Busted Brackets

With this being the first year that all four number ones have made it to the final four, every serious basketball fan should feel cheated and frustrated. One of the things that has always made NCAA basketball just a little bit more thrilling than say the NBA, has been the ability for the underdog to surprise everyone. And granted, this tournament has seen two 12 seeded teams and two 13 seeded teams upset their opponents to make it into the 2nd round of the tournament. Even more exciting was seeing Davidson, a ten seed, give KU a run for their money. But in the end, even Davidson fell victim to the #1 seed, just like in every other region, leaving us with the best-of-the-best scenario.

Coincidentally, the best-of-the-best scenario (all four #1 teams) is also the most frustrating and boring scenario for everyone who loves college basketball. You see, plenty of NCAA tournament "experts" are returning to their day jobs today, semi-frustrated that Texas and Tennessee couldn't get their act together and were eliminated, consequently ruining their brackets. For them, returning to work is a drag, but at least they don't have to agonize over how brilliant they would have looked had Stephon Curry taken the shot like he was supposed to and kissed KU goodbye. Drowning themselves in paperwork is almost as good as a vacation since it will distract them from thinking about how stupid it was to pick Xavier to make it to the finals.

So while these quote, "experts" are trying to lick their wounds and return to normalcy they are instead being confronted by the female coworker who is all smiles today since she is now the favorite to win the office pool. Sure, she's just as chipper as can be on a Monday since she just chose the favorites because, "Well, they're the best, aren't they?" This is also the same chick who thinks "bracketology" is where a chiropractic gets his license and hasn't watched a single minute of NCAA basketball this entire season. Of course, the only reason why she found out she's winning is because the IT guy at work told her. Her response? "Really? Get out! O-M-G, no way!"

Please, let's just get this over with and find a way to give her the pool money when I'm not around so I don't have to listen to how she's going to spend her winnings on getting her hair highlighted and her dog groomed. Next year, she's uninvited.

New Beginnings

Baseball fans across the country are breaking out their hats, jerseys, and gloves today as they head out to their home team's ballpark to witness their team's first (or 2nd) regular season game for the 2008 MLB season. For some fans, this is the beginning of something special, and for others, its the beginning of a horribly tumultuous season filled with injuries and errors.

Nonetheless, everyone is experiencing the beginning of a different kind. A beginning so monumental that it should be recognized as the beginning of an era, that is, the beginning of the Bonds-less era. As I have vocalized before, I'm not a fan of Barry Bonds for a variety of reasons. And now that I can watch baseball without having to be updated on the latest Bonds' rant or pathetic homerun trot, I feel that a weight has been lifted from shoulders. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. The Giants or also looking forward to an era in which they don't have to mess with this slugging prima-donna as they have publicly said they will not be resigning the 43 left-fielder.

But the Giants organization isn't willing to leave it at not signing the dude. They don't even want to be reminded that he once played there. According to several news reports, AT&T Park no longer contains any references or markings that would help any fan remember that Bonds had played for the Giants for the last 15 years. In fact, there isn't even a plaque commemorating Bonds' record breaking homerun that he slugged last year at home. The walls are clean, the banners are long gone, and Bonds is now simply a ghost to the San Francisco Giants as they gear up for a "rebuilding year." For all those who care to remember him, they are going to have to hold on to their jerseys and baseball cards, because this new beginning isn't looking back.

MLB 2008 Preview

BiCoastal Bias here, coming at you with three thoughts about the upcoming MLB season (which already started in Tokyo, but whatever).


1. The AL east might be the best division - ever. This division has an upper echelon (Boston and New York) and a middle class (Toronto and Tampa). The middle class will still compete well with any team in the American League, and all four of them will beat up on Baltimore. The problem is that it takes a lot to get a playoff spot in the AL.

2. The Rockies will find that it's even harder to get back to the World Series. Don't get me wrong, this team is legit and will be fighting for playoff spots for years to come. But just to make the playoffs last year took an incredible combination of luck and grit. They might find it hard to avoid a letdown this year, and they can only afford so much before they're on the outside looking in. But it could be worse, they could be the Brewers . . .

3. Can the Brewers correct what went wrong? I can only imagine the toll that last year's collapse took on their young players' confidences. They've got enough talent, but they need some experience when it comes to finishing a season strong. The experience they had last year will only serve to plant some doubts when things get difficult this year. Last year had the potential to be a huge step forward for this franchise, but I think it ended up being a step back.

