The forecast for Buffalo tomorrow at 1PM? 36 degrees, snow, winds at 40 miles per hour, possibly 2-4 inches of accumulation.
In short, guys could be playing hockey outside in a blizzard! Oh, I will watch if that is the case!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Kiss 2007 Good-Bye
So we come to year-end 2007. A good business year for me, a decent blogging year.
Some recollections:
1) I took one case on a flat fee thinking it would last two months. It lasted all year. That cost me about $40,000. Not good.
2) I had a guy in Washington state refer me some easy contingent work early in the year. That made me the $40,000 I lost on the other stupid deal. I am a big state of Washington fan.
3) PM (age 12) grew to 5'7 and 1/4" this year and currently goes 120. Doctor last week announced that "ordinarily I would say 6'4" for a kid this size, but then I look at his dad. Maybe 6'1" if he is lucky." Oh well, genetics are a bitch.
4) PM was a monster in both baseball and basketball. In basketball he had 2 double-digit scoring games in the entire 2006-07 season. He has 7 so far in the 2007-08 season, including an 18 point effort that was so beautiful I wish I had a videocamera.
5) My youngest (is it Diabetes Maven? I will go with that) made it through another year with Type 1 diabetes. She is still my greatest challenge, but I see signs of normalcy every once in a while, and she is doing well enough in the academic portion of school. It is just the day-to-day elements (what to wear, what to eat, whom to sit by) that make her life so difficult.
6) I got the job coaching 8B basketball for Daddy's Girl Maven. I enter into 2008 in a make-or-break mode. Either I will improve this team (and their 13/14 year old attitudes) or they will break me. I'd say the betting line is even money right now. (We are 8-8 and do have a 2nd and 3rd place trophy so far in the campaign).
7) I traveled throughout the metro watching baseball and soccer (DGM just made her first ever "A" level soccer club, much to my amazement) and basketball.
8) I went to Omaha, NE and, well, drank a little too much one night. Much as I like to tell my tales of woe, I think I will keep this one out of print for a few years.
9) And I looked at the year-end tax situation and asked, "If I have no cash, how can I owe all of this money to the givernment?" I think I may be seeing the light, GC Boy....how bad can Mitt Romney be? Sign me up for that magic underwear....
Another year gone by. In March it will be 5 years as a solo practitioner here at my own business. I somehow have made it thus far, and I hope it continues b/c I have a great boss (despite the piss-poor attitude of my attorney workers).
Have a great 2008.
HM
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Intellectual Debate
To end the boring intellectual debate between GC Boy and me, I will note that school is back in session soon.....
HM
GOP Torn Apart By Presidential Field
The gloves have come off and the campaign ads are really starting to get nasty. No one eats their own like the GOP, so I always enjoy GOP primary season. I mean, who doesn't recall John McCain as a Manchurian Candidate with a "secret black child" in 2000? Who doesn't recall Bob Dole basically telling everyone how stupid Dan Quayle actually was in 1996 (after years of GOP apologies for Quayle). Now we have some great stuff:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iowa27dec27,1,5040847.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
Choices of the Rich GOP Voters
Recall, these are the folks who just want to keep their own money and would allow gay married couples to get abortions performed by 100,000,000 illegal immigrant Boy Scouts....if it kept their tax rates low.
1. Romney -- he is rich and he will protect the rich. This is why you see folks like Rush Limbaugh and various GOP newspaper columnists protecting Romney and saying things like, "what religion you are has no bearing on whether you can be President."
2. Guiliani -- well, sure, he is pro-abortion and pro-gay rights and pro illegal immigration, but he is a tax cutter
3. Fred Thompson -- basically a blank slate, just pick him and tell him what to say, hope he stays awake
Would never vote for/hate -- Huckabee
Choices of Poor GOP Voters
Now, these people don't make anything to be taxed on. But they agree that they don't need a pot to piss in (though they, in fact, have 2 or 3 around the house) so long as black gay atheist abortionists who want to marry white people aren't allowed to combine with Mexican illegals to take over the U.S. and ruin "our way of life" (which, when NASCAR and college football are out of season, is basically sitting in a shanty watching CSI and Two and a Half Men every week while complaining to your mistress that your wife is getting uppity and prefers those damn shows on ABC).
1. Huckabee -- he is a Man of God for goodness sake, he hunts and fishes, he wears camo well. And he hates gays and abortion. He even has some ideas about helping........egad, the poor!
2. Thompson -- nice enough guy if he would ever wake up, but I don't trust Hollywood folk or his 40 year old wife. Everyone knows your 2nd wife should be under 22.
3. McCain -- seems like a nice enough guy and says what he means. I just wish he didn't love the damn illegals so much.
Would never vote for/hate -- Romney or Guiliani.
There are three possible outcomes for this race: 1) the rich folk get the poor folk to shut up long enough to get Romney/Rudy in the door; 2) the poor folk demand something better than Romney or Rudy and so they get Thompson or McCain as a compromise; or 3) Rudy and Romney stay in for the long haul and Huckabee manages to squeak out 50.000000000000001% of the delegates at the convention.
I would say that the way to bet is #1.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iowa27dec27,1,5040847.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true
Choices of the Rich GOP Voters
Recall, these are the folks who just want to keep their own money and would allow gay married couples to get abortions performed by 100,000,000 illegal immigrant Boy Scouts....if it kept their tax rates low.
1. Romney -- he is rich and he will protect the rich. This is why you see folks like Rush Limbaugh and various GOP newspaper columnists protecting Romney and saying things like, "what religion you are has no bearing on whether you can be President."
2. Guiliani -- well, sure, he is pro-abortion and pro-gay rights and pro illegal immigration, but he is a tax cutter
3. Fred Thompson -- basically a blank slate, just pick him and tell him what to say, hope he stays awake
Would never vote for/hate -- Huckabee
Choices of Poor GOP Voters
Now, these people don't make anything to be taxed on. But they agree that they don't need a pot to piss in (though they, in fact, have 2 or 3 around the house) so long as black gay atheist abortionists who want to marry white people aren't allowed to combine with Mexican illegals to take over the U.S. and ruin "our way of life" (which, when NASCAR and college football are out of season, is basically sitting in a shanty watching CSI and Two and a Half Men every week while complaining to your mistress that your wife is getting uppity and prefers those damn shows on ABC).
1. Huckabee -- he is a Man of God for goodness sake, he hunts and fishes, he wears camo well. And he hates gays and abortion. He even has some ideas about helping........egad, the poor!
2. Thompson -- nice enough guy if he would ever wake up, but I don't trust Hollywood folk or his 40 year old wife. Everyone knows your 2nd wife should be under 22.
3. McCain -- seems like a nice enough guy and says what he means. I just wish he didn't love the damn illegals so much.
Would never vote for/hate -- Romney or Guiliani.
There are three possible outcomes for this race: 1) the rich folk get the poor folk to shut up long enough to get Romney/Rudy in the door; 2) the poor folk demand something better than Romney or Rudy and so they get Thompson or McCain as a compromise; or 3) Rudy and Romney stay in for the long haul and Huckabee manages to squeak out 50.000000000000001% of the delegates at the convention.
I would say that the way to bet is #1.
So You Want to Run For The Prime Minister of Pakistan?
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/pakistans-bhutto-assassinated-at-rally/20071227081909990001
The campaign trail can be kind of rough. Great description of the attacker -- "a thin, young man." Wow. Is this a "we all look alike" moment???
The campaign trail can be kind of rough. Great description of the attacker -- "a thin, young man." Wow. Is this a "we all look alike" moment???
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Bench Press World Records
If you want to know what the bench press world record is, it is 1,050 pounds with the special "bench pressing shirt" on:
It is 715 pounds without the special shirt on:
It is 715 pounds without the special shirt on:
Marion Jones 2004
In light of Roger Clemens' recent campaign to try to prove his innocence, I offer up Marion Jones' PR campaign of 2004 where she sues the (judgment-proof) Victor Conte, takes a lie detector, mentions how often she has been tested, and comes up with a statement from her doctor that he has reviewed Marion's records and determined she could not possibly have been juicing!
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/track/2004-12-15-jones-suit_x.htm
When Marion was the fastest woman in the world, she was asked why she couldn't break FloJo's 10.49 world record time. Jones' reply, "We all know how that record was set." Um, OK. So if the implication there was that FloJo was a drug user and everyone knew it, let's hear from Marion Jones now about what FloJo was doing in 1988. I mean, I would like to know.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/track/2004-12-15-jones-suit_x.htm
When Marion was the fastest woman in the world, she was asked why she couldn't break FloJo's 10.49 world record time. Jones' reply, "We all know how that record was set." Um, OK. So if the implication there was that FloJo was a drug user and everyone knew it, let's hear from Marion Jones now about what FloJo was doing in 1988. I mean, I would like to know.
How Bad Is LeBron's Supporting Cast?
"Efficiency" is a statistic that has its detractors (John Hollinger and the guy who wrote "The Wages of Wins" both come to mind, as does every Kobe fan who gets pissed when LeBron and KG are ranked above Kobe in the stat).
But say what you will, here are the top 20 guys in the league in Efficiency: LeBron, Dwight Howard, Boozer, KG, Kaman, Chris Paul, Kobe, Yao, Nash, Caron Butler, Camby, Marion, Al Jefferson, Amare, Dirk, Duncan, AI, Baron Davis, Bosh, Jamison.
So, you can't be having a shitty year and not be high up in this stat (Kaman -- 18.6 PPG/14 RPG/almost 3 blocks a game -- those are unbelievable numbers).
Anyway, let's look at the inquiry noted in the headline above. LeBron is #1 in the league in Efficiency and (of guys who have played more than 10 minutes a game) is #5 in Efficiency per 48 minutes.
How do the rest of the Cavs fare?
Stars
Ilgauskas -- 44th in the league, so Z is actually pretty productive, he is between Mike Miller and Andre Iguodala. His per 48 number is even better.
(big gap)
Good NBA Players
Drew Gooden -- 83rd in the league, between Chris Wilcox and Brendan Haywood, so, not a great player, but a good NBA starter
Verajoa -- 95th -- pretty productive, especially for a bench player, would start or play a lot for most teams
Boobie Gibson -- 108th -- between Yi Jianlian and Ricky Davis -- so, a low-end starter or high-end bench player
(huge gap)
Some Limited Production
Devin Brown -- 231 (behind Matt Bonner and Flip Murray), so a 7th or 8th man on an average team
Larry Hughes -- 235 (see above)
Pavlovic -- 265th (9th man on an average team)
Ira Newble -- 266th (same)
Dwayne Jones -- 269th (same)
Not Worth Much
Shannon Brown -- 281st (10th man)
Damon Jones -- 293rd (11th man)
Eric Snow -- 371st (should be out of the league or not dressing for games)
And things just get worse when you look at Efficiency per 48 minutes played for these guys. In the Eastern Conference, Cleveland, remarkably, has 6 guys!!!! ranked 162 and below in Efficiency per 48: Brown, Brown, Jones, Snow, Hughes, Pavlovic. So, 6 of LeBron's teammates produce at a level suitable for an 11th man in the Eastern Conference (or worse). That is 50% of the team.
To make matters worse, the stats indicate that Daniel Gibson's production comes, basically, from the fact that the Cavs have to play him minutes cuz everyone else sucks so badly.
While Boobie's Efficiency (what he gives per game) number is 108th best in the league, his per-48 number is 109th best in the Eastern Conference!! In other words, he does a good job of staying out on the court and giving you something, but his production per minute really ain't that great (equal to a 7th man on an average Eastern Conference squad).
