Jay Crawford Really Hates Skip Bayless

Over the years I have watched ESPN's Skip Bayless on 1st and Ten, and over those years I have come to believe that Skip Bayless is one of two things. Either he is being paid by ESPN to just disagree with anything anyone says so that their show can have some flare to it, or he is just really the dumbest sportscaster in American. I really hope it is the former. If it is not then I am ashamed that ESPN has kept this man on the air after all of these years.
Being a Cavaliers fan, I especially take offense when the man refuses to give LeBron James, pretty much the best player in the NBA right now, any credit for what he has done in this league. I want to give you an example of 1st and Ten episode from Thursday. Jay Crawford, also an Ohio native who can be seen squirming in his seat as Skip spews out idiotic sentence after idiotic sentence, asked Skip and his opponent to grade LeBron's two triple double's in a row. This was a dumb question to begin with, how can you grade a triple double? Isn't that always an A+? Anyway. Skip gives LeBron James a B for his performance and proceeds to lay down all the reasons why LeBron James pretty much had nothing to do with the win over the Pacers that night. This is where Jay Crawford becomes my hero. As Skip is making ridiculous comments such as "Larry Hughes was the one that hit the dagger 3 in the corner" and "Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the one making the big shots" pretty much discrediting the 31 points, 15 boards, and 11 assists LeBron had. Crawford begins to jump and and team up with his other co-host to make Bayless look like the idiot he is. Jay begins with a soft blow, such as "So you are telling me LeBron had no part in the outcome of this game?" and then starts going harder. He makes a great comment, as heis face gets redder, saying "Yes, because Zydrunas is the focus of the Cavaliers offense and really makes them go, really won the game for them." Then, as the topic ends, Jay looks at the camera and makes the best comment of the day. "Step it up LeBron, you are really slacking out there." Jay was about ready to fight Skip, great TV.
But honestly, can we just give LeBron the MVP trophy right now? He just led a team with two D-leaguers, Eric Snow, and Damon Jones (who actually played unbelievable with 27 points) to a win over the Wizards. Man, it must be rought to be a Wizards fan right now. We welcome Big Ben, Joe Smith, Wally World, and Delonte West on Sunday, I cannot wait.

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Day to Follow the Trade Deadline

I sat on my bed Thursday afternoon, television tuned to ESPN and computer open to ESPN.com, ohio.com, and hoopshype.com. My lap was slowly burning because these damn Macintosh computers get freaking hot. But I was not going to let that deter me. Because today was one of the most anxious days, besides the NBA lottery in 2003, I as a Cavs fan have experienced. It was the day of the trade deadline and the entire city of Cleveland, although they may not want to admit it, all knew deep inside that to have any shot at making the NBA Finals again Danny Ferry needed to make a move. But would he pull the trigger? Would the deal actually help this team? I could Tarentino this post and start at the end, but that would completely ruin everything, so I won’t, in fact I do not know why I even suggested it. So, I will start at the beginning.

