Read it, don't read it, I don't care...just needed to get some things off my chest.
In no particular order of chronology or importance...
1) Ok. Let's just get this out of the way immediately. I have said since last August how strongly I felt that the Bulls had the goods to win the NBA Championship this year. The Rose injury kills them. There are teams that can lose a star player and keep on trucking, and there are teams that are dead in the water. The Bulls are unfortunately the latter. Sure, they will beat the Sixers, probably still in five games or so. After that, it gets tricky. Forget the problems with eventually facing the Heat. They will most likely not get by either Atlanta or the Celtics. Pick your poison. Heinrich won't exactly eat up the combination of James, Watson, and Lucas (how many freaking PG's do the Bulls HAVE), but the talent elsewhere will help Atlanta prevail. In the other possibility, Rondo will go wild. I guess I will have to revise my overall predictions also. Give me either the Spurs or OKC in seven over the Heat. TOTAL shame that the public doesn't get to experience the brilliance of Derrick Rose for another playoffs. We will miss ya, kid.
2) Not saying he won't recover from his slow start, because he IS that talented, and not saying he is slacking because he is now officially long term paid because I don't think he rolls that way. I am just mentioning it. Pujols is about 100 AB's into the new season. Zero HR's. AND 19 straight AB's without a hit. Dude, this wasn't supposed to happen until about 5 years into your contract. You are starting to fade FAST.
3) Previously just a #1 draft pick and easily the best prospect in the last few years outside of his pitching buddy Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper finally made his MLB debut. They lost, and he almost did a few really exciting things. The usual let-down for a new player. That being said, that throw he had from outfield to home plate that pretty much went on a straight line was pretty freaking sick. Nice to see a stud at the plate also be a stud in the field. I have been saying this for a year and a half, do NOT sleep on these Nationals.
4) North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins, more known for drugs, getting kicked off of top flight UF's football team and then fathering 4 kids from three different mothers, was drafted in the second round. They might need to assign a chaperone to him even when he is sleeping, but dude might be the purest cover corner in the entire draft. If you can keep him out of trouble or out of chicks' rooms, then you might have shut down half of the field to throw on. Good luck with that, Rams.
5) I LOVE the pickup of Arizona's Nick Foles by the Eagles. He slipped a little over the last few months in the draft order, but I have liked him from day one (see rants about 3 months ago), and think it is a great pickup for a team who eventually will need to replace their free-for-all, often injured, running Michael Vick.
6) One of the highlights of this week for me was hearing Hubie Brown's voice announcing an NBA game. I feel so much better now. The network was just resting their star player for the playoffs. Him announcing a basketball game is beautiful and makes any game incredible and informative. It makes me say names like Chopin and Picasso. Glad you are back, Hubie.
7) The Dallas Mavericks gave OKC all they could handle in game one, going down to a last second Durant jumper at the end of the game. You knew that this series would be close, and I am not saying some of the remaining games won't be closely contested, but anyone else think (when they were up 7 with 3 minutes to go) that the stars were aligned, their players were on their game, and that Dallas NEEDED to steal that game to take the whole series? I know, I know. Experience, experience, championship, chemistry, yada yada yada. Lots more games to play. I think Durant and the boys will be a LITTLE more attentive in game 2.
8) Building on my whole Yankees/ lack of pitching take last rant, this week New York demoted Freddy Garcia to the bullpen for the time being. Sad day for Garcia. The Yankees demote him in a week that they had to shutdown ANOTHER starter. That is like a 2 spot demotion, as opposed to just one spot. Of course, that is what a 12.51 ERA will get you.
9) No shows. The Nuggets lost to the Lakers badly in game 1. I said I was SLIGHTLY concerned last rant about the interior of the Lakers, but still thought the Nuggets would hold their own and win in 7 games. Well, I guess Bynum's 10 blocks going along with a triple double take the "slightly" out of my concerned statement, and the Nuggets are elated that basketball is not scored like soccer, where total points are NOT a factor. Listen, George Karl, see if you can find out where the hell Ty Lawson went after his above average season, and remind them that it is just ONE game, no matter how ugly it was. It just counts as ONE game. You can lose 3 games by a total of 100 points, as long as you somehow win four by ONE point.
9a) I LOVE how Bynum said "note to self" in an interview. Not that I made it up or anything, but let's just say I have more of a liking for him now that he is using one of my lines. Now, if we can just get him to use the shepherd/ flock one.
