Dwight Howard: The Biggest Baby in Sports

To date, I have hesitated to post anything on the Dwight Howard drama simply because I was tired of hearing about it. Nate had one post about the situation, but we both have grown tired of turning on Sportscenter and seeing Howard's name plastered all over the sidebar and bottom line. Yet, this has gone on too long and my frustration has reached its peak. Howard continues to demand a trade from the Orlando Magic and the situation has dominated NBA headlines for months upon months. First it was the Nets, then the Lakers, then the Rockets almost gave up their entire roster for the big man. The Hawks have been thrown out there as well, and so now what we have is a bunch of teams that are frustrated and about to give up on Howard.

We also have a man without a job in Stan Van Gundy. SVG was a solid head coach for Orlando and took them to the Finals in 2009. Still, he became the next coach in a long line to be fired so that the superstar on the team could be happy. There's one problem though, Dwight Howard still isn't happy and he doesn't want to be in Orlando.

But where does he want to be? He desired a trade to Brooklyn, but his back-and-forth indecision turned the Nets away. Brooklyn decided they had to move on and they have a formidable team with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Brooke Lopez. The Lakers have always been a team mentioned, but Howard has always seemed to turn up his nose at the idea of going West. Now it seems that LA is moving on and will go with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Rockets almost went all-in for Howard, but they couldn't get a package together. So now the Magic are stuck with the disgruntled big man for at least another few days/weeks/months.

I have never disliked a player as much as I dislike Dwight Howard right now. The way he has handled this situation and the way he has treated the Magic and the teams courting him is awful. He is a prima donna who can't make up his mind. How many times have we heard him say he wants to be traded, only to switch his demand a week later. Everyone is tired of it. If I was one of the teams who wanted him I would back off immediately. Why would you want this guy on your team?? Sure, he is the best center in the game today and he can dominate a game inside like few others. But how long will he be happy? He has shown a different side of himself these past several months and he is no longer the fun-loving kid from Atlanta with the electric smile.

I hate to do this to LeBron James after the phenomenal season he had, but Dwight Howard has somehow surpassed James as the superstar to handle his departure the worst. Few thought anybody could screw up a departure like LeBron did when he held the Decision, but it is Howard's Indecision that has made him the biggest villain in the league. What does it mean for his future? Currently it means more complaining and demanding. It also means he will dominate Sportscenter until America literally can't take it anymore. I honestly don't care about Dwight Howard anymore. Let me know when he signs with a team because I shut off the television when his name comes up.

As Howard continues to make a fool of himself, he will lose popularity among fans and will no doubt be booed in multiple cities across America. One city will for sure boo him and that will be Orlando. Ironic thing is: that's most likely where he will be playing.

Hanley Heads West to LA

It seemed like the Miami Marlins couldn't fail with the way their offseason went. They got the big free agent (Jose Reyes), hired a proven manager (Ozzie Guillen), signed two pitchers who have had success (Mark Buerhle and Carlos Zambrano) and had a new ballpark (Marlins Stadium) on top of that. All of that to join a team that already had Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Johnson, Logan Morrison and Hanley Ramirez.  Ozzie and Reyes were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the Marlins were the talk of the MLB for all the right reasons. However, things haven't exactly gone as planned and now their often-disgruntled star, Ramirez has packed his bags for Los Angeles in a trade that sent him to the Dodgers for next to nothing. On top of that, the Marlins have struggled to put people in the seats at their new ballpark, proof that not all brilliant plans end up working out.

Look no further than Hanley Ramirez. His career has been in the spotlight since he entered the league and not always for the right reasons. Let us not forget though, just three years ago the 2006 Rookie of the Year was on top of the baseball mountain top. In 2009 he led the MLB with a .342 batting average while hitting 24 home runs and knocking in 106 runs. He had career-highs in OBP and slugging percentage and finished second in the MVP voting. He was named an All-Star and received a Silver Slugger at the conclusion of the season. From there it has been a steep decline for Hanley Ramirez. Not only have his numbers continued to drop, but he has become the face of the "lazy and egotistical club" in the MLB. His booted ground ball incident in 2010 made headlines everywhere, not because of the error, but because of the lack of hustle he showed in chasing the ball down. Naturally, news came out later that he may have hurt his ankle earlier in the game, but the damage was done. Run-ins with ex-manager Fredi Gonzalez became something of a routine and Gonzalez was shown the door during last season.

Entering 2012, hopes were high in Miami. As mentioned above, everything was coming together for the Marlins. That is, until Ramirez was asked to move over to third base so that Reyes could play shortstop. Ramirez turned down the idea and publicly refused to move. He later changed his stance and made the move, but again, the damage was done. That's all a precursor to how poorly Ramirez has played this season. His batting average (.249) is challenging his career-low from 2011 (.243 in a season in which he played just 92 games) and he has just 49 RBIs. He is in danger of setting career-highs in strikeouts and double plays while it's highly possible he could have career-lows in batting average, hits, and stolen bases. The 2009 Hanley Ramirez seems like a distant memory, so the question is: why did the Dodgers trade for him?

Precisely because of those number he put up from 2006-2009. He is an all-star caliber player who can be a serious threat wherever he is put in the lineup. Imagine the 2009 Ramirez in the same lineup as Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Through two games he has started at third and is 3-6 at the plate. If the Dodgers can somehow find the old Hanley then they are getting a major prize. There are some cases where athletes need a change of scenery. It could be for a variety of reasons and it appears this is a case of Ramirez needing a new home. Earlier in the year, a slumping Kevin Youkilis was traded from Boston to the White Sox and he has thrived in Chicago's lineup since the trade. The Dodgers hope Ramirez will be a similar story.

He will play for a manager, Don Mattingly, who knows a little something about winning and playing the game the right way and he is surrounded by stars who can take pressure off of him. The situation, again, seems like one that would be hard to mess up. He's already off to a hot start and it's a fair guess he is trying to outrun his negative image. Question is: will he hustle do so?