Posted 11:21 AM by logoshak
Today is the day, when the Atlantic Coast Conference finds out if a month of courting Miami, Florida pays off and the Hurricanes agree to join the conference. I just get the feeling if Miami was going to jump, they would have already done so. I believe last minute incentives will keep the Canes in the Big East. I could be wrong, but that is my gut feeling.
Michael Jordan just can't seem to find his place in his post playing days. His Airness tried to work a deal to buy the Milwaukee Bucks. Suddenly owner Herb Kohl decides to hold on to the franchise. Maybe Jordan will look to buying into the new Charlotte Bobcats franchise. Don't know if Bobcats owner Robert Johnson personality will mesh with that of Jordan.
The Arizona Diamondbacks with 9 players on the DL, continue to win. Their 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers yesterday gave them a franchise best 11 game winning streak. Great play from rookies have saved the team while it waits for veterans to return to the lineup. Blunt testimony to the strength of the organization. Look for the D-Backs to dominate down the stretch if they ever get healthy.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:28 AM by logoshak
So you take a girl out, you wine and dine her, take her to a movie and you do this for a month. Finally you pop the big question to her and she says, give me a few days to think about it. I might go back to my old boyfriend. This is what's happening to the Atlantic Coast Conference. After offering Miami, Florida the moon, the Hurricanes suddenly say, let us think about it. The ACC offers a school, it really didn't want, Virginia Tech an invite to join and now the big plum has second thoughts. If Miami turns down the ACC, the conference will be left with a 10 team league, possibly weaker and poorer after a month of expansion fever. ACC commissioner John Swofford could either be the goat or the hero in this deal.
So, the 2003 NBA draft is history. To no one's surprise LeBron James was the #1 pick. He certainly has a lot pressure on him to live up to the hype next year. It's sad how the NBA has no interest anymore in seeing an individual getting an education. Will we see in the future, the NBA setting up camps for kids to drop out of school so that they can train to enter the NBA out of grade school? Not as far fetched as you might think. Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 3:31 PM by logoshak
The New York Yankees have a long legacy of players who have written tell all books or were just loose cannons. Now that David Wells has written a revealing book, the Yankees make threats that they will fine him. Fine him for free speech? Wells has always told it like it was, a trait he can get away with because he was one hellava pitcher. As far as a writer though, he is no Jim Bouton.
America's toughest sporting event has begun in Fairbanks, Alaska. The 31st Iditarod is an 1100 mile torture test for man and dogs. the trail this year is longer and further north. No one knows how this will affect the sled teams. I'm just glad that I'm watching it inside.
The best time of the year is here. Baseball spring training is getting in gear, March madness is only a few weeks away, NHL and NBA teams are jockeying for playoff positions and its getting warm enough to hit the local golf course. Spring is finally getting here, goodbye icestorms and power outages!

Posted 11:23 AM by logoshak
Canes and Hokies. That's what the ACC hopes to add to it lineup come 2004. The conference voted 7-2 last night to invite Miami, Florida and Virginia Tech into the fold. It has to be assumed that Duke and North Carolina voted against expansion and Virgina, swayed by the addition of Virginia Tech, voted yes. Virginia had been against expansion without Virginia Tech. This is all conditional as there are lawsuits still outstanding. This will make the ACC a stronger football conference and pushes weak football schools such as Duke and Wake Forest further in to the non-compete hole.
NASCAR announced that it is pleased with its tv ratings on Fox. Basically, the ratings have been the same the last two years. NASCAR says that is acceptable. The racing circuit continues to remain silent on any major advances in driver safety. The softwall technology the circuit is supposedly testing is buried someplace in Nebraska. The idea of having a permanent safety crew traveling from track to track evidently was swept under NASCAR's rug. I believe there will be safety improvements when NASCAR finds a way to do it without spending one cent of their precious money. Greed is the real driving force at NASCAR.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:31 AM by logoshak
As the ACC turns, that daily soap opera involving the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Wannabes that want to join that conference. Seems unlikely now that the ACC will expand to 13 teams. Rutgers athletic director, Robert Mulchahy feels that he can live with just Miami, Florida joining the ACC. This is beginning to look like the likely solution to the expansion dilemma. The ACC will invite the Hurricanes into the fold and look to add two more schools in a year or two. Of course expansion may be totally dropped and we will have the same ACC despite all the time and money put into expansion.
Imagine you are a professional franchise general manager and you trade two former 1st round draft picks for an experienced veteran. Only to find out later that the guy you traded for had already signed with another team. Thats what Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford did Saturday during the NHL draft. He traded former first rounders David Tanabe and Igor Knyazev to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Danny Markov. Markov had signed a deal with a Russian club. Rutherford still has until July 1st to sign Markov before his NHL contract expires.
