Just six weeks ago, the Pacers were stuck in the purgatory of mediocrity, with an inflated cap and tired cast of characters. Jermaine O’Neal had just opted to collect his bloated paycheck for two more seasons, the team still had not shed problem-child Jamaal Tinsley, and they weren’t exactly exciting their fan base with their back-end-of-the-Lottery spot in the NBA Draft. Fast forward to today – The Blue and Gold have changed the whole dynamic of this team, making the long overdue trade of Jermaine O’Neal and welcoming seven new players into the fold. The Pacers seemingly solved their point guard problem by acquiring a still blossoming TJ Ford. They bolstered their depth with veterans Jarrett Jack, Rasho Nesterovic, and Maceo Baston. Also, don’t forget the additions of well-known draft picks Brandon Rush from National Champion Kansas, and 7’2 Georgetown center Roy Hibbert. After three years of earning C’s and D’s, the first sans-Donnie Walsh semester for Larry Bird has to get an A. But, Bird is one step away from making this an A-plus.
Weed out the last two bad apples.
Buried on the Pacers roster remains two names: Jamaal Tinsley and Shawne Williams that stick out like two big zits on the face of this franchise. I campaigned for Williams to get a second crack at redemption, but last weekend’s latest brush with the law means that Shawne is officially out of chances. Though Williams was not actually arrested, this is still another Pacer in the police blotter. When you combine Tins and Williams, six of the Pacers last eight incidents over the past two years have involved those stooges. The Cloud Nine shooting, Eight Seconds Saloon brawl, the downtown car chase/shooting, possession of marijuana, and two other incidents involving Williams’ degenerate friends from his days in Memphis have driven away most Pacers' fans.
Bird has revamped the roster, but he needs to complete the housecleaning
Bird has danced around the issue the entire offseason saying that both players were on “thin ice” and that he was exploring all of their options. What options? Someone needs to tell Larry that enough is enough. The trade market is non-existent for either player. Williams is a former First Round pick that hasn’t panned out, and has made some bad choices in the company he keeps. Tinsley has three years remaining on a deal that will pay him just over $6.7 million annually and other teams desperate for a point guard (or desperate enough to take on Tinsley), know that he won’t be in a Pacers uniform next season. Teams know that there is no point in giving up something for a player that is ultimately going to have to be bought out anyway.
Williams has contributed little, other than mugshots
What Bird needs to do is make a statement to his players, team, organization, and, most importantly, the fans. BEHAVIOR LIKE THIS WILL NO LONGER BE TOLERATED. Screw the trade talks, just cut these fools and let everyone know that the team will not put with these off-the-court shenanigans any longer. Eat the contracts and trim the fat, so all parties involved can move on.
Cut Tinsley and Williams, complete the cleansing, and heal the fractured fan base.
Until then, this so-called “transformation" of the Indiana Pacers is nothing more than a farce.
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD: Swish: Greg Norman
I don't care that Norman blew a two-stroke lead in the British Open. I don't care that Norman choked on the final day and shot a 77 to fall out of contention. He gets a "Swish" because he accomplished the weekend's biggest feat: making us forget that Tiger Woods wasn't there. The PGA couldn't have asked for a better storyline, as Norman, who long ago fell out of relevance, almost became the oldest player to even with a Major Championship. Even though he wasn't victorious, Norman was a winner last weekend, and so were golf fans. Even with his collapses, the Shark will always be a fan-favorite.
Brick: The Indianapolis Tennis Championships
John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, and Jim Courier - there is a list of players to win the event formerly known as the RCAs in Indianapolis. Gilles Simon, Dmitry Tursunov, Robby Ginepri, and Bobby Reynolds - there is a list of players that participated in the event this year. Indy used to be a warmup for the U.S. Open, providing hardcourt walkthrough for the world's best players two weeks before America's only Grand Slam. But since the event has moved to mid-July, the Indianapolis Tennis Championships has lost both attendance and prestige. This year, they couldn't even get Andy Roddick, who hasn't won anything in forever, to come to the Circle City. The top seed, James Blake, was embarrassed in the semifinal by Tursunov, and has failed to even advance to a Final since he won the event in 2006. I think this shows how poor the current state of American tennis is, but it also reveals the status of a formerly great event. Indianapolis is an outsanding sports city that can land Super Bowls and Final Fours, yet they no longer have a world class tennis championship. Everything on the sports scene in this city is moving forward, yet tennis continues to move backwards. It's very frustrating.
