Thursday, May 31, 2007

Sports Stream Of Consciousness

Here’s what I’ve got on a fairly humid Thursday morning:

1. Kobe Bryant’s not being traded. Kobe doesn’t even really want to be traded. This is a non-story that people are running with because the NBA playoffs stopped being interesting the moment San Antonio beat Phoenix in Game 5 while Amare Stoudamire was serving his one-game suspension. Seriously, what does it say about the NBA when the only story grabbing headlines right now is coming from a player that was bounced from the postseason 30 days ago? David Stern can get sanctimonious and nasty all he wants but his league has a problem and the Spurs aren’t doing anybody any favors by alienating casual fans all across the country.

1A. I know Kobe’s not being traded but I wish the Knicks could get him. Eddy Curry, David Lee, Renaldo Balkman, and Mardy Collins are my only untouchables. If the Knicks could add Kobe to Curry, I’d be happier than a pig in shit. Kobe would have the low-post big man he’s missing and Curry would have the guy that wants to be “the man” that he’d be happy to defer to. There’s obviously no way it’s happening but a guy can dream, can’t he?

2. I love ARod. Hypocrites and haters will call last night’s “I got it!” call a bush league play and a form of cheating. I call it smart baseball. First and foremost, baseball is full of these nonsensical and contradictory so-called unwritten rules. While it is acceptable to pull the hidden ball trick or to scuff or otherwise mark up a baseball, it is unacceptable to confuse a fielder as he attempts to catch a pop-up in the infield. How does that make sense? The object of the game is to win by all means necessary. If no one else pulls that trick, that’s fine. But I have no problem with Alex doing whatever it takes for his team to score the runs they need to win the game. Further, I have to believe that if another player (except for Barry Bonds) did the same thing, it wouldn’t garner much more than a chuckle and a blooper-level mention on ESPN. It’s too bad that anything Alex does gets criticized but I guess that’s what happens when everyone in baseball is jealous of his extraordinary skill and savvy.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Wade Boggs: A True Hall of Famer

This should give everyone a newfound level of respect (and awe) for former Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay third baseman Wade Boggs.


There’s no doubt that he belongs in the Hall of Fame!

Monday, May 28, 2007

The Mysteries of the NBA Playoffs

I went to watch Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at a friends place. Since it’s already the conference finals, there were a lot of questions asked by people who watch the NBA regularly, and those who do not. I tried my best to answer each of the questions but I never realized how mysterious the NBA had gotten…

Mystery #1) What is that piece of hair growing on the back of Gooden’s head?
See the picture. No one knows what this patch of hair is, or what to call it. This has been a running question all season. Last week, during round 2, one of my friends called it a “Neckstache.” I’m sticking with that explanation. I swear that about 5 months ago, Gooden’s on-air explanation of it was that: “I started growing hair there and someone told me to shave it. And you know what? Right then I decided – I’m not going to shave it, I’m going to keep it all season!” I can’t even imagine how weird it would be if I tried walking into work with a “Neckstache.”



Mystery #2) Who in the world would name their son “Sasha”???

Actually, “Sasha Pavlovic” on the Cavs has a real name of: “Aleksandar Pavlovic.” http://www.nba.com/playerfile/aleksandar_pavlovic/index.html So, the real question is why Aleksandar let’s everyone call him by a girl’s name. Maybe he’s desperate for acceptance?

Mystery #3) Why does the WNBA keep adopting slogans that are actually very lame?

I have absolutely no idea. All I know, is that this year’s WBA slogan, “Have You Seen Her?,” just puts the MC Hammer song in my head everytime I see the slogan. I just hope that MC Hammer is getting some money out of this. I then got curious, and I checked out wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA , and found that it started with “We Got Next,” which then became “We Got Game.” The “We Got Next” slogan always made me laugh – but to follow it up with “We Got Game”??? Are they saying they used to not have skills? The NHL should try this strategy - "NHL 2008 - Now, with 2% more scoring!" I think the “We Got Game” slogan is a little desperate. The “Have You Seen Her” slogan certainly speaks more to the populace, because indeed, most people have not seen the WNBA even though women’s basketball may have “good fundamentals”, as said on Futurama.

Notes from The Periphery: Pazzo Calcio e Piu

Soccer-mania
Some thoughts over here in +1 GMT land. Over the weekend I attended an AC Siena game. It was an important game here in sleep Siena. If the home team didn't win they would have been demoted to Series B (read minor leagues). As such to bring out the hometown fans it was 1 euro ticket day, which given exchange rates is about 82 American dollars. They would need it as they faced SS Lazio (no really SS. I'm still not sure what that stands for but they have a really scary eagle on their flag that looks like it was stolen from the Third Reich. Also Lazio fans tend to throw flares around and give fascist salutes to one another.)

The game started under bad conditions as we got a good Midwestern/Baptist thunderstorm with the rain, wind and lightening. Luckily here in Europe soccer games aren't canceled just because people are standing in pools of water on metal stands. Despite blowing numerous good chances, the home team scored with about 5 minutes to go to get the 2-1 win. To celebrate the giocatori (players) ran around hugging, sliding on the rain soaked turf and throwing anything they could get their hands on into the stands (this included soccer balls, their shirts and their shorts. I'm still not sure how it happened but numerous players did end up running around in their underwear). Anyway moral of the story is that best celebrations here in Europe are either winning a Championship Game and not being sent to the minors.

NBA Semi-Finals
While continuing on the Lebron theme from Laz.... I can no longer go with the media as hating Lebron but merely Memento-like treatment. From Kelly Dwyer at CNNSI to Doyel at sportsline to Chris Sheridan at espn everyone was bowing to the king (well so was Rasheed Wallace after Lebron posterized him with an inhuman dunk). However wasn't it a few days ago that Lebron was ripped as being over-rated and never fufilling his hype. Nevermind his actual performance or his teams performance or his overall work but merely the score for THAT game determines how highly rated is Lebron. Its almost if everyone went on a roadtrip with Bill Walton....

Oh wait, isn't there another NBA semi-final game. Something about Utah v. San Antonio. But its so boring. Duncan v. Boozer. Who can get excited about that? Urge to write failing, urge to fall asleep rising. Better think of something else to wake myself up. Ah yes. Miss Johansson....

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Congratulazioni per AC Milan

Champion League Champions -- AC Milan, who defeated Liverpool last night 2-1 to become the best club team in the world for 7th time. Italy seems to be on a roll for calcio. As the flags waved and the fans went crazy here in Siena in support of the black and red the cheer of a winner rubbing it in on their arch-rival Inter-Milan could be heard "Inter, Inter, vaffanculo Inter!"

