Maddux Sports Blog

I’ve got a summer cold - the worst punishment for past sins imaginable. It’s a doozy, too. Given that, I’d love to be catty and dismissive to a few teams or players to make myself feel better. Sadly, though, there are a couple of big stories tonight that I really like and am quite enthusiastic about. That’s no fun.

1. Cubs acquire Rich Harden. This is a great move. The Sabathia trade gave the Brewers a clear pitching edge in the division, but the Cubs took immediate and decisive steps to restore the balance of power. Zambrano and Harden may not be quite as good as Sheets and Sabathia, but they are pretty darned close. Better yet, Harden has an option for next year that the Cubs are very likely to exercise, so this isn’t just a short-term fix. On top of it all, the Cubs also got Chad Gaudin in the deal. He’s not a superstar by any means, but he’s a solid arm that can start or eat up innings in the pen. Piniella had him in Tampa bay, so he knows what he has and it’s a good sign that he obviously wanted him again. As good as all that is, I like it for Oakland, too. They got younger, but they didn’t give Harden away. They got some solid assets back, and they saved themselves from having to make a tough decision about Harden - an obviously talented pitcher with some injury problems - down the road. Stability is a big part of the Billy Beane system, and this move buys future stability at a fair price. The biggest impact of this deal, though, is the message it sends to the Cubs and their fans - this is the year.

2. Elton Brand reportedly has a deal with the Sixers. I like this one for a lot of reasons. From a karma perspective, I have to say that this one sits really well with me. Baron Davis lied to the fans in Golden State who had been nothing but good to him when he opted out and bolted to the Clippers. Proximity to Hollywood was the big draw it seems, but obviously playing with Brand was a big motivation as well. Because of Davis’ deal, though, the Clippers didn’t have the cap space to match the Philly offer. I especially love this move from the Philly perspective. The Sixers hosted the first NBA regular season game I ever saw live, so I have always had a soft spot for them. They were so impressive as serious underdogs against the Celtics in the playoffs, and they have a very good core of young players - Iguodala, Miller, Young, and rookie Speights. Brand gives them an interior presence they needed badly, and it gives him a system and a team that he can help lift to the next level. He never had that in L.A., and this team is better in my mind than the Clippers would have been with him and Davis. Despite the continued strength at the top, the East is wildly competitive, and this move makes the Sixers as good as any non-elite team in the conference. That had to factor significantly into Brand’s decision.

A couple other quick things:

I really don’t care about summer league basketball at all, but I do take good things from the play of Michael Beasley so far. He came out against the Bulls and absolutely ripped them up. The next day against the Nets he was terrible 1-for-13 from the floor. That’s rough, but he had the right attitude about it in the post-game meetings with the press - he wasn’t worried about it because bad games happen and, more importantly, the team won. He’s doing this all with a fractured sternum, so I can’t really think of any reason why the Heat would be anything but thrilled by their pick.

O.J. Mayo and Joe Alexander both signed today. I’m very happy to see that teams are getting their players on board quickly.

Interesting social experiment coming out of Atlanta this week. Jeff Francoeur has boatloads of talent, but he has been truly terrible at the plate this year. He is in a slump that has been underway since late May. The team needs to snap him out of it, and they figured out a bold way to do so - they sent him down to Double-A without discussing it with him first. They said they may keep him down there for a couple of weeks to let him get his mind right and find his stroke again. In the end, though, he was only down for three games. There’s no doubt it worked in one regard - he went 7 for 13 in the three games, and had four hits on Sunday. Where it gets interesting, though, is that Francoeur is pissed. He says that he feels betrayed, and he is openly questioning management. The Braves’ management deserves some credit for making a bold move, but it is one that could backfire dramatically. It will be interesting t watch how it plays out.

I think that Todd Bertuzzi is a truly reprehensible athlete. Scum. The Calgary Flames are my beloved hometown team. Bertuzzi joined the Flames today. Sometimes being a fan is tough.

