Posted on April 4th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Despite all the hype and highlights, strikes and spotlight, and the accolades and attention, Stephen Strasburg is a relatively unknown quantity. Entering his third season with the Nationals, he’s yet to begin a year in the majors, yet alone start on Opening Day.
He’ll cross both items off his to-do list Thursday. In one sense, he’ll be another wide-eyed fan making his first pilgrimage to Wrigley Field. In another sense, he’ll be the Nats’ long-awaited ace taking his rightful place atop the rotation.
Like the previous two seasons, 2012 will be something of a tease. The countdown on a team-imposed innings limit begins with the Chicago Cubs’ leadoff batter, and likely will end with about one month left in the season. The Nats might be contenders in September, but they’ll have to wait ‘til next year to see how Strasburg might fare in that situation.
Washington could have stretched him out by putting him at the back of the rotation. Delaying his first outing and keeping him on a fifth starter’s schedule could have led to a few mid-September starts. But Strasburg was in no mood to discuss that possibility Tuesday during a news conference at Nationals Park before an exhibition against Boston.
“That’s something you guys [the media] talked about,” he said. “I don’t think it was ever discussed in the coaching staff or within the organization. I don’t have much to say on it.”
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Posted on April 2nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Considering the Charlotte Bobcats’ status as one of the NBA’s laughingstocks — currently on a seven-game losing streak and in possession of the league’s worst record — fans were probably heartened by a recent report involving team owner Michael Jordan. Arguably the NBA’s all-time greatest player but a lousy owner, Jordan reportedly is considering selling the team if he continues to lose millions on his investment.
“I told [General Manager Rich Cho] to make us better,” Jordan told one associate recently, according to the Daily News. “If that doesn’t work and I can’t make a profit in the next three to four years, then I’m selling.”
Jordan joined the franchise in 2006 as managing member of basketball operations for then-owner Robert Johnson and took over as owner in 2010. The Bobcats have produced one winning season with Jordan’s fingerprints on the team, compiling an overall mark of 188-232 — not including this year’s 7-43 record, which makes Charlotte the NBA’s only team with fewer than 10 wins.
But before fans could take to the streets to celebrate his impending departure, Jordan said that the report isn’t true. “I was disturbed to hear the false report that I intend to sell my majority interest in the Charlotte Bobcats,” Jordan said Sunday in a statement. “I am 100 percent committed to building the Bobcats into a contender and have no plans to sell the team.”
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Posted on March 30th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Prior to last year, just two freshmen had ever left Duke University for the NBA draft during coach Mike Krzyzewski’s long tenure. Now, in his 32nd season at the school, Krzyzewski has lost freshman players in back-to-back years: The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick in 2011, and Austin Rivers entered his name in the draft this week.
“Austin had a terrific year as a freshman and has put himself in a position to pursue his dream of being a great player in the NBA,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He is an outstanding young man with an even more impressive family. We are in total support of Austin, his family and his decision. We look forward to watching him continue to develop and excel at the next level.”
Ever since 2006, when the NBA stopped allowing high school players in the draft, the “one and done” phenomenon has been a major issue in college basketball. The University of Kentucky and coach John Calipari have come to symbolize the trend, drawing plenty of criticism as a result. Eight of the 40 players drafted by the NBA as freshmen the past six years came out of Calipari’s programs at Kentucky and Memphis. His freshmen have been top four picks in four consecutive drafts, including No. 1 picks John Wall in 2010 and Derrick Rose in 2008.
The streak is expected to continue this year, with Wildcats freshman Anthony Davis projected as the No. 1 pick and another, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, projected in the top five. Neither player has announced his intentions yet, but it’s completely understandable if they leave after this season. They’ll be guaranteed millions of dollars to play against the world’s best competition.
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Posted on March 29th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I declare that John Calipari and Kentucky have been falsely accused and unfairly maligned. Mr. Calipari and the Wildcats have conducted themselves with honor and followed the rules in their three seasons together. Charges that they’re ruining college basketball and making a mockery of education are without merit and should be dropped immediately.
Please allow me to explain.
First of all, the events that transpired under Mr. Calipari’s watch at Massachusetts and Memphis are irrelevant and inadmissible. Yes, UMass star Marcus Camby accepted about $28,000 from sports agents, which forced the school to vacate its 1996 Final Four season. And yes, the NCAA ruled that Memphis star Derrick Rose committed academic fraud, which forced the school to vacate its 2008 Final Four season.
But let the record show that the NCAA exonerated Mr. Calipari of wrongdoing in both instances. And neither school faced a postseason ban or loss of scholarships. Implying that the coach is tainted, nonetheless, is the worst form of guilt by association.
While there is no defense against such whisper campaigns, they have no bearing on the subject at hand, the Kentucky Wildcats.
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Posted on March 28th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Magic Johnson’s famous smile was plastered on the faces of Los Angeles Dodgers fans everywhere on Wednesday. Their beleagured team has finally changed hands, and Johnson’s ownership group is taking over.
“It’s great not only for the Dodgers but for the city,” fan Charlie Alvarez told the Los Angeles Times. “Now that Magic is with the Dodgers, I expect to see championships. He’s a winner. Anything Magic touches turns to gold.”
Transforming the Dodgers would be one of Johnson’s greatest feats yet. The franchise has one of Major League Baseball’s richest legacies, but the organization fell into disrepair the last several years under owner Frank McCourt. The Dodgers struggled financially and on the field as fans stayed away in droves. But that didn’t dissuade Johnson and his partners from making a $2 billion bid for the team in bankruptcy court.
