Never Give Up... Never Surrender

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Is anyone really doubting a Tiger Woods comeback?

Will any of the 18 players ahead of him remain calm, cool and collected as his name climbs the leaderboard? Probably not.

It's really funny, actually. Tiger is 7 strokes behind the co-leaders, but I (and most everybody) fully expects him to be right there on Sunday.


Why? Because he is Tiger (expletive) Woods.

Watch all of his Majors up to 2005. It gives you the confidence that the move is coming. That killer instinct is showing up TODAY.

I didn't get to catch most of the 2nd round, and Tiger wasn't really on TV anyway. Wait ... let's take a sidetrack for a second. The Masters coverage has been TERRIBLE. This is a MAJOR championship and we don't get TV coverage until 3 PM for the first two rounds? Oh, and then Saturday they bump it up to 2:30? Tiger will be on the back 9 by the time we can see him on TV. Thanks ESPN, I really enjoyed the first round of the WNBA draft on Thursday leading up to Masters coverage. Were your ratings really higher during the 2-3PM hour because people wanted to see when the Paris twins were selected? Ugh... ANGRY.
*End Furious Rant*

I caught highlights of Tiger's round on The WNBA Loving Sports Network...(Okay i promise I'm done ranting) and came to the conclusion that Tiger's 72 should have been closer to a 68 or better.

We didn't see his approach shots, but his putting was awful. I counted 6 birdie putts within 12 feet that he lipped out and 2 par putts within 10 feet that skimmed the cup. Now, first of all, Tiger doesn't miss "must-have" par putts. Second, he will NOT putt that poorly in the next 2 rounds. What this tells me is that he is hitting the ball as well as he has all year. If he makes half of those birdie and par putts, we are talking 4 strokes better, which puts him at -6 rather than -2.

Now, I am not saying he IS going to win his fifth green jacket, but I am not going to doubt him until someone else is sliding the jacket on. Tiger will charge (66 on Saturday is my guess) and the leaders will crumble (except for maybe Angel Cabrera because he doesn't speak English and doesn't know what the Masters is or who Tiger is).

So... get your popcorn ready for the Sunday playoff between Angel Cabrera and Tiger Woods. Angel may not remember it, but I can guarantee Tiger wants revenge for the 2007 U.S. Open.

Enjoy moving day, as we all know which direction Eldrick will be headed.

-B-Dubs-

Caption: (Tiger's thoughts: "If you could speak English
I would tell you that I am going to knock you out

with my 8-iron and take the jug.")

Sportsman of the Month - March

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Didn't get a chance to post this amid the Final Four, Masters and Opening Day hoopla, so here we go. Expect some Masters updates from B-Dubs as we get closer to Tiger's eventual comeback to win the Green Jacket. It's gonna happen.

March: Team Japan, World Baseball Classic Champions

Two tournaments in its existence, two world championships. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

The WBC is one of those oddball “is it overrated or is it underrated?” events that garners a ton of hype (overrated) and seems like it’s one of the greatest ideas known to modern man (underrated), until you just can’t get excited about the tournament, try as you might (overrated) but then when you look back at it, you wish it would come along next year as opposed to waiting ‘till Obama’s in his second term (underrated).

I sort of watched the tournament myself, but wasn’t truly riveted until the championship game. Apparently, Japan-South Korea baseball is a bitter rivalry among the ranks of Yanks-Sox, Federer-Nadal and McShay-Kiper Jr. Japan and South Korea put on a show at Dodger Stadium, with Korea mounting a comeback in the final two innings before Ichiro hit a two-run single in the top of the tenth to lift Japan to its second straight WBC title.

In a tournament where the American players barely seem to care, and talented powers Cuba and the Dominican Republic have underachieved, Japan has shown the world that baseball isn’t just America’s pastime. Led by Ichiro and Daisuke Matsuzaka – and armed with just five MLB players on its roster – the likeable Japanese team has ruled the four-year domain of the WBC. Unfortunately, when the third installment is played in 2009, Japan’s quest for a three-peat will be hindered by aging stars like Ichiro (who will be 39 then), Kosuke Fukudome (35) and Kenji Johjima (36).

