Well, now that the first blog of May is out of the way, I can get down to some serious business. Kidding, how often am I serious, like maybe half the time? Not talking real life, talking about this here writing tablet.
Alright, lets get to some sports right off the bat, you can read my political/life rantings further down....
The C's!!! Thank Goodness for home court advantage, the unfortunateness of TNT having Game 7 vs. the Hawks and Bennett Salvatore losing his trusty whistle. Why do I mention all of the above? Well, home court advantage ought to be the obvious one, since neither the C's nor the Hawks could win on the others court. I take all sorts of umbrage with the way the whistles were going, because the free throw disparity thru 6 games was a ridiculous 157-104. Between that and me listening and reading all sorts of 'experts' tell me that the C's would fall apart in game 7 and that it would be the biggest upset in playoff history. I disagree wholeheartedly, and here's why: while I understand the point trying to be made, that the C's had home court advantage, a league leading 66 wins and were playing a team that went 37-45, how could that have been bigger than Dallas' loss last year? The Mavs won 67 games last year, and lost to Golden State. But I'm throwing my curveball out there with this...that Dallas team was pretty much the same team that got hosed in the Finals the year before. This Celtics team was just put together last summer, and you have no idea how they'd react. I'm also going to address the matchups in a bit.
As for my comment on the fact that the game wasn't on TNT (cue the sarcasm!), I'm just going to put it out there, I have a hard-on for Dick Stockton. It in no way is fair that Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello called any of these games. They are about as neutral as I am on the Steak/Tofu debate (and at 250 lbs, do ya really have to ask?). For a little background, Dick Stockton used to work in Boston, and if memory serves me correctly, he was unceremoniously tossed out of town. Ever since, he's talked about the Boston Celtics and Boston teams alike, in the same regard a NY Times columnist writes about John McCain. To say it's unfavorable would be putting it kind. And Fratello has no right to be near a microphone during a playoff game involving the Hawks, an organization that gave him his first head coaching gig, and a team that he still admires greatly. Here's a litmus test-my roommate and I were watching Game 4, which these two were announcing. My roommate, who knows very little about basketball, and definitely didn't know what channel we were watching, asked me right after the halftime discussion/opening of the third quarter why we were watching the Hawks feed for the game. That ought to be all you need to know. When I told him we were watching the national telecast, his response was, "Holy crap, that's awful. They sound like the Broncos radio announcers!". In other words, they sounded like homers! I understand that Boston has some of the biggest homers of all time in the announcing booth, from Johnny Most to Tommy Heinsohn for the C's to Jerry Remy calling the Sox. But we know that going in. TNT should be embarrassed we had to listen to those two call that series. I'd have rather listened to Kevin Harlan, who used to call Minnesota Timberwolves games and nicknamed KG "The Big Ticket". At least it would've been more tolerable. Sidenote, last night wasn't much better.
And lastly, why was I happy Bennett Salvatore lost his trusty whistle? Really, you don't watch the NBA much, huh? Bennett totally reversed the '06 Finals all by himself, being Dwayne Wade's caddy to the free throw line, making up phantom fouls, etc. He's notorious for this stuff. There are certain officials, especially in the NBA, that if you see them and your team is favored, can only think, 'Oh, crap'. Way it goes. When I see Bennett Salvatore, Joe Crawford, Steve Javie, or Violet Palmer, I think, 'DAMN'. But Bennett must've lost his whistle, because Game 7 vs. Atlanta was a beat-down, and I had no complaints about officiating, it was a non-issue for both sides, which is what I as a fan want. I hate bitching about referees, they should be a nonentity to any and every game. Thankfully, I had nothing to do but grin, about the game, about KG getting minor retribution on Zsa Zsa Pachulia, and about the Atlanta Hawks crapping their collective pants.
Now, as far as the matchups goes, what did people expect, honestly? The Hawks are much younger at every position other than PG, and they did what every group of young guys do to older guys, run 'em. That's what me and my buddies used to do when we were in high school. Playing against guys that are a little older, working a 9-5, maybe hungover? Run 'Em, plain and simple. Why would it be any different in the NBA?
And now that we've had that atrocious Game 1 vs. Cleveland to view, how do the matchups look now? I'd say better, thanks. Yes, the C's should've lost last night. But Cleveland was just as equally terrible. No one could shoot, except for KG and Cassell for Boston and Szczerbiak and Ilgauskas for Cleveland. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to shoot the same as LeBron James, 2-18. But neither Pierce nor Allen had as many turnovers as King James. I loved listening to the guys on TNT after the game, stating that LeBron will never play that bad again. Okay, but what makes you think that either Pierce or Allen will be that bad again, either? Funny, they didn't bring that nugget out.
