Wow....for those of you that have stayed with me....thanks a bunch. I was ready to quit after the 1st half. Let's refill and finish this out!

Lebron has scored now 22 of the Cavs last 23 as he nails a fadeaway, and if he can keep this up he'll just wear the Pistons out. Gibson fouls out, and Detroit turns it over on the next play.

Pavolic travels no call.....Billups to Hamilton, he misses a layup....tip-in is good. We're tied again.

102-102. Pavs misses again, and Webber gets the board and is fouled. And mark this down...I'm agreeing with Doug Collins again. No one has taken a shot for Cleveland besides Lebron for about 10 minutes....they're all cold.

Hamilton hits a baseline turnaround, and PAVLOVIC MISSES AGAIN! Get the ball out of his hands. Lebron steals the ball as the Pistons were trying to pick on Damon Jones.

2 minutes left. 104-102 Pistons.

Behind the back dribble...pressure jumper....LEBRON! We're tied. Just nasty.

1:35 left....we're tied....timeout Pistons. Catch your breath everyone.

Webber backs in, and travels, and gets fouled, and gets a ridiculous continuation, and an AND 1!!!!!!!!! Wow....that was sketchy to say the least. He can put the Pistons up three, but Damon Jones is yapping in his damn ear. "Quit Yapping and let the brother shoot!" It's good.

1:25 to go.....Lebron on the curl...

AND HE ICES A THREE!!!!! 46!!!!!!!! I can't say anything right now.

Rip misses on the other end, and there's 50 seconds left.

Bron fouled, but it's a non-shooting foul.....WOW! JUST WOW!

40 seconds left.....

Varejao is stuffed by Sheed!!!!!!!!!! Foul on the rebound....NO! Shot clock violation!!!!

29 seconds left we're tied....Pistons ball. Sheed is stuffed back by Varejao!!!! Sheed won't shut up as he thinks he was fouled.

11 seconds left....Cleveland ball....you think Donyell Marshall is taking the shot this time????

Sheed was fouled on the hand BTW, but no way he's getting that call.....

LEBRON AT THE TOP OF THE KEY....DRIVES!!!!!!!!! OH MAN.....WHAT A MONSTER MOVE! THAT IS STRENGTH!

Lebron has scored 29 of the last 30 points for the Cavs....that is just unreal. I have goosebumps right now.

Pistons ball down two....

BILLUPS MISSES THE RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! I can't believe what I just watched.

Final.....CAVS 109- PISTONS 107.

Videos galore to come later in the night, and tomorrow. I'm officially silenced as a Lebron critic....that was just amazing. Besides Jordan that 1st and 2nd Overtime was the best 10 minute performance I may have ever seen. Just ridiculous. I'm in shock.

No need for "after the jumps"....we're going straight through with no timestamps. Let's do this....

5 minutes left....WAR! Cleveland gets the ball on the tip.....

Wow....crap foul on Prince, and Lebron goes to the line. He hits both ant it's 93-91 Cavs. Sheed fouled at the other end, and he hits both. Tied again. A Pavlovic charge gives the ball back to the Pistons.

Great call by the refs as Prince was shoved in the back by James. Rip hits the jumper and Detroit is up two. BACKDOOR TO JAMES! FLUSH!!! He is on fire. Wallace is fouled and he'll go to the line with the score tied.

Gooden has fouled out, and Sheed misses the first. Varejao replaces him, and Sheed hits the second....3 minutes left.

1 point lead for the Pistons. Lebron is fouled pretty hard, and Doug Collins does a great job of mentioning his first technical. James hits the first, and MISSES THE SECOND! He's killing them with the missed free throws. Sheed on the block misses a turnaround, but C-Webb gets the O-board.....Sheed misses a three.

96-96 with 2 left.....

Lebron misses a jumper with every person in the Detroit zipcode in the lane. Pistons can't capitalize and everyone looks dead tired.

Still tied.....1:37 to go.

Cleveland ball. Dumb pass by Lebron to a cutting Varejao, and he gets lucky as Detroit hits it out of bounds. Timeout Cavs as they can't inbounds the ball. 11 on the shot clock....

And Billups gets pushed....no call. Lebron goes into the lane....and basically flops. Horrible call. Lebron hits both. 98-96, 1:15 left.

PRINCE THROWS IT AWAY! Oh man....that was bad. He was just in a terrible spot, and threw it into the backcourt.

CAVS Ball and a two point lead.....DAGGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEBRON Nails the jumper at the shot clock's buzzer.....(I'm slowly shrinking down right about now). That was cold-blooded!

33.7 Secs left to go, and I'm stunned. Sheed draws a foul, and heads to the line. He hits both and the Pistons need a dire stop. Timeout.

100-98....exactly 30 seconds to go. Cleveland uses their last timeout. Doug Collins thinks the T.O. is a bad move, and I agree.

Lebron gets the ball up top.....fadeaway jumper!!!!!!!! Airball....wow. That was a terrible shot. Why do you call timeout to run that play???

6.6 secs left.....inbounds to Billups. He drives....and.....a foul!!!!!!!!! And that Mike Brown timeout is absolutely ridiculous if Billups hits both...they can't advance the ball!!!!!!!!!!!

Billups of course hits both, and with 3.1 left Cleveland inbounds......

Snow from center court!!! Not even close......HOLY CRAP....

DOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBLE OVVVVVVVVVERRRRRRRTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more thread should do it....join me over there Sam and OMDQ.

We're on to the second half. Can Lebron ever have a good 3rd Quarter? Can Flip Saunders not blow this game??? All of that and more after the jump.

(Image courtesy of YAY Sports)

10:00- Quick start by Detroit as they open it to a 5 point lead. Lebron misses a jumper, but Gooden follows it up. He needs to be on point this half. Prince answers with an O-reb at the other end, and he's another guy that needs to step up his game. Those are his first points. And he hits a three!!!!

Prince pushes the lead to 8....timeout Cavs.

10:08- Wow...Chuck Daly is stylish. Z hits, and a Webber turnover gives it back to the Cavs. Z goes to the free throw line as Webber picks up his third. 5 point game. with about 9 to go.

Prince destroys Hughes, and gets an easy layup. Great move....he's got that all day. The Cavs take a crazy shot at the shot-clock buzzer. Prince got fouled but no call, but Gooden misses at the other end. Lead at 7.

10:13- Lebron misses an easy jumper, and the putrid 3rd quarters continue. He gets to the line on the following posession as he drives into the lane.

KEY WORDS: DRIVES INTO THE LANE!!!!!!!!

How hard is this....just go in there every damn time! This is starting to drive me crazy. Rip goes to the line at the other end as we approach 6 minutes left to go. He hits both and the lead is back to 7.

