Blanks Already Filled In

I was getting worried FavreWatch 2010 would never get here. I’ve been waiting around for months and months wondering what the Wrangler-wearing, Southern Miss baseball-watchin’ gunslinger has been up to down in Hicksville, Miss. Only because I needed a few good laughs.

The entire Favre fiasco is comical to me now. I used to be think it was too much but now each time I see "breaking news," like Brad Childress visiting him in Mississippi, I laugh. The Power of Favre - it's so sad, it's funny.

Thank goodness for coverage of Childress’ visit to Mississippi Monday. That gave me the laughs I was looking for.When asked why he was there, Chili responded in his over-sized Vikings fishing hat, “You can fill in the blanks.”

Okay, I will. The Brett Favre-Brad Childress Fill-in-the-blank game:

Brett Favre will play for the Minnesota Vikings in 2010.

He will miss training camp because he doesn’t want to attend. His excuse will be his ankle. He will need that time to mow his lawn and discuss his future with his daughter on their front porch.

Childress will sit around waiting because he has no other choice. He’ll continue to lose all credibility and respect. By October, Favre will be officially the head coach of the team.

Favre will continue to drop hints about playing and throw to high schoolers in front of a camera, while never giving anyone a straight answer.

And everyone will watch.

Thanks, Chili. Filling in the blanks myself was much more fun than listening to your gruff voice mumble clichés. Plus, what does Chili know about Favre playing that we don’t? Nothing.

End note: One blank we don’t need filled in: Favre's lid. He's got never-ending supply of dirty, greasy Nike golf hats. Each one dirtier and more worn than the last. Good to know.

Welcome to Miami

The LeBron James fiasco is finally over. After two years of hype, a week of constantly changing reports and a self-serving hour-long special on ESPN, LeBron James announced he will "take his talents to South Beach."

This thing has been discussed more than Brett Favre's decision to un-retire. It turned into the biggest spectacule in recent history. It's been broken down every way, by everyone. Still, here's my two cents.

Why I Like "The Decision"

1) He needed to leave Cleveland. I know about the tormented Cleveland sports fans. Spare me the tear-fest. LeBron James is bigger than Cleveland. If your goal is to be a global icon, you dream a little bigger than living and working in Cleveland your whole life.

He's from and lives in Akron, not Cleveland. As far as I can tell he loves Akron, not Cleveland. He never even moved to the city. He isn't working, middle-class like Cleveland sports fans. He's a child star who happened to get drafted by the Cavs. If they didn't somehow get the No. 1 pick in 2003 the people of Cleveland would have just watched from afar and this situation would have never presented itself.

He doesn't care about the Browns or Indians. He roots for the Cowboys and Yankees. The big dogs. The front-runners. He wouldn't even like the Cavs if he wasn't playing for them. LeBron goes big, and Cleveland isn't big enough.

I believe LeBron knew he was going to leave after this contract was up because he didn't want to spend his whole life in Cleveland. I like Cleveland, I've cheered for the Browns and Indians in the past, but someone in his position isn't content staying in NE Ohio forever. And who can blame him?

The Cleveland fans who call him coward and traitor are the selfish ones. LeBron doesn't owe them his entire career. That's not the way professional sports works. Sorry, it may not be ideal, but it's the way it is. When your contract is up, you're free to go elsewhere. Just as said team is able to cut you at any point.

The burning jerseys and Dan Gilbert's childish, classless, rudimentary letter to the fans of the Cavs was more disgraceful than LeBron leaving, but probably equal to having a one-hour special to announce the decision. The letter most likely speaks for most Cavs fans, but that just shows how fickle they are.

It reminds me of Cubs fans and why they will never win a World Series. The fans care way more than any player possibly could. They ride the players and manager so hard it almost subconsciously turns the team against winning, just to spite the idiots cheering for them.

I doubt LeBron ever had any fantasies about playing his entire career in Cleveland. Did he want to win a title there? Sure, but it would still have been his first, the city's second. It seems LeBron doesn't care about Cleveland as much as the locals want him to, but that's not his fault.

2) LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. The two most exciting players in the league playing every game together. Whether you like either one, you can't doubt their playmaking abilities. There hasn't been a combo like this since Shaq and Kobe, but even then Shaq was a different kind of spectacular. Shaq couldn't do it off the dribble and in the open court like these two can.

It's great for the league. More people will be interested, which means more eyeballs. The anticipation for next year is already building.

Chris Bosh better be hitting the offensive boards and get comfortable with the idea of averaging 13 points per game. He is the definition of third wheel. Solid player, but I have the feeling he wanted to be, at least, a No. 2 guy, not a No. 3, in-the-shadows guy. He claimed he was "a centerpiece" before free agency. Well, not anymore. He's a candlestick that gets moved out of the way for the centerpiece.