But even so, I wouldn’t bet against Japan, if a battle of nations is at stake.

Past SOTM winners:
Rafael Nadal – February
Larry Fitzgerald – January

March honorable mentions:
Tiger Woods: Really, Tiger? It took you three tournaments to win a title after coming back from a year’s absence? Stiff.
Dominic James: for showing us what it means to love the game, refusing to let that “season-ending” foot injury end his season – or his Marquette career – on a sour note.
Michigan State Spartans: for lifting the spirits of the U.S. state most troubled by this recession, and for proving consistency throughout Tom Izzo’s MSU career. Spend four years in East Lansing, you WILL go to a Final Four.
Nate Miles (the ex-UConn guard): for being the centerpiece March’s official “Overblown Non-Story of the Month.”

-AJ

A Tradition Like No Other... Well, Sorta

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When does golf season truly start?

The Mercedes Benz Championship in Hawaii in January is the first tournament of the golf season. I mean Geoff Ogilvy won the thing, and he is a top-10 player.... but this really doesn't reel in the casual golf fan.

Some say the season doesn't start until Tiger Woods steps out onto the first tee of a tournament. This year that would be the Accenture Match Play in late February. While many count this as the beginning of golf season, it's still just the match play tournament... it's just not that enthralling.

The "5th major," the Player's Championship at TPC Sawgrass was moved from its usual spot in March to May. Before this move, the Player's Championship was most definitely the start of the season, but now we don't get to enjoy watching golfer after golfer suffer at the 17th island green until we approach Memorial Day.

Which brings us to Augusta National Golf Club. Azaleas blooming. Fresh cut grass with not one weed on the property. Amen Corner. Roars rolling down the hills on the back 9 on Sunday.... or not.

It's been talked about for a few years now, but Augusta has lost some of the excitement that we yearn. The players are even talking about it. Instead of hearing the Sunday roars, we get the Sunday groans. Last year Trevor Immelman increased his lead even when he shot a final round 75. Tiger himself said that eagle opportunities have vanished:

"I just hope the excitement comes back on the back nine; it's not what it used to be. 13, 15 … good drives were automatic irons into greens, and that's not always the case now."

Is the Masters still a tradition like no other?
It seems that these past few years have mirrored the U.S. and British Opens. Bogeys are more frequent than birdies. It's frustrating having to wait until August to see birdies at a major.

Will we ever see a Sunday charge like the back nine 36 that Nicklaus fired in 1986? It would be a shame if we didn't because that is one of the biggest lures, at least for me, of the Masters. The excitement of Amen Corner and then the par-5's and then the par-3 16th... it's just golf at its finest.

So I ask Augusta officials: shorten the course, cut down the rough, slow down the greens. Lets bring the magic and creativity back to what is golf's premiere event. We tune in to this tournament to see the shot makers sculpt their way around the course... not to smash a drive and pray that their 3-iron approach hold the green; that's what the Bethpages and Pinehursts are fore.

So please, Augusta National, for fans and golfers alike ... let the eagles soar and the birdies chirp.

-B-Dubs

Oh, and I like Tiger to claim his 5th green jacket this Sunday.

Here is my Masters Preview from NewsOk.com:

Someone get Jay Cutler his ba ba; more Case of the Mondays

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More Mile High Musings for a Monday that, fittingly, begins with 30 fresh starts and ends with a championship finish...

• I guess I should weigh in on the Jay Cutler saga, you know, being that I'm a Broncos fan and I write for a blog and all. One problem: I don't quite know how I feel about the whole situation, like whose side I was on (Cutler's or the Broncos') or who was the winner in April 2nd's big deal (Bears or Broncos).


