The Morning Wood - 11/02/2006

Stud: Red Auerbach
I would just like to show some more love for Red Auerbach, a man who is known by every basketball fan in the world but not fully understood. He was a man that understood that winning and team were the two most important things in sports, regardless of the color of player. Listening to his former players share their stories and admiration for the man, I can’t help but think about how the game has changed to a more selfish individualistic entity. Here’s to hoping that his name and legacy aren’t forgotten.

Dud: Rasheed Wallace
Umm, Rasheed, this could be a problem. After the NBA tossed a zero tolerance policy in for post whistle whining (and thank God, it was starting to get out of hand. Players were starting to look like 6 year olds that had missed their nap times), Wallace was the first victim of the quicker Ts, getting tossed midway through the third quarter of last night’s game. He didn’t score a point. Ouch.

Talk Around the Cooler:
So the big talk on the free agent baseball market is Daisuke Matsuzaka, the pitcher who led Japan to a WBC championship victory last spring. I honestly can’t blame the teams because the alternatives are these two, who should really not even be allowed to sign in the AL, this folk singer, and Jason Schmidt, who is good but not necessarily healthy. A blind bidding process will occur and teams will be tossing up to 50 million dollars (which will buy a lot of PS3s for the owner of the Seibu Lions. Who’s going to get him? The Mariners? The Yankees? Pardon me if I’m skeptical, but I’ve seen how tough it is to adjust to a different league.

Quick Hits...
Guillermo Mota was suspended 50 games for using performance enhancing drugs. I’m appalled by this, but not as appalled as I would have been if I had to watch him pitch all season long like he was throwing in May and June. The University of South Carolina will be limited to the amount of rooster crows they play during home games, according to the SEC. However, they will not limit the amount of times announcers call Steve Spurrier the “old ball coach” or “an offensive genius” despite what he did with the Redskins. Boise State moved to 9-0 last night, keeping their BCS hopes alive, as well as their hopes that someone East of the Mississippi might be able to name one player on their team.