The Sports Truth

JaMarcus Rusell is a big, strong, athletic quarterback. Scouts compare him to Daunte Culpepper.

Of course, the last time we checked, Culpepper had lost his starting job in Miami to the immortal Joey Harrington.

We know Daunte was still recovering from a knee injury, but his only true talent during his glory years in Minnesota was throwing the ball high in the air and watching Randy Moss come down with it. True, Moss is now in Oakland, a potential target for Russell. But he stopped caring about football about three years.

First Round Quarterback Busts

More than any other position in pro sports, quarterback has seen its share of busts. Especially at the top of the draft. Need we remind San Diego fans of Ryan Leaf? Or those in Seattle of Rick Mirer? What about Akili Smith, Heath Shuler … the list goes on and on.

We know Al Davis is concerned solely with the allure of a big arm and deep passing attack, but maybe he should take a look around the league to see how the top teams have been built. Indianapolis, granted, made the right decision in drafting Peyton Manning first. He’s really good.

But the Patriots’ starting QB was a sixth round pick and that club is known for stock-piling draft picks. The Bears rely on a strong defense. San Diego actually traded out of the top pick in order to draft a supposedly lesser quarterback later on. And just how is Philip Rivers doing these days?

Bottom line: As important as a good quarterback is to a team, one is also easy to find later on in the draft. The most consistent teams are built around a sturdy offensive line (and Wisconsin tackle, Joe Thomas, is as solid a prospect as the league has seen in years) or defensive line.

But if Oakland must select a signal caller, it shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Brady Quinn. He actually played in a pro offense in college - but he hasn’t won the big game, critics claim. Know the last college QB they claimed that about?

Peyton Manning.

Chelsea will play an exhibition game at the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 21 - and it could be the first game for David Beckham on his new team.

As part of an exhibition tournament called the World Series of Football (that’s what they call soccer in other, less intelligent parts of the world) Chelsea will play South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings on July 17 during a doubleheader that has the Galaxy meeting Mexico’s Tigres. The Bluewings will play Tigres on July 21.

Of course, Beckham’s knee injury makes this harder to predict. His wife’s large boobs, however, make the story of him coming to the States at least somewhat interesting.

Celebrities love their sports. Just look at George Clooney trying to throw a football.

Eva Longoria probably wishes she could. Instead, she’s stuck sitting courtside as the Kings’ mascot tries to steal her heart away from fiance Tony Parker. But it was a bad night all around for Sacramento: The Spurs prevailed.

And Parker probably got to have sex with Longoria.

We find this interesting:

John Amaechi simply says that he’s gay and it’s the topic of the sports world for weeks on end.

But LSU Women’s Coach, Pokey Chatman, has just resigned due to a rumored past relationship with a player - and we bet it’s off the front page before the weekend is over.

Louisiana State University, sources said, learned of the relationship from an employee within the basketball program. It was unclear when the alleged improper conduct took place - but it’s not unclear just how improper this conduct was.

Just imagine if it had been a male coach and a female player. The coach would be endlessly lambasted and shamed … as he should be. But who wants to wager that the name “Pokey Chatman” is forgotten about in the sports lexicon within days. And why is that?

Because lesbian relationships are somehow seen as less sordid? Because Chatman didn’t take advantage of this young woman, simply because they share the same gender? Chatman is 37 years old. It’s unknown when this relationship took place, but it’s safe to assume that the age difference was around 20 years.

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, which first reported Chatman’s alleged misconduct with one or more players Thursday on its website, that no formal inquiry into Chatman’s conduct had been opened by the university. Bertman did acknowledge, though, that an informal investigation “might have happened.”

“The girl did what she did and LSU had no control over that,” Bertman said, referring to Chatman.

Maybe not. But referring to Chatman as a “girl” underscores my point. The incident is being written off as harmless, swept under the proverbial rug, because it was a woman seducing a younger, impressionable woman.

Would the response be so tepid of a man slept with one of his players?

The NFL Draft is coming up in April. And while few experts expect the Patriots to select an offensive lineman, it’s obvious Tom Brady needs more protection at this point.

After all, the hunk of a quarterback has already knocked up ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynhan - and rumors are swiring that he’s actually done it again with new gal pal, Gisele Bundchen. Bill Belichick may wanna send in Vinny Testaverde for a few snaps.

He’s so old, there’s probably no fear that his sexual passes can be completed anymore … if you know what we mean!

Still, there are worse things in the world than fathering a pair of babies with beautiful women. Like just being Kobe Bryant.

Anyway, if Brady is looking to impregnate more women than he as Super Bowl trophies, we wonder who’s next. Maria Sharapova is over 18 now, Tom. We’re just sayin.

Philip Rivers is known as a young, Pro Bowl quarterback.

George Clooney is known as a middle-aged Hollywood hunk.

But these gentlemen may have more in common than you realized. Rivers has the most unorthodox throwing motion in the league - while Clooney is attempting to portray a quarterback in the upcoming movie, Leatherheads.

Who would you rather barking out signals to your team?

We’re not even referring to the cheating, sexually assaulting Kobe Bryant. He probably never left.

But the second suspension of the Lakers star guard in a few weeks for the same flailing elbow at least proves that the self-centered, ego-tastic player is back. But there’s a good chance he never went anywhere, either.

All season, Kobe has been touted as a new team player, someone who actually cares more about winning than individual statistics. We never bought it in the first place - but let’s review his two recent, illegal instances and see why the selfish label should never have been removed.

