Republished: In Praise of Ron Artest

In light of the tragic Junior Seau news, I'm republishing this article I wrote last summer. This is a column on Ron Artest's mental health and my mom's own problems with mental health. Read this with an open mind. Please visit this website for more information on depression and bipolar disease.

I've been struggling the past couple of weeks about how to talk about this issue. It's something I don't talk about everyday because I've never gone through this. How do you talk about something you don't really understand? But I can no longer delay this column, this issue must be talked about.

 What I want to talk about is mental health. Now I've never gone through much mental health problems in my short life. I never had parents or relatives who abused and scared me for life. The only dramatic thing that has happened in my life was when my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia.

 I never went through any mental anguish with my brother's diagnosis though. Maybe it's my positive outlook on life or my belief that my brother is stronger than I am, but I never went through any mental pain with his initial diagnosis.

My mother however has gone through mental anguish. Not only with my brother's diagnosis, but by being abused as a child which has severely damaged her mental health. My mother has found helped, been diagnosed as a Bipolar, and has dealt with her mental health with grace. She'll always have to deal with her mental health, but she seems to be able to control her emotions better than she once did.

 I bring this up because my mother wants to praise Ron Artest Metta World Peace. World Peace auctioned off his 2010 championship ring and donated the money to various mental health charities. The raffle ran since October and raised more than $650,000 to be distributed to various mental health charities.

Artest recently donated $50,000 to Pacific Clinics and the Kresge Foundation tripled his donation by pledging an additional $150,000 in grant money distributed via the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to the clinic."It's a good feeling," Artest said about the raffle being over.

"It's cool to know we can slowly start donating money to different charities and things like that. It's cool." 

My mom praises Artest because he's brought awareness to an issue that doesn't have awareness already. A lot of people suffer from bad mental health but don't seek help.

 "You must forgive yourself first," my mother Donna says. "Then seek help and continue getting help.

 I'm ecstatic that Ron is bringing awareness to an issue that many people don't understand. Mental health needs more awareness from athletes. Hopefully Ron isn't the last athlete to bring awareness to this issue."

 It's certainly brought awareness to me. Even if you don't suffer from mental health, you should at least try to understand what people are going through. What makes a person suffer from mental health. And how can they help themselves.

 One of the ways not only athletes can get help, but everyone else can get help is by going to dbsa.org website and seeking help. Even if you don't need help yourself, maybe there's a person you know who needs help. Or maybe visit that site to learn more about bipolar disorder and how people can find help for that mental health.

 So get help if you need help and understand mental health to help someone if they're in need. It's not that hard.

Playing With House Money

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done- The great Kenny Rogers

Living in California and close proximity to Reno, I've spent a fair enough amount of time in a casino. Whether it was a Indian casino or a casino in Reno/Las Vegas.  I'm not a card player because I don't like poker and I can't play Blackjack because I can't count fast enough. I'm like an old lady and just play the slots.

Now I'm not a big money gambler. I'll usually put about $100 dollars in the machine and start playing. If I hit a jackpot it's usually for $80 dollars, not much, but considered a success for me because I don't gamble large amounts of money. That $80 dollars is the house money and I'm just trying to extend that dollar amount.

And that's where I get in trouble. Instead of just walking away satisfied with my earnings I keep gambling with the house money. The allure of a bigger pool of earnings is too tough to fight. And that's where the house wins. I keep gambling and losing money. Eventually that $180 dollars I eventually had all of a sudden becomes $80 dollars. And yet I still can't walk away. I lost $100 dollars and yet still playing and keep losing. Eventually I'm down to 50 cents and can't play any longer, the house won.

It's always dangerous playing with house money. The allure of a bigger pool of money keeps you playing and maybe you get lucky and actually beat the house, extend the pool, and get to take home a lot more money than you started gambling with. Most times than not though, the house always wins.

Sports in a lot of ways is like gambling. Teams play with house money. Some of them lose and some of them win. They obviously can't walk away because the end prize is too big to just walk away from.

I can't think of any other sport than baseball where you see teams playing with house money who usually will win. I don't know why baseball is the sport where you see teams beating the house but just look at the past 15 World Series champions and you'll see 7 teams broke the house: 97 Marlins, 01 Diamondbacks, 03 Marlins, 04 Red Sox, 06 Cardinals, 2010 Giants, and 2011 Cardinals.

The 97 Marlins won despite always playing on the edge. The 01 Diamondbacks won despite Byung-Hyun Kim betting more money than he had. The 03 Marlins beat the house twice before reaching the World Series because of Jose Cruz Jr and Bartman. The 04 Red Sox beat the house by coming back against the Yankees. The 06 Cardinals were given the house by the Tigers pitchers. The 2010 Giants beat the house with help from Brooks Conrad. And the 2011 Cardinals destroyed the house and sent pit bosses home crying.

You Gotta Love Recruiting

This is the busiest part of the year for college football coaches. It's recruiting season which also means it's the silly season in college football. I've always avoided following the recruiting season because I can use my time better than keeping track of 18-year old kids trying to decided where they want to go to college.

The other reason why I don't follow the recruiting season is because half of these kids never pan out. And by not following the recruiting season I don't get too emotional if these kids never pan out like I do when someone on one of my favorite professional teams doesn't pan out.

Another emotional reason why I don't follow recruiting season is because 18-year old kids change their minds all the time. I didn't go to the college I originally wanted to go to. I changed my mind at the last second before deciding to go to school where I did and I know I'm not alone there.

If I followed college football recruiting closely though I would probably be in outrage over stories like this. Gunner Kiel, an 18-year old highly touted QB from Indiana, had now decommitted from two schools. First he decommitted from Indiana and chose to go to LSU. Now he's decommitted from LSU and will most likely be headed to Notre Dame. That's two schools now that Kiel had decommitted from.

Predictably LSU fans aren't reacting well. In this post about why Kiel choose to go to Notre Dame because his mom wanted him too an LSU fan had this to say: "What a joke. He has decommitted from two schools now. At this point, why would you even want him on your team?"

Yes let's get angry and furious over where an 18-year old kid goes to school! It's not like no one has ever changed their minds as to where they are going to go to school. It's not like anyone has chosen to go to school near home to be near their parents or family.

And that's why folks I've never became too emotionally invested in college recruiting for either football or basketball. I know I would probably act the same way if I did follow recruiting closely. I don't want to get mad at a kid trying to decide where he's going to attend college. Add to the fact that it's highly unlikely Kiel is ever going to amount to anything and you have a combination of why I don't follow college recruiting.

I'll pour all my outrage into the Sacramento Kings at the moment.

Where Was The Courage At Penn State?

It's been two days since the bombshell broke at Penn State that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested for sexual assault and that Joe Paterno knew about an incident about Sandusky back in 2002 and did nothing about it but report the incident to the higher ups at Penn State.

When I first heard about this incident I thought to myself that Paterno did the right thing by alerting his bosses. I don't know about you folks, but when something criminal happens at my place of employment we're suppose to alert our boss. So I thought Paterno was doing the right thing.

I also thought Paterno did the right thing because he was too close to the situation. He coached Sandusky at Penn State and then was his boss for thirty years. He was too close to the situation. 

That was my immediate response. I was thinking like a Penn State fan, because I've always been a Joe Paterno fan. I hate to see him have to resign or be fired because he didn't call the police on his former defensive coordinator who also happens to be a creep who is sexually assaulting young boys.

Then I slept on the situation and surprisingly agreed with Colin Cowherd this morning on the situation. Where was the courage at Penn State? No one had the courage to notify police that Sandusky was a creep? Including Joe Paterno?

And that is what is so infuriating about this situation. Sexual assault on kids ruins their lives. These victims in the Sandusky case will always be emotionally unstable because of what happened to them. And no one at Penn State had the courage to call the police for these kids including Paterno?

That is what so disappointing about this situation. Joe Paterno has always been the guy who did everything "the right way" but he didn't have the courage to do the "right thing" and at least call the police to start an investigation.