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Bizzaro Bryan Colangelo

I’m utterly sick of everyone complaining how much of a “travesty/ disaster / debacle” it is that the teams with the three worst records in the NBA got booted down to 4-5-6 in the NBA Draft. It’s a statistical anomaly for sure, and while I feel bad for those teams who tried so hard to lose games this season, each and every one of these teams knew that it was entirely plausible that they would not get either Oden or Durant. I especially have practically no sympathy for the Celtics who had Larry Bird in the ‘80s and also won like 13 other championships before Larry got there. I hope that David Stern keeps the lottery the way it is, because it still is slanted towards the top teams receiving the top picks, its just that there’s always going to be uncertainty because the lottery is designed to balance 1) a reward for team’s that do poorly with 2) providing a dis-incentive for teams that tank!

Onto other items of business…
I cannot believe that Sam Mitchell, coach of the Raptors has 1) won coach of the year, 2) became a hot coaching commodity, or 3) re-signed with the Raptors after becoming a hot coaching commodity. The whole reason for the Raptors success is because of the greatest NBA Executive of the 21st century, Bryan Colangelo. All I know is, Sam Mitchell went into the season as a “lame-duck coach” and came out smelling like roses, and I just have to question how much of the success can be attributed to Mitchell rather than for Colangelo. Colangelo is a stud as everything Colangelo touches turns to gold I tell you! Look at these transactions he’s made while GM of the Suns and the Raptors:
1) Trading Marbury and Penny Hardaway to the Knicks… then using the cap space to sign Steve Nash (more or less)
2) Trading Joe Johnson to the Hawks for Boris Diaw AND TWO first round picks
3) Signing Raja Bell to a 5-year deal when no one else was interested4) Signing Tim Thomas in the middle of the 2005-2006 when Amare was out for the season… and Tim Thomas was in a contract year, so it was like acquiring an All-star caliber player
5) [Toronto] Drafting Bargnani, signing Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa from the Euroleague

In the end, Bryan Colangelo has decided to reward Sam Mitchell, so its his decision to keep Sam on, and only time will tell if Colangelo has made the right decision. Meanwhile, while Bryan Colangelo is making every RIGHT decision in Toronto, another GM, Kevin McHale, is stuck making every WRONG decision in Minnesota!

After firing his coach mid-way through the season when the T-wolves were 20-20, McHale hired his buddy, former Cleveland Cavalier head coach Randy Wittman, who was then able to inspire the team to a 12-30 record over the remaining part of the season. That’s not a misprint. And KG played the whole second half of the season!

McHale thought long and hard over the last couple of weeks since the season has ended… and decided that he would be more like Colangelo so he also would bring his head coach back! Yes, Randy Wittman now has a multi-year contract as a reward for his great “interim” work! It’s gotten to the point now where I fully believe that Kevin McHale is the “Bizzaro Bryan Colangelo.” McHale said that Coach Wittman is "… going to push the players and yet he's flexible enough that they'll enjoy playing for him.'' http://www.nba.com/nba_news/wittman_signs.html Really??? I think even McHale has topped himself on this one. How McHale keeps his job is really amazing. Despite all of the mistakes in draft picks, trades, and free agent signings, McHale also is notorious for making the “under-the-table” deal with Joe Smith, getting caught for it, having to give up three first round picks as punishment… and he still did not get fired! It’s hard to think of many jobs in life where you can get caught for cheating and punished for it, and you are able to keep the same amount of responsibility… for another 7 years??? Short of McHale physically harming one of his players, he clearly will never be fired!

Bud Selig Continues to Disgrace Himself (and the Game)

One of the main privileges of holding the commissionership of baseball is being entrusted with a vague but powerful clause in Article II, Section 2(b) the Major League Baseball Constitution which gives the commissioner the power to act in the “best interests of the game.” This “best interests” clause has been used by many commissioners over the years, and the Supreme Court of the United States has even positively affirmed and reinforced the commissioner’s right to invoke the “best interests” clause in nearly all matters of baseball governance.

I bring up the “best interests” clause because I wish to contrast that with everything that has taken place over the 15 years of Bud Selig’s commissionership. I will not discuss how he has blemished the integrity of the game by accepting loans from a current owner in exchange for a favorable ruling on the potential contraction of a team, nor will I discuss how he rigged the sale of three teams in order to reward loyalty at the expense of open competition. I won’t even mention the fact that, at one time, he was the owner of a small-market club and secured a labor contract that directly benefited his own bottom line, all the while sitting behind the desk of the commissioner’s office.

Instead, I will focus on how Bud Selig, in his quest for the appearance of diligence and competence, has disgraced himself and the game by leaking private information as a form of revenge. As all will no doubt remember, last week Jason Giambi gave a candid interview to USA Today about his own regrets for having used steroids and his desire that all of baseball own up to its mistakes in that regard. Today, it was reported that Giambi had tested positive for amphetamines within the last year. To me, the timing of this revelation is extremely suspect. I interpret this news as Selig smearing Giambi in the press because he dared to speak in public and on the record.

The irony is that Selig has been trying to coerce teams and players to cooperate with his appointed crony George Mitchell in Mitchell’s investigation of the steroids scandal. Funny, then, that Selig would resent a player openly and frankly discussing his past involvement with steroids but would seek to compel them to talk with Mitchell in the same honest manner.

It amazes me that Giambi’s personal opinion would generate such backlash and anger. What is Selig so upset about? Isn’t it an open secret that everyone – players, agents, owners, team management, members of the press – knew about the sport’s rampant addiction to (and endorsement of) steroids? Does Selig think that smearing Giambi is an effective means of damage control? If anything, it obscures the process that Selig appointed Mitchell to lead and is totally counter to the “best interests” clause.

And there, folks, is the rub. See, Selig isn’t interested in solving the steroids problem in baseball, he’s merely interested in giving off the whiff of propriety and discipline. He’d rather smear Giambi (and Bonds before him) than confront the reality that baseball needs steroids and all the side benefits it provides – tape-measure homeruns, jacked-up radar gun readings, the ability for players to grind through the fatigue of a 162-game season.

