I currently have two people who owe me a combined $10,000+. I haven't started with the Stewie Griffin method of debt collection yet, but I am beginning to see its appeal.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Um, Well, "To Each His Own" I Always Say
http://sports.aol.com/story/_a/formula-one-boss-caught-in-nazi-orgy/20080330164609990001 to each his own. To follow, my "to each his own" story.
When I was 16, I was chosen to be a student in a summer program run by the National Science Foundation. There was a guy there named Angelo who was super funny -- the kind of guy in high school whom everyone wanted to hang out with. Angelo decided that everyone needed a nickname. I will not reveal mine, but it was one of the nicer ones. Angelo decided to give this guy Matt (last name sounded like "mayo" -- he owned and constantly wore T-shirts stating "Genius at Work" and one with "e=Mc2" and Einstein's picture stating "Go ahead, just ask me", etc. etc. Matt was a tool.)
Anyway, so Angelo decides that Matt's nickname should be "Veggie." But before he does (as was Angelo's custom) he goes to the person involved and tells them and gives them a chance to nominate a different name. Here is the conversation from the summer of 1981:
A (sounds like Sly Stallone): Hey, Matt. I decided that we are going to use "Veggie" as your nickname.
MM (sounds like a bad imitation of a nerd): Well, I generally have other nicknames that people tend to use.
A: OK, Matt, what d'ya got for me?
MM: "Generally people prefer to call me "Genius" or "Professor" or something like that.
A: That it, Matt?
MM: Yes, or "Mr. Professor."
A: OK, Matt, we are going to go with Veggie instead.
MM: (silence)
A: Matt, anything else ya got?
MM: "Well.........to each his OWN...........I GUEEE-ss."
So his nickname was Veggie.
Other Matt stories:
1) We got a 30 minute break one day and Angelo brought a soccer ball so we played soccer. I am worried that we have played for like an hour, so I start thinking, "Boy, I wish we knew what time it is, but what kind of a tool would wear a watch playing......." Oh!!!!!! "Matt, what time is it?" Immediate look down at giant LED watch -- "12:45."
2) I was Matt's chemistry lab partner. Despite my almost utter indifference and mediocre competence at the task, Matt at the end of the day stated (quite genuinely), "You are the best and nicest lab partner that I have ever had." Sad.....but no doubt true.
HM
When I was 16, I was chosen to be a student in a summer program run by the National Science Foundation. There was a guy there named Angelo who was super funny -- the kind of guy in high school whom everyone wanted to hang out with. Angelo decided that everyone needed a nickname. I will not reveal mine, but it was one of the nicer ones. Angelo decided to give this guy Matt (last name sounded like "mayo" -- he owned and constantly wore T-shirts stating "Genius at Work" and one with "e=Mc2" and Einstein's picture stating "Go ahead, just ask me", etc. etc. Matt was a tool.)
Anyway, so Angelo decides that Matt's nickname should be "Veggie." But before he does (as was Angelo's custom) he goes to the person involved and tells them and gives them a chance to nominate a different name. Here is the conversation from the summer of 1981:
A (sounds like Sly Stallone): Hey, Matt. I decided that we are going to use "Veggie" as your nickname.
MM (sounds like a bad imitation of a nerd): Well, I generally have other nicknames that people tend to use.
A: OK, Matt, what d'ya got for me?
MM: "Generally people prefer to call me "Genius" or "Professor" or something like that.
A: That it, Matt?
MM: Yes, or "Mr. Professor."
A: OK, Matt, we are going to go with Veggie instead.
MM: (silence)
A: Matt, anything else ya got?
MM: "Well.........to each his OWN...........I GUEEE-ss."
So his nickname was Veggie.
Other Matt stories:
1) We got a 30 minute break one day and Angelo brought a soccer ball so we played soccer. I am worried that we have played for like an hour, so I start thinking, "Boy, I wish we knew what time it is, but what kind of a tool would wear a watch playing......." Oh!!!!!! "Matt, what time is it?" Immediate look down at giant LED watch -- "12:45."
2) I was Matt's chemistry lab partner. Despite my almost utter indifference and mediocre competence at the task, Matt at the end of the day stated (quite genuinely), "You are the best and nicest lab partner that I have ever had." Sad.....but no doubt true.
HM
Saturday, March 29, 2008
James Carville -- Bill Richardson is "Judas"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/28/AR2008032802826_2.html
I agree with everything Carville says.
What I am most embarrassed about in the Dem. primaries is this: the Clinton and Obama camps seem completely unable to handle any criticism. This failing is worse in the Obama camp. The common Obama response is "hey, stop picking on me....that's not fair!"
I have followed presidential elections since 1972 (yes, when I was 8 -- when I was 9 and 10 I watched the Watergate hearings and my mother gave me a Watergate coloring book as a present for my birthday). To my recollection none were ever decided on any big sea change of issue politics.
Here is what I recall by election cycle:
1972 -- Nixon won because McGovern wanted to give the country to gays and minorities.
1976 -- Carter won because Ford was a dunce and fell down a lot and because he pardoned Nixon
1980 -- Reagan won because (although he was a war-hungry nut) people just got tired of Carter making us wear sweaters, drive 55 and turn down the heat to 55 at night.
1984 -- Reagan (who was going senile and demonstarted a clear evidence of senility in one debate) won anyway because Mondale was a wimp with a high squeaky voice who was going to raise our taxes.
1988 -- Bush won because Dukakis rode in a tank looking like a dork and because if you voted for Dukakis his drunk wife would convince him to release another black murderer to kill white folk.
1992 -- Clinton won because Bush was a wimp who lied about raising taxes (though Clinton never sais he would lower taxes).
1996 -- Clinton won because Dole was an odd old man who called himself "Bob Dole" and who had voted against basically every federal program anyone liked (including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act).
2000 -- Bush "won" because he cheated and because Gore was just so GD dull and lied about inventing the Internet (which Bush later called the "Internets")
2004 -- Bush won because John Kerry was never anything close to a a war hero and blatantly and outrageously lied about it (per the Swift Boat guys) and windsurfed every day and you couldn't believe him anyway because he always flip-flopped (aka "lied").
So, if Mr. Obama is going to win the presidency and defeat a GOP campaign, he needs to toughen up about 5000%. For God's sake, let's put away the whole "we don't campaign like that anymore" crap -- we do. We always have, and we always will (Martin Van Buren was the subject of "where's daddy?" campaigns in the early 1800s.)
But back to the initial point -- read Carville's piece on Richardson and you decide whether BRich/Horatio Sanz did the honorable thing here. I think any fair-thinking person would have to be disgusted by how BRich bit the hand that fed him (apparently very well) for all these years.....
HM
I agree with everything Carville says.
What I am most embarrassed about in the Dem. primaries is this: the Clinton and Obama camps seem completely unable to handle any criticism. This failing is worse in the Obama camp. The common Obama response is "hey, stop picking on me....that's not fair!"
I have followed presidential elections since 1972 (yes, when I was 8 -- when I was 9 and 10 I watched the Watergate hearings and my mother gave me a Watergate coloring book as a present for my birthday). To my recollection none were ever decided on any big sea change of issue politics.
Here is what I recall by election cycle:
1972 -- Nixon won because McGovern wanted to give the country to gays and minorities.
1976 -- Carter won because Ford was a dunce and fell down a lot and because he pardoned Nixon
1980 -- Reagan won because (although he was a war-hungry nut) people just got tired of Carter making us wear sweaters, drive 55 and turn down the heat to 55 at night.
1984 -- Reagan (who was going senile and demonstarted a clear evidence of senility in one debate) won anyway because Mondale was a wimp with a high squeaky voice who was going to raise our taxes.
