Two Weeks to Valentine's Day

I welcome thoughts on this list of 12 things that, per romanticlounge.com, are "what women want" in a date (edited down by me) ......................................................................................................: 1) Women want a man who is clean and well dressed. 2) Women want honesty and kindness. 3) Be kind and thoughtful. Don't be sappy. No woman likes a man who is falling all over himself trying to impress her. 4) Act natural and be yourself.
If acting natural and being yourself means you will forget to consider her comfort, you will have to work on that. 5) If you are setting the date up, try to set the stage to her likes. 6) Women like compliments. Tell her she looks nice. Look her in the eye when you tell her this. She will not be impressed if you are staring at her breasts when you say this. Don't get carried away with your compliments though. It isn't natural to do this and it can be down right embarrassing. 7) Women like thoughtful acts. 8) Women like to talk about themselves. 9) They also want you to be interested in what they have to say. Don't look around the restaurant while she is talking to you. Don't let your eyes glaze over. Take mental notes. She will expect you to remember all this if you get to the second date. 10) Never, ever talk about past dates with other women. Don't mention your ex-girlfriend or ex-wife. 11) Don't say "I'm Sorry". This is just pitiful. You can say excuse me or pardon me or Oops but never say I'm sorry. You will sound like a school boy trying to get mommies affection. Huge Turn Off! 12) Finally, women don't like to feel pressured on a first date. It would be nice if you could work something into the conversation, early on, that you are not interested in ending the date in bed.

Tank Johnson -- Racists After Him

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/236408,CST-SPT-jay31.article Perhaps Tank could take a moment and consider the fate of the also-persecuted Darrell Russell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Russell_(football_player).

American Idol 2007 -- Chris Sligh

http://www.myspace.com/halfpastforever. Better get to this site quickly before Sligh is forced to take it down. After his Birmingham audition I can't see any way he doesn't make the final 24. That said, his vote count might be hurt if he really did attend Bob Jones University for a few years. Makes $30-45K in Greenville, SC??? He is filthy stinking rich! Attended college for 7 years, hasn't graduated. Uh, Ok............HM

Bill Walton On Garnett

I am informed that during last night's broadcast Bill Walton stated something to the effect that "Garnett needs to be more consistent. He needs to do this every night." Yeah, so Kevin needs to get 44 a night....um, OK.............To this ridiculous comment we add on the fact that Bill Walton was always hurt and never gave any of his NBA teams a consistent 82 game effort as a starter.......EVER...........But instead let's skew everything in Walton's favor -- let's take his best statistical year ever (although he only played 25 games) and compare it on a per game basis to KG's MVP year of 2003-04. http://www.basketball-reference.com/labs/comp.cgi?I=waltobi01%3ABill+Walton&y1=1978&C=garneke01%3AKevin+Garnett&y2=2004&s=r&t=g&submit=Compare. Walton is worse across the board in nearly every category. Summary -- KG has given his team years and years and years of great consistent play. The best Bill Walton ever gave his teams is 1.3 years of sub-KG play as a 33-34 minute a game starter (and Walton also had a year with Boston where the team was great and he played 19 minutes a game). If the Walton Effort is the sort of effort Bill Walton wants out of KG, the Wolves would be 22-60 every year.................................But let's be fair to the idiot Walton -- he is probably just repeating the media's common criticism of KG "He doesn't score enough. He needs to get 30 a night like Kobe." In the history of the NBA there have been 58 times when a guy has averaged 30 or more points per game for one season. Tossing out multiple efforts by guys like Wilt and Michael and Kareem, you find that 22 guys have scored 30+ in a year. But remember, the criticism of Garnett is NOT that he should sacrifice his rebounding for more scoring (rather it is that he should continue to board at a 12+ pace and also get 30 a night)............................So, the true inquiry is this - how many times has a guy gone for 30 points and also had either 12 boards or 12 assists a game over a whole season? Answer: 22 times -- Wilt -- 9 times, Kareem -- 4 times, Elgin Baylor -- 3 times, Bob McAdoo 2 times, Bob Petit 1 time, Moses Malone 1 time, Oscar Robertson 1 time, Walt Bellamy 1 time. Since Bird and Magic entered the league in 1979 (the date I consider to be the dawn of the modern NBA), one guy has gone for 30 and 12 -- Moses Malone in 1981-82. Guys have come close (David, Karl Malone, Shaq) but no one has gone for 30 and 12 over a full season since I was 18 years old and playing center field for my high school baseball team.............So maybe if we just step back and gain some perspective we will stop asking KG for the impossible. He isn't gonna get 44 a night. He isn't going to go for 30 and 12 over the course of a year. His upside stats at his current mileage are about 25-13-5, which is awfully damned good.

Psssssst -- I Know How to Beat the Suns

Back when I first started reading "Sport Magazine" there was an article by a coach (I believe it was Columbia's coach) in which he detailed how a team could beat the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. The article concluded with a note that the author's team did everything he suggested and still lost by 20+, but that a team with proper personnel could do all of the same things and beat Indiana...................................Now, Indiana went undefeated and won the title, so the guy may have been full of crap anyway, but that isn't the point............................The point is that I saw the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat the Phoenix Suns at Target Center and the Wolves' victory should provide a blueprint to better clubs as to how they can beat the Suns. So here goes:

1) Get the Suns on the 2nd day of a back-to-back road trip in a game they care about far less than you do. (OK, so this is sort of a joke item, but I don't want Suns fans thinking I did not not know and understand the circumstances of the Wolves' win).

2) Switch up your defenses on a regular basis. Steve Nash currently has his game honed to such a fine point that it takes him all of 4 seconds to recognize exactly what it is you are doing. But if you don't switch things up, Nash needs 0 seconds to recognize your stock defense and just rip it to pieces. 4 seconds means 2 or 3 passes for the high-octane Suns, so rather than scrambling to cover 4 passes, maybe you only have to cover 2.

3) Pound the heck out of the Suns inside. I have to tell you, I have no earthly idea of why Mike D'Antoni didn't at least try Amare Stoudamire on Garnett. Boris Diaw was offering all of the resistance of a 6'8" lamp post and 6'7" Shawn Marion (whether he would admit it or not) is now and has always been terrified of Kevin Garnett's presence on the basketball court. The Suns are still Gillete Foamy soft on D and on the boards........In 66 minutes of play, Diaw and Amare combined for 4 rebounds -- all by Amare. Diaw, George Mikan, Paul Arizin and I each gathered in the same number of NBA rebounds last night (that would be 0). Amare still can get up, but the ease with which he elevates has declined. If you get a body next to him, he has to bend down very low and really gather himself to leap. Unless you are a young Shaq, this is a strategy that rarely works.

