Lebron and the hatred
Wow, that was some atmosphere for the first game of the NBA season. LeBron James may be the biggest villain in all of sports – and I feel certain David Stern could not be happier about it. James, the former Cleveland icon who publicly split for South Beach during the summer, and the Heat were met by a packed Boston Garden, standing and chanting defense. In the middle of the first quarter. Of the first game of the season. Wow. James needs to embrace the black-hat image – his new commercial was a good start – and go old-school Ric Flair-level villain on folks. Now that would be iconic. By the way the Heat stunk – shooting 36.5 percent and turning it over 17 times – and lost 88-80 despite 31 points from LeBron. By the way, the L.A. Lakers got 29 from Pau Gasol and 27 from Kobe Bryant to beat Houston 112-110. The Lakers are the two-time defending champs after all.
Boise State did itself no favors last night
Seriously, did you watch the Broncos in a 49-20 win Tuesday night over Louisiana Tech? I get it the Broncos have been rolling – and yes they beat Virginia Tech in the season opener – but cut it out already. If you think Boise State runs the table in the Pac 10 or the SEC or even the Big Ten, well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree and you obviously did not watch last night’s game. OK, if your position is, “Well, yes, they played an ‘off game’ – and still won by 29 points.” Well, my answer to that is if you have an off game in the SEC or the Pac 10 or a lot of other places, then you lose. Notice I did not bring up the schedule – you play who you play and all you can do is win, and if they are the last unbeaten standing then, there you go – but the competition is just not the same. They simply didn’t look great last night on a national stage, and don’t pedal this off-night stuff, especially at home against a team that traveled across the country (the trip is 2,200-plus miles) for a midweek game.
More on the Broncos
They have a very good quarterback – Kellen Moore – who some are saying deserves the Heisman. Well, couple things: 1. You obviously have been trapped under a rock and could not watch any of the eight games Auburn’s Cam Newton has played. 2. Moore’s very good and throws an accurate ball, and his last-second heroics against Va. Tech in the opener were spectacular, but games like Tuesday night look like 7-on-7 drills. Second, BSU’s defense is “Ranked No. 1 in the country” – that phrase was used more than SportsCenter references last night on ESPN – but it still allowed Lennon Creer, a fine back who could not crack the starting lineup at Tennessee before transferring, to rush for 150 yards for a La. Tech team that started 1-4. Them are the facts.
If they had a Fall Classic and no one watches does it count
World Series starts tonight and most of the world just offered a series of shrugs. The Texas Rangers have Cliff Lee, the lefty mercenary, and Josh Hamilton, the slugger that won the batting title and may be the AL MVP. Be ready for a series of feel-good references tonight from the Fox crew on Hamilton’s longtime struggle with drug and alcohol addiction – one cool sidenote: When the Rangers clinched the last two pennants, they used sparkling cider and non-alcoholic drinks to celebrate in reference to Hamilton. The Giants have rookie Buster Posey and pitcher Tim Lincecum, who looks a lot like Mitch from “Dazed and Confused.” Other than that, well, you are going to need rosters (click here) to know who is whom. In fact, if they had a best of five series to decide third place between the Yankees and the Phillies, which would you watch?
Texas Rangers starting lineup, San Francisco Giants starting lineup
That karma will bite you Markieth
Hey UT fan, this little tidbit will brighten your day a little.
According to ESPN.com, “USC freshman receiver Markeith Ambles has been suspended from the team indefinitely as a result of multiple late arrivals to team functions, two team sources confirmed Tuesday night. USC spokesman Tim Tessalone referred requests for comment to coach Lane Kiffin, who was in a meeting after practice and unavailable.” Yes, that’s former Vols coach Lane Kiffin and former Vols commit Ambles, who was a five-star prospect out of McDonough, Ga., just south of Atlanta. The “Good-flippin riddance,” sentiments grow stronger since that January day that Kiffin skedaddled, and each event since involving Kiffin and his ties to Knoxville confirm those original thoughts.