Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh, who won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, dead at 75

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Bill Walsh, the groundbreaking football coach who won three Super Bowls and perfected the ingenious schemes that became known as the West Coast offense during a Hall of Fame career with the San Francisco 49ers, has died. He was 75.

Walsh died at his Woodside home Monday morning following a long battle with leukemia.

"This is just a tremendous loss for all of us, especially to the Bay Area because of what he meant to the 49ers," said Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, the player most closely linked to Walsh's tenure with the team. "For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him."

Walsh didn't become an NFL head coach until 47, and he spent just 10 seasons on the San Francisco sideline. But he left an indelible mark on the United States' most popular sport, building the once-woebegone 49ers into the most successful team of the 1980s with his innovative offensive strategies and teaching techniques.

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Joakim Noah's Segment On ESPN 6/19/2007

Joakim Noah - Draft - Chicago Bulls

Wrestler Benoit Had Tragic Family Secret

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. -- An attorney for World Wrestling Entertainment says that in the days before the deaths of Chris Benoit, his wife and seven-year-old son, the couple argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of the mentally retarded boy.

Jerry McDevitt said care for the boy -- who had a rare genetic disorder called Fragile X Syndrome -- was "a source of stress and consternation" for Benoit and his wife.

Two days before he and his family were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide, pro wrestler Chris Benoit told co-workers his wife and son had food poisoning and were throwing up, according to World Wrestling Entertainment.

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I was deeply saddened by the killings and suicide of the Benoit family. I thought pound for pound he was the best "wrestler" in the business. Bare none!

He made about $500,000 a year working for Vince McMahon. So what could have happened to make him want to kill his wife and 7 year old son? Steriod rage.

Kobe still wants to play for the Bulls

The Los Angeles Times and Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise, citing sources, reported that in a meeting with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Friday in Barcelona, Spain, Bryant had reiterated the trade demand he first made three weeks ago.

The Press-Enterprise, again citing sources, said Bryant, the only NBA player with a no-trade clause, has a three-team wish list that includes the Bulls and Knicks.

For now, the Bulls are working under the assumption the Lakers have no desire to deal their nine-time All-Star guard. That stance is supported by a statement Buss released two weeks ago.

Should Lakers management change its mind and pursue trade options, the Bulls, like any NBA team, would have interest.

But depleting the roster of multiple assets like Luol Deng and Ben Gordon to match Bryant's $19.5 million salary likely would give general manager John Paxson pause.

Complete story

I think Kobe will be a Bull. Two other teams are in the running but are doubtful. Dallas and Phoenix. No mention of the Knicks. They offered, Crawford, Frye, and David Lee.

Rick Bucher said on ESPN today, it's basically down to the Bulls and they are showing interest. Lakers won't trade Kobe to the Suns. Bulls can offer a better package than Dallas. We have younger players and a #9 pick in this years draft.

It will be an interesting 10 days until the draft.

Getting Kobe gives us a real go to guy. A big guard that can handle Wade and LeBron.

Make no mistake. Reports are Lakers want Wallace, Deng, Gordon, and the 9 pick in exchange for Kobe and #19 pick. Sure they do! Wouldn't you if you were a Laker?

Truth is, Bulls don't need Kobe. We could very well be in the finals next year by adding to, and not taking away our core players! Lakers will lose with or without Kobe. Bulls will not gut the team to get him. Period.

T'wolves taking steps to assess Garnett's trade value

Are the Minnesota Timberwolves moving closer to trading Kevin Garnett?

Sources from several NBA teams say the Wolves have been making calls to gauge Garnett's trade value throughout the league. The most provocative conversation of which I've heard has been with the Phoenix Suns, who are said to be ambivalent about moving 24-year-old Amaré Stoudemire to Minnesota in a package for Garnett, 31.

A league source understood the talks with Phoenix to be in a preliminary stage, saying, "They're not hot yet.''

It may be that the Wolves are merely assessing Garnett's value amid speculation by rival teams that they've kept him too long. Some league executives feel that Garnett's worth has diminished after absorbing 11 years of mileage while proving unable to carry the Wolves to the playoffs since 2003-04, when they reached the Western Conference finals with KG as league MVP alongside Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

Yet Garnett recently is coming off one of his best seasons. After being slowed by a knee problem in 2005-06, the 6-foot-11 Garnett recovered to lead the NBA in its all-around "efficiency'' statistic while averaging 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals.

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Zeke Eyes Big Score

June 13, 2007 -- Despite odds stacked against him, Knicks president/coach Isiah Thomas has not given up on making a big move this offseason.

Though Thomas did not name them, he noted prominent players such as Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal have asked for trades - and promised he'd be active in attempting to acquire them.

"It's safe to say we're active on the phones, trying to improve our team, whatever ways we can," Thomas said yesterday after a Garden news conference to announce next season's preseason game vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"Our goal one day is to put together a team capable of competing and winning a championship.

"There are players who are still out there who publicly said they want to be traded. I'm hoping."

Complete article

Dream on 'Zeke. No way can you trade away some of your older players with their contracts. You have some younger players, yes. But if you trade them away what do you have left?

Thomas has done a bad job as General Manager. I must say he did alright as their coach. I never would have thought they would do as well as they did last season.

It's rumored that Thomas has interest in Lewis from Seattle as well.

Good luck!

Rockets agree to trade Howard to Wolves for James

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, who have been discussing a Mike James-for-Juwan Howard swap in one form or another since the February trade deadline, have agreed in principle to finally complete that deal this month, ESPN.com has learned.

An announcement of the trade's completion could be made as early as this week, according to NBA front-office sources.

The holdup stems from the possibility that another player or two could be added to the deal, sources say. The teams, though, have verbally agreed to a straight-up exchange of James for Howard at the very least.

The Timberwolves beat out Houston for James' free-agent signature last summer because of their willingness to include a trade kicker in the well-traveled point guard's four-year, $23.4 million contract, but the acquisition was questioned from the start after Minnesota landed Randy Foye in the 2006 draft.

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This could change the draft for the Bulls. That could mean another big man may come their way! Minnesota may take Conley with their pick with James gone.

Verlander masters Brewers with no-hit performance

DETROIT (AP) -- Justin Verlander threw 100 mph heat, crazy curves and a tantalizing changeup.

No-hit stuff, indeed.

With a big assist from his shortstop, Verlander pitched the first no-hitter in Comerica Park history, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 Tuesday night.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me," he said.

The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year came back with the game of his career, striking out 12. He benefited from several stellar defensive plays, the best by Neifi Perez, who turned a possible single up the middle in the eighth into an inning-ending double play.

"About the fifth or sixth you can't help but think about it a little," Verlander said. "Everyone kept giving me high-fives and nobody came and sat next to me."

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Noah, Hawes might fill Bulls' big need

The Bulls brass has been busy with workouts of draft prospects, including a session Friday at the Berto Center that included Joakim Noah, from two-time defending champion Florida, and Spencer Hawes, from Washington.

Either of the two, both of whom measured 6-10 without shoes at the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., last week, would seem a good fit for the Bulls, who likely will look to fill their need for a post player should they keep the No. 9 pick in the draft June 28.

Neither Noah nor Hawes had any qualms about facing each other in the same session, even though they are battling for some of the same jobs.

''You don't want to be somebody who's ducking players. I think that's kind of lame,'' said Noah, who also squared off against Hawes on Wednesday in a workout for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who own the No. 7 pick. ''I think Spencer's a great player. He has a lot of upside. He can shoot the ball really well. He's a competitor. It's great going up against a guy who's pretty different than I am in terms of our abilities.''

Hawes, who has yet to hire an agent and therefore could opt to withdraw from the draft and return to Washington for his sophomore season, is known for his good hands, ball-handling, footwork and a shooting touch to 18 feet. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.4 rebounds last season and earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention.

''You're gunning for each other but, at the same time, you like him,'' Hawes said of Noah. ''It's fun going up against the guys you know are trying to bring the best out of each other.

''I think [playing for the Bulls] would be a great opportunity. A lot of the times, guys who are higher picks fall into situations where they are playing for losing teams and teams on the rebound that are going to be better in the future but not right away. The opportunity to win right away is just about as enticing as you could find trying to step into the league.''

Complete article by BRIAN HANLEY

It is rumored that the Bulls really liked Noah for last years draft but he returned to school for 1 more year. His averaged dropped from 14 points a game to 12.

Many Bulls posters on various message boards do not like Noah as a Bull, some do. I think we could do worse than Noah. He runs the floor and plays defense.

Spencer Hawes is a better fit in my opinion. He has a low post game and a nice touch from in close. As the article stated, he averaged 14.9 and just over 6 rebounds a game in college. If he can do that for the Bulls, he gives us EXACTLY what Eddy Curry did, except with a little better defense.

Personally I want Paxson to try and trade for a big man. If it means trading away the pick then so be it, as long as the big man fits in with the team. More than likely, we keep the pick, and then trade for a big man after July 15. Why wait until then? Because on July 15, we can resign both P.J. Brown and Andres Nocioni and include them in a package for a player like Zach Randolph.

Sources tell me, Portland will make a trade soon, but they won't say the name of the team.

NBA draft is just 18 days away.

