Friday, July 30, 2010

Top 25 Most Hated Sports Teams

Top 25 Most Hated Sports Teams
si.com
I would have to agree with most of these accept I would say that the Heat will end up #1



1. 1986 University of Miami football

His players were visionaries, early practitioners of an in-your-face brand of football that went out of its way to belittle and intimidate opponents. It was, in a lot of ways, the opposite of sportsmanship. It was a 'Cane thing. To say that Jimmy Johnson (pictured, left, with Michael Irvin) gave his players free reign was an understatement. The '86 Hurricanes were caught up in "fights and fraud and alleged shoplifting and other unsavory shenanigans involving more than 40 players," wrote SI's Rick Reilly. "Miami may be the only squad in America that has its team picture taken from the front and from the side." It was also flat-out loaded, an NFL developmental squad, and not inclined toward modesty. The top-ranked 'Canes showed up in Tempe, Ariz., for the national title game rocking military fatigues, in stark contrast to the coats and ties sported by the charges of "St. Joe" Paterno, as Johnson dubbed his counterpart. In that famed Fiesta Bowl game, Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde threw five picks and Miami turned the ball over seven times in a 14-10 Penn State upset that made a lot of people across the republic very, very happy. -- Austin Murphy

2. 1988-89 Detroit Pistons

Between the joy of Magic and the majesty of Michael was the dark and frightening rise of the Bad Boys. They threw hip checks like the Red Wings and were as mean as any boxer in Kronk Gym. Outside the state of Michigan, you wanted these guys in handcuffs. Never has an NBA team been so easy to detest, what with Rick Mahorn throwing forearms, Dennis Rodman elbows and Bill Laimbeer (pictured, left, with Mahorn) fits. (Somewhere, Laimbeer is probably still whining to the refs). Worst thing about them? They were a great basketball team. For all their roughhousing, the Pistons could light up the scoreboard with anyone -- Isiah Thomas flashing that sneaky grin as he beat you off the dribble, Joe Dumars locking up opponents and knocking down threes, Vinnie (Microwave) Johnson throwing in jumpers from everywhere. Fact is, the Pistons helped end two dynasties (Magic Johnson's Lakers and Larry Bird's Celtics) and delayed the start of a third (Michael Jordan's Bulls). They were bullies in basketball togs, but they could play. -- Damon Hack

3. 1992 Dallas Cowboys

"The only thing I got left to say is, How 'bout them Cowboys!" Well-coiffed coach Jimmy Johnson's (pictured, left, with Michael Irvin) locker-room whoop after his team's 30-20 win over San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game curdled the blood of anyone who bristled at the Cowboys' claim to being "America's Team." Dallas was back in the Super Bowl for the first time in 14 years, with a spotlight-seeking owner (Jerry Jones), a bling-soaked, showboating, prima donna wideout (Irvin) and a too-good-to-be-true-cut-from-Hollywood quarterback (Troy Aikman). Rolling to a 16-3 mark, the Cowboys were an annoying circus of self-promotion (there were 22 radio and TV shows devoted to them) and in the Super Bowl they took on the stench of preening bullies. During a 52-17 humiliation of Buffalo, defensive tackle Leon Lett recovered a fumble and began waving the ball before he crossed the goal line -- only to be caught from behind by the hustling Don Beebe, who became a hero to Cowboys haters everywhere. -- John Rolfe

4. 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers

The Broad Street Bullies were the first hockey team to use intimidation as a tactic. Urged by coach Fred Shero to "take the shortest route to the puck carrier and arrive in ill humor," rugged enforcers like Dave (The Hammer) Schultz (pictured), Bob (Hound) Kelly, Don (Big Bird) Saleski and Andre (Moose) Dupont racked up penalty minutes in record quantities while clearing the way for skill players like Reggie Leach, Bill Barber and three-time NHL MVP Bobby Clarke. They were nicknamed by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin, who wrote in 1973 that "the image of the fightin' Flyers is spreading gradually around the NHL, and people are dreaming up wild nicknames. They're the Mean Machine, the Bullies of Broad Street and Freddy's Philistines." The Flyers captured back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and '75 and remained one of the league's biggest road draws for years to come, but many traditionalists contend their legacy was corruptive on hockey. "They brawled their way to the Cup," longtime Toronto Star writer Frank Orr recalled in HBO's documentary about the team. "To the purists, they represented everything evil about the game. They were a disgrace." -- Bryan Armen Graham

5. 1978 New York Yankees

Immortalized by reliever Sparky Lyle's classic book The Bronx Zoo, this edition of the Bombers was an even more farcical soap opera of clubhouse intrigue and unseemly back-page headlines than the year before. With bombastic slugger Reggie Jackson still in the cross fire, imperious owner George Steinbrenner -- who incurred widespread enmity for assembling "the best team money can buy" -- publicly demeaned his players and threatened to fire his hot-headed manager, Billy Martin (pictured, left, with Jackson). By midseason, Martin could take it no more. After yet another beef with Jackson, Martin famously told reporters, "[Reggie and George] deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted." Martin then resigned before the Boss could fire him. Most galling was that this team repeated as world champs -- in its third straight trip to the Series and with wins over the Royals and Dodgers -- after rallying from a 14-game deficit in mid-July to catch the Red Sox and then break hearts in Boston as Bucky Dent earned an expletive for a middle name for his home run in the one-game playoff that decided the AL East. -- John Rolfe

6. 2007 New England Patriots

They were the NFL's Miss Manners, with delicate sensibilities that could be offended by the most innocuous sources, from a kicker like Mike Vanderjagt to a third receiver such as Freddie Mitchell. Any press-conference comment, no matter how mundane, prompted charges of disrespect. When former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer mentioned after a game that the Patriots were hampered by injuries (Tedy Bruschi was recovering from a stroke at the time), Tom Brady emerged from his protective casing and barked: "You don't talk about our team." They were the best organization in the league, and in 2007, it became clear they were also the most hypocritical. For all their policing of opposing players and coaches, it turned out that the Patriots were the ones breaking actual rules. Staff members were caught illegally videotaping opponent's signals, drawing the interest of Congress. Safety Rodney Harrison was busted for performance-enhancing drugs. Coach Bill Belichick (pictured) responded to the criticism by running up scores as if he were in the BCS. He made it undefeated to the Super Bowl, where karma and the Giants finally caught up to him. -- Lee Jenkins

7. 1993-94 New York Knicks

These Knicks were a collection of chest-pounding, elbow-throwing players who won without any of the aesthetically pleasing basketball that their famously suave coach, Pat Riley, had overseen during his tenure with the "Showtime" Lakers. Yes, the likes of Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, John Starks (pictured, left, with Chicago's Scottie Pippen), Derek Harper and Greg Anthony defined grittiness in complementing star center Patrick Ewing, and the Knicks were statistically a great defensive team. But their rough-and-tumble style went over so well that after their seven-game loss to the Rockets in the low-rated 1994 Finals (in which neither team exceeded 91 points, Starks shot 2-for-18 in Game 7 and the league's signature event was described as "Uglyball"), the NBA cracked down on hand-checking in an effort to liberate perimeter scorers and increase scoring. Naturally, the Knicks weren't pleased. "The game has become sissified. Let us play. People are going to get bored with the games," Mason said. "It's going to get ridiculous." But it beats the alternative. -- Lars Anderson

8. 1976 Oakland Raiders

Beginning with Al Davis' arrival as coach in 1963, you could hate any Oakland Raiders team for the next quarter century. The franchise's slogans -- "The Pride and Poise Boys" and "Just Win, Baby" -- reeked of arrogance. Raiders rosters included hard-edged players such as Ted Hendricks (pictured). Why pick '76? Because that season, coach John Madden's club did win, baby. Or rather, the Raiders stole a postseason game from the Patriots, the only team to beat them all year, in a memorable 48-17 massacre in October. The Pats also seemed to have the divisional playoff in hand, leading 21-17 when they forced quarterback Ken (Snake) Stabler to heave a desperation incompletion on fourth down. But hold the phone! An official somehow saw defensive end Ray (Sugar Bear) Hamilton roughing Snake. This call was not dubious; it was egregiously bogus. Given a reprieve, Snake scored the winning TD. For once, the inmates were happy. As for everyone else, we had one semi-printable thought: Pride and poise, our ass. -- Dick Friedman

9. 1989-90 UNLV basketball

One of the first rules of sports fandom: Don't boo athletes who aren't getting paid. But given the abundance of circumstantial evidence, you were free to voice full-throated displeasure at this team. Coached by the inimitable, towel-chomping Jerry Tarkanian and starring forward Larry Johnson (pictured), the program was in keeping with the Vegas ethos: Have wild fun now, break some rules and deal with the consequences later. True to their nickname, the Runnin' Rebels ran up the floor and ran up the score with equal enthusiasm -- gloating all the way -- beating their opponents by an average of 27 points, and Duke 103-73 in the championship game. They rebelled, too, bending the NCAA rule book in such a way as to make Cirque du Soleil-style contortionists proud. While the allegations outnumbered the proven violations, suspicions were born out when various players from the 1990 team were photographed cavorting in a hot tub with Richard Perry, a convicted sports fixer. You could argue that this 1990 collective was the best college team ever. You could also argue that the team left as its legacy the culture of corruption that has infected college basketball ever since. -- Jon Wertheim

10. 1998-99 Manchester United

Even during a 26-year title drought that ended under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1993, Manchester United was always England's glamour club. As such, the team's ongoing golden age has attracted legions of glory-hunting supporters far beyond the industrial city's limits. And if success breeds contempt, then no team in club history was more reviled than the treble winners of '99, a side featuring Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Roy Keane and David Beckham (pictured, right) that vaulted Ferguson into the pantheon of all-time great managers. After winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, the Red Devils were outplayed by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final -- only to steal the match (and the trophy) on two miracle goals in stoppage time. Before Man U pulled it off, the treble had been thought of as the impossible dream. Ferguson was later knighted for his services to football and Beckham eventfully fell out with his manager, embarking on a tabloid-style journey that took him to Madrid, Milan and Los Angeles. -- Bryan Armen Graham