Even if Paterno was a friend of Sandusky's, he needed to notify the cops at what was happening. I get it, it's hard ratting out a friend. Paterno though needed to find the courage within himself to call the police for that young boy. He failed. Loyalty has limitations.

The athletic director and VP at Penn State has already resigned because they lied to a grand jury about everything involved in this situation. It pains me to say this because I'm a Joe Paterno fan, but Paterno needs to resign for not having courage to say anything at all to the police.

Paterno needed to be the one with courage at Penn State for the kid and he failed. That kid now won't receive the justice for what happened to him until 10 years after the incident. Joe Paterno failed because he didn't have courage and he should resign because of it.

This is a sad story all around. I feel bad for the boys who lives were ruined because of Sandusky. I feel bad for Penn State fans and alum because their school their school will be dragged through the mud because no one in a administrative position had the courage to report Sandusky to the police. This is a ugly mess and it will probably not get better anytime soon.

In Praise of Ron Artest

I've been struggling the past couple of weeks about how to talk about this issue. It's something I don't talk about everyday because I've never gone through this. How do you talk about something you don't really understand? But I can no longer delay this column, this issue must be talked about.

What I want to talk about is mental health. Now I've never gone through much mental health problems in my short life. I never had parents or relatives who abused and scared me for life. The only dramatic thing that has happened in my life was when my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia.

I never went through any mental anguish with my brother's diagnosis though. Maybe it's my positive outlook on life or my belief that my brother is stronger than I am, but I never went through any mental pain with his initial diagnosis.

What a Awful Year for College Football

We should have known this would be a terrible year for college football. We should have known this was going to be a lame duck college football season. We didn't want believe it though. We didn't want to believe this season was going to be terrible/mediocre. A year filled with tragedy and controversy. We should have known from the very beginning.

Before the college football season even started, we had massive conference realignment. Teams were jumping from one conference to the other at such a fast paste that it was hard to keep up with. And with teams jumping conferences, we had lame duck teams finishing out their seasons in their current conferences before they could move on. We had teams creating their own television networks (Texas) and one team (BYU) going independent instead of jumping to a conference.

We had the USC-Reggie Bush scandal that would only kick off a year of scandals. Who knew the USC sanctions in July would only be the tip of the iceberg? We had a plague of agent scandals, one that lead to the decimation of loaded UNC team while also touching schools like Georgia and Alabama. And I haven't even gotten to Cam Newton yet.

Time For Samurai Mike to Leave Now

Not everything is cigars and champagne in San Francisco at the moment. While the Giants will play in their first world series since 2002, the 49ers continued their dissent to the bottom of the NFL with an embarrassing loss to the previously winless Carolina Panthers. Now the word is the 49ers owners are displeased with head coach Mike Singletary and the entire 49ers coaching staff. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Singletary is fired after the 49ers return from London. I don't blame them. The 49ers are not only not living up to expectations, but are a undisciplined mess.

Yesterday alone the 49ers committed 11 penalties. The 49ers have committed 67 turnovers in seven games and have committed 11 penalties in the past two games. That's on the coaching staff and that's on Mike Singletary. He hasn't had the team in the right mind frame to play smart all season. I've jokingly said in our live blogs each Sunday, that the 49ers are the dumbest team in the NFL. Well looking at the penalties this team has committed so far this season, looks like I'm right.

I started this blog almost two years ago. At the time Mike Singletary was the interim coach for the 49ers and I debated whether or not he should be the head coach on a full-time basis. Here's what I said:

"Singletary though should provide a type of plan to the team if he wants to be the next coach. He has done great so far this season, but what is his future plan if he where named the coach. It has been rumored, the only reason Singletary hasn't received a job yet is because of his lack of plan while interviewing.

If he provides a future plan, than he is the right man for the job. The players listen to him, and he has an authority type of persona." 

Sports Talk Radio: A Matter of Taste

It's amazing how far we have come in the world of sports and sports media. 15 years sports talk radio was seen as a wasteland. A place for chauvinistic pigs who brought cheerleaders into their studio to prance around half naked in bikini's. Sports talk radio was the lowest common denominator.

Now flash forward to today. While sports talk radio is still viewed somewhat as a wasteland it has come a long way. Blogs are now viewed as the ultimate wasteland, home to the lowest common denominator. Sports talk has branched out to where there is a sports talk radio station in every town in America. The Jim Rome Show became syndicated which opened the floodgates for syndicated sports talk radio. Today there are three main syndication companies: ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and Sporting News Radio. So whether you like it or not, sports talk radio is a part of sports culture today.

This brings me to a larger point, if you listen to sports talk radio who do you listen to? Do you listen to a national show only? Do you listen to to both a local show only? Do you listen to both national and local sports talk radio? None?

Myself I listen to the Jim Rome Show and the local Bay Area show "The Razor & Mr. T" on KNBR. I've listened to Rome's show since 2004. I've always enjoyed his take on sports and I would be lying if I say I don't enjoy the e-mails he reads on air or the soundbites that are played. I listen to the local show "The Razor & Mr. T" because I enjoy their opinion on the 49ers and Giants. They're the only ones worth listening to on KNBR besides Damon Bruce.

Hey Agents! Quit Paying Our Players Under the Table While We Turn Our Heads!

The SEC is hosting their annual media day yesterday and today. With Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and UNC under investigation because allegedly their former players received improper benefits from NFL player agents you can only image the what the big theme was at the media day. With the recent trouble of USC and the current investigations of schools, head coaches are paranoid/angry at the NCAA and of player agents.

Nick Saban is especially paranoid/angry at the moment. Yesterday Saban got up on his high horse and called agents "pimps." I guess that means his players are the whores? Also I'm sure Nicky's agent is quite happy to know that he is referred to as a "pimp." But I digress. Saban would go on to say “Maybe we need to not be so self-absorbed about how it just affects us and the NFL and see how it affects everyone and do something about it.” Keep the whores on a short leash would be my solution. Would he be so worried about doing something if his school wasn't being investigated?

Media Meltdown: St. Louis Writers Just Don't Get It

Ed. Note: Sorry for not posting the Must list this week. School and other factors played a part in me not getting to it this week. Plus do you really want me to explain why you should watch Cal vs. Stanford this week? I didn't think so.

Look I'm first one to admit, I don't fully understand sabermetrics and baseball. I couldn't tell you the difference between WHIP and VORP. I leave these stats up to the guys who used to run Fire Joe Morgan and stat geeks like Keith Law. But I can tell you one thing, Tim Lincecum deserved the Cy Young and St. Louis writers just don't understand that.

I'm especially looking at St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell. This is the same guy that wrote inflammatory remarks about Rush Limbaugh in a column when Limbaugh was trying to buy a minority part of the St. Louis Rams. So anything he writes I take with a grain of salt, especially since that one quote against Limbaugh turned out to be a complete fabrication.

Mr. Burwell though completely pissed me off with his column today. He just doesn't understand why pitcher's wins don't count anymore in Baseball. First let me explain why pitcher's wins should not be the measuring stick for pitcher's value before I dissect his ridiculous column.

1) Wins are a phony stat in baseball with the rise of bullpens, specialty pitchers, and closers. Hardly any pitcher today goes the entire distance. (Lincecum tied the majors in complete games.)

2)Let the great people of Fire Joe Morgan explain why wins are a phony stat.

A simply awful pitching statistic that should be swallowed up by the earth itself, personified, given ears, and forced to listen to a tape loop of Bermanisms for all of eternity. The reason being – and again, you know this, intuitively, even if you have never quite expressed it to yourself – if Carl Pavano gives up nineteen runs in five innings but the Yankees score 20 runs, and they hold on to win, and Pavano gets the win, is Pavano a good pitcher? No he is not. (This scenario is assuming he ever comes back and actually pitches, btw.) If Francisco Liriano throws 9 innings of no-hit ball, but gives up a run on four consecutive errors by Terry Tiffey and gets a loss, is Francisco Liriano a bad pitcher? No he is not. Wins stink to high heaven as a way to value pitchers because they are in very large part dependent on the actions of the other guys on the team.