Courtney Upshaw

BAMA picked up verbal commitment number 10 this afternoon when Eufaula High School's Courtney Upshaw announced his plans to sign with the Tide. Upshaw is a defensive end who plays with a non-stop motor, and has a knack for making big plays. While he excels at rushing the quarterback, he is also good at getting off blocks and containing the running back. At BAMA, Upshaw would likely find a home at outside (jack) linebacker where his versatility and skills could be best utilized. As a junior, he collected an impressive 96 tackles (20 TFL), 12 sacks, and 3 INT's. Upshaw chose the Tide over offers from LSU, Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina, Clemson, and Louisville.

Terrelle Pryor considering Bama'

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Jeannette two-sport star Terrelle Pryor, considered the nation's top football prospect by one recruiting service, has narrowed his college choices to 11 schools and eliminated Pitt in the process.

After conferring with Jeannette coach Ray Reitz, Pryor trimmed his list of 70-plus scholarship offers to the following schools, listed alphabetically: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

"It was hard," said Pryor, a top-100 player in football and basketball who plans to play both in college. "I just narrowed it down. That's who I like and the coaches I was more comfortable with."

A 6-foot-6, 220-pound dual-threat quarterback, Pryor passed for 1,732 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 1,676 yards and 28 touchdowns last season for the WPIAL Class AA champion and PIAA finalist Jayhawks. He was named the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Player of the Year.

Duhon on the block?

Complete story

League sources say general manager John Paxson is active in potential trade scenarios, with guard Chris Duhon the most likely Bull to be shopped. Perhaps such second-round secrecy is being sought to ensure the desired replacements are in place if a trade is made.

The Oregonian of Portland reported Thursday that Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has been told that guard Kirk Hinrich is "untouchable," further dampening any Zach Randolph-to-the-Bulls talk.

This makes sense. Duhon can be traded with Thabo coming on as he is. We have too many guards and teams need a point guard and we need a good big man. Duhon can be included in any trade we may make!

As for Hinrich. He is untouchable. I agree with that no matter how much I want Randolph.

Oden outdoes Durant in predraft workouts

Greg Oden is cementing his standing as the top player in the upcoming NBA draft.

Several media outlets obtained results from the Orlando predraft camp — and the center from Ohio State didn't disappoint.

Oden outperformed every prospect, including Kevin Durant, in drills. Even in speed and agility skills, he held his own with smaller, quicker guards.

Complete article

Greg Oden baring injury is going to be a hell of a player in the NBA. Durant is no slouch either.

Jazz should consider trading Kirilenko

Now that they've finished their best postseason since Michael Jordan slammed the door on them in 1998, what do the Jazz do next?
Trade their highest-paid player, naturally.
Nothing like a little offseason drama to keep them in the news.
OK, maybe trading Andrei Kirilenko would be more than a little drama. But it could be just the thing that gets them a championship.
The end of the Jazz's season Wednesday night was embarrassing. Maybe not as embarrassing as that fall Miss USA took, but close. The Jazz ended up on their backsides, too. Going for its fourth title in nine years, San Antonio had barely finished its 25-point win when Jazz guard Deron Williams started calling people out. He claimed several teammates had mentally checked out weeks ago. Among the suspected offenders was Kirilenko.
Was it simply the frustration talking, or did Williams mean it?
Both.

Complete article

This article has taken me surprise. I thought the Jazz did very well this year! They were healthy, and the players developed into a team of contenders. That being said, the writer wants to trade Kirilenko! Shocking.

I love the way he plays. He plays both ends of the court. A shot blocker that jumps for loose balls and makes spectacular plays. He has been their star during their transition stage. But, now that Boozer, Okur, and Williams are making moves to claim the Jazz as their team, Kirilenko seems to be lost.

I would love to have him play for the Bulls. But he is not the low post player we need, he would; however, fit in with the defensive and offensive execution that Skiles has his team run.

Zach Randolph would be a better fit. A true low post player.

Dolphins deal for Green

The Kansas City Chiefs capitulated, and the Miami Dolphins flinched.

One of perhaps the longest-running trade discussions in NFL history finally came to an end Tuesday when the Chiefs dealt quarterback Trent Green to the Dolphins for a conditional draft pick.

The Dolphins gave up a fifth-round pick in 2008 that could become a fourth-round pick if Green reaches certain performance standards, a source said. Green has had an agreement on a contract with the Dolphins since March after Green was given permission to seek a trade by Kansas City.

Green was allowed to seek a trade after the Chiefs told him that he would split practice time and have to compete with second-year quarterback Brodie Croyle for the starting position.

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I have always liked Trent's game. He needs talent in front of him a behind him. On paper this looks like a good trade. Croyle can now show what he's got. Miami needs a QB, and Trent could be their answer.

Mulder returns to rehab mound

According to his agent, Mark Mulder has thrown from 230 feet and will get back on a mound next week in St. Louis. From there he will slowly work his way back, likely making a few rehab starts in June.

Mississippi Braves Manager goes crazy

You won't believe this. This is supposedly a grown man!

Billy D returning to Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (SI.com/AP) -- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting the team will allow Billy Donovan to back out of his contract and return to the Gators. The Magic are pursuing former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy to fill the now-vacant position.

Earlier on Monday, the team issued a statement saying that Donovan is "conflicted" about his decision to leave the Florida Gators to coach the Orlando Magic, and he will continue talking with the NBA team about the contract he agreed to last week.

It's unclear whether Donovan had signed the five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic.

Complete Article

Well, that was short and sweet.

United Football League

Every decade or so, someone with a lot of money decides there's room for another professional football league.

Remember the World Football League? The USFL? The XFL?

All short-lived, all crushed by the NFL.

Next up ... the United Football League?

This past week brought word, first in a New York Times column, of preliminary plans to launch an eight-team league, possibly as soon as 2008.

The United Football League would play in the fall, going up against the NFL as well as college football.

Lotsa luck with that.

The idea — the brainstorm of Wall Street maverick Bill Hambrecht — is for the league to have teams in non-NFL cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio and Mexico City.

full article

Cleveland in finals

CLEVELAND (AP) -- As his teammates danced and carried on while wearing baseball caps and T-shirts proclaiming "Champions," LeBron James walked around in a daze with a smile etched across his face.

"This is like a dream," he said, shaking his head. "This is probably the best feeling that I've ever had in my life."

An entire city felt the same.

For the first time in a long time, championship-starved Cleveland has something to feel good about.

The Cavaliers, once the punch line to jokes and Michael Jordan's favorite foil, are Eastern Conference champions -- and on their way to the NBA finals.

Complete Article

Cleveland did what many thought would never happen. They defeated the Detroit Pistons 98-82 to win the best of 7 seven series 4 games to 2.

The celebration is ongoing in Cleveland, but for Detroit, souls searching will be happening in the off season, but will this be enough to bring them back to the finals next season? Both Cleveland, and to a lesser extent the Chicago Bulls put them to the test this year. Can they answer the call next season with the team they now have? It will be an interesting off season, no doubt about it.

A fan can also make an argument that Detroit got caught in their own mind set. What that means is Detroit played all season long that they thought, no matter how badly the game was going, they could always come back and win. Well, they found out that was not always true, especially when it mattered the most, the Eastern Conference Finals!

Give Cleveland credit. They are in the finals because of their desire to be there, and not just Detroit's losing. They held the Pistons to just 36% shooting! They out rebounded them by 20. Seventeen of those rebounds were offensive rebounds.

The real difference in the game was the fact that Detroit made 10 more free throws, and 6 more threes than Detroit did.

King James came very close to a triple double. He had 20 points. Fourteen rebounds, and 8 assists.

Next up for the Cavs' are the San Antonio Spurs.

Bulls interested in Fizer?

In the workout, Marcus Fizer showed off many of the dominating skills that made the Chicago Bulls decide to draft him with the #5 pick in the 2000 draft, as well as the #1 scorer in the ACB League this year. He created his own shot at will, both from the perimeter or inside the post, showing incredibly quick feet and a terrific knack for finding his way to the basket despite still looking very much out of shape. His turnaround jumper looked virtually unstoppable, elevating decently off the ground and displaying fantastic touch. Fizer was just a load in the post who anyone who tried to guard him, putting his rear-end into his man and clearing him out of the way at will to get to virtually wherever he wanted on the floor. Defensively, he was just average.

A number of NBA teams were here to watch Fizer in particular, including Chicago, Indiana, Miami, the LA Lakers, New Jersey, Portland, Charlotte, the LA Clippers, and Charlotte just from the people we were able to recognize from our vantage point. Fizer looks like he could play in the NBA for at least the minimum if that’s what he really wanted to do, but losing 15-20 pounds could really make an intriguing prospect out of him.

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Sure why not! If he has gotten better since his injuries I would at least have him play in the summer leagues and invite him to camp. Before his injury he rebounded and could score and run the floor. Trouble was he didn't play defense and he was inconsistant. We don't need him to play good defense anymore. We need a low post player and Marcus can do that. He is not our answer but he could be part of the solution as a bench player.

He would come cheap.

Donovan leaving Florida to coach Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Rich history wasn't enough to lure Billy Donovan away from Florida. In the end, it was just riches.

Donovan will have plenty of them after he was hired to coach the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The team confirmed the hiring Thursday night and scheduled a news conference for Friday morning.

Donovan agreed to a five-year deal paying $5.5 million annually, an official in the NBA told The Associated Press.

"Billy Donovan is a winner," general manager Otis Smith said. "We feel he is the right person to develop and maximize the talents of our players. We look forward to Billy leading us to the next level."

