Degenerate Friday - Kentucky Derby!!

There are plenty of gambling options this weekend in the NBA, but the real crown jewel of degenerates will be the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon. The Derby is kind of like an early 1990’s Mike Tyson fight in that there is a ton of hype and build up and then it is over in the blink of an eye. With all the build up and hype, it’s over in just over two minutesNBC has a 3 hour pre-race show where they will give you stories on all of the jockeys and all of the owners. Does anyone really pay attention to the prerace show? I assume that while people are pounding mint juleps wearing pastel colored outfits at their Derby parties the show may be on in the background. If you’re going to gamble on the race, nothing said during a pre-recorded show about Bob Baffert is going to change your bet. The only thing of value will be the weather report.

The biggest story leading up to the race has been which horses have pulled out of the race due to injury or fatigue and the post positions. The favorite, Lookin At Lucky drew the rail which is not favorable due to the layout of the track and every other horse crowding down to get to the rail. The next favorite, Sidney’s Candy, drew the outside post which is not ideal in a field of 20 horses.

According to weather reports, it looks like an 80% chance of rain for the race, which could push back the post time and the track may be a muddy mess. And you know what Kramer learned about being a Mudder….. …..

Unfortunately, according to this site, all of the horses claim to have had success on “off tracks” or in the slop. So does that really change the bets? Not necessarily. I will be making two picks for the race, the pick I expect to win and then a slightly longer shot that will pay off bigger if it wins. And yes, I’ll be taking credit if either one of them wins.

The Pick: Devil May Care (10-1 odds, Post #11)

The only filly in the field who won her debut race at Saratoga in the slop by 4 ¾ lengths. She has a better starting position than the two favorites, which gives her an advantage. My only hesitation is that she will be wearing blinders for the first time during the race. Not sure how that change will affect her, but my amateur opinion is that she has the speed and power to win if she doesn’t get distracted.

The Value Shot: Super Saver (15-1 odds, Post #4)

Trainer Todd Pletcher believes his horse has been training really well on off tracks and Super Saver also won his maiden race on a sloppy track last fall. Combine that with the strong post position and the unflappable Calvin Borel as the jockey and you have the makings of a winner. Borel has won 2 of the past 3 Derby races, so he can never be underestimated, even if it’s easy to overlook him because he looks and acts like an extra from the Wizard of Oz flying monkey brigade.

So expect me to look something like this on Saturday afternoon……but probably without the coat since it’s supposed to be close to 90 degrees in New York.

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From horse racing to another crazy four-legged animal……..Fear the Deer tonight!! Go Bucks!!

Jeff Ireland versus Dez Bryant

As the NFL Draft concluded this past weekend, people begin to analyze what players went higher than expected and what players went lower than expected. Part of that analysis went into why a player slid up or down and what the scouts and team management believed helped or hampered the player. In some instances like the Broncos and Tim Tebow, their brash young coach determined he was drafting the college superstar with debatable pro prospects because he “fell in love with him” after meeting with him face-to-face. Other players slid down the draft board because they had shorter arms than the prototypical player at their position (Brian Bulaga). Then there were guys on opposite ends of the dreaded “character concern” issue that caused the players to slip – wide receiver Dez Bryant and safety Myron Rolle. Bryant was believed to be immature and undisciplined after a rough childhood and upbringing. Rolle was thought to have too much good character and the fear was that he was not dedicated enough to the sport because he took a year off to pursue a Rhode’s scholarship which only around 30 people in the entire world get a shot at. Here is a great and damning article on Rolle’s “fall” to the 6th round and what it says about the NFL and its decision makers.

A side note from that story was the question from the Tampa Bay coaching staff asking Rolle how it felt to “abandon” his teammates to pursue the prestigious scholarship. A ridiculous question, but nothing compared to the question Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland asked Dez Bryant during their meeting at the scouting combine. It is known that Bryant had a difficult childhood and his mother had trouble with the law, including serving time for a drug charge. According a report from Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, Ireland asked Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. The pundits have jumped up and down and are demanding some action be taken against Ireland for his insensitive question. I make the case that while the question is not the classiest move, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking it.

First and foremost, Ireland was likely looking see how Bryant would react to being asked an uncomfortable question. Would his temper and emotions get the best of him or could he keep his cool? In this post Tiger Woods/Ben Roethlisberger/Tiki Barber world that we all now live in, they will get pushed and prodded and asked extremely awkward questions from the regular media and the sensational journalists like TMZ or US Weekly. Teams have a right to know and understand whether their employees/players can handle that scrutiny and that pressure. Will they blow a gasket like Milton Bradley or Naomi Cambell? Or will they show poise like Tom Brady when it was known that he would be having a baby with Bridget Moynahan even though they had broken up?

Second, these players are about to be handed a gargantuan contract with a guarantee of nearly $20+ million. If you were about to sign a high profile client, employee or consultant, wouldn’t you want to know absolutely everything there is to know about that person? Don’t you want to make sure there are no other skeletons in the closet so that you’re not facing a Tiki Barber situation in the near future? (side note – Tiki is not getting nearly enough heaped on him for being a dirtbag, so I will continually use him rather than Tiger, Big Ben, Jesse James, or the other litany of unfaithful dudes) It is the equivalent of a background check by your employer before you get hired, only instead of hiring some company to do the research or dig for information he asked him straight up if it were true. (I do however recognize that such a question typically would not be legal for a potential employer to ask their employee in most work place interviews – usually covering your religion, sexual orientation, etc.)