Look to the Sports Frappe team to provide you more on what to expect from this season.

San Francisco Giants Sink To A New Low

The San Francisco Giants were beat by their Triple A team 4-3.

No, it wasn't split squad, and yes, all the Giants' starters played and batted at least 3 times.

No word on whether the Tampa Bay Rays are lobbying to move to the NL West or not.

The saddest thing about this is that you know Barry Bonds' roid blown mind is telling him that they suck because he is no longer there.

Do you think Giants Manager Bruce Bochy regrets making the move from the Padres to the Giants?

H-Town And Down

I did time in Houston the first part of the week. Actually I am in the Phoenix airport as I write. So far the only person I've known here is Stedman Graham, Oprah's boyfriend. But he didn't seem to know me. The guy is so much taller in person than he is on his books. Seriously, he's 6'5" plus. His book covers show him at about 5"5'.

So back to Houston where they seem to feel that the Rockets' win streak means they won something. Noone's concerned about the injuries, or their mini losing streak, or the fact that they play in the most competitive conference in pro sports. I guess mediocre performance will sew that into you.

On my way out of town, I did see a huge freeway billboard with a picture of Roger Clemens' huge cranium in a 'stros hat about to deliver a pitch off the mound. What did the billboard say? It said "Houston Supports Roger Clemens." Loyalty is cute isn't it?

I would have loved to have pulled over and taken a picture so I could post it here, but the Frappe don't trust their independent contractor content providers with valuable assets like digital cameras. Which simply put is bull.

When the founders of the Frappe (the old one and the younger one with all the facial hair) pursuaded me to document my travels (for no compensation of course) they said, we'll give you stuff. Stupid me, I assumed that the least they would do was give me the tools to do the job...........for free. When you assume, you make an.................

The best thing about my trip was being able to wakeup to live MLB the past two days.

And for that, I say........sweet.

Travel question: Does anyone else ever think they know how the superhero Flash feels when they walk on those moving sidewalks in airports and seem to be travelling about 5 times as fast as the mere mortals that for some reason choose to walk on regular ground?

No one?

Alrighty then.

Revisiting some NCAA predictions

Let's revisit my post predictions from one week ago:

Biggest First Round Upset:
So St. Joseph's didn't beat Oklahoma, and not only was there a 5-12 upset, there were two of them, complemented by two 4-13 upsets; making this tournament odd simply for having two 12-13 games in the second round. This tournament didn't have any more upsets than most, it's just that the upsets that did happen all happened in the same brackets, making for some strange math.

Sweet Sixteen Crasher(s):
I feel a little bit better knowing that Butler at least took Tennessee to overtime. I was way off with USC - Kansas St. looked great against them in the first round, then looked ready to implode against Wisconsin. While I had Davidson getting by Gonzaga, I definitely didn't have them beating Georgetown; and of course no one imagined two 12-seeds would get into the Sweet 16 by beating thirteen seeds . . . So let's just disqualify this category, shall we?

Final Four:
Still alive!!! UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA. Nothing wrong with playing it safe.

3rd Round Predictions:
I've got Louisville beating Tennessee, and because I believe in the philosophy that when a bet fails, try it again, I'm picking both Wisconsin and Xavier to go down.

Roger Goodell Is Anti-American

I caught wind today of a rumor that Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, could be considering a new rule for his No-Fun-League that would require all players to have their hair cut short enough to fit underneath their helmets.  And it was at this moment that I realized the terrorists had won.

Look, let's break down this rule because if this is true, there is going to be plenty of hog-wash blown at you to make you think this rule is about safety when it really is about image.  The case is going to be made that players that have their hair hanging out the back of their helmet and often times draping on the back of their jerseys are in risk of having it pulled out while being tackled.  The NFL is going to tell us that it is in the best interest of the players and the league that they don't see any scalpings take place on the gridiron and thus require players to take their hair underneath their helmets or cut it.

The reason why this is a bunch of crap is because any player that has his hair hanging out the back of his helmet (a) is rather aware of the possibility of it being used against them, (b) knows that the likeliness of this happening is quite slim, especially since it has probably only happened a couple of times, and (c) is a defensive back who doesn't have to worry about being tackled in the first place.  In truth, this possible rule change  is all about Roger Goodell trying to clean up the league's image, and he sees long hair as another deterrent to making the league more marketable.  It kind of reminds me of when my mom didn't want me hanging out with the kid across the street who had a ponytail because she thought he probably listened to Metallica as a result.

