A good story

Here's a good story from Rick Reilly:

Really, what would you say?

You're a 52-year-old trucker, and you blew your chance with the Cincinnati Reds, blew your full-ride football scholarship at VMI, blew it all because you were just stubborn and rebellious and dumb.

And then one day, your 8-year-old granddaughter tells you that you ought to get on a thing called Facebook, and two weeks later, somebody on this Facebook thing is telling you that you have a son.

And not just a son, but Nick Jones, the strapping, two-time NCAA Division II discus champ and starting defensive end for Abilene Christian University.

Oh, and by the way? Abilene Christian is in the playoffs not 90 minutes from your house this Saturday, and hey, would you like to meet Nick before the game?

"I couldn't sleep," says Perry Hogsten, of Independence, Mo. "I didn't know what to say. What do you say? 'I'm so sorry? I didn't know you were out there? Forgive me?'"

Some dads abandon their kids. Some get jailed. Some die. Perry Hogsten missed out on the first 20 years of his son's life out of rotten luck.

Hogsten and his girlfriend, Stephanie Jones -- Nick's mom -- were planning on getting married when the Air Force sergeant was suddenly shipped off to Panama. This was 1988. Stephanie was supposed to stay in Abilene, Texas, and wait for him. Then she found out she was pregnant. The pregnancy turned high risk, so her mother brought her home to an Amarillo hospital, six hours from Abilene.

"I tried so many times to find him," Stephanie says, "but it happened all so fast. I had no idea how. We didn't have cell phones then, and international calls were too expensive."

"I couldn't sleep," Perry Hogsten says. "I didn't know what to say. What do you say? 'I'm so sorry? I didn't know you were out there? Forgive me?'"

When Hogsten came back six years later, he figured he'd been jilted.

Stephanie tried to explain it to her young son. "Your father would be here if he knew about you," she told him. "He's a good man. We never broke up. We just got lost."

She raised Nick and two other kids mostly by herself. There were weeks with no water, lights or heat, despite Stephanie working three jobs. By 11, Nick was the man of the house: up at 5 a.m. to do chores, work out for football, go to school, work out again, come back and make dinner, then homework. At games, there was no point in looking up into the stands like his teammates. Nobody was there for him.

"I'd always wonder at games," says Jones, a sophomore, "whether maybe he was secretly watching me. In high school, I'd wonder if he was one of my coaches."

Still, something inside him didn't want to search. Hogsten, meanwhile, had two other sons and divorced twice. Then, three weeks ago, he read a Facebook message from a Miriam Jones, Nick's wife.

Are you the Perry Hogsten who was in Abilene in 1988?

Next thing you know, he was driving toward the Ramada in St. Joseph, Mo., butterflies in his stomach the size of Cessnas. In the parking lot, Nick "started coming at me pretty fast, and I just thought, 'My son's a big man!'" Hogsten remembers. "He's gotta be 6-foot-2, 245!"

Nick jogged toward him with his hand out, but Hogsten wouldn't have any of it. He put a helmet-to-helmet hug on him.

Suddenly, his life was on "Extreme Makeover." He not only got a son, but he also got his girl, Stephanie, back, plus a grandson he didn't know he had -- Little Nick, 15 months -- and a daughter-in-law with very good detective skills.

As for he and Nick, it was like two strangers who'd never been apart. At Cracker Barrel, they ordered the same breakfast without knowing it. Same with lunch at Fazoli's. They looked the same, walked the same, laughed the same.

In Nick, Hogsten sees the life he lost. The college student. The young father. The track and football star who actually stuck with it. "My father told me, 'If you do this [give up his chance at college football or pro baseball], you'll regret it the rest of your life.' But I had to be the rebel. I joined the Air Force instead. And his words ring true every day to me."

Which is why he admires young Mr. Jones. "Just the way he carries himself, the way he talks. He's on scholarship, has a young child, has a wife, does his football, does his studies. I think he's the finest man I've ever met."

