Bleacher Report - Articles by Craig Shorey

Los Angeles Lakers Really Won 10th NBA Title

Craig Shorey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:38:26 -0400

The Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA Champions, but they are not going to win any math contests. This is not their 15th championship.

The Lakers and Boston Celtics have battled to be the best in the NBA for a long time. The Celtics have maintained the overall edge in this battle by winning more championships.

To compete with the Celtics for the total number of banners, the Lakers stole five championships and, in one single night, put five banners up in their rafters.

How could they do this?

They laid claim to five titles won by the Minneapolis Lakers.

If the L.A. Lakers had wanted these titles early on after the move from Minnesota, then there would be no beef. Yet, they waited more than 30 years to claim these titles. That is way too long.

In today’s sports climate, the Los Angeles Lakers would not even be able to call themselves the Lakers, much less lift these five titles. Just ask the fans of the Seattle Sonics, who ensured that Oklahoma City would not take their titles.

Hollywood is infamous for making changes to a story for dramatic affect, and it has managed to do the same thing with its beloved L.A. Lakers. It is time for the record to be set straight and the stolen titles returned to NBA fans in Minnesota.

Congratulations to the L.A. Lakers on winning their 10th NBA championship.

Michael Vick: No Angel, But Should He Get PETA?

Craig Shorey — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:54:54 -0400

Granted, the things Michael Vick and his crew did to those dogs were horrible, unlawful, and turns the stomach of even non-PETA members.

He has been in jail nearly two years, lost more money than most of us will make in five life times, and now he will haunted by animal activists at whatever job he takes.

Vick has paid his debt to society and then some if you ask me. The only reason he has been in jail this long is because unfortunately for him in addition to the animal cruelty he crossed state lines to participate in what the government calls racketeering.

PETA has just been waiting for the opportunity to hunt and haunt this man. I wish I was shocked about by that.

Back in September of 2007, Vick met with PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. He apologized for his crimes and agreed to take an eight hour course called “Developing Empathy for Animals”.

He did attend the class and passed a written test that was given to him by PETA.

Vick also under court rule of course, has placed $1 million in an escrow account to take care of the rescued dogs. Doing these things he should be good with PETA, right?

Oh no, of course not.

Now, according to PETA’s Web site, they have written the NFL office requesting that Vick not be reinstated until he gets a brain scan and takes some test.

They are asking their supporters to send the same letter by email right off their site.

Why?

Because PETA believes Vick may have an “anti-social personality disorder” referred to as APD making him “often charming, prone to lying and manipulation, and incapable of genuine remorse”.

How many professional athletes would qualify for having APD? And then what should the league do if is diagnosed with it?

I am certain although there are no current reports that I am aware of, that as soon as Vick is completely out of jail and especially if he gets an NFL job PETA will protest the heck out of this guy.

No doubt the plans PETA have in mind to work against Vick and give them some more notoriety will be so dreadful and relentless that they should and even may be put in jail for themselves.

Unfortunately for Vick, this group thinks it is honorable to go to jail for crimes against humans in the name of animal rights.

Hey PETA, for once decide to do something that impressions someone who is not on your membership roll.

Tell the world that while you cannot judge Vick’s sincerity, nor guarantee that he will not commit crimes against animals in the future, you applaud his efforts to meet with PETA and take all the training you offered him.

Share with the world that you will not in any way do anything to hinder Vick from seeking employment and making a living. Wish him the best as he attempts to put his life back together.

If PETA does that, I’ll send them a check myself.

I am sure my money will be safe.

Kansas City Royals Play Like Royalty Tonight

Craig Shorey — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:15:34 -0400

It's the ninth inning, the Indians are ahead by three runs with Kerry Woods on the mound; it is a no-brainier to what is going to happen, right? The Royals will lose yet again.

This scene, makes it time to leave the ballpark or turn the channel and focus on something else.

If you did give up on the Royals tonight, you missed a very exciting comeback win by the Royals.

“Defiantly a great win” said David DeJesus during the on-field after the post-game interview.

