Upon Random Thoughts

Is it possible to be self-aggrandizing and isolated at the same time? If so, I know someone who fits the bill perfectly.

I don't remember an off-season in baseball where an inter-divisional rivalry has so thoroughly dominated the headlines. If it weren't for the steroid scandal, that might be all that people talked about when discussing MLB. I think many stories deserve more press (Atlanta going for 14, the reloading of contenders Florida, St. Louis, Anaheim...etc), but all we seem to get is steroids and Yanks/Sox. I will repeat this again and again this year, A TEAM WHICH WON THE SECOND MOST GAMES IN BASEBALL AND CAME WITHIN A FEW OUTS OF SWEEPING THE EVENTUAL WORLD SERIES CHAMPION HAS IMPROVED IN EVERY CATEGORY. I'm just saying.

Can the Knick sign every overpaid power forward in history? Are Dale and Antonio Davis up for grabs? Brian Grant? Derrick Coleman? These draft picks better package into something good; Larry Brown, Yao, a new GM. Does Tim Thomas know how to play like the 6'10 2/3 that he is? Can't he take the big guys off the dribble or post the small guys? Can we get Hardaway on 'roids? Can someone please make another stupid L'il Penny joke?

Im falling asleep....

Upon a Champion's Manner

In a championship rivalry, a good deal of back-and-forth is to be expected during the course of the season. Some chatter may even continue into the off-season, to fuel the fire when the rivalry renews. In the case of the Yankees versus the Red Sox, one can rightfully argue that it has just recently become a rivalry, in the true sense of the word. The Red Sox have finally overcome the Yankees, and won their first championship since 1918, and they did so in spectacular fashion. It was hard to contend that NY v Boston was a rivalry before last year, as one side always won, and one side always lost. Now that the winning has finally made its way to both teams, the term rivalry is perhaps more appropriate. However, it remains to be seen how long this can last.

From the time that the Yankees embarked on their championship run in 1996-2000, and continuing through the more recent ALDS/ALCS/World Series losses, the Yankees remain one of the few constants in baseball. In this era, we know the Braves will win the NL East, and we know the Yankees will win the AL East. While the other title contenders are few, rotating among a small handful of teams in the Central and West, they still rotate. A baseball fan can reasonably expect to see the Yankees in the World Series every 2-3 years, and this is not braggadocio, this is born out by recent history. The Red Sox have just regained baseball's summit, after a long absence. They won 8 straight games to end the season on top, but didn't even win their division and were within one out of being swept in the ALCS. Now they return and look to defend their title.

I have already spoken at length about the Yankees this year, and have recently become more encouraged by the work that Jason Giambi is doing with Don Mattingly. I am going to put this prediction in bold, and ask you to remember where you read it first; Jason Giambi will have an All-Star caliber year. A team which had the most wins in the AL and won over 100 games has: Gotten healthy, improved starting pitching, improved the bullpen, improved the lineup, and shored up the defense. Perhaps this explains the defending champion Boston Red Sox' actions.

Having actively been a fan of a team as they won 4 World Series, I am quite surprised at the amount of sniping that is coming at the Yankees from the champions. When any team wins a championship, much less the long suffering Red Sox, you expect them to stay focused on remaining on top. This is the way the Yankees have always done it, and it works out well (see above re: constants). To see that after 86 years, Boston can't shake their inferiority complex, is surprising. Player after player is coming at the Yankees, by way of Alex Rodriguez. David Wells is snapping at Torre and Mel (though he isn't technically a defending champ). The Red Sox have even scheduled their ring ceremony for Opening Day, when they coincidentally happen to be playing the Yankees. Are these the actions of a proud champion or a king on a perilous throne. You didn't hear the Yankees of the 4 in 6 years championships do this toward their opponents. The reason was that they were not scared, which the Red Sox most certainly seem to be. The monkey is off their back (finally winning) but not off their shoulder ( still fearing the Yankees).

I am willing to accept the contention that earning a championship gives you the right to say what you want to those you have beaten. History has shown, however, that the Yankees will be back on top of the baseball world. I believe the Red Sox know that they will be in a Wild Card chase again, and in the back of their minds fear that they will again finish second best to the Yankees. Their reaction shows their inexperience with success, and the improbability of this success continuing.

