Warning: Hot Sports Opinions Follow
For those of you wanting to give into ESPN radio/Jim Rome-style knee-jerk reactions and mouth breathing, which would lay the short-comings of this Dallas Cowboys' season solely at the feet of QB Tony Romo, you:
1) Clearly haven't been watching every game this season
and
2) Are a bad Cowboy's fan.
I'm sure that sounds like the words of a Romo apologist to you non-believers (i.e. "haters"). However...
Yes, Romo's personal play tonight was frustrating. Under-throwing to Austin in the opening quarter for the first interception of the night brought back images of the Chicago 5-INT game. Thankfully, no harm, no foul, as WASH came away with zero points after taking over. But the killer image everyone is left with until '13 Oxnard training camp is of Romo's poorest-timed interception of the entire season with just around three minutes left in regulation. But that wasn't even the back-breaker.
No, it just overshadows Hatcher's "hands to the face" penalty on RGIII about a minute later, when the Dallas D had WASH on third-and-goal and the 'Skins decided to pass. And that was Dallas' first penalty of the entire game. One of the most-penalized defenses in the league...if not the most. I don't care to look it up. But if the D makes that stop (or Hatcher keeps his hands down): field goal, WASH up by 6, Dallas has the ball with about 2:20 left and the 2-minute warning. F! There's still a chance.
Still a chance at the playoffs, despite: the numerous season-ending injuries on defense (no Sean Lee), five games without DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant playing some of his best in the last three games with a broken hand, Doug Free still being started up until about two weeks ago, a Defense made up of dudes working at RadioShack days before, lip-reading Rob Ryan's always level-headed epithets, and no freaking O-Line.
Which comes back to Romo. This guy has been running for his life the majority of every down, every game of the season. He nearly had to pull magic out of Ryan Cook's butt on each and every snap. If you didn't see it, you weren't watching.
Romo had next to no protection all season long. He scrambled, dodged, and weaved his way to making something out of nothing time and time again. And because of those very efforts:
1) Dallas played for a chance at the playoffs against WASH
and
2) Made that last INT even more painful.
Because we as fans had hope. Which is a very dangerous thing. Escape leads to hope. And when you place your hope in something that can't be sustained, you're destined to suffer a broken heart.
Let's be honest. If we were to travel back in time to first day of camp in July 2012 and ask ourselves, as nothing more than mere fans, if the Cowboys would be in Super Bowl XLVII, let alone the playoffs, how sure would we be? So when it came down to likely needing to win seven of the last eight of the regular season to make the cut...there's utter shock and outrage with the outcome of the final game?
So, it's Romo's fault, huh? Fine. Who do you want instead? Trade him and start Orton next year and pray to pick up the next Russel Wilson in the draft? That sure sounds like a solid approach. You tell me who the next Wilson is, oh wise one. No Lucks nor RGIIIs to be seen so far in the next Draft.
Speaking of the Draft: Dallas addressed the Corner issue this year. Next time around should address the O-Line and not much else until deeper in. But who else wants to bet that Jerry Jones does something entirely bat-shit crazy? Something like drafting Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu in the first round while giving away numerous other picks. I'm practicing my "shocked face."
Alas, I've gotten a little off-track. Not unlike the Cowboys of the last sixteen years.
Yes, Romo can be the Homer Simpson of the Cowboys: simultaneously the cause and savior to most of the offense's problems. It's frustrating.
But it's equally frustrating when not put in context of the league as a whole. Romo has the magnifying glass trained squarely on his back because he's QB of the Dallas Cowboys. He plays instead in Oakland, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, etc, etc, etc and it's a non-story on the nation scale we have today Is the scrutiny partly a result of Romo's appearingly nonchalant, once-upon-a-time in Cabo, "if this is the worst thing that happens to me" attitude? Yeah, those things don't help.
I guess people want to see him pissed in the post-game. Yeah, now and then I find myself asking for a little more fire. But then I think of how he's probably dog-ass tired from running for his life on every offensive play. In-between picking himself back up off the turf. And I don't hear him making excuses about that.
This whole thing reminds me of my friend. She, a Denver fan. When Tebow was shipped off to New Jersey earlier this year, she made a Facebook promise to all of her closest-in-life that she swore off following the team. I don't hear much (well, any) of that since they locked up the #1 overall seed in the AFC. Insert here something about getting to look a Gift Bronco in the mouth.
That applies with the Cowboys. Fine. Abra-Kazam! You're now Jerry Jones. What do you want to do at QB, slick?
Personally, I work out Romo's contract extension to fit within the cap for the next three-to-five years, I get him some damn O-Line protection, and look for that next Russel Wilson (i.e. "Romo") in the next two-to-three drafts so he can learn a lot from the current starter. Because whoever comes after Romo is going to have to know what to expect as long as Jerry Jones (Owner, President, & GM) is calling the shots.
