WBRS Sports Blog

According to my latest Trade Machine deal, all four of those players will have new homes next year. This trade requires a lot of alcohol, a few GM imposters, Telfair's weapons connections, bringing back Red Auerbach, and a hypnotist.

You really have to go look at the trade machine, it's more fun that way.

Go HERE

(Be sure to right click the link and open it in a new window).

And of course, keep in mind a whole bunch of draft picks would change hands also.

Happy laughing.

Ok, so I did some dreaming, and came up with the following trade using ESPN's trade machine:
Click Here

Trade details:
Lakers Receive: Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Brian Scalabrine and Theo Ratliff along with a combination of draft picks.

Wizards Receive: Ryan Gomes, Wally S., Delonte West, two first round draft picks, and Portlands 2nd round pick for 2008.

Celtics Receive: KOBE BRYANT AND GILBERT ARENAS


Boston would also send away first round picks from 2007, 2008, and both 2009 draft picks (Minnesota's and their own). They would also trade away anyone not named Paul Pierce or Al Jefferson and they'd have a really weird starting lineup, so this trade would never work.

A couple of other conditions:
1. The GMs involved must be highly intoxicated. Also, Danny Ainge cannot be involved in the trade negotiations, we'll bring back Red Auerbach for that.

2. Sebastian Telfair uses his problems with Gun control to his advantage and the deal gets done.

I'll keep dreaming, you keep reading.

Hey all,

For the first time since the establishment of WBRS Sports Blog, I will be away from the blog for a significant amount of time. I am traveling to Europe for 3 weeks with a few friends and besides the occasional internet cafe, won't be able to check in on the blog.

But don't worry, we have plenty of quality bloggers who have contributed in the past, and will be manning the fort while I am away. The lineup includes: Easy (CNNSI contributor and owner of of ShakedownSports), the all-knowing Mikey C., Ragin' Ravi, The Young Nucleus, and our guest blogger Ted Bauer, owner of A Price Above Bip Roberts.


Enjoy the blog while I'm away....


Mini Me

Zachariah Selwyn...how could we forgot you? You captured our attention and stole our hearts in the debut and the only watchable season of ESPN's Dream Job. Damn Al Jaffe, if it weren't for him we could be watching you on Sportscenter. But alas, life rarely turns out how we expect it to, particularly in your case.

Rather than finding your niche in sports broadcasting, you became the color commentator for Extreme Dodgeball on the Game Show Network. After a lot of random stuff, including time on G4's Attack of the Show!, your most recent development is out there to say the least. This music video, entitled Cartoons I'd Like to F*ck, was actually released in 2006 but I just discovered it this morning. Mr. Zachariah this has to be the most bizarre stop you have made since the long fall from Bristol. I hope you're happy Mr. Jaffe, look what you've done to this poor and innocent soul.

Heh, heh.

Nucleus out.

Warning: Philadelphia fans do not read the following article.

But for everyone else the following site is too hysterical for me not to share with you. The site, Phillysucks.com, has a counter, which counts in realtime the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds since the Eagles last won their NFL Championship in 1960. 16,951 days really is a long time without a Super Bowl victory! Less impressive Flyers, Phillies and Sixers counters also exist on the site but at 11674, 9712 and 8760 respective days without titles, it's almost but not quite as depressing as the drought Eagles' fans have experienced. Looking at this whole ordeal in general though, I am actually amazed Philadelphia has as many sports fans as they do. At this point you have to wonder if these fans enjoy losing, I mean it's all they know, right?

But the most comical aspect of the site isn't even the counter, but the hate mail the site receives, which the owner of the site has gracefully decided to post online for the enjoyment of all. Some of these are real brutal, and way too inappropriate even for this site, but certainly worth checking out.

When a Philly sports team finally does win something, assuming it happens again, it will be quite an experience to see how they go about celebrating such a feat. They haven't won in so long, do they even know what to do or how to embrace it? I imagine it would be the equivalent of me sneaking into the home of my old-aged, stubborn, unwilling to technologically progress grandma and replacing her record player with an Ipod. It won't be pretty.

After Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had his worst start in years on Opening Day this season, he put out a few great starts in a row. However, he has struggled versus New York and his last 5 starts have not been what Red Sox Nation has been accustomed to seeing from Schilling.

