Quickie: The Smart Guy

It's nice to be able to write something positive about a superstar.

I don't know why all of the ones I've been running into are basketball players but maybe football players aren't as visible to me (although come to think of it, I did see one of those, too, but I didn't talk to him so it's not worth mentioning). Anyway, on with the story.

I've never been a huge fan of him, not because of his personality or anything like that, but just because he has been on team(s) I could never root for (not if I wanted to go back home, that is). But I had the absolute pleasure of randomly chit-chatting with this NBA superstar and I must say, he was quite impressive. He seems like an intelligent guy on TV, even in his "holy role," but he's not just smart, he puts his money and time where his mouth is, and encourages his teammates to do the same.

In a 20 minute convo with him and another sports figure, basketball was not on the agenda. Instead, we discussed topics such as why our society is in poor health. By all accounts, he is a rare breed indeed in any sport, but every team could use a guy like him in their locker room.

The sky is definitely the limit when it comes to his post-NBA vocation.

If this isn't easy enough, I'll add that he and his team are in the playoffs.

New Year, Same Run

I heard you can only say happy new year for a week, but I think it's allowed whenever you haven't spoken to someone since last year. So,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thanks to all who have sent me stories and said they missed me. I missed you, too. Without further ado, let's jump into the first run of the new year:



1. Donovan McNabb can really be a beast sometimes. And sometimes he can really be a fool. I've said before that winning covers up a multitude of sins. For those who didn't see it, near the end of the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New York Giants, a game in which Eli Manning completed his return to earth after last year's Super Bowl win, McNabb ran out of bounds on to the Giants sidelines, picked up the phone customarily used to communicate with the coordinators looking down on the game, and acted like he was making a phone call. That little antic cost his team a 15 yard penalty. And earned him a nice rebuke from former fellow QB Troy Aikman: "Sometimes I just don't know what's going through that guy's head." McNabb acknowledged it wasn't the smartest move after the game, and luckily for him the game was pretty much out of reach. But that's the kind of stuff that makes Iggles fans dislike him. McNabb's a veteran and he knows officials don't put up with any shenanigans. Completely ridiculous, that's all I have to say.

2. So Tim Tebow decided that it's better to play college football than to make millions playing for the Detroit Lions. Even in this economy, he wasn't willing to possibly ruin his career. Smart man.

3. My how the might have fallen. The Boston Celtics went from amazing to awful in the course of a month. Now, they're just happy to get a win over the Toronto Raptors, which is really no win at all. Although the Celts finally snapped their losing streak, Kevin Garnett managed to go an ice cold 3-16. This is a prime example of how the mental side of the game is often more important than being physically talented. This is not a different team from earlier in the season, this is the same team who is now not disturbed by the idea of losing. I'm still not a Celts fan but I'll do just about anything to not have to see the Cleveland Cavaliers coming out of the East. And it's not that I don't like the Cavs (Ok, it's not just that I don't like the Cavs), but I just don't believe they're talented enough to go all the way in the playoffs, despite this recent ride. I just don't see all the tools there that typically comprise championship teams. LeBron James is talented enough for sure, but every superstar needs support to get over the hump. While his guys are playing well now, I have a feeling they'll be playing nearer to their historic averages (read: not quite as hot) come playoff time. We'll just have to wait and see . . .

4. University of North Carolina men's basketball team is 0-2 in ACC play. Maybe now this will end all of that Tyler Hansbrough/Naismith player of the year talk . . . at least for a few weeks. I'll take what I can get.

5. I thought about discussing the other NFL games, but you've probably seen SportsCenter twelve times since then like I have. This is a little video montage passed along by a faithful reader. He likes #3, I'm still blown by #4. Although #3 is kind of hilarious, it doesn't quite count as a MYSM so it's rounding out the top five.




Happy Monday!

Running Through My Mind

A few random musings (I wrote this several days ago and just never got around to posting):

1) NBA firings are apparently at an all-time high for this point in the season. Six coaches have been given their walking papers and we're barely 1/4 into the season. The chopped list includes: Reggie Theus by the Sacramento Kings, Maurice Cheeks by the Philadelphia 76er's, Eddie Jordan by the Washington Wizards, Sam Mitchell by the Toronto Raptors, Randy Wittman by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and P.J. Carlesimo by the Oklahoma City Thunder. I agree with cutting off the head sometimes, but for most of these, I really think they coach was a scapegoat, covering up the real, massive problem: the team sucks. I won't elaborate on which coaches I think needed to go (to protect the innocent) but suffice it to say that this is a short term solution to a problem that goes way deeper than the head coach. Almost all of these teams are underachieving, and one literally just started a few months ago. Is it the economy? Lack of fans? Whatever the reason, firing the coach this early is akin to throwing in the towel for the year, and, frankly, it's just not very creative . . . especially the Kings who waited for five other heads to roll before he got the boot in the back. What followers.

