Top 15 WORST NFL Draft Picks of the Decade

How funny is this picture in hindsight?

With the recent announcement that Jamarcus Russell was cut by the Oakland Raiders, I started to think about who the worst NFL Draft picks were from the last decade (1998-2007 cause '08 and '09 can't be determined as of yet). In order to qualify as a Top 15 Worst NFL Draft pick, you had to have been picked in the top 5 of your draft class. Why, you ask? Well those guys were almost all drafted to horrible teams who were desperately in need of a young stud to build a team around. Those horrible teams gave a ton of guaranteed money to this top 5 pick thinking he was the man for the job. Clearly it didn't work out as planned. So who would be more qualified for the title of Worst Draft Pick? And really for the title of Most Likely To Be Killed By An Enraged Fan If Seen Alone On The Street.

When you take the time to do the research and really look into it, you realize that most of these GM's who are supposed to be these "Talent Guru's" don't really know dick. The failure rate on first round draft picks, especially top 5 picks, is flat out frightening. It's immensely frustrating because what other job in the world could you be one of only 32 people qualified, but in reality not be any better than you or I? Take your time. Think about it. Got it yet?..........NONE!! Exactly. It pisses me off daily that 20 of these 32 morons, I mean men, make like a million plus a year and suck big hairy elephant balls at doing their job. A job that mostly all of us would kill for. And be better at. Anyway, there's been so many horrible picks this past decade, but here are the 15 worst I came up with.

First off here's the number of 1st round Pro Bowlers from each draft over the last decade (plus 2 years):
1998 - 10 (definitely the worst draft despite having the best player come out of it - Peyton Manning
1999 - 14
2000 - 13
2001 - 16
2002 - 10 (out of the top 6 the only player who is any good at all is Julius Peppers)
2003 - 13
2004 - 14
2005 - 10
2006 - 11
2007 - 8
2008 - 5 **atleast 5 more to come in the next 2 years out of this group (Ryan, McFadden, Mayo, McKelvin, Stewart, Flacco, Otah, F. Jones, Mendenhall, Keller)
2009 - 4 **atleast 5 more to come in the next 3 years out of this group (Stafford, Sanchez, J. Smith, Curry, Crabtree, Moreno, Maclin, Pettigrew, Oher)

Now, on to the WORST. First off, the Honorable Mentions:

Honorable Mention BUSTS

*Yes, her bust is most definitely honorable. And also worth a mention


Dewayne Robertson (NYJ, 4th, 2003)
-16 total sacks in 6 NFL seasons. Bum. I may have been able to accidentally get 16 sacks over that many years.

Reggie Bush (NO, 2nd, 2006)
-Only because he was supposed to be the next Barry Sanders and he's now the #2 RB on his own team. He's decent but nowhere near his expectation level. He's not even good enough to keep a Kardashian happy.

Gaines Adams (TB, 4th, 2007)
-Not real fair because tragically he died at a very young age, but even when he played he had no production and was traded for a 4th rd pick only 2 years after being taken 4th overall. Was that too much? Too soon? Sorry to the Adams family and not the one that names their kids after days of the week.

Glenn Dorsey (KC, 5th, 2008)
-Wasn't he supposed to be the next coming of Warren Sapp? Dude has 2 sacks in 2 years. Awesome. I wonder who KC fans hate more, him or Brody Croyle.

Cedric Benson (Chi, 4th, 2005)
-Ironically he recently turned out to be a real good player, but in Chicago he was as worthless as the 5 you drunkenly brought home from the bar who wouldn't sleep with you. Or even blow you. And that was putting it gently.

Alex Smith (SF, 1st, 2005)
-I guess the jury is still out on him, but I don't see him ever being a productive NFL quarterback. And certainly never worthy of a number 1 draft pick. Or even oxygen at times.

