My4Albany

When was the last time in MLB that the manager of a 1st-place team got fired? Not sure. But it's easier to guess when the NEXT time is going to happen. Soon. And who's the skipper that's going to get axed? The White Sox Ozzie Guillen.

It seems that everytime you (or an inflatable doll) turn around Ozzie's doing or saying something utterly stupid that gets him closre and closer to his own execution.

But he may have taken things too far this time. Publically criticizing Sox GM Kenny Williams, the same Kenny Williams who has stood behind Guillen and supported him through each and every one of his previous controversies - not a smart move.

Williams is often seen as a laid-back kinda guy, and loyal to a fault. That could all change this week if/when he decides to pull the plug on Guillen, who has just about used up every bit of good will emassed in winning the World Series a few years ago.

A funny thing happened last night on the way to the Detroit Red Wings winning yet another Stanley Cup. A late goal in regulation and another goal in the 3rd OT put the Wings championship celebration on hold...maybe permanently.

Sure, the Penguins still trail the series 3-2, but it's no exageration to call this Game 5 loss devistating for the Wings. Consider the fact that these players and coaches were about 30-seconds from the culmination of a lif-long dream. :30 SECONDS! And then the game is tied.

Then...the two teams have to play nearly another game before Pittsburgh. And while players from both sides were exhausted, for the veteran Red Wings the 3 OT's had to take their toll, physically. While the Pens are young...and they won. I bet they were ready to play Game 6 today if they needed to.

And, having come that close only to see the championship celebration taken away has to have taken a mental toll on the Detroit players and  coaches. You would blame them if some doubt started creaping in: "maybe it isn't meant to be."

Put it all together and you've got a Detroit team that's physically, emotionally and psychologically shaky heading into tomorrow's game at Pittsburgh. I like the Pens chances. And...the longer the series goes...the more it favors the young, underdogs.

Yes, the Red Wings are up 3-2, and therefore still in the driver's seat. I just wouldn't want to be sitting in the passenger's seat.

Let me just say this: Joe Torre would never have allowed what the Yankees are doing with Joba Chamberlain to take place. This is a panic move, one that I'm on the record as oppossing, and it's only going to get uglier.

Yankees fans, start keeping track of how many wins the combination of a) Chamberlain starting and b) not having him as a set-up guy, costs the team this season. The number is "2" already.

When you get to "10" you can stop counting, since that will likely be the number of games the Yankees finish out of first place this season.

Forget about the history between the Lakers and the Celtics. All those past series and former players did was provide the unimaginative writers and reporters with something to write and talk about over the past 5 days as we all waited for this year's NBA Finals to get underway. Trust me, L. Bird and Magic will play no role in the outcome of this series.

Thankfully, Game 1 is tonight so everyone can finally focus on the match-up at hand. And there's plenty to focus on. LA and Boston were the two best teams in the regular-season, both completeing amazing turn-arounds from a year ago.

I was rooting for this match-up throughout the first 3 rounds of the playoffs and I'm having a hard time deciding who to root for here. I'd like to see Kevin Garnett win a title. Ditto Paul Pierce. On the other hand, Kobe's the best player in the game and all of a sudden he's become very likeable.

As for who is going to win...there's little doubt in my mind. The Lakers are younger, deeper and more athletic. The break between the conference finals and this series will help Boston, but only for tonight's game 1.

Both teams match-up fairly well, but the point guard position is where this series will be decided. The Rondo-Fisher match-up will be intriguing to watch. If the kid can raise his game one more time...in the biggest of all spots, eliminate the silly turnovers, take and make key shots, Boston has a shot. I just don't believe it will happen. I think we all thought that Sam Cassell would be the guy handling the ball for the Celts if they made it this far, but Rondo is the man. The Celtics will sink or swim with him.

And I say they sink, in 6 very entertaining games. Lakers in 6.

By the way...f you'd like to run the series, and determine the winner, even before game 1...go to  the great "National Sports Rankings site...and have fun.

http://nationalsportsrankings.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_championship&magic=20072

Well, maybe that's being a little harsh. But hopefully you weren't one of those who actually thought that this horse was actually going to win the Belmont on Saturday and complete the Triple Crown. And, better yet, hopefully you didn't put-up any valuable gas money on the prospect of that happening.

I've got nothing against Big Brown, or Smarty Jones or Funny Cide or War Emblem of any of the colts who have tried to do the impossible in recent years. But the bottom line remains the same: NO HORSE IS EVER GOING TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN.

I've been saying it and writing it for the past 20 years, and yet, each time a 3-year old grabs the first two legs and the possibility of history being made returns, so does the irrational and delusional talk that this will finally be the year.

It's an amazing phenomenon. Otherwise intelligent people suddenly get caught-up in the hope and the hype and throw all common sense and logic out the window, And we saw that again the past 3 weeks.

And then Saturday we saw what everyoner should have expected: a horse that had nothing left in the tank for the longest and most grueling race of the three. Proving, once again, that this, winning three races in five weeks, on three different tracks at three different distances, is the toughest accomplishment in sports.