And now Stephanie and Hogsten are going to try to see whether love can start up again at the place Panama tore apart. He's trying to find a trucking job in Amarillo, where she still lives. Until then, there are actual cell phones this time.

As for Nick, all of a sudden, he's living life in reverse.

"I guess I just feel so much younger," he says. "I feel like a regular kid again, a kid with two parents. It's kind of a burden lifted off me. It's a relief."

This past Saturday, Abilene Christian got swamped by Northwest Missouri State 35-10, but it was the best loss of Nick's life. He did something he'd never done in a game before.

He kept looking up into the stands.

WTF?!?!: Urban Meyer

I'll just say it. I don't like Urban Meyer. Not because I think he's a bad guy or anything. After all, he is an Ohio boy just like me. I don't like him only because he coaches Florida, and after Florida owning Ohio State in two national championship games, you'll understand if I hold a little bit of a grudge. Anyway, this is why he is driving me so crazy right now, reported here on ESPN.com. Urban Meyer suspended star linebacker Brandon Spikes after he saw footage of Spikes inserting his fingers in and out of the facemask of Georgia runningback Washaun Ealey, attempting to gouge his eyes (I would just like to point out that Meyer didn't ever see it originally, and it wasn't until his wife pointed out Spikes' onfield conduct to him after the game did he know it even occurred). Upon confronting him, Spikes admitted to Meyer that this move was retaliation for getting his helmet knocked off earlier in the game and getting poked in the eye. Meyer did the right thing by suspending him. However, it's the length of the suspension that puzzles me. Spikes will be out for the FIRST HALF of the Florida-Vanderbilt game this Saturday at the Swamp. The first half? Really? That's going to teach him a lesson? I'm not saying this is LaGarrette Blount suspension-worthy, but one half? He's been battling injuries the entire season, and there's a good chance he wouldn't even have played the first half! Come on Meyer, get a grip.

Wow...

Wow, it's been a long time. Anyway, let's talk baseball. I can honestly say that if you would've told me 2 years ago of a CC Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee game 1 of the World Series, I'd say you're out of your mind. But given the Phillies' clinching last night, and the way the Yanks are playing, it's looking more and more like that's going to happen. It's a shame how many former Indians you can see in these games. In the Philly-LA series, you had Lee, Ben Francisco, Charlie Manual (yeah, I'll count him), Casey Blake, Ronnie Belliard, (newly-acquired) Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez. That's nuts. I miss those guys a lot, especially Thome. Jim Thome made my childhood enjoyable. He'd put his heart and soul into every game he played for us, which made it even tougher to stomach when he left Cleveland for Philadelphia, and later the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Now it looks like Thome is going to need a new home, most likely in the American League. I hope he goes to a competitor. He can still hit, and would be a great addition. If the Indians didn't have the terrifying contract of Travis Hafner, I think we'd pick him back up. Oh well...I can always hope...

Mike on the Mic

This week has been a hard week. Slowly getting back into the swing of things at school can take a lot out of you, so I apologize for the lack of posting.

We are on the cusp of the High Holidays, and traditionally, as the song says"These are the days to say we're sorry, for all the things we've done that we can do better..." I have been joking around with my friends, saying that we should all get out as many transgressions as we can before the new year. However, it seems that someone shares this opinion of mine. Michael Jordan. As any NBA or Jordan fan knows, His Airness was inducted into the Hall of Fame last Friday, along with NBA greats David Robinson and John Stockton and coaches Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer. Robinson's speech was short, and from the heart, thanking many people that helped him get to NBA greatness. Like the Admiral, Jordan too, shared some heartfelt words. But these two orators could not have been any different. David Robinson is a sweetheart, arguably one of the nicest guys who walked the earth (I'm pretty sure the award for good sportsmanship in the NBA is named after him). Jordan is a competitor. And as Robinson's heart is big, MJ's heart is cold.

