Two Risks That The Bears Should Be Willing To Take

Okay, okay, maybe the recent risk that the Cubs took on the North Side hasn't worked out so far. If I must spell it out for you, then I will: M-I-L-T-O-N. Of course, he still has awhile to turn things around and save Jim Hendry from looking like a complete moron. But the fact is, Bradley's explosive temper and high injury concerns flashed as bright as the Las Vegas strip when he was on the market, but the Cubs still opted for him.

Sometimes in sports, there are risks that you have to take. And they wouldn't be labeled as such if there wasn't a chance that they might not work out. Unfortunately, Bradley is on the negative side thus far. Now, I've got another risk that a different Chicago team should highly consider taking. The Bears should make a trade for Brandon Marshall or sign Plaxico Burress. I understand that you might be laughing because of the idiocy these two men have portrayed in recent months. But I figure, why not? Live a little. I mean, the Bears have historically been a team with extremely small cojones when it comes to pulling off bigtime transactions. However, if the Jay Cutler move is any indication of a change, then the Bears might as well keep the train rolling and pursue a playmaker for him to throw the ball to.

I realize that in a blog earlier in the summer, I wrote that the Bears current receiving core is serviceable. I still wholeheartedly believe that. But take the recent developments involving Marshall and Burress and mix them with what I heard on the radio today about what the Bears would have to give up in a trade, I'm feeling good about this risk. Today, I was listening to ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago and they were talking about trading for Marshall. The guys were saying that everybody they've talked to have said that the Bears would probably only have to give up Devin Hester and a 4th round draft pick. I nearly drove off the road! It could be early speculation, and I think that would be a little unrealistic. But let's just say Denver loved Hester that much for the sake of argument. It would be a no-brainer for the Bears.

Sure, Devin Hester has explosive talent, but ever since he started to focus on getting better as a receiver, his kick return skills didn't just diminish, they vanished completely! If the Bears wanted to wait around for awhile, I'm sure he could become an above average wideout, but when a guy like Brandon Marshall comes around, you've got to look long and hard at the situation. As good as Hester may get, he still has below average size and lacks versatility in route-running. Marshall has the prototypical NFL receiver mold and has a special connection on the field with newly-acquired Jay Cutler. Regarding Marshall's off-the-field incidents, he said that he was a changed man and wouldn't make any more mistakes (That is up to him of course, who knows if he actually means it). There is no doubt that he'd be a risk because from all accounts the guy is a complete nut-job. But the connection with Cutler and the meager assets the Bears would have to give up, I'd say that this risk is worth a very aggressive try.

The other possibility is of course Plaxico Burress. I could go on and on about how big of an idiot he is for shooting himself and then trying to cover it up by saying his name was "Harris Smith" at the hospital...but I'll leave it at that and move on. Besides that incident, Burress has for the most part been nothing more than a great receiver and a pretty loyal teammate. He hasn't continuously pulled a "TO" and left teams after a few years when he wanted a change, he was loyal to the Steelers and stuck with the Giants until...well you know.

While the Bears aren't swimming in money right now, they do have the funds to sign "Plax" to a deal if they wanted him bad enough. Both options (Burress and Marshall) are fairly viable and either player would make more of an impact on the Bears than they would on any other team in the league...hands down. Chicago had settled for a mediocre quarterback for a few decades until the Cutler acquisition. So all I'm saying, risk or not, why not end the period of settling for mediocre receivers too? It makes sense and the fact that Marshall already has a good relationship with Cutler is the icing on the cake.

Again, sometimes in sports you have to take risks. They might work, they might not, but the Bears could have never dreamed that Plaxico Burress would shoot himself and get released by the Giants or that Brandon Marshall would demand a trade this late in the game. When situations like these arise, a risk is the best option sometimes because you never know when it'll come around again. Take this as an example...The Patriots clearly thought Randy Moss was a risk because all they gave up was a 5th round draft choice. How'd that work out? Pretty damn well. So while you may sit there and nitpick by saying Moss is different, he's really not. That risk worked better than New England could have ever imagined, and the Bears could be next in line. But we aren't going to know unless the trigger gets pulled...and not by Plaxico.

