Play Ball

The SEVEN
April 1, 2011


I. Well Hit

So Evan Longoria's AK-47 was stolen last Saturday while the Tampa Bay Rays played a spring training game...but, of course, the fact that he had one almost lends a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Longoria hits a shot down the line." That being said, it may not be too wise at all to try to take his cap.

II. Bad Hit

Meanwhile, it was not a game when the popular television/radio personality DJ Megatron was shot and killed on Sunday, another victim of senseless violence.

III. Jose Can You See

Several sportswriters are speculating that if the New York Mets fall out of contention, they will look to trade their most exciting player, shortstop Jose Reyes. Yes, Reyes is potentially in a "walk year," but doesn't that make this that much more reminiscent of when the Mets let Darryl Strawberry walk after the 1990 season? The results could be similar as well.

IV. Goooaaaaal!

I remember being locked out of my house and having to find something to do until someone was back home. NFL players know that feeling now - which may be why Chad Ochocinco scored a tryout with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. Ochocinco got himself a spot on their practice squad, which enables him to work out with them - and, in my opinion, makes the following stats quite impressive:

Average: .202
Doubles: 17
Triples: 1
Home Runs: 3
RBI: 51
Stolen Bases: 30

You may wonder what these baseball stats have to do with Ochocinco or MLS, especially since on the surface they don't seem all that impressive - but guess what: they're Michael Jordan's stats with the minor league Birmingham Barons in 1994...at the age of 31...thirteen years after playing baseball in high school. Some players who had been playing all along didn't do much better. I'm sure that had MJ gone on the baseball diamond at North Carolina, he could have a statue outside U.S. Cellular Field instead of the United Center.

V. National League Predictions

Let's keep it simple...

NL East
Probable Winner: Philadelphia Phillies
Possible Winner: Atlanta Braves
Wild Wager to Win: New York Mets

The Phillies' rotation has a chance to put up some of the greatest collective numbers of recent years, but don't sleep on the Braves. They are officially back.

NL Central
Probable Winner: Cincinnati Reds
Possible Winner: St. Louis Cardinals
Wild Wager to Win: Milwaukee Brewers

Reds are solid and should repeat...but what happens if King Albert Pujols...potentially in a walk year...has an even more Albert year than usual? Cubs should be better.

NL West
Probable Winner: San Francisco Giants
Possible Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
Wild Wager to Win: San Diego Padres

VI. American League Preview

AL East
Probable Winner: Boston Red Sox
Possible Winner: New York Yankees
Wild Wager To Win: Tampa Bay Rays

If the Baltimore Orioles continue their rise under Buck Showalter, they could make this division the most parity-filled division in the game.

AL Central

Probable Winner: Chicago White Sox

Possible Winner: Minnesota Twins

Wild Wager To Win: Detroit Tigers

AL West

Probable Winner: Texas Rangers

Possible Winner: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Wild Wager To Win: Oakland A's

Rangers could have some dropoff without Vlad and Cliff Lee.

VII. NCAA

Enjoy the semi-finals...and the ultimate David vs Goliath final!

What In The World

The SEVEN
March 22nd, 2011

I. Get Me Outta Here

Now that AT&T is in the process of buying T-Mobile, a lot of T-Mobile subscribers have questions about what is to come in terms of pricing and service...so much so that one of my Facebook friends posted her hilarious forthcoming divorce announcement from T-Mobile, asking the readers to please respect their privacy during this difficult time. I was going to say that my main question was unrelated, but I guess it does relate to the services provided: With no T-Mobile, what's going to happen the next time Dwyane Wade gets locked in the hotel suite?

II. What You Don't Know...

I guess the creative folks at the ad agency which did the T-Mobile MyTouch commercial (in which the shirtless guy portraying an iPhone mockingly reveals that he had to give his shirt to AT&T for his data plan) had absolutely no idea AT&T would be buying their client.

III. Snoozing And Losing

When the Miami Heat got out of the gate at 9-8, there were probably some people that almost thought D-Wade really wanted to record a "Get Me Outta Here" message. Once again, we see that basketball is truly a team game and even when assembling phenomenal individual talent, it often takes a while for the team to get on the same page and avoid "stumbling and bumbling," in the words of Walt "Clyde" Frazier...which brings us to the New York Knicks, who have compiled a record of 7-9 since acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups in their big trade with the Denver Nuggets. Of course, it seems as though the Nuggets - 10-4 since then - figured things out pretty quickly.