Mike Jacobs hits a home run.

Mark Teahan hits a home run

After DeJesus drives in a run hitting a triple, Willie Bloomquist drives in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.

“I haven’t seen, since I’ve been year, a comeback like that in our home ballparks,” said Royals manager Trey Hillman.

I totally agree. The energy during the ninth from the fans and the players was almost playoff energy, and on a Tuesday night in May.

This is the kind of win that helps shape a team. Maybe, just maybe, this team can use this to build moments.

“It (a win like this) can vault ya,” commented Hillman.

This team just might be for real. I predict a winning streak to come out this.

Eddie House and Other Boston Celtics Moves For Next Season

Craig Shorey — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:45:50 -0400

Enough about Game Seven against one of those teams from Florida. Let's move on to the Boston Celtics' plan for championship No. 18.

Danny Ainge, Celtics General Manger, will have to make many decisions this offseason that will affect the next two seasons.

Here is a look at each player and the possible outcomes.

Easier Calls

At the deep end of the bench is J. R. Giddens. He is a rookie guard who has at least one year left on his current contract. I believe he will return next year but don't be surprised if he is thrown into a trade.

As a restricted free agent after next season, Gabe Pruitt will not see any new deals this offseason. He also would be available for a trade, but I don't see that happening. He will be in Boston again next year.

There will be no change at all for rookie guard Bill Walker.

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins is all locked for next year, no change.

Stephan Marbury and Mikki Moore are both free agents this offseason. I do not expect either one of them to be wearing Celtic green next year. Maybe, just maybe Marbury if he is willing to play for cheap, but I expect him to be gone. He might even end up overseas.

Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine are both unrestricted free agents in 2010. Neither will be offered an extension before the start of the upcoming season. If Ainge can get a deal he likes, one of them will be gone.

Just to have my predictions down now, I’ll say T. Allen stays and Scalabrine is gone in a trade.

If Kevin Garnett does not have surgery within the next 14 days, my list of questions will grow immensely, but I’ll wait on that for now. I just don't believe we have been told everything about his physical condition. That concerns me.

KG’s early termination option was removed from his contract when he signed his deal worth around $60 million with the Celtics. Thank you, Ainge. He is not going anywhere soon, regardless of his knee’s health.

The Harder Calls

Six additional Celtics will become free agents either this offseason or in 2010. This year's restricted free agents are Glen Davis and Leon Powe.

The Celtics might let Big Baby shop around, but I fully expect them to match any offer another team might give him.

Powe is a wild card because of the knee injury that ended his season early. It will just depend on his rehab, how much Powe thinks he is worth and other players available. It could go either way. My prediction, he will be on the team.

This years’ most valuable unrestricted free agent is Eddie House. He will probably exercise his option. If you want to see the Celtics quickly resign him, you could be disappointed.

If House is looking for his big payday, he could be gone, but the Celtics cannot afford to lose another threat off the bench, like they did when they let James Posey get away.

I think House will be gone and the Celtics will seek a replacement because of salary issues and looking toward 2011. I hope I am wrong.

After next season, Ray Allen and Paul Peirce (has an early termination option) become unrestricted free agents. Plus, Rajon Rondo becomes a restricted free agent. This could seriously affect what the Celtics offer House.

I do not think Allen, Peirce or the Celtics want to wait until the 2010 offseason to get a deal done. Right at this moment, the 2010 list of free agents is huge:

LeBron James
Dirk Nowitzki
Yao Ming
Tracy McGrady
Dwyane Wade
Amare Stoudemire
Brandon Roy

You can count on both Allen and Peirce being with Celtics next year, and I hope both have new deals done no later than the All-Star Break.

Rondo will be a Celtic for sure next year, but as a possible member of that 2010 free agent class, we will have to see when the Celtics start talking to him.

This offseason will be the first indication of how many more runs Ainge thinks the Big Three have left to run for a title. I hope it is at least three more.

MLB's Drug Plan, Lampooned

Craig Shorey — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:53:04 -0400

In response to all the dirty little drug secrets that are now muddying up the records and play of baseball, MLB may want to consider a new approach to dealing drugs.

