Marbury eyes one last shot as off-court drama mars Knicks legacy

By Justin Grant

It wasn't supposed to be this way for Stephon Marbury.

New York Knicks fans rejoiced on that fateful January day four years ago when Isiah Lord Thomas brought Brooklyn's Finest home to resurrect this once-proud franchise.

Marbury would return home to stake his claim as the greatest guard the city ever produced, and he'd lead the Knicks deep into June -- to a championship perhaps -- in the process. Sure, New York produced the likes of Tiny Archibald, Bob Cousy, Kenny Anderson, Kenny Smith, Lenny Wilkens, Mark Jackson, and Dick McGuire to name a few.

But Marbury would be the greatest of them all. Indeed, Brooklyn's Finest was home and Knicks games at MSG were once again the hottest ticket in town.

"Now Marbury is given the chance to show everybody, at the Garden, across the river from (Jason Kidd),that he can still be everything in basketball that he was supposed to be," Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News wrote the day after the trade.

"Marbury has wanted the Garden his whole life. He has it now, and has a guard even greater than him - Isiah Thomas - running the operation there," Lupica wrote.

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

In frustrating, painstaking fashion, Knicks fans saw those hoop dreams deflate in a New York minute. No one could have envisioned Marbury as he is now -- hoping for one last shot at redemption in a Knicks uniform.

None of us expected that Marbury's defining moments with the Knicks would occur nowhere near the basketball court. No, Marbury's biggest moments with the Knicks were the (alleged) fistfight with Thomas on a team flight after being told he was being benched; in the courtroom where he admitted to an affair with a team intern; and at 30 Rockefeller Center, the site of his unfortunate interview with NBC's Bruce Beck.

ONE LAST CHANCE?

And now, after four years of abject failure -- the Knicks, and New York appear ready to move on. Donnie Walsh is reportedly on the prowl for the Knicks' point guard of the future heading into Thursday's draft.

Yet with trade value that's all but evaporated, Marbury is likely to get one last chance with the Knicks. Under normal circumstances, a player with a $21 million expiring contract is highly tradable, but rival GM's are leery because of Marbury's rep for being a bad teammate and uncoachable.

"Personally I don't think he has much value. I don't know who would want to deal with him," one team executive told Newsday last month.

So that likely means one last chance for Brooklyn’s Finest to make good, even though his legacy is likely already set.

Epstein has Sox positioned for dynasty as Yanks crumble

By Justin Grant

It's a new world order for the New York Yankees -- a place where Steinbrennarian fire and brimstone are a thing of the past; where the real Yankee Stadium meets the wrecking ball, and a world in which the Boston Red Sox have become the alpha-dogs in their age old rivalry.

With every year that passes since their last World Series triumph in 2000, Buster Olney's "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty" becomes more and more prophetic.And as the Yankees sputter in their attempt to recapture championship glory, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein seemingly has his team positioned for a dynastic run of its own -- while out-performing the Yankees GM Brian Cashman in the process.

Consider both teams' response to injuries to their top starting pitchers.

Organizational pitching depth has enabled the Red Sox to remain comfortably in contention this season despite a season-long rash of injuries to its best pitchers. The 24-year-old lefty John Lester, (6-3, 3.18 ERA) who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, has the look of a future ace -- as does Justin Masterson, the burly right-handed prospect.

Reports last week that Curt Schilling would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery were met with a collective shrug throughout New England. Panic didn't infect Red Sox Nation after Daisuke Matsuzaka was hammered by the St. Louis Cardinals for seven runs in one inning Saturday, in his first start since coming off the DL.

And as expected, ace Josh Beckett is beginning to look like his old dominant self since coming back from a DL stint of his own a few weeks ago.

WHAT IF THE YANKEES GOT JOHAN?

On the other hand, there is no doubt Hank Steinbrenner wonders how Johan Santana would've looked in Yankee pinstripes from time-to-time. Despite closing to within five games of the Red Sox, the Yankees will be hard-pressed to close the gap without Chien Mien Wang -- who may be out for the season with an injured foot.

And so far it appears Cashman has added to his inauspicious history concerning pitching in declining to trade Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy for the ace lefty. A rotation of Santana, And Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, and Mike Mussina would have surely been a formidable one.

