The more I think about my comparison of CDR and Thurman, the more I think I'm off. The similarities end at their size. They are both physically weak, which hurts their stock in the draft because everyone looks at size during the workouts.

But the comparisons end there. As JRAY points out...

People forget that Memphis won 30 games each of the last two seasons prior to this one. CDR was a big reason for that.

Thurman was never a leader on his team. He always got open shots because teams were focusing on Corliss Williamson. CDR, on the other hand, was the focus of a box and one on championship night.

Secondly, CDR can create his own shot. Thurman never could.

I e-mailed Bomani Jones the author of the ESPN.com article about Thurman and here are his thoughts on the comparison:

The biggest difference is what you pointed out -- Thurman couldn't get his own shot, while CDR can. The comparison to consider, I think, is between CDR and Adam Morrison. What made Morrison such a good scorer in college was his ability to use little tricks to get his shot. The problem was that a great NBA player wouldn't need so many little tricks in college, and that's been proven by Morrison's NBA struggles.

Interesting, Morrison and CDR. I could see that. Both need to gain strength and were great scorers in college. Both carried there teams in college, but CDR went in the second round and Morrison was a lottery pick. (Although, I believe it was pretty obvious at the time that it was a mistake.)

Here's the crazy thing. There are guys all over the place in the D-League and across the sea that have the same game as CDR. They have the size (height) and they can fill up the basket. NBA teams know that. So they'll let a guy like CDR drop and take a risk on some guy that's slow, yet he's 7' tall. Those guys don't grow on trees. Or they'll take a risk on a point guard, in hopes that they will find the next Chris Paul or Steve Nash.

There are guys that were great players in college playing overseas with no chance to make it to the NBA. You have to be extremely talented to make it and succeed in the league. You also have to be lucky and find the right spot.

And yet, most people hate the NBA. It's a shame. The NBA could be so much more....

In today's NBA, if you aren't drafted in the first round, you are all but a free agent hoping to land a team. There is no guaranteed money and your chances of making it are slim. Sure you have examples of guys making it, like Carlos Boozer, Mo Williams and Guilbert Arenas, but you have way too many that don't make it. In fact, most of the second round picks seemed to be European guys that won't come over to the states for 3-5 more years.

Needless to say, it's a disappointment if you aren't selected in the first round. That's why it was pretty shocking to see a guy like Chris Douglas-Roberts (CDR) not go in the first round. Wasn't it just April that Kansas employed the box and one defense, with CDR being the main target to defend? And now, not one but two (Derrick Rose, Joey Dorsey) teammates were selected ahead of him in the draft. Immediately as the draft was moving into the second round, I was reminded of a guy who in similar circumstances from a decade earlier.

I thought back to 1995. I thought back to Scotty Thurman. See if this doesn't sound familiar to the CDR story:

After a college career full of team and individual accolades, Thurman never saw the big time. His 43.2 percent career 3-point shooting, pair of first team All-SEC selections and national championship-winning 3-pointer in 1994 didn't count for enough to scouts. He was 6-foot-6 with a silky-smooth jumper and a history of performing in the clutch. But while his teammate and friend Corliss Williamson was taken in the lottery, Thurman became one of the biggest names to not have his name called by the commissioner.

Couldn't you replace SEC with Conference USA? And how about silky smooth jumper gets changed to nice mid-range game?

The similarities are there. Thurman was a great scorer for Arkansas, but he was a little bit undersized. By undersized, I'm talking about strength. Thurman had a teammate that was a lottery pick. Thurman and his Arkansas Razorbacks were in the championship game. (Although the Razorbacks did win it in 1994.)

I do realize that Thurman wasn't drafted at all, while CDR was. However, getting selected in the second round doesn't count for much these days. You could argue that not getting selected at all might be just as good, because you can try to make a team that needs help at your position.

According to Thurman, he received bad advice. He was told he would be a 1st round pick and only later did he get the information that he might fall into the second round. And not many people thought it was a bad idea when CDR decided to enter into the draft.

I've tried hard to find out what happened to CDR to drop him in the draft. The best I can tell, teams were scared off by his lack of strength and his unorthodox shooting style. Maybe he'll catch on with the Grizzlies or another NBA team. Or he could have a career similar to Thurman's, which included:

Thurman's rookie season was spent playing for the Shreveport Storm and Sioux City Skyforce of the CBA. Thurman said he played well late in the year for Sioux City, but he battled depression all season.

Waiting for the NBA to call and playing for peanuts was too much for him to take, so he took his game overseas. Thurman played in Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Cyprus, Yugoslavia and Jordan. He also suited up for the ABA's Arkansas Rimrockers in their inaugural season in 2004-05.

Which isn't an awful career actual, sans the depression part of it. Many of these guys collect great paychecks tax free. Sure it's not the dream, but its better than the alternative.

And there is no guarantee that staying another year would have improved his draft status. Could he have had a better year and improved it? I doubt it.

Apparently, everyone wants me to be edgy. To stop throwing softball questions and get tough when I'm interviewing someone. I don't know, I liked Kyle Sellers. He's not going to dump on someone who gave him a shot (Mark Gottfried). If the opening was there, I would have gone for it. That's the world we live in now. The light hearted stories aren't any good. However, tonight will be a little more edgy.

Last week, I received an e-mail from a friend. In the subject line it read "Save this e-mail". At first I thought it might be a chain message that had been forwarded on to me. But he's not the type to do that. So I'm thinking it will be good. The message read:

"Derrick Rose will be a bust in the NBA."

Wow! That was a bold statement. Especially since Rose was the most dominant player in college ball last year. He also is a physical beast. Although, the story Mike Freeman told on the Dan Patrick show today about Rose is pretty funny.

Most busts you can see coming from a mile away. Take Michael Olawakandi. Who didn't know he was going to be a bust? But Rose, I don't see it. My friend didn't give anything to back his statement up, so I don't know what he is basing it on. We'll just have to see. Maybe he can comment on this site and back it up.

Tonight the Memphis Grizzles selected Kevin Love with the fifth overall pick. I've written about him in the past. And for the record, this is what I wrote about him in January:

And here's a prediction as to what will happen with Love. After he doesn't go to the NBA this year (because pro scouts are worried about his athleticism), he'll undergo some serious off season conditioning at UCLA. Next fall, you'll read about how he worked out twice a day, gave up fried foods and only ate fish and vegetables. He will have dropped 15 pounds, but the funny thing is, you'll still see the "unathletic" Love. Sure, he'll be an All-American and Dick Vitale will drool all over him like he does in this video, but you'll just be able to tell.

Yes, I got the part about coming back wrong. But surprise, surprise, Love has dropped some weight since the end of the year. Now he's down to 250 and everyone is raving over him. (The picture above is from high school. He looks nothing like that now.)

Here's what I wonder. What's the difference in a guy who is out of shape in college and then gets in shape right before he's about to get drafted and a guy who dogs it for 3 years of his contract and suddenly plays harder in the last year of his contract before he becomes a free agent? The latter are criticized all the time. If he's not motivated to stay in shape in college, then what makes you think he'll be doing the right thing two years from now? How's he going to stay disciplined with his weight when he's traveling every other night and spending most of the season eating room service in a hotel room? I just don't get it. (As a side note, Jordan would never do that. He wanted to win at everything.)

And yes, it's neat that he can make a basket from 90 feet throwing a chest pass, but what does that have to do with defending a guy that's taller and quicker than you? I guess Love will always have a "go-to" shot when they play horse after practice.

If you watched any UCLA games last year, you would see how out of shape Love was. Once he planted himself on the block, he was hard to stop. But he wasn't battling against the type of guys he'll be battling against next year. And you have to beat the other guys down court in the NBA to establish position. He can't walk up the court like he did in college.

Finally, if you saw his interview on PTI yesterday, they basically asked him to give an answer to the questions I'm asking. His basic response. "I've had doubters my whole life. People have doubted me in high school and college and I've proved them wrong. Now I'll just have to do that in the NBA."

I realize that doesn't answer the question. However, since I'm in the question asking mood tonight, (I guess these are a little more edgy for everyone) who was doubting Kevin Love in high school? He was one of the biggest recruits in the nation that year. Everyone said he would be the final link to lead UCLA to a championship. Also, who was doubting him in college? Even this site said he would be a great college player. Every time I turned on the TV, the announcers were fawning all over him.

I just don't think he's worthy of being the 5th overall pick.

So, save this post...

Yesterday, I brought you an interview with Kyle Sellers a senior reserve on the Alabama basketball team. Kyle has one interesting connection that you may not know about. He's pretty close friends with Shaun Alexander.

How did that happen? Here's an excerpt from Shaun's book "Touchdown Alexander":

One day I saw a boy, maybe nine years old, sitting alone in a pew. I sat down next to him. Surprisingly, he didn't say one word to me during the service. I appreciated that. I was able to listen to Dr. Chesser without any distraction.

The next week when I came into church, I looked for the same boy. I decided he'd be perfect to sit next to because he didn't talk to me or ask for an autograph. He listened intently to the pastor and I liked that.

I found him and sat next to him. He still didn't say anything to me. When I got up to leave that second Sunday, I turned to him and said, "I like sitting next to you. Save me a spot next week, okay?"

"Sure!" he said with a grin.

The next week, I walked in, and sure enough, he had saved me a place. I sat down, smiled, and both of us focused on the service. I didn't talk to him, and he didn't talk to me. I was able to listen to the everything and not be distracted.

After about a month, I turned to him at the end of the service and asked him his name.

"I'm Kyle," he said.

"And I'm Shaun."

"Yeah, I know who you are," Kyle said. " You're a good football player."

Shaun goes on to talk about the special relationship he had with the Sellers family while he was in Tuscaloosa. He still has that relationship with them today.

"He's like my big brother," says Kyle. " I didn't have a brother growing up. He would come over to the house and play video games with me.

So is Shaun's version of the story accurate?

"I guess. I really don't remember meeting him." (He was nine after all) "He says I just basically left him alone."

Kyle and Shaun remain friends to this day.

"I just got back from spending a week and a half with him."

As a side note, Kyle is living the summer any young man could dream of. He has graduated from college but doesn't start his job until early August. He's getting married this summer and will get to go on an extended honeymoon. He spent a week and a half with one of his best friends, Shaun Alexander. And on a mission trip to Boston, he was able to see a Red Sox game (in which the Red Sox threw a no-hitter) and the first game of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pistons and the Celtics. Man, a tough road for Kyle this summer.

So I had to ask, as a Bama fan, how is Shaun doing?

