Posted on December 30th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the NBA’s best young squads, a small-market up-and-comer that thrilled the nation last season with its run to the Western Conference finals. The team is led by a dynamic duo of 23-year-old stars, two-time league scoring champion Kevin Durant and All-NBA point guard Russell Westbrook.
And therein could lie the problem.
Durant and Westbrook appeared to engage in a heated exchange during Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. According to a report in the Oklahoman, the two stars began shouting at each other and had to be separated.
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Posted on December 30th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Just after his new Air Jordan sneakers sparked an uproar, Michael Jordan decided to settle down.
The NBA Hall of Famer and owner of the Charlotte Bobcats got engaged over the Christmas weekend, which began with the release of his retro Concord XI sneakers. Limited-edition classics, the shoes incited a rash of violence nationwide.
Here’s hoping that the union between Jordan and Cuban-born model Yvette Prieto enjoys much more peace and goodwill than the shoppers exhibited toward one another.
The shoes were released on Friday, Dec. 23, followed by widespread criticism of Nike and, by extension, Jordan for their marketing tactics. Publicist Estee Portnoy confirmed that Jordan and his girlfriend were engaged within 48 hours of the shoes going on sale.
Coincidence? Perhaps. But an engagement certainly helps put Jordan in a more favorable light.
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Posted on December 30th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Landing left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez was a big move for the Washington Nationals, addressing one of two major goals as outlined by general manager Mike Rizzo.
Prince Fielder wouldn’t address Rizzo’s second objective — an outfield bat, preferably in center field and atop the lineup. But the rotund first baseman is the biggest move possible for Washington or any team in the market for an offensive boost.
Should the Nats sign Fielder, whose age (27) is appealing but whose weight (275 pounds) is worrisome? Could they sign him, satisfying the desired terms of seven or eight years at approximately $25 million per? Would they sign him, making Adam LaRoche expendable and creating a potential logjam at first base in the near future?
If it’s not my money or my headache to make everything fit, the answer is YES!
I know, I know. The Nats already overspent on Jayson Werth last season and topped it off with a no-trade clause. Ryan Zimmerman deserves an extension that will keep him in D.C. past 2013, and it won’t be cheap. LaRoche is due “only” $8 million this year, but his trade value is limited unless he plays and proves his bum shoulder is fully healed.
All of those are sound reasons to pass on Fielder, especially since he wouldn’t solve the Nats’ more-pressing concerns, a center fielder and leadoff hitter.
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Posted on December 27th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
He went from NBA obscurity to mainstream celebrity faster than the paparazzi flash. Only four players averaged more rebounds per game than he did last season. He ravaged the Washington Wizards in their season opener and was booed lustily each time he touched the ball.
He’s New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries, and he’s the NBA’s Most Disliked Player.
That’s the distinction Forbes gave Humphries last week, based on surveys by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, a company that tracks perceptions of athletes and other celebrities.
Judging by Humphries’ production (21 points, 16 rebounds) in the Nets’ victory, and the track record of his fellow disliked ballers, Washington needs a player on the list.
If that wouldn’t be the ultimate sign of progress for the Wizards, at least it would demonstrate some relevance.
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Posted on December 26th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Peyton Manning didn’t do it. Neither did Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Dan Marino, Joe Montana or any other NFL quarterback. Cam Newton has more passing yards than any rookie in NFL history, breaking the record that Manning set in 1998.
And Newton started from behind. Imagine what he might have done if the Carolina Panthers’ offseason team workouts weren’t wiped out by the NFL lockout.
Standing 6-foot-5, weighing 250 pounds and possessing a canon for an arm, Newton is unlike any quarterback we’ve ever seen. He’s mobile in the pocket and shifty in the open field, fast enough to outrun some defenders and strong enough to run over others. He’s on the verge of becoming the NFL’s first quarterback with 4,000 yards passing and 700 yards rushing.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King wrote that “Cam Newton is on his way to the best rookie season ever. By any player.” A post on Pro Football Talk, under the headline “Cam Newton Is Indestructible,” said he’s arguably already a top-10 NFL quarterback.
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Posted on December 26th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Some fans look at the Washington Wizards and see a glass that’s half full. Other fans look at the team and see a bare table, no glass at all.
The latter view is overly harsh and pessimistic. But whichever assessment is closest to yours, Washington isn’t close to the A-list teams in Miami, Boston, New York and Chicago, and still some distance from the next tier of Atlanta, Indiana and Philadelphia.
