JAVELIN'S ARE JUST NOT SAFE ANYMORE

I have no clue what the announcers are saying, but it might be something like "Holy Shit look at that Javelin in that womans foot" or "Holy Fuck it is in that guys side"

THE HEAT IS OFF

It was a tough weekend for the Miami Heat, as they focused all their free agent attention on Maurice Williams, only to have him sign a larger contract with his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks. While courting Williams, the Heat missed out on chances at signing Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, and Jason Hart. None of those guys would have been the missing link for the Heat, but they are all upgrades over the point guards left on the free agent market. Left out there is Brevin Knight, Jannero Pargo, and an aging Steve Francis. Knight is a good backup, but his inability to hit open shots would be highly detrimental in the Heat's offensive system. Pargo is a perennial backup as well, which leads us to Steve Francis.

Francis is a former 3 time all star, but after last season with the Knicks, those all star days seem long gone. Francis seemed slow and out of place playing in the Big Apple, but so did a lot of guys last year. Would the Heat be willing to role the dice on him, banking that a change a of scenery and a chance to play with 3 future Hall of Famer's would have him focused again? When he was at his best, Francis was a bit of a ball hog, dribbling too much instead of getting the offense into a flow, but he also never had weapons like Shaq & Wade to work with.

For years now, Miami has been a perfect location for a mediocre point guards to come play and go on to big pay days elsewhere. Our system has made career seasons for Erik Murdock, John Crotty, Raefer Alston, & Damon Jones, just to name a few. All these guys left after their big season for the $, but never played as well. Would this system do the same for Francis? I hope so, because if you watched the Heat at all last year, you knew that if Wade was not creating the offense, the team became stagnant. Francis is the type of guy, if he is back to his old ways, that can get a shot off. He is not afraid of the big shot, which is another issue they had last season. If Francis is the point guard they opt to go with, then they are getting the best option on the market at the given time, something has to be said for that, but it cannot be overlooked that they missed out on some guys that might have fit better.

Mark Cuban Willing To Pay For 3 Things: The Mavs, The Cubs, and Strippers!

HIT LIST for 7/10/07

-Home Run Derby Is Even Lame
Vladimir Guerrero of the Anahiem Angels won the home run derby last night by hitting 17 home runs. Nope, not 17 in the final round, but 17 total home runs over 3 rounds. This was one of the most boring all star events that I have ever seen, until Vlad won and jumped into the arms of a friend. Finally there was some action going on.

-Antoine Walker Robbed Again
Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker was robbed last night as his Chicago home. Police said there were no injuries, but that the crooks got away with a vehicle, cash, and jewelry. This is the second time that Walker has been robbed at gun point since he joined the league. In July 2000, Walker — then a Boston Celtic — was the victim of an armed robbery along with NBA center Nazr Mohammed as they sat in a vehicle at 4:15 a.m., waiting for a restaurant on Chicago's South Side to open. Police said at the time that three men approached and demanded cash and valuables, which included a $55,000 wristwatch. Sounds like Walker had a bit of the drunken munchies, and paid for it big time.

-Dan Patrick Set To Leave ESPN After 17 Years
Dan Patrick who came to fame by hosting the 'Big Show' (Sportscenter) with Keith Olberman has announced that he is leaving the network. Patrick has cut back on the episodes of Sportscenter that he hosts in the last few years, but could always be seen as the studio lead for their NBA coverage and heard on his daily radio show. Patrick was influential in bringing a comedic angle towards sports coverage, often times even cracking himself up on air. He leaves ESPN without a contract or another job to go to: "I didn't leave with something in mind, and that is probably not the best business decision you make," he said. "But I still want to do radio, I love the format and I don't want to do TV like I once did. I said goodbye without exactly knowing where I'm going to say hello to." Dan Patrick was one of the best and we wish him luck. Who knows what the future will hold, but if he wants to come work here, then there is a spot open.

