Labron’s decision to go to the Heat with Wade and Bosh means he’ll never be in Jordan’s league no matter how many championships he gets because a) it’s DWade’s team and b) he’s playing with 2 other superstars. Here is what Jordan has to say about Labron’s decision (via ESPN):

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,’ ” Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. “But that’s … things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Then, the best wanted to beat the best. Now, the best want to join the best and dominate the rest.

An hour long special on Labron’s decision – what a joke.

I’m so bummed that the USA couldn’t pull out that game against Ghana yesterday. Seriously, now I’m going to have to root for Brazil and Argentina. Oh well, at least we got to watch this goal by Donovan in the opening round. Until 2014 in Brazil, this video will have to suffice…

Everywhere I’ve been internationally, I’ve noticed that people seem to be much more passionate and engaged at the sporting events they attend. Here’s another example of that in Columbia.

[via David Connelly at Kiva Fellows Blog]

From ESPN:

This exciting new app will allow fans to commemorate their at-the-game experiences by creating a scrapbook of memories with features like a virtual ticket stub.  Users will be able to keep a record of the games they attended, where they sat and upload mobile photos to share with friends via social media platforms like Facebook.  With GPS location verification, fans can “check-in” and confirm their attendance, which will in turn allow ESPN to aggregate that user-generated content and feature the story of the game from the fan’s perspective on ESPN.com.

Umm, brilliant move for ESPN in my opinion. Now, if they only figure out a way to get all the wireless network providers to play ball. I’ve been at sports games both at Qwest Field and at FedEx Field in DC where it’s taken me until midway into the 2nd half before AT&T let me upload a single photo that I’d taken with my iPhone. It’s obviously going to be a problem if no one can check in at sports events using their mobile phones.

[via BlackWeb20]

One questions asked in the interview is what Presidend Obama’s favorite Chicago Bulls moment. Well, I wanted to briefly mention mine — game 1 of the 1992 Finals when he scored 35 points (6 3-pointers) in the first half and turned his head to Magic Johnson and shrugged in amazement (seen at the end of the video embedded below). The game was just incredible and demonstrated how much better Jordan was than anyone else in the NBA. Seriously, he is the greatest NBA player in the history of the NBA — at least that I’ve seen play.

How in the heck did this girl not get red carded? Am I missing something?

I would be scared to play soccer against this girl.

Dear Rob, Patrick, and Pierre -

Congrats to your beloved Yankees for winning the 2009 World Series over the Phillies. I’ll admit they were the better team and deserved to win. I can say our Twitter conversations and constant heckling over the past week or so made the series more fun to follow!

BUT…do I still hate the Yankees?

Yes.

Will I still hate the Yankees 10 years from now?

Yes.

To Sue, Stephen, Jim, and all the Phillies (or mainly just ANTI-YANKEES) fans that chimed in – thank you!

Here’s an excerpt from Blowing the Whistle, by Tim Donaghy regarding star treatment that makes me cringe:

Relationships between NBA players and referees were generally all over the board — love, hate, and everything in-between. Some players, even very good ones, were targeted by referees and the league because they were too talented for their own good. Raja Bell, formerly of the Phoenix Suns and now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of those players. A defensive specialist throughout his career, Bell had a reputation for being a “star stopper.” His defensive skills were so razor sharp that he could shut down a superstar, or at least make him work for his points. Kobe Bryant was often frustrated by Bell’s tenacity on defense. Let’s face it, no one completely shuts down a player of Kobe’s caliber, but Bell could frustrate Kobe, take him out of his game, and interrupt his rhythm.

You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell — they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.

If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear — call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game.

Wow, what a joke. This is a big reason why the NBA has gone downhill since the 90′s when the game was about more than just money. Penalizing the likes of Raja Bell and Bruce Bowen for being fantastic defenders is pathetic.

I felt compelled to share this video of the Kentucky Derby since my friends’ grandpa is the trainer for the “Mine that Bird” horse that won it all — congrats, and what an unbelievable comeback!!

This news certainly makes my day. Thankfully, Griffey is not going to Atlanta as was previously reported. I have always been a huge Ken Griffey fan, and am certainly excited to see him in a Mariners uniform again. Count me in for opening day!

If this report by AJC is true — all I have to say is DAMN IT. I would probably attend at least twice as many M’s game this year is Griffey was in uniform. I guess my only hope now is to wait and hope ESPN reports something different, such as that Griffey is coming home to Seattle to play in 2009.

Update: AJC was wrong (YAY!) — we still have a chance!

My friend, and soon to be roommate, Matt Heuer got all kinds of media exposure this week for the sign he brought to Portland – Oklahoma City game at the Rose Garden. The game marked the first time the Sonics (now the Thunder) returned to the Pacific Northwest after having been relocated to Oklahoma City after last season. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that he had his two year old nephew Zach Rankin with him, but part of the allure of this story for the reporters was that Matt used to work for the Sonics and has been a fan for years. He certainly didn’t appreciate Clay Bennett packing up the team and moving them to a new city after having been in Seattle since 1967, and decided to make a point with a sign — and it certainly worked. Here is a great blog post recapping the night.

At least Clay left us Seattlites the Sonics name should Seattle recruit another NBA franchise. The game was on Wednesday, so I know I’m a bit late to the party — since I was traveling all week and had the REBarCamp Seattle event on Friday, I didn’t hear about this until Friday evening after work. Matt said he was hoping to get on the Jumbo tron at the Rose Garden, but never in his wildest dreams was he expecting to be on virtually every major sports media outlet overnight.

I just checked ESPN and saw this story about A-Rod testing positive for steroids in 2003 — when will this steroids mess end for MLB?

I still can’t believe the Huskies lost to the Cougars in this year’s Apple Cup…here’s a funny video explaining the issue:

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine wearing a flying suit and going extreme base jumping. Talk about crazy — it’s about as close to flying as you can get.

That’s right — CURSE THE THUNDER!!!

And thank goodness for Gary Payton’s effort to bring an NBA team back in Seattle!

Streaming NBA games online has huge potential, but I really hope the NBA does a better job with their online video efforts than MLB does with theirs.

Check out the top 25 most expensive sports contracts in history.

It’s refreshing to see that not everyone is a talking head — some people (like Sonice announcer Kevin Calabro) actually care and are willing to be honest with the media.