Guest Columnist - Sooze from BabesLoveBaseball gives her All-Star selections

Today we have a guest columnist....it’s our favorite baseball babe - Sooze - from BabesLoveBaseball......check out her site because she updates it throughout the day with all types of baseball news.....

BabesLoveBaseball

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so without further adieu, I give you Minnesota's finest - Sooze...

Since I'm a die-hard from Minnesota, it is nearly impossible for me to pick anyone but Twins for every starting AL position and Brewers from top to bottom for the NL in real life, but here goes nothin'.

American League
If Joe Mauer wasn't out with a strained quad right now, you know I'd choose him in a heartbeat. For now, I'm forced to go with Ivan Rodriguez, who is batting .296 with 5 home runs and 29 RBI for the Detroit Tigers. He's Pudge and we love him.

First base could go to the Canadian Crusher, Justin Morneau, who is the reigning AL MVP, but... who is Justin Morneau, again? This corner goes to Big Papi. David Ortiz (photo) is batting .333 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI for the Red Sox.

At second base, Robinson Cano is a shoo-in, but Placido Polanco is quickly gaining my favoritism, driving in 30 runs and batting .335 this season.

Shortstop goes to Derek Jeter, who is miles ahead of even Miguel Tejada in the popularity contest. He has his own cologne, you know.

Third base belongs to Alex Rodriguez. It just does. After the April he had, May left him looking like a rookie. But he's still A-Rod, and Mike Lowell just doesn't interest the paparazzi.

Manny will be Manny in left field, because who doesn't love Manny's antics? He's not even close to batting .300 yet this season and has hit only 8 bombs so far, but he's playing on a Boston team that has a stranglehold on the AL East.

Right field goes to the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero. He's a monster at the plate, already smoking 50 RBI this season with a huge .357 batting average.

Center field is a Gold Glove toss-up between the rolling Ichiro Suzuki and the defensive prowess of Torii Hunter, who has also been swinging a hot bat this season. Ichiro is on a mad streak right now, batting .333 with 76 hits while Hunter has 12 homers and 46 RBI with a .306 average.

National League
It's going to be a heated race between Brian McCann and Paul Lo Duca for the NL catcher's position. McCann has been a cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves' roster while Lo Duca is on the hottest team in the NL.

First Base is all Albert Pujols (photo). Prince Albert is riding the post-World Series season with a .292 batting average, 11 home runs and 31 RBI.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley gets the nod for second due to his hot glove and even hotter bat, nailing 10 longballs so far this year to compliment his 40 runs driven in.

New York Mets thieving shortstop, Jose Reyes is the only man for the job to tag team with Utley. With a big league-leading 30 stolen bases, Reyes is batting .315 along with some outstanding defensive skills. He's just awesome.

Third Base will go to Reyes' fellow New Yorker, David Wright. Here's where all the ladies' votes really start to count. Wright shaved his head last month and finally started hitting the ball, accumulating a .272 average.

The obvious choice for left field is The Slugger Himself, Barry Bonds. Chasing Hank Aaron's record this season, Bonds has 12 homers and double the RBI. Plus, the All-Star game is on his home field.

Since Jeff Francoeur is the only actual right-fielder cool enough to top the ballots, I'll let Andruw Jones play this position. Even though Jones has had a slumpy season, everyone wants him to play well and see him in the Mid-Summer Classic in what could possibly be his last season in Atlanta.

Centerfield will go to future Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey, Jr. The man has had more video games named after him than the years spent in the big leagues by all the other candidates combined. Carlos Beltran is great too, however. Kinda' like the 35-21 Mets.

I want to thank Sooze for her time.....and check out her site.....now here some links to Game 1 of The Finals....

The Plain Dealer’s Bud Shaw writes how the Spurs Tony Parker is a match-up problem for the Cavs....

Bud Shaw

Akron Beacon-Journal sports columnist Terry Pluto writes how the Cavs got a wake-up call in game 1 of The Finals....even though the Spurs may be a better team, the Cavs can still come away with a split in the first two games....

