Author Archives: Bobby Roberts

The 2009 NBA Draft Live Blog

I am running a live blog update during the 2009 NBA Draft. Click on the title of this post to view the up-to-date information and analysis on the NBA Draft. What are the odds that both the Jazz and Pacers pick white boys? I’m not a betting man (at least that’s what I tell my mother), I would bet the house.

7:27 – Why does Dick Vitale is wearing a shirt that matches his skin color…orange.

CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR THE REST….

7:37 – I’m suprised that the Clippers really waited this long to announce their pick. Donald Sterling was probably with a few of his “asian friends” and forgot what time it was.

The Los Angeles Clippers pick Blake Griffin

7:43 – I wonder if Griffin grew out his hair, would he look like Delonte West?

7:45 – Stu Scott is interviewing Mike Dunleavy. Everytime Dunleavy is on ESPN, Bill Simmons sheds a tear

The Memphis Grizzlies pick Hasheem Thabeet

7:46 – Can a tailor actually make suits that fit these guys? There is just too much fabric on suits for guys over 7 feet. They look like they are wearing stilts.

7:50 – Thabeet just explained the difference between soccer and basketball. I’m glad that I watched this or I would have never known.

The Oklahoma City Thunder pick James Harden

7:52 – Ricky Rubio was just shown clapping as if someone just stole his girlfriend.

7:53 – Is there enough points to go around in OKC? Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, and James Harden will put up some nice offensive numbers.

7:55 – Harden is the early leader for the worst suit of the night. His bowtie screams Joakim Noah and his shirt/vest combo screams Hakeem Olajuwon.

The Sacramento Kings pick Tyreke Evans

7:57 – Evans and Griffin appear to be wearing the same suit. I like this pick, he’s tall and can get into the paint. The Kings really don’t have anyone else on their team, they are probably 3-4 years away from being competitive.

8:01 – ESPN is showing the resume of David Kahn, the new GM for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I have seen high school graduates with better credentials to be a GM.

The Minnesota Timberwolves pick Ricky Rubio

8:04 – Rubio’s suit was probably made by some European designer and cost a lot of money, but he looks like he’s either going to a funeral or re-fill my drink.

8:06 – This is either a Ricky Rubio interview or a promo for the movie “Bruno.”

8:07 – They are comparing Rubio to ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich and Steve Nash. Are they setting this kid up for disaster?

The Minnesota Timberwolves pick Jonny Flynn

8:10 – If Jonny Flynn drops a “passion bucket” in his interview here, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be the official team of the Dan Patrick Show. Is the NBA going to have two balls on the court now? I don’t quite understand going point guard/point guard here. Is there going to be a trade coming up?

8:14 – Ouch! No “passion bucket” reference, but he did say “overflowing passion”…close enough.

The Golden State Warriors pick Stephen Curry

8:16 – The Knicks fans boo, but I think Curry will fit well in Oakland. Doesn’t the Knicks have enough tweener guards? Trust me Knicks fan, you need more than Curry.

8:19 – I bet Curry gets carded everywhere he goes. The kid looks 15 years old and he was just picked in the NBA Draft.

The New York Knicks pick Jordan Hill

8:21 – Get used to the boos Mr. Hill, you’re going to be hearing them every night.

8:23 – Hmmm, a PF/C chosen by the Knicks #8 from Arizona…Channing Frye? How did that turn out for you guys? Oh, ouch!

The Toronto Raptors pick DeMar DeRozan

8:27 – The ESPN crew is going to have a hard time trying to talk up DeRozan. He had a bad year at USC for a guy expected to be a stud.

8:29 – DeRozan has a family with healthy issues AND he had to play under Tim Floyd. I don’t know which one to feel more sorry for him about.

The Milwaukee Bucks pick Brandon Jennings

8:33 – I love “Young Money”‘s flat-top. I am crossing my fingers that that hair-style will come back soon. By the way, it was rumored that he was going to drop in the 20s, I guess they were wrong. He sounds like he could be the next T.J. Ford, since he doesn’t have much of an offensive game.

