So Tracy McGrady is expected to sign with the Chicago Bulls by the end of the week.  NO NO NO NO NO.  What in the world are the Bulls thinking bringing this guy in?  Is it because Derrick Rose said he would help?  Because that's an extremely poor excuse.  Let's look at the facts.  McGrady is 31 years old which means he has been in the league for 13 years already.  On top of that, he has chronic back pain and definite knee issues.  If that's not enough for you, Chicago has to realize that this guy shot the ball 20 times per game in his career and was a #1 option throughout the majority of his career to this point.  On this Bulls team, he would, at best, be the third option and that's a stretch..that's for sure.  He's only played 65 games over the past two season which included whining himself out of Houston at age 30.  That one doesn't even need an explanation.  And the one that bothers me the most out of all of this, what if McGrady isn't content with a bench role?  What happens to Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver's roles if this does ring true?  In my eyes, Brewer should be the starting shooting guard come game 1 of the season.  He's a hard-nosed defender who has a lot to offer, especially in a scheme like Tom Thibodeau's.  Chicago, I understand you have money to spend and one more piece to fit in to place, but PLEASE don't do this.  He's not the superstar he once was, he's more injury riddled than most players in this league and he doesn't fit what the Bulls are putting together.  JUST DON'T DO IT.

I'm a little baffled at Ken Macha's proclimation that the Brewers are being hit by pitches too often.  Why am I baffled?  Looking at the last 10 years, only once have the Brewers been outside of the top 10 in hit batter totals in the majors...and that was way back in '02.  The Brew Crew should be accoustomed to such numbers if you ask me.  Hit batters are part of the game and honestly, considering Milwaukee's number is currently at 47, they're still well off the pace of Cleveland's 103 hit batters in 2008. 

Once I caught word of Macha's comments, I tuned in to Milwaukee's game against Atlanta and watched Milwaukee's batters.  What I saw was lots of plate crowding which, surprisingly, means more hit batters.  I never would have guessed!  There were no hit batters in Sunday's game for Milwaukee, and I'm not sure if this was out of retaliation, but the Brewers' pitching staff klunked Jason Heyward and Troy Glaus.

Macha, you complained about something that's been a constant in Milwaukee and you even talked with Atlanta manager Bobby Cox prior to Sunday's game and then that?  Deal with the fact that hit batters are a constant in baseball and your team is not performing up to the season's expectations...don't complain about something Bud Selig nor anyone else can control.

Finally.  Fourteen years in the making and the National League finally managed to win an All-Star game.  I'm beyond happy with that result considering my faithfulness relies with the Northside team in Chicago, but my irks remain the same with this whole home field advantage for the World Series crap.  Ever since that was implemented, it has definitely had its share of critics (including me) asking why make a game that celebrates the "supposedly" best players in the game and throw in a gimmick that should be set aside for the teams with the best regular season record.  Bud Selig claimed it would bring more attention to the game, but guess what...epic fail, Selig.  After Tuesday night's game, the Nielsen ratings showed the lowest ratings EVER for a MLB All-Star game.  No one cares if there's some extra incentive added to the game, not even the players whose teams have no shot to make the playoffs. 

This isn't one of those posts where I have some brilliant idea...ok maybe not brilliant, but it's more of a post just to rub it in Mr. Bud Selig's face.  Change the game back, Bud!  Time to admit failure!

This blog may not last long pending the circumstances of 8 pm on July 8, 2010, but I'll keep my money on saying it will last.

Reports out of Lebron world say he's leaning towards playing for the Miami Heat, joining forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  I'm not just saying this because my loyalty resides with the Bulls, but for the sake of the entire league, this CAN NOT happen.  Immediately, this decision will destroy the markets of Toronto and more importantly, Cleveland.  Not only that, but what little parody that was left in the NBA now becomes nonexistent.  There's several reasons why this is just an absolutely bad idea so I'll keep it short and stick with three points.

1.  David Stern's remaining reputation is hanging on this decision.

Stern was the man preaching that he would make sure no tampering occurred during this free agency period.  Well guess what Dave, you just saw months of talking between players who were ALREADY UNDER CONTRACT with other clubs.  What are you going to do about this?  Nothing?  Actually that doesn't surprise me.  Why don't we go talk to Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose and see if they plan on playing with each other a few years down the road.  Actually, why don't we just get each of the All-Star teams together, figure out who gets what money and put them all on one team.  If Stern allows this to happen without any reprimandations, his words and attitude towards what NBA contracts and teams stand for, becomes extremely hollow.

2.  If the big three becomes actuality, what happens if the new collective bargaining agreement includes a hard salary cap, meaning NO mid-level exceptions and NO luxury tax?

This may have the biggest impact on the next few years for just about any team, but it may definitely be a rough reality down in Miami.  You would then be asking Wade, Lebron and Bosh to take pretty big pay cuts and that's still to try and sign a bunch of D-League players that they'll already be playing with this coming season anyway.  Hard salary caps are what brings competition to sports and creates a more challenging puzzle to each team trying to fit their roster under the given numbers.  Wade and Bosh already said they would take less money to bring Lebron on, but I don't think they're expecting what may be a possibility with the new CBA. 

and then we have the biggest of the problems....for Miami at least.