11. 1990 University of Miami football

These guys knew people despised them, and reveled in the fact. The Hurricanes arrived at the Cotton Bowl with players on at least one bus chanting, "We're the [players] you love to hate." Exiled from the national title picture, the 10-2 'Canes took their disappointment out on Texas, which they began taunting during pregame. The Hurricanes even taunted Bevo (I was there). In warm-ups, Miami defender Robert Bailey found Texas kick returner Chris Samuels and vowed to knock him out on the opening kickoff. He did. Miami started its first possession on a first-and-40, the result of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Craig Erickson completed three straight passes, moving the chains, as the 'Canes drove for a field goal. Erickson threw four touchdown passes, the most memorable a 48-yarder to Randall (Thrill) Hill (pictured), who continued through the end zone and into the stadium tunnel. Seldom has a team been so undisciplined ... and unstoppable. Miami had a Cotton-record 132 yards in penalties. At halftime. The 'Canes finished with 202 yards in penalties, a bowl record that still stands. They also won 46-3. "If they aren't the best," 'Horns coach David McWilliams said, "I don't want to play the best." -- Austin Murphy

12. 1991-92 Duke basketball

You loathed the second of coach Mike Krzyzewski's title-winning teams for the same reasons you hate boy bands: their nauseating omnipresence, thanks to a Blue Devils-centric, Dick Vitale-fueled TV schedule; an ensemble of well-coiffed prepsters who looked better suited for the cast of School Ties; and an aggravating, undeniable level of talent that justified their cocksure attitudes. Star forward Christian Laettner epitomized that rock-star mentality. He was the ultratalented leader (witness his perfection in the Regional final against Kentucky) and the bad boy (who could forget the stomp he delivered to Aminu Timberlake's chest?) of the group. This Duke team was not built to be loved. It was built to win, quashing the storybook runs of Kentucky's "Unforgettables" and Michigan's "Fab Five" in the process. This was when Duke basketball emerged as a polarizing brand -- a bastion of annual excellence that, simultaneously, became the target of effortless disdain. -- Chris Mahr

13. 1986 New York Mets

The 1962 Mets were lovable losers, but Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Len Dykstra (all three pictured), Kevin Mitchell, Keith Hernandez and company were detestable winners of 108 regular-season games. Pitcher Bob Ojeda admitted in author Jeff Pearlman's book The Bad Guys Won that "we were a bunch of vile f------." Bristling with arrogance and trash-talkers, this hard-partying crew had a trio of players (Jesse Orosco, Danny Heep, Doug Sisk) who charmingly called themselves "the Scum Bunch." The Mets were involved in four on-field brawls that season as well as a fracas in the Houston nightclub Cooters, and infamously trashed their flight home from the National League Championship Series in a drunken orgy that could have made the ancient Romans blush. The Los Angeles Times described them as the NL's runaway leaders in the Win and Loathe columns. "I'd hate to pitch against the Mets," said Mets pitcher Ron Darling at the time. "Too many demonstrations. Down the road, somebody's going to remember that we showed them up." But the gods were clearly on their side, as witnessed by their miraculous Series win over Boston. -- John Rolfe

14. 1972 Soviet Union Olympic basketball

Before the gold-medal match in Munich, the U.S. had never lost an Olympic basketball game. Every four years, gold was a given in America's sport. That changed late on the night of Sept. 9, 1972. U.S. fans hated everything about the Soviets: their politics, their red "CCCP" uniforms, their bounce passes, their walk-it-up-style and their pale, grim faces. But all that was fine if our guys beat their butts every four years. Instead, on this night, the Soviets led for most of the game until Doug Collins' two free throws gave the U.S. a 50-49 lead with three seconds to play. Chaos then took over as the Soviets were given three chances to attempt a length-of-the-court pass, and finally converted the last when Aleksandr Belov gathered in a bomb from Ivan Edeshko and scored the game-winner at the horn. The controversial ending was tinged with Cold War emotions. Through the prism of time, the lesson of that night was that the world was catching up to the U.S. on the court; but the lasting memory is that America got robbed. -- Tim Layden

15. 2005 USC football

Entering the season, USC had won 22 straight games and was embarking on a quest for a potentially unprecedented third straight national title -- and fans around the country couldn't go 15 minutes without hearing about it. As the fawning over Pete Carroll's program reached dizzying proportions, many came to resent the "Hollywood" aspect of the Trojans -- quarterback Matt Leinart (pictured, right, with Reggie Bush) partying with Paris Hilton; celeb-fans Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg hanging out at practices. As they won another 12 straight to reach the BCS championship game -- "I always thought that the more attention we drew to ourselves by the things that other teams or the fans would say just made us stronger," Carroll told SI.com recently -- fans of other conferences bemoaned the Trojans' purportedly inferior Pac-10 competition. They cried foul over the "Bush Push" that helped USC pull off a last-second win at Notre Dame. To many, though, the run-up to the Trojans' BCS title game against Texas served as a nauseating apex, with ESPN's analysts debating how the '05 USC team would fare against some of the greatest teams of all time. Vince Young and the Longhorns rendered the argument moot, but the public's animosity lingered for years due mostly to the NCAA's prolonged silence over allegations that Bush took money from potential marketing reps during his time there. That silence was broken in June, and you know how the story ended. -- Stewart Mandel

16. 1974 Oakland Athletics

Not to say the '74 A's were disliked ... but they had won the previous two World Series and they still finished 11th out of 12 American League teams in attendance. The team's biggest star, of course, was Reggie Jackson, before his "straw that stirs the drink" days in New York. The pitching staff featured players whom meddling owner Charlie Finley (pictured) thought needed to be more colorful. He suggested that Jim Hunter be called "Catfish," that Johnny Odom start going by "Blue Moon," and he paid $300 for Rollie Fingers to grow his soon-to-be-famous handlebar mustache. The team's hard-core players, Sal Bando and Gene Tenace, wore garish yellow and walked a lot. It was a circus act, but to the never-ending frustration of opposing teams and fans, the A's won again in '74, beating Earl Weaver's Baltimore team in four games in the ALCS and then pounding the Dodgers in five in the World Series. -- Joe Posnanski

17. 1993 Notre Dame football

The Fighting Irish are either The Team That America Loves or The Team That America Hates. A fan base -- "The Subway Alumni" -- built in the first half of the 20th century worships from afar and, along with actual alums, embraces Notre Dame football for its perceived connection to good grades, hard work and the Almighty. The haters despise Golden Domers for all the same reasons, which they regard as holier-than-thou arrogance. The fall of 1993 was the last high point of the Lou Holtz era in South Bend. The Fighting Irish took down mighty Florida State in that year's Game of the Century (which landed defensive end Jim Flanigan on the SI cover), but one week later suffered a shocking home loss to Boston College, when former prep school soccer player David Gordon knuckleballed a game-winning field goal into the darkness enshrouding Touchdown Jesus. Half a continent away, in a press box in Morgantown, W. Va., jaded sportswriters covering another game stood and spontaneously cheered. The BC loss helped hand the national title back to FSU (and led to the formation of the BCS). Notre Dame still hasn't won one since. -- Tim Layden

18. 1976 East Germany women's swimming

The joke about the East German swim team went like this: The good news about their revolutionary training program was that the ladies didn't have to breathe between strokes. The bad news, of course, was that they had to shave between strokes. The facts were no laughing matter. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, East German women won 11 gold medals in 13 races, stunning the highly touted U.S. women, who won only a single relay. In 1972, the gold tally for women's swimming had been eight for the U.S. and none for the GDR. Years later, Stasi files confirmed that diabolical cocktails of uber-doping had boosted the German women's muscles, deepened their voices and decisively dropped their times. Even before the documented revelations, their suspiciously rapid improvements, like their appearances, were giant elephants in the arena. As a souped-up Kornelia Ender (pictured) swam her way to three individual gold medals, U.S. hope Shirley Babashoff left the Games with three individual silvers and thoughts of what might have been in a clean pool. Today, the 1976 GDR women's swim team remains the most injected squad ever projected onto the sporting landscape. -- Brian Cazeneuve

19. 1919 Chicago White Sox

There have been many attempts to tell the "true story" about the Black Sox -- how they were mistreated by penny-pinching owner Charlie Comiskey, how Shoeless Joe Jackson never really took money and played his hardest at all times, how Buck Weaver only knew about the scheme but was not part of it -- but in the end the main story was this: The 1919 White Sox threw the World Series. Gambling played a big role in baseball in the early part of the 20th century, and many people inside baseball were convinced that the Black Sox scandal could have destroyed baseball as America's national pastime. Eight players were banned from baseball and none, even in death, have been reinstated. The owners hired an opinionated commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and gave him virtually unlimited power. They livened up the baseball and watched a big star named Babe Ruth lift the game's popularity. Funny how baseball took similar steps after the 1994 baseball strike. -- Joe Posnanski

20. 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball

By turns full of braggadocio (Carmelo Anthony guaranteed a gold as training camp opened) and seeming to shirk responsibility ("It's not like it's the end of the world," LeBron James said after a 19-point pool-play loss to Puerto Rico), this team could have been pronounced too young to know better: Anthony was 20, James (pictured, left, with Lamar Odom and Stephon Marbury) was 19, and it featured an average age of 23.6. But decorum and discipline were so poor that coach Larry Brown wanted to send several players home from Athens on the eve of the Games. After another pool-play loss, to Lithuania, and a medal-round defeat to eventual gold-medalist Argentina in the semifinals, Brown pronounced himself "humiliated" and the alibis flew. Some players blamed fouls whistled on center Tim Duncan; others blamed zones they weren't used to shooting over. (Of the dozen teams in the draw, the U.S. sank the second-fewest three-pointers.) Only two positives resulted from that Greek tragedy: heightened appreciation of the 1992 Dream Team; and the chain of events -- an embarrassed Jerry Colangelo hires Mike Krzyzewski and makes playing for your country cool again -- that led to the Redeem Team, which atoned for American basketball at the 2008 Games in Beijing. -- Alex Wolff

