http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4328 Recent articles about Ray Allen en-us #1.Reggie Miller #2.Larry Bird #3.Ray Allen Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:26:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302421 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302421 We're in the dog days of summer and Celtics news is going to be sparse at best. So to keep things clicking around here, we'll have to get a little creative. So I'm going to try to introduce topics to discuss. I'll try to do it daily, but no promises. Let's talk about Ray Allen. He quietly played along as the 3rd banana all year long, hit a cold streak in the playoffs, then turned it on at just the right time, helping lead the team to the Title. He's the oldest of the new big three (though not by much). His contract comes up the soonest, which happens to be the year when LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and others hit the free agent market. I'm of the opinion (apparently shared by management) that you simply don't even consider trading him this offseason. You have to keep the core of the team together for a chance to repeat. However, I do think you need to monitor Ray's level of play over the next year or two. Also, keep in mind that Danny famously told Red that he needed to trade the original Big Three as their bodies... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:27:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300579 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300579 We're in the dog days of summer and Celtics news is going to be sparse at best. So to keep things clicking around here, we'll have to get a little creative. So I'm going to try to introduce topics to discuss. I'll try to do it daily, but no promises. Let's talk about Ray Allen. He quietly played along as the 3rd banana all year long, hit a cold streak in the playoffs, then turned it on at just the right time, helping lead the team to the Title. He's the oldest of the new big three (though not by much). His contract comes up the soonest, which happens to be the year when LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and others hit the free agent market. I'm of the opinion (apparently shared by management) that you simply don't even consider trading him this offseason. You have to keep the core of the team together for a chance to repeat. However, I do think you need to monitor Ray's level of play over the next year or two. Also, keep in mind that Danny famously told Red that he needed to trade the original Big Three as their bodies... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:27:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300579 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300579 I'm joining the brouhaha about Paul Pierce's interview in Spain regarding his comment that he's the best player in the world (see marca.com and english version here at Red's Army) earlier this week. Pierce further clarified yesterday (see today's Sunday Globe): "That's what I said. I am a confident player and a lot of people might look at it like, 'Oh, another cocky attitude,' but I don't look at it that way. I have an opinion, I have a right to have one, and that's the way I feel. I felt I've played against the best over the years and felt right now that I'm the best player in the world." Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:55:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300481 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300481 Gotta hand it to the kid, he's a good interview. From the Court Reporters: (http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800009831) At the 2008 Rookie Photo Shoot in Tarrytown, N.Y. on July 30, Giddens' energy was infectious. He never stopped smiling, and couldn't travel from point A to point B without kicking a move from an apparently endless supply of dance steps, all in time to the pulsing, window-rattling hip-hop bass beats spun by the house DJ. NBA.com: That’s got to be exciting joining the champs. What are you looking forward to about being a part of that squad? J.R. Giddens: Just learning from all those guys. They’re world champions, and obviously, the organization’s top of the line, with them accomplishing what they did. Just trying to be a sponge, soak up everything. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are great guards, and I play guard, so I’m trying to learn from those guys, KG, Doc and just make myself the best basketball player. That’s what the dream is. NBA.com: So what’s the new move coming out for this year? J.R. Giddens: The new one coming out, it’s gonna be called [Here he looks side-to-side, then leans in conspiratorially] “the defensive slide.” That’s how I’m going to earn minutes, playing defense, so I’ll just be defensive sliding. That’s my new move. NBA.com: With... Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:08:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299491 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299491 For my 1st Team Preview, I will be examining the 2007-08 NBA Champions. LAST SEASON The Celtics came flying out of the gates (29-3 record to start the season) and never looked back. They had the #1 defense in the league, they beat their regular season foes by an average scoring margin of +10.3 points, and they decisively beat the Lakers in the Finals to win their record 17th NBA Championship. Fantasy-wise, the Celtics had a pace factor of just 90.9 (19th of 30), which coupled with their scoring margin, limited the fantasy value of their players. OFFSEASON MOVES Added: Patrick O'Bryant, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, Semih Erden Lost: James Posey, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Scot Pollard The 7-foot O'Bryant was the #9 pick in 2006, but he never proved his worth to Don Nelson and thus the Warriors let him go. He will attempt to replace P.J. Brown, who is likely retiring after a rock solid NBA career (1 championship, 1 sportsmanship award, and 3 All-Defensive team selections). Erden is another 7-foot project, but he's going to stay in Turkey this season. Giddens and Walker are ultra-athletic rookie swingmen who will try to help fill the gaping hole left by James Posey's departure (don't expect much from either). Veterans Sam Cassell and Scot Pollard are both free agents unlikely to return. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME As you all know, Boston is led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. All three will play 33-36 minutes per game and post similar stats to last season. At point guard and center, Rajon Rondo (30.0 mpg) and Kendrick Perkins (24.5 mpg) proved that they are more than capable starters. With another year of experience and a boost of NBA title confidence, expect a slight bump in playing time and production for both youngsters. Perkins has had shoulder problems in the past, but he had surgery recently and should be good to go for '08-09. With Posey (24.6 mpg) gone, Tony Allen (18.3 mpg) will have to step up as Boston's 6th man and defensive stopper off the bench. He struggled last year recovering from a major knee injury, but he could bounceback nicely in '08-09. Eddie House (19.0 mpg) will backup Rondo at PG and be instant offense as usual. Since Tony Allen is not a 3-point shooter like Posey was, House could easily surpass his career-high of 1.5 made threes per game. Leon Powe (14.5 mpg) will be Boston's first big man off the bench. He showed his explosiveness when he scored 21 points in just 15 minutes in game 2 of the NBA Finals, and he should play a bigger role this season. Glen "Big Baby" Davis had a decent rookie season, and probably has the inside track over O'Bryant as their backup center. (None of the backup bigs are likely to have any fantasy value unless there's an injury). And of course, Brian Scalabrine will get his usual 10th man mop-up minutes. DON'T SLEEP ON: Rajon Rondo & Tony Allen At first glance, Rondo seems like he's just a 2-category fantasy player, finishing 13th in steals and 22nd in assists per game last year. However, his FG% was rock solid at 49.2%, his turnovers were fairly low at just 1.9 per game, and the only PG's who pulled down more rebounds were Jason Kidd and Baron Davis. Of course, he still can't make a three to save his life and his free throw shooting was horrendous at just 61.1%, but that just means there's plenty of room for improvement in the 22-year old's game and fantasy value. After averaging 30 minutes and 5.1 assists per game in the regular season, he pumped those numbers up to 32 minutes and 6.6 dimes per in the playoffs, a very promising sign for the season ahead. His offensive game is still unpolished, but he should be a decent #2 or excellent #3 point guard in '08-09. After tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee in January 2007, Tony Allen returned to the court just 9 months later in time for the '07-08 season. Much of his quickness and explosiveness was gone, but he was still a quality defender and had a mediocre season. Fantasy-wise, he wasn't even a blip on the radar screen, but that could change this year as he gets more playing time. If you remember, Tony Allen was putting up BIG-TIME stats before he blew out his knee (in the 19 games prior, he averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 boards, 2.6 assists, 2.2 steals, .6 blocks, 52.3% FG, and 79.0% FT in 32.5 minutes per game). There's no way he'll duplicate those numbers this season, but he could have some value if his knee is 100% healthy. If he looks good in preseason, don't be afraid to gamble on him. BE CAREFUL OF: Ray Allen The elder Allen was brilliant in the NBA Finals, recording 122 points, 30 rebounds, 8 steals, 4 blocks and making 22 of 42 threes in just 6 games, but he had been struggling quite a bit before that. He still finished the regular season as a Top 50 fantasy player, but his stats were down in nearly every single category. As long as he can walk, Mr. Shuttleworth will be able to hit some threes, but there are other areas of concern. His steals per game slipped from 1.5 to .9, suggesting that the 33-year old may have lost half a step. And his stellar 90% FT shooting isn't nearly as helpful to your fantasy team when he's attempting just 3.2 freebies per game like he did last year vs. the career-high 5.6 that he attempted just one year earlier. Don't get me wrong, Allen is still an elite fantasy player. Just don't use a 2nd or 3rd round pick on him like you did in the past. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Garnett : Mid-to-Late 1st Pierce: 2nd - 3rd R. Allen: 5th Rondo: 7th - 8th Perkins: 10th - 11th T. Allen: Last round (if he looks good in preseason) House: Don't draft (but pickup if you need threes) Powe: Don't draft (but pickup ASAP if KG goes down) Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:47:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299169 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299169 It was just a year ago today that Celtics' fandom was turned upside down. The Celtics had just finished a 24 win season. We had excitedly waited for the lottery and once again had our hopes dashed as instead of the first or second pick and the franchise player that we had hoped for, the Celtics dropped to the 5th pick. Kevin Garnett and Shawn Marion had both said that they would refuse a trade to the Celtics. It was a depressing time. Then came the draft and we all waited to see which player Danny would take with the 5th pick. There was debate over Yi, Noah, Green and others, but we all knew that no matter who we got, it wouldn't be enough. Maybe if we had gotten Durant or Oden, but not the 5th pick. And as we waited for the pick, we got news that Danny had traded the 5th pick, Delonte, and Wally for Ray Allen and the 35th pick in the draft. The Celtics finished draft night with a 32 year old shooting guard who was coming off of double ankle surgery and two second round draft picks, Gabe Pruitt and Big Baby Davis. Paul Pierce was happy to have Ray Allen, but didn't we just trade away a shooting guard with two bad ankles to get Ray? And Wally was younger. And we gave up a very promising player in Delonte West. Could Ray Allen even make a difference? There was quite a bit of debate about the trade and whether it even improved the team at all. Then came that fateful day, July 31, 2007 when it was announced that Danny traded 5 players and 2 draft picks for Kevin Garnett. Gone was Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair (without having had a Sebastian Telfair night at the Garden), Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract. The trade for Ray Allen was enough to change KG's mind about coming to Boston and he agreed to an extension on his contract. Most Celtics fans, myself included, were excited about the trade but were also very sad to see Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes in particular go. I was very skeptical at first. Big Al has a ton of potential and I could see him becoming a dominant player for years to come and I really didn't know how much KG had left after 12 hard years in the league. And Ryan Gomes also had potential and was a very classy guy. It was very had saying good bye to these two in particular. Then, the more I read about Kevin Garnett and watched clips on YouTube, the more excited I got about having him on the team. The major concern about the team was the bench because Danny had to trade half the team to get KG. But Danny slowly but surely rebuilt the bench, using the MLE to sign House and Posey and signing Scot Pollard to a minimum contract. In very short time, we went from the bottom of the league to being contenders. Throughout the season there were doubts. Rondo was just a second year point guard and couldn't lead a team with 3 superstars to a championship. Perk wasn't a championship center. The Celtics had 9 new players and couldn't possibly have chemistry. The 3 stars couldn't co-exist and they would need 3 basketballs. The Celtics had no bench. They could compete in the East, but when they got to the West, they would fall. The stars were too old and would fade before the playoffs. Then one by one, the Celtics answered the questions and by the end of the season, they had 66 wins and the best record in the league. In the playoffs, they were expected to roll over the Hawks but instead, were stretched to 7 games as they were unable to win on the road. In the second round, the Cavaliers also stretched them to 7 games and they still couldn't win one on the road. By the conference finals, there doubters were starting to spring up and about half of the experts were predicting a Detroit win. And when the Celtics lost game 2 at home, those critics got even louder. But, they went to Detroit and won and then closed them out in 6 games, winning game 6 on the road. Going into the finals, only 1 out of 10 experts on ESPN gave the Celtics any chance to win. Most predicted the Lakers would win in 5 or 6 games. After all, the West was the stronger conference and the Lakers had just waltzed through their opponents and the Celtics had struggled in the weaker conference. But, a funny thing happened on the way to the Lakers' winning a title, the Celtics totally dominated them. It wasn't even close. And for the first time in 22 years, Celtics fans didn't have to say "Wait until next year." We finally had Championship #17 that we had waited for so long. So, on this annivesary of the signing of Kevin Garnett, we can fondly look back on a fairy tail season and be very happy as Celtics fans. I am proudly wearing all my 2008 Celtics championship gear and very anxiously waiting for next year. The questions have started again. Will the 3 stars be too old? Have the other Eastern teams improved enough to pass them? Can they stay injury free at their age? Will the Celtics bench be strong enough without Posey? Will they have the drive to repeat after finally winning their rings? The Celtics are the World Champions and we have reason to hope that they can repeat this season and it all started with the announcement on July 31, 2007 that the Celtics had traded for Kevin Garnett. What a difference a year makes!!! Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:10:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299057 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299057 hey i shoot in a way like ray allen rite but i try to drive to the rim like a.i. and i do fadeaways like melo but im still 5'3 and i wanna tryout for my schools basketball team. Can u give me some advice Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:42:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298742 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298742 Paul Pierce was recently in Spain and was interviewed by Spanish reporters. Some of his quotes have created quite a stir - mostly because there's not much news and people are looking for something to talk about. First we'll address the best in the world comments. You can see the quotes in Spanish here. (http://www.marca.com/charlas/pierce/24072008.html) A translation is here (http://www.spursreport.com/forums/spurs-nba-fan-feedback/95170-pierce-says-hes-best-player-world-one-his-top-5-favorite-players.html) (registration required) (hat tip to Red's Army (http://redsarmy.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/the-spanish-interview/)) Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world? Pierce: I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself. Q: Who are your top five favorite players in the NBA today? Pierce: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce. According to Ball Don't Lie (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Paul-Pierce-says-he-s-the-best-player-in-the-wor?urn=nba,96670), a lot of Lakers and Spurs fans are upset by this. (What, and Cavs fans are cool with it?) What they don't get is what got lost in translation. Paul just got finished beating Kobe in the Finals. Completely outplayed him on just about every level. He helped shut Kobe down and Kobe... Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:02:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298125 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298125 Herald The kindness of Celtic strangers (http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/celtics/index.php/2008/07/27/the-kindness-of-celtic-strangers/) CelticsBlog Waffling on two possible signings from San Antone (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3684 Itemid=189) Thank you Big Baby (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3686 Itemid=189) LOY's Place Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Teams are overpaying edition (http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2008/07/rumors-and-free-agent-updates-teams-are.html) Hoopsworld Boston Celtics: The grade so far (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9610) Green Bandwagon Boston Celtics YouTube magic: Ray Allen joking around (http://www.greenbandwagon.com/2008/7/28/580196/boston-celtics-youtube-mag) 411 Mania 10 greatest players in NBA history (http://www.411mania.com/sports/nba/80976) TO Sports Who will be the team to beat in the NBA this season (http://www.tosports.ca/?p=523) Red's Army Missing Reggie Lewis (http://redsarmy.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/missing-reggie-lewis/) Bleacher Report Is Leandro Barbosa headed to the Cavs? (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/41458-is-leandro-barbosa-headed-to-the-cleveland-cavaliers) Lex Nihil Novi '86 C's win banner 16 (http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/07/geez-louise-86-cs-win-banner-16.html) The long... Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:57:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296926 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296926 The Vikings go into camp with 80 men on their roster, and will have to trim that to 53 by the time the season starts.  The current position-by-position breakdown follows the jump (depth chart positions subject to debate in some cases; starters in italics): Offense Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson Gus Frerotte John David Booty Brooks Bollinger Running Back Adrian Peterson Chester Taylor Maurice Hicks Albert Young Fullback Thomas Tapeh Jeff Dugan Naufahu Tahi Tackle Ryan Cook Bryant McKinnie Marcus Johnson Chase Johnson Drew Radovich Guard Steve Hutchinson Anthony Herrera Artis Hicks Brian Daniels Mike Jones Center Matt Birk John Sullivan Dan Mozes Tim Mattran Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe Jim Kleinsasser Garrett Mills Braden Jones Wide Receiver Bernard Berrian Bobby Wade Sidney Rice Robert Ferguson Aundrae Allison Jaymar Johnson Martin Nance Nate Jones Darius Reynaud Daniel Davis Defense/Special Teams Defensive End Jared Allen Ray Edwards Brian Robison Jayme Mitchell Ellis Wyms Otis Grigsby Martail Burnett Defensive Tackle Kevin Williams Pat Williams Fred Evans Letroy Guiron Kenderick Allen Leger Douzable Linebacker E.J. Henderson Ben Leber Chad Greenway Heath Farwell Vinny Ciurciu Derrick Pope Rufus Alexander David Herron Erin Henderson Jeremy Leman Cornerback Antoine Winfield Cedric Griffin Marcus McCauley Charles Gordon Benny Sapp Dee McCann Marcus Walker Brandon Sumrall Safety Darren Sharper Madieu Williams Michael Boulware Tyrell Johnson Eric Frampton Jusain Abdullah Kicker Ryan Longwell Steven Hauschka Punter Chris Kluwe Long Snapper Cullen Loeffler Hard to find any real positional battles there.  