A great win last night for the Chicago Bulls.

An even greater win for the Boston Celtics last night. As I often write, I am sometimes very happy to be wrong. Last night was one of those situations. Sure, Ray Allen still looks like Mitch Richmond at the end of his career, and they are still coached by Doc Rivers, and Paul Pierce still has war flashbacks to last season, where he feels like he needs to play point guard, dribble for 14 seconds, and then pull up for a three. But they beat a fresher and equally as talented Pistons team last night. And beat them pretty convincingly. Sure they didn’t win by double digits, but at no point in the second half did I think, “Oh no, Detroit’s going to win.” I got nervous when the Pistons pulled it to 6, but I didn’t think that the Celtics were going to blow it. They played a mostly composed game, Doc sent out a solid rotation, Garnett played wonderfully, and they got contributions when they needed them from their role players. Last night could not have gone any better for the C’s.

I’m currently watching the UEFA Champions League Final between Chelsea and Manchester United. The reason why soccer isn’t popular in America is because we don’t have players like these teams. I mean really, this is more of an all-star game than a club championship. For what it’s worth, I had Chelsea winning it. They’re currently down 1-0 with 7 minutes to the break. We’ll see.

Over the course of the next 3, yes 3, days I am going to complete my NBA Mock Draft, V.1. The format will be the same as my NFL Mock Drafts. This is what I would do if I was these teams. Some things will make some people scratch their heads.

But first, if you are the mysterious commenter on Matthew’s recap of the UNH spring game, I am intrigued by your mystery. If you are a regular reader, please send along another sign. It will make my ego feel great.

Today’s post is going to be short, as I am cooking and watching futbol at the same time. We’ll jump right into the Mock Draft. Again, this is version 1. Things change. Needs change.

(1-1. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard with a goal to tie it just before the half. This is like a running diary.)

1. Chicago Bulls
What They Need: A Scoring Swingman or A Point Guard. Hmmm…that’s funny.
THE PICK: Derrick Rose (PG Memphis)
I’ve written before that I think Rose is the best player in this draft. I also don’t think that Michael Beasley is the scoring swingman they need. Beasley, to me, is like Rasheed Wallace without as good of an outside game. With Rose, the Bulls will get a Chicago native and a huge upgrade over Kirk Hinrich, who can move to the backup role and give them one of the league’s best back up PG’s, rather than one of the worst starting PG’s. This is what their starting five would look like:
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Ben Gordon
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Tyrus Thomas
C: Joakim Noah
(With Hinrich, Thabo Sefalosha, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and Aaron Gray off the bench. That’s a very good young nucleus, with a guy to run the show).

2. Miami Heat
What They Need: Everything other than a shooting guard and a small forward.
THE PICK: Michael Beasley (PF Kansas State)
They still need a lot of work, but this gives them a better starting five. I don’t think they’re a playoff team with Beasley, but they’re at least headed up, because you can’t get any worse.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves
What They Need: SG, SF, C (They at least have a power forward in Al Jefferson and a point guard in Randy Foye)
THE PICK: Nicholas Batum (SF France)
An athletic swingman with a 7’0” wingspan, who was one of the best players on the court at last year’s U.S. Nike Hoop Summit (top high school players). Batum would give the Timberwolves a young (20). Batum is a good defensive player, capable of blocking shots. His one weakness is his outside shot. Reading about him reminds me a lot of Kevin Durant.

4. Seattle Sonics
What They Need: PG, PG, PG, PG, C, PG, PG, and a PG
THE PICK: Brook Lopez (C Stanford)
As much as they need a point guard, and there are some good ones available here, I really think that they need a center. I have no faith in Robert Swift, Francisco Elson, Mohammed Sene, or Johan Petro. Lopez gives them a 7’0” scorer, who blocks shots. The previous 4 provide only blocks. Lopez can be a 20/10/3 center in the NBA. There are very few of those in this draft. He’s a step in the right direction for a franchise with very little at the moment.

5. Memphis Grizzlies
What They Need: A center and a 2 guard
THE PICK: OJ Mayo (PG/SG Southern California)
Mayo gives the Grizzlies a young, fairly polished scorer. This team needs a center badly, but beyond that fact that Chris Wallace is their GM, I cannot see them reaching for DeAndre Jordan here and they’re not a Kevin Love team. Mayo, with Mike Conley Jr. (Point Guard) and Rudy Gay (Small Forward) gives this team a very young and even more exciting nucleus. Now if they can build up their front line.