• The one thing I do know about the situation...well, to be honest, I can't say it any better than (of all people) George Karl, coach of the red-hot Denver Nuggets. When the DP asked Karl, who's dealt with a similar situation last summer with the Melo trade rumors, about the Cutler ordeal barely 24 hours before Baby Jay was shipped to Chicago, Karl said this:


• "My thought is - I'd take them up to the mountains, put them in a cabin, and make them spend three days with each other."


• Okay, when the man who took three years to figure out that giving JR Smith more than 15 minutes a game might be a good thing for your basketball team can make logical sense with his 'football GM' hat on, that's not a good sign for the Denver Donkeys, now is it?


• I get that Jay has the maturity of a six-year-old girl with Barbie-doll separation issues. I get that many of the all-time greats (John Elway and Carmelo Anthony, for two) have dealt with trade rumors far, far better than he did. I get that Cutler - a franchise player for two years - could have easily strolled across the locker room and asked his new teammate, safety Brian Dawkins and the Eagles' franchise player of 13 years, how to act like a man when your employer curiously wants nothing to do with you.


• But something doesn't sit right with me, when respected football writers like my personal favorite Peter King paint this picture of Pat Bowlen as not only a fantastic owner (which he is), but also a man you do not disrespect under any circumstances.


• Pat Bowlen's letter to Bronco Nation reeks of a spin job; methinks Mr. Bowlen felt his ego was more important than winning football games.


• Bowlen wrote that "it has never been about one player, and it never will be." Tell me, Patty, how it wasn't about "one player" when you allowed "one player" to set your franchise back five years because he didn't pick up his cell phone. Give. Me. A. Break.


• You allowed it to be about one player by surrendering to his so-called demands instead of fining the crap out of him and forcing him to make nice with Josh McDaniels.


• That's my thoughts on the Ghost of Broncos past; since I want to get to baseball, I'll post something about the Broncos future tomorrow. But quickly, I will say that I believe in Kyle Orton. Yes, this man. He is not "horrible" as I've heard so many good people and Bears fans (the same people, strangely enough) claim. We'll talk more about Orton tomorrow.



• I tell you: nothing says Opening Day quite like ponchos and down jackets, huh?


• Watching that Mets-Reds slip 'n slide...er, baseball game...earlier today, those fans looked like they'd rather be sipping cocoa in the ski lodge then freezing their arses off at a baseball game.


• As it was, two games were postponed on Opening Day (Rays-Red Sox and Royals-White Sox). Good thing; with soaking-wet fields, you wouldn't want the players to catch pneumonia by getting their Sox wet.


• Here's the part I don't get: when all 30 teams are in action, you've got eight NL games and seven AL games each day. Why aren't we dictating that every game being played before, say, April 15, is either in a dome or a warm-weather city?


• Florida, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Arizona. And Colorado, St. Louis and Washington as possible backups.


• Tampa Bay, Toronto, Minnesota, Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Texas. And maybe Kansas City and Baltimore as possible backups.


• But no, let's schedule games in Boston, Chicago, and Cincinnati. What's funny is, out of the 13 games on Opening Day, 10 of them are in one of those domed or warm-weather locales.


• However, if MLB doesn't learn anything from this year, they never will. The three cold-weather games? Two postponements and the aforementioned tundra-like affair in Cincinnati.



• All right, Yankees fans, you finally got to see your $23 million a year 'till 2015 investment in action. And what did we get in return from Carsten Charles Sabathia, aka Mr. $700,000-per-start?


• (Consulting the box score...talk amongst yourselves...hmmm, this doesn't look good. Earmuffs, kids.)


• 4 1/3 innings, 96 pitches (only 50 strikes), six earned runs, eight hits, five walks and a whopping zero strikeouts. Lemme repeat that, because I sure as haaaaail did a double-take just typing that: five walks, zero strikeouts. Against the devastatingly powerful Orioles lineup.


