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...
Let's turn and burn. There are two things that are always better when I am pissed...working out and ranting.
1) Editor's note. I am changing predictions on the OKC/ San Antonio series. I predicted OKC in 6 games UNDER the assumption that they would steal one of the first two games. They did not, meaning barring a monstrous San Antonio injury, this thing is going seven games. AND, per my last rant, IF it goes 7 games, then San Antonio would take it on their home court. That is being NICE saying that it might go 7 games. After the shellacking of the first two games, I would consider it a moral victory if this thing even GOES 7 games. It clarifies something prominent in ALL sports. The whole passing of the torch thing? It is NOT easy, because the team/ person who HAD the torch had it for a reason, and these Spurs are NOT going down easy. Even if San Antonio loses tonight while I am blogging, it is still one of the most monumental runs of any NBA teams in a LONG time. Some notes from Game 2 and the series in general:
-after having a pretty decent performance in Game 1, Derek Fisher came out GUNNING. Dude, you got your share of rings, and you WERE a starter for those teams, but come on and recognize who your stars are. You are now a role player/ locker room presence. Just. Do. That. Stuff.
-the passing of the Spurs big men is simply beautiful. They might not light up the box score on a regular basis, but they sure as hell are contributing directly to the guys that are. As Pop said, those international coaches are doing SOMETHING right.
-OKC needs to stop looking at the officials for help. Sure, there are bad calls here and there, but try and win it with good play, open shots, and with attacking the basket. The bad calls will level out. Stop bitching.
-OKC needs to unleash James Harden. After a dismal Game 1, he started pulling up before getting in the lane and in trouble, and it was very effective initially. Dude is just SMOOTH.
-Hey, Russell Westbrook, how's it going guarding a PG that blows by you when you blink and/ or smirk in that silly way for more than a half second?
-So, the Spurs might not be as flashy as the Heat, but for all you non basketball people, they play the game the perfect way. Spacing, finding the right guy and trusting the right guy, playing well between the ears, and no care at all who the star is that night.
-Flux capacitor alert. Duncan's NASTY dunk over Serge Ibaka was just dirty. Tim. Circa 2001. Mr. Duncan if you want to be nasty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sW8tU03mZA
-LOVE when on one single bad play that Gregg Popovich was in the face of superstar Tony Parker. He plays no favorites, and the fact that he would do that to ANYONE makes his non-superstars play better. Dibs.
-I DID like how Scott Brooks pulled a "Popovich" and repeatedly fouled Tiago Splitter (LOVE that name) in the FIRST half to get free throw misses and mess up the fluidity of the Spurs offense. Sure, it didn't pan out, but I like Brook's style. AND, we need to get rid of that rule.
-Is it bad that I still always chuckle when I hear an announcer say "he needs a blow?"
-I still am VERY impressed that OKC didn't fold when down big at the Spurs' crib. It didn't turn out well, and this series win probably won't happen, but they need to realize that doing this thing ain't going to be easy, and that technically this series is going exactly as planned. 2-2-1-1-1...so far. This isn't soccer. You don't get extra credit for the amount you win by-losing by 20 and losing by 1 puts the same number in the column and still starts you at 0-0 at the beginning of the next game.
-My fraternity brother thinks he saw Hubie Brown at the media table during the game. Where is Hubie? Is he doing radio? Why are they wasting his talents on the radio? I would have checked, but the delay kills me from the radio to the TV....I have tried it several times during Nuggets game when I am trying not to listen to Scott Hastings. Release the hounds, ABC/ TNT. Hubie is the hound.
2) I promised I wouldn't do it first hook, but I NEED to get this out. VERY active week for the Rant Squad. For new readers, the "Rant Squad" is a collection of characters, if you will, from the world of sports. To qualify for the team, you must have committed at least 3 ridiculous/ illegal acts combined with interviews that don't support any conspiracies. I could go longer on this definition, but I think that sums it up shortened style. SO....here is our first Rant Squad weekly appearance. Did you all have a good holiday? Yes? I just wanted you to know Metta World Peace hopes you did also? At about 12pm on Monday, Metta tweeted to the world, "Happy Labor Day to everyone." What is nice about the Rant Squad is that the Fillerbuster doesn't usually need to add his own jokes when a team member does something, such as the case here. That would be like playing whiffleball as Michael McDermott would say. Dude, the conspiracy theory would be that possibly you were joking, but anyone who saw your recent post game interview after getting booted from the playoffs knows you were absolutely serious.
3) I have a 5 Hour Energy commercial in the holster. It is SO obvious. Just show a picture of John Isner, and say "visualize your job as playing a match against him." After the record setting match of a few years ago at Wimbledon, and a couple long ones in the middle, dude just made his opponent win 18 games in the fifth and final set today at the French Open. People, they play to 6 games.
4) I have decided to announce my graduation from high school and college to the world. I am very proud of what I did at both places, and thank you for your acknowledgement. In a related story, and giving me a partial heart attack that somehow he was playing in the IFL for the last couple years and I didn't know it, Kordell Stewart retired this week from the NFL. He ANNOUNCED it. SEVEN years later. Go rob a liquor store or get a DUI in the same night, and I will make you a backup on my Rant Squad. I won't make you wait seven years either. Geez/ come on. Get it. I just put an unnecessary "slash" at the end of this hook.
5) Steve Spurrier says to pay college players $3500 to $4000 per year. Steve, I am one of your biggest fans, and I do think it sucks that college athletes don't get paid. But, where does it end? This is the DEFINITION of a slippery slope. Ok. So, we pay Bob, who is a star football player at Alabama this amount. Cool? Then what do we say to Vinny, who is a starting player from lax powerhouse Syracuse? What do we say to Jenny, who happens to be a midfielder for UNC's women's soccer team? It will never end, people. I think it sucks, but I think this might be a problem with a very hard to find solution. I don't have it, and I will let you know when I hear it...from a smarter person.
6) And in the yearly round robin of what big namer might sit out to make a point (we already KNOW you won't, good guy Wes Welker from your candid ESPN interview where you showed your cards after getting franchised and KILLED your leverage), Darrelle Revis is our next contestant. Why not? Maybe this is Rex Ryan's proactive way of deflecting things off the Tebow circus that is about as obvious as another attempt of a Steven Seagal action movie. Good move, Rex.
7) Floyd Mayweather begins his jail term. You don't care? I sure as hell do. On my rant team, this is the equivalent of putting your best player on the DL, or getting Tommy John surgery. Not a good thing. Hurry back, Floyd.
8) I know that Morgan Freeman gets all the pub for having "that voice" for all narrations, but I think we have a new darkhorse. I think the dude who does the Hyundai commercials is going to be going to town with penguin narrations and others soon enough.
9) What did YOU do on your way to work today? Anything good? Check out this: http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/reds-player-saves-life-then-wins-ballgame
10) Talk about a perfect match, and look OUT MLB. The Rangers are already the best team in baseball. Critics, including me, say they lack pitching to get things done when it is all said and done. Now, what do they do? They pick up the perfect match. A guy who has not thrown HIS last strikeout is picked up by a team who needs exactly that. Roy Oswalt is picked up by the Rangers. A very good team just got better.
11) Another Rant Squad member does something that does not need a joke. Deshawn Stephenson, a year out of somehow being relatively important in the Mavs championship and then getting arrested for public drunkenness in an apartment complex a couple weeks later, just got an ATM...for his kitchen. http://2daysports.com/deshawn-stephenson-has-atm-in-his-kitchen-1728.html
12) I don't care if I am older. I don't care if it is not hip anymore. I still think that cruising down the road in the summer, with all my windows down listening to Fresh Prince's "Summertime" is the best thing EVER. I did it this weekend. Sure, parents didn't understand, and sure, amazingly he wound up a pretty freaking good actor, but Summertime is a classic. Yeah I got on basketball sneaks but I need a new pair because basketball courts in the summer got girls there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr0tTbTbmVA
13) I am trying out for the Steelers as a wide receiver just so you all know, just in case I suddenly stop blogging. I have released videos on Youtube to prove my fitness. In a related story, I am going out with Matt Forte for drinks this weekend.
14) Did anyone else check out the Vanderbuilt triple steal. No matter what level of baseball play we are talking, a triple steal has all of the stars aligned and is frankly pretty freaking sweet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYcNbBnicm4
15) Loyola of Maryland gets its first college lax title, in a final four that was absent of the usual powerhouses. It scored 7 unanswered goals in the final game. A) Congrats B) That is cool. SEVEN unanswered goals are "unanswered." I only have a problem when a football announcer says "and then they scored ten unanswered points." Two different things. If something is unanswered, it better have at least 5 scores of whatever type in ANY sport.
16) I usually just rent movies. Can someone just let me know if Charlize Theron is topless at any point in the new Snow White movie and maybe I will check it out on the big screen?
17) I hear that Phil Mickelson is in a group to buy the Padres. Every team needs balance, and the Padres are bad enough already this season, but does anyone else think that the 8-5 ratio of righties to lefties might change if he gets the call?
18) This is a weird feeling. I am a diehard Phillies fan, and this is the first year that I might be paying attention to the trading deadline. Can they win it without a move? Sure, since all teams in the division are .500 are thereabouts, but I get the feeling that a huge move might be in the making for my boys.
19) I see the Prometheus previews. It just FEELS like another version of Alien/ Aliens. Someone tell me where Sigourney Weaver is right now, and also throw in what the plural of Prometheus is so I am prepared for the sequel. I feel like it should be "promethei."
20) Playoff basketball. I was disgusted watching Game 1 of the Heat and Celtics and seeing how FAST they were t'ing up players. Come on, refs. I am not saying that I want another Ron Artest brawl ever again in the sport or any sport, but let them play AND be emotional. Unless something is said or done that is obviously retaliatory, let them play. You people should NOT be changing the game. Players should be.
21) Sad to see the stars that are making baseball over the last few years, Weaver and Halladay, both hurt. Make it back, guys. You make the most traditional, old school SO much better. I would rather watch a 1-0 pitchers duel ANY day than watch some Colorado Rockies-like 11-9 slugfest. I don't want excitement, I want quality.
22) The Los Angeles Kings win Game 1 in the Cup playoffs. Who ARE these guys, do they know they were an #8 seed, why are ex-Flyers schooling people when not on the Flyers, and can anyone stop them? I think they are Villanova '85. One of the best stories in sports in a while if they take it. Not that there are actually Devils fans in existence anyway. Ok. There are like 12 of them. As I have said before, you go too far south in Jersey, and you are a Flyers fan. Too far north? You are all Islanders or Rangers. Putty, much love to you AND your face painting.
23) The grass is green, the sky is blue, and Barry Bonds lives in a vacuum/ tunnel. Bonds says he is talking to the Giants about a position with the team. I read this story, and am going to steal one of the "commenters" on this article. "The question is, are the Giants also talking to HIM?" I am with that sentiment. One of the greatest hitters of all time or not, he cheated. Find a clean guy who batted .300 for his career to teach my young guys if I was a coach.
24) Butler basketball is joining the Atlantic-10 THIS year. Wow, that conference is going to be the best conference that no one will watch until March, and then suddenly bitch about their brackets.
25) Another Rant Squad mention this week. T.O. was cut by his IFL team. No joke needed, and sad to see arguably the 2nd best receiver of all time go out this way. Well, it is not really sad. It is hard to feel bad for absolute idiots. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/terrell-owens-gets-50-severance-allen-wranglers-threatens-150431179.html
26) Article I didn't open that I liked the guy involved but was still confused... Tim Duncan proclaimed he is a "Spur for life." What? Dude, I am rooting for you somewhat because you are one of the best 4's to ever play, a class act, and won't have too many more years left in the tank. I HOPE you are a Spur for life, and how many years are you thinking about playing? If anyone can ride off into the sunset like Elway did, you can. Don't be a Franco Harris, Brett Favre, or even should I dare say Jerry Rice. Win this year, and make us suddenly want to watch a Clint Eastwood movie.
27) Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR race, and Franchitti won the Indy 500. I could go on, but am just reporting it. No jokes, no embellishment. Good job, and congrats to both of you. Yeah. This is a sports rant, and hell, maybe Kahne won the Nationwide-I get confused.
28) I am sad when I see those adorable unclaimed puppies and dogs on TV, and I am sad the NFL announced it is coming back in 2013 with...the Pro Bowl. Damn. Yay, I have a three hour span of time in my life when I can do...something else besides watch sports.
29) Both Williams sisters are out of the French Open already. I don't see the big deal. Both sisters' games cater more to hard court and grass. Sure, it indicates a decreasing skill level because it is so early, and we are near the end of witnessing the end of a historic run by the sisters, but on clay? One or both still have a few good tournaments left in them. Don't sleep on them. In a unrelated side story, Andy Roddick is also out. Copy, paste, and print for all future tournaments. That guy had all the talent, but he is his own worst enemy. I hope he doesn't drive to tournaments and they don't have "yards" at these tournaments. Here is the old school song to jam out to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc5iTNVEOAg
30) MJ tells Patrick Ewing he will not be his coach. Sure, there are better established candidates out there, but I would love for him to get a shot. Maybe, he will actually get one more solid big man in the Association besides Dwight Howard. Maybe MJ whispered in his ear about the fact the only reason he made the finals was because he was playing baseball at the time. Maybe he wore a Villanova T-Shirt while telling him. Ouch, if it did happened.
31) You knew it would happen, and all pure hockey fans, Wings fan or not, should be sad he is checking out. Niklas Lidstrom retired today. Cheers to perhaps the most efficient and fluid defensive player and PP leader in the history of the NHL. Happy trails, man.
32) I thank Magic Johnson for mentioning Isiah Thomas's 25 point playoff quarter when talking about Rondo's badass game in Game 2 of their series. I was already a fan, still crawl under the bed when watching the bad pass to Bird in another series, but remember every second of that magical 3rd quarter of my boy against the Lakers in Game 6 of the series they eventually lost. HOBBLED.
33) I have said it before, but it is AMAZING the amount of blocked shots that Dwayne Wade gets. Timing, smarts, mad athleticism, and a 6'4" dude MADE to play the game.
34) I watched amazingly enough my first Kenny Powers series episodes where he is an over the hill baseball player who gets a gym teacher job in his small hometown. The thing is one of the most abrasive, over the top, yet funny things I have ever seen. Kind of like the human/ non cartoon version of Family Guy. You laugh at a joke, then sit there for a minute wondering if you are going to hell for joining in.
35) Sad. The Charlotte Bobcats are clearly the worst team in the NBA. The New Orleans Hornets trade their superstar, get some pieces, but only finish fourth worst. Who gets the top spot/ Anthony Davis? The Hornets. If they play it smart, look for them to be the OKC Thunder 4 years from now. They sure as hell have the opportunity.
36) Jim Harbaugh has proclaimed that the "plan" was Alex Smith the whole time and not to get Peyton Manning. Yup. Got it. And I went to the University of Virginia to be in sales. That was MY master plan also. Let's go drink together, Jim. We can chat about this.
37) Rajon Rondo hit two miraculous three's to cut the game to 3 very late in the game. Before the second one, did anyone else catch the cameras catching Paul Pierce walking to the locker room? Intriguing, and surprising. I love the guy, so I won't ride this one long, but WTF were you doing? Aren't you the Truth? Kind of quitting, aye?
38) Call me in 2014, or text me during EURO 2012. I hope my cell gets service in Brazil in 2014. Everyone who LOVES soccer was SO excited for the friendly against Brazil. Well, without going into how stupid "friendlies" are (be regular readers, people), the US got SMOKED, 4-1. Kind of makes that hat trick Landon Donovan had against...SCOTLAND...look kind of stupid.
39) OKC is feeding from their home crowd and looks good. If I hadn't seen the last two games, I would say this is a good lock...but I saw the last two games. Fans and adrenaline don't win you playoff games. So, they win this one, and then the nightmare happens. Coach Pop makes adjustments.
40) Roger Federer just got Jimmy Connors for most all-time Grand Slam wins. What is amazing about this is Connors had to make a few runs in his late 30's to get that record. No one is totally writing off Roger yet at all. If tennis was basketball, which it is not, Roger is the closest to MJ that they have. If that is true what I just said, isn't it sad that Karl Malone couldn't play bball on clay. Deep thoughts. Jack Handy, call me. Flow chart that statement, dammit.
