If you happen to be the mother of LeBron James and you happen to be near a mini-confrontation between your son and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett happens to be in the area, perhaps it would be a good idea to sit your ass down and let your son handle his business.

And handle his business Bron Bron did last night. His shooting improved. He started smiling again. And he also made Kevin Garnett look very silly on his insane late 4th quarter dunk. Matt and I discussed LeBron vs. Kobe today. I take LeBron in a heartbeat, for a number of reasons. The first is that LeBron hasn’t, to my knowledge, raped anyone. The second, is because LeBron James is the most complete player since Oscar Robertson. LeBron rebounds, scores, passes (to terrible teammates no less), plays defense, coaches on the sidelines. He does everything (except shoot free throws very well). LeBron is the best dunker I have ever seen. Better than Vince Carter. Because LeBron uses dunks as a means to both score and draw contact. Vince only dunks on breakaways now. Kobe is the game’s best pure scorer; there is not even a hint of a counter argument there. However, Kobe only recently discovered that he is allowed to pass the basketball. And Kobe also plays with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. LeBron plays with Sideshow Bob, Bad Knees Wally, Herp Face, a guy named Boobie, and a man who makes George Muresan look athletic. My final point may be the most important:

Mike Brown vs. Phil Jackson

Today I had a slue of personal ideas for posts, but I remembered that the readers had questions and ideas, so I went back to my email inbox and wrote them all down. Consider today a mailbag addition.

-What are your thoughts on blowup dolls? (Kristen, NY)
A: I understood why this was a story a few weeks ago. Major League clubhouses are full of female reporters who have been subjected to sexual harassment for decades. As much as I love the man for his outspokenness, Ozzie Guillen was supposed to have taken sensitivity courses. If he actually got anything out of these, which he didn’t, he wouldn’t have allowed blow up dolls in his open clubhouse, for reporters to see. And really, it’s not that funny.

-What are your thoughts on Josh Beckett? (Kristen, NY)
A: Josh Beckett is good.

-Why does Matthew Minton have a perma-boner for UNH Basketball? (Ryan, NH)
A: In defense of Matthew, I understand his wanting to be a part of something bad turned good. I feel satisfaction at the moment from the Tampa Bay Rays rise towards the top of the American League, because I’ve been rooting for them since they started out as a franchise and have been saying for years that this team would win a World Series by 2014. By the looks of it, that World Series could come by 2010. Matt has bought into UNH basketball, for better or worse, because it will feel very good for him when his college’s basketball team that no one cared about, except for him, succeeds and wins the America East and finds itself in the big dance. Then, Matthew will be able to say that he has been riding that bandwagon since the key in the ignition turned. And it will feel good. This is the satisfaction that us wannabe athletes feels when our team of choice succeeds.

-What are your thoughts on Hanley Ramirez’s extension with the Florida Marlins? (James, VA)
A: Jim raises a good point in asking the question (I shortened it for the purposes of this post). The Marlins have proven that they do not need Hanley Ramirez. Trading away all of their young talent for younger talent to keep their budget low has not hurt them in the past. In fact, in the last 11 years, they’ve won 2 World Series titles. Only the Red Sox and Yankees have won that many in that amount of time. Big economic disparity there. Here’s my take: While Jim is right, I must admit that I love this move for the Marlins. They drastically underpaid for Hanley. On the open market this offseason, do you not think that the Red Sox would give him 15 million a year? Or the Angels? Or the Mariners? Or the Giants? You get the picture. The Marlins will be paying HanRam millions less than he would have been paid on the open market. So if the Marlins intend on paying their players (Dan Uggla should be next) and not trading them, this is a great step in a right direction. Perhaps this is a sign of change. Maybe the Marlins will get some fans. Maybe a ballpark to play in and not the cavernous orange monstrosity in North Miami that they play in currently.

An aside from the questions. These would be the current playoff matchups in baseball:

AL:

Boston vs. Minnesota
Oakland vs. Tampa Bay

NL:

Florida vs. St. Louis
Chicago vs. Arizona

(Did you have that a month and a half ago?)

-Breakdown the AL Central for Me (Matthew, NH)
A: Not so much a question, but I’ll let it slide for Matthew, the loyal, longtime Mid-Atlantic Bias reader. Currently, these are your AL Central Standings:

Minnesota
Cleveland 1.5 GB
Chicago 2.0 GB
Kansas City 4.0 GB
Detroit 4.5 GB

I personally don’t think there’s a chance on the planet earth that this division wraps up this way. Here’s a Categorical Ranking of this Division (this is all as presently constructed on paper, based on what we’ve seen and what we (I) expect):

Hitting:

1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Minnesota
5. Kansas City

Breakdown: I still refuse to acknowledge that the Tigers offense is worse than the Indians. The two teams aren’t far off, but I still like the Tigers power potential with Ordonez, Cabrera, and Sheffield better than the Indians’ with Hafner, Martinez, and um, Jhonny Peralta? Ryan Garko? Casey Blake? You get the picture.

Pitching:

1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Kansas City
4. Detroit
5. Minnesota

Breakdown: This is where the Tigers have fallen off and I admit, I greatly over hyped their pitching. Cleveland has the best pitching staff in the division and it’s not even close. Chicago’s staff is being anchored not by Javier Vasquez and Mark Buehrle, but by Gavin Floyd and John Danks (castoffs from Philly and Texas, respectively). Minnesota’s staff on paper, beyond Joe Nathan, is atrocious.

Coaching:

1. Detroit
2. Minnesota
3. Chicago
4. Cleveland
5. Kansas City

Breakdown: Each team has a very respectable manager. To call Trey Hillman the worst manager in this division is not a slight to him.

Veteran Leadership:

1. Chicago
2. Minnesota
3. Cleveland
4. Detroit
5. Kansas City

Breakdown: The White Sox have a lot of veteran leadership in Paul Konerko, Orlando Cabrera, AJ Pierzynski, Buehrle, etc. The Twins have it as well in Justin Morneau and Livan Hernandez. Cleveland doesn’t really have a face. I’m not sure that Travis Hafner knows how to speak or Grady Sizemore knows how to do anything but look good. Detroit is in a similar state. And Kansas City is just too young.