Alex Rodriguez and Many Ramirez could represent their leagues as public spokesmen for the positive uses of performance enhancing drugs if the new plan happens.

While all of the duties for this position might be unclear, it would mostly include sharing with other players the benefits of performing well in large markets and how to mess with Boston Red Sox fans.

The new proposed plan would allow teams and their doctors to determine which stimulates to allow their players to use and how.

According to Jose Canseco many teams have been piloting this program for years and now it is ready to be perfected.

The Blues Jays and the Mets have already adapted their possible plan from a thesis written by Brian McNamee while getting his degree online.

The plan proposed includes among other things, instructing team trainers on how to make drugs openly available to players in needle, lotion and pill form. Player restrooms will be equipped with dispensers loaded with the new “hand-roids” that will soften their hands but not their swings, produced by Balco.

Some stadium promotion directors are all ready working on “Pregnant Ladies Night” as a way to obtain fresh ingredients for the new drink being developed by Busch Beer. They call it “Juiced-Up” what roid takers take when they are not taking roids.

It will be served to fans after the seventh inning but not in extra innings. This way fans will also have the option of “being in the zone” while crushing numbers and pitching presentations at work.

David Stern, NBA commissioner is considering a similar approach for the NBA’s gambling issue. He has already contacted the governor of Maryland and they are working on a plan called the Public’s Useful Necessities Kicking-out Everyday Distribution. Fearing the possible acronym usage, they may call it the “Take the last hope of the poor” plan instead.

Little League is getting on board with this approach as well.

Mars Candy has already been using something they call R&R, roids and rage. Mars disclosed that they had a similar product privately available earlier but when asked what happen with it all they would say is:

“It did not bag well for long shipping trips.”

When questioned by reporters on the safety of these drugs for children, officials shared how they have been giving them to athletes for years.

“We’ve been giving sick kids drugs for years to help them play, it’s time to help the healthy kids for a change” said a Little League official, referring to the successful use of inhalers for asthmatic players.

Gatorade will immediately offer a new formula to any athletic team called Rock Fuel and Roger Clemens will become the new front man. Clemens stated his earlier position on drug usage was just a simple misunderstanding.

“I simply misunderstood the questions congress asked me.”

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, has been approach by several baseball owners to consider a rehab of his current disdain for admitting and using performance drugs.

“I do not know what my current position on the possible new plan is. I have not spoken to Hank Aaron, yet. I assume it will be no, no, no,” commented Selig.

It is time for the zit on the face of MLB to be popped, bleed, and go away.

Is Coco Crisp Better Off in Royals Blue or Red Sox?

Craig Shorey — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:44:28 -0400

Thirty-six games into the Royals’ season who is better off with Coco Crisp in Kansas City?

This story has three viewpoints the Red Sox, Royals and Crisps.

Sometime last year the Red Sox came to the conclusion that they would go with Jacoby Ellsbury and trade Coco away. In November they did just that, dealing him to the Royals for pitcher Ramon Ramierz.

Ellsbury is currently hitting .307; racked up 13 RBI’s and is second in the American League in stolen bases with 16. If he keeps this pace up for the entire season he could reach nearly 70 RBI’s with over 80 stolen bases.

Plus, the Sox have Ramon Ramierz who has only allowed teams to maintain a .113 batting average off him. His ERA is a mind blowing 0.45 for the 20 innings he has pitched thus far this year.

The Royals have to look at the lost of Ramierz. Perhaps they also have to consider giving up on Joey Gathright who went to the Chicago Cubs and was recently traded to the Baltimore Orioles.

One could make a case that Coco might have really been chosen over some other outfielders but this is most direct look, as there is no way to know who they might have signed.

Gathright’s year so far is not making Royals fan cry to say the least. Ramierz on the hand could give them a little twinge but with the Royals currently holding on to the best team ERA 3.65 that twinge can pass.