"It's interesting. What you read in the media is a little bit of truth, surrounded by a lot of false stuff. Shaun had three injuries last year, and yet the team asked him to keep playing because they didn't have a suitable back-up. Three injuries. And he's an NFL running back? You're not going to be effective when you wrist, hip and knee are injured."

I didn't want to brag to Kyle, but I did write about this a while back. My theory was he was the same running back he's always been. Now knowing that he was injured, which I think I knew but didn't mention, I feel better about what I said. A healthy Alexander should be able to contribute in the right situation.

I didn't ask Kyle where he thought Shaun might end up. First, the interview was about Kyle, not Shaun. Secondly, I didn't want to put Kyle in an uncomfortable situation.

But it is interesting to see and root for the character guys. Shaun got some bad press this year and it's great to hear from Kyle that it wasn't all true.

Thanks again to Kyle for sitting down and talking.

You've just finished your sophomore year of junior college basketball. You've played for a program that has won the state championship both years and made it to the national tournament your freshman year. You love the game of basketball and you've got a decision to make. Do you move on to a Division II, Division III or NAIA school and play out the remaining two years of college, or do you walk-on at a Division I school? If you go DI, you'll probably sit the bench. If you go somewhere else, you may start for two years. So, what do you do?


According to recently graduated Alabama reserve Kyle Sellers, "It was a pretty easy decision."

Say what? Wouldn't that be something you would agonize over? Wouldn't you have to research all of your options and wait till the last minute to make a decision?


"Actually, Coach Gottfried talked to me about walking on at Alabama. When he asked me, I played it cool like it was no big deal, but inside I was so excited."


Why would Sellers be so excited about walking on to a team in which he knew he would probably never play meaningful minutes?


"My dad played on the junior varsity team, back when they had that. As a child, he took me to all of the home games. So it was a dream come true to be asked to be able to be on the team. It was something, coming out of high school, that I never thought would happen."


Kyle's right. You don't see many 6'0" 150 lb white guys that can't dunk listed as 5 star guys on Rivals.com. But even so, why didn't he chose to go to a Divison II or NAIA school? A place where he could get significant playing minutes.


"Compared to the talent in JUCO ball (specifically Shelton State), in many cases playing for one of those schools would be a step down. Most of the guys at the JUCO level either have the talent to play Division I ball and couldn't get the grades or ended up at the JUCO level for some other reason. At Shelton State, I had to go up against Tarrance Crump every day in practice my freshman year. He went on to play for Purdue and was their starting point guard this year. So, there was some good competition at the JUCO level."


Sellers went on to point out that the jump from JUCO to Alabama was similar to the jump from high school to JUCO. So the transition wasn't as bad as you would think.


"It's just that the guys at the Division I level were a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and could jump a little bit higher."


Which explains why Sellers wasn't a starter and didn't play significant minutes in any games the last two seasons.

But that doesn't mean Sellers didn't feel like he was part of the team.

"You have to establish yourself at first. You have to show that you can play the game. But once you show that you belong, everyone respects you. We (the reserves) would talk trash to the other guys whenever we beat the starters in practice."

It also helps when the team's All-American point guard takes you in and makes you feel at home.

"Ron Steele was the first to come up to me and make me feel like I was part of the team. We became good friends and would actually spend time together, studying the Bible on the road."

Sellers went on to talk about the importance of Steele to the basketball program.

"I know Coach Gottfried has taken some criticism from the fans, but if the Colts had lost Peyton Manning the last two years they would have struggled as well. People don't realize what Ronald means to our program. Not only does he run the offense, but he does all the little things as well. He'll get onto a guy who doesn't help out on defense. It killed him to sit on the bench last year and watch the team struggle."

I thought that analogy of Steele and Manning was interesting. But we all know the criticism that Gottfried has taken. Shouldn't he have been prepared for Steele leaving the program? Shouldn't he have someone else in the wings waiting?

"It's not like there are a lot of Ronald Steele's out there just sitting around and available to play. Coach built his team around the point guard and he got hurt. And that's what a coach is supposed to do. If Steele hadn't been hurt either of the last two years, we would have been in the tournament. In fact, that is the biggest disappointment of my time at Alabama. I didn't get to play with a healthy Ronald Steele."

Sellers also made another interesting point. This one about recruiting.

"Being a football school, Alabama will always be at a disadvantage in recruiting. I know of a guy that was a top player in this state, but didn't even consider Alabama because it was a football school. He wanted to go to a place where basketball is the main sport."

That player was Stanley Robinson, a high school teammate of Demetrius Jemison, who decided to attend UCONN instead.

Even though Sellers didn't play in the games, that didn't mean he didn't have to work hard.

"I was on the scout team. We would run the opposing team's plays and try to give the starters a look at what offense the opposing team was going to run. In the preseason, our practice could last up to three hours. Once the SEC season started, we practiced a little less, maybe two hours."

And life as a guy on the bench wasn't always a bed of roses.

"Yea, I would get heckled sometimes from guys in the stands. They would say "How many minutes are you going to play tonight". And I know I can't respond, but I wanted to ask them, "How many minutes are you going to play tonight."

I got a good laugh at the thought that those same guys heckling him where the ones who would shoot multiple airballs when they were pulled out of the crowd for a contest.

When the game was over, sometimes that's when the game started for Sellers.

"If you don't break a sweat during the game, you don't waste your time and take a shower after the game. There were times that I would go to the rec center after the game and play some pick-up ball. That's the competitor in me. Sometimes practice would get old, but playing games never gets old."

Who knows, he may have gone over there to dominate the losers that were heckling him in the crowd.

When Sellers did make it onto the court, that's when he knew he had made it.

"I would do it all the time in practice. But once I got into the game, I looked up at the seats that I used to sit in as a kid and watch the games. That's when I knew I had made it."

To his credit, Sellers is a humble guy. He's the kind of guy you would want your kids to look up to. Someone who works hard, has a good attitude and has a great outlook on life. The Alabama basketball website describes him as the spiritual leader of the team (he never mentioned that role during our talk).

As for his future, Sellers is getting married this summer and will start a job in sales this August.

"I thought about coaching basketball, but I need to go make some money first. Maybe when I'm 55, I'll take up coaching."

As for basketball? He'll be playing pick-up games in Birmingham with his friends soon. If you're one of those guys that heckled him, you better hope you get on his team.

(Check out tomorrow night's post where we talk about Kyle's unique relationship with Shaun Alexander.)

Haven't we all said, or thought, the following statement:

"I'd give anything, just to be able to put on that jersey for one game."

The statement implies that you don't care if you play or not, you just want to be on the team. But is that really true? Would you be willing to work hard in practice every day, if you knew that you would never get minutes in a meaningful game? Would you be willing to give up the "normal" college experience to spend at 2-3 hours a day practicing for a game you'll never play in? Would you spend nights away from home in a hotel room, studying and catching up on homework, while all of your buddies are back in their apartment hanging out?

OK, so the college level might be a little bit harder because you're not getting paid. However, haven't you also heard this statement:

"I'd take X dollars to just sit on the bench (or sidelines)."

This statement holds true, especially when the salary is 10X what you are currently making. But is it as easy as you think? Chances are, if you are at the pro level, you were the best player at your high school. And probably the best (or second) best player at your college. Regardless, you are used to getting significant playing time. And now you're asked to work hard in practice everyday without any chance of getting any playing time?

I love basketball. And I went to Alabama, so I love the Crimson Tide. Unlike most "Bamers", I would much rather put on a basketball jersey than wear a football jersey. Unfortunately, when I was in school, there was no need for a 6'0" 150lb shooting guard who was slow, couldn't jump, couldn't create his own shot off the dribble and really needed to be wide open to knock down his shot. So unfortunately, I didn't even have the opportunity to sit on the bench for the team or run out on the court for pregame introductions.

Looking back on my college experience, I really loved the afternoon naps. I loved the free time that I didn't realize I had until I was out of school and working. I loved the rounds of golf with my roommate in the afternoons. If I would have been "on the team", I wouldn't have had any of that.

Sure, I would have other memories. I'm sure I would have had friendships from the team that would last a lifetime. I'm sure I would have taken some trips to some great venues and had courtside seats to see some of the best basketball players in the world, but I would have missed out on so many other things I enjoyed about college.

Sometimes, there is a great payoff. Take Jason Reese for example. During some "garbage time" against Auburn, he stole a pass and executed a silly dunk. You can see video below:

After the game he told the media he was looking forward to the end of the season when he could go back to Birmingham and dominate in pick-up games. What a line and what an ending to all of the hard work he put in.

But what if that didn't happen? What if you never scored, and only played a few minutes in a couple of games? Would it be worth it?

Since I was so intrigued with the thought of being the 12th man, I set out to talk with someone who has been in those shoes. Someone who has been the 12th man for the last two years at Alabama.

Tomorrow, I'll post my interview with Kyle Sellers....

If you haven't seen the switch hitter battle the switch pitcher yet, check it out here.

After you've seen the video, go here to read about the switch pitcher. Yea that's right, he throws with both arms.

Interesting read on espn.com regarding Derrick Rose. Apparently Rose is so competitve he cries after every loss, even some AAU games when he was in high school. I can see it now. Here come the Jordan comparisons already.

I've written previously that I think he should be the #1 pick. But there is one line in the article that worries me a little bit. See if you pick up on it:

Following the title game, Rose was crying, hugging Reggie and spiritual advisor Jesse Jackson outside the Memphis locker room.

Did you see it?

Jesse Jackson is his spiritual advisor? Really?

The one and only negative I've seen about Rose getting selected by Chicago is he will be surrounded by the guys he grew up with, which could be bad. I don't buy into that theory because those guys can come with him to any city he wants.

But Jesse Jackson?

I hate when these red flags start showing up....

Just like E. F. Hutton, when Hank Steinbrenner speaks, people listen. As an outsider looking in and someone who doesn't follow baseball very much, he seems to have a reputation of being crazy. Maybe, he's just a guy that speaks the truth and people don't like it. After taking a look at what he has said, maybe I kind of like the guy. Take a look and see...

To the people who were criticizing the Yankees letting Torre go:

"Where was Joe's career in '95 when my dad hired him?" Hank Steinbrenner told The New York Post. "My dad was crucified for hiring him. Let's not forget what my dad did in giving him that opportunity -- and the great team he was handed.

Currently, the Yankees are 39-33 with a 6 game winning streak (more on that in a minute). The Torre-led Dodgers are 33-38. Maybe there is some truth to what he was saying.