4) Deny the 3 point shot at all costs. You just cannot allow guys like Raja Bell and James Jones to combine for 35+ points on 3 point shots. Raja Bell has done more with his game than I ever expected, but he isn't going to regularly blow by guys for difficult makes in 2-point land. His 2-point percentage is barely better than his 3-point percentage, despite the fact that his 2-point attempts are almost all 5 footers and layups. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/players/3467/. Review those stats -- now tell me, what is he giving you other than 3's??? Almost nothing. He is basically Bruce Bowen. Get up on him and Marion and Barbosa and make them set foot inside the 3 point line.

5) Cause a little dissension -- the Suns REALLY were turning on Boris Diaw last night -- and how! Nash was screaming at him. Marion was screaming at him. D'Antoni eventually pulled him in favor of Barbosa. Except for a slight increase in FG % and a miniscule decrease in turnovers, Diaw's stats are down ACROSS THE BOARD from last year: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3724/;_ylt=AocMoMZG5Iu3O.s1RFlUBE2kvLYF. What does that tell you? Well, Barbosa is very assertive and he is getting more minutes, Bell is very assertive and he is getting more minutes. Diaw is NOT an asssertive guy by nature and he is losing minutes and productivity (fewer points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks way down). And now he is the team's whipping boy. If Diaw is having a poor game, keep going at him b/c he can't be happy right now, plus it distracts his teammates when he struggles.

6) Hope to God that they play Marcus Banks -- Every youth basketball coach in America should show their point guards Wolves/Suns footage and compare the good (Nash) with the bad (Mike James) with the ugly (Marcus Banks). The Suns are so good offensively because they move the ball quickly and there is no wasted motion and guys quickly take and make open shots. Banks is just death for the Suns. He holds the ball, dribbles for no apparent purpose, passes poorly, is hesitant to take open shots, and can't make open shots at a high rate when he eventually decides to jack one up. I would bet Banks was double-digit "negative" on a plus-minus basis against his former mates.


7) Hope Mike D'Antoni Refuses to Adjust to your Success Against his Squad -- What was most remarkable to me is that everyone in the league either does know or should know that the way to beat the Wolves is to be physical with Garnett, double or triple him when he gets the ball in a scoring area and make other guys beat you (which they generally won't). Despite Garnett's 18 of 29 shooting in a 44 point and 11 rebound effort, D'Antoni seemed content to allow KG to work isolation against guys who clearly could not handle him. He allowed KG to run 1-4 sets at the top of the key. He allowed KG to come off opposite-block screens and post up. He allowed his squad to double the dribbler when KG screened for the dribbler. I mean, it was basically a clinic on "How to Get Your Team Defeated By a Lesser Opponent" (step 1, if they have only 1 good guy, allow that guy to score layups and open 10 footers against single coverage all night long). The stubborn decision to not emphasize basic team defense will either be D'Antoni's championship trademark or (in my opinion more likely) his playoff undoing.

The problem with all this analysis? 1) Who in the NBA has a versatile 7' scorer like Kevin Garnett? That would be MN and Dallas (Dirk) and maybe SA (Duncan, but he is a different type of player)? I doubt that Memphis (Gasol) will make the playoffs; 2) Marcus Banks will never see a minute in a meaningful game unless he has pictures of Jerry Colangelo. 3) Nash will almost certainly smooth over things with Diaw. They need him to play better when the playoff roll around. But if you can do 2,3, and 4, you stand a chance.

Most enjoyable Wolves game I have seen since they beat Sacramento in Game 7 when Webber's three rattled out.............HM

Barbaro -- RIP

Put to sleep today..............................Now if only the Knicks could do the same to Steve Francis's NBA career..........http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/francst01.html

O.J. Mayo -- Suspended

http://www.modavox.com/boombox/PlayerSetup/Players/WOWKTVPlayer.aspx?FileId=4448. The ref goes down like he has been shot. I think ya gotta cut old Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo some slack.

Roger Federer Note

Federer blows away Fernando Gonzalez (leaving him with still no wins ever against Federer) to win the Australian Open and his 10th career Grand Slam title. As proof of the freakish nature of Federer's run, I will note that he has won 10 GS titles in 3 1/2 years. Pete Sampras's best run over a 4 year period was 9 GS titles. After that 9-win streak during 1993-97 Sampras won only at Wimbledon (where his serve disguised the gradual decline of his overall game) and the final U.S. Open title in 2002 (he was 13th ranked in the world at the time). The real question -- how does Federer's girlfriend Miroslava Vavrinec match up with Sampras wife Bridget Wilson????? Your opinions are welcomed!

Suns Schedule

http://aol.nba.com/suns/schedule/. Barring a loss at home, the Suns could easily run their streak to 36 games based upon a rather favorable schedule going forward. Not until March 14 do they face multiple tough team stretch (at Dallas, home with Detroit at Denver in a 4-day period). If I am counting correctly, game 33 would be home with The Devil and the Lakers.

Suns Come To Minny on a 17-game Run

I will be in attendance as the Suns look to extend to 18. If the Suns reach 21 they will have the 2nd longest streak of all-time (all listed teams are champions unless otherwise noted).................................................................................................................... TEAM WIN STREAK DATE
1 Los Angeles Lakers 33 11/5/71 - 1/7/72 (Wilt lost to Kareem in game 34 -- the first cool NBA game I ever remember watching on TV -- sorry Braves)

2 Milwaukee 20 2/6/71 - 3/8/71 (I did not recall how great this team was, they are also at #10).

3 Los Angeles Lakers 19 2/4/00 - 3/13/00 (same as above, see their entry at #10)
T-4 Boston 18 2/24/82 - 3/26/82 (lost to Lakers in finals)
T-4 Chicago 18 12/29/95 - 2/2/96 (Jordan's first full year back)
T-4 New York 18 10/24/69 - 11/28/69 (1st championship)
T-7 PHOENIX 17 12/29/06 - ???
T-7 Boston 17 11/28/59 - 1/1/60 (early Russell squad)
T-7 San Antonio 17 2/29/96 - 3/31/96 (lost to the Jazz who lost to the Sonics who lost to the Bulls)
T-7 Washington Capitols# 17 11/16/46- 12/30/46 (Warrior won title)
T-10 Milwaukee 16 10/24/70 - 11/25/70 (see above team note)
T-10 Los Angeles Lakers 16 12/11/99 - 1/12/00 (see above team note)
T-10 Portland 16 3/20/91 - 4/19/91 (lost to Magic's last good Lakers club -- this was a sandwich club between the 1990 Western Conference champ (loser to Pistons) and the 1992 WC champ (loser to Bulls) a great, great team with Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Buck Williams, Cliff Robinson, Duckworth, Ainge, Drazen Petrovic -- never got the job done)
T-10 Boston 16 12/19/64 - 1/22/65 (Russell club)
T-10 Los Angeles Lakers 16 1/9/91 - 2/5/91 (team that beat Portland then lost to Chicago)
T-15 PHOENIX 15 11/20/06 - 12/19/06
T-15 Others 15

Federer Routs Roddick in 3 sets, moves to the finals

In my life I cannot recall a male tennis player who has been more dominant than Roger Federer. He toasts Roddick last night in Melbourne, winning 11 straight games at one point. Federer already has 9 grand slam titles, more than Agassi, Lendl, McEnroe, Connors, and a host of other great names. Over the past 12 months Federer has won 70% of the tourneys he entered. His current pace is that he wins 94% of his total matches (1 loss every 17 matches). I think that Federer's biggest current enemy is boredom and the element of surprise (as in "huh, this guy is actually playing at my level today").

