Posted 11:54 AM by logoshak
What's a five letter word that rhymes with need and is the driving force behind big time college athletics? You got it, GREED. The Big East Conference has made a $9 million a year offer to Miami, Florida to keep the Hurricanes. Fine and dandy I guess, but what do the other conference schools get, natta? Wonder how $9 million would do for facilty and facilities? Doesn't make much sense. Is college sports determined to self destruct?
The San Antonio Spurs went up to Dallas and advanced to the NBA Finals. Veteran Steve Kerr lead the Spurs to a clinching 90-78 win. I will now make my prediction that the New Jersey Nets will win it in 6 games. Should be a great series.
Anyone catch yesterday's news conference in Philadelphia, where Tug McGraw answered questions about his fight with brain cancer? He seemed to be his upbeat self, throwing out one liners. He says that he will survive this disease and I for one Gotta Believe. Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:48 AM by logoshak
Two great goaltenders made the sports pages yesterday. It was announced that Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy would put away the pads for good after 18 seasons. Roy owns a bushel of records and 4 Stanley Cup rings. His retirement signals the end of an era. New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur got his first career Cup Finals shutout as the Devils blanked Anaheim 3-0. The Devils have used a rock solid defense throughout the playoffs and limited the Ducks to 16 shots.
The San Antonio Spurs blew a chance to wrap up their Western Conference final series with Dallas last night. The Mavericks used a hot shooting hand in the fourth quarter to force the series back to the Big D. The Mavericks have a big heart and the series should close on an intense note.
The University of Miami, Florida is said to be close on a decision whether to jump from the Big East to the ACC. This move will have far reaching consequenses for all of college sports. It will definitely have a bearing on the tried and true ACC basketball tournament and East Coast football. One thing for sure, big money will have a say in this.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 12:16 PM by logoshak
Good news-NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau was released from the Virginia Commonwealth University hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation center in Charlotte,NC. Doctors say that Jerry is making great progress toward recovery. It remains to be seen if Nadeau will be able to resume his driving career. Meanwhile, NASCAR continues to unduly put its drivers at risk because they either won't or can't improve external conditions at its tracks.
The New York Yankees continue on a slippery slope after a red hot start. Roger Clemens was routed yesterday by the Red Sox as he was trying to win career victory 300. The Yankees pitching staff is starting to feel its age and we aren't into June yet. How long will George Steinbrenner wait before he starts making some moves? I look for a trade for a starting picher and Joe Torre perhaps getting an early vacation.
On the move,again-Larry Brown stepped down as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday. I guess he got tired of the soap opera there in Philly. Will he try coaching one more time in the NBA or a college somewhere or will he lay back and relax? I believe he has a few good seasons left in him.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:02 AM by logoshak
Well, the big story over the weekend was the big auto races. Was it just me or was Indy just plain boring? Not much passing, kinda like watching a conga line for three hours. The IRL should look at ways to make the racing more competitive. That being said, congratulations to Gil de Ferran for a great win. Hope the milk tasted sweet. By the way did everyone see how well the "soft" walls worked at Indy? All the drivers hitting the wall walked away and there was no mess to clean up from stryrofoam crumbling. Why can't NASCAR spend the money and embrace this technology? The Coca Cola 600 was called after 414 laps due to rain. Perhaps the only one in Charlotte happy about this was Robbie Gordon, who drove at Indy and the 600. He had to be happy his long day was over.
The San Antonio Spurs moved to within one game of the NBA Finals with their 102-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks.The game got a bit nasty toward the end but the Spurs offense kept them in the ballgame till the end. It's beginning to look like a possible final involving former American Basketball Association franchises.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 12:52 PM by logoshak
Way to go Annika! LPGA star Annika Sorenstam hung in there with the big dogs to shoot a +1 at The Colonial outside Fort Worth yesterday. She proved in the process that she can play with the PGA players. Does this really settle anything in the grand scheme of things? Probably not, but it is a feel good story. Nothing like this since Billie Jean King humbled Bobby Riggs on the tennis court.
Good news- NASCAR drive Jerry Nadeau, critically injured in a practice crash at Richmond, has regained consciousness and is speaking. The family has keep a lid on the extent of Nadeau's injuries. It is unknown whether he will ever be able to drive a race car again. Meanwhile, NASCAR drags its heels on the soft walls technology and improving the driver's compartment in the race cars. They stay busy counting their money.
Big weekend for auto racing. The lndianapolis 500 runs early Sunday. It will mark Michael Andretti's last shot to win the big one as he retires after this race to become strickly a car owner. The Coca Cola 600 runs Sunday afternoon. Driver Robbie Gordon will attempt to run both events. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:08 AM by logoshak
Could this be the year we see an all ABA final for the NBA championship? Two former franchises from the old red, white and blue league could make it so. The San Antonio Spurs and and the New Jersey Nets are battling for their conference championships. The Nets are up 2-0 with their series with Detroit and the Spurs trail the Dallas Mavericks 1-0. The NBA has long wasted opportunities to capitalize on the appeal of the old ABA, this would be a great opportunity for old fans of the league to wonder what if the league had survived.
