The Week that Was and Facial Hair Friday

Back from St. Maarten, and here is a brief look at what went down while I was gone:

- SYRACUSE WINS IT'S 11TH NCAA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP! We are the best program in history. Period.

- Barcelona beat Man U in the UEFA Champions League Final. Messi scored, Renaldo didn't. Messi's team won, and it was the team with less talent. Guess that makes Messi the better player now.

- The Nats still suck. Expect the Phillies to sweep this weekend. Better news though, Randy Johnson won his 299th career game, and his next start is June 3rd against the Nats. I'll be there. Go Big Unit.

- Both Woody Paige and Jackie Macmullen picked the National Spelling Bee champion. Way to live up to the hype, random 8th grader from Kansas.

Now, time for Facial Hair Friday. Our winner this week is the overall winner of the World Beard and Moustache championship, as well as the winner of the Freestyle Beard title. His name is David Traver of Anchorage, Alaska. The hometown boy helped team USA ascend to the new international powerhouse in facial hair. USA USA USA! Congrats David, way to make your country proud.

More soon!

FHF and St. Maarten

So, I will be in St. Maarten for the next few days, and will be unable to blog (unless the Internet at our resort is free). To tide you over, I have chosen a very special Facial Hair Friday. I know it is a day late, but trust me, its worth it. Enjoy the website of the World Beard and Moustache Championships, my friends.

My Kingdom for a Bullpen

My Nationals are killing me. They hit so well. They have young starters who, while not amazing, put the team in a position to win almost every game. But we have the single worst bullpen I have ever seen. Only two guys out of the 10 or so we have used are worthwhile- Ron Villone and Joe Beimel. Other than that, the Nats bullpen is complete garbage. Kip Wells can't keep a lead, Joel Hanrahan is a closer who can't close and has no control. Garret Mock can't do anything right. Remember when Jesus Colome was awesome, but then missed time after having a skin tumor removed from his ass? Apparently that was where his talent was too, because it (much like the tumor) is gone. I would give practically anything for an Arthur Rhodes or Tom "Flash" Gordon. How about Jesse Orasco, is he still pitching?

Here is what we need to do. Keep Ross Detweiler in the majors. He was impressive in his first start. He didn't walk anyone which is important. Put him in our bullpen once Scott Olsen comes back. He can be used primarily for the 6th and 7th innings, to get to Villone in the 8th, and have Joe Beimel be our new closer. Now, once the draft passes and we get Stephen Strasburg, this could all change. I would love to see the Nats use him in a similar way to how the Rays are using David Price: Bring him in the close at the end of the season so he gets used to Major League talent. Then start him off next year in the minors, but tell him to keep his bags packed. He may have to hop on that 54 minute flight from Syracuse Hancock International to Dulles real fast.

Shaq-acuse?

Fun story on SI.com today. Seems that The Big Cacuts, Aristotle, Diesel, Shaqenstein, or whatever you want to call him is going back to school. According to the AP, Shaquille O'Neal has enrolled in Syracuse University's Sportscaster U, a program designed to teach athletes about sports broadcasting. Just goes to show that all the big stars come to SU. Maybe he has a year of NCAA eligibility left. He could at least teach Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku a few of the finer points of being an NBA center. New Nickname- the Big Orange.

The Prodigal Son Returns to SU

The Prodigal son of Syracuse, NY has come back to his home to play football. Duke point guard Greg Paulus us coming to the Orange to play quarterback. Many will remember that Paulus was the #1 ranked QB in the country coming out of high school, before turning down scholarships to Miami and Notre Dame to play basketball for Coack K. Welcome back Greg.

I have said a lot of bad things about Paulus, due to my hatred of Duke and the betrayal I felt once he passed up playing both sports for SU. Now, he can redeem himself while furthering his post-college career. I am happy to have Paulus back, because Syracuse can't get much worse than where we have been. If the former-#1 quarterback wants to take advantage of the Dome and our new spread offense, let him. We have a really tough schedule, but if we could somehow get to a bowl game, then Paulus will be worth the risk. So good luck Greg. Lets go Cuse.