Finally, the careers of these coaches and general managers are tied to the success, or lack of success, of the players that they draft. Remember Bobby Beathard? He led the Redskins to 3 Super Bowl titles in the 1980’s and early 1990’s before leading the Chargers to their first ever Super Bowl appearance in 1995. Yet he is best known as the guy who drafted mammoth bust Ryan Leaf for the San Diego Chargers (not to be confused with a mammoth bust like Helena Mattson in Ironman 2) in 1998 and has been out of the league since he “retired” in 2002 at age 62 (look at the ages of guys like Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs, and Marv Levy before assuming it was a normal age to retire). The career prospects for Josh McDaniels are now squarely tied to the success of Tim Tebow in Denver and lack of success of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall outside of Denver. If those moves back fire, do you think another team is going to hire him to coach or run their franchise? These players hold the fate of these overly-caffeinated and stressed coaches and executives. So can you blame them for wanting to make absolute certain they know everything there is to know about the player, his background, and his ability to maintain his poise before relying upon the player to be a centerpiece of his success?

Could Jeff Ireland have handled the situation with more class by getting to the answer with more eloquent wording? Yes, most definitely. Could he have diffused the situation immediately by explaining to Bryant at the end of the session why he asked the question and apologize for possibly offending him? Again, most definitely. Did Ireland do any of this? Perhaps – we don’t know because we have only heard one side of the story. So don’t rush to judge a guy for being thorough and covering his own you-know-what, even if his method was not the best approach.

Did This Just Happen?

Have you ever given someone a nickname that at the time you did not even realize how accurate you were? Well a few years ago, a classmate of my wife’s was dating a guy that was a meaty former military guy and kind of a spazz. I had only met the guy once when I ran across him in the gym and he came up to me as I was headed back to the locker room and asked me if “got a good pump in” today. That’s the type of meathead we’re talking about. We affectionately began referring to him as “Crazy Joe Davola” like the character from Seinfeld because his name was Joe. The relationship didn’t last long with my wife’s classmate and everyone went their separate ways. Fast forward three years to this story that caught my eye yesterday…Crazy Joe Davola was back. Only Crazy JoeDavola was actually Crazy Joseph Graves and he had been arrested for brutalizing his girlfriend’s small yorkshire terrier dog. Really dude? The little dog nips at you and you bash it with a belt buckle and kick it multiple times? I guess he got a good pump in on the dog. What a loser.

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This highlight has been all over the national news on SportsCenter, Yahoo!, The Big Lead, etc. but I still have to make mention of it here – Bango Buck pulled off the greatest mascot stunt ever. It just barely edged out Will Farrell lighting himself on fire while attempting to jump through the flaming hoop near the end of Old School. Not only did Bango jump from a roughly twenty foot high ladder, he also did a back flip and landed the dunk. Absolutely insane. There were so many things that could have went wrong on the stunt, just attempting it without getting injured would have been impressive, much less actually pulling the move off successfully. The video is impressive, to be sure, but I’m actually more impressed with the still shot which really highlights the height and danger of the move. Well done, Bango.

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Have you ever had one of those days where a couple of things go really, really well, but a couple of things go really, terribly wrong? Well Greg Zaun had that day on Monday against the Pirates. Zaun was on fire at the plate in the Brewers’ 17-3 romp, going 4 for 4 with 5 RBI, 3 runs, 2 doubles and a walk. The type of day you want to get the highlight tape for and replay over and over again for your grandchildren. However, for a brief moment in the 2nd inning, Zaun turned into Mackey Sasser or Chuck Knoblauch. He couldn’t throw the ball back to Yovanni Gallardo on the mound. It was bizarre not only for the action itself, but also because it suddenly got fixed and then there was never an issue again. Also watch the reaction from both Zaun and Gallardo, as they do not laugh, but they also do not seem really bothered by it. Such a strange and surreal moment in an otherwise standard blowout.

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Speaking of the Brewers, my most sincere wishes for get well and get healthy go out to the Brewers’ legendary announcer, Bob Uecker. Uecker is undergoing heart surgery and will miss the next 10-12 weeks of the season. Mr. Baseball has been a staple of Brewers broadcasts for 40 years and hopefully he will be back at full strength soon and adding his unique flair for comedy and entertainment with an unmatched knowledge of the game. Not only was he a great real life announcer, he was awesome in Major League with his famous “Just a bit outside!” or when he was in 80’s sitcom Mr. Belvedere. Get well, Uke.

Is Brandon Roy Heroic or Too Risky?

Brandon Roy gave the Portland Trailblazers an inspirational lift on Saturday night when he made a surprise appearance in game 4 of their series against the Phoenix Suns. Roy has a torn meniscus in his knee that needs surgery and was not expected to be available for Portland in the playoffs. Yet Roy has conferred with the team doctors and determined that it cannot get worse by playing if he can play with the pain. In today’s NBA with the salaries that the players are paid, is Roy playing an act of heroism or an act of idiocy? I say heroism and any columnist that says otherwise is a hypocrite and just trying to stir up a story.

Everyone loves the story of Willis Reed returning to the court for the New York Knicks in game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals with a severe thigh injury and on one leg leading the Knicks to the title. The indelible image of Reed hobbling out of the tunnel towards the court gave the Knicks life and was a crushing blow to the expectations of the Lakers. Or more recently, remember Michael Jordan pouring in 38 points with severe hydration and the flu in the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz? The image of Scottie Pippen carrying his teammate to the bench late in the fourth quarter will forever be ingrained in my childhood hoops hero images. There are just as many stories of NFL players playing through pain and injuries, including Brett Favre too many times to count, Ronnie Lott having a part of his finger severed off so he could play, and Terrell Owens playing on a recently broken leg in the Super Bowl for the Eagles.

The case against playing has one glaring example and he happens to be on the opposing team in this first round series: Grant Hill. In 2000, Hill finished 3rd in MVP balloting but injured his ankle with 7 days left in the regular season. He insisted on trying to play in the playoffs against the Heat, and thus began his odyssey of ankle injuries that would last for the following 4-5 seasons, and transform his game from a dynamic slashing franchise player to a complimentary extra. Roy is a young franchise player and if his knee is messed up for the long-term, it will completely alter the outlook for the Portland franchise.

