Klueless Kobe

 $136 mil and three rings can't make me happy...

The Lakers Kobe Bryant on Wednesday went from saying the L.A. club he plays for should 'do the right thing and trade me' to 'I want to be a Laker for life' within a six hour span.  As I have written in the past, I have not been and will never be a fan of Kobe.  Let's run down the reasons why:

1.  The 1996 NBA Draft.  Bryant is drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the draft.  Within a week Kobe said he would never suit up for the Hornets and would 'only' play for the Lakers.  He was traded for Vlade Divac.  Yeah, fair trade.  It was bad enough that he wouldn't play for the team that drafted him *cough J.D. Drew cough* but it happened to be my favorite team (Larry Johnson and Alonso Mourning and I was dreaming of Kobe lighting up the perimeter....but I digress....)

2.  My next reason actually made me delete this entry when I first wrote it about three hours ago.  Then I watched the NBA preview show on ESPN and Michael Wilbon said EXACTLY what I had wrote and, thus, I am writing it again.  The Lakers have stood by Kobe.  That's putting it lightly.  Kobe cheated on his wife.  That's all I am going to say.  Personally, I think he did a lot more than that.  During Kobe's trial in Colorado, the Lakers let him do what he had to do, had a plane ready for him at all times, understood if he had to miss games, etc.  You don't just throw all that down the drain because you don't like the way 'Upper Management' in the Lakers system has acted.  I don't care what's happened, you don't just walk away from that.

3.  This goes along with No. 2.  The Lakers also stood by Kobe when the team was in flux a couple years back.  General Manager Larry Buss was going to build the team around Kobe and let Shaq go, Phil Jackson go, Gary Payton go, Rick Fox go, etc.  They decided to build the team around Kobe, gave him all the money in the world and said 'here is what you wanted, the team is all yours.'  And all he can say to Stephen A. Jackson on ESPN Radio this morning is 'There is nothing the Lakers can do to change my mind, I want out?'  Give me a break.

4.  How well did Michael Jordan get along with the higher ups in Chicago?  Not well at all.  So guess what Kobe?  Deal with it.  Help the team get better.  Don't just walk out on the team because they aren't where you want them to be right now.  You walked into a perfect situation and won three titles.  So it's been tough for a couple years.  It could be worse.  You could be a Celtic.

**  The NBA Draft Lottery was last week and the poor Celtics (well, for the last 20 years, before that they were alright) got completely screwed over.  As did the Memphis Grizzlies.  The NBA Draft is different from other drafts, like say the NFL, in that the worst team does not get the first pick.  The NBA uses a lottery system for all the teams that does not make the playoffs.  The worst team in the league gets the highest number of balls followed by the second worst team getting the second most balls, etc.

Well, the two worst teams in the NBA, the Griz and the Celtics, were, shall we say, not good this year.  Yikes, they were awful.  This draft and the best in a long, long time at the top.  Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant is the best offensive player in the draft since Kevin Garnett and Greg Oden, from Ohio State, is the best center coming out of college since Patrick Ewing in the 80's.  The balls didn't roll like they should have and the Portland Trailblazers go the No. 1 pick in the draft.  Let's just say the 'Blazers were not the worst team in the league, they were halfway decent.  Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge in the front court with last year's No. 1 pick, Brandon Roy, in the backcourt.  With Greg Oden, the preferred No. 1 selection this year, they could make the playoffs in the tough West next year.   The Seattle Supersonics go the No. 2 pick and Kevin Durant will fall nicely into their lap to go along with Ray Allen.  Nice 1-2 punch for them.

As for the Grizzlies and the Celtics, they received the No. 4 and the No. 5 picks respectively.  There are some solid kids in the draft for them to select from (Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joaquim Noah from Florida, point guard Michael Conley from Ohio State, etc), but none, NONE, that can match Oden and Durant.  The Grizzlies and the Celtics each deserved one of these two players.  The look on Jerry West, Grizzlies General Manager, was disappointment, but it was nothing compared to the shock and anger the Celtics coach Doc Rivers and General Manager Danny Ainge felt when there were drawn at No. 5.  They looked like their puppies had just been stolen. 

Sports Rewind

 Curlin over Street Sense by a nose.

** I have never been a horse racing fan but after watching the Kentucky Derby a couple weeks ago and seeing Street Sense come from the 19th spot to win was out of this world.  Saturday in the Preakness, Street Sense came from the 9th spot to take the lead down the stretch only to be caught by Curlin who won by a nose.  That gave me goosebumps.  Very exciting, but sad hearing that both horses might not run in the Belmost Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown June 9.

** HBO is great for a lot of reasons (Sopranos, Entourage, etc) and boxing is normally one of them.  They showed the De la Hoya vs Mayweather fight the next week after the fight took place but watching Jermain Taylor vs Cory Spinks almost makes me want to stop watching boxing all together.  First of all, Taylor won't fight anybody who can punch (or so the commentators said).  Second, which goes along with the first, Spinks was gawd awful.  He just ran around the ring and tried to throw a punch every once in a while.  You know how boring that is?  Taylor said after winning bye a split decision (yeah, one judge actually had Spinks winning, no idea how that was), 'You want my belt?  You can't just run around the ring and expect to get it.' 

 Pavlik will hopefully take on Taylor next.

The undercard had a great fight though.  Kelly Pavlik from Youngstown, Ohio, took on Edison Miranda.  These two had a fantastic fight going back and forth smacking each other with great shots until the referee stopped it in the 7th round after Miranda was having trouble standing upright.  Pavlik might be somebody Taylor would have trouble with because he's a big hitter.

