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So isn’t about time I had one of these total randomness blog entries? I think so! Really. It’s about freaking time. There’s so much going on which is what makes it all worthwhile. So let’s get to it in no order:

1.Does anyone really care about the beginning of the baseball season in Japan? Find me one good reason two Major League teams should travel all that way to play. And no. Save me the whole Dice K argument or whatever. It just makes no sense and screws fans here in the process cause nobody in their right mind is getting up at 6 AM (3 Pacific) to watch the Red Sox take on the Athletics in two games. They split btw. I only know that cause my buddy Steve Lepore told me. People have lives. Baseball soldout big time here!

2.Are the Mets really delusional enough to let Ruben Gotay go through waivers for freaking Nelson Figueroa off one good Spring? Man. That’s just brutal. If Luis Castillo’s already day-to-day with his legs getting worse, what’s he going to be like in four years? Leave it to the game’s most overrated GM Omar Minaya to explain this one.

3.If Andy Pettite’s back continues to be an issue, that Yankee rotation sure is thin and unproven. And who thinks Moose can comeback from last year? Really. Anyone? 

4.I didn’t even know Chris Webber still played anyway.

5.When Roger Federer gets whipped by American underachiever Mardy Fish in any tournament, that’s cause for concern no matter what he says. I’d love to be a fly on Andy Roddick’s wall after that one. His best friend can get Roger but he hasn’t in nearly five years.

6.Who else thinks the two Serbs Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic will be No.1 on the WTA and ATP tours by the end of the summer?

7.LeBron gets my vote for MVP on that average Cleveland roster.

8.Remember when the AI trade to Denver was supposed to be the end for the 76ers? How’s that working out? Just for the record, I always was a huge fan of Andre Miller from the time he starred for Utah in college. The versatile point guard who runs the show for the now two over 76ers has been overlooked for a while.

9.Overlooked NBA rookies:

A.Thaddeus Young , 76ers

B.Daequan Cook, Heat 

C.Nick Young, Wizards

D.Jeff Green, Sonics

E.Luis Scola/Carl Landry, Rockets

F.Al Thornton, Clippers

10.Underrated NBA superstar has to be the Hornets’ David West. He could flat out ball at Xavier but somehow fell to New Orleans at No.18 overall in the 2003 Draft. The 27 year-old Teaneck New Jersey native averages better than 20 along with over nine boards, 2.3 assists and more than a block-per-night. West dropped 20 including the winner from 17 with 0.6 seconds left as the Hornets edged the Cavs 100-99.

So, who were a few of the players taken ahead of him five years prior you ask? Aside from the Big Four of LeBron, Carmelo, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade who were all givens, you had Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford all go in the top 10 and turn into solid players. Too bad Ford’s feet are a mess.

Here are some of the gems:

2.Pistons- Darko Milicic (with third NBA team if the Grizzlies count)

9.Knicks- Michael Sweetney (packaged for Eddy “Fat Albert” Curry)

10.Wizards- Jarvis Hayes (key reserve now for Pistons)

11.Warriors- Mickael Pietrus (still with team but can you say bust)

12.Sonics- Nick Collison (taken despite knowledge he’d miss rookie yr)

13.Grizzlies- Marcus Banks (explains a whole lot, on 4th team in Miami and answer to Shaq trivia question)

14.Sonics- Luke Ridnour (not a bad player but nothing special)

15.Magic- Reece Gaines (before they lucked into Dwight Howard, they actually took the former Louisville star guard that high. He’s out of the league)

16.Celtics- Troy Bell (remember when he was really good for BC? Well, he never panned out)

17.Suns- Zarko Cabarkapa (who???)

Steals from that draft include Josh Howard (29th-Mavs), Mo Williams (47th-Jazz), Travis Outlaw (23rd-Blazers), Boris Diaw (21st-Hawks), Carlos Delfino (25th-Pistons), Leandro Barbosa (28th-Spurs), Jason Kapono (31st-Cavs), Luke Walton (32nd-Lakers), Steve Blake (38th-Wizards), Kyle Korver (51st-Nets) and James Jones (49th-Pacers).

Some pretty good names there but it does make you ponder what the heck scouts were looking at. The NBA Draft is always fun but boy oh boy, can you find some absolute duds which is what this history lesson proves.

Fyi…the Knicks took Maciej Lampe. Remember when he was supposed to be some homerun? The next big Euro star? Try more like Euro trash! Well, at least they got Starbury for him. Funny sometimes how things turn out.

11.My good buddy and NY Hockey Report co-host Joe McDonald says the Rangers are coming out of the East. I just want to know how so unless that power play becomes more reliable than Con Edison. I agree with WFAN’s Steve Somers on this team. They’re baffling. Some nights, they look like world beaters and others like the other night, they leave you scratching your head. How can a diehard Blueshirt fan take this team seriously? They’re just too hot and cold for my liking. I’m sticking with Montreal.

12.If you didn’t catch tonight’s NYHR, do yourself a favor and do so because it happened to be one of the most random and funny shows we’ve done. The whole time, Joe and Lepore were picking me apart on my absurd theories which covered a variety of topics. Where the heck was Gary Harding anyway? Warming up the golf clubs for Rick DiPietro?!?!?!?!?!?!

13.There are some nights where you swear the Devils couldn’t score into a whorehouse if they tried.

14.Over/under on tonight’s Ranger/Devil total goals is at a gaudy one and a half. Just thought you’d like to know!

15.Alexander Ovechkin’s 61 is the most meaningful since Roger Maris.

16.Stat line of the night or not:

Player A- 17:26, 2-of-6 FG, 0-1 FT,  5 Pts, 4 Rebs, 2 A

Player B- 11:01, 2-of-4 FG, 1-3 FT, 5 Pts, 3 Rebs, 1 A

Dubious minds want to know what John “JPG” Giagnorio has to say about this one.

17.Maybe I’m in the minority on this one but I love all the drama that Jose Canseco’s new book is creating. Sure beats Spring Training. Did anyone else notice some similarities between Mr. Canseco’s former wife and Mrs. Alex Rodriguez?

18.In case anyone cared, Team Dumb and Dumber won a game last night and lost some ground in the lottery race.

19.That emotion on Adam Morrison’s face during Gonzaga’s first round loss at the hands of Stephen Curry and Davidson was the most passion he’s exhibited since his final game where he broke down on the court in that awful UCLA collapse.

20.Lepore says the Wild aren’t responding to Jacques Lemaire but they sure have a funny way of showing it posting a big win over Edmonton to jump back into first in that wacky Northwest. I still say that same Minny team could make some noise this Spring.

21.Maybe Erik Bedard wasn’t such a great investment for the Mariners. I guess we’ll find out when April hits.