The Truth is Back

After looking like a Zombie for the first 3.5 Quarters last night, The Truth stepped up like we knew he would.  It just looks like he is injured or running on fumes. 

A few other comments from last night’s game. 

• The Celtics continue to miss too many shots
• The Bulls, like all teams should be, are great at foul shooting.  It has kept them in the season.
• Doc has finally given up on Mikki Moore, quite possibly the worst player in the league. 
• I always wondered what Perk could do if he played 35-40 minutes a night.  I hope his Game 5 performance was an indicator of his potential value. 
• The Refs let virtually everything go last night except all the touch fouls on Ray Allen?  I thought that was bizarre, that he and Perk switched rolls for the night. 
• Karma struck that oaf Brad Miller in his snaggletooth at the end of that game.  He was trying to be an instigator all night, the basketball gods made him pay. 
• Tony Allen is valueless.  He is so easy to up fake.  He is not a good defender, quite contrary to this wierd belief that athleticism = good defender.  I hope to goodness that Tony Allen doesn’t ever play crunch time minutes again. 
• How disturbing was Ben Gordon’s nut grab at the end of Game 4?  He was squeezing his package soooo bad that it started to look like a bondage film.
• Let’s hope the C’s can close this out tomorrow and get some rest for those tired legs. 

Wildcard Weekend – Sunday’s Picks

Jets Moved To 4:15. What’s This Mean For The Patriots ?

Like any Patriots fan, I was hoping that both the Jets and Patriots games would be played at the same exact time. So we can’t have another 2002 on our hands. That game, if you remember took place the last week of the season, were the Patriots, thanks to Dave Wannstedt came back and beat the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter. All the Patriots needed was a win from the 12-4 Packers led by Brett Favre. The Packers went into the Meadowlands to play the 9-7 Jets. If the Jets won, they win the division and go to the playoffs. If they lose they’re out of the playoffs and the Patriots win the division and are in. What happened ? The Favre led Packers lost 42-17 because they had nothing to play for. Which the same can be said about this week, if the Patriots beat the Bills, the Jets may not have any motivation to beat division rival Dolphins and allow their hated enemy, Patriots to win the division. Although, the Jets do have a long-shot if the Ravens lose, but there playing the Jaguars, and that’s about as easy as a as my ex-girlfriend was after three beers. The original plan was for both games to start at 1pm, but the NFL made a late change to put the Jets/Dolphins game in prime hours, so they can capture both the New York and New England audience. Which doesn’t help the Patriots much. So, if the Patriots win, will Favre and the Jets tank it ? I have a bad feeling about this, but Mangini needs this victory or his job could be in jeopardy. So its kind of a must win, no matter what. It’s going to be the first-time I have ever in a joyous fashion, rooting for the Jets will scream J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!

Red Sox – Angels Preview

It’s playoff time and the Red Sox are facing the Angels again this time in the first round.  The series starts on Wednesday at 10:00 in Anaheim, here are the starters for the first three games:

 vs. 

This is the first game match up, with Lester who was probably the best and most consistent pitcher on the staff.  To think we almost traded him along the Masterson, Lowrie and Bowden for Johan Santana.  Against the Angels ace John Lackey, the Red Sox have owned Lackey especially at home, but his last outing he took a no hitter into the 9th at Fenway.  There is no Manny for the Sox, but the Angels owned the Sox this year when Manny was here, maybe it will be different in he playoffs without him.

Second matchup Friday 9:30pm:

 vs. 

The match up is Daisuke Matsuzaka against Ervin Santana.  Daisuke has been one of the most frustrating pitchers to watch with all his walks and getting into trouble.  Some how he finds a way to get out of it, he has not allowed a hit with the bases loaded this year, and it is like he gets the bases loaded once a game.  He has an 18-3 record which was better than last year.  Also Santana was almost traded last year and in this off season for Miguel Cabrera.  He was terrible last year so much so that he was sent down to the minors, similar to Clay Buchholz.  He is candidate for comeback player of the year, he was an allstar this year and now pitching the second game of the ALDS. 

Third Matchup TBA:

 vs. 

This is a big game because Beckett hurt his oblique in a side session on Friday.  That is why he is not the game one starter.  We all know Beckett is the best playoff pitcher when healthy, he was great down the stretch this year getting a couple of no decisions and not allowing many runs either.  Joe Saunders is another young Anaheim pitcher that has produced he is a tough lefty, and the Red Sox have trouble against them this year. 

It is gonna be a tough series, the Sox will not sweep them this year.  Anaheim looks like the Red Sox last year with 2 big bats (Texiera and Vlad) in the middle of a balanced line up, and healthy team.  While the Red Sox look like Anaheim of last year one big bat (Big Papi) and hurt ( JD Drew and Lowell).  It is gonna be tough, the Sox have to keep the Angels table setters off the bases so there big bats can’t drive them in.  The Sox have to win like the Angels did for so many years, with speed, defense and great base running. 

Zippa

PS: I love the fact that the Yankees and Mets are not in the playoffs… Lets go Sox

This comes as no surprise

This was kind of expected. Everyone knew that former referee Tim Donaghy would spill the beans about everything he knew that goes on in the NBA. There has always been the belief that NBA Commissioner David Stern has had games fixed to get the teams that they want further in the playoffs to boost TV ratings. However, the source that this comes from may not be the best, he maybe be setting up for a potential book deal when he gets out of prison, or he is just trying to say anything that will lessen his jail time. But, one of the series that Donaghy is talking about has always come into question especially with Sacramento Kings fans. In today’s NY Times it says that:

According to Donaghy, N.B.A. executives directed referees “to manipulate games” in order to “boost ticket sales and television ratings,” and he cited several examples. Although the team names were withheld, Donaghy pointed to Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals as one such instance.

The Los Angeles Lakersshot 40 free throws in that game — 27 in the fourth quarter — and beat Sacramento, 106-102, forcing a seventh game. The Lakers went on to win the series and beat the Nets for their third straight N.B.A. title.

The letter describes a 2002 playoff series that went seven games; the Western Conference finals was the only series to require seven games.

According to Lauro’s letter: “Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew Referees A and F to be ‘company men,’ always acting in the interest of the N.B.A., and that night, it was in the N.B.A.’s interest to add another game to the series.” The game was refereed by three tenured veterans, Dick Bavetta, Ted Bernhardt and Bob Delaney.

The Kings, their fans and many in the news media were outraged by the officiating that night. Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate, weighed in, urging Stern to conduct a review.

Stern did not respond to specific allegations but said that the N.B.A. had fully cooperated with the government since last summer.

The NBA maybe is marketing giant, but it has had a difficulty with TV ratings the past 10 years, and the real money comes from the TV deals. In the NBA’s latest TV deal with ABC/ESPN it was a 6-year contract for 3.4 Billion dollars. The higher the ratings that the NBA gets the more money they can charge for their next contract, and getting the Lakers in the Finals dramatically helps those TV ratings. NBA’s refs calls have always come into question, and now with this new revelation by Donaghy every game is going to be closely analyzed for the smallest chance that a ref maybe favoring one team. The dictator known as David Stern now has his hands full on finding away to fix this PR disaster.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/basketball/11refs.html?_r=1&ref=basketball&oref=slogin