Here are Schilling's last 10 starts (which is every start this season):

DATE	OPP	RESULT	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GB	FB
5/23	@NYY	L 3-8	6.0	12	6	5	2	0	3	11	6
5/17	Det	W 4-2	6.0	8	2	2	1	4	6	6	14
5/12	Bal	W 13-4	5.1	9	4	4	0	2	4	6	8
5/6	@Min	W 4-3	6.2	8	3	3	0	2	7	8	6
5/1	Oak	L 4-5	7.0	8	2	2	1	0	7	5	14
4/25	@Bal	W 6-1	7.0	5	1	1	1	2	3	9	8
4/20	NYY	W 7-6	7.0	8	5	5	2	1	5	7	12
4/14	LAA	W 8-0	8.0	4	0	0	0	1	4	9	12
4/8	@Tex	W 3-2	7.0	4	1	1	1	1	6	4	8
4/2	@KC	L 1-7	4.0	8	5	5	0	2	5	7	6
Complete Game Log

(Source: ESPN)

The numbers from the two starts versus NYY and the 5/12 start versus Baltimore are somewhat scary. A total of 18.1 innings pitched, 14 ER and 29 hits allowed, though his walk totals are down. His last 3 starts have been 6 innings or less and he hasn't gotten a win in his last 5 starts (the 5/1 start resulted in a ND due to a blown save). Aside form his start against Detroit, his walk totals have been down, but sometimes, it might be necessary to walk a batter. For instance, last night when Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada came up in big spots, it might have been a good idea to maybe issue an "unintentional-intentional walk." The high hit totals suggest a lack of command, which startles me a bit.

Curt Schilling also seems a little bit worried and needless to say he was not impressed by his last start:

"A craptastic finish to what could have been a nice series. I never gave us a chance to even get into this game. I felt great during the day, even better after warmups and then the game had to start...I’ve faced these guys so many times that the game comes down to executing a plan both Tek and I knew well going in...
"We ended up getting through six but I struggled to do it. 24 base runners in the past 12 innings means there isn’t just one problem here. From lack of command to horrible execution, the problems run the gamut. This game always is and always will be about making adjustments and right now there is a plethora of adjustments that need to be made. (38 Pitches)."

It may be that Schilling is just hard on himself, but he hasn't had the best command his last few starts. He's gotten hit a bit and will continue to do so. Also, he has been inconsistent with his Ground ball to fly ball ratio, which suggests some experimenting. Curt Schilling may be 40 years old, but he is still an integral part of this pitching staff given the Beckett injury, Daisuke Matsuzaka's inconsistencies and Tim Wakefield's streaky pitching.

Curt Schilling's performances will be something Red Sox Nation has to monitor all season long, as Schilling is a free agent at the end of the year, and the Sox need this guy to pitch well in order to continue to stay on top of the AL East.

Yesterday the NBA Draft lottery took place and the Boston Celtics were hurt by the lottery system once again. A decade ago, the Celtics had above a 40% chance at the number one pick because they were the worst team in the NBA and also had Dallas' lottery pick. On top of that, Vancouver was not allowed to receive the top pick. Thus, had Vancouver been number one and Boston number 2, Boston would have been moved to one because Vancouver was not allowed to be number 1.

The Celtics received the number 3 and 6 picks in this draft, where Tim Duncan was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

This year, the Celtics suffered an enormous amount of injuries: most notably to Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak. The injuries and lack of seasoned talent led to a miserable season where the Celtics posted their second worst record in franchise history. Unfortunately, the lucky Irish weren't so lucky once again. The Celtics now possess the 5th pick in this year's draft, this was the lowest position the team could have fallen to. That's right, no Tim Duncan a decade ago, and this time around, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will not have the joy of playing in the Garden.

It is important to note that since Duncan went to the Spurs, he has won three championships and could potentially win a fourth this year, while the Celtics have had a decade of frustration. Boston has made the playoffs a few times, and reached the Eastern Conference finals, but poor managing by Rick Pitino and some poor trades by Danny Ainge have slowed down the most storied franchise in NBA history.

Now, let's look at the present. What can Boston do with that 5th pick? Will they draft the newest Chinese import in Yi Jianlian? Danny Ainge has certainly been talking himself into drafting the big man. Or will Al Horford slip to them? In any case, will any player actually them get to the NBA Finals in the next 2-3 years? Probably not.

In a best case scenario, Danny Ainge finds a way to deal this pick along with a package that include players such as Ryan Gomes, Delonte West, Rajon Rondo, Sebastian Telfair (as a mere throw-in), Tony Allen, or even Gerald Green, depending on the deal. Of course, guys like Theo Ratliff and possibly Wally may need to be included depending who the Celtics are trading for and the salary of that player. Maybe Kevin McHale can assist Danny one more time and help him land Kevin Garnett, now wouldn't that be something.

In any case, it seems there could be another decade of frustration in Boston, unless luck falls their way. Maybe there should be a change in the lottery system. Perhaps I'm just bitter.

Congrats Portland! You just got Greg Oden! Let's take a look at this young but extremely talented Blazers team.