Word is out that Darius Miles is attempting a comeback. He had a reportedly great workout with Boston. Miles has been out of action thanks to a knee injury that was thought to be career ending. Portland still owns his rights, and they have been paying his contract, but it doesn’t count against the cap because he is out for his career. If he comes back, though, then the salary hits the cap for Portland. That would be disastrous. This is another thing that will be very interesting to watch play out.

The Red Sox have seven all-stars. The Rays are five games better, and they just swept the Sox, yet they only have two. That either tells us just how incredible Tampa’s run is, or how ridiculous and meaningless all-star selection is. I vote for the latter.

Saturday was a very interesting day at Wimbledon. Venus Williams beat her sister, won her fifth Wimbledon title and second straight, and proved conclusively that she is without a doubt the best female grass player in the world despite her frustrating inconsistency. The sisters put their competitive differences aside a couple of hours later to cruise to an incredibly easy win in the doubles final. Finally, Canadian Daniel Nestor and new partner Nenad Zimonjic made their second straight grand slam final, but performed better this time around by winning in four sets.

That’s all fine, but the main event that we have been waiting for takes place tomorrow.The final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was as close to inevitable as anything can be in sports. They are so clearly the best players in the world that it is laughable, and they have played in the last two Wimbledon finals and the last three at the French. Neither has been particularly challenged so far in the tournament. The fact that we all knew that this showdown was coming makes it no less interesting or exciting.

Despite the fact that Nadal has been crowned as the new king of tennis by much of the press, and Federer is getting the least respect that it is possible for a five time defending champion to get, Federer is still the favorite in this match, albeit by a smaller than normal margin. Pinnacle has Federer at -135, leaving Nadal at +125. As I said at the start of the tournament, I am enthusiastically on the side of Federer. Here, in brief, are five reasons:

1. Federer has 40 straight wins at Wimbledon. He is virtually unbeatable on grass. Nadal can’t say the same.

2. Federer has 10 career titles on grass, including five at Wimbledon. Nadal has one.

3. Despite opinions to the otherwise, Federer is in very good form. In his last three tournaments he reached the final at the French on a surface that isn’t a strength, won a grass tournament, the Gerry Weber, and has cruised to a final here. Granted, Nadal is one step better - he won the French and his grass prep. It’s a big mistake, though, to assume that Federer is in trouble. Neither Novak Djokovic nor Bjorn Borg knows what they are talking about on that front.

4. Federer is older, wiser and, despite his plethora of wins, I have the feeling that he is hungrier here. He is on top of the tennis world, but he is being threatened. He’s too much of a champion to take that challenge lying down. Further, he has the clear memory of the embarrassment he suffered in the French on his mind, and he won’t like that.

5. Federer is back to being healthy. Poor health accounted for much of his downswing, so the return to health can’t be underestimated.

I don’t know much about the Fourth of July, but the sense I get from watching from afar is that it is all about eating too much, drinking way too much, and trying not to blow yourself up with fireworks. Sounds like fun. It only makes sense, then, that the occasion is annually marked by the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. The thought of watching people cram that much processed mystery meat down their throats is disgusting to me, but it’s on ESPN, and more importantly you can bet on it, so it is worthy of a look.

The favorite is the local boy and defending champ, Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut. Last year’s win was his first, but the list of vulgar accomplishments this guy has to his name is, well, scary - 59 peanut butter sandwiches in 10 minutes, 7 pounds of chicken wings in 12 minutes, and 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in less than 10 minutes. Just hearing that makes me want to never eat again. He’s the number one ranked eater in the world according to the International Federation of Competitive Eating. His odds to win are at 10/13.

The second choice is my pick. Takeru Kobayashi was second last year in this event, but that ended a streak of six consecutive wins. He was dealing with a few health problems last year (shocking!), but he is apparently back in fine form this year. A guy who is determined enough to win this contest six times is, in my book, determined enough to fight to get back on top. He knows how to win, he has something to prove, and that makes him a relative bargain at even money.

