Yo Adrian

Finally some hockey news comes to the Sports Toilet. Well...sort of. I came across this story about some Pittsburgh Penguin fans who are rumored to be playing a prank on Flyers fans--and the city of Brotherly love as whole--by putting a Sid the Kid jersey on the Rocky statue. No revealing pictures have surfaced yet, but I sure hope they do. That would certainly add some fuel to this in-state rivalry. Especially if someone responds to the craigslist posting asking for a Flyers fan to step up and perform a similar act of immaturity on a landmark in Pitts. I am a big fan of rivalries and pranks like this. Its always fun when sports fans logic goes down the sports toilet, and they revert back to their behavior from college. On second thought, the pranksters are probably in college right now. Still it is great to see two fan bases unite to support their team (and embarrass the opponent). Oh, and for those of you who don't follow hockey, this would probably be a good time to mention that the Pens and Flyers are currently playing each other in the Eastern Conference Finals. One other thing, look at that statue of Rocky. It is glorious. Best statue ever created of a fictitious character. Seriously, I dare you to find one better. Send me a picture if you can. But you can't. Only one slight problem: now when I look at it, I keep thinking of this Dwayne Wade-Chuck Barkley commercial. It got me thinking...would anyone go out of their way to deface a statue of Sir Charles?

AFC Prediction

After a season dominated by Brady's Bunch and a crushing Super Bowl loss, it's safe to say anything can happen in this division. The Pats are still the obvious favorite to win it all but I think a Super Bowl Champ from only a couple years previous has a great shot to take it again this season. After a solid draft and a pretty good season last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers look like a serious contender in a very deep AFC.

They somehow managed to have a respectable 10-6 record without, "Fast" Willie Parker, for a lot of the season and one of the top defensive players in the league, Troy Polamalu. With everyone healthy, Ben Roethlisberger coming off a strong season and a strong draft, they look tough going into the 08-09 season. Rookie editions Rashard Mendenhall (RB), Limas Sweed (WR) and the new "Slash" Dennis Dixon give Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker the help they needed last year. The Parker/ Mendenhall combo is as strong as any one-two in the league. The defense also added UCLA's Bruce Davis (DE), which will add even more pressure on opposing QB's and will allow Polamalu to control the secondary. The Colts have not done enough to match the likes of Pittsburgh or New England and another AFC contender, the San Diego charges didn't quite right the ship this off-season. Taking Anton Cason, although he was a late round steal, the U of A corner when cornerback was not a necessity this draft. Therefore, the Steelers and coach, Mike Tomlin, are in great position to battle the Patriots for AFC supremacy, and go on to win this year's Superbowl.

The Knicks may be on to something...

As bad as they have been in the Isaiah Thomas era, things may be on the up and up for the Knicks. I'm not saying it's a guarantee that they are a team to be reckoned with for years to come, but they have a chance. Getting Mike D'Antoni, an Italian, and a decent coach will please the people of New York, for now. Isaiah is out and that's even better. A few things have to happen for this mess to be cleared up in New York. The new GM, Donnie Walsh, has to look at this roster and set aside all the guys with baggage and trade them to teams who don't mind sitting on contracts, much like Portland's Kevin Prichard has been doing over the last three seasons in Portland. Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Jared Jeffries, Stephon Marbury, Zack Randolph, Quentin Richardson and Malik Rose all have to go. They must be traded for anything. 2nd round picks, D-Leaguers, foreign players still in the development process, pretty much anything but Kwame Brown. Let the young talent like, Nate Robinson, David Lee and Wilson Chandler develop. As good as Jamal Crawford has been, he is the key because his value can draw a more D'Antoni friendly player into NY via trade. Jamal Crawford for Richard Jefferson(Nets), would be a near perfect solution. A guy with little to no baggage and enough entertainment and scoring value to please the fans. Another huge factor is the draft pick they get. If they get number 1 they are all set, you get Derrick Rose, but if they get a 5-10 pick, look for them to get former Indiana Hoosier, Eric Gordon. This is a run and gun, D'Antoni friendly player that would work very well in his system. If the Knicks could have a starting lineup of Nate Robinson, Derrick Rose/ Eric Gordon, Richard Jefferson, David Lee and Wilson Chandler, while not a sexy lineup, it could be strong enough to earn a playoff spot in the very thin east. By the end of next season after cap space is freed and new players develop, they could be in good position to sign a 2009 free agent big man and make a run in the very soft east with D'Antoni at the helm.