Donovan has been the subject of speculation since the Gators' second straight NCAA championship in April. He turned down an offer to coach Kentucky, whose storied program launched his career as an assistant in 1990, and was more recently linked to the Memphis Grizzlies' vacant coaching job.

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He will do well in Orlando. That team is young and they will listen to him. He built a nice program at Florida. The Gators will suffer without his leadership and I wonder if the program will ever be the same. Will players want to go play for Florida without Donovan there? We shall see.

LeBron nets 48 in Cavs' double-OT win over Pistons

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- LeBron James grimaced, limped up to the podium and plopped into a chair behind a microphone.

It was the only time he looked human all night.

James had already used every ounce of energy to put together one of the most spectacular performances in playoff history, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to the verge of their greatest season.

James' career playoff-high 48 points -- including his team's final 25 and 29 of its final 30 -- carried Cleveland within a win of the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history with a 109-107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

After the breathtaking display of talent and will gave the Cavs a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, the 22-year-old star said he felt terrible.

"I'm banged up. I'm winded. I'm fatigued," he said. "I've got all day tomorrow. It's going to be tough to get some rest when you got a crazy, 2-year-old running around the house. So hopefully, I can take him to one of his grandma's house."

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Teams want to talk, and Pritchard is listening

...Chicago general manager John Paxson came up and grabbed Pritchard's arm, telling him he wanted to talk to Pritchard before he left. As I continued my interview, with Paxson waiting a few feet away, I asked Pritchard what the nature was of his earlier talks with Seattle and Dallas.

"I can't comment on that, you know that,'' Pritchard said with a smile.

After more questions, Paxson again approached and said he would catch Pritchard later. I told them I was done, and the two walked to the balcony of the arena and had a discussion. I didn't stay to see how long they talked, but it lasted at least several minutes.

The point, of course, is that a lot of teams want to talk to Portland, and Pritchard is listening.

"We are going to prepare like we have done in the past, like we are going to get multiple picks,'' Pritchard said. "Then we are going to try and stimulate some interest with our four second round picks. We can do a lot of things with them, there are a lot of options.''

Full story

I assume the talk is about power forward Zach Randolph. He now becomes expendable since Portland has won the first pick of the draft.

Being a die hard Cardinal fan, I hope Paxson works out a deal to get Randolph! To me he is the missing piece to us being a real contender.

Spurs reach fourth NBA Finals since '99

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Tim Duncan headed to the bench for a well-deserved break. Only nine minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, he already had the San Antonio Spurs well on their way to another NBA finals berth.

"Good job," coach Gregg Popovich said blandly, not even making eye contact.

Duncan nodded slightly and took his seat.

The Spurs aren't flashy and don't brag. They just win, especially in odd-numbered years, and the display they put on at the start of their 109-84 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night should serve as a warning to Detroit and Cleveland what one of them will be facing when the championship round begins next week.

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Tim Duncan has had an amazing run.

Kobe tells Lakers he wants out

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant told ESPN radio. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative. It's rough man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation."

Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years left on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted what he called a Lakers insider as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.

Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons, said he spoke with Phil Jackson on Tuesday, and the coach told him he was being let go because the Lakers were committed to reducing payroll and rebuilding long term.

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Gordon’s fate hanging over Bulls

Although the off-season speculation about the Chicago Bulls will focus on big men and post players such as Zach Randolph (Portland Trailblazers), Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers), Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), there still is that big-guard issue hanging over the team and the fate of Ben Gordon.

In his postseason wrap-up, GM John Paxson talked about size in the backcourt and uncertainty about contract extensions. He seemed to be referring to Gordon, who views himself as a starter and was the Bulls' leading scorer. But his size deficit often compromised the backcourt. Hinrich had to defend the bigger shooting guards, which probably affected his play.

Molina on DL with fractured left wrist

DENVER -- The Cardinals confirmed on Wednesday morning that catcher Yadier Molina has sustained a fractured left wrist and will be out approximately four to six weeks. Molina will be placed on the disabled list and the club will purchase the contract of catcher Brian Esposito from Triple-A Memphis to take his place on the active roster.

Molina, 24, was struck by a foul tip in the third inning of Tuesday night's game against Colorado. He remained in the game into the fourth, but when it became obvious that he was in intense pain, pitcher Braden Looper called the training staff out to the mound and Molina was removed.

Molina has a non-displaced fracture in his wrist. The joint will be placed in a splint and immobilized. The injury occurred in a similar area to one he suffered in 2005, when he was struck on his left hand by a pitch while he was batting.

Complete story

Make it three in a row

Going into Tuesdays game with Colorado, the Redbirds were 2-11 in their last 13 road games. After their game with the Rockies make it 2-12 with a 3 game losing streak. And to make matters worse, Molina was taken out of the game with an injury and Speizio was pulled because of illness. The Cardinals lost to Colorado 8-3.

Rockie pitcher Rodrigo Lopez was on the mound for the Rockies was pitching his first game since coming off of injured reserve, and the Cardinal batters and this blogger wished he had stayed on injured reserve for a few more days! He pitched 6 innings giving up just 6 hits and 3 runs. He had 7 strike outs that included 5 in the first 9 outs of the game for St Louis.

Cardinal ace Braden Looper was his own worse enemy. He walked 5 batters, including 3 in a row to start the 4th inning, then catcher Yorvit Torrealba hit his first home run of the year, a grand slam to left center field to break a 1-1 tie and put the game out of reach.

Scott Rolen was the only bright spot for the Cardinals in the sense he had 3 hits including his 3rd home run of the year in the fifth inning. A one run shot. Jim Edmonds hit his 4th of the year in the 7th. Another one run home run.

Brad Hawpe hit his 7th home run in the 7th inning. A two out two run shot.

WP Rodrigo Lopez 2-0
LP Braden Looper 6-4 ERA 3.65

Death of Patriots' Hill ruled accidental drowning

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The death of New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, who fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, was ruled an accidental drowning on Tuesday.

An autopsy found no signs of drug or alcohol in Hill's body, although more tests are planned and will take two weeks to complete, said Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Frank Minyard.

Minyard said Hill might have suffered a mild concussion when he fell off the water craft.

"He might of hit the right side of his face above the eye when he fell off the craft," Minyard said. "He had a pretty nasty bruise there."

There was a slight amount of blood in the brain, which could indicate a concussion, Minyard said.

Complete Story

Dwyane Wade's wife gives birth to baby boy

Heat guard Dwyane Wade became a father for the second time Tuesday night when his wife, Siohvaughn, delivered their second son, Zion Malachi Airamis Wade.

Zion, born in Chicago, weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 21 inches.

Cards lose again

Going into yesterdays game against the Colorado Rockies, I knew there was going to be trouble. Four of our regulars would not play. St Louis was 2-10 in the last 12 road games. Colorado was playing inspired ball by winning their last 5 games in a row. Add to the fact that Kip Wells was pitching, all of this put together was a recipe for disaster. And it was a disaster.

Led by the strong pitching of Jeff Francis, Colorado defeated St Louis 6-2 in a Matinee game on Memorial Day.

So Taguchi hit his first home run of the season in the 8th inning off of Francis.

Kip Wells, pitched 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 11 hits and 6 runs. He gave up two home runs. Holliday (9, 1st inning off Wells, 0 on, 2 out), Hawpe (6, 7th inning off Wells, 1 on, 1 out).

WP Jeff Francis 4-4 7 2/3 innings, 5 hits 2 runs.
LP Kip Wells 2-9.

Kobe wants to play for Bulls?

It's my understanding Kobe recently informed Lakers ownership he'd sanction a trade to one specific team and no other. My source is oblivious to its identity. Logic dictates that team is the Bulls, because there's no way the Lakers would deal him to the Clippers.

That quote was by Peter Vescey of the NY Post. So, the story is gaining steam.

I will keep you posted if there is any further information to share.

Cardinals lose series to Washington

After a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St Louis Cardinals got back to their losing ways by losing 2 out 3 to Washington. That included a 7-2 loss on Sunday.

The Cardinals missed a golden opportunity on Sunday because Adam Wainwright had one of his best starts of the year, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on seven hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six.

WP Saul Rivera 1-1
LP Adam Wainwright 4-4 and now has an ERA of 5.59

Kobe a future Bull?

Ric Bucher on ESPN hinted that Kobe Bryant wants out of LA. He said Kobe is publicly pining for a return of Jerry West. If Jerry is not going to be brought back appearently kobe is not happy with the process going on in Los Angeles so therefore he wants to be traded. Bucher mentioned that Chicago is a likely team where Kobe could go to. Reason being is young assets and trading pieces.

How do I feel about the possible trade? As long as we do not gut out team how can I say no? If we get to keep Wallace, Thomas, and Deng, then add Kobe, that is an instant contender in the east, if not the entire NBA.

You have to realisticly consider doing such a trade. Kobe would be the tall guard we need. He plays both ends of the floor and his practice habits fits in with the way the team is ran. He is the go to guy we need when our jump shots are not falling.

Now, do I think this will happen? No. I would be very surprised if Kobe wound up in Chicago next season.

What are your thoughts?

NBA lottery results

1. Portland
2. Seattle
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Boston
6. Milwaukee
7. Minnesota
8. Charlotte
9. New York(Chicago)
10. Sacramento
11. Atlanta (via IND)
12. Philadelphia
13. New Orleans
14. L.A. Clippers

Cardinals make it two in a row

Going into last nights game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals were a struggling team. Their pitching staff had a combined 4.65 ERA, while their hitters were last in home runs and stolen bases. Add to that the fact that the team had just 5 total home runs for the month of May and going to the mound was Kip Wells. Wells had lost 7 games in a row, allowing 42 runs in those 7 games! Pittsburgh was starting Ian Snell. He had pitched very well against the Redbirds earlier in the season! So, it didn't look promising for St. Louis. However, that is why they play the games and not go by statistics only!

