Just because today is Father's Day, it doesn't mean that this blog will take the week off! NO SIRREE!! I have some sports figures that I'd like to throw Under The Bus

NFL

Chad Johnson: the Bengals' WR is becoming a regular fixture here. He whined and complained about being unhappy in Cincinnati. BOO FREAKING HOO. You're a professional, you're SUPPOSED to be in minicamp. If I were Marvin Lewis, I'd tell Chad you have ONE more chance. You #### a #### in training camp, I WILL deactivate you for the first four games of the season. Problem is, Lewis won't do it. Chad Johnson gets thrown Under The Bus for being a whiny ####.

Jeremy Shockey: the Giants' TE engaged in a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese early in the final day of the Giants' mandatory minicamp. Since Shockey's injury, the G-men are a much better team; a Super Bowl championship proves it. Get him out of there if you want to have a chance at repeating. And in the meantime, Shockey gets thrown Under The Bus.

Plaxico Burress: the Giants' WR refused to practice until he gets his contract renegotiated. He even hinted he may hold out during training camp. WTF? NOBODY put a gun to his head and forced him to sign his current deal. Shaun O'Hara was right in calling him out. And in the meantime, Burress gets thrown with Shockey Under The Bus.

NBA

David Stern: the NBA Commissioner dressed down Sean Farnham when Farnham asked the Commish a question that was on the minds of millions of NBA fans: why the discrepency of scores in the Spurs-Hornets series? (in one game, the Hornets won by 20 at NO; the very next game in San Antonio, the Spurs won by 20) Rather than answering the question honestly, Stern chose to ridicule Farnham. A very bad message considering the integrity of the NBA is very much in question. Stern has his head buried so far in the sand he can see China. We'd better get the Bus to run over him from that position he's in.

MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers: they proceeded to get shut out in consecutive games this week. They rolled over against Jake Peavy and the Padres 9-0 and on Friday they rolled over against the struggling Tigers. They proceeded to get swept by the Tigers. The Dodgers get thrown Under The Bus.

Ken Rosenthal: for suggesting that the Dodgers trade Matt Kemp. WHAT? Kemp is a five-tool player; something the Dodgers haven't had since Raul Mondesi. Kemp is vital to the Dodgers' present and future success. For his foolish and reckless suggestion, Rosenthal gets thrown Under The Bus.

HORSE RACING

Rick Dutrow, Jr.: he keeps stepping into it. He called out Big Brown's jockey, Kent Desormeaux, for pulling back Big Brown. The truth of the matter is, Big Brown was falling further behind as the race went on. Desormeaux should be THANKED for protecting a very valuable horse. For throwing his jockey under the bus, Dutrow himself gets thrown Under The Bus.

These are the sports figures that I throw under the Bus this week. Feel free to come in and vent! 

Throughout the world of sports, there have been enough headlines this past week that just totally tick off you, the Joe Six-Pack sports fan. I know I've seen my share. Here's your opportunity to call out the miscreants, idiots, and general buffoons of sports by throwing them under the Bus (Jerome Bettis Limited Edition, 850 hp).

MLB

Kyle Farnsworth: this guy had the NERVE to call out Joe Torre and blame him for his misfortunes in Yankee pinstripes. Granted, pitching in Yankee Stadium is tough. But it's also an opportunity a LOT of pitchers would give their throwing arms to pitch for the Yankees. Kyle, the reason that Torre lost faith in you is because YOU SUCKED! Rather than blaming Torre, you should be THANKING him for rescuing your floundering career by not pitching you as often when you weren't going well. For blaming Torre and calling him out, you get thrown Under The Bus.

Tony LaRussa: perhaps we should start calling him The Ostrich. Because like an ostrich, he buries his head in the ground when it comes to steroids and PED's. As Kevin Hench states in one of his columns, he (LaRussa) has become a steroid apologist. De Nial is not just the name of a river in Egypt. We'll pull his head out of the sand long enough to throw LaRussa Under The Bus.

GOLF

Tripp Isenhour: this #### killed a bird listed in the protected species, a red-shouldered hawk. The bird was chirping from 300 yards away, yet it was loud enough to disrupt production. According to witnesses, he was intent on killing the bird by golf ball. Rather than alerting the golf course superintendent about the bird and asking him to shoo it off, he took matters into his own hands by firing shot after shot until he hit the bird, killing him. He issued a weak apology. (Sounds to me he's sorry for getting caught in a lie) I'd have a lot more respect for him if he admitted yeah, I had it in for the bird and I intended on killing him. For his idiocy, Isenhour goes under the prison Bus.

NBA

New York Knicks: for allowing 50 points to LeBron James. Granted, James is a great player, and he'll get his points. But the Knicks just gave up, particularly Quentin "I am SOOOOOO overrated" Richardson. It would be one thing if the Knicks played hard and LeBron's 50 carried the Cavs to a close win. You could round up 15 players from New York's playgrounds, suit them up in Knicks gear, and they would be better than the current Knicks. For a lack of professionalism and self-pride, the Knicks get thrown Under The Bus.

Miami Heat: like the Knicks, this team has given up, but for a different reason. Pat Riley took a brief sabbatical to "scout" the Big 12, supposedly for Michael Beasley. It would be so Miami Heat if Beasley decided to return to K-State for his sophomore season. The Heat get thrown Under The Bus for QUITTING.

