The "Association"....Sure can put on a Show!

Say what you want about the NBA All-star game.   The naysayers are always yakking about no defense....up and down the court...undisciplined basketball...too much one-on-one...ghetto ball.

Well, well....

It seems this type of basketball is very entertaining to the masses.   

The "Association"....rocked last night.   Yes...at times it may have seemed like a rap concert...on a basketball court...but the end result was a magnificent show of skills by the best athletes on the planet.

Here's Everything You Missed From Last Night's NBA All-Star Game

Cork Gaines | 24,755 |

The NBA has the most entertaining all-star game.

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Things From the Week-end....

Please excuse our inactivity here lately.    Been a little busy.   But the sporting world will go on.  With....or without us.

Here's an attempt to get back on board.   A few things from this past week-end:



This was the funniest bit on "SNL"...in a very long time:
 

'SNL' Spoofs Stephen A. Smith (And Tebow)

 

 

 

 

We can't wait to see it:

 

The Upcoming Jackie Robinson Movie Looks Awesome

Cork Gaines | Sep. 24, 4:30 PM | 768 |

Is this the next great baseball movie?
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Micheal Vick will never last the entire season:

Huge Hit On Michael Vick Completely Changes Game And May Have Sealed The Eagles' Fate

Cork Gaines | 2,035 |

The "Dirty Birds" are undefeated:

 

Gregory Bull

Falcons overpower Chargers

Ryan has 275 yards passing and Turner finishes with 80 yards rushing against former team; Falcons improve to 3-0. 

 

 

As I went off to work this morning,  it was 43 degrees!  A bit cold in these parts.   Felt good though.   Fall is definitely in the air!

The "Dwightmare" is Finally Over

Well....let's just hope it is.    We used to be big fans of Mr. Howard.  But lately we have grown tired of him and his antics.

So it seems "Superman"....is headed for Hollywood.

He'll either be a star....or a bust.

Our bet is he'll be a big...bust.

From Business Insider:

 

Report: Dwight Howard Traded To The Los Angeles Lakers

Cork Gaines | 3,135 | 1

Howard finally got his wish to be out of Orlando.

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A Greg Oden .......Update

Is this guy the biggest .....bust......ever?

We think.....yes.

But leave it to the NBA to give multiple chances.

From BusinessInsider.com:

Greg Oden Gets Another Shot To Silence The Critics

Cork Gaines | Jun. 30, 2011, 5:25 PM | 18 |

Image: AP

Yesterday, the Portland Trail Blazers extended a qualifying offer to Greg Oden that should keep him in Portland through the 2012-13 season. And with that offer comes an opportunity for Oden to finally live up to the promise he showed when he entered the NBA four years ago, and finally shake the label as "The Next Sam Bowie." 

In 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers famously selected Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan with the second pick of the draft. Twenty-three years later, the Blazers had the top pick of the draft, and once again chose the big man (Oden) over the electric scorer (Kevin Durant).

Four years later, Oden has missed 246 of the Blazers 328 games. That has drawn some unfortunate comparisons to Bowie who only played in 63 games in the four seasons following his rookie campaign.

Meanwhile, Durant is a two-time defending scoring champ, and is the leader of an Oklahoma City Thunder team that some think are the favorites to win it all in 2011-12.

Here is a look at how Oden's first four seasons in the NBA compared to the first four seasons of Durant and Bowie.



It certainly paints an ugly picture. But Oden will only be 23 when the 2011-12 season is scheduled to start. Bowie, on the other hand, was 27 at the start of his fifth season.

Oden's career has been a colossal disappointment. And there is a good chance he will never be a dominating force in the NBA. But at such a young age, and with a team that refuses to give up on him, there is still hope.

And hope is more than a lot of people thought Oden would have at this point.

The Godfather of Free Agency

41 years ago.....Curt Flood....changed Major League Baseball.....

Here's how....

Courtesy of Business Insider and Cork Gaines:

You've Never Heard Of The Second Most Important Person In MLB History

Cork Gaines | Dec. 30, 2010, 2:50  

When Carl Crawford is sipping his 1982 Chateau Margaux out of his diamond encrusted wine glass tonight, we hope he will raise his glass and offer a toast on the anniversary of the day that made his $142 million contract possible. 

It was 41 years ago today that the New York Times first reported Curt Flood was planning a lawsuit to challenge Major League Baseball's reserve clause.

The "reserve clause" was a standard part of the player's contract that allowed a team to retain a player's rights even after that player's contract had expired. Players could only sign a new contract with their current team unless they were released or traded.

But in 1969, Flood decided he was tired of being treated like "property," and decided to stand up to the system. From the New York Times:

A major attack on the reserve clause, a feature of baseball contracts that binds a player to his original team and makes trades possible, is being mounted by Curt Flood, with Arthur Goldberg, a former United States Supreme Court Justice, as his counsel.

Flood had met with the Player's Association to ask for their support. Interestingly, in doing so, Flood stopped short of comparing the reserve clause to slavery. But the Times article says he did admit that "being black perhaps made him more sensitive to issues of freedom and dignity."

Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Major League Baseball, but their decision left open the possibility for closer examination and further challenges. The reserve clause was ultimately struck down in 1975.

But it was Curt Flood that gave players the hope of someday being able sell their services to the highest bidder. And among people that helped further the rights of all player's, Flood may be surpassed only by Jackie Robinson. It is a shame more of today's players don't acknowledge that.