Mattie T’s Thoughts in the world of sports….(for the week of August 30th-September 4th)

Good Morning, and happy Labor Day to everyone!

We will start with a developing story that is taking place in the NFL.

San Diego Chargers LB Steve Foley was shot by an off-duty police offer early Sunday morning near his home in Powoy, CA.

Foley was shot three times and had surgery for wounds to his leg, arm and chest.
The shooting occured around 3:45 am Sunday morning after an off-duty Coronado, CA police officer followed a suspected drunken driver weaving in and out of freeway traffic at speeds up to 90 mph. Authorities said the driver nearly collided with several other vehicles.

The 30 year old Foley stopped three times, sheriff’s officials said. During one of the stops, Lisa Maree Gaut, a passenger in the vehicle, yelled at the officer, authorities said.

The shooting occurred after Foley got out of the vehicle near his home in Poway, north of San Diego, and began walking toward the officer, sheriff’s officials said. Gaut got behind the wheel and drove next to Foley in the direction of the officer, the officials said.

The officer identified himself, authorities said, and warned Foley he was armed. He fired a warning shot, at which point Gaut steered the car at the officer, sheriff’s officials said.

“The officer fired two rounds at the vehicle,” sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Brugos said. “The male then came at the officer and put his right hand by his waistband and the officer fired at him.”

The 25 year old Gaut was booked into Las Colinas Detention Facility on suspicion of DUI and assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $17,500. She was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Foley was taken to an area hospital where he was recovering.

This is not the first time that Foley has been in trouble with the law.

He was arrested April 21 on charges of resisting arrest after police said he scuffled with officers. He also was booked on charges of battery on a police officer and public drunkenness.

The district attorney’s office said recently it was not pursuing charges against Foley in that incident.

Foley has played 7 seasons in the NFL with Cincinnati, Houston & San Diego. He has compiled 274 tackles, 25 sacks, 11 fumbles & 3 interceptions throughout his career.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

It sounds like the police officer who shot Foley was using self-defense, which is very understandable in today’s crime-filled society. However, i think Foley’s passenger may have provoked this incident by pointing Foley’s vehicle towards the officer AFTER THE FIRST SHOT WAS FIRED. That’s not a very smart move to make at all, especially when you’re dealing with law enforcement.

This should be a lesson well learned from both parties. I hope that Foley makes a speedy recovery and i also hope he will be able to play football again.

We’ll switch back in Football in a little bit….

Now let’s head over to Basketball.

Team U.S.A. had a vision to come back home with the Gold Medal at the start of the FIBA World Championships last month.

Now, their ultimate goal will be put on hold for at least 2 more years.

Greece delivered a stunning 101-95 upset over the Americans on Friday to prevent Team USA from reaching the gold medal game.

Greece won the game despite having no NBA players on their roster.

Greece was able to produce a 26 point swing between the 2nd & 3rd quarters to take control of the game & advance to the gold medal game against Spain.

Vasileios Spanoulis led Greece with 22 points.

Team USA did not play good defense in the loss & struggled in several areas offensively.

Greece shot 63% for the game, which included 8-18 (44%) from 3-point territory.

Team USA did shoot 50% for the game, but only managed to hit 9-28 (32%) from 3-point territory and only connected on 20 of 34 (58%) free throw attempts.

Greece however, was no match for Spain in Sunday’s gold medal game.

Spain was able to blow out Greece 74-50 to capture the gold medal despite missing superstar forward Pau Gasol (of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies), who sat out with a foot injury. Gasol led the team in both scoring & rebounding during the tournament.

Spain broke the game open in the second quarter, using a 10-0 run to produce a 16 point lead & cruised their way to an easy win.

Four of the five leading scorers in the 2006 FIBA World Championship are currently on NBA rosters.

China representative & Houston Rockets star C Yao Ming led the tournament in scoring with an average of 25.3 points per game.

Germany representative & Dallas Mavericks star F Dirk Nowitzki finished 2nd in scoring with an average of 23.2 points per game.

Spain representative & Memphis Grizzlies star F Pau Gasol finished 3rd in scoring with an average of 21.3 points per game. Spain officials also said that Gasol’s foot injury could sideline him for up to 3 months.

Puerto Rico representative & Orlando Magic star G Carlos Arroyo finished 4th in scoring with an average of 21.2 points per game.

