So I managed to let my 100th post pass without any marking of the monument. Well here we are to celebrate my 105th post, with my 106th…IDK if it makes sense but I certainly don’t care. It allows me a clip show of sorts to sift through some random thoughts.
I got into this after Barnes – I know I’m a biter – it was a means for me to keep writing while not having to write scripts. It was to be an outlet and I think it has been that for me. It all started when I was working shitty fucking night shifts last April. I was putting my randomness into cyberspace in the hopes of garnering an audience. Seeing how as I’m still here, I haven’t made it to the New Yorker or even the Onion…
I digress as I love writing for you guys. And when I say you guys, I know my readership predominantly consists of Barnes and Miggy. Pops doesn’t always get to read it, ditto DJ and the Former. I wish I could say more people read it but I just don’t have that many friends.
This here blog has seen the best of times and the worst of times. It was there for the Rockets giant winning streak last year. It was also there when Ric Flair retired. When I was working 14 hours a day last summer and neglecting you guys. And again at the end of this year when I had more free time and now that I’m single.
Now I have my own YouTube channel and I think I have the same people watching that as reading this – well maybe more, at least I hope. Here’s to the people who actually read this, thanks for passing by my corner in cyberspace. As I continue to send out my resume for auditions and any acting work I can get, I’ll continue to hone my writing skills here as much as I can. Finally, proof that I’m not illiterate…
Thursday, February 26, 2009
WWE Draft 09
I have to admit that I love what the WWE appears to be doing right now. They’re ramping up for WrestleMania 25 and they don’t have a PPV between No Way Out and the Big One. So they’ve got over a month to get their story lines in order. AND they have the draft between now and then.
That’s always makes for an interesting night. I think this year will be even more so. With this whole Orton Explosive Anger Disorder, they’ve created a monster that goes beyond anything VKM has ever done. Now they’ve had him attacking the McChildren, one of which is Mrs. Triple H. At NWO they conveniently put the WWE strap on him and swerved us with Edge winning the Raw match.
I loved the swerve, I never saw it coming. And they’ve put themselves in position to do some fun things with it. First, you have to deal with Randy and his out of control group. Ideally, you’d put that one on John Cena – top heel vs. top face, it’s been the backbone of every WM…EVER. But with Rando attacking Hunter’s wife, you can elevate the Game to that level over Cena. And you can’t have a WM following a good swerve without some type of rematch, so naturally Cena vs. Edge makes sense. Problem is, the guys aren’t all on the right rosters to make it work.
I give you your 2009 WWE Draft. I see that they’re still trying to capture the newness of SmackDown! on the new network – IDK which one it is all I know is two merged and two more came out with new names. They’ve had the Game there for a year and he’s run the gamut, but it’s time to infuse some new blood for the kids who watch it. And who do the kids love more than John Cena? No one I can think of. So you draft Cena to SD and bring Edge back since he’s got the World strap. Then you draft HHH back to Raw with the WWE strap and the world is right again. Who doesn’t want to see WM end with Cena-Edge and HHH-Orton?
Then there’s Batista, who’s been on the shelf recuperating from surgery for the better part of the year. I don’t think it matters where he was, he’ll come back to the WWE strong and you can do a lot with him. I think just for the heat, he comes back to SD! I think it makes the most sense because he can play either side of the fence. You can bring him back as a face and help Cena, then turn him and start a program – or vice versa. Then you can bring him over to Raw in a few months and insert him into an ongoing Orton-Helmsley feud, though I see no harm in bringing him back to Monday nights immediately. I think if he’s anywhere near healthy, he shows up at WrestleMania. He doesn’t have to do a lot but I think just being Batista and over will put the show that much more over. (As an aside, the face-heel turn also works in the Raw scenario. He shows up to help Hunter just because he doesn’t want to fight Orton and Legacy for the strap, then turns so he’s one on one. I’m just spitballin’ here.)
I can’t figure out what they’re doing with the Undertaker. The kids love him and he’s kind of an island unto himself. He’s been over for as long as I can remember, he’s never needed a strap, just another mountain to climb. His career has to be nearing the end. VKM owes him for his years of service and minimal title reigns. Taker deserves one last run with the strap on the A show. They could definitely find feuds for him over the next year on Raw. I’m just excited at the thought of him back on Monday nights. I don’t get to see enough of him. Just sitting there hearing the bell still gives me goose bumps. I’d love to watch his last run on Monday nights.
Jericho is another wild card in the draft. I don’t know where he’s going but I think it will impact his WM opponent. Maybe. I’m still holding out hope that he’s going to fight Stone Cold at the Super Bowl of wrestling. They’ve been reporting that Austin has been training but not for a match. I don’t buy it. Like I said, maybe it’s just hope. But it makes sense, he’s going into the HoF that weekend, it’s in Texas, he’s from Texas and he’s in good hands with Jericho. I’ve always thought that Y2J was one of the best workers around. He rarely has a bad match, he can carry anyone through a match. And Austin certainly doesn’t need a lot of carry, but I can’t imagine Steve agreeing to ‘one last match’ with someone like Batista or Cena.
