Half Grain of Salt

The rise of the internet has taken freedom of speech to a whole new level in America. Instead of mortals being presented two or three outlets by which to form an opinion about a particular subject, we are presented with tens if not hundreds of them. The diversity of these sources can prove to be great for those who seek to gain multiple perspectives on a single issue that may lend itself to a broader problem in society that needs to be addressed.

But with the rise of the internet, and with the rise of blogs in particular, a damning problem has quickly emerged - the warping of the American mind.

Instead of writing clearly written, objective, and accurately cited articles , bloggers throughout the internet world have assured the passage of oftentimes false history: history that is oftentimes not cited, but is all too often believed to be true by the unknowing and by those who feel the opinion of the writer fits their beliefs.

And it is getting out of hand.

For instance, last week while sitting at a restaurant I overheard an older couple talking about the War in Iraq. According to these people, per a blog they read, "President Bush is doing little to squash the violence in Iraq because, the less Iraqis there exist in the country, the more oil wealth Americans will acquire." By listening to these people, one may think Iraq will become Ameica's 51st state in the very near future.

We also see this problem in our young people. Go to any college campus today and you may be fascinated with the jaded opinions spewing from young people's mouth instilled in them by college professors, propaganda, and clubs advocating activism for stupidity. Talk to a student at the University of Maryland and you may think President George W. Bush is responsible for world hunger. Travel to Hillsdale College in Michigan and you may drive away with the impression that the Democratic Party seeks to drag America into the eternal inferno.

This type of behavior is going on in High School's throughout America as well. My fiances's little brother attends Baltimore Polytechnic High School. During the most recent September 11th Memorial Ceremony his English Professor stunned everybody in the audience to include the Principal, when he began rattling off his own political views about the War on Terror. This professor was reprimanded for his actions but it goes to show how some zealous people can be when it comes to spreading the word of the God of Politics.

Can this be stopped? Absolutely not because the First Amendment protects freedom of speech.

But this does not mean that one cannot become more educated in pursuing opinions of bloggers, many of which do not have insight into what is truly going on within the government to include intelligence agencies, nor insight into what is truly going on with the troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and abroad.

In other words, with regards to internet sources and blogging, it is essential to take the words of agenda seeking mortal with a half-grain of salt.

Troops Response to Michigan's Affirmative Action Decision

During the course of the past few months, I have remained completely silent, casually monitoring the unfolding battle between the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) and the One United Michigan (OUM) campaign.

I have also watched in embarrassment, the spewing of propaganda by the Klu Klux Klan and By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) campaigns, as well as the physical and verbal intimidation and usage of manipulation of the masses on both sides of the Affirmative Action aisle.

But tonight, the same night mortals native to Michigan have finally realized the fate of Affirmative Action in the state of Michigan, I am going to break my silence.

One of the greatest domestic products this beautiful nation called America exports to the rest of the world is the ideal that, for the most part, any person -- regardless of race, color, sex or creed -- can, through hard work, proper utilization of resources, and with a smidgeon of good luck, climb from the ashes of poverty to the pinnacle of the mountain of achievement.

On the flip side of the coin, one of the most damning products our nation globally exports is the undeniable truth that our nation's history is laden with vivid examples of racism, bigotry, and inequality.

It was this negative product that mortals like Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Homer Plessy and thousands of others diligently attempted to change during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Evidence to support this claim lies in MLK's own words, for while giving a speech to thousands of supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 he said:

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Born from MLK's aformentioned words as well as from the blood, sweat and tears of thousands of others was an architecture of governmental programs designed to improve quality of life for, as the inscription on the Statue of Liberty States, "...your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

It was these programs that, at that time in history, attempted to assure the ideals listed in the Preamble of the Constitution - ideals such as establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

More than 45 years later, after much heated debate, the fate of these programs rested in the hands of Michigan voters. And in the end, at least for now, it seems that MCRI has emerged victorious on the battlefield of equality.

However, upon second and third and subsequent thought, after witnessing wreckless and shameful post-election venom spewing from the mouths, pens, and fingertips of Michiganders via numerous blogs attached to scandalous newspaper articles, I have come to the conclusion that nobody tied to this situation has won.

On the contrary, this whole situation has further deteriorated Michigan's already brittle reputation as, amongst other things, a racially divided state.

As it is a sheer and utter shame.

During my seven plus career in the Armed Forces I have been exposed to, have embraced, and have been enbraced by many service men and women of different races, cultures, religions and creeds.

Furthermore, my comrades and I, in less politically correct terms, collaborate to deal with those wretched mortals who ruthlessly oppress, persecute, rape and murder others simply because their own racial, cultural, or religious views did not match theirs.

Why do we do have to do this?

Because we do not live in a utopian world.

Nor do we live in a utopian nation.

Nor do Michiganders live in a utopian state.

The abolition of Affirmative Action would be great in a suddenly utopian society; a place where mortals have truly reached an understanding regarding the beauty of diversity and race, color, creed, sex, and religion in schools and in the workplace.

However, Michigan is by no means a utopian society, for as stated earlier, the state has many issues regarding racism and sexism that must be openly discussed without violence and further segregaton before true progression can be achieved.

This statement is not based upon sheer opinion. It is based on personal experiences. For few of many example, I met my fiance nearly three years ago while stationed on an Army post in Maryland.

Since that time we have traveled to Michigan together three times to visit family and friends. During every single visit we, regardless of whether we visit Detroit or its suburbs, encounter people who stare and mutter racist comments simply because a "cracker" happens to be holding hands with a "porch monkey." To show how ignorant the people who make these comments are, my fiance is a West Indian from Trinidad and Tobago, which is 7 nautical miles from the South American nation of Venezuela. But this fact didn't stop these people from making comments.

Nor did it stop a few people I considered to be friends from offending and putting my fiance and I in a sticky situation by hurling racial slurs at a Middle Eastern man and African American man in a parking lot across the street from St. Andrews night club in downtown Detroit this past summer.

While my fiance and I have learned to rise above this assenine behavior, these examples go to show that Michigan, like many other places in this nation still overtly and covertly wreaks of racism.

While it is true that Michigan tolerates other cultures, it at this point has not embraced them.

And until this changes, Michigan needs to continue to use affirmative action as a crutch to keep its sprained legs of racism and bigotry walking towards progression.

In other words, while striving towards selecting students and employees on merit is certainly a noble endeavor, the banning of affirmative action does not take into account the dark desire of many racist and bigotrous human beings to turn the clock back to the turbulent times when people like King and Kennedy roamed this Earth.

Thy Rod and Thy Staff

Written Saturday November 4th, 2006.

Twas the night before verdict,
Of infamous tyrant,
And all through the world,
Restless Mortals stand silent,

Waiting to see if High Tribunal,
Living in Cradle of Civilization,
Will make monumental Decision,
To ship Hussein to eternal damnation.

Some of these mortals standing by,
Belong to brave and resolute coalition,
Of men and women from forty five nation,
Who together tonight are prepared to defy,

The will of thousands of soulless cowards,
Still loyal to Hussein and his dominion,
Who hour by this hour are toiling to devour,
The will of Iraqi PM Maliki and his coalition.

Together these wretches too stand by waiting,
Ready to ignite bloody Shi'a/Sunni Civil War,
Ready to slay enlightened with bomb-laden car,
Ready to sway minds of American Citizens wading,

In treacherous waters of democratic confusion,
To vote for those who promised the extraction,
Of American troops from the very same nation,
We recklessly abandoned decades before.

So tonight while Maliki and Company urges calm,
While American President and Company does the same,
And while brave souls stand guard without fanfare or fame

I challenge you to heed the words of famous psalm:

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

Rebuttal to Mike Shinoda's Where'd You Go Lyrics

Background: Mike Shinoda, MC for the band Linkin Park slash new hip-hop artist for Fort Minor wrote a new song and created a video titled Where’d You Go? In this song, Shinoda tries to addresses a societal issue regarding certain types of men (military members, professional athletes, and those separated/divorced) and how their lack of existence in the household damages families. As a military member, this song struck a chord with me because it undermines the strength of millions of women (and men) whom carry on the mission of raising families while their husbands (and wives) are away at war. I suggest before reading my rebuttal of Shinoda’s beat, I suggest you watch the video for yourself at http://www.myspace.com/fortminor:

Rebuttal to Mike Shinoda’s Where’d You Go Lyrics

I have no choice but to rebuke you for your Where’d You Go lyrics.

Quite frankly your ignorance through music and video sank my spirits;

Well at least for a minute or so, but then I got to thinkin,

You’re just another talkin head for Michael Moore and a band called Linkin.

I was a big fan of yours before I saw the video related to this song,

But now all my respect for you is gone.

You’ve crossed the line and now its time,

For me to start spittin without tryin to make a dime.

You say in the song that some days she feels like shit,

And some days she just wants to quit and be normal for a bit.

You say she don’t understand why he always has to be gone,

And that she gets along but his trips always feel so long.

Where here’s a newsflash you won’t like hearin,

Here’s a little truth to crush your jeerin;

About the plight and loneliness faced by women and children,

Associated with men whose careers involve travelin and fightin.

The same women you are catering to make million money a few,

Are the same women who know what they are getting into,

When they hop aboard the love boat with men setting sail,

For hellish lands where bombs and bodies fall like hail,

And for fields where athletes like tickets are always for sale.

