The Sports Truth

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is branching out these days. In this picture, Lance is shown gutting out the last 100-yard dash to the finish during the New York City Marathon Sunday, crossing the finish line in 2:59:36.

Naturally, Lance beat his personal goal of three hours — and managed to barely cover the official spread of 56:12 over the Sports Truth’s own Jane Murray, who completed the 26.2-mile course in a still-impressive 3:56:29.

Despite failing to beat Lance (to the chagrin of sports betting fiends everywhere), Murray, a native of Long Island, was satisfied with her effort in breaking her personal goal of four hours flat.

“Yes, very much so,” said Murray, 25, when asked if she was pleased with her performance. “I was also pleased by the crowd’s reaction to my ‘Eat it, Lance’ sign.”

As for Armstrong, he chose not to engage in a war of words, focusing instead on the “respectable” time he posted in his first marathon.

“I think I bit off more than I could chew. I thought the marathon would be easier,” said Armstrong, who had no comment on Murray’s time.

Excuse me, but what running novice turns in a sub-three-hour marathon, then says afterward that they thought it would be easier? Unbelievable. This guy has a lot of nerve. And steroids. Lots and lots of steroids.

For his next trick, Lance will compile the 10,000 signatures required to get his name the ballot, stage a grass-roots write-in campaign, and become elected Governor of Texas in tomorrow’s elections.

During yesterday’s Cowboys-Redskins game, Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and the rest of the Fox crew shared some things you might not know about Dallas quarterback Tony Romo. These facts included his celebrity crush… none other than pop singer and one-time Dallas-area resident Jessica Simpson.

Yes, he no longer rides the pine — he just pines for Jess. We know what you’re thinking. What would a bombshell like Jessica Simpson possibly see in a backup signal-caller named Tony Romo. And that’s a very valid question. But let’s think it through before writing off the pride of Burlington, Wisconsin.

Despite ridicule from some observers, the third-year pro and former Walter Payton Award winner has played well since taking over for Drew Bledsoe. Were it not for Terrell Owens‘ ineptitude (drop some more passes, idiot) and a flukish ending to yesterday’s game, he’d be 2-0 as a starter.

Since divorcing Nick Lachey, her dating pool has been drier than the West Texas desert she grew up in. She needs a down-to-earth guy, one who hasn’t had everything handed to him. One who knows what he wants and is not afraid to take his licks. She needs Tony Romo!

Plus, there’s something about Jessica Simpson that just screams Dallas Cowboy cheerleader material. Probably the insanely hot body and lack of intelligence.

The Sports Truth is proud to bring you The Weigh-In, in which we break down prospective matchups within the world of sports (and sometimes pop culture) that you may never have considered. Because they are pointless, and above all, not real.

Our latest edition is too close to call, and may be controversial, but is sure to be one for the ages. When figure skater Sasha Cohen and British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, a.k.a. Borat, do battle for all the marbles, there’s no telling what might go down. Who can outwit, outfox, and out-triple-axel their opponent? Let’s find out. Ding, ding!

1. RESIDENCE

Sasha Cohen: The O.C. (Orange County)
Sacha Baron Cohen: England (or Kazakhstan)
Edge: Sasha Baron Cohen

2. EASTERN EUROPEAN ROOTS

Sasha Cohen: Mother is Ukrainian; Sasha is a nickname for her given name, Alexandra; Can understand and speak basic Russian.
Sacha Baron Cohen: Conceptualized and acts as Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional and highly entertaining, sometimes offensive journalist from Kazakhstan
Edge: Sasha Cohen

3. SIGNATURE MOVE

Sasha Cohen: Unusual dexterity, impeccable spiral sequences, triple lutz, toe and salchow combinations
Sacha Baron Cohen: Lampooning various aspects of modern culture, including sexism, racism, homophobia, and jingoist ideals, through the oddball comedy characters he creates
Edge: Sasha Cohen

4. EARLY INFLUENCES

Sasha Cohen: Parents Roger and Galina, skating coach John Nicks
Sacha Baron Cohen: Habonim Dror Jewish Youth Group, Cambridge Footlights
Edge: Even

5. CAREER MILESTONES

Sasha Cohen: Won U.S. national championship, Olympic silver medial in 2006
Sacha Baron Cohen: Won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award, received an Emmy nomination
Edge: Sasha Cohen