1988 -- Bush won because Dukakis rode in a tank looking like a dork and because if you voted for Dukakis his drunk wife would convince him to release another black murderer to kill white folk.
1992 -- Clinton won because Bush was a wimp who lied about raising taxes (though Clinton never sais he would lower taxes).
1996 -- Clinton won because Dole was an odd old man who called himself "Bob Dole" and who had voted against basically every federal program anyone liked (including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act).
2000 -- Bush "won" because he cheated and because Gore was just so GD dull and lied about inventing the Internet (which Bush later called the "Internets")
2004 -- Bush won because John Kerry was never anything close to a a war hero and blatantly and outrageously lied about it (per the Swift Boat guys) and windsurfed every day and you couldn't believe him anyway because he always flip-flopped (aka "lied").
So, if Mr. Obama is going to win the presidency and defeat a GOP campaign, he needs to toughen up about 5000%. For God's sake, let's put away the whole "we don't campaign like that anymore" crap -- we do. We always have, and we always will (Martin Van Buren was the subject of "where's daddy?" campaigns in the early 1800s.)
But back to the initial point -- read Carville's piece on Richardson and you decide whether BRich/Horatio Sanz did the honorable thing here. I think any fair-thinking person would have to be disgusted by how BRich bit the hand that fed him (apparently very well) for all these years.....
HM
Monday, March 24, 2008
Old Bill Simmons Mailbag Question
I was directed to this page by Simmons' recent column, and I gotta tell you, this had me ROTFLMAO (as the kids say):
Q: On the "Questions I Wish Had Never Been Asked" scale, where does your girlfriend asking for your definition of "cheating" fall?--Matt, Philadelphia
SG: At the tippy-top. Here's a better question: In this day and age, what even constitutes cheating? I don't know the exact rules for the era in which women dress like hookers, shrug off one-night stands and dance by grinding their butts against the groins of various strangers at dark nightclubs. So what's cheating in this universe? A threesome with two of their boyfriend's best friends? Sleeping with their boyfriend's brother or dad? I give up. Just know that I'm sending my daughter to high school in a suit of armor every day.
Q: On the "Questions I Wish Had Never Been Asked" scale, where does your girlfriend asking for your definition of "cheating" fall?--Matt, Philadelphia
SG: At the tippy-top. Here's a better question: In this day and age, what even constitutes cheating? I don't know the exact rules for the era in which women dress like hookers, shrug off one-night stands and dance by grinding their butts against the groins of various strangers at dark nightclubs. So what's cheating in this universe? A threesome with two of their boyfriend's best friends? Sleeping with their boyfriend's brother or dad? I give up. Just know that I'm sending my daughter to high school in a suit of armor every day.
Tiger Woods? Only The 5th Best Golfer
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3309127
Nuf said. Geoff, Vijay, Jim and Retief all better than Tiger........this one tournament.
Seriously, though. These guys almost gave it to Tiger AGAIN! When play was halted yesterday, these guys were well ahead of Tiger. They tried giving it back, but Tiger just missed putts that he normally makes.
Relevant Tom Kelly story -- when the Twins were losing 90-100 games a year in 1995-98, their manager Tom Kelly was asked about his team's chances against the Yankees in a 3-game series. He said, "If you have a guy who usually shoots an 85 for 18 holes playing a guy who usually shoots 75, the 85 guy may shoot 80 and the 75 guy may shoot 81, but that isn't going to happen a whole lot of the time. That 75 guy is gonna win almost every match."
When Tiger shoots par, it is an AWFUL round for Tiger. 3-4 under is an OK round, and he can go 8-10 under on any course if he plays well. That just isn't the case with his opponents. He is the 1996 Yankees, his opponents are the 1996 Twins.
Here is a basketball analogy -- Tiger shoots 90% from the line and 50% from the floor. His best competitors shoot about 80% from the line and 43% from the floor. Assuming that the other factors involved in the game are at all even, for Tiger to lose he would need to be significantly worse than normal and have his opponents be significantly better than normal. Not only does this not generally happen, but the OPPOSITE actually occurs -- when Tiger is leading or close in the final round, his opponents actually collapse and play worse. So, let's move them down to 70% from the line and 40% from the floor. Well, Tiger just isn't going to shoot that poorly. That is why he always wins.
Nuf said. Geoff, Vijay, Jim and Retief all better than Tiger........this one tournament.
Seriously, though. These guys almost gave it to Tiger AGAIN! When play was halted yesterday, these guys were well ahead of Tiger. They tried giving it back, but Tiger just missed putts that he normally makes.
Relevant Tom Kelly story -- when the Twins were losing 90-100 games a year in 1995-98, their manager Tom Kelly was asked about his team's chances against the Yankees in a 3-game series. He said, "If you have a guy who usually shoots an 85 for 18 holes playing a guy who usually shoots 75, the 85 guy may shoot 80 and the 75 guy may shoot 81, but that isn't going to happen a whole lot of the time. That 75 guy is gonna win almost every match."
When Tiger shoots par, it is an AWFUL round for Tiger. 3-4 under is an OK round, and he can go 8-10 under on any course if he plays well. That just isn't the case with his opponents. He is the 1996 Yankees, his opponents are the 1996 Twins.
Here is a basketball analogy -- Tiger shoots 90% from the line and 50% from the floor. His best competitors shoot about 80% from the line and 43% from the floor. Assuming that the other factors involved in the game are at all even, for Tiger to lose he would need to be significantly worse than normal and have his opponents be significantly better than normal. Not only does this not generally happen, but the OPPOSITE actually occurs -- when Tiger is leading or close in the final round, his opponents actually collapse and play worse. So, let's move them down to 70% from the line and 40% from the floor. Well, Tiger just isn't going to shoot that poorly. That is why he always wins.
Has Coach K Lost His Desire to Coach?
I attended Duke from September 1987 to May 1989. Believe it or not, when I arrived in 1987 the Blue Devils were a scrappy defense-oriented club that featured players like Tommy Amaker (awful coach, great college defender) and Billy King (awful GM, even greater college defender). Duke played an aggressive overplaying style of man-to-man defense that would wear down opponents, often resulting in Duke winning games despite less talent (our star was Danny Ferry -- mediocre GM, got every ounce out of his ability in college -- and our point guard the final 2 years was Quin "never met an NCAA rule I wouldn't let someone break" Snyder -- you won't believe this, but he was a far better coach than player).
ANYway, I think 1987-89 was Coach K's greatest stretch as a college coach. He was a very active bench presence and he got the most out of his team's talent. Then came 1990-94, aka "The Golden Years." He got lucky in recruiting and got three kids that Carolina could have had if Dean had wanted them badly enough: Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. During these three guys' time at Duke, Coach K won 2 titles and went to 4 national title games.
Then we run into a dead spot from 1995 to 1997 (Joey Beard and Greg Newton anyone?). Coach K then starts really hitting the recruiting trail hard and gets Brand and Battier in 1998, but he loses to Kentucky in 1998 (inexcusable loss) and UConn in 1999 (another awful loss). Jason Williams and Battier and Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer manage to get a title in 2001, and the way it looks, that may be Coach K's final title ever.
Most disturbing aspects of Duke basketball to a Duke fan right now:
1) Is there a weight room at Duke and do the guys know where it is? ANY team in the top 100 who has a guy over 235 pounds dominates Duke on the boards. How embarrassing is it for a Duke team to get outrebounded by West Virginia 41-19? Very. As a coach myself, if my team's rebound percentage is 33%, I know that we may as well not even play the game. You can't win a game like that.
How bad has Duke's physical wimpy-ness become? The POINT GUARD for WEST VIRGINIA was talking smack about how everyone can see on game films that Duke can't rebound! Some other random WVU player felt free to opine that Duke would basically be a .500 squad in the Big East.
