Pretty Good Summary right here: http://tothetin.com/2009/01/30/who-got-snubbed-breaking-down-the-all-star-reserves/
Big Al -- I would feel sorrier for him if he tried AT ALL on the defensive end.
David Lee -- imagine the outrage and claims of "East Coast Bias" outside of NY if a white Knick got placed on the team ahead of, well, anyone?
Jameer Nelson -- Made it. Do the words "NBA all-star" ever make you feel like saying "Jameer Nelson"??? Only if the phrase is -- "all of these guys are better than Jameer Nelson."
Rashard Lewis -- 19 and 6. 19 and 6? All-star? Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison both have better stats and play a similar type of game. At some point don't you have to limit the number of Magic all-stars? Why is Hedo snubbed?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Jessica Simpson
The rather, um, ample pics of Jessica performing at a chili cookoff (lower set) have set off a great deal of discussion.
Sister Ashlee (lip syncher extraordinaire) chimed in with "I thought we were better than that as a country" and "Why are women's bodies newsworthy?"
Um, Ash, your sissy had made tens of millions of dollars over the years based about 88% on the fact that she is really hot and good looking. So.....is it worthy of note that she no longer looks the same? Yeah, I would say. We aren't talking about a 4 pound a year gain here, we are talking 10-20 pounds very quickly. If she accepts her money and attention for being hot, well, there is a downside to that.
The line of analysis I really chuckle at is the "defenders" like the people who were on the Today Show this morning saying, "Jess is a beautiful young lady. She needs to not worry about her body. She should accept how curvy she is and not worry if she gains some weight."
This is like telling Ray Allen during the depths of his playoff shooting slump last year -- "You know what? A lot of guys shoot around 40% from the floor -- Jason Kidd, um, Ben Wallace, you know, uh, Mark Madsen. There is nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people can't shoot real well. You are still better than guys who can't make the NBA at all!"
Would Ray Allen thank these people for their kind words? No. Should Jessica Simpson say, "Well, yes, I COULD be a very attractive plus-size model still! Thank you!" No.
Rival Site Hopes To Steal My Traffic!!!
http://www.hoopramblings.blogpsot.com/
For those poor typists like myself who accidentally type "blog p s ot" instead of "blog s p ot" you end up looking at a great on-line bible college.
These folks have obviously done a great job of focusing their clever ways on key target audiences, because I can think of no more fertile ground for finding on-line bible college disciples than my readership!
So I know that you guys are gonna wonder on a daily basis, "Bible college or obscure basketball facts" or "Bible college or Bonaduce/Canseco fight coverage" or "Bible college or picture of the actress from Nailin' Paylin"? I hope that you choose me at least 50% of the time.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Billy Powell -- RIP
K has great entries today, including his tribute to Billy Powell.
I will always associate his name with the live version of Freebird played on the radio and the request in this song to "Play It Pretty For Atlanta, Billy."
Here is the 1977 Oakland footage. In Oakland they only said, "Billy Powell." The hot girls shown are now mostly between the ages of 47 and 60.
I will always associate his name with the live version of Freebird played on the radio and the request in this song to "Play It Pretty For Atlanta, Billy."
Here is the 1977 Oakland footage. In Oakland they only said, "Billy Powell." The hot girls shown are now mostly between the ages of 47 and 60.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The BIG Man........For 3!!!!!!!!!!
I can't sort Center 3-point shooters by "qualified" because only 4 guys have enough attempts to qualify, so here are your big guys listed by nba.com as "centers" who have the best 3 point percentage so far:
10 and 9 (tie) -- Jeff Foster and Francisco Elson .333
8. Rasheed Wallace -- .354
7. Oleksiy Pecherov -- .375 (pictured -- I think he was mentioning to the drunk chick how he hits .375% from 3)
6. Mehmet Okur -- .416
5. Andrea Bargnani -- .417 (also wins "best woman's name on list")
4. Mark Blount -- .429
3. Matt Bonner -- .452 (center?? And Amundson is a guard? If you are white does nba.com just give up and put you wherever they want?)
2. Brad Miller -- .462
1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- .500.
Best Shot Blocking "Guards"
Look, I in no way believe that some of these guys are "guards" but I have to go by what they say at http://www.nba.com/
What I did was look at three stats: Blocks Per Game; Blocks Per48 Minutes; and Blocks Per Foul.
I then sorted by position and reduced the list to only those who "qualified." I then gave 10 points for a 1st place finish in any category, 9 points for finishing second...down to 1 point for a 10th place finish.
Best Shot-Blocking Guards:
17, 16, 15 (tie) -- Nick Young, Sasha Pavlovic (!), Kyle Korver(!!!) (1 point each)
14 and 13 (tie) -- George Hill and Ronnie Brewer (2 points)
12. Dahntay Jones (3 points)
11 and 10 (tie). Aaron Afflalo and Randy Foye (4 points)
9. Vince Carter (5 points)
8. Brandon Roy (7 points)
7. Andre Iguodala (9 points)
6 and 5. (tie) -- Eric Gordon and Brandon Rush (15 points)
4. Jason Kidd -- 19 points (I can't believe it myself)
3. Rasual Butler -- 24 points (basically a small forward)
2. Louis Amundson -- 28 (I have seen him play, I would argue he is a power forward -- he is 6'9" and 225 pounds!)
1. Dwyane Wade -- 29 points. Hey, he might like his chicks with a few extra pounds, but he can block a ton of shots. #1 in the league in guard blocks per game -- 1.54. #1 in Blocks per foul -- 0.61. And #2 to Amundson in blocks per 48 -- 1.93.
Looking for The Devil? No top 10s, 11th in blocks per game (0.37).
Yo Quiero $42MM
http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/tuesday/business/ny-bztaco276013881jan27,0,5077057.story
So you went to an ad agency and said, "What do you got for us at Taco Bell?" They said, "talking chihuahua." You said "Pass" and you then immediately went to another ad agency and said, "How about this idea -- talking chihuahua?" Then you get sued and say -- "Hey, not OUR fault!"
Wow.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Taco Bell certainly did a great job of flattering McDonald's unsuccessful efforts in the 1970s to rip off H.R. Pufnstuf characters.
This sad theft was the source of one of my favorite judicial observations of all time in response to McDonald's claim that Mayor McCheese did not steal from Pufnstuf because McCheese dressed somewhat differently:
"We do not believe that the ordinary reasonable person, let alone a child, viewing these works will even notice that Pufnstuf is wearing a cummerbund while Mayor McCheese is wearing a diplomat's sash."
So you went to an ad agency and said, "What do you got for us at Taco Bell?" They said, "talking chihuahua." You said "Pass" and you then immediately went to another ad agency and said, "How about this idea -- talking chihuahua?" Then you get sued and say -- "Hey, not OUR fault!"
Wow.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Taco Bell certainly did a great job of flattering McDonald's unsuccessful efforts in the 1970s to rip off H.R. Pufnstuf characters.
This sad theft was the source of one of my favorite judicial observations of all time in response to McDonald's claim that Mayor McCheese did not steal from Pufnstuf because McCheese dressed somewhat differently:
"We do not believe that the ordinary reasonable person, let alone a child, viewing these works will even notice that Pufnstuf is wearing a cummerbund while Mayor McCheese is wearing a diplomat's sash."
Mike Miller Wanted By The Cavs. Again -- Why?
From The News-Herald:
One player the Cavs have reportedly targeted internally is Timberwolves guard Mike Miller. However, scouts are wondering what's going on with the 6-foot-8 Miller, who prior to Friday hadn't scored more than eight points in any of his first nine games since his return from a sprained ankle in December.
"(My ankle is) not where I want it to be, but it's not an excuse," Miller said.
He had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Friday's win over New Orleans.
Yeah, well, let's see, he is 6 for his last 27 three-point attempts. And he refuses to take any three-point shot except where he is WIDE WIDE open, so that means on shots where there is no one within 6 feet of him he is hitting 22.2%.
So "scouts who are wondering" -- mystery solved. Watch some game film for God's sake, or even go to Yahoo Sports and read a Game Log.
One player the Cavs have reportedly targeted internally is Timberwolves guard Mike Miller. However, scouts are wondering what's going on with the 6-foot-8 Miller, who prior to Friday hadn't scored more than eight points in any of his first nine games since his return from a sprained ankle in December.
"(My ankle is) not where I want it to be, but it's not an excuse," Miller said.
He had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Friday's win over New Orleans.
Yeah, well, let's see, he is 6 for his last 27 three-point attempts. And he refuses to take any three-point shot except where he is WIDE WIDE open, so that means on shots where there is no one within 6 feet of him he is hitting 22.2%.
So "scouts who are wondering" -- mystery solved. Watch some game film for God's sake, or even go to Yahoo Sports and read a Game Log.
More Ted Haggard
http://news.aol.com/article/pastor-ted-haggard/317200
Reminds me of "Vacation" -- What do you do with those magazines? "Use them."
Niiiiiiiiiiiice.
I also enjoy the settlement of $179,000 for shutting up -- "Not hush money....compassion...."
I couldn't find the Vacation scene I was looking for, so enjoy this one instead:
Reminds me of "Vacation" -- What do you do with those magazines? "Use them."
Niiiiiiiiiiiice.
I also enjoy the settlement of $179,000 for shutting up -- "Not hush money....compassion...."
I couldn't find the Vacation scene I was looking for, so enjoy this one instead:
Monday, January 26, 2009
Royals Sign Donald "Zach" Greinke to a 4 year $38MM Contract
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11303981/rss. His name is "Donald"? Who knew?
Well, say this for the Royals, they are spending their cash. There aren't many small market clubs in a horrendous economy who would agree to spend $38MM on a guy who almost quit baseball due to emotional/mental issues only a few years back.
I suppose the theory here is that: 1) he has always been a low ERA guy and his stats through age 24 are comparable to Tom Glavine's. (Glavine, of course, is left handed, so the stat comparison is largely meaningless); and 2) a similar ridiculous overpay move for Gil Meche has actually turned into somewhat of a bargain for the Royals; and 3) when you have sucked for forever, your fans would kinda like to see some effort to improve and keep your best young players.
The Donny Greinke re-signing? Worth a shot for the Royals.
Well, say this for the Royals, they are spending their cash. There aren't many small market clubs in a horrendous economy who would agree to spend $38MM on a guy who almost quit baseball due to emotional/mental issues only a few years back.
I suppose the theory here is that: 1) he has always been a low ERA guy and his stats through age 24 are comparable to Tom Glavine's. (Glavine, of course, is left handed, so the stat comparison is largely meaningless); and 2) a similar ridiculous overpay move for Gil Meche has actually turned into somewhat of a bargain for the Royals; and 3) when you have sucked for forever, your fans would kinda like to see some effort to improve and keep your best young players.
The Donny Greinke re-signing? Worth a shot for the Royals.
Canseco and Bonduce Fight to A Draw In Aston, PA Skating Rink
http://www.fanhouse.com/news/main/jose-canseco-danny-bonaduce-draw/317133?icid=200100397x1217323095x1201140219
If ever there was a "pop culture" entry -- this is it.
Wow. Vince Papale as referee.
If ever there was a "pop culture" entry -- this is it.
Wow. Vince Papale as referee.
Video -- Monster Truck Promoter Killed By....Monster Truck
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/38293904.html?video=YHI&t=a
Wow.
When will his funeral be held?
I would guess SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Presented by Jam and Company!!! Don't Miss It!
Wow.
When will his funeral be held?
I would guess SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Presented by Jam and Company!!! Don't Miss It!
100 to Zero Girls Game Draws Controversy
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-bkh-hundred-point-shutout,0,3302603.story
The winning school apologized, the coach of the winning school said basically, "Fuck you, I do not apologize." He has been fired.
Look, if you run a school of kids with learning "differences" maybe you ought to be careful on who you schedule?
PM has played AAU ball for 2 years now. He has won 114-12 and he has lost 126-32. He wasn't a terrible bully when he won by 102. He wasn't going to quit basketball when he lost by 94.
You need to schedule games where you have some chance of winning. If my son's Traveling 7A team (record 13-11) decided for some reason to play in high level 8th grade A tourneys, that is not the fault of the 8A coaches who are going to drill us by 30-70 points a game. That would be our own fault.
So, do you jack up 3s and press and leave in your starters against a team with kids who can't dribble? No. But if you are playing your 5 worst players the whole second half and you still kick the other team's ass, what can you do?
Two weekends ago we were in a tourney with PM where there was a good team from out of state. They beat us by 18 and then played a team 20 points worse than us. So they were up 30-8 at halftime. The coach stalled the entire second half and the score for the second half was 6 to 1 -- final: 36-9. If I were the coach of the losing team, would I prefer to lose 70-20 or lose like that 36-9? I would take 70-20 any time. In my job it would be like a judge saying to me -- "After watching you for half the case, I know how bad you suck as a lawyer, so here is what I am going to do -- I am not going to make you follow the rules of evidence or civil procedure. Go to it. The other side can't object and you get to do whatever you want. You suck. It won't matter at all, and maybe you can feel better about yourself."
I would prefer not to face that scenario.
HM
The winning school apologized, the coach of the winning school said basically, "Fuck you, I do not apologize." He has been fired.
Look, if you run a school of kids with learning "differences" maybe you ought to be careful on who you schedule?
PM has played AAU ball for 2 years now. He has won 114-12 and he has lost 126-32. He wasn't a terrible bully when he won by 102. He wasn't going to quit basketball when he lost by 94.
You need to schedule games where you have some chance of winning. If my son's Traveling 7A team (record 13-11) decided for some reason to play in high level 8th grade A tourneys, that is not the fault of the 8A coaches who are going to drill us by 30-70 points a game. That would be our own fault.
So, do you jack up 3s and press and leave in your starters against a team with kids who can't dribble? No. But if you are playing your 5 worst players the whole second half and you still kick the other team's ass, what can you do?
Two weekends ago we were in a tourney with PM where there was a good team from out of state. They beat us by 18 and then played a team 20 points worse than us. So they were up 30-8 at halftime. The coach stalled the entire second half and the score for the second half was 6 to 1 -- final: 36-9. If I were the coach of the losing team, would I prefer to lose 70-20 or lose like that 36-9? I would take 70-20 any time. In my job it would be like a judge saying to me -- "After watching you for half the case, I know how bad you suck as a lawyer, so here is what I am going to do -- I am not going to make you follow the rules of evidence or civil procedure. Go to it. The other side can't object and you get to do whatever you want. You suck. It won't matter at all, and maybe you can feel better about yourself."
I would prefer not to face that scenario.
HM
The Night Chicago Died -- Wolves Turn Bulls Into Steers, Continue Torrid Pace
Play video first.
Not really a big surprise.
Pictured -- Chicago icons and Minneapolis icons. Based upon this, you choose your favorite city............
Friday, January 23, 2009
This Should Not Be A Crime
Much like Kid Rock's "Waffle House Parking Lot Brawl," the alleged "crime" described here should never be prosecuted.
OK, maybe the drug part, but the prostitution scam is just plain and simple brilliant. if ever there was conduct we should ENCOURAGE as a society, this is it.....
HM
OK, maybe the drug part, but the prostitution scam is just plain and simple brilliant. if ever there was conduct we should ENCOURAGE as a society, this is it.....
HM
Belated Note -- Celtics Bitch Slap Magic In Orlando
http://www.nba.com/games/20090122/BOSORL/boxscore.html
Look at the box score. Every single Celtic had a positive plus-minus number. Every one. The only Magic with a positive number was J.J. Redick at +4.
Courtney Lee was, well, Courtney Lee and Keith Bogans further cemented his "Bizarro World All-Star" status with a terrible effort.
Dwight Howard had 10 total shots, 4 free throws, a 1 to 4 assist to turnover ratio, a 1 to 2 block to foul ratio, and he fouled out with 11 points. On the plus side, he was able to hold the Kendrick Perkins/Big Baby combo to only 23 points in 46 total minutes between the two, so they were held slightly below Yao Ming's per48 scoring pace.
And the suffocating defense of Lewis and Turkoglu held Garnett and Pierce to 43 points on 51.6% shooting, keeping Pierce down to only 14 free throw attempts on the night.
There are those who doubt the bona fides of Orlando's glittering record. I am now among that group.
Look at the box score. Every single Celtic had a positive plus-minus number. Every one. The only Magic with a positive number was J.J. Redick at +4.
Courtney Lee was, well, Courtney Lee and Keith Bogans further cemented his "Bizarro World All-Star" status with a terrible effort.
Dwight Howard had 10 total shots, 4 free throws, a 1 to 4 assist to turnover ratio, a 1 to 2 block to foul ratio, and he fouled out with 11 points. On the plus side, he was able to hold the Kendrick Perkins/Big Baby combo to only 23 points in 46 total minutes between the two, so they were held slightly below Yao Ming's per48 scoring pace.
And the suffocating defense of Lewis and Turkoglu held Garnett and Pierce to 43 points on 51.6% shooting, keeping Pierce down to only 14 free throw attempts on the night.
There are those who doubt the bona fides of Orlando's glittering record. I am now among that group.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
10 Most Overrated NBA Players Who Have Played Any Games After 1998
So, guys who have played in the last 10 years who, in my opinion, haven't deserved the accolades they have drawn:
10. Gilbert Arenas -- OK, he really likes to shoot the 3 and his teams have been adequate, but how does one get a cool nickname like "Agent Zero" and sign a $111MM contract with a bad knee when all he can really do is score the basketball? Once 2nd team all-NBA and once 3rd team. He may be a guy at the end of it all where you place him with World B. Free and Otis Birdsong on the list of "good not great".
9. Tim Hardaway -- I may be swayed by his 0 for 17 effort at Target Center years ago (still the NBA mark for worst shooting effort in a game, I believe), or maybe his bigoted "I hate all gay people" declarations, but the guy was a 5 time all-star and had 5 all-NBA appearances ( 1 first team, 3 seconds and 1 third) despite the fact that I am pretty sure he was never the best player on his own team!
8. Jermaine O'Neal -- Recall that the year KG won the MVP one guy voted for Jermaine O'Neal. He is a 6 time all-star and a 3 time all-NBA player (0 first, 1 second, 2 thirds -- 0-1-2). Despite 13 years in the league he has appeared in only 754 games (58 a year in an 82 game schedule). He has been 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season.........twice. Yet he has earned over $109,000,000 playing basketball.
7. Vince Carter -- An argument could be made that Vinny should be ranked even higher, but I think that a lot of people are willing to come out and rip Vince as selfish and overrated whereas the 6 guys ahead of him are more sacred cows. Vince is an 8 time all-star and has twice been all-NBA (0-1-1). He carries an enormous contract yet people always seem to be willing to pay him more. All-star voters, for some reason, seem to think he is the best thing since sliced bread.
6. Amare Stoudemire -- already has been named 3 time all-NBA (one first team, 2 second teams 1-2-0) and been a multiple time all-star despite the fact that you can almost smell how allergic he is to the defensive end of the court. He has never averaged 40 minutes a game (despite coming to the league while very young). He has never averaged 10 rebounds a game. His assist to turnover ratio for his career is 2 turnovers to every assist. He averages over 2 fouls per every blocked shot. The U.S. Olympic team was lucky he couldn't play for them in 2008 because his interior defense and rebounding is nearly non-existent.
5. Ben Wallace -- 0-3-2. He had a total of maybe 5 1/2 good years, but even in his good years he had less than 10 points a game. A career 41.8% free throw shooter. Career best for a season does not approach 50%. And his best years he was always supported by Rasheed Wallace. Never takes anything but a dunk, yet his career FG% is 47%. How is that even possible? Yet the media just adored him. Look a little and you will find people musing on whether he is better than Shaq or Garnett or any variety of guys who actually played both ends of the floor.
4. Jason Kidd -- Put aside his infidelity and wife beating ways, then ask yourself whether you can believe that a guy has been a 9 time all-star and a 6 time all-NBA player (5-1-0) when his career scoring average is 14.0 and when his career field goal percentage is 40.1% If you are a guard and you just absolutely cannot put the ball in the basket, how do you get regularly voted as one of the top 10 players in the league?
3. Tracy McGrady -- It is hard for me to differentiate him from his cousin Vince Carter. Both are great scorers, both are extremely gifted. Both quit their way out of situations they didn't like (Toronto for Vince, Orlando for McGrady). But while Vince seems more overrated by all-star voters (the public), T-Mac seems most horribly overrated by the media, as is evidence by his 7 all-NBA awards (2-3-2). He has only been an all-star 7 times (to his cousin Vinny's 8) but while Vince seemingly never makes all-NBA, T-Mac makes it every time.
Playoff series victories for T-Mac's teams????? That would be zero. (Vince's teams have 3). Career shooting percentage for the playoffs? 43% overall, 30% from 3, 76% from the line.
1. Scottie Pippen -- 7 time all-NBA (2-3-2) 7 time all-star. During the Bulls' reign as champs, media members would perform oral on Scottie like Monica Lewinski if she were offered a hamburger for her troubles. Many, many times I had to hear the claim that "You know, Pippen may be a better overall player than Michael Jordan! He may be the best player on that team!" Good god. Jordan left the Bulls for 1 3/4 years. By the time he returned they were 34-31 and struggling to make the playoffs. Thanks Scottie -- I got it from here on out. They finished out the year with MJ driving them to a 13-4 finish.
Pippen's career numbers after he and Jordan left the Bulls? Terrible. He never had a year he scored 16 PPG and he never had a year he shot over 45.1%. Let's just be candid here. Pippen was a good solid NBA player, far above average for his career. Does he have ANY claim to being a Top 50 all-time player and included with Jerry West or Elgin Baylor or Karl Malone? Of course not. But he played with Jordan and Jordan won him 6 titles. Are his numbers in his best ever years even comparable to numbers put up by the best years of McGrady or Carter or Dominique Wilkins or LeBron or Dwayne Wade??? No.
But the objective truth doesn't really matter, because Pippen played in Chicago and played with Jordan.
HM
10. Gilbert Arenas -- OK, he really likes to shoot the 3 and his teams have been adequate, but how does one get a cool nickname like "Agent Zero" and sign a $111MM contract with a bad knee when all he can really do is score the basketball? Once 2nd team all-NBA and once 3rd team. He may be a guy at the end of it all where you place him with World B. Free and Otis Birdsong on the list of "good not great".
9. Tim Hardaway -- I may be swayed by his 0 for 17 effort at Target Center years ago (still the NBA mark for worst shooting effort in a game, I believe), or maybe his bigoted "I hate all gay people" declarations, but the guy was a 5 time all-star and had 5 all-NBA appearances ( 1 first team, 3 seconds and 1 third) despite the fact that I am pretty sure he was never the best player on his own team!
8. Jermaine O'Neal -- Recall that the year KG won the MVP one guy voted for Jermaine O'Neal. He is a 6 time all-star and a 3 time all-NBA player (0 first, 1 second, 2 thirds -- 0-1-2). Despite 13 years in the league he has appeared in only 754 games (58 a year in an 82 game schedule). He has been 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season.........twice. Yet he has earned over $109,000,000 playing basketball.
7. Vince Carter -- An argument could be made that Vinny should be ranked even higher, but I think that a lot of people are willing to come out and rip Vince as selfish and overrated whereas the 6 guys ahead of him are more sacred cows. Vince is an 8 time all-star and has twice been all-NBA (0-1-1). He carries an enormous contract yet people always seem to be willing to pay him more. All-star voters, for some reason, seem to think he is the best thing since sliced bread.
6. Amare Stoudemire -- already has been named 3 time all-NBA (one first team, 2 second teams 1-2-0) and been a multiple time all-star despite the fact that you can almost smell how allergic he is to the defensive end of the court. He has never averaged 40 minutes a game (despite coming to the league while very young). He has never averaged 10 rebounds a game. His assist to turnover ratio for his career is 2 turnovers to every assist. He averages over 2 fouls per every blocked shot. The U.S. Olympic team was lucky he couldn't play for them in 2008 because his interior defense and rebounding is nearly non-existent.
5. Ben Wallace -- 0-3-2. He had a total of maybe 5 1/2 good years, but even in his good years he had less than 10 points a game. A career 41.8% free throw shooter. Career best for a season does not approach 50%. And his best years he was always supported by Rasheed Wallace. Never takes anything but a dunk, yet his career FG% is 47%. How is that even possible? Yet the media just adored him. Look a little and you will find people musing on whether he is better than Shaq or Garnett or any variety of guys who actually played both ends of the floor.
4. Jason Kidd -- Put aside his infidelity and wife beating ways, then ask yourself whether you can believe that a guy has been a 9 time all-star and a 6 time all-NBA player (5-1-0) when his career scoring average is 14.0 and when his career field goal percentage is 40.1% If you are a guard and you just absolutely cannot put the ball in the basket, how do you get regularly voted as one of the top 10 players in the league?
3. Tracy McGrady -- It is hard for me to differentiate him from his cousin Vince Carter. Both are great scorers, both are extremely gifted. Both quit their way out of situations they didn't like (Toronto for Vince, Orlando for McGrady). But while Vince seems more overrated by all-star voters (the public), T-Mac seems most horribly overrated by the media, as is evidence by his 7 all-NBA awards (2-3-2). He has only been an all-star 7 times (to his cousin Vinny's 8) but while Vince seemingly never makes all-NBA, T-Mac makes it every time.
Playoff series victories for T-Mac's teams????? That would be zero. (Vince's teams have 3). Career shooting percentage for the playoffs? 43% overall, 30% from 3, 76% from the line.
2. Kobe Bryant -- The Devil is 10 times all-NBA (6/2/2) -- he is 8 times first or second team all-defense. He is a 10-time all-star.
Number of titles for Kobe without Shaq? None. Same as Penny Hardaway. Kevin Garnett titles without Shaq -- 1. Tim Duncan without Shaq -- 4. The Devil's career playoff shooting percentages? 44.5%, 32% from 3.
Key reason that the Lakers lost in two NBA finals with Kobe -- Kobe's guy scored a shitload of points (Richard Hamilton/Ray Allen/Paul Pierce).
MVP of all Kobe's championship teams? Shaq.
Kobe is always called "the best player in the game." Why? Cuz he plays in L.A. Does he have better stats than LeBron? No. Compare his supporting cast the other night to LeBron's:
Fisher/Odom/Gasol/Bynum versus
Gibson/Pavlovic/Verajao/Wallace
OK. And his coach is Phil Jackson (versus Mike Brown). So. If you look in the NBA dictionary to locate the word "overrated" you would see Kobe's picture.....except you would see a bigger picture of THIS guy:
1. Scottie Pippen -- 7 time all-NBA (2-3-2) 7 time all-star. During the Bulls' reign as champs, media members would perform oral on Scottie like Monica Lewinski if she were offered a hamburger for her troubles. Many, many times I had to hear the claim that "You know, Pippen may be a better overall player than Michael Jordan! He may be the best player on that team!" Good god. Jordan left the Bulls for 1 3/4 years. By the time he returned they were 34-31 and struggling to make the playoffs. Thanks Scottie -- I got it from here on out. They finished out the year with MJ driving them to a 13-4 finish.
Pippen's career numbers after he and Jordan left the Bulls? Terrible. He never had a year he scored 16 PPG and he never had a year he shot over 45.1%. Let's just be candid here. Pippen was a good solid NBA player, far above average for his career. Does he have ANY claim to being a Top 50 all-time player and included with Jerry West or Elgin Baylor or Karl Malone? Of course not. But he played with Jordan and Jordan won him 6 titles. Are his numbers in his best ever years even comparable to numbers put up by the best years of McGrady or Carter or Dominique Wilkins or LeBron or Dwayne Wade??? No.
But the objective truth doesn't really matter, because Pippen played in Chicago and played with Jordan.
HM
Nets Want Mike Miller!?!?!? Um, Why?
http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2009/01/mike_miller_larry_hughes_among.html
Cuz their other option is Larry Hughes!!!
What GWB-like "strategery" is Rod Thorn employing here? "I am going to sort through nba.com until I reach the VERY bottom of certain statistical categories, then I will target those guys to bring to my squad!" ????
What is it that Rod is seeking? Larry Hughes' 41% career field goal percentage? His $13.5MM contract next year?
Or is is Mike Miller's ability to score 14.4 points per 48 minutes -- good for 292nd place in the league?
Of all players who get 30+ minutes a game, Miller is the 5th worst scorer in the league. Only Mario Chalmers, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd and Shane Battier are worse per48.
Chalmers and Kidd are point guards and Chandler and Battier are two of the best defenders in the entire league.
So Nets, offer up a storm for Mike Miller -- this is a gem and we will require mucho in return for one of the worst defenders in basketball........who also refuses to shoot the basketball........
Cuz their other option is Larry Hughes!!!
What GWB-like "strategery" is Rod Thorn employing here? "I am going to sort through nba.com until I reach the VERY bottom of certain statistical categories, then I will target those guys to bring to my squad!" ????
What is it that Rod is seeking? Larry Hughes' 41% career field goal percentage? His $13.5MM contract next year?
Or is is Mike Miller's ability to score 14.4 points per 48 minutes -- good for 292nd place in the league?
Of all players who get 30+ minutes a game, Miller is the 5th worst scorer in the league. Only Mario Chalmers, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd and Shane Battier are worse per48.
Chalmers and Kidd are point guards and Chandler and Battier are two of the best defenders in the entire league.
So Nets, offer up a storm for Mike Miller -- this is a gem and we will require mucho in return for one of the worst defenders in basketball........who also refuses to shoot the basketball........
Nominations for the Razzies Are Out
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/21/razzie.awards/index.html
The Love Guru, from what I have seen, should be the "Titanic" of the Razzies. I cannot imagine any film surpassing it for overall crap-tastic-ness. Mike Meyers deserves a lifetime achievement award as well. The Cat In The Hat? A View From The Top? So I Married an Axe Murderer? Pete's Meteor? 54?