No way said K- When top Duke University basketball recruit Kris Humphries reportedly decided to dictate to Blue Devils' coach Mike Krzyzewski the amount of playing time he would recieve and where he would play in the offense in order to hasten his accent to the NBA, Coach K politely released him from his obligation to Duke and sent him packing back to Minnesota. Poor Kris didn't realize in the NCAA, you are a troll who must work at the whim of the university, who is reaping millions of dollars off your play. Life's lessons can sometimes be tough.
Looks like the biggest test Annika Sorenstam faces this week at the Colonial in Texas is not her fairway play or touch on the greens, but how she manuvers the press. So far she has handled the spotlight with ease. Here's hoping come Friday afternoon, she has made the cut.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:13 AM by logoshak
The Ottawa Senators staved off elimination last night with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Sens cut the Devils lead in the Eastern Conference final to 3-2. Rookie Jason Spezza scored a goal and an assist in his playoff debut. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim get a lot break awaiting the winner of this series. Sometimes a hot team will cool off sitting and waiting.
Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese lashed out at the Atlantic Coast Conference Monday in an attempt to dissuade members Miami,Fla, Syracuse and Boston College from jumping ship. Trangese said that the move would cause irreparable harm to his league and college sports in general. What Mr. Trangese doesn't realize is that pure and simple greed has already harmed the college sports enviroment. This is just another example of three blind mice going after a bigger hunk of cheese.
allsportsguides.com started a sports collectibles price guide in January 2001. We started the index at a par value of 100 then. Our latest index stands at 83, an increase of about 2% from the beginning of 2003. United States Football League, American Basketball Association, and pre-70's Major League Baseball items showed good gains. World Football League and Arena Football League items continued a downward average.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:03 AM by logoshak
I auto mention this- is it the economy or the lingering effects of the IRL-CART split? The Indianapolis 500 managed to barely fill its 33 car field Sunday. I would say there are at least 10-12 cars that will be back markers from the start. Anyone doubting Formula One Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher this season, needn't worry. Michael scored his third straight victory at Austria and is within 2 points of the World Championship lead. The NASCAR All Star race, The Winston was all in all pretty boring. Instead of inverting the field, maybe the drivers should switch race cars. That would be interesting.
Vijay Singh walked away with the Byron Nelson Classic this weekend and then pulled out of the Colonial next week. Claiming he was tired after 4 straight tournaments, Singh said that the flak over the Annika Sorenstam had nothing to do with his decision. Sounds like old Vijay is running scared to me.
What's up with the Yankees? The Yanks were swept at home this weekend by the lowly Texas Rangers. George Steinbrenner won't sit around long waiting for the smoke to clear. After an early season run in with manager Joe Torre, major changes may be coming.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:20 AM by logoshak
I was wondering why the Atlantic Coast Conference would add three more schools to its brotherhood. Turns out it is the most important factor in college sports today, providing a superior academic and athletic experience for its students, building state of the art facilities, no my friends, it is simply money. The ACC stands to gross as much as $40 million extra in the first year of a 12 school league. Simple greed fuels this decision. Yeah, I know that the almighty buck drives this society, but it would have been nice to figure in the needs of the athletics who in reality, make this windfall possible.
The Boston Celtics record of having been the only NBA team to have won more than 3 NBA championships in a row is safe. The San Antonio Spurs behind Tim Duncan's 37 points routed the Los Angeles Lakers 110-82 to win their series 4-2. Maybe this will reignite the Lakers hunger to win, that they seemed to lack this season. If the Spurs continue to play like this, they will be hard to stop from winning another championship.
The Anaheim Angels have been sold for $180 million. Not bad for a franchise that was being considered for contraction a few years ago. I still can't believe there isn't a NFL franchise in the Los Angeles market. Surely some billionaire will wake up and build a stadium there, so that NFL will return to the city of Angels.
Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:20 AM by logoshak
The Atlantic Coast Conference is best known for the basketball championships it has garnered over the past 30 years or so. The only time that you think of the ACC and football in the same sentence is when Florida State is going at it with some school. That all appears to be changing as the ACC announced it is inviting Miami, Fla, Syracuse and either Virginia Tech or Boston College into the league. My question is why. Why would Miami join the ACC? Do they want to improve the non football sports.
