Ranting with Rizzo - Live - Now

"Ranting with Rizzo" is on at 12 Noon and there is
plenty Stanley Cup talk as well as plenty of NBA
playoff scenarios to look at.
Tune in to 1170AM WDIS and WDISAM.Com
Join the discussion. Rizzo@WDISAM.Com

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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin, and......Yawn

Photo Credit: FlynetOnline

Don't let the headline fool you, I am a hockey fan,
just not a crazed lunatic, over the top, I'll hate
you if you don't like hockey, hockey fan. Admit it
though, some of you are the same way, and how many
noticed the playoffs started last night?, oh wait,
they started 2 nights ago. See? Not easy to even
realize it, is it?

I should actually be pretty excited, my NY Rangers
opened up their first game with a 4-2 victory over
the Ottawa Senators, a team that has given them fits
this year, and has been a major thorn against the blue
shirts at MSG, but I happened to miss everything about
it, other than the final score. The thing is, I expect
them to make it to the next level, and probably then I
will watch more games, and show more interest. I will
definitely keep an eye on the box score, and even catch
a period or two, but much like the NBA, it seems that
more teams make the playoffs than don't, so it's as if
the regular season just gets weeded out a bit.

Though it's true I find the NBA playoffs a little more
interesting, it's still quite a bit of overkill. MLB
added an extra team this year to their playoff format,
but at least they only made it a one game sudden death
type of playoff. All the leagues do this to add more
revenue, but when does it kill the golden goose?

Clearly for the casual hockey fan like myself it has
happened in hockey, and it teeters with the NBA, so
YAWN I hope they find a middle ground 'cause I kinda
like hockey, I just don't want to watch it 11 out of
12 months. Yawn....................

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Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 4-7-12

The podcast of Saturday's show is here, and NBA Playoff
talk as well as NHL Playoff talk is in the air.
Is their anything to the Knicks resurgence?
Download the podcast and hear what we have to
say or enjoy it right here, but whatever you do,
don't miss out on it. Enjoy !

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Ozzie Guillen Finds Out That "Freedom" Of Speech Has A Price

AP Photo

This is nothing new, and you've heard it hundreds of
times before; "There is no such thing as a free "lunch",
and when it comes to freedom of speech I guess it
applies there as well. It is true however, ask a
veteran, or someone who ancestry descends from those
that where involved in the revolutionary or the
writing of the constitution, their is always a price.
Always.

Ozzie Guillen has been abusing this right for a very long
time now, and it's been chalked up to him sticking his
foot in his mouth or just "Ozzie being Ozzie". Well
this time the Cuban descendants that live in S Florida
want little to nothing to do with Ozzie's sort of BS.
What Ozzie said, may to some be blown out or proportion
or even misconstrued, but to those who have a personal
stake here, nothing could be further from the truth.
When it's your blood, and your sacrifice, it always
stings more, and that's what the Cuban descendants in
South Florida and across the country are feeling.

Ozzie Guillen did the right thing today, he offered a
heart felt apology that not only seemed sincere, but
authentic, and honest as well, but that may not be
enough.

He's also been suspended for FIVE games in a season
that isn't more than five games old, and has also given
bad publicity to a team that need badly to gain fan
support, and increase fan attendance in a stadium that
can't afford to fail. The Marlins tried to add a little
more latin flavor into their team this year with the
acquisition of Jose Reyes and the hiring of Guillen,
and though that may not have been their only goal, I'm
afraid all of this has backfired and will not help the
cause of their team.

With all that's at stake for the Marlins and Owner Jeffrey
Luria I can't see Ozzie surviving this. You can expect to
see him dismissed or resigning before the season is over,
no matter how sincere he is. So much for Ozzie being Ozzie.

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FIU Fires Isiah Thomas, Knicks Fans Fear The Worst

Sladky/AP

Never before have NY Knicks fans rooted so hard for
head coach Mike Woodson who wasn't anywhere near the
top of their wish list when it came to coaches who
could replace Mike D'Antoni, but now that it is once
again possible that Isiah Thomas is available after
being fired from Florida International University for
producing a dismal 26-65 record over three seasons as
head coach there, Knicks fans can't help but fear the
worst.

Isiah is a favorite son of Knicks owner Jim Dolan,
and when it comes to their relationship, he makes no
apologies for an affinity to wanting Thomas to be a
big part of the Knicks hierarchy. Thomas says he was
surprised that he was let go from FIU, but can
anyone really understand what this guy is thinking?
I mean you go 26-65, and never win more than 11 games
in a system that requires you win around 20 to make it
to the tournament, and you're surprised you were let
go?

This isn't too different than the kind of reaction
or feeling he had when he was finally relieved of his
duties as head man with the Knicks, if not publicly,
the privately for sure. That's just pretty much Isiah.