8:36 – A player who struggled in Italy and did bad on his SATs…sounds like it could end horribly.

The New Jersey Nets pick Terrence Williams

8:38 – This kid could be my new favorite player. He looks like his suit is made out of satin. I heard this kid wears Spongebob socks and a Barbie backpack. I may need to get this guy’s jersey.

8:41 – The first awkward moment of the night. Williams kept talking as they cut to a shot of the crew.

The Charlotte Bobcats pick Gerald Henderson

8:45 – The Bobcats continue their solid “when all else fails, pick a guy from UNC or Duke, it could help attendance” plan.

8:46 – I can’t say this enough, but I hate the term “Basketball I.Q.” What the hell doesn’t that even mean?

The Indiana Pacers pick Tyler Hansbrough

8:50 – If you read the beginning of this post, I won. The team photo for the Pacers now looks like the 1940 Fort Wayne Pistons. The Indiana Pacers are still official team of “America’s White Boy.”

8:53 – All kidding aside, I think the Pacers needed a point guard, but Hansbrough will be a good player for the Pacers. Indiana could get a point guard in the early second round. This draft is deep at that position.

The Phoenix Suns pick Earl Clark

8:56 – Haha! Bradon Jennings randomly shows up. That was weird, it completely threw off the entire ESPN crew.

8:57 – Clark was #10 on the “Best Players Available” by Jay Bilas. I don’t like this pick here, they need to get a point guard to take Steve Nash’s spot when he leaves.

8:59 – The Pistons are picking next, can they just forfeit this pick? I doubt they really need to add more payroll at this point.

The Detroit Pistons pick Austin Daye

9:02 – The Pistons just drafted a Tayshaun Prince clone, but unfortunately he isn’t as talented.

9:04 – Jay Bilas said that Daye needs to get tougher. Maybe the Pistons need to send him to Jay Glazer for some MMA training, ala Matt Leinert.

9:06 – Dick Vitale loves the Tyler Hansbrough and Stephen Curry picks? I’m shocked! He just predicted that Curry would win Rookie of the Year. Every time he complains about players who leave college early and get picked on potential, he sound like a mean, old man that was just served cold soup.

The Chicago Bulls pick James Johnson

9:09 – Yikes, I don’t like this pick. Wake Forest had a stacked team and many blame Johnson for the team not living up to their potential. Apparently the kid didn’t get along with his teammates.

9:12 – I was going to say something about how Steve Kerr looks weird, but then my power went out. There is a bad storm oustide here in Columbus,OH.

My power went out for 5 hours….I guess that concludes the live portion of my “live coverage”….maybe next year. I am going to list the rest of the NBA Draft picks and some analysis.

The Philadelphia 76ers pick Jrue Holiday

Holiday is a few years away from being an impact player. The Sixers have a young team, they might be able to wait on him.

The Minnesota Timberwolves pick Ty Lawson *trades pick to Denver

Great, a “future considerations” trade for a mid-1st round pick? That proves how weak this draft is.

The Atlanta Hawks pick Jeff Teague

Teague is a combo guard that can score. I thought the Pacers was trying to move up to take him, but Atlanta is re-building their backcourt with him and trading for Jamal Crawford.

The Utah Jazz pick Eric Maynor

I like this pick. The Jazz are content with Deron Williams at point, but Maynor will be a key reserve off the bench.

The New Orleans Hornets pick Darren Collison

This is a bad pick by New Orleans, they already have a small point (Chris Paul), they would have been better suited to get more size at that position.

The Portland Trail Blazers pick Victor Claver

The Blazers missed out on Ricky Rubio, but picked up his countryman. The passed up DeJuan Blair here, good idea, the kid doesn’t have any ACLs.