Coach K, are you listening to this? Do you even care?
2) Coach K claims that he now employs a more "international" style of play. Well, except for the 6'5" penetrating point guard and 6'11" 250 pound center every international team uses............. Can you jack up 30 threes a game and win? Sure you can, if you A) rebound and get back some of your own misses; and B) can take advanatge of the spread out defense and penetrate for layups. Duke does neither.
3) Coach K doesn't seem to really care much. Hey, he has three national titles, he has multi-million dollar endorsement deals, if his guys can't get the job done on their own, what can HE do about it? Apparently the answer is "nothing" because he sits on the bench and baits the officials over calls, but he seems completely disengaged from his players -- like a father whose son is a .085 hitter in baseball: just sit there and hope that maybe something will change, but expect nothing.
4) Recruiting -- as of right now it appears that Duke has one (1) top 100 recruit for 2008 -- an off guard. Their #2 recruit is a 6'7" white guy getting 8 boards a game in Nevada high school play. It isn't bad enough that UNC has THREE guys in the top 100, but so does Alabama!! (Quick -- who is the coach of Alabama?)
So, as a Duke fan, there is little out there right now that makes me feel good about the program.
The most troubling aspect of the program right now is that the coach seems to be moving into the "Penn State/Joe Pa Level" where he keeps his job not because he truly has any chance of bringing the program to its former level of glory but because, having been great for such a long time, he deserves to have the job as long as he wants it. If Coach K decides to take this path, Duke will be good every 2 or 3 years and may even crack an Elite 8 from time to time, but there is no real hope of a return to our past glory.
Congrats, Coach K -- opposing players now compare Duke's program with, say, Marquette. Wow.
HM
ANYway, I think 1987-89 was Coach K's greatest stretch as a college coach. He was a very active bench presence and he got the most out of his team's talent. Then came 1990-94, aka "The Golden Years." He got lucky in recruiting and got three kids that Carolina could have had if Dean had wanted them badly enough: Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. During these three guys' time at Duke, Coach K won 2 titles and went to 4 national title games.
Then we run into a dead spot from 1995 to 1997 (Joey Beard and Greg Newton anyone?). Coach K then starts really hitting the recruiting trail hard and gets Brand and Battier in 1998, but he loses to Kentucky in 1998 (inexcusable loss) and UConn in 1999 (another awful loss). Jason Williams and Battier and Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer manage to get a title in 2001, and the way it looks, that may be Coach K's final title ever.
Most disturbing aspects of Duke basketball to a Duke fan right now:
1) Is there a weight room at Duke and do the guys know where it is? ANY team in the top 100 who has a guy over 235 pounds dominates Duke on the boards. How embarrassing is it for a Duke team to get outrebounded by West Virginia 41-19? Very. As a coach myself, if my team's rebound percentage is 33%, I know that we may as well not even play the game. You can't win a game like that.
How bad has Duke's physical wimpy-ness become? The POINT GUARD for WEST VIRGINIA was talking smack about how everyone can see on game films that Duke can't rebound! Some other random WVU player felt free to opine that Duke would basically be a .500 squad in the Big East.
Coach K, are you listening to this? Do you even care?
2) Coach K claims that he now employs a more "international" style of play. Well, except for the 6'5" penetrating point guard and 6'11" 250 pound center every international team uses............. Can you jack up 30 threes a game and win? Sure you can, if you A) rebound and get back some of your own misses; and B) can take advanatge of the spread out defense and penetrate for layups. Duke does neither.
3) Coach K doesn't seem to really care much. Hey, he has three national titles, he has multi-million dollar endorsement deals, if his guys can't get the job done on their own, what can HE do about it? Apparently the answer is "nothing" because he sits on the bench and baits the officials over calls, but he seems completely disengaged from his players -- like a father whose son is a .085 hitter in baseball: just sit there and hope that maybe something will change, but expect nothing.
4) Recruiting -- as of right now it appears that Duke has one (1) top 100 recruit for 2008 -- an off guard. Their #2 recruit is a 6'7" white guy getting 8 boards a game in Nevada high school play. It isn't bad enough that UNC has THREE guys in the top 100, but so does Alabama!! (Quick -- who is the coach of Alabama?)
So, as a Duke fan, there is little out there right now that makes me feel good about the program.
The most troubling aspect of the program right now is that the coach seems to be moving into the "Penn State/Joe Pa Level" where he keeps his job not because he truly has any chance of bringing the program to its former level of glory but because, having been great for such a long time, he deserves to have the job as long as he wants it. If Coach K decides to take this path, Duke will be good every 2 or 3 years and may even crack an Elite 8 from time to time, but there is no real hope of a return to our past glory.
Congrats, Coach K -- opposing players now compare Duke's program with, say, Marquette. Wow.
HM
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Glen Taylor -- "Garnett Tanked Games": A Review of the Facts From 2006-07
Remarkably, Wolves owner Glen Taylor (he of the illegal Joe Smith deal and multiple other fiascos) recently came out to say that he wanted to win more games in 2006-07, but Kevin Garnett "tanked" by refusing to play in the final 5 games of the season. Let's examine the facts regarding Mr. Taylor's tactless and gutless statement to the press:
1) The Minnesota Timberwolves of 2006-07 were 20-20 through 40 games when Glen Taylor permitted the firing of Dwane Casey and appointed Randy Wittman as head coach. Wittman proceeded to work his coaching magic, going 12-30 over the final 42 games: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2007.html
Conclusion: If Taylor so badly wanted to win more games in 2006-07, maybe he shouldn't have fired a .500 coach to hire a .286 coach.
2) I do NOT believe that Taylor is claiming that Garnett, while playing, actually intentionally threw games. IF he is, that is slander. Kevin Garnett, I can safely say, has never intentionally played to lose an NBA game. One criticism of Garnett has been that he actually tried TOO hard in the regular season and had nothing left for the playoffs.
Conclusion: Assuming that Glen Taylor doesn't want to pay civil damages to KG, Taylor's comment necessarily focuses only on games KG did not play in at the end of 2006-07.
3) Kevin Garnett played up through April 9, 2007. http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/pgl.cgi?player=garneke01&year=2007
4) After April 9, 2007, the Timberwolves had only 5 more games to play: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2007_games.html These games were: Dallas, San Antonio, at Golden State, at Denver, and Memphis
Conclusion -- Taylor was apparently badly hoping for wins over these five team, 4 of whom were playoff bound and making their playoff push. Um, optimistic.
5) In their last 25 games under Wittman pre-"tank", the Wolves had gone 7-18, a 28% winning percentage.
Conclusion -- Completely ignoring the slate of opponents, the Wolves could statistically be expected to win 1.40 games over a 5 game stretch under the tutelage of Randy Wittman.
6) The Wolves only winnable game in the final 5 was a tilt with Memphis on April 18, 2007.
In that game the Wolves were defeated in Minneapolis by one of the worst teams in the league (Tarence Kinsey and Dahntay Jones getting the start, Alexander Johnson and Junior Harrington off the bench) by 22 points. The Wolves were outrebounded by 7, outshot 53% to 40%, FT% was 79% to 62%, assists were 37 to 20, and the Grizzle had 13 steals+blocks to the Wolves' 8: http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200704180MIN.html
Conclusion: losing at home to the Grizzle by 22 points was in no way Kevin Garnett's fault. If Randy Wittman had destroyed his team to the point where Memphis could just roll over them at Target Center, KG's presence in a meaningless season-ending tilt probably wouldn't have turned the tide.
Final Analysis: Garnett not playing had virtually no impact on the Timberwolves' chances of winning games at the end of 2006-07. At MOST, KG may have been able to eke out one extra win over Memphis in Game 82. How this would have improved the Timberwolves franchise is anyone's guess.
