Murder Was The Case

Former Los Angeles/Oakland Raider Anthony Smith has been charged with murder according to a report by Ann Simmons of the Los Angeles Times. Smith and two other men were charged with killing a 31 year old Lancaster man, Maurillio Ponce,  in October 2008.

Reports say the victim was beaten and shot several times before he was dumped near the Antelope Valley poppy fields. Charles Eric Honest and Dewann Wesley White were also charged.

Smith was a former first round draft pick of the Raiders back in 1990 out of the University of Arizona and played with the Raiders from 1991-1998.

This also wasn't his first brush with the law. Smith waas charged with arson of a Simply Sofas furniture store in Santa Monica, when he thought it would be wise to firebomb the store after a dispute over a few hundred dollars and a statue on consignment.

There's no truth to the rumor the Cincinnati Bengals are trying to lure Smith out of retirement.

Loose Ends

When was the last time you heard of a hockey player being tossed for a loose jersey? Same here. It hardly happens if it happens at all. Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins had it happen to him.

Letang received a game misconduct for not having his jersey tied down. He didn't loop the belt through the tab on the back of his jersey which was caught while he was duking it out with Travis Zajac of the New Jersey Devils.

How about that? Getting kicked out for not tying up some loose ends and not for fighting. Well as they say rules are rules. But rules are made to be broken and this is one the NHL should've let go. At least let him go to the locker room and have the equipment manager hook him up.

Rule 46.13 states that jerseys not  “tied-down on”  on player who egnages in fisticuffs and that jersey become dislodged, a game misconduct must be called. A player doesn't receive the sanction if his jersey comes off even when its tied down due to equipment failure, although it does have to be reported to the NHL.  

I think this is a rule that sould be modified. 

Western Michigan Player Gets One Game Suspension For Fight

Western Michigan forward Flenard Whitfield has been suspended one game for his part in a fight with Ball State's Matt Kamieniecki. Unsportsmanlike conduct is what they called it.

Both Whitfield and Kamieniecki received technical fouls. Whitfield earned the suspension for violating a Mid American Conference rule that prohibits a player from striking or physical abuse of a player, coach, or referee.

Check out the video to see if the punishment fits the crime.

Dick Vitale, Stan Van Gundy Rip The Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have been getting ripped from coast to to coast over the practice boycott last Friday. It is for good reason, because no team in recent memory has pulled a stunt like this. At least Latrell Sprewell had the guts to choke P.J. Carlesimo.

Dick Vitale and Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy had their say about practicegate and the players involved. Phil Jackson has already thrown his two cents so why not pile on.

Vitale appeared on Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN radio and blasted the players for what they did.

“What happened in Detroit was absolutely absurd," Vitale said. "When those players did what they did in that mutiny, unbelievable. It is absolutely sad and a black eye and absolutely hurts the image of the NBA big time. When guys like, for example, (Austin) Daye and (Chris) Wilcox and (Rodney) Stuckey, they all apologize for being late because they overslept, they couldn't come to the shootaround, give me a break! You're making hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, you're making millions playing a kids' game, and you're going to oversleep! And then there's the scenario where (Tayshaun) Prince and (Tracy) McGrady, they were sick, they couldn't go to the shootaround. Are you serious? That's absolutely a tragedy. And you know what? It breaks my heart. For someone who, for over 50 years, loves the game, loves people, loves being with people, when you hear that, man, I'd rather go watch some sixth-, seventh-graders play in some Little League game than spend thousands of dollars to watch a bunch of guys who don't give a damn.”


Sounds like vintage Vitale to me, but I do have to agree with what he's saying. Van Gundy appeared on the Dan LeBatard Show to pile on the Pistons. I'm suprised LeBatard didn't chime in considering he gets in any dig about anything Detroit.