Forget the Vikings, Please Stay on the Mississippi Homestead

A broken elbow. A broken forearm. A torn rotator cuff. A broken wrist. Some shattered fingers. Give me something that will end Brett Favre's career. First of all, let me preface this post by saying that wishing injury upon somebody is not usually my kind of thing, but in Brett Favre's case, it is the only thing left for me to turn to. As a newly christened sports media professional (unpaid like most right out of college), my job is to pay attention to sports, have opinions on them, and be able to express those opinions with verbal and written grace. So naturally, I watch a lot of ESPN. I read a lot of sports magazines and newspaper sections. And I love tuning into sports radio shows.

Normally, I don't get annoyed by the stuff I read or hear or see because I think most of it is pretty interesting, but every once in awhile, a sports story comes along that never seems to die off. And anyone who has been paying any ounce of attention to sports news in the last 2 or 3 years knows that Brett Favre can be put into the category of being "over-covered" by the media. My favorite example came from ESPN recently. Rachel Nichols, may I say one of the most over-worked reporters in sports, was stationed at Brett Favre's ranch, homestead, farm, plantation, whatever that hick likes to call it. With nothing more to really say about the situation between Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, Nichols actually said "You know John...we did see someone cutting the grass on a riding mower and thought it was Brett, but it was later confirmed by one of our guys that it wasn't him."

Ok...wait a second. When you start reporting on whether or not a dude is mowing his lawn, then you know you're over-covering him. Sure...Brett Favre was endearing and easy to pull for when he was in a Packers uniform. He was your blue-collar, tough, everyday guy that just so happened to pull off miracles on the field. But that doesn't mean that people are going to care about these little things later on down the road.


It all started with Favre's indecision during the end of his tenure in Green Bay. Was he going to retire? Was he going to play one more year? It was fine. Let the man decide what he wants to do. But then came the whole Ted Thompson situation where he wasn't sure if Favre was their main guy any more and he wanted to see what Aaron Rodgers could do. So long-story-short, Favre retires. Optimists said "Hallelujah!" Realists said "I wonder how many days it'll take him to come back?" Brett went to the Jets, threw a ton of interceptions as expected, and then his teammates started to turn on him. One emotional press conference later, he was "retired" again. But then Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings coach, had to get involved. The Vikings, who don't exactly have the greatest set of QBs right now, think that Favre might be able to help them. Now the speculation lies on Favre's newly-repaired shoulder and whether it will be good-to-go before the Vikings want to start moving forward with who they already have on their roster. So now we wait...


I'll tell you what...that was literally the shortest synopsis that I could give regarding the Favre saga. I'm sure I left some pieces out, but I started to sweat with anger writing about it, so I cut it short. Back to the media beating a dead horse (well i wish it was a dead horse, but apparently with Favre his "retirement speculation" horse is always alive) by covering Favre way too much. The thing I really hate about it is that you get your hopes up about it being over. The media might say "well the Vikings have set a deadline for Favre, so this thing could be finally over by the end of the week." But it never is...deadline...schmeadline....forget it. Or Favre will concentrate on killing and eating squirrels on his homestead in Mississippi for a few weeks, so nobody hears from him. The media start to think that he is actually retired...but NO!


My friends, there is only one solution. Brett Favre needs to somehow suffer a career-ending injury to his throwing arm, shoulder, wrist, hand, or fingers. I'm not being mean...as a matter of fact, I'd love for it to be something that he can fully recover from quickly, but that it some way prevents him from being competitive in the NFL again. I want the man to live a normal life from here on out. I think every NFL fan is so tired of his BS that they too just want him to stay home and relax. He deserves it. He was an NFL legend...one of the better quarterbacks to come along in decades. The ironic thing, though, is that he is the only person that doesn't realize that he'd continue to tarnish his reputation by trying to play another season. Keeping the media on their toes about all this is not helping people's opinion of him either. I'm not blaming the media necessarily, because I know it's their job to keep up with any developments. It is simply that Favre seems to enjoy screwing with them to the point that they have new stuff to talk about on a regular basis.


