Running Through My Mind

A few random musings (I wrote this several days ago and just never got around to posting):

1) NBA firings are apparently at an all-time high for this point in the season. Six coaches have been given their walking papers and we're barely 1/4 into the season. The chopped list includes: Reggie Theus by the Sacramento Kings, Maurice Cheeks by the Philadelphia 76er's, Eddie Jordan by the Washington Wizards, Sam Mitchell by the Toronto Raptors, Randy Wittman by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and P.J. Carlesimo by the Oklahoma City Thunder. I agree with cutting off the head sometimes, but for most of these, I really think they coach was a scapegoat, covering up the real, massive problem: the team sucks. I won't elaborate on which coaches I think needed to go (to protect the innocent) but suffice it to say that this is a short term solution to a problem that goes way deeper than the head coach. Almost all of these teams are underachieving, and one literally just started a few months ago. Is it the economy? Lack of fans? Whatever the reason, firing the coach this early is akin to throwing in the towel for the year, and, frankly, it's just not very creative . . . especially the Kings who waited for five other heads to roll before he got the boot in the back. What followers.

2) Have I ever mentioned how much I love Stephon Marbury? He is the only guy in the league who would buy a front row ticket to a game in which he is being paid to play but the team doesn't want him. Seriously, the only one. Maybe Latrell Sprewell would have pulled such a move back in his day but other than that, I can't think of anyone. I caught his interview at the game, and he did one of my favorites: "me, myself . . ." I never understood what that means, I guess it's sort of like "um" for the urban set. He really keeps things interesting.

3) Allen Iverson was fined for "making inappropriate comments" to a fan during a Detroit Pistons visit to the Charlotte Bobcats, a game which the Pistons eventually won. I wonder if these guys budget for fines and suspensions . . .

4) So the Atlanta Hawks weren't a fluke and really do have something close to a legitimate response to the Boston Celtics. I will admit that the Celtics have really been impressive. I didn't like the idea of throwing a bunch of superstars together just to win a championship, but by golly, it worked. Two stars may not be enough, but three is solid, especially if one of them is a 7 foot shooter. But the Hawks almost beat them and looked good doing it. I'll have to continue to monitor this as the season develops . . .

5) I've been saying this for a long time, and now I'm finally going public with it. Twins?

Stuart from Mad TV:




Tyler from UNC:

Run Out of Town

Packing (or should be) for another weekend of adventure. And so we run:

1. I watched my second college football game this season, coincidentally involving the USC Trojans again, this time against the Oregon State University Beavers. Ok, not so coincidentally, because USC is the #1 team in the country, but, still coincidentally because I hadn't planned to watch it. Oregon State has USC's number, huh? Wow. I was looking around at some other sports blogs during the game and saw that most had pretty much dismissed Oregon State, despite last year's defeat of the Trojans. OSU (the other one) had this tiny tailback, Jacquizz (?) Rodgers who they say is 5'6" but looked to be about six inches less than that on the field. And I've seen some 5'8" guys in the NFL and this guy was nowhere near that. I'm guessing he's closer to a Prince-ly 5'4" (Rogers, ironically, is Prince's middle name). What's with short stars at Oregon schools? University of Oregon basketball player Tajuan Porter, one of the better players in the PAC-10, is also reportedly 5'6", but I think this is just an acceptable cutoff height. In any case, Rodgers, the self-proclaimed "little dude," lit up USC for 186 yards on 37 carries. Most yards on USC since . . . Vince Young in the BCS national championship game back in 2006 - another college football game I watched. His older brother and OSU wide receiver, James (why'd they do that to the younger one?), had two scores of his own. That's quite a story to tell to their kids . . . just like Al Bundy, but real. USC tried to come back in the second half, but the Beavers held off the Trojans (um . . .) for the win. Just another example of why they still play the game.

2. Kimbo Slice on PTI.

I don't know too much about his "sport" - mixed martial arts (coincidentally, I mentioned it on the blog the other day for the first time in the WNBA post) - but I am somewhat familiar with his story: homeless streetfighter on YouTube to superstardom as an ultimate fighter. What I didn't know is that he went to the University of Miami on an academic scholarship, even though he was a talented football player in high school. After watching this interview, I'm not surprised. My dad actually sent me a text last night asking me to post on Kimbo (I just can't call him Slice), but when I saw him on PTI, I realized daddy-o was right. His "five good minutes" Thursday is one of the better interviews I've seen in a while. "I'm just a little squirrel in this big world and I'm still trying to get my nut." Very regular person doing extraordinary things. Love it.