I really think the team that drives into the lane the most the rest of the game will win. It's really that easy. Sasha hits a three, and Detroit turns it over. Lob to Lebron and he misses....and he looks hurt. He caught his hand on the rim....that's gotta hurt.

10:15- Moving screen called on Z, and he's got 4.....Andy back in. Detroit is going to Prince everytime, and they pick up an illegal d technical....which Chauncey misses.

4 point lead as the Pistons just aren't finishing the Cavs off. Lebron gets a low-post basket.....Actually IN THE LANE!!! Holy crap! He drives the lane again, and gets an easy drop-off pass to Varejao for the layup.

Seriously....Mike Brown and/or Lebron.....just do this EVERY DAMN TIME!

YouTube just now loaded the McDyess foul, so here that is....pretty sketchy call if you ask me (conspiracy theory!)...

65-65, under 4 minutes to go.

10:23- Sheed misses a turnaround, and Lebron misses a jumper. Again folks....do you see our theme? Rip hits a jumper and the lead is 2 with 2:30 to go. Gooden travels...it's not called, but he misses an ill-advised jumper and picks up a foul in the process. He's playing like ass.

Another defensive 3 on the Cavs, and Rip gets a throw. He hits...three point lead.

NOW WE'RE TALKING! Prince throws down on Sasha. I thought that was a reverse layup all the way, but his big-ass arms turned that into a wicked dunk

5 point lead for the Pistons.

10:26- Lebron misses yet ANOTHER jumper! I hate this game....it's so frustrating.

He hits a fadeaway in the lane thought, and the lead is cut to three (key words...in the lane). Last shot of the half.....

GIBSON FOR THREE! Buckets. Rip hits a half-courter but it doesn't count, and we're tied going into the 4th.....

70-70.

Start of the 4th, and I think this is Cleveland's game to lose. Lebron hasn't done anything special, and they're poised to win this thing. Their confidence has to be through the roof.

10:34- Andy hits a shot, and gets a block at the other end.

"The team that's won the 4th quarter every game has won the game."- DC, Hmmm, do you think that could possibly happen again Doug? I think it's likely considering it was tied at the end of the 4th.

Hughes is fouled shooting a three, and that was a horrible foul. Lebron is on the bench, and the Cavs have opened a three point lead as Hughes misses 2. Ouch. Sheed fouled on a good drive. Wallace gets another try down low, and schools Andy on another great move. 1 point Cavs lead.

Gibson banks in a helluva shot....back to 3. Back into Sheed, and he's murdered, but no call....Billups misses a three. Pistons get the ball back, and Webber hits a hook. Pretty much every time Webber touches the ball he scores....Z just can't match his quickness.

75-74 Cavs.

Steve's refreshing thoughts, "Who is the only player in NBA History to win an NBA title before age 23 and average 20+ points in the regular season"

Easy....Kobe. Correct! Everyone should have gotten that one.

10:42- Z hits a jumper and picks up a very weak 5th foul on Webber. That hurts, but he stays in. C-Webb hits a tip-in, and I expect the Cavs to go right back in there. Sheed is on him, but he hit anyway. 3 point lead for the Cavs.

Detroit misses, and Cleveland turns it over.

OMDQ says....The absolute best part of this game (besides the fifteen minute nap I just took)? The Transformers commercial. Looks cool.

I get goosebumps when Tyrese yells, "BRING IT!!!!!"...every time.

6 minutes left.....

10:46- Hamilton fouled at one end, but no call....James hits a mid-range jumper to push the lead back to 3. Another offensive rebound after a Webber miss, and Hamilton goes to the line. A couple of words exchanged, and we're at a break....

81-78 Cavs with 5:28 left.

10:50- "Cleveland does look fresher."- Steve Kerr, very very true.

Two throws for Rip...one point game. OHHHHH! Sheed rejects the shizz out of Bron Bron. Oh, I take that back....he fouls the shizz out of Bron Bron...no call. Rip gets two from the line.

Offensive foul on Pavlovic as he wards of Prince. Bad idea jeans there to take that shot by Pavs. Sheed misses a dunk, he's fouled. Detroit up 1 with Sheed shooting two. He hits both and the lead is 3.

10:55- Gibson misses a three, and Hamilton answers at the other end. Cue the YMCA! Pistons up 5.

New TBS Baseball Announcer Tony Gwynn will be on the postgame show. That's synergy my friends.

Cavs turnover, and Rip is fouled by Danny Gibs. Shooting 2. Lead is 7 for the Pistons....3 minutes to go.

10:58- Great Great Great move by Lebron and he gets a layup (in the lane) and the foul. He misses the throw but Pavs gets the board. Gooden loses the ball on the way up, but gets bailed out by a terrible foul call. Pistons fans chant "B.S.", and the announcers say nothing. Timeout.

88-83....2:49 left.

11:03- If any of you watch House of Payne I will personally kill you.

Gooden bricks the hell out of the first free throw, and hits the second. 4 point game. Rip misses a floater, and Lebron nails a DAGGER! at the other end. One point game...under 2 minutes.

Billups gets raped on the take, and no call. Lebron gets grabbed at the other end, and will try for two at the line. Wow, he misses the first.....Cavs 2-8 from the line in the 4th. HE MISSES BOTH!!!! Choke....ahem*

1 point game still...approaching 1 minute left. Gooden misses a wide-open shot and Detroit clears it out. TO.....54 seconds to go.

88-87.

Turnover on Sheed, and it's Cleveland ball with 40 ticks left.

AND WOW! LEBRON JUST POSTERIZES MAXIELL.......AND HOLY COW!!!!! BILLUPS HITS A MONSTER 3 ON THE OTHER END!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for waiting until the last minute guys...I haven't been waiting all game or anything.

91-89 with 20 seconds left.

Lindsay Hunter on Lebron James, and he just uses him. SLAM DUNK! He got fouled on that too, but no call. Quick question....how do you put Maxiell and Hunter on James during crunch time?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

9.5 seconds left....

BILLUPS!!!!!!!!!!!! No. Just missed it. OVVVVVVVVEERRRRRRTIME!

Now we're talking.....David Blaine is still weirding me out, but we're onto another thread.

Alrighty folks....the live-blog is back, and in full a**-kicking mode. I'm prepping for the game by watching Real World "The S*** They Should Have Showed". Based on the analysis of this programming I'm predicting Eric Snow will be the MVP of this game.

You can see I prepared. To double-check my work....join me after the jump at 8pm for a rockin' good time.

(P.S.- I'm going to attempt to bring you a new live-blog feature called, "Your Halftime Highlights via YouTube." Obviously the title and feature itself are a work in progress, but I'm going to give it a go. We'll see what happens.)

8:00- Eastern Conference Finals.....the drama has just begun! Thanks "deep voice guy"....we're live from Detroit Rock City! Welcome one and all.