The one upside -- in limited minutes, Dwayne Jones' per 48 numbers are much better than his overall numbers.
Conclusion -- the Cleveland backcourt is almost historically bad, and it certainly is historically bad for a team coming off an Eastern Conference title. The Cavs would be well advised to trade Gooden (plays the one position where they have decent production from 2 guys) for a decent guard.
HM
But say what you will, here are the top 20 guys in the league in Efficiency: LeBron, Dwight Howard, Boozer, KG, Kaman, Chris Paul, Kobe, Yao, Nash, Caron Butler, Camby, Marion, Al Jefferson, Amare, Dirk, Duncan, AI, Baron Davis, Bosh, Jamison.
So, you can't be having a shitty year and not be high up in this stat (Kaman -- 18.6 PPG/14 RPG/almost 3 blocks a game -- those are unbelievable numbers).
Anyway, let's look at the inquiry noted in the headline above. LeBron is #1 in the league in Efficiency and (of guys who have played more than 10 minutes a game) is #5 in Efficiency per 48 minutes.
How do the rest of the Cavs fare?
Stars
Ilgauskas -- 44th in the league, so Z is actually pretty productive, he is between Mike Miller and Andre Iguodala. His per 48 number is even better.
(big gap)
Good NBA Players
Drew Gooden -- 83rd in the league, between Chris Wilcox and Brendan Haywood, so, not a great player, but a good NBA starter
Verajoa -- 95th -- pretty productive, especially for a bench player, would start or play a lot for most teams
Boobie Gibson -- 108th -- between Yi Jianlian and Ricky Davis -- so, a low-end starter or high-end bench player
(huge gap)
Some Limited Production
Devin Brown -- 231 (behind Matt Bonner and Flip Murray), so a 7th or 8th man on an average team
Larry Hughes -- 235 (see above)
Pavlovic -- 265th (9th man on an average team)
Ira Newble -- 266th (same)
Dwayne Jones -- 269th (same)
Not Worth Much
Shannon Brown -- 281st (10th man)
Damon Jones -- 293rd (11th man)
Eric Snow -- 371st (should be out of the league or not dressing for games)
And things just get worse when you look at Efficiency per 48 minutes played for these guys. In the Eastern Conference, Cleveland, remarkably, has 6 guys!!!! ranked 162 and below in Efficiency per 48: Brown, Brown, Jones, Snow, Hughes, Pavlovic. So, 6 of LeBron's teammates produce at a level suitable for an 11th man in the Eastern Conference (or worse). That is 50% of the team.
To make matters worse, the stats indicate that Daniel Gibson's production comes, basically, from the fact that the Cavs have to play him minutes cuz everyone else sucks so badly.
While Boobie's Efficiency (what he gives per game) number is 108th best in the league, his per-48 number is 109th best in the Eastern Conference!! In other words, he does a good job of staying out on the court and giving you something, but his production per minute really ain't that great (equal to a 7th man on an average Eastern Conference squad).
The one upside -- in limited minutes, Dwayne Jones' per 48 numbers are much better than his overall numbers.
Conclusion -- the Cleveland backcourt is almost historically bad, and it certainly is historically bad for a team coming off an Eastern Conference title. The Cavs would be well advised to trade Gooden (plays the one position where they have decent production from 2 guys) for a decent guard.
HM
A John Paxson Christmas Story
"Hello, Mr. Skiles? You are fired. Have a Merry Effing Christmas tomorrow." : http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071224chicagobullsfirecoachscottskiles,0,6113811.story?coll=chi_breaking_500
I have never had much love for Skiles (largely because I couldn't stand his "gritty, gutty" personna as a player, but he was a good coach. So why does he get the gate? In short, because John Paxson doesn't want to concede that he has guessed wrong on so many personnel fronts. He would rather believe that Skiles' abrasive manner has led to sub-par performances out of the great players Paxson has stocked the Bulls with.
To not fire Scott Skiles would mean that Paxson has guessed wrong as follows:
1) Guessing that Ben Wallace would continue to be a dominant force on the boards and as an interior defender after turning 30+. Ben's current efficiency number is 12.43. This is WAY behind Andrew Bogut (17) and just a slight improvement from Eddy Curry (11.7). Some scary Ben Wallace stats -- 32.8% from the floor; 47.6% from the line. 8.5 rebounds a game in 31 minutes.
2) Guessing that Tyson Chandler wasn't the answer and Ben Wallace was. Not only is Chandler younger and makes less money per year, but his stats for New Orleans are FAR FAR better than Wallace's stats. (Chandler's efficiency number is around 19 and he gets 11+ rebounds a night, shooting well above 50% from the floor).
3) Guessing that it was a better idea to not trade 3 of these guys for Kevin Garnett: Two of these: Deng, Ben Gordon, Nocioni, Hinrich, plus one of these: Sefalosha or Duhon Had the Bulls ever offered this sort of package for Garnett, the deal almost certainly gets done.
Now Deng and Gordon are free agents, so they may leave with NO compensation at the end of the year. Nocioni is a poor man's Luke Walton making $8MM. Hinrich looks like..........I hate to say it...........me out there (out of shape, can't handle the ball, can't shoot accurately, struggles on D).
Efficiency per 48 minutes -- Eastern Conference guards: Carlos Arroyo, Juan Dixon, Ronald "Flip" Murray, Keyon Dooling all rank in front of Hinrich. Then comes Jamal Crawford, Ricky Davis and Arron Afflalo. Then finally Ben Gordon, just in front of Chris Quinn, then comes Chris Duhon.
But Duhon is NBA royalty compared to Safalosha -- #70 out of 86 Eastern Conference guards who play enough to qualify.
So, in the final analysis, John Paxson either made some really bad personnel decisions and should give Skiles more time, or Paxson made no mistakes and it is Skiles fault and Skiles needs to be fired.................Guess which one John Paxson chose?
I have never had much love for Skiles (largely because I couldn't stand his "gritty, gutty" personna as a player, but he was a good coach. So why does he get the gate? In short, because John Paxson doesn't want to concede that he has guessed wrong on so many personnel fronts. He would rather believe that Skiles' abrasive manner has led to sub-par performances out of the great players Paxson has stocked the Bulls with.
To not fire Scott Skiles would mean that Paxson has guessed wrong as follows:
1) Guessing that Ben Wallace would continue to be a dominant force on the boards and as an interior defender after turning 30+. Ben's current efficiency number is 12.43. This is WAY behind Andrew Bogut (17) and just a slight improvement from Eddy Curry (11.7). Some scary Ben Wallace stats -- 32.8% from the floor; 47.6% from the line. 8.5 rebounds a game in 31 minutes.
2) Guessing that Tyson Chandler wasn't the answer and Ben Wallace was. Not only is Chandler younger and makes less money per year, but his stats for New Orleans are FAR FAR better than Wallace's stats. (Chandler's efficiency number is around 19 and he gets 11+ rebounds a night, shooting well above 50% from the floor).
3) Guessing that it was a better idea to not trade 3 of these guys for Kevin Garnett: Two of these: Deng, Ben Gordon, Nocioni, Hinrich, plus one of these: Sefalosha or Duhon Had the Bulls ever offered this sort of package for Garnett, the deal almost certainly gets done.
Now Deng and Gordon are free agents, so they may leave with NO compensation at the end of the year. Nocioni is a poor man's Luke Walton making $8MM. Hinrich looks like..........I hate to say it...........me out there (out of shape, can't handle the ball, can't shoot accurately, struggles on D).
Efficiency per 48 minutes -- Eastern Conference guards: Carlos Arroyo, Juan Dixon, Ronald "Flip" Murray, Keyon Dooling all rank in front of Hinrich. Then comes Jamal Crawford, Ricky Davis and Arron Afflalo. Then finally Ben Gordon, just in front of Chris Quinn, then comes Chris Duhon.
But Duhon is NBA royalty compared to Safalosha -- #70 out of 86 Eastern Conference guards who play enough to qualify.
So, in the final analysis, John Paxson either made some really bad personnel decisions and should give Skiles more time, or Paxson made no mistakes and it is Skiles fault and Skiles needs to be fired.................Guess which one John Paxson chose?
Friday, December 21, 2007
An HM Christmas Story
Happy Holidays to all. An HM Christmas tale, circa 1984:
The Setup
When I was in college, I roomed with a guy named Tim for 4 years. Tim was/is a great guy and we had all sorts of wacky adventures like 1) crawling over 8 foot snowdrifts during a snow emergency to get to a keg party across campus; 2) Tim taking a giant sample bag full of Nyquil that had been left in the 2nd floor walkways and bringing it to the room; 3) a 30-day "preventative medical program" of a shot of Nyquil each before bed during cold-and-flu season; and 4) summer trips to Albany where we would attend concerts like Fabulous Thunderbirds and Bob Sieger or Talking Heads or Bryan Adams and drink massive quantities of beer. Oh, the good old days....
Anyway, more often we would sit in the dorm room and study while listening to Tim's collection of cassette tapes (old Genesis was a fave, I would beg for Springsteen, but would get Jackson Browne). But that could become tiring, so we turned to the radio at times.
One particularly bad night, the tapes weren't happening and the radio was completely crappy. I called three stations with requests and was told that there was no way they were playing "I Don't Know" by Ozzy "Eat the Rich" by Krokus, or anything by Iron Maiden. So around 11:30 p.m. I turned to AM radio and found a new station -- 1400 AM, "14 Rock." It was a drippy pop station where they played nothing outside the current top 20. That is where we stayed for that night.
"To HM and Tim Out At UB"
So, we called into 14 Rock and requested a bunch of songs -- they wouldn't play any. So I finally said to the DJ, "Shelly Wild" -- what the hell will you play. She said, "Only really drippy top 40 songs." So I said, "How about John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band's 'On The Darkside'"?
We can do that. I said I wanted a shout out to "HM and Tim and UB." Absolutely can't. I will get fired.
So once a night for a week we would dial up 14 Rock and request some pop tune we could stand and that they might play. Always got our request, never got a dedication. So around night #8 I call up and say, "I need the HM and Tim deal or we call no more. I am serious."
Next up, "On the Dark Side, Going out to HM and Tim at UB."
We had won. Now Tim had a serious girlfriend, so the person left to flirt with the VERY sexy-voiced Shelly Wild was me. Heck, I was 20 and had no girl, glad to take over. I would go down to the pay phones (we had about 20 in the bottom of the dorm) and talk to "Wild" for about an hour every night -- her shift started about 11PM. She was an odd girl, but oh the voice...
So I decided to ask her out, sight unseen. Answer -- Sure.
The Date Prep
So it is just about Christmas break, and I am headed off to Albany for January 1985-June 1985 on an internship program. But I just gotta see who this girl is and have a date.
Ask my sis, "Hey, can I borrow your car?"
Why?
"Got a date."
Really, huh? Who?
"Just some girl."
Is it the radio DJ?
"How do you know about that?"
Tim tells me things.
"Well, no, of course not."
You only get the car if you admit it is the radio DJ you are dating.
"OK, fine. It is."
You are a sad, sad, little man, HM, here are the keys..........
I love my sis. By the way -- Merry Christmas, sis.
Put on my best sweater and my cords, spray on half a bottle of cologne. Drive to the city of Buffalo. We are going to meet at 6PM outside her apartment building, go to Niagara Falls and see the Festival of Lights, and then have her back by 11PM to do her radio show.
