the Cheap Seats

Dumb NCAA Rules

Last week I spoke about College gambling; why kids do it. Well here is another reason why the NCAA needs to pull its' head out of its' ASS. I took this from Dave Hickman of the WV Gazzette

"And finally, would someone please explain to me the difference between Jeremy Bloom and, for instance, Kay-Jay Harris?

If you’ve missed it, Bloom is the Colorado wide receiver who is also one of this country’s best skiers. The NCAA last week refused even to meet with Bloom, who has been declared ineligible to play football because he receives endorsement money to support his skiing career.

OK, so there’s a difference between endorsement money and salary. But really, what is the difference between Bloom being paid for something he does in a sport other than football, and all the minor league players who have been paid to play baseball and then decide to return to school and play football? Harris, the West Virginia tailback, did just that.

In fact, the NCAA allows football players to play baseball for pay between football seasons, coming and going from professional to amateur and back again. And here is Bloom, who wants to represent his country in the Olympics. but he can’t train without the endorsement money, which the NCAA says he can’t accept if he wants to play college football.

And the NCAA wonders why it is constantly under fire."

The Rumor Mill

It looks like the New York Mets are ready to make some moves...according to information acquired from various sources, including GM Jim Duquette via WFAN, the Mets are currently involved in talks for the following players; Carlos Beltran OF KC, Freddy Garcia P SEA, Kris Benson P PIT and Magglio Ordonez OF CWS. A deal for Freddy Garcia would, most likely, also involve Scott Spiezio. The Met Farm System has a few very good prospects, David Wright 3B, Scott Kazmir P, Matt Peterson P and Bob Keppell P..........................................................The Angels are looking to add our old friend Raul Mondesi, who is also talking with Boston about a contract......Randy Johnson will probably be moved by the end of July, it doesn't look like it will be to the Yankees or Red Sox it looks more likely that he will end of in Anaheim.......where rumors have it that Aaron Boone might be headed.

I heard a rumor.....

Here are some rumors I have heard in the world of the NBA...

Ray Allen may go to Portland......Etan Thomas, a free agent, might look good playing in the Garden (Madison Square)...Dallas told Steve Nash to exercise his option and test the free agent market. They may sign him, but want to see what fair market value is for the canadain point guard.....by the way, does anyone else want to see Steve Nash and Johnny Damon in a reality show as roommates? Or is it just me? Let's make it happen....Big Changes lie ahead for Denver, they won't be keeping all of their free agents....The expansion draft is being held this summer, which means each team can protect 8 players, the others are open game for the Expansion Charlotte Bobcats to draft. This poses a big problem for Memphis, where they want to keep at least ten of their current players....where will the Lakers go? Is it time for Kobe to break away from Shaq, if they win the title, i think the answer is yes.

Diamond Killers-Week 7

With all the bad pitching performances it is no shock that there aren't any hitters making the list this week.

5. Dontrelle Willis P Florida: The smile, the enthuisiasm, the inconsistency, what's not to love about Dontrelle Willis. Oh, I guess the last part. He is just way too inconsistent. He either pitches 7-8 no hit innings, or he gets lit up in the first 3 innings. He had two starts this week and they were both bad. 9 ER, 20 HA, 6 BBI, 9.0 INN, 9 K, 2

4. Hideo Nomo P Los Angeles: I live by a few rules in my life. 1) Never never watch Kneau Reeves movies (Point Break and the Original Matrix are the exceptions) and 2) Never draft Hideo Nomo. This week he got one start and left the game early because of a fingernail problem. Two words: French Manicure. ER, 2 HA, 1.1 INN, K, L

3. Woody Williams P Saint Louis: Woody used to be one of those guys you could get late i nthe draft and he would be a solid performer for you. You never appreciated him unles you drafted him. This year the secret was out and Williams went early in my NL Only league. He has not puitched well yet. This week was no different. 6 ER, 8 HA, 2 BBI, 5.0 INN, 3 K, L

2. Derek Lowe P Boston: To quote Nelson Munz, "Ha Ha". 7 ER, 8 HA, 2.1 INN, K, L

1. Johan Santana P Minnesota: What a disappointing week for Santana owners. He had two starts and pitched awful in both of them. Sunday was his redemption day, he could have made everyone forget about his last two mediocre starts. Instead he got lambasted for 2,000 runs in 2 or 3 innings. He needs to turn it around. 11 ER, 18 HA, 4 BBI, 8.1 INN, 8 K, 2 L

NBA Free Agent Market 2004

Here is a list of the Free Agents available this summer, this list is not official. Some players have Opt out options and some will resign before the end of the year, but it is still fun to look and see who your favorite team might be able to get.

