Sports Views

Very rarely will you read about me cheering on the Yankees, but last night was an exception. As I mentioned in , Matt Clement really hurt my fantasy team last night with his poor outing. Well, all is well because Alex Rodriguez went off. The man went 4-5 with 3 dingers and 10 rbi's. You read that right, 10 runs batted in. So now not only am I still easily in first place in my head-to-head league, I also jumped into first in my other league, a 6x6 rotisserie league. It is the first time I can recall that I am winning more than one league at...

So I’m watching John Daly warm up for his playoff with Vijay Singh at the Houston Open by chain-smoking and joshing with buddies and officials, whoever happens to pass by. He finally warms up when he gets to the first tee, cigarette dangling from his mouth, ashes dropping on his shirt.

Recently getting into golf myself, I have been watching golf on TV lately, most recently, the Masters. The most memorable moment is when Tiger Woods sunk the 16th hole. Many of you may have seen it, some may not, but here is the video of him sinking one of the shots that helped him win his 4th Masters.

I spent this winter looking for a sign that Cub management had the will to win. What I got was a long, dreary winter's wait. The Cubs sat idle while division rivals St. Louis and Houston opened their wallets to bring in key free agents. Worse than that, the Cubs let three of their best players get away: Outfielders Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, and pitcher Matt Clement.

The Randy Moss era is over in Minnesota, and I'm in the camp that thinks it was about time. But it did leave the Vikings weak in the area of the team traditionally a strength - receiver. That was on everyone's mind going into the NFL draft yesterday.

That might not be the case for Washington’s second first round pick, Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell. In what has been called “the worst kept secret in draft history,” Campbell was taken with the first round pick obtained this past week from Denver. The decision to draft Campbell while Patrick Ramsey sits as the supposed incumbent starter was controversial from the moment news of the Redskins intention slipped out to the press. Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser is already worked into a lather over the choice, and makes a good point in wondering how good Campbell had to be with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in Campbell’s backfield.

Alex Rodriguez has been the best ballplayer on the planet for years. He was with Seattle. He was with Texas. And he is with the New York Yankees.

Here's today's (yesterday's, but who's looking at the clock?) Boston Globe article on the latest Boston/Tampa Bay brawl. I was just reading along thinking my usual "who cares" kind of thoughts until I read about David Ortiz lecturing about respect and ethics on the field. David Ortiz??? Excuse me, but didn't he throw a bat at an ump last year? Yes, her did and he got suspended, but not much.

Earl Wilson, who died 23 April of an apparent heart attack, hit 28 more lifetime home runs than Jerry Remy. What was wrong with that picture? Wilson was a pitcher. In the American League. Yes, children, once upon a time pitchers swung the bat in the American League, and once upon a time was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers who took as much quarter at the plate as he did on the mound.

According to Bennett, the bartender asked for his order, then Morehead’s, but refused Wilson rather brutally: “We ain’t serving you. We don’t serve niggers in here.” For Bennett, it was his first brush with racial prejudice on that sort of level of commerce. For the trio of Red Sox pitchers in full, it was an invitation to leave. “To (the bartenders),” Bennett eventually told Red Sox historiographer Peter Golenbock (for Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox), “we were just two white...

BostonGlobe: The new owners of the Boston Red Sox have greatly expanded alcohol sales at Fenway Park, adding at least 16 new stands where beer is sold since taking over in 2001, according to the city licensing board. The team has also increased by a third the size of beer cups, from 12 ounces to 16 ounces.

The game was great fun, but what struck me most was that I wanted to share this experience with my displaced Raptor fan friends. I started out by taking photos of the creative ways fans expressed their anti-Vince Carter sentiment, but that didn't provide a real sense of the intensity in the building. So I started taking short videos of the action with my digital camera. I've been advised not to post the videos, but I've posted three MP3s of the fans at the arena: "Car-ter......