You speak in a woman’s opinion saying, “it’s a little fucked up that,

I’m stuck here waiting, at times debatin,

Telling you that I’ve had it with you and your career;

Me and the rest of the family are here,”

Well I hate to break this news to you Mr. Mike Shinoda,

Your argument is flip flap dipody dop dumb dumb dada.

For you to say that family problems in this country,

Are generated by defenders of freedom serving this country,

And by athletes who make very good, family providing money,

Makes you look nothing more than a money mongering dummy.

Are these men gone from home for long periods of time? Absolutely.

Does their lack of presence create hardship for families? Damn skippy.

Does the military do all it can to take care of dependents during War?

For the answer to this question Fort Minor call the Public Affairs at Ft. Belvior.

All your lyrics do is insult the toughness of millions of women who usually find a way,

To take care of family business while their men are away.

And insult the toughness of thousands of men who often do the same,

While their woman fight in combat without fanfare or fame.

With Freedom of Speech comes Freedom of Rebuttal.

City of Champions Awaits the Lions

During the course of the past half-dime seasons, the Detroit Red Wings, Pistons and Shock have consistently blessed the City of Champions with excellent play on its respective fields of battle. Since 2001, Steve Yzerman and Co. achieved an astounding 205-74-39 regular season record and earned one Stanley Cup Championship, Chauncey Billups and Co. accumulated an impressive 254-156 regular season record and earned an NBA Title, and Bill Laimbeer and Co., although struggling to find its identity during the ‘01-‘02 seasons, bounced back to win the 2003 WNBA Championship.

And now, as June lurks on the horizon, Jim Leyland and the Tigers not only boast the best record in baseball (35-15) but it also leads the majors in pitching for the first time since 1984 when Sparky Anderson and Co. won the World Series. While it is true there are plenty of games to be played, leaving time for many things to happen, it is good to see the Motor City giddily excited to watch baseball for the first time in more than an decade.

This leaves the Detroit Lion franchise. During the past five NFL campaigns this always-underachieving laughingstock has accumulated an abysmal record of 21-59.

The Lion organization seemed to hit rock bottom last season when, after missing the playoffs for the eighth straight season, thousands of Lion fans expressed its displeasure with owner William Clay Ford Jr. and General Manager Matt Millen by staging street marches, launching sign waving protests inside Ford Field during home games, and even going as far as wearing the opposing teams colors in an effort to provoke change in leadership and direction of the franchise.

Shortly after the disappointing season ended, Ford Jr. responded, not by firing Millen as many Detroiters desired, but by firing Steve Mariucci and most of his staff and hiring hard-nosed, long time Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach Rod Marinelli. Ford also hired St. Louis Rams Super Bowl winning offensive guru Mike Martz and Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning defensive specialist Donnie Henderson.

In the brute opinions of many in Motown, Marinelli, Martz and Henderson have absolutely no excuses for failing to turn this talent loaded but discipline lacking franchise around quickly. The way things are looking now these three men are doing all they can to accomplish this feat.

Marinelli and Co. seems to have brought toughness, a sense of urgency, and a no-excuses mentality with them to Motown. But as refreshing as these characteristics may seem, Lion fans have heard tough pre-season talk and walk before from each and every one of Marinelli’s predecessors.

At this point to Lion fans, talk is cheap. Action is paramount.

In other words, it is imperative that Marinelli and Co. quickly reverse the engines on its football ship heading towards the Port of Peril, change course, and head towards the same city as its Motown counterparts – the City of Champions.

And they must do it quickly before their ship runs out of fuel, rusts beyond repair and sinks to the bottom of the ocean of eternal hideousness.

Time for the Pistons to Part Ways With Rasheed Wallace

Rasheed Wallace's display of abysmal behavior during last nights 98-83 loss to the Miami Heat should serve as grounds for dismissal from the Pistons once the season is over.

Fox Sports columnist Charley Rosen, best explained Wallace's all too common behavior :

"The only Piston who was true to form was R. Wallace — and only because he reverted to his psycho-mode. He was so upset about not getting sufficient post-up opportunities that during a second-quarter timeout, he sat on the scorer's table while, 30-feet away, the rest of his teammates gathered around Flip Saunders. Shortly thereafter, when Rasheed was summoned to the bench after picking up his second foul, he angrily waved off his coach's proffered hand. When he finally took his seat, Wallace complained to a teammate about the injustice of being yanked so early with so few fouls. Then, just before the second half commenced, Rasheed loudly cursed the referees."

As many NBA and Piston fans alike recognize, Wallace's behavior was not a once in a while phenomenon - it is an everyday phenomenon.

And while other Piston players will not publicly admit it, Wallace, with both his behavior and sketchy play, is serving as a weak link on a Championship caliber team.

And it is time Piston owner Bill Davidson, whom is the same person that canned Larry Brown when Brown's selfish behavior and personal agenda, nearly led to the early demise of the defending champions last season, to begin seeking trades for Wallace before he divides and conquers and damages the Pistons beyond repair.

Davidson certainly has many options.

Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett has already expressed his frustration with his subpar team, and has great respect for his former coach Flip Saunders. Trading Garnett to Detroit for Wallace along with Carlos Delfino to reconnect him with Saunders would make sense. Garnett would not only slip right into Wallace's forward position alongside Tayshaun Prince, but he would also bring consistency to both ends of the hardwood but without consistently childlike behavior to include barking at the officials.

If a trade for Garnett does not work out, Antonio McDyess, who has seemed to return to greatness after suffering a potential career ending knee injury, could slip into Wallace's position as the starter and subsequently open the door for a multitude of other trades for a player or players possessing solid three-point shooting ability. This would also open the door for promising Cincinatti alumini Jason Maxiell, ie Baby Ben Wallace, and California standout Amir Johnson to earn some playing time for the Pistons.

The options for Wallace are endless.

And if Davidson and Piston President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars were smart - which they are - they would begin to look into trading Wallace before he rips apart the very core that he helped accentuate upon his arrival in the Motor City.

Because if Davidson and Dumars do not strike to control Wallace, especially after last nights adolescent behavior, or trade him at seasons end, the legacy that is this Piston team, will forever be tarnished.

James M. Morisette covers the Detroit Pistons for RealGm. He can be contacted at jamesmorisette@yahoo.com

Grievance With Fox Sports Network

During the course of the past year, Fox Sports, in association with McDonalds launched "The Next Great Sportswriter (NGS) Competition." However, after two NGS, this contest seems to be less a search for a great sportswriter, and more a ploy to generate ratings and hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more.

The Fox Sports website has succeeded in duping thousands of people to sign up and consisently blog on the website in hopes of becoming one of the top 16 contestants. However NGS leadership, without explanation, has chosen very questionable contestants to be finalists. For example, one contestant wrote three blogs over the course of a few months that were not considered by the masses to be of high quality.

Two more were selected but were replaced because of the fact they were not old enough to compete. Another contestant was found guilty of plagiarism.

The examples go on and on.

The point being is that, while Fox sports leadership argues we should be grateful for them providing us a place to showcase our writing and entertainment skills, the fact remains that the organization has not taken the necessary steps to assure fairness, nor has it taken the fact that many bloggers take their writings very seriously and spend countless time researching facts to assure accuracy, nor does its highest leadership respond to questions asked by contestants. As of today, they rely on the NGS I winner to answer bloggers' questions.

The bottom line is that without calling McDonalds and ordering a large NGS contest with moldy cheese, Fox does not generate as much blog attendance, nor does it generate enough ratings to keep up with espn.com and cnnsi.com.But in generating great ratings, Fox sports has utterly disregarded ethics as well as the feelings of others.

Puppet No Longer

Written May 24th, 2006

I came to a realization today that most modern sportswriters, as well as columnists employeed by non-sporting mainstream media outlets, have made a sheer and utter mockery of the First Amendment by negatively living off the coat-tails of those whom were blessed with particular gifts.

It seems that to many modern columnists, superstars - regardless of profession - are no longer human beings, but machines who must operate at full speed at all times or face the bitterly negative consequences.

In other words, today's mainstream media eagerly waits for, and in some cases provokes the gifted to make mistakes so its columnists can abuse their own god given gifts to write columns begrudging normally good human beings for making a particular comment, making a human judgment error, or partaking in a bad performance.

Take Charley Rosen of Fox Sports for example.

In his most recent article, he absolutely ripped to pieces a normally resolved Detroit Pistons team for their performance last night versus Miami. To Rosen, there were absolutely no excuses for why Detroit played so poorly. To Rosen, the fact that the fatigue in the psyches' and legs of the Pistons was apparent after winning a 7 game dogfight over Cleveland meant absolutely nothing. To Rosen, athletes must not be human. They must be machines. And it is sad because it is articles like this that crushes the excellency of one of the most progressive sports in this nation.

But here's the irony in things like this. The same writers like Rosen whom consistently bark at the insufficient, as well as those whom constantly bemoan immorality amongst superstars, are the same writers whom violate ethics and morality every single day of their careers by feeding the disease that is called American ignorance.

These people feed off busy people like my father, who is a Detroiter who works 70 hour weeks making lives better for other people. It used to be that when my dad got time to watch or read the news he would utilize the mainstream media and its quick scandalous blurbs to stay on top of world events. But now, after being burned by news that affected his business, he no longer logs onto that type of stuff. Instead he hits the book store and tries to find time to educate himself during what little downtime he has.

My father is just one of millions of people in this nation whom fall into this trap, and the columnists whom write such garbage make fairly substantial livings off it.

However, I refuse to be one of these people. And so should you.

