What A Joke...

Ive been meaning to get to this but it has slipped my mind several times, the joke that Paul Pierce pulled on the whole world in game one of the finals will be tough to ever be topped.

This guy tripped and or fell over and was holding his knee...he then was taken out of the game. Oh everyone feels bad because this is the Celtics star player and now they don't stand a chance. He was carried off the court and escorted into the locker room in a WHEEL CHAIR. He was wincing in pain and looked to be close to crying.

If there was an academy award for acting on a basketball court this guy would win hands down. Pierce would return no more than 10 minutes later and promptly drain two three pointers and give the Celtics the momentum they needed to win game 1.

I just think its ridiculous that he would put on such a show making everyone feel for him only to say...nah..just kidding.

Well the finals are in full go mode, and the Celtics hold a 2-1 lead, but Kobe and the Lakers are not going down without a fight.

Maybe Kobe should trip and hit his face on the floor, and have one of those plastic noses from a Mr. Potato Head and throw it as he falls. Then as he holds his face and has ketchup pouring from his face he can come back after the time out and just laugh and say GOTCHA!

Congrats Junior

Ken Griffey Jr. has joined and elite group in sports history, he is the 6th man to ever hit 600 home runs in a career.

Junior joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa as the chapter in history with those names on it will have to make room for Griffey Jr.

Griffey Jr. took a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall from Mark Hendrickson of the Florida Marlins.

Congrats Junior.

The Brawl In Bean Town

8 Players have been suspended by Major League Baseball for their involvement in the tussle on the infield on June 4th.

Pitching for the Rays was James Shields, and he threw a pitch that hit Coco Crisp, by no means did it look intentional. Crisp thought otherwise and rushed the mound, Shields welcomed Crisp with a haymaker that missed as Crisp threw some punches of his own that at best lightly grazed Shields. As the fight was taken to the ground flying out of the dug out was Rays DH Jonny Gomes who started pounding on Crisp on the ground.

After the brawl, both benches were warned but, Red Sox pitcher, Jon Lester payed that no mind and threw at the Rays and was immediately thrown out of the game.

Crisp was suspended 7 games, Shields suspended for 6, Gomes and Edwin Jackson were both suspended 5 games, speedster Carl Crawford was suspended for 4 games, Sean Casey and Akinori Iwamura were suspended for 3 games, and Lester was suspended for 5 games.

Now here is something to think about, in Hockey fighting is no encouraged but its allowed and the fight persists until there is a winner or a stalemate. Football has hundreds of confrontations but the excuses for these sports is that they are contact sports. Why not just allow the aggression to boil over and allow a 2 minute fight. That way people get their shots in, teams get riled up and those who find baseball boring can get some excitement out of it. Like the people who go to NASCAR races to see crashes, sick people.

Fighting in baseball...think about it.

NBA Finals Are Underway

The Finals match-up the NBA has wanted has finally started. David Stern is licking his chops are all of Bean Town and Tinsel Town will be out in full force to support their respective teams. The Lakers and Celtics have now met in the finals the same amount of time as the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series.

The epic battle of Bill Russell and Kareem Adul Jabaar, has now gave way for Kobe Bryant versus Kevin Garnett.

All the stars were out in the Boston Garden to see game 1, from Bruce Willis to Randy Moss all the way to Dr. J. I do believe this will be an intense battle and will have some great close games by the time all the dust has settled.

My prediction...Lakers in 5. Kobe is out to prove to the world that he does not need Shaq to win a ring. The quest starts tonight.

The (Short) Joba Experiment

The Yankees unveiled Joba Chamberlain as a starter tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays, and the stint did not last long. Chamberlain was pulled after 62 pitches, pitching only 2 1/3 innings. Joba did not pitch bad, but got into trouble by throwing alot of pitches and getting behind in the count. He walked a career high 4 batters, while also striking out 3 and giving up only 1 hit and 1 run. The run was a flukey type run, after Scott Rolen singled, head umpire Ed Hickox, who was squeezing the young Chamberlain, called a balk which in reality was not, and then a past ball led to Rolen moving to third. Rolen scored on a ground ball.