Listening to Jordan's induction speech was more than just disturbing--In a sense, it ruined my childhood. Growing up, I, like most kids, was a HUGE fan of #23. I thought that the Michael Jordan that existed off the court was a nice family man. For the love of God the man made Space Jam! It didn't occur to me that he was actually a total D-Bag. I mean, everyone has their own faults, but there's a certain way that you should act in public, especially when you're receiving a high honor. Upon his selection to be a member of this year's class in the HOF, he was a big annoyed. He didn't see it as it's a huge honor, but rather, the end of the line. He's done everything else, and now this is just one more accolade accrued, the final one. Apparently to the Air-Man it seems as if he'll soon be banished to the land of the NBA forgottens list, right up there next to Craig Ehlo (who he schooled so many times), Len Bias, and Sam Bowie (arguably the biggest flop in NBA history. Another honorary mention for that title would be Darko Milicic). When a normal person would be happy to be in the Hall of Fame, Jordan seemed anything but giddy about being there. So Mike decided that when getting the opportunity to speak at his "last hurrah", you know, the way everyone will remember him, to not just NOT thank anyone, but rather go on and on and on about those who flummoxed him and irritated him during his playing days. It was more awkward that Kanye West's a-hole move, when he stole the spotlight from Taylor Swift after she won her award at the MTV VMA's.

He was a womanizer, which isn't so commendable for a married man with children. He was a tough competitor, and there's nothing wrong with that. But there's a point when competition becomes too much, and you turn into a jackass.

For me, it's hard to accept this. Michael Jordan was my idol. He was my hero. I drank his drink, I ate his food, I watched his movie, I wore his apparel. I have the posters, the jerseys, rookie cards, everything. But none of that matters anymore. I don't know why I'm so hurt by seeing who the "real" Michael Jordan is, but I really am. I know Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are far from perfect and also total a-holes in their own right, but I let their play on the court overshadow my thoughts of them as individuals off the court. Friends of mine from Chicago would go to games of Jewish schools that would play against the schools his kids went to, just to catch a glimpse of him. But they always told me how he was so cold, and never would even flash a smile at these people. Another friend told me a story about how Michael Jordan ditched him during a photo-op. But I never thought that these accounts could accurately portray the man I and many other kids idolized.

Let me finish by saying how confused I am that Jordan never spoke out and said he was the best. Oh, he knew it. Muhammad Ali and Rickey Henderson both paraded around their respective leagues shouting that they were the best. When the media portrayed Jordan as the greatest, he just shrugged it off. But let's compare Henderson and Jordan. During their tenures as professional athletes, they both were elected to their sport's HOF. Henderson on the field was a haughty, out-spoken competitor. Jordan was quiet. But if you watched Henderson's induction speech for the MLB Hall of Fame earlier in the year, you would've never known it. These two sports stars are the total opposites. You would think that a player like Rickey, who went around exclaiming "I'm the greatest", (most notably when he was crowned with the record of most stolen bases) would act like a total ba'al gaiva, or be disgustingly arrogant upon his induction. You could not have been more wrong. Henderson shocked everyone when he finished his speech by saying "I am humbled", which was greeted with a roaring cheer from those present, and everyone legitimately seemed ecstatic for him. So you would think that a guy who seemed to be a humble guy on the court would make his induction speech just like Robinson's or Henderson's, right? You would've been disappointed, just like me. It made me realize that if this was the way that Jordan acted, I am certain that I would NEVER want to be "Like Mike". So thank you Michael, for essentially ruining my childhood.

Gone but not Forgotten

I just read this story on Aol.com that I really liked.

The story wasn't much of blip on the sports radar. A football coach in Alabama suffered chest pains during a game and died on the way to the hospital.

It wasn't Nick Saban or anybody you'd know. It was Keith Howard, whose name you'll probably forget as soon as you click off this screen.

There are more pressing stories to get to, like Rich Rodriguez's tears or Joba Chamberlain's pitch count or whether T.O.'s ailing toe will make an appearance in this week's reality episode.

So if you're looking for a story that registers in our 24-7 news cycle, skip this. But if you want to read about a guy who really mattered, it would be my privilege to introduce you to Howard.

If you're lucky you already know him, or somebody like him.