As a result, there are articles out there and a debate on Pardon The Interruption and Around the Horn whether Roy is putting the long-term good of the franchise at risk. Yet what are his options? If he sits out, does he get the LaDainian Tomlinson treatment? Tomlinson was slowed by injuries in the 2007 and 2008 playoffs and took a tremendous amount of heat for taking himself out of a game that Phillip Rivers played with a partially torn ACL. So Tomlinson was soft for realizing that he was hurting his team by playing when he wasn’t able to make an impact?

Roy is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. If he’s able to give the Blazers an emotional lift by making brief appearances and doesn’t hurt his team’s chances, I am all for him attempting to play. What’s more, maybe he’s capable of making a play or two which can change the momentum and help the Blazers get past the Suns. I think it is heroic and Roy should be commended for his willingness to do everything he can to help his team win. I’m as impressed with Roy’s determination and leadership as I am with Kristin Cavallari in a bikini.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- I love the folly of people “grading” the team’s NFL draft within 24 hours of the draft ending. It is entertaining to see which teams were winners and losers in the mind of journalists, but the reality is that there is no telling who had a good draft for the next 3 years. There is no telling whether any of these guys are going to live up to expectations and where the sleepers will come from. You wouldn’t judge a movie based purely on reading the book it was based on, right? You need to see the movie and then make a decision. So, yes, as of right now it looked like the Raiders had a successful draft (especially if you include the trade for Jason Campbell to play QB), but then again, it looked like they had strong drafts when they took JaMarcus Russell or Darren McFadden right after they were drafted. Speaking of the book-movie reference, I read the book Up In The Air and saw the movie and there is almost no correlation between the two. I understand that there are always some differences when they make the movie, but it seemed that the only thing the movie and book had in common was a guy who was traveling constantly and going for 1 million frequent flyer miles. I actually liked the movie better than the book, and it wasn’t just because of Anna Kendrick or Vera Farmiga.

- How impressive has Jim Schwartz been in remaking the Lions, at least on paper? Their offense is ready to explode with Matthew Stafford maturing and already having one of the best receivers in the game in Calvin Johnson. They signed Nate Burleson to play opposite Megatron and traded for Tony Scheffler to be the tight end safety for their young quarterback. Then they added Jahvid Best for some explosiveness out of the backfield and if their line can give Stafford some time, they should be able to put up points. Then defensively they drafted Suh to go with recently signed veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch (who excelled under Schwartz with the Titans) to anchor the defensive line. They have the potential to be the third best team in the NFC North, behind only the Vikings and Packers, but well ahead of the Bears. Maybe it’s the new logo that’s changing everything?

- Can someone please get an ice pack for Dwyane Wade’s back and shoulders? He is single-handedly carrying the entire Heat franchise to keep them alive in the playoffs. His performance on Sunday was absolutely incredible in staving off elimination for at least another couple of days. At one point during the game they put up a stat that he had scored 1/3 of his teams total points in the series and was shooting almost 60 percent from the floor….as a guard!! I mentioned it before, but if you’re Wade, how in the world can you resign in Miami this summer? His teammates are worthless. I don’t want to see it, but Wade in Chicago would be a nice landing spot next to Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. If LeBron James is Superman (and he put on his own impressive showing Sunday with a ho-hum triple-double), then Wade must be Batman.

- Even though Colt McCoy slid even further in the draft than Jimmy Clausen, I think McCoy is in a better situation. McCoy has only a veteran turnover machine in front of him in Cleveland, and will get to be tutored by Mike Holmgren who has a tremendous record with quarterbacks. Clausen, on the other hand, goes to a Carolina team that will be starting a young guy in Matt Moore and will be coached by a lame duck coach, John Fox in the final year of his contract. While Clausen may be able to beat out Moore, his situation reminds me of the situation his former Notre Dame buddy Brady Quinn went through in Cleveland. Quinn came in only having to compete with Derek Anderson under a coach in Romeo Crennel that had already used up all the slack in his leash. So Crennel didn’t have the ability to be patient to allow Quinn to mature and when they brought in a new coaching staff, there was no reason to keep someone else’s pick.

HATE

- The Lakers effort against the Thunder this weekend was laughable. Kobe only took 12 shots in game 4, almost like he decided to take the night off knowing they only had to win their home games. Kevin Durant was the real deal, posting 21 points and 19 rebounds in game 3 and then another impressive outing to tie the series 2-2 on Saturday. Can the Thunder win the series? It’s still about as likely as Big Ben getting an endorsement deal from Disney. More importantly it has shown that the Lakers are extremely vulnerable to be beaten by an experienced team in the later rounds.

- Taylor Mays pretty much solidified why Pete Carroll didn’t draft him. I’ve never had a hard time taking shots at Carroll for being a jag off, but in this instance, I think he’s in the clear. Mays was drafted by the 49ers and claimed that Carroll lied to him about wanting to draft him and complaining that he was let down by his former coach. Listen, Taylor, maybe if you put as much effort into improving as you do to whining, you would have been drafted earlier. However every report out there said that Earl Thomas (and others) were better safeties than you because you don’t wrap up, you don’t have great closing speed and your footwork is lazy. Mays’ complaints carry about as much weight as if J-Woww would whine that she only gets attention for her chest. Well, duh.

- It was really hard to watch the ABC halftime reports with Rick Reilly watching the Nuggets game with George Karl as he goes through treatment for throat cancer. Karl looks like he has aged about 15 years since he was last on the sidelines and you can see the pain as he watches the game. Karl is a fighter and continues to do battle against the illness, and I have no doubt that he will persevere, but it was difficult to watch him struggle to take his shots, medication and then have to sit there helplessly watch his team play disjointed and fall to the edge of elimination by the Jazz. Keep fighting and get better George.

Degenerate Friday! NFL Draft Round 1

Quick Thoughts on Round 1 of the NFL Draft……and while writing that sentence the Brewers just scored 3 more times on the Pirates. Seriously? They swept the Pirates by an aggregate score of 36-1. My brother and I debated what was more embarrassing – the offense or the pitching? I think it’s a close call and either way means that despite the Pirates 7-6 start, they are still the Pirates. Since Friday’s are our gambling day, I’ll bet on Tebow being the guy to help Josh McDaniels pack on his way out of Denver.

