Even Greatness Can't Stop Time

I know when I receive a text message in the middle of a weekday about a quarterfinal tennis match even one from Wimbledon that something important happened. That was confirmed today when Rodger Federer fell on his favorite surface in his favorite tournament. Federer fell to Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals of the previous Grand Slam to end his untouchable record (like the Undertakers undefeated streak in Wrestlemania) of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals and it easy to dismiss that defeat as an aberration and the product of playing a good player on an unfavorable surface. It was characterized as an off day, against a player that will win future slams, and all streaks have to come to an end. After that match, Federer as he always does (take note Venus and Serena) went out of his way to praise Soderling's play to ensure the media attention and spotlight was focused on the winner of the match. Federer talked about his intentions to re-focus, rest up, and go to Wimbledon with a clear head, confidence, and his same steady game. Even a loss to Hewitt in a grass court tune up and a first round scare didn't send up the red flags that maybe it should have, since we are talking about Roger Federer, the man with a record 16 Grand Slam titles on his resume.

Today after his quarterfinal loss to a more talented than accomplished journeyman in Tomas Berdych it is hard to continue to ignore these results. Berdych did play a great match, he served big, hit the ball well of both sides on the ground which led to more winners than a Hammering Hank Goldberg parlay sheet and most suprisingly, he played the big points well and did not let the gravity of the moment and the Centre Court surroundings affect him negatively.

What we saw today was more than a tennis match; it was the beginning of the end for the great champion Rodger Federer. Federer is not retiring and he could possibly win the US Open later this summer and conceivably has 3-4 more slams left in his career, if he continues to want to play and stay injury free up to his stated goal of the 2012 Olympics in London. Federer has earned the right to play until he wants to retire on his terms, but he will not get back to the level of play he sustained for the better part of the last decade. He burst onto the stage when he beat reigning 4 time champion Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001 and showed a world class game that could not be matched at the time on the ATP. His French Open win last year completed his career Grand Slam and in turn his last professional goal was achieved, and his off court life changed dramtically in July after re-capturing Wimbledon when he became a father to twin girls. He will turn 29 on August 8th and in a sport where 25 is considered past your prime he has managed to stay injury free in a physical sport with no off-season and weekly worldwide travel. His accomplishments are awe inspiring and today is a great day to celebrate his excellence.

Along with the records mentioned above Federer made 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has done it in a sport where you can't rely on a teammate for a play or a game. There is no Max Talbot or Steve Kerr to score goals or hit the game winner and a 6-24 perfomance in a tennis game 7 would not leave you holding the winning trophy. Tennis at the highest level is about more than physical skill, you have to be willing to be invested mentally evey time you take the court and no player has accepted this responsibility more whole heartedly than Federer. His willingness to improve his game while ranked #1 and to continue to push his training having reached the top of the mountain has inspired fellow players like Nadal, Roddick, and Murray who have all cited Federer's example as motivation. His training sessions in the Dubai heat are as legendary as anything you have read about Jerry Rice or Michael Jordan, and his ability to stay injury free is more than luck, which is the factor he credits most when asked in public.

Tennis' Open era was different before Federer won his first slam at Wimbledon in 2001 by defeating future reality TV star Mark Philippoussis. The players who were able to physically and mentally contend at all four Grand Slams burnt out early or sufferred with injuries and this trend is likely to continue after Federer is gone. He was a singular talent and will be included in the always enjoyable best player ever debate which has to include Tilden, Laver, and Borg as well. His battles with Nadal are legendary and thier primes intersected long enough for them to push each other and play the best match of all time in the 2008 Wimbledon final.

Off the court he was named World Sportsman of the Year four times and has used his status as a means to support various world charities that have helped victims of Hurrican Katrina, the 2004 Tsunami, 2010 Haitian earthquake along with a personal foundation. He is also a UNICEF ambassador who has made numerous goodwill trips to places most affected by AIDS and was named winner of the 2010 Young Global Leadership Award by the World Economic Forum for his contributions to society as a whole.

He has raised the sport of tennis during his career and has been a pleasure to watch. Hopefully he will still find time to be around the game when he retires and in the future when he is presenting a Grand Slam trophy to commemorate an anniversary of one of his records. I hope the memories of his greatness and almost decade long dominance will still be as fresh in my mind as they are to me today even after a surpising quarterfinal defeat.

18 and Counting

I want to like this team, I really do.

I grew up rooting for the Buccos; Andy Van Slyke, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bo, Jeff King, Jay Bell, Chico Lind, Don Slaught, Spanky LaValliere, Orlando Merced, Al Martin, Turner Ward, Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, Tony Womack, Rob Mackowiack, Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez.

I wanted to give these young guys a chance to prove themselves. I really did.

I didn't want to say anything negative, I wanted to give them a year to prove themselves.

But after 17 consecutive road losses, I can't keep my mouth shut anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I'm used to extremely pathetic performances from the Pirates, but I haven't seen anything this vile since Smalls' first day at the sandlot. Since Pedro Alvarez is so enamored by a hat that is too big, maybe he should go all the way and purchase Smalls' large brimmed fish hat off Ebay.



In Pittsburgh we are used to the sporting void that takes place from the end of the NHL season until the Steelers begin training camp. And 2010 is no different.

17 straight years of losing and the 18th year in progress, Pirates baseball is a joke. I was born in 1986, and faintly remember the winning teams of the early 90s; but I was still too young to have really enjoyed and soaked in a winning Pirates team. Little did I know I would not see another winning team before I turned 25.

Blame the Nuttings, blame McClatchy, Huntington, Littlefield, Bonifay, whomever you want to blame, go ahead. It's not going to matter. Yes this organization is run by the real-life version of Major Leagues Rachel Phelps, but at this stage it really doesn't matter.

Ok, so you say that the Pirates have the young talent to be competitive by 2014; McCutchen, Alvarez, Walker, Tabata and Lincoln. That is true, they all have talent, which is evident by their quick ascents into the majors. But only one of those aforementioned players has exhibited major league skill in their short time in the bigs; McCutchen. He is going to be an All-Star for years to come, that is pretty much a safe bet. The others, while having talent, still need to show they are capable of playing at the big league level. It is definately too early to judge them, but all I am saying is that, while they have talent, talent alone doesn't necessarily equate to wins for the organization.

Ok, so let's say I'm on board with they young guys on the roster, you say we just need an ownership group to open their wallets and sign free agents. We did that last offseason when we got the now minor leaguer Aki Iwamura for $4.5 million per year. I'd say that shows a willingness to spend money.

They only problem is, even if the Nuttings spend money on players, what player in the prime of his career, who could mesh with these young players and turn this team around, would choose to come to Pittsburgh and waste his most valuable years toiling in mediocrity. Until the Pirates can prove they can win, we will be stuck with year-in-and-year-out signings of the D.J. Carrasco and Bobby Crosbys of the world.

If you are the Pirates and you need to win to potentially draw in free-agents whom your owner are hypothetically willing to open up their banking accounts for, how do you expect to win with the Romeo Crennel emotionless John Russell on the bench. I don't even know if this guy is qualified to be selling white walls with Lou Brown.



Not to mention you top pitchers are Zach Duke and Paul Maholm. Guys who would be very servicable as #3-5 starters. Not the "aces" of the staff. Charlie Morton is supposed to have the best stuff on the staff. Oh yeah? It's kinda hard to see when that 1-9 record and 9.35 ERA is staring you in the face.