This is why it is important you realize that Fox Sports, as well as the "Next Great Sportswriter" contest that comes with it, is nothing more than a manipulative scam.

Fox sports leadership may argue that we should be grateful for them providing us a place to showcase our writing and entertainment skills.

But do not be fooled - especially you new bloggers.

The relationship between Fox Sports and its loyal bloggers is parasitic at best. While it is true Fox gives us a place to write, Fox also receives the opportunity to generate ratings and hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more.

The bottom line is that without calling McDonalds and ordering a large NGS contest with moldy cheese, Fox does not generate as much blog attendance, nor does it generate enough ratings to keep up with espn.com and cnnsi.com.

In other words, each one of us are nothing but puppets in the Fox Sports show.

But I am willing to be a puppet of Fox Sports no longer.

And you should not either.

In retrospect, I take pride in the fact that my articles highlighted the positives in people and organizations. Most people whom have read my writings serve as witnesses to this fact. Not one of my articles served to demonize any athlete and most of my articles tied sports to humanity. When I did voice opinion, the opinion was always verfied with statistics and not just bickering.

Ultimately, my desire to highlight goodness in people as opposed to wretchedness is perhaps why I will never be part of Fox Sports, nor any other mainstream media outlet.

But this is ok with me.

And if other people want to sell their souls to become part of the problem in America, that is ok with me as well.

Detroit Tigers Resemble Resilient Pistons

Written May 21st, 2006

The Detroit Tigers (28-14) took a play directly from the Detroit Pistons playbook of resilience last night by coming from behind to defeat the Cincinatti Reds (25-18) in ten innings.
During painful Motown seasons past, if Ken Griffey Jr., or any other opposing batsman for that regard, crushed a grand slam during the seventh inning to give his team the lead, the Tigers would have normally folded.

But not last night.

Last night the Tigers - playing before the fourth largest crowd in Comerica Park history - absorbed the shock and awe caused by watching rookie reliever Joel Joel Zumaya's 100 mph fastball sail into the right center field seats off Kenny G's sweet sounding instrument, before gallantly fighting back in the bottom of the ninth inning.

With two outs and a 2-1 count, Tiger Center Fielder Curtis Granderson took on the role of Piston All Star point guard Chauncey Billups by hitting a big shot down the left field line off Reds closer David Weathers to tie the game at 6, thus sending the heated contest into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th inning, Fernando Rodney, who is slowly becoming the Tigers version of Ben Wallace, came in for Jaime Walker and slammed the door on the Reds.

During the bottom of the dramatic tenth inning, Weathers, throwing before 43,138 hooting and hollaring baseball fans, beaned Tiger Shortstop Carlos Guillen on the left foot, then allowed Guillen to steal second base shortly before walking First Baseman Chris Shelton. With runners on first and second, Dimitri Young hit a bullet of a ground ball to second basemen Brandon Phillips who made a sparkling, momentarily game saving play by knocking the ball down and forcing Shelton out at second. But unfortunately for Cincinatti, Phillips play sacrifice would be in vein, for shortly afterwards, Craig Monroe hit a seemingly normal ground ball to shortstop Felipe Lopez. However after routinely scooping up the baseball, strangely hesitated before throwing both the ball past first baseman Rich Aurilia to give the Tigers the victory.

The Tigers victory over Cincinatti was certainly a great victory for the long impoverished Tigers baseball team.

It was also a great victory for the City of Detroit. People living in and abroad Motown have not seemed to be this excited about baseball in years. Not since the early 90s when the triple entante of Cecil Fielder, Mickey Tettleton and Rob Deer sent Tiger fans home happy half the time by hitting monstrous game winning home runs, have Tiger fans had something to consistently cheer about.

But while the Tiger teams of the early 90s were fun to watch, this seasons Tiger team possesses solid pitching to back up its potent bats.

This alone is something for Tiger fans to celebrate.

Manny Ramirez Threatens Homerun Record

Written May 20th, 2006

While baseball fans throughout this nation praise or persecute Barry Bonds for tying Babe Ruth for second on the all time home run leader board today, another home run record deemed once untouchable is being seriously threatened – the all time grand slam record.

The current owner of this record is long time New York Yankee first baseman and Cooperstown Hall of Fame member Lou Gehrig.

Gehrig, whose record of 23 career grand slams has stood for nearly 70 years, is being severely threatened by Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.

Ramirez, who turns 34 years old on May 30th, passed Eddie Murray for second on the all time grand slam list on July 5th 2005 when he hit the 20th grand slam of his career off then Texas Rangers starting pitcher Chris Young. This leaves Ramirez, a 14-year MLB veteran, just three grand slams shy of breaking one of the most heralded baseball players of all time.

With 20 grand slams during 14 years of MLB action, one cannot discount the idea that Ramirez will eventually smash Gehrig’s record.

If Ramirez stays relatively healthy and continues to uphold his 1.4 grand slams per year average, he should break the Iron Man's record sometime during the 2008 MLB campaign.
And ironically, just as this piece is near completion, Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 15th grand slam of his career off Tiger relief pitcher Joel Zumaya during the 7th inning at Comerica Park in Detroit. Also ironic is that with this home run, Kenny G is just one grand slam shy of tying Babe Ruth’s career record.

Hell Freezing Over?

Written May 19th, 2006

Today, Detroit News columnist John Wisely reported that the FBI is chasing a credible lead from an 80 year old mafia jailbird who says he knows where Jimmy Hoffa's dead body is located.

Upon reading this article, I thought: "ok the Edmonton Oilers stun-gunned the Red Wings, the Pistons are about to get knocked off by the Cavs, the Tigers have the best record in all of baseball, and now the FBI is about to find Hoffa? All America needs now is for the Lions to win the Super Bowl and we will truly begin to believe that Hell has officially frozen over. And if the long impoverished Clippers win the NBA Championship, I will be whole-heartedly convinced.

Hotlanta Braves

Just when the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies think the Atlanta Braves are primed to fade into the deepest realms of the National League East division, and subsequently relinquish its 14-year, iron-fisted grip on post-season play, Chipper Jones and Co. find itself back in the hunt for the crown.

Thanks to hot hitting from Edgar Renteria, Jeff Francoeur, and the Jones' brothers; as well as solid pitching from John Smoltz and Oscar Villarreal, the Braves (21-20) have won 9 of its last 11 games and are just 3.5 games back of the first place but struggling Mets.
Of course everyone will hate the Braves even more when Ted Turner inks Dontrelle Willis to a long-term deal.

Chestnuts and Hot Dogs

Congratulations to San Jose State Engineering pupil Joey "let's jock Babe Ruth some more" Chestnut for breaking Sonny Thomas' U.S. hot dog eating record by eating 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes. It is always great to see Americans' aspiring to accomplish great things in this world.

The Napoleonic Bonapistons and Dallas Terrylessavericks

Chauncey and Co. need to crush Lebron and Co. tonight before the Pistons find themselves entering summer hot dog eating competitions.

Mav's boxer Jason Terry says the Mavs will defeat the San Antonio Spurs tonight regardless of his absence from the lineup. The Spurs on the other hand, said something about smelling blood, taking it back to San Antonio for game 7 - something like that.

Defense Department Goes Bionic

Written May 19th, 2006

If the U.S Defense Department (DOD), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and the University of Utah (UT) have its way, predicaments like those faced by Chubbs Peterson in the movie Happy Gilmore may prove to be a thing of the past.

According to Live Science Editor Rob Britt, the DOD, specifically the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has empowered and funded JHU’s Applied Physics Lab to research the feasibility of engineering a fully motional, lifelike bionic arm to improve quality of life for those with prosthetic and amputated limbs.

Within this bionic arm lays what UT researchers call a peripheral nerve stimulator. “The implanted device would relay nerve impulses wirelessly from what’s left of a limb to a computer worn on the person’s belt,” writes Britt. “From there, the signals would be routed to [the] bionic arm and back to the remainder of the amputated arm, where they would then flow naturally back to the brain.”

The successful creation of a bionic arm, as well as other subsequent limbs, may not only represent a major breakthrough in the medical community, but they may also provide war, accident, and disease debilitated amputees, new leases on life.

More interestingly, bionic limbs may provide amputee athletes the ability to return to the playing surface with much less frustration than what American Paralympic Champion Rudy Garcia-Tolson had to endure.

This breakthrough may even open the floodgates for more advanced limb engineering like indistinguishable to the naked eye type limbs with electrically stimulated muscles to help athletes return to sports like baseball, hockey, and basketball.

Of course to worldwide skeptics, these real life resembling limbs may seem to be nothing but a far-fetched, made for Hollywood dream.

But if dreamers in the medical community keep making progress in the realm of limb generation, the next Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, or Randy Johnson may very well be a former amputee turned bionic man.

The Napoleonic Bonapistons

Written May 16th, 2006

During an era where most NBA playoff rosters are just one or two players away from being equal, it is imperative that teams, regardless of greatness, maintain the same unwavering persistence on the road as they do at home.

While it is true that the third game of any playoff series, regardless of sport, can prove difficult for any road team to win, what separates good teams from great teams in the NBA is that great teams eagerly respond to game three road losses by taking all necessary measures to counter the opponents strategy before plowing pathways to game four victories.

Unless you are the Detroit Pistons.

During the course of the past few playoff years, and especially during this second round series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, it seems as if Rasheed Wallace and the Sunshine Band have grown accustomed to making is faithful and already high blood-pressured followers sweat profusely, choke on pretzel sticks and potato chips, and fire half empty beer cans, nasty explicatives, and rhetorical questions like “why can’t you guys sweep a damn team for once!” at television screens.