Terry Pluto

San Antonio Express-News sports columnist Buck Harvey writes how the “Global Icon” was brought back to reality in game 1.....

Buck Harvey

My thoughts on the NBA Finals

I have spent the last few days reading and analyzing the two teams left in the NBA playoffs....with me living in Northeast Ohio, of course, at times, I am reading some coverage that is naturally pro-Cavs....for instance, in a column which appeared in Tuesday’s Akron Beacon-Journal, columnist Terry Pluto wrote how most of the “experts” were picking against the Cavs.....he continued how the national media is under-estimating LeBron James’ competitiveness: "Here's what those of us who have followed James from early in his St. Vincent-St. Mary days know: He believes he'll win every game he plays.”.....

There is no doubt that is true about James, but Pluto and other Northeast Ohio media people forget that there is a player on San Antonio who is just as competitive - Tim Duncan....Duncan is the forgotten player in this series....most people don’t realize that he already has three NBA titles and is just as competitive as King James.....

James’ 48 point Game 5 performance reminds me of the NFL game last December when the Saints played at the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football....Reggie Bush scored four touchdowns and was the talk of the nation about how that was his "coming out party"....the Saints were solid the rest of the year, but Bush never matched that Sunday Night performance...

James cannot level out, like Bush did, if the Cavs want to win the series....take away the 48 point night, and in the Cavs' three other wins in the Detroit series, James averaged 25.6 points and dished out 9.3 assists per game....is that enough to beat the Spurs??.....I don’t think so....James needs to top at least 30 a game and still maintain that 8-9 assists per game too.....

Another concern is is all the celebration in Cleveland....in yesterday’s San Antonio Express-News, an article was written how the Cavs' Eric Snow is getting nervous how some of his teammates and the city are all giddy after Saturday’s monumental win....the Cavs are ecstatic in just making The Finals while the Spurs are not content unless they win The Finals.....

The Cavs are a heavy underdog....for the series, you would have to place $50 on the Spurs just to win $10 while you can place $10 on the Cavs to win $35.....so that brings me to this question - can the Cavs win this series?....yes!!....but like I wrote earlier, the Cavs will need even more of an effort by James.....in their four wins over Detroit, only in game 5 did James dominate ala Jordan or Bird.....in this series, the Cavs will need at least two or three games like that from James -- and it is quite possible that he can do that....the talent is there....but the fact is, he will have to elevate his game to an even higher level in The Finals....

I always like to put a little money on sporting events, so that is why I took a chance with the Cavs.....for a $10 bet, it is worth a shot....even though I believe the Cavs have a chance to win this series, but I know it will probably not happen....the Spurs are a better all-around team who is not coached by someone named Flip.....Gregg Popovich has more NBA titles than Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkens, Billy Cunningham, and Red Holtzman.....I'm not trying to rain on the city of Cleveland's parade because I do like James and think he is good for the league....even though I am taking a chance by putting some money on the Cavs, I know that more than likely the Spurs will win in 5.....

Here are some links for tonight's Game 1
The Plain Dealer’s Bill Livingston writes that the time has come for LeBron James to etch his name with other NBA greats who put a stamp on their career with defining moments in The Finals....

Bill Livingston

Ohio governor Ted Strickland is jumping on the Nike bandwagon with LeBron James....even the governor is “witnessing” greatness....

Plain Dealer

Akron Beacon-Journal columnist Terry Pluto writes how the Cavs have one of the better defenses in the NBA....just ask Vince Carter.....

Terry Pluto

San Antonio Express-News columnist gives his thoughts on The Finals....if the Spurs can slow down James, don’t be surprised for a sweep....

Buck Harvey

Former Spur Sean Elliott writes that this will not be an easy series for the Spurs....and the Spurs better hope this does not go seven games....

Sean Elliott

Former Spur great George “Iceman” Gervin was at the airport to receive the NBA Trophy.....will it stay in possession of the Spurs when it is all said and done?.....

San Antonio Express-News

USA Today’s Greg Boeck writes about the links between the two teams - starting with Cavs head coach Mike Brown...

Greg Boeck

Washington Post columnist Mike Wilbon gives his thoughts....

