Rant 1

Here we go sports fans. I have bit my tongue for too long, I cannot take this current state of sports anymore and I think the world needs to know what is wrong. Let's start with last weekend and Tracy McGrady. We all believed your rant with Stephen A. Smith when you proclaimed that this was your year to take your team past the first round. What you should have said was I'm going to put on the greatest playoff performance I have ever done, and it's the fault of my teammates for not caring as much as I do. It will come down on T-Mac because of the claims he made, and we all will blame T-Mac for not making every shot he took and making every defensive stop. Let's be honest though, Yao Ming is the most unathletic 7 footer since Shawn Bradley. Yao plays like he is 6'0 and has absolutely no desire to change that. When a 7'6 guy is getting beat by a 6'8 guy on rebounds, can you say HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM. Then on Sunday when Roger Clemens made his triumphant return from the boss' suite on his white horse by signing with the Yankees. Great for Roger, you get to pitch when you want, show up when you want, and get paid a lot of money. Bad for the Yankees, Roger is not going to tutor the young guys, he is not going to start and close, and he is not going care about anything but Roger Clemens. This might be the only time in my life when I applaud David Wells for calling out Roger Clemens. I thought what he said might go over at least a little bit better for what Wells said, but I suppose that's what happens when you are the first to point out the obvious. Side note to the rest of the PGA...if you ever thought you had a chance of winning a tournament, that is now gone. When Rori Sabbatini called Tiger "beatable" it was like telling Wayne Gretzky that he can't score, or tell Michael Jordan that he crumbles under pressure. If anyone thinks that Tiger is going to just let those words be said and not do something about it you are wrong. Are we so short to forget about his run at the end of last year when everyone around golf said that Tiger had come back to the same level as everyone else. Shame on you Rori...you have only awoken a sleeping giant. Well that's going to end this rant, but as long as athletes and people in sports are making themselves to look like idiots...I will be there.

G e Koch

Don't call it a breakout

Every year around this time when the majority of the country is focusing on the NFL draft, wondering which player is going to be selected to their team, there are some of us who are actually following the NBA playoffs. I had the privilege of being spoiled in the early days of my childhood by a man who I will refer to as MJ. He anchored six title teams in Chicago, which the likes have never been seen in the city ever since. This year there is an exception, the Bulls are actually going to contend for the NBA crown. I still believe they are a year and another one of New York's lottery picks away from actually being taken seriously, but a player by the name of Luol Deng is helping to accelerate that. Considered by most to be a project player when the Bulls traded for his rights from Phoenix in the 2004 draft. He has quickly become a rising star in this year's playoffs...much like Josh Howard and Devin Harris of last year's campaign, Manu Ginobli the year before that, and Chauncy Billups in '04. Deng's ascension in to upper middle stardom in the NBA should come as a surprise to no one. His points per game has increased every year since he entered the league during the regular season, and he has EXPLODED in this years playoffs. He has more than doubled his point output since last year's playoffs, averaging almost 30 points a game through the first two games of the serious against the Heat, up from the 10.2 points he averaged last season. While he might not be the most important player in this year's playoffs, he will most certainly be an integral part of the Bulls run. It was by no stroke of luck that when he declared himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft that he was going to do good, possibly even great things in his career. Among his accolades in college were being named ACC freshman of the year, making the All-American freshman team, third team All-ACC, and was named Most Outstanding player of the Atlanta region. While his initials might not be as catchy as MJ, LD is sure to be a mainstay in Chicago for many years to come.





...and you can take that to the bank.

G e Koch