MiniVanGundy

Jessica Simpson and the Giants playoff runs

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:33:00 +0000

If I am a San Francisco 49ers fan I do not want Jessica Simpson anywhere near Candlestick park this weekend. Why would she be there one might ask? Well she happens to be engaged to former 49ers tight end Eric Johnson. Now Johnson is no all time great by any standard, however in his heyday he was nothing to shake a (candle)stick at and I'm pretty sure if he had the desire to make the trek to the Bay Area for Sunday's AFC championship game, he could probably get tickets with relative ease. For fans of the Giants they can only hope he is joined by his famous fiancé, seeing as how last time the pop star attended a Giants playoff game, Eli Manning led New York to a stunning playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys prompting Terrell Owens to be overcome with emotion while proclaiming his love for Tony Romo (Vernon Davis anyone?).

In things MJ or Kobe would never tweet news

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:11:00 +0000

We bring you this from the Twitter feed of Lebron James apparently distraught over his dismal performance last night...

Pretty sure if Pau Gasol asked Kobe if he wanted to talk about it after a tough loss, he would be listed as day-to-day.

Find things we would tweet @MiniVanGundy

Peyton Hillis might as well do something for your fantasy team this year.

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Peyton Hillis has let so many fantasy owners down this year. He missed a game with strep throat (is that an NFL first?) and apparently needs a new hamstring more than a new contract. It's not like me to kick a player when he is down but if you miss a children's event that you've committed to that pretty much makes you fair game, so I'm calling on all of you who own Peyton Hillis to rename your fantasy squad something that vents your frustrations towards him, tweet your new fantasy name to me @MiniVanGundy and I'll retweet them as long as they are not overly offensive (like Hillis this season, see what I did there?).

Did you go to bed thinking the Texas Rangers won the World Series?

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:38:00 +0000

Admit it, you were tempted to turn off the TV when Derek Holland crossed the plate last night giving the Rangers a three run lead and seemingly a stranglehold on the franchise's first World Series title. If you did, you and the fans who left the stadium before the end of the game have to be kicking yourself this morning. In order to make sure this type of thing never happens to you again, we've created a set of guidelines for you (not based on any science or empirical evidence whatsoever) as to when it is okay to turn the TV off or leave the stadium (if you absolutely must) so you do not miss the next "greatest game ever."

Baseball: Never, there is no time limit, the game is done when the last out is recorded. If you missed it last night, you deserve the shame and ridicule that comes with it.

Football: If it is a 3 possession game and there is less than 4 minutes left and the other team is out of timeouts, I'd say you are pretty safe, that is unless your team's quarterback's name is Tony Romo.

Basketball: If it is a 4 possession game with approximately one minute left and the leading team is about to shoot free throws you are safe (including games involving Reggie Miller).

Hockey: If an empty netter is hit, it's okay to empty the arena, also the first time the zone is cleared in a three goal game with under two minutes to play.

Soccer: In a three goal game once there is under 10 minutes to play (games involving the Italian men's national team and Brazilian women's
team you will have to account for injuries) it is okay to start heading for the car, chances are if a comeback is going to happen the first goal
will be scored before you can make it out of the stadium.

Golf: Changed dramatically since Thanksgiving of two years ago but if Phil Mickelson or Dustin Johnson is involved, stay tuned.

Tennis: Only matches you should be watching are those involving at least 2 of the following 3: Djokavic, Nadal, Federer but if you are an American diehard as soon as Andy Roddick drops the second set the rest of the day is yours to do what you want with it.

Don't miss us on Twitter @MiniVanGundy

WVU owes a certain former coach a big thank you today

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:32:00 +0000

The college football dominoes continued to fall today as word came that West Virginia University would be joining the Big 12. There is not a whole lot coming out of Morgantown right now, so we cannot confirm nor deny whether WVU plans to have any ceremony honoring the man who without all this would be possible... Former head coach Rich Rodriguez. Yes, as much as Mountaineer fans and alumni may hate to hear that, they owe their pardon from conference purgatory to a man who is reviled in their state. Scanning various social media outlets today the rhetoric coming from the WVU faithful has largely centered around their success over the last decade, including two BCS bowl wins, all this of course under Rodriguez. The facts are that conference realignment has centered around football and the efforts of Rodriguez made WVU an asset that was valuable enough for the Big 12 to justify bringing in and feeling good about. So as you breathe a sigh of relief today after being plucked from the junk pile that is the Big East perhaps you will swallow some of that lingering bitterness from the day RichRod bolted to Ann Arbor and realize that without him, this probably is not possible.

