Manic Monday

It was a nice weekend in several parts of the country, so you might have missed the following and might not know what is next...

Here is the rundown;

1. Joey Logano wins his first Nascar race at age 19 years and 35 days. He becomes the youngest driver ever to win a Nascar race. He is a young phenom and will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come. That is until he turns 21, is allowed to drink, gets fat and doesn't fit in his car anymore (Jeff Gordon?).

2. Yao Ming's career could be over. It was reported today by Yahoo!, that his broken left foot which was injured during the playoffs is not healing properly and he could miss the entire season or worse. Could this be because he is 7' 6" and plays a game where he runs up and done a hardwood court, which is pretty unnatural for his body type? Yeah, I think so - so this shouldn't be much of a surprise.

3. Doc Halladay returns for the Jays tonight and as I am typing this I can already tell you that his return wasn't triumphant. He didn't pitch poorly, after 6 innings, 88 pitches, 2 earned runs and 7 strikeout he was pulled. The bullpen and the offence couldn't do anything to help him and and he took his first loss since April 21. Better luck in five days.

4. Cutting Edge Music Festival - www.cuttingedgemusicfestival.com. Check this out in Kitchener August 1 and 2. Sunday seems like the day to go to see The Roots, a surprise headliner being announced July 1 and of course my boys - Rebel Emergency (http://www.myspace.com/rebelemergencymusic). Tickets are cheaper before July 1 if you want in.

5. Brandon Jennings is a punk. The new Milwaukee Bucks new draft pick has recently voiced his opinions on several topics and in every instance he made himself sound immature and a punk. Some analysts thought that the year in Italy might make him more mature. Apparently not. First he said the Bucks shouldn't extend a qualifying offer to Ramon Sessions (which they have know done), because he will be the starting point guard. This comes shortly before calling his new coach a tough n****. Then he goes after New York fans who gave him a hard time at the draft, saying "Fuck the Knicks, them n***** skipped out on me." If all that wasn't enough he gives one last parting shot to Knick Chris Duhon - "Duhon ain't gonna get it done.". He should be fun to watch this year, players are going to be out to light him up!

Best Jersey EVER!

The geniuses of Straight Cash Homey Dot Net came through with a gem the other day...



Like I said - best jersey EVER!

Names To Know - DeMar DeRozan

The NBA draft had quite a few surprises and the Raptors ended up going against my wishes and drafted USC guard DeMar DeRozan.

Here are his vitals so you can cheer on the newest Raptor come September.
Height: 6' 7" - Weight: 207 lbs - Bday: 08/07/1989
High School: Compton HS - Hometown: Compton, CA
NBA Best Case Scenario: Josh Howard - NBA Worst Case Scenario: Rodney Carney

Thanks to NBADraft.net for the write-up. Although they compared him to Vince Carter which is great, but for Toronto fans that hurts just a little.

Strengths: Jaw dropping athletic specimen. At a chiseled 6'6 220 with large wingspan. Possesses the prototypical frame for an NBA wing ...Incredible leaper and explosive finisher. Vertical is reportedly 40 inches plus ... His head is even with the rim on many of his dunks ... Has all but mastered the art of the mid-range game ... Shoots the ball exceptionally well from inside 20 feet. At his best with one dribble and then elevating, preferably to his left ... Moves well without the ball, always looking for creases in the defense ... Uses screens well and comes off ready to fire ... Puts his unique package of leaping ability and strength to good use on the glass ... Excellent offensive rebounder (2.4 per game) ... Finishes strong around the basket, but shows finesse and variety with floaters and spin moves ... Right hand dominant when attacking the hoop. Defenders know this, but he still gets to the rack, a testament to his first step and strength ... Puts in a strong effort on the defensive end ... Above average lateral quickness, but often too high in his defensive stance. Reads habit passes well off the ball ... Showed signs of being a pressure performer, taking his game to another level in the Pac 10 tournament, completely outclassing his competition with a myriad of out of this world athletic displays ...

Weaknesses: Still very much a work in progress, filled with untapped potential ... Despite all of his physical attributes, is often satisfied to 'go with the flow'. Does not look to dominate ... His on court presence leaves much to be desired at this stage of his development .. He plays hard, but rarely full throttle ... Passion to be a superstar has always been questioned .. Needs to enhance range on his jumper ... Shot only 17% from three in his one season at USC, attempting only 1 per game ... He steps into his mid-range jumper well, but tends to fade away on three point attempts ... Despite a picturesque stroke, shot only 65% from the FT line ... His ball handling needs a lot of work ... Rarely, if ever, takes more than one dribble to his left without pulling up or spinning back right ... Very predictable. Lacks creativity in the face up game which he will need to succeed at the next level ... Despite his size and strength, he did not utilize the post up game at all in college. Not much of a passer or facilitator (1.5 assists per game) ... Has a quick first step, but not dynamic ... His ceiling is unlimited, but needs to add many significant dimensions to his game. A year older than his freshman counterparts, turning 20 in August.