Proving that this is a two horse race, you can get 3/1 on the entire field outside the top two. That includes ‘winners’ like Patrick Bertoletti, ranked second in the world by the IFCE between Chestnut and Kobayashi, 2004 rookie of the year Timothy Janus, and 98 pound superstar woman eat Sonya ‘The Black Widow’ Thomas. They might be worth a hedge at this price, but don’t fool yourself - there are two freaks here that are far freakier than the rest.

After a great tournament full of action, upsets, and surprises, the final is set and we will see Spain and Germany meet up on Sunday for the final. There were some surprising teams in the elimination round, and one that few predicted in the semi-finals, but this final comes as little surprise. Indeed, Germany was expected, and Spain was one of the handful of realistically contenders from their side of the draw. SPain goes into the final favored. I like Germany. Here are six reasons why:

1. I don’t trust Spain. They have unquestionably been the best, most consistent team in this tournament so far. They haven’t won this tournament in 44 years, though, and they have a long history of failing to come through when it matters most. They are chronic underachievers, and I don’t feel good about betting that they have rid themselves of that habit when it will cost me a premium to do so.

2. Germany is under-respected. Coming into the tournament the Germans were quite significantly favored to win the tournament. They suffered a humiliating, shocking early loss. Since then, though, they have done exactly what was expected of them. They waltzed past Portugal, and then kept their cool to get past a feisty, unlikely Turkish team that had been the story of the tournament. I understand why the love affair with the Germans may have cooled for many, but I don’t get why they have fallen so far behind the Spaniards in the eyes of the public.

3. Germany rebounds brilliantly. After they lost to Croatia they came back well next time out. They didn’t play their best game against Turkey, but  I have more faith in their ability to learn from that and make the necessary adjustments than I do any team in this tournament.

4. Injuries. Spain will be playing without David Villa, their offensive spark plug and the leading scorer of the tournament. They have good depth, but he is hard to replace and he was playing with incredible confidence. Germany may be without Michael Ballack, but as incredible as it may sound I don’t think that the loss of their captain is as significant as Villa is t Spain. Besides, I don’t believe that Ballack won’t be on the field.

5. People are on Spain. Germany is available as a fairly significant underdog depending on how you choose to bet them. Any time you can bet a quality team which is playing fairly well at an underdog price you have to have a pretty good reason not to do so. I don’t.

6. Playing style. The Spanish team plays a flashy, high paced offensive game. The Germans are more methodical and defensively sound. Methodical often wins out over explosive. You did see the NBA final, didn’t you?

Spain suffered a damaging, and potentially fatal, blow as they prepare for the Euro 2008 finals against Germany. Striker David Villa will miss the finals thanks to a sore hamstring. Villa is the tournament’s leading scorer, and he has been dynamite both when he is scoring and when he isn’t, so his loss is a real blow to both the team’s chances and their confidence. Spain is still fairly heavily favored to win it all (surprisingly heavily, really), but Germany becomes an even  more attractive underdog given this news.

Very strange story coming out from the NBA Draft concerning Darrell Arthur. Reportedly several teams passed on him because of news of kidney problems. Atlanta was the only team that actually tested him, though, and they gave him a clean bill of health. That news didn’t seem to get out in time, though, and he fell from a likely spot in the lottery all the way down to 27th. That will cost him a lot of money, but it also has to be ridiculously frustrating and a bit humiliating for the player. If he is the kind of guy that can use that as motivation then it could fuel a good year for him. I just can’t believe that we are getting the whole story. Surely in this age teams would have done their homework about something like that. That’s especially the case for San Antonio. THey culd have picked him one spot sooner than he was picked, but instead they went for a guy from IUPUI that no one has ever heard of that almost certainly could have been had later on. Even if the Spurs didn’t like Arthur it probably would have made sense to acquire him purely as an asset.

The White Sox crushed the Cubs today, and the  Mets humiliated the Yankees. What does it say about me that I get a perverse and profound pleasure from both developments. Unfortunately, the Yankees came back and returned the favor in the second half of the double bill.

