Flash of Brilliance (Beck)

I’m not going to cleverly introduce this topic or in any way tease you by beating around the bush so you continue reading just to find out what the point of this damn post will be. The fact is, this topic is just too simple and crystal-clear for any doubt:

Dwyane Wade is the NBA MVP.

Don’t think so? Bet me. Wade leads the league in scoring at 29.7 points per game. Since the All-Star break, Wade has averaged 36.0 points per game, and he’s led his team to big wins over Detroit and Boston, two fellow Eastern Conference playoff-bound teams. And what about those 26 points in the fourth-quarter against the Knicks on February 28 to bring the Heat back for a victory? Or the epic performance against the Bulls in which he dropped 48 points and 12 assists in 50 minutes of play, stealing the ball from John Salmons in the final seconds and hitting a running three to win the game?

The fact of the matter is, Wade has strapped the Heat on his back and led them victory all season. As of right now, the Heat’s record sits at 35-29, good for fifth in the top-heavy East and only two games behind the division-rival Atlanta Hawks for fourth. Need I remind you that the 2007-2008 Heat only won 15 games, or that in the Heat’s 2006-2007 championship-defense, they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Bulls? And really, honestly, what has changed from those two seasons to this one?

The most obvious change has been team make-up. The “Big Moron” Shaquille O’Neal missed 30 games in 06-07, and then fouled out early in their playoff games, making himself a giant, bumbling liability at center. He was traded off the team in 07-08, the first season he hadn’t made the All-Star game, because of diminished minutes and continually poor performance, bringing in Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks from the Suns. The “Matrix” Marion had some stellar seasons with the Suns, but he’s over the 30-year old plateau and really thrives in the run-and-gun system that D’Antoni established, not the half-court sets favored by Pat Riley. The guy needs to run, and he wasn’t really allowed in Miami. This was probably the most significant change over the two years prior to this year, but let’s face it: the entire 2006 Miami Heat championship team was built to win that one year, and they were blown up or fizzled out the next. Posey’s gone, Antoine Walker blew nuts, Gary Payton needs a walker, Jason Williams melted into a puddle of white chocolate, and then Riley brought in Ricky Davis thinking he would be an upgrade. Give me a goddamn break.

And who has joined Wade this year? The Heat start Mario Chalmers at point-guard, a 2^nd-round rookie from the Kansas Jayhawks, and their number-2 overall pick Michael Beasley is their major contributor off the bench. Joining Wade currently are the bust Jermaine O’Neal at center, the always-useful but never-outstanding Udonis Haslem at power-forward, and Jamario Moon, a guy who spent season after season in the D-League before making his rookie appearance last year at 27 years old. And who comes off the bench? Chris Quinn, in his third year, and Daequan Cook, in his second year. This team is young, very young, averaging 26.2 years old. And if you throw out Mark Blount (33 years old) who averages 10 minutes per game but has only appeared in 18 games all season – playing most of his time before Jermaine O’Neal was brought in from Toronto – that average goes down.

Don’t think the changes end there. Pat Riley stepped down as head coach at the end of last season’s 15-67 campaign, replacing himself with his 36-year-old assistant Erik Spoelstra. Spoelstra is the youngest coach currently in the NBA, and for the 7 seasons prior to the head coaching spot he handled scouting for the Miami Heat. Scouting? That doesn’t have anything to do with coaching! For Christ’s sake, Spoelstra is almost half Riley’s age! This guy has no pedigree, no history to draw from, and this is the first time he’s ever been in charge of a team and had to actually deal with the many personalities and egos that go with being in the NBA.

And what’s the most important change this year? Dwyane Wade is finally healthy. His 2006-2007 season was cut short when his shoulder was pulled out socket against the Houston Rockets, yet he returned for the playoffs and was not the same player. His shoulder and knee continued to bother him in 07-08, and with the Heat far off from the playoffs and playing like blind retards, Riley shut Wade down with 30 games to play. He only played 50 games each of those two seasons due to injury. And for all those haters who think that Wade wasn’t hurt and he just had loads of sand in his vagina, what happened a few months after the season ended? Oh yeah, that’s right, Wade led the U.S. Olympic team in scoring on their way to redemption and a gold medal at the Beijing Games. He’s at full-strength, something he hadn’t been in years past, and now we remember what a healthy Wade is capable of doing.