Your Announcers.....Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, and....ugh Doug Collins (I knew this ahead of time, but I still don't like hearing it).

How about that hair!!! Doug's Hair says Rasheed Wallace is the key. I guess any player on Detroit could be key, but I'm going with Chauncey.

8:05- Steve Kerr is the anti Mark Jackson. I think it's safe to now call him the Troy Aikman of the NBA. He almost gives you too much analysis.

Oh god....Craig Sager has his lips on some dude's trumpet. This is going to be a special one. (FYI- He was attempting to play with the house band.)

Reggie Miller thinks Lebron has empowered his team by passing on that shot in Game 1, and Charles brings up a great point. Since Cleveland should have won Games 1 and 2.....this series could have been over. CRAAAAAZY!

8:11- Anyone want to share what they're drinking tonight? Me??? Effen Black Cherry Vodka and Cranberry Juice. I'm posh like that.

Also, Ernie has quoted Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune about 14 times these playoffs. Can you switch it up a bit Ern?

8:17- Danny Gibson says he's ready to have some fun....are you? I sure the hell am. Who's on the Doug Collins "time of possession" stopwatch?

Kasey Kahne is on Vitamin Water ads now? He's dreamy.

8:20- "This is the life ofa go-getter! A Go-Gettah!"....anyone know who sings that? Anywho, Marv is on the call, and our starting lineups are...

Cavs- Lebron, Gooden, Z, Pavs, Hughes (bench Hughes!)
Pistons- Billups, Sheed, Webber, Rip, Prince

Delaney, Salvatore, and Garretson are your officials....we're ready for the tip.

Sound the horn............DEEEEEEEEEEETROOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT BASSSSSKETBAAAAALLLLL!

8:25- The Cavs go to Z and get the first two. Prince misses a three but there's an offensive rebound by Webber....he misses the follow. Miss by Lebron.....Billups hits a three on the other end. Both teams on the board.

Lebron backs Prince down and hits a baseline fadeaway. That's a money shot if he can hit it routinely. Wallace fouled on the other end, and Doug Collins is off and running. Sheed hits two and Detroit has their first lead.

8:28- Cavs turnover, and a foul on Gooden at the other end. Sheed hits the same fadeaway that Lebron hit (on the otherside of the basket). Hughes hits a three.

"That's gravy right there"- Collins, thanks for that Doug...the 1990s called they want their phrase back.

Hamilton misses and Lebron rebounds. Great ball movement by the Cavs and Hughes hits another. Uh oh Detroit. Right on que Billups gets an easy layup. Gooden takes a bad shot, and Webber gets two at the other end.

Quick Question: Has Steve Kerr said a word yet?

8:32- Lebron hits two at the line and has 4 points with 7 minutes to go. A Pistons' steal and Rip gets the dunk...

15-14 Pistons at the first stoppage.

I thought I could get this up quicker, but YouTube was against me. Here's your intro if you're just tuning in....

8:37- I really don't understand how 25 points makes a "sensational game", but Marv seems to think so.

Sheed hits a jumper, and Detroit is looking good early...even after two Hughes' threes. Wallace gets another layup and the Pistons are up 5. Pavs is fouled and he'll head to the line.

8:41- 19-15 Detroit. Varejao comes in after a Pavlovic foul, and Cleveland is in the penalty with 4 minutes left in the half.

1st turnover for Detroit and James hits the jumper. Gooden fouls Billups and Detroit is shooting two. 2 on Gooden. 1 of 2 for Chauncey. Lebron passes to Marshall and he misses yet another three....Rip cherry picks and gets an easy layup.

Timeout....24-19....2:45 left.

8:48- Doug Collins takes credit for having Rip Hamilton cut down on the technical fouls. Good for you Douglas. Another o-reb for the Pistons....Hunter to McDyess for the slam. Rip destroys someone with a crossover, but Detroit turns it over.

Doug Collins thinks Lindsay Hunter is one of the "Best on the ball defenders of all time". Why do I not believe him?

Damon Jones decides to come out of his cocoon and hit a three. Detroit gets an easy two, and we've yet to see Daniel Gibson.

HARD foul on Varejao, and Lebron is pissed! I'll have that video up soon. Should be a flagrant. And OMG!!!! McDyess is thrown out! That is a horrible call as they give him a flagrant 2. Just a terrible call.

8:55- Lebron gets a tech for jumping in the fracas, and Varejao hits one of the free throws....

"I would make that call any time."- Kerr
"Boy, you Steve Kerr bloggers out there..."- Marv Albert

Yes, Marv??? What do you need me to say?

Hamilton travels, and that's the end of the 1st.

Pistons 29-23, 11-20 in the first.


Start of the 2nd Quarter....

9:04- Maxiell schools Marshall and goes to the line. That's a definite mismatch. Lebron misses a jumper, and is apparently allergic to the paint. This is NOT asserting yourself at all. James passes as he drives to the hold, but is fouled. JUST TAKE THE BALL TO THE BASKET!!!!!!!!!!!!

Varejao is fouled again, and heads to the line.

Andy hits two...Pistons up five. Hunter gets a nice layup, and we have our first Gibson sighting! Way to play right into the Pistons' hands Mike Brown. James with an offensive board and the putback.

9:07- Delfino in for the Pistons....Webber to the line. Still only 32-27, and I'm officially getting bored.

Z misses, and Webber turns it over on the other end. Damon Jones misses a wide-open three and needs to go to the bench. Webber jams.

35-27 with 8:30 to go.

9:12- Some old highschool highlights from Chris Webber....nice box-fade.

Gibson draws a shooting foul from Sheed, and this is what Cleveland need to do every frickin' time. Just go to the basket. 6 point Det lead. Webber with a reverse layup to answer. Great move by Gooden to answer back. Hughes with the steal and Pavs gets the dunk. Great work by Cleveland to stay in this. 37-33 Pistons....7 minutes to go.

9:20- Anita Baker, Bob Seger, and Kid Rock on hand. Detroit know how to draw a crowd.

Z gets a tip-in of his own shot, but Webber just destroys the rim on a dunk at the other end. Steal by Delfino and Maxiell gets a layup. And ANOTHER Cavs turnover, but the Pistons can't capitalize.

Lebron's back in the game after a long rest, and gets the ball into "Big Z" (as Collins calls him), and the Cavs are only down 3. Billups hits 1 of 2 after being fouled, and the Pistons have gone to Dale Davis.

Wow...you people hate some live-blog Basketball.

9:24- The refs are calling some cheap fouls on the Pistons. If I was a betting man I'd say Vegas had a hand in this. Gooden picks up his third, and is done for the half.

4 minutes left....46-42.

Delfino is guarding Lebron at half-court....James drives by but misses the layup. Hamilton throws a bad pass, and the ball is back to the Cavs.