The Sacramento Kings pick Omri Casspi

He was the other buzz-word European in this draft, other than Rubio. His name has been floating around for a few years. He has a great motor and doesn’t quit.

The Dallas Mavericks pick B.J. Mullens * traded to Oklahoma City

The Thunder are loading up on talent, but Mullens will take a few years to see what he can do.

The Oklahoma City Thunder pick Rodrique Beaubois *traded to Dallas

This kid has had upside, length, explosiveness, all the token adjectives to describe a draft pick.

The Chicago Bulls pick Taj Gibson

I like this pick, Gibson will replace Ben Gordon, it’s doubtful that he will re-sign.

The Memphis Grizzlies pick DeMarre Carroll

He had a good month last season and it translated into a 1st round. Mizzou came out of nowhere this year and a lot of it is because of this kid.

The Minnesota Timberwolves pick Wayne Ellington

This draft is the T-Wolves draft. If Ellington would have came out last year, he would have been a lottery pick.

The Los Angeles Lakers pick Toney Douglas *trade to New York

Douglas would have been a good fit for the Lakers, but even better for the Knicks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pick Christian Evenga

Danny Ferry is trying to duplicate what he learned at San Antonio. Evenga will probably stay overseas and be ready in a couple seasons. He was a teammate of Ricky Rubio, he better thank him for helping out his game.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Vince Carter to Orlando

ESPN reported that the New Jersey Nets will trade Vince Carter along with Ryan Anderson to Orlando for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee. Orlando was looking to move Alston, since he was more of a short-term fix when Jameer Nelson went down mid-season. New Jersey have been trying to trade Vince Carter for over a year and they look to have finally succeeded. Carter will helped Orlando put points on the board, but he doesn’t have to carry the team.

The Nets didn’t need Rafer Alston since they have Devin Harris running the team. Alston doesn’t do well coming off the bench, but to make the contracts match up, Alston had to go. Courtney Lee is interested on the Nets, he proved that he belongs in the league last season. He could end up becoming a star with Harris and Brook Lopez, but they are still a couple pieces away from really doing damage in the East.

Orlando had to make a big move to keep up with Cleveland and San Antonio. The Magic are looking to keep competitive and be perennial title contenders for years to come. I don’t like trading Lee, but they needed a veteran on the team.

We’ll see how this trade helps the team in 2009-10, but I think it will help both teams. It’s unusual to see a trade these days that isn’t just a salary dump.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

NBA Draft Coverage

I will have live coverage and commentary during the 2009 NBA Draft. This is one of my favorite non-physical sporting events. I love that even the Thunder and Grizzlies fans can feel good about their team for at least one day a year. My favorite part is the horrible draft day suits. I want to leave you with two of my favorites to quench your thirst until tonight.

I love this picture. Hakeem Olajuwon looks like he’s either going to a prom or parking cars outside the event. I also like how David Stern looks like he’s a stand-in from Accounts Payable for the real commissioner.

Joakim Noah’s look is kind of a newer version of Olajuwon’s attire. He adds some extra flare with the unkept fro and jumbo bowtie.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Why "Shaq To Cavs" Could Be Bad For Lebron

The rumor mill is busy tonight with a pending Shaquille O’Neal trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs will send Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace to Phoenix for basically two expiring contracts. Shaq resurrected his career last season and wants to win another championship before he retires. He got into great physical shape, thanks for the Phoenix Suns trainers. This trade is great for Cleveland, but is it good for Lebron James?

Cleveland is Lebron’s team from the first day he grabbed a wine-colored jersey. He has been hyped as the “next great player” and a championship would be a given. He has flourished with the talent around him, but never seemed to have enough talent to get him a ring. Lebron has never had a true big man, even though Big Z is a good player, he isn’t much of a physical presence in the paint. Shaq will help Cleveland and probably land Cleveland a championship.