- Josh McDaniels has some huge cahones. Either that or he’s an idiot. I’m leaning towards the latter. Tim Tebow in the first round? At #25? Trading all over the place and then taking him ahead of Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy? Overall there is a ton of hate for Tebow as a person and a football player. I think he’s actually just a nerd. He works hard, stays out of trouble and is as smart as you can be when you’re from Florida (the bar is very low), but he just comes across as cheesey. My wife watched his interview and offered this analysis: “I’m pretty sure he’s a virgin. He just looks and acts like a guy that’s never been laid.” I guess she’s not a fan. I thought the best comment on him came from Tom Jackson when he stated flatly “You can only be a leader if you’re PLAYING. And he will not be playing.” Very well said. I don’t get it because I’m not sure how anyone figures Tebow is going to a better pro than Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy or Dan Lefe…something from Western Michigan. Coach McDaniels, I hope you have a moving company on speed dial because drafting the second-best wide receiver (Demaryus Thomas over Dez Bryant) and the 4th or 5th best quarterback both in the first round put you squarely in the cross-hairs.

- I really, really despise the showing of the phone calls to the players before the draft pick was made. Talk about ruining any and all suspense in the process. Why would they allow the player to take the call and then show it on television so everyone knows before the Commissioner makes the announcement?

- Did anyone else notice that Steve Young does not appear to be very liked on the ESPN set? There seemed to be numerous occassions where Young would interrupt the others to get his opinion interjected, and numerous other times when the guys like Gruden, Jackson and Boomer would just talk right over the top of Young and take veiled shots at him like “did you see this, Steve?” before disproving his opinions. It just seemed mildly tense any time he would open his mouth and his thoughts were not appreciated by the others. Yet I still like Young because knowing that he went to BYU, I just assume his personal life is just like Big Love.

- The Coors Light Home Draft commercials? Awesome. The concept is great, not exactly new, but great. They are equivalent to the Heineken mini kegs, and let’s face it, the mini keg is a much cooler looking than the Coors offering. But the commercials with Ditka? Priceless. I would say that the commercial was about as impressive as what Detroit has done to remake the Lions and be in a better position to compete than the Chicago Bears.

- Loved the Packers pick of Brian Bulaga, and as has been pointed out quite a bit, he has the look of a Packers linemen if ever there was one. Between him and Mark Tauscher, you have two Big Ten brawlers who look like they belong playing for Green Bay. Like I said yesterday, they needed to fortify the line because if they give Rodgers time, he will have an MVP season. Let’s just hope the guy is better than the last highly touted Iowa lineman, Robert Gallery.

- The Cowboys may have made the best pick of the first round, getting Dez Bryant who had fallen all the way towards the end of the round. Bryant has Moss/T.O. talent and has taken a beating for being kind of a knucklehead. The key will be whether he takes the draft slide as a personal slight and uses it as motivation to drive himself to get back at all of the teams that passed on him. If he does that, a tandem of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant (with Roy Williams underneath) will immediately improve Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense.

Earth Day Draft Thoughts

Happy Earth Day! Wait, you didn’t know it was Earth Day? It’s been around for 40 years, supposedly and it sure seems like it is officially an overblown and meaningless “holiday” like “Sweetest Day” or “Patriots’ Day” in Boston. Are you or anyone you know doing anything different today than any other day? The whole “going green” thing seems like a way for people to quiet the loudest whining environmentalists when nothing has drastically changed. I haven't seen any studies recently about the ozone layer - is that still an issue? Has the hole gotten bigger or have we solved that problem? Or was that all just a bunch of crap to make a point politically?

With the draft starting tonight, here are a handful of predictions for what I think will or will not happen tonight:

- The Redskins will draft and offensive lineman. Mike Shannahan will want to draft a quarterback with every fiber of his soul, but he has to be smart enough to know that the trade for Donovan McNabb can only be successful if he is upright more often than he isn’t. Wouldn’t it make sense to trade down to around #13 and look at a guy like Dez Bryant to give McNabb a receiving option that isn’t a midget like Santana Moss or a project like Malcolm Kelly?

- The 49ers should draft Jimmy Clausen. They have two picks at #13 and #17, so they have the ability to get a quarterback that can be the face of the franchise and make a great team with Vernon Davis and Michaeel Crabtree. Alex Smith is not the long-term answer for a team with enough talent to win the NFC West this season. They have a talented defense and a solid core of guys at the skill position except at quarterback. Wouldn’t it make sense to get a guy who can utilize those weapons?

- If the Packers do anything other than draft an offensive lineman, the fans will revolt. Ted Thompson went against everything he’s ever done last year by trading up to get Clay Matthews, and it was the best move he’s ever made. So if he needs to trade up again to get one of the top offensive linemen that Thompson loves (Maurkice Pouncey, Bryan Baluga and Anthony Davis – according to Bob McGinn), then he should absolutely make that move. The Packers have the right pieces in place other than guys to protect Aaron Rodgers which would allow him to make a run at the MVP. He’s already making MVP moves off the field, as word has it he’s dating the lead singer from Lady Antebelum.

- Ben Roethlisberger will still be a Steeler after Round 1 tonight, but there is a better chance that he gets traded tonight than any other time. Let’s say that for some reason Colt McCoy and maybe even Jimmy Clausen slide all the way out of round one. If you’re the Steelers, don’t you think they’re calling all of those teams that have picks in the low 30’s and offering Big Ben for a chance to draft Clausen or possibly McCoy? And if you’re a team like Cleveland at #38, Oakland at #39, Buffalo at #41, or especially Denver which holds #43 & #45, wouldn’t you give up that pick for a proven quarterback, even with his off the field baggage? Seems like a great deal for the Broncos to make and Roethlisberger is a tremendous upgrade over their own partying quarterback, Kyle Orton.