The Christmas-y Date
I get to the appointed place at 5:55 p.m. No one there. Walk into the entryway of the place -- surprisingly no one named "Wild" there on the mailboxes, so I ask a woman coming out -- "Shelly Wild live here?" Yeah, #8. Buzz #8, no reply. Go sit out in the car. Woman walks into the place 10 minutes later, long hair, kinda young, I will try again.
Buzz #8 -- Wild it is HM. "Oh, HM, I am so sorry I am late, come on in." Walk in, bills on the table say "Susan Michell Lorshabaugh" or some such name. Wild is, on facebook rating scale (face, body, doability) 6/9/10. Now, it is 1984 and I am an absolute dating dunce. I have had one girlfriend my whole life and she was unbelievably aggressive. So when Wild doesn't immediately dive on top of me, my response is to sit down and start reading her mail. She steps about 8 steps away, just barely inside a doorway and puts on a new top. I turn away, to which she responds, "You could have looked if you wanted. It is a good show." Again, dating dunce. And WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY over my head here. She is 27, I am 20.
Drive to Niagara Falls (around 25 minutes).
The Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls in 1984 was very corny, but definitely a great first date romantic event. Cold weather, lights, Christmas trees, food booths, hot chocolate, lots of benches to sit on, paths to walk around, etc. Oh, and you can see Niagara Falls lit up.
We have a really nice time for 2-3 hours. Christmas songs are playing over the PA system. We walk arm in arm and drink cocoa. Her clothes are seemingly painted on and she keeps her jacket unzipped to reveal her greatest assets. I sing along to "O Holy Night" and she tells me that I should be a professional singer and that I have made her entire Christmas season, then she gives me a very romantic kiss.
I would say that as first dates go, we did awfully well.
Drive her directly to the radio station and we make out in the car a little. She says, "Oh, HM, YOU are the Wild one!" Drive home. First song of her shift, "On the Darkside."
Long-Distance Dedication/Christmas Wish
So, Ms. Shelly Wild, wherever you are, Merry Christmas. I will always remember our Christmas-y date. So long ago, in such a different world. Happy 50th birthday, by the by. That must have been a rough one. Hope you still have that voice....
HM
The Setup
When I was in college, I roomed with a guy named Tim for 4 years. Tim was/is a great guy and we had all sorts of wacky adventures like 1) crawling over 8 foot snowdrifts during a snow emergency to get to a keg party across campus; 2) Tim taking a giant sample bag full of Nyquil that had been left in the 2nd floor walkways and bringing it to the room; 3) a 30-day "preventative medical program" of a shot of Nyquil each before bed during cold-and-flu season; and 4) summer trips to Albany where we would attend concerts like Fabulous Thunderbirds and Bob Sieger or Talking Heads or Bryan Adams and drink massive quantities of beer. Oh, the good old days....
Anyway, more often we would sit in the dorm room and study while listening to Tim's collection of cassette tapes (old Genesis was a fave, I would beg for Springsteen, but would get Jackson Browne). But that could become tiring, so we turned to the radio at times.
One particularly bad night, the tapes weren't happening and the radio was completely crappy. I called three stations with requests and was told that there was no way they were playing "I Don't Know" by Ozzy "Eat the Rich" by Krokus, or anything by Iron Maiden. So around 11:30 p.m. I turned to AM radio and found a new station -- 1400 AM, "14 Rock." It was a drippy pop station where they played nothing outside the current top 20. That is where we stayed for that night.
"To HM and Tim Out At UB"
So, we called into 14 Rock and requested a bunch of songs -- they wouldn't play any. So I finally said to the DJ, "Shelly Wild" -- what the hell will you play. She said, "Only really drippy top 40 songs." So I said, "How about John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band's 'On The Darkside'"?
We can do that. I said I wanted a shout out to "HM and Tim and UB." Absolutely can't. I will get fired.
So once a night for a week we would dial up 14 Rock and request some pop tune we could stand and that they might play. Always got our request, never got a dedication. So around night #8 I call up and say, "I need the HM and Tim deal or we call no more. I am serious."
Next up, "On the Dark Side, Going out to HM and Tim at UB."
We had won. Now Tim had a serious girlfriend, so the person left to flirt with the VERY sexy-voiced Shelly Wild was me. Heck, I was 20 and had no girl, glad to take over. I would go down to the pay phones (we had about 20 in the bottom of the dorm) and talk to "Wild" for about an hour every night -- her shift started about 11PM. She was an odd girl, but oh the voice...
So I decided to ask her out, sight unseen. Answer -- Sure.
The Date Prep
So it is just about Christmas break, and I am headed off to Albany for January 1985-June 1985 on an internship program. But I just gotta see who this girl is and have a date.
Ask my sis, "Hey, can I borrow your car?"
Why?
"Got a date."
Really, huh? Who?
"Just some girl."
Is it the radio DJ?
"How do you know about that?"
Tim tells me things.
"Well, no, of course not."
You only get the car if you admit it is the radio DJ you are dating.
"OK, fine. It is."
You are a sad, sad, little man, HM, here are the keys..........
I love my sis. By the way -- Merry Christmas, sis.
Put on my best sweater and my cords, spray on half a bottle of cologne. Drive to the city of Buffalo. We are going to meet at 6PM outside her apartment building, go to Niagara Falls and see the Festival of Lights, and then have her back by 11PM to do her radio show.
The Christmas-y Date
I get to the appointed place at 5:55 p.m. No one there. Walk into the entryway of the place -- surprisingly no one named "Wild" there on the mailboxes, so I ask a woman coming out -- "Shelly Wild live here?" Yeah, #8. Buzz #8, no reply. Go sit out in the car. Woman walks into the place 10 minutes later, long hair, kinda young, I will try again.
Buzz #8 -- Wild it is HM. "Oh, HM, I am so sorry I am late, come on in." Walk in, bills on the table say "Susan Michell Lorshabaugh" or some such name. Wild is, on facebook rating scale (face, body, doability) 6/9/10. Now, it is 1984 and I am an absolute dating dunce. I have had one girlfriend my whole life and she was unbelievably aggressive. So when Wild doesn't immediately dive on top of me, my response is to sit down and start reading her mail. She steps about 8 steps away, just barely inside a doorway and puts on a new top. I turn away, to which she responds, "You could have looked if you wanted. It is a good show." Again, dating dunce. And WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY over my head here. She is 27, I am 20.
Drive to Niagara Falls (around 25 minutes).
The Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls in 1984 was very corny, but definitely a great first date romantic event. Cold weather, lights, Christmas trees, food booths, hot chocolate, lots of benches to sit on, paths to walk around, etc. Oh, and you can see Niagara Falls lit up.
We have a really nice time for 2-3 hours. Christmas songs are playing over the PA system. We walk arm in arm and drink cocoa. Her clothes are seemingly painted on and she keeps her jacket unzipped to reveal her greatest assets. I sing along to "O Holy Night" and she tells me that I should be a professional singer and that I have made her entire Christmas season, then she gives me a very romantic kiss.
I would say that as first dates go, we did awfully well.
Drive her directly to the radio station and we make out in the car a little. She says, "Oh, HM, YOU are the Wild one!" Drive home. First song of her shift, "On the Darkside."
Long-Distance Dedication/Christmas Wish
So, Ms. Shelly Wild, wherever you are, Merry Christmas. I will always remember our Christmas-y date. So long ago, in such a different world. Happy 50th birthday, by the by. That must have been a rough one. Hope you still have that voice....
HM
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Simmons' top 50 Untradeable Guys
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071218&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1
Let me use this Simmons column to bring up quickly something that I can't take much more of: the national media's sudden love of Kevin Garnett as a defensive player.
Problem #1 -- where were these people when Chris Bosh was named 2nd team all-NBA last year and KG was 3rd-team? Where were these people when everyone complained for YEARS about "KG just doesn't score consistently enough to be an NBA superstar?"
The fact of the matter is that Kevin Garnett every single year played free safety for a team whose perimeter defense was led by guys like Troy Hudson and Stephon Marbury and Sam Cassell. He basically took the court a man down and controlled the defensive end. Where was the praise for his defense then? Where was the ESPN NBA crew breaking down KG's great help defense (as they did the other night)? That would be nowhere.
Problem #2 -- KG is about 65% of the defensive player that he was in his prime in Minnesota. So, is he still a very far above average defender? Yes. Is he the equal of Kirilenko or Bowen or Artest or Josh Smith? Certainly not anymore.
You wonder why people bitch about "East Coast Bias" and why no player wants to play in the Midwest?? It is because you get a guy like KG spending 12 years busting his ass in Minnesota at a very, very high level of play, only to be recognized for his play once he leaves and plays WORSE in Boston! It is like someone saying, "Boy, that woman Heather Locklear is really looking great as Lily's Mom on "Hannah Montana!" Where have you been for the past dozen or so years?
Let me use this Simmons column to bring up quickly something that I can't take much more of: the national media's sudden love of Kevin Garnett as a defensive player.
Problem #1 -- where were these people when Chris Bosh was named 2nd team all-NBA last year and KG was 3rd-team? Where were these people when everyone complained for YEARS about "KG just doesn't score consistently enough to be an NBA superstar?"
The fact of the matter is that Kevin Garnett every single year played free safety for a team whose perimeter defense was led by guys like Troy Hudson and Stephon Marbury and Sam Cassell. He basically took the court a man down and controlled the defensive end. Where was the praise for his defense then? Where was the ESPN NBA crew breaking down KG's great help defense (as they did the other night)? That would be nowhere.
Problem #2 -- KG is about 65% of the defensive player that he was in his prime in Minnesota. So, is he still a very far above average defender? Yes. Is he the equal of Kirilenko or Bowen or Artest or Josh Smith? Certainly not anymore.
You wonder why people bitch about "East Coast Bias" and why no player wants to play in the Midwest?? It is because you get a guy like KG spending 12 years busting his ass in Minnesota at a very, very high level of play, only to be recognized for his play once he leaves and plays WORSE in Boston! It is like someone saying, "Boy, that woman Heather Locklear is really looking great as Lily's Mom on "Hannah Montana!" Where have you been for the past dozen or so years?
Romney Ups The Stakes In Iowa
Some may think this ad isn't REALLY a Romney ad. OK. Not YET, maybe..........
Others doubting Huckabee's bona fides as a conservative: http://www.blogsforfredthompson.com/huckabee-facts-org-exposes-mike-huckabees-weak-conservatism
Others doubting Huckabee's bona fides as a conservative: http://www.blogsforfredthompson.com/huckabee-facts-org-exposes-mike-huckabees-weak-conservatism
"He's a Mormon and the Mormons Caused That Scandal"
McCain's MOM is still alive???? What is John? 80?
Driving More Nails Into the White Trash Coffin
Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi.[15][16] She was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist by parents James Parnell Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Irene Bridges, a former grade school teacher. Spears's brother Bryan works as a manager for the Spears family interests[17] and her sister Jamie Lynn is an actress and singer.
Other site indicate that Spears' father goes by the name, "Jamie." Good Christ. So you name your youngest daughter, basically, "Dad/Mom Spears."
Good Southern Baptist girl Jamie Lynn is said to have been the girlfriend of her baby's father since she was.................13..............and they met? Where else? Baptist Church.