This was a learning experience and he will get another chance on Sunday when the Yankees play the Royals. Chamberlains pitch count was "about 65" according to manager Joe Girardi and in his next start that number should be up'ed at least 10-15 pitches.

The Joba Chamberlain Era has begun...

55 Shots, No Problem. Penguins Stay Alive in Triple OT

It took 3 overtimes and 4 goals but the Pittsburgh Penguins stay alive and take the Stanley Cup Finals back to the Igloo. 9:57 into the 3rd overtime Petr Sykora shot a blistering slap shot passed Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood, something that has been very difficult for the Penguins to do until today.

Coming into game 5 the Penguins only scored 4 goals in 4 games, they matched that total in the triple overtime victory tonight at Joe Louis Arena. With 33 seconds left in the 3rd period the Wings held a 3-2 lead, but fighting for their lives Max Talbot scored tying the game and forcing it into extra periods. It was then a battle of the weary and the match-up of Chris Osgood and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both played exceptionally well as Osgood stopped 28 of 32 shots and Fleury stopped a remarkable 55 shots.

The older more experienced Red Wings were just seconds away from their 4th Stanley Cup victory in 11 years but let the opportunity slip away. They now will have to win it on the road or hope to contain the combo of Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby.

The man who scored the game winner, Sykora actually said before the game that he was going to do just that and boy was he on point. When his hockey days are over, I think he has a spot saved next to Cleo The Psychic.

This was one of the craziest games I have ever seen in any sport, as I am new to this game of hockey. An absolutely intense game that featured enormous heart and amazing goal tending. Next game is tomorrow in Pittsburgh, as the Penguins will have to fight once more to stay alive and take it back to Detroit for the ever exciting Game 7!

500 and 599

Saturday, May 31st was a day where history lied in the balance as the baseball world entered another name into the record books. Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez became the 24th player to hit 500 home runs in their career, as he did so against the Orioles basically cementing him place in Cooperstown. Another player, one who has been on his way to the Hall-Of-Fame for years now, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 599th home run and is one shy from immortal greatness.

Griffey Jr. is one home run shy of his 600th putting him in the same company as Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Sammy Sosa to do so. Griffey Jr. has been playing in the Majors since he was 19 for the Seattle Mariners and he has been hitting home runs ever since. Arguably the greatest baseball player ever to some people as he is still referred to when asked who has the sweetest swing in baseball. Unfortunately Junior has been riddled with injuries throughout his career and if not for those painful circumstances we should have been talking about 700 or 800 career home runs, right about now. Griffey Jr. will likely hit number 600 this week against the Philadelphia Phillies and pace himself closer to the top of the home run record. Currently Junior is 163 home runs away from Barry Bonds who holds the current record with 762 dingers, yet at age 38 that number might be out of reach. Then again with someone like Griffey Jr, and the home run swing that he possess if he plays another 6 years and averages 25 home runs a season give or take a few that would put him in range for Bonds' title, should Bonds not come back into the league.

Manny Ramirez was welcomed to the 500 club thanks in part to Chad Bradford and the Orioles, as there was a sea of Red Sox fans who made the short trip to see history. As Ramirez hit the ball he immediately knew it was gone and went into his pose. This time ill let it go, although he did pose for a good 4 hours. Ramirez who is 36 is projected to be around the 600-650 range when he is finished playing given his longevity and him being remarkably healthy through his career. Ramirez is the 12th youngest player to reach the mark and now is just 2 shy of tying Eddie Murray for 23rd all time. That is because Ramirez wasted no time depositing his 501st home run on Sunday in a 9-4 win against the Orioles.

Congratulations to both of the sluggers as we hopefully will see many, many more long balls dished out by them both.