Ana Ivanovic became the latest top three seed to fall at Wimbledon today, following Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic. The third round departure was the earliest exit by a number one seed since 2001. The bloodbath at the top is bad news for bettors, but the sportsbooks must be loving it because they will be making a killing from people looking to make the safe hit. I don’t expect the disaster to continue on the men’s side. In fact, I am very confident that it will be Nadal - Federer in the final. Yet again.

The Tigers have now won 14 of 18, and they are looking pretty much exactly like we expected them to (except for Dontrelle Willis, who is toiling away in obscurity in the minors somewhere). I was about to write that Tigers fans must be relieved and thrilled, but as I think about it I just think that if I was a Detroit backer I would be pissed. We knew all along that they could play like this, so why did they insist on throwing their season away with that horrendous start? Thankfully, they play in the AL Central, so the playoffs are not at all out of the question despite the fact that they have not yet returned to .500. To win the division, though, they will have to hope that the Twins remember once again that they are the Twins. Minnesota won their tenth in a row, and 12th in 13 games tonight. Talk about a team getting it done with smoke and mirrors.

Novak Djokovic is an absolute moron, and I suspect that there is no one more embarrassed on the planet right now. If you missed it, he spent a great deal of effort last week telling everyone who would listen to him that Roger Federer was vulnerable. Since Djokovic was set to play him in the semi-finals at Wimbledon if they both made it that far, the clear assumption was that Djokovic was going to beat him. I have no problem with a claim like that. You have to back it up, though. Djokovic didn’t even come close. He came out in the second round of the tournament and fell in straight sets to Marat Safin. Safin used to be good once, but those times are a distant memory. Djokovic should have been able to win the match in his sleep, but instead he looked lethargic and unfocused. Even worse, he whined his way through the whole match. Terrible. This is one more reason added to an already large pile why I don’t buy into the prevailing theory that Djokovic is a future number one.

So far, so good for the Blue Jays after their change of manager. After a seven game losing streak the team has one two in a row. More importantly, the offensively inept team has scored 22 runs in the two wins, and their 22 hits in the 14-1 win over Cincinnati last night was the best by any team all year. The most noticeable thing when you see the team play is that they are visibly relaxed. Under John Gibbons they were tense and they didn’t look like they were having any fun. Given that the change is so noticeable it seems odd that Gibbons was able to hold on so long. This team should, on paper anyway, be able to hit much better than they have been.

The best part of that Toronto - Cincinnati game last night was the line posted by Reds’ starter Bronson Arroyo. He lasted one inning, allowing 11 hits and 10 earned runs. It doesn’t take a math major to figure that that makes for an ERA of 90.00 on the game. That hurts the long-term stats - it bumps the ERA from an already dismal 5.55 to an ugly 6.52. Ouch.

I’m not an American, but my Canadian basketball team didn’t make the Olympics (it’s hard to do when Steve Nash is your only decent player and he isn’t playing on the national team any more), so when it comes to Beijing I will have to make due with cheering for the Americans. As a bandwagon fan, then, I have to say this - if the team doesn’t win the gold medal they should all retire from basketball immediately. This team is ridiculously dominant. I know that the world is catching up with them (or has mostly caught up), but it is completely impossible for a team to be as deep as the one just announced as the next version of the Dream Team.

To see how good this team is, just look at point guard. Jason Kidd will be the presumed starter. If he doesn’t get the nod, or he gets tired or is ineffective, then the backups are Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Any one of those three is as good as any point guard in the league, and likely the world. Other teams will be able to match them with a starter (maybe), but it is impossible for any team to go two deep with the Americans, never mind three deep.

The same is true everywhere else, too. Need scoring? Kobe, Lebron, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. Those are pretty much the four purest scorers in the league (other than Allen Iverson, and he’d be on this team if I picked it), and they are all on the same side. Need shooting? Michael Redd. Defense? Tayshaun Prince, or Carlos Boozer. Inside touch? Few better than Chris Bosh. Rebounding? Dwight Howard is the best there is right now. This team is ridiculous.