When the Yankees were trying to re-sign Mariano Rivera:

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s a tremendous offer for a 38-year-old relief pitcher,” Steinbrenner said. “He’ll be, by $4 million, the highest-paid relief pitcher in baseball, by far. I don’t know what the holdup is. The ball’s in their court.”

Granted, Rivera was upset about this one and kept the negotiations open. But guess what, he eventually resigned. Maybe he's not such a fool after all.

Regarding Steroids and Baseball:

I don’t know why nobody else in baseball has spoken up about it,’’ Steinbrenner said. “But I’m tired of baseball being singled out. It’s just my opinion.’’ He spoke Tuesday morning near the Yankees bullpen in the soon-to-be renamed Legends Field as veterans reported for spring training. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday night, Steinbrenner said

“Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don’t know how they manage to skate by. It irritates me.’’

It's a very interesting point. Steroids haven't been in the news in regards to football and basketball. However, since this quote, Spygate reared it's ugly head again in football. (Even though it was much ado about nothing, there were implications that cheating occurred with the NFL's top franchise.) In basketball, allegations occurred that the referees fixed games based on direction from the NBA front office. In both cases, suddenly these two sports had a black-eye cast on them. Hmmm, I wonder if Steinbrenner has some connections that we don't know about.

On Joba moving from the bullpen to a starter:

I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now," Steinbrenner told The New York Times. "There is no question about it, you don't have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a set-up guy. You just don't do that. You have to be an idiot to do that."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman apparently disagrees.

"Joba's staying in the bullpen right now," Cashman told Newsday on Monday. "That's where we're at. [Putting him in the rotation is] not something that's going to happen here early on, and [Hank] knows that. We've talked about it. I don't know what set him off."

This one cracks me up. I love how Cashman says that Joba will stay in the bullpen. Guess what he's doing right now? That's right, he's a starter.

May 14, on the Yankees poor play:

We’ve got to forget about all the injuries and start playing our butts off. The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of playing. These players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for themselves to earn that money.”

“This is going to get turned around. If it’s not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have to.”

The Yankees record at the time was 20-21. Since then, they are 19 - 12 and are currently on a 6 game winning streak. No word on whether he had to use force. (But I wouldn't doubt it if he did.)

On the National League not having the DH:

"It's time the National League joins the 21st century," Steinbrenner told The Post, "or is forced to join. The National League is playing the same way it did in the 1880s. That's over with. The National League should have the designated hitter. There's no question the National League should have it.

This quote came after Yankee's pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was injured running the bases during an interleague game. If I lost my pitcher running the bases, I'd be mad too. Whether you agree with him or not, here's the thing you have to wonder. Based on the previous quotes above, could the DH be a thing of the past?

To paraphrase Billy Packer, the Kobe/MJ debate is Ovah! And it has been over for a long time. It probably should have never started, but the moment Kobe lost in the Finals, with Shaq on his team, to the Pistons it was over. Jordan never lost a Finals series and Kobe has now lost two. End of discussion.

This past weekend, I noted that Jordan lost games in the Finals when his team had the lead. The point of that post was to show that the argument (Jordan would have never let his team lose a lead like that in the Finals) everyone was making was flawed. (Hey Jordan fans, go back and re-read it without your red colored glasses on, I never said he was better or in the same league as Kobe. Sorry, that was for all the people that e-mailed me.) Many readers didn't get the whole point of the post. Maybe I'm not that good at this. Oh well, I'll try better next time.

As mentioned before on this site, I have a friend that is a huge Bulls fan, and thus a huge MJ fan. Whenever I want to, I can get him fired up just by trying to bring MJ down a notch. After the post from this weekend, I found out that he's not the only one who thinks that way. Apparently, nothing makes Jordan fans angrier than a (check that, any) Jordan comparison. In their mind, there is no one even close to Jordan and thus any debate demeans Jordan's greatness.

And who can blame them. Everyone has been looking for the next Jordan since he has retired, resulting in some insane comparisons. Some of the comparisons have been so bad, that they are demeaning to how good Jordan was. Time and time again, Jordan supporters have had to defend their guy against some crazy comparisons. how great Jordan was. Just off the top of my head, I've seen Jordan compared to Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, etc.(the list goes on and on). Looking back, how ridiculous are some of these comparisons.

Unfortunately, because some of the comparisons have been so ridiculous, Jordan supporters have started blindly defending MJ no matter what the argument. If any player, especially someone who has been compared to MJ, does something special, MJ would have done it better. If that same player messes up, Jordan would have never made that mistake. For instance, when everyone said Jordan wouldn't let his team lose in the playoffs like Kobe did, I looked it up. And guess what, he did. Does that make Kobe better than, or equal to Jordan? No. I was just trying to point out that the MJ supporters were using a flawed argument.

Before I get any more e-mails or comments on other sites about how great Jordan was, know this. I get it. He's the greatest of all time. I've said that time and time again. But can't we all admit that Jordan did miss a game winning shot once in a while. His team did lose games in the playoffs. He was a great defender, but sometimes the opposing team did score on him. He might have pushed off to get the shot off against Jazz (sorry, I shouldn't have included that. Now all the MJ guys will completely tune me out).

So ease up MJ supporters. His resume will stand the test of time. Let the media compare the next "darling" to him when he has a good season. Just sit back and smirk. And when someone like Kobe chokes in the Finals, you can have the last laugh.

On second thought, didn't Paul Pierce's play in the Finals remind you of Jordan?

KG after winning the finals?



Or Joakim Noah's interview after they won the championship?



Or Lundquist's reaction to Noah's dance after the SEC championship?

First, here's a better clip. You can hear the "One Time" guy over and over again.



I understand that over the weekend I complained about this, but the more I think about it, this was pure genius. Consider the following:

We always hear "Get in the hole!". This guy was bold enough to yell out something new in front of thousands of people and on national TV. Had Tiger missed or gone way past the hole, he would have looked like the biggest idiot.

He yells it by himself. This is the equivalent to the guy who stands up holding the touchdown sign, while the pass is still in the air. Again, you look like a fool if it doesn't work out.

Even Tiger didn't think he would make that shot. If you heard his post round interview, Tiger claimed it was luck. When you are watching Tiger putt, you always feel like it has a chance. Did anyone think this shot had a chance? I don't think so, which makes his move even more bold.

So I'll give credit to the "One Time" guy. Even if I still have to put up with "You the Man!" and the "Get in the Hole!". He's probably so proud of himself that he this clip is his new ringtone.

A couple of years ago, I attended a family reunion for my wife's side of the family. It was one of the usual Southern family reunions where everyone brings a covered dish and you don't know half of the folks attending. For some reason, everyone plans these reunions during the summer when it's 100 degrees outside and they schedule it at the hottest time of the day. Fortunately for us, a family member had rented a covered pavilion which cooled it down to, maybe, 89 degrees.

At some point during the reunion, an aunt (I guess, I really don't know who she was) stood up and made a passionate plea for everyone to chip in for the rental of the pavilion. It wasn't so much a plea, more like a lecture. After she had finished explaining to everyone that she was tired of paying for the rental every year, she told us she was passing a paper plate around to take up a collection.

Where I live, a similar pavilion would rent for $100 - $150. But we weren't on my home turf. We had travelled deep in the country of Alabama. I wasn't sure what a pavilion went for in the country, but since this was the only one around, I assumed it wasn't cheap. You would have assumed that too, had you just heard the speech I heard.

I had a $20 bill and a couple of ones in my wallet. Being an accountant, I did the math in my head and figured the $20 might be too much, but not by a lot. I figured I could cover some of the folks that didn't have the money to contribute.

One of my wife's cousins asked me how much I was putting in. I told him $20. He too, was not from the area. He didn't want to be cheap, so he decided to follow my lead. Just as the paper plate was about to reach us, we say his father put in $1. Out of panic he asked his father, why did he only put in $1? He informed us that the pavilion only costs about $20 to rent and the aunt that stood up and spoke was a little crazy. I quickly exchanged my $20 bill for a couple of ones and passed the plate on.

Richard Hendrix decided he would keep his name in the NBA draft and not come back for his senior season at Alabama today. Which is interesting to many, because he wasn't projected in the first round of most of the mock drafts out there. I did see several where he was listed as a early second round selection. And as we all know, if you aren't selected in the first round, there is no guaranteed money for you.

So what does that have the reunion story? Just wait, I'll tie it together in a minute.

Many people will point to the fact that he might be unhappy with Alabama. And he may. Several players have either transferred, been kicked off the team or tested the NBA waters this year.

He could be getting bad advice from an agent promising him he could make him millions. And he wouldn't be the first to leave early and not get drafted from Alabama. Kennedy Winston, Schea Cotton and Rod Grizzard all come to mind.

Some would say he has graduated, he won't improve his draft stock next year and it is time to move on.

It is interesting what his father said in an interview on the Dunaway and Brown show today. (You can follow the link under D and B audio to hear the interview) What did he say? Basically, that it was hard to get any information out of the NBA. That Richard was just playing hard and excited about the opportunity. That he wasn't unhappy with Alabama and he has no guarantee from a team that they will draft him in the first round.

Granted, a team could have promised him they would draft Richard if he kept it quiet. But let's assume that didn't happen. We'll also assume he's telling the truth about how he feels towards Alabama. If that's the case, this decision doesn't make sense. Why else would he decide to go to the NBA if everything is good at Alabama?

You see, just like at the reunion, you make dumb decisions if you don't have all the information. Based on my own personal knowledge and not the knowledge of others, I thought I knew what the pavilion would go for. If I hadn't seen my wife's uncle put a $1 on the paper plate, I was about to make a crazy aunt some money at the reunion. Hendrix (again we're assuming he doesn't have some secret promise from a team that he's not disclosing) might be doing the same thing. If the NBA and GM's aren't giving him very much information, what's he basing his decision on? It has to be his, and his family's, personal opinion about what is going to happen. Since I don't know of any other Hendrix brothers who have been through this process before, he might be about to throw money away, just like I was at the reunion.

Let's hope he has secret information, or worse, let's hope there's not some unhappiness in the UA basketball program. I can't take another year like last year....

Great! Just when it seemed like the "You the Man!" chants were dying down just a little bit. And the "Get in the Hole!" scream was getting a little old. Tiger had to go and hit the miraculous shot on 17.