Each took place in the closing minute of a tight game: San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili blocked Bryant’s game-winning attempt before the Spurs knocked off Los Angeles in overtime last month; and then Marko Jaric defended Kobe’s shot to give the Lakers a lead over Minnesota earlier this week.

Both times, Shaq’s former running buddy followed through with an elbow to the face of his opponent.

Did Kobe mean to injure either player? Probably not. But was he so aghast that someone dared to challenge him, so amazed that the referee didn’t call a foul in either case, that he lashed out in a desperate maneuver to force a whistle … or at least let his defender know that he was Kobe Bryant, dammit, and who the heck were you to mess up his buzzer-beating heroics? We think so.

“I’m not in the business of reading players’ minds, I’m simply evaluating the play as a basketball play,” NBA Executive Vice President Stu Jackson said. “And when you take a shot and follow through, followed by driving an arm back in an aggressive manner that strikes a defender in his face, that’s what we evaluated to be a non-acceptable play.”

We’ll read Kobe’s mind for you, Stu. He’s immature and yearns for the spotlight. With the game on the line, Bryant will either try to win it by himself - or respond in anger at those that dare get in his way.

And don’t even get us started on that lame, transparent marketing ploy of changing his number to 24. You’re pathetic, Kobe.

As a Yankees fan, I know I can only ask for so much pity. Those in Kansas City and Pittsburgh probably don’t feel too much sympathy for a guy who’s struggled through seasons with players such as Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez dominating his favorite team’s lineup card.

But it hasn’t been fun.

I may be writing a different article if Joe Torre had simply used Mariano Rivera in Game Five of the 2003 World Series and New York had gone on to defeat the Marlins. Or if Dave Roberts had torn an ACL during his infamous stolen base attempt in the 2004 ALCS and the Yankees had rightfully triumphed that season.

Point being, I know the collection of All-Stars and MVPs Brian Cashman and George Steinbrenner put together did come very close to winning it all a few times. But it didn’t happen - and it’s not difficult to see why.

A team comprised solely of aging veterans, most overpaid, few used to the spotlight of New York, is wound too tightly. The pressure is enormous. It’s felt during every at bat. No wonder the most impressive players in 2006 joined the team with little fanfare:

• Chien-Ming Wang: Second in Cy Young voting
• Robinson Cano: An All-Star
• Melky Cabrera: Has a cool name

These youngsters faced no expectations - and then stormed through the competition. Fortunately, it looks as though Cashman has finally learned the lesson.
“Wang and Cano and Cabrera all basically came up, and the expectation from the press wasn’t there to impede their efforts,” the general manager said. “And so, all of a sudden, before you know it, you have a guy (Wang) who finished second in the Cy Young award voting. And you have a guy (Cano) who made the All-Star team.”

Which brings me to the main point of this article: Phil Hughes is gonna be awesome!!! The 20-year old is considered to be the top pitching prospect in baseball … and he’s actually on the Yankees. He’s not being traded to the Rangers for Sammy Sosa. It’s a whole new era in the Bronx.

And it’s a lot of fun as a fan. Of course I understand why the Yanks traded for A-Rod three years ago, but Alfonso Soriano was pretty darn good, too. And he was a homegrown talent. So is Derek Jeter, Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams (God rest his baseball-playing soul). The one advantage fans in Milwaukee had over us in New York was the thrill of watching players from your own farm system make it in the big leagues.

But along with Hughes comes a piece of news that will make small market teams hate Yankee supporters even more: we have a chance to enjoy that once again.

Damn Yankees, I know.

If the Bears continue along this path, teams will soon be lining up to acquire Brian Urlacher.

After all, Chicago just traded its best offensive player for chump change - why not its defensive standout next?

We know the defending NFC champions have been at odds with Thomas Jones ever since they drafted Cedric Benson in the first round two years ago - but the guy ran for over 1,200 yards last season. Oh, and Rex Grossman is a worse quarterback than Evander Holyfield is a ghost name chooser.

You’d think the Bears would wish to pad their running attack as strongly as possible to guard against Grossman sucking. But you’d be wrong, apparently.

Meanwhile, the Jets landed a top running back in exchange for their second round pick (37th overall) acquired in a trade with Washington last season. New York still own two picks in the second round: their own (No. 59) and now the Bears’ original selection.

As reported by Sports Illustrated, Evan Fields picked up three vials of testosterone in June 2004 from a doctor in Georgia. The transaction was documened through SI.com’s probe into The Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center.

Later that month Fields also obtained five vials of Saizen and three months later returned for treatment of hypogonadism, a condition whereby sex glands produce little or no hormones. Now, here’s the truly shocking part:

Investigators noted that Fields shares both the birth date and home address of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. Moreover,, when SI called a phone number on a Post-It note attached to the Fields patient file, Holyfield answered.

The staff at The Sports Truth isn’t shocked that Holyfield uses steroids - at this point, we’d only be shocked if Tim McCarver was busted for HGH - but we’re aghast at the moniker he chose to use.

Evan Field?!? Come on, Evander. We knew you weren’t the sharpest glove in the ring by the fact that you’re still fighting in it at age 44, but you couldn’t have asked Michael Vick (aka Ron Mexico) for nickname advice?

In less surprising new, John Rocker is also accused of using HGH. He doesn’t like gay people.