- Tim Tebow will still be available tonight. There has been an increase of chatter that some team will fall in love with him and either draft him late in round one or trade back into the late first round to get a shot at him. I just can’t see it. Why? The salary structure is still pretty high even for a late round pick, so you would be paying Tebow a pretty healthy salary while he learns the game and is not contributing to your team. I just don’t see it at all. I think he is a good pick sometime around the late 2nd or 3rd rounds, but not in the first round.

- Mel Kiper will take a swing at Todd McShay during the telecast. Okay, that’s unlikely to happen, but it would make for great television. I like the debates between Kiper and McShay because they actually seem to like and respect each other and understand that they will have differing opinions on players. It is unlike the pathetic skits on SportsCenter in the past when Sean Salisbury and John Clayton would debate topics and it was obvious that they truly disliked each other. They couldn’t help but make personal attacks on each other, and I was always half expecting Clayton to end all discussion by telling Salisbury he has something on his phone he wants to show him.

The Effect of Moving the NFL Draft to Prime Time

The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night and this year the structure of the draft event has changed dramatically. The draft used to have the first two rounds on Saturday followed by the remaining rounds (3-7) on Sunday. This year the NFL has decided to create more television advertising and turned the draft into a prime time affair. The first round will take place on Thursday night, the 2nd and 3rd rounds will be on Friday evening and the remaining 4th through 7th rounds will be picked on Saturday. The NFL has a good chance to take the ratings crown in primetime, because the bar isn’t that high. Networks have turned to former sitcom stars that have now aged and tried to relight that candle. Elaine Benes (Seinfeld) on The New Adventures of Old Christine, Courtney Cox (Friends) on Cougartown, and now Alyssa Milano (Who’s The Boss & Charmed) on a new show called “Romantically Challenged” which debuted a few nights ago. Fairly entertaining, but unlikely to last long. Anway, where was I? Oh yeah, the NFL draft………You can debate the reasoning behind the move to prime time if you want, but the better question is what will be the impact on the teams and the players hoping to be drafted?

Side Note: While typing that paragraph, Ray Allen just hit another couple 3-pointers from the corner against the Heat. Dear Miami – you might want to guard him in that corner. Don’t think a game (potentially a series) like this against Boston where Dwayne Wade is the only guy competing won’t have an impact on where he signs this summer as a free agent. Chicago is competing against the Cavs. The Heat is not. Getting blown out by a Celtics team without Garnett where guys not named Wade went 18-51 (31%) is awful. Quentin Richardson (2-7 and a -33 +/-), please check your own manhood before calling anyone else an actress.

Increased Trades
The first and most obvious effect will be the increase of trading that will take place, particularly on the nights between draft action. When each day is complete, the teams will be able to regroup all of their management and scouts and evaluate where the team stands after the moves they made that day. They will also be able to break down the available players for the upcoming rounds, and target players they want to be in position to get. They now have that time over night to talk to all the teams they need to in order to secure a higher draft spot to get the guy they want. It’s like you’re out at the bar, and you head to Q-doba to meet up with your regular hook up around 1:30 in the morning. When you get there, you see her, understand what you have and realize there was a Pink look-alike at the bar. You immediately hail a cab, sacrifice the burrito and cab fare to go back to find Pink-light because she fits a need for you and isn’t a fit for the others still at the bar. Last year on the Saturday night after the first two rounds, the Jets decided they wanted Shonn Greene and make a move to get the first pick on Sunday morning, which they used to draft the running back who will be their 2010 starter. Expect to see a ton of that activity late Thursday night after the first round is complete and again on Friday night after the first 3 rounds are over.

Players in Demand
The other benefit goes to those players that are the guys that have slid lower than expected. Suddenly if Colt McCoy is still available when Thursday night wraps up, will a team go back to their war room and make the decision that they need to have him? What about a team like the 49ers? If they draft an offensive lineman with the 13th pick, would it be worth it to trade their 3rd and 5th round picks to get their potential QB of the future? And that plays out great for Colt McCoy because instead of some team waiting back and having him get selected with the 45th pick, he now goes around the 35th pick, which is a bigger contract. Yeah, maybe I just made another excuse to post a picture of Colt McCoy’s fiance….are you complaining? This time I didn’t bother to include Colt in the picture.

And finally, just to wrap up the draft thoughts, there is this awesome video of Rich Eisen of the NFL Network running the 40 yard dash at the combine in Indy. They then overlay the running of some of the top prospects to see how quickly Eisen falls behind and how much slower he is…..especially when they compare him to the 300+ pound defensive line prospect Terrence Cody. (fastforward to the 2:30 mark for the best parts)

Breaking Down the QB Prospects

As I mentioned yesterday, I am not the type to do a mock draft post. There are too many variables, too many trades and too many linemen that all I would be doing is aggregating the mock drafts I’ve seen on other more informed sites and then guessing to fill in the blanks. Do we really know what the Redskins are going to do with the 4th pick? And there is a pretty good chance that what Kansas City does at #5 could change dramatically based on what the Skins do ahead of them or if they get a godfather offer from Cleveland at #7, etc. It’s not worth the time or effort. I’m all about being efficient. Well, I’m also all about a good beer, a close sports game and pictures of Carrie Underwood – but you already knew that.

Yet I remain extremely intrigued by the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, especially after watching Jon Gruden dissect them. So with the caveat that I don’t have access to game film, I have only seen each guy play a handful of times, and I’ve seen the Gruden special and the SportsCenter highlights, here are my thoughts on the top quarterback prospects:

Sam Bradford
Appears to be a very cerebral quarterback with the ability to correctly read a defense and throw an extremely accurate ball. Obviously in all the meetings and pro days, you can’t knock him down on his shoulder to make sure he’ll get up. But he looks noticeably bigger now than he did during the season (he said he’s gained 15-20 pounds of muscle) and he’s going to need it. He doesn’t seem to have a “commanding presence” which could be a concern for his leadership ability when he has to get in the huddle with guys 10 years older than him and command their respect. Matt Ryan had that confidence and swagger, and I’m not sure Bradford does.

