Road to the Finals

It's official, we'll be seeing another historic match up between the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Looking back at my own prognostications, I was perfect in the East, where I simply stated that there would be no upsets, and there weren't. It turns out, I should have gone with the same strategy in the Western conference, where the only lower seed to win a series was the 3 seeded Spurs beating the 2 seeded Hornets (I had them both losing in the first round, oops).

Most of you are coming to the BiCoastal Bias for my take on this Finals match up - for the simple reason that Southern California vs. New England is my area of expertise (it's in my name, get it?). Neither team has faced a team as good as the team they will face in this the final round. I expect every game to be a trade off in domination between the Celtics defense and Kobe's offense. In the end, Celtics in seven.

The NCAA & Mayo: Both Wrong

The current controversy over former Trojan O.J. Mayo has elicited two reactions, from what I can tell. One side sees this as yet another (USC) athlete spitting on the rules regarding amateurism in college athletics; the other prefers to view this as being entirely the fault of the NCAA for making tons of money and not sharing it with the players.

I say: Stop it you two, you're both right.

On the one hand, it's time that we started putting pressure on the NCAA to stop exploiting these athletes. Yes, they are getting expensive college degrees (if they are smart enough make the most of the opportunity), but judging from the amount of money being made off of college athletics, their performance is worth even more than that. There's not going to be a perfect system - but it makes sense to me that every division 1 basketball player is entitled to some small (and equal across the board) percentage of the money being made.

On the other hand, the sad reality is, any reasonable solution to this problem will not do away with the kind of behavior we're seeing from O.J. Mayo and the many athletes like him. Even if Mayo was getting paid as a collegiate athlete, he'd still have potential agents throwing cash his way, and let's face it, he'd probably still accept it. This is why we simultaneously need to condemn the behavior of Mayo. Even if an athlete believes that the system is unfair, we as sports fans still expect him to act with (a little) integrity. By playing for a university (even USC), they are claiming to be amateurs. They've been lying to everyone.

So if you are mad at the athlete, or made at the system, don't forget that the other side shares its own burden of guilt as well.

What's The Worth Of A Pitcher?

If you are the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League, it is around 10 bats.

10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black 34-inch C243 style to be precise. Which according to an Associate Press story on USA Today, after receiving a bulk buy discount equals $655.

It seems the pitcher dealt for, John Odom, had a past criminal record which was going to prevent the Calgary Vipers from getting him into Canada. That's when they checked their supply cabinet to determine their needs, and then asked for the bats.

Story Source

More Bad Publicity for the Patriots

And just when all you Patriots fans were breathing a sigh of relief that Spy Gate could finally be put to rest, out comes some more bad news for you and your beloved coach, Bill Belichick. According to Ross Tucker, a former offensive lineman of the Patriots, he is agreeing with Matt Walsh's story that the Patriots have used players who were on the IR in practice, a clear violation of NFL policies. While Walsh's statement was concerning one player in 2001, Tucker says he saw it firsthand after he signed with the team in 2005.

This can only spell bad news for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Belichick was able to do some fancy footwork to dance his way out of Spy Gate without causing too much damage to himself or his team (although a first round pick is a pretty big deal), but this violation is a well known rule that has no gray area. Practicing a player who has been placed on the injured reserve list is flat out a violation of the rule. Now we just have to wait and see what Roger Goodell does in response to these allegations. If they are true, and I suspect they are, I have a feeling that Goodell's only option will be to come down with a several game suspension on Belichick if he wants his reputation as a dictator to hold up.

Goodell, you are on the clock.

NBA Prognostication Goodness - The Rest Of The Way

I'm not going to spend a lot of time bragging about how well I've called the outcome of this year's playoff game, series, and subsequent coach firings.

I am good though.

Here's the rest of the story on the Conference and NBA Finals:

CONFERENCE FINALS

Celtics v. Pistons

The Pistons will come back after losing the first one to win the series in 7 games. Don't look at me that way..........it will happen.

Lakers v. Spurs

This one will be easier for you to call, because everyone else is calling it. The Lake Show in 7 games.

NBA FINALS

Lakers v. Pistons

Lakers will win this to cap a true reality series version of a cinderella story season. 6 games.