So here is how I see the division ending up on September 28:

1. Cleveland
2. Chicago 5 GB
3. Detroit 5.5 GB
4. Minnesota 10.5 GB
5. Kansas City 19.0 GB

I would like to put Detroit at number 1, but through the first month and a half of the season, they haven’t played like the greatest team ever assembled. Cleveland has the best combo of hitting and pitching in the division, enough in my opinion to outweigh their lack of a team voice. The only thing I am sure of is that no one or two players are going to carry a team to this division’s title. And right now, Cleveland has the best team.

Game O’ The Day: San Antonio @ New Orleans. I’m afraid that the Hornets’ run will begin to become a walk tonight. Spurs win by 12. {Sigh}

Keep sending your requests and questions and we can have one of these a week. Or, if you hate it, don’t send any questions or comments. Tomorrow, I’ll have my 2008 MLB All-Under 25 team. Anticipate.

I don’t really have that much to say about the OJ Mayo controversy besides this sentiment from Tony Kornheiser today: “The USC program needs to be blown up.” Between Reggie Bush and now this, USC has huge NCAA problems. In short, Mayo is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from a marketing firm that began representing him the moment he left USC for the NBA Draft. Kornheiser, as usual, is completely correct. In the past 3 years, two major USC star athletes have been accused of (with minimal evidence supporting an alternative conclusion) accepting an exorbitant amount of money from people who would become their legal representation as professional athletes. And while the NCAA does use these same athletes to make money for themselves, it is completely illegal for the athletes to make money for themselves and they should be punished accordingly. I don’t blame OJ Mayo for accepting money that was thrown at him. But he knew that what was happening was against the rules. He and USC should have to live with those consequences.

In an act of complete disclosure, the only sports I watched this weekend were a few innings of Saturday’s Yankees/Tigers game and the 4th quarter of Saturday’s Celtics game. This is because I was in the beautiful state of North Carolina. I did not make it home in time for any real part of the Hornets/Spurs game last night because it was drizzling lightly up Interstates 85 and 95. And by “drizzling lightly” I of course mean that God was pouring buckets of water onto the state of Virginia. With that said, I don’t have any real analysis of this weekend, but five thoughts:

1.) So we can book Detroit and Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup Finals, right?

2.) Utah can beat the Lakers in their series. I’m kind of shocked.

3.) Sam Cassell needs to be attacked by a group of rabid badgers before tonight’s game so Eddie House can get some minutes. Accordingly, I’d like Doc Rivers to try and help “Sam I Am” with the badgers. That way Tom Thibodeau can start his tenure as coach of the Celtics.

4.) I guess San Antonio isn’t quite done winning games yet. Darn.

5.) I think Detroit and Orlando are playing a playoff series. I’m going to need to check on that though. Is there anyone outside of Central Florida or Michigan that cares one iota about these teams or this series? The series is getting about as much pub as Chandra Levy is at the moment.

On to today’s feature:

Saturday, I got to return to my Mecca: Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was just as I had left it in February, though this time, I got to sit on the floor for the Duke Business School commencement ceremony. There was no Coach K. No DeMarcus Nelson. No Cameron Crazies. There was, however, the aura that is Cameron. This got me to thinking two things:

1.) I’m so lucky to have ever gotten to step foot inside this building once, nevermind 3 times. And

2.) What are the other Sports Meccas in America? And will I ever get to see them?

With that said, here is my top 10 list of “Meccas” or “Havens” (for the religiously sensitive) in use in the United States of America today:

10. Cameron Indoor Stadium: Maybe I’m biased and I probably am, but you don’t really get it until you’re there. On my list, Cameron beat out Daytona International Speedway, another venue I have been to, albeit not on race day. If I compare my visits to both, when no sporting events were happening, Cameron’s aura wins out over Daytona’s legacy. The feeling I got when I walked onto the Coach K court on a September morning was more overwhelming than the feeling I got when entering the track at Daytona. Duke is to college basketball what the Yankees are to professional baseball. They’re the glamor franchise. The difference is that Duke plays inside of what is nothing more than a church with a basketball court. And to me, it feels like a church.

9. Notre Dame Stadium: The similarities between Duke basketball and Notre Dame football are known and overstated in American college sports. Both are either loved or hated. There’s no in between. I’ll never love ND football like I love Duke basketball, but I’ll always root for Notre Dame. I have been on the Notre Dame campus and seen the stadium, but I did not get to enter. There is nothing glamorous about the aesthetics of Notre Dame Stadium. It’s what has happened there and the legacy of Notre Dame football that is what makes Notre Dame Stadium a Mecca. The Chance I will Ever See A Game at Notre Dame Stadium: Not Very Good. Almost impossible.

8. Churchill Downs: As I wrote last week, horse racing is one of those sports that only matters once a year, usually. And everytime it has really mattered, it has been at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Of all of the venue you will see here, Churchill is the one I know the least about, but it is important enough that I both thought about it and ranked it higher than Cameron Indoor and Notre Dame Stadium. The Chance I Will Ever See the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs: 0%

7. Indianapolis Motor Speedway: I was always envious of the fact that my grandmother, who doesn’t know the difference between a piston and a pedal, once attended the Indy 500 when she and my grandfather lived in Indianapolis. I’ve always preferred Stock Car racing to Open Wheel racing, but, again…a word you’ll hear a lot on this list…mystique. The Chance I will Ever See the Indy 500 at IMS: 0%

6. Madison Square Garden: I’m putting MSG on the list for basketball. So much history has happened in Midtown Manhattan. So many players. Willis Reed coming out of the tunnel, Michael Jordan making the Garden his home, Reggie Miller taunting Spike Lee, the Big East Conference tournament every year, and on and on. Whether you hate New York or not, for whatever reason, MSG is the most famous arena in the world for a reason: Because it is. The Chance I will Ever See a Basketball Game at MSG: 100%

5. Fenway Park: Want to laugh? I’ve been to Dolphin Stadium to see the Marlins as many times as I’ve been to Fenway to see the Red Sox. Twice. And even though I have my qualms with the price to see a game at Fenway, I cannot deny the fact that Fenway is special. It has quirks that no ballpark today has. Garage doors in the outfield (my favorite part), a triangle in centerfield, a wall in right that may be 6 inches high, a wall in left field that is 37 feet high, a pole located about 20 feet from home plate that just barely sits in fair territory, and on and on. So despite the .406 club (or whatever it’s called now) and the “Monstah Seats,” and all of the add-ons that the new management have brought in to Fenway, it’s still an incredibly special place in the annals of American Sport.