NIKE WINS WIMBLEDON

Rain Delay: Talent Show

The Phillies had a massive rain delay last night, where players came out onto the field to help get the tarp set up. What was not shown however was what the players did once the cameras were off and the fans left. Here is a great clip of baseball players showing off their skills in the rain.

Gay-Rod Homers Again

While other players are struggling to keep up with the home run pace that previous seasons had set, Alex Rodriguez is not. The best home run hitter of the last 10 years was at it again on Sunday, blasting another home run to close out the first half of the season. That gives him 30 for the first half of the season, which makes him only the second player in Yankees history to reach the 30-homer mark, joining Roger Maris. I wish I was around when Maris was playing to see if he was hated as much as A-Rod was during his home run streak.

HUMAN HIGHLIGHT FILM

By far the strongest dunker I have ever seen. Nicknamed "The Human Highlight Film," Dominique Wilkins always seems to be forgotten as a player, because of insane highlight tapes like this are so captivating.

NBA RANT (Post-Draft Edition:The Trades That Did Go Down)

The NBA Draft came and went last week without any blockbuster moves that most fans were hoping for. There were some moves made though that were pretty interesting.
- Since we are based out of NY, it is probably only fitting to address their move first. How does Zach Randolph fit in with a Knicks team that already has a beast on the low block in Eddy Curry? These players are in some way replicas of each other. Both guys are incredibly talented scorers, who have trouble on the defensive end, and on the glass. That being said, Randolph did average 10 rebounds a game last year, so he is getting better. The Knicks had trouble scoring the ball when Curry was on the bench last year, but I don't foresee them having that problem anymore. Add in Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Quentin Richardson and the Knicks can score in so many different ways now. It will be interesting to see how all of these pieces blend together, because the guys I just mentioned are all really only known for their scoring. The Knicks have some solid role players in David Lee and Renaldo Balkman, which will help balance out this squad. These guys are pure hustle and should be on the court at all times with the offensive juggernauts now on the Knicks roster. Isiah took a chance on Randolph to help his squad get back into the playoffs, and did not really give up that much. I would say that it was a great deal in that respect.
Portland has been the most active squads over the 2 years on draft night. They have made the effort to rid themselves of bad character guys, while adding talented youth to the squad. This year was no different. By getting rid of Randolph, they lose a scoring machine, but also a guy who apparently was a problem in their locker room. Randolph was the last remaining player from the 'Jail Blazer' era, which GM Kevin Pritchard has been trying to disassociate from. In return for Randolph, the Blazers added a big man who can step away from the hoop and be effective. Channing Frye is a jump shooting big man, who should be a perfect complement to Greg Oden. Oden will make Frye look like a good defender, by shutting down the paint. Frye struggled a bit last season, but I think he is another great young piece for Portland. As for Steve Francis, I just don't see him sticking on the roster for long. Looking at the frontcourt of the Blazers, it is hard not to drool over their future when you see Oden, Frye, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Josh McRoberts. These guys on paper are perfect complements for each other, but will that play out on the court?

