Shaq/Kobe MVP

I like it. It was great to see them both be so mature, to not only put aside differences, but to also remind us of how well they work together. I'm fine with the co-MVP idea.

I would like to note Chris Paul's 14-14-7 line though. Obviously Kobe and Shaq got a lot of their points because of CP3. Great game for the West.

Kobe vs. Lebron

I think it's funny how Kobe and Lebron each want to be the next Jordan and go out of their way in their attempts to claim this title. So I always like to see it when they play each other. Not that I would suggest that either of these guys couldn't play, but I think Kobe definitely has the edge over Lebron.

And tonight's game is further proof. Lebron is having a fine game, but Kobe is playing just a bit better. Of course, just like in the regular season, Kobe has the better team.

And I know I'm biased, but I'd honestly rather watch Chris Paul than either of them. There was a give-and-go just now where Shaq threw it through Howard's legs to Paul, who got it back to Shaq for a dunk, one of about 5 or 6 in the 3rd quarter so far.

And not to jump the gun here, but Paul is within triple-double range. He needs 5 rebounds, but the East will be throwing up shots. If he's in, he has a chance.

This is a fun game.

Halftime Music?

What is this we're watching? It's a joke, right?

Never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather Bruce Springsteen. I'd even rather an E. Street Band sax solo.

Is this because basketball is supposed to be a "black" sport?

EDIT: I guess it was John Legend? I suppose he's OK and all, I just didn't think it really fit for an NBA All-Star game halftime show. And the whole performance just seemed overblown to me.

Shaq!

If you missed Shaq's intro in the All-Star game just now, stakeout YouTube until it's there. It was worth watching this game just to see that.

EDIT: That didn't take long, did it??

1988 NBA All-Star Game

Watching the East beat the West in the '88 All-Star game. It's awesome. Their shorts are short and they're playing real basketball. Larry Bird just zipped a pass to some dude for a wide open lay-up. Not much defense going on. But they look like actual teams playing together.

I see Tony Stewart is in 8th!

Was there really a National Anthem at Daytona?

Did that Gavin whatshisname guy just like whisper the anthem? Mrs. Wedge tells me he got his 'start' cause he did the theme for "One Tree Hill" (the current unrealistic high-school WB-CW TV show).

Sure whatever, but I mean.. I hope that dude lost his voice or something, and people usually complain about singers who go way over the top, but man I don't think I've ever seen someone go almost non-existent on an anthem before. If that's how he regularly "sings" I imagine he is one heck of a pain in the butt for sound technicians.


And since Ron made a pick for Daytona (see below) I figure I'll go for one too. I'm going to predict Montoya, because of all the guys out there fans most likely don't root for he has one of the best chances; and if he pulls it off, he'll of course be one of the very few drivers to pick up a Daytona 500 along with Indy 500, Daytona 24 Hours wins etc., and yet that still won't stop him from being unhappy post-race.

Mrs. Wedge is predicting Kyle Busch (cause of the fan-dislike); she's also predicting 18 cautions!?

2009 NBA All-Star Game: The Tecmo Challenge

Since I've recently been able to rediscover the joys of NES games, I decided to give Tecmo Basketball a shot. I never played this game, but I wish I had because it's awesome! I don't know why we never knew about it. We always played Double Dribble or Hoops. Then on SNES we started playing Live 95, which is the best basketball game ever.

For my first Tecmo Basketball attempt, I decided to play an All-Star game and see how today's game would turn out. While Jordan is my favorite basketball player, I decided to be the West to represent my team, the Hornets (who might not have even existed and were surely not in the West when this game was made). So since I'll be pulling for the West tonight, the West it was.

This game is total run and gun. The big, slow guys barely have time to get up the court, as illustrated by the final point totals. Also, if you're familiar with Tecmo Bowl and the idea that running diagonally is much faster than running straight ahead, you'll appreciate the fact that it's the same here. You'll want to weave your point guard up and down the court.

