LeBron Update Part V

For as much as I like to go toe-to-toe with my guy Rossi and his Notre Dame delusions of grandeur, he was the first to tell me that Izzo has rejected the Cavs offer today. Izzo rejected it mainly because he was unable to speak with James. You may recall that just yesterday I saw the potential talks between Izzo and James as a big obstacle in the likelihood of James becoming a Bull, lowered the LeBron Clock to 25%, and stated that if Izzo takes the Cavs job it's a certainty that James will stay in Cleveland.

Well now I'm happy to say I'll be raising the LeBron Clock up to a new high of 50%! I'm raising it not only because of Izzo's decision to stay at East Lansing, but also because of the report I heard on the Score today. The report mainly said that the press conference where Cavs owner Dan Gilbert went out of his way to say that LeBron will not be involved in the Cavs coaching hire whatsoever, really didn't sit well with James. LeBron allegedly has taken exception to that bit of grandstanding by Gilbert, and this maybe yet another reason for LeBron to feel he needs to move on from the Cavs. While that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to the Bulls, it certainly doesn't hurt the Bulls chances does it?

Oh what a difference a day makes...

Much Ado About Nothing

Turns out the Big 12 isn't going anywhere, and that Nebraska and Colorado are the only teams leaving. The irony being that this makes the Big Ten have 12 teams, and the Big Twelve has 10 teams now. In a weird way, I feel sort of let down. I think it's too bad because the possible massive conference realignment was generating a lot of positive buzz among college football fans. It certainly got my attention, and I know it sent shock waves coast to coast. It also managed to distract everyone from the real problem college football has of no playoff system.

Still, it's going to be pretty fun to watch Nebraska eventually play in the Big Ten. I am going to be curious how the Big 12 plans on having a Conference Championship Game when they don't have enough teams to legally do so? I'll also be curious if the Big Ten will have a championship game now since they have 12 teams?

Time will tell how these, and all the other possibilities will shake out.

Lou Piniella Might Have Alzheimer's

I've gotten into it with a couple of my friends lately regarding the non-story, story that is the Lou Piniella-Steve Stone spat that served as a backdrop for the White Sox-Cubs Meatball Series. Before you read any further, take a look at this footage which summarizes the whole spat, and tell me who handled it with more eloquently and rationally, Lou or Steve?

After viewing that, allow me to share my thoughts on the matter. Steve Stone is an analyst. He makes a very nice living not only serving as color commentator for Chicago White Sox broadcasts, but he also serves as a baseball analyst for Comcast Sports Net and various other media i.e. The Score. We all know Steve Stone's long history and bitter ending of his broadcasting services with the Chicago Cubs. Stone is not too shy about letting people know he has an ego, and at times it has rubbed people the wrong way. Dusty Baker and Kent Merker are living examples of guys who have taken exception to Stone for exactly those reasons. 

The crux of the argument that I've had about people who have defended Lou's outburst, seems to stem from them not liking Steve Stone and finding him annoying. Again though, I believe that liking or disliking Steve Stone is irrelevant and here's the reason why. The issue was Stone suggesting that Lou has not played Tyler Colvin enough this season. Now Lou's response wasn't "I disagree, I think I've played him enough", or maintain his "It wouldn't be fair to the other three veteran outfielders" theory. Lou decided to go "Street Cred" on Stone in a major way, even though Fred Mitchell asked Lou a question about Jake Peavy! Lou brought up the fact that Stone hasn't managed, been a coach, or a farm director, and therefore has no right to question Lou's lineup making. I won't get into the slippery slope of whether or not Lou thinks ANYBODY who hasn't done those things has no right to criticize him. All I will ask though is WAS STEVE STONE RIGHT? Lou didn't answer that question during his outburst did he?