There won’t be any value in this team, but I don’t suspect that there will be any in betting against them, either.

Wimbledon gets underway today and goes on for the next two weeks. For once, the mens’ side holds some intrigue. For the last five years Roger Federer has won the title, and he has done it with ease bordering in ridiculous. This year, though, things are a bit different. He hasn’t had the dominating year he has had recently, and people aren’t nearly as scared of him as they used to be. Bjorn Borg said perhaps the most ridiculous thing in history when he suggested that Federer was done and that if and when he lost at Wimbledon he would probably retire. Novak Djokovic is only the third best player in the world, and he hasn’t had any more success beating Federer than he Rafael Nadal, but even he called out Roger this week. Their is definitely the smell of change in the air.

Let me say this as quickly and directly as I can - Roger Federer is not going to lose. He will win his sixth straight championship on the grass in front of the Queen. I’m all for guys speaking out, and it’s about time that someone grew a backbone when talking about the guy, but to view him as anything other than the solid favorite here is just ridiculous. Need a reason? Here are four:

1. He’s won five freaking titles in a row. No player in the world is more perfectly suited for the surface or plays it at such a high level. He is so far ahead of the crowd that he can win on it even if he isn’t at his best. Nadal has only won one career tournament on grass. Djokovic has yet to prove that he is ready to play with the big boys. Behind those three there is little to get excited about. David Nalbandian, the seventh seed, should have been as strong on grass as anyone, but he was upset by a little known Canadian in the first round.

2. He is coming off a final at the French. Federer isn’t particularly good on clay, and Nadal made him look foolish in the final of the French Open. That’s not the important thing. The key is that he made the final. And he has for each of the three years. He is far from the best player on the surface, yet he keeps making it through the draw. He’s just that good, and forgetting about that is just dumb.

3. You don’t fluke into 12 titles. Remember the U.S. Open a couple of weeks ago. Tiger had a torn ligament and a broken freaking leg, yet he still won. He’s better and he wants it more. Federer is the Tiger of the tennis world. The trash that everyone else is talking will only make him madder and make him want to win more. Djokovic is on track to hit Federer in the finals, so waving a red cape in front of Federer is proof of just how smart the youngster isn’t.

4. He’s still the heavy favorite. Bodog had Federer on at 1/1 to win the tournament. Nadal was next at 7/4, and Djokovic was way back at 5/1. No other player is better than 16/1. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it is particularly close.

5. He’s coming off a win. Federer won the Gerry Weber Open, a key grass prep, in his last start. He’s won that tournament five times in the last six years. The only time he didn’t win it was last year, and he didn’t play. A win there has been a pretty good indicator of solid form in the past, so there isn’t much reason to think that it’s not this year.

The only question I have about the Mariners decision to fire their manager to day is why it took so long. I am embarrassed to admit that I thought that they would be the class of the AL West. Instead, they are the cellar dwellers in the entire league. It’s not like they are coming up just short, either. They have all sorts of talent, and highly paid talent at that, but they just can’t get anything going. This year is a total write-off, but hopefully this change coupled with the fired general manager last week will get the message across that this team can’t be this bad anymore. I have always liked the mariners, and I will continue to as long as they don’t make the decision to get rid of Erik Bedard this season. That would be painfully shortsighted.

Portugal got a tough break at Euro 2008 today. They had played very well throughout the tournament, but Germany lost to Turkey in round-robin play so Portugal had to play the tournament favorites in the first round of the playoffs. Portugal played a solid game in virtual monsoon conditions today, but Germany was just that much better, and they won 3-2. One tough draw and they are out. In the meantime, Croatia and Turkey play to be the next opponents of Germany, and Portugal could easily have beaten either of those teams. By the time this tournament is over the draw is going to be a major story. It has already punished France and Portugal.