Last night’s despicably lackluster and inexcusable road performance against Lebron and Company provides concrete evidence to support this argument.

There are absolutely no valid excuses for the Pistons shooting an abysmal 33 percent from the field, turning the basketball over 14 times, and not feeding the ball inside to the powerful towers that be; nor are there any valid excuses for Piston defenders not sticking a hand or two in Donyell Marshall’s and Eric Snow’s face, for the Wallace brothers not making Anderson Varejao’s life a living hell, for the entire Piston team to collapse down the stretch for the second game in a row, and for Flip Saunders allowing one man to dictate the outcome of the game.
And now, the second round series that was supposed to be over in four games is now tied at two games apiece.

With that said the question becomes, why do the Pistons do this? Why does this highly talented, camaraderie laden basketball team struggle during mid-series playoff games when it seems as if it has the series in hand?

The answer to this question is this: This current Pistons team has Napoleon Complex, otherwise known as the unwillingness to perform up to expectations until gathering enough “us against the world,” engine burning fuel to allow the team to roar down playoff roads past mediocre opponents.

Hopefully the stout whooping the Cavaliers put on the Pistons last night has fueled Flip and Rip and the b-ball boys of Motown to rev up its powerful engines tomorrow night at the Palace of Auburn Hills and race off to a 3-2 series lead.

Because if the Pistons lose, they will be just one loss away from being forced to join the same organization as this years Red Wings hockey team – the heavily favored but failed club.

Great Deliverance of Homerun Milestones

Written May 15th, 2006

According to a recently published article titled, The Overshadowing of Baseball Legends, a handful of professional baseball franchises and individual players have existed throughout the course of history that, despite compiling great season records and career statistics, are best remembered for taking part in activities deemed to be negative by societal and sporting standards at the time. Included in this piece to support this opinion are Roger Maris, Bill Buckner, Ted Williams, and the 1919 Chicago “Black” Sox.

Excluded from this article however, were two lesser-known Major League pitchers whose individual legacies are best defined, not by accomplishing milestone pitching statistics, but by granting milestone homeruns to legendary batsmen.

The first victim in this category is Bert Cole.

Cole was born in 1896 in San Francisco California and broke into the Big Leagues with the Detroit Tigers as a 6 ‘1, 180 lb left-handed hurler in 1921.

On July 18th that year, Cole, while pitching for the Tigers at Navin Field, watched a strapping, 26-year-old New York Yankee outfielder named Babe Ruth stroll up to home plate and, after the working the count in his favor, hit the 139th homerun of his career.

The significance of Ruth’s 139th homerun, although not recognized at the time, lie in the fact that it officially moved him into first place on the all time homerun list ahead of Hall of Fame slugging New York Giant first baseman Roger Connor.

Connor is significant because baseball historians not only recognize him as the 19th Century homerun king, but they also revere him as being the first ballplayer to hit a grand slam in Big League history as well as being the first player to hit a homerun over the wall at the monstrous Polo Grounds in New York.

As many baseball fans know, Ruth went on to smash Connor’s homerun record with 714 homeruns before retiring from baseball in May 1935.

Cole went on to pitch for five more seasons with Detroit after granting Ruth’s record-breaking homerun. During his short-lived career, Cole compiled a 28-32 record with 119 strikeouts and a 4.67 ERA. His best season took place in 1923 when he went 13-5 with 32 K's and a 4.14 ERA.
Thirty years after Ruth hit his record-breaking homerun, another big league left-hander named Al Downing made his Major League debut with the New York Yankees.

Seventeen years after throwing his 1st big league pitch, Downing, who also pitched also pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers; retired with a 123-107 overall record, along with 1,639 strikeouts and a 3.22 ERA. Downing also earned a trip to the All Star game in Detroit 1967 and had his best season in 1971, going 20-9 with 136 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, and a 2.68 ERA.

But unfortunately for Downing, he will always be remembered for granting Hank Aaron his 715th homerun, thus allowing him to pass Babe Ruth as the homerun king of the 20th Century.

May 15th: A Pitcher Perfect Day

Written May 15th, 2006

May 15th not only marks the beginning of Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak, War Admiral’s 1937 Preakness victory over Pompoon, and the establishment of the New York Rangers; but it also marks the accomplishment of no-hitters by Virgil “Fire” Trucks of the Detroit Tigers and Don Cardwell of the Chicago Cubs; as well as a perfect game by Cleveland Indians hurler Len “Big Donkey” Barker.

Trucks, who was a World War II veteran as well as a World Series Champion, fired his no-hitter in 1952, winning a 1-0 affair versus the Washington Nationals.

But here is where things get interesting.

Trucks fired a second no-hitter during that same season against the eventual 1952 World Series Champion NewYork Yankee club - inside the House that Ruth Built. To put things in perspective, only five other teams in professional baseball history have fired no-hitters against the Yankees; and not since 1958 has one team accomplished the same.

The most interesting thing about Trucks’s two no-hitters is that they both occurred during the most abysmal season of his 17-year career. Trucks, who finished his career with a combined record of 177-135 along with 1,535 strikeouts and a 3.39 ERA, finished the 1952 season with just 5 wins and 19 losses and a 3.97 ERA.

But hey, when one is the uncle of Butch Trucks – the founding member of the Allman Brothers Band – one can get away with one season of miserable pitching.

Next on the list of May 15th no-hitter hurlers is 6-4 right-hander Don Cardwell. This Winston Salem North Carolina native achieved his no-no in 1960 against the St. Louis Cardinals during his first start after being shipped to Chicago by the Philadelphia Phillies. While Caldwell accumulated a mediocre at best 102-183 record along with 1,211 strikeouts and a 3.92 ERA, he did help the Amazin Mets conquer Brooks Robinson and the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 5 games during the 1969 World Series.

Last but not least, Tribe hurler “Big Donkey” Barker achieved perfection 25 years ago today versus Danny Ainge, George Bell and the Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Stadium. Barker went on to play in the All Star game that season but did not accomplish much more afterwards – 74-76 with a 4.34 ERA to be exact.

Regardless of mediocrity, Barker will forever be etched in baseball immortality as one of just 17 pitchers in baseball history to achieve a perfect game.

And May 15th will forever be remembered as a pitcher perfect day.

Pitching Key to Tigers' Resurgence

Written May 14th, 2006

The Detroit Tigers franchise and its faithful followers are currently witnessing something that has not been seen in the city since 1984 – solid pitching.

Not since the glory days when hurlers like Jack Morris, Dan Petry, and Willie Hernandez roamed the historic baseball grounds at Michigan and Trumbull have the Tigers boasted a better team pitching record.

Coming into today’s third and final game of an AL Central Divisional series versus the Cleveland Indians, the Tigers own a Major League leading team ERA of 3.32. This is .17 points lower than the league leading 3.49 ERA achieved by the 1984 World Series winning Tiger team.

More impressively, Detroit possess the lowest ERA in the league amongst both starting and relieving pitchers. They are also ranked first in shutouts (6), first in On Base Average percentage (.297) and third behind the New York Yankees and Florida Marlins in homeruns given up (29).

But most importantly, Tiger hurlers - unlike years past - have proven their ability to consistently throw strikes. They are currrently ranked third in the Majors behind the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox with just 97 walked batsmen. By comparison, the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff, which is the worst pitching staff in the Majors at this point, have walked 164 batters. Detroit's starting pitchers alone have walked just 67 batters in 225 2/3 innings.

So who is responsible for the Tigers pitching transformation?

Some say that team General Manager Dave Dombrowski has helped the cause by remaining patient with a powerful but youthful pitching staff and also by signing veteran left-handed hurler Kenny Rogers during the off season.

Others argue new Tigers skipper Jim Leyland, with his disciplinarian, every game matters approach, is responsible for the the team's quick turnaround.

Some even say veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez has greatly helped his pitchers by giving them confidence to battle any batter standing at the plate regardless of past outcomes.

While all these arguments are certainly valid, no one can deny the tremendous impact new pitching coach Chuck Hernandez has had on his core of hurlers.

Hernandez, who came to Detroit from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when skipper Lou Pinella saddled up and rode out of town, has instilled a sense of pride and has stressed the importance of proper pre-game preparation within his young guns.

Under Hernandez’s watch, the Tigers pitching staff looks less like Charlie Sheen and Company during the early part of Major League II and more like Maverick, Ice Man and fellow fighter pilots in the movie Top Gun, sitting in a dark briefing room on the aircraft carrier shortly before conquering the Soviets during a heated dog fight.

Ok maybe not exactly.

But Hernandez has been successful thus far in collecting critical intelligence on opposing American League batters as indicated in an article penned by MLB Reporter Jason Beck. After highlighting exploitable weaknesses in this acquired intelligence, Hernandez, like a military general briefs his troops prior to key battle, briefs his pitchers and catchers on what he discovered shortly before helping them use their strengths on the mound and behind the plate to emerge victorious during every baseball game.

And thus far, Hernandez’s vigilant intelligence work has paid off – especially for the starting pitchers. For example, Kenny Rogers, with 6 wins and 2 losses, is tied with New York Yankee ace Mike Mussina for the most victories in baseball. He also has a 3.23 ERA and has walked just 13 batters in 53 innings pitched. Mike Maroth, who is the pitcher who accumulated a 9-21 record and 5.73 ERA in 2003, has been equally as impressive. He is currently 4-2 with a league second best 2.55 ERA. Jeremy Bonderman, who is also 4-2, owns a 3.74 ERA and, like Rogers, has walked just 13 batters in 53 innings pitched. Nate Robertson is 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA, and finally, Justin Verlander, a right-handed fireball pitcher who averages 98 mph on the radar gun, prides a 4-3 record, 3.77 ERA, and has struck out 27 batters in 43 innings of work.