Occupy Movement: Sports Edition

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Occupy my Twitter @MiniVanGundy

The occupy movement that started on wall street and has become a global phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. It is just a matter if time before it sweeps over the sports landscape. Taking that into account we give you a list of movements that should or are likely to happen...

LSU fans should occupy honey badger's whereabouts to make sure he is eligible to play against Bama

Tim Tebow should occupy quarters 1-3

The Dolphins should be glad they continued to occupy the loss column #suckforluck

Donovan McNabb should occupy retirement.

If Peyton Manning wants to make sure the Colts aren't in position to draft Andrew Luck he should occupy the offensive coordinator duties

Tashard Choice should no longer occupy a roster spot for the Cowboys

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgerson should occupy the barbershop after occupying a Bill Murray Kingpin costume for Halloween.

Roddy White should be prepared for opposing fans to occupy Rodney chants.

For his postgame press conferences Ron Washington should occupy a jacket that isn't three sizes too big for him.

Tony Larussa should occupy a megaphone.

Potential Peyton Manning Trade Partners

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Tony Dungy thinks the Indianapolis Colts should draft Andrew Luck if given the opportunity and trade Peyton Manning. With what would've been a willing suitor in the Oakland Raiders following their trade for Carson Palmer we look at other potential destinations for the future hall of fame quarterback.

Kansas City Chiefs: A franchise that has some history dealing for legendary quarterbacks, and a team that despite a terrible start has shown signs of life. With the return of Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki in 2012, to join an offense with Dwyane Bowe and Steve Breaston, it could be an appealing destination for Manning.

Washington Redskins: Are we really to believe Mike Shanahan is going to strap his cart to John Beck or Rex Grossman for the long haul? Also, do you think Dan Snyder would be able to resist making a move like this.

San Francisco 49ers: Behind Jim Harbaugh and a nasty front seven on defense this is a team in the rise. They've built a solid offensive line that could keep Manning upright and possibly let Michael Crabtree finally reach his potential.

Baltimore Ravens: To me, this is the one that makes the most sense, with one caveat, the Ravens do not win the Super Bowl this season. Say Baltimore gets bounced by Pittsburgh in the playoffs again, do you really think anyone in that front office would be brave enough to tell Ray Lewis that they're sticking with Flacco?

Dallas Cowboys: If they miss the playoffs, the calls for Tony Romo's head may be too loud to ignore. Much like Baltimore, this is a team built to win now.

Why you hate fantasy football: Week 7

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:58:00 +0000

The most hated player on your team.

Ryan Torain: owners should've known Shanahan would've killed any chances of him producing a worthy line after a disappointing line against the Eagles, however, the zone blocking scheme leads to delusions of grandeur which even yours truly fell victim to. Don't be surprised if Torain has a few more decent performances though, I'm pretty sure Shanahan just likes to mess with everyone.

Runner up: Darren McFadden

Michael Bush put up 111 yards after run dmc went down, could've been an epic day.

The most hated player on your opponent's team:

Demarco Murray: here's the situation, your friend gets up Sunday morning, looks at the waiver wire and sees Murray available and Tashard Choice available. They choose Murray and proceed to not shut up until Fox's animation domination goes off the air.

Runner up: Arian Foster

Might get some flak for not going with a member of Saints here, but you knew Brees and co. would take the Colts behind the woodshed. Foster was so good, he made Ben Tate a decent pickup again.

Your weekly Ndamukong Suh is a dirty player report

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Ndamukong Suh is becoming the second most scrutinized player in the NFL (Broncos quarterback cough cough). Following the Detroit Lions loss to the Atlanta Falcons the biggest headlines to come out of the game were about things Suh may or may not have said following an injury to Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, not about the Falcons starting to play up to their potential or the injury to Matthew Stafford. No, all anyone wanted to talk about is how Suh said "get the cart" following the injury to Ryan and how classless that was. Now I have no idea what is said in the trenches during an NFL game, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Suh probably said some nastier things then "get the cart" during the course of the game. If players have a problem with what he's saying, they could always try blocking him, that might keep him quiet. Also, once again, I'm not privy to the inner workings of the NFL but I'll go out on another limb and say that a lot of players probably lost respect for the members of the Falcons who chose to figuratively throw Suh under the bus to the media.