As always, I have no clue what’s going to happen. I’m just coming off the top of my head for things I’d like to see – my version of the current WWE universe. I’ll check back in once the WM25 card is set with my predictions. You know me, I’m never shy…
That’s always makes for an interesting night. I think this year will be even more so. With this whole Orton Explosive Anger Disorder, they’ve created a monster that goes beyond anything VKM has ever done. Now they’ve had him attacking the McChildren, one of which is Mrs. Triple H. At NWO they conveniently put the WWE strap on him and swerved us with Edge winning the Raw match.
I loved the swerve, I never saw it coming. And they’ve put themselves in position to do some fun things with it. First, you have to deal with Randy and his out of control group. Ideally, you’d put that one on John Cena – top heel vs. top face, it’s been the backbone of every WM…EVER. But with Rando attacking Hunter’s wife, you can elevate the Game to that level over Cena. And you can’t have a WM following a good swerve without some type of rematch, so naturally Cena vs. Edge makes sense. Problem is, the guys aren’t all on the right rosters to make it work.
I give you your 2009 WWE Draft. I see that they’re still trying to capture the newness of SmackDown! on the new network – IDK which one it is all I know is two merged and two more came out with new names. They’ve had the Game there for a year and he’s run the gamut, but it’s time to infuse some new blood for the kids who watch it. And who do the kids love more than John Cena? No one I can think of. So you draft Cena to SD and bring Edge back since he’s got the World strap. Then you draft HHH back to Raw with the WWE strap and the world is right again. Who doesn’t want to see WM end with Cena-Edge and HHH-Orton?
Then there’s Batista, who’s been on the shelf recuperating from surgery for the better part of the year. I don’t think it matters where he was, he’ll come back to the WWE strong and you can do a lot with him. I think just for the heat, he comes back to SD! I think it makes the most sense because he can play either side of the fence. You can bring him back as a face and help Cena, then turn him and start a program – or vice versa. Then you can bring him over to Raw in a few months and insert him into an ongoing Orton-Helmsley feud, though I see no harm in bringing him back to Monday nights immediately. I think if he’s anywhere near healthy, he shows up at WrestleMania. He doesn’t have to do a lot but I think just being Batista and over will put the show that much more over. (As an aside, the face-heel turn also works in the Raw scenario. He shows up to help Hunter just because he doesn’t want to fight Orton and Legacy for the strap, then turns so he’s one on one. I’m just spitballin’ here.)
I can’t figure out what they’re doing with the Undertaker. The kids love him and he’s kind of an island unto himself. He’s been over for as long as I can remember, he’s never needed a strap, just another mountain to climb. His career has to be nearing the end. VKM owes him for his years of service and minimal title reigns. Taker deserves one last run with the strap on the A show. They could definitely find feuds for him over the next year on Raw. I’m just excited at the thought of him back on Monday nights. I don’t get to see enough of him. Just sitting there hearing the bell still gives me goose bumps. I’d love to watch his last run on Monday nights.
Jericho is another wild card in the draft. I don’t know where he’s going but I think it will impact his WM opponent. Maybe. I’m still holding out hope that he’s going to fight Stone Cold at the Super Bowl of wrestling. They’ve been reporting that Austin has been training but not for a match. I don’t buy it. Like I said, maybe it’s just hope. But it makes sense, he’s going into the HoF that weekend, it’s in Texas, he’s from Texas and he’s in good hands with Jericho. I’ve always thought that Y2J was one of the best workers around. He rarely has a bad match, he can carry anyone through a match. And Austin certainly doesn’t need a lot of carry, but I can’t imagine Steve agreeing to ‘one last match’ with someone like Batista or Cena.
As always, I have no clue what’s going to happen. I’m just coming off the top of my head for things I’d like to see – my version of the current WWE universe. I’ll check back in once the WM25 card is set with my predictions. You know me, I’m never shy…
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
As the Star Turns...
I finally got around to posting my NBA trade deadline, almost a week later. But fuck you I got around to it. I was in the Burgh for the weekend. I was going to stay just for Thursday and Friday then back up on Saturday for some shit. But I ended up staying til Monday. I caught Big Mike’s game on Saturday. It was senior day and I think seeing the Ski contingency sitting behind the hoop gave him a little fright. Then Monday we were up at State College for Chee Chee’s conference finals. The Lady Lions came up a lil short. They only had the 6 girl roster. But they left everything they had on the court at the Bryce Jordan Center. And lil sis killed that shit.