Unfortunately for the viewing fans, we were subjected to some goofball yelling "One Time!" as it was in the air. Fortunately for him (you know he was bragging to all of his buddies today that ,yes, he was in fact the one that yelled "One Time!" while everyone else stayed quiet) the shot went in. So now, every one's going to keep coming up with things to yell out when Tiger's shot is in the air.

If you're going to yell something out, come up something imaginative. This "Get in the Hole" thing has gone on long enough.

Here's the video if you haven't seen it. The shot is at :50. Once a better video is posted that doesn't have a commentator talking over it, I'll post it.

If I've heard it once, I've heard or read this statement 1,000 times today:

"Well, that puts all of the Kobe - MJ comparisons to rest. MJ would have never let his team blow a lead in the Finals."

Let me be clear, the point of this post is not to say that MJ and Kobe are equal. That argument should have been put to rest years ago. In fact, when the Lakers were beat by the Pistons in the Finals, that should have been the end of the argument. Because MJ would have never let his team lose the series once they reached the Finals.

Believe it or not, the Jordan led Bulls did actually lose some games in the Finals. In fact, the Bulls never swept a playoff series. So as great as Jordan was, there were times when his team lost. And more importantly, they even blew a lead or two.

Consider this recap of Game 2 of the 1992 Series against Portland:

Jordan didn't have a single three in Game 2, yet the Bulls still appeared to be in control, leading 92-82 with 4:36 to go on the strength of a 32-16 third quarter. The Blazers were staring squarely at a two-games-to-none series deficit, especially since Clyde Drexler had just fouled out as Chicago took its 10-point lead.

Eleven seconds later, Jordan was called for a foul while hand-checking Terry Porter. When he complained, he was hit with a technical by referee Jess Kersey. Porter sank all three free throws to cut the gap to seven, and the Blazers seemed to have gained new life.

Starting with Porter's three free throws, the Blazers outscored the Bulls 15-5 to send the game into overtime. Veteran Danny Ainge, winner of two championship rings with the Celtics, stepped in for Drexler and played brilliantly, setting up Jerome Kersey for the game-tying basket with 45.5 seconds to play.

Jordan put Chicago in front 14 seconds later, but Kevin Duckworth's 8-footer with 13.2 seconds left tied it again at 97-97. After a timeout, Jordan dribbled down the clock and then launched a 14-footer that bounced off the back iron as the buzzer sounded.

"Michael's cape fell off there somewhere down the stretch," observed Ainge, who did his own imitation of Superman in overtime. Ainge tied a Finals record by scoring nine points in the extra session as the Blazers outscored Chicago 18-7 to win going away, 115-104. Porter's three-pointer on a feed from Ainge with 1:31 left put Portland up 110-102. Then Ainge kept his team on top with a basket and four free throws in the final 1:03.

Drexler had 26 points before fouling out, Porter added 24 and Ainge finished with 17 in 23 minutes. Jordan was high man for Chicago with 39 points but missed half of his 32 shots. Pippen had 16 points but shot just 6-for-19 from the field.

Jordan's team actually blew a 10-point lead with less than 5 minutes to play? He missed half of his 32 shots? Jordan got a technical late in the game which spurred a run by the Blazers? From the way I've heard people talk about Jordan today, that never happened.

If Kobe had done any of these things, everyone would be quick to point out that MJ would never have done that.

But that's just one game you say. Well, the Michael's Bulls blew another game, in the same Series. Here's an exerpt from the Game 4 recap:

That streak came to an end in Game 4 as the Blazers used a small lineup effectively down the stretch and won 93-88. Adelman sat his two big men, Duckworth and Buck Williams, early in the fourth quarter and went with a guard trio of Drexler, Porter and Ainge plus small forward Jerome Kersey and reserve Cliff Robinson, who had done little in the first three games. Robinson responded with 17 points and six rebounds and gave Portland a much-needed spark as the Blazers erased a 77-70 deficit with 9:06 left. They outscored the Bulls 27-19 in the fourth quarter, including a 19-8 run in the final 7:43.

"The three-guard set really worked well for us," said Drexler, who made perhaps the biggest play of the game by stripping the ball from Jordan and driving for the basket that gave Portland its first lead at 83-82 with 3:34 to play. "Danny can guard a bigger guy and we're better offensively with that lineup."

The Bulls were outscored 19-8 in the final 7:43? Jordan actually had a turnover late in the game? And because of it, the Blazers took the lead? They blew a 7 point lead with 9:06 to play? Surely not.

MJ was the best that ever played. There is no comparison, so let's stop with this Kobe nonsense. However, if we're going to knock Kobe, let's be fair. Let's just remember that MJ did lose games, even games in which his team had the lead. The important thing to remember is, he didn't lose the series.

And if the Lakers come back and win the series, the same people that were ripping Kobe will be back on the Kobe - MJ bandwagon once more. Let's just get the facts right.

I was headed to lunch with a friend of mine when he recieved a call from his father (whose name is Buddy) asking him to join him for lunch. We were headed to our usual Thursday lunch spot to meet several friends, but Buddy wanted to meet at another restaurant. Buddy turned down our offer to drive by and pick him up and take him to the restaurant we were going to. Which was strange, because he has eaten with us before and seems to get along with all of us. Something was up.

Buddy had been cutting grass at a church across the street from the restaurant that he wanted to meet us at. My friend, who knows his Dad very well, decided we should drive by the restaurant and see if his Dad was there. I thought my friend wanted to try and convince his Dad to come join us for lunch, but my friend had something else in mind. When we drove by the restaurant, we saw Buddy's lawn mower parked in a parking space at the restaurant.

Yes, that's right. He drove the lawn mower to the restaurant, rather than driving his own vehicle. He parked it in a parking space (up front) and went inside and ate lunch. And yes, we live in Alabama.

So what does this have to do with Kobe?

All year long, we've heard about how Kobe is a changed man. He's become unselfish. He's the ultimate teammate And then Curt Schilling talks about him in his blog and suddenly Kobe is a villian again, except in LA where they are blinded with Kobe love.

Here's the thing. Kobe has never changed. And he's not the jerk he's made out to be. (Unless the rape alllegations are true, then he's much worse than we think.) Kobe's just a competitor. And when a competitor gets on the court, he wants to win.

Mychael Thompson, former Laker and current Laker analyst, made an interesting comparison between Kobe and Magic in his interview with Dan Patrick on Monday. In Schilling's blog, he claimed Kobe wouldn't even acknowledge his teammates during time outs. Thompson said Magic did that too. He would even call you out for not making a play. The only difference between Kobe and Magic is that Magic did it with a smile on his face. So the fans loved him and it was hard for someone to criticize him.

MJ and Bird were notorius for being tough on their teammates as well. MJ even punched Steve Kerr in practice one time. They were the ultimate competitors and they wanted to win.

So, again, what do Buddy and Kobe have in common? Buddy has lived in a small town in Alabama his whole life. The kind of place where you could drive your lawn mower to the restaurant and not only would everyone act like nothing was wrong, they would probably come out and admire your lawn mower.

Buddy has retired and moved to the "big" city now. I guess he's supposed to be a little more "civilized" now. Just like Kobe. Suddenly, Kobe is the ultimate unselfish teammate. He supposed to trust them completely. But Buddy will always be Buddy. And Kobe will always be Kobe. No matter what town Buddy's in, he'll always feel comfortable enough to use a lawn mower as a source of transportation.

And Kobe, he'll always be a competitor. He may say in interviews that he trusts his teammates more, but he trusts them because they have been winning. All he knows and cares about is winning. So he's going to revert to some of his old practices, even if it makes him look bad.

And by the way, if I recall correctly, Schilling didn't seem to chummy with his teammates during the bloody sock game. And didn't John Kruk used to say that all of the Phillies hated him? I'm just asking......

In the last decade, one of the most interesting trends in the NBA has been the influx of foreign players into the league. Now, it seems so normal to have foreign guys in the league, but there was a time when Vlade Divac and Toni Kukoc were the only guys you heard of.

It's so funny to watch these foreigners try to mesh with the current American players. So many times they just look out of place. Every time Dirk tries to look cool, it just doesn't look right. And years ago, that's what made me a big fan of Peja Stojakovic.

At the time, Peja was a sweet shooting guard for the Kings. With their uptempo offense, he was always open because defenses were focusing on either Mike Bibby or Chris Webber. (Man that seems so long ago.) Not only would Peja knock down the shot, but the ball never seemed to touch the net. As I remember him in my mind, he made every shot. I realize that didn't happen, but it just felt that way.

Check out what Larry Bird said about him in 2004:

"When Peja lets the ball go, it looks like it's going in every time," said Bird, now the Indiana Pacers' president of basketball operations. "The ball hardly goes left or right. If he misses, it's always front or back rim. That's the sign of a great shooter."

Peja, being Serbian, was also known for wearing tight blue jeans everywhere he went. Here's my favorite story about Peja from an article by Jeff Pearlman:

The world's tallest grocery store manager—isn't that what he should be? Look at 6'9" Sacramento Kings forward Predrag (Peja) Stojakovic, surrounded by hip-hop-listening, tattoo-covered, American-born basketball players, standing there with that goofy smile and that dorky sweater and those too-snug blue jeans. What's he doing here, a square European peg jammed into a FUBU-wearing circle? Shouldn't he be working in produce? Hey, bud, where's the grapefruit? How much is the cabbage?

He appears lost, and, in truth, he sort of is. Stojakovic (STOY-ak-O-vich) may well be in the U.S., but the U.S. definitely isn't in Stojakovic. How many 23-year-old millionaires do you know who still live with their parents? How many NBA players do you know who don't rush to embrace the dunk? And—C'mon, Peja!—those pants? The NBA is Armani, not Wrangler. "Peja has a nickname," says Kings forward Lawrence Funderburke with a laugh. "It's T.J., for Tight Jeans."

How could you not be a fan of this guy? He's the third option on the team and all he has to do is come off screens and knock down three pointers. Plus his nickname was T.J. He wasn't the superstar on the team, so he didn't have a huge following. So I adopted him as my favorite player.

Ah, but all good things must come to an end right? Over time, Chris Webber kept getting hurt and Peja became more of a household name. He even had to start creating shots for himself and carrying his team. David Stern instituted the rules that each player must dress professional before and after the game. It just wasn't the same. So I searched for someone else.

As one of my friends will attest, I have a knack for spotting the great foreign guards early. And he will back me up on this, I jumped on the Manu Ginobili band wagon way before he was a household name. I liked that Manu could not only knock down shots (not as well as Peja of course) but he could drive to the basket. Since Peja was weak in that area, I felt good about adding that part of the game to my favorite foreign player. It's kind of like when a team hires a new coach. If the previous coach was known as a "players" coach, then the next time they hire a "hard nosed" coach.