So if the Pirates are going to be hard pressed to sign top free agents, the winning is going to have to be produced internally. There's no doubting there should be hope for these young guys to turn this organization around, but without their success, we could be in for another 10 years of losing. Atleast.

It's a wonder that after 17 years of losing and annually drafting players in the Top-15, that it has taken this long for there to be hope with young Pirate draftees.

Let's take a look at the Pirates first round picks from 1994-2010.

1994 - (11) Mark Farris SS - Never made it past Double A

Notable players drafted after Farris: Nomar Garciaparra (12), Paul Konerko (13), Jason Varitek (14)

1995 - (10) Chad Hermansen SS - Second shortstop selected in as many years. Pirates' 1999 Minor League Player of the Year. As useful to the team as Pee-Wee Herman. Traded to Cubs in 2002.

Notable players drafted after Hermansen: Roy Halladay (17), Carlos Beltran (49)

1996 - (1) Kris Benson P - Expected to the be savior of the pitching staff. Thought to be the Pirates' most likely chance of a Cy Young since Doug Drabek. 5 seasons with the team. Best season was 2000, in which he pitched the best game of his career: a 3-hit complete game. Most famous for having the hottest wife in baseball. Anna Benson threatened to sleep with the entire Mets roster if Kris ever cheated on her. She hates PETA, gun control organizations, and Michael Moore.



Notable players drafted after Benson: Jimmy Rollins (46), Roy Oswalt (684), Barry Zito (1586)

1997 - (8) J.J. Davis OF - 19 career Major League hits.

Notable players drafted after Davis: Lance Berkman (16), Jayson Werth (22), Chase Utley (76), Michael Young (149), Tim Hudson (185), Cliff Lee (246)

Yeah I'll say that the 1997 draft was a failure.

1998 - (15) Clint Johnston 1B - Wikipedia doesn't even have anything about him.

Notable players drafted after Johnston : Brad Lidge (17), C.C. Sabathia (20), Adam Dunn (50), Barry Zito (83), Matt Holliday (210), Mark Teixeira (265), Ryan Braun (691)

1999 - (8) Bobby Bradley P - No stats found

Notable players drafted after Bradley: Barry Zito (9), Ben Sheets (10), Alex Rios (19), Carl Crawford (52), John Lackey (68), Justin Morneau (89), Shane Victorino (194)

Some guy name Pujols was taken in the 13th round with the 402nd pick. Has to be in the running with the Yankees buying Babe Ruth from rival Boston for only $100,000 as the biggest steal in baseball history.

2000 - (19) Sean Burnett P - Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year 2001, 2002. Carolina League Top Prospect 2002. Debuted in Pittsburgh in 2004, went 5-5 with 5.02 ERA. Missed entire 2005 season because of arm surgeries. Traded to Washington in 2009. Career 8-12 record, 4.22 ERA and 136 K.

Notable players drafted after Burnett: Grady Sizemore (75), Cliff Lee (105), Mewelde Moore (109), Brandon Webb (249), Jason Bay (645), Ian Kinsler (879), Michael Vick (887).

2001 - (8) John Van Benschoten P - Name longer than MLB career. During junior year in college, led NCAA with 31 HRs. Of course the Pirates turned him into a pitcher. Has all-time MLB record for highest career ERA with over 75 innings pitched. Career 2-13 record, 9.20 ERA and 65K.

Notable players drafted after Benfranklinschoten: David Wright (38), Ryan Howard (140), Adam Bostick (182).

2002 - (1) Bryan Bullington P - Pitched a total of 18.3 innings for the Pirates. Has amassed a career record of 0-6 with a 5.57 ERA.

Notable players drafted after Bullington: B.J. Upton (2), Zack Greinke (6), Prince Fielder (7), Scott Kazmir (15), Cole Hamels (17), Matt Cain (25).

Yeah we missed the boat when it came to first round pitchers in '02. We should of atleast taken a flyer on the mayor from Cincinnati.



2003 - (8) Paul Maholm P - Servicable pitcher for the Pirates since 2005. Doesn't quite fit the billing of a first rounder, nor a top-end starter. 42-48 career record, 4.27 ERA. He did, however, strikeout Billy Crystal, so that's something.

Notable player drafted after Maholm: Chad Billingsley (24), Carlos Quentin (29), David Aardsma (22).

2004 - (11) Neil Walker C - Pittsburgh native finally made what appears to be a permanent leap to the bigs. Currently concussed.

Notable players drafted after Walker: Billy Butler (14), Huston Street (40), Dustin Pedroia (65).

2005 - (14) Andrew McCutchen OF - Presumably the Pirates' 2010 All-Star representative. Should be the first of many All-Star appearences for the young center fielder. The only bright spot on the Pirates' roster from opening day til now. Can't complain about this pick, looks like the Buccos did something right for once.

Notable players drafted after McCutchen: Jacoby Ellsbury (23), Matt Garza (25), Clay Buchholz (42).

2006 - Brad Lincoln P - Made his Major League debut the day after Nationals' phenom beat the Pirates. Currently owns a 0-2 record, 6.00 ERA with only 8 Ks.

Notable player drafted after Lincoln: Clayton Kershaw (7), Tim Lincecum (10), Joba Chamberlain (41).

Lincecum's 2 Cy Young's would be nice.

2007 - (4) Daniel Moskos P - The infamous too cheap to sign the best prospect available draft. Pirates passed on Matt Weiters because they felt Moskos was easier and cheaper to sign. Promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 24. 17 saves at Double-A Altoona.

Notable players drafted after Moskos: Weiters (5), Jason Heyward (14), Rick Porcello (27).

2008 - (2) Pedro Alvarez 3B - Almost weren't able to sign the former Vandy star. Went to the 11th hour, but the Pirates' brass finally manned up and signed Alvarez to the highest signing bonus in team history. Is being groomed to be, along with McCutchen, to be the face of this organization. Only time will tell if he lives up to all of his hype. Let's hope so.

Notable players drafted after Alvarez: Buster Posey (5), Gordon Beckham (8), Justin Smoak (11).

2009 - (4) Tony Sanchez C - Named to the All-Star Future's Game and then in typical Pirates/Clippers curse gets beaned in the face and breaks his cheekbone.

2010 - Jameson Taillon - Compared to fellow Texan pitchers Josh Beckett and Roger Clemens. Will most likely pitch for Boston. Actually Canadian. Highest drafted Canadian citizen in MLB history. His committment to play for Rice University might hamper the Pirates' chances of signing him. Once again we come to the idea that no matter how much money you offer someone, they might not want to spend their time wasting away for a perennial loser.

Steelers' report to training camp on July 30.

A Football Sunday

A doubleheader that comes around once every four years if we are lucky. First the biggest European rivals in Germany vs. England both with designs on winning the Cup followed by a Latin Amercian showdown in Argentina vs. Mexico. This could easily be the seimifinals of the Cup instead of opening games in the bracket round with the winners having to meet in the quarterfinals. The always unexpected group play results left this quarter of the bracket as a true group of death.

England vs. Germany (10:00 AM): ESPN continues their fine pre-game coverage with the views from both the Geman and English sides. The consensus seems to be how will the young German team react to the pressure and does England have enough offense and a steady enough goalie to finally advance in the World Cup. The history of this rivalary is discussed and it is reinforced that it was all England up to their World Cup victory in 1966 and then all Germany from that point to the present. For English fans this has to be like reminding Cub fans that were dominate last century, but have struggled recently.

