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Showing posts from June, 2006
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Sixers Draft Nightmare

Once again the Philadelphia 76ers have left everyone scratching their heads on draft night. They sent the rights to No. 13 Thabo Sefolosha to Chicago for rights to No. 16 Rodney Carney and cash. Cash? Are you kiddin’ me? To top it off they ended up with an Andre Iguodala clone in Carney, according to ESPN. This is insulting. Why not just take the guy without the trade? That would have been bad enough. This team missed the damn playoffs, and they draft the exact same type of player as one of the few good players they have. But to move down two spots to do it for a second round pick and cash is a slap in the face. Second round picks are generally worthless. Even if cash considerations is equivalent to cap space, which I don’t think it is, they should be laughed out of town. Hell, even if it is, they should be laughed out of town. The Sixers are owned by Comcast – one of the richest corporations around. Are they seriously worried about the NBA’s luxury tax? I have never truly torched a te

Soccer: Better Than Expected

I watched more soccer this week — and with more interest — than I ever have in my life. As the U.S. soccer team bowed out of the World Cup, I realized that “boring” is the wrong adjective to use in describing why the game hasn’t taken hold in our country. “Frustrating” seems more appropriate. I don’t want to sound like the “ugly American” who scoffs at the world’s most popular sport. Just watching a few games allowed me to see the intrigue of the game. Working the ball up field takes plenty of skill and team work. Play around the goal is as exciting as other major sports. Yet, I found myself incredibly frustrated, not by the lack of scoring, but the lack of scoring opportunities. It just took so long to get to the point where scoring was even possible, I wanted to scream at how easily the ball got knocked into the midfield. No, I’m not building up to the suggestion that indoor soccer is the answer. I “got it” enough to see that the struggle to move the ball is the essence of the game.

2-3-2 Finals Format Is Weak

I’ve never liked the 2-3-2 set-up of the NBA Finals, and tonight will provide a perfect example of why. If the Miami Heat win, they tie the series after falling 0-2 in Dallas against the Mavericks. Normally, they’d be headed to Dallas and a mental breather – everyone’s defended home court, and, yes, they still need to steal a game in Dallas. But not necessarily Game 5. They could lose Game 5, yet be headed home to try to force a Game 7. In the 2-3-2 scenario, the road team is put in the extremely difficult position of winning three straight home games just to defend home court. Either team would be at least put to a test to beat the woeful Portland Trailblazers three straight. Even if you scoff at that, there’s no way to suggest it’s fair to ask one of the two supposedly best teams in the league to beat the other three straight just to defend home court. The worst part, from what I understand, is that this is done to accodomate the huge media presence by cutting down on travel. It sugg

NBA Finals Pick

After going 11-3 on NBA playoff series (minus my Spurs/Pistons Finals prediction), an above .500 mark in the NFL, and an average NCAA tournament (if I figure it out, I’ll post my record), I’m making the NBA Finals the end of my inaugural prognosticating year online. I think I’ve learned some things, and look forward to a much better year with the start of football in the fall. For now, it’s June, so the last chance for true sports excitement for at least two months is upon us. By this time of year, few in Philly still care about the NBA, and if anyone can tell me what’s happening in the Stanley Cup Finals, well, God bless. I expect a good series between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. If ABC could spare us shot after shot of Mark Cuban trying to be one of the guys . . . and Bill Walton . . . it may even be fun to watch. Games may even be over by midnight on the east coast. (Anyone else see David Stern tell Michael Barkann on Daily News Live how late starts were o

The Newest Privilege of the Living Legend

Something stinks about Roger Clemens returning to the Houston Astros for half a season. It’s not the $22 million (and $22 just to match his number). It’s not even the way he held up three or four franchises until he felt like playing, which Stephen A. Smith laid him out for in the Inquirer. Smith goes a bit too far, but just a bit. Despite the stench of what Clemens, and Brett Favre by the way, is doing, putting your finger on exactly what’s so bad about it isn’t easy. He’s not the first to play one franchise against another, and forgive me if I don’t shed a tear for billionaire owners. In fact, the first unemotional thought that comes to mind is that if he can get away with it, more power to him. The same can be said of Favre. The fact is no one had to woo Clemens. The fact is the Green Bay Packers can tell Favre to go pound sand. Whether Clemens is just too good to pass up, or whether cutting Favre is too much of a PR hit, is a decision the teams are free to make one way or another