Marbury Suits Up for C's

How long has it been since Stephon Marbury played in a game?

13 months to be exact, but it was a rhetorical question.

That's a really long gap. Unless your name is Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert hasn't played in probably two seasons. Arenas has a legitimate excuse however. He is actually injured. Starbury was just being a punk.

After all the hoopla of the Boston Celtics signed the man who was an outcast in New York, He suited up in Celtics green and white. Unfortunately for him, he was wearing #8. I say unfortunately because he has his trademark #3 tattooed on the side of his head.

Marbury played just under 13 minutes Friday night against a banged-up Indiana Pacers squad. Stars Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy were both on the shelf. Starbury had 8 points to go with 2 assists. The Celtics won 104-99 in front of the home crowd, that was welcoming toward Marbury. Welcome back to the show #8.

On a side note, the Celtics also picked up F/C Mikki Moore off of waivers from the Sacramento Kings.

The Shark Gets "Sensitive"

Greg Norman or "The Shark," for those of you who like to call him that, came out and made some interesting comments about pro golfers possibly being awarded too much money, given the status on the economy in America.

He suggests that the cash payouts in the PGA Tour should be lowered in sensitivity to the economic climate.

Norman is a man who is worth plenty of money and shouldn't worry about what the economy has to do with the PGA Tour. Obviously, I feel like certain pro athletes may take for granted the kind of life they have. But, most of them work hard. I mean, who am I to say that Tiger Woods doesn't deserve every penny he makes. Tiger is the best golfer of all time. All I am saying is, what about the guy who is typically at or near the bottom of all the tournaments he enters and needs every cent he gets to feed his family. Should he get a pay cut? I hardly think so.

-Mitch
Boom's Business

Brewers Set to Embark on '09

The Milwaukee Brewers have their inaugural Cactus League spring training contest of '09, tomorrow against Matt Holliday and the new-look Oakland A's. I couldn't be more excited!


As most see it, it is a useless game to begin spring training. I see it as the first Brewers game for the season. I think these games do show a little bit of what the team might look like for the regular season. If you lose a bunch of spring training games, you might have some work to do. It's not like the NFL where the team that leaves their first stringers in longest win. In MLB, the starters play most of the game in order to get that repitition they need.


Here's what they will look like if the regular season was beginning tomorrow, in my opinion:
1. Rickie Weeks (2B)- I think Rickie will have a good year. Not exactly Jeff Kent in his prime, but a good year nonetheless. He needs to step up and prove himself, or we need to part ways with him.

2. J.J. Hardy (SS)- J.J. actually had a pretty good season offensively for a Shortstop. He will have to continue to do that for us. Typically, he gets off to a hot start in April and May, then disappears later in the year. We need him to remain consistent throughout the season or he could find himself down in the lineup.

3. Ryan Braun (LF)- The "Hebrew Hammer" as he is so affectionately called in these parts is probably the best overall player on the Brewers. He hits for average and power. He didn't commit a single error in LF last season, his first of the like in his career or life. I don't think there is anyway Braun should fall out of the three spot in the lineup.

4. Prince Fielder (1B)- An allegedly slim and trim Prince (according to Charlie) enters camp after signing a new 2-year deal worth $18 million. He has been ridiculed a lot lately, mainly for not having as a good of a year last year, as he did the year before. Prince still had a fairly solid year statistically and he was hot down the stretch, just about the only one too. Prince "has the range of a truck with no gas in it" over at first, but he has the bat to hit cleanup.

5. Corey Hart (RF)- I've said it before, but Corey really let me down in September last year. He looked like a 12 year old out there. He was flailing at the down and away slider and striking out all the time. It sucked because he has been the most consistent over the last few seasons and teams found a flaw in Corey's swing. In the field, he is one of the better. He has a great arm and is the fastest guy on the team.

6. Bill Hall/Mike Lamb (3B)- I can't see Billy Hall being the full-time man at the hot corner. He wouldn't be able to hit the ball off of the tee if it were right-handed, and he has gotten hurt already this spring before he even had to report. He must have gotten off the couch and strained his groin. Mike Lamb made his push to become a Brewer for a while, down the stretch last year. He was one of the few that could hit. I'm gonna have to say that Billy is probably better defensively, but there will still be a platoon to start '09. Both of them need to keep Mat Gamel in the backs of their heads.

7. Mike Cameron (CF)- Cameron seemed to have a knack of costing us more games last year than maintaining games with his glove. Yet, I can't deny that he is one of the better center-fielder's in the game. He has the hardware to prove it. As for the hitting, well, he could be better. I think he was hot for one four-game stretch last year, and it came around Memorial Day if I remember right. Help me out on that one.