Starting 5

PG: Jarret Jack
SG: Brandon Roy
SF: Ime Udoka
PF: Zack Randolph
C: Greg Oden

Bench
LaMarcus Aldridge
Joel Pryzbilla
Martell Webster
Jamaal Magloire
Travis Outlaw
Sergio Rodriguez
Dan Dickau


This is certainly a young team, but with scorers in Roy and Randolph, a solid PG in Jack, and quality interior defense provided by Aldridge and Oden, I believe this team will be in contention for the 8 seed next year and watch out for this team to make some serious playoff pushes in three or four years.

Today, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle told the Chicago Tribune that he and A.J. Pierzynski are fine after bashing Pierzynski's comments about being benched for reserve catcher Toby Hall. Frankly, I think we are all in a better place now that this is over, but just for the record, let's update the list of who is pissed off at A.J. Pierzynski:

• Michael Barrett
• The San Francisco Giants (for making them give up Francisco Liriano, Boof Bonser AND Joe Nathan for him...yikes)
  
• Kim Jong Il (you don't want to know)
• Alec Baldwin
• My mother
• Everyone else on Earth

Good times...good times.

Why now? Who knows, but 33 years after the Rumble in the Jungle, George Foreman has written in his recent memoir that he was drugged by his trainer, Dick Sadler, right before the fight began. Foreman explains in his most recent memoir, "God in My Corner", that "his trainer gave him a weird-tasting cup of water just before the bout. "I almost spit it out . . . Man, I know this water has medicine in it," Foreman said to his trainer, who denied it was spiked. "I climbed into the ring with that medicinal taste still lingering in my mouth . . . After the third round, I was as tired as if I had fought 15 rounds. What's going on here? Did someone slip a drug in my water?" Ali knocked out Foreman in the eighth round."

Is Foreman just trying to sell his memoirs? Is he a sore loser? Will this claim by Foreman suddenly become one of the famous boxing conspiracy theories, such as the Ali-Liston rematch Phantom Punch? In a sport which desperately needs some sort of boost, perhaps Foreman's questionable statement can spark some interest in boxing.

Hey everybody, it's the Young Nucleus here with a rare post on the WBRS Sports Blog. Closer music in baseball is a particular obsession of mine; each song says something about the man who uses it. It ranges from the intimidating ("Enter Sandman" for Mariano Rivera) to the alternative ("Mr. Jones" for Todd Jones) to the downright peculiar (Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" for the Mad Hungarian, Al Hrabosky). Let's take a look at some of the typical choices around baseball.

Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox: "Wild Thing", the Troggs, a la Ricky Vaughn.
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: "Enter Sandman", Metallica (also Billy Wagner of the Mets).
Huston Street, Oakland Athletics: "Hate Me Now", Nas.
Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres: "Hells Bells", AC/DC. Ho-hum, been done before.
Eric Gagne, Texas Rangers: "Welcome to the Jungle", Guns 'N' Roses.

It became clear to me that there aren't many creative minds among closers as to their entrance music. I wanted to put up some options so that perhaps the next great closer (Papelbon? Wanna switch music?) will get a clue. Here's the contenders:

INTIMIDATION:

Bush- "Machinehead"
The rush of guitars at the beginning is what really makes this one happen. Always choice.
Rage Against The Machine- "Guerrilla Radio"
See above, except so much more awesome.
Incubus- "Circles"
Definitely not used yet, and it's a pity: it's so intense!
Sean Biggs feat. Akon and Topic- "Never Gonna Get It"
Perfect music for ghost-riding, getting ready for a heavyweight fight, or making a save. Bonus points for the title

ALTERNATIVE INTIMIDATION:

Michael Jackson- "Beat It"
Why wouldn't you use this song? It's fun, and it has an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. Killer.
Muse- "Time Is Running Out"
Bonus points for the title here, but the music is so brooding and intense, it works on its own.
U2- "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
A little different, but still usable, especially for the singalong value.
The Who- "Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland)"
Everybody loves it, and it's built for a closer's entrance in a movie.
Bloc Party- "Helicopter"
The opening guitar riff and the lyrics really make this song happen: "Are you hoping for a miracle?"
Cake- "Arco Arena"
No words, just pulsing music. It's named for a sports arena, for what it's worth.

ODDITIES:
Blue Suede- "Hooked On A Feeling"
Tremendous singalong value ("Hoogachaka!"), and just an overall fun song. Definitely underrated.
Queen- "Don't Stop Me Now"
If only for the Shaun of the Dead scene, but also a great, theatrical song. One of Queen's best, and much less of a cliche than "We Will Rock You" or "Another One Bites The Dust".
Daler Mehndi- "Tunak Tunak Tun"

Such a weird song, but can you imagine the entire ballpark doing the dance? So awesome I can't even stand the idea.

Leave your ideas in the comments!

Labels: baseball, closers, music

Enjoy this clip and have a great weekend!


Dog Cheats At The Track - Watch more free videos

No Posts today due to exams. Check out the blogroll though.