The match begins with some back and forth and the skill level is very apparent as opposed to group games like Slovenia vs. Algeria. My first observations are that the English fans have the upper hand with outfits and noise level, while the German fans are much more easy on the eyes. The other big question is who is better dressed, English coach Fabio Capello in his tailored suit or German coach Joachim Loew and his Sonny Crockett blazer over V-neck T-shirt look.

Germany gets the first chance and English goalie David James makes an awkward save that only Flyers goalie Michael Leighton would call smooth. Germany continues their excellent team play and a series of give and go's that lead to an outside foot strike by Miroslav Klose to open the scoring in the 20th minute. More great teamwork and German ball control leads to a 2-0 advantage on Podoski's blast 12 minutes later.

With their backs against the wall England plays its best soccer of the tournament for the remainder of the first half. A great cross by Gerrard on a set piece leads to a pretty header goal by Upson at the 37 minute mark. Rooney continues to drift back to the defensive end, but is unable to break free of the German defense and lose his less than stellar World Cup reputation. The Donaghy like FIFA officiating continues as the officials miss the clear goal by Lampard that would have tied the score 2-2 at halftime. Hopefully this is the blown call that will lead to instant replay as this World Cup has been marred by terrible calls. Goals and disqualifying players are too important to leave to the authority of one on-field offical and a couple of linesman.

The second half opens and with the terrible call still boiling with an English surge expected, but the English team seems to pull back and Germany continues their team play and vertical attack strategy to dominate the ball. The ability to counter attack coupled with the German unselfishness with the ball in the English penalty box leads to two goals by Mueller. The veteran English team realizes their run is over and all English fans realize that a change in attack strategy and a need to develop goalies is a must to compete with the elite teams in the world like Germany.

Argentina vs. Mexico (2:30 p.m.): A Latin American rematch from the 2006 World Cup where extra time was needed to settle the affair. Argentina is coming off an undefeated group stage while a loss to Uruguay has forced Mexico into this draw. Argentina's strategy is fairly simple they are going to attack and feel they have the skill to make every other team chase the game. Meanwhile Mexico wants to counter attack and use the age old hockey strategy of taking away Messi's time and space.

These two teams have two of the best uniforms in soccer, the blue pinstripes of Argentina and the green of Mexico are classic looks. Argentina has more coaches than a little league team and they made a suit makers year with their matching looks for every game. Argentina's Romero continues the tournaments shaky goaltending by almost getting beat from 25 yards at the 8 minute mark. Very few things in sports puts you on the edge of your seat like Messi with the ball and a head of steam. Another continuing theme of the tournament leads to Argentina's first goal as the linesman clearly blows an offsides call and Tevez is the recipient of this gift. To say FIFA has an officiating problem is like saying Ben Roethlisberger has an image problem, but this horrid call gives the all important first goal to Argentina and Mexico does well to keep from going 94' Pacers on the officials. Other than to pipe in Lady Gaga why do the officials where headphones, shouldn't this be the time for the fourth official to tell the on field officials that it was clearly offsides and the goal is disallowed.
Understandably the young Mexican team loses its cool for a couple of minutes and a give away in front of their own net leads to Argentina's second goal, as Maradona continues to jump around on every Argentine goal like the Notre Dame leprechaun. At the 52 minute mark Carlos Tevez shows the skill Manchester City fans know well with an absolute cannon to make it 3-0. The first really skillful goal of the afternoon and a goal that compares to Uruaguay's game winner yesterday from Suarez. Mexico battles back with Hernandez's goal in the 71st minute to show why he is one of the players in this World Cup with the biggest upside.

The game finishes 3-1 and Argentina moves on to face Germany and continue their undefeated World Cup while getting very little from the best player on the planet. Saturday's matchup with Germany will be a very interesting contrast is styles. Terrible officiating lead to Mexico's early deficit and though they were eliminated they have to feel very confident with where this generation of players is poised to take Mexico in future World Cups.

Left and Ghana Way

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not that well versed when it comes to the sport of soccer, but I have recently been swept up in World Cup fever.

I'm not the soccer expert on the I'll Be Frank staff, but I'll give a recap of the U.S./Ghana game a go.

So we start the game off with the respective national anthems.

The Star Spangled Banner plays and then is followed by the soundtrack from the Lion King.



As has been par for the U.S. during the 2010 World Cup, they give up an early goal and find themselves in an early hole.

Ghana scored in the 5th minute when Kevin Prince Fielder Boateng stripped the ball from American Ricardo Clark and then beat goalkeeper Tim Howard from 16 yards. The ball managed to slip past an out of position Howard and slide inside the short-side post. Soft goals like that are only seen in New Jersey during the NHL playoffs.

Not too much else exciting happened between the first goal and halftime. The U.S. seemed to be dominating play, but couldn't managed to sneak a goal past Ghana's goalie Sean Kingston. Too be honest I thought he was Jamaican.





ABC kept airing shots of Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger in a luxury box. Only can imagine what they were talking about.

You remember that intern I had? Well I did have sexual relations with her. HAHAHA










Guess what mate, me too.












You know what Mickey, you have nice volumptious lips like Angelina Jolie. I'd sure like that Lara Croft to search for my hidden totem pole, if ya know what this hound dog is sniffin'.









Billy you are bloody hilarious. I'm British and I know nothin about futbol. But I come to these matches to try and catch a glimpse of that one Spice Girl who fancies soccer fans.








Oh you mean Posh Spice. I think she's married to that Becker guy that had a T.V. show. Yeah he must be a big soccer fan, he is always sitting on the team's sidelines. But when it comes to Spice Girls I was always a fan of that Scary Spice.








Ah, brown sugar how come it tastes so good.










Brown sugar just like a young girl should.












As the second half began, the U.S. once again seized control of the ball and the game. It was almost like Ghana was content with not having possession of the ball. Finally the refs started sharing the yellow card wealth and penalizing the Black Stars.

Yes, Ghana is called the Black Stars, presumably due to the fact that they have a black star on their flag.




Rapper Deuce AKA Clint Dempsey was pulled down trying to streak in on net, and the U.S. was awarded a penalty shot. I don't know what is more impressive, his on-field play or his flows on the mic.




Landon Donovan, America's savior from the Algerian game, lined up his shot against Sean Kingston. Kingston anticipated towards his right, Donovan shot the opposite way. The ball clanked off the post and into the back of the net to tie the game. Replays show Donovan's face as the ball hit the post; his heart definately skipped a few beats as that ball was in the air.


As play continued, Ghana spent more time on the grass than Snoop Dogg at a Dave Matthews concert. They seemed more fragile than Greg Oden at a Steve Smith run flag-football game.

Was it me did it look like Ghana's coach had just gotten back from a 5-day bender. His hair was dishevled, clothes wrinkled, tie drooping below his collar. He looked like Nick Nolte after he resigned from Western University and got arrested for DUI.




Regulation time and stoppage time expired and the scoreboard read 1-1.

Because we are now in the knockout stage, there has to be a winner and a loser so draws no longer come into play. In order to determine a winner, two 15-minute overtime periods will be played followed by a round of penalty shots if necessary. For this game, it wouldn't be necessary.

Three minutes into overtime, Ghana's Asamoah Gyan took a long pass from teammate Andre Ayew, split U.S. defensemen Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, took the ball off his chest and placed a left-footed shot just above the hands of goalkeeper Howard for what would prove to be the deciding goal.

The U.S., who had become accustomed to last minute heroics, never gave up and mounted a frenzied run at the Ghana net during the last few minutes of play. At one point the U.S. even employed Howard as an offensive weapon during a corner kick, which almost equated in a tying goal.