Battle Set Between Two Noted Weight-Fibbers

For the Australian Open final it will be Maria Sharapova (6'2"......130!?!?!) against Sernea Williams (5'10" 143!?!?!?). As I said earlier, Serena is a biscuit away from 200. Maria is 6'2" tall for God's sake. The thin and wiry Venus Williams is listed at 6'1 1/2" 169!!!! My best guess is that Sharapova is about 160. At 130 she would be in the 6th percentile and regarded as dangerously underweight. Serena at 195 would be only in the 74th percentile for women who are 5'10" tall. At 143 she would be in the 25th percentile. I think that both women do young girls a disservice by not listing their true weights. Wouldn't it be nice for a tall young girl to know that model-like Sharapova goes 160 rather than the ridiculous 130? For a point of reference, the thin and attractive Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm is listed at 5'9" and 150 pounds.

Michelle Bachmann Loving Up the Prez

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S26304.shtml?cat=1. My lord. Next time just pull him into a closet and dive on top of him, Michelle. We Minnesotans can be proud to have elected such an independent voice for our state! What does Laura Bush think about this? If I'm GWB, I think I prefer the surgically-enhanced Katherine Harris to her northern God-squad counterpart......

Big Play Not There? -- Sean Salisbury Has a Solution

Just "Jew" your way down the field --
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/01/23/sean-salisbury-might-have-said-something-he-shouldnt-have/?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Another piece of Salisbury advice -- While you are thinking up your next Mel Gibson-esque remark, feel free to take pictures of your, uh, tallywacker, and send them to female co-workers' cell phones:
http://deadspin.com/sports/espn/something-to-think-about-while-watching-sean-salisbury-226883.php

I did not realize that Ron Burgundy was in charge of ESPN's diversity policy!

Dwane Casey Firing -- My Thoughts

Going 20-20 with a mediocre basketball team is apparently a fireable offense these days. Certainly a 19 point home loss to the Hawks (which wasn't that close) didn't help. The embarrassing "coaching" against Detroit (up 3, leaving Chauncey Billups wide open for a three) clearly cost the Wolves that game. And the Wolves showed absolutely no heart against Phoenix or Utah on the current road trip. But frankly the Wolves have won a lot of close games this year and are actually very lucky to be 20-20............................................................I am not in the crowd that is wringing its hands over Casey's firing. Look, he was a sub-par NBA head coach. I recently rated him a 4 out of 20 as a head coach. As a head coach he probably costs your team 3 to 7 wins a year versus what an average head coach would do. To restate an earlier comment on this Blog, Casey knows about as much about coaching an NBA offense as I know about crocheting. He always seemed out of sorts in the bench area, and I am not sure exactly what his team philosophy was supposed to be -- by philosophy I mean "we will be a good team because we do a good job of _______________________." For the first 18 games of his regime (12-6) that blank was filled in with "defending as a team." After those 18 games, it really is anyone's guess what Dwane was trying to accomplish.....................Dwane also appeared to be completely out of the loop on draft decisions. Right after the most recent draft he announced that Craig Smith could play some 2 guard and even some point guard for the Wolves. Um, at 265? 3 weeks later, Casey told season ticket holders that Craig would play solely power forward. After Bracey Wright and Rashad McCants were picked in 2005, Casey quickly opined that each could play some small forward. Neither is even 6'3" in bare feet; Casey never played either any appreciable minutes at small forward. These sort of ridiculous statements lead me to believe that Dwane wasn't consulted much at draft time, nor did he take a great deal of interest in the draft or accurately evaluating the abilities of draft prospects........................I will give you my honest opinion of Dwane Casey: pleasant guy, very hard worker, protected his players, gave it everything he had. But Dwane Casey is the perfect example of the Peter Principle. He was an OK assistant coach who was eventually promoted to a level (head coach) where he was incompetent.................My final thought is this -- Before being hired by the Wolves, Casey's only head coaching experience (despite years and years of being an assistant) was as the head coach of the Japanese National Team! So, you turned the car keys over to a guy whose experience at driving was that he sat in the passenger seat for 11 years and did a good job of reading the map. One time he even got to drive around a little in a rural high school's parking lot. As the head guy, his driving turned out to be not particularly enjoyable or particularly good, but he hasn't driven the car off the road. After about 400 miles of a 1,000 mile trip the Wolves looked at Dwane Casey and said, "Get the hell out of the car and let Randy Wittman drive -- you suck at driving." I think if Dwane were truly honest with himself and the Wolves he would utter the words I am thinking, "Exactly what did you expect?"

Timberwolves Press Release on Firing Dwane Casey

Timberwolves Relieve Head Coach Dwane Casey of Coaching Duties
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the NBA club has relieved head coach Dwane Casey of his coaching duties and responsibilities. Timberwolves Assistant Coach Randy Wittman will take over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the 2006-07 NBA season."We started the season with certain goals and expectations that have not been met," said Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "We've struggled with being consistent throughout the year and ultimately that's the head coach's responsibility. I want to thank Dwane for his hard work and commitment to this team, and wish him well."In less than two seasons as head coach of the Timberwolves, Casey posted a 53-69 record (.434 winning percentage). Casey came to Minnesota after spending 11 seasons as an assistant with the Seattle SuperSonics. Prior to arriving in Seattle, Casey spent five years as a head coach in Japan, including coaching the Japanese National Team with basketball legend Pete Newell. He also served as an assistant to Eddie Sutton at the University of Kentucky from 1985-90.Wittman returned to the Timberwolves prior to the start of the 2006-07 season after serving as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic in 2005-06. Prior to that, Wittman served as an assistant with the Wolves for five seasons in two separate stints (1994-95 - 1998-99 and 2001-02 - 2004-05). He also served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for two seasons (1999-2000 and 2000-01), compiling a 62-102 record."We believe that Randy Wittman will provide our team with a different voice to get us jump-started and going in the right direction," said McHale. "Randy is a known quantity who has a great amount of experience in the NBA. He's been an assistant coach, a player and a head coach in the league."Wittman originally came to Minnesota from the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach under Quinn Buckner. He also served one season (1992-93) on Bob Hill's staff with the Indiana Pacers. A 1983 graduate of Indiana University and two-time academic All-American, Wittman played nine seasons in the NBA. He was a first round draft choice of the Washington Bullets but was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the 1983-84 campaign. During his NBA playing career, Wittman saw action with the Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, averaging 7.4 ppg while shooting 50.1 percent from the floor in 543 career games.