If Tony Parker starts to struggle in the playoffs, we will know why. No man in a relationship should have to go this long without sex. However this playoffs you can consider the French guard the second coming of A.C. Green. That's because as long as the Spurs continue to win, Tony Parker won't be having any sex with Eva Longoria...

Eva told late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel last week that she and Tony have agreed to put a ban on sex while Tony's San Antonio Spurs team are in the NBA playoffs in America. She said: "Luckily, we're getting married after the playoffs and then we need to consummate the marriage. I scheduled it that way."

That's tough news for Tony but it is kind of hard to feel bad for a guy who is about to marry Eva Longoria.

ESPN's First Take, the show formally known as Cold Pizza, debuted yesterday but it was almost the last take for one of the show's stars. WFAN, still looking to replace Don Imus in the morning slot, recently contacted ESPN inquiring about Dana Jacobson.

Operations director Mark Chernoff had hoped to try Dana Jacobson of "ESPN First Take," formerly known as "Cold Pizza," with Boomer Esiason as a potential morning duo. But two TV industry sources said ESPN denied her permission because she is under contract.

That's unfortunate for Jacobson cause I don't think there is much of a future in First Take, well as long as they have Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless on the show simultaneously. Two people incoherently yelling at each other doesn't make for good tv.

Enjoy this classy tune! (click photo to watch)




Courtesy of College Humor.

Here are two big ones for you. This is all you should concern yourself with this Saturday.

The Sports Guy predicts that the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight could be boxing's last great fight ever! If that is so you certainly don't want to miss it.

Current Odds for Kentucky Derby betting.

Nobody is taking the fact that German Dirk Nowitzki is no longer in this year's playoffs more than fellow German David Hasselhoff.

Dallas Mavericks: Last year Cuban's Crew was up 2-0 against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, then proceeded to lose the next four games. Then after winning 67 games this regular season, they collapse and lose to Golden State in six, in the greatest upset in NBA history.

Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo's hold...enough said.

Dallas Stars: Last year the 2-seeded Stars lose in 5 games in the first round to the 7-seeded Colorado Avalanche. Then this year, after finding themselves down 3-1 to Vancouver, go on to win the next two only to come up short in game 7.

Texas Rangers: The Texas Rangers are currently 10-18, the third worst record in all of baseball. Apparently the Buck Showalter effect isn't real. I guess Arizona and New York were actually just good teams. Oh, and at 7 million dollars, their third highest paid player on the team this year is Alex Rodriguez, who is on pace to have one of the best seasons in baseball history....for the New York Yankees.

Pee Wee Hockey Brawl - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Some stories write themselves. This is one of those cases. Let me start off by telling you what Orlando Cepeda's current position is with the San Francisco Giants. Cepeda acts as a community liaison and speaks to at-risk children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Now let me tell you that Cepeda was just arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and a white powder substance, either cocaine or methamphetamine. Like I said, the story writes itself.

This study was almost interesting until I realized that they simply used the box scores. You can't use a box score because three refs call a game. So you really don't even know who called which fouls! So how can you make such a claim about refs being racist when you aren't even sure which refs are calling which fouls?

I can't emphasize how much you should watch this fight, that is of course unless there is a Game 7 between Dallas and Golden State.

While sports fans might consider a move from ESPN to the NFL Network as a demotion, apparently that type of change of scenery doesn't bother the ladies, or at least Philadelphia tv reporter Alycia Lane. Lane, pictured above, seems to have a "thing" for Rich Eisen. So much of one that she recently e-mailed several provocative pictures of herself to Eisen. Also included in the e-mail, she stated that she would be in LA soon and would love to meet up with him. Unfortunately for her, or some might argue Eisen, Eisen's wife, Suzy Shuster, yes the ABC college football sideline reporter, shares the e-mail account with Eisen.

Rather than simply confronting her husband, Shuster decided to reply to Lane's e-mail which contained the suggestive photos, with an e-mail of her own:

A seething Shuster wrote: "Boy, do you look amazing in a bikini . . . congrats! Whatever you're doing, (Pilates? yoga?) keep doing it - it's working for you. Anyway, sorry but those seven e-mails you sent to my husband, Rich, well, oops, they came to the e-mail address we both use from time to time, but no worries, I'll forward the beach shots as well as the ones of you dancing with your friends on to his main address. Do you have it?"

She then provides her hubby's private e-mail, "since you surely are trying so hard to get his attention. I mean, what better way to get a guy's attention than with skin! Best - Suzy Shuster Eisen"

I have a feeling Eisen and Lane won't be seeing meeting up anytime soon. But Ms. Shuster if you are going to go ahead and forward Lane's e-mails to your husband, could you CC me on that? Thanks.

Mister Irrelevant and D.C. Sports Blog, thanks for the shout out.

WBRS Sports