Tuesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Kenny "The Jet" Smith Gets Grounded

When we learned that today was the birthday of former NBA star Kenny Smith, we didn't bother trying to find any clips from his championship runs with the Houston Rockets (even though he once held the record for most three-pointers made in an NBA Finals game). Nor did we try to look up his time in college at North Carolina.

The only place to consider was Inside the NBA. But which one?

Honestly, we could have sat here all day laughing at some of the hilarious clips from the show - although a majority of them center around Charles Barkley. But in the name of getting some other work done today, we decided that when it comes to The Jet, why not show how high he can fly?

Or not.

Monday's Birthday Shout-Out: Lynn Swann Goes Head Over Heels

Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann was known for his feats of athleticism on the football field. So it stands to reason that he would have been a standout in that bastion of 1970s television - The Superstars.

Sporting a lopsided afro and a 'stache that would make the hippest hipster proud, Swann smoked a British track athlete named David Hemery - who looks a bit like former Monty Python cast member Eric Idle with a mustache.

Swann didn't win the competition that year (it went to a soccer player named Kyle Rote, Jr.) but NFL players had a pretty good run during the 28 years the show ran on American television, winning 13 times. Of course, Swann has gone on to television broadcasting and politics - including an unsuccessful run for Pennsylvania governor in 2008. 

Apparently not wanting to stray too far from football, he also has an ownership stake in the Pittsburgh Power of the revamped Arena Football League, who play their inaugural game on Friday against Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul. Word is, the Power's championship hopes are living on a prayer.

Okay, I'll stop now.

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Kevin Johnson: Anaheim is where the Kings want to be

This wasn't how Kevin Johnson wanted to spend his 45th birthday. The former Cal and NBA star who became Sacramento's first African-American mayor addressed reporters on Wednesday about the likelihood of the Kings moving to the Honda Center in Anaheim. Early on in his remarks, Johnson acknowledged that team owners Joe and Gavin Maloof were very interested in moving the team to Orange County, but Johnson stressed that no deal had been completed yet and the city was doing everything it could to keep the team in the state capital.

The full press conference is below. H/T to News10.net...

The Kings' potential move is just the latest in a slew of issues Johnson's deal with since being elected in 2008. Johnson's campaign platform included attempts to improve the city's school system and reduce crime while dealing with budget issues (like so many other cities). Unfortunately it appears that in this instance, Johnson and the city of Sacramento are fighting a losing battle since Anaheim has one thing that Sacramento doesn't - an updated arena.

It also doesn't bode well for the city that the Maloofs are unwilling to provide a local arena exploratory committee with financial documents that could help determine the viability of a new arena in Sacramento. Kings ownership has also been unwilling to meet with the group.

Surprisingly, Lakers' owner Jerry Buss and Clippers' owner Donald Sterling have remained quiet on the subject of another team moving into their backyard. The Lakers wouldn't have nearly as much to worry about since their popularity in the market is well established, although they'd likely lose a small portion non-Laker NBA fans who would likely have a better chance to see the league's marquee teams in Orange County than they would at Staples Center.

But Sterling who has learned how to make several hundred million without even trying to field a competitive team should be very concerned that a team in Anaheim could seriously erode his fanbase. It might even force him to *gasp* treat players like Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon well in an effort to keep them around long-term. However, it wouldn't be surprising if Sterling turns into the ultimate NBA NIMBY very soon. Considering he's already reportedly punked David Stern at least once, there's no reason to believe Sterling won't try to flex on the Commish again.

Thursday's Birthday Shout-Out: Herschel Walker, The Endzone Stalker

Herschel Walker is a freak of nature. 6-foot-1, 225 pounds with an uncommon (and almost unfair) combination of speed and strength, to watch him succeed as a mixed martial arts fighter would lead you to believe that he was born for the sport. It stands as testament to Walker's athleticism, desire and steadfastness.

Not bad for a guy who says he eats one meal a day.