IV. And The Emmy Goes To...

I see ratings were up this weekend for the NCAA Tournament. Why is that? Let's look at why March is filled with Madness.

First of all, basketball is a great sport. People are filled with pride when their local school or alma mater is in the tournament. There is a particular excitement and sense of urgency involved with a single-elimination tournament...as opposed to a playoff series lasting up to seven games. And of course, there are the upsets. I think that most people without a particular rooting interest in the tournament watch the first two rounds...okay, now the first three rounds with the newly-added First Four...solely to see the big guys get bumped off. This year produced more upset entries into the Sweet 16 than usual, which may account for some of the ratings rise. But could part of it be the participation of the Turner Sports Emmy Award-Winning Inside The NBA crew? Always interesting to hear what Charles Barkley will say, and with him and Kenny Smith and E.J. and the others involved with the NCAA Tournament coverage, I'm looking forward to the post-game shows!

V. Clearance Sale

I so wish I had a dollar for every John Cena hat/wristband/headband/hoodie I saw while passing through New York's Penn Station on Saturday night, and then Newark's Penn Station the next night as folks were coming into those stations after WWE shows. If I had been able to collect a dollar from them all, I might get together with a couple of buddies and make an offer on the New York Mets - who, I am certain, will be on the clearance rack before long.

VI. Bad Play or Bad Luck

One of the symbols, rightly or wrongly, of Met fan frustration over the last few years was Luis Castillo and his dropped two-out, ninth inning pop fly which cost the Mets a win over the Yankees in 2009. The Mets' new general manager, Sandy Alderson, alluded to that as he announced that the Mets were releasing Castillo...with a six million dollar golden parachute, so to speak. Castillo was immediately signed by the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, which sets him up to potentially exact some revenge on the team that essentially said that they would pay him six million to leave the building.

But let's ask ourselves this question: if Castillo - who batted .302 in 2009 - had dropped that popup against the Royals or the Mariners or the A's or the Padres, would he have incurred the wrath of the fans in such a manner? I would say Luis Castillo's biggest problem was not that he dropped a ball, or that it cost a game, but that he dropped that popup against the Yankees.

VII. What In The World?

In a world where, among other things, we as a nation are struggling to recover from a recession; where freedom-seeking uprisings are taking place from Egypt to Bahrain to Libya, and the Ivory Coast is experiencing civil war; where Japan has been hit with a tsunami, earthquakes, and a possible nuclear crisis, why in the world are the NFL owners and players fighting over billions?

Really, why are the owners locking out the players? What message does that send? They must think it's open season on unions in this country...like Gov. Scott Walker and many of the Republican leaders apparently do. Well, like the people of Wisconsin, I'm siding with the union.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

As the writer of a blog entitled "Sportin' Life," I'm one that clearly believes that one should not have to be a sports fan to realize that sports - and influential individual athletes - have had considerable impact on the nation throughout the years...and if you don't, look up Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Arthur Ashe, among others. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, the importance of individual games or even seasons really pales in comparison to the rest of life - as shown by recent events in Japan. Hopefully the thriving major leagues in Japan can play a part on the financial side of the rebuilding of their nation from some of the worst possible times.

That being said, I borrowed my title from Charles Dickens, in part because I was planning to write about some of the best of times, or the best of all time, in the NBA as I remembered that it was about fourteen years since the original 50 Greatest Players list was announced. Recognizing 50 players over 50 years ensured that some very worthy people would be left out - so I figured that this year I'd do my own Sportin' Life All-Time NBA Starting Fives (plus a "sixth man") list for every franchise.

Before I begin, I should say that by virtue of trades and free agency (check my earlier blog, "Open The Floodgates"), many great players have played for more than one team - and, as such, may appear on more than one team's list...but that is not absolute. For instance, LeBron James makes both Miami's and Cleveland's lists, for he is clearly among the best that has appeared on the court for both franchises. On the other hand, Allen Iverson doesn't make the Pistons' list; not due to the length of time spent in Detroit but due to the quality of his work there.