Van Gundy said, "If there are players who truly were healthy and 'boycotted' practice — I don't care what the problem they have with the head coach is — why would you want those guys on your team in any situation? All of us have problems with our bosses at times, but you don't choose to just not show up for work. That's about as childish and unprofessional as you can get. And clearly, that illuminates some of the Pistons' problems right there. When you've got that many guys with that little toughness and professionalism on your team, it wouldn't matter who is coaching them — you're not going to be very successful. They've obviously got the wrong guys in that locker room. That's about the weakest group of players I've seen in the NBA — people that would do that. Patrick Ewing and I were talking about it and we were saying that if any of those guys become free agents, why in God's name would you want any of them on your basketball team? I know this much about John Kuester. John Kuester is one of the nicest people in our profession, so he didn't get out of line and treat anyone like a sub-human or anything else. They might not have liked his coaching decisions — playing time, how he's handling rotations, whatever. You don't simply not show up for (work) when you're getting paid well and you're supposed to be a professional and a competitor. That's a very weak group of people."


Some harsh words from someone whose franchise player might be leaving town.  








 


 

Was There A Dunk Contest Conspiracy?

Cold envelopes, crooked refs, and now prejudging a slam dunk contest. This comes from benmaller.com, that the NBA had Blake Griffin named as the slam dunk contest winner. This is something straight out of the WWE.

Everyone knew that Griffin would win anyway. With all the hype he's received with his wicked dunks on Sportscenter night after night, he couldn't lose. Why would you want to have Serge Ibaka or JaVale McGee as you champion, when you can have Blake Griffin. Imagine all the marketing possibilities for the NBA and Griffin.

In this official media advisory it listed the “KROQ BLAKE GRIFFIN SHOWCASE” from 1:20 pm to 2:00 pm with the following description: “Five middle school students will showcase their dunking talents in front of 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest winner Blake Griffin.”
http://benmaller.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/blakegriffinnbarelease.png




That was sent an hour before the scheduled start for the dunk contest. The NBA and David Stern always try to throw us off when a conspiracy comes up. Now there is some kind of proof that it does exist. Of course they tried to fix it later.

Somewhere Vince McMahon and David Stern are having a drink with the shooter from the grassy knoll.

Burying The Hatchet

Remember when Antonio Cromartie threatned to smash Matt Hasselbeck's face in. All seems to be well now after running into each other last week and even posed for a picture. Me being the cynic that I am, figures this is some clever posturing for some union solidarity.

Actually they were at the Pro Athletes Outreach NFL conference in Florida last week. Look at them, looking like best buddies. Almost reminds me of Rocky and Apollo Creed. At least they seem to be getting along and all is forgotten.

Chipper Jones Tells Cynical Fans What They Can Do

Last season Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones suffered a torn ACL and everyone figured that he should step away from the game. Jones isn't that kind of guy to walk away from something without giving it a try. That's what I see from him after countless years of watching baseball. At age 39 that just isn't in his nature.

Some writers, fans, and bloggers have written him off and according to him say that he's only playing for the money. Jones scoffs at that notion and quite frankly it pisses him off. I don't think he plays for the money at this point in his career. I just think he's one of those players that loves the game so much he might be buried in his uniform. He's still a dangerous hitter, efficient in the field, and capable of mentoring the youngsters. Jones alsomprobably wants to play to see can they make another playoff run and possibly get to another World Series. I don't think like some who think he does it for the money.

“If they think I’m doing this for the money, they obviously haven’t seen my bank account,” he said. “I’ve never played this game for money. Nor will I. My mind doesn’t work that way. I play this game because I love my teammates and they wanted me to come back.



“I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. I really don’t care. There’s a bunch of true fans and the people who actually want to take the time to get to know me know who I am. The guy who sits in his mom’s basement and types on his mom’s computer, I couldn’t really care less about.”

Of course he plays for the money, but that's not his motivation. He plays for the money only because he gets paid for it. I think he'd play for free if you asked him. Just my opinion. Besides, he's made $141 million throughout his career and $127 million in the past 10 years. He'd have to drop money like Bryant McKinnie to burn through all that cash.