Coco on the other hand is only averaging .242 compared to last year’s .284. David DeJesus might have played center field this year as he did last year but was moved to left for Coco, is not doing any better with a batting average of .234.

On the bright side for Royal Blue fans Coco is up slightly in OBP, and SLG. Plus, he could steal more bases this year than ever before in his career.

According to the Boston Herald as far back as nine months before the trade happened Coco wanted to play every day or be traded to a place where he would.

Crisp has played in 35 of the 36 games this year. You can not get much more day to day than that and he his getting paid a cool million dollars more this year than last year.

Who got the best end of the Coco Crisp trade?

How To Make Your Child A NHL Fan

Craig Shorey — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:38:26 -0400

"He shoots, and he scores” my dad would yell as he threw a tennis ball past me and into our make shift goal, during intermissions of Boston Bruins games.

Dad scored a hat trick, so I rushed him and we had a fake hockey fight.

I recall being just six years old and watching Bruins’ games with my dad. It was 1979 and my favorite player was Terry O’Reilly, the enforcer of the team. He could score, in ’78 he had 90 points and in ‘79 earned 77 points. These were his top two years in points but fans wanted to see him be physical.

Terry’s bushy hair, cocky attitude, and the overall way he carried himself made him very appealing to this six year-old. He was kind of a lovable bad boy before they called them that.

At times it seemed O’Reilly fought so much that he was a fighter who played hockey. He fought more times on the ice than Marciano, Ali, and Frazier combined, did in the ring. That trio fought a combined total of 147 times. Terry and his left hook, that would make any pro boxer envious, entered into 198 fights, plus one during his career.

The plus one fight was in that 1979 year. A fan reached over and took O’Reilly’s stick. O’Reilly hopped over the glass and starting fight with the fan. It appears he took the fan's shoe, as the fan was attempting to kick him and than began beating the guy with his own shoe.

O’Reilly would get an eight game suspension for that fight.

A decade or so passed and during a Bruins discussion with my dad, I mentioned O’Reilly and how he was still my favorite player.

Dad laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Do you even remember how he became your favorite player?”

“No, not really.”

Dad explained to me that he had taken me to a hockey game when I was five or six and a fight broke out. Yes, I am aware that is not the normal way to say it.

I cried, and cried, “They are not supposed to fight”.

Apparently my crying lasted even longer than the fight. and as my dad explained it; to the point he was getting embarrassed.

I was five maybey six!

The story goes that my Dad finally leaned over to me and said…

“This is NHL hockey, son. It is okay. They are supposed to fight. It is a part of this game. People like it.”

“Oh” the five year old me said.

Then came my NHL, Boston Bruins and Terry O’Reilly fan baptism. My Dad pointed his finger across the ice and said…

“And you see that guy over there?” and then he shared “He is the best one”.

Terry O’Reilly.

Dad finished the story by adding "that is also when you started fighting me after I scored hat tricks on you".

Watch the game, talk about the game, explain the game, go to the game with your child and chances are they will become a NHL fan.

Top 5 Reasons Cavs Will Win The Eastern Conference

Craig Shorey — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:38:37 -0400

Top Five Reasons: That the Cavs will win no matter who they play. The is the year for the The King and his men to lead the Eastern Conference to the finals. A few of the many reasons that they win over the Celtics or Magic are listed in this article. Please freel free to leave comments on this one. I would really enjoy hearing Celtics and Magic fans come up with some great counter points. If the Celtics win game seven, I will post my five reasons why the Celtics could win. I had to put on hold after last night's game.

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Hurricanes' Ward Outlasts Bruins' Thomas

Craig Shorey — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:32:53 -0400

The fans were proclaiming, “We want it!”

What did they get?

It was entertaining. It was exciting. It was cause to stay home ill on Friday morning, for Boston Bruins fan.

Be careful; be very careful for what you ask.

As predicted, goaltenders Cam Ward of the Hurricanes and the Bruins' Tim Thomas dueled to the end. Thomas went nearly forty minutes of play without giving up a goal, but it was not enough to withstand the Hurricanes’ gale. Ward kept his perfect record for game seven in the playoffs.