Instead, the Yankees must scrape by with the likes of mediocre back-end pitchers like Darrell Rasner, and the recently signed Sidney Ponson -- who wears out his welcome at every stop. The Red Sox, meanwhile, counter with high-end pitching prospects to trade or develop -- such as Clay Buchholtz or Craig Hansen.

The Red Sox were a force during the first 20 years of the last century as well, winning five championships by between 1903 and 1918. Epstein has them positioned for a similar run. For Yankees fans, a new world order indeed.

Some random Ish on the Celtics, NFL Divas and Tiger. Diggystyle.

Those Who Can’t Play, Write.

By Chad Brown

In honor of the Boston Celtics 17th NBA Championship, and in advance of a month without SI.com’s Peter King’s “Ten Things I Think I Think”, here are 17 “Chadisms” on the happenings of sports and other stuff since my last post, not necessarily in chronological order. Then it’s off to prepare more inaccuracies for the 2008 NFL season -- barring any congressional hearings.

1. Congratulations to the Celtics on their aforementioned title. They deserve it, hands down. Thanks also to the New York Giants. If they hadn’t pulled off the Super Bowl upset against the New England Patriots, the sports nation might’ve forced Boston to secede, just to give the other MLB, NBA and NFL cities a title shot.

2. What a difference a year makes for Beantown. A year ago at this time, Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants were just leaving Fenway, Paul Pierce was more likely on his way out than Kevin Garnett was on his way in, nobody quite knew what to expect from Randy Moss, and I couldn’t zoom in on Camera Two to save my life. (Ask anybody at BU’s Sports Institute). Well, most of those scenarios worked out okay for the aforementioned teams. Although I still can’t operate Camera Two.

3. These Celtics remind me of the 1999 St. Louis Rams team that went from worst to first. Even though the team struggled in the later rounds of the playoffs (including the Super Bowl), the powers that be gutted the worst team in the division, brought in proven superstars, sporting the conference’s best record. Even though Isaac Bruce didn’t win the MVP like Pierce, here were two franchise players who both played well and were banged up during the franchises lean years. And on the biggest stage, they did everything within their power to clinch a championship. Different decade, different town, different glitz factor, same result.

4. The second half of Game 4 and the final 3 quarters of Game 6—not to mention an agonizing stretch of Game 5 should put all Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan comparisons to bed. Still a great player, but not the defining moment he and the Lakers faithful anticipated.

5. The Zen Master didn’t fare much better than the MVP. Doc Rivers’ coaching job rendered Phil Jackson into Obi-Wan Kenobi about to get cut down by Darth Vader. For the most part, he had his team ready to play against the beasts of the Western Conference, but he rarely had an answer against Boston. Heck, the Phil Jackson from any of the three-peat Bulls and Shaq-Kobe Lakers would’ve had this series under control.

6. To paraphrase an early, early, early Simpsons episode, Ray Allen’s resurrection in the Finals was the greatest comeback since Lazarus rose from the dead.

7. Pierce for Finals MVP and VP? I know the latter isn’t happening, just putting it out there. Heck, a black man’s running for president and Doc represented for all the brothers and fathers in coaching to the title.

8. Nice bit of redemption for Rondo and KG in Game 6, not to mention the Big Ticket’s postgame repertoire—a classic interview with Michelle Tafoya, warm embrace with Bill Russell and the bully/lunch money analogy. Almost enough to make one forget his putrid Game 5 performance. On the other hand, we can partially forgive it because he didn’t run and hide afterwards.

9. We’d better not read about Bill Simmons complaining about anything having to do with Boston Sports again. Having said that, his NBA Finals Recaps are a must read. OK, once the victory parade is over, it’s back to hating on Boston, Sports Guy.

10. The antics of certain NFL receiver divas are starting to get on my nerves. Now, let me just say that A) these are mini-camps/OTAs which, while important, aren’t the same as training camp and B) I’m not talking about T.O. here, although his behavior a few years ago certainly established the template. Players like Chad Johnson, Plaxico Burress and even Bobby Engram would be wise to follow the example of recently retired Michael Strahan and Jonathan Ogden on how to conduct themselves. Different positions and personas, but there’s a difference between being classy and, well, you know…

11. Now let’s get this straight. Arlen Specter was willing to use congressional resources to expand the Spygate probe, but has no interest in looking into the NBA referee scandal? As for Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter’s “asterisk” rant about the Patriots on NFL Live, he might be onto something, except for the fact that his next big play for Miami will be his first.

