Wade cool. Theismann not.

---Dwyane Wade was awesome in game 4 against Detroit but I worry about his body holding up through the finals if they put away Detroit. He's taking a lot of abuse and hitting the floor way too much.



---I really hope the Suns/Mavs will go seven games. My hope is that in the final seconds of game seven Nash hits a three in the final seconds to win the series, turns aroud and makes eye contact with Mark Cuban and then rubs his fingers together as if to say, "should have showed me the cash dude". It won't happen but wouldn't that be a nice tv movment?


And although it seems I might be picking on Cuban a bit lately, I absolutely think he is a good owner for the Mavericks. I don't like the guy but I have to hand it to him; he is dedicated to making Dallas a winner and cares passionately about the game. You can't say that about all the owners out there. I still like my tv moment mentioned above but maybe the Mavs are better off without Nash. Their defense used to be atrocious. It is not great yet, but it is getting better and Nash leaving probably is one reason why. As good as Steve Nash is offensively; defensively he's a liability.


---Speaking of liabilities, how about ABC's future Monday Night color guy and broadcast liability, Joe Theismann. Joe T. criticizing Ricky Williams today was amusing. Does anyone care a damn about what Joe thinks? This is a man who can contradict himself 3 times in the span of 30 seconds while broadcasting a game. As long as he's throwing the word "disgrace" around to describe Williams he could toss the same word in to describe his brodcasting skills.

More Sports Ramblings

---Mark Cuban makes me want to root against the Mavericks even though I like most of the guys on their team.


---The Suns will lose to the Mavs because they can't play defense and Dallas finally can. Sorta.



---I have rooted against every team Shaquille O'Neal has been on since he's come into the league. I just don't like the guy that much. However I will be rooting for the Heat against the Pistons because of Dwyane Wade. I like him that much. My man-crush on Wade supersedes my one-sided feud with Shaq.

---There are some things about the Detroit Pistons that I really like. Ben Wallace for one. Who wouldn't want this guy on their team? Tayshaun Prince is also a player that I really root for. 30 pounds ago I used to be a skinny guy so I'm all for the slender types. Also, he plays tough defense and is underrated on offense. What's not to like about the Pistons? Well Rasheed Wallace is fairly annoying and for some weird reason Chauncy Billups bugs me. But what I hate most about this team is their damn homecourt announcer. Usually when you watch games on tv you don't even notice these guys. Not the Piston' dude. "Deeeetroooit Baaasketbaaaawl" This is a guy begging to be duct-taped naked to a goalpost and shaved from head to toe.



---Long live the Clippers. Let's hope owner Donald Sterling and GM Elgin Baylor don't find a way to screw this team up this summer.

---Elton Brand is awesome and I wish the Clippers hadn't matched the free agent offer sheet that the Jazz offered him a couple of years back. He is exactly what my Jazz need.



---Just like everybody else I hated to see Barbaro go down at the Preakness. The only time I tune into horseracing is when there is shot at the Triple Crown. Luckily it's been pretty regular the past decade with a lot of good horses making a run for it. I'm no prophet especially when it comes to picking a winning horse but I can predict this: the t.v. ratings for the Belmont are gonna suck.



---I wish Bonds would hit 715 already. 714 took long enough. I'm sick of the top story of news-broadcasts being that Bonds didn't hit one out. How is that news? I wish a pitcher would just serve him up a meatball so they'll quit talking about the guy.

--By the way, Albert Pujols defending Bonds just made me lose some respect for him and got me wondering if maybe he has skeletons in his closet. I'll bet I'm not the only one. The quote that really gets me by Pujols is this one: Pujols says about the coverage on Bonds, "That's why I get so angry when they talk and rag on Barry. The guy hasn't done anything and you guys are already friggin' ragging and wiping the floor with his name, which is real sad."
--So because he hasn't tested positive for the juice he never did it right Mr. Pujols? You have never tested positive either. So maybe you never did it in the past either.....hmmmm. Now I like Pujols and I would like to see him make a run on Barry's single season HR record. But even if he does I know another part of me will view it with suspicion. Not so much because of his comments but because Bonds, Mcgwire, Sosa, etc. ruined the excitement of home-run records for all of us. We can't help but be suspicious even with the testing now taking place. Barry didn't do anything ? Please. He just ruined you and every other power-hitter's credibility for years to come Albert.

