Where do I begin? So much to talk about, and yet so little time to post. That is why I enjoy these weekly rants where I can vent all the frustrations for an entire week, or in my case the past month.
BCS: It looks like no one wants to be number two in the BCS. Certainly Kansas can control their destiny, but I think Missouri will beat them to win the Big 12 North, and then they will have to beat either Texas or Oklahoma to face LSU in the BCS final. Of course, that is assuming LSU wins the SEC Championship which is no easy task. They will have to face a Georgia team that is looking tougher with each passing game.
Kevin Garnett trade: Back when Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on Kevin Garnett, I was one of the few who said it was a brilliant move. People kept saying, "They can't win without a bench!" Well guess who is looking brilliant now? Yep, the Celtics are rolling and Minnesota is struggling. Jefferson is great, but without a supporting cast the Timberwolves are right where the Celts were last year, in last place. You need superstars in this league to win. The Celtics have three and are well on their way to winning the East.
Oden or Durant: Once again, it shows you why you don't sign a big man who only plays one injury ridden year of college. Big guys are prone to injuries, and Oden is no exception. When you are trying to make that number one pick, a big man is always the way to go, if he has proved himself in college. Big men like Shaquille Oneal played for three seasons and proved he could take the pounding. So did Patrick Ewing, Kareem, and Mourning, but not Oden. People made fun of Durant for not benching more than his weight, but Seattle is very happy Portland went big. Durant is strong enough to lift a basketball, shoot it in the air, and sink a 3 pointer when the game is on the line. That is strong enough for me.
Barry Bonds: Well it took the feds 4 years to bring an indictment, and I say it will take another 4 for anything to stick. Perjury is one of the hardest crimes to prosecute someone for. Not only do they have to prove you are lying, but they have to prove intent. Victor Conte has gone on record that Barry was not given steroids, as has his personal trainer Greg Anderson. Unless they have a smoking gun somewhere, and I don't mean that so called positive test, they will have to do a lot better. So far they have only had to try Barry in the court of public opinion, a place he will always lose, but in a real court where witnesses are cross examined it will be a different story. Let's see Kim Bell and a few others stand up and testify and we will see how they like being put on trial. Barry will never see any jail time nor will he be found guilty. The one thing this possibly accomplishes is keeping him from suiting it up next year.
It appears each week as I get busier and busier I am able to write less and less, but ahh, I finished with another school year with the graduation of the 2007 class and now I should have some time to write. But I also begin summer school on Monday, so I know that time will still be at a premium, thus the weekly installment that I like to call Sunday Socal Rants:
Billy Donovan:Give the guy a break! Very few of us ever get a "do over", but Billy is lucky that he gets one. SEC fans in every state but FL are in mourning because they now have to recruit against this guy and play his teams each and every year for a long time. Donovan is the one who made the Magic put that 5 year no competition clause in his "exit" contract so that he could promise recruits he was staying put in FL. Not to mention that he signed a 6 year deal, players should feel secure in the knowledge that they can play for him and finish their college career under the coach that recruits them.
Michelle Wie: Where shall I start? In one of my many posts on Wie that I have written over the last year and half, I put the blame for most of her troubles sqaurely on B.J. Wie, Wie's father. He has totally ruined what could have been a brilliant career. I will say it again, and maybe this time people will listen, Michelle Wie will never win on the men's tour much less make the cut, and her career in the LPGA will be an afterthought. Pressel, Ochoa, and Lincicome will lead the next generation of great LPGA players and Wie will be the equivalent of Justin Rose on the PGA. Don't get me wrong, Wie has talent, but she lacks killer instinct and her handlers have so screwed with her psyche that she finds ways to withdraw from tournaments that are so bizarre that the rest of the LPGA has come to realize she is a fraud. They do not fear her anymore and as a result, her finishes are at rock bottom. Sorenstam is so right when she says Wie has no class. Not only is she losing it mentally in every tournamet she appears in, but I believe she is headed down the same path as Jennifer Capriati and I would not be suprised if Wie turns to "medicinal" help to calm her frayed nerves. Cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and antidepressants will all be availabe to her once enrolled at Stanford and I fear she will become the Lindsey Lohan of the LPGA.