Getting back to the matter at hand…the NBA [finally] got around to giving me and Barnes something to discuss. Stephon Marbury was bought out Tuesday by the New York Knicks. Thus begins the great Starbury Sweepstakes of ’09. Rumor has it he’s going to end up with the Celtics. That rumor has been going since D’Antoni arrived on 8th Ave. There are two other teams popping up as possible destinations for Steph, Miami and Dallas. I feel like we’ve done the Steph-Dallas thing before, upon further review, Steph never landed in Texas before.
I can’t believe that Miami would want to bring in Steph. They just got rid of the cancer known as the Matrix. Now they want to bring in Marbury. That’s the final straw that could break that locker room. How will someone like that fit in with the youngsters there? There’s no one to keep him under wraps. D-Wade has to do too much on the court in order to keep Miami in that fifth slot.
Dallas is currently seated in that 8th spot out west, meaning they’re likely just fodder for the Lake-Show. They don’t have the horses to make a move upwards in the West. I also can’t believe that they have a strong enough room to keep him under wraps. The big German isn’t going to over power the kid from Coney. Kidd, Howard, Stacks, Jet – which one of them is going to keep Starbury happy? And if they continue to sit in 8th, it certainly won’t last long.
All of which brings us to Bean-town. The C’s are sitting in 1st in the East. The Cavs are breathing down their necks and the (likely hapless) Magic are not too far behind. Winning potentiality? Check. Strong leadership in the room? Check. Players coach who lets his guys play? Check. And there’s my personal favorite aspect to the whole thing. Steph and KG meeting again for the first time in a long time. I finally get to use my Boogie Nights connection for something…Marbury will come back to KG a la Dirk Diggler and Jack Horner. Steph crying just saying, I’m sorry over and over. In this scenario, Mike D’Antoni is the Colonel, Rajon Rondo is Buck Swope, Sebatsian Telfair is Reed Rothchild, Doc Rivers is Little Bill and Glen Davis is Scotty J.
So enjoy the imagery of Glen Davis offering to fellate Stephon Marbury. The ride with Steph will continue to be enjoyable. I only hope that the Cs do right by the family and bring Bassy back into the fray. Even if it’s just to sit at the end of the bench in his Brock attire cheering on Steph. I can’t wait to see Steph in Celtic Green – it should be a good run…
Getting back to the matter at hand…the NBA [finally] got around to giving me and Barnes something to discuss. Stephon Marbury was bought out Tuesday by the New York Knicks. Thus begins the great Starbury Sweepstakes of ’09. Rumor has it he’s going to end up with the Celtics. That rumor has been going since D’Antoni arrived on 8th Ave. There are two other teams popping up as possible destinations for Steph, Miami and Dallas. I feel like we’ve done the Steph-Dallas thing before, upon further review, Steph never landed in Texas before.
I can’t believe that Miami would want to bring in Steph. They just got rid of the cancer known as the Matrix. Now they want to bring in Marbury. That’s the final straw that could break that locker room. How will someone like that fit in with the youngsters there? There’s no one to keep him under wraps. D-Wade has to do too much on the court in order to keep Miami in that fifth slot.
Dallas is currently seated in that 8th spot out west, meaning they’re likely just fodder for the Lake-Show. They don’t have the horses to make a move upwards in the West. I also can’t believe that they have a strong enough room to keep him under wraps. The big German isn’t going to over power the kid from Coney. Kidd, Howard, Stacks, Jet – which one of them is going to keep Starbury happy? And if they continue to sit in 8th, it certainly won’t last long.
All of which brings us to Bean-town. The C’s are sitting in 1st in the East. The Cavs are breathing down their necks and the (likely hapless) Magic are not too far behind. Winning potentiality? Check. Strong leadership in the room? Check. Players coach who lets his guys play? Check. And there’s my personal favorite aspect to the whole thing. Steph and KG meeting again for the first time in a long time. I finally get to use my Boogie Nights connection for something…Marbury will come back to KG a la Dirk Diggler and Jack Horner. Steph crying just saying, I’m sorry over and over. In this scenario, Mike D’Antoni is the Colonel, Rajon Rondo is Buck Swope, Sebatsian Telfair is Reed Rothchild, Doc Rivers is Little Bill and Glen Davis is Scotty J.
So enjoy the imagery of Glen Davis offering to fellate Stephon Marbury. The ride with Steph will continue to be enjoyable. I only hope that the Cs do right by the family and bring Bassy back into the fray. Even if it’s just to sit at the end of the bench in his Brock attire cheering on Steph. I can’t wait to see Steph in Celtic Green – it should be a good run…
Trade Round Up
I realize I went through the NBA injuries in and around the trade deadline, but I neglected to mention the trades that were actually made. So without further ado...