The Biggest BUSTS


Beach balls


Basketballs


Soccer balls


Bowling balls



Volley balls


Blue balls.......if you stare too long








Ohhhhh, wait, I didn't mean those kind of busts. My bad. Ok here are the Top 15 NFL Draft Busts since 1998


15. Mike Williams (Buf, 4th, 2002)

This 6 foot 7 inch behemoth of a man was supposed to be the anchor of the Buffalo Bills line for a decade. Two years, and about 50 sacks allowed later, Williams was sent packing and was out of the league for 5 seasons. He was picked up by Washington last year due to a ton of injuries on their line. He still wasn't a starter. How does a team miss so badly on a pick? The 4th overall pick of the draft lasted about as long as an undrafted rookie free agent. Maybe the Bills should stop allowing 95 year old Marv Levy to make their decisions.

14. Quentin Jammer (SD, 5th, 2002)


The fifth and final pick of the worst top 5 of all time (4 of the top 5 of the 2002 draft were complete busts, and are on this list). Jammer has less career interceptions (14) than millions of dollars in signing bonus (14.5). Exactly what fans are looking for in their top 5 pick. At least Jammer led the league in one stat for two straight years.....most pass interference calls against. Way to go Quentin.

13. Robert Gallery (Oak, 2nd, 2004)


Not only has Gallery been a tremendous disappointment in Oakland, but what makes things worse is that the other 7 picks in the top 8 of the 2004 draft are all perennial probowlers. Gallery came in as the expected rock of the of the Oakland line. Within 1 season he lost his job as the starting left tackle and got shifted to guard so that he couldn't fuck up as much. Really the only reason he wasn't outright released was because he made too much guaranteed money and would have been too big of a salary cap hit if let go. At least he's not ugly. Hahahah.

12. Gerard Warren (Cle, 3rd, 2001)

This "Don't you ever fuck with me" looking, mammoth of a man was fairly decent, never good, and certainly never close to great. 32 sacks in 9 NFL seasons, and about 107,000 headaches to his teammates, coaches, GMs, and owners. Not the worst pick ever, but when you are drafted 3rd overall a little more is expected of you. Oh yea, and perennial probowl linemen Justin Smith and Richard Seymour were taken 4th and 6th respectively. Who was 5th you ask? Just some bum named Ladainian Tomlinson.

11. Peter Warrick (Cin, 4th, 2000)

First team All American 2 years in a row, set Florida State's receiving touchdowns record at 32, led his team to 2 National Championship games, and looked like a can't miss guaranteed stud playmaker at the next level. He may have ended up being a stud, I just can't tell because I can't find stats for the Las Vegas Gladiators, Montreal Alouettes, California Redwoods, and Bloomington Extreme. Those are the teams he's played for since being released from Cincy after 4 disappointing years that saw him find the endzone a total of 10 times. Another glorious Florida State Alum.

10. Andre Wadsworth (Ariz, 3rd, 1998)


I'm guessing he didn't think this was going to be his hardest hit in the NFL. Too bad for him, and his wallet, that it was. By far. He was regarded as the only "sure thing" in the 1998 Draft, the draft that featured Peyton Manning, and he finished his career with 8 total sacks. For those counting at home, that's roughly $4 million per sack. At least he looks menacing. And can crush a football.

9. Charles Rogers (Det, 2nd, 2003)


Ummmm, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's a bad thing when the first google image that pops up for you is a mugshot. Especially when you're a famous football player. Playin' at Michigan State, Rogers looked like the next Randy Moss. When he got to the league......not so much. His first 3 years resulted in 2 broken collarbones, 3 failed drug tests, and a 4 game suspension. He forfeited $8.5 million of his signing bonus, came back, and then rallied for an incredible 197 yards and 1 touchdown.

8. Curtis Enis (Chi, 5th, 1998)


Hahaha, he looks like a defensive tackle running with the ball after picking up a fumble. This dude was a top 5 draft pick from an incredibly talented school and somehow looks like he swallowed his younger brother. Or maybe older fatter brother. Enis played 36 games in 3 years, scored 4 touchdowns, and didn't even crack 1,500 total rushing yards for his career. Great success.

7. Joey Harrington (Det, 3rd, 2002)

Easily the douchiest looking, gayest named quarterback ever drafted in the top 3. How could the Lions have seen this kid at the combine next to real athletes and thought to themselves, "Oh my, we need to take Joey. He almost can do 2 pushups and constantly makes faces like he's complicated." Needless to say, it didn't work out. 3 years and less than 10 wins later, Harrington was benched for Jeff Garcia. Ladies and gentlemen, Detroit Lions Football. Someone explain to me how the fuck Matt Millen kept his job for as long as he did? I'll never understand professional sports owners.

