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Happy Fourth!

  today the country turns, like 233 years old, or something.  

congrats USA!  we're still alive and breathing (for now) (drums of doom) (panic attacks).

when all that shit gets to you ... blow stuff up!  or just sit back and watch, preferably while drunk and/or drinking.

have a good day and weekend.  stay relaxed.  be safe.

      

    

   

  

Garlic and Corn

staples of a working man.  oh, and beans.  rice.  probably throw in meat.  potatoes.  beer, whiskey.  bread.  collard greens, kale.  onion.  

late today i am going to attempt to grill my first short ribs.  i'm usually a filet/steak guy but i got some grass-fed beef and a new grill (just assembled today) so let's fire it up.

regarding NBA free agents: there is a lot of talk and signing going on right now.

-Detroit has decided to go "all in" with Ben Gordon (from Chicago) and Charlie Villanueva (from the Bucks).  Gordon is in for around 5 years at 50 Million and Charlie V is 5 years at 35 Mil.  lotta cash on two shoot-first guys without a noticeable 2nd talent (like defense or rebounding, passing, ball handling).  add them to Richard Hamilton who signed a 3-year extension worth 34 Mil and that's 3 guys making top dollar and doing the exact same thing for your basketball team.  not a fan of these free agent pick-ups.

-the Cavs got Shaq and most would argue its a year too late (at least).  but Cleveland hasn't been able to do anything with free agency for years and all it cost them was Ben Wallace and his huge contract as well as Sasha Pavlovic.  what will Shaq do for LeBron besides clogging the lane and missing FTs?  that remains to be seen but if he's motivated, even at his age, he's valuable.  will the motivation stay there thru out the season?  i believe so.  his goal is to get LeBron a ring before Kobe gets another.  it may not be up to him (or Kobe) but instead LeBron.  something tells me LeBron will figure out how to use Shaq if only Shaq has enough gas in the tank.

-the Blazers have apparently agreed to terms with Hedo Turkoglu for 5 years at 50 Mil.  i don't like this.  the Blazers have too many bodies and not enough playing time to go around as it is.  they have inexperienced guys needing PT and more chances at maturing.  Hedo is past his prime and will continue to decline but still make big time money.  this is a classic NBA reactionary move: everybody's signing everybody, so let's overpay for a guy who was in the Finals.  Hedo is a great role player but the Blazers have plenty of cheaper, younger role players.

-the Lakers get Artest.  it makes sense even though i don't like the player or the organization.  same for Rasheed going to Boston.  guys that have track records of not being "totally there" mentally love to go to stacked, talented teams in a diminished role.  they only have to focus on one or two things and for far fewer minutes a night.  let Kobe and Pau do the heavy lifting - let KG and Pierce kill themselves.  

-the Grizzlies got Z-Bo and now there is a rumor that Iverson wants in.  if i'm OJ Mayo or Rudy Gay or Marc Gasol (or even Mike Conley if Iverson is in play) then i'm thinking: "is this season really gonna suck because it sure looks like it.  not only will we lose but now i'm not even gonna get to play my game".

-the undeniable winners so far are the back-in-title-contention San Antonio Spurs.  Duncan and Ginobli need to rest up and heal, and i think they will with great big smiles on their faces, as their team drafted DeJuan Blair in the 2nd round (steal of the draft) and also traded away unimportant bench pieces Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas (guys right near retirement) to the Bucks and Fabricio Oberto to the Pistons FOR Richard Jefferson.  i like RJ.  he had his best 3-point shooting season of his career last year with Milwaukee and played his second straight season of all 82 games.  Spurs are looking good.

-the Magic got Vince Carter as Hedo is moving out.  this has the biggest pendulum swing potential of all the movements so far.  but that's Vince Carter.  he can get you 30 points and he can also flame-out.  he doesn't do as nearly as much as Hedo did for them.  

-and the Hawks got Jamal Crawford from Golden State.  i always forget about this but its because its really unimportant.  the Warriors did get Acie Law so i'm anxious to see if he can make himself into an NBA player.  of course, Golden State may not provide that answer.

-there was also a trade involving multiple players from Minnesota and Washington but ... a T'Wolves jersey is not too different from a Wizards one.