Fellow Puerto Rico representative Elias Ayuso finished 5th in scoring with an average of 21.2 points per game. Ayuso is the only player listed among the top five who is not currently on a NBA roster.

Ayuso was signed by the San Antonio Spurs in August of ‘03, but was waived in October after playing in 3 pre-season games.

Team USA took home the bronze medal after defeating Argentina 96-81 on Sunday.

G Dwyane Wade (who scored a game-high 32 points) viewed the tournament as a learning experience for himself & his teammates.

“This game was everything it was pumped up to be if it was in the finals,” said Wade. “I’d like to give credit to my teammates, I have a lot of respect for the guys for coming out and playing our hearts out when a lot of people thought we would give up. It’s a great step in the direction that we’re trying to get to in 2008.

This is the most fun I’ve had in a while, just being around a great group of guys. We all gained relationships. We all gained respect for each other. This summer was not a waste for us. We learned a lot and we’ll move forward.”

Argentina suffered a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to Spain after Argentina star & Chicago Bulls F Andres Nocioni missed a potenial game-winning three pointer at the buzzer.

The U.S. avenged an 89-81 semifinals loss to Argentina at the ‘04 Olympics, which also cost them a chance at the gold medal.

U.S. Coach Mike Krzyzewski (or Coach K for short) viewed the tournament as a learning process for his team as they prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

“I think this game showed what this team has shown the last 45 days or so, that these guys are really proud to represent our country. We had a few bad minutes against Greece and they’re a great team. Our guys showed a lot of heart.”

“This is our first step towards Beijing, That’s what we talked about today, not just winning third place. The whole thing was to get ready for the Olympics. Our three captains, especially, showed a lot of heart today.”

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

I hope the U.S. realizes that international competition will continue to get better & better every year. They will have to send their absolute best players overseas to compete for a gold medal for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Kobe Bryant’s absence (off-season knee surgery) from this tournament was a huge loss for the U.S. & could’ve lifted them over Greece. Doesn’t hurt to dream, right?

The Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 1994, which is the NBA’s longest drought.

They hope that their newest head coach will return the franchise to their glory days.

Golden State brought back Don Nelson for a second head-coaching stint with the team on Thursday, one day after mutually agreeing to part ways with Mike Montgomery.

Montgomery spent two years in Golden State, compiling a 68-96 record. (41.5% winning percentage.)

“We are really excited to welcome Don back to the Warriors’ family,” Golden State vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin said. “He has proven to be one of the best and most successful coaches in NBA history and is very well respected throughout the league for his unique creativity, strategical exploits and leadership.”

Nelson has a career coaching record of 1,190 wins and 880 losses, placing him second behind Lenny Wilkens (1,332) for the NBA’s all-time list of coaching victories.

Nelson also ranks 20th on the career winning percentage list (.575) and has coached in the second-most games in NBA history, behind only Wilkens (2,487).

“I’m really excited about this new opportunity and want to thank (Warriors owner Chris Cohan) for opening the doors again,” said Nelson, who also has coached Milwaukee, New York and Dallas in his career. “I have always had a special place in my heart for this organization. … I’m equally excited about the team that I’m inheriting, one that I think is extremely talented and has a lot of room for growth.”

Golden State has suffered 12 straight losing seasons since Nelson guided them to their last playoff apperance in 1994 against the Phoenix Suns.

Nelson has not coached in the NBA since March of ‘05, when he resigned from the Dallas Mavericks after spending 7 seasons with the team.

Avery Johnson took over the head coaching position from Nelson & has compiled a record of 76-24 (76% winning percentage) since Nelson’s departure, which includes winning the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year award & guiding the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals apperance in franchise history.

Nelson directed the Warriors to a pair of 50-win seasons & four playoff berths during his first stint in Golden State.

His roster also included the popular “Run-TMC” combo which consisted of G & Chicago native Tim Hardaway, G Mitch Richmond & F Chris Mullin.

The trio combined to average 72.5 points per game during the ‘89-90 season & all three finished in the top 11 in the NBA in scoring.

Nelson feuded with F & ‘94 Rookie of the Year winner Chris Webber during the ‘93-94 season, who opted out of his contract and forced a trade to Washington.