Did anyone else miss the lovely shot clock 'malfunction' in Detroit the other night? I learned on the Mike Tirico radio program yesterday that the NHL does something WAY better than the NBA. Whoda thunk it? The NBA comes out a day after the fact with their version of 'My Bad', but apparently the NHL has a guy in Toronto watching all the games, and if there is a question about a goal or time, the referees can talk to the official. So if there were say, a questionable goal in Dallas, the refs could call Toronto and have someone staring at an HDTV and give you an official ruling. How is it that the NHL does this right but the NBA doesn't? Egg on your face, Mr. Stern, serious egg on your face. Glad I'm not an Orlando Magic fan. That's just crappy. The NBA should've lied, better that than the oops they pulled.
So in keeping with my NBA theme, I have a question no one else has seemed to ask, and that is how many coaches can Jason Kidd kill? Avery Johnson was canned a day after his Mavericks lost to the New Orleans Hornets. And he was coach of the year in 2006!!! Not really all that surprising, since Chris Paul owned J-Kidd. I'd like someone to delve into this. Reportedly Kidd got Byron Scott ousted as the coach of New Jersey after leading them to the Finals two years in a row. And why does Kidd get a pass from most of the media, like he's a great guy? How did he not get suspended for this? He's also been suspected of breaking up his original Mavs team with Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn because he and Jimmy were fighting over Toni Braxton. J-Kidd has also been arrested for smacking around his wife in the past. I remember this distinctly because when he played in Boston they gave him the Bronx Cheer for it, but those in attendance were mean and awful people. Yup, in typical media fashion, the guy who slaps his lady around is fine, but make fun of him for it, and we're the cretins? How does that work? This guy is overrated, and now that the tread is wearing on those tires, can we call him what he is, a coach and a team killer? The Mavs won't win anything with him next year, either. Book it now.
So I've had a few people send me this link, and I'm kind of glad I waited to say anything. For reference, this is my hometown, and I didn't know the guy, but I feel for his family. I can also say that if the reason this happened were something as stupid as the NYY/Red Sox rivalry, as initially reported were true, I'd be beyond disgusted and would mock all those who actually feel like any sports rivalry should end in death. Oh, and to those who keep stating that Cubs fans are so kind and that you should see a Cubs/Cardinals game, there's never any violence? I guess Cubs fans aren't all fuzzy and lovable, now are they?
Speaking of the New York Yankees, besides all the injuries to the old guys on the team, and even some of the young guys, I mentioned Monday about the ticket prices for the new Yankee Stadium. Well, here's another shot to the machine, as it is clear that George Costanza is not running any type of office for them. They are now losing the PR war to the Red Sox as well. How are you going to mess with kids like this? Honestly, Hank Steinbrenner needs to fire someone, just as a show of faith that it really is 'all about the kids'.
In case you were ever curious how Charles Barkley won a rebounding title in the 1986-1987 season, I think this is a fine example of fantastic blogging.
So, how come Roger Clemens has to get crap that he may be a statutory rapist, but Karl Malone is cool? This is a fine question by AOL's Michael David Smith (no, he's not the Mormon the C's drafted in 1989, who knows, he might be better).
Randy Moss has started his own racing company. And all I can say is best of luck, and good luck with busting anyone for drug testing, because Randall, you've done smoked some stuff in your past (Hello to losing that scholarship to FSU).
Speaking of Rocket, boy oh boy has it been a great few weeks for him, huh? Think that house is a little uncomfortable at this very moment? I'm going to go with, "What is Yes, for $100, Alex" as my answer. So, Rog has managed to plow thru a country singer, John Daly's wife, allegedly Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's lady, and apparently Dorothy Mantooth, as well. That is quite the impressive list. Now that I think about it, I'm kind of ticked he didn't hit on my Mom or any of my friends moms...what, they're pretty good looking ladies and they're married, which apparently appealed to Rog...I'm just sayin'. And why did all of this come out? Well, Rocket isn't the brightest, he's quite the intimidator, and maybe, just maybe, he actually believes all the crap he's been spewing. I love his Giambi-like apology, where he apologizes for something, but no one is really sure what, exactly. Think if Roger asks Debbie to pass the butter she just chucks it at his head? Makes you think, doesn't it? This would have all been avoided if Clemens had just admitted he was on the juice, and added at the end of it, "of course I did it. Everyone else was, and did you see how much money they were offering? What was I supposed to do, say no? Ha!". Who wouldn't have at least seen the point then? Even I, who downright loathes this man, would've been in part of his corner.