Glen Taylor owes Kevin Garnett an apology.
1) The Minnesota Timberwolves of 2006-07 were 20-20 through 40 games when Glen Taylor permitted the firing of Dwane Casey and appointed Randy Wittman as head coach. Wittman proceeded to work his coaching magic, going 12-30 over the final 42 games: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2007.html
Conclusion: If Taylor so badly wanted to win more games in 2006-07, maybe he shouldn't have fired a .500 coach to hire a .286 coach.
2) I do NOT believe that Taylor is claiming that Garnett, while playing, actually intentionally threw games. IF he is, that is slander. Kevin Garnett, I can safely say, has never intentionally played to lose an NBA game. One criticism of Garnett has been that he actually tried TOO hard in the regular season and had nothing left for the playoffs.
Conclusion: Assuming that Glen Taylor doesn't want to pay civil damages to KG, Taylor's comment necessarily focuses only on games KG did not play in at the end of 2006-07.
3) Kevin Garnett played up through April 9, 2007. http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/pgl.cgi?player=garneke01&year=2007
4) After April 9, 2007, the Timberwolves had only 5 more games to play: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2007_games.html These games were: Dallas, San Antonio, at Golden State, at Denver, and Memphis
Conclusion -- Taylor was apparently badly hoping for wins over these five team, 4 of whom were playoff bound and making their playoff push. Um, optimistic.
5) In their last 25 games under Wittman pre-"tank", the Wolves had gone 7-18, a 28% winning percentage.
Conclusion -- Completely ignoring the slate of opponents, the Wolves could statistically be expected to win 1.40 games over a 5 game stretch under the tutelage of Randy Wittman.
6) The Wolves only winnable game in the final 5 was a tilt with Memphis on April 18, 2007.
In that game the Wolves were defeated in Minneapolis by one of the worst teams in the league (Tarence Kinsey and Dahntay Jones getting the start, Alexander Johnson and Junior Harrington off the bench) by 22 points. The Wolves were outrebounded by 7, outshot 53% to 40%, FT% was 79% to 62%, assists were 37 to 20, and the Grizzle had 13 steals+blocks to the Wolves' 8: http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200704180MIN.html
Conclusion: losing at home to the Grizzle by 22 points was in no way Kevin Garnett's fault. If Randy Wittman had destroyed his team to the point where Memphis could just roll over them at Target Center, KG's presence in a meaningless season-ending tilt probably wouldn't have turned the tide.
Final Analysis: Garnett not playing had virtually no impact on the Timberwolves' chances of winning games at the end of 2006-07. At MOST, KG may have been able to eke out one extra win over Memphis in Game 82. How this would have improved the Timberwolves franchise is anyone's guess.
Glen Taylor owes Kevin Garnett an apology.
Rookie Production? Stats Paint a Bleak Picture
#1 pick Greg Oden did not play at all this year, but, judging by the production of the rest of the rookie crop, the Blazers did the right thing in selecting Oden #1. Even if Oden never suits up for the Blazers, his production won't be much worse than what we are seeing from other rookies this year.
Here are your 21 most productive rookies, based upon the NBA's stat of "Efficiency":
1. Al Horford (#77 -- between Udonis Haslem and David Lee)
2. Kevin Durant (#95 -- between Jamal Tinsley and Peja)
3. Jamario Moon (#109 -- between Beno Udrih and Ronnie Brewer)
4. Luis Scola (#133 -- Between Nocioni and Dorell Wright)
5. Carl Landry (#141 -- between Rashad McCants and Joel Przybilla)
Now, there are 30 teams in the league, each with 5 starters, so these are the only 5 guys who are producing at starter level even if they were on the worst team in the league.
Moving on:
6. Yi Jianlian (#163, between Jarrett Jack and Hakim Warrick -- wonder why the Bucks are so disappointing?)
7. Al Thornton (#170, between Brandon Bass and Reggie Evans)
8. Thad Young (#177, between Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf)
9. Sean Williams (#180, between Luke Walton and Keith Bogans)
10. Joakim Noah (#187, between Azubike and Theo Ratliff)
So, your 10th most productive rookie is producing at about the level of an aged warrior playing all year on one good leg. Nice.
11. Mike Conley (#190)
12. JC Navarro (#192)
13. and 14. Kosta Perovic and Jeff Green (#195 -- guess I was right about Jeff Green...........and/or wrong about Kosta Perovic.........oh wait, Kosta has only played one game..............)
15. Mike Harris (#200)
16. Jared Dudley (#221)
These 16 guys are playing at a level where you could say, "OK, they are playing some and aren't horribly bad". Then we fall off the cliff down 35 spots to the next guy:
17. Rodney Stuckey (#256)
18. Corey Brewer (#258)
19. Daequan Cook (#267)
20. Jason Smith (#280)
and since he is close to top 20:
21. Brandon Wright (#282)
But wait. We have three early picks (not including Oden) who are STILL unaccounted for!
Julian Wright -- following in the footsteps of Wayne Simien -- #299
Spencer Hawes -- #307
and, the least productive early pick goes to .....................
Atlanta. Acie Law: 4.09 Efficiency, #322 in the league. To make matters worse, his Efficiency per 48 is 410th best in the league. Among ROOKIES, he is 50th in Efficiency per 48.
His 38% from the floor is bad enough, but maybe as an NBA guard you ought to be able to improve on your 19% from 3 point range.
Corey Brewer, by the by, shoots a worse percentage than Law (35.6% and 17%) but his better stats in other categories leave him #389 in the league in Eff48, just above Daequan Cook).
Here are your 21 most productive rookies, based upon the NBA's stat of "Efficiency":
1. Al Horford (#77 -- between Udonis Haslem and David Lee)
2. Kevin Durant (#95 -- between Jamal Tinsley and Peja)
3. Jamario Moon (#109 -- between Beno Udrih and Ronnie Brewer)
4. Luis Scola (#133 -- Between Nocioni and Dorell Wright)
5. Carl Landry (#141 -- between Rashad McCants and Joel Przybilla)
Now, there are 30 teams in the league, each with 5 starters, so these are the only 5 guys who are producing at starter level even if they were on the worst team in the league.
Moving on:
6. Yi Jianlian (#163, between Jarrett Jack and Hakim Warrick -- wonder why the Bucks are so disappointing?)
7. Al Thornton (#170, between Brandon Bass and Reggie Evans)
8. Thad Young (#177, between Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf)
9. Sean Williams (#180, between Luke Walton and Keith Bogans)
10. Joakim Noah (#187, between Azubike and Theo Ratliff)
So, your 10th most productive rookie is producing at about the level of an aged warrior playing all year on one good leg. Nice.
11. Mike Conley (#190)
12. JC Navarro (#192)
13. and 14. Kosta Perovic and Jeff Green (#195 -- guess I was right about Jeff Green...........and/or wrong about Kosta Perovic.........oh wait, Kosta has only played one game..............)
15. Mike Harris (#200)
16. Jared Dudley (#221)
These 16 guys are playing at a level where you could say, "OK, they are playing some and aren't horribly bad". Then we fall off the cliff down 35 spots to the next guy:
17. Rodney Stuckey (#256)
18. Corey Brewer (#258)
19. Daequan Cook (#267)
20. Jason Smith (#280)
and since he is close to top 20:
21. Brandon Wright (#282)
But wait. We have three early picks (not including Oden) who are STILL unaccounted for!
Julian Wright -- following in the footsteps of Wayne Simien -- #299
Spencer Hawes -- #307
and, the least productive early pick goes to .....................
Atlanta. Acie Law: 4.09 Efficiency, #322 in the league. To make matters worse, his Efficiency per 48 is 410th best in the league. Among ROOKIES, he is 50th in Efficiency per 48.