• Stathead alert! Today was CC's 255th career start, and only the third time he failed to strike a batter out (both in 2005: May 5 at Minnesota and July 25 at Oakland). He's also never walked that many (five) while failing to ring up a single batter. By the way, on a separate note: CC's career postseason ERA is 7.92.


• 700 grand for that masterpiece today. Don't spend it all in one place, CC (or should I say, BB?)


• And Yankees fans, don't say I didn't warn you: Sabathia's gonna go something like 14-10 with an ERA in the high 3s, maybe low 4s this year. Sounds like $23 million well spent.


• For those of you screaming, "You guys both took him to win the Cy this year!" Well, consider this my official retraction. I'm going with either Ervin Santana or Roy Halladay. No, that's not a knee-jerk, one-game reaction.



• From the That Really Grinds My Gears Department: Tried out MLB.com's TV package today. I've done it the past three years, for some reason, since I've received the worst customer service out of any company to which I write checks. MLBTV's new "Nexdef" technology provides a crystal clear picture...but the damn thing freezes every 15 seconds, and doesn't refresh, so you end up watching the sixth inning when the game is actually in the eighth. Do not purchase this product, not worth the money.



• How 'bout my Marlins, huh? Highest run-scoring team of the day (as of 7 pm CST). Not bad for my World Series pick. Good start. Nice way to kick things off for Benji's favorite team, too; Rangers a 9-1 winner over the Tribe.


• Not so good for the Rox, 9-8 losers to the D-Bags Snakes.


• C'mon, Cookie, you're better than that.


• Quick shout-out to Michael Bleach of the Badger Herald, whose column last Thursday set the all-time Herald Sports record for "most commented story". (And to think, I only helped him once!) Had no idea softball people were that passionate, but it is a very well-written column and the ensuing commentors are insightful.



• BREAKING NEWS! So this news came out while I was putting this together: San Antonio Spurs douche guard Manu Ginobili's is out for the remainder of the season and playoffs because he committed too many flopping violations with an ankle injury.


• BREAKING VIEWS! Manu's season is over. So is the Spurs'. It's a two-horse race in the West now. (I will now go pump my fist Tiger-style for the next three hours.)
  
  


• Tonight's NCAA championship game should be a great one. The villain powerhouse against the Cinderella underdog that everyone's pulling for...for a reason other than basketball.


• Personally, I want to apologize to the Michigan State Spartans for doubting them. Sitting behind their bench during a bad loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the players seemed dysfunctional; I didn't get the feeling they really loved each other the way great teammates should. Kudos to Tom Izzo's crew for showing another iconic Big Ten coach how it's done in March and April, and it's great that you've lifted the spirits of Michigan.


• That said, speaking of teams that love each other, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green didn't all come back to school just to lose in the championship game to a team it previously beat by 35...on that same court. Tar Heels win tonight, but it might be closer than you think - maybe the first single-digit win of North Carolina's tournament.


• Blake Griffin, thou art behemoth. Courtney Paris, thou art creatureth larger than behemoth.



• Brad Hawpe = Brandon Webb's daddy. And that's all I have to say about that.

Have a good one.

-AJ

2009 MLB Preview Extravaganza, Part II (Brenner's picks)... and our first Weekly Links

AJ's PICKS (all right, let's hear from someone who kind of knows baseball. But...no, not really)

You Play to Win The Game! Divisional and Playoff picks

AL East: Yankees....................................................NL East: Mets
AL Central: Indians...............................................NL Central: Cardinals
AL West: Angels.....................................................NL West: Dodgers
AL Wild Card: Red Sox...........................................NL Wild Card: Marlins

AL Penthouse (best record): Yankees.....,...........NL Penthouse: Mets
AL Outhouse (worst record): Mariners...............NL Outhouse: Nationals

ALCS: Yankees beat Angels
NLCS: Marlins beat Dodgers

World Series: Marlins beat Yankees in 7 (That's right, folks. We're on the every-six-year-plan with the Fish, and their last title was...let's see...consulting Wikipedia...ah! Six years ago! It's their year!)

