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McGAHEE'S ALL HEART, BUT ORLANDO LAID DOWN
By CHARLES JAY, Editor/Publisher, TotalAction.com
Posted May 5, 2003

Why is it such a stretch to take Willis McGahee in the first round of the NFL Draft, especially when all indications are that he's coming back to the point where he is relatively sound physically? I'm putting together this book about the NFL draft process, and although the word from scouts and execs I've talked to is that medical problems produce a red flag that will indeed scare off some teams completely, one of things that is said to be an "unmeasurable" is the heart and character of an athlete. Well, if McGahee's miraculous comeback from such a scary injury, against all odds, doesn't demonstrate something in the way of character, will, and determination, then what does?...........

OK, this is what I'm thinking - Orlando blew a strategy opportunity in the seventh game of its series against Detroit. Why not continue to foul Ben Wallace, or "Bang-A-Ben", as one broadcaster referred to it, like they did at the end of Game Six? The only reason it didn't work better is that the Magic couldn't hit any shots to close the gap. Why didn't they do it for most of the game? You could tell it was something the Pistons didn't really have a game plan for - it took them out of an offensive rhythm; well, in fact in made their offense moot. The entire thing consisted of putting one of the NBA's weakest free throw shooters on the line. The only way to combat that is to get Wallace out of the game, which is actually what Orlando would have wanted. Yeah, I know the numbers might not have worked out, because Wallace is 45% from the line. But there's a lot better chance of him hitting 25% than there is of him hitting 75%. You've got to exploit your opponent's weaknesses, even if it looked ugly. Instead, the Magic just kind of laid down.....................By the way, who should be surprised Tayshaun Prince is a player? Yeah, I know the knocks on him - that he was too thin, that he didn't have enough of an outside game. But one of the things that struck me when he was with Kentucky was that he always seemed to know what to do when he got his hands on the ball. Also, he came up big in the big games. Isn't that one of the things you look for? He'll come to be known as a great draft "steal" as time progresses...............

At the end of World Wrestling Entertainment's last pay-per-view show, The Rock did something uncharacteristic - grabbing the mike and trying extra hard to verbally "put over" Goldberg with the live crowd, which could have been more enthusiastic about the main event. I'm wondering if the WWE will misuse Goldberg, whose popularity pulled the WCW even, then ahead of, the then-WWF in the ratings before Kevin Nash got involved in the creative side and got himself installed as champion. Will Nash continue to do the same now that he's back with McMahon again? Hopefully not. Early line on May 18 "Judgment Day" promotion - Triple H a 3/1 favorite over Nash in one of the main events; that is, IF it happens..........................

And speaking of early lines, is Texas WR Roy Williams the favorite to go first in the next year's NFL draft? I guess I'd put him at about 3/1 right now. As far as offensive players go, Eli Manning of Ole Miss should be right behind him, with Miami-Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger likely to gain a lot of momentum in the regular season...................Latest resolution passed which will give home field advantage in the World Series to the winner of the All-Star game may or may not be something you agree with, but obviously it was the result of calamity in last year's game, mishandled by Joe Torre and Bud Selig. Several other adjustments proposed, including the expansion of rosters, but there's one solution that seems to have slipped everyone's mind. How about a rule that says if the game goes to extra innings, anyone taken out during the regulation nine innings can be re-inserted, including pitchers? You see, that way you'd never run out of players. And I don't think it would hurt a guy who threw to one or two hitters earlier in the game to come back later and pitch to a couple more. .And while we're at it, if we're still tied at the end of, say, twelve innings, why not just have a home run derby to decide the winner? That's what fans come out to see anyway..................

I like Bill Walton, who's never afraid to share his opinions, but I take umbrage with the ex-center about his comments regarding Karl Malone extending his career a bit. Walton bristled at the suggestion that Malone might consider hooking up with the Lakers next season in an attempt to win that elusive NBA championship ring. "Let him go help Jason Kidd win a championship with New Jersey," Walton said. "He should EARN it." Am I not mistaken, or was that Walton himself at the tail end of his career, piggy-backing onto the Boston Celtics' roster in order to get another championship?...............NBC's Tom Tolbert is often a bit of a "goober", but I do agree with him when he says the NBA's MVP shouldn't be named until after the playoffs. I'm not even sure there should be any voting until after the league is down to its final four teams. After all, no player on a team that misses the playoffs is going to get considered anyway, and wouldn't it be nice to factor in the games that really count?.........Coach of the year is a different story. Erik Musselman of Golden State took a franchise that was completely dysfunctional and had it in playoff contention until the very end. he took players like Adonal Foyle and Earl Boykins and made them more useful than they had ever been before. And Gilbert Arenas and Troy Murphy were the two most improved players in the league. Gregg Popovich has a good reputation as a coach, and deservedly so. But there's a difference between being able to do what is generally expected, with the league's MVP on your roster, and being able to do what was completely UN-expected.............Who is or isn't a great coach is a subject I'd need a lot more time to expand upon............Speaking of coaches, when will someone in Milwaukee wake up and realize that George Karl is not the answer, and never has been?

CHARLES JAY is editor/publisher of TotalAction.com (http://www.totalaction.com) and supplies specialty odds on sporting events, pop culture and entertainment for WannaMakeABet.com. Contact him at info@totalaction.com