Philadelphia 76ers take into tonight’s Game against the Pistons is how quickly a lead can disappear. At one point during the Game one, the Sixers led by 16 points, and they were up by 12 after the first quarter. But in a span of 12 minutes the Pistons crashed the boards with such ferocity that the Sixers were stunned into submission. Led by Tayshaun Prince and reserve big man Antonio McDyess, the Pistons collected 19 rebounds in the second quarter Saturday, seven of them offensive. Those rebounds produced nine second-chance points, part of...

Barkley, on Toronto guard Vince Carter: "When you have that much talent, you don't get to say 'I just want to blend in.' That's not the way it works. It's up to the great players to make the other scrubs better. It's up to Vince to put his teammates on his back and carry them. That's the responsibility of being a great player. Kevin Garnett can't just say he wants to blend in with the other guys. Shaquille O'Neal can't say that; Allen Iverson can't say that; and Tracy McGrady can't say that. Great players have to play great and they have...

If Eagles’ management is smart, they will listen to Terrell and Drew and make this a business decision. The Eagles performed just as well without Terrell as they did with him, so they should invite him to sit out next season if he wants. The Eagles made a good deal when they signed Terrell Owens and they should not let him hold the team hostage for more money. He has done NOTHING to prove that he is worth more money to them than they are planning to pay him. The Eagles would send the right message to their team if they cut Owens or let...

I mean there are some good stories in the playoffs and I still don't care. The Bulls are back in the playoffs since MJ left. The Wizards are back in the playoffs, I suppose they are my home team. The Lakers are not in the playoffs for the first time since...I don't even know. Shaq is in Miami and they look poised to win, the ultimate slap in the face to Kobe Braynt.

And the winner is .. Shaquille O’Neal. He’s simply the Most Valuable Player in the game. He transcends the game. He’s such a difficult player to defend and he keeps you trying to figure things out about him as a player. This isn’t a guy who’s been in the league for three years. He has been a dominant player for more than a decade and he cannot be stopped. Period. He’s come in to Miami and made the Heat one of the top five most popular teams in the game. I can’t take any skin off guys like Dwyane Wade and...

Red Sox negativity aside, the important thing that I think we are learning is that the O’s may be a bit longer for contention than many realize. With an offensive core of Javy Lopez, Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, Miguel Tejada and Sammy Sosa, a strong bullpen and a starting staff that’s come better than advertised, I don’t see any reason why the O’s can’t make noise in the 2005 playoff race. I have been on the O’s bandwagon since the Sosa trade and I don’t see any reason to hop off now.

The crowd was absolutely electric, and gave the warmest welcome of the afternoon to new Oriole Sammy Sosa. Sosa gave his traditional sprint out to right field, running with his head down but pausing to acknowledge the fans as he ran. He overran his position to center field, stopping to gesture to the fans out in the bleachers before trotting back to right.

For all you duffers out there who enjoy a round or two during your Disney World Vacation here's news you'll need to know. Disney is making significant changes to the Magnolia golf course, one of the courses used during the PGA's October Funai Classic. The course, which was previously ranked the 6th easiest on the PGA tour, will be lengthened to 7500 yards and will have its greens and tees reworked as well.

At 6′4 Chris Henry is a tantalizing mix of size and speed (4.4 40), who would have possibly been a first round pick if he had stayed in school. The two knocks on Henry are his lack of experience (only played two years,starting for one) and immaturity. However, while ESPN analyzed the pick, Torry Holt, said not to worry about those concerns because Marvin Lewis does not tolerate such behavior. To hear a player from another team say that speaks volumes. W ith 22 TDs in 25 games, Henry has the skills to be a playmaker and will likely be utilized...

San Francisco took Alex Smith from Utah as the #1 pick. You can track all the rest of the 1st round of the draft here and here.

DEREK JETER DRINKS WINE COOLERS

I spent the best weather night of 2005 in the front row of the green monster seats at Fenway Park for an excellent game, the type you can easily recall years later because of the principals involved. In the summer of 2003, I was fortunate enough to take in a classic pitcher’s duel at Dodger Stadium between Mark Prior and Kevin Brown with the difference in the game, a Cubs win, being two Sammy Sosa home runs. Prior, Sosa, Brown. Well last night, Roy Halladay peppered the strike...

