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      Manny: ‘I didn’t kill or rape anyone.’

      June 10, 2009 /

      Breaking his silence for the first time since he was suspended 50 games for testing positive for PEDs, Manny Ramirez told the Los Angeles Times that he vows to “make it up” to the Dodger fans by leading the team “to another level” upon his return.

      He also dropped this little ditty in the interview:

      “I didn’t kill nobody, I didn’t rape nobody, so that’s it, I’m just going to come and play the game,” Ramirez said.

      You know what? I agree with him. He didn’t kill or rape anybody and if he did take steroids, in the grand scheme of things when you really get down to the nuts and bolts of the issue, he only endangered himself.

      But the problem is that he was so arrogant reaching this point that nobody has a problem chastising him to no end. He flat out quit on the Red Sox (not just the organization – but an entire team) last year, only to be traded to the Dodgers and be made a hero.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Consensus NBA Mock Draft (6/10)

      June 10, 2009 /

      Both ESPN (Chad Ford) and NBADraft.net updated their mock drafts today, so it’s a good time to update our consensus mock draft. (Come on, DraftExpress and DIME, your mocks are getting stale!)

      A few things to note:

      – Whether or not Jordan Hill slips might depend on what happens with James Harden. If he’s there at #5, the Wizards could very well take him, and the teams picking #6 through #9 will probably pass on Hill, leaving him for the Bucks at #10. As a Bucks fan, I’d be happy if the team got Hill in the draft and re-signed Ramon Sessions.

      – It doesn’t look like Ricky Rubio is too keen on going to Memphis, but he probably won’t slip past the Kings at #4. If the Thunder see Russell Westbrook as their point guard of the future (which is what Chad Ford is reporting), then it wouldn’t make sense for OKC to draft him, though they could try to trade down and pick up a good player in the process. They could trade down to #5 and grab Hill, but the Wizards aren’t looking to trade up.

      – Brandon Jennings’ range in this consensus is #7 to #14. Expect that to change as he does a few individual workouts. He was considered the top talent in his class by many coming out of high school, but his stock has slipped some since he played (inconsistently) over in Italy this season.

      – The four mocks have the Warriors taking four different point guards. It just goes to show what kind of depth there is at the position this year.

      – Of these four mocks, the one I trust least is DIME. From Earl Clark going #6 to the Jazz passing on Hansbrough at #20, there are a few headscratchers. I’d like to see an updated mock from DIME.

      NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Ryan, Crowder intensify Dolphins-Jets rivalry with trash talking

      June 10, 2009 /

      Who would have thought that Rex Ryan and Channing Crowder would make for great NFL news in June?

      Tuesday night, after Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder first learned about Jets coach Rex Ryan’s unsolicited response earlier in the day regarding comments Crowder made this weekend, the talkative defensive leader returned another round of his own jabs.

      But before we get to Crowder’s latest rebuttal (it’s worth the wait), we should first get you up to date on the unprompted comments Ryan made during a news conference earlier in the day when he made it clear he didn’t appreciate Crowder calling out the Jets for getting ahead of themselves in June.

      ”I don’t know this Channing Crowder,” said Ryan, the Jets’ first-year head coach. “All I know is that he’s all tatted up, so I guess I ought to be nervous about him. The other thing is I think he’s wrong because I do think you win in June. I think you win with your preparation and all that kind of stuff. If I was younger, I’d probably handle him myself.”

      So yes, it’s June. And yes, a linebacker and a head coach from rival teams are talking trash. This might be the football equivalent of Christmas in July – and it only gets better. Reached on his cellphone Tuesday, Crowder responded to Ryan’s comments with this:

      ”Oh, Lord have mercy,” Crowder said Tuesday. “What’s wrong with him? Now he’s talking about preparation? We play them twice this year. If he wants to be prepared, shouldn’t he know the starting middle linebackers of his division rival?”

      As for the notion that Ryan would ”handle him myself” if he was ”younger,” Crowder begs to differ.
      ”He says he’d take care of me if he was younger?” Crowder said. “I’d have beat the hell out of that big old joker. Or if he really wants to get retro, my daddy or my uncle could have handled him. Don’t get big. Win with preparation? Start watching some tape and learn who your rival is. Come on now.”

