Sports Spectrum Insider

PACKER WILL NOT BE MISSED

2008-07-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

News came this week that Billy Packer will no longer be the lead color analyst for CBS college basketball or the NCAA men's basketball Final Four.

I hate to say it, but Packer will not be missed. He seemed to be out of touch with the trends in the college game for a long time and has worn out his welcome.

A former player at Wake Forest, Packer has long been seen as an announcer that favored teams from the ACC. Quite frankly, that criticism has been very untrue and unfair. But he has been very critical of mid-major teams that received bids to the tournament. His criticism came across as boorish and elitist. He was very critical of St. Joe receiving a No. 1 seed in 2004. More importantly his comments were often inaccurate and damaged his credibility.

CBS will replace Packer with former college and NBA player, Clark Kellogg. Kellogg is a popular studio analysts working alongside Gregg Gumbel during the tournament. CBS will not miss a beat.

Kellogg approaches the game with a refreshing perspective. Coaches like him, players like him fans like him and he knows the game. This is a move that was long overdue.
Frank Giardina

Is It October Yet?

2008-07-16T11:18:00.003-04:00

People ask me "How's it feel to have your Cubs in first place?" I usually answer something along the lines of "great", but the truth is that I am nervous. Any Cub fan who has followed the team for more than a couple of years knows that nervousness is the proper state of mind until a spot in the playoffs is locked up.

Remember, the Cubs' history is littered with black cats, billy goats, and Bartman balls. The Cubs have found incredibly creative ways to lose pennant runs (and quite honestly have found some creative excuses for their losing ways!)

This isn't to say I'm not optimistic about the 2008 Cubs. I truly am.

The Cubs seem to have all the pieces they should need to make a good run at a pennant and—dare we think this boldly—a World Series. They have a good solid starting rotation that performed well even when #1 starter Carlos Zambrano was out for a couple of weeks with some arm stiffness. Even though his won/loss record didn't reflect it, Sean Marshall pitched really well during that time and gives the Cubs an extra arm that will come in handy once September hits.

The Cubs also have an offense that can score a lot of runs without having to rely too heavily on home runs. They have guys that have a lot of power in Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez but the Cubs also have guys like Kosuke Fukudome and Mark DeRosa who get on base and rack up a decent number of steals. The Cubs play "little ball" as well as or better than anyone else in the league.

In recent years the bullpen has been a big problem. But Kerry Wood has been outstanding in his new role as closer and the setup to get to Wood has been pretty solid. Carlos Marmol is usually reliable in the 8th inning (though he occasionally has an off night.) Guys like Michael Wuertz and Bob Howry have been getting late-inning outs. The bullpen has been a pleasant surprise and has kept the Cubs in the close games. Throw a healthy Dan Haren into the mix and you have a pitching staff that can instill a lot of fear into a first round playoff opponent.

The Cubs have a ton of road games in September so they had better be good away from Wrigley or they'll be working on their golf games in October. But – thinking boldly now – if the Cubs manage to make the World Series, demonstrated success on the road will help because the AL team will have the home field advantage. You did stay up for all 15 innings of the All Star Game didn't you?

Jeff Holquist

INTERESTING STORIES FOR ALL STAR GAME

2008-07-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Tonight is Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. It’s always special and tonight should be no exception. It’s even more of an event since it’s being played in historic Yankee Stadium. The stadium will close after this season.

I don't enjoy watching the established stars play the game. I enjoy seeing the looks on the faces of first time All-Stars. Here are some of the players I’m looking forward to watching tonight.

Josh Hamilton – Texas Rangers
Hamilton's comeback from drug addiction is one of the game's most amazing stories. The former first round pick was out of the game for over three years. Now he’s back and has earned a starting spot for the American League. He’s the one of the game's all time great inspirational stories.

Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
The diminutive Giants pitcher is as fun to watch as any pitcher in the game. Sports Illustrated recently compared him to Mark "The Bird" Fidrych of the 1976 Tigers. Hopefully he’ll put on a pitching show tonight. He’s the one bright spot in a dismal Giants season.

Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay Rays
Longoria is everybody's favorite rookie. The Rays are scuffling going into the break, but they’ve been the best team story in the first half of the season. Longoria is going to be a star, he was voted into the game late by the fans. His on field reaction should be fun to watch.

Nate McLouth – Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates young outfielder has been one of the surprise stories in the National League. Every game he plays, he plays with a look of excitement and wonder. Tonight should be no different.

Manny Ramirez – Boston Red Sox
Yankee fans hate Manny during the regular season. He’s from the Bronx and is coming back home for the game. Will he be cheered tonight in his hometown? It should be interesting to see.