The only way we ever see another Triple Crown winner is if there's a year in which the crop of 3-year olds is so poor that no one is left standing to challenge the contender in The Belmont. But chances are that will never be the case. And so the sport, which so desparately needs a superstar, will, instead, continue to be teased by pretenders such as Big Brown.

And those who continue to tout such horses as "great" will continue to make fools of themselves.

There are no sure things is life, let alone sports. All of you who backed "Big Brown" in the Belmont, financially, emotionally or both, learned that the hard way. But there are events that come as close as one can get to a certified lock...a guarantee. And one of those is tonight - game 3 of the NBA Finals.

NBA playoff history has shown that, when a team wins the first two games of a series on their home floor, it loses game 3 on the road. And most often it loses that game badly. So expect the Celtics to get drilled by the Lakers tonight. A double-digit win by LA should not surprise anybody.

But what's even more of a sure thing is that the Lakers will get all the calls from the referees. There was an embarrassing disparity in free throw shooting in game 2 and Lakers coach Phil Jackson wasn't shy about making everyone aware of that disparity following the game. Sure, Jackson will get fined. But the point of his more than subtle rip of the officials was to make sure his team got the majority of the whistles in their favor in tonight's game.

And it will happen. That's the way it works in the NBA. Of course Kobe and company still have to make those free throws, but they will.

NBA officials have been pulling this stuff for years. There has always been a predictability of calls from game to game. This is why the recent referee scandal hit so close to home, because people inside the league realize just how easy it is for the outcome of games to be manipulated by officials.

Game 3 Predictions: Free Throws - Lakers 38 Celtics 23. Oh yea, and the Lakers will by 17. 

Michael Strahan's decision to retire may be the best move this guy ever displayed on or off the field. So many professional athletes don't know when to hang it up, usually sticking around longer than they should...or not sticking to their guns and staying retired.

Considering Strahan had little left, and because of one of the greatest flukes of all-time, he had the chance to leave the game being part of a championship team, this was a no-brainer.

Soon the talk will begin - Is Strahan a Hall of Famer? He doesn't pass my gut test, falling just a little short. Having a Super Bowl ring will help, but he didn't play enough of a role in the Giants success last season for that to put him over the top. And his sack record, totally orchestrated and not close to being legit, shouldn't either.

Very good player. NOT a Hall of Famer. Playing in N.Y. will help him. Being likeable will help him. In the end, however, he falls short.

Now...the gap tooth HOF - he's a lock.

By the way...did you see the FT totals from last night's "Lakers-Celtics" game. We predicted here yesterday that, in responce to Game 2's wide disparity (and Phil Jackson's 2 days of whining about it), that the calls would go in LA's favor in Game 3.

And we nailed it! I predicted 38-22 Lakers and the final total last night was 34-22 Lakers. Not bad. I also predicted that LA would win by double digits...and they should have. Who would have guessed that they'd MISS 13 of those FT's. They hot half of those and they win by 10.

Oh well, the bigger point was made: the referees clearly have agendas heading into these games and they play a huge role in which team is going to be in position to win.

And, there's no doubt in my mind that former NBA official Tim Donaghy is telling the truth when he points-out games that were fixed. It's the NBA's "dirty little secret" that, if the truth ever comes out, will become the biggest story in the history of American sports. 

For the first time in a long time "the field" looks a lot more attractive than "Tiger" in the regular wagering ritual heading into a major. Woods lay-off due to knee surgery has put him in the unusual position of underdog for this weekend's U.S.Open.

While some might say that underestimating Tiger Woods is a losers game, time time it's the right play. Tiger will NOT win this tournament. In fact, he probably shouldn't be playing in this tournament, because he's not at his best physically.

But without Woods, this major becomes a minor, even with all the other great players in the field and Father's Day as a backdrop. So it's good that he's out there. Just don't expect too much.

Oh, and Phil won't be winning it either.

There will be a lot of people and things blamed for the Lakers historic collapse in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. And, obviously, many things have to go wrong for a team to blow a 20-point 2nd half lead in their biggest game of the season.

And, yes, Kobe Bryant didn't shoot the ball well. And, yes, the Lakers don't play much defense, especially on the inside.

But for me, the thing that killed the Lakers was the lack of coaching from Phil Jackson. I'm sitting there, like you,  watching the Celtics go on their runs, and wondering when Phil was going to do SOMETHING to stop the momentum. And all he did was lean back in his chair and stroke his beard.

Nice. Do you realize that the Lakers still had 3 time outs left with a minute to go in that game? Clearly the players weren't the only one's who put things in cruise control when they went up 21 after the first quarter. Jackson must have slipped into one of those Zen trances, not realizing that the Celtics were going to continue to play hard and would eventually start making shots. And when Boston coach Doc Rivers started making adjustments (all of which worked perfectly), Phil had nothing to counter with. Nothing.