One of Webber’s greatest memories as a Warrior was posterizing Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley, which appeared in a Nike commercial ad along with fellow teammate G/F Latrell Sprewell.

Barkley got the last laugh though, as he lit up Webber & his Golden State team for 56 points to complete a 3-game sweep of the Warriors during Phoenix’s 140-133 win in the 1994 playoffs.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

This is a great move by Golden State to show their fans that they are headed in the right direction. Nelson’s Warriors have had high-scoring offenses in the past, so that could make G’s Jason Richardson & Baron Davis a deadly scoring combo for the ‘06-07 season.

Barkley also made headlines during a recent TV interview in discussing topics that ranged from gay marriage to Hurricane Katrina.

Barkley on President Bush:

“They’re criticizing a guy who can’t run again, who can’t get fired,” Barkley said during an appearance on “CMI: The Chris Meyers Interview,” which will air on Sunday night on Fox SportsNet. “So they spent the last two years criticizing him instead of saying, ‘Some things aren’t right. This is our game plan.’ And now we’re two years away from the election, and we have no solutions and no front-runner.”

Barkley on religion:

“Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me,” he said. “My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I’m struggling with my idea of what religion is.”

Barkley on gay marriage:
“I think if they want to get married, God bless them,” Barkley said. “Gay marriage is probably 1 percent of the population, so it’s not like it’s going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I’m never going to kiss you and say, ‘Chris, you’re sexy.”‘

Barkley also acknowledged that a gay athlete likely would be discriminated against in professional sports, though he said he believes they would face the same discrimination in everyday life.

Barkley on the efforts to aid Hurricane Katrina victims, which included a statement by Grammy-winning rapper/producer & Chicago native Kanye West who said that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”:

“I don’t know anything about a lot of things, but I would ask somebody and try to make a fair, honest decision for the majority of the people. Not the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the white,” Barkley said. “When you get elected to public office, you’re supposed to represent everybody. Your job is not to take care of the rich or the poor or the black or the white. Your job is to take care of everybody.”

You can currently catch Barkley alongside Ernie Johnson & Kenny Smith on “Inside the NBA” during the 2006-07 season on TNT.

Former New York Knicks’ star C Patrick Ewing has resigned from the Houston Rockets coaching staff to spend more time with his family.

Ewing has been credited in the development of Yao Ming, who posted career averages of 22.3 PPG & 10.2 RPG per game during the ‘05-06 season. Ming also shot a career-high 85.3% from the free-throw line.

“It was a difficult decision to resign because I enjoy coaching,” Ewing said. “I love working with Jeff and the rest of the staff, and our players are really good guys. But my children are getting older and I want to spend more time with them.

“I’m sure at some time I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.”

Patrick Ewing Jr (6-10, 235, son of Ewing) is currently a junior on Georgetown University’s basketball team.

Ewing sat out the ‘05-06 season due to NCAA transfer rules (he transfered from Indiana University), but will be eligible to play for Georgetown in the upcoming ‘06-07 season.

Philadelphia 76ers star G Allen Iverson is being sued for $2.4 million by claims that he helped hire a security team accused of attacking four people at a Hampton nightclub last year.

The four plaintiffs say they were assaulted by members of “The Horsemen,” a security team they say was hired by Iverson and Gary Moore, Iverson’s business manager and president of CrossOver Promotions Inc., to control the crowd during a July 9, 2005 event at Crabbers Restaurant and Sports Lounge, according to papers filed Monday in Hampton Circuit Court.

According to the lawsuit, Iverson, Moore and Crossover Promotions were negligent by hiring “dangerous individuals” who had shown a propensity toward unprovoked violence. Iverson, Moore and security team members all are named in the four lawsuits — one on behalf of each plaintiff. Each has requested a jury trial and $600,000 in damages, plus legal fees.

According to Stephen Bricker, attorney to the four plaintiffs, Priest Brown and Robin Isman say they were attacked by security team members as they left the club, and Arthur Simmons and Daryl Cooper say they were assaulted while dancing.

Simmons was punched and Cooper was punched and hit with a chair, Bricker said. Brown was repeatedly kicked and punched and Isman was punched in the face as they were walking outside the club, Bricker said.

