ItsTheBlog™

Today might well be my favorite day of the year. Aside from schoolwork and other obligations, the NBA season starts tonight. That means free trials of NBA League Pass and Stat-tracker, but als a beloved 9 months of knowing that I can turn on the TV virtually every night and see some good solid NBA basketball. I'm looking forward to it.


This season is quite an interesting one with a lot of questions. Many stars are demanding/have demanded trades, some have backed down. The Spurs are quietly still the league's best team. The Celtics may be threatening them, though. Young teams like the Bulls, Jazz, Rockets, and Cavs all may have a shot, and the run-and-gun Mavs and Suns in the West could also challenge the NBA champs.

That said, let's make some predictions before the season kicks off tonight.

1.Will Kobe be traded? - You heard it here, first. NO. Kobe will be a Laker at the end of the year. I'm 95% sure of this for 2 reasons. First, it's practically impossible to pull off a deal of this sort in the NBA, especially with Kobe's "no-trade clause" which allows him to veto whatever deal he wants. Read: Kobe doesn't want to go to anyone but a contender, and doesn't want to go to any contender that has to gut their team in order to get him. Who does that leave as his options? Nobody. The Bulls seem to have the best chance, but the package they would have to offer would include Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah, and likely more--too much to get rid of by Kobe's or anyone else's estimate. Second, Phil Jackson will lobby hard to keep him around. His comments this past week are simply motivating words to get him to perk up. Why would Jackson want to be around a team of scrubs after accomplishing so much in his career? He doesn't, and if Kobe goes, there's no question Phil will be gone soon after. Jerry Buss will get over his tantrum, Kobe will learn to deal with it, and Derek Fisher will make things at least a little happy in LA. No deal.

2. Will the Spurs Repeat? - Again, likely against the grain of what everyone else is saying, but I say NO. I think the league is more wide open than ever this year. The Mavs, the Suns, the Jazz, and the Rockets all have the chance at winning the west and knocking off the reigning champs. Then, you can go even further and say the east has gotten that much better. The Celtics will certainly compete, the Pistons are always there, and the Bulls (with or without KB24) also have a shot. This doesn't even include LeBron and the Eastern Conference Champion Cavaliers. I think the Spurs are great, but they've got an uphill battle in their quest to repeat. My prediction for the NBA finals: Suns over Celtics. That'd be a fun series to watch.

3. Who will win the MVP? - I got to go with Kevin Garnett here. He's going to rejuvenate the Boston lineup, the city of Boston, and the eastern conference in general. Duncan may play as good as ever, Nash and Dirk, too. But, KG will be the most valuable player, not just to the team, but to the city and the entire eastern conference.

4. Rookie of the Year? - Hard to not say Kevin Durant here, and I will. When Oden went down, everyone knew this was the consensus. His injured ankle in the preseason wasn't good, but I think he'll bounce back quickly and perform.

5. Any big moves before Christmas? - Neither Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, nor Kobe will be traded. I honestly believe that the Lakers are going to attempt to placate Kobe and bring somebody big in and get rid of Odom. Jermaine O'neal? Maybe. My guess is that no big trades happen before Christmas. The trade deadline in February, though, may be a different story.

6. What about the Mavs? - This is one of the most interesting (Read: saddest) stories in the NBA. After compiling the league's best record, the Mavs bowed out to the #8 seeded Warriors in round 1 of the playoffs. Then, we didn't hear much from that. Realize that this probably pissed them off, but also realize that the style they play just isn't conducive to playoff basketball. They call Dirk to "go-to-guy," but I can't think of any big situation where Dirk has, well, come up big. Even after going up 2-0 in the 2006 NBA Finals, what happened? Choke. The Mavs are a great team, but down the stretch, they tend to choke. Whether it be at the hands of the Suns, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, Warriors (again), or, dare I say, Lakers, I predict another exit for the Mavs without making it to the Finals.

Comment and post your predictions. Tell me why I'm wrong, but let's check back in June, and we'll see what happens. I love this game!

Labels: basketball, Boston Celtics, Dirk, Durant, Kevdog, Kevin Garnett, Kobe, Lakers, Mavericks, NBA, Phil Jackson, predictions, San Antonio Spurs

Hank Steinbrenner is Mr. Yankee now.