So, to Jason Giambi, the message is clear: it doesn’t pay to tell the truth when you’re working for liars. Then again, Giambi should’ve known that already if he bothered to see what baseball has done to Mark McGwire.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

It's never easy being the king

So, as soon as i turn on ESPN this morning, all they can talk about is how Lebron screwed the pooch last night by dishing it out to Donnell Marshall and what a huge mistake that was. To that I say NAY. Lebron drove the lane in a game in which his team was down by two and passed it out to a wide open Marshall behind the arc and went for the win. It's not Lebron's fault that Marshall missed a three in which he was so wide open that i ate 4 chicken wings in the time before anyone got near him.
Also, let's look at the other possibilities of what might have happened.
1. Lebron passes it off to Marshall and Marshall makes it, cavs win! Lebron is hailed by the media as the superior unselfish player who made a great decision and won his team the game.
2. Lebron drives the lane, being double teamed and misses the shot, Cavs lose and Lebron is criticized by the media for being too selfish.
3. Lebron drives the lane and makes it but the Cavs lose in overtime. Lebron is criticized by the media for not dishing it to Marshall at the end of regulation.
I look at all four of the possible outcomes and i realize that this is not Lebron's fault. The only person the media should be criticizing is Donnell Marshall for missing the shot, but no one talks about him.
Well, there's an early morning rant you guys can all stew over.
Laz

Monday, May 21, 2007

Baseball Writing In Disrepair

DISCLAIMER: EXTREMELY LONG!

I’m in a fine rage this morning. Buster Olney, who is actually beginning to annoy me at this point, wrote the following on Saturday morning (with my responses included):

“You wonder now if Giambi was sincere, whatsoever, with his initial apology…was it simply a media relations ploy?” Look, of course Giambi’s first apology was a PR ploy. Quite frankly, aren’t most apologies at least partly an act of self-absolution? Giambi’s 2005 apology was as much about getting the heat off him for putrid performance during the 2003 playoffs and the 2004 season as it was to get control of the BALCO story that included him, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and others. And what’s so wrong with that? There was a degree of sincerity to his apology, of that I have no doubt. But what’s the difference if it was 5% sincere or 100% sincere? It achieved Giambi’s goal of getting the bull’s-eye off his back.

Why does Olney care anyway? Have all of Olney’s mea culpas been totally genuine? I’d be willing to bet he’s offered a few apologies in his day that were more about getting his ass off the hot seat than they were about earnest regret. So fuck Olney’s judgmental tone.

“He still has never really been up front and honest about the issue...” He hasn’t? Really? Well then I guess Mark McGwire hasn’t either. I mean, we’re crucifying McGwire and holding him out of the Hall of Fame for something we think he did, not for something he admitted to doing. If anything, Giambi’s been the most forthcoming about his past steroid use. What’s Olney’s beef here? Does anyone have to read between the lines and guess as to what Giambi’s alluding to? Giambi’s pretty much admitted to everything. I don’t see how we can doubt his frankness at this point, seeing as though he’s told us that he used steroids in his career.

“There is something mildly offensive about Giambi saying that others should apologize for the steroid issue...he committed the crime...walked away with the cash, lied repeatedly about whether he used steroids until he was scared into speaking the truth before the grand jury and has never come clean, completely. And now he’s saying others should apologize? Please.” The media has been screaming for accountability and now Olney is offended by someone stepping up and asking for the same thing? Is it a case of playing semantics or is Olney this obtuse? Giambi’s apology – the one where HE said HE was sorry for what HE had done – also included a statement where he thinks that everyone in baseball should own up for past mistakes.

This isn’t Giambi shirking responsibility here nor is he trying to pass the buck. He’s taking ownership of his own errors (the only thing an individual can do, after all) and volunteering his opinion on what he thinks would be the best way to get past this issue. Olney disagrees? No one else should apologize? It’s wrong for someone who made a mistake to ask that others who made the same mistake or have complicity in the same “crime” to own up to past errors? What’s so offensive about that?

“There’s no doubt that the entire institution of baseball shares the blame for what happened. But for one of the users of the “stuff” to criticize other players and owners, implicitly, reflects the arrogance of a burglar who got away with the goods.” I hardly see the arrogance in Giambi’s position. The media shares as much, if not more, of the blame because the steroids era happened on their watch. Those members of the media who are earning their money and gaining exposure on ESPN or other outlets by offering with their neo-McCarthyism should remember that they – not the fans – were in the locker-room watching these guys walk around looking like Incredible Hulks.

And where was Olney in all of this? With his head in the sand, pretending not to notice that middle infielders were suddenly weighing 200 lbs. with ripped physiques? The height of arrogance is earning a paycheck by wagging a finger at those whose profession you’re leeching off of. Olney’s position on this issue in general, and on Giambi in particular, is nauseating, reprehensible, and the height of hypocrisy.

======================================================

And while I’m ranting about asshole baseball writers from ESPN, I’d like to take a moment to destroy this little “gem.” This article fails in the following ways:

1. By writing that “the departures of coaches like [Mel] Stottlemyre, Willie Randolph and Don Zimmer, he is left with a cast of failed managers (Tony Pena, Larry Bowa) and future failed managers (Don Mattingly) as his assistants” Pearlman incorrectly assigns blame to the perceived failures of the current coaching staff. Anyone who truly knows the Yankees knows that Mel Stottlemyre was a far greater beneficiary for having had the chance to work with David Wells, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and David Cone than any of those pitchers were for having worked with Stottlemyre.

Does Pearlman forget that Zimmer wasn’t exactly a great manager in his day? In 14 seasons, Zimmer compiled a career .508 wining percentage (885-858), achieved only one first place finish (with the 1989 Cubs) and was the manager of the Red Sox during the famous Boston Massacre of 1978 when the Yankees overcame a 14 game deficit from July 18-September 10. Hardly the picture of excellence, if you ask me.

Furthermore, I fail to see the relevance in how Tony Pena’s and Larry Bowa’s failures as managers have any bearing on the 2006-2007 Yankees. Seriously, when was the last time you heard of a team’s championship pedigree being determined by the work of the first and third base coaches, respectively? Regardless, is this even serious baseball scholarship? And, truth be told, Larry Bowa’s regarded as one of the best third base coaches in the game...

2. Pearlman, like too many others who write about baseball, overrate (and overuse) terms like passion and chemistry. Case in point, “[w]hen you nurture and develop the Jeters...those men will live and die for those pinstripes. On the other hand, when you shell out fat wads of cash for Alex Rodriguez...and Jason Giambi, are you buying skill and passion, or just skill?” This sentiment equates players acquired via free agency or trade with apathy and homegrown players with grit and resolve. Have David Cone and Roger Clemens (regarded as two of the game’s preeminent hired guns) ever been accused of a lack of passion? Did Pearlman bother to check Pete Rose’s pulse when he was imported to the 1980 Phillies?

Grit vs. apathy is one of those stupid, facile arguments that people try to make when a losing team is composed of a greater proportion of free agents or non-homegrown players. To think that Alex Rodriguez or Jason Giambi care less about winning than Derek Jeter is simple-minded at best and offensive at worst. What about A-Rod would give off the aura of apathy? Further, to quote Corrado “Junior” Soprano, the 2006 Mets came within a c*nt-hair of the World Series and they only had three homegrown players on their roster (Jose Reyes, David Wright, Aaron Heilman). Did anyone question the grittiness of the 2006 Mets, who were the best team in the NL last year? Did anyone ever bring up the makeup and origins of their roster?