There you go Mr. Burwell. Now it's time to dissect your ridiculous argument.

"Apparently I have been misled for all these years. Here I was thinking that guys who win 18, 19, 20 or 25 games were some kind of special. I always figured that a guy who was able to go out on the mound every five days and pretty much guarantee his team a victory was one of those Cy Young-type hurlers everyone dreams about. Now I find out that I am wrong. Baseball's new wave of deep thinkers and pseudo-intellectuals have told me so loud and clear with the voting in this year's Cy Young awards.

What was my greatest fear in the past is now upon us. Armed with their "advanced metrics" and clutching their spread sheets, the new-age baseball voters have officially taken over the sport both in the front offices and behind the scenes. Baseball's seamheads have won the battle — and I fear are about to forever dominate the old-school vs. new-school war — with the results of this year's Cy Young voting."

So basically Burwell calls the likes of Law, Joe Po, and Buster Olney geeks. Well done sir for taking a secretly back-handed shot at some of the best baseball writers in America. You should be so proud of yourself. And yes, their way of thinking has changed the game. I know it's hard for old-timers like yourself, Joe Morgan, and Tim McCarver to comprehend this.

"Particularly in the NL voting, I am taken aback, because two voters — ESPN.com's Keith Law and Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus — did not include Chris Carpenter on their ballots. Law also had the NL's winningest pitcher, Adam Wainwright (19-8), in third place on his ballot behind Lincecum (15-7) and Javier Vazquez (15-10). And apparently all of baseball geekdom is perfectly cool with this."

He's still confused over the facts that pitchers like Lincecum and Vazquez had better seasons than Wainwright and Carpenter, but their wins didn't reflect their season.

"Look, I think Lincecum is a heck of a pitcher, arguably the most gifted hurler in baseball. But I always thought the Cy Young was intended to honor the pitcher with the best season, not necessarily to reward the guy who has the best stuff."

So I guess leading the majors in strikeouts and 2nd in ERA doesn't count as the best season? Becuase Lincecum did both of these things.

"If I lived in Dallas I would have a problem with this NL vote, so don't tell me I'm a homer. And as evidence of that, please refer to my NL manager of the year ballot where I voted for Colorado's Jim Tracy over Tony La Russa with no hesitation (La Russa was second on my ballot)."

Thanks for clarifying that your not a homer. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle clarified that he wasn't a homer either. And you know what, your both still wrong.

"So here's what I still don't get. How can you look at what Wainwright did from a won-loss standpoint and essentially dismiss it in favor of Lincecum? As gifted a pitcher as Lincecum clearly is, he faltered down the stretch when his team was in the playoff hunt. In his last 10 starts, the San Francisco ace was only 3-4 with a 3.15 ERA. I'm sorry, but that has to mean something, doesn't it? If won-loss records are suddenly obsolete, why do we bother to keep the stat?"

Yes Bryan, you clearly don't understand and clearly you didn't watch one Giants game this season. I keep going back to this one particular game, but I have Justin backing me up on this. The San Francisco Giants traveled to Philadelphia for an early September game. Lincecum lost that game 2-1 to Pedro Martinez and the Phillies.

So let me get this straight. Lincecum lost a game to Martinez (no shame in that since Martinez is a sure fire hall of famer) and lost to the Phillies in Philadelphia. He lost a game 2-1 to the eventual NL Pennant winners in their bandbox of a stadium. But that doesn't mean anything because Lincecum lost.

Excuse me Mr. Burwell, but did you see the lineup protecting Lincecum this year? Bengie Molina was the fucking cleanup hitter! Aaron Rowand was the sixth place hitter and Randy Winn waw the second place hitter, not exactly the murders row of hitters. If he had a Chase Utley or Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols, he probably would have had more wins. But he didn't have those players though and still won 15 games and recorded 10 no-decisons. The best hitter on the team was Pablo Sandoval and he's only 23 and doesn't fully understand the game yet. Lincecum could have easily won 20 games this season if he had a competent lineup protecting him and he would have qualified to win the Cy Young in your faulty knowledge.

"So tell me again, why is winning not an important stat anymore?

It makes me feel like they're either trying to out-think themselves or justify their sabermetric fascinations when I hear people tell me that a pitcher's victories aren't all that important."

Burwell is stuck in the old sports writers world. Old timers like him will never understand today's writers and the way they think. Old writers are still stuck in the past when wins for pitchers was all that mattered. The baseball world though has moved on and Mr. Burwell and the rest of his type better keep up.

Tim Lincecum deserved this award and the majority of baseball writers thought the same thing.

Why don't wins count anymore? (Stltoday.com)

2009 San Francisco Giants Season Review

I've been delaying this column for a while now because of work, school, baseball playoffs, etc. Anyways it was finally time to write about the 2009 San Francisco Giants season.

Heading into the 2009 baseball season, many experts predicted the Giants wouldn't come close to the playoffs. Well they were right, the Giants didn't make the playoffs. But the Giants did improve their record from 72 wins in 2008 to 88 wins in 2009. Hell if the Giants played in the AL Central, they would have won the division title. Also the Giants were in playoff contention throughout the entire year and were in the NL Wild Card hunt until the final week of the season. While the season ended on a low note, there were a lot of positives to take out of this season.

Tim Lincecum- Lincecum will be once again be in the Cy Young discussions this year. Lincecum finished in the top ten in innings pitched, ERA, complete games, shutouts, win, and he was second only to Justin Verlander in strikeouts. Anyone who wants to argue that Lincecum was just a one year fluke, that his delivery will hurt destroy his career, I give you the numbers. Lincecum has quickly became the best pitcher in the major leagues.

Also I would like to point out that Lincecum was a victim of his team's poor offense. Lincecum had to pitch many games where he was only given a one or two run lead. I still remember that game he pitched against Philadelphia in Auguest. Lincecum held onto a two run lead and eventually shutout the Phillies. In the end, Lincecum finished with 15 wins, but he also had 10 no-decisions. Imagine if he didn't have 10 no-decisions and just 5 no-decisions? He would have finished the year with 20 wins.

Pablo Sandoval- The continued improvement of Pablo Sandoval. When the Panda made his major league debut last season, we saw a star in the making. I don't think Giants fans would know what type of ride Sandoval would take them on.

Sandoval broke out this year and became a star. And the guy is only 23 years old. Imagine how good Sandoval can be when he gets a little older with more MLB experience? Sandoval finished 2nd in the NL in batting average. Sandoval finished tenth in the majors with 44 doubles. Sandoval also finished the year with 25 home runs and 95 RBI's. He's without a doubt the star of this team. And yes, he should have been an All-Star and Fat Chuck knows that but won't acknowledge it. Good luck to the Phillies repeating, because a lot of Giants fans, including myself, put voodoo curses on that team.

Barry Zito- Zito finally earned his paycheck. Zito never lived up to his lofty contract the first two years in San Francisco. Well Zito finally regained his confidence in himself and the pitches he throws and earned his money. Zito was especially important for the Giants once Randy Johnson was injured. Here's to Zito earning his contract next season.

Where there was improvement, there were areas that absolutely frustrated Giants fans. Here's the cons to the 2009 Giants season.

Aaron Rowand- Look, Rowand is a good centerfielder. Rowand is gritty and a gamer. He plays through injuries. But the guy sucks at the plate. If I have to see this guy strikeout one more time and head back to the dugout talking to himself, I'm going to punch a hole through a wall. Rowand strikes out way too many times, grounds out way too many times, and he doesn't hit too many RBI's. Plus this guy still has three years left on his contract and making $13 million a season. The Rowand signing was ten times worse than the Zito signing at this point.

Bruce Bochy- How this guy is a major league manager is beyond me. And why the Giants are bringing this moron back for another season is just flat frustrating. Giants fans finally got a taste of why the San Diego Padres let him go and didn't care that he took a job with a division rival.