Detroit’s relief pitching staff, led by Fernando Rodney (1-1, 1.69 ERA, 15 Ks in 16 innings), Jaime Walker (0-0, 1.04 ERA, 10 Ks in 8.2 innings, 0 walks), and rookie Joel Zumaya (1-0, 2.93 ERA, 19 Ks in 15.1 innings), have been equally impressive.

And lets not forget closer Todd Jones.

Jones, who had been released by the Tigers a few years ago only to be re-signed a few years later, has cashed in on 9 of 10 save opportunities. He is just 4 saves short of tying Boston Red Sox league leading closer Jonathan Papelbon (13 saves) for the Major League lead.

However, while the Tiger pitching staff has reigned supreme during the course of the first 36 games, the question is, will they be able to sustain their consistency over the course of a 162 game season. Some argue they will like the Oakland Athletics did a few years ago. Some argue they will follow the same fate as last years Baltimore Orioles.

Regardless of opinion, Detroit's early successful pitching is good for the long struggling baseball city that is Detroit. And it is good for baseball as well.

Motor City Calling Stackhouse?

Written May 12th, 2006

If the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons continue to play as efficiently as they have been throughout the remainder of this season's NBA playoffs, both franchises may very well find themselves going toe to toe with one another during the NBA Finals.

Should this happen, Dallas sharp shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse will face off with the same ballplayer he was traded for in 2002 – Piston All Star guard Rip Hamilton.

On September 11th, 2002 Stackhouse was shipped to the Washington Wizards by new Piston President of Operations Joe Dumars as part of a six-player deal that brought Hamilton to Detroit.

Being traded from by a 50-32, division winning Piston franchise to a rebuilding Wizards franchise did not sit well with Stackhouse at the time. “I was just disappointed,” said Stackhouse during an interview on his fan website. “I had to leave a fan base that had grown with me since I’d been there and who had been just unbelievably great for me.”

But nearly four years later, things seem to be going well for both Stackhouse and Hamilton.
Since being traded by Michael Jordan and the Wizards to the Mavericks in 2004, Stackhouse has averaged 18 points and 3.3 assists per game coming off the bench. He has also played a major role in the success of this seasons 60 win Mavericks team during the playoffs, averaging 15 points and 1.5 assists in 30 minutes of action per game. More impressively, during the first two semi-final games versus the San Antonio Spurs, Stackhouse has averaged 21 points and is averaging 57 percent from behind the arc on 4-7 shooting.

Hamilton has been equally impressive for the 64-18 Pistons. Since becoming a starter in 2002, he has averaged 19 points and 3.7 assists. And despite being hobbled by an ankle injury during this year’s playoffs, Hamilton has averaged 20.6 points and 3.6 assists per game in 36 minutes of action per game.

But most importantly, Hamilton has also won an NBA Title.

And in order for Stackhouse and the Mavericks to conquer the Larry O'Brien Trophy, they may have to go through Hamilton and the Pistons to do it.

The NBA's Four Quadruple-Doublers

Written May 11th, 2006

One of the most difficult feats to accomplish in professional basketball is the quadruple-double, or the compilation of double digits in four box score categories. In fact, it is so difficult that only four basketball players since the days of peach baskets have been able to conquer it. These players are Nathan “Nate” Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson.

Conquerer of the Quadruple Double

Naismith Hall of fame Center/Forward Nate Thurmond was the first professional basketball player in the history of the game to accomplish a quadruple-double.

According to the NBA Encyclopedia, Thurmond, a 6-11, 235 lb Akron Ohio native who was drafted third overall by the San Francisco Warriors in 1963, “provided the best mix of offense and defense in basketball history… With quickness and long hands, a smooth outside shooting touch, tenacious defense, classic shot blocking ability, and a total team attitude, Thurmond offered a perfectly balanced package.”

During his 10-year stint with the San Francisco turned Golden State Warriors, Thurmond averaged over 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game and helped propel them to the NBA Finals.

However the Warriors – a franchise known for historically ignorant roster moves – did not embrace the same opinion as basketball historians at the time. The same organization that shipped Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in 64-65 only to have the move come back to haunt them during the 66-67 NBA Finals, dealt Thurmond to the Chicago Bulls in 1974.
Thurmond was obviously ticked off about the move because during his debut with the Bulls on September 18th, 1974 he torched the Atlanta Hawks for 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocked shots, thus making him the proud owner of professional basketball’s first quadruple-double.

While Thurmond never won an NBA Title, he is considered by the NBA to be one of its top 50 players in history. The seven time All Star is also considered one of the greatest centers to play the game. During his 14-year career, Thurmond averaged 15.0 points, 15.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. The Cleveland Cavaliers, which was Thurmond’s third and final ballclub, retired his number 42 in 1988.

Today, Thurmond owns and operates a well-known restaurant in San Francisco called Big Nate’s Barbeque.

The Journeyman

Nearly 10 years after Nate Thurmond achieved the first quadruple-double, the San Antonio Spurs, with the 7th pick in the 1984 draft, selected 6-3 185 lb Olympic Gold winning point guard Alvin Robertson from the University of Arkansas.

Robertson, who was known throughout the league as a lightning quick, versatile and defensively sound but sometimes itchy-fingered guard did not take long to make his presence felt.
After getting his feet wet in his rookie season in 1985, Robertson earned his first All Star appearance as well as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1986 after posting averages of 17.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.7 steals.
But to basketball historians and ardent Phoenix Suns fans Robertson is best known for his quadruple-double performance on February 18th 1986. During that game Robertson registered 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals for the Spurs in a 120-114 victory over the Suns.

Robertson went on to play 8 more NBA seasons and made 3 more All Star appearances after his outstanding performance. During his 10-year career, he averaged 14 points, 5 assists, and 2.7 steals per contest and is recognized as being the first player to score for the Toronto Raptors, the first player Shaquille O’Neill took a swing at in the NBA, and last but not least, the man who served a one year prison sentence for taking a swing or two (or three) at his ex-girlfriend.

Living the Dream

Seven ft 255 lb Nigerian native Hakeem Olajuwon is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best Center ever to play the game of basketball.

After playing with Clyde Drexler at the University of Houston, Olajuwon was selected first in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets ahead of Michael Jordan (3rd), Charles Barkley (5th) and John Stockton (16th).

While Houston’s pick seemed somewhat questionable at the time, Olajuwon certainly did not disappoint.

During his rookie season, Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.68 blocks per game; and in 1985 he finished second to Michael Jordan in the chase for Rookie of the Year honors.

In 1986, Olajuwon – with his 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.4 blocks per game averages – helped guide the Rockets to the NBA finals before losing to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Over the course of the next 8 years years following the loss to Boston, the Houston franchise slipped into a world of mediocrity, making it no further in the playoffs than the Western Conference Semis.

Meanwhile, Olajuwon, began to earn solid reputation of being a great clutch performer, great shot blocker, and a a fierce competitor.

And the NBA took notice.

Between 1986 and 1994 Olajuwon earned All NBA Team Honors 8 times, All NBA Defensive First Team Honors 5 times and 2 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards, He also appeared in 7 NBA All Star games, and earned both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

While all of Olajuwon’s accomplishments during this stretch of mediocrity were undoubtedly extraordinary, nothing topped two of the most amazing performances of his career – performances that occurred just twenty-six days apart from one another.

On March 3rd 1990, Olajuwon seemingly became just the third NBA player in history to record a quadruple-double when he compiled 29 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks versus Chris Mullin and the Golden State Warriors. Shortly after the game ended however, league officials corrected a statistical error on their part and relinquished one of Olajuwon’s assists leaving him with 9 and nothing more than a monstrous triple-double.

Olajuwon, feeling denied perhaps, dramatically entered the NBA record books 26 days later on March 29th when he earned 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks against none other than Alvin Robertson and the Milwaukee Bucks. Olajuwon’s performance that night is still considered by many to be one of the greatest in NBA history.

Olajuwon and the Rockets eventually went on to win the NBA Title four years later by defeating Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks in Houston in a memorable seven game series.

Olajuwon was a catalyst in the game six victory at Madison Square Garden in New York, scoring 25 points, snatching 10 rebounds, and blocking John Starks game winning three point attempt with two seconds left to secure the seventh and deciding game in Houston. Olajuwon was bestowed NBA Finals MVP Honors.

The following season Olajuwon, with newly acquired Clyde Drexler at his side once again, helped Houston win a second consecutive NBA Championship. Olajuwon also earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.

In 1996 Olajuwon played along side basketball legends Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neil, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and others as a member of the 1996 Summer Olympic Basketball Gold Medal winning Dream Team III. That same year, the NBA recognized Olajuwon as one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

Olajuwon went on to play seven more seasons in the NBA after winning the gold medal in Atlanta. During the course of his illustrious 18-year career Olajuwon, a 12 time All-Star and 12 time All NBA Team member, averaged 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.09 blocks and 2.5 assists per game. His number 34 hangs in the rafters at the Toyota Center in Houston and will eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Admiral

Perhaps one of Hakeem Olajuwon’s fiercest NBA rivals was U.S. Naval Academy Graduate and Key West Florida native turned San Antonio Spur superstar David Robinson.
Robinson, who was the first player selected in the 1987 NBA Draft, gave his new and struggling Spurs team an instant shot in the arm upon arrival in 1989 after filling his two year military service commitment with the Navy. During Robinson’s rookie season, the Spurs went from worst to First in the Western Conference’s Midwest Division with a 56-26 record before falling in the second round to Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trailblazers in a hard fought seven game series.