6. Tim Couch (Clev, 1st, 1999)


Yea, sure, pick of the retarded litter. At least you can't say that they made the wrong choice. Either one would've been a complete fuckin' disaster. Couch's career lasted 4 and a half seasons, not one of which being a winning season, and his career numbers were about as good as mine would have been. Only 64 touchdowns with 67 interceptions, and a QB rating of 75. Good stuff Mr. Couch. You made Ashley Judd proud.

5. Courtney Brown (Clev, 1st, 2000)


Playing at Linebacker U, Brown took over the team and the spotlight as a defensive end. He was a first team All American and Defensive Lineman of the year his senior season. The Browns took him #1 overall in a fairly loaded draft based in large part because Brown set an NCAA record of 33 sacks and 70 tackles for loss. Of course that led to a whopping 19 sacks in 8 seasons in the NFL. You disappoint me Courtney. You disappoint all of Nittany Lion country.

4. David Carr (Car, 1st, 2002)

Being drafted 1st overall to an expansion team and being given the reins to that team immediately certainly has its perks. Like getting $10 million per season and roughly that many girls as well. It also comes with expectations. And those expectations were definitely not going 4-12, 2-14, 6-10, and 6-10 before being benched so the team can sign a free agent QB, Matt Schaub, for over $100 million. If his goal coming into the league was to ruin the first decade of Texans football, the kid was super successful. Way to go David.

3. Akili Smith (Cin, 3rd, 1999)


Whenever you play more seasons for the Calgary Stampeders than the NFL team that drafted you 3rd overall, you are a safe bet to be one of the worst draft picks of all time. In 4 seasons Smith started 17 games and threw for 5 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Look at the picture, even Jon Kitna and David Klinger were embarrassed to be associated with him. Maybe he taught some NFL teams a lesson - it's probably not a good idea to draft someone 3rd overall when they've only had 11 collegiate starts. Gotta love that NFL intelligence.

2. Ryan Leaf (SD, 2nd, 1998)


The poster child for how to completely fuck up your franchise for about 5 years. In the "What if" game in the NFL draft, the question of, "what if the Colts took Leaf over Manning in 1998" has to take the cake. Leaf has the pleasure of owning the title of the only quarterback ever who's career QB rating was almost less than his first contract (50.0 rating and $32 million contract). Oh yea, not to mention he was the craziest quarterback ever drafted into the league. Fun times all around.

1. Jamarcus Russell (Oak, 1st, 2007)

The kid was drafted out of LSU in 2007 where he led his college team to a National Championship. When he signed for $41 million guaranteed he looked like the savior of the Raiders (the pic on the left) but he ended up turning out to be a fat, overpaid, garbage quarterback (the pic on the right) who couldn't even beat out Bruce Gradkowski for the starting job in Oakland. If I was an Oakland fan I would file a private criminal complaint against Russell for stealing that $41 million. I'm not sure he will ever get another contract offer let alone make it in the league for more than a few more seasons. I would say that he'll be fine cause he already got that $41 million but with an appetite like that, who knows? Readers of Sports and Shit, let's clap it up for the Worst NFL Draft Pick of The Decade. And probably of all time. 

This Week In Sports 5 (ramblings of the esquire)

HITTER OF THE WEEK - Jayson Werth
.360 avg, 1.407 ops, 6 Rs, 4 HRs, 9 RBI, 1 SB

PITCHER OF THE WEEK - Jake Peavy
15 IP, 17 Ks, 2 Ws, 1.20 era, 0.53 whip, 17.00 k/bb

Week 5 Top Players

C - John Buck

1B - Joey Votto

2B - Rickie Weeks

3B - Kevin Youkilis

SS - Hanley Ramirez

MI - Jose Reyes

CI - Nick Swisher

OF - Aaron Rowand, Jayson Werth, Ryan Braun, Alex Rios

SP - Jake Peavy, Dallas Braden, Scott Baker, John Lester, Ubaldo Jimenez

RP - Tyler Clippard, Brian Wilson,  Neftali Feliz

Week 5 Statistical Leaders

Runs - Ryan Braun (12)

