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      Smoltz rips Braves after releasing Glavine

      June 5, 2009 /

      John Smoltz ripped his old team recently after the Braves released his former teammate Tom Glavine.

      “I’m using a very soft word in ‘disappointed’ because that ain’t right,” said Smoltz, a teammate of Glavine’s for 16 years. The duo won 454 games and three Cy Young Awards as Braves.

      Glavine, who had been rehabbing from shoulder and elbow surgery, was released Wednesday — “a performance decision,” according to Braves General Manager Frank Wren.

      “To go that far in your rehab, and then right before the time, to do that?” Smoltz said following Wednesday’s Red Sox game in Detroit. “Well, it’s not my problem anymore, I just feel bad for a teammate of mine that I had for a long time.”

      Asked if he thought Glavine’s release was financially motivated, Smoltz told reporters, “Yeah, I know too much, let’s just put it that way.”

      He’s doubtful his old teammate will pitch for another team.

      When a team releases a player that helped them win at some point throughout the years, it’s always a dicey situation. The team wants to remain loyal to that player, but the ultimate goal is to always be building for the future.

      So when a player like Glavine is released by an organization like the Braves, it’s going to get kind of ugly. I don’t disagree with what Smoltz says because after all, he knows the situation better than I do. But the bottom line is that the Braves are trying to move forward and they don’t see Glavine helping them in the future and therefore decided to part ways.

      It’s just the nature of the beast.

      MLB

      Penguins beat Wings, tie series at two games apiece

      June 5, 2009 /

      – Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press writes that it’s no longer last year anymore as the Penguins’ stars are starting to shine and take over this series.

      – Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette boastfully claims that Detroit can’t win without Pavel Datsyuk, who has yet to play in the Cup Finals.

      – The Detroit Free Press writes that the Wings played out of character in their Game 4 loss.

      – Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette waxes poetically about Jordan Staal, who he says saved the day in Game 4.

      – SI.com writes about the Penguins’ second period burst.

      NHL

      Lakers take Game 1 with conviction

      June 5, 2009 /

      The Lakers routed the Magic, 100-75, in Game 1 of the Finals. Kobe Bryant had a brilliant game, posting 40 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Pau Gasol chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Lamar Odom was the only other Laker to score in double digits with 11 points to go along with 14 boards.

      The game was still close (10 points) at halftime until a 29-15 third quarter put the Lakers firmly in control. The Magic shot just 30% from the field and the Orlando starters shot just 10 of 46 (22%) from the floor. The trio of Dwight Howard (12 points, 15 rebounds), Rashard Lewis (eight points) and Hedo Turkoglu (13 points) all had subpar games, and despite reports that he was not going to get any action, Jameer Nelson played 23 minutes, and went 3 of 9 from the field for six points.

      Marcia Smith of the Orange County Register writes that the Lakers can start thinking sweep.

      Given that nonchalance, is there any legitimate reason to expect that the Magic can conjure from thin air something as elaborate as an offensive game plan or an effective defense by Sunday’s Game 2 to make this series last longer than four games?

      Probably not. Lakers fans should buy more brooms.

      Mark Bresnahan of the LA Times writes that Kobe was the one who looked like Superman.

      Perhaps his best play started with a crossover dribble, then a few more dribbles as he measured up Mickael Pietrus, drove on him and delivered a double-pump nine-foot bank shot after being fouled. The made free throw gave the Lakers a 75-52 lead with 3:17 left in the third quarter.

      Bryant, who had 18 points in the third quarter, refused to claim any sort of victory.

      “We haven’t found anything,” he said. “It’s one game. No big deal.”

      Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com says that Orlando fans won’t be encouraged by Mickael Pietrus’s words after the game.

      As for the Magic’s defense, we advise anyone back in central Florida dressed in blue and white to skip ahead two paragraphs because the following quote from Pietrus — Orlando’s designated Kobe stopper — isn’t exactly going to inspire confidence (nor will it be pleasant to know that Pietrus was smiling as he said it).

      “I was trying to do my best, but everyone knows this guy is a legend. What can you do?”

      Are the Magic likely to bounce back from a 25-point defeat to win the series? No. They were outhustled, outplayed and looked outclassed. But it’s way too early to start talking sweep, and Smith’s article is just the kind of talk that Stan Van Gundy wants his team to hear over the next couple of days.

      As I was watching the game with a friend, I mentioned to him that the bigger the win in Game 1, the better the Magic’s chances of stealing Game 2. The Lakers have a tendency to lose focus, and this Orlando team isn’t going to roll over. They’ve been resilient all year and all playoffs, and they’re likely to play a lot better on Sunday.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Randy Johnson wins No. 300 in front of rain soaked crowd

      June 4, 2009 /

      It was a moment that had been hyped up since the start of the season, but due to Mother Nature (that whore), Randy Johnson won his 300th career game in front of a rain soaked crowd of about 10 people.

      Nevertheless, he’s now a part of the illustrious 300-win club.

      Johnson pitched six innings on Thursday, allowing just two hits and one unearned run in the Giants’ 5-1 victory over the Nationals. He got a fair amount of help from his bullpen, who pitched three scoreless innings in a steady rain to preserve the Giants’ lead, which had been 2-1 until the ninth inning when San Fran scratched across three more insurance runs.

      With the win, the Big Unit became only the 24th pitcher to get to 300 victories and is the second-oldest pitcher to achieve the milestone. He’s also the first pitcher to get his 299th and 300th win in consecutive starts since Tom Seaver did it in 1985.

      One moment that’ll surely be overlooked from this game is an amazing defensive play by Giants second baseman Emmanuel Burriss in the fifth inning. With the Giants up 2-0, Johnson gave up a hit to Elijah Dukes, who advanced to second on a passed ball the very next batter.

      Johnson then walked Austin Kearns, which brought the leading run to the plate in Ronnie Belliard. Belliard then scorched a pitch that ricocheted sharply off the mound and looked to be heading into center field for a base hit. But Burriss made a diving stop and flipped the ball with only his glove to shortstop Edgar Renteria, who got the force out at second and then completed the double play by throwing out Belliard at first. Johnson then got Will Nieves to ground out to Burriss to end the inning and preserve the Giants’ 2-0 lead.

      Even though nothing can take the moment away from the Big Unit, it’s a shame that not more people were in attendance to enjoy the victory. That said, his family was front and center and that’s all that matters. It’s a fantastic milestone for Johnson, a player that never cheated the game. (At least as far as we know, that is.)

      MLB

      2009 NBA Mock Draft Version 2.0

      June 4, 2009 /

      It has been about two weeks since I published my first mock draft, so it’s a good time to check back in with all the news and rumors and take another stab.

      Like I said in the intro of my first mock, it’s tough for me to make predictions about what teams will do because I’m constantly thinking about what they should do. These are obviously two very different things.

      For this go-around, I’m going to try something a little different. I’ve compiled the picks for four mock drafts from sites that I respect — ESPN (Chad Ford), Dime Magazine, DraftExpress and NBADraft.net — and then I’ll provide my own picks taking their picks into account, to form some sort of consensus.

      Let’s get on with it…

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      NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip

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