Bah Humbug To The NBA

Chris Paul recently joined the Clippers in a trade that basically sucked the
life out of the New Orleans Hornets. The Paul trade is just one of many
reasons I am locking out the NBA from my TV set this Christmas.

The NBA season begins on Christmas, and to be honest, I could not care less.

It isn't that I don't like the NBA — or basketball for that matter. I used to be a huge fan, but this past offseason as been more of a put-off than a turn-on.

Don't take it personal, NBA fans. It's nothing you did. If you had to blame someone, blame the greedy players and owners who couldn't settle things like civilized human beings. Instead, they both wanted everything without giving up anything — proving that there was no bargaining in the bargaining agreement.

The previous lockout left fans with a sour taste in their mouth, but this lockout seemed slightly worse. Perhaps it was the NBA trying to rush through a half-hearted attempt at a preseason to make sure that they don't lose the TV revenue on Christmas. Or maybe it was the league's rejection of a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers after allowing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all sign with the Heat a year ago.

Paul eventually found his way to Los Angeles, by way of joining the Clippers. Understandably, the Clippers have need help for years — looking more like an NBA D-League team than an actual competitor. But was allowing Paul to join forces with Blake Griffin really the answer?

The trade has turned one mediocre team into a contender, but it sucked the life out of another city with a history of heartbreak. New Orleans has already lost one team, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hornets don't find a new home in the coming years.

So while many fans will watch the full slate of games to begin on Christmas, I will spend my day with the family waiting for the NFL game to start. And as for the NBA's owners and players, they can expect a lump of coal in their stockings.

Here We Go Again...

Kobe Bryant may be trading in his Lakers
jersey for an overseas one if the players and
owners of the NBA don't start talking soon.

Just when you thought everything was returning to normal, it appears were in for another long stretch of court dates and litigation – and I could care less.

It took four months to sort out the situation in the NFL – with the players eventually succumbing to the owners' wishes – and now it appears we're in for a second round.

According to NBA players and owners, both sides haven't even addressed each other about the pending lockout. The games biggest stars like Kobe Bryant are looking at possibly signing overseas contracts to guarantee that they play.

This isn't the first time the NBA has been in this situation. Just a few years ago, there was a lockout that did heavy damage to the league's reputation. Now they're threatening to go through it again? Please.

I honestly have never been a huge NBA fan. Over the years it has turned into a playground version of a dunking contest as athletes get bigger and stronger – but that's another subject for another time.

While Dirk and the Mavericks brought back some of the magic by beating the Three-Headed Monster in Miami, should the NBA follow the NFL's footsteps, it will almost surely kill the sport. There's only so much patience the fans have for guys in suits after the NFL and the most recent lockout

And I'm afraid that patience is about to wear thin.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

It has been a summer full of headaches for NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell and his associates. Fortunately, some quick thinking by the NFL
owners turned the players into the enemy in the fans' eyes – possibly
resulting in the two sides reaching a deal soon.

In what has become a summer long chess match between the NFL's players and owners, it looks like the world is finally ready for some football.

And for the players, it's checkmate.

Using the shrewd tactic of appealing to the fans – something the players should have done a long time ago – the owners of the various clubs managed to get a stronghold on a situation that's has gotten almost out of control.

With the NFLPA still looking over the contract – a contract that includes a 14-year labor agreement to keep a lockout from happening for several years – the players now have a choice. Do they accept the bargain as is – ensuring there will be an NFL season – or do they reject it and possibly lose the loyal support of their most prized possession, the fans?

Either way, the players lack of action has put them between a rock and a hard place – not that many Regular Joes would sympathize with then multi-million dollar athletes anyway.

Its sad, really. If you look at the strikes in Major League Baseball, and the NBA lockout, every time it seems like the players turn into public enemy No. 1. When in reality, we should sympathize with them more. While they're paid massive salaries, they are only able to work a few years before their career is over.

I honestly believe that the players want to play the game – they just don't want to do it for peanuts like circus animals. They have been dying to get in the weight room and lace up the pads all summer. Now, the time has come for them to decide if they can work with the owners and get this thing straightened out.