Do you remember the talk about Kobe Bryant won a championship with Shaq and didn’t win one without Shaq until this past season? All the talk on sports radio and with fans never really recognized that Kobe even won any championships, since they were just with Shaq. Will the same argument be made if Lebron wins a championship with Shaq and then struggles the next couple seasons?

The Cavs do need a big man, it’s a no-brainer. The way that Dwight Howard man-handled them and scored at will, even with the offensive post-moves of a toddler. The Cavs need a tall-wing player more than a big man. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu hurt the Cavs more than Dwight Howard, it’s not even close. The backcourt in Cleveland are short and fast, but not physical. If the Cavs made a trade for Vince Carter or maybe even sign Trevor Ariza. A tall wingman isn’t available in this year’s draft. If Lebron James is Michael Jordan, he needs a Scottie Pippen. It’s going to be hard when you 2nd best guard is Mo Williams, a guy who seems to disappear in big games.

If things go rough the first month of the season, expect Shaq to throw out a couple of Tweets that will bash Lebron or Mike Brown. Shaq is a fun-loving guy, but when he’s on a contender, he tends to be not so light-hearted. You are always gambling when signing Shaq, I’m not saying that he’s like Terrell Owens, but you have to worry a little. The Phoenix Suns training staff is the best in a league and works miracles on guys. If Shaq and Grant Hill play more than 90% of games in a season, you know that they are doing some special. When Shaq leaves the training staff, is he still going to be motivated enough and stay healthy for a full season?

Can a season with Shaq, turn Lebron into a bitter Kobe-like player? If Cleveland wins next season, will Lebron leave and try to win in another city without Shaq? There are so many question marks with this trade. The Cavs are smart and realize that they may only have one season to make a run with Lebron, but I’m wondering if the cons outweigh the pros for Lebron James.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

13 Other Guys Named "Ed"

Ed McMahon passed away last night at the age of 86. He is most commonly known as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show. He also had gig as the host of “Star Search” and handing out huge checks for the Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He lived a full life, a life that Carson famously made jokes about. It isn’t exactly politically-correct these days to make fun of someone’s alcoholism, but good ole’ Johnny was able to make it funny. He had some debt troubles here the last few years, but he will always be remembered for his hearty laugh and infectious smile. In honor of Ed McMahon, here are 13 other Famous “Ed”s.

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The White Boy’s 2009 NBA Mock Draft

The most exciting part of the NBA season is this week, the NBA Draft. Don’t get me wrong, I love the playoffs and think it’s great, but the NBA Draft is a time where every fan can feel great about their upcoming season, unless your a Knicks fan. This year’s draft is perceived to be a very weak draft, but it is very deep at point guard. As many as 8 PGs could be taken in the first round. I would expect a lot of trade this year, since many of the teams at the top of the draft are hurting for money and would rather invest that money in a proven talent, rather than wait three seasons for the prospect to mature.

Here is my mock draft for the 2009 NBA Draft.

1. Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) – This is a no-brainer. Giffin is the best prospect in the draft and most think that he’s a lock. If the Clippers pick Griffin, they will find some way to turn him into Michael Olowakandi.

2. Memphis Grizzlies – Ricky Rubio (Spain) – The Grizzlies would much rather pick Hasheem Thabeet here, but he cancelled his workout. If Memphis picks Rubio, expect a trade of Mike Conley Jr. or even Rubio. They will be loaded at PG and that is not what their need is.

3. OKC Thunder – Hasheen Thabeet (UCONN) – Thabeet makes Dwight Howard post moves look great. In OKC’s offense, he wouldn’t need to put in many points. He isn’t a strong rebounder, but the Thunder needs some defense in the paint. The Thunder would be a great fit for Thabeet.

4. Sacramento Kings – James Harden (Arizona State – The Kings need a scorer and Harden can put a basket in about anywhere on the court. They are re-building and need a star, something that Harden could turn into rather quickly.