Mike Wilbon

Chicago Tribune basketball beat writer Sam Smith gives his thoughts....

Sam Smith

Part 2 - Interview with legendary sports journalist Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Today is the second part of my interview with legendary sports journalist Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution....

Q8. How has sports changed over the years?
FB: You want me to write a book (laughing). That is what it will take.

Q9. Well give me a couple of things that has changed the most?
FB: The pay. It has turned what used to be very affable young men. Back then they (athletes) were not making too much more than us writers. Nowadays they (athletes) don't need you. They don't need the writer. They don't want to be bothered by you unless it is somebody with a microphone in their hand or Sports Illustrated calling. There are some who are still good though. Some of them are worthwhile and some of them are jackasses - and I don't do very well with jackasses.

Q10. Who is the biggest jackass that you dealt with?
FB: (chuckling) I don't think I can name just one.

Q11. You are still active in covering golf. What has it been like covering Tiger Woods?
FB: First place I never dealt with him except in mass interviews. He doesn't have time. One of the writers from Sports Illustrated said he did a 6,000 word story on Tiger Woods and he only got to spend 10 minutes with him. He does not give interviews unless there is a price involved unless it is something that goes to his great and glorious benefit. Frankly I don't need to interview him. If I had to, I would try. I don't go around prying or looking under rugs for scandal. I basically get what I want by watching him play golf and through press conferences. I don't need to interview him personally.

Q12. How was Jack Nicklaus to interview?
FB: Oh good grief. We have been good friends for many years. Same with (Arnold) Palmer. Arnold and I have been good friends for a long time. We all sort of came along the same pike except I am considerably older than them.

Q13. Do you think Tiger Woods will pass Jack Nicklaus for the most majors?
FB: Woods has a chance. I don't know how long his body is going to hold up though. I think he is having swing problems right now. I saw him down at the TPC and he just bombed out the first three rounds. He could not break 70 but he came back and shot a 67 but it didn't make any difference. I don't know how long his swing is going to hold up. He puts an awful lot of pressure on that skinny body of his.

Q14. In college basketball, did you ever deal with Adolph Rupp?
FB: (Laughing) Oh yeh. He had a lot of fun with me and I had some enjoyable times with him. He could scare you, but I didn't scare very easily. I went up and did a magazine story on him for Sport magazine. I sat around with him, rode out in the pasture to look at his cattle and all that sort of thing. He was rough, but he was kind.

Once again I would like to thank Mr. Bisher for his time in doing the interview....it was an honor to interview him and was much appreciated...

Rick Vach gives his thoughts as the French Open winds down

One of our tennis experts, Rick Vach, the senior writer at Tennis X.com gives us his thoughts on the last few days of the French Open......Rick has appeared on The Tennis Channel’s 'Tennis Insiders: Super Insiders', and won 'Best Hard News' story for 2005 by the United States Tennis Writers Association....

Tennis X

Q1. What happened to the Williams sisters, American's lone hope at the French Open?
Venus Williams blamed her loss on fatigue due to over-training, which jibes with people from her camp who say it is an effort to get her off the practice court. As she gets older she is going to need to train smarter. Fitness still seems to be a topic for Serena, who is far from her top fighting weight, and in the semifinal loss to Justine Henin was displaying a lot of poor footwork. One trains too much, the other too little.

Q2. How did Svetlana Kuznetsova, some people's pick to win in Paris, lose a 6-0 set in the quarterfinals?
The Russian's US Open title could unfortunately be her lone Slam win unless she checks in with a sports psychologist. Kuzy gets tight rather than playing though sticky situations like a champion, such as this week against Anna Ivanovic in her 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 loss. It certainly didn't help Kuzy's cause when world No. 1 Roger Federer unexpectedly named her as his pick to win the French, turning up the pressure dial to 11.

Q3. Who were the breakout women at the French through the first week?
Not exactly breakout material since they are Top 10, but the Serbs, Jelena Jankovic (photo - left) and Ana Ivanovic (photo - right) continue to push themselves onto the radar of even casual tennis fans with their good looks and better-looking games, moving into the French semifinals. If the WTA Tour is serious about marketing as a "world sport," these two need to be on a poster together. Jankovic will face top-seeded Justine Henin in the semis, while Ivanovic will square off against No. Maria Sharapova, which leads to the question.

