Monday’s Water Cooler – March 1, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
For any nostalgic 76ers fans hoping their hero can return to play out the season in Philly, hope no more. Allen Iverson’s departure headlines the day’s news.
NBA news: A.I. officially done
We’ve speculated about it in this column for a few weeks and our suspicions were realized today. Whether he left the team or he was released – it’s both unclear and irrelevant – Allen Iverson is no longer a 76er. He’s sitting out the rest of the season to be with his sick daughter. 76ers president Ed Stefanski said Iverson no longer wants to be a distraction for the team and his teammates.
In his brief return with the 76ers this year, Iverson averaged 13.8 points in 28 games – a far cry from his gaudy career average of 26.7 points per game.
Remember Michael Finley? The former 20-point-per-game guy with the Dallas Mavericks? Well, he’s still alive. He’s alive but buried on San Antonio’s depth chart. Believe it or not, he’s not just happy to collect a paycheque. He’s tired of being an afterthought, even at age 37, and he thus demanded that the Spurs release him this week. They honored the request by waiving him. Rumor has it the Boston Celtics – who else? – are interested in bringing Finley on board. The Lakers are also in the mix. Don’t be surprised if Finley has a new team by week’s end.
MLB news: Strasburg may start season in minors after all
Nationals starting pitcher and mega prospect Stephen Strasburg has impressed so far in spring training, popping the mitt with his scorching fastball, but he’s no shoo-in to open the 2010 regular season with the big club. Manager Jim Riggleman suggested that “it’s just more challenging to pitch in Double-A or Triple-A in April than it is in spring training in March. We get a better read.”
Nats fans and salivating fantasy baseball players may in fact have to wait until midseason before seeing Strasburg’s debut.
Speaking of the hype machine, it’s firmly directed at Jason Heyward this week. The hulking, Josh-Hamilton-like Braves outfielder is arguably baseball’s top hitting prospect and he made major waves last week in batting practice. He’s terrorized the parking lot of Champion Stadium in Lake Buena Vista, Florida over the last week, denting trucks and even destroying the sunroof of assistant GM Bruce Marino’s car.
The solution for Heyward’s power binge: nets over the right field fence to keep the balls away from helpless automobiles.
NHL news: Trade deadline tomorrow
We haven’t seen any huge names moved yet – unless you count Denis Grebeshkov or Jordan Leopold – but some decent names may get dealt before the March 3 NHL trade deadline. Among the most sought after players are Ray Whitney, Dan Hamhuis and Alexei Ponikarovsky. We’ll likely see plenty of deals tomorrow, as we always do at this time of year.
NCAA basketball news: Syracuse grabs No. 1 rank for first time since 1990
Syracuse’s banner season continues. The Orange’s 95-77 win over high-ranked Villanova was the clincher in voters’ eyes, as Syracuse now has the nation’s No. 1 rank for the first time in 20 years. They’ve also clinched at least a share of the Big East title for the first time since 2003. Beating St. John’s tonight will clinch the conference.
Not bad for a team that lost its top three players last season!
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