      As a writer, I’m probably inclined to say that Ryan should act more like a coach and not engage with players on other teams. But I’ve got to admit – I’m digging this.

      The Jets need a shot of life after the days of Eric Mangini trying to do his best show-no-emotion Bill Belichick impersonation (which he’s moved now moved to Cleveland) and Ryan is giving it to them. I would have to imagine that players in this generation like the fact that their coach is willing to get into it with a mouthy opponent and maybe Ryan is starting to earn his player’s respect. (Albeit it in a backwards kind of way.)

      Can’t wait for Ryan v. Crowder III.

      NFL

      The Finals: Game 3 reaction

      June 10, 2009 /

      Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie: Orlando shot the hell out of the ball. The Lakers made a ton of mistakes on the defensive end of the court, but Orlando had just as big a role, if not much bigger, in tossing in 108 points in a slow game. The ball movement wasn’t perfect, but it was done quickly, and the shots were falling even as the Magic (supposedly) bucked NBA tradition by going from the outside-in. The ball was moving, and the spacing was there. Yes, the screen and roll attack bogged down a bit in the third and part of the fourth quarter as the team’s legs left them and Hedo Turkoglu made some questionable decisions, but by and large the Magic built their offensive juggernaut with quick flashes to the ball that were met by a pass. Credit Stan Van Gundy’s play calling. Early in the first quarter, he set his shakier-types up for quick looks that they couldn’t think too long about. Rashard Lewis’ first two buckets were quick flashes to the post for a turnaround jumper. Rafer Alston’s first attempts (and makes) were on guard-around screens that Derek Fisher went under. All four shots left no room for contemplation. All four shots went in.

      Jeff Miller of the OC Register: Kobe Bryant, so often the inhuman highlight film, was oh so human Tuesday, the game’s No. 1 closer this time the victim of someone else’s walk-off dramatics. “You know,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said after a 108-104 loss to the Magic, “we’re all frail as humans.” All it means for now is The Finals will be going at least five games. Ultimately, that might be it, nothing more than a blip on the way to the top. But if the Magic can continue badgering Bryant and he keeps huffing down the stretch and Orlando is making its shots … there’s still a chance this matchup could become quite interesting. See, even Bryant, who has carried this team – this franchise, actually – for so long now, is still subject to the most basic of man’s needs. Specifically, we’re talking here about oxygen.

      Continue reading »

      NBA, NBA Finals, News

      Time for Penguins to get creative

      June 10, 2009 /

      With their 2-1 victory over the Red Wings in Game 6 on Tuesday night, the young Penguins are now one win away from hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup and pulling off the best NHL upset of the decade.

      One problem: They can’t score at Joe Louis Arena and that’s exactly where the decisive Game 7 will be played on Thursday night. In three games at the Joe this postseason, Pittsburgh’s managed to score just two goals and were shut out 5-0 in Game 5.

      It’s time for Dan Bylsma to get a little creative with his front line. Why not put Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (the Pens’ top two scoring threats) together on the same line to increase scoring chances? Some Pittsburgh fans have been clamoring for this to happen since the Pens lost the Cup last year, so why not try it now?

      Some might think that it would be unwise to change things up now with only one game left to be played, but now is actually the best time to take a risk like this because Pittsburgh needs to try and overwhelm Detroit they best it can. The Wings play with so much confidence at the Joe, so Byslma needs something to rattle their cage.

      Of course, there are two main problems with the idea of putting both Crosby and Malkin together. One is that Pittsburgh has created scoring opportunities in every game this series, but just haven’t executed. Secondly, and this is a biggie, if the Pens put Crosby and Malkin together on the same line then that puts Maxime Talbot, Chris Kunitz, Ruslan Fedotenko together on the third line, which needless to say is a major disadvantage for Pittsburgh.

      It’ll be interesting to see what strategies Byslma comes up with (if any) for Game 7. This one is for all the marbles and it’d be a shame if the Pens left scoring opportunities on the ice when there’s only one game left.

      NHL

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