If You're Not Cheating You're Not Tryin

Whether you are talking about Pete Rose or Bill Clinton, the people who are the best in their respective fields have often been those most prone to various forms of cheating. Hell, George W. wouldn’t have won the presidency in 2000 if it wasn’t for working a little outside of the rule books. Sowho is the culprit this time???…You guessed it. Bill Belichick. But I want to be honest with you. For me, it’s hard to find fault with this man. He has won 3 super bowls and last year he had only the second perfect regular season of all time. So what if he cheated? Is it cheating if your lineman holds and don’t get called for it? What about if your linebacker reads the quarterbacks signals before the play and calls a defensive play to stop it? Cmon. Only sore losers have a problem with this. People have been trying to steal signs in baseball for 100 years, this is nothing new.

And Roger Goodell clearly agrees with me. What was the penalty for getting caught cheating. you ask? The Patriots lost a 2008 first-round draft choice and $250,000 and Belichick was fined $500,000. That sounds like well worth the 3 rings, the millions of dollars in revenue and the notoriety of being one of the great football dynasties in the history of the game. Why don’t we all stop complaining and start hoping that our teams figure out how to tape signals too. I personally raise a glass to a man who has found a way to win and would not let anything, especially morality, stop him from accomplishing his goals.

Rookie of the Year 2009-Preview

Baseball anyone? As we are all enthralled in watching Lebron miss shots and Kobe win MVP's we must not forget that this is time that rookies begin to shine in the MLB. And by rookies I am not talking about Henry Rowengartner throwing fastballs by John Kruck.Lets break this down to 4 players that have caught my attention in descending order.

4) Joba Chamberlain-Steinbrenner
Did this farm bred youngster who grew up in Nebraska ever think he would wear the pinstripes of the evil empire? When Hank Steinbrenner put this kid in the New York bright lights this year he shyed away. Even though his 6'2" 230lb frame scared batters, it was only a matter of time before Manny and Big Papi figured him out. His 3.14 ERA is definately respectable in the AL but you are in the city that never sleeps and you have to be ready for October. You have some good stuff Joba and keep working at making step dad Hank proud, because we all know he's got some cash.

3) Evan Longoria-Parker
First off lets clear this up, Is Eva Longoria your sister? Its gonna take a few years for you to shed her name and break into the bigs and let people know you have an N at the end of your first name. But there are some positives Evan. 1)Your agent is a great man who negotiated a fantastic contract for you. 2) You play on the Rays and 3) You play on the Rays. Your way too close to the Mendoza line but I like your game for some reason. Everything is always sunny in Florida.

2) Kosuke Fukudome
I would add a hyphen to the name but its enough already. The question is are you really a rookie? Its like the 8th grader in a 5th grade class. Don't you already know all the answers. These Japanese leagues have been infesting the MLB with 30 years old rookies over the past few years. Its getting old, literally. More importantly you play in the curse layden Wrigley Field. Steve Bartman is gonna steal the award from you when September rolls around. Making jokes of the Cubs can go on for at least 100 years, like the last time you won the world series.

1) Blake DeWitt
Folks you heard it hear first. If this guy gets the At bats this year he will be the next great third baseman to wear Dodger blue and eat Farmer John hot dogs. During spring training this kid was cleaning Joe Torre's shoes. Now he is outrunning Mets for inside the park home runs..Check it out-

Now Andy LaRoche is stuck in Vegas with the Las Vegas 51's rolling dice and waiting his turn to come up. Nomar Garciappara is chilling in Downey with Mia Hamm making a perfect athlete. If Blake DeWitts get the at bats he will be there in September batting the .300 he is doing today to win the award.BLAKE DeWITT for ROY 2008! Feel free to throw out some names that have caught your eye..Updates to come

Classic Clip Lakers V.S. Celtics 1985 World Championship

"As one Philly falls, another Colt rises"

As many of you were the witness to the two greatest minutes in sports or the running of the roses we can never forget what occured at the 134th Kentucky Derby.

We saw a record field of 20 horses put their heads down and drive to the finish. We saw a philly in Eight Belles run the best race a philly has run to finish second. Recent allegations have been brought up that this horse was excessively whipped towards the end of the race causing the tragedy. These jockeys are professionals and the fact that their credibilty is questioned is absurd.

But ladies and gentlemen get to the books now and mark it down, Big Brown is the real deal. This colt is prime and ready for a much needed triple crown winner. The past few years have been full of heartbreak but Big Brown will deliver. Check Bodog for recent odds.

In previous post race weeks after the running for the roses, what ends up happening is that the colt is hyped so much by the 4 letter network and all those mush bettors out there that he caves in and loses. But all the talk is about our beloved Eight Belles(pour some out for this philly) and no Im not talking about a Colt having a gunfight in Philly. This overshadows Big Brown. He was the only only colt since 1915 to ever win the Kentucky Derby in his first big race. Mark it down he wins the Preakness in two weeks as long as he has a clear path. This colt is hot..Jump on him now before he races by...