Pat Riley needs to get on the bench from the start if they want to win next year or the following year. Erik Spoelstra seems like a good up-and-coming coach, but this is out of his league right now. Maybe after a year or two he would get it together but there's no time for that. The expectations are very high.

In Closing

I haven't agreed with how LeBron went about handling his business since the end of the season. I didn't really care for the way he handled his business on the court. I certainly didn't like the hour-long decision special. Very self-indulgent, but the demand for it was there. His communication with Cleveland management could and should have been a helluva lot better, but it wouldn't have made things much better. Gilbert probably still sends out the letter.

Most people would have preferred a simple released statement or press conference. It kind of felt like LeBron thought he was doing people a favor by answering questions before and after. I don't think that helped but it got the interrogation part over with the same night.

The way ESPN catered to the show was laughable. It shows just how much power LeBron wields.

I will say this, I haven't been a huge fan of LeBron but this decision moved him up a notch in my book. Once he wins a title, he will go higher. A ring is a ring is a ring. It doesn't matter if he did it "on his own" or he had Dwayne Wade helping. If they win multiple rings, it really won't matter. No one does it on their own.

He said winning is the most important thing and now is getting killed for picking a team with a good shot at winning. Cleveland wasn't doing any better than they have the past three years. Miami and Chicago gave him the best chance to win. And out of those two, Miami had more to offer. Case closed. Get over it. It's his life, not yours.

Pain in the Haynesworth

Most people who are given $100 million are happy. Most people would do whatever they could to live up to that paycheck. Most people wouldn't no-show after cashing a $21 million bonus two months before work starts. But most people aren't Albert Haynesworth.

We know about his size, his talent, his ability. Unfortunately we also know about multiple incidents that make people question his integrity, character, and humanity.

People can't fathom someone making nine figures sitting out because he "doesn't like the new scheme" put in place by a new coaching staff. This is a coaching staff, mind you, that is replacing an old one who went 4-12 last year. Haynesworth doesn't want to play in a 3-4. Boo-hoo.

If you're the best interior defensive player in the league, which Haynesworth believes he is and is paid like it, you should be able to play in a 3-4. Last year he went off on the coaching staff because of the scheme, and they were in a 4-3. It was because of how he was being used in that defense. This Haynesworth guy is tough to please. Maybe he should have had 'defensive coordinator' put into that huge contract, also.

The two-time All-Pro said last year he "couldn't survive another year this system." Well, the system has changed and he won't even give it a chance. And he's not playing for Jim Zorn anymore. He's got Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan leading the team now. It's not about the scheme, the coaches, the other players. It's all about Albert. It always is.

Teammates and players around the league are sounding off on Haynesworth. Look at the track record. Fights with teammates in college and the NFL, stomping on opponents' faces (literally), multiple traffic violations and incidents, being sued by a pregnant ex-girlfriend. Despite all of this he's still one of the highest-paid players in the league. Not an example that should be followed.

He's not worth the trouble, but what can Washington do? They can't get the money back, so do they keep the disgruntled employee? If they release him, he wins. Trading him might be the best option, but then the Redskins have paid him many many millions to play for someone else. And they would want much of the bonus repaid, which is unlikely. I would make him play in that 3-4 and do his damn job.

Good luck, Washington. But no one should be surprised. Owner Daniel Snyder was asking for this the day he gave Haynesworth the $100 million.

Back-to-Back Champs

Kobe Bryant said, "It's the sweetest one." New-age Lakers fans would agree. They still haven't forgotten about the '08 Finals. The 24-point collapse. The 39-point blowout. The "Anything is Possible!!!" fiasco that followed.

Using a complete team effort and a defensive effort that surpassed anything they did all year, the Lakers raised up banner #16. Number 5 for Kobe. And 11 for Phil.

The Lakers had the best team all year. They didn't have the best record during the season, but they also weren't playing in the Eastern Conference. Boston was the team they wanted to beat for the championship. Not LeBron. Not a rematch with Stan Van Jeremy and SuperDork aka Dwight Howard. Beating Boston would be prove to be much tougher than any other team, but that's why is means more. No risk, no reward.

Kobe Bryant: Won his second Finals MVP. Certainly didn't play like he wanted to or like many expected him to play in Game 7, shooting a horrid 6 for 24 including multiple head-scratching, awful shots. But he hit the boards (15) and picked up the defense. The Finals MVP is about the entire series and you can't really argue with his series, other than his shooting percentage. Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were calling for him to win the MVP if they had lost Game 6 so you can't take it away just because he shot poorly in the last game. He was great in Game 5 and they lost so, like Ron Ron said, "it's about the total points." 28.6 ppg, 8.0 reb, 3.9 ast, 2.1 stl, 40.1% fg.