6. New York Knicks
What They Need: A Point Guard and A Big Man
THE PICK: Danilo Gallinari (SG/SF Italy)
He is, by all accounts, a better Andrea Bargnani. Whatever that means. Gallinari gives the Knicks a guy who can score beyond just the point guard position. They have no one at the 2 or 3 who can score consistently. Gallinari is the best foreign player in this draft. He doesn’t have the athletic upside of Nicholas Batum, but he’s a polished scorer. The Knicks are always so fun on draft night.

7. Los Angeles Clippers
What They Need: A Point Guard, An Insurance Policy at Power Forward (Elton Brand can become a UFA)
THE PICK: Kevin Love (PF/C UCLA)
Love can continue what he started across town. He reminds me a lot of Elton Brand, except Love has an outside shot. Most people will say I’m over ranking him. That’s because most people look beyond skill to “tremendous upside potential.” Love got it done at the highest level in college. He should continue to do so in the NBA.

8. Milwaukee Bucks
What They Need: A scoring swingman( small forward), Depth at Point Guard
THE PICK: Jerryd Bayless (PG Arizona)
Bayless is a bit of a steal here, though not as big as most experts would say. I love his ability to drive and slash and shoot and score. I don’t love his lack of ability to get his teammates involved. The Bucks have a somewhat capable point guard in Mo Williams, so Bayless can take time to develop into more of a passer.

9. Charlotte Bobcats
What They Need: Not a lot. They’re young everywhere, but they’re also skilled everywhere. With Larry Brown, they’re going to want an intelligent player with experience, because otherwise, the guy will just sit on the bench.
THE PICK: DJ Augustin (PG Texas)
They lack depth at the position and Raymond Felton hasn’t exactly developed into a franchise point guard. There is no experience left at the front of this draft. Larry Brown will be very upset and probably leave by December.

10. Brooklyn Nets
What They Need: Size up front.
THE PICK: De’Andre Jordan (C Texas A&M)
There is no player I like less in the lottery than De’Andre Jordan, which says a lot because of a certain 2 guard who is still on my board. Jordan would give the Nets the size they need up front. He’s 7’0”. This comes down to Jordan and Kosta Koufus. Jordan has more athleticism and upside than the slow, prodding Koufus. This team needs to be blown up, frankly.

Tomorrow, picks 11-20 (Indiana-Denver)

Game O’ The Day: Spurs @ Lakers (Game 1). LA wins by 16.

The UEFA Champions League Final is heading to a penalty kick shootout tied at 1-1. Drogba got a red card for slapping a Man U player in the second leg of extra time. Manchester has all the momentum heading into the shootout.

Happy Birthday Matt.

I should apparently go away more often. This weekend was monumental (assuming that the “weekend” for everyone stretches to late Monday night). You had the Cavs forcing the Celtics to Game 7, Big Brown running right towards the triple crown, the Mets taking 2 from the Yankees at the stadium, me being there for one of the games, the Celtics winning a classic Game 7 at home, Jon Lester pitching a no-hitter, the Sox winning 3 games in 26 hours over the Brewers, the Spurs winning a 7th game in New Orleans, the Red Wings and the Penguins winning their conferences, and the start of the WNBA season. I don’t know where to begin…so I’ll just begin at the start of the list:

Boston @ Cleveland (Friday): I actually don’t remember this game. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were excruciatingly long days, which makes Friday seem like it was, oh, about 3 years ago. I remember being very angry about this game afterward. But I don’t remember what happened and I don’t want to look at the score to remind me of how angry I was. I’m very excited, however, at Sam Cassell’s new role as “guy who lays on the floor and looks like an alien.”

Big Brown (Also known as the Preakness): Every year I watch horse racing. Every year I get excited about a potential Triple Crown winner. Every year that doesn’t happen. Every year I wonder why I get so excited about this. Saturday was no exception. Except for one thing: Big Brown is so dominant. Now, I don’t know if the field was weak. They’re friggin horses! We don’t really know what they’re capable of. Or how they feel. So all of the interviews with Randy Moss (not that one…ESPN’s horse analyst), Hank Goldberg, assorted trainers, owners, and jockeys, and all the rest mean nothing to me. All that matters is the race. NBC thinks otherwise. They aired about 3 hours of pre-Preakness coverage. I watched at least an hour of it. I learned nothing. However, watching the race, I learned that no horse in that field had a shot in the world at winning the Preakness.