Bochy's reliance on old veteran players is the reason why the Giants didn't make the playoffs. Bochy continued to trot out players like Randy Winn, Edgar Renteria, and Bengie Molina is the single reason why the Giants have started their off season already. And don't get me started about him playing Eli Whiteside at catcher, while the Giants best prospect Buster Posey sat on the bench.

Molina was injured for the last part of August and early part of September. The Giants decided to bring up Posey before their road trip to Philadelphia and Milwaukee. ESPN's Keith Law said the moment Posey was called up, he was the second best hitter on the team behind Sandoval. So who does Bochy continue to start in the month of September? Yep he continues to start either Molina or journeyman Eli Whiteside. The Giants lost two games in Philadelphia and never recovered. Imagine if Posey did start? Maybe the Giants would be in a rematch with the Phillies in the playoffs?

Bochy is an idiot and the Giants are idiots for bringing this idiot back. He refuses to play the younger players and insists on playing past-their-prime veterans. The Giants deserve everything they get with bringing back Bochy.

Brian Sabean- More perplexing than Bruce Bochy coming back for another season, is that the Giants are also bringing back General Manager Brian Sabean. This guy had the gall at the end of the season to say his plan is working.

Um Brian, it's not. If your plan was working the Giants would be in the playoffs. Once again Sabean made some horrible signings in the offseason. He signed Edgar Renteria to a two-year contract when it's obvious his best years are behind him. He made in-season trades for Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez. He could have had Matt Holliday or Victor Martinez, but no he trades for Garko and a porcelain doll. And worst of all, he traded top pitching prospect Tim Alderson for Sanchez.

I can guarantee you what Sabean will do this off season. Instead of signing a player they need like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, Sabean will sign some old ass veteran thinking he's the answer to all the Giants questions. And he won't make the right signing. He won't sign a Raul Ibanez type of guy. He will sign a Aaron Rowand type of guy. Giants fans have no faith in Sabean, and he's coming back for more. Just shoot me now.

Overall- It was still an exciting year for Giants baseball. The team improved on their record despite their lack of offense. Lincecum continued to show why he's the best pitcher in baseball. The Giants finally have a guy in Sandoval that came through their farm system and seems to be the real deal. The pitching staff will continue to improve. And Brian Wilson has cemented his place as one of the best closers in baseball.

I will continue to be a Giants fan, despite Bochy and Sabean coming back for another year. I hope one day this team will eventually win a world series. Until then, I will wait till next April for Giants baseball.

The Mourning After: Sloppy Play and Sucker Punches

In what was suppose to be a rite of passage, turned into one of the uglier nights in recent memory. The beginning of the college football season is suppose the greatest time of the year. It's like Christmas three months early. Only one problem though about this Christmas, Scrooge showed up.

I didn't know what to expect from the North Carolina State-South Carolina game, but I didn't expect a 7-3 slopfest. NC State fumbled on their first possession, which lead to a South Carolina touchdown. That would be the only scoring in the game besides a late field goal by NC State. This game made the 1-0 Phillies-Giants game from Tuesday seem exciting. But there was a payoff, the Boise State-Oregon game.

The Broncos-Ducks game was suppose to be an offensive bonanza. Just the opposite happened. The game from the beginning featured fumbles, turnovers, and field goals. But the end of the Boise St.-Oregon game is what everyone will be talking about for a long time.

After the game ended, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount suckered punched Boise St. defensive lineman Byron Hout. After that Blount hit one of his own teammates, tried to go after Boise St. fans in the stadium and had to be pulled to the locker room by a group of people that included police officers, security personnel, and an Oregon coach. And this was the first game featuring a pregame hand shake between the two teams.

Blount was the player who before the game stated that "Boise St. was owed an ass-whupin" in return for last year's Oregon loss to Boise St. He also talked about how he had to control his emotions during the game. Obviously, Blount failed to control those emotions.

Now the Boise St. player(Byron Hout) is not without blame. He taped Blount on the shoulder and reminded Blount that he didn't back up his words. Hout should and will probably suspended himself. Boise St. coach Chris Petersen said that he would take care of Hout himself. Either way though Blount's actions were deplorable.

Blount should at least be suspended a couple of games if not kicked out of the school completely. He embarrassed himself, his school, and college football. Emotions get to the best of us, I understand that. But your emotions shouldn't get to you to a point where you are throwing haymakers. Oregon has to do something with Blount.

The most disturbing part of the game was the lack of leadership that Oregon showed.

Chip Kelly replaced longtime Oregon coach Mike Belotti in the offseason after Bellotti accepted the schools Athletic Director's role. Kelly gave Oregon fans new hope for their team. Kelly is suppose to be an spread offense guru along the lines with Urban Meyer. And the offensive display in the game showed by Oregon was just pathetic.

Oregon failed to make a first down until midway through the third quarter. Oregon couldn't run the ball, pass the ball, or even block. They came into the game completely unprepared. And their effort was just putrid.

Kelly was also disrespected several times on the sideline during the game. Players scoffed in his face. Another player yelled at him Bellotti undermined Kelly's authority by going to the sidelines and in front of Kelly's entire team, offered advice. I guess their is a difference between being a head coach and a person sitting in a box calling plays.

Kelly still has time to cut his teeth and learn how to become a head coach. But if Oregon shows up like that unprepared against USC, Cal, or Oregon State, then he won't last long in Eugene.

In the end, Blount has to go. Oregon can't afford to have all of this negative attention brought down upon them by Blount. And Hout should also be suspended for provoking Blount.

This was not the way I wanted the college football season to start. And I don't think it's the way the rest of the nation wanted it to start either.

Baseball Update: A Look At the First Half of the Season

The Baseball Update is a look at the happenings around Major League Baseball.

Watching baseball is like running in a marathon. You have to passe yourself, or you will wear down. That's why I love the All-Star break. It comes in the middle of the season, and everyone can take a break from baseball and recharge their batteries. You basically have 4 days without baseball. I don't count the Home Run Derby or the actual All-Star game itself, because both of those events are exhibitions. Even though the All-Star game is played for home field advantage in the World Series. It is still just an exhibition game.

With that said it is also that time of the year to look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of major league baseball.

The Ugly: What can you say about the Washington Nationals? They suck at everything. From their uniforms, to their free give aways, to the entire team. They just fired their manager today. They have a chance to either break or tie the 62 Mets horrible record of 40-120. Right now the Nationals are 26-61. So the Nationals can only win 14 games for the rest of the season. And would you be surprised if this team only won 14 games for the rest of the season?

Their lineup really isn't the problem. They have great hitters in Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Nick Johnson. It's their pitching staff that is horrible. They have the 2nd worse ERA, first in walks, 2nd worse in runs, 2nd worse in earned runs, and 2nd worse in strike outs. They have also committed the most errors in baseball. I can't even describe how bad this team is. They are Cleveland Indians bad. But at least they have Stephen Strasberg?

Cleaning House: The Pittsburgh Pirates have sold just about everything they own except the kitchen sink. If you are keeping track, the Pirates have traded Eric Hinskie, Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan. And there are rumors that the Pirates are looking to get rid of Freddy Sanchez andAdam LoRoche. I and a lot of people, including Pirates players, have no idea why the Pirates are looking to sell everything. Just a couple of weeks ago, this team was only 5 games out of first place.

But that must be the Pirates motto. "If we are competing, sell! Sell!" Sorry Pittsburgh fans, but I don't think your Pirates management will ever want to put a contending team on the field, ever.

I Called It: Call me a homer or call me whatever, but I predicted at the beginning of the season that the San Francisco Giants were going to the playoffs this season. O.K. so I predicted that the Giants would win the NL West and I didn't predict that they would have the second best record in the NL. But I still predicted that they would be going to the playoffs, so it counts.