Quote of the Day: ‘There is a very small corner place in hell behind Hitler’s ass for those people. You know how I feel about Hell.’ That was said by pops about the New York Knicks. We were discussing the Larry Hughes trade and he couldn’t understand why they’d bring in another head case. I reiterated the Free Agent class of 2010 and that all these contract come off the books for that summer. It wasn’t a good enough excuse for him. He then asked how much a courtside seat costs for the Garden and when the last time was that the Knicks played to a crowd of fewer than 10K. I responded $3,500 and not recently. So we now know how Pops feels about your 2008-2009 New York Knicks.
Moving on, the Knicks also picked up Chris Wilcox. He’s another expiring deal and an upgrade over Malik Rose. Not much else to say except that Wilcox doesn’t really fit the bill for a Mike D’Antoni offense. Which is not to say that Rose was the prototype. I wonder if we’re going to see all kinds of crazy deals in the next 12-16 by the Knicks? Will they just look at anyone with an expiring deal and say, ‘let’s do it’? I’m interested to see who else that comes off the books they decide to take on.
Our favorite Touch of the Downs center (and Candace Parker baby daddy, Shelden Williams) and Bobby ‘Not-the-one-married-to-Whitney’ Brown were traded from Sacto to Minnie. They were swapped for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth. Could there possibly have been a more meaningless trade? Williams was a top-5 pick in 2006 and he’s been traded twice. And McCants was on that first Roy ‘Fuck’ Williams championship UNC team that immediately disbanded. How has that worked out Rashad, Sean, Raymond and Marvin? I can’t be the only one shocked that Marvin Williams was the first draft pick from that team, can I? Wasn’t he touted as the next-MJ? They must have meant Mike James…no that’s mean. Mike James has contributed to some winning clubs.
All of which brings me to my favorite deadline day deal. Maybe this year wasn’t fraught with All-Stars and future HoF’ers changing 90210s at the last minute, but Orlando made the most noise by making the right move. Picking up Skip aka Rafer Alston, they got a point guard for the stretch run. He’s certainly not Jameer Nelson, but check their numbers on ESPN.com. they have similar career assist numbers. Skip knows he’s being brought in not to be the Man but to be a man and distribute the rock. He’ll get his – and if he lets it come in the flow of offense, even better. In spite of all that, Orlando is still third best in the East – unless the unthinkable/unspeakable were to happen in the Mistake by the Lake or Paul Pierce starts seeing knives as he’s leaving night clubs again. I’m glad to see Skip get a shot at a chip run in the L though.
Overall I give the NBAs trade deadline a solid C+. Really? David Stern couldn’t muster one ridiculous trade a la Pau Gasol to LA for Kwame Brown and the guy who sits next to Jack at every home game and you know is the one holding the weed? He couldn’t force Iverson out of Detroit for SamIAm. Just the thought of the last real ---- alive playing in the most racist city in the North…I’m speechless. Step your game up, NBA GMs – how dare you all play it safe and make moves only to enhance your rosters (thereby leaving Barnes and I with only normal hoops to talk about).
Quote of the Day: ‘There is a very small corner place in hell behind Hitler’s ass for those people. You know how I feel about Hell.’ That was said by pops about the New York Knicks. We were discussing the Larry Hughes trade and he couldn’t understand why they’d bring in another head case. I reiterated the Free Agent class of 2010 and that all these contract come off the books for that summer. It wasn’t a good enough excuse for him. He then asked how much a courtside seat costs for the Garden and when the last time was that the Knicks played to a crowd of fewer than 10K. I responded $3,500 and not recently. So we now know how Pops feels about your 2008-2009 New York Knicks.
Moving on, the Knicks also picked up Chris Wilcox. He’s another expiring deal and an upgrade over Malik Rose. Not much else to say except that Wilcox doesn’t really fit the bill for a Mike D’Antoni offense. Which is not to say that Rose was the prototype. I wonder if we’re going to see all kinds of crazy deals in the next 12-16 by the Knicks? Will they just look at anyone with an expiring deal and say, ‘let’s do it’? I’m interested to see who else that comes off the books they decide to take on.
Our favorite Touch of the Downs center (and Candace Parker baby daddy, Shelden Williams) and Bobby ‘Not-the-one-married-to-Whitney’ Brown were traded from Sacto to Minnie. They were swapped for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth. Could there possibly have been a more meaningless trade? Williams was a top-5 pick in 2006 and he’s been traded twice. And McCants was on that first Roy ‘Fuck’ Williams championship UNC team that immediately disbanded. How has that worked out Rashad, Sean, Raymond and Marvin? I can’t be the only one shocked that Marvin Williams was the first draft pick from that team, can I? Wasn’t he touted as the next-MJ? They must have meant Mike James…no that’s mean. Mike James has contributed to some winning clubs.