"We wanted him to stay a Yankee. We wanted to let him know how much we wanted him," he said. "The bottom line is ... do we really want anybody that really doesn't want to be a Yankee? How the heck can you do that? Compare him with [Derek] Jeter. Jeter, since he was a little kid, all he ever wanted to do was play shortstop for the Yankees. That's what we want."


The answer to your question, Hank, is YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! to the infinite power. Yes you want that guy on your team even if he doesn't want to be there. You make him want to be there!!! You tell Mr. Yankee, Derek Jeter, to convince A-Rod that if he dies a Yankee there are a hundred virgins waiting for him in the afterlife. Because damnit you want a guy on your team that hits 56 homeruns.

And seriously, compare him to Derek Jeter. PLLEEEAAASSEEEEEE!!!!

Scenario 1

Laddiiieess annnnddd Gennntttlllmmmaannn...

In the Red Corner (apparently red because A-Rod has never been a true Yankee, and the opposite of a true Yankee must be a red sock), from the home of the best baseball player on the planet, soon to be 3 time MVP, youngest player ever to hit 500 HR's, ALEEEXX ROODDRRIIIGGUEEEZZZ!

In the Pinstripe Corner (naturally), weighing in at 190 lbs, this "True Yankee" has the heart of a lion, the grit of a... errr, 3 World Series Rings, and herpes compliments of Jessica Alba... DEERRRREEKKK JJJEEEETTTTEEERRR!!

(Bell Sounds)

Career Stats:

OBP: A-Rod
SLG: A-Rod
OPS: A-Rod
HRs: A-Rod
RBI: A-Rod
Runs:A-Rod
SB (for the hell of it): A-Rod by 1.
BB: A-Rod

LADDDIIEESSS AND GENTLLEEENNN... We have our winner! By unanimous decision, the winner, and still, True Yankee, ever since he was a kid, DEERRRREEEKKK JEEETTTERRR!!!

Scenario 2

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner,
My name is Tommy. I am 43 years old. I am a blind, deaf, parapalegic, and a dwarf. I have carpel tunnel in both my wrists and my penis got stuck in a meat grinder when I was 7. When I was in the 8th grade, Sally stabbed me in the thigh with the scissors because I tried to kiss her. It got so infected that I had to have my leg amputated 2 months later. I have wanted to be a Yankee for as long as I can remember. Please give me a shot, A-Rod doesn't even want to play for you.

Sincerely,
Tommy

*Disclaimer*
I don't blame the Yankees for not going after A-Rod after he opts out and costs them 21 million dollars. But I wouldn't say you don't want him just cause he doesn't want you, he does his job better then 99.9% of Americans. Who doesn't want this employee???

Labels: A-Rod, Hank, True Yankee

"What fans want is a winner. He is not one of those players like Mike Lowell, who has won it twice. He's not going to fill the stadium and bring fans into the stadium."

Mike Lowell. He's the only reason the Red Sox have won the W.S. 2 of the last 4 years. The only reason. Mike Lowell's 21 HR's, 120 Rib Eye's, .378 OBP, .501 SLG and .879 OPS (All very good Cat's) are the reason they won the W.S. But if A-Rod played for the Red Sox and pissed out 54 HR, 156 Rib Pieces, 144 RUNS!!!, .422 OBP, .645 SLG and 1.067 OPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the Red Sox would NOT have won the World Series.

Fair enough, Eduardo.

And if that doesn't fill stadiums, but Mike Lowell does, I give up.

Where does A-Rod play next?

"Anaheim Angels."

Actually, it's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But sure, I'm okay with that. Eddie just hasn't watched or researched any baseball since back when he played. Hey, sound like anyone we know? (cough Joe Morgan/John Kruk cough)

Labels: A-Rod, Eduardo Perez

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will try to earn his paycheck today. His $103 million paycheck. That's right, the Red Sox paid $51 just to to have the privillege of talking to Dice-K last summer, and then subsequently paid $52 million more just to sign the guy. That makes tonight's do-or-die start in Game 7 of the ALCS worth that much more to both the organization and the pitcher.


In the early goings of the season, Matsuzaka looked like the investment was paying off. 7-2 towards the end of May, opposing batters just couldn't figure out the mysterious "gyro-ball" (if it really exists). Then, things sort of equalized. Dice-K finished the year with a 15-12 record, including a fairly abysmal September, in which he had a 7.62 ERA, giving up 24 earned runs in 5 starts and 28.1 innings.

The playoffs haven't been much better.

