PART OF A CHILDHOOD by ST

This news likely means nothing to most reading this post, but longtime Yankee Stadium P/A announcer Bob Sheppard passed away at age 99. From the debut of Mickey Mantle in 1951 through the latter part of the 2007 season he was the voice who welcomed you to the stadium and introduced the players. This past May when my dad, wife, some friends and I attended Yanks/Bosox in the Bronx, it dawned on me it was the 1st time I'd been to a home game without Sheppard as the P/A guy. I got to hear him announce my 4 favorite Yankees of all time from Jeter working back to Mattingly, Reggie and from 1966 until 1968, Mantle. Duck fans know how special our voice is with Don Essig who has been behind the mic since 1967, a sweet 42 going on 43 years. A big chunk of us have never attended a game at Autzen or The Pit without his unique touch.
Gotta put the wraps on the Lebron situation. Look, it was handled poorly. I think he could have let Cleveland in on the decision before he ripped out their hearts on national TV. But how about dealing with some facts. Remove the names and city. A teenager leaps directly to the pros from high school to play for his hometown team. He takes them to unprecedented heights. The franchise is pretty much a joke until his arrival. Now they are a player. He really does all he can but the city is simply not attractive to high level players who have an option as to where to play. It becomes obvious they are not going to win a title. The player leaves as a free agent. It happens. I'm not more embarassed for Cav owner Dan Gilbert using terms like "traitor". Did James ever say he was staying for sure? No! Everyone in C-town needs to grow up and face reality. Boo the hell out of him when he shows in that Miami uni, but to treat him like a pariah who killed dogs or abused women is stupid.
I have a pair of Snoop Dog & Ice Cube tickets to give a way. The show is this Friday at the Cuthbert. E-mail your answer to stevetannen@live.com to get into tonight's drawing. It's generally recognized that Snoop was discovered by one of the true pioneers of hip hop/rap or in his case, G-funk. Hint, he does a national ad for a very popular soft drink. Good luck.

IN THE GUTTER by ST

I understand that a lot of the TV shows I watch are pretty much for idiots. Check your brain at the door, sit back and enjoy some mindless entertainment. CSI Miami. Everyone looks like they jumped off the pages from Glamour Magazine. Flowing hair, high heels and cleavage would most likely corrupt the average crime scene, but it's a guilty pleasure. Last night's Lebron James announcement on ESPN was about as pathetic and embarrassing as TV gets. Interviewer Jim Gray has lost all credibility in my book. With fans sitting on pins and needles, already strung along for an extra 20 minutes or so, he's actually asking questions about James' nail biting and preference for vitamin water. Paris Hilton on any moronic reality program is more credible and less pathetic that what was witnessed last night. Happy to report I only caught about 4-5 minutes as it took me about 15 minutes to arrive at home after SportsTalk wrapped at 6pm. Once Mr. Self Involved made his choice to play for Miami I clicked the station and headed out to dinner with my wife. As a Knicks fan this makes my life as an NBA fan easy, just tack on a bit more hate for the Heat, but they're still a distant second to the Celtics. What a freaking disgrace. I'm out!

DID YOU HEAR? by ST

Rumour has it Lebron James will announce his decision just past 6pm our time. The specifics are shady because it hasn't received enough media coverage. What a circus. I do like the fact some serious cash will be raised for the Boys & Girls Clubs. My dad was instrumental in building a sweet Boys Club building in my hometown of Wayne, New Jersey in the mid 1970's so it's near & dear to my heart. I know the new favorite for his landing spot is Miami but I'll always believe the best fit is Chicago. Dwayne Wade and he are A-players, Bosh is an A-. I'll give Michael Beasley a B. The rest, including a nice point guard in Mario Chalmers would now be role players. With the Bulls you'd have an elite front liner in Boozer, Lebron, and a great, great point guard in Derek Rose. Add in 3 other B to B+ talents in Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng who averages 18 points & 7 boards. Great young coach in the new hire, Tom Thibodeau who has learned at the side of Doc Rivers in Boston the last few years. The fit in Chicago just seems tailor made for success. I also don't buy this fear of playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan. Free agents flock to the Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and LA Lakers who have multiple hall of famer shadows to walk in. I think with James' ego he'd jump at the chance to add to the 6 titles MJ & Phil won and carve out a 2nd great period of Windy City hoops in the NBA.
Anyone catch what's been happening the past 2 nights in that Cardinal/Rockies series at Coors Field. Colorado has won both games on walk off taters and on each occasion has overcome a 5 run deficit. On Tuesday they scored 9 in the 9th. Last night they posted 3 in the 8th to tie, then Chris Iannetta greeted St. Looey's Evan Maclane, making his major league debut, with a bomb to end it. Very quietly, Colorado is now tied for 2nd in the NL West and just a half game back of the Mets in the wild card race. The post all star game pennant race looks like it could be one of the all time greats in both leagues.
Just heard an interview with Tony Dungy and obviously the subject of that pig Michael Vick surfaced. What does this guy have on Dungy that he continually defends whatever he does and keeps referring to his murderous, despicable dog fighting as a "mistake". Dungy said Vick showed bad judgement having a public birthday party which ended in a shooting. He claimed Vick would not make this kind of decision again. Really? Based on what. I've pretty much lost all respect for Dungy at this point and it's painful because I'm empathetic to someone who lost a son like he did, but he's way, way off base here. His time is better spent with young people who truly need guidance and who have NOT been afforded the opportunities Vick has pissed away.