  

UPDATE: Hedo Turk is heading to the Toronto Raptors instead of Portland.  something about the "international" feel of Toronto, and being that much closer to Turkey than the west coast of the USA, sold him.  and the money.  he may get a million more here or there.  good news for Blazer fans (and Travis Outlaw, Nic Batum, maybe even Rudy Fernandez).  for Raptors fans a cautiously optimistic outlook.  Toronto sucked last year and have been in need of a prolific wing player (even though they have the formerly talented Shawn Marion).  and this could be Bosh's last year in Canada (his contract will be up).  something tells me Hedo wants a comfortable place to make his money as he nears 35 years old (he's 30 now and with a 5 year contract his skills will decline as his money remains sky high).  as a Blazers fan i feel i can exhale ... and smile.

i want to ride the rocket with you

  yes i am watching a Golden Girls re-run on some random cable channel.  Sofia just uttered the line that is the title to this post.  i'm not sure what it means.  and now Dorothy just said: "these naked southern guys sure can dance".  oddity all the way 'round.  not to mention that i am discussing, in some length, the Golden Girls on a (former) sports blog.

today it rained in New Orleans.  the rains are back.  its glorious and the thunder is awesome.

since television and weather have been covered, let's move to sports.

the NBA Draft came and went and despite everybody's strong desire to pick it all apart, it remains speculation.  and it will be that way for quite some time.  perhaps that is why the desire to discuss at great length is there.  for me its hard because i really didn't see too many of the draft picks play in that many games (whether it be college, high school, or over in Europe) (video clips don't do much).  even if i could have seen some limited action its hard to translate that into NBA performance: how a certain player will mesh with a certain organization (from team members to coaches) and how that young man will grow and develop ... or if he will even develop at all.

i get a little quiet come draft time.  especially this year.

weird.

in other semi-sports news, i am feeling a bit of a need (desire?) to get more into hockey.  if only it was on TV!  my most recent worthy sports conversations have revolved around the sport (well that and the always worthy Fantasy Football talk).  of course its the off-season for hockey and if i was mostly unfamiliar with the players in the NBA Draft then one could be sure i was completely out of the loop for the NHL draft.

i'm still not feeling baseball yet.  maybe its the Cubs barely playing .500 ball or all of the continued steroid talk or, simply, i don't feel the passion that most baseball fans exude as they talk of the sport.  things could change as the playoffs near and the summer days grow longer and hotter.  something romantic and lost creeps into me when i think of summer days gone by when all one had was a radio with the baseball game on and a chest full (hopefully) of ice cold canned beer.

NOT QUITE SURE (Open with Y)

i'm like a junky: eyes feasting on anything that may resemble junk entering into my scope.  i'm racing (in my head, but being a junky its more of a stumble) thru darkened streets and alleys as the sun gives way to night (PLAY: Ministry's "Just One Fix").  i'm like a vampire racing the sunrise ... but in reverse because, like i said, its sundown.  maybe i just don't know what time of day it is (the junk and the need for junk has clouded everything).  

honestly i don't know what the "need for junk" is nor what "junk" may be in this half-deluded little parable i pulled out of my ass.  i'm just trying to write and talk about sports / and not talk about sports.  without sports, what is there on the internets?  the better question might be: with sports what is there on the internets?  what is there on cable TV / in the chain movie theaters (i skipped Transformers and i fully plan to skip Transformers 2 ... i'd probably only see them if i was high with Ministry playing loudly on headphones as i sipped at a cool sugar beverage slightly watered down from melted ice).  what is there on the magazine covers (please no "new" celebrities whom only seem to be from reality shows or constructed pop acts sold to pre-teens with nothing but disposable money)?  

the newspapers are disappearing.  Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson just died today.  the deaths of these celebrities (Ed McMahon too) somehow unites us as Americans.  like the weather or the economy.  like politics or buying a car.  like buying anything really.

i'm not a junk-sick drugged out reverse vampire scouring the streets.  i'm not a pop culture consumerist (at least not by design anyways).  these things just pop up.

maybe a gin martini is in order.  good night.

The Super Unicorn

in this world we celebrate Kobe Bryant.  or rather, his recent accomplishment.  its telling that i start this off with "Kobe Bryant's accomplishment" rather than the accomplishment of the Los Angeles Lakers.  i give a huge hoops shout out to Pau Gasol who, in an alternate universe, wins the Finals MVP.

a congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins who won a thrilling Game 7 over the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit.  it was quite a game and, despite my earlier comments, reminds me how spectacular playoff hockey can be.  too bad its hard (or impossible) to find on TV.  

i'm not sure what a "huge hoops shout out" is so please don't ask.

