I can’t stand that the modern day sports athlete continues to get his ass kissed on what seems to be a daily basis. It’s either to try and persuade them to remain “loyal” to a particular city, franchise or company or, on the other hand, to be persuaded to leave. The million dollar deals and endorsement opportunities aren’t enough these days. It seems so much more about who’s giving what and fans having to continually pucker up in order to lay a big fat wet one on their million dollar asses. Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City, has even joined in the lovefest. His public courtship of Lebron James is just one more example of how out of whack everything has become. The last time I checked, New York City has much larger issues than if Lebron James will be playing for the Knicks. However, there is Bloomberg smearing on his favorite lip gloss every time he talks about Lebron. After all, I’m sure you want those lips to be nice and soft when you bend over to kiss the King’s ass. What happened to the days of kissing the king’s ring. Oh, that’s right, he doesn’t have one.-DM

The NBA season is over and now the most anticipated off season begins. Being that I’m a transplanted Clevelander now living in Brooklyn, it’s been brutal having to listen to all of the talk about how Lebron is coming to the metro area. It hasn’t just been from Knick fans but also from fans of the Nets. Yes, the Net fans are convinced Jay-Z can persuade The King to play in Jersey. One of the radio stations here even has a “countdown to Lebron” segment. It bombards me wherever I go. I have people actually ask me if I want to see Lebron join the Nets because they’ll soon be playing in Brooklyn. Sure, why not just move the Browns to Brooklyn too? Hey, maybe save on moving costs and get the Indians to join in the parade.
I wouldn’t want Lebron to play here even if I was given season tickets to the Knicks and I could sit courtside next to Spike Lee. (Actually sitting next to him would be more of a deterrent than a bonus) Lebron is pretty much the only thing Cleveland fans have right now to be truly excited about and the thought of him playing in New York makes me as ill as when Elway went 98 yards or when Byner coughed it up on the goalline. The Indians stink and the Browns are in their 10th year of rebuilding. (Rome took less time to build) Lebron is really the only reason to head downtown these days. Well, I take that back. If you have a heart attack you may want to go to the Cleveland Clinic. The sad thing is, I have a feeling if Lebron leaves Cleveland a lot of people might be doing just that.

Remember the feeling when you’d go to a party and you’d take that initial glance around the room? Instantly you knew if you’d be staying or going. It usually only took a split second, but you could tell in that moment if it was going to be just a good night or one to remember for the ages.
Tom Izzo just showed up at the party and has started his initial glance around the room. He’s doing his best to stay positive, but as of right now he doesn’t really see a reason to stay.

“Hey, I know that guy. He can get this party going,” he says to himself as he glances over at a large, familiar looking, 7 foot guy sitting at what seems to be a buffet table. As he moves closer though he realizes the guy is at least 60 pounds heavier than he remembered him to be and he suddenly has no interest in talking with him. Not to mention Tom soon learns that the guy really was only invited to the party this one time and probably is going to be asked to leave soon.
Suddenly a buzz goes around the room that an All-Star just pulled in the driveway. Tom becomes entangled in the mob of people making their way to the front door trying to catch a glimpse. “Is it him?,” one guy shouts only inches from Tom, nearly rupturing his eardrum. ” I’m not sure,” another guy cries out. Suddenly the figure exists his car. Tom can feel his heart racing. “This is it. Finally this party is going to pick up.” As the shadowy figure gets closer, Tom feels the energy leave the room. He realizes the guy only stands about 6′ 2″ and worse yet, came to the party empty handed. Not even a 6 pack of Pabst can be seen under his arm. When confronted on why he’d show up to a party empty handed his only excuse was that he was a major reason why the brazilian guy, the 7 foot bald guy, and the one with the gun in a guitar case were at the party in the first place. He then instantly went into the corner and was never seen or heard from again for the rest of the night.
Tom’s now getting anxious. He knows this party is going nowhere fast and he can’t rely on this cast of characters for a good night. He’s ready to sneak out the backdoor and head back to Michigan to call it a night when all of a sudden he turns and bumps into the guy who’s throwing the party. As Tom collects himself he can’t help but notice that the guy’s pockets are overflowing with cash. “I think this party just got more interesting,” he thinks to himself. “I think Michigan can wait.”
Tom finds himself in the awkward position of listening to another wealthy businessman talk about how willing he is to spend his money and how he can make Tom rich beyond his wildest dreams. It’s a position Tom has been in before. Only this time he realizes he’s listening a little longer, a little more intently.
Tom listens for what seems to be hours. He’s promised all the money he could possible imagine and even the use of a private jet if he just stays. The luxuries seem to be endless, but he knows that there seems to be something missing.
As Tom approaches the front door to go home he scans the room one last time to see who’s still at the party. He swears he smells the subtle hint of talcum powder in the air and feels an incredible urge to stay. His mind is now racing and is no clearer than when he had first arrived.
“Maybe I’ll give it a little more time,” he’s heard whispering to himself as he heads back in to take one last look around. “After all, I could’ve missed someone.”