San Antonio Spurs: for not playing with a sense of urgency, particularly when the Lake Show is hosting Sacramento, one of the league's bottom feeders. The Spurs and Lakers are locked in a race for the best record in the brutally tough Western Conference. Securing home court advantage will be HUGE. Granted, as a Lakers fan, I welcome any chance the Lake Show has to gain ground on the Spurs. But for not putting away the Suns when they had the chance, the Spurs get thrown Under The Bus.

NFL

Asante Samuel: this genius proclaimed the reason for leaving the Patriots to sign with the Eagles is to get back to the Super Bowl. Excuse me? Let me remind you where both the Pats and Eagles finished and where they stand in the future.

• New England: perfect regular season record, lost 17-14 to the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42. Great chance to return to the Super Bowl with Brady, Moss, and company.  
• Philadelphia: 8-8, missed playoffs. Plays in the brutally tough NFC East. Chances to make the playoffs: 50-50 at best. D-Mac is getting older, as is Brian Westbrook. Brian Dawkins may have a couple of good years left before he begins his inevitable decline.

Admit it, when you signed with the Eagles, it was all about getting paid. I'd have a lot more respect if you just came out and admitted that it was all about getting paid. (And called the Patriots cheapskates in the process) For lying to the NFL public (and yourself), Asante Samuel, you get thrown Under The Bus.

NASCAR

Elliott Sadler: he looked like a lost rookie rather than a seasoned Cup veteran that he is. He just couldn't stay away from the wall! TWICE he gave Jimmie Johnson the Lucky Dog. THREE times he WAS the caution; the third time finished him off for the day. Sorry, E-Sad, you're one of my favorite personalities in ALL of sports, not just NASCAR, but I have to throw you under the Bus.

Those are my nominees for the week ending March 9, 2008. Come in with yours!

As I sit on the patio, my lapper fired up, I just thought I'd muse randomly about things in sports and culture.

• The subhumans that burglarized Marquise Hill's mother's house as she was burying her son are the worst people on the planet. Satan is preparing a room for each of them.
• Is Michelle Wie becoming the Paris Hilton of the LPGA? Or the Anna Kournikova of the LPGA?
• We have another sports soap opera, this one NOT involving the Los Angeles Lakers for once. (The Lakers have their own SERIES)
• We are roughly six weeks away from NFL training camps. WOOHOO!
• Has anyone noticed that every year in the MLB draft the same three teams draft 1-2-3 (the order varies from year to year): Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh? Get the GMs from those NFL teams to run the MLB teams and see how quickly they improve!
• If you suffer from insomnia, just tape a few soccer games and watch them and time yourself nightly on how quickly you'll fall asleep.
• USC will play in the BCS national championship game. Unofficially, they are the NFL's 33rd team. They are LOADED this year.
• Prediction for the NBA Finals: Spurs in 6, Tony Parker wins Series MVP. A perfect wedding gift for him.
• If not for Kobe Bryant, the Lakers would be a lottery team for years to come. Maybe it's time for Jerry Buss to relinquish control of the team and retire with a 23-year-old (or younger) hottie of his choice. Hmmmm, is Buss the Hugh Hefner of the NBA? I've got to know.
• The Philadelphia Flyers are stuck in a time warp. They're slow, stodgy, and can't put the biscuit in the basket. That style worked in 1975, the last time they won the Stanley Cup. Today's NHL is free-flowing, with a lot more scoring. Gooning it up no longer works. Buffalo exposed them big-time in last year's playoffs.
• MMA is for real. It's not a fad that will go away. At UFC 71 there were plenty of good action-packed fights. I was surprised how quickly Quentin "Rampage" Jackson KO'd Chuck "Iceman" Liddell.
• Boxing is on the ropes. (Pun intended)
• Last but not least, congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks for winning the Stanley Cup. They earned it. Ottawa has nothing to be ashamed of. The Sens simply ran into a better team. They'll be back.

I bet somewhere in Pistonland, Piston Fan (and/or Player) is shaking his head wondering, what the hell just happened? I'll tell you what happened: Daniel "Boobie" Gibson shot the lights out of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, aka "The Q" to the tune of a career-high 31 points, most of those in the second half when it was crunch time. Now LeBron has a running mate he has wanted since he arrived in C-town.

With the Pistons determined, er, obsessed with stopping LeBron James it was Gibson that stepped up and hit huge shot after huge shot. Not only was he hot from the outside, he attacked the basket with fervor and set up several free throw opportunities and he nailed every free throw he attempted. The Pistons unintentionally set themselves a Boobie Trap that they were ultimately unable to escape from.

Where do the Pistons go from here? They will still be a formidable team although they have a little wear and tear on the tires. Chauncey Billups is a free agent, but the Pistons may re-sign him. They will need to build depth along their front line, as Chris Webber is aging, Rasheed Wallace is getting up in years, as is Antonio McDyess. I think they may have one or two good years left before the rebuilding process begins. They will still be a playoff team but their dominance of the Eastern Conference is over.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday night in San Antonio. While I like Cleveland's youth and energy, ultimately I have to go with the Spurs to win in six games. The Spurs are battle-tested and well-rested. If anything they may be rusty in Game 1 due to their early shellacking of the Utah Jazz.