5. Washington Wizards – Brandon Jennings (Italy) – The Wizards need a lot to re-gain their form, but Jennings will help them deliver the ball. He didn’t do well in Europe, but his ceiling is higher than most. I’m hoping that he is still sporting his Kid N Play flat-top; I would buy his jersey.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) – Flynn came out of nowhere during the last month of the season. He had a great Big East tourney and went on to have a great NCAA tourney as well. He has pure point-guard skills and would be an improvement over Sebastian Telfair.

7. Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry (Davidson) – Don Nelson’s days are numbered in Oakland, but Curry fits the mold of his type of player. He can score from all over the place and his point guard skills have tripled in just one season. Curry will be a great fit at Golden State, but look for a possible trade here.

8. New York Knicks – Tyreke Evans (Memphis) – If Curry is not on the board, Evans makes sense for the Knicks. He could either be an All-Star or become a very steady bench player in the NBA. He is young and can’t really put my finger on if he is going to be great. Evans had flashes of greatness at Memphis, but most of the season he played against sub-par talent.

9. Toronto Raptors – Jordan Hill (Arizona) – Hill has been climbing up draft boards over the last few weeks. Toronto needs to come to grips that Chris Bosh is heading out of town after this year. They need to rebuild their front-court and Hill would be a great start.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Demar DeRozan (USC) – The Bucks are a few pieces away from being a playoff team. DeRozan is tall (6’7) and is a physical guard. He struggled at times at USC, but Tim Floyd was his coach, that could have been the reason.

11. New Jersey Nets – Terrance Williams (Louisville) – Williams was great for the Cardinals last year. He led them through the Big East and is a great indicator of how he will do in the NBA. The Nets would love to get Williams at #11, they are hoping that no other team will take him earlier.

12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson (Duke) – Henderson had a great workout and he fits the need for the Bobcats. Charlotte needs fans in the seats, by taking a local Dukie, it may help with attendance.

13. Indiana Pacers – Eric Maynor (VCU) – With Jrue Holiday and Ty Lawson still on the board, it would be ballsy for the Pacers to pick Maynor. Maynor is more of a pure point-guard than Lawson and Holiday at this point. VCU isn’t the best place to play, but Maynor made the most of his opportunities when facing top talent. His performance against Duke, a few seasons ago, helped cement his status of a future Lottery pick.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 Un-All-Star Team

Last year, I did my 2008 Un-All-Star Team post in early May. A lot of my team ended up turning things around and a few of them actually ended up with career numbers. I wanted to do this year’s post a little deeper into the season. They are currently about 70 games in right now and some great players are looking like they need some extended spring training to regain their usually consistent form. About this time of year you can throw out the term “slow-starter” and begin using “bad year.”

Some of these players do have some power numbers, but I’m looking at average mostly. If you are still floating around the Mendoza Line and it’s almost July, you are having troubles. A few of these players have been trying to play through injuries (Alfonso Soriano), but his season isn’t living up to expectations.

Here is my list of the 2009 Un-All-Star Team sorted by position. The number next to the position players is their batting average as of today and the number next to the pitchers are their ERA.

Catchers
Kelly Shoppach .194
Dioner Navarro .218
Geovany Soto .222

First Base
Conor Jackson .182
Carlos Guillen .200
Chris Davis .200
Jason Giambi .212
Lance Berkman .241

Second Base
Alexi Casilla .180
Dan Uggla .216
Howie Kendrick .231
Kelly Johnson .227

Third Base
Garrett Atkins .205
Alex Rodriguez .212

Shortstop
Mike Aviles .183
Khalil Greene .213
Jimmy Rollins .223
Orlando Cabrera .235

Outfield
Ken Griffey Jr. .220
Grady Sizemore .223
Alfonso Soriano .229
B.J. Upton .229
Ryan Ludwick .234
Pat Burrell .236

Starting Pitchers
Chien-Ming Wang 12.30
Oliver Perez 9.97
Scott Kazmir 7.69
Fausto Carmona 7.42
Ricky Nolasco 7.15
Andy Sonnanstine 6.60
John Lackey 6.10
Francisco Lirano 5.91

Bullpen
Brad Lidge 7.27
Troy Percival 6.35
B.J. Ryan 5.71
Manny Corpas 5.40
J.J. Putz 5.22

If anyone has any recommendations for the 2009 Un-All-Star Team let me know.