As I said at the beginning of the season though, the Giants pitching staff would carry this team a long way. And it has. Tim Lincecum could win the Cy Young again. Matt Cain has finally reached the level that was expected from him. Randy Johnson has been solid. They have gotten everything you could expect from Barry Zito. Jonathon Sanchez struggled, but he did throw a No-Hitter on Friday. Also their bullpen is one of the best in baseball. Brian Wilson may be a high-wire act in the ninth, he will usually lock down the win.

And while the pitching staff has dominated, the lineup has finally started to come through. Pablo Sandoval has emerged as a star and give Nate Schierholtz some time and he will become a top flight right fielder. This team can compete with anyone, and they will make the playoffs this season. Mark it down.

The Good: You have to give it up to the Boston Red Sox. This team does everything the right way. They built this team through home grown talent(Pedroia, Youkilis), trades(Beckett, Bay), and free agency(J.D. Drew). And through these moves the Red Sox have become the best team in baseball.

They do everything well. They pitch, hit, and field all real well. They do the little things well, which a lot of teams can't do. I can go on about how good this team is, but this column is already running long.

The Bad: The Cleveland Indians went from the ALCS two years ago, to one of the worst teams in baseball. They started their own little fire sale last year with the trade of C.C. Sabathia. Then they continued the fire sale by trading Mark DeRosa. And there has been rumors the Indians are looking to deal, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano and Travis Hafner. And can someone please explain to me why Eric Wedge hasn't been fired yet?

Mid-Season Awards: Since everyone else is handing out mid-season awards, then why not me?

AL MVP, Ichiro: Seattle is in contention for the AL West right now because of Ichiro.

NL MVP, Albert Pujols: You can't even argue right now for someone else.

AL CY Young, Zach Greinke: Leads the AL in ERA and is in the top three in Strikeouts and wins.

NL CY Young, Tim Lincecum: He is proving that he isn't a one-year wonder. And yes I do have a man crush on Lincecum.

Fixing the WWE

Let me first preference this column by saying, I love wrestling. It is part rock concert/Broadway show. I have always loved the characters and the theatrics of wrestling shows. It hooked me from an early age, I haven't been able to let go.

I remember being hooked to the T.V. whenever Hulk Hogan wrestled. I loved the old "Barbershop" segments with Brutus the Barber Beefcake. I remember especially being hooked when Shawn Michaels threw his old tag team partner Marty Jannetty through a window on the "Barbershop" segment. I remember relentlessly routing for Jannetty in the matches he had with Michaels afterword.

But what really got me into wrestling, where I had to watch it every week was during the Monday Night Wars. I know I am not alone here, because of the huge ratings both WWE Monday Night Raw and WCW Nitro both pulled during this time. The wrestlers and storylines drew people in to a point, where you couldn't miss either show(too bad DVR didn't exist during this period).

Think about the personalities during this time period? In the WWE you had Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mr. McMahon, Mankind, and a host of others. In the WCW they had Ric Flair, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and the rest of the NWO. You were fascinated in which wrestler would jump to the other company. Hogan, Hall, and Nash started this trend by jumping from WWE to WCW. Then you had Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and The Big Show jumping from WCW to WWE. The Attitude Era was an exciting time.

Well these days have been long gone. WWE bought out WCW and the Attitude Era died after the Wrestlemania 17 match between Stone Cold and the Rock. The WWE since has tried a different approach since then, that has just not replicated what wrestling used to be. They tried the Invasion angle, which did not go over that well. And they have been falling flat out their face since then.

It hasn't helped though the WWE doesn't have any competition. In the 80's they were competing to a lesser extent with WCW and the old NWA territories. In the 90's the had the Monday Night Wars with WCW. Today though there really isn't competition. I don't count TNA because A) they rely on old wrestlers who are not relevant anymore B) they use too many gimmick matches.

The WWE hasn't gotten lazy since the days of the Rock and Stone Cold. It seemed like for three years Triple H and Shawn Michaels were fighting for the Heavyweight Championship. And really besides Batista, John Cena, Edge, and maybe Randy Orton who has the WWE pushed as a championship contender?

So the WWE needs to be fixed(no pun intended, I do realize all the matches are fixed) and I am the person to fix the WWE.

1. Quite shoving Randy Orton and Legacy down our throats!: For over a year now the WWE has pushed Randy Orton down our throats as a legitimate heel. Only one problem, he is wooden during promos. I can't stand listening to anymore Randy Orton promos. Anytime I see him with a microphone, I change the channel.

Also the WWE has been shoving down our throats handicap matches with Legacy members Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. I am tired of watching Rhodes and DiBiase take on Shane McMahon, Batista, or whoever they throw out their with these two. Also I just don't see Rhodes as a heel. Every time I see him, I am always thinking about Dusty Rhodes and his everyman-type of personality. It's distracting.

Git rid of the stupid Legacy angle, and have Orton work on his mic skills before you push him as a heel. But after reading many wrestling sites and blogs, that isn't going to happen. Orton has it in with Vince so badly, he can get Mr. Kennedy fired after a little incident.

2. Get rid of the heel General Manager on Raw: Monday Night Raw seems like it has had a heel general manager since the Brett Hart, Montreal Screwjob. But it was cool seeing a person(Vince McMahon) be the boss we have all had sometime during our lives at work. He was over barring and craved power. His feud with Stone Cold might go down as the greatest feud of all-time in wrestling history. But that feud eventually died down and it seems Raw has tried to recreate it many different times.

Eric Bischoff worked as a heel general manager because A) he could bring nuclear heat to himself and B) he was the former rival of WWE(he was the head of WCW during the Monday Night Wars). But after Bischoff it has been a disaster. William Regal and Vickie Guerrero have both been in the role as the heel GM of Raw, but it just doesn't bring the same pizazz as McMahon. Either bring back the McMahons, who had a great rivalry with the re-birth of DX back in 06, or get rid of the heel GM altogether.

3. Way too many shows: That was one thing looking back at the Monday Night Wars that was special. Between WCW and WWE there was only one show between them. You craved each show, because it was you got. Eventually WCW ruined this by adding Thunder and the WWE eventually ruined it by creating Smackdown. And now today the WWE has four shows on each week.

Yes four shows the WWE produces. They produce Raw, Smackdown, ECW(which is a shame, because the old ECW was so much better), and a new show called Superstars. And I have even heard rumors that the WWE wants to create a fifth show to fill a timeslot on Wednesdays.

Have they ever heard the old saying, "less is more?" With this many shows they have created so many different titles(more on this) and characters it is hard to keep up with. With one show there can be more emphasis on the wrestlers and the titles they are fighting for.

4. Way too many titles: Back in the day the only titles in the WWE were the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the Tag Team titles, and the Women's Championship. Now there is so many titles that I can't even list them all here. All I can tell you is that their is two different main Championships. You still have the WWE Championship and the Heavyweight Championship. Once again have the ever heard of "less is more" argument?

I do realize they need more championships because off the many different shows. But they were able to use the original four titles for both Raw and Smackdown. Why not use the same four belts for all the shows and put more emphasis on them? Create a the perception that the four belts are everything in the world to the audience. What can go wrong with this idea?

Other quick fixes:

- Why do all the female wrestlers have to wrestle? I wouldn't mind seeing some of them become managers. Sensational Sherri was great as a manager. We could use some more female managers. Besides Beth Phoenix and Mickie James, is there a female talent you want to watch wrestle?

- Too many gimmick matches. The WWE's next PPV will feature every match as a gimmick match. Like the shows and belts, gimmick matches used to have meaning. Now there is no emphasis on these matches.

I know this is all a pipe dream, but can't a fan dream?

Sorry for the Bill Simmons Esq. type of column, but I had to get this off my chest.

Baseball Update: An Open Letter To Cubs Fans

The Baseball Update is a look at the happenings around Major League Baseball

Instead of looking at the entire NL Central this week, I thought I would write an open letter to all the Chicago Cubs fans.

