I was with him to a point. Here’s what he said in response to TJ Simers of the LA Times, who fecetiously refers to Kent as “Mr. Chuckles”: “It’s serious work playing baseball, the dedication, the sacrifice and suffering. It’s serious business making a lot of money, playing hurt and doing your best for the family of four that comes to the ballpark and spends $150 expecting you to play well. That’s supposed to be fun? I laugh at your patheticness. A better way to say it would be, I laugh at the world you live in.”

I get that being a professional athlete is hard work. I understand that these guys, even baseball players, have to work pretty hard to keep their jobs and do them well. I also understand that TJ Simers can be an unwavering sarcastic prick. I hated him for a long time… though you might not think my reasons are very good ones.

He used to hate on Ryan Leaf. Almost as soon as he was drafted, Simers was calling him a prick at every opportunity. Way before it became apparent that Ryan was revealed to be… well, not quite cut out for the job of NFL quarterback. And when he was drafted, there was no bigger Ryan Leaf fan than yours truly. I’d have taken a bullet for him. Anyway, at the time, there seemed to be no call whatsoever for the Leaf-bashing… there was no reason visible to the public eye. But Simers continued with it, and I haven’t forgiven him… even though he turned out to be kinda right. But I’m not yet giving up on Ryan Leaf becoming a great QB.

Anyway… the point is, I get that MLB’ers work hard, but Jeff Kent the baseball player doesn’t need to be laughing at anyone else’s world. The IQ required to play 2nd base in the majors is hovering somewhere below Brick Tamland’s. 99% of baseball players have less real impact on the world than do most janitors. So I’m really sorry if all the sufferring isn’t worth it to Jeff Kent, but he could always feel free to go get another job. Very few families of four will be paying $150 to come watch him mop jizz.

Man, the stress of being a baseball player must really be something. Kenny Rogers wigged out on a camera man, shoving the camera down off his shoulder, out of his hands, and then kicked it. The confrontation doesn’t look that violent, but the dude’s in the hospital. I dunno… he could have strained a muscle or something.

And if he’s just milking it and looking for attention and/or money… well, I hope that works, too. There was no reason for Rogers to do what he did. He apparently just didn’t want to be filmed at the time. Maybe someone out there knows more than I did, but all I heard him say was, “I told you to get that camera out of my face.”

The cameraman denies any wrongdoing. It’s hard to see any in the video. And no matter what the cause, Rogers needs to show more self-restraint than that. I mean, what kind of an idiot does that? Walk away. Go play some catch. Go take a nap in the clubhouse. Go hump a catcher’s mitt. Maybe he and Jeff Kent could start a support group.

There are some sweet semifinal matches set-up, on both the men’s and women’s side of the draw. Venus vs. Maria, and Lindsay vs. Amelie Maruesmo… and then Douchebag Hewitt vs. Federer, and Roddick vs. some Swede named Thomas Johansson.

The women’s semis are tomorrow… and I can honestly tell you that I’ve never before been so excited for women’s tennis on a Thursday. I may even TiVo it. Of course, the problem with that is… that when I’m at work, all I really do is read sports websites, so it’d be hard to avoid knowing who won.

I think I’m going to root for Lindsay Davenport to win it all… she just doesn’t get the love she deserves. A Venus comeback would be very awesome, and you can’t go wrong with Maria Sharapova being on TV more… but I’m rolling with Lindsay. She’s like the Detroit Pistons of women’s tennis. She might not be as sexy or camera-friendly as the other hoes… but when it comes down to it, she’s accomplished as much as anyone, and brings some serious lumber, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.

On the men’s side, there are two things everyone wants to see… first, of course, a Roddick/Federer final… and secondly, Lleyton Hewitt hanging himself in the locker room after losing in the semifinals.

Some various things…

First of all, I just want to say that I hate Dick Vitale and his blatant anti-internationalism. You just knew it was going to happen. Fran Vasquez and Yaroslav Korolev went 11 and 12, and Dickie V nearly cried. He outright admitted in the beginning of the sentence that he had no idea about the skills of Vasquez or Korolev. Then he went insane about the fact that they didn’t take Sean May or Rashad McCants. What an absolute idiot. “I don’t know anything about these guys, but here’s why they can’t be as good as American players.” Brilliant.

Of course, Stephen A. Smith picked up and continued with the blatant anti-internationalism… and the New York fans ate it up. Thank you, blowhard dickheads, for fueling the irrational anti-international sentiment that exists in basketball and makes it harder on talented young kids from overseas.