And he came out of the gate this season firing. He’s led the league in scoring almost the whole season, falling a few fractions of a point behind Lebron for a couple games before the All-Star break. He’s averaging 7.7 assists per game, good for 8^th in the NBA though he splits time at point guard and shooting guard. His 5 .1 rebounds per game are more than enough for a 6’4” guard, and his 2.25 steals per game is second-best, behind only Chris Paul. Plus, he plays 38.5 minutes per game. Those are outstanding numbers, but the most-outstanding number is that Dwyane Wade’s team, on average, trails by 14 points per 48 minutes whenever he is not on the court. No other player means that much to their team in the entire NBA. Plus, his highlight reels and commercials are unrivaled by anyone, including Mr. James.

Not even taking away his fashion-statement band-aids could stop Flash.

Wade’s performances in the last few games showcase his unparalleled talent and ability, and all that combined with the fact that he’s on a young team with a rookie head coach that only won 15 games one year ago and will eclipse 40 wins this year simply proves that Wade is the most VALUABLE player in the NBA, and so the MVP award deserves to go to #3.

Lebron doesn’t deserve it, not this year. The Cavs won 45 games last year, and the only real change on their roster was a tremendous upgrade at point guard, the All-Star Mo Williams. Lebron wasn’t saddled by any injuries last season, and he has to do less every game than last year because he has Mo Williams to fall back on. The Cavs will probably pass 60-wins if no one gets hurt, but the change from 45 to 60 is not nearly as dramatic as 15 to 40+. One ups your seed in the playoffs, and one is the difference between a lottery pick and the playoffs. Which one matters more? Plus, winning 60 games is a team success, not a personal success. One player cannot win that many games, and it’s only further proof that Lebron plays on a much better team than Wade, therefore, logically, he’s not nearly as valuable to his team. If anything, I'd argue Mo Williams as the MVP of the Cavs. On top of all that, Mike Brown has been there for years, and while his offensive philosophy is to give the ball to Lebron at the top of the circle and see what happens, he actually is a very good defensive coach and is a significant reason why the Cavs succeed. And Chandler, if you say Mike Brown sucks, I never want to hear you push for Mike Brown’s Coach of the Year Award again. And Chandler, to anticipate your argument, just because Lebron didn’t win the MVP the last few years despite having the same case that Wade has this year DOES NOT mean that Lebron should receive a make-up MVP this year. That idea is total bull-shit. Kobe should’ve won two years ago, and Lebron should’ve won last year; Kobe won last year because Nash won his second the year before and voters thought Kobe needed an MVP at some point in his career, and I know Chandler will argue then that Lebron gets his this year because of the same reasons. The fact is that thinking is inane and evidence of someone who ate wheelbarrows full of paint chips as a kid.

And duh, Kobe has a great team with a great coach and he scores a lot of points. Cool.

The MVP this year belongs to Dwyane Wade, and I can’t wait to see how the voters steal it from him in order to crown the King James. It will be highway robbery.

At least that means Wade will have a make-up MVP coming back his way in a few years.

Editor's Note: Dwyane Wade dropped 50 against the Utah Jazz, along with 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. He passed Alonzo Mourning as the Heat's all-time leading scorer, and he became one of four players since 1989-1990 to score 50 points and have 10 rebounds in the same game, the others being Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Ray Allen. Sorry, Lebron, there's still time for you. By the way, the Heat won in triple-overtime, and Wade logged another 52 minutes of play. He's unstoppable.



- Beck

"Bat Man" or "Bat Guy" or "Bat Boy" (Chandler)

This week John C. Odom, the kid who was traded for 10 major league bats, recently killed himself in a Drug OD. At first glance many people are shocked by the trade and turn their outrage onto the two teams involved in the trade, The Laredo Broncos and The Calgary Vipers. However when ones digs a bit deeper into the story, the degrading villainous act no longer seems so sinister.