Growing up a Knick fan myself, I can totally understand
what Knicks fans are feeling, but I'm pretty confident
that fear will not materialize into anything more than
speculation, rumor, and innuendo. Isiah Thomas will
not be head coach of the New York Knicks anytime soon.
Jim Dolan as much as he might want to will not make
Isiah Thomas head coach of the Knicks once again.
He may make him the GM, an advisor, a scout, and even
team president once again, but it won't be anytime
soon that Isiah will roam the sidelines for the Knicks.
I'm am not saying that this will never happen, and it
may off with something like an interim basis, but it
is not likely to be in the neraf future.

Jim Dolan is going to want to make a splash this off
season, and he is going to try and pry Phil Jackson
out of retirement, or make a run at John Calipari or,
perhaps even resurect the late John Wooden, but I
don't see a resurrection of Thomas thistime around.
Luckily for Knicks fans, that the only thing Jim Dolan
cares about more than Isiah Thomas is making a HUGE
headline in the sports page. Until then, Knicks fans
will keep hoping and rooting for Woodsanity to be as
successful as Linsanity.

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Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 4-4-12

The MLB season has begun, The Knicks now want
to talk about "Woodsanity", and we aim to
entertain so download & Enjoy !

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard More Like Joker Than Superman

Courtesy SIKids

Everyone by now has either seen or heard about the video
that made the rounds yesterday when Stan Van Gundy
addressed the media about whether or not it
was true that Dwight Howard told Orlando Magic
management to fire the coach. To me however this
isn't the story, the story is that players like
Howard have been doing this forever, and constantly
get away with it. It's quite annoying. You can go
all the way back to when LA Lakers Magic Johnson
had Paul Westhead fired in favor of Pat Riley, to
when the Bulls Michael Jordan got Doug Collins
fired in Chicago, and those are only NBA examples.

I guess I'm just curious to figure out where did it
all go wrong in Orlando. Before dropping their 5th
straight game last night, the Magic was 32-18, that
doesn't sound like a team in turmoil. Not too long
ago Dwight Howard signed a waiver in his contract
just prior to the trade deadline that ensured he
would be with the Magic until at the very least the
end of next season. He didn't have to do this, he
could have either been traded or left at the end of
this season. They are constantly competing as one
of the better teams in the NBA's East, and went to
the Finals not too long ago with the very same core
group of coach and star. I don't get it, what gives?
Wish I knew, but I will tell you this, and this is
just a got feeling; everyone is waiting for Stan
Van Gundy to get fired, and that may just happen,
but if someone in management did tell the coach that
Howard wanted him fired, then I believe that they are
either playing them against each other and will keep
who they think will serve them best, or they are
siding with the coach, and are just plain tired of
Howard's act and want to expose him to the rest of
the league to show them what a Prima Donna he is.

Like I said it's just a gut feeling, but right about
now this self proclaimed "Superman" is behaving alot
more like a character from Batman named the "Joker",
and ruining a good thing for a team that can actually
compete at a high level. Time to suck it up Cupcake !

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Mad Stork Sports Live on ScatterRadio 6PM

Lots happening in the sports world this week and
Mad Stork Sports on Sactteradio is here to talk it
over with you. What do you wanna talk about?
Join me for a fun hour of talk and breakdown,
and call in to make your voice heard.

Find the show here on ScatterRadio
Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting with Rizzo Podcast For 3/31/12

The better late than never podcast of Saturday's show
is right here, so download or enjoy it right here, but
whatever you do, don't miss out on it. Enjoy !

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Has John Calipari Taken An A-Rod Type Monkey Off His Back?

AP Photo

Admittedly I haven't been chock full off sports stories
the last couple of days. The Ncaa tournament didn't
excite me, I don't know enough about the Women's bracket
to make any comments, and not only is the NBA frustrating
me, but MLB and their on again off again season has
actually annoyed me. Through all of that one though
came to mind Monday night as all the talk and Twitter
chatter started to ramp up. Is it just me or does John
Calipari finally winning a Championship remind you at
all of A-Rod after he finally won his World Series ring
with the Yankees?

I can't help but see the comparison, albeit it a small
sample at that, but I would venture to say that they
are not too well liked in many circles, and yet they
once were. They finally won their first and still lone
title with a very storied franchise/team, and I would
easily bet that most folks were rooting against them.
It's not a perfect science I know, but it's not meant
to be, it's just a feeling. Am I wrong?

PS: Every time the University of Kentucky has won the
National Championship, the New York Yankees have won
the World Series in the very same year. I believe the
ball is in your court Mr. Rodriguez.


Congratulations to the Baylor Bears Women's Basketball
Team for going 40-0 and Winning the Women's National
Championship! Guess it ain't all just about RG III.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis