DON'T THINK. IT CAN ONLY HURT THE BALLCLUB

Just when I thought interviewing an NBA coach during precious, precious time between the third and fourth quarters of an NBA finals game was pushing invasive media coverage to the brink, it may have been topped on Saturday.

I flipped to the NASCAR nationwide race in the midst of an interview with driver Greg Biffle - as he circled the track.

Thankfully, as I momentarily discovered, the interview - done by the announcers in the booth through the communication system in Biffle's helmet - was done before the green flag dropped to actually begin the race. Nonetheless, interviewing a driver in his car?!? What's next, linking the mic in Tom Brady's helmet to the booth until the play clock tics under 25?

I didn't see much of the rest of the Nationwide race. Maybe that was the peak of the over-the-top ESPN coverage. Or maybe that was just the beginning of the afternoon's interaction with the drivers. What would it take to surprise us now? Drivers talking to their crew while traveling 190 mph is one thing, giving an interview is another.

The Biffle interview was just the beginning of the pre-race frenzy. The ESPN announcers quickly transitioned to a communication problem-marred one-question interview with Biffle's crew chief seconds before the race began. Then a member of a pit crew, who was apparently prepped for this role, diagramed the pits at New Hampshire Motor Speedway correspondent-style.

Don't get me wrong, inside information during a sporting event absolutely fascinates me. But 90 percent of the time, that inside info isn't going to come from an interview. Phil Jackson was about the only coach with insightful things to say during the between-quarter interviews in the NBA finals. The quality of the answers in any interview depend on the interview subject's state of mind. Not surprisingly, most have a few things on their mind during, for example, a game that could win or lose them an NBA title. Contractual obligations to do these interviews probably don't thrill anybody on the other side of the microphone.

The best in-game quotes, by far, come unprompted - when players and coaches are wearing microphones and all but act like they normally would during a game. The hidden-camera halftime speeches during the NBA finals were far more interesting to me than the between-quarter interviews.

I'm just worried about what they'll come up with next. Any guesses? Leave a comment or e-mail me at clay.fowler@inlandnewspapers.com.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Upland High School quarterback Josh Nunes chose the University of Tennessee from 30-plus scholarship offers, issuing a verbal commitment to the Vols on Tuesday night.

One of the most heralded football recruits in the Inland Empire, Nunes, who will begin his senior season in the fall, has been collecting scholarship offers since he was a sophomore. The final eight schools under consideration were: Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arizona State, BYU, Stanford and Harvard.

The 6-foot-4, 211-pound quarterback is the 10th-ranked pro style quarterback in the nation on rivals.com and the No. 181 overall recruit.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chino Hills High School's Zach Collier signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night, according to his father, Clarence Collier. The terms were not disclosed.

The 34th overall pick of the June 5 Major League Baseball draft and Inland Valley Player of the Year reported to the Phillies' rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Clearwater, Fla., on Sunday.

Last year's 34th overall selection, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds, received a signing bonus of $825,000.

Collier, who had open heart surgery at the end of his sophomore season when a birth defect was discovered after he collapsed following baseball practice, hit .450 as a senior with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 80 at-bats.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left fielder seemed to shoot up the draft charts as a senior after laying low follwing the risky operation on a pinched coronary artery. Out of baseball for seven months after surgery, he dipped below the MLB radar. Even after a full junior season at Chino Hills, he elected not to try and bolster his draft status through the showcase circiut during the 2007 summer.

The Colliers seem like a conservative family, but really they couldn't have played their cards any better. Without rushing him into unnecessary high-pressure situations, Zach's draft status peaked at the exact right time. Before the draft, one MLB scout, who wouldn't directly address Collier, told me that few if any players in Southern California go unnoticed considering the prestegious showcase circiut. Naturally, MLB scouts try to keep players a secret as long as possible.

In other words, Collier's name may not have been out there as much as other touted prospects, but nobody was overlooking this kid. He was going high in the draft whether anybody outside of a war room knew it or not.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Granted, the media limits the possibilities, but I have never seen anybody celebrate a championship - in any sport - with the unadulterated jubilation Kevin Garnett did Tuesday night.

It wasn't just his throw-your-head-back-curse-laden howling (during a live postgame interview, no less - maybe the best postgame interview EVER), not the sweaty tears or even the fact that he put Danny Ainge in a headlock long enough that the GM was visibly losing circulation.

It was most evident to me that Garnett could barely handle the release of 12 years of pent up combustible competitiveness when the championship was first sinking in. Several times before the clock expired on the Celtics 39-point win over the Lakers, Garnett bent down, put his hands on his knees and his head under a towel in what I feel sure was an attempt to keep his head from exploding.