And the best part about all of this? It was all done while showing emotional camera shots of Rashad McCants… a guy who is world-renowned for being a selfish prick who won’t play defense, and who was actually drafted way higher than he was projected to be. No, we don’t know anything about Fran Vasquez, but Rashad McCants went to North Carolina, so we should all overlook the fact that Roy Williams benched him down the stretch in the national championship game because he wouldn’t play defense. Excellent.

Anyway…

New Orleans Hornets: I like Chris Paul, and I think he’ll be a great point guard… but I wanted to post a picture to remind everyone just how his college career ended. IT’S MIKE GANSEY, BITCH.

Charlotte Bobcats: Things worked out pretty well for them. I thought they reached a little bit on Raymond Felton, and I think he’ll do well in the right uptempo system (but will struggle in a halfcourt set), but if they want to get up and down the floor… Felton can do it. And I love Sean May, and putting him next to Okafor could have the Bobcats set very nicely for the next 10 years under the tin.

Toronto Raptors: They took a beating on ESPN for drafting Charlie Villanueva, but… if they’re convinced that he’s got the heart and the work ethic to succeed, then it’s not a bad pick. A reach at #7, yes… but he certainly has #7 overall talent, and if they feel he can be as good as his talent indicates he can… putting him next to Chris Bosh could lead to them having an absolutely dominating frontcourt for a long time. And landing Joey Graham at #16 is an excellent, excellent, pick.

Minnesota Timberwolves: After having their last year sabotaged by the attitude problems of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, it’s great to see they added a high-character guy like Rashad McCants.

Boston Celtics: Incredible value getting Gerald Green at 19 (projected in the Top 3), and Ryam Gomes at 50 (projectes as high as 26). Danny Ainge, for as oddly as the Ainge era started in Boston… is putting his thing down.

Detroit Pistons: My order of preference for the Pistons at #26 was 1) Julius Hodge, 2) Francisco Garcia, and 3) Nate Robinson. They all went between #20 and #23… so fuck it, why not take the best available thug. Jason Maxiell, who went to Cincinnati (and is therefore, of questionable character), dominated everyone at the Portsmouth Camp, and he was the pick.

Atlanta Hawks: Marvin Williams is a stud, but what the hell is Greg Anthony talking about, saying that Salim Stoudamire should be starting at point guard for them next year? If you’re an NBA general manager, and you want a rookie shooter who doesn’t play point guard to be your starting point guard next year… you have serious problems that are going to prevent you from being a good general manager. If Greg Anthony is saying it’s a good idea for any NBA team to count on Salim Stoudamire as their starting point guard next year… then Greg Anthony has completely lost it.

New Jersey Nets: I felt like Hakim Warrick was sitting there for them on a silver platter, and they took a guy to fill a need that they don’t really have. Maybe they’re thinking that Vince Carter is only going to be healthy/motivated for about 30 games next year, and thus, took a 2-guard… but they have a real need at the 4, and imagine Hakim Warrick running the floor and filling the lane on Jason Kidd breaks. It was right there for them, and they passed on it.

There’s a lot of 2nd round picks that I liked… including Brandon Bass, Ronny Turiaf, Roko Ukic, Ryan Gomes, and Amir Johnson. How about Chris Taft? Before the season started, he was project as the #1 overall, or at least Top 3… and he ends up going at #42 to Golden State, and it’s not even a story. That’s a serious fall-off. If that doesn’t motivate him, then… he can’t be motivated.

Another of my favorite moments of the broadcast: At the very end, Greg Anthony offers a long and sincere thank you to Jay Bilas, for knowing so much about the draftees… which was pretty much an admission that he and Stephen A. Smith don’t know a fucking thing about what they’ve been talking about all night. And Jay Bilas is the man.

As part of their new deal with the NFL, NBC has exclusive rights to all NFL highlights until after midnight on Sunday. That means it’s going to be somewhat difficult for ESPN to continue with their Primetime Show. At the very least, it’d be a little bit boring.

I’m not going to miss it… I never really watched it that much anyway. When it was on, I was usually getting home from the Sports Bar, after having eaten chicken wings, drank beer, and sat in the same place for about 8 hours, so… getting home and watching more football wasn’t really a priority. Figuring out a way to re-add the years I just took off of my life took priority.

