Around the Horn (8/13)

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:26 PM

On to the Showdown, Steel Cage Style.

1st Topic

Miami made a huge deal that got them Antoine Walker, James Posey and Jason Williams. With the Pacers coming back to full strength and Detroit remaining the same but with Flip. Last year Shaq had a concern with not having the ball enough in game 7 of the Conference finals. They then added 2 guys that have to have the ball to be effective. Can the Heat win it all. Around the Horn to General.

**General** · 08-13-2005 10:31 PM

Can the Heat win it all? They WILL win it all, I guarantee it! Jason Williams will mature, and his 10 PPG, 6 APG, 1 SPG will help. Antoine Walker will be a force off the bench, a role he has embraced. Remember, last year he had 19 PPG, 9 RPG. He will help a bench that couldn't put away the Pistons last year. What's not to like? The East is weak, the main threat being a Larry Brown-less Pistons, and I am not so sold on Flip.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:31 PM

Real Mofo?

**realmofotalk** · 08-13-2005 10:34 PM

No, the Heat will not win it all. With all of the Heat's moves, have people forgotten the defending champion San Antonio Spurs? Even with Tim Duncan's mental lapses in Game 6 of the NBA finals, the Spurs were still able to pull Game 7 from the Detroit Pistons, who are as tough on defense as it gets. And who was Duncan's supporting cast? Oh, only one of top backcourts in the league in Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and one of best perimeter defenders in Bruce Bowen. And guess what? Manu and Tony are only going to get better because they are still young. The Spurs showed they were not intimidated by the Pistons and in the end they showed they were better than any team in the league and they will again this year.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:38 PM

Point to General, although I dont agree with the Heat winning it all. I think the Pistons will

Next Topic....

The Oakland A's have been red hot, winning again today and remains tied for 1st in the AL West. With the Rotation they have right now can the A's get past Game 5 of the DS? Around the Horn to Mofo.

**realmofotalk** · 08-13-2005 10:45 PM

Yes, I think the A's can get past game 5 of the DS if they make it to the playoffs. Would you want to go against their rotation of Zito, Harden, Haren, and Blanton? Not to mention they would have Kirk Saarloos in the pen. That's a luxury having a legit 5th starter in the pen. Pitching wins in the playoffs and those 4 starters have shown they can lead to their team to victories, as they have done so far in the A's hot streak.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:45 PM

General.

**General** · 08-13-2005 10:45 PM

As much as I like the A's, I will not buy this. Moneyball hasn't gotten them anywhere; they are the typical regular-season overachievers who can't win in the playoffs. In 2003, they won a league-best (tied with the Yanks) 103 games...and lost to the Twins in the Divisional Playoffs. In 2003, won the division again..lost to the Red s0x in the Divisional playoffs. In 2002, won 103 games..lost to the Yanks. Point is, they cannot win game 5 of the 1st round. All of those series they lost were in *gasp* the deciding game 5. You can call it choking, or you can call it tough luck. Whatever it is, the point still stands: the Oakland A's cannot win in the playoffs.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:47 PM

Point to Mofo. You can mention the same problems about the Yanks collapse in 2004, Its this season not the past.

Next topic.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:48 PM

Tony Stewart has been on fire recently and is in 1st place going into the playoff chase. With the new buzz from the new format. Does NASCAR have a legit shot of being part of the BIG four? General?

**General** · 08-13-2005 10:53 PM

Yeah, NASCAR has a shot. Sure, it might not be the most exciting sport to watch (most people watch it to see the crashes), but for the dedicated few (or many, especialyl down south), it's a lifestyle. NBC and TNT say that NASCAR's ratings jumped 59% over the 2000-2002 period, and that the numbers continue to grow this year. NASCAR is constantly on ESPN, and with young drivers such as Dale JR. and Gordon and the many storylines that go on in NASCAR, I don't see any reason why the sport won't succeed. Remember, the Pennsylvania 500 earned a 5.7 cable rating (5,137,000 households) - a 21 percent increase over the year prior - making it the highest-rated and most watched NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event in TNT's 21-year history. The Race for the Chase is exciting to watch, and will draw viewers, mark my word.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:55 PM

Mofo?

**realmofotalk** · 08-13-2005 10:57 PM

Absolutely not. Notice that on http://sports.yahoo.com the first four sports listed horizontally on the menu is NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. After that, it's NCAAF. I think that shows you that there is a more national interest in college sports and pro team sports than NASCAR. So even if people lose interest in the NHL, NASCAR would still have to overcome NCAA football and basketball.

**Porter** · 08-13-2005 10:58 PM

Point to General for the win. What Happened when the NHL got locked out....end of story.

General you get your face time.

**General** · 08-13-2005 11:01 PM

Welcome to the General Lounge, I'm General. Today, as we chill with my boy Smoltzie, we ask the writers who vote for the MVP to highly consider Andruw Jones. The man has carried his team since April, banging out HRs left and right in the process. He is the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. Maybe not the best, but Most Valuable to his team's success. That's all for tonight, thanks for visiting the General Lounge.

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