The entire premise of Pearlman’s article is that Torre’s laid-back ways are no longer appropriate for a team made up of listless players who require a firm hand to find sufficient motivation. He cites the Mets as a shining example of a team that “scrap[s] and claw[s]...for every run” and as a team that has “immense heart” filled with players who “shave their heads in a sign of team unity.” The Mets have third-highest payroll in baseball, but, again, it comes down to chemistry and grit. Did Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, and Paul Lo Duca enjoy all those times they played together in the Mets farm system? Anyone else see the irony in such a ridiculous suggestion?

Of course, Pearlman’s solution is for the Yanks to dump Joe Torre and replace him with former Mets manager Bobby Valentine. Never mind that Bobby Valentine was run out of town by the entire city of New York (including the few Mets fans that cared about baseball back in 2002). Never mind that the Mets had endured so much of Valentine’s showboating and self-aggrandizing that they replaced him with Art Howe, perhaps the blandest, most benign persona in all of baseball.

If Bobby Valentine – whose baseball knowledge is indeed exceptional – were in such hot demand as a manager, then why was he essentially banished to the Japanese league? Were there not plenty of managerial openings over the past five years? How come Bobby V. hasn’t been considered for any of them? And why would Bobby V. be a good fit for the Yanks? Don’t they get enough negative press? Valentine is a walking, talking distraction – someone who pretty much taught Ozzie Guillen everything he knows.

Pearlman and I agree that Torre should be fired. Quite honestly, Torre should’ve been fired after the 2003 World Series. But the reasons (and the issue of his replacement) reflect why Jeff Pearlman is, like so many others, an unsophisticated ass who happens to write about baseball for a living. I fail to understand how the national pastime can continue to survive when the people charged with informing the general public know nothing of which they write.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

NBA Final 4

Very quickly, it does stink what happened in the Phoenix – San Antonio series. I expect a rule change, but there’s not much else to say about it right now. The odds of the San Antonio – Utah conference finals before the playoffs began was very low in my mind. It will be interesting to see how Utah tries to match-up with San Antonio. I think Mehmet Okur has to be on fire for the Jazz to have any real chance and for Deron Williams to not take any nights off.

I can’t even begin to try and predict what could happen in the Detroit-Cleveland series. I’m curious to actually watch Chris Webber in combination with the other guys. As I’ve said all along, and many others can also tell you, the Cavs do not give 100% effort every night, and even when they do, they are very inconsistent. It will be interesting to see how Lebron handles things considering last year’s Pistons-Cavs involved a lot of Lebron taking on 3 defenders at a time.

Looking ahead...
Let’s run through the fun storylines of each of the finals matchups:
Utah-Cleveland – Boozer against the team he betrayed!
Utah-Detroit – Mehmet Okur against the team that chose not to spend money on him!
San Antonio – Cleveland – Coach Mike Brown against his former mentor… plus the Cavs somehow swept the Spurs this year.
San Antonio – Detroit – rematch city…also, the Spurs have a knack for winning in odd years (1999, 2003, 2005).

Friday, May 18, 2007

Please Don't Let History Be Our Guide...

The biggest reason why I’m not enjoying the 2007 baseball season comes courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau:

“The Red Sox won both ends of their doubleheader against the Tigers, and reached the 40-game mark with a 28-12 record and a 9.5-game lead over the Yankees.

Boston’s pitchers have allowed only 136 runs in 40 games. Only twice in the American League’s DH era (that is, since 1973) have teams won at least 28 of their first 40 games while allowing as few runs as have the Red Sox. The 1984 Tigers started 35-5, with 120 runs allowed, and the 1990 Athletics started 28-12 with 130 runs allowed.”

For those scoring at home, the ’84 Tigers won the World Series and the ’90 A’s won the AL Pennant before losing to the Cinderella Cincinnati Reds. If the Red Sox follow history and join the Tigers and A’s in the World Series, I may have to move to Europe, where they don’t follow baseball. There’s no way I can stomach douchebags like JD Drew and Jonathan Papelbon getting rings.

Cheers and Jeers: Wise Men on the HUNT

Three Wise Men Go Hunting

Ingredients:

Mixing instructions:

Pour in that order.


"In a strange sort of way it always feels better to close it out on the road. That silence, like church."
-- Pistons guard Chauncey Billups, on the sound of silence in Chicago.


Common side effects of Cheers and Jeers are: Weight gain, Sleepiness, Constipation, Dry mouth, Increased appetite, Feeling weak, Tremors (shakes), Dizziness,Problems in keeping your body temperature regulated
There are certain things that you should speak with your doctor about before taking Cheers and Jeers. Tell your doctor:
  • If you are older than age 65 and have a mental problem called dementia
  • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Cheers and Jeers can harm your unborn baby. If you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. Cheers and Jeers may pass into your milk and may harm your baby

Alright Gentleman, let’s not stand on ceremony and let’s start the show.

This week, I have reserved a special award to Commissioner David Stern and the NBA league office. Instead of jeering, you will all receive a swirly (after MJ is finished with the toilet).


Cheers: To Team Canada Steve Nash. He has been smacked around hard this series and shows no worse for the wear. Go Suns.

Jeers: The Cavs for not closing things out in the ugly game 5. The Cavs managed only 72 points in an elimination game!!! Get on with it and take care of the Nets.

Cheers: To The Wire. Not sports related but HBO crime drama about Baltimore is more addicting than the drugs portrayed (not quite). I’ve never seen a series capture the urban culture, walk, dress, language, and code of conduct better. Check it out.

Onto my top 3 links of the week:

Please accept a page from Nurse Sexy. You are wanted in Exam Room #4.


Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Wednesday NBA RAGE Flakes

David "Freddy Kruger" Stern handed down punishment for the end of game 4 scuffle. The end result? Stoudemire and Diaw will sit out Game 5 and Horry is suspended games 5/6.

Yes, the rule says do not leave the bench.

Does the NBA have a choice about punishments? Of course. The NBA is the judge and jury in this case and has the discretion to administer the punishment they see fit. I was hoping for the NBA to see this altercation as a minor incident (suspend Horry for the cheap shot) and let two great teams continue the battle. This was not the Pacers/fan brawl nor was it the Bulls/Knicks JoJo English versus Derek Harper fight.

Like clockwork, the NBA has violated the cardinal rule of playoff basketball: let the players determine the outcome of the series (not the refs, not the league). Hiding behind zero tolerance policies doesn't excuse the league when it applies punishment.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tuesday Rage

So many sports stories to rant on, so little time...