41) Luke Donald is evidently back at #1 in golf. Maybe THAT is why I like Tiger so much (it is not, but I will continue the hook). When Tiger owned shit, there was NO changing at the top. There are better wire stories than this. Like THIS.
42) If the Rant Squad had to rate prospects, than Nick Fairley would be Bryce Harper. Nick, fresh off a marijuana charge, got a DUI this week. Yes. He was my top prospect in quite a while, and is coming in strong. VERY close to starting, Nick. Go start a cockfighting ring in the next week, and I will make you captain of the squad.
43) Dos Santos took down Frank Mir in UFC. I don't know this sport enough to make a long hook, but I will say this. I get depressed when a guy I haven't heard of beats a guy I HAVE heard of. I can't watch THAT many sports. Come one. I DO have a full time job and then some.
44) I have a street where parking is at a premium. I watched a short little Jeep Patriot parallel park into a spot for 10 minutes when I was watching standing by a spot that was twice the size, and two spots down. People are so intriguing. NO, they didn't have heavy boxes in the vehicle that the 20 feet helped out.
45) I watched David Lee Roth TALK through a concert last week. I saw a FREE concert this weekend on the 16th Street Mall in Denver...TOTO. They destroyed Africa, Hold the Line kicked ass, and evidently some of these early 80's song group's lead singers ARE taking care of themselves.
46) Same game, and this Rant only gives facts. Although I heard that the Rockies have assigned Moyer to the minor leagues this week, he still has THIS. He is the oldest player to GET an RBI AND the oldest player to win a game. Nice, bro.
47) Speaking of, when you say "Bob got ...a ribbie," do you say "an RBI," or "a RBI?" It SOUNDS like it starts with a vowel, but technically it starts with a consonant. Confused.
48) If you wanted to play money for pool at a bar, and the guy you asked randomly said "I am retired," wouldn't you back off, knowing the guy probably USED to rake? I was approached by a young lad to play for $20 this weekend. I said I was retired. He comes back and said "since you are retired, can we play for $10?" I submitted. The game lasted about 6 minutes ( I missed one shot), and my night was free that night. Thanks, dude. I am retired again.
49) UCONN bball semi-star Roscoe Smith transfers to UNLV. I know bball, and we are a long way until March, but put me down for this. Combine a strong last season, picking up a top ten recruit, and then getting Smith, and I already have them in my Sweet 16 next year. Book it, and I don't care if Smith has to sit out a year.
50) If I wasn't retired from betting, and if there WAS a bet that existed, I would take Jason Dufner every important tournament to be the first round leader. Dude does it ALL THE TIME, and then flails. Did it again last week.
51) My new favorite workout song. I listened to this on the way home from work brewing for this rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCJsazPbefo
52) Proposing at sporting events is kind of dumb to some people, but this story is pretty freaking cool given the state of the world affairs: http://patdollard.com/2012/05/soldier-proposes-during-st-louis-cardinals-game/
53) I hear Jerry Sandusky's charity was shut down. Glad I don't hear about it every day, still disgusted by the whole thing, and...moving on.
54) Not sure why the fence was about 5 feet high, and not looking it up as to why, but still a pretty badass baseball catch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILDWdTMsan4
55) No prelim given. If you know the history of this kicker's history, you will find this funny: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/19160218/vanderjagts-coaching-job-in-question-after-hes-accused-of-grabbing-student-by-throat
56) The Celtics played this song in their Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. My buddy, Kyle, introduced me to it, it is usually my opening song for my workouts when I am stretching, and just plain gets you PUMPED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbPTKRLenIY
57) Math at its best. And yes, I am making a Indy hook that will make sense. Will Power has WON 15 of his last 44 starts before Sunday. Roger Penske, his owner, said that he is proud that Will has won "almost a third of his races." Run that by me again, and please bring me another flow chart.
58) I hear the Jazz and Warriors are thinking about making a trade DURING the NBA playoffs. Odd, but needed by both if you have watched them play ANY time in the last two years.
59) Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is now supposedly only going to be out 4-6 weeks. I wonder at technology and the magic that is medicine these days, and evidently Nostradamus is not exactly working for their media team.
60) Finally, the Dolphins will be the team on Hard Knocks. Sweet. I have a joke, but just can't find it. Give me a break. I am at 60 hooks.
61) Perfect. OKC/ Spurs going into the 4th quarter. That is it. Sorry to be late on this blog, but sometimes I have a life, sometimes I actually DO work 65 hours, and I am back in the gym like in the old days. As one shepherd said to the other, I am getting the flock out of here. Talk to you Monday night. Peace.
62a) About the background picture, I DID used to carry around a Rubik's Cube. My brother and I had hopes of making That's Incredible. We didn't make it, but dibs to my big brother. He held court. His best I believe was 1:44, and mine was 2:36. That's Incredible cutoff was :30. Sick. To be honest, I STILL have a Rubik's Cube. I REFUSE to look up the answer, still get down to the final two moves, but can't remember them. So, basically, I have a mostly done Rubik's Cube as decoration in my apartment for the last 5 years.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Ray. If someone asks you if you are a god, you say yes!
***************NOTE: The holiday and work threw me off. I will try and get another Rant out either Wednesday (5/30) or Thursday (5/31) night.
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...
Deep thoughts: what the HELL did I do with all these thoughts before I started ranting? I have SO much to say tonight...
1) Reality bites. Although playing against an inferior team AND being without one of their version of the Big Three, the Heat regulate in the end. The Pacers let the Heat get out and run instead of slowing them down (you CAN't let them do that, although easier said than done), LeBron and Wade hit their stride and remind us of how badass they really are, and the better team wins. Hey, Pacers, when you had them down 2-1 AND had one more game at your crib, you HAVE to play smart and defend your home court. You then got yourself in a situation where they steal one, then get to go back to THEIR crib, and then go to your place tasting the series win. Too much to ask of yourselves. I like the fight they put up, and maybe this will be a rivalry at some point when the Pacers add another piece and mature a little, but for now, what should have happened...happened. If the Celtics win, we will have a great series with a defensive team loaded with aging, but still potent future HOF's against the team that proclaimed they would win like 7 titles. Not going to be easy. The Heat won't come out and say it, but no WAY they wouldn't rather play the young legs of the Sixers than a few guys with a ring on their finger already.
2) OKC-Spurs. You might even argue that this IS the championship, but let's just enjoy it for what it is-a FANTASTIC matchup that might be a changing of the guard out west. Star-wise, they match up pretty well, and the coaching edge has to go to the Spurs, but I think the three headed monster that is OKC win this one in 6 games. If it DOES go to Game 7, I think the Spurs will take care of business, but I will stick with the Thunder in 6. They will steal the first game before Popovich has time to make adjustments, defend their home court, for both games drop the return trip to San Antonio, and then take them out in front of their insane home fans. Kendrick Perkins HAS to stay out of foul trouble, Westbrook HAS to keep his cool, and James Harden will become a household name after this as I love the match up problems the Spurs will have guarding him. My only note is that this is interesting because this will be the first series where Russell Westbrook will actually also have to play some great defense in addition to his usual stout offense. As good as these teams are, and as passionate as the local folks are, David Stern is not sleeping well these days.
3) The grass is green, the sky is blue, and Tiger says "he is getting close." Close to WHAT, bro? I am your biggest fan, but showing "signs" does nothing for me. At this point, experience or not, there is NO WAY you are taking down the tight fairways and thick grass of the US Open with your loose swing and bad putting, so you might as well book a trip overseas NOW and start practicing for the British, the one I think you CAN win at this point.
4) It doesn't seem that long ago that we were thinking Kellen Winslow was the next coming of some combination of his dad, Shannon Sharpe, and Antonio Gates. Now, the Bucs don't even want him. They traded him. Oh, and unless you live in a bubble and play Trivia Pursuit, you know that the Bucs sucked last year and are merely considered "dangerous" for this year. Not a good sign that they didn't want you, bro. It is probably confusing to outside teams who look at him and wonder how he is NOT a badass.
5) Manny Pacquiao fights pretty soon, and brings us boxing fans another depression bout that him and Mayweather can't find a way to make the fight happen. Side note. Check out this commercial if you haven't seen it. It seems like a serious training commercial that we find out in the end is for what? Hennessy. Confused. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rey7qsLtE8
6) I am not saying that concussions aren't a serious issue in the NFL. I am not saying that options shouldn't be looked at to curb them. I am not saying that I want people to continue to get hurt as players get faster and stronger generation by generation. What I AM saying is that I also don't want the game's fluidity affected by any measures taken. I get the knee pads and leg pads by 2013 thing. But does anyone else wonder if players are eventually going to end up looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at some point with all the gear they are wearing? Come on. It is a dangerous game, these deaths that might have stemmed from past concussions suck, but more padding is not the answer. The answer is just to be more aware and have players play smart when they hit people.
6a) Speaking of the Stay Puft fellow, I think I am at my quota for watching Ghostbusters, and by that I mean that it is about time for me to take in a viewing. I have the itch. What a freaking GREAT movie? Sometimes when someone asks me my name, I say the "key master," and see if they play along and introduce themselves as the "gate keeper."
7) So there technically was no NFL cap last year because of the new contract between the players and owners. Then, Dallas and Washington get busted for "cap violations" with steep penalties. So, they got busted on violations on something that doesn't exist? Someone grab me a flow chart.
8) Tie score in the Devils/ Rangers game I have in the background. Hmmm. Tied up, less than 10 minutes left in the playoffs, with both teams suddenly playing conservative. Let's see which goes longer. This blog, or the impending overtimes I see coming from a mile away.
9) Knicks fans should be happy. So, Phil Jackson didn't come back to his playing days team and add to his legend. I like the Mike Woodson deal. From what I know about him, and more importantly what I saw on the court defensively after he took over, I think it is a great signing. If him and Melo were crossing, we would have known it by now, so you have better defense, a happy superstar, and one or two good free agent signings from being a pretty talented squad.
10) McNamee keeps old waste stuff because he was keeping his wife' nagging at bay. Today, we find out that Clemens DNA was indeed on some of that kept waste. Does ANYONE want me to keep going with this hook or are we ALL tired of the whole thing? Thought so. Moving on.
11) GOOD idea. Let's INDEED play the Cincy/ Xavier basketball game at a neutral site. It's not just about last year's on court brawl. That was just the kicker. I have never really been in the know TOO much about the inner-workings of this rivalry, but evidently it is pretty damn scary. Call it the Golden Eagle version of Duke-UNC (I say that because the Golden Eagle gets no pub because of the freaking Bald Eagle). Here is a taste: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3763024
12) Let me run this by you. Heat player Mike Miller loses his shoe. He ends up guarding one of the fastest players in the league, Leandro Barbosa, on the other end. Barbosa decides to do what? He pulls up for a three. Ummmm. No thoughts whatsoever about trying to drive on the guy with the shoe? You are not exactly splitting the atom over there, buddy.
13) The Heat can bitch all they want about missing Haslem and Pittman in their last game against the Pacers. They can say that the guy who was getting the back of his player gets busted wrongly. Whatever. Watch how it happened again. The Hansborough foul was hard, but an attempt on the ball WAS made, and the ball just happened to be on the other side of his head, making it look worse than it was. Haslem's had NO attempt on the ball, and was obviously retaliatory. The Pittman foul was just plain stupid. I at least understand the Haslem foul as far as rationale. Someone during trash time throwing elbows at their bench sitting counterpart is just ridiculous. I agree with the penalties.
14) Dammit. John Malkovich is the next contestant on the talking phone commercials. I love that guy, those phones scare me, and I was hoping for someone irritating like Oprah Winfrey or something so I could kill two birds at once and hate both things going on on the screen.
15) Does Dwayne Wade even KNOW he is only 6'4"? Dude plays like he is 6'7" all the time. It is amazing what he turns out game in and game out at his height. It kind of reminds me of Sir Charles Barkley, who played his entire 6'5" career like a 6'11" dude.
16) I think Metta World Peace will eventually do SOMETHING on the mic that might overtake Iverson's "practice" rant. It will have to be monumental, but if there is someone out there with a shot, it is Metta. In about 30 seconds in a post game interview after their loss, he was able to cover all this ground:
-we are the best team in the NBA
-we would have beaten them fairly easy
-I am not talking about myself
-my coach is a fat-ass
-said "so stunning" several times in an odd tone
17) In case you had money on it, here is an update on the Finger Wrestling World Championships. By the way, are these the punks the tough Paper, Rock, Scissor Championships make fun of? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/alpine-finger-wrestling-_n_1535756.html
18) I am from New Jersey. Sometimes we get crap for things when we don't deserve it. Other times, someone from Jersey does something that...well...is just very Jersey. Well, in this case, it is the top of the political food chain. The governor comes out and dares anyone to stop them from betting on sports even though it is against the rules. You are talking in fancy language in a public forum that is keeping our proud heritage strong. Sweet.
18a) I actually got out of a fight using a Jerseyism one time. I was on a work trip in Sacramento and was making a late night 7-11 run in a part of town that I probably shouldn't have been walking around solo. I was on the phone, and was approached by three dudes, who resonated of wanting my well-being and/ or wallet. I told the three dudes to wait a second, told the person on the phone calmly to hang on, set down the phone, and literally went crazy yelling at all three dudes, telling them that if they didn't walk down that street quietly (pointing), I was going to go "Jersey" on them . It worked amazingly, and I ended up good to go. I shouldn't make it a habit, and I am not a small dude, but luck was my lady that night.
19) Hey, Jerry Sloan, unless you know something we don't, go look at the Magic job...NOT the Bobcats job. More talent, closer to being "there," and just a better situation overall. Plus, do you REALLY want to be Michael Jordan's bitch MORE than you already were when he was playing in the 90's?
20) Devils win, as this blog correctly called. Kings already won, also called by this rant. So, I suppose I have to pick the winner of the Cup. Although I will be rooting for the Kings and it is a great story, I see too much depth on the Devils. Plus, Kovalchuk is the added offensive piece to the Devils that makes them solid all around. Take the experience, the goaltending, the coach, and I see the Devils in 6 games.
21) Speaking of hockey, this guy needs to work on his championship celebration, or just stop winning things. http://larrybrownsports.com/hockey/semyon-varlamov-falls-with-russia-iihf-championship-trophy/136864
22) I am glad there wasn't a huge media circus countdown to Albert Pujols's 450th homer...because it would have taken FOREVER. Congrats, I guess, Albert.
23) A big deal was made about Federer being on the same side of the bracket as Djokovic in the French Open. I don't see why. Forget the rankings. Sure, Djokovic is #1 and maybe it would be more fair to have Federer on Nadal's side. I say no. This tournament might be freaking NAMED the Nadal Open in ten years because of his dominance. I like where everyone is at.
24) Angels pitcher Dan Haren fans 14 in a win against the Mariners. So. Basically, he showed us for one game what all the hype was about years ago when he was the top upcoming prospect in years.
25) Did anyone else see Mets manager Bobby Valentine try to call the bullpen, but then couldn't get the cover of the phone off. Bobby, you just had to turn that big knob down. Glad you have assistant coaches.
26) If I was a betting person, I would say that there might be 14 people in the world more excited than me about the upcoming Rock of Ages movie. Stars, glam rock, and I can stop watching Rock Star as much to bring back those days. Yay.
27) Dwight Howard told TMZ that he had no part in the firing of coach Stan Van Gundy. Did anyone else stop at the acronym TMZ, and wonder if there was any truth in any part of the sentence after?
28) Miami has declared they are "committed" to the ACC. In this age of conference switching and realignments, I feel this has as much truth as when George said he liked Susan in Seinfeld. If I was the ACC, I wouldn't accept any wedding invitation boxes from Miami.
29) The Indy 500 is this weekend I believe. My hook is...just kidding. I don't know shit about it, won't bore you, have other things to get to, and don't care now that Danica isn't racing in it.
30) I have a bone to pick with ESPN News. You, ESPN News, are DESIGNED to have a place where I can ALWAYS get updates. I can count on you for just constant sport news. Tonight, you pissed me off. Home from the gym. No NBA game. The hockey game was at intermission. I flip to you, and what do you do? You go to women's softball, which was ALREADY being shown on your main channel mind you, for an "extended live look in." I had to watch a 2.5 Men repeat. Don't pull that shit on me. Ever. I will go Jersey on your ass.