Coach John Wooden passed away last night at the age of 99. Here’s a little video of the coach talking about life lessons, true success and what he tried to teach his players.

Yesterday was a big day at FantasyTrophies.com. I finally completed the fantasy football trophy that has been about 5 years in the making. Ever since I started sculpting the large Throwback I always knew that a smaller version would be soon to follow. I had no idea though that it would’ve taken this long to finally introduce it. Well, he’s arrived. Introducing the NEW Mini Throwback. Contact me for details. We’re in the process of putting it up on the site and he’ll definitely be ready for your draft.

If you haven’t seen it before, I figured I’d post it again. Here is our original fantasy football trophy video. Note: Jodi is on drums.

I just got through devouring a full rack of smoked Kansas City style ribs from my recently purchased smoker and I think it would be a crime if I didn’t share the secret to their success. It goes without saying that you have to start with a great cut of meat. I go to my local butcher at the Meat Market in Windsor Terrace, NY. 3 racks of pork spare ribs later and I’m off and smoking. Well, that is after I take off the thin membrane on the underside of the ribs and throw on my Kansas City style rub. Only this time I kicked it up a notch and added a little Nigerian cayenne pepper and a dash of creole seasoning. Spread a little yellow mustard on the ribs before you slap on your rub so that every bit of that flavor sticks to the ribs. Don’t be shy with the mustard- you won’t taste it in the end. I haven’t figured out why – I chalk it up to chemistry. I then threw some apple chips in the smoker with a little apple and orange juice mix in a water tray for extra moisture. Get that smoker cranking at 225 degrees, throw in your meat and 5-6 hours later you’ll be licking every bit of those ribs off of your fingers. Oh, I almost forgot. I spread a generous amount of HOT Bone Suck’in Sauce on the ribs for the last 45 minutes of the smoke. Then I took them out, wrapped them in tin foil and covered them with a towel for about another 15 minutes. This helped to keep the juice and flavor trapped in the ribs. Crack an ice cold Brooklyn Lager and you’re good to go. If you like spicy food you’ll love these ribs. If you’re like my wife, you’ll be reaching for a glass of water every 10 seconds. Either way, they’ll be memorable.
Give it a try and tell me what you think. Damn, now I’m hungry again.

I grew up watching basketball when it was at it’s pinnacle, as far as I’m concerned, during the 1980′s. Magic was the most dynamic player in the league and was the orchestrator of “show time” in LA. Dr. J was winding down his career but still a highlight waiting to happen every night. And the Celtics where the most fundamentally sound team in the league with Parrish, McAle, D.J., Ainge and of course, Larry Bird. It was a great time to be a basketball fan and looking back I now realize I was fortunate to witness all of those great players. Players that for the most part are now in the Hall of Fame.
It brings me to my point. Let’s stop with instantly comparing the players of today to those great players of the past. Just try to enjoy these players for what they’re accomplishing and leave it at that. Why do we have such an urge to instantly compare players and eras? The Celtics are once again in the NBA Finals and I’ve already heard people talking about them in the same breath as the Celtics of the 80′s. Either it’s being done by people under the age of 30 or by others who are suffering from lapses in memory. Bird and the Celtics were a toss up year after year with the Lakers to win the championship. They were as close to the modern day dynasty as a team could get. Todays Celtics need a few more years and championships to deserve such a comparison. Anyway, can’t we at least wait until AFTER the NBA Finals?

Update: The Mini Throwback fantasy football trophy is one step closer to completion. We just pulled the first cast from the throwaway mold and now will spend some time cleaning him up. After that we’ll make another mold of him and then he’ll be ready to join the rest of the greats. Be patient, this stuff takes time. -DM

You gotta give the Orlando Magic credit. Unlike Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who showed no heart against Boston when the series was tied at two games apiece, the Magic continue to fight even after being down 0-3. Orlando is still a dangerous team that is now looking good to push the series to a game seven. Especially if Perkins is suspended for game 6 after receiving his 7th technical of the playoffs and with Baby Davis recovering from a concussion. Is it the “master of panic” Stan Van Gundy who is pushing all the right buttons or just the fact the Magic didn’t want to go out with their tails between their legs? Either way it’s an impressive showing and one Lebron hopefully is paying attention to. Lebron can fool himself into believing the Celtics were just a better team than they were, but the fact of the matter is that Lebron gave up on that series and showed no heart or leadership when the team needed him most. Unlike Dwight Howard who is battling to the end, Lebron looked like a guy who had one half of his mind on free agency and the other on a sunny vacation destination. I just hope he’s able to receive TNT or ESPN wherever he is so that he can see for himself how a team and especially a leader is to play when fighting for it’s first championship. -DM