6. FILM & TV CREDITS

Sasha Cohen: Numerous commercials; Appeared as herself on NBC’s Las Vegas, and in Project Runway, where designers were challenged to design a skating dress for her; will play herself in Blades of Glory, a 2007 figure skating comedy starring Will Ferrell.
Sacha Baron Cohen: Rose to fame on Britain’s The Eleven O’Clock Show; Hosted his own Da Ali G Show; Lent his voice to Madagascar and appeared in this year’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; His feature film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, opened Friday.
Edge: Sacha Baron Cohen

7. GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS

Sasha Cohen: 1,020,000
Sacha Baron Cohen: 3,000,000
Edge: Sacha Baron Cohen

8. LESSER-KNOWN TALENTS

Sasha Cohen: Gymnastics, ballet
Sacha Baron Cohen: In 1992, won silver medal at the world championships of ga-ga, a form of dodgeball thought to have originated in Israel.
Edge: Sasha Cohen

9. NOTABLE ADVERSARIES

Sasha Cohen: Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan, Kimmie Meissner, Sarah and Emily Hughes, Fumie Suguri
Sacha Baron Cohen: Millions of offended viewers, anyone he has interviewed
Edge: Sasha Baron Cohen

10. LEGS

Sasha Cohen: Pretty stellar.
Sacha Baron Cohen: No thanks.
Edge: Sasha Cohen

THE VERDICT: The crazy comic gave it his all, but couldn’t quite land the double-axel in the long program. So to speak. The younger, nimbler Sasha Cohen takes it by the narrow margin of 5.5-4.5. Don’t feel too sorry for Borat — the guy is too busy traveling around the U.S. offending people to care.

The Indianapolis Colts visit Foxboro, Mass., tonight boasting a perfect 7-0 record and a superhuman signal-caller in Peyton Manning. But everyone in New England, including the Sports Truth’s own NFL expert, believes the Patriots will win. It’s pure confidence, not hopefulness. The Pats are expected to win.

New Englanders go into tonight believing that their team will find some way to defeat the otherworldly Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne because of one man: Bill Belichick.

Like the late Red Auerbach (right), who presided over an incredible 16 Boston Celtics championships, Bill Belichick has become iconic. The Patriots exude success, and that begins with the man in the grey hooded sweatshirt.

The charismatic, exuberant and often-abrasive Auerbach always made his presence felt on and off the court. Belichick is expressionless as drywall. But that, according to a great piece in today’s Boston Globe, is where the differences between the two taskmasters end. It was never about individual stats with either guy, but rather being better prepared and able to outfox the opponent.

Auerbach won nine championships as coach of the Celtics, and helped guide the franchise to seven more as president and chairman. Belichick has won three with New England. He’s got a long way to go to catch Red, but Bill is within striking distance of legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll and his NFL record four Super Bowls.

Especially in this salary cap world, Belichick has put together a resume that would impress even the late Celtics honcho — and done it in a way that Red would surely approve of. Both were geniuses when it came to the financial aspects of building and maintaining a winner. That included a merciless streak of dispatching key players who helped win titles if they believed the parts were interchangeable.

Both taught and inspired a dearth of coaching successes in their time, with Bill Sharman, Don Nelson, Paul Westphal, and Larry Bird learning the trade from Red, and former Belichick proteges Nick Saban, Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis and Eric Mangini making names for themselves nowadays.

But perhaps most impressively (and importantly), both got players to buy into the concept of team above self, and earned reputations as masters of game strategy. Auerbach always found a way to acquire the best players for his team, then motivate them to exceed expectations and run through walls for him. He aided their drive to win by gaining every advantage possible through coaching. Sound like any NFL coach you know?

Here are some remarks about coaching Auerbach made in the midst of leading Boston to nine straight championships a half century ago:

• “The coach should run his team and not be influenced by spectators to make certain substitutions regardless of the score.”
• “It is wise to keep switching positions during practice so that all the players can appreciate the other fellow’s job.”
• “Keep friends and visitors off the bench. They will distract the players and interfere with your coaching procedure. The same applies in the dressing room before the game and during halftime.”
• “It is not advisable to announce your starting lineup until just before the game. When you are away from home it might be wise to see your opponents’ lineup before giving your own.”
• “No explanation should ever be given to any player when he is coming to the bench as to why he was taken out of the ballgame.”
• “Faking injuries is used for many reasons such as stalling for time and giving the impression that a player will not be at his best.”