21. 2000-01 Portland Trail Blazers

With their incessant bickering and boorish behavior, the Trail Blazers, long cherished in Portland, alienated their customers and disgusted the rest of the league's fans. The biggest lightning rod, of course, was forward Rasheed Wallace (pictured, left, with Bonzi Wells), who set an NBA record with 41 technical fouls, threw a towel in the face of teammate Arvydas Sabonis and had to be restrained by teammates from charging coach Mike Dunleavy in the locker room. The Oregonian described the Blazers as "tanking it in the playoffs [in a first-round sweep to the Lakers] amid a cloud of tantrums and technicals." The frightening aspect of this "Jail Blazers" era is that there are multiple teams from which to choose and moments to pinpoint. To wit: The following season, in December 2001, swingman Bonzi Wells told SI about being booed: "We're not really going to worry about what the hell [the fans] think about us. They really don't matter to us. They can boo us every day but they are still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That's why they are fans and we are NBA players." -- Richard Deitsch

22. 2001-02 Toronto Maple Leafs

There was something "special" about this team, just like there is something "special" about a coming tax audit. You live to tell about it, but it won't be pleasant. These Maple Leafs were more of a vocal than a vicious team, like the neighbor's noxious terrier that doesn't bite. (Often.) Indeed, one reason the Leafs were reviled -- beyond coach Pat Quinn's constant haranguing of the refs, a diver like Darcy Tucker, a stick man like Shayne Corson and an unabashed brawler like Tie Domi -- was that they were viewed as something of a pet. The Leafs were loathed, in part, because of location. They were the darlings of media coverage because Toronto is the center of the hockey universe. And with Toronto's soupçon of on-ice success during the era, Hockey Night in Canada essentially transformed itself into the parish bulletin of the First Church of Leafs Nation. Additionally, the league's hockey operations department was located in the office building attached to the Air Canada Centre, which led to the theory that Toronto received preferential treatment from referees. While there was no proof, it didn't change the perception. Feared like the Broad Street Bullies? No. Hated? The way an off-key singer despises Simon Cowell. -- Michael Farber

23. 1983-84 Georgetown basketball

John Thompson's Hoyas dominated college hoops through fear. For 40 minutes a game, Thompson pushed his team not simply to execute better than its opponents, but to harass them with a combination of claustrophobic defense and shot-altering size. From a sharply thrown Patrick Ewing elbow to the menacing stare of muscular freshman stopper Michael Graham (pictured, with Ewing), the Hoyas punished teams while building an intimidating presence that prompted many a basketball purist to label them thugs. The scowling Hoyas made many observers uncomfortable with their style and, truth be told, appearance. Thompson, all 6-foot-10 and 300 pounds of him, towered over an all-black roster led by Ewing's equally towering 7-foot presence. "People would heckle and we would see a lot of signs, particularly about Patrick, about how he couldn't read or some other personally offensive things," Thompson said. "There definitely were some racial aspects to it, but that's what was there. If we had been all white, it probably would have been our size [they criticized]." Even after the Hoyas toppled Houston in the title game, they were seen by some as basketball's incarnation of the Raiders, both in their ethos of intimidation and resonance with African-Americans. The Hoyas didn't flee from the comparison; they won because of it. -- Paul Forrester

24. 1909 Detroit Tigers

The Tigers were loathed precisely because of one man: Tyrus Raymond Cobb, arguably history's most hated athlete during his playing days. Cobb, still only 22, led the Tigers to their third straight World Series (they had lost the previous two to the Cubs!) by winning the Triple Crown (.377, 9 HRs, 107 RBIs). He also stole a league-leading 76 bases. He set these splendid marks by flashing his spikes and his fists at everyone in his path -- teammates included. But as the Tigers prepared to play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, Cobb (pictured, left, with Honus Wagner) was not only hated but also wanted -- by the authorities in Ohio. In September, Cobb (a notorious racist, even for a Southerner of his day) knifed a black Cleveland hotel detective named George Stansfield, and there was a warrant for his arrest in the Buckeye State. To get to Pittsburgh from Detroit, through which state was the shortest route? Ohio, of course. Cobb first tried circumventing it by rail through Canada. Ultimately, he was handcuffed by the Pirates, batting .231. Pittsburgh won in seven games, and Cobb never again reached the Fall Classic -- giving Cobb haters a reason to rejoice. -- Dick Friedman

25. 2010-11 Miami Heat

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh (all pictured) and Co. have yet to play a game, but Phil Taylor explains why the NBA's most-talked-about team belongs on this list. (Read Taylor's full column here.)
I hate that the Three My-Egos are being painted as a bunch of Mother Teresas who have taken a vow of poverty when all they've done is forego a small percentage of what are still obscenely huge salaries. I hate that we have become so accustomed to the overwhelming greed of superstar athletes that when the Heat's threesome accepts roughly $110 million each when they could have had closer to $120 million, some people want to fit them for angels' wings. They have given front-runner fans a new bandwagon to jump on. People who couldn't have named a single one of Wade's teammates weeks ago will now declare themselves to be Heat lovers, decking themselves out in Miami gear with cutesy phrases like Miami Thrice and the Three Basketeers. All those fans who like the Yankees just because they win, or who were devoted to the Bulls until Michael Jordan left, are now going to come out of the woodwork and swear their undying love to the Heat. I hate that. -- Phil Taylor

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Article on Lebron James Wild Night in Vegas that ESPN did not want You to Read






The Article on Lebron James Wild Night in Vegas that ESPN did not want You to Read
LeBron James relishes being the center of attention, especially in
Vegas at his own party.
LeBron James leans against a waist-high stone wall with a 16-foot-tall Buddha hovering over
He's at Tao, a bustling restaurant and nightclub inside the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, and his
arms are crossed as he listens to Lynn Meritt, senior director of Nike Basketball, and Charles
Denson, president of Nike Brand.
James is quiet, occasionally applying Chap Stick on his lips and nodding when he hears
something he likes.
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Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he's about to sit
at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps
toward James is stopped and must have James' approval to come closer.
The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice
makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.
She wants to take a picture with him. "I can't right now," says James. "Maybe later, upstairs, I'll
remember you're the one with the tattoo."
James will host a party later in the upstairs nightclub at Tao, but he is currently hosting a dinner
for his friends and family in the downstairs restaurant. Wearing a gray striped shirt and gold
crucifix around his neck, he bobs his head to music played by an amped-up saxophonist who
weaves his way around the table like a one-man mariachi band.
I have somehow found myself at this exclusive table, seated beside Eddie Jackson, who is
introduced to me as James' father (though he actually began dating James' mother, Gloria, after
LeBron was born and the two are no longer together). Jackson, wearing a muscle shirt
accentuating his large biceps, looks like a member of James' four-man entourage, like one of his
childhood friends.
James' circle includes Randy Mims, seated to his right at the center of the table, Maverick
Carter, seated at the head of the table, and Richard Paul, seated in front of James. The quartet
makes up the initials behind LRMR Marketing, the management firm James founded almost four
years ago with his buddies. Their offices in downtown Cleveland gained notoriety this month as
the location teams flocked to for their meetings with James.
Truscello/WireImageLeBron
James partied at Tao last
weekend, complete with a kings'
cake and an entourage to make
heads of state jealous.
Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The
New Orleans Hornets point guard has seen how James has positioned himself to win a
championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris
Bosh and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.
The truth is, in James' dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade
would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to
James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when
as a rookie he carried James' and Wade's bags to and from the team bus.
James and Paul are fairly quiet at the center of the table as they take in the scene around them.
As family style plates of miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and crispy lobster and shrimp dumplings
are brought to the table, James effortlessly picks up the food with his chopsticks and
occasionally raises his cup of green tea to passersby as they raise their martinis and mojitos in
his direction before being helped along by security guards.
When trays of dessert plates are brought over, James gets up, preferring to start his party
upstairs instead of indulging in the giant fortune cookies and chocolate cake. A security guard
comes over and puts plastic wristbands on our wrists and escorts us through the back of the
restaurant, up a flight of stairs in the bowels of the hotel and through a back entrance into the
club. About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on
the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and
James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds
his arms high on his chest and nods his head. He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people
crowded on the dance floor. Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ
screams out, "LeBron James in the building!" and plays LMFAO's "I'm in Miami."
Carter, LeBron's childhood friend and manager, begins dancing around James like Puff Daddy in
a Notorious B.I.G video. A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go
dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out,
"KING." Carter grabs a bottle of Grey Goose and pours a quarter of it on the floor and raises it
up before passing it off.
IT'S L.A., AND IT'S LIVE
For more about this and coverage of the complete Los Angeles
sports scene, visit ESPNLosAngeles.com. »
James' infamous one-hour special, "The Decision," was reportedly the brainchild of Carter, a 28-
year-old who has never managed anyone outside of his friend James. This three-day party
marathon in Vegas (which James is being paid six figures to host) is also Carter's idea.
Bottle after bottle of "Ace of Spades" champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying
down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he's
dressed like a King, another time as Indiana Jones and another in a replica of James' No. 6
Miami Heat jersey.
James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the
head on the waiter's last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, "I wish they'd
have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy."
Toward the end of the night, Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis walks past James' party and
looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the
images of the go-go dancers, the "King" sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of
Davis shakes his head and walks on.
James dances on the couch and sings along with the music blaring from speakers all around
The more you hang around James, the more you realize he's still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8,
250-pound frame. The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at
the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball as he walks past ringing slot
machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James'
pantomime seems unconscious. He stops every few feet to shoot a jump shot, his right hand
extended above his head on the follow through. He weaves through a pack of a dozen friends
and pretends to connect on a layup as he walks past a gift shop. He passes overhead casino
signs and jumps up and slaps them, pretending to dunk. Columns covered with advertisements
for lounge acts become stationary defenders, chumps to fake out before connecting on
imaginary mid-range jump shots.
James probably goes through a practice's worth of shots as we walk from the XS nightclub at
Encore (James left his poolside table when he saw the club was practically empty), through
Wynn and over the bridge to the Palazzo.
Soon after arriving at Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Palazzo, a scene straight out of
"West Side Story" breaks out when James and Lamar Odom, seated at a nearby table, engage
in an impromptu dance-off to California Swag District's "Teach Me How To Dougie."
Odom, smoking a cigar, can't quite keep up. James celebrates by crossing himself and taking a
shot of Patron. Moments later, a handful of girls dressed as cheerleaders walk toward his table
with someone dressed in James' Heat uniform. Someone throws talcum powder in the air as
James does before every game, while his new unofficial song, "I'm in Miami," plays.
Odom casts a glance James' way before looking in the opposite direction and raising his glass
at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.
Back at his table, James and his crew sing every word to Rick Ross' "Free Mason." LeBron raps
every line to former teammate Damon Jones (who played with him in Cleveland). Jones, puffing
on a cigar, nods.
James rips out the lines:
"If I ever die, never let it be said I didn't win/
Never, never say/
Never say legend didn't go in/
I just wanna die on top of the world."
While he looks at club-goers flashing the LA and Westside signs at him, James smiles and
points to Jackson's T-shirt, which reads, "Another Enemy," and raises his glass of champagne.
Finally, Carter tells James it's time to leave the club and they do, LeBron pretending to cross-
over tables and shoot over slot machines all the way back to his room.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Buckeye Great Tatum Dead