HR - Jayson Werth & John Buck (4)

RBI - Aaron Rowand (11)

SB - Juan Pierre & Elvis Andrus (5)

AVG - Andrew McCutchen (.625)

OPS - Andrew McCutchen (1.604)

Wins - Tyler Clippard (3)

Ks - Tim Lincecum (21)

Saves - Neftali Feliz (4)

ERA - Jamie Moyer (0.00, 9ip)

WHIP - Jamie Moyer (0.22)

K/BB - Jake Peavy (17.00) 

Esquire's Week 5 MLB Power Rankings

1. New York Yankees

2. Tampa Bay Rays 

3. Philadelphia Phillies

4. St. Louis Cardinals 

5. Minnesota Twins

6. San Diego Padres  

7. San Francisco Giants

8. Texas Rangers

9. Toronto Blue Jays

10. Colorado Rockies

I apologize for only getting up 2 columns this week. It is always my goal to get up 4 on a weekly basis but this week I moved in to my new apartment in Center City in Phila. It's awesome, come visit me. As always, thanks for taking the time to read, and now, on to the week in sports followed by my favorite pictures and favorite videos of the week.

This week in sports we learned that even Dallas Braden can be perfect one day in his life.....oh, and I'm guessing A-Rod knows who he is now if he didn't before, the Phoenix Suns are a legitimate title contender, Rajon Rondo has the talent level to be the league's best point guard, Brian Cushing like everyone else from USC is a BIG cheater and will be losing his Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Lebron's elbow is probably better than everyone made it out to be while his teammates are probably worse than they were made out to be, Albert Haynesworth is hated not only by every offensive lineman in the league but also every one of his teammates, Tiger isn't anywhere near 100% yet, Dwight and the Orlando Magic may actually be the team to beat this June, the Hawks are pretty pathetic, the Celtics have some fight left in 'em, D-Wade's wife is gettin' arrested for not showing up to the divorce proceedings, Ken Griffey Jr. sleeps through games....his own team's games, Starlin Castro is the coolest name in sports, and the Mayweather - Pacquiao fight is happening but for $50 million plus each - who the fuck didn't know that?

Pictures Of The Week

Ironman 2 was just average at best, but she is certainly not!!

Why fuck up an amazingly hot body with all these ridiculous tattoos? Ehh, what am I saying, any guy would gladly do her anyway 

 Even if it's not July 4th, it's always nice to be patriotic

Every college guy's favorite poster to hang in his dormroom

Now this restaurant has the right idea of good service!

Cum guzzling urinals, gotta love it

My new cleaning staff hard at work

Spring breakers are the best people on earth, you can't tell me otherwise

Haha, bet ya wish you stopped lookin' after the last one

Videos Of The Week

Lebron can't block every single shot. He does try though

White people absolutely should not dance, especially when surrounded by mostly all blacks who actually have rhythm. Oh, not a bad dunk either. 

First rule of fighting - don't try to jump kick people in the head if you do not know how to jump kick

Thanks to Andy Shore for this one, hilarious!

I really don't know what's funnier, the wobbling model or the newscasters who can't stop laughing at her

Awesome new song by B.O.B. and Hayley Williams

A Woman Scorned

So for the first time here at Sports and Shit, The Esquire is gonna drop a little law knowledge on you. For those who haven't heard yet, Dwayne Wade's ex-wife, Siohvaughn Wade, has filed suit against Gabrielle Union on behalf of the Siohvaughn and Dwayne's two children. If you don't already know this, Union is a ridiculously hot actress as well as Wade's girlfriend of about a year and a half.


The suit filed in Cook County, Illinois (where Wade has a home) is frivolous to say the least. Or in non-legal terms, absolute fuckin' bullshit. I'm sure Wade's wife is a nice woman or whatever, but this bitch is nuts if she thinks that this case is ever gonna fly in court. Here is the story from ESPN:


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5165029


As you can see from the story by the Associated Press, Wade's Ex is claiming that Union scarred the children by, pardon my french, blowing him in front of the kids. No way that happened. Dwayne wouldn't have done that.