3. I'm calling this one "Knicks betta have my money!" Continuing with the video theme, Stephon Marbury and his chest decided to come out of hiding on Thursday. Starbury sat down with a local NBC affiliate to discuss all the rumors about what he will be doing (or where he will be sitting) when the Knicks season starts. He says he's not taking a penny less than the Knicks owe him (which he shouldn't, they're the ones who agreed to pick up his hefty contract when he came from the Phoenix Suns). He also says he's mentally, spiritually, and physically right . . . I'll stop my cynicism here because, say what you want about Marbury, I really do think he's a good person. He could maybe use some work on his delivery. It's a fairly long interview, but certainly one worth watching (although the difference in volume between Marbury (low) and the reporter (high "deaf") may get annoying).

4. The NFL has ruled that the Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee was not intentionally gouged in the eye during the Ravens win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. The Ravens submitted film to the league for a determination on whether the alleged "gougings" (two times in two separate incidents) were intentional. Apparently, the films showed the opposing Browns' players reaching under the visor to poke McGahee in the eye. Now McGahee may not play due to the injury to his eyes. Eye gouging? Is this 2008 B.C. or A.D.? You don't hear that term too often these days, probably with good reason. The last time eye gouging got my attention was in fifth grade when they showed us The Birds for Halloween. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't seen it yet - even though you've had 45 years - but all I know is I have never liked birds ever since. Hmm. Ravens = birds. Creepy.

5. Monta Ellis, the over well-paid guard for the Golden State Warriors, claimed that he got scraped up and ripped up his ankle playing basketball. Surprise! Since exactly no one has ever been injured in basketball that way, it turns out Ellis was fibbing, and he really got hurt while riding a moped. At a slow speed. Of course. If you're going to lie (which I don't condone) then at least make it make sense. He had to have known the truth would come to light at some point, so now not only did he lie, but he told a really bad lie. Of course, on the flip side, he had everything to lose. Literally. That $66 million they're paying him for the next 6 years could have gone up in smoke. Under the terms of the standard NBA contract, Ellis violated the provision covering (pardon my French) "******** up your career doing some dumb ****." Really, I quoted that verbatim. They ought to add "poor lying" to the terms, too, which should be worth at least a few extra paychecks. He's just lucky that they need him now that Baron "I make sand castles with Jessica" Davis has defected for the Sacramento Kings. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

And I've learned mine. I need more time and sleep! Enjoy the presidential debates (if they happen) and the weekend (pretty likely to happen)!

Back In Action

Finally! Well, since I missed Monday and Tuesday, and most of you have had a chance to digest football from the weekend (and I'm holding on to my other football article until tomorrow) we're going to check in on some of the other leagues (yes, football is included):

Word on the street is that Stephon Marbury may have seen his last days as a New York Knickerbocker. What, waiving the best point guard in the league? Maybe it was the chess games in the car with interns. The word claims that there will be a buyout of Starbury's $21.9 million contract, which would put the Knicks well at the top of the list of the NBA's best/worst buyouts of all time. In case you're not familiar with how this works, buyouts occur when a team discovers that no other team will pay what they are paying for a particular player, making a trade not possible, but the team still wants to clear roster space to bring in someone other than the overpaid player. So the team literally pays the bought-out player not to play. (I know, I'm trying to figure out a way to make this happen at my job.) Who better than the Knicks to be involved when explaining buyouts?

But the word from new President (since Zeke departed the post) Donnie Walsh doused the flames on all that with some crazy talk. He says that the Knicks expect Marbury to come to camp . . . and they're expecting Allan Houston to come back, too. That was unexpected. So here's what I think happened: Houston's returned reminded them of the last time they paid someone $20 million not to play. Then the Knicks thought to themselves "Ya know, it's not worth another $20 million to be a good team in the best sports market in the country. It's not. If we keep adding players that other teams don't want and our draft picks get booed every year, we'll have a championship in no time." And then they struck the part about winning a championship and inserted just a question mark.