While these observations are basketball-oriented, they might as well have been uttered by the man in grey last week. Belichick is concerned only with winning, and has mastered every facet of it, instilling in his Patriots a gold standard of excellence that the rest of the league can only marvel at. When New England knocks off the Colts tonight, perhaps one Boston coaching legend will be smiling down upon another.

No pulsating intro music or pyrotechnics are necessary when the Sports Truth’s Starting Five takes the floor. Primarily because our budget won’t allot for such things. That would be so cool, though!

Every Friday, our panel of experts takes a current sports topic and sounds off on it — five times over. These guys have been researching constantly, poring over endless data and bouncing ideas off each other in preparation for this feature. Prepare to be amused, perplexed, enraged and maybe a little awed by their collective brilliance.

This Week’s Topic: SPORT / NOT A SPORT: RELOADED

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1. Fishing: Sport? Not a sport? Why?

THE PUNDIT: Yes if you are by yourself, or with buddies drinking beer and talking smack. No if you are some redneck schmoe trying to support your family in Big Willie’s West Virginia Bass Shootout.

LUCAS DWYER: Not a sport. However, it did spawn one of the greatest hand-held games of all time. I don’t even remember the name of it, but the device was shaped like the beginnings of a fishing pole, with the screen where the reel was, and you had to physically move your arm to “cast” your line just like real fishing! Good times…

JOEY BARGUY: Not a sport, unless: A) in the water, and B) the fish could potentially kill you.

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: The older and more athletically challenged I become, the more I come to enjoy activities like fishing. While not a sport, fishing has become a great passion of mine for several reasons. One, the epic Hemmingway-esque man-vs.-nature battle. Two, it’s a great excuse to drink beer and sit by a lake on a beautiful summer afternoon. And three, food. Catch it, kill it, eat it. Boo yea.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Not a sport. Unless you’re using dynamite.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: It certainly can be. What takes greater coordination, resolve, strength, skill and teamwork: three men combining to find, snare, and reel in an 850-pound bluefin tuna, or a sweeping ice with a broom? Take that, curling.

STEVEN VINCI: Fishing is not a sport. It’s a way to pass the time while sitting in a boat drinking cheap beer.

VERDICT: NOT A SPORT, 5-2

2. Darts: Sport? Not a sport? Why?

STEVEN VINCI: Darts can’t possibly be a sport, because you only play the game while drunk.

LUCAS DWYER: I feel like I’m being backed into a corner here. If pool is a sport, how can darts not be? However, I’m glad to see ESPN’s attempt at the “World Series of Darts” failed. Beyond the fact that watching someone shoot darts isn’t all that interesting, how is 501 a better game than cricket? If you’re gonna put a “World Series of Darts” on TV, at least play the game that we all play in local bars.

THE PUNDIT: Sport. Brings back great memories of the infamous battles with One Eyed Willie at the Jug back in the Pundit’s formative years.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Not a sport. But speaking of throwing stuff, can we play “Quarterback/Not a Quarterback”? This Pat White is not a quarterback, and West Virginia should be forced to pass the ball once. Just once.

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Very few gamblers in our world bet on every game, every week. At the request of several of my readers, I’m going to start listing Luke’s Locks™ of the week. A feature where by I list two games I guarantee (read: “with 75 percent certainty”) a winning pick.

I’ll preface the two Luke’s Locks™ prior to the pick, so even if you’re just looking for two solid picks, you can skip the rest of the article and go straight to the Locks™. We’ll keep a record of Luke’s Locks™ along with my overall record as well.

It’s a more realistic way to help my readers, nay, all of us, bring down Vegas with successful betting because my record against the spread for the year is not accurate enough to be winning money… yet!

[Home team in CAPS. Spreads accurate as of Friday, 5:30 EST]

LAST WEEK: 8-6 SEASON: 51-58-6

ST. LOUIS (-2) over Kansas City
Last week we went with the Chiefs at home, where they’re seemingly unbeatable, and Seneca Wallace, Maurice Morris, and the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks all gave us a big scare. Get my drift? If Larry Johnson (right) and the Chiefs can barely beat a depleted ‘Hawks team in Arrowhead, they’re not going to go to St. Louis and defeat the Rams. Sorry.