“I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles,” Johnson said in a statement.
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Posted on March 27th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Is coach Mike Krzyzewski running a basketball factory at Duke? Has he turned his back on education? Are his Blue Devils better role models than John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats?
The correct answers are yes, no and no, respectively.
But (don’t look now), Duke has produced a one-and-done player for the second consecutive season. Freshman Austin Rivers is leaving for the NBA draft.
“Duke has prepared me for the challenges that are ahead both on and off the court,” Rivers said in a statement issued by the school. “I have learned so much from the coaching staff and my teammates that will help me succeed at the next level.”
A certain stereotype often is attached to one-and-dones, much like the cliched image of preps-to-pros who preceded them until 2006. They all hail from poor families and they’re poor students, possessing poor character and judgment. Basketball is their only “ticket” out, as they neither appreciate college degrees nor have the intellect to obtain one.
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Posted on March 26th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Just like that — 932 days since winning an official PGA Tour event — Tiger Woods is back. Just like that — two weeks after withdrawing on the 12th hole of a tournament and limping off — he resembles his old self again. And just like that — seven years since his last victory in the Masters — Woods is favored to win next week at the Augusta National.
“It feels really good,” he said Sunday after his dominating, five-shot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It’s been a lot of hard work.”
Woods’ drought began after the fateful car accident on Thanksgiving night in 2009, leading to his failed marriage and fall from grace. Though the victories dried up, his status as golf’s focal point never waned. He continues to influence TV ratings, attendance and buzz like no golfer ever, and like no athlete since Michael Jordan. When Woods shot 62 in the final round of the Honda Classic earlier this month, ratings were up 78 percent compared with last year.
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Posted on March 25th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The NFL came down hard on the New Orleans Saints for their illegal bounty program, suspending coach Sean Peyton for the upcoming season, fining the team $500,000 and snatching two second-round draft picks. The league is weighing the penalties for players such as Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who reportedly offered $10,000 to any teammate who knocked Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship Game in 2010.
“Discipline for individual players involved in the Saints’ prohibited program continues to be under review with the NFL Players Association and will be addressed by Commissioner Goodell at a later date,” the league said in a statement. “The program included ‘bounty’ payments for ‘knock-outs’ and ‘cart-offs,’ plays on which an opposing player was forced to leave the game. At times, the bounties even targeted specific players by name.”
In addition to Favre, according to the NFL’s investigation, quarterbacks Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner also were targeted by name.
I suppose that those men and their families are thankful for the whistleblowers in “Bountygate.” I imagine that other opposing players and their families are grateful for the informants who came forward. I suspect that Saints players and their families would feel likewise if sources had exposed the scandal on another team.
Anyone who cares about the life and limbs of targeted players is thankful for the “snitches” — not that the derogatory term is appropriate or appreciated. Unless you’re a proponent of criminal activity, gangster ethics and witness intimidation, the word has no business in your vocabulary.
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Posted on March 23rd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The Denver Broncos just sent their country mouse — quarterback Tim Tebow — to the Big Apple. They threw Little Red Riding Tim to the Big Bad Wolves. They traded the NFL’s biggest choirboy to the league’s rowdiest, most dysfunctional band, the New York Jets.
Just when we thought “Tebowmania” couldn’t get any crazier, it was ratcheted up several notches by the Broncos, who conveniently brushed it off their lap. Now the Jets have to manage the circus, including the quarterback controversy that’s certain to brew if Mark Sanchez stumbles. Only a return engagement on HBO’s Hard Knocks would make this scenario more interesting.
“I wanted to play for Coach [Rex] Ryan ever since I saw Hard Knocks,” Tebow said of the Jets’ foulmouthed leader. “He just seemed like a coach who loves football and is passionate about the game of football. He’s definitely a players’ coach. I just love that about him.”
When Tebow led the Broncos to an 8-8 record, followed by a playoff victory against Pittsburgh, he was the veritable Pied Piper of Denver. Every player in the locker room rallied around him, as did fans across the country. It didn’t matter that most NFL personnel executives consider Tebow too flawed to succeed long-term. Tebowmania is fueled by faith more than football, with true believers convinced that a higher power is at work.
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Posted on March 22nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Two questions always dominate men’s college basketball as the NCAA tournament approaches the penultimate weekend: Who’s going to win the title and who’s leaving early for the NBA?
The Maryland Terrapins didn’t qualify for the postseason, but they don’t have worry about losing their best player, either. Terrell Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer this season, announced Wednesday that he will return for his junior year. Conversely, St. John’s University missed out on the tournament and coach Steve Lavin has a hole to fill. Moe Harkless, the Big East Rookie of the Year, declared for the draft and plans to hire an agent, making the decision irreversible.
Other “one-and-done” candidates this year might include Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (the consensus No. 1 overall pick), teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Duke’s Austin Rivers. One mock draft has nine freshmen in the first round, including four of the top seven picks.
That’s nothing new. Many freshmen have gone high in the draft since 2007, when freshmen Greg Oden and Kevin Durant went 1-2 after the NBA banned high school players. But a new NCAA policy this season makes me question the organization’s concern about underclassmen, whether they are one-and-done, two-and-through or three-and-flee.
Instead of continuing to allow players to “test the waters,” as it has done for years, the NCAA moved up its deadline to withdraw from the draft and retain collegiate eligibility if an agent hasn’t been signed. Players used to have until May 8, which gave them an opportunity to work out for NBA teams and receive feedback.
But the pull-out date this year is April 10, three weeks before the NBA allows its teams to contact early-entry candidates.
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