No fear, Knicks fans, you're likely to still have your same old (read: terrible) team to kick around, whether Marbury's there or not. If they let him go, who do they have to replace him? Sure, they've signed a guard - Anthony Roberson. . . 'nuf said. They can't really afford (not just monetarily) to buy out Marbury's contract and still pick up a solid, established player who would want to come into that situation. This last part is the key. The Knicks organization reminds me of another poorly run outfit in another city that has also become the laughing stock of the entire league. But the Knicks are even more special because they ensure that talented players don't shine there under any circumstances. Here's hoping Marbury is in the great shape they say he is and that former Phoenix Suns/new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni can bring some of his winning ways - or at least mentality - out east . . .


I'm checking out these WNBA Finals. I'm currently watching the L.A. Sparks vs. the Seattle . . . wait, let me look that up . . . Storm. It's the elimination game, as they're calling it, with the winner going to the Western Conference Finals. The Storm actually has Sue Bird, although she didn't have a great first half. The Sparks, on the other hand, has Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker - the top two jersey sellers in the league - who, not coincidentally, are also the top scorers in this game. I'm no Nostradamus but I have a really, really good feeling that the Sparks are going to win this one. Let's just say I saw some highlights from the Detroit Shock game in which the only fans in the arena were seated in the lower third rows. I think they'll pick up more than just the diehard fan if/when the Sparks make it. I just saw a Storm player try to drive on Leslie and Parker . . . and come away with a blocked shot and some alone time with the hardwood. And mic'd up coaches - which mics occasionally catch a raucous fan seated nearby. And (female) commentators who aren't afraid to call like they see it. Fun to watch.

This brings me to another point. I just watched the Storm's coach talk to the ladies in the locker room. How come men can coach women's sports but women can't coach men's? When will we break through this, one of the last remaining glass ceilings? I may have to do a write up on this soon . . .

Quarterback Swap is on again. This week's victim is past MVP Pro Bowler Marc Bulger of the ailing St. Louis Rams. At least they're making some changes . . . . There's not much further down to fall than 0-3 after three weeks. . . but 0-4 after four weeks is a sure sign that the end is imminent. The man starting in Bulger's place is none other than Trent "walking endorsement for the anti-concussion helmet" Green. (I briefly considered posting a picture of him on a stretcher but I'm just not that cruel. Instead, I went with a picture of Bulger in a pose that may become more familiar to him over the next few weeks.) Last season, when Green was a Miami Dolphin, I suggested in my post that he ought to be nicer to the O-line if he wants to avoid having his block knocked off. Well, at least if he gets rocked (and I sincerely hope he does not - this article says it all), he will know that it's not because they don't want to protect him, they just . . . can't.

It looks like Bulger may have pine-riding company in Cleveland Browns QB Derek Anderson . . .


Turning to a place I don't turn too often: golf. (No, really. My brand new clubs are still sitting here untouched). The U.S. team actually won the Ryder Cup (that U.S. vs. Europe golf competition) for the first time in nine years, without the help of Tiger Woods. I don't think this is such a fluke or coincidental at all, and though the Brits apparently are blaming Nick Faldo for their loss, I think there is a far less complex explanation: no Tiger. It's hard to focus on your game when you're more concerned with matching up with your teammate than you are with beating the other team. Unfortunately, the "Tiger-effect" falls to other players too, effectively rendering anyone who doesn't win a major or compete with Tiger on the final day of an event virtually anonymous. This was confirmed when I failed to recognize most of the younger guys on the U.S. roster. But maybe this is just what they needed to get themselves on the map. Until Tiger returns, anyway.



Rutgers University QB Mike Teel threw an interception and then a punch at his teammate, Glen Lee, just during a game Rutgers eventually lost to Navy last Saturday. Rutgers' coach Greg Schiano has decided not to punish the QB, saying the situation "was over and done with." Does it help that this teammate was a reserve defensive back who was trying to tell Teel to keep his head up? Look, I know he was frustrated, but if the situation had been reversed, I wouldn't be surprised if Lee had been kicked off the team. Lee supported the move not to punish Teel, calling it a "family" matter (over and over again). In all the key players' own words:



I should have counted how many times they all used the word "family" in this video. It has to be on par with Allen Iverson's love for "practice." One of them blamed it on being "competitive." I'm competitive, but I've never attempted to punch a teammate in the mouth, and neither do most people (even though we all may have wanted to more than a few times). Lee sounds like a battered spouse. I don't know what happened behind closed doors, or why Lee appears literally to be taking the punch, but I get the sneaking suspicion that it's directly proportional to his perceived importance to the team. Yuck. I know Schiano doesn't want to go 0-4 and miss that bowl game they're used to attending, but your QB's out of control, buddy. This one gets a thumbs way down.