Congraulations to the Rice Owls on defeating Stanford to win the College baseball World Series. It is the Owls first national championship in any sport. Rice opened for business in 1912.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:18 AM by logoshak
The Tampa Bay Storm defeated the Arizona Rattlers in Arena Bowl XXVII 43-29 Sunday to win their fifth Arena title. Tampa becomes the first city to win both the Super Bowl and Arena Bowl in the same year. The Arena League has to consider this year a success. With the help of the NBC television contract, attendance increased 15 percent league wide. The AF2 feeder league continues to enjoy modest success. It can be debated that spring-summer football can be a winner, even if it's played indoors.
I wouldn't have thought that a big, clumsy Russian and an overweight, out of shape heavyweight champion would put on one of the best fights that I have seen in a long time. But Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis pounded away at each other for six super rounds of fighting until the ringside doctor stopped the fight because of cuts around Klitschko's left eye. Ringside judges had the Russian ahead on all three cards. The fans in Los Angeles's Staple Center will remember the in you face determination of Klitchko for a long time and sadly may have witnessed the downside of Lewis's boxing career.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 5:34 PM by logoshak
Just a quick note this Saturday afternoon. The Atlantic Coast Conference failed this morning to vote on expansion. It is reported that the ACC presidents now has three choices in front of them involving either a 10 school or 13 member conference. This isn't likely to sort itself out until late next week.
Speaking of the ACC, former Duke basketball player and Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams may have suffered career ending injuries after a crash on his new motorcycle. Some optimistic sources claim he will only miss next season. Regardless, here's hoping this classy guy has a full and quick recovery.
Nextel has signed on to be the new title sponser of NASCAR. The telecommunications company reportedly offered a 10 year, $700 million commitment. Wonder how much of that dough will be used to improve driver and track safety? Only time will tell. Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 11:19 AM by logoshak
Sammy Sosa is set to return from his 7 game suspension for using a corked bat. Sammy is again asking fans to forgive and forget and that he is human like anyone else. I for one think that Sammy deserves a secord chance and that his credibility be spared. Of course if another bat comes up sour, that would be another story.
Even in today's crazy world of professional athletes salaries, the story yesterday that Manchester United had sold star David Beckham to Real Madrid for a mind blowing $41 million was unbelievable. Of course you have to realize that soccer in Europe is incredibly popular unlike the pro game in the States. Still, this is a huge amount of cash for one player.
The San Antonio Spurs-New Jersey Nets NBA Finals were fun to watch. Trouble is not many people did, on the tube. Ratings were terrible , the lowest since Nielsen began keeping ratings 27 years ago. This year's series averaged a 6.5 share, compared to the Lakers-Nets series last year that managed a 10.2 rating. The NBA should realize watching basketball in the middle of June, isn't the greatest way to spend a summer night.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:22 AM by logoshak
And then there was one. My sources say that the Atlantic Coast Conference will vote Wednesday morning to expand with Miami, Florida only. The feeling is that adding just the Hurricanes will gain favor with the ACC schools and that further expansion could be considered in 2005. Reportedly, the Big East conference would add Louisville of Conference USA to replace Miami. Adding one school would give the ACC 10 members. They would have to ask the NCAA to waive their 12 school requirement for a football championship playoff.
The National Hockey League holds its draft Saturday and Sunday in Nashville. You had better have a translator attached to your notebook PC. There is a ton of eastern European talent to be considered. Seems that the shift of new prospects is to Europe and away from Canada, a traditional source of new hockey blood. The Florida Panthers have first pick in the draft.
NASCAR continues to pursue money in its neverending quest to pad the France family and track owner,s pockets. Now they are throwing the very traditions of the sport out the window in favor of mo' money. The Southern 500 at Darlington, SC will be moved from its historic Labor Day weekend slot and moved to California. North Carolina Motor Speedway will lose its fall date. Of course NASCAR will continue to use it's cheap hard walls technology at all three tracks. Yes, these are definately concrete plans.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:06 AM by logoshak
The 2003 United States Open golf tournament is history now and will go down as one of the most memorable in recent years. Jim Furyk flirted with a record sub par total to win the 103rd edition of the Open. Tiger Woods proved again that he can be a mere mortal on a golf course. But the moment that surely will be remembered is that of Tom Watson and his caddy Bruce Edwards. Edwards who is battling Lou Gehrigs disease, walked the entire four rounds at Olympia Fields and no doubt provided inspiration that we will carry with us for many years.
The San Antonio Spurs brought home the brass ring Sunday night as they came from behind to knock off the New Jersey Nets 88-77 and their second NBA title. This one was the real deal, as their title in 1999 was after a lockout shortened 50 game season. Series MVP Tim Duncan and Spurs proved you don't have to be a gang of junk talking gangstas to win and excel in the NBA. Classy David Robinson goes out a champion, what more could you ask for.