Much like Olajuwon, Robinson suffered through several more successful regular but disappointing playoff seasons before finally winning the NBA Championship – ironically over the New York Knicks in 1999.

Robinson also compiled similar statistics, honors, and Olympic Gold Medals as Olajuwon; in addition to earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors and a scoring title. And much like Olajuwon, Robinson accomplished a quadruple-double, making him the fourth and most recent to do so.
Robinson accomplished his quadruple-double on February 17th 1994 by amassing 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against Grant Hill and the Detroit Pistons.

Eight years and two NBA championship rings later, Robinson retired from the NBA with per game averages of 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.5 assists. His number 50 hangs from the rafters at the SBC Communications Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Barnburner in the Bronx

Written May 10th, 2006

While it is true that the 2006 Major League Baseball season is still in its infancy, the atmosphere within the confines of the House that Ruth Built will be electric tonight when Mike Mussina takes to the hill for the New York Yankees (18-12) against Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox (20-12).

The Yankees will look to bounce back and tie the series at a game a piece a little less than twenty-four hours after Yankee Owner George Steinbrenner unloaded on his ill-hitting, sloppily playing team via the media after being torched by the Red Sox 13-4.

Mussina, who currently boasts a 5-1 record, 42 strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA, will duel with Schilling (5-1, 45 strikeouts, 3.02 ERA). Both Mussina and Schilling are currently tied for first in the Majors in victories and rank in the top ten in the league in both strikeouts and ERA.

Another player who will be looking to bounce back tonight is Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez. During last night's shellacking, Rodriguez went 0-3 and committed two errors at third base. So far this season, Rodriguez is hitting .259 with 6 homeruns and 24 RBIs.

A victory by the Yankees will propel the club into a first place tie with the Red Sox in the consistently seesawing American League East Division.

Ben Wallace Headed For the Hall of Fame?

Written May 9th, 2006

Yesterday evening the Associated Press (AP) reported that veteran Detroit Piston Center Ben Wallace has, for the fourth time in his career, has earned the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

By earning this prestigious award, Wallace has not only won for the fourth time in five years, but he has also tied Houston Rocket reserve center Dikembe Mutombo for the most top defensive award honors in NBA history.

One of the most interesting quotes taken from this article streamed from the mouth of Detroit Piston President of Basketball Operations slash newly inducted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars.

"I didn't get to see [Bill] Russell or [Wilt] Chamberlain, but I can't remember a guy that wreaks so much havoc of the court like Ben does," said Dumars, "[Hakeem] Olajuwon and Mutombo were both great defenders, but they only guarded centers. Ben can basically guard 1s (point guards) through 5s (centers), and the closest guy I saw do that was Dennis Rodman.”
Of course all the names Dumars mentioned in this statement are memorable ones. Chamberlain and Russell are both members of the Hall of Fame; Olajuwon becomes eligible for the Hall in 2007; and Mutombo, as stated earlier, still plays for the Rockets. He too will become a viable candidate for the hall five years after he retires.

And while nobody can dispute Dennis Rodman's outstanding defensive accomplishments, this five time NBA champion may not earn a spot within the Hall because of the irrefutable damage he caused to the image of the game of basketball.

This leaves Ben Wallace.

While it is true that Big Ben's offensive statistics are subpar (6.6 points, 1.3 assists, 1.03 turnovers per game), his statistics on the defensive end of the floor are superb.
During his ten-year NBA career, Wallace, a four time All Star, has averaged 11.3 rebounds, 2.21 blocks, and 1.34 steals per game.

According to NBA.com, Wallace currently ranks in the top ten in every NBA defensive category for his position. For example, Wallace is ranked:

1st in Offensive Rebounds Per Game (3.7)
2nd in Steals Per Turnover (1.66)
4th in Rebounds Per Game (11.3)
4th in Total Rebounds (923.0)
5th in Defensive Rebounds (622)
5th in Rebounds Per 48 Minutes (15.3)
5th in Blocks (181.0)
6th in Defensive Rebounds Per Game (7.6)
7th in Steals (146.0)
7th in Blocks Per 48 Minutes (3.01)
8th in Defensive Rebounds Per 48 Minutes (10.3)
8th in Steals Per 48 Minutes (2.42)
9th in Blocks Per Game (2.21)
9th in Offensive Rebounds Per 48 Minutes (5.0)
10th in Steals Per Game (1.78)

Besides these statistics, Wallace also possesses the intangibles that seems to be missing from modern professional basketball.

Wallace is the humble heart and soul of a world championship caliber team, as well as a man who works tirelessly on both ends of the floor during each and every contest, and who motivates everybody else on his team to do the same.

But most importantly, Wallace quietly accomplishes each of these missions without angrily waving his hands and demanding respect.

This is because Wallace knows his game speaks for itself.

And that is good enough for him.

And it is good enough for the Pistons as well.

But will Wallace's accomplishments be good enough for those who have final say as to whom is granted passage into the Basketball Hall of Fame?

The answer to this question remains to be seen.

However, if Wallace continues to play the way he has over the course of the past decade, Hall of Fame voters will have no choice but to open basketball's pearly gates and allow both him and his outrageous afro to pass into immortality.

Ace VenHunter: When NBA Playoffs Call

Written May 7th, 2006

Have you ever seen the movie Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls starring slapstick acting genious Jim Carrey? The comedy where, according to the Encyclopedia of Fantasic Film and Television, "following the death of an innocent raccoon in a mountaineering accident, a heartbroken Ace Ventura retreats to a Tibetan monastery," only to be "soon whisked off to Africa by Fulton Greenwood, a representative of the British ambassador to troubled land of Nibia. Ambassador Cadley is concerned that the two local tribes, the [peaceful Wachati] and the [belligerant Wachootoo] are prepared to go to war over the loss of a legendary giant white bat that both tribes consider sacred and it's up to Ace to find the creature and return it to its rightful lair?"

Halfway though this movie, a pivotal scene unfolds when several Wachootoo Tribe members catch Ace Ventura red-handed attempting to sneak into their village to rescue the sacred bat.
As a result, Ace is subsequently forced to literally fight for his life when he goes head to head with the Wachootoo Tribe's mightiest tribal fighter -- a four and a half foot tall, viciously growling, teeth chomping mortal named The Tiny Warrior.

In Living Color television show enthusiasts may recognize The Tiny Warrior better as Tommy Davidson.

During this very humorous fight scene, Ace Ventura, after laughing at the sheer sight of the gnarling midget standing before him, gets pummelled so badly, the normally sacrificial Wachootoo Chief, feels pity for Ace and lets him go without further injury. But not before crushing Ace's ego by telling him he fights like a sissy girl in front of his hooting, hollaring, and poisonous arrow shooting tribesmen.

What does movie have to do with sports you ask?

It has everything to do with sports, for Detroit Piston reserve point guard Lindsey Hunter is the real life version of the Wachootoo's Tiny Warrior.

Hunter, a pesky and inspiring 6 foot 2 inch tall, two time NBA Champion, is considered to be one of the premier defensive players in the NBA. During his 13 year professional career, this 34-year-old journeyman workhorse has earned a highly respected reputation for containing some of the leagues most dangerous scoring threats and also for pressuring foes into turnovers during pivotal times.

Hunter is the kind of basketball player Piston fans love and opposing fans despise. He accomplishes things during games that do not usually appear in the post-game box score. He is the type of player who can enter the game and spark his team when flatness and boredom reigns supreme. He can alter the course of a game with relentless hustle, sheer annoyance, and with something one of the Ten Commandments abhors – theft.

According to NBA statistics, Hunter currently ranks 4th among active NBA players in steals per 48 minutes, and currently ranks 3rd in Piston franchise steals (849) behind Isiah Thomas (1,861) and Joe Dumars (902).

Hunter is also a great defensive advisor to fellow Piston players during team practices. For example, Oakland Press sports columnist Dana Gauruder, in her April 2005 article titled, “Rip the Stopper,” wrote “[Rip] Hamilton attributes his defensive improvement to watching and emulating Hunter, whom [Larry] Brown calls the best defensive guard in the league.”

Offensively speaking, Hunter has also faired fairly well during his career, averaging 9.2 points 1.3 steals and 2.8 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. More interestingly, Hunter ranks 31st among NBA all-time leaders and 2nd among Piston franchise leaders in successful three-point attempts with 1,013. And while inconsistent on the offensive end, Hunter, if abandoned by opposing forces, can and will torch them. His 17 point performance against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of last years NBA Finals, provides sharp evidence to support this assertion.

Hunter may not be the most talented basketball player on the Pistons. But he may be the defensive sharpshooter the Pistons need to hunt down and capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy once again.

In other words, if Lindsey Hunter keeps making opposing guards feel like Ace looks in the photo to the left, the Pistons may have no problems winning the title this season.

Career Notes: The Detroit Pistons selected Lindsey Hunter with the 10th pick in the 1st round of the 1993 NBA draft. After playing his first seven professional campaigns with the Pistons, Hunter signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2001 and then with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002. Shortly after Hunter helped the Lakers win the 2002-2003 NBA Championship, he signed with Toronto as a free agent only to return to Detroit via trade, where he was subsequently instrumental in helping the Pistons defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games during the 2003-2004 NBA Finals.