Big Brown has emerged from seclusion. We had heard a lot from his trainer and jockey since the crushing disappointment of the Belmont, but the horse had been mostly out of sight. He’s been training at Aqueduct, though, and he’s reportedly been doing well. He was originally supposed to be pointed to the Travers at Saratoga at the end of August, but instead he will next head to the other big summer Derby - the Haskell at Monmouth on August 3. That choice opens up the possibility, and indeed most likely the probability, of another race between that one and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of October. Going into that race off a three month break doesn’t seem like a good or likely idea.

Will the world end without Tiger? If you are the commissioner of the PGA you probably think so right about now. If you have been living under a rock today and missed the news, Tiger Woods will miss the rest of the season because he needs reconstructive knee surgery. Not that he needed, but he totally added to his legend this weekend - it turns out that he was not only playing with a torn ligament in his knee, but his leg had been fractured in two places when he was preparing for the tournament, yet he didn’t tell anyone and went out and won. It’s not a wonder he was wincing in pain from time to time.

This will change the dynamics of betting on golf until the big man returns next year. When I heard the news here are the few things that first ran through my mind.

1. Man, is Phil Mickelson ever a pansy. He had a sore wrist last year and the way he carried on you’d think that his arm had been ripped off by a crocodile. He was terrible and he milked it for all it’s worth. Tiger had and injury that was at least as bad for a golfer to deal with, and all he did was play 91 holes to win a major. It’s not a wonder that Phil can’t hold Tiger’s towel.

2. This could be a great thing for golf bettors. Public interest will fall off significantly without the biggest drawing card in sports. That should mean that the lines will be softer and there can be more mistakes to exploit. That being said, the one problem is that the odds of the favorites who aren’t named after big cats will be lower than we have become used to because there won’t be a heavy favorite sucking up the cash.

3. Things are going to be wide open, and it will take a shift in mentality to pick winners. Up until now, the bigger golf tournaments have involved just one major decision - are you with Tiger or are you against him? Now it will take more work and a more legitimate handicapping effort. In other words, we actually have to work now.

4. I am dreading the British Open broadcast. I am setting the over/under on Tiger references at 57 per hour, and I’d still take the over.

5. The odds that Tiger will win his first tournament back? About +185 in my book.

Four rounds and 72 holes weren’t enough to determine the winner of the U.S. Open. In most tournaments that would mean that they played an extra hole or two and ended up with a winner. Not at the Open. Their playoff is at least 18 more holes, and more beyond that if needed. On paper the final is a total mismatch. On one hand you have the greatest golfer ever born, Tiger Woods (I make that pronouncement confidently and without qualification). On the other hand you have a 45 year old guy in Rocco Mediate who hasn’t won a tournament since the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic in 2002. Tiger has won 13 Majors. Mediate has four top tens, and before this year had never finished better than fourth. In the last eight Majors, Tiger has three wins and three seconds. Over the same stretch, Mediate has only played in two - a withdraw and a cut. Woods is ridiculously more qualified. It isn’t even close.

Given all of that, it isn’t at all surprising that Tiger is an overwhelming favorite (-382 at Pinnacle). I wouldn’t give that a thought if it weren’t for the fact that Tiger is clearly not at 100 percent with hs knee. If he was then he would have eaten the rest of the field for lunch when he went into the final round with a lead. Instead he struggled and needed a miracle putt to force this playoff. That’s not how it was supposed to turn out today. It also means that you can’t help but wonder if the fat +352 price on the underdog is fat enough to make it worth a bet. Can he beat a guy who is so incredibly good, but was so obviously hurting on Saturday that there were legitimate rumors that he might not even play on Sunday?

Woods is the deserved favorite, but here are three reasons why Mediate may be worth a shot. It might not be the best bet ever, but at the very least it is more interesting betting on the cagey underdog than the robotic favorite, and it makes a much better story if you win:

1. Tiger’s injury - I am so sick of hearing about Tiger’s meniscus that I just might puke. No matter how overplayed and over-discussed the knee injury might be, it is crucially important here. He clearly isn’t healthy. If this were a short playoff then I wouldn’t be that worried because he could rely on adrenaline to play through it. It’s a full round, though, so this is a totally different thing. Tiger was worse physically on Saturday than Friday, and worse on Sunday than Saturday. There is a very real chance that he will be even worse on Monday. How big is that chance? Hard to tell, but if I had to quantify the chances it would be far more likely that he will struggle physically than these odds suggest. That’s a check mark in Rocco’s favor.

