Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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by Andrew Perna
My Flyers have quickly fallen into an 0-2 hole against the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marian Hossa have been too good on offense for Martin Biron in the net. That’s okay, things shall be different in Philadelphia.
Mike D’Antoni has accepted the head coaching job of the discombobulatedNew York Knicks . Everyone has been quick to label this as a bad hire, but I think Donnie Walsh is going to seriously overhaul this roster, tailoring it towards D’Antoni’s style.
Orlando’s Jameer Nelson has already set the stage for Game Five by guaranteeing a victory against Detroit. I’m not sure that was such a smart move, considering the Magic will have to win three straight to eliminate the Pistons, but I suppose anything is worth trying at this point in time.
Speaking of the decisive Game Five that will take place at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday, Chauncey Billups is hoping that he’ll be healthy enough to suit up for the Pistons, who rallied back in the second half on Saturday afternoon without him.
A report has come out that O.J. Mayomay have taken gifts while playing at USC this past season. In fact, Mayo may have received cash and other gifts as far back as high school in an effort by BDA Sports Management to ensure he’d become a client of theirs. Something about this whole thing smells fishy, but I’m not exactly sure why.
Daniel Gibson was right, LeBron is still LeBron. His supporting cast came through on Saturday night to lead the Cavaliers to a huge win over the Celtics in Game Three. James will need more of the same help in Game Four if Cleveland is going to tie things up.
Vernon Wells will miss six to eight weeks of action after breaking his wrist against Cleveland on Friday night. That’s a huge blow to the Blue Jays, who will struggle to hit with him gone and Frank Thomas in Oakland.
It took five attempts, but Greg Maddux finally notched the 350th win of his Major League career on Saturday against the Rockies. ‘The Control Master’ became just the ninth player ever to accomplish the feat, which isn’t likely to add a ton of new members in today’s era of pitching conservatism. Greg seems like a pretty normal, down-to-earth guy as well, which makes the feat all the more inspiring.
Ben Sheets broke Milwaukee’s franchise record for strikeouts on Saturday when he got Albert Pujols to swing-and-miss. Just think about how many K’s Sheets would have tallied by now if he had better luck when it came to his health.
It appears as though Alex Rodriguez will return to the field for the Yankees at the end of this week, pending an MRI on Monday to see how his quadriceps is healing. New York really needs Alex back in the lineup especially since the rest of the bats are starting to heat up. The Yankees need all the offense they can get to help their inconsistent pitching staff (aside from Mr. Wang).
The Marlins opened up their wallet over the weekend and signed Hanley Ramirez to the richest contract in franchise history. Assuming he’s for real, this is awesome news for Florida fans. They traded Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis this winter, but maybe this will signal the turning of a new era in Southern Florida, one that involves spending more money than A-Rod.
There is a distinct possibility that Torry Holt could bolt from the Rams and go to the Panthers at the end of his current contract in 2010. His brother Terrence just recently signed on to play safety for Carolina, and the Pro Bowl receiver appears interested in returning home to play alongside his younger brother. That’s cute but not for St. Louis fans.
Giants' offensive coordinator John Gilbride isn’t sure what the future holds for tight end Jeremy Shockey in New York. He hopes to make the former University of Miami star a feature in the team’s offense if he’s still in blue later this summer.
Matt Ryan was nervous heading into his first walk through with the Falcons but came out looking fine despite the early jitters. Word is that Ryan’s jersey is selling rather well in Atlanta; maybe more than his play will help turn things around for the Falcons.
Those eight new tapes that Matt Walsh surrendered to the NFL have revealed that the Patriots taped the offensive signals of the Dolphins during a regular season game in 2001. I’m all for making New England look bad, but when will this saga end?
Johan Franzen will miss at least two games for the Red Wings because of “concussion-like” symptoms. He was a late scratch on Saturday night, but Detroit was fine without their leading scoring in the postseason. If he’s able to return, and the Wings win the whole thing, he’s an easy choice for the Conn Smythe.