And should that happen, I shall echo my fellow herd of NFL fans when I say, "It's about time!"

Caution: Choking Hazard

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade showed their immaturity 

by faking an illness before Game 5 of the NBA Finals. And 

they wonder why everyone hates them?

And the award for Worst Actor/Poorest Sports goes too.... none other than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

As if the world didn't have enough of a reason to hate the Miami Heat, Wade and James proved their arrogance once again – this time pretending to be sick during the shoot-around before Game 5, mocking Dirk Nowitzki's illness during Game 4 of the series.

What did Dirk ever do to them?

Sure, at times the media has hyped up a players illness to make a more interesting story – that happens after covering a hundred games over the course of the year. But anybody who has ever played a sport while battling the flu knows how difficult it can be. Your body moves slower. Your mind is sluggish. It's nearly impossible to be on top of your game.

Wade and James proved their immaturity, having fake coughing fits during practice. They act like they've already wrapped up the NBA title, they just need to show to claim it. The ironic part is that neither Wade nor James has really shown up in the Finals.

But what makes the crime against Nowitzki even more puzzling is the fact that Wade is involved. Wade has been the poster boy on toughness. Even in this series he's been battling several injuries – all while not hiding that fact from the media.

Now he's jumping on Dirk for fighting through a 101-degree fever? Sounds a little bit like a double standard, don't you think Mr. Wade?

There used to be a time when basketball was a great sport – no drama, players caring for each other while also being competitive. Not any more – at least not in Miami.

The Heat have more drama than a high school girls' locker room. While they are trying to come together for a championship, it seems like their individual egos are taking over. And I, for one, could not be happier.

With tip-off just a few hours away, I hope Dirk can muster enough strength to end the South Beach Trio's season without a ring. He certainly deserves it by playing the game the right way, without complaining or antagonizing the other team.

If that happens, perhaps we'll see that those coughing fits by Wade and James were real – as the first warning signs of what could be the greatest choke job in the history of sports.

Fading With Grace

There used to be a time when Tiger Woods held
trophies like the 2008 U.S. Open Trophy more often
than not. But age, a bitter divorce and injuries have
shown that we may have seen the best of Tiger.

It's ironic if you think about it, really. Athletes play in front of millions of fans every year, handling the pressure without so much as breaking a sweat. But when it comes to matters of their personal lives, they are as clumsy and awkward as a teenager at his first dance.

Even with age, it seems that the fame and power they gardner during their careers has kept them from making wise decisions later in life.

No, I'm not about to bash Brett Favre – yet. Although, by the time you're finished reading this, chances are he will have called a press conference to announce he's coming back.

This has more to do with two athletes that dominated the mid- to late-90s – Tiger Woods and Shaquille O'Neal. Both athletes made headlines this week – something that's not out of the ordinary for either one, especially with Woods' recent divorce and Shaq's ability to draw the media like bugs to a florescent light.

For Shaq, the three day retirement celebration is well-deserved. He burst into the league with backboard-shattering dunks and added a personality that is rare in NBA players – except for maybe Dennis Rodman. His only real mistake was the movie "Kazaam"– and even after that, most sportswriters are still willing to put him in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

But while Shaq's three-day extravaganza was filled with jokes and laughter – both through Twitter and at his home in Orlando – there is nothing funny about what has become of Woods.

Like O'Neal, the media was drawn to this youngster. He spoke so eloquently and could drive the ball a mile, to boot. But as anybody who has ever picked up a club knows, golf is a mental game.

After Elin kicked Tiger out for cheating on her – why he would do that to a Swedish supermodel still baffles me – Woods has never been the same. It used to be interesting to see who would finish behind Tiger. Now he's just trying to make the cut.

I'm not saying Tiger's golf game is done. He has been battling injuries and the stress put on by his own stupidity. But it used to be a matter of when, not if Tiger would break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories. With Woods withdrawing from this weekend's U.S. Open, perhaps we're witnessing the end of Tiger's era.

