Sports Tidbits June 30th

Come Midnight tonight NBA Free Agency begins. Of course players can’t sign with a team until July 8th, but over the next month it will be fascinating to see where LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Nowitzki, and others will go. Here are my predictions for where the players will go, which will probably be all wrong. Also I do not think Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony will get traded this offseason. Maybe later next season, but not this summer.


LeBron James- Chicago Bulls

Dwyane Wade- Miami Heat

Paul Pierce- Boston Celtics

Ray Allen- Boston Celtics

Shaquille O’Neal- Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas Mavericks

Chris Bosh- Chicago Bulls

Nate Robinson- New Jersey Nets

Joe Johnson- New York Knicks

Amar’e Stoudemire- Miami Heat

Carlos Boozer- New Jersey Nets

Allen Iverson- Retirement

Tracy McGrady- Toronto Raptors

Jermaine O’Neal- Memphis Grizzlies

Derek Fisher- Los Angeles Lakers

David Lee- Los Angeles Clippers

Rudy Gay- Minnesota Timberwolves

Luke Ridnour- New York Knicks

Darko Milicic- Indiana Pacers

Zydrunas Ilgauskas- Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyle Korver- Orlando Magic

Raymond Felton- San Antonio Spurs

J.J. Reddick- Charlotte Bobcats

Where will Wade, Bosh, and LeBron land? Will it be all together?

Speaking of NBA Free Agency, the ESPN NBA Free Agent Summit featuring Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Dan LeBatard, and Bill Simmons was thoroughly entertaining. It’s great to watch for guys passionate about the NBA argue about what LeBron and the rest of the free agents should do. You won’t be smarter by watching it, but it’s a great 24 minutes of sports talk.

Oh and by the way Sabres fans NHL Free Agency starts too. Look I am no hockey expert, but I will say two things. One the Sabres have to make some dramatic changes to the roster. Two is while I want the Sabres to do this, I’m not sure how they do it, because the list of NHL Free Agents for 2010 quite frankly sucks. It is the complete opposite of the 2010 NBA Free Agent list. You want a 34 year old Saku Koivu? How about 36 year old John Madden? Booom!!! Does 39 year old Mike Modano entice you? 34 year old Paul Kariya anyone? The fact is NHL Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Cassadaga Golf Course. It’s alright, but nothing spectacular. NBA Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Augusta National. You can’t beat it!

What a great year for Team USA Sports. First the Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey team took the nation on a ride, and lost the greatest hockey game I ever saw to Canada in the Gold Medal Final. Then U.S. Soccer kept coming back each game, and made it to the round of 16 before bowing out to Ghana. After that game Kase said on Facebook that the loss to Ghana was a terrible blow to U.S. Soccer. I could not disagree more. The U.S. met expectations by making it in the Round of 16. And the dramatic way they played captured the entire nation. They simply lost to a better Ghana team. Hopefully four years from in 2014 the U.S. Hockey team can make another run for the gold in Russia, and the U.S. Soccer team will make the Round of 16 again in Brazil, and maybe advance further. All I know is I want to thank both teams for their heart and the way they played. Who could forget Zach Parise’s goal to tie Canada with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period, and Landon Donovan goal in the 91st minute to beat Algeria 1-0, win the Group C for USA, and send U.S. to the round of 16. Probably the two best sports moments of the year in this country.

After that Donovan Algeria goal I heard people say this was the 2nd greatest moment in U.S. Team Sports history right behind the Miracle on Ice. Please!! First off it’s not a better moment then when U.S. Soccer beat Mexico in the Round of 16 in 2002 to make it to the Quarterfinals of the World Cup. Second off it’s not even the best Team USA moment of the past three years. That would belong to the Redeem Team lead by Kobe, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh and beating Spain in the Gold Medal game in one of the best basketball games no one saw (expect me I stayed up all night to watch that one). If you didn't see or don't remember that game here are the 1st and 2nd half highlights of that game below. Note Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all playing together. Will this happen again with the Miami Heat?





Can people stop calling Cristiano Ronaldo as simply “Ronaldo.” The Ronaldo I know was one of the greatest soccer players of all time for Brazil, who holds the record for all time World Cup goals with 15, lead Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup, and in 2008 had sex with three transvestites who all turned out to be men. Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t hold Ronaldo’s jock (and probably wouldn’t want to) when it comes to International Soccer competition. Cristiano Ronaldo may have Tom Brady looks, but he did not come up big when it mattered in the biggest soccer tournament in the world. So please refer to Cristiano Ronaldo as “Cristiano Ronaldo”, not Ronaldo. That includes you Homer Simpson (by the way that’s the best commercial going these days).

Same can be said for L.T. The L.T. I know is the greatest defensive player of all time, who currently is indicated on rape of a 16 year old girl. That’s Lawrence Taylor. The “other” L.T., or as I like to call him LaDainian Tomlinson is a washed up running back, who never came up big when it mattered in the playoffs, and has a tattoo of the New York Jets logo on his leg. Please don’t confuse Tomlinson with the real L.T.

I don’t want to hear a vuvuzlea while watching any NFL or College Football game this year, but I probably will. Damn those things!

Stephen Strasburg is the real deal. I have seen all of his starts and don’t let the 2-2 record fool you. If he had a better defense behind him, and if the Nationals could score more than the 0-1 runs they give Strasburg, and if he had a manager who was competent Strasburg could easily be 5-0. Should he play in the MLB All-Star game? Absolutely! Here are three reasons why. 1.) Based on how he’s pitched so far he has earned it. Besides Ubaldo Jimenez, and Roy Halladay I don’t think there is a better pitcher in the National League than Strasburg. That includes Tim Lincecum, and Johan Santana. 2.) It would create a dramatic spike in interest in the game, and boost Fox’s TV ratings of the broadcast for that game. He’s a star, he will generate viewers. 3.) MLB has the only All-Star game that actually has meaning. If Charlie Manuel is serious about winning this game, and finally giving the National League home-field advantage in a World Series than Strasburg should be on the roster.

One final tidbit. This is non sports related. Did anyone see Chris Brown’s crying performance at the BET Awards while he was doing a tribute to Michael Jackson singing Man in the Mirror?! I would never watch anything on BET, but when I heard about this on the internet I look around to find the video. Does anyone think those tears are sincere at all?! Was Chris Brown really choked up about it being one year since MJ’s death, or was he really crying because he knows his career has fallen down faster than BP stock?!?! Look I know I am riding the front seat on Team Rihanna, so I certainly have a bias here, but all I can say is shut up and go away Chris Brown!!!!