6:19 into the third period, Boston’s Milan Lucic positioned himself in front of the net, took the pass, and scored to tie up the game.

At the end of three hard fought periods that produced a 2-2 tie, both teams were worn, like two boxers at the end of the fourteenth round.

Overtime was shift for shift, shot for shot, until Walker of the Hurricanes scored the winning goal with nearly a minute left of the overtime period.

There is no blame here unless you want to place some on the NHL office for allowing Walker to even be on the ice. To compare the teams’ game stats is like comparing similar resumes and wondering why the other person got the job.

The difference in this game was just one shot. The Hurricanes managed to get one more shot on goal than the Bruins.

Boston Celtics: Why Is Kevin Garnett Still On The Bench?

Craig Shorey — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:00:32 -0400

Have you ever yelled into the other room to ask your child “what are you doing” and they reply “I’m not touching the…” You know they are touching it. Their denial incites your need for more information. The Celtics are inciting many to need more information.

Kevin Garnett has been sitting and sitting. Months ago they declared he would be ready for play before the end of the season. He was not.

They later declared he would be ready for the playoffs. He was not.

Currently, the Celtics are preaching that KG, who had to spend missed regular season games in the locker room rather than on the bench because of his “intensity”, is now during the playoffs, just hangin’ out on the bench for moral support.

It has long sense been the Celtics mantra that only championships matter. That is why Ainge made the moves he made when he became GM. That is why only Championship banners hang from the arena ceiling and no divisional or conference banners. That is why if Garnett’s season is truly over he should be headed for the knife and pronto.

So, why is Garnett still on bench and not seeking medical attention?

Leon Powe, after his injury was determined to be season ending practically hopped on a rocket ship to get to his surgery. It is true, Powe is at the end of his contract and needs to show he will be ready for next season, while KG’s future is a lot more secure.

Please, oh please Celtics just do not lie on this one because there is no reason to do it. If he might come back if the C’s go deeper in the playoffs, then just say so.

“Kevin, what are you doing still on the Celtics bench?”

“I am not waiting to see if we reach the finals.”

It is hard to say what is exactly going on with KG, but there is something more than meets the ears.

Bruins-Hurricanes Game Seven: Tim Thomas vs. Cam Ward

Craig Shorey — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:10:33 -0400

Boston fans are living every cities dream. Four major teams who are all contenders.

Bruins fans and popular New England sports outlets have tonight’s Game Seven against Carolina all wrapped up.

Not so fast Bruin fans, the Cup is not headed to Boston just yet.

Coming back from 3-1 to even up the series truly is a great feat, just ask the Dallas Mavericks this morning, they would agree. Reaching a 3-3 tie and forcing a Game Seven, does not advance anyone to the next round.

The final score for game six looked liked total domination by the Bruins. Looks may be deceiving.

The Hurricanes had 33 shots on goal to the B’s 19.

The pressure for most of the game seemed to be coming from the Carolina offense not Boston’s. If Carolina had played just a little better defense and helped out their goalie, the game would have been a lot closer.

You can make the argument that once the Bruins had a two goal lead, they played soft. Especially, since they only managed 10 shots in the last two periods. Still, the Bruins need to play offensive more aggressively in Game Seven.

Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward could show up tonight to play the game of his life. What goalie wants to lose his third straight game? Plus, beating any NHL team three games in a row is not an easy thing to do.

If not for Tim Thomas’ playoff leading goals against average of 1.80, the Bruins would already be off on vacation.

The B’s had a total of only 19 shots on net against Carolina’s Cam Ward, while Thomas of the Bruins defended 14 in the Third period alone.

Tonight’s game in large part will be determined by which goalie plays better.

With David Ortiz Homerless and Others Struggling, Should Sox Fans Be Worried?

Craig Shorey — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:46:46 -0400

Kevin Youkilis is on the DL, last year’s American League MVP Dustin Pedroia is still nursing a groin injury, and David Ortiz has not hit a home run. On the pitching side, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester all have earned-run averages over 6.00. This sounds bad for the Red Sox and their fans.

