Trading Day

Some thoughts on today's trades in the NBA and MLB:

Garnett to the Celtics: So I've revised this analysis three times in the past hour. First I destroyed the trade since it leaves the Celtics with nothing besides the big three. Then, I hesitatingly approved of it, since the Ray Allen trade had gotten the team stuck somewhere between rebuilding and going all out, and this trade officially put them in the going all out category. Now, I'm going to have to admit I have no right saying anything on the trade. I always bash ESPN commentators for not knowing what the hell they're talking about, and when it comes to the NBA, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I couldn't recognize Al Jefferson if he was standing right in front of me with a Celtics jersey on.

I stopped intensively following basketball when the Knicks started sucking. All that TNT ever shows is the West, and that's pretty much all I ever watch (since I go to school outside the New York region). Now, I'm no longer an NBA fan; I'm a Gilbert Arenas fan.

Louis Castillo to the Mets: At first, this trade really bummed me out. Ruben Gotay has been playing great as of late, and I've loved to watch his Reyes like excitement. Just yesterday, I started to imagine a Gotay, Wright, Reyes infield for the next decade. However, nothing gold can stay, and this move is a great insurance policy should anything go wrong with Gotay. We know what we're getting in Castillo--a great fielder who can get on base, maybe show some speed, and has playoff experience. Can't argue with that, considering we only gave up two fringe prospects. (Sorry I used "we" so much).

Mark Texiera to the Braves: Bring it on Atlanta.

Kyle Lohshe to the Phillies: Loshe's Stats: 6-12 with a 4.58 ERA. Bring it on Philly?

Random YouTube Video of the Month

The past few weeks haven't been so great for sports.

Michael Vick got indicted on dog fighting charges. Tim Donaghy got busted for gambling. The leader, and foregone winner, of the Tour de France, was removed before the end of the race for suspicious activity. Barry Bonds hasn't retired yet. And Who's Now hasn't been cut.

If the AFL championship weren't today, this might have turned out to be the worst month in sports history.

I can't speak for the Tour de France (since the majority of Americans never cared about it), but I'm pretty sure that in the long term, these scandals will not at all negatively impact professional sports in America. Sure, Atlanta Falcons ticket sales might go down for the next few seasons and this past year's NBA playoffs may appear a bit tainted.

But in the long run, the scandals will be tiny chinks in the armor of professional sports. They'll be forgotten, cast off as isolated acts of wrongdoing.

However, if you're a sports fan and feeling a bit down with the current state of things, I've got the cure! When Miller and I were driving home from dinner, we heard a fantastic rap song about basketball. After some Google searching, it turns out to be "Basketball" by Kurtis Blow. The song, plus video, is sure to cheer you up. Make sure to watch the video till the end (or at least till the 3:10 mark).

USC Will Win the NCAA Championship in 2012

Ryan Boatright was just offered a basketball scholarship to USC.

Boatright is 14. 5-foot-9. 135 pounds. He will begin high school this fall.

Pat Forde, over at ESPN has the article, "It's a scary thought, but middle schoolers are now recruitable players."

I wish USC had been scouting me in eight grade rec. basketball--I had some sick games.

In reality, it's not too groundbreaking a story. With Freddy Adu, Michelle Wie and others, the precedent has been set that's it is never to early to stop thinking about fun and start thinking about your future.

Whoa. Wait I second. I just got a picture of the kid. This is absolutely ridiculous. USC has a good enough reputation that it shouldn't have to recruit kids young enough to require a babysitter. Maybe USC is looking to jump down to the high school circuit and dominate. There is no other explanation.

(On a completely unrelated note, the WFAN reunion weekend page is a treasure trove of fantastic radio snippets. It is great if you have nothing to do.)

NBA Finals Game 3: Pre-Live Blog

I have no desire to watch game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight. However, I thought I should do a post on it away. Here is what my live-blog probably would look life if I actually watch the game*:

-Pick and Roll with Lebron James

-Is anyone guarding Tony Parker?

-Flop

-Tim Duncan is freaking good; he dominates on both sides of the court.

-Pick and Roll with Lebron James

-Shut up Stuart Scott!

-Jeff van Gundy is a great broadcast, if only he'd cheer up a bit.

-Pick and Roll with Lebron James.

-"Drew, I think I missed a spot,"
-your favorite barber, Carlos.

-I heard Tony Parker's getting married. If anyone knows when, and to whom, please let me know.

-That was a great Vitamin Water commercial with 50 Cent.

-Geeze, this game is not going so well for the Cavs, I wonder what kind of ratings this is going to pull in.

-I miss the days of NBA on NBC.

-Flop

-Let's see what else is on TV...

*If anyone actually wants to live-blog, please fell free to do so in the comments section.

Is Big Shot Rob a Hall of Famer?

No.

In Bill Simmons recent Sports Guy Chat on ESPN.com, he was asked this question, and emphatically said yes.

“It would be unfortunate if he wasn’t able to be a Hall of Famer,” Damon Jones of the Caveliers said in a recent New York Times Article.

Robert Horry has hit some ridiculous shots, he has been on some ridiculous teams, but he does not deserve to be in the Hall.

The argument goes that Horry will soon win his seventh NBA championship and thus deserves to be inducted into Springfield. This despite the fact that his career averages are: 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Yes, Horry did hit one of the greatest shots ever against the Kings in 2004(?), when the ball was tipped right to him at the top of the key and he nailed the three. Yes, he has hit playoff game-winners time and again.

Yet, Horry has NEVER carried a team. He can't. He's not that good. He has simply been fortunate to be on great teams, and then to hit big shots when the superstars didn't.

He's kind of like Charlie from Mighty Ducks I. The kid is not that good; he is not nearly the best player on the team. Yet, at the end of the day, he's the one who does the Triple-Deak and wins the game. After the movie, everyone thinks that Charlie is the star. But if they just step back and think about it, they'll realize that he is not that great. He just excelled when it counted.

I hate to disagree with Bill Simmons, because he knows so freaking much about the NBA, but Robert Horry does not deserve to be in the Hall.

I doubt Horry will mind much, what with his seven Champships. Horry is not a Hall of Famer; he is a winner.

Ballin!

Who would have thought that I'm actually looking forward to watching the NBA Finals ? I haven't been able to say that for years.

Here's my pick:

Spurs in 5. The Cavs might be able to get one at home, with the crowd pumping, but the Spurs are too good and Lebron can't do it all. Look for Tony Parker to take over, and Duncan to be his typical, steady self. I sure hope the series doesn't go more than five, because I don't want to look at Drew Gooden's bearded head anymore than I have to.