FAILURE TO REGISTER by ST

Remember when the NBA's free agency period was approaching? Lunatics on national tv & radio talking about altering the landscape of the league. I have news, with the announcement that Chris Bosh is joining Dwayne Wade in Miami pretty much eliminates that possibility. Certainly a major ripple might happen with the ridiculous hour long ESPN special tomorrow night where Lebron James will choose his next employer. We all knew there was zero shot Bosh would return to Toronto and he didn't. No one really expected Stoudamire to go back to Phoenix once he opted out of his deal and he didn't. Dirk Nowitzki is staying in Dallas, ditto Joe Johnson in Atlanta. We just covered the Big 6 of free agency with nothing happening that would make the editor race into the room with machines buzzing to scream "Stop The Presses". Still out there is a terrific player in Carlos Boozer and one of the Knick's lone bright spots, 20 point 10 board David Lee. Once again the hype has seriously outdone the reality. For heaven's sake, even though he wasn't a free agent, Oklahoma City signed stud Kevin Durant to a monster contract extension. At this point I think Lebron is 50/50 to stay in Cleveland with Chicago a legit option and at the outside, either New York or New Jersey are in play.
With no general manager after dismissing a successful guy like Kevin Pritchard, things are pretty quiet on the Blazer front though it's believed they might be pursuing a trade to bring in Miami point guard Mario Chalmers. The fact they're considering hiring Kiki Vandeweigh as new GM shows how clueless Paul Allen and management are. He's done nothing to make him stand out as a front office guy. This is brutal!

GONE IN A FLASH by ST

Roger Federer would get a bunch of votes for the greatest male singles player in tennis history. He holds the record for most singles titles in the majors at 16. He's going to turn 29 in about a month. Tennis burns out it's studs pretty quickly. Not quite at the rate of NFL running backs, but the rate can be alarming. For example, Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon over the weekend. He's 24. He's now halfway to Roger. Let's see if he can keep up the pace. He's yet to win the US Open, the next Grand Slam set for September.
Tiger Woods got a taste of what to expect next week at the British Open. Beyond the occasional heckler at certain events in the colonies, he's been let off the hook by fans and the American media. That AIN'T gonna happen across the pond. They invented tabloid journalism. At a charity event in Ireland e last couple of days he was peppered with some incredibly direct and personal questions. One reporter flat out asked him if his indiscretions which cost him millions and millions in endorsements and apparently his marriage was "worth it". Another inquired about his infidelities negatively impacting his play. TV has done a decent job of weeding out some of the comments coming from the gallery in the U.S events we've watched, but according to a recent piece in Sports Illustrated, some have been nasty. Over there, on a sattelite feed, you wonder what will escape the filters. They tee it up at St. Andrews a week from Thursday. Might make for some reality style TV.

FREE? AGENCY by ST

Is anything in the world of sport we follow more inappropriately named than "free" agency. It began with baseball in 1976. After many years of legal wrangling, players were no longer deemed property and upon the completion of the current contract, they could negotiate a deal with the highest bidder. Dodger pitcher Andy Messersmith signed with the Braves in April of 1976. Pitched one full season, got injured, kicked around for a couple more years and was out of baseball. Think the teams who sign Lebron or Chris Bosh will see the irony in the term "FREE"? By the by, the Nets have become the 1st team to meet and pitch James. Do not discount their ability with co-owner Jay Z and a trillionaire owner to land this guy!
I know I'm becoming a bitter, broken record, but I'm delighted that Virginia police have not dismissed the idea Michael Vick might be involved in the shooting outside the club where his recent 30th birthday party was held. Here's hoping this lying lowlife has to pay the piper.
I really do miss the sound of those vuvuzelas at the World Cup. Not a big soccer fan, but I've truly enjoyed the entire scene, not just the action. Seeing refs incompetency on an international scale, the fans, the drama, all of it. Plus as a student of history I get how sweet the games between Germany & Argentina or the Netherlands and Brazil are. I don't watch all 90 minutes, but do the combo, check in/Comcast DVR in case something exciting happens.
The Prefontaine is this Saturday at Hayward Field. I have a couple of pair of tickets to give a way on tonight's show. If you are interested, e-mail the answer to the following my way at stevetannen@live.com
Who won the men's 100 meter dash at last year's Pre? Good luck.