1. Despite my opinion representing the absolute height of hypocrisy – I’m a Knicks fan who came of age in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, after all – I have to say that I find this San Antonio Spurs team to be loathsome and unworthy of any respect. Through four games, we’ve seen Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Robert Horry mug the more talented, more athletic, and more graceful Phoenix Suns.

Although I can’t stand teams that whine about hard fouls and physical play, I do think the Suns have a point here. The officiating in the Spurs-Suns matchup has been beyond ridiculous. How can knees to the groin, kicks to the legs, and forearm shivers to the face not be deemed excessive and warranting suspensions? How can Bruce Bowen continue to survive in the NBA with no discernable talent besides a knack for injuring people? He’s not so much a great defender (other than by reputation alone) as he is a bona-fide goon on par with guys like Tie Domi of the NHL.

I was rooting for the Suns anyway but now I’m rooting for the Suns and a couple of career-ending injuries for Bowen, Horry, and Ginobili. Screw the Spurs, they’re ruining what was supposed to be a fun Western Conference playoffs.

2. It’s Tuesday so I’ll rant against the disgusting bias and tabloid sensibility of ESPN the Magazine (like I ever need an excuse to hate on ESPN?!). In this current issue, Buster Olney writes a piece called “The End Is Near: As Their Dynasty Crumbles And A New Stadium Rises Across the Street, The Yankees Need A-Rod More Than Ever – Even Though He Has One Foot Out The Door.” Now let me begin by saying that I like Buster Olney. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him and talking baseball with him on a one-on-one basis. But here’s what bugs me about this story: Buster Olney has already written a New York Times bestseller called “The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty” which was published in 2004. Buster, you’ve already told me the Yankee dynasty ended in 2001 so please explain how their dynasty continues to crumble? How can the end be near when the end came over five years ago?

To me, this is an example of an editor telling a writer what to write. I sincerely doubt that Olney, a guy who got noticed by ESPN because of the success of his book, would choose to undercut his own thesis by choice. It seems to me like someone looked at the magazine, noticed it was a few pages light, and figured that they could recycle their usual anti-Yankee garbage and no one would notice. After all, the story itself contains exactly one quote from a current member of the ballclub – third base coach Larry Bowa. Can’t give too much credence to a story that doesn’t interview anyone on the team and attributes only one quote to a coach...sorry, folks, that’s hack journalism right there.

3. And staying on ESPN for a second, has anyone noticed that Albert Pujols is having a lackluster first six weeks of the season? I’m curious why ESPN hasn’t spent a few hundred hours dissecting Pujols’s psyche, motivation, or swing mechanics. By this time last year, when it seemed like A-Rod was just a wee bit off his game, there was no shortage of ESPN specials on why A-Rod had to be traded and how he wasn’t fitting into the clubhouse in New York. Of course, that was following up his 2005 MVP when all the stories were about how he had finally gotten acclimated to the supposedly tough New York marketplace.

So, I ask again, where is ESPN when Pujols sleepwalks through his team’s first 36 games? Why no scrutiny or third degree? Where’s the hatred and venomous attacks on one of the best players in the game (who happens to be hitting .239 with six homers in 134 AB)? ESPN’s inconsistent treatment of players is nauseating. Although for the first time ever we might have found an example of Midwesterners not bitching about East Coast bias. To ESPN’s baseball “analysts”, if you’re out there, if you’re alive and kicking, you might want to spend 30 seconds trying to solve the riddle of what happened to Albert Pujols this off-season.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Never underestimate the predictability of Stupidity

Just a few things from the wide wide world of dumb people

A) Ah the Ohio Legislation in all its glory is trying to push new regulations on strip clubs. Yes once the evil scourge of lap dances is combated all of the state's ills will be solved (apparently strip clubs cause 78% of all Medical Costs in the state). Unfortunately, and who could have guessed that people who graduated with a degree in stuffing berries up their nose would create unforeseen errors, the bill is crafted in such that might limit the Cleveland Cavaliers Dance team. As I have their autographs (well Bethany) this hits me below the belt. Its bad enough that the state legislation intellectual abilities could often be confused with that of a moon rock but at the very least they could have the common sense to give the Cavs the full chance to bring a championship back to the great city of Cleveland. And for that they need these girls:
(h/t www.deadspin.com)

B) Remember when Dice-K was going to win 37 Cy Youngs and got a front page article every time he breathed. Isn't it great the media follows up on its early prognostications. Its like they watched Memento and thought, wouldn't life be grand if you forgot what you did 10 seconds ago.

C) Just a quick update from Italy. Soccer or as they call it "calcio" has now gone at least 1 month without killing anyone. This may be a record. As such in celebration I wanted to give a quick prayer of thanks to the Patron Saint of our website...Saint Scarlett Johansson (who apparently is half Danish. which means she can drink you under the table)

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Alles Clan



In honor of my soccer (football) teams first tournament game tomorrow a little Nike fun....

Cheers and Jeers: Cinco de Mayo (A week late)

Sangrita with Three Juices

1 cup tomato juice
Juice of 3 limes
Juice of 2-3 oranges
Minced fresh green chiles (serranos or jalapeños) or hot salsa to taste
Salt to taste

Mix the ingredients in a blender or pitcher. Because the intensity of fresh juices and chiles vary, mix most of the ingredients, then taste and adjust accordingly. Chill well. Serve in shot glasses accompanied by shot glasses of tequila for sipping alternately. Best served with a good quality tequila.


I picked up this recipe for a tequila chaser down in Texas. It’s a fine item and does a much better job of killing the taste than a lime. Sangrita literally means “little blood” or “whale’s vagina”. Please don’t confuse it with Sangria or diversity the large wooden sailing ship from the Civil War.


Please enjoy your weekly PHARMA warning:

A rash can be a sign of a serious medical condition. See your doctor immediately if you develop a rash while taking Cheers and Jeers. Some people experience mild side effects like nausea, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, anxiety, nervousness, weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, dry mouth, sweating, decreased sex drive, impotence, or yawning. These tend to go away within a few weeks of starting treatment and, in most cases, aren't serious enough to cause people to stop taking Cheers and Jeers.

Onto the important and habit forming experience known as cheering and jeering…. NBA PLAYOFF TIME

Pistons vs. Bulls: Game 3 tonight. The author was looking forward to this series but so far the Bulls haven’t made it a series. The Pistons look HUNGRY!! Ben Wallace be damned the Pistons guards are completely working the Bulls respected backcourt and Rip Hamilton is giving his UCONN mate Ben Gordon a smack. Can the Bulls make a series out of it tonight? PS- Gasol isn’t the answer for the Bulls.

