From everything we hear...Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard is a Kevin Durant guy. Now that it's a reality the Blazers have the #1 pick, let me state as simply as I can why Pritchard should draft Oden without hesitation:

Greg Oden is a physical freak. He's 7'1'' with a wing span of 7'5'', yet he has agility and touch. That combination doesn't come along often and when it does, you MUST pounce on it regardless of who else tempts you. Guys with Oden's size and presence have historically changed the game. Think Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan. There's a reason why those guys have so many championships. It's because it's all about the big guy in the NBA. A center with a freakish combination of size and skill is the most lethal force in league history. It always has been and always will be. Sure, there have been great small forwards who have changed the game too, the problem is you can't tell who the next great one is just by looking at em'.

What the great small forwards of all-time (Larry Bird, Elgin Baylor, Rick Berry and Julius Erving) have in common isn't athleticism. It isn't raw talent like we see with Durant. The intangibles are what made them great. There have been plenty of talented small forwards come and go (i.e., Darius Miles) who have never done much of anything. Why? Because they didn't have the intangibles. Do we know Kevin Durant has those intangibles? No. There's no way of knowing. Look, Julius Erving was drafted 12th overall. It wasn't obvious he would be one of the all-time greats. With all the great big men, it's been obvious and it's obvious again this year.

Because of an uncanny combination of size and tools rare for someone his size, Greg Oden has a FAR better chance of turning into the next Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Dunan than Kevin Durant does of turning into the next Julius Erving or Elgin Baylor. Draft Oden and feel safe. Draft Durant and hope.

Another fun interleague weekend concludes

The definition of Moneyball...A's outfielder Jack Cust has 8 home runs and 20 RBI in 43 at-bat's. He'll make less this season ($380,000) than Roger Clemens will make in three days work ($153,000/day). Wow.

A Staten Island "mom" is suing...her sons baseball coach for poor coaching. I'm no attorney but I'm pretty sure she won't win. If she does, I'm moving to Budapest.

Guess which MLB team...leads the league in failed drug tests? Plus, 7 trades that should happen. Worth a read.

As expected...San Antonio wins game 1 over Utah. I'm pretty sure we'll be having a "where's Tim Duncan rank among the all-time greats" discussion very soon on the show. How good is TD? One of the most underappreciated athletes of our time.

What I find interesting...is that the arena didn't sellout. Can you say...SPOILED! How's that tickle ya' Blazer fan?

A good story...on the man who started the whole Spurs dynasty.

ESPN Insider...ranks the Pac-10 BB recruiting classes. Ernie Kent should be ticked. Oregon State ranks 6th with a (B-) while Oregon sits 7th with a C+. What the hell? Oregon State? I've been saying it for months...the Beavers have upgraded talent across the board. Don't assume 5 guys leaving the program is a bad thing. They'll be much better next season.

Yes...I'm a closet tennis fan...what's it to ya'? Roger Federer snaps Rafael Nadal's 81-match win streak on clay. I'll still stick with Nadal as the man to beat in the French Open.

Good stuff...for the remainder of your day...the farting co-anchor and Ozzie Guillen argues with a radio honk.

This was forwarded to me by a friend...concerning a topic we've discussed plenty on the show...the overall health of the NFL compared to the flu that is the NBA. It's an entertaining discussion between a writer and former Iowa State player Paul Shirley. Enjoy...and thanks, John.

David Stern...goofed this time around. I like Stern but the suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw are ridiculous. He just made a great NBA Playoff series infinitely less interesting. It appears the listeners agree, primetime@1080thefan.com:

Man, David Stern is killing me. When was the last entertaining NBA rivalry? Lakers vs Kings about 5 years ago. Why? Because it was intense and heated. You had Shaq calling them the Queens in the press, you had Rick Fox and Doug Christie fighting in a pre season game and of course they games were always good. This is a competitive sport. I don't condone fighting, but it happens, get over it. Oh yeah, and a fight didn't even break out. Its not the fights that hurt the image of the league, its the selfish all about me and my huge salary that is killing the NBA. I was very excited to watch game 5 of the Spurs vs Suns before the suspensions, now, it lost its luster. Thanks for looking out for the fans David Stern. -- Blair