- The other big move of the night had Boston sending the #5 pick (Jeff Green), Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West for Ray Allen and Glen 'Big Baby' Davis. This move has been met with great skepticism by Celtics fans, but I really love it. Allen is one of the best shooting guards in the league, and will combine with Paul Pierce to give the Celtics the best wing combo in the East. Pierce has developed a great mid-range game, and Allen will keep the double teams from coming. The Celtics had a terribly tough time scoring last season when Pierce was hurt, but no longer should that be a problem, cause Allen can score from anywhere on the court. With these two on the wings and Al Jefferson inside, the Celtics are back on track. Jefferson was one of the best big men in the league during the second half of the season, and has been one of the most sought after players in the league this summer. The Celtics were smart to hold onto him, cause he will be the face of the franchise when Pierce decides to hang it up. Outside of those three guys, the Celtics have some solid young players in Ryan Gomes, Rajon Rondo, and Gerald Green. If those guys can continue their progress, I can see the Celtics battling for one of the final playoff spots.
Across the country, the Celtics trading partner, the Seattle Supersonics, made out fairly well themselves. By getting rid of Ray Allen, the Sonics have committed to a full rebuilding project. After taking Kevin Durant with their first pick, they got Jeff Green with their pick from the Celtics. Durant and Green were the two of the most versatile players in the draft and to come away with both of them is great. Durant will handle the heavy scoring burden, while Green will mostly play point forward; they are perfect fits for each other. It will be interesting to see what the Sonics do around these two, but there are some good players on their roster to start with. I love the addition of Delonte West to their backcourt. He is a smart player, who can start at the point or the two spot for a lot of squads, but is best suited to be the first guard off of the bench, which he will be here in Seattle. Luke Ridnour is a very poor man's Steve Nash, but will be good enough to start. He is quick to the hoop and can hit from outside, but struggles to keep other point guards in front of him. Will his offensive prowess be able to make up for his defensive struggles, only time will tell, but history says no. Outside of Ridnour, I like Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison at the power forward spot. Both of them hit the boards hard and provide some offensive punch to the lineup. If only the Sonics could figure out a way to combine these players, they would have an All Star power forward. Time will tell if the Sonics made the right move by getting rid of Ray Allen, but as it looks right now, their future is bright once again.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Shaquille O'Neal on his new show, “Shaq’s Big Challenge,” on ABC.
Mr. O’Neal’s off-the-cuff advice, too, is unconventional. He encourages one overweight boy to cultivate a sense of humor to attract girls. When teased about your size, he says, try this retort:

“Yeah, I got a big stomach, but tell your girl to come rub on it.”

WAIT MAYWEATHER WAS RETIRED?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the challenge of fighting Ricky Hatton:

"I was retired but I'll sign to fight Hatton right now. I've tried to let the things he said about me slide by, but now he's 'dissing' me on national TV and I want to shut him up. I've never wanted to hurt an opponent like I do Hatton.

"Ricky Hatton cannot fight. He throws one punch at a time and then holds. Hatton is the most overrated fighter of the last 25 years."

I am sick and tired of boxers saying they are retired and then coming back and fighting a few months later. Do these guys know what retired means? Mayweather said farewell to boxing last month after beating Oscar De La Hoya, and all he has done since is talk trash with some Ultimate Fighters and now agree to take on Hatton. Sounds like he is really enjoying that time off. What will Mayweather's retirement include next, a rematch with De La Hoya?

NHL HITS ROCK BOTTOM

Just when the NHL thought it could not get any worse, it turns out that the championship clinching game was lower rated than the Spanish telecast of the The CONCACAF Gold Cup final. This match pitted USA versus Mexico in championship of North and South American Soccer. This SOCCER matchup, yeah I said soccer attracted 41 percent more television households in the United States than the Stanley Cup finals clincher. This is an unbelievable rating stat, because like I said before, this was just the Spanish telecast. The English broadcast is not rated, but was available in 30 million homes. I can't wait to hear how the people in the league office for the NHL try to spin this to tell us how well Hockey is thriving in the US. I just don't buy the fact that those same people are shitting themselves when numbers like these come out.

FREDDY ADU WHERE ARE YOU?

A great article on Rumors and Rants about the boy who was going to revolutionize US Soccer, Freddy Adu. My guess is he has been spending too much time with JoJo instead of on the field. (Rumors and Rants)

THE MISEDUCATION OF STEVEN A SMITH

This video might be a little long, but it is really funny. With the draft 2 days away, we must get our fill where we can. Here is to hoping Stephen A. is at the draft again this year. Who would have thought that the hosts get heckled at these type of events.

Tiger Will Never Win Another Major

Kiss your career goodbye, Tiger.

Oh, and just because we can chance to take a look, this is the harlot brought that little golf-legend-wrecker into the world...