I would say that in all of my time watching TV and movies, I have never seen a more self-absorbed person than Mike Meyers. He makes Eddie Murphy look as humble and classy as Paul Newman.
The Love Guru, from what I have seen, should be the "Titanic" of the Razzies. I cannot imagine any film surpassing it for overall crap-tastic-ness. Mike Meyers deserves a lifetime achievement award as well. The Cat In The Hat? A View From The Top? So I Married an Axe Murderer? Pete's Meteor? 54?
I would say that in all of my time watching TV and movies, I have never seen a more self-absorbed person than Mike Meyers. He makes Eddie Murphy look as humble and classy as Paul Newman.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
David Vitter -- Hillary? No. Hookers? Hell yes!
David Vitter was one of the 2 Senators to vote against the confirmation of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.
The vote was 94-2.
When asked after the vote why he voted no, Vitter is rumored (a rumor I do not believe to be true) to have stated, "Can you imagine paying Hillary to serve as your hooker on repeated occasions? That was the question I thought we were voting on. And I think my vote of NO is the only reasonable vote."
As reported here I have provided a picture of the woman to whom Vitter would have voted "yes."
Trying Actual Free Association
When You Say ------------------I Think
Beyonce --------------Knowles
Knowles --------------Barkley
Barkley ------------Drunk
Drunk ------------Driver
Driver -------------Minnie
Minnie ---------------Skirt
Skirt---------------- The Law
The Law -----------Sucks
Sucks ---------------A lot
A lot ---------------of Bills
of Bills --------------We trust
We trust --------------no one
No one --------------Alicia Keys.
Alicia Keys ----------poor man's Beyonce.
So there.
Beyonce --------------Knowles
Knowles --------------Barkley
Barkley ------------Drunk
Drunk ------------Driver
Driver -------------Minnie
Minnie ---------------Skirt
Skirt---------------- The Law
The Law -----------Sucks
Sucks ---------------A lot
A lot ---------------of Bills
of Bills --------------We trust
We trust --------------no one
No one --------------Alicia Keys.
Alicia Keys ----------poor man's Beyonce.
So there.
Chicken Wing Shortage?
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/01/21/cruz.ny.buffalo.wing.shortage.wivb
Really? A shortage of wings that used to sell for 10 cents in 1989 and now sell for a buck a wing or more?
OK -- let's see, I can put Lousiana Hot Sauce on virtually ANY meat and it will taste fine, but no, I MUST have Buffalo chicken wings and I will pay through the nose for them.
By the way, why in the hell is the guy grilling his wings? And why are they teriyaki wings? If you are claiming a Buffalo wing shortage, at least have a guy deep frying hot wings.
The story itself is all over the place:
-- The pizza guy wants restaurants to boycott wings for a day to increase the supply,
-- but then he says that he can't sell the wings that he has because the wings cost him too much to buy, so he has to charge customers more than they can afford to pay. So isn't he already reducing demand?
-- Then another guy mentions a chicken company bankruptcy. So they are overcharging so badly, I guess, that they have forced themselves into bankruptcy?
-- Then the same guy says that poultry farms are producing fewer wings. Now, I grew up on a farm. Does he mean that farms are producing fewer CHICKENS or is he really saying that fewer chicken are being bred with big wings. And if chickens can really be bred to have big wings, is it safe to say that our breeding methods are so advanced that we could make a race of Salma Hayeks? If so, then why am I concentrating on THIS meaningless story and not asking -- why wasn't Salma Hayek forced to marry a male relative of Sophia Loren???
Anyway -- just riffing.
Really? A shortage of wings that used to sell for 10 cents in 1989 and now sell for a buck a wing or more?
OK -- let's see, I can put Lousiana Hot Sauce on virtually ANY meat and it will taste fine, but no, I MUST have Buffalo chicken wings and I will pay through the nose for them.
By the way, why in the hell is the guy grilling his wings? And why are they teriyaki wings? If you are claiming a Buffalo wing shortage, at least have a guy deep frying hot wings.
The story itself is all over the place:
-- The pizza guy wants restaurants to boycott wings for a day to increase the supply,
-- but then he says that he can't sell the wings that he has because the wings cost him too much to buy, so he has to charge customers more than they can afford to pay. So isn't he already reducing demand?
-- Then another guy mentions a chicken company bankruptcy. So they are overcharging so badly, I guess, that they have forced themselves into bankruptcy?
-- Then the same guy says that poultry farms are producing fewer wings. Now, I grew up on a farm. Does he mean that farms are producing fewer CHICKENS or is he really saying that fewer chicken are being bred with big wings. And if chickens can really be bred to have big wings, is it safe to say that our breeding methods are so advanced that we could make a race of Salma Hayeks? If so, then why am I concentrating on THIS meaningless story and not asking -- why wasn't Salma Hayek forced to marry a male relative of Sophia Loren???
Anyway -- just riffing.
Rick Barry -- LeBron James....Not That Good
Zinger from the Bay:
In anticipation of James' annual stop in the Bay Area on Friday, Golden State Warriors great Rick Barry is greeting the Cavs' star with a zinger. In an interview with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area that will air tonight, Barry said he's alarmed James hasn't fixed some areas of his game and also sends one across the bow of the Cavs' coaching staff.
"He's got major flaws in his game," Barry said. "He's six years into the NBA. How can a man six years into the NBA with his talent have a major flaw in his shot? How can he not use screens effectively? . . .
I watch the game very carefully, he doesn't use screens effectively and this is not LeBron's fault. It's the fault of the people who are teaching him. . . . there is no doubt in my mind that LeBron, if shown these things would do them, because he wants to be a great player, he wants to win a championship. As great as he is, he should be better."
So, LeBron James (career average 27/7/6.6) is a disappointment to Rick Barry (career averages 25/7/5)? I bet LeBron cries himself to sleep at night. Career NBA Most Valuable Player shares for Rick Barry? 0.592. LeBron -- 1.122. Barry's best ever finish? 4th. LeBron's -- 2nd.
Times scoring 30+ points per game in an NBA season: Barry 2; James 2
LeBron James current age: 24. Rick Barry age at retirement -- 35.
But hey, yeah, Rick could really show LeBron how to play better because Rick has been a great coach. I mean, he went 19-37 with the Fort Wayne Fury in 1993-94. Given how well those players must have used screens and how flawless their shots must have been, why didn't Rick EVER get any other coaching gigs?
Might it be because every single person whom I have ever heard talk about Rick Barry thinks he is a complete asshole? That he was a petulant child on the basketball court? That he once called a time out in a Warriors game when the Warriors were on a run and when his center asked him why, he replied, "Because I was tired and needed a rest"?
And might it also be that Rick Barry is a one-note has-been who was spouting the same junk about NBA players in August of 2003 -- months before LBJ even entered the league? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20030821/ai_n10023330 And might it be that he just figures that replacing "NBA players" with "LeBron James" in his rant might gain him some publicity?
HM
In anticipation of James' annual stop in the Bay Area on Friday, Golden State Warriors great Rick Barry is greeting the Cavs' star with a zinger. In an interview with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area that will air tonight, Barry said he's alarmed James hasn't fixed some areas of his game and also sends one across the bow of the Cavs' coaching staff.
"He's got major flaws in his game," Barry said. "He's six years into the NBA. How can a man six years into the NBA with his talent have a major flaw in his shot? How can he not use screens effectively? . . .
I watch the game very carefully, he doesn't use screens effectively and this is not LeBron's fault. It's the fault of the people who are teaching him. . . . there is no doubt in my mind that LeBron, if shown these things would do them, because he wants to be a great player, he wants to win a championship. As great as he is, he should be better."
So, LeBron James (career average 27/7/6.6) is a disappointment to Rick Barry (career averages 25/7/5)? I bet LeBron cries himself to sleep at night. Career NBA Most Valuable Player shares for Rick Barry? 0.592. LeBron -- 1.122. Barry's best ever finish? 4th. LeBron's -- 2nd.
Times scoring 30+ points per game in an NBA season: Barry 2; James 2
LeBron James current age: 24. Rick Barry age at retirement -- 35.
But hey, yeah, Rick could really show LeBron how to play better because Rick has been a great coach. I mean, he went 19-37 with the Fort Wayne Fury in 1993-94. Given how well those players must have used screens and how flawless their shots must have been, why didn't Rick EVER get any other coaching gigs?
Might it be because every single person whom I have ever heard talk about Rick Barry thinks he is a complete asshole? That he was a petulant child on the basketball court? That he once called a time out in a Warriors game when the Warriors were on a run and when his center asked him why, he replied, "Because I was tired and needed a rest"?
And might it also be that Rick Barry is a one-note has-been who was spouting the same junk about NBA players in August of 2003 -- months before LBJ even entered the league? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20030821/ai_n10023330 And might it be that he just figures that replacing "NBA players" with "LeBron James" in his rant might gain him some publicity?
HM
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Blog Recommendation
I have to give a mild recommendation to this blog about Washed Up Celebrities: http://washedupcelebrities.blogspot.com/
It is not the writing or the mediocre effort at updates (one every couple months). No. It is the commenters. I have never seen angrier commenters on any Web site that I have ever visited. I mean, redstate.com treats Barack Obama ("known terrorist, foreign Commie sympathizers, etc") better than the celebs are treated at this Blog.
Example? Take, for example, a relatively harmless celeb like "Growing Pains" start Jeremy Miller: http://washedupcelebrities.blogspot.com/2006/12/jeremy-miller.html Sort through THOSE comments if you have a chance.
And go to almost ANY celeb profile and you are CERTAIN to find a stray comment from someone that ____________ is "still smoking hot." Just shows the power of celebrity.
HM
It is not the writing or the mediocre effort at updates (one every couple months). No. It is the commenters. I have never seen angrier commenters on any Web site that I have ever visited. I mean, redstate.com treats Barack Obama ("known terrorist, foreign Commie sympathizers, etc") better than the celebs are treated at this Blog.
Example? Take, for example, a relatively harmless celeb like "Growing Pains" start Jeremy Miller: http://washedupcelebrities.blogspot.com/2006/12/jeremy-miller.html Sort through THOSE comments if you have a chance.
And go to almost ANY celeb profile and you are CERTAIN to find a stray comment from someone that ____________ is "still smoking hot." Just shows the power of celebrity.
HM
More Videos For You
My two favorite Cheap Seats videos about former collegiate bowler Kelly Rapp.
Pay careful attention to the Glenn Scarpelli reference. He is gay? Boy, knock me over with a feather. Next you will tell me Jonathan from Who's The Boss is.........oh man..........
Pay careful attention to the Glenn Scarpelli reference. He is gay? Boy, knock me over with a feather. Next you will tell me Jonathan from Who's The Boss is.........oh man..........
Markets Welcome Obama
http://finance.aol.com/quotes/dow-jones-industrial-average/%24indu/dji
At noon, the second he was sworn in, the Dow was at 8,127.50.
The Dow closed for the day at 7,949.09.
So, I will adopt the general rule applied to football QBs and baseball pitchers and give today's "starter"(GWB) the loss since we were losing when he left and the loss just got worse.
So what does that mean? GWB leaves office with the Dow under 8,000. It was around 10,200 when Bill Clinton left office. As GWB always liked to say, "Well, that isn't fair because that wasn't sustainable growth and I had 9/11." When GWB was re-elected (pain in my heart and head growing worse) in late 2004-early2005, the Dow was at about...........10,500.
So, thanks, GWB. You managed to preside over 0% growth your first 4 years and followed that up with a 24.3% negative effort in your second term!
Arg.
Citibank stock today? $2.80.
Sorry Internet So Slow Today
When things slow down after the Obama inauguration, maybe you can watch this classic clip:
GoodBye GWB -- Our Long National Nightmare Is Now Officially Over
From his successor's first inaugural speech:
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Katie Perry's Body -- In The "I Just Got To Be a Celebrity" Zone!
I saw an episode of "Hole in The Wall" last night and had to comment to the kids how AWFUL Brooke Burns looks. She honestly is probably 95 pounds and looks like a concentration camp survivor.
Once upon a time Brooke Burns (5+ years ago) was one of the most beautiful natural women in the world (pictured). Now she is a stick figure.
Carrie Underwood is one of the few people in the world who still looks good malnourished, but I prefer my Carrie Underwood with a few more pounds on (pictured in red shirt).
Singer Katie Perry (top) never struck me as particularly good looking, but she has undergone a nice transformation and is now in perfect "I just got to be a Celebrity" zone. Has slimmed down and looks awesome. Now wait 2 years -- she will be 91 pounds and look like Amy Winehouse.
Enjoy it while you can.
Dwyane Wade -- Chubby Chaser?
His divorce from his wife Siovaughn (yep, nee "Siovaughn Funches" -- what do you yell out when you are going at it with her? Oh Siovaughn! Oh Ms. Funches!) is getting rough with her now stating that Wade gave her an STD and cheated on her numerous times and gave away their money and is a bad father, etc.
I have posted a pic of Funches/Wade. And he is suspected of cheating on her with...........Starr Jones!?!?!?!? O..........................K.........................?
This leads to the question in the item headline. Please, Dwyane, please -- tell us that at least the Gabrielle Union rumors are true! Or is Oprah next up on your list of conquests?//// Ewww...............
Joe Flacco and Tarvaris Jackson QB Picture Quiz
One of these pictured QBs failed to get a starting job at a D-I school and had to transfer to a lower level of college football to become a starter, starts only because his team
relies almost entirely on running and defense to win, and he had a passer rating of 18.2 in a game where he almost singlehandedly cost his team a chance to advance in the playoffs.
relies almost entirely on running and defense to win, and he had a passer rating of 18.2 in a game where he almost singlehandedly cost his team a chance to advance in the playoffs.And the other guy is Tarvaris Jackson.
Take the quiz and see how you do.
HM
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Lions Hire The Schwartz
I am not sure who he is, but is it possible they hired Breckin Meyer's character from "Inside Schwartz"????? http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1259928
Or did they get The Ring of The Schwartz from Dark Helmet?
Sarah Palin's Reply
Sarah Palin's latest newsmaking interview came late last week with Esquire magazine, excerpts of which were released Tuesday.
In the interview, Palin bashed coverage by her home-state newspaper and lashed out at "bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie."
HM Response -- I do not lie.
And I will add in (ala Eddy Curry) "I am not a racist."
Pictured -- not Sarah.
Ricky Davis -- Currently the Worst Player in The NBA?
While Ricky was not eligible for my Bizarro World All-Star Club (not enough minutes, not enough games), he deserves a special mention for the truly horrendous season he is having.
Ricky's stats are frighteningly bad. He is shooting 27% on the season, about 26% from 3. If Ricky goes 2 for 6 overall and 1 for 3 from 3-point land............he boosts his stats.
He is getting 0.3 steals plus blocks a game. In 21 minutes a night. So, basically, if Ricky played the entire game the chances are about 70% that he could possibly get one steal or block. His assists and steals numbers are down by half from his career averages, and he now gets under 2 rebounds a game.