OK. I can't take it anymore. I am pulling out the words to Loretta Lynn's/Donna Fargo's "Manhattan, Kansas" and I will blog no more today:
Manhattan, Kansas ain't no place to have a baby
When you got no man to give it his last name
And the folks back in Manhattan
didn't want me or my bundle
So I took my child and caught an evening train
And I found a job in Denver
washing dishes in a diner
At least it buys my baby milk to drink
He once told me I was pretty
but the only ring it got me
Is the ring of grease that runs around the sink
CHORUS:
Yes I laid beside him gentle
cause he told me that he loved me
And he made me dance before the music played
But at least
I didn't beg him
I'd rather wash my dishes
Cause it makes me feel as if my hands're clean
Sometimes I stand there thinkin'
bout the men back home in Kansas
And how my folks just turned away ashamed
I stare down through the soap suds
reach down and pull the drain plug
And watch it as Manhattan drains away
CHORUS
Other site indicate that Spears' father goes by the name, "Jamie." Good Christ. So you name your youngest daughter, basically, "Dad/Mom Spears."
Good Southern Baptist girl Jamie Lynn is said to have been the girlfriend of her baby's father since she was.................13..............and they met? Where else? Baptist Church.
OK. I can't take it anymore. I am pulling out the words to Loretta Lynn's/Donna Fargo's "Manhattan, Kansas" and I will blog no more today:
Manhattan, Kansas ain't no place to have a baby
When you got no man to give it his last name
And the folks back in Manhattan
didn't want me or my bundle
So I took my child and caught an evening train
And I found a job in Denver
washing dishes in a diner
At least it buys my baby milk to drink
He once told me I was pretty
but the only ring it got me
Is the ring of grease that runs around the sink
CHORUS:
Yes I laid beside him gentle
cause he told me that he loved me
And he made me dance before the music played
But at least
I didn't beg him
I'd rather wash my dishes
Cause it makes me feel as if my hands're clean
Sometimes I stand there thinkin'
bout the men back home in Kansas
And how my folks just turned away ashamed
I stare down through the soap suds
reach down and pull the drain plug
And watch it as Manhattan drains away
CHORUS
"Zoey 101" Becomes "Knocked Up" -- Spears Family Officially White Trash
http://news.aol.com/entertainment/television/tv-news-story/ar/_a/britneys-16-year-old-sister-is-pregnant/20071219072609990001
Are the Spearses "white trash"? For some time, a decent argument could be made that Britney is just an Eff'ed Up adult music star who got into drugs and struggled with relationship choices.................but now add in these things:
-- from Louisiana
-- driving with the baby on your lap
-- shaving your head bald
-- seemingly back-to-back pregnancies
-- marrying scummy K-Fed
and you are very close to tossing the whole family into the realm of white trash. Add in a bizarre Vegas marriage/annulment to a high school friend.........getting closer..........Add in the fact that Mom is named Lynn and your sis goes by "Jamie Lynn", ooh, you are on the steps to the single-wide.............
But getting pregnant at age 16 and then saying that you were "shocked"?? That clinches it. I mean, my lord, your sister is (still) rich. You are rich. You probably have access to the best medical advice and birth control available. Are you really stunned when you get pregnant. And do you really not figure it out until you are 12 weeks in?
Put on the 3-sizes-too-tight jeans and the "Get Ur Done" t-shirt Spears Family, you have officially arrived.
Positive Outlook -- Britney can now argue that she is the better daughter. I mean, she wasn't crazy until she was 22 (22 and 2 weeks, did the Vegas wedding). Little sis managed to F up her career by age 16!!!
HM
Are the Spearses "white trash"? For some time, a decent argument could be made that Britney is just an Eff'ed Up adult music star who got into drugs and struggled with relationship choices.................but now add in these things:
-- from Louisiana
-- driving with the baby on your lap
-- shaving your head bald
-- seemingly back-to-back pregnancies
-- marrying scummy K-Fed
and you are very close to tossing the whole family into the realm of white trash. Add in a bizarre Vegas marriage/annulment to a high school friend.........getting closer..........Add in the fact that Mom is named Lynn and your sis goes by "Jamie Lynn", ooh, you are on the steps to the single-wide.............
But getting pregnant at age 16 and then saying that you were "shocked"?? That clinches it. I mean, my lord, your sister is (still) rich. You are rich. You probably have access to the best medical advice and birth control available. Are you really stunned when you get pregnant. And do you really not figure it out until you are 12 weeks in?
Put on the 3-sizes-too-tight jeans and the "Get Ur Done" t-shirt Spears Family, you have officially arrived.
Positive Outlook -- Britney can now argue that she is the better daughter. I mean, she wasn't crazy until she was 22 (22 and 2 weeks, did the Vegas wedding). Little sis managed to F up her career by age 16!!!
HM
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
1980s Redux -- Welcome Back........the Landers Sisters
In the 1980s there was this pair of sisters named Judy and Audrey Landers. Hot smoking babes who could really, um, look good. (Not much else for talent, but gorgeous). They are shown above in the bottom photo.
Now, sister Judy (whom wikiepdia says married Dodger reliever Tom Niedenfuer -- take that for what it is worth) has two teenage daughter whom appear almost certain to follow in the busty footsteps of mom and aunt Audrey. I give you, the new Landers sisters, Lindsey and Kristy (above, left and right with a still pretty hot 48 year old mom).
HM
Vikes 20 Chicago 13
Or, as KFAN put it this morning, last night was "The Night Chicago Died." Enjoy:
Monday, December 17, 2007
Odd Basketball Weekend
My girls team was off this weekend, so I traveled to a far-northeastern suburb to watch PM's 6A team in a 6-team tourney.
Game 1 -- mom behind me is from the other team, asks me how our team is doing, I say about 9 and 6, she proceeds to tell me what great athletes are on her son's team ("that #13, he is a running back and if you give him the ball, you will never catch him").........Now, from watching warmups I can tell that this team sucks and stands no chance (my son is a foot taller than #13, faster, and more agile -- if you gave #13 the ball against PM, PM would immediately "catch him" at least onec #13 stopped screaming like a girl). But the game starts -- the fan is ON FIRE -- screaming encouragement, arguing calls, letting out exasperated groans. Remarkably she maintains this level of intensity every minute of the blowout. (Go G-Dog! Great job Cody! Come on ref, how about a foul?) 10-0, 19-4, 31-12, 44-16, 54-24 after 3. Dogs are called off for the whole 4th, we breeze 58-32.
PM -- about 10 minutes of play. 9/7/3/5 (blocks). A game where he could have had 30.
Game 2 -- Team we beat at the buzzer earlier in the year......they absolutely kick our ass. 45-20 and not as close as the score indicates. Talk to the coach after the game. We have the state champs in the first semi, a team that drilled us by 30-25-24 last year in 3 games. HM, "If you guys play like that tomorrow, you lose by 100."
PM -- 0/3/2/1 -- when you see PM with this line, we are getting absolutely drilled
That night I plead with my wife to attend the 9AM slaughter 30 miles away from home. She says she would prefer to attend church.....So would I.
Game 3 -- I am there. Good lord, why do I even show up, I must have some work to do at the office... We win the tap and score, up 2-0, I advise a nearby parent to quickly take a photo of the scoreboard.
But our PG hits his first 7 shots and we sag into a very passive 2-3 zone. We are up 32-23 at half. PM is controlling the glass and running out of bounds spot and the middle spot on the press break. I put our chances of winning at 25%.
3rd Quarter -- coach has abandoned all pretense of playing 10 guys. We are playing 7, and the other three own the pine (although as PM noted, "Dad, the chairs are metal, it isn't pine.").
Up 17, coach decides he will give the top 5 a rest with 2:24 left in the third. Up 17, wide open 3 for us......no rim......Still 17, now 15, now 13, now 11. Get fouled, shooting 2......we miss them both. Now 9. 27 seconds left in the 3rd. 5th straight turnover. Other team shoots a 3.......air. Now 15 seconds left. 6th straight turnover, basket. Up 7. Ball thrown out of bounds....but.....was barely tipped by opponent. I turn to the guy next to me, "PLEASE coach, put PM back in the game so we can just get the ball in-bounds!!!" Time out. Sub. PM in. Makes a long out of bounds pass, 2-on-1. Layup. Still up 9.
4th Quarter -- slowly trading baskets -- 9/7/9/7/9/7.................then a long scoring drought.........About 2 minutes left. Best guy for the champs hits a bucket and is fouled. Free throw good. We are up 4. The wheels are falling off; the oil pan is empty, smoke is coming out from under the hood, steering wheel is held on by gummy bears and hope. PM has 4 fouls. They are doubling the PG any time he touches it(finally, he has 24). No one else wants the ball. Only a matter of time....Pass to PM at the free throw line -- back iron. Easy rebound in the lane -- but everyone is too tired to get it. Ball hits the floor, bounces 4 feet up. Our 2nd best guy (after the PG) runs in from 20 feet away, grabs it, puts it in, is fouled by the opponent's best guy. Their best guy's 5th; he's done. Makes the free throw, up 7.
Now PM (as is his wont) fouls out 35 seconds later and we have to sweat out 4 turnovers in the final 1 minute. But the champs have lost their best guy and no one else can hit a wide open jumper and the game ends........55-48 us.
Game 4 -- unlike the 1980 USA Hockey team, we can't get the gold after the big semi-final upset. Same team who beat us by 25 now beats us by 18 and takes gold while we finish 2nd.
But for one brief shining moment, our boys felt like champions. PM -- 2 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists in the victory. He, quite frankly has no shooting touch, but he is big and he has good hands and great vision.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Still Undisclosed -- Larry Craig and Michael Jackson
http://www.aolvideoblog.com/2007/12/14/worst-kept-secret-in-hollywood/
Knock me over with a feather. Whose next? Barney Frank?
Knock me over with a feather. Whose next? Barney Frank?
Knicks Spectator Muzzled -- Warned Not To Heckle Isiah
http://sports.aol.com/nba/story/_a/will-knicks-make-fans-stop-booing/20071214095309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
OK. So first we have Tim Donaghy and now we have audience control. We have actually gone past the stage of professional wrestling into........what? Movie-making? The David Letterman Show?
The Knicks threaten the guy, saying he has violated the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. I have reviewed the NBA Fan Code of Conduct (as revised 2/17/07) and find that the alleged heckling of Isiah does NOT violate the stated Code. Here is the Code:
NBA Fan Code of Conduct -- The National Basketball Association,
(team name), and (arena name) are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sports & entertainment experience. (Right out of the blocks we have a lie -- the Knicks are not committed to an enjoyable NBA experience and they certainly aren't committed to making women employees at the Garden feel "safe")
NBA fans have a right to expect an environment where:
· Players will respect and appreciate each and every fan.
(I have never found a player who appreciated every fan -- the Knicks employ Stephon, Eddy Curry, Q, and Zach Randolph and they have the balls to try to enforce THIS "Code of Conduct"?)
· Guests will be treated in a consistent, professional and courteous manner by all arena and team personnel.
(Like threatening to toss you from a game for a bogus violation of a non-existent rule.)
· Guests will enjoy the basketball experience free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
(Do you think that heckling Isiah at a Knicks game is "disruptive behavior"??? I would characterize it as "expected behavior" or "unavoidable human response." I don't think the term "abusive language" is meant to say "no negative comments" or the entire Knicks crowd would be ejected most games)
· Guests will consume alcoholic beverages in a responsible manner. Intervention with an impaired, intoxicated or underage guest will be handled in a prompt and safe manner.
(No allegation alleged)
· Guests will sit only in their ticketed seats and show their tickets when requested.
(He did commit a violation here, but that wasn't the reason he was threatened)
· Guests will not engage in fighting, throwing objects or attempting to enter the court, and those who engage in any of these actions will immediately be ejected from the game.
(No violation alleged)
· Guests will smoke in designated smoking areas only.
(No violation alleged)
· There will not be any obscene or indecent messages on signs or clothing.
(No violation alleged)
· Guests will comply with requests from arena staff regarding arena operations and emergency response procedures.
(no violation alleged)
The arena staff has been trained to intervene where necessary to help ensure that the above expectations are met, and guests are encouraged to report any inappropriate behavior to the nearest usher, security guard or guest services staff member. Guests who choose not to adhere to these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and revocation of season tickets and may also be in violation of city ordinances resulting in possible arrest and prosecution.
(This provision does not ADD any rights for the club, it merely says that IF the club has the right to toss you, they may toss you.)
The NBA, (team name,) and (arena name) thank you for adhering to the provisions of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct.
In short, the guy did nothing that violated the NBA Fan Code of Conduct and the Knicks should be ashamed of themselves for claiming that he did.
OK. So first we have Tim Donaghy and now we have audience control. We have actually gone past the stage of professional wrestling into........what? Movie-making? The David Letterman Show?
The Knicks threaten the guy, saying he has violated the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. I have reviewed the NBA Fan Code of Conduct (as revised 2/17/07) and find that the alleged heckling of Isiah does NOT violate the stated Code. Here is the Code:
NBA Fan Code of Conduct -- The National Basketball Association,
(team name), and (arena name) are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable sports & entertainment experience. (Right out of the blocks we have a lie -- the Knicks are not committed to an enjoyable NBA experience and they certainly aren't committed to making women employees at the Garden feel "safe")
NBA fans have a right to expect an environment where:
· Players will respect and appreciate each and every fan.
(I have never found a player who appreciated every fan -- the Knicks employ Stephon, Eddy Curry, Q, and Zach Randolph and they have the balls to try to enforce THIS "Code of Conduct"?)
· Guests will be treated in a consistent, professional and courteous manner by all arena and team personnel.
(Like threatening to toss you from a game for a bogus violation of a non-existent rule.)
· Guests will enjoy the basketball experience free from disruptive behavior, including foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
(Do you think that heckling Isiah at a Knicks game is "disruptive behavior"??? I would characterize it as "expected behavior" or "unavoidable human response." I don't think the term "abusive language" is meant to say "no negative comments" or the entire Knicks crowd would be ejected most games)
· Guests will consume alcoholic beverages in a responsible manner. Intervention with an impaired, intoxicated or underage guest will be handled in a prompt and safe manner.
(No allegation alleged)
· Guests will sit only in their ticketed seats and show their tickets when requested.
(He did commit a violation here, but that wasn't the reason he was threatened)
· Guests will not engage in fighting, throwing objects or attempting to enter the court, and those who engage in any of these actions will immediately be ejected from the game.
(No violation alleged)
· Guests will smoke in designated smoking areas only.
(No violation alleged)
· There will not be any obscene or indecent messages on signs or clothing.
(No violation alleged)
· Guests will comply with requests from arena staff regarding arena operations and emergency response procedures.
(no violation alleged)
The arena staff has been trained to intervene where necessary to help ensure that the above expectations are met, and guests are encouraged to report any inappropriate behavior to the nearest usher, security guard or guest services staff member. Guests who choose not to adhere to these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and revocation of season tickets and may also be in violation of city ordinances resulting in possible arrest and prosecution.
(This provision does not ADD any rights for the club, it merely says that IF the club has the right to toss you, they may toss you.)
The NBA, (team name,) and (arena name) thank you for adhering to the provisions of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct.
In short, the guy did nothing that violated the NBA Fan Code of Conduct and the Knicks should be ashamed of themselves for claiming that he did.
Happy Soon-to-Be 37th Birthday
(December 18) to one of my favorite sci-fi TV personalities, the lovely Victoria Pratt. Cleopatra 2525 will always have a warm place in my heart.
Brian Collins Update -- March 2007
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2785830&type=story
I guess I had just never heard of this guy. He has been ripped since 2005!
I guess I had just never heard of this guy. He has been ripped since 2005!
Roger Clemens' Attorney
"Roger has been repeatedly tested for these substances and he has never tested positive," Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement. "There has never been one shred of tangible evidence that he ever used these substances and yet he is being slandered today."
"It is very unfair to include Roger's name in this report," said Clemens' lawyer. "He is left with no meaningful way to combat what he strongly contends are totally false allegations. He has not been charged with anything, he will not be charged with anything and yet he is being tried in the court of public opinion with no recourse. That is totally wrong."
First, it is a VERY bad sign for your steroid defense when you start with "he has been tested...." so had Ben Johnson, so had Marion Jones, so has Barry Bonds, so had almost everyone on this list. I know that one allegation re Clemens occurred in 1998 and one in 2000. Fairly certain that they didn't test in 2000, and we know they didn't test in 1998.
Second, to claim you are "with no recourse" for slander is foolish. You can sue the person who slandered you, take discovery, prove your case and get a finding from a court of law that basically says that not only did you not take roids, but it is slander to say you did. You can go on TV and take a polygraph on live TV (lord knows we need some better shows). You have plenty of recourse.
Problem is, just like the guys named in Canseco's book, Clemens doesn't have the balls to open up that Pandora's box. It is very easy to hire an attorney to make vague denials for you. It is another thing to subject yourself to written discovery, deposition and court testimony under oath.
But let me put it this way -- if Tom Cruise can win a slander suit against a guy who claimed Cruise is gay and had gay sex with him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise#Litigation_related_to_gay_rumors, then winning a slander suit isn't all that tough, Rocket.
"It is very unfair to include Roger's name in this report," said Clemens' lawyer. "He is left with no meaningful way to combat what he strongly contends are totally false allegations. He has not been charged with anything, he will not be charged with anything and yet he is being tried in the court of public opinion with no recourse. That is totally wrong."
First, it is a VERY bad sign for your steroid defense when you start with "he has been tested...." so had Ben Johnson, so had Marion Jones, so has Barry Bonds, so had almost everyone on this list. I know that one allegation re Clemens occurred in 1998 and one in 2000. Fairly certain that they didn't test in 2000, and we know they didn't test in 1998.
Second, to claim you are "with no recourse" for slander is foolish. You can sue the person who slandered you, take discovery, prove your case and get a finding from a court of law that basically says that not only did you not take roids, but it is slander to say you did. You can go on TV and take a polygraph on live TV (lord knows we need some better shows). You have plenty of recourse.
Problem is, just like the guys named in Canseco's book, Clemens doesn't have the balls to open up that Pandora's box. It is very easy to hire an attorney to make vague denials for you. It is another thing to subject yourself to written discovery, deposition and court testimony under oath.
But let me put it this way -- if Tom Cruise can win a slander suit against a guy who claimed Cruise is gay and had gay sex with him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise#Litigation_related_to_gay_rumors, then winning a slander suit isn't all that tough, Rocket.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
"Boom Goes the Dynamite"
No matter what you do, do not give up on this guy until the bitter end. I almost fell off my chair when he starts his ad-libbed highlights.
"Now let's check out some of the scores from tonight.................................................................................................................................."
"Now let's check out some of the scores from tonight.................................................................................................................................."
Tony Parker Doing Ronaldinho's Girl?
Alexandra Paressant, I found two stories on her today: 1) She completely wore out the soccer star during the World Cup; and 2) she claims she met Tony Parker at his wedding and had an affair with him shortly thereafter.
My response -- I am starting to have a much higher opinion of both Ronaldinho and Tony Parker.
Mitchell Report Names Names
http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/071213/mitchell_report.pdf
Bonds, Sheffield, Clemens, Petite, Palmeiro, Tejada, Eric Gagne, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, etc., etc.
This is obviously the tip of the iceberg, since Mitchell had no subpoena power and basically could only beg hat-in-hand for cooperation.
Interestingly for me, one key "narc" in the report is former Twin suckman Chad Allen who was a regular user of HGH and reported to Mitchell that the drug of choice for major leaguers was/is HGH because you can't test for it.
Also, this report proves what I have always said -- it isn't just the guys at the top who are roiding up, it is the guys barely hanging on in the league who often turn to roids (Chad Allen). So, I am awaiting fan outcry asking that the Yankees agree to vacate all of their titles from 1996-2001 when they were employing Clemens, Petite, Knoblauch and Justice. I am also awaiting the fan outcry demanding that Clemens return all of his Cy Young Awards and be banned from HOF consideration.
We shall see.
Bonds, Sheffield, Clemens, Petite, Palmeiro, Tejada, Eric Gagne, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, etc., etc.
This is obviously the tip of the iceberg, since Mitchell had no subpoena power and basically could only beg hat-in-hand for cooperation.
Interestingly for me, one key "narc" in the report is former Twin suckman Chad Allen who was a regular user of HGH and reported to Mitchell that the drug of choice for major leaguers was/is HGH because you can't test for it.
Also, this report proves what I have always said -- it isn't just the guys at the top who are roiding up, it is the guys barely hanging on in the league who often turn to roids (Chad Allen). So, I am awaiting fan outcry asking that the Yankees agree to vacate all of their titles from 1996-2001 when they were employing Clemens, Petite, Knoblauch and Justice. I am also awaiting the fan outcry demanding that Clemens return all of his Cy Young Awards and be banned from HOF consideration.
We shall see.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Harvard -- the Affordable Option
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/harvard-to-reduce-tuition-costs/20071210161809990001
This is really amazing. Sure you need a 4.0 and a 1520 SAT to even be considered, but for the kids who actually can and do get in to Harvard, this is an unbelievable benefit for less-than-rich families. There are VERY mediocre private schools out here in the Midwest charging $40,000 a year to attend. If I can send my gifted kid to Harvard for $10,000 to 18,000 a year, that is an unbelievable benefit.
Having toured Harvard on my own last year, I think that this might also be a nod to getting some "diversity" in the applicant pool. As I think I reported on my Blog, I saw VERY few white males in my walk through campus. Maybe if their parents see the opportunity for a price break, more upper-middle-class white males apply?
This is really amazing. Sure you need a 4.0 and a 1520 SAT to even be considered, but for the kids who actually can and do get in to Harvard, this is an unbelievable benefit for less-than-rich families. There are VERY mediocre private schools out here in the Midwest charging $40,000 a year to attend. If I can send my gifted kid to Harvard for $10,000 to 18,000 a year, that is an unbelievable benefit.
Having toured Harvard on my own last year, I think that this might also be a nod to getting some "diversity" in the applicant pool. As I think I reported on my Blog, I saw VERY few white males in my walk through campus. Maybe if their parents see the opportunity for a price break, more upper-middle-class white males apply?
Feel Free to Bring That Weak Shit In Here (Forwards Who Can't Block a Shot)
While "some" say that steals and blocks are overrated stats, I am not one of those “some.” Look, you are on the court, you are playing defense. You are a forward so you are one of the taller guys on the court. You can only play so much pure position defense. If you can’t occasionally block a shot, you are usually a defensive liability.
Bruce Bowen is the one guy who is an exception to this rule – but I think a good argument could be made that he is really a guard. In addition, most of the other guys on this list aren’t kneeing guys in the balls or kicking pump-faking shooters in the face, so I think the other 14 guys can safely be asked to upgrade their defensive effort and intensity (or to wear the shoes that "The Jimmy" wore on Seinfeld). The guys are ranked numerically based upon blocks per 48 minutes. It could be argued, for example, that Matt Harping should rank below Rashard Lewis defensively (Matt fouls far more) but right now Rashard's per 48 number (if not rounded off) is slightly worse.