NBA Lockout: The main issues holding up a deal

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Yesterday was not a good day for the NBA. After marathon negotiating sessions produced no deal, the respective sides took to the media to spin their side of the demands. The players have said from the beginning that the owner's proposal is unreasonable and we tend to agree with them. We've provided a list of 10 of the major issues below though so you can judge for yourself.

1. 50 percent of all televised free agency decisions revenue.

2. Must cover at least 50 percent of Michael Jordan's gambling losses.

3. Ability to sell naming rights on any future name changes by players (Metta World Piece presented by TD Ameritrade).

4. Player's must agree to purchase at least 10,000 WNBA season tickets.

5. Portion of their income to go into escrow to pay for Mark Cuban's fines.

6. Agree to cover damages from any future sexual harassment suits against Isaiah Thomas and the Knicks.

7. Charles Barkley and Antoine Walker must only enter the Palms in Las Vegas as this will serve as the primary financing of new arena in Sacramento.

8. Future players are prohibited from dating Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

9. Anytime Dwight Howard misses a free throw, each owner gets a $100 Best Buy gift card.

10. Lebron's free fries from his new McDonald's commercial.

New SEC shirts for Texas A and M

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:12:00 +0000

According to AggielandOutfitters.com the grass really is greener on the SEC side for the Aggies.

Boris Said is ready to fight

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Nascar driver and road track specialist is no fan of Greg Biffle. Will he use Mapquest or Google Maps?

@MiniVanGundy

Video: Crazy Tiger Woods Fan

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:17:00 +0000

He's no cigar guy, but I found him pretty entertaining. Is he somehow related to Kevin James?

Follow us on Twitter @MiniVanGundy

Giants can be mad, but not at Steve Smith

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:36:00 +0000

There are reports surfacing today that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin feels betrayed by new Philadelphia Eagles receiver Steve Smith. Giants executive Pat Hanlon, in one of his least inflammatory tweets of the past day or two said that the Giants made responsible offers to Smith and Kevin Boss. I'm not sure what a responsible offer is, but chances are for a wide receiver coming off microfracture surgery, it probably was an incentive laden deal and I'd be shocked if it was longer than one year. Smith knew he had to find the best deal for him, because his chance to get his real contract will be coming up next year and maybe if Giants tone down the anger and rhetoric they'll have their chance to give Smith the contract they apparently are so desperate to give him.

Make sure you are following us on twitter @MiniVanGundy

NFL Stadiums that should be blown up

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:48:00 +0000

With the story circulating yesterday about Heinz Field’s role and demise in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises movie, we decided it would be a good idea to examine which NFL stadiums deserve the same fate.

San Francisco 49ers:
Candlestick Park-Comes across on television as quite possibly the ugliest stadium in the league. No one quite knows what is going on with those seats that keep wrapping around, is there some abyss under the midfield seats? The good news is that everything seems a go for them to finally move into a new stadium in the coming years.

Buffalo Bills
To put it bluntly, this is a team that the past few seasons has chosen to go play in another country once a year to try and generate more fan interest and revenue. Owner Ralph Wilson has said once he passes the team will be sold to the highest bidder, the Bills may be in a holding pattern until then.

Oakland Raiders
With the Florida Marlins moving into new digs next year, the Raiders will be the only remaining team in the NFL that shares their stadium with a Major League Baseball team. Raiders fans have to hope Los Angeles doesn’t swoop in and steal them away again before the Raiders secure a new stadium in the Bay Area.

San Diego Chargers
The Chargers escape the Major League Baseball distinction the Raiders have, only because the Padres moved to beautiful Petco Park. Another team that is on the Los Angeles radar.

Minnesota Vikings
Mother Nature did her best to finish off the Metrodome last year. Has to be frustrating for Zygi Wilf to constantly go through the political tug of war to try and get a new place built.

St. Louis Rams
The Rams have the same stadium problems that the Vikings have, they are in a place that just is not capable of generating the type of revenue some of these new palaces are. Like the Raiders they could look to go back to Los Angeles.

