of Gatorade, Haines, and Nike and donated it towards AIDS research instead? Where would that fight be?

Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry exemplifies to a tee, all which is wrong with the choices professional athletes make with their money.

Henry embarrassed himself in 2007 when he asked his former team, the Tennessee Titans, for a $9800 loan to pay off his child support (Henry has nine children with nine different women). At the time, Henry owned a $100,000 car and $146,000 worth of jewelry. Forget charity, Travis, take care of your family.

There are of course, a handful of players who understand the greater good. Since 1992, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and his wife Shonda have been instrumental in developing public awareness and fundraising campaigns to improve the services of

The ALS Association. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Legendary quarterback Doug Flutie has a son afflicted with autism so he set up the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. According to their website, they “are committed to funding organizations that provide direct services, family support grants, education, advocacy and recreational opportunities with the purpose of improving the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families.”

Sounds like money well spent.

Those two men have taken the talent God gave them and utilized it to help those less fortunate. No man, however, has gone as far as Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo. In 1997, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, a charitable organization created to improve the health, education and quality of life for people in his homeland of the Congo. His legacy lies in the building of the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, a 300-bed hospital that will provide desperately needed healthcare to the impoverished population of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mutombo has personally given $15 million to the building and has lobbied for several of his multi-millionaire teammates to donate a share as well.

At halftime of a Rockets game earlier this month, Mutombo was honored for his work by NBA Commissioner David Stern, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, and former
President George Bush. His teammate Shane Battier could not have put it better: “What can you get the man who could be the reincarnation of Mother Teresa.”

Comparing a professional athlete to Mother Teresa, a woman more saint than human being, is a shock in today’s world, and that’s the problem.