Matsuzaka's post-season ERA stands at 6.75, with an 0-1 record, which would be 0-2 if not for Manny Ramirez's 9th inning grand slam heroics which cost the Angels a victory in Game 2 of the ALDS. Dice-K followed this with a 4-2 loss to the Indians in Game 3 of this series, giving up all 4 of those runs in less 4.2 innings of work.

In short, Matsuzaka has been anything but dependable of late for the Sox. Who knows what we'll see tonight? He has the advantage of pitching on 5 days rest, but even at that, nothing is certain in Game 7 of the ALCS.

It'll be nice to pitch at Fenway, with the faithful cheering (or jeering?) at his every move.

No pressure, Dice. You just have to earn your $103 million in one night with all of Boston, and most of the rest of the country, watching.

Labels: ALCS, Angels, Baseball, Boston, Dice-K, Kevdog, Matsuzaka, playoffs, Red Sox

And wait patiently watching ESPN for stuff like this all day long. I'll just buck conventional thinking all day long and not listen to a word anyone on BBTN says. Here's why:

Eric Young's key to Cleveland winning game 7:

"The key to the Indians winning game 7 is their top 3 hitters. If Sizemore, Cabrera and Hafner hit well, they tend to score more runs."

I'm not kidding. At all. Nope. Still not kidding. I bet you're thinking I'm going to say I am pretty soon here. Nope. Still not. Dead Serious. Wish I was. Ok no I don't. But really guys, I'm not kidding. And Eric Young is seriously serious about being serious about this being the serious key to the Indians seriously winning game 7.

The top 3 hitters need to hit well in order for the rest of their lineup to score runs. If we're gonna be this generic and mother humping obvious, here are a few more keys:

"The Indians need to get to the stadium on time to play game 7."
"The Indians need to field 8 defensive players to win game 7."
"The Indians need to score more runs then the Red Sox do to win game 7."
"The best hitters in the Indians lineup (the top 3) need to hit well."
"Westbrook needs to win for the Indians to win game 7."
"The Indians need to win to win game 7."

Yes, all of these are the keys. See how the Indians best 3 hitters needing to hit well just snuck into the middle of all those other blatantly pathetic obvious statements about game 7.

Labels: Eric Young, game 7, Indians, Red Sox

Ever since Jerry Buss opened his mouth and said that the Lakers would still field offers for their superstar, the news has been abuzz. Perhaps I was wrong. I said that Kobe wouldn't be leaving and this was just Buss' rhetoric to appease the superstar. While I'll still hold to my opinion, despite just about every noteworthy sportswriter disagreeing with me, I think Kobe will still be around this season.

That said, Kobe apparently didn't take the news too lightly. He skipped 3 days of practice with the Lakers, citing sore knees, but it seems that the rumor mill simply claims that Bryant's just pissed. Then came reports yesterday, denied by Kobe, that he cleaned out his Laker locker. Kobe, rather, said he "reorganized" his locker. Crazy media.

That said, Kobe didn't sound too thrilled with the Lakers. When asked if he'd played his last game with the Lakers, Kobe said:

"I don't know, talk to Mitch and Mr. Buss about that."
"I'm just getting ready. If I'm here, I'm ready to strap it up."

Granted, this doesn't sound like a very happy man. But, in my opinion, the media has blown this way out of proportion for a couple of reasons.

First, as Buss stated in his original comments that pissed everyone off, you CAN'T get anything close to equal value for Kobe Bryant. And because of that, Buss won't pull the trigger on anything quickly. Buss is a Hollywood guy, and he knows the scene. He knows that the LA fans won't settle for a lineup of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom. Even the hottest rumor has a package from the Bulls centered around Luol Deng and/or Ben Gordon. Yes, they are good young players, but come on. Buss made this mistake once, getting back no superstars for that other superstar the Lakers traded to Miami in 2004. He won't make the same mistake twice.


Second, every thing Kobe does or doesn't say is being way too read into. Fox Sports released a great column today, mocking the situation. I was glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks that this has been pretty ridiculous.

So what does it all mean? I'm sticking to my opinion. Kobe's a Laker, and he will continue to be a Laker for a while. How long? Who knows? I think he'll remain all season, personally. The Lakers have no NEED to move him yet as he can't opt out until after next season. Come next summer, if things don't get better, they may want to move him so as not to risk him walking away for nothing. But, until then, the dust from this big game being played will settle, Kobe will play, and the Lakers will continue to be mediocre.