I cannot buy the argument that hockey players control themselves by staying on the bench after cheap shots because they use fighting to police themselves. Hockey players and baseball players for that matter (e.g. bean ball) have a form of retaliation built into the sport whereas basketball does not. So, the same reasoning cannot be applied to cheap shots in basketball because no form of accepted retaliation exists in basketball. As far as the rule against coming onto the court in response to an altercation, it should be dealt with on an individual basis. The NBA boxes itself into a corner by setting specific suspensions without reviewing the particulars of the situation. Thanks for the time and keep up the good work. -- Paul

What about this scenario: Suke's wife if once again pregnant and goes into labor early. Suke races her to a hospital, and in the process, gets pulled over for speeding. As a result of the delay, his wife suffers and suffers more pain and risks harm to the unborn baby. Then the officer hands him a $300 speeding ticket, and oh, he is carted of to jail because he was going 100 mph, which is considered reckless driving/endangerment in this state. I hope his wife would be okay in this scenario, but if not, tough...a rule is a rule. -- Mike

Meanwhile...Rick Adelman's talking to the Rockets. Great fit. He's the best coach not coaching.

ESPN Page 2 is at it again...all-time lame MVP's. This, of course, in honor of Dork No-guts-zki.

Is it ever a bad time for college football? What we know and what we don't about the upcoming Pac-10 season:
1. USC will win the Pac-10 championship - Yes we know this. This is Pete Carroll's best team yet. Just look at the roster.
2. Cal is cleary USC's most dangerous challenger - No, we don't know this. Watch out for UCLA who has a great schedule and 10 starters back on both sides of the ball. Plus, the Bears lost a ton of KEY stars (Mebane, Bishop, Lynch, Hughes).
3. Stanford's Jim Harbaugh is crazy and will be gone in 2 years - No, we don't know this. I like Jim Harbaugh. He's lighting fires. He's pulling a Jerry Glanville, creating an attitude. He'll need time but if Ty Willingham can win at Stanford, so can he. Harbaugh is here to stay.
4. Dennis Erickson is the Jim Leyland of college football - No, we don't know this. Leyland took the Tigers to the World Series in his first year. ASU will be improved under Erickson and infinitely more reliable, but a BCS bowl is a year or two away.
5. UCLA's Ben Olson is ready to be the Pac-10 brightest breakout player - No, we don't know this. One, he can't stay healthy. Two, I'm willing to bet there's a player or two at USC we haven't heard of yet who'll steal the show. Just a hunch.
6. This is the year Washington turns the corner as the breakout team - No, we don't know this. The Huskies finally have some talent, i.e., Jake Locker and James Hasty but look at the schedule. They'll be lucky to start 2-5. And I mean lucky.
7. The fire Bill Doba chatter returns to stay and WASU fires its coach at seasons end - Yes, we know this. Losing that many close games isn't bad luck...it's chronic. Four straight years without a bowl isn't acceptable.
8. This is a make or break year for Mike Stoops at Arizona - Yes, we know this. The defense is good and returns almost everyone. Willie Tuitama's healthy and they've added Sonny Dikes spread offense. Bowl or bust.
9. Jonathan Stewart is ready to challenge for the Heisman Trophy - No, we don't know this. He hasn't proven he can stay healthy. He'll have a big year but he won't have the carries to be in the conversation. Plus, USC's skill players will likely have most of the west spotlight.
10. Oregon State should be worried about missing a bowl game - Yes, we know this. Let's not forget, Mike Riley's teams have a history of losing games they shouldn't. They'll underachieve for a portion of the season. Couple that with one of the more difficult league schedules and I think the Beavers are due for a letdown.

And now for some hardball...interesting book, interesting interview.

If anything...will compel me to watch MMA, it's this. He's no Mayweather but it should be fun to watch.

Out of the what the hell department...can a Caveman sitcom really work? I've often said there's no rhyme or reason to what succeeds in this country and what doesn't However, the more you dumb it down, the better. This may just be dumb enough.

Congratulations...Portland!

A great list...of all-time great TV finales...my money's on M*A*S*H.