They have done decently in basketball recently. Baseball? Lacrosse? Golf? What does Syracuse have to prove? They are the reigning national champions in basketball. I can see Virginia Tech wanting in, geographicly and financially it makes sense. Of course, the Big East still has a thing or two to say about all this. They can up the ante and persuade the Canes to stay on board. It will be interesting to see what pans out. By the way, Duke who hasn't been a football powerhouse since the 50's, voted against Miami joining. Call it self preservation.
What about that Lakers-Spurs game last night? The Spurs were up 25 in the second half and the Lakers came back within a last second 3-pointer of pulling it out. The Spurs are up 3-2 in the series now, but I'll bet the farm that the Lakers win this series. Call it the Phil Jackson factor.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:23 AM by logoshak
Let me singh you a sweet song of bias. PGA golfer Vijay Singh seems to confuse free speech and equal opportunity. Sure he has the right to make an utter ass out of himself self with brainless comments on Annika Soremstam and the female gender. He says he will not play if Soremstam is paired with him in the Colonial tournament this week. I don't know if it were to come down to playing a round with John Daly, Craig Stadler or Vijay...I'll take Annika everytime. What the heck is Vijay afraid of. Could it be that on any given day, that a lady would beat his pants off? Or maybe he's worried that his wife won't have the floors scrubbed or the oil changed in his Mercedes when he gets home. Singh's comments rank right up there with John Rocker's for utter mindless prejudice and stupidity.
And things just get better with age. The Florida Marlins named 72 year old Jack McKeon to replaced fired Jeff Torborg. McKeon has been around baseball's block quite a few times. Instead of sitting at home in the EZ Boy watching reruns, McKeon brings the kind of baseball savvy that money can't buy. Hats off to the Marlins for giving Jack the chance to show off his experience.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:55 AM by logoshak
From the picture is worth a thousand words department-Isn't it dangerous when the media has to go from reporting the news to creating it themselves, to either boost sales or cover up shoddy journalism. The Miami Herald has taken one frame out of thousands of feet of footage and through a quirk of shadow and light, ruined the greatest moment in the career of jockey Jose Santos. Days after Santos rode Funny Cide to the roses at Churchill Downs, the Miami paper blows nothing into something, at least in their eyes. Couldn't these so called charges been handled privately, until it was determined that indeed something wasn't quite right. Santos and the horse's owner may end up collecting slander money, but unfortunately the damage has been done.
With their coach Phil Jackson recovering from heart problems, the Los Angeles Lakers evened up their series with the San Antonio Spurs 2-2. I still say when the Lakers come to play, they are the toughest team in the league. This will still be a tough series and the Spurs will have to play tough defense without getting into foul trouble like they did Sunday.
Our thoughts are with the family of Dallas Cowboys running back Ennis Haywood, who died suddenly this weekend. Ennis was 23.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 9:59 AM by logoshak
Wild thing, you make my heart sing. How about that Minnesota Wild, becoming the first NHL team in history to come back and win two series after being down 3-1. The Wild will now face another Cinderella team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the Westerm division title and a chance at Lord Stanley's cup.The Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils will face off for the eastern conference crown.
What about those Detroit Pistons? They have taken a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in their NBA series. The Pistons are getting star performances out of their bench and playing tough defense. Philly will still be a tough team to beat in seven. The Dallas Mavericks evened their series with the Sacramento Kings. This promises to be the marquee matchup of the playoffs, if Chris Webber's knee injury suffered last night, turns out to be minor.
NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau's condition was upgraded to fair and he was moved to a private room out of intensive care. Here's hoping Jerry is up out of the hospital soon. Meanwhile NASCAR announced it has tested its SAFER walls technology and it could be installed at an unnamed track within 30 days. I will believe it when I see it.
Have a great weeked and Happy Mother's Day.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:14 AM by logoshak
The University of Alabama is expected to name Miami Dolphins' assistant Mike Shula as their new head football coach.The question arises is Shula the best coach for the Crimson Tide or just the best available. Shula is an alumnus and knows the old way of doing things at Tuscaloosa. I believe that he will do a great job after a breaking in period. Meanwhile former coach Mike Price said he was so drunk he can't remember what went on in a Florida topless joint. That's probably a good thing.
The San Antonio Spurs have manhandled the Los Angeles Lakers to grab a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference final playoff series. Revenge seems the motivating factor for the Spurs as they try to redeem themselves of playoff failures the last two years. The Lakers fourpeat is certainly in trouble now.
While the Minnesota Wild was forcing the Vancouver Canucks to a seventh game, word is that Patrick Roy, winningest goalie in NHL history, may be considering retirement after 18 seasons. Roy's son begins play in Quebec this fall, and the great one may wish to follow his career and end his.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 2:36 PM by logoshak
Well, its a done deal, Michael Jordan is out of the picture with the Washington Wizards. The question now is, does the new Charlotte NBA expansion franchise really want him around. Does Charlotte really need MJ? Evidently not as much as Michael wants Charlotte. What exactly would he do. His eye for talent is questionable. He may have some PR value. I think he may decide life on the golf course is the way to go. With his bankroll, he can afford the green's fees for quite some time. Speaking of Charlotte, the franchise has narrowed its choices of names down to three-Bobcats, Flight and Dragons. Not very good, huh?