2) Have I ever mentioned how much I love Stephon Marbury? He is the only guy in the league who would buy a front row ticket to a game in which he is being paid to play but the team doesn't want him. Seriously, the only one. Maybe Latrell Sprewell would have pulled such a move back in his day but other than that, I can't think of anyone. I caught his interview at the game, and he did one of my favorites: "me, myself . . ." I never understood what that means, I guess it's sort of like "um" for the urban set. He really keeps things interesting.

3) Allen Iverson was fined for "making inappropriate comments" to a fan during a Detroit Pistons visit to the Charlotte Bobcats, a game which the Pistons eventually won. I wonder if these guys budget for fines and suspensions . . .

4) So the Atlanta Hawks weren't a fluke and really do have something close to a legitimate response to the Boston Celtics. I will admit that the Celtics have really been impressive. I didn't like the idea of throwing a bunch of superstars together just to win a championship, but by golly, it worked. Two stars may not be enough, but three is solid, especially if one of them is a 7 foot shooter. But the Hawks almost beat them and looked good doing it. I'll have to continue to monitor this as the season develops . . .

5) I've been saying this for a long time, and now I'm finally going public with it. Twins?

Stuart from Mad TV:




Tyler from UNC:

AI to the D

Ok, ok. Several of you have asked so I think I can take a two minute break from the Barack Obama campaign to give my two cents on this Detroit Pistons-Denver Nuggets trade, so here goes:

If you've followed my work here, you know that I'm a firm believer in blowing things up and starting all over again. You may not know that that goes for whether the team is good but not quite good enough, or very awful. The Pistons fall into the former category. Consistently very good but not quite good enough. Personally, I don't care if you win all 82 games in the regular season and lose in 7 games in the NBA Finals - that's not my idea of a good team. If you're getting that close every year and can never seal the deal, you need to try something new. And if you start out on a high and then get progressively less good every year, that's even worse.

So I would have blown up the Pistons a few seasons ago, like 2005 a few seasons ago. They haven't really added or subtracted anyone of substance since they won in 2004, but yet expected that they'd somehow just up and figure it out. Well, I am glad they figured out early in this season that if they want to get to the top, they're going to have to take some drastic measures.

What did the Pistons lose? Not too much, in my opinion. In face, I may get jumped on for saying this, but I think Antonio McDyess is a bigger loss than "Mr. Big Shot" - whose shot has been M.I.A. longer than he's had that nickname. At least McDyess provided consistent inside scoring and solid defense, and he played hard every game - but he is getting up in age. Now, I know Billups had become Mr. Detroit, welcoming Obama instead of the mayor of Detroit, but I think it was time for him to go. Billups was inconsistent in terms of output and effort. The name Mr. Big Shot was only befitting if we're talking about shots he wasn't making, and on top of that, his shot selection became increasingly suspect. The irony of this trade is that the Pistons got rid of one gunner and picked up an even bigger gunner.

Which leads me to what the Pistons have gained. I mean, it's A.I. - I'd bet $100 that there are party promoters making up flyers for the official welcome to Motown party with his face splashed on them. Never mind, I don't want to take your money. This is huge for Detroit sports, especially when the stars on Detroit sports teams are few and far between these days. I'm far from a jersey person but I just might have to get his . . .

In terms of on-court gains, that remains to be seen. Iverson must have the ball in his hands to play well. Scratch that - to play at all. If he's not touching the ball at least 90% of the time his team has the ball, you're pretty much wasting him. He takes more shots than just about anyone in the game, but the thing is he almost always gets hot eventually, unlike some other people that I know. I actually enjoyed watching him and the 76ers in the NBA Finals back in 2002 when they lost in 5 games to the Los Angeles Lakers (featuring Kobe and Shaq). It was one of those LeBron James situations where he had pretty much no help but took his team much further than anyone thought was possible. But LeBron is a big man who takes over games. Iverson is barely 5'10" (I don't care what the NBA tells you) and just a scrappy player who leaves it all out there on the floor every night, and when he's on, he's dangerous. He may not like to practice, but he certainly likes to play. He has that heart that you just can't teach. And now that he's getting olderguy wants an NBA championship so badly he can taste it. He is one of the few who has been able to successfully get past a ton of off-court drama to get it together when necessary.