Brett Favre may not realize it, but there is no doubt that ending his career is in the best interest of himself and EVERYONE else in this world. Now i'm not wishing serious pain on the man nor am I hoping something really bad happens to him, but whatever transpires, I hope Favre decides that he is not suitable for the NFL anymore (maybe coaching, perhaps that will help ease the transition). When that day comes, the sports media people aren't going to know what to do with themselves. They could write about anything! Glorious! Glorious! Wait...let's not get ahead of ourselves, Brett may have a surprise planned.

Could Ryan Leaf's Life Be Any Worse?

If you've ever thought that you're life completely sucked, then just google "Ryan Leaf" and read about it him. There is no doubt that after reading about his trials and tribulations, you'll be able to take solace in the fact that there is someone out there who is much more miserable than you are. A little background information on Mr. Leaf...He was the star quarterback of Washington State University's football team, and actually voted as a Heisman Trophy Finalist for his accolades during the 1997-98 season. Leaf was then chosen 2nd overall by the San Diego Chargers (who traded up to get him haha) in the 1998 draft, just one pick after soon-to-be NFL legend Peyton Manning. To some, Leaf was regarded as being a better pro prospect than Manning at the time...oh dear lord, if the Chargers only knew what was about to ensue.

It only took 3 preseason games for the Chargers to see what Ryan Leaf was really going to end up being...a huge bust! Leaf somehow won his first 2 preseason games, but the third game saw him complete 1-of-15 passes for 4 yards and fumble the ball 3 times. The regular season wasn't much different; Leaf was benched 9 games into his rookie season after racking up a stat line of 2 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. After his benching, Leaf got suspended for engaging in a verbal altercation with his coach, he got suspended for playing flag football with his friends while he was supposed to be rehabilitating his injury, and he got into trouble because his coaches found out that he lied about his reason for skipping practice (he went to go play golf).

The guy did everything he could to look like a moron...and he passed with flying colors.

Okay, so being a highly touted NFL quarterback and completely embarrassing yourself and the organization is bad enough, right? Well, in all honesty, it was just the beginning for Leaf. He tried to make a comeback and had 3 short stints with the Cowboys, Bucs, and Seahawks...but they all failed miserably. At least the guy has a hot wife to go home to...think again. He married a hot San Diego Chargers cheerleader, but as fast as you can say "loser," they were divorced. Leaf then tried his luck at the coaching profession. A lot of times guys can have good coaching minds, but just can't put it all together in the pros. So Leaf said "Why Not? What do I have to lose?" Apparently just a tad more. Leaf scored an assistant quarterbacks coaching job at the "prestigious" West Texas A & M University. Didn't even know it existed until I heard he was there.

Leaf finally seemed to be coming to terms with his short NFL career that caused him to be labeled as "the biggest bust in NFL draft history." He was working with a quarterback at West Texas A&M, Keith Null, who was just a 6th round draft choice in the NFL. He was hired as the school's golf coach in 2007. But then came controversy. In late 2008, Leaf was put on indefinite leave from the school after asking one of his players for painkilllers. The incident started a chain reaction, and trouble would start to follow the former standout QB.

A few weeks ago, the problems started to mount for Leaf when he was indicted on burglary and controlled substance charges in Texas. He is connected to a Texas robbery that involved stealing high amounts of painkillers. To top it all off, Leaf, who was last seen in a drug rehab center in British Columbia, has failed to turn himself into authorities. Now, less than 10 years after being released by the Chargers, RYAN LEAF HAS A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST AND REMAINS AT LARGE. It's one thing if he decides to face the facts and serve some time, but this dude is now in the category of "running from the police."