Musings from a sports fan with an opinion on pretty much everything.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Mid-Season Reaction
After this thing started 0-3, with an Opening Day thumping at the hands of the mighty Miami Heat, and practically a whole new cast of characters, I don't think many would have bet the Mavs would have a 21-13 record, sitting at #2 in the Southwest Division, with the overall #4 seed in the West at the midway point of the season. The masses just wouldn't. Only the die hards would believe this thing had a chance.
I admit it, I had the knee-jerk reaction. The, "oh, wow, this could be a very long season." But then I remember, this is an organization that has put together a string of 11-consecutive seasons of 50 or more wins. One that is willing to try new things. Go after players. Make trades.
A co-worker told me a very interesting rumor today regarding the Mavs and a potential trade. Despite my best Googling, I couldn't come up with a single source to corroborate. I'll proceed to reiterate what he told me, even though you might as well consider it nothing more than pure conjecture.
The rumor goes: during All-Star weekend in Orlando, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams were spotted chatting. Both of them are the most-prized free agents in the next off-season, after the sign-and-trade of Chris Paul to the Clips at the start of the season. The NBA trade deadline quickly approaches in the next two weeks. Howard's Magic and Williams' Nets will look to get something instead of nothing for the both of them in that time frame. This rumor has us imagine a world where the both of them end up in Dallas uniforms for the remainder of this season and for years to come.
Oh, the speculation this generates!
As a business decision, it's a no brainer. Take the deal. Sign both of them. Give the other teams what they want as long as Dirk stays.
But what a decision. It would hurt to see guys like Kidd and Marion go. To me, all signs point to this being Kidd's last season and I'd like to see him close it out in the uni he was drafted in. And Marion, he's been the heart and soul of the club this year. He's the only one to play every game and he's putting up damn fine numbers.
Who knows? Throw in Haywood, Roddy B, and Lamar Odom and maybe Orlando goes for that. Can't say as I'd miss Odom going on his way, right now. Even though I still think that as soon as I put in writing my curses at his lackluster play, that's the instant Odom suddenly puts together a triple-double in Game 7 of the Finals. Which wouldn't matter, since in this dream world 1) the Mavs made it back to the Finals this year and 2) apparently my insignificant writings here have some sort of influence over the cosmos. In which case I should be writing about PowerBall numbers instead.
Regardless, the trade rumors are going to come hot and heavy over the next week. Dudes talked to one another at the All-Star game; players and owners alike. Owners aren't going to be left empty-handed for their stars that are set to walk. And I fully believe that any team that makes it into the playoffs this year has more of a fighting chance at a ring than in any other year since 1998. Teams that might not otherwise be in the market for a trade any other year will probably jump in this time around.
And at this point in the season, the Mavs have been showing a craftiness in playing different angles. They know that, statistically, the team that leads at the end of the first and second quarters typically goes on to win. They have won most of those games. They know that this season is a grind. The Mavs have 9 games in the next 12 days. Resting Dirk and Kidd has been important. Having the fourth-highest scoring bench and fourth-fewest points allowed per game. And then there's the stat that Jeff Van Gundy threw out in the last Mavs game before the break, which could almost be construed as a positive from that sourpuss: that Kidd has attempted something in the ballpark of 130 shots this season, and 107 have been from 3-point range. A stat like that sends me the signal that the Mavs are playing the stats.
It reminds me of the concept that if you're trying to improve your weaknesses you're wasting your time, rather than focusing on playing to your strengths. If someone like Kidd, clocking in at 38, doesn't have the knees he once did, but he's the #3 all-time three-point shooter in the NBA, then play to his strengths. And play to the strength of defense and win the first half.
Should be an exciting run in the second half.
I admit it, I had the knee-jerk reaction. The, "oh, wow, this could be a very long season." But then I remember, this is an organization that has put together a string of 11-consecutive seasons of 50 or more wins. One that is willing to try new things. Go after players. Make trades.
A co-worker told me a very interesting rumor today regarding the Mavs and a potential trade. Despite my best Googling, I couldn't come up with a single source to corroborate. I'll proceed to reiterate what he told me, even though you might as well consider it nothing more than pure conjecture.
The rumor goes: during All-Star weekend in Orlando, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams were spotted chatting. Both of them are the most-prized free agents in the next off-season, after the sign-and-trade of Chris Paul to the Clips at the start of the season. The NBA trade deadline quickly approaches in the next two weeks. Howard's Magic and Williams' Nets will look to get something instead of nothing for the both of them in that time frame. This rumor has us imagine a world where the both of them end up in Dallas uniforms for the remainder of this season and for years to come.
Oh, the speculation this generates!
As a business decision, it's a no brainer. Take the deal. Sign both of them. Give the other teams what they want as long as Dirk stays.
