Updated April 20
Sanjaya has some free time this week and wrote in.
Don't send me the American Idol fan e-mails. I don't want to see them. Someone wrote in, trying to be funny, and says he's Sanjaya. I'm going with it.
I know who he is. You do, too.
Doesn't make us American Idol fans. I believe it's a glorified karaoke contest, or the lounge singer lottery.
This guy wrote in, and I can't use another name for him. He says he's Sanjaya, so be it. So what if I know he has been eliminated. I watch the news.
Stop looking at me. Here's the mail.
From: Sanjaya
Yo Tony, I can't believe you didn't even consider the Golden State Warriors as one of the 10 hardest hit teams! The team has overcome serious injuries to Baron Davis and J-Rich!! Not including the injuries to Monta Ellis, Troy Murphy early in the season, and having to deal with the midseason trade landing Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington. They have dealt with adversity fighting for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. You didn't even consider them as a honorable mention, which is a slap in the face. How did you even get hired as a staff writer in the first place?!!
The same way you got to stay on your show. Howard Stern campaigned to love me, because I'm a faithful disciple. Ungrateful beast. Baba-booey.
From: Hector C.
Tony, if using injuries as an excuse is not acceptable in your eyes, then why did you commence to list the teams with the best excuses? That doesn't make sense. Either the injuries excuses are legitimate, or they are not. You're trying to have it both ways. But then again, you're the two-faced, dishonest, gangsta-sportswriter, so, it doesn't have to make sense. You can just swing those gold chains around and look menacing in your wife-beater T-shirt, flash the peace sign, and say, Wassup??!! Tough guy.
Where are my chain-shiners! I need polish. I need more gold plating.
From: Ryan K.
Good article about the assistant NBA coaches. Any rumors about Keith Smart? As a Fort Wayne resident, Smart coached our Fort Wayne Fury of the former CBA and as IU grad, Smart is one of my favorites.
Have heard nothing but good things. I'd be surprised if you weren't able to latch on to the team he's coaching down the road.
From: Jack
Here's a reflection: Why Kobe is not MVP ... I hear so many Lakers fans whine, why isn't Kobe a lock for MVP? Here's why ... Lakers vs. Clippers on April 12. Kobe gets his 50 points shortly after the fourth quarter starts and then disappears. What happens? They lose the game and then all of sudden, they may not make the playoffs. This proves he's only after one thing ... numbers ... beating history.. He is chasing Jordan and Chamberlain for 50-plus point games in his career and obviously cares more about that than helping his team clinch a playoff berth. This is why the MVP goes to a player that is valuable to his team, not to himself
This message is not endorsed by the Tony Mejia campaign, no matter what you choose to believe. The opinions expressed within the Mailbag are the sole opinions and mental property of the authors of said opinions. CBS SportsLine, and Tony Mejia, in particular, should not be held liable for what you've read.
From: Mike G.
In reading your article about using injuries as an excuse, I was wondering how the Raptors were left out of that Top 10. Bosh, Calderon, Ford, Parker, Bargnani and Garbajosa all missed extended periods of time due to injuries. I would give the Raptors an A for how they handled the injuries.
No one missed enough time to make my Top 15, especially since they weren't without multiple guys long until Bargnani and Garbajosa at season's end, but I'll agree with your grade of A for what they did accomplish.
From: Eduardo R.
Tony, I remember earlier in the season when the Lakers jumped out to a pretty good win-loss record that was padded by a huge disparity between games played at home vs. games played on the road. Despite their transparent record, you were touting them as a potential contender, yada, yada, yada. Well, now that it's the end of the season and they've actually had to play some road games, they're back down to .500. At home, they're 24-16, yet on the road, they're 16-24. Yep, that's the classic sign of a .500 team. Nothing to see here, folks, just move along. Maybe all that gangsta jewelry is affecting your ability to think clearly, eh?
Awesome. Not only do Laker lovers despise me, it's obvious Laker haters do, too. Where are my chain-shiners!
From: Steve P.
Hey it's been a long time since I've e-mailed you. I just want to ask you how life is knowing that you were totally wrong about Yao Ming. Does that crow taste good? Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming! Yao Ming!
What was I wrong about, exactly. I've missed seeing Yao's name end with an exclamation point the last few weeks. You're certifiable, but memorable and entertaining.