I'll admit I was hoping the Lakers would win Game 4 because I wanted the series to go the full 7. That's not happening now.

And while Paul Pierce will likely grab MVP honors when the Celts wrap this thing up (either Sunday or in Game 6 on Tuesday), the most series-defining performance was put-in by a guy who didn't even play.

In fact, come to think of it, he didn't do much coaching, either.

Well, if it wasn't decided already, what Tiger Woods pulled off the past 5 days solidifies him as the greatest golfer of all-time. To win this U.S. Open, off a surgery break that was shorter than it should have been, and having to play an extra 19 holes, one one leg, to do it? The polls are closed. He's the best...ever. No debate. And the fact that I said he wasn't going to win the Open this year, because of the lay-off, proved to be silly. Shame on me for doubting that this guy can win anytime he grabs a club.

And there should be no debate over the Mets firing of Willie Randolph. It was long overdue. Yet the Mets are taking a lot of criticism for the way they handled the situation. And some of it is deserved. This has never been a classy organization. The Mets have always felt they were the "red-headed step-child" to the Yankees in N.Y., and in some ways that is true. But that doesn't mean that you have to believe it, accept it and feed into that impression that others may have of you.

Ownership has hung GM Omar Minaya out to dry it bit in placing all the responsibility for this move on his shoulders. Yet, if I were Minaya, I'd accept the responsibility, because riding this team of Randolph was the right thing to do. Willie didn't have the credentials to get that job in the first place, and did nothing along the way to justify staying-on.

The Mets are a mess. And it will Minaya's job to fix them. But that job would have been a lot tougher with Randolph around. Clearly, as a manager, Willie didn't enlighten or inspire, two things a major league manager must do.

Who knows where the Mets go from here. There's still time to save this season. And if a managerial change doesn't get these players to focus and start playing winning baseball then its' time to start making other moves. But for now, Mets fans, enjoy the fact that you won't have to watch Willie standing in the dugout with that dumbfounded look on his face any longer.

Tiger's done. Then I'm done. There's no reason for me, or you, or anyone else to watch another PGA tournament the brest of the year. Even the two remaining majors must now be considered "minors" without Mr. Woods in the field.

This is the problem when a sports is so dominated by one person. Especially an individual sport such as golf.

Hope you enjoyed the U.S. Open, because the golf season officially ended for 2008 on Monday afternoon.

The Bee Gees had it right. All I want to say about the current Don Imus and Shaq controversies is this: Who cares? Who cares what an ancient, washed-up radio talk-show host had to say - good or bad - about "Pacman" Jones.

And the only thing worth getting upset about concerning Shaq's freestyle rap in which he disses Kobe is that we had to listen to it.

It's time that the world, and Americans in particular, grew-up. If you have nothing more important to deal with in your life than these two situations: a) consider yourself lucky and b) go find some meaningful to do. 

If the Bulls do the right thing tonight and take Derrick Rose with the first pick in tonight's NBA Draft...it will be the smartest thing this franchise has done since selecting Michael Jordan.

Don't get me wrong...Rose will NOT be the next Jordan...but he's the best player available...and even though Chicago doesn't necessarily need a point guard...they need this guy. It's great (or it will be if they don't screw it up) to see a team ignore "need" and go "talent."  We've seen several young point guards tranform teams in recent years...and Rose should be the next. 

As for Michael Beasley...the Heat masy take him #2, but don't expect to see him playing for Miami next season. Pat Riley's made it pretty clear that he doesn't like the kid...and there's a lot not to like, most of it off the court issues.

As for the Knicks? Seriously, does it matter? 

Mets fans, you may be angry. You may feel betrayed. You may think that your new leader doesn't understand you.

But here's the cold, hard truth: Jerry Manuel is right. Whether you like it or not Manuel's statements following Sunday's win over the Yankees are right-on: the Mets are second-class citizens in the city of New York. They are the red-headed step-sister of baseball in the Big Apple (even though they have that goofy big apple on display at Shea Stadium.)

And all, honest Mets fans know it. Why they're upset with Manuel is that he said it, out loud, to the NY media. But, psychologists will tell you that admitting you have a problem is the first step toward solving the problem.

And this inferiority complex that the Mets have has been a problem for a long time. And it shows in the questionable moves this team makes, on and off the field. Often, it seems, the Mets front office is more focussed on competing with the Yankees...their image and stature...than worrying about putting a team on the field that can win the NL pennant. The hiring of Willie Randolph is Exhibit A.

So now Randolph's successor steps up and tells it like it is. And he's getting ripped, by fans. the media and I'm sure, buy members of the Mets front office, who refuse to admit that they operate, everyday, in the Yankees shadow.

But until everyone in and around the Mets organization face the truth - that they are second-class citizens in their own city - the situation will not change. As Manuel said, "You want to be first? Win." The Yankees will continue to own New York, win or lose, until the Mets win, consistantly. And I don't mean winning meaningless regular-season Subway Series get togethers.