12. PacMan in ’07, now Javon Walker in ’08? NFL players need to just give Vegas an extended rest. Ok, not happening anytime soon, but this stuff has got to stop. We’re well past the “before somebody gets hurt” phase.

13. Spin it however you like, but Jeremy Shockey will probably not be in a Giants uniform by the start of the ’08 season. While I think this is a mistake, considering the man can still play when not hurling ice or insults, it’s understandable why the move should be made. Tiki Barber and Strahan’s retirements in the past couple of years have made this Eli Manning’s team, for better or worse, and it remains to be seen if Shockey is willing or able to get with that program.

14. The firing of Willie Randolph was a joke. No need to go into further details, as AlphaBlog’s EIC Justin Grant has done an excellent job, but it goes to show how clueless New York sports franchises can be when firing coaches/general managers. Timing and tact. You don’t want to fire the man on Father’s Day, fine, but at 3:15 am after a win on a west coast trip? They might as well have fired him after last year’s historic collapse. Just as the Giants should’ve parted ways Jim Fassel after the wild card collapse in the ’02 postseason and the Jets could’ve shipped Herm to KC after the debacle in the ’05 Divisional Playoffs in Pittsburgh. Not saying that any of these decisions are/were right, but each franchise would’ve been spared a mockery of a season/half season.

15. Memo to Jason Taylor; I’ve got no problem with your Dancing With The Stars stint, but being MIA from the Dolphins this offseason was probably not the way to get a much deserved trade to a contender. Nor was announcing your intent to play one more year before calling it a career. Memo to Bill Parcells; you’re definitely not out of touch with today’s players when it comes to football-related matters. But you might’ve been just a l’il bit stubborn with your handling of this matter. Players have lives in the offseason now; it’s a fact, Tuna. Having said that, come game time, all will probably be well, one way or another.

16. It’s a shame that we won’t have the Immortal Tiger Woods to watch for the remainder of the golf season, but that performance was one for the ages. This playoff story is one that non-golf fans will be telling their children and grandchildren about in years to come.

17. Gotta conclude this post by paying respect to the recently departed Charlie Jones, Jim McKay and Tim Russert. The broadcast industry and the country won’t be the same without them. I’m especially saddened that Russert won’t be around to help keep both sides on their toes in the upcoming presidential election, as well as guide the country through some uncharted territory. Here’s hoping that his beloved Buffalo Bills can at least break .500 for him this coming season.

Kobe cast down with mortals as Woods soars to pantheon

By Justin Grant

The talents of Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant were on full display over the last week amid the glare of championship spotlight, but as one man's legend grew, the other saw his legacy take a hit.

Ironically, both men have been compared at some point to Michael Jordan -- who sits atop the pantheon of marketing and sporting champions. Woods'dramatic victory at the U.S. Open -- on a shredded left knee no less -- moved him closer to not only filling those shoes, but perhaps one day passing them.

Kobe Bryant meanwhile, has been derided from coast-to-coast as a mere mortal after his Los Angeles Lakers absorbed a humiliating 39-point beating at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the deciding game of the NBA Finals.

"There was only one Jordan and that's who Phil Jackson desperately needed Tuesday night as Game 6 of the Finals quickly turned into Boston Massacre II," New York Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence wrote after the Celtics clinched the NBA championship.

On the other hand, news that Woods played the tournament with a torn ACL and double stress fracture in his left leg, further enhanced his image before a fawning media corps. The feat led George Willis of the New York Post to declare Woods -- a mere golfer -- the toughest man in sports.

"Other athletes - Michael Jordan (flu), Emmitt Smith (dislocated shoulder), Lawrence Taylor (broken leg) - have played games with severe ailments, but Woods had to perform at a high level for five consecutive days. Remarkable," Willis wrote.

With Bryant and Woods each in the prime of his respective career, there are likely still many more chapters to be written, and many more questions to be answered.

Will Woods ever be the same after this victory, which he called his finest? How will recontructive surgery on his knee affect his push to supplant Jack Nicklaus as golf's greatest champion?

And will Kobe Bryant ever get that elusive post-Shaquille O'Neal championship ring?