Edinson Volquez – Cincinnati Reds
Volquez has been the best pitcher in the National League this season. But not many fans know how good he is yet. It will be fun to see him challenge the American League all stars.

Frank Giardina

ALL STAR GAME TRIGGERS MANY MEMORIES

2008-07-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

No other pro sport has as good an All-Star game as baseball. Since its inception in 1933, the Mid-Summer Classic has been a special part of baseball’s fabric. The first game was played in Chicago at Comiskey Park and was the brainchild of former Chicago sports writer, Arch Ward.

Appropriately enough, Babe Ruth hit the game's first home run.

The NFL has the Pro Bowl, the NBA and the NHL have All-Star games as well, but none of them have the history or the allure of baseball's All-Star game. For all of the flaws and warts of Major League Baseball, the All-Star game is still special. Here are some of my favorite All-Star memories:

1964 – The National League wins the game at Shea Stadium on a three run home run in the bottom of the ninth off of the bat of outfielder Johnny Callison of the Philadelphia Phillies. The home run was served up by, almost unbeatable relief ace, Dick "The Monster" Radatz of the Boston Red Sox.

1967 – The longest All-Star game in history, this one was not decided until the 15th inning. In the twilight of a California evening, the game was finally decided on a home run by Tony Perez of the Cincinnati Reds. The winning pitcher for the National League was a young rookie, Tom Seaver.

1970 – Another win for the National League and once again by one run. In the new home of the Cincinnati Reds, Reds great Pete Rose provided one of the most memorable moments in All-Star history when he bowled over Cleveland Indians rookie catcher, Ray Fosse, at home plate, to score the winning run. Rose went on to become the game's all time hit leader. Fosse was never the same.

1971 – Even though the National League dominated the All-Star game at this time, this was a rare win for the American League in venerable Tiger Stadium. The game is known for Reggie Jackson's home run off of the light tower on top of right field. Former Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis was the pitcher that gave up the home run to Jackson.

Frank Giardina

NATIONAL LEAGUE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED

2008-07-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

As the all star break approaches for Major League Baseball we continue to ask questions. Yesterday we took at look at some questions that needed to be asked and answered in the American League. Today, we take a look at the National League.

1. Is the National League as mediocre as it appears to be? Yes it is! Pitching in the league has been less than mediocre. There are only six teams in the entire league that are playing .500 baseball. There are no teams in the N. L. West over .500. Once again this season, the N. L. was dominated by the A. L. in inter-league play.

2. Who’s the team to beat in the N. L. West? I still think it’s the Diamondback. After an encouraging start, Arizona has been sputtering. But they still seem to be the most solid team in the division.

3. Will the trade for C. C. Sabathia vault the Brewers into the playoffs? Anything less than a playoff spot would be a disappointment for the Brewers. They’ve been playing good baseball and are challenging the Cubs and Cardinals. The N. L. Central has become the most intriguing division in the league.

4. Are the Philadelphia Phillies the best team in the N. L. East? They appear to be! The Mets are disappointing, the Braves have a number of surprising problems and he Phillies certainly can hit. They should win the N. L. East.

5. Who should be the starting pitcher for the National League in the all-star game? It should be Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Edinson Volquez of the Reds. Volquez has the best ERA in the league and is one of the best strikeout pitchers in all of baseball. The Reds – Texas trade involving Volquez and Josh Hamilton has been remarkable for both teams. Lincecum is keeping a bad Giants team in the race and he may be the most underrated pitcher in the game.
Frank Giardina

BASEBALL QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE ASKED

2008-07-10T00:10:00.001-04:00

As we near the Major League Baseball all star break, here are some questions I have about the American League?

1. Are the Los Angeles Angels the best team in the American League? With all of the attention on the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees in the A. L. East, the Angels have quietly been playing at a level that has them around 15 games over .500.

2. Is Angels manager, Mike Scioscia, the most underrated manager in the American League? Yes, but the former Dodgers catcher is starting to finally be noticed. He’s a man of little ego.

3. Can the Tampa Bay Rays make the playoffs? Yes, but the Rays may not win the division. They’re not a fluke, they have an excellent pitching staff that should serve them well in the second half of the season.

4. Will the Yankees make the playoffs? No, I know they’re the Yankees and you can’t count them out. But they’re done this season—there will be no post season in the Bronx?

5. Will the Chicago White Sox hang on and win the A. L. Central? I don't think so I still like the Tigers. Jim Leyland is the best manager in baseball in many ways. The Tigers are still the team to beat here.
Frank Giardina

NADAL-FEDERRER AS GOOD AS IT GETS

2008-07-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, the sporting world was treated to the best men's tennis match ever played. It’s not easy to say that. There have been some unbelievable match-ups and rivalries over the years, but nothing better than this.