4. Yankee Stadium: It’s not necessarily done on purpose here, but these teams are always together, it seems. Another great anomaly is that I have never been to Yankee Stadium, though that will hopefully change on Sunday night when I get to see the Subway Series in person (barring my death or illness). Yankee Stadium ranks ahead of Fenway because of the Yankee legacy, which is greater (there is NO ARGUMENT ABOUT THIS…NONE) than the Red Sox’s legacy. 26 world championships. Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle, Whitey Ford, Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jeter, and on and on. They all played on this grass. Lou Gherig’s famed “Today…” speech occurred here. And then there’s the ridiculous stuff: Jeffrey Maier robbing Tony Torrasco in the 1996 playoffs comes to mind. The facade, monument park, and Ronan Tynan singing “God Bless America.” Yes, it’s all overstated, but it’s New York City. The Yankees are a perfect reflection of their city and Yankee Stadium is accordingly, a great place for the Yankees to live.

3. Wrigley Field: The Cubs haven’t won a World Series on this field in over 100 years. They don’t have the legendary players like the Yankees. They are, after all, the “lovable losers.” Wrigley is another venue that I’ve seen, but haven’t experienced. Wrigley Field is so different from anything (even Fenway) that we see today. The park is actually located in a neighborhood. There’s a 7-11 right next to it. There are apartments beyond the outfield, across the street. There is something about a Day Game at Wrigley that just has a ring to it. Even when the Cubbies are bad, the seats are filled at Wrigley. Even when they’re playing a game at 1 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, the seats are filled. Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park have undergone great upgrades and changes since they were build. Wrigley hasn’t. It is the last remaining true “ballpark.” And I cannot wait until I get to sit in the bleachers on a weekday afternoon and soak up sun with the “bleacher bums.” Chance I Get to See the Cubs At Wrigley: 95%. There’s just some hesitance to make it 100. I almost don’t want to jinx it.

2. Augusta National: You’re probably thinking, “A Golf Course? You’re not even a golf fan! How can a GOLF COURSE be, in your opinion, the second biggest Mecca in American Sport?!?!” Quite honestly, I don’t have a response. Augusta is one of those places that no one says, “Oh, we should take a road trip there!” However, find someone who can find anything wrong with it. Fenway has poles in front of seats. Yankee Stadium has a Tier that is located just past the Ozone Layer. Cameron Indoor Stadium reaches a temperature of approximately 373 Kelvin. Augusta is, by all account, a perfect place. Add to that the world’s most prestigious golf tournament and really, do I need to validate myself? There is, sadly, no chance I ever get to attend the Masters at Augusta.

1. Lambeau Field: I hate the Packers. Never liked them. Perhaps that’s because I’ve never been to Green Bay, Wisconsin. To attend a Packers game is to be a member of an exclusive group. If I had my choice to attend any sporting event (non-championship) it would be a Packers’ home game. And sadly, for me, if there was a number below 0, that would be the percentage chance that I will ever get that opportunity. Green Bay Packer football means more to the residents of Green Bay than any team means to their city. More than the Sox to Boston. Or the Yankees to New York. Or the Lakers to Los Angeles.

Game O’ The Day: Boston @ Cleveland. Cavs win by 12. I hate Glenn Rivers.

The New York Knicks, who are apparently have a few money trees planted in midtown Manhattan, have apparently (according to my sources…ESPN.com) offered soon-to-be former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni $30 million over 5 seasons, which would make him very rich. D’Antoni is now waiting for the Bulls to counteroffer. And he better hope they do, or he’ll be trying to replace Steve Nash with Jamal Crawford and Amare Stoudamire with Zach Randolph. For unintentional comedy purposes, I’m almost rooting for it so we can have a highlight reel of Mike D’Antoni eye-rolls as Jamal Crawford decides to take 24 3-point shots per game and the Knicks play even less defense.

Today’s blog is going to be mucho pequeno as I have to go to North Carolina in about an hour and a half.

My thoughts from last night’s NBA Playoff Games:

Boston vs. Cleveland:
1.) If the Celtics continue to shut down LeBron like this in Cleveland, they’ll sweep this series and all of the doubters after round 1 (including this blogger) will be proven wrong. James doesn’t look as though he knows how to score anymore. The Celtics defense is just smothering. The only Cavs who seem to know what they’re doing right now are Zydrunas Illgauskus and Delonte West.

2.) I’m a little concerned about Sam Cassell playing most of the 2nd quarter last night while Rajon sits on the bench. Yes, the Celtics won by 190 points, but I’d prefer that Rondo is not on the bench for nearly an entire quarter at a time.

3.) James Posey

New Orleans vs. San Antonio

1.) Sometimes, I hate when I pick a game correctly.

2.) Melvin Ely may be the worst player in the NBA. In the span of 3 minutes after coming off the bench to replace Tyson Chandler, Ely played no defense, committed 2 fouls, and couldn’t rebound a ball if he was alone under the basket.

3.) We’re about 3 hipchecks away from a Chris Paul/Fabricio Oberto showdown. I’ll take CP3. But then again, of course I would.

4.) Speaking of the MVP, ESPN told a story about Paul that made my eyes well during the game. The story was about a boy named Brian in the New Orleans area with cancer, who loved the Hornets and only wore his Chris Paul jersey. Kind of like the kid earlier this week with the Brett Favre jersey, except Brian was not the offspring of a pair of asswipes looking for media attention. Anyway, through the “Make-A-Wish” foundation, the Hornets had arranged for Brian to attend Monday night’s Game 2 in New Orleans and Chris Paul happily agreed to meet Brian Monday afternoon before the game. Brian died Monday morning. Just typing that forces me to hold back tears. Paul, who lost his college coach, Skip Prosser, with whom he was incredibly close, last September to an unexpected heart attack, made sure that his former coach’s initials were included in the designing of his first signature shoe. Paul was incredibly upset that he could not attend Brian’s funeral yesterday in Louisiana because of the Hornets were playing in San Antonio. To pay tribute to Brian, Chris Paul wrote the boy’s name on his shoes and plans on meeting his family when he returns to New Orleans. This is why Chris Paul is on my all-love team.

What to Watch This Weekend:

NBA Playoffs: I will miss tomorrow night’s Celtics game, which I think the Cavs will win because they have to win. LeBron can’t have another performance like this again? Can he?