John C. Odom was released by The San Francisco Giants during the Spring Training in 2008. He then signed with The Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League (Stupid name because vipers do not live in Calgary, just like the AZ Cardinals...dumb). However due to Canada's lame ass socialist country/laws Odom was unable to enter their cesspool because of a criminal record, a 1999 conviction for aggravated assault when he was a minor. Yea that's right, Lil' America didn't want our criminals. Something he did as a minor prevented a full grown adult from playing baseball for their shitty team.


Which brings us up to the trade, the Vipers are no in a sticky situation. They have just signed a player in which he can not play for. The team is umm caught with their pants down. Thus they have to figure something out do with the guy. This is where the trade comes in. They then found a taker in the Laredo Broncos, in which the Broncos offered to trade a player for Odom, but the guy refused to move to Calgary. Ok, so they then offered $1000 cash straight up for Odom. However the scumbag Vipers thought this made their franchise look financially unstable, as if anyone actually cares about their lil "franchise" or their team. So finally the geniuses worked out plan that fit both sides needs, and looked much better in the public eye...they Vipers traded Odom for 10 yes TEN baseball bats. A net worth of $665! Well I dont know about you, but to me this is the perfect solution.

The Flip Side
However, they completely forgot to consider the other parties involved in this trade, the bats. Lets take 'Ol Rear Engine Frisby here, who has been with Luany Sanchez since he was in high school. He has helped Sanchez to a team best .319 avg, 18 homers, 71 rbi's, and a .557 slugging avg. What is Sanchez supposed to do with out his bat? Without his normal bat, he saw his numbers dwindle and production come to a hault, now his big shot at going to AA were ruined and his future in baseball is in question. Following the trade, Ol' Rear Engine got so depressed that he committed himself to a wood shop where he was whittled down into a box of toothpicks.


Or did anyone consider Ron Balone in this trade? In which this bat was responsible for helping Arnoldo Ponce to his best year yet with a .316 avg and scoring 94 runs. After their separation Balone started to go through through Pine Tar withdrawal as his new player didn't use pine tar as Ponce did. His withdrawal symptoms made him limp and useless to the Vipers and was quickly trashed, like a discarded hot pockets box. Shame really because he still had 3 seasons in him...

So what is the lesson learned here? All this tragedy is Canada's fault. If it wasn't for the neo-anti-Americanism this cataclysm might have been avoided. If Canada had only taken the $1000 instead of subjecting other people to their devilish country and not worry about their image we might still have Ol' Rear Engine Frisby, Ron Balone, and John C. Odom with us.

FUCK YEA

-Chandler

Heat Shame (Beck)

Having your number retired by the team you led to its glory days is one of the greatest accomplishments in sports. It shows that you, as a player, stayed with that team long enough to contribute heavily over several seasons, that you did indeed contribute heavily to the success of that team over that span, and that you are respected enough by the organization to be enshrined forever in their rafters. In honor of your memory, your playing number is taken off the market, and if any incoming players think they deserve to use that number with that team, you have to give your permission.

And on March 30, 2009, Alonzo Mourning will be memorialized by the Miami Heat by raising his #33 to the American Airlines ceiling. There is no doubt that he deserves it: he was brought to the Heat in 1995 in a trade that sent Glen Rice to the Charlotte Hornets, as he was hitting the peak of his career. With the Hornets in 1994-1995, Mourning averaged 21.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 2.92 blocks per game. Over the next seven seasons, Mourning led the Miami Heat to six-straight postseason appearances and four division titles. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1999 and 2000 due to his famous shot-blocking abilities, and was named All-NBA First Team at center in 2000.

However, a rare kidney disease derailed his 2000-2001 campaign. He managed to play in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, but when the disease worsened he miss the entirety of the 2002-2003 season. The Heat released him, but Mourning refused to retire, signing with New Jersey Nets. He was forced to halt that in December 2003, when he underwent a successful kidney transplant. He bounced around with the Nets and the Raptors until coming back home to the Miami Heat in 2005, and was an integral piece of Miami’s bench as they stormed to the 2006 NBA Championship behind Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Knee issues effectively ended his career, but not before he became the Heat’s all-time franchise leader in points scored during the 2007-2008 season.