I more or less tried to do this like an actual team - two forwards and guards, one center - but some exceptions couldn't be avoided. We're going to start with the two most iconic franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, and work our way through on a divisional basis.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Magic Johnson / Wilt Chamberlain / Kobe Bryant / Shaquille O'Neal / Jerry West

Boston Celtics

Bill Russell / Larry Bird / Kevin Garnett / Bob Cousy / Paul Pierce / John Havlicek

New York Knicks
Patrick Ewing / Bernard King / Walt Frazier / Earl Monroe / Willis Reed / Amar'e Stoudamire

Philadelphia 76ers

Wilt Chamberlain / Julius Erving / Charles Barkley / Allen Iverson / Hal Greer / Maurice Cheeks

New Jersey Nets (including New York Nets - ABA)

Julius Erving / John Williamson / Buck Williams / Jason Kidd / Larry Kenon / Vince Carter

Toronto Raptors

Tracy McGrady / Vince Carter / Chris Bosh / Antonio Davis / Andrea Bargnani / Mo Peterson

Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan / Scottie Pippen / Dennis Rodman / Derrick Rose / Bob Love / Joakim Noah

Indiana Pacers

Reggie Miller / George McGinnis / Mark Jackson / Billy Knight / Jermaine O'Neal / Rik Smits

Milwaukee Bucks

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Marques Johnson / Oscar Robertson / Ray Allen / Sidney Moncrief / Brandon Jennings

Detroit Pistons

Grant Hill / Ben Wallace / Bob Lanier / Dave Bing / Isiah Thomas / Joe Dumars

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James / Larry Nance / Brad Daugherty / Mark Price / Craig Ehlo / Ron Harper

Miami Heat

Alonzo Mourning / Dwyane Wade / LeBron James / Glen Rice / Tim Hardaway / Rony Seikaly

Atlanta Hawks (includes St. Louis Hawks)

Lou Hudson / Dominique Wilkins / Pete Maravich / Joe Johnson / John Drew / Bob Pettit

Orlando Magic

Shaquille O'Neal / Penny Hardaway / Dwight Howard / Tracy McGrady / Dennis Scott / Scott Skiles

Charlotte Bobcats

Gerald Wallace / Emeka Okafor / Stephen Jackson / Gerald Henderson / Raymond Felton / Boris Diaw

Washington Wizards (including Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets)

Earl Monroe / Gus Johnson / Wes Unseld / Elvin Hayes / Gilbert Arenas / Phil Chenier

Oklahoma City Thunder (including Seattle SuperSonics)

Kevin Durant / Dale Ellis / Jack Sikma / Lenny Wilkens / Shawn Kemp / Gary Payton

Portland Trail Blazers

Clyde Drexler / Maurice Lucas / Bill Walton / Brandon Roy / Terry Porter / LaMarcus Aldridge

Denver Nuggets

David Thompson / Dan Issel / Carmelo Anthony / Dikembe Mutumbo / Alex English / Fat Lever

Utah Jazz (including New Orleans Jazz)

Karl Malone / John Stockton / Deron Williams / Adrian Dantley / Carlos Boozer / Pete Maravich

Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Garnett / Stephon Marbury / Wally Szcerbiak / Kevin Love / Al Jefferson / Sam Cassell

San Antonio Spurs

Tim Duncan / David Robinson / George Gervin / Tony Parker / Manu Ginobili / Artis Gilmore

Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki / Jason Kidd / Jason Terry / Mark Aguirre / Michael Finley / Derek Harper

New Orleans Hornets (including Chatlotte Hornets)

Chris Paul / Larry Johnson / Alonzo Mourning / David West / Glen Rice / Rex Chapman

Memphis Grizzlies (including Vancouver Grizzlies)

Mike Miller / Zack Randolph / Rudy Gay / Pau Gasol / Marc Gasol / Jason Williams

Houston Rockets

Hakeem Olajuwon / Elvin Hayes / Clyde Drexler / Calvin Murphy / Moses Malone / Rick Barry

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash / Amar'e Stoudamire / Charles Barkley / Dan Majerle / Kevin Johnson / Connie Hawkins

Golden State Warriors (including Philadelphia Warriors and Syracuse Nats)

Rick Barry / Wilt Chamberlain / Tim Hardaway / Chris Mullin / Chris Webber / Jason Richardson

Los Angeles Clippers (including San Diego Clippers and Buffalo Braves)

Bob McAdoo / Randy Smith / Blake Griffin / World B. Free / Elton Brand / Baron Davis

Sacramento Kings (including Kansas City-Omaha Kings and Cincinnati Royals)

Chris Webber / Oscar Robertson / Vlade Divac / Nate Archibald / Mike Bibby / Peja Stojakovic