His plus-minus number per minute is negative 0.483. This means that every minute he is on the court the Clippers average almost 1/2 point less than their opponent. So if he played the whole game the Clips would lose by 20+.http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus_sort.jsp?pcomb=1&season=22008&split=9&team=Clippers
How terrible is that plus-minus stat? LeBron James averages only +.347 per minute played. So........the Clippers playing with Ricky against an average opponent is like making the Clippers' opponent into the the Cavs.........with a guy 25% better than LeBron...who plays the entire game......each and every game the Clippers play!!!
Well, certainly it can't get any worse, right? I mean, the stats can't reflect anything more damning can they? Oh yeah.
Ricky's Efficiency number is 2.29. That is good for #385 in the league. 385. There are 30 teams in the league, each with 12 on an active roster. Therefore, it is likely that every single team in the league has 12 guys who are more productive per game than Ricky Davis. More than a couple teams almost certainly have guys on their inactive list who, on the nights they play, are more productive per game than Ricky Davis.
Of guys who have played at least 10 games and at least 10 minutes per game, there are 2 guys with an Efficiency number worse than Ricky's -- Jason Collins and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Ricky's Eff48 number is 5.24. This is good for #411 out of 424 players in the league. Again, of guys with 10 games and 10 mpg, Collins (#405) and Douglas-Roberts (#403) are the only guys even remotely close. But Ricky stomps them for overall suckiness in this category. They are both above 8.
Marcus Williams (whom we all know is a terrible, terrible player and might be cut by the Warriors) is above 6 on Eff48 despite shooting 20 percent from the floor!!
Oh, and Ricky had a drug suspension this year (which I HOPE was not for "performance-enhancing" drugs).
So, the good news? The Clips only owe Ricky about $5MM total for this year and next, and that figure is cut in half if Ricky opts out and passes up his player option next year.
Final Side Note -- Ricky was a key cog in the Wally Szczerbiak trade to Boston. Kevin McHale can really spot some great long-term talent.
2009 Bizarro World All-Stars
Same criteria as last year: Must have played in 20+ games and played 24+ minutes per game. No credit is given for improvement during the season.
Guys are judged purely on their Efficiency number, with one exception -- guys who play a lot on good playoff teams may be left off the Bizarro World all-stars due to their team's excellence despite them. Guys dumped this year: Michael Finley, Travis Outlaw, Peja, Rudy Fernandez, Boobie Gibson.
There is one guy in each conference who I left on the team because they have played so super sucky DESPITE being on a good team (the way that Danny Granger probably makes the GOOD all-star team this year despite Indiana's record).
Snubs -- it REALLY hurt me to leave off former Wolves Mike James and Ricky Davis. But they just don't qualify due to not making the games or minutes marks. I will give Davis his own special entry.
Eastern Conference Bizarro World All-Stars
Starters:
DeShawn Stevenson (WAS) -- #259 ranked player in the league -- 6.03 Efficiency number
Charlie Bell (MIL) -- #247, 6.47
Jason Kapono (TOR) -- #229, 6.97
Keith Bogans (ORL) -- #222, 7.23 (the East's one player from a good team)
Daequan Cook (MIA) -- #203, 8.27
5 on East Bench:
Raja Bell (CHA) -- #191, 8.91
Jarvis Hayes (NJ) -- #187, 9.06
Andres Nocioni (CHI) -- #183, 9.23
Bobby Simmons (NJ) -- #179, 9.42
Keyon Dooling (NJ) -- #177, 9.53
The Nets, while almost .500, have placed 3 guys on the East, otherwise it is pretty well spread out.
Western Conference Bizarro World All-Stars (they are not as bad statistically as the East)
Starters:
Desmond Mason (OKC) -- #218, 7.36
Mike Conley (MEM) -- #196, 8.63
Earl Watson (MEM) -- #193, 8.85
Kyle Lowry (MEM) -- #167, 10.37
Eric Gordon (LAC) -- #163, 10.60
5 On The Western Bench:
Ryan Gomes (MIN) -- #162, 10.68 (improvement is not taken into account here)
Francisco Garcia (SAC) -- #160, 10.83
CJ Watson (GSW) -- #157, 10.85
Rafer Alston (HOU) -- #153, 11.0 (their one player from a good team)
Jason Thompson (SAC) -- #151, 11.15 (I like the guy, I hated to post this)
The Grizzlies just dominate this squad, and Sac has two bench men, but the rest of the dregs are mostly spread out throughout the other terrible western teams.
Guys are judged purely on their Efficiency number, with one exception -- guys who play a lot on good playoff teams may be left off the Bizarro World all-stars due to their team's excellence despite them. Guys dumped this year: Michael Finley, Travis Outlaw, Peja, Rudy Fernandez, Boobie Gibson.
There is one guy in each conference who I left on the team because they have played so super sucky DESPITE being on a good team (the way that Danny Granger probably makes the GOOD all-star team this year despite Indiana's record).
Snubs -- it REALLY hurt me to leave off former Wolves Mike James and Ricky Davis. But they just don't qualify due to not making the games or minutes marks. I will give Davis his own special entry.
Eastern Conference Bizarro World All-Stars
Starters:
DeShawn Stevenson (WAS) -- #259 ranked player in the league -- 6.03 Efficiency number
Charlie Bell (MIL) -- #247, 6.47
Jason Kapono (TOR) -- #229, 6.97
Keith Bogans (ORL) -- #222, 7.23 (the East's one player from a good team)
Daequan Cook (MIA) -- #203, 8.27
5 on East Bench:
Raja Bell (CHA) -- #191, 8.91
Jarvis Hayes (NJ) -- #187, 9.06
Andres Nocioni (CHI) -- #183, 9.23
Bobby Simmons (NJ) -- #179, 9.42
Keyon Dooling (NJ) -- #177, 9.53
The Nets, while almost .500, have placed 3 guys on the East, otherwise it is pretty well spread out.
Western Conference Bizarro World All-Stars (they are not as bad statistically as the East)
Starters:
Desmond Mason (OKC) -- #218, 7.36
Mike Conley (MEM) -- #196, 8.63
Earl Watson (MEM) -- #193, 8.85
Kyle Lowry (MEM) -- #167, 10.37
Eric Gordon (LAC) -- #163, 10.60
5 On The Western Bench:
Ryan Gomes (MIN) -- #162, 10.68 (improvement is not taken into account here)
Francisco Garcia (SAC) -- #160, 10.83
CJ Watson (GSW) -- #157, 10.85
Rafer Alston (HOU) -- #153, 11.0 (their one player from a good team)
Jason Thompson (SAC) -- #151, 11.15 (I like the guy, I hated to post this)
The Grizzlies just dominate this squad, and Sac has two bench men, but the rest of the dregs are mostly spread out throughout the other terrible western teams.
George Bush To Say Goodbye On TV Tonight
To me GWB's good-bye tour is like the girl you dumped 7 years ago calling you up to say, "Hey, I have almost forgiven you for dumping me and I hope you still love me, too." WTF?
Basketball analogy -- it would be like Randy Wittman producing a pay-per-view event this month to point out good games he had with the Wolves/Cleveland and calling upon Wolves and Cavs fans to watch for only $4.95 each.
I am going to offer up some advice taken from that great American Vince Neil -- George, don't go away mad. George, just go away.
Basketball analogy -- it would be like Randy Wittman producing a pay-per-view event this month to point out good games he had with the Wolves/Cleveland and calling upon Wolves and Cavs fans to watch for only $4.95 each.
I am going to offer up some advice taken from that great American Vince Neil -- George, don't go away mad. George, just go away.
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Reliving a Great Annoucer Comment
I stumbled across the fact that Shawn Jefferson was Detroit's WR coach this year: http://www.detroitlions.com/bio.cfm?bio_id=118
That made me remember a classic sports announcer moment from years ago. A play-by-play guy was noting how fast a guy was (I am pretty sure it was Shawn Jefferson) and the color commentator stated, "Yes, and that often works to his disadvantage." How so? "Well, he is so fast that he can't run long patterns because there are no QBs who can throw the ball far enough to lead him properly down the field."
Play-by-play guy: "That is very interesting."
Now, I open the floor to anyone who might find a problem with the color commentator's analysis, because it seemed oh so rock solid to the play-by-play guy.
HM
That made me remember a classic sports announcer moment from years ago. A play-by-play guy was noting how fast a guy was (I am pretty sure it was Shawn Jefferson) and the color commentator stated, "Yes, and that often works to his disadvantage." How so? "Well, he is so fast that he can't run long patterns because there are no QBs who can throw the ball far enough to lead him properly down the field."
Play-by-play guy: "That is very interesting."
Now, I open the floor to anyone who might find a problem with the color commentator's analysis, because it seemed oh so rock solid to the play-by-play guy.
HM
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
David Cook and Kimberly Caldwell -- They're Done.
I like Cook's comment that she was a "nice break".
Whoa!
You date someone for 7 months and then describe them basically as Eddy Curry might describe a towel he required his driver to pick up every day.
Wow
Now, I hate to go back to politics and lose half my audience, but I just saw this and was amazed.
In Tennessee, Republicans this election cycle won one branch of the state legislature and now have 50 members to 49 for the Democrats. When the vote came for the Speaker of that body to be elected, the 49 Democrats went to the one most moderate Republican and said, "How would you like to be speaker?" He said sure. He got the 49 Dem votes and........................his own. 50-49, he is the new Speaker.
Wow.
In Tennessee, Republicans this election cycle won one branch of the state legislature and now have 50 members to 49 for the Democrats. When the vote came for the Speaker of that body to be elected, the 49 Democrats went to the one most moderate Republican and said, "How would you like to be speaker?" He said sure. He got the 49 Dem votes and........................his own. 50-49, he is the new Speaker.
Wow.
Good Start to American Idol
As Miss Katrina Darrell auditioned in a bikini.
New judge Kara DioGuardi slipped 20 notches on my rating scale by actually complaining about Darrell's slightly above average vocals.
Paula Abdul (obviously in on the fact that "Idol" needs hot young things to keep ratings rising) provided the key 3rd vote to let Darrell get to the next round. I could not find a photo of her from the (much better) reverse angle.
Eddy Curry Response To "Touch It" Lawsuit? "I Am Not A Racist"
http://sports.aol.com/nba/story/_a/bbdp/curry-battles-back-against-accusations/304449?icid=200100397x1216421060x1201135469
Um, OK.
Maybe Larry Craig's primary defense should have also been, "I am not racist"?
Um, OK.
Maybe Larry Craig's primary defense should have also been, "I am not racist"?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Eddy Curry to Male Driver -- "Touch It"
And I am adding in a completely unrelated picture of American Idol runner up Clay Aiken (since the show returns tonight).
Monday, January 12, 2009
George Bush Conducts "Exit Interview"
http://news.aol.com/article/bush-defends-record-in-exit-interview/301964
I would have preferred GWB receive this style of exit interview:
I would have preferred GWB receive this style of exit interview:
Henderson and Rice Join Hall -- Dawson and Blyleven Fall Short
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/37451794.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciaec8O7EyUsr
Great day for guys named "Rickey" (not Ricky) everywhere. Henderson is a no brainer. An argument could be made (not a slam dunk, but a solid argument) that if you had to pick an all-time MLB baseball team he would play left field and lead off.
Rice got 20 more votes than last year, pushing him above the 75% level.
Blyleven and Dawson gained 2 and 3 votes respectively and things look awfully bleak for Bert. Dawson may be drawing enough juice to get above 70% soon and no one has ever been rejected after getting 70% one year.
Harold Baines managed to stay alive, eking out 5.9% of the vote (need 5% to stay on ballot). The same could not be said of Mark Grace, David Cone or Mo Vaughn.
Of course Blyleven and Dawson are no Joe Gordon (who got in by pre-1943 committee work). Gordon's career stats? Virtually impossible to differentiate from Kirk Gibson's: http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/scomp.cgi?I=gordojo01:Joe+Gordon&st=career
Gibson got 2.5% of the vote in 2001 and was immediately tossed off the ballot.
I have ALWAYS detested "veterans' committee" selections. Who was the best judge of whether someone was a great player? The people who watched him play. When Gordon was first up for the HOF he got 1 vote, followed by a lot of years where he got 4 votes. Then for a while he skyrocketed up to a plateau of 11. His best ever showing was 20 years after he retired -- he almost got 100 votes, about 1/3 of what was needed for induction.
So.....Kirk Gibson -- out. Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson -- out. Joe Gordon (whose best years were during WWII) -- in.
For the first time in history, the HOF has had no starting pitcher inducted for a DECADE. So, that means of all pitchers who retired from 1994 through 2004, none of them were HOF worthy. None. So Jack Morris -- you performed your job better than any player at your position throughout an entire decade, but you don't get in. Bert Blyleven? Sure your stats are often in the top 10 all-time in key pitching categories, but nah........we gotta make sure Joe Gordon gets in. We may get back to you some day. Maybe.
HM
Great day for guys named "Rickey" (not Ricky) everywhere. Henderson is a no brainer. An argument could be made (not a slam dunk, but a solid argument) that if you had to pick an all-time MLB baseball team he would play left field and lead off.
Rice got 20 more votes than last year, pushing him above the 75% level.
Blyleven and Dawson gained 2 and 3 votes respectively and things look awfully bleak for Bert. Dawson may be drawing enough juice to get above 70% soon and no one has ever been rejected after getting 70% one year.
Harold Baines managed to stay alive, eking out 5.9% of the vote (need 5% to stay on ballot). The same could not be said of Mark Grace, David Cone or Mo Vaughn.
Of course Blyleven and Dawson are no Joe Gordon (who got in by pre-1943 committee work). Gordon's career stats? Virtually impossible to differentiate from Kirk Gibson's: http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/scomp.cgi?I=gordojo01:Joe+Gordon&st=career
Gibson got 2.5% of the vote in 2001 and was immediately tossed off the ballot.
I have ALWAYS detested "veterans' committee" selections. Who was the best judge of whether someone was a great player? The people who watched him play. When Gordon was first up for the HOF he got 1 vote, followed by a lot of years where he got 4 votes. Then for a while he skyrocketed up to a plateau of 11. His best ever showing was 20 years after he retired -- he almost got 100 votes, about 1/3 of what was needed for induction.
So.....Kirk Gibson -- out. Bert Blyleven and Andre Dawson -- out. Joe Gordon (whose best years were during WWII) -- in.
For the first time in history, the HOF has had no starting pitcher inducted for a DECADE. So, that means of all pitchers who retired from 1994 through 2004, none of them were HOF worthy. None. So Jack Morris -- you performed your job better than any player at your position throughout an entire decade, but you don't get in. Bert Blyleven? Sure your stats are often in the top 10 all-time in key pitching categories, but nah........we gotta make sure Joe Gordon gets in. We may get back to you some day. Maybe.
HM
Are Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla The Same Person?
Imagine Portland's surprise to have drafted a guy #1 overall who is virtually the "Stat Twin" of a guy that they already had!
Don't believe me?