Hardware heroes

AL MVP (ranked 1 through 5):
1) Grady Sizemore, Indians. Can do it all at the plate and in the field. And just look at that puddum.
2) Josh Hamilton, Rangers
3) Evan Longoria, Rays
4) Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
5) C.C. Sabathia, Yankees

NL MVP:
1) Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Well, I paid $70 for him in our auction draft - almost 30 percent of my cap. He'd BETTER deliver.
2) Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
3) Manny Ramirez, Dodgers
4) Ryan Howard, Phillies
5) Ryan Braun, Brewers

AL Cy Young:
1) CC Sabathia, Yankees: he's a big man.
2) Ervin Santana, Angels
3) Roy Halladay, Blue Jays

NL Cy Young:
1) Tim Lincecum, Giants: could win 20 and whiff 250 this year.
2) Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies (okay, I'm a homer)
3) Ricky Nolasco, Marlins

AL Rookie of the Year: Travis Snider, Blue Jays
NL Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin, Marlins

Best shot to win a Triple Crown, AL: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Best shot to win a Triple Crown, NL: Albert Pujols, Cardinals

Other random crap we’ll try to predict

Most underrated team: Cincinnati Reds (and, obviously, my WS pick, Florida)
Most overrated team: Oakland Athletics

Surprise player (most likely to overachieve): Yovani Gallardo, Brewers
Disappointing player (most likely to underachieve): Matt Holliday, Rockies Athletics. His career batting average outside Coors Field is .280, folks. Overrated, perhaps?

What a ripoff! (top-10 salary team to stumble): Since the $120 million Mariners are too obvious, I'll go the Chicago White Sox.
Livin’ on a budget (bottom-10 salary team to thrive): Since the $22 million Marlins or $43 million Rays are too obvious, I'll stay in the AL Central with the Kansas City Royals.

Biggest name to surface in 2009 season involving steroids (active players only): LeBron James, Caval...oops, wrong sport. How about Manny Ramirez, Dodgers? (Apr. 6 postscript: Jose Canseco apparently agrees this is possible)

WEEKLY LINKS

Story of the week: Big Ten commish stands up for his league...and the Big XII, and the Pac-10

Blog post of the week: Mark Cuban stands up for noble sportswriters and surviving newspapers

Video of the week: Not gonna YouTube this week...this airgliding video is sweeeeeeeeeet, I HUGELY recommend you watch it, you will not regret it

Audio of the week: If you haven't heard the "Pucker Pucker Pucker" man, your life is not yet complete. End of story. I might devote more space to this later this week.

2009 MLB Preview Extravaganza, Part I (Walnick's picks)... and our first Weekly Links

B-Dubs readily admits he's not a big baseball guy, so...he'll probably be more accurate than me anyway.

B-DUBS PICKS

You Play to Win The Game! Divisional and Playoff picks

AL East: Yankees....................................................NL East: Phillies
AL Central: White Sox............................................NL Central: Cubs
AL West: Angels......................................................NL West: Dodgers
AL Wild Card: Rays................................................NL Wild Card: Brewers

(AJ note: wow, now that is original analysis from Mr. Benjamin Walnick. I feel like I'm looking at the 2008 division winners and wild card, only somebody accidentally typed the Yankees in for winning the AL East instead of the Red Sox. Talk about chalk.)