Walker dominated the college game from the moment he first stepped on the field at the University of Georgia. By the time he left Athens, he was one of the most decorated college football players ever, having been a three-time All-American, a Maxwell Award and Heisman Trophy winner and being a major contributor to a national championship team as a freshman. Walker remains the only college football player ever to finish in the top three in Heisman voting every year of his career.

Sadly, his NFL career could never match his collegiate work. Part of the reason is he played for coaches who weren't quite sure how to use him. Part of it was that after his college career, the expectations placed on him were gargantuan. Those expectations only got bigger after the Minnesota Vikings gave away the store to acquire him in a trade from the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings gave up five players and six draft picks (three of which turned into Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland and Darren Woodson) which led to the Cowboys' resurgence in the 1990s.

But Walker's pro career wasn't a total letdown. Herschel's time in the USFL was nearly as spectacular as his time at Georgia. Playing for Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals in 1985, Walker ran for 2,411 yards - a single season pro football rushing record that still stands. Enjoy the record breaking run...and the cheesy ESPN graphics.

Wednesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Big Ben Plans a Career Move?

With the clock ticking down toward the expiration of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, some NFL players are trying to figure out what they'll do if there's no football in the fall.

Considering the recent offseason allegations that seem to chase Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger like a sack-hungry defensive end, you wonder how he'll cope with not having his days occupied from August to January. Although I have it on good authority that after his last go 'round with the legal system, Ben stocked up on DVDs and BluRay discs for perpetual Blockbuster Nights.

But beyond that, it appears Roethlisberger has spent some time trying on a brand new bag.

He's got a better looking jumpshot than Shawn Mario. But should we tell him the NBA is probably headed for a lockout, too?

Tuesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Chris Webber Gets Gangsta

I am not rational when it comes to Chris Webber. I owned his Golden State Warriors #4 jersey during his rookie season and constantly mimicked his dunk over Charles Barkley.

I don't believe in role models...but you're mine!

There was no denying that Webber was the natural heir to the Run TMC throne that was going to take the W's to the next level. Then when he feuded with Don Nelson and forced the team to trade him to the Washington Bullets. From that moment, everything bad that happened to the Warriors I laid at his feet.

• Don Nelson's deepening into madness.
• Latrell Sprewell's pouting and eventual choke-out of P.J. Carlesimo.
• The bad draft picks (Todd Fuller with the 11th pick?!?)

When he made his return to Oakland midway through the 2007-08 season, my friends tried to convince me that it was time to let bygones be bygones and admit that Webber could probably helped the squad. I scoffed. That was the same argument that fooled me into rooting for Jim Druckenmiller. I felt vindicated when Webber retired after nine games. 

Over the years, continued Warriors front-office ineptitude have forced me to give up on my grudge against C-Webb. Losing Webber hurt the franchise, but the Warriors' suckitude is reaching Ruthian proportions. I've even let go of my jealousy over Webber dating my one-time celeb crush Tyra Banks now that we know Tyra's carrying more than a touch of krayzee. 

So instead of harboring bitterness and reliving The Timeout or something equally non-flattering, I instead bring you Chris Webber at the height of his powers - enjoying a gangsta's lifestyle with the help of Kurupt and several other recognizable rappers.

As far as athlete rap songs go, it's not bad. Do we need to revisit this? 

Monday's Birthday Shout-Out: Brian Billick Makes Whoopie

Before he was an NFL analyst or a Super Bowl winning head coach with the Baltimore Ravens, Brian Billick was just another workaday Joe with a wide lapel leather jacket and an ugly tie with a fat knot.

All of which was good enough for Billick to make an appearance on Match Game PM shortly after being cut by the 49ers and Cowboys just before the start of the 1977 season. Even then, Billick had that same cocky smirk. Too bad his offense on the show was as poor as it was in Baltimore.

Billick would take the loss, prompting Richard Dawson to crack "Football: failed. Game show: failed." Ouch.