FHF

Facial Hair Friday again. In honor of the NBA Playoffs and an excellent series going to 7 games, I give you today the LA Lakers center, Pau Gasol. He needs to sport the beard, really, because he is not an attractive man. The beard give him a sense of European class. So best of luck in the playoffs Pau. Game 7 in LA tomorrow night.

More next week.

Zim's Streak

Well, it looks like 30 is as far as Ryan Zimmerman will get. His hitting streak will end today after he went 0-3 with 2 walks, grounding into a Fielder's Choice in the 9th. But that isn't the worst part. In the 7th innning, the Giants intentionally walked him. I don't care what kind of games you are trying to win. YOU DO NOT INTENTIONALLY WALK SOMEONE ON A 30 GAME HITTING STREAK! That was easily the most Busch League thing I have seen in baseball since the Red Soxs pinch hit Carl Everett in the 9th inning, thus breaking up Mike Mussina's no-hitter. Sometimes you just have to get out of the way and let history happen. Zimmerman has been amazing for the Nationals. Baseball needed this, with all the A-Rods and Mannys out there. They needed a talented young player to challenge the most unbreakable record in baseball. But no. Now, thanks to the team of Steroid King Barry Bonds, we won't get to see it. Screw you San Francisco.

Manny's Legacy?

I have a confession. I am not a huge Bill Simmons fan. I respect that he writes really well, sure. But a few too many of his columns are about Boston or the NBA, a city I am not fond of and a league that my be my 6th favorite of the big 6 (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, College football and basketball). But this new column of his is fantastic. Essentially, it asks how PEDs, in particular the case of Manny Ramirez, will effect our view of baseball, and the view of those two young to remember the Steroids Era. Enjoy here.

Oh, and well done those of you who got the NHL-based pun in the title.

Facial Hair Friday

Time for another rousing rendition of FHF. This week, in honor of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, the winner of the FHF trophy is none other than winning trainer Chip Woolley. They man may come off as a bit brash, angry and non-media friendly, but he his horse won so who cares. Congrats Mr. Woolley. Maybe your horse can finally bring the sport another Triple Crown.

The Best TEAM still playing Basketball

Let me get this out of the way- I accept the fact that LeBron and Kobe are both better than Melo. I do. Even though I felt Melo should have been rookie of the year, it is clear that LeBron is the MVP and will be for a long time. That being said, the Nuggets are the best team remaining in the NBA Playoffs. Key word is team. LeBron and Kobe are amazing. Paul Pierce is great. So are Dirk and Dwight Howard. So is Yao. But the I will take the current Nuggest starting 5 over any of the other starting 5s.

A superstar can make roll players look great. MJ made everyone else on his team better. LeBron and Kobe do it also. However, you cannot tell me that, player for player, the Denver Nuggets' starting 5 isn't the best. Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in the game. Kenyon Martin is a fiery vet presence. Nene, now that he is healthy, is finally living up to his potential and becoming a dominant center. Add in JR Smith as an effective shooting guard and the amazing Chauncy Billups as the court general, and you have a team that matches up well with pretty much everyone, and could beat everyone.

The Nuggets also have amazing depth compared to other teams. After their starting 5, they have Dahntay Jones, The Birdman Chris Anderson, Linas Kleiza, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, all of whom are above-average roll players. They can roll ten deep and not lose as much as some other teams.

Here is my ranking of the Starting 5s from the remaining NBA teams (healthy players only Boston):

1. Denver Nuggets- Melo, Billups, Martin, Nene and Smith
2. LA Lakers- Fischer, Kobe, Odom, Ariza and Gasol
3. Houston Rockets- Brooks, Battier, Artest, Yao and Scola
4. Boston Celtics- Allen, Rondo, Pierce, Perkins and Davis
5. Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron, Williams, Big Z, Varejao and West
6. Orlando Magic- Alston, Howard, Turkoglu, Reddick and Lewis
7. Atlanta Hawks- Bibby, Johnson, Horford, Smith and Evans
8. Dallas Mavericks- Kidd, Dirk, Dampier, Wright and.... Josh Howard is injured, so they only have 4. Or Jason Terry.