My Game O’ The Weekend will come Sunday night in San Antonio in Game 4 of the Hornets/Spurs series. I will make every attempt to be in front of the TV at 8 pm for that game.

NHL Playoffs: The Red Wings easily handled the Stars last night. I was probably terribly wrong in picking Dallas to win that series. However, keep an eye out on the Keystone State Series between Philly and Pittsburgh.

MLB Game O’ The Weekend:Sunday Afternoon, Diamondbacks @ Cubs. Pitching Matchup: Randy Johnson (2-1) vs. Carlos Zambrano (5-1). The Cubs already won Game 1 today.

Have a Great Weekend, Readers. Back on Monday.

My unemployment affords me the opportunity to listen to great songs (current playing: Big Country’s “In a Big Country. This song is better than oxygen) and read random stories I find on the internet about people and things. This morning, I read a story about 7th round NFL draftee Demetrius Bell. Demetrius just so happens to be the son of former NBA player Karl “The Mailman” Malone, the league’s second all-time leading scorer. I will always remember Karl Malone, not for his scoring prowess on the court, but for his prowess at scoring off the court and for this interaction that led to the demise of his friendship with this year’s MVR: Malone was at a Lakers game, in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, when Vanessa Bryant (the MVR’s wife) asked him, “What are you hunting, cowboy?” Malone replied, to the hispanic Bryant, “I’m hunting for little Mexican girls.” Malone is a married father of 7 children, four with his wife and 3 out of wedlock. Two of the 3 are former basketball players at Malone’s alma mater Louisiana Tech (one is current WNBA guard Cheryl Ford). The 3rd of Malone’s wedlock-born children is Demetrius Bell. Bell didn’t meet Malone until he was a high school senior. Upon the meeting, Malone told Bell that it was “too late” to have a father-son relationship and hasn’t spoken with him since. My favorite tidbit of this story however, is that Malone was a college sophomore when he impregnated Bell’s mother…who was 13 years old at the time.

New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson was arrested this week in Minneapolis. Welcome, RJ, to the All-Hate Team!

We’re less than two weeks away from the NBA’s Draft Lottery. Soon after that date, my first NBA Mock Draft will occur. In a related note, I believe that Mike D’Antoni is waiting to see where the Bulls end up in the Draft. If they get the first or second pick in the draft, D’Antoni will have the Point Guard that his offense needs, in Derrick Rose, and he will leave Phoenix immediately. The Bulls are likely, however, to end up with a pick somewhere around number 9, where they would end up with a less talented point guard (perhaps Texas’ DJ Augustin). In that scenario, I don’t think D’Antoni leaves Phoenix.

I’m lacking in any creativity today that could lead to an interesting list or something of that sort. This is due to the loud Reggaeton party that the apartment across the courtyard had last night/this morning, that stretched until about 4 A.M. I had to call the police once because the noise was so loud. I’m tempted to put that apartment’s address in my blog, in the hopes that my readers can send hate mail to the white kids in striped shirts. Accordingly, I’m going to cut Mid-Atlantic Bias short today at about 500 words. I really need the readers to pitch me ideas.

Game O’ The Day: (tie) Cleveland @ Boston (Game 2) and New Orleans @ San Antonio (Game 3). Don’t expect LeBron James to go 2/18 shooting tonight. Likewise, don’t expect Ray Allen to go scoreless and Paul Pierce to be close to scoreless. Until the Celtics prove they can win a road game, by, you know, winning one, they need to win every game at home. The Celtics win tonight by 7.

In Game 2, the Hornets can put another stake through the coffin of the 2008 San Antonio Spurs. A Game 3 win by the Hornets would be so huge that I don’t think it’s going to happen. The Spurs haven’t won 3 championships in this decade because they’re good at lying down like a dead dog. They’ll come out hard. Tony Parker will at least look like he belongs on the same court as Chris Paul. The Spurs will win by 9.

Back to wrap up the week tomorrow. Remember, if you read this, you may as well request to read about what you want to read about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wake up the Detroit Pistons and inform them that they missed Game 3 last night in Orlando.

A few years ago in a Sox/Yankees Sunday night game, Mike Mussina had a no-hitter broken up in the bottom of the ninth, with one out to go, by certified crazy-man Carl Everett. Watching this, I couldn’t help but feel for Mussina. I’ve never been a big “Moose” fan. I just couldn’t imagine coming that close to doing something like that, only to fall flat and how disappointing it must be. Pitchers dream of throwing a no-hitter. I did it once, albeit in a neighborhood backyard game. It was still exciting. Mussina has never thrown one and it is very likely that he never will. So in 20 years when he’s talking about his career and someone asks, “Hey Mike, did you ever throw a no-hitter?”, Mussina can respond, “I almost did once…” but it just won’t be the same.

Well last night, White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd, formally of Philadelphia Phillies “Savior” lore, threw his second near-no-hitter of this SEASON! We’re about 30 games in and he’s lost one on the last out of the eighth inning against Detroit and last night with two outs to go in the game. To me, the situation would be completely psychologically damaging. However, kudos to Gavin Floyd, who has gone through a whirlwind of emotion in his Major League career. He was drafted high by the Phillies and dubbed “The Right Handed Steve Carlton.” Of course, Floyd never even approached that title, Philly fans turned on him, as they do to everyone, and he was shipped out of town for Freddy Garcia, who has clearly paid big dividends for the Disabled List All-Stars. Personally, though I’m not a fan or hater of Gavin Floyd, it’s nice to see a guy bounce back from a series of disappointing moments and continue to seek excellence.

Another even bigger kudos goes to the Boston Celtics who proved me wrong by winning Game 1 at the TD Banknorth FleetCenter last night over the Fightin’ Illgauskuses. LeBron James decided, apparently, that he wasn’t in the mood to make baskets last night (he apparently talked this out with “The Truth” and “Ray-Ray” before the game) in an absolute stink-fest, including his missing the game-tying LAYUP. I had mentioned that last night’s game was a potential trap-game (of a sort) for the C’s. Very glad that they’re still running free today.