Fortunately, the Pistons are the most unselfish group of guys that you're going to encounter (sometimes to their detriment), and I think they can handle Iverson and his constant touching. As long as they can find themselves and their shots in the midst (i.e., after Iverson misses and the Pistons get the rebound) this could make the eastern conference very, very interesting this year. This is all neglecting the salary cap space that will be cleared because Iverson's contract will be up next year, allowing the Pistons to potentially pick up some other key players.

(Did I already mention that the Pistons instantly got more attractive?)

As for the gain to the Denver Nuggets . . . well, hopefully the thinner air and hometown factor will help Billups locate his shot again. McDyess . . . not really sure where he will fit in out there since they've already got a lot of big bodies who can score, but I think he was included as one of those unload situations to pad the deal (they also traded center Cheikh "Mr. Pad the Deal" Samb). The Nuggets with AI and Carmelo Anthony were supposed to be way better than they were (which wasn't terrible, but wasn't what they expected) and it looks like they weren't interested in giving that anymore time to work out.

This ESPN writer says the Nuggets got the better end of the deal because Billups will work better with Melo's style of play and now the Nuggets will have a true point guard rather than the shooting guard they had in Iverson. All I have to say to that is "OK." We'll see. I actually can't wait to see another exciting NBA season.

The bottom line is that this move is likely to either going to fail wildly (although it may still be a good move in the long run with the expired contracts issue) or result in a serious run at the championship - I don't think it can go any other way. But I love Joe Dumars for having the guts to shake it up.

This may call for NBA League Pass . . .

The Quickie Trifecta

This is shaping into an interesting season for some NFL teams. (I'm ignoring the Adam Jones issues because, really, you get what you pay for.) Interesting in a good way (Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, and of course, the Arizona Cardinals) and a bad way (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins). Teams that are used to losing (Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders) are not interesting. Good game (finally) for that other Manning brother - Peyton. A blocked field goal sealed the Cardinals win over the Cowboys, who just barely made it into overtime to begin with before that most terrible way to lose. And I take back what I said about the Lions. Their game was actually a little interesting considering it ended in a controversial pass interference call that put the Minnesota Vikings in position to kick a field goal for the win. Although the manner of the ending may have been a surprise, the fact that the Lions lost is not. Maybe if they were in contention for . . . anything, (other than worst team of the last century) then someone would care and maybe even calling for the head of the referee who threw the flag. But the Lions are the Lions, and the ref's job is safe and sound. At least the Lions stimulate the economy. . . .

Monta Ellis may be pissed (although looking at the above pic, he doesn't really look like he gets pissed, does he?) that the Golden State Warriors suspended him 30 games for lying about what happened to his ankle but he should really be glad that they didn't terminate his contract. Of course, he's going to appeal the decision but he doesn't have too much of a bargaining position since what he did made his agreement voidable (i.e., ripped up since riding a motorcycle violates its terms). And former-Run TMC member turned VP of basketball operations for the Warriors, Chris Mullin, has not ruled out the possibility of still voiding the contract if he doesn't play like they paid him to do (read: if he sucks). This will certainly teach him and everyone else that a) lying b) about something that can easily be verified c) where the consequence is losing your livelihood, is just not smart. To any other NBA players currently riding bikes: there are many, many other ways to get your jollies other than by risking your life and career over silliness. Find one.

Speaking of outdoor activities (sorta), the NBA staged its first outdoor game since 1972 in a preaseason matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets (minus Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony who were injured . . .right) in normally beautiful Indian Wells, California. (Indian Wells is also home to a mini-major WTA and ATP tennis tournament.) The number one priority for the league was to make sure that it didn't rain, so they took a cue from Tony! Toni! Tone! (thank me later) and went with Southern California. However, while it might not rain, it can get a bit nippy in the desert when the sun goes down, which it did on this particular night. They say the temperature was in the mid-60's but felt colder because of the 15 MPH winds. Even the seemingly "insulated" Sir Charles (Barkley) had to put a scarf on by the 4th quarter. I'm not sure this is something the NBA wants to do haphazardly. I'm sure most of these guys haven't really played pick up outside in a long time, either. There are plans to do another preseason game outside next year, and maybe even a regular season game. As for the latter, I can't really see that happening. Unless every team had to play outside at least once during the season, and the game was against a "not serious" contender, I can't see the NBA guys going for this at all. And this game had atrocious shooting and Shaquille O'Neal-level free throw shooting from O'Neal and many other players. (Nuggets' guard Mateen Cleaves had the best combined field goal and free throw percentage on the night . . . also probably the most likely of the bunch to be playing pick up ball outside this summer - coincidence?) Although Melo and AI didn't play, the Nuggets magaged to pull off the win 77-72. Pretty low-scoring for the run and gun west. If that keeps up, once the novelty wears off, so will the fans.