In the men's single final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federrer, two tennis warrior’s battled exhaustion, numerous rain delays, darkness and the incredible talents of each other to play the best match in Wimbledon history. It was also the longest match ever played, which made it even more dramatic and special.

The match had everything—amazing points, surprising comebacks, courage, heart, and the grand stage of Wimbledon. This would have been an historic match anywhere, but the fact that it was played in the setting of Wimbledon also made it more meaningful.

We’ve seen great drama there in the past with Borg vs. McEnroe, Borg vs. Connors, McEnroe vs. Conners, Navratilova vs. Evert, Evert vs. King to name a few. We’ve seen many inspiring heroes there such as Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Boris Becker, and the great Pete Sampras.

It’s not often in any sport that we can say we saw the greatest game ever played. But in this case it’s true. We’ve never, ever seen a better tennis match than what we saw on Sunday. No one should have lost this epic battle.
Frank Giardina

PEARL BIGGER THAN FULMER IN VOL COUNTRY

2008-07-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

The University of Tennessee made a statement last week when they announced the signings of head football coach Phil Fulmer and men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl to long term contracts. The new deals will run through 2014.

On one of the national cable networks last week the question was asked who is more popular in the Volunteer state, Fulmer or Pearl. The consensus favored Fulmer because Tennessee football is bigger than Tennessee basketball and SEC football is bigger than SEC basketball.

The "experts" opinion could not look more foolish. The race is not even close. In Tennessee, Bruce Pearl is unanimously adored by the Volunteer faithful. He can do no wrong. He has pushed all the right buttons in taking the Vols to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16's and an SEC championship in 2008. He even created more unity with the Tennessee women's program when he shed his shirt, painted his chest and cheered on the Lady Vols in the winter of 2007 from the student section.

Women's coaching legend Pat Head Summitt returned the favor by donning a cheerleader uniform and singing Rocky Top at the Tennessee-Florida men's game.

Meanwhile in Vol country, football fans only grumble about their football program and Fulmer. There’s good reason, with numerous off the field violations and a team that has done less with more on the field in recent years. Moreover, it appears to be a very dysfunctional family with little team chemistry.

Expect the football grumbling to persist. While Florida continues to improve, Georgia remains outstanding and Auburn is solid. Alabama and Nick Saban are flying by Tennessee in recruiting. Bobby Petrino may do the same thing at Louisville. Steve Spurrier is still at South Carolina and the list goes on and on. There’s a fresh excitement at most SEC football programs, Tennessee is the exception.

If Bruce Pearl were to run for Governor against Phil Fulmer, he would win Tennessee in a landslide.
Frank Giardina

PONT'S FOOTBALL CAREER UNDERRATED IN THE MID-WEST

2008-07-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

College football lost one of its most underrated coaches and players early last week. John Pont died Tuesday in Oxford, Ohio at the age of 80. Pont had been battling cancer.

Pont was a popular coach in the Big Ten and very under-appreciated. He coached at two schools where it was almost impossible to win in football, Indiana and Northwestern. He was the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers from 1965-72. In 1967, he achieved the impossible in Bloomington, he coached Indiana to a 9-2 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

It was an Indiana team that featured a group of sophomore stars such as Harry Gonso, Mike Deal and John Isenbarger. They played in the 1968 Rose Bowl competing valiantly before losing 14-3 to a high powered Southern California team that featured running back star, O. J. Simpson. The Hoosiers haven’t been in a Rose Bowl since that time.

Besides Indiana, Pont also coaches at Miami (O), Yale and Northwestern. He was also a great player for Miami (O). In his senior year, John Pont was the schools leading rusher with 2,457 yards. His jersey number was the first ever to be retired by the Miami football program.

The passing of John Pont has not drawn national headlines. But in the state of Indiana, Hoosier fans feel a tinge of sadness when they remember back to the 1968 season when Indiana shocked the Big Ten and accomplished the goal of going to Pasadena.
Frank Giardina

AMERICAN LEAGUE MANAGER REPORT CARDS

2008-07-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

The mid-way point of the Major League Baseball season is all but here. Listed below is my short list of managers doing the best job in the American League.

TERRY FRANCONA – Boston
The Red Sox are the best team in baseball. Francona is once again a huge part of their success.

RON GARDNEHIRE – Minnesota
The Twins seem to lose a superstar in the off season every year. But they are the one small market team that’s consistently competitive. Gardnehire is doing an amazing job once again and they’re challenging for an A. L. Central title.

JIM LEYLAND – Detroit
There’s no better manager in baseball than Jim Leyland of the Tigers. The Tigers got off to a miserable start—they’ve had many injuries to their pitching staff. Yet, they’ll win the American League Central.