Gambling His Life Away

Written May 7th, 2006

Earlier this week, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and PGA golfer John Daly both admitted they have problems with compulsive gambling. However, neither Barkley's nor Daly's cases come close to what former Detroit Tiger slugger Cecil Fielder (and father of Milwaukee Brewer first baseman Prince Fielder) has gone through over the course of the past few years.
Cecil's predicament is reflected in the following Detroit News turned USA Today article written by columnist Fred Girard. I thought it would be good to share this article so everyone can see how much damage compulsive gambling can do to finances, families and friends.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2004-10-18-cecil-fielder-troubles_x.htm
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MLB Winds of Playoff Change?

Written May 6th, 2006

Perhaps one of the biggest grievances baseball fans have expressed to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Company over the course of the past few years revolves around the inability of small market teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Tigers to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.

As a result, amongst other things, it seems that baseball fans living in and around small market cities throughout America have seemed to lose interest in watching the grand old game.
While it is true baseball attendance will rise come deep summer, one cannot deny the dip in attendance.

Camden Yards in Baltimore for example, harbors 3,000 less fans per game than it did last season. According to the Associated Press, in an article titled, Orioles have empty feeling at Camden Yards, “it was the third time this season Baltimore set a record low for attendance at a ballpark that not long ago regularly attracted sellout crowds."

Some Baltimoreans say they are refusing the ballpark in protest of much maligned Oriole owner Peter Angelos. This is evident in the launching of websites like http://www.savebaltimorebaseball.com.

Other fans in the city and abroad say they are not going because the Orioles are not performing up to expectation, especially with regard to pitching. The very existence of the Washington Nationals has also entered this equation.

But perhaps the most common beef amongst Oriole fans has really little to do with battles with Angelos and displeasure with insufficiency, but more to do with the seeming improbability of the Orioles making the playoffs, especially when faced with playing in the same division as big market powerhouses like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Of course the wild card does exist for situations like this, but again, if teams like the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays cannot maintain their rabid paces, either the Red Sox or Yankees will earn the wild card, proceed to go, and collect $200 million dollars.

And quite frankly it is not fair to teams like Detroit, Toronto, and anyone who dares finish second in the National League Central Division.

With the aforementioned in mind, what can Bud Selig and Co. do to resolve this problem?

How about changing the current baseball playoff system to an eight-seeded system resembling that of the NBA and NHL, with the exception that the first round of playoff action be a best of five game series?

For example, here is the American League playoff scenario if the season ended today:

* Denotes Division Leaders

1. Chicago White Sox* vs 8. Oakland Athletics
2. New York Yankees* vs 7. Cleveland Indians
3. Texas Rangers* vs 6. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Detroit Tigers vs 5. Boston Red Sox

Here is the National league playoff scenario if the season ended today.

1. New York Mets* vs 8. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Cincinnati Reds* vs 7. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Colorado Rockies* vs 6. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Houston Astros vs 5. St. Louis Cardinals

Imagine the firepower implementing this playoff system would add to the objective of generating more interest in the game of baseball. Imagine the great stories that could be written regarding these respective series. The potential Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tiger series, as well as the Houston Astros/St. Louis Cardinals series would certainly intrigue even the most casual of baseball fans; not to mention the revenue it would create for professional baseball and the small market town it represents.

So what prevents Selig and Co. from implementing this playoff system?

Does it create manning and financial problems for the league?

If the concern is an extended baseball season, why not adopt the philosophy of Mike and Mike on ESPN? They argue that baseball should bring back the weekend double header. By doing this, not only would tradition in regards to maintaining the 162 game season remain in tact, but it would also shorten the days needed to achieve a full regular season.

Regardless of the short-term concerns of changing the MLB playoff system, the positive long-term affects seem to greatly outweigh the negatives.

Hypocrisy?

Written May 4th, 2006

Sporting newspaper columnists, television anchormen, and radio show hosts at all levels seem to be succeeding in their mission of applying kerosene to the already smoldering fire that is the Major League Baseball steroid controversy through the abuse of two of the most cherished First Amendment freedoms our Nation’s Constitution has to offer – Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press.

Since speculative news broke forth to the nation that Barry Bonds and Company were possibly using steroids, these three aforementioned entities have diligently worked around the Greenwich clock to inflame the will of readers, viewers and listeners alike through the usage of scandalous and manipulative comments like, “what kind of selfish people use steroids when they know the type of damage they do to their bodies,” and “what kind of example are these pompous athletes sending to our children by abusing steroids,” and even better, “what kind of message will we the people be sending to our children who play sports if we do not take a stand against steroid abuse.”

The most previously written quote is by far the most humorous of the three mentioned. “What about the children” seems to be the most commonly packaged scam delivered to the eyes of ears of mothers and fathers throughout this nation with children involved with athletics or with anything else involving politics for that matter.

And it is a sheer and utter shame.

So is the fact that same mothers and fathers whom consistently petition the mainstream media hotline to the U.S. Congress to conquer steroid abuse in professional baseball “because of the message it is sending to children;” whom petition Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to place asterisks next to Barry Bonds’s name when he breaks Babe Ruth’s homerun record; and whom petition baseball owners to resist retiring the names of any baseball player who abused steroids; are the same individuals whom hypocritically encourage their own children to embrace the sheer toughness, determination, and excellency possessed by modern professional sporting icons like Curt Schilling, Brett Favre, Steve Yzerman, and Dwayne Wade; all of which take performance enhancing drugs.

That is right.

While men and women serving on Congressional panels fight to prevent steroids from poisoning “one of America’s purest pastimes;” while Bud Selig assures Congress that he will launch a thorough investigation into steroid abuse; while league drug testing personnel examine athlete donated samples in laboratories throughout the nation; and while mainstream media members hammer away at computer keyboards and spit lyrics into microphones glorifying athletes similar to the ones just mentioned; the athletes similar to the ones just mentioned are currently or have in the past, injected or ingested one of the most widely distributed and abused performance enhancing drugs on the market into their own bodies.

These drugs, which are just as dangerous and much more widely abused than steroids, are called painkillers.

And they are destroying sports.

For those who do not know, two tiers of pain -killers exist on the market.

First tier (non-prescribed) painkillers are used for minor aches, pains, colds, headaches, and muscular pain. These painkillers include Anacin, Advil, Aleve, Bayer, Bufferin, Excedrin, Motrin, and Tylenol amongst others.

Second tier (prescribed) painkillers are the drugs generating the most heated debate within medical communities, International and Federal Governments, and within professional athletics with regards to potency, to whom and how much to properly prescribe, and how to best control illegal distribution. Prescribed painkillers include Demerol, Vicodin, Lorcet Plus, Percocet, Percodan Oxycontin, Dilaudid, etc.

Prescribed drugs are also the drugs being most widely abused throughout the professional athletic community. The seriousness of this problem is indicated in an article filed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Paragraph two of this article states that the “abuse of certain prescription drugs and controlled substances such as painkillers and steroids, has become an increasingly widespread problem in the USA, leading to dangerous abuse, addiction, and sometimes fatalities.”

The article proceeds to say that “according to data collected by the Drug Abuse Warning Network (WARN), since 1995 the number of drug abuse related emergency room visits involving pain relievers such as Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin and Darvon have increased 153 percent (from 42, 857 to 108, 320).”

Furthermore, according to the California Government Health and Community Services Department, painkillers pose the following health risks:

Nausea and Vomiting Respiratory Infection
Stomach Pain Kidney and Liver Problems
Loss of Balance Decreased Sex Drive
Labored Breathing Painful or Frequent Urination
Dizziness Menstrual Irregularities
Lightheadedness Ulcers
Loss of Appetite Addiction
Blurred Vision Abnormal Restlessness
Impaired Coordination Coma or Death Due to Overdose

From the Federal Governmental Law’s perspective, particularly the Narcotic Control Act, “it is illegal to obtain prescribed painkillers without an authorized prescription.” It is also illegal to “obtain any prescription drug containing narcotic without notifying the physician that you have received a similar prescription within the last 30 days.”

So how does all this intermingle with the sporting world?

Would you believe that the same legendary athletes – household named mortals like Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Randy Johnson, Karl Malone, and Roger Clemens, – frequently injected and/or ingested potent painkillers into their bodies during their playing days to quiet pain created by battlefield injuries?

It is true.

These men, despite knowing full well the dangerous short and long-term potential effects of taking prescription painkillers, still took them.

Why did these men partake in such activity?

“I think that’s the mentality of players,” said retired Buffalo Bill Quarterback Jim Kelly during an interview with New York Times columnist Mike Freeman, “there’s a lot at stake. Big contracts, the pressure of losing your job – a lot of things force some guys to do things that maybe they shouldn’t do. I know I played in a lot of games that I shouldn’t have been playing in, but I did.”

So do many other athletes other than the aforementioned.

In a December 2004 article titled Defending Barry Bonds, MLB News Columnist Keith Dobkowski wrote, “we just celebrated Brett Favre’s 200th consecutive start. That streak would not exist if it were not for pain injections and pain killer medications.

Dobkowski proceeded to write that, “when the Red Sox beat the curse after 86 years, it was pain injections and performance enhancers that allowed Curt Schilling to return to the mound with a torn tendon in his ankle.”