Flash forward 72 hours later, and this report crosses the wires. Now Lou thinks Colvin should play more?! Are you kidding me?! After all of Lou's histrionics and strident yelling about who has done more as a manager in baseball. After all of his grandstanding, self-indulgent righteous indignation, and "1800 wins" B.S., Lou does the EXACT THING Stone said he should do?! You have got to be kidding me Lou. That is completely PATHETIC, and you should be ashamed of yourself. What's also disturbing if you are a Cub fan, is that this isn't the first time he's reversed himself after yelling at a member of the media for suggesting something to him either.

So the question now becomes, does Lou have Alzheimer's Disease, or did he realize that Stone might be right? If it's the former, then he needs professional help right away. If it's the latter and if he's concerned with showing any kind of class or accountability, he might want to think about apologizing to Stone, or at the very least admit that Stone might have had the right idea about giving Colvin more playing time.

LeBron Update Part IV

Tom Izzo isn't as dumb as I thought. He's pretty much made it clear that he won't take the Cavs job until he speaks with and is assured by LeBron James that he will return to the Cavs next season. According to many reports like this one, they have not spoken yet. Adding to the confusion is LeBron himself who said that he would "100%" endorse Izzo as coach of the Cavs - take your guess on what that's supposed to mean?

I know LeBron has said a lot of things since his team was eliminated, each one more contradictory than the previous statement. Once again, LeBron has not tipped his hand in the slightest, and has given no clue as to where he is leaning. His people, most notably World Wide Wes have given various winks and nods obviously, but that in no way should be taken as LeBron Gospel even though it would appear that the Bulls have done exactly that with the hiring of Tom Thibodeau. One thing that does appear important to him is winning the championship. If it were all about money, LeBron would just stay in Cleveland where he stands to make the most, and none of this would be happening right now. So the fact that he hasn't re-signed with the Cavs is telling in and of itself.

That said, I'm reducing the LeBron Clock to 25%. I just don't like that Izzo will be able to talk to LeBron before taking the job, and/or that they can talk each other into signing with Cleveland. I'd like to think that tampering rules would prevent this from happening, but if you believe other reports out there, the league would have to suspend itself if it knew what was happening under the table, tampering wise.

Out of all the uncertainty though, this much is clear. If Izzo takes the job, it's a foregone conclusion that LeBron will be back with the Cavs and the Bulls will need to wait until 2013 to make a big splash free agent wise.

That's Trouble...

He might get away with it folks...Barry Bonds secured a legal victory as huge as his head with the court ruling that prosecutors cannot use positive urine tests, the doping calendars Greg Anderson kept, and the BALCO log sheets used to track Bonds program. The court reached this decision because "“There is little or no indication that Bonds actually exercised any control over Anderson in determining when the samples were obtained, to whom they were delivered, or what tests were performed on them.”

This is pretty much the legal equivalent (and Gwen Knapp agrees) a putting the Prosecutors into a Boxing match with one hand tied behind their back because the bulk of the prosecutors case was contingent upon Greg Anderson's cooperation, as well as the samples in order to prove that Bonds knowingly took steroids and lied under oath in December of 2003.

Now that they don't have the main weapons they need with Anderson continuing to do more jail time than Bonds would have done if he had just plead guilty. This pretty much means that the only chance the government has to still have a case to nail Bonds, is to appeal up to the Supreme Court. Does the government have the stones to try that? I can't rule it out, but it's still really amazing that the most obvious steroid cheat the game of baseball - let alone amateur and professional sports - has ever seen, is most likely going to get away with this...

Meatball Time

I'd be remiss to create a blog with Whitey Guccione on the front of it, and not mention the upcoming White Sox - Cubs series. I'm not going to waste a whole lot of time breaking down matchups, or reading into anything that simply isn't there because neither one of these teams are any good. There's something about this besides the Blackhawks Parade taking place tomorrow that makes this weekend series seem even more perfunctory. It's the sense of over-saturation really. I'm beginning to wonder if we've reached the point where there are too many games between the two, or better yet should they play each other every other year?