But there was a time when I watched it pretty regularly, and it’s a quality show. As annoying as Chris Berman has become, it will still be the end of a mini-institution, sure to be mourned by some. All things considered, through the course of my life, I’d have to say that Primetime enhanced it, rather than detracted from it. I used to really love the slowly-building “Primetime” chant when Deion made a play. This will likely be the last year for Primetime… and NBC’s attempt to replicate it will probably suck.

By the way, thanks to my man Chris Wilcox for the heads-up. And speaking of Chris Wilcox, he and I had the following conversation last night on IM’er about what ESPN could do to replace Primetime…

Wilcox: Perhaps they can get Peter King to add insightful comments like “Donovan McNabb really threw the ball well today,” or “Randy Moss really caught the ball well today,” or “Tom Brady’s balls tasted really good today.”

mjd: “I think that Peyton Manning could really turn into a quality quarterback.”

Wilcox: “Brett Favre, wow, does it get any better?”

Wilcox: “Um, Peter, Brett threw three interceptions today, including one that was returned for a touchdown for the win.”

mjd: “But you can tell he really loves playing the game.”

Wilcox: “Almost as much as I love giving Tom Brady oral treats.”

mjd: “Boy, those Falcons uniforms sure are red.”

Wilcox: “I might be going out on a limb saying this, but I think the Ravens have a solid defense, but a shaky offense.”

mjd: “Ryan Leaf might have had a little trouble adjusting to the NFL.”

Wilcox: “Wide receivers in the NFL today are so fast.”

mjd: “My daughter is a great field hockey player, and I really think that when MJD puts the wood to her, she enjoys the heck out of it.”

I caught the Jeremy Roenick interview on the 6 o’clock SportsCenter today, where he tried to say that his comments were taken out of context, and that he’s a great guy. Here was the basic gist of what he said: I’m passionate (x30). I love the fans. The fans are great. Provided they agree with me. Oh, and it’s OK to say something really dumb, if you said nice things before it.

Someday, when I’m in the NBA, I’m going to call a press conference, and it’s going to go something like this:

I’m glad to be here. I love the game. I’m just looking forward to helping my team out and taking things one day at a time. I’m just trying to learn, and do things the right way, and do anything I can to help the team. In addition, I sell ecstacy to Girl Scouts and run a cockfighting league in my garage. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Then I’m going to get mad at ESPN for only showing the last two sentences. Jeremy Roenick can still suck me. No matter what else he said… he still said what he said, and he acted like there was nothing wrong with saying that if you don’t think the players are in the right, then he doesn’t want you at games.

Big ups to the Michelin company for offering refunds to fans who bought tickets to see taht one Forumla One race that got all fucked up. There was a tire problem, a bunch of teams decided not to race, and it created a huge nightmare for F1… and now Michelin is bailing them out, although I guess Michelin had a lot to do with creating the original situation.

I’m not going to do a mock or anything, but I do want to go through the lottery and quickly tell you what I think each team should try to do. Hopefully, one of these cats can top Karl Malone’s legendary draft night suit and cloth tie.

1. Milwaukee Bucks. I like both Bogut and Marvin Williams, but I feel like Marvin Williams is a better fit for them, for reasons explained below. I’ve never liked Desmond Mason’s game all that much. He’s not worthless, but he’s certainly not one of the better players at his position. Grab Marvin Williams, get TJ Ford healthy, and see if you can run like hell. MJD’s recommendation: Take Marvin.

2. Atlanta Hawks. I think Bogut’s a good fit here. You can stick him at the five, where you need definite help, and run the offense through him. Having Bogut at the 5 takes a lot of pressure off the point guard position, where the Hawks suck tremendously. They’re not completely without talent, and I think Bogut could do a lot of different things to make the team better. I think it’s a much safer pick than taking a point guard and hoping he works out. MJD’s recommendation: Hope Milwaukee passes on Bogut. If not, take Marvin Williams, and hope you can trade one of your other 3/4 guys for a point.

3. Portland Trailblazers. Trade looks like the thing here. Point guard is the deepest position in the draft, and they’re not going to take one with Sebastian Telfair waiting to take over. Word is that they’re trading the pick to the Jazz, who certainly need a point. MJD’s recommendation: Trading is a good idea. If you take anyone but a point here, it might be a little bit of a reach. If they keep it, they should go with high schooler Gerald Green.

4. New Orleans Hornets. Despite losing Baron Davis, I feel like they’ve got more pressing needs than a point. Dan Dickau played pretty well for them last year. I know… it sounds weird to even type it, but it happened. MJD’s recommendation: Danny Granger.