Unfortunately for the fans, this is just another line-item on a long list of semi-ridiculous things the league has done to limit individuality and make the league "look better."  Players' uniforms have been regulated from their shoes and socks, to the length of their towels.  And when it comes to these rules, the league makes no exceptions.  Remember when Jake Plummer wanted to keep his Pat Tillman sticker on his helmet for the entire season after the official league-wide week of wearing it?  The NFL wouldn't let him because his the tiny sticker on his helmet would make his uniform different from the entire Denver Broncos team!  I wouldn't be surprised if soon enough we see rules about coaches having to wear suits and ties along with players having to cover or remove their visible tattoos.  

It's for this reason that I call Roger Goodell Anti-American.  If anything, he's a communistic dictator.  Just think about it.  The most "American" sport out there is baseball.  You never hear of this kind of strong-arming about uniforms and hair coming from Bud Selig's office (although I vaguely remember there being an issue about Terry Francona's uniform sometime last year), and even if we do it is usually dealing with the pitcher and the created unfair advantage against the hitter.  Heck, this is why ESPN.com picks up a blog devoted to watching uniforms: the rules are much looser when it comes to baseball.  Even when we do hear about uniform issues (or grooming issues), it is always at a team level and not a commissioner level.  

That is why baseball is called "America's Pastime" and football will never rival that claim: it preserves the team's right to run and govern itself in a way that it sees fit.  Now that's American.  I just wish Roger Goodell might consider that.

Great Game, Stupid Idea

The Red Sox and the A's played a great game today, the opening game of the season, but how many of you were awake for it? I'll confess, by the time I got out of the shower I only caught the tenth inning.

Look, Japan already has their own high quality baseball league, and of course they are gonna go nuts to have Daisuke Matsuzaka starting a game back in his homeland. But is there really a good reason for playing regular season games there? I just don't get it.

One thing entertaining that came out of this was Manny Ramirez's end-game "Hero's Interview." The questions were only being translated for him, so I have no idea as to what he was responding, but he answered two questions with the phrase "Hey, why not?" I can only assume the Japanese interviewer was asking, "Why play a game in Tokyo?"

Cabrera Cashes In

Just because March Madness is producing some of the most thrilling games that we have all seen since the Super Bowl doesn’t mean we need to ignore the fact that the MLB season starts in less than 9 days.  So MoneyMouth is here to keep you filled in on the latest, today being Miguel Cabrera cashing in.

Miguel Cabrera will reportedly be signing an 8 year, 153.3 million dollar extension with the Tigers this week making him hold the fourth richest contract in baseball history.  While the Tigers have to be happy that they just locked up their newest acquisition to a long-term deal (the boy is only 24), I’m assuming they must be a little uneasy at the same time.  Contract years are traditionally big statistical years for baseball players as they fight to make their market value rise on the edge of free-agency.  The Tigers have effectively cut out the possibility of Cabrera making a huge splash and then leaving the team for the highest bidder, but they have also cut out his since of urgency.  Granted, Cabrera has shown that he was serious about this season from the start by hitting the gym and losing some serious poundage.  But as IntrinsicBent knows all too well, losing and gaining weight doesn’t take very much effort.  Only time will tell if Cabrera will be able stay motivated and earn his huge contract.  But if I were the Tigers, I’d make sure to slip a weight incentive/condition into that extension just to make sure he doesn’t balloon up like Violet Beauregarde. 

Honestly, I’m sure Cabrera will be just fine and will continue to be an amazing offensive force in the Tigers lineup.  Just keep the boy away from the Krispy Kremes to be safe.

Ovechkin Update

The Frappe reported on this story last year when Alexander Ovechkin was signed to a 13 year, 124 million dollar contract.  While I was more than skeptical about spending so much money on one player when the NHL doesn't exactly look like it is in the kind of shape to be dishing out such contracts, the Washington Capitals are getting a return on their investment.  Last night, Ovechkin scored two goals, bringing his season total to 60.  The last season that there was a 60 goal scorer was in 1995-96 when Mario Lemieux (69) and Jaromir Jagr (62) did it as teammates.  And in case you think Ovechkin is all about the goal, he also had two assists.  Pretty good stat-line.

