July 31, 2009
When the Los Angeles Lakers essentially traded Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest, I felt they set themselves up as the favorites to win the NBA title for the next three years – essentially covering the entirety of Kobe Bryant’s window as a dominant player in the league.
All of that, however, hinged on whether they brought back enigmatic swingman Lamar Odom, long one of the league’s most unique and frustrating talents. What first seemed like a foregone conclusion soon morphed into something else entirely, until the last week has been spent wondering whether he would opt for the beaches of California to stay with the Lakers and Bryant or South Beach to go back to his former team, the Miami Heat, and once again become Dwayne Wade’s sidekick.
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NBA | Tagged: Caron Butler, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Dwayne Wade, Houston Rockets, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Richard Jefferson, Ron Artest, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O'Neal, Trevor Ariza, Vince Carter | 
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Posted by tbontemps1
July 30, 2009
For years, people wondered just who was on the list of 104 names who tested positive during baseball’s trial run of steroids testing back in 2003. But because the names were supposed to be kept private, and the players’ association was told it could be destroyed, everyone figured that it would never make it into the public eye.
That was the case, of course, until the stunning report from Sports Illustrated that Alex Rodriguez – until that point the “clean” pursuer of the all-time home run mark that Barry Bonds currently holds – was on the list, and had used performance-enhancing drugs. In the months that have followed, further leaks have come from that list. First was Sammy Sosa, who, given his Popeye-like arms with the Cubs and ridiculous home run totals, came as little surprise to many. But then a bigger shock to the system came today, when the two biggest characters on the 2004 Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, were said to be on the list in a report by the New York Times.
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Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mark McGwire, Michael Weiner, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 16, 2009
David Beckham is back, as tonight he rejoins the Los Angeles Galaxy and his best friend Landon Donovan to take on the New York Red Bulls. But you’re hardly alone if you haven’t noticed his impending arrival.
When Beckham first came to the United States in the summer of 2007, he had grand visions for what he wanted to do for soccer in America. He wore No. 23, which is associated with our greatest star, Michael Jordan, and Beckham clearly hoped to push soccer up into the highest levels of our sports culture.
But looking back, that first game, in which Beckham was only able to play the last 15 minutes or so against Chelsea because of an injury, was a sign of things to come. Because a hard look at Beckham’s time in American soccer can only be summed up in one way: as a waste of time and money.
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Leave a Comment » | Soccer | Tagged: David Beckham, Fabio Capello, Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 13, 2009
As UFC has made plenty of strides in the public consciousness over the past few years – to the point where people like my New York Post colleague George Willis and Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole cover it like they do boxing – I’ve held firm in my opposition to sitting down and watching a fight card. While I’m a fan of boxing, that isn’t the reason I haven’t been able to get behind it.
More than anything else, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it. It seemed less like a sport than like a regulated version of Tyler Durden’s brawls throughout Fight Club. The idea of two guys getting into a cage and, in essence, fighting to the death like Roman gladiators just never appealed to me.
But that changed Saturday night. With UFC 100 being a major landmark for the company, and with it being promoted all across the media landscape, including on SportsCenter, I figured if there ever was a time for me to take a shot on mixed martial arts, this was it.
So I called up my friend Chris, who I knew had at least watched some fights in the past, and we and his friend Christian (a big MMA fan) met up at a local bar to take in the scene. Amidst pitchers of beer and some appetizers, I had a notebook and pen ready, and kept a running log of the events as they unfolded.
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2 Comments | MMA | Tagged: Alan Belcher, Brock Lesnar, Dan Henderson, Dana White, Frank Mir, Georges St. Pierre, Joe Rogan, Michael Bisping, Mike Goldberg, UFC | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 10, 2009
There are plenty of times where I wonder where society is headed. From reality television to the fact that Michael Jackson’s death completely overshadowed everything going on in the world – including major troop movements in Iraq and the ongoing Iran election saga – it seems like things are always slowly falling apart.