The effort was there, but the result was not. America's dream of World Cup glory came to and end as the final whistle blew, and the last African nation in the tournament celebrated.

Ham it Up

In a move that essentially ends Sergei Gonchar's run in Pittsburgh, Penguins general manager Ray Shero made a move to aquire the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis. The Pens traded a 2011 third round pick to arch rival Philadelphia for the exclusive rights to deal with Hamhuis before the July 1 free agent market opening.

The Flyers had aquired Hamhuis last week for a seventh round pick and dman Ryan Parent.

Conventional wisdom would have you believe that Hamhuis is the heir apparent to Gonchar's spot in the lineup. However, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, there are still hopes from Shero and Gonchar's camp, that the Pens can successfully maneuver a way to keep both defensemen.

Hamhuis, 27, is near the top of the defensemen crop in this year's free agent market. While he doesn't have the hoopla that surrounds Gonchar, he has been a solid 2-way player for the Nashville Predators. In 483 games, he has amassed 32 goals and 129 assists.

Shero, who was an assistant GM with Nashville when Hamhuis was selected 12th overall in the 2001 draft believes that the defenseman has more to offer offensively than his numbers from Nashville indicate.

While in Nashville he was relagated to playing behind Olympians Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on the powerplay.

Give Shero credit, if he is indeed able to sign Hamhuis, that will be a big step in replacing Gonchar on the Pen's blue line.

2010 NBA draft review

An NBA draft as interesting as a Jersey Shore dinner party, while the NBA and college basketball continue to drift apart or merge depending on your perspective. Scottie Reynolds becomes the first ever All- American to go undrafted, no player from the National Champions was drafted, and the first high school player to skip college and go directly to the NBDL was selected. Meanwhile a record setting 5 Kentucky players were drafted in the first round, and Kentucky coach Calipari called it the banner day for Kentucky basketball? I wonder if NBA draft day was the banner day the people paying Coach Cal's salary were looking for when they hired him last year. The NBA draft comes with a lot of projection but was overshadowed by the ultimate free agent class that will hit the market in a week. Below are some winners, losers, and observations from the always entertaing NBA draft.

The Mel Kiper Award as draft day winners because right or wrong Mel always comes off as winner on draft day.

Sacramento Kings: They got the most talented and polished big man in the draft and did not have to move up from the #5 spot. Cousins is a big man who can do multiple things well and has the height and athleticism that can't be taught and is a 20/10 lock. He might be Brittany Spears crazy, but as the Lakers with Artest and every edition of the Real World proves you can win with one crazy person but two is the tipping point. They also got great value in the second round with Hassan Whiteside who is an athletic 7 footer who can put up huge rebounding and block numbers and has a Kate Bosworth like ceiling. They made the most of their two picks and both are good running mates for future star Tyreke Evans and Carl Landry (a very poor man's Oakley).

Oklahoma City Thunder: Turned 3 first round picks and 4 total picks into three big men all with upside and a future first from the Clippers. Like last call at the local bar sometimes quantity is better than quality and the Thunder used that philosophy to fill their need for a quality big man. Aldrich is the closest pick to NBA ready and while he is serviceable on defense it will take all of Scott Brooks and his staff's skill to make him a dependable option on offense. A future first from the Clippers could be as valuable as a Graeme McDowell US Open future bet. The Thunder also fill their other glaring need with the trade for Daquan Cook who is a reliable spot up shooter. This draft further cemented the Thunder as an immediate title contender.

Wesley Johnson's suit: The style highlight of the night, the Double breasted club blazer with the contrasting yellow shirt and red tie was as impressive as Justin Timberlake's string of ladies. The tartan plaid pants broke the mold and you could see him fitting in a round of golf with the law firm of Poulter, Fowler, Daly. Hats off Wesley you re-set the bar with this look.

The "Breaking Bad" award; these teams left me on the edge and I can't wait for next year to see how these moves play out.

Washington Wizards: How will John Wall compare to Evans and Rose, how will the card shark Arenas take to the 2 guard spot and the loss of the spotlight? The Bulls desire to shed money allowed them to get a Costanza like third guard in Hinrich and draft French rookie Seraphin. Good luck in the lottery and these moves have turned the Wizards from unwatchable to intriguing, like MTV adding the Olivia/Erin Elle magazine storyline to "The City".

New Jersey Nets: Favors seemed like the no brainer pick until rumors started about Wesley Johnson, Joe Johnson and Boozer coming to NJ as a package. The common link between those three is agent Rob Pelinka former upper classman on the Fab Five teams. If Pelinka would have pulled off these moves he would immediately have been the most influential NBA person on that Michigan roster which 15 years ago seemed as likely as Kelsey Grammer carrying his own sitcom. The Lakers proved size wins in the NBA and with this pick and Brook Lopez the Nets are on the right track.

Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks drafted three athletic frontcourt players with Larry Sanders having the most upside. His athleticism will combine nicely with Andrew Bogut and could form a potent frontcourt. The recent trade additions of Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts bring much needed scoring and unwanted baggage to this team that could be poised for a Blake Lively like break through. The young draft pick's development and the Maggette, CDR relationships with coach Scott Skiles should be as entertaining as WWE ladder match.

Luke Harangody's towel waving: The Celtics go in to the summer with an unsigned Scalabrine, so they drafted Big East and ND record holder Harangody who will look to uphold the towel waving excellence Scalabrine displayed in Boston.

The Al Davis award for draft day confusion and head scratching decisions.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Johnson over Cousins is a mistake that leads to future lottery selections. The Wolves last two lottery picks have them angling to make a run at Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. They used two more first round selections for two more small forwards in Lazar Hayward and Luke Babbit whom they dealt to Portland for Martell Webster (you guessed it, another small forward). The roster now has three point guards, three small forwards and two big men in Jefferson and Love who can't jump and are not defensive presences. Three subsequent selections lands them what looks to be three members of the Slovakia World Cup team (Bjelica, Prestes, N'diaye). These moves have to make Rubio as anxious to come to America as Roman Polanski.

Portland Trail Blazers: Love their draft, Eliot Williams is a multi skilled wingman, Babbitt is a NBA scorer and Amir Johnson is a quality point guard who can take over for Andre Miller. More suprisingly these picks were made by Kevin Pritchard who was fired, but had to finish the draft. This is truly a move only Al Davis could love, it is well reported that Paul Allen is having serious medical issues, but this move is indefensible. Pritchard has re-built this team on the fly after the Oden pick, which was hard to argue with at the time. The Roy injury sabotaged their playoff run last year after his moves (Camby) put them in playoff position. This move looks as bad as "The Hills" losing LC and replacing her with Kristin.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were in prime position to grab a more complete player with the 8th pick and also fill a specific roster need. Instead they drafted a player in Al-Farouq Aminu who will need developing to be at most a rotation guy off the bench. With the starting four of Davis, Gordon, Griffin, and Kaman in place they had an opportunity to fill a need with Henry or Godon Hayward. Henry would spread the floor and Hayward's all around game would compliment the Clippers starters and make them more enticing to a premier free agent. Bledsoe and Warren were smart additions later in the draft who will help before Aminu, but Bledsoe came with the price of a future first round pick and unless the Clippers can break their Bachelor like run of sustained failure that price could be as costly as Laker season tickets.