Happy Monday!

(Although it is allegedly also Columbus Day in some circles, I don't believe in Columbus Day, especially if we don't get the day off of work.)

Running From City To City

So much excitement in the world of sports, just over the weekend. I wish I had another person to write for me, but thus far, it's just me (if you want to guest blog, let me know!) So that means not enough time to cover everything. My selection:

1. Exciting first weekend in the NFL. My brief observations: Brett Favre looks good in his new suit, eh? Did he really call them "New Yorkians"? As I told Novak Djokovic, I'm available for American culture lessons...Way to go Aaron Rodgers, even doing the "Lambeau Leap" like that other guy. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...More and more the NFL seems like it stands for "Not For Long" with all of these significant injuries on day one, including Brady, Vince Young, Nate Burleson, at least 15 others. What gives?...What happened to the Colts?...The Philadelphia Eagles, and more specifically, Donovan McNabb, look very good...St. Louis looks...the same. And with the Lions performance, that makes two of them...Kudos, though, to Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan. Keep winning, they'll forget all about him...Happy to see Jay Cutler (with his Denver Broncos) doing well in his first regular season game since learning he has diabetes. Very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of this season shakes out, and I don't even have a fantasy team. Go figure.

2. U.S. Open wins by Roger Federer and Serena Williams. I love seeing people (around) my age still getting it done. Serena's final was much more interesting than Fed's, but the best matches were definitely played in their quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively. Each got a "milli"* and a half for their efforts and regained their respective perch at the top of the rankings - Fed, of course, not having left that long ago. This is a huge deal for Serena though, hence the high racquet throw at the end of the match. Her win effectively silences all of the critics who said her and her sister weren't dedicated to the game. They don't need to do what everyone else does. They're really just that good. And so is that Oreo commercial featuring the Williams sisters vs. the Manning brothers (see video in right corner). I love the concept but must admit I'd prefer it was for something healthy like, PowerBar, rather than Double Stuf Oreos. Ah, well.

3. I am really curious to know what in the world Monta Ellis did to his ankle that would cause him to lie to the Golden State Warriors about its cause. He claimed he hurt it playing basketball, but then it was discovered that he tore his deltoid ligament and had multiple scrapes and scratches, "not typical of a basketball injury." I got scratched in basketball once and still have the scar on my arm to prove it, but yeah, he really should have made sure his story would check out better than this before he decided to lie. I don't know him, but I'll guess it's something silly that violates his contract like wheelies on an ATV or motorcycle, parachuting, extreme jump roping, bear-wrestling, etc. I'm kinda hoping it's one of the latter two and not any of the first three. The truth comes to the light eventually...

4. Marion Jones left prison. Sad. (Some of these news stories are a little harsh, don't you think? I don't see other admitted dopers getting treated this harshly.)

5. I saw an ad the other morning for a new show on National Geographic called Dogtown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs. Normally, I would think this was a great idea...if it weren't the season premiere of the Dogtown series and if it didn't include his name in the title. It seems a bit exploitative, premiering not coincidentally within a day of the Atlanta Falcon's own season. Not that I expect much out of Hollywood these days, but I thought National Geographic was different. I guess I was wrong. Why can't we let sleeping dogs lie?





*If anyone caught the MTV VMA's last night (DVR is again my new best friend!), 'Lil Wayne has officially taken over James Brown spot as the hardest working man in showbiz. The Kid Rock set confirmed it. I think his pants are the same length as the sleeves of my coat, though - he's not even sagging, he actually has them cut to only come up to his hip. What next?

Running On the Other Side*

Greetings from the other side of the world!

I am going to make this REALLY quick because I'm paying by the half hour but I had a few thoughts to drop:

1. Is the Miami Heat trying to get kicked down to the D-League? 54 points in a whole game? You're not even trying. Shame on you, Pat Riley. No excuse.

2. Today, the NCAA tournament kicks off. I'm not making any predictions, but I am making a request, and that is that I don't have to see Psycho T tearing down any nets. Please.

3. Right before I left, I heard Bob Knight complain about how some good teams don't make it into the tournament in favor of lesser teams that prevail in their confrence tournaments and how much of a travesty this is. I disagree. That's the beauty of the tournament. Smaller programs would never see the light of day much less get the opportunity to take down the nation's best teams if they did it any other way. We loved the New York Giants, we love Cinderellas. That's why people watch. But while an upset or two is nice, we don't want to see the Cinderella necessarily win the whole thing . . . at least I don't. It's fun for a little while but let's not get too carried away.

