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Okay, cool your pants or your grunts of “What is he thinking?!?!?!” Jordan isn’t coming back to play, although he could probably school 75% of the NBA, but His Airness is coming back as an owner. Specifically a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, which is owned primarily by Bob Johnson. Jordan will become the second biggest investor in the team and will be the manager of basketball operations, which will make Jordan a hands-on owner involved in personnel moves and things of that nature.
Hopefully Jordan doesn’t make anymore dumb moves like taking a high schooler without a pedigree like Kwame Brown with the number one overall pick as he did with the Washington Wizards in 2001. Basically, what I’m saying is, if your team needs someone to produce, basically right away, don’t go for the high schooler unless it’s an obvious choice, such as a LeBron James.
The Bobcats have the third overall pick in this year’s draft, which takes place on June 28. Jordan can redeem himself from 2001’s failure with a solid pick this time around. Luckiliy, there are are a few big men in LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, and Andrea Barganini that are available in this year’s draft. With an injured Emeka Okafor and Sean May, last year’s second first round draft pick, the first being Raymond Felton, the Bobcats should go big.
Jordan’s coming back into the league will be a good thing for the NBA as he is regarded by most as being the best player ever to lace them up and hit the hardwood. It’ll be a big boost for the Bobcats, naturally, because of Jordan’s roots in the state, where he helped the University of North Carolina win an NCAA Championship in 1982. Also, you have to think that they players on the team might step up their games because they’re playing for “the man you couldn’t stop, but only hope to contain.” With the athletic Gerald Wallace improving, as well as the aforementioned Felton who stepped up big and flashed All-Star potential when he started, there is a good base to build from. Especially if Okafor can stay healthy.
Michael Jordan, welcome back. I have a feeling this go-around will be a good one.
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The Miami Heat must be praying that Dwyane Wade’s knee is good enough, in fact better, to play in tonight’s Game Four against the Dallas Mavericks. In Game Three, despite colliding with teammate Shaquille O’Neal that caused Wade’s knee to be injured, Wade put on a dribbling and penetrating to the rack display for a final tally of 42 points. That explosion from Wade and a missed free-throw from the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki that could have tied the game with just over three seconds left in regulation, brings us to tonight’s game with the Mavs owning a 2-1 lead in the series.
For the Heat, they really must get O’Neal going. In fact, the Diesel needs to get himself going as he’s looked tentative with teh ball in his hands. O’Neal isn’t attacking the basket with the fervor he should have to win another title. In fact, you can argue that Erick Dampier has been just as good as Shaq. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Either O’Neal needs to establish himself down in the box and dominate or the perimater shooters that are open, namely Jason Williams and Antoine Walker, need to hit the open shots.
Of course, Wade will still be relied upon, but with his knee injury, it wouldn’t be wise to expect another performance that has Wade taking his team on his shoulders and to a win. Wade is a tough player, but he isn’t Superman. That role is supposed to fall on O’Neal. However, O’Neal will need to take more than nine shots in a game to do that.
As far as the Mavericks go, they don’t have to change anything about their game plan. They played bad enough to win Game Three and have basically dictated the series with their offense and defensive play, as evidenced by containing the force that is Shaquille O’Neal. If they should do anything, they might want to establish themselves early in the contest to play the tempo they want and take the Miami faithful out of the game.
The game tips off tonight at 9pm.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.13.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
NBA FINALS: Everyone is asking - Can Shaquille O’Neal hack it anymore? Naturally, coming off a five point performance will have people questioning Shaq’s ability, but C’MON! This is Shaq we’re talking about here. Is he dominating like he did in seasons past? Of course not. But, he’s still a force in the blocks and considering he only took five total shots from the field, someone needs to remind him. Well, I know this much, you can question O’Neal’s ability all you want because essentially, I think we all know better. But, once you start questioning his heart, the big lug has too much pride to not get the last laugh.
*Game Three happens down in the sunny shores and beautiful views (models and all) of Miami. This is a critical game for the Heat because a Boston Red Sox style comeback from a 3-0 deficit is a rare thing. It’s as rare as Rachel McAdams going out on a date with me… maybe, just maybe if I can get her inebriated enough, she’ll say yes. Of course, when sobriety kicks in, she’ll have no idea, but at least I’d know. ANYWAY, the Heat cannot afford to lose because the Dallas Mavericks would have all the momentum going in their favor. Excuse me, even more momentum in their favor. It seems like they can’t miss. The Heat need to put a stop to that and feeding O’Neal down in the post seems to be a good remedy to get it started.
MLB: Is Roger Clemens kidding? In six innings of work, the Rocket only allowed two hits and struck out 11 in his second rehab start with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Unreal. Clemens is on schedule to make his MLB debut on June 22 against the Minnesota Twins.
