Race has nothing to do with it, Jesse

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I will put it out there right now. I am not a fan of the NBA. I think of the four major sports, it is the one with the biggest legitimacy problems.

Lebron James' hour long special on ESPN culminated pretty much everything I don't like about the organization and the people in it. I hold Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's letter to the fans in the same respect. It all seemed like a scene from professional wrestling when they set up the table in the ring and have the wrestler sign the contract for a title fight, then have someone else come down the ramp, steal the microphone and start yelling.

Gilbert's comments were bombastic, ill-advised, inflammatory and at some points unrealistic, but there's one thing they weren't - racist.

Jesse Jackson has crawled out of his hole to make the most unbelievable statements in this whole ordeal - that Gilbert assumed a slave master mentality and talked about James like he would about a runaway slave.

I don't know Gilbert or his politics or his feelings on race relations. When discussing what he had to say about Lebron, I don't need to know because none of that is pertinent to what he wrote in that letter to the fans. Surely Gilbert felt betrayed. He felt scorned. He felt played. That's why he wrote what he wrote. But let's say Lebron was white and did exactly what he just did. Would Gilbert's letter have been phrased any differently? Doubtful.

In addition, it's unreal that Jackson would compare Lebron, who made more money as an employee of the Cavs than Gilbert did as the team's owner and is one of the most highly-paid United States citizens, to someone who was actually OWNED by someone else, paid nothing, given no rights and forced to work under the absolute harshest of conditions with the alternative being death.

I am not dismissing the fact that slavery has had a ringing effect on the country and that equal rights were not achieved until a very short while ago. Rather, I'm saying that Lebron is probably the last person that should be called a poster boy for racial inequality and the fact that he is being compared to a slave actually is a slap in the face to anyone who has had to deal with real hardship. Comparing Lebron's situation to racism is basically making a mockery of the suffering that anyone who was a slave faced.

Lebron had a choice of where he was going to go and how many millions of dollars he was going to make to play a game, which is his right, a right that a slave, obviously, would not even have concept of. Gilbert had a right, too. That was the right to say what he really thought of Lebron, and it was a right he exercised. And while it may not have been the most eloquent letter ever penned, surely most people could at least see why he might write it.

He didn't write it because he felt Lebron was his property. He wrote it because of the way Lebron went about announcing his decision, that the guy who had given Lebron over $62 Million over the past seven years had to sit in front of his television and find out whether or not he'd have the pleasure of paying him another ungodly amount of money. He was insulted.

Jackson is so far from being relevant anymore largely because he is so hung up on race that he can't see that not every interaction between a white person and a person of color has a negative racial connotation. Every time the very deep wound caused by slavery and continued racism begins to heal, Jackson feels the need to take out the forceps and spread it wide open again. Any rational person sees that Gilbert was not saying James was his slave. Jackson, however, is not a rational person and that's why everyone of every color should take his words as nothing more than the ramblings of a lunatic.

Swish vs. Youk debate

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

OK, I get it. Most Red Sox fans know their team inside and out, but don't know much about the rest of Major League Baseball.

Another example of that theory stems from the All-Star debate concerning Boston's own Kevin Youkilis and New York Yankees' Nick Swisher.

In case you've been living under a rock, Swisher was voted into the All-Star Game by the fans. Yes, fans throughout the country.

I'm not even going to sit here and say Youk didn't deserve to be an All-Star because he did. Currently, the Boston first baseman is hitting .294 with 18 HRs and 57 RBIs with an OPS of .992. Yes, those are All-Star numbers.

But Swisher also deserves to go, especially considering this is far and away his best season and he's probably never going to go back to the All-Star Game. Anyway, Swish has the credentials, too, with a .304 batting average, 14 HRs, 48 RBIs and a .910 OPS.

It's tough to say one guy was going to have to stay home and watch the game on television, but the fans had the final say and they elected the Yankees' outfielder, not Youkilis.

Boston fans need to pipe down and stop ripping on how Swisher's not worthy. They also need to realize there's a lot of talent in MLB, more than just guys that wear a Boston uniform.

I don't care about Lebron James

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

In case you hadn't heard, "King James" is in negotiations with ESPN (man I hate that channel) to air a one hour special Thursday night so he can announce where he will sign. Who does Lebron James think he is? The last time I checked, he was just a basketball player. He isn't a doctor, or scientist who heals the sick or helps cure cancer. He isn't a teacher who helps educate the youth. He is just a man born with great athletic ability who can play basketball.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge sports fan. It just bugs me that someone who plays a game can hold this much influence over people. While he seems like a decent guy, much better than many athletes, he's not the type of person I want as a role model for my sons. It's not his fault either. I blame the public because they're mostly sheep and buy into these stars as demigods.