4. Andrew Bynum might return to the L.A. Lakers lineup just in time for the Lakers run through the playoffs. Man, this is going to be an interesting Western Conference finals. Over on the East, snooze city. I read an article in Time magazine in which readers got to ask questions of NBA Commissioner David Stern. One reader asked about the sorry state of the NY Knicks and whether he was concerned at all. Stern replied with the usual party line about this being a time to build and they'll be back. Ok, well when he gets over the shock of the poor ratings between East and West, I think he just might change his tune.

5. So top-ranked high school QB recruit Terrelle Pryor went with Ohio State as his college of choice. Michigan must be quite upset, but Pryor went with the possibility of sitting a year over coming in and starting in a program that I must admit is pretty darn good. And yes, it's no Michigan in terms of academics (although not shabby as one of the smartest lawyers - not an oxymoron - I know went there) but somehow I don't think that figured into the equation . . . All the best for a great career there, though, kid. Believe the hype, but not too much of it.

*Ode to an all-time fave by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The song is much darker than I meant the title here to be, but it fit.

Running 'Fore the Weekend

I've seen PTI numerous times but today is the first time I ever noticed that they call their countdown the "rundown" - that's what I get for always trying to multi-task. Rest assured that I thought I was the only one running it down on a daily basis. I see I have company. Good company. Without further ado:

1. They're calling this a blockbuster trade, but I think that's just because it involved so many players. The main points of the trade is that LeBron the Cleveland Cavaliers get Ben Wallace from the Chicago Bulls and supermodelWally Szczerbiak (that's a lot of consonants) from the Seattle Supersonics, and the Cavs sent Drew Gooden and two other players with whom I'm not all that familiar. The Supersonics get Donyell Marshall and two other players whose names you probably wouldn't recognize. Interesting. So I guess this means that the Cavs have finally decided that LeBron will score all the points, since this trade means that the Cavs will be playing 4 on 5 in every game. Not their best work.

2. Some people don't like to eat at other people's houses if they think the house is dirty. Usually this is not a problem, and you can politely decline a meal or two. But when you are there for nearly three weeks, and you bring your own food in the house, at some point the host is bound to get upset. Which brings me to #2: I am thoroughly amused by the fact that China is upset at the U.S. for deciding to bring its own food to the Olympics this summer. Recently, China has had some issues with food quality. Not "oh this meat may have not been refrigerated" issues. More like "oh **** how did that poison get in there" problems. I'd bring my own food, too.

3. The New England Patriots decided not to hit Randy Moss with the franchise tag. This whole concept is funny to me, but I guess this means that he will have some bargaining chips now. You have to wonder about the power of the NFLPA (players association) when "getting slapped with the franchise tag" is a concept that made its way into the collective bargaining agreement. Something seems fundamentally unfair about this given how short their careers can be.

4. The New Jersey Nets' Richard Jefferson is in trouble for allegedly choking a man to unconsciousness who wanted him to leave a private party. Um. I'll just wait for the entire story to emerge.

5. University of Tennessee All-American baller Candace Parker has decided to forego her senior year of college and enter the WNBA draft. Hmm. She would likely be the top pick of the draft, going to the Los Angeles Spark. L.A. = one of top markets = endorsement deals. And Hollywood. Can't forget that. Yeah, this is probably a good move. And she's going to graduate before the draft. I'd call this a good move.

And one for the road: The Boston Celtics dropped another one to Golden State. Just a few hours ago, ESPN said that the Phoenix Suns/Celtics game might be a preview for the NBA Finals. Slow down, boys.

Have a great weekend!

So We Meet Again

The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the Phoenix Suns to town on Wednesday night. Of course, this was not just any game. This was Shaquille O'Neal's debut with the Suns, and Shaq/Kobe Bryant head-to-head. Kobe got the best of him this night, as he has in their previous head-to-heads since they parted ways in L.A. Speaking of heads, Shaq went completely bare on the head and the face in his debut, perhaps symbolizing his fresh start.

It's funny that Shaq has bounced around and Kobe has stayed with the Lakers for almost 12 years. Man, I am getting old.

Kobe had 41 points and one NASTY dunk. Even Bill Walton had to admit he is looking like the MVP. Obviously, he is proving what I and others have said all along - there is no such thing as a fair trade for him. Pau Gasol is looking like a terrific fit, and might end up being one of the smartest trades made all season when it's all said and done.

