Congrats to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers

I'd like to take this time to congratulate Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers for winning their fourth and tenth NBA Championship respectively. I've always felt that Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan (I get a tremendous amount of flak for that from Jordan lovers) and his performance this season further solidifies my belief, as he can do everything that Jordan could back in his prime-take over a game, hit a game-winning shot and make his teammates better. Just because he doesn't have his own company and distinct logo doesn't make him any worse than Jordan, and the fact that he only has four rings compared to Jordan's six is largely irrelevant since Bryant played with average talent for the three years between Shaquille O'Neal's departure in 2004 and the emergence of Andrew Bynum along with the acquisition of Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in 2008 and 2009 respectively (Bryant would have five rings today had Shaq continued to don the purple and gold during that period-I bet he's regretting asking Jerry Buss for more money now).
And when it comes to Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski made a great point on the Dan Patrick show when he said that managing players like Bryant, Jordan and O'Neal is an extremely difficult task and that Jackson has done a tremendous job doing it. He's a brilliant and innovative basketball coach (see the triangle offense) and deserves each of his ten rings. Just because he has always had great players doesn't mean that he's an overrated coach, as he has a tremendous feel for the game and doesn't cost his team victories with overcoaching like other coaches in the NBA do (see Don Nelson).
Once again, congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers, and a special congratulations to Sasha Vujacic, who while not scoring any points in the finals still played a large role in the series with his tenacious defense on the floor and enthusiastic spirit on the bench.

Less than a month 'till NCAA Football 2010

With today being June 15, that means that there are only 29 days (less than a month) until Best Buy's and GameStop's everywhere are stocked with EA Sports' NCAA Football 2010. Michael Crabtree (XBox 360 cover), Brian Johnson (PS3 cover), Brian Orakpo (PS2 cover) and Mark Sanchez (PSP cover) will be featured more than annoying, anti-athlete Rick Reilly articles in ESPN The Magazine or Kobe and Lebron puppets on ABC (I'm a fan of those Nike commercials, and don't understand why Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon aren't), and I can't wait. This year's game will feature sideline commentary from ESPN's Erin Andrews (who talks like a dime), and while I usually don't get hyped up over a game's features (I have basically skipped past features like superstar mode and mascot mode), I am interested about the new strategic-playcalling feature, which claims that you can fool opponents by running virtually the same types of plays out of one formation (say consistent HB dives and smashes to the 2.5 hole) via "Playaction, misdirection or double moves (EA Sports)."
I will get the game at Best Buy on July 14 and play it heavily (along with Tiger Woods 10, which I am playing now) until Madden 1o comes out on August 14, and then play it at about a 1-t0-8 ratio to Madden (that's the tough thing about playing a college game with a pro game, the pro game is usually played at a faster pace, and thus better-in my opinion).
There are three teams that I am looking forward to playing with the most in NCAA Football 10, The U, Ohio State and LSU. Jacory Harris was really good in the game last year and should be even better this year in the green and orange, and you can probably say the same thing for Sean Spence, Aldarius Johnson and LaRon Byrd, while playing with Terrell Pryor is just as fun as playing with Troy Smith for the Buckeyes a couple of years ago, and I am looking forward to seeing who is better at QB for the Tigers in this years game, Jordan Jefferson (who played well in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl last New Year's Eve) or Russell Shepard, the true freshman who is this year's SEC version of Julio Jones from a hype and scouts/rivals.com standpoint. Plus in dynasty mode you will have to go to Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss with Les Myles' team.
It will also be interesting to see how Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy compare to each other in the game, and how good EA Sports makes Mitch Mustain, Aaron Corp, Matt Barkley and Garrett Green, who are all vying to fill Mark Sanchez's shoes at USC.
I cannot wait to play NCAA Football 10 on PS3 in 29 days, and guarantee you that I can beat anybody in an online game no matter what their ranking (my PS3 gamer tag is cletitans if anyone's interested in playing me). Its nothing to Prince Peter mane!

Cady shows up at B412 again

I hit B412 in Palo Alto again tonight and had a great time. I came through with the light blue and white plaid Rocawear dress shirt, dark blue jeans and Sperry’s with gel in my hair and owned the place like I was JaMarcus Russell. I enjoyed meeting a girl named Krystal out of Fremont (who looked dime in a shiny red top, white shorts, heels and long curly brunnette hair, and a girl named Kittie out of Idaho (who looked dime in a white outfit with a black belt with long brunnette hair. The DJ’s in both the main room and the patio were spinning great music, but especially the DJ in the main room, as he played a lot of gangster music like Icey by Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy and Speeding by Rick Ross and R. Kelly. I’d like to thank John Farhang, the owner of the club for a great night.