But I'd like to end this post on a thumbs up, which goes out to Ball State University football wide received Dante Love. Love had been having a stellar season thus far, picking up where he left off as an All-Mid-American first team standout. On Saturday, Love was injured during Ball State's win over Indiana University when he collided with an Indiana cornerback. I've read that his head dipped at the last moment, which is almost always followed by injury. Unfortunately, they're saying that Love's injury will end his career, but that he will be able to live a normal life - meaning he likely won't be paralyzed (and if he's able to move now, then that's probably the case). The one consolation I can offer Love is that "they" have been wrong many times before. While I certainly wouldn't encourage him to come back before he is ready, it doesn't necessarily have to be over just because they say it is. I really hate to see anyone's hopes and dreams dashed in an instant - especially at his age and in his situation. But even if he never plays again, I believe things happen sometimes to teach you a lesson that you wouldn't have learned otherwise or to push you in a direction that you may not have otherwise considered. Hopefully, in time, it will all make sense to him. Two thumbs WAY up for a speedy recovery.

Marbury's Father Passes

More sad news. The father of Stephon Marbury, Don Marbury, passed away, shortly after leaving his son's game against the Phoenix Suns at half time due to chest pain. Marbury's father passed away before the game had completed, a game in which the Knicks lost but actually played fairly well, but Marbury was not told of the death until after the game. It's not clear when he is going to return to the Knicks.

For all the flak that Marbury has taken from me and others, including Knicks fans, I wouldn't wish this kind of pain on anyone. Apparently he lost an aunt last month. Poor guy.

As I was writing this, I just found out that Ron Artest's 4 year-old daughter has kidney cancer. Man. And she was born with one kidney, so she can't have the cancerous one removed. The doctors have given her a 90% chance of curing her cancer.

Just another reminder to cherish the time that you have here, and the people in your life.

Zeke Was Just Kidding But the Joke's On Him

New York Knickerbockers coach Isiah Thomas decided that a week of good behavior warrants returning to the starting line up. That, or, Stephon Marbury has enough blackmail on Zeke that he had to do it.

Whatever the reason, Marbury started in the Knicks game Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Starbury didn't play half bad but the Knicks are terrible, and they were no match for Baron Davis and the Warriors.

Even better, the fans were booing the team for almost 3/4 of the game, and called for Isiah's head. Ok, at least calling for him to be fired.

Even with Zach Randolph, they couldn't find their rhythm.

At this rate, I say Zeke's on the chopping block by the All-Star game.

Starbury Could Have Sent Two Kids To College

What a hoax!

The best point guard ever, as he will forever be referred to here, Stephon Marbury, aka Starbury, was fined more than $195,000 for skipping the Knicks game against the Phoenix Suns. For all that, he could have showed up and given the money to two kids to attend a good college or university. I figured I'd title this post to make Starbury look like a real bad guy. I saw an article entitled "Marbury Steals Candy from Babies and Kicks Old Ladies" earlier today, and thought to myself, "I could do better."

My guess was that the money was his proportionate to his salary for that game, and a little off the top as a fine, and - what do ya know - that is just what it turned out to be. Approximately $180,000, or 1/110th of his yearly salary, for missing a game without a reasonable excuse, per the league's collective bargaining agreement, and a $20,000 fine for skipping.

I guess "pissed off" doesn't qualify as a reasonable excuse. He is apparently appealing the fine. I swear new information comes out every half hour on this story.

THEN came reports that Isiah "Zeke" Thomas and Starbury had words on the team plane. Even possibly came to fisticuffs, but they're denying this. Now that's a fight I would pay to see. I know Zeke grew up on the rough streets of Chicago, but I don't know if he still has his jab.

What are these? Brass knuckles?

Starbury was heard in the back of the plane saying:

"Isiah has to start me," Marbury fumed, according to the source. "I've got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know."

Ooh-ooh-ooh, threatening the coach. Who says that out loud? He has clearly been watching too much The Young & The Restless. He should be watching more One Life To Live and stop causing trouble in his.