It began Wednesday night. I was watching Shaq make his debut with the Suns on ESPN and following the Cavs on Gamecast as they took on the Indiana Pacers. One of my favorite sportswriters, who also happens to cover the Cavs and I have had the pleasure of shadowing last year, the Akron Beacon Journal’s own Brian Windhorst, blogs during every Cavs game. Since I am all the way out here in Missouri and cannot watch most Cavs games, I rely on Brian’s insight to get me through until I return home. Brian usually puts up a blog post at halftime, so when halftime hit I logged onto ohio.com and went straight to his blog to see how he thought the Cavs were playing. What I saw there would pretty much ruin any chance I had of studying or doing anything productive that night. Under the header of ‘Halftime”, his blog read something along the lines of this: I have not watched much of the first halftime because I am pursuing a potential blockbuster trade that the Cavaliers are involved in. More info to come.” The adrenaline started pumping right then and there. A blockbuster trade? With who? Brian also said the deal was not for Mike Miller, which was pretty much the only trade I had heard the Cavs were looking into. I spent the rest of the night browsing the Internet to find some information on what it could be until Brian updated his blog. I could find no information anywhere, which frustrated me because I knew that between choosing to study for Microecon and waiting to see what the Cavs were up to that Microecon was going down in a five second K.O. I began reading Cavalier’s forums online, which is an awful idea because you either end up getting extremely angry at the comments certain people post, such as, ‘Chris Bosh may be coming to the Cavs!’ which gets you really excited for a second before you realize that in no way would that trade ever go down. So you leave an angry post saying something along the lines of calling the guy a loser who is in his mom’s basement and has nothing better to do until you realize you are sitting in your dorm room at 1:30 in the morning and you have been refreshing hoopshype.com every 10 seconds, so are you really any better? No, you aren’t at all. But I digress.
Finally, Brian updates his blog a few hours later. His post not only made things even more stressful for me, it could possibly make me lose sleep. I was tempted to go on a search for some Nyquil for the rough night ahead. Brian told us a big trade was going down but that he could not tell us the team or players involved in order to protect his sources. Well thank you Brian. Really. I appreciate that excellent information you left us. Now I have thoughts of Michael Redd running through my head like sugar plums in that line in ‘T’Was A Night Before Christmas.” Who could the Cavs be after? I spoke to many a Cleveland friend, throwing around names like Sam Cassel, which would only be considered a blockbuster because the Cavs would be trading for a player who is not actually human, and anyone else we though warranted blockbuster status. But there was really no one out there who fit that profile. As I climbed into bed that night I knew I would be dreaming of Ric Bucher and Marc Stein, which isn’t weird at all ok so don’t judge me. The night would be a long one for us Cavs fans, but I was ready to wake up at the break of dawn…or 9 o clock because that is when my first class is, and go right back at it again.

Waking up Thursday morning, I could not wait to open up my computer and see the big headline…Cavs Trade Entire Team For Kobe Bryant….on the home page of ESPN.com. Alas, it was not the case as I surfed the net 5 minutes before my philosophy class was to start. No new information was up, Mr. Windhorst could still not update us and I was readying myself to listen to my philosophy teacher drone on about whether or not we actually know we have hands. I was dismayed with my findings on the Internet. Cleveland has always been the sports city that has never pulled the big deals or signed the big free agent when we need to. Last year, Danny Ferry had a trade lined up for Mike Bibby at the trade deadline that fell through. I got that familiar feeling in my stomach that this trade, whatever it may be, was going to fall through as well. So as I trudged back from class in the sleet/snow/hail, whatever the hell they call this shit that falls from the sky in Missouri, I was ready to accept defeat and watch the Cavs move on with the same guys they had when the day started.

Maybe I just wanted the Cavs to make a move for the sake of making a move. With all of this hype surrounding this mystery trade, not finishing the deal would be like a bad case of blue balls. The more I looked at the Cavaliers roster though, the more I knew something had to be done to have a legimate chance to raise another Eastern Conference Champiosnhip banner to the rafters of The Q. No way LeBron can carry this team by himself in a seven game series against the Celtics or Pistons this year, although never say never with this kid. We tire so much in Cleveland of hearing the Cavs being called a one man team. We know that with one good shooter, one decent point guard, the Cavs would be world above anyone in the East. So as I turn on ESPN at 1 o clock to tune into their deadline special, I pray that something happens. That is when I also entered Chad Ford’s chat on ESPN.com where he was reporting the Cavs were in talks with the Chicago Bulls for Ben Wallace. I started to freak. Ben Wallace? Why would the Cavs want the guy? I stared at Ric Bucher on the television wishing his shiny gold hair would tell me something, but nothing came. My heart rate was skyrocketing, I am sure of it. Damn this computer is hot, I thought to myself. More details came in. Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the Bulls for Chris Duhon, Wallace, and Joe Smith. Finally, at just past 3 o clock, ESPN News reported the final deal. The Cavaliers receive Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West while giving up Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Mark Price. Could it be? The Cavaliers pulled of a huge trade? Am I dreaming?
As my phone began to rang off the hook like a PBS telethon, I took in the trade. And this is what I think.