NCAA -- Schools have "No Control" Over Confederate Flag

http://sports.aol.com/ncaabb/story/_a/ncaa-wont-expand-ban-on-confederate-flag/20070123140809990001?cid=1690. Let's see.......hmmm...........it is the UNIVERSITY OF South Carolina and the UNIVERSITY OF Mississippi, but yeah, they shouldn't be punished just because their OWNER and OPERATOR (the state) chooses to fly the stars and bars as a symbol of the state. Wow. For some reason this "limited ban" brings to mind the University of Minnesota's strict policy against playing teams with those horrible racist Native American nicknames............well, unless they are in MN's conference (Illinois, North Dakota) then it is OK.....

Scott Bigelow -- Dead

RIP "Bam, Bam" -- http://sports.aol.com/news/articles/_a/ex-pro-wrestler-bam-bam-bigelow-dies/20070122180509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001. For a look into Bigelow's fall from grace, review: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/11/17/Floridian/Wrestling_with_Bam_Bam.shtml

I think that his ranking as the #68 singles wrestler of all-time is far too generous, but it does demonstrate what a great personaility he became in his prime.............

We're Not Here, To Cause No Trouble

http://nfl.aolsportsblog.com/2007/01/21/its-tim-to-update-that-super-bowl-shuffle-video/. I can't dance but I can throw the field.............

Michael Larson and The "Press Your Luck" Scandal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Larson. I swear that I had never heard of this before today. Larson ended up taking over $100,000 from (in my mind there is no doubt) the worst game show of all time, Press Your Luck, by memorizing the board's pattern.............Sadly, Larson pissed away all of his earnings and died one step ahead of the law..............This would seem to me to be a perfect subject for a movie. I also offer up a Game Show Hosts ranking: http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2006/hosts/

There But For The Grace of God.........

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/college-student-murdered-amid-internet/20070122100109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001. 47 year old guy in upstate NY (lives in Cheektowaga, works in Clarence), wife, two kids, unhappy about his shitty upstate NY existence, starts chatting with a West Virginia teen (slash 40-year old mom -- not pictured here) on the Net. Finds out his 22 year old co-worker is doing the same thing. Kills him...............There are times I really miss western NY. It is very pretty 9 months of the year. Things move slowly. There are so many really nice people. Cost of living is low. Then you get something like this and you realize -- hey, maybe living some place with a poor economy where every day is the same maybe isn't really good for you.....................just maybe..............................Go Sabres!

Bill Parcells -- Repeat Quitter

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2738949. One could argue that the Tony Romo blown hold was a particularly cruel blow for God to hand Parcells, but then one might wonder where God would come down on the whole "LT? Taking drugs? How could I possibly have known?" stance taken by Parcells to get his two NFL titles. I think that the author of the linked article offers possibly the cruelest shot ever leveled at Parcells: Parcells' legacy with the Cowboys can be framed this way: Instead of joining Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as coaches who led them to championships, he leaves lumped with Chan Gailey and Dave Campo. Ouch.

One out of Two

So, better than usual for my football picking skills. I thought I was going to get the Saints/Bears game correct until Sean Payton decided to throw a pass when he needed a 5-yard run to set up a go-ahead field goal. I think that had Payton called either a run or a short pass and put his squad in field goal range, the Saints win. But, alas, Drew Brees' questionable pocket presence results in a safety and then a fumble on a sack and that is all she wrote........................................................Frankly, I turned off the TV when Manning threw the Pick 6 to make it 21-3 and didn't turn it back on until halftime to see a 21-6 score. I wonder how the Boston papers will view this defeat. While the Pats have 3 recent titles, don't you have to objectively question a team that lost in 2005-06 to Jake Plummer and then in 2006-07 to Manning/Dungy? A team that suffered a historic collapse up 21-3? A team that was allowing guys I have never heard of to catch key playoff game passes? A team that needed a stop at the 2 and allowed a rookie RB to stroll untouched into the end zone???? Seems to me that you do......................................................The Super Bowl sets up to be an interesting game. The Bears might run for 400 yards. The Colts might throw for 500 yards. Two Midwest cities, 164 miles apart as the Warren Cromartie flies, one the big liberal brother in a super-blue state, one the little Republican brother in the Midwest's sole super-red state. Should be a fun one to hype.

Playoff Predictions

I generally don't care who wins either game, so I will not cry for either loser or cheer particularly hard for any winner. And football picking really isn't my forte, so look to my linked sites (K-Line, Josh Q. Public) for more insight. That said, here goes: Saints 31, Bears 23. Colts 24, Patriots 21. Yes, that is right, I am picking Peyton Manning to win a big game and I am going with a squad that was 3-13 last year. Why? I just think that the Bears and the Pats are overrated. The Pats this year played 11 games against the following: Jets (3), Bills (2), Miami (2), Minnesota, Detroit, Green Bay, Texans. Not exactly murderer's row. The Pats in the playoffs drew a horrid Jets club and then beat San Diego due to a fumbled interception return.............................................................................The Bears got in 6 games against Minnesota, Green Bay and Detroit plus 6 more games against Buffalo, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Arizona and Tampa. Two of their "good" wins are against a mediocre Seattle club that was picking guys up off the street and starting them at corner. Their best win? The Jets maybe (score was 10-0)? The Giants (team turmoil)? They have basically beaten no one good all year. The Saints have at least beaten Dallas once and Philly twice.

Ted Nugent at GOP Inaugural Ball

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/music/articles/_a/rockers-inaugural-act-creates-stir/n20070118162009990021. Once again exhibiting the inherent conflicts in politics and political parties -- the "rural poor" wing of the GOP generally are folk who like to swear and insult minorities and who grew up listening to Ted Nugent explain on "Double Live Gonzo" how his guitar could blow the balls off a charging buffalo at 40 paces. They like the idea that Nuge wears the stars and bars on stage. Other factions of the GOP are of the opinion that all music post early Beach Boys is the music of the devil and the undoing of America (as evidenced by the fact that so many young people feel a need to.......egad....curse). Yet these groups of people both vote the same way.

Sean Burke Picked Up Off Waivers

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=287605&page=NewsPage&service=page and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Burke. I thought I had fallen asleep and was dreaming about my law school days last night when I saw that someone in the NHL acquired Sean Burke!!!!!!!!!!! Sean Burke, my lord, was Rogie Vachon unavailable? Did Billy Smith and Bernie Parent turn them down? When Sean Burke turns 40 later this month, Tom Barrasso will still be 41 and I will still be 42. Does the phrase "act of desperation" fit here?

Serena Williams -- More or Less Than 200 lbs.