Cincinnati (+3.0) over BALTIMORE
Add Cincinnati and Baltimore to the 2006 list of teams that no one can figure out (for the record, the list is captained by Jacksonville, assistant captained by Philadelphia, and includes Dallas, Carolina, Washington, and the New York Jets). Cincinnati had a very winnable game at home against an overrated Falcons team and inexplicably came up short. Baltimore, meanwhile, last week defied the hurricane gods and annihilated Team Katrina in the Katrina Dome, ruining my prediction of a perfect home season for the Saints. I see the hurricane gods exacting revenge and giving the Bengals the win in this one.

NEW YORK GIANTS (-13.0) over Houston
I hope no one had to suffer through the Giants game last week vs. Tampa Bay. I bet that unless you’re a Giants or Bucos fan, you can’t even tell me the score, can you? You’re thinking to yourself, “was it 13-3? 14-3? 17-3?” It was 17-3 (I honestly thought it was 14-3, I had to go fact check myself), but the reason you can’t remember is: A) it was one of the least talked about NFL games in the last 10 years (look it up); B) The score was 14-3 at the half (a boring 14-3) and a whopping three points were scored in the second half. Thank you, Tom Coughlin. I see another game that is going to be far closer than it needs to be. Something in the range of 20-6 or 24-10 for Tiki Barber & Co.

Tennessee (+9.5) over JACKSONVILLE
Is there really any point in trying to pick Jacksonville games anymore? I think that I’m just going to pick the opposite of whatever the Jags did the week prior. They won last week, lose this week. And since I have nothing more to add here, let’s handicap one of the wagers we can make on next Tuesday’s exciting U.S. Senate races.

Right now, Montana Republican incumbent Conrad Burns is supposedly in a “heated battle” with the Democratic challenger Jon Tester. Burns is currently listed as a +180 underdog to Tester (+180 indicates that if you bet $100, you win $180). Tester (left) is currently president of the Montana State Senate.

Beyond the hysterics of someone handicapping a senate race, beyond the absurdity of anyone being a heavy favorite or underdog in the Montana U.S. Senate race, and beyond the fact that the challenger is aptly named Tester, is that Tester is the president of the Montana state senate.

Have you ever heard of something like that? Is this man elected twice: once to senate, and then again voted president of the senate by other state senators? Go with the Republican incumbent and the odds.

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[Cue The Pundit’s Patented Loud Booming Voice, Pulsing Intro Music & Pyrotechnics]

The Pundit would like to apologize to his rabid fan base for neglecting them this past week. The Pundit simply didn’t have to time to drop his knowledge on the masses with the usual vigor and quality that is his calling card.

The Pundit knows what you are all thinking. “Pundit, you got lazy on one of the best weeks of the year! USC gets dropped, Miami’s whole team almost gets arrested, and almost every top 10 team had a barnburner!”

The Pundit’s response is thus: “Piss off. You still don’t have the game-calling acumen that the Pundit does!” At last count, the Pundit’s record was 22-8 with some money spread calls to boot. Let’s make that 26-8 with the pundit’s week 4-0 Week 8 results. The Pundit asks, “Who is still your daddy when it comes to college football?”

[Cue the Drum Roll]

THE PUNDIT’S POWER FIVE

1. Ohio State. Another two teams (Indiana and Minnesota) get stomped on by the Buckeyes. Next!
Next week’s opponent: Illinois
Prediction: The schedule gods must have been getting hummers from Jim Tressel for this gift of a schedule. Buckeyes by 35 in a snoozer.

2. Michigan. The Wolverines showed their blue-collar side with tough wins over Iowa and Northwestern. The lack of firepower is getting the Pundit thinking that Ohio State is going to be in the BCS title game… that is, unless Mario Manningham gets back ahead of schedule.
Next week’s opponent: Ball State
Prediction: The Pundit guesses that Lloyd Carr must have only given the schedule gods a handjob because this gift falls after two tough conference games. Michigan in another Big 10 snooze fest by 35. Sidenote: The Ball State Cardinals are one of the worst teams in college football… ever!

3. West Virginia. They handled the Huskies and then get a bye right before the Louisville game. Does the Pundit smell a letdown?
Next week’s opponent: Louisville
Prediction: This is hands down one of the games of the year! Two of the most explosive and nastiest offenses in the country are going to shoot it out over what is looking to be a BCS championship run and the Big East title. Ka-Ching! The Pundit is feeling Louisville in a wild and crazy game, and calling the total score just for fun. These teams will drop 80+ points in this one!