Oden versus Joel
30 games 36
22 starts 13
22.8 mins 23.0
8.0 Points 5.8
7.0 rebounds 7.9
0.7 assists 0.4
1.53 steals plus blocks 1.55
1.5 turnovers 0.8
0.50 assist to turnover ratio 0.52
3.8 fouls per game 2.7
The words "disappointing so far" and "Kwame Bown-like" come to mind.
Movie Review -- The Dark Knight, Plus Some Extra Blogger Thoughts
Last night (knight?) I ended my reign as the only heterosexual male in America not to have seen The Dark Knight. It was a completely enjoyable movie -- 9 out of 10. I do not understand the comments by some folks that it is the greatest movie of all time, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I guess.
Let me say this, though, about the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Superb. One of the best acting jobs I have ever seen.
For a period of about 6 weeks in the summer of 1986, I used to visit the psych ward at one of the Rochester hospitals to see my brother (who was in very, very bad shape and who shortly before had attempted to kill himself). Ledger's Joker, sans makeup, would have fit in completely in that environment. The tic that Ledger mastered the best was the lip licking. From what I have experienced, many, many patients with extreme mental health issues lick their lips. This is often a side effect of medication, but not always, sometimes it is just a tic. The action is extremely off putting and it basically hangs a sign around your neck stating, "I am dangerously unstable and anything I do in the next 15 seconds should not come as a surprise to you." When I would visit the psych center, I was 22 years old and in much better physical condition than I am now (not a high standard I concede). But as a healthy young man just a few years removed from being an athlete, I was terrified to be in that situation. I always feared for my life, and I tried never to allow anyone to be or move where I could not see them. That sense of complete and unending danger was captured perfectly by the Joker. So spot, spot on by Ledger.
Ledger's Joker also completely captured the sense of someone who does something just to be evil. A complete sociopath.
You wonder when you see a performance like that how many inner demons someone must have to pull off such a role. That simply cannot come from no where. As I rose up the academic ladder, I began to realize the very, very thin line between genius and anti-social tendencies that many would characterize as mental illness. In college, I knew probably 8 people who I thought were smarter than I. About 4 of them suffered badly in social situations -- some were just awkward, some were completely hopeless. At law school, in a much smaller pool of people, there were probably 10-12 people whom I viewed as clearly smarter than I. I saw about the same percentage of people who suffered a great deal socially. As someone who was a high scholastic achiever, I have two brothers in my gene pool -- one is mentally retarded and one suffers from severe mental illness. My mother is brilliant, yet a lot of her life was driven by the belief that society hates her and everyone in the world is trying to take something from her.
The point, I guess, is that Ledger's greatness in The Dark Knight and his sudden death from drug overdose should not surprise us. As my father (a guidance counselor and school psychiatrist) used to say about defensive football players in general and Lawrence Taylor in particular, "We send them out and expect them to hurt people as much as possible on every play. A normal healthy mind cannot do the things that we expect of, and get from, [LT]. Then people expect these players to go out when the day is done and be normal everyday nice people? I just don't see that as a likely result."
Anyway, just some blogger thoughts on a snowy Monday in Minny.
Let me say this, though, about the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Superb. One of the best acting jobs I have ever seen.
For a period of about 6 weeks in the summer of 1986, I used to visit the psych ward at one of the Rochester hospitals to see my brother (who was in very, very bad shape and who shortly before had attempted to kill himself). Ledger's Joker, sans makeup, would have fit in completely in that environment. The tic that Ledger mastered the best was the lip licking. From what I have experienced, many, many patients with extreme mental health issues lick their lips. This is often a side effect of medication, but not always, sometimes it is just a tic. The action is extremely off putting and it basically hangs a sign around your neck stating, "I am dangerously unstable and anything I do in the next 15 seconds should not come as a surprise to you." When I would visit the psych center, I was 22 years old and in much better physical condition than I am now (not a high standard I concede). But as a healthy young man just a few years removed from being an athlete, I was terrified to be in that situation. I always feared for my life, and I tried never to allow anyone to be or move where I could not see them. That sense of complete and unending danger was captured perfectly by the Joker. So spot, spot on by Ledger.
Ledger's Joker also completely captured the sense of someone who does something just to be evil. A complete sociopath.
You wonder when you see a performance like that how many inner demons someone must have to pull off such a role. That simply cannot come from no where. As I rose up the academic ladder, I began to realize the very, very thin line between genius and anti-social tendencies that many would characterize as mental illness. In college, I knew probably 8 people who I thought were smarter than I. About 4 of them suffered badly in social situations -- some were just awkward, some were completely hopeless. At law school, in a much smaller pool of people, there were probably 10-12 people whom I viewed as clearly smarter than I. I saw about the same percentage of people who suffered a great deal socially. As someone who was a high scholastic achiever, I have two brothers in my gene pool -- one is mentally retarded and one suffers from severe mental illness. My mother is brilliant, yet a lot of her life was driven by the belief that society hates her and everyone in the world is trying to take something from her.
The point, I guess, is that Ledger's greatness in The Dark Knight and his sudden death from drug overdose should not surprise us. As my father (a guidance counselor and school psychiatrist) used to say about defensive football players in general and Lawrence Taylor in particular, "We send them out and expect them to hurt people as much as possible on every play. A normal healthy mind cannot do the things that we expect of, and get from, [LT]. Then people expect these players to go out when the day is done and be normal everyday nice people? I just don't see that as a likely result."
Anyway, just some blogger thoughts on a snowy Monday in Minny.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Wall Street Journal Item Backs Obama Stimulus Plan
http://www.247wallst.com/2009/01/the-horrible-jo.html
How bad have things become? You have the conservative Wall Street Journal basically echoing the words of the late, great wrestling commentator (and wrestler) Gorilla Monsoon:
"C'mon, referee, do something, even if it is wrong!"
I have to say, I can't recall ever reading an economic column where someone said, "The site of the gallows focuses the mind." Wow.
How bad have things become? You have the conservative Wall Street Journal basically echoing the words of the late, great wrestling commentator (and wrestler) Gorilla Monsoon:
"C'mon, referee, do something, even if it is wrong!"
I have to say, I can't recall ever reading an economic column where someone said, "The site of the gallows focuses the mind." Wow.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Comparing "Efficiency" With Hollinger's "Player Efficiency Rating"
Now, John Hollinger has always touted the fact that his PER stat is better at evaluating players than is the NBA's Efficiency stat. Important to note is that Hollinger's stat is basically his version of Efficiency Per 48 minutes.
But, let's review the NBA's top 20 Efficiency list (their most productive players per game) and Holllinger's PER top 20 list.
Top 5 Hollinger -- LeBron, Paul, Wade, Howard, The Devil
NBA Top 5 - Paul, LeBron, Wade, Howard, Carlos Boozer
(for obvious reasons I prefer the NBA's list)
6 Through 10 Hollinger -- Roy, Devin Harris, Boozer, Duncan, Nowitski
NBA 6 through 10 -- Nowitski, Bosh, Camby, Duncan, Al Jefferson
What you start to see here is that the NBA's efficiency stat rewards bigger players (7 of top 10) while Hollinger's does not (4 of top 10).
11 through 15 Hollinger -- Bosh, Shaq, Parker, Al Jefferson, Yao
11 Through 15 NBA -- Amare, The Devil, Gasol, Yao, Biedrins
You start seeing some different names here.
16 through 20 Hollinger -- Gasol, Amare, Danny Granger, Vince Carter, Camby
16 through 20 NBA -- Zach Randolph, Granger, Roy, Harris, Antawn Jamison
So.................. our big differences
Hollinger significantl;y prefers: The Devil (+7 over the NBA list), Roy (+12), Harris (+12), Shaq (+15), Parker (+20) and Vince (+7)
The League substantially prefers: Camby (+12), Randolph (+19), Jamison (+8), Biedrins (+6)
The one outlier is Shaq because Shaq plays only 30 minutes a night. He is simply going to score better on a Per48 stat than on an overall production stat.
But then you have to ask yourself why is it that Hollinger's stat SO favors guards (Devil, Roy, Parker, Harris, Vince) and disses guys who are 20-10 threats as big men (Camby, Randolph, Jamison, Biedrins).
Well, it appears to me (without spending 7-8 hours on the issue and without calling up the man himself) that the guys Hollinger likes score well on "Usage Rate" and "assist ratio" while the others do not.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics
Look at some of the usage rates for guys Hollinger's PER ranks high:
Parker #3
Kobe #4
Harris #8
Roy #9
Vince #14
Then look at the Usage Rate for guys it snubs:
Randolph #17
Jamison #39
Amare #49
Biedrins over 50 (by a lot)
I am not sure why Usage Rate should be a stat to explain to you how good a player is. It is defined basically as how often you get an offensive stat per offensive possession. So if you are a guy who is a defensive stopper and team player (Marcus Camby) your Usage Rate will be some ungodly horrible number (and it is -- 14.8, probably around 100th or worse in the league).
If you are a shameless gunner (Vince Carter, Devil) your usage rate will be very high. (Devil 29.6, Vince 26.0). Why in the world should a player be rewarded for hogging the ball?
On the other hand, using assist ratio as a stat really hurts someone like Zach Randolph, and rightfully so.
Anyway, just some late night stat mining for your enjoyment.
But, let's review the NBA's top 20 Efficiency list (their most productive players per game) and Holllinger's PER top 20 list.
Top 5 Hollinger -- LeBron, Paul, Wade, Howard, The Devil
NBA Top 5 - Paul, LeBron, Wade, Howard, Carlos Boozer
(for obvious reasons I prefer the NBA's list)
6 Through 10 Hollinger -- Roy, Devin Harris, Boozer, Duncan, Nowitski
NBA 6 through 10 -- Nowitski, Bosh, Camby, Duncan, Al Jefferson
What you start to see here is that the NBA's efficiency stat rewards bigger players (7 of top 10) while Hollinger's does not (4 of top 10).
11 through 15 Hollinger -- Bosh, Shaq, Parker, Al Jefferson, Yao
11 Through 15 NBA -- Amare, The Devil, Gasol, Yao, Biedrins
You start seeing some different names here.
16 through 20 Hollinger -- Gasol, Amare, Danny Granger, Vince Carter, Camby
16 through 20 NBA -- Zach Randolph, Granger, Roy, Harris, Antawn Jamison
So.................. our big differences
Hollinger significantl;y prefers: The Devil (+7 over the NBA list), Roy (+12), Harris (+12), Shaq (+15), Parker (+20) and Vince (+7)
The League substantially prefers: Camby (+12), Randolph (+19), Jamison (+8), Biedrins (+6)
The one outlier is Shaq because Shaq plays only 30 minutes a night. He is simply going to score better on a Per48 stat than on an overall production stat.
But then you have to ask yourself why is it that Hollinger's stat SO favors guards (Devil, Roy, Parker, Harris, Vince) and disses guys who are 20-10 threats as big men (Camby, Randolph, Jamison, Biedrins).
Well, it appears to me (without spending 7-8 hours on the issue and without calling up the man himself) that the guys Hollinger likes score well on "Usage Rate" and "assist ratio" while the others do not.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics
Look at some of the usage rates for guys Hollinger's PER ranks high:
Parker #3
Kobe #4
Harris #8
Roy #9
Vince #14
Then look at the Usage Rate for guys it snubs:
Randolph #17
Jamison #39
Amare #49
Biedrins over 50 (by a lot)
I am not sure why Usage Rate should be a stat to explain to you how good a player is. It is defined basically as how often you get an offensive stat per offensive possession. So if you are a guy who is a defensive stopper and team player (Marcus Camby) your Usage Rate will be some ungodly horrible number (and it is -- 14.8, probably around 100th or worse in the league).
If you are a shameless gunner (Vince Carter, Devil) your usage rate will be very high. (Devil 29.6, Vince 26.0). Why in the world should a player be rewarded for hogging the ball?
On the other hand, using assist ratio as a stat really hurts someone like Zach Randolph, and rightfully so.
Anyway, just some late night stat mining for your enjoyment.
Grizzle Acquire Shaun Livingston....And Then Cut Him
http://www.wcpo.com/sports/nba/story/Grizzlies-acquire-Livingston-from-Heat-then-waive/zEbip19T5Em7saDYMDL7tA.cspx
This also appears to have happened with Hassan Adams (traded to another team so THEY could cut him).
OK, so what gives?
The Grizzle are the only team (I believe) under the salary cap. Cutting Livingston puts them....still under the salary cap. If Miami had cut Livingston, his salary would have gone on Miami's cap. So Miami would have been pushed up against the luxury tax if it wanted to sign another guy to replace Livingston.
So they traded him to Memphis.
Memphis badly needs cash -- they drew about 4,000 for a game with the Wolves the other night -- so it would be interesting to see how much cash the Grizzlies got for agreeing to participate in this sham transaction.
Similarly, the Clippers are well below the luxury tax threshold and the Raptors are above the $71.15MM luxury tax threshold and want to rid themselves of Hassan Adams' $711,000 hit and possibly get below the luxury tax level altogether.
The key to the teams giving up #2 picks for guys they cut are: 1) you need to get enough money to pay the rest of the guy's salary; and 2) you need to get enough extra money to make doing the
deal worth your while.
I hope that both LAC and the Grizzle were able to extort some money for their time and effort.
HM
This also appears to have happened with Hassan Adams (traded to another team so THEY could cut him).
OK, so what gives?
The Grizzle are the only team (I believe) under the salary cap. Cutting Livingston puts them....still under the salary cap. If Miami had cut Livingston, his salary would have gone on Miami's cap. So Miami would have been pushed up against the luxury tax if it wanted to sign another guy to replace Livingston.
So they traded him to Memphis.
Memphis badly needs cash -- they drew about 4,000 for a game with the Wolves the other night -- so it would be interesting to see how much cash the Grizzlies got for agreeing to participate in this sham transaction.
Similarly, the Clippers are well below the luxury tax threshold and the Raptors are above the $71.15MM luxury tax threshold and want to rid themselves of Hassan Adams' $711,000 hit and possibly get below the luxury tax level altogether.
The key to the teams giving up #2 picks for guys they cut are: 1) you need to get enough money to pay the rest of the guy's salary; and 2) you need to get enough extra money to make doing the
deal worth your while.
I hope that both LAC and the Grizzle were able to extort some money for their time and effort.
HM
Larry Craig -- Convicted Quitter
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28558845/
Some might say "Gay Convicted Quitter" for a headline, but Craig has said that soliciting male sex in an airport restroom doesn't make him gay, so I will NOT go with "Gay Convicted Quitter."
HM
Some might say "Gay Convicted Quitter" for a headline, but Craig has said that soliciting male sex in an airport restroom doesn't make him gay, so I will NOT go with "Gay Convicted Quitter."
HM
Wolves Silencing of Thunder (Win By 42) Not Greatest Wolves Victory Ever
In late 2001, Garnett and Wally led the Wolves to a 53 point thrashing of the Bulls -- http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200111080MIN.html
127-74.
Proving once and for all that the Wolves (and not the Ron Mercer powered Bulls) are the better franchise.