But as always, we need to ask if this means anything for the NHL.  The NHL is still trying to recover a national audience from its extended strike that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season.  Despite pulling better attendance figures that before the strike (for the most part), you can still hardly find a hockey game on television these days.  And no TV coverage equals no TV money.  So I suppose the more up-and-coming players that we see, from Ovechkin to the phenom Sidney Crosby, the better chance we might have of actually seeing a NHL regular season hockey game on your local channels.  And this is the only thing that the NHL can hope for right now.  Until then, these players and their league will continue to skate under the radar, just like the MLS and Curling.

The Pulse Of Arizona And New Mexico

Started out the week in Tucson Arizona where the feel of media printed and audio seemed to be abject disbelief that Arizona State did not make it to the big dance that is the NCAA Tournament.

I was in Tucson where they didn't seem to care much since, after all, they made it in.

I heard a sports talk radio interview with Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr who was riding the crest of the Shaq filled Suns finally stringing some wins together. He is also an Arizona alum and gave his input on their chances, which shock of all shocks, was that their prospects were good.

The funniest line he had was when conversation went back to the Suns and he described one of his late season pickups, guard Gordan Giricek, strengths' as having that "Euro Flop" thing going on.

Later in the week found me in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where residents were giddy at making the NAIA Tournament and didn't seem to care that they lost in the first round to Cal. I guess a long stretch of underperformance will do that for you.

A Few NCAA Picks

BiCoastal Bias coming back to you today after a brief February hiatus. Just in time to give you my March Madness predictions, but just too late for any of them to count in your own brackets. Why? Cuz I don't like people making money off me, plain and simple.

Biggest First Round Upset:
St. Joseph's over Oklahoma. I know, it's only an 11 seed, but I think this might be the year we don't have the traditional 5-12 upset. (As I write, Georgia's got a first half lead as a 14 seed. I'm nothing if not honest.)

Sweet Sixteen Crasher:
I'm taking Butler. I know this is a poplular pick, since they were under-seeded in anyone's eyes, and Tennessee is a bit unpredictable. I've also got USC knocking off Wisconsin. (I know, I know, this has got to be the first time I've bashed an overrated Big 10 team.)

Final Four:
UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA. With UCLA beating UNC in the final. What can I say, I'm trendy.

One other important announcement that Money Mouth wanted me to make: He has Xavier as the tournament runner-up . . . They're currently down by nine to Georgia.

Good Basketball Is Not Played After Midnight

On the eve of the "big" tournament, I found myself a little too restless to wait for this morning's NCAA action that will consume my entire life for the next few weeks. Aside from October and Opening Day, there is not a sporting event that I love more than the March to Madness. So, I convinced Mrs. MoneyMouth that it would be a fun idea to go watch some college basketball from a different level: the NAIA.

The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) is holding its annual championship tournament this weekend at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in which 32 teams will compete to be crowned as the National Champion. While that may sound pretty similar to the more popular NCAA tournament, the big difference is the NAIA takes a total of 7 days to crown its winner instead of the customary 19. As you can imagine, playing 31 games in a single auditorium over 7 days is no easy accomplishment, especially when 16 of those games are played in the span of 48 hours.

Unfortunate for myself and the Mrs. was the fact that our alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene University, was set to tip off against the number 9 seed, Southern Nazarene University, at 10:30pm. That is, until one of the earlier games went into double overtime. So 10:30 quickly turned into 11:30, and as you can imagine the game suffered as a result. While these two teams fought it out, the officiating became more and more loose as the game went further into the early hours of the morning. Fouls went uncalled and intensities flared as the refs' eyes became more bloodshot and sleep deprived. Lucky for Point Loma, some of this worked to their favor (although there were plenty of missed calls going the other way) and they pulled out a stunning upset in overtime, winning 76 - 73.

While I was rather thrilled to witness a Point Loma victory in the NAIA tournament (a player I spoke with after the game estimated that it had been 40 years since PLNU has had a victory in the tournament), I was disappointed to witness the game itself suffer due to its extremely late time slot. Of course, it was only after leaving the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium at 1:30am that I understood the slogan plastered above the entrance:

"College Basketball's Toughest Tournament"

You better believe it.

