OPINION: Jason Kidd "Spills" His Drink

          First-year head coach Jason Kidd of the Brooklyn Nets needed an extra time out with 8.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against the Lakers in which the Nets were losing 94-96 and the Lakers' Jodie Meeks was about to take the second of two free throws. With no timeouts remaining, I believe that Kidd wanted to relay a drawn-up play to his players on the court in order to get one last look for a game winning shot. The kicker: they lost anyway. 

          However, Kidd was eventually fined $50,000 for his delay the game, for although he said that the incident was an accident, his words hint at sarcasm and are clearly meant to get laughs: "Cup slipped out of my hand [while] I was getting Ty. Sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball." Perhaps if the former 19-year-veteran point guard hadn't made such a mockery of his actions, the penalty would not have been so harsh. 

          But sarcasm aside the incident shows desperation from Kidd. Some may perceive it as dedication, as he said after the fine: "It's about trying to win," but I believe that Kidd is just overwhelmed with coaching in the NBA. He probably assumed that it would be a cake-walk, but heavily underestimated the nuances of the job. His team has been underperforming all season and if they had been winning then I'm sure he would never have pulled such as stunt as this. The only reasoning behind my opinion: Would you ever see Greg Popovich spill his drink on the court in such humiliating fashion just to gain an extra timeout? Of course not.

OPINION: Allen Craig call

As nearly everyone knows, a controversial play ended game 3 of the World Series. First, here is the video for people who have yet to see the play. As you can clearly see, a collision occurred at 3rd base. Will Middlebrooks certainly raised his legs as Craig was making his way to home plate. Whether the contact was on purpose or an accident we will never know. What we do know is that in the MLB rulebook, rule 7.06b clearly states that "Under rule 7.06(b) when the ball is not dead on obstruction and an obstructed runner advances upon the base which, in the umpires judgement, he would have been awarded because of being obstructed, he does so at his own peril and may be tagged out." This rule perfectly describes the sequence that occurred on the play. Don't get me wrong, interference could have been called on the play. Jim Joyce, the 3rd base ump, certainly had a tough call to make and it was basically a judgement call. Was Craig in the baseline? Maybe. Was there anything that Middlebrooks could have done to avoid contact on the play? No. But one thing is for sure, Craig should not have been awarded home as a result of the play. Had Craig not continued home on the play, he would have been awarded home and the game would have been over. Instead, he proceeded to run home and was thrown out at the play. As rule 7.06(b) clearly states, Craig was running at "his own peril". What would have happened in extras is a mystery, but it is clear that the Red Sox should have at least had the opportunity to win this game.