AL Penthouse (best record): Yankees.................NL Penthouse: Dodgers
AL Outhouse (worst record): Orioles..................NL Outhouse: Padres

ALCS: Yankees beat Angels
NLCS: Cubs beat Phillies

World Series: Yankees beat Cubs in 6

Hardware heroes

AL MVP (ranked 1 through 5):
1) Evan Longoria, Rays: Leads team to playoffs again.
2) Grady Sizemore, Indians
3) Joe Mauer, Twins
4) Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
5) Carlos Quentin, White Sox

NL MVP:
1) Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Best power and finesse hitter in last 15 years.
2) David Wright, Mets
3) Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
4) Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
5) Ryan Braun, Brewers

AL Cy Young:
1) CC Sabathia, Yankees: The horse brings a championship to New York.
2) Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
3) Cliff Lee, Indians

NL Cy Young:
1) Carlos Zambrano, Cubs: Finally puts together a complete season and leads Cubs to World Series.
2) Tim Lincecum, Giants
3) Cole Hamels, Phillies

AL Rookie of the Year: David Price, Rays
NL Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin, Marlins

Best shot to win a Triple Crown, AL: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Best shot to win a Triple Crown, NL: Albert Pujols, Cardinals

Other random crap we’ll try to predict

Most underrated team: Rangers WILL make a run at the Angels (I'm a homer)
Most overrated team: Atlanta Braves

Surprise player (most likely to overachieve): Chris Davis, Rangers
Disappointing player (most likely to underachieve): Mark Teixeira, Yankees

What a ripoff! (top-10 salary team to stumble): Detroit Tigers
Livin’ on a budget (bottom-10 salary team to thrive): Tampa Bay Rays

Biggest name to surface in 2009 season involving steroids (active players only): Ryan Howard, Phillies

WEEKLY LINKS

Story of the week: Big Ten commish stands up for his league...and the Big XII, and the Pac-10

Blog post of the week: Mark Cuban stands up for noble sportswriters and surviving newspapers

Video of the week: Not gonna YouTube this week...this airgliding video is sweeeeeeeeeet, I HUGELY recommend you watch it, you will not regret it

Audio of the week: If you haven't heard the "Pucker Pucker Pucker" man, your life is not yet complete. End of story. I might devote more space to this later this week.

No Mo-Town

Well, we are finally here. One of the greatest weekends in sports of the year. The NBA and NHL have hit the home stretch and teams are fighting for playoff berths. Ballpark hot dogs and peanuts are consumed as Opening Day (or in this case, Opening Night) hits stadiums and televisions across the country. Golf previews everywhere are gearing us up for the roars to come at Augusta National.

And finally... the Final Four. Please fasten your seat belts, and return your tray tables and seat backs to their upright and locked positions. This year we travel to lovely Detroit, Michigan; home to a 33% drop in population over the past few decades. Yes, literally one-third of the city is empty/abandoned/a ghost town. Have you heard: the auto industry is dying up there.

What a beautiful destination for one of sport's greatest showcases!

This really grinds my gears. The Superbowl is played in nice locations such as San Diego, Miami, Phoenix, etc. The biggest college football bowl games are played in similar places where the weather is nice and there are plenty of flashy activities. Then the other big sports: NBA, MLB, NHL, all have home and home series for their playoffs.

So, why does college basketball continue the trend of putting their fantastic finish (and maybe sport's greatest "playoff") in landlocked mundane locations. Indianapolis, St. Louis, Atlanta, Minneapolis, etc. Are you telling me that you would leave your HD TV behind and drop a few hundy on a trip to Minneapolis?

Nothing against these cities, but I'm just not intrigued enough to get up off the couch and attend one of my favorite sport's championship.

Now I'm not saying the NCAA has completely dropped the ball. Things are a little better when April Absurdity ends in San Antonio (home state bias alert). At least the weather is warm and you have the Riverwalk. In 2003, the association hit a homerun when the tournament led to New Orleans, but these occurrences don't happen often enough. They need to be routine.

Now, I understand that some of this has to do with it being a college sport. We don't want the little collegiate children getting themselves into any trouble, but college football has been fine (for the most part) and they play their games in Los Angeles and Miami.

Maybe, this is just a manifestation of me hoping that I have press credentials one day and get a free trip to the beach. Maybe this is just me nitpicking what I think is sport's greatest postseason. Or, maybe this is a change we need. As college basketball fans, we deserve a fantastic getaway when our team survives the tournament (unlike a random computer deciding that we deserve a good vacation).

