Suspensions

The NBA kicked themselves again in the rear by suspending Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw`for Wednesday's Game 5 between the Suns and Spurs.

What did those guys do? NOTHING!!!! Sure they may have stepped onto the court after Big Shove Rob hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorers table, but they encountered no Spurs and had NO IMPACT on what transpired. You throw in the fact that Stoudemire was in an offensive-defensive substitution pattern in the last few seconds because of 5 personal fouls and what you have in an NBA Office that wants to hand the series to the Spurs.

Maybe their ratings go up when the TV pans to Tony Parker's fiance Eva Longoria? Maybe Tim Duncan's incessant whining attracts the 18-35 year old demographic of kids who got picked on High School? Maybe the American viewer is anti-Canadian and the NBA knows they don't want to see Steve Nash go on?

Whatever the reasoning behind the rule, it needs to be changed. The rule shouldn't give an automatic suspension for anyone leaving the bench. here is what the rule should say:
"If a player leaves the bench then they are up for review by the league office to see if they in any way assisted and/or was involved in any on court ruckus. If they were involved then they are suspended. If they were not involved and were merely curious as to what was going on then they will not be suspended."

If the rule is as hard and fast as the NBA made it out to be on Tuesday, then they need to look at the stepping pattern of players checking into games. You see all the time that players who are on their way to the scorers table will step onto the court. SUSPEND THEM. Also watch for coaches who wander too far out of their assigned box. GIVE THEM THE BOOT.

The NBA is SO lax with so many of their rules (can someone please say traveling) that to suspend Stoudemire and Diaw, who were subdued by their assistant coaches and ended up nowhere near the altercation is an atrocity.

Horry deserves the suspension. He should have been suspended longer. Granted he didn't do any irreparable harm, but his actions were uncalled for.

I just wish the NBA would take a step back and realize what they have done. Had they wanted to give the series to the Spurs they could have done so in many less-obvious ways.

==NBA Playoffs==
Warriors - Thanks for the good times. See you next year.

The Bulls manhandled the Pistons in Detroit to bring the seires one step closer at 3-2. In a year that we saw the 8-seed Warriors defeat the 1-seed Mavs in a Best-of-7 series, it is not impossible to think that the Bulls can come back to from a 3-0 deficit.... until you wake up and smell the coffee. The Pistons are just too good to lose the next 2 (one of which will be back in Detroit).

==MLB Roundup==
I checked my calendar today and it confirmed that it is 2007. What is Randy Johnson doing with 9Ks, 1 H, 0 ER in 6 IP? Again, this is 2007, not 2001.

Happy Humpday to all,
- SEO, TEO