For crying out loud, it was revealed that Garnett didn't sleep for a four-day period of the Eastern Conference Finals that stretched from sometime after Game 4 past Game 6. Tuesday night, he said he "wasn't fixin' to sleep for a week." And he probably didn't sleep LAST week. I know Jordan used to have all-night gambling sessions, but does that even compare to this?

Outwardly, Garnett is the most driven athlete I've ever laid eyes on. I'm sure there have been others more driven, but they never revealed it like this maniac. The pain most of those 12 years in Minnesota caused him was palpable, the best evidence of which I can remember in an interview he did with John Thompson that I believe was in the midst of the 2006 season, the lowest of the low for Garnett for two reasons: the T-wolves finished 33-49 the year Garnett turned 30 and 2004, the year the T-Wolves made the Conference Finals (the only year he made it out of the first round before this season), was well in the rearview mirror and something he knew wasn't going to happen again in Minnesota anytime soon (Not that we should be surprised, but even at the height of his hysteria, Garnett gave a shout out to "the 'Sota" in his postgame interview on Tuesday).

With Thompson hardly pressing him for answers, Garnett broke down on camera. He kept repeating "I'm losing man. I'm losing," staring Thompson in the face with tears streaming down his own. His loyalty to the Timberwolves juxtaposed with the organization's inability to put players around him was the ultimate conflict for a person of his make up. He endured it far longer than most any other superstar would have. (Cough) Kobe.

Tuesday night made it all worth it for anybody who has sympathized with or admired Garnett for loyalty that's getting more rare by the season. He could barely stand up afterward. He was drunk before any of the champagne bottles were uncorked.

The best comparison I can think of is John Elway, but that isn't really all that close. Had Charles Barkley won a title, the emotional release might have been comparable. Allen Iverson may fall in the same category in terms of visible desire to win. Dan Marino wanted it bad, but not like Garnett.

Tuesday night was the perfect combination: a storybook ending for a player who tells his story like no other.

Posted by Clay Fowler at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don Lugo High School's Charlie Hinojosa is going pro.

The third baseman drafted in the 39th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Mets on June 5, confirmed he will sign with the organization.

The rocket-armed Hinojosa, who was a good quarterback for Don Lugo and an even better punter, didn't receive much attention from colleges on the football or baseball front despite batting .495 with 38 RBI and six home runs this season. He said it was an easy choice to elect to sign with the Mets, from whom he expects to receive a signing bonus in the $40,000 range.

Colony High School's Patrick Johnson, who was drafted in the 44th round by the Kansas City Royals, opted to attend Riverside Community College, which will make him eligible for next year's draft.

Here is the complete list of local players drafted:

Kyle Skipworth, C, Riverside Patriot HS -- Florida Marlins, first round (6th pick)
Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS -- Philadelphia Phillies, compensatory round A (34th pick)
Tyler Chatwood, RHP, Redlands East Valley HS -- Angels, second round (74th pick)
Andrew Liebel, RHP, Long Beach State (Damien) -- Toronto Blue Jays, third round (95th pick)
Jermaine Curtis, 3B, UCLA (Miller) -- St. Louis Cardinals, fifth round
Isaac Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS -- Florida Marlins, eighth round
Cody Puckett, SS, Cal State Dominguez Hills (Hesperia) -- Cincinnati Reds, eighth round
Danny Pertusati, OF, Damien HS -- Florida Marlins, 13th round
Reyes Dorado, RHP, Arizona State (Miller) -- Angels, 14th round
Ryan Babineau, C, UCLA (Etiwanda) -- Arizona Diamondbacks, 17th round
Jason Roenicke, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (Chino Hills) -- Toronto Blue Jays, 19th round
Jon Bravo, LHP, Azusa Pacific (Chino) -- St. Louis Cardinals, 23rd round
Ricky Oropesa, 3B, Etiwanda HS -- Boston Red Sox, 24th round
Matt Long, RHP, Cal State San Bernardino -- Tampa Bay Rays, 34th round
Jordan Leyland, 1B, San Dimas HS -- Tampa Bay Rays, 36th round
Matt Andriese, RHP, Redlands East Valley HS -- Texas Rangers, 37th round
Charlie Hinojosa, 3B, Don Lugo HS -- New York Mets, 39th round
Tony McClendon, OF, Damien HS -- Houston Astros, 41st round
Patrick Johnson, OF, Colony HS -- Kansas City Royals, 44th round
Carl Uhl, OF, UC Riverside (Serrano) -- Colorado Rockies, 49th round

Posted by Clay Fowler at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)