Sad news- Former Miami Dolphins quarterback David Woodley died Sunday of a liver ailment. David played in the 1983 Super Bowl and also did time with the Steelers. Our thoughts go out to Woodley's family.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:49 AM by logoshak
Make up your mind Michael. First you want to get the heck out of DC and maybe return to your home state to help out the new Charlotte NBA franchise. Now word is out you're trying to sooth feelings with the Wizards bosses. Maybe you should relegate yourself to the golf course and work on that 7 iron. Working behind a desk is not MJ's cup of tea. No crime there, but make up your mind.
The San Antonio Spurs pushed the Lakers back a notch last night with a 87-82 win to take a 1-0 series lead. League MVP Tim Duncan showed he was deserving of his title grabbing 28 points. This will be a physical series going to a deciding seventh game.
The truly Mighty Ducks of Anaheim knocked off another top seed in their impressive Stanley Cup run. The Ducks have used a hot goaltender and a tough defense to make their incredible run. I however look for the New Jersey Devils to be the team to beat as the playoffs wind down.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 1:18 PM by logoshak
News out of Charlotte- Michael Jordan is said to be having conversations with Robert Johnson, owner of the new Charlotte expansion franchise. Unclear what role Jordan would play and how much he would have to invest for the privledge. Word is that Michael didn't take his front office responsibilites with the Washignton Wizards quite as seriously he could have. Meanwhile, Charlotte's former team the Hornets, fired coach Paul Silas and his entire staff over the weekend. Typical George Shinn and Ray Woolridge behavior. Is it possible that the new Charlotte team would bring Silas back, where he was popular with the fans?
The Atlantic Coast Conference, long considered a basketball league, is looking to improve on its football reputation. The ACC is conducting talks with Miami, Florida as a possible addition. The league is rumored to be considering expanding from the current nine members to a possible slate of twelve teams. West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Syracuse have also been mentioned as possible converts.
Finally, our prayers go out to Jerry Nadeau and his family. Jerry suffered a massive head injury at Richmond last Friday. Saddest part of this that the NASCAR PR juggernaut has already downplayed the incident and bragged about their non exsistant safety program. The only question remains, who will be the next victim of NASCAR's research and development program?

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 12:47 PM by logoshak
Wasn't going to post an entry today, but I am so upset that I thought I would at least make a comment on an issue that is a sore spot with me. NASCAR veteran driver Jerry Nadeau was critically injured yesterday when his car went out of control and slammed the reinforced concrete wall dead center on the driver's side. Nadeau suffered what must have been a severe concussion from contact with the wall. My prayers go out to Jerry and his family during this difficult time. Meanwhile NASCAR continues to delay their so called "testing" of a soft walls technology that would provide at least a measure of protection in crashes such as this. Funny, but Indianapolis Motor Speedway has had a soft barrier in place for over a year. How many more wives and daughters and sons and parents will lose their loved ones while NASCAR drags its greedy little feet. Mike Helton and Gary Nelson, you should be ashamed, very ashamed!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:45 AM by logoshak
The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are set to battle it out in the NBA playoffs. Can anyone really stop the Lakers now that they are healthy and seemingly motivated? Still believe the Kings are the team to beat in the West. Dallas should be the cream of the crop, but you never know what kind of team the Mavs will show up as game to game.
Speaking of playoffs, the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup has proven to be more exciting than the NBA run. The Philadelphia Flyers evened their series with the Ottawa Senators Thursday and the suddenly hot New Jersey Devils can close out the Tampa Bay Lightning. Either way, the playoff season has been interesting so far.
Major League players have given their approval to a plan that would give the home field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the All Star Game. This two year experiment might give the ASG a little bit of meaning. Don't know if it will motivate the guys on the field. Have a great weekend.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 1:14 PM by logoshak
Iowa State athletic director Bruce Van de Velde suspended men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy Wednesday and recommended that he be fired. I don't think he had much of a choice. A coach must be a leader and in fact a role model for his team and the university. When a coaches behavior is worse than any of his players, that is the time to call it quits.
The Big Unit, Randy Johnson will undergo anthroscopic knee surgery today and will be out three to six weeks. This will no doubt hurt the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have starter Curt Schilling also on the disabled list. If you're going to have pitching problems, this is the time of the year to have them.
Finally, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are doing what the Carolina Hurricanes did last year in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Surprise everyone. Goes to show what a hot goaltender and stiff defense can do for a hockey team. Duck fans are hoping they can do what the Angels did and bring home another championship.

Barry allsportsguides.com