Chad Henne is hearing same boos Drew Brees heard

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Remember way back when Drew Brees was on the San Diego Chargers? Through the first three seasons of his NFL career he certainly was not the franchise quarterback San Diego had drafted him to be. In fact his performance for the team through those first three seasons was enough for the Chargers to pick Eli Manning and then flip him for Phillip Rivers in the 2004 NFL draft. We all know the rest of the story, Brees turns his career around, goes to New Orleans in free agency and the rest is history. Well now we sit here in 2011 and look at Chad Henne with the Miami Dolphins and can’t help but ask if he has the potential for a Drew Brees type career turnaround? Looking at their career statistics, their numbers are not that dissimilar through their first three seasons. Between Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess, Anthony Fasano, and now Reggie Bush there are pieces there that should make Henne’s life easier. Also if you factor in the fact that Jake Long is protecting his blind side, if things stay the same this year you have to believe Miami will make a move to address the quarterback position and quiet the boos coming from the fans there, unfortunately for Tony Sparano, it will probably be too late.

Kyle Orton is the better quarterback, is he the right one?

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:36:00 +0000

A lot of the NFL free agency buzz the past few days has taken a back seat to the quarterback competition taking place at Denver Broncos training camp between Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow. From all reports Orton has vastly outplayed Tebow in practice, to the point that Broncos players (and Miami Dolphins fans) have anointed him the clear-cut starter. Here is the question though, just because Kyle Orton has been the better quarterback in practice, does that make him the right quarterback for this Broncos team. Last time I checked, the Broncos weren’t exactly in win-now mode. This is a Denver team that finished last in their division and had the 2nd pick in the draft. By all measures, Tim Tebow is the quarterback of the future for Denver and unless you think Orton is taking you to the playoffs, (I can only confidently name three teams in the AFC that I think Denver could finish ahead of) I think it’s pretty fair to ask if it is the right time to move on? It’s almost a win-win for Denver, if Tebow proves to be a legit quarterback, then Denver has got their guy, if it is a disaster, then there’s a good chance John Elway gets to take the second coming of John Elway in Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Rachel Nichols, meet Randy Moss’ front yard

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:35:00 +0000

If you are anything like us, you are not 100 percent sold on Randy Moss’ retirement. We have questions that we need answered and we feel like we need someone to camp out on Moss’ front lawn for daily coverage on Sportscenter. Who better than ESPN’s resident retirement reporter Rachel Nichol’s? To help her out we tweeted her directions to Moss’ hometown of Rand, West Virginia from Hattiesburg Mississippi, because we heard she keeps a summer home there. Mapquest puts the voyage at 818.13 miles and estimates it will take 12 hours and 34 minutes.

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Should Ahmad Bradshaw fire his agent?

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Twelve million dollars; that is the difference in the amount of guaranteed money given to New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw and Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams. Bradshaw had to be very excited when he saw Williams sign his monster deal last week, thinking that he would likely be in line for something similar, however, his patience ended up costing him and he was forced to take significantly less. What went wrong for Bradshaw? Well, he watched interested teams in the Dolphins and Redskins trade for Reggie Bush and Tim Hightower and the Bengals keep Cedric Benson, leaving really only the Giants to negotiate with and taking away all his leverage. Everyone knew that once the lockout was over free agency was going to be a mad dash and second tier free agents like Bradshaw and Williams were in position to cash in on a team looking to fill their roster quickly and get more than they probably deserved. Williams was able to get his monster deal, Bradshaw has to be disappointed, even if it was his desire to stay with the Giants. All is not lost for Ahmad, the best strategy he can employ now is to just keep what he’s doing. Let’s say the next couple of seasons he puts up something in the range of the 1500 total yards he put up in 2010, if I were his agent I would advise him to hold out. At that point Bradshaw will be close to 30 and it will likely be his agent’s last opportunity to get his client the big contract he should have gotten this time.