Simon captured his first win in the States, but only die-hard tennis fans know him
Air Ball: Cat-fights in sports
First Danica Patrick takes on Milka Duno in the pits, then just days later a brawl takes place in the WNBA. What is going on? First on the Danica vs. Milka situation - I think both of them are at fault. To be honest, Danica needs to knock off the attitude (even though she's hot when she's mad) and the antics. You've won once in your career sweetheart, you aren't accomplished or well-respected enough to be getting into a war of words with every driver every single week. She also could've handled that situation a lot better, as you should never start a confrontation by dropping an F-bomb. As for Milka, she is terrible and shouldn't even be racing in the Indy Lights series, much less the IRL. Duno is a liability every time she is on the track, and other drivers consistently have to avoid her and her pathetic maneuvering of a race car. Also, she shouldn't have thrown anything at Danica, even if it was just a towel. To the WNBA - the treatment of Candace Parker by opposing defenders is similar to what happens to LeBron James. When you are the star, you have to deal with the fact that you are going to be scratched, kicked, gouged, and grabbed, and you're not always going to go to the free throw line. It's hard to put Parker at fault simply for retaliating to a cheap shot from Plenette Pierson, but the face of the League should think harder before acting on emotion. If anything, the brawl is an embarrassment to the thousands of pre-teen girls that were at that game with their families. Little boys are used to violence from male sports, video games, roughhousing, etc. But, what would you tell your little daughter if she was at the Palace on Tuesday night at witnessed that? Hopefully the WNBA comes down hard on all parties involved.
Female sports fights create great unintentional comedy
The Shots Fantasy Update:
Robinson Cano & Co. II ties *, 4-4-2
My only wish is that my fantasy team was playing as well as their namesake (six straight multi-hit games) and the team that he plays for (six straight wins). The offense was strong again (20 R / 8 HR / 21 RBI) but my pitching staff was an absolute disaster. 11 earned runs in 6 innings from starters John Danks and Hiroki Kuroda (who was promptly), and my bullpen gave up five earned runs in seven innings, earning just one save. All in all, Robinson Cano & Co. II turned in two season lows in ERA (7.73) and WHIP (2.00). I entered the week 16 1/2 games out of first, but just 7 1/2 out of 2nd place. Fausto Carmona should return in the next two weeks, and Chris Young is finally throwing again. Hopefully they’ll infuse some life into this downtrodden clubhouse.
Fantasy NASCAR in 8th place, 297 points out of the lead
There was no race last weekend, but with the Brickyard coming up, here’s a chance to lock in my Fantasy lineup and let you know who I am going with (NOTE: These selections are subject to change after qualifying takes place). I’m going with Smoke in my “A” Group, because everyone and their mother is probably doing the same. But, the bottom line is that I have to make up ground and stop trying to get cute with my lineup. My backup in the A is Jeff Gordon. My “B” drivers are Juan Pablo Montoya (who scored a 2nd place finish last year), and Kasey Kahne, with backups Martin Truex, Jr. and Casey Mears. Rounding out my “C” is Travis Kvapil and David Reuitmann. Ready...break!
Fantasy Golf, still in 2nd to last place
I forgot to set my lineup last week, so I missed out on any points. Frankly, I gave up on this team after missing the first three Tournaments.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
NY Yankees at Boston, Friday-Sunday
White Sox at Detroit, Friday-Sunday
This is a huge weekend for the Yankees and Tigers, two teams that have been stuck in the middle-of-the-pack all year in their divisions, to finally declare themselves contenders. Like always, the Yankees have come out of the All-Star break smoking hot, with six straight wins. They've also been effective away from home this season, owning a 23-23 mark, good enough for the 2nd best road record in the American League. Meanwhile, after a blistering June (19-8), Detroit has tapered off to a 10-9 mark in July. This weekend set is more critical for Detroit, which can cut into a 5 1/2 game deficit in the AL Central. I still think the Tigers are very dangerous, and a good weekend could help them finally put that terrible April behind them. The Yankees still need help before the deadline, but nobody has talked about how good their bullpen has been this season.
One more surge and the Tigers can make in a three-team race in the Central
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Sunday
When asking race fans around here which is their favorite event, the Indy 500 or Brickyard, it seems to be split 50-50. Personally, I enjoy the Indy 500 more because the track is more suited for the IRL and frankly, Indy Cars are way cooler. But, that’s not to say that the Brickyard isn’t a great event. Anytime racing’s biggest and most popular circuit comes to the racing capital of the World (not up for debate), it is worth watching. Also, Victory Lane could be a crystal ball for who will be on top at the end of the Chase. Excluding last year, 7 of the last 10 Brickyard winners went on to win the Series Championship. As a side note, I’m also looking forward to watching this race live with my dad. We have been to one Indy 500 together, and to countless time trials and practices, but never to a NASCAR race.
The Shots YouTube Clips this week:
Sports related -
C’mon, you knew this was coming…
Non-sports related –
After Danica vs. Milka and the WNBA brawl, I searched “cat fights”. For some inexplicable reason, this video had 4 million views. That's 4 million people that lost four minutes of their lives. I invite you to do the same.
The Shots Chick Pick this week: Heidi Klum
Vintage. For some reason, we've avoided super models in the Chick Picks. Let's discontinue that trend.
See you next week.
Listen to Derek as he hosts the Xtra Large Lunch, every weekday from noon to 1 PM on XL 950!