And Manu fell into the perfect situation. The Spurs had two players that most teams would focus on (Parker and Duncan) and he could pick his spots. So I moved onto Manu and left Peja in the dust. And it has been a fun ride. Especially with him being the sixth man on a team that has won a couple of championships.

And sadly, I had to drop Manu as well. The flopping thing is out of control. So for the last year or so, I've been looking for a new guy. I want to find someone early, someone that is not established or that will retire in a few years. So a player like Hedo Turkoglu is out. And he needs to be someone on a team that already has some established offensive threats. Last year I thought Pavlocic of the Cavs would be my guy. A guy that would knock down open jumpers for LeBron. But he just hasn't worked out.

Then, last night, I saw him. My new guy. Sasha Vujacic.

He's got the ability to knock down jumpers and apparently he is a defensive stopper as well. I'm a little worried that he's going to become the next Bruce Bowen, a guy that annoys everyone in the league with his defensive tactics. However, Manu and Peja weren't known for their defense. That's a good pickup for me. Sasha used to work out with Kobe in the offseason, so if there is one player that Kobe can trust it is him. With Kobe, Gasol and Bynum setting the table the next few years, Sasha is going to get all the looks he wants from the perimeter.

Here are his highlights from Game 3:

Plus, the guy has to have a catchy first name. Peja, Manu and now Sasha. I like how that sounds....

OK, I've never done this before, so I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to keep a running diary (for lack of a better word) of Game 3 of the finals, Sports Guy style. Let's be clear, he's obviously perfected it, I just wanted to have some fun and see how it changed the viewing process for me.



Tonight's game should be interesting. I have this gut feeling that LA will beat Boston by double digits. It is time for Kobe to have a game where he is unstoppable. And with all the talk about the foul discrepancy, you would think that LA will get all of the calls tonight.



That is, until the Donaghy story broke today. I think you'll see a game that is closely called tonight. I seriously doubt the league fixes games, in fact, isn't it a little obvious that the one game Donaghy picked was one of the worst called games in playoff history? Wouldn't it be a little more believable had Donaghy talked about a game with subtle bad refereeing? Either way, the referees will probably be a little sensitive tonight. And yes, the refereeing is so bad in the NBA, people think the games are fixed. How sad.



Pregame: I missed the ceremony where the Lakers gave Jerry West the keys to the city for trading Gasol to them. They must have done that during a commercial break.



1q 10:20 - Kobe's been hacked twice and hasn't gotten a call yet. He's already staring down the officials.



1q 10:12 - Followed up by a tic-tac foul on the other end. Interesting....



1q 8:31 - The first shot of Magic Johnson in the stands. The guy sitting next to him has this incredible look on his face. He can't believe it. Court side seats next to Magic in the finals. Let's just hope they don't show him stuffing his face with popcorn like they did in Game 2



1q 7:51 - Celtics are settling for jumpers and the Lakers are taking it to the basket. Didn't the opposite happen in the first two games?



1q 7:32 - The free throw discrepancy has already started. 6-0 Lakers. It's probably due to what I just wrote about a minute ago, but it's better to start a conspiracy theory. Lakers lead 9-2



1q 7:19 - The Lakers' strategy is clear. Make Rondo beat you. Kobe is giving him up to 10 feet to shoot the ball. We'll see if he is up to it.



1q 6:09 - Imagine you paid over $1,000 to get court side seats and you get stuck behind the Celtic bench. You have a bunch of guys that are at least 6'5" tall standing up all the time.



1q 4:40 - As an Alabama fan, I can attest to this. Any time you see the point guard standing at the top of the key dribbling for an extended period of time, bad things will happen for you offensively. That just happened for the Celtics.



1q 3:55 - Traveling was just called on Kobe Bryant. In an unrelated story, Pigs just flew.



1q 2:47 - At this point, Rondo is up to the challenge. He's knocked down a couple of jumpers and the Celtics are now down only 3 (17-14).



1q 1:47 - Pierce and KG are 0-9 shooting. If you include Allen, the big three are 1-12. And the game is tied. Wow.



1q 1:03 - Quietly, KG has 7 rebounds already. The Lakers have blown a chance to easily have a 10 point lead right now.



1q :24 - Sam Cassell is that guy that you hate to play pick-up basketball with. He entered the game talking trash. He's touched the ball twice and shot it twice (making one). And he failed to get back down the court after he missed the last shot.



End of 1q - Kobe has 11. KG and Pierce still haven't scored. The game is tied 20-20 and the Lakers lead the "all-important" Free Throw battle 10-2.



2q 11:37 - Casell is now 3 - 3 in the shot to touch category.



2q 11:24 - Make that 4-4. Keep in mind he has only hit one. Celtic fans haven't seen a run like this since Ricky Davis was traded.



2q 9:15 - Another miss by KG. What is going on with him?



2q 9:09 - Followed up by a lame "almost" fight between Farmar and Brown. The Lakers bench has given the Lakers a 29-22 lead at the time out. (LA leads free throws 12 - 2)



2q 7:10 - Celtic's offense looks terrible right now. Not surprisingly, Rondo is still on the bench and Cassell is in the game. KG is 0-7 and Kobe has 17 points. Mark Jackson just said he set and over/under of 38 points for Kobe tonight before the game. I would have taken the over in a heart beat.



2q 5:55 - KG finally scores after missing another shot. Lakers lead 34-27 at the time out.



2q 4:54 - Vujacic is making a case for being the unsung hero tonight. He already has 10 points.



2q 4:34 - Pierce finally scores his first points of the game. Things are looking pretty good for the Lakers right now. They are up 38-29.



2q 3:30 - Pierce just shoots an airball. The Lakers fans don't start the "Airball" chant until the organ starts playing the music for it. That is inexcusable!



2q 2:43 - Lakers lead 40 - 31 at the timeout. They also lead the free throw battle 18-2. Now keep in mind that the Lakers are attacking the basket and the Celtics are settling for jump shots. The opposite occurred in Game 2 went the Celtics were getting to the line. However, if things don't change, this will be the story tomorrow. The real story is Kobe. He's on fire.



2q - :40 - Pau Gasol misses another shot. He's now 0-4 tonight. This is becoming one of the hidden stories in the series. Gasol has not been the player the Lakers have needed them to be.



Halftime - Lakers lead 43-37



KG and Pierce are 2-16. The Lakers lead the free throw attempt battle 22-9. But here's the bigger story. They have missed 10. Kobe has missed 5. If you are the Celtics, you feel like you should be down 15. I still think the Lakers will run away in the second half, but they have left the door open.



3q 11:16 - Rondo goes down with an ankle. Celtics fans scream as they know what this means, more Cassell.



3q 11:15 - Celtics fans rejoice. Doc sends in Eddie House rather than Cassell.



3q 10:19 - Thank you Mark Jackson. Finally someone is talking about Pau Gasol's absence in the finals.



3q 8:50 - Perkins was just given a gift for the foul. Are the refs trying to make up calls in the 2nd half?



3q 8:11 - Nope! Kobe gets breathed on by Perkins and a foul is called. Time out. Lakers lead 47-43 and Rondo is coming back to the floor.



3q 7:29 -As KG blows by Gasol and gets fouled, here's a thought. What if the Lakers had a healthy Bynum in this series?



3q 5:45 - Quietly, the Celtics just tied the game. KG is starting to make some shots.



3q 5:11 KG hits another shot. Kobe goes down on the other end and has that look in his eye. He's going to shoot every time down the court the rest of the game.



3q 4:44 - Time out Lakers. The Celtics are on a 15-3 run and they lead by 4.



3q 2:02 Quietly, Ray Allen has 20 pts. Not so quietly, Kobe has 26. Pretty soon we're going to start playing the "Where's Paul Pierce" game. He's totally out of this game.



End of 3q Celtics lead by 2. FT battle is getting closer 24 - 17.



Side note. These games start way too late. It's 10:15 central time at the beginning of the 4th quarter. I'm fading fast. Maybe I need some supplements to help me with my endurance.

4q 10:00 - Pierce is back in the game. He only has two points.

4q 9:16 - Kobe misses his 6th FT of the night. Van Gundy says the Celtics should go to the "Hack-a-Bryant" strategy. Nice.

4q 8:56 - Pierce now has 5 fouls and 2 points. Surprisingly, the Celtics still lead by 2

4q 7:15 - Rondo has finally reentered the game. House did a superb job and is the reason the Celtics are leading. Now the Lakers are taking advantage of Rondo's injury and they are going to have to get him out of the game.

4q 6:27 - Big 3 by Kobe. He now has 30 points

4q 6:05 - Here come the Lakers. 7-0 run, not surprisingly it has come with Rondo and his slow ankle in the game.

4q 4:55 - Time out. Lakers by 5. Sloppy basketball right now, but the Lakers have momentum.

4q 3:53 - Welcome to the game Paul Pierce. A three point play for..... Nope he missed the free throw. Lakers by 4

4q 3:22 - Does Kobe ever commit a foul? In his mind I don't think he does. Time out. Lakers by 6.

4q 2:22 - Somehow Kobe is not taking over this game. Zero touches the last two times down the court. Lakers by 2

4q 1:53 - Celtics double team Kobe and he finds Vujacic in the corner. Big 3 and Vujacic now has 20 points.

4q 1:35 - Time out, Lakers by 7. It's funny, after Curt Schilling called Kobe out, you can now see Kobe talking to his teammates and encouraging him. It seems so staged.

4q 1:05 - Kobe is taking over. He makes two big shots.

4q :30 - For some reason the Celtics just quit. Boston fans won't like that. They let the Lakers run the clock out with a 6 point lead.

Lakers win by 6. Kobe dominated as expected. And I'm tired.

Nationwide, no one really cares about this story. Locally, only a handful of people are even aware. Most are more concerned about a former great turned college football analyst who was just arrested for his third DUI. But this story is interesting, so I thought I would talk about it tonight.

Alex Avila, a left handed hitting catcher from the University of Alabama, was taken in the fifth round of the amateur draft on Thursday by the Detroit Tigers. So, what's so special about that? Well, his father Al Avila just happens to be the assistant GM of the Tigers.

Now this isn't going to be one of those "They only took him because his father works for the Tigers!" posts. Avila has been a good hitter for the Tide and according to Alex, he thought he would go in the 4th or 5th round. His father even wanted him to go to another team to avoid the nepotism questions.

