Semifinal Round 5 Results (Goodbye Fish)

We're still in it! The Morning Rush was teetering on the edge of the cliff, but we managed to survive for another round. Unfortunately for Rob Fischer and the Sports Bar, his group of ladies gave a sad, pathetic, uninspired performance and he is out. Done. I should point out that Ron Tillery did, in fact, predict that Rob Fischer would be first out, and it has indeed come to pass. Here are today's official results:

Morning Rush: Vida Guerra (23) vs. Middays: Jennifer Garner (17)



K Squared: Carmen Electra (28) vs. Sports Bar: Pamela Anderson (10)



Current Standings:

Karson and Kennedy beat the Sports Bar 4-1:

Beyonce Knowles 34 Jessica Alba 32
Gwen Stefani 8 Elizabeth Hurley 35
Jenna Jameson 21 Brittany Daniel 19
Jessica Simpson 25 Brooke Burke 16
Carmen Electra 28 Pamela Anderson 10

Middays leads the Morning Rush 3-2

Eva Longoria 36 Elisha Cuthbert 30
Salma Hayek 21 Charlize Theron 22
Halle Berry 21 Anna Kournikova 19
Angelina Jolie 24 Gabrielle Union 21
Jennifer Garner 17 Vida Guerra 23

Analysis:

A late flurry by the Pamela Anderson Fan Club of Memphis saved Pam's polymer-based, stain-resistant body from a complete shutout--but make no mistake, she got trounced. No surprise there. I am shocked--SHOCKED!--that Fish took her in the 4th round. A truly horrendous pick. Only the worse pick of Gwen Stefani by Karson and Kennedy saved the Sports Bar from being swept. At least Rob can hold on to the fact that he will forever be etched in history as the first team eliminated from the Babe Draft. Be strong, Fish.

Karson and Kennedy move on to the finals, where they will face either Middays or the Morning Rush. It could have been Middays, but Jennifer Garner could not get it done against the badonkadonk of Vida Guerra. I was confident that Vida could get it done, but I underestimated just how important a solid backfield with great movement is to the average Morning Rush listener. I will not make that mistake again. I think you have to label this a massive disappointment for Jennifer Garner and Middays, on the other hand. Massive. Jennifer Garner is so popular, and so well-known, yet could not match up against Guerra's ass. The backside reigns.

That sets up critical Round 6, with Middays still able to clinch a series win if their girl can get it done. On the other hand, Ron and I can set up a critical Game 7 with a win today. It's very, very tight--here's the matchup for today (remember, there's only one since the other series is over):

Eva Mendes (Middays) vs. Tyra Banks (Morning Rush)




Tyra Banks is absolutely amazing. Amazing. She combines an incredible body with a beautiful face as well as anybody in this entire draft. Plus, she has great name recognition, and I know you've all seen her work in Sports Illustrated or in a Victoria's Secret catalog. I really like this matchup for us. Eva Mendes is hot, and she was good in Hitch, a movie that I did not expect to like as much as I did. She's got a solid group of measurables, but I do think the face is a little questionable when compared to Tyra. That's why I think the Rush as the edge in this one. If we can just extend this series to the full 7, I think we'll pull out the win. It would be a comeback for the ages. First things first, though, we've gotta win Round 6 before we think about Round 7.


I want to again tell you guys how much I appreciate your support on this Babe Tournament--we read every email, and try to get as many on the air as we can--you guys have been fantastic with your support and I know you'll keep it up all the way through the finals. Email your vote to rush@sports56whbq.com or call the show at 360-8255.

Before I forget, I wanted to write a little something on last week's Bonzi Wells trade. It was obvious that Bonzi had to go, that he was going to go, and that it would happen soon--the only question was whether or not he would leave for nothing, or whether the Grizzlies would work hard to get something in return. The latter obviously turned out to be true.

The Grizzlies turned Bonzi into Bobby Jackson, Curtis Borchardt, Kirk Snyder, and Raul Lopez. I don't dislike the deal entirely; it's nice to get something back for Bonzi, but let's not overstate what the Grizzlies ended up getting. Bobby Jackson is far and away the centerpiece of the deal, but he is three years older than Bonzi, injury-prone, and not overly excited to be here (he really loved Sacramento). However, if he buys into the system here, he can be a locker room leader, something the Grizzlies have desperately needed for the last couple of years. If healthy, he will be a big part of next year's team. That's a massive if. Also, his contract expires after this coming season, and I have serious questions about his long-term future with this team.

As for Raul Lopez, his contract will be bought out by a Spanish team, and he will be playing overseas next year. That's around 2 million off the books there. Curtis Borchardt is big. That's about it. If Jake Tsakalidis is a 3 out of 10, Borchardt is a 3.05--which means he is definitely nothing special. Kirk Snyder didn't get along well with Jerry Sloan, and that made him expendable. He's a good defender, but still has a long way to go offensively, and a long way to go in getting a better attitude off the court. Perhaps the Grizzlies will set him straight. Let's hope so.

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, this team is cutting costs, both in basketball operations and in business operations. The salaries on the basketball side have gotten out of hand--the Grizzlies had the 7th largest payroll in the NBA last year, including 5+ million dollars for Bo Outlaw, who you might remember playing for the Phenix Suns last year. You don't think that angers Michael Heisley a little bit? To pay a contract for a player that played against your team in the playoffs? It needs to be reined in, and it will eventually get reined in. Cost cutting does not have to happen all at once; it can occur over a number of years. And it will with this franchise.

By the way, I am writing this from the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel just outside of Birmingham; it's a really nice place to stay. SEC Media Days are going to be crazy--so many people from all over the South converge on this event to see the spectacle. It's been fairly quiet so far, really--nothing bizarre or noteworthy has happened yet. One of the interesting things about this event is that people freak out over media guides. Media guides are like crack around here--you can only get one from every school and only with a registration pass. People are scuttling around trying to scam some extras, trying to get their fix...I'm telling you, if you come to Birmingham with 20 media guides from each school, you could live like a king.

Anyway, if anything notable happens, I'll tell you about it right here.

Thanks for reading.