While rebuking the argument that asterisks should be placed next to Barry Bonds’s name, Dobkowski also mentioned the fact that Willie Mays and Hank Aaron drank amphetamine juice before games to increase energy and concentration, and that Babe Ruth “was known to use a corked bat.”

Most recently, during game five of this NBA season’s first round playoff match up between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, Dwayne Wade, after taking a horrible, deep thigh contusion generating fall to the hardwood floor, was carried off the court and into the training room by two of his teammates where he took a pain relieving injection in his butt before gloriously returning to the court during the most critical of times to help the Heat fend off a surging Bulls team. Without that pain relieving injection, Wade would have most likely not returned to the game and Miami’s chances of winning both game five and the series in general would have deteriorated dramatically.

And these are the controlled prescription painkillers.

When it comes to illegally prescribed painkillers, professional football, of all the major American sports, seems to have the biggest problem.

Despite the fact that, according to Freeman, “the use of strong, unprescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatories is not only against league rules, it is federally illegal;” that “medical staffs say hey prescribe fewer drugs and monitor their inventories better” and that “the league tests players for 10-12 substances including painkillers on a random, unannounced basis year round,” players eager enough to obtain illegal painkillers will find ways to get them.

So how do players obtain illegally prescribed painkillers?

“A few [athletes] have obtained drugs from pharmaceutical sales representatives by exchanging tickets to games or by promising access to locker rooms or to parties with NFL players,” says Freeman. “Players can get samples of Vicodin or Percocet in exchange for home or away games.”

Of course these transactions violate the Federal Controlled Substances Act, but DEA officials, during the same interview with Mr. Freeman, stated that “although they are aware such transactions occur, they are difficult to detect and result in few convictions.”

Regardless of whether painkillers are prescribed legally or obtained illegally by athletes, the fact remains that painkillers are just as dangerous to the human body, just as readily available, and just a menace to sporting society as steroids are.

Furthermore, athletes who abuse painkillers set just as bad of an example “for our children” as athletes who abuse steroids.

However, the mainstream media refuses to address this painkiller predicament.

Why?

Because the mainstream media does not give a hootenanny about cracking down on painkillers nor does it care about what type of negative message the allowance of painkiller abuse sends to our children.

There are two things the mainstream media cares about – ratings and revenue these ratings generate.

If this were not the case ESPN would not have taken the risky chance and launch Bonds on Bonds. But they did, and they are reaping the ratings and revenue generated by the controversial show.

And quite frankly, all of this is nothing but sheer and utter hypocrisy.

What's Eating Gilbert Arenas?

Written May 1st, 2006

Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Shaquille O’Neil and Dirk Nowitski have been hands down, four of the most widely advertised, talked, and written about NBA superstars during this seasons battle for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Together, these men, in addition to Dwayne Wade and Steve Nash, have dominated television commercials, high profile interview shows, and newspaper articles throughout the nation – regardless of performance.

Yet there is one NBA player who, for one reason or another, seems to continue to be ignored by NBA basketball big wigs in most major cities throughout America.

His name is Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas, the fleet-footed and fiery, fifth year Washington Wizard shooting guard who slipped a mighty dagger into the heart of the Chicago Bulls during last years first round of playoff action, is arguably one of the best players in the NBA.

This regular season, Arenas, a two time NBA All-Star, is ranked 20th or higher in nearly every NBA category. Arenas ranked fourth in the league in scoring with 29.3 points per game, second in total steals with 161.0, and seventh with 33.3 points per 48 minutes. Arenas also averaged 6.1 assists per game and broke the Bullets/Wizards record for three pointers made with 209.
Arenas has also played exceptionally well against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first round of the playoffs. Through the first four games, Arenas has averaged 31.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.

During the Wizards electrifying 106-98 come from behind victory last night, Arenas showed just what type of player he is. After shooting atrociously from the field and compiling just seven points during the first half, Arenas walked into the locker room at halftime, changed his seemingly unlucky uniform, regrouped, then rumbled back out onto the hardwood floor and torched the Cavaliers for 20 of his 34 points in the 4th quarter.

Arena’s performance was so exhilarating, Washington fans echoed the letters M-V-P over and over again while he stood at the free throw line and tied the game at 72 in the third quarter.
Yet despite all Arenas accomplished this season, his name rarely comes up in national sporting conversation, especially when the topic turns to MVP consideration.

Why is this happening?

Is it because Arenas is not flashy enough to attract the NBA spotlight like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade?

Is it because he plays in Washington D.C. and not Miami or Los Angeles?

Does his lack of charisma or abundance of cockiness injure his chances of hearty media courtship?

While all of these factors may play an active role in Arenas’s lack of favor outside the Washington D.C./Baltimore Metropolitan area, the truth of the matter is this:

Gilbert Arenas turns the basketball over way too much.

Arenas turned the basketball over more than any other NBA player this season. He ranked first in the league in total turnovers with 297, first in turnovers per game with 3.71, and eighth in turnovers per 48 minutes with 4.21.

This is perhaps one of the biggest things preventing Arenas from earning the respect he desires and arguably deserves.

Once Arenas dramatically cuts down on turnovers, his game will not only ascend to MVP levels, but he will accomplish what most MVP winners in NBA’s past have done – make every basketball player around him better.

But until this happens, Arenas will be nothing more than an excellent individual basketball player frustratingly playing for a team that, while above average, will forever be chasing that mirage that is the NBA Title.

Restoring the Roar in Tigertown

Written April 30th, 2006

Pride. Preparation. Patience. Perseverance.

These are four characteristics new Detroit Tiger skipper Jim Leyland has attempted to instill in his talented core of baseball players after snatching the reigns from Alan Trammell following last years disappointing 71-91 record.

Leyland, who was hired by Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski last October, has infused that Scotty Bowman, Rod Marinelli like mentality that has long been missing from the Tigers long storied franchise.

And thus far, Leyland’s attempts to return the Tigers to glory are yielding ripe but promising fruit.

As May comes pounding on Major League Baseball’s door, the Tigers with 15 wins and 9 defeats, find themselves all alone in second place, trailing the world champion Chicago White Sox by 1.5 games in the marathon for the American League Central Division Pennant, and find themselves leading the New York Yankees by 2.0 games for the American League wild card.

Twenty-four games into the 2006 baseball campaign, Leyland and company look like a completely different team and are displaying glaring signs of turning the corner and darting down progression street.

While it is true the Tigers still have things to work on like leaving too many runners in scoring position, middle relief, stealing bases, and drawing more walks, they appear much better prepared for ballgames, more selective at the plate (nowhere to go but up), and more persistent when opponents punch them in the jaw with comeback attempts during the later innings.
Offensively speaking the Tigers are on a tear. They are in the top ten in nearly every offensive category in the Major Leagues. Their newfound patience at the plate shows in their league fourth best 841 plate appearances.

As a team the Tigers are batting a scorching .287, which is good for fifth in the league, and are slugging .492, which is second in the league to the Toronto Blue Jays (.501).
The Tigers are also first in homeruns (38), fourth in hits (241), sixth in doubles (47), ninth in runs scored (127), tenth in runs batted in (117), and tenth in triples (10).

But as written earlier, the aggressively hitting Tigers still have a few glaring weaknesses it needs to address on offense. To be able to balance aggressiveness at the plate with patience and selectivity is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do in baseball. Right now the Tigers are struggling to find that balance.

Currently the team ranks seventh in the league in strikeouts with 165 and 26th in walks with just 64. These two factors are having a direct effect on the teams 13th ranked .343 on base percentage as well as its 23rd ranking in stolen bases (10).

Pitching wise, the Tigers are surprising everyone in baseball --minus those in the Leyland's clubhouse of course.

Led by embattled veteran Kenny Rogers, Detroit’s talented starting pitchers Mike Maroth, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, and Justin Verlander (103 mph on radar) are displaying some much needed swagger that has not been seen in decades.

Something that also has not been seen in decades is the name “Tigers” perched near the top in Major League team pitching statistics.

But so far this season it is happening. The team’s 3.35 Earned Run Average is good for second in the league behind the New York Mets (3.06) and startling low .290 On Base Percentage leads the league.

Furthermore, the Tiger’s pitching staff is tops in the league, tied with the Houston Astros in shutouts with four, second in the league behind the New York Yankees with just 18 afforded homeruns, and fourth in the league with just 66 walks. By comparison, the Baltimore Orioles have walked 111 batters.

Defensively, the Tigers, while doing ok, still need to sure up a few things. While the team is currently second in the league in assists behind the St. Louis Cardinals with (274) and tenth in putouts with 636, the Tigers rank near the middle or lower in categories that can come back to haunt a team when bats go through droughts.

For example, the Tigers are 15th in the league in errors (14), 15th in turned double plays (24), and 20th in fielding percentage (.985). These are not incredibly alarming statistics but fielding will come into play in tight games against division rivals like the White Sox and Cleveland Indians.

But overall, the Tigers are doing very well thus far during this youthful baseball campaign. Jim Leyland and his staff have done a remarkable job with instilling their men with a sense of pride and preparing their men for baseball diamond battle every single day regardless of location (league leading 11-4 on the road).

Pride. Preparation. Patience. Perseverance.

As baseball fans let’s hope the Tigers can continue to achieve these four pivotal characteristics during the course of a grueling 162 game season.

Because the return to glory of one of baseballs oldest and most heralded baseball franchises is not only good for the rebuilding Motor City, it is also good for the slowly rebuilding momentum Major League Baseball.

And that in itself is reason to celebrate.