Kip Wells pitched 7 strong innings last night, allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs(both runs should not have happened had it not been for a bad play by Duncan and an error by the second baseman)as St Louis defeated the Pirates 5-3.

It had been 24 games since St Louis had hit two or more home runs in a game. Last night they got three! Eckstein (1, 1st inning off Snell, 0 on, 0 out), Edmonds (2, 2nd inning off Snell, 0 on, 0 out), Duncan (9, 5th inning off Snell, 1 on, 2 out).

The game last night was one of the few times this season where the team had both pitching and hitting work together to secure the victory. Fielding could have been better.

WP Wells 2-8. Isringhausen recorded save number 11.
LP Snell 4-3. He pitched 6 innings giving up 7 hits and 4 runs. Three of the hits were home runs.

Cardinals lose two more

Inter-league play started on Friday and St. Louis was scheduled to play Detroit. They lost the first two games. Below is a recap of the games.

Game one.

Braden Looper managed to pitch just 4 innings. That should give you a hint as to how the game went. Detroit slammed St. Louis 14-4. Looper allowed 9 hits on 7 runs that included 2 home runs, one to Sheffield his 7th of the year. The other was to Ordonez his 9th.

Was there any bright spots for the Redbirds? : Pujols was 4-4 with two rbi's and scored 1 run. He also got his 7th home run of the season.

WP Andrew Miller 1-0. He pitched 6 innings allowing only 4 hits and no runs.
LP Braden Looper 5-3.

Game two.

Well we have some more good news and bad news. Good news is St. Louis got 7 runs as their bats came alive! Bad news is yet another Cardinal pitcher struggled! Anthony Reyes could only go 5 2/3 innings. He gave up 9 hits on 7 runs. One of the runs was a home run by Rodriguez, his 4th of the year.

The Cardinals pounded out 15 hits and scored 7 runs, but that was not enough to get the win. Spiezio had 4 hits while Eckstein had 3.

WP Nate Robertson 4-3.Todd Jones recorded save #14.
LP Anthony Reyes 0-7. He now has an era of 5.84.

Edmonds: Cardinals need to win

I don't think we're experiencing a World Series hangover. I know I'm not. We're just not winning.

As players, we don't have the luxury of looking back. We play so many games over the course of a season that you don't have time to look back. The focus remains on the task for that day. Then you try and go out and do your job.

The fact is that we need to start winning some games. We are not off to a great start. We have started off pretty slow and we have to figure out ways to win.

This game is all about winning. Any way that you can find a way to win a game, that's the key. Right now, all we're focused on is trying to do that. It doesn't matter how we do it. Winning games is all that matters.

Bulls season comes to an end

The weaknesses of the young Chicago Bulls came to the forefront last night and they must be addressed in the off season. For one thing, we are a jump shooting team. When we are on, we deserve to be in the top 10 in the league as far as teams are concerned. However, when we are off in shooting, we are easy to defend. Last night it showed itself big time.

The Chicago Bulls shot 37% from the field in front of the home town fans. We shot 28% in threes and 69% in free throws. You can't win playoff games shooting that way. Granted some of this was because of the Pistons defense; however, some of it was not. We had open shots at times and we could not connect when we needed to. Add to the fact that the Bulls do not have a legitimate low post scorer, this makes it easier for the other team to defend the jump shooting Bulls.

Kirk Hinrich was 3-13 that included 0-3 in threes. He did add 11 assists, but when your point guard cannot shoot, your team will likely lose.

Detroit has been there and done that. They didn't panic when they were down by 5 at halftime. They came out in the 3rd quarter and outscored the Bulls 31-21 and continued doing the same in the 4th quarter. They added 5 more points.

Ben Wallace playing with a bad back, was ineffective. He scored 6 points and had 7 rebounds. We can't use that as excuse. Andres Nocioni was not 100% as well. Again, this is the playoffs. Miami played us with players hurt. So, it goes both ways.

P.J. Brown was the only real bright spot for the Bulls. He scored 20 points, all of them in the first half. Too bad his contract has ended. The Bulls could use him next year if the price is right.

Wainwright's elbow improving

LOS ANGELES -- Adam Wainwright reiterated on Wednesday that he battled elbow soreness for several starts this year, but Cardinals officials said the condition was never severe enough to consider shutting the right-hander down.

Following his start on Tuesday night, Wainwright said the game was his first since the season's opening week in which he did not feel some discomfort. He had been dealing with some tendinitis in his throwing elbow. On Wednesday, he further explained what he had been dealing with.

"It was pretty bad, but it wasn't bad enough to not pitch," he said. "It hurt to throw breaking balls and stuff. It hurt to get extended."

Cardinals lose again 5-4

Is there no end in sight? On any given night it's the Cardinal bats that are silent. On other nights it's the pitching. Some nights its both! Rarely do the Cardinals put both of them together for a nice win these days. Last night it was pitching that caused the loss. Kip Wells pitched just 5 innings last night. He gave up 6 hits, 6 walks and 5 runs. The hit that cost him the game was a 3 run home run by pinch hitter Wilson Betemit. To make matters worse with that home run he raised his batting average to a mere .194 for the season.

Hitting and scoring runs was not a problem for St Louis last night. One would think 4 runs would be enough for a win, but not last night. The Redbirds pounded out 12 hits, including 3 by out fielder Juan Encarnacion.

WP Randy Wolf 5-3. Takashi Saito recorded his thirteenth save.
LP Kip Wells 1-8. ERA for the season is now 6.75.

The Cardinals managed to get some good pitching from the bulls pen but the game was already decided so it went for naught.

Cardinals score 7 runs, but that was not enough

For 2 and 1/2 innings it looked like the Cardinals was going to win another game. They took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the third against the Dodgers, then the bottom fell out! Los Angeles scored 6 runs and that proved to be too much for St Louis to overcome as they lost 9-7.

Adam Wainwright gave up 7 hits and 8 runs in his brief appearance and none of the runs were home runs.

The Cardinals pounded out 12 hits.

WP Derek Lowe 4-4. Takashi Saito recorded his tenth save.
LP Adam Wainwright 3-3.

Cardinal bats come alive in victory

St Louis scored 8 runs in the first 3 innings and that was all they needed. They went on to defeat the Dodgers 8-4 in Los Angeles on Monday night. No one could be more happier than pitcher Brad Thompson as he went on to pitch 6 strong innings of baseball that included 70% of his pitches were strikes. Nothing like getting a nice cushion to allow oneself to be aggressive!

The Redbirds pounded out 13 hits to go with their 8 runs. Chris Duncan got his 6th home run of the season in the second inning. Short stop David Eckstein led the Cardinal attack with 3 hits.

WP Brad Thompson 2-0 Isringhausen got his 10th save of the season.
LP Brett Tomko 1-4. He went just 2 and 1/3 innings.

Bulls win game 4

Playing for pride and an effort to show Detroit that they deserve to be in the second round of the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons at the United Center, 102-87.

The game was almost a carbon copy of game three. Chicago was in control most of the first half taking a nice lead into halftime. The intense defense was not as stellar as in game three, but nevertheless the Bulls led 50-43.

Remembering what happened in game three, Chicago came out in the 3rd quarter and treated the fans and the national audience to the stellar defense that was shown in the previous game and out scored Detroit 27-13 to take a commanding 21 point lead into the 4th quarter.

Detroit has a very good team and you knew they would make a run. They did! This time the Bulls didn't fold even though their lead was cut down to just 7 points with plenty of time left in the game.

Detroit went to the Wallace-hack-attack but it failed them Ben managed to hit 3 of 4 big free throws to stop the run and rookie Tyrus Thomas added his energy and scoring as well to help the Bulls seal the victory and to force a game 5.

Kirk Hinrich finally had a good game. He had 19 points, 10 assists and 2 steals to go with 4 rebounds.

The Bulls out rebounded Detroit 51-33. Wallace had 17, Deng 13. Thomas had 7 in just 13 minutes.

Leading scorers:

Chicago Deng 15, Gordon and Hinrich 19 each. Ben Wallace had 11 and Thomas 10.

Detroit Billups 23, Prince 18, Rasheed Wallace 14, Hamilton 11, and Murray 10.

Padres return favor, blank Cardinals 3-0

St Louis has now played 35 games in the season and counting yesterdays game they have now been blanked 6 times!

Anthony Reyes actually pitched a decent game but all the Cardinal batters could do was muster up 3 harmless hits against Justin Germano. Germano had been taken off of a recent waiver. So far in the 7 games Reyes has started, the total amount of runs that the Cardinals has gotten him is just 8. You dont win many game that way.

WP Justin Germano 1-0. He pitched 7 innings, gave up 3 hits and 3 strike outs.Trevor Hoffman got save #10.
LP Anthony Reyes 0-6. He pitched 5 innings and gave up 5 hits and 3 runs. He had 5 strike outs.

Cardinals Blank Padres

Braden Looper used his arm and his bat to propel the Redbirds to a 5-0 defeat of the Padres in San Diego on Saturday night.