The Mets swept (sort of) their rain-shortened weekend series with the Yankees. Neither team is frankly very good. The Yankees without Alex Rodriguez, and getting no positive contribution from Ian Kennedy or Phillip Hughes are in a far worse situation, though, honestly, they’re the Yankees, they won’t finish in last place. As for the Mets, they’re mediocre at the moment and I don’t have a lot of faith in their offense. Until Jose Reyes starts really hitting, and they get some contribution from Alou and Delgado, I can’t envision them winning the NL East. Ryan Church however, is growing on me very quickly.

Sunday night was my first venture to Yankee Stadium and my first game that involved the New York Yankees. This is quite the statistical anomaly. I have seen the Marlins play 3 times, twice in Miami. I have seen the Nationals/Expos play 5 times. I had never seen the Yankees. The Stadium is just that. An enormous stadium in the middle of a garbage dump. The Stadium, however, is the site of so many lasting baseball memories in my lifetime and long before. It was very exciting for me to sit inside of Yankee Stadium, albeit way up in Tier Reserved Section 33 in row X (the last row). The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium is unlike many I have experienced, as everyone was drunk, and fist fighting, and so quintessential New York. Later this week I will rank the ballparks I have been to in terms of “overall awesomeness.” Yankee Stadium will not be number 1.

The Celtics/Cavs Game 7 could be written about at length. However, it’s a little important to have some perspective and realize that it was only the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and not the NBA Finals. LeBron put forth a Jordan-esque effort, just with worse shooting. It was, however, Paul Pierce, who I will never warm up to, I feel, who shocked me with his 40+ performance. Paul will never be my favorite Celtic. Too often he decides that he’s one of the best players in the NBA and tries to take a game over. Most of the time, he’s not capable of that. We saw that last season. However, he took Sunday over. I’m sure everyone would like more on this game, but I want to reserve my thoughts on this team for a more appropriate time. So I’ll move on.

Jon Lester’s no-hitter, to me, should be most notable for the fact that it was Jason Varitek’s 4th no-hitter caught. The list of pitchers whose no-hitters he has caught is also notable, because it doesn’t involve Pedro, or Curt Schilling, or Josh Beckett, etc. It does involve Hideo Nomo. I rarely compliment ‘Tek, but you’ve got to be a great catcher to work 4 no-hit games in your career with zero future Hall of Fame pitchers (at the moment). The Lester story is fantastic and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little teary-eyed last night, but lets stop and acknowledge Jason Varitek today too.

The Milwaukee Brewers stink, at the moment.

For the New Orleans Hornets, the 2007-08 NBA season could have been more successful. They could have advanced to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. They could have beaten the Lakers in that round and played for an NBA title. Heck, they could have won an NBA title. However, none of those things are going to happen, as they were eliminated by the Spurs in Game 7 last night in Louisiana. All year, every pundit said, “This team’s too young. This team’s not deep enough.” And every pundit was proved dead wrong, in my opinion. Their problem was ultimately their head coach, as I thought it would be. In the fourth quarter when the Spurs decided to let Jannero Pargo take all the shots in the world, Byron Scott did nothing to counter, assuming that a low-to-mid tier player could take a game over, even taking the ball out the MVP’s hands late in the game. Why Chris Paul wasn’t driving to about 10 feet from the basket and dumping the ball off to Tyson Chandler on every play in the 4th last night was beyond me. The Hornets are a surefire title contender next year, in my opinon, however, they would be wise to explore other coaching options, much like a team about 1600 miles northeast of New Orleans. Team success does not always indicate great coaching in the NBA. Coaches can often hinder their teams. Byron Scott is one of those coaches.

I’ll take the Penguins to topple the Red Wings in 6 games in the Stanley Cup Finals. I’ve stopped watching hockey in favor of the NBA. This has nothing to do with the NHL and everything to do with the best NBA Playoffs since the death of Michael Jordan.

I watched some WNBA on Saturday. The Sparks look great. Candace Parker nearly had a triple-double.

Tonight is the NBA’s Draft Lottery, a personal favorite of mine. For the hell of it, let’s see if this is how it plays out:

14. Golden State Warriors
13. Indiana Pacers
12. Portland Trail Blazers
11. New Jersey Nets
10. Charlotte Bobcats
9. Sacramento Kings
8. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Chicago Bulls
5. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Seattle Sonics
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Miami Heat
1. New York Knicks

Conspiracy Theory, anyone?