Although it was funny to read. Not as funny as this excerpt though:

It also claims that the boys received "medium size gifts" from Dwyane Wade for Christmas last year, while Union got "the biggest gift of all."


Haha, I loved that part. As if it's a punishable crime to buy your girlfriend a bigger gift than you buy your children. You can't say Siohvaughn Wade isn't creative. 



Nonetheless, in order to win a civil law suit, which this is, you have to show real damages. Not to mention the fact that there has to be a tortuous act involved. Breaking up a couple is obviously whorish, but not a tortuous act that one can be sued for. The only possible claim I can even dream up is intentional infliction of emotional distress. If that is the claim the Ex-Mrs. Wade is bringing on behalf of her children, she would have to prove that Union intentionally broke up the Wades' marriage in order to cause emotional damage to the children, that it was foreseeable that the kids would in fact become emotionally damaged, and that they did actually experience severe emotional damages. And even then it wouldn't be an easy case to win, and certainly not one I've ever heard of in court before. What this comes down to is that Siohvaughn Wade is probably furious that Gabrielle Union stole D-Wade from her and this was the way she thought she could get back at the two of them. I'm sure the kids are upset that their parents broke up, but I can't imagine that they are experiencing severe emotional damages because Union is now banging their father. It would be even harder to show that Union actually intended to cause them emotional damages even if they were experiencing any. And the intent is the biggest factor here. I would bet with absolute certainty that this case gets dismissed for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted. Or again in English the judge would be saying, "There's no viable lawsuit here so get out of my courtroom and stop wasting my time."



But really, without sounding like a complete asshole, come on - who would you rather??



Yea, exactly what I thought. And so D-Wade lived happily ever after. At least sexually.

This Week In Sports 4 (ramblings of the esquire)

HITTER OF THE WEEK - Andre Ethier

.385 avg, 1.410 ops, 7 Rs, 4 HRs, 10 RBI, 0 SB

PITCHER OF THE WEEK - Josh Johnson

15 IP, 20 Ks, 2 Ws, 1.80 era, 0.73 whip, 4.00 k/bb

Week 4 Top Players

C - John Buck

1B - Paul Konerko

2B - Robinson Cano

3B - Evan Longoria

SS - Hanley Ramirez

MI - Cliff Pennington

CI - David Freese

OF - Andre Ethier, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Gonzalez, Austin Kearns

SP - Josh Johnson, Francisco Liriano, Yovani Gallardo, Chris Carpenter, Jon Garland

RP - Heath Bell, Frank Francisco, Jose Valverde

Week 4 Statistical Leaders

Runs - Austin Jackson (8) 

HR - Paul Konerko, etc. (4)

RBI - David Freese (11)

SB - Alex Rios (4) 

AVG - Austin Jackson (.500) 

OPS - Alfonso Soriano (1.600)

Wins - Yovani Gallardo, etc. (2)

Ks - Josh Johnson (20)

Saves - tie, Heath Bell & Neftali Feliz (3)

ERA - Colby Lewis (0.00, 9ip)

WHIP - Doug Fister (0.38)

K/BB - Clay Hensley (INF, 13ks)

Esquire's Week 4 MLB Power Rankings

1. Tampa Bay Rays 

2. New York Yankees

3. Philadelphia Phillies

4. St. Louis Cardinals 

5. Minnesota Twins

6. San Diego Padres  

7. San Francisco Giants

8. Detroit Tigers

9. New York Mets

10. Colorado Rockies
.........
30. Boston Red Sox

Thanks for taking the time to read, and now, on to the week in sports followed by my favorite pictures and favorite videos of the week.

This week in sports we learned that the Tourney is expanding to 68 teams rather than 96 as we all rejoice in the fact that the NCAA actually has a brain, the Spurs are still the team to beat in Texas, the Indians are the most hated team in baseball by its own fan base, I was right when I predicted Tyreke Evans would win rookie of the year, Ovechkin is overrated or else he wouldn't have blown a 3-1 lead to an 8 seed, Durant and the Thunder are a year away from taking over the world, Paul Konerko is a fuckin' home run machine, you must NOT fear the deer....'til next year at least, the Mets are a mirage and certainly can't hang with the Phils for the whole season, the Nuggets are a shell of themselves without George Karl leading the way, the Red Sox are about as good as Jimmy Fallon's performance in Fever Pitch, it's not worth buying any pay-per-view boxing matches unless Mayweather fights Pacquiao, Deron Williams has claimed the title of NBA's Best Point Guard, Tiger is actually human, and as good as Messi is he's not good enough to carry Barcelona to the UEFA Final. 