Believe It.

Manchester United: The Champions of Europe

Last night, Manchester United faced off versus Chelsea in the biggest soccer match of the year: the European Champions League finals. But since most of you Frappe-heads have no idea what the UEFA is, let's give a little background.

The UEFA (United European of Football Associations) is the collection of leagues which cover Europe and some of Asia (Russia being the biggest country included). Every year they hold an annual championship among the best teams of each league to crown the Champions of Europe. This means we get to see clubs who wouldn't normally play each other (except in exhibition games) go head to head. Just imagine if Major League Baseball had a few more leagues, had a playoff system that went on during the regular season, and didn't have this joke we call interleague play. That's what the UEFA championship league is like. And since the best teams and best players in the world play in the UEFA, you are bound to see some pretty amazing soccer.

Well, not only did we get to see some amazing soccer last night, we also saw a match up between two of the biggest rivals in soccer. As some have labeled it, Man. U. and Chelsea are like the Red Sox and Yankees of baseball. And they fought a hard battle which saw 8 yellow cards, 1 red card (Drogba slapped Vidic), and 1 broken nose. Cristiano Ronaldo (not to be confused with Ronaldo) scored in the 26th minute with a sweet header and Chelsea's Lampard responded with a goal of his own shortly before the first half ended. After several close calls, the teams remained knotted at 1 after regulation and two overtimes forcing the game to penalties. Chelsea appeared to have it locked up after C. Ronaldo missed his penalty and Chelsea had the chance to take the lead. Unfortunately, John Terry slipped on his shot and hit the post after fooling the keeper. On Chelsea's last attempt with the score at 6 to 5, Man. U. keeper Van der Sar finally made a save and the celebration began.

Awards for the Game:

Scapegoat: This one easily goes to Drogba, who was sent off with a red card with only 4 minutes remaining in the second overtime. Drogba would have been one of the players to take a penalty and his goal could have been the difference. Aside from that, he definitely underperformed during the game when Chelsea needed him the most.

Hero: I'm going to give this one Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his miss in the shoot out. His goal in the first half was just incredible, and he's been scoring goals like they were going out of fashion throughout the season and the Champions League. Not to mention he's the only guy I know who can make a mullet look fashionable.

Tragic Hero: John Terry would have been the Hero of this game had he not been the victim of a crappy pitch that had been rained on all evening. Terry made an excellent save to push the game into penalties in one of the overtimes when a headed a ball away on a shot made by Manchester on an empty goal. He was a stud throughout the game, and deserves more credit than blame.

Worst Keeper Gear: Hands down, Petr Cech of Chelsea. Someone needs to let him know that hot neon orange does not look good on him. Plus, his helmet looks pretty lame too.

Lottery Pickin' Ain't Easy

While yours truly was personally pulling for the Nets represented by Jay-Z to win the number one pick in the NBA draft lottery last night, I was blown away as the Chicago Bulls snuck their way to the top to win the No. 1 pick in 2008. You could see the shock on everyone's faces as the Bulls had only a 1.9% chance of winning the lottery and teams like the Miami Heat (who had the worst record in the NBA) had a 25% chance of winning. So I have to ask, what's the deal with the lottery?

It appears to me that there is something wrong when a team that almost made the playoffs the previous season has even the slightest chance to win the draft lottery, let alone win it. And how unfortunate for those horrible teams that slid a spot or two because another team vaulted in front of them. For the Sonics who slid 2 spots, they are now projected to get Jerryd Bayless instead of Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose. Bummer.

And as quick as I am to ask what's wrong with this drafting method, I am also quick to say, thank goodness. This is one of the few safety nets in professional sports that prevents a team from packing it up early and tanking for the rest of season to secure a strong draft position. Perhaps the NFL could learn a thing or two from the NBA when it comes to this point. Besides, then we might get to see a few more rappers representing teams while simultaneously making the commissioner a little uncomfortable that they might forget to take out their grillz. Now that would be P.I.M.P.

The Legend of the Golden Thong

This is a family oriented website, so I won't post these pictures directly here, but let's imagine this article of clothing being worn by this man. Disturbing, right?