NBA Draft

With the NBA draft tonight at 7pm here are my fearless predictions...these are for recreational purposes only...

1 LA Clippers - Blake Griffin (Oklahoma): This has been no secret since the lottery selection show. Feel bad for Mr. Griffin's knees, just not his pocketbook.

2 Memphis - Hasheem Thabeet (UCONN): At 7' 3" you can say this guy will be a "can't miss prospect", but without a great scoring touch, he reminds me more of Ben Wallace than Yao Ming.

3 Oklahoma City - Ricky Rubio (Intl.): The steal of the draft at #3. The Zombie Sonics as Bill Simmons like to call them are building quite the young team. They will be a force and Rubio will win the ROY.

4 Sacramento - Jrue Holliday (UCLA): The Kings will continue to be the worst team in the NBA by blowing the #4 pick. Holliday isn't ready for primetime and will be asked to do too much for the Kings.

5 *Minnesota (aquired in trade) - Stephen Curry (Davidson): Everyone is talking about Curry's ability to get his own shot and his charisma. He will give NBA fans a reason to watch the T'Wolves.

6 Minnesota - James Harden (ASU): Harden falls to #6, but this will be good for him. It will be the Chris Bosh syndrome "nobody believed in me" and look for him and Curry to carry Minny to the playoffs (did I just say that?)

7 Golden St. - Jordan Hill (Arizona): After dealing Jamal Crawford for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton, look for the Warriors to go big (h/t ESPN) and take Hill. With great athleticism he will fit in nicely in Don Nelson's system.

8 New York - Jonny Flynn (Syracuse): Instantly the most popular player in NY minutes after the draft, Flynn will bring excitement to MSG.

9 Toronto - James Johnson (Wake Forest): Although a SG instead of a SF/PF might be the better selection, GM Colangelo goes against the grain to pick this 6'8" scorer. With the ability to get to the basket and make shots, he should put a hum into the ACC crowd multiple times this season.

10 Milwaukee - Tyreke Evans (Memphis): Evans falls a little, but gets put into a good position in Milwaukee. He might not enjoy the nightlife, but his game will be just fine.

Got Beef?

Here is a new segment at the Sandwich Shoppe - Got Beef? Basically a rant that takes on something/someone that is pissing me off.

Bicyclists

With the nice weather the alternate forms of transportation get dusted off and start to show up on the roadways. The bicycle and bicyclists are perhaps the most annoying. There are a couple of ways that they really grind my gears, so to speak.

First, riding on the sidewalk. You are considered a motor vehicle when driving a bike, stay off the sidewalks (kids excepted). If you don't like riding your bike on the street because the cars are too dangerous, we have air conditioned buses for you.

Second, you are riding on the street - congratulations! Now start acting like a motor vehicle. You have to signal, stop at stop signs, you can't weave in and out of traffic, and you have to stay to the right and stay out of the way of the larger vehicles. There is one exception to this rule - as a bike you shouldn't make left turns from the left turn lane. You get in the way of cars that can accelerate faster than you and when you make the turn you end up in the left lane, and need to cut across traffic that is moving much faster than you and might also be merging from the right turn lane.

Third, you want to ride you bike around, I'm all for that, and one of the hazards is getting you pants caught in the chain. Stop being a wuss and rolling up your pant leg or wearing a velcro strap so your pant leg doesn't flap in the wind. You say this wrecks your pants? What about getting a bike that has a chain cover Einstein?

Last but not least, who are the vandals stealing front tires and bike seats from locked up bikes? If I own a bike, my bike has a front tire and seat, I don't need another one. Bike owners need to relax and understand that they look goofy when they carry around bike parts. You don't see motorcyclists carrying around front tires or bike seats, heck some of them even leave their helmet attached to their bikes unattended.

So, bicyclists - I got beef with you until you stop riding around like you are car, act manly on your bike and stop carrying around your bike parts with you.

The Return of the Mack

After a sabbatical, the Sandwich Shoppe is open for business again...

A quick round up of the weekend events and what you have to look forward to in the week ahead.