JOE MADDON – Tampa Bay
The team named for water instead of a city has shown a lot of muscle and grit this season. They’ve been battling the Red Sox for first place all season. Maddon is not a household name, but he deserves some recognition.

MIKE SCIOSIA – Los Angeles
The Angels may have the best skipper in the American League. Years ago the Dodgers could have hired him, they should have. The former Dodger catcher moved across town and helped lead the Angels to their first ever World Series win in 2002. They’ve been a consistent playoff team since that time.

Frank Giardina

NATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER REPORT CARDS

2008-07-03T00:00:00.002-04:00

It’s basically the half-way point of the Major League Baseball season. Here’s a mid-season look at the men doing the best managerial jobs in the National League.

FREDI GONZALEZ – Florida
Most fans have never heard of Gonzalez. Most fans in Miami wouldn’t even recognize him on the street. The Marlins are rebuilding again and they shouldn’t be winning games. But they are, Gonzalez is doing a nice job in his first season as a Major League manager.

TONY LARUSSA – St. Louis
LaRussa is a Hall of Fame manager and does an incredible job every season. This was supposed to be a down year for the Cardinals, but they may be a playoff team again. They have the second best record in the National League.

CHARLIE MANUEL – Philadelphia
Charlie gives off kind of a county boy, "aw shucks" demeanor and many of the media make fun of his lack of polish in the post-game interview room. But you can’t make fun of the results. He guided the Phillies into an improbably playoff bid last season and they’re in first place in their division this season.

LOU PINIELLA – Chicago
Can this be the year the Cubs finally make it to a World Series? They have the best record in the National League right now. Piniella is one of the best managers in the big leagues.

NED YOST – Milwaukee
The Brewers were struggling early and it appeared that Yost might be fired before the end of May. But they’ve played well at home and in the N. L. Central race. It’ll be tough to catch St. Louis or Chicago so a playoff spot may be out of the question.

Frank Giardina

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SENDING CELTICS TO THE OLYMPICS IS NOT THE ANSWER

2008-07-02T01:07:00.002-04:00

With the NBA season over and the draft behind us, much of the focus of the basketball world is centering on the upcoming Summer Olympics in China. The United States Olympic team has been selected and has begun to train and work out.

Among the NBA stars on the team's roster are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Michael Redd. It’s a team with great versatility and quickness, but doesn’t have a true center.

As always, the selection of the roster has come under fire. Some in the media have suggested that the NBA champion Boston Celtics should be sent to represent the U. S. The Celtics are a rarity in the NBA because they are indeed an all-American team. Amazingly, there are no foreign players on the roster. But it’s not sound thinking to simply send the NBA champs to play in the Olympics.

An argument can be made that they have chemistry and that they’ll play better as a team than a group of all-stars. While there’s some merit to this, those in favor of sending the Celtics are missing one thing, motivation.

Boston has just won the ultimate team basketball prize, the NBA championship. They’re basketball's World Champions. They’ve been grinding and battling to win the NBA title for almost a year and they did it in satisfying fashion. As a team, they would have no desire to put their legacy on the line by trying to gear up for another training camp and playing in the Olympics. It would truly be unfair to expect them to do so.

Not winning a Gold Medal shouldn’t tarnish an NBA team’s title. Let the Celtics enjoy their winning record. The team would likely have neither the incentive nor the inspiration to go after the Gold even if they were to represent the United States. What do you think?

Frank Giardina

NBA DRAFT WINNERS

2008-07-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

The NBA draft is complete, the glut of rookie trades is over and here are my thoughts on some of the winners from the 2008 draft.

BOSTON CELTICS – Now that they are the world champs, the Celtics could afford to take some gambles. If he’s healthy, Bill Walker of Kansas State is a first round player picked from the second round. Former Kansas player, J. R. Giddens can also bring athleticism and young legs to the Celtics if his attitude is right.

CHICAGO BULLS – They used the first round pick to take the most coveted player in the draft, Derrick Rose. Rose has all the tools to be a superstar.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES – Wolves fans are not happy about trading O. J. Mayo. But Kevin Love of UCLA is a sound fundamental player and a tremendous teammate. Getting the veteran Mike Miller to go with him makes this a good deal for both teams.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES – The Grizzlies are building for the future. They got the player that I think could be the next great superstar, O. J. Mayo. They can pair him with young wing player Rudy Gay to get some scoring punch. In addition they have incredible speed in the backcourt with point guard Michael Conley. They were also able to get Durrell Arthur from Kansas who could be one of the steals of the draft and if Pao Gasol's little brother can play, Memphis could be greatly improved.

NEW JERSEY NETS – The Nets were active traders, but it’s in the draft where they made the most noise. Center, Brook Lopez fell into their lap with the number 10 pick. Second pick, Chris Douglas-Roberts is a winner who should surprise people as well. It was a good draft for G. M. Rod Thorn.