31) Did you see Brad Richards "try to clear," but actually shot on goal...IN A PLAYOFF GAME? http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/05/24/watch-brad-richards-get-robbed-of-a-goal-by-henrik-lundqvist/
32) I like the move of the NFL to push back the trade deadline. The sport is violent, injuries happen, and teams need more time in that sport more than any other to address any issues that arise for the playoff run. That being said, the irony of this hook is that NFL trades RARELY happen anymore, so maybe this is kind of like that whole tree/ forest/ sound thing.
33) Andrew Bynum has told the media that he will "play anywhere." I think we should confuse this moron and ask if he would play in (big city that has no NBA team), just to see if we can trick him.
34) A couple other NBA notes:
-Celtics Avery Bradley really hurts the Celtics chances against the Heat should they advance. If you don't know who he is, he is the guy who left college one year early from Texas, has come into his own as a great defender, and would be the player guarding Dwayne Wade. That is hard enough anyway.
-sad to hear about the gunshots fired after the OKC game the other night, with 8 people getting hurt
-Sixers youngster Evan Turner going to the hoop up by a few with :19 on the shot clock with 2:19 left in the game was beyond befuddling.
-I seriously think I could watch from start to finish a Bobcats/ Wizards game with Hubie Brown announcing. Seriously. That would have to be tough, but Hubie would make it bearable.
-I almost lost my shit and rolled off the couch when the OKC/ Spurs matchup was official, and the first thing Charles Barkley said was "yes! we have TWO riverwalks."
-why was Kobe out of the game, no foul trouble, in the beginning of the 4th quarter with the Lakers only down 6?
-Durant guarding Kobe for short spurts late in the series' games was genius, and kind of symbolic. The whole passing of the torch cliche.
-Love him or hate him (I just respect him, but for some reason hate him too), Kobe was ALL class after the loss, going up and hugging every player from the Thunder. Classy. Take some notes, LeBron. Leaving the court immediately is not good on our eyes.
-You have the Big Three in Boston in Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. Shit, I guess it almost HAS to be the Big FOUR now with Rondo. Anyway, the player on that team that I think is the key to them making a run is who? Brandon Bass. GREAT pickup, and a solid, hard working player.
-Talk about a QUICK turnaround. Shaq gets pub for looking into the GM job in Orlando. Don't get excited. It is already done. He is not doing it. The story evidently wanted to beat out Jeremy Lin as quickest big story in the sports world this year.
-I KNOW. I am a huge fan of Iverson. BUT. I would give about 5% credit to Iverson for there even BEING a Game 7 in that series. He truly is loved there for almost delivering pretty much single handedly a ring, and he IGNITED that crowd before the game. The "practice" sign by the fan was also pretty damn funny
35) Wow. This is kind of fun ranting on a non school night. I normally would have to wrap things up, but realize that I don't have to be at work tomorrow. It kind of indicates that I don't have killer plans for the first night of a long weekend, but you can draw your own conclusions. Perfect night in my opinion. Blog, and then go to my watering hole down the street and play Golden Tee. Let's keep moving. Some dudes go to strip clubs when their chick is out of town. I go play Golden Tee. I live on the edge.
36) I don't go out on school nights. I have a routine. Van Halen was in town though last night. Considering I literally grew up with them as my band, I would feel like I was cheating on them if I didn't go. I have seen all three singers (yes, I was 7th row for the Gary Cherone tour. True.), but I got a nosebleed seat and rolled there solo. I didn't NEED to be close. I could hear the broken segments in Roth's voice from where I was. Dude, shut it down. You showed glimpses of that incredible voice that did Running With the Devil, your Hot for Teacher was ok, the others' solo rocked (LOVE Van Halen's kid Wolfgang), you can still spin the mic like no one else, but overall? Subpar. That being said, if you haven't had the treat of ever hearing Eddie doing "Cathedral," you should check it out. Crazy sounding, soothing, methodical guitar solo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2WRGVJLZu0
37) I am listening to Rihanna's new "dirty" song right now. It kind of makes me all warm and fuzzy. Yes, I just said I was listening to Rihanna. I am secure in my manhood. She is HOT.
38) If I told you that a man got a DUI with a zebra in the backseat, would you go to the link? I am seriously asking. You would think about it? Ok. I will take that as an answer. Here you go: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/25/tagblogsfindlawcom2012-legallyweird-idUS301471054420120525
39) Dibs to the UCONN hockey team. They made a video showing player interviews, etc. of how they don't care if you are gay or not. They want you on their team. Proactive, and a great message.
40) OK. This story is about a player on the Rant Team. Ochocinco. The story is how sad he is that someone jacked his Starbucks gold card. I was laughing at the story, thinking about how he just shut up once again, and then I read the fine print. HOW did he get his wallet back? One of his FOLLOWERS' mom found it in the trashcan. Great. Just what THAT guy needs. ANOTHER reason to keep on tweeting.
41) Love him or hate him, LeBron is on the all-defensive team again, AND the leading vote-getter. Dude might have TV specials where it is not needed about where he is taking his talents and diss his home town to team up with other competitors, but he DOES lock and load on both ends of the floor. Dibs.
42) Hakeem Nicks is going to be out about 12 weeks with a broken bone in his foot. Sure, he will be missed in the Giants lineup if he can't make that tight deadline, but don't the Giants just lose until mid October anyway, and then put their foot on the gas and win shit and stuff?
43) You get a confirmation number for something. You call someone to discuss your airline reservation or whatever. Record yourself. I think it is funny the words that people say to elaborate on which letter it is. Today, I had to book a work airline reservation (yay, Cleveland can suck, but maybe the Indians play at home the night I am there AND I finally get to see the Rock and Roll HOF) and I was saying my confirmation code. I think I said "x as in xylophone and q for quantity." As I always say, the smallest things intrigue me.
44) NUTS that a guy caught two straight home runs in a Reds game. He caught the second with his "free hand."
45) I crack myself up. I just put in Van Halen's CD with Gary Cherone for blogging background. It sucks. I already took it out. THAT was faster than the Shaq GM story. Take THAT and rewind it back.
46) Meet Dave Pelz. Dave likes golf. I like golf also. I very much like Dave's backyard. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304840904577426631826328346.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#slide/1
47) Chicago Bears' WR Johnny Knox will most likely miss the 2012 season due to injury. DAMN. There goes my 6th wide receiver pick in fantasy.
48) Damn again. I thought I would make it through a rant without a 2nd string QB from the Jets reference. The apocalypse is upon us. Kids are Tebowing getting their diploma. http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/05/25/Teen-punished-for-Tebowing-at-graduation/UPI-95501337965041/
(Yes. Number is missing. I nixed it when I put my "editor" hat on.)
50) I will bet on that the NFL season will start on time. I will bet on the fact that there will be another big UFC fight in the next 5 weeks, and I will bet that Pau Gasol is traded in this offseason. Just talking here, but Philly looks PERFECT for a destination.
51) Sad to hear this is Kim Clijsters farewell tour. You are a fantastic tennis player, I have been rooting for you in your latest comeback, and I wish you well after the US Open. For the people like me who LOVE watching great tennis, you certainly fit the bill every time you went out.
52) Was that Corona Light commercial made about me? The second one even uses my first name? You know the one. Work, gym, eat, bar, sleep, or whatever the order is. Then, the guy has a Corona Light and has fun.
53) EURO 2012 prediction. Give me Netherlands over Spain in the final (kind of tough until after group play is done and the brackets are out). The upset of the bracket play will be France over Germany in the quarters. I think the Netherlands will solve Spain's short passing game, and I think that David Villa's injury doesn't allow them to finish the deal.
54) Everyone in the entire world should watch the good samaritan Liberty Mutual commercials and the movie Crash. This world would be better for it. I think I have said this before, but the movie is worth it. SO moving.
55) That is it. Golden Tee time. I should have one or two free games after my stellar 18 under last Sunday and #1 national ranking that game. As one shepherd said to the other, I am going to get the flock out of here. Monday is Memorial Day, so look for a Rant Tuesday evening. Peace.
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...
Deep thoughts: what the HELL did I do with all these thoughts before I started ranting? I have SO much to say tonight...
1) Reality bites. Although playing against an inferior team AND being without one of their version of the Big Three, the Heat regulate in the end. The Pacers let the Heat get out and run instead of slowing them down (you CAN't let them do that, although easier said than done), LeBron and Wade hit their stride and remind us of how badass they really are, and the better team wins. Hey, Pacers, when you had them down 2-1 AND had one more game at your crib, you HAVE to play smart and defend your home court. You then got yourself in a situation where they steal one, then get to go back to THEIR crib, and then go to your place tasting the series win. Too much to ask of yourselves. I like the fight they put up, and maybe this will be a rivalry at some point when the Pacers add another piece and mature a little, but for now, what should have happened...happened. If the Celtics win, we will have a great series with a defensive team loaded with aging, but still potent future HOF's against the team that proclaimed they would win like 7 titles. Not going to be easy. The Heat won't come out and say it, but no WAY they wouldn't rather play the young legs of the Sixers than a few guys with a ring on their finger already.
2) OKC-Spurs. You might even argue that this IS the championship, but let's just enjoy it for what it is-a FANTASTIC matchup that might be a changing of the guard out west. Star-wise, they match up pretty well, and the coaching edge has to go to the Spurs, but I think the three headed monster that is OKC win this one in 6 games. If it DOES go to Game 7, I think the Spurs will take care of business, but I will stick with the Thunder in 6. They will steal the first game before Popovich has time to make adjustments, defend their home court, for both games drop the return trip to San Antonio, and then take them out in front of their insane home fans. Kendrick Perkins HAS to stay out of foul trouble, Westbrook HAS to keep his cool, and James Harden will become a household name after this as I love the match up problems the Spurs will have guarding him. My only note is that this is interesting because this will be the first series where Russell Westbrook will actually also have to play some great defense in addition to his usual stout offense. As good as these teams are, and as passionate as the local folks are, David Stern is not sleeping well these days.
3) The grass is green, the sky is blue, and Tiger says "he is getting close." Close to WHAT, bro? I am your biggest fan, but showing "signs" does nothing for me. At this point, experience or not, there is NO WAY you are taking down the tight fairways and thick grass of the US Open with your loose swing and bad putting, so you might as well book a trip overseas NOW and start practicing for the British, the one I think you CAN win at this point.
4) It doesn't seem that long ago that we were thinking Kellen Winslow was the next coming of some combination of his dad, Shannon Sharpe, and Antonio Gates. Now, the Bucs don't even want him. They traded him. Oh, and unless you live in a bubble and play Trivia Pursuit, you know that the Bucs sucked last year and are merely considered "dangerous" for this year. Not a good sign that they didn't want you, bro. It is probably confusing to outside teams who look at him and wonder how he is NOT a badass.
5) Manny Pacquiao fights pretty soon, and brings us boxing fans another depression bout that him and Mayweather can't find a way to make the fight happen. Side note. Check out this commercial if you haven't seen it. It seems like a serious training commercial that we find out in the end is for what? Hennessy. Confused. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rey7qsLtE8
6) I am not saying that concussions aren't a serious issue in the NFL. I am not saying that options shouldn't be looked at to curb them. I am not saying that I want people to continue to get hurt as players get faster and stronger generation by generation. What I AM saying is that I also don't want the game's fluidity affected by any measures taken. I get the knee pads and leg pads by 2013 thing. But does anyone else wonder if players are eventually going to end up looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at some point with all the gear they are wearing? Come on. It is a dangerous game, these deaths that might have stemmed from past concussions suck, but more padding is not the answer. The answer is just to be more aware and have players play smart when they hit people.
6a) Speaking of the Stay Puft fellow, I think I am at my quota for watching Ghostbusters, and by that I mean that it is about time for me to take in a viewing. I have the itch. What a freaking GREAT movie? Sometimes when someone asks me my name, I say the "key master," and see if they play along and introduce themselves as the "gate keeper."
7) So there technically was no NFL cap last year because of the new contract between the players and owners. Then, Dallas and Washington get busted for "cap violations" with steep penalties. So, they got busted on violations on something that doesn't exist? Someone grab me a flow chart.
8) Tie score in the Devils/ Rangers game I have in the background. Hmmm. Tied up, less than 10 minutes left in the playoffs, with both teams suddenly playing conservative. Let's see which goes longer. This blog, or the impending overtimes I see coming from a mile away.
9) Knicks fans should be happy. So, Phil Jackson didn't come back to his playing days team and add to his legend. I like the Mike Woodson deal. From what I know about him, and more importantly what I saw on the court defensively after he took over, I think it is a great signing. If him and Melo were crossing, we would have known it by now, so you have better defense, a happy superstar, and one or two good free agent signings from being a pretty talented squad.
10) McNamee keeps old waste stuff because he was keeping his wife' nagging at bay. Today, we find out that Clemens DNA was indeed on some of that kept waste. Does ANYONE want me to keep going with this hook or are we ALL tired of the whole thing? Thought so. Moving on.
11) GOOD idea. Let's INDEED play the Cincy/ Xavier basketball game at a neutral site. It's not just about last year's on court brawl. That was just the kicker. I have never really been in the know TOO much about the inner-workings of this rivalry, but evidently it is pretty damn scary. Call it the Golden Eagle version of Duke-UNC (I say that because the Golden Eagle gets no pub because of the freaking Bald Eagle). Here is a taste: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3763024
12) Let me run this by you. Heat player Mike Miller loses his shoe. He ends up guarding one of the fastest players in the league, Leandro Barbosa, on the other end. Barbosa decides to do what? He pulls up for a three. Ummmm. No thoughts whatsoever about trying to drive on the guy with the shoe? You are not exactly splitting the atom over there, buddy.
13) The Heat can bitch all they want about missing Haslem and Pittman in their last game against the Pacers. They can say that the guy who was getting the back of his player gets busted wrongly. Whatever. Watch how it happened again. The Hansborough foul was hard, but an attempt on the ball WAS made, and the ball just happened to be on the other side of his head, making it look worse than it was. Haslem's had NO attempt on the ball, and was obviously retaliatory. The Pittman foul was just plain stupid. I at least understand the Haslem foul as far as rationale. Someone during trash time throwing elbows at their bench sitting counterpart is just ridiculous. I agree with the penalties.
14) Dammit. John Malkovich is the next contestant on the talking phone commercials. I love that guy, those phones scare me, and I was hoping for someone irritating like Oprah Winfrey or something so I could kill two birds at once and hate both things going on on the screen.
15) Does Dwayne Wade even KNOW he is only 6'4"? Dude plays like he is 6'7" all the time. It is amazing what he turns out game in and game out at his height. It kind of reminds me of Sir Charles Barkley, who played his entire 6'5" career like a 6'11" dude.
16) I think Metta World Peace will eventually do SOMETHING on the mic that might overtake Iverson's "practice" rant. It will have to be monumental, but if there is someone out there with a shot, it is Metta. In about 30 seconds in a post game interview after their loss, he was able to cover all this ground:
-we are the best team in the NBA
-we would have beaten them fairly easy
-I am not talking about myself
-my coach is a fat-ass
-said "so stunning" several times in an odd tone
17) In case you had money on it, here is an update on the Finger Wrestling World Championships. By the way, are these the punks the tough Paper, Rock, Scissor Championships make fun of? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/alpine-finger-wrestling-_n_1535756.html
18) I am from New Jersey. Sometimes we get crap for things when we don't deserve it. Other times, someone from Jersey does something that...well...is just very Jersey. Well, in this case, it is the top of the political food chain. The governor comes out and dares anyone to stop them from betting on sports even though it is against the rules. You are talking in fancy language in a public forum that is keeping our proud heritage strong. Sweet.
18a) I actually got out of a fight using a Jerseyism one time. I was on a work trip in Sacramento and was making a late night 7-11 run in a part of town that I probably shouldn't have been walking around solo. I was on the phone, and was approached by three dudes, who resonated of wanting my well-being and/ or wallet. I told the three dudes to wait a second, told the person on the phone calmly to hang on, set down the phone, and literally went crazy yelling at all three dudes, telling them that if they didn't walk down that street quietly (pointing), I was going to go "Jersey" on them . It worked amazingly, and I ended up good to go. I shouldn't make it a habit, and I am not a small dude, but luck was my lady that night.