And then had the nerve to show up for the Knicks game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Yup, much ado about nothing. The game just finished as I type, and he played 33 minutes (on the low end of the starters minutes) and had 13 points (4-12) and 4 assists. (Note: ESPN gets confused with the stats when the game ends - weren't they keeping them as the game went on?)

I guess he couldn't bear losing a half million(!) for two nights of work.

Another surprise (OK, not really), Steve Francis did something similar when he skipped the team plane to attend the Super Bowl . . . um. Not surprisingly, Stevie "Franchise" also played for the Knicks at one point in time (he is now a Houston Rocket - again).

But the bottom line is that Starbury tricked everyone and now he's back with the Knicks. Let's see how long this lasts . . . Any bets?

Screw You Guys. I'm Going Home.

It seems that the best point guard ever has decided that his days might be numbered with the New York Knicks.

Stephon Marbury better known as Starbury (or Another Overpaid Player on the Knicks Roster - AOPKR), was apparently told that he wasn't starting, which he took as a sign that it was time for him to go. Yes, instead of staying in Phoenix to play with the team, AOPKR Starbury decided to take the first plane back to BK (He's from there but even with gentrification, I doubt he still lives there), and perhaps bought his ticket off the Knicks team.

Now, this is not your typical day at the office. The boss tells you that you're not his go to guy or gal, you can't just go home. Plenty of people are getting benched every day. Imagine if they just decided to go home instead of staying at work.

Even better, imagine that you sent a text message to the New York Post saying, "The boss said I could go." He apparently has no plans of going to L.A. to play the Clippers, either.

And there you have Starbury's Tuesday afternoon. Knicks coach (if you don't know whose name is next, you must be new here, and if so, welcome - and click here to get caught up!) Isiah Thomas skirted the issue, and issued his own statement that said, in not so many words (read: Zeke speak), "Get your behind on this bench next to me, or else." If this isn't the end of his stay with Knicks, it really should be.

And "his" could refer to either of the two men mentioned here. Sure, Starbury's not the easiest guy to deal with, but it might just be time to make that change in the Big Apple. Starbury is owed another $42 million(!) over the next two seasons, so no team is going to want to trade for him unless they have some equally atrocious contract on their roster or just really (like really) need a change. That means that the Knicks could end up buying out his contract, which would likely make them the proud owners - again - of the highest paid player not playing the game.

One thing is for certain: If the Knicks underperform again this year, you better get your tickets now because this will be Isiah's last year coaching the Knicks.

Yeah, This One May Be A Blow Out

Let me guess. This is your first time hearing anything about this today. See, I told you. The worse that Anucha Browne Sanders' case gets, the less attention it will get. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Yesterday, in Day 6 of the Zeke trial (seems they took a short recess), Browne Sanders's case took a hit harder than Milton Bradley (the baseball player, not the game maker) who tore his ACLafter being restrained from attacking an umpire. 8 individuals testified to Browne Sanders incompetence as a manager and discredited her accusations and memory of the events.

One of those testifying was Stephon Marbury's paramour, the intern whom Browne Sanders was coerced into "getting into the car" with Marbury. Nope, she says she went on her own:

Kathleen Decker, the former intern, denied Browne Sanders’s testimony that she could not refuse Marbury, who was at the club in Mount Vernon, N.Y., with his cousin Hassan Gonsalves, who was a Knicks employee at the time and a former boyfriend of Decker.

Decker testified that she accepted a ride home from Gonsalves rather than from one of two girlfriends who joined her for her birthday celebration. But, she told the court, Marbury was standing outside the club and asked her, “Are you going to get in the truck?” She said, “So I got in the truck.”

She said that she never felt a loss of control with Marbury.

Decker’s late-night sexual encounter with Marbury came to light when Browne Sanders was gathering information from subordinates that would lead to Gonsalves’s firing in November 2005 for sexual harassment.

A day after Decker told Browne Sanders about an abusive comment that Gonsalves made to her, she said Browne Sanders called her into her office.

“She sat me on the couch,” Decker testified, “and she said: ‘I know there’s more. You can tell me. I’m a mother.’ I was nervous.”

Decker added, “She asked me if I felt forced,” but she told Browne Sanders, then the Knicks’ senior vice president for marketing, that she had not. Browne Sanders testified that Decker had told her she was “stunned” and “very drunk.”

A few days after the meeting, Decker sent Browne Sanders a card thanking her for being “incredibly supportive,” and said she “cannot change the poor decision(s) I’ve made in the past.” Decker testified that she sent the card fearing that “what I did outside the job could affect my work.” She now works for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a charity run by the Garden.