Alex has a decision to make. As a junior, he could come back to Alabama, play another year and try and improve his draft status. Or he could take the money and go to the pros. If you follow this sort of stuff, most of the guys selected in the first ten rounds usually go pro. The clubs usually give them a nice signing bonus and it's off to the minor leagues.

(Is coaching baseball the toughest job in college sports? Your top players all leave as juniors. You recruit guys that you think will be a good replacement and they go straight to the minors and bypass college. You can't offer everyone a full scholarship so your offer is not as attractive as the alternative. I guess it is a debate for another night.)

Here's where it gets interesting. In theory, Alex will be negotiating with his Dad. I'm sure Al Avila is professional enough to stay out of the negotiations, but you know he wants Alex to get paid. Why? Because if Alex signs a contract, he's off the family payroll.

If Alex doesn't get the signing bonus he desires, theoretically he'll be back at Alabama for another season. That just means one more year of supplying his son with gas money, providing for his cell phone, and helping him pay for his utilities. He'll get those calls from his son telling him he's broke and his car needs new brake pads. It's not like Alex can get a job, so who do you think is going to cover the expenses? That's right, Dad.

So let's just say the Tigers are just slightly off on Alex's requested signing bonus. I'm sure Daddy Avila will try and convince his son to take the lower bonus. But, if Alex is smart he'll balk at it and tell his Dad he's going back for his senior season. His father, fearful that he'll have to spend another year supporting his son when he thought he was in the clear, might just have to make sure his son gets paid.

Once he signs, it will be the best Father's day present Alex will have ever given his Dad.

*Note, if Avila ever becomes a superstar in the majors, an artist, who already has the rights alexavila.com, is going to get paid!!

Here we go again, time for another interview. This time we have Ian Rapoport from the Birmingham News. Ian covers the University of Alabama and has the pleasure of covering Nick Saban on a daily basis. As a side note, the national media tends to blow that out of proportion a little bit. His confrontation with Saban this spring was really much ado about nothing, but it got a lot of play on ESPN and other national sites.

In the interview, Rapoport discusses covering Saban, the expectations of the basketball team and the crazy fans out there. Hope you enjoy..


#1 Give the readers a little bit of background about yourself. How did you get started in the industry? How did you end up covering UA for the B'ham News? etc.

I'm originally from Westchester County, N.Y., and grew up in a little town called Chappaqua. Now, you know it as the adopted home of President Bill Clinton and his lovely wife, Hillary. I went to Columbia University, where I wrote for the school's daily newspaper and interned at ESPN after my junior year. By that point, I knew I wanted to be a reporter and tell stories and reach people. I worked for a paper in New York for two years, then had an opportunity to move to the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger covering Mississippi State, while living in Starkville. I knew nothing about the SEC and the South, but wanted to cover sports at the highest level. I had a great time, learned a lot, and met my fiancée in 'Vegas. Two years later, the Birmingham News called. Here I am.


#2 Some people would argue that you have one of the toughest jobs in all of college sports. You have to cover Nick Saban, who appears to not have the greatest appreciation for the media. Is he really that tough to deal with, or is that more of a reputation than fact? Have you dealt with others in your career that have made it more difficult?

I'm not sure Saban is "tough to deal with" because in a way, he's easier to deal with than a lot of coaches. He's smart, he gives tutorials when he's talking about football, and he doesn't mind tackling hard issues. Sometimes he gets loud and sometimes he yells. But as long as you train yourself not to take it personally, it never hurts. He's not yelling at me as a person, but me in my role as a reporter. He and I are never going to agree completely, because I want everything to be public knowledge, and he only wants what he wants to be public knowledge. That's a constant battle with every coach and reporter. But there is a mutual respect, I believe. That said, I'm not sure I've dealt with anything more difficult, as far as access. But it just makes you work harder, which is fine with me.


#3 While we're talking about Saban, currently it appears he has a "get out of jail free" pass from the Alabama fans. If Saban has another year similar to last year, will he start to get criticism from the fans? If not, how long do you think he will have before he looses his "star" status?

I think he did get a free pass last year, and he might get one this year. He realized pretty early on that the team had some serious talent and discipline-related issues. And he spent a lot of time educating fans about those issues. They know the team has a long way to go. The thing is, he's such a commanding presence, he might never lose the awe from the fans. They just might be frustrated with the results. That said, he's won everywhere he's been, so it would be a stretch to say he won't improve the program significantly here.


#4 As far as football goes, give us some major story lines to watch this year for Alabama. And for the SEC.

Um…. The role of the star-studded freshmen recruiting class is one huge one. Who will play, how much, and how many will start by the end of the year? JPW's strive for consistency. How will a depth-starved defense compete? And in the SEC, for some reason, I'm always watching Steve Spurrier and South Carolina to see if they can get over the hump. And since I used to cover Mississippi State, I'm always interested in how coach Sylvester Croom's team is doing. I'll be watching Bobby Petrino at Arkansas.


#5 On this site, I've been a big "conspiracy theorist" regarding the BCS. To boil it down, I believe that the real reason we don't have a true playoff is because the Presidents would have to give up "control" of the flow of money to the NCAA. They "distract" talk radio and fans with talk of academics, the bowl system, and other mindless arguments. What are your thoughts on this? If you agree, why isn't this talked about in the media? Why doesn't anyone challenge the presidents on this?

Hahahahaha. I like it. But no, it's not that they want to give up control of the money. They just want every conference to be guaranteed a whole bunch of it. A playoff leaves too much up in the air for them. And it's too bad, too.


#6 On to basketball (our favorite and most talked about sport). I realize Saban has a reputation for being tough to deal with. What have your interactions with Gottfried been like? Have you had any confrontations with him similar to the Saban incident?

Gottfried is definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum from Saban as far as access. He'll always return a call and is gracious after a win or a loss. But he is like Saban in that he tackles hard issues in the game and can do a great job of explaining an Xs-and-Os question. Ya know what's interesting? I ask him the same questions in the same way I ask Saban, and he never gets angry. But I don't mind either way, because both make for good stories.


#7 Do you think that Gottfried will be on the "hot seat" this year? While there is a lot of talk from fans and talk radio, you see little coming out of the athletic department about his status. As someone who covers the team on a daily basis, what are your thoughts?

I think probably he'll be on the hot seat, and he knows that. Simply, the team hasn't won. You can only go so long without making an NCAA tournament before some start to wonder. On the other hand, it's easy to forget that he led UA to five NCAAs in a row. Seems like a long time ago now… Yes, I wish the department would have commented on his status. I think if the team doesn't make the tournament this year, there might be some tense moments at the end of the season. Some very tense moments. But if Steele returns, Hendrix or not, the team should be much better.


#8 Some would look at the fact that 3 guys are looking at the pros and a couple of players have left as a sign that something is wrong. Others would say, "This is the new era of college basketball". What are your thoughts in regards to Alabama basketball?

I also wonder why fans are so upset when guys transfer. I mean, if a guy like Richard Hendrix left as a freshman, that would have been bad. But Justin Tubbs? Not a big deal. There simply isn't room for all the players and all the signees. When Rico Pickett left, that was more curious. But he struggled a lot this year and now will play for Miami Dade CC. How big a loss is that really? To be honest, I'm not sure the three players testing the waters had one thing to do with the coach. It has to do with the process being much easier now, so seniors-to-be think they aren't anything if they don't turn pro. So everyone does. And why not? There is no penalty. Definitely a new way to do things.


#9 It seems pretty clear what the athletic department's expectations are of the football program. However, it's not very clear as to the expectations of the basketball program. Do you think it's just to make it to the NCAA tournament? Is it more? Less?

This is definitely the best question so far. Because I study Alabama sports as much as anyone, and I have no idea. To me, this is one of the biggest unknowns of UA. How good should the basketball program be? Or baseball? The problem is, hoops (being a non-basketball environment) and baseball (without a lottery) don't have the natural advantages that UA football does (with recruiting, tradition, facilities, etc.). So is it fair to expect the same success? Or is merely getting to the NCAAs good enough? I have no idea.

#10 How often does the "Bama Nation" blast you when you write something that is perceived to be negative towards the program? What's the craziest argument you've received from a fan?

Yeah man. I get ripped a lot. Via email, talk radio, letters to the editor, whatever. I mean, I don't love getting insulted all the time, especially when it gets real personal (attacking where I'm from, etc.). But I absolutely love the extreme interest in what I write and the teams I cover. Sure, sometimes it hurts a little. But I'm pretty confident I do a good job. I put in a lot of work. I'm just happy fans care just as much, if not more, than I do. I love that. Um… the craziest argument I ever got. … Probably when I worked at the Clarion-Ledger from Mississippi State fans who were convinced Ole Miss supporters owned the paper, thus directing me to write negative stuff. Nope.
#11 Are there times that you know a coach/player is going to react negatively to a question you ask? Does that factor into how/when you ask the question?

Yeah, I've gotten some negative responses. Plenty of times. But some of it is dictated by my job. If something is news, I have to ask it, even if it's going to get Saban or anyone angry. Like, when a player leaves the team, I have to ask why and what Saban knows. Does he want to talk about it? No. But I gotta ask. He can choose to answer. So, what I try to do is be as absolutely up-front as possible. I set up the questions I ask by putting them into context. Like, "Rashad, I have to ask about the arrest on the strip. What happened that night?" Or "Nick, I have some questions regarding how many scholarships you have open vs. how many players you signed." Or, "I'm writing an article on how scout team players are used…" So everyone knows where I'm coming from.

#12 I also have written on this site that many players/coaches are boring interviews because they can't say what they really want to say. The only real exception is Charles Barkley who gets away with saying anything. How do you get the true story out of players/coaches?

I'm not sure anyone gets the true story. Because some things, players just can't say or won't say. And everything is reflected through the prism of athletes or coaches, so nothing is 100 percent raw fact. They are seen how they want to be seen. Still, a good portion of the Alabama players and coaches say what they mean. The ones who don't, you don't hear quoted because it doesn't make for good copy.

#13 Can you give us your favorite story you've covered? And why.

Covering Alabama, my favorite story was definitely a several thousand-word article on Christmas Day on Joe Kines before he coached in the Independence Bowl (when he thought he was retiring). I basically just asked him what he'll remember from his career, and he literally just told stories for 20 minutes. The first time he saw Derrick Thomas play, his recollections of Cornelius Bennett, and all sorts of things. I felt like I was sitting with my grandfather hearing war stories. The article wrote itself. It was tremendous.