1. Lucas Glover wins the US Open golf tournament. After four rain soak days at Bethpage Black the unknown Glover outlasted the field and took the silver trophy. The golfers that finished second were the bigger story. Phil Mickelson who overcame a couple of bad rounds, the mental stress of dealing with his wife's cancer and was so close to winning another major championship. The other story was David Duval. Coming into the weekend he was ranked 832nd (didn't know there was that many pro golfers) and he put on quite the show. Still wearing the trademark Oakley's Duval looked like the player he once was. It will be a great story for the remainder of the season if Duval can keep up his play and challenge for titles.

2. The US soccer team pulled off the improbable. After getting smacked around in their first two Confederation Cup games by Brazil and Italy, they needed a three goal win against Egypt and have Brazil beat Italy by three goals. Well, both things happened and the US goes on to face the number one team in the world - Spain. Nobody, not even former US player Alexei Lalas believes they have a chance, and with good reason. Look for them to get destroyed, but not for the reasons you think (skill), but because the US is starting to lose players to other countries. Two of the better players that could be playing with the US are playing for Italy and another wants to play for Germany. This feels too much like Canada tennis or boxing.

3. In other soccer news Manchester United has found their new jersey sponsor - AON Consulting will adorn the front of the red devils jersey next season. Open up the pocket books fans!

4. Wimbeldon started today and the hands on favorite to win on the men's side is Roger Federer. Unfortunately, he won't have his Joker to his Batman when he goes to win his record 15th major tournament as Rafeal Nadal had to withdraw due to tendinitis in his knees. It will still be fun to watch him win, and will be emotional for Federer if he can pull it off, but after the epic match last year, it would have been nice to see again.

5. Not even sure why I want to mention this, but it has been reported that Brett Favre has signed to play with the Minnesota Vikings in the upcoming season. The news hasn't been "officially" released but the deal is supposedly done and will be announced soon to hysterical Green Bay fans everywhere. Those two bitter division game between the Vikings and the Packers will become even more tense this year.

NBA Finals - Magic vs. Lakers

Game two of the NBA finals was last night and even though the first game was a blow out (Laker by 20+ points), you had a feeling the second game still had the potential to be close. It couldn't have gotten much closer. The Lakers ended up winning the game in overtime.

So what changed and do the Magic have any chance of claiming the Larry O'Brien trophy. The first thing the Magic improved on was their shooting - going from 29% to 41%. The second changed was the Rashard Lewis showed up, filling the bucket with 34 points. Even though the Magic turned their game around it wasn't enough. Kobe and Lakers had enough. With help from his running mates Lamar Odom (19 pts, 8 reb) and Pau Gasol (24 pts, 10 reb) the Lakers pulled it out in overtime.

Going into game 3 on Tuesday night the Magic can turn the series around. We watched the Pittsburgh Penguins lose the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals and then win the next two at home. The Magic even have a better opportunity. After gaining confidence in game 2 and knowing they can hang with the Lakers, they have THREE home games in a row. That means they could go ahead in the series 3-2 before they leave Orlando. Heading back to LA and needing one win - it could happen.

So look for the Magic to take game 3 and then try and ride the wave. Not certain Kobe will let Dwight Howard and the Magic take more than one game, but it will be fun to watch.

Choose NBA2K10 Cover

With the Lakers humiliating the Magic last night in the first game of the NBA Finals (or was it just nerves?), 2K sports has launched their campaign for the newest basketball video game - NBA2K10. The big question as always - which player will be on the cover - now we can vote!

To Trade or Not To Trade

Check out the new article posted on Bleacher Report that takes a look at what the Raptors could do on draft night, trades they could make and how they could improve.

Read the article here.

Going to the Loo

America’s Best Restroom Award VIII - yes, you read that right. There is an award for America's best facility. What astounds me, is that this is the 8th year of the awards and this is the first time we are hearing about it.

The contenders!
The Tremont Plaza Hotel (Baltimore)
Shoji Tabuchi Theatre (Branson, Mo.)
Radio City Music Hall (New York) **been here, it is really nice!
Canlis Restaurant (Seattle)
The Tampa Theatre (Tampa)
NOVA 535 (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
The Fox Theatre (Detroit)
Macy’s Department Store (San Francisco)
Zeffirino Ristorante (Las Vegas)

It remains to be seen if one of these spectacular dumping grounds can join the three current members in the ranks of hall of fame. If you are planning a vacation, make sure to visit on of the three loos in the hall of fame: The Signature Room at the 95th (Chicago) and Brio (Rockville), and Quad City International Airport (Moline).

What a crappy story! (pun intended)

For the full article - go here. h/t Hotel Chatter