The worst part of watching all this happen is that the Sunday the tournament ends will be Father's Day. Nike used to run commercials depicting a young Tiger learning the game of golf from his father, Earl Woods. Earl died a few years ago – a monumental tragedy for Tiger and for the world. 

Athletes get lose a step as they get older – everyone who has ever played sports will tell you that you can't stay at your peak forever. But one can't help but wonder, what would Earl Woods think of the way his son has faded from the spotlight as he has aged?

Predicting Doomsday

"Macho Man" Randy Savage seemed like a perfect pick
to be the first one taken during the Rapture. Who wouldn't
want someone like him guarding the pearly gates when the
rest of the world ascends to heaven?

If you are reading this, chances are you were left behind during the Rapture. Either that or you have been are in hell, which means that you are about to lose your internet connection right... about... now.

Those of that fell for Harold Camping's prediction to the end of the world, do not feel ashamed. All looked well when God selected "Macho Man" Randy Savage early Saturday afternoon as the first pick of the Rapture. Who wouldn't want a flashy wrestler like that guarding the pearly gates as millions of people tried to find their way into heaven like it was the Super Bowl?

But for future reference, Camping might want to take a closer look at the sports world before making such a bold prediction.

For starters, while "Macho Man" was selected, God might also call upon some of the best NFL linemen to serve as bodyguards. As any quarterback in the NFL will tell you, you can never have too much help on the blindside – just ask Joe Theismann.

While the current NFL lockout may point toward the end of days for most sports fans, the fact still remains that there are some cities who are so starved for a championship, they would sell their soul to Satan – or Miami, but that's really splitting hairs.

That's right Buffalo and Cleveland, I'm talking about you.

A few years ago, the Sabres even reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 1979-80 season – only to be denied by the Dallas Stars. Dallas had already been a nemesis of Buffalo residents long before that, as Bills fans can attest, seeing the Cowboys steal championships in the closing seconds.

Meanwhile, the LeBron led Cavs had their shot against the Lakers. The Tribe also had its chances, but Edgar Renteria's single dashed their hopes in Game 7 of the World Series. Turns out, Camping might want to look at "Back To The Future" more than the Bible for his next prediction.

Of course, Camping has said that we won't start seeing signs of the coming Apocalypse for another five months. Ironically, that would put it in October – or just as the Cubs and Indians begin making their quest for titles and the NFL and NBA seasons are getting started.

So if you see these teams start taking off, you might want to visit your local church on a regular basis. Either that or face a diving elbow drop straight to hell.

Tag 'Em And Bag 'Em

Carmelo Anthony was trade to New York, giving
the Knicks two superstars. Is it time to institute
the franchise tag like in the NFL?

It finally happened.

After weeks of rumors and endless hours of trade talk, Carmelo Anthony was finally dealt to the New York Knicks – making his debut last night at Madison Square Garden against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Upon hearing this, LeBron James came out and said that the power has shifted to the East, with teams like the Knicks and Miami Heat accumulating multiple stars over the last year.

So why did the Denver Nuggets let their rising star and fan-favorite Chauncey Billups go?

The answer is simple economics. Anthony refused to sign a contract extension during the summer, making him a free agent at the end of the season. Knowing that teams like New York and New Jersey were going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the former Syracuse star, Denver's only hope was to trade him and at least get something in return.

But the NBA has to be careful. As bigger markets throw that kind of cash around and pluck stars from mediocre teams, the NBA is following a dangerous road to destruction. And players having more power isn't helping the cause.

It's time to propose a franchise tag, like the one in the NFL. With more negotiations coming up in October, this is the chance for owners of the smaller markets – like Denver – to gain some ground on the big boys.

Players may not like the franchise tag because it keeps them from exploring the market. But while this is true, some of the bigger markets already have that franchise player. The Lakers have Kobe Bryant. Miami has Dwayne Wade, and now James. Even the Clippers have Blake Griffin.

So why not give the smaller markets a chance with tags, while feeding players' egos by making them the face of the franchise.

Look at the NFL and the parity that has developed. Fans fill the stadium week after week because they know each game could be the one that sparks them to a Super Bowl run or the one that dashes the team's playoff hopes. The NBA would be wise in following that protocol for success.