"High school kids don't do what you tell them," he used to say. "They do what you live and do."

That makes people like Howard infinitely more consequential, if far less rich and famous than T.O.'s toe. Howard was more influential than most. He was the head coach in a small Southern town, where so much of life revolves around what happens on Friday nights.

"He was probably the most powerful man in the county," said Chad Martin, Lincoln High's defensive coordinator. "He was a legend, and not just in the sports sense."

Howard was born in Lincoln, Ala., pop. 5,486. He spent most of his 48 years there and seemed to know everybody in Talladega County.

"Black or white, rich or poor, he treated you like a brother," Martin said.

He knew football. The Golden Bears went 11-2 last season. But when he hired an assistant coach, he didn't ask what offense or defense they liked.

"He wanted to know if you were a family man and if you loved kids," Martin said.

Do that and they'd take a lot more than Xs and Os out into the real world. Nobody suspected last Friday night would be his final lesson.

Lincoln got on the bus and traveled 35 miles down state road 77 to Attalla, home of the Etowah Blue Devils. As the teams ran off the field for halftime, Howard told Martin he wasn't feeling right and the team doctor was going to check him out.

Martin wasn't overly concerned. Howard would get so worked up at games he'd literally chew right through his game plan. Once or twice a year he'd let Martin handle the halftime duties.

"Take 'em in and talk to them," he'd say.

Last Friday night was slightly different.

"Take 'em in," he told Martin. "They're yours."

Before walking away, he told Martin one last thing.

"I love you."

"I love you too, coach," Martin said.

As the team came out of the locker room, the chaplain handed Martin two teeth-marked folders full of game plan notes. Howard had handed them off right before getting into an ambulance.

Martin put on his headset and did what Howard had taught him. The Golden Bears had just forced Attalla to punt when the news crackled into Martins' ear.

"He coded."

A minute later, it was official.

"He's gone."

Martin took a few steps back and crouched down.

"I felt nothing. My whole sense of being just left me," he said. "My mentor, my boss, my best friend, the guy I leaned on for everything. He was gone."

Martin couldn't let that show. He remembered one of Howard's lessons.

"Lincoln football was here before me, and it will be here after me," he would say. "We're not the program. We're just a small piece of it."

Nobody in Talladega County would completely agree with that. The per-capita income is only $22,357, but Howard had begged, cajoled and fund-raised Lincoln High into a 21st century showcase.

He did not stop until the Golden Bears had an indoor practice facility. There were new baseball and softball parks. The past three years he'd rebuilt Lincoln Memorial Stadium.

Some nights Howard would turn on the lights and go to the top of the bleachers, just to gaze at the project. The finishing touch was field turf installed over the summer.

"He could get people to do stuff you couldn't imagine," Martin said.

In five years as head coach, Howard never had an assistant leave Lincoln. And they sure didn't stay for the money."He was your best friend, a role model, a counselor. Every school has those people, but he was all that wrapped into one."
-- Chad Martin

"He was your best friend, a role model, a counselor," Martin said. "Every school has those people, but he was all that wrapped into one."

By the middle of the second half, the news was spreading through the crowd. The team had not been told its coach had gone to the hospital, but with four minutes left in the game the players knew.

Martin didn't have to tell them to do anything. They simply remembered how Howard lived.

"They finished the game," Martin said.

They won 26-7, then everyone cried.

Howard is survived by his wife, Lisa, his 12-year-old daughter, Lindsey, 27-year-old stepson Matt Geier and who knows how many people he influenced along the way.

"There is a hole in the Lincoln community," said Terry Roller, the school's principal.

He's asked coaches and players from all over the county to attend Tuesday's memorial. They'll show up in their jerseys at Lincoln Memorial Field.

Make that Keith Howard Field.

They've already decided to rename it. The first game will be Thursday night.

"The thing that breaks my heart most is this was his vision," Martin said. "All the work he put in, and he didn't get to see it."

He paused, and I could tell he was trying not to let me hear him cry on the other end of the phone. All I knew was to say the obvious.