Combining his personal statistical success with the Golden Years of the Miami Heat organization – before this current regime being led by the most-exciting player in the NBA, Dwyane Wade – and also with his epic comeback from a kidney transplant, plus his charitable foundation in Miami, Alonzo Mourning was a lock to be immortalized in South Florida. While his points record will inevitably be shattered by Wade, as long as he stays with the Heat beyond 2010, Mourning still brings a smile to every Heat fan’s face when they look back on the good times during the late-1990s and the early-2000s. There is not a single argument against why Mourning’s number should not be retired by the Heat, but I do take umbrage with the numbers that 33 will be joining in the arena.

#13 and #23, belonging to Dan Marino and Michael Jordan, respectively.

Excuse me . . . what?

The Miami Heat have retired Dan Marino’s number and Michael Jordan’s number? You have got to be kidding me. Dan Marino is undeniably a legend in Miami, becoming the most prolific-passer in the NFL with the Dolphins from 1983-1999, and taking the team to its last Super Bowl in 1985. Marino was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2005. For Christ’s sake, he even starred in Jim Carrey’s breakthrough film Ace Ventura as himself! The guy is a celebrity without a doubt, but never, not once in his entire life, did he step onto the court for the Heat and play basketball!

And don’t get me started on Michael Jordan. The Greatest Player in the History of the Game of Basketball deserves to have his number retired league-wide like Jackie Robinson’s 42 was in the MLB since he transformed the game and made it the popular, globalized behemoth that it is today, but David Stern will never allow that to happen. Jordan was spectacular, and I’m not going to waste any space in this post listing off his many accomplishments in the NBA. The fact of the matter is that he never played with Heat, and more often than not was the single reason that they Heat, whenever they advanced into the playoffs, never got into the Finals. Jordan knocked off the Heat twice during Mourning’s tenure with the team, including a 3-game sweep in 1996 by the 72-10 Bulls. It made tons of sense when Jordan’s number was raised to the roof in Chicago’s United Center, but it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense when it’s raised in sunny Florida.

I thought about giving the Heat a break since they were an expansion franchise who played their first season in 1988, and haven’t really had the time to have enough players worthy of having their numbers retired. Mourning seems like a start, and the next in line, in my opinion, would have been Tim Hardaway, who was the point guard with Mourning during those successful years in Miami. That being said, Hardaway is a nasty homophobe, and his recent tirade regarding Jon Amaechi’s outing destroyed his own public image beyond repair.

Then again, with further due diligence, I found that five current-NBA teams do not have a single number retired: the Charlotte Bobcats, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Toronto Raptors. Let’s look at this list, starting at the top. The Bobcats were formed in 2004 as an expansion franchise following the Hornets’ move to New Orleans. They definitely haven’t had enough time to have any franchise players yet. The Clippers have been terrible since their inception in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, moving to San Diego from 1978-1984 and playing the scrub little brother to the Lakers in LA since 1984. They haven’t been good enough, or kept players around long enough – Elton Brand, I’m looking at you – to have franchise players. The Grizzlies, originally formed in Vancouver in 1995, the same year their Canadian counterpart the Raptors came into the league, and neither has a franchise star yet (Chris Bosh, if he stays in Toronto, might be their first). Lastly, the Thunder moved to Oklahoma this year, and left behind all their franchise history in Seattle, so they’ve effectively started over. Beyond these five, the Orlando Magic have retired the #6 in a move to immortalize their fan base – the 6^th man – like the Seattle Seahawks did with #12, and the Minnesota Timberwolves retired Malik Sealy’s #2 following his tragic death.

The Heat would’ve been perfectly fine just waiting to retire Mourning and not embarrassing themselves with the other two numbers due to their “contributions,” whatever that means. No one argues that Marino’s number should have been retired by the Dolphins or Jordan’s with the Bulls, but the fact that the Heat took a number from someone who never even played the sport and the number from a player that consistently beat them in their own sport, is inexcusable. Have some pride! Until now, the Heat just looked desperate to have some banner hanging in their arena, but they were never deserved. They just hung some stuff up there to take up space. Have a little respect for yourself! Take down Marino and Jordan, put Mourning up, and start over with a clean slate, knowing that, this time, the number you’ve commemorated makes sense.