His 38% from the floor is bad enough, but maybe as an NBA guard you ought to be able to improve on your 19% from 3 point range.
Corey Brewer, by the by, shoots a worse percentage than Law (35.6% and 17%) but his better stats in other categories leave him #389 in the league in Eff48, just above Daequan Cook).
Preacher Not Fan of Obama
It starts out like a joke, but I think the guy is serious. It goes on and on, so I guess he really, in fact, does hate Obama.
My mom always used the phrase, "Doesn't have a pot to piss in" but this guy adds on an extra phrase at the end that I have never heard.
My mom always used the phrase, "Doesn't have a pot to piss in" but this guy adds on an extra phrase at the end that I have never heard.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
For My Female Reader(s)
http://shopping.aol.com/baby-kids-maternity?ncid=AOLCOMMshopDYNLsec0001
There must be one or two somewhere out there..............
There must be one or two somewhere out there..............
Man Sues Over Lap Dance Gone Awry
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/18/2008-03-18_man_suing_strip_club_after_he_says_dance-1.html
I can honestly say that I have never been more embarrassed to be an attorney. Unless this guy suffered some SERIOUS eye injury, why doesn't he just go to the club owner and say, "Hey look. I got some medical bills, how about paying them?"
For you law students out there -- can the club plead "assumption of the risk"? Perhaps they could defend on the basis of "unclean hands"?
HM
I can honestly say that I have never been more embarrassed to be an attorney. Unless this guy suffered some SERIOUS eye injury, why doesn't he just go to the club owner and say, "Hey look. I got some medical bills, how about paying them?"
For you law students out there -- can the club plead "assumption of the risk"? Perhaps they could defend on the basis of "unclean hands"?
HM
Monday, March 17, 2008
Movie Rental Review -- "Transformers"
Let me just explain this to you: if you are a male between the ages of 10 and 50 and you do not like "Transformers" then I suggest that you sit at home in front of your mom's computer until you successfully Google all of the states where gay marriage and/or civil unions are permitted. Cuz if you don't like these special effects and the huge amount of crap that blows up or the cool weapons, I would imagine that you would at least like to see Megan Fox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Fox -- her generation's Angelina Jolie.
9 out of 10 (there are some rather bizarre parts involving talking robots, but hey, the film is about talking robots).
HM
9 out of 10 (there are some rather bizarre parts involving talking robots, but hey, the film is about talking robots).
HM
Legall Blind David Paterson Becomes NY Governor
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/paterson-becomes-governor-of-new-york/20080317075009990001
Rumored press conference:
Q: How do you feel about becoming NY's first black governor?
A: I am black?!?!
Q: Have you hired prostitutes in the past?
A: I can honestly say that I have never seen a prostitute.
Reese Witherspoon ("Legally Blonde") was invited, but did not attend.
The Non-PC,
HM
Rumored press conference:
Q: How do you feel about becoming NY's first black governor?
A: I am black?!?!
Q: Have you hired prostitutes in the past?
A: I can honestly say that I have never seen a prostitute.
Reese Witherspoon ("Legally Blonde") was invited, but did not attend.
The Non-PC,
HM
ABBA Drummer Faces His Waterloo
http://music.aol.com/news/story/_a/abba-drummer-found-dead-in-garden/20080317073909990002
As a great band once noted:
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
Its simple and its plain
Why should I complain?
As a great band once noted:
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
Its simple and its plain
Why should I complain?
Busy Working -- But Need to Post This
The Playstation Maven's squad finished 9th and 8th in his two state basketball tourneys this year. Looking at the squad objectively, I would say they were a legit #9 squad in the entire state.
PM is now about 5'8" and wears a size 11 shoe (really 10 1/2, but they didn't have any that size in the hoops shoe he liked). He turned 12 in December. His hands are bigger than mine. And he is starting to actually become a basketball player. In an ass kicking loss to the state champions this weekend (they won both state tourneys, have a guy who is 6'4" and a guy who is 6'1"), PM's team lost 45-12, but he scored 7 of the 12 and held the 6'4" kid to 12 points.
In the final loss of the tourney (losers bracket game to reach the final 6), PM had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists and regularly brought the ball up the floor against the press.
So anyway, just taking time out from being busy at work to tout my boy. I think he is one of the best 50 players in the state at his age level and if he keeps improving (and growing) you just never know.
PM now moves on to his best sport (baseball) while also playing spring AAU basketball for a hand-picked squad of west metro players. He is probably the 7th best guy on the 9 man team, so these guys should be fun to watch.
HM
PM is now about 5'8" and wears a size 11 shoe (really 10 1/2, but they didn't have any that size in the hoops shoe he liked). He turned 12 in December. His hands are bigger than mine. And he is starting to actually become a basketball player. In an ass kicking loss to the state champions this weekend (they won both state tourneys, have a guy who is 6'4" and a guy who is 6'1"), PM's team lost 45-12, but he scored 7 of the 12 and held the 6'4" kid to 12 points.
In the final loss of the tourney (losers bracket game to reach the final 6), PM had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists and regularly brought the ball up the floor against the press.
So anyway, just taking time out from being busy at work to tout my boy. I think he is one of the best 50 players in the state at his age level and if he keeps improving (and growing) you just never know.
PM now moves on to his best sport (baseball) while also playing spring AAU basketball for a hand-picked squad of west metro players. He is probably the 7th best guy on the 9 man team, so these guys should be fun to watch.
HM
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Man Forced to Marry a Goat
http://www.gadling.com/2008/03/12/sudan-man-marries-a-goat/
And Eliot Spitzer thinks HE has problems............look at the option in the Sudan!
And Eliot Spitzer thinks HE has problems............look at the option in the Sudan!
American Idol Update -- Sign Said, "Nude Gay Stripper People....Need Not Apply"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hernandez Hernandez gets the boot after a flat-out awful performance of "I Saw Her Standing There?" He suffers a narrow loss to Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha.
Katherine McPhee looked stunning last night and showed that (despite her limited success as a singer to date) she is far better option than any of the current female singers in Season 7. You can see that she has been acting in movies because she has dropped 15 pounds and could probably stand to regain 5 to 7.
Front Runners -- Guys: David Archuleta (I think he resembles a confused troll and he forgot the lyrics again last night, but young girls love him, he is a sure-thing top 5 candidate); David Cook -- can really spin a tune to his liking
Soon to go -- Jason Castro (just too bizarre)
Girls Front Runner -- Brooke White (very non-threatening, can pick up young girl votes, my daughter votes for her every show night)
Soon to go -- Everyone else
I have to say again that I still think Kristy Lee Cook could put together a career in singing. She is an OK singer and she is extremely good looking. But she seems to suffer from a crippling lack of self-confidence. Last night she almost admitted that everyone else was better than she was and she deserved the boot. Note to Kristy: Chekezie, Ramielle, Syesha, Amanda, Castro -- none of them are clearly better than you. That means if you would just get your head on straight you could be looking at a top 5 finish! Buck up!
Katherine McPhee looked stunning last night and showed that (despite her limited success as a singer to date) she is far better option than any of the current female singers in Season 7. You can see that she has been acting in movies because she has dropped 15 pounds and could probably stand to regain 5 to 7.
Front Runners -- Guys: David Archuleta (I think he resembles a confused troll and he forgot the lyrics again last night, but young girls love him, he is a sure-thing top 5 candidate); David Cook -- can really spin a tune to his liking
Soon to go -- Jason Castro (just too bizarre)
Girls Front Runner -- Brooke White (very non-threatening, can pick up young girl votes, my daughter votes for her every show night)
Soon to go -- Everyone else
I have to say again that I still think Kristy Lee Cook could put together a career in singing. She is an OK singer and she is extremely good looking. But she seems to suffer from a crippling lack of self-confidence. Last night she almost admitted that everyone else was better than she was and she deserved the boot. Note to Kristy: Chekezie, Ramielle, Syesha, Amanda, Castro -- none of them are clearly better than you. That means if you would just get your head on straight you could be looking at a top 5 finish! Buck up!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Is Shane Battier the Greatest Winner of Our Generation Among Non-All-Stars?