Shaq Under A Microscope

March 7, 2008

Phoenix Suns 86

San Antonio Spurs 85

Games Shaq played in: 10 out of 14

Record with Shaq: 4-6

Record without Shaq: 3-1

This ongoing feature chronicles the Phoenix Suns' journey after they traded for Shaq.

Floyd Mayweather Only Cares About Money

Don't get mad at me, Mayweather started it. If that sounds juvenile, so be it. I just think someone that has been touted as the "best pound for pound boxer in the world" would care more about things like his sport, his legacy, and his warrior journey.

Seems like his mouth alone is at least a pound.

Boxing fans, your Golden Boy (sorry Oscar) can be seen later this month on pay per view. The problem here is that he is fighting Big Show. I didn't say he was the big show, or that he is in a big show. He is fighting Big Show, as in WWE's Paul "Big Show" Wight.

He's participating in WWE professional wrestling, or as we at the Frappe like to call it..........wrasslin' sketches. That's right, Mayweather is probably rehearsing his upcoming performance as you read this.

There have been contested reports that Mayweather is pulling down a cool $20 million for his "performance". Now I hear you saying, "Intrinsic, you'd jump in the ring and run around in there in tights for $100. You may be right, but I don't think a blog journalist in the squared circle has quite the integrity problem that a person that is supposed to be representing the finer art of pugilism and warrior spirit does.

Remember about a year ago when Mayweather was feeling insecure about the surge that MMA, ie Ultimate Fighting, was experiencing and said:

"UFC ain't s---. "It ain't but a fad. … These are guys who couldn't make it in boxing. So they do [mixed martial arts]. Boxing is the best sport in the world and it's here to stay."

So where does pro wrestling fit in Mayweather's pecking order now? Even if he is pulling 20 mill, isn't it costing him.............his reputation?

Floyd Mayweather is all about the paycheck. He won't be stepping into the UFC's octagon, or any other MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion because he would get his head handed to him. Maybe literally.

If you don't know much about boxing and other combat sports, then you think I'm overreacting. Combat sports are the ultimate individual sport. There's no one but you in the ring, cage, or mat to rely on to keep someone from messing you up...........bad.

Boxing is steeped deep in tradition. And it has nothing to do with ear biting. Most boxers, if they don't have one written, have a boxing tree in their head. This tree tracks who they have beaten and who the opponents they have beaten have beaten. This allows them to be able to say "to be the best, you have to beat the best".

I'm not going to take it back too far, but here's the concept:

• Mike Tyson beat Larry Holmes on January 22, 1988



• Larry Holmes beat Muhammad Ali on October 2, 1980



• Muhammad Ali beat Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964



• Sonny Liston beat Floyd Patterson on September 25, 1962

You get the drift. It's a veritable lineage of champions. In this example, Mike Tyson's boxing heritage goes all the way back to Sonny Liston. And beyond.

It is true that many of the fighters listed had suspect opponents. Ali fought a kickboxer and a wrestler I believe. Or maybe I am confusing him with Rocky Balboa.

In this day and age when big fight money is so available and Mayweather has captured so much of it, to take a payday for a fake event is just reprehensible.

It's very possible that Mayweather is getting his advice from the same person that hooked him up last year with his gig on "Dancing With The Stars."

Let me help you Floyd. Stay away from any record deals, infomercials, or reality series in the near future.

Shaq Under A Microscope

March 7, 2008

Phoenix Suns 118
Utah Jazz 126

Games Shaq played in: 9 out of 13

Record with Shaq: 3-6

Record without Shaq: 3-1

This ongoing feature chronicles the Phoenix Suns' journey after they traded for Shaq.

Humane Society Gives Golfer The Bird

I feel the need to once again say that I consider myself someone that has great appreciation for most...........ok, many animals. I do struggle though with the direction we seem to be going where you are expected to knock a baby off of a cliff if it means you can detour a wild animal from running across the road.

But I digress...............................................

Let's talk about birds. In fact, let me do a little word association with myself for you:

Turkey - Sandwich

Geese - Evil

Crows - Bully

Roadrunner - Coyote

Hawk - Tripp Isenhour taking aim

You have surely heard the story by now. Golfer Tripp Isenhour is shooting an instructional golf video on the links and a hawk lands and starts giving him the business, so he takes aim and.........well, let's just say that hawk is no longer a golf fan.

Everyone needs to give this Isenhour guy a break. It reminds me of something I heard the late comedian Mitch Hedberg say: "I never made a hole in one. But I did hit a guy. And that was way more satisfying."