Pau Gasol: Great series from Pau, who had the most to prove. After the last series against Boston, everyone called him "soft." It was eating him alive and he came out in Game 1 and dominated. His game tailed off slightly in Boston, but still got five double-doubles in the series. He came the strongest in Games 1 and 7. 19 and 18 in a very physical Game 7, including a huge bucket to put them up six with 1:30 left. The nine offensive rebounds were a major factor, especially with :30 seconds left, which set up two Kobe free throws to put them up five.18.6 ppg, 11.6 reb, 2.5 blk, 3.1 ast, 47.8% fg.

Phil Jackson: The Zen Master was as calm as ever during this series, and the whole playoffs. He didn't even get loose in the pressers much this year. Probably because he wasn't asked if he was embarrassed. The in-game interviews with Sager were classic. But more importantly, Phil was once again able to juggle personalities and make adjustments as the series went forward. There were games that the offense looked like crap, and credit Boston's defense, but Phil went to the film and got it back on track. And the Lakers were playing its best defense the last two games of the season.

Derek Fisher:  If you're a casual fan you would wonder why the Lakers keep Derek Fisher around. But those who follow know his shot-making ability is second to none. He's not going to be there every game. He's going to be in foul trouble some games. But once or twice a series, he's going to win a game with clutch shots. Game 3 was a classic Derek Fisher game. He took over in the fourth quarter when Kobe was struggling and sealed the game with a tough coast-to-coast lay-in. And there he was in Game 7. Hadn't made a three all series and goes 2 for 2 including one to tie the game at 64 with 6:12 left. The Lakers never trailed after that three.

Ron Artest: You can't possibly describe Ron Ron. The guy has been taking heat much of the series for his offensive production, and even for his defense, which Paul Pierce took advantage of in Game 5. But as out there as Ron is, he came up huge in the biggest game of the year. His 20 points and defense kept the struggling Lakers in the game. The post game press conference and interviews were as impressive as anything he did on the court. Ron Ron being Ron Ron. And now no one can say the Ariza/Artest trade was a bad move. They each won one, and they both deserved it. Let's all thank Ron's psychiatrist.

Andrew Bynum: Shout out to Bynum for battling through a knee injury that limited his mobility. He had it drained twice during the series, and a couple more times during the playoffs. His presence was missed in 2008, and having him in the middle helped tremendously versus Boston this year. It allowed Gasol to not be covered by Perkins, who can physically push Gasol around. Bynum's inside game proved pivotal throughout this championship run. Despite the trick knee, he was able contribute in every game, including 21 points in 39 minutes in a tough Game 2 loss.

Lamar Odom: Lamar didn't have a great series. He was splitting time with Bynum so, at times, he didn't get much going. He did play well in a critical Game 3 win on the road, scoring 12 points without missing a shot. In some games in didn't even play 15 minutes, so his numbers aren't going to be there, but he did enough for the Lakers to get it done.

Bench: Not a ton of production from the Lakers bench, but some spectacular plays and clutch free throws. The bench play was a major factor in the Lakers ability to blow out the Celtics in Game 6. Shannon Brown threw down the two most spectacular dunks of the series. Sasha Vujacic came into Game 7 to hit two free throws with 11.7 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Could have used more production from them, but again, they gave just enough to get another ring.

Congratulations to the 2009-10 Lakers on a great year, great playoffs and great Finals. The repeat title is always harder than the first. Kobe also said it was the hardest one. And that makes it all the more sweet.

All Eyes on....Nationals?

In terms of national interest, there isn't a team lower on the totum poll then the Washington Nationals. Unless it's jokes or punchlines. But today everyone is watching the Nationals-Pirates game. Yes, Nationals vs. Pirates.

No. 1 overall pick from last year's draft Stephen Strasburg will make his major league debut tonight in front of a sold-out crowd tonight. People are more excited about this start than any game this season. That's a lot of pressure to deal with. Being able to control his emotions and adrenaline tonight will be a feat in itself.

When you look at the Strasburg's numbers in college and the minors, they are comparable. In college he was 22-7, had a 1.59 ERA with 13.9 Ks per 9 IP and a WHIP of 0.80. His minor league numbers are 7-2, 1.30, 10.6 and 0.80.

Strasburg's stops in Double and Triple A have been impressive. The curveball looks as good as the 97-100 mph fastball. Scouts say his changeup is also a plus pitch.

It will be tough for Strasburg to live up to the hype. The majors are a lot different than the minors (although the Pirates might not be more than a glorified Triple A team.) If healthy, it looks like he has the tools to be a great pitcher, but one thing I know is there will be bumps in the road. Strasburg will have to persevere through adversity, and fans will be expecting him to pitch a no-hitter every game.

"I know I still have a lot to learn," Strasburg said. "I haven't proven anything yet."