I’m sorry if you found this post in hopes of trying to find shirtless photos of Grady Sizemore of any other of our players. It’s kind of a running joke on this blog, since it seems like I get a lot of hit from google from people trying to find shirtless photos from players from Grady Sizemore and Ryan Braun to the confusing duo of C.C. Sabathia and Prince Fielder.

Designated Hitter
David Ortiz .207

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

My Girlfriend Has A Blog!

After dating me for a year, my addiction to writing has finally infected someone else. She signed up for her blog a few months ago, but she really got motivated today and she write her first post. I am happy for her and would like for some people to go check it out.

She is in grad school at Ohio State studying pharmacy, she also has done biological studies at the University of Missori and University of Illinois. She’s a smart girl who knows her stuff. There are a lot of novelty items that are sold in pharmacies and she finds them intriguing. She will be writing about homeopathic remedies and high-calorie foods. It will be a good read for people who may think homeopathic medicines like “HeadOn” actually work…as well as a possibly what a 12-egg omelet challenge at a local greasy spoon would do to a person’s body.

Her blog is check it out!

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

A Cubs Fan’s Perspective: Sammy Sosa

I have been a Cubs fan for as long as I’ve been alive. I am 28 years old and some of the earliest memories involved my dad and I watching afternoon games on WGN. I remember Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Rick Sutcliffe, and Lee Smith all fighting the Chicago summer heat. The times were special and moments that I wouldn’t change at all. The teams were bad and most of the crowd didn’t care, and I didn’t care too much either. I was a little kid who idolized the players with dreams of one day playing professional baseball too. Those dreams never came true, but I am still a Cubs fan, although I am a little confused of how happy I am about that today.

I was in middle school when the Cubs traded George Bell to the White Sox for a young outfielder, Sammy Sosa. I liked Bell for the few seasons that he was with the Cubs, but I kind of understood that they needed to get younger. I didn’t know much about Sosa, other than owning a few of his rookie cards. My lone opinion was that he looked extremely happy. Almost immediately, the trade for Sosa started to pay off. He was stealing bases and hitting more homers than I expected. The first season, I thought that he may be a better version of Shawon Dunston, since he didn’t strike out as much, which didn’t say much.

The Cubs didn’t win many games the first few seasons that Sosa was around. I can still hear Harry Caray yell out Sosa’s name after he jacked a 400+ foot home-run. Those moments gave me joy, about as much as an actual Cubs victory. Sosa’s home-run total kept creeping up, but the whispers of the ball being juiced calmed my fears of anything fishy going on. It wasn’t until the summer of ’98 that the homers were getting out of hand. I have to admit, I still didn’t care. Mark McGwire was hitting just as many homers as Sosa and he looked noticeably huge. I didn’t suspect much about steroid use, the only thing that was written was something new to me called “Andro.” I read about it and saw that it wasn’t illegal. I didn’t think anything was wrong, but I wanted Sosa to beat him. I think most people wanted Sosa to beat McGwire, if not for the fact that he was more likeable.

Every time that Sosa took the field in the first inning, he would run out into right field like a perfectly choreographed play. Everything Sosa did was more of a show for the fans. After 9/11, he hit a homer and ran around the bases with a little American flag.

Sosa’s numbers stayed the same as McGwire began to breakdown. Sosa’s average took a hit, since he looked like he was wanting to knock it out of the park with every swing. Finally, his behavior the last year with the Cubs was too much for the club to handle. They dealt him to Baltimore for a few young players. Sosa’s career was never the same, mainly because the cloud of suspicion was too great. To this day he denies all claims of using PEDs, but the revelation of a failed test in 2003 makes it all clear. Sosa apparently cheated, it doesn’t surprise many, but I’m just confused.