ORLANDO MAGIC – The Magic are a playoff team that did not need to make drastic moves. The first round pick of Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky is one of the must underrated picks of the draft. He should help Orlando immediately.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS – If Greg Oden is healthy at center next year, the Trail Blazers could be the surprise team in the NBA. Getting Jarryd Bayless as a good young guard is a great addition to this team.

Frank Giardina

TOUGH TIMES COMING FOR HOOSIER FANS

2008-06-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

On Thursday of last week, the latest fall-out occurred in last season's firing of men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson—Indiana University Director of Athletics, Rick Greenspan resigned.

Greenspan resigned when the NCAA investigation into Kelvin Sampson's firing found four major violations plus a lack of institutional leadership on the part of the athletic administration. Now in Hoosier country, there’s no one left.

Without an Athletic Director there’s no leadership and there’s not much of a basketball program. Sure, Tom Crean formerly of Marquette is the new coach and he appears to be a credible hire. But the Hoosiers program is in shambles and Crean will have no roster to work with next year. It looks to be the most miserable season in Indiana's storied basketball history.

In football, popular head coach Terry Hoeppner tragically died of brain cancer last year. His replacement, interim coach Bill Lynch is the now the permanent head coach and he did a courageous job last Fall. But there is no reason to think that Lynch can continue to build on the enthusiasm that Hoeppner brought to Bloomington.

Morale for college athletics is down at Indiana and with good reason. It may be a long time before Hoosier fans have something to cheer about once again.

Frank Giardina

PIRATES-YANKEES SERIES BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

2008-06-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

This week Major League Baseball took time for some inter-league play. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the New York Yankees invaded Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. This series was special for a couple of reasons.

One, it’s the first time since the 1960 World Series that the Yankees have played in Pittsburgh. That series was played at Forbes Field.

Two, the 1960 World Series is one of the more memorable series of all time. It produced legendary moments for many of the game’s greatest players. It was the height of the Yankee dynasty years and they were beginning a run of five straight American League pennant winning seasons.

The Pirates were a bit of a Cinderella story. During the most of the 1950's the Pirates were one of the worst teams in baseball. But in the late 1950’s under manager Danny Murtaugh, the Pirates began to improve. They had a solid center fielder in Bill Virdon, a future Hall of Fame second baseman in Bill Mazeroski, an MVP at shortstop in Dick Groat and one of the greatest players in the history of the game in right field in Roberto Clemente. The 1960 World Series was Clemente’s coming out party. He had another in the 1971 World Series just a year before he died in a plane crash on a mission of mercy.

The Yankees played many of their legends, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, a young Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek and Clete Boyer. In the three games the Yankees won, the scores were lopsided. But their bats were silenced in the other games and after six, the series was deadlocked.

Both teams ran out of pitching in Game seven. But in dramatic fashion, in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates broke a 9-9 tie with a solo home run off the bat of Mazeroski. Bobby Richardson of the Yankees was voted the MVP, but the Pirates were the improbable series winners.

It was the emotion of baseball at its best. Mickey Mantle called it his toughest loss, one that he never got over. There is no question that stories of the incredible 1960 World Series were told over and over again in Pittsburgh this week. It’s one of the few joys of inter-league play.
Frank Giardina

NBA DRAFT TONIGHT IS WORTH WATCHING

2008-06-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

The annual NBA draft takes place in New York City tonight. The top three picks in the first round are expected to be players who just finished their freshmen seasons in college. What will happen with the top three choices? Here’s is my guess…

1. CHICAGO – The Bulls have the number one pick and are expected to take Memphis point guard Derrick Rose. Rose was electrifying in the NCAA Tournament last spring when he led the Tigers to a missed free throw from winning the national championship. It doesn’t hurt that Rose is also a Chicago native. It makes for a nice story. But the Bulls should take Rose even if he were from Alaska. Great point guards can be incredible difference makers. This kid could be a star in the league for many years to come.

2. MIAMI – There are some that feel the Heat could trade this pick and move down in the draft. If they don't, the expectation is that Miami will select 6-10 forward Michael Beasley from Kansas State. Beasley is a big name with perimeter skills and the NBA scouts love that combination. There are smaller players that may have a bigger impact. But Beasley is a highly sought after player.

3. MINNESOTA – Where do the Timberwolves start? They have so many needs. If I were them, I would take former USC guard O. J. Mayo. Mayo is very NBA ready in every way and should be a better pro than a college player. He can play either guard position and can score in a variety of ways. I think he’s the best player in the draft, but he’ll probably not be taken in the top two picks.