"I'm sure he'll still be there."

"I'm sure he will," Martin said.

Outside of Lincoln, Ala., nobody may notice. College football starts Thursday night, and there's always Matt Cassel's knee to worry about and Roger Federer's winning streak.

Those are the big stories, but they really just come and go.

It's the small ones like Keith Howard that really live on.

Least Favorite Pro Sports Player 8: Brett Favre

Wow. This one hurts. I think I should have titled this "Former all time favorite players, now most hated players". It came out today that, pending a physical, Brett Favre will sign with the Minnesota Vikings. I'm sure Nate Rischall is peeing his pants with joy right now. As for me, I couldn't be more disgusted. When the Browns moved to Baltimore (Al Yedei Art Modell, yemach shemo), that was when I really started to develop a love for sports. Without a football team, I followed one player: Brett Favre. He was my favorite player up until his stint with the Jets last season. Now, whenever I hear his name I feel gross. Can he still play? Sure he can, but that's not the issue at hand. He's a flip-flopper, the NFL's John Kerry (a MUCH worse version). This is nothing we haven't seen before, since he's "retired" like what, 8 or 9 times? He's eclipsed "the boy who cried wolf" status, into uncharted waters of lying/mind-changing. Brett Favre is dead to me, and this may be a bit brash, but I hope that Green Bay does not retire his number, and that he ultimately isn't inducted into the Hall of Fame. As far as I'm concerned, there is no room for people like him in Canton. Thanks a lot Brett, for ruining my childhood. I hope John David Booty doesn't give up his number, which would probably get him released. So in place of that, I hope Sage Roselfels and Tavaris Jackson beat him down in the parking lot.

Cheers and Jeers

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. I am proud to present to you some good, Kol Ramah-esque "Cheers and Jeers". Here you go:

-Cheers to: My brand new Cliff Lee jersey.

-Jeers to: Not getting a chance to wear it before we tossed him to Philadelphia.

-Cheers to: The only player with MLB experience in the 4 trade deadline week deals that the Indians made, for playing well tonight in his debut with the Tribe.

-Jeers to: It NOT being Clay Buchholtz.

-Cheers to: The Indians recently having a 5 game winning streak.

-Jeers to: Blowing it.

-Cheers to: Seth Shapiro, one of my best friends since kindergarten.

-Jeers to: Mark Shapiro, the WORST general manager that the Cleveland Indians have ever employed.

-Cheers to: Cliff Lee pitching well in his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.

-Jeers to: Mark Shapiro settling for mediocre prospects, and not insisting on the top quality farm guys that Richardi and the Blue Jays were insisting on having to package a deal for Roy Halladay.

*****-Additional Jeers for throwing in Ben Francisco to the Cliff Lee deal, as if losing our ace (and reigning AL Cy Young winner) for the 2nd straight year was enough.

-Cheers to: Tomo Ohka for actually showing some decent pitching last night.

-Jeers to: One again, the Cleveland Indians for actually having Ohka on the roster.

-Cheers to: The hot streak that Jhonny Peralta has been on recently.

-Jeers to: The Indians for not trading Peralta after the 2007 season.

*****-Additional Jeers for the fact that he hasn't changed the spelling of his name ever since his parents made the spelling mistake at birth.

-Cheers to: Jake Westbrook being back in action for the Tribe in late June...

-Jeers to: That not actually happening...

-Cheers to: Andy Marte, Chris Gimenez, Trevor Crowe, and Wyatt Toregas getting some big league playing time.

-Jeers to: Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook, and Kerry Wood getting WAY to much money for not enough (or in one case ANY) production.

-Cheers to: Victor Martinez bobble head night and chest protector backpack giveaways.

-Jeers to: Those two promotional giveaways STILL occurring AFTER we traded him to the BoSox. Fail.

-Cheers to: The Indians for FINALLY bringing up Andy Marte from AAA Columbus, after hitting 43 extra base hits, including blasting 18HRs, and hitting .327.

