Chris Duhon averaged 22.6 minutes, shot 38.7 percent and averaged 5.8 points per game last season in Chicago. This means he was to the Bulls what Devin Brown (22.6 minutes, 40.9 percent shooting, 7.5 points). Didn’t matter to New York, which gave Duhon a contract worth the full “mid-level exception” (who comes up with these ridiculous phrases?), which means he’ll make more than $5 million the next two years. Many in the NBA see this deal as “out of line” (my phrase) with the going rate. No matter, Duhon’s contract now is being used in the Delonte West negotiations. As in West’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, claimed it’s a comparable situation – in fact less than comparable because West starts and Duhon will not. So Goodwin says the Cavs are not being fair by offering West just more than Daniel Gibson received (Goodwin’s “they’re not being fair” rant appeared in the News-Herald). Which only proves that these contract things become an exercise in tedium and boredom. At what point do we all get sick of rich folks arguing over how much money they’re going to make? To the Cavs, Duhon’s contract is inflated. To West’s camp, it’s the new barometer. Please. Just work it out and let us know when things are over. Last year it was Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. This offseason it’s West. If West wants to play in Cleveland, he’ll sign. If he doesn’t, he can sign a one-year qualifying offer for $2.76 million and take his chances after this season in free agency. If he’s good enough, it will work out, right? Just spare us the histrionics that mean something only to those who are in the middle of the mess.

Speaking of contracts, SI.com reports that “(Manny) Ramirez has been unhappy with the $20-million team options in his contract for 2009 and '10.” Now THAT will sure ruin a day.

CC Sabathia is 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in Milwaukee, but in a key game against the Cubs this week he gave up nine hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings in a Brewers loss. Sabathia is a great pitcher, and he’s shown it by improving his record to 10-8 and brining his ERA near 3 after a horrible first month. He didn’t exactly pitch badly against the Cubs – the loss was aided by an error and a ninth-inning Chicago comeback when he was out of the game – but until he actually wins a game like that questions about his ability in those games will come up. Fair? The playoffs last year come to mind. He quite simply got himself too worked up for those playoff games, and it might have cost the Indians a World Series spot. One interesting thing about CC in Milwaukee – he’s thrown three complete games, and he threw 124 pitches in the other. Have to wonder if Sabathia can pitch that much the rest of the season – complete game after complete game. The old rented mule line comes to mind. Obviously the Brewers are thinking only short-term with him. Any pitchers who throws that much – even a guy with the fluid motion of Sabathia – takes risk, and it’s a risk that might not show itself in the short-term but over time if his arm wears down. Don’t worry about his contract, though. Somebody is going to give him $140 million this offseason.

Our own Marla Ridenour wrote an interesting story in today’s paper where some PGA Tour players balk at the fact they now have to undergo random drug testing. Who can blame them? Professional sports is one aspect of our society where one must prove their innocence. Kind of goes against the entire grain of our legal system, if you ask me, where one is innocent until proven guilty. Drug testing without cause presumes a problem, and makes an individual prove he or she is not doing something.

Personal aside to RedHawkRick: Don't blame me; I do not smoke.

A few folks wrote to say I shouldn’t have been so negative about Moscow when I wrote about playing pro basketball there. One of my regular readers pointed out how beautiful the Moscow subway is, and this proves he’s right. It’s not the RTA of course … but who knew?

The negative? Apparently it can get crowded there ..

Then there’s my friend Bob, a fellow St. Ignatius alum who is grandfather to my daughters’ best friend and father and father-in-law to my girls’ Godparents. Bob regularly visits the upper reaches of Canada in the summer. He writes that his cabin is in Atlin, British Columbia, on the Yukon border just south of Whitehorse. He’s got a lot of good stories about being there, and this week he sent some pics, which I’ll share. Click on the picture to get the full effect. Memo to self: See if an Alaska vacation is feasible next summer.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 11:28 am and is filed under CC Sabathia, Cavs, Delonte West, Golf, MLB, Manny Ramirez, McManamon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.