10) In another related knee story, rookie Iman Shumpert went down also with a knee injury. Forget whether you have heard of him or not. Forget whether you thought the Knicks have a chance in the first place. He is without a doubt one of the best on ball perimter defenders in the league...already...and I believe this takes them from "we have a chance if the start align" to "it is what it is. they are better." In a related story, David Stern has been quoted saying that the amount of injuries this year has nothing to do with the shortened, compact schedule. Mr. Stern, you are full of shit. They have had no recovery/ practice time all year-their bodies will take the toll. Your only chance with this point is the bottom line that knees just simply aren't made to play basketball-take it from someone who has diminished playing his first love competitively because of tearing up my ACL, MCL, and quad tendon in one shot block landing. It was game point, and we won by the way.
11) The Flyers take game 1 of the Devils series, which was amazing since they pulled a Ty Lawson and no-showed in the first 20 minutes. This team NEVER thinks they will lose. Any year. Any group of players. They quite simply are the most irritating team for ANY team to play in the playoffs year in and year out. And how about Danny Briere? Sure, Giroux is the heavyweight present/ future great one. This little guy is still the leading playoff goal scorer for the team since his arrival. After getting busted for trying to kick it in, he blasts the game winner and gives the Flyers a great start to the series. If the Flyers and Rangers both win, that series MIGHT be your Stanley Cup, people, and will be one HELL of a series.
12) Widespread Panic, my favorite band, is not touring this year, as the old fellows need a well-deserved year off of touring. That being the case, perhaps I can finally see some OTHER bands this summer. Being reminded by every time an NBA game goes to commercial with their new song playing, this is my absolute priority this summer. Linkin Park. They play at our local amphitheater (wow, I spelled it right) this August with Incubus. Count. Me. In.
13) The Knicks got smoked in the opener with the Heat. Did anyone else catch one of the all-generational, all-fluff players doing some fancy between the legs moves DOWN 30? JR Smith. You are truly a different breed. It is SUCH a shame to have one of the sweetest three point shots in the game and largest verticals for a player your size absolutely STIFLED by the fact that you don't have a clue.
14) One of the odd events of the draft. Mohamed Sanu was one of the top receivers on the NFL draft board late first round. The Rutgers product was pegged to be possibly picked by the WR light Cincinnati Bengals. He gets a phone call. He was told he was drafted, just as another name goes up on TV, making the call a vicious prank. The odd part of the story is that even after all that, he made it through two more rounds, and then was drafted in the third round...by the Bengals. I will be rooting for you, kid, and not just because you went to school in Jersey.
15) Poke me. Alarm clock, go off. Did I REALLY just see a commercial for a new series on TV...Dallas? Did I? PLEASE rename it "we are officially out of new ideas."
16) Arizona State's LB Vontaze Burfict literally nose dived over the last year and a half. Dude goes from a first round All-American LOCK to UNDRAFTED. Videos and stories galore about how bad the guy was in the locker room and to opponents, a sub par combine workout, and it all scared EVERYONE away (which is odd, since usually SOME team takes the idiots). Odd thing about this is this. Dude didn't even have a sub par season and then graduate. Dude had a sub par season and then CHOSE to leave early. Leaving early in basketball is one thing since there are only two rounds. There are SEVEN freaking rounds. Did you even have ANYONE ask about your worth?
17) Say what you want about the Redskins oddly drafting pro-style Kirk Cousins after moving up to take RGII at #2. Commend the Pats on their odd, but effective move ups in the draft. I am SO glad how my team, the Steelers, draft year in and year out. They didn't move up or down in any round, they literally checked off their four glaring needs in the first four rounds, and are now officially reloaded. I would say more, but I have mandated that my blog can't be too homer based. That is it. Moving on.
18) I hear that Matt Leinart has visited the Raiders. This is like deja-vu, with a slight role reversal. When Leinart backed up Palmer at USC, the only thing you knew for SURE was that there was no way Palmer was being replaced except if an injury occurred. Now, if Leinart signs with the Raiders, you can pretty much EXPECT a controversy. Leinart has experience, and looked good in that brief half of football when he replaced Matt Schaub at Houston. The MOMENT things go south for Palmer, Leinart will take the spot.
18a) Speaking of deja-vu, I think I need to see that Denzel Washington movie again. Although I sort of enjoyed the movie, I have to admit that I was flow charting shit on paper the second time around. The whole changing pasts and future thing confuses me. Back to the Future did it right. It didn't make me overthink. Deja-Vu took it to another more confusing level. It went DEEP. Multi-layered future shit going on in that one.
19) Hey, Tim Tebow, I am rather enjoying not reading about you every day in Denver. Can you slow down on the freaking T-Shirt commercials that seem to be every other page in my Men's Fitness and ESPN mag? Come on. Cut me a break.