9:29- Go crazy folks! Lebron actually accomplishes something by going to the basket. And 1...and the lead is 1.

Great pass from James to Andy Varejao, and the Cavs somehow take the lead. Prince throws a facial down on Gibson, but he stepped out of bounds.

47-46 with a little over 2 minutes left.

9:34- Lebron gets his own miss and he's starting to assert himself. Chauncey passes on an open three, but gets bailed out by a bad foul called on Hughes.

For such a close game this is boring as hell. The crowd is completely out of it, and no one looks like they care. I'm really regretting this live-blog decision.

Billups puts the Pistons back up 1. Gibson is fouled on a questionable reach-in call on Chauncey, and the lead goes back over to the Cavs. I take back that no one cares comment. Jason Maxiell is having a great half...him and Webber.

Scot Pollard makes about a 13 second cameo and is back on the bench.

Lebron misses at the half, and a 52-51 Pistons' lead is putting me to sleep.

Damn C-Webb calls the Cavs, and Varejao, out for flopping. "Hopefully they'll stop flopping, and hopefully hard fouls won't be called as flagrants." Nice.

I'm getting back into live-blog mode with the NBA Finals approaching (I need a refresher it's been a while). The game starts at around 8:15pm, so you can expect me around 8. Here's my pregame thoughts....

I'm thinking that if Chauncey even remotely shows up, this game is a wrap. I don't know how Daniel Gibson can guard the stonger Billups, but we'll see. As far as Lebron goes....I think you'll see an above-average performance for him on the road, but nothing out-of-this-world. He'll have 14 in the first half, slow start to the 2nd, and finish in the high 20s/low 30s. Gibson cannot and will not repeat that performance a second time.....Detroit is too good defensively. It really doesn't matter how bad of a coach Flip is when Mike Brown is light-years worse.

The line is Detroit by 5.5. I'm taking the Pistons by 7, 88-81. Lebron keeps it close at the end, but the Pistons hit their free throws and pull away.

Bring with you your drinkin' caps and livers with you at 8pm, and let me know who you like (and why, you Mark Jacksons!) beforehand in the comments.

Cheers,
AA

P.S.- I'm missing Huey Lewis and the News at Wolftrap for this live-blog....you better show up.*

*- This may or may not be true.

Right out of the "how not to handle things" file comes this story on the WNBA from San Antonio's Express-News. Apparently Donna Orender, The WNBA, and WNBA.com have ordered fans to "spam" their local papers with pre-written letters about covering the WNBA more.

Reporter Natalie England explains....

As a passionate fan of the Sacramento Monarchs, I am writing to urge you to include more coverage of my favorite WNBA team in your paper.The WNBA is an important sport and I would love to read more about the team, players and entire league this season.

Now, asking for more coverage of the Silver Stars in the San Antonio paper is one thing, but the Monarchs? We closed our West Coast bureau a few years ago. So, that’s when the digging started, and, as it turns out, all of this was prompted on the league’s Web site, with an electronically generated letter from WNBA commissioner Donna Orender to fans.

Dear WNBA Teammate,

The WNBA is asking for the continued support of our loyal fans as we tip off our second decade of play. It's come to our attention that local newspaper editors around the country might increase the coverage of the WNBA if fans like you tell them how important we are.

Talk about bush-league. This is the exact reason why EVERY team in every sport has a PR firm. And by EVERY team....I mean EVERY team. I worked in PR for a WUSA team at one point. Think how hard it was to try and get Philly area papers to cover Women's soccer. Practically impossible.

Women's Sports Insider: WNBA desperate for attention (SA.com via SbB)

P.S.- I don't have any energy to do an Alison Stokke post, but if you're into that sort of thing you HAVE to check out this article Brooks just sent me over at SbB. If I told you you could buy a Stokke mousepad....would you be interested?

I can't even believe that I said I liked him at one point. That's reprehensible on my part. Anywho, one of my biggest pet peeves are people who use Announcing cliches without backing them up with any sort of evidence. For example, saying "Team A has Team B on the ropes, and if Team B doesn't do something then they'll lose." First of all, WHY are they on the ropes? Secondly, HOW in the hell do they fix it? It's a very easy practice that Jeff Van Gundy seems to have learned. Let me demonstrate.....

“Little move there, and THA BANK IS OPEN!”- MJ, Umm what?
“That separation is key with Tim Duncan. He makes the space and finished with the bank shot.”- JVG, Oh okay thanks Jeff.

“Okur has played Duncan better than anyone I’ve ever seen anyone play him”- MJ, Okay, why would you say that is?
“He doesn’t block a lot of shots, but he spreads out and makes it tough for Duncan to get by”- JVG, Jeff....stop it. I asked Mark.

“You got someone on the ropes....take em’ to the dance floor. Tony Parker in traffic....BALLIN’!”- MJ, I'm not even going to touch this one.

“You’re the Jazz you have to come ready to play”- MJ, Really? I thought they could appeal the loss and perhaps get another elimination game.

"The Spurs do a great job of getting under your skin"- MJ, Really....I've always heard that, but no one has ever told me how.
"The Spurs don’t have anyone to guard Ginobili and score like Ginobili. The Spurs only have to pressure two people, and have found this weakness and have exploited it"- JVG, Riiight that makes sen.....wait a minute. That was Jeff again wasn't it? Stop it Jeff....for the last time I want Mark to tell me.

“When you get this far in the playoffs you get a hunger that makes you want more”- MJ, Yeah...hunger...I've heard that one before.
“Utah needs a 6'5"/6'6" Shooting guard who can drive and get his shot. Tony Parker would then have to guard Deron Williams, and Bowen would be forced to guard that 2 guard”- JVG, Ugh. I give up.

I hope you've figured out my point in this brief little case study. Sweeping generalizations usually get the job done because no one ever questions them. Well these aren't sweeping generalizations.....they are just nonsense. I can't explain this any better can I? Wait you can Jeff??? Go for it....

“Game Summary is all about Tony Parker. Last game I said he was the fifth best point guard in the league, and I’m sorry Tony. He must have heard.”- MJ

“Did he just take credit for motivating Tony Parker?!?!”- JVG

Thanks Jeffery....and yes, yes he did.

(Usually) Everyday (usually around noon) I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues.

Tuesday's Winner: This was a tough one. All of you took my movie quote theme and ran with it so I'm giving this one a top 5.








1. "I'm going to live to see you eat this puck! But make room for my fist, because I'm going to ram it through your stomach and crush your spine!"- Chopper Dave

2. "My CPU is a neural net processor; a learning computer...but for the life of me I can't figure out how hockey can have a roughing penalty"- CT

3. "ICE to see you!!"- WCT

4. "When I drop the puck, GET TO DA CHOPPAH!!!"- PM

5. "California has a hockey team?"- Anon (just to upset the Hockey fans)

Are you funny enough to come up with a caption for this photo of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan after last night's Spurs' victory?