In the NBA’s Conference Finals, I see this happening:

East: Detroit over Boston in 6. If the Pistons win tonight, like with the Cleveland series, I can’t envision the Celtics winning the series. All that Boston has right now is their home invincibility. Past that, they’re confidence has to be diminishing. I’d prefer a C’s sweep, but we’re in the same position we were before the Cleveland series. This can’t go on another round, can it?

West: Los Angeles over San Antonio in 5. Please.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Boston. The Pistons win an 8 point game. And we weep a little.

So, I’m very angry about two things. One of them is clear by the title, so I’ll go with the other for now. If you watched last night’s Hornets/Spurs game and have at least one functional eye, you probably found yourself yelling at the television in the 3rd quarter. I’ll explain:

In the span of seemingly 3 seconds, 4 fouls were called against the Hornets, two against the MVP and two against David West. One of the David West fouls was somewhat legit. On the other foul, David West was hit in the face. Apparently that’s a foul now. The two fouls on Chris Paul were completely ridiculous flops by both Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan, who by the way, shouldn’t fly backward 24 feet if Chris Paul touched them with his arm, while in the act of going to the basket. Flop artists! That’s what the San Antonio Spurs are at this point! They brought back Hack-a-Shaq in Round 1 and have even attempted Hack-A-Melvin Ely in this series. Why? Because they’re cheap. A team that plays as well as the Spurs do shouldn’t have to flop on contact and utilize a style of defense that is nothing more than cheap and hackney. And then this happened:

David West has been playing despite back spasms, which, taken from someone who plays only low-level pick-up games, let me tell you, probably isn’t too fun in the NBA playoffs. Well in the fourth quarter, Gregg Popovich sent in Robert Horry, who has been given the nickname “Big Shot Bob,” despite the fact that he hasn’t hit an actual shot in 3 years. Last night, Horry wasn’t playing to hit a big-3. He didn’t need to. The referees took the game away from the Hornets early on in the fourth by calling 3, maybe 4, foolishly cheap fouls. No, Horry came in to commit a hard, illegal pick on David West’s back. Combine that with his check of Steve Nash into the scorer’s table last year that got Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire suspended from Game 6 of the Spurs/Suns series (a game and series the Suns lost…Horry was NOT SUSPENDED for this hit) and you’ve got a new nickname for Horry: “Cheap Shot Bob.”

I’m going to take a second to calm myself down with my 2008 WNBA Season Preview. I’m not even kidding.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit Shock
Connecticut Sun
New York Liberty
Washington Mystics
Indiana Fever
Chicago Sky
Atlanta Dream

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Los Angeles Sparks
San Antonio Silver Stars
Phoenix Mercury
Seattle Storm
Houston Comets
Minnesota Lynx
Sacramento Monarchs

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Detroit over Connecticut

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Los Angeles over San Antonio Silver Stars

WNBA Finals: Los Angeles over Detroit

WNBA MVP: Lisa Leslie (LA Sparks)
WNBA Rookie of the Year: Candace Parker (LA Sparks)
WNBA Coach of the Year: Michael Cooper (LA Sparks)

-As you can tell, I’m high on the Sparks. Leslie is coming back after a year away from the league. The addition of Parker and her college teammate Shannon Bobbit will make the transition back very easy for Leslie. The Spark averaged 92 PPG in their preseason. I expect them to maybe lose 3 games this year, maximum.

Assuming you’re still reading Mid-Atlantic Bias, which at this point may be quite the assumption, back to why I’m angry and why today’s title is as it is:

Most of my readers understand that my baseball allegiances lie with the New York Mets. Yesterday, the Mets were wrapping up a 4-game set in Queens against the Nationals. Washington had won 2 of the first 3 games in the series and were throwing out a guy who had just been called up, in Jason Bergmman. The Mets were countering with Mike Pelfrey, who himself belongs in AAA New Orleans (though that is a post for another day). Well, Pelfrey pitched the lights out (though it was a day game) at Shea. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Aaron Boone, of all people, broke it up. The Mets only gave up one run in the game. The problem is that the Mets scored as many runs as I did yesterday. The bigger problem is that the game ended with Carlos Delgado hitting into a double play with Carlos Beltran on third base.

