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Home / Archive: 23. September 2008
by Mark Makuch…
Positives:
23 blocked shots (11 for Buffalo).
Four blocked shots by Jeff Finger (that’s what he’s here for, people!).
One giveaway not by a goalie.
Five hits by Ryan Hollweg.
Three hits by Jason Blake, who was also a plus-three on the night—this guy needs to be feisty to be effective.
No goals allowed on 15 shots in the second by Justin Pogge.
One short-handed goal by Dominic Moore, who also won 73 percent on face offs.
Five even-strength goals.
Negatives:
Kulemin was a minus-one and took no shots
Stajan only won 38 percent of his faceoffs.
Only three for seven on the PK.
by Andrew Pargoff…
Who is Anthony Kim, you ask? Kim was born in 1985 in Los Angeles, but he now calls Dallas home.
Kim has been thrust into the spotlight this past week for his part in the U.S. Ryder Cup team breaking its winless streak.
It was hard not to take a liking to Kim after seeing his swagger on the course. He was never one to keep his emotions tucked away. Whenever he would hit a big shot, his emotions would be well-worn on his sleeve. Fist pumps galore!
Kim was never afraid to let the crowd, his teammates, or his opponents know how he felt. The crowd fed off of that. Players like Kim celebrating get the crowd into it. So does Boo Weekly riding the pony off the tee box on one hole. The U.S. team had their share of players who kept the spectators loose, which I’m sure they appreciated.
Back to the bigger story, Anthony Kim earned his PGA Tour Card in 2007 after qualifying school. He won the AT&T National and the Wachovia Championship this year. He also tied for seventh place in The Open Championship.
Kim has had an impressive year, earning over $3 million. What would cap that off better than sending the Europeans out empty handed? Nothing.
Kim definitely played a role with his superb play all weekend, winning while paired with Phil Mickelson, and on Sunday when he squared off with Sergio Garcia and won 5 and 4.
So here’s to you, Anthony Kim. Keep ‘em coming. It’s good to get to see the up-and-coming players in golf. Vijay is old, Ernie Els is getting up there, Phil is just Phil.
by Shawn Schwaller…
After 12 years in the NBA, Sacramento Kings power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim is retiring.
For the last year-and-a-half, Rahim was attempting to recover from two arthroscopic knee surgeries, but it was too much for his 31-year-old body to handle.
Rahim averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists throughout his career. His career totals are 15,028 points and 6,239 rebounds.
He played for Vancouver, Portland, Atlanta, and Sacramento—which partially describes why he only reached the playoffs once. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 1996 draft by the Grizzlies.
Rahim also played for the US Men’s basketball team in the 2000 Olympics.
Although the Kings will need to pay Rahim his salary this coming season, part of his $29 million contract might be removed from the team’s payroll in 2009-2010, saving the Kings $6.6 million.
Essentially, this could be a very good thing for the Kings, as they are currently in a rebuilding phase. The removal of Rahim’s contract could provide even more room for the Kings to spend.
As of now, the Kings only have $52,196,715 on the books for the 2009-2010 season, so Rahim’s contract would take another $6.6 million from that total. In 2010-2011, the Kings only have $23,563,005 on the books.
The Sacramento Kings will be big spenders in the summer of 2010, a year that will offer a number of free agents to choose from.
Over a phone interview with Sacramento Bee sports writer Sam Amick, Rahim exclaimed that “for me, there will always be a part that’s stuck in a state of nostalgia, always hoping I could be young and playing and running up and down the court…” but “it was progressively getting worse, and I couldn’t do the things you have to do to play in the NBA. Mentally, I could still do it and still see myself doing it, but physically I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Sam Amick also reported that Rahim was playing in his “prime” when the Kings signed him in 2005. New Jersey was the first to attempt to sign him but declined after a team doctor detected floating particles in his knee area.
In fact, the only reason the Kings signed him was because New Jersey reneged on their side of the bargain after their team physicians determined his knees were bad.
After thanking him for his service to the Kings and for being a good citizen in Sacramento, General Manager Geoff Petrie exclaimed “It is our intention to find a new role for Shareef with the organization as he begins the next phase of his professional life.”
It just so happen that the Kings have been shopping for a big man coach. Looks like they may have found him.
A short video remix of Rahim’s career can be viewed in the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVEQEjlQPk
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