All of which brings me to my favorite deadline day deal. Maybe this year wasn’t fraught with All-Stars and future HoF’ers changing 90210s at the last minute, but Orlando made the most noise by making the right move. Picking up Skip aka Rafer Alston, they got a point guard for the stretch run. He’s certainly not Jameer Nelson, but check their numbers on ESPN.com. they have similar career assist numbers. Skip knows he’s being brought in not to be the Man but to be a man and distribute the rock. He’ll get his – and if he lets it come in the flow of offense, even better. In spite of all that, Orlando is still third best in the East – unless the unthinkable/unspeakable were to happen in the Mistake by the Lake or Paul Pierce starts seeing knives as he’s leaving night clubs again. I’m glad to see Skip get a shot at a chip run in the L though.
Overall I give the NBAs trade deadline a solid C+. Really? David Stern couldn’t muster one ridiculous trade a la Pau Gasol to LA for Kwame Brown and the guy who sits next to Jack at every home game and you know is the one holding the weed? He couldn’t force Iverson out of Detroit for SamIAm. Just the thought of the last real ---- alive playing in the most racist city in the North…I’m speechless. Step your game up, NBA GMs – how dare you all play it safe and make moves only to enhance your rosters (thereby leaving Barnes and I with only normal hoops to talk about).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
My Subconscious
I had an interesting dream last night. See, right now I’m in the Burgh for a long weekend – though I suppose everything has been a long weekend since November. My sister had a playoff game Friday night, then I rearranged my schedule for Saturday and Sunday so I could stay and get a few days away. With all that’s been going on, I figured I could use some time away. And it’s been fairly therapeutic, though I’ve seen so many things around here that have reminded me of her. But I digress, back to the dream.
Last night before I went to bed, I spoke briefly to Robbs about hanging out in the near future. When I awoke this morning, I remembered having a dream about my high school reunion. It was funny cuz I think we were at someone’s house. I was chilling mainly in the living room. It was JUST like high school. the cool kids were over there and I was chilling with the band kids. They were cool, but they were talking about the most ridiculous shit. I was feeling horrible about myself, per my usual, then they started handing out these awards. I won for best smile, best eyes and some other petty shit.
All of a sudden, all these girls were coming up and taking a photo with me. They were talking about how they couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t sell out my old friends now that I was famous. And that’s when I realized I was Dylan Edgar, semi-famous actor, in this scenario. And I still talked to the band kids whose idea of a wild Friday night was drinking regular Pepsi, not caffeine free diet Pepsi.
I woke up this morning feeling good that the ‘cool kids’ wanted to kiss my ass. Now I think about it, I feel like a dick. On one hand I was true to who I was. I was talking to the not so cool kids. On the other hand I wasn’t happy doing it. Maybe that just means, I have different interests and I’m an okay human being. Or maybe I am a complete dick. Then I remembered that I hated High School. I never gave a fuck about going to a reunion and I don’t now. I still feel weird when I see kids I went to high school with. I still feel like I have something to prove to them. I feel the need to show them that I’m better than they are. I live in here, I do this, I do that. God I love insecurities. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish my noose.
Last night before I went to bed, I spoke briefly to Robbs about hanging out in the near future. When I awoke this morning, I remembered having a dream about my high school reunion. It was funny cuz I think we were at someone’s house. I was chilling mainly in the living room. It was JUST like high school. the cool kids were over there and I was chilling with the band kids. They were cool, but they were talking about the most ridiculous shit. I was feeling horrible about myself, per my usual, then they started handing out these awards. I won for best smile, best eyes and some other petty shit.
All of a sudden, all these girls were coming up and taking a photo with me. They were talking about how they couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t sell out my old friends now that I was famous. And that’s when I realized I was Dylan Edgar, semi-famous actor, in this scenario. And I still talked to the band kids whose idea of a wild Friday night was drinking regular Pepsi, not caffeine free diet Pepsi.
