August 22nd update

Durantula Leads DC Team Over West Coast Squad

• Saturday night, tiny Trinity College was home to some of the finest players the NBA has to offer. The exhibition game matched up All-Stars from the Washington Area Goodman League against the LA based Drew League. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder (who is close to signing a movie deal) led all scorers with 44 as Goodman won 135-134.
• The teams were made up pretty evenly of NBA Stars and area street ball legends. Joining Durant representing the Goodman League were John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets, Gary Neal of the San Antonio Spurs and Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. The Drew League team was fueled by Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings. He was joined by JaVale McGee of the Wizards, James Harden of the Thunder, DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors, and Marcus Banks formerly of the New Orleans Hornets.
• This game was part of an attempt by NBA players to prove they can generate income while they are being locked out by their owners (a topic we've touched on previously). Many people believe owners are trying to bleed the players dry financially. If the players can prove they are not dependent on their next NBA paycheck to survive, this lockout could go on much longer.
• On a related note, more than 30 players have already signed deals to play overseas if there is no 2011-12 NBA season and about 100 more have expressed interest in playing overseas.


Larry Fitzgerald and Jared Weaver get well-deserved paydays

• This weekend saw two of the best athletes on the West Coast, (Arizona counts as West Coast, right?) Larry Fitzgerald and Jared Weaver, sign major contract extensions to remain as the face of their respective franchises for quite some time.
• Fitzgerald's deal was for a staggering 8 years and $120 million. It makes him the 5th highest paid player in the NFL (tied with Richard Seymour) and the only players he is behind are quarterbacks. However, the most amazing part of the deal is that he now makes about 50% more than the next highest paid WR!
• The No. 3 overall pick of the 2004 draft, Fitzgerald has topped 90 catches and 1,000 receiving yards in five of his seven NFL seasons, including the last four. For his career, he has 613 catches, the most in franchise history, for 8,204 yards and 65 touchdowns. Fitzgerald needs just 294 yards and two touchdowns to surpass Roy Green's franchise records in those categories.
• Weaver, a pitcher for the LA Angels of Anaheim, leads the MLB in ERA and has been among the league leaders in wins all season and strikeouts for a few years. His deal was for a mere 5 years and $85 million which is a tad south of the $90 million Torii Hunter got in 2008 but bigger than any other contract the Angels have ever given out.
• Weaver, in his sixth big league season, has a 78-45 record with a 3.30 ERA and 937 strikeouts in nearly 1100 innings. He led the major leagues with 233 strikeouts in 2010.