Do you know how hard it is to restrain yourself when some jerk hawk is apeing you from 75 feet out? Do you also know the skill necessary to hit said hawk with a golf ball hit by a golf club from 75 yards out? If it was a clay pigeon, this guy'd be hitting the talk show circuit.

Let me break this article down for you:

1) Don't mess with migratory birds.

2) The name of the video was "Shoot Like A Pro". Maybe they should have stressed that Ike shouldn't take it so literal.

3) "Grand Cypress Golf Club—his home course—when a squawking red-shouldered hawk forced another take." - Uncool. You don't step into a man's yard and dis him.

4) "He got in his golf cart and drove closer to the bird, then 300 yards away, and starting hitting balls at it. The bird didn’t move and Isenhour gave up and drove away." - Quitter. If he'd taken it out at 300 feet, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

5) "Isenhour allegedly said, “I’ll get him now,” and aimed for the hawk." - You have to admire calling your shot.

6) “About the sixth ball came very near the bird’s head, and (Isenhour) was very excited that it was so close,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer Brian Baine indicated in a report. - Those Fish and Wildlife dudes have hawklike eyesight themselves. He saw that from 75 yards out?

7) "A few shots later, witnesses said he hit the hawk. The bird, protected as a migratory species, fell to the ground bleeding from both nostrils." - Hawks have nostrils?

8) "Isenhour said in a statement issued through his management company, SFX Golf. “I want to let everyone know there was neither any malice nor deliberate intent whatsoever to hit or harm the hawk. I was trying to simply scare it into flying away.” - Uh, then what was the whole "I'll get him now" thing all about?

9) “He just kept saying how he didn’t think he could have hit it, which I think is a stupid thing for a PGA Tour golfer to say,” Senger said. “He can put a ball in a hole from hundreds of yards away, and here he is hitting line drives at something that’s, I don’t know, a couple hundred feet away?” - Ok Skippy, what was it, 75 yards, or a couple hundred feet?

10) "Isenhour said he is an animal lover and his family has adopted three cats from a local shelter." - A visit to PETA with Jesse Jackson as your wing man will help your cause as well.

11) "Bartlett said Isenhour’s case, like the Michael Vick dog fighting case, is disappointing for society." - Someone had to play the Vick card.

Well, that's it for now. I need to take my cat to his therapist. He's been acting out lately because of repressed frustration from his kithood.

Before I leave though, why was this ok?

Story Source

The Only Reason That Favre's Retirement Is Wack

Brett Favre was an amazing iron man athlete who was exciting to watch. When you saw him play football you told yourself that it was exactly the way you'd have played if you wouldn't have stopped playing after Pop Warner.

Kudos to Brett for coming back when no one thought he should. And then taking the youngest team in the NFL one play away from getting into the Superbowl. And then going out on his own terms near the top of his game.

The only thing that is wack is no talent sports bobble heads on the radio and elsewhere that are now saying that the Green Bay Packers will be a better team next season than they were this season.

Truth is, they won't even be making the playoffs.

Mark that down as you make your little attempts at saying something outrageous to get noticed. There's no such thing as a sports shock jock.

Go ahead and mark that down too.

NCAA On Line Two

Tonight on their local AM sports talk show, AM 570 KLAC hosts Petros and Money had Hawaii Rainbow Warriors QB and probable draft darling Colt Brennan in as a studio guest (See 3/5 PMS Hour 2 & 3 podcast on lower right to download).

When asked if he'd like to return to Hawaii someday, as in live there, Brennan responded by saying yes, and that he had a place there.

What?!?

I don't profess to know diddley about Colt Brennan, but do know that it's probably a rare situation where a college senior athlete owns a place in Hawaii before he officially has NFL type money.

Double Shot Of A Shaq Microscope

50%..........Again.

The Shaq experiment, in Double Vision.

March 4, 2008

Phoenix Suns 97
Portland Trailblazers 92
Games Shaq played in: 7 out of 11
Record with Shaq: 3-4
Record without Shaq: 3-1

March 5, 2008

Phoenix Suns 113
Denver Nuggets 126
Games Shaq played in: 8 out of 12
Record with Shaq: 3-5
Record without Shaq: 3-1

This ongoing feature chronicles the Phoenix Suns' journey after they traded for Shaq.

