Stoudemire Not Loving New York Right Now

It's gonna be a long year Amare

After the Minnesota meltdown and being kicked around by the Rockets on Sunday, Amare Stoudemire isn't liking what he sees in New York right now. Especially after fans rained boos on the Knicks in the fourth quarter.

Stoudemire says his teammates are accustomed to losing and they need to play with a sense of urgency. "It's definitely something that I'm not accustomed to. It's not fun. "We're a young team and we make mistakes but we can't keep doing the exact same thing every night. We just gotta find a way to grow up."

Well Amare, this is what you signed up for and you should've known what you were getting yourself into. A Knicks team that's going nowhere. Hey, you're the one who took the money and ran.

Stoudemire also added this.  "I don't understand why we're not playing with the urgency. I'm not used to that. "We're not playing like we're on a four-game losing streak, now five. We don't have that sense of urgency. It's almost as if it doesn't matter and it's not something I'm used to."

You're not used to it, but you better get used to it. You were the lone big time free agent that signed with the Knicks with no help on the way. You, my man, are not a one man calvary. But you're so used to winning, you should've went to Chicago. Here's more from the $100 million dollar man.

"We just can't have guys complacent and comfortable with losing. "I can't stand that. It's more attitude. It's more heart. We have to show more heart and go after it. We're still not having that sense of urgency to dig for loose balls, get down on the floor. We're not showing that we really want it. Maybe the winning mentality has never been here. "I'm used to winning."


That's right their not used to winning, but you were blinded by dollar signs. You should've checked the record and did your due diligence. I just think Stoudemire was focused on getting his money and his stats. Since he was winning in Phoenix and was going to play for a coach he was familiar with (Mike D'Antoni) he threw conventional wisdom out the window. My conventional wisdom says, take a little less and sign with a team that has a real chance of winning.

Stoudemire better mind trick himself and do it fast, because there is no immediate help on the horizon.    
















 

  

NFL At The Half: NFC Version

I know it's a little past the halfway point of the NFL season, but I'll break it down the best way I know how.

NFC:

New York Giants- Just when it looks like they've righted the ship, they come out and get whacked by Dallas. Still look like the class of the NFC East, but look out for Philly. The Giants are prone to slumping at the wrong time.

Philadelphia Eagles- This team is more of a threat with Michael Vick at the helm. They have two big ones against the Giants in the second half of the season.

Green Bay Packers- The team that's supposed to be the NFC's finest. You just keep waiting for them to start kicking around the NFC North.

Atlanta Falcons- A surprise contender to get to the Super Bowl. Definitely a team to watch.

New Orleans Saints- Maybe the rest of the league caught up to their high powered offense. Maybe it's the Super Bowl hangover. Maybe they miss Reggie Bush more than we thought.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The young Bucs are playing well. Josh Freeman is making everyone better and LaGarrette Blount is making everyone forget about "the punch". Should be playing meaningful games once again in December.

Chicago Bears- They're like the roach that won't go away. You just keep waiting for the Bears to collapse and Jay Cutler to implode.

Seattle Seahawks- Right now the best of a bad bunch in the NFC West.

St. Louis Rams- One of the season's biggest surprises. Sam Bradford is looking like the real deal.     

Minnesota Vikings- Easily the most disappointing team on the list. They have a mutiny and a lame duck quarterback. Dangerously close to playing out the string. 

Washington Redskins- Two weeks after being benched, they sign Donovan McNabb to a five year extension. This franchise has puzzled me ever since Snyder took over.

Arizona Cardinals- It hasn't been the same ever since Kurt Warner skipped town and put on his dancing shoes.

Dallas Cowboys- After Sunday's win over the Giants, maybe Jason Garrett can make Roy Williams look prophetic.

San Francisco 49ers- Mike Singletary still cannot win with them.

Detroit Lions- The train looked to be on the right track. It looks to be derailed right about now.

Carolina Panthers- Say goodbye to John Fox?

Worse Than Sager

Morehead State women's baketball coach Tom Hodges definitely lets his clothes do the talking. This suit is loud, damn loud. Even John Daly, Jasper Parnevik, and Craig Sager think this outfit is bad.

Considering he coaches at Morehead State, any exposure is good exposure for the school and itself. I know in my circle of friends, Morehead State is known more for the dirty pun the school name is. Think about that one.

Quote Of The Week: Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley to an Alabama radio station about the Cam Newton situation.

"First of all -this is a joke now- first of all I don't know what happened about that, but if that guy only asked for $200,000 for Cam Newton, they should fire him anyway."