I'm not about kicking people when they're down, but his story is so miserable that I thought writing a chronicle about it would be interesting. And if you haven't kept up with this "unfortunate" man, then perhaps this entry has provided you with some top-notch entertainment. In all seriousness, though, this situation goes to show you that there is heavy pressure associated with professional athletics. As much as Leaf says that he came to terms with his short career, I'm sure it was just eating away at him. Hence, some serious problems started to arise in his life.

So here's to Ryan Leaf getting out of jail eventually and winning the lottery! We know for damn sure that he is due for something along those lines.

Cubs Chose Bradley, Paying the Price Now

After the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS last year, it was time for Jim Hendry to start thinking about the offseason.  The Cubs, a team blessed with the finances and resources needed to draw in big-name players, had an opportunity to bolster their outfield.  The organization and Cubs fans alike all knew that acquiring a consistent left-handed batting outfielder was almost a necessity.  Jim Edmonds ended up being a somewhat formidable stand-in last season, but he was never going to be a long-term solution.  Upon his departure, we were left with two left handed batting outfielders: the reliable Kosuke Fukudome and the unproven Micah Hoffpauir.  Fukudome normally has an outstanding on-base percentage and a good knack for hitting, but he lacks the pop that the Cubs were looking for in the offseason.  And Hoffpauir, a good option for the future, hadn't yet gotten the experience needed to be counted on day in and day out.    

So then it was up to the Cubs General Manager, Jim Hendry.  Historically known for making decent offseason acquisitions, Hendry started to flirt with the market.  After the dust settled a bit, it was clear that the Cubs would at least have the opportunity to make strong pushes for Raul Ibanez, Bobby Abreu, and Milton Bradley.  All three of them, at least at the time, seemed very similar offensively.  Under normal circumstances, you can expect a good batting average, some decent power numbers, and a high amount of extra base hits from each of the players.

However, the 3 lefties available at the time did have a few differences that were easy to assess.

Bradley was the one that stood out here...injury prone, temperamental, and hard to please. Ibanez and Abreu are the opposite with consistency and patience as their MOs.  The point was that, as an organization, you know what you're going to get with Ibanez and Abreu.  With Bradley, it was a complete toss-up and acquiring him would be taking a huge risk. But Jim Hendry, after putting little emphasis on signing Ibanez or Abreu, chose Bradley as his target.  If he only knew that the very risks associated with signing Bradley were going to come to light immediately, he obviously would have made a different choice.  But those are the types of things that you have to think about as a GM.  Hendry let his guard down and it's blown up in his face so far.  

To put it in perspective, Milton Bradley is currently hitting just .213 with 5 homers and 14 RBIs. The worst part is that he's been out of the lineup wayyyy too much because of injuries and in one case a suspension.  He's missed 13 full games and he has had 10 games with one at-bat or less...so you can see that he's been the antithesis of an everyday player so far. The others?...Well, let's just say that they're doing quite well for themselves, especially Raul Ibanez.  Ibanez is 2nd in the majors with 20 HRs.  He's already knocked in 55 runs and his batting average is a gaudy .325.  Abreu's hitting numbers don't blow you away: .296 batting average, 2 HRs, 28 RBIs.  But he is a perfect 15-for-15 stealing bases and has an on-base percentage of nearly .400.  If you put either player's numbers in place of Bradley's, the Cubs may not be limping along like they are this year in the NL Central.

Now, my argument goes beyond the numbers...sure it would nice to have Ibanez smoking the ball on a daily basis or Abreu making things happen on the basepass.  But Milton Bradley has been a ticking time bomb in the early stages of the season...big surprise right?  He wasted no time getting his first suspension for throwing a fit and bumping an umpire.  As stated earlier, he has been injured quite a bit, mostly coming up limping after running a play out.  And finally, he certainly hasn't made any friends in the Chicago media, to put it lightly.  