The top five destinations for Vick

Michael Vick will still be a very productive football player in the NFL even after two years away from the game (he was still playing football in jail), whether it be as a quarterback, running back or receiver. He’ll still be a fast runner and have the same keen sense for the game that he did with the Atlanta Falcons, so long as he is in good shape, and will be able to find a team by the start of the season with a good attitude and the willingness to play other positions besides quarterback. Now that the Falcons have officially released Vick, here are the five teams that I think Vick would succeed with the most. Whether or not a team would be willing to sign Vick is also taken into account for my list:
1) Indianapolis Colts: The Colts could use a scat back, and Vick would be able to get open underneath as a receiver playing alongside Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez. Plus, Tony Dungy (who still has the ability to strongly influence the Colts front office and head coach Jim Caldwell) is a supporter of Vick, and could encourage team president Bill Polian that Vick has changed and deserves a second chance.
2) San Francisco 49ers: Mike Singletary says that Vick deserves a second chance and says that he hasn’t made a decision yet in regards to whether the team should sign Vick or not (though GM Scott McCloughan and team president Jed York do not seem to be as open to the prospect of Vick wearing Red and Gold), and Vick would allow the team to run a mean wildcat with Frank Gore and Alex Smith or Shaun Hill. Vick could also serve as a changeup back to Frank Gore and Michael Robinson, and could also be a productive fourth receiver for a team that already features three threats at the position along with a flat-out boss in tight end Vernon Davis.
3) Jacksonville Jaguars: The team could run a great wildcat with Vick, David Gerrard and Maurice Jones-Drew, and he could be productive as a spell back for Drew and stretch the field as a receiver in an offense that will feature mostly possession receivers this year (note: the Jaguars receivers will be a lot better at catching the football this year with the addition of Torry Holt and rookies Mike Walker and Tiquan Underwood).
4) Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis (who had his own legal issues back in the day) would be a great mentor for Vick, and he could potentially see a lot of carries as a running back for the team, as Willis McGahee has had surgery twice this off-season, and John Clayton says that because of that Ray Rice (who had a solid season last year but runs like McGahee) will be the starter. Vick could be a great changeup back to Rice and McGahee, and the team could be dangerous in wildcat plays with Vick, Joe Flacco and McGahee/Rice on the field at the same time.
5) St. Louis Rams: Mark Bulger always misses about four-to-six starts each year, and Vick would be a better quarterback for them when Bulger is out than Kyle Boller or Brock Berlin. Vick could bring some buzz to the team, which desperately needs it after going 2-14 in 2008 and releasing Torry Holt in the off-season. Vick could provide the Rams with the ability to run outside at the running back position, which the Rams currently lack.

Nick Montana commits to Washington

A son of Joe Montana has committed to play for Steve Sarkisian at Washington. (Westlake Village, CA) Oaks Christian Star Nick Montana committed to play for the Huskies last night, according to Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell. Montana had offers on the table from a plethora of schools, including Alabama, LSU and Ohio State. His older brother Nate is currently following in his father's footsteps as a quarterback for Notre Dame. See the full story here.
-Rivals.com

Lakers will beat Magic in seven

The Los Angeles Lakers will beat the Orlando Magic in seven games, thanks to a three-deep set of big men with 16 fouls to give, Lamar Odom and a solid supporting cast.
Don't get Peter da Prince wrong, I see the Magic proving to be just as formidable of a threat for the Lakers as the Rockets were, as Mickael Pietrus is an extremely underrated defender who will be able to pester Kobe Bryant (though he won't be able to stop him) and Dwight Howard should be productive in every single game (Howard hitting his free throws will be crucial for the Magic).
However, Bryant should be able to score a good amount of points in every game and so should Gasol, and Odom, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum (maybe), Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic should each be good for at least one solid game so as to give the Lakers a win or two if Bryant or Gasol has an off night.
The Magic killed the Cavaliers with three point shooting, but the Lakers (while not playing good inside defense) have limited the Jazz, Rockets and Nuggets to 30-percent shooting from beyond the arc, which is not a good sign for Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee. Expect Vujacic to do a good job on defense against whichever one of these players he is guarding, and for Phil Jackson to give D.J. Mbenga (a solid defender) a good amount of minutes against Howard.
The Magic will only have a shot at winning this series if Rashard Lewis has three 25-plus point games, and I don't see that happening, as Odom has the ability to step out and guard him from the perimeter, something that Anderson Varejao and Ben Wallace couldn't do against him in the Eastern Conference Finals. Of course the Magic could also give the Lakers fits with Howard and the Polish Hammer (errr, Sausage) Marcin Gortat in the game at the same time against the soft-Lakers big men, and if Jameer Nelson can prove to be an anti-Bynum and play at an All-Star level right away after four months of no real competition.
However, the Lakers bench should be good enough to overcome any of these afore-mentioned scenarios for two games, and Bryant and Gasol should have monster games to carry them to two more victories and the NBA Championship. The Lakers should win games one and two before the Magic win games three, five and six (the Lakers will win game four) and then the Lakers will take game seven by ten-plus points to be finals champions.
The Lakers will win their 15th NBA Championship on Thursday, June 18th. Lock it like a double clip from an AK-47, as I guarantee a Lakers championship.