#14 Also player or coach?

I really like and respect guys who say what they mean regardless of the situation. And I seriously appreciate athletes who will speak to the media after a tough loss or difficult situation. Rashad Johnson, Darren Mustin, Alex Avila, and Ronald Steele all fit those categories. There are plenty of others. Just shoot me straight, ya know?

#15 You cover a lot of stories on your blog. Where do you see that heading? Will there come a time when you only write for your blog and people won't even get the newspaper articles?

Good question. I like that blogs are a place to post breaking news quickly. But mostly, I love the conversation you can have with readers. I do it like I'm talking, and it's a great forum to explain stuff. I hope it stays where it is, as I described. I think blogs are great, but I don't think newspapers are ever going away. Blogs should be quick, short and light-hearted. Real articles are better suited for the paper.

#16 If you ever need someone to cover that January road game in the SEC (when you are worn out from football and basketball still seems like it will last forever) will you give me a call?

Um, no. Nice try, though. Those trips are tremendous… One of my favorite things about the job. Well, maybe if you bribe me with pez.

Quick, somebody get me a case of pez. I'm going to Knoxville to cover the Tide and to interview Bruce Pearl.....

That's the big question for me in this series. As a fan, I can't just watch a game and not pull for one team or another. And it makes me wonder, how do media members not root for a team when they watch a game? I have a feeling that they aren't as unbiased as they say they are. You don't just wake up one day and become neutral to every team out there. Even if you work hard to become unbiased, at some point, those old thoughts will creep into your head.

So back to my original thought. I'm not from Boston or Los Angeles and I don't have my "own" NBA team. So I can't pull for my team or the team from my division. I have to use some sort of thought process to come up with which team I'll pull for. We've all been in this situation and whether you think about it or not, we've all been watching a game and used some sort of rationale to determine which team you want to win the game. This one is tougher than most because many of the initial categories do not help me determine "my team" in the series.

Which team has a player from my college team on it?

It's been established that I'm a Bama man, but there are no guys from Bama on either team. In fact, unless you count Robert Horry and the Lakers teams from a couple years back, there are no long standing ties to one team. For example, I imagine many Michigan State fans are rooting for the Lakers due to the Magic Johnson ties.

There are a couple of SEC guys on the Celtics (Rondo and Davis), but that's a little bit of a stretch and I didn't like either of them in college. On the flip side, I didn't hate them either.

Since there are no connections there, let's go to question 2.

Which team is the Underdog, or Feel-Good Story of the Finals?

Who doesn't love the underdog story. That's why we love the NCAA tourney so much. When you're watching the tournament, you pull for the underdog if you have no vested interest in either team.

In this series, there is no underdog. We have the two best teams from each conference. These two teams are arguably the top two franchises in the NBA. If you replace the Lakers with the Hornets, I'd jump on the Hornets bandwagon right away. If the Celtics had risen from the dead without adding KG and Allen, I might consider them a nice story and root for them. No one would have expected them to win and it would be great to see the once-proud franchise resurrected. Instead, we've been expecting this Celtic team to be in the Finals since the tip off of the season.

Who has the Villain to root against?

This should make my decision easy. Kobe is the obvious villain for me. I can't tell you why, but I've just never liked him. I think he tries too hard to emulate MJ and then doesn't know why everyone wants to compare the two of them. Something about him doesn't seem natural does it? It's kind of like ARod. It all seems so scripted. So the decision has been made to root for the Celtics right? Well, not exactly. Because...

Is there anyone that falls under the Michael Jordan principle?

I wrote about this a couple of months ago. I rooted against MJ during his prime, because every team he faced was the underdog. Now I regret it. Thus, I will always root for Tiger because he's the greatest of his generation.

Now some could debate whether Kobe is the greatest of this generation. You could make a convincing argument for LeBron, Duncan, Shaq and a few others. But either way, Kobe is in the discussion. So I can't root against Kobe. Especially when this series might start a run of championships for the Lakers. (Think about it, they are only going to get better when they add Bynum next year)

So the last two questions kind of wipe each other out.

Can you just be a good friend and pull for your friend's team?

Most of my friends don't even know the Finals are starting right now. They still think the NBA is the same as it was in the late 90's when they cut off the game. There are still serious flaws in the game, and for some reason, the league continues to add fuel to the fire that the games are rigged. But I enjoy basketball and will overlook the flaws in the NBA just to watch another game. Besides what else am I going to do? Count down the days until we kick off college football?

I do have one friend that is a huge Bulls fan, but that's no help. Besides I might root against them just because I enjoy watching him loose his cool when his team looses.

I've gotten nowhere with this.

So What Are You Going to Do?

I guess I'm just going to have to go with my gut. I'll be the ultimate bandwagon fan. (You know, like all of the Chicago Bulls fans during the MJ era. Where are those Bulls shirts now I wonder?) Maybe there will be an injustice in tonight's game that will make me pull for one team. Maybe I'll like one style of play over another. Maybe one team's fans will annoy me and I'll just have to root for the other team. And yes, Boston has already received one negative in my book for the "Beat LA" chant. Let's keep that to a minimum please. It was annoying 20 years ago. Why must you keep it going?

The good thing about this strategy is either way I win. Since it's not my team, I'm not losing sleep worrying about how my team matches up with another. If I feel I made a bad choice early on, then I can change it half way through. If a tornado strikes Boston and they can't field a team, then I'll just pull for Boston.

I can root for different teams each game if I want to. The more I think about it, the more I like this bandwagon approach. I always win.

Oh, and by the way, the winner of this series will be...

...the team I pull for.

(Update - For most of the game, I pulled for the Celtics. I couldn't fight the villain angle with Kobe. But then the "Paul Pierce - Willis Reed" injury happened and I couldn't stand the thought of Boston fans and writers making Pierce out to be a folk hero for the next 100 years. So I'm thinking of pulling for the Lakers in game 2 because there is no way Kobe doesn't have one of those 45 point monster games.)

Since I've started this site in January, I've never disclosed who I am. It's not a mystery. I don't have some inside information or a need to hide my identity. But one of the biggest criticisms of sports bloggers is that they hide behind an identity like "Under Review". So I guess I need to disclose my identity, especially as I increase my interviews and the number of readers increase on this site.

My name is Tim Dreyfus and I'm a 33 year old Alabama graduate that currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

Wow, don't you feel so much better. I don't think it really mattered for me, but if I'm going to interview folks and sometimes criticize performances, then I shouldn't be hiding my identity. And since I don't blog at work, I'm not worried about my job, which I think is the case for many bloggers.

Really the only thing I need to be criticizing is my grammar, but that's another story.

So there you go.

(As a side note, I recognize I have a good number of regular readers. I'm just curious as to who some of you are. I know that several of you are my friends, but if you're reading the site regularly and I don't know you, let me know what you think about the site. You can e-mail me at playisunderreview@gmail.com.)

We'll get back to the sports tomorrow night. In the meantime let's get ready for Game1 (I would have included a Lakers intro as well, but it's lame. No one gets to the game until the second quarter anyway)...

I usually catch about 30 minutes of the First Team on Fox each morning. Every Tuesday, they have a segment called, "I'm So Done With". Callers can call in and tell what they are done with in the world of sports.

Just for an example, you'd probably hear a caller say, "I'm so done with the "White-out" night in sports. How do 15,000 fans wearing white shirts intimidate the visiting team?"

You get the picture.

I'm not the type to call into shows. Especially at 6:30 in the morning when I'm on my way home to shower up from my run. However, every Tuesday when they run that segment I think about what I would say. I've come up with three things I would say if I called in. (Actually, I came up with four, but you are probably tired of hearing me rant on the BCS playoff system. So, I'll leave that one out.) Keep in mind that I could probably get only one in if I phoned it in, and I'd probably choose the one that didn't interest them at all. So without further ado....

1. I'm so done with people hyping "coaching genius" Kirk Ferentz

Seriously, how many times do you hear him mentioned as one of the best coaches in college football? His name comes up for jobs all the time and he's even been mentioned for some pro jobs. Take a look at his record the last three year (6-6; 6-7; 7-5). And that's in the Big Ten. Mike Shula got fired for seasons like that.

Yes, I will acknowledge that he has had some good season at Iowa. His three previous seasons were 10-2; 10-3; 11-2. Has he phoned it in? Has the rest of the league caught up to him? I don't know, but I do know that the name of the game is winning and he hasn't done that.

So please stop crowning him a "coaching genius".

In a related note, I'm so done with colleges listing Bob Stoops as a potential candidate. He's not leaving Oklahoma.

2. I'm so done with comparing athletes and teams from different eras.

Kobe or MJ? The Steelers from the 70's or the Cowboys of the 90's? These arguments can never be settled and they are pointless. There are too many variables to make a win your argument. People will remember what they want to remember and thus the argument lasts forever. Sure it makes for great sports talk, but there is never any resolution. That's the great thing about sports, you always have a winner and a loser.

And yes, this applies to the current Lakers-Celtics series. They are not the same teams, it's been 20 years. Leave it alone.

Just for argument's sake, I'd shudder to think how many points MJ could score with the current hand check rules we have in place in the NBA. He was scoring 30 a night when the Pistons were allowed to mug him every game. Imagine if he were to play now. Wait a minute, I thought I was done with this?

3. I'm so done with the NBA Pre-Game Rituals

I'm not talking about the introductions. I like those. (By the way, everyone tries to duplicate what the Bulls did in the 90's. Why not try something new?) I'm talking about individual rituals like the "powder in the air"; the "staring down the goal post move" or the "scripted handshake". It just seems weird, especially when you consider that many of these guys are 30 yrs old and they have kids at home. I just can't see me and the other guys throwing powder in the receptionist's face at work before we enter our office. Although, I would love a video pre-game introduction as I walk into my office. That would never get old.

Interestingly, I'm ok with this in football. Those guys have to do whatever they can to get motivated to go tackle somebody. I can understand the Ray Lewis dance and the "What time is it?" chants.

However, if you watch the NBA, the music will blare. The guys will get pumped up. And then they'll tip the ball off and walk slowly up the court. It just doesn't make sense.

I'm so done with this post....

(I had lunch with some friends the other day that essentially said they are so done with improper use of quotation marks. I'm probably extremely guilty of that on this site. Sorry guys.)

By now, I'm sure most of you have seen the Outside the Lines segment about the fireman and the basketball team from South Carolina. If you haven't, you should. You can see Part I here...



and Part II here...