Name/team/blocks this year/fouls this year/blocks per game/blocks per 48/ratio:
15th worst-- Paul Pierce , BOS 5 49 .26 .34, one block per 10 fouls
14th worst -- Bruce Bowen SAS 4 38 .2 .32, one per 10 fouls
13th worst -- Luke Walton LAL 3 37 .16 .32, one per 12 fouls
12th Jerry Stackhouse , DAL 3 33 .14 .27, one block per 11 fouls
11th Jared Dudley , CHA 1 28 .06 .18, one per 28 fouls
10th Matt Harpring , UTA 1 35 .05 .17, one per 35 fouls
9th Rashard Lewis , ORL 3 60 .14 .17, one per 20 fouls
8th Peja Stojakovic , NOH 2 34 .1 .15 one per 17 fouls
7th Vladimir Radmanovic, LAL 1 49 .05 .12 one per 49 fouls (my lord)
6th Linas Kleiza , DEN 1 44 .05 .11 one per 44 fouls
5th Wally Szczerbiak, SEA 1 23 .05 .11 one per 23 fouls
4th Ryan Gomes, MIN 1 31 .06 .11 one per 31 fouls
3rd Reggie Evans , PHI 1 64 .05 .09 one per 64 fouls (Reggie fouls.......a lot)
2nd Worst Bobby Jones , DEN around 180 minutes played 0 32 .0 .0 infinite number of fouls per block
The Worst -- Jason Kapono , TOR around 450 minutes played 0 46 .0 .0 infinite number of fouls per blocks, has played almost 10 complete basketball games, averaging about 4.5 fouls per 48 and NO blocks per 48.
An argument could be made that Jones's stats are worse than Kapono's. Jones is fouling at an alarming rate (one per every 5+ minutes -- about 9 a game) whereas Kapono has far fewer fouls per minute. But I prefer to leave them like this because it is my belief that Jones will block a shot in his next 270 minutes of play, and I have never liked Kapono.
Bruce Bowen is the one guy who is an exception to this rule – but I think a good argument could be made that he is really a guard. In addition, most of the other guys on this list aren’t kneeing guys in the balls or kicking pump-faking shooters in the face, so I think the other 14 guys can safely be asked to upgrade their defensive effort and intensity (or to wear the shoes that "The Jimmy" wore on Seinfeld). The guys are ranked numerically based upon blocks per 48 minutes. It could be argued, for example, that Matt Harping should rank below Rashard Lewis defensively (Matt fouls far more) but right now Rashard's per 48 number (if not rounded off) is slightly worse.
Name/team/blocks this year/fouls this year/blocks per game/blocks per 48/ratio:
15th worst-- Paul Pierce , BOS 5 49 .26 .34, one block per 10 fouls
14th worst -- Bruce Bowen SAS 4 38 .2 .32, one per 10 fouls
13th worst -- Luke Walton LAL 3 37 .16 .32, one per 12 fouls
12th Jerry Stackhouse , DAL 3 33 .14 .27, one block per 11 fouls
11th Jared Dudley , CHA 1 28 .06 .18, one per 28 fouls
10th Matt Harpring , UTA 1 35 .05 .17, one per 35 fouls
9th Rashard Lewis , ORL 3 60 .14 .17, one per 20 fouls
8th Peja Stojakovic , NOH 2 34 .1 .15 one per 17 fouls
7th Vladimir Radmanovic, LAL 1 49 .05 .12 one per 49 fouls (my lord)
6th Linas Kleiza , DEN 1 44 .05 .11 one per 44 fouls
5th Wally Szczerbiak, SEA 1 23 .05 .11 one per 23 fouls
4th Ryan Gomes, MIN 1 31 .06 .11 one per 31 fouls
3rd Reggie Evans , PHI 1 64 .05 .09 one per 64 fouls (Reggie fouls.......a lot)
2nd Worst Bobby Jones , DEN around 180 minutes played 0 32 .0 .0 infinite number of fouls per block
The Worst -- Jason Kapono , TOR around 450 minutes played 0 46 .0 .0 infinite number of fouls per blocks, has played almost 10 complete basketball games, averaging about 4.5 fouls per 48 and NO blocks per 48.
An argument could be made that Jones's stats are worse than Kapono's. Jones is fouling at an alarming rate (one per every 5+ minutes -- about 9 a game) whereas Kapono has far fewer fouls per minute. But I prefer to leave them like this because it is my belief that Jones will block a shot in his next 270 minutes of play, and I have never liked Kapono.
These Are a Few of My Fave-o-rite Pics
Been working hard, so I thought I'd take some time off to post.
Obama -- He Don't Like, He Don't Like, He Don't Like........
When asked to comment about Obama's past, Hillary refused but kept muttering the lyrics of "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd:
So take another toke
have a blow for your nose
One more drink fool, will drown you.
E-Mail Of a Vikings Fan -- 4 games into the 2003 Season
Third in offense yards, second in scoring offense, third in defense yards, third in defense scoring. They have played two terrible teams in Bears and Lions, but they also have played two above average teams in Pack and Niners.
I judge the Vikes not so much on results as what I see. They have a very good, and I mean very good, secondary, and the best player in the game (Moss). Tice also has transformed them into, perhaps, the most physical team in the league (with the possible exception of the Bucs - at least on defense - and Dolphins). If Vikes get Bennett back, they have a great chance to win it all. If they don't, they'll probably get bounced in second round.
I judge the Vikes not so much on results as what I see. They have a very good, and I mean very good, secondary, and the best player in the game (Moss). Tice also has transformed them into, perhaps, the most physical team in the league (with the possible exception of the Bucs - at least on defense - and Dolphins). If Vikes get Bennett back, they have a great chance to win it all. If they don't, they'll probably get bounced in second round.
The Vikings...........lost to Arizona in Week 16 and missed the playoffs altogether...........
Minnesota Vikings -- Set Up For the Fall
The Vikings' ability to drill teams like Detroit and San Fran has led to calls on "Vikings Fan Line" saying things like, "Hey, I am not suggesting a Super Bowl Championship THIS year, but I think that with a year of seasoning we can catch up with New England..." or "10 and 6 is almost certain, and I would say that the NFC title is not far out of reach."
Wow.
The Vikes end the year with 3 teams who, honestly, have a lot of reason to play well -- Chicago (division rival); Washington (playoff contender) and Denver (outside shot at the playoffs, will try to get over .500).
Certainly this is not exactly like ending with New England/Indy/Dallas, but the Vikes loyalists seem to forget that they were drilled by Green Bay 34-0 just a few short weeks ago. I just foresee a collapse leading to a return to "Vikings Whine Line" where fans contemplate suicide and ask whether the Vikes should "pick up Chris Walsh on waivers to play Qb since he used to play Qb in high school."
Friday, December 07, 2007
Bears Lineman Blocked by Redskins Fan
Not surprising that the Bears' season is over if they aren't tough enough to bull rush a fan......
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Whose Butt #4
I promise I will stop soon.
Actress, not hugely popular in the media, has been in at least a few films that brought in $100MM box office. Star in one of K's least favorite films, and also a famous surrogate mother (pretend, not real)...............
And a real nice butt, even in flats.
Anna Rawson Gets Her LPGA Tour Card
With Natalie Gulbis now stating that she plans on showing "less skin" in coming years, it is nice to know that Anna R. might take up the slack:
Mitt Romney Speech Disqualifies Him As GOP Nominee
You can read the gist of the speech here: http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/romney-tackles-questions-on-mormonism/20071206105009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001. Either Romney is dumber than I think, or he is acting in a desperate last-ditch manner because his polls show he just can't win as a Mormon -- I'd guess probably a little of both.
Romney, you will recall, is running for the GOP nomination. That means if he wins the nomination he will have to campaign for southern votes by stating that he favors:
-- destruction of all "Islamo-Facists"
-- family values as set forth in the literal word of the King James Bible
-- 10 Commandments at Schools and Courthouses
-- school prayer
-- "covenant marriages"
-- intolerance toward gays
-- no favorable treatment for minorities of any sort
-- preventing Muslims from spreading their doctrine throughout the world
-- the Confederate flag flying over statehouses
-- the born again folks who have found their new life through their one true lord and savior Jesus Christ
OK. Now keep that in mind. Then examine certain things Romney and other said today:
1) Mitt Romney declared that as president he would "serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause," and said calls for him to explain and justify his religious beliefs go against the profound wishes of the nation's founders.
Whoa!!! While Reagan and Bush I and II rarely if ever attended church, they always stuck with the party line that this is a Christian Nation founded upon Christian Principles and any outsider who wanted to change that was undermining the nation. Is Mitt saying that he will be a President who treats the Muslim faith equally with the Christian Faith??? Hmmm?? Say it, Mitt, go ahead.
2) At the same time, he decried those who would remove from public life "any acknowledgment of God," and he said that "during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places."
Go down into the South, Mitt, and say things like "nativity scenes and Menorahs" and put them on equal footing. See how that works for you.....How about Buddha statues? The Koran? People don't want menorahs AND nativity scenes, Mitt. They want nativity scenes and crosses everywhere, like we had back in 1940 and 1950. Menorahs? Yeah, right...........
3) GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivers an address Thursday on religion. "I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it," he said, but he stressed that he shares "moral convictions" with people of all faiths.
All faiths are equal -- again, the exact OPPOSITE view held by all hardcore poor GOP followers/voters.
3) In a speech less than a month before the first nomination contests, Romney said he shares "moral convictions" with Americans of all faiths, though surveys suggest up to half of likely voters have qualms about electing the first Mormon president."I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it," Romney said. "My faith is the faith of my fathers. I will be true to them and to my beliefs." Nonetheless, he strove to clarify his personal line between church and state, recalling a similar speech delivered by John F. Kennedy in 1960 as Kennedy sought to become the first Catholic elected president."I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith,"
So, he believes in Mormon teachings and will abide by them in his life. So.........if he has to act as President contrary to those teachings he will............what?
A President should not be rejected because of his faith? What has been GOP doctrine since 1980? We are the party of faith-based politics and you poor folk ought to vote for us because we are the party of the Christian Coalition. Mitt really cannot be this naive, can he?
4) Romney said, "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin,"
So, you are a person of strong faith......which you will abide by.......but not in making everyday decisions. Strong faith there, buddy.
5) "If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
This is a slow-pitch softball on a 140 foot field. Debate question, "Mr. Romney, does that mean that in making your decisions you will weigh the firmly-held beliefs of Muslims, Agnostics and Atheists equally with the firmly-held beliefs of Christian religions?"
6) Romney said he is often asked whether he believes in Jesus Christ."I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind," he said. While conceding Mormons have different beliefs about the earthly presence of Jesus Christ, "each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. ... Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree."
To Mr. Romney, "You disagree with Christian teaching on the earthly presence of Jesus Christ, correct?" Uh, oh............
Note to Mitt -- the GOP is NOT the party of "religious tolerance" nor has it made such a claim since Gerald Ford left office. Do you believe the Christians in the U.S. must be more tolerant of the viewpoints held by Mormons? How about by Atheists and Muslims?
7) Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission was asked by ABC's "Good Morning America if he thought Mormons were Christians, Land said, "No, I do not."
End of the line. Thanks for playing -- you get the home version of our wonderful game and a one-year supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat!