Shaq threw in 15 points, 9 in the last quarter, 9 boards, and apparently even surprised himself with his stamina at the end of the game. Amare Stoudemire had 37 points and 15 rebounds(!), Steve Nash did his usual, and even Grant Hill threw in 17 points.

So don't count out this Suns team because this was their first game with a new team and they still only lost by six to a very solid Lakers team. Again, looks like it is going to be an exciting finish in the Western Conference. As for the East? We'll just have to wait and see . . .

Deja Vu

I forgot about this one yesterday. If you'll recall, the Miami Heat are scheduled to replay their game against the Atlanta Hawks because the official scorer erred in giving Shaquille O'Neal six fouls when he really only had five.

Shaq's departure threw a wrinkle in there but the league has decided that the show must go on. So now the Heat gets a chance to win a game they already lost playing on a different day with the exact same players as before. Hopefully they will use their time wisely, but I guess they really don't have anything to lose at this point. And by anything I mean absolutely nothing.

News Blink (Not Hyped Enough For A Flash): Shaq to Suns, Marion and Another Guy to Heat

Well, this was quite the quiet trade, now wasn't it? One prediction I can make is that the season ticket sales of the Phoenix Suns will suddenly spike. The Miami Heat's ticket sales? Not so much.

Stephen A. Smith seems to think this would be a good trade for both teams - Shaq gets some fresh legs to run around him while he holds it down in the middle, and D Wade gets some help. Yeah, I don't see D Wade sticking this one out much longer than he has to unless the Heat make some other acquisitions.

I was surfing the 'net and came across this exchange between Dan Patrick and Shaq after the Heat won the NBA Championship in 2006:

Dan Patrick: Congratulation. Shaq, come on in. How's this one feel
differently than the ones in L.A.?

Shaquille Oneil: It feels good. I came to Miami because of this young
fellow right here [Wade]. I knew he was a special player. I knew the first time
I saw him I knew he was something special. So I knew it was my job to come here
and make him better.

Dan Patrick: When you looked at his skill, when's the first time you
said, "I got -- I can be Robin to his Batman."

Shaquille Oneil: No, I knew that, you know, he was a young gunner. So
when I came here I decided to let him go, and I was going be, you know, second
option. And I was good with that and, you know, he's a great player, unselfish
player. He's the best in the world, D. Wade.

Dan Patrick: You wanted to play for Pat Riley. You got a chance. What
has he meant to your career?

Shaquille Oneil: Pat Riley's the best coach I've ever had. Him, Dale
Brown, you know, my father, you know they've been...telling me, you know, to
just stay positive all year. And Coach -- Coach Riley told us on June 8th that
we was going to win on June 20th.

I think I said this before, but my, what a difference two years makes.

I will be interested to see if this trade really helps anyone. A loyal reader mentioned that although Shaq's near the top of his five faves of all time, his "lower body has more miles than my old Toyota RAV4, and I got rid of that whip 2 yrs ago." I couldn't have said it better myself. Like my reader, I still want to see Shaq do well, though, so we'll just be cautiously optimistic . . . for now.

Five But Still Alive

I know I said that there would be something coming by midday Monday, but life happened which made that impossible. And if you are reading this, then you're witnessing dedication at its finest because I am one pillow shy of a passing out. Ahem . . .



1. Federer's 10 years of making it to all of the Grand Slam finals (ok, not that many, but a lot) came to an end when he lost to Novak Djokovic - the eventual winner of the Australian Open. Hey, Tiger loses every now and then. Whether this signals the beginning of the end for Fed, I am not quite ready to predict his demise just yet. At least we know he's really human. When pressed, he admitted that he had a little food poisoning that could have affected his preparation, but he was sure not to blame the loss on that. After that match at the U.S. Open where Pete Sampras puked out his guts courtside from the flu and winning the match in five sets, that excuse isn't really available, so good choice, Fed.



2. After starting 29-3, the Boston Celtics are now 5-5, or pretty average. Their latest loss (I almost wrote "laws" - I need sleep) came at the hands of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. The game before that, they beat Kevin Garnett's old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, by 1 point. Of course, KG has been sitting out now (taking turns with Ray Allen) but I still think you're looking at their playoff team. Why? One of these guys is bound to be hurt by then (Allen, most likely), so they better figure out a way to drive the tricycle with at least one flat tire.