My game started off with Magic Johnson giving my team a 2-0 lead. But the East started scoring and Clyde Drexler picked up three charges in a row for me! I learned not to be so aggressive and I also learned Chris Mullin was my shooter. While Jordan and Pippen continued to dunk in my face, I didn't want to risk charging fouls and elected for mostly jump shots instead.

The East led 26-20 at half, but Mullin immediately cut it to 26-23. Magic got my first dunk to tie it at 29, then Drexler hit a jumper at the 3rd quarter buzzer to give me a 42-41 lead.

In the 4th quarter, Michael Jordan hit the East's only 3-pointer of the game (taking a break from all the dunking) to take a 52-51 lead. Mullin went right down and hit another three to make it 54-52. But that was my last lead. Suddenly Drexler picked up two more fouls and Magic started throwing the ball away. I lost 61-58.

Now all I know is that the computer was always good at cheating on Tecmo Bowl! Think the cheating has carried over here? Look at the fact that I had 5 turnovers and they had zero. Or how about my team's 10 fouls to their 1? The worst part is Jordan and Pippen had SEVEN dunks EACH, yet Magic's was my only one because they kept calling charges on me.

I also didn't know how to call time-out, while the computer did obviously. I'll have to figure that out.

Final scoring:

Thomas - 9
Jordan - 30
Pippen - 18 (9-11 shooting)
Barkley - 2
Ewing - 2

Johnson - 12
Drexler - 14
Mullin - 30
Malone - 2
Robinson - 0

Is this a sign? Will the East pull it out tonight?

2009 MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers















IF (3/5) - Right side is set with Cabrera and Polanco. Left side is not as intimidating. Inge's numbers were OK when he was a catcher, but not so great for 3B. Eventually Everett's average will just drop below .200, maybe this season. Sheffield too, but at least he'll hit 20 homeruns. How did Laird not make Deuce's ugliest MLB line-up?

OF (4/5) - Good OF. Guillen is in LF - why does it seem like this team is playing people at all the wrong postions? (Two years ago, you would have had Cabrera in LF, Guillen at 3B, and Inge at C. I don't catch a lot of Tigers games. What am I missing here?)

SP (3/5) - It seems like you just never know what you're going to get from any of these guys, even Verlander. But if the stars align, this could be a great rotation. I'm not counting on it though. But who knows? Maybe even Dontrelle will come out pitching great. Remember him?

RP (2/5) - I don't know about this bullpen. Lyon's ERA went up 2 runs last year. Rodney's ERA has increased the last two years as well, while his IP have decreased. Zumaya's been injured. The rest seem inexperienced or inconsistent.

Wildcards: Macay McBride, Larish, Hollimon

Can they beat the Brewers? Probably.

[Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on your team. I think it's fun to do this stuff before a season starts and then see how close (or how far off) I was. If you spend time from your day insulting us, telling others to insult us, or posting in a blog or messageboard about how wrong our opinions are, then we are flattered!]

2009 MLB Preview: Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians












IF (4/5) - Victor Martinez may be moving to 1B. I guess it comes down to who has a better Spring out of Shoppach and Garko, because one of those will have to sit. DeRosa is an excellent player who can play pretty much any position well. With Peralta and Hafner at SS and DH, that leaves Marte as the only question mark. But there should be plenty of flexibility with DeRosa around, and possibly Tony Graffanino now as well.

OF (4/5) - The three starters are solid and Dellucci is a good veteran back-up (though his average has dropped lately).

SP (3/5) - Lee was the best pitcher in the league last year, but he's the only one locked into a spot. Carmona and Reyes have looked good and should be 2-3. If Pavano pitches like he can, that'd be a good #4. Potential to be a good rotation.

RP (4.5/5) - Kerry Wood had a great year. Perez, Lewis, and Smith looked good last year, as did Kobayashi, through June at least. Betancourt can do better and likely will. Meloan and Miller will try to win a spot. This can be a great bullpen when healthy, assuming the starters aren't giving them too much work.