I really like the deal. Goodbye Larry “I complain about playing PG but wouldn’t really play well at any position you put me in” Hughes, and hello Wally Szczerbiak and your 42% shooting from point land. LeBron James driving and kicking it out to either Wally World or Boobie Gibson, both who shoot over 40% from three? It will be nice not hearing the rim clank as much. Is Larry Hughes going to replace our rims as part of this deal? Hope so. Goodbye Donyell “ I think after my first year in Cleveland I will stop working for rebounds and just stand outside the three point line” Marshall, hello Delonte West. West, a pg, will bring better shooting, better dribbling, and the ability to really let LeBron play off the ball. Goodbye Ira “Everyone calls me a great defensive player, for what reason I will never know, I usually defend the Gatorade cooler” Newble, hello Big Ben! Wallace will be able to just focus on defense in Cleveland, and add to something the Cavs do better than anyone, rebound. Goodbye Drew “I still don’t know how to play defense after four years in the same system” Gooden. Although I will miss his 13 ppg and his ridiculous facial/neck hair. Sometime I think Common just comes into the locker room at halftime and asks Drew if he can play the second half. Hello, Joe Smith. A great veteran who can shoot it and play much better defense. Yes we give up Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, a core part of this team’s coming of age the past two years. But Larry was never the player we needed him to be, and we will no longer have to worry about replacing Drew on the court in the fourth quarter. How Ben Wallace performs is huge, but when you play with LeBron, it makes you want to work harder. It as a great day for Cavs fans today, and a great day for a college student to skip class to watch his team make a big move. GO CAVS!

Shaq....To Run or Not to Run?

So Shaquille O' Neal makes his long awaited debut tonight with the Phoenix Suns. Everyone wants to know how he will fit in with their system, but I have a much more important question. How long until Shaq gets winded and forces D'Antoni to take him out of the game, and how will it happen? Will Shaq go NHL style, where players slap their sticks on the ground to signify their lack of energy then hop over the bench? I can see Shaq slapping the ground with those huge hands as he barrles towards a extremely frightened Suns bench until he toppels over a sleeping Boris Diaw, injuring all fans in the front row in the process. Man, I just cannot wait! Oh, and Kobe will be there too. Bringing up another question...how long until Shaq goes for the dislocated pinkie?

Definitely Not the Scoop in Chicago

By Alex Kim

These last five months spent in Columbia have certainly made me feel somewhat distanced from my Chicago teams. I’ve had to follow them far—watching every 5th Cubs game during their playoff push, watching the Bulls struggle through GameCast, and reading the game summaries of the Blackhawks’ stellar adolescents Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. So thank god Scoop Jackson wrote "Sad State of Chicago Sports" to keep me informed!

Wow, I’ve missed a lot. Because I could have sworn that this proud city is in great shape. Yes, the Bulls are in the middle of a disappointing season, the Bears couldn’t even crack .500, the Sox couldn’t hit a grapefruit, the Cubs scored three runs in the NLDS, and the Blackhawks are 14th in the Western Conference, but as a sports journalist, Jackson’s job is too, you know, maybe analyze things a little bit.