3. Come on, boys. Let's raise the level.



4. I read an article in the SportsBusiness Journal discussing the intersection between politics and sports. The article included a pie chart showing the breakdown of Democratic vs. Republican support by executives acrosss several of the major sports (I think hockey was included, too). According to their contribution history, NFL execs are overwhelmingly Republican supporters, and the NBA execs are overwhelmingly Democratic supporters. Does that really surprise anyone? What did surprise me is that 1) a lot of execs support both parties; and 2) our friend and Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank has given money to both Hillary Clinton'a and Barack Obama's campaign; and one thing that did not surprise me: I don't recognize any of the three execs listed as supporters of John Edwards. That's all I'll say.



5. Back to tennis. Regular people were talking about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost to Djokovic in the final. it's funny when you have unique knowledge or experience with something the average person does not - i.e., competitive tennis. Whenever something happens in tennis, people ask me questions like I get e-mail updates on every player. (They stopped sending those e-mails years ago.) Unfortunately, I don't know that much about Tsonga nor was I able to see many points of the final, but from what I did see, this kid could definitely be great if he keeps working and getting more consistent. He wiped out Rafael Nadal like Nadal was #200 not #2 in the world. Although, on hard court, that just might be a more accurate ranking for him.

And congrats to Maria Sharapova on winning the Australian Open on the women's side. She played some very tough matches and made them look easy. But it's not.

Yes, I ended on tennis. If you read this far and don't like tennis, pat yourself on the back. And keep living on the edge in 2008. It's good for you.

MYSM: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

In honor of the birth (and life) of a great man, I have two videos: one featuring the "I Have A Dream" speech, and another featuring NBA players reflecting on what the man and/or the day means to them.

I hope that on your day off you also take some time to find out more about the man who was not only instrumental in the lives of African-Americans, but who carries an important message for people all over the world, as timely today as it ever was.

Happy birthday, Dr. King.

Two Times Not The (Lucky) Charm

Uh oh, are the Washington Wizards the Boston Celtics' kryptonite?

Once may be a fluke, but twice in a row sounds like they have your number. And twice is the number of times that the Wizards have now beaten the Celtics. Unbelievably, the Celtics are 2-3 in their last five games. Not the golden children!! Maybe the luck of the Irish is running out.

More tomorrow on the "slump" . . .

Perfect Shooting and Mulligans

Interesting past few days in the NBA.

First, the New Orleans Hornets' star Chris Paul shot perfectly from the field in the Hornets game against the Miami Heat on Friday night. Like, really, perfect, as in did not miss a shot. 7 for 7. And it was not just him, his teammates Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo were perfect, too, going 9 for 9 and and 4 for from the field, respectively. Jackson is not being promoted as a star like Paul, so that's why his 9 for 9 gets second-billing, although Jackson's performance was more impressive to me (7 for 7 from behind the 3 point line). And not one of them even attempted a free throw. Of course, this is minus Shaq, but even without him, only two starters had two fouls, while the rest of the team had about one foul apiece. That's great defense, Heat. If you don't believe me, check out the caption on ESPN for the above photo: "Looking on is Miami Heat guard Jason Williams."

This was in striking contrast to the Detroit Pistons shooting against the New York Knicks on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. Who won this game? If you said the league-terrible Knicks, then you would be correct. The Pistons shot about as awfully as they could have. How awful? Second worst scoring performance in the history of the franchise. That bad.

But, the Miami Heat can take solace in receiving the rarest of the rare kind of gift from the NBA. No, not a good team. No, they received the chance to re-play part of a game that they lost.

In a December 19 game against the Atlanta Hawks, the official scorers incorrectly reported that Shaq had fouled out of the game with 51.9 seconds remaining, when in fact he only had 5 fouls. Alas, Shaq "fouled out" and the Hawks won the game, 117-111.

The Heat protested the game's outcome because of the foul discrepancy, and Commissioner David Stern has decided they were right. So on March 8, the team will re-play the game with 51.9 seconds on the clock, when the Hawks were leading 114-111. From Stern's comments, the closeness of the game is the reason for the re-play. And the Heat lost an "L" in the loss column - although I don't think it would make much of a difference.

Not only that, but Stern fined the Hawks $50,000 for their "grossly negligent" conduct. Yes, Stern is still an attorney at heart.

If that sounds unusual, it's because it is. I can't recall ever hearing of anything even remotely like that. That's because nothing like this has happened since 1982, when the San Antonio Spurs benefited from a do-over against the Los Angeles Lakers (ironically, involving the same scores involved here, 117-114). I'm intrigued as to how this will be handled logistically. It appears that the end of this game will take place prior to the beginning of a regularly scheduled meeting between the two teams, so that the fans will get something of a doubleheader. I would be mad if I had tickets to the last outing, though, and couldn't witness the history in the making. I will be tuning in for this one, for sure . . . hmm, maybe that is the whole point? Stern is no dummy, folks.