I woke up this morning feeling good that the ‘cool kids’ wanted to kiss my ass. Now I think about it, I feel like a dick. On one hand I was true to who I was. I was talking to the not so cool kids. On the other hand I wasn’t happy doing it. Maybe that just means, I have different interests and I’m an okay human being. Or maybe I am a complete dick. Then I remembered that I hated High School. I never gave a fuck about going to a reunion and I don’t now. I still feel weird when I see kids I went to high school with. I still feel like I have something to prove to them. I feel the need to show them that I’m better than they are. I live in here, I do this, I do that. God I love insecurities. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish my noose.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
NBA Pains
The hours around the NBAs trade deadline were none too kind. Tracy McGrady came forth about needing knee surgery, precluding the Rockets from moving him. Amare Stoudamire had his eye nearly poked out, ultimately needing surgery. Kevin Garnett tweaked his knee in a contactless injury. And Manu Ginobli has ANOTHER ankle injury. I don’t know which one hurts worse, but let’s break it down Dr. Jack-style…
T-Mac had only played in 35 games this year, as the Houston Rockets were underachieving – AGAIN. Houston’s front office brought in one of our favorites, Ron Artest, to bolster their lineup. It seems that tandems (IE Jordan/Pippen and Shaq/Kobe) are out and trios are in (IE Kobe/Gasol/LO and Pierce/RayRay/Big Ticket). RonRon was to be the third man along with Tracy and Yao. Things just haven’t worked out for Houston in the Tracy McGrady era and this microfracture surgery is just another in a line of maladies for the franchise, let alone T-Mac. And let’s not forget, this isn’t a young Amare – someone young enough to bounce back from that kind of surgery and go on to a long fruitful (maybe) career. This is more like C-Webb. Good luck with that Rocket fans…
Amare came into this season with an eye and was sporting the recto-specs. (As an aside, whatever happened to the Kurt Rambis glasses? Those were the shit. I think that all basketball players who don’t wear contacts should have to rock them. Granted, that would have made some of my middle years more awkward – wait, impossible…I digress) He stopped wearing them because they weren’t comfortable. It might have required him to get a new nickname. Standing Tall and Bespectacled – STAB. Don’t get too close to Paul Pierce though. Can this guy catch a break? There’s so much to talk about – the numerous high schools, the beef with the Matrix, the knee in 05, the eye in November and now this. I suppose he’ll just bounce back. And let’s consider something else, if the Suns can find themselves in the West’s top-8, they can have Amare back and well rested. I thought this could turn out well if they leaned on Shaq at certain moments and brought in a Dikembe-like big, then I saw Deke on Houston’s bench the other day and knew that it was happening. I don’t think they’ll be able to bounce back from this to even have the chance to blow a first round playoff matchup.
Manu Ginobli has worse ankles than Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis. (You have no clue how long I’ve been wanting to work in an Arvydas Sabonis reference.) Dude keeps going down with a bad wheel. He didn’t play until Thanksgiving this season. He hurt himself in the Olympics this summer when it seems NO ONE from that Spurs organization wanted him out there. But how can you argue with him? The Argentinian just goes out and wins (minus last August and every other June). The downside to this is that only 6 games separate them from second place (where they currently sit) and Phoenix (sitting home if the playoffs started today). The upside is that they know how to win. I watched Matt Fucking Bonner light it up the other night. (Really? Is that what’s hot in the streets? Next thing you know, Mike Miller will be on a contender.) So I think the Spurs can weather this as long as they don’t slip to the 4. I don’t think this San Antone team can take on the Lake-Show before the Conf finals and survive.
All of which brings us to the Big Ticket and the Boston Celtics aka the Defending Champs. This is an interesting time for Gang Green. (Fuck you Jets fans. I’m looking at you, Barnes.) They have Leon Powe backing up KG with Brian Scalabrine behind him. Powe proved his mettle last year. Dude can get out there and ball. Granted, he’s no Garnett, but this is the time to see what exactly he’s made of. A Doc Rivers team goes so deep anyways that it’s just a matter of playing a little more and in different spots, but he should be used to getting out there and playing. The true X Factor in all this has got to be Glen Davis. Big Baby has yet to reach the ‘potential’ he ‘displayed’ in ‘college’. (Wait, I don’t mean to imply he wasn’t actually in college. Damn my overzealous affinity for ‘air quotes’.) But GBBD hasn’t done shit yet, even as a 6-9 center you’d think you could get a little more out of him. Well let’s see GBBD slide to the 4 a little bit. Let’s see him line up next to Kendrick Perkins. That would create a whole nother new look for the Cs. They could slide Pierce to the 4 and bring in House or Allen at another guard spot. There appear to be some options here. They also have the ‘easiest’ ‘road’ to the conference finals of the four aforementioned teams. They’re already in 1st in the East and I can’t imagine they’d slide further than 3rd, meaning they still wouldn’t face Cleveland or Orlando until the Conference finals. Though under that scenario they’d then play game 7 on the road – if that’s Cleveland, good night sleep tight.
So there you have it. I think the Cs have the wildest road to hoe with their injury, but I also feel they’re in the best position to survive. Now, Cs fans you’re season ‘potentially’ ‘rests’ on the shoulders of ‘Glen Davis’. (Damnit, he’s not fake…this is getting out of hand.)