Larry Brown: Evil Genius

-I'm starting to think Larry Brown had a plan when he took the Knicks job that was very similar to his plan when he was kicked out of town by the Pistons: Grab the cash and move on.

See I think a couple of years ago when the Pistons won the championship, Larry looked around and said, "shit is this it? I thought I'd feel more excited about this." I think right then Brown figured out what is most important to him in life: $$$$. He knew he was done in in Detroit after the 04-05 San Antonio finals loss yet he weasled his way out of town with a huge contract buyout that enabled everyone to see just what a scumbag he is. And I just don't buy that he actually thought he could fix the Knicks. He knew how much Isiah Thomas had screwed this team up and how with the lack of draft picks in the future and crazy and untradeable contracts it wasn't going to be fixed anytime soon. Even with his Barry Bonds sized ego he knew he was no savior here. He also knew that if he came in and had a terrible season and pissed everyone off he could pull the same crap he did with the Pistons. Only this time he can escape with the cash after just one year. I read reports that he could get a buyout for at least 20 million and who knows maybe he'll get out with even 40 million. Not a bad payday for a year's work. Larry's a genius all right. Not a basketball genius but he's one hell of a player nonetheless.

This Week's Random Sports Thoughts

--Steve Nash. MVP two years in a row. It still sounds weird. - I like Nash and appreciate the fact that he is what makes the Suns tick, so he definitely should be in the MVP discussion. Hell, maybe he even deserves it, but did you see the disparity in the votes? It was a landslide. His 57 first place votes compared to Kobe's 22 and Lebron's 16 were ridiculous. The most amazing thing about Nash's MVP is not that he won it but that he crushed the competition. Are we really that desperate for a white NBA superstar again? Lord help us if Adam Morrison ever averages over 25 points a game in the next few years. He'll own this trophy.


---The Pistons are looking as good as I have ever seen a team in the postseason. Granted the competition hasn't been great yet and we will definitely get a better sense when they play the Nets or Heat; but would you bet against them?



--- I really like Johan Santana (Twins pitcher). He's just 3-3 to start the season and his ERA is higher than I expected (3.69) but every time I watch the guy pitch I'm amazed by his stuff.


--- Joe Torre got his 1,000 win with the Yankees and that is an amazing statistic. It's a testament to the genuis of this guy that he was able to be with the Yankees long enough to do that. When your working for a guy that fired Billy Martin 5 times (yes it still defies logic) and you manage to stave off the axe long enough to wrack up that many victories, then kudos need to be served. Championships help allow a grace period it's true, but can you imagaine another guy surviving the last couple of years in Yankeedom? I can't. Joe Torre is the perfect manager for New York. He's a quality person, doesn't over-react and knows how to manage personalities. People say anyone could win with the Yankees talent but I don't agree. Torre is not only baseball smart but more importantly for a team like the Yankees, he knows how to manage stars and their egos. He also knows how to manage one of the most egomanical owners in sports. I'm not a Yankee fan, but I am a Joe Torre fan.

NFL Draft Thoughts

I caught bits of the draft (does anyone truly watch this thing straight through?) and came away with a few thoughts:

-The Texans are insane. Do I need to elaborate?

-As a Rams fan I wish the they had been able to get Texas' defensive back, Michael Huff. Tye Hill is not a terrible pick though, the Rams need serious secondary help and he was a highly rated CB.

-2 offensive players who I think will will end up being steals in the draft have the same first name: Maurice Drew (RB from UCLA 60th pick to Jacksonville ) and Maurice Stovall (WR from Notre Dame 90th pick to Tampa Bay).

Next to Reggie Bush, Maurice Drew was the most dynamic player I saw play this past season. They played in the same city and Bush got all the pub but Drew was awesome. I know he's small but have you seen the thighs on this guy? They are tree trunks. He's fast, elusive and I think he's going to be really good. Notre Dame's Samardzija got most of the attention at WR last year but Stovall had some of the best catches I saw all year. I think he's got great hands and will do what Keyshawn did for Tampa before he punked out.

- The NFL network had the tip on the Vince Young pick several minutes before it happened and ESPN had no clue. Score one for the NFL network. Think they had a little help on that one? How long before the NFL tells ESPN they're not welcome at the draft and Rich Eisen and the boys will get exclusive coverage? By the way I was very impressed with Ram's Safety Corey Chavous' draft analysis skills on the NFL network. He was a natural and sounded like he had been doing tv for years.