AA's Entry: "Now I know you thought we wouldn't win this thing, but don't forget our bet. Wife Swap for a title Tony.....Wife Swap for a title."

I know little about Canada's Don Cherry. The guy seems to be brash and unapologetic in a Billy Packer kind of way, but Canadians swear by this guy. He will be on U.S. Airwaves (Monday- Game 4) for the first time since calling the then Penguin Duo of Jagr and Lemeiux, "Mario and His Daughter" because of their hairstyles (mulletacular).

Not only will Cherry appear on NBC, but Brett Hull will make an appearance on CBC for Game 3. So what did Hull have to say about Cherry's appearance?

"He tells it like it is. If they did it on a regular basis, he would be just as popular down here as he is up there. Part of the thing that's missing, not with just hockey, but in all coverage in the American sports world, is some personality. I think that's why you see a guy like Terry Bradshaw, as popular as he is. He's not just Mr. PC, going through 'that was a nice catch and throw.'"- BH

Umm...not exactly Brett. See as fans we like information over personality more often than not. But if you can pull both off we'll love you forever. Too bad no one will be watching to judge the interaction though. Sorry U.S. Hockey Fans...you are a strong fan base, and I admire your resolve, but 523,000 homes for Game 1? Good god that's bad (18% less than last year bad).

I understand ticket sales are strong, but that's only part of the equation. So what's the problem? Is it the game itself, the lack of U.S. stars, the fact that Versus can't be found??? Give me a reason to watch the Stanley Cup Finals other than recording the 5 minutes Don Cherry is on-air.

CBC's Cherry to Make U.S. TV Debut for Stanley Cup Final Game 4 on NBC (NBC's Press Release)
NHL Ratings Comically Bad (Lion In Oil)
NHL Ticket Sales Revived by Stanley Cup Playoffs (Ticket News)

(Photo via MJD's ultra-rad Debriefing.)

You may remember back in 1994 a certain Tight End that would be the cog in the "Music City Miracle" got suspended for steroid use by the NFL. The player in question was Frank Wycheck and played for the Redskins at the time. Obviously I was pissed. I cursed him all throughout his career with the Oilers/Titans.

Well fast forward to today. Wycheck is doing radio in Tennessee, and is apparently somehow involved in TNA wrestling....

The "Slammiversary" will mark TNA's return to Nashville for the first time in three years and take place at Municipal Auditorium.

It's unclear how Wycheck will tie into the affair, but it could be motivated by his presence at a 2002 TNA event in Nashville when two of his teammates at the time, Fred Miller and Zach Piller, got involved in the action.

I haven't watched wrestling in years, but apparently TNA has a really big following. I can only hope that Wycheck gets hit in the head with a chair for real....bastard.

Wycheck to join wrestling press conference (The Tennessean)

For more on what TNA is, check out this clip set to the music of Disturbed!

This is part of a larger Mark Jackson post for tomorrow (seriously, the guy is terrible), but I had to throw up this clip of Mark's reaction to a Bruce Bowen foul during the 2nd quarter of Game 5...

A Jump Ball?!?!?! What are you even looking at? And just to prove that Jackson does have the capability to watch replays I'm posting this picture....


That screen he isn't looking at is said "fancy replay machine". Take a look once and awhile.

P.S.- A-Rod is cheating in more ways than one these days. He is such a d***. What is this Little League? It's not against the rules, but who does that?

I got goosebumps wathching ESPN's new ad teasing the NBA Finals. I can't believe they finally got it right....it blows my mind. Old NBA Players warming up- Check!, Gladiator-like music playing in the background- Check!, Afros- Check!, and finally....Kevin McHale stretching sporting a black-eye....CHECK!

Here it is....enjoy!

(Thanks to SBD for providing the clip.)

Alternate Title: Kevin Youklis gets a blog.

Just to keep balance in the world I have to put up an anti-RedSox post. So Youk has a blog, and guess what....it's just as amazing you would think it would be!!!

As far as I’m concerned, I’ve already proven I’m faster than Dustin but, who knows, maybe we can have a race for charity sometime. It couldn’t be during the season –- in case one of us ever tweaked a hamstring or something -– but maybe we could do it in the offseason. It would be fun.

Yeah, that would be fun. You can also name the blog! With 280 comments already in...you've got to compete with names like: Youk-Call-It, Youk's Scoop, Youks Yackings, The Bearded Blog, and Greek God of Walks Talks.

All crap. You people are not a master of alliteration like myself....I would go with Youklis Yackin' With Yocals about the Yanks.

(P.S.- Awful Announcing took me about 37 days to come up with)

Kevin Youklis' Blog (MLB.com)

Wait for it.....wait for it....

BAM! The slo-mo at the 1:30 mark is awesome. I could watch that all day....you know, now that I know she's okay and all. And please....Caitlin....slow down a tad. We don't want you to damage this pretty face of yours.


(Special thanks to Lozo for alerting me when this happened and bring joy to my Memorial Day. Oh, and for the video too.)

Get ready for Doom Tournaments and the like to be aired on CBS starting this summer. There's no word on whether Gilbert Arenas will be a guest analyst, but we can only hope....

"The World Series of Video Games has expanded its deal with CBS Sports, landing four hourlong specials on the Eye web that will offer coverage of tournaments and follow the players that compete in them throughout the year. The tourney organizer is trying to turn videogames into a spectator sport and give them the same TV-friendly treatment poker has received in recent years, complete with color commentary and profiles."

The article says that Sportscaster Greg Amsinger (?) is host, and some of the games featured will be Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft, and EA Sports' Fight Night.

FYI to CBS- This was just added to my "must miss list".

CBS Sports gets vidgame specials (Daily Variety)

If you missed yet another Yankees loss last night you probably didn't see Aaron Hill complete one of the most exciting/awesome plays in baseball. The straight steal of home plate.

Andy Pettitte was apparently dreaming of Roger Clemens when the kid took off from third....

With the count 1-1, and Jays catcher Jason Phillips on first base, Hill got the go ahead from third-base coach Brian Butterfield to steal home if the opportunity was there.

As Pettitte went into the stretch, he turned his head turned toward first base in anticipation of the next pitch, and Hill made a break for home plate. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and catcher Jorge Posada began screaming and wildly waving their arms, desperately trying to get Pettitte's attention. By the time Pettitte realized what was happening, though, it was too late.

You can watch the video below if you'd like, but I'd suggest not to. George Steinbrenner can destroy you if he knows your IP Address....and trust me....he will bring you down. Bring you down to Chinatown my friend.


I love how people in the stands just have a feeling that something is going to happen, and start rolling film (turn on their cell phones). Pretty soon we won't even need SportsCenter.