Now, I am watching the Australian Open last night. Serena is ENORMOUS!!!!!!!!!! She is listed at 5'10" and (get this) 143 pounds. 143????? I guess I better go back to using that old driver's license weight of 180. My wife is 5'9" tall and is thin as a rail. She goes somewhere between 135 and 140. Serena is an inch taller, has 40DD breasts, biceps like a man, a rear end that is 4 times the size of mine and thighs so big that they are starting to get cellulite (she is 25 years old). I would be STUNNED if she is not over 190. I am guessing somewhere in the 195 to 205 range. Her mom appears to have lost some weight, so if Serena doesn't turn things around Oracene may not be the heaviest Williams family member for much longer.

Kwame Brown Not Prosecuted for Cake Theft

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2733976. I think the key factor in the decision not to prosecute was the testimony of the alleged victim that Kwame Brown (372 career assists, 505 career turnovers) threw the cake and it actually HIT the intended target. If you are trying to convince an L.A. jury that Kwame Brown did something, don't you want testimony that Kwame grabbed the cake which promptly slipped out of his hands? Or that he threw the cake but it came nowhere near the intended target or was intercepted by a passer-by?

Lindsey Lohan in Rehab

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/articles/_a/lindsay-lohan-checks-into-rehab/20070117195909990001. When I was 15, the best looking girl I knew was KB. I could barely stand to look at her gorgeous self for fear of how I might react. She became a horrid druggie and by 17 was basically the school joke. When Ms Lohan walks into rehab she should review how she looked in this pic and determine whether she can ever retain her hot status or whether she peaked at age 16. Hopefully she will make a better choice than did KB.

Michael Vick In Trouble Again

http://sports.aol.com/nfl/story/_a/vicks-water-bottle-raises-suspicion-at/20070118014409990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001.

Warriors and Pacers to Deal 8 Guys

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to trade Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod to the Indiana Pacers for Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell, NBA front-office sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.............................................................Since Nelly basically wasn't playing Murphy at all and Dunleavy was seeing only limited duty, you would have to give Golden State credit for ridding itself of enormous salaries that weren't translating into productive minutes. Murphy and Dunleavy over this year and the next 4 are scehduled to make $95,000,000!!!!! Figure that Harrington and Jackson more fit Nelly's desire to go lean and versatile, and they each have one less year on their deals than the two white GS players going the other way. Jasikevicius has been very unhappy in Indiana, feeling he should be playing more.....................................................So-o-o-o-o-o, break it down: Murphy and Dunleavy for Harrington and Jackson -- trade edge to the Warriors unless Jackson is gonna see jail time for the strip-bar shooting offense. Diogu for Jasikevicius -- this is the "well, maybe he'll be good for YOU" part of the trade, both guys have huge upsides but haven't played up to the potential. McLeod--Powell --- throw ins, but edge to the Pacers in getting McLeod. Overall Grade: Warriors B; Pacers D+. The only way the Pacers win this trade is if Murphy and Dunleavy play up to their $95MM salary potential over the next 4.5 years. Hey, "anything can happen," but that phrase doesn't reflect the proper way to evaluate a trade.

Tim Legler's Top 10 MVP Candidates

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070117. Some of the reasoning is baffling. LeBron is almost out of the top 10 because he hasn't led the Cavs to a GREATER first-half lead in the entire East? And how much steam has the Carlos Boozer bandwagon picked up? I mean, my lord, it has spun out of control. I would say that the Jazz's success is more attributable to good overall play by guys like Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur. Here are Kevin Garnett's stats. http://aol.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnett/ Here are Carlos Boozer's stats: http://aol.nba.com/playerfile/carlos_boozer/. Explain to me how Boozer is top 6 while KG warrants no mention. Boozer trails Garnett in the following categories: scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks (roughly a 7 to 1 edge for KG here), free throw percentage, 3 point percentage. Boozer leads in field goal percentage. So, in nearly every single aspect of the game Boozer trails KG. The Jazz have two guys in Williams and Okur who are having better seasons than any Wolf, and yet Minnesota trails the Jazz by only 3 games. Maybe Legler could have just stopped at #1 on his list?

Paula Abdul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt5-wn3fvlw&eurl=. Um, well, she didn't actually fall over while doing the interview. Which is good I guess.

Gophers Hire..........Tim Brewster???????

Here is an old article in which he was mentioned as a potential Illinois head coach. http://illinois.scout.com/2/321990.html................................... OK, it appears to me that the guy has never had any decent head coaching experience (tight ends coach forever). He seems to have a tremendous gift for self-promotion (mentioned in the press for basically any job that has been available from AL to IL to Iowa State). The only reason to hire Brewster as a major college head coach is that he was Mack Brown's flesh-hauler at UNC and early on at Texas. So, he is a recruiter. That would mean that he can succeed at Minnesota only if he A) hires competent coordinators; and B) can bring in two big freshman classes soon that rank in the top 4 in the Big Ten..............................................................Minnesota AD Joel Maturi led the press and the public to believe that he was going to hire a "big name" to head the football program. He did not. He has instead hired a "big-time recruiter." Generally the term "big-time recruiter" is a euphemism for "cheater who doesn't get caught." Brewster will use his skills at a school that always seems to uncover and self-report any athletic departmen violations. Either Minnesota will have to start looking the other way at recruiting practices, or Brewster may have to actually show that he can do more as a coach than tell Antonio Gates to run out 15 yards and turn around.

Tomlinson -- Pats Have No Class

http://nfl.aolsportsblog.com/2007/01/14/ladainian-tomlinson-patriots-bill-belichick-have-no-class. This is one I have always had problems with. Your teammate has this hokey little dance that he does when his steroid-laden body allows him to reach the QB. HIS dance is apparently OK. But when the OTHER team beats your ass and starts to taunt using the hokey little dance, you whine and say that they have no class? Um, OK.

Football

I can't recall a set of "Final 4" teams since 2000 who have had more obvious flaws than this group: 1) Bears -- should have lost at home to the VERY lowly Seahawks (a team beaten at home by Minnesota by 2 or 3 touchdowns); 2) Saints -- D could give up 40+ points at any time. You saw against Philly how Drew Brees has absolutely no ability to avoid a rush; 3) Colts -- gave up about 1,000 yards rushing to the Jags about a month ago. Manning's first two playoff efforts have been abysmal. 4) Patriots -- I am not sure how long you can continue to win games on muffed punts and fumbled INT returns. I mean, wow. If Marlon McCree just intercepts the ball and falls down, the Pats are done. By the way, why doesn't anyone who is up 7 ever go for 2? I mean, isn't the risk/reward value here just enormous? If you miss the try, you are still up 7 and your opponent will play for the tie anyway should they score. If you MAKE the try, you are now up 9 and you have basically iced the game. Is it really worth much to kick the extra point and go up 8? If your D at the end of a key game can't help but give up a TD, won't they just continue their collapse and give up the 2-point conversion? If your 4th quarter TD puts you up 7, I suggest going for 2.