People...I love to hate...this week:

Let's geek out....with my all-time outfield. The beauty of this discussion is that there are no right or wrong answers. There are so many factors to consider, it's impossible to feel 100% certain about any of it. That said, I feel good about the three I've chosen:

RF - This is a no-brainer. It's the prototype American hero Babe Ruth. Let's be honest, he owns almost every non-steroid offensive record (.690 lifetime slugging %) and as Buck O' Neil told me a few years back, he was a better defensive outfielder than people gave him credit for. We think of Babe Ruth as a big fat power guy but he was so much more. He only got fat later in his career. Just go look at any pictures of Babe in 1918-1923. He's 6'2'', 215. Also consider that in the 20's they reused baseball's. Then, the balls were put back in play from the stands and would sometimes be used for an entire game. Now, a new ball comes in virtually every other pitch. Couple that with the size of ballparks in those days and I cringe to think what a player with Babe Ruth's talent could do in today's game. I cringe. Remember, Babe only won one MVP but that was because he wasn't eligible again after winning the award in 1923. That was the rule in those days. No-brainer. Babe Ruth is the greatest right-fielder of all-time. The debate lies in whether or not he's the greatest player of all-time. Not sure that's much of a debate either.

CF - I'm torn here. It's down to Willie Mays or Ty Cobb with honorable mention to Mickey Mantle, Tris Speaker and Ken Griffey. It's hard to argue against Cobb because nobody hit like he did. Cobb's lifetime batting average is .367 over 24 seasons. I also think that if Mays played in today's game, he wouldn't look as good defensively because several of the catches he was known for would be home runs in such small ballparks. But, Mays was a better all around player and he played in the 60's when offensive numbers were way down. Mays also served over a year in the military which means he likely would have broken Babe Ruth's home run record before Hank Aaron. Mays also faced better pitching. In the end, Mays was a better all-around player. Willie Mays is my greatest centerfielder of all-time.

LF - Ted Williams vs. Barry Bonds. They call Williams the greatest hitter who ever lived and we have to remember that similar to Mays, he spent time in the military costing him close to five full seasons. That said, I think pitchers are FAR better now. There are more of them with more pitches. They're better coached, they're bread and they're throwing harder making it far tougher on hitters. This explains guys hitting so well in such poor offensive eras. There weren't that many good players in those eras (pitchers included). So, the good one's like Ted Williams and others put up extraordinary numbers. In today's game, the competition is tougher which is what makes what Barry Bonds is doing that much more remarkable. No player has ever, in any era, put up offensive numbers like Bonds against better competition. However, I can't overlook the steroid factor. I love Barry Bonds. He has the best eye I've ever seen. However, I can't deny part of his success has been due to performance-enhancing drugs. Granted, PED's weren't illegal when Bonds started using but how many years did they add to his career? I'll go with Williams in a close one.

There's a former...big league pitcher in Florida who thinks he has it figured out. Interesting story. What if he's right?

Toronto Blue Jays...outfielder Vernon Wells is my new favorite player. THIS is fantastic. Heckling at baseball games is a great American pasttime. I must admit I was pretty good at it in my younger years. There's an entire etiquette involved. The first rule is absolutely NO CURSING. You can't annoy or offend the patrons around you or else you're suddenly "that guy." Cursing is the single best way to annoy and offend the patrons around you. My friends and I would sit in the right field bleachers at Royals/Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City just clamoring for our target to at least acknowledge us. That's all we cared about. Once we got a tip of the cap or even a look, we would move on to the next victim (typically a vendor of some sort). One of our most memorable hecklefests was directed at Brewers rightfielder Turner Ward one hot summer afternoon. We went with chants of "Turner works in a toll booth!" We referred to his "turkey legs" from time to time. He finally acknowleged our persistence by the seventh inning with a look back and a shake of the head. I took the shake of the head as a compliment. Needess to say, the entire section cheered when he finally looked back. One of my proudest baseball moments. I know, pathetic. Here's the point. Heckling should be good natured and it's actually more effective when you're good enough to get players to laugh, acknowledge and not tune you out. Less is more.  Don't go overboard. Take an inning off if you must but too much, even if you're creative, can be annoying. Keep the people and players wanting more. Last but not least, don't make it personal. You don't need the internet to find dirt on your target. The more random the insults, the better. WIth that, happy hecking and please know that for most MLB guys, playing the outfield is boring. If you think those guys are focused on the game between pitches you're dreamin'. A good heckler can make their night. I should write a book.

