Super-team in South Florida, SEC's wide open status...

Hello once again to everyone......


To the NBA, where the free agency period has been fast and furious. Most everything that was predicted to happen has, in fact, come to pass. But, we were all waiting for the "Big 3" as pertains to free agency (apologies to the Celtics) to let us all know where they were going to play. The only thing we knew for sure going into this was that Chris Bosh would not return to Toronto. And, that shouldn't be a shock. Toronto, at first, tried to placate Bosh by offering the maximum deal. Bosh, to his defense, said he wanted to test the market, but would give Toronto a fair shot at signing him. Then, word came out that Toronto wanted to dictate where Bosh went via a sign-and-trade deal. This, of course, struck a nerve with Bosh, who wanted to be the one who decided on his career, and not someone else. So, once the animosity started to reveal itself, we all knew Bosh was gone from the Raptors. But then, we heard DeWayne Wade was leaning towards Chicago because of his kids being there, and the fact they already had some nice pieces in place with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. So, we had all these pieces moving at one time until yesterday, when Wade and Bosh both announced they would sign with the Miami Heat. Now, earlier this month, Wade and Bosh were reported to have had a "sit-down" with LeBron James to see what the landscape was going to be, and what teams could take them on. Jump to today, where James is having a press conference tonight on ESPN in an hour-long show to announce where he is going to play. Now, the thing to remember in all of this is three words as pertains to the state of Florida: No State Tax. If James does indeed leave money on the table as he is reported to do if he signs in Miami, he'll still get comparable money due to the tax issue. So, while it seems that James will join Bosh and Wade in Miami, the population of Cleveland seems to be souring on the whole thing. It went from "LeBron, please stay", to "LeBron, this is home", and now to "If LeBron goes on national TV and stabs us in the back, it's the most classless, disgusting thing ever!!" Hyperbole, to say the least.
So, if you're from Chicago, New York, or New Jersey, and you're a fan of those teams, how do you feel now about coming in second place in the free agent sweepstakes? Chicago went from making room in the trophy case for another title to picking up the pieces in a matter of hours. New Jersey was never really a player, despite their new owner. And, New York put a lot of their eggs in the Amar'e Stoudemire basket, so they still have a slim outside chance, but it's highly unlikely. Tune in to ESPN tonight to see where James will make his NBA home.


To college football, where I was asked a question on the TV show the other night, and that was "Who do you think will be a surprise team in college football this season"? Well, I mentally went through a list, and started eliminating teams, mostly based on conferences. And, when I got to the SEC, it made me think a little harder. Let's start at the top: Alabama doesn't have Javier Arenas, Tay Cody, Rolando McClain, or the favorable home schedule this season, and they'll enter the season as the defending national champions, so they'll get everyone's best shot week in, week out. I don't think they'll run the table as they did last season. LSU is always a player out west, but they always seem to trip up on Arkansas at the end of the season. Ole Miss could make a run, but I just don't see that one either. In the eastern division, UGA has a huge cloud hanging over the program there with the resignation of their AD (charged with DUI last week) and Mark Richt is on a bit of a hot seat there. Kentucky.....well....no comment. Same thing for Vanderbilt. That leaves Tennessee (new coach, new staff, and trying to get over the whole Lane Kiffin debacle) and Florida (how will Meyer's health affect them in the post-Tebow era?) as teams that could possibly be a wild card, leaving.......God help me for saying this.......South Carolina as the picture of stability in the SEC East. Plus, their baseball team just won the national title, so it'll be a bit of a challenge to the rest of the teams there in Columbia to step it up. Can Spurrier put another run together? Who knows.....but, speaking from a continuity and stability standpoint, I think they could be a contender in the SEC this fall.


It's a great time in the sports world, folks. MLB's All-Star Game is next week, the World Cup final is Sunday, and NASCAR hits the home stretch before getting ready for the Chase. Oh, did I mention that training camps will soon open for the NFL? Hope everyone is having a great summer. Till next time..................


Patrick