Bravo Alonzo Mourning, and it will only be a matter of time before Dwyane Wade’s #3 joins you at the top of the American Airlines Center. Maybe you’ll receive your highest prize from the Miami Heat in the same year that Wade takes home the MVP.

I can only hope.

- Beck

This Time You Have GONE TOO FAR!!! (Chandler)

So a day has passed and I guess the cruel joke has become true. My beloved Andra Davis is now officially a fucking bronco. This is by far the biggest free agent signing of all this off-season/ever. I blame you Kolkinis, how dare you.


I mean you just lost the longest tenured Brown on the defense who restructured his deal to stay in Cleveland! A defensive captain who has lead the team in tackles every year he has played for us but two! Plus he kills people, he literally kills people on the field.

I personally would like to say the repercussion of this backhand to god's gift to mankind will be that I will no longer be buying my yearly Andra Davis jersey or any jersey for that matter from the website, so take that Browns!

Seriously how many more players are the Broncos going to swipe from the Browns for their team? The list is seriously ridiculous:
Courtney Brown
Ebenezer Ekuban
Mike Myer
Gerrard Warren
Alvin McKinley
Chad Mustard
Quincy Morgan
Travis Wilson
And now Andra Davis. Unbelievable. I believe this is the definition of insanity, doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. The Broncos also signed old man Dawkins to a FIVE year deal. you sign 25 year olds to five year deals not 35 year olds.

I'm sorry I was going to write about the Free Agency but I can't get over Andra Davis no longer being a Brown. So for the rest of the post I am going to reminisce about my favorite Andra Davis moments.
One of Andra Davis' best game with 19 tackles and gave RAC his first win as a head coach.
Shown Here: http://www.nfl.com/videos?categoryId=highlights&gameId=2005091811&week=2&seasonFilter=2005&seasonType=REG
The highlight doesn't show it but Davis was EVERYWHERE! Plus Steve Heiden barely out runs a Dline guy which is hilarious.

In this game, which is the Browns only opening season win since 95, not kidding Davis helped seal the deal by picking off Kyle Boller and also catching a td from Jeff Garcia...not good memories. http://www.nfl.com/videos?categoryId=highlights&gameId=2004091202&week=1&seasonFilter=2004&seasonType=REG
The best thing is after the INT, he got up looked striaght at me, winked and then gave me the game ball. It was sweet.

Here Andra shows you what happens when you say the theory of relativity is shallow and pedantic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewtmppFP-cQ

But Enough of the Stat log, the most important thing about Davis was what he meant to the team as a leader both on and off the field. I have included some pictures here, that are seldem seen which reflect his charater off the field and what he means to the Cleveland community:
Here, Dr. Davis is posing after a successful surgery in which he was able to transplant a heart for a young girl, he even donated his own heart because he was the only donor who matched.

Here Andra is cleaning up the mean streets of Cleveland, stepping in where convention law enforcement isn't adequate.

Here Davis is showing his softer side, posing after a gig downtown in which he rocked the streets of Cleveland with his wild guitar flare antics!
Few people also know that Andra was actually an accomplished Olympic athlete as well. After winning bronze in track he displayed his social awareness for justice.

Here Andra is in church praying for the sick and poor in India, a side he rarely shows publicly as he think it takes away from his football tough guy image.
Here Andra is speaking to the youth of America about a dream he once had of the Browns winning the super bowl. It was an emotional awe inspiring speech. I cried twice...

Andra Davis is so welled loved that he became the face of Christianity, why did we let him go again?

Here Davis's face is inshined in Mount Rushmore, over taking Washington because he is more important in American history.

Here he is leading a rally after his signing with Denver in which he asks Cleveland, is this really a change you as fans can believe in?

Well I am stepping up and saying NO! this is not a change I can believe, no belief what so ever, my only hope is that Davis well still retire a Brown and become inshined in the HOF as a Brown when his career is over.