With the eleventh pick overall the Dallas Cowboys select DE DeMarcus Ware from the Troy State University. I am suprised by this pick. Not a knock on Ware who is a fantastic player. But at 251 pounds, he is somewhat light for a 3-4 defensive end. I love the player though and feel that he will motor through it with desire until he gains the weight to match. I would have loved to see Derrick Johnson - that ‘catalytic playmaker’ that Parcells said he was seeking. Or what about big Shawn Marriman from Maryland? Well, the Cowboys had...

It wouldn’t be the NBA without some drama. The difference is that the drama this year won’t be coming from LA, as it did the past several seasons. It may come from Philly, where Allen Iverson and C-Webb get another chance to show that they can play together. Similar questions surround the remade Sacto Kings and Houston Rockets.

Or dancer. Or whatever. But hey, it’s not impossible. Shaq and Wade are an amazing duo, and the Heat could certainly get hot and win this thing. And if that happens, who knows? Going into next season, Pat Riley will have a much better idea of what he has, and maybe they can retool and be even stronger. Then, comparisons with those other teams will not be as outlandish.

I love Iverson - he's my favorite NBA player (with the possible exception of Carmelo Anthony - go Cuse!) and he led the league in scoring at 30.7 PPG, free throws made, and was 2nd in steals and 5th in assists. He certainly helped his team more than Kobe, and the Sixers had a better record to show for it, but he also led the league in turnovers and shot worse than Kobe (42.4%). In the meantime, Shaq absolutely dominated offensively and defensively, shooting 60.1% for season on his way to 22.9 PPG, 10.4 Reb, and 2.3 Blocks. ...

HA! OK, OK, Jeff. Calm down. Raffy Palmeiro is just a couple decades past his prime, Sosa and Lopez are also past the sell-by date stamped on their foreheads, Roberts does not exactly have a Tony Gwynn history, and that trio mentioned may be a touch underrated, but that’s just because most people have never even heard of them. Now, Tejada is great (but in a slump), and Mora’s legit, I think. Those others range from OK to pretty darn good. They have a very good offense, don’t get me wrong, but let’s lay off the hyperbole. What Wells and Clement did is impressive enough without it.

Along with finally providing an answer to the question of which player will be picked first in the 2005 NFL Draft, the first hour of ESPN’s Draft coverage on Saturday, April 23, will also give the world its first look at the next generation of videogames — Madden NFL football will make its next generation debut in a TV ad airing within the first hour of the broadcast, which begins at 12:00pm ET / 9am PT.

The ad, which will run only one time during the broadcast, is a 60-second preview of the photo-realistic graphics and heart-pounding football intensity that is the essence of Madden NFL football — an experience that will come to life like never before on the next generation of video game consoles. This is the future of Madden NFL football, and if you’re a football fan, this is a televised preview that is not to be missed. Set your VCRs or digital video recorders so you can play back the commercial again and again, because you may not...

The next generation of Madden NFL football is coming, and you can get your first glimpse on ESPN during the first hour of the 2005 NFL Draft. Don’t miss it!

The third week of baseball is almost finished, and All-Star voting has already begun for the Mid-Summer Classic July 12th at Comerica Park. Yet I, and many other baseball fans, are going to hold our 25 precious votes for the last week of June, the last week of voting. Why? Because how am I supposed to evaluate all of the players in Major League Baseball after only three weeks? Baseball is a game of streaks. Milton Bradley is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak. If I had to vote today, I would vote for him. But, what if he bats .200 in May? It could happen. Last April, Derek Jeter was hitless in more than 25 at bats. The fans at Yankee Stadium were booing him–booing their captain.

It’s too bad nobody wants to surround Allen Iverson with some decent players. No, Chris Webber doesn’t count. At least not now that he’s hobbling around and being incredibly anti-clutch. Detroit is still the defending champion, and it’d be stupid to pick against them early.