Well, Jason Giambi admitted on Saturday that he has been known to wear a golden thong every once and a while in order to break out of a hitting slump. That's right: a thong-ta-thong, thong, thong. And while it is rather disturbing to think of a guy like Giambi slipping on a little butt-floss, what's more disturbing is to know that he has shared that thong with Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon who have also tried to break out of hitting slumps.

Well, one thing is for sure: the Yankees could probably make a full calendar with the way they are playing right now.

Good luck getting that mental image out of your head.

Tampa Bay: Finally Relevant

We've crossed the one-quarter mark, and it's high time that someone on this blog mentioned the Tampa Bay Rays. After 42 games, not only are they in first place in the AL East, but they have the best record in the American League.

Now I'm not going to say anything stupid like that this team is heading for the playoffs, but for the first time in franchise history, the Rays can actually say that they are relevant to the baseball landscape. They appear to be balancing pitching, hitting, and fielding: coming in fifth in runs scored, fifth in homeruns, fourth in ERA, and fourth in fielding percentage (all ranks refer to the AL).

Perhaps most significantly, the Ray have made Tampa Bay a tough place to play for opposing teams. They've posted a 16-8 record at home so far, including home sweeps of the Boston Red Sox and the Angels of Anaheim. Out of all the American League stadiums, who could've guessed that Tropicana Field would be the toughest place to play in the first quarter of the season?

As I said, I can't imagine Tampa Bay breaking through to make the playoffs yet, but who knows? At the very least, this team will leave it's mark on the postseason, possibly by playing the role of spoiler in the AL East. Now that this team isn't a doormat anymore, it's going to be tough for the wildcard to come out of their division.

Fan Appreciation Manny Style

In all my years of watching baseball, I have never seen anything like this before:

































In case you can't tell, that's Manny Ramirez giving a high-five to a fan in the stands after he caught a fly ball hit by Kevin Millar before the inning was over with runners on base. If that's not shocking enough, Manny was still able to turn and fire, doubling up Aubrey Huff at first to end the inning. When Manny returned to the dugout, he celebrated with his teammates and pointed to the big screen to help explain his antics which they couldn't make out from their point of view.

While most people are writing about how this is just Manny being Manny, I'm still in shock that Manny "high-fived" the guy. I mean, really: a high-five? Everyone knows the fist bump is the way of the future. And here's Manny waisting his time with slapping hands -- the lowest form of male primate ritual. But then again, maybe this is what it means for Manny to actually be Manny.

Story and Video Here

Spy Gate is over

Despite what Senator Arlen Specter might have you believe, Spygate is over (more on him later). Matt Walsh didn't give the commissioner any new information; although his tapes did reveal just how dedicated Belichick was to this whole stealing signs endeavor.

I hesitate to write this blog, simply because I am a fan of "Belicheat" and the Pats, and so I know I can't pretend to come off as impartial. But I have to believe that your average Joe Frappehead is ready to let this story die. I agree that the Patriots deserved the punishment they got, and I'm even willing to agree that the commissioner could have been harsher at the time and been justified. But I don't think any further action is necessary, I don't think the Patriots' spying had a real outcome on games, and I highly doubt the Patriots were in the minority when it comes to teams trying to steal signals.

And if you are willing to grant me that last point, then you should definitely be willing to grant me the second point: If stealing signs is not all that uncommon, then coaches are also actively changing their signs, you would think anyways.

Finally, speaking as a current resident of New England, Patriots' fans are so ready to put this scandal to bed. Has anyone noticed that I still haven't blogged about the result of the Super Bowl? That loss was one of the toughest I've ever had to endure as a fan of professional sports. The idea that Spy Gate could have had more ill effects and publicity just felt like salt on unhealed wounds.

But as I said, it's over now. And as for you, Senator Specter, if you're reading this, meet me in the next parenthetical remark . . . (Dude, give it up. Your stupid little opinion does not matter. Why don't you go do something congressional. Or better yet, quit your job to launch a full scale independent investigation of Spygate that will be as useless to football as the Mitchell report was to baseball. You represent everything that's broken about this government - so I don't think anyone in your Senate Judiciary Committee will be sad to see you go.)