Wildcards: Trevor Crowe, Marte, Jake Westbrook

Can they beat the Brewers? Yes.

[Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on your team. I think it's fun to do this stuff before a season starts and then see how close (or how far off) I was. If you spend time from your day insulting us, telling others to insult us, or posting in a blog or messageboard about how wrong our opinions are, then we are flattered!]

2009 MLB Preview: Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox











IF (3/5) - Set at 1B, SS, C, DH. But 2B and 3B are concerns, currently bringing down what could be a very good IF.

OF (3.5/5) - Quentin and Dye, but then not much else. Still, if these two stay healthy, you really only need defense in CF. If Owens plays CF and leads off, can he get on base?

SP (4/5) - Great at the top. Then imagine if Colon comes back healthy. If one of the young guys steps up, this is one of the best rotations in the AL.

RP (4/5) - Again, the top 4 are strong. They'll need to fill a couple of spots in Spring Training, but they should leave camp with a pretty good pen.

Wildcards: Colon, CF, Aaron Poreda, Jeff Marquez

Can they beat the Brewers? Easily.

[Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on your team. I think it's fun to do this stuff before a season starts and then see how close (or how far off) I was. If you spend time from your day insulting us, telling others to insult us, or posting in a blog or messageboard about how wrong our opinions are, then we are flattered!]

more dunk contest stuff

I just watched the whole thing again. I mean, Nate Robinson was exciting. And he's a short dude. But we really should look at the overall picture. Howard should've won becasue he was making his dunks all night. I'm convinced that if he had saved that 12-foot dunk for last, he would've won. Let's face it, Americans are stupid and forgetful. You let them vote in the last round and that's all they'll think about. They'll forget that Howard had a perfect 100 coming into the final round. All they'll see is: little dude dunking over a big dude vs. stepping over the free-throw line on a dunk that's been done before. Yes, in that round Robinson was more exciting. But to call him the champion is dumb.

It's like the Homerun Derby when we throw out the totals after each round. If a guy hits 30 homeruns in round one, that should mean something for round two. I know sports don't work this way and that we're used to canceling out regular season once we get to the post-season. But this shouldn't really be the case in man vs. man competitions. Could you see if golf events had cuts after Saturday and then the scores started over on Sunday? That's ridiculous.

Either way, like I said, I like Howard even more now.

And side note: I did play a game of Hoops on NES and got killed 10-2. I hadn't played this game since I was in Florida for Spring Break in 7th grade. I need practice.

Going to cook breakfast...

2009 MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals











IF (3/5) - This could be Alex Gordon's year. If he breaks out the way the Royals hope he does, this is a pretty good IF. Jacobs should hit some homeruns and Buck/Olivo are a good combo at catcher. DH Butler's average dropped a little last year.

OF (4/5) - I actually like this OF. They have 4 good players, but Teahan may be traded eventually. I guess we'll see if Crisp fits in and if Guillen plays 150 games, which he did the last two sesons.

SP (1.5/5) - Meche can pitch and I really like Greinke. I'm hoping he'll be good from this point on. After those two guys, there are some serious questions here.

RP (2/5) - Soria and Mahay are good, but I think Farnsworth is declining. He and Carlos Rosa are key here.

Wildcards: Rosa, Hudson, Ka'aihue

Can they beat the Brewers? Depends on who is pitching.

[Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on your team. I think it's fun to do this stuff before a season starts and then see how close (or how far off) I was. If you spend time from your day insulting us, telling others to insult us, or posting in a blog or messageboard about how wrong our opinions are, then we are flattered!]

"I don't know, rocket scientist..."

Haha! I'm obviously not the racing expert around here, but I think this Tony Stewart guy is now my favorite. Back when I used to stay up watching USA Up All Night, I'd drink about 12 Chek Colas, which had Mark Martin's big face on the cans. So I guess he would've been my favorite up until Stewart's tirade yesterday. Even in a back-up car, I'm going for Tony!