127-74.
Proving once and for all that the Wolves (and not the Ron Mercer powered Bulls) are the better franchise.
Old Guy Joke #1
I went to a luncheon today where the average age of the attendee was 75 and the MC was 65. The MC regaled the crowd with a variety of jokes that you generally only get at a group populated 100% by old men.
I offer you five jokes that were actually told. Feel free to rate how funny they are on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 being that you could not tell it was even a joke and 10 being that it is super hilarious.
Joke #1
A guy goes to an NFL game and there is only one seat left to buy -- upper deck, last row, far corner. After sitting there for 30 minutes, he sees in his binoculars that there is one seat 15 rows up at the 50 yard line, on the aisle.
The guy waits 15 minutes to see if anyone will be arriving to the prime seat and then he sneaks down into the lower deck. He asks the man in the seat next to the aisle, "Is anyone sitting here?" The man answers, "No." So the two men sit and enjoy the game for a quarter. At the start of the 4th quarter the seat poacher says, "So who usually sits with you?" The man answers, "well, I have had tickets for 40 years, so usually my wife sits there but she couldn't make it today."
The poacher says, "Well, this is a great seat; didn't any of your friends want to come today."
Ticket Holder -- "No. They are all at her funeral."
I offer you five jokes that were actually told. Feel free to rate how funny they are on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 being that you could not tell it was even a joke and 10 being that it is super hilarious.
Joke #1
A guy goes to an NFL game and there is only one seat left to buy -- upper deck, last row, far corner. After sitting there for 30 minutes, he sees in his binoculars that there is one seat 15 rows up at the 50 yard line, on the aisle.
The guy waits 15 minutes to see if anyone will be arriving to the prime seat and then he sneaks down into the lower deck. He asks the man in the seat next to the aisle, "Is anyone sitting here?" The man answers, "No." So the two men sit and enjoy the game for a quarter. At the start of the 4th quarter the seat poacher says, "So who usually sits with you?" The man answers, "well, I have had tickets for 40 years, so usually my wife sits there but she couldn't make it today."
The poacher says, "Well, this is a great seat; didn't any of your friends want to come today."
Ticket Holder -- "No. They are all at her funeral."
Old Guy Joke #2
A guy sees a hot chick seated at a bar and so he walks up to her and sits down and starts looking at his odd-looking wrist watch.
Woman -- "What an odd watch."
Guy -- "Yes, it tells time and tells me what is going on around me."
Woman -- How so?
Guy -- "Well, it is telling me that you and I are going to have a drink at this bar right now."
Woman (smiling) -- Well, I guess it is right.
A few minutes later the guy looks at the watch and says, "It says you and I are going to drive to dinner together right now."
Woman (smiling and amused) -- Well, that is amazing, yes we are.
About 20 minutes into dinner the guy looks at his watch and says, "It says you aren't wearing any panties right now."
Woman (laughing) -- No. Your watch is wrong. Sorry. I am.
Guy -- Damn watch, it is suddenly running 30 minutes fast!
Joke rating????
Woman -- "What an odd watch."
Guy -- "Yes, it tells time and tells me what is going on around me."
Woman -- How so?
Guy -- "Well, it is telling me that you and I are going to have a drink at this bar right now."
Woman (smiling) -- Well, I guess it is right.
A few minutes later the guy looks at the watch and says, "It says you and I are going to drive to dinner together right now."
Woman (smiling and amused) -- Well, that is amazing, yes we are.
About 20 minutes into dinner the guy looks at his watch and says, "It says you aren't wearing any panties right now."
Woman (laughing) -- No. Your watch is wrong. Sorry. I am.
Guy -- Damn watch, it is suddenly running 30 minutes fast!
Joke rating????
Old Guy Joke #3
A 19 year old girl named Katie comes home from college with her brand new boyfriend, a veteran of the Iraq War.
The two have had a long trip from school so the girl's mom says, "Go upstairs and clean up and I will keep stirring this chili."
The two go upstairs and the boyfriend emerges from the bathroom shower. Katie sees that as a result of a war wound the young man only has two toes left on his right foot.
She cries out, "Oh my god, you have a foot and a half!"
The mom calls up from downstairs, "Katie, why don't YOU come downstairs and stir the chili for a while!"
Joke rating????
The two have had a long trip from school so the girl's mom says, "Go upstairs and clean up and I will keep stirring this chili."
The two go upstairs and the boyfriend emerges from the bathroom shower. Katie sees that as a result of a war wound the young man only has two toes left on his right foot.
She cries out, "Oh my god, you have a foot and a half!"
The mom calls up from downstairs, "Katie, why don't YOU come downstairs and stir the chili for a while!"
Joke rating????
Old Guy Joke #4
A son age 65 decides that for his widower father's 90th birthday he will send him a 25 year old hooker.
The hooker appears at the door and the dad says, "What are you here for?"
The hooker replies, "I am here to give you super sex!"
The dad says, "I just turned 90......................I'll take the soup."
Joke rating????????
The hooker appears at the door and the dad says, "What are you here for?"
The hooker replies, "I am here to give you super sex!"
The dad says, "I just turned 90......................I'll take the soup."
Joke rating????????
Old Guy Joke #5
MC at my luncheon today:
I would have invited Vikings Coach Brad Childress to give the invocation, but I knew HE didn't have a prayer..."
Rating on Scale of 1 to 10 (10 being outrageously funny and 1 being you are unsure that it is even a joke)????
I would have invited Vikings Coach Brad Childress to give the invocation, but I knew HE didn't have a prayer..."
Rating on Scale of 1 to 10 (10 being outrageously funny and 1 being you are unsure that it is even a joke)????
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Congrats Michigan Law Grads!
We Duke Law folks have Richard Nixon.
But you guys have...........................................Ann Coulter
I will take the disgraced President any day of the week and twice on Sunday (even his exhumed remains).
But you guys have...........................................Ann Coulter
I will take the disgraced President any day of the week and twice on Sunday (even his exhumed remains).
Wolves Continue Surge -- Move Within 19 Games of Celtics
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings
In an effort to prove that the Garnett trade was a good deal, the Wolves have surged -- winning 5 of their last 7, and they have a winnable game (as Wolves games go) tonight: at home with OKC.
This strong move has placed the Wolves in some rare air:
1) They are ahead of OKC, Washington, SAC and LAC, making them only the 26th worst team in the league.
2) They are percentage points behind Golden State, and could move ahead of the Warriors with a win tonight -- catapulting the Wolves to 25th worst.
3) A win tonight would also place the Wolves in striking distance of Memphis for the #10 spot in the West (and we currently hold the tiebreaker).
4) And let's not forget that the Wolves, while 9 and 25, have 48 games left to play and only 10.5 games to make up in order to reach the playoffs!!! At the Wolves' current pace of winning 5 out of every 7 games, that would give the Wolves 34 more wins, putting them at 43-39 and a threat to make the playoffs.
Now a skeptic might say that the Wolves' 5 recent wins have come against the Knicks, GState, a Chicago team without 3 of their best guys, and Memphis (twice).
I say, "Pshaw! You can only play the teams that the league schedules for you. Can we help it if we start playing unbeatable ball when we are playing lesser teams??"
All sarcasm aside -- why have the Wolves won more games in the past 7 than they won in the first 27?
Coaching.
As I have stated before, McHale is hopeless as a GM, but he is a very good coach. So if you take a team with one of the worst coaches in the history of the NBA (Randy Wittman) and you give them an above-average coach, you are going to see more wins.
What has McHale done:
1) Offense looks completely different and actually (here is a shock) tries to get guys the ball where they like to score. No more dribble weaves 28 feet from the basket with Kevin Love and Ryan Gomes.
2) Randy Foye is playing........a lot. While Wittman's answer to the Randy Foye dilemma (he is the second most talented Wolf, but not a point guard) was to either bench Foye or bitch about his play non-stop, McHale has installed him as the off guard and plays him 30+ minutes a night. The result? Foye is free to shoot and score (which he does well) and not worried about setting up the dribble weave so Jason Collins can get an 18 foot elbow jumper late in the shot clock (which neither Foye nor anyone else could be expected to do well).
3) McHale is getting more out of Kevin Love. Last night Craig Smith played better than Love, but McHale has determined (I don't know how) that Love likes to play with Brian Cardinal because Cardinal is an intelligent player. (I would guess that Love likes to play with Cardinal because Cardinal's intesity on defense hides Love's many deficiencies on that end of the floor.)
But anyway, McHale plays the very-annoying-but-oddly-effective Cardinal. Rashad McCants?????? Well, he and Jason Collins must be becoming fast friends.
4) McHale looks far more comfortable on the bench than Wittman ever did. The Wolves' head coach is no longer arguing foul calls 65 feet from the basket in the 2nd quarter when the Wolves aren't in the penalty. It is hard for a team to earn respect from referees when their coach is a complete buffoon on the bench.
So there ya go.
Break up the Wolves!!
HM
In an effort to prove that the Garnett trade was a good deal, the Wolves have surged -- winning 5 of their last 7, and they have a winnable game (as Wolves games go) tonight: at home with OKC.
This strong move has placed the Wolves in some rare air:
1) They are ahead of OKC, Washington, SAC and LAC, making them only the 26th worst team in the league.
2) They are percentage points behind Golden State, and could move ahead of the Warriors with a win tonight -- catapulting the Wolves to 25th worst.
3) A win tonight would also place the Wolves in striking distance of Memphis for the #10 spot in the West (and we currently hold the tiebreaker).
4) And let's not forget that the Wolves, while 9 and 25, have 48 games left to play and only 10.5 games to make up in order to reach the playoffs!!! At the Wolves' current pace of winning 5 out of every 7 games, that would give the Wolves 34 more wins, putting them at 43-39 and a threat to make the playoffs.
Now a skeptic might say that the Wolves' 5 recent wins have come against the Knicks, GState, a Chicago team without 3 of their best guys, and Memphis (twice).
I say, "Pshaw! You can only play the teams that the league schedules for you. Can we help it if we start playing unbeatable ball when we are playing lesser teams??"
All sarcasm aside -- why have the Wolves won more games in the past 7 than they won in the first 27?
Coaching.
As I have stated before, McHale is hopeless as a GM, but he is a very good coach. So if you take a team with one of the worst coaches in the history of the NBA (Randy Wittman) and you give them an above-average coach, you are going to see more wins.
What has McHale done:
1) Offense looks completely different and actually (here is a shock) tries to get guys the ball where they like to score. No more dribble weaves 28 feet from the basket with Kevin Love and Ryan Gomes.
2) Randy Foye is playing........a lot. While Wittman's answer to the Randy Foye dilemma (he is the second most talented Wolf, but not a point guard) was to either bench Foye or bitch about his play non-stop, McHale has installed him as the off guard and plays him 30+ minutes a night. The result? Foye is free to shoot and score (which he does well) and not worried about setting up the dribble weave so Jason Collins can get an 18 foot elbow jumper late in the shot clock (which neither Foye nor anyone else could be expected to do well).
3) McHale is getting more out of Kevin Love. Last night Craig Smith played better than Love, but McHale has determined (I don't know how) that Love likes to play with Brian Cardinal because Cardinal is an intelligent player. (I would guess that Love likes to play with Cardinal because Cardinal's intesity on defense hides Love's many deficiencies on that end of the floor.)
But anyway, McHale plays the very-annoying-but-oddly-effective Cardinal. Rashad McCants?????? Well, he and Jason Collins must be becoming fast friends.
4) McHale looks far more comfortable on the bench than Wittman ever did. The Wolves' head coach is no longer arguing foul calls 65 feet from the basket in the 2nd quarter when the Wolves aren't in the penalty. It is hard for a team to earn respect from referees when their coach is a complete buffoon on the bench.
So there ya go.
Break up the Wolves!!
HM
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Coleman Displays Lack of Class -- Will File Election Contest
Norm just had a press conference where he said basically that the election was fixed against him and he lost because of double-counted ballots and therefore he owes it to society to file an election contest.
Classless act by Coleman. But that should really surprise no one. If he wins the election contest (which he won't), as I read the Constitution the U.S. Senate is the final arbiter of the elections of its members. Norm will not be seated unless he intends to wait 2 years for the GOP to possibly re-take the Senate.
So, with his chances of ultimate success at 0.0000000000001%, exactly what does Coleman hope to prove? That he is a complete horse's ass? That was established long, long ago, Normie.
Mike Miller -- "I Miss Memphis"
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jan/06/old-home-night/
Hey Mike, maybe you ought to stop missing Memphis (where they obviously did not want you) and start trying to play hard for your CURRENT basketball team!!!
Step 1 -- how about actually shooting the basketball? We acquired you as a shooter and you won't shoot the ball. Which might be OK, except when you drive and dish you are almost certainly dishing out to guys who are worse shooters than you are.
Step 2 -- how about bending over and picking up a loose ball now and then? Miller's 0.5 steals+blocks figure is outright embarrassing. He has played 762 minutes and has 13 steals+blocks (7 of one, 6 of the other). He is averaging about 31 minutes a game; at that rate that means is takes him almost two full games worth of play (58.62 minutes) to record a steal or a block.
How awful is Miller's 0.29 steals per game mark?
Of guys who play 30 minutes a game, he is last in steals per 48. Of guys who have played at least 10 games and average 10 minutes a game, he is tied for 4th worst:
Etan Thomas -- 0.18
Oberto -- 0.27
Antoine Wright -- 0.39
4Way Tie -- Desmond Mason, Juwan Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Mike Miller -- all at 0.44 steals per game.
Miller is also tied for 265th in the league in blocks per 48. So, basically, every team has 9 guys who get more blocks per 48 than he does.
So........Mike.....maybe instead of crying at home about how much you miss drug-war-laden Memphis, maybe you could push yourself to be something like the 10th worst defender in the league instead of top 2 (with Steve Nash)?
Step 3 -- Cut that horrible hair, ask for a uniform that fits you, and stop looking like a clown.
If you do ##1, 2, and 3 you can sit in your apartment and listen to Marc Cohn's "Walking In Memphis" every time you get a chance while eating dry-rub barbecue shipped to you by Fed Ex. I really don't give a flying fuck. But unless and until you do that, maybe you want to avoid doing interviews whining about how much you miss Memphis.
So there.
HM
Hey Mike, maybe you ought to stop missing Memphis (where they obviously did not want you) and start trying to play hard for your CURRENT basketball team!!!
Step 1 -- how about actually shooting the basketball? We acquired you as a shooter and you won't shoot the ball. Which might be OK, except when you drive and dish you are almost certainly dishing out to guys who are worse shooters than you are.
Step 2 -- how about bending over and picking up a loose ball now and then? Miller's 0.5 steals+blocks figure is outright embarrassing. He has played 762 minutes and has 13 steals+blocks (7 of one, 6 of the other). He is averaging about 31 minutes a game; at that rate that means is takes him almost two full games worth of play (58.62 minutes) to record a steal or a block.
How awful is Miller's 0.29 steals per game mark?