Dear Chicago Cubs fans,

Let me start by saying I feel for you. You haven't seen a World Series win by your team in over 100 years and haven't seen the team in the series since 1945. Trust me I feel for you. Since the Giants moved to San Francisco they haven't won a World Series. Sure they have been to three of them in San Francisco ,but they didn't win. They were robbed by Bobby Richardson and the Yankees in 62, robbed by an Earthquake in 89, and robbed by Dusty Baker in 02(see we do have common ground, we both hate Dusty Baker). Like yourself, I want to see my team win a World Series badly. Like you, I keep telling myself if the Phillies can win one so can we. But unlike you, I realize my team isn't going to win the Series this year.

I already see you are blaming the umpire for Carlos Zambrano's meltdown from yesterday. You might as well blame the umps for all the injuries on the team, because that is how ridiculous it sounds. The ump was in the wrong yesterday, he did blow that call. But Zambrano must keep his cool and not take out his frustrations on a poor and helpless Gatorade cooler. But sadly his tirade will be the signature moment of your season.

The Cubs season has been an entire meltdown. This was the year the Cubs were suppose to right the ship(of course we said the same thing last year). This was the year the Cubs had pitching(the same thing was said in 03). And this was the year the Cubs had all the offense they needed to compete with the Phillies and Red Sox. But sadly injuries have put the Cubs into a tailspin. Sure the Cubs are only four games behind the Cardinals for first place. But let's be realistic, there is no way the Cubs make the playoffs this year.

The Aramis Ramirez injury is just too costly to the offense. He was the glue in the middle of the order. Since he has went down with a shoulder injury, the Cubs offense has gone from one of the best in the league to one of the worst. Right now the team is 25th in the majors in team average. Hell even the Giants have a better team average. The other Cubs hitters have been exposed since his injury. Derek Lee's disappearing act hasn't help though.

Also though you are finding out the true story to Rich Harden's career. Harden is perennially injured. He can never spend the entire season without at least making one trip to the DL. Oakland A's fans found this out a long time ago.

So you can keep telling yourselves the Cubs will make the playoffs, even though they are really just feeding off of week opponents. Hell I keep telling myself the Giants will win the NL West(which isn't true because the f-ing Dodgers aren't going anywhere). But that's all right. Because we have both witnessed our teams over the years disappoint us, but we keep coming back to them. There is always next year. That is something I have told myself about the Giants, and HBO documented you telling yourselves that.

Hopefully we can keep in touch and maybe schedule a therapy session together. Until next time.

Sincerely, Keith

The Mourning After: NFL Draft

(Guy on the Left: Who did we draft? Guy on the Right: Who gives a shit?)

Well the first two rounds of the NFL draft are over. There really wasn't a big shock in the first round. The Raiders choice of Darrius Heyward-Bey is just the Raiders going Raiders. Other than that pick nothing was really surprising.

Crabtree falling to the 49ers at the 10Th pick, wasn't surprising. Besides the Raiders, the other teams in the top 10 weren't in the need for a receiver. Let's break down the rest of the draft.

1. Detroit, Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia: This pick was made the night before the draft. Lions fans weren't really happy with the choice, but they will have to live with it. I am not the biggest Stafford fan, but he does have the size and the arm. If Jim Schwartz is the right coach, Stafford should be fine.

2. St. Louis, Jason Smith, OT, Baylor: The Rams needed a tackle to replace Orlando Pace. Smith is the right choice. He doesn't have the character issues like Andre Smith and he fits the mold of a typical offensive tackle. The Lions should have chosen him.

3. Kansas City, Tyson Jackson, DL, LSU: Jackson shot up the draft board in the last days leading up to the draft. The Chiefs choice of Glenn Dorsey didn't really work out last year. And they choose another LSU tackle? A curious move to say the least.

4. Seattle, Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest: This move was quite puzzling. Seattle isn't in need of an linebacker but they choose one anyways. I do think Curry is the only can't miss of the entire draft.

5. New York Jets from Cleveland, Mark Sanchez, QB, USC: The Jets traded up to take Sanchez. I like Sanchez more than I like Stafford. He won't drive you crazy with the type of throws he makes. Questions surrounding Sanchez is. Is he a one year wonder? And he was hurt often in college, how will he hold up in the NFL?

6. Cincinnati, Andre Smith, OL, Alabama: He is perfect fit for the Bengals. Has character issues and he is over weight. What could go wrong with this pick? Kiper said Nick Saban saved his ass by making phone calls after the NFL combine debacle.

7. Oakland, Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland: Here are some quotes from McShay after Goodell announced this pick. “I’m shocked. Shocked.” He also added this: “This has bust written all over it.” He is perfect for the Raiders. He is fast and he can't catch a single ball. Yep, he has bust written all over him.

8. Jacksonville, Eugene Monroe, OL, Virginia: Monroe will definitely give Gerrard the protection he needed. He will also provide run blocking for MJD. A very good pick for the Jags who keep improving their offensive line that was hammered last year with injuries.

9. Green Bay, B.J. Raji, DL, Boston College: A perfect fit for Green Bay. He is a nice space-eater for a week front seven. His play will be appreciated in Green Bay.

10. San Francisco, Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: When the Raiders passed over Crabtree, ESPN showed the Crabtree table giving a sign of relief. Anyways the 49ers finally chose the best player available, instead of drafting for need. He will go along great with Brandon Jones, Isaac Bruce, Arnez Battle, and Josh Morgan. I was really satisfied with this pick.

11. Buffalo, Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn St: The Bills needed either a offensive tackle or a pass rusher. So they went for a pass rusher. The Bills have had bad luck choosing defensive lineman lately, so good luck to Aaron Maybin.

12. Denver, Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia: Philly fans were upset that Moreno went to the Broncos. Denver really didn't need a running back, so they choose one. I guess Josh McDaniels doesn't want to play musical chairs with his running backs like previous coach Mike Shanahan did.

13. Washington, Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas: The Redskins finally made a choice that you cannot question. Orakpo will make them forget about the failed Jason Taylor experiment. Just a good choice overall.

14. New Orleans, Malcom Jenkins, CB, Ohio St: The Saints have needed a defensive back for a long time. And Jenkins fits the mold they were looking for. He has the toughness and speed to develop into a great corner. Might even be switched to safety.

15. Houston, Brian Cushing, LB, USC: Cushing is a great run defender. He is also one of the biggest hitters in the draft. His only problem is that he might get exposed in pass coverage which is one of his disadvantages.

16. San Diego, Larry English, LB, N. Illinois: Another reach, but he is a great football player. He isn't an athlete but he a relentless pass-rusher. The Chargers must want to develop English so they don't have to sign Shawne Merriman in a couple of years.

17. Tampa Bay from Cleveland, Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State: New Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris coached Freeman in college. Freeman could be a boom or a bust. He has the size and the strength you look for in an NFL quarterback. But there has been some concerns that he doesn't know how to read an NFL defense. That would be a big concern in my book.

18. Denver, Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee: The Broncos needed to draft for defense and they did when they chose Ayers. He has the size to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He is an excellent pass-rusher, which is what Denver needed.

19. Philadelphia from Cleveland, Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri: Maclin was kind of an surprise pick for the Eagles, but a good pick. Maclin needs to improve his route running but he is one of the best open-field runners in the draft.

20. Detroit, Brando Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St: The Lions got a great blocking tight end who has the size to block defensive ends. He is also a great possession receiver which the Lions needed badly.

21. Cleveland, Alex Mack, Center, Cal: Cleveland finally made a choice after trading down three times. Mack is a great all-around blocker. I watched his entire career at Cal and no one works harder than him. He has excellent foot work and uses his hands tremendously.

22. Minnesota, Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: Minnesota must like troubled wide receivers. Because this is the second time the Vikings have chosen one in the draft in the last 10 years. Harvin is a great athlete who needs to work on his route running. This pick could be a risky one.

23. Baltimore from New England, Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss: Oher, who was the subject of a great book, fell kind of low in the draft. While he has the size to be an NFL offensive lineman and the footwork, he has problems picking up a new offense. He might need to sit on the sidelines at first.

24. Altanta, Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss: He has problems working against double-teams, but he can get in the backfield and disrupt a running play. He will need to work on his lower-body strength.

