ItsTheBlog™

Barry Bonds took a shot at announcer Bob Costas this week, calling him a "little midget man."

I, for one, resent that.

Apparently, so did Costas. But, little or not, Mr. Costas, perhaps my favorite basketball announcer of all time, battled back.

Bob: "As anyone can plainly see, I'm 5'6 1/2", and a strapping 150, and unlike some people, I came by it all naturally."

Ouch. Way to go, Bob.

For those that don't remember, here's one of my more favorite Bob Costas calls. And yes, it helps that this was a shot that beat the Chicago Bulls in 1998, but still, it was pretty sweet.

Labels: Bob Costas, Bonds, Kevdog, midget, Reggie, steroids

"Willits is Angel's new Eckstein"

Oh. No.

I looked up "Eckstein" on www.dictionary.com, I think the definition will surprise you...

Eckstein: noun. gritty, gamer, tough, annoyingly troublesome. baseball player.

I also found this picture next to the definition...


I read the rest of the article, and it was all over the place. He actually didn't mention Eckstein once in the entire article. Usually, if you put something in the title, you should expand on it in the actually text. That's just me though. Oh wait, he did once...

"This is what they needed. Another David Eckstein, with more tools."

I need to make on thing clear: ECKSTEIN HAS NO TOOLS!

He's 5'7".

That's not a tool. No, Joe Morgan, being diminutive in size is not a tool, no matter how much you say it in one broadcast.

He has no arm strength.

No, making what is a routine play from short look like he is trying to gun out a guy at the plate also, is not a tool. It's in fact the polar opposite of a tool.

Zero power.

I can see it now... Joe's brain: Eckstein hit 3 grand slams in one year, that shows me he has some serious power" Fluke Joe, Fluke.

He hustles. Yes. That's correct. He does. So does about 99% of every other mother humping big leaguer. This takes no talent.

And no, this is not even an article about Eck. Or about how much Reggie is like his little twin. Reggie actually is better, bigger, stronger, faster, hits for more power, throws well, and was expected to be a big leaguer. Eckstein sucks. The rest of the article is about where Reggie came from or something. And how his sister could ball him up on the hardwood.

Wrap up: Reggie=tightness. Eckstein=overratedness.

Labels: Eckstein, hustle, Reggie

Reggie Theus was named coach of the Sacramento Kings this week, replacing Eric Musselman after his disappointing 33 win season which included a DUI for the coach. Things aren't pretty in Sac-town. What happened to the team in the early decade which was an overtime victory away from the NBA Finals (and arguably the NBA Championship) in 2002. Then, they dealt Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, lost Bobby Jackson, Vlade Divac and just about all the rest of the crew minus Mike Bibby.

Now, it's Reggie-Time, or "Hang Time," considering Theus' former role as Coach Fuller on NBC's Saturday morning sitcom. Unfortunately for the Kings, this is almost the best coaching experience Theus brings to the Sacramento bench. OK, so that's unfair, as Theus went 41-23 as head coach at New Mexico State over the past two seasons. But, this is Reggie's first NBA gig. Not that this is a huge problem, but I have a feeling that coaching Julie Connor hasn't quite prepared coach Theus for the (Ar)test that lies ahead in Ron-Ron. Artest just recently was quoted as saying that he regretted how his Pacer career ended, and that if he hadn't reacted so quickly, he'd "still be a Pacer now."

A couple of things:

1. Does this mean that Artest isn't happy to be in Sacto? I can't blame him if he isn't. Playing for a mediocre team in a small market where he can't boost his rap career can't be all too pleasing. Perhaps a new coach will help things, but on the other hand, rumors have been flying and Artest may want to be shipped out.

2. Interestingly, on hiring Theus, Kings exec Geoff Petrie cited one of the most intriguing things about Reggie as his ties to Las Vegas (Theus played at UNLV from in the late 1970s, leading them to the Final Four in 1976). The Maloof Brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings, also own the Palms Casino, and have been agressively rumored to want to move their franchise to the Sin City for years now, and this may be just another step in that direction. Bringing in another guy into fray with Vegas ties who may advocate for that move certainly doesn't hurt its chances of happening.

3. On the other hand, Theus was on the team when it first moved to Sacramento in the mid-1980s, and has said he really enjoys the place. So, who knows?

Labels: Artest, Hang Time, Kevdog, Kings, Reggie, Theus