Peyton Manning: The Smartest Man in Football

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:29:00 +0000

I feel sorry for all those kids participating in this year’s Manning Passing Academy, they unwittingly have become pawns in the NFL labor standoff thanks to the smartest man in football: Peyton Manning. If you’ve watched Manning over the years, you know that no one is more adept at reading defenses and adjusting on the fly than he is; he has total freedom, essentially he’s an extra coach on the field. This week, however, he’s shown that he can play the public relations game with the best of them as well. For the first time in 16 years he is not physically participating in the academy he puts on with his father Archie and brother Eli. The reason he is not participating is because he is in “cautious mode” while rehabbing from offseason surgery to repair a bulging disc in his neck. He is being “cautious” because per the rules of the lockout he cannot have contact with the team’s therapist Erin Barill, who has overseen Manning’s rehabilitation from two other surgeries. Take that Jim Irsay. Your golden goose is on record saying he’s not feeling too good about his injury, and if you read the undertones he’s saying if you want to keep me happy you better get in there with your buddies in the owner’s boxes and solve this thing or we could be in trouble. He’s sending a message for all the other player’s out there who are paying for their own surgeries and rehabbing on their own that if you want your money’s worth out of your investments then maybe you should try and get this fixed. It’s a subtle message, unlike ones sent out by players by Antonio Cromartie and others via Twitter and the like but a much more impactful one, but what would you expect from a guy with the pedigree Manning has? When it comes to the game on and off the field, Peyton Manning is once again proving that he is the best of the best.

Steve Nash to the Lakers… The NBA trade that needs to happen.

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Sorry Steve Nash, you’re just too nice, too loyal, you need people around you who know what’s better for you than you do yourself, a no-holds barred, take charge, cutthroat type of person who can take you to where you ultimately need to be. Let me introduce you to that person, Steve Nash meet Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant meet Steve Nash. The NBA draft is always ripe with teams looking to deal, and it is no secret that after getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to upgrade significantly and give Kobe the chance to maximize his last few opportunities at NBA championships and pad his legacy. This is where Steve Nash comes in, it would be a match made in heaven, the significant upgrade at point guard that the Lakers need and we could watch Nash and Kobe ride into the sunset together. Now I know what you are thinking, the Lakers do not have the pieces to sufficiently whet the Phoenix Suns’ appetite, and you would be right. This would have to be one of those complicated three or four team NBA trades to really make this work. Here is the scenario: the Lakers get Nash and are good to go, The second (and possibly third), team, most likely an average or terrible squad that thinks they are a few pieces away get Lamar Odom, Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Robin Lopez or some other role player that a general manager thinks has great upside but will ultimately never be more than a role player and they up their win total and possibly make the playoffs saving jobs in the process. Finally the Suns get some young players with “upside” and some good draft picks from the second (and possibly third) team to start their rebuilding process. This is all contingent on someone stepping up and saving Steve Nash from himself, his good buddy Dirk and the Mavs have no intentions on giving up their title and do you really think up and coming teams like Oklahoma City and Memphis are going to get worse? I know he wants to do right by Phoenix but the window has closed for him there, a wide open one is waiting for him in L.A.

U.S. Open Preview: NBA Finals Edition

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:07:00 +0000

To all of you casual sports fans out there who only seem to turn the dial to golf when Tiger Woods is playing, the U.S. Open is this weekend at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Still three days later, all the talk in the sports world seems to still be revolving around the recently completed NBA Finals so with that in mind we give you a look at some of the principles in this weekend’s U.S. Open and there closest NBA Finals counterpart.

Lee Westwood – Dirk Nowitzki

Supremely talented Europeans. Lee, like Dirk (before Sunday night) has never really been given his due thanks in part to some close calls and heartbreak on the biggest stage. Westwood can take the next step with a major victory this weekend.

Rory McIlroy – Lebron James

Has all the talent in the world to win multiple championships. Could be immaturity, could be putting too much pressure on themselves, whatever it is they have yet to put 4 rounds (or quarters) together and win the ultimate prize.

Phil Mickleson – Rick Carslile

The elder statesman. Has always shown themselves to be a winner. Willing to take some risks to get the job done and seems to have a few more tricks in their bag than their opponents.

Dustin Johnson – Mark Cuban

Willing to go for broke to get to their goal. Also seems to have issues with authority (i.e. Mark Cuban vs. David Stern; Dustin Johnson vs. non-existent bunkers).

Rickie Fowler – J.J. Barea

Not the biggest guys out there or even the most talented, but they certainly are the flashiest.

Graeme McDowell – Dwyane Wade

They don’t always get talked about as much as those around them, but no one can take away that they have reached the top of the mountain.

Steve Williams – Chris Bosh

Have made a mark for themselves in their game, however, their ultimate task is to aid the brighter stars around them in getting to a championship level.