So its pretty hard for me as a Cubs fan to sit back and say everything is going to work itself out when there is such a blatant contrast in production between the three guys that were on Chicago's offseason radar.  Although I had doubts initially about Bradley, I eventually got behind Hendry and became optimistic that Milton would finally settle down.  However, it pains me to see that my initial doubts were clearly correct.  Not to mention the fact that Jim Hendry decided to ship off perhaps the Cubs most consistent player from last year, Mark DeRosa.  But that story is for another day.  

If you compound Bradley's underachievement with Alfonso Soriano's knee issues and inconsistency at the plate, the Cubs outfield has been very disappointing.  It just goes to show you that you need players on your team that you can count on.  An elementary school kid could have looked at Bradley's track record and realized that it wasn't a good idea to scoop him up, especially for $30 Million!!  When you have Ramirez hurt and Fonso and Soto struggling, you need a consistent bat.  Ibanez and Abreu define consistency, but apparently Jim Hendry had a different plan....a plan that could end up costing the Cubs as the season moves forward.    

Big Papi on the verge of disappearing

David Ortiz is having an awfully tough time this year.  As a matter of fact, if he performs at the same terrible level that he has been at for the last few months, I think his career could be doomed.  We're talking about a guy that used to appear nearly impossible to get out at one point. Big Papi is tremendously strong and his huge body just engulfs the plate, which normally makes it very hard for a pitcher to keep it away from him.  But those things are only going to help you if you're seeing the ball well and making contact.  And in that regard, he's in a real rut.  This guy couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

Ortiz already has 55 strikeouts this year in just 51 games.  He had 74 total strikeouts all of last year in 109 games.  Big Papi is striking out at an alarming rate and it's not like he's making the most of it when he avoids the strikeout.  He's batting just .197 with 2 home runs.  Instead of being neck-and-neck in home run totals with the likes of Teixeira, Pujols, or Howard, he's simply trying to smack more out of the ballpark than smurfs like David Eckstein and Scott Podsednik.  The point is that Ortiz's numbers are awful on paper and actually watching him up at the plate is even more brutal.  

The reality of his season is pretty cut-and-dry:  he's doing poorly.  But there's a secondary issue that annoys me; it can't be helping Ortiz's situation either.  The Red Sox, the fans, and the media seem to consistently make a point of coming up with new excuses for Ortiz's struggles. Really, the answer is simple...the guy is rapidly declining.  I've heard it all this year about why Big Papi is struggling...injuries, pitching matchups, spot in the order, sleeping issues, pressure, mechanics, and hot off the press today...dry eyes.  The excuses were plausible for awhile, but now its getting a little ridiculous. 

I understand that you don't expect a star to decline this drastically in a fairly short period of time, but there have been clear signs for over a year now that his dominance is quickly finding its way to the nearest exit.  So stop trying to dig up more reasons for Big Papi's lack of success.  If you look at his numbers over the last several years, they have steadily declined.  I mean this was a guy that used to instill fear in pitchers to the point where he compiled tons of walks and forced pitchers to get down early in the count.  His batting averages were usually over .300. But last season he hit only .264 and was hampered by injuries, which also should be taken note of because Ortiz is aging more than people realize.  He's 33 years old and normally people of his size end up having much shorter careers because of joint problems.

Another direct reason for his terrible slump, in my opinion, is the mental aspect of the game. Now I know that the idea of a mind game is rather novel and its well recognized in this argument, but I'm talking about something more specific.  I think that Ortiz's struggles have pushed his mind so damn far that if he doesn't turn it around in a month or less, his career could be over.  It's similar to a terrible day at the driving range or an uncharacteristically poor round of 18.  You play so badly that it puzzles you to the point where you begin to reconsider whether or not you're even good at all. 

Despite Ortiz guaranteeing that he'll "be back," he is experiencing countless mental battles in his head that are making him wonder if he's still capable of being an effective player.  That's why I think that if he doesn't start to regain some sort of success at the plate soon, his anxiety stemming from his severe struggles will eventually consume him.  Not to mention the fact that the Red Sox organization doesn't have time to sit around and wait for Ortiz to hit.  No organization wants a guy with as little confidence and as high of a strikeout rate as Big Papi. Even if he does get his swagger back, in reality he's a big lurch with imminent health problems and a declining career.