Top 29 Free Agents

1. Rasheed Wallace PF Detroit 16. Gordan Giricek G Utah
2. Kenyon Martin PF New Jersey17. Etan Thomas F Washington
3. Mehmut Okur F Detroit 18. Vlade Divac C Sacramento
4. Stromile Swift F Memphis 19. Keyon Dooling G Clippers
5. Quentin Richardson G Clippers 20. Morris Peterson F Toronto
6. Manu Ginobili G San Antonio 21. Rodney White G Denver
7. Carlos Arroyo G Utah 22. Donnell Harvey F Phoenix
8. Hedo Turkgolu F San Antonio 23. Dion Glover G Atlanta
9. Jamal Crawford G Chicago 24. Eric Williams G Cleveland
10. Brent Barry G Seattle 25. Charlie Ward G Phoenix
11. Greg Ostertag C Utah 26. Stanislav Medvedenko C Lakers
12. Chris Mihm F/C Boston 27. Rasual Butler F Miami
13. Keon Clark PF Phoenix 28. Robert Traylor F New Orleans
14. Deshawn Stevenson G Orlando 29. Ron Mercer F San Antonio
15. Darius Miles F Portland

Top Ten “Opt Out” Free Agents

1. Kobe Bryant Lakers
2. Antoine Walker F Dallas
3. Steve Nash G Dallas
4. Gary Payton G Lakers
5. Latrell Sprewell F Minnesota
6. Erick Dampier C Golden State
7. Marcus Camby C Denver
8. Nick Van Exel G Golden State
9. Troy Hudson G Minnesota
10. Karl Malone F Lakers

Dear Athletes....

I need to jump on a soapbox a little here, because I am getting sick and tired of pampered athletes comparing themselves to soldiers. Don't athletes know that comparing themselves to soldiers is absolutely absurd? In times when the world is quiet and the war is not on the forefront, we tend to let these comments slide, but during troubled times, it is hard to ignore. How can an athlete who makes has made over $200 million (Kevin Garnett) playing a game compare himself to the men and women of the U.S. who face death day in and day out in the hostile territory of a foreign land?

Last year Kellen Winslow II, or K2 as he calls himself, had this to say about a football game. "It's war, they're out there to kill you, so I'm out there to kill them. We don't care about anybody but this U. They're going after my legs. I'm going to come right back at them. I'm a fucking soldier." What an Idiot. Yeah, you are a real soldier, go back to your dorm room and play Xbox while some groupie feeds you grapes.

Last night Kevin Garnett had some idiotic things to say. I like Kevin Garnett, I think he is one of the classiest athletes in the business, but his latest actions have made me re-think that. "It's Game 7, man. That's it. It's for all the marbles," Garnett said. "Sitting in the house, I'm loadin' up the pump. I'm loadin' up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a couple 9s. I got a couple joints with some silencers on them. I'm just loading clips, a couple grenades. I got a missile launcher with a couple of missiles. I'm ready for war."

This is the reigning MVP of the league. I am sure he will retract that statement in due time, like Winslow retracted his, but the fact of the matter is that these athletes need to think before they speak. By now, they should know that comparing themselves to a soldier is like Keanu Reeves comparing himself to ...well any good actor, take your pick.

Pat Tillman played football and died in war, I wonder what he would have said about comparing the two?

Diamond Killers- Week 6

Here are the ten WORST fantasy baseball players of the week. The criteria here is that someone had to start them in one of the 4 leagues I am in.