2. Rocco’s experience - Mediate isn’t a PGA superstar, and he never has been in his career, but he has been around the block. And around it again. And around a few more times. He turned pro in 1986, and he has overcome serious injuries and setbacks to win five PGA events. That’s more than a lot of guys can claim, including several major winners. He’s seen and done enough that he probably isn’t going to melt down under pressure. He’s been around Woods for a long time, he knows all about how to perform and what it takes, and he shouldn’t be intimidated in the playoff. Don’t get me wrong - Tiger has a massive edge in experience. It’s just that I have a lot more faith in Mediate when it comes to withstanding the pressure than I would in most guys. On the plus side, Mediate has never played an 18 hole playoff for a Major, but then neither has Woods. On that count they are in the same boat.

3. Nothing to lose - Mediate isn’t an idiot, so he knows that this is quite likely his last shot to win a Major. He’s 45, his back is a wreck, and he has struggled to make a cut this year, so his PGA career is on borrowed time and he knows it. That could be depressing, but he sure isn’t playing like it this week. If he has the right mindset on Monday then he will be able to let it all hang out and aggressively go for it because there is truly no reason to do anything else. I can’t profess to know much about Mediate, so I can’t say how he will respond in the final. The chance that he will rise up and shine (like he already has) combined with everything else that is a factor here, makes him an entertaining and not at all disastrous bet. It’s not the way to get rich quick, but I don’t think it is throwing money away, either. I look at it this way - there is no way in the world I would bet on Tiger at his price, so Mediate can’t be that unattractive.

I love sports more than almost everything (I say almost because my wife occasionally reads this). That being said, a lot of what goes on in sports these days drives me insane. I can’t handle all of the peripheral scandals and issues that surround sports these days. I long for a time when we can just sit down and watch sports without having to worry about everything else surrounding the sports. Sports are supposed to be a way to escape obnoxious issues, but now obnoxious issues are overrunning sports. Changing that would be difficult (probably impossible) but here are 10 guys that could help my cause if they would just go away:

Tim Donaghy - You’re a scum referee who made all sorts of bad decisions. You’re not going to save yourself or earn respect by pointing fingers at other officials. Everyone who has watched more than one NBA game in their life knows that the refereeing stinks and favors better teams and players, and that it is kinder to the home game, and changes from the beginning of a game to the end. You have told us nothing we didn’t know, and all you have done is distracted the attention from an interesting and tradition-filled finals.

Plaxico Burress - You’re a decent receiver. You are getting old. You will make $3.5 million a year for the next three years. You are not hard done by or disrespected by that. Shut up and start practicing.

Chad Johnson - You are one of the best in the league when you want to be. Your celebrations are mostly hilarious. Your whining is ridiculous. You only get to whine when your team doesn’t suck, so quit sucking and then we’ll be happy to hear anything you have to say.

Milton Bradley - The guy can hit, but he’s a menace. In his latest outburst he heard something he didn’t like from a Royals TV color commentator, so he stormed out of the dressing room to try to find the guy and beat the hell out of him. I like the guy as a player, but no player is worth as much drama and ridiculousness as Bradley demands.

The Steinbrenner family - Your team sucks because you have managed it badly. Look at teams that win - they all have very good pitching. You used to have a great rotation. You won then. You don’t now. You lose. Shut up and figure it out.

Jim Tressel - This is just a personal thing. I hate Ohio State, I hate that stupid sweater vest, I hate that Michigan seems to have forgotten how to kick Buckeye butt, and I hate that his team keeps embarrassing the best conference in college football in bowl season.