Q4. Can Maria Sharapova win the French?
No. Sharapova is far from physically fit, playing on a tendonitis-ridden shoulder, and still moves on the clay like a baby deer who wandered on a frozen lake. Perhaps some year with just the right draw and some grinding practice to improve her mobility, but not this year with the bad wing. Hell of an effort though at a tournament she almost skipped with injury.

Q5. Venus Williams' camp said she played the event on a bad foot, and Serena constantly struggles with injuries. Who are the next Americans on the horizon once the Williams retire?
Lining up behind the Williams sisters currently set to make a Top 10 impact are...no one. In fact the four players currently ranked behind the Williams sisters are Meilen Tu who is approaching 30 years of age, veteran Meghann Shaughnessy who's best years are likely behind her at age 29, Lindsay Davenport who just retired, and tour veteran Laura Granville who struggles to stay in the Top 100. Ranked behind them, not for lack of trying, are the potpourri of players grinding out tournaments at the minor-league level hoping for a breakthrough, with no clear "can't miss" prospect in sight......

I want to thank Rick Vach for taking the time to give his thoughts about what is happening at Roland Garros...we will be hearing back from him in a few weeks as Wimbledon approaches...now here are today’s links about the NBA Finals and other sports news....

Branson Wright, Cavs beat writer for The Plain Dealer, writes about the relationship between the two head coaches....Cavs head coach Mike Brown once served as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich....

Branson Wright

Express-News reporter Johnny Ludden writes how LeBron James has been getting all the glory and the commercials while Mr. Conservative Tim Duncan has just been winning titles....

Johnny Ludden

Express-News reporter Mike Finger is in Cleveland....and he writes how Cavs reserve Eric Snow is getting a little nervous about all the hoopla taking place in the city of Cleveland....

Mike Finger

CBS Sportsline writer Dennis Dodd writes how Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr spent some of his down time in the spring with actor Russell Crowe.....

Dennis Dodd

Interview with legendary sports journalist Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On Thursday, May 31st I had the opportunity to interview one of the true legends in sports journalism - Furman Bisher.....Bisher is a sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he once served as sports editor....he was born in 1918 in Denton, North Carolina, and is a 1938 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....Bisher was president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association from 1974 to 1976 and president of the Football Writers Association of America in 1959 - 1960....in 1961, Time magazine named him one of the nation's five best columnists...I want to thank Mr. Bisher for his time.....today is the first of a two part interview with the legendary Furman Bisher....

Q1. How long have you been covering sports?
FB: I've covered sports a long time. I've been a journalist since 1938. I didn't start in the sports department until after the war (World War II) after spending three years in the Navy.

Q2. What makes a good journalist?
FB: First place, you need to know a good story when you see one. You got to be able to handle a story, and you got to be able to write. Those are three pretty good requirements right there.

Q3. I did some research about you and came across a reunion that took place in 2004 with your sports staff from the 1960s. It sounded like you were a good sports editor but a tough sports editor. How would you describe yourself?
FB: (Laughing) A lot of people did not like working for me because I was tough. I expected them to do the best job they could do and some reporters didn't - and when they didn't, I got on their ass. That sports staff from the 60s was an outstanding and unusual sports staff considering the pay we used to make. Three of those reporters became novelists, another became a vice-president of a large newspaper chain, and another became the editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Another became a million dollar insurance salesman. I was the sports editor. I put them together. I got them convinced as they came in there they would learn something about the newspaper business. This was probably the greatest collection of sports writers based on their future contributions to society and so on.

Q4. In the early 1960s you wrote a piece about the brutality in college football and some of it was dealing with those Alabama teams led by Bear Bryant. What was it like dealing with Bear Bryant?
FB: Before that article he was very nice. I enjoyed talking to him. I interviewed him when he was at Kentucky and when he came to Alabama. But after that Saturday Evening Post thing, I never interviewed him again. Frankly I was not interested in interviewing him and he wasn't interested in being interviewed by me. He was okay though in dealing with a newspaperman.

