Lou Piniella To Retire After Season

After days of speculation, the New York Daily News is reporting that current Chicago Cubs skipper Lou Piniella will retire at the end of the season. If you have been a baseball fan for more than a couple years, you know what kind of character Piniella is. Even though he is currently ranked 14th in wins as a manager with 1,826, he might be better known for his on-field tirades that quite frankly were often hilarious. He was the king of kicking dirt and the original badass of picking up bases and throwing them after bad calls. Thank you Lou for keeping me entertained all these years, the game will not be the same without you.

photo: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Steve Carell Plays Lebron James

 

By now we are all aware of what a waste of time the now infamous "The Decision" by Lebron James. On the annual ESPY awards, comedians Steve Carell and Paul Rudd did their best reenactment of the wasted hour that we will all never get back.

NFL News and Notes

Tennessee running back Chris Johnson is still without a contract as camp approaches. Johnson said it's simple, "If they pay me, I'm in camp. If they're not, I'm not in camp."

The Titans would be stupid not to pay the guy after he rushed for over 2,000 yards last season. Johnson wants to play in Tennessee and even though he wants a long-term contract, he is willing to sign a shorter one if the money is right.

The Washington Post is reporting that Redskins safety Laron Landry had surgery to repair a sore toe. However, they did not report whether or not this will help Landry not be the worst covering safety in the league.

Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that tight end Kellen Winslow will be ready to go when Bucs camp opens.Winslow is recovering from his sixth knee surgery in five years. Take that for what it's worth, but odds say he will be needing another knee surgery in the near future.

Lebron Gives Up On Cleveland

As the world sat and watched Lebron James make his ultimate decision last night, it was made clear that he had given up on the city that invested so much in him. James was to Cleveland as peanut butter is to jelly. It was close to his hometown of Akron, Ohio and he was one of them. He was the hometown boy that gave hope to a struggling Cavaliers franchise - not he is gone.

James led Cleveland to the best record in the Eastern Conference the past two seasons, but saw his Cavaliers fall short in the playoffs both times. He even made it to the NBA Championship Series in 2007, but the Spurs swept Cleveland in four games. James couldn't lead his team over the hump and he panicked. He was quoted as saying he didn't want to end up "31 years old, with bad knees and no title" at the end of this contract. That to me only tells me one thing - that James didn't feel like he could win a championship in Cleveland. That isn't exactly the kind of attitude that you expect from your star player. James said that he went into every season with championship on his mind, but did he really think that he could guide Cleveland to a championship?

Instead, James took what he thought would be the easiest road to a championship. He joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Yes, they only have four players on their roster and the rest will have to be filled with minimum wage talent, but they still resemble a good portion of an All-Star team. Goodbye are the days of competition. Loyalty to the team that drafted you seems to be a ancient idea in present day sports. The fight to keep your team together and grow stronger as a team doesn't exist. It's not like the Cavaliers haven't won any games, they proved that they can win plenty in the regular season. Did Lebron seriously think that he couldn't carry his team in the playoffs? Is that really how the supposed best player in the NBA feels? Before you throw in the towel Lebron, you should of asked how Kobe Bryant did it last season as he guided his Los Angeles Lakers to yet another NBA title as he defeated the former big three in Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Photograph: Ho/Reuters

Sources: Bosh Will Join Wade In Miami

According to "credible" ESPN sources, free agents Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will both sign with the Miami Heat. Both players are expected to announce their decisions later today.

It is not clear whether Bosh will join the Heat outright, or be part of a sign and trade deal with the Toronto Raptors. Bosh could earn $125 million over six years via sign-and-trade, but only $96 million over five without it. Leaving that kind of money on the table doesn't seem to be in Bosh's best interest, but he may decide playing with Wade in Miami is worth the salary cut.

This move gives Wade a credible big man in Miami similar to when Shaq joined the Heat in his prime and Miami went on to win a NBA Championship. Bosh doesn't have the physical presence around the basket that Shaq had, but he does have the touch and finesse in the paint to be one of the elite big men in the NBA.