- I can't decide of there was a bigger gap in this Cleveland/Atlanta game last night or in the payroll disparity of Major League Baseball.... Let me throw this at you....At one point, in non-garbage time even, the Hawks trotted out the lineup of: Solomon Jones, Zaza Pachulia, Mo Evans, Flip Murray, Mario West....I wish I was kidding....this was in the 1st half... Now...there are excuses (Horford and Marvin in street clothes, Joe writhing in pain)....but that doesn't account for the fact that 1) Acie Law is better than Mario West and Solomon Jones....2) Mario West isn't an NBA basketball player....3) Mike Woodson's insertion of West in the "2 seconds left" defensive role is possibly the dumbest running subplot in the playoffs...and that's not as bad as playing him in regular minutes..... In addition to the simple personnel, factor in that Wally Szczerbiak scored 17 points on 9 shots...without hitting a 3...the Cavs shot 54%, Delonte West looked like a profilic scorer whenever he wanted to, and Anderson Varejao routinely did whatever he wanted on the block (without remembering he can't score)....let's just say it was a pathetic defensive effort...and that doesn't even get into the putrid offensive sets/plays/player movement/ball movement/ball handling/crispness/open jump shooting/finishing/et al of the other end of the floor...So all of that to say.... Cleveland by 30....Will the Hawks win a game at home now? Well, if you're gonna tell me Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams will all be 80% or less, Acie Law won't play until after Thomas Gardner, and Mike Woodson will stand there with his arms crossed...I'm going to say no....okay? Okay.
Sorry for the rant....You thought I was leading with Manny huh? Okay...
- Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games...There is some question here...b/c the banned substance he was suspended for isn't exactly a steroid...now, the suspension is warranted simply b/c this drug is in the by-laws....done.... But, there's the "legacy" issue...if they never prove he was on steroids....I don't know if you can keep him out of the Hall of Fame on this alone....I heard the McGwire argument (from a legit source I normally listen to), and I didn't buy it...Manny is in a different class of baseball player than McGwire...he's the best right-handed hitter I've ever seen (Pujols will likely pass him, but I digress)... but the shock about this? I'm right there with you...he's about the last power hitter (other than Griffey) I would suspect doing this....
- Bob Melvin fired in Arizona...this is just a knee-jerk reaction...they've played 30 games....I can't get behind a guy being fired unless they are like 4-26....Yes, they are underachieving, but the lack I don't see about these early exit baseball firings is... what is Bob Melvin's role in making Chris Young hit .170? Did Bob Melvin injure Stephen Drew and his Cy Young winner Brandon Webb? Is it his fault Conor Jackson is a trainwreck at the plate? No, no, and definitely no.....so why fire him?
- Kobe not suspended, Fisher and Alston are.....this is what I thought would happen...the Kobe ruling...meh...not surprising...b/c they found an actual justification, and once they do that, you know they won't suspend him....Alston and Fisher were slam dunks to me to get canned for a game....no outrage....just slight disappointment about Kobe
- Brett Favre stays retired....ho-hum
- Jared Weaver throws a complete game 3-hitter...well, that's positively huge for the Angels, Weaver and Saunders are the only guys with a Major League pulse pitching for LA right now....
- Name that Molina....BENGIE!!! 2 bombs for the eldest Molina....
- .368 BA, 10 HR, 38 RBI....sounds Pujols-like right? How bout Rays young stud Evan Longoria? This kid may be scary...the 23-year-old has played 150 games TOTAL in his MLB career...and he's probably the best non-steroid-induced-A-Rod 3rd basemen in the league already (and no, I didn't forget David Wright)...More love for him please....
That'll play, that'll play...
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