Rondo Slaps Miller While Howard Throws Them Bows

Seconds left in OT, down two. Miller gets the inbound and decides to drive. Goes up for the layup, Rondo slaps him pretty hard in the face. Many were saying Rondo was going for the ball but I beg to differ. He was nowhere near the ball, and then he decided to thrust his arm at Big Brad's head. If this foul had happened a minute earlier, you better believe a flagrant would have been called.

Now the play is being reviewed to see if Rondo should be suspended. I'd be really surprised if he did get suspended because although his foul was so obviously flagrant, it was not malicious.

Earlier that day, Howard got into a squabble with his opponent Dalembart and throws an elbow. As annoying as it is to have a big guy pushing you in the back, there is no reason to throw an elbow. That said, I'd be really disappointed if the league doesn't allow Howard to suit up in game six. Howard got his technical, and there is no way he will throw another elbow. Courtney Lee is already out of the game, so suspended Dwight would be equivalent to giving a win to Philly. Let them resolve it on the court.

I guess the moral of the story is; the rules aren't different for different situations. A flagrant in the first minute of the first game of the season should be a foul in a game seven with five seconds left.

Bobby Crosby

This man got a lot of hype in his debut season. He earned less than average stats and has continued to earn these stats. The A's have made some major improvements to their infield, and Crosby has taken a bench role this season.

Yesterday, with Nomar coming out in the first with a sore calf muscle, Crosby got the call. He got a hit on the offensive end, but he defense lacked. It was apparent that he should not have been in the game. Crosby is the A's most expendable player (right in front of Travis Buck). We have four solid players who can play the middle infield and 3rd if needed, which means Billy Beane is hopefully looking to deal him.

P.S.

The A's have the best ERA in the AL.

An Irate Broncos Fan

I have been wiping my tears and sipping my beers over the last several months in Bronco Nation. I was skeptical at first about the firing of Shanahan but I remained open to taking the team in a new direction...be careful what you wish for apparently.

First of all, Josh McDaniels, are you retarded? You come into a franchise in relative stability and immediately have your own agenda? Self-check. Despite the success you had with Matt Cassel in New England last year, you had absolutely no right to come into Denver--a team with a PRO BOWL QUARTERBACK--and start shopping Jay Cutler around. We were just starting to see the tip of the iceberg with Jay Cutler and you want to swap him out for a largely unproven quarterback? Not only is that insulting to Cutler it is insulting to the Denver Broncos fan base. I realize that the NFL is a business but last time I checked, trading away the best player on your team for a scrub (sorry Matt, but you existed in the most efficient offensive machine this century, any quarterback could have done that job) is not a good business decision.

Second of all, Jay Cutler, grow up. Why would you want to leave Denver? In Denver you were at the helm of the #2 ranked offense in the entire NFL...at your disposal you had a pro bowl receiver/beast in Brandon Marshall, a rising star at tight end in Tony Scheffler, a rookie sensation/perfect complement to Brandon Marshall in Eddie Royal and a veteran tight end in Daniel Graham who said that he would fight for you. While the front office may have been dishonest to you during the offseason and pressed the wrong buttons by firing your coach and shopping you around, the team is still intact. This is not the time to let our feelings get the best of us, stop crying like a little girl. The front office has shown its commitment to building a stronger football team by making several key offseason acquisitions both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

So all of this leaves me (the average Denver Broncos fan) upset. Franchise player traded to the Bears for Kyle Orton and two first round draft picks? This is a situation that could have easily been avoided by more upfrontness and accountability by both parties. The Bears will finish with a better record than the Broncos this year and even in a run first offense like Chicago has Jay Cutler will still post dazzling numbers.