-----
UPDATE:











Found a Martin can on eBay. Says it's "super rare." Geez, I probably went through 500 of these in high school.

The rest of the NBA stuff...

Rookie Chalenge

So Durant really is on fire this weekend, scoring 46 in this game. But am I the only one who really doesn't care about this game? It has never excited me. I used to watch when it was all rookies, but I was way more into the NBA back then. I think it's the sophomores that bore me, honestly. What if the rookies played NBA alumni? I'd love to see Reggie Miller hoop it up for one game to school some kids who were probably playing Playstation and not even watching Miller play 10 years ago. Speaking of which...


Celebrity Game

Did you see Majerle and Wilkins? They can still play a little. This game is fun and T.O. is an amazing basketball player.


Shooting Stars

I like this game as well. I love Dan Majerle and he almost pulled it out here. But... aren't these the same teams we had last year? Doesn't anyone else want to play? And aren't we supposed to hate Bill Laimbeer? When did he become so beloved? I guess Dennis Rodman is next!


Skills Challenge

I like Derrick Rose a lot. I don't know if I like the jump shot because I think if you're the best dribbler and passer, you shouldn't lose this competition because of the jump shot. Maybe they could take three shots maximum and get a 2-second penalty if they don't make it. I don't know. But what about that dunk at the end! Which leads us to...


Slam Dunk Contest

Still fun. I don't like how they get so many chances to fail. But it all works out. Jumping over Superman was excellent! Oh and I like Dwight Howard even more after this. It was like he was helping his little brother or something.

NBA H-O-R-S-E played on NES Hoops court

Did anyone see the H-O-R-S-E game? Do you remember Hoops? I think they reconstructed the court from this game. Hmmm... now I want to go play Hoops.

Overall, I'm glad the NBA added this competition. But I'd rather see it on the court. I know it's more of an outside kind of thing, but it'd work inside and would feel closer to the festivities. This was like having the homerun derby at a high school field.

I'd also like to see a fan involved. I don't know if we're scared of NBA guys losing to a fan. But as a fan, I'd LOVE that. Or what about a high school or college player? Make it fun.

In the end, Durant went to his shots he knew he could make to take the victory. Like when that huge girl beat me that time by standing under the goal and making left-handed lay-ups. Last summer.

Sunday

I'll be around all day on Sunday, starting early. Lots of sports going on, including the excitement of baseball camps starting up. I'll try to knock out a bunch more MLB previews, risking tons of angry fans come Monday morning. If you're bored, feel free to stop by and tell me how bad my opinion about the Kansas City Royals sucks.

IndyCar takes some shots at Formula 1

Albeit this was a quick fun story posted on indycar.com; I have to say I was quite amused and also happy with this kind of pointed PR including a "ficticious letter":

"An open letter to Formula One drivers.

Dear sirs.

Know that IndyCar Series teams would welcome your participation in the 2009 or beyond season should you follow FIA president Max Mosley's suggestion of looking elsewhere to ply your trade.

Please note that an IndyCar Series license fee is only $1,000 (U.S.) - a bargain that includes your/three guest hard cards for venue admittance, participant accident medical insurance coverage and other benefits. There are no closing fees, user fees, points fees or even landing fees for your aircraft.

Sincerely,
Indy Racing League management"

AND the clear statement

"The IndyCar Series, with its more diverse schedule and on-track competition than F1, would be such a destination."

While yes IndyCar says its all in good humor; they did make this public, and thats not a bad thing, they should have! I think this is more of the kind of aggressive shot and detailed quick point that can do good for IndyCar. Sure people can debate which series is better, but IndyCar definitely has track diversity and liscense fees over the other big series. And simply on a comedy scale, its great to see the IRL flex a sense of humor while also pointing out just how crazy F1 is sometimes.

Good News for Milwaukee Mile, Bad News for the Gold Coast, Neutral for Daytona & FYI: NASCAR Invented the Wheel

I'd like to thank Jeff Iannucci at My Name Is IRL for bringing the following article to my attention via twitter. That my friends is why I remind you to follow us all via twitter.