Proposition: Other than Perennial NBA All-Stars, Shane Battier is the greatest basketball "winner" of our time (and possibly of all time).
So, I am excluding guys like Jordan and Kareem and Bird and Magic and Duncan, etc. Let's look at the stats and you can correct me if I am missing a player who could compete with Battier:
1. At Duke: record the last three years before he came: 13-18, 18-13, 24-9. So 55 and 40. Winning percentage -- around 58%
Record for Battier's 4 years at Duke: 32-4, 37-2, 29-5, 35-4. So 132 and 15. Around 90%.
Change by having Battier at Duke: average winning percentage goes up from 58% to 90%.
(Note, the next 4 years after Battier, Duke went 115-23, 84%, but still down 6% from Battier's days)
2. At Memphis. Prior three years -- 8-42, 22-60, 23-59 -- So, 53-161. Winning percentage about 25%
With Battier for 5 years -- 23-59, 28-54, 50-32, 45-37, 49-33. So, 195-215. Winning percentage about 48%
Change by having Battier at Memphis: average winning percentage goes up from 25% to 48% (almost doubles)
(Note -- after Battier? 47-108. About 30%, down from winning marks in each of Battier's last three years).
3. At Houston -- With Battier 95-50. About 62%.
Two Years Pre-Battier -- 85-79 (including missing the playoffs the year before he arrived and going 34-48). About 52%
Average winning percentage goes up from 52% to 62%.
I imagine that there COULD be some similar story somewhere to tell, but I find it hard to believe that there is anyone else who satisfies all of these six criteria:
1) Not a multiple-time NBA all-star.
2) Playing time per game has always been at least half the game (20+ in college, 24+ in the pros) on every college and pro team he has ever been on.
3) College team increased its winning percentage substantially when he was in school.
4) Every pro team he has played for has increased its winning percentage substantially while he was playing for them versus the years before he got there.
5) Every team he has left (college or pro) has become WORSE immediately after he left them.
6) Career in the NBA came after the NBA/ABA merger.
Until someone can identify someone who meets all 6 criteria, I believe that the proposition is correct. Shane Battier is the greatest winner for his talent level in recent history.
Counting Crows Front Man -- "I Sit Home a Lot"
http://www.blender.com/WhoDoesAdamDuritzThinkHeIs/articles/18702.aspx
Um, OK. People feel better after listening to Counting Crows? I guess you do because you see how bad someone else has it. I love "August and Everything After" but as a feel-good piece???
Raining In Baltimore: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/counting-crows/raining-in-baltimore.html
'Round Here? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Here
Rain King: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Rain-King-lyrics-Counting-Crows/8FFE56A1C7D3C711482568B10027DB2A
Um, OK. People feel better after listening to Counting Crows? I guess you do because you see how bad someone else has it. I love "August and Everything After" but as a feel-good piece???
Raining In Baltimore: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/counting-crows/raining-in-baltimore.html
'Round Here? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Here
Rain King: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Rain-King-lyrics-Counting-Crows/8FFE56A1C7D3C711482568B10027DB2A
Eliot Spitzer -- Hooker-Hiring Quitter
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12cnd-resign.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp
Rumor is that he left murmuring something about "7 diamonds, my ass........"
Rumor is that he left murmuring something about "7 diamonds, my ass........"
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
What Does a $1,000 to $5,000 an Hour Hooker Look Like
Thanks to some quick-thinking young man who got the screen capture, we now know:
http://www.skeletonsinthecloset.com/2008/03/10/eliot-spitzer-prostitution-emperors-club-vip-escorts-website-pictures/
Go to Wikipedia and get the entry for "Emperors Club VIP." They note that a full day with a 7-diamond girl like "Maya" would set you back $31,000.
More pics at: http://web.archive.org/web/20061212185929/emperorsclubvip.com/EmperorsClubVipPortfolioX.html
http://www.skeletonsinthecloset.com/2008/03/10/eliot-spitzer-prostitution-emperors-club-vip-escorts-website-pictures/
Go to Wikipedia and get the entry for "Emperors Club VIP." They note that a full day with a 7-diamond girl like "Maya" would set you back $31,000.
More pics at: http://web.archive.org/web/20061212185929/emperorsclubvip.com/EmperorsClubVipPortfolioX.html
Detroit's Female Fans........Pretty Dang Desperate
Perhaps the Pistons fan-nettes don't recall Prince cowering in fear from LeBron James (pictured) in last year's playoffs.
Spitzer -- He Likes His Hookers To Just Get Down to Business
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0310082spitzer6.html
Not exactly the most revealing depiction of what occurred, but it looks like Spitzer liked the hookers and just simply wanted them to provide him his promised services and get out. "Kristen" had no problem with that attitude, stating that she knew why she was there.
Hopefully Spitzer can find a way to speak in front of the GOP Senate caucus, who perhaps will give him the same standing ovation they provided to still-serving Senator David Vitter in 2007???????????? http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070723/OPINION/707230311
Well, at least Larry Craig resigned.....right? No? Huh.............
HM
Not exactly the most revealing depiction of what occurred, but it looks like Spitzer liked the hookers and just simply wanted them to provide him his promised services and get out. "Kristen" had no problem with that attitude, stating that she knew why she was there.
Hopefully Spitzer can find a way to speak in front of the GOP Senate caucus, who perhaps will give him the same standing ovation they provided to still-serving Senator David Vitter in 2007???????????? http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070723/OPINION/707230311
Well, at least Larry Craig resigned.....right? No? Huh.............
HM
Friday, March 07, 2008
Presidential Disasters
GWB -- Barring some unbelievable miracle in the next 10 months (that's right, he is gone in 10 months!), he will go down as one of history's worst. While his ill-conceived pre-emptive war against a country not involved in 9/11 remains the centerpiece of his idiocy, you can't ignore the numerous violations of the Constitution as a selling point (though COngress feels free to do so). And now the return of "stagflation" (economy and stock market sucks, people are losing their jobs, yet everything still costs more!!) threatens to drop him down behind Jimmy Carter in the history books.
Jimmy Carter -- the aforementioned Carter is, simply put, a disaster. Since GWB still has some time to, I think GWB still is a little better at the job so far because Carter couldn't get his own party to let him do things he wanted. GWB at least gets Congress to approve all of his fraudulent and unconstitutional goings on...To my knowledge, GWB never became girlishly terrified by a rabbit swimming next to a canoe either.
William Henry Harrison -- you hate to rip a guy for croaking, but he gave a long inauguration speech in the rain without a coat to disprove the claim that he was too old and too frail to be President. Then he died 30 days later. History cannot be kind to you when this happens.
Richard Nixon -- You know, breaking into the other party's headquarters, enemies lists, dirty tricks, engaging in whatever kind of stuff would keep him in power....again, bad. Only President to resign from office (would have been impeached and removed, everyone knew it). Still he ranks WAY ahead of Bush of Carter as a President. When he actually tried to do work, he got some decent stuff accomplished.
James Buchanan -- only bachelor President........like Danny Noriega, probably not gay......he made the small mistake of doing nothing while the Southern states left the union. He felt that, although he was still President, that Lincoln had been elected and it was Lincoln's problem. That is a man who cares about his country!