Upon the NBA's All-Star Game

I missed a good bit of the All-Star Weekend while in Vegas, but I did catch some of the game itself. Josh Smith took the dunk contest with a salute to Mr. Wilkins by putting on the old-school Hawks jersey and attacking the rim. Steve Nash's soccer-style headbut alley-oop to Amare was another highlight. For the record, big-men get no love in these contests, and probably cant unless the rim is raised. After seeing a few old episodes of "Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers" this weekend, I am hard-pressed to find someone in the league who gets at people by dunking the wan Nique used to. Many players have flashes of Wilkins; Vince, J-Rich, K-Mart, but no one can quite combine the power-dunker and the showtime dunker the way that he did in his prime. Players can do either aspect better, but the amalgam has yet to be recreated.

The main game was interesting, but also confusing. It is always intriguing to see how a coach reacts to dealing with all these superstars, and who ends up playing when it counts. You have to strike a balance between giving everybody some run, playing the fan favorites, and playing the guys who give you the best chance to win. There are many different categories of All-Star. You have the guys who are just happy to be there (Grant Hill, Dirk, Yao), the guys who carry far too much of their team load to risk injury (Tim Duncan, KG, Shaq, and this is often a coaching decision) the something to prove guys (Ray Allen jacking 3 after 3, Kobe nearly taking the game over in crunch time).
The final group of All-Stars are my favorite reason for watching the game. These are the guys who don't know any other way to play but all out, and play the all-star game like its do-or-die. Guys like Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Ben Wallace. They don't know how to play basketball any other way, and it shows as they just out-try everyone else. Kevin Garnett is in this category always, but he was a bit gimpy, and Pop limited his minutes.
Good win by the East, with no real stand-out, but a fitting MVP for AI with 10 dimes and 5 rips.

I do have to wonder why on earth LeBron was playing in the rookie game? He is a kid, and his buddies were all there, so I can see why he would be attracted. He represented for a much stronger Soph class, and let his buddy Carmelo Anthony get the MVP. However, I think if you are a starter for the big-boy game, you gotta let the ones who didn't make it get their shine on. You just risk injury in the alley-oop dunk-fest of a game, and there is a rookie who may never see the national spotlight again who you are bleeding minutes from.

Upon Las Vegas

I have returned from Las Vegas after a 4.5 day visit with my buddy Nik. I stayed at the house he and his roommate live in on the outskirts of Vegas, which saved a good deal on the hotel room. Some highlights:

- Walking the Strip all day on Sunday. It was great fun to walk around the most famous part of Las Vegas imbibing and laughing. I spent only $60 dollars on roulette and slots, and my gaming bug was sated. The rollercoaster at New York New York was fun, and the water show in front of the Bellagio was cool in the daylight and even better at night. I saw the Lions in MGM Grand (but no Ligers).

- The Spearmint Rhino. I can not tout the virtues of this place highly enough.(Actually, virtues may not be the right word, but I digress.) If you are in Vegas, do yourself a favor and visit.

- The Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay The club crowd was not at its best, but the layout was fantastic, the drinks were copious, and the balcony provided a great view of the Strip. I will try to upload some pics later in the week. Taking a picture actually allowed for a fortunate meeting. We asked a guy passing by to take a pic of us over the Strip, and noticed a New York accent. We made a return trip to the Rhino and he and his girlfriend joined us. Bringing a woman to the Rhino is definitely a good look.

Lowlights from the trip included the constant rain, the hail one day, and the somewhat disappointing club crowds. Otherwise it was a great time, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

And Bogie, if you are seeing this, it becomes harder and harder to draw a performance like the one all of us put on in Cancun from your body as you grow older. I had to draw deeply from the reserve well of Champ It, and find myself now depleted.

Yes.

Upon a trip

Who's got a two thumbs and is going to LAS VEGAS


THIS GUY!!

Upon difficulties

Permit me if you will to diverge from the normal discourse concerning sports and other such interests (though truly humble reader, you are in no position not to permit me, should you so choose). An overabundance of stress has compelled me to use this space to attempt to relieve it; to vent, as it were. Perhaps a brief foray into the world of superfluous prose will allow me to establish a conduit between my emotions and the words on the page. Discretion is frequently noted as the better part of valor, but it is also the reason why specificity as to the cause of my stresses today must be avoided. Suffice it to say that when actions beyond the call of duty fail to be recognized as such, the motivation to perform actions, and the willingness to accept criticism for their performance, diminishes greatly. While storms or ire rage internally, the calm facade of social propriety must be maintained. The brief span of 2 years in this pensioning purgatory have rendered me able to weather such storms, but a insistent and legitimate part of one's character must be subdued to allow the rain to fall uncontested.


That should do for now, I thank you.

Upon Sports Fandom

As I watch the Miami Heat put the finishing touches on a victory over the San Antonio Spurs, I find myself compelled to again comment on the state of the sports world from my standpoint.

The Knicks are in a terrible tailspin, and a major change would seem to be inevitable. I don't know if it will be a major coaching change, or a trade, but Isiah Thomas certainly wont stand for this, and neither will the city.

The Nets are getting inspired play from the resurgent Vince Carter, who is pulling 40 point games out of his hat on a regular basis. Playing with Jason Kidd seems to have a positive effect on anyone's offensive game, and for someone with superstar ability like Carter, the change is extreme and impressive. Vince was pouty in Toronto, and admitted to having "half-assed" it for a few seasons. With a fantastic assist man like Kidd, who is rounding into peak shape after surgery, the Nets can expect these performances from Carter to continue.

The aforementioned Heat are certainly the team to beat in the East, as Shaq has found himself yet another fantastic 2-guard in Dwayne Wade. History has shown that O'Neal, at this stage of his career, has a regular-season gear and a playoff gear. He will do what he needs to do to make Miami a top-4 seed, so that his team will have home-court. He is content to have Wade be the "Flash" and carry a good part of the scoring. O'Neal needs the type of clutch play that Dwayne has shown the knack for, as well as timely shooting from Eddie and Damon Jones. Once playoff-time comes around, the 30-point-per-game Shaq can refasten his Superman cape and carry this team deep. Western Conference teams are aware of the Heat, as Detroit showed that the West can be won last year, and any team with the Diesel in the middle must be accounted for.

I am looking forward to the All-Star weekend, as the big-game itself should be the setting for the first LeBron James MVP. The game is a unique animal, and could see one of the old-guard take MVP honors, or one of the first-timers grab the trophy. I see LeBron as having a triple-double type game, and leading the East to a win.

March Madness will provide a few weeks of diversion, but I have only a loose affinity for Kentucky, and no real connection to an NCAA club besides my alma mater. If Holy Cross is able to make it into the tournament I will certainly root for them to pull an unlikely upset against a probable #1/2 seed. I have tuned in briefly to see Duke, North Carolina, Illinois, Syracuse, and UConn, as these are usually schools which can make it deep into March. It remains to be seen if I can find a bandwagon to jump on, but hopefully the Crusader or Wildcats can give me a team to pull for.

Upon testing image hosting

A Beautiful sight if I have ever seen one. This blog will now have a whole new aspect.

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Upon the Super Bowl

The Patriots established themselves as a dynasty on par with any team that has played football. Very shaky showing by Donovan McNabb, who looked good at times, and terrible at others. He threw far too many interceptions, and many of his attempts were off-target or wobbling. The Eagles ran an atrocious last several minutes on offense, when they needed two scores to tie the game. They did jump on a banged-up Patriots secondary, and scored the TD they needed, but they had to try the onside kick and then hold New England with only 2 time-outs. The defense did their part, forcing a 3-and-out, but by the time the Eagles got the ball back, they had under a minute to move 60 yards into FG-range. It was cringe-inducing watching McNabb pull his offense into huddle after huddle, while time burned off the clock. Bad-job by both the QB and the coaches.


For some reason, even with their dominance, I just can not get excited about the Patriots. I take nothing from their ability, but they just don't thrill. This may be a partial result of the absence of media-hype, but who besides New Englanders gets excited to see the Pats play? They have no Mike Vick, no Terrel Owens, no Priest Holmes, no Ray Lewis. Bill Belichick is an awesome coach, but he looks like a bum and has no discernible media personality. Tom Brady is one of the great "winners" in sports, but he doesn't have the Jeter/Jordan moments that make you say "Wow!". The defense is very strong, but doesn't have the Ravens or Steelers aura. The Patriots seem to win ever Super Bowl that they are in these days, but 3 -point field goal wins are only exciting when they are last-second.