** Congratulations to Roger Federer for ending Rafael Nadal's 81 match winning streak on clay at the Hamburg Master's on Sunday.  That was an unbelievable streak and will make the French Open, which starts this Sunday, super exciting.  I highly doubt Federer can win six straight matches on clay vs top notch competitionbut if anybody can do it Federer can. 

** The NBA Playoffs are still boring and I will not write more than three sentences on them.  The Jazz stand no chance vs the Spurs and the Cavs stand no chance against the Pistons.  That's two sentences.  More than enough about the NBA.

 Is that Lebron screaming or crying or both? 

** Tuesday night is the NBA Draft Lottery.  Obviously only the top two spots really matter.  One team will get Greg Oden, one team will get Kevin Durant.  The Memphis Grizzlies will have the most balls in the lottery and would most definitely choose Oden as would the team with the second most balls, Boston.  The Milwaukee Bucks have the third most balls and good grief would it be nice to see Oden in green next winter in Milwaukee.  Then again, the Bucks had the No. 1 pick a couple years ago and wasted it on Andrew Bogut.  If the Bucks ended up with the third pick, Florida Gators center Al Horford would be a nice selection.  He would help immediately.

** Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool should be worth watching.  AC Milan will be looking for revenge.  In the 2005 final between the same two teams, Liverpool came from 3-0 behind to win on penalties.  All three of Liverpools goals came in an eight minute span of the second half.  Milan will be looking to take the trophy back to Italy.  Milan's Kaka has been the best player in the Champions League by far.  Against Manchester United, Kaka completely dominated both legs himself.  I'd love to see an English team bring the trophy home, but honestly it's hard to see Milan losing.  Prediction:  AC Milan 3-1. 

** Saturday's FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium between Chelsea and Manchester United (ppv here in the States), was dull in the first half.  Both teams lacked their normal gusto but the second half showed why both teams were the best in England this year.  The game was still scoreless through 90 minutes.  United had a fantastic chance to win the game in extra time but Ryan Giggs couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.  United skipper Alex Ferguson thought his team deserved a penalty because Chelsea defender Michael Essien had taken Giggs down.  No such luck.  A couple minutes later Didier Drogba had the ball at the top of the box.  Drogba slid the ball to Frank Lampard who one-timed it back to Drogba who popped it pass United keeper Edwin van der Sar for the win. 

 Drogba's one-two with Lampard for the winner was a great goal.  Even a United fan can admit that.

Over You by Daughtry

Now that it's all said and done,
I can't believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down,
Like an old abandoned house.
What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath.
I fell too far, was in way too deep.
Guess I let you get the best of me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

You took a hammer to these walls,
Dragged the memories down the hall,
Packed your bags and walked away.
There was nothing I could say.
And when you slammed the front door shut,
A lot of others opened up,
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
Well I'm putting my heart back together,
'Cause I got over you.
Well I got over you.
I got over you.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you. -- Over You by Daughtry

R.I.P. Diego Corrales

 'A true warrior.'

Former boxing champ Diego Corrales was killed in a motorcycle accident Monday night in Las Vegas.  He was 29.  Corrales will be known as one of the fiercist fighters of his generation.  On May 7, 2005, exactly two years to the day before he passed away, Corrales fought Jose Luis Castillo in a fight that will go down as one of the best fights in history.  Corrales was knocked down twice in the 10th round to come back and stop Castillo. 

"He fought recklessly and he lived recklessly," Corrales' promoter Gary Shaw said. "That was his style."

R.I.P. Diego Corrales.  You were a wonderful fighter and left this earth far too early.  You will be sorely missed.

GLORY GLORY, MAN UNITED!!!

 Ronaldo, on the right, has played outstanding football all year for the Red Devils.

FINALLY!!!  For the first time since 2003, Manchester United took back the English Premier League title on Sunday without stepping on the pitch.  Chelsea, down eight points with 3 games to play starting Sunday, drew 1-1 with Arsenal today giving the title back to United. 

On Saturday, Man U beat Manchester City on a Ronaldo penalty putting the Red Devils up eight points with three games to play and a game with Chelsea upcoming.   Wednesday's game at Stamford Bridge (Chelsea's home pitch) is rendered meaningless now, but the two will face on the 19th of this month in the final of the F.A. Cup in the new Wembley Stadium in London. 

The F.A. Cup final will be big for both teams.  United will want to prove to Chelsea they were the best team in England this year while Chelsea will want to bring a trophy to Jose Mourinho after losing out in Europe (Champions League) and in the League to United. 

 Very sad John Terry, very sad. 

The result sees United, who have now won the Premiership a record nine times, seven points clear at the top of the table with just two games left.  Boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It's a fantastic day for the club and fans.  There was an emphasis on the league and the key was our good start. Once we made that, we never lost it."

 Chelsea had their chance April 28, but blew it and United rallied vs Everton.

After leading the League the entire year, Chelsea closed the gap and looked to get back within a couple of points on April 28.  Chelsea took the lead vs Bolton and United were down two goals to Everton.  If the results had stayed that way, Chelsea would have pulled within a point with three games to play.  The next 30 minutes were the biggest of the season.  United scored four straight goals to beat Everton 4-2 and Bolton fought back to draw with Chelsea to help the Red Devils move five points clear and put one hand on the title.