19) Hey, Jerry Sloan, unless you know something we don't, go look at the Magic job...NOT the Bobcats job. More talent, closer to being "there," and just a better situation overall. Plus, do you REALLY want to be Michael Jordan's bitch MORE than you already were when he was playing in the 90's?
20) Devils win, as this blog correctly called. Kings already won, also called by this rant. So, I suppose I have to pick the winner of the Cup. Although I will be rooting for the Kings and it is a great story, I see too much depth on the Devils. Plus, Kovalchuk is the added offensive piece to the Devils that makes them solid all around. Take the experience, the goaltending, the coach, and I see the Devils in 6 games.
21) Speaking of hockey, this guy needs to work on his championship celebration, or just stop winning things. http://larrybrownsports.com/hockey/semyon-varlamov-falls-with-russia-iihf-championship-trophy/136864
22) I am glad there wasn't a huge media circus countdown to Albert Pujols's 450th homer...because it would have taken FOREVER. Congrats, I guess, Albert.
23) A big deal was made about Federer being on the same side of the bracket as Djokovic in the French Open. I don't see why. Forget the rankings. Sure, Djokovic is #1 and maybe it would be more fair to have Federer on Nadal's side. I say no. This tournament might be freaking NAMED the Nadal Open in ten years because of his dominance. I like where everyone is at.
24) Angels pitcher Dan Haren fans 14 in a win against the Mariners. So. Basically, he showed us for one game what all the hype was about years ago when he was the top upcoming prospect in years.
25) Did anyone else see Mets manager Bobby Valentine try to call the bullpen, but then couldn't get the cover of the phone off. Bobby, you just had to turn that big knob down. Glad you have assistant coaches.
26) If I was a betting person, I would say that there might be 14 people in the world more excited than me about the upcoming Rock of Ages movie. Stars, glam rock, and I can stop watching Rock Star as much to bring back those days. Yay.
27) Dwight Howard told TMZ that he had no part in the firing of coach Stan Van Gundy. Did anyone else stop at the acronym TMZ, and wonder if there was any truth in any part of the sentence after?
28) Miami has declared they are "committed" to the ACC. In this age of conference switching and realignments, I feel this has as much truth as when George said he liked Susan in Seinfeld. If I was the ACC, I wouldn't accept any wedding invitation boxes from Miami.
29) The Indy 500 is this weekend I believe. My hook is...just kidding. I don't know shit about it, won't bore you, have other things to get to, and don't care now that Danica isn't racing in it.
30) I have a bone to pick with ESPN News. You, ESPN News, are DESIGNED to have a place where I can ALWAYS get updates. I can count on you for just constant sport news. Tonight, you pissed me off. Home from the gym. No NBA game. The hockey game was at intermission. I flip to you, and what do you do? You go to women's softball, which was ALREADY being shown on your main channel mind you, for an "extended live look in." I had to watch a 2.5 Men repeat. Don't pull that shit on me. Ever. I will go Jersey on your ass.
31) Did you see Brad Richards "try to clear," but actually shot on goal...IN A PLAYOFF GAME? http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/05/24/watch-brad-richards-get-robbed-of-a-goal-by-henrik-lundqvist/
32) I like the move of the NFL to push back the trade deadline. The sport is violent, injuries happen, and teams need more time in that sport more than any other to address any issues that arise for the playoff run. That being said, the irony of this hook is that NFL trades RARELY happen anymore, so maybe this is kind of like that whole tree/ forest/ sound thing.
33) Andrew Bynum has told the media that he will "play anywhere." I think we should confuse this moron and ask if he would play in (big city that has no NBA team), just to see if we can trick him.
34) A couple other NBA notes:
-Celtics Avery Bradley really hurts the Celtics chances against the Heat should they advance. If you don't know who he is, he is the guy who left college one year early from Texas, has come into his own as a great defender, and would be the player guarding Dwayne Wade. That is hard enough anyway.
-sad to hear about the gunshots fired after the OKC game the other night, with 8 people getting hurt
-Sixers youngster Evan Turner going to the hoop up by a few with :19 on the shot clock with 2:19 left in the game was beyond befuddling.
-I seriously think I could watch from start to finish a Bobcats/ Wizards game with Hubie Brown announcing. Seriously. That would have to be tough, but Hubie would make it bearable.
-I almost lost my shit and rolled off the couch when the OKC/ Spurs matchup was official, and the first thing Charles Barkley said was "yes! we have TWO riverwalks."
-why was Kobe out of the game, no foul trouble, in the beginning of the 4th quarter with the Lakers only down 6?
-Durant guarding Kobe for short spurts late in the series' games was genius, and kind of symbolic. The whole passing of the torch cliche.
-Love him or hate him (I just respect him, but for some reason hate him too), Kobe was ALL class after the loss, going up and hugging every player from the Thunder. Classy. Take some notes, LeBron. Leaving the court immediately is not good on our eyes.
-You have the Big Three in Boston in Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. Shit, I guess it almost HAS to be the Big FOUR now with Rondo. Anyway, the player on that team that I think is the key to them making a run is who? Brandon Bass. GREAT pickup, and a solid, hard working player.
-Talk about a QUICK turnaround. Shaq gets pub for looking into the GM job in Orlando. Don't get excited. It is already done. He is not doing it. The story evidently wanted to beat out Jeremy Lin as quickest big story in the sports world this year.
-I KNOW. I am a huge fan of Iverson. BUT. I would give about 5% credit to Iverson for there even BEING a Game 7 in that series. He truly is loved there for almost delivering pretty much single handedly a ring, and he IGNITED that crowd before the game. The "practice" sign by the fan was also pretty damn funny
35) Wow. This is kind of fun ranting on a non school night. I normally would have to wrap things up, but realize that I don't have to be at work tomorrow. It kind of indicates that I don't have killer plans for the first night of a long weekend, but you can draw your own conclusions. Perfect night in my opinion. Blog, and then go to my watering hole down the street and play Golden Tee. Let's keep moving. Some dudes go to strip clubs when their chick is out of town. I go play Golden Tee. I live on the edge.
36) I don't go out on school nights. I have a routine. Van Halen was in town though last night. Considering I literally grew up with them as my band, I would feel like I was cheating on them if I didn't go. I have seen all three singers (yes, I was 7th row for the Gary Cherone tour. True.), but I got a nosebleed seat and rolled there solo. I didn't NEED to be close. I could hear the broken segments in Roth's voice from where I was. Dude, shut it down. You showed glimpses of that incredible voice that did Running With the Devil, your Hot for Teacher was ok, the others' solo rocked (LOVE Van Halen's kid Wolfgang), you can still spin the mic like no one else, but overall? Subpar. That being said, if you haven't had the treat of ever hearing Eddie doing "Cathedral," you should check it out. Crazy sounding, soothing, methodical guitar solo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2WRGVJLZu0
37) I am listening to Rihanna's new "dirty" song right now. It kind of makes me all warm and fuzzy. Yes, I just said I was listening to Rihanna. I am secure in my manhood. She is HOT.
38) If I told you that a man got a DUI with a zebra in the backseat, would you go to the link? I am seriously asking. You would think about it? Ok. I will take that as an answer. Here you go: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/25/tagblogsfindlawcom2012-legallyweird-idUS301471054420120525
39) Dibs to the UCONN hockey team. They made a video showing player interviews, etc. of how they don't care if you are gay or not. They want you on their team. Proactive, and a great message.
40) OK. This story is about a player on the Rant Team. Ochocinco. The story is how sad he is that someone jacked his Starbucks gold card. I was laughing at the story, thinking about how he just shut up once again, and then I read the fine print. HOW did he get his wallet back? One of his FOLLOWERS' mom found it in the trashcan. Great. Just what THAT guy needs. ANOTHER reason to keep on tweeting.
41) Love him or hate him, LeBron is on the all-defensive team again, AND the leading vote-getter. Dude might have TV specials where it is not needed about where he is taking his talents and diss his home town to team up with other competitors, but he DOES lock and load on both ends of the floor. Dibs.
42) Hakeem Nicks is going to be out about 12 weeks with a broken bone in his foot. Sure, he will be missed in the Giants lineup if he can't make that tight deadline, but don't the Giants just lose until mid October anyway, and then put their foot on the gas and win shit and stuff?
43) You get a confirmation number for something. You call someone to discuss your airline reservation or whatever. Record yourself. I think it is funny the words that people say to elaborate on which letter it is. Today, I had to book a work airline reservation (yay, Cleveland can suck, but maybe the Indians play at home the night I am there AND I finally get to see the Rock and Roll HOF) and I was saying my confirmation code. I think I said "x as in xylophone and q for quantity." As I always say, the smallest things intrigue me.
44) NUTS that a guy caught two straight home runs in a Reds game. He caught the second with his "free hand."
45) I crack myself up. I just put in Van Halen's CD with Gary Cherone for blogging background. It sucks. I already took it out. THAT was faster than the Shaq GM story. Take THAT and rewind it back.
46) Meet Dave Pelz. Dave likes golf. I like golf also. I very much like Dave's backyard. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304840904577426631826328346.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#slide/1
47) Chicago Bears' WR Johnny Knox will most likely miss the 2012 season due to injury. DAMN. There goes my 6th wide receiver pick in fantasy.
48) Damn again. I thought I would make it through a rant without a 2nd string QB from the Jets reference. The apocalypse is upon us. Kids are Tebowing getting their diploma. http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/05/25/Teen-punished-for-Tebowing-at-graduation/UPI-95501337965041/
(Yes. Number is missing. I nixed it when I put my "editor" hat on.)
50) I will bet on that the NFL season will start on time. I will bet on the fact that there will be another big UFC fight in the next 5 weeks, and I will bet that Pau Gasol is traded in this offseason. Just talking here, but Philly looks PERFECT for a destination.
51) Sad to hear this is Kim Clijsters farewell tour. You are a fantastic tennis player, I have been rooting for you in your latest comeback, and I wish you well after the US Open. For the people like me who LOVE watching great tennis, you certainly fit the bill every time you went out.
52) Was that Corona Light commercial made about me? The second one even uses my first name? You know the one. Work, gym, eat, bar, sleep, or whatever the order is. Then, the guy has a Corona Light and has fun.
53) EURO 2012 prediction. Give me Netherlands over Spain in the final (kind of tough until after group play is done and the brackets are out). The upset of the bracket play will be France over Germany in the quarters. I think the Netherlands will solve Spain's short passing game, and I think that David Villa's injury doesn't allow them to finish the deal.
54) Everyone in the entire world should watch the good samaritan Liberty Mutual commercials and the movie Crash. This world would be better for it. I think I have said this before, but the movie is worth it. SO moving.
55) That is it. Golden Tee time. I should have one or two free games after my stellar 18 under last Sunday and #1 national ranking that game. As one shepherd said to the other, I am going to get the flock out of here. Monday is Memorial Day, so look for a Rant Tuesday evening. Peace.
Monday, May 21, 2012
I have this condition...
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...
Remember Sammy Jankis.
1) Happy trails to Kerry Wood. You came into the league as probably the highest rated prospect pitcher in a generation. Your career was primarily with the Cubs, with a few spotty times with other teams in the middle. Injuries galore limited you from being the superstar you were meant to be. You leave in style as your last batter faced you strike out, and still are amazingly #2 all time with a pretty amazing stat, strikeouts per 9 innings. All time leader? Randy Johnson at 10.6 per 9 innings. Kerry, very impressive you come in at #2 at 10.3 plus. Pedro Martinez is the only other player above 10 at 10.03 and comes in at 10.03. The all time reliever in this category is Rob Dibble at a stellar 12.17. We will miss you, Kerry, and we wish you had been a little more with those mad skills you had. Bottom line is this. When you WERE healthy mentally and physically, you were straight up throwing heat.
2) Every single sport has the favored team start out at home. Why? Because it makes sense. The fact that the Division Round in MLB will start out with two games hosted by the wild card team is absolutely stupid. I know you are doing it to speed things up with the extra round, but I think you should have thought about this when you even voted to add the extra teams to the playoffs. Dumb all the way around. If you can't prove you are one of the better teams in a 162 freaking games, then when ARE you going to prove so? Sure, the home team gets the last three games at home in the best of five series, but not starting out there and making it 2-2-1 format is idiotic.
3) Bud Selig says that the Oakland A's could be the next team to switch cities. Great. Although none of these teams were ever exactly a dynasty, they all have had their almost time at some point. Sad that the Sonics in basketball (my, aren't THAT franchise's city victims sad these days), the Vikings almost in football, and now the A's in baseball all having problems with their beloved city.
4) I know it is a Super Bowl ring, and a symbol of the ultimate triumph in American football. I know I would want one no matter WHAT the damn thing looked like. But really? All the time and money that goes into these things, and THIS is the result? http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1440&bih=799&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsu&tbnid=ROI24ermNK6tSM:&imgrefurl=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/super.bowl.rings/content.1.html&docid=S7WSoRNIyWYCOM&imgurl=http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/super.bowl.rings/images/Super-Bowl-XLVI.jpg&w=641&h=570&ei=E_26T4rHCMKW2QXOhtjaCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=476&dur=1985&hovh=212&hovw=238&tx=127&ty=137&sig=104051888186679234189&page=1&tbnh=157&tbnw=176&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0,i:109
5) I wish some people would get lives, and if they DON'T have a life, at least stay off of social media. I am talking to you, the people who relayed death threats to Steve Blake because he missed a BASKETBALL shot at the end of the game. He was open. They passed him the ball. He would have been a hero had he made it. But, regardless, you are not out there with that pressure, it IS just a game, and you should just back off using "die" and "basketball" in the same sentence.
6) The Eagles sign LeSean McCoy to a five year, $45 million contract. Great move, I say. Sure, there are people out there totally against giving running backs long term contracts, but this is about as safe as you can get in this scenario, IF you ARE going to give a RB a long term contract. Remember, he has proven relatively durable, totally talented, and he is only 23 years old. That means that when the contract is up, he will be right in that age area where you DON'T give a long term contract to a running back. They caught him pretty early, and have a large enough control group to feel pretty safe on this one, or as safe as you can feel paying a RB.
7) This is awesome. Even though he plays for the champion Spurs, I can't imagine there are a hell of a lot of people who label themselves as diehard Matt Bonner fans. Well, here is at least one. Makes me remember when I patterned my basketball game after a guy who also didn't have a hell of a lot of fans-Tom Chambers. Anyway, here you go. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/05/barber-offers-the-ultimate-haircut-for-spurs-fans/1#.T7r9vNy0xtk
8) What is that freaking date when the world is supposed to end? Wasn't that this year sometime? I don't know, but just saying that Felix Hernandez has a plus 3.0 ERA, Tim Lincecum is over 5.0 ERA, and Derek Jeter is hitting .366. What the hell is going on?
9) It took Ozzie Guillen DAYS to retire from Twitter (which we are all glad about) and still manage to still say something "Ozzie." Dwayne Wade fronts up his coach after a loss, and Ozzie says he would "kick his ass." Dude, be quiet for...like a WEEK, please. I think back a few years ago, and wonder if this world might be more peaceful if Ozzie hadn't gotten the leverage for being an idiot at all times by picking up that little thing we call a championship. Dan Marino and Charles Barkley get nothing, and this asshole gets to call out anyone and everyone for the rest of his days?
10) Talk about trouble waiting to happen. Boston. Philly. 2 sports, 4 teams' fans, and all in the same parking lot in Philly. Yeah, THAT sounds like a safe place to be. Safer than a Dodger game evidently, though.
11) I want to know how the HELL does Sixers Evan Turner think he should be taking FOURTEEN shots in the 1st half of his first playoffs. Sure, you are important to your team's chances, and sure, Philly isn't exactly loaded for bear offensively, but come on. 14? and only make 2? Know your place, listen, learn, and your time will come, bro.
12) Crazy stuff, and VERY smart, if you are the fans of anyone from the Big 12 or SEC. The commissioners locked up a deal to have each champion play each other in football on New Years Day. Genius, and a GREAT sign that this four team playoff could happen sooner rather than later. AND, you give me at least one bowl game on New Years that will have HEAVY implications on everything.
13) Word is that Greg Oden, Mr. Surgery himself, had the same procedure that Kobe had a little while back. Kobe is successful because of it, and broken record or not, with the lack of solid 7 footers in the Association these days, it would be great to see him make it back. I hope he doesn't age anymore than he already has during his 70th straight rehab.
