Losing all Dignity

It all began when Chivas went to Chile. They were recieved with jokes and insults. Fans and players refused to get near them. Players reported being treated like lepers their whole time there.

Then Boca Juniors refused to go to Mexico to play the Copa Libertadores.

Chivaz and San Luis are left in a soccer limbo. No one wants them.

The plan was to go to Colombia, both teams would play in Bogota for their ‘home’ game.

Local Colombian authorities, however, have just announced they will not allow the players to enter their country.

The US had considered allowing the game, knowing full well players for the four teams (Sao Paolo, and Nacional which Chivas and San Luis will play) would never get Visas in time.

What would be the right move? Completely forfeit the Mexican teams participation in the cup (They’re technically intruders as it is…IT IS the SOUTHAMERICAN Libertadores cup).

The series could be altered to one game series, or both games could be played at  home but if COlombia refuses to accept the players who is to say the countries will allow them in theirs.

Now mexicans will be faced with not only an increasingly likely early exit from Libertadores but depending on how the outbreak is handled, it is very likely that the next set of world cup qualifiers will be delayed as well or played outside of mexico.

HOpefully by now the local league will be canceled. For however much money the directives of these teams may have there is NO excuse for having games played when schools, business, and restaurants have been closed for public safety.

Is there some sort assumption that these players are superhuman, immune to the disease?

At the same time, Mexicans increasingly isolated in their homes are now left without a local soccer leauge, Libertadores, and in a smaller tragedy left without Marquez in Barcelona.

Slowly Mexico is becoming an international pariah and the things that usually distract people in situations like this are just exacerbating them–the canceled movie premiers, the canceled soccer leagues, the canceled boxing matches…

 Soon the people isolated at home will have nothing to give them hope.

Heat are complete garbage in Game 5…

This was so hard to watch as well as nausiating. I know how you feel now David. Now to watch another game that will probably lopsided between Denver and New Orleans. The Nuggets are comming into this one off a 58 point victory the other night. On that note Chris Paul and New Orleans are probably the most disgusting team known to man due to that moronic loss.

Position Players Pitching…

If you were watching the end of the Florida Marlins game on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, you probably saw Cody Ross make his first appearance on the mound for the Fish. Ross did not come to Florida in a trade, or on a jet from the triple A Albuequerque Isotopes, but instead from… right field? That’s right, while the Marlins were on top of the world of baseball a week earlier with an 11 – 1 record, on that sunny Sunday at Dolphin Stadium, the bullpen was so depleted that an outfielder was relegated to mop-up duty in the Marlins’ sixth straight loss.
Four hours up I-75, the New York Yankees had faced a similar problem thirteen days earlier, as outfielder Nick Swisher took to the mound to slow down the Tampa Bay Rays, who had already put 15 runs on the board against the Yanks. The Bronx Bombers got whipped twice more in the next 5 days by Cleveland Indians, leading Yankee fans to chant “We want Swisher.”
But do we really want our position players to pitch? The answer is a resounding no. For all we think of Albert Pujols, Kevin Youkillis, Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeters and others as superheroes, the truth is there’s a stronger kryptonite than an 0 for 30 slump out there. It’s called a wrecked arm.
Yes, it’s true that Swisher and Ross did what the rest of the staff could not on those days—pitch scoreless innings against the teams that met in last year’s World Series. And yes it’s true that Ross once pitched a perfect game in high school. But it’s also true that Jose Canseco—a star batter in his own right in the 1980s—blew out his arm pitching for the Oakland Athletics.
Now, Canseco is not known as being the brightest tool in the shed. He once let a ball bounce off his head and into the stands for a homer. So he may not have known how to warm up or even pitch properly. But bringing in a Swisher or Ross without the proper throwing and rest routine can really wear out their arms easily. Worse, an injury to these players takes a bat out of the lineup and a glove from the field. To make the big league club, these guys had to show something at the plate or in the field, so it hurts the team more than the loss of a bullpen arm.
So despite the temptation, teams should avoid hanging their position players out to dry on the mound. Cause no matter how bad a game is going, it can get a whole lot worse.

You’re right “Sir Charles”, you are not a role model

As much as I’ve enjoyed watching the NBA playoffs, I wish seeing and hearing Charles Barkley didn’t have to be a part of it.

Let me explain.

The more I watch, the more I find myself wondering why he still has his job.

Granted, he has an insight into the league and expresses his opinions honestly, for which I give him credit. However, is that really enough to overshadow his arrogance and surliness? 

Is it enough to overshadow his character issues that consist of gambling, drinking, infidelity, and legal problems?

I think not.

So how much longer does Charles Barkley need to be on air cursing and spewing criticism that goes beyond being constructive?

I would hope not much, but until then I’ll hit the mute button unless one of his T-Mobile commercials with Dwyane Wade comes on. That’s about the only aspect of Barkley that I’ve enjoyed watching during the playoffs.

Heat lose. Wade sucks. Series tied at 2.

I can’t be the only frustrated person right now. Dwyane Wade was atrocious. 9 of 26 from the field. 1 for 8 from three. The man could not buy a basket for most of the game. He also refused to get his teammates involved down the stretch. He also refused to take it to the basket and try and get to the foul line. No, no. We don’t need that. We’ll just jack up wild mid-range jumpers and contested threes. I’ve got to be honest with you. There are very few things you can criticize Wade for. The guy is amazing. However, when he gets into 1-on-5 mode it frustrates me. Even when he’s hot, he should try and get guys involved but especially when he is struggling. His inconsistent play tonight along with a joke of a defensive performance combined with zero effort on the glass extinguished the Heat’s chances from the get go. Miami looked like a bad JV girl’s basketball team on the boards and couldn’t stop anyone. ZaZa F’in Pachulia pulled down 18 rebounds. EIGHTEEN!!!! This is the same guy who averages just under six a night. Instead, the Heat’s lack of effort on the boards made him look like Dennis Rodman minus the bright colored hair and cross-dressing. Miami needs to wake up and take Game 5 on Wednesday if they hope to have any chance of advancing to round two. A loss in Atlanta in two days will almost guarantee the Heat’s elimination. Can Wade get back to form? Will the Heat stop anyone on defense? Will they rebound? Who knows? But if they don’t, they should stay in Atlanta for a while and just forfeit Game 6 because no Heat fan will want to watch another game like tonight’s.