Even when he's chipping in about his alma mater, the Chuckster is always good for a laugh. 

Quick NBA Thought

The Utah Jazz have been awfully impressive on this recent road trip. Three come from behind wins, from double digit deficits against Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta. Three teams in the East's top six. Deron Williams has kicked it into overdrive fairly early. 

Morneau Wants Some Home Cooking

Being a Detroit Tigers fan I've seen how your home field can be a detriment to some of your big bats. That's whta happened when Comerica Park first opened. Eventually they shortened the fences, but it's still regarded as a pitcher's park. Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau isn't taking a liking to Target Field.

 “Right-center to left-center is ridiculous,” Morneau said in an e-mail to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “(It’s) almost impossible for a right-handed hitter to (homer to the) opposite field and very difficult for lefties. It affects the hitters a lot, and you start to develop bad habits as a hitter when you feel like you can only pull the ball to hit it over the fence. You take those habits on the road.”

Be careful what you wish for. If you move the fences in, it could give visiting teams the same advantage that your looking for.

There are discussions about moving the fences in, but it's not imminent. 

A Few Key Moments That Caused Michigan Basketball To Slip

It slipped by me that college basketball has actually started. With the NBA starting and the NFL in full swing it's been kind of hard to keep up. Not to mention family obligations.

I have been thinking of the rut that Michigan basketball has been in since the Ed Martin scandal exploded. The program obviously hasn't been the same since. It just wasn't the Martin scandal that kept it down. There's been the ascension of Michigan State as the top dog here in Michigan and state players going elsewhere. 

I hate to make a story of this, but I will anyway. It all began in February of 1996 when thr infamous rollover accident happened. That opened Pandora's box. Nothing initially came of it, until Robert Traylor was spotted rolling in a tricked out Suburban. That's when the NCAA started sniffing around, which eventually led a trail to Ed Martin. A figure that had been around the program since the 80s. They tied him to coach Steve Fisher and Fisher was canned by Athletic Director Tom Goss shortly after.

In my eyes, as far as basketball waas concerned Goss was the worse thing that happened to the basketball program. Brian Ellerbe was named interim coach and won the first Big Ten Tournament title. With Fisher's players. That earned him the head coaching gig and to me he was in over his head. I hate to be blunt or put anyone down, but Ellerbe had no business being there. Right around that same time Goss came out and said he wanted Michigan to "be the Duke of the north". That was a stretch. That also meant he was turning his back on the lifeblood of Michigan hoops. Detroit and inner city players that the Wolverines were always in on. Two points right there that set the program back. Meanwhile, a lot of those same players that used to consider Michigan headed to East Lansing to play for Michigan State and other schools around the nation.

Right when it seemed everything was about to get back on track it went south again. Ellerbe did bring in a solid recruiting class that featured guards Kevin Gaines and Jamal Crawford and Michigan Mr. Basketball runner-up LaVell Blanchard. This was supposed to get the train rolling again. I remember a game where they gave a Duke team that featured Jay Williams, and I believe Shane Battier among others, all they could handle before falling 102-97. Crawford put on a show for about 27 points and the Wolverines looked to be in good hands. They started 12-3, then the walls caved in on them. Crawford's past with a close family friend was scrutinized and he was essentially suspended for the rest of the season. Fresh off the Martin scandal, Michigan felt they had to do it to avoid the NCAA's mighty hammer. After Ellerbe brought in supposedly talented players (Josh Moore, Avery Queen) and the losses mounted. Soon enough Ellerbe was shown the door.

The Tommy Amaker era started much like the Ellerbe era ended. In year two there was some promise and they finished 17-13. They might have made the NCAA's or the NIT, but they were on probation. Amaker was a good recruiter and brought in some quality players. But it was two recruiting misses that pretty much doomed him. Joe Crawford and Al Horford. These two would've joined Ron Coleman, instead it turned out to be a one man class (Coleman). A lot of people forget this. Horford and Crawford both verbally committed to Michigan. Coleman and Crawford played AAU together and talked about playing college ball together. Crawford and Horford would've greatly helped this team. Instead they both bailed on the Wolverines and joined Kentucky and Florida instead. Considering how Horford's career turned out, you have to think what might have been. About three years later and more NIT appearances than they would've liked Amaker was shown the door.

I have hope for John Beilein, but last year was a major disappointment. Recruiting will be key in the next few years if Michigan ever wants to regain their status as a player on the basketball scene. If he can't get things rolling in Ann Arbor, he might be gone sooner than anyone expects.