From: Kelly G.
So, now you can write how wrong you were about the Spurs catching the Suns. I'll be watching for it.
I was wrong about how the Spurs were catching the Suns. They finished stronger than I thought they would, even though, as I expected, they dropped their last two.
From: Nick J.
The Celtics were resting players because they wanted to lose games, as were the Bucks as were the Hawks. Either you are lying to yourself or lying to the public. Get some balls and say the truth.
I think they were all making sound business decisions. Why would you ever risk injury to your greatest assets when you have nothing to gain. If you choose to close your eyes to why that's intelligent, then stop reading me.
From: Daniel E.
Hey Kobe hater ... Kobe scores 50, lifts the Lakers to playoffs. I thought I'd pass that along, just in case you didn't hear about it. Not too late to change your MVP vote, you know. In that regard, could somebody out there double check the stat sheets on just how many 40-plus games Kobe had this year, and PLEASE forward that to Tony ASAP? Thanks!!!
From: Chioke H.
Dear Tony,
Could you see P.J. Carlesimo or Larry Brown return to the college bench?
No.
From: Marcus
You said that if Bonzi is off the Houston roster, then they lose an interesting variable from their attack and it will sting. That statement proves that Houston is under the radar of most of the media because Bonzi hasn't been around ALL SEASON. What value did he provide at all this year?
He did have a few flashes of brilliance, but it's the variable he could've represented that I was referring to. When focused, Bonzi can play ball. He's a phenomenal offensive rebounder, and his energy is game-changing.
From: Larry S.
Tony, the suspension of Joey Crawford for the rest of the season and playoffs is Jake O'Donnell all over again. If you remember O'Donnell was one of the best refs in NBA history and tossed Clyde Drexler out of a playoff game with the Suns in '95. It was a national TV game. Drexler abused Jake verbally for much of the first quarter before Jake tossed him. Drexler claimed Jake had a grudge against him because he refused to shake his hand before the game. Absurd. The league never saw O'Donnell ref another game. He felt the league failed to back him up and walked away. An appropriate suspension for Crawford should be two-three games, not the rest of the playoffs. He would have probably officiated about 10 playoff games with his seniority. A player to get 10-game suspension would have to throw a punch like Carmelo did. It was poor judgment on Crawford's part to toss Duncan even though he knew what Duncan was on the bench laughing about. All he had to do was wait till one of the league's chief complainers Duncan got on the floor and call a marginal foul on him. He then would have been justified in tossing Duncan if he said anything. He should have been suspended two-three playoff games and not allowed to officiate any games played by the Mavs or Spurs this year. Stern's punishment did not fit the crime. My guess is we won't see Joey Crawford ref another NBA game again. It's about the money not fairness again in the NBA. And what about Duncan? He walked off the court using four-letter words at Crawford. If the league doesn't give him a game suspension, the other refs have to feel they are being disrespected by Stern. I'm no lip reader, but I know exactly what he called Crawford by the video. There were some bad calls against the Spurs, but I guarantee you the refs around the league are getting tired of them whining and complaining constantly. As a team, they make Rasheed Wallace look tame.
Thanks for the historical perspective. The NBA should welcome Crawford back if he wants back in, but unless he changes his mind, that's unlikely.
From: P.J. McLister
How could the Raptors slide a notch this week when they have not lost a game. They are 9-1 in last 10?
I consider Miami more of a championship contender than I do Toronto. You should, too.
From: Aaron
Just to let you know, Leon Powe was never the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He was up for it, but Brandon Roy, this year's Rookie of the Year, was the player of the year for the 2005-2006 season.
You're correct, he was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2005.
From: Evan
If you were being accurate, you would tell everyone that you thought the Warriors would win 18 games, not less than 30 as you said in your last article. That was weak and I'm calling you on it.
I see my buddy, Janny Hu, Warriors beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, in Vegas. Before she even says hello, she drops, "so, 18 wins, huh?"
So, I know that you saw.
What you probably didn't see was that I addressed hateful Golden State fans in that week's Mailbag, revealing that the 18 wins were a misprint, and I really meant 28. I was still proved wrong, and I admitted it, apologizing for whatever anyone saw with the "less than 30." No big conspiracy. When I'm wrong, I admit it.
