bullets13

i'd really like to see jozy up front. it seems like our forwards are generally ineffective these days. this is what i'm wondering... why not have dempsey and donovan in the central mid. we don't have anyone who can effectively replace them in the middle, but we have several players who could go up top and finish IF they had those two quality players in the middle feeding them. As it is, it seems like at least one of them is always up top, wasting away as the other is overrun in the midfield because he doesn't have another quality central midfielder next to him. I'm just spitballing here, so let me know what you think.

The NBA announced to its teams this week at its annual pre-draft camp that fines will be imposed on players starting next season for clear cases of "flopping," ESPN.com has learned. The league office has yet to determine exact fine amounts for offending flops and how fines might escalate for repeat offenders, but in-game arena observers and video reviewers will be instructed to report instances of theatrical flopping for potential punishment as part of postgame reports on officiating and other matters. The league's pledge to crack down on flopping was conveyed to team representatives at Tuesday's competition committee meeting in Orlando. NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed the new policy Wednesday night saying: "What was clearly expressed to the committee is that we would begin imposing fines next season for the most egregious type of flops. When players are taking a dive, for lack of a better term." Because a precise penalty system has not yet been structured, it is not yet known whether serial floppers will be subject to possible suspensions after a certain number of fines for flopping, as seen with the league's protocol on technical fouls. Players who accrue 16 technicals during the regular season are hit with a one-game suspension when they get to No. 16 -- the limit is seven technicals during the playoffs -- and receive one-game suspensions for every other technical thereafter (No. 18, 20, etc.). Detroit's Rasheed Wallace, a player who has 15 technicals this season and has been suspended in the past for being over the limit for technicals, gave his opinion of floppers to ESPN after the Pistons' 106-102 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday. "All that bull[expletive]-ass calls they had out there. With Mike [Callahan] and Kenny [Mauer] -- you've all seen that [expletive]," Wallace said. "You saw them calls. The cats are flopping all over the floor and they're calling that [expletive]. That [expletive] ain't basketball out there. It's all [expletive] entertainment. You all should know that [expletive]. It's all [expletive] entertainment."

in the real world this may be true, but not in southeast texas. i don't think in four years of high school i ever had a class taught by a coach where i learned much (and i had SEVERAL). There is absolutely NO WAY that he gets reassigned due to his performance in the classroom UNLESS they are looking for a reason to reassign him. I assure you that if he was in the good graces of the top brass, his classroom performance would be irrelevant. i know nothing of this situation besides what's been on here, so i'm not defending either side. This is just a general observation.

Now Boston is starting to look like a championship team!

that's pretty much it, bon. wolff wasn't good enough for the US team back when they were mediocre. i've never understood how he continues to get playing time.

no landycakes... if he had been there, the score would've probably been... 2-0 england ;D

ahh, a classic!

tonight he was 1-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a run

Joakim Noah had more than one run-in with the law at the University of Florida on Memorial Day weekend. On the same day the Bulls center was arrested for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol, he also was issued two traffic citations. Noah, 23, was issued citations for driving with a suspended license and for not wearing a seat belt by the University of Florida Police Department on Sunday. Noah's speeding Hummer was stopped, which led to the officer learning of the suspended license. Florida coach Billy Donovan told the Gainesville Sun that he talked to Noah. "He's realized he made a mistake," Donovan told the newspaper. "I want to see what happens with everything that went on there. In my conversation with him, he feels bad. "The thing I've tried to talk to him about is there are so many young kids who look up to him, and he's such a giving kid and he's always given his time. He needs to turn this into a positive and being able to help young kids because he has a great opportunity to really help a lot of people. I told him to try to turn this into a positive because he's got enough of a personality that he can do that." On Wednesday, Noah's father said he didn't understand the fuss being made about his son's arrest. "I don't understand all that fuss for just drinking a beer on the street," Yannick Noah said Tuesday at the French Open. Joakim Noah could face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine for the marijuana charge. "I talk to him every day on the phone," said Yannick Noah, who was at Roland Garros on Tuesday for the dedication of a walkway named after him. "He'll soon come over to France to see me." Joakim Noah led Florida to consecutive NCAA titles before being picked ninth by the Bulls in the NBA draft last year.

The US did not impress in this tourney, finishing 0-3.

also, with all of the crazy dimensions that some of the parks have now, i think replay will help. look at minute maid. there are places where the ball can hit wall on one side of the line and be in play, 3 inches to the right and it's a homer.

poor spurs... fight back only to lose at the end. nice rebound by horry... i've seen better hands on a clock.

Final line: 3/3 (2 singles, 1 double) 2 runs 2 rbi 1 sb 2 bb how many players start out their careers getting on base in all five plate appearances of their first major league game? the future certainly looks bright for mr. bruce!

RBI double to right one hell of a debut!

another run scored

RBI single, now 2-2

run scored... now 1-1, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 R

another walk

he just singled

they stranded him, but still an EXCELLENT start for him, considering that the reds two major concerns about him were his plate discipline and his base running.

he walked on four pitches in his first plate appearance, and stole second. he's there right now with one out in the bottom of the first.

it's about time!

i hate to hear that. we'll certainly be thinking about you on here.

YAY!

I don't think it adds any time to the game... beeninnikes is right. if you can immediately correct it in the booth, you don't have five minutes of umpire/manager "discussion" over whether the call was right. This is an opportunity for the umps to get these calls right, as the replay will always be definitive. As long as they don't try to start replaying balls and strikes, or diving catches in the outfield, or bang bang plays at first, i think this will be good for the game.