20) I was at a fancy restaurant the other night (I had a coupon-the Fillerbuster's stomach, tapeworm, and wallet don't really dig fancy places). I decided to try the soup of the "moment," as they called it. All I heard was salmon, onions, potatoes, and cream. I missed the "cold" part of the description. It came cold. I took one bite. I could taste the deliciousness, yet could NOT get by the fact that this anomaly felt like it would taste SO good heated up, but evidently that was against the rules of the ingredients in it. Someone figure that shit out. There HAS to be a way.
20a) Oddly, the fancy restaurant, at the top of their entree list, had a burger with cheddar and egg on it...sunny side up. Here, I was thinking my way through duck, lamb, and terms that 14 years of sports bar experience didn't even teach me, and it ended up being the best damn burger I ever have had. I went to UVA. There was a place called The Spot. When you had a late night, you went and oddly got a burger with an egg on it, and then you just told people that you went to the spot and did that, and then they didn't even NEED details of your night. Now, I am older. I am supposedly more mature. All I know is THIS. A burger with a sunny side up egg on it is the best tasting thing EVER.
21) Interesting fact, like him or hate him, about Kobe Bryant. It was interesting that he sat the last game when he had a chance to win the scoring title. He must have read his own stat history. He has only won the scoring title two times. He also has not made the playoffs two times. Yup. Those would be the same years.
22) Odd that Mr. Irrelevant (Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish) joins the most celebrated QB draft pick since John Elway on the Indianapolis Colts. Talk about an odd growing friendship.
23) Family Guy is the only show that can show Peter dipping a fountain pen (funny in context of course) and say the simple words "dip, dip, dip" while reloading the pen and somehow still make me laugh out loud.
24) ASU's Brock Osweiler was drafted by the Broncos. Something tells me this kid is excited. He will learn from Peyton, and gets to hang with his best friend's dad (Elway) all the time. Someone get me a flow chart.
25) Referring back to previous rant where I almost laughed when a nearby bar patron was watching a Wisconsin game and immediately assumed since the kid was good that he would go near the top of the draft. True, Russell Wilson got screwed by not growing more, but just saying that he was drafted where I said he would be drafted...in the third round. Google "charlie ward," bar patron. Odd thing about this is it was by the Seahawks. You have a VERY, VERY odd depth chart over there, Mr. Carroll.
26) Genetics. Glad to know that Al Toon's son, Nick, was drafted to be playing the same position. Al Toon played the position about as methodically as you can play the position without being the tallest, strongest, or fastest. He was also a class act. I will be rooting for you, Nick, just because of your genes.
27) I think I am a movie snob. I went to see 21 Jump Street. It was really, really funny for about 45 minutes. Then, to me, it went over the top. The oddity about my "snobbiness" is that even though some of the most critically acclaimed movies disappoint me, somehow I still rave about The Karate Kid, Rocky IV, and Top Gun. I should put myself in that bubble place I talk shit about others to. I guess I might be in a movie bubble. I am going to go play Trivia Pursuit after this rant...in upstate New York. Moors.
28) Jason Dufner aka "I always am in the first 3 players in Major's first two rounds recently" (we might need an acronym for that nickname-sorry), won this week's PGA Tour event. I am happy for the kid. He has serious game and a personality on the course that seems really likable. I hope this win carries over to more important victories.
29) Does anyone else think that Jay Mohr being on the Ghost Whisperer violate SOME rule of being a man? The guy, who I personally came to know when he started calling into the Jim Rome show and then eventually started subbing in for him, literally makes fun of EVERYONE in his path for his act and when he is on the mic. I KNOW you want to be successful in your acting career, Jay, but the Ghost Whisperer? Kind of is a downer for me being a huge fan of yours.
29a) Not that you read this, Jay, but I KNOW the obvious comeback. You are rich, famous, and are on TV, and I am blogging to 1200 hits a month. I get it, but do you get where I was going on that one? It STILL is funny.
30) I am watching the OKC/ Dallas NBA game. I have seen college games where they give out fan shirts. I have seen NBA games where they give out fan shirts. I am VERY impressed as the camera scrolls over the crowd. About 95% of the crowd has the shirts on. It is actually pretty freaking cool, and mind blowing for the stereotypical, more apathetic NBA fan. That town LOVES them.
31) This is the first year in a while that I can't see ANYONE (except maybe Nashville) beating ANYONE (except maybe the Devils) who comes out of the East in the NHL playoffs. Don't see it happening, unless one of my parentheses disclaimers comes true.