T-Mac had only played in 35 games this year, as the Houston Rockets were underachieving – AGAIN. Houston’s front office brought in one of our favorites, Ron Artest, to bolster their lineup. It seems that tandems (IE Jordan/Pippen and Shaq/Kobe) are out and trios are in (IE Kobe/Gasol/LO and Pierce/RayRay/Big Ticket). RonRon was to be the third man along with Tracy and Yao. Things just haven’t worked out for Houston in the Tracy McGrady era and this microfracture surgery is just another in a line of maladies for the franchise, let alone T-Mac. And let’s not forget, this isn’t a young Amare – someone young enough to bounce back from that kind of surgery and go on to a long fruitful (maybe) career. This is more like C-Webb. Good luck with that Rocket fans…
Amare came into this season with an eye and was sporting the recto-specs. (As an aside, whatever happened to the Kurt Rambis glasses? Those were the shit. I think that all basketball players who don’t wear contacts should have to rock them. Granted, that would have made some of my middle years more awkward – wait, impossible…I digress) He stopped wearing them because they weren’t comfortable. It might have required him to get a new nickname. Standing Tall and Bespectacled – STAB. Don’t get too close to Paul Pierce though. Can this guy catch a break? There’s so much to talk about – the numerous high schools, the beef with the Matrix, the knee in 05, the eye in November and now this. I suppose he’ll just bounce back. And let’s consider something else, if the Suns can find themselves in the West’s top-8, they can have Amare back and well rested. I thought this could turn out well if they leaned on Shaq at certain moments and brought in a Dikembe-like big, then I saw Deke on Houston’s bench the other day and knew that it was happening. I don’t think they’ll be able to bounce back from this to even have the chance to blow a first round playoff matchup.
Manu Ginobli has worse ankles than Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis. (You have no clue how long I’ve been wanting to work in an Arvydas Sabonis reference.) Dude keeps going down with a bad wheel. He didn’t play until Thanksgiving this season. He hurt himself in the Olympics this summer when it seems NO ONE from that Spurs organization wanted him out there. But how can you argue with him? The Argentinian just goes out and wins (minus last August and every other June). The downside to this is that only 6 games separate them from second place (where they currently sit) and Phoenix (sitting home if the playoffs started today). The upside is that they know how to win. I watched Matt Fucking Bonner light it up the other night. (Really? Is that what’s hot in the streets? Next thing you know, Mike Miller will be on a contender.) So I think the Spurs can weather this as long as they don’t slip to the 4. I don’t think this San Antone team can take on the Lake-Show before the Conf finals and survive.
All of which brings us to the Big Ticket and the Boston Celtics aka the Defending Champs. This is an interesting time for Gang Green. (Fuck you Jets fans. I’m looking at you, Barnes.) They have Leon Powe backing up KG with Brian Scalabrine behind him. Powe proved his mettle last year. Dude can get out there and ball. Granted, he’s no Garnett, but this is the time to see what exactly he’s made of. A Doc Rivers team goes so deep anyways that it’s just a matter of playing a little more and in different spots, but he should be used to getting out there and playing. The true X Factor in all this has got to be Glen Davis. Big Baby has yet to reach the ‘potential’ he ‘displayed’ in ‘college’. (Wait, I don’t mean to imply he wasn’t actually in college. Damn my overzealous affinity for ‘air quotes’.) But GBBD hasn’t done shit yet, even as a 6-9 center you’d think you could get a little more out of him. Well let’s see GBBD slide to the 4 a little bit. Let’s see him line up next to Kendrick Perkins. That would create a whole nother new look for the Cs. They could slide Pierce to the 4 and bring in House or Allen at another guard spot. There appear to be some options here. They also have the ‘easiest’ ‘road’ to the conference finals of the four aforementioned teams. They’re already in 1st in the East and I can’t imagine they’d slide further than 3rd, meaning they still wouldn’t face Cleveland or Orlando until the Conference finals. Though under that scenario they’d then play game 7 on the road – if that’s Cleveland, good night sleep tight.
So there you have it. I think the Cs have the wildest road to hoe with their injury, but I also feel they’re in the best position to survive. Now, Cs fans you’re season ‘potentially’ ‘rests’ on the shoulders of ‘Glen Davis’. (Damnit, he’s not fake…this is getting out of hand.)
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Bronx Finest
I’ve never been a huge fan of Alex Rogriquez. I was always of the mindset that he was overpaid. He’s the kid you played little league with that hit a home run in the last inning when the team was up 5-2 and everyone told him he was clutch – he comes through in the latter innings. By all accounts, he’s a baseball freak. Derek Jeter is the playboy, linked to the models and beauty pageant contestants. Alex was the type to play a day game then go home and watch the footage.
He reminds me of a has-it-together Todd Marinovich. He’s a machine. He’s been doing this for years. He seemingly doesn’t know how to do anything else. Things were going swimmingly for him in Seattle. He was a big fish in a small pond. Not much was ever expected of him. Then came the contract. Who can play under the weight of a 10-year, $250M contract? Again he was in a no pressure situation. It was an NBA-style catch-22. He was paid the big bucks and expected to lead the Rangers to success. When they didn’t win he could point to the fact that there wasn’t enough talent around him. Baseball is a team game that relies on individuals. You need to have a strong staff with a good bullpen and bats to back those pitchers up. But with so much money tied up in one guy who could put up big number [legit or otherwise], how can you put any type of support around him?