4. Louisville. The Cards beat up on Cincinatti and Syracuse, two very scrappy teams. This is a big advantage in their matchup with the Mountaineers, because they didn’t have much of a chance for a let down.
Next week’s opponent: West Virginia
Prediction: See Above

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The NBA season is officially underway, and the Sports Truth’s hoops guru has broken down every aspect of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference in his extensive season previews.

Here, Steven Vinci rates the NBA’s 30 squads from top to bottom. He will do so every Wednesday as the season progresses, tracking the ups and downs of the contenders, the pretenders and even the New York Knicks.

Not surprisingly, the aforementioned laughingstock franchise begins the 2006-2007 season at the bottom of the Sports Truth’s NBA Power Rankings.

Meanwhile, West powers Phoenix and Dallas, along with defending champion Miami, occupy the top three positions until someone steps up. After those three, Cleveland looks poised to make a big leap, while Detroit and San Antonio still know how to win. How does the rest of the league shake out? See below:

1. Phoenix. Throw on your track shoes; Amare’s back!
2. Miami. Defending champs will turn it on in the playoffs.
3. Dallas. Mavs now know what it takes to win.
4. San Antonio. Still have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker (right).
5. Cleveland. King James is really that good.
6. Detroit. Not the same team in Detroit, they’ll have to adjust.
7. L.A. Clippers. Solid team nobody wants to play in playoffs.
8. Denver. Melo is ready to deliver.
9. Chicago. Improved with Wallace; is it enough?
10. New Jersey. Weakest of all division favorites — is Kidd running on empty?
11. Houston. McGrady and Yao must stay healthy.
12. Utah. Could surprise out West if Boozer stays healthy.
13. L.A. Lakers. Kobe’s team actually made a few moves this summer.
14. Milwaukee. Underrated squad could make a big jump.
15. Boston. Extremely young, but very talented.
16. Orlando. Dwight and Darko: A force for the next decade?
17. Golden State. Plenty of talent; can Baron Davis (right) learn to share?
18. New Orleans. Chris Paul gives them a chance.
19. Sacramento. If only they played in the East.
20. Seattle. Could be ranked too high here; terrible defensively.
21. Indiana. The talent is there, the heart is not.
22. Toronto. One year away from jumping into the top half.
23. Washington. Arenas can’t do it by himself, although he will try.
24. Philadelphia. Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Move AI while you can.
25. Memphis. Gasol’s injury takes them right out of the playoffs.
26. Charlotte. Morrison and Okafor must grow together.
27. Minnesota. KG in NY? He’s got to go somewhere.
28. Portland. My parole officer says I can’t comment on the Blazers.
29. Atlanta. Young and talented, but no leadership.
30. New York. If the Knicks released their entire team and started over, they’d be better.

The 2006-07 NBA season is right around the corner, and in preparation, The Sports Truth’s respected insider has been breaking down all the key roster moves, training camp reports, reels of game film and fantasy basketball implications. Last week, he brought us an extensive Eastern Conference preview. Now, he turns his attention to the Western Conference. See below.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

Dallas and San Antonio will continue to own this division, but can the Spurs continue to win 60 games or will their age catch up with them? Houston continues to disappoint, and New Orleans is ready to get up to .500. Memphis is tough to figure out because of the injury to Pau Gasol.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