After the game, the New York media was talking to Mets closer Billy Wagner about the game. Two things are important here. 1.) If you know me, you know I hate Billy Wagner and 2.) Wagner’s line yesterday: 0 IP, 0 H, o R, 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0…you get the picture. He didn’t pitch. Wagner became frustrated and started talking about it before looking up, across the clubhouse and saying (cover the children’s eyes), “Someone tell me why the fuck the closer is being interviewed and I didn’t even play, while they’re over there not being interviewed? Oh, I got it, they’re gone. Shit shocker!” Wagner’s frustration, which is completely understandable, was aimed at Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran namely. The Carlos’ refusal to talk to the media has already gotten Paul LoDuca in trouble (Last year he said something to the effect of, “It’s funny how some of these guys forget how to speak English when there’s a microphone in front of them). For the Mets and the media, if there’s an interview, it’s seemingly always with Wagner or David Wright.

I can put aside my disdain for Wagner for this reason: He’s right. He got into trouble earlier this year for comparing talking to Oliver Perez to talking to a wall. Manager Willie Randolph, who lives in GM Omar Minaya’s rear end, reprimanded Wagner and told him to keep his problems in house. Wagner has decided to do otherwise. And it’s about time someone in that clubhouse spoke up. The reason everyone gives is the language barrier. But as Amanda pointed out today, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, two native Spanish speakers, have no problem talking to the media. It’s the one thing I can’t hold against The Manny Ramirez.

What the Mets need now is a change in philosophy. Omar Minaya’s insistence on signing and developing Latino talent is completely ridiculous first of all and puts an even larger weight on guys like David Wright, who do everything right on the field and still have to answer to the media for the missteps of guys like Jose Reyes, who I’m souring on very quickly, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado, who shouldn’t even be on this team anymore. Add that to the fact that Willie Randolph has lost any semblance of a spine and you’ve got a big problem. That’s why one, or preferably both, need to be ousted today. You cannot have a collapse like the Mets did last year and have no one who should take responsibility for it actually take it. The collapse wasn’t David Wright or Billy Wagner’s fault. But they’re the guys who have to come up with excuses for guys like Reyes who apparently can only speak English in ESPN commercials and gimmicky video board fodder.

Games O’ The Weekend:

5. New York Mets @ New York Yankees (Sunday Night Baseball). Beyond the fact that I’ll be at Yankee Stadium for the game, there’s also a pretty good pitching matchup between Chien Ming-Wang and John Maine. And really, even when they’re both struggling, it’s still the Subway Series.

4. Preakness Stakes (Saturday Afternoon). Big Brown wins.

3. Los Angeles @ Utah (Tonight). The Lakers close out the Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City.

2. Boston @ Cleveland (Tonight). [sigh]

1. Cleveland @ Boston (Game 7, Sunday). I’d love to have faith that the C’s will win tonight, but really, they haven’t given me any reason to think that they can win a road game yet. So I’ll assume there will be a Game 7, again, at the Garden, and avoid picking the game so as to prevent jinxing anyone.

Everyone, have a great, safe weekend and we’ll see you right back here at Mid-Atlantic Bias on Monday, depending on when I get back from New York. So don’t kill me if there’s no post until Tuesday.

Yesterday, apparently at the mere thought that I would include Scott Kazmir on the All-25 and Under Team, the Tampa Bay Rays signed their young ace to a three year, $28.5 million extension. Last week, the Marlins and Hanley Ramirez agreed to a contract extension. Then today, the Brewers inked Left Fielder Ryan Braun to an 8-year $45 million deal. So to recap, the Rays, Marlins, and Brewers are signing all of their young talent while the New York Yankees trot out Shelly Duncan, Jose Molina, and Darrell Rasner every so often. Now that’s what I call the universe being restored to order.

Kristen asked me to comment on the Kazmir deal specifically, as she is aware that I have a borderline-unhealthy man crush on him and hate the Mets for trading him away for a pile of garbage. This is my favorite of the 3 deals previously mentioned, because the Rays are giving Kazmir far less than the open market would. And there’s no disadvantage to it. There is for the Brewers. Two words: Prince and Fielder. If you remember, the first baseman for the Brewers got very upset this offseason that he did not get an extension from the team. And now Braun gets one. So that may make Prince very angry. Which may force him to start eating meat again, in the form of GM Doug Melvin. For the Rays, they lock up Kazmir until 2011 where he will form the two headed, left-handed monster known as “The Price of Kazmir,” along with last year’s top pick, flamethrower David Price. And yes, I’m thinking about patenting the phrase “The Price of Kazmir.”