Looper pitched 7 innings of 3 hit ball while getting 7 strike outs. He also lowered his ERA to 2.29 for the year. Add to this the fact that with one out in the third, Looper doubled down the right-field line. Adam Kennedy singled to center, and Chris Duncan walked to load the bases. Albert Pujols hit a fly ball deep to left field, but the ball squirted out of the left fielders glove. That scored the lead run, and the bases remained loaded. I thought Pujols had hit a grand slam, but instead it was only 1-0. That being said that is all Looper needed to get the win.

WP Looper 5-2
LP Young 4-3

Cardinals blanked 7-0

After scoring 9 runs in their last game on Wednesday, the Cardinals went into San Diego hoping to build on that outburst and try and defeat the Padres. However, that was not to be. Jake Peavy pitched 7 strong innings of baseball as he held the Redbirds to just 3 hits while getting 10 strike outs! It didn't help the matter that Kip Wells struggled from the mound. He managed to pitch 6 innings but he gave up 7 hits and 4 runs. Two of those 7 hits were home runs. He did manage to get 8 strike outs while losing his 6th straight game.

Is there an end in site? There doesn't appear to be. The "meat" of the Cardinal lineup is struggling to bat over .200 and we are well into the season. That's not good! The clean up hitter Jim Edmonds is batting .202, he is followed by Scott Rolen .204, and Ryan Ludwick is batting .200. Even the number 8 hitter shortstop David Eckstein is batting .213! Add to the fact that the pitching staff is not as strong as it had been in the past, you can see why the Redbirds are 9 games out of first place and just 1/2 game from being in last place in the Central Division of the National League.

WP Peavy 5-1 and increased his ERA to 1.52
LP Wells 1-7 ERA 6.51

The Tale of Two Halfs

For the first half of Thursdays playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls looked like the best team in the NBA. The hard playing, defensive team showed itself for the first time in the playoffs as the Bulls raced to a 44-28 first half lead over the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls held the Pistons to just 10 points in the second quarter and only 33% shooting along with 8 turnovers as it looked like the Bulls were well on their way to winning game 3 of the best of 7 playoff series. Detroit was 0-8 in three point attempt. The Bulls were out rebounding them. Chicago was not fouling as well because Detroit had just 2 free throw attempts the entire first half.

The defense that I saw Chicago play was some of the best defense I have seen a Bulls team play in a long time. Then came the second half.

Lead by Billups and Prince and a zone defense, the Pistons outscored the Bulls 32-17 in the 3rd quarter. Detroit took advantage of the small guards that the Bulls have and posted them up time and time again. The Bulls didnt have the same defensive entencity they had in the first half. They even started making silly mistakes that cost them shot attempts.

Quarter 4 was more of the same. Detroit held Chicago to 13 points, 30 for the entire half as they went on to win game 3 81-74 setting up a possible sweep of the series in Chicago on Sunday.

As I watched the game it looked to me like the Bulls ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. Why would they do that if they were used to playing hard all year? Aren't they conditioned? Yes they are, but for some reason Skiles didn't do his normal substitution pattern and went with the top 6 or 7 players for most of the second half. Because of that, the Bulls were clanking shots and missing free throws when they counted. The defense was not there as well! The Bulls ended the game shooting yet another 34%!

They out rebounded Detroit by 17 yet that resulted in just 2 more shot attempts than Detroit had.

Another reason for the loss was the fact that once again the Bulls cannot hit their 3's. They were 2-13 for 16%.

Leading scorer was Prince with 21. He was followed by Billups and Deng with 21. Hamilton, Sheed' and Gordon had 16 each.

Team effort in win over Rockies

The Cardinal bats and the team pitching came together in one of the few times this season as St Louis defeated Colorado 9-2 on a Thursday afternoon matinee.

The Redbirds banged out 13 hits with second baseman Aaron Miles getting three of those hits.

WP Wainwright 3-2 6 innings 9 hits and 2 runs. Falkenborg, Flores, and Springer combined for 3 innings of no hit baseball.

LP Hirsh 2-3. He lasted just 4 innings.

Cardinals defeat Rockies 4-1

Finally some good news to write about! First off the Cardinals scored 4 runs! The second thing is that was enough to win thanks to rookie pitcher Brad Thompson's 5 strong innings of pitching! He gave up just 6 hits and 1 run, striking out two and he gave up 1 home run to left fielder Matt Holliday his 6th home run of the year.

There is even more good news! Jim Edmonds going into last nights game was struggling to bat barely over .200, had 3 hits last night and 1 sacrifice out to help seal the victory.

All is not great, just yet. There is still cause for concern. The recent 5 game home stand the Redbirds have scored in just 5 of 42 innings. Yet they have managed to win 3 of 5 games; however, if the bats continue to remain silent, that could change the win/loss dissparity for the worse.

WP Kelvin Jimene 1-0 Isringhausen save #9
LP Denny Bautista 2-1, he pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up 2 hits and 3 runs.

Bulls pounded again

Having not recovered from the first game, the Bulls got behind early and never recovered as they lost to Detroit at the Palace 108-87.

Detroit came out sizzling. Hitting just about every shot they took to a 34-18 first quarter lead. It was almost a carbon copy of game one. Detroit with the energy, getting all of the lose balls, all of the offensive rebounds, limiting the bulls to 1 hot and 33% shooting and handcuffing Ben Gordon.

For all practical purposes the game was over. Detroit managed to increase their lead by 6 the rest of the game and finished the game shooting 54% while the Bulls shot just 34%!

Two players came ready to play. Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas. Even Luol Deng scored under his playoff average managing to score just 16 points. Ben Gordon had 13, but he took just 7 shots for the entire game. For the Bulls to have a chance to win, Gordon needs to shoot more than 7 times. Kirk Hinrich was 0-7 for just 2 points.

Ben Wallace was their leading scorer at halftime with 12 points. That's how bad things went for the Bulls.

Andres Nocioni played better than in game one but with zero results in the outcome of the game. He had 12 points but just 1 rebound.

There was even a Michael Sweetney siting as Scott Skiles tried to find someone other than Wallace that could rebound and score in the post.

Detroit out rebounded the Bulls 51-30. The had 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in 11 more shots than the Bulls took.

Prince had 25 points
Webber 22
Hamilton 24
Billups 14
Wallace 10

Thomas lead the Bulls with 18
Deng 16
Wallace 13
Gordon 13
Nocioni 12

Cardinals lose again

Don't blame Anthony Reyes. He struck out 5 batters and 2/3 of his pitches were strikes. He pitched 6 innings and gave up just 3 hits and 2 runs, yet the Redbird's bats remained silent once more. According to Daniel Berk of MLB.com, the Cardinals have scored in just three innings of the 34 innings played during this recent homestand. That won't win many games. They managed to score 2 runs but that was not enough to win. The team had just 4 hits for the entire game.

WP McClellan 1-0 Fuentes got his 8th save.
LP Falkenborg 0-1

Reyes is still 0-5 with an era of 5.03

First baseman Todd Helton hit his 3rd home run of the season in the 2nd inning off of Reyes.

Van Gundy leaving Rockets

Saturday's Game 7 loss to the Jazz was the last for Jeff Van Gundy as the Houston Rockets' coach, according to the New York Post.

Citing an "impeccable source," The Post reported that Van Gundy is leaving NBA coaching for the forseeable future. According to the source, Van Gundy's decision isn't based on the first-round series loss to the Jazz.

When contacted by ESPN.com on Sunday, Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis said Van Gundy planned to speak to the media on Monday.

"We don't know where this came from. Jeff has been spending all his energy working on the Utah series, and he hasn't put any thought into his future situation."

Complete story

I am not suprised with Jeff's decision should this turnout to be true. He has had a nice team in Houston with one of the top 5 players in the league in McGrady. He had one of the top 3 centers in the league in Ming. He had a nice supporting cast including a deep bench that had Dekembe Mutombo, yet this team never seriously challenged in the West.

Kobe Bryant a future Bull?

Kobe made no secret that he was willing to play for the Bulls two years ago. Remember the Shaq/Kobe ever ongoing squabble they had in LA? Well it seems that the Lakers had decide which player they wanted to keep. Kobe would have loved to come to Chicago to play for the Bulls. In fact John Paxson flew to LA to have serious talks with Kobe. Why didn't Kobe not come to Chicago and talk to management there? He couldn't leave the state of California. This was during the time he was going through court proceedings in his rape accusation.

Since then, he has stated numerous times that he was serious when he talked to the Bulls! We all know what happened, Shaq was traded and the Lakers have sputtered since then. So far at least management in LA has failed to build a contending team along side Kobe to seriously compete for championships.

Meanwhile the Bulls have advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The team is young and seems to be going places. Since Kobe is under a long term contract with the Lakers, why do I even speculate that he may play for the Bulls? After all, it doesn't make sense for Chicago to break up its core to trade for Kobe. Chicago would be in the same situation the Lakers are in now!

It seems Kobe has the option to opt out of his contract in 2008-2009! Its not beyond the realm of possibility that the Bulls could be well under the cap at that time.

Kobe Bryant a Bull? Stay tuned!

Panthers release Keyshawn Johnson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- When the Carolina Panthers drafted Southern California receiver Dwayne Jarrett in the second round Saturday, Keyshawn Johnson was ecstatic.

"This is a great pick. We need another wide receiver," Johnson gushed while working as a draft analyst for ESPN. "This guy is much like me. I'm going to teach him how to play from the point of attack."

