The Suspicious Death of Chris Benoit and Family.

I've been an on-and-off fan of the WWE since it was the WWF. In my history as a fan I have seen many classic matches, the rise and fall of innumerable wrestlers and the merger that brought WCW, ECW and WWE into one huge family of sports entertainers.
Pro wrestling has always been entertaining to me, even with the knowledge that it is all staged and whatnot. It has been continually fun to watch throughout the last 10 years. But yesterday, the entertainment and fun took a back seat. WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and his son were found dead in their Atlanta house yesterday afternoon. From SI.com:

Details of the deaths "are going to prove a little bizarre" when released to the public, Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County. Authorities were investigating the deaths at a secluded Fayette County home as a murder-suicide and were not seeking any suspects.

The ongoing speculation is that Benoit killed his wife, then his son then himself, all a day apart over the weekend. Authorities found the bodies at the residence yesterday afternoon and said that guns did not play a role in the killings. Benoit joins the list of recently-passed wrestlers, including The British Bulldog, The Big Bossman and Owen Hart.

To say the whole situation is "going to prove a little bizarre" is like saying that Tiger Woods is a decent golfer; it doesn't do justice to what the reality is. What could posses a man to kill his wife one day, his son the next and then himself the day after is utterly beyond me probably beyond any reasonable person. And to do it without guns reeks of something a whole other kind of bad. Personally, my best guess is that it was depression and/or roid rage, a side effect of the performance enhancing drugs Benoit and every other pro wrestler is almost certainly on. I could be completely wrong but that's the only explanation that makes sense to me right now.

Update: Yeah, Benoit killed his wife and kid and self, all about a day apart. I originally had "RIP" up here but how can anyone wish an RIP to a child murderer? Forget how fucked up he must've been, I just can't do that. I do hope that this incident is the one that finally rains shit on the WWE and gets steroids the hell out of the "sport" before something like this happen es again. more...

The Morning After on TSE - 6.26.2007

Christ, I'm hungover. Why would someone sell pitchers of delicious beer for only $5.00? That's crazy talk.

Anyway, I don't have much to talk about on the order of sports this morning but keeping with a Wimbledon theme (once again, Paul, writing about what the people want to read..just kidding...but not really) I thought I'd post some pictures of who I think is going to win the Women's side of things.

Yes, friends, that is Serena Williams. Man do I love me some that. (Wth Leather gets the picture credit)

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Wimbledon is on the Right Track

One of the big stories being bandied about by ESPN during their coverage of Wimbledon on opening day so far has been the fact that the All England Club has, for the first time ever, decided to award equal pay to both men's and women's players. Let me begin by saying that I am all for this change and am surprised it took this long for it to happen.

	Sorry, Roger, but you are just too good.

From a strict popularity basis, it's long overdue. For the past four years or so the ATP has been absolutely pulverized, clay court matches nonwithstanding, by a one-man wrecking crew known as Roger Federer. It seems a bit counter-intuitive as dynasties usually bring more attention to sports due to their polarizing nature, but that hasn't been the case with Federer. One reason may be that Federer is too dominant; he has won 79% of his tournament finals appearances ever and since 2004, the year in which he assumed the world #1 ranking, he is 277-20 in singles matches. That's 93 freaking percent. After a while it gets boring to keep watching the same guy win. Tiger Woods doesn't even finish in the top five 93% of the time.

Federer also fails to be polarizing (read: interesting) because he's not really a charismatic guy. Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras... these guys were all charismatic in that they were either likable or outrageous -- whatever you want to call it, they got you to watch. While Federer is buddies with Tiger, it'd be more appropriate if he were friends with Vijay Singh granted his demeanor (that is, if Vijay ever won anything anymore... but why let facts get in the way of a fun analogy?).

I digress. (Shock!)

	You say you wouldn't want to see two more sets per match of Ana Ivanovic? I say you're a liar.

The women's side, on the other hand, is constantly filled with story lines and intrigue. From tournament to tournament you never know who is going to win. Will it be Serena Williams? Venus Williams? Maria Sharapova? Justine Henin? Amelie Mauresmo? Martina Hingis? Ana Ivanovic? (Oh please, God, let it be Ana Ivanovic.) Real competition, interesting marketable personalities, aesthetics... there are a million reasons why more people are watching the ladies (Dot-dot-dot? No? Okay.) swing the racket than the fellas. However you want to quantify it, the surging popularity of the WTA--particularly in Grand Slams--has more than earned the women equal pay during the last fortnight of June.