Terrel Owens had over 100 yards receiving, and could easily have done more. He rightfully noted that Brett Favre would have been deified for playing on the ankle, while he was scrutinized and criticized.

Congrats to the Pats, the three time champion team who defined......Zzzzzzzz.

Upon Random thoughts

-With the addition of Magglio Ordonez, the Detroit Tigers are quietly trying to build a contender. I perused the clubs roster, and Urbina, Troy Percival, Fernando Vina, and others have found their way onto the team. It remains to be seen how far they can go in this era of baseball.

-Speaking of baseball, apparently Jose Canseco has a book coming out with some of the most specific steroid information that has been reported. Canseco implicates himself, as well as McGwire, Giambi, and first-time accusees Rafael Palmiero, Pudge Rodriguez, and Juan Gonzalez. He even goes so far as to accuse the President of knowing about steroid use among his players, back when W was with the Texas Rangers. More on this issue as it develops.

-The Knicks are headed for the lottery, and I can't explain why. I think the majority of the high-potency offensive players can't play defense, and the excellent high-energy defensive players can't score particularly well.

- I still have Philly winning tonight. Bold predictions- Philly scores first on an interception of Brady leading to a FG. Coin toss goes to New England, it will be tails. MVP will be someone from the Eagles secondary. T.O. will score.


-As an aside, its not a coincidence that this many people have fallen away from you. Think about it.

Upon Quick Updates

I wrote a post yesterday, but it got deleted in the republishing process. Some quick notes for today:

NHL- The lock-out continues to drag on with no real end in sight. I was never a huge NHL fan, but I always enjoyed it as a distraction, a way to kill 15 minutes watching sports. I would tune into a Ranger/Islander/Devil game just for the fights. Hockey highlights (goals, saves, penalty shots, fights, big hits) are always a great addition to sports shows. The American sports landscape is odd without one of the "Big 4". Hopefully they can resolve this dispute eventually, before hockey sinks into the abyss of irrelevance

Lakers- Rudy T has stepped down as the coach of the Lakers. Preliminary reports say Isiah does not plan to jump ship and seek the position. Phil Jackson's name is being thrown around for a possible return, but it remains to be seen if this is a true possibility. Coach K has also been mentioned again, as he was this summer when the position came open. I dont know who wants to pick-up this franchise, but it is interesting how brief Tomjanovich's tenure in LA was. Tough gig coming into a team who just lost possibly the best center ever, and possibly the best coach ever.

Super Bowl- Did anyone here Terrell Owens may play? Has this hit the news yet? I still like Philly

Baseball- Two weeks until pitchers and catchers report. LETS GO YANKEES (clap clap, clap clap clap)


More tomorrow

Upon the Absence of Hockey

Though I have never been a huge fan of hockey or the NHL, I must say that its absence from the sports landscape is glaring. The notion of "football, baseball, basketball, hockey" as the Big 4 of American professional team sports has held for as long as I have been a sports fan. With the lockout dragging onward, and no real end in sight, the future of American/Canadian professional hockey is in serious doubt.

Sports reporters and columnists have given sparing coverage to the absence of the NHL, and when it is mentioned, it is often in a joking manner. I have only been to one game in my life (Islanders at Nassau), and I find it hard to watch an entire game on television. However, hockey did play an important role in the sports fan's life. When the NFL slows and ends in late January/early February, and baseball's Spring Training is still a ways off, the NHL can supplement the NBA as a nightly source of competition. I often found myself catching several minutes of random hockey games on ESPN, as well as killing time with a local Rangers, Islanders or Devils games. The local rivalries merited watching because you were guaranteed at least one fight. The top-flight teams, and best players in the league were always worth tuning in for. One of my favorite parts of hockey was the condensed highlights. When they trim the fat of dumping the puck, icing, clock-control...etc, and focus on the goals, stick-handling, hits, saves, and fights, hockey is great to watch.

I also feel for the true fans of hockey. I was young during the baseball strike, and I hated the NBA lock-out. Being deprived of my favorite sports gave me an appreciation for what an NHL devotee must be going through. The difference is that you knew that MLB and NBA would be back. With the NHL, the future is anyone's guess.