Q5. Over the years of covering college sports, what are some of the best college football teams?
FB: Well, the 1980 Georgia team won a national championship and you have to surely consider them an outstanding football team. The 1952 Georgia Tech football team also won a national championship. I guess the best football teams I saw were those produced by (Georgia Tech head coach) Bobby Dodd in the 1950s and later on when Vince Dooley came to the University of Georgia. He restored respectability over there (at Georgia). Auburn in 1957 had a great football team too under Shug Jordan. Duke had some good football teams too but they were never the same after the war.

Q6. Switching gears, with you being from Atlanta with Hank Aaron, what are your views about Barry Bonds and The Record?
FB: (chuckling) Until somebody proves something, it looks like he is going to pass Aaron. Major League Baseball is the worst enforcer of its own so-called rules. It has the weakest pussycat for a commissioner that you could ever imagine. He does nothing. You have (Jason) Giambi here who has basically confessed to using drugs and he is accepted back. Then you have Palmeiro and McGwire who are pariahs. There is no consistency from the commissioner's office where the enforcement should start. It's just a pathetic situation. At times I wonder about Roger Clemens. I suspect Roger Clemens to tell you the truth. The man of his age and bulk – it's sorta questionable in my mind.

Q7. What was it like dealing with Hank Aaron?
FB: Hank is great. I wrote his book with him. We have a very good relationship. I like Hank - he is a very good citizen.

Tomorrow the second part of the interview when Bisher talks about Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Adolph Rupp....

Today's links for the upcoming NBA Finals and about Michigan's upset of #1 ranked Vanderbilt in the College Baseball Regional Tournament....

The Plain Dealer’s Bill Livingston writes about how Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas made it through foot injuries and criticism to be the core of the team....

Bill Livingston

San Antonio Express-News reporter Mike Finger spent a day in Cleveland and writes how much LeBron James means to the city....

Mike Finger

Express-News columnist Richard Oliver gets former Celtic great Bill Russell’s take on San Antonio and Tim Duncan....

Richard Oliver

Express-News columnist Mike Monrow writes how former NBA head coach and current Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo is waiting for another shot to coach an NBA team....

Mike Monroe

The Michigan Wolverines baseball team upset #1 ranked Vanderbilt in the College Baseball Regional Tournament....the Wolverines now head to the Super Regionals...

Ann Arbor News

French Open thoughts from Erwin Ong of Tennis Served Fresh

Today we get back to the second week of the French Open.....our friend Erwin Ong gave us his thoughts of the first week and who he thinks is going to win...he has been following professional tennis since 1995...Erwin runs the tennis blog Tennis Served Fresh

Tennis Served Fresh

After two stressful days with barely any play (due to rain), the French Open caught up with itself and produced some wonderful match-ups. Sharapova notched a controversial three-set win against the pesky lefty Patty Schnyder (the scandal involved a Sharapova serve that should have been replayed), Federer earned his 3-set win against Youzhny (who might have put up a better fight had he not endured a marathon match against Juan Carlos Ferrero in the previous round), and Safarova took Amelie Mauresmo out of the running.

Speakling of the French, they again buckled this year. Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu are all too young and have yet to harness their talent.

In the clothing sponsorship department, Nike did the best job outfitting their players, with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova getting their own dresses; Serena in a pink and purple number and Maria in an aqua tulle dress. Hantuchova and Safarova looked great in the Sphere tank and skort. Lacoste, the tournament's main clothing sponsor, didn't have much of a chance to show off its clothes on Gasquet and Roddick since both crashed out early. But their standard issue men's uniform (an orange and white outfit that most of the French players wore) could be seen in many early matches. Reebok put Mauresmo in a purple tank, the best we've seen her in a while. And Airness, another French clothier, continues its love affair with Nikolay Davydenko. I suspect they'll have a bigger stake in Roland Garros in the coming years.

