The Choice Is Yours

• Get absolutely hammered when all ur boys are goin out for a bigtime night? Or take it easy because you have to get up at 7AM for work and you know you will be ridiculously hungover? Remember, it is ur boys' birthday and he got a table at (insert "hottest" bar/club here). Also remember that ur hangover will be the pounding headache, nauseous, diarrhea kind.
• Chow down on (insert greasy, nasty, but really tasty food here) on a Sunday night watching Sopranos/Entourage? This will most likely lead to you waking up at 3AM with stomach pains and "the poops". Or watch ur friends stuff their faces while you "eat light"?
• What if you had the ability to have sex with any girl you wanted for six months? The only condition is that after that six month period, you can't get laid for a year. Would you do it?
• Do you take that job that pays you 100k a year with a chance to be a millionaire in five years if you will be working 80 hours a week?

Lastly...do you take a championship if it means mediocrity for the foreseeable future?

Right now it looks like that is just what the Miami Heat have done. Two seasons ago, the Miami Heat were a team on the brink. They had Shaq, Wade, and a solid supporting cast. If it wasn't for Wade and Shaq both suffering through injury problems in the playoffs, they may have made the Finals and had a chance to win it all. Instead though, they lost that series and Pat Riley gutted that solid supporting cast. He brought in a bunch of veterans, two of which (Antoine Walker and Jason Williams) were either signed to or already had hefty long-term contracts. What happened last year? Well, after the entire regular season which seemed to have more drama than success, the Heat stormed the Eastern Conference and shocked the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Riley's risk paid off and it was all worth it. The Heat had their title that Shag promised him when he arrived in the summer of 2004.

Last offseason, the Heat did not do much. They stood pat (notice the great pun). This season, instead of looking like NBA champs, they looked slow for much of the season and flat out old in the playoffs. What do they do now? If I was a betting man (I am), I would say that Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton will retire. James Posey and Jason Kapono are both free agents. I would have no use for Posey, and Kapono might be pricey considering his development this year. Jason Williams has one more year left on his deal. In my mind, Wade is a top five player in the League. While Shaq is still one of the better NBA centers, he is way past his prime and not nearly worth the $20+ million a year he makes. Wade is still young, so the Heat will have the chance to rebuild around him to make another run. How long will that take though? I would be very surprised if Riley made it though next season without taking another vacation in the middle. That is being generous. I could see him walking away all together from coaching.

Would you rather be a fan of the Jason Kidd era Nets or the Shaquille O'Neal era Heat? The Nets have had 6+ years of being a contender in the East, while making two NBA Finals. The Heat have had three seasons of being a contender, winning one title. The way it looks now, the Heat need to make a lot of improvements to be a contender next year. They are already over the salary cap. They have a sold power forward in Haslem, a top five player in Wade, and a player in Shaq that can dominate on any given night, but will definitely miss at least 20 games and will have minimal impact on 40% of the games he does play. Oh, and Shaq is signed for two more years I believe. The Nets have never won a title, but they have been financially responsible, produced young players and been continually exciting. The Heat have their title, but in another year or two will it have still been worth it?

Unfortunately, I do not really have a basis of argument here. The only championships I remember well for my teams were the 1990 Giants and the 1994 Rangers. I was too young to fully understand how bad the Giants became after 1990. With the Rangers it did not seem that bad after since they had gone 54 years before that title. Personally, I'd take the title, but as a fan things can get ugly quick. A classic Catch-22.

• Yankee fans might not want to hear the name I about to bring up, but take it with a grain of salt. Jared Wright. That is who Phil Hughes reminds me of. Not the Wright of this decade, but the Wright that pitched against the Yankees in 1997. Both are big righties, who throw hard with good off speed stuff. They have similar throwing motions as well (kind of shorter arm rotation). Remember, Wright was a bigtime prospect who (along with Bartolo Colon) was supposed to lead the Indians pitching staff for the next 10 years. Let's just hope Hughes can do what Wright could not and that is STAY HEALTHY. I just watched the kid pitch. His fastball is only being clocked around 91-92 on TV, but it is exploding on the hitters. Showed a couple great hooks and had control of the game (obviously, he was pitching a no-no when his hamstring acted up). I was impressed at how he shook Posada off. A lot of young pitchers are afraid to take control like this. Hughes knows what he wants to do out there and executed perfectly against the Rangers.
• Top five clutch playoff shooters of my generation (post Magic/Bird)...MJ, Kobe, Reggie, Big Shot Bob, Stockton. Thoughts?
• Interesting anomaly....They say the rookie/young QB has the most trouble winning on the road. With the young starting pitcher, teams often like to start him on the road to get the jitters out of the way before coming home to the young crowd. At least that is what everyone was saying about the danger of pitching Phil Hughes at home last Thursday.
• I feel bad for Jamarcus Russell. Not really, since hes gonna get a ton of dough, but he has no weapons on offense at all. I mean no wideouts, running backs, offensive line, nothing. Brady Quinn is in the opposite situation, but I fear an "Eli Manning" scenario. I am not talking about sucking his first couple of years, but instead having to deal with two huge egos (Edwards-Winslow/Shockey-Burress). The QB needs to lead. I hope Quinn has the chance, as so far Eli has not.
• Anyone else notice that every sports website (including this one) you went to this past week there was something on the late David Halberstam? Not only that though, but every article talked about a different sports book he wrote that was "the best ever." On my list is Breaks of the Game, October '64 and Playing For Keeps.
• We all know I hate the Yankees. Even I though do not wish James Dolan to be their owner. I can see it now....Art Howe being hired to manage the Yankees and getting extension after extension for winning 85 games. Good luck Yankee fans. I hope you don;t have to suffer as bad in baseball as many of you have had to in basketball.
• If I did not hate Isiah enough, I have to watch Matt Barnes play so well with the Warriors. Barnes was one of the guys who was rumored to be a supporter of Larry Brown last season. Obviously, Isiah got rid of him and now he is a key contributor to this feel good Warrior story. Gotta love Jared Jefferies!!

STKAFI