Bubba Watson – Jason Terry

No one around them will ever say they lack confidence, and what can I say… Chicks dig the long ball.

Luke Donald – Erik Spoelstra

Have spent a lot of time climbing the ladder and putting themselves at what seems like the top of their profession, to be taken seriously though, they need to take that next step.

Matt Kuchar – Brian Cardinal

A hairline joke would be too easy, not to mention cruel (and I don’t want or need that karma coming back to me). What I will say is that you have to admire how hard each of them works out there and they seem to be having fun doing it.

Tiger Woods – Kobe Bryant

Neither one of them make it to their sports biggest stage this year, and you have to ask yourself what it will take for them to get back to the top.

Ranking the NBA Championship Hats 2000-Present

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Winning an NBA title is the pinnacle of a player's career, a memory that will last them a lifetime. Some players however, might have their pictures a little more front and center than others based on the hat they are given to wear for their post game celebration. We examine that championship hats from all the NBA Finals winners since 2000 and rank them from best to worst.

1. 2007 San Antonio Spurs

Simple, clean and understated, much like that 2007 Spurs team.

2. 2001 Los Angeles Lakers

Phil Jackson's best Lakers team also deserved the best championship hat.

3. 2005 San Antonio Spurs

After a brutal and physical 7 game series with the Detroit Pistons the Spurs were rewarded with the number 3 hat on our list.

4. 2009 Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant's first title post-Shaq can be remembered even more fondly when he looks at this one in his trophy case.

5. 2008 Boston Celtics

A little louder and little more flashy, much like that championship team centered around the Big 3 in Boston.

6. 2002 Los Angeles Lakers

Simple but nothing is eye-grabbing or stands out, that's why it falls in the middle of our list.

7. 2004 Detroit Pistons

It works for that blue collar Pistons team, but imagine if that Lakers team with Karl Malone and Gary Payton would've won, could you imagine a Lakers logo on this hat?

8. 2000 Los Angeles Lakers

Loses points because of an identity crisis. This was the 1999-2000 NBA season and this design trended more towards the 1990 side of things rather than Y2K.

9. 2003 San Antonio Spurs

After running off 3 straight titles the Lakers were dominating the NBA and a lot of teams were just giving up, obviously the designers of this hat did as well and the Spurs suffered.

10. 2010 Los Angeles Lakers

I'm pretty sure if you go back and check the tape, Kobe did all his interviews with his hat backwards.

11. 2006 Miami Heat

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry erased a lot of the painful memories from the 2006 NBA Finals by defeating the Miami Heat this year, had they won however, they'd always have the painful memories of this championship hat.

12. 2011 Dallas Mavericks

Can't do anything for Dirk and Jet on this one, pretty sure people at Adidas were sure Lebron James and the Heat were going to win it so they designed the ugliest hat they could think of to make the King look as silly as possible, he did a good enough job of that himself though with his performance against the Mavs.

Lebron, a wise investment?

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Take a look at the diagram below, it charts the fluctuations of Nike's stock from the start of the NBA Finals to it's closing today after the Miami Heat were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks and Lebron's quotes about people having to go back to their personal problems circulated throughout the world.

A couple of observations and we are only speculating here because we are in no trying to position ourselves as experts: the dip after the Heat's win in Game 1, could that have been attributed to the feeling then that Miami was going to walk through the Mavericks to the title and was fueled by the anti-Lebron sentiment? Also, it is hard to ignore the dips after Lebron's disappearing act in games 4 and 5.

One question to ponder, how does Lebron's marketing team and the gurus at Nike work to repair the damage done? America loves a comeback story, we've seen numerous other athletes fall, whether personally or professionally only to come back and be admired for it, however, with Lebron it is different. He had the chance to own up for his shortcomings last night and instead used his platform to essentially spit in the face of middle America i.e. the consumers his advertisers count on. He looked as lost in the post game press conference as he did out on the floor, deferring to Dwyane Wade to answer the tough questions. The fact is, and it's a scary and puzzling one for Nike and other Lebron sponsors, their spokesman has a serious image problem.

Mark Cuban curses on Sportscenter

noreply@blogger.com (A. Henry) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:41:00 +0000

Censors miss Mark Cuban calling out the Miami Heat fans.