For the men, this is how the coming week will play out: To get to the quartefinals, I expect Andreev to beat Bagdhatis, Moya to trump Bjorkman, Hewitt will lose to Nadal (as much as I'm gunning for the Australian), and Djokovic will be well-rested enough to overcome Verdasco. The top half is already set: Federer vs. Robredo and Davydenko vs. Canas. The last 4 will be Federer vs. Canas and Djokovic vs. Nadal. It'll be Nadal vs. Canas in the final, with Nadal taking it all.

The women's quarterfinals are set: Justine plays Serena (Serena will win), Jankovic will beat Vaidisova, Kuznetsova will win over Ivanovic, and Sharapova will win the matchup against fellow Russian Chakvetadze. Sharapova will beat Kuznetsova, and Serena will beat Jankovic. Serena will win the championship.

I want to thank Erwin for this time and we will hear back from him in a couple of weeks with his Wimbledon preview.....Also, there has been a change in the Furman Bisher interview.....originally it was going to run on Wednesday.....however, due to the length of the interview, it is now a two-part series which will begin tomorrow....

Throughout the NBA Finals, I will be providing daily links from the Spurs and Cavs camps....
The Spurs know they are the “bad boys” of this NBA Finals as the nation will be rooting for LeBron James.....

San Antonio Express-News

There are links between the two teams....Cavs coach Mike Brown coached Tony Parker is a summer league....and the Cavs organization followed the Spurs blueprint for success

San Antonio Express-News

Spurs defensive wiz Bruce Bowen is tired of hearing that LeBron James is the next Michael Jordan.....he thinks it is unfair to James.....

San Antonio Express-News

Who is hot shooting guard Daniel Gibson?.....yes he played ball at the University of Texas, but where has he been all season?.....

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Cavs are still basking in the glory of making the NBA Finals.....is it real?....

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

According to columnist Terry Pluto, LeBron James is the savior in Cleveland and the new face of the NBA....

Akron Beacon-Journal

The Sunday Baker's Dozen

Get your hot cup of coffee or latte or whatever you drink on a Sunday morning and check out the Sunday Baker's Dozen....13 links that you should check out!!!....

Finally the Cleveland sports fans have something to celebrate after the Cavs knocked out the Detroit Pistons.....The Plain Dealer's Amanda Garrett covers the party scene in downtown C-town....

Amanda Garrett

Akron Beacon Journal sports columnist Terry Pluto has something to be happy for after the Cavs won the Eastern Conference title.....the longtime columnist has been bitter for years about the city of Cleveland always losing....

Terry Pluto

Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom ponders if the window of opportunity has closed for the Detroit Pistons....he writes that the Pistons swagger and poise is gone.....

Mitch Albom

San Antonio Express-News reporter Tom Orsborn writes how the San Antonio Spurs may be one of the most underappreciated NBA teams despite playing for their fourth title....over the last 10 years, the Spurs have a regular season winning percentage of .709....

Tom Orsborn

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti questions Lou Piniella's sanity for wanting to deal with the Cubs and their annual frustrations....

Jay Mariotti

Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla writes about the high intensity of Broncos coach Mike Shanahan....even on an early June day, Shanahan was in the office at 5:00 a.m.....

Mark Kiszla

Get an inside look of what is happening with the Detroit Tigers....ESPN has current Tigers centerfield Curtis Granderson write a blog 3 times a week....

Curtis Granderson

New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica writes how Yankees manager Joe Torre got a bit miffed about a Daily News headline....

Mike Lupica

Minneapolis Star-Tribune writer Joe Christensen does a feature story about former Twin Tony Oliva and how he has become an ambassador for the franchise....

Joe Christensen

Charlotte Observer reporter Jeff Elder writes how the 19 year old Charlotte Coliseum will be imploded today at 10 a.m.....the arena left some good memories on some people in Charlotte....

Jeff Elder

Fans of Michelle Wie should bookmark this page from the Honolulu Advertiser.....the newspaper has a section dedicated to its native star....the section is updated regularly.....

Michelle Wie

Washington Times reporter Dick Heller previews HBO's upcoming documentary about Barbaro.....

Dick Heller

Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Jason Smith writes about new Memphis Grizzlies' head coach Marc Iavaroni.....

Jason Smith