The best one is probably at tight end, where I'm hoping Garrett Mills, who showed flashes in the final game of last season, will push Visanthe Shiancoe.  Maybe Marcus McCauley or Charles Gordon can make things uncomfortable for Cedric Griffin?  Everything else looks set, barring injury or guys suddenly forgetting how to play.  I'll continue to update this as camp progresses, reflecting cuts, and any changes in depth chart position. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:24:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294950 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294950 I have always been resistant to change. Even if I knew it was coming a mile away. Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent. And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players. Change was coming. I just didn't know how fast. Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons. The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts. Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick. With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster. The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010. They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list. Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight. Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now. But a solid contender. Addendum: - DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier - What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011. He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015." Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean. - Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:14:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294210 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294210 Great list of jokes that were made during the 2008 Espy awards. Pretty conclusive list by SamePageSports.com We hope you enjoy and if you see one that is missing please comment. Just a few listed here: -Right up front I'd just like to personally thank Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for all the cameras tonight and there are so many of them. - I heard this whole theater was built using Shaquille O'Neal's bricks. - There was all that talk about Kobe needing Shaq to win a championship. I couldn't help but notice that the Boston Celtics didn't need either of you. For a huge list of the jokes from the awards show click the link. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:50:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293622 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293622 RAJON RONDO RAY ALLEN AND CHRIS PAUL BECAUSE ALL OF THEM ARE CUTE AND RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL ARE THE BEST POINT GUARDS I KNOW AND RAY ALLEN IS SO FINE BUT NOT FINE AS RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL SO I WANT EVERY BODY OUT THER 2 COMMENT ON THIS AND EVERY BODY I HOPE SHOULD SAY RAJON RONDO FIRST THANKZ AND I LUV U RONDO!!!!!!!!!!!! Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:23:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 There are many Athletes out there with Ridiculous Superstions like 1.) JOHN HENDERSON,NFL: HAVING A TEAM TRAINER SLAP HIM ACROSS THE FACE AS HARD AS HE CAN BEFORE EACH GAME, 2.)MOISES ALOU,MLB: URINATING ON HIS HANDS TO HARDEN THEM(HE DOESN'T USE BATTING GLOVES), 3.) TURK WENDELL, MLB: CHEWING 4 PIECES OF BLACK LICORICE WHEN PITCHING, THEN BRUSHING HIS TEETH BETWEEN INNINGS, 4.) JASON TERRY, NBA: SLEEPING IN AN OPPONENT'S UNIFORM SHORTS THE NIGHT BEFORE EVERY GAME, 5.) RAY ALLEN,NBA: DURING MILWAUKEE'S 2001 PLAYOFF SERIES WITH THE HORNETS, ALLEN PAINTED HIS TOENAILS GREEN AND PURPLE FOR GOOD LUCK, 6.) BRUCE GARDINER, NHL: DIPPING THE BLADE OF HIS STICK INTO A TOILET BEFORE GAMES, 7.) KEVIN RHOMBERG, MLB: HAVING TO TOUCH ANY PLAYER WHO TOUCHED HIM WHILE ON THE FIELD, 8.) CARSON BUTLER, NCAA HOOPS: DRINKING A LITER OF MOUNTAIN DEW BEFORE EACH GAME, AND ANOTHER AT HALFTIME, 9.) MIKE BIBBY,NBA; CLIPPING HIS FINGERNAILS ON THE BENCH, 10.) THE ECUADORIAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: BRINGING A SHAMAN/WITCH DOCTOR TO THE 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP, 11.) ALL NASCAR DRIVERS; RELIGIOUSLY AVOIDING ANY PEANUT SHELLS WHILE AT THE TRACK. Well those are all the Athletes I know with ridiculous superstitions. Please share your story on an athlete with a superstition. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:53:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291647 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291647