-Chandler

Homecoming (Beck)

A-Rod’s confession to using performance-enhancing drugs two weeks ago spawned many opinions and blogs about what this means for the game of baseball, including two on this page. It seems as if every big name in the last twenty-five years of the game is linked to steroids: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Caminiti, Miguel Tejada, Roger Clemens. Aren’t there any Hall of Fame candidates left from the Steroids Era?

It seems as if there may be one hold-out remaining, a 39-year old slugger formerly known simply as “Junior” or “the Kid,” whose 611 home runs over 19 seasons places him 5^th all-time, behind the likes of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755), and the perjurer himself, Barry Bonds (762). He was a 19-year old prodigy who placed 3^rd in Rookie of the Year voting behind Gregg Olson and Tom Gordon – excuse me, who? – and was the 1997 MVP. He was also a 13-time All-Star; knocked 2,680 hits; and earned 10 Gold Gloves. The best part about it, as far as I’m concerned, is that he’s done it all clean.

And now George Kenneth Griffey, Jr., has re-signed with the team that launched him to superstar status from 1989-1999, and the home of 398 of his home runs, the Seattle Mariners. It would be the perfect ending to a career that will shine far brighter than any of his counter-parts from the Steroids Era, and I know that I am not the only person in the world hoping and praying that Griffey stayed true to his word and played baseball the right way. Over the years, the only bulk that we saw accumulate on Griffey was in his belly or his ass, and over the years we’ve seen that, in accordance with all natural theories on aging, his numbers declined as he grew older.

The unfortunate part about Griffey’s career is that we’re left with the greatest question of “what if?” What if he could’ve only stayed healthy during his tenure at Cincinnati? In 2000, his first year with the Reds, he knocked in 40 home runs, 118 RBIs, and hit .271. He was also 30 years old. At the end of that season, Griffey sat at 438 career home runs, and he was averaging almost 37 home runs per year. At that pace, by the time he turned 40, he would’ve hit over 800 home runs, and we would be celebrating the best long-ball hitter in the history of the game.

The guy was my idol – Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest on the N-64 is one my all-time favorite video games – and he was an idol for so many other people. The obvious catch is that, sometime or other, your idols are going to let you down. So far, Griffey’s disappointment has been his inability to finish a season without some kind of injury. From 1989-2000, Griffey only had one season cut short by injury: 1995, in which he played 72 games and only hit 17 home runs. From 2001-2008, Griffey missed an average of 50 games per season, and even when he did play, it was clear that he was not the same hitter.

The beauty of Griffey, and what I suspect was the reason he never turned to steroids, is that he had the most natural, fluid swing in the entire game, one perfect for hitting home runs. Kids playing back-yard ball imitated his swing right down to dropping the bat on the ground and taking those first, cocky steps toward first-base on their trip round the bags. The problem was that his swing was made possible by nearly perfect form, probably drilled into his head by his MLB father: George Kenneth Griffey, Sr., a member of the Big Red Machine. The power was generated with the hips and the lower body, not brute arm strength, and Griffey’s arms – and head – never grew to Hulkish proportions over the span of his career. And once the hamstring and groin injuries began nagging Griffey during his years with the Reds, it was only a matter of time before his production dropped off to the levels we witnessed.

Now nothing in this world is ever for sure, and there’s always the possibility that Griffey used some kind of illegal substance to bounce back from one of his many injuries, but I can’t for the life of me look at Griffey’s body today and say that he was dirty. His name never came up in any of Jose Canseco’s books – a feat in and of itself – or in the Mitchell Report. He never tested positive for steroids from 2004 on like A-Rod, and, like I said before, the weight he’s packed on is confined primarily to the love-handle region. It’s sad that other cheaters have passed him on their way up the charts, or, in the case of A-Rod, will be passing him in a few years, tainted numbers and all. That’s not to say that a stint in the American League wouldn’t help Griffey’s career numbers in the long-run as he platoons in left field or plays DH, a luxury not afforded to him during his time in the ‘Nati. If my perfect world, Griffey would smash 50 home runs for the next 4 years and get to the magical 800-plateau, but that just isn’t likely. 30 next year would be fine, and is a much more achievable goal.