This is a quick video of Highschooler Willie Warren just destroying one of his Top 50 counterparts Xavier Henry. I think Henry was ranked ahead of Willie, but maybe not after this

Wow! Nuts on yo face!!! I love that there was no foul called either way, but Warren did pick up a "T" for that little taunt.

(Via everywhere, but I found it at WATP)

But not this cat. Look the guy had a great 4th quarter...he actually hit free throws...and they won at home. These are all things he should be doing routinely...not for just one game.

Here's the thing....you'll look at ESPN tomorrow and someone will be championing Mr. James. But don't belive the hype folks....don't fall for that nonsense. When Lebron does the same thing next game....in Detroit....then I'll "reposition". Also, LJ....if you showed this intensity 24/7....this wouldn't be an issue.

P.S.- Larry who? Someone needs to start a BenchHughes.com. I'm sick of crap-ass coaches like Mike Brown lucking into great lineups like this, and people praising their genius.

P.P.S- What's with the no technical call on the FT trash talk? I thought that the NBA made it a point after last playoffs. I don't really think it's a problem, but don't say you're going to do one thing and then do another (Yes, I'm still bitter Gil missed those FTs).

(Occasionally AA will find incoherent ramblings from announcers and the like, and it's your job to decipher them)

Here's our second "What in the World?", a clip of The Terminator on Hockey Night in Canada. If you can tell me what Arnold is saying I'll buy you a beer someday.

"Winning Attitudes" crashing together ALWAYS makes for a great series.

What in the World?: The Chris Berman Edition (Awful Announcing)

What do you get when you cross Will Smith with Ron Harper and Little Richard? This fabulous NBA Action commercial from 1992. Enjoy!

Whatever happened to composing a sweet synthesized track and throwing some highlights over it? Now we just get David Blaine.

Not that you didn't already know that, but seriously how crazy is this video???

I don't know about you, but if I from six feet in the air and landed on my back....I wouldn't be getting up for about 5 days (if at all).

(Usually) Everyday (usually around noon) I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues.

Friday's Winner: Giving this one to Brave Sir Robin for the caption below....








"That pine tar was NOT above the trade mark!"- Brave Sir Robin

Ah George Brett....nothing like the image of a crazed madman running through your mind all day.

Are you funny enough to come up with a caption for this photo of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dropping the ceremonial puck to start the Stanley Cup Finals?


AA's Entry: "Prepare for a bitter hahvest. Wintah has come at last!!!"

I don't know about you but this whole flopping thing is beyond ridiculous to me at this point. I'm against the practice as much as the next person, but is there really anything you can do about it? The Manu Ginobilis of the world are experts at the practice, and at real speed they look like "real" fouls.

One of Jeff Van Gundy's pet peeves is the flop, and coming from a defensive minded coach that's saying something. JVG seems to have taken his new found airtime to champion the movement against the act, something Mark Jackson shouldn't have gotten in the way of....

"He didn't throw him down. Robert Horry, EVERY TIME he comes up to set a screen he flops."- JVG
"By raising his arm, Boozer created reasonable doubt and sent Robert Horry to the line."- MJ
"Are we in a court of law? Reasonable doubt!?!?!?"- JVG

Mark Jackson's nonsense spewed over into Game 4 as well. After Ginobili acted his way to his 40th free throw of the night MJ was championing the Argentinian....

"Manu Ginobili is the type of guy that you love to have on your team at the playground 'cause it's point game you put the ball in his hands he's either going to score or get fouled."- MJ

Umm, it's my understanding that in playground/street basketball that there are no fouls. And if there are fouls do you ever go to the line??? P.S.- The guy is shooting 40% from the field in the playoffs. If it's point game I think I'm going inside to this guy. But that's just me (and Gregg Popovich, and every other sane individual).

I'm keeping my eye on this debate for the rest of the playoffs, but Mark Jackson is starting to look over-whelmed in these spots. I thought anyone was better than Hubie Brown, but I'm beginning to think I'd take him over Jackson. I'm just glad Van Gundy is there to balance out the "suck".

First let me start by saying that I'm extremely disappointed that embedding is disabled on this clip. So everyone boo muvidlover with me. Now that you've done that...

The Synopsis: On the NASCAR telecast over the weekend Chris Meyers sets up a plug for Fantastic Four 2, and throws it down track-side to Steve Burns for an interview with the cast of the movie. They are standing by a decorated Dodge, and Steve Burns starts the interview with Jessica Alba....that's when things get fun...

Click Here (You Tube)

"NASCAR is a sport, but it's also entertainment, which bring us to Ms. Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and friends."- SB

The rest of the cast just cracks up, and Jessica graciously helps Burnsy out with the names. My favorite part actually happens just before the 1:30 mark when Steve just completely blows off Chiklis to talk to Alba about Maxim.

Too damn funny...just goes to show you that sideline reporters are just as worthless in NASCAR as they are in any other sport.

(And again....muvidlover....boooooooo!)

Wait, There's a Second Fantastic Four (Awful Announcing)

(This is probably OMDQ's last post of the weekend, because writing ten items in two days is exhausting for him. Yes, even if half of them are YouTube videos)

I told myself earlier tonight that no matter what was said on ESPN tonight, I was going to leave Joe Morgan alone. The man takes enough heat without me piling on each and every week.

But then something happened between him and Jon Miller that, quite honestly, made me giggle.

With Curtis Granderson at the plate in the bottom of the third inning, Miller mentioned that the Tigers outfielder was doubling as a blogger for ESPN.com. From there, he segued into a story that Granderson had told about writing to Kirby Puckett once for a school assignment, and how the fact that Puckett had been so pleasantly responsive that it still affected the way Granderson handled his fan mail. At the end, Miller left Morgan an opening to comment, and Joe did...by not responding to the story at all. Instead, he started talking about how Fausto Carmona had just walked Granderson, even running through a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of the at-bat. No segue or anything.

In fairness, I'm not willing to lay this one totally on Joe Morgan's shoulders. For all I know, the producers were in his earpiece screaming, "JOE! Jon's off on one of his tangents again! Reel that #%$!@ in!" So Joe just figured he'd change the subject and nobody would notice.

It worked, I guess - Miller followed along and got back to actually calling the game, which was good because it turned into a nice little Tigers rally. But, like I said, it made me giggle, and I wanted to give all of you the same opportunity.

Yankee fans who are "divorcing" the team this season? I have no respect and/or pity for you. None at all (Can't Stop The Bleeding)

Someone agrees that UFC and boxing are more similar than most care to admit - and not in a good way (Signal to Noise)

An argument that last night's "if you went to the bathroom when the fight was starting, you probably missed it" ending to the main event was a good thing for UFC (We are the Postmen)

I've heard this argument before, but it's still the best defense of any young athlete: when you were their age, how would you have handled yourself? (YAY Sports!)