And this final "Honorable Mention" (or "my bad") group is a group of people who were deserving or could be seen as deserving but got left off this list because of the number of greats in their
franchise's history:

Michael Adams / Nick Anderson / Paul Arizin / Elgin Baylor / Walt Bellamy /Chauncey Billups / Rolando Blackman / Muggsy Bogues / Bill Bradley /Junior Bridgeman / Don Buse / Fred Carter / Doug Collins / Mike Conley / Billy Cunningham /Dale Davis / Bob Dandridge / Mel Daniels / Dave DeBusschere / Mark Eaton / Danny Granger / Spencer Haywood / Jeff Hornacek / Antawn Jamison / Richard Jefferson / Vinnie Johnson / Bobby Jones / Billy Keller / Jerome Kersey / Jerry Lucas / Kenyon Martin / Cedric Maxwell / Kevin McHale / Nate McMillian / George Mikan / Yao Ming / Robert Parish / Paul Pressey / Mitch Richmond / Rajon Rondo / Dan Roundfield / Dolph Schayes / James Silas / Ralph Simpson / Jerry Sloan / Latrell Sprewell / John Starks / Brian Taylor / Nate Thurmond / Rudy Tomjanovich / Andrew Toney / HedoTurkoglu / Norm Van Lier / Chet Walker / Jimmy Walker / Russell Westbrook / Gus Williams / James Worthy

Even with six players per team, some outstanding players were left off -maybe your favorite player - which brought forth the need for the above group, which includes some of the greatest players in the league today as well as some original Top 50 selections. Anyway, hit me up with your likes and dislikes!

You Missed A Good Game or A Crying Shame

Finally, after all these years of mediocrity, Rutgers' men's basketball team was in a position to beat a ranked St. John's team in the Big East tournament...but unfortunately for them the Big East must have decided to use the refs from the WWE, who totally blew off or conveniently disregarded the last 1.7 seconds of the game after a St. John's player walked and threw the ball into the seats, depriving Rutgers of a chance to win and advance in the tournament. Now that would be something to cry about.

After seeing Paul Pierce fly down the lane and slam one on multiple people the other night , I'm left to conclude that perhaps Paul isn't showing his age after all. I don't know...maybe that's why Tiki Barber wants to return to the NFL - after four years of retirement - at the age of 36...but is he not considering the fact that in his sport people would be slamming him? Michael Vick took off two years, so to speak, and just got the franchise-player contract, but he's a little younger and a lot faster than Tiki.

Giving an extra billion dollars off the top of the pot to the NFL owners...who are not getting slammed, concussions, etc...makes about as much sense as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker giving a deficit-creating tax break to the rich. I sure hope President Obama's coattails are long enough to bring the House of Representatives back to Democratic control when he wins re-election in 2012. I'm about as tired of the Republicans as I am of Charlie Sheen. More, actually. I was going to ask how many strikes Sheen gets, but then he got fired...so I see the answer is 10.

Speaking of 10s, as crazy as Blake Griffin's dunk over the Kia was, I'd have given him the same score for some of his in-game dunks, especially the ones over Timofey Mozgov and Danilo Gallinari while they were Knicks. And speaking of these two new Nuggets, my first thought when the trade was announced was of the old USFL and Herschel Walker, who post-USFL joined the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course I couldn't understand why my then-beloved Cowboys could not figure out how to use Walker and Tony Dorsett together...but that said, I began to think about how Walker was subsequently traded to the Minnesota Vikings for about a dozen players...and shortly thereafter, the Cowboys' resurgence began. Could this be in the works for the Nuggets...who are looking really good after the trade? They certainly seem to be enjoying themselves in the absence - according to one player - of someone with "sticky fingers."

Of course, the other piece of this is that from a marketing standpoint it was a trade that the Knicks had to make, no matter how many good young players they gave up. With Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups - who had been the best newcomer before his injury - in Knick uniforms, the Knicks have become must-see TV again in the Big Apple and surrounding areas. The league must be overjoyed that the team in the number one arena in the biggest city is relevant again...even if they are still just title pretenders as opposed to contenders.

Hey Philadelphia Phillies, hope you're watching the Miami Heat games, 'cause the way everyone brings their "A" game when El Heat are the opponent is the same thing you guys are going to see beginning next month. Then again, if they can't score off your pitchers it won't even matter.