Realistically, not one "expert" out there knows where he's going to sign. Personally, my best guess is he returns to Cleveland, and is hailed as the savior of a hard luck city. The thing most people forget is he has not won ANYTHING in the NBA yet. Luckily for him he's only 26, and has 7 years of experience under his belt. Unfortunately for him, none of that helped when he stuck head in the sand against the Celtics this post season. If he does get his special aired on ESPN tomorrow night I will not be tuning in. After all, his team still isn't going to be better than the Celtics, Magic or the Heat.

Rant over. What do you think?

The All-Underrated Team - National League

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports

As promised, here is the National League's All-Underrated Team. Remember - these are not necessarily guys who should have been voted in, but merely guys who have done work for their teams and deserved to at least pick up a significant number of votes.

C - Miguel Olivo. Olivo doesn't qualify for the batting title yet because he spent the beginning of the year splitting time with Chris Ianetta, but that should make his numbers even more impressive. Olivo's .301 average, 39 RBI and .901 OPS are better than all of the five top vote getters in the NL and his 11 homers are more than anyone except Rod Barajas at the position.

1B - James Loney. Loney will never be a big power numbers guy, but he's a great defensive first baseman who has driven in just about as many runs as anyone in the fan voting without the benefit of the long ball. No first baseman that made the top-5 has as many hits or doubles.

2B - Kelly Johnson. Johnson has cooled off, but in the early-going, he was one of the hardest guys at his position to pitch to. Even despite some recent struggles, Johnson ranks third in homers among NL second basemen and his OPS is comparable to everyone on the list.

3B - Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman has 14 homers and while 44 RBI isn't outstanding, it's pretty good considering his team has a problem getting on base.

SS - None. Other than Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, no one really deserved votes in the NL. The rest of the pack was all remarkably unremarkable.

OF - Carlos Gonzalez/Chris Young. Seeing as the NL doesn't have the DH, I've decided to pick two guys for this spot. Both Young and Gonzalez could flirt with 30-30 seasons this year while currently ranking second (Young) and fourth (Gonzalez) in RBI. Young has also played some pretty good center field, recording six assists, including five double plays from the outfield. Gonzalez has yet to make an error, while splitting time between all three outfield positions (43 games in center, 20 in left, 19 in right).

The All-Underrated Team - American League

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, the MLB All-Star teams have been announced and looking at the fan voting, it's clear a lot of fans haven't been paying attention. So here's my 2010 MLB All-Underrated list. Mind you, these are not all guys who I think should necessarily be winning the voting, but guys who seemed to be totally overlooked.

Let's begin with the American League.

C - Mike Napoli. Napoli isn't the sexiest catcher out there, but he's got more homers than any other American League catcher and the highest OPS among those qualified for the batting title at that position, in front of Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer. Taylor Teagarden (currently in AAA after batting .037) and Gerald Laird (.190-2-13) are in the top-5, but Napoli isn't even considered.

1B - Paul Konerko. Konerko is currently outside of the top-5 in fan voting despite hitting 20 homers (tied for first in the AL) and 57 RBI (second). Mark Teixiera and his 13 homers, 51 RBI, .790 OPS and .230 batting average are in second place in fan voting, yet this guy's not even in the conversation? Oh, by the way, he's also a good fielder with a zone rating better than Justin Morneau and a range factor better than Teixiera (all three have one error this season).

2B - Mike Aviles. This was a tough one because the voters have this one pretty much spot on in my opinion. If anyone does deserve to be in the top-5 in voting, it should be Mike Aviles and that's simply because Ben Zobrist has been playing the outfield primarily this season. Since his return to Kansas City Aviles is batting .319 and is once again starting to look like the spark plug the Royals thought they found in 2008.

3B - Jose Bautista. He's batting just .229, but he STILL has a better OPS than leader Evan Longoria, Michael Young and Alex Rodriguez. With 21 homers, he's just two shy of tying the total of the guys sitting in second and third combined. He's not just up there hacking, either. His 50 walks are tops among AL third basemen as well.