Daunte Culpepper: While I am no fan of Culpepper, it appears the Dolphins do not plan on using Daunte this year at QB. He is not allowed to work out with the team during drills, but Cam Cameron says he has no plans on facilitating a trade. Come on Miami, treat the man fairly. If you bring in Green from KC, draft a young QB, and have no plans on playing Culpepper, you should not only release Daunte but you should help him find a new team. There is such a thing as having class. And to think the Dolphins were giving Nick Saban a hard time and saying he was a jerk.
LeBron James:I am one of the few who will say I think the Cavaliers have a shot at winning the NBA Championship. In fact, let me go ahead and even predict that Cleveland will win after being down one game to nothing. James impresses me like no other player in recent memory. I have followed his progression over the last few years and I truly believe he is a one of kind player who will lead his teams to multiple NBA titles. It should be fun to watch him and D Wade over the next 10 years. My opinion on James changed when I saw him yell at his team during the third game of the Pistons series. As he was marching back down the court after one of his magical fading away three pointers, he yelled at Larry Hughes, "Be strong, be strong!" At that moment I knew he was not ever going to give up. Even though they were down by two games, James led them to four straight wins over the much vaunted Pistons. Of course I also think the Pistons will never win with Flip at the helm and C Webber on the court. Having two cursed people on your team is too much to overcome.
Roger Clemens:Simply amazing, or is it? Speculation abounds about Barry Bonds and steroids, but I maintain that there is no way Roger can pitch like he is pitching without some special superhuman abilities at his age. Maybe Roger has found the fountain of youth, HGH, as well. Certainly one sportswriter, Kevin Hench, agrees with me that at least we should be asking the question is Clemens using steroids? I wrote about this last year, and I maintain that pitchers use steroids more than hitters. At least if and when Barry breaks Aaron's HR record, we can take solace that he did it against steroid juiced pitching. Bare in mind that Roger's name has come up on several lists by federal investigators, but for some reason he is never pursued the way Bonds is. Some may believe race has something to do with hit while I think the fact he is about to break a "sacred" record is probably the main reason. Of course I think 7 Cy Young's is pretty impressive and possibly should have an asterisk next to them when Roger saunters into the HOF.
That's it for another edition of my Sunday Socal Rants. Have a great weekend and go Cavaliers!
In a story just released, Josh Hancock's father is suing just about anyone he can because his son died while driving under the influence. His lawsuit includes the bar, the tow truck company, and the owners of the bar. While it is his right to sue, if I were a judge I would throw this case out faster than you can spell DUI. This type of frivilous lawsuit completely ignores the one person who is most responsible for this accident and tragic death. The one person responsible is Josh Hancock.
Hancock was on a cell phone while driving late at night. His blood alcohol was nearly twice the legal limit, and they found marijuana in the car as well. Who knows if maybe he was under the influence of more than the alcohol, but either way both would reduce his reflexes considerably. Any sane jury should rule in favor of the defendents in this case. While I do think stadiums and clubs should not serve alcohol after the game, we in this country are suffering from a very sad disease. It is the disease which blames others for our own problems. Whether it is the recipient of welfare who refuses to go out and find work or it is the alcoholic who blames everyone else for his drinking, this is a serious problem that needs to be confronted. Our legal system has got to stop taking these bogus cases and when they are brought to the courts, judges need to dismiss them immediately. As long as our legal system allows these cases to go forward, people will find ways to sue each other.
While I feel extremely sorry to Mr. Hancock for the loss of his son, his grief will not go away no matter how large the award. Rather than blame others, why not use this tragedy to teach other young men and women about the dangers of drinking and driving.
It has been said that only two things are certain in this life, death and taxes. Tragedy can strike any of us at any given moment. No one is immune from death as Josh Hancock found out this past week, but the manner in which he passed away was so completely avoidable.
The fact that he is dead is not surprising because athletes routinely drink and drive. Some teams even encourage it. I find it just a little bit ironic that Hancock played for a team whose manager was arrested for a DUI earlier this year, a team that is owned by one of the largest American breweries, and a team that provides drinks in the locker room after each game. It’s like the Cardinals are saying, “Drink a Bud on your way home.”
Sooner or later someone needs to realize that there is a direct correlation between alcohol, athletes, and the glorification of beer in Super Bowl commercials and other sports venues. And lately, it seems it’s not just beer ads, but hard alcohol is coming to the forefront as well. Who hasn’t laughed at the Captain Morgan commercials? While I have seen a few ads promoting drinking responsibly, the actions of these same companies does not jive with their message.