Of guys who play 30 minutes a game, he is last in steals per 48. Of guys who have played at least 10 games and average 10 minutes a game, he is tied for 4th worst:
Etan Thomas -- 0.18
Oberto -- 0.27
Antoine Wright -- 0.39
4Way Tie -- Desmond Mason, Juwan Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Mike Miller -- all at 0.44 steals per game.
Miller is also tied for 265th in the league in blocks per 48. So, basically, every team has 9 guys who get more blocks per 48 than he does.
So........Mike.....maybe instead of crying at home about how much you miss drug-war-laden Memphis, maybe you could push yourself to be something like the 10th worst defender in the league instead of top 2 (with Steve Nash)?
Step 3 -- Cut that horrible hair, ask for a uniform that fits you, and stop looking like a clown.
If you do ##1, 2, and 3 you can sit in your apartment and listen to Marc Cohn's "Walking In Memphis" every time you get a chance while eating dry-rub barbecue shipped to you by Fed Ex. I really don't give a flying fuck. But unless and until you do that, maybe you want to avoid doing interviews whining about how much you miss Memphis.
So there.
HM
Shaun Livingston -- Wolf?
Let's add it all up:
1) Livingston was a guy the Wolves were interested in pre-season.
2) Livingston chose the Heat.
3) The Heat just cut him and he is pissed about being cut and about never playing.
4) He says he wants to go somewhere that he can play.
5) Kevin Ollie is out a few weeks with a dislocated elbow.
6) The Wolves' other option is Blake Ahearn from the D-League.
Now, signing Livingston would require the Wolves to release Calvin Booth (who they aren't playing anyway), but doesn't the whole thing make a lot of sense? Bring in the #4 overall pick a few years back for nothing and see if you might strike gold at a position of need?
HM
1) Livingston was a guy the Wolves were interested in pre-season.
2) Livingston chose the Heat.
3) The Heat just cut him and he is pissed about being cut and about never playing.
4) He says he wants to go somewhere that he can play.
5) Kevin Ollie is out a few weeks with a dislocated elbow.
6) The Wolves' other option is Blake Ahearn from the D-League.
Now, signing Livingston would require the Wolves to release Calvin Booth (who they aren't playing anyway), but doesn't the whole thing make a lot of sense? Bring in the #4 overall pick a few years back for nothing and see if you might strike gold at a position of need?
HM
Monday, January 05, 2009
Joe Flacco -- The New Trent Dilfer?
If you take Joe Flacco's 2008 Game Log you will see that he had 14 TDs and 12 picks, threw for about 3,000 yards and had a QB rating of 80.3.
Then feel free to review Trent Dilfer's stats as Baltimore starter in 2000. 12 TDs, 11 picks, about 1,500 yards in 8 starts. QB rating of 76.2.
So, while Dilfer was reviled as a suckman and could only start part time (Tony Banks being the other option), Flacco is showered with praise for being..........what? Maybe a little better?
Flacco then goes to Miami and goes 9 for 23, a 59.3 rating and again, all I hear on the broadcast is "boy Flacco has a strong arm; boy, Flacco is sure mobile......"
Dilfer had a wild card game rating in 2000-01 of 118.2 He followed that up with 58, 83 and 81 ratings while winning the title.
My point? At this point in his career, Joe Flacco is not any good. He may win the title relying upon Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but make no mistake, this is not an above average NFL QB.
HM
Then feel free to review Trent Dilfer's stats as Baltimore starter in 2000. 12 TDs, 11 picks, about 1,500 yards in 8 starts. QB rating of 76.2.
So, while Dilfer was reviled as a suckman and could only start part time (Tony Banks being the other option), Flacco is showered with praise for being..........what? Maybe a little better?
Flacco then goes to Miami and goes 9 for 23, a 59.3 rating and again, all I hear on the broadcast is "boy Flacco has a strong arm; boy, Flacco is sure mobile......"
Dilfer had a wild card game rating in 2000-01 of 118.2 He followed that up with 58, 83 and 81 ratings while winning the title.
My point? At this point in his career, Joe Flacco is not any good. He may win the title relying upon Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but make no mistake, this is not an above average NFL QB.
HM
Carl Pohlad -- Dead at 93
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/37106499.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU1E::Dy_oacyKU
The Star Tribune story certainly reflects a rags-to-riches story, and also the story of a man who knew how to make a buck (or $3.8B of them).
But the truth of the matter is that from the time I first set foot in Minnesota in 1988 though today, I have rarely heard a kind word about Carl Pohlad. He basically would cut your throat to make a dollar. He was the kid of guy who was worth $3.8B and yet could hold out on paying Kirby Puckett (then a top 5 MLB player) $9MM over three years. Some other Pohlad lowlights:
1) Was close to getting a Twins stadium proposal through, he offered to put $80,000,000 of his own money into the stadium. When the legislature saw the paperwork he proposed................it was a loan........and I seem to recall that it may have been interest bearing.
2) He bought the Twins for something like $32MM in 1984. He then volunteered to have them contracted out of baseball. Done. Gone. Over. But for a shaky injunction ruling from Judge Harry Crump, the team is forever off the face of the baseball map. Pohlad stood to sell the Twins to the league for something like $150MM.
3) During contraction discussions, Pohlad revealed that he funded the team's operating losses through a line of credit. So, basically, Pohlad never "lost" one dime of his money on the Twins. He never paid anything out of his pocket. I recall that the pruchase price plus operating losses around contraction time were about $88MM. So he stood to make an enormous profit by contracting the team and giving the giant middle finger to Minnesota sports fans.
4) In 1997, Pohlad felt he could come up with a scheme to get the Twins a new stadium, so he found some guy in NC named Don Beaver and offered to sell the team to Beaver, contingent on the North Carolina "Triad" area approving a new stadium.
This was similar to me agreeing to sell my house to my poor brother if Wells Fargo would give him a mortgage and he could get approval to move the house to the site of St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. Just plain stupid.
So while there are things to admire about Pohlad's story, I cannot help but think that his is, at least to some extent, the story of Scrooge getting visited by the three ghosts and telling them all to go fuck off -- there was money out there to be made.
At least he managed to outlive his mother, which is a feat in and of itself -- she died at 104.
HM
The Star Tribune story certainly reflects a rags-to-riches story, and also the story of a man who knew how to make a buck (or $3.8B of them).
But the truth of the matter is that from the time I first set foot in Minnesota in 1988 though today, I have rarely heard a kind word about Carl Pohlad. He basically would cut your throat to make a dollar. He was the kid of guy who was worth $3.8B and yet could hold out on paying Kirby Puckett (then a top 5 MLB player) $9MM over three years. Some other Pohlad lowlights:
1) Was close to getting a Twins stadium proposal through, he offered to put $80,000,000 of his own money into the stadium. When the legislature saw the paperwork he proposed................it was a loan........and I seem to recall that it may have been interest bearing.
2) He bought the Twins for something like $32MM in 1984. He then volunteered to have them contracted out of baseball. Done. Gone. Over. But for a shaky injunction ruling from Judge Harry Crump, the team is forever off the face of the baseball map. Pohlad stood to sell the Twins to the league for something like $150MM.
3) During contraction discussions, Pohlad revealed that he funded the team's operating losses through a line of credit. So, basically, Pohlad never "lost" one dime of his money on the Twins. He never paid anything out of his pocket. I recall that the pruchase price plus operating losses around contraction time were about $88MM. So he stood to make an enormous profit by contracting the team and giving the giant middle finger to Minnesota sports fans.
4) In 1997, Pohlad felt he could come up with a scheme to get the Twins a new stadium, so he found some guy in NC named Don Beaver and offered to sell the team to Beaver, contingent on the North Carolina "Triad" area approving a new stadium.
This was similar to me agreeing to sell my house to my poor brother if Wells Fargo would give him a mortgage and he could get approval to move the house to the site of St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. Just plain stupid.
So while there are things to admire about Pohlad's story, I cannot help but think that his is, at least to some extent, the story of Scrooge getting visited by the three ghosts and telling them all to go fuck off -- there was money out there to be made.
At least he managed to outlive his mother, which is a feat in and of itself -- she died at 104.
HM
T-Jack? Off.
And "awful."
Matt Jones's backup (as he was and as I like to dub him) simply is not an NFL starter. At BEST he is a poor man's Aaron Brooks (don't get excited RKG -- only you think Brooks is a HOF quarterback).
What is most remarkable to me about the Vikings' off season is that the Packers knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could not allow Minnesota to have a 100 year old version of Brett Favre or the Vikes might very well be a Super Bowl team. So, your divisional opponent knows that all you need is a QB and that you cannot be allowed to upgrade at QB and you..............do nothing.
Look, Chilly, I get it. Donovan McNabb is black, so is T-Jack. They are not equivalents. One black QB does not equal another. You can pretend all you want, but you need to upgrade your QB position.
Norm Coleman -- A Basketball Analogy
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/37093114.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
Face it, Normie. Your legal guys got their asses kicked.
1) You asked for no rejected absentee ballots to be counted -- lost.
2) You asked for only absentee ballots to be counted that both sides agreed to -- yes!
But then you agreed with Franken to allow 900+ of these to be counted and..................Franken kicked his lead all of the way up from 50 to 225 votes.
Let me give you an analogy -- suppose the NBA has a dispersal draft where all current teams fold and all of their players can be drafted by one of two brand new teams -- Team Coleman or Team Franken.
As Hubie Brown would say, "Say you are Team Coleman."
After round 1 you got the better player.
In round 2 you broke even.
In round 3 you picked worse. So you panic and hope to end the draft at round 3. Nope. Then your opponent says, "Hey, there are 20 guys who should be on this dispersal list but aren't." You say, "well, they only get into the draft if both teams agree." Commissioner says "OK."
Then you allow LeBron, Wade and Dwight Howard into the draft, and Franken gets all 3???????? I mean, really. What is your explanation here? "I didn't know they were good?" "I didn't think all 3 would go to Franken"? Either you are blissfully unaware or just plain incompetent.
You then see how much shit you are in and you say "Well, Chris Paul and Carmelo and Duncan should have been in the draft." Franken replies, "Um, no, we excluded them."
Coleman -- you can't. Franken --not only can we, we already did and you said we could; you asked for that to be a rule!
You are left sitting there with your pants down saying, "unfair, unfair, unfair, waaaaaaah."
Nice job, "Team Coleman."
Face it, Normie. Your legal guys got their asses kicked.
1) You asked for no rejected absentee ballots to be counted -- lost.
2) You asked for only absentee ballots to be counted that both sides agreed to -- yes!
But then you agreed with Franken to allow 900+ of these to be counted and..................Franken kicked his lead all of the way up from 50 to 225 votes.
Let me give you an analogy -- suppose the NBA has a dispersal draft where all current teams fold and all of their players can be drafted by one of two brand new teams -- Team Coleman or Team Franken.
As Hubie Brown would say, "Say you are Team Coleman."
After round 1 you got the better player.
In round 2 you broke even.
In round 3 you picked worse. So you panic and hope to end the draft at round 3. Nope. Then your opponent says, "Hey, there are 20 guys who should be on this dispersal list but aren't." You say, "well, they only get into the draft if both teams agree." Commissioner says "OK."
Then you allow LeBron, Wade and Dwight Howard into the draft, and Franken gets all 3???????? I mean, really. What is your explanation here? "I didn't know they were good?" "I didn't think all 3 would go to Franken"? Either you are blissfully unaware or just plain incompetent.
You then see how much shit you are in and you say "Well, Chris Paul and Carmelo and Duncan should have been in the draft." Franken replies, "Um, no, we excluded them."
Coleman -- you can't. Franken --not only can we, we already did and you said we could; you asked for that to be a rule!
You are left sitting there with your pants down saying, "unfair, unfair, unfair, waaaaaaah."
Nice job, "Team Coleman."
Friday, January 02, 2009
Mining History -- "THAT Guy Was a Top 10 NBA Player?"
I generally consider myself to be a student of the NBA in the "modern" era. Now most people consider the "modern" NBA era to be post-merger with the ABA. I push it a few years forward and consider 1979-80 to be the first year of the modern era. It is the year that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson came into the NBA and greatly improved the quality of play in the league.
Bird made 1st team all-NBA 9 straight times, and after being shut out for 2 years, Magic made 2nd team once and then 1st team for 9 straight years. So when you look at the list of guys on the 1st or 2nd team all-NBA squads, you expect to see the Birds and Johnsons and Jordans and Jabbars of the world. But when you look from 1979-80 through the end of last year, what guys who are gone from the game now would you see and say "Whoa! Really? Top 10 player in the league?"
Well, I have done your work for you. Here goes a pretty thorough list (I have avoided guys with significant tread left on their tires even if I think they are mediocre (Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Bosh). They still have time to prove me wrong.
Really? These Guys?
Sam Cassell, Vin Baker, Rod Strickland, Glen Rice, Penny Hardaway (1st team twice), Paul Westphal (1st team), Dan Roundfield, Buck Williams, Jim Paxson, Ralph Sampson, Larry Johnson, Alvin Roberston, Fat Lever, Tom Chambers (twice second team), Otis Birdsong.
Now basketball-reference.com has a "Hall of Fame Probability" indicator that it created estimating the likelihood that any player reaches the HOF. I think it is kinda odd, but it is something for me to look at in evaluating who are the bigest outliers on the list.
Listing these guys from best to worse:
122nd most likely player to reach the NBA HOF -- Sam Cassell
159 Glen Rice
160 Paul Westphal
161 Penny Hardaway
173 Otis Birdson
182 Alvin Robertson
187 Fat Lever
188 Tom Chambers
195 Dan Roundfield
Below 200 (Michael Jordan is #1 with a 1.000 out of 1.000 chance of being in the Hall based upon his career pro stats and other factors).
202 -- Larry Johnson
253 Buck Williams
254 Vin Baker
259 Ralph Sampson
278 Rod Strickland
Over 300
Jim Paxson -- #377 with a .001 chance of making the Hall. His career stats are mediocre and even the year he was 2nd team all-NBA his stats don't exactly leap off the page. 21 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds.
Some Subjective Comments -- Baker and Johnson were possible great players until struck down by some outside force (alcohol and injury respectively). Sampson at least led his team to the finals before his knees gave out. Birdsong was a generally good player and he had a real good year (24-3-3) but he made the team and Magic was left off because Magic played only 37 games due to a knee injury.
I guess if you pushed me to choose, I would probably say that Rod Strickland is the one that will have some guy 20 years from now scratching his head. While almost every guy in the lower part of the list had 2-3-4 all-star game appearances, Strickland had 0. He did lead the league in assists for Washington that year and went 17-10.5 overall, averaging a double double. But he shot 43% from the floor and 25% from 3 and 72% from the line. The Wizards went 42-40 and missed the playoffs by 1 game in the East. When the MVP balloting came, Rod placed 18th.
Also, I liked Jim Paxson as a player. But the Blazers thought so much of him as a wing player that they drafted Clyde Drexler in 1983 and by 1985-86 Paxson was a bench player. So........what does that say? In addition, Paxson's basketball-reference entry mentions no MVP votes in 1983-84. So while Paxson was a 2-time all-star (to Rod Strickland's 0) at least someone recognized Rod's work at MVP time, something that you can't say for Paxson.