He won't get the chance.

The Panthers deemed their older former USC receiver was expendable Tuesday. Johnson, the 6-foot-4 possession receiver and 1996 No. 1 overall pick, was released to make way for a younger 6-foot-4 possession receiver taken with the 45th pick.

"We appreciated the contribution of Keyshawn in his season with the Panthers," coach John Fox said. "He brought us high production, but at this time, we are in a situation in which we have a number of young receivers and thought this was the right time to make the decision."

Complete Story


I am little late with this story but it needs to be posted nonetheless. I am surprised with the decision the Panthers made. Keyshawn has a couple of good years left and the team is not that bad. They can compete, but it appears they are going towards rebuilding with some of the young receivers they have.

Johnson stated he wants to play two more years. Patriots recently aquired Randy Moss. It will be interesting to see which contender picks him up.

Clemens announces return to Yanks

NEW YORK -- The Yankees desperately needed another quality starting pitcher. Roger Clemens didn't want to wait any longer to pitch. It all came together on a memorable Sunday afternoon.

The Rocket has lifted off again in the Bronx, returning to Yankee Stadium and resuming his career in pinstripes, leaving the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox -- Clemens' other potential suitors -- behind in past speculation.

The Yankees announced on Sunday that they have signed Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, to a Minor League contract for the 2007 season. Clemens will earn $28 million on a prorated basis from the first day he is added to the Yankees' Major League roster, and make no mistake: he's in New York for one reason only.

Complete story

Cardinals defeat Astros 3-1

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Adam Kennedy blooped a single down the right-field line. Chris Duncan then doubled to move Kennedy over to third. After an Albert Pujols popout and a Jim Edmonds walk, Rolen came though with a single to give the Cards the lead.

The Cards added one more in the inning with a RBI groundout by Ryan Ludwick, playing in his first game as a Cardinal after being called up from Triple-A Memphis.

That's all the Cards offense could generate, continuing their recent struggles at the plate, marking the eighth straight game the Cards scored three runs or less.

That's where Braden Looper comes in! Finally, Cardinal pitching held a team at bay! He pitched 6 strong innings, giving up just 6 hits and 1 run. He had 3 strike outs. Three relief pitchers allowed 4 harmless hits the rest of the game.

The Cardinals had 7 hits as a team with Kennedy leading off the order getting 3 of those hits!

WP Looper 2-2, Isringhausen gets save #8.
LP Sampson 3-2

Astros shut out the Cardinals 13-0

Kip Wells after giving up a first inning run, settled down and retired 9 straight. It looked like he was going to pitch a nice game for St Louis, then came the fifth inning. Wells walked three of the first five batters in the fifth, then permitted a three-run double to Carlos Lee that chased him from the game and removed any doubt about the outcome.

Rookie Matt Albers pitched very well for Houston. He went 7 1/3 innings giving up just 3 hits.

WP Albers 1-1
LP Wells 1-6

The Redbirds pitching staff gave up 14 hits on 13 runs.

Carpenter to undergo elbow surgery

ST. LOUIS -- An already difficult season for the Cardinals grew tougher on Saturday, when the team announced that right-hander Chris Carpenter will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow.

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner, who hasn't pitched since Opening Night, is expected to be sidelined for at least three more months. Dr. George Paletta, the Cardinals' head team physician, will perform the operation on Tuesday.

"That's a huge hit," said manager Tony La Russa. "But that's part of the game, part of baseball. Our goal now is to be in contention when he gets back."

Carpenter won't throw a ball for roughly six weeks after the surgery. From there, it will likely be at least six weeks before he is able to pitch competitively in a game. It is hoped and expected, but not guaranteed, that he will be able to return to active duty before the season ends.

Complete article

Can things get any worse for the Cardinals?

Pistons rout Bulls in game 1

The Bulls bench had might as well stayed home. They gave the team absolutely nothing. The entire bench was 3-30. Ben Gordon was 2-9 with just 7 points and the Bulls shot 33% for the game as Detroit destroyed Chicago 95-69 at the Palace in game one of the best of seven series.

Detroit came into the game determined to match Chicago's energy, and for the most part they did! They out rebounded the bulls 46-38; however, the numbers were worse than that because during garbage time the Bulls closed the gap somewhat.

Early on, Detroit was getting all of the calls and that caused Ben Gordon to get two quick fouls and he never was the same after that.

For Detroit they have to feel good about the win. They know they sent a statement to Chicago, and that statement was, "You may have swept the world champs, but we are not Miami!"

For the Bulls, this has to hurt, but Skiles needs to tell them it's just one game. Our bench won't play that bad every game. We won't shoot 33% for the game, every game! We can work on the turnovers and we need to. We can defend the offensive boards better and we will.

Years ago, back in the 80's when the Lakers were 'showtime' and the Celtics had Bird and supporting company, I remember LA going into Boston for game 1 and the Celtics destroyed them. LA came back and won the series. That being said, I know we are not the Lakers of showtime era. All I am saying is it's not as dire as it seems. It's one game.

Detroit was lead by Hamilton and Billups with 20 each. Prince and Wallace added 13 each.

Deng had 18. Hinrich 15, and Wallace 9! You know we played bad when Ben Wallace was your third leading scorer.

Redbirds snap 5 game skid

Going into last nights game with the Astros, to say things were looking bleak is an understatement. The Cardinals were on a five game losing streak and going to the mound was Adam Wainwright. Adam had a record of 1-2, but a ERA of over 6. Keep in mind that St. Louis had not been a very good home team so far and their bats have been silent more than not most of the year, the stage was set for yet another loss.

Pitching came through for them! Wainwright pitched 6 innings giving up just 7 hits and 2 runs. Add to that the fact that the Cardinal bullpen combined for 9 big outs to lead the Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

WP Wainwright 2-2 Isringhausen save 7
LP Williams 0-5. He pitched 6 innings. 5 hits 3 runs.

Cardinals ban alcohol in clubhouse

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals announced on Friday that they are banning alcohol from the home clubhouse at Busch Stadium, as well as pondering other adjustments to their alcohol policies.

In light of the death of pitcher Josh Hancock, who lost his life in a wreck early Sunday morning, club officials said they are re-examining many of the ways they do business. The first step, however, was a quick and simple one, to end the policy of providing and allowing alcohol to players after games.

Hancock was determined to have been driving while under the influence at the time of his crash.

"I think it's a smart gesture, it's an important gesture, but it's not meaningful," manager Tony La Russa said. "Because guys just don't stay around the clubhouse anymore."

Complete article

Bulls F Luol Deng wins NBA Sportsmanship Award

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng is the
winner of the Joe Dumars Trophy for the NBA Sportsmanship Award,
the league announced Thursday.

The award is voted on by players and goes to the player who
exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court - ethical
behavior, fair play and integrity. Deng was not called for a
technical foul or a flagrant foul this season.

The trophy is named after Dumars, a Hall of Famer who serves as
president of the Detroit Pistons and was the award's first
recipient in 1996. Ironically, Deng will be facing Dumars'
Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting this
weekend.

Deng also was the Central Division nominee a year ago. This
year, he received 2,027 points in the balloting to edge
Southwest Division representative Shane Battier of the Houston
Rockets, who received 2,005 points.

Other division representatives were Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher
of the Northwest (1,953 points), Los Angeles Clippers forward
Elton Brand of the Pacific (1,935), Atlanta Hawks guard Joe
Johnson of the Southeast (1,737) and Toronto Raptors guard
Anthony Parker of the Atlantic (1,737).

Deng, Battier and Brand all attended Duke University. Brand was
last year's winner.

The league will donate $25,000 on behalf of Deng to Pacific
Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission
in the United States. The NBA also will donate $10,000 each to
charities of choice of the other finalists.

Good news! Cardinals didnt lose last night

Finally the Redbirds never lost; however, they never had to play a team either. It was an off day. A day when Josh Hancock was still on their minds. It looks like his loss is going to take a while for them to get over.

Remember five years when they lost Darryl Kile? The very first game after his funeral, the team regrouped and played good ball for the rest of the season. Let's hope the same thing happens this time.

Cardinals play the Astros starting this evening. Adam Wainwright 1-2, 6.14 ERA will start for St Louis while RHP Chris Sampson 3-1, 3.55 ERA will be on the mound for Houston.

The game will start at 7:10 CT.

Cardinals blanked 4-0

The Cardinals lost their fifth straight loss Wednesday night to fall to 10-16 as they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0. They now trail the Brewers by 7 1/2 games. This is the farthest they have been out of first place since Aug. 8, 2001, when they were eight games back.

It's difficult to find a positive note when your team gets blanked but there was a bright spot to bring up. Anthony Reyes pitched his best game of the year! He struck out 8 batters through 6 innings and gave up just 3 hits. Trouble is he didn't get any help from the team.

Another bright spot in the game was Albert Pujols. He had 3 hits (even though the entire team managed only 5 hits total).Albert has not hit in 11 straight games and is batting .280.

WP Carlos Villanueva 2-0
LP Anthony Reyes 0-5

Milwaukee managed only 4 hits but they had 4 base on balls as well.

Brewers are now 18-9 with a 5 game lead on the Reds.

Newnan's Darrah commits to play football at Alabama

Thomas Darrah, who has enjoyed success in three sports at Newnan High School, will now become part of what is arguably the most-storied football program in the country.

He has committed to play at the University of Alabama.