We’re going to switch to baseball now with the second installment of the 1/10th awards. We’re now at the 2/10 mark (that’s 1/5 for you math majors) of the season. Most teams have played 32 games at this point, some more, only four teams have played 31 games. The LA Angels have played 35. To refresh your memory, I will include the previous winner of each award. Here goes:

AL MVP
Previous Winner: Joe Crede
Current Winner: The Manny Ramirez. Apologies to Crede, but he was never going to win this award anyway. The Manny Ramirez, however, is probably going to win this award if he continues the season he’s currently having. The Sox are in first and Manny has been a stud.

NL MVP
Previous Winner: Mark Reynolds
Current Winner: Albert Pujols. Quick! Who has the second best record in all of Major League Baseball? That would be the St. Louis Cardinals and Mr. Pujols and his elbow that is barely attached to his body look like contenders somehow. Pujols is having a typical Pujols year, .348, 6 HR, 24 RBI. Pujols is for real. Time will tell if the Cards are.

AL CY YOUNG
Previous Winner: Zack Greinke
Current Winner: Ervin Santana. I had a feeling that he was going to have a breakout year, but I didn’t think it would be like this. He’s 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA and a K/BB ratio of over 4 for a first place team without their two best pitchers (John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar). He’s going to regress. He has to. But he’s been the best pitcher in the AL so far (and yes, I know Cliff Lee has ridiculous numbers, but that’s not going to last very long. Probably not after tonight against the Yankees. And the Indians aren’t in first place in their division. Or second.).

NL CY YOUNG
Previous Winner: Ben Sheets
Current Winner: Brandon Webb. My preseason pick for this award looks like a lock at this point. Webb could very well be the best pitcher in all of baseball. And how many baseball fans would say that? I wish people would pay attention to teams outside of a 100 mile radius of where they live. His numbers don’t blow you away, but he is perhaps the most consistently effective pitcher since Greg Maddux in his prime.

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Previous Winner: David Murphy
Current Winner: Jacoby Ellbury. That’s more like it. In a league with a dearth of rookie talent, Ellsbury, call him what you want to, is the best of the bunch.

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Previous Winner: Johnny Cueto (My how the mighty have fallen)
Current Winner: Geovany Soto. Most people would give it to Soto’s teammate Kosuke Fukudome, despite the itty-bitty tidbit that Soto’s number are better across the board and he’s an everyday catcher. Oh, and for those of you who like this sort of thing, his OPS is 1.093.

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Previous Winner: Trey Hillman
Current Winner: Mike Scoscia. I’m tempted to give it to Joe Maddon of the Rays and Terry Francoma, however, as previously mentioned, Scoscia’s team is in first with zero games pitched by the club’s two best starting pitchers. Take Daisuke and Josh Beckett off of the Red Sox and let’s see if they’re still in first place. I’d guess no.

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Previous Winner: Freddi Gonzalez
Current Winner: Same. Until the Marlins fall out of first in the East (and I don’t think that’ll happen until mid-June), Gonzalez has to get this, despite Tony LaRussa’s St. Louis club and Bob Melvin’s Diamondbacks. Did anyone…anyone see the Marlins in first place in the NL East at any point in this season? I’d still guess no.

Game O’ The Day: Utah @ Los Angeles (Game 2). If Utah steals one in LA following the Kobe Bryant hand job party yesterday, this will be a series. If not, I’m not convinced that the Jazz can go back to LA for Game 5, at the very least, tied in this series.

You hopefully know what the “R” stands for. Kobe Bryant will be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in about an hour, an honor that he frankly doesn’t deserve. Among the five candidates for the award (Kobe, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Manu Ginobili) I can make the argument that Kobe is the least valuable of the 5. While Kobe is the most outstanding player in the NBA and the game’s best pure scorer, he doesn’t provide very much else. The case for the other four:

Kevin Garnett:
-No player better exemplifies value than KG. The Celtics won approximately 3 games last year without Garnett and played about as much defense as the Cincinnati Bengals did in Week 2 of this past NFL season. Garnett shows up (along with Tom Thibodeau) and he transforms this team into the NBA’s best defensive club. His passion and fire were apparent in Game 1. He changed the face of this franchise. It was like walking into a room looking like Starr Jones and walking out looking like Gabrielle Union. Anytime you go from the worst team in the league to the best in one year, after adding a superstar, there’s some obvious examples of value.

Manu Ginobili:
-I’m biased, a little, I guess because I’m a big fan of Ginobili’s game. He’s the best ugly player in the NBA. He plays like a 17 year old kid with marginal talent, until, of course, he scores 20 points a game coming off the bench and energizes and entire team. While Tim Duncan is probably the NBA’s greatest all-time Power Forward, I don’t think the Spurs would have been a playoff team this year without Ginobili, who was somehow not an All-Star. His ability to shoot from outside, and drive left are unlike anyone else’s in the game. No one does it like Manu (who was smart to shorten from Emmanuel to Manu a few years ago…he wouldn’t have the aura if he was called Emmanuel Ginobili). He has never been afraid of contact in the lane and proved his slasher ability this year.

LeBron James:
-This is simple: LeBron James averaged 30 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST this year. Without LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavs would start Boobie Gibson, Delonte West, Sideshow Bob, Ben Wallace, and Zydrunas Illgauskus and would have won 16 games this year. LeBron is more valuable to his team than any other non-point guard.

Chris Paul:
-In only his 3rd season, Paul averaged 21 PPG and nearly 12 APG. He’s 23 years old only because today is his birthday. He did all of this as a 22 year old. Running the show for a vagabond team. He’s barely 6’0” tall. He still averaged 4 RPG. He also led the NBA in Steals Per Game. Watch New Orleans play and tell me that he isn’t the most valuable player in the NBA to his team. The Hornets won 56 freakin’ games this year! Chris Paul turned the talented David West into an All-Star. Tyson Chandler, a castoff from the Bulls and a “bust” a few years ago, is a stud on the defensive side still, but no longer a liability offensively. Peja Stojakovich revived his career this year. Look no further than last night’s blowout victory over the Spurs. Morris Peterson starts for this team. If I’m starting a team today, CP3 is my first pick. Call me foolish. Then continue to watch the Hornets’ run towards their first NBA World Championship.