with the Finals over, NBA eyes turn to the coming draft.  after the Clippers take Griffin, it'll be interesting to see how everybody else drafts.  this draft feels pretty wide open.  i think a team in need of a franchise point guard would be wise to select UNC's Lawson.  a lot of the other players i am unsure about (including Rubio and his weird euro contract buyout situation).  i'm curious as to who the New Orleans Hornets select at 21.  they need players.  badly.  both bigs and a 2-guard.  we'll see who's available where when 21 is up.  

the Portland Trailblazers figure to do so much maneuvering that maybe a separate blog could be created just to track their draft history and current moves/positioning.  they need everything and nothing at the same time.

guys i like (based on very little):

Hasheem Thabeet (for defense) (although a #2 pick seems very high for him)

DeJuan Blair

Ty Lawson

and (to be filed under the quick and short guard-scorer category) -

Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague, Eric Maynor.  i have not seen any of these guys play but i did see some youtube highlights of Jennings so that ... is, um ... something.

this is for Adam:

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5 Things : Yuck Rant

checking in with ya after an un-planned break.  the NBA finals got me a little bored and sick (i think its actually "sick and bored") of sports hype.  especially since the actual basketball on the court has been not all that good (Kobe Bryant missed 20 shots last night as his team won.  in OT.  and the Lakers still didn't crack 100 points).

i'm trying not to complain.  really.  i'm trying not to complain in sports-blog form.  so, with my usual disregard for form (and punctuation) here are 5 Things:

1) the NBA Finals.  yes i just semi-covered them above but i feel it needs another mention.  and mainly because i can't seem to fully grasp why i'm so un-enthused by these Finals.  yes, i don't particularly care for Kobe Bryant's Lakers.  and i'm not an Orlando fan.  i was gonna pull for the Magic but you never know what you're gonna get one game to the next.  they're like an NCAA tournament team that lives and dies by the 3-ball.  in the early going, when the 3-point shot is workin', they look great.  then they have a game when its brick-city from that distance and they get creamed.  they have so many weapons but seem to also have so many ways to NOT use those weapons (did you see Rashard Lewis had 6 points in last nite's Game 4 loss?).  i guess what i'm trying to say is that both teams look flawed and, well, tired.  its the opposite of what a hoops fan would want from the Championship round.  but not all title fights are guaranteed to be glorious i guess.  LA could wrap this thing up with Kobe shooting 30% from the field.  or Odom scoring 5 points.  or Derek Fisher missing all of his shots until the final 10 seconds.  who knows?  both teams have shown an unusual penchant for inconsistent play.

let me just throw in that i think the refs have too much control.  i know, i know - everybody hates the NBA officiating (maybe even the refs themselves) but there seems to be no passion, no pushing, everybody WAY too quick to freak out about "things escalating" and nobody sure (players especially) when a Technical Foul, Flagrant Foul, Flagrant 2, or some other weird horse shit is gonna come out of a ref's whistle.  it all just adds to the inconsistent nature of these Finals.  let's just finalize things and move on to the draft and next year. 

signed, not a Lakers-Magic Finals Fan.

2) after that long rant at least we have the Stanley Cup Game 7 on tonite!  Detroit versus Pittsburgh!  and you know what?  despite being a sports fan and even attending a few NHL games in the past few years ... i don't really care.  sorry!  i feel a bit bad but NONE of these hockey playoffs have been on TV (well, maybe Game 5 was on TV or something) but none of the earlier rounds.  i even have cable TV and i can't find hockey.  so screw it.  i'd like to tune in to see who wins but i have no interest in seeing playoff hockey for virtually the first time just as it is ending.  plus if Detroit wins, and the Lakers win, then does that mean the Yankees will win the World Series?  the Pittsburgh Steelers already won the Super Bowl.  don't tell me that Michael Jordan is somehow involved in these NBA Finals too.

3) the UFC has an event tomorrow night from Germany (UFC 99).  and while the fight card has no titles at stake it does feature some interesting bouts.  too bad you can't see it unless you fork over 50 bucks.  too rich for my blood.  and is it me or do Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin both look a little rugged (beat up) these days?  man, i'm glad i'm not a fighter.  i do love the sport but i also like my bones not to break and my nose not to get crumpled.  i just went to the dentist yesterday and i'm not ready for any more pain.

4) baseball is happening (its true!).  but the Cubs are mired in another losing streak.  they sit at .500 and in 4th place in their division.  the time is coming when this is who the Cubs are this year and blame can't be put on "a slow start".  also we can't lose to Houston.

[photo for break in between #4 and #5 (rather, complaint #4 and complaint #5)]:

    

apparently there are two famous Jay Cutlers (i discovered during a google image search).  guess which one plays football?

yep, its the rapscallion in the cap!