8. Jason Kendall (C)- I think Kendall had a pretty big impact on the pitching this past year. He didn't have a big impact on much else. He wasn't worth a you know what hitting, and he wouldn't let Mike Rivera get a chance. Rivera can hit better and play solid defense, but Kendall's the man.

Bench:
Craig Counsell (IF)- I can't see any reason why he wouldn't be on the 25-man roster. He was there last year and is a pretty solid player in my opinion. If someone in the infield should go down, Alcides Escobar is on speed dial.

Mike Rivera (C)- The aforementioned Mike Rivera is probably the best hitting catcher the Brewers have had in my lifespan. He could easily succeed in place of Jason Kendall. Look for Angel Salome to come up from the minors in case of injury.

Tony Gwynn Jr. (OF)- Many people believe that he should be the starter, and for good reason. He can make good contact and he can run with the best of 'em. He plays well in the field as well.

Scott Thorman (1B/OF)- The Crew picked Thorman up as a harmless signing. However, Thorman has some pop in his bat and could become a decent backup, if he makes the team. This spot could be filled by Brad Nelson or Mat Gamel when she's all said and done.

The Starting Rotation has come to look like this if the season began tomorrow:

1. Dave Bush- Macha has already come out and said that Yovani Gallardo won't be his opening day starter. He "doesn't want to put that kind of pressure on a kid who isn't even 23 years old" even though Jason Kendall thinks he can win a Cy Young some day. Enough about Gallardo. Dave Bush was the best pitcher, not named CC Sabathia, down the stretch last year. For now, he's my best guess at the Opening Day starter. It could be anyone at this point though.

2. Yovani Gallardo- Yovani has much potential as any other pitcher in the league. He has struggled through injuries a little in his young career. When healthy, he is very dominant. I've already forgotten that CC was even in Milwaukee because of Yovani. He will assume the ace role by the All-Star break.

3. Manny Parra- After the start that Parra had last year, I thought he would win 2o games. Low and behold, he came to a screeching halt in the middle of last year. He ended up winning only 10 after starting 9-2. I think Manny can turn it around. I'm sure he feels that he has something to prove. Not to mention he is the only lefty in the rotation. Plus, he can swing the bat.

4. Jeff Suppan- I like Jeff Suppan. I'm normally reluctant to admit that because of the monthly outing where he gets absolutely shelled. Overall, he's a solid veteran pitcher. He's not anymore than a 3 or 4 starter on any club (unless it's the Royals or Nationals). Sup's good for 12-15 wins this year.

5. Braden Looper- I like the Braden Looper addition. Doug Melvin had to get somebody to fill the void, and he did so late in the free agency period. Looper can provide us a good arm to shore up the rear end of our rotation. He could possibly climb up the rotation as the season goes on.

Here's what the 'pen should look like:

Carlos Villanueva- Villy is a good pitcher no matter where we have him. Starter or bullpen he's is reliable, and I love the kid. He'll hopefully be in the 'pen for the year but, if need be, he can step in the rotation.

Seth McClung- Seth "Big Red" McClung is one of my personal favorites among the Brewers. He can really bring it, and he can be a reliable reliever in '09. Same goes for him along with Villy, he could step in the rotation for some spot starts.

Mitch Stetter- Stetter has had some control issues, but he's pretty good. He should be the Lefty specialist for the '09 campaign, a title held by Mr. Brian Shouse for the past few years. Stetter may have some big shoes to fill there. I'd like to see what happens with him.

Jorge Julio- A new acquisition this year for the Brewers. He has some experience has a Major League closer, but Hoffman will have that duty. Look for Jorge to hold down middle relief this year.

Todd Coffey- The Brewers re-signed Coffey right out of the gate this offseason. They must really like him. I don't think he's too bad, let's hope he's better than that. We're gonna need him to be consistent.

Eric Gagne- Gag me is going to be in the 'pen this season, it's inevitable. Most likely as the set-up man. They re-signed him to a minor league deal, so I'm alright with it, for now. Let's face it, could it have gotten worse than Guillotine Guillermo Mota?

Trevor Hoffman- The savior to a weak bullpen right? Part of me says yes. He's proven that he can do it for a long time in this steroid ridden era, but he's not getting any younger and he's lost a bit on his fastball. However, it is his changeup, not his fastball that got him where he is today.


The Brewers have high expectations for themselves going into this season. I do too. I think they can be a contender once again. They will be able to put a ton of runs on the board. They return everyone in their lineup from a year ago. The loss of CC will hurt of course, but they should have enough. For Ben Sheets, see ya later little fella. Nice career. Melvin and the boys brought in Ken Macha to manage the team, and he's a winner.

