Do I Have To Do Everything Around Here?

Charles Barkley was bored. TNT seemed quite embarrassed with having to show it. But I watched every second with delight.

Its not that the Spurs are bad guys, because they actually are everything a team should aspire to be. But, blowing them out of the gym, even without Tim Duncan in uniform, was very enjoyable for me last night. The Mavericks played basketball at the highest level possible on both ends of the court for much of the game, and when it was all said and done, you might have thought it was a college team impersonating the Spurs last night.

Of course, you should not get too carried away about the events of last night, nor should you get too carried away about the events of the last few weeks, because we all know all that matters for the heavyweights in the NBA is Mid-April through Mid-June. But that was a night to show the league that you are not to be laughed at anymore when conversations are held debating NBA contenders.

Making the Spurs look silly is such a rare feat that you should enjoy it when it presents itself…



Sometimes the finest way to explain how good a player is to someone who may not be familiar with that player is comparables. He reminds you of someone that the person you are speaking with is entirely familiar. Such is the case with Vladimir Guerrero. To me, he is the second coming of Juan Gonzalez. I really felt this way after watching him for a full year in Anaheim (since I was not very loyal a viewer of his when he played in Montreal), and it popped back in my head after watching the Rangers shake with fear with each plate appearance from Vlad this week.

Juan won the MVP at the age of 26 (1996) and 28 (1998). Vladimir won his MVP last season at the age of 28. Juan is 6’3, 210 lbs. Vladimir is 6’2, 218. Juan is from Puerto Rico, and Vladimir is from the Dominican Republic. Both played Right Field with a strong arm and a fair amount of range when interested.

They both hit for a very solid average, find very little joy in taking a walk, and in their prime could easily put a season together of 40+ HR’s, 120+ RBI’s, and .600 slugging percentage. Quite simply, when Juan was in his prime, he was the most feared hitter in the game, and now Vladimir Guerrero is obviously pretty high on that list as well.

In fact, BaseballReference.com enjoys listing similar players at a similar age at the bottom of each player’s page. On Guerrero’s page, amongst the similar players they list at age 28? Juan Gonzalez. I’ll be darned.

Links:

San Antonio’s newspaper view of the beating last night …

Marquis Daniels’ struggles …

Angels squeeze by the Rangers …Chris Young less than dominating…

David Whitley on 106 at the Masters …I doubt I could do that…

Rosenthal’s controversial piece on Alex Rodriguez …

Alex Rodriguez scores on Hideki Matsui's bases-loaded double, and Gary Sheffield follows him down the third base line, ready to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

"Run him over! Run him over!" Rodriguez yells at Sheffield, imploring him to barrel through Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

Sheffield scores, and Varitek turns to Rodriguez. "You would never do it," Varitek replies sneeringly.

The incident reveals two Rodriguez traits that infuriate opponents -- his irritating rah-rah act and his perceived pretty-boy approach. Then there's the biggest reason Rodriguez is openly disparaged by his peers: Many view him as a phony whose polished media act is anything but sincere.

The focus on Rodriguez is as intense as ever as he enters his second season with the Yankees, one year after The Trade. His adjustment period over, he needs to reclaim his status as the best player in the game to satisfy the rising expectations of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Rule Changes to be discussed in NHL …

Below, find the fake Carl Spackler and the real Carl Spackler...



"He's on his final hole. He's about 455 yards away, he's gonna hit about a 2 iron I think."



"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."