RIP ASSASSIN!!!!!!!! One of the best Buckeyes ever died of a massive heart attack yesterday. Jack Tatum, was 61. He had both of his legs amputated due to complications with diabetes. Known more for his fierce hits on receivers coming across the middle. I think he gets a bad rap for the hit he put on Dayrll Stingley which left him paralyzed. Tatum was never the same either. He did try to reach out to the Stingley family but was always turned away. Here is the article from the ap.

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Updated: July 28, 2010, 8:47 AM ET
Ex-Raiders safety Tatum dies
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Associated Press

Jack Tatum Dies At 61
Former Raiders and Ohio State Jack Tatum dies of a heart attack at age 61
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- He was called the "Assassin."

Jack Tatum was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, a Pro Bowl safety who intimidated opposing players with bone-jarring tackles that helped make his Oakland Raiders one of the toughest teams of its era.

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AP Photo/Ben Margot
Jack Tatum spent nine years in the NFL, delivering such vicious hits that he earned the nickname "The Assassin."
He's also a player who will always be tied to one of the game's most tragic moments -- a hit in a preseason game that left New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley paralyzed from the neck down.

Tatum died Tuesday at age 61 in an Oakland hospital. The cause was a massive heart attack, according to friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks. Tatum had battled diabetes and other health problems for years, Hicks said.

The collision with Stingley happened Aug. 12, 1978, at Oakland Coliseum.

Stingley was cutting inside when he lunged for a pass which fell incomplete. Bearing down at full speed from the opposite direction, Tatum met Stingley while the receiver was off balance and leaning forward. Stingley crumpled to the ground, his fourth and fifth vertebrae severed.

Over the years, Stingley would regain limited use of his body, but he spent the rest of his life in an electric wheelchair. He died in 2007.

There were never words of consolation or an apology from Tatum, and the two players never spoke after the hit.

"It was tough on him, too," Hicks said of Tatum. "He wasn't the same person after that [hit]. For years he was almost a recluse."

Tatum said he tried to visit Stingley at an Oakland hospital shortly after the hit but was turned away by Stingley's family.

"It's not so much that Darryl doesn't want to, but it's the people around him," Tatum told the Oakland Tribune in 2004. "So we haven't been able to get through that. Every time we plan something, it gets messed up. Getting to him or him getting back to me, it never happens."

Tatum, though, showed no remorse for his headhunting ways in a 1980 book, "They Call Me Assassin" and the follow-ups "They Still Call Me Assassin: Here We Go Again" in 1989 and "Final Confessions of an NFL Assassin" in 1996.

More From ESPN.com
In the golden age for defensive football and brutally aggressive hits, Jack Tatum earned his "Assassin" nickname, ESPN.com's John Clayton writes. Blog

• Williamson: Don't soil his legacy
• Graham: Brings back bad memories
• Gallery: Career in photos
"Jack was a true Raider champion and a true Raider warrior. ... Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football," the Raiders said in a statement.

After starring for Ohio State under coach Woody Hayes, Tatum was drafted in the first round by the Raiders in 1971. In nine seasons with Oakland, he started 106 of 120 games, had 30 interceptions and helped the Raiders win the 1976 Super Bowl. He played his final season with the Houston Oilers in 1980.

In his third book, he wrote, "I understand why Darryl is considered the victim. But I'll never understand why some people look at me as the villain."

Tatum was not penalized on the play and the NFL took no disciplinary action, but it did tighten its rules on violent hits.

"He wasn't the type of person who was really out trying to maim anybody or hurt anybody," Hall of Famer and former Raiders teammate Willie Brown said. "He was just doing his job. That's the way he played the game."

Despite their lingering resentment, Stingley was gracious in 2003 when he learned Tatum had diabetes and several toes amputated.

"You can't, as a human being, feel happy about something like that happening to another human being," Stingley told The Boston Globe.

Tatum began a charitable group to help kids with diabetes and helped raise more than $1.4 million to fight the disease in the Columbus area.

"He was a good athlete and a good person," Hicks said. "He gave a lot back to the community, but he didn't want a lot said about it."

[+] Enlarge
Ron Riesterer/The Sporting News/ZUMA Press
Darryl Stingley, above, never recovered from a collision with Jack Tatum in Aug. 1978, remaining in a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.
Tatum was also involved in "The Immaculate Reception" in the Raiders' 1972 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With 22 seconds left, Tatum jarred loose a desperation pass from Terry Bradshaw to Frenchy Fuqua with a trademark hit. The ball ricocheted into the arms of Steelers running back Franco Harris, who never broke stride and ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.

Tatum grew up in Passaic, N.J. and had little interest in organized sports until high school. He grew to love football and was offered a scholarship to Ohio State.

Recruited as a running back, Tatum would sneak over to the defensive side to play linebacker. In time, the Ohio State coaches -- particularly secondary coach Lou Holtz -- recognized that Tatum was a natural on defense.

Tatum was a part of the "super sophs" class that led Ohio State to an unbeaten season and the national championship in 1968. He stole the headlines in the Buckeyes' showdown with No. 1 Purdue early in the season, shadowing All-American running back Leroy Keyes in Ohio State's 13-0 upset of the Boilermakers.

In his three years as a starter, Tatum's teams went 27-2 and won two Big Ten titles.

Each week after an Ohio State game, the coaching staff awards the "Jack Tatum hit of the week" award for the hardest tackle or block by a Buckeye.

"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in a statement. "When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum. His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans."

Raiders safety Michael Huff sent a message on Twitter after learning of Tatum's death: "R.I.P. Jack Tatum the assassin. One of the best safetys to ever play this game, his legacy will live forever."

It was unfortunate that Tatum's hitting overshadowed how well he did everything else, Brown said.

"Jack should be in the Hall of Fame. There's no question, no doubt about it," he said. "When you're playing back in the middle, you have one job to do [and] that's stop the long pass right down the middle. He did that better than anybody that I could think of."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Cave Trade West, is Gloria James Going with Him?

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Updated: July 27, 2010, 10:42 AM ET
Wolves trade Sessions to Cavaliers
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Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- Goodbye, LeBron.

Hello, Ramon.

The Cleveland Cavaliers completed their first post-LeBron James personnel move on Monday night, trading troubled guard Delonte West and point guard Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves for point guard Ramon Sessions, 7-footer Ryan Hollins and a future second-round pick.


West

Sessions
After James dumped the Cavs on national television and fled to Miami to join Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat, owner Dan Gilbert sent off a scathing letter to Cleveland fans vowing to win a title before LeBron does.

The Cavaliers tried to start the roster makeover by signing restricted free agent point guard Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet, but the Houston Rockets matched it. So they settled on Sessions, a quick, pick-and-roll specialist who spent last season backing up rookie Jonny Flynn on the woeful Wolves, as their new point guard.

Sessions averaged 8.2 points on 45.6 percent shooting with 3.1 assists in a career-low 21.1 minutes per game last season. He signed a four-year, $16 million deal to join the Wolves before last season. The native of South Carolina is close friends with Cavs guard Mo Williams from their days together with the Milwaukee Bucks and should get much more playing time in Cleveland this year.

The 25-year-old Hollins is a super-athletic, but very raw, forward/center who averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds last year.

"In Ramon, we're excited to add a young, multi-dimensional guard, and with Ryan, we're adding a young, athletic center," new Cavaliers GM Chris Grant said in a statement issued by the team. "We think both Ramon and Ryan are really good fits for this team. We're also happy to add another asset for the future with the additional draft pick."

They also have to be relieved to rid themselves of West, who was the team's second-best performer next to James in the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 before his play suffered thanks to several off-the-court issues last year.

West pleaded guilty in Maryland earlier this month to weapons charges. He was sentenced to eight months of home detention with electronic monitoring, two years of unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling.