NASCAR showed off its new hard wall and soft wall technology Saturday. The test dummy was Brett Bodine. His Taurus slammed the Hard(concrete) wall and then the new Michigan soft wall(stacked tires). He survived with a concussion and broken collarbone. The Michigan tire wall was reportedly developed at NASCAR new recap facility. NASCAR continues to be a very bad joke with its concerns for safety. By the way, Kurt Busch won the race on Sunday.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:50 AM by logoshak
The Tiger's roar was dampened by the old master Thursday at the US Open. While Tiger Woods struggled to come home with an even par 70, veteran Tom Watson shot a masterful 65, good for a share of the first round lead. Watson had to be the sentimental favorite of the crowd, as his caddy, Bruce Edwards assisted Tom on this day. Edwards was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease earlier this year and it had to be an uplifting moment for him as well. It would be great to see Tom pull off three more rounds like the one he shot yesterday.
It is beginning to look more and more like the proposed Atlantic Coast Conference expansion won't come off. Increasing objections by Duke, North Carolina and the state of Virginia Attorney General seems to indicate that at the least some major changes will have to be made before Miami,Florida, Syracuse and Boston College leave the Big East for the ACC. Wonder if anyone has considered a merger of equals between the ACC and The Big East that would form a super conference? This might have made too much sense to work.
The National Hockey League handed out some post season hardware yesterday. Colorado's Peter Forsberg grabbed the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. Forsberg certainly deserves this honor. Not surprisingly, The New Jersey Devil's Martin Brodeur took the Vezina Trophy as outstanding goaltender. Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:57 AM by logoshak
Boozing, partying, visting the strip clubs, gambling...sound like what a drug crazed pro athlete might do? No, that's what a handful of NCAA Division One college coaches have done to lose their jobs within the past year. The latest victim of bad judgement is University of Washington head football coach Rick Neuheisel. He simply bet $5000 on a NCAA basketball tournament pool. Only problem, their is a NCAA rule against all gambling. When will these coaches and student-athletes realize, they are role models, whether they want to be or not. Sure, no one is perfect, but no one should be so dumb!
Well the last time this happened, Ike was in the White House. 45 years ago, the New York Yankees were no-hit by Baltimore's Hoyt Wilhelm. The Yanks had gone 6980 games with out facing a no-hitter before the Houston Astros pulled the trick last night in a 8-0 whitewash job. It took six Astros pitchers to deny the Yankees a hit. I sure George Steinbrenner is a bit miffed about this.
In an event created for television, Formula One's Juan Pablo Montoya and NASCAR's Jeff Gordon switched cars yesterday in an exhibition run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was interesting to see how the two drivers did in strange racecars. Meanwhile, the rumor is NEXTEL will replace Winston cigarettes as NASCAR's title sponsor. I thought A1 Concrete would, as they supply the basic ingredient for NASCAR's hard wall technology.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:36 AM by logoshak
Give the Devils their due and call em' home bodies too. The New Jersey Devils brought the Stanley Cup back to the swampland with a 3-0 shutout of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and a 4-3 series advantage. The Devils sweep all 4 games at the Meadowlands and were an amazing 12-1 at home through the playoffs. Some classless Devils fans booed Jean-Sebastien Giguere, when the Ducks goalie was given the Conn Smythe award as the playoffs MVP. The Cup will now literally go on a worldwide tour, as each Devils player will have the Cup for a few days.
North Carolina and Duke officials are expressing concerns about the proposed Atlantic Coast Conference expansion, that would bring Miami,Florida, Syracuse and Boston College into the ACC. UNC and Duke officials think little thought has gone into new divisional lineups and the travel and logistical problems brought on by the new footprint created by the additonal schools. There still may be a vote on the expansion this week, although it looks like it may be towards the end of June.
The Women's World Cup soccer tournament, chased from China by the SARS epidemic, will be played at several US locales before the finals are played at a new stadium in Los Angeles in October. This should generate additional interest with the Women's Cup action back in the US again.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 1:57 PM by logoshak
NASCAR continued to display their tried and true hard walls technology Sunday. That's a two foot thick wall of solid concrete. Driver Ken Schrader tested the hard wall system at Pocono Speedway and escaped with his life and a demolished race car. Why should NASCAR spend some of their billions to employ a ready to install system when they could care less about the drivers safety. They feel drivers are a dime a dozen asset, so let em' pop the concrete and put on a dangerous show. Glad to see Fox broadcasters call for the soft walls. Maybe if enough fans speak out, something can be done.