Last Season: 60-22, Lost in NBA Finals
2006-2007 Prediction: 60 wins, 1st in Division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $92.8 million
Key Additions: Maurice Ager and Austin Croshere.
Key Losses: Marquis Daniels, Keith Van Horn, and Adrian Griffin.
Why they should be better: They basically have the same team back this year and they should be hungrier. Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry provide plenty of offense and create one-on-ones all over the court.
Fantasy Options: Nowitzki is a top five pick.
Outlook: A battle with Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals seems eminent. There is no reason to believe they won’t win 60 games and their experience in the playoffs last year should help them — unless the referees hold a grudge against them and Mark Cuban.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Last Season: 34-48, 12th in West
2006-2007 Prediction: 45 wins, 3rd in Division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $58.7 million
Key Additions: Bonzi Wells, Shane Battier and Kirk Snyder.
Key Losses: David Wesley and Bob Sura.
Why they should be better: Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are pretty good, but finding the right mix of complementary players has always been a problem. The addition of Battier and Snyder makes sense. If McGrady and Ming are healthy, Snyder can shoot well and Battier can do much more than Juwan Howard or Stromile Swift.
Fantasy Options: Ming is the top center and McGrady is a late first-round selection.
Outlook: The truth is, the Rockets have enough talent to win the NBA title, but they won’t. McGrady or Ming will get hurt and when both of them play together, one will sacrifice their game. In addition, you can’t win with Rafer Alston as your point guard.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Last Season: 47-35, reached playoffs
2006-2007 Prediction: 32 wins, 5th in division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $60.4 million
Key Additions: Stromile Swift, Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry.
Key Losses: Shane Battier, Lorenzen Wright and Alexander Johnson.
Why they should be better: Because Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and McGrady are all out for the season. Okay, that’s not true and the Grizzlies are not better. Gasol’s injury and their geriatric backcourt situation will keep them below .500.
Fantasy Options: Someone has to play center, so Jake Tsakilidas makes an interesting fantasy option.
Outlook: This team has real problems. The backcourt of Eddie Jones, Damon Stoudamire and Chucky Atkins is old and not very good. If it wasn’t for Swift’s long arms, this would be the smallest team on the planet without Gasol. And to top it all off, they will highly regret ending up with Rudy “I don’t want to play tonight” Gay. All in all, this will be a forgettable season for Mike Fratello and the Grizz.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Last Season: 38-44, 10th in West
2006-2007 Prediction: 41 wins, 4th in division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $48.5 million
Key Additions: Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Hilton Armstrong, Bobby Jackson and Cedric Simmons.
Key Losses: PJ Brown, JR Smith, Kirk Snyder and Speedy Claxton.
Why they should be better: Because Chris Paul is back. Paul is one of the best young point guards in the league and he makes everyone better.
Fantasy Options: Paul is probably playing his final season as a second round pick in fantasy basketball — he’ll be a first rounder next year.
Outlook: Another example why Byron Scott got booted out of New Jersey: He worries too much about personnel and the players just don’t like him. He ran Smith and Snyder out of town even though they are both very young and improving players. Unfortunately, GM Jeff Bower got anxious. He could have allowed his young team to grow together and use his cap space in next summer’s huge free agent market, but he panicked and tied up almost 50% of the cap on Chandler and Stojakovic. Yes, they’ll improve, but championship future may have been pushed back.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Last Season: 63-19, Lost in West Finals
2006-2007 Prediction: 58 wins, 2nd in division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $66.2 million
Key Additions: Jackie Butler, Matt Bonner, Eric Williams and Jacque Vaughn.
Key Losses: Rasho Nesterovic
Why they should be better: Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammad are both gone. These two were so bad last year they both ended up on the bench in the playoffs. The Spurs still have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker to carry them into the playoffs.
Fantasy Options: Duncan is not the first rounder he once was and Parker’s value slips a bit with his injured hand.
Outlook: The Spurs’ 63 wins last year were the most in team history, yet they looked vulnerable all year with Duncan struggling and Parker becoming the team’s leading scorer. Bruce Bowen is still an excellent stopper defensively, but this team is getting older and you have to wonder when it will all come to an end. This is probably the year Dallas and possibly Houston slips in front of the dynasty.

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Why is one man’s decision to retire permission for others to react?

Minutes after Tiki Barber’s decision to retire from the New York Giants at season’s end was reported by the New York Times, others chimed in. Since then the opinions have not stopped. And the fallout has nothing to do with Barber’s feelings, only everyone else’s.

Among media and fans, there has been shock, denial, worry, acceptance and a fair share of criticism.

The pervading sense seemed tinged with betrayal: How could someone in the prime of his career, holding the key to the Super Bowl hopes of his franchise, have the gall to walk away?

It’s an odd relationship fans have with athletes. We do more than cheer; we help determine legacies. In pro sports, the timing of a retirement is among the most scrutinized subjects. Some athletes are criticized for playing too long, others not long enough.

As if it’s our place to say.

“There is something fundamentally wrong about that,” Barber told the Times. “Because as someone who has ownership over my own life, and has been given the God-given thing that all of us have, which is free will, I should be able to choose when I want to leave and if I want to stay.”

Tiki was torched this week by a number of “journalists,” including none other than Michael Irvin, the former Cowboys receiver and current ESPN analyst. By announcing his intention to retire now, Barber is a distraction in Irvin’s warped mind.

Note that the Giants’ all-time leading rusher and receiver announced his plans two weeks ago. New York has soundly beaten Atlanta and (fittingly), the Tony Romo-led Cowboys in its last two games. Clearly he’s distracting to fans and reporters, but not to the only 52 people who matter.

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