It's that time of the week again! It's time to call out those sports figures that have so totally p****d you off you want to SCREAM! (Ashlee Simpson notwithstanding) Well, here is the forum in which you can call out those sports figures by throwing them under the Bus. I have a few nominations, so here goes!
NFL
Detroit Lions: for further pissing off some of their season ticket holders. Apparently someone in the Lions' front office responded this way to a complaint from one of their season ticket holders: "#### 'em." I'm always looking for a reason to throw the L.A. Clippers of the NFL under the Bus. Now I've found one. (NOTE: may have to write a written apology to the Clippers for lumping them in with the Detroit Lions. Clips, I apologize for lumping you in with the #### 'Em Lions aka the Detroit #### 'EM'S.)
Wal-Mart: the reason Wal-Mart is in this category is because they stiffed the Andre Johnson Foundation in two ways. First, they messed up the Texans' WR's order of 750 bikes that HE purchased to give to underprivileged kids. (There were around 675 bikes that ended up being donated as a result at the May 3 event.) And because of that order snafu, they stiffed the kids out of ice and water THEY HAD PROMISED. ICE AND WATER!! Sam Walton must be turning over in his grave. For stiffing the kids and messing up the order, Wal-Mart goes under the Bus.
NBA
Utah Jazz fans: this is for the moronic Jazz fans that chanted "Cancer!" every time Derek Fisher attempted a free throw and allegedly threw debris and trash at the Lakers' bench during Game 6 of their series. And they shouted "Refs SUCK!" when the Jazz were getting whipped. Don't blame the refs for your team's shortcomings. Congratulations, Utah. You surpassed Philly fan as the WORST fans in sports. Great job. Because of the morons that did this, you spoiled it for the rest of the Jazz fans. And because of the morons, Jazz fans get thrown under the Bus. I have ONE WORD for Jazz Fan: SCOREBOARD!
NASCAR
A.J. Allmendinger: for not even apologizing to Elliott Sadler after wrecking Sadler out of the All-Star Challenge, then he had the gall to win it! You'll get your comeuppance. Until then, you get thrown Under The Bus.
Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with yours.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! They really do the Lord's work. That being said, here's this week's version of "Who Would You Throw Under The Bus?". Time to call out those sports figures that so p****d you off over the past week. And here we go!
NASCAR
Darrell Waltrip: you have to keep in mind he's a shill for Toyota. Yet his constant lovefest with Kyle Busch was downright disgusting and takes away from the broadcast. I like DW; he's entertaining and brings a former driver's perspective to the broadcast. But I have to call them as I see them. Hate to do this, but DW goes under the Bus.
NBA
The Officials: or more specifically, the officials that allowed a Pistons 3-pointer that should have NEVER counted. The clock froze at 4.8 seconds left in the third quarter of Game 2. Any official in the history of the world (except these officials) would have stopped play and awarded the Pistons the ball with 4.8 seconds left. Because the clock froze, the Pistons were given extra time to hit the three. And because of that, the officials get thrown under the Bus.
Los Angeles Lakers: or more specifically, their bench. They were totally outclassed by the Utah Jazz bench today. Going into the series, I'd have rated the two benches even. Did the Clippers hijack the Lakers' bench and play in this game? The Lakers bench gets thrown under the Bus.
MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers: they got swept by the weak-#### Houston Astros. At home, no less. It's one thing to lose to the Mets; they're a good team. No shame in losing to the Mets. Houston is only slightly better than Pittsburgh. And I have to throw Jonathan Broxton under as well. He's the reliever that the Astros took batting practice off of. (Word had it the Astros had a team brawl at the bat rack) He let a stellar outing by Hiroki Kuroda go to total waste. Kuroda no-hit the Astros for 6 2/3 innings. And he has NOTHING to show for it. The Dodgers and Broxton get thrown under the Bus.
NFL
Marvin Harrison: the Colts' WR has carefully cultivated an image of being a quiet, unassuming player that goes out and does his job. That image is being called into question. He was involved in a shooting in a seedy part of Philadelphia at a bar he owns. The gun involved was found in a bucket at a nearby car wash he also owns. Details are sketchy, because no one's talking. Sorry Marvin, gotta throw you under the Bus for being involved with seedy ####.
Cincinnati Bengals: because they have become the league's halfway house for bad seeds, ingrates, and general all around bad guys. And it's a shame for classy players like Carson Palmer and T.J. Houshmanzadeh that they have to be lumped in with their malcontent teammates. The Bengals (except Carson and T.J.) get thrown under the bus.
NCAA
Ryan Perriloux: this guy had the opportunity of his young lifetime to be THE MAN at LSU. Starting QB for a national championship contender. So what does he do? He gets kicked off the team for allegedly failing a drug test. He was allegedly found with chronic in his system. He apparently didn't attend Common Sense 101 in the school of life. Is getting your bong on so important to you that you #### away the opportunity that just about every young man your age would rip his arm off for? For sheer stupidity, you get thrown under a FLEET of buses!
Those are my nominations! Feel free to come in with yours!
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.
I am from Central California. I am passionate about sports, particularly the NFL and NASCAR. My favorite teams are: Panthers (NFL), Lakers (NBA), Flyers (NHL), and Dodgers (MLB). I am also a Kevin Harvick fan in NASCAR. I am a Fresno State honk. (I'll admit it!) And I am also a fan of MMA. Jackie Robinson to this day represents what is right about baseball. I also enjoy discussing the relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) issues of the day pertaining to sports. I will never understand why televised poker is so popular. Who wants to see a bunch of people sitting around a table, muttering to themselves? I do my best to keep politics out of my sports discussions. That is why I recently created a nonsports blog, cencalscribe. blogspot.com. That is where I post my nonsports topics.