That type of attitude will help. There's going to be a lot of fanfare and publicity in his first few starts, but people will lose interest because it's the Nationals. And Strasburg will be left to grind it out and try to live up to the hype playing for one of the worst teams in the league.

MLB DRAFT: The Nationals drafted Bryce Harper first overall yesterday. This is the most the Nationals have been in the news....ever. Harper is the kid who left high school early to enroll in a community college. His numbers were impressive (.443, 31 HR, 98 RBI), but I have no idea what kind of wood bat league he was playing in. Regardless, at 17, those numbers jump out at you. And this was after being on the cover of Sports Illustrated last year.

I'm always skeptical getting on board with someone this young with this type of hype. For some it's too much too early. It takes someone special, from a mental perspective, to handle it. It will be interesting to see what happens with this kid who the Nationals have already decided to move from catcher to outfield.

Embarrassing Call

It takes something special to single-handedly ruin a perfect game. Especially when you're not on either team. First base ump Jim Joyce took it upon himself to call Jason Donald safe on the potential last out of Armando Galarraga's finest hour and spoiled history for a young pitcher and fans everywhere. Why is anyone's guess.

In real-time it looked close. But in that situation, the 27th out of a perfect game, it's an easy call. You call out unless Galarraga had dropped the ball. Joyce tried to out think himself and the entire ballpark. Just call the guy out. Based on the situation, it was the worst call I've ever seen in a baseball game.

Joyce made a mistake, he admitted as much. But what concerns me is how someone with 22 years of experience can be so removed from the situation that he makes up a safe call. And he double-clutched on it, too. He looked like he was going to punch him out only to come with "Safe!"

Maybe this will get instant replay in baseball, finally. Maybe it will open enough eyes that the powers-that-be will decide, "Okay, let's try this out." The NFL is laughing at MLB.

Don't give me this "human element" is a part of baseball argument. There is no need for a human element when it comes to out/safe, fair/foul or catch/no catch. In those cases there's a clear answer everyone can see two seconds after the play. This isn't 1935 anymore. The human element will always remain with balls and strikes. You don't think Jim Joyce wishes he could have reviewed that call to make sure he got it right?

Suggesting MLB and Bud "I have no idea what the hell is going on" Selig should come out and overrule the call granting a perfect game is ridiculous. Can't happen. If you do that, what else are you going to give back? Selig can't reverse a call and say, "Whoops, we missed that one, but I'll make it better." If he did that he would be conceding the instant replay argument (which he should anyway). You can't change a call from safe to out the next day. The play's over. The system screwed Galarraga and baseball history.

It truly was an embarrassment to baseball. Joyce should be fired. If someone in a public position makes one egregious error, even if it was a one-time incident, they get fired. The call at first base was that bad. It was equal to a talk show host saying something inappropriate and getting canned (like Don Imus and "nappy-headed hos".)

After 22 years, Joyce had a long run, but is clearly no longer capable of making good decisions. When someone can no longer perform their job, they are released, terminated, fired. Hell, offer him a severance package. Just get him off the base paths.

Wake up, Selig. Put in replay so it can start to be fine-tuned. It's not going to be perfect right away, but you have to implement it now. For the players, managers, fans, and umpires sake.

Rivalry Rematch

You wanted it, you got it. Celtics-Lakers. This match-up has been beat to death since the '60s, but you still love it. Everyone does. People like history, rivalry, prestigious franchises.

All that stuff is great, but it's been done. Everyone should have gotten their fill before the last time they met up. This year's all about the 2008 rematch. The beatdown Boston put on the Lakers is all the backdrop needed this time around.

In 2008, Boston's physicality was the determining factor. They dominated the Lakers in the paint and on defense. Boston came back to win from 24 points down in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead, and closed out the Lakers by 39 points in one of the worst drubbings in Finals history.

The Lakers used that as motivation to capture the title last year against Orlando, but have always wanted to get back at Boston. If KG had been healthy last year, we could be looking at a third installment right now.

The wait has been worth it. Both teams have pretty much the same lineups as two years ago. Boston's "Big 3" are two years older, but haven't shown that much drop-off. Rondo has emerged as a star, and Perkins continues to improve. Los Angeles will have Bynum this year, and Artest to cover Pierce. Both will help with the physical play that is featured in the Finals.

Boston's bench is different. Eddie House, James Posey and Leon Powe have been replaced by Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen and Nate Robinson. The 2008 group played a large role, and bench play is way to gain an advantage against the Lakers. It will be interesting to see how the benches match up this year.

Los Angeles has the critical home-court advantage this year. Always a big factor in the NBA Playoffs.

We're in a "golden age" of NBA basketball right now. All-time great players on legendary franchises competing for the ultimate prize. Thursday can't get here quick enough.