*Two of the hottest teams right now (both winning eight of their last 10 games) are the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, A.L. West rivals and combatants that start a three game set tonight in Oak-Town. Since the A.L. West always ends up being a close race down to the end, this series could be an important one for both clubs in determining their fates. Jamie Moyer takes the hill for the Mariners, while Joe Blanton takes the mound for the A’s.
*The old-timers, Tom Glavine of the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox’s Curt Schilling go for their tenth wins tonight and continue to lead their respective leagues in wins. Glavine will deal to the potentially dangerous Philadelphia Phillies batting order in Philly and Schilling faces the Minnesota Twinkies led by the hot-hitting Joe Mauer. Will experience win and youth be served? Or will the youngsters make Glavine and Schilling look like old men.
*Speaking of youth, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Jered Weaver makes his fourth start, looking to stay undefeated and go 4-0. Weaver has been every bit as good as most people projected him to be with a 3-0 record, 1.86 ERA, .162 BAA, 17 K versus 3 BB in 19.1 IP. There’s a very good possibility the young Weaver will bump the old weaver, older brother Jeff, from the Angels’ rotation when ace Bartolo Colon comes off the DL. I hope Jeff likes the bullpen.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.11.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, Soccer,
FIFA World Cup: Yesterday’s matches was just as eventful as the first day’s. Trinidad and Tobago played to a scoreless draw against a strong Sweden team, who just couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities. However, Shaka Hislop did take it to another level tending goal for T&T. The England/Paraguay match was odd in that, within three minutes of play, a David Beckham kick deflected off of Carlos Gammarra’s head into Gammarra’s own goal. And the scoring ended there with England winning 1-0. The Argentina contest with Ivory Coast pretty much went as it probably would have with the young, but talented Argentinians winning 2-1. Here are today’s matches:
*Group C: Serbia and Montenegro VS. Netherlands
*Group D: Mexico VS. Iran
*Group D: Angola VS. Portugal
NBA Finals: In Game One of this final series of the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks won 90-80 against the Miami Heat. The Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki had a subpar game, but “The Jet,” Jason Terry turned it up and scored 32 points, seemingly not being capable of missing any shot that left his hand. Credit must also be given to the Mavs’ defense and Erick Dampier for doing better than expected and not totally succumbing to the force that is known as Shaquille O’Neal.
Click to continue reading Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.11.06
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.8.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
NBA: Game One of the NBA Finals gets underway tonight in the Big D, Dallas as the Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat. Unfortunately for those backing the Heat (like me), Dwyane Wade is still not feeling 100% due to a sinus infection, but this is the NBA Finals! And Wade is a gamer, so he’ll be suiting up for tonight’s contest. Something to watch tonight is when the Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal sets up in the post on Mavs center, Erick Dampier. In the past, O’Neal has called Dampier soft and in last year’s playoffs blamed a leg injury for him playing “like Erick Dampier.” Of course Shaq is taking the high road now saying that he was just kidding around. Well, like they say, there’s always some truth to a joke. After tonight’s game, we’ll see who is the butt of the joke. The game tips off at 9pm EST.
NHL: It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes MIGHT be on their way to a sweep. Since losing Dwayne Roloson, the Edomonton Oilers appear to be struggling and maybe a bit deflated. Last night’s 5-0 win is proof positive of that. However, the series shifts to Edmonton for Game Three, which takes place on Saturday. Obviously, there are no games tonight.
MLB: The big news in baseball is Jason Grimsley, the former Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher, whose home was searched for six hours on Tuesday by federal agents after he failed to cooperate with them. He was originally caught by them in April when they tracked a package of human growth hormone kits. Grimsley was given two options - cooperate and be interviewed about drug use in Major League Baseball or submit to an immediate search. At that point, he agreed to be interviewed, but then decided not to assist in the investigation any longer. Thus the search on Tuesday. It’s a dicey situation and it’s unfortunate for baseball and its fans, but it’s the sad reality of baseball’s current state.
*There’s a matchup of two potentially great youngsters tonight in San Francsico when the Giants try to be as unhospitable as possible to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The two young guns taking the mound tonight will be Zach Duke for the visiting Bucs and Matt Cain for the Giants. Both had impressive beginnings last season when they both made their MLB debuts, but both have been inconsistent thus far this season, but what do you expect? They’re young.
*Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez of the New York Mets visits the club that traded him recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks. From what I’ve seen of Hernandez in the past, he’s a player that has a lot of pride and I’m sure he’s itching to shut out his old team. We’ll see what happens tonight in the desert. On the hill for the D’backs will be Claudio Vargas.
Enjoy the games!