LeBron Says Happy Mother's Day

I'm sure we've all seen this clip many, many times, but I just can't resist posting it on here.

After a wrap-up foul by Paul Pierce on LeBron James, LeBron's mother tries to get involved:

Looking at this clip, I don't know what's funnier: LeBron James talking like that to his mother, or the announcer's call. "There is no love loss between LeBron James and Paul Pierce." That statement makes no sense after the fact when LeBron goes over to Pierce to say that they are cool and his mom is whacked.

With no regard for human life

I nominate "With no regard for human life," as the all-time worst broadcasting basketball dunk call. Can anyone come up with a worse one?

A Fantasy Baseball Dream

In fantasy baseball, there is always an added bonus if your player is eligible to play at more than one position. Most of the time, it's a catcher who also plays first like Victor Martinez, or a first baseman who is also eligible in the outfield like Lance Berkman, or the ever so rare middle infielder eligible at both second and short like Ryan Theriot. In some freak cases, you have guys like Chone Figgins who are eligible for most of the infield and outfield (although this year he is not eligible in most leagues for short).

However, the Majors lack anybody comparable to Buster Posey of the Florida State Seminoles' baseball team. Just to give you an idea how versatile this guy is, he played all 9 positions in the field yesterday in their victory over Savannah State in a game that only lasted 7 innings. He started at Catcher in the first inning and made his way around the horn and the outfield before retiring the last two batters at pitcher to end the game.

Ain't no thang? Well, he also went 1-for-3 with a grand slam, two walks, and two runs scored. Now that's impressive.

Tony Romo Can't Sing

Things just aren't looking that great for Tony Romo. His relationship with Jessica Simpson is going down the tubes (allegedly), he can't qualify for the U.S. Open, he certainly can't win an NFL playoff game, and now the dude has shown he can't sing either:

Tony Romo "Sings" At Wrigley

Two things to note: my dog is howling, and why does Tony Romo think its okay to put on a Cubs Jersey and show up at Wrigley?

BiCoastal's East Conference Thoughts

BiCoastal Bias here, coming at you with my thoughts on the Eastern Conference NBA playoffs games.

First up, the Detroit Pistons took a 3-1 lead on the Orlando Magic today. It came down to Hedo Turkoglu holding the ball at the top of the key with 10 seconds left; he continued to hold the ball, leaving himself just enough time to make a drive to the hoop where he was unable to finish. I've seen this type of strategy used quite a bit the last couple years, and not just in the NBA, but in the NCAA tournament as well. It seems like really stupid basketball to me.

I can understand wanting to take the last shot. What I don't understand is just sitting on the ball up until the last shot. Why not run some offense, or are these teams so conservative they don't want to risk making a bad pass? By holding the ball at the top of the key, you allow the defense a chance to get in position; and eventually the defense knows you're going to be left with no options other than trying to take it yourself. It just seems like you'd be better off getting some ball movement in those first five seconds, giving you a chance to make something happen, and if it doesn't, you've still got Turkoglu waiting at the top of the key.

It's too bad, because the Magic are a fun, young team, and I think most basketball fans are a little weary of the Rasheed-led Detroit Pistons.

In the later game tonight, the Boston Celtics were just torn apart by the Cleveland Cavs. I said it earlier, and I'm still holding to my statement that the Celtics will win the championship this year. But it has since become clear that every series is going to be a battle for this Boston team. My brother-in-law jokingly suggested that the Celtics could win the title without winning on the road through the entire playoffs.

While that could actually happen, I don't think the C's can afford another loss in Cleveland on Monday. They may have to learn the hard way what the Detroit Pistons learned last year: Lebron James can turn a 2-0 series deficit into a 4-2 series victory, leaving some bloggers just saying "WOW" in the process.

Ugliest Gear In The Playoffs

HANDS DOWN

Mike D'Antoni Don't Play D

Allegedly, Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is mulling over offers from the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks to revive their flailing teams.

D'Antoni captained an exciting era of run and gun European style basketball that had Point Guard Steve Nash cutting, slicing, and dicing up opponents with a torrid track meet pace. It seemed like no matter who the Suns plugged into their high octane offense, Nash made them look like All Stars by getting them the ball effortlessly.