These stories get me every time. Sure there have been others, like, Jason McElwain (autistic basketball player) and Clay Dyer (the fisherman with no legs and half an arm) just to name a few. But this yesterday's story finally had it all.



Every time I'm watching SportsCenter and they tell us one of these stories is coming up, I stay glued to the TV. I blame my wife for this actually. She loves to see the human interest side of sports and will always make me watch these with her. And I hate watching these because they always make me tear up. This time, I was at the gym on the Elliptical machine pretending to wipe the sweat off of my face. Really sad. (Not the story, me. I'm pathetic)


After you've watched the whole clip, I've got some thoughts on these types of segments.


The Narrator


He's always talking in a hushed tone. He also starts off with short sentences like:

"It wasn't supposed to be this way"

"On a cool summer morning in quiet little town"

"This is Johnny."

You never see the narrator and you imagine him looking a little like a young preppy version of Mr. Rogers. Many times he'll stop at a key point to let the music set the stage just for dramatic effect. You feel like you're drinking a cup of coffee with him and he's just telling you a heartwarming story. Speaking of music...



The Music


That's the big sign you're in trouble. When the music starts and it soft and warm feeling. What sports story needs sappy music? I've seen several of these segments with my co-workers during lunch. As soon as the music plays, we all know what is coming. Our emotions begin to stir and we know something tragic is about to happen.

The funny thing is, the music changes several times. There is the "Team is going to win the championship" upbeat music. You have the sad "we're about to tell you that the main character has died or has cancer" music. You have the soft "spouse/parent/sibling" interview music. Either way it stirs your soul (something my CofC brothers should take note of).



The Interview

Ah yes, the interview. It's could be with the spouse of the deceased. The parent of the disabled son. Or the best friend of the guy with cancer. No matter who it is, they will always be shown talking while fighting back tears. At some point, they can't take it anymore and they lose it. Unfortunately for the viewer, the camera keeps rolling and they don't edit the footage. We're stuck watching the clip tearing up right along with them. As usual, the music is an added effect.

The Fans

Of course the fans, who have been apart of the whole story, go crazy at some point. Whether it's the crowd chanting "Lewis Mulkey!" or one lone fan encouraging the disabled boy in the back of the pack, this is the part that really gets me. They are expressing what I'm feeling inside. Who doesn't love the underdog story? Who doesn't want the team to win the state championship for the deceased firefighter/assistant coach? The fans either bring it out of the players or they have just witnessed it happen and they can't hold it in. There is usually a lot of jumping, hugging, screaming and crying involved. And that's just me SportsCenter at home.

The Conclusion

We have to have the happy ending don't we? These stories never end badly. Even if the main subject hasn't won the championship, the story will conclude that he/she has won in life. At this point in the story, I don't care any more. I'm a bundle of emotions and just want the whole thing to be over. And at that point I tell myself that I'm never watching one of these segments again.

So yes ESPN, I see the pattern. And next time I'll be ready. With a fresh box of tissues....

I was fortunate enough to exchange e-mails with Jim Dunaway, co-host of the Dunaway and Brown show. The show spends most of their time on SEC sports and throws in some national stuff as well. If you want to get a quick rundown on what's going on in the SEC, check out their website. You can also hear the show via the same link.




Since the interview, I've started listening to the show regularly. I didn't know much about Jim other than his time on local TV and his time on the Rick and Bubba Show. He, along with Brown, are much more enlightening than the run of the mill "How many wins will Bama get this fall" shows that seems to pop up all over the state. Or certain shows that just have callers call in and scream that Bama will beat Auburn this year.


Hopefully, I'm getting a little better at asking questions, you can be the judge. Thanks again to Jim for taking the time to respond.





#1 You're currently a host on the Dunaway and Brown show, but you got your start in television. How did you end up in talk radio? Can you give the readers a quick timeline of your career?


That's a real easy answer... my kids. I started in television two weeks after I graduated from the University of Montevallo and was a local television sportscaster from 1988 thru February 2007. My kids were 7 and 3 and I realized I was spending more time with people named Shula and Tuberville instead of Harper and Carter. The Dunaway and Brown show grew to the point to where Citadel Broadcasting was offering the same money I was making in TV. That made the choice easy... same money, less work and 5 hours to talk sports instead of 4 minutes in a local sportscast. I miss producing a local sportscast, but I will never give up what Brown and I do every day. 5 hours is a journey with the listener. TV was me telling the viewer what I thought they should know, sports radio is so interactive that a day doesn't go by that I don't learn something from the listeners. No knock on any other show, but I do feel those that call our show are really in tune with what we are trying to do everyday and that's to have a intelligent, fun conversation about sports.


#2 You obviously have to keep up with what's going on in sports. Besides watching ESPN, what are the sites and authors that you regularly read to keep updated on the current events?


Way to many to list hear. I easily read over 50 newspapers and websites every morning. Everything from the LA Times to The Big Lead sportsblog. I really enjoy the columns and opinions the most. In this day and age of instant game stories... I want the post game opinions and big picture stories. I am not one of those main stream broadcasters that hates the blog world. The reason The Dunaway and Brown show works is simple, we do not value our opinions more than anyone who calls our show. Sports radio should be about an open exchange of opinion and thoughts. There is not always a right or wrong answer.


#3 In your career, who has been the most intriguing player you have covered in sports? What made that person so intriguing?


I think every player is intriguing. I enjoyed the summer of Michael Jordan with the Barons. I got to the park early one day and spent time playing cards with MJ and current Red Sox skipper Terry Francona (then manager of the Barons). I find Cat Reddick-Whitehill amazing. Here's a female athlete from Briarwood High School who grew up loving SEC football and left the comforts of home to play for the powerhouse North Carolina soccer program and was the youngster on the USA Soccer team with Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy in their final World Cup and Gold Medal run. The thing that makes athletes so intriguing is when you get to see the real side of them...that moment when you know they are really just like us. MJ was that way, so is Cat. One of my favorite days was playing golf with Mike Shula, Tom Kite, Mark Gottfried, and Don Shula. The elder Shula hit a long birdie putt and there was the NFL winningest coach giving me a fist bump just my buddies from Pi Kappa Alpha.


#4 In our interview with Jeff Pearlman, he told us about Wes Helm's once farting in his face in the locker room. Do you have any crazy stories that have happened to you while covering sports?


Some of my favorites have come in Daytona. No names, but one driver would show up on Wednesday for live TV interviews with a big mixed drink. He would talk to every small town TV station as long as the flask didn't go dry. When the flask went dry... the interviews were over. I actually saw one TV crew bring out their private stash to keep the interviews going. Another driver would drive past our live location for our 11:20pm eastern live shot every night on a moped with a female or two in tow. Same time every night, and he was always very nice to say hello and volunteer for an interview, but I would always pass because he was looped.


#5 You don't strike me as this kind of guy, but have you ever had any confrontations with any athletes or coaches? If so, what happened.


Not really. One NASCAR guy by the name of Ernie Irvan chewed me out for asking for an interview one day at Talladega, but his wife came back to me after he left and apologized. Finebaum has blasted me a couple of times for being the host of the Alabama football show, but that was just Paul being Paul. I think you have to be a ego-maniac to get caught up in a lot of confrontations. I always try not to be the story. Again, that goes back to my philosophy that my opinion is no more important than yours or any of your readers or any of our listeners.


#6 I've always felt that "being at the game" is a little overrated as a fan. You don't have to fight the crowds or traffic, you can see all the replays and you have an unlimited supply of food at your disposal. Would you agree or disagree with that statement?


I think you need a nice mixture. I was on sight for 20 years so I know the feel of stadiums etc. but I also enjoy watching games on TV. When I'm in the stadium, I get to see really only one game. Brown and I now have a sweet setup where we watch 3 games at a time and DVR two others for every time slot of games starting at 11:30am all the way thru the west coast games. I will go to two or three games a year, only the big one now. I have seen enough of Alabama or Auburn versus Louisiana anybody that doesn't go by initials LSU.


#7 It seems that since we've had all the lawsuits associated with Alabama penalties a few years ago, the NCAA has been taking its time with other cases out there. For example, the USC Reggie Bush thing just seems to be going nowhere. Do you think the Alabama case has changed the way the NCAA handles their cases?


Sure it has. The NCAA really dodged a financial bullet with Alabama. Some school soon will sue the NCAA for lost revenue from damages etc. and then we'll have chaos. The NCAA needs to have real evidence that can only be obtained with subpoena power from the legal system. Secret witnesses like in the Bama case will never happen again. They'll need phone records like with Kelvin Sampson. That is why they are waiting on legal depositions in the Bush-USC case.



#8 I've been quite the "conspiracy theorist" regarding the BCS system. In short, I believe that we won't have a playoff because the BCS presidents would have to give up control of the flow of money to the NCAA. They hide behind arguments of the bowl system and academics and we all sit around are argue their points. Do you agree or disagree? If so, why do you think the media questions the presidents on this?


I don't think that is a conspiracy theory, I think that is the only reason a playoff doesn't happen. The BCS money is being split 66 ways now and not evenly (for instance the SEC usually gets two shares and the ACC gets only one share) If we ever go to the playoffs, the NCAA will control the money and deal it out in smaller amounts to 119 schools or even more. I am not a big proponent of a playoff system that uses the current BCS system. The only playoff system I have in favor of is one that only uses conference champions. Schedules vary too much to do it any other way.

* Note. Unfortunately for the readers, you're just going to have to hear about this more now. It's like getting the go ahead to play in the rain from your parents. Now I'll never stop.

#9 You've gained a lot of popularity by coming on the Rick and Bubba show each week. On the show it appears you guys have a genuine friendship. Can you give the readers some history as to how your friendship developed? Has being on their show helped your career? You've also been open about your faith on the show. Can you share with us how your faith has helped you in your career? In your life?

Impossible for me to write an answer... that's more like a book. You bet being on Rick and Bubba every Monday for 11 years has helped my popularity. They are the most popular radio show in the history of Birmingham radio and a decade later they can carry a station to number one in ratings and revenue by themselves. I actually appeared on their show for the first time as a promotion for a Rick and Bubba charity softball game against the NBC 13 team. They were still in Gadsden at the time and it was instant chemistry. We have grown to be great friends and I know it is based on a common yoke, both professionally and spiritually. Ryan and I both look at our friendship with Rick, Bubba and Speedy as a blessing from God.


#10 And finally, if you have trouble getting guests on your show, you know where to reach me...

We never have a problem, that doesn't mean we will not call you, just that we will do it because we have a desire to talk with you... not out of desperation.