5. Charlotte Bobcats. They’d nut themselves if they could get their hands on either Chris Paul or Deron Williams, but there’s so many other teams hot for them that it’s unlikely either of them gets past #4. They’ve got needs everywhere. MJD’s recommendation: Pray for Paul or Deron Williams, but if not, Martell Webster or Gerald Green would be excellent additions to their nearly non-existent perimeter game.

6. Utah Jazz. I’m guessing that they’re trading up to land Paul or Deron Williams. If they don’t, they could stay here and take Raymond Felton, but I don’t know how much they like him. MJD’s recommendation: Give up one of your overrated bigs if that’s what it takes to get one of the premier points.

7. Toronto Raptors. I feel like the Raptors are going to suck, no matter what happens. That’s what you get when you wear purple and roll with a cartoon dinosaur. MJD’s recommendation: Sell the franchise, move to Vegas. If not, take one of the high school shooting guards, if they slip. Channing Frye is also a nice option here… he’s apparently been looking like the best big man in the draft.

8. New York Knicks. An undersized power forward is probably what they’re going to take here. Ike Diogu is 6’8″, which may actually be a bit too tall. I think they’re hoping that Frye falls. They need a big athletic center in the worst way. MJD’s recommendation: Channing Frye, even if you have to trade up to get him. It won’t happen, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing them drafting an actual point guard, instead of going with the “backcourt of guys who love to dribble and shoot” approach.

9. Golden State Warriors. It seems like they want a power forward, which is strange… I think Troy Murphy’s a very good player. Perhaps they’re looking to play without a true center. MJD’s recommendation: Frye, if he lasts… if not, Andrew Bynum. Or Diogu, if they’re really set on drafting a power forward.

10. Los Angeles Lakers. I think they’d be pretty happy if Raymond Felton fell to 10, and I think Raymond Felton will fall to that point. I think Sean May, Hakim Warrick, or Charlie Villanueva would be a better pick for them. It’s just harder to get your hands on a good big, but the Lakers certainly have more than one need. MJD’s recommendation: Sean May.

11. Orlando Magic. They’re probably committed to Steve Francis at point, but would love to get a shooting guard or big man to run with Dwight Howard. MJD’s recommendation: One of the high school shooting guards if they slip. If not, May, Warrick, perhaps Villanueva.

12. Los Angeles Clippers. With the fact that the Lakers are drafting ahead of them, the Clippers have already won. Who knows what the hell they’ll do… they remain the Clippers. MJD’s recommendation: Let the fans vote on it. They can’t screw it up any worse than the front office would. Chad Ford says they’ve given a promise to Yaroslav Korolev.

13. Charlotte Bobcats. If they get the point they wanted earlier, they go big here. If they don’t get a point earlier and take a big, they hope Raymond Felton falls. MJD’s recommendation: This could be a good spot for Joey Graham, who I think is a guy who can really help a team. Stick him at the 3, and he can defend, score some, and make a lot of athletic hustle plays. If I ran an expansion team, he’s the kind of guy I’d love to get my hands on.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves. They pretty much need everything. KG’s at the 4. They’re starting point and small forward proved to be douchebags last year. The center position is a perennial flower of suckiness. MJD’s recommendation: Best player available. Frenchy Fran Vasquez could be available here, so could Charlie Villanueva or Andrew Bynum.

The Japanese… well, they’re a creative people. The same people that brought you vending machines selling schoolgirls panties have now brought you the Maria Sharapova chest pillow, which is, as you can see… a pillow shaped like… well, they’re supposed to be a perfect representation of Maria Sharapova’s hooters.

I just don’t know what to say about that. I’m just wondering what the fact that I want one says about me.

By the way, the Blogger people have made it much easier to post pictures now, so… that’ll be happening.

This could be a landmark couple of days for the Bucks. One day, they get their point guard back, and the next, they have the ability to land a stud in the draft.

Doctors are giving him an excellent prognosis for having a normal career. Great news for the Bucks. I love TJ Ford’s game. He’s a creator. He’s got the ability to get wherever he wants on the court, and he’s got excellent vision and speed.

I hope like hell that he gets back into form pretty quickly. He’s got an entire offseason ahead of him, and he’s cleared for full contact.

But y’know… his return could have an impact on how the Bucks draft. Right now, it looks like they’re leaning towards Bogut, who I like. But with Ford, you don’t need a post player through whom to run the offense. You need someone who can finish, and/or someone who can shoot. Marvin Williams can do both. And if they’re going to lose Michael Redd… Marvin Williams may be a better fit.