King Lame

To start, off I just want to say: this is all the media's fault. Had they treated Lebron like a normal incoming player out of high school, like a Josh Smith, and not like the second coming, I would go easier on the guy. Why do so many people speak so highly of this boy? Laybrin is Shawn Kemp 2.0. He is Kemp with a little better court vision. Kemp got to the finals too. He just never won. Kemp at least showed the world his skills in a dunk contest, Lebron, N/A. ESPN has been stroking this guy for way too long. If you get told something long enough of course you start to believe. Ever read Orwell, 2+2=5? Come on, end it, there are some of us out here who can look past the hype. Lebron has like 10 game winners in his life, right? Less? I dunno. He's not clutch, he turns the ball over more than any star that I can remember and doubles that nightly with missed shots. You always see the craziest play he does all night in the highlights and then we are supposed to look at this guy like he's basketball Jesus. Fuck that! It's got to end. Homeboy shot 19% over the last two games against the C's. Come on! I've just had enough. Nike is to blame too. Witness? Witness what? A lot of missed shots? A lot of blah blah blah by sports anchors defending his poor performances. Trust me if I started a franchise right now, keeping age in mind, I'd still take Kobe over him at 30. I'd take CP3 over him and Dwight Howard. I'd even consider Chris Bosh, Josh Smith or Deron Williams. I'm not trying to sell jerseys on my team, I just want W's, that's why I'd take those guys. Lebron I'll admit this, you are a great host for TV. SNL, great, so was the ESPYs. Maybe you should join the view, or the male view with Mario Lopez, whatever that show is called. Enjoy the sweep, I hate the Celtics but at least by them winning it's one step closer to Lakers v. Celtics. That's good for me, that's good for David stern, that's good for ratings and that's good for the public. We can finally watch two perfectly assembled, storied franchises battle it out for basketball supremacy. No Lebron in the finals, he does not equal rating, because he does not equal talent.

What about Bob?

Current West Virginia coach Bob Huggins that is. I say current because it looks like ol' Huggy Bear may be violating the terms of his agreement. Just a few days ago, a certain 4 letter network announced the terms of Huggies deal which states that he can get fired for substance abuse. Then look what he goes and does today. The guy gets sloppy on his way to an event to meet with boosters --drinking free Jack and Cokes on a flight paid for by those very same boosters I'm sure--and then falls so hard that he has to be hospitalized. The Boosters were disappointed that the fall caused Huggy to miss the event, but hey, at least the assistant coach made a cameo. Classy move Bob. This goes a long way in confirming to the administration at West Virginia that they made the right decision in signing you to a 10 year deal.

Of course, this isn't the first time Huggy Bear has experienced off the court issues. You may remember Huggy from his days coaching the Cincinnati Bearcats where the university cut his tenure short, buying him out of his contract in 2004....right after he received a DUI. And wouldn't you know it, he had a bunch of degenerates on his squads back then like Kenyon Martin and Ruben "I am a registered sex offender" Patterson. Although Nick Van Exel is a straight up g so I give a little credit to Huggy for that one.

Still, Huggy can't sober up long enough to realize that his drinking problem cost him his job at Cincy (and might also be his kiss of death at his alma mater). Then again, this is the man that passed up the chance to coach future #1 pick in the draft Micheal Beasley. And just look at the guy...he reminds me of your drunk uncle yelling at the wall during family functions. Hey Bob, just a thought, but maybe you should lay off of grand dad's ol cough syrup for a while.

New Man In The Raider Nation

With the fourth pick in the NFL Draft, the Oakland (formerly of Los Angeles) Raiders select, Darren "RUN DMC" McFadden. The Raiders have been a serious disappointment the last few years, I mean it's to the point where 18th st. doesn't even rock Tim Brown "81" Jerseys anymore. However, it's safe to say, the tables have just turned. McFadden, in addition to last year's first overall pick, Jamarcus Russel, have formed the most formidable young, offensive machine in football. Couple that with a top-5 defense from last year, it's safe to say the Raiders are no longer a laughing stock. The addition of McFadden, an All-American running back from the University of Arkansas, is huge not only for the team, but this brings a new life to the Raider organization as a whole. We are young and scary again. So gang bangers, Westsider riders, Raider Nation,Los Angeles, Inglewood-always up to no good, even Hollywood up in this, let's rejoice and welcome the future of football, Darren McFadden. After all, if we ever do get another LA Football team, it will probably be the silver and black attack!

P.S. if someone steals my original art above, can you at least send me a free shirt? I wear a medium, Thanks