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It's probably not the ideal spot for a major league deal to be negotiated, but it works.

One of my favorite fast-food restaurants was the site of the Angels' bargain with outfielder Torii Hunter last week. Well, Hunter's agent and new Angels GM Tony Reagins met there anyway. They chose Del Taco in Corona, halfway between Hunter's agent Larry Reynolds' home in Riverside and Anaheim. I think I ate there once.


Even Hunter found it a bit ironic that a $90 million deal could be figured out over some ridiculously cheap tacos. "I always imagined my deal would get done inside a board room or a Capital Grille," Hunter said.

The most interesting thing about the story is the fact that the two most important players in the deal, Reagins and Reynolds, could simply walk into Del Taco, negotiate like crazy, and not get recognized.

In sports, it seems that people put a lot of emphasis on the athletes, but they wouldn't be there without all this behind the scenes work.

Now I want some chili cheese fries from Del Taco.

Labels: Baseball, contracts, del taco, Kevdog, Los Angeles Angels, torii hunter

Phil Jackson has agreed to two-year contract extension to remain in Los Angeles through 2010. Who'd of thought?

All the signs were pointing against this one. Kobe wants out. The Lakers blow (sorta), and tensions have been high with just about everyone in the Lakers front office. Buss got a DUI, and no one likes the way Kupchak handles things.

So why does Phil stay?

Rewind about a month. It looked like everything was about the blow up in La-La land. Kobe was on a tirade, and about to be moved any second. Phil was friends with Kobe, then mad at Kobe. And Phil said he'd revisit the extension issue around Thanksgiving time.

Fast forward to now. The Lakers are a modest, yet decent 8-6, good for 2nd place in the Pacific Division. No one expected the Lakers to be here at this point in time--probably especially not Phil. They've knocked off some high-quality opponents, including Phoenix, Houston, and Detroit. Kobe's shut his mouth for the time being, and the bench is playing much better than anyone expected.

In other words, Phil's worked some of his magic to calm everyone down, and now he's even made Kobe realize, it seems, that L.A.'s not so bad.

Plus, it probably helps that he's still dating the boss' girlfriend. I'm sure that had a bit of an impact.

Either way, great news for Lakers fans, and he'll make between $11 and $12 million over the next couple years.

Can we get a solid free agent to come to LA in the offseason to appease Kobe and get back into title contention? Perhaps this is the first step.

Labels: basketball, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Phil Jackson

If you haven't seen this guy yet, he's the host of the new show "Frank TV."

He does some pretty impressive impersonations. If you've got a minute, check out this video. You'll be impressed.

It starts with a movie preview, but scroll about 30 seconds through and you'll enjoy it. Especially wait for the Bill Walton and the Charles Barkley.



"Has there ever been a player better than Detlef Schrempf?"

Labels: basketball, bill walton, ESPN, frank caliendo, Kevdog

Just as the Lakers were off to a decent 4-3 start, and the world had basically shut up about Kobe being traded, this hits.

The Pistons and Lakers reportedly agreed to a deal that would send Kobe to Detroit for Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson (who?), and a first round pick to the Lakers.

Kobe, fortunately, used his veto power to stop the deal dead in its tracks. I read that ESPN's Ric Bucher reported this, but I haven't read this on ESPN.com so it is just a rumor at this point, and it was reportedly denied as being agreed to by the Pistons. Either way, it seems clear that something was on the table.

1. What are Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak thinking? Kobe's kept his mouth shut, and the team is playing with good chemistry thus far. Quit trying so hard.

2.What are Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak thinking? Tayshaun's a decent player, but he's not one to build a squad around. Hamilton can score, but he's not the presence at SG that the Lakers would need to replace Kobe. Who's Amir Johnson? This would also bring in a plethora of G/F on the team--just the problem that exists now. At least get a big man out of the deal. The Laker lineup would be smaller than it is now. Fisher-Hamilton-Prince-Odom-Mihm/Bynum/Brown. I'm not a fan.

The rumor mill was hot with the idea that no trades had surfaced, and Kobe wasn't saying anything stupid to insinuate that he still wanted to be moved. The Lakers have beat the Suns and the Rockets now in this young season, and they seem to be playing quite well. Why, if you're Kupchak and Buss, are you still trying to move him?

What does Kobe's veto mean? Does it mean that he was refusing to play in Detroit? Does it mean that he was refusing to play with a depleted Detroit squad? (If it does, he must be refusing to play anywhere, because with that deal, he'd still be playing with Billups and Rasheed Wallace. He can't be moved for free). Or does it mean that he wants to be a Laker after all?

I think it is some combination of all of those questions. Kobe's not goin' anywhere, as I said when the season started.

Labels: basketball, detroit pistions, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA

Generally decent, but there are always exceptions.

Like this piece from the only participant without a Y-chromosome, Jackie MacMullan:

"The Red Sox would rather resign Lowell (than A-Rod) because he brings better chemistry to the clubhouse."

Chemistry in the clubhouse= wins!!!!

Geez guys, what have you been missing? Didn't you hear?.. Games are now won in the clubhouse, not on the field. Because that's where A-Rod is money. On the field. Where it doesn't count. And Lowell is less money. (Still pretty money, but less money). He's much better in the club house.

I don't know how much longer I can take this.