Franklin Pierce -- if you read Franklin Pierce's 4th State of the Union Address you see a man doomed to end up on the wrong side of history. His pages-long attack on abolitionists include the following:
[A]ssociations have been formed in some of the States of individuals who, pretending to seek only to prevent the spread of the institution of slavery into the present or future inchoate States of the Union, are really inflamed with desire to change the domestic institutions of existing States. To accomplish their objects they dedicate themselves to the odious task of depreciating the government organization which stands in their way and of calumniating with indiscriminate invective not only the citizens of particular States with whose laws they find fault, but all others of their fellow citizens throughout the country who do not participate with them in their assaults upon the Constitution, framed and adopted by our fathers, and claiming for the privileges it has secured and the blessings it has conferred the steady support and grateful reverence of their children.
In other words, "There are these idots out there that are trying to end slavery. Do they hate the Constitution that much?"
Warren Harding - such a horrible President with such a scandal-laden administration that there are actually rumors that he was poisoned by Republican Party officials while on a cruise so that they could get him out of the way. Rumored to have fathered two children out of wedlock: one was fathered as a result of doing a woman in a closet at his Senate office one year before becoming President, and one was fathered with a woman who moved to Europe and lived off blackmail from the GOP for the rest of her life.
Zachary Taylor -- ran on the Whig party platform but secretly disagreed with almost everything the party stood for. Southerner who was anti-slavery expansion (so I guess we need to give him points for that), but he was another old man who died a bizarre death which was either caused by drinking ice milk while eating cherries or (alternatively) staying out in the sun too long and dying of heat stroke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachary_Taylor#Death. Either way, that is an embarrassing way for a President to die in office.
Jimmy Carter -- the aforementioned Carter is, simply put, a disaster. Since GWB still has some time to, I think GWB still is a little better at the job so far because Carter couldn't get his own party to let him do things he wanted. GWB at least gets Congress to approve all of his fraudulent and unconstitutional goings on...To my knowledge, GWB never became girlishly terrified by a rabbit swimming next to a canoe either.
William Henry Harrison -- you hate to rip a guy for croaking, but he gave a long inauguration speech in the rain without a coat to disprove the claim that he was too old and too frail to be President. Then he died 30 days later. History cannot be kind to you when this happens.
Richard Nixon -- You know, breaking into the other party's headquarters, enemies lists, dirty tricks, engaging in whatever kind of stuff would keep him in power....again, bad. Only President to resign from office (would have been impeached and removed, everyone knew it). Still he ranks WAY ahead of Bush of Carter as a President. When he actually tried to do work, he got some decent stuff accomplished.
James Buchanan -- only bachelor President........like Danny Noriega, probably not gay......he made the small mistake of doing nothing while the Southern states left the union. He felt that, although he was still President, that Lincoln had been elected and it was Lincoln's problem. That is a man who cares about his country!
Franklin Pierce -- if you read Franklin Pierce's 4th State of the Union Address you see a man doomed to end up on the wrong side of history. His pages-long attack on abolitionists include the following:
[A]ssociations have been formed in some of the States of individuals who, pretending to seek only to prevent the spread of the institution of slavery into the present or future inchoate States of the Union, are really inflamed with desire to change the domestic institutions of existing States. To accomplish their objects they dedicate themselves to the odious task of depreciating the government organization which stands in their way and of calumniating with indiscriminate invective not only the citizens of particular States with whose laws they find fault, but all others of their fellow citizens throughout the country who do not participate with them in their assaults upon the Constitution, framed and adopted by our fathers, and claiming for the privileges it has secured and the blessings it has conferred the steady support and grateful reverence of their children.
In other words, "There are these idots out there that are trying to end slavery. Do they hate the Constitution that much?"
Warren Harding - such a horrible President with such a scandal-laden administration that there are actually rumors that he was poisoned by Republican Party officials while on a cruise so that they could get him out of the way. Rumored to have fathered two children out of wedlock: one was fathered as a result of doing a woman in a closet at his Senate office one year before becoming President, and one was fathered with a woman who moved to Europe and lived off blackmail from the GOP for the rest of her life.
Zachary Taylor -- ran on the Whig party platform but secretly disagreed with almost everything the party stood for. Southerner who was anti-slavery expansion (so I guess we need to give him points for that), but he was another old man who died a bizarre death which was either caused by drinking ice milk while eating cherries or (alternatively) staying out in the sun too long and dying of heat stroke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachary_Taylor#Death. Either way, that is an embarrassing way for a President to die in office.
"Today Show" to Turn to..............Kathy Lee Gifford!?!?!?
How desperate must "Today" be to consider going with the ultra-annoying Gifford?
Pictured -- Kathy Lee Gifford. Oh wait! That is former Frank Gifford mistress Suzen Johnson! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzen_Johnson. My mistake.
Note the 1997 headline -- "Brett Favre, One Bad Cajun." Proposed 2008 Headline -- "Brett Favre, One Tired Quitter..."
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Idol Predictions Site
http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/Predictions.asp
I guess remaking a "Wham" classic and being outed as a gay-type male stripper don't really bolster your call volume (I love the Luke Menard column -- busy signal percentage........zero....it may be a typo, but still it is funny to see).
I will miss Kady Malloy because she is really good looking, but she deserves to go ("Forever" by Queen??? As Randy Jackson stopped just short of saying, "Jesus, you had a 10-year period to choose from and you picked some bizarre obscure Queen song that no one likes!"). And I really think one of the lower-range fake divas needs to leave as well (Syesha, Remeile, Asia'h'h'h'h).
Best video clip of the night -- Syesha saying that in 2nd grade she left a boy a love note and some gum -- he turned her in to the teacher and......still took the gum). Oddest clip of the night -- the very attractive Kristy Lee Cook (PLEASE let her stay!!) saying that as a 7 year old she acted like a dog for an entire year and drank out of a dog bowl and allowed pet rats to ride her back like jockeys on a horse. Um, TMI there. Maybe you just say, "I fell down in front of a boy I liked and split my pants" or some such thing. Acting as a dog for a year............uh...........what will be the next embarrassing disclosure for Kristy? "When I was 16 my boyfriend made me dress up as a clown on every date for 6 months while he threw spoiled fruit at me and sang songs from "Pagliacci." Boy was that embarrassing!"
I guess remaking a "Wham" classic and being outed as a gay-type male stripper don't really bolster your call volume (I love the Luke Menard column -- busy signal percentage........zero....it may be a typo, but still it is funny to see).
I will miss Kady Malloy because she is really good looking, but she deserves to go ("Forever" by Queen??? As Randy Jackson stopped just short of saying, "Jesus, you had a 10-year period to choose from and you picked some bizarre obscure Queen song that no one likes!"). And I really think one of the lower-range fake divas needs to leave as well (Syesha, Remeile, Asia'h'h'h'h).
Best video clip of the night -- Syesha saying that in 2nd grade she left a boy a love note and some gum -- he turned her in to the teacher and......still took the gum). Oddest clip of the night -- the very attractive Kristy Lee Cook (PLEASE let her stay!!) saying that as a 7 year old she acted like a dog for an entire year and drank out of a dog bowl and allowed pet rats to ride her back like jockeys on a horse. Um, TMI there. Maybe you just say, "I fell down in front of a boy I liked and split my pants" or some such thing. Acting as a dog for a year............uh...........what will be the next embarrassing disclosure for Kristy? "When I was 16 my boyfriend made me dress up as a clown on every date for 6 months while he threw spoiled fruit at me and sang songs from "Pagliacci." Boy was that embarrassing!"
5 Richest Men in the World -- 2 American, 3 Not
http://money.aol.com/forbes/general/worlds-richest-people-2008
Is Gates headed for the soup kitchen next year????
Is Gates headed for the soup kitchen next year????