New York Knicks: As a Knick supporter the back to back picks of Rautins and Fields in the second round will continue the Knick run of draft failures. Players with NBA skills like Varnado, Ebanks, Alabi, Warren, and NY high school legend Stephenson will be the names from this draft that are talked about like Artest, Rondo, and Jennings are talked about from past drafts, as players the Knicks passed on. Maybe they could deal Rautins to the Wolves?

Greivis Vasquez: Comparing himself to Manu Ginobili during his on camera interview after being selected by Memphis with the 28th selection. That comparison might work if you were talking to anyone who hadn't seen him play in college. Vasquez commands the ball on offense and has no desire to defend which are very anti-Ginobili traits. His statement was as laughable as Mischa Barton claiming she is a young Meryl Streep.

ESPN draft coverage: Michael Buble as the draft theme music, awkward interviews with the draft picks family members, and Jeff Van Gundy's desire to be anywhere but the draft has me hoping for a TNT or NBA TV take-over of next year's coverage.

Gone-char

As we inch closer to the July 1 free agency frenzy in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins have one clear option when it comes to star defenseman Sergei Gonchar...trade his rights to another team.

Trading his rights will atleast give the Pens something when GM Ray Shero finally decides that it is inplausible to sign him to the 3-year deal he is seeking. Sort of like Nashville did last week with defenseman Dan Hamhuis, or last year when Florida traded Jay Bouwmeester, they knew they couldn't keep him so they got in return.

Don't get me wrong, I have been a Gonchar supporter from Day 1. He arrived in Pittsburgh the same year Ziggy Palffy did. Palffy lasted only a few months before bailing on the struggling franchise, but Gonchar stuck it out and was rewarded with a Stanley Cup last June.

He seems like a stand-up guy and a silent leader on a team that at times needs a kick in the ass. I can't find one bad thing to say about the guy. I wish he could stay, but the economics of the situation are making that wish seemingly impossible.

He has the knack for scoring big goals in crucial times, dishing out perfect one timers to Malkin, and quarterbacking the powerplay.

I still believe Gonchar is the best player that I've seen in the league when it comes to keeping pucks in the offensive zone, and has proved time and time again to be the key to the PowerPlay. Without him lugging the puck up the ice, they look lost.

While his on-ice exploits are in themselves worthy of the contract he is seeking, I feel his best contribution to the Penguins franchise has been his work with Evgeni Malkin. Without Gonchar opening his home to Malkin, the kid from Magnitogorsk Russia, would not be the player he is today. Sure, Malkin had all the talent in the world when he arrived in Pittsburgh after his midnight fleeing from mother Russia, but he was nowhere near ready for the adjustment to the American culture, and the pressures of being a professional athlete.

Gonchar made this transition smooth for Malkin. Providing the much needed piece of home that 71 was missing. He taught him how to handle the media, albeit very slowly, how to handle the pressures of being a star athlete, and how to just be a good guy. Gonchar did all this for Malkin, and the city of Pittsburgh has been rewarded with a superstar.



But getting back to the issue at hand, the impending departure of Gonchar from Pittsburgh. I'm sure that Ray Shero and the Pens brass want him to retire in the black and vegas gold, but it's just improbable. He wants a 3-year deal, the Pens want a 2-year deal. He wants somewhere in the range of $5 million per year, the Pens can come nowhere near that number and still find room to fill other voids in their lineup.

This is where it gets tough; you grow attached to a player for 5 seasons, and then all of a sudden he has to leave. But what makes it tough is that he doesn't want to leave and everyone in the organization wants him to stay, however, it just doesn't make financial sense to keep him. Sometimes the world of sports is not fair.

For the next couple of years, he will make some other lucky fan base happy with his PowerPlay prowess, or his wicked slapper that always seems to avoid defenders' sticks and bodies and make it to the goalie.

He will be very much missed in Pittsburgh. Hopefully the crop of young defensemen have learned a thing or two from old Sarge, and hopefully they can become half the player he was during his 5-year run for the Penguins.

Thanks Sarge for another Stanley Cup, thanks for guiding Malkin on his path to stardom, and thank you for being a class act and a great representative for the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh.

Dustin the Wind

For those of us who watched Sunday's final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, we were witness to the meteoric collapse of one of America's best young golfers.

Every swing Dustin Johnson made on the front-9 produced the queezy feeling I get everytime I watch Meet the Parents. You just knew something bad or awkward was bound to happen. You didn't know when or how, but you could just feel the debacle mounting.

Johnson, 25, is one of America's top young guns. The South Carolinian will more than likely represent the U.S. at this year's Ryder Cup, but you have to ask yourself if he is permanently scarred from this ordeal.

After all Pebble Beach was his course. He had won the previous 2 AT&T Pro-Am's, including a victory this past February; but as he found out in yesterday, this isn't February and George Lopez isn't in the group behind him.

Although he had won the AT&T his last two tries, and Pebble is the featured course, that tournament is also played on Spyglass Hill Golf Course and the MPCC Shore Course, so to say that he owned Pebble Beach might be a little of a misnomer. Johnson's Sunday collapse shouldn't be that much of a surprise considering he shot a 74 in the final round this past February on the Pebble Beach course.

With Johnson's Van de Veldian effort, along with Major Champions Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Ernie Els failing to take advantage of the leader falling back to around EVEN, Eddie Murphy's boss from Coming to America was crowned champion, and subsequently left the fast food business behind.



Graeme McDowell became the first European in 40 years to win the U.S. Open. The Northern Irishmen shot a 3-over 74 to post a score of EVEN par for the tournament and hold off Frenchmen Gregory Havret for the victory.

Tiger finished the second Major of the year the same way he finished the first, tied for fourth. After shooting a 66 on Saturday, the world number one, looked poised to win his 15th Major Championship, despite being down 5 shots. Tiger's third round performance, that was capped off by a ridiculous shot on 18, in which he was positioned in the fairway behind a tree some 260 yards away from the hole, opted to fade a 3-wood out over the Pacific, and landed the ball on the green which a chance for a 15-foot eagle putt.



Once I saw that I was convinced we were getting a glimpse of the old Tiger. I figured that was the shot that would jumpstart him into Tiger Destroy Mode for Sunday.

I was wrong.

Most players on tour would be overly exuberant with two top-4 finishes in the Master's and U.S. Open, somehow you get the feeling that Tiger isn't one of those players.

There are obvious flaws in his game, but somehow, Tiger finds a way to score and stay in contention in the tournaments that matter most. Even though his swing needs work, it's his magic on the green that I feel is hurting him most.

Maybe we have been spoiled, but I completely expect Tiger to make a few putts each round that he has no business making. Putts that the pessimistic Johnny Miller deems impossible. We've all seen it before, a putt for birdie or eagle that revs up his round and turns him into an unstoppable force. Sorta like Stephen Strasburg against the Pirates.

Once he gets his magic on the green back, he will be back in the winner's circle. Once back in the winner's circle, his personal problems will be forgotten by the public; look at Kobe for a prime example of that. His endorsers will return, and his assault on Jack's records will resume.

Today there has been a lot made of Tiger "criticizing" Stevie Williams. From what I've seen he just questioned a club selection and attack plan on a few holes. But to Tiger's credit, he took the blame for not sticking to his instincts and making awful shots. I don't find this to be critical, but what do I know.

One thing I do know is that Tiger doesn't need Stevie Williams. Stevie Williams needs Tiger. If Williams is offended by Tiger's comments and quits, I'm sure there will be more than a couple caddies lining up for that annual multi-million dollar salary.

I'm not by any means a fashonista, but what the hell was Phil wearing this weekend. Who dressed him Craig Sager?