Mets sink to new low in handling of Randolph

By Justin Grant

It was a long, lonely flight home from Anaheim for former New York Mets manager Willie Randolph and deposed coaches Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto following their shocking dismissal in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

Like a thief in the night, New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya finally swooped in with his machete and brought Randolph's tenure as the city's first black manager to an end.

Although the move was widely expected, the way in which the Mets went about it demonstrates a disheartening lack of class from an organization that has long battled to shed its second-rate status in New York City.The Mets brass knew full well they were going to make this move on Sunday night after the Mets split a double-header at Shea Stadium against the Texas Rangers. So why would they allow Randolph to fly across the country with the team knowing that his rein was over?

To duck the New York media, that's why.

The team waited until the New York press had gone to bed before announcing Randolph's firing in a press release after 3 a.m. ET, hours after the Mets' 9-6 win over the Angels. The gutless move meant New Yorkers had to wait a full day before seeing the blaring back pages of the New York Post and New York Daily News.

RANDOLPH WAS NO JOE TORRE AND MINAYA MAY BE NEXT

Randolph ultimately paid the price for last year's stunning collapse which saw the Mets miss the playoffs after leading NL East by seven games on Sept. 12. But unlike former Yankees manager Joe Torre -- who kept his job after the worst post-season collapse Major League history against the Boston Red Sox -- Randolph lacked the equity that comes with four championships at the helm.

Randolph's foundation was a shaky one -- built around the likes of creaky old veterans like Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, and Moises Alou. He paid with his job because their window of opportunity effectively slammed shut during those two fateful weeks last September.

He met this fate because Minaya fell hard for too many seemingly washed-up players like Delgado, Alou, Pedro Martinez, and Orlando Hernandez. He went to the chopping block because Jose Reyes hasn't been who we think he is.

And now with Randolph gone, Minaya's head is the next to head to the chopping block. Minaya bet $138 million of the Wilpon's money that this roster -- which relies too heavily on retreads like Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley -- could contend in the NL East.

Minaya was reluctant to let Randolph go because he knows the Wilpons will have his head next if the Mets don't play up to expectations. Lets see how the Mets handle that one.

Are NBA playoff games fixed? Perception may destroy league

By Justin Grant

Was the fix in to orchestrate a Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals, a historic matchup that would no doubt boost sagging ratings for the league's showcase event?

If one rogue former NBA referee is to be believed, that just might be the case. Tim Donaghy -- who pleaded guilty last year to felony charges alleging he took cash payoffs from gamblers and bet on games -- told investigators two officials were in cahoots with the league to extend a 2002 playoff series to a seventh game.

The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings was the only series to go seven games that year. That series -- which the Lakers won -- featured a number of controverial calls. Players and coaches from both sides claimed the zebras had a direct impact on the outcome of several games.

Now obviously a guy like Donaghy is operating at a serious deficit when it comes to credibility. And with his July 14 sentencing date fast approaching, Donaghy may very well be willing to say just about anything to ensure leniency from the judge. He's facing a maximum of 33 years in prison for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.

But the seeds of doubt have been planted at the worst possible time for the league and commissioner David Stern. So instead of basking in the glow of the renaissance of the NBA's most storied rivalry, Stern must instead defend the credibility of his product.

To make matters worse, a startling 82 percent of fans actually believe the 2002 Western Conference Finals were fixed, according to a Foxsports.com poll. And Donaghy is only part of the problem.

How can fans not be skeptical after seeing the Boston Celtics enjoy a 38-10 advantage in free-throw attempts in Game 2? How are they supposed to believe in the product when Derek Fisher is allowed to crash into Brent Barry at the end of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and not get called for a foul?

The NBA later admitted the refs blew that one. But that missed call ultimately enabled the Lakers to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs. That botched call no doubt had skeptics wondering if the league preferred having the large-market Lakers in the Finals following last year's disastrous Spurs-Cavaliers matchup which was a television bust of epic proportions.

"We welcome scrutiny. This is something that should be scrutinized," Stern said at Staples Center prior to Game 3 of the Finals between the Lakers and Celtics.

Indeed, the spotlight is on the NBA -- for now. But if any more allegations like Donaghy's surface, the lights will no doubt go out on Stern's league.