Excuse Me, But You Are Sitting In My $80,000 Seats

Just when I thought baseball franchises couldn't get anymore money hungry, they go out and do something completely ridiculous to squeeze out that extra penny from their fans.  The latest example comes from the Chicago Cubs who have decided to auction a select grouping of season tickets off to the highest bidder.  But these are not just any seats.  These seats are the 71 newly constructed Chicago Board Options Exchange seats located between the dugout and the bullpen on the 3rd base side.  That's right!  They are sponsored by the CBOE.  

Can we all just take a moment and laugh (or cry)?  I'm not sure which part of this financial move is more greedy: auctioning seats off to the highest bidder, or offering naming rights to a particular grouping of seats.

In case you don't believe me or you are more of a visual learner type, you can go on the Cubs website and participate in this auction right now (ends March 13th, so hurry).  They are selling CBOE seats in groups of 2, 4, or 5 as season ticket packages averaging out at about $200 a game per seat.  So unless you have about $40,000 laying around, you're going to have to sit up in the nose-bleeds like the rest of us.

But beyond the fact that the Cubs are so desperate for money that they are auctioning these seats along with front row seats behind home plate is the fact that the Cubs organization is dumb enough to put fans even closer to the playing field.  Didn't the Cubs learn anything from Steve Bartman and that painful incident that kept them from going to the World Series?  You'd think that a Post-Bartman Cubs World would be smart enough to start putting electric fences around the playing field to keep the fans away, not bring them closer and tempt them even further!  And even more so, the Cubs should be worried about the liability issues of putting fans so close to the dugout that they might catch a stray punch from Carlos Zambrano which is intended for whoever his new catcher is that week.  If you are paying that much for baseball tickets, then I'm assuming you have a very good attorney (if you aren't one yourself) and won't have any qualms about suing the hell out of Zambrano and the Cubs organization.  I hope the Cubs have written up the release forms.  

But on a more serious note, whoever ends up in those seats is probably going to be pretty stoked.  I'm just curious about how they will end up justifying paying 40 large to watch the Cubs not win the World Series for the 99th consecutive season.

Nationals Need a New Trainer

Let's take a look at the two men who are fighting to be the everyday 1st baseman for the National's this season: Dimitri Young and Nick Johnson.

AP Photo/Nati Harnik

I think it's safe to say that the only steroids that these guys might be guilty of taking is found in their cheeseburger meat.  Keep it up, boys.  Fat is back.

Cassell Forcing His Way Onto Celtics

Apparently, Sam Cassell really wants to be a Celtic, and it looks like all his hard work is paying off.

This all started over a month ago, when Sam Cassell (a Los Angeles Clipper) made the public confession that he would be the perfect addition to the Boston Celtics. Of course, to most fans and media, this was taken as a 'dis' on the Celtics current point guard, Rajon Rondo; leading to the February 6 match up between the Clippers and Celtics looking like a showdown between these two players. This could be a chance for Cassell to prove what an upgrade he would be to his future team. In case you haven't seen it already, check out this clip to see what happens when things don't go exactly as Cassell plans.

Perhaps Cassell, realizing his tryout wasn't going so well, decided on plan B: eliminate the competition - "If the Celtics don't need me now, maybe they will after THIS."

Whatever it was he was thinking/offering, the Celtics weren't really biting, up until now. Cassell has missed four straight games with a wrist injury, and the Clippers have placed him on waivers. Assuming he clears waivers, all sources sound pretty confident that he will sign with the Celtics. It turned out, all he needed to do was get hurt, not get somebody else hurt. The higher ups are also saying he will not replace Rondo in the starting lineup, he will simply offer minutes late in the game when Rondo's inexperience often shows.

Of course, this Cassell mission could really take a turn south if someone claims him off of waivers, a serious long shot, but would be hilarious if it actually happened. What's interesting is, if the Celtics really wanted him, don't you think they'd be willing to claim him off waivers?

Shaq Under A Microscope

I know what you're thinking............the Frappe is becoming an all Shaq watching medium..............shame on you for even thinking that.

Here is your Shaq update:

Phoenix Suns 114
Philadelphia Sixers 119

Games Shaq played in: 6 out of 10
Record with Shaq: 2-4
Record without Shaq: 3-1

This ongoing feature chronicles the Phoenix Suns' journey after they traded for Shaq.