-Jeers to: Trading away Ryan Garko for a Class-A pitcher

*****-Additional Jeers to Eric Wedge for splitting his time between 1st and 3rd, when he's clearly better at 3rd than anyone we have, including Peralta who plays 3rd, but shouldn't.

Least Favorite Pro Sports Player 7: Anderson Varejao

I was perusing around ESPN.com today, and something happened to catch my eye. It was this. Honestly, not only am i not surprised, I could care less. This may seem like a bit of a shock to some of you, but Anderson has been on my short list for quite some time now. It all started a few years back when he and recently traded Sasha Pavlovic (who I like) were contract hold-outs after the Cavs reached and were subsequently swept in the NBA Finals in 2007. Back then, Wild Thing thought that he was all that AND a bag of chips, but he wasn't. He then decided to test the market as a restricted free agent. December came around, we matched an offer sheet and he got a deal which turned out to be less that what we had originally offered him. Super. Anyway, he opted out of his contract today, searching for greener pastures (or pockets) from what will probably be a a team circling the drain of the draft lottery. I'm sorry but if he wants a big time deal, he should put up big time numbers. Every so often this season, he'd have a good game, and every game he had maybe one good turn around backwards layup. But that's it. Frankly, I hope he's on a different team next season, unless we can keep him for the same amount he'd be making this year anyway. But I just don't understand how you can give someone a Wally Szczerbiak type contract for, well, Wally Szczerbiak type play. Varejao averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game this season. During the playoffs this year, I would joke around and refer to Chicago's Joakim Noah as a "Poor Man's" Anderson Varejao. But when you crunch the numbers, at a third of the salary of Varejao, Noah averaged 7 points and 8 rebounds in just over 24 minutes per game. No joke there.

The Hands Down Best One Second of My Life

Wow. Make some room MJ- you've got company. We'll put the fact that the Cavaliers blew an early lead for the second game in a row (23 points this time), and we can even count out a rare poor shooting night from Mo Williams. If you're a hater, you're definitely not happy. Admit it- James is that good. In case you want to see the play again, or if for some reason you've been living in a cave for the past 2 days, maybe with Osama Bin Laden, here's a sweet link. Those NBA commercials ask where amazing will happen for you. I found the answer David Stern: May 22nd, 2009, Quicken Loans Arena: Cleveland, OH.

WTF?!?!: The Cleveland Browns vs. Josh Cribbs

I don't know what the hell is going on inside the heads of Randy Lerner, George Kokinis, or Eric Mangini, but I'm not sure I like it. After begging and pleading for a new contract, feeling he deserves more money, Josh Cribbs wants out of Cleveland. WTF BROWNS?!!?! This is Josh Cribbs--in my mind, one of the only good players on the team. Apparently, he wants something like a 4 year/ $40 Mil. deal, with $15 Million guaranteed. That's a steep price, and I think it's a ridiculous request. But instead of working a deal out, what does the front office do? Nothing. They don't try to bargain with Cribbs. Nothing. He's set to make $645,000 this year. Come on Cleveland. Give this Dawg a bone. I don't know where we can scrounge up some extra cash for him, but I've got ideas (starting with maybe getting rid of half the Jets' team that we now have on our roster). But honestly, this is ridiculous. Without Joshua Cribbs, the Browns will suck even more, and we don't have very far to fall to get there. 

WTF?!?!: Bobby Jenks

So I read on ESPN.com that Bobby Jenks, after admitting that he intentionally threw behind Ian Kinsler on Saturday, has been fined. Jenks spilled to the Trib, (when asked if the pitch was an accident) "No, I meant to. To send a message. Basically I was saying, 'I'm sick of seeing our guys get hit and hurt and almost get taken out of the game.' I threw it with intention." So what is the fine for this stupid move? No, not a suspension. But rather a hefty fine...of $750. WTF?!?! Really Major League Baseball? That's all you're fining Jenks after he straight up said, "Yeah, I meant to pitch that there, to you know, send a message?" Plenty of pitchers will throw the ball a little too inside or behind a batter to retaliate against something that the other pitcher did in the last inning. But nobody has been stupid enough to admit it until now. So the MLB wants to show that admitting this is wrong, and you shouldn't throw behind a batter to retaliate, and you fine him $750?? Homeboy is pulling down a phat $5.6 Million this season. You really think you're sending a message by fining him that miniscule amount of money? You cant even by a 42-inch plasma screen TV for that! Major League Baseball continues to amaze me. JC Romero gets fined 60 games after he came up positive for a banned substance in a supplement he bought at GNC, Manny Ramirez get slapped with a 50 game fine for elevated testosterone levels, and Jenks gets a BS fine of $750? You've got to be kidding me...