“They were looking to get the buzz that they were big, bad dudes,” Bricker said of the security team.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

Well, this sure hasn’t been a pleasant off-season for Iverson. First he’s involved in trade rumors with Boston & Atlanta. Then he gets sued for accusation of planning an attack on four people in a nightclub. None of this should affect Iverson on the court though, as he should continue to become one of the NBA’s premier players for the ‘06-07 season.

Charges were dropped on Thursday against Chicago Bulls’ mascot Benny the Bull for allegedly attacking an off-duty police officer during the Taste of Chicago in July.

Bulls officials said charges of misdemeanor battery and driving within a parkway were dropped against Barry Anderson, the Benny the Bull mascot. Police said Anderson, in his bright red bull costume, threw a punch at a sheriff’s deputy on July 2, knocking off his glasses and breaking his watch.

Police said the off-duty officer, who was working security, tried to stop the mascot for riding a mini-motorcycle thorough the Taste of Chicago festival without a permit. The officer tried to stop him and Anderson ran, police said. The officer chased and caught him.

The charges were dropped last Friday, the day the case was scheduled to go to trial, Bulls spokeswoman Christine Cronin said.

Anderson, a native of Miles City, Mont., is preparing for his third season as Benny the Bull. He previously worked as the University of Montana’s Monte mascot, winning the national mascot of the year award in 2002.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

I’m glad that Benny the Bull avoided becoming the first NBA Mascot to go on trial. He should provide tons of excitement for a Bulls team that is expected to become an Eastern Conference contender for the ‘06-07 season with the addition of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace.

Let’s move on to baseball….

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard & St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols hit three homers apiece in their first three at-bats on Sunday to help their teams to victory.

The two became the first players to hit three consecutive homers since Cincinnatti’s Johnny Bench & Atlanta’s Orlando Cepeda (both Hall-of Famers) on July 26, 1970.
Howard hit 3 homers during Game 1 of a 8-7 doubleheader win (all off Braves’ starter Tim Hudson) over the Atlanta Braves to give him 52 homers on the season, which leads the majors.

Howard’s 50th home run was a solo shot in the second inning, and he followed with a two-run drive in the third. His third homer was an opposite-field, solo shot to left in the sixth that made it 6-1.

“It was a good game, a good day, for me, I would guess,” Howard said. “I just wanted to keep going out and having good ABs and have a good swing.”

Philadelphia lost Game 2 of the doubleheader 3-1 to remain 1.5 games behind San Diego for the NL Wild Card lead.

St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger Albert Pujols has always delivered big in the team’s “Buddy Walk” game, which supports the Down Syndrome Association.

Pujols is an active proponent of the Down Syndrome Association, because his wife, Deidre, has a daughter with the disease. Pujols has adopted young Isabella.

Children with Down Syndrome circled the field in Sunday’s pre-game ceremonies, and then stood with players at their positions during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” More than a few asked Pujols to hit a home run for them.

He delivered on that promise not once, not twice, but three times.

Pujols connected on a solo homer in the first, then added two-run homers in the third & fifth inning all of Pirates’ starter Ian Snell.

Snell was amazed by Pujols’ sheer power at the plate.

“I mean, that’s unreal,” Snell said. “That’s like Superman playing baseball.”

Pujols’ efforts helped the Cardinals open up a 6 game lead on the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central.

Let’s take a look at updated division & wild card races throughout baseball:

The Detroit Tigers (84-53) hold a 4.5 game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central pennant.

The two teams will meet for the final time this season on September 18-20th a for a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

The White Sox (79-57) continue to hold a half-game lead on the Minnesota Twins (78-57) for the AL Wild Card lead with 4 weeks to go in the regular season.
Chicago has been struggling as of late, dropping 3 of their last 4 games to non-contending Kansas City & Tampa Bay, who have a combined win percentage of 38.5%.

Chicago will travel to Fenway Park to face a slumping Boston team (currently playing without starters Manny Ramirez & David Ortiz) before coming back home to host the Cleveland Indians in a 4 game series next weekend.

Minnesota has also been struggling as of late, dropping 2 out of 3 games against both Kansas City & the N.Y. Yankees. Minnesota will travel to Tampa Bay for a three-game series before hosting Detroit in a key 4 game series next weekend.

This will conclude my blog, so

I’ll be back on Wednesday evening to give out my Week 1 predictions for the NFL Season.

Until next time,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com