The Cubs can add all the free agents money can buy, but remember this... The Brewers have won more games over the last four years than the Chubs, including more playoff victories. 1-0.

Finally, my call on how many games the Milwaukee Brewers will win in '09. Oh boy, I'm gonna say 85. With a wild card repeat. This is pretty bold, but that's how I am. I'm gonna take the easy road and say the Fubs will win the Central again. They have so much compared to everyone else.

-Mitch
Boom's Business

Offseason Gets Off To a REALLY Good Start

The Raiders have done something that no one expected them to do.

They have had the offseason get off on the right foot for once.

It all started when they re-signed CB Chris Johnson (the better Chris Johnson) to a four-year deal last week. Then they were able to retain P Shane Lechler, one of the better punter's of all time, and he got what he earned. A record deal for a punter. He got a 3 year $12 million deal. And now today the Raiders locked up Pro Bowl Corner Nnamdi Asomugha to a 3 year- $45.3 million deal, another hefty contract for a guy who is currently the best at his position, in my opinion.

Other Offseason notes:

QB JaMarcus Russell and RB Darren McFadden both underwent successful minor operations. JaMarcus' was for some bone chips in his ankle. D-Dawg's was for a minor shoulder operation.

The team cut ties with WR Ronald Curry after several years of being with the Raiders. This with free up some cap room to go after other potential WR options. Speaking of other options, there is the possibility of Jerry Porter coming back to re-join the team that drafted him. I say, no way, Jose. He's a head case.

The Raiders claimed former Buccaneers QB Bruce Gradkowski off waivers. Presumably to be a backup to JaMarcus, I like this move.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Javon Walker. He didn't do a single thing last year and he has quite a bit to prove and to live up to.

-Mitch

Boom's Business

Bucks All-Star Break Update

The Bucks go into the All-Star break with a 26-29 record. Not too bad, considering they won 26 games all of last season and they've been playing a lot of games without their entire normal starting five. Redd's out for the year. Ridnour is going to miss a month. And Bogut is out for 2 months with a bad back.

The Bucks are only three games behind Detroit for second place in the Central division, obviously I doubt that they can catch Cleveland.

Charlie V has really done a nice job since Scotty Skiles inserted him into the starting lineup. In the last 13 games, Charlie is averaging 22.9 ppg and 8.1 rebounds a game. That's pretty nice. Ramon Sessions has stepped in and stepped up. He had a 44 point performance last Saturday in an OT loss to Detroit. He had 15 points and 17 assists on Wednesday against Indiana, a winning effort.

There have been talks of the Bucks making a trade, a big trade to shakeup the team. It is probably going to involve the aforementioned guys. Sessions and Villanueva are both going to be restricted free agents after the season and the Bucks can't afford to keep both of them. Let's just hope that John Hammond can get something good in return. He did acquire Keith Bogans from the Orland Magic in exchange for Tyronn Lue. This was a good trade. The Magic get some needed depth at PG after the Jameer Nelson injury and the Bucks get someone to fill the Michael Redd void. Bogans is a good defender and he can shoot a little.

I think the Bucks are going to be in good shape in the second half. They have three division games right off the bat. If they can go to Detroit and win, that would be huge. I look for the Bucks to get into the playoffs. I know, that's a far cry from what I thought they would do, but Skiles has them playing D and that is what has gotten them here.

-Mitch

Boom's Business

Crew Signs Looper; Bolsters Pitching Staff

It's being reported that the Milwaukee Brewers have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Braden Looper.

Looper has spent the last two seasons with division rival St. Louis, in their starting rotation. This is a pretty important move for the Brewers who looked like they were going to have a few questions about their rotation going into next season.

This signing could mean that McClung and/or Carlos Villanueva can stay in the bullpen, and provide us some consistency there.

Here's what our rotation could look like now:

1. Yovani Gallardo

2. Manny Parra

3. Braden Looper

4. Dave Bush

5. Jeff Suppan

I like the look of that rotation. The only thing I have against it is that there could be another lefty in there. After the Hoffman signing, and having Villa and Big Red in the 'pen we can have a decent group of relievers.

-Mitch

Duke v. UNC: The Rivalry

UNC is set to travel 8 miles up the road to Durham, NC and clash with the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor, a historically nasty place to play from the standpoint of opposing teams.