In this case, Josh Hancock was not only drinking and driving, but he coupled that with one of the most egregious offenses of all drivers, that of talking on his cell phone. Certainly this was a lethal combination. When all the information becomes available, we will probably also find out that he was smoking “pot” at the same time.
Hopefully, some young people are out here and reading this and will realize that death is just around the corner for all of us, but we can prolong his coming. There is no reason to meet Joe Black before you live to a ripe old age. I don’t know about you, but my wife and kids would like for me to stick around for awhile. In fact, I am rather fond of staying alive. So pardon me if I pass up the alcohol before getting behind the wheel of an automobile. I hope you do the same.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. It is one of the only times where millions of Americans sit around a table with tons of food stuffing their faces without worrying about Robert Atkins, (may his soul rest in peace.) Today as I plan on sitting in front of the TV and watching three NFL games I thought I would share all of the many blessings I have as well as a few that I can think of for some of our favorite athletes.
Eli Manning: He should be thankful for a running back that has helped deflect all the criticism leveled towards him and the unfair comparisons to Philip Rivers. Eli does not have an LT in his backfield, but he does have Tiki who went out on a limb and put the blame on the coaches for the loss.
Michelle Wie: She should be enormously grateful for the over 8 million in endorsement deals she has from Sony and Nike because after this year finding that kind of money is going to be hard to do. In order to be resigned by companies, they like to see you win, something Wie has not done yet. Eventually she will win against the ladies, but these sponsors were hoping to see her contend against the men and that ain’t happening!
Sean Merriman: While he sits out his suspension for four games the Chargers are 3-0. Now if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs he can not be blamed.
Tiger Woods: Elin Nordegren, enough said!
Isiah Thomas: That he still has a job.
Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds: They should both be thankful that they never tested positive for steroids, unlike Floyd Landis.
Roger Clemens: Same as Lance and Barry, but also that he is allowed to pitch home games only and still makes millions of dollars. What’s more amazing is that he will be in high demand come next April.
Alfonso Soriano: Enjoy that huge paycheck while you remember that you are playing for the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs: They get Pinella for a manager, they sign a huge bat, and now Colangelo is interested in buying the franchise. This may be the Cubbies year.
As for me, I am thankful for a wife, four kids, my health, and all my friends at this Fox Blogging site. After all, if you have a family that loves you and you are healthy and able to enjoy it, what more is there? Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Phil Hartman was a true comedic genius. One of my favorite SNL skits was the one where he played the Unfrozen Caveman, Cirroc. Cirroc was often confused about many of our modern day conveniences, but he always won in court. Here are a few of the athletes who would retain Cirroc’s services and the defenses that I see him using to help these athletes beat the rap.
Barry Bonds
Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your world frightens and confuses me. Why do luxury cars such as my Mercedes require “premium” unleaded gasoline? Do the horses inside the engine require a different type of liquid to drink than the ones in a minivan? How do my headlights know to come on automatically? Is this some sort of voodoo? Also, when I see athletes using steroids to make their muscles get larger and their testicles shrink, my mind can’t comprehend why any male would do this. How do these steroids work? Are there tiny demons inside the needle which enter into the bloodstream and cause muscles to grow? Do these steroids somehow slow the ball down for the hitter so that it makes it easier to hit the ball? Do steroids help the player with his hand eye coordination? I may not know much about your world, but this one thing I know, Mr. Bonds was a great player before the steroid debate and he continues to be a great player. When my client breaks Hank Aaron’s record next year he will go down in the record books as the all time HR leader. In conclusion your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and Mr. DA, I may be just an unfrozen caveman, but if my memory serves me well, I was unfrozen in the United States of America. In the good “ole” US of A, we still operate under the premise of “innocent until proven guilty.” Until Mr. Bonds has a positive test for steroids he must be found NOT GUILTY on all charges.
Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, David Evans
Members of the jury, your world confuses me beyond belief. This thing called a “boom” box is beyond my reasoning capabilities for I am just an unfrozen caveman. Are there tiny musicians living inside it which play when you summon them? Also, I don’t understand this concept of paying a woman to take off her clothes and dance in front of 30 men. This DNA evidence is also outside the grasp of my mental capacities. The blueprint for every human being is inside this DNA and it is unique for each individual and yet none of this DNA can be found on the accused while someone else’s DNA was found inside this woman. Maybe I am just a simpleton, but your honor this one thing I know, these young men are innocent!