14) I would love to chat with someone from the Staples Center floor crew over the weekend. They must have had like 10 5 Hour Energy's to keep it going during their crazy busy sports weekend with the Kings, Clippers, AND Lakers all active and at home in the playoffs.
15) OK. I won't even PRETEND to know all the rules on that $1million NASCAR All-Star event, but I DID catch ONE thing. People complained, and evidently it was broken into segments, and each of the four segment winners got a chance near the end to line up at the front. So what happened? The guy who wins the first one, then goes to the back and sandbags. Second? Same thing. I am NOT going to look this up to discuss more, but it all sounds shady to me.
16) I don't understand this concept. Why do almost all expensive cars look expensive, and almost all cheap cars look cheap? Stay with me on this. The suspension, the interior, the engine? Ok. You need more expensive parts to make them worth it. That being said, I am talking about the DESIGN. You can even use cheaper material. Why does a Hyundai look like a Hyundai? Why can't they use all cheap shit inside, but then have some killer, sleek design made with cheap material that at first glance LOOKS expensive? There is not ONE designer out there making less dollars than his expensive competitors that can design a good looking car? There is not ONE Terrell Davis or Tom Brady in the car design world? Confused.
17) Good for I'll Have Another, and great horse race. And. All these writers who get paid to make clever headlines get off VERY easy this weekend. Sure, he might do the Triple, but I highly doubt it. Different distance, no overwhelming wins thus far, a quality run each time from Bodemeister, and there is a reason it hasn't been done since 1978. Even though I called I'll Have Another point blank for the Derby, I will probably pick Bodemeister for the last race. Will I ROOT for IHA? Sure. But my official pick for the Belmont is Bodemeister. I know he is a horse, but I assume even horses get pissed off at losing.
18) Nationals Adam LaRoche has been around a while. He has always had a job, meaning he is a pretty good ballplayer. That being said, he truly lets fans know how hard hitting 3,000 hits is. Adam started play in 2004 in the big leagues, and this weekend, what did he do? He just NOW got his 1,000 hit. Wow.
19) The Pacers are giving the Heat all they want and then some. Bosh is hurting. Wade and coach are at odds. Trouble in paradise, and all I know are these two things. Give me OKC OR San Antonio against any team out of the East, and if Rondo keeps trucking on his current assist clinic, and Kevin Garnett keeps playing like he owns a DeLorean and a puffy vest, no one on that side of the bracket is stopping the Celtics.
19a) I know you need to make advertisers money. I KNOW you need to create your own brand. But how much money did LeBron make to allow a cameraman tape him watching Hunger Games before a game? How much? I want to know. I know that MJ didn't have the technology LeBron has, but I can't see him watching Back to the Future II before a game.
20) The Mets get the All-Star game for 2013. It is a good plan, just in case this 10 year rebuilding project up there in the Big Apple continues.
21) To keep his ridiculous streak of being mentioned in my hooks, Andrew Bynum quietly ALSO got fined 15k for avoiding the media. I guess he is trying to do at least CREATIVE ways of doing dumb shit So much athleticism and size, and so little between the ears. Just very creative. Guess he is a left sided brain person, or whatever the creative side is. I am not looking it up.
22) Well, when you have a stud WR graduate to the NFL and then have to suspend three other receivers indefinitely, what do you have to do? Find SOMEONE. The Oklahoma Sooners quietly snagged Jalen Saunders from Fresno State this week. The kid is only 5'9", but he still had 1000 plus yards in an ok conference.
23) Interesting. Sometimes, you don't want TOO much talent. Thad Matta from Ohio State is known as one of the best recruiters in the nation for basketball. Well, he outdid himself. JD Weatherspoon, who amazingly was on the same HIGH SCHOOL team as Jared Sullinger and Trey Burke from Michigan (that team must have been SICK), transfers to Toledo this week. What is interesting is this. Not that Toledo is bad or anything, but kid must not like the big city. The other school he was considering? Up and coming Temple. I find that weird of his choice on this. See you in a year and a half, kid.
24) I couldn't believe they let World Peace come back in the 7th game of the first series against Denver. This weekend, I couldn't believe they didn't kick him out of a game for kneeing Russell Westbrook. Not only that, but it was a DOUBLE technical. In the words of Donna Chang from Seinfeld. That is just plain ridicurous.
25) The Clippers were up TWENTY TWO against the Spurs...in the FIRST quarter. It is beyond ridiculous how easily they allowed them back in the game. Watching Manu, Gregg, and Tony on the sidelines before the second half laughing it up, we can assume two things. One, the Clippers have talent now, but obviously needed a stern lesson about how playoff basketball works. Two, the Spurs are hitting an awesome stride DURING the playoffs AGAINST better teams. AMAZING. Actually, here is a third thing. Hey, Clippers, you are not EVER going to take a series by allowing a 24-0 run at any time in a game. Take some of the flopping out of the mix, and you have a team playing this great sport EXACTLY how you want to play the game. No one wants any of the credit either. They all say in interviews, "it is ALL due to (other player or coach)."
25a) Kobe, stop blaming Pau. Watch the tape again of the game. Maybe Pau blew off ONE important shot, and wasn't assertive for a couple seconds. You might be a little TOO assertive. Putting up some bad shots, bro.
25b) I kind of felt bad for Reggie Evans and DeAndre Jordan, but it is what it is. Popovich was fouling BOTH guys repeatedly mid game. But, they are both HORRIBLE free throw shooters, and if it ain't broke, why fix it? Within the rules and maybe not the fluid type of game fans want to see, but it DID get them back in the game, right? Learn to shoot free throws, guys.
26) I have never seen a show that is still a MONTH away hyped as much as Falling Skies. I am tired of it, and it is not even on the tube yet.
27) UFC Jon Jones was arrested on suspicion of a DUI. I have said it a MILLION times, and here is one more. If you rich athletes want to drive your badass ride THAT much, do it on a Sunday afternoon. DON'T go cruising in it after a boozing night on the town. Pay some dude $50k annually to be at your beck and call with a limo.
28) College lax. Loyola Maryland, Notre Dame, Duke, and Maryland are your final competitors. VERY odd. No Cornell. No UVA. No Syracuse. No Hopkins. Sad to see my team (UVA) out of it, and more weirded out that none of the perennial guys are there.
29) For those of you out there who haven't seen Memento, have heard friends laud the movie, and still plan on catching it someday, please just know this. Color moves one direction, black and white moves the other, and the damn flick is still as confusing to people like me who have seen it multiple times as it will be for you your first time. We only marginally understand it more, and if there was ever a need for a flowchart, it is for this movie. Why don't you newbies do us a favor, make it a double feature, and include Deja Vu in your movie excursion?
30) Drugs are bad. Military academies are good. But this story is still just plain sad. Less than a week away? Wow. http://www.gazette.com/sports/force-138915-asher-smoking.html
31) Wes Welker, please just go to practice and stop talking. We KNOW you wanted to long term contract. We KNOW you got franchised. But saying things, then backtracking, is just getting you pub you don't need. Be the player you are, things will work out, and just stay away from the mics in the meantime. And be good again on my fantasy team, because I ALWAYS seem to land you.
32) Lawrence Taylor's kid auctions dad's SB ring. Osi tries to buy it. Osi fails. I don't need jokes on this story. This is what we can call a "turnkey hook."
33) Thunder center Kendrick Perkins is one of the meanest looking dudes in the NBA. Apparently, Kendrick used to be an altar boy at his church when he was younger. Hey, no jokes needed. ANOTHER turnkey hook. Moving on.
34) I think Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller are a great announcing combo. They are no Hubie Brown, but I enjoy the commentary regardless. It is kind of like when Whitesnake replaced one guy with two right when there Here I Go Again/ Still of the Night tape was taking off. Two guys to replace one. Read the label of the original DVD/ tape case. Fact, and I am still bitter by it. Listen to this song. This is Blue Murder, the band John Sykes started after getting booted from Whitesnake. The guitar is just plain SICK, and you can hear the Whitesnake in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABsBugiyzVQ
34a) This sounds a little less like Whitesnake, but this one is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmxK9CS3RV0
35) After all the bad mouthing Kobe dissed his way this week, Pau Gasol quietly won the award for community involvement this week. Very impressive, sir, and I am now a semi-fan of yours
36) As tough as shots as Kobe sometimes takes, I am AMAZED how each one actually ends up pretty damn close to the rim. No real bad misses with that guy.
37) Has anyone else noticed that angry guy Russell Westbrook never says his interviewer's name when being interviewed? Girl or guy, he answers the question, and ends it with "man." "I am just playing hard, man." Dude. Class up a little. We know you are on the positive side of street cred. Learn their names, and treat them like someone with a mic, and not some punk you see on the street.
38) The last second shot by Durant the other day was like our "Play 1" at UVA in fraternity ball, which we pretty much ruled. No, I wasn't involved in Play 1. It was pretty much my boys coming down the floor who WERE money pulling up for a 3 pointer. It worked a LOT. Evidently, they were on to something, because it even works in the pros. We always lost to the law school in the University finals, because they were all washed up, big, smart kids who were REALLY good, but not good enough for the Association.
39) Do the Los Angeles Kings even KNOW they are a #8 seed? TOTALLY pulling for those guys from here out with my Flyers out of the mix.
40) I am impressed very much about tow truck technology. I saw someone towed today across the street. It was crazy fast. He pulled up, took a few pics, hooked up like three things without lining his truck up, and then was OUT of there with the car. 90 seconds tops. Scary stuff how fast they can literally ruin someone's day. I have been towed twice since out here. I am not sure if others love their vehicle as much as mine, but it was like someone ripped my heart out of my chest like in Temple of Doom with Indiana Jones.
41) Four people are arrested at a Dodgers game for a beating this week. Those people over there do know that it is the East Coast who gets the bad rap, right? So, either maybe northeast people don't deserve everything they get called out for on a daily basis...or maybe they aren't publicly reporting as much.
42) Djokovic is now a household name in tennis. He has been unbelievable this past year. That being said, guess what time of year it is, people? Clay court season. Which means what? This headline is pretty much a fixture until after the French Open. "Nadal beats (insert anyone here)." Nadal took down his 6th Italian Open this weekend over Djokovic. This is just a warm up for the French, but this is also the month or two where everyone is pretty much Nadal's bitch.
43) John Tortorella ripped the Devils' tactics this week. Shut UP. Every year since 1995, NO one is happy with how the Devils play, but they have two more Cups than you, and they do it within the rules. Figure it out, and stop complaining.
44) This is just plain awesome. It is not sports, but we are within two months of the Tour de France, right? And I like dogs. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22825103/vp/47468061#47468061
45) A drunk golfer decides Cologne, Germany is his driving range. He sounds like a fun guy to hang with. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/drunk-golfer-uses-city-as-driving-range/story-e6frf7jx-1226362712807
46) While we are on a link roll, check out this sad story of someone thinking he is Charlie Sheen from 2.5 Men. http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/weightlifting/story/british-man-crushed-to-death-lifting-weights-after-drinking-session-052112
47) I was thinking about getting back into Madden this year, and playing my first video game at home in over 15 years. Then, I saw this headline. "Madden 13 will have Tebowing." Nuff said. Not going to happen.
48) Terrell Owens spoke to the media this week, which is usually not a very smart idea. He says "he would like to sign with the 49ers or Raiders." First of all, those ARE fun matches. You can either play with other oddball Randy Moss, or you can go to the team you were destined to be a part of since you were born. Second, Bubble Boy, when you are washed up and TRYING to get a job, you normally don't get to select your team to go to. They will call you. Wait by the phone and...do whatever you do in your free time.
49) A witness claims to have seen Roger Clemens at a '98 Jose Canseco party. The grass is green, the sky is blue, this story is SO old, and I NEVER saw THAT coming. Right.
50) Jeremy Lin will be signed. Today, Jeremy Lin might not be signed. Just wait until you make your decision, you are out of the playoffs so we don't care, Linsanity is temporarily dead in the water, and we will talk with you in July...when all the teams who DO play defense are done playing.
51) AND finally, Stan Van Gundy is out. We only know about 40% of what actually goes on behind the scenes, but we once again have of a player pretty much getting a coach fired. I loved Stan, and it appeared for a couple years that Dwight loved him, but something was going on that made them clean house. Could be a shortage of healthy 7 footers, or maybe it was a personality dispute. I will say this. I don't think Stan will have trouble finding a job...very soon. There are not a lot of truly seasoned NBA coaches out there presently, and I personally think he did alright with the squad he was dealt. Get your resume up to date, and don't worry about calls not coming in, Stan.
52) That is it. Until Thursday. I have that whole JOB thing, and relaxing without my laptop thing is something I need to do. Plus, I wanted to finish this before the second half of this Lakers/ OKC game, which I have succeeded in doing. Have a good week, may the force be with you, and remember: What did one shepherd say to the other? Let's get the flock out of here.
In no particular order of chronology or importance...
Remember Sammy Jankis.
1) Happy trails to Kerry Wood. You came into the league as probably the highest rated prospect pitcher in a generation. Your career was primarily with the Cubs, with a few spotty times with other teams in the middle. Injuries galore limited you from being the superstar you were meant to be. You leave in style as your last batter faced you strike out, and still are amazingly #2 all time with a pretty amazing stat, strikeouts per 9 innings. All time leader? Randy Johnson at 10.6 per 9 innings. Kerry, very impressive you come in at #2 at 10.3 plus. Pedro Martinez is the only other player above 10 at 10.03 and comes in at 10.03. The all time reliever in this category is Rob Dibble at a stellar 12.17. We will miss you, Kerry, and we wish you had been a little more with those mad skills you had. Bottom line is this. When you WERE healthy mentally and physically, you were straight up throwing heat.
2) Every single sport has the favored team start out at home. Why? Because it makes sense. The fact that the Division Round in MLB will start out with two games hosted by the wild card team is absolutely stupid. I know you are doing it to speed things up with the extra round, but I think you should have thought about this when you even voted to add the extra teams to the playoffs. Dumb all the way around. If you can't prove you are one of the better teams in a 162 freaking games, then when ARE you going to prove so? Sure, the home team gets the last three games at home in the best of five series, but not starting out there and making it 2-2-1 format is idiotic.
3) Bud Selig says that the Oakland A's could be the next team to switch cities. Great. Although none of these teams were ever exactly a dynasty, they all have had their almost time at some point. Sad that the Sonics in basketball (my, aren't THAT franchise's city victims sad these days), the Vikings almost in football, and now the A's in baseball all having problems with their beloved city.
4) I know it is a Super Bowl ring, and a symbol of the ultimate triumph in American football. I know I would want one no matter WHAT the damn thing looked like. But really? All the time and money that goes into these things, and THIS is the result? http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1440&bih=799&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsu&tbnid=ROI24ermNK6tSM:&imgrefurl=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/super.bowl.rings/content.1.html&docid=S7WSoRNIyWYCOM&imgurl=http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/super.bowl.rings/images/Super-Bowl-XLVI.jpg&w=641&h=570&ei=E_26T4rHCMKW2QXOhtjaCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=476&dur=1985&hovh=212&hovw=238&tx=127&ty=137&sig=104051888186679234189&page=1&tbnh=157&tbnw=176&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0,i:109
5) I wish some people would get lives, and if they DON'T have a life, at least stay off of social media. I am talking to you, the people who relayed death threats to Steve Blake because he missed a BASKETBALL shot at the end of the game. He was open. They passed him the ball. He would have been a hero had he made it. But, regardless, you are not out there with that pressure, it IS just a game, and you should just back off using "die" and "basketball" in the same sentence.
6) The Eagles sign LeSean McCoy to a five year, $45 million contract. Great move, I say. Sure, there are people out there totally against giving running backs long term contracts, but this is about as safe as you can get in this scenario, IF you ARE going to give a RB a long term contract. Remember, he has proven relatively durable, totally talented, and he is only 23 years old. That means that when the contract is up, he will be right in that age area where you DON'T give a long term contract to a running back. They caught him pretty early, and have a large enough control group to feel pretty safe on this one, or as safe as you can feel paying a RB.