**Side note on the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao comment**
Manny Pacquiao, just 48 hours after the Floyd Mayweather victory over Shane Mosley, made this statement when asked if the bout against Mayweather would happen. 


"I am willing to help the sport for the future of the sport. I do not want to see anyone cheat or cheat this sport. For that reason I am willing to consider taking blood [tests] as close as 14 days prior to the fight, as long as my opponent does the same, and it is not a lot of blood, just enough to test," Pacquiao is quoted as saying on his official website."


-So it sounds like this fight is actually gonna happen. THANK GOD!! I can not wait!




Pictures Of The Week


I was definitely playing football for the wrong team in high school, I shoulda been taking snaps with these 2



Ladies and gentlemen, your 2010 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship......




Gotta love stupid drunk sorority girls, although in the case of these 3 I would have had to have been very drunk as well



Not the case for her. At all!






Every 12-22 year old male's dream of a teacher getting ready for school 



What's better underboob or sideboob? Or just her in general?



Haha, i bet you wished you stopped reading after the last girl



Preparing for a serious home invasion. Or possibly gettin ready for a career as a white terrorist. Do those exist?





Videos Of The Week































Perfect Rope Swing Execution - Watch more Funny Videos

NBA Playoffs Round 2 Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers  vs.  (4) Boston Celtics
Prediction – Cavs in 5

**Rd 1 Predictions**
Cavs in 4 (won in 5)
Heat in 7 (not even close)

--Lebron James is on a mission. The King has won 2 straight MVP’s but now he needs to win an NBA Championship. He knows that he can’t truly be called the absolute best player in the game when Kobe’s been to the mountaintop and he hasn’t. You saw it in his eyes in the Bulls series. The Akron Hammer basically averaged a triple double and dominated every aspect of every game. It would’ve been a sweep if Derrick Rose wasn’t as incredible as he is. Quick tangent. I was talking to Rob Kurz last night (played for Golden State and Cleveland and just signed with the Bulls) and he told me that Derrick Rose is the most athletic person not named Lebron he’s ever seen on a basketball court. He guaranteed me that Rose will be the best PG in the NBA within 2 years. Back to my point – the Celtics are a very good team and seem to be clicking at the exact right time. They rolled Wade’s Heat without a problem. I really didn’t think they had it in ‘em, as I predicted they’d lose. They’ll bring everything they have in an attempt to knock off the King, but it just doesn’t matter. Lebron is too good and he has the teammates this year to help him. Not even Rondo, Pierce, Allen and KG at their very best can do anything about it. Sorry Simmons and the rest of you spoiled Boston fans.

(2) Orlando Magic  vs.  (3) Atlanta Hawks
Prediction – Magic in 7

**Rd 1 Predictions**
Magic in 5 (won in 4)
Hawks in 5 (won in 7)

--Figured both teams would win pretty handily in Round 1. I was right on with the Magic, but the Hawks struggled their way through a 7 game series with Milwaukee. I think that’ll come back to haunt them in this one. They showed how talented they are in games 6 and 7 of the Bucks series, but they never shoulda let Milwaukee take a 3-2 lead playing without their best player, Andrew Bogut. Now they have to deal with Dwight Howard and his band of 3-point shooters. If Horford and Josh Smith can get Dwight into foul trouble like the Bobcats bigs did in the first round, Atlanta will win this one. I don’t see Dwight letting that happen. He will pick his spots, play smarter, and not take dumb fouls like he did against the Bobcats. Jameer Nelson is on fire, Rashard Lewis is doin’ his thing, and at any moment Vince Carter could catch fire although he’s a big pussy and probably won’t. Definitely an entertaining, exciting series that I’m looking forward to. As good as Atlanta can be on some nights, I’ll play it safe and go with the Magic. When it comes down to it, they’re the better team and they have the best player on the court. Playoffs usually come down to that.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles Lakers  vs.  (5) Utah Jazz
Prediction – Lakers in 6