That hurts. She not only confirmed that her encounter with Marbury was just a run of the mill groupie liaison, but she still works for the organization. Then, the Vice President of Community Relations for the Knicks, Karin Buchholz testified that Browne Sanders basically forced her to participate in this investigation and write memos against her co-workers, which she says interfered with her ability to do her own job. This interference included making Buchholz cancel an NBA player event at a school (if you know this particular player, I'll give you one guess as to how I think he should have spent his time since the event was canceled). According to the SportsBusiness Journal, NBA players have the worst reputations of athletes in any of the major sports. Come on, Anucha, you can't be the VP of marketing getting in the way of NBA players doing charity work!

James Dolan, the outspoken Madison Square Garden Chairman, is scheduled to testify today.

I can't tell you for sure what the jury will do, but I have a pretty good feeling that this case is just about over - in more ways than one.

The Greatest Point Guard Ever Makes the Best Witness . . . Ever

Zeke's trial, Day 2. (See here for Day 1).

Today, the humble Stephon Marbury testified. Um. Before I share his testimony, let me point out that Marbury is generally a good, generous guy. He gave a million to help Katrina victims. He gives away haircuts to kids in NY (his hometown). And with his Starbury line, he sells basketball sneakers for $14 sneakers (which can also buy you 3 pieces of lettuce at the U.S. Open). He claims he wore the shoes himself last season (check this review of them), and he apparently only gets paid on sales of the shoe, not to endorse it. This year, he's giving every high school varsity (no JV?) basketball player in NYC their own pair of Starbury sneakers. He even came out in support of Michael Vick (and backpedaled a bit). Perhaps a little conceited, or as this commenter states:

Stephon Marbury is a "five letter" word who is affectionately known in my "hood" as STEPHANY!!! (No disrespect intended to anyone named Stephany.) His act has never changed from Minnesota ("I deserve Garnett Money") to Jersey ("I'm all alone") to Phoenix (send him back) to New York ("I'm the greatest pg eva"). He's a "me" first point guard whose role should be reduced to Ball Boy! (No disrespect to any ball boys out there.) He'd be overpaid at that position as well, but at least he'd get his touches in every night and we wouldn't have to see him pouting on the the bench like the "five letter" word he's shown himself to be. His speed & agility would be better suited for getting Gatorade & towels for the real stars of this TEAM. The season is young but i think I.T.'s got something here. It's called a TEAM. Don't let Stephany ruin the start of something pretty good.

So he's not the most humble guy, nor maybe the most sane, but he is one of the most generous. In everything. Including giving TMI ("too much information"):

Nervous Knicks star Stephon Marbury took the stand today in the explosive $10 million sex-harassment suit that's rocking the Garden and admitted he lured one of the female accuser's subordinates into his car.

Marbury did not say explicitly they had sex as they sat parked outside a Manhattan strip joint, as fired Knick exec Anucha Browne Sanders has claimed.

"We got together right across the street," Marbury testified in Manhattan Federal court.

So he played a little chess in the car with interns. What's the big deal? Browne Sanders (I keep wanting to write "Brown Simpson") says that the subordinate, a college intern, told her that she had sex with Marbury because she felt like she had to. I don't really see what this has to do with whether Brown Sanders was sexually harassed by Isiah, and apparently neither did the judge, because he ceased all questioning with respect to his encounter(s). Then, in a stunning display of honesty:

Marbury admitted calling Browne Sanders a "b*tch" after she refused to give him more game tickets for his friends and family.

I have no words for this. I'm all for being honest, but gee whiz. After his testimony, he apparently went off laughing and singing to no one in particular, making fun of reporters . . . and still took the time to make a pitch for his new shoes. Hey, at least they're cheap.

Now I will say that I'm a little bit worried about Browne Sanders' case if the first person she put on the stand is Stephon Marbury. After all, he admitted that he thought this lawsuit was a joke when he heard about it. I am guessing that not even her attorney knew exactly what this guy was going to say. Maybe the point was to show that the Knicks organization is full of boorish men. But, unfortunately, just because your employers call you a b*tch doesn't mean you were sexually harassed, and being a general a**hole isn't illegal. But they do need to explain why they fired her if she kept receiving bonuses and raises.

Can't wait to see who's up for Day 3!