Darrah and his parents visited Tuscaloosa a couple of weeks ago and when the opportunity presented itself to become part of the Alabama program, he accepted.

The decision closed the books on one of the most intriguing recruiting stories in recent memory.

After passing for over 7,000 yards and 50-plus touchdowns in his career, being named The Times-Herald's Offensive Player of the Year and making several all-star teams including All-Region and All-State squads, there were surprisingly few callers after he concluded his senior season on the gridiron.

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Cardinals continue slide, lose to Brewers 12-2

Braden Looper dodged trouble for four shutout innings before he and his defense crumbled in the fifth. Taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, Looper permitted four runs in that inning. He and the Cards bullpen were touched for seven runs in the sixth, putting the game out of reach.

Looper has been the Cardinals best pitcher to date, so the loss to Milwaukee in the way it happened cannot be encouraging news to the Redbirds.

WP Ben Sheets 2-2. He went 6 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 runs, and 1 home run.

LP Braden Looper 3-2. He went just 5 innings allowing 11 hits and 6 runs. The entire Cardinal staff gave up 17 hits to Milwaukee, including home runs to Graffanino, and Jenkins.

The Cardinals had 9 hits that included a home run by Duncan, his fifth of the year.

Carpenter inches closer to return

Chris Carpenter threw 3 simualted innings to 4 Cardinal batters and as far as anyone can tell the session was good. So speculation is Carpenter may start a game for the Cardinals within the week. Maybe he can stop some of the bleeding.

Cards lose again

Former Cardinal pitchers love facing the Cardinals these days. As Marquis and now Jeff Suppan. Jeff shut down the Cardinals for the second time this year to help the Brewers easily defeat the Redbirds 7-1 on Monday night in Milwaukee.

Suppan's counter part Kip Wells struggled through 6 innings, giving up 6 hits on 7 runs, 3 walks and 1 homerun to Fielder, his 6th of the year in the 3rd inning.

The Cardinals may still be in mourning from the tragic and sudden death of their former relief pitcher Josh Hancock who was killed in a car crash recently. Publicly they not admitting it.

St Louis had 8 hits. Center fielder Skip Schumaker had three of them.

WP was Jeff Suppan now 4-2. He went the distance for the Brewers, allowed 8 hits and 1 run. Jeff got 5 strike outs and allowed 1 base on ball.

LP was Kip Wells now 1-5.

St Louis is now 10-14 and in last place in the central division.

Milaukee is 16-9 and is currently in first place in the central.

Patriots acquire WR Moss from Raiders

The Oakland Raiders cut ties with Randy Moss after two unproductive seasons, sending the former Pro Bowl receiver to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick.

Moss was disgruntled for most of his two seasons in Oakland, and said frequently last season he thought he'd be better off with another team. He wanted to be dealt either to New England or Green Bay and got his wish.

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If Randy has anything left, this could be a good deal for the Pariots. They need more ammunition to chase Indy in the AFC. They may have gotten it!

Bulls sweep the champs

The Chicago Bulls did something today that no NBA has done in 61 years. They swept last years NBA champs 4-0 in the first round. The last time this was done was when the Warriors were beaten by Syracuse 2-0 in the first round.

Miami didn't make it easy for the Bulls. They came out and played inspired ball by going to Shaq numerous times in the post for easy dunks. The Heat played inspired defense as well limiting the bulls to about 35% shooting and went on to take the first quarter lead 28-23

With Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace on the bench with two fouls each, the Bulls gained 1 point on the Heat in the second quarter despite the fact that Miami was shooting over 50% and the Bulls about 35%. Add to the fact that Deng was struggling. Posey was doing a nice job on him and Nocioni was 1-7 in the first half. Yet the Bulls hung around do to some torrid 3 pt shooting!

The third quarter, the Bulls kept plugging away at the Heat until they outscored Miami 24-16 to take a 4 point lead going into the 4th quarter. Chicago managed to get their shooting percentage above 40% with Deng and Gordon doing most of the damage.

the 4th quarter was all Bulls. They were quicker to the ball time and time again and showed they wanted the game and series much more than Miami. The last couple of minutes the Bulls made one steal after another to seal the deal.

Miami tried to use the shack-a-hack on Ben Wallace but it back fired on them. During one stretch of the 4th quarter Ben made 6 straight free throws.

Ben Gordon lead the Bulls with 24, Luol Deng added 22 and 12 rebounds and 4 steals.

Wade had 24 for Miami, 10 assists but he had 7 turnovers. Oneal had 16, Mourning 14. Posey had 18 rebounds.

Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock killed in car crash

Josh Hancock, a key member of the bullpen that helped the At Louis Cardinals win the World Series last season, was killed in a car crash early Sunday.

The Cardinals postponed their home game Sunday night against the Chicago Cubs.

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Cards continue to struggle, lose to the Cubs 8-1

Adam Wainwright went just 4 and 1/3 innings and struggled for the third straight game as the Cards lost to the Cubs 8-1. It didnt help anything by the fact that the Redbirds bats we silent once more.

Jacque Jones started off the fifth with a double to left-center field. Catcher Henry Blanco followed with an RBI double. Left fielder Chris Duncan almost made the catch, but couldn't come up with it and crashed into the wall, knocking him off his feet.

After a sacrifice bunt by the pitcher, Wainwright walked Alfonso Soriano on five pitches. Ryan Theriot came up with an RBI single, followed by an RBI double by Derrek Lee. After an intentional walk to Aramis Ramirez, Wainwright was lifted for left-handed reliever Tyler Johnson. Johnson got Floyd to hit into a fielder's choice that scored a run, and then gave up an infield single to Mark DeRosa to load the bases.

Jones, batting for the second time in the inning, tripled to clear the bases and break the game open at 7-0.

The Cardinals had just 7 hits for the game. Albert Puhols had home run #6 in the 7th inning off of Carlos Zambrano.

WP Zambrano 2-2
LP Adam Wainwright 1-2

Adam has an ERA of 9.77 the last three game he has pitched.

Marquis loves playing the Cardinals.

Jason Marquis is 3-1 for the season for the Chicago Cubs. Two of those victories has come in the last week against his old team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Marquis' Cubs defeated the Cardinals 5-3 on Friday behind home runs by Aramis Ramirez and Felix Pie.

His new team gave him plenty of run support in the fourth. Derrek Lee doubled to lead off, the first hit off Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes (0-4), and Ramirez followed with his fifth home run to go ahead, 2-1. Ramirez now has 125 home runs with the Cubs, and needs one more to tie Andy Pafko for 13 on the team's all-time list.

Two outs later, Mark DeRosa doubled and Pie belted his first homer off a 1-0 pitch from Reyes. Maybe Pie's blast can get things going for the Cubs outfielders. Going into the game, Pie, Alfonso Alfonso Soriano and Matt Murton had one home run and four RBIs combined.

The Cardinals managed 9 hits including a home run of their own by catcher Yadier Molina.

Losing pitcher was Anthony Reyes 0-4. He went 6 innings allowing 4 hits, 4 runs including the two home runs. He had 2 base-on-balls and also had 5 strike outs.

Bulls go up 3-0

The Bulls are one win from sending the defending NBA champions home for the summer.

Ben Gordon scored 27 points, Luol Deng added 24 and 11 rebounds and Chicago used a 15-2 fourth-quarter run to seize control of a 104-96 victory over the Heat in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night.

Chicago started the game out controlling the tempo and continuing their hot shooting from the first game by hitting 60% from the field to take a 29-23 first quarter lead. Deng led the way while Gordon sat on the bench with two personal fouls.

The second quarter was different. At one time in the game the Bulls made 11 turnovers while Miami didn't make none. It was then that Miami made their run by taking a 52-45 halftime lead.

The game had similarities from the playoffs last year. The Bulls had a chance to go up 3-2 in the series but Miami made a comeback being lead by Wade. This game was no different. Dewayne Wade and Antoine Walker lead the charge.

The Bulls struggled through the first half of the 3rd quarter; however, by the end of the period they had managed to cut the lead to just 4 points.

The fourth quarter was all Chicago. The Bulls outscored Miami by 12 points to take the win.

Kirk Hinrich had 22 points for Chicago. The Bulls out rebounded Miami 44-33.

Miami was lead by Wade with 28, Oneal had 23 and 13 rebounds.

Cardinals Take Series Against Reds

St Louis came from 4 runs down on Thursday to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5. The amazing thing about this win was the fact they did it with 15 singles and no extra base hits!

Keisler went just 3 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and 4 runs. Two of those runs were home runs given to Ross and Phillips.

Winning pitcher was Springer 1-0 and Isringhausen with his 6th save of the season. Lohse was the losing pitcher 1-1.

Shumaker had three hits for the Cardinals while 4 additional batters had two hits each.

Pujols helps Cards defeat the Reds 5-2

Albert Pujols delivered another game winning hit in less than a week for the Cardinals as he had a game winning two-run double in the 8th inning to seal the victory for the Cards.

It didn't hurt that Looper went 7 innings for St. Louis allowing just 3 hits, 1 run and that was a home run to Hamilton in the 6th inning.

The winning pitcher was Flores 1-0. Losing pitcher was Saarloos 0-2.

Carlisle won't return as Pacers head coach

Rick Carlisle is stepping down as coach of the Indiana Pacers, team president of basketball operations Larry Bird announced Wednesday.