If it came down to it, this would be my ranking for the MVP Award:

5. Manu Ginobili (You have to remember, he still plays with at least 1 future Hall of Famer and possibly another)
4. Kobe Bryant (He averaged 28, 6, and 5 this year. LeBron averaged 30, 8, and 7. I don’t get it).
3. Kevin Garnett (He plays with 2 other all-stars. That has to decrease his value slightly).
2. LeBron James (Look at the guys he plays with. Now look at his stats. Add that together. Thank you).
1. Chris Paul (I’m biased as hell, but the kid is extraordinary. And to argue that “his time will come” is just stupid, foolish garbage that old-time writers say. His time HAS come. Kobe Bryant is an enigmatic headcase and a selfish teammate.

And then there’s this whole thing (Kobe Bryant’s statement following the settlement of his civil case in Eagle Country Colorado):

“First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo.

I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains. I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.”–Kobe Bryant Sept. 2, 2004

Game O’ The Day: Cleveland @ Boston (Game 1). Cleveland wins tonight by 8. We all know I don’t want this to happen (much like how I didn’t want the Spurs to win last night…I was, accordingly, very happy that they did not). I just have to imagine that Boston is tired.

The Rocket announced today that he is sorry for his “personal mistakes.” Nice touch. We’re sorry too.

We had a huge weekend in sports. I didn’t actually watch any, besides the first three quarters of the Celtics/Hawks game on Friday. My thought regarding each day:

Friday:
I’ll leave this simple: I, as well as the rest of my readers who watch/enjoy NBA Basketball won’t feel too great until the Celtics win a playoff road game because you’re probably not going to go undefeated at home in the next 3 rounds. And that’s that for Friday.

Saturday:
-To me, the biggest (best) story from Saturday was MY New Orleans Hornets winning game one over the San Antonio Spurs. Mid-Atlantic Bias has been the undisputed home of the Hornets’ bandwagon since I moved to D.C. and started this blog. The Hornets are like my child at this point. I’m just so happy for them when they win. And really, my child is better than yours at this point. I said a few months ago that they were title bound. I’m looking more and more clairvoyant as the days progress.

-The saddest story from Saturday came when Eight Belles (Place in the Kentucky Derby) was euthanized after she broke both of her front ankles at the finish line. Horse racing is one of those sports that people pay attention to once a year minimum, and 3 times a year maximum, depending on the chance that a horse is going to win the Triple Crown. It’s similar to auto racing on a much smaller scale. Everyone pays attention to the Daytona 500 or for open-wheeled racing, the Indianapolis 500, but only the real fans care about the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 500 at Pocono presented by Cheez-It. Today, everyone is going to be very sad about Eight Belles, as they were last year with Barbaro and come two Saturdays from now, they’ll only care about Big Brown (the Derby Winner) at the Preakness (just up the road from me). What I guess is really unfortunate is that this horse’s entire life ultimately lead to its early death. When you raise a thoroughbred horse, you don’t do it to send it to the glue factory. You do it to win the Kentucky Derby. Eight Belles came up just short and sadly lost the life it probably never really had.

Sunday:
-At least the Celtics can win at home.

-The Mets/Diamondbacks series, a possible NLCS preview, came to an end with the Mets taking 2 of the 3 games in Phoenix. The Mets only loss came with Mike Pelfrey on the mound, but as we Metropolitan fans know, that is to be expected. The key stat is that the Mets rarely lose at Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark). They’ve lost only twice in their last 17 games there. So if these teams face in the playoffs, remember that stat. The Mets and D’Backs are completely dissimilar beyond the fact that they are both pennant contenders. The Mets are experienced; The Diamondbacks have only one regular starter over the age of 25. The Mets have a big-name closer. You have no idea who the D’Backs‘ closer is (Brandon Lyon). The only thing that they have in common is front-of-the-rotation aces in Brandon Webb (Arizona) and Johan Santana (Queens). Time will tell whether they are the two best teams in the National League. Right now, I would say that they are.

-The boring round of the NHL playoffs came to an end. Hallelujah!

Here are my previews (more like predications for the next rounds in the NBA and NHL, beginning with the latter:

Eastern Conference Finals
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 5.
-In the battle of the Keystone State, the more talented team from the west end beats the team with the hot goalie from the east end. Pretty handily too.

Western Conference Finals
Dallas over Detroit in 7
-Should be a great series. The Wings are rested after dismissing the Avalanche in Round 2. The Stars are not after playing a 4 OT game last night/this morning en route to beating the San Jose Sharks in 6 games. However, I picked the Stars to come out of the West. So I’ll stick to my guns.

NBA Conference Semi-Finals (and yes, I realize that this round has already begun, but I haven’t actually watched any of the games yet, so there’s that):

Eastern Conference
Cleveland over Boston in 6
Detroit over Orlando in 4

Western Conference
Los Angeles over Utah in 5
New Orleans over San Antonio in 7

Two of those series are easy to pick. Utah has no one (Their head coach Jerry Sloan’s own words) that can defend Kobe Bryant. Utah might win one at home. Detroit is just so much better than Orlando. I can’t see the Magic winning a game unless Dwight Howard has a 30/25 game.

I’m going with my heart with the Hornets and against it with the Cavs. I’ve explained New Orleans already, so I’ll stick with the Cleveland/Boston series. I don’t think the Celtics can stop LeBron James. As I told Matt this morning, I think Zydrunus Illgauskus is the key to this series. If he can average 15 points a game, that’ll be all Cleveland needs to outscore Boston. And frighteningly enough, I think the Celtics might be emotionally drained enough to lose Game 1 at home tomorrow night.

Game O’ The Day: San Antonio @ New Orleans (Game 2…9:30 TNT). San Antonio wins this game. I don’t want that to happen.

Continue below for a special post from reader Matthew regarding the University of New Hampshire Wildcats’ Spring Football game.

Guest Post alert! (That likely means you should be averting your eyes to this lengthy post, unless your Jim, Ryan or Jason)

The UNH spring game was yesterday in rainy Cowell Stadium, and the fighting R.J. Toman’s defeated the fighting Kevin Decker’s 17-14, even though Decker scored touchdowns for both teams. It was really nothing more than a glorified practice, as Toman went up against the first team defense and Decker the second team defense. What is noteworthy, however, is that Toman was named the heir apparent to Ricky Santos despite being outplayed by Decker for most of the game. Don’t get me wrong, I like R.J. He was the backup to USC’s Mark Sanchez for three years, he was a highly regarded recruit, and he is the best candidate to make something out of nothing with his legs. In an ideal situation, however, where our offensive line is competent (admittedly, this is unlikely, despite the fact UNH will start four seniors and a junior on the line), the best QB deserves the job, and that has been Decker to this point. I understand Coach McDonnell’s thoughts on this one, because we’ll likely need R.J’s legs, but it does not send a good message to the rest of the team if the inferior player is being chosen for a questionable reason. As Jim’s sources have mentioned, McDonnell tends to favor the older player (Toman’s a RS SO, Decker a RS FR), so this undoubtedly played a role, as well.