Overall Prediction/Guess: A solid pro to build your team around and worth the #1 pick for the Rams who desperately need a QB and a face for the franchise – potentially a Kerry Collins clone. Not spectacular, but Collins has been in the league for 15 years, never led the league in passing yards but finished in the top 10 four times and has been a pretty good locker room guy. And if you exclude the record in Oakland during 2004-2005, he is 2 games over .500 as a starter. Obviously here’s to hoping Bradford doesn’t have the alcohol problem that plagued Collins.

Jimmy Clausen
Clausen looks smallish but has a strong arm and improved his accuracy considerably during his last season at Notre Dame. He definitely has the swagger and leadership qualities to play quarterback in the NFL, not the least of which is his toughness and ability to play through pain. That will gain him some locker room credibility. He also played in an NFL-style system, so the offense won’t surprise him. The speed and athleticism of NFL defenders will though, and his penchant for getting sloppy and making bad decisions will need to be curtailed. Seriously, look at the picture. It’s the definition of bad decision making. Then again, that might be the best available at Notre Dame.

Overall Prediction/Guess: Get ready for the rollercoaster ride whoever takes Clausen. I liken him to Jake Plummer, a good athlete with the will to win and an attitude to never give up. Plummer was maddening because he had the skills but continually turned the ball over, which is why he had 161 INTs to go with 161 TDs in his career. All that said, if he’s there at #13 when the 49ers are on the board, I think they should jump on him like Big Ben on an underager.

Colt McCoy
McCoy is the most intriguing quarterback in the draft from my perspective. He lacks the ideal NFL quarterback height, but he has a rocket for an arm and is stout and jacked. He also has the leadship, fire and personality to command the respect of his teammates. He’s a gamer and appears to be a student of the game, understanding the need for film study and the need to continually refine his game and dissect how the defense is making adjustments. He’s a proven winner and experienced at the college level, allowing him to mature and be ready for the next level.

Overall Prediction/Guess: McCoy has the potential to be the best quarterback in this draft. Gruden kept comparing him to Drew Brees, and I think that is a very good comparison. The other comparison that I see is Jeff Garcia – another undersized passer who was athletic and among the best quarterbacks in the league from 2000-2002.

Tim Tebow
Tebow is the hardest working quarterback and possibly overall player that will be in the draft. As much as I find fake the squeaky clean perfect all-American image, he does genuinely come across as a good kid. He has a ton of work to do if he wants to play quarterback, and has already completely remade his throwing motion. However the question is whether he will be able to maintain that new motion when Ray Lewis has a bead on him. In addition, he needs to learn to take a snap from under center, read the defense while backpedaling or run playaction. It is a lot to ask of a kid, but Tebow seems determined to make it happen.

Overall Prediction/Guess: I think Tebow will be a decent value pick…..in the 5th round. However, someone is going to overreach and take him in the late second or early 3rd round. He’s a project that will need 3 years on the bench before he’s ready to ever see the field, but could be effective at some point. I don’t actually see a good comparison for Tebow, but possibly the ceiling would be Mark Brunell. An athletic lefty that toiled on the bench for a while before getting his shot and being successful.

Weekend Hangover - Love/Hate

LOVE

- The Jon Gruden “QB Camp” show on ESPN was absolute gold. Not quite “Carrie Underwood at the Country Music Awards show” gold, but extremely entertaining. Gruden has a passion for the game and an understanding of the quarterback position that is on par or above anyone in football today. He also has a sense of not taking himself too seriously (calling himself the FFCA – the Fired Football Coaches of America) while getting his point across to the young quarterbacks. I have to believe the only reason he’s not coaching somewhere is because he doesn’t want the stress – he loves the game and gets full access to all the players and all the film while toiling away at ESPN. Yet something tells me he will be back on the sidelines soon. Watching him dissect film with Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow showed an insight into the players’ personalities as well as what Gruden cherishes in his signal callers. I won’t be doing a mock draft (I don’t try to understand the nuances of offensive lineman – they need to have long arms. Or they don’t – see Joe Thomas) so maybe tomorrow I’ll give my thoughts on each quarterback just from what I’ve seen of them playing and watching this heavily edited show. (that’s my caveat in case my predictions are as bad as my NCAA basketball picks)

- During last night’s country music awards show, LL Cool J came out to introduce an award and opened by saying “this is my first country music awards show.” Really? You don’t say. You mean “Momma Said Knock You Out” and “Around The Way Girl” didn’t qualify for country music awards. That was the second most surprising part of the show. The first was trying to figure out who Laura Bell Bundy was and if she was actually the offspring of Al Bundy on Married With Children.

- Watching the NBA playoff games this weekend and a familiar script took shape in every game I watched: Cleveland vs. Chicago, Atlanta vs. Milwaukee, Los Angeles vs. Oklahoma City and Orlando vs. Charlotte. In every game, the favorite jumped out to a big lead of 20+ points, then in the second half the underdog rallied to get back in the game, only to have the favorite keep them at a punching distance despite the tries by the announcers to make you believe it was a close game. I suppose it’s to be expected considering the short shot clock and the “momentum officiating” that is so prevalent in the NBA, but it didn’t make for entertaining basketball to watch. I turned off each game for a considerable time in the middle of each game knowing I could come back in a half hour and the game would be closer.

- The Lakers struggled down the stretch of the regular season, giving hope to fans of the Mavs, Suns, and the rest of the Western conference. Well, Andrew Bynum came back to start the playoffs and suddenly, the Lakers look more like the team that was rolling through the league earlier in the season. Everyone will focus on Durant’s struggles against Ron Artest, but that’s not surprising. Artest has the ability to slow him down and we knew that. What we didn’t know was that Bynum would come back with a vengeance, scoring 9 points, grabbing 5 boards and blocking 3 shots in only 15 minutes of the first half. If he can get his conditioning back by the Western Conference finals, it will be as tough to slow the Lakers as it is for a tight dress to contain Christina Hendricks.