5) i get ESPN magazine as a gift from my brother (thanks Adam) but i can't get over the "Buy Covers @ ESPNtheMag.com/covers".  really?  these covers are for sale?  or these?  or this one?  yuck.

this is not like classic Sports Illustrated.  that shit was gold.

COMING SOON: more UFC fight talk, less whining and, fittingly enough, less Jay Cutler.

Take it Personal

  oh!  woe to the Land of Cleve (that'd be Cleveland, Ohio).  another possible chance at greatness and another earlier-than-expected end to the sports season.  this time its the NBA's best (regular season) Cavaliers.  they met a team that they just could not defend.  a team that seemed to be built to be better than them - to expose all of their weaknesses (i guess that's how one team wins in a playoff series and another loses).  not that this Cleveland Cavalier team was a powerhouse.  they were what they were: the league's MVP (James) and a bunch of role players.  the role players could not step up to the talented 5 of Orlando (plus their bench).  

where Orlando was superior in every category to Cleveland (except for the "LeBron James" category), the Los Angeles Lakers are nearly superior in every category to Orlando except, perhaps, point guard (and possibly small forward with Turkoglu over Ariza).  the Magic do have Alston but he's 32 years old.  the Lakers have their vet in Derek Fisher with able (to a point) (pun not intended) back-ups Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown.  the Lakers also have a huge advantage in some guy named "Kobe Bryant".  also Phil Jackson has 9 Championship rings as a head coach.  Stan Van Gundy is coaching in his first Finals. 

  

i was pulling for the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland ... and LeBron James and his rag-tag bunch of over-achievers that play defense.  the Magic blew them out.  i'm a bit sad as i now have no rooting interest in the Finals but i'm used to that (CORRECTION: i am rooting for Orlando a little bit but i don't want to get my hopes up ... i don't think they have a chance against LA.  why?  Read On!, dear reader).  last year we had the Lakers and Celtics.  the Celtics crushed them ... what lay ahead for Kobe's Quest for Four?

probably number four (Championship rings).

and number 10 for Coach Phil.  and a lot of pats on the back for Orlando "you guys did good just getting here!".  i say this as an honest belief in the power of the Lakers (they did crush the Nuggets in Denver in Game 6 to clinch a trip to the Finals).  do i trust them?  no.  but i have come to not trust the Magic either (round 2 versus the Celtics) and they've never been this far.

i would like to have jinx'ed the Lakers like i did last year when i picked them over Boston.  but it just doesn't look good for Orlando.  the Magic can hope that LA loses focus some time after Game 1.  but i don't think that'll happen again this year.  they have last year's poor Finals performance and the success-hungry Kobe Bryant.  i don't feel anybody on Orlando is as hungry as those Boston guys last year (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, etc.).

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NOTE: in re-reading this post i typed "junx'ed" the Lakers instead of "jinx'ed" (as in 'i would like to have junx'ed the Lakers').  whoops.  i hope its a good Finals.  congrats to that Magic squad.

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NOTE #2: i forgot to post even ONE link.  here you go.

something is stinky

  as lots of folks are sayin':  the NBA officiating has been rather "odd" (or "stinky", "shitty", "crappy", "inconsistent", "bad", "awful", "confusing", "perplexing", "senseless", "putrid", "phony", "chaotic", "dumb").  take your pick.  the officials have made some good calls but nothing is consistent.  whether it be Technical Fouls, Superstar Calls, Flagrant Fouls (hey, anybody see Rajon Rondo punch Brad Miller in the face back in Round 1?  apparently you can do that and its not flagrant.  just don't bump Kobe Bryant too hard or you may face suspension ... if you're a non-star player that is).  anyways, the ref whining gets old - not only on the part of observers (or dumb blogger fans like me) but from the players themselves.  Dwight Howard has reached new heights in whininess.

the in-game personal foul calls are always weird especially in the playoffs when superstar players have the ball most often - especially in crunch-time (that's my second use of the word "crunch-time", check out the last word of the post below).  what i can't stand is the weird NBA Rules regarding suspensions (elbows thrown and landed above the waist, i believe) and the collection of Technical Fouls.  if a player gets 7 in the playoffs they get suspended for a game.  dumb.  and i'm totally confused in regard to "Flagrant 1" and "Flagrant 2" and how the league changes the classification after the game (upon further video review).  

its like reading tax law.

in defense of the refs, it is hard to make a split second call with so much on the line / so much scrutiny both in the arena and out.  they have no fans, no support.  my last question is:  why are they all so old?  it seems like every NBA ref is like 65 years old.