Least Favorite Pro Sports Player 6: Joey Crawford

Yeah, I know he's not a player, but dammit do I hate him. I mean come on Joey Crawford. Aside from being one of the worst officiators that the game has ever seen and being consistently bad, he'll dish out T's like John Stockton could dish out assists. It's funny. I feel almost certain that, even though LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, D-Wade, CP3, Chris Bosh (insert any other basketball player EVER to play in any league) is doing all the scoring, Joey Crawford thinks that people are paying x amount of money to watch him officiate. I'm sorry: LeBron James may put asses in the seats in ANY arena from Cleveland to Kathmandu, and when people see a picture of Joey Crawford, most of them either laugh or say nothing because they don't know of his ridiculous ways. From the way he winds up for offensive foul calls and travelling calls, to being overly dramatic on the oh-so-frequent technical fouls that he serves up. I mean come on! This is the guy who slapped two techs on Tim Duncan while he was laughing on the bench. HE SENT HIM TO THE SHOWERS!!! If he reacted like that every time the Cavaliers went nuts on the bench, you'd see a Cavaliers starting line-up looking something like Jawad Williams and Trey Johnson, (and we'd probably have to scour the planet to find Dajuan Wagner or Vitaly Potapenko), and Robert "Tractor" Traylor, because everyone on the Cavs' roster would be suspended for 50 games. Seriously Jo-Jo: nobody cares about you. Let the men play! Get off your knees, and stop blowing the game. 

NBA Playoff Roundup Thus Far

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but let's get down to business. The NBA Playoffs are here and it's cause for celebration. The Cavs destroyed the Pistons, and now look to send Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks packing, which they will do in 5 or 6 games (maybe 4??). Mike Brown cleared the bench in the first game, giving Sasha Pavlovic, Darnell Jackson, and Tarence Kinsey playing time. I keep forgetting that Pavlovic isn't bad. I mean, he used to start for us. I feel bad that Szczerbiak gets more playing time than him, and I wonder if we're even going to keep him once his contract expires. The Cavs look to take a 2-0 lead on the Hawks tonight. And now for more exciting basketball: The Boston Celtics looked like crap against the Chicago Bulls, who still should've won the series. The C's got lucky that one of the league's best 3-point shooting teams, the Orlando Magic, let Eddie House make it rain all night long, dropping 31 points. Damn, I hate the Celtics. But anyway. I'm not sure who I want to win in that series. I don't like the Celtics, but I feel like a Cavs vs. Celtics series would be more exciting that a Cavs vs. Magic one. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out. Then we have the Lakers and Rockets. The Rockets stole the first game at the Staples Center, but Kobe would hear nothing of a Rockets 2-0 lead. The biggest Laker fan in the world right now is Tracy McGrady. In his career, he has never gotten his team out of the first round of the playoffs. And the season that he is injured, what do you know? They might actually make it to the Western Conference Finals or even the NBA Finals. Would he pull a Willis Reed (or a Kevin Garnett)? I don't think so... But I really want the Rockets to win, so the Cavs can destroy them in the Finals, if they can beat Denver. Speaking of Denver, I think Dallas should just forfeit the next two games. There is no way that Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony will settle for a loss. They are unstoppable, and I honestly think that they'll get the brooms out on the Mavs. Sorry Mark Cuban. 