2010 NBA Mock Draft

The NBA draft is Thursday, a week after a classic NBA finals. That is one reason to love the NBA and there are others, one player can change the fortunes of a franchise and maybe best of all the draft day suits.

1) Washington Wizards: John Wall (PG, Kentucky); Huge talent who can be a major NBA star and moves Gilbert Arenas back to a more natural two guard position. The Wizards hope he can continue the Washington sports revival along the lines of Ovechkin, Strasburg, and Shanahan and be the new face of the franchise.

2) Philadelphia 76ers: Trade this pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 4th and 16th picks in the draft. The T-Wolves select Evan Turner (SG, Ohio State). The T-Wolves have the draft picks to make this move and they need a dynamic wing player who can be a game changer. Evan Turner fills this need and the 76ers get more picks and still have a chance to get the big man they need.

3) New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors (PF, Georgia Tech); Athletic enough to be the next Amare Stoudemire, but it will depend on how he develops. Didn't show a whole lot at Tech but that could be a product of the players around him. Could develop nicely running pick and rolls with Devin Harris next to Brook Lopez. That is the makings of a decent core to change this team around.

4) Philadelphia 76ers via trade with Minnesota: Demarcus Cousins (C, Kentucky); The best big man in the draft who can step right in and bang with NBA centers and run with guards. Questions about his attitude have followed him from Kentucky, but he is too talented for the 76ers and new coach Doug Collins to pass up when they desperately need a big guy.

5) Sacramento Kings: Greg Monroe (PF, Georgetown); Different kind of big man who is best in the high post and would fit in with how the Kings and Tyreke Evans want to play. He could run with the Kings up tempo offense and new addition Samuel Dalembert would be able to protect him a little on the defensive end so he could start immediately.

6) Golden State Warriors: Wesley Johnson (SF, Syracuse); Golden State would like to move this pick for a veteran and it will be interesting to see how active teams are in this draft with the free agent market looming. If they stay in this slot Johnson is the pick and his age (23) will be a benefit to a young team that needs a running mate for Curry while they continue to try to develop big men from previous drafts.

7) Detroit Pistons: Ekpe Udoh (PF, Baylor); Joe Dumars knows the value of big men who can defend and Udoh clearly fits that mold. He has been steadily climbing during the combine season and will be a welcome addition to a team with perimeter players but no one to help them if they get beat off the dribble or to rebound.

8) Los Angeles Clippers: Gordon Hayward (SF, Butler); This might seem a little high for a player with some questions about his overall game, but he is a winner who would fit into the Clippers current roster nicely. He will do the little things and would be a glue guy that could fit in seamlessly with Davis, Gordon, Griffin, and Kaman from day one.

9) Utah Jazz: Cole Aldrich (C, Kansas); The Ostertag comparisons are inevitable, but Aldrich is a tough player who will defend the paint and in turn be a rookie Sloan can trust. His offense game did not improve much in college, but he will get easy baskets playing with Williams and next to Millsap and the Jazz can live with that for the next couple of seasons.

10) Indiana Pacers: Ed Davis (PF, North Carolina); Will Larry Bird double down on UNC power forwards, he reached for Hansbrough last year and still doesn't know what he has with that pick. Davis is all Hansbrough is not, he is all potential who has shown very little in college, but is athletic enough to rebound and defend from the start and the Pacers need a power forward.

11) New Orleans Hornets: Al-Farouq Aminu (SF, Wake Forest); The Hornets would like a big man but Aminu is too talented to let him slip past. Very athletic player who will need to work on his defense and ball handling, but will benefit on the offense end by getting easy baskets playing with Chris Paul.

12) Memphis Grizzles: Luke Babbitt (SF, Nevada); The Grizzles could be in the market to replace Rudy Gay's scoring and Babbitt can score the ball. He has one of the most polished offensive games of any draftee and is adept at putting the ball on the floor and shooting the mid range jumper as well as the three. His defense needs work, but he is still young and is coming out as a sophomore.

13) Toronto Raptors: Daniel Orton (C, Kentucky); One of the biggest upsides in the draft, he is a legit center who was in the shadows with Kentucky last year. Could be a steal outside of the top ten and Toronto will be looking to replace Bosh and Orton can by the physical presence this team needs to pair with Bargnani.

14) Houston Rockets: Paul George (SF, Fresno State); Athletic wing player who has the ability to get his shot anytime he wants and the stroke to be consistent beyond the arc. Could team with Ariza and Brooks to form a potent offensive group. His physical skills allow him to defend at a high level when committed to doing so, one red flag is his teams have never been better than average.

15) Milwaukee Bucks: Patrick Patterson (PF, Kentucky); The most polished of the three Kentucky big men who can score with his back to the basket or facing up and hitting a jumper. Not a great rebounder but he will be a valuable addition to a young Buck's team that would love to see him on the board when they draft.

16) Philaelphia 76ers via trade with Minnesota: Xavier Henry (SG, Kansas); Every team can use a shooter like Henry and he has the 6' 6'' frame and mental game to have a long NBA career. He has the stroke and basketball IQ to fit in with any team and the 76ers would be a good landing spot.

17) Chicago Bulls: Solomon Alabi (C, Florida State); He is a hit or miss big guy with unbelievable athletic ability and retains the common theme for most big men in this draft, he can defend but is very raw on offense. The Bulls can take a flyer on a center with upside as they look to free agency to make their mark.

18) Miami Heat: Eric Bledsoe (PG, Kentucky); One of the most hard to gauge players in the draft, he played off the ball last year at Kentucky but has been impressive in workouts as a point guard. The Heat are still looking for the right point guard to play next to Wade and drafting Bledsoe would be a potentially intriguing backcourt.

19) Boston Celtics: Hassan Whiteside (C, Marshall); Like Alabi, he is a 7 footer with a raw offensive game, but the wingspan and current defensive ability to dominate in the paint. The Celts proved in the finals that you can never have too many big guys and Whiteside can help immediately as Perkins heals and Wallace contemplates retirement.

20) San Antonio Spurs: Larry Sanders (C, VCU); Look for the Spurs to try to move up and make a play for one of the first big men off the board. Sanders is another athletic big man that the Spurs covet to contribute immediately on the defensive end to take some stress away from Duncan. Sanders is in the group of big men who will determine the tale of this draft depending on how they develop offensively.

21) Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Seraphin (PF, Cholet France); France might seem like the wrong place to try to find the enforcer the Thunder need, but Seraphin has a NBA ready body and the attitude that the Thunder need to take the next step. He will actively defend with an attitude and rebound while not commanding shots on the offensive end.

22) Portland Trail Blazers: James Anderson (SG, Oklahoma State); A big time scorer with an offensive game that will translate well to the NBA. One of the best at putting up points in the college game who could be a real asset to the Blazers by coming off the bench and the Blazers showed last year they need a scoring threat outside of Roy.

23) Minnesota Timberwolves: Jordan Crawford (SG, Xavier); The T-Wolves need perimeter players and Crawford fits the bill and would be an interesting piece to team with Turner and Flynn. Crawford's ability to get his own shot and score would make the T-Wolves exciting as they search for a winning combination.

24) Atlanta Hawks: Avery Bradley (PG, Texas); The Hawks will most likely lose Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby is on the the back nine of his career so it makes sense to bring in a hungy combo guard like Bradley who is a very intense defender and distributor. He is not the athletic shot creator or shooter like some of the other guards in this draft, but he will bring intensity to the minutes he plays.