Cavs and Nets: Wow, I cannot stand the Nets. They are SOOOO boring. Jason Kidd is Medicare eligible, Air Canada aka Air New Jersey turnpike Carter looks slow, and the NJ frontcourt (Mikey Moore, Josh Boone, Jason Collins) has been dominated by the Cavs. According to Mighty, NJ shot the ball better than 50 percent in Game 2 and still lost. The Cavs had 19 offensive rebounds in Game 2. The Cavs still need a point guard but Larry Hughes has been hitting big shots down the stretch. Ohh yeah, don’t forget King James.

I’m ready for the Cavs and Pistons Eastern Conference finals.

The West: The Suns and the Spurs: OHHHHHHHHHHH BABY this series is keeping me up late. I cannot wait to watch Game 6 and 7 of this grudge match. The winner of this series makes the finals. Authors admission: Major Spurs fatigue and loving fundamentally sound point guard play from Steve Nash (shielding shot blockers and finishing with the left hand).

Golden State and the Utah Jizz: Wasn’t sure the Jizz could run with the Warriors but after Derek Fischer’s big performance in Game 2 the Jizz have control. Thus far, the Warriors cannot stop Carlos Boozer (30 points 13 boards). Boozer has been a monster in the playoffs scoring on the freakishly tall asian Yao in round 1 and loving the freedom to move in this series. Whoever wins here gets a 6 game smackdown from the Suns/Spurs.

Jeers: to the NBA seeding system: Suns/spurs now?

Jeers: To Gutsy winning the Wrestling Draft. My posse of Stone Cold, The Governing Body of Minnesota Jesse Ventura, The Undertaker, and the HOT Trish Stratus) owns YOU.

Cheers: to more NBA playoffs tonight and this weekend.

Jeers: to west coast starting times.

Super Jeers: To the miserable advertising... E-surance, Geico all spending premium money on dumb advertisements, Sir Charles and Wade for T Mobile, and David Stern for NBA Cares. What does the NBA care about?

A) their own collective @sses

B) image

C) money

D) All of the above (please goto page 78 in this chose your own adventure)

Please accept the sexiest periodic table ever…


Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Survivor Series – One Possibility

The BSD Wrestling Mock Draft was completed not that long ago… for a quick synopsis, here are a list of the 6 different teams and the wrestlers that were selected:

Gutsy - (Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Goldberg, Hacksaw Jim Duggan)
Publius - (Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Trish Stratus)
Laz - (Ulimate Warrior, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Koko B. Ware, Tito Santana)
Colonel Sanders - (Roddy Piper, Hillbilly Jim, Ric Flair, King Kong Bundy)
MJ - (Andre the Giant, Macho Man Randy Savage, Sgt. Slaughter, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase)
Mighty - (The Rock, Mankind, Sting, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat)
The question now becomes: who would win in a Survivor Series tournament between the 6 teams? Many possible outcomes exist, but I decided I’d take a stab at it. I did way too much research on Wikipedia to figure out what rivalries and friendships had occurred in the past. Feel free to contribute your own thoughts and disagree on what may happen:

Opening Round
MJ vs. Colonel Sanders

As the match begins, Roddy Piper immediately renews his rivalry with Andre the Giant. Meanwhile, Ric Flair and Mach Man Randy Savage start trading blows outside of the ring. It’s pandemonium! Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase eventually gets in the ring at the same time as King Kong Bundy, who Million Dollar Man had once purchased the services of. Million Dollar Man hands King Kong Bundy a pile of cash, and the fans start to boo. King Kong Bundy accepts the money – then starts pummeling Ted Dibiase! The fans are getting excited as Ted Dibiase appears to have little or no energy left and MJ’s team is now in serious danger. Suddenly, Hillbilly Jim, who is on Team Colonel Sanders, enters the ring. Hillbilly Jim then approaches Ted Dibiase… but instead at the last moment he goes after his TEAMMATE, King Kong Bundy, and gives Bundy a leg drop that knocks him out. The fans are stunned and outraged! Ted Dibiase crawls on top of Bundy to secure the victory for MJ. In a post-match interview, Hillbilly Jim explains how his old rivalry with King Kong Bundy was so strong that he just could not stop his hatred of Bundy from boiling over and affecting the outcome of the match.
Winner: MJ

Gutsy vs. Publius
The fans in the arena are screaming loudly at the colossal matchup between Gutsy’s and Publius’s teams. Hulk Hogan and Jesse “The Body” Ventura begin things in this match, as the two begin to battle each other for the first time. Goldberg and Steve Austin are the next competitors to engage each other, which is an interesting matchup because many fans have believed that Goldberg was only created as a “copy” of Steve Austin. After Goldberg and Austin exchange special moves and spit in each other’s faces, Jake “The Snake” Roberts enters the ring to square off against his old friend, The Undertaker. Soon, the fans begin to suspect that Publius’ team is not going to even let the only female in the Survivor Series, Trish Stratus, participate in any of the action. The fans start chanting for her… “Trish! Trish! Trish!...” Until finally, the Undertaker tags Trish. She immediately knocks Jake Roberts down! The fans are going crazy, as she uses many of her signature moves (Chick Kick, Stratusfaction, the MaTrish reloaded… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trish_Stratus ) to continually beat down Jake Roberts. Goldberg starts to argue with the referee about the legality of some of these moves, but while Goldberg is arguing with the ref, Hacksaw Jim Duggan uses his 2 x 4 on Stratus and knocks her out cold, allowing Jake Roberts to pin her! The arena is eerily silent and in a state of shock, as Hacksaw has never used his 2 x 4 as a weapon before, not even on a male!
Winner: Gutsy

Semifinal #1
MJ vs. Laz

The match starts out with all of the fans doing the funky bird dance that Koko B. Ware does… Sgt. Slaughter then immediately goes after the Ultimate Warrior. Meanwhile, the Million Dollar Man meets up with his former rival, Koko B. Ware outside of the ring. Million Dollar Man appears to just try to talk out their differences… until the Million Dollar Man’s bodyguard, Virgil, runs up and knocks Koko B. Ware down from behind! Macho Man and Tito Santana also are able to renew a rivalry in the ring... until Bret “the Hitman” Hart comes over to help double team Macho Man. While the 7 other wrestlers are mixing it up, Andre the Giant appears to just be sitting in his corner, as it appears that everyone is scared to face him, but Andre is content as he is exhausted from the first match, which ended only 40 minutes ago. Sgt. Slaughter soon realizes that Million Dollar Man is in trouble and comes over to Koko B. Ware and puts Koko’s face in his armpit. The horror! The ref tries to break up the smelly armpit exercise, but as the ref is distracted, Macho King grabs his scepter… and smashes it over the head of the Ultimate Warrior – just like he did back in the ‘90s. Game, set, match.
Winner: MJ