25. Miami, Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois: Probably the best all-around corner in the league. Like his brother Vernon though, he has poor work ethics. If he has the same attitude as Vernon, he will be a bust.

26. Green Bay from New England, Clay Matthews, LB, USC: He has the pedigree to play in the NFL. He is also a great run-defender which was an weakness in Green Bay.

27. Indianapolis, Donald Brown, RB, UConn: I was surprised Indy made this choice but they went after the best available instead of need. Brown does read his blocks well, which will take him a long way in the NFL.

28. Buffalo, Eric Wood, Center, Lousiville: I would have chosen Max Unger, but this is a good pick. He has trouble moving sideline-to-sideline , but he has good footwork.

29. NY Giants, Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC: The Giants needed a tall receiver and they got one. He doesn't have great quickness but he can catch almost everything thrown his way.

30. Tennessee, Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers: Might need time to develop, but could become real effective. He has very deceptive speed and hands.

31. Arizona, Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St: The Cardinals needed a running back and they got one. There is still questions surrounding Wells' foot injury but he has rare speed and size for a running back.

32. Pittsburgh, Ziggy Hood, DL, Missouri: I have no idea who this is, but since Pittsburgh selected him I am sure he will be a first round steal.

Surprise of the Day: Rey Maualuga fell out of the first round and into the second round. There were some character issues surrounding Maualuga coming into the draft which might have hindered his selection. And since Maualuga has character issues, guess what team he went to? That's right Cincinnati!

Only the Raiders: The Raiders reach at number seven for receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. Todd McShay said the Raiders made a big mistake, which makes perfect sense for the Raiders and Al Davis. Al has always liked guys who can run fast and have hands of granite.

Only the Raiders, Part 2: How Raiders is this selection. In the 2nd round the Oakland Raiders selected Mike Mitchell from Ohio. And I am sure you are asking yourselves, who? He is a defensive back from Ohio who wasn't even invited to the combine. Mel Kiper was speechless after this selection. Of course the only reason the Raiders selected this guy is because he ran fast. Once again, how Raiders is this selection?

Day two of the draft is wear all the steals occur. You never know when a team is going to select the next Joe Montana or Tom Brady. It should be fun.

WrestleMania 25 Recap

Last night WrestleMania celebrated it's 25th anniversary in Houston Texas. It was an all-around good WrestleMania, with not a lot of gimmick matches.

Let's recap the action from last night.

Michael Cole, Jim Ross, and Jerry "The King" Lawler are announcers. Apparently Tazz's contract had expired, so the WWE just went with the three-man booth. They should have just gone with JR and Lawler. Having Cole there was absolutely pointless. He brought no qualities to WrestleMania and it would have been great to hear just JR and Lawler going back-and-forth like they used too.

After one of the Pussycat Dolls sang "America the Beautiful" we were greeted to our first match of the night.

The Money in the Bank ladder match: CM Punk, Kane, Mark Henry, Christian, Kofi Kingston, M.V.P., Finlay, and Shelton Benjamin were the competitors.

As usual this match was great. A lot of spectacular moves that would keep an average wrestling fan on the edge of their seats. Just a great match to start Wrestlemania.

CM Punk would come out victorious in the match. The second year in a row that he has won the MITB match

4 out of 5 stars

Kid Rock comes out to perform. This is the part when I grabbed some dinner.

25 Divas Battle Royal to Crown Miss WrestleMania: This match was completely useless. You cannot have a Battle Royal were opponents can go under or through the ropes to be eliminated. But I guess the WWE wanted this match to move at a quick paste.

This match did though provide some comic relief at the end. The Miss WrestleMania winner was none other than Santino dressed in drag. He said that his name was Santina, and that he was Santino's twin sister. This part saved this match and segment.

1 out of 5 stars

3-on-1 Elimination Match: Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat with Ric Flair: This match wasn't that bad at all. The legends were pretty good except Snuka. "Superfly" looked too old in the ring. They should have substituted Snuka with Sgt. Slaughter.

Ricky Steamboat was the one who stole the match. He looked fantastic for being in his 50's. He didn't look old and most of his moves came with a lot of fluidity, which is rare for someone his age. Jericho still picked up the win.

3 out of 4 stars

Ric Flair came into the ring to do his thing, but was quickly put down by Jericho. Then Jericho called out Mickey Rourke who was sitting ringside.

There was about three minuets of uncomfortableness before Rourke finally stepped in the ring. He danced around the ring with Jericho before landing a left hook sending Jericho to the ground. Another pointless gimmick that was not played out well at all.

Extreme Rules Match: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy: You knew at some point the WWE would have these two fighting. I am surprised this didn't happen sooner.

To give you some background into this fight, Matt Hardy turned heel and cost Jeff his WWE title. And how do all family members straighten out their problems? That's right they get in a squared circle and fight with chairs, tables, shop vac's, canes, trash cans, and ladders.

This was a great match, as you would expect from the Hardy's. The match ended with Jeff jumping off an ladder, missing Matt. Matt turned around and gave Jeff a Twist of Fate while Jeff's head was in a folding chair. Matt picked up the win. Really cool way to end a match.

4 out of 5 stars

You get to see Randy Orton preparing for his match in the locker room. Then they cut it back to JBL coming out for his match.

JBL on his way out to the ring makes fun of the Houston crowd and talks about how this will be the greatest day of his life.

Rey Mysterio comes out with a joker mask on. He looked flat out bizarre.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: JBL vs. Rey Mysterio: After JBL hit Mysterio before the bell rang, Mysterio hit JBL. Then he set him up for the 6-1-9 and finished that with a big splash. The match in total lasted only :21 seconds.

While it was a short match is was funny to watch.

2 out of 5 stars, needed to be a little longer.

After the match, JBL sat in the middle of the ring. Then he got up and announced to the crowd that he quits. The crowd waves him goodbye.

After long introductions we get ready for the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match.

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels: The last WWE five-star match ever given by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer was an Undertaker, Michaels match. It was the very first Hell in a Cell match. Well after this match, I think they both earned another five-star match.

This match was 30 minutes of pure goodness. The match started pretty slow, both men doing their normal things. But then action really started to get going.

Michaels attempted a Moonsault on Undertaker outside of the ring. Taker threw down Michaels and he hit the floor so hard that it hurt me. While Michaels is outside of the ring, Undertaker is going to attempts a dive. Michaels shoves the referee out of the way and shoves the cameraman into the way of Undertaker. Taker hits the cameraman and the floor hard. After Michaels gets the ref back in the ring, he starts giving Undertaker the 10-count. Undertaker barely makes back into the ring, setting up the most dramatic 10-minutes of wrestling that I have ever seen.

Both men go back-and-forth. Both men successfully hit their patent moves. Both men kick out of the 3-count. Finally at the end, Michaels attempts another Moonsault. Undertaker catches him and gives him the Tombstone piledriver. Undertaker is your winner and improves his WrestleMania win streak to 17-0. This match was an instant classic.

5 out of 5 stars

We get the two main events now. But after the the Undertaker, Michaels match any match would be a disappointment.

World Heavyweight Title Match: John Cena vs. Big Show vs. Edge: I have never been that big of fan of triple threat matches. Most of the time they are pointless and they can't end soon enough. This one was particularly bad because Big Show was involved. Big Show is like the Shawn Kemp of the WWE. He has all this skill but it has been wasted.

This match wasn't that bad. Both men did their things in the ring. Best part of the match was when Edge hit Vicki Guerrero with the Spear and knocked her off the ring apron.

Cena won the title by F.U.'ing Big Show, then F.U.'ing Edge on top of Big Show.

3 out of 5 stars

Up next, the second main event.

WWE Title Match: Randy Orton vs. Triple H: Their was a twist in this match. If Triple H is DQ'd, he loses the match. This match was an all-around disappointment. There was such a great buildup to this match, that you would think this match would be great.