32) If you want to shiver a little more when you are watching the sweetest sport in the world next time, check out this photo. This is a photo of a guy who lost, but didn't even get knocked out on this exact punch (ok, it was the NEXT one-go figure), Anyway, this is just called perfect photographer timing on a timely, powerful punch. It still gives you a good taste of the glory of how these guys do it. Damn, I LOVE boxing. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/tony-pietrantonio-takes-punch-ll-remember-long-time-183510057.html
33) Rajon Rondo. It WAS a bad call. I get it. You CAN'T touch the freaking ref. Playoffs is about 30% of being smarter and more cool than the others. The general rule of thumb in every round is that the road team NEEDS to steal one of the first two games to have a chance. Well, you just shot that theory with your shenanigans. You CAN'T help your team from the sidelines. Side note. Another classic, simple Charles Barkleyism. "It is a touchy thing when touching an official" (in an NBA game). Love you, Chuck.
34) Love him or hate him, you HAVE to admit this guy works hard at his recruiting. Yes, since he has a title, I kind of HAVE to come around-at least until he gets busted for cheating. http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2012/04/29/calipari-checking-out-troy-williams-james-young/#
35) I just watched Dirk Nowitzki get into it with Kendrick Perkins. Wow, Dirk. I LOVE it. You already have a ring, and they don't. You know they have the more talented team, and I am loving you showing us once again that there IS fight in players born across the pond. OKC can win. Dirk, YOU have changed this game forever with your odd mix of height and skill. Odd that if OKC wins, you could pretty much say that Durant is the next version of what you created.
36) I say time and time again how cool my church is. This past week, we had baptisms on stage. Except baptisms aren't done with a little cannister of Holy Water at our crib. They brought a portable swimming pool on stage. They say a little something of why they are doing it, and then FULLY submerge them. Classic, and awesome. For you Denver locals, this is where you want to check out. http://pathwayschurch.org/
37) They are my rival, but I like Virginia Tech's style. They get rid of Greenberg, and most probably expected a big name hire to inject energy into their fanbase and their talented squad. What do they do? They go in house, and hire former assistant James Johnson. Not flashy, but someone who was involved in some of the recruits coming there in the first place. Good stuff. Poor man's version of replacing Sean Payton.
38) MLB. You JUST changed the playoff format. Now, I hear you want to mess with interleague play and its setup. SLOW DOWN. Can you break one crazy plan in to us a year, and not totally change everything up in the greatest traditional sport we have?
39) The grass is green, the sky is blue, and when you get the worst winning percentage in history, you probably WILL get fired. Paul Silas, I will watch the wire to see where you turn up next. In your defense, you were playing poker with about 20 cards this year.
40) The Kreuger episode with George replacing his boss's photo in a photo where he is in it is really funny. I know, I know. I couldn't tell you ONE bad episode of Seinfeld, just like I couldn't pinpoint a bad Zeppelin song. It can't be done. In a related story, I finally admit it. 2.5 Men is not the same. Love him or hate him, they CAN'T replace Charlie Sheen. I wish they would have just had him extradited or something, because death is pretty much something you can't cut your losses and bring him back in a realistic fashion. Damn. They need to lose this new chick, too. The one that hates Alan. Now that Jake is getting cool, we HAVE to keep this thing going.
41) It would be more news that Jordan Hill got charged with assault this week IF he actually did anything to help them win. Dude is going to jail, and the Lakers will ONLY miss his outside shooting.
42) In another example of why you should NEVER turn off every game in any sport, the Clippers grew up in literally ONE half, and came back form 27 down to win against the Grizzlies. Why is this important? Because if your significant other is bitching about leaving because the game is a blowout, put this on the list with Houston/ Buffalo, Pacers/ Knicks with Reggie Miller, etc. etc. etc.
43) Sure, Ray Allen is a future HOF'er. But, also he is this. He HAS to play for them to beat the Hawks. The young, athletic Hawks will NOT be beat by these old guys unless there is spacing because of a dangerous three pt. shooter. That guy is simply Ray Allen. He might score 9 pts per game this series, but the THREAT of him is the difference between winning and losing. Since both teams are licking their chops once Rose went down, this series means basically two series wins. They might as well start scouting the Heat.
44) That is it. The whole full time job thing kind of gets in the way. I hope you enjoyed, and please pass along to anyone who also might enjoy. Since I don't understand how to spread this thing with technology and social media, I am going the old school route. Word of mouth. As one shepherd said to the other, I am going to get the flock out of here. Peace.
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