All that matters, though, is that Griffey will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown, most likely as a Mariner, and he will have earned every single bit of it. There are a few other players from his generation that seem to have stayed clean – Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols – but Griffey was prone to the temptation since 1989. He came into the league when steroids were already being passed around, and he hit his zenith when they were popped in clubhouses like M&M’s. Through it all, Griffey denied, and in my mind’s eye he has solidified himself as the greatest player of his generation. A-Rod and Bonds both used to cement their legacies, but now it’s bitten them in their syringe-pricked asses, while Griffey has endured the peaks and valleys and will be rewarded for it in a way that I hope A-Rod and Bonds never will. It’s sad that A-Rod couldn’t follow in the footsteps of his former-Mariner teammate and stay clean. Either way, Griffey’s athletic prowess and acrobatics playing center-field, paving the way for imitators such as Kenny Lofton and Torii Hunter, combined with his pure swing is 100% him, and that’s all we can ever ask for from our athletes. Best of luck this season playing in “The House That Griffey Built,” and don’t you dare start using now.

- Beck

All Star Bollocks (Chandler)

-Before I begin my spiel I would like to introduce another new contributor to the ‘staph: Paull will be adding NFL draft coverage here and I suggest you check out his first post (below my ramblings) and completely ignore the Steelers talk and the bashing of God’s gift to football, Andra Davis.

So a decent all-star weekend is overshadowed by the award ceremony following the game. After an innovative approach by adding the horse competition which was entertaining (and I hope its here to stay), the best slam dunk contest in years (in which they should have split the award) and a fun if not a blow out game the fans are forced to watch as two undeserving players are awarded the All-Star MVP. Give me a break, as an NBA fan, it was insulting to see these two hoist the trophies when it was painfully obvious who the MVP of the West was: CP3 Chris Paul. I felt like the MVP honors were pre-determined due to the fact that both Kobe and Shaq are both huge stars. Both had great games stat wise, but it was a hollow award. It was given to them for the media frenzy photo-op and overshadowed what was an entertaining weekend.

Unconvinced, or don’t agree? Well lets look at the stats and decide:

Kobe Bryant: 27 points, 4 steals, 4 rebounds, and 4 ast.
Shaq: 17 points. 5 boards, and 3 ast.

Both had great games, filling up the stat sheet. But lets continue and compare:

CP3 : 14 points, 7 boards, 14 ast, 3 stl, and he ran the offense in which he was familiar with while shooting 50%.

Kobe and Shaq got to play in a system they were familiar with under Phil Jackson. Chris Paul had no such luxury and still produced. Look at those stats and tell me why Shaq should even be in the discussion. This is total media slant. The media loves to portray rivalries and that’s why they were chosen. Pathetic.

However all was completely lost with this all-satr weekend as the Rook/Soph game was fun, Rose was a blast to watch and look forward to watching him in the future. The slam dunk contest was redunkulous and although I didn’t agree with the voting, its hard to argue with the fans vote. Dwight Howard’s 12 ft dunk was not appreciated enough. These two provided a more compelling rivalry of superman v lex luthor than the last superman movie (it sucked). The drama was there, the fun was there, and the comradely was there. Horse/Geico or whatever was decent too. Although I think in the future it should played inside and made use of a full court. A Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, Shaq, and Ben Wallace game would have been delightful. If only, a man can cream, a man can dream….
-Leave comments on who you would have liked to see in the game of horse, slam dunk contest, and who you thought should have won the all-star mvp.

This leads me into another topic, the whole media waging war on Kobe vs. LBJ. Who is the bigger superstar? Who is the better player? Who is the better franchise player? The answer is obvious: The King; LeBron. He is better at every avenue except 3's. My guess is that a poll of every coach and GM in the league with a fantasy draft and they have first pick who would they take you would get the same 30 answers...LeBron. He has a higher scoring avg, better percentage, more ast, more rebounds, more blocks, and is 6 years younger. Plus he stays out of trouble unlike one Kobe Bryant.




Seriously this whole rivalry thing between these two is ridiculous. The NBA should be marketing LBJ way more if for nothing else, he isn’t a scumbag. I believe the term is: A picture is worth a thousand words. Need I say more?

-Chandler