WTF?!?! 3: Texas Tech Football Coach Mike Leach

ESPN.com reported here that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was not too happy with the Cleveland Browns. Leach blames the Mangenius for WR Michael Crabtree falling to number 10 in the NFL Draft this past weekend. He claims that Mangini found flaws in Crabtree's character and that's why we didn't draft him with the 5th pick. Whatever man. We didn't make any promises about taking people. Why doesn't leach get angry at the Oakland Raiders? After all, they not only were looking for a wide out, they took one- Darrius Heyward-Bey...WHILE Percy Harvin, Jeremy Maclin, AND Michael Crabtree were still on the board. Do you have beef with THEM Mike Leach? Don't get me wrong: Crabtree is an excellent player, and he might just become the next Jerry Rice for the Niners, but the Mangini and Kokinis decided to not pick him. It's not like the picked a different player at the #5 spot-they traded it to the Jets. And then traded down again and again and again. So I'm sorry that Mangini called him a diva, maybe he overreacted. But he didn't blacklist Crabtree, he was still taken in the top 10. Don't you have better things to do with your time Mike Leach, like I don't know, maybe trying to get back to the number one spot in the Big 12 WITHOUT your stars (undrafted) Graham Harrell and (apparent diva) Michael Crabtree? I think so...

The Browns and Draft Day

What will be of the Cleveland Browns come draft day? Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, almost certain of who each team will pick, have yet to be able to put their fingers on who the Browns will ultimately select. One second it's B.J. Raji from Boston College. Five seconds later, it's Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree, Texas' Brian Orakpo, or even USC's Mark Sanchez. Enough already. In Willie's World, this is what the Browns should do:

-Trade Braylon Edwards: "Ball-Dropping" Braylon Edwards is just awful. I'm sorry. When the Browns showed some signs of greatness in 2007, he scored 17 touchdowns. The former Wolverine's total career amount of touchdowns equals 28. He did nothing for us last season, with the exception of drop passes. Any what do you know? TEAMS WANT HIM! Good riddance to bad rubbish. Send him to the Giants, who are looking for a replacement that won't shoot himself like a dumbass, and get a first round pick out of it. Don't be greedy and ask for another player like Mathias Kiwanuka, who Giants GM Jerry Reese said would be a "dealbreaker". Even though ESPN's draft gurus have us taking Crabtree in the draft, there are plenty of quality wide-outs still on the market. With the Giants' pick, you could eventually take UNC's Hakeem Nicks. If they want to trade the pick, what about free agent WR Marvin Harrison or gun toting Plaxico Burress? What about trade demanding Chad Ocho Cinco in Cincy or Arizona's Anquan Boldin? COME ON ALREADY!

-Make Brady Quinn the starting QB: This team needs to start over, and Brady Quinn should be the one taking the snaps for the Browns this year. After getting nowhere with Derek Anderson last season, it's time for a change. We didn't trade our pick for the following year to steal Brady Quinn at 22, and let his talent sit on the bench. Which brings me to:

-Trade Derek Anderson: This a move that should have been done by last year's front office, which might be why they are no longer on the Browns' payroll. Anderson had a pro-bowl season in 2007, and for lack of a better term, sucked a big one last year. Get him outta here. Seriously. If the Seahawks were willing to take Charlie Frye off our hands after he ruined the first game of the season for us in exchange for a later round pick, Anderson should at least be able to get us a 2nd or a 3rd rounder, right?

Here is how I think the Browns' draft should look, assuming none of the above actually takes place):

Pick 1 (1st round, 5th pick): Texas DE Brian Orakpo

Pick 2 (2nd round, 36th pick): Ohio State ILB James Laurinaitis)

Pick 3 (2nd round, 50th pick): Pittsburgh RB LeSean McCoy

Pick 4 (4th round, 104th pick): LSU  DT Ricky Jean-Francois (ESPN has him going late in the third round, but I think he'll drop)

Pick 5 (6th round, 177th pick): Ohio State OT Alex Boone

This is how the front office should do things this year---according to me. And that's the bottom line-because stone cold said so...Go Brownies!