3.  Can Wade, Lebron, Bosh and a bunch of mediocre D-League players win a championship?

This is the problem with Pat Riley and the rest of the Miami office.  They, like the majority of the other bandwagoners out there just drooling at the thought of this trio, are expecting a smooth ride to the NBA Finals and a handful of rings.  Since when does life go to plan?  Ok...Boston won in 2008 but what happened the following year?  They lost all of their legitimate bench players (which Miami lacks already) and the injury bug set in.  What if that happens to one of the Heat's potential big 3?  Who's their 6th man?  What happens when foul trouble sets in?  Bosh and (possibly Beasley) can actually stop the likes of Dwight Howard, Gasol/Bynum and any other formidable playoff contender in the paint?  Last time I checked, Bosh didn't even know what the second round of the playoffs were.  There are so many problems that will build with this team's roster that for all we know, may not even end up as a top 2 seed in the East.  Look at the past NBA champions and you give me a team that didn't have solid bench contributions throughout the regular season and postseason.  It just DOESN'T happen.  If anything, Wade, Lebron and Bosh will get so worn down playing so many minutes that the bench will have to carry some big minutes which will ultimately end up like you're playing against the Timberwolves.  I don't think perennial playoff contenders fear the T-Wolves.

and just for giggles because Bill Simmons is one of the best columnists in sports in my opinion, his article on the 23 reasons why Lebron shouldn't pick Miami...I bring you number 14.

14. LeBron joining Wade after his 2010 playoffs flameout, in my opinion, is like Conan O'Brien getting kicked in the teeth by NBC, then overreacting and forming a late-night version of "The View" with Chris Rock, Adam Carolla and Jeffrey Ross over trying to create his own show somewhere else. (Note to Carolla and Ross: Don't get excited, it's only a hypothetical.) Total cop-out. The move of someone who, deep down, doesn't totally trust his own talents any more. And maybe he doesn't.

I could go on for hours about how this is just an awful idea.  It's bad enough that this whole free agency excursion has some fans yelling out that this was just some scripted drama which no one should be shocked by.  Unfortunately that's one comparision I'll gladly agree to.  So until tonight....t-minus 7 hours till NBA-mageddon.

Another year has passed, and another year has yet again been filled with undeserving players in the MLB All-Star Game.  Omar Infante??  Are you kidding me??  That was quite possibly one of the worst selections ever and thankfully that wasn't a fan choice, but that being said...there's a few I'm none too happy with either.  How in the world did the fans vote in Yadier Molina as the starting catcher for the National League?  Yes, I understand he is arguably the best defensive catcher in either league, but his batting average is .231...that's the lowest by a starter in 17 years!!  Brian McCann has had a history of getting screwed over in all-start voting and it continues again this year as he ends up as the backup in a year where he should be a starter. 

And then we have Joey Votto.  The same Joey Votto leading a Cincinnatti Reds team to the top of the NL Central to this point.  His numbers rival that of Albert Pujols and have exceeded backups Ryan Howard and Adrian Gonzalez's numbers.  This is yet another case where big names trump the stats and that's is yet another reason as to why not only in MLB, but in the NBA and NFL, the fans need to be taken out of the vote altogether.  Don't try and say without a fan vote, we'll be seeing a bunch of players no one cares about, because that's not the case.  Putting in the deserving players and keeping out the washups and injured players will make the game that much more competitive and honestly, I don't see it sacrificing the star studded names in the game.  If players are that good, they'll put up the stats to get there.  By no means do they need the fans to help them salvage a stat line of .215/.290/.302 and beat several other more deserving players for a spot on the roster.  Fan votes are a joke...it's as simple as that and it's time to pull the plug.

It's a fish out of water!  It's a breakdancer doing the worm!  No!  It's Cristiano Ronaldo falling to the ground after being sneezed on!

I was never one to sit down and watch a game of soccer prior to the World Cup like most of the other people in the U.S., but I think I've finally figured out why that's actually the case.  The acting belongs in Guiding Light.  Wait...that's no longer on the air?  Ok...As The World Turns.  That's being cancelled?  Alright, maybe the U.S. is already fed up with bad acting.  Why isn't the rest of the world?  Every game I've watched with the exception of just a few teams, I have seen grown men fake some of the dumbest injuries I've ever seen, only to see them full out run or jump around just minutes later.  Don't tell me it's that magic spray they use (although if  they'd like to send a few bottles my way, I'll be happy to take them) and don't tell me an opposing player violently took you down.  Maybe in the 70s you could get away with that, but we live in a world of technology that utilizes replay to the fullest extent...errr wait...nevermind.  Well at least they're good at showing players flopping on plays in order to waste time.  

It's reasons like that that people don't watch soccer.  Additional time doesn't help when a player flops for half of the additional time on the clock.  Has FIFA ever even discussed stopping the clock on out of bounds plays, injuries, goals, etc?  It would forever change the face of the sport and quite honestly make it that much better by removing these poor excuses called acting.  I'm sure it will get as far as instant replay on goals considering how the past 2 weeks have gone, but hey, a man can dream can't he?  Then again I guess he'll need to watch soccer on a regular basis first.

All this being said, I commend the teams who have yet to flop horrendously and play the game the way it's supposed to be played.  So in the meantime while I wait for this month of chaos to be over, I'll end with a picture which I'm sure anyone outside of the Portugal, Man U and Real Madrid fanbases will apprectiate.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to buy a vuvuzela.