Frank Giardina

USA OLYMPIC TEAM DOES NOT FEATURE MUCH BULK

2008-06-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

The roster has been finalized for the USA Summer Olympic basketball team. The team was announced on Monday in Chicago and will represent the USA in the Summer Olympics in August.

It’s the first time that a U. S. Olympic team has not featured a true classic center. There are post players, such as Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Carlos Boozer. But there’s not a lot of traditional size and bulk. There’s no Shaq, no Bill Russell, no Tim Duncan, no Patrick Ewing. There really isn't even a Karl Malone or David Robinson in terms of this size and strength.

But with these athletes there’s length and versatility. There are also shooters, something not all Olympic teams have had in the past. There’s Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, Tayshaun Prince and maybe most importantly, Michael Redd, to provide some outside shooting. Outside shooting has been an issued with USA teams in the most recent games, with this team there are several shooting and scoring options.

One of the most positive surprises about this team is the young guard play. Young, fresh legs such as Chris Paul and Deron Williams are positive additions to the roster. They join the veteran Jason Kidd to run the offense.

But the key, as always, to Team USA's fortunes will be chemistry. There are plenty of scorer’s egos such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade. Some will have to check their egos at the door for the good of the team. In 2004 the team drastically underachieved because of a lack of continuity. It was basically an all star team that represented the U. S. and that’s no longer good enough. The rest of the world is now playing outstanding basketball. Unlike teams of the past this year's team has played together as a part of USA basketball for a few years.

Here's hoping the new formula works.

Frank Giardina

WHELDON'S GESTURE VERY MEANINGFUL

2008-06-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

In recent weeks, the Midwestern part of the United States has been devastated by flooding. No state has been harder hit than Iowa where much of Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Iowa City are underwater. The recovery effort is massive, heart-breaking and costly.

If it’s any consolation to the citizens of Iowa, the sports world has noticed and at least one athlete is doing something about it.

This past Sunday the Indy Racing League made its annual stop for the Iowa Corn 250 at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. It was a welcome relief for the state to have something to cheer about. How bad are things in Iowa? As of the weekend, 80 of the state's 99 counties qualified for federal disaster relief and the state has suffered an estimated $1.5 billion dollars in damages.

On the track in Iowa, it was another successful weekend for the Ganassi Racing Team, driver Dan Wheldon won the race. Then after the race, something more meaningful happened. Wheldon announced that he was donating his entire winnings to the Iowa relief fund. His teammate, Scott Dixon who finished fourth in the race, announced he will do the same thing. Together the donation amounts to around $60,000.

We’ve seen instances where men and women in sport have been very charitable in helping disaster relief. New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, has been very helpful in rebuilding that city.

But rarely, will you see an athlete donate the entire winnings from an event as Wheldon is doing. This is a significant gift. A tremendous gesture and it’s worth noting. Wheldon's gift is also a terrific reflection on the Indy Racing League—other drivers may follow Wheldon and Dixon’s lead.

Dan Wheldon had a great idea and his efforts will make a difference in the lives of many Iowans.
Frank Giardina

CELTICS ADD TO GREAT TRADITION

2008-06-23T00:00:00.001-04:00

No NBA team has the tradition of the Boston Celtics. Not the Lakers. Not the Bulls. Not the 76'ers. No team has the tradition of the Boston Celtics. This year's Finals win over the Los Angeles Lakers, brought the Celtics their 17th NBA title.

The guys in kelly green and white dominated the 1960's under Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn and John Havlicheck. This group won titles in 1957, 1959, 1960 – 1966, 1968 and 1969.

In the 70's it was a different cast of characters, but the Celtics continued to win. Led by Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, the Celtics won a title in 1974 and 1976. In the 1980's it was the Larry Bird era and championships came in 1981, 1984 and 1986.

Only the New York Yankees can match the Celtics for consistent excellence. The title win last week will certainly rank as one of the franchise's most improbable titles. It’s a team that won only 22 games a year ago and had not won a crown since 1986. This proud and storied franchise had somehow become irrelevant. But to the credit of General Manager Danny Ainge, the Celtics acquired veteran all stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to go with Paul Pierce and a bunch of young legs, and the combination was a success.

The 2008 Celtics should fit in nicely in Boston’s NBA history. The Celtics have 32 Hall of Famers as players, coaches and front office execs. Three members of this team, Allen, Garnett and Pierce, will probably all be headed for the Hall someday also.

On Thursday of last week, there was a victory parade in downtown Boston. For long time Celtics fans, it was simply a restoration to the franchise's rightful place in basketball history.
Frank Giardina

RANDOLPH JUST THE FIRST MANAGER TO GO

2008-06-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, the New York Mets fired manager Willie Randolph. It was really not a surprise—Randolph's dismissal has been rumored for months. The Mets were expected to contend for the National League East crown, but they’ve struggled to break even. Former Chicago White Sox manager Jerry Manuel will take Randolph's place.