Football Hall of Fame Finalists

First, the snubs: Terrell Davis (I am OK with this), Dermonti Dawson (same); Randy Gradishar (same); Kevin Greene (should have been a finalist); Charles Haley (better than Fred Dean); Lester Hayes (yes, not good enough); Randall McDaniel (I guess 12 Pro Bowls wasn't good enough); Ken Stabler (yeah, I agree); Geroge Young and Art Modell (sure).....................Still in contention (selectors can pick as few as 3 and as many as 6)........................................................ Fred Dean - Defensive End - 1975-1981 San Diego Chargers, 1981-1985 San Francisco 49ers -- sorry, just don't see this

Richard Dent - Defensive End - 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles -- possible, but not one of my 6 votes
Russ Grimm - Guard - 1981-1991 Washington Redskins -- likely gets in and gets my 1st vote

Ray Guy - Punter - 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders -- I would cast my 2nd vote for him

Gene Hickerson - Guard - 1958-1973 Cleveland Browns -- no

Michael Irvin - Wide Receiver - 1988-1999 Dallas Cowboys -- no

Bob Kuechenberg - Guard - 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins -- closer but no

Bruce Matthews - Guard, Tackle, Center - 1983-2001 Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Titans
he gets in and I cast my 3rd vote for him

Art Monk - Wide Receiver - 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles -- no

Andre Reed - Wide Receiver - 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins -- no

Charlie Sanders - Tight End - 1968-1977 Detroit Lions -- no

Paul Tagliabue - NFL Commissioner - 1989-2006 -- I wouldn't vote for him, but it looks like his train is unstoppable

Derrick Thomas - Linebacker - 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs -- yes, gets my 4th vote

Thurman Thomas - Running Back - 1988-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Miami Dolphins -- yes gets my 5th vote

Andre Tippett - Linebacker - 1982-1993 New England Patriots -- nope

Roger Wehrli - Cornerback - 1969-1982 St. Louis Cardinals -- can't understand why he gets so much support, Darren Sharper should start polishing his induction speech -- I vote no

Gary Zimmerman - Tackle - 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-1997 Denver Broncos -- yes and he gets my 6th vote

A Belated RIP To.......

Yvonne DeCarlo -- Lily Munster........

Report -- Bonds Failed Amphetamines Test

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2727325. The more troubling thing, as always, is Bonds' decision to blame it on someone or something else. First penalty for amphetamine usage? Apparently nothing.

www.k-line.blogspot.com

On his Blog K offers up this article http://www.dailysouthtown.com/sports/ladewski/201907,081LAD2.article from a guy who submitted a blank HOF ballot. Wouldn't this guy be better served by simply not voting AT ALL!?!? Right? If he has so little faith in the process, then get out...................................................................................................... How long does he keep this up? Until some player gets blood tests done every day of his career? Or is his goal to actually screw someone out of HOF consideration? Let's assume a few years from now that it is year 15 for Bert Blyleven. He gets 408 votes out of 545. Not good enough -- 74.8%. If Ladewski doesn't vote, then Bert has 408 out of 544 -- 75%..................................................................................................... I suppose that Ladewski has already determined that there are no worthy candidates pre-roids, but still -- doesn't it seem a tad spiteful to submit a blank ballot every single year? Isn't this like following your old employees around, seeing where they submit resumes and then sending all of their old negative personnel evaluations to the potential employers? Do you really hate, say, Andre Dawson that much that you make sure to do your best to deny him every single year?

C-Webb -- Headed Out OF Philly

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/01/10/sixers.webber/index.html. Rumor is that the 76ers will pay him $38MM immediately instead of $43MM over two years. Future Timberwolf? The next three years are crucial for Webber's HOF chances. If he can get to the top 50 in career points and rebounds, he gets in. If not, I think he is left outside looking in. basketball-reference.com says he has an 81.4% chance of enshrinement.

The Victim

Jason Kidd's Divorce Claims

http://sports.aol.com/nba/story/_a/kidd-accuses-wife-of-cruelty-in-divorce/20070109191109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001. Kidd's counsel deleted this allegation -- "And when I try to smack her around like I did when I was a Sun she all of a sudden won't let me."

2007 Baseball HOF Voting

2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results

Candidate Votes % of Votes

Cal Ripken Jr. 537 98.5 -- A lock, but I think Gwynn was a better player

Tony Gwynn 532 97.6 -- 13 guys snubbed him because???????

Rich Gossage 388 71.2 -- Almost made it to the necessary 75%

Jim Rice 346 63.5 -- still seeing solid support

Andre Dawson 309 56.7 -- see above

Bert Blyleven 260 47.7 -- slipping backwards

Lee Smith 217 39.8 -- looks like he may not make it
Jack Morris 202 37.1 -- vote total is just far too low

Mark McGwire 128 23.5 -- whoa! even I expected 40%

Tommy John 125 22.9 -- all but done
*Steve Garvey 115 21.1 -- he is completely done

Dave Concepcion 74 13.6 -- I love the Red Machine, but this is about right

Alan Trammell 73 13.4 -- I would expect at least 20%
Dave Parker 62 11.4 -- same

Don Mattingly 54 9.9 -- Surprising that the NE vote isn't a bit stronger
Dale Murphy 50 9.2 -- too low
Harold Baines 29 5.3 -- way too low, almost eliminated!
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4 -- everyone at this level and below is forever out
Albert Belle 19 3.5 -- made 5% last year, then committed another misdeed
Paul O'Neill 12 2.2 -- WAY too many votes
Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3 -- 2 time Cy Young guy probably deserved greater %
Jose Canseco 6 1.1 -- 6 votes? Wow. Talk about anti-roid sentiment!
Tony Fernandez 4 0.7 -- will be used in future years to say "we can't put Mr. X the infielder in, his stats are worse than Tony Fernandez's!"
Dante Bichette 3 0.6 -- who cast these votes? Honestly.......
Eric Davis 3 0.6 -- at least I can say "he COULD have been great", unlike Bichette.........
Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4 -- shows that being a dink catches up to you
Ken Caminiti 2 0.4 -- Respect for the dead gets him 2 votes
Jay Buhner 1 0.2 -- Jay's mom apparently has a vote
Scott Brosius 0 0.0
Wally Joyner 0 0.0 Devon White 0 0.0 Bobby Witt 0 0.0. I gotta shake my head on one thing -- Paul O'Neill got 12 votes and yet Devon White with 7 consecutive Gold Gloves, playing center field for the dominant Toronto machine of the 1990s (and then for the Marlins' 1997 title team) gets ZERO votes? I guess Devon is no Dante Bichette.

The Fictional "Surge" of 20,000 Troops

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/05/report-military-tells-bush-it-has-only-9000-troops-available-for-surge/ Was the First Lady courted through similar misrepresentations? 45% of actual size? But after all -- 20K, 9K, what is really the diff? I mean, I can bench 200 pounds 10 times. OK, it is really just 90, but I have 110 pounds additional capacity that I choose not to use, but rest assured -- it is there "on alert" should the need arise!