Romney, you will recall, is running for the GOP nomination. That means if he wins the nomination he will have to campaign for southern votes by stating that he favors:
-- destruction of all "Islamo-Facists"
-- family values as set forth in the literal word of the King James Bible
-- 10 Commandments at Schools and Courthouses
-- school prayer
-- "covenant marriages"
-- intolerance toward gays
-- no favorable treatment for minorities of any sort
-- preventing Muslims from spreading their doctrine throughout the world
-- the Confederate flag flying over statehouses
-- the born again folks who have found their new life through their one true lord and savior Jesus Christ
OK. Now keep that in mind. Then examine certain things Romney and other said today:
1) Mitt Romney declared that as president he would "serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause," and said calls for him to explain and justify his religious beliefs go against the profound wishes of the nation's founders.
Whoa!!! While Reagan and Bush I and II rarely if ever attended church, they always stuck with the party line that this is a Christian Nation founded upon Christian Principles and any outsider who wanted to change that was undermining the nation. Is Mitt saying that he will be a President who treats the Muslim faith equally with the Christian Faith??? Hmmm?? Say it, Mitt, go ahead.
2) At the same time, he decried those who would remove from public life "any acknowledgment of God," and he said that "during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places."
Go down into the South, Mitt, and say things like "nativity scenes and Menorahs" and put them on equal footing. See how that works for you.....How about Buddha statues? The Koran? People don't want menorahs AND nativity scenes, Mitt. They want nativity scenes and crosses everywhere, like we had back in 1940 and 1950. Menorahs? Yeah, right...........
3) GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivers an address Thursday on religion. "I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it," he said, but he stressed that he shares "moral convictions" with people of all faiths.
All faiths are equal -- again, the exact OPPOSITE view held by all hardcore poor GOP followers/voters.
3) In a speech less than a month before the first nomination contests, Romney said he shares "moral convictions" with Americans of all faiths, though surveys suggest up to half of likely voters have qualms about electing the first Mormon president."I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it," Romney said. "My faith is the faith of my fathers. I will be true to them and to my beliefs." Nonetheless, he strove to clarify his personal line between church and state, recalling a similar speech delivered by John F. Kennedy in 1960 as Kennedy sought to become the first Catholic elected president."I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith,"
So, he believes in Mormon teachings and will abide by them in his life. So.........if he has to act as President contrary to those teachings he will............what?
A President should not be rejected because of his faith? What has been GOP doctrine since 1980? We are the party of faith-based politics and you poor folk ought to vote for us because we are the party of the Christian Coalition. Mitt really cannot be this naive, can he?
4) Romney said, "Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin,"
So, you are a person of strong faith......which you will abide by.......but not in making everyday decisions. Strong faith there, buddy.
5) "If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
This is a slow-pitch softball on a 140 foot field. Debate question, "Mr. Romney, does that mean that in making your decisions you will weigh the firmly-held beliefs of Muslims, Agnostics and Atheists equally with the firmly-held beliefs of Christian religions?"
6) Romney said he is often asked whether he believes in Jesus Christ."I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind," he said. While conceding Mormons have different beliefs about the earthly presence of Jesus Christ, "each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. ... Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree."
To Mr. Romney, "You disagree with Christian teaching on the earthly presence of Jesus Christ, correct?" Uh, oh............
Note to Mitt -- the GOP is NOT the party of "religious tolerance" nor has it made such a claim since Gerald Ford left office. Do you believe the Christians in the U.S. must be more tolerant of the viewpoints held by Mormons? How about by Atheists and Muslims?
7) Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission was asked by ABC's "Good Morning America if he thought Mormons were Christians, Land said, "No, I do not."
End of the line. Thanks for playing -- you get the home version of our wonderful game and a one-year supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Mike Huckabee -- Liar/Advocate for Sexual Predators
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/04/documents-expose-huckabee_n_75362.html
I guess one could expect some chicanery from the Mr. Haney lookalike and it was only a matter of time until someone made sure his problem stories saw the light of day.
I guess one could expect some chicanery from the Mr. Haney lookalike and it was only a matter of time until someone made sure his problem stories saw the light of day.
Minnesota Timberwolves -- Why So Sucky?
It is easy to look at a team with sub-par talent and sub-par coaching and just conclude "well, they are just plain bad." But I certainly would prefer at least SOME analysis of why the team is so bad.
Let's look at the stats.
http://aol.nba.com/timberwolves/stats/index.html
1) The Wolves are a poor shooting team -- they are outshot by 2% overall, 3% from 3 and almost 7% from the line.
2) The Wolves turn the ball over too much and don't force enough turnovers -- the Wolves' assist-to-turnover ratio barely clears 1 to 1, while their opponents have rolled up a 1.5 to 1 ratio. The opponents have 65 more assists and 33 FEWER turnovers.
3) The Wolves don't shoot enough free throws -- with Theo Ratliff out, the Wolves have almost no interior defense, but on offense, the Wolves don't get to the line hardly at all either. Opponents are shooting almost 30 free throws a night while the Wolves are shooting around 20 a night. Given that the Wolves are shooting a lower percentage, that really hurts.
The acquisition of Al Jefferson for KG was supposed to end the Wolves' free throw woes, but thus far Al Jefferson has gone 49 for 68 from the line. The no-free-throw-shooting-worthless Kevin Garnett? 64 for 78. So, the Wolves' top scorer and #1 free throw attempter is 61st in the league in free throws attempted per game........and he hits only 72% of what he gets.......
4) Their Coaching Is Awful -- no stats to back this one up but I know that after every loss the next day in the paper the coaching staff is saying, "Well, we have to play better..." When you are undermanned you as a coach have to find a way to get an edge FOR your players, not expect your players to suddenly get good. How about having a team identity (play fast, play slow, press, shoot 3s a lot) or I would even settle for a decent player rotation. Who are your best players or the guys you trust? Is Antoine Walker a key cog or a short timer? Who the hell knows? Wittman is now out after back surgery. Perhaps the assistants can do a better job?
HM
Let's look at the stats.
http://aol.nba.com/timberwolves/stats/index.html
1) The Wolves are a poor shooting team -- they are outshot by 2% overall, 3% from 3 and almost 7% from the line.
2) The Wolves turn the ball over too much and don't force enough turnovers -- the Wolves' assist-to-turnover ratio barely clears 1 to 1, while their opponents have rolled up a 1.5 to 1 ratio. The opponents have 65 more assists and 33 FEWER turnovers.
3) The Wolves don't shoot enough free throws -- with Theo Ratliff out, the Wolves have almost no interior defense, but on offense, the Wolves don't get to the line hardly at all either. Opponents are shooting almost 30 free throws a night while the Wolves are shooting around 20 a night. Given that the Wolves are shooting a lower percentage, that really hurts.
The acquisition of Al Jefferson for KG was supposed to end the Wolves' free throw woes, but thus far Al Jefferson has gone 49 for 68 from the line. The no-free-throw-shooting-worthless Kevin Garnett? 64 for 78. So, the Wolves' top scorer and #1 free throw attempter is 61st in the league in free throws attempted per game........and he hits only 72% of what he gets.......
4) Their Coaching Is Awful -- no stats to back this one up but I know that after every loss the next day in the paper the coaching staff is saying, "Well, we have to play better..." When you are undermanned you as a coach have to find a way to get an edge FOR your players, not expect your players to suddenly get good. How about having a team identity (play fast, play slow, press, shoot 3s a lot) or I would even settle for a decent player rotation. Who are your best players or the guys you trust? Is Antoine Walker a key cog or a short timer? Who the hell knows? Wittman is now out after back surgery. Perhaps the assistants can do a better job?
HM
Worst Players at Grabbing a Steal
The best basketball player I ever took the court with once said to me, "What is a steal? A guy loses his dribble slightly, you bend over and pick it up, that is a steal. Your opponent throws the ball right to you -- steal. Unless you can't bend over or you can't catch, you should get a steal a game."
Well, sadly, that is not the case for these bottom 10 steals guys. Here is my sorting method:
-- sort only by players who play enough to qualify for the steals title
-- review the bottom 15 in steals per game
-- review the bottom 15 in steals per 48 minutes played
-- cross-reference and see how many guys are on both lists.
That leaves me, luckily enough, with 10 guys. Sadly, I have to leave off crappy steals guys like Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry and Sam Dalembert because they made only one list.
10th worst -- Rasual Butler (NOH) -- .45 steals per 48
9th worst -- Brandon Bass (Dal) -- .39
8th worst -- Jason Maxiell (Det) -- .36
7th -- Mailk Allen (NJN) -- .35
6th -- Bragnani (TOR) -- .33
5th -- Villanueva (MIL) -- .3
4th -- Pryzbilla (Por) -- .28
3rd -- Brian Sclabrini (BOS) -- .27 (one steal in 175 minutes played)
2nd -- Jarron Collins (UTH) -- .22 (one steal in 214 minutes)
Worst -- Primoz Brezec (CHA) -- 0 (no steals in 214 minutes of play)
The good thing about appearing on this list is that ANY worthwhile effort will almost certainly catapult you way up or out of this list. I mean, suppose Brezec can get 2 steals in the next 48 minutes he plays. That would move him up to only 9th worst.
Bargnani -- averaging 0.7 steals+blocks per game and 3.1 fouls per game. He is 7', 250 and he gets 4.5 rebounds a game. If these numbers don't scream "SOFT!!!" I don't know what does. Take it to the hoop against Andrea, he is 4.5 times more likely to foul you than to get a steal or a block. Yuck.
Well, sadly, that is not the case for these bottom 10 steals guys. Here is my sorting method:
-- sort only by players who play enough to qualify for the steals title
-- review the bottom 15 in steals per game
-- review the bottom 15 in steals per 48 minutes played
-- cross-reference and see how many guys are on both lists.
That leaves me, luckily enough, with 10 guys. Sadly, I have to leave off crappy steals guys like Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry and Sam Dalembert because they made only one list.
10th worst -- Rasual Butler (NOH) -- .45 steals per 48
9th worst -- Brandon Bass (Dal) -- .39
8th worst -- Jason Maxiell (Det) -- .36
7th -- Mailk Allen (NJN) -- .35
6th -- Bragnani (TOR) -- .33
5th -- Villanueva (MIL) -- .3
4th -- Pryzbilla (Por) -- .28
3rd -- Brian Sclabrini (BOS) -- .27 (one steal in 175 minutes played)
2nd -- Jarron Collins (UTH) -- .22 (one steal in 214 minutes)
Worst -- Primoz Brezec (CHA) -- 0 (no steals in 214 minutes of play)
The good thing about appearing on this list is that ANY worthwhile effort will almost certainly catapult you way up or out of this list. I mean, suppose Brezec can get 2 steals in the next 48 minutes he plays. That would move him up to only 9th worst.
Bargnani -- averaging 0.7 steals+blocks per game and 3.1 fouls per game. He is 7', 250 and he gets 4.5 rebounds a game. If these numbers don't scream "SOFT!!!" I don't know what does. Take it to the hoop against Andrea, he is 4.5 times more likely to foul you than to get a steal or a block. Yuck.
Poker Legend Chip Reese -- Dead At 56
http://sports.aol.com/story/_a/poker-legend-dies-in-his-sleep/20071204232809990001
Reese won the first ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tourney in 2005, establishing himself for a moment as the best all-around poker player in the world.
Barry Greenstein's analysis of Reese's game: http://www.barrygreenstein.com/player_analysis/ChipReese.html
RIP
Reese won the first ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tourney in 2005, establishing himself for a moment as the best all-around poker player in the world.
Barry Greenstein's analysis of Reese's game: http://www.barrygreenstein.com/player_analysis/ChipReese.html
RIP
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Do You Want Adam Morrison and Sean May? I Seriously Doubt Varejao Goes to the Bobcats
The Bobcats have signed Anderson Varejao to a 3-year $17.6MM offer sheet and the Cavs have a week to match.