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
American Idol Danny Noriega -- Anti-Christmas
http://www.tmz.com/tmz_main_video?titleid=1443716749
The saddest thing is that he would try to make himself look tough. This is pathetic in many, many ways.
The saddest thing is that he would try to make himself look tough. This is pathetic in many, many ways.
And the 8th Shall Be 4th?? NBA Playoff Seeding in the Western Conference
After the huge outrage regarding Dallas and San Antonio, the NBA changed its seeding rules for the playoffs, but it still provides an automatic entry for division winners. http://aol.nba.com/features/seedingprimer07.html. The worst division winner still gets no worse than a #4 seed.
As we sit here today, Denver is out of the playoffs with a mark of 39-24. Yet assume that Utah fades horribly and ends up at 48 and 34 while the Nuggets go 10-9 to finish 49 and 33. That means Denver gets the #4 seed and moves all of the way up to #4 and past many more-deserving teams with better records (four of these five -- Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Golden State, New Orleans).
Fortunately the Sac Kings aren't good enough to jump up and bite anyone, because the Kings as a playoff threat would provide the NBA with the absolute nightmare scenario: 8 teams from the Pacific and Southwest Divisions having better records than the Northwest winner!!
While it would require a great deal of doing, it is altogether possible that some day the division leader of one division makes the playoffs while teams with better records stay home. This, of course, has happened in football and baseball, but I think it would be a tough thing to justify for the NBA because of the NBA's balanced schedule. If I have played the exact same schedule that you have played and I finished with a better record, what is the justification for you getting in? Because the league put the words "Northwest Division" next to your name?
HM
As we sit here today, Denver is out of the playoffs with a mark of 39-24. Yet assume that Utah fades horribly and ends up at 48 and 34 while the Nuggets go 10-9 to finish 49 and 33. That means Denver gets the #4 seed and moves all of the way up to #4 and past many more-deserving teams with better records (four of these five -- Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Golden State, New Orleans).
Fortunately the Sac Kings aren't good enough to jump up and bite anyone, because the Kings as a playoff threat would provide the NBA with the absolute nightmare scenario: 8 teams from the Pacific and Southwest Divisions having better records than the Northwest winner!!
While it would require a great deal of doing, it is altogether possible that some day the division leader of one division makes the playoffs while teams with better records stay home. This, of course, has happened in football and baseball, but I think it would be a tough thing to justify for the NBA because of the NBA's balanced schedule. If I have played the exact same schedule that you have played and I finished with a better record, what is the justification for you getting in? Because the league put the words "Northwest Division" next to your name?
HM
David Hernandez -- Stripper
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/04/idol.stripper.ap/index.html
I say he stays. After all, wouldn't you think Ryan Seacrest would fight, er, hard for this guy?
article says, "He will perform with the other male contestants Tuesday night"..................and then he will also sing on "American Idol."
HM
I say he stays. After all, wouldn't you think Ryan Seacrest would fight, er, hard for this guy?
article says, "He will perform with the other male contestants Tuesday night"..................and then he will also sing on "American Idol."
HM
Knight, Castro, Now Brett Favre Joins the List of Quitters
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3276034
Favre these past few years has been more than a little hard to take. All of the "I might retire. Look out. I might retire" crap got old 5 years ago.
But let me add this. For a 5 year stretch of 1994 through 1998 Brett Favre was the best quarterback that I ever saw play. You couldn't contain him. You couldn't sack him. He threw touchdown passes any time he wanted to guys who were barely able to get open by a yard or two. For that stretch, Favre was the Michael Jordan of football.
Favre's weakness as a player was that he was never able to accept shortcomings of his team/receivers or in his own diminishing skills. He always tried to play the same way, even when that wasn't possible.
Certainly Joe Montana has a claim to being the greatest QB ever, but from a raw physical ability standpoint, Favre clearly had more tools to work with. And as I said, for that stretch of 1994 through 1998, he may have been the best that ever played.
Favre these past few years has been more than a little hard to take. All of the "I might retire. Look out. I might retire" crap got old 5 years ago.
But let me add this. For a 5 year stretch of 1994 through 1998 Brett Favre was the best quarterback that I ever saw play. You couldn't contain him. You couldn't sack him. He threw touchdown passes any time he wanted to guys who were barely able to get open by a yard or two. For that stretch, Favre was the Michael Jordan of football.
Favre's weakness as a player was that he was never able to accept shortcomings of his team/receivers or in his own diminishing skills. He always tried to play the same way, even when that wasn't possible.
Certainly Joe Montana has a claim to being the greatest QB ever, but from a raw physical ability standpoint, Favre clearly had more tools to work with. And as I said, for that stretch of 1994 through 1998, he may have been the best that ever played.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Roadhouse's Jeff Healey -- Dead at 41
http://music.aol.com/news/story/_a/blind-guitar-legend-jeff-healey-dies/20080303080009990001
If any of you single guys can sing at all, try to learn the words to "Angel Eyes" and sing it to the woman you are dating. Chicks dig it.
RIP....
If any of you single guys can sing at all, try to learn the words to "Angel Eyes" and sing it to the woman you are dating. Chicks dig it.
RIP....
Comparing NFL and NBA Free Agency
Saw this Mock Draft and had a few throughts: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/insider/columns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=3270327&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2fdraft08%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dmcshay_todd%26id%3d3270327
There is SO much money in the NFL right now that teams virtually have to spend a ridiculous amount just to reach the salary "floor" under the collective bargaining agreement. (Current salary floor -- $100MM, roughly $2MM per player). Raiders sign Tommy Kelly (who???) to a $50MM contract, $16MM of which is guaranteed. The guy played 7 games last year and got hurt!!! He has never come close to being a Pro Bowl player. Yet he gets $16MM guaranteed. Wow. Tommy Kelly -- NBA similarity index? Um, Lasagna Diop?
Bernard Berrien? Who is his NBA equivalent? Um, Luke Walton? Walton gets a contract this season at just below mid-level, while Berrian becomes one of the 5 highest paid receivers in the NFL!!
In the NBA the Timberwolves are buying out Theo Ratliff's contract just to save cash (not cap space, not luxury tax money, just to save a little bit of cash). Same thing with the Clippers and Sam Cassell. In the NFL, teams are begging free agent guys to come visit and not letting them leave until they sign because they have so much frigging money that they HAVE to spend it! Cleo Lemon was signed so quickly it made your head spin.
In short, NFL free agency makes little sense to an NBA fan like me. Anyone under 30 who has ever been a starter gets a huge new contract, no matter how crappy his former club or his true ability as a player.
HM
There is SO much money in the NFL right now that teams virtually have to spend a ridiculous amount just to reach the salary "floor" under the collective bargaining agreement. (Current salary floor -- $100MM, roughly $2MM per player). Raiders sign Tommy Kelly (who???) to a $50MM contract, $16MM of which is guaranteed. The guy played 7 games last year and got hurt!!! He has never come close to being a Pro Bowl player. Yet he gets $16MM guaranteed. Wow. Tommy Kelly -- NBA similarity index? Um, Lasagna Diop?
Bernard Berrien? Who is his NBA equivalent? Um, Luke Walton? Walton gets a contract this season at just below mid-level, while Berrian becomes one of the 5 highest paid receivers in the NFL!!
In the NBA the Timberwolves are buying out Theo Ratliff's contract just to save cash (not cap space, not luxury tax money, just to save a little bit of cash). Same thing with the Clippers and Sam Cassell. In the NFL, teams are begging free agent guys to come visit and not letting them leave until they sign because they have so much frigging money that they HAVE to spend it! Cleo Lemon was signed so quickly it made your head spin.
In short, NFL free agency makes little sense to an NBA fan like me. Anyone under 30 who has ever been a starter gets a huge new contract, no matter how crappy his former club or his true ability as a player.
HM
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