AGRI Biz

Writer's note: The team has played like garbage for too many stretches of late, so I'm trashingáSan Antonioáto getáitáto win more games. I hope this hogwash spurs the squad toáa double-digit game winning streak and a fifth title. At 9-9, the Spurs boast the worst December record of Tim Duncan's career. No, I don't think he's an "old geezer who can't play anymore." I swore against this years ago. I know ...

Will Iverson Retire in Philly? Allen Iverson will make his much ballyhooed return to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight against a former employer, the Denver Nuggets. He will start in place of the injured Lou Williams. Hallelujah. His stint in the Mile-High City was a disaster. Will his second stint with his first team be any different than his sour, cancerous turns in Detroit, Denver, and Memphis? The question isn't whether Iverson can fit into the ...

I do not worship statistics the way John Schumann and John Hollinger do. However, I wanted to see if numbers might help me understand the San Antonio Spurs' early season struggles. The Spurs' two-game losing streak is perplexing, infuriating, and frustrating. Didn't Owner Peter Holt sign off on a $80 million payroll so his squad would have no trouble dispatching the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics? The team's performance thus far has been inconsistent, ...

Forget the wedding dress. His wacky hairdos. The above photograph with Carrot Top. The latter years of his career in which he put himself above the game. That he sometimes passed up good shots to pad his rebounding stats. His half-embarrassing, half-scary stints on reality showsá"The Apprentice" and "The Mole." That dreadful movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme. "The Rodman World Tour," as pompous and unnecessary a TV show as there ever was. The aborted suicide attempt in ...

Boyish looking basketball coach Lawrence Frank lasted through all of his New Jersey Nets' agonizing 16 consecutive defeats. Why did ownership pick the eve of what would be a dubious record-tying 17th loss in L.A. to fire him? Why now, after most players and Thorn rushed to his defense? Lost in the talk of how Frank was not responsible for the squad's winless mark is what his ill-timed dismissal could mean for the franchise next summer. Many had speculated ...

To the surprise of few, Allen Iverson announced his retirement Wednesday weeks after the Memphis Grizzlies agreed toárelease him from his one-year contract. For fans of the courageous slashing combo guard, the decision marked the bitter end of a media-driven smear campaign. His ardent supporters would not allow themselves to blame Iverson for his petulant behavior. Instead, they chastised anyone who dared toáquestion his loyalty, will to win or ego. A player with ...

After a five-game flameout against the L.A. Lakers that was much closer than the finish indicated, the San Antonio Spurs headed into one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. Manu Ginobili, injured after the first round and a shell of himself in the conference finals, managed a career scoring year. His 19.9 average led the team, as did his five regular season game winners. Tim Duncan scored at least 20 ...

If you were asked to name the team Tim Duncan least likes to play, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks might come to mind. á Both teams have ended his quest for a repeat championship. Both teams have given the Spurs some matchup nightmares of late. á You would be wrong, though. á The Milwaukee Bucks? If you didnÆt know before that WisconsinÆs lone pro basketball franchise has become San AntonioÆs unsolvable riddle, you know ...

"Come together, right now" ùThe Beatles So,áSan Antonioádefended at a championship level in Dallas and still failed to captureáits first road victory? Jefferson was awful in the clutch again, and the offense looked at times like it belonged in New Jersey or Minnesota, not in the Alamo City. Manu Ginobili re-joined Tony Parker on the injured listálate in the first quarter. With Shawn Marion, Josh Howard and Erick Dampier out for Dallas, call it ...

Wrestlers, baseball players, and boxers strut and saunter out to handpicked theme songs, sometimes to roaring ovations. Would the first Major League movie be as good without ôWild Thingö blaring as Charlie SheenÆs character Rick Vaughn takes the field? á The music a WWE-er selects can be as important in defining his image as headlocks and kicks to the face. You donÆt see any tough guys storming the cage to Celine Dion, ...