Prosecutors said that the sentence would allow West to attend practices and travel to NBA games as his team's schedule requires, but NBA officials are reviewing the case for possible further discipline.

The Cavaliers did all they could to work with West, who averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 assists in 25 minutes per game. He also dealt with a host of personal problems that coupled with his September gun arrest to serve as major distractions to the team, which lost to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The young and rebuilding Timberwolves aren't interested in taking on a player with West's baggage. His $4.6 million contract will only cost Minnesota $500,000 if West is waived by Aug. 5, and that's what the Wolves plan to do.

Telfair, who played for Minnesota for two seasons after coming over from Boston in the Kevin Garnett trade in 2007, also likely will be traded or bought out.

The principle reason for the Wolves to make this deal was to alleviate log jams at both point guard and in the front court. The Wolves have Flynn returning and signed veteran Luke Ridnour to a four-year, $16 million deal last week. They have also brought in forward Michael Beasley and re-signed center Darko Milicic and have agreed to a three-year deal with center Nikola Pekovic that is expected to be announced any day now.

So there simply was no room for Sessions and Hollins.

"With the arrivals of Luke Ridnour, Michael Beasley, Nikola Pekovic and the signing of Darko Milicic, it was clear that Ramon and Ryan would have lesser roles this season if they were to remain," Kahn said in a statement. "This move provides them a better opportunity in Cleveland and adds to our flexibility both this season and beyond in relation to the salary cap."

Monday, July 26, 2010

Matt Garza Throws a No No, Clarett Back at OSU

CONGRATS TO MATT GARZA!!!!



Matt Garza pitches 1st no-hitter in Rays history





Clarett taking classes at Ohio State
AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University says former football star Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry to pursue his degree after he spent more than three years in prison.
Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch says in a statement that Clarett started classes on Monday after he was readmitted by the College of Education and Human Ecology, where he was originally enrolled.
Clarett says in a statement that it is a "surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State" and that he doesn't want to be a "distraction or nuisance" to the football team or other students.
Clarett led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship in his only college season. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, and served 3½ years in a Toledo prison, where he took college-credit courses.

Click here to go to the link that lets you read a timeline for Lebron James Rise to Fame from High School until he fell from grace and hid behind the boys and girls club.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

RIP Mrs. Cowler and get well Hugs

RIP Kay Cowler! Wife of former Steeler coach dies from a battle with skin cancer. She was 54. I wonder now if Bill will return to the sidelines in order to continue his legacy as one of the Nfl's greatest coaches. One could only hope. At least I could only hope.
Here is the news release from espn.com

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Updated: July 24, 2010, 11:03 AM ET
Kaye Cowher dies of cancer at 54
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ESPN.com news services
Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died Friday after battling skin cancer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. She was 54.


Cowher
Born Kaye Young in Bunn, N.C., she met Bill Cowher at N.C. State in 1976, where he was a football player and she and her twin sister Faye played women's basketball. The couple married in 1981.

Kaye Cowher played a key role in her husband's decision to retire from coaching in 2007 and move full-time to Raleigh, so the family could be together as their daughters completed their high school and college basketball careers.

Meagan, Lauren, and Lindsay Cowher all followed their mothers' footsteps into Division I college basketball. Meagan and Lauren played together at Princeton, while Lindsay currently plays at Wofford.

Kaye Cowher and her sister led N.C. State to the Atlantic Coast Conference's first women's basketball title in 1978. They also appeared in a Wrigley's Doublemint gum commercial.

Kaye Cowher played one season for the New York Stars and two with the New Jersey Gems in the Women's Professional Basketball League until that league folded in 1981.

The family has requested privacy and has released no information on Cowher's death. Services will be held in North Carolina on Monday, according to the report.

In other news across the sports nation, coach Huggins fell and broke 4 ribs while is Vegas. He is fine and is expected back in WV today. Don't even start the stupid news that he was drunk or his heart gave out again. If you watched the tournament last year and know anything about Hugs, he has a heart as big as the world! Get well Huggy-Bear!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Top 20 College Basketball Players at the Euro Championships



Ranking the top 20 NCAA players at this summer's Euro Championships
Luke Winn si.com

We'll find out in November if a post-U20 boom is in store for Natyazhko. All we can say with certainty, in July, is that he tops SI's ranking of the 20 collegians we found playing on U20 rosters (all stats through Tuesday):

1) Kyryl Natyazhko, Ukraine (4-5, eighth place, Division A)
6-11, Soph. C, Arizona
U20 Stats: 32.0 mpg, 17.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg (3.6 orpg)

2) Jake Cohen, Israel (3-2, Division B)
6-10, Fr. F, Davidson
U20 Stats: 30.8 mpg, 20.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg (82.9 percent FT shooting, 6-of-15 three-point shooting)

3) Ovie Soko, Great Britain (4-1, Division B)
6-8, Soph. PF, UAB
U20 Stats: 29.0 mpg, 19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 spg
Soko, who played high school ball in Virginia but was born in London, was a bit player for the Blazers as freshman, averaging 1.5 points in 10.1 minutes. He's using his size to dominate the interior in Austria, scoring 29 points (to go along with seven boards) against Poland on Tuesday. He also ranks fourth in Division B in steals.

4) William Neighbour, Great Britain (4-1, Division B)
6-10 Soph. F, Daytona State JC
U20 Stats: 17.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Neighbour could be a nice frontcourt role player for a Division I team in 2011-12. He was rumored to be headed to Arkansas-Little Rock in 2008, but surfaced instead at Daytona State, where he averaged 15.3 points per game as a freshman.

5) Olek (Aleksander) Czyz, Poland (5-1, Division B)
6-6 Soph. F, Nevada (formerly at Duke)
U20 Stats: 24.2 mpg, 13.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 72.1 percent shooting
Czyz, who left Duke early in the '09-10 season and will be eligible for the second semester at Nevada in '10-11, has been highly efficient for the Poles, shooting nearly 75 percent from the field. He should be a strong frontcourt presence in the WAC once he's eligible.

6) T.J. DiLeo, Germany (3-6, 14th place, Division A)
6-2, Soph. SG, Temple
U20 Stats: 27.3 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
DiLeo, the son of 76ers senior VP Tony DiLeo, was mostly stuck on Temple's bench as a freshman last season. He had several promising performances in Croatia, though, dropping 20 points on both the Czech Republic and Netherlands, and finishing as the Germans' second-leading scorer.

7) Andrew Lawrence, Great Britain (4-1, Division B)
6-1 Soph., PG, College of Charleston
U20 Stats: 30.2 mpg, 13.2 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.4 spg
Lawrence could be Charleston's future starting point guard. He's playing quite well for the 4-1 Brits in Austria, with a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in five games.

8) Zisis Sarikopoulos, Greece (8-1, second place, Division A)
7-0, Soph. C, Ohio State
U20 Stats: 19.6 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Sarikopoulos played significant minutes in a run to second place in Croatia, but cracking the Buckeyes' frontcourt rotation -- which will include Dallas Lauderdale, Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas in 2010-11 -- will be tougher than cracking the Greeks'.





9) Alex Marcotullio, Great Britain (4-1, Division B)
6-3, Soph. SG, Northwestern
U20 Stats: 22.8 mpg, 10.0 ppg, 2.0 spg
Marcotullio had the green light to shoot threes as a freshman at Northwestern, and he made them at a 36.9 percent (41-of-111) clip. He's emerged as the Brits' primary gunner, and has made 38.5 percent of his international treys thus far.

10) Chris Czerapowicz, Sweden (3-2, Division B)
6-7, Fr. F, Davidson
U20 Stats: 26.8 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg
There's no way McKillop will give Czerapowicz, who was discovered on a tip from ex-Wildcats playing in Sweden, the kind of shooting freedom he's been allowed in the U20s: In his past two games, he's gone 2-of-12 and 4-of-12 from beyond the arc. But the Wildcats do have hopes that Czerapowicz will develop into an excellent wing player in the Southern Conference.

11) Aksel Bolin, Norway (3-3, Division B)
6-7 Fr., SG, Northern Illinois
U20 Stats: 26.4 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.6 bpg
Huskies coach Ricardo Patton called Bolin "a big kid with good perimeter skills." The Norwegian 19-year-old quietly signed with NIU this June, and has one double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds vs. Slovakia) so far in the U20s.

12) Nimrod Tishman, Israel (3-2, Division B)
6-5 PG, formerly at Florida
U20 Stats: 32.2 mpg, 9.4 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.8 topg
Tishman's trial year in D-I didn't go well; he couldn't break into the Gators' rotation behind Ervin Walker and Kenny Boynton, and so the former Israeli junior star opted to return to his homeland and turn pro. He's piloted his national team to a 3-2 record thus far -- but has a disappointing, sub-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

13) Vladyslav Kondratyev, Ukraine (4-5, eighth place, Division A)
6-8 Soph. F, Bryant
U20 Stats: 19.7 mpg, 3.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.9 spg
Kondratyev was one of the few bright spots for a Bryant club that went 1-29 last season and was arguably one of the worst two teams in Division I. He was named to the NEC All-Rookie team after averaging 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds, and followed it up with a decent summer in Croatia, serving as a solid role player for the Ukrainians.

14) Akeem Vargas, Germany (3-6, 14th place, Division A)
6-4, Soph. PG, Iowa Lakes Community College
U20 Stats: 22.6 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg
Vargas is an oversized point guard who could end up on a D-I team in 2011-12. He scored 16 points on eventual third-place team Spain in Germany's opener, but was quiet for the rest of the U20 tournament.

15) Ruslan Pateev, Russia (5-4, fifth place, Division A)
7-0 Soph. C, Arizona State
U20 Stats: 7.3 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Pateev's U20 experience was remarkably similar to his freshman year with the Sun Devils, for whom he averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. His minutes should increase as a sophomore now that fellow import Eric Boateng has graduated.