I understand why the Gasol trade has upset so many Chicagoans, but there was honestly no way the Bulls were going to get him. The package that offered Andres Nocioni, Thabo Sefolosha, and Tryus Thomas showed the Grizzlies that they would not be getting fair compensation, that is to say, any key members on the Bulls roster (Deng, Hinrich, Gordon). Now, while Kwame Brown is certainly not comparable to Gasol, I’m guessing the Grizzlies are using this as a way to develop Hakim Warrick by making him the centerpiece of their offense. Although I’m not sure what signing Jason Collins is saying to Kwame, besides “You don’t play well”. Either way, the Bulls essentially gave up any chance of getting Gasol when John Paxon signed Ben Wallace to his absurd 60 million dollar contract. Paxon also dealt Tyson Chandler, which had he held on to for one more year, could have been used as bait for KG. Essentially Paxon needs to get his shit together. He wasted a draft pick on Joakim, and botched the Kobe trade when he didn’t even seem sure he wanted the deal to go down. He was hesitant to include any of the Bulls stars, to which the Lakers replied with a cold shoulder.
As for their disappointing season, the Bulls continue to live and die with their shooting. Right now they are dying. Hinrich has lost his confidence until Deng went out, Ben Gordon continues to throw up brick after brick, some which could have hit Stefon Hannah in the face all the way down in Columbia. Paxon failed to draft Spencer Hawes who could have at the very least complimented the poor offense of Wallace (whom the bulls are stuck with for another two years) with his shooting ability. The Bulls only hope would be to have Michael Beasley drop all the way down to them in the draft. That being said, the Bulls who put an impressive win against the Warriors on national television and highlighted their depth with Chris Duhon and Tyrus Thomas, moved into within half a game of a playoff spot in the East.

Then there is his short take on the Blackhawks. Judging by what he wrote, Scoop should have known this wasn’t jurisdiction. The paragraph digs into the lack of success and poor management to the franchise that was once rated second worst in all of professional sports. However, the last few years saw the Hawks at least attempt to make a splash, with big name signings of Martin Havlat and cup winner Nikolai Khabibulin. The front office has used draft day to its great advantage the last several years, picking and developing top-four defensemen like Brent Seabrook, Dustin Byfuglien, and Duncan Keith. However, it is the Hawks’ top picks in each of the last two drafts, Jonathan Toews (3rd overall, 2006) and “Sidney Crosby Wanna-be” (This is the place where Scoop threw away his journalistic integrity) Patrick Kane (1st overall, 2007) that have been turned into the saviors of the franchise. Patrick Kane leads all rookies in scoring, and had Toews not gotten hurt, he would still be right behind in second. In the six games I attended over winter break, I saw more Kane and Toews jerseys than one probably could see Hester jerseys at Soldier Field.
Which brings up attendance—the Blackhawks are, for the first time in a decade, selling out games that aren’t against the Detroit Red Wings. They even broke the 21,000 mark (20,500 being general capacity at the UC) against Minnesota on a Friday night.
In the six weeks Toews was hurt, the Hawks played, for lack of a better term, pretty crappy. They fell to 14th in the conference. However, they remain only ten points out of the 8th spot in the west, which is only 9 points behind the third place. Time is definitely running out, but could it have really pained Scoop to at least look at the standings in a less biased manner?
Maybe it was the, well, lets call it “timely” death of owner Bill Wirtz, but the legions of Hawk fans that were displaced during Wirtz’s tyranny are finally being re-introduced to the game—many of whom haven’t watched a game since the lockout canceled and entire season and the league got rid of the two-line pass. Home games are finally being aired on TV (Hawks were the only team in the NHL to blackout their local markets), attendance is up, and there hasn’t been this much excitement over any rookie player, let alone two, since Jeremy Roenick wore the Indian head.

Scoop then decides to go Peter Gammons on his readers, giving his predictions and in-depth analysis on the NL Central, saying the Cubs will be this year's 2007 Bears. Everyone remembers the 2007 Bears—the team with sky-high expectations that failed to win the Super Bowl. Back to reality, championships aren’t always won in a year, a concept that eluded Mr. Scoop. The only reason the Cubs struggled for the division last year was because of their slow start and Milwaukee’s first-half sprint. The Cubs showed the kind of team they could be when everything is clicking from June to mid-July, turning and 8 game deficit into a share of first that would last the end of the season. Their depth kept them in the race, when Soriano went down and rookie C Geovany Soto stepped up big, most likely earning him a favorable starting position that Jason Kendall botched.
The Cubs big acquisition, china man Kosuke Fukudome remains mystique, but the front office needed the signing. Had they failed to do so, Jim Hendry would be under as much fire as Jerry Kraus was after the Bulls were dismantled.
All signs show the Cubs should win the division this year, with the Cards waving goodbye to Edmonds and Eckstein, while the Brewers signed Eric Gagne and the Reds hired the real “prodigal skipper” Dusty Baker. The Astros stocked up during the off-season, especially with pitching, but as long as the Cubs play the way they can, it won’t be a problem. (Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee in the top-half of their order scares me though).