NBA Finals Game One Preview: Miami Heat
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
Special to End Score from Dropping Dimes
As Rod Stewart sang - “Tonight’s the night! It’s gonna be alright.” Actually, it’ll be alright for one team in tonight’s NBA Finals when they win the opening game of the series. So, who will it be? The Miami Heat led by Wade and O’Neal? Or the Dallas Mavericks who ride the shoulders of Nowitzki? We’re no Nostradamuses (or would that be Nostradami?), but we’ll break down how each team can win by pointing out some keys to victory. For your viewing (dis)pleasure, here’s our opinion on how the Miami Heat can win.
To see how the Mavs can win, check it out here!
Three Keys On Offense:
1) Feed the Diesel - And I’m not talking about sandwiches, I’m talking about the pill. The way Shaq has looked lately, you must feed the big fella down in the box. Consider Game Six against the Pistons when O’Neal went off for 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the floor, 16 boards, and five “get that shiznit out of here” blocks. The man looked ridiculously like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Just give the man the ball and he’ll do it up like Karl Malone did and deliver.
Click to continue reading NBA Finals Game One Preview: Miami Heat
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: Sign Of The Beast Edition
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Well, it’s 06/06/06… ooh, shivers. So, anyone see Satan yet or what? As far as I know he’s still in his fiery pit and probably laughing at us and saying to himself, “What a bunch of superstitious dumbarses! Ain’t that right, Nero?” If you get the Nero reference, that shows a sign of your intellect!
NBA: We’re two days away from Game One between the Salma Hayeks and Tom Cruises, that is to say the Heat and Mavericks. Can you feel the excitement in the air? Or, maybe, it’s just me.
NHL: Last night’s Game One was excellent and you can read about it here or scroll down. It could be a short series with Dwayne Roloson injured and possibly out the rest of the way.
MLB: There are three great matchups featuring young gun pitchers who could all be talked about being in the upper echelon of pitchers within five years for that time. Get a preview of the possible greatness to come tonight.
*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim youngster, Ervin Santana, was a highly-regarded prospect and still has some things to work on on the Major League level, but is showing improvement this season, especially when it comes to his control. Santana has limited his BB/IP ratio from 0.35 last year during his rookie season to 0.25. Santana and his Angels will match up against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Scott Kazmir, who is simply blowing batters away at a rate of 1.05 per inning. Again, control plays a role in the success of a young pitcher as Kazmir who averaged 0.53 walks per inning has drastically dropped tha ratio to 0.36. Look for a great matchup between the two youngsters.
*King Felix Hernandez meet the man who wants your crown as being the top pitching prospect in the game today, Francisco Liriano. To say that the Seattle Mariners’ Hernandez has been a disappoint thus far would be understatement. Last season, the King had a stellar rookie year (however short) when he went 4-4, but with a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .203 BAA, and 77 strikeouts in 84.1 IP. This season? A 5.78 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .289 BAA, and 63 strikeouts in 62.1 IP. Now, the K’s are nice, but that’s about it. So, how about this season’s pitching stud to watch? After starting off in the bullpen, the Minnesota Twins’ Liriano has been excellent in his three starts, giving up only one run in 16.0 IP, striking out 15. For the season, Liriano sports a 2.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a .243 BAA. In 38.1 IP, Liriano has 47 K’s. Yowza!
*The Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels comes off the DL to start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Cruz, who’s always been in the spotlight because of his K ability, but never really getting a chance. He does tonight against a strong Phillies lineup. In his last three starts, Cruz has given up two earned runs in 19 frames, while striking out 13 and has gone 2-1. Hamels, coming off a shoulder strain to his pitching arm, will try to show some of that magic that he was hyped about earlier in the season. While he has the ability to make hitters miss (12 K in 11.1 IP), he still has control issues (but relative to the above, don’t all rookie pitchers?) and has walked nine in that same 11.1 inning span.
That’s all I got. Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.4.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Injuries, MLB, NBA, News, Playoffs,
NBA: A “yee-hah” congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks who beat the Phoenix Suns last night in the desert, 102-93. The Mavs will face the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals as both franchises will be making their championship series debut. The road to the title begins on Thursday, June 8th in Dallas.
MLB: Arguably the best player in the game today, Albert Pujols, suffered a strained oblique in yesterday’s game betwen his St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. At this point it’s unknown when Pujols will return to the team, but he could miss as much as six weeks, according to team physician, Dr. George Paletta. Stay tuned.
*Rich Harden takes the hill for the Oakland Athletics again. Athletics Nation stand up! Oh, and cross fingers that Harden doesn’t get hurt again because he’s probably your best pitcher. Harden will try to handcuff the Minnesota Twinkies in Oakland this afternoon.