Give the guy a break! Very few of us ever get a "do over", but Billy is lucky that he gets one. SEC fans in every state but FL are in mourning because they now have to recruit against this guy and play his teams each and every year for a long time. Donovan is the one who made the Magic put that 5 year no competition clause in his "exit" contract so that he could promise recruits he was staying put in FL. Not to mention that he signed a 6 year deal, players should feel secure in the knowledge that they can play for him and finish their college career under the coach that recruits them. 
In 
I am one of the few who will say I think the Cavaliers have a shot at winning the NBA Championship. In fact, let me go ahead and even predict that Cleveland will win after being down one game to nothing. James impresses me like no other player in recent memory. I have followed his progression over the last few years and I truly believe he is a one of kind player who will lead his teams to multiple NBA titles. It should be fun to watch him and D Wade over the next 10 years. My opinion on James changed when I saw him yell at his team during the third game of the Pistons series. As he was marching back down the court after one of his magical fading away three pointers, he yelled at Larry Hughes, "Be strong, be strong!" At that moment I knew he was not ever going to give up. Even though they were down by two games, James led them to four straight wins over the much vaunted Pistons. Of course I also think the Pistons will never win with Flip at the helm and C Webber on the court. Having two cursed people on your team is too much to overcome. 
Simply amazing, or is it? Speculation abounds about Barry Bonds and steroids, but I maintain that there is no way 
Some teams even encourage it. I find it just a little bit ironic that Hancock played for a team whose manager was arrested for a DUI earlier this year, a team that is owned by one of the largest American breweries, and a team that provides drinks in the locker room after each game. It’s like the Cardinals are saying, “Drink a Bud on your way home.”
Sooner or later someone needs to realize that there is a direct correlation between alcohol, athletes, and the glorification of beer in Super Bowl commercials and other sports venues. And lately, it seems it’s not just beer ads, but hard alcohol is coming to the forefront as well. Who hasn’t laughed at the Captain Morgan commercials? While I have seen a few ads promoting drinking responsibly, the actions of these same companies does not jive with their message. 
In this case, Josh Hancock was not only drinking and driving, but he coupled that with one of the most egregious offenses of all drivers, that of talking on his cell phone. Certainly this was a lethal combination. When all the information becomes available, we will probably also find out that he was smoking “pot” at the same time.
Hopefully, some young people are out here and reading this and will realize that death is just around the corner for all of us, but we can prolong his coming. There is no reason to meet Joe Black before you live to a ripe old age. I don’t know about you, but my wife and kids would like for me to stick around for awhile. In fact, I am rather fond of staying alive. So pardon me if I pass up the alcohol before getting behind the wheel of an automobile. I hope you do the same.
Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your world frightens and confuses me. Why do luxury cars such as my Mercedes require “premium” unleaded gasoline? Do the horses inside the engine require a different type of liquid to drink than the ones in a minivan? How do my headlights know to come on automatically? Is this some sort of voodoo? Also, when I see athletes using steroids to make their muscles get larger and their testicles shrink, my mind can’t comprehend why any male would do this. How do these steroids work? Are there tiny demons inside the needle which enter into the bloodstream and cause muscles to grow? Do these steroids somehow slow the ball down for the hitter so that it makes it easier to hit the ball? Do steroids help the player with his hand eye coordination? I may not know much about your world, but this one thing I know, Mr. Bonds was a great player before the steroid debate and he continues to be a great player. When my client breaks Hank Aaron’s record next year he will go down in the record books as the all time HR leader. In conclusion your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and Mr. DA, I may be just an unfrozen caveman, but if my memory serves me well, I was unfrozen in the United States of America. In the good “ole” US of A, we still operate under the premise of “innocent until proven guilty.” Until Mr. Bonds has a positive test for steroids he must be found NOT GUILTY on all charges.
Members of the jury, your world confuses me beyond belief. This thing called a “boom” box is beyond my reasoning capabilities for I am just an unfrozen caveman. Are there tiny musicians living inside it which play when you summon them? Also, I don’t understand this concept of paying a woman to take off her clothes and dance in front of 30 men. This DNA evidence is also outside the grasp of my mental capacities. The blueprint for every human being is inside this DNA and it is unique for each individual and yet none of this DNA can be found on the accused while someone else’s DNA was found inside this woman. Maybe I am just a simpleton, but your honor this one thing I know, these young men are innocent!