The White Sox won a World Series two years ago, and the Bears went to a Super Bowl and have Devin Hester. That’s all I’m saying about these two teams because I am growing tired and don’t feel like going into much more detail and don’t feel like researching more stats.

Scoops alleged allegiance to his hometown’s teams has truly been tested in this championship drought, one that stretches eons back to the days of Pope John Paul II (No sacrilege. The last several years have seen a White Sox World Series, three straight postseason appearances and a Super Bowl from the Bears, the uprising from an astonishingly young Bulls team (highlighted by a sweep of the defending champions in 2007), the return of the cities most stories franchise in the Chicago Blackhawks, and I have never seen an entire metropolis rally around a team the way Chicago did in 2003 during the Cubs did during their electric NLCS run. The verdict? Sports are just fine in the Windy City—remember Scoop, it’s not all about winning. Maybe they share that attitude in Boston. Maybe that is where you belong.

Will the Real Larry Hughes Please Stand Up?

Larry Hughes. Once a promising young player who averaged 22.7 points per game in 1999-2000 for his Golden State Warriors. Larry Hughes. Who once averaged 22 points per game in 2004-2005 for his Washington Wizards. Larry Hughes. Who once shot 46% percent from the field. These were the qualities that the Cleveland Cavaliers saw in Larry after the 2004-2005 season. After being spurned by Michael Redd and Ray Allen, the Cavs turned to Larry. Not only was he just coming off winning Defensive Player of the Year award, Larry also averaged 22 points playing alongside Gilbert Arenas, who may possibly have the ball in his hands more than LeBron James does. Gilbert averaged 25 points that year. All of these qualities led the Cavs to overpay Larry, as most free agents of the time were. Cleveland was ecstatic. A good defensive player who did not need the ball and could feed off of LeBron James. But his stay in Cleveland has been awfully disappointing. His season was cut short his first year in C-town because of injuries. Then his free throw attempts dropped by one hundred since his last season in Washington. His field goal percentage has never been over 40% here. He has become a career 30% three point shooter. Everyone says he does not fit in Cleveland because he is not a shooter, and LeBron creates open shots for people. But this is where I disagree with people.
Larry Hughes has stopped being the player that earned him that big contract in Cleveland. He is a very streaky shooter. But he has games like last night where he scores 40 points and you watch him drive to the basket with no mercy. You wonder where that has been all season. It comes in random spurts, but never for more than 2 games in a row. Just because he is playing alongside a superstar that needs the ball in his hands does not mean that he needs to change his game, which he has. He drove to the hole in Washington, so why not here? He has become a jump shooter. He will shoot a 3 with 23 seconds left on the shot clock. Then he will slash to the hole and drop in a beautiful layup. It leaves us Clevelanders with a severe case of blue balls. If Larry could average 20 here in Cleveland like he did in Washington this team would be in the finals every year. He has the potential to do it. He has great handles and could go to the hole whenever he wants. But he has settled for the long jumper, for reasons I do not understand. Tonight, Larry scored 40 and LeBron dropped 29. That is 69 points between our two stars, and look at the outcome, a win. So Larry Hughes, stop having random great games where you score 30 or more. String them together. We got to the finals without you doing that, just think what we could do with you scoring. Will the real Larry Hughes please stand up?