10. Derek Lee 1B CHC: He just hasn't had a breakout week yet. When he was traded to Chicago, I think many people (including myself) had him high on the NL firstbasemen list and probably everyone had him on the "Breakout year" list. It hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't give up on him. 4-21, 2 R, 4 1B, 6 KO, BB

9. Brian Jordan OF TEX: There is a guy in one of my leageus who EVERY year picks injury-prone players and gets mad when they actually get injured. I can never understand, how someone could draft a guy like Brian Jordan 9Or Larry Walker) and then get pissed because they miss so much time. There is a reason they are injury plagued! Injured or not Brian Jordan is over the hill and starting to show it. 0-9, 2 KO, 2 BB 0

8. Carlos Pena 1B DET: He started off well, hot even. Know he has simmered down and this week he really stunk it up worse. 8 strikeouts in 17 official at-bats is not a ood ratio. Chalk it up to good pitching. Carlos still has nice upside. 2-17, 2 1B, 8 KO, BB, SB, CS

College Gambling Scandal

ESPN released a report this morning about college athletes gambling. "According to the study, 35 percent of male athletes and 10 percent of female athletes have bet on college sports in the last year, and Division III athletes are the most likely to gamble." This is not news to me. In college I witnessed players from my own alma mater place bets, my roommate (a former bookie) used to take bets from all sorts of athletes at our school. One day we got a call from the locker room, 30 minutes prior to kick-off, for some players to place bets. Here is my take:

As a former college athlete, myself, I can categorize the athlete-gambler in a two different ways. (No I never bet, they didn't have lines on baseball games and I didn't play long enough.)

1) The Betting on Myself Gambler-College athletes make NO MONEY. Colleges use these players to make MILLIONS of dollars, and most of the athletes get nothing to show for it. Yes, they get a free education and free room and board, but no money for living. The real kicker is that during the school year they are NOT allowed to have a job. So what do they do for money? I have never personally heard of any of the players that I have known to bet AGAINST their team. The calls that my roommate would typically get from the locker room would be "We are fired up today, give me a dime on us." I am sure there is something unethical about that, but I had no problem with it. I would hope that my players were motivated to win. If he called and said that they were gonna lose, then I would have had a major issue with that. But betting on yourself, that is just good business.

2) The In too Deep Gambler: I have watched many college football games and basketball games, and I am positive that I have witnessed players throwing a game. Turnovers, bad shots, poor decision making. Granted in some cases it is a fine line, but there are times when it is blatant. This is the athlete-gambler who has gotten in too deep and is trying to save himself or his family from harm or financial ramifications. Example: I casually bet on my team to win and we lose. I owe money, I double up on the next game and we lose, I owe more money. It gets to the point where I am down $5-$10k...the bookie offers me a way out. Throw the game and I will wipe your slate clean, if not, pay me or I break your sisters leg. What would you do?

So people should not be surprised that college athletes gamble. They need money and because of scholastic rules, they are not allowed to make money playing sports and they are not allowed to make money by getting a part-time job. Pay them, even if it is just a little bit of money and you will not see these problems.

You don't see athletes in the MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL losing games on purpose. Why? Because you can't pay them enough to. The kid from Northwestern that threw the game by fumbling did it for a $400 bet. $400? Pay college student-athletes some form of money and you will not see this problem much longer.

Stat of the Day

I love baseball, and I love stats, but there is no other sport that has more meaningless stats than baseball. You will be watching a game and the announcer will, out of nowhere, rattle off some insane stat; "You know Todd Helton is a career .324 batter when the temperature is between 52 and 54 degrees at gametime, on every second Thursday of a leap year."

Anyway, last night there was a stat that was kind of interesting, so I thought I would share, from the Elias Sports Bureau: Mariano Rivera and Troy Percival both blew a save last night, in the same game. It is the first time in their 10 year history that they each blew a game on the same day. Okay, I have used the word "blew" too many times, I am going to take a shower now, I feel dirty.

Jose Contreras Update

From the Official Yankee Website, Jose Contreras pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits and struck out 7 against the New York Mets triple a squad, the Norfolk Tides.