Problem was that exciting regular season winning results never carried over into post season success. This is largely believed due to the fact that the offense heavy Suns did not possess the defensive capabilities to make it far in the postseason.

Then comes new Suns GM and former player Steve Kerr. Believing that better D was needed to succeed, he traded for an aging Center from the East and still only won one playoff game.

Suppoosedly Kerr has stated that he wants to see more defense in the Suns' game play.

Problem is, like the dudes that play pickup ball at my gym...............

Mike D'Antoni don't play no D.

Male Chauvinist Sports Pig

I was just sitting back enjoying the 2nd of 2 NBA playoff games, when all of a sudden I realized I was becoming very uncomfortable for no apparent reason.

Then I noticed that it wasn't due to my environment or furnishings. And it also wasn't continuous. I finally figured out that this phenomena spiked when I heard one of the two announcer dudes talk. I had a bad feeling as I sunk into the realization that the husky voice was not a dude at all.

It belonged to someone named Doris Burke, who with Dan Shulman held down announcing duties for the 3rd game between the Spurs and Hornets.

I did not have a problem as a kid when Phyllis George began covering football, nor do I care that women ref NBA games. I just don't want to hear a WNBA caller announce my game.

I really enjoy recent ballers that have transitioned their game from the court to the studio. I think Reggie Miller is awesome. I like Jon Barry. The TNT gang featuring Charles Barkley is the best sports production going.

But I do not want to hear a woman announcing the game. I can't believe I feel this way much less going truth serum and sharing it with you.

The ironic thing is, in the previous game of the night (Celtics v. Cavs) I realized that I really liked ex NBA coach and current commentator Jeff Van Gundy. He's funny. Before tonight the only thing I liked about JVG was footage of him getting drug around the court while holding on to a player's leg during a bench clearing brawl.

Maybe I'm only coming down with the flu.

NBA 2nd Round Prognostication Goodness

Sometimes I surprise even me. After my first round of picks, I pushed away from my desk, stood up, and dropped the mouse on the ground and walked off, Chris Rock style. I knew those picks were solid, but man……………….I made prognosticating look as easy as selling pudding at a fat camp.

I’m back again……….to do it again. I can’t turn it off. It’s unfair that one online journalist should be so blessed with talent. But I am. And you all get the goodness with just a click.

The only success(es) I had was/were:

100% Accurate Series Outcomes
33% Series Record
100% Coach Removal Prediction(When Mike D’Antoni’s inevitable move out of Phoenix occurs)

Here’s the disclaimer. As of this writing, it’s unusually deep in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I always wait until the action has started to handicap myself, but this season is more so than usual. As I write this, it is halftime of the Celtics v. Cavaliers game with the Celtics up in the series 1-0. The Spurs play the Hornets later tonight down in the series 2-0.


Eastern (Minor League) Conference

Celtics v. Cavaliers (Celtics up 1-0 at writing)– No one, not even yours truly (The Swami), saw the Hawks taking the Celtics to 7 games in the last round. This match up makes me nervous. Mark this down: The Celtics ain’t winning the championship this year. Believe it.

They have 3 superstars which are all stars on a team literally built to win a championship. Maybe they should have consulted with the NY Yankees, or checked the result the Lakers had when they signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton before they chose that road. Some great players are not winners. When they get in a familiar losing setting, they revert to underperforming.

All that said, Celtics in 6.


Pistons v. Magic (Pistons up 2-1 at writing) – I think Stan Van has a little somethin’ for the Flip led Pistons. The Pistons are also dangerously close to dropping out of the elite for a lot of reasons…….even in the East.

Magic in 7.



Western (Domination) Conference

Lakers v. Jazz (Lakers up 2-0 at writing) – Surprising to hear from this Lakers honk, but the outcome of this series pick is not that the Lakers are this good, but that the Jazz are playing this poor.

Lakers in 4. Jazz are Deer in Headlights throughout.


Spurs v. Hornets (Hornets up 2-0 at writing) – Gotta stop Chris Paul………or else. Mouse drop alert:

Spurs in 7

Read it, live it, learn it.