**Rd 1 Predictions**
Lakers in 5 (won in 6)
Jazz in 7 (won in 6)

--For the third straight year the Lakers meet the Jazz in the Western Conference Playoffs. Two years ago they lost in 6 and last year they only made it to 5. How unlucky could a team and coach be? Jerry Sloan is one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA, but he was unlucky enough to run into Jordan’s Bulls in 2 finals and now Kobe’s Lakers 3 straight years in the playoffs. The Jazz look great right now. Their leader Deron Williams has claimed the title of Best Point Guard Alive. Rose, Rondo, and Westbrook are great up-and-coming guys. Steve Nash is still unbelievable. And Chris Paul is obviously right there. But Deron is currently playing at another level. It’s rare to even see him hit the rim anymore. He’s too smooth. Kobe, Pau, and the Lakers, however, are too deep and too talented. They had a little trouble with the Thunder who came within half a second of pushing LA to a game 7, but I actually think that woke the Lakers up. They’re pissed now (By the way, the Thunder are soooo good and sooo cool, I almost wish I was from Oklahoma City. Almost). Anyway, Deron will have a great series and may push the Lakers to 7, although I think 6. I just can’t see him being able to carry this team past the most talented team in the NBA. What Deron should really be worried about is his sidekick Carlos Boozer leaving this summer.

(3) Phoenix Suns  vs.  (7) San Antonio Spurs
Prediction – Spurs in 7

**Rd 1 Predictions**

Suns in 5 (won in 6)

Mavs in 7 (wrong)

--These long time foes meet yet again in a huge series. Seems like not too long ago that the Suns were on their way to winning an NBA Championship when Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry stepped in their way. And by stepped in their way I mean provoked Amare Stoudamire to leap from the bench and get suspended for the deciding game. That was bullshit by the NBA. David Stern should still be ashamed of himself for that decision. As for this year’s meeting, it has the potential to be another great one. Nash and Amare have this Suns team firing on all cylinders. They really look as good as ever. Kerr’s probably kinda happy he didn’t move Amare. Jared Dudley and Channing Frye have elevated their games this year and Robin Lopez surprisingly turned into a nice little role player for them. However, like the Mavericks just found out, you can NOT ever count out the San Antonio Spurs. Pop, Duncan, Manu, Manu’s giant nose-bandage, and Tony are too good and too experienced. There’s a reason they wear 4 championship rings (3 for the younger guys). The Mavs kinda shit the bed, which is always nice to see out of a Dallas team, but these guys definitely won that series more than the Mavs lost it. George Hill looks like an all-star PG and Duncan is always ready to put up a 20-20 when called upon. The difference maker though – Manu. The Suns won’t have an answer for him.

Thank You Phillies for Keeping Ryan Howard

.......and Fuck Bill James




**This is a Guest Blog written by my boy Jeff Katz who will become a weekly contributor mainly dedicated to Baseball and Fantasy Baseball**

I Don’t have to rack my brain to remember when the Philadelphia Phillies organization represented all I hated in sports. Not only was their product a disgrace, but they did nothing to improve and sat on their hands, year after year, while we the fans spent 11 seasons ('94-'04) focusing on anything but baseball. It was just too painful to watch. The only thing that would've made us fans happy was to see Bill Giles and David Montgomery strung up from the gallows outside City Hall.


But then came 2005 and Ryan Howard arrived for good in the Seventy-Fifth game of that season, taking his place alongside Chase Utley for the next decade (now we are sure of this). We all hoped that we were seeing something special, something different, something other than another overweight, heavy-footed, home run specialist who would be 50 pounds too heavy to play the field by his 30th birthday. Young Ryan snuck into the 2005 Rookie of the Year race despite not playing until almost half way into the season, and never looked back. 22 home runs, 63 RBI, .288 avg. And all that in his first 312 major league at-bats (excluding his 39 from '04 during his late September call up). We watched in 2006 as our rising young star, just 26 years old, followed up his ROY campaign with 58 home runs, 149 RBI and a .313 avg. Oh yea, and his first MVP award.