It's a shame because I like the guy's personality and I respect the dominance that he displayed for a few years.  And I hope he experiences a rebirth, but all of the excuses, mental issues, and lost confidence is the perfect storm for failure.  Sorry to say, but...Adios Big Papi.            

The Top 3 Easiest Jobs in Sports

Unless you're completely against getting paid to have fun, then you probably want to work in sports. I mean, it's hard not to like sports and everything associated with them...the athletes, the teams, the excitement, the stadiums, the partying, the boozing; its really the total package. So why not attempt to have a career in sports? That's what I'm trying to do. Now, most if not all jobs in sports entail working long and odd hours because the sport industry doesn't stop on the weekends, in fact that is where it actually thrives. But it's unfathomably more fun and interesting than your everyday 9-5 cubicle job. Side note: I have absolutely zero clue how people work in a mundane cubicle year after year and not end up hanging themselves eventually. Back to the topic...so sports jobs. Some are glamorous, some aren't. Some are high-paying, some pay hardly anything. Some completely wear you out, some don't. But at least with sports, you are likely to be in a work environment that is entertaining.

As I was thinking more about the topic, though, I realized that there are not only a lot of fun jobs, but there are some really easy jobs in sports too. And I don't want to debate about the management positions and sports media jobs becaue there are too many and it would take too long. But there are 3 jobs in my mind that are actually directly involved in the sport during games. What I'm going to do now is list these jobs off (not in any specific order)...

1) NFL Punter...Let's start off by conceding that there is some pressure involved with this gig. However, I would say the pressure isn't that of a kicker or even a long snapper. In reality, a punter is called upon maybe 2-3 times a game if they're on a good offensive team and maybe 5-8 times a game if they are on a bad offensive team, but they spend the majority of their time down on one knee with their helmet in their hands. To the viewer, a punt during a game looks tough. These guys kick the ball FAR and HIGH. However, that is all they practice. That's IT. While their teammates are off getting banged up and learning playbooks, all they're asked to do is punt the ball over and over on a practice field. If you've got the natural abilities to be a pro punter and that much free time to practice only one thing, then punting the ball in a game must be like riding a bike. VERDICT: Easy job, lots of money, minimal physical exertion. I'll give it an 8/10 on the easy scale.

2) MLB Bullpen Catcher...Okkayyyy, wow...what do I even have to say about this job? These men, many times former minor leaguers, have to strap on the catcher's gear, squat down, and catch balls from pitchers who need to warm up. I'm sure they might have a small coaching capacity, maybe they'll hand out a pointer or two to the pitchers, but other than that, they play catch for a living. They sit in the bullpen all season long and simply catch the ball...unreal. I'd love to do that, it would be incredible. VERDICT: Couldn't do it with your eyes closed, but close. If you can handle some heat hitting your glove, you're set. 9.5/10 on the easy scale.

3) MLB Bench Coach...I'm of course referring to the member of the baseball team staff that sits in the dugout every game. Well let's see here...despite the title, we know that he doesn't actually instruct the wooden bench to do things, he'd be deemed "special" if he was caught doing that. But really what decisions does he make? The manager makes all of the executive decisions and tweaks the lineup, the pitching coach gives the pitchers advice and makes bullpen decisions, the hitting coach works with the hitters and tells them how to make adjustments at the plate and finally the 1st and 3rd base coaches communicate with the runners and make some of the baserunning decisions. I've never been down in a professional dugout during a game, but I'm not sure what tasks are left after mentioning all of those. So as far as I'm concerned, the bench coach is there to smack some asses and drink some Gatorade. VERDICT: Considering the fact that I couldn't pinpoint exactly what they do, it has to be easy. 9.5/10 on the easy scale.