Anyway -- just a little breakdown for the TRUE hoopheads.
HM
Bird made 1st team all-NBA 9 straight times, and after being shut out for 2 years, Magic made 2nd team once and then 1st team for 9 straight years. So when you look at the list of guys on the 1st or 2nd team all-NBA squads, you expect to see the Birds and Johnsons and Jordans and Jabbars of the world. But when you look from 1979-80 through the end of last year, what guys who are gone from the game now would you see and say "Whoa! Really? Top 10 player in the league?"
Well, I have done your work for you. Here goes a pretty thorough list (I have avoided guys with significant tread left on their tires even if I think they are mediocre (Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Bosh). They still have time to prove me wrong.
Really? These Guys?
Sam Cassell, Vin Baker, Rod Strickland, Glen Rice, Penny Hardaway (1st team twice), Paul Westphal (1st team), Dan Roundfield, Buck Williams, Jim Paxson, Ralph Sampson, Larry Johnson, Alvin Roberston, Fat Lever, Tom Chambers (twice second team), Otis Birdsong.
Now basketball-reference.com has a "Hall of Fame Probability" indicator that it created estimating the likelihood that any player reaches the HOF. I think it is kinda odd, but it is something for me to look at in evaluating who are the bigest outliers on the list.
Listing these guys from best to worse:
122nd most likely player to reach the NBA HOF -- Sam Cassell
159 Glen Rice
160 Paul Westphal
161 Penny Hardaway
173 Otis Birdson
182 Alvin Robertson
187 Fat Lever
188 Tom Chambers
195 Dan Roundfield
Below 200 (Michael Jordan is #1 with a 1.000 out of 1.000 chance of being in the Hall based upon his career pro stats and other factors).
202 -- Larry Johnson
253 Buck Williams
254 Vin Baker
259 Ralph Sampson
278 Rod Strickland
Over 300
Jim Paxson -- #377 with a .001 chance of making the Hall. His career stats are mediocre and even the year he was 2nd team all-NBA his stats don't exactly leap off the page. 21 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds.
Some Subjective Comments -- Baker and Johnson were possible great players until struck down by some outside force (alcohol and injury respectively). Sampson at least led his team to the finals before his knees gave out. Birdsong was a generally good player and he had a real good year (24-3-3) but he made the team and Magic was left off because Magic played only 37 games due to a knee injury.
I guess if you pushed me to choose, I would probably say that Rod Strickland is the one that will have some guy 20 years from now scratching his head. While almost every guy in the lower part of the list had 2-3-4 all-star game appearances, Strickland had 0. He did lead the league in assists for Washington that year and went 17-10.5 overall, averaging a double double. But he shot 43% from the floor and 25% from 3 and 72% from the line. The Wizards went 42-40 and missed the playoffs by 1 game in the East. When the MVP balloting came, Rod placed 18th.
Also, I liked Jim Paxson as a player. But the Blazers thought so much of him as a wing player that they drafted Clyde Drexler in 1983 and by 1985-86 Paxson was a bench player. So........what does that say? In addition, Paxson's basketball-reference entry mentions no MVP votes in 1983-84. So while Paxson was a 2-time all-star (to Rod Strickland's 0) at least someone recognized Rod's work at MVP time, something that you can't say for Paxson.
Anyway -- just a little breakdown for the TRUE hoopheads.
HM
Break Up The Wolves! Wolves Win 3 of Last 5!
Victories over New York, Memphis and Golden State have allowed the Wolves to move to 7-25 and that also brings Kevin McHale's record this year to 3-10 (better than Randy Wittman's 4-15).
This comes out to about a 21-61 overall mark. You figure in that Minnesota probably wants to win more than other clubs at year end and that brings you to +6 or +7 wins. So maybe 27-55 or 28-54 barring some major injury.
What is very clear to me from watching the Wolves under McHale is that the Wolves now understand how to space the floor and how to get the ball to their best player (Al Jefferson). Basketball is a very, very simple game. You get the ball to your best players where they want it and you try to force the ball away from the other team's best players or at least force them to spots where they are uncomfortable. Under Wittman the Wolves did neither. Under McHale they at least do #1.
Funny note re tonight's game -- Wolves call time out and assistant coach Jerry Sichting diagrams the out of bounds play while McHale watches. The announcer then states, "Randy Wittman was a great X and O guy, he had a ton of out-of-bounds plays." Ever WATCH an NBA game? If you watch 200 NBA games, you might see 100 out of bounds plays result in a basket. So Randy Wittman had a LOT of these plays on the off chance that one of them might net him 1 basket every two games???
Now, the Wolves are playing better (an embarrassing loss to Dallas after leading by 29 notwithstanding) so why don't I foresee, for example, a 25-25 finish over the final 50 games? Well that is easy. The Wolves are a poorly constructed team with glaring weaknesses.
1) The Wolves are terrible defensively. Not to beat a dead horse, but if you are going to play Mike Miller 35 minutes a night (as Wittman was) without 2 legit shotblockers backing him up (we have 0) then whomever Miller is guarding is going to get 25-40 a night. You want to play a front line of Miller/Love/Jefferson and bring Craig Smith and Ryan Gomes in off the bench??? Stop me when you notice the name of an above average defender........Gomes is an average defender and the remainder are sub-par.
2) The Wolves do not have enough firepower at the scoring positions. The scoring positions are small forward and off guard. Of the top 50 scorers in the league (guys averaging 15.2 or more a game), 31 play either off guard or small forward. The Wolves do not get 15 a game from Gomes or Miller. For pure scoring the Wolves could play Craig Smith and Rashad McCants, but giving up 135 points a night and watching Shaddy trot back after his 9th turnover leads directly to a basket may be tough to swallow. Once you get by Al Jefferson at #9, you drop to pointy guard Randy Foye at #54 and then to Gomes around #100.
3) The whole team makes no sense. If you have a big chunky power forward as your star and he is a mediocre defender and unwilling passer, what do you need to find? A) A big firebreathing defensive center; 2) a very good starter level point guard who passes the ball very well and is a threat to score inside; 3) a bunch of fast athletic guys who can hit the boards for offensive putbacks and who can run out on the break.
The Wolves have............none of that. Their best facsimiles? Jason Collins, Sebastian Telfair, Rodney Carney. Possibly 3 guys who if the Wolves cut them tomorrow would not be signed by any other NBA club.
But we have now won a few, and as Meatloaf almost one said -- 3 out of 5 ain't bad.
This comes out to about a 21-61 overall mark. You figure in that Minnesota probably wants to win more than other clubs at year end and that brings you to +6 or +7 wins. So maybe 27-55 or 28-54 barring some major injury.
What is very clear to me from watching the Wolves under McHale is that the Wolves now understand how to space the floor and how to get the ball to their best player (Al Jefferson). Basketball is a very, very simple game. You get the ball to your best players where they want it and you try to force the ball away from the other team's best players or at least force them to spots where they are uncomfortable. Under Wittman the Wolves did neither. Under McHale they at least do #1.
Funny note re tonight's game -- Wolves call time out and assistant coach Jerry Sichting diagrams the out of bounds play while McHale watches. The announcer then states, "Randy Wittman was a great X and O guy, he had a ton of out-of-bounds plays." Ever WATCH an NBA game? If you watch 200 NBA games, you might see 100 out of bounds plays result in a basket. So Randy Wittman had a LOT of these plays on the off chance that one of them might net him 1 basket every two games???
Now, the Wolves are playing better (an embarrassing loss to Dallas after leading by 29 notwithstanding) so why don't I foresee, for example, a 25-25 finish over the final 50 games? Well that is easy. The Wolves are a poorly constructed team with glaring weaknesses.
1) The Wolves are terrible defensively. Not to beat a dead horse, but if you are going to play Mike Miller 35 minutes a night (as Wittman was) without 2 legit shotblockers backing him up (we have 0) then whomever Miller is guarding is going to get 25-40 a night. You want to play a front line of Miller/Love/Jefferson and bring Craig Smith and Ryan Gomes in off the bench??? Stop me when you notice the name of an above average defender........Gomes is an average defender and the remainder are sub-par.
2) The Wolves do not have enough firepower at the scoring positions. The scoring positions are small forward and off guard. Of the top 50 scorers in the league (guys averaging 15.2 or more a game), 31 play either off guard or small forward. The Wolves do not get 15 a game from Gomes or Miller. For pure scoring the Wolves could play Craig Smith and Rashad McCants, but giving up 135 points a night and watching Shaddy trot back after his 9th turnover leads directly to a basket may be tough to swallow. Once you get by Al Jefferson at #9, you drop to pointy guard Randy Foye at #54 and then to Gomes around #100.
3) The whole team makes no sense. If you have a big chunky power forward as your star and he is a mediocre defender and unwilling passer, what do you need to find? A) A big firebreathing defensive center; 2) a very good starter level point guard who passes the ball very well and is a threat to score inside; 3) a bunch of fast athletic guys who can hit the boards for offensive putbacks and who can run out on the break.
The Wolves have............none of that. Their best facsimiles? Jason Collins, Sebastian Telfair, Rodney Carney. Possibly 3 guys who if the Wolves cut them tomorrow would not be signed by any other NBA club.
But we have now won a few, and as Meatloaf almost one said -- 3 out of 5 ain't bad.
Florida -- A Review
I saw this plate (without the wording) on a pickup truck outside a Central Florida rodeo.
Based upon my one week in FL, I nominate the state as "state most likely to have a state-wide civil war this decade."
My kids got sick while in Florida and the only urgent care clinic open on 12/26 was in Haines City. Approximately 100 people in a dank underground waiting room resembling something out of 1967 (the exam rooms, remarkably, were in a SUB-basement)!!
PM and I were 40% of the white people (2 out of 5). We also were amongst the 45% of people who spoke English as a primary language.
Two days later we are at a dude ranch in Central Florida where there may as well have been a sign stating "minorities not welcome" -- 100% white. The riders entered the arena to Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (The Angry American)." We were treated to 90 minutes of GOP propaganda that would have made Dick Cheney a little squeamish. (Side story -- my dad went to a rodeo near Daytona Beach in the fall. He stated that 98% of the speaking at the rodeo was the MC telling jokes about Bill Clinton receiving oral sex and Barack Obama being a terrorist/Muslim. When my dad complained in an e-mail he received this response: "You claim that we were making fun of Democrats. We had no intent to do that. We were just telling funny jokes. Any insults of Democrats were purely accidental.")
I would guess that the swing voters in Florida are the northern retired transplants, which I guess is good because at least then the state is not operated by people schooled in the Florida school system.
On the plus side, every day we had a high of at least 77 and we had 4 days over 80. I will miss the weather, but lord I do NOT miss the south.
HM
More On Charles Barkley
The police Report: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/1231081barkley2.html
Highlights: 1) Asked the cop to admit that the girl Charles had in the car was "hot." 2) Said he was pulling around the corner so that the girl could give him a blow job (noting that she had given him the best blow job ever the previous week). 3) Told police department civilian employee that "I will tattoo my name on your ass if you get me out of this." Then corrected himself, "I mean, YOUR name tattooed on MY ass."
4) Cops found a gun in Barkley's car. I see no mention in the police report as to whether the gun was registered or not.
Charles -- you are older than I am. The days of DUI with a gun in your car ought to be coming to a close. (I do not begrudge him the "hot" girl and BJ -- I am a guy, that would be bad Karma).
HM
Highlights: 1) Asked the cop to admit that the girl Charles had in the car was "hot." 2) Said he was pulling around the corner so that the girl could give him a blow job (noting that she had given him the best blow job ever the previous week). 3) Told police department civilian employee that "I will tattoo my name on your ass if you get me out of this." Then corrected himself, "I mean, YOUR name tattooed on MY ass."
4) Cops found a gun in Barkley's car. I see no mention in the police report as to whether the gun was registered or not.
Charles -- you are older than I am. The days of DUI with a gun in your car ought to be coming to a close. (I do not begrudge him the "hot" girl and BJ -- I am a guy, that would be bad Karma).
HM
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Welcoming You Back With -- Hamlet
Adding some culture in 2009:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?
To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.
To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn away, And lose the name of action..........
HM note --
Or, said differently:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/lucy-pinder-s-book-at-bedtime-hamlet-act-3-scene-1/39872547/?icid=VIDURVENT02
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?
To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.
To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn away, And lose the name of action..........
HM note --
Or, said differently:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/lucy-pinder-s-book-at-bedtime-hamlet-act-3-scene-1/39872547/?icid=VIDURVENT02
New Collection Practices
Re-posting an old favorite of mine.
I returned to the office today to find that a 7 month past-due client actually sent me a check!!!
I guess the HM Firm's new collection practices (pictured) have been successful!
Where's My Money?? Stewie Beats Brian Part 2 - Amazing videos are here
I returned to the office today to find that a 7 month past-due client actually sent me a check!!!
I guess the HM Firm's new collection practices (pictured) have been successful!
Where's My Money?? Stewie Beats Brian Part 2 - Amazing videos are here
Dane Cook -- Victim
http://www.popeater.com/article/brother-accused-of-embezzling-from-dane/290930?cid=35
Which, I guess, leads to this question: if you are a no-talent hack and you don't deserve any of the money that you get, is it really "stealing" for someone to take your money?
If I were the judge I would require the half-brother to give back only the money Cook received for "Dan In Real Life" (where he was passable) and advise Cook to accept the fact that his ill-gotten gains were a victim of Karma.
By the by -- $12,500 a month to manage Dane Cook's business affairs? What do you do? "Yep, here is another really shitty movie where they will pay you to act doofy -- do you want the $4MM or what?"
HM
Which, I guess, leads to this question: if you are a no-talent hack and you don't deserve any of the money that you get, is it really "stealing" for someone to take your money?
If I were the judge I would require the half-brother to give back only the money Cook received for "Dan In Real Life" (where he was passable) and advise Cook to accept the fact that his ill-gotten gains were a victim of Karma.
By the by -- $12,500 a month to manage Dane Cook's business affairs? What do you do? "Yep, here is another really shitty movie where they will pay you to act doofy -- do you want the $4MM or what?"
HM
Israel Kills One of Hamas's Leaders
http://news.aol.com/article/israel-kills-top-hamas-figure-escalating/287862?cid=12
Query -- if you had to support 4 wives and 12 kids, would you kind of welcome death? I guess I could ask Travis Henry or Shawn Kemp about part of that.
Query -- if you had to support 4 wives and 12 kids, would you kind of welcome death? I guess I could ask Travis Henry or Shawn Kemp about part of that.
Humanitarian
I assume she will still be a humanitarian in 2009. http://music.aol.com/video/whenever-wherever-shakira/shakira/1426074
Barkley -- Drunk Driver?
http://news.aol.com/article/charles-barkley-arrested-on-suspicion-of/290670
Rumor: the clip below is a lighter-skinned version of Barkley talking to the dean at Auburn:
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