This looks like the best development to the Milwaukee Mile situation in the past year. In short it looks as though the Wisconsin State Fair, tired of Milwaukee Mile Holdings asking for a contract renegotiation and tired of their sucky Brewers; have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Members of the the state Fair look to have started their own LLC group that will take over racing events and promotions for the Mile, and they are making this switch as immediately as they can. The most important things to note form this is the motivation and positive outlook:

"The board felt the time had arrived to take decisive action to ensure there is racing at The Mile this summer."
&
"Napier said Thursday that he was very close to a new agreement with the fair that will keep racing going at the historic racetrack. Napier added that this year's slate of races at the track, including IndyCar and NASCAR, will be held as scheduled. Napier said he was also working to add more events at the track."

Sounds like their goal #1 is to continue racing at this historic track; kudos all around to them!

---

In a smaller bit of news, a lot of people are buzzing about an article in which Daytona International Speedway representatives said that with finally repaving their track it would be smooth enough for IndyCar to race there. I'm not going to say much about, cause really, there isn't much to say. Barber Motorsports Park has also said they would like to have IndyCar and many other tracks as well. The repaving is years away, and I'm sure even more testing would still have to be done before they get to that track so we're likely talking at least 3+ years away if that. Keep in mind the large changes as Las Vegas were cited as a reason ICS didn't jump right back there this year. If they do go to Daytona I'd be just as happy as the next guy, but don't confuse this as any kind of movement towards ICS racing there; be hopeful but don't expect.

---

In A1GP and ICS kind-of related news it sounds as though the non-compromise decision between the Gold Coast of Australia and the IndyCar Series is not working out so well for either side. For IndyCar they are now looking at 4 off-weeks in their final 6 weeks of their season. While losing Australia on those 4 open weeks isn't as much IndyCars fault, the lack of a plan B is. (New Hampshire, Las Vegas or Barber anyone?)

For the Gold Coast however; it looks as though their confidence in their traditional date, the V8 Supercars and the new A1GP series may have been a little bit overconfidence as the Gold Coast news is reporting that most all of the sponsors of their annual racing event are pulling out.

Honda would expected to pull out as they were tied directly to IndyCar, but I don't imagine the Queensland organizers expected Coca-Cola, Nikon, BP and a few more to pull out. Now obviously they are still hopeful of finding new sponsors, and they've taken the "Indy" part out of their race weekend, but that is changing 19 years of history in a name, doable sure, easy, no. One has to wonder if that is affecting it somewhat. One also has to wonder if the Gold Coast would be willing to change their date should things with A1GP not go so well; but that is still 9 months away so lets not jump the gun and instead be hopeful this event works out for all the Gold Coast, A1GP and ICS in the long run.

---

Now before you even have time to process the above NASCAR may or may not be credited with inventing the cotton gin and discovering antibiotics... For those who care about credibility in today's news, you most likely don't ever trust anything the idiots at Fox News ever say. But for those who might think Fox News is perfectly fine, I recommend you watch Outfoxed, but better yet turn your attention to the latest ball-faced lie they've published; and yet the 100th or so repeat of the ongoing B.S. that NASCAR cares to invent or develop anything in regards to revolutionary.

Now to Fox's credit, they technically didn't employ the writer for the article: "NASCAR Technology Makes Passenger Cars Safer" but they did publish it; and you think anyone who claims to be "Fair, Balanced" would be at least smart enough to make sure the "facts" in an article were actually true. I'm not going to quote the whole article but all you really need to know is the following sentence couldn't be further from the truth:

"The NASCAR R&D Center developed the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier to dissipate the energy of a crash away from the car and driver. "

I'm not a huge NASCAR fan, but I do enjoy the racing from time to time, I'm certainly not a NASCAR basher... that said: It is one thing to publish the wildly stupid opinions and theories NASCAR's president has... It is a whole other realm to discredit the very hard work of the scientists, researchers, and real funders of the invention and development of the SAFER barrier. NASCAR's announcers have done this time and again, and now Fox News joins in. The article also decides to list paddle shifting sequential gearboxes; a technology that NASCAR has never even attempted...

