No Mo

Mo Cheeks was fired today by the Sixers. He's a good guy that was the victim of unrealistic expectations, but the post is just an excuse to show one of my favorite clips.

Make Room for King James

I've been following the Knicks this year for several reasons. First, they hired a coach in D'Antoni that has brought a fun Euro spread offense to the NBA. Second, the Stephon Marbury saga should happen more often. Third, the local media coverage is great. And, finally, they are playing for 2010 in 2008, and they are not apologetic.

I thought the Knicks had a lot of talent last year, but Isaiah was a disaster, and the team had no direction. For anyone who thinks coaching in the NBA doesn't matter, this season may be hard to explain. While they have taken advantage of a soft schedule, the philosophy, energy, and results are completely different than the dud they were last year. Coaches in the NBA are enablers, whether it leads to better or worse play.

Not that I like the undue attention an overpaid Loser gets, but too many teams are hijacked by bloated player contracts in a players league. It's about time a team makes a decision based on heart and not expenditures. Marbury quit on D'Antoni in Phoenix, which has not been forgotten. Word on the street in New York is that Stephon may be more talented than Duhon, but he is a ball-hog loser. He'll be moved or rot on the bench before he stifles the offense, and infects the whole team with me-itis.

I've got both the New York Times and Daily News on my quick links list, and their guys are as good as it gets.

Last night the team traded its leading scorer, second best scorer, and best rebounder in exchange for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley ... and it was a great move. While Harrington and Thomas fit the run-and-gun style, the reason for the trade was to clear space under the cap for the 2010 free agent class that includes Wade, Bosh and King James. Screamin' A reported last night that the space available would be enough to sign two max contracts! I don't know much about the cap, but that would make the Garden rock again.

Side Notes:

Go Blue

How do the Utah/BYU alums watch the game if it's on the mtn network. Is that even broadcast in California?

First Blood

I'm writing this post in response to the Donovan Mcnabb overtime mishap. Overtime is a vexing issue in both college and pro football. At the pro level, a win or loss comes down to the flip of the coin, rather than athletic ability and intelligence. At the college level, the game is given a botched face-lift and transformed into some demented form of football. Think old Kenny Rogers turning into new Kenny Rogers.

So how should football solve this problem? I have an idea.

Allow me to introduce First Blood, a balanced system of college and pro football overtime that also retains the element of murder in the title and reinvigorates Sylvester Stallone's career. The worst part about Sudden Death overtime, is just that--it's sudden, and it's over before the other team gets a chance. In the First Blood format, you play the entire 15 minutes, more points wins, but in the event of an overtime tie, whichever team scored first (or draws first blood) wins. No ties. No cointoss victories. No 50/50 soccer-style penalty kicks. (If nobody scores in OT, whoever drew first blood in regulation wins. Another incentive for intense play.)

So, the First Blood format provides huge motivation not only to score first, but in the event of falling behind early, there is huge motivation to catch up fast and take the lead. Imagine the offensive innovation...imagine the defensive intensity. And you thought Ray Lewis hit hard now...

The closest link I can make with First Blood is with soccer. Any soccer fan knows that the most action-packed part of the match occurs when a team is down a goal or tied in the last few minutes. For five-plus riotous minutes, all 11 players are sprinting, passing, and shooting like there's no tomorrow, because for some, there ain't. And not only do the players pick it up, the fans are on the verge of hooligan head explosions for all five minutes. Now, transfer that intensity to a football field and make it rain, so to speak.

It also makes sense from a business perspective (more minutes = more commercials = more money), but to me it makes sense from a football perspective. Today's fan sits at the kiddy table of the Thanksgiving dinner of modern sports; this might get us closer to the grown-ups.

Let the Search End Here

I found Bobby Fischer.

Batting Stance Guy

If you're any kind of baseball fan, you need to visit the newest Man-ologue link: Batting Stance Guy. My buddy Sean told me about him, saying he can perfectly imitate the batting stance of any noteworthy major league ballplayer in history. From the most famous (Barry Bonds) to the most random (Dwayne Murphy), this guy is remarkable.

I've only had time to check out my hometown teams, the Giants and the A's, but everything from the most memorable, awkward swings to the most basic made it worthwhile.

Thanks to Sean for letting the Man-ologue know. You can hear Sean's voice calling the batting order of his St. Louis Cardinals.

"With My By Myself!"

If this SNL skit were a professional sports game, ESPN would dub it an Instant Classic.

See the full-size clip here.

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1.02.05

Reggie Who?

Mario Williams and Reggie Bush: Each one just as surprised, but for much different reasons

In 2006, the Houston Texans shocked the world by selecting Mario Williams ahead of Reggie Bush in the NFL Draft. No one except Houston's front office had Williams ahead of Bush, and the sports media world hounded them for it. Coming out of USC, Bush was the most heralded college runningback since Barry Sanders. In my opinion, Bush was the second best college football player ever (only to Alabama's Forrest Gump). Sports fans and media outlets everywhere knew Reggie would have an illustrious NFL career; it was easy money. However, since then, many would say Williams has had a better career than Bush. Whether that is true or not, it's too early to tell. Let's wait 7 more years before we decide if the Texans were right. My beef is with every analyst and expert who talks about Reggie Bush as somewhat of a disappointment, forgetting the fact that they and every other expert had Bush 1st on their board with sure-fire comparisons to the best RBs ever. I think every talking head should have to state some kind of Reggie-disclaimer before they begin ranting, explaining how he or she was one of the millions who foresaw Bush as the next Walter Payton, and that the Houston Texans were cat-lady-crazy for skipping Reggie to get Mario. Maybe the Bottom Line could scroll along the screen reminding us where that analyst stood way back then. All I'm asking is for everyone to remember how jaw-dropped they were over #25 when he donned #5.

The Texans knew that not only could Mario rush the passer, he could shoot fireballs, unclog the pipes, and save princesses from giant lizards.

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1.02.05