But then there are moments where no wondering is needed, where only frustration and anger and sadness apply. One of those moments took place this morning, when Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth was released from jail.
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2 Comments | NFL | Tagged: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Donte' Stallworth, Leonard Little, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, St. Louis Rams | Permalink
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July 9, 2009
At 24 years old, LeBron James has accomplished more than practically any player his age in the history of the NBA. He is the league’s best player, dragged arguably the worst supporting cast in NBA Finals history into a loss to the Spurs in 2007, and helped lead the Redeem Team to the gold medal last summer in the Beijing Olympics.
But despite all of that, LeBron James still needs to accomplish one more important task: he needs to grow up.
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1 Comment | NBA | Tagged: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Orlando Magic | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 8, 2009
I have no problem with people telling me that Steve McNair, who was renowned for his ability to fight through injuries to get onto the football field every Sunday, was one of the toughest men to ever play in the National Football League.
I have no problem with his teammates saying he couldn’t have been a better friend and teammate throughout his career.
I have no problem with people saying he’s one of the most influential and important athletes from the past 20 years, both because of his impact on both the quarterback position as well as being successful coming from little Alcorn State, one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCU’s.
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Leave a Comment » | NFL, Society, Uncategorized | Tagged: Brad Hopkins, Eddie George, Jeff Fisher, Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 7, 2009
For my money, the NBA has the perfect formula for how its teams operate financially. Sure, the NFL is hailed as our best and most exciting professional sports league, but its concerns about making sure everyone is on equal footing have left it with one inevitable flaw: the lack of true dynasties in the sport.
The NBA has no such problem, though, as teams are able to spend as much as they need to in order to keep players (or trade for others, if salaries match), so long as they are willing to pay the luxury tax if they go over it. That has helped lead to a type of nuclear arms race over the past two weeks, with several of the league’s best teams going out and improving themselves in order to position themselves as the favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy next June.
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1 Comment | NBA | Tagged: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili, Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Jefferson, Ron Artest, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephon Marbury, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Trevor Ariza, Vince Carter | Permalink
Posted by tbontemps1
July 6, 2009
Given the start to the Mets season, it’s hysterical, at first glance, that the team has the most All-Stars (four), of any team in the National League. They have more All-Stars than the Yankees (three), despite the Yankees playing in baseball’s toughest division and the Mets one of the weakest – and the Yankees have a significantly better record.
But when you look at the names on the team – David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez and Johan Santana – only Beltran is a questionable selection to the team, and that’s because of injury. If he had been healthy, all four would be deserving selections. That doesn’t even take into account the injury to Jose Reyes, who also would have been in contention.
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2 Comments | MLB | Tagged: Adam Dunn, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Francisco Rodriguez, Jermaine Dye, Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, New York Mets, Omar Minaya, Ryan Church | Permalink
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July 4, 2009
When the Orlando Magic dramatically traded for Vince Carter on the eve of last week’s NBA Draft, the Eastern Conference champions quickly asserted themselves as possible favorites for next season’s title. With a starting lineup of All-Stars – Jameer Nelson, Carter, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard – the Magic would have, without question, the best starting five in the NBA, and would be set to contend for championships for the next few seasons.
Only one thing stood in their way: locking up Turkoglu, a free agent, to a long-term deal. Despite being up against the luxury tax after trading for Carter, the Magic still offered Turkoglu a four-year, $36 million contract. It may have been a little below market value per season, but Turkoglu would still be well-compensated, and would have a chance to compete for multiple championships.
But he declined the offer, choosing to go for more dollars than being guaranteed the chance to win championships. While it undoubted disappointed the Magic and their fans, at least there were some teams with cap space – namely Detroit and Portland – that could offer a similar opportunity if things fell correctly.
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Leave a Comment » | NBA | Tagged: Brandon Roy, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter | Permalink
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