HATE

- Kevin Garnett has always played with a rage and intensity that bordered on lunacy. Well the elbow he threw at Quentin Richardson was dumber than Lindsay Lohan. He got himself a 1 game suspension for a Celtics team that has very little room for error. The game was over and there was no need for the elbow. Yes, Richardson is a clown and shouldn’t have been over there chirping in Garnett’s ear. But it doesn’t make it any less dumb for Garnett to fire the elbow at a useless nomad. He is a 15 year veteran and has to know better than that. On the other hand, it makes that series much more interesting, however due to the NBA’s horrendous scheduling, I have no idea when this series continues. Too many of the series have 2 day breaks between games 1 and 2 – there isn’t even a travel day!!

- I know the season is young and it’s not time to press the panic button for any baseball team yet. However I’m losing hope quickly on the Brewers chances to compete this season. Their starters are not up to par and their bullpen appears shakier than Ben Roethlisberger’s reputation. They have blown late leads regularly and it appears there is something wrong with LaTroy Hawkins shoulder because he does not have the velocity or strength that he had in his first couple outings. And it sure appears that the Brewers signed a left-handed version of Jeff Suppan in Doug Davis. There was a reason they let him leave town 3 years ago, right? And a reason the Diamondbacks were happy to see him go this past offseason, right? What made us think he’d suddenly regain a form from 4-5 years ago? Davis was spotted a 10 run lead on Sunday before he threw his first pitch and couldn’t survive five innings to qualify for the win. Then combine the poor pitching with pathetic offensive efforts like Saturday against the lowly Nationals and you have all the ingredients of a disappointing season.

- Speaking of the NL Central – there are little things that show when a team is for real. The Cardinals and Adam Wainwright showed it on Sunday. After the Cards and Mets went 20 innings on Saturday, blasting through their pitching staffs, both teams were in danger of wearing out their bullpen early in the season which could have long term repercussions for the rest of the season. Instead, Wainwright takes the ball and throws a complete game on Sunday night, giving his bullpen a day to recover and not have the extra inning game throw them off kilter. Those are the little things that make the difference. Imagine the Brewers needing to rely on Jeff Suppan, Doug Davis or Dave Bush to give their bullpen a rest. Exactly. That’s why the Cardinals will run away with the division.

- I caught a brief part of the Red Sox game against the Rays on Sunday afternoon, and a random note that the announcer made kind of blew me away. After a strong play by the Ray’s left fielder (I’m too lazy to look up who it was) of a ball bouncing off the Green Monster at Fenway, it was noted that the guy was comfortable at Fenway because it was his 70th game at the stadium. 70th!!! And he’s never played for the Sox. If that’s not a sign that the baseball season is too long and too imbalanced with divisional games, I don’t know what is.

- Two quick thoughts on announcers. Vin Scully celebrated his 60th anniversary announcing games. His first game was in 1950. That is incredible. He has one of the best voices, tells amazing stories and also weaves in a tremendous amount of information into his playcalling. Listen to his play call of the infamous Bill Buckner call. Listen to his call of the Kirk Gibson homerun in the 1988 World Series. Just pure verbal poetry. On the other end of the spectrum, I listened to some of the Orlando-Charlotte game on TNT and heard Kevin McHale doing the color commentating. McHale’s knowledge of the game and understanding of the nuances of playoff basketball is beyond reproach. Yet much like I have a face for radio, McHale has a voice for something other than broadcasting. I can’t put my finger on it, but his voice has a nasal tone or something that was like nails on a chalkboard. Play to your strengths, and announcing is not McHale’s strength.

Degenerate Friday - NBA Playoffs - EAST

Yesterday we broke down the Western Conference and now it’s time for the East……..By the way, great move by the Zen Master, Phil Jackson making his comments about Kevin Durant getting too many calls. It couldn’t have worked better. Yes, Phil had to make a donation to the league/charity, but he got in the head of all the officials before the series even began – just as he has done every single year he has ever coached (whining about the treatement of Shaq, the treatment of Jordan, etc.). And more importantly, Durant walked right into it, saying he felt disrespected. Durant should be focused on his team and his game, not comments from the opposing coach. Congrats Kevin, Phil now owns you and will destroy you from the inside out.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Chicago Bulls

Cavaliers odds: 1/2 to win the East, 7/4 to win the NBA Title
Bulls odds: 100/1 to win the East, 175/1 to win the NBA Title

And so the quest to keep LeBron James in Cleveland begins again. The question is whether a title helps or hurts the Cavs chances of resigning James. If he wins the title, does he then feel like he brought a title to his hometown and he could then move on to bigger and better things? Or would he feel the pressure to stick around and defend that title and create a dynasty in his home town? The Cavs have all the weapons to win the title surrounding James. They have the big man in O’Neal and depth with Ilgauskas. They have a forward who can score and rebound in Antwan Jamison, and a capable point guard in Mo Williams. Is Mike Brown a good enough coach? Is Brooklyn Decker a genius? It doesn’t matter when you have the best talent.

The Bulls have a solid group of talent on the floor, but the unrest between the coaching staff and management will be difficult to overcome. Vinny Del Negro knows that he is going to be fired after the season regardless of how the deep the Bulls go which has to have a psychological effect on him and the rest of the team. Perhaps the cause of the fight between GM John Paxson and Del Negro started because of Joakim Noah’s minutes, but maybe what pushed Paxson over the edge was Del Negro asking him why he traded a proven playoff perimeter threat in John Salmons that the Bulls could desperately use to try and match up with the Cavs. The Bulls are like Angelina Jolie in that they have some tremendous assets, but when you put the package together their brain trust is pretty messed up and she comes with a bunch of young baggage.

The Cavs have no value for gambling to get out of the East, but they are my pick to win the NBA title. LeBron is at the absolute peak of his game and I would love to see a Kobe-LeBron match up almost as much as ABC would love to see it.

