We say a solemn sayonara to Annika Sorenstam, who’ll soon be swinging off into the sunset at season’s end.
• During the heat of battle, LeBron politely asks his mom to sit down.
• Jonathan Papelbon plays like crap(s) at Detroit’s Comerica Park.
• This guy must have mistook the sand trap for a water hazard.
• Kelvin Sampson is a blameless, misunderstood creature.
• Plans punched up for a Woody Hayes statue have been knocked down.
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No sooner than the ink has dried on his freshly-signed multi-million dollar contract, new Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni is already putting his stamp on the franchise. First order of business - send Stephon Marbury packing.
Mitch Lawrence of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS reports that D’Antoni wants to ship Starbury out to his old stomping grounds with the Suns, and try to get back two of his favorite Phoenix players in return - Boris Diaw & Leandro Barbosa.
Marbury might feel a little jilted about being banished from the Big Apple. (Plus, his last trip to Phoenix wasn’t so fun, either.) But if you think Stephon feels bad, imagine how the Chicago Bulls feel right now. Read more…
So sayeth Marc Berman of the NEW YORK POST. Our favorite low-cost sneaker entrepreneur will be out for the rest of the season after his ankle surgery “was more complex than anticipated.”
With one year and $21 million dollars left on his expiring contract, Stephon Marbury is already on the trading block and likely to find himself bought out if Isiah Thomas isn’t able to find a buyer (read: sucker) to take him up on the aging point guard. If you need any more proof that he’s played his last game in a Knicks uniform, this will do it:
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Ron Hunter doesn’t have to worry about sneaker deals, as the college basketball coach recently went barefoot for a game.
The INDIANAPOLIS STAR bounces over news of Hunter, the IUPUI coach who decided to go shoeless for the Jaguars’ Summit League contest against Oakland. Hunter’s stunt was done to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, an organization aimed at providing footwear for those less fortunate.
Through his long-term efforts, the coach was hoping to eventually collect 40,000 pairs, with many going to African children. By game time, he already reached his goal - and then some.
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With ankle surgery scheduled for Tuesday, Stephon Marbury’s season (and probable New York career) appears to be stuck on the shelf.
Much like his shoes.
The NEW YORK POST checks out news that the Knick’s Starbury sneaker line has been tossed in the bargain bin. Sportswear seller Steve & Barry’s has slashed the shoe’s price in half in most of their strores - from an already affordable $14.98, down to $7.99 a pair.
This doesn’t bode well for Stephon’s shoe stakes, as he was hoping to expand his sneaker line to other outlets. More importanty, his contract with S&B expires this summer - so Stephon could have trouble selling his soles.
What business options does he have left?
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The NEW YORK TIMES reports that Stephon Marbury will have ankle surgery next week, and the sour Knicks start will be out indefinitely.
(So long, sucker! [Applicable to either Isiah or Stephon])
Sidelined since Saturday, Marbury probably has suited up at MSG for the last time. He’s been irked at and irksome with Isiah Thomas throughout most of the season. And Thursday’s announcement means Stephon can’t collect any frequent flyer miles for taking off from the team in mid-tour.
Not that his teammates will necessarily miss him. Since Starbury’s scratch, the Knicks have been on a three-game winning streak.
And we thought it was because of rumors of Isiah’s imminent exit.
SMITH SCREAMIN’ FOR ATTENTION; TALKS “RETALIATION“? Sports media gossip hound Tom Hoffarth of the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS has a sitdown with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and coaxes some unintentionally amusing comments out of the recently inquisitioned Inquirer columnist.
Of his “Screamin’ A. Smith” nick, he lamented to Hoffarth, “I detest that.” So much so that he also admitted, “I do get a little loud on the airwaves sometimes, there’s no question about that. And I do need to tone it down. Sometimes I don’t even know how loud I sound. That’s something I’m working on - literally.”
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“Literally“? So does that mean he’s using something like this to help along in the process?The most predictable weirdest part of the interview came at the end of Hoffarth’s piece, when Smith reminded us of the Isiah-Stephon spat, with his own smattering of vague, idle threats: “And not only that, but I could hurt these people anytime I want with retaliation, but I won’t. It’s not my style. I’m in a blessed position. Why hurt someone else and their credibility? You’d just wish that someone would recognize that, listen, we’re all supposed to be family. I challenge anyone to come to talk to me about if I talk about my colleagues in a negative fashion. Doesn’t happen. Just doesn’t happen.”
Like you, we have NO IDEA who Smith is talking about (and no word if Hoffarth was able to talk him off the ledge).
STEPHON BACK ON NEW YORK BENCH; KNICKS STILL LOSE: Well, that was quick. One day after leaving the Knicks, Stephon Marbury was back on the New York bench:
The BOSTON HERALD reports that the embittered guard had returned to his team before Wednesday night’s game against the L.A. Clippers. When asked by the media about the latest situation, coach Isiah Thomas once again threw out the “in-house matter” card.
Stephon was just as tight-lipped in his talk to the press, saying, “I’m here to play basketball, and I’m just going to concentrate on that.”
And concentrate on scraping together $180,000 - the chunk of change the Knicks fined Marbury for his Phoenix flight.
Meanwhile, the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS has the sco