Bird said he and Carlisle "mutually agreed its time for him to move on ," Bird said. "It's time to close the chapter on this season and move forward. "

Carlisle echoed Bird's comments, saying he will consider an option to return to the team in a front office capacity. He also said he would like to coach again.

"I think it's time for another voice here," Carlisle said, addressing the media after Bird. "When you know it's time, you know it's time."

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Reds Beat Cards 10-3

Yesterday I mention that this game worried me. It looked like my fears materialized. The Reds destroyed the Cardinals 10-3 to make the Cardinals home record go to 1-7 in the early season.

Wells did not have his control. He pitched just 4 2/3 innings, giving up 8 earned runs.

Perhaps as a sign or an omen, the game was delayed 50 minutes due to a thunderstorm. Maybe they should have called the game all together because once the game started, it was clear that this was not to be the Cardinals day.

The Cardinals bats, once again were not to be found. This game made the 14th game in the 19 played where they scored below 4 runs.

Harang, as I had feared, mastered the Cardinals through 7 2/3 innings, giving up just 2 runs.

The Redbirds managed 10 hits. Spiezio, Molina, and Rolens all three had 2 hits each. We had no home runs.

Cincy on the other hand pounded out 17 hits. Wells gave up 9 of those hits. The Reds had 3 home runs. All off of Wells, who up until that game had allowed just 1 home run all season long. Gonzalez had two and Griffey had 1.

Harang went to 3-0 for the season while Wells fell to 1-4

Preview for Today's Game.

Arroyo 0-2 faces Looper 3-1. Arroyo has an ERA of 3.25 while Looper is at 2.08.

The game is on Fox Sports Midwest 7:10 CT.

Carpenter Begins Throwing.

Chris Carpenter threw a baseball for the first time in two weeks yesterday.

Bulls Defend Home Court, Rout the Heat

The Chicago Bulls, the team with the younger legs, hustle and even more desire routed the Miami Heat 107-89 to take a 2-0 advantage in a best of 7 series. From the outset, Miami came out with more desire and focus than they showed in game one and tried to push the issue but the Bulls hot shooting would have none of it.

Shaq scored the first points of the game when he was fouled by Wallace. The refs and the league heard Shaq complain the last couple of days so they gave him one on that one. The Bulls closed the quarter with Nocioni scoring 7 points in less than 11 seconds, including a quarter ending three. The Bulls led, 31-21 after 1.

Miami made a run in the second quarter and that was expected. I mean after all, they are the world champs. They outscored the Bulls 31-24. At one point during the comeback, Steve Kerr said, "It's nervous time for the Bulls." I begged to differ. Good teams make runs and good teams answer. The game was tied at 48-48 and the Bulls went on to take a 55-52 First half lead.

Before the second half began, Steve Kerr once again said, "It's Miami's game to win." Again, I didn't see that from what I had been watching. Kapono hurt us in the first half. He hit jumper after jumper and the Bulls had no answer for him. They came out in the second half and buried the Heat! it started with consecutive baskets by Hinrich and Brown, Miami called time. After the timeout, Wallace made back to back blocks. Deng hit jumper to make it 61-52. Wade answered with a two and Gordon scored as well. Kirk hit a 3 to make it 66-55 that was at the 8:46 mark. At that part of the game the Bulls were 7-9 in threes! They were also shooting 54% for the game.
After the time out, Brown scored for the Bulls to make it 68-55. Gordon then came back and hit a 3 and for all practical purposes the game was over. Miami managed to cut it to 9 at one time but the Bulls answered and won by 18.

The Bulls shot 55% for the game. Sixty-five percent in threes! (11-17). They out rebounded Miami 38-30.

Bulls leading scorers were:

1. Gordon 27
2. Deng 26...at one time Luol was 1-7.
3. Hinrich 14
4. Brown and Nocioni 10 each.

The Heat was lead by:

1. Wade 21
2. Shaq 17
3. Kapono, Walker, and Posey 11 each.

It is interesting to note. Gary Payton did not play for the Heat.

Game 2: Bulls Looking to go up 2-0

The Chicago Bulls take on the visiting Miami Heat in game two of the best of 7 series tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern time on TNT.

The Bulls are a confident bunch going into tonight's game, and why shouldn't they be? The took 3 or 4 regular season games against the Heat including the 108-66 shellacking they gave them on national TV in the very first game of the year.

Make no mistake about tonight's game, the Heat will come in with a different game plan. They will make adjustments and try and do things better. They will also try and control the tempo. If they are successful at doing that, it could spell trouble for the Bulls. That being said, Miami controlled the tempo of game one to a certain point, then the Bulls started to run more and increased the tempo. When they did that they outscored the Heat during one stretch 25-4! Look for the Bulls to run once more. They young legs gave Miami fits last year in the playoffs, and in 4 of the 5 games they have played this year.

We need Kirk to be on tonight. He needs to stay out of foul trouble and hit the jay when needed. When he does that, it stretches the defense. If he doesn't do that, then Miami will no doubt have an easier time in guarding Gordon and Deng.

We need Deng to continue to be aggressive. He was magnificent during game 1. The Bulls penetrated and moved the ball and that made Deng's game easier. Time after time he hit the open jumper!

Want a place to go before, during, and after the game to discuss the game? Come join us at Bulls Forum at Basketballforum.com

The Reds and Harang to Face the Wells and the Redbirds

The game is scheduled for 7:10 CT this evening. Its the 9-10 Reds at the 8-10 Cardinals. The Redbirds are 1/2 game behind Cincinnati.

I am worried about this game for a number of reasons. First Harang is 2-0 with an unspectacular ERA of just 4.37; however the Reds have enough production to possibly give the Harang another win. Another reason why I am worried about this game is the fact that the Cardinals are just 1-6 at home. So far in the young season the Cards are better on the road than they are at home, and remember this; the team has been struggling with the bat in many games so far this season. If their bats are silent tonight, then it could possibly be a loss.

On a good note, the Cardinals are going with pitcher Kip Wells. Though his record is 1-3, he has a very good ERA of 3.12. He has given up just 1 home run in 26 innings. Wells has done all that is asked of him. Its the team that has not supported him with run production. Maybe that will change tonight.

The probable lineup for tonight may be:

1. SS David Eckstein .239
2. LF Chris Duncan .323
3. 1B Albert Pujols .229
4. 3B Scott Rolen .268
5. CF Jim Edmonds .212
6. RF Preston Wilson .250
7. C Yadier Molina .213
8, 2B Adam Kennedy .204

Tyrus Thomas Highlight From Game 1

I have no doubt in my mind that when it's all said and done, Tyrus Thomas will be thought of as one of the better players to ever play the game. I say this with the idea that injuries will not cut his career short.

Almost every game since the all-star break, I could almost say that Thomas has had a spectacular play every game. The first playoff game with the Miami Heat is not exception! Enjoy!

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Cardinals Bats Shine!

Going into Sundays game with the Chicago Cubs the entire St Louis Cardinal team was batting just .227 with only 10 home runs. Sunday was to be different. The Cardinals pounded out 17 hits that included 4 home runs to beat the Chicago Cubs 12-9 in 10 innings. It took a three run home run by Albert Pujols in the10th inning to seal the win.

With this win the Cards win the series 2-1 and are now 8-10, three games out of first place.

Adam Wainwright started for the Cards, but he had trouble with his curve ball and was pulled in the 6th inning after going 5 and 1/3 innings, 12 hits and 7 earned runs. He gave up 3 walks and had 7 strike outs while allowing 2 home runs.

Jason Isringhausen was the winner with Tyler Johnson getting the save.

Going into Sundays game the main part of the Cardinals lineup was just not doing the job so far!
Pujols was batting just .203, Rolen .200, Edmonds .191, Spiezio .172, Kennedy, .196! You don't win many games with that many players in a slump. So, as you can see, it was a pleasure to see the Cardinals snap out of it, even if its just for one game! These players had 12 of the Cardinals 17 hits! Including 5 by Scott Rolen!

I hope this is a glimpse of good things to come.

Bulls Up 1-0

Two words, Luol Deng. The 6-9 220 lb forward from the Sudan, showed the world why John Paxson never traded him at the trading deadline last Feb. Deng has rewarded Paxsons decision every since that day including yesterdays game against the world champion Miami Heat. Deng led the Bulls with 33 points as the Chicago Bulls defeated Miami 96-91 to go up 1-0 in the best of 7 playoff series!

Deng had some help. No doubt about it. Gordan 24 points and 11 assists. Nocioni added 17 including 2 big free throws with 19 seconds left in the game. Ben Wallace stepped up his overall game and added 14 rebounds!

This was a good win for the Bulls but make no mistake, the series is not over. Not yet. Last year the rolls were reversed. The Bulls played the Heat and Miami had the home court advantage. The Heat won in 6 games but the Bulls were harder for them to handle than the rest of the teams they faced on their way to championship! I look for this series to be emotional as well and being a Bulls fan, I hope for a different out come than the one last year.

One point to bring up is the fact that Kirk Hinrich was in foul trouble most of the game, yet the Bulls won anyway despite Kirks poor performance of just 2 points with 1-7 shooting from the field. He will not play this badly the rest of the playoffs. That has to be a plus for the games to come.

P.J. Brown the long time veteran forward that was brought to the bulls for Smith and Chandler also had a bad game. Playing just 13 minutes he had 2 points and 5 rebounds. I look for Brown to be more of a factor in future games. He was brought here for the playoffs, now its time for him to show up.

The next game is Tuesday.