One last point about Team USA...

Proof that the 2008 Team USA doesn't really know what its like to win, at least not on the same level as the 1992 Dream Team. Amongst the whole lot, the 2008 Team USA has 5 NBA Championship Rings (three are Kobe's), 10 NBA Finals appearances (half of those are Kobe), and two NCAA Basketball Championship Rings. Contrast that to the 1992 Dream Team (as of the 1992 Barcelona Games) which had 14 NBA Championship Rings, 2 NBA Finals appearances, and five NCAA Basketball Championship Rings. By the end of their collective careers, the original Dream Team would amass 23 rings and 40 finals appearances in total. I know these kids are young...but gosh look at those numbers. The '92 team KNEW how to win...and they kept on winning long after taking home the Gold!

One of Team USA's 5 rings...

USA 116, Angola 48

Will Team USA ever be on the winning side of a such a lopsided victory again? In the Olympics, probably not. 1992. The early days of pro ballers in international competition. The original Dream Team, that flat-out spanked the world and took home the gold medal in Barcelona. In celebration of the 2008 "Dream Team" (ever wonder why that moniker just faded away?) being selected, let's take a little You Tube look back on the wonder that was Team USA in 1992. This clip, while a bit grainy, is still an extremely entertaining Dream Team "Top Ten Plays" collection. All ten are pretty fantastic, but at the two-minute mark, when Magic high-fives Jordan after a ridiculous no-look, over-the-head pass for a slam, I get all teary-eyed. They played with such ferocious intensity, on both sides of the floor. Practically all 10 of these plays start with some sort of steal or terrific defensive stop. Just watch it:



This final clip is slightly better quality, and chronicles a number of games Team USA played during the tournament. Again, I am astounded at the quality of play here: Check it out, at the 2-minute mark, when Charles Barkley finishes a nice dunk off a Pippen feed, and then immediately starts pressing the Angolan team member trying to in-bound the ball. USA won that game by SIXTY-EIGHT points. You think Vince Carter would ever do something like that? Just look for yourself:



Now, basketball fans...cry. We all like to think that today's crop of stars are amazing to watch, and uber-talented...but it was better before. Those romanticized hazy memories of Jordan, Bird, and Magic? Well, don't worry about some youngster calling you an old-timer. Just show them the evidence. Because back then, they really were that much better.

Tiger is unreal.

If the pain hits, the pain hits. So what? It's just pain.

-Tiger Woods, after his amazing Saturday performance @ the US Open in San Diego.

Any lingering questions about Tiger's masculinity have been answered.  The man is a beast.  Playing through intense knee pain (a condition he had undergone medical treatment and surgery for in previous months) Tiger put together an unforgettable back 9 to take the lead at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.  No stranger to the course, (it is the site of the yearly Buick Open) Tiger astonished the crowd, and earned a number of standing ovations.  You've never seen/heard such a raucous crowd at a golf tournament.  Truly awesome.  And I don't even like golf.  Well, I like PGA golf. Even LPGA golf.  I hate nobody golf, played by overweight, over-the-hill CEOs and lame-os.  Go the gym, lose some of that beer belly.  Don't "play" a game that allows you to use an electric buggy.  Unless you are good.  Good like Tiger. He is unbelievable.  He is the MJ of golf. It's the only other major sport that has a true "MJ" equivalent.  

Best major pro-sport athletes of all time:

1. Jordan

2. Woods

3. BIG FAT ASS TIE

Build Your Own Favre Shrine!

Our loyal ESPN Page 2 contributor, Kurt Snibbe, has created a fun web 2.0 application, that allows all you Brett Favre fans out there to indulge your fantasies and dream up a shrine to the locker of the man, the legend, BF4. Here's the link: BUILD YOUR OWN FAVRE SHRINE.

Being the Favre fan that I am, I couldn't help myself. Here is Dick Hunter's very own Favre Shrine (the stinky cheese flame takes center stage):

You Are Absolutely Right, Sign Holding Stranger

You may have heard about O.J. Mayo recently. He was the prep-phenom/hired gun that USC rented for the past season. He's been accused of accepting money and gifts from an agent during his short stint in "college". Because they will take this short column and turn it into a very long one, I will spare you my thoughts about the basketball system from youth to the NBA. I would like to share my thoughts on USC's response. Today, USC claimed that it did not have any knowledge of Mayo accepting any gifts. I'm sure they didn't actually see him take any gifts but, come on. They didn't do any research on the player who they were spending thousands of dollars on? Check out this article from SI written on July 10, 2006:

The O.J. Circus

In the article the author, Seth Davis, mentions that before his senior year in high school Mayo began to associate with Rodney Guillory, a known runner for an agent. Basically, an agent's runner provides gift for amateur athletes, as long as the athlete promises to sign with that agent upon turning professional. Interestingly enough, Guillory already "worked" with a USC basketball player who was suspended by the NCAA for taking improper gifts from an agent.

USC please, please spare us the "We didn't know..." game. We all knew it was happening. We know it happens at most of the big schools. Please, just admit that you were in the wrong and should have taken extreme precautions when dealing with Mayo. Of course, you probably don't care too much. Mayo lined the schools pockets with some bonus money. All you need to do is deny any knowledge in a few articles and you can move on to your next hired gun.

Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllll!!!

I don't think this is how the goalie meant to play this one...

Bill Russel is INSANE

Watch this clip. Then come back. COME BACK! PLEASE!

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3390456&categoryId=2459788

Ok, so the video features an aging Bill Russell with an 80s hat on, Cosby sweater, short pants, and high white sox serenading a just-about-past-his-prime, recently turned Bostin Celtic, Kevin Garnett about how to win championships in the NBA. NOBODY knows more about winning rings in the hoops world than Bill Russell, he has ELEVEN. The last one was in 1969. That's almost 40 years ago. But, yea he knows how to win. I guess.

A couple of thoughts about this video piece:

A) What the hell is up with the music? I feel like I should be watching the birth of a baby blue whale in hi-def...you know some sort of "isn't life amahhhzing???" kind of shit.

B)The shot of Garnett topless, admiring his Celtics jersey before putting it on. What? Besides the obvious sex-appeal of a shirtless KG, what's the point of this shot? I know, I know the Celtics are a storied franchise, but they haven't been relevant in 20 years. Bo put it best: "I really respect both of those guys...but this Boston thing has gotten out of control"

C)Some of the ridiiiiculous things Russell says to Garnett:

"I think, you are going to win, at least 2-3 championships here. But if you don't...I'll share one of mine with you."

Uh - Sorry BR, if KG doesn't win a ring, I doubt he'll be too excited about "sharing" one of your championships.

"If you play the way you play, and you dedicate yourself to doing it...they will come. You know, like in Field of Dreams?"

Uh - Yea BR, we got it. Just like in "Field of Dreams." Keep dedicating yourself, KG, and they will come! The rings will just magically appear in the cornfields surrounding your backyard.

"I see you wearing #5, that's pretty close to #6!"

(This is in reference to BR wearing #6 when he was playing)Uh - Yea BR, I'm sure his jersey # has a lot to do with it.

And the whole time KG is just sitting there, saying "I feel you, I feel you." Except you can tell he doesn't give a crap about "sharing a championship." He wants one all to himself. Well, lets start with a Finals appearance now, shall we? Let's see if we can get that far.

ANYWAY, looks like they have a wonderful relationship, BR and KG. That's so amazing. But spare us ABC, please, spare us this mush. I love KG as a player, and hope he's successful in this year's playoffs, but he isn't curing cancer or saving babies trapped in flooded houses. This is entertainment! SLAM DUNK THE BALL KG!