J.OWEN Rants

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired the man that will proceed Phil Jackson, who has won more Championships as a coach than anyone in history.  The lucky individual who will attempt to fill the giant shoes left by Jackson's retirement, is Mike Brown, former Cleveland Cavaliers coach and a former "Coach of the Year" winner.  In light of the hiring, many of the "experts" on ESPN have been making a big deal out of the fact that the Lakers didn't consult with Kobe Bryant before signing Brown to be the next head coach of LA's top team.

Last time I checked, Kobe was an employee of the Los Angeles Lakers and not the other way around.  I didn't think he owned stock in the team.  I don't believe he has an office or a desk.  I was almost certain his responsibilities within the organization pertained to hitting jump shots and playing defense, and not making the hiring decisions.

The Lakers didn't consult with Kobe Bryant before picking their new head coach, because it's not his call.  The cashier at your local Target doesn't get to put his two cents in when the store needs a new manager and Kobe shouldn't expect the luxury of getting to pick his new boss either.

Meet Jose Bautista, He's Good

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, has been flying high since the 2011 Major League Baseball season began and it doesn't appear he'll be coming back to earth anytime soon.  Bautista's numbers through the first 32 games of the season are incredible, insane, inhuman!  Among the many categories he leads the league in are: runs, home runs, and batting average and through 32 games, he has 16 home runs.  That's a home run every other game!  At that rate, Bautista is on pace for 80 home runs!  A number that would shatter Barry Bonds single season mark of 73*.  Or a number that would obliterate the single season record held by someone that wasn't jacked up on steroids and walking around like the Incredible Hulk, Roger Maris' 61.  It's almost impossible for Bautista to keep hitting at this pace, but the numbers are fun to look at nonetheless.

Hitting home runs isn't new for Bautista, he lead all of baseball in 2010 with 54 long bombs.  However, last season, if Bautista wasn't hitting a home run, he was probably recording an out as he finished the year with an unimpressive .260 batting average.  In 2011, he is sporting an astonishing .368 average, best in the American League.  Hitting for power and average is what MVPs are made of.  Bautista finished 4th in MVP voting a year ago.  If he can sustain his current numbers he will be the unanimous choice this year.

Numbers like the ones Bautista is putting up are eye-popping.  Especially since he seemingly came out of nowhere last year, at age 29, and became a power hitter.  In the post-steroid era, such numbers also raise eyebrows.  Fair or unfair, that's the way it is today.  In his defense, Bautista's head does not resemble that of Mr. Potato Head, as did many of the great hitters in the late 90's, early 2000's.  Bautista actually has quite a slim frame.  MLB has a strict testing policy and with the exception of Manny Ramirez, most guys aren't dumb enough to test that system.

I believe Bautista is clean.  He is off to a historic start.  The sporting world should take notice and start watching.

*Steroid Era

Manny Pacquiao: The Greatest of All Time?

Do you want to see a real fight?  A real fighter?  12 rounds of non-stop action?  Then I suggest you order the fight this weekend, when the best pound-for-pound fighter in the universe, Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao takes on "Sugar" Shane Mosley for the WBO Welterweight Title.

This is boxing!  It is not the UFC or any type of MMA.  It's two men going toe-to-toe using only their fists and their knowledge of the "sweet science".  In this fight, you will not see two men rolling on the mat, hugging each other for half an hour.  You will see punches flying in bunches.  There will be no fluke, the better fighter will win.  There will be no lucky kicks, punches, or reverse naked choke holds.

Pacquiao will go in to the fight as the Champ, and he will exit the fight as the Champ.  But that doesn't mean the fight won't be exiting.  It most definitely will.

Anyone who has ever seen Pacquiao fight will tell you, you get your moneys worth.  If you haven't seen the Pac Man fight, I feel sorry for you, because you've been missing out on arguably the most entertaining fighter of all time, and with apologies to Muhammed Ali, perhaps the greatest of all time.
Long time promoter Bob Arum, who worked with Ali thinks so, as he describes Pacquiao as, "best and greatest boxer of all time".

Pacquiao has won titles in an unprecedented, 8 different weight classes!  He is the only fighter to ever accomplish such a feat, and I would bet my first born that no one will ever duplicate it.  He was named "Fighter of the Year" 4 times and was also crowned "Fighter of the Decade" during the 2000s.

I could sit here all day, telling you why Pacquiao is the greatest.  I could tell you that of his 52 victories, 38 of them have ended in a knock out.  I could also tell you that he put Oscar De La Hoya into retirement after he beat him like a red-headed step child for 8 rounds.  Leaving the "pretty boy" bruised and mangled so bad, that Oscar quit the fight and hasn't fought since.  Instead, just do yourself a favor, call your local cable provider, order the fight, and witness the greatness that is Manny Pacquiao.

Death of a Dynasty: The San Antonio Spurs

This past weekend, as week 9 of the first round of the NBA playoffs came to an end, the San Antonio Spurs became just the third number one seed to lose to an eight seed in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs.  The defeat came at the hands of the younger, more energized Memphis Grizzlies team that proved they are a powerful force and ready to contend.


More devastating than the early exit from playoffs, is the likelihood that the dynasty the Spurs had become over the past decade is seemingly dead.

The Spurs have won 4 NBA Championships since 1999 and are one of only five teams that has taken home the title since the turn of the millennium.

The Spurs have been one of the most accomplished franchises in all of sports over the past 12 years.  The organization is ran with a class and professionalism that is seldom found in the modern world of sports.  And even though the Spurs finished the regular season with the NBA's best record, the veteran laced team ran out of gas, and simply couldn't keep up with the quicker, more youthful Grizzlies.

What now?

Tim Duncan is one of the greatest players to ever step foot on the hardwood, but at 35 he is no longer the player that won back-to-back league MVP awards in 2002 and 2003.  A 35-year-old is young in most professions, but in the NBA a 35-year-old has one foot in the nursing home.  Enjoy the Hall of Fame, Tim.

Manu Ginobili, arguably the Spurs best player, is no spring chicken either, he turns 34 in July.  Still, Manu has had one of his greatest season as a pro and made a case for consideration as the MVP. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Ginobili injured his elbow late in the year and was forced to miss game 1 of the playoffs.  Ginobili would play the rest of the series with the assistance of a gigantic elbow brace that limited his movement, and ultimately handicapped his performance.

Injuries have plagued the Spurs throughout the last couple of seasons.  They looked poised to give it one last hooray in 2011, but came up way short.  With the advanced ages of its core, it appears, for now, the dynasty in San Antonio is no more.

R.I.P. San Antonio Spurs Dynasty - (1999-2011)