Best case scenario: the whole incident lights a spark in Kobe and he comes out and dominates and thrusts the Lakers up the standings. I'm not holding my breath, but I can dream, right?

One thing is for sure, we'll continue to monitor every move that Kobe makes, whether he plays in the preseason games, how he does, whether he high fives his teammates or yells at them. In any event, it's an interesting thing to watch it be Kobe and Phil vs. the world, as opposed to Kobe vs. Phil. Who would have ever thought that they would be allies? Stay tuned.

Labels: Bryant, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Phil Jackson, stalemate, trade

Broadcasting that can't be beat...

"The Indians have not seen a lot of lefties thus far in the playoffs; first the Angels now the Red Sox."

Let's play what's wrong with this statement:

A) The Red Sox have a lot of Lefties
B) The Angels have a lot of lefties
C) The Indians aren't playing the Red Sox
D) The Indians never played the Angels

If you guessed "D"... you're smarter than Joe Buck.

Labels: Joe Buck, Lefties

The Boston Red Sox had an 8:00 pm game last night. It was Game 2 of the ALCS--pretty important by many standards. You very rarely (if ever) see an 8:00 pm start time on the West coast, because that would mean that those living on the East Coast wouldn't see the game until 11:00.

That said, 8:00 isn't too late, and it wasn't an awful choice. The problem? The Red Sox just take forever when they play.

While I wasn't watching the game, I remembered that the game was on at about 1:00 am. I checked to see who won. When I saw the box score that it was still going, I didn't really think about how late it was. Then, I realized that the game was being played about 2 miles from me, just across the Charles River at Fenway Park. I found that the game was on FOX and watched the top of the 11th.

If you're a baseball fan, you know the rest. Trot Nixon, former Boston fan favorite, singled in the go-ahead run, and was followed by an onslaught. 6 more would come around, capped off by a 3-run home run by Franklin Guttierez to break the game open, 13-6. By now, it was about 1:20 am.

Kids were long asleep, Boston turned cold(er), and the fans still in attendance were having their rides home threatened by the fact that the "T," the Boston subway system stops running about 1:30.

And there was still another half-inning to go.

Thankfully, it ended quickly, and Boston failed to score in the bottom of the 9th. But, this is just another awful example of East Coast sports gone bad. 1:30 in the morning, really? This game is supposed to be prime-time. Granted, I realize that this one just went ridiculously late, but come on. 5 hours and 14 minutes for only 11 innings? We all know the Red Sox take forever; start the game (at least) an hour earlier than that.

And then, of course, there are those games that happen on the West Coast and you have to watch them on the east coast. I'm not a fan of watching Laker games until 2:00 a.m. And it happens often. Games at 7:30 in Los Angeles start at 10:30 in Boston, and finish between 1-2 am. Not cool.

Even the newspapers are unable to report those scores the next morning, it's so late. That even happened last night here in Boston, with the Sunday Boston Globe headline saying simply that the Red Sox were "caught in another classic." No results. No score. Sad.

Undoubtedly, many fans were irritated this morning after falling asleep in front of the television a little after midnight only to find out that their beloved Sox had been ripped apart in the 11th by the Tribe. At least we've got a series again.

Labels: ALCS, Baseball, Beantown, East Coast, fans, Indians, Kevdog, Lakers, playoffs, Red Sox

Labels: Jackie Johnson, Lakers, preseason

I woke up this morning and perused through the ESPN.com headlines as I usually do. The top NBA news suggested that Lakers owner Jerry Buss was "still willing to listen to trade offers for Kobe."

My first thought was one of rage. Uh oh, Kobe trade talk again. I thought we were over this.

Then, I stepped back a bit. Buss still willing to listen. Um, duh. I'm sure every GM in every sport on every team will listen to a trade offer for any player on the team. That means nothing, and Buss essentially said that by saying "I told [Kobe] I would try my best to accommodate his wishes, but that I could not afford to let him go unless we got comparable talent, if there is such a thing."

Translation? I'll listen, but you're not going anywhere, Kobe. Buss has to say that he will listen to offers. Kobe said he wants out, and the least the owner can do is appease him. I'm sure Kobe knows (and Buss, in that article, says that he does) that he isn't going anywhere, because any move the Lakers make for him will make them worse. I've said it before, but I think in part, Kobe's actions were a ploy to make the front office do something.