That said though, while I continue to poo-poo the series the night before it takes place, the same thing always happens the day of the first game. Those old reflexes and Inner Meatball come back the moment I see a Cub fan say the word "Cuuuuuubbieeeeeesss...." on TV, and I immediately become focused on the games at hand. All of a sudden there are no three more important baseball games being played than this weekend at Wrigley Field.

I know it will happen to me again tomorrow. I'm hoping to hell the Sox don't get swept, and Whitey Guccione doesn't get the crap kicked out of him at Wrigley, as he tends to take these games as serious as the World Series...

College Football JOLT

What the hell just happened? College sports, specifically College Football has been turned on it's ear today with some startling announcements. The first announcement of the NCAA hitting USC in the crotch shouldn't be too surprising to anyone who's read this blog with regularity. The second announcement of the Colorado ("ssssthweet stadium...I heard they sssthell booozthe there...) leaving the Big 12 for the Pac-10 today is particularly intriguing because they are now the first official domino to fall in what is believed to be widespread disintegration of the Big 12 conference.


Let's start with USC. The NCAA seems to have grown a pair as they handed down one of the stiffest punishments since 1995 against "The U" when they removed 31 scholarships from Miami. This reminded me of the old days when things like "The Death Penalty" were still able to be used by the NCAA to punish rogue programs like Kentucky and in the infamous SMU case. The damage for USC? They are banned from playing in a Bowl game for 2 years, on probation for 4 years, lose 30 scholarships over the next three years, vacated 14 victories from December 2004 - and the entire 2005 season (looks like Notre Dame DID win the "Bush Push Game" after all), and there's now discussion on whether or not the 2004 National Championship will be vacated as well.


That's a pretty spicy meatball Trojans! For people like me who have always found something rotten in Denmark or in this case University Park, Los Angeles, this is pretty impressive. After reading Tarnished Heisman, while I was no doubt entertained by the details in it, I still had doubts if the NCAA would really be firm with USC, or if they would continue their recent history of slaps on the wrist. We got our answer today, and that answer is the whip is cracking. The only real question left for me is will they take Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy back? Here's a good piece debating that possibility. I know there are certain legalities involved that don't leave this a cut and dried issue, but if I'm on the board of trustees at the Downtown Athletic Club I'd have to at least be uncomfortable with the now FACT a "professional" athlete won our award. Another favorite part for me is the reaction of Pete "Captain Happy"Carrol and Reggie Bush. They really want to have us believe they are "shocked" by these findings? That's up there with OJ searching for the "real killers". Go sell that somewhere else fellas...

Now let's get to the Big 12. Colorado has officially made the first move to the Pac-10 from the Big 12. Nebraska is expected to announce they have made the move to the Big Ten on Friday. There are also rumors out of Kansas City that Texas, and Texas A&M have petitioned to join the Big Ten, and Oklahoma wanting to join the SEC. While that rumor is strictly unfounded at this point, the more realistic scenario is Texas, TAMU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State joining the Pac-10 and making it a 16 team conference.

If that happens, doesn't Notre Dame HAVE to join the Big Ten? While obviously Notre Dame doesn't HAVE to do anything (don't believe me, just ask them and they'll tell you) personally I hope they do. I think it would be terrific for not only Notre Dame to finally stop playing The Military schools but it would also be fabulous for the conference to have 14 teams in it with Nebraska, ND, and Rutgers in the mix. Plus that silly National TV Contract ND has with NBC is not making NBC any money any more. In one felt swoop, Notre Dame can finally put away the argument of "They Don't Play Anybody", join a Big Ten that is suddenly going to be considered a Power Conference, have annual games with Ohio State, Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Penn State among others, they would also get a piece of the increased revenue the Big Ten is going to get with this new realignment.

While I still can't get an answer as to why all this conference realignment is all happening other than the short & easy answer of "money", this are historic events taking place right now. If the Pac-10 gets 16 teams, and the Big Ten gets 14 teams, how far away are we from having 4 Major Conferences divided by geography each with 16 teams in it for a total of 64? That would make a playoff scenario a little easier to structure wouldn't it???