Vijay Singh has become the youngest player to be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame at the age of 42. Singh has had a remarkable career playing both on the PGA Tour and internationally. Vijay Singh has carved his path to success with 25 PGA Tour victories to date, including three major championships. Vijay also has 22 international victories on his résumé, including wins in Malaysia, France, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Spain, Germany, England, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Canada.

In the 2004 season, Vijay Singh clearly showed that he deserved to be the number one golfer in the world after winning nine times and earning a record setting $10,905,166. Singh became the first player to win over $10 million in a single season and also was honored as the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Unfortunately for the Nets, their reward for finishing the season on a four-game winning streak is a first round date with Shaq, Dwayne Wade, and the rest of the Miami Heat, who earned the top seed in the East by finishing with a conference and franchise best 59-23 record.

The Nets squad that finished the season, led by Kidd and Carter — the NBA’s best backcourt — bears as much resemblance to the New Jersey team that started the season with 2-11 record as Shaq does to Shawn Bradley. Had the Nets began the season with the Kidd-Carter tandem happily ensconced as their starting backcourt, the Nets would’ve run-n-dunked their way to the Atlantic Division title. Throw superlative wing Richard Jefferson, who’s likely to be in the Nets’ starting line-up when they tip-off at 3:30 this Sunday, into the...

LeBron James didn’t score 56 points, but his 29 were more than enough as the Cavs put on an impressive performance tonight in routing the defending champion Detroit Pistons, 91-76, in front of a sold-out Gund Arena. Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 13 points while “Sideshow Bob” Anderson Varejao pleased the crowd by chipping in with 11 points, including two rim-rocking dunks in the fourth quarter. Cleveland won despite being out-rebounded by Detroit, 46-39, but went over sixteen minutes in the second half without turning the ball over....

But anything’s possible when LeBron James is on your roster.

Nobody saw that coming. Probably because nobody saw the firing of head coach Paul Silas coming, either. Rarely does a team that is in the midst of a playoff race axe its head coach, especially if it plans on making those postseason reservations. That’s why firing Silas at the end of March with only 18 games remaining in a little less than a month made absolutely no sense. Rumors have circulated that Gilbert was going to fire Silas anyways, as he didn’t see the 61-year old coach as his team’s sideline director of the...

Gilbert effectively took what had been a speed bump in an otherwise breakthrough season and turned it into a massive road block. Don’t try telling the Cavs that making the playoffs this year wasn’t important, as playoff experience is clearly needed for superstar LeBron James to return next year better than ever before. All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was in the postseason with the Cavs in his rookie season, losing in four games to the Indiana Pacers, and he hasn’t smelled the playoffs since. With the 7′3” center...

"Corona and the government of Michoacan are two top-level sponsors, the venue is magnificent and we expect the support of the local community to be overwhelming, so we are very pleased," said Ty Votaw, LPGA commissioner. "Lorena Ochoa has developed into one of the LPGA's brightest stars, and I am sure it will be a delight for her home country to watch their national hero compete with the best players in women's golf. We are thrilled to be able to showcase the best female golfers in the world to a new audience, not once, but twice in Mexico in 2005."

In an update of State Farm Bonus Pool Points, Wendy Ward is now tied with Annika Sorenstam at 100 points. Lorena Ochoa is tied for third place with Rosie Jones (70 points). Shi Hyun Ahn and Paula Creamer are in a tie for fifth with 64 points. Although the event occurs April 21-24, 2005, there will be no local television coverage, so stay tuned to The Sand Trap for updates!

This win, the Nets third in a row and ninth in their last ten, was all about the competitive fire of the best point guard in the NBA — Jason Kidd — and his consuming will to win. Not only did Kidd go off for 35 points, drop 8 dimes, and grab 8 boards, but he also held the Wiz’s high-scoring all-star point guard Gilbert Arenas, who came into the game averaging 25.7 points, to 8 points. It was a signature game from one of the NBA’s true superstars.