The former Pirate and Yankees second baseman is the first manager to be fired this season, but he won’t be the last. Here’s a list of skippers that are sitting at the helm of disappointing teams.

DUSTY BAKER – Cincinnati Reds
Baker is in his first year with the Reds. General Manager Walt Jocketty is in charge and he’s expected to clean house with the roster. Veteran players such as Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn could be gone. But Baker is safe and he should be. It’s a young team with promise. Baker deserves a chance to help the rebuilding.

CLINT HURDLE – Colorado Rockies
Some of the Rockies key players have suffered injuries so the team has been struggling the first half of the season. Hurdle just took the Rockies to the World Series last year and should be safe.

JIM LEYLAND – Detroit Tigers
Leyland is one of the best managers in baseball, maybe the best. There’s no way he would ever be fired in Detroit. The Tigers have been disappointing, but they are starting to play better. They are also going to get healthier physically as the season continues. They should still win their division.

JOHN MCLAREN – Seattle Mariners
McLaren could be fired any day. His expletive-filled tirade of two weeks ago has become a YouTube hit. The Mariners are awful. General Manager Bill Bavasi has already been fired. McLaren will be next.-

NED YOST – Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have had young potential for the last few seasons, but have been unable to take the next step. Yost is a good baseball man, but the Brewers may make a change before the season is over.
Frank Giardina

WOODS CONTINUES TO AMAZE

2008-06-19T00:32:00.001-04:00

He’s the greatest golfer ever. There have been many other great golfers like: Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. But Tiger Woods is at the head of the list. There really can be no discussion.

Tiger is the best to ever play the game, we’re all fortunate to be watching him—to see greatness in its prime. He makes the game look interesting and fun, he makes gold relevant even for the non-golf fans.

As brilliant as he’s been in his career, he’s never been better than he was this past week at the U. S. Open in San Diego. Tiger won his 14th major tournament with a playoff win over Rocco Mediate on Monday afternoon. It wasn’t just a normal win, it was a playoff with a playoff. After 72 holes the outcome was not. They were still tied after the 18 hole playoff on Monday. They had to play a 91st hole before Tiger won by one stroke.

Both players were brilliant on Monday. Mediate was incredible, he never folded. Everyone thought he would struggle under the pressure, but he didn't. He was almost perfect and the crowd loved this 45 year old Cinderella story. But Woods is…well, Tiger Woods. As the old song goes from the musical Annie Get Your Gun, "Anything you can do, I can do better."

Woods refused to lose. He birded the final hole in regulation to force the playoff. He birdied the final hole in the playoff to force sudden death. And he birdied the sudden death hole to win the tournament, incredible.

We’ve seen Tiger be great; we’ve seen him be brilliant. But we’ve never seen him better than he was at this year's U. S. Open. And he did it all with a bad knee, no one in golf has ever been better.
Frank Giardina

SPORTSCASTER JONES WAS VERSATILE

2008-06-18T00:00:00.003-04:00

Last Friday was a sad day for the television industry. First, the news came that beloved and popular NBC newsman, Tim Russert, passed away of an apparent heart attack at the age of 58. Then news came that, one of the last of the old-line television play by play announcers, Charlie Jones, had also died.

Jones lived an interesting life and is a reminder of an earlier time of pro football on television. Jones was one of the few living sportscasters used by NBC on telecasts of the old American Football League back in the 1960's. All told, he spent 38 years as a network sportscaster on pro football. He had just finished his 45th year on college football working regional games for ABC Sports. His voice was distinguished and recognizable.

Like most sportscasters of his day Jones was versatile, he did it all. While at NBC, he worked 28 different types of sports including: Wimbledon tennis, Olympic track and field, golf, figure skating, kayaking and flat water canoeing. He was the lead announcer on track and field for NBC at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. He also called numerous college football bowl games for NBC including the Orange Bowl and the 1987 Fiesta Bowl national championship game between Miami and Penn State. That game is still the most highly rated college football telecast ever.

Jones also called baseball games for the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies. And, he co-hosted an outdoors show with former actor/football star, Merlin Olson called "The American Frontier". Jones began his television career in the 1950's in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was a good athlete in his own right. He was a member of Southern California's national championship tennis team in the mid-50's.

Early in his career, there were not many network sports programs or sportscasters. As a result, broadcasters had to be versatile. Broadcasters such as Chris Schenkel, Curt Gowdy, Lindsay Nelson and Charlie Jones were legendary voices of many sports events. Sports television lost one its early pioneers last Friday with the passing of Charlie Jones.
Frank Giardina

RATING BASEBALL'S 600 CLUB

2008-06-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

Now that the Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. has hit his 600th home run, there are six members in baseball's exclusive club. The other five players are: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Sammy Sosa,

Here’s my ranking of their ability and importance to the game.