16) Carl Engstrom, Sweden (3-2, Division B)
7-0, Fr. C, Alabama
U20 Stats: 16.4 mpg, 2.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.0 blocks
Alabama announced on July 1 that it was adding Engstrom to its 2010 recruiting class, and he appears to be a classic project center. He was a former national team handball player in Sweden and has only been playing hoops for two years, so his limited production in Austria was understandable.

17) Deniz (Mükremin) Kilicli, Turkey (2-7, 13th place, Division A)
6-10, Soph. PF, West Virginia
U20 Stats: 6.8 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins is eyeing Kilicli as a starter at center next season, and WVU fans are hoping the big Turk will have a sophomore breakout ... but his stats from Croatia were underwhelming. He was with the Turkish team under curious circumstances -- he initially said he'd be visiting home for 2 1/2 weeks, but was then pulled into national-team duty until the end of July. Kilicli didn't get off the bench in four of the team's final five games, and probably would've been better off training in Morgantown.


18) Alistair Mackay, Great Britain (4-1, B Division)
6-10 Fr., C, Davidson
U20 Stats: 10.8 mpg, 2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.4 bpg
Mackay is a Scottish project who'll need time to get acclimated to D-I hoops, but could be an asset for the Wildcats in a few years. It's not easy for mid-majors, even those of Davidson's ilk, to recruit size stateside.

19) Raheem May-Thompson, Great Britain (4-1, Division B)
6-6, Soph. F, Quinnipiac
U20 Stats: 5.0 mpg, 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg.
Thompson, whose father, Leo, is a former member of the British national team, was a bit player for Bobcats this past season ... and a bit player for the Brits in Austria. Soko and Neighbour earned the bulk of the minutes at forward for England.

20) Carmel Bouchman, Israel (3-2, B Division)
6-8, Fr. F, Temple (but may be returning to Israel)
U20 Stats: 1.5 mpg, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
Bouchman only appeared in nine games for the Owls, averaging 1.3 minutes, but didn't have much of a role on the Israeli team, either: In the four games he appeared in, he had three trillions.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Top 10 Highest-Earning American Athletes


Top 10 Highest-Earning American Athletes
si.com
You can't stop them -- you can only hope to re-sign them. Extracurricular scandals, contract holdouts and ugly labor negotiations seem to have rocked professional sports more than any other point in recent memory. And yet financially, athletes seem nearly bulletproof.
For the seventh consecutive year, SI.com has compiled a list of the 50 top-earning American athletes by salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees. The average earnings of those on the list have reached an all-time high of $26.2 million (up 11 percent from '09).
In a year in which Tiger Woods' image has been forever tarnished -- costing the perennial No. 1 tens of millions in endorsement dollars -- he still stayed ahead of the curve. Tiger's earnings were down more than $9 million from a year ago, but he still earned nearly $30 million more than the No. 2 athlete, fellow golfer Phil Mickelson.
Meanwhile, the NFL has its most prolific showing ever on our list: an unprecedented 15 players, thanks to a rash of contracts that pay out big in a 2010 season without a salary cap. This year's list also features 16 basketball players, 13 major leaguers, three NASCAR drivers, two golfers and one boxer.
The average income of the athletes on our International 20 list of the top-earning non-American sportsmen also broke a record: in excess of $30 million, as new No. 1 Roger Federer has become a financial force alongside the soccer and Formula 1 powerhouses.
Our findings consisted solely of salary, winnings, bonuses, endorsements and appearance fees. We consulted players' associations, tour records, agents and news reports. Our endorsement estimates for 2010 came from Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, other sports-marketing executives and analysts, and agents. Salary figures were based on current or most recently completed seasons (the upcoming 2010 season for the NFL). For winnings-based sports (auto racing, golf, tennis), we used the '09 calendar year. Boxing purses are from July '09 to June 2010. Candidates for the U.S. 50 had to be American citizens and currently active in their sports.

1 Tiger Woods
Golf
Last Year's Rank: 1
$20,508,163
$70,000,000
$90,508,163
Tiger's off-course troubles cost him millions in endorsements -- he was dropped by Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture. But a $10 million FedEx Cup bonus helps keep him at his usual No. 1 perch.

2 Phil Mickelson
Golf
Last Year's Rank: 2
$9,660,757
$52,000,000
$61,660,757
Expanding the fan base: 15,000 consumers got rebates on Big Bertha clubs thanks to Lefty's Masters win, a promotion between Golfsmith and Phil-endorsed Callaway -- all told a $1 million payout.

3 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
Last Year's Rank: NR
$60,000,000
$250,000
$60,250,000
Pretty Boy shoots back into the top five after a one-year absence thanks to earnings from bouts with Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley, the latter of which netted $40 million in purses and PPV sales.

4 LeBron James
Miami Heat (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 3
$15,779,912
$30,000,000
$45,779,912
King James left millions on the table by choosing to bolt Cleveland for Miami. But will James be the same kind of star -- on and off the court –- playing alongside Dwyane Wade?

5 Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 4
$33,000,000
$4,000,000
$37,000,000
A-Rod may be baseball's highest-paid player, but even he is feeling the real estate slowdown. He and his ex-wife recently unloaded their one-acre, six-bedroom estate in Florida for $8.5 million -- one-third less than the purchase price.

6 Shaquille O'Neal
Free Agent (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 5
$21,000,000
$15,000,000
$36,000,000
No matter where Shaq ends up next season, he is easily the all-time NBA leader in total salary: Over an 18-year career, he has earned more than $290 million.

7 Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 7
$23,034,375
$10,000,000
$33,034,375
Kobe now has something else in common with Michael Jordan. His extension has him due to earn $30 million in 2013-14. The only other player ever to earn that much in one season? Jordan.

8 Derek Jeter
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 9
$21,000,000
$10,000,000
$31,000,000
The Yankee captain is in the final year of the 10-year, $189 million pact he signed as a 26-year-old. Hal Steinbrenner says there will be no further talks on an extension until after the World Series, but New York must re-sign him.

9 Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: 10
$15,800,000
$15,000,000
$30,800,000
Should more companies hitch their wagons to Peyton? The clean-cut quarterback has replaced Tiger as America's best sporting role model, according to results of a recent 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll.

10 Dwyane Wade
Miami Heat (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 12
$15,779,912
$12,000,000
$27,779,912
Wade became the biggest star in free agency, convincing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to sign with Miami. While Wade took less money to stay in South Beach, he should more than make up for it in endorsements.

Ohio State Buckeyes Sports Update

But mostly, I think we're going to see a lot more competitive conference races. When I look at Ohio State, I see a team, on paper, that's talented and experienced across the board and an obvious national-title contender. But the Buckeyes will also be facing at least two other very good teams (Wisconsin and Iowa) on the road during conference play. They may still win the Big Ten, but I don't see them running away with it.





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Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Terrelle Pryor accounted for 338 yards of offense in the Rose Bowl.
During a recent interview with ESPN Radio 1620 in Omaha (they can't get enough of me in Nebraska), I was asked about Terrelle Pryor's progress at Ohio State and whether he can follow Vince Young's path in his junior season with the Buckeyes.

Pryor always has drawn comparisons to Young, even before he arrived at Ohio State as the nation's top recruit in 2008. The two quarterbacks have shown some similarities in the early stages of their college careers, although Young really surged during the second half of his sophomore year. Pryor has been a bit less consistent, while still showing flashes of his immense potential.

One major connection between Pryor and Young is their performances in the final games of their sophomore seasons, the midpoint of most players' college careers. Both quarterbacks shined in Rose Bowl victories, Young against Michigan on Jan. 1, 2005 and Pryor against Oregon nearly seven months ago.

Both players earned Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honors for their efforts in Pasadena.

SOPHOMORE YOUNG VS. SOPHOMORE PRYOR AT THE ROSE BOWL
Vince Young and Terrelle Pryor each had standout Rose Bowls wins to cap their sophomore seasons:

Player Opponent Score Comp Pass Yds Pass TDs Ints Rush Atts/Yds Rush TDs
Young Michigan '05 38-37 16 of 28 180 1 1 21 for 192 4
Pryor Oregon '10 26-17 23 of 37 266 2 1 20 for 72 0
As we all know, Young built on his Rose Bowl performance with a fantastic junior season, passing for 3,036 yards and 26 touchdowns to go along with 1,050 rush yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Young won the Manning Award and the Davey O'Brien Trophy and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting as he led Texas to a national title. We're all waiting to see whether Pryor can make a similar jump in 2010.

How high did Young set the bar in 2005?

Here's a look at how he fared in the first half of his junior year:

FIRST SIX GAMES OF YOUNG'S JUNIOR SEASON
All Longhorn wins (Oklahoma game at Dallas):

Week Opponent Score Comp Pass Yds Pass TDs Ints Rush Att/Yds Rush TDs
1 vs. La.-Laf. 60-3 13 of 17 173 3 1 7 for 49 1
2 at Ohio State 25-22 18 of 29 270 2 2 20 for 76 0
3 vs. Rice 51-10 8 of 14 101 0 1 8 for 77 0
4 at Missouri 51-20 15 of 22 236 2 1 13 for 108 1
5 vs. Oklahoma 45-12 14 of 27 241 3 0 17 for 45 0
6 vs. Colorado 42-17 25 of 29 336 2 0 10 for 58 3
Some impressive numbers, indeed.

Pryor gets a mulligan like Young had against Rice, but he'll need to establish himself as a consistent passer and a quarterback who gets Ohio State into the end zone with his arm or his legs. It won't be easy, but if Pryor can follow Young's path this fall, the Buckeyes could be lifting the crystal football in January.






Men's Basketball
Matta Has Gratifying Moment, Provides Summer Updates
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS — Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta had an unexpected gratifying moment Wednesday.