Waiting for them in the first round? The most evil putrid thing on the planet - the Yankees. Now my Yankee hatred at the time was not as fully developed as it is now. I mostly hated the Yankees then because I hated all things New York. I grew up in south Jersey, involved in Philadelphia sports, but moved to north Jersey for college and work, and grew to hate everything about the city - especially the sports teams. I rooted against the Giants in 1991, against the Rangers in 1994 (I might even still own a Vancouver Canucks...

On the other hand, the two classic media “big market” empire teams make the case for Selig’s doctrine. With Boston and New York bringing up the rear at nine and 10. While Boston has done most of its damage with cheap free agents, the Yankees have done an excellent job of keeping the players the team has drafted. The Yankees didn’t have to worry about losing Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter to free agency; the money just keeps flowing.

As a shameless, unyielding, and downright rabid Dallas Cowboys fan I can say without reservation that Julius Jones will be my number one overall pick at running back in the 2005 fantasy football year. Jones was injured last year with bruised ribs and a broken shoulder blade for half the season. In the game where he broke his shoulder blade, he didn’t tell anyone he was hurt and tried to play through it for a couple plays. While toughness was a question early, Jones proved he was not one who would tap his helmet and ask for a breather ever...

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest videogame publishers, has signed an exclusive license with Vijay Singh to produce a video golf game titled after him.

Vijay Singh, Fiji-born of Indian descent and considered one of the most consistent and focused golfers on the tour, will now lend his name to one of the titles inspired by his powerful and aggressive style, the company said.

And if anyone was watching SportsNite on Comcast SportsNet last night, you caught a glimpse of my back. They did a segment on fan reaction to Sammy Sosa and filmed it right where I was watching batting practice. The camera scans by a couple kids wearing Sosa shirts, then you see a taller person in a Roberts shirt. Yep, that's me. Yay! I was on tv!

The NFL offseason is a rough time for SC's Kevin Holtsberry. To ease the pain, he offers some thoughts on Randy Moss, Plaxico Burress, and last year's fine crop of wide receivers (with some Michigan Wolverine nostalgia thrown in for free).

Now there's the steroid scandal on top of everything. I'm most upset that Barry Bonds may have used steroids, or, if not steroids, some other kind of "performance-enhancing drugs." When I lived in San Francisco, I went to some Giants games and got to see a lot of Bonds. I have never seen a more exciting player to watch. You couldn't keep your eyes off him when he was on the field. Those moments when he connected on a home run and just stood there for a moment, watching the ball go... I feel so disappointed that everything Bonds has done may be overshadowed by his drug use.

And yet, despite everything, I still open my newspaper to the sports section first.

I often ask myself, "why"?

And then, the other day, I found a quote from Earl Warren that summarized it perfectly:

I always turn to the sports pages first, which record peoples' accomplishments. The front page is nothing but man's failures.

But I can assure you of this: with the return of the NFL to NBC starting in the 2006 season, the coolest NFL theme song ever may indeed return to television.

I don’t know what’s more disappointing: That the Timberwolves, who last year ran into the playoffs with the leagues’s best record, was completely shut out of the post season last night, or that Kevin Garnett played his ass off on a bum knee all year to help support the rest of these losers.

Now that the Timberwolves have been eliminated from playoff contention, we can turn our attention to the really exciting stuff. Like, how is Latrell Sprewell going to feed his family next year? Who will coach Minnesota in 2005-2006? How did they make Kevin Garnett so tiny in those Best Buy commericals? And most thrillingly of all, what lucky team will give Wally Szcerbiak a chance to start?

The Denver Broncos, the NFL's favorite whipping-boy, have been kicked in the hind quarters by the No Fun League ONCE AGAIN. Here are my complaints, chapter & verse:

Wouldn't it make more sense for Denver to play at home in September and in Florida in December ?? Of course it makes sense, that's why the NFL does the opposite !! The NFL hates the Denver Broncos, always has, always will !!