7) This is awesome. Even though he plays for the champion Spurs, I can't imagine there are a hell of a lot of people who label themselves as diehard Matt Bonner fans. Well, here is at least one. Makes me remember when I patterned my basketball game after a guy who also didn't have a hell of a lot of fans-Tom Chambers. Anyway, here you go. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/05/barber-offers-the-ultimate-haircut-for-spurs-fans/1#.T7r9vNy0xtk
8) What is that freaking date when the world is supposed to end? Wasn't that this year sometime? I don't know, but just saying that Felix Hernandez has a plus 3.0 ERA, Tim Lincecum is over 5.0 ERA, and Derek Jeter is hitting .366. What the hell is going on?
9) It took Ozzie Guillen DAYS to retire from Twitter (which we are all glad about) and still manage to still say something "Ozzie." Dwayne Wade fronts up his coach after a loss, and Ozzie says he would "kick his ass." Dude, be quiet for...like a WEEK, please. I think back a few years ago, and wonder if this world might be more peaceful if Ozzie hadn't gotten the leverage for being an idiot at all times by picking up that little thing we call a championship. Dan Marino and Charles Barkley get nothing, and this asshole gets to call out anyone and everyone for the rest of his days?
10) Talk about trouble waiting to happen. Boston. Philly. 2 sports, 4 teams' fans, and all in the same parking lot in Philly. Yeah, THAT sounds like a safe place to be. Safer than a Dodger game evidently, though.
11) I want to know how the HELL does Sixers Evan Turner think he should be taking FOURTEEN shots in the 1st half of his first playoffs. Sure, you are important to your team's chances, and sure, Philly isn't exactly loaded for bear offensively, but come on. 14? and only make 2? Know your place, listen, learn, and your time will come, bro.
12) Crazy stuff, and VERY smart, if you are the fans of anyone from the Big 12 or SEC. The commissioners locked up a deal to have each champion play each other in football on New Years Day. Genius, and a GREAT sign that this four team playoff could happen sooner rather than later. AND, you give me at least one bowl game on New Years that will have HEAVY implications on everything.
13) Word is that Greg Oden, Mr. Surgery himself, had the same procedure that Kobe had a little while back. Kobe is successful because of it, and broken record or not, with the lack of solid 7 footers in the Association these days, it would be great to see him make it back. I hope he doesn't age anymore than he already has during his 70th straight rehab.
14) I would love to chat with someone from the Staples Center floor crew over the weekend. They must have had like 10 5 Hour Energy's to keep it going during their crazy busy sports weekend with the Kings, Clippers, AND Lakers all active and at home in the playoffs.
15) OK. I won't even PRETEND to know all the rules on that $1million NASCAR All-Star event, but I DID catch ONE thing. People complained, and evidently it was broken into segments, and each of the four segment winners got a chance near the end to line up at the front. So what happened? The guy who wins the first one, then goes to the back and sandbags. Second? Same thing. I am NOT going to look this up to discuss more, but it all sounds shady to me.
16) I don't understand this concept. Why do almost all expensive cars look expensive, and almost all cheap cars look cheap? Stay with me on this. The suspension, the interior, the engine? Ok. You need more expensive parts to make them worth it. That being said, I am talking about the DESIGN. You can even use cheaper material. Why does a Hyundai look like a Hyundai? Why can't they use all cheap shit inside, but then have some killer, sleek design made with cheap material that at first glance LOOKS expensive? There is not ONE designer out there making less dollars than his expensive competitors that can design a good looking car? There is not ONE Terrell Davis or Tom Brady in the car design world? Confused.
17) Good for I'll Have Another, and great horse race. And. All these writers who get paid to make clever headlines get off VERY easy this weekend. Sure, he might do the Triple, but I highly doubt it. Different distance, no overwhelming wins thus far, a quality run each time from Bodemeister, and there is a reason it hasn't been done since 1978. Even though I called I'll Have Another point blank for the Derby, I will probably pick Bodemeister for the last race. Will I ROOT for IHA? Sure. But my official pick for the Belmont is Bodemeister. I know he is a horse, but I assume even horses get pissed off at losing.
18) Nationals Adam LaRoche has been around a while. He has always had a job, meaning he is a pretty good ballplayer. That being said, he truly lets fans know how hard hitting 3,000 hits is. Adam started play in 2004 in the big leagues, and this weekend, what did he do? He just NOW got his 1,000 hit. Wow.
19) The Pacers are giving the Heat all they want and then some. Bosh is hurting. Wade and coach are at odds. Trouble in paradise, and all I know are these two things. Give me OKC OR San Antonio against any team out of the East, and if Rondo keeps trucking on his current assist clinic, and Kevin Garnett keeps playing like he owns a DeLorean and a puffy vest, no one on that side of the bracket is stopping the Celtics.
19a) I know you need to make advertisers money. I KNOW you need to create your own brand. But how much money did LeBron make to allow a cameraman tape him watching Hunger Games before a game? How much? I want to know. I know that MJ didn't have the technology LeBron has, but I can't see him watching Back to the Future II before a game.
20) The Mets get the All-Star game for 2013. It is a good plan, just in case this 10 year rebuilding project up there in the Big Apple continues.
21) To keep his ridiculous streak of being mentioned in my hooks, Andrew Bynum quietly ALSO got fined 15k for avoiding the media. I guess he is trying to do at least CREATIVE ways of doing dumb shit So much athleticism and size, and so little between the ears. Just very creative. Guess he is a left sided brain person, or whatever the creative side is. I am not looking it up.
22) Well, when you have a stud WR graduate to the NFL and then have to suspend three other receivers indefinitely, what do you have to do? Find SOMEONE. The Oklahoma Sooners quietly snagged Jalen Saunders from Fresno State this week. The kid is only 5'9", but he still had 1000 plus yards in an ok conference.
23) Interesting. Sometimes, you don't want TOO much talent. Thad Matta from Ohio State is known as one of the best recruiters in the nation for basketball. Well, he outdid himself. JD Weatherspoon, who amazingly was on the same HIGH SCHOOL team as Jared Sullinger and Trey Burke from Michigan (that team must have been SICK), transfers to Toledo this week. What is interesting is this. Not that Toledo is bad or anything, but kid must not like the big city. The other school he was considering? Up and coming Temple. I find that weird of his choice on this. See you in a year and a half, kid.
24) I couldn't believe they let World Peace come back in the 7th game of the first series against Denver. This weekend, I couldn't believe they didn't kick him out of a game for kneeing Russell Westbrook. Not only that, but it was a DOUBLE technical. In the words of Donna Chang from Seinfeld. That is just plain ridicurous.
25) The Clippers were up TWENTY TWO against the Spurs...in the FIRST quarter. It is beyond ridiculous how easily they allowed them back in the game. Watching Manu, Gregg, and Tony on the sidelines before the second half laughing it up, we can assume two things. One, the Clippers have talent now, but obviously needed a stern lesson about how playoff basketball works. Two, the Spurs are hitting an awesome stride DURING the playoffs AGAINST better teams. AMAZING. Actually, here is a third thing. Hey, Clippers, you are not EVER going to take a series by allowing a 24-0 run at any time in a game. Take some of the flopping out of the mix, and you have a team playing this great sport EXACTLY how you want to play the game. No one wants any of the credit either. They all say in interviews, "it is ALL due to (other player or coach)."
25a) Kobe, stop blaming Pau. Watch the tape again of the game. Maybe Pau blew off ONE important shot, and wasn't assertive for a couple seconds. You might be a little TOO assertive. Putting up some bad shots, bro.
25b) I kind of felt bad for Reggie Evans and DeAndre Jordan, but it is what it is. Popovich was fouling BOTH guys repeatedly mid game. But, they are both HORRIBLE free throw shooters, and if it ain't broke, why fix it? Within the rules and maybe not the fluid type of game fans want to see, but it DID get them back in the game, right? Learn to shoot free throws, guys.
26) I have never seen a show that is still a MONTH away hyped as much as Falling Skies. I am tired of it, and it is not even on the tube yet.
27) UFC Jon Jones was arrested on suspicion of a DUI. I have said it a MILLION times, and here is one more. If you rich athletes want to drive your badass ride THAT much, do it on a Sunday afternoon. DON'T go cruising in it after a boozing night on the town. Pay some dude $50k annually to be at your beck and call with a limo.
28) College lax. Loyola Maryland, Notre Dame, Duke, and Maryland are your final competitors. VERY odd. No Cornell. No UVA. No Syracuse. No Hopkins. Sad to see my team (UVA) out of it, and more weirded out that none of the perennial guys are there.
29) For those of you out there who haven't seen Memento, have heard friends laud the movie, and still plan on catching it someday, please just know this. Color moves one direction, black and white moves the other, and the damn flick is still as confusing to people like me who have seen it multiple times as it will be for you your first time. We only marginally understand it more, and if there was ever a need for a flowchart, it is for this movie. Why don't you newbies do us a favor, make it a double feature, and include Deja Vu in your movie excursion?
30) Drugs are bad. Military academies are good. But this story is still just plain sad. Less than a week away? Wow. http://www.gazette.com/sports/force-138915-asher-smoking.html
31) Wes Welker, please just go to practice and stop talking. We KNOW you wanted to long term contract. We KNOW you got franchised. But saying things, then backtracking, is just getting you pub you don't need. Be the player you are, things will work out, and just stay away from the mics in the meantime. And be good again on my fantasy team, because I ALWAYS seem to land you.
32) Lawrence Taylor's kid auctions dad's SB ring. Osi tries to buy it. Osi fails. I don't need jokes on this story. This is what we can call a "turnkey hook."
33) Thunder center Kendrick Perkins is one of the meanest looking dudes in the NBA. Apparently, Kendrick used to be an altar boy at his church when he was younger. Hey, no jokes needed. ANOTHER turnkey hook. Moving on.
34) I think Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller are a great announcing combo. They are no Hubie Brown, but I enjoy the commentary regardless. It is kind of like when Whitesnake replaced one guy with two right when there Here I Go Again/ Still of the Night tape was taking off. Two guys to replace one. Read the label of the original DVD/ tape case. Fact, and I am still bitter by it. Listen to this song. This is Blue Murder, the band John Sykes started after getting booted from Whitesnake. The guitar is just plain SICK, and you can hear the Whitesnake in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABsBugiyzVQ
34a) This sounds a little less like Whitesnake, but this one is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmxK9CS3RV0
35) After all the bad mouthing Kobe dissed his way this week, Pau Gasol quietly won the award for community involvement this week. Very impressive, sir, and I am now a semi-fan of yours
36) As tough as shots as Kobe sometimes takes, I am AMAZED how each one actually ends up pretty damn close to the rim. No real bad misses with that guy.
37) Has anyone else noticed that angry guy Russell Westbrook never says his interviewer's name when being interviewed? Girl or guy, he answers the question, and ends it with "man." "I am just playing hard, man." Dude. Class up a little. We know you are on the positive side of street cred. Learn their names, and treat them like someone with a mic, and not some punk you see on the street.
38) The last second shot by Durant the other day was like our "Play 1" at UVA in fraternity ball, which we pretty much ruled. No, I wasn't involved in Play 1. It was pretty much my boys coming down the floor who WERE money pulling up for a 3 pointer. It worked a LOT. Evidently, they were on to something, because it even works in the pros. We always lost to the law school in the University finals, because they were all washed up, big, smart kids who were REALLY good, but not good enough for the Association.
39) Do the Los Angeles Kings even KNOW they are a #8 seed? TOTALLY pulling for those guys from here out with my Flyers out of the mix.
40) I am impressed very much about tow truck technology. I saw someone towed today across the street. It was crazy fast. He pulled up, took a few pics, hooked up like three things without lining his truck up, and then was OUT of there with the car. 90 seconds tops. Scary stuff how fast they can literally ruin someone's day. I have been towed twice since out here. I am not sure if others love their vehicle as much as mine, but it was like someone ripped my heart out of my chest like in Temple of Doom with Indiana Jones.
41) Four people are arrested at a Dodgers game for a beating this week. Those people over there do know that it is the East Coast who gets the bad rap, right? So, either maybe northeast people don't deserve everything they get called out for on a daily basis...or maybe they aren't publicly reporting as much.
42) Djokovic is now a household name in tennis. He has been unbelievable this past year. That being said, guess what time of year it is, people? Clay court season. Which means what? This headline is pretty much a fixture until after the French Open. "Nadal beats (insert anyone here)." Nadal took down his 6th Italian Open this weekend over Djokovic. This is just a warm up for the French, but this is also the month or two where everyone is pretty much Nadal's bitch.
43) John Tortorella ripped the Devils' tactics this week. Shut UP. Every year since 1995, NO one is happy with how the Devils play, but they have two more Cups than you, and they do it within the rules. Figure it out, and stop complaining.
44) This is just plain awesome. It is not sports, but we are within two months of the Tour de France, right? And I like dogs. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22825103/vp/47468061#47468061
45) A drunk golfer decides Cologne, Germany is his driving range. He sounds like a fun guy to hang with. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/drunk-golfer-uses-city-as-driving-range/story-e6frf7jx-1226362712807
46) While we are on a link roll, check out this sad story of someone thinking he is Charlie Sheen from 2.5 Men. http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/weightlifting/story/british-man-crushed-to-death-lifting-weights-after-drinking-session-052112
47) I was thinking about getting back into Madden this year, and playing my first video game at home in over 15 years. Then, I saw this headline. "Madden 13 will have Tebowing." Nuff said. Not going to happen.
48) Terrell Owens spoke to the media this week, which is usually not a very smart idea. He says "he would like to sign with the 49ers or Raiders." First of all, those ARE fun matches. You can either play with other oddball Randy Moss, or you can go to the team you were destined to be a part of since you were born. Second, Bubble Boy, when you are washed up and TRYING to get a job, you normally don't get to select your team to go to. They will call you. Wait by the phone and...do whatever you do in your free time.
49) A witness claims to have seen Roger Clemens at a '98 Jose Canseco party. The grass is green, the sky is blue, this story is SO old, and I NEVER saw THAT coming. Right.
50) Jeremy Lin will be signed. Today, Jeremy Lin might not be signed. Just wait until you make your decision, you are out of the playoffs so we don't care, Linsanity is temporarily dead in the water, and we will talk with you in July...when all the teams who DO play defense are done playing.
51) AND finally, Stan Van Gundy is out. We only know about 40% of what actually goes on behind the scenes, but we once again have of a player pretty much getting a coach fired. I loved Stan, and it appeared for a couple years that Dwight loved him, but something was going on that made them clean house. Could be a shortage of healthy 7 footers, or maybe it was a personality dispute. I will say this. I don't think Stan will have trouble finding a job...very soon. There are not a lot of truly seasoned NBA coaches out there presently, and I personally think he did alright with the squad he was dealt. Get your resume up to date, and don't worry about calls not coming in, Stan.
52) That is it. Until Thursday. I have that whole JOB thing, and relaxing without my laptop thing is something I need to do. Plus, I wanted to finish this before the second half of this Lakers/ OKC game, which I have succeeded in doing. Have a good week, may the force be with you, and remember: What did one shepherd say to the other? Let's get the flock out of here.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
I won't forget to blog. Promise.
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...
Talk about two great pre-rant songs I heard on the way home from work in my Jeep, Eleanor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyjs19vMS1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6hH2AqpnMI
Needless to say, I am ready to turn and burn.
1) And the hits keep on coming. Larry Bird took home the Executive of the Year award this week. The Hick from French Lick is truly Larry Legend, and I think I will be pulling seriously for the Pacers in this series with Miami. He is the first person ever to win MVP as a player, coach of the year, and executive of the year. Nice job, Bird. I know I was young when subconscious selection was going on in my head and I wasn't a dumb kid, but somehow I ended up with Isiah Thomas as my favorite player. These days, I have to tell people he was my boy and end the statement by saying "AS A PLAYER ONLY." Huh. I say I wasn't a dumb kid, but I also remember running through possible names for a puppy and ended up with "Pepsi," so I guess that was a sign. Moving on...
2) Good news. If there was a list of twenty people who should get off twitter IMMEDIATELY, we just checked one off the list. I love his passion, I respect the wins, I know he has a championship, and I believe in his knowledge. That being said, and I hope he doesn't retire as many times as a professional boxer, the world is a safer place with Ozzie Guillen off twitter. He SAYS that today was his final tweet ever. I have a feeling some of the shit he says is due to that huge liquor supply that is on the cabinets behind him in his office during interviews.