If reports are correct, Verajao has an out after year 2 and the deal starts at around $5.6MM this year.
So, assuming the Cavs have some interest in ditching "Andy," what sign and trade can they do with Charlotte? I don't think Charlotte is going to give up any of their good young players (Felton, JRich, Gerald Wallace, Okafor). So, it would appear that any deal worth about $6MM would have to involve the injured Adam Morrison (blown ACL) and probably the injured Sean May (microfracture surgery).
I just don't see the Cavs being so desperate to move Varejao that they would deal him for two seriously injured guys. So..........my conclusion...........Varejao will be back in Cleveland within a week and all will be forgiven.
If reports are correct, Verajao has an out after year 2 and the deal starts at around $5.6MM this year.
So, assuming the Cavs have some interest in ditching "Andy," what sign and trade can they do with Charlotte? I don't think Charlotte is going to give up any of their good young players (Felton, JRich, Gerald Wallace, Okafor). So, it would appear that any deal worth about $6MM would have to involve the injured Adam Morrison (blown ACL) and probably the injured Sean May (microfracture surgery).
I just don't see the Cavs being so desperate to move Varejao that they would deal him for two seriously injured guys. So..........my conclusion...........Varejao will be back in Cleveland within a week and all will be forgiven.
76ers Fire Billy King
http://www.the700level.com/2007/12/billy-king-reli.html
I used to watch Billy King play when I was at Duke Law. He was NCAA defensive player of the year and a very heady player. I frankly never understood his meteoric rise from college basketball player to head of an NBA organization. Oh well.
King obvously did a horrible job and he will not be missed by Sixers fans like this subtle commenter on the above-linked Blog:
I am glad they fired him, he was a cock sucking loser. i wish he would just die!
Posted by: Sid Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 09:22 AM
I used to watch Billy King play when I was at Duke Law. He was NCAA defensive player of the year and a very heady player. I frankly never understood his meteoric rise from college basketball player to head of an NBA organization. Oh well.
King obvously did a horrible job and he will not be missed by Sixers fans like this subtle commenter on the above-linked Blog:
I am glad they fired him, he was a cock sucking loser. i wish he would just die!
Posted by: Sid Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 09:22 AM
Monday, December 03, 2007
Guard Rebounding
Top 10 Thus Far (before last night's games):
10. Josh Childress 5.4
9. Tracy McGrady 5.4
8. Jason Richardson -- 5.5 -- power forward's body.
7. Michael Redd 5.5 -- Michael Redd???? My lord, Team USA membership must have helped immeasurably
6. Baron Davis 5.5 -- unbelievable physical monster......when healthy
5. Bonzi Well -- 5.5 (and 12.3 per 48 to lead all league guards)
4. Mike Dunleavy -- 5.8 (when you are almost 6'10", this is probably the correct # for you to expect)
3. The Devil -- 6.1 -- probably all off his own misses
2. Mike Miller -- 7.5 -- Miller is an awfully big guard. Also had that Team USA experience.
1. Jason Kidd -- 8.6 -- Dating Game profile, "When not tossing boulders at or cheating on his wife, Jason enjoys grabbing a ton of boards every game."
Other Guys Who Grab a ton per 48 -- Bonzi of course, but also Carlos Delfino, Kyle Lowry, Ginobili, Nate Robinson, Bobby Jackson and Jameer Nelson. Common attributes -- very active and muscularly built (except for Lowry, he must be unbelievably active).
Please Mr. Postman -- Guys Who Mail It In On the Boards (worst per 48)
12th worst -- Chauncey -- no excuse for that
11th worst -- AI -- OK, he is runty and aged
10th -- Chris Duhon -- that is sad, he used to be tougher
9th -- Jason Williams -- I am stunned he is not last
8th -- Stephon Marbury -- too busy digging up dirt on Isiah
7th -- Jamal Crawford -- helping Stephon
6th -- Keyon Dooling -- no surprise here
5th -- Jeff McInnis -- big surprise.........that Jeff is still in the league and playing enough minutes to qualify
4th -- Roger Mason -- see above
3rd -- Tyronn Lue -- at 5'0" and 88 pounds, can't really fault him here
2nd -- Damon Jones -- hard to board when your game only takes you to areas outside the 3-point line
Worst -- Janerro Pargo -- good to know that he is at the top spot of some listing
10. Josh Childress 5.4
9. Tracy McGrady 5.4
8. Jason Richardson -- 5.5 -- power forward's body.
7. Michael Redd 5.5 -- Michael Redd???? My lord, Team USA membership must have helped immeasurably
6. Baron Davis 5.5 -- unbelievable physical monster......when healthy
5. Bonzi Well -- 5.5 (and 12.3 per 48 to lead all league guards)
4. Mike Dunleavy -- 5.8 (when you are almost 6'10", this is probably the correct # for you to expect)
3. The Devil -- 6.1 -- probably all off his own misses
2. Mike Miller -- 7.5 -- Miller is an awfully big guard. Also had that Team USA experience.
1. Jason Kidd -- 8.6 -- Dating Game profile, "When not tossing boulders at or cheating on his wife, Jason enjoys grabbing a ton of boards every game."
Other Guys Who Grab a ton per 48 -- Bonzi of course, but also Carlos Delfino, Kyle Lowry, Ginobili, Nate Robinson, Bobby Jackson and Jameer Nelson. Common attributes -- very active and muscularly built (except for Lowry, he must be unbelievably active).
Please Mr. Postman -- Guys Who Mail It In On the Boards (worst per 48)
12th worst -- Chauncey -- no excuse for that
11th worst -- AI -- OK, he is runty and aged
10th -- Chris Duhon -- that is sad, he used to be tougher
9th -- Jason Williams -- I am stunned he is not last
8th -- Stephon Marbury -- too busy digging up dirt on Isiah
7th -- Jamal Crawford -- helping Stephon
6th -- Keyon Dooling -- no surprise here
5th -- Jeff McInnis -- big surprise.........that Jeff is still in the league and playing enough minutes to qualify
4th -- Roger Mason -- see above
3rd -- Tyronn Lue -- at 5'0" and 88 pounds, can't really fault him here
2nd -- Damon Jones -- hard to board when your game only takes you to areas outside the 3-point line
Worst -- Janerro Pargo -- good to know that he is at the top spot of some listing
Pitt Defeats West Virginia and Big East Officiating Crew
With all of the outrage about Tim Donaghy betting on NBA games, you would think that the Big East would have been a little more careful about how obviously its officials favored West Virginia in this Border Battle the other night.
I can honestly say, since the famous 2002 Game 6 between the Lakers and the Sac Kings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_NBA_Playoffs#Conference_Finals, I have never seen a stretch of officating outside of pro wrestling that so blatantly favored one team.
Exhibit A -- Pitt up by 3, driving. Off tackle to their running back. He has a one-on-one with an unblocked West Virginia defender........whiff......touchdown!!! One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. From 10 yards downfield comes a yellow flag. Holding, Pitt, on a receiver who A) wasn't holding; and B) was engaged with a WVU player who wasn't even TRYING to move toward the ball carrier.
So, instead of 17-7 Pitt, Pitt is stopped, misses a field goal, still 10-7 Pitt.
Exhibit B -- Pitt forces WVU to turn the ball over on downs. 3rd down for Pitt, same RB sweeps wide, beats the interior pursuit and rumbles forward for an all-but-game-clinching first down. One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three....flag comes flying in from 25 yards downfield!! Holding, same receiver. Again, not holding, defender not even trying to get away or make the tackle. My lord. Pitt now has 3rd and a bunch.
EXHIBIT C -- Now, Pitt has been fucked by this same offical twice in a row. You would think that if he were not intentionally trying to give the game away to WVU that he would say, "Well, I will look hard for a WVU penalty here." Same receiver guy, runs down and out, WVU defender literally grabs his shirt and stretches it back 3 feet off the guy's back while the pass is in the air. Ball goes wide of the receiver by about 6 inches...................................................no call...................
EXHIBIT D -- Despite officiating that makes the Montreal Screw Job look like a straight-down-the-middle event, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Screwjob, Pitt STILL manages to stop West Virginia on a 4th down play and get the ball back with about 1:30 left in the game. Three kneels and a punt ought to do it...............oh wait............."Excessive Celebration" penalty on a Pitt defender marches them back 15 yards!! Despite 200 cameras at the game, not one ESPN camera caught ANY of the excessive celebration. The guy who gets called is basically crying as he heads to the sideline to try to explain the only time in his life that he really DIDN'T do anything wrong but still got called, tears welling up in his eyes.
When the Pitt punter ran out of the end zone, I was waiting for the Big East Commissioner to run down on the field, note that time had been kept incorrectly at some point in the 3rd quarter, and demand that the game be continued from the safety forward with 30 seconds left on the clock and Pitt kicking to WVU. Fortunately, the ghost of Renato William Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics did not rise up and Pitt, SOMEHOW, managed to defeat WVU and the Big East crew and win the game.
I can honestly say, since the famous 2002 Game 6 between the Lakers and the Sac Kings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_NBA_Playoffs#Conference_Finals, I have never seen a stretch of officating outside of pro wrestling that so blatantly favored one team.
Exhibit A -- Pitt up by 3, driving. Off tackle to their running back. He has a one-on-one with an unblocked West Virginia defender........whiff......touchdown!!! One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. From 10 yards downfield comes a yellow flag. Holding, Pitt, on a receiver who A) wasn't holding; and B) was engaged with a WVU player who wasn't even TRYING to move toward the ball carrier.
So, instead of 17-7 Pitt, Pitt is stopped, misses a field goal, still 10-7 Pitt.
Exhibit B -- Pitt forces WVU to turn the ball over on downs. 3rd down for Pitt, same RB sweeps wide, beats the interior pursuit and rumbles forward for an all-but-game-clinching first down. One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three....flag comes flying in from 25 yards downfield!! Holding, same receiver. Again, not holding, defender not even trying to get away or make the tackle. My lord. Pitt now has 3rd and a bunch.
EXHIBIT C -- Now, Pitt has been fucked by this same offical twice in a row. You would think that if he were not intentionally trying to give the game away to WVU that he would say, "Well, I will look hard for a WVU penalty here." Same receiver guy, runs down and out, WVU defender literally grabs his shirt and stretches it back 3 feet off the guy's back while the pass is in the air. Ball goes wide of the receiver by about 6 inches...................................................no call...................
EXHIBIT D -- Despite officiating that makes the Montreal Screw Job look like a straight-down-the-middle event, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Screwjob, Pitt STILL manages to stop West Virginia on a 4th down play and get the ball back with about 1:30 left in the game. Three kneels and a punt ought to do it...............oh wait............."Excessive Celebration" penalty on a Pitt defender marches them back 15 yards!! Despite 200 cameras at the game, not one ESPN camera caught ANY of the excessive celebration. The guy who gets called is basically crying as he heads to the sideline to try to explain the only time in his life that he really DIDN'T do anything wrong but still got called, tears welling up in his eyes.
When the Pitt punter ran out of the end zone, I was waiting for the Big East Commissioner to run down on the field, note that time had been kept incorrectly at some point in the 3rd quarter, and demand that the game be continued from the safety forward with 30 seconds left on the clock and Pitt kicking to WVU. Fortunately, the ghost of Renato William Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics did not rise up and Pitt, SOMEHOW, managed to defeat WVU and the Big East crew and win the game.
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