Ramirez still belongs in Hall, Williams, others committed worst forms of cheating

The politically correct, wannabe baseball fans are whining again after Dodgers leftfielder Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50-games due to having a subscription for a women’s fertility drug and submitting a urine sample back in spring training that showed that he had abnormally-high testosterone levels compared to that of a prototypical male, which could only be attributed to using banned supplements or steroids.
Until it is otherwise noted by a medical expert as to why Ramirez would need a prescription for a female fertility drug and whether he could have theoretically had high testosterone levels without taking steroids, it looks like ManRam is guilty, no ands, ifs or buts about it.
However, with that said Ramirez is still a Hall of Famer, and more importantly, baseball fans, reporters, players and analysts who rail against good players who have admitted to, tested positive for or been suspected of using steroids need to realize that the substances do not determine a good baseball player and that worst forms of cheating have occurred in the past.
Ramirez is a great hitter because of his ability to keep his weight back on pitches until he figures out what they are and consistently uncork a smooth, level swing that keeps the barrel of his bat in the zone for as long as possible.
He should and would have gone to Cooperstown regardless of whether or not he used steroids, as he has comfortably surpassed 500 home runs (he has 533 homers up to this point), drove in 1’745 runs and maintained a career .315 batting average and .412 on-base percentage at the same time, which is more than enough stat-padding to get him enshrined.
Even if Ramirez had the body of Juan Pierre he still would be a Hall of Famer because of the fundamentals of his swing. Put a steroids-free Ramirez in the leadoff spot with Pierre’s stature and Ramirez’s speed and you would get a ManRam with a higher batting average than the real one since he wouldn’t be as concerned with the situational hitting that he deals with as a middle-of-the-order hitter while concurrently stealing enough bases and scoring enough runs to get enough writers to vote him into the hall.
Sure, steroids could help Ramirez have a quicker swing and thus allow him to wait on pitches longer, but only to an extremely minimum extent in my opinion, as quick wrists are born, not made.
The steroids-obsessed fans who rail against great players like Ramirez miss this point, and make themselves out to be even bigger buffoons when they state that any player who has been caught or acknowledged using steroids or merely just suspected of using it does not belong in the Hall of Fame and should be removed from the record books or have an asterisk next to his name in the books at the very least. If that is the case, then you must punish players in past eras that cheated just as much as a player in today’s era of steroids and religious weightlifting. That list would include Ted Williams, Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Whitey Ford and many more.
ESPN’s Peter Gammons reported that a former teammate of Williams had told him that the Red Sox Hall of Famer said that he used a corked bat during his last season in the big leagues in order to make up for lost bat speed, the New York Giants allegedly won the 1951 Pennant while using a telescope in centerfield to see opposing teams signs, and Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry and Whitey Ford said that they spit on balls during their careers.
Stealing signs via a telescope is much worst than steroids, as it allows a hitter to time his swing better and thus increase his chances of hitting the ball whereas steroids may help you hit the ball farther but won’t help you make contact with it, a corked bat is essentially based on the same concept as steroids, as it gives you more pop, and a pitcher smearing foreign substances on a baseball before throwing a pitch may directly impact its movement.
We do not know how many teams had spies in the bleachers back in the days of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams when the media and commissioners office did not have the technology to scrutinize every player, call on the field and stadium’s resources like it does today, nor do we know how many Hall of Fame hitters or pitchers used a corked bat or a corrupted ball to boost their average or strikeout totals, but we don’t penalize them for this.
However, we are now penalizing players for using steroids in today’s era despite the fact that they are probably less advantageous as the aforementioned other forms of cheating. That’s about as smart as sailing a yacht along the Somali coast without a couple of Uzis, rocket-propelled grenades and AK’s.
Don’t get me wrong, steroids should be completely banned from baseball with strict consequences for those who stray or allowed with few restrictions. However, they do not create a great player and never will, and those who want to keep suspected or known steroid users out of the Hall of Fame or the record books will only be able to justifiably do so if they look into every other form of cheating that took place in the past. It is time for fans who whine about steroids to either recognize this fact, or watch another sport like WNBA basketball so real fans won’t have to hear their repetitive, fraudulent arguments every day.