So, what'd they do? Nothing huge, but they did get Derek Fisher, a guy Kobe confides in and Kobe knows will bust his butt every night for him. He's no Kevin Garnett, but you can't have it all.

Anyway, the point is that this headline means virtually nothing. Of course Buss is (going to say that he's) open to trading him. To not would be to disrespect his player's wishes, which would ultimately hurt him. Kobe knows he's stickin' around, and so does Dr. Buss. The media just needs a good story to keep things interesting.

Labels: Fisher, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers

John Kruk picks the Rockies to win the NLCS because they "catch the ball."

Rockies team fielding %: .989
D'Backs team fielding %: .983

Not terrible, but not significant. Not to mention fielding % is possibly one of the most meaningless statistics in baseball.

Out of all the reasons he picked Colorado to be the favorite, he picked fielding %. Not the fact that they have won 17 of their last 18, or because they smash the mother humping hell out of the ball.

And Fernando Vina picks the Red Sox in the ALCS over the Indians because of their pitching.

Beckett vs. Sabathia is a wash.
Dice-K vs. Carmona I take Carmona all day.
Schilling vs. Westbrook is a no brainer.

So I'd say its pretty much a wash. But not a resounding advantage either way.

Labels: BBTN, John Kruk, Vina

The New York Knicks announced today that former star guard Allan Houston will make a comeback this summer, signing a contract with the squad that he led to the 1999 NBA Finals.

This isn't a huge shock, as news began to break more than a month ago that suggested Houston would attempt a comeback. But, it's definitely interesting news. Houston last played in the 2004-2005 season, but managed to appear in just 20 games due to a knee injury which ultimately caused him to "retire." Prior to that, Houston last played a full 82-game season in 2002-2003, averaging a career-high 22.5 points.

So, what does this mean for the Knicks? Not much, really. Basketball-wise, it can't mean too much. The guy is 36 years old, and yes, he was a solid shooter/scorer in his day, but out of the game for more than 2 years, it's unclear what Houston can bring to the Knicks.

Morale-wise, I guess this has to be a bit of a boost. Houston was the face of the franchise for years before the injury, and they haven't finished better than 33-49 in the years since Houston's departure. In the wake of the Isiah Thomas sexual harrasment scandal and acquiring often in trouble Zach Randolph, Knicks fans can rejoice in Houston's addition to the squad.

Just don't be surprised to not see him make much of an impact. The guy's old, has bad knees (and presumably other injury-riddled parts), and just wants to finish his career with some dignity. Too bad this wasn't the shot that ended his career...

Labels: 1999, Allan Houston, class act, Kevdog, Knicks, NBA, New York

BEFORE


AFTER

Man. I got nothin'. I don't even think Jack Bauer could have cracked her in 2004.

These days, everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses. A few days ago, we learned the real reason why nobody could ever quite catch up. By now, nearly everyone that pays attention to the world of sports has heard of the latest steroid scandal. Track phenom Marion Jones finally admitted to taking steroids after numerous claims of adamant innocence.

Labels: cheating, drugs, Marion Jones, steroids

A bar is a good place to watch a baseball game. Especially when you are in Boston and the Red Sox are on. The fans know what they are doing. They love the team, they love the game, and, sometimes more importantly, they hate the Yankees.

I was watching Game 2 of the ALDS in such a setting. Sox fans everywhere, and me, the lone Angels fan. We arrived just as the Yankees/Indians insect-infested game 2 was coming to a close in the 11th inning. When Travis Hafner hit the RBI single with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 11th to win the ballgame, the bar went nuts. It was an amusing atmosphere to be in. Now, onto the Red Sox/Angels.

Boston took a 2-0 lead early, and I quieted myself and enjoyed my company. But when the Angels took a 3-2 lead in the 2nd, I cheered, even clapped outloud, as if forgetting my surroundings. Some fans glared. One apparently muttered expletives toward me. Oh well. The game went on.

When the now famous Boston fan stole a foul ball right out of Angels catcher Jeff Mathis' glove, the Sox Nation cheered louder than the Yankee loss. Danny Vinik was immediately thrust into Boston stardom. The fans absolutely loved him. They played the replay about 15 times, each time garnering a cheer louder than the previous one. It was pretty amusing for such a minor play. Unfortunately, that minor play would lead to a run scored, and arguably had an effect on the final score of the game.