Manny being... Suspended

And another big name bites the PED dust. Manny Ramirez, arguably the greatest right-handed hitter in the game, has tested positive for PED's, and has been suspended for 50 games. Apparently, this is not for steroids. Just a banned medication. But if it comes out that this medication helped him in any way, his legacy is done. Completely over. Or at least it should be if we are judging everyone equally. Manny is a big name. He has won 2 World Series rings. He has 500 home runs. So, essentially, he is another A-Rod, only with rings. So they better drag him through the mud like they did A-Rod, or else we have a double standard. Selena Roberts or whatever her name is needs to camp outside of Manny's home now, track down his high school teammates, if he even went to high school. There cannot be a double standard when punishing superstars. Bonds is vilified, Clemens is vilified, A-Rod is vilified. Manny needs to be also. Either than, or we forgive everyone, erase/modify their numbers and start all over.

My hope now is that we are at the end of the superstar steroid list. Personally, I do not want to see David Ortiz, Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard fail these tests. I don't want Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder or Hanley Ramirez sitting down with Peter Gammons for a one-on-one interview about PEDs. I hope CC and Johan and the Big Unit finish off their careers with over 300 wins and are first ballot HOFers with no questions about their integrity. Cause I am not sure how long baseball can survive if all of its all-stars are juiced and exposed.

GO AWAY FAVRE!

I don't know why he is doing it. Maybe he wants to inflate his numbers so much that Peyton Manning will never break them. Maybe he really does have that child-like desire still in him, and it can overcome his aging body. Maybe he just hates his family and doesn't want to spend any time with them. For whatever reason, Brett Farve is talking comeback with the Minnesota Vikings.

This is just getting sad now. He is so desperate to be remembered that he is ruining his legacy. His time with the Jets will be looked on as a big mistake, because all he did was spit in Green Bay's face. And now he wants to come back with their arch-rival Vikings? Really? After they took a chance on you, and surrounded you with enough talent to win, you want to wipe your hands of them and go play for Minnesota? I don't care what kind of team they have (a very good one, in fact). A one-year QB with injuries is not the answer they are looking for. At this point, they would be better off biting the bullet for one year then drafting a QB or trading a mid- round pick for a serviceable, younger vet. They already missed out on the free agent and trade market, losing out on Jay Cutler, Byron Leftwich and Jeff Garcia.

Who knows, maybe Sage Rosenfels can catch lightning in a bottle and get to the Super Bowl. It happened with Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien and Brad Johnson. Or you give John David Booty a few starts. He thinks he is a perfect fit for your system, and had enough talent to beat out Mark Sanchez at USC. Worst comes to worst, you get another year of T-Jack, who may have matured enough to be a starter in the NFL at the end of last season. Just don't sign Favre. For the sake of football fans everywhere who are tired of seeing him over/under throw passes and make bad decisions, just say NO.

Derby Thoughts

Well, my horse scratched the morning of the Kentucky Derby. I Want Revenge didn't run. So who goes on to win? Mine that Bird, a 51-1 shot. It looked like everyone simply lost track of him on the inside and he was able to run away with the Roses. Congrats to you, Mine that Bird. But I still think I Want Revenge would have won.

Facial Hair Friday

Late again, I know. But at least it gets done every week. In honor of last week's NFL Draft and Mark Sanchez being the new toast of NYC, I have decided to award this week's FHF honor to the other famous Jets QB, Broadway Joe Namath. Whether he is guaranteeing victory or just hitting on Suzy Kolber, the man stays classy. Congrats Joe.