Sam Cassell's Girlfriend

http://ustre.am/5A6i 

DC'S DEBATE  MON-THURS 8:00-10:00!!!!!!!!!

THE 2 HOTTEST CHICKS ON USTREAM!!!!!!!

Baltimore City will once again celebrate its heroes with the second-annual Parade of Champions on Saturday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The parade, which will run from the Chick Webb Recreation Center at 623 N. Eden Street to the Madison Square Dome at 1400 E. Biddle Street, features Baltimore basketball players, teachers, youth athletes and mentors. Basketball stars Juan Dixon, Sam Cassell, Keith Booth and Donnell Harris will be among those honored.

Mayor Sheila Dixon called the parade "a very important event that will allow me to honor the real heroes and 'sheroes' of Baltimore City."

"These are everyday citizens that have achieved great success through perseverance, dedication, and, many times, despite many obstacles," Dixon said in a press release.

The parade will also mark the reopening of the Madison Square Dome at the parade's finish line. The dome, built in 1971, just finished a six-month, $680,000 renovation project. The dome has served as a training ground for many of Baltimore's own champions over the years, including basketball players Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Lewis and Skip Wise.

WIZARDS INSIDER

Young Seeing Progress in Workouts

How about a brief recap. First, the Wizards win the lottery tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Clippers, meaning that they have a slightly higher chance of claiming the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft.

Sweet.

Ironically, the Clippers would receive the No. 1 pick on May 19, despite having lower odds than the league-worst Sacramento Kings and the Wizards. Each team ended up being in the worst possible scenario by picking fourth and fifth, respectively.

Bitter.

Later that week, it would be announced that three-time NBA champion and Baltimore native Sam Cassell would be joining the Wizards' coaching staff, along with Randy Wittman.

Cassell and Wittman have ties with head coach Flip Saunders dating back to their stints in Minnesota, one as a player and the other as an assistant coach.

Not bad, I guess. Cassell was always thought of as a coach on the floor when he played by many, so having his expertise and tough love as a former player on the bench will definitely be handy.

The same could be said for former NBA guard Sam Cassell, who also was named an assistant on Saunders's staff. Cassell, a Baltimore native, played 15 seasons in the NBA before retiring Thursday and immediately entering the coaching profession.

Cassell, who played for Saunders in Minnesota, said he first felt the desire to become a coach during his fifth year in the league, when he was a member of the New Jersey Nets.

"The good teams respect their coaches," said Cassell, who won three NBA titles during his playing career. "That's why they're good teams."

Now, Cassell and Wittman are charged with helping Saunders turn the Wizards, who finished 19-63 this season, back into a good team. Both said they believe the pieces are in place, and both have been involved in conducting the team's pre-draft workouts, from which future pieces may be gleaned.

Guards Dwayne Anderson (Villanova), Micah Downs (Gonzaga), Gordon Watt (Houston Baptist) and Weyinmi Efejuku (Providence) participated in Friday's workout.

"I don't have to tell them what I've done; they saw how I was as a player," Cassell said. "Just trying to get everyone together on the same page is our goal as a coaching staff."

The coolest part about being in Chicago is that I'm supposedly staying in a very legendary hotel suite at the historic landmark Blackstone. When I checked in, the man behind the desk told me that the room I'm staying in is the same room where Warren G. Harding stayed when he was selected as the Republican candidate for president in 1920 and where John F. Kennedy stayed when he was informed of the Cuban Missile Crisis. . . . Anyway, back to basketball. I forgot to pass along this great line from Nuggets Coach George Karl when asked about Sam Cassell joining Flip Saunders's staff: "I can't wait to see Sam make that 7:30 meeting."

-- Michael Lee

Aw, so cute.