Annika Soremstam rebounded from the media circus she faces at the PGA's Colonial to win the LPGA. She showed coolness under fire to defeat Grace Park in the first hole of sudden death. She has really provided a boost to the ladies tour. Way to go Annika, hope there are more trophies in your future.
Speaking of sports that have received a boost. Funny Cide might have failed in a bid for the Triple Crown, but the New York bred gelding has provided a needed injection of public relations for the sport of horse racing. Hope to see Funny Cide run again later this year.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:59 AM by logoshak
Lost in the clamor of Sammygate, the NBA and NHL playoffs is a sporting event happening this weekend that will only last a few minutes. The last time the Triple Crown was won was in 1977. Yes, Funny Cide runs for the Triple Crown at Belmont. A lot of horses have run for the Crown the last few years, but none have been able to pull it off. This is the greatest thing that the king of sports could ask for. Horse racing had taken a bad rap recenty from PETA types who believe it to be inhumane. The buildup of publicity should help bring needed attention to this noble sport.
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim managed to increase their offensive punch Thursday night, unfornately so did the New Jersey Devils, as the Devils cruised to a 6-3 win and a commanding 3-2 advantage in their Stanley Cup Final series. The series heads back to the Pond this weekend and the Ducks are in a sudden death situation. The San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets continue their series tonight with the Spurs ahead 1-0.
The X-Ray machine and the cat scan equipment has been turned off. The patient received a clean bill of health. Are we talking about a ballplayer in a hospital ward? No, we are talking about Sammy Sosa's bats in the Hall of Fame. Everything appears clean and we have to give Sammy the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope baseball does. Have a great weekend!

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:18 AM by logoshak
Is Sammy Sosa's career suddenly tainted from the corked bat he was caught using? Maybe if he bet on baseball and denied it, that would cast a dark shadow on his career. However, Sammy came forth and admitted he had made a mistake. He didn't blame it on someone else. He put the blame squarely on his own shoulders. Major League Baseball tested the other 75 odd bats that Sammy had at the ballpark and they all checked out okay. I got to go with Sammy on this one. You might find it hard to figure, but this incident might enhance Sammy's integrity in my book. Maybe Pete Rose can take note of this in his future dealings with baseball and its fans.
Tim Duncan put in one of the great games in the history of the NBA Finals last night as the San Antonio Spurs clipped the New Jersey Nets 101-89. Duncan scored 32 points, snared 20 rebounds, had 7 blocked shots and had 3 steals. The Spurs defense rattled the Nets all night and Jason Kidd managed only 10 points
A national coalition of college professors has asked the presidents of the Atlantic Coast Conference univerisities to reconsider the planned league expansion. The coalition said that the expansion would hurt efforts to curb the "arms race" in collegiate athletics.They said this only helps fuel the gap between college academics and college athletics. I tend to agree, as the mega schools dominate the smaller ones for money and exposure. Will the average student pick a school because of its law school or the success of its football program?

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 10:56 AM by logoshak
Sammy, Sammy, Sammy say it ain't so. During a game with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night, Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa broke his bat on a routine grounder. The bat clearly was full of cork. Sammy said this is a bat he uses for batting practice and he used it accidently. Sammy, why was this bat even in the ball park? It may have been an innocent mistake, but now you have cast a pall over all those homers, not to mention your reputation. This is going to be a tough one to overcome.
Derek Jeter was named the 11th captain in the history of the New York Yankees. The Yanks haven't had a captain since Don Mattingly retired after the 1995 season. I hope this lights a fire underneath the Bronx outfit. The Yankees seem to have lost their direction and spark at times this year.Derek's attitude may rub off on his teammates and the Yankees will snap out of their doldrums.
The New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs begin their NBA Finals tonight. One thing is assured. That a former ABA franchise will win the NBA championship. Would be great to see the red, white and blue out there with bell bottom warm up pants.

Barry allsportsguides.com

Posted 12:08 PM by logoshak
Hey, you can talk about Indianapolis, Daytona, Lemans, Sebring, it doesn't matter. Monaco has to be the greatest race in the world. Where else can you watch a race with beautiful topless girls sunning themselves on incredibly expensive yachts looking onto the race course? Oh, the racecars are without doubt the most technologically advanced in the world. Let's see how long one of those NASCAR rigs holds up turning 18,000 rpms.
The NBA coaches merry-go-round continues to spin. The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to name Paul Silas as their new coach. Silas most recenty coached the New Orleans/Charlotte Hornets and is well respected in the NBA community. Earlier journeyman Larry Brown was named to the head post in Detroit.
Annika Sorenstam returned from the PGA circuit to win this week's LPGA event by three strokes. She has to be thankful she is popping the driver off the ladies tees again. Her behavior the past few weeks has to be a boost to the image of professional golf, male or female versions.

Barry allsportsguides.com