On The Bright Side for Tony

He is dating Carrie Underwood -- http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1236938.php/Dallas_Cowboys_Tony_Romo_dating_Carrie_Underwood?compage=40&comcount=51&comlimit=10 and he also made $705,000 in 2005 and received a $2,000,000 signing bonus this year. So he is still doing a little better than the average guy who has an awful day at work.

The Words In Tony Romo's Head

"I just place this ball down and he kicks it through and tonight it won't be Jesus Tak[ing] the Wheel for old Carrie Underwood if ya know what I mean. Hey, good snap; now to..........oh, shit (repeat last word numerous times while running)." Old HM held for kicks in high school. The first 5 times you practice the hold, you think it is impossible. After that, it becomes like catching a throw in baseball. No problem. I think what you saw from Romo is a guy who just lost concentration. A sad, sad moment for Tony. Maybe Jessica Simpson will take him back?

AOL v. HM -- Signs of Bad Relationship Status

AOL offers up the "signs he may be cheating" -- http://coaches.aol.com/love-and-sex/julia-hartley-moore/cheating-tips. As sage advice for any young male readers out there, I offer some bad hints provided to me by some women I knew during the Reagan through Bush(I) presidencies (not in order). Warning, not all hints are real subtle: 1A) I asked a long-term gf why she hadn't returned any of my telephone messages for a week and her reply was "if you are going to be so possessive then I don't have time for your shit." 1B) when I replied that I didn't understand her tone she said, "so you are breaking up with me? Ok fine!" and hung up; 2) told one that her outfit looked nice and she replied, "See, that sort of thing is exactly why I need to break up with you today"; 3) Appeared at a date with me with whisker-burned lips suffered at a party the night before; 4) When I asked if I could stop by and say hi, she replied "well, my new boyfriend probably wouldn't appreciate that." 5) Went out on a date, made out for an hour, then I asked if I could date her again -- "No. I really don't think that is a good idea UNLESS maybe we went someplace really expensive again." 6) advised me while making out at a park near a taco restaurant that she'd be an interested spectator when I got to play basketball against her husband at the company picnic; 7) stated that she really didn't want to date me in public, but just wanted someone to make out with in private so she could tell her "real boyfriend" so he knew she had other options. So, young fellas, look out for those sort of things!!

Bill Cowher -- Quitter

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2721349. A man I never liked, but, just like Jim Boeheim, you can't take that title away from him. His departure now leaves Jeff Fisher (13 years) as the coach who has been with one team for the longest period of time.

Hey, Bill, I am sure the Duke job will be open again shortly (if it isn't already). That is only about a 25-mile drive!

For Fashion 2007 -- "Other Pop Culture"

Along with the return of leg warmers, we now have the 2007 style trend of the $251 "Baby Doll" dress (pictured). While I am not generally one to object to short dresses, let me address the likely results here: 1) the return of the high (or "Empire") waist -- never good unless the wearer is pregnant or wants to scare the hell out of her boyfriend by appearing pregnant; 2) this dress will look great on the about 12% of women who are either super thin or who are in great shape and have a large chest, everyone else will look hideous; and 3) the fact that 88% of women look hideous in the dress will result in them STILL buying and wearing the dress, but wearing other clothes with it -- so, a t-shirt or sweater on top and shorts/tights/jeans underneath. Result -- it will become an ugly long empire-waisted shirt that costs $251. When both Carrie Underwood and Katherine McPhee look awful in such shirts, I think you can see the fashion disaster coming down the road. Now, GC Boy, you can add your obligatory comment about my gayness.

Pick Your Guy For the Hoops Hall

All of These Basketball Players Are Ahead of Kevin Garnett in EITHER career points or career rebounds and NOT in the Hall of Fame. Do they deserve to get in? Pick your top 5 out of these 26 candidates..................................

Scorers:

Adrian Dantley -- #18 scorer
Gary Payton -- #23

Mitch Richmond -- #28
Tom Chambers -- #29

Bernard King -- #31
Walter Davis -- #32

Terry Cummings -- #33
Cliff Robinson -- #34

Eddie Johnson -- #36
Reggie Theus -- #39

Dale Ellis -- #40
Scottie Pippen -- #41

Chet Walker -- #42
Mark Aguirre -- #45

Glen Rice -- #49

Rebounders

Buck Williams -- #12
Paul Silas -- #16

Charles Oakley -- #17
Dennis Rodman -- #18

Kevin Willis -- #19
Dikembe Mutombo -- #20

Bill Bridges -- #25
Jack Sikma -- #26

Bill Laimbeer -- #29
Otis Thorpe -- #30

Johnny Red Kerr -- #31

KG Scores His 18,000th point

I was there to see KG go over 18,000 last night and move into 51st place on the all-time points list. KG also stands 32nd on the all-time rebounds list. So, KG, is he definitely HOF even if he blows out a knee tomorrow? Here are the guys above KG in both categories who are not currently in the Hall: Karl Malone (2nd and 6th); Hakeem (7th and 11th); Patrick Ewing (14th and 21st); Shaq (15th and 24th); David Robinson (26th and 27th). Of these 5 guys, basketball-reference.com says the one with the lowest HOF chance is Ewing at .925. So, yeah, barring some O.J. moment, KG is in.

Nate McMillan -- "Hey Guys, Do You Know What Is Wrong?"

http://behindblazersbeat.blogs.oregonlive.com/default.asp?item=415747. Here are a few hints for Nate: 1) Your best point guard is the rookie from Spain, play him; his backup should be Juan Dixon -- trade/cut Jarrett Jack or play him at the off guard; 2) Make your peace with Martell Webster -- you can't play him behind guys like Udoka and Stephen Graham (played ahead of Webster in Minneapolis, yet was recently cut) -- what message does it send when you play borderline NBDL players ahead of a guy your ownership has compared to Dale Ellis and Walter Davis?; 3) Zach Randolph isn't going to be able to go 28 and 12 every night, you have to play Aldridge more to see what he can do and to rest Randolph; 4) your squad needs a better coach....

My Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

My primary criticism of the voters in the baseball HOF is that they try too hard to keep guys OUT when they should be trying to put everyone in who was truly great for 10+ years. Unlike the NFL (which caps the # you can vote in), the baseball panel could choose to elect all 32 gusy if they wanted. They won't. I project that 3 or 4 guys get in this year. I would have voted for 7..............................................................here goes.................................
32 Guys on the Ballot --
Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Dante Bichette, Bert Blyleven, Bobby Bonilla, Scott Brosius, Jay Buhner, Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco, Dave Concepcion, Eric Davis, Andre Dawson, Tony Fernandez, Steve Garvey, Rich Gossage, Tony Gwynn, Orel Hershiser, Tommy John, Wally Joyner, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Paul O'Neill, Dave Parker, Jim Rice, Cal Ripken, Jr., Bret Saberhagen, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Devon White, Bobby Witt.