I tried to sell a bunch of basketball cards from the late 1980s and early 1990s last year. The guy at the card store laughed at me (Deadspin)

A few reasonable ideas on how the WNBA can be made better (If I Ran...)

Brandon Rush must have learned something from his brothers (The Sports Flow)

It's not a blog link, and it should have been included yesterday, but how can I fail to mention that "El Guapo", Rich Garces, officially joined the Can-Am League's Nashua Pride on Friday Night? I was there, about five rows behind home plate, and one thing stood out: reports of El Guapo's slimming have been greatly exaggerated. He's still a big dude (The Nashua Telegraph)

(This post presented by OMDQ)

About 1/3 of the way through the Indy 500 (about 70 laps) and your leader is Tony Kanaan, with Marco Andretti, Sam Hornish Jr., and Danica Patrick all in the running.

According to the TV people who get paid to learn such things, Kanaan opted against a pit stop a few laps ago because a weather specialist hired by his team is predicting rain at some point, possibly cutting the race short, so he's racing with that in mind.

AHHHH! Milka Duno has crashed! She's done for the day. (Can there possibly be anything scarier than your car crashing and just sitting in the middle of the track? I know they slow everything down and make it as safe as possible, but come on - they're still going pretty fast out there).

Update: Check that - after Kanaan finally went into the pits, Sam Hornish Jr. took over first place.

Update: Worth mentioning - the two ladies left in the race (Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher) are running 19 and 24. Kanaan has dropped back several positions to 12. Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. are running 1-2.

I'll be in and out for the rest of the race (mostly out). Any additional commentary on my part will be after the jump. If anyone has any thoughts, feel free to drop them in the comments.

2:35 - Milka Duno just conducted one of the greatest interviews in recent memory. The sideline reporter (for lack of a better term), I think it was Jamie Little, asked about the crash that took her out of the race. Milka doesn't speak English very well and was pretty much incomprehensible. After she stopped talking, all Jamie Little could come up with was, "Glad to hear you're alright." Good stuff.

2:58 - This is neither here nor there, but I really enjoy that new Visa check card commercial. The one where the guy pays with cash and everything grinds to a halt was stupid because it was wrong; how often is cash slower than a card? But this one, where the lady writes a check and it takes forever? That's believable.

For the record, we have rain on the way within minutes, with Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick running 1-2-3.

3:03 - It's official: they're shuttin' it down for the time being, after 113 laps. The above running order still stands, so Kanaan wins if they aren't able to get going again.

Uhh...Jacque Vaughn...sit down....

Good lord that was just plain wicked.

(OMDQ is practicing writing about things he doesn't know a lot about)

There was a lot of talk in the days and weeks leading up to tonight's Chuck Liddell-Quinton Jackson title fight about the perceived competition between mixed martial arts and boxing, with most commenters seemingly of the opinion that the latter was practically dead and the former would soon take its place.

If by "take its place," they meant "showcase their biggest stars in pay-per-view events that are overpriced and almost always fail to deliver any excitement whatsoever," well, then MMA is on its way.

A few more thoughts and the fight video (thanks to Larry Brown Sports for leaving a trail of breadcumbs to the vid) after the jump.


I didn't watch the fight live (you'd have to threaten some pretty serious torture to get me to order a PPV of anything these days) but figured out pretty quickly from the live-blog at The FanHouse that things might not have gone as planned for Liddell and the UFC powers that be. You know it's bad when you can reprint a live-blog in its entirety:

Round 1: The fight has begun. Liddell is cautious early and in the first minute neither man has done anything significant. Jackson lands a big right hand. Liddell goes down. IT'S OVER!! LIDDELL IS KNOCKED OUT!

(On a side note, I need to say that this fight might have given me an irrational hatred of Michael David Smith - a very good writer - simply because he had the good fortune to do the live-blog. The only sports I ever live-blog - football and basketball - don't generally end early via knockout, unless Ron Artest is involved. I'm unbelievably jealous.)

These things happen, of course. But I fail to see how anyone who shelled out their hard earned dollars for this event could possibly come away satisfied. It lasted less than two minutes! That was it! And you could read about and watch it on the Internet right after it happened (although the "watch it" part probably won't last long on YouTube)! And the one guy most casual fans have heard of got his ass kicked! Why am I using so many exclamation points!?

Anyway, here's the video. (Thanks again to Larry Brown Sports for showing me that it existed.) Not really sure what strategy Liddell was using here, unless "get punched in the face and fall down" is in the playbook. Enjoy it while you can.

Special thanks to ProphetCat for the tip (click on the photo for the larger version)....


"Angels Jump on Wang Early"

(In a shocking twist, this post is brought to you by OMDQ)

For the last few months, I've been writing a series at One More Dying Quail about the "Bizarro Hall of Fame", a fun little idea I dreamed up as a way of honoring former major leaguers who were good enough to spend a substantial amount of time in baseball and good enough to be listed on the Hall of Fame ballot, but not quite good enough (or memorable enough) to actually pick up any votes in the election.

So far, I've gone through more than twenty elections, counting backwards from 2007 to the current Class of 1985. If you are so inclined, follow me after the jump as I break down the five members of that class.

Class of 1985

Clay Carroll – One of baseball’s best relief pitchers in the early 1970s, Carroll briefly held the major league record for saves in a season when he nailed down 37 contests for the Reds in 1972 (the mark was broken by Detroit’s John Hiller the following year). A two-time All-Star, he boasted a 1.39 ERA in 22 career postseason games, including 1.33 in 20 1/3 World Series innings.

Ed Kranepool – Briefly a member of the original 1962 New York Mets as a 17-year-old first baseman (he appeared in three games), Kranepool spent all of his eighteen major league seasons with the team. As a result, his formative years were spent on some of the worst teams in major league history, but he was rewarded by being a part of the 1969 World Series winning Amazin’ Mets and the 1973 team that lost to Oakland.

George Scott – Although the Red Sox finished a distant ninth in the American League in 1966, there was reason for hope in Boston: in addition to Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Conigliaro and Rico Petrocelli, the lineup featured Scott, a slugging 23-year-old first baseman who hit 27 homeruns while making an All-Star Game appearance and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He spent five more seasons in Beantown (and was a key member of the 1967 Impossible Dream team) before being traded to Milwaukee, where he enjoyed some of his finest seasons (1972-76).

Bobby Tolan – A forgotten member of the early Big Red Machine teams, Tolan’s had his best seasons for the Reds in 1969 and 1970. He missed the 1971 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon, but returned the following year to help Cincinnati to the World Series. He played all seven games in his fourth Fall Classic (he also appeared in 1967 and 1968 with the Cardinals and 1970 with the Reds), hitting .269 with five stolen bases. For his efforts, Tolan received the 1972 Hutch Award, “given to an active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win.” Previous winners included Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski, Sandy Koufax, and Pete Rose. He later spent one season as manager of the independent Atlantic League’s Nashua Pride.