Everyone agrees that a gap exists, and it’s unlikely to close significantly during this abbreviated season which tips off Monday when the New Jersey Nets visit Verizon Center. The Wizards won a mere 23 games last season. Winning the same amount this season would show serious improvement, taking their winning percentage from .280 to .348.
The prospect of a fourth consecutive losing season — preceded by four consecutive winning seasons from 2004-08 — isn’t anything to get excited about. But as painful as it might be, progress for the Wizards won’t be measured by the win-loss column.
“It’s not a one-game, one-season arc and narrative that we’re on,” owner Ted Leonsis said. “It’s a multiseason narrative that we’re on. It’s the second step in a long journey — the second season under new ownership and a new strategy — and I think we’re off to a good start.”
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Posted on December 24th, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
The scenes were reminiscent of the worst Black Friday incidents: Shoppers lining up for hours and breaking through doors. Folks suffering injuries from being trampled or punched. Police resorting to pepper spray to subdue unruly crowds.
Except this wasn’t Black Friday. It was an Air Jordans-release Friday, and it prompted an outbreak of madness, mayhem and melees across the country.
The Jordan XI Concords are replicas of the shoes Michael Jordan wore when he returned to the NBA in 1995 after his one-year hiatus as a minor-league baseball player. Retailing for $180 for men (lower prices for children and — yes — toddlers), the white shoes with the black patent leather surrounding the bottom revolutionized the sneaker industry.
But they’re still just sneakers, no matter how much status is misguidedly attached to them.
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Posted on December 22nd, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” — Things I Don’t Understand:
• Why Dale Hunter was announced as coach instead of interim coach.
With a deal that reportedly ends after this season, Hunter is on trial with the Capitals and vice versa. If they don’t like his results as Bruce Boudreau’s successor, they can get someone else. And if Hunter doesn’t like life behind an NHL bench, he can return to his junior league empire.
Fine, no problem. But the parties should have been up-front about it.
• How the BBWAA could be so dense on former Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin.
The baseball writers’ association essentially defended Conlin after allegations of child sex abuse led to his abrupt retirement Tuesday. Its initial statement mentioned a “notable career” and “a member in good standing since 1966,” but didn’t mention any shock, sorrow or sympathy.
Give the BBWAA a big, fat ‘F’ on the lessons from Penn State and Syracuse.
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Posted on December 22nd, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
No matter how much they try to make objective, impartial decisions regarding players’ fitness, the trainers and medical staff for NFL teams aren’t oblivious.
They realize that coaches, front-office executives and teammates are concerned about the health and well-being of each individual player. But they also know that there’s a strong desire to see injured players return to action as soon as possible, which is the wish of every injured player, too.
There’s no telling how much subliminal pressure factors into decisions when a player is deemed healthy. If it’s a 50-50 call, do the staff err on the side of caution? Or do they cross their fingers and send the player back on the field?
The NFL finally took a step toward addressing the potential conflict of interest on Wednesday. The league announced that a certified athletic trainer, paid by the NFL, will be at each game to monitor play and provide medical staff with “any relevant information that may assist them in determining the most appropriate evaluation and treatment.”
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Posted on December 21st, 2011
By DERON SNYDER
Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness is legendary, mythic even, embodying the industrial-strength spirit of blue-collar Pittsburgh. Gritty “Big Ben” doesn’t go down easily in the pocket, and he doesn’t come out of the lineup easily, either.
No matter the injury, the Steelers quarterback seems to gut it out, suck it up and play through it.
There he was during warm-ups on Monday Night Football, grimacing and gimping with each dropback and follow-through. He moved with the grace of a petrified Frankenstein. His right ankle appeared atrophied compared to his injured left ankle, which was encased in a brace.
ESPN announcer Steve Young voiced the sentiment that most objective viewers surely had after watching Roethlisberger before the game.
“Looked awful. Can’t play; can’t play,” Young said on the broadcast. “The guy’s a stud, we understand that. If you ask him a question — ‘You want to go?’ — he’ll go. But it became very clear to me that he can’t play. He can’t protect himself. He can’t do anything that he’d like to do.”
The only thing Roethlisberger could do was live up to his reputation. He played the entire game, throwing three picks, taking three sacks and losing a fumble.
Tough guy, right?
The answer was clear until we heard this startling admission regarding needles and painkillers. “There was no injection,” Roethlisberger told reporters after the 49ers’ 20-3 victory at Candlestick Park. “There was two Tylenols and two Advil.”
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