I guess my only response at this point is my face in my palm shaking my head. If you feel this way to, feel free to email fox news or the author's email at the bottom of the article and let them know they are idiots.

Hey Minnesota Vikings...

Brett Favre retired again. That means you can go get him!

(P.S. I understand the economics of football, though I'm more of a Brewers expert, as illustrated at my blog: ibleedbrewblood.com.org.net. Basically Favre belongs to the Jets for the next two years he plays in the NFL, even if that is 5 years from now. And in the deal they made with Green Bay, I think the Jets would have to give GB a 1st round pick if they trade his rights to the Vikings. But...)

Are we really supposed to believe him this time?

An Opportunity for the IndyCar Series to Capitalize On?

With what feels like forever still to go before the IndyCar Series will even practice, not to mention start their season; fans, drivers, teams and the series can only work on building up the anticipation and buzz.

For the second year in a row, IndyCar will get a great assist in having its most popular driver featured once again in one of the most popular publications in the world: the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. This is great for Danica and the league as it brings attention to both without being negative or controversial. Its a well done/tasteful photo shoot and there is no denying Danica has a great body worthy of this kind of attention. Head here for the pictures/video of the shoot; some Q&A with Danica and even a behind the scenes interview during the shoot with Fanhouse.

As a fan of the IndyCar Series, I have to wonder; why is the Series missing out on much more that can be done here? Sure Danica's shoot will get some pub, but why is she the only one. Its no secret that 80-90% of IndyCar drivers are some of the most ripped bodies in sports. One only needs to see Helio Castroneves and E.J. Viso take their driver physicals to know these guys have bodies made for photo shoots. But why did I have to scour the internet and settle for driver physicals to find proof? Certainly Danica is not the only driver who is considered sexy; and surely she's not the only one who exists outside of the fire suit.

Why is Danica the only one being seen? I imagine partly because she may be the only one who has the big time Marketing & PR representation. Either the rest of the IndyCar field might not have the representation or even if they do, they are more prone to think about technological or race oriented opportunities and don't think about this kind of exposure, the Indy Racing League should!

The kind of demographic that can easily be reached with this kind of PR is one in the same that Dancing With the Stars only slightly touched on. Grab this kind of opportunity and run with it. I can tell you many females I know, racing fans or not, would not miss the opportunity to see what's under those fire suits.

To a racing fan this idea may not make much sense, but the racing fan doesn't need the buzz and convincing anyway. A multiple-page spread on "The Drivers of IndyCar" in Cosmopolitan is not one that should seem silly or need much convincing; these guys and girls have the bodies, and most have the lifestyles to go for a great provocative photo shoot; simply tell the readers a few things about what the drivers like to do, how they train for the season, maybe a quick Q&A and just give readers the photographic goods.

It can go in any direction needed really; we've seen Dan Wheldon go all GQ, and it looks like Ryan Briscoe certainly has the capability. But take it a step further and let the ladies know Ryan Briscoe likes to do shirtless kayaking past the Sydney Opera House to stay in shape...


Bruno Junqueira, Vitor Meira, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and I'm sure many more ride bikes do triathlons, marathons and the gamut of things; I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to get these guys to do some pull ups and likewise at the beach for a photo shoot to get the Series some additional notice.

E.J. Viso likes to make Wham-inspired music videos to document his workouts and likes to play beach volleyball...


Ryan Hunter-Reay likes turtles...Whatever, it doesn't matter. Come on IndyCar Series, the females of the world are waiting to see Will Power in some board shorts catching some waves in the sun...


Pictures by: Sports Illustrated, Ryan Pierse/Getty Images, ryanbriscoe.com, ernestoviso.com, ryanracing.com, brunojunqueira.com, danwheldon.com, & indycar.com