Meeting with the media to update his team’s summer progress, Matta was asked about former Buckeye Kosta Koufos, who was recently traded from Utah to Minnesota after playing very few minutes for the Jazz last season.

It’s possible Koufos could be traded again before the season, especially considering the Timberwolves’ depth in the front court, and Matta  was asked what it would take for Koufos to be successful at the next level.

“You probably need to ask his high school coach that,” Matta said with a satisfied smile.

For those who don't know the history, Koufos' high school coach, Jack Greynolds Jr., called Matta “clueless” back in 2008 after Koufos went No. 23 overall to Utah. The 7-footer averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds during his only season in Columbus, but the Buckeyes failed to make the NCAA Tournament only one year after advancing to the championship game.

Matta did go on to say that he believes Koufos can be successful in the NBA as a big man with an outside shot. He also had a lot more to say about his current team.

ON THE NEW FRESHMEN...

- Matta said that all six of the new freshmen are in good standing with the NCAA Clearinghouse. He also said that the camaraderie has been great between the new guys and the veterans, and that the goal of the summer is the set the tone, culture and environment “of how we do things at Ohio State.”

- According to Matta, the wrist injury suffered by freshman Lenzelle Smith is very similar to what Greg Oden had early in his career at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are going to wait until August to take a look at the wrist again but still aren't expecting him back until October at the earliest.

- Matta said that he expects freshman Jordan Sibert to contribute this fall and that he told him this summer “just make sure you can make open jump shots.” He said Sibert's athleticism is back from his injury and he looks a lot more fit than when he got to OSU. He also said the most impressive thing about Sibert is his defense.

- As for fellow freshman J.D. Weatherspoon, they haven't talked about a redshirt yet, but Matta said he wants him to learn how to defend 3-4 positions on the court like David Lighty. He is an excellent rebounder but still needs to work on his shot.

ON OTHER INJURIES...

- Matta said that Lighty is off his crutches now but he is still wearing a boot. He's doing everything except running right now and will be out of the boot in a week-and-a-half. In the meantime, Lighty has dropped eight pounds (at Matta's request) and he's down to about 216 pounds.

- Former transfer Nikola Kecman has a much longer road to recovery after having another surgery on his ACL. The medical staff went into his knee to look at his torn meniscus, but found structural damage to the ACL he tore over in Europe. At this point it will be surprising if Kecman ever contributes for the Buckeyes.

ON EVAN TURNER...

Koufos wasn’t the only former Buckeye to come up Wednesday as Matta was asked about Evan Turner's early struggles in NBA Summer League, where he shot just 33 percent from the field in five games.

“It was an eye-opening experience for him,” Matta said of the former National Player of the Year.

“He was told not to play any basketball before the draft so he wouldn't get injured, so this was really the first time he played since our last game against Tennessee. He probably was not in great shape and was a bit rusty.”

Matta didn't back down from his belief that Turner will have a great pro career.

“I'm not worried, and neither are the people Philadelphia.”

ON LEBRON JAMES...

- Matta was then asked whether Ohio State's jerseys would continue to dawn the LBJ23 logo that represents LeBron James after the way the former Cleveland Cavalier spurned the city on national television. 

He was quickly alerted to the fact that Ohio State’s game jerseys have not had that logo on them in two years (they only have the Nike check on them). He has not heard anything further about having the logo removed from practice gear, but assumes something will change now that LeBron isn’t even wearing No. 23 in Miami.

- He was then asked whether LeBron would still have good standing with Ohio State and the basketball team after what happened with his wild free agency this off-season. Matta said that he wishes LeBron would have stayed in Cleveland but they expect to continue their relationship with him.

“LeBron still loves Ohio and still loves Ohio State,” Matta said.

“We are a fan of him as a player, not just where is playing.”

ON SCHEDULING...

-The Buckeyes have added a game against Miami (OH) right before their first game against Michigan.

ON DEPTH...

Matta said he plans to play 9-10 guys this season because “I'm not going to answer all the damn questions this year,” he said with a smile. He did tell the freshmen that Lighty, Diebler and Buford are capable of playing 40 minutes if they aren't willing to work hard.

- He also said that he hopes Big Zisis Sarikopoulos will be able to contribute this year when he gets back from playing for Greece. They expect the 7-footer back in early August and camp opens September 15th.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The True King of the NBA has Spoken: Michael Jordan on Lebron James



The Michael Jordan view of LeBron James
Michael Jordan has weighed in on the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh "SuperFriends" team in Miami:
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,' " Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
In so many ways, Michael Jordan is the most appropriate person in the world to comment on LeBron James and his legacy, but not for the reasons you might expect.
He is helping to solve one of the biggest mysteries in sports.
The question is: When James announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach, why did he instantly become the guy sports fans love to hate? What's so reprehensible about joining a good team?
He's the man
Michael Jordan was, is, and will always be the man. Yes, in italics.
You don't need me to define that, but just for fun: It means essentially the most aggressive, victorious, macho, indomitable player in the sport. The most feared, and the most fearless.
This utter lack of restraint, in the face of any challenges, is no small part of how Jordan inspires us.
Hell no I don't need help.
It's a real and valid way to view the game. You have to respect the sheer number of players, former players, executives and coaches who see the game through this lens. The best player is the man. Basically, that's the guy who, of the few superstars who produce in huge numbers and win a lot of games, is most fearless and ferocious.
This is often measured in terms of being willing to shoot with the game on the line.
When people heard that James was teaming up with Wade and Bosh, though ... wow. You know how men have this reputation as not being willing to pull over and ask for directions?
Hell no I don't need help.
Jordan, Barkley and others are making fun of James -- perhaps the most biting of all of Jordan's words was "kid" -- for getting help. If the whole idea is to show that you're the baddest man on the planet, what do we care about all these SuperFriends? (Similarly, Jordan said the other day that Bryant was the best player in the NBA. He's the most fearless, that's for sure.)
The problem with the critique is twofold. For one thing, he's not bad as the man. James shoots plenty with the game on the line, already produces like one of the two best players in NBA history (hitting at a better career rate than Bryant), wins a lot of games and even called himself leader of Team USA.
But more importantly, how do we know James' end goal is to be the man?
It's a team game. Jordan and Bryant are self-reliant types who didn't come naturally to the idea that crunch time ought to be played as a team. Both have had to be coached into passing with the game on the line.
But that they think like that doesn't mean we all have to go along. In your personal life, do you find it true that real men don't pass the ball, or share, or have friends, or smile or all that? The Jordan/Bryant way was one way to do it, but it's hardly the only way to get the job done.
When Jordan started passing -- to open teammates like Steve Kerr and John Paxson -- the Bulls started winning titles. Bill Russell owned basketball to the tune of 11 titles and he never thought it was his job to take the last shot. He was a different kind of "man," and won plenty.
Men who pull over and ask for directions may lose hombre points, but we all agree they waste less time driving around, right?
The man vs. the team
Sometimes you have to ask yourself what your end goal is: To win the individual sport of being the man, or the team sport of basketball? They usually go together. There's a reason Bryant and Jordan have all those championship rings.
But sometimes the best thing for basketball is to not put everything on your shoulders, and instead get some help.
Think about Kevin Garnett. There are several different really smart analyses to show that when he was in Minnesota losing all those games he was literally the best player in the NBA (the same analysis, over the last two years, would say James is that player now). If you use some kind of smart objective metrics, Garnett's is the name that comes up most from those years. But Garnett had no help! After he grew distraught with the team's endless rebuilding, the Timberwolves found him a home in Boston with some serious help in the form of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Even though Garnett did not play his best basketball in Boston, he did his best winning there, and the result has been a profound transformation of both how the world sees Garnett and how the city of Boston feels about basketball in the 2000s. It's a model anyone would want to copy -- a new home with talented teammates became a story of pure, unrestrained basketball joy for all involved who aren't Timberwolves fans.
Similarly, before the Lakers got Pau Gasol, Bryant was among the most unhappiest campers in NBA history and was caught on camera phone talking about the inadequacy of his teammates and his willingness to be traded. When Gasol arrived, Bryant started winning more than ever, and he was proved absolutely right that he could win a lot more with more with help.
Imagine if you will, crazy as it may sound, that back in the day, Jordan had somehow charmed Barkley or David Robinson to join the Bulls?
By the metrics of being the man, Jordan would have been a failure. Talk about pulling over to ask for directions. But Jordan would have been a better winner. He'd be more valuable to his team and his fans in every way if somehow he had pulled that off.
Hell no I don't need help.
If refusing help when it's available is the end goal, then in my mind we have cooked up one silly, old-fashioned definition of being the man.
Playing executive is smart
Jordan is affixed in our minds as the portrait of a winner, but take the long view of not just his playing days, but his life to date.
Through all the millions, the TV ads, the golf games and the casino trips, maybe there's nothing to regret.
But something funny happened in Springfield, Mass. Remember his Hall of Fame acceptance speech? Didn't we all come away from that with the news that life inside Jordan's shoes is not all peachy? He's bitter! About a lot of things! With the world's blessing to discuss whatever he wanted, Jordan mostly just spat insults.
One of the first things he brought up was the guy who built the Bulls team he won all those titles with, Jerry Krause. "Jerry’s not here," explains Jordan. "I don’t know who’d invite him. I didn’t. ... " All this bitterness, even though they won championships together!
The reason I bring this up is: Jordan proved right there and then that letting someone else build the roster for you can make you a very bitter man, even if you win six titles.
Players have the power of free agency, which, James and Wade have demonstrated, is one new way to solve that problem.
Jordan's career is widely seen as an example of why James and Wade ought not play together. It costs them both points as the man.
But you can also see Jordan's life to date as a textbook case of why building your own roster might be the smartest thing you can do, even if it isn't how things used to be done.