Friday's Birthday Shout-Out: Remembering Ron Santo

2011 will be the first season without Ron Santo in the Chicago Cubs' radio booth. The self-proclaimed "World's Biggest Cub Fan" died in early December after a long, public bout with diabetes.

For all of the great icons in the long history of the Cubs franchise, Santo easily ranks alongside fan favorites like Ernie Banks, Harry Caray, Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg. And because he spent the past two decades as one of the team's beloved broadcasters, it shouldn't overshadow the fact that he was one of the better third basemen ever to play the game - both offensively and defensively.

But it was Santo's ability to connect with not only Cub fans, but fans in general that allowed him to garner such a national identity. For instance, right around the 2:26 mark, Santo engages play-by-play man Pat Hughes into a lengthy and detailed discussion about cake. Yes, it's as funny as you imagine it to be.

As a fan of baseball and especially baseball on the radio, it's sad to see so many of the longtime familiar voices of the game disappearing. Ron Santo will truly be missed by fans everywhere.

Thursday's Birthday Shout-Out: How Can Bronson Arroyo Get You Into A New Car?

Do a YouTube search for Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo and you'll find videos of him in action on the mound and plenty of him performing with his band.

You'll also find just as many with him starring in local Cincinnati-area commercials. It's not uncommon for a team's star player to do local advertising. But Arroyo's made a cottage industry out of it.

Case in point: This commercial for Champion Ford. It's the Arroyo Trifecta - a chance to show off his hair, his humor and his *ahem* use of salty language.

If he could have worked the leg kick in there, it would have been perfect.

Wednesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Bobby Bonilla Goes Undercover!

For about a three year period, Bobby Bonilla was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Playing on a Pittsburgh Pirates team that owned the NL East for three straight seasons (I'm sure that's as weird to read as it is to type), Bonilla teamed up with Andy Van Slyke and a much slimmer, mustachioed Barry Bonds to create a formidable outfield.

After signing for big bucks with the New York Mets, Bonilla's production nosedived and all of the attitude problems that were overlooked when he was hitting .280 and above started to catch up with him. He put together a couple more big seasons - one in 1995 while splitting time between the Mets and the Orioles, then the following year in his only full season in Baltimore.

Not that he didn't put his time in the Big Apple to good use. In 1994, Bonilla made a cameo on the hip-hop cop drama "New York Undercover" playing a washed-out pro athlete who wears a wire to bust a drug dealer.

As far as athlete cameos go, Bonilla's acting is respectable. Although I'm sure there are plenty of Mets fans who were quite happy to see his character get pistol whipped.

By the way, check around 4:26 in...Cannon Howard looks suspiciously like Rick Barry.

Tuesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Julius Erving Can Dunk!

In 16 professional seasons, Julius Erving...

• Won an NBA championship and two ABA titles
• Won an NBA MVP award and three ABA MVPs
• Was an 11-time NBA All-Star and a five-time ABA All-Star

In addition, he was named to a slew of All-ABA and All-NBA teams and defensive teams from both leagues. His incredible hang time and amazing aerial acrobatics helped energize the NBA and created a slew of new above-the-rim style players.

He helped the Philadelphia 76ers win their only title since 1967. He popularized the slam dunk. He rocked Michael Cooper to sleep. He sailed behind backboards to make shots. 

He sported a kick ass afro.

So without further ado, we give you...

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.

Monday's Birthday Shout-Out: Steve Francis' Legacy

Over the weekend, a conversation arose on Twitter about the best "pound-for-pound" players in NBA history. Allen Iverson and Isiah Thomas were considered the top two (in no particular order), but one interesting name did pop up.

Steve Francis.

The Franchise had the skills to be one of the NBA's great stars for a long time. Ankle-breaking handles, a lightning quick first step, a killer jumper and ridiculous hops made Francis the most exciting player to come out of a very deep 1999 draft class.

But the NBA history books are littered with prospects who for one reason or another failed to live up to their potential. In Francis' case, he was often his own worst enemy. From his initial refusal to play for the Vancouver Grizzlies, Francis began a pattern of wearing out his welcome wherever he went.