Tony Romo Knows How To Get Away

If you don't live in Texas or have completely stayed clear of the sports news media, then you can be happy that you have missed all the hoopla concerning Tony Romo's current activities on the golf course. Apparently, Romo isn't too bad when it comes to the links and is spending this football off-season trying to qualify for the U.S. Open. Of course, anyone who has an opinion regarding Tony Romo, the Cowboys, and Jessica Simpson is just having a field day with this one and the topic of Tony Romo's focus. Last playoffs, everyone was questioning whether or not this guy was really able to focus with Jessica Simpson on the sidelines, and while we haven't reached a definitive answer to that question, the results of Romo's playoff career do not speak well. Romo has yet to win an NFL playoff game in his career despite coming within feet of saving a botched snap in 2007.

So while everyone is focusing on Romo and the fact that he's swinging a club instead of playing catch, MoneyMouth is more concerned for Jessica Simpson and her relationship with her beloved quarterback. What can I say, I'm a compassionate person. I mean, it's not like Romo's track record with music stars is very good (his relationship with Carrie Underwood did not last very long). If the media had done their homework, they'd realize the reason why Romo is spending this summer on the golf course is to get away from his girlfriend.

Need proof? I submit to you a clip from the MTV show, Newlyweds, which documented Jessica Simpson's life with her former husband Nick Lachey.

Obviously, Tony Romo has done his homework and knows the best way to get away from his girlfriend is to pick up the golf clubs and say, "I'll be home in a few hours, honey."

So sad.

The End of an Era

For as long as I have been alive and watched baseball, there has always been one constant when it came to the MLB, and that constant was Julio Franco. When I played little league baseball, I tried to mimic Julio Franco's batting stance in practice, and my coach told me to run a lap around the field. From then on, I stuck with the Rickey Henderson stance, which coincidentally also got me in trouble with my coach. Turns out the two aren't that different. Nonetheless, I still pull out the Franco stance at the occasional sandlot game, and everyone immediately recognizes it. I guess that's what happens when you play baseball for over 26 years.

And now Julio Franco is calling it quits and retiring from professional baseball at the age of 49. As Page 2 of ESPN.com notes, the last time Julio Franco was officially out of the major leagues was 1981. My favorite 1981 trivia: "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John was a number one song and the first baseball video game, Atari Baseball, debuted.



So long, Julio. We here at the Frappe wish you the best.

I'll Count Alligators, You Count Mississippis

At the end of the third quarter of Monday night's Pistons versus Magic NBA playoff game, Chauncey Billups was able to hit a three-pointer before time ran out. To be more clear, he hit a three pointer sometime after the game clock froze at 4.8 seconds. While the officals went to review the play, they couldn't use replay to determine when the clock started because of league rules. Instead, they pretty much had to guess and they concluded Billups made the shot with .5 seconds left on the clock. Meanwhile, TNT was able to later replay the end of the third quarter with a clock superimposed over the play which showed Billups did not get the shot off in time (he was actually .1 seconds too late).

I think we can all see how ridiculous this situation really is. I mean, the officials were put in a position to make a call that couldn't be reviewed properly, and unfortunately for the Magic, the play definitely could have helped them win the game. The officials were left to replaying the play in their heads and then come up with a magic number (no pun intended). While the Pistons ended up winning by 7, the game was a lot closer than that. Negating Billups three pointer would have put the Magic up by one going into the 4th quarter and could have made all the difference in momentum for a team that didn't capitalize on some easy shots later on.

The NBA has had a few mishaps this year regarding officiating and clock management, and this is just another one to put on the books. Honestly, the play should have have been re-done because there was no possible way for the officials to determine if Billups made the basket in time, let alone that there was .5 seconds left on the clock after the basket was made.

And just to make the Magic a little more irritated going into game 3, they had to stop overnight in Cincinnati when their plane was diverted because of mechanical problems. The Frappe tried to contact the pilot of the flight, but he refused to comment saying the flight wasn't reviewable.

More bad press for A-Rod

This latest news story is a God-send to Red Sox fans: A-Rod Passes Out During Birth of Child. Even his wife calls him a wimp. Ouch.