03/24/04– Last week the Oakland A?s signed Eric Chavez to a six year $66 million dollar extension. This week, the New York Yankees signed Mariano Rivera to a 2 year $21 million dollar contract.This is why people hate the Yankees. $10.5 million dollars on a closer? A one inning, only if you are winning, may play 70 games at the most, closer.

Yes, Rivera is one of the best closers in the league, but you can?t give a guy who won?t appear in over 90 percent of the baseball played for your team that kind of money, unless you are the Yankees.

In spring training news

The Oakland A?s defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-5 yesterday.Eric Chavez, the $66 million man, hit a three-run home run and ended the game with 4 RBIs.

Barry Zito got the win, pitching 5 strong innings and not giving up a run.

Shortstop Bobby Crosby continued his outstanding play going 2-3 from the plate with a run.

The San Francisco Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs 12-4. Barry Bonds hit his fourth home run of the spring, but Kirk Rueter gave up sis earned runs in only 3 innings of work.

NBA

Scores

Minnesota over San Antonio 86-81

New Orleans over Detroit 82-81

Memphis over Toronto 95-86

New Jersey over Chicago 84-81

Utah over Washington 85-77

Milwaukee over Sacramento 112-101

The Washington Wizards have been without one of their top three players in all but four games this year. That?s right, only four times this season have Larry Hughes, Jerry Stackhouse and Gilbert Arenas all played together.

No way arenas saw that coming when he guaranteed the team would make the playoffs this year. Had all three been healthy the full year, they would be going to the playoffs and Arenas would look like Nostradamus.

To make the best out of a bad situation, wouldn?t it be great to see unanimous All-American Emeka Okafor come in and play center for this team? Next year?s starting line-up would be Arenas, Hughes, Stackhouse, Kwame Brown and Okafor.

Random Kings thoughts

The Sacramento Kings are in trouble if they can?t figure out how to defend or rebound before the playoffs start.

A lot of people around town are willing to put the blame on Chris Webber. While it is true he hasn?t been that great since coming back from knee surgery, he isn?t the only King inept at D.

What hurts the Kings more then Webber?s slow start after returning is Bobby Jackson sitting. Jackson is the spark the Kings need when they are dogging it and Adelman has to come off the bench with that disgusted look like “I don?t know what you guys are doing out there” and calls the timeout.

Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, Webber, and Brad Miller are some of the laziest players in basketball. Not when they are on offense, I know. I?ve seen Stojaks run around for 23 seconds to get open so he can unleash a three as the shot clock expires. It?s when they are on defense that this laziness reveals itself. When was the last time you saw any of those guys hit the deck hard for a loose ball?

If the Kings don?t get things straightened out by playoff time and they draw the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, they will get upset. Heard it here first.

Five questions:

Where will Jameer Nelson go in the NBA draft?

How much of that depends on how good St. Joe?s does in the tourni?

Are you going to go watch boxing when Oscar De La Hoya brings it to Sacramento with Thursday night fights?

Does the signing of veteran quarterback Chris Chandler by the St. Louis Rams guarantee the departure of Kurt Warner?

After placing 46th in last week at Bay Hill, is Tiger Woods still the favorite to win this week?s Players Championship?

03/23/04– Philadelphia 76ers over Dallas Mavericks 107-98Indiana Pacers over Chicago Bulls 101-77New York Knicks over Atlanta Hawks 96-84Denver Nuggets over Los Angeles Clippers 102-80Houston Rockets over Portland Trail Blazers 93-85 (OT)

In what is becoming a growing trend, the 76ers won without Allen Iverson in the line-up.Kenny Thomas showed up big with 27 points and 13 rebounds, proving that there is no “D” in –allas. Really, if Kenny Thomas drops 27 on you, maybe basketball just isn’t your game.The Mavericks have no shot at winning the title, unless the defense improves. Of course that’s the same thing that has been known for the past few years, so the outlook for better defense is bleak at best.Leading the way for the Mavericks was Dirk Nowitzki with 30 points.

The Pacers beat the Bulls in a contest in which the Bulls managed 14 second quarter points.

Leading the Pacers to victory was Reggie Miller who scored 17.Eddie Curry had an excellent shooting game scoring 13 points on 4-14 shooting. I say good because I couldn’t shoot 4-14 in an NBA game. Good game Ed.

Jermaine O’neal left the game in the second quarter with a bruise to his left knee.

The Knicks continued their push to the playoffs with a win against the Hawks.

Nazr Mohammed had a double-double against his old team with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Stephon Marbury dropped 11 dimes to go with his 11 points.

Stephen Jackson, who still wishes he would have stayed in San Antonio, continued his hot scoring, putting in 20 in the losing effort.

Moochie Norris had 7 points to go with his 5 turnovers in 16 minutes of play, begging the question: Which team was he playing for?

In case you missed it, Carmelo Anthony had a ridiculous play early in the fourth. He up-faked Sacramento native Matt Barnes right out of the play, then drove the lane and posterized Chris Kaman to put the Nuggets up 12.

Had that happened on the And1 Tour, Barnes would have had to leave the court.

The win, helped pull the Nuggets into the eighth spot in the west as they are fighting with the Trail Blazers and the Jazz for the final playoff spot.

Anthony finished with 22 points to lead the Nuggets.

Predrag Drobnjak scored a season-high 24 points on 8-10 shooting.

In the final action of the evening, the Rockets beat the Trail Blazers in OT.After getting fined $25,000 for saying potty words Sunday on TV, Steve Francis was one rebound shy of a triple-double.He finished with 22 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.Yao Ming scored several key buckets, including one at the end of regulation with a nifty right-handed finger roll. He ended with 28 points and 13 rebounds.The Trail Blazers fell to one game out in the race for the final playoff position.In the spirit of Kentucky’s embarrassing departure from the NCAA tournament, former Wildcat Scott Padgett did not play, coaches decision.

That’s it for the NBA, now 5 things to talk about by the water cooler.

How long will Rich Harden start for the A’s before Justin Dushscherer replaces him?

Did the Raiders really need to get another old guy on their team with the signing of Warren Sapp?

Speaking of former Bucs, how good will Keyshawn Johnson be with the Cowboys?

Name 5 teams in the Women’s NCAA tournament. This is worse then the WNBA. At least they stay out of the way until the men are done. If ESPN took out all the women’s highlights, I could have gotten 15 extra seconds of every NIT game.

Saint Joe’s lasted longer then Stanford and Kentucky, now that’s madness. Find the person in your office who predicted that, then pull out a cross and run away from them because they made a pact with the devil.