Semifinal #2
Gutsy vs. Mighty

Hogan and the Rock stare each other down and start to wrestle each other, which gets the fans going wild because they remember how great their first fight was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6woTyOqGMyY Another dream matchup occurs in that Sting gets to defend the honor of the WCW against Goldberg in an old vs. new school match. Jake the Snake Roberts also is able to renew his rivalry with Ricky the Steamboat Dragon… While Jake is busy, Mankind crawls UNDERNEATH THE RING, gets to Jake’s corner and takes Jake’s snake which is still in its bag. Mankind then starts choking the snake with his own sock puppet! As the fans go wild, Jake notices this as does the ref, and everyone is distracted. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hacksaw once again uses the diversion to use his 2 x 4 – this time on Ricky the Steamboat Dragon!
Winner: Gutsy

Championship Match
Gutsy vs. MJ

Amazing – but the two teams that had to fight off fatigue in the semifinals ended up making it to the championship match. All of MJ’s team has one thing in common in this championship match – they all have had feuds with Hulk Hogan! This time, Andre Giant starts out in the ring. Hogan tries to go at him, but it's just like that Wrestlemania match - he's an unmovable object at this point! Soon, all of MJ's team jumps in the ring and start pummeling Hogan. He's bleeding everywhere!... Goldberg then comes in and tackles all of the wrestlers on MJ’s team!... Jake Roberts then takes his snake out of the bag and lets it slither all over the fallen Macho Man! Miss Elizabeth shows up to stop Jake Roberts and Jake once again slaps her across the face, just like he did in the ‘90s!!! The crowd is booing loudly at this point! The ref starts to clean up the mess of a bloody Hogan and multiple members of MJ’s team being in the ring. Meanwhile, Andre the Giant is beating up on Hogan; but the ref is distracted by dealing with Jake Roberts… and once again Hacksaw Jim Duggan uses this diversion to use his 2 x 4… this time on Andre the Giant! Hogan then does his patented Atomic Leg Drop, with blood dripping down his face, and then Hacksaw, in another unprovoked fit of violence, impales Sgt. Slaughter with an American flag! The bell rings and the match is over and Team Gutsy has not only survived, they have become the CHAMPIONS OF THE MOCK DRAFT!

Friday, May 04, 2007

Cheers and Jeers: Mint Julep Edition

Ingredients:

Mixing instructions:

Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a collins glass. Fill glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.


This weekend is the famous Virginia Gold Cup Steeple chase. Next year this reporter will be live with his Seersucker’s suit chasing well dressed hammered southern tail. Like Charlie Murphy said in his famous “True Hollywood Stories,” I am a perpetual line crosser. When I rub mud on Mighty’s couch, he had to sort me out. Will I rub mud onto his couch again?? Yeah. Should I expect to be corrected? Yeah. That’s the life of a perpetual line crosser.


The effectiveness of Cheers and Jeers was demonstrated in studies of men, aged 18 to 41, with mild to moderate hair loss at the top and middle front of the head. There is not sufficient evidence that Cheers and Jeers works for receding hairlines at the temples.

Cheers and Jeers is for the treatment of male pattern hair loss in MEN ONLY and should NOT be used by women or children.

In clinical studies for Cheers and Jeers, a small number of men experienced certain sexual side effects, such as less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, or a decrease in the amount of semen. Each of these side effects occurred in less than 2% of men and went away in men who stopped taking Cheers and Jeers because of them.

Onto the True Hollywood stories…

Cheers: To the Golden State Warriors who man-handled the Mavericks last night. They out-worked, out-scrapped, and outperformed a 60 win club. SMACK

Jeers: To the boring NBA playoff series that hold up enjoyment of the next round. I am so bored with the Utah Jizz, the Rockets, the Toronto Raptors, and NJ Nets. Somebody please win already!!!

Cheers: Bulls vs. Pistons

Jeers: To the ejection of the Jackson in Game 5 at Dallas. He did the best thing and got back at the refs and the Mavs with his 3 point shooting in Game 6. Well done. I love it revenge… it’s a dish best served cold.

Cheers: To the lovely spring day outside… tonight it’s time to grill some burgers. “Assemble your crew… I’ll be outside”

The Top 3 links of the week:

· Top 10 bit video games: I love Contra

· Top Party Scenes in Movies: I love PCU and Dazed and Confused

· A video Tribute to Jessica Alba

Please accept a sexy little blonde girl wearing Daisy Dukes


Golden State vs. Dallas - Game 6 Blog

Thick Playoff Beard
-Baron Davis’s playoff beard just keeps getting thicker, I believe he’s becoming a biblical character who gains his strength from this beard.
Early Hole
-Dallas found itself in a hole early (down 12-3 just a few minutes in)… the solution? Shoot more 3s! The gap is closed by the Mavs getting their next 15 points on five other three-point baskets to close the gap to 19-18.
Baron Davis injures his Hamstring
-Baron Davis appears to have tweaked a hamstring midway through the 1st quarter, and is forced to go into the locker room. He then returns to loud cheers with 9:40 left in the 2nd quarter and immediately commits a turnover. Davis is actually hobbling badly at this point, based on the ensuing possessions, and cannot even move laterally! While it is admirable to play through pain, its not even worthwhile to have a PG in the game who is unable to move. Davis continually is lumbering down the court – both to play offense and to play defense. They need some of that super-spray that the European soccer players use when they are in pain. Oh wait – Baron wasn’t flopping on the play, as most European soccer players do, and Baron is experiencing REAL PAIN. As I finished writing that last sentence, Baron Davis just scored the last 11 points for the Warriors, including a silly off-balance heave that resulted in a 3-pointer swish when Baron only was trying to get free throws… maybe the hamstring is looser now? Maybe the painkillers are starting to work? I think from now on, there should be a channel you can tune to that gives you a live videofeed of the treatment an injured player receives during the game. This way, we can find out which teams use more painkillers, which rely on witch doctors, and which focus on female “pleasure artists” to soothe the players pain.
Sideline Reporters Search for the Truth
-The 2nd half starts with a shocking quote from our informative sideline reporter: “Coach Avery Johnson has said the Mavs will go after Baron Davis on the offensive end as much as possible.” What would we do without sideline reporters???
-Don’t Mess with Stephen Jackson
-Jackson was angry after the last game and said he would let his playing do the talking. Jackson single-handedly made a 13-3 run against the Mavs to get a 12 point lead half-way through the 3rd quarter. The funny thing is at this point, he is 7-7 from 3-point land but 0-7 from 2-point land at this point.
-Comic Book Storylines
-After a hard foul by Dallas bench player Austin Croshere on Baron Davis, the announcers reveal that they used to be high school teammates! Austin and Baron are in each other’s faces before being separated by every other player and referee. Just like when you read a comic book, there’s always some prior connection between different characters in a great story. If this were a comic book, we’d have a flashback to the time that Austin tried to steal Baron’s girlfriend. Speaking of comic books, it appears someone has brought kryptonite to the building, because Dirk only has 4 points, and the Mavs are now down 18 points with about 16 minutes remaining. I want to see a game 7, but I’m not feeling too optimistic at the moment.
-No Fight Left
-After 67 wins, and a hard-fought series in the first 5 games, the Mavs just gave up. They got outhustled, outworked, outrebounded, and this was even AFTER Baron Davis got dinged up! Jason Richardson really put an exclamation point on the win with a reverse dunk, a steal, all followed by a 3-pointer with a few minutes to go.
Looking Ahead
-Golden State will be playing the winner of Utah-Houston. Utah would be the tougher matchup for them, simply because Golden State can make a slower center, such as Yao, a detriment to the team. Even Diop on Dallas had a hard time slowing down the pace and making much of a difference (and Diop is certainly more mobile than Yao). The Jazz at least have enough team speed to keep up with the Warriors to some extent. It still seems at this point that Golden State would be a favorite in either matchup.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Golden State vs. Dallas - Game 5 Blog