After his very short stay with the Beijing Shougang Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, it appears that we've seen the last of Steve Francis in professional basketball. Looking back on what he could do on the floor, you have to shake your head and wonder what could have been.

Friday's Birthday Shout-Out: Maurice Lucas' Championship Moment

Back when the NBA was a much more rough and tumble game; back before "NBA fight" became a punchline, there were some epic scraps in the league. Most fans can recall or have seen the scary punch Kermit Washington's landed on Rudy Tomjanovich.

Then there was The Enforcer.

Journeyman big man Maurice Lucas earned the nickname during the 1977 NBA Finals. While playing for the Portland Trailblazers, Lucas broke up a fight between 76ers center Darryl Dawkins and Blazers forward Bob Gross - by challenging Dawkins!

Nowadays, NBA fights are a lot of pushing, posturing and yelling. But Lucas and Dawkins squared off in what was going to become a heavyweight street fight if officials and teammates hadn't stepped in.

Lucas and Dawkins were ejected. The Sixers won the game to take a 2-0 lead in the series. But the fight sparked something in the Blazers. They went on to win the next four games to earn the franchise's only championship.

Unfortunately, Lucas died of bladder cancer in 2010. The Blazers honored him all of last season by wearing a patch with the number 20. 

Thursday's Birthday Shout-Out: Still Wanna Be Like Mike (Jordan)

Eight years after Michael Jordan retired (for the final time), he is still the gold standard in the NBA. The list of his accolades would be enough to take up an entire post. An analysis of his impact on the NBA, professional sports and American culture at large could stretch much, much longer.

And while Twitter paused in "what if" reflection a few days ago after His Airness worked out at a Charlotte Bobcats practice, I think we can all agree that Michael is best letting sleeping Favres lie. Although I'm sure Byron Scott was tempted to pick up the phone when he caught wind of it.

Nonetheless in honor of Jordan's birthday, we tried to find a highlight or set of highlights that would best sum up his one-of-a-kind career. But then we figured that it would take us all day to decide that. And to just put a whole series of them would be unwieldy and probably prevent you from getting any work done today. We didn't want that on our conscience.

Instead, we give you the Gatorade commercial/music video that launched the phrase (and eventual Bow Wow movie series) that would eventually stick to every potential heir to his throne.

I remember going to a record store not long after the commercial became a national sensation and seeing cassette singles of the song for sale. Right next to it were singles by Joey Lawrence. They were on sale...two for the price of one.

Everyone under the age of 22 didn't understand half of that paragraph.

Wednesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Johnny Mac and His Axe

Do a quick YouTube search for John McEnroe and you'll find plenty of montage videos about the tennis great's famous tantrums.

(I recently learned when challenging a call in tennis, "Are you sure?" is the proper etiquette. "You can not be serious!" is not. Who knew?)

Just when I thought I'd be spending all morning going through tantrum videos to find just the right one, I came across something interesting. I had no idea he was a pretty talented guitarist. So in honor of Johnny Mac's 52nd birthday, I give you this pretty cool video of McEnroe alongside Rob Thomas imitating another famous left-hander...

McEnroe's got it like that? You can not be serious!

Tuesday's Birthday Shout-Out: The (Mark) Price is Right

After Ray Allen broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a career last week, it spawned a national discussion about who the best shooters in NBA history were.

One name that didn't get a lot of attention was Mark Price. Injuries prevented him from being a lot higher in NBA record books than he likely could have been, nonetheless, Price was one of the league's purest shooters for a very long time. A two-time winner of the three-point contest, Price was a career 40.2% shooter from beyond the arc and has since taken to helping current NBA players improve their shooting stroke.

But apparently that wasn't exciting enough to make it into this early '90s NBA music video soundtracked by Soul Asylum. Then again, since the song wasn't really going to fire anybody up, you probably would need to spice up the highlights a bit. Instead we're left with a montage that gives you the impression that Price was a Steve Nash prequel.