I believe that a large number of players used some sort of performance-enhancing drug during the same period of Sosa’s career. I believe he wanted an edge and once he had a taste of success, he couldn’t leave it alone. If he didn’t do it for himself, he did it for the fans. As I said before, my first opinion of Sosa was his smile. He didn’t lose his smile until the end of his career. He didn’t have his smile when he was testifying in front of Congress. If Sosa’s number isn’t retired and he doesn’t make the Hall of Fame, Sosa may never smile again. A decision to forgive and forget has to be made at some point. Some purists still have a big problem with “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and the Black Sox. I say that we still need to decide on what kind of punishment would suit the crime.

My opinion is for the Baseball Writers of America to have a conference. Everyone should take sides and maybe come to a conclusion. I would like to see all the alleged steroid users, that have Hall of Fame numbers, be inducted in the same class. You would be able to put that on Pay-Per-View and it would have a high buyrate. I don’t think it’s right that they used PEDs, but enough is enough. I want to move past this. It may take the player’s union to allow blood testing, it would be a step in the right direction.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

A Possible New Home For Sweetbob

I just wanted to inform my readers that I have been offered a deal with a sports-blogging network to write for them. I would be covering the Indiana Pacers and Columbus Blue Jackets. I just wanted to let everyone know in advance. Though it will not change this blog at all, I will still keep it active. There will be two more ways of reading my material in the near future.

I will keep everyone up-to-date on the news once it become official.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The Re-casting of "Major League"

Joe Sports Fan needed more questions for his podcast a few weeks ago and I thought that it would be fun to re-cast the movie “Major League” with current Major League baseball players. He thought it was a good idea and may touch on it in a future podcast. I started brainstorming ideas about who would play each character and thought it deserved its own post. Here is the player-by-player re-casting of the movie “Major League.” (I had to thrown in other sports figures for the female characters).

Jake Taylor – This character needs to be played by a catcher who is on his last legs, but is enjoying a nice season. I choose Jason Varitek since he seemed washed-up last year and it playing great this season. He is also the captain, which Taylor certainly was in “Major League.”

Rick Vaughn – I know what you’re thinking, he should be John Rocker. That would have been the answer about 7-8 years ago, but we need a current baseball player to play “Wild Thing.” I think Joba Chamberlain is a great fit to play Rick Vaughn. He was arrested for a DUI, so he has the sketchy criminal past. He is pretty wild on occassion, especially his celebratory fist pumps.

Roger Dorn – Dorn’s character has to be a guy who has made a lot of money during his career and is just out there for endorsements and maybe some road-tail. He has to play 3rd base, so I’m going with Alex Rodriguez, although A-Rod would probably be the one that would try and sleep with a player’s wife, not the other way around.

Willie “Mays” Hayes – My early vote would have gone to Torii Hunter, since Mays had a great glove and made a few nice catches in center. I couldn’t do it, ’cause Hunter is a 5-tool player and Hayes couldn’t hit well and possibly floated around in the minors awahile. I have to go with Joey Gathright since Mays would probably put up YouTube videos of himself jumping over things too. Gathright isn’t known for his bat, but if he hits grounders, I’m sure he could leg out a few infield singles.

Eddie Harris – Harris was the old-timer that used Vagisil, among other foreign substances, to get movement on the ball. He probably threw a 75mph fastball. This pick was easy, Jamie Moyer is the unanimous choice. He is in his later 40’s and hasn’t see 90 on the radar gun since he married Digger Phelps’ daughter.

Pedro Cerrano – Cerrano prayed to the voodoo gods to help him hit a curveball. He had crazy power, but he was a little crazy. Milton Bradley is the perfect player, although the voodoo religion ties are unfounded. I could see Bradley using bat-warmers and lighting gunpower to awake his bat.