1. Willie Mays – Aaron may have hit more home runs, but no one in this group is as complete a player as Mays. The former New York Giant and San Francisco Giants star was the first player in the history of the game to combine speed and power. He used his speed as a weapon both offensively and defensively.

2. Hank Aaron – Aaron is baseball's true all-time home run king, not Bonds. Like Mays he also excelled defensively, but he didn’t have Mays speed. He played the game with a quiet dignity and grace.

3. Babe Ruth – Modern fans may mock Ruth. He was overweight and didn’t run well. But no one meant more to the game than Babe Ruth. He made the game popular in this country. He was also an incredible pitcher. He played when the game was segregated and was unable to play against any of the great black players. That’s the only thing that makes him third on my list.

4. Griffey – In many ways the legacy of Griffey Jr. is a legacy of "what if". I am not sure that’s fair. He did miss incredibly long stretches of time due to injury and he was not a quick rehab athlete or a quick healer. Had he not missed so many games, he would be baseball's all time home run king. He’s also been unfairly punished for not playing on great teams. But he’s one of the greatest outfielders to ever play and in the steroid era of baseball, he’s the one great slugger’s that has always appeared to be clean. There’s never been a question of his integrity.

5. Barry Bonds – It is hard to like Barry Bonds. It makes no difference how many home runs he hits, he is respected by very few. His records are all tainted in the eyes of the public.

6. Sammy Sosa – Sosa had the charming smile when he was smashing home runs in the 1990's. But he also appears to be a soiled product of baseball's steroid era. It’s hard to respect his numbers.

Frank Giardina

600 HOME RUN CLUB GETS NEW MEMBER

2008-06-16T00:18:00.002-04:00

Last Monday, history was made in baseball. Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career home run in a 9-4 win on the road over the Florida Marlins. He becomes the sixth player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 and it came off of Florida left-hander Mark Hendrickson.

In some ways it was fitting that Griffey's home run was hit on the road in Florida. It was hit in the worst ballpark in the Major Leagues, in a city where no one cares about baseball, in front of a very sparse crowd of 16,000. It’s fitting that in the era of steroids and smaller ballparks, life-time home run records will no longer mean what they used to. The magical barrier of 500 home runs will be accomplished by hitters that should not be considered among the great all time sluggers of the game.

All of this is very unfair to Griffey because he’s always gone about his career quietly and maintained clean reputation. He’s been productive for many years in both Seattle and Cincinnati.

The big question now is whether or not he’ll remain in Cincinnati. There’s a lot of speculation that the Reds could trade Griffey to an American League team where he might have a chance to play as a designated hitter for a team that’s in a pennant race. For all of Junior's accomplishments, the one thing he has not done is play in a World Series. Time will tell if he will have the opportunity.

Frank Giardina

NEW NBA COACHING HIRES HAVE MUCH TO PROVE

2008-06-13T01:04:00.002-04:00

It’s an interesting off-season in the coaching ranks of the NBA. Mike D'Antoni was pushed out in Phoenix. Avery Johnson was fired in Dallas and Flip Saunders was fired in Detroit. All three were not only winning, but winning big. All coached consistent playoff teams and had taken teams deep into the playoffs.

Going into this week there were still three open jobs in the NBA, but they’re closing quickly. All three are good jobs. The Chicago Bulls are close to hiring Vinny Del Negro. He’ll inherit a good young team and the top pick in the upcoming draft.

The Phoenix Suns hired former Detroit Pistons assistant Terry Porter. Porter, a former Portland Trail Blazer as a player, he’s also the former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, the Pistons promoted assistant coach Michael Curry to the head coaching job. Curry is relatively inexperienced and has been an assistant coach for only one year.

In Phoenix, Porter inherits a team that needs to win now. He inherits two Hall of Famers in Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Nash. But it’s an aging team and one that has a small window of opportunity. Nash had incredible success under Mike D'Antoni's system. But it’s hard to envision the same type of success under Porter. The same goes for Suns young star Amare Stoudemire. Couple this with an involved General Manager and it might not be a lot of fun for Porter in the valley of the sun.

For the Pistons, Curry could be a breath of fresh air. He’s inexperienced, but he’s been groomed for the job. As a player he was known to be interested in a coaching career. The Pistons have a mix of young and old players and they don’t need a lot of tweaking. In fact, all they need is a little organization and motivation. Curry seems to be the man who could provide that.

It’s hard to predict, but my instincts tell me that Curry will have a longer life span in Detroit than Porter will in Phoenix.

Frank Giardina