Honorable Mentions...NFL 3rd string QB (especially if you're behind Brett Favre or Peyton Manning), Language translator for a professional team (especially if you have a guy like Kosuke Fukudome, who puts talking very low on his priority list), MLB Bat Boy.

The Top 3 Easiest Jobs that I listed above not only seem like a breeze, but they pay very well because they are all considered official team members/staff. I'm sure that the lucky men in this nation who hold those positions are on top of the world. And can you blame them? They get to be directly involved in a professional sport on a daily basis with minimal expectations. So all you accountants, tax consultants, and technology analysts wedged in your cubicles...ask yourself this: Ya jealous?!?

Why is the NBA's Maturity Level Plummeting?

The way things are supposed to work is that as you age, you get smarter, you get more mature, and you certainly use better judgement. Now this principle is normally applied to life in general, but it can also be easily applied to the behavior of athletes. One would think that by this "age" principle, college sports would have a lot more situations where the athletes exuded immaturity than in the pros. Well...if you look at the NBA and the on-court behavior of many of its players in the past year, then I think you'd find something wrong with the correlation between age and maturity. The incidents that I'm mainly referring to have occurred in the last few years; the incidents have seemed to increase in amount and intensity, though, in this 2009 postseason.

Until a few years ago, I don't think many people even knew about the technical foul/flagrant foul limit in the playoffs. The rule is that if a player racks up a total of 7 technical fouls in the playoffs, then they have to sit out one game. In the past, the rule was hardly the subject of any conversation, it just didn't seem to come into relevance. But this year, there were a number of players including Dwight Howard and JR Smith that were really testing their luck. Some of the fouls in question were hard, physical fouls and others were called because of players getting in each other's faces or complaining too much to the referees.

Now before I go on about how ridiculous some of these confrontations were, I have to concede one thing: the officiating has been a lot tighter in recent years. Ever since the brawl between the Pacers and Pistons at the Palace in Detroit, David Stern has made a point of telling officials to be a lot more strict in an effort to proactively limit the escalation of tempers that cause the brawls, fights and such. So, and it's a fair argument, the number of technicals and flagrant fouls could be partly related to the referees' buckling down on foul calls.

But this is where it gets interesting...the more strict calling of flagrant/technical fouls was clearly meant to be a deterrent with the idea that players wouldn't want to deal with the consequences (the consequences being easy points for the other team, fines, suspensions, etc) But players just DON'T seem to CARE. I would guess that maybe 80-90% of playoff games this year have involved some sort of skirmish, shoving match, or ultra hard foul. I'm not a supernatural being, so I can't watch every game, but it seems that every game, no matter who is playing, contains at least one if not many blatant moments of immaturity and thuggery (it's a word...look it up).

Rajan Rondo put on a show in the Bulls/Celtics series, Kenyon Martin has done his part throughout the playoffs, Dwight Howard and Rafer Alston have chipped in an elbow or two, Derek Fisher and Kobe have had their moments, and JR Smith showboated his way through the postseason. For most of these players, it isn't their first rodeo so to speak, and so its disappointing to see the immaturity coming from all of their dirty plays. And the aforementioned players represent only a fraction of what has been wrong with the behavior this postseason mainly and in the last few years as well. From what I've seen, I would label most of the college basketball players in this country more mature than a lot of the pros.

I understand that the battle for an NBA title brings out the highest degree of passion and desire amongst the NBA players, and for the most part it makes the playoffs a lot of fun to watch. But there is no room for a lot of the bullshit that we've seen. These men are not only grown-ups, but they're role models to millions of aspiring youngsters. And don't even get me started on LeBron walking off the court and shunning the media in the wake of their elimination from the Conference Finals. Say what you want about his explanation (a lot of people liked it oddly enought), but I don't buy it. LeBron, Dwight and Co. may still be very young, but they've been exposed to the spotlight long enough to know how to act. Hey...the playoffs have been very entertaining in my opinion, but entertainment isn't always the best thing for the game, especially when you have grown men acting like their playing "no blood-no foul" streetball half the time.