Then came the deal to NY. A-Rod was going to lace ‘em up in the house that Ruth built. He was going to be the second coming. He was going to lead them back to the promised land. He would put up the gawdy numbers and the Steinbrenner’s could afford him AND put a team around him. Then the calendar would flip over to October and Alex shrunk faster than a phallus in a polar bear dive.
Last year, he opted out of his deal. as a Yankee fan, I was ecstatic when Hank said they wouldn’t accept Alex back after what he’d done. Thank god. Take that money and rebuild. Let Giambi and Abreu walk. Start anew with chemistry guys with solid bats in their place. Then beef up the pitching staff. Of course they resigned him when given the opportunity. Why wouldn’t they? Hank is so full of shit…
Now, the real A-Fraud has stood up. His steroid use has come to light. They’re saying a known juice dealer travelled along the Yankees schedule, staying in opposite hotels meeting with A-Roid in his free time. I’m glad we got to this place. I’m of the mindset that these guys should be strung up by their naughty bits. The teams should be off the hook for their contracts. Then again, half the time I get the idea the teams knew – somehow. I’m not outright accusing the Yanks of knowing that A-Rod was juiced up, especially since his positive happened when he was under contract with the Rangers. What I will say is that SOMEONE had to notice that a guy who was banned from ballparks just happened to be on the same schedule as the Bombers the past couple years and would meet with Alex from time to time. Scoop Jackson had a great point this morning – where was the media in this? I gotta agree. How does the NY media let that go by them unnoticed?
I could go on about this. I think there are so many guilty parties in this. Bud Selig used McGwire and Sosa to get his league back online. The Bonds saga is a total clusterfuck. Now Rodriguez and his shady cousin. They had ‘Boli’ (???) which no one can even pinpoint its availability in DR at the time. I think the MLB needs to do this – ban Alex for a finite amount of time. Wipe his contract off the books. Fine the Yanks and Rangers for not monitoring their players more closely. Please, (PLEASE!) tell us who the other 104 positive tests are. Let’s please move on from the witch hunt that is the steroid issue in pro baseball and try to start over fresh.
He reminds me of a has-it-together Todd Marinovich. He’s a machine. He’s been doing this for years. He seemingly doesn’t know how to do anything else. Things were going swimmingly for him in Seattle. He was a big fish in a small pond. Not much was ever expected of him. Then came the contract. Who can play under the weight of a 10-year, $250M contract? Again he was in a no pressure situation. It was an NBA-style catch-22. He was paid the big bucks and expected to lead the Rangers to success. When they didn’t win he could point to the fact that there wasn’t enough talent around him. Baseball is a team game that relies on individuals. You need to have a strong staff with a good bullpen and bats to back those pitchers up. But with so much money tied up in one guy who could put up big number [legit or otherwise], how can you put any type of support around him?
Then came the deal to NY. A-Rod was going to lace ‘em up in the house that Ruth built. He was going to be the second coming. He was going to lead them back to the promised land. He would put up the gawdy numbers and the Steinbrenner’s could afford him AND put a team around him. Then the calendar would flip over to October and Alex shrunk faster than a phallus in a polar bear dive.
Last year, he opted out of his deal. as a Yankee fan, I was ecstatic when Hank said they wouldn’t accept Alex back after what he’d done. Thank god. Take that money and rebuild. Let Giambi and Abreu walk. Start anew with chemistry guys with solid bats in their place. Then beef up the pitching staff. Of course they resigned him when given the opportunity. Why wouldn’t they? Hank is so full of shit…
Now, the real A-Fraud has stood up. His steroid use has come to light. They’re saying a known juice dealer travelled along the Yankees schedule, staying in opposite hotels meeting with A-Roid in his free time. I’m glad we got to this place. I’m of the mindset that these guys should be strung up by their naughty bits. The teams should be off the hook for their contracts. Then again, half the time I get the idea the teams knew – somehow. I’m not outright accusing the Yanks of knowing that A-Rod was juiced up, especially since his positive happened when he was under contract with the Rangers. What I will say is that SOMEONE had to notice that a guy who was banned from ballparks just happened to be on the same schedule as the Bombers the past couple years and would meet with Alex from time to time. Scoop Jackson had a great point this morning – where was the media in this? I gotta agree. How does the NY media let that go by them unnoticed?
I could go on about this. I think there are so many guilty parties in this. Bud Selig used McGwire and Sosa to get his league back online. The Bonds saga is a total clusterfuck. Now Rodriguez and his shady cousin. They had ‘Boli’ (???) which no one can even pinpoint its availability in DR at the time. I think the MLB needs to do this – ban Alex for a finite amount of time. Wipe his contract off the books. Fine the Yanks and Rangers for not monitoring their players more closely. Please, (PLEASE!) tell us who the other 104 positive tests are. Let’s please move on from the witch hunt that is the steroid issue in pro baseball and try to start over fresh.
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