Jordan knows it: LeBron took the easy way out

I believe Michael Jordan when he says he wouldn’t have called up Bird and Magic to be teammates. I believe he would have had his agent do it.
But I understand what he means. “I wanted to beat those guys,” he said recently about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, a remark that served as a commentary on LeBron James and his decision to take the easy way out and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
Jordan’s words coincided with a recent blast by Bryant Gumbel on his HBO Show, “Real Sports.” During a lengthy closing commentary, Gumbel said: “Just when did they (championship rings) become the all-important barometer of who does or who doesn’t count in sports?”
That is another way of asking a related question, “What is more important, the journey or the destination?”
I vote for the journey. The whole point of competition is the challenge. It’s testing yourself against the best. It’s pushing yourself to your absolute potential.
But when you take shortcuts to make things easier on yourself, and all you have in your sites is that sparkling reward at the end, you’re missing the whole objective.
I believe that’s what lay underneath Jordan’s comment, and at the surface of Gumbel’s.
Take the Heat example to an extreme: If you had James, Wade and Bosh, and you were also somehow able to add Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, you’d probably win several championships. But would it mean much? Would you have challenged yourself, or would you have made sure that you would be challenged as little as possible?
Jordan, Magic and Bird would never have joined forces. But they understood. Anybody who puts the country through “The Decision” obviously doesn’t.


.Artest to LeBron: If you want pressure, come to NYC
Did LeBron duck NYC? Ron Artest hinted at what a lot of New Yorkers already felt about LeBron James -- he wanted to avoid the pressure of playing in the Big Apple. "I don't think it means anything in particular (that James didn't sign with the Knicks), but if you want some pressure, come to New York," said Artest, who made an appearance at the West 4th St. basketball court in Manhattan Friday. "I don't know what he was thinking. ... He had a different plan. You don't know if he was thinking weather, team, players, friends. But if you want some pressure, come to New York." Artest added that Amar'e Stoudemire should be given credit. "The $100 million helps, but he still wanted to come here," said Artest, referring to Stoudemire's five-year deal with the Knicks. "He must be special to want to come to New York."

Monday, July 19, 2010

Buckeye Chris Speilman enters College Football Hall of Fame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tim Brown struck the Heisman Trophy pose on stage at the urging of a fan after putting on his new College Football Hall of Fame blazer, then moments later, Steve McMichael playfully rushed past emcee Mark May like he was about to chase down a quarterback.

Both drew appreciative cheers from the crowd gathered for a rally to see the 24 former players and coaches who were being enshrined Saturday. The biggest cheer, though, was for Chris Spielman, with nearly 100 people in the crowd wearing his No. 36 Ohio State shirt.

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AP Photo/Joe Raymond
Ohio State alum Chris Spielman, right, is interviewed by ESPN colleague Mike Golic after being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"This is how we do it at Ohio State," Spielman said to another loud cheer.

Even former Southern California coach John Robinson drew applause despite being in the backyard of rival Notre Dame.

"It's nice to be in South Bend and not get booed," Robinson told the crowd.

Among the others being honored were former Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who won the Heisman in 1992; Penn State running back Curt Warner; West Virginia quarterback Major Harris; and Dick MacPherson, who coached at UMass and Syracuse.

Those being honored found out in April 2009 they were going into the hall and were inducted into it during a ceremony in New York last December. The event in South Bend was the final step in the process. Many called the experience humbling.

"To be part of the fabric of college football forever is just awesome," Torretta said.

The college greats also took part in a parade and an autograph session Saturday and a dinner where they were formally enshrined.

Warner drew laughs during a question-and-answer session after the dinner when he talked about how he wasn't sure Joe Paterno even liked him when he was playing, doing a high-pitched imitation of the Penn State coach.

"Get off the field. Get off the field. What are you doing?" Warner mimicked.

He and several others talked about how they wouldn't have made it to the hall without the help of other teammates and coaches.

"We all pulled together and had a common goal," Warner said.

Most of the players and coaches said the best part of the weekend was hanging around and talking football with the others being honored.

"One of the things I miss most about being in the game is being in the locker room. When you come to things like this you get it back," said McMichael, who played at Texas 1976-79. "I don't care what team a guy played on, I don't care what year he played in, the locker room has always been the same: fun sarcastic humor. You're messing with your buddies. The brotherhood of football."

Robinson said when he thinks about his coaching career he thinks more about the people than the games.

"The wins and losses are still there, but the best memories are about the people," he said.

MacPherson said he found it hard to believe he was going into the hall with Robinson and joining all the other coaching greats.

"You don't even think about it until it happens. It's overwhelming," he said.

It was a bittersweet day for Spielman, who credits wife Stefanie with being a driving force yet humbling voice in his life. She died in November at age 42 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

"When you experience the death of a loved one there's always firsts. This is a first. We had the first family vacation, the first birthday, the first Christmas. This is just another first," he said.

Others being enshrined were: New Mexico State halfback Pervis Atkins; Maryland Eastern Shore halfback Emerson Boozer; Marshall wide receiver Troy Brown; Arizona defensive back Chuck Cecil; Auburn fullback Ed Dyas; BYU tight end Gordon Hudson; Cal Lutheran linebacker Brian Kelley; Harvard center William Lewis; Alabama linebacker Woodrow Lowe; Stanford receiver Ken Margerum; UMass tight end Milt Morin; Iowa linebacker Larry Station; Georgia Tech defensive end Pat Swilling; Nebraska defensive end Grant Wistrom; Willie Jeffries, who coached at Howard, Wichita State and South Carolina State; and Ted Kessinger, who coached

Friday, July 16, 2010

Friday's Tee Times for British Open

ESPN.com
Friday
Starting time (ET), players
1:30 a.m.: Mark Calcavecchia, Peter Senior, Anders Hansen
1:41 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jeff Overton, Colm Moriarty
1:52 a.m.: Ignacio Garrido, Hirofumi Miyase, Shane Lowry
2:03 a.m.: Tom Lehman, Kevin Na, Marc Leishman
2:14 a.m.: Sandy Lyle, Bradley Dredge, Koumei Oda
2:25 a.m.: Simon Khan, Vijay Singh, Scott Verplank
2:36 a.m.: Luke Donald, Y.E. Yang, Ricky Barnes
2:47 a.m.: Toru Taniguchi, Robert Karlsson, Dustin Johnson
2:58 a.m.: Alvaro Quiros, Jerry Kelly, Katsumasa Miyamoto
3:09 a.m.: Peter Hanson, Francesco Molinari, Ben Curtis
3:20 a.m.: Paul Casey, Angel Cabrera, Rickie Fowler
3:31 a.m.: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Lee Westwood, Adam Scott
3:42 a.m.: Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell, Geoff Ogilvy
3:53 a.m.: Hiroyuki Fujita, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia
4:09 a.m.: Colin Montgomerie, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen
4:20 a.m.: Rhys Davies, Edoardo Molinari, Justin Leonard
4:31 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Eric Chun
4:42 a.m.: K.J. Choi, Bubba Watson, Victor Dubuisson
4:53 a.m.: Ben Crane, Richard S. Johnson, Thomas Aiken
5:04 a.m.: Jason Bohn, Kurt Barnes, Laurie Canter
5:15 a.m.: Darren Fichardt, Jose Manuel Lara, Heath Slocum
5:26 a.m.: Paul Streeter, Brian Gay, Gareth Maybin
5:37 a.m.: Tim Petrovic, Paul Goydos, Jean Hugo
5:48 a.m.: Gary Clark, D.A. Points, Danny Chia
5:59 a.m.: Glen Day, Josh Cunliffe, Tyrrell Hatton
6:10 a.m.: Jae-Bum Park, George McNeill, Simon Edwards
6:41 a.m.: Paul Lawrie, Thomas Levet, Steve Marino
6:52 a.m.: Loren Roberts, Mathew Goggin, Marcel Siem
7:03 a.m.: Robert Rock, John Senden, Bill Haas
7:14 a.m.: Simon Dyson, Jason Dufner, Soren Hansen
7:25 a.m.: Todd Hamilton, Ryuichi Oda, Alexander Noren
7:36 a.m.: John Daly, Andrew Coltart, Seung-Yul Noh
7:47 a.m.: Martin Laird, Sir Nick Faldo, Soren Kjeldsen
7:58 a.m.: David Duval, Ross McGowan, Trevor Immelman
8:09 a.m.: Gonzalo Fernadez-Castano, Ryan Moore, Charl Schwartzel
8:20 a.m.: Robert Allenby, Nick Watney, Oliver Wilson
8:31 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Rory McIlroy, Tim Clark
8:42 a.m.: Thomas Bjorn, Hunter Mahan, Shunsuke Sonoda
8:53 a.m.: Ian Poulter, Ernie Els, Stewart Cink
9:09 a.m.: Sean O'Hair, Yuta Ikeda, Ross Fisher
9:20 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Camilo Villegas
9:31 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Ryo Ishikawa, Tom Watson
9:42 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Jin Jeong, Matt Kuchar
9:53 a.m.: Jason Day, Chris Wood, Kenny Perry
10:04 a.m.: Mike Weir, Darren Clarke, Davis Love III
10:15 a.m.: Thongchai Jaidee, Fredrik Andersson Hed, J.B. Holmes
10:26 a.m.: Mark O'Meara, Byeong-Hun An, Stephen Gallacher
10:37 a.m.: Alejandro Canizares, Michael Sim, Gregory Havret
10:48 a.m.: Zane Scotland, Tom Pernice Jr., Jamie Abott
10:59 a.m.: Bo Van Pelt, Phillip Archer, Ewan Porter
11:10 a.m.: Cameron Percy, Tano Goya, Kyung-tae Kim
11:21 a.m.: Mark F. Haastrup, Steven Tiley, Tom Whitehouse