The match ended with Triple H nailing Orton with his sledge hammer after the ref was knocked out. He hit Orton a couple more of times, then finally gave him the pedigree.

Pretty disappointing way to end a great WrestleMania.

2 out of 5 stars

An all-around solid WrestleMania. WrestleMania 17 is still the best one that I have ever seen, but this one wasn't that bad. It gave us an classic match with Undertaker, Michaels and it also gave us the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Stone Cold was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the weekend. During the WrestleMania, Austin came out and did his thing. He drank some beers in the ring and drank a beer with JR. It was just great to see Stone Cold again, and reminisce about the old days.

Good Ole' JR One-Liners
Of course would any WrestleMania would be complete without some Jim Ross one-liners? No, so here are a couple of gems from Jim Ross last night.

"They didn't land in a lazy-boy."- Talking about when Edge speared Big Show through the ring barricade.

"I am not driving tonight."- After he drank a beer with Stone Cold

"I just had an out-of-body experience."- Talking about Shawn Michaels kicking out of a Tombstone Piledriver.

"The world is watching a classic."- Talking about the Undertaker-Michaels match

"Broken chairs, broken tables."-Jerry Lawler
"Broken Brotherhood."- Jim Ross, talking about the Hardy-Hardy match

"That will affect the love triangle."- Talking about Big Show throwing Edge on the ropes right onto his anatomy.

The Tournament Needed Patty Mills and Stephen Cury

As we all know this year's NCAA tournament hasn't exactly been friendly to the mid-majors. The lowest seed to make the Sweet 16 is Arizona and I still refuse to call them a Cinderella team. So the tournament has been all chalk.

I like dominate teams just as much as the other person. The best teams playing against each other usually gives you a better game. But the tournament has always been about Cinderella. There is always one team that is in the Sweet 16 that probably shouldn't be there. That's why Davidson last year was such a great story. And they made it to the Elite 8. George Mason made an unexpected run to the final 4 in 2006. Along the way they took down power house schools North Carolina and UConn. The nation was behind these teams and rallied behind them. We all routed for them.

That's why this year's tournament needed Stephen Curry and Davidson, and Patrick Mills and St. Mary's. Last night these to hooked up in a NIT game last night in Moraga, California. And as you expected it was epic.

Stephen Curry was feeling it with his shot. He scored a game-high 26 points. Patty Mills dazzled with his ball handling skills dishing out 10 assists and scoring 23 points.

Curry and Mills faced off against each other for most of the night. Mills and St. Mary's finally ran away from Curry and Davidson in the second half to get the 80-68 win. Mills made the play of the night by knifing down the lane to score an lay-up to put the game away.

The atmoshpere for the game was incredible. St. Mary's arena was jammed pack with screaming fans. This is why the NCAA tournament needed Patty Mills and Stephen Curry.

Besides an overtime game and a couple of last-second game winners, this tournament has been pretty boring. Just another reason why more mid-majors have to be invited to the tournament.

Mid-major programs always have a chip on their shoulders. All mid-major teams give top seeds all they can handle. Just watch the tape of the Siena-Louisville game on Sunday. While Siena didn't win, they were not blown out. Louisville had to pull out all of the stops to finally put away Siena. And you can not tell me, besides Louisville fans, that the whole nation wasn't pulling for Siena.

That's why we needed either St. Mary's or Davidson in the NCAA tournament. Both Patty Mills and Stephen Curry are two of the players in the nation. I still believe when he is healthy, Patty Mills is the best point guard in the nation. He is a cross between Chris Paul and Tony Parker. He ball handling skills are incredible and he is one of the hardest players to guard.

Patty Mills isn't alone though for St. Mary's. Wayne Hunter is a great defender. Diamon Simpson can pull a double-double every night. St. Mary's this year could have reached the Sweet 16 and gave us the story we all wanted. The little team that could.

Curry and Davidson on the other hand wasn't even close to making the tournament. But they should have been chosen despite this fact. Curry is one the best pure scorers in the nation. He can score by rolling out of his bed. We needed Curry and Davidson in this tournament. Or at least CBS should have made Curry's mom, Sonya, a sideline reporter. Have you seen this women? She is gorgeous. The selection committee didn't do us any favorites by not inviting Davidson.

These two would have created a great enviroment for college basketball. Their skills alone would dazzle a crowd. But they would have also brought us the drama, we all want. You know if they played in the tournament their games would be last-second buzzer beater type of games. The crowds would actually be into the games. I bet if you placed Davidson in Miami this year, you wouldn't have seen an half-empty arena. But we will never know now. Because most likely both of these young players are headed to the NBA after this season.

While we get to see the best teams in the Sweet 16 this year, that doesn't mean we will have the best games. This tournament needed Stephen Curry and Patty Mills. They would have given us the drama we all desire.

The Mourning After: NCAA Tournament Round 2 Observations

Round 2 finally gave us some excitement. Sure there was really no upsets, and no I won't call Arizona a Cinderella, but there were some edge of your seat finishes.

Like the ending of the Marquette, Missouri game. In the final seconds of the game a Missouri player was fouled which lead to an injury. Missouri used a "pinch" free throw shooter to take the lead.

Then Lazar Hayward became infamous. Down by two with 5.5 seconds left Hayward was in charge of inbounding the ball. Missouri went with their usual full-court press and Hayward hesitated and stepped on the line. He turned the ball over to Missouri erasing Marquette's shot at a last-second shot.

Hayward I am sure is taking a beating from the entire state of Wisconsin right now. But it wasn't all his fault. Missouri was using a stingy full-court defense that wasn't going to allow anything by. Also making a shot in 5.5 seconds is tougher than it looks. For every Christian Laettner and Bryce Drew there is one guy who takes a last-second shot and either airball's it or the ball clanks off the rim. Just ask VCU's Eric Maynor about it.

Hayward did make a crucial mistake, but the odd were against Marquette from even tieing that game.

Here are some more observations:

- Here's an interesting fact. Xavier, who is coached by Sean Miller, will face Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16. Why is this important? Because Miller was the person who passed the ball to Jerome Lane who promptly slammed the ball and broke the backboard. Bill Raftery then unleashed the famous "Send it in, Jerome!"

- The referee's screwed up by not recognizing Western Kentucky coach trying to call a timeout during their game with Gonzaga. The Zags took the lead with 0.9 seconds left, giving the Hilltoppers a chance. W. Kentucky coach Ken McDonald was calling for the timeout but the refs didn't recognize it, and W. Kentucky lost the game. Granted they probably wouldn't have scored 0.9 seconds you have to give them a chance.

- Siena probably put up the toughest fight of the weekend. After beating Ohio St. in two overtimes, they took Louisville down to the wire. If it wasn't for Terrance Williams, Louisville would have lost that game.

- Ty Lawson wins the toughest player of the NCAA tournament so far. Lawson, who is fighting a painful toe injury, was the key reason why the Tar Heels beat LSU on Saturday.

- Why does Oklahoma allow their star player Blake Griffin to get beat up in their games? They allowed Texas to knock him out silly. They allowed a Morgan St. player to give him an armbar. They allowed Michigan players to play Hack-a-Shaq on him. They do nothing about it. I am not saying Griffin needs to respond, because he doesn't. But someone else on that team needs to get some payback for all the cheap shots Griffin has had to take.

- It took almost two games, but Eric Devendorf of Syracuse finally profiled a shot. After Arizona St. was getting closer to Syracuse in the game, Devendorf hit a three to extend the lead. Then Devendorf hit another three to basically put the game out of reach. For his last three Devendorf went all douche with it, and profiled the shot. He can't go the entire tournament without profiling a shot. Wait until he has to face Blake Griffin in the Sweet 16.

- Have to love Duke going crazy after their win over Texas. They realize they play for Duke right? They have been to the Sweet 16 before. But I'd guess I would go crazy too if I haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 2006.

While there really isn't any Cinderella teams in the Sweet 16, and no Arizona doesn't count, there are some great match ups. We should have another fun weekend, with the action kicking off on Thursday.