3) "McNamee admits earlier lie about steroids." That was off the wire. To entertain yourself, don't watch the trial. Just do what I am doing, and making a flowchart off each day's headline and see if I can figure out what the hell is going on in that seemingly undying story. By the time this trial is done, we will actually WANT Favre to talk about coming out of retirement.
4) YAY. I was looking for him, looking for him, jonesing for him, and now I got him. I am blogging with the solid matchup of Indiana and Miami going on in the background. THAT is not what I am excited about. Hubie Brown is announcing. It is like I was watching a bad movie in bad reception, and now I have Instagrammed it AND have plugged in Robert DeNiro in as the actor.
4a) I am aware I don't know all the things that my phone does, and don't care. I JUST found out what Instagram was literally this past Sunday. Whoops. And I named my first dog "Pepsi."
5) Brandon Marshall gets off the hook from striking a woman in the bar. He is happy that he doesn't get arrested. I am sad because my Rant Team needs new blood, and hitting someone in a bar qualifies. Metta, Mayweather, Janikowski, T.O, Marcus Vick, Ryan Leaf, and the rest of the squad love company. You failed me, Brandon.
6) The Los Angeles Kings are ripping through victims like no one in recent memory has done in the NHL playoffs. Amazing story of a true team all playing together with no true superstars and the usual playoff story of a hot goalie can get you there. Check out their playoff leaders. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopifar. Yup. Household names for sure. Anyway, hey, Philly. Don't you find it sad that you are sitting home right now having had home ice against the Devils, AND the two foundation players you traded over to L.A., Carter and Richards, are smoking people? I know hindsight is 20-20, but it is not like they were even CLOSE to subpar when you dissed them.
7) Josh Beckett reads this blog. I rip him, and what does he do? He goes out and throws 7 shutout innings the next time out. Dude, I was just saying you are slacking. I didn't say you didn't have all the tools to pitch like that every time. Focus, and you are scary good. It is that first part I think you are missing.
8) They officially weathered the probation/ penalty storm, and now everyone can start being very afraid of them again. USC already nabbed the top RB for the class of 2013. I hope everyone had fun for a while having a chance each time out with them, because it is uphill from here out for opponents.
9) For most of us at college parties it was pretty cool seeing our college sports stars out and about. Some, I guess, don't view it that way. I was sorry to see the story of the fatal shooting of Idaho WR Ken McRoyal at a party this week. You could say why was he at a party when maybe he should be training? He is in freaking college, and the bigger question is why the f%^& did a person have a gun at a party in Idaho?
10) This sucks. A guy gets a hole in one in golf AT a hole in one contest. He is still waiting on his 18k. Come on, people. In the words of KGB, "Pay him. Pay that man his money." http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9UPQEVO0.htm
11) In the new series Falling Skies that has been hyped out, is anyone else going to (if I was actually going to watch one second of it) feel weird if an alien hurts someone and Noah Wyle doesn't start reviving or operating on the person?
12) Rockies ownership has come out in the Denver Post and said they are not going to make any major moves and still feel like their squad is worthy of a run. Why don't you guys go mill around the masses in Denver for a day or two? Except for that magical run a few years ago, the last couple games have been like this. Game 1. "Let's go see the Rockies!" Game 40. "Let's go to the ballpark because we live in beautiful Colorado and we have a nice stadium. Who are they playing by the way?"
13) Michael Phelps has come out and said the London Olympic Games will be his last in a pool. No jokes here. We have had the luxury of watching perhaps the greatest swimmer of all time. As a past swimmer who could hold my own, I will say this. I am surprised he is competing in THESE games. Swimming is hard to train for. Trying to be the best is EXHAUSTING. Burnout happens early, and I give him cred for being this good for this long. I hope you go out in style, bro.
14) Over the years, we have seen plenty of players hover around .400 for a while. Some are head scratchers, others we give a mild shot. That being said, and I am not predicting he will (pitching has changed SO much, and you are facing so many different pitchers in one single game), but IF someone had a shot, IF someone did, that person would be Josh Hamilton. He has the skills, the talent, and the protection around him in the order. Watch he goes into a slump over the weekend right after I punch "publish." Anyway, he is hovering right around .399 presently.
15) If you like elephants at all, or if you forget it you do or not (that was kind of a funny accidental joke), then check out this: http://delightmakers.com/news-bleat/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/
16) You see "Tim Hightower signs with the Skins." I see "The guy who I will pick as my 5th running back for some odd reason each year maybe just because I read the article that says he is a sleeper or because I like his name or maybe I shouldn't have beers during fantasy drafts signs with the Skins."
17) Get ready for a lot of "first player to" articles. Nationals Bryce Harper became the youngest player since...(this would be a great trivia question) Adrian Beltre to hit a homer in the big leagues. We are watching the beginning of a very special player, folks. Enjoy it all.
18) 3 year old Hansen will NOT run in the Preakness. I was discouraged to see that there were no music group jokes or replacement options such as Mm Bop. One rant after I say that some headlines are clever, and I get nothing on this one. Slackers.
19) One of those huge trucks that Dennis Leary pimps for was parked on my street between two cars. I am sure that maybe they pulled in on Sunday when people were in the mountains, but what if they actually parallel parked that bad boy? With my obsession of watching people parallel park cars in general, I would have loved to see it if they did. However it happened, and as close as the other cars were to them, I almost sat around waiting for them to try and leave without driving over the smaller cars.
20) Did Nuggets Gallinari sit in a dark room watching that World Peace elbow with popcorn the night before game 7? Dude looked like he saw a ghost when he went out there to play. Gallo, here is the thing. I played my share of street ball, and there you might have it in the back of your mind. But YOU HAVE REFS, and you are on TV. We are all watching, and refs are watching Metta more than anyone in the league. Play your freaking game, and try to remember that your shooting stroke is sweeter than the made to be a back up Steve Blake, who torched you guys.
21) When Blake Griffin gets hurt, and then tries to actually play, it is painful. Dude is one of the best players in the NBA when he can jump his usual out of the gym. When he is injured, it exposes his flaws in ugly fashion. Right now, his game is about 70% athleticism. He needs to bring that percentage down WHILE he is still this age, and he becomes downright scary. I still like your weird Kia commercials though. Not the one where you are dunking 70 feet up in the air. I like the one with the deer and the one where he is in the house.
22) VCU joins the A-10 next year for its sports. They were the sweetheart of the tourney two years ago. Well, I hope they are staying up on their recruiting, because getting IN the tourney is now going to be tougher. Xavier, St. Louis, Temple, Richmond, Dayton, etc.? Wheeewww. I am not saying that the conference is on the level of a Big Six, but it will sure be as scary of at least one or two of the Big Six conferences (last year, that would have been a direct comment to the Pac-10). Welcome, and good luck being that Cinderella again. Hey, Kazansky, this is NOT a walk in the park next year.
23) The Heat/ Pacers game 2 was painful to watch at the end. At one point late in the 4th, the teams had missed their last 8 of 11 free throws. AND, these were even the horrible foul shooters at the line. Geez, guys. This is playoff basketball. If you want to be compared to the golden time of the NBA in the 60's or 80's, start playing like it, and make the shots when you are unguarded, and only fifteen away from a cylinder that is twice the size of the ball you are shooting. Yeah, I can talk shit. I have said this before. I can go to a line from work, my home, or from a night at the bar, and still make 15-20. I have backed up that bet.
23a) Bosh might be the weaker link stat-wise in the whole Big Three thing, but it is obvious to me that he is the most missed. Weird. If they are missing James or Wade, the healthy one just does what they used to have to do, TAKE OVER. If Bosh is out, it is impossible for them to replace what he does for the other two-CREATE SPACE for them.
24) So get this. Wes Welker gets the franchise tag of $9.5 mil for one year, at an age and in a sport that he probably wants a long term contract. Then, what does he do? When asked about whether he would sit out for a contract, he says on national TV "No." I LOVE that you are a good guy and all, and I am glad it is not all about the money, but talk about ruining ALL leverage if you WERE to sit out any training camp. Crazy.
25) I love the cars with duct tape over a window that is broken. I remember one year, me and Eleanor had a broken window. I was lucky and it was the back on in a Cherokee, and it was summer. I am not lazy, but just low maintenance of things that don't bug me. I drove all three months over the summer with not only no window, but no duct tape. I had a backwards convertible.
26) LA Clippers. Welcome to playoff basketball against someone who already HAS a few championships. This is your learning year-trust me. Make it six games against that experience and I will be impressed. In game 1, odd that the younger team was getting KILLED by 2nd chance opportunities. 2nd chance opportunities are supposed to go to youth and explosiveness. Welcome to the big time. You will get a taste of what it takes to get to the promised land, because you don't have it yet. Talk to Isiah and MJ. They had to weather Larry and Magic before making the promised land.
26a) AMAZING how every Spurs team is built each year. They have their big three, and then each team is strategically filled with players that are castoffs, not given chances, considered washed up, drafted wisely, or who flop mightily. They are winners any way you look at it.
27) Sometimes I miss Philly. Eagles coach Andy Reid has recommended Donovan McNabb to other teams, as it is reported McNabb is fitter, slimmer, and more nimble. Dude, you couldn't even start him on your team in his heyday. That damn Aesop fable with the kid and the wolf HAVE to apply somehow to this situation. I don't have the time to flowchart it-too much to say.
28) Can every basketball fan just quickly cross their fingers right now for three seconds? Let's hope the doctors are going high in their estimation that Derrick Rose will be out 8-12 months. Basketball needs him, and we as fans should want him back.
29) Congrats to the 2012 college Hall of Fame class. They all did something in the NFL, but were GREAT in college. Ty Detmer, Steve Bartkowski, Tommy Kramer, Dave Casper, Art Monk, and others. solid, solid class. Great month for the Monks. Kid gets drafted, and dad gets inducted.
30) Kurt Busch was fined 50k for something he did at Darlington. This is a sports blog. I have no idea what he did, don't understand the sport except that Danica Patrick is kind of hot, am just reporting, and as usual, all I know is rubbing...is racing.
31) Back to the Future hook. Who are you, Kevin Garnett? With the Heat struggling and the Bulls out, and having the seas parted for you guys, you are playing as possessed stat-wise as you always look on the floor. You are scoring like you used to. We all thought this might be your last run, but SOMEONE will want you on the floor with them next season. Crazy thought. Let's put HIM on the Knicks. Can you IMAGINE Carmelo not playing defense with GARNETT behind him? As the announcer said in Rocky IV, someone better stop this fight, or someone might get killed. I bet you Melo would get 2nd team All Defense the year that Garnett was playing behind him. Where do you hide the flux capacitor, Kevin?
32) In case you were worried about any Duke basketball downfall, they quietly signed this week Amile Jefferson. I am a loser, and follow high school basketball, so I know his name. Depending on the ranking you read, he is ranked about #25 nationally, and is a polished PF. Two great things about this for Coach K. He can either have the kid learn from Plumlee and Kelly for a year behind them at the big spots, OR the kid is good enough to possibly start at the 3. It would be weird seeing Duke as one of the bigger teams around, but you might see it.
33) Article I don't care about. "FSU President outlines pros and cons of being in ACC." We. Don't. Care. The only reason I can think to write this is because of the absolutely mind boggling changing of conferences that has occurred in the last two years. I can see him sending it out to everyone as a disclaimer/ recruiting tool. Sweet. Moving on.
34) LOVE it. An hour after writing that I was suddenly rooting for the Pacers and Larry Legend, they ended up SMOKING the Heat tonight. Nice.
35) How the f^&*, Kobe, did you blow a 75-68 lead with about 1:30 left? If ANYTHING, I would think that you might not be able to handle them athletically, but with a lead like that, that experience would take over. No excuse, and I would have to say OFFICIALLY, that this is the changing of the guard. Well, kind of. The Spurs will beat the Clippers, so at least SOMEONE from the old regime is standing up for themselves.
36) I am easily entertained. That being said, I think YOU should also be impressed by this. I see arenas all the time with same color shirts. I RARELY see an arena that has alternating color sections that...look...perfect with their free t-shirts. Congrats, Oklahoma City. Whatever system you devised, it was visually stimulating, especially since you are dealing with the masses. I am intrigued.
37) The Criminal Minds finale was ok. I was very, very mildly satisfied with it. Then, it came back from commercial after being in the kitchen, and found out it was TWO hours long. WTF? I guess the one thing you did right was end the first hour of a finale with me thinking that was a pretty crazy ending. There was no need to say more. Keeping the mic in front of Iverson during the practice rant was GENIUS. Keeping your show going was not.
38) I drank in college. Sure. I did NOT ever do this. Your only devil's advocate could be that UVA never contended in football after the 7th week of the season, but I still don't think I would do this.http://www.fox8live.com/story/18500711/alabama-man-indicted-on-sexual-battery-of-lsu-fan
39) Drew Brees says that the talks with the Saints are frustrating. Try reading all the articles about how idiotic the Saints are being every day. Try THAT, Drew.
40) I am kind of mad I don't bet anymore. If there was ONE game I would have bet on this season, it would have been game 2 in the Devils/ Rangers series after Jersey got blanked 3-0 and people started whispering. They have two cups in the last twenty years, and the best goalie of all time. Did YOU think that they would lose game 2? Come on. What they lack on talent, they make up for in adjustments.
41) This is a sign you live by yourself as a dude. You go to heat up a piece of pizza from the earlier this week, and aren't sure whether the white spots on the pizza are parmesan cheese you put on, or fungus.
42) Charles Barkley might make some funny comments that sometimes seem off, but there is a reason why he was the greatest under 6'6" rebounder of all time. He knows his shit. He called at halftime that OKC was simply making jump shots in the first half and that is why they were ahead. In the second half, the Thunder missed on cue and the Lakers briefly took control of the game combined with the fact that Kendrick Perkins seems to always set moving picks.
43) Did I just see a Dogs in the City commercial with Sex in the City background music? Wow. Officially we are out of ideas, and also beating a dead horse. Pain. Ful.
44) He WAS wide open, Metta was inbounding, Steve Blake was wide open and hot the last game of the previous series, and they ARE all professionals, but I would take a covered Kobe Bryant over an open Steve Blake any day of the week, and I happen to like Blake and dislike Kobe. See? This blog is unbiased.
45) Will each talking iPhone have its own name, or is the Samuel Jackson commercial worldwide, and its name is Syree (that's what is SOUNDS like-I am NOT looking it up)?
46) The sky is blue, the grass is green, and sometimes you just get busted for something that you can't get out of. Here we go:
-Brett Lawrie is ejected for throwing helmet at umpire
-Brett Lawrie is banned 4 games
-Brett Lawrie to appeal suspension
-Brett Lawrie drops suspension appeal
Dude, you threw a helmet at a ref. Unless, you are pleading insanity like in the movies, I am pretty sure you are busted.
47) Another article I don't need to open...at ALL. Syracuse coach Bernie Fine's WIFE is suing ESPN. UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH........go away. And stop marrying child abusers.
48) Two more people that need to go away. The person who broke into Junior Seau's doggie door and stole stuff from his garage after his suicide, AND Jonathan Vilma. First one is an idiot, and the other one got entrapped to be the idiot that he was met to be. Jonathan, take your penalty and we will see you in a year.
49) Finally, a note to the Saints. Saving a seat on the plane MIGHT seem noble to you. It is not. Nobody died, and I am assuming Sean had a first class/ front row seat. You are wasting space for someone that you might miss, but who got busted for a not noble act. Stop trying to overwhelm us with sob stories, and let someone else sit in his seat.
50) Nice round number, and nice hook to conclude things. I know my mom gets tired of this saying, and that she doesn't understand that I unfortunately say it in real life, but as one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let's get the flock out of here. Peace. I will write again Monday night.
In no particular order of chronology or importance...
Talk about two great pre-rant songs I heard on the way home from work in my Jeep, Eleanor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyjs19vMS1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6hH2AqpnMI
Needless to say, I am ready to turn and burn.
1) And the hits keep on coming. Larry Bird took home the Executive of the Year award this week. The Hick from French Lick is truly Larry Legend, and I think I will be pulling seriously for the Pacers in this series with Miami. He is the first person ever to win MVP as a player, coach of the year, and executive of the year. Nice job, Bird. I know I was young when subconscious selection was going on in my head and I wasn't a dumb kid, but somehow I ended up with Isiah Thomas as my favorite player. These days, I have to tell people he was my boy and end the statement by saying "AS A PLAYER ONLY." Huh. I say I wasn't a dumb kid, but I also remember running through possible names for a puppy and ended up with "Pepsi," so I guess that was a sign. Moving on...