Even when Dallas was up 20 points at different points in the first half, they still couldn’t stop the Warriors. I kept shouting at the TV that the Mavs should have poured it on more. The Warriors just kept slashing to the lane and then finally started mixing in 3s. Gradually, the Warriors sliced the lead to single digits at halftime… it was within 1 early in the 3rd quarter! Even with Dallas winning the game in the end, I would still be very scared if I was a Mavs fan for the upcoming games. They literally would have to be up 25 points to withstand the Warriors. Dallas just doesn’t seem to have the team speed to deal with all of the swing-men that Golden State can throw out there.
-Takedown !
The weirdest point of the game was when the ball went out of bounds and Jason Terry just decided to throw Baron Davis to the ground. On his head! I don’t know how else to explain it, but it was dumb. Terry got called for a technical, I hope everyone sees it on the highlights.
-Everybody Loves Diop -
Diop already had 3 fouls midway through the 3rd quarter. It appeared that the Mavs were playing better whenever he was in the game, even when he had to come out on the perimeter to guard Stephen Jackson at one point due to a number of passes occurring… and Diop somehow helped force a turnover! Then, a couple of minutes later, Jackson tried to do some crazy crossover moves right at Diop… and Diop somehow forced a second turnover!
-Josh Howard foul trouble –
With 10 minutes left in the game, Josh Howard picked up his 5th foul, which is a HUGE loss, as the lead is down to one, and Howard already has 22 points! Golden State took the lead for the first time after that moments afterwards. Dallas just cannot get enough people back on D. When they are able to stop Golden State from driving the lane, the Warriors have a trailer at the 3-point line to knock down shots. At this point, the Warriors are shooting an absurd 11 for 21 from 3-point land with 4 different people hitting four three-pointers.
-A dramatic ending-
The Warriors actually were up 112-103 after being down 20 earlier in the game, due to Baron Davis hitting an absurd 3-pointer basically by scooping the ball off the ground when it was almost stolen. The arena in Dallas was eerily silent. You could hear a stomach growling. I was just angry because I wanted to see a Game 6. And then the unbelievable happened – Dirk hit a 3, Dirk blocked a shot, and then Dirk hit another 3…and Dallas was only down 112-109. Then Golden State decided that they should focus on killing the clock, so they no longer were mercilessly driving the lane and Golden State actually stopped hitting shots... and suddenly the Mavs somehow closed the game out on a 15-0 run!
-Stephen Jackson loses his temper again
Jackson actually got his 2nd technical once the game was essentially over with a few seconds to go. The Warriors are now 0-2 when a player gets thrown out!

I can’t wait for Thursday’s game!

Notes from the Periphery: Draft Recap and MVP Search

Well the NFL Draft is for all intensive purposes in the books with all teams claiming glorious victory. I'm sure part is spin and part self-delusion (isn't it always). Now drafts are always hard to assess at least until 3 years down the road. It takes time for some players to develop and for some to get the opportunity. Nonetheless a few teams at least stood out for commentating:

New England
New England cemented itself as the topic of the NFL draft when they got Randy Moss in exchange for a fourth round pick. Moss may be the second most destructive teammate in the NFL but once upon a time had the physical skills to be one of the more dominant. Of course New England seems to have done a 180 for last year. This year they shelled out big bucks for free agents and brought in talent that has "character issues" namely Moss and First Round pick Mayweather. In addition they maintained their string of two first round picks as they traded with San Francisco and acquired the 49ers next years pick.

Cleveland Browns
For the first time in a looong time, the Browns were in the news and not for a bad way. GM Phil Savage decided to place his balls out for all to see and judge. The Browns traded away next year's number one and more for the free falling Brady Quinn. They then traded up for Eric Wright who had top 15 talent but Serious issues (i.e. acquittal on rape charges). Potentially Savage could have brought in 3 starters if not Pro Bowlers at 3 of the most crucial positions in the NFL. The Question of course are the players Savage drafted any good. Is Quinn better than the other QBs selected afterwards. Is Quinn better than any QB next year? Only time will tell but at least have to give Savage props for realizing how far the Browns have to go and throwing the dice.

Others
San Francisco brought in a starting left tackle and linebacker not to mention a trade for Darell Jackson. They may finally have the pieces in place to challenge if not pass Seattle this year. Oakland also gets props for sticking with Russell, nabbing a QB to give Russell time to mature (McCown), Michael Bush and a pass catching tight end. Finally I liked the Panthers finding value at every move to replace aging or of-injured stars.


Dallas v. Golden State
Just a quick thought on this series which is wild as possible. I'm trying to remember a bigger upset in the first round in the NBA and I'm drawing a blank. Dallas had an amazing regular season, the reigning MVP, playoff experience and a 7 game series to fall back on. Yet here they are on the brink of elimination. Nellie deserves some credit for whatever it is he's doing but the real story is the The Red Baron (Davis) is controlling the game while Dirk is shrinking like he's in cold water. If all you knew was the playoffs want to take a vote who really leads their team to victory and deserving of the MVP? Followed up by if Davis hadn't been ejected with Golden State have swept?

Note from the Editor

Just a quick reminder from the editor. Pictures and posts designed for solely for purpose of razzing or taunting aren't cool and should not be posted. We have so few rules but the few we do have are designed to avoid feelings hurt or competitive pissing matches,etc,etc this basic rule is employed to avoid problems that have crept up in the past.I realize we have all gone over the line at some point, myself no exception, but please make the effort so everyone can enjoy the blog. Don't post pictures and columns that are designed for taunts and direct shots. Thank you for your understanding.