My thought from last night’s Celtics/Cavs game:

1.) Still not sure what James Posey was thinking. Even worse than Posey’s really terrible pass however was team cancer Sam Cassell’s response to it. If you noticed, Sam I Am (An Alien) practically ran onto the court making faces (or was that his normal face?) yelling at Posey. What a great teammate. I am beyond sick of Sam Cassell at this point and am contemplating sending a box of rabid badgers to the TD Banknorth Garden, care-of Sam Cassell.

2.) As Matt knows already, I am finally pledging my love for Rajon Rondo. I’m sorry it took me this long, but people, he’s the second best player on this team right now. Yes, better than Paul Pierce, who as a certain sports writer put it yesterday, “…Looks like he has mono.” Rondo could not be stopped last night, slashing into the lane.

3.) Ray Allen, however, can be stopped.

4.) I still hate Doc Rivers. Accordingly…

5.) This is my starting lineup for the Celtics for Game 6 tomorrow:

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: James Posey
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Glen Davis
C: Kevin Garnett

This lineup allows Posey to be in the lineup to cover LeBron. He is far better against the “King” than Paul Pierce is. This frees up Paul to cover Wally Sczerbiak. Glen Davis can cover Ben Wallace because I can. He can also pull him away from the basket. And KG, well, he’s slightly more athletic than Zydrunas Illgauskus. Then you have Ray Allen coming off the bench with, hopefully, fresher legs, and Kenrick Perkins coming off the bench to abuse whoever the Cavs trot out to play center. Finally, with Sam Cassell dead from badger bites, Eddie House plays 14 minutes of backup point guard, as he did when the Celtics went 66-16 in the regular season. And if we need to, we can bring in “Mr. Instant Offense” Leon Powe.

A few corrections from yesterday’s Team:

1.) BJ Upton no longer plays 2B for the Rays. Akinori Iwamura plays at second. Upton is in the outfield. He, therefore, should not have been considered for the second base position.

2.) Second base was a point of emphasis, as I also made another slight error. While I would still keep Kinsler at 2B, I also should have taken a longer look at Dustin Pedroia. Someone tell him I’m sorry.

3.) I, however, am going to keep Tim Lincecum plugged in as my staff ace. While Cole Hamels is a very good pitcher, he’s also pitching for a much better team. I mean, compare the Giants offense to the Phillies. Yes, Hamels pitches inside of Citizens Bank Park, which is actually the size of a bank, and has put up good numbers, but what Lincecum is doing is being completely overlooked by baseball people, because he plays for a black hole.

Game O’ The Day: New Orleans @ San Antonio. Game 6. Spurs win by 14. Yep, that’s my pick…

Clay Buchholz was put on the 15-day DL today because he broke a fingernail. I love baseball.

I would like to welcome reader Alex to Mid-Atlantic Bias. Alex now knows that this is the place for all the insight into the Mid-Atlantic Sports Scene, without that whole pesky “Mid-Atlantic” part.

I feel like if I write this, I’m going to jinx my bandwagon, but as anyone who knows me well has discovered, when it comes to prognostication, I couldn’t pick a winning horse out of a one-horse field. I’m just never right. Accordingly, I’ve decided to continue picking the team the Hornets are playing to win, in the hopes that I will be wrong. Yet, as you’ll see in my Game O’ The Day later, I’m not doing this for my actual NBA team. I don’t really make any sense.

Last night, the Orlando Magic were mercifully put out of their misery by the Pistons, thereby saving us from having to ignore this series any more than we already had.

In an actual NBA game, the Hornets continued the “Home Team” trend, by trailing to the Spurs at halftime, and winning the game by 22 points. There is no actual explanation for why the Hornets are able to dominate the Spurs in the 3rd quarter in this series. If you think it’s because Byron Scott is outcoaching Greg Popovich, you likely don’t actually watch basketball. Pop is one of the greatest coaches of the last 25 years in the NBA (perhaps this is a post idea). Byron Scott is not one of the 25 best coaches in the NBA right now. Scott just happens to have a Super-God playing Point Guard and, as I wrote back when I started driving the Hornets bandwagon in January, the most underrated player in the NBA. And did David West ever prove that last night with his 38 point offensive performance and his shutting down of Tim Duncan defensively. Yes “The Great Fundamental” had 23 rebounds, but the Spurs aren’t going to win with Timmy only scoring as much as Bruce Bowen. And the Hornets did this all while getting zero contribution from anyone on their bench not named Jannero Pargo, who will be handsomely overpaid this offseason by somebody. This series, however, seems destined to go back to NOrleans (not a typo…there’s plenty of those in other places though, I’m sure) for Game 7.