One thing is for sure... we don't deserve a vacay to 8-Mile Road.

-B-Dubs

TNEA of the Month: April

OK, now for those who actually scrolled down this far and made it past the picture...

April is widely considered the best sports month of the year. Opening Day; NFL Draft; NBA and NHL races heating up; Final Four (love how March Madness has turned into April Absurdity); and of course, the birthday month of yours truly.

Thusly, April deserves a strong candidate for this month's TNEA, or The Next Erin Andrews if you're new to the club. Every month, Tribute will pay respects to a young woman out there, preferably in the world of sports, who just might have the the good looks and good charm to one day take over for the lovely Erin Andrews, should she ever choose to leave her ESPN gig and spend the remainder of her days throwing down the Gator Chomp in Gainesville. Or lusting into the hands of another man in SEC land.

Now, if you had to guess which one of the lovely ladies at the top of this post is the focus of our fawning this month, it'd be tough, now would it? It's a good month indeed; three good candidates right there.

But alas, one must portray more than just babe-like symptoms to take over for EA; experience is a must, too. The blonde on the left is Melanie Collins, of NBA.com League Pass (discovered her during halftime of the Nuggets-Mavericks game), of Big Ten Network (where's your hot correspondents, Big XII Network? What up?) and most importantly, of the Tempe12 models.



Now we love Charissa Thompson, March's nominee. She's also with the BTN. (Seriously, B-dubs, scoreboard. 2-0) But Charissa, the smokin' ex-Rockies sideline girl, doesn't have a lineup of pics like these...

What more can you say? Melanie's a Penn State grad (B-dubs needs a shovel to dig out of this Big-Ten-stomps-Big-XII-like hole) and is our age. Yep, the 22-year-old Nittany Lion graduated last year, and is already working along the likes of Gary Payton, Chris Webber and David Aldridge for NBATV.

Hot damn. Now that's setting the bar high for future TNEA candidates. But we'll do our best, starting again on May 1.

-AJ

Bobcats Bandwagon Seats: Get 'em while they're Hot

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Finally, I’m doing it. I’m gonna jump on a bandwagon before ESPN can beat me to it (which always results in the rest of the free world jumping on said bandwagon). I’m gonna be the first one, and all my fine-looking readers can join me while there’s still room.

I desperately want the Charlotte Bobcats to make the NBA postseason.

Any way, any how. Doesn’t matter. Just make it happen. I want the Bobcats in the playoffs for the first time in its franchise.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Charlotte Bobcats playoff tickets now on sale! Order now!

Almost sounds like “Colorado Rockies: National League Champions” or “Arizona Cardinals: NFC Champions”. Which sort of illustrates my point, and Kevin Garnett’s: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

(By the way, I'm damn well aware those first two links are one and the same. I just can't get enough of that picture. No disrespect to the Cardinals. Humor me. The KG one is cool too.)

(Doo doo doo. Moving along...)

But honestly, the Bobcats aren’t as crappy as you might think. First off, from a long-term point of view, they’re the picture of progress. Their win total in each of the franchise's five years of existence are as follows, starting with 2004-05: 18, 26, 33, 32, 34. The 34 represents this season's mark (34-41), as Charlotte has already set a franchise record with seven games left.

Also consider, the Bobcats finished 24 games out of the Eastern Conference playoffs their first season. Since then, they’ve cut that total in succession to 14, 7 and 5 games last year. Right now, Charlotte sits 1.5 games out of Chicago’s eighth spot. Again, progress is the operative word here.

This ain't smoke and mirrors, people. Just look at Charlotte’s well-balanced and talented lineup. Charlotte? Talented? You betcha.