2 Fs -- Please eliminate these guys immediately
Scott Brosius -- come on
Bobby Witt -- um, no.

10 Ds -- Only the uninformed would vote them in
Dante Bichette -- one-dimensional and it is a tribute to Coors Field that he isn't an F
Jay Buhner -- not bad, not a HOF player
Ken Caminiti -- 'Roid me Amadeus
Eric Davis -- had the ability to be great, but never got there
Tony Fernandez -- good solid player
Orel Hershiser -- just didn't have the career numbers
Wally Joyner -- if there were a "defense only" HOF, he is in
Paul O'Neill -- good player, great teammate, not a HOF player
Bret Saberhagen -- see Orel
Devon White -- see Wally Joyner, I mean, we aren't putting Dwayne Murphy in are we?

6 C's -- merit some quick consideration
Albert Belle -- if you look at just pure hitting numbers over a 10-year period, Joey deserves a lot more consideration; if you instead look at the fact that he may stalk and kill me for writing "Joey" in my Blog -- well, he doesn't get in.
Bobby Bonilla -- probably a C minus
Steve Garvey -- just wasn't GREAT
Tommy John -- I think that this train has left the station, sorry Tommy but you are out
Don Mattingly -- "hey if he doesn't get injured..." well, if Tony Oliva doesn't get injured, so F'ing what?
Dale Murphy -- just not great for long enough

7 Bs -- I see the argument, but I am not a buyer
Harold Baines -- great, great doubles hitter, but as a mediocre fielder and DH, I just don't see HOF here
Jose Canseco -- if McGwire gets in, how can you say Canseco is out? Ignore the roids and he is a 400HR 200 SB guy. I don't ignore the roids for either man.
Dave Concepcion -- as a fan of the Big Red Machine, I am a fan of his, but he really wasn't a HOF player.
Mark McGwire -- roids were responsible for his greatness and his Congressional testimony was just too much to stomach.

Dave Parker -- this pains me, because he certainly was a better player than Tony Perez (in the Hall), and his stats are almost as good as Jim Rice's stats (Parker being a superior defensive player), but his admission that he would get so screwed up on cocaine during the season that he had trouble playing up to par probably dooms him as a HOF candidate.
Lee Smith -- he was a very good reliever for a long, long time, but this year I will go with "no" (he is an A minus or B+ candidate)
Alan Trammell -- very very good for a long time, not HOF material overall

7 A's -- I would Vote For Them
Bert Blyleven -- 21 pitchers all-time have 4,500 innings pitched and an ERA .50 runs lower than league average; 17 are in the HOF, 3 are Clemens, Maddux and Glavine, and then there is Bert
Andre Dawson -- this is one of those "I saw him play" votes -- I realize his OBP is .323 and that sucks. But look at his power and defense over 10+ years and then ask how great he was
Rich Gossage -- better than relievers who are in
Tony Gwynn -- easy one, has a gajillion batting titles and even led lowly San Diego to the World Series!
Jack Morris -- there will come a time in 2016 when people are looking at the starting pitcher candidates for the HOF and they all have either only 190 wins or a 4.00+ ERA; maybe then someone will ask why Morris isn't in at 254 and 3.90 plus 3 WS titles
Jim Rice -- great slugger never accused of roiding up
Cal Ripken, Jr. -- 2 MVPs and Streak make him an absolute lock

Nick Saban to Bama

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2718488. This is undoubtedly the correct decision by Saban. He is a great college coach and a mediocre pro coach. Why shouldn't he go back to college? I think the defining moment in Nick Saban's life was this year when he said, "I don't know how to coach screw-ups." So, basically, Nick Saban would make a great private-school teacher and a great college football coach. He isn't made for the NFL where (as Bill Parcells would say) he doesn't get to "pick the groceries." What has been the most remarkable thing about Bill Belichick's run in NE? That he has won with guys (other than Brady) who simply aren't highest-level talent. That isn't something Saban is gonna do -- he doesn't know how to coach screw-ups; if you are great when he gets to you he can put you in the right place. If not, well, that isn't his job. 75% of a college coach's job is recruiting (or as Freddy Snowden once said "hauling in the flesh"). Nick Saban gets all 75 points there and 15 out of 25 for actually coaching. So, he goes from being a 60th percentile NFL coach to being a 90th percentile college coach -- easy decision........

An Analysis of Why the Wolves Will Go 35-47

http://www.wagesofwins.com/TWolves28.html and http://dberri.wordpress.com/2006/05/28/the-tragedy-of-kevin-garnett. Per these analyses (sp?) Garnett for the past 4 to 5 years has been worth somewhere between 25 and 30 wins to his team. In his MVP season, Garnett produced 30 wins while Garnett's teammates ponied up 25 wins. This year KG is slumping to 23 wins while his guys are on a pace to produce 11.5 wins.

Small-Market Owners To League -- "Help!"

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_4856018. I think what you are beginning to see is that NBA cities/states are coming to the conclusion that they don't really value NBA basketball that much. If you have football and baseball, you already have a rooting interest in sports April--January. You have NCAA hoops in March, so go on vacation in February and you are all set! So, when the NBA billionairre comes knocking for $500MM for a new arena, you say, "No thank you." At this point the NBA has expanded so much that you could cut 6-8 teams and no one would notice. Would anyone miss Milwaukee? Charlotte? Memphis? New Orleans? Orlando? Minnesota? Utah? New Jersey? Atlanta? Golden State? Total championships of those cities' teams in the Bird/Magic 1979-present era? That would be 0. And the "threats" of potential moves? OK City -- has an old arena that is probably already outdated. Kansas City -- I am not shaking in my boots. St. Louis -- see KC. In short, not a good time to be a small-market NBA owner.

Why Attend USC?

You know, it really isn't a great school, it is in a crappy part of L.A., why would anyone -----oh wait, here we go --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EPXqF5mhwQ&mode=related&search=

December-January Fake Quotes and Real News

1) "If you want to fire me then fire my ass! But I am who you thought I was!" Denny Green fired by AZ. 2) "And I will say it again, I am REALLY REALLY interested in that Washington U. job!!" Jim Mora, Jr. fired by Atlanta. 3) "Hey, sure I pissed away a 31 point lead, but what is Joel Maturi gonna do, fire me?" University of Minnesota coach Glen Mason fired. 4) "4th and 18, why are they running a hook pattern?" Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops on the sidelines before the lateral ties Boise State up at 35-all. 5) "Why are they going for 2? Well, we will stop that little WR screen!" Stoops again, just before the score turns to 43-42 Boise. 6) "We are up 50-30 on the WOLVES for God's sake, I really needed an easy win to start 2007." Bernie Bickerstaff prior to his Bobcats' collapse against the T-Wolves.