So, my take on the NFL Draft will be quite minimal, only because we really can't judge a draft until about 5 years after the fact. In that case, I should talk about the 2003 draft, but I'm not really that bored right now. I will say that as far as the New England Patriots go, I've heard good things regarding their 2nd round pick, Terrence Wheatley from Colorado. Here is Eric Cartman's take, and here is the take from Dennis Dillon at The Sporting News: Who was that wearing Asante Samuel's old uniform number and lining up in Samuel's vacated spot in Foxborough? That was cornerback Terrence Wheatley, a second-round pick from Colorado. Wheatley looked the fastest among the 27 players who participated in the Patriots' minicamp, and he broke up several passes during one-on-one drills in the opening practice.
So there's that, which is nice.
Not sure if this is good news, but if I were an IU alum, current student, or just a fan of the program, I'd say give Tom Crean a chance. Give him 3 years to get his guys in and then pass judgement. I'll say this, at the very least he'll run a clean program that people will not have to worry about.
Anyone else worried about Scott Proctor's arm literally falling off during his next appearance for the Dodgers? I'm betting this guy was thinking last year, "sweet, finally away from Torre, I should be good by 2009." And the day Joe Torre became manager of the Dodgers? "F@#$, Sh!t, P!$$". Just check out the overuse of this guy....and the Dodgers have played 33 games so far this year, and he's got 15 appearances. And the beat goes on....
This Marvin Harrison shooting thing is a bit weird to me. I'm glad I've waited to write anything about this, because everyday something different comes out. I have no clue what happened, nor anything about this neighborhood either. All I can say is that if someone came after Marvin, or some member of Marvin's family, and they came into his place of business to do it, Marvin has every right to defend himself and his family. I can't stand how many people are amazed that Marvin Harrison has 25 guns. What business of it is yours? Maybe Marvin is a hunter, like Brett Favre, Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt. Ever think that? He's been in the league for 12 years, and this is the first and only time he's ever been in the news. So much for that innocent until proven guilty thing. Way to jump the story, mainstream media.
The Cincinnati Bengals clearly do not care if you ever want to attend a game, or even, God forbid, were thinking of renewing your season tickets. How do I know? Well, instead of taking the cap hit and trading Chad Johnson for 2(!) 1st round picks, they drafted a man with quite a bit of baggage and they haven't managed to cut Ahmad Brooks, a true gentleman in every sense of the word (blame the sarcasm on the coffee). Yikes!
Speaking of holding judgement, I think some Chicago Bears fans may owe RB Cedric Benson an apology. Please remember folks, that there are 3 sides to a story, your side, my side, and the truth. Also, I know most people don't like Benson as a RB, but the bile spewed about this guy was a bit much for me.
Lastly, regarding the NFL at least, is news that Denver QB Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes. While I'm sure he can deal with this disease (affliction?), I'm curious if the media have started to delve too much into athlete's lives. I started to think about this before this past Super Bowl, when coverage of Tom Brady hanging out with his lady was all over ET and TMZ. It just seems that some things are no one's business. Now, if Cutler had come out at a press conference and announced it, that might be one thing. But that's not how this came about. I think maybe it's about time people start backing off that whole 'All-Access' stuff that's going on. Quite frankly, all-access is exactly the reason the Chicago White Sox might be in trouble. Me, I think it's hilarious. What do I know?
Completely switching gears, here is one of Barack HusseinObama's biggest supporters, and not just a friend. Can't wait until this gets put on CNN or maybe even the mainstream media. C'mon, I double-dare ya!
Yet another US Government whoops. Time to cut the funding so I can get some cheap cereal!!!
I want to know what happens to environmentalists when they are proven wrong...do they burst into vapor, or would that be considered a greenhouse gas? They've already spent too much time spewing methane, in my humble opinion.
I love it when John Stossel screws with people and their flawed logic, makes me giggle.
This, I'm pretty sure, is the internet definition of getting p'wned!
Happy Wednesday, I'll write my Mothers Day blog either tomorrow or Friday.
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