25) Memphis Grizzles: Terrico White (G, Mississippi); Terrico is a combo guard who can defend one through three and plays through the team on the offensive end. Every good team needs a player like this and he can help fill the void defensively left by Gay.

26) Oklahoma City Thunder: Damion Jones (SF, Texas); The Thunder can afford to take two players who have the capability to defend and add toughness. Jones has an NBA body and the willingness to defend, rebound, and set screens. He will play extremely hard and can defend shooting guards to power forwards.

27) New Jersey Nets: Armon Johnson (G, Nevada); Good workouts and interviews have pushed him into the first round and would make a nice back up to Devin Harris. With Harris' injury history and Avery Johnson as head coach Armon Johnson will be asked to handle major minutes.

28) Memphis Grizzles: Willie Warren (SG, Oklahoma); Would have been a top ten pick had he come out last year. Instead he showed questionable shot selection and decision making last year in college. He is a streaky shooter but has aggressive scoring instincts and could team with Mayo to be a scary 15 minute a game backcourt duo.

29) Orlando Magic: Quincy Pondexter (SF, Washington); Underatted overall athlete and basketball player with the biggest question mark being his jump shot. Orlando needs some toughness and some basketball IQ and Pondexter will add both. He would be a much needed breath of fresh air and a welcome break from the Carter and Lewis show.

30) Washington Wizards: Devin Ebanks (SF, West Virginia); The Wizards book end the first round and Ebanks is an ultra tough player who will rebound through contact. He is the type of player coaches and GM's love so it would be a major steal for the Wizards to get him with the last pick of the first round.

Ron Artest: What Planet are you from?

Is there any arguing that Ron Artest has now cemented himself as the athlete most likely to join a cult? To become a real-life Buffalo Bill? Throw on Spandex and produce Jazzercize video?

I mean the man is totally unpredictable. It's like he's actually one of those aliens from Space Jam.

He wears the #37 for the Lakers because Michael Jackson's album Thriller was #1 on the charts for 37 straight weeks. Obviously.

During his Rookie season with the Bulls he applied for a job a Circuit City just to get an employee discount. And if he would have been hired they wouldn't have gone out of business.

He wore a bathrobe to practice while with the Pacers. Didn't get the memo that showers were after practice.

After having one of the best games of his career; 46 minutes 20 points 5 rebounds 2 huge 3-pointers while holding Paul Pierce to just 18 points, in undoubtably the biggest game of his career, Game 7 of the NBA Finals, he gives us this:



He thanks everyone in his hood, his doctor, and his psychiatrist for helping him relax.

He doesn't allow Doris Burke to ask any questions.

He praises himself for his 3-pointer.

To top it all off, he promotes his new single "Champions" which he says he recorded last June.

Ron Ron ends by giving Doris a giant hug and walking away.


Artest has definately made the most of his second chance with the winning of an NBA Championship.

He will always be notorious for the brawl in Detroit, but he is also one heck of a basketball player. Yes he may not have the best shot, he is a little shaky on the free-throw line, and his decision making is not the best, but he does compete to the best of his ability game in and game out. He compliments Kobe very well. He works just as hard as Kobe, is as passionate as Kobe, and puts his best foot forward to gain the approval of his idol Kobe Bryant.

He is the modern day Dennis Rodman, but with an actual offensive game. He's gritty and tough and isn't afraid to play in your face defense. Not to mention his affinity for the Worm's hair.















































It's true he still takes stupid fouls which sometimes lead to technicals and ejections, but it just shows his passion.

All in all, I like Ron Artest, he's a wild-card everytime he steps on the court, but there's no denying a player that hustles the way he does.

I mean how can't you not like a player who openly admits to drinking Hennessey at halftime.

Oh you didn't know?

In continuing with this blogs ongoing infatuation with Top-10 lists, I have decided to venture outside the realm of traditional sports and pay homage to a childhood favorite of mine...Professional wrestling. For all intensive purposes I will be focusing on the WWF and WCW, not this WWE crap they are pawning off on today.

I will create MY Top-25 wrestlers list. Just a reminder, this is MY list, and will encompass MY favorite wrestlers from MY childhood. I grew up in the 90s so most of the stars you will see will come from the era of early 90s to early 2000s. I will no doubt leave some of the most acclaimed and celebrated wrestlers in the history of the business off my list, but as Bobby Brown says, It's my Perogative.

Growing up we all hear the rumors that pro wrestling is fake, these are just muscle-bound actors playing parts for an on-going t.v. series. At first, we don't want to hear anything of the sort. To young boys in America, wrestlers are just as much of heroes as the athletes in the 4 major sports; we watch them on Saturday mornings or Monday nights, get invested in their stories, their plights and their triumphs. We feel like we know these guys, we grow attatched, root for our favorites and develop deep hatreds for the villans.

As we get older, we begin to understand the nuances of professional wrestling. We can now see the storylines that were created for each of these athletes, and we understand that it, is indeed, fake. Yet, we have so much invested in these characters that we don't care if it's fake, because it is so entertaining. It is like watching a live-action movie a couple times a week.

As we move through our teens, wrestling gradually takes a back seat to school, friends, girls and sports. We don't watch the shows as religiously as we used to, but if we happen to flip to an episode, we will gladly sit, watch and become enthralled by the non-stop action, shotty acting, and over-the-top, if not predictable, storylines.

This list is a comprehensive look at the wrestlers I grew up watching on a weekly basis. Feel free to comment on your memories of wrestling, your favorite wrestlers, or on the omissions I have made with my list.

This will be a 3-part series. Today will be a countdown from #25-#16.


Here are a few guys that didn't quite crack the Top-25 but deserve an honorable mention:

Bam Bam Bigelow
Goldberg
Million Dollar Man
Jake the Snake Roberts
Scott Steiner
Chris Jericho



25. Doink the Clown (WWF 92-94)



Doink was a fan favorite in the early 90s. His ever present pranks on villianous wrestlers never got old, especially for a grade-school aged boy who thought whoopie cushions were the best invention since Mario Bros. 3.

His circus-esque entrance music was classic.

Not too mention that to add to his humorous repitoire, Doink incorporated a midget sidekick named Dink. Doink and Dink, I couldn't think of two better names a clown could have other than Dwight and Howard.

I will never forget the rivalry Doink had with Jerry "The King" Lawlor. In this on-going battle, Doink and Dink incorporated two other munchkins Wink and Pink, to face-off agains Lawlor's band of "little kings" Queezy, Sleazy, and Cheezy. Epic.

6 little people, a clown, and a king in one ring. Genius.






24. Yokozuna (WWF 92-98)



The almost 600 pound Samoan, fighting under a Japanese flag, made an immediate rumble in the WWF, with his '93 victory at the Royal Rumble.

At Wrestle Mania IX, Yokozuna faced off against Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. As Yokozuna was about to submit to Hart's sharpshooter, Mr. Fuji, a great name for a Japanese manager, threw salt in Hart's eyes and allowed Zuna to escape. Eventually, the big man was able to perform 4 Bonzai Drops, again the WWF was extremely creative in their naming of finishing move, to win the title. As Fuji and Zuna were celebrating victory, Hulk Hogan came to the ring, challenged him for the title and won the title from Yokozuna.

At King of the Ring in '93 Yokozuna re-gained the championship belt, by beating Hogan and ending Hogan's run with the WWF.