Heat Impressive Again

Miami was very impressive again Saturday night in their rout of the Hawks to win game three . And if they continue to play at this level it is not out of the question that they can give Cleveland a run for their money in the second round. That of course assuming Miami can continue to play at this high level and put the Hawks away.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not think the Heat can win 4 games against Cleveland but they can certainly steal a few. All five starters finished last night’s game in double figures, and for the second straight game Jermaine O’Neal looked like he belonged in the NBA instead of the D league. Starting James Jones at small forward has proven to be a big key in the series, and he is a player that could be a real x factor moving forward.

After starting only one game all season, right after the trade for O’Neal and Moon, Spoelstra decided to start Jones in the playoffs. His knockdown shooting has given teams more hesitation in bringing a quick double-team to Wade at the top of the key, because they know that Jones is a knockdown shooter when given even a little space. Beasley has also helped in this same way even though he struggled from the field in game three shooting only 1-9 from the field.

But when you look at a possible matchup with Cleveland the biggest problem from the start has to be who guards Lebron James. Wade can not afford to spend all of energy at the defensive end, the team has proven that they simply cannot win with this young squad without Wade scoring big. But if the Heat can get there, and it looks like they could, the series will certainly be interesting after watching Miami played complete games on both ends of the floor the last two games. Do you guys think Miami can give Cleveland trouble, or are they just that much better and more experienced in the playoffs than the Heat?

Ghosts in the Stands

All games this weekend for the Mexican Soccer League will be played to empty stadiums. This is not a FIFA imposed penalty but a result of the state of emergency in Mexico due to the swine flue that has already killed 81 people.

Tommorow two of the biggest teams in the nation will square off to complete silence as the cameras watch.

What then is really the need of having the game at all? Yes, it’ll be watched on TV and while entertaining to watch a closed game once in a while (when you can hear the players every word on the field) by the eighth game it becomes dull and unemotional.

A huge part of professional sports is the fans, the twelfth man.

Aside from that, it seems an emergency that has led to the cancellation of all schools and universities should extend to a professional league as well.

While the game is reassuring and comforting in this time of need, perhaps the values need to be reenvisioned. One weekend without soccer will be fine.

It’s better than watching empty stadiums, a steady reminder of the tragedy lurking throughout the coutnry.

NFL Rookie Salaries

Matthew Stafford apparently just got PAID. He and the much fiercer looking Detroit Lions have reportedly agreed to a deal that guarantees Stafford nearly $42 million. Without having played a down in the NFL. That’s more than Albert Haynesworth was guaranteed in his big deal.

There have always been some to crititicize just how much top picks in the draft are making, but I’m not criticizing Stafford or his agent. Their job is to get as much money as possible in their deal from the team, based on how much the picks last year were signed for. But how do you think the people in Detroit feel, where the bad economy is even worse? The Pistons cannot even get a full house for a playoff series.

And what if, by chance, Stafford becomes the next Ryan Leaf? Or appropriately enough for Detroit, the next Joey Harrington? When these costly picks don’t pan out, they set back teams for years and this is why the Lions were in this position.

You probably can figure out my opinion of all this but what’s yours? Is it right to pay a player over $40 million in guaranteed money, possibly even as much as $70 million with incentives, despite that player not even playing a down? Or is it the team’s responsibility to make sure they make the right pick, given the money they will pay to that pick?

Choking in Utah

In their first loss of the 2009 Playoffs, without a doubt Kobe Bryant will bare most of the burden.

That’s the burden of being an MVP candidate, it always falls on you.

It certainly falls on you when you shoot 5 for 24 and score only 18 points. Bryant was completely non-existent in the first half and still had the chance to win the game with a three in the last possession and got nowhere close to making the game ending shot.

Was this a choke or just a day off? Maybe the talk of a predestined meeting with the Cavs in the NBA finals is getting to the Laker’s head.

The Lakers have nothing to worry about if they can get this close to winning a game with Bryant playing so badly and Carlos Bozzer having one of the best games of his career with 23 points and 22 rebounds.

As for the Cavs, Lebron James continues to uphold his MVP status by averaging more than 28 points a game and leading his team to cruise past an experienced, albeit clearly declining, team.

I do hope the Cavaliers-Lakers final happens just to see James prove to Bryant what a true team player is and what it really means to be a “valuable player”

Kinks in the Armor

After an Amazing start to the season, the Marlins have now lost three in a row.

Reason to worry?

The Marlins were swept by the Pirates, including a 7-0 loss in which the Marlins usually hot bats could only get two hits. The Pirates, who were at just .500 when they entered the series.

The last two games in the series were much closer, already proving the Marlins can put up a fight when they need to but clearly not quite enough.

The Marlins now have to face Philadelphia to show just how the young team can face up to their first real adversity of the season.

Hopefully, the beggining of the season was not a fluke and the Marlins can prove to be real contenders.

The city really needs it, especially since the Heat’s playoff appearance is nothing more than Wade continuing to vie for an MVP spot. Soon basketball will be gone and we’ll need the Marlins to pull us through to football season.