Coach Lou Brown – Brown was a lifer coaching in the minors and came up to coach the Indians. I think he is a smarter coach than he portrayed in the movie. I assume that he was one of the first coaches to use VORP and BBIP to revise his daily line-up of characters. I’m going to throw a curveball here and say that Trey Hillman, the coach of the Kansas City Royals. Hillman coached all over before he was given the shot at the Royals. He is known as a smart guy and a little of a hardass.

Rachel Phelps – She was the ex-showgirl that received the Indians when the owner died. He wanted the team to tank so she could move the team to Miami. I thought long and hard about this and think that Monica Seles would fit the role of Phelps. Seles has been dating the owner of the Buffalo Sabres for awhile and think that she may be in it for the long haul. If he kicks the bucket, Seles could be in line to own a small-market sports franchise.

Lynn Wells – Wells was the character that ended up with Jake Taylor at the end. She clearly has a thing for baseball players, possibly a fetish. I would like Alyssa Milano to play the role of Lynn Wells. Milano has dated many players and she is a huge fan. This could also help the eye-candy factor for the movie.

Harry Doyle – Doyle was the play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians. He was played by Bob Uecker and he did a fantastic job. I would like to see Uecker reprise his role, since he was still the play-by-play guy for the Milwaukee Brewers.

That was my re-casting of the movie “Major League.” It was the 20th anniversary of the movie’s release on Monday. The Cleveland Indians gaveaway a Rick Vaughn bobblehead and had Bob Uecker throw out the first pitch. The pitch was “just a bit outside.”

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Hedo Turkoglu: Prized Free-Agent?

Why is Hedo Turkoglu smiling? Well, he played his way into a possible new, huge contract. “The Jordan of Turkey” didn’t take very long to opt out of his contract and test free agency. Trevor Ariza and Turkoglu could be the two best free agents out there this year. They weren’t considered in the top 10 possible free-agents before the beginning of the year, Ariza wasn’t even in the top 30.

Turkoglu started out very slow this year, but turned it on in both the Boston series and in Cleveland. He could very well re-sign with Orlando for a major contract, a very smart choice, or could a pretender turn into a playoff team with the signing of Turkoglu? Here are some teams that could turn their fortunes around.

Indiana Pacers – This would be my personal choice, but I don’t think that the Pacers have a shot. Turkoglu’s old running mate, Peja Stojakovic did very poorly in Indiana and doesn’t have many pleasant memories of his time there. He does fit Larry Bird’s mold. He’s tall, can shoot the 3, and he’s white. I don’t think Lary Legend has a penchant for the European players, but he would look good next to Danny Granger.

Phoenix Suns – If the Suns trade Shaq for Ben Wallace and Pavlovic, they should offer Wallace a buyout, let him retire, and sign Turkoglu. He is a better shooter than Pavlovic and can spread the floor. I would love him in Phoenix.

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls will lose Ben Gordan and probably Hinrich soon. They need another shooter and Turkoglu can do everything those guys can, but he can start and play 40 minutes a game.

Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder could have a huge turnaround if they get Rubio in the draft. Turkoglu to go along with Durant and Westbrook would look like a possible playoff team in maybe two seasons. Would Turkoglu want to wait? OKC definitely has the cap room to afford a nice free agent.

New York Knicks – I don’t think the Knicks have the cap space to pull this off, but D’Antoni would like to add an experienced playoff veteran to his team. He would do well in the fast-paced system and he loves to shoot the ball. He could be the piece the Knicks need to make the playoffs.

Hedo Turkoglu should re-sign with the Magic. After his stint with Sacramento, he was a free agent and signed with San Antonio. He didn’t do very well there and got lost in the rotation. He needs to choose his next team wisely and not go after money, but try to find the team where he would fit in the best. On the right team, he could be the piece to put a team over and make a playoff run.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.