In the 3 years since that MVP season, all Ryan has done is average 47 home runs, 141 RBI, 102 runs, and a .928 OPS. (OPS = on base % plus slugging %). His power numbers dwarf those of any other power hitter in baseball over that span. Just as a basis for comparison, Matt Holliday has a total of 152 home runs in his first 6 seasons, this being his seventh. Ryan Braun, in his 5th season, has a total of 108 home runs and 337 RBI. Below are stats from the only players in baseball that even come remotely close to Howard's production in those 3 years ('07-'09).

Howard - 140 HR, 423 RBI

Prince Fielder - 130 HR, 362 RBI

Alex Rodriguez - 119 HR, 359 RBI

Albert Pujols - 116 HR, 354 RBI

Adrian Gonzalez - 106 HR, 318 RBI

Now go back and re-read those numbers. Seriously! Fielder is the only player within 10 home runs of Howard in that span. And he drove in 61 less runs. The great Albert Pujols trails Howard by 24 home runs and 69 RBI. Alex Rodriguez is a cheater so while I did put his numbers up there, I am not bothering to address the cheater more than I already have.


So the Philadelphia Phillies, in a move that was possibly more out-of-character than the Eagles signing of Mike Vick, went and signed Ryan Howard to a 5-year extension while Howard still had almost 2 full years remaining on his current deal. This means that the Phillies are locked in to paying Ryan Howard until just weeks before his 37th birthday.


Needless to say, the move sparked nationwide reaction from sportswriters and talking heads everywhere. (See links for enlightening thoughts about Howard’s new mega-deal).
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/3345/phillies-pay-top-dollar-for-rbis

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/features/rumors?date=20100426#5526

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/what-are-the-phillies-thinking/

Any response other than congratulations to the Phillies is ludacris. This move is by far the best decision the Phillies have made since singing Jayson Werth to a long term deal after the Dodgers non-tendered him following the 2006 season (now we just better sign him this summer).


Ryan Howard has not only been the game's greatest power hitter since he reached the Bigs, but he has improved every other facet of his game in each sequential year. Howard signed a 3-year, 54 million dollar contract after their World Series victory and then showed up to camp 2 weeks early and 20 pounds lighther. He has improved his defense year after year, and might be the best baserunner of any big man in the game. For those of us who are lucky enough to get to watch Howard night in and night out, we can all attest to the fact that he never gets caught doing something dumb on the bases, and almost always finds a way to score once he’s on. And none of that even matters in the scope of this new $125 million dollar deal. What is most important is that a professional sports team actually did the right thing. Other than the Twins re-signing Joe Mauer, the Phillies have put themselves in an elite class of Organizations. This decision may have the fans and writers debating whether the Phillies overpaid at a stacked position. Or if it was smart to guarantee a ton of money to a position that history has shown to be filled with players who quickly deteriorate physically after 30 years old. But the fact remains that, to other players in baseball, the most important group watching a team’s decision making, this decision was outstanding. The Phillies showed all their current players, and any potential free agents, that they WILL do the right thing when a player is worth it.
(definitely worth it)

So Fuck Bill James and his Sabermetrics. Fuck his WAR (wins above replacement player). And fuck his other bullshit stats. They don’t matter here and we don’t care if Baseball Prospectus, or the Billy Beane disciples that value OPS as a direct line to heaven, think otherwise. Ryan Howard is an All-Timer. A King of Kings both on and off the field, and the Phillies recognize that. They watched his dedication and his ability to always come through in the clutch. And they decided he was worth it. The Phillies used Howard as a precedent so that all are on notice - the Phillies are not fucking around, and we are here to stay. Thank you David Montgomery. Thank you all you other un-named rich folks. Thank you Ruben Amaro. Thank you Casey Close. Thanks for insuring that all of us will get to enjoy watching Ryan Howard hit his 300th, 400th, and 500th home runs while wearing “Our” uniform. (maybe even 600th and 700th). And one last thing; If anyone is unsure of Howard’s value, do me a favor and poll all the pitchers in the National League about how excited they are that he won’t be swinging for the Yankees or Sox anytime soon. Exactly.

Well done. Thanks Jeff,
-The Esquire