Roy White – Like Ed Kranepool, White was a career-long New York player (for the Yankees) who survived some dark days before finally playing for several good teams in the late 1970s. He appeared in three World Series with the Yankees, hitting .333 in a 1978 win over the Dodgers.

(Coming soon: the Bizarro Hall of Fame Class of 1984.)

(All Hall of Fame voting results were obtained from the official web site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Statistical information included in postings for the Bizarro Hall of Fame was, unless otherwise noted, originally compiled by Baseball-Reference.com.)

(I am...OMDQ)

Kim Cowherd must have been a fan of The Big Lead (Can't Stop The Bleeding)

Thinking outside the box with regards to the Duke lacrosse team (Nation Of Islam Sports Blog)

There is something VERY weird about looking at a picture on the Internet and seeing a picture of yourself within it. That said, I didn't know that topless shots were allowed in this contest...which is probably a good thing (Ladies...)

I wrote about Eddie Grant, the first Major League Baseball player to be killed in combat, earlier in the week. This post puts me to shame (What in the Wide World of Sports is Going on Here?)

The scouting report on Ken Jennings: insanely intelligent, but might not have a good grasp of social history (With Leather)

That does it: I am totally inviting Al Jefferson to my birthday party this year (TrueHoop)

Scott Boras may be a jerk, but he's a jerk who is good at what he does (Lion in Oil)

Another installment in the most informative series on the Internet (The Big Picture)

Why aren't we all over Bud Selig's case about attending the game in which this record is broken? It's stood longer than that silly homerun mark, after all (Signal to Noise)

Longing for the days when the Indianapolis 500 meant something (Rumors and Rants)

Fantastic story that is only tangentially related to the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. I still want to know why Squid wasn't arrested. I want answers; I feel I'm entitled to them (A Price Above Bip Roberts)

Someday, I hope to be important enough that people send their lawyers after me (The Big Lead)

Time to start getting into that summer mindset (Gheorghe: The Blog)

How to pick a new bandwagon when your team sucks (Feeding the Goat)

College baseball is kind of a wonky sport. First, unlike basketball and football, the college diamond is competing for talent with a fully functioning minor league system. Second, the season starts in February, which is great if you're in balmy Texas or Florida, but lousy if you're Boston College. Third, aluminum bats. "Ping!" just doesn't have the majesty of "crack!"

Nonetheless, at this time of year, college baseball is fun no matter where you live. Conference tournaments are wrapping up this weekend, and the NCAA tournament seedings and regional hosts will be announced at 12:30 pm on ESPN this Monday. After the jump, we'll see how Omaha is gearing up for the College World Series, and how a couple of conference tournament host cities are covering the games.

The CWS is the event in Omaha. Aside from Mutual of Omaha Insurance and Omaha Steaks, that is. The Omaha World-Herald is miles ahead of the game, laying out a whole separate section for the 2007 series.

They've even started profiling a few schools that are considered virtual locks to make the Series. Schools that never crack the top 25 in Basketball or Football. Take a moment and prepare yourself for some awesome, seldom-heard college team mascots.

The University of San Diego Toreros:

USD is often overshadowed in its own city by San Diego State and its Hall of Fame coach, Tony Gwynn. Once when the Toreros played at Fresno State, fans behind the San Diego dugout clamored all nine innings for Gwynn to emerge.

Wrong team. Wrong coach.

The Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers:

"If people give us the opportunity to compete against them, we'll compete," the coach said. "And if all of our guys pull together, if all of it works out, we actually look like we've played the game once or twice. If it doesn't, we look like the Bad News Bears." - CCU coach Gary Gilmore

The Pepperdine University Waves:

"I tell my guys all the time that there's nothing else like playing in Omaha," Rodriguez said. "I loved being there, and when I think back on it, it was one of my top experiences in baseball." - Pepperdine coach Steve Rodriguez, who played second base for the team's 1992 NCAA champs

Big money is coming into play around this game. The city is considering building a new stadium, and are stiff-arming locals who were previously allowed to rent their residential property to vendors.

########################################

The shortest trip to the CWS will probably be that of the Missouri Valley Conference winner. In fact, Creighton University is located in Omaha, and the Bluejays are facing Wichita State in the title game. I imagine they'd really like to play the rest of their games at home.

The Springfield, Missouri paper is not so much covering the tournament overall, as it is lamenting the departure of their beloved Missouri State Bears, who were beaten in the Semis.

The Bears lost 13 games by one run and six by two runs. They were the worst kind of bad — good enough to smell victory, but rarely taste it.

"We were a better team than our record showed," Mattson said.

Aren't we all, son... aren't we all. My favorite touch is that baseball coverage at the Springfield News-Leader is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops.

Probably the most uplifting bit of news is that the Conference USA tourney is being held in New Orleans. It's nice to know that some sense of normalcy and functionality has returned to the city. Maybe not as much as we could wish, but some.

The Times-Picayune (one of the all-time great newspaper names) is also lamenting the the local team's fortunes, as the University of New Orleans Privateers bowed to Middle Tennessee State's Blue Raiders in a rout. The tournament is double elimination, however, so:

The worst conference tournament loss in school history puts the Privateers (32-27) into an 11 a.m. rematch with the Blue Raiders (35-24) today, with the winner advancing to the title game against either Louisiana-Lafayette or South Alabama later in the day.

I've gone on long enough, so read up on the Big 12, ACC, and SEC, and others at the College Baseball Blog.

Now: I love small schools, and I especially love to hear about great mascots, so if you went to any of these schools, drop by College Rule Notebook and tell me what it was like!

See you in Omaha.

UPDATE: In addition, I just found out that Tarheel Mania will be live-blogging the ACC baseball tournament championship game starting at 1pm Sunday. Drop by and have a look.

--Extra P.

(This post written, produced and directed by OMDQ)

I usually hate to double (well, in this case, triple) post videos, but how, I ask you, can a blog dedicated to bad announcing turn down anything associated with Versus? If you said, "It cannot," you are correct.

So enjoy your video of Versus' grizzled veterans having some fun at the expense of the new guy. Personally, I thought his reaction was perfect. If you're gonna drop a few F-bombs, at least rock the perma-grin while doing it.



(A manly, almost imperceptible head nod to Josh Q. Public and Deadspin for posting this video.)

(posted by OMDQ)

Before he was a big star in UFC, Chuck Liddell did a little high school acting. If the YouTube user who posted this is on the level (and if you can't trust YouTube, who can you trust?), the role of the villain in this video is played by Liddell himself. Fine work, Chuck, fine work.