Sports fodder for a Friday morning . . . Move over "Sweet Baby" James Taylor and Glen "Big Baby" Davis. LeBron James is stealing your nicknames. LeBaby James was at it again this week, preventing any videotape from getting outside of the gym at his basketball camp in Akron, Ohio. It seems LeBaby (and Nike) didn't want the world to see Xavier's Jordan Crawford dunk over him. This is the same LeBaby, remember, that refused to shake hands with the Orlando Magic or speak to the media after the LeBabyland Cavaliers lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. We'd like to think that LeBaby needs to grow up. But in a world where athletes control the so-called legitimate media through mindless "tweets" and Facebook pages, LeBaby can do whatever he wants to do. That loss to the Magic? It never happened. Just ask LeBaby.
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Keeping the video a secret is probably the best thing to happen to Crawford. If the video of the alleged dunk was plastered all over ESPN and YouTube.com minutes after it happened, it would have been forgotten as quickly as everyone forgot that the Cavaliers choked in the playoffs. But now the world is intrigued by Crawford and the Xavier Musketeers. Who is this LeBaby killer? Where did he come from? Where, exactly, is Xavier? In case you were wondering, Crawford is Xavier's version of the Wolf Pack's Joey Shaw. The 6-foot-4 guard transferred out of Indiana after the 2007-08 season (Shaw left the Hoosiers the year before) and had to sit out all of last year. He is now the most famous college basketball player in the country. Expect him to get a Nike deal - a commercial featuring him dunking over LeBaby? - the second he leaves college.
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Why isn't there a place for Nick Fazekas in the NBA? And, no, playing in the Orlando Summer League and wearing a Boston Celtics practice jersey doesn't count as the NBA. Nobody expected Fazekas to be Dirk Nowitzki, but when you are nearly 7-feet tall and can hit an 18-foot jumper in your sleep, you should at least have a spot at the end of somebody's bench. Forget those 10 fouls he committed in 29 minutes over two games earlier this week in Orlando. And forget the fact that the Celtics just signed Rasheed Wallace, another no-defense big guy who likes to shoot jumpers. Fazekas can score. He's tall. He's a winner. He would fit in under the NBA's shrinking salary cap. He could probably even dunk over LeBaby James if given the chance.
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Nobody doubts that quarterback Colin Kaepernick loves the Nevada Wolf Pack. But it's time Kaepernick ramps up his school spirit and plays for the Pack baseball team. The Chicago Cubs, after all, thought Kaepernick was worthy of a 43rd-round pick in June's draft. It doesn't really look good for the university to have the best pitcher on campus tossing footballs around the practice field in the spring, does it? The Pack baseball team could use a 6-foot-6 right-hander who can throw 90 miles an hour. Peccole Park could sure use the attendance bump. Heck, the media might even start to cover Pack baseball again. So, what do you say, Colin? The Silver & Blue needs you.
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According to Rivals.com, Kaepernick is the 17th best quarterback in the country. Vai Taua is the 18th best running back. Both deserve the honor. But before you give any weight to anything that Rivals.com does, please note that Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault couldn't crack their Top 25 among active head coaches. Ault, one of the greatest offensive minds in college football history, should be in the Top 15. Ault, though, is in good company. Boise State's Chris Peterson, who just might be the best young coach in the country, also didn't make the Top 25. I guess Rivals.com doesn't like Ault or Peterson's height, weight or 40 speed.
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Should fans be allowed to vote for baseball's All-Star starters? Of course not. Fan votes are OK for American Idol, the United States president and Homecoming King and Queen. But Major League Baseball should be held to a higher standard. Then again, as long as sportswriters are allowed to make a joke of the Hall of Fame voting, it's probably not such a bad idea for fans to vote for All-Stars. The one All-Star rule they need to abolish, though, is having at least one player from every team represented. Sorry, Oakland A's fans. Andrew Bailey is not an All-Star.