Should they be worried?

No, they should be excited. Baseball is a long season; the injuries to Youkilis and Pedroia mean very little at this point in the season. The other American League teams should be worried that the Sox have managed a 21-13 record despite the adversity.

Big Papi is only ranked 54th in RBI going into Wednesday night’s game. Yet, Hall of Fame member and former hitting coach Jim Rice says “I’ve looked at Papi’s stance and swing, compared it to previous seasons, and I just don’t see anything wrong with him” on his blog. He goes on to add “If he continues to make solid contact, this slump will be a faint memory by August.”

One possible positive for the Sox with Youkilis being out is Terry Francona. Boston’s manager is willing to place Jason Bay behind Big Papi in the lineup. Since he came over in a trade for Manny Ramirez, Francona has been reluctant to place Bay in Ramirez’s old lineup spot. Now that Bay is in that slot, this will help Bay even more, because pitchers will have to come after him or Big Papi. Boston’s batting average is still at .281, which is second only to Toronto in the AL.

Pitching is said to be what wins championships. The Red Sox could be worried about that with a team ERA of 4.80, ranked 10th in the AL. However, the pitching is not at full force just yet. Several key pitchers will return and help bring that ERA down, including the aforementioned Matsuzaka. Plus, nobody thinks Beckett will continue to give away so many runs, and even so he has a winning record.

At the end of the season, the questions about pitching may be about the bullpen. As of right now, closer Jonathan Papelbon is tied for the highest number of saves in the league. He looks good.

Middle relief can be an issue. Only later in the year will reveal how good or how bad the Sox are in this department. It’s certainly not an area to acquire wrinkles about in mid-May.

The one thing for Red Sox Nation and all of the AL contenders to look at right now is the that BoSox are winning. They own the second-best winning percent in the American League, even if Big Papi still has not hit a single home run.

The 5 Worst NBA Hair Styles of the 2008-09 Season

Craig Shorey — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:44:41 -0400

That’s right Chris Anderson cover up that hair. The NBA is filled will high profile image conscience athletes. Often there is more money spent on the athletes’ apparel for the walk into the arena than there is a in a government bailout program. Style and looking good is a big part of the entertainment that all sports have to offer. However, there are those rare athletes who have thrown styling and profiling out and kept bad hair in. Some of our choices here have obviously spent a great deal of time on their technique, while others just put on a cheap pony tail tie, that a five year-old would refuse to wear. This is the kind of stuff that makes Donald Trump and Don King laugh out loud. Hope you enjoy this short pictorial of this season’s Top 5 Worst NBA hair styles. Please remember this is just meant to be funny.

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Do the Dallas Mavericks Have Any Chance Against the Denver Nuggets?

Craig Shorey — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:18:27 -0400

Somewhere right now the Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban is probably preparing to give his own version of the "Win One for the Gipper" speech and it better be a good. With the Mavs down 3-1 there is little to no chance of this team taking the series.

Imagine Cuban entering the Mavs’ locker room before the game and sensing that nobody in it believes they can win. Cuban is not a silver-spooned, old money millionaire; this attitude would drive him completely out of his mind.

With fierce fire shooting through every fiber of his being he gives a stirring go get’em.

“Men we have been through some stuff this year but we can do it. Are they better than we are?

No!

Are we going to let Martin and his family relish the thought of putting us out of the playoffs?

No!

When the Boston Red Sox, a town our own Rick Carlisle played for, was down 3-0 did anybody think they could pull off the greatest comeback in baseball history?

No!

But they did it! And do you know how they did it? One game at a time, that’s how they did it. We can do this. We can be the first time in NBA history to win after being down so far. We can do it.

Do you see Rick Carlisle over there, men? He has a mortgage and a family. This is for sure his last head coaching job in the NBA if you lose tonight, gentlemen.

So go out there and win one for your coach.”

Okay maybe this will not happen but it doesn’t matter what is said in that locker room tonight. Nobody, not even Mark Cuban believes the Mavericks can win this series.