Larry Brown’s credentials as a coach speak for themselves, and Brown’s got a solid team leader and go-to scorer in Gerald Wallace (16.9 points a game); an able point guard with Raymond Felton (13.7 and 6.8 assists) backed up by Texas’ very own D.J. Augustin; very good big men in Emeka Okafor and Boris Diaw, with an experienced backup in Juwan Howard there to guide them; and solid-sometimes-deadly shooters with Raja Bell and Vladamir Radmanovic.

Wallace, Felton, Okafor, Diaw, Bell, Augustin, Radmanovic, Howard. That sounds like a better overall team than past playoff teams like the ’08 Sixers (AI 2.0 and Andre Miller as the only players who would get minutes for Charlotte this year), the ’06 Bucks (needed a out-of-his-mind shooting year from Michael Redd just to stumble in), or the ’05 Grizz (starting point guard: Jason Williams. ‘Nuff said), to name a few.

But you know what I love most about this team? It’s the frisky thought of seeing the Kitties play powerful Cleveland in the first round. Charlotte’s got a smart coach, talented young players, star power (read: MJ and Nelly), a nice home record of 22-17, the ability to beat upper-echelon teams (Lakers twice, Boston, Atlanta, Utah and Portland) and most importantly, fans from a basketball-crazy state that would turn Time Warner Cable Arena into an absolute frenzy for playoff games. Is that not everything you want out of an eighth seed? I think the Cavs are awesome, just awesome…but I don’t think I’d be rushing to bet my house that Cleveland gets out of a Bobcats series alive. Nothing against Cleveland and its tortured fan base, but the sheer thought of 82 brilliant games by a resurgent Cavs franchise crashing down in about a week and a half has to excite any red-blooded sports fan.

The Bobcats actually swept the Lakers this year, and just tonight took the Celtics to double OT in their own building on the business end of a back-to-back after beating the Kobes last night. It’s not a cakewalk schedule ahead to finish out (five of seven on the road), but remaining games against Philly, Detroit and Chicago (6-7-8 in the East) give Charlotte a small measure of holding its own destiny.

So I’m not waiting for ESPN to build up hype for this previously-listless team like it did in ’07 for the Rox or in ’08 for ‘Zona. The ’09 ‘Cats bandwagon is officially open for business.

Matter of fact, on second thought, I ain’t jumping on the bandwagon. No, sir.

I’m driving the damn thing.

-AJ

Headlines: April 1st

I would love for someone to come up with a better nickname for this recurring post. Any ideas?

Without further ado,

Officer who detained Texans' Moats resigns
This was about as easy to predict as the first round playoff loss for the Mavericks will be.

Stallworth to be charged with DUI manslaughter
I really thought flashing his brights at the pedestrian would be enough to get him off the hook....
But really this is a sad story, hearts go out to the family of Mario Reyes.

Dream job: Calipari takes over at Kentucky
I looked up "Dream Job" in the dictionary and didn't see: If you fail in your first game, everyone in the state will be screaming for your head.

Yanks' Chamberlain pleads guilty to DUI charge
I never understood why these guys making this much money can't hire a friend or personal driver to stay sober and zip you around town. Seriously.


Broncos decide to try to trade Cutler
Too afraid to make a crack here... "AJ... put down the gun."

Jeter to bat leadoff, Damon No. 2
OMG?? WHAT?! Who cares.... evidently not me.

Rivers: Celtics to shut down injured Garnett
Obviously he wont be 100% for the rest of the year. Will we finally get a Lebron/Kobe finals? *Shake Magic 8-ball* "Signs point to yes"

McCain supporting pardon for Jack Johnson
Took eight headlines to get to a cool story.

John McEnroe joins ESPN's U.S. Open coverage
I may watch the Open coverage just to hear McEnroe make some cracks. Should be quality TV. Can he throw eggs like he did in Mr. Deeds?

Kiper: Latest thoughts for the Lions at No. 1
Story is just not as fun when you can't track the impending Matt Millen epic fail.

Time to jet. No video link today... but I do have maybe the most important link I have ever discovered.

Enjoy it here!

Stay Classy,

B-Dubs