First Round Prediction: Cavs in 5 games

#2 Orlando Magic vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats

Magic odds: 10/3 to win the East, 6/1 to win the NBA Title
Bobcat odds: 65/1 to win the East, 125/1 to win the NBA Title

The Bobcats are a great story making their first playoff appearance in franchise history and are another success story for the oft-traveled Larry Brown. They play tough defense and gave up the fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference, which they needed because they scored the third fewest points. With the exception of Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton, the Bobcats are a collection of cast offs and other teams’ unwanted assets – Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, and Larry Hughes. Much like Kristin Cavallari, no one really likes her no matter what she does. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their best all-around player, Gerald Wallace has struggled against the Magic, averaging only 11 points per game, more than 7 points below his regular season average. That will make it tough when their second scoring option is muffled.

The Magic brought in Vince Carter to be the difference maker and bring them an NBA championship. Prior to the season, I thought pairing a moody guy like Carter with a demanding coach like Ron Jeremy…errr…Stan Van Gundy sounded as dumb as Michael Kay’s pronunciation of Alex Rodriguez’s name on the YES network. Kay insists on calling him Alex Rah-DREE-giz unlike the other 99.99% of the world that pronounces it Rod-REE-gez. Just another example of why Kay stinks. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah, Vince Carter. Carter gives the Magic a legit second scoring option behind Dwight Howard and makes the Magic the next best option to Team LeBron. Like Emmanuelle Chriqui, they have all the weapons needed, but they fly slightly under the radar. They present matchup problems for the Cavs if they both advance to the Eastern Finals and would be a good bet to win the title.

For gambling purposes, the Magic are a decent bet to win the East and might be worth throwing some cash at. For some reason, I can see the Magic winning the East but can’t see them beating the Lakers or Mavericks. That doesn’t make much sense since I see the Cavs winning it all, and if the Magic beat the Cavs, then they should be able to beat the West champ, right? Not in my mind.

First Round Prediction: Magic in 5 games

#3 Atlanta Hawks vs. #6 Milwaukee Bucks

Hawks odds: 10/1 to win the East, 28/1 to win the NBA Title
Bucks odds: 65/1 to win the East, 150/1 to win the NBA Title

If someone asked you to name the top 3 teams in the East last weekend, you probably would have said, Cleveland, Orlando and Boston. The media is so hung up on the aging Celtics that they have failed to notice that the Hawks actually took care of the #3 seed with relative ease. The Hawks are loaded with talent, but all talent that doesn’t get many headlines. Most people know Joe Johnson because he is going to be a great booby prize that the Knicks land after they fail to land LeBron this summer as a free agent. Can you name the Hawks leading rebounder? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It’s Al Horford, who averages 9.9 rebounds per game to go with his 14 points. They also have a veteran point guard in Mike Bibby, a scorer in Jamal Crawford, and an athletic wingman (that can match up with Rashard Lewis, Antwan Jamison or Paul Pierce) in Josh Smith. The Hawks are like John Malkovich in that they are tremendously talented and can fill a bunch of roles, but you never really think of them as a great leading actor.

The Bucks were dealt a death blow when Andrew Bogut suffered his elbow injury. With Bogut, they had the potential to beat the Hawks or the Celtics and put a scare into the Cavs or Magic in the second round. Unfortunately without him they are scrambling to have any sort of inside presence that would allow them to hang with any of those teams. The addition of John Salmons was pure genius and when combined with the signing of Jerry Stackhouse the Bucks found a perimeter game that more versatile and dangerous that what was being offered from Michael Redd. Scott Skiles has done a great job this season but the loss of Bogut will be too much to overcome when combined with the fact that rookie point guard Brandon Jennings is too small and not tough enough defensively. Jennings is an awesome offensive talent, but is a huge liability on defense. Atlanta is going to run continual screen and rolls with veteran Mike Bibby and Jennings doesn’t fight through the screens well enough, causing others to help out, leaving Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford open jumpers. Like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump, the Bucks “ain’t got no legs” without Andrew Bogut.

The Hawks are an intriguing bet to win the East because of their ability to match up with any team in the East. The problem they have is that they don’t have a guy that can take over a game and carry the team on his shoulders. Joe Johnson can be clutch and Jamal Crawford could get hot, but do they have the ability to carry a team over an entire series? I’m not sure.

First round prediction: Hawks in 6

#4 Boston Celtics vs. #5 Miami Heat

Celtics odds: 13/2 to win the East, 12/1 to win the NBA Title
Heat odds: 40/1 to win the East, 90/1 to win the NBA Title

The Celtics are the Pam Anderson of the playoffs. They have aged considerably, but still have the headline grabbing assets and the ability to turn it on every once in a while. However, every time they make that big run and expend more energy, it’s going to take a toll on them and they will be slower to recover. Kevin Garnett was my favorite player in the league for nearly 12 years and it’s almost sad to see how much his knee has deteriorated and taken away his explosiveness. Ray Allen still has a quick and accurate trigger and together with the lightning quick play of Rajon Rondo they will be able to contain the Heat’s strength in the first round. Unfortunately, I see this as the final year of the Celtics window to win, and the window is not open wide enough for Big Baby Davis’s rear end or Pamela Anderson’s front court to fit through.

The Heat have quietly put together a nice season and are hoping that they have done enough to show Dwayne Wade why he should stay in South Beach and sign an extension this summer. They have allowed the second fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference and have the electric scoring option that has proven that he gets all the calls from the refs in Dwayne Wade. The question is whether the Heat has enough in their supporting cast to get them out of the first round and put some fear in the top teams. Jermaine O’Neal has played fairly well, but watching his old bones do battle against the ghost of Garnett will be painful to watch. Michael Beasley has shown strong improvement and maturity this season, but is still only shooting 45% from the field and is not a consistent threat. Like Sophia Veraga, the Heat have one outstanding asset that can only carry them so far.

Stay away from these teams for gambling purposes. The Celtics odds are a terrible value and should be avoided at all costs. The Heat are going nowhere even if they get out of the first round.

First Round Prediction: Celtics in 7 games