More than a ring at stake for Bryant in Finals

By Justin Grant

With a cold-blooded mean streak and a lack of natural charimsa, Kobe Bryant will never fill Michael Jordan's shoes as a marketing icon. LeBron James will likely assume that throne -- provided he ever starts winning when it counts.

But in terms of what's done on the court -- Bryant is well on his way. And that's why he's chasing more than just his first post-Shaq championship ring as the Los Angeles Lakers gear up to take on the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

For Bryant, these Finals are about the next step in an evolution that has seen him grow from teenaged wunderkind, to reluctant sidekick, to selfish superstar, to possibly the greatest winner of his era.

With a victory over the Celtics and their latter-day Big Three -- and his first Finals MVP award to go with it -- Bryant will etch his name in stone among the pantheon of All-Time greats while simultaneously making Kobe vs. Jordan a legitimate debate.

A win would give the 29-year-old Bryant his fourth championship ring. And with a solid young supporting cast in place, he'd be well-positioned to make a run at surpassing Michael Jordan's six championships. Jordan won his first at 28-years-old in 1991, in a five-game rout of Magic Johnson and the Lakers.

For Bryant's contemporaries still in search of their first championship -- a list that includes Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, James, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tracy McGrady -- here's the scary part.

Bryant is at that same magical place Jordan was at in 1991 ... that place where his mental understanding of the game finally matched up with his physical talents. Jordan subsequently became a virtual one-man championship roadblock for most the NBA from 1991-93, and 1996-98.

Barring injury, Bryant could be at the beginning of a similar run.

On Race Matters -- Is an ethnically diverse roster hurting the Mets?

By Justin Grant

With the New York Mets sitting in first place nearly a year ago just months after coming within a base hit of the World Series, general manager Omar Minaya was lauded by Sports Illustrated for the ethnically diverse club he put together.

But with the Mets' season spiraling out of control last week, critics called the club's racial makeup into question -- blaming the team's struggles and allegedly poor chemistry on Minaya's rainbow coalition.

The issue erupted two weeks ago when closer Billy Wagner chafed at being interviewed following a maddening 1-0 loss to the Washington Nationals -- a game he didn't participate in. Meanwhile veteran first baseman Carlos Delgado -- who lined into a double play to end the game -- was long gone.

“Can somebody tell me why the closer’s being interviewed and I didn’t even play?” Wagner told reporters. “Why they’re over there not getting interviewed? I get it. They’re gone. Shocker.”

Wagner's anger stemmed from the fact that he, David Wright, Ryan Church and John Maine -- who are all white Americans -- are the only players who routinely speak to the media following games. Many of the Mets' key players are Latin American, including Jose Reyes, Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana.

(Half of the players on the Mets' 40-man roster are of Latin American descent.)

The first tremor along the club's racial fault line shook last year when Paul Lo Duca claimed not enough of the Mets' Latino players were stepping up to the plate to speak with the media following games.

“Some of these guys have to start talking,” he said. “They speak English, believe me.”

Wagner and Lo Duca's comments are poignant. Professional athletes are rarely candid with the media, so clearly this has been an issue eating at some Mets for a while. And now some members of the vaunted New York media are questioning whether Minaya's pursuit of Latin American players is a chemistry experiment gone horribly awry.

(Ironically the Mets play in Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in the United States.)

In his assessment of the social strata of the Mets' locker room, Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News pointed out the white players hung out with each other on one side of the locker room, while the Latino players congregated on another.

Meanwhile, New York Post columnist Larry Brooks compared the Mets' situation to the New York Rangers -- who have a diverse mix of Americans and Europeans on their roster.

"You better believe the question is asked every day around NHL front offices: Do we have too many Europeans? ... You better believe the question was asked by the Rangers when they collapsed late in 2005-06: Do we have too many Czechs?," Brooks wrote last week.

"Those posing the questions aren't necessarily bigoted. They're simply covering the bases in attempting to apply common sense to a complex equation in which two dozen men of disparate backgrounds must live and work together over eight months in order to achieve a common goal," Brooks wrote.

A legitimate point perhaps. But on the other hand, how come no one questions whether or not a struggling baseball team has too many white players? And remember, Minaya was criticized a few years ago for signing too much Latino talent.

Sports are not only about the games on the field; they also act as a barometer for the key issues of the day. And as much as we like to sweep it under the rug, the innuendos gnawing at the Mets show how obsessed our nation remains with race.