This is typically the best game of the College Basketball regular season. Both of the teams are almost always ranked amongst the top 10 teams in the nation. Duke is still probably recovering from their 74-47 blowout loss at Clemson last Wednesday. UNC is on fire once again after losing their first two ACC games. This is the best rivalry in college sports, in my opinion.

That being said, I need to make a call on the game itself. I think I'm gonna have to go with Duke. I think Duke as the home-court advantage and a stifling defense. Duke still might need 70 to win this one. Duke 76-71.

I Have To Say Something

I just have to make a few quick comments about this.


Miami has to be the worst sports city in the United States of America. Miami gets the privelege of having a team representing them in all four major sports. In MLB, there are the Florida Marlins. In the NFL, there are the Miami Dolphins. In the NHL, there are the Florida Panthers. And in the NBA, there is the Miami Heat.

Outside of the Miami Dolphins, these teams weren't terribly great over the past year. Even then, the Dolphins were coming off of a 1-15 season no more than a year ago. I am not talking about the teams themselves, but the fans. I leave their loyalty to Miami sports in serious question. I guess I can understand that there are other things to do in that particular part of the country, like hit the beach and work on your tan but my gosh...

I sit there and watch the Marlins when the Brewers are in town, it sounds like a freakin' minor league game. You can almost hear player chatter because there are 34 Cuban immigrants in the stands. The Marlins aren't that far removed from a World Series title, actually they've won two in their 15 year existence. Compare that to Milwaukee, which I consider to be a good sports city, the Brewers hadn't even had a winning season from 1992 to 2007 and they were selling the place out in mid-summer. They couldn't give away tickets to a Marlins game.

Then you have the Florida Panthers, and let's be honest, the NHL has been a sinking ship in America for a while. Especially since the lockout year, when they cancelled the entire season. I like how Miami, FL gets a professional hockey team and nowhere in Wisconsin is there a pro hockey team. Miami is probably the last city in the U.S. to call home to a pro hockey team, and since they aren't the best in their sport, they aren't going to have any attendance in return.

Last and certainly least, I present the Miami Heat. The Heat have one good year with Shaq and D-Wade and the place looks like how it looks in Cleveland with LeBron. The Heat went on to win an NBA Finals title. That was only like 3 years ago, but some things never cease to amaze. All it takes in Miami is one subpar season and you've lost all your fans. Granted, the Heat were the dogshit team of the decade last year, but that's beside the point.

I hope that it is clear that I feel very strongly here. Miami gets championships left, right, and center, and they don't show any love to their teams. Here in Wisconsin, we haven't even smelled a championship since 1997 when the Pack brought home the Lombardi Trophy.

I strongly believe that Miami is a garbage sports city.

-Mitch
Boom's Business

Cable's The Guy

It is being reported that Undead Al has "officially" decided on removing the "interim" tag from in front of Tom Cable's name. Making him the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for the 2009 season.

I am pretty happy with this decision. As I have said before, he brings continuity to the team. Many of players have come out and said that they wanted Cable back, including JaMarcus Russell. Cable may have made a couple of bone-headed play calls, most notably, at home against KC when he decided to pull out the ole' fake field goal, and KC ended up getting six points for themselves out of it.

The reason he was probably the right man is that he actually wanted the Raiders job. That's a project in itself. It's a known fact that, for Cable, the Raiders are his dream job.

There are also reports that Al has also decided upon his coordinators as well. Ted Tollner, the recently fired 49ers QB's coach, who has experience as an O coordinator, and is old as dirt. John Marshall is allegedly the guy for the vacant D coordinator spot. He has been the Seahawks defensive coordinator for the past three years. I like this one, but I'm not sure about the Tollner pick. We'll just have wait and see I guess.

At least we have our coach finally. Now we can shift out focus and attention to re-signing Lechler and Asomugha. We need both of them.

Super Bowl is Finally Here

After the long drawn-out wait, we finally have this glorious day in American culture. Super Bowl Sunday.

Today we have the opportunity to watch what is going to be a very entertaining game, and what are going to be very entertaining commercials. I can't wait for the new E-Trade baby commercials, they are going to be a hoot.

As far as the game is concerned, it's going to be a battle between the high-octane Arizona Cardinals offense featuring, arguably, the best WR in the game in Larry Fitzgerald. They will be trying to get some yardage against, arguably, one of the best defenses in NFL history in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I've been going against the Cardinals for the duration of this great playoff run. Who would have thunk that they would be here, not me. Having said that, I am going to continue to go against the Arizona Cardinals. I think Pittsburgh has their great defense, but they have a pretty potent offense themselves. I think this one might come down to the wire, and it had better after all this anticipation. Pittsburgh wins Super Bowl XLIII 27-24.