Mayweather...dominated De La Hoya. It wasn't even close. The judge who scored a win for De La Hoya should never judge again. Age was the biggest factor. De La Hoya looked old and unsure. Mayweather looked agile and prepared. A rematch isn't necessary.

Here's an interesting side story regarding the decision. The celebrity sightings.

Should...You Tube be exempt from copyright laws? More here.

David Wells...has a problem with Roger Clemens. This wreaks of jealousy. Wells is jealous he's not the one returning to the Yankees like former teammates Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Wells feels slighted. He feels less valuable (which he is). Remember, the Yanks traded Wells to get Clemens the first time around. Sour grapes from a guy who's made a living out of disrespecting his teammates. Bum.

The Houston Chronicle's...Richard Justice knows 'The Rocket' and says this. Makes sense to me.

Baseball's...top-50 players. This guy is clearly an NL East fan. Interesting nonetheless. If I'm starting a team, it starts and ends with Albert Pujols. Read em' and weap. His early career success is unprecedented.

Meanwhile...ESPN The Magazine's Tim Kurkjian discusses the 500-home run plateau.

Are teams...overreacting to alcohol in the clubhouse after Josh Hancock's death? Yet another knee-jerk reaction. Hancock is a grown man who made a series of poor decisions which lessens the tragic nature of his death. Look, he was intoxicated behind the wheel without a seatbelt and talking on his cell phone. I'm sorry, but we shouldn't be surprised by what happened. Who am I to say what rules MLB teams enforce, but it's ONE incident. One. If I'm a member of the Cardinals (the Yankees and A's have now followed suit) I'm upset. Then again, I've been known to enjoy a cocktail from time to time.

Preparing for the Blazers off-season...mock draft...other mock drafts...salary situation...future free agents.

Brian Berger...says some dude named Steve Miller will be the Blazers new President. Who is he? I have no idea. Will he be good? I have no idea. Do fans really even care about a business hire who won't have anything to do with the on-court product? I don't think so. As I've stated before, the single biggest move Paul Allen's made recently was bringing in Todd Leiweke to oversee both the basketball and business side of the organization. Allen used to hate getting two reports from separate executives. That's why you saw Steve Patterson hired in both roles. After that failed miserably, he re-split the jobs (similar to when Bob Whitsitt was GM) but still only gets one report from Leiweke. The Seahawks CEO is not only a quality guy and sound sports mind, he's mastered the art of keeping Paul Allen's Vulcans out of most matters. The Vulcans meddle and dictate, yet they know anything about sports. The less they're involved, the better. He'll keep them out of Kevin Pritchard & the new President's hair which is the key.

For you...not-so-NBA fans...or the women in your household.

Here goes...the NFL Network roping us in again. Damnit.

I'm pretty sure...this guy wants this moment back.

It appears...Pam Anderson's run out of rock stars to bang so she's moved on to football players.

Reason...#100,121 not to own a MySpace page.

By popular demand...the Chuck Norris facts website.

2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #16

May 6 - Brewers take league by storm with 22-10 start

What the hell? Is this the apocalypse? The last time the Brewers finished a season above .500 was 1992. The last time they started this hot was 1987 (20-7). I'm not sure what to think about this. Some things just shouldn't change. The Brewers and Pirates should suck every year. It's just the way it is. To me, the '07 Brewers, while talented, are the NL version of the Toronto Blue Jays. The only difference is the competition. Playing an AL East schedule, Milwaukee finishes no better than .500. In other words, I'm not sold quite yet.

2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #15 - Clemens returns
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #14 - Josh Hancock dies
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #13 - Red Sox 4 in a row
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #12 - AROD does it again
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #11 - Buehrle no-hitter
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #10 - Manuel challenges host
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #9 - A championship hangover
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #8 - Red Sox fan pelted by pizza
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #7 - Jackie Robinson celebration
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #6 - Nats set record in futility
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #5 - Felix becomes a star
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #4 - Brad Lidge demoted
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #3 - AROD walk-off grand slam
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #2 - Mike Hargrove stall tactics
2007 MLB MEMORABLE MOMENT #1 - Dice-K fans 10 in debut

Isaac Ropp is also the voice of Fusion TV on Versus. If you like action sports, you'll love Fusion TV! The show airs Thursday's (2 am & 3 pm) and Saturday's (2 pm).