Honestly, though, I don't think that Wimbledon--or any other Grand Slam for that matter--should stop there. I think that not only should the women be given equal pay, I think they should be given equal time. That's right, sports fans, I think the women should play best-of-five-set matches. Think about it:

• The TV networks get more sustained ratings for their tennis broadcasts
• The women get further credibility for their claim that their game is just as good as the men's
• The men get solace from the fact the women will have to work just as hard as they do for the money
• The tournaments get fewer upsets with 5-set matches, ensuring the best players matched up in the later rounds
• I get another hour-plus of tennis the next time there's a Sharapova-Ivanovic match

Everybody wins!!

I'm telling you it's the next logical step in the evolution of tennis, people! more...

This should make everyone happy

Let's start with the rumored four team trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics:

Lakers get: Kevin Garnett

Pacers get: Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum

Celtics get: Jermaine O'Neal

T'Wolves get: No. 5 pick in Thursday's draft (Celtics), Al Jefferson

First of all, this trade would never happen as you see it typed, because there are no expiring contracts in the mix here, and, by rule, there always has to be one expiring contract in a trade (ok, not really but it seems like it, and there's reason that teams do it-- primarily because it clears a boatload of cap room the following season). Also, I agree with the point that Chad Ford made, that there is no way that the Celtics would part with Al Jefferson to get O'Neal, considering that Jefferson could very well put up better numbers than O'Neal this upcoming season. So, that takes the Celtics out, which pretty much collapses the whole trade since that number 5 pick is kind of the lynch pin.

But, we are in the dog days of summer, so let's pretend that this trade could go through. Why would the Lakers do it? Kobe Bryant is doing his best Veruca Salt (I want help NOW!). This is the same guy who ran Shaq out of town, who at one point had to have a conversation with Jerry Buss saying that he could carry this team, that he wanted to be the man. What have we learned? Kobe cannot be the man, he can't. People want to talk about how Kobe has no help? Well, there was a guy by the name of Lebron James who has had ZERO help who led his team to the NBA Finals. I don't care if it was in the Eastern Conference, if you swap Lebron and Kobe, Lebron goes further in the West with the Lakers than Kobe does with the Cavs. Period, and I'll stand on that. Kobe is the NBA's Terrell Owens, with all necessary apologies to TO, who has never faced a rape charge. Kobe being TO is a whole other article in itself, but just take a gander at the two and tell me there aren't similarities.

So, while Garnett clearly needs a new home, so does Kobe. There needs to be a certain level of accountability that the Lakers hold Kobe to: he forced his team to trade one of the top 5 centers of all time on the promise that he could deliver the goods without him. Since then? Shaq has won a ring, and Kobe hasn't gotten out of a series in the West. Hey, I just had a great idea!

Trade Kobe Bryant for Kevin Garnett.

Now, now before you call me a genius, let me give you more reasons to think so:

1. The money works so this isn't just a pie in the sky deal. KG makes 21 Mil a year for the next three years, Kobe 17 mil for the next 4.

2. It works for LA, because you get a low post giant who can help young guys like Bynum and Kwame Brown develop. Plus, you get a guy who is a proven teammate that will let Lamar Odom get his shots and-- get this-- even CREATE some for him! This team would be a little green in the back court, but with the dearth of players you have in the front court, you could easily make a trade for someone with players like Luke Walton, Vald Radmanovic, and Chris Mihm suddenly extremely expendable.

3. It works for Minnesota, because if there's one kind of teammate that can deal with Kobe Bryant, it's young, talented players: ones that will allow him to run the show, and attempt to benefit from every opportunity they can get to prove to him their worth. Randy Foye is a good young player, not to mention the talent that they will bring in the draft on Thursday. Minnesota is thin in the front court, but so what? Kobe is used to dealing with that.

4. It shuts everyone up, Kobe gets a fresh start to attempt to be "the man" in a situation comparable to the one he is in now, and Jerry Buss will finally get a superstar who just wants to win, and will do anything to do so.

Will it happen? Probably not. But, it makes more sense than you think, and personally, I would love to see Kobe get another shot, because if there's anyone who knows how much a supporting cast means to a superstar, it's Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale.

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What is getting into Griffey?

On the heels of his homecoming weekend in Seattle, Ken Griffey, Jr. reminded us of something: he can still play. He can still play because, finally, for the first time since he left Seattle, he is healthy, and he still has a lot of get up and go in his game. Thru Sunday, he has 21 home runs and 49 RBIs in 70 games, putting him well on his way to career highs in all three categories with the Reds. He is second thru Sunday in All-Star voting among NL outfielders, and the move to right field might add at least one more year to his career.

Health is a big reason he's playing well, but there's something else. Having the opportunity to spend the summer with the Cincinnati Reds last year, I observed a lot of things, some of which I cannot discuss here. One of the more glaring memories I have of last summer was the one day when a reporter asked Junior if he would ever consider moving to right field, to make way for a quicker, more instinctive Ryan Freel. This was not something to ask him at any time, but definitely not before the team was to take batting practice. Usually when Griffey fields a question from a reporter, he would give an answer that was off-color and hysterical, and then answer the question with something they could use. He did neither in addressing the move to right field, instead he proceeded to take 20 straight minutes of batting practice. It was like nothing I had ever seen.