Labels: A-Rod, chemistry, Jackie MacMullan, Mike Lowell

Who said that it was going to take time for the "Big Three" in Boston to gel?

I know it's only 4 games, but so far, so good, for the newest trio in Beantown. Boston moved to 4-0 last night with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks (2-3). That follows victories over the Washington Wizards (0-5), Toronto Raptors (3-3), and Denver Nuggets (3-3). So, I know what you're thinking. They are sooooooo good that they can beat all the teams that are .500 and below. Big deal.

Wrong. It hasn't been so much about just winning, but it's been how they've won those games.

77-38. Anyone know what that means? That was the score of the Celtics-Nuggets game at halftime on Wednesday. Halftime. Ridiculous.

23.8, 22.5, 21.5. How about these 3 numbers? Those are the points per game totals thru the first 4 of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, respectively. How's that for consistency?

Pierce, Allen, Pierce, Garnett. These are the leading scorers in each game, respectively. What's that mean? They're sharing the wealth and the glory. More importantly, they're sharing period. These guys are old enough, experienced enough, and smart enough to know that it takes teamwork to win, and they are showing it.

20, 13, 13, 19. These are Garnett's rebound totals. What a beast. People are shooting, and they'll inevitably be missing, and who but the "Big Ticket" is there to snatch the board? To whoever disagreed with my MVP assessment, you're seeing KG make a good early push. The team is 4-0, and he's leading the way with 23.8 ppg and 16.3(!) rpg. Not enough touches to go around? I don't think so.

Is it too early to make any generalizations? Absolutely. Have they challenged some of the tougher teams in the league? Definitely not. Will there be blips in the road? Without a doubt. But, it's impressive, so far.

Labels: basketball, Boston, Boston Celtics, Kevdog, Kevin Garnett, NBA, Pierce, Ray Allen

Curt Schilling announced in his blog that he is also gay... with quite possibly the ugliest man to ever walk the earth...



Congratulations, Curt. I'm sure you two will make a happy couple. Just fat and full of gayness.

This is also a better depiction of Curt's fatness.

Labels: Curt Schilling, fat, gay

Boston faithful breathed a sigh of relief yesterday (maybe?) upon news that Curt Schilling chose to re-sign with the Sox.

Sure, Curt struggled during the regular season and missed a lot of time with injury, but in the post-season, Schilling was money, going 3-0 and looking like the "Bloody Sock Man" from the 2004 playoffs.

My favorite part about this whole thing was the contract itself. First off, Schilling took a pay cut from the $13 million he made this past year to signing for just $8 million.

However, deals aren't always what they seem. Curt can make an additional $3 million for performance bonuses. That is, if he pitches 130 innings, he makes an extra $375,000, and then every 10 innings beyond that up to 200, he makes an additional $375,000. Ridiculous.

But, that's not even the half of it. Schilling will have once-a-month random "weigh-ins" to make sure he's maintaining a specified weight. Translation: Curt, you're fat, and we're not paying you unless you stay not so fat.

So, if Schilling makes the cut (literally), Curt nets himself $333,333 every time his weight checks in. 6 times. That's an extra $2 million if Curt lays off the chicken fingers and pizza.

How's that for an incentive?

Labels: Baseball, Boston, contracts, Kevdog, Red Sox, Schilling

Today marks one week through the season, and the conclusion of a heck of a week for me. As I enter back into the blogosphere, let's take a brief look at the past week's surprises in the NBA.

We'll start with my favorite subject: Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe and Co. lost in the opener barely, after a heck of a comeback effort that was thwarted by a Shane Battier three in the final 5 seconds. Then, the Lakers bounced back with a thrashing of their Pacific Division rival Suns, and a 10-point defeat of last year's Northwest Division champion Utah Jazz. Sure, it's one week, but after 3 games, I don't think anyone thought they'd survive to be 2-1. And, yes, it's only been one week, but so far, Kobe's still around and the rumors have slowly quieted down. I expect them to pick up again soon after a few losses, but I'm holding to my "Kobe Won't Be Traded This Season" prediction.

Chicago Bulls - I was at the United Center this weekend to watch the Bulls play the Phildelphia 76ers. (Blog on that to come). But, the point is that the Bulls, supposed championship contenders, looked pretty awful. They've had a lot of rumors swirling around them, most notably regarding KB24, but these guys have been talked about a lot as serious contenders, and they are off to an 0-3 start. Not only that, but who have their opponents been? New Jersey (bad), Milwaukee (awful), and Philadelphia (worst). Yes, it's only week 1, but it wasn't a pretty way to start off their run at a championship. Maybe they really do need Kobe.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. - Maybe he was just on the fantasy team I played against last week, but Dunleavy played out of his mind. The career 11.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg notched 22 ppg and 9 rpg through his first 3 en route to an opening start of 3-0 by the Indiana Pacers. I got his autograph in Hawaii a few years ago. I may have to dig that out and sell it if he keeps playing well.

LeBron James on Opening Night - I think there was a collective gasp when everyone found out that James was held scoreless in his first half of the NBA season, and held to just 10 points for the night against Dallas in the reigning Eastern Conference champ's season opening loss. It wasn't pretty, but LeBron, unsurprisingly bounced back to score 45 against the Knicks the following game. Phew.

There's plenty more, and plenty more to come. We'll just have to wait and see!

Labels: basketball, Bulls, Chicago, Dunleavy, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, LeBron, NBA