If you paid attention at all to the series, you know what happened later. The Angels squandered their chance with 2 runners on in the top of the 8th when Papelbon struck out Figgins, leading to the bottom of the 9th. With Julio Lugo on second and 2 out, Angels star closer Francisco Rodriguez chose to intentionally walk David Ortiz to get to Manny Ramirez. Manny took a 1-0 pitch deep over the Green Monster, game over, fans in the bar cheered even louder than the first 2 times, and all I could do was smile and laugh. It's hard to go into someone else's place and cheer for your team, against them. The last thing you wanna do is cry about it when your team loses. Best to keep your mouth shut.

While a depressing finish for an Angels fan, I respected the Boston faithful. They know how to cheer, when to cheer, and what to cheer about.

Labels: ALDS, Angels, bars, Baseball, Danny Vinik, Kevdog, Manny Ramirez, playoffs, Red Sox

Lebron James was seen at Game 1 of the New York Yankees/Cleveland Indians series wearing a hat to show his allegiance to the team he loves. The problem? The Cleveland Cavaliers star was sporting the black and white of the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees. This gesture, unsurprisingly, pissed off quite a few Cleveland fans.


Having been to Cleveland earlier this year, I can attest to the fact that the Quicken Loans Arena is literally right outside of Jacobs Field. It's just outside the gate behind left field. Sitting from my nosebleed seat behind home plate, it was a prominent feature of the skyline. One couldn't help but think of Lebron. He is the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is Cleveland.

But now he's wearing a Yankee's hat? How utterly, frustratingly, irritatingly...

No big deal.

So he's a Yankee fan, get over it. It's a different sport. He fights for the people of Cleveland night-in and night-out, even brought them an Eastern Conference Championship, but now we're going to tell him who to root for in a sport that he doesn't play or have any stake in? As much as he may represent the city, it doesn't matter. It may have been a bit of a jerk-move to prominently display his Yankee love, but really, who cares?

I'm sure Lebron grew up loving the Yankees, and just because he now plays for the Cavs, he has to support the Indians. It'd be like if any of us Southern Californians, Angels fans, were drafted to play a sport for the city of Toronto, now we've got to be Blue Jays fans? I don't think so.

So, Cleveland, get over it. You're winning the series anyway, which is great. So long as Lebron doesn't blot Cleveland for New York because of all this, I'd say his actions were just fine.

Labels: ALDS, Cleveland, hat, Jacobs Field, Kevdog, LeBron, Yankees

Chicago Bulls presale tickets went on sale today, just as Boston Celtics presale tickets went on sale last week. Eagerly, I rushed online at just the time I was supposed to last week for the Celtics, and again today for the Bulls. At the precise minute the tickets became available, I typed in what I wanted.

Gone.
Both times.

Then, tickets "go on sale to the general public" the next day. Amazingly, tickets are still there. Tickets that weren't released in the presale. What's the point of a presale if you don't let the people who want tickets by tickets as advertised, "before the general public." Plus, you have to pay stupid TicketMaster fees. Screw that.

Labels: Boston Celtics, Bulls, Kevdog, presale, tickets

Back from our long hiatus and hopefully better than ever. Especially since it's basketball season.

I was perusing the news this morning and found this headline: "NBA star arrested for DUI." I began to think, hm, I wonder who that could be. Must have been somebody good.

I also thought to myself, wow, another DUI for an NBA player, remembering how I heard yesterday that Kwame Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers had been arrested earlier in the week. So, I clicked the article.

It led me here, to a site with the headline Lakers Star Arrested in Georgia DUI Incident. Sure enough, the article was referring to the aforementioned Brown. Kwame. Star? I think not.

If by star, you mean the guy who averaged 8.4 points and 6 rebounds per game last season in just 41 games despite a wide open middle and no one else on the team (Bynum doesn't really count) could grab a rebound, then sure, Kwame's a star. If by star, you mean the biggest first pick overall in an NBA draft bust in this century, then sure, Kwame's a star. If by star, you mean the guy who begins to show a bit of promise, then gets injured, gets arrested, or even just turns the ball over on the next possesion, then sure, Kwame's a star.

That was perhaps the most misleading headline I ever read. I expected it to be referring to somebody good.

Labels: DUI, idiot, Kevdog, Kwame, Los Angeles Lakers