Yokozuna's most famous match had to be with the Undertaker in a Casket Match. The premise was that the person who lost, would be put inside a casket and buried alive. The first time Yokozuna successfully put the Taker in the box, but during the celebration, an image of the Taker appeared on the Titantron to announce that he would not rest in peace.

Several months later another Casket Match was held, this time Yokozuna was thrown in the casket, thus ending his run as a headlining wrestler. This match was refereed by non other than Chuck Norris.

On a side note, the Boston Bruins were interested in signing Yokozuna as their goalie, but upon realizing that he had passed away, they had to settle on the next fattest guy they could find...Tim Thomas.





23. Captain Lou Albano (53-95)



Arguably the greatest manager of all-time. He managed over 50 different wrestlers in his career, leading those men to over 2 dozen world titles. He also led 15 different teams to the Tag-Team championship.

Let's get serious though, he was a great manager, no doubt about that, but the real reason he is on this list is because of his goatee. I mean, it has a rubberband in it.

Captain Lou imatators:

Alexei Lalas











John Salmons












Guy Fieri












Brad Pitt











22. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett (WWF 93-96, 97-99; WCW 96-97, 99-01)



J-E-Double-F, J-A-Double-R, E-Double-T!

A country music gimmick, portrayed as an arrogant self-absorbed man was just what the WWF needed. From his trademark strut, to the smashing of his guitar over people's heads, Jarrett was perfect in the "Attitude Era" of the 90s.



Other famous Double J's:

Jimmy Johnson









Jimmy Johnson











Jaromir Jagr








Jenna Jameson











Jane Jetson









21. Hacksaw Jim Duggan (WWF 87-93, WCW 94-01)



HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The crazy American wielding a 2x4 and yelling HOOO! while chants of U-S-A rained down from the crowd. Perfect gimmick.

Duggan's career started off well with his winning of the first ever Royal Rumble in 1988. After a few years toiling with minor rivalries, Duggan the American Patriot stuck up for America after Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna started bad mouthing it. Yokozuna is actually from Samoa, which is a U.S. territory.

No one at the time had knocked Yokozuna off his feet and the stipulations to the match were if Duggan knocked Yokozuna off his feet, Duggan would win. On an edition of Superstars, Duggan won the match after knocking Yokozuna down completely but was subsequently manhandled by the mammoth Yokozuna after the match. Yokozuna gave him about four more Banzai Drops, sidelining Duggan for several months.

Duggan survived kidney cancer in '98 and can still be found on the independent wrestling circuit.

Duggan claims to have wrestled in all 50 states, as well as, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guam, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Scotland, England and Wales.







20. British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith (WWF 84-88, 90-92, 94-97, 99-00)



Due to Smith's mother mistakenly writing his gender in the line where his middle name was supposed to go, his legal middle name was Boy.

The brother-in-law of Bret and Owen Hart, the Bulldog rose to fame mostly in the WWF. One of his many stints with the organization was cut short when it was found out that he, the Ultimate Warrior, and Roger Clemens were receiving shipments of HGH from BALCO.

Ok, so BALCO didn't exist yet, and Clemens wasn't juicing up with wrestlers but still it was an ample opportunity to take a shot at the ol' Rocket.

During his third run with the WWF, the Bulldog, teamed with brother-in-law Bret in an ongoing feud with Owen and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. This was his most successful, but not his last tour with the company.

Smith was also involved in one of the greatest moments in Royal Rumble history. He entered the match as the second entrant, outlasted all the other wrestlers and faced off against Shawn Michaels as the final two competitors. After hitting a staggering Michaels with a clothesline, Michaels flipped over the ropes and the Bulldog thought he won the Rumble. As the British anthem roared through the arena, Michaels clung to the ropes, never letting his feet touch the ground, pulled himself back over and knocked the stunned Bulldog over the ropes to gain the Rumble crown.




19. Vader (WCW 90-95, WWF 96-98, Boy Meets World 95-96)




An All-American Offensive Lineman at Colorado, Vader was a 3rd Round pick of the L.A. Rams in 1978, played in Super Bowl XIV against the Steelers, before pursuing a career in real estate and then professional wrestling.

For much of his career Vader was used as villian, or heel, to terrorize wrestlers, officials, and executives with his size and Vaderbombs.

While having a successful and lucrative career, Vader's career peaked in 1995 when he appeared in Boy Meets World as Frankie Stechino Sr., father to Tuna from Blow, Ethan Suplee. He appeared in three episodes, all of them with great titles: The Thrilla' in Phila, New Friends and Old and Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred-Pound Men.

Not too much not to like about Boy Meets World, except that it takes place in Philadelphia. To me, if I were Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, I would have thought something was a little fishy with all the attention Feeny spent with my sons. He followed them through middle school, high school and even to Pennbrook for college.

If Dateline's Chris Hansen were around, he would have told Feeny to take a seat, and have a cookie.

Has there been a bigger turn around for hottness of a girl in a t.v. series than Topanga. Initially, she was a space cadet who didn't care about the way she looked, but as Danielle Fishel grew up, the producers did the right thing and let her be hot. Too hot for Kevin Arnold's little brother, but that family has been over achieving since the days of Winnie Cooper




Also want to mention Griff Hawkins, the ringleader behind the freeloading intimidators Frankie and Joey, played by Adam Scott, not the over-hyped Aussie golfer, but the actor who played Will Ferrell's brother in Step-Brothers and Henry on Party Down. If you haven't seen it yet, watch Party Down on Starz. It is the anti-Entourage. Wannabe actors and writers working for a catering service in L.A. Hilarious.





18. Harlem Heat (WCW 93-99)



Can You Dig It, Suuuuuckkka!!!

Real-life brothers, Booker T and Stevie Ray formed the most successful tag-team duo in WCW history. They would go on to win the WCW Tag-Team Championship a record 10 times.

It's just funny that WCW threw political correctness to the wind and took two black guys and a black woman and created Harlem Heat and Sista Sherri. It's not even like they tried. The name Harlem Heat is better than the moniker the team wrestled as when they first got into professional wrestling...The Ebony Experience.

They had one of the most unique entrance songs...A mix of Salt-n-Pepa's Push it, Freddy Kruger music, and Ice Ice baby.





17. Sgt. Slaughter (80-84, 90-02)



In the 80s Slaughter was a symbol of America as he feuded with the Iron Sheik, even getting his own G.I. Joe action figure, but upon returning to the WWF in the early 90s his character denounced America for "going soft" and became an Iraqi sympathizer, a bold move by the WWF considering the U.S. was involved in Desert Storm. Don't know how good of an idea that was, but it definately cemented himself as definable heel.

Eventually, he "wanted his country back" and turned pro American. Outside of the annual Brett Favre summer retirement campaign the world hasn't been that much flip-flopping since a John Kerry debate.

I've always hated Slaughter, I don't know if it was that porn 'stache, but his character and image have always been classics.




16. Diamond Dallas Page (WCW 91-02)



A great showman, with a hot wife, who combined wrestling, NBA and late night t.v.

In '98, Page not only teamed up with Utah Jazz great Karl Malone, but he also formed a partnership with late-night titan Jay Leno.

Malone and Page wrestled Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan



In 2005, Page filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z, who, he claimed, had illegally adopted his trademark hand gesture. In '96, Page created and copyrighted the "Self High Five" and "Diamond Cutter" hand symbols. He sued Jay for monetary damages, courtside Nets tickets, Beyonce's bra, a life-time supply of Roca-Wear jeans, and a lunch-in with Ja Rule.






The next installment will be a run-down of wrestlers number 15 through 6.