What A Difference A Day Makes

Last night, the Detroit Pistons stunk up the entire American Airlines Center the Dallas Mavericks.

On Thursday night, they put a beating on the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs.

All day Thursday, the sportswriters talked about the "slumping" Pistons, whose 9 game winning streak ended against Boston (top record in the league) on Saturday and who lost again to Dallas (second best record in the West; third in the league) on Wednesday night. And the Pistons have the second best record in the entire league and are one of the four teams who has beaten the Celtics. Slumping. Right.

Anyway, they redeemed themselves tonight by never letting San Antonio come up for air. The Pistons ended the first quarter up 30-15, and even though the Spurs got within 6 or 7 at one point, they were never really in the game. The key to the Pistons is not going ice cold down the stretch, and not making adjustments on defense, and they didn't and did, respectively. Solid win.

With this much depth in the league, this is going to be a very good year to be an NBA fan come playoffs time.

Please Crawford, Don't Hurt 'Em

Don't ever get "AND 1"'d like this on national TV!



The reaction of Kirk Hinrich's home crowd to how badly he got shook by Jamal Crawford is priceless.

Celts Eaten By 'Cats*

Well here's one that you didn't see coming: The Charlotte Bobcats beat the Boston Celtics.

Apparently none of the photographers at the game saw it coming either because the above photo of the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace taking a charge against the Celtics' Rajon Rondo against is the only photograph that I could find showing a Bobcat in a positive light. Seriously. You should see the ones I didn't post.

The Bobcats are 13-21, not terrible but definitely not good. The Celtics were playing without Ray Allen and Glen "Big Baby" Davis, which is apparently all they need to look average. Not a good sign come playoff time, when Ray Allen (most likely) or one of the other two (KG, Paul Pierce) falls.

And the Celts were at home. Coming off their tight win against the Detroit Pistons (looking much like the Pistons who have lost deep in the playoffs every year starting after 2004) on Saturday night, maybe they just didn't get up for the game. Or maybe they are just overrated . . . Oh well. Can't win 'em all.



And on a sidenote, Isiah Thomas, coach of the New York Knicks (but you knew that), was ejected after arguing with a ref on the floor during the Knicks game (loss) to the Houston Rockets. Some reports say he bumped the official prior to being ejected. Good job, Zeke.



* Am I the only one who is still not used to 'Cats referring to an NBA team?

Riley Running?

Sources are saying that Pat Riley may be out as coach of the Miami Heat at the end of this season, although I have heard other rumors that he could be out by the All-Star break which would be about a month from now. Before the Heat's game Wednesday night, Riley denied reports that he plans to go anywhere before his contract is up in the '09-'10 season.

Riley currently serves as President and coach for the Heat, and his move likely means that he would stay on as President and step down as coach.

Well, we all know Pat Riley's a winner. And if he's not winning, he probably doesn't want to be a part of it. With the team at 8-27, and an injured Dwyane Wade, he's at the helm of a sinking ship.

I don't know if he should get credit for having just enough of an in-check ego to let someone else do the job, or if he should be called out for trying to get out when the going gets tough. I'm going to guess that most people would say the latter, especially after he fired Stan Van Gundy and replaced him with himself, and managed to win a championship the year that he took over.

No matter what Riley's motives are, I am all for fixing what is broken. Something has to give because they really stink.

Celtics v. Pistons, Part Deux

It's not often that an early season game in an 82 game schedule takes on any significance in the NBA these days, but Saturday night's game may just be one of them.

On Saturday night, the Detroit Pistons will host the Boston Celtics in what many are predicting will be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, and at the least, will be a great game between two teams with the best records in the league right now.

The Pistons took them out last time these two met a few weeks ago and I am not ashamed to admit that nothing would make me happier than to see the Pistons take them out again. Anything that will slow down untested hype is a positive in my book.

Both teams look pretty good. I had the opportunity to watch a full Celtics game recently and I must admit that they are operating well on all cylinders, outside of just the "Big 3" with good play from Eddie House, Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo. They had a good west coast swing, including a win over the always tough Utah Jazz. The Pistons have also found their offense that seemed to have disappeared earlier in the season a few times, and they are playing consistent basketball again.

If the Pistons lose their offense, I wouldn't expect them to win against the Celtics who have multiple scoring options - at least one of whom typically has a good game - but if they can play like they've been playing as of late, I don't see the Celtics beating them. The Celtics have more to gain by winning this game, since the Pistons have already proven that they are capable.

My prediction: Pistons 89, Celtics 85