*Chris Young of the San Diego Padres will face the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon and hopes to continue his brilliance from earlier this week. Young was flirting with a no-no against the Colorado Rockies when he went eight frames only allowing one hit, a double by OF Brad Hawpe to lead the eighth inning. Young is currently 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .215 BAA, with 54 strikeouts in 66.1 IP.
*Tonight’s featured game is between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Cleveland Indians. Yesterday, the Indians completely waxed some Angels butt, 14-2. John Lackey pitches for the Angels, while a dominating C.C. Sabathia takes the mound for the Tribe. Both teams were considered playoff contenders before the season, so this could potentially be a warm-up of sorts before October rolls around.
*Well, Dan Haren DID make me look like a genius yesterday. He went six frames, allowing zero runs, only three hits, while striking out six and walking two. Haren didn’t get the decision, but he made up for Monday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals!
Enjoy the games!
First it was the Miami Heat. Now, it’s the Dallas Mavericks. With the Mavs beating the Phoenix Suns 102-93 in Game Six of the Western Conference championship series, the organization will be making its first appearance in the NBA Finals. There’s no telling who will win the NBA crown, but one thing is definite - there will be a first-time NBA Champion this season.
The Suns started off as hot as a team could in the first quarter, taking a 29-14 lead heading into the second quarter. They were straight-up blazing. It looked like it was going to be a blowout and at halftime, leading 51-39, the Suns had to be feeling pretty good about themselves.
But then came the third quarter and the emphasis on defense that Mavs head coach, Avery Johnson, preached to his team all season. The Suns were put on lock and only scored 15 points in the third. And worst of all, they looked deflated on the court. What was once a lead by as much as 18 points was now only a four point lead (66-62) going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, things got very ugly for the Suns as they allowed the Mavs to score 40 points on them. Yikes! The Suns didn’t even put up a strong string of points, which they’ve been doing all playoffs to make the game close. With Dirk Nowitzki dominating again, Jerry Stackhouse hitting open shots, and Jason Terry penetrating seemingly at will, there was no denying the Mavs their first trip to the Finals.
So, while the Suns will be setting in the West, the Mavs hope to rise to the occassion and hope they can once again avoid getting burned, this time from the Miami Heat. The two first-time NBA Finals participants begin to make team history on Thursday, June 8th in Dallas, as Game One tips off at 9pm EST.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.3.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Golf, MLB, NBA, Playoffs,
NBA: Congrats to the Miami Heat for earning their first NBA Finals appearance by beating the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Detroit Pistons. Last night’s 95-78 win made history for the Heat. They await the winner of tonight’s Western Conference series.
*If the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns in the desert, they will also make history as they would make their first appearance in the NBA Finals just like the Heat. However, it will be a tough road to do so as they get back in the heat of the Suns homecourt. However, as they’ve proven in Game Three, the Mavs are fully capable of beating the Suns in Phoenix. But, you have to believe that Steve Nash and company have enough pride and competitive fire to not let that happen again. We’ll find out tonight if the Suns will see the light of a Game Seven, or if the Mavs are on their way to a Game One of an NBA Final series. The jumpball happens at 8:30pm EST.
MLB: Eric Gagne made his comeback last night against the Philadelphia Phillies! Rejoice, Dodgers fans! It looks like Gagne will be out there in the ninth frame again. Yippee!
*After a rain-out Friday night, the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants play a doubleheader this afternoon. Tom Glavine will get a chance to be the Majors first nine-game winner after Curt Schilling couldn’t get his ninth win for the season last night against the Detroit Tigers, despite pitching well. Glavine will pitch the back end of the double dip.
*The pitcher I predicted would do well earlier this week, the Oakland A’s Dan Haren, gets a chance to make me look good tonight after losing to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday 6-4. Haren went 6.2 innings, giving up four earned runs, but did strikeout nine while only walking two. Let’s see if he can put it together today against the Minnesota Twinkies.
*Kelvim Escobar of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim recently signed a lucrative three-year contract with the team. I’m glad to see his ability getting its just due. Escobar has a very good career K-rate and in recent seasons has improved his K/BB rate as well. Let’s see if the money goes to head as he faces the Cleveland Indians this afternoon on the Tribe’s turf. I personally don’t think so, but money does things to people, especially athletes.
Golf: The Memorial Tournament continues today, despite rainy conditions in Dublin, Ohio. Carl Pettersson (-8) is tied at the top of the leaderboard, but Sean O’Hair (-8) didn’t get to finish his round yesterday, completing only six holes. Some notables: Vijay Singh (-1); Jim Furyk (-1); Stuart Appleby (-1); Phil Mickelson (+1).
Enjoy the games!
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