Billy Hatcher, the Reds' first base coach who usually throws Griffey BP, had to turn over the duties about halfway in, to bench coach Bucky Dent. What this said to me was that Griffey just wants to be appreciated. When you think about it, even though he has been injured, Junior has really been lost in the shuffle of superstars, unlike any other superstar that has preceded him.

This off season the Kid finally agreed to the move to right, and allowed other players, (Ryan Freel and Josh Hamilton) to play center. I can only imagine this has been a huge weight off of his shoulders, and his numbers are proving it. On a team like the Reds, there isn't that much to cheer about this year, besides the resurgence of this still legendary Kid, who is finally getting some of that appreciation back with the media and the fans, something I think should have never left his side. If he keeps playing this well, he could force a trade away from the Reds before the trade deadline this year:

This would never happen if George Steinbrenner were still alive. Much thanks to the Boston Dirt Dogs for their photoshop abilities.

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Marion Jones needs someone to make it rain on her.

Finally! Marion Jones and I have something in common besides our dashing good looks. The LA Times, covering her continual judicial problems (assorted lawsuits, the BALCO stuff and others) found a bank statement on public record that has her down to $2,000. More here, from SI.com:

Last year a bank foreclosed on her $2.5-million mansion in an area of Chapel Hill, N.C., where Michael Jordan was a neighbor. She was also forced to sell two other properties, including her mother's house, to raise money.

Jones' financial woes were revealed in a 168-page deposition in a breach-of-contract suit she filed in Dallas against veteran track coach Dan Pfaff. Pfaff countersued and won a judgment against Jones for about $240,000 in unpaid training fees and legal expenses.

As another of the wealth-less Americans in this great country, I feel for Jones, who used to be incredibly wealthy, at least by women's track and field standards. I need all my fingers and toes to count the times that someone else has had to pay my bar tab or electric bill (in that order, of course). But in today's economy, there are plenty of ways to make good money without really trying or, you know, selling your Mom's house and whatnot. Some suggestions:

1. Sell your 5 medals from the Sydney Games on eBay. Always a good, quick money maker. This Archery gold medal from the 1972 games is priced to move at $300 and I'm sure you could get more for one of yours.

2. Motivational Speaking. Seriously good money in this "industry", even for currently disgraced, former Olympians. It would even allow you to tell your side (and only your side, a plus) of the story: how Victor Conte defamed your character, how you and steroids never did get together and, most importantly, how your ex-husband C.J. Hunter divorced you even though, at 330 lbs, you were happy to get out of the marriage after weeks of "him-on-top-crushing-your-soul-and-liver" sex. The list goes on and on.

3. Hooking. You still have some cute left in you. You can probably parlay that into a quick, $30 Cleveland Steamer if you tried.

Anyway, best of luck to Marion. If you're ever in the Columbus area and, you know, you go ahead with suggestion #3, look me up.

But I can only pay with a credit card...is that okay?

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The Morning After on TSE - 6.25.2007

In what was billed as the match-up of potential All-Star starters and Cy Young favorites, Jake Peavy and Josh Beckett squared off yesterday afternoon in one hell of a game at PetCo Park in San Diego. We're obviously in the post-game here and the Red Sox came out as your winners, taking 2/3 from the NL West-leading Padres and building their lead in the AL East above 10 games for the first time since A-Rod cheated on his wife. Beckett was brilliant in 8 innings, mixing in his fastball with his curveball (a welcome change, if you're a Sox fan) and got out with his MLB-leading 11th win.

All this talk about great pitching got me thinking: It's been quite a year for pitching in Major League Baseball. At press, there are 10 pitchers with 9 wins or more. There are 11 pitchers with ERA under 3.00. Felix Hernandez, Curt Schilling, and most recently Dustin McGowan have all thrown complete game one-hitters. The icing on that cake has been Mark Buehrle and Justin Verlander, who have thrown the only no-hitters of the year.

And it's not as if offense is down this year. A-Rod and Prince Fielder are both above 25 dingers, 18 players have 50 or more RBIs and 37 players are batting above .300. Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run, Griffey, Jr. is going to do it later in the season and Frank Thomas is one away from jacking number 500. And it goes without saying that Barry Lamar Bonds is going to break the all-time mark in the very near future (and I'm okay with that). All told, this may be one of the most statistically excellent years in recent baseball history on both sides of the ball (if one can use that metaphor for baseball).

The NBA Draft is coming up this week so I imagine that will take up a lot of space on this small portion of the Internets. Enjoy.

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