Monday's Birthday Shout-Out: Clipper Darrell's Greatest Love

It's only fitting that on Valentine's Day, our birthday shout goes to a guy who has displayed unconditional love through circumstances thick and thin - mostly thin.

Anyone who has ever been to a Los Angeles Clippers game knows that no one is a bigger fan than Clipper Darrell. Sprinting through the stands dressed in a blue and red three-piece suit leading cheers, Darrell Bailey has been a fixture at Clipper games for years. He even went so far as to spend $12,000 to give his BMW a custom Clipper paint job.

As a man who says he and the Clips are going to "ride and die" together, he once turned down an offer from Mark Cuban to move to Dallas and become the Mavericks' number one fan. (Darrell says he's never been to the state of Texas.) Although with recent news that he wasn't going to renew his season tickets because of recent mistreatment by the franchise, you wonder if this relationship isn't on the rocks.

But the Clipper Darrell love story goes beyond L.A.'s "other" team. Darrell is a huge fan of NBA basketball as he showed while breaking down the playoffs in 2009...

So happy birthday to you, Clipper Darrell. The best present would be the Clips getting their act together and giving him his seats back. But I'm sure he'd settle for Blake Griffin winning the dunk contest this weekend, right?

Thursday's Birthday Shout-Out: John Calipari's Hip-Hop Tribute

Kentucky head coach John Calipari is that guy that epitomizes sports fandom. His credentials are undeniable, but his methods leave him open to criticism. He's that guy that you can't stand when he's on the opposing sideline, but you love him when he joins your side.

(As a 49ers fan, I had that same kind of hate/love/hate relationship with Deion Sanders.)

The fans in Lexington are apparently no different. I'm going to guess Coach Cal wasn't getting favored nation status when he was rolling with some of those deep Memphis Tigers teams. But they've now let bygones by bygones in the Bluegrass. And it didn't take long. Just about two weeks after he was hired at Kentucky, this ode to Calipari found its way to the Interweb.

While this isn't the first rap mention of Christian Laettner that comes to mind (thanks, Shaq!), I'm pretty sure Billy Gillispie has gotten a shout-out in hip-hop form. Yet with all the Cal love flowing, I'm sure John Chaney still isn't a fan.

Wednesday's Birthday Shout-Out: John Kruk Goes "Eastbound and Down"

Sure, John Kruk still wears a solid face full of scruff when you see him on Baseball Tonight. But he's downright baby-faced compared to how he looked as the ringleader of the 1993 National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.

That, of course, was the same year that Kruk has his infamous (and hilarious) All-Star at-bat against Randy Johnson. But Kruk's hilarity continued off the baseball diamond. Rocking a look that would later become a staple of the Kenny Powers Collection, Kruk became a favorite guest of David Letterman.

In this interview, he gave some answers that would be right at home in an episode of Eastbound and Down. The only difference being that Kenny Powers might have spiced them up with a few well-placed expletives and an off-color joke about Canadians.

But who knows? Maybe Kruk has his own line of self-help tapes floating around somewhere?

Tuesday's Birthday Shout-Out: Aaron Cook Helps Out

Now that we've gotten that pesky little Super Bowl out of the way, we can start to turn our attention to Spring Training. What better way to begin than by celebrating the birthday of a guy who is just 11 games over .500 with a career ERA of 4.41.

Then again, considering Aaron Cook's spent his entire Major League career playing in Colorado with less than a blazing fastball, that's not all bad.

But the best part about starting pitchers is that they've got personality! When you only pitch once every fifth day, you're bound to get a little loopy just sitting on the bench. It also makes you the perfect candidate to star in a series of pretty funny team promos.

This dodgeball promo probably takes the cake. Maybe it's Cook's epic mullet wig. Or the fact that Ryan Spilborghs gets picked last - behind Dinger, the mascot. Personally, I think it's the fact that Brian Fuentes gets picked first. Considering how he flamed out with the Angels, most folks in Anaheim would have rather spent their first pick on the Rally Monkey.