SS - Marco Scutaro. Ok, this is where people start calling me a homer. But hey, the guy stepped into the shoes of one of the best leadoff hitters around these days in Jacoby Ellsbury and everyone shuddered, including me. But he's been impressive, batting .284 with the third-best OPS amongst AL shortstops as a catalyst for a Red Sox offense that is scoring more runs than anybody, despite a makeshift lineup.

OF - Alex Rios. Rios is on pace to steal close to 50 bases while hitting between 25 and 30 homers and you're telling me he's not deserving of being even one of the top-15? He's fourth among AL outfielders in OPS and has been one of the best fielding center fielders in the league.

DH - Jose Guillen. Vlad deserved to run away with the votes in this category, but the fact that Ken Griffey, Jr. got more votes than Guillen is just ridiculous. Sure, Guillen's a head case, but you can't deny that he's on pace to knock in 100 runs for one of the worst teams in the league.

National League coming soon...

Fantasy Baseball Friday: First Half All Stars

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

This weekend will mark the half way point in the MLB 162 game season. Rather than wait for the All Star game, I like to name my all star fantasy team at the actual half way point in the season. So, here we go

2010 First Half All Star Fantasy Team:

Catcher: Miguel Oliva - really? .312 average and a .921 OPS

First Base: Miguel Cabrera - legitimate triple clown candidate

Second Base: Robinson Cano- may be the first half MVP

Third Base: David Wright - good to see his power numbers start to bounce back

Short Stop: Hanley Ramirez - the only SS in the top 50 fantasy players

Outfield: Vlad Guerrero - nice to see the old dog keep slamming

Outfield: Josh Hamilton - see what he can do when healthy

Outfield: Carl Crawford - let the Yankees rumors begin

Starting Pitcher: Ubaldo Jiminez - can he keep it up for the entire year?

Starting Pitcher: Josh Johnson - he's still grossly underpaid even after the extension

Starting Pitcher: Adam Wainright - all he does is pitch well and win

Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner - finally gives the Braves the lock down closer

Relief Pitcher: Mariano Rivera - it's just a given he's on this team

2010 First Half All Star Fantasy 2nd Team:

Catcher: Victor Martinez - it's been a bad fantasy year for the catching position

First Base: Joey Votto - he will begin to garner some MVP votes if he keeps it up

Second Base: Martin Prado - I hope you picked him up earlier in the year as he keeps raking

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis - should get his first .300, 30 HR, 100 RBI season

Short Stop: Jose Reyes - man it's been a terrible year at this position too

Outfield: Alex Rios - proving me wrong all year long

Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez - the youngster is a five tool threat and a super star in the making

Outfield: Ryan Braun - the hebrew hammer makes the 2nd team in a sub par year for him

Starting Pitcher: Roy Halladay - surprised he's not having a better year

Starting Pitcher: Jered Weaver - he's putting up great stats so far

Starting Pitcher: Cliff Lee - look for his value to skyrocket with a trade to a contender

Relief Pitcher: Jose Valverde - locking down games for the surprising Tigers

Relief Pitcher: Rafael Soriano - can he stay healthy for an entire year?

That's all for this week. We'll be back the usual format next Friday.

Enjoy the 4th of July weekend!

A-Fraud up to his old tricks

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Man, Alex Rodriguez is a great guy.
Yeah, right.
A-Rod, after blowing off former Yankees manager and current Dodgers main man Joe Torre days ago during batting practice – not even offering a wave or a hand shake – finally went up to Torre after a couple days to look like a good guy.
Don’t buy that for one minute.
A-Rod care about his image, and the latest hit to his image was how he couldn’t even go up to shake his former manager’s hand.
But after a couple days – more like a couple days of bad press – he decided the time was right to bury the hatchet.
Are you taking the bait?
Not here, not even from a big Yankees fan.
Listen, maybe A-Rod’s a real nice guy, but his constant calculated moves are a tired act.
Obviously, he doesn’t like Torre for the way the manager spoke of him in a book and dropped him to 8th in the batter order when the slugger was scuffling. Yes, that would tick me off, too.
I would have been more happy with A-Rod coming out in the media and saying he dislikes Torre and won’t shake, hug or even wave at his former manager. That would be an honest and real emotion, and one that I could respect.
I thought A-Rod stopped caring about what other people say about him?
We know that’s not the case, at all.
It’s too bad that A-Rod will never be able to shake off that bad nickname of A-Fraud?
But, I guess, he brings it on himself.