Joe Dumars - Self-awareness is the key to success in life. You need to look in the mirror, Joe. You have had several of the best coaches in basketball at the helm of your team. None have been good enough for you. Maybe it’s you.

Curt Schilling - You’re an injured, washed up geezer who was once a decent pitcher. You do lots of good things for charity, but why in the world do you think that we should care what you think about everything? Just shut up and get healthy.

Cedric Benson - If you are dumb enough to screw up multiple times and throw away a golden opportunity which is handed to you on a silver platter then I don’t care about you. I picked on Benson here, but there are a disturbing number of guy, mostly but not exclusively in football, who could just as easily have been here in his place.

Danilo Gallinari - This is the Italian punk who has said he will only play in the NBA if he is drafted by a team in New York or New Jersey. I am sick to death of young kids who have proven nothing and may turn into nothing holding teams for ransom. Danilo, Eli, and the rest of you can all go away.

In the first shocking upset of Euro 2008, Croatia stunned Germany 2-1 on Friday. It was exciting and unpredictable, and it may lead to riots in both Germany and Croatia, but what does it really mean? In short, not much.

First things first - Germany is not going to miss the second round. They have already beaten Poland, and they are going to cruise by Austria. That will ensure that  they will finish second. They won’t finish first, but the top two teams from each group make it, so they will be just fine.

What it does mean is that the Germans will play Portugal in the first round. Again, it doesn’t really matter. the two teams were heavily favored to play on June 25 in the second round, so now they will just play six days sooner. It’s not ideal, but the teams were going to have to play at some point, so it doesn’t really matter when it is. It’s not like finishing second costs the Germans home field advantage or anything meaningful. Croatia benefits because they get an easier first opponent (likely the Czech Republic), but the winner of that game will be heavy underdogs against the winner of the other game. In other words, nothing has changed for the Germans - they still have to beat Portugal and another solid but beatable team to make the final.

Should we trust the Germans less now? Not really. The team was shocked, but they didn’t play horribly. More significantly, they are well coached and they are experienced in big tournaments, so they will learn from the mistakes they made, and they won’t make them again. Germany got caught once, but I don’t think they’ll get caught again.

My advice - take whatever opinion you had of the Germans before this disaster and don’t change it. ALl this loss will do is provide a little more value on their lines in the next game or two.

The Cards are solidly in charge of the NL wild card race right now, but their chances suffered a significant setback today. He is expected to miss at least three weeks after tests confirmed that he had strained his calf. He hurt it chasing down a ground ball last night in Cincinnati, and at first the team feared it was torn, so it could have been worse. Still, the team already has injury woes, and Pujols is obviously key to everything they do.

Plaxico Burress refuses to practice without a new contract, even though he has three years remaining on a deal that will pay him $3.5 million a year. The Super Bowl swollen head curse strikes again. It’s not a wonder that it is so hard for a team to stay at the top once they get there.

All eyes are on Rajon Rondo’s ankle after he twisted it last night in game three. The Boston point guard has a bone bruise, and he says that he is 50 percent. He missed practice today, but he says he will play on Thursday. On one hand, this isn’t a big problem either way because they have Eddie House and Sam Cassell as backups. On the other hand, game three showed that the Lakers are more than a handful if they playing well, and the Celtics really need to have all of their tools in place. He could be a major factor in the ultimate outcome of the series.

Portugal beat the Czech Republic 3-1 today at Euro 2008, and cemented their position among the elite of the tournament. Cristian Ronaldo was impressive, and the team played a flowing offensive style that was alternately aggressive and patient as the situation demanded. They have already clinched the top spot in group A, and their inevitable match against Germany in the semi-finals has the potential to be the best game in the tournament and quite possibly the one that will produce the ultimate winner.

I was interested to see that the powers that be with USA Basketball have decided not to have a tryout camp for the next version of the Dream Team. Instead, they will choose the 12 players themselves before the team gets together the first time. Interesting. It means that they can get right down to practicing, but it has the potential to backfire if the roster doesn’t perform as well as it should.