As for the game, there were a good deal of players out for the game, including projected starters Chad Kackert (RB), Mike Boyle (#1 WR), Josh Droesch (LT), Andrew Elwell (RT), Terrance Klein (OLB/S), Kevin Peters (DE), Hugo Souza (S), John Clements (CB) and Dino Vasso (CB), so it was hard to get much of a reading on the performance of the players playing. There were some encouraging notes, however, and I’ll lay them out in numbered form below:

1. Sean Jellison. Jellison is currently the third RB on the depth chart, behind the aforementioned Kackert and Bobby “B-Simp” Simpson, but he was easily the best back on the field yesterday. He found the holes, ran hard and looked very shifty. He is an Amherst, NH legend and I think he could have a strangle hold on the starting job in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t get me wrong, I like Kackert’s abilities, but unfortunately, those likes are compounded by the fact that the only thing he does well is run directly at the first defender he sees. I don’t note any difference between the shiftiness of Kackert and say, I don’t know, a cement block. Bobby Simpson is not Chris Fuamatu Ma’afala, as much as I’d like him to be.

2. Depth at the wideout and TE position. UNH played four competent TE’s in the spring game (All-American Candidate Scott Sicko, Ronnie Strand, Kamal Mohammed and Chris Jeannot), and a fifth, Sean Cullen, missed the game but has had a good spring. These guys are all athletic, talented and versatile. I think Sicko, Jeannot and Cullen are the most highly regarded, but Strand has always impressed me and I’d like to see more of him, as well. As for wideouts, even with Boyle and Chris Chandler out, I thought Terrance Fox and J.T. Wright looked pretty solid. Mike Greene, Travis Negron and Kevon Mason were also not invisible. There is a lot of depth at that position, and look for J.T. Wright to steal the #1 spotlight from Boyle in a fair amount of time.

3. Interior defensive line size. Jordan Long, T.J. Taylor and Steve Young are all over 280 lbs, as is Tim Steele. John Murray also has some size. The ability to rotate with those five inside will give UNH their best chance at stopping the run in, well, their history. Lance Mailloux, Brian McNally, Kyle Maroney and Kevin Peters have their work cut out for them at DE, but at the very least, they are bigger and more athletic than the marionettes we had playing their last season, with the exception of Marvin Wright, who never played as well as he should have.

4. Athleticism/Depth at LB/CB. The three primary candidates to play LB, Devon Jackson, Sean Ware and Matt Parent, are all very good athletes. I am particularly enamored with Ware, who is coming off an injury and looks very lean, but I think all three will be very useful next season. While graduated LB Husain Karim made a lot of tackles, I thought his lack of size hurt the interior defense. Ware and Jackson are much better. In the backfield, expect Terrance Klein, Hugo Souza, Ryan McGuiness, John Clements and Dino Vasso to start, with Maurice Duper, Ryan Hinds and Anthony Gorrell to see a lot of time. Hinds had a super camp, and I was very impressed with what I saw from Gorrell.

5. Special Teams. Tom Manning and Tom Bishop are likely the best returning ST duo in the CAA. These two should help UNH to win a number of close games during their tenure. Chad Kackert and Terrance Fox are very dangerous in the return game, as well.

If Toman (or Decker) can be solid, this is a playoff team and a potential championship contender. Remember, UNH plays only three teams that were over .500 last season (Hofstra, who UNH beat by an ungodly amount on the road last season, Villanova and UMass). VERY EXCITED!

LSU’s offseason full of departures continued today when they kicked their starting quarterback, the supremely talented and supremely stupid Ryan Perrilloux, off the squad. And so begins the throng of phone calls to Ryan from Arkansas State, Alabama State, Furman, etc. about coming to their school to “get an education” (see: Play Football…Major in Ceramics). I don’t really understand what is so difficult about staying out of trouble. I don’t understand how someone with all of the talent that Perrilloux possesses has to: use someone else’s ID to get into a casino, get into a fight outside of a bar, fail a drug test, skip classes, skip workout sessions, and skip film sessions. To say that Perrilloux did this because of entitlement issues is off-base. There is a large body of evidence to support the theory that if you are a talented football player with head issues, you will not be allowed to use your talents for very long in football. See: Adrian McPherson, Lawrence Phillips, Peter Warrick, et al. The last two were early first round picks who were out of the NFL before they did anything. The first was a supremely talented quarterback who because of issues like stealing blank checks, played behind Drew Weatherford and Wyatt Sexton before eventually being kicked off the team. The New Orleans Saints drafted him and soon after released him. He’s now a backup in the Arena Football League. This story frustrates me because I really like the Bayou Bengals (LSU). I love their insane head coach, Les Miles. I love that they play in a stadium called “Death Valley.” I love that their mascot is actually a real Bengal Tiger. There’s a mystique about them. A mystique that will very likely find them finishing in 3rd in the SEC West next year thanks in large part to a talented, immature quarterback who will soon try to re-make his name at a lower level of college football.

On the flip side of the coin, you have Troy Tulowitzki, a young player who I absolutely love. Tulo is the Colorado Rockies Shortstop. He finished second in the National League’s Rookie of the Year voting last year, and should have finished in first, not because I have a gripe with the award’s winner, Ryan Braun, but because when you consider his impact on a franchise that had been a circus side-show for years, you get his real importance. In the MLB Season Preview Issue of Sports Illustrated there was a great story about Tulo and how his arrival in Denver changed the mentality of an entire franchise, catapulting it to the World Series. Tulowitzki’s impact was first felt last May 21. The Rockies were 18-27 and had just lost to the Diamondbacks. Tulowitzki, a rookie, awoke his teammates by throwing equipment off the walls and screaming, “This team is too good to be playing this shit.” His teammates awoke and followed the declaration of Tulo, going 72-46 from that point on. Tulowitzki, like many athletes, has thrust himself into the Denver community through charitable work. The first thing he did with his newly minted contract was not buy an Escalade, some cocaine, and a prostitute. No, he bought his mother a house.