2) Good news. If there was a list of twenty people who should get off twitter IMMEDIATELY, we just checked one off the list. I love his passion, I respect the wins, I know he has a championship, and I believe in his knowledge. That being said, and I hope he doesn't retire as many times as a professional boxer, the world is a safer place with Ozzie Guillen off twitter. He SAYS that today was his final tweet ever. I have a feeling some of the shit he says is due to that huge liquor supply that is on the cabinets behind him in his office during interviews.
3) "McNamee admits earlier lie about steroids." That was off the wire. To entertain yourself, don't watch the trial. Just do what I am doing, and making a flowchart off each day's headline and see if I can figure out what the hell is going on in that seemingly undying story. By the time this trial is done, we will actually WANT Favre to talk about coming out of retirement.
4) YAY. I was looking for him, looking for him, jonesing for him, and now I got him. I am blogging with the solid matchup of Indiana and Miami going on in the background. THAT is not what I am excited about. Hubie Brown is announcing. It is like I was watching a bad movie in bad reception, and now I have Instagrammed it AND have plugged in Robert DeNiro in as the actor.
4a) I am aware I don't know all the things that my phone does, and don't care. I JUST found out what Instagram was literally this past Sunday. Whoops. And I named my first dog "Pepsi."
5) Brandon Marshall gets off the hook from striking a woman in the bar. He is happy that he doesn't get arrested. I am sad because my Rant Team needs new blood, and hitting someone in a bar qualifies. Metta, Mayweather, Janikowski, T.O, Marcus Vick, Ryan Leaf, and the rest of the squad love company. You failed me, Brandon.
6) The Los Angeles Kings are ripping through victims like no one in recent memory has done in the NHL playoffs. Amazing story of a true team all playing together with no true superstars and the usual playoff story of a hot goalie can get you there. Check out their playoff leaders. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopifar. Yup. Household names for sure. Anyway, hey, Philly. Don't you find it sad that you are sitting home right now having had home ice against the Devils, AND the two foundation players you traded over to L.A., Carter and Richards, are smoking people? I know hindsight is 20-20, but it is not like they were even CLOSE to subpar when you dissed them.
7) Josh Beckett reads this blog. I rip him, and what does he do? He goes out and throws 7 shutout innings the next time out. Dude, I was just saying you are slacking. I didn't say you didn't have all the tools to pitch like that every time. Focus, and you are scary good. It is that first part I think you are missing.
8) They officially weathered the probation/ penalty storm, and now everyone can start being very afraid of them again. USC already nabbed the top RB for the class of 2013. I hope everyone had fun for a while having a chance each time out with them, because it is uphill from here out for opponents.
9) For most of us at college parties it was pretty cool seeing our college sports stars out and about. Some, I guess, don't view it that way. I was sorry to see the story of the fatal shooting of Idaho WR Ken McRoyal at a party this week. You could say why was he at a party when maybe he should be training? He is in freaking college, and the bigger question is why the f%^& did a person have a gun at a party in Idaho?
10) This sucks. A guy gets a hole in one in golf AT a hole in one contest. He is still waiting on his 18k. Come on, people. In the words of KGB, "Pay him. Pay that man his money." http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9UPQEVO0.htm
11) In the new series Falling Skies that has been hyped out, is anyone else going to (if I was actually going to watch one second of it) feel weird if an alien hurts someone and Noah Wyle doesn't start reviving or operating on the person?
12) Rockies ownership has come out in the Denver Post and said they are not going to make any major moves and still feel like their squad is worthy of a run. Why don't you guys go mill around the masses in Denver for a day or two? Except for that magical run a few years ago, the last couple games have been like this. Game 1. "Let's go see the Rockies!" Game 40. "Let's go to the ballpark because we live in beautiful Colorado and we have a nice stadium. Who are they playing by the way?"
13) Michael Phelps has come out and said the London Olympic Games will be his last in a pool. No jokes here. We have had the luxury of watching perhaps the greatest swimmer of all time. As a past swimmer who could hold my own, I will say this. I am surprised he is competing in THESE games. Swimming is hard to train for. Trying to be the best is EXHAUSTING. Burnout happens early, and I give him cred for being this good for this long. I hope you go out in style, bro.
14) Over the years, we have seen plenty of players hover around .400 for a while. Some are head scratchers, others we give a mild shot. That being said, and I am not predicting he will (pitching has changed SO much, and you are facing so many different pitchers in one single game), but IF someone had a shot, IF someone did, that person would be Josh Hamilton. He has the skills, the talent, and the protection around him in the order. Watch he goes into a slump over the weekend right after I punch "publish." Anyway, he is hovering right around .399 presently.
15) If you like elephants at all, or if you forget it you do or not (that was kind of a funny accidental joke), then check out this: http://delightmakers.com/news-bleat/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/
16) You see "Tim Hightower signs with the Skins." I see "The guy who I will pick as my 5th running back for some odd reason each year maybe just because I read the article that says he is a sleeper or because I like his name or maybe I shouldn't have beers during fantasy drafts signs with the Skins."
17) Get ready for a lot of "first player to" articles. Nationals Bryce Harper became the youngest player since...(this would be a great trivia question) Adrian Beltre to hit a homer in the big leagues. We are watching the beginning of a very special player, folks. Enjoy it all.
18) 3 year old Hansen will NOT run in the Preakness. I was discouraged to see that there were no music group jokes or replacement options such as Mm Bop. One rant after I say that some headlines are clever, and I get nothing on this one. Slackers.
19) One of those huge trucks that Dennis Leary pimps for was parked on my street between two cars. I am sure that maybe they pulled in on Sunday when people were in the mountains, but what if they actually parallel parked that bad boy? With my obsession of watching people parallel park cars in general, I would have loved to see it if they did. However it happened, and as close as the other cars were to them, I almost sat around waiting for them to try and leave without driving over the smaller cars.
20) Did Nuggets Gallinari sit in a dark room watching that World Peace elbow with popcorn the night before game 7? Dude looked like he saw a ghost when he went out there to play. Gallo, here is the thing. I played my share of street ball, and there you might have it in the back of your mind. But YOU HAVE REFS, and you are on TV. We are all watching, and refs are watching Metta more than anyone in the league. Play your freaking game, and try to remember that your shooting stroke is sweeter than the made to be a back up Steve Blake, who torched you guys.
21) When Blake Griffin gets hurt, and then tries to actually play, it is painful. Dude is one of the best players in the NBA when he can jump his usual out of the gym. When he is injured, it exposes his flaws in ugly fashion. Right now, his game is about 70% athleticism. He needs to bring that percentage down WHILE he is still this age, and he becomes downright scary. I still like your weird Kia commercials though. Not the one where you are dunking 70 feet up in the air. I like the one with the deer and the one where he is in the house.
22) VCU joins the A-10 next year for its sports. They were the sweetheart of the tourney two years ago. Well, I hope they are staying up on their recruiting, because getting IN the tourney is now going to be tougher. Xavier, St. Louis, Temple, Richmond, Dayton, etc.? Wheeewww. I am not saying that the conference is on the level of a Big Six, but it will sure be as scary of at least one or two of the Big Six conferences (last year, that would have been a direct comment to the Pac-10). Welcome, and good luck being that Cinderella again. Hey, Kazansky, this is NOT a walk in the park next year.
23) The Heat/ Pacers game 2 was painful to watch at the end. At one point late in the 4th, the teams had missed their last 8 of 11 free throws. AND, these were even the horrible foul shooters at the line. Geez, guys. This is playoff basketball. If you want to be compared to the golden time of the NBA in the 60's or 80's, start playing like it, and make the shots when you are unguarded, and only fifteen away from a cylinder that is twice the size of the ball you are shooting. Yeah, I can talk shit. I have said this before. I can go to a line from work, my home, or from a night at the bar, and still make 15-20. I have backed up that bet.
23a) Bosh might be the weaker link stat-wise in the whole Big Three thing, but it is obvious to me that he is the most missed. Weird. If they are missing James or Wade, the healthy one just does what they used to have to do, TAKE OVER. If Bosh is out, it is impossible for them to replace what he does for the other two-CREATE SPACE for them.
24) So get this. Wes Welker gets the franchise tag of $9.5 mil for one year, at an age and in a sport that he probably wants a long term contract. Then, what does he do? When asked about whether he would sit out for a contract, he says on national TV "No." I LOVE that you are a good guy and all, and I am glad it is not all about the money, but talk about ruining ALL leverage if you WERE to sit out any training camp. Crazy.
25) I love the cars with duct tape over a window that is broken. I remember one year, me and Eleanor had a broken window. I was lucky and it was the back on in a Cherokee, and it was summer. I am not lazy, but just low maintenance of things that don't bug me. I drove all three months over the summer with not only no window, but no duct tape. I had a backwards convertible.
26) LA Clippers. Welcome to playoff basketball against someone who already HAS a few championships. This is your learning year-trust me. Make it six games against that experience and I will be impressed. In game 1, odd that the younger team was getting KILLED by 2nd chance opportunities. 2nd chance opportunities are supposed to go to youth and explosiveness. Welcome to the big time. You will get a taste of what it takes to get to the promised land, because you don't have it yet. Talk to Isiah and MJ. They had to weather Larry and Magic before making the promised land.
26a) AMAZING how every Spurs team is built each year. They have their big three, and then each team is strategically filled with players that are castoffs, not given chances, considered washed up, drafted wisely, or who flop mightily. They are winners any way you look at it.
27) Sometimes I miss Philly. Eagles coach Andy Reid has recommended Donovan McNabb to other teams, as it is reported McNabb is fitter, slimmer, and more nimble. Dude, you couldn't even start him on your team in his heyday. That damn Aesop fable with the kid and the wolf HAVE to apply somehow to this situation. I don't have the time to flowchart it-too much to say.
28) Can every basketball fan just quickly cross their fingers right now for three seconds? Let's hope the doctors are going high in their estimation that Derrick Rose will be out 8-12 months. Basketball needs him, and we as fans should want him back.
29) Congrats to the 2012 college Hall of Fame class. They all did something in the NFL, but were GREAT in college. Ty Detmer, Steve Bartkowski, Tommy Kramer, Dave Casper, Art Monk, and others. solid, solid class. Great month for the Monks. Kid gets drafted, and dad gets inducted.
30) Kurt Busch was fined 50k for something he did at Darlington. This is a sports blog. I have no idea what he did, don't understand the sport except that Danica Patrick is kind of hot, am just reporting, and as usual, all I know is rubbing...is racing.
31) Back to the Future hook. Who are you, Kevin Garnett? With the Heat struggling and the Bulls out, and having the seas parted for you guys, you are playing as possessed stat-wise as you always look on the floor. You are scoring like you used to. We all thought this might be your last run, but SOMEONE will want you on the floor with them next season. Crazy thought. Let's put HIM on the Knicks. Can you IMAGINE Carmelo not playing defense with GARNETT behind him? As the announcer said in Rocky IV, someone better stop this fight, or someone might get killed. I bet you Melo would get 2nd team All Defense the year that Garnett was playing behind him. Where do you hide the flux capacitor, Kevin?
32) In case you were worried about any Duke basketball downfall, they quietly signed this week Amile Jefferson. I am a loser, and follow high school basketball, so I know his name. Depending on the ranking you read, he is ranked about #25 nationally, and is a polished PF. Two great things about this for Coach K. He can either have the kid learn from Plumlee and Kelly for a year behind them at the big spots, OR the kid is good enough to possibly start at the 3. It would be weird seeing Duke as one of the bigger teams around, but you might see it.
33) Article I don't care about. "FSU President outlines pros and cons of being in ACC." We. Don't. Care. The only reason I can think to write this is because of the absolutely mind boggling changing of conferences that has occurred in the last two years. I can see him sending it out to everyone as a disclaimer/ recruiting tool. Sweet. Moving on.
34) LOVE it. An hour after writing that I was suddenly rooting for the Pacers and Larry Legend, they ended up SMOKING the Heat tonight. Nice.
35) How the f^&*, Kobe, did you blow a 75-68 lead with about 1:30 left? If ANYTHING, I would think that you might not be able to handle them athletically, but with a lead like that, that experience would take over. No excuse, and I would have to say OFFICIALLY, that this is the changing of the guard. Well, kind of. The Spurs will beat the Clippers, so at least SOMEONE from the old regime is standing up for themselves.
36) I am easily entertained. That being said, I think YOU should also be impressed by this. I see arenas all the time with same color shirts. I RARELY see an arena that has alternating color sections that...look...perfect with their free t-shirts. Congrats, Oklahoma City. Whatever system you devised, it was visually stimulating, especially since you are dealing with the masses. I am intrigued.
37) The Criminal Minds finale was ok. I was very, very mildly satisfied with it. Then, it came back from commercial after being in the kitchen, and found out it was TWO hours long. WTF? I guess the one thing you did right was end the first hour of a finale with me thinking that was a pretty crazy ending. There was no need to say more. Keeping the mic in front of Iverson during the practice rant was GENIUS. Keeping your show going was not.
38) I drank in college. Sure. I did NOT ever do this. Your only devil's advocate could be that UVA never contended in football after the 7th week of the season, but I still don't think I would do this.http://www.fox8live.com/story/18500711/alabama-man-indicted-on-sexual-battery-of-lsu-fan
39) Drew Brees says that the talks with the Saints are frustrating. Try reading all the articles about how idiotic the Saints are being every day. Try THAT, Drew.
40) I am kind of mad I don't bet anymore. If there was ONE game I would have bet on this season, it would have been game 2 in the Devils/ Rangers series after Jersey got blanked 3-0 and people started whispering. They have two cups in the last twenty years, and the best goalie of all time. Did YOU think that they would lose game 2? Come on. What they lack on talent, they make up for in adjustments.
41) This is a sign you live by yourself as a dude. You go to heat up a piece of pizza from the earlier this week, and aren't sure whether the white spots on the pizza are parmesan cheese you put on, or fungus.
42) Charles Barkley might make some funny comments that sometimes seem off, but there is a reason why he was the greatest under 6'6" rebounder of all time. He knows his shit. He called at halftime that OKC was simply making jump shots in the first half and that is why they were ahead. In the second half, the Thunder missed on cue and the Lakers briefly took control of the game combined with the fact that Kendrick Perkins seems to always set moving picks.
43) Did I just see a Dogs in the City commercial with Sex in the City background music? Wow. Officially we are out of ideas, and also beating a dead horse. Pain. Ful.
44) He WAS wide open, Metta was inbounding, Steve Blake was wide open and hot the last game of the previous series, and they ARE all professionals, but I would take a covered Kobe Bryant over an open Steve Blake any day of the week, and I happen to like Blake and dislike Kobe. See? This blog is unbiased.
45) Will each talking iPhone have its own name, or is the Samuel Jackson commercial worldwide, and its name is Syree (that's what is SOUNDS like-I am NOT looking it up)?
46) The sky is blue, the grass is green, and sometimes you just get busted for something that you can't get out of. Here we go:
-Brett Lawrie is ejected for throwing helmet at umpire
-Brett Lawrie is banned 4 games
-Brett Lawrie to appeal suspension
-Brett Lawrie drops suspension appeal
Dude, you threw a helmet at a ref. Unless, you are pleading insanity like in the movies, I am pretty sure you are busted.
47) Another article I don't need to open...at ALL. Syracuse coach Bernie Fine's WIFE is suing ESPN. UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH........go away. And stop marrying child abusers.
48) Two more people that need to go away. The person who broke into Junior Seau's doggie door and stole stuff from his garage after his suicide, AND Jonathan Vilma. First one is an idiot, and the other one got entrapped to be the idiot that he was met to be. Jonathan, take your penalty and we will see you in a year.
49) Finally, a note to the Saints. Saving a seat on the plane MIGHT seem noble to you. It is not. Nobody died, and I am assuming Sean had a first class/ front row seat. You are wasting space for someone that you might miss, but who got busted for a not noble act. Stop trying to overwhelm us with sob stories, and let someone else sit in his seat.
50) Nice round number, and nice hook to conclude things. I know my mom gets tired of this saying, and that she doesn't understand that I unfortunately say it in real life, but as one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let's get the flock out of here. Peace. I will write again Monday night.
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