Some chase championships,some chase money

This is dedicated to the NBA free agency period. I know when it comes to your job, whether we think of it as a job or not,it is, you have to make the best decision for yourself. A lot of times that decision usually is based on how much you get paid. I remember once at a meeting we had,the question of why do we work here was asked. My answer was I just want to get paid. Which brings me to the NBA player. I know you have to get the best deal out there for you. You have a lifestyle to maintain. You have family and friends counting on you. Which means when its time for free agency you have to get that extra million or five to take  care of yourself and others. It just seems that there is no competitive spirit anymore among some players.Once again, I understand,get your money. But sometimes you do wantto be known as a winner. I know players such as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James will make their decision on where they can win at.And win now.Prior to free agency,word on the street is that Bosh said that "he's never been out of the first round. It's evident that he wants to win. Wade has a ring,but wants more to solidify himself as one of the true legends. James wants so desperately to win,but doesn't know if he can do it in Cleveland. Some of the other players in this class are about the money,which I don't blame them for doing. But in the back of your mind you also want to be known as a winner. I'm sure Bosh will hitch his wagon to the Wade or LeBron express.Players such as A'mare' Stoudemire are clearly chasing money. Why else would he ponder signing with the Knicks. He gets his max deal and plays for a crappy team.He'll get his numbers,but will be out of the playoffs by February.Of course I could be wrong. But the Knicks are nowhere near championship caliber or even in the playoff neighborhood. Like I said get your money,but I know some of you NBAers could sacrifice a few mill to try and get a ring/rings.Look at Shaq,he knows he's about done,so he's running around chasing championships.LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh are the same.They want to be champions. Players such as Stoudemire and Atlanta's Joe Johnson,not so much. Or else both would still be in Phoenix with a true contender.  

Boller bags a beauty

Kyle Boller hasn't really done anything significant in his NFL career until now. That is because he reportedly is engaged to beauty queen Carrie Prejean. I normally don't follow the celebrity style aspect of atheletes,because I really don't care who they're married to or having sex with. I know,that sounded kind of like a disclaimer. But only because Boller, who was a former first round pick of the Baltimore Ravens really hadn't done anything noteworthy in the NFL,until getting engaged  and married to Prejean,who was stripped of her Miss California title. I hope everything works out from a relationship standpoint,much more than his not so stellar NFL career.

Simms loves his chronic

You would think pro athletes would think that when they smoke marijuana,they're bound to get caught.The most recent athlete to be made an example of is Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms. Simms was stopped early Thursday at a Manhattan police checkpoint with his wife Danielle in tow.

Reports say that Simms' eyes were bloodshot,smelled like marijuana and slurred his words.Like police won't pick up that familiar scent.Police said Simms admitted to smoking marijuana before he was stopped.But Simms says he was talking about cigarettes.A likely story.If convicted Simms faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.The money he can afford, the jail time, not so much.

Before we all rush to judgement,remember this is all alleged.And the marijuana smell could've been from two unidentified passengers in the back seat.Haven't I heard this one before. It's someone else's gun,drugs,etc.I'm sure Phil is beaming with pride right now.

Happy 4th of July

 Just wanted to wish everyon a safe and happy 4th of July.Even though we know the real reason behind this day, celebarate wildly. Be blessed for all the freedoms we have that allow us to celebrate. Whether its beer, barbecue, baseball,or just watching the hot dog eating contest, have a good time doing it.

R.I.P. Don Coryell

Ex San Diego Charger coach Don Coryell passed away from unknown causes at age 85. The offense known as "Air Coryell" was a precursor to a lot of the offenses ran today. Coryell is known as a pioneer of the aerial attacks that he ran in the 70s and 80s with the San Diego Chargers. Back then they were one of the most exciting teams to play the game.They never won the Super Bowl or even went to one,but you can't deny the long range impact that Coryell and the Chargers had on the game. He was definitely an innovator of the game. Hopefully he will get his due by getting enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Phillies fans should step away from the ledge

The Philadelphia Phillies have been scuffling a bit and I bet there fans are getting impatient. That's just how it is in Philadelphia. There are reasons why and some that can be solved. I don't have the answers or I wouldn't be writing this. Phillie fans should be patient, they've proven in the past to be a strong second half team.

   First,they need Jimmy Rollins back. For all their offensive talent, Rollins is the man that makes the Phillies go. As I write this, he should be back in the lineup. The offense has been up and down and you can tell they clearly miss him. No offense and no pun intended there, but Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro just don't don't have the same impact.
   Secondly, they need to stay healthy.As they get Rollins back, they lose Placido Polanco and Chase Utley.Two very important cogs in the machine. This year more than any in the past few years, the Phillies have been burned by injury.
   Last but not least,they need consistent starting pitching by anyone not named Roy Halladay. Cole Hamels is good, but he hasn't been the same since his World Series mvp year. And after Hamels who knows. J.A. Happ has seemed to regress, and you never know what your gonna get from Joe Blanton. It looks like they'll be picking up Pedro Martinez after the All Star break again. Maybe they enter the Cliff Lee sweepstakes again or they could swing a trade for someone like Erik Bedard who could use a change of scenery. Maybe pick off one of Arizona's pitchers,maybe Dan Haren. They'll need another arm, because you can't outscore everyone. They also need help in the bullpen, more notably closer, because they simply cannot count on Brad Lidge. I don't know where they can get that kind of help without giving up a king's ransom,but its worth a try.
   Like I stated earlier, the Phillies have proven to be a strong second half team in the past.Ask the Mets about that. The opposition in the division seems to be a little tougher this year as the Mets and Braves are playing good baseball right now. I'm not sold on the Mets. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop for them and the Braves are good but I think they need another bat to surpass the Phillies. Philadelphia still is the team to beat in the NL East and maybe the National League.The fans need to stop grumbling because things could be worse.Fans step away from the ledge.      

Tigers get hosed by the umps again

The Detroit Tigers are having a hard time with bad umpiring so far this season.It hasn't happened a lot,but two glaring mistakes have cost them a possible win and a perfect game.Everyone knows about the perfect game that wasn't.Umpire Jim Joyce made a bad call when Armando Galarraga clearly beat the Indians' Jason Donald to the bag at first. Joyce quickly realized he made the wrong call and everything turned out well as the Tigers fans and organization,as well as Galarraga showed a lot of class.
  Which brings us to yesterday.As the Tigers rallied from a 4-1 defecit,literally walking down the Atlanta Braves,they were doomed by a bad call to end the game.With Johnny Damon at the plate and the bases loaded with two outs, Damon was called out on strikes on what appeared to be ball four,which would've tied the game at four. The ball was clearly outside,and how Damon didn't go nuts after the call was made is beyond me. Home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom admitted after the game that he made a bad call. He said that he was too quick on the call since he didn't realize the ball was going to break outside the strike zone. I'm not going to blame the umps for another Tigers loss.They didn't capitalize on their oppurtunities,which seems to be a common theme for this team year after year.I won't say they would've won the game.But they were deprived an oppurtunity to do so.But when you miss something so clear as ball four,because maybe you wanted to end the game or thought the ball looked good on the way to the batter,you can point the finger at human error. Umpires and referees arre only human and are subject to mistakes,but there needs to be a system in place to make sure bad calls aren't becoming the norm in Major League Baseball.