The reason why I chose to begin today’s post with the very different stories of Ryan Perrilloux and Troy Tulowitzki was because of the similarity (supremely talented athletes) and the differences (obvious). The Rockies announced yesterday that Tulo, who has struggled at the plate this year, will be out until at least the All-Star Break with a torn tendon in his quad muscle, a rare injury in baseball. One of two things will result from this injury: 1.) The time away from the game will allow Troy to get his head right when he steps into the batter’s box and he will continue to lead the Rockies franchise for years to come or 2.) The time away from the game will ruin him psychologically and he’ll never recover. Remember the name Bud Smith. Smith was a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who threw a no-hitter in his rookie season and finished the year with a 6-3 record and a sub-4.00 ERA. Smith never made it out of his second season. He struggled in the spring and has not pitched in the Major Leagues since. So no matter what team you side with, in the case of Troy Tulowitzki, please root for the first scenario.

Reader Jim gave me a very good idea for a feature of today’s post: My All-Love/All-Hate NBA Teams. The idea behind this is simple: Assemble a starting five (and a 6th man) of my favorite players and my least favorite player, not based on skill level, but based on that “something” that attracts or detracts me to that entity. Here, are those teams (remember, skill level is not a requirement for either team):

All-Love Team

PG: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
SG: Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)
SF: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Bombers…er…Sonics)
PF: Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)
C: Shaquille O’Neal (Phoenix Suns)
Sixth Man: Delonte West (Cleveland Cavs)

Breakdown: If I wanted to win games, my sixth man should probably be a center, but I love Delonte West too much to leave him off of the All-Love Team. I love Shaq too much to leave him off as well. Yes, he has no discernible skills left. However, he’s still a hilarious interview. Can you tell that I love young players?

All-Hate Team

PG: Stephon Marbury (New York Knicks)
SG: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SF: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
PF: Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets)
C: Ben Wallace (Cleveland Cavs)
Sixth Man: The Next NBA Player to Be Arrested

Breakdown: The point guard went on TV and talked about how great it was to kiss his sister and sells 12 pound cheap shoes at Steve and Barrys (for the kids), the SG is a rapist, the SF hates snitchin’ but loves drinking and driving, the PF has a tattoo on his chest that says “Bad Ass Yellow Boy” and is injured more than he plays, and the center, like Shaq has no discernible skills and couldn’t give a good interview or be a good teammate if his life depended on it. But hey, he’s good for a few rebounds!

Game O’ The Weekend: Going with the NBA would be easy here. And I will, however, I do want to bring light to Sunday’s Mets/Diamondbacks game because Johan Santana will oppose Dan Haren in the pitching matchup. That’s quality, kids. If you live in Arizona and read my blog, make sure you go to this game. And also, why do you read my blog if you live in Arizona?

The real game of the weekend is Game 1 between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets. I’m excited for this series because the bandwagon I’ve been driving will face the team of the decade in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. New Orleans wins Game 1.

Back on Monday. Have a great weekend, all.

Today is literally so slow that I couldn’t muster the strength to compose a joke title poking fun at the misfortune of others. There’s nothing I can make a list about. Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

-Roger Clemens has apparently also had a relationship with John Daley’s wife, which makes my head spin. So now we have a 15 year old aspiring country singer, his wife’s fake boobs, and the wife of a chain smoking, alcoholic, hack professional golfer all mixed up with perhaps the greatest pitcher since Walter Johnson. Yesterday, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN fame, was on the Tony Kornheiser Show and said, essentially, “Roger Clemens thinks that he is an American hero and can do no wrong.” Well, Roger, I’m sorry, but you’re not a hero. And you’ve done plenty of wrong. Now please, admit that you’re flawed like everybody else and go away.

-The Washington Wizards Without Gilbert Arenas > The Washington Wizards With Gilbert Arenas. The Wiz pulled off a big win in Cleveland (a wretched city) last night without their “star” in the lineup. Gilbert is out for the remainder of the season. His coach, Eddie Jordan, found that out by watching TV. Not from the trainer. Not from Gilbert or another player. Nope, he turned on the TV. My head continues to spin. So we can just keep on waving our hands in our faces along with the supremely untalented DeSean Stevenson all the way to tomorrow night at the Verizon Center. I really want the Wizards to go away.

-I’m very happy that I was wrong with my Game O’ The Day prediction. I said the C’s would win by 20. They won by 25. Ray Allen was fantastic last night in many forms. My favorite Ray moment was not one of his 5 3’s. It was, in fact, when he approached an angry lion in the form of Kevin Garnett, put his arm around his back, and calmed down an incensed Garnett (after he “got into it” with Joe Johnson). Great leadership by Ray. The kind of leadership we would never expect from Paul Pierce.

-I sometimes forget that Joe Johnson was a member of the Boston Celtics. He was traded in his rookie season with a first round pick and the immortal Randy Brown and Milt Palacio for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. That’s looking like a great trade, huh?

-I still want Doc to be fired.

-I have two ideas that I think will greatly improve the NBA’s and Major League Baseball’s all-star games. For MLB, invite Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings to participate in the Home Run Derby. For the NBA, and I love this idea, scrap the terrible skills competition that involved the WNBA, move up the 3-point contest and the dunk contest, and have an 8 man, single elimination 1-on-1 tournament. Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Gilbert Arenas, and Tracy McGrady in a one-on-one tournament. You don’t think that wouldn’t get people watching? The chance to see Kobe go up against Arenas (nevermind Wade and James) would be far more exciting than Dwight Howard putting on a Superman costume and beating Gerald Green in a dunk contest.

-Carmelo Anthony’s BAC was above the legal limit. His scoring average in the playoffs…was not.

-Troy Aikman and Lou Holtz will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. No word on whether or not Holtz will be inducted into the Wads of Dripping Saliva Cascading Out of His Mouth Whenever He Speaks Hall of Fame.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Philadelphia (NBA). I’m not at all excited about this game and will not watch it. But it’s going up against early May baseball (with no great pitching matchups…unless you’re excited about the return of Sidney Ponson) and two 3-0 hockey games. Detroit wins tonight by 17 and advances to face the Orlando Magic in Round 2.

I hope to be back tomorrow with something more expansive than this. Make sure your tanks are full before you leave the house, kids.