On to the meat. My 2008, MLB All-25 and Under Team. The rules are simple. You have to have actually played in the big leagues (sorry to top prospects who I think will be good) to qualify. In addition, you have to be 25 years old today, May 14, 2008. That means if you were born before May 15, 1982, you don’t qualify. On to the Team (We’re going to play our games at the best Under-25 park in Major League Baseball, that being AT&T Park in San Francisco).

C: Russell Martin-25 Years Old (LA DODGERS)
There are 3 worthy candidates here, who have had significant MLB experience: Martin, Joe Mauer, and Brian McCann. Mauer is both injury plagued, not a great defensive catcher, and has no power. So I eliminated him first, despite the fact that he’s won a batting title. This came down to Martin’s prowess as a defensive catcher, as well as a great hitter for average and a decent power/OBP guy. I like McCann, but I’ll take Martin here.

1B: Miguel Cabrera-25 Years Old (Detroit Tigers)
It’s great what a little position change can do. Casey Kotchman or James Loney would have been the choice here had the Tigers not moved Cabrera to 1st because of his terrible defense. His placement here is unarguable.

2B: Ian Kinsler-25 Years Old..barely (Texas Rangers)
Kinsler edges out BJ Upton by a slight margin. Both are good hitters. Upton is terrible defensively. Kinsler is not terrible. Howie Kenrick would get some pub, if he actually played. However, he hasn’t done that a lot yet.

SS: Hanley Ramirez-24 Years Old (Florida Marlins)
This comes down to HanRam and Jose Reyes. Hanley wins out in my mind because he has been far more consistent in his career than Reyes. Jose has struggled for about the last year of his career. Hanley continues to put up stellar numbers in a mediocre lineup. That give him the nod to me.

3B: David Wright-25 Years Old (New York Mets)
This isn’t even close. Wright is the face of a New York franchise and has delivered for years. No one at this position can touch him at this age.

RF: Justin Upton-20 Years Old (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Some will argue that this is premature. Except that he’s hitting .331, with 6 HR and 19 RBI and an OBP of .397 at the age of 20, with all the expectations that he had, being the top pick in 2006. He beats out Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp who have played longer, but don’t nearly have the ceiling that Upton does.

CF: Grady Sizemore-25 Years Old (Cleveland Indians)
It’s amazing to me that he’s still only 25 years old and has been playing at a high level for so long. He’s top tier. The next two guys are Jacoby Ellsbury and Chris Young. Neither are anywhere near Grady.

LF: Ryan Braun-24 Years Old (Milwaukee Brewers)
Braun is a level above Carlos Quentin, despite having only played for slightly less than one full season. However, in that “full season” these are Braun’s numbers (the part of last year after he was called up and this year so far, combined):

151 Games, .316 AVG., 43 HR, 126 RBI, 16 SB.

Argue that.

Starting Pitcher: Tim Lincecum-23 Years Old (San Francisco Giants)
This came down to Lincecum, Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez, and Scott Kazmir. Then I looked at what Lincecum has done in his career with one of the worst teams in baseball. He has started 31 games for the Giants:

12-6, 3.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 203 K

Those are astonishing numbers when you consider that the Giants overall record since the start of last year is 88-114.

Closer: Joakim Soria-23 Years Old (Kansas City Royals)
Much like Lincecum, Soria has become one of the game’s best closers (even though you have no idea who he is or what he looks like) pitching for a doormat. In his career he has posted a 2.08 ERA and 26 saves with a .83 WHIP. For the Royals.

For the sake of it, here’s how I’d line the guys up too:

Grady Sizemore
Hanley Ramirez
David Wright
Miguel Cabrera
Ryan Braun
Russell Martin
Justin Upton
Ian Kinsley
Tim Lincecum (because a pitcher should always have to hit)

Game O’ The Day: Cleveland @ Boston. The Celtics win tonight by 12 points in front of a bananas crowd at the Garden Center.

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.