Break out that purplish-red checkered button down shirt, blow the dust off the ol’ director’s chair and get ready for weeks of LeBron headlines, as “The Decision – Part Two” is just beginning.  That’s right, it’s time for Throwing Tomatoes, so get your freakin’ poncho and prepare to be bombarded.

The Decision – Part Two… yeah, perhaps it’s not fair to give it that title.

Maybe LeBron has learned from his mistakes.

Ha ha, good one, KP.

After all, it’s not like King James is going around biting people on the court, right Luis Suarez?

lebron-james-the-decision

Throwing Tomatoes: What will happen when LeBron makes his next NBA “decision”?

As the sports world turns, the stories pile up and more fan frustration emerges.  But don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them all covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: June 28, 2014

Headliner: LeBron James

…for paving the way to a major media frenzy, and yet another “decision”.

Quite honestly, LeBron James hasn’t done anything wrong – not yet, at least.

Not this time.

He actually made the right move when choosing to opt-out of his current contract with the Miami Heat.

His WIFE, on the other hand, sparked the initial fire, via her Instagram account:

(Not surprisingly, the Instagram post is no longer available)

Then ‘Bron-‘Bron opted out – and insert media storm in 3….2…1…

Unfortunately, as LeBron’s wife said, “The countdown is real”.

Yes, painfully, it is.

As I also recently mentioned on Twitter, (shameless follow me plug), this in no way means that LeBron is leaving the Heat, and in no way does it mean that he’s returning to the Cavs, either.

But that doesn’t mean that rapid speculation won’t begin – and already has begun.  After all, James is one of the most polarizing figures in the sports world today. Headlines are already pouring in, from Miami “Big Three” dinner meetings to a speculated full list of potential suitors for James, including the Heat, Cavaliers, Rockets, Suns, Clippers, Lakers and more.

The collective storyline is therefore tomato-worthy, and in so many ways.  It would’ve been no matter what, simply because “The Decision” was the bad chess move that put James into a media checkmate.  He’ll never escape it, and will forever be a pawn to us all.

Well, with one possible exception – if LeBron returns to Cleveland and can finally bring that town a title.  If he rejoins Miami, it is what it is.  He’s been there for four years, and we’re over it by now.  Well, as much as we can be.  The bitter fans of the world will still be on him for his counting of titles speech.

Go ahead and throw gas into the fire if James decides to go “title hopping”, and constructs a fresh “Big Three” in a totally different city.  It’s certainly a possibility, considering that Carmelo Anthony has also opted out, and is friends with James.

My money is on the Heat, especially after Miami acquired Shabazz Napier during the draft.

More to come on this one, that’s for sure.  Keep the red fruit stocked for Throwing Tomatoes.

Target: Luis Suarez

…for biting off more than he can chew.

Luis Suarez is like a two year-old kid that runs around a daycare facility biting everyone in sight.  No matter how many times you tell him NO, he just keeps on doing it.

Anyone following the World Cup knows the most recent incident (the third overall), where Suarez bit opponent Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s group round match with Italy.

Suarez would remain in the match, helping lead his team to a victory – a win that would eliminate the Italians from World Cup competition.

But in this case, the third time is NOT the charm.

Suarez has been down this road before.

As I tweeted:

Strangely, it wasn’t the first time Suarez had an incident with Chiellini.

FIFA suspended him for nine matches and banned him for four months.

It had to be done.  There’s no place for it and he’s a repeat offender.

Although, Chiellini felt that the discipline was rather excessive. The BEST PART of the entire story is when the resident expert, Evander Holyfield, spoke up regarding Suarez:

Munch on this tomato, Luis.

Target: 2014 NBA Draft

Sub-Target: Bill Simmons

…for being Bill Simmons.

If he were any more of a ‘homer’, he’d be walking around eating donuts and married to a woman with blue hair.  I’ll seriously never understand it, how the trend around sporting events is for media members to stay calm in the press boxes when the home team makes a big play.  It’s not a complaint, but a realization.

Yet, the worldwide leader in sports employs a blatant homer, and a guy that flaunts that on national television.  Someone from ESPN, please explain.

The fist pump, Bill….really?

Sub-Target: Foreign Player Reaches

…for being the biggest question mark in sports.

Reaches are reaches.  High upside is a commonly used term in the draft.

But explain why teams will reach out to take an unpolished player that likely will not be around on the current NBA roster for years – if ever.

In the 2014 NBA Draft, two teams made the move in the first round: Philadelphia with Dario Saric and Toronto with Bruno Caboclo.  The way Caboclo was described on ESPN, he could have been selected much later, if at all.

Everyone understands finding that diamond in the rough, but this is too extreme.

Target: Johnny Manziel

…for wearin’ his party shoes way too often.

Look, we all have a little party in us, but there comes a time when responsibility and maturity have to take over.  Johnny Manziel is now one of the faces of the NFL, and the face of the Cleveland Browns, even as the backup QB.  He has to respect his employer and tone it down.

Instead, he’s being defiant, as this headline clearly states: “Browns tell Johnny Manziel to cool it, but partying QB says, ‘I’m not going to change for anybody’“.

This, my friends, is the reason why Manziel took a dive in the draft – and this is why he will fail in the NFL, that is, unless he changes his tune.

Target: Manny Machado

…for his sophomore slump, both mentally and physically.

Manny Machado is still just a kid, but it was hard to picture that considering the kind of impact that he displayed last season with the Baltimore Orioles.

Then, it was the knee injury, followed by rehab, which led into the regular season – a season chock full of offensive struggles and less than sharp play.  Next was the bat launch, followed by multiple confrontations with members of the Oakland A’s.

To his credit, he did apologize and has since been on his best behavior, while mixing in some charity work and other positive actions.

Now, he has a salsa hitting grocery stores.

Random, but a tweet-and-tomato-worthy opportunity:

Target: Shia LaBeouf

…for going off the deep end.

Remember when this guy was the next big thing in the acting world?

And finally, the Throwing Tomatoes current faces of team frustration in sports:

2014 World Cup:

Europe has never won a World Cup in South America, and its representation is dropping like flies

Spain – The defending World Cup champs were the first team to be eliminated

England – The #10 team in the world (FIFA Ranking) was another European disappointment

Italy – Another European power down (#9), and a solid defensive squad with lofty expectationssplatteredtomato

Portugal – Ronaldo scored versus Ghana and helped the U.S. Men’s National Team move on to the round of 16, so we should toss this tomato rather gently…

MLB:

San Francisco Giants – 3-7 over last ten and losing four games of cushion to the Dodgers

Texas Rangers – 2-8 over last ten, 13 games back in the division and seven games below .500

San Diego Padres – Hello Mendoza line, the Pads are batting .176 in June!

New York Yankees – The Bombers have scored just 89 total runs this month (in 24 games)

Colorado Rockies – Team’s ERA in June is a whopping 6.48!

 

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where the decisions are always easy to make.

 * Note: Stats as of June 28,2014