All around the world of sports, there is no shortage of figures that just totally #### you off. I know I have a few. Here is your forum for venting by throwing the object of your ire Under The Bus (Jerome Bettis Limited Edition 850 hp version). The figure could be a player (or race car driver), team, executive, owner, league, commissioner, or fans of teams/drivers.

NASCAR

Juan Pablo Montoya: this genius wrecked Clint Bowyer for NO reason when Bowyer was leading the Daytona 500 late in the race. He punted Bowyer, causing him to spin out and taking him from first to 24th place, thereby costing Bowyer a possible Daytona 500 win. I got my Schadenfreude later when Montoya went backwards at the next restart and got freight trained. He ended up 32nd. (Ha ha!) I'll give Clint Bowyer the keys to the Bus that I'll throw Juan Pablo under.

David Ragan: normally, I wouldn't throw a driver under the bus for causing an accident, except in this case, he took out his teammate Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was running in the Top 5 at the time of the accident. I wonder if Ragan took lessons in causing accidents from Montoya, because if he did, he's a damn good student. Kenseth gets the keys to the Bus that Ragan is to be thrown under.

Jeff Burton: this pains me greatly to do so, as he is part of the RCR stable and is one of my favorite drivers. He had the Daytona 500 in his sights; all he had to do was get a good restart on the final caution. He had a horrendous restart that dropped him from first to 13th.

NBA

Devean George haters that are drinking Haterade: I give George's agent props for including a no-trade clause in his contract with the Mavericks. BECAUSE George has a no-trade clause, he has EVERY right to exercise it, and that he did when he learned he was going to be traded to the New Jersey Nets as part of the Jason Kidd deal. The Mavericks were DUMB to include a no-trade clause to a journeyman. And since WHEN does Kidd DESERVE to be on a contending team? He was on a New Jersey team that made the Finals in successive seasons in 2002 and 2003. He had his chance, and came up short. I throw the Devean George haters AND the Dallas Mavericks Under The Bus.

New York Knicks: enough said.

MLB

Bud Selig: where were his comments after the Clemens deposition hearing before the House Reform and Oversight Committee? Oh yeah, there were NONE. In baseball's darkest hour since the 1994 players' strike, Selig needed to be front and center and SHOW SOME LEADERSHIP. Oh yeah, he has no leadership. Since Selig became commissioner thanks to a coup d'etat, baseball has become a laughing stock. Under the bus goes Selig.

Roger Clemens: even by his standards, he has the largest ego in the history of baseball. He has backed himself into a corner that he may not be able to get out of. He came off as a greasy, sleazy liar.

NCAA BB

Kelvin Sampson: what is it with this guy and cell phones? And what is it with this guy and LYING about it? IF he had come up front and become accountable to his transgressions, perhaps he wouldn't be on the firing line at Indiana. It was a BAD match to begin with. IF he does get the ax, who takes over starting next season? Randy Wittman and Mike Woodson have both been mentioned. Kelvin Sampson therefore gets thrown Under The Bus.

NFL

Washington Redskins: Jim Zorn? Is that the BEST you can do? Little Lord Danny Boy has turned this once-proud franchise into a laughing stock. And why did you interview Gregg Williams FOUR times, only to ultimately WHACK him? WTF? Why didn't you do that the Monday AFTER the regular season ended?

Willie Gary (ex-Rams receiver): c'mon, Willie, DON'T cry sour grapes because your Rams couldn't get it done in Super Bowl 36. What's with this $100 MILLION lawsuit against the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, and Bill Belichick? Just because you were a benchwarmer for the Rams, doesn't give you the right to clog up the judicial system further. Willie, shut up and know your freaking role. Under The Bus you go.  

I very rarely (in fact, never) blog on the NBA because there are other sports that hold my interests better (NFL, NASCAR, MMA, MLB). However I will make an exception because of the soap opera that is my Los Angeles Lakers/Kobe Bryant.

This is getting more ridiculous by the moment. Who's at fault? Is Kobe at fault? Shaq? Dr. Buss? Mitch Kupchak? The head trainer's dog? I will do my best to break this thing down to its very basics.

After the 2004 Finals, Shaq was traded. A lot of people thought Kobe was at fault for allegedly running an immensely popular, albeit aging, center out of town. When you look at it down to its core, it was a business decision. Question: who scratches those checks with all that jack? Dr. Jerry Buss. Shaq was due $33 MILLION for the following season. Dr. Buss balked at paying an aging, injury-prone center $33 million. Whether Shaq felt slighted or not, that's between him and Dr. Buss. I look at it factually--Dr. Buss didn't want to pay Shaq all that money, so he traded him. I don't think it was a "me or him" ultimatum. Yes it hurt to trade a Hall of Fame center but the team felt that Shaq was on the downside of his career and Kobe was just reaching his prime.

Any good GM worth his salt would have busted his #### to surround Kobe with better players right off the bat. Bring in a veteran center to mentor Andrew Bynum. Bring in a Sam Cassell to distribute the ball and bring floor leadership. Bring in a Ron Artest for rebounding and toughness. Kupchak sat on his #### the whole time--where's his share of blame in this soap opera?? He didn't bring in the necessary personnel to surround Kobe. He could have had Jason Kidd (a future Hall of Famer) at the trade deadline this season but didn't want to give up Bynum. No wonder Kobe is pissed. 

At the end of the day he's not going anywhere. I predict heads will roll (Kupchak's). If that happens, it's long overdue. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Magic Johnson take on a larger role in the franchise, perhaps as a consultant. Personally I hope Dr. Buss one day decides to sell the franchise to Magic.