But what a decision. It would hurt to see guys like Kidd and Marion go. To me, all signs point to this being Kidd's last season and I'd like to see him close it out in the uni he was drafted in. And Marion, he's been the heart and soul of the club this year. He's the only one to play every game and he's putting up damn fine numbers.
Who knows? Throw in Haywood, Roddy B, and Lamar Odom and maybe Orlando goes for that. Can't say as I'd miss Odom going on his way, right now. Even though I still think that as soon as I put in writing my curses at his lackluster play, that's the instant Odom suddenly puts together a triple-double in Game 7 of the Finals. Which wouldn't matter, since in this dream world 1) the Mavs made it back to the Finals this year and 2) apparently my insignificant writings here have some sort of influence over the cosmos. In which case I should be writing about PowerBall numbers instead.
Regardless, the trade rumors are going to come hot and heavy over the next week. Dudes talked to one another at the All-Star game; players and owners alike. Owners aren't going to be left empty-handed for their stars that are set to walk. And I fully believe that any team that makes it into the playoffs this year has more of a fighting chance at a ring than in any other year since 1998. Teams that might not otherwise be in the market for a trade any other year will probably jump in this time around.
And at this point in the season, the Mavs have been showing a craftiness in playing different angles. They know that, statistically, the team that leads at the end of the first and second quarters typically goes on to win. They have won most of those games. They know that this season is a grind. The Mavs have 9 games in the next 12 days. Resting Dirk and Kidd has been important. Having the fourth-highest scoring bench and fourth-fewest points allowed per game. And then there's the stat that Jeff Van Gundy threw out in the last Mavs game before the break, which could almost be construed as a positive from that sourpuss: that Kidd has attempted something in the ballpark of 130 shots this season, and 107 have been from 3-point range. A stat like that sends me the signal that the Mavs are playing the stats.
It reminds me of the concept that if you're trying to improve your weaknesses you're wasting your time, rather than focusing on playing to your strengths. If someone like Kidd, clocking in at 38, doesn't have the knees he once did, but he's the #3 all-time three-point shooter in the NBA, then play to his strengths. And play to the strength of defense and win the first half.
Should be an exciting run in the second half.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Yahoo! Sports: Report: Irsay to meet with Manning in next week
The article:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ajxyk3pSNDjjPTWhDGPiINs5nYcB?slug=ap-colts-manning
Quoted in the article, Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, said this regarding franchise QB Peyton Manning:
“We can make it work if he wants to be here...We’d be excited to have him back and finish his career with us."
Um, nice deflection, Irsay. Way to put it on all on Peyton, as if he didn't sign a contract prior to his injury, with the intention of playing in a Colts' jersey for the duration of his professional career.
Irsay continued:
“I want him to be able to make the choice. We would love to have him back here if he can get healthy and we can look at doing a contract that reflects the uncertainty of the … healing process with the regeneration of the nerve.”
Again, Manning already signed a contract.
If there was some sort of clause along the lines of, "if he doesn't play for an entire season, sustains a potentially career-ending injury, and the team takes a total nose dive, resulting in the guaranteed best-chance #1 pick since Peyton Manning himself in '98," I'm sure they would have played that card already.
But they haven't. And this now sounds like a game of chicken. Calling Manning's bluff. Or at the very least, like a very rich man, who has become even more wealthy, trying to get out of a $28 million dollar bonus owed to Manning come March 8.
If Irsay cuts Manning prior to March 8, he saves $28 million and can use it toward rebuilding his franchise. He also does so at his own risk.
Manning made Indianapolis relevant on the national level. He brought them nationally televised games and a heated rivalry with the New England Patriots. He helped them build a new stadium. He took them to two Super Bowls in four years, winning one of them. And he sold a shitload of blue and white jerseys. He is that damn team.
I understand that Irsay has to look at this as a business decision. I respect the difficult spot, stuck between loyalty to the old guard and looking ahead to the new. But saying things that shuffle the decision over to Manning I don't understand. Offer the media something like "we'll be meeting soon" or "Peyton is an important part of this organization" and be done with it. Less is better.
This QB changed the history of Colts football. Volleying the issue back to him sends me a message that some of that has been forgotten by studying numbers.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ajxyk3pSNDjjPTWhDGPiINs5nYcB?slug=ap-colts-manning
Quoted in the article, Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, said this regarding franchise QB Peyton Manning:
“We can make it work if he wants to be here...We’d be excited to have him back and finish his career with us."
Um, nice deflection, Irsay. Way to put it on all on Peyton, as if he didn't sign a contract prior to his injury, with the intention of playing in a Colts' jersey for the duration of his professional career.
Irsay continued:
“I want him to be able to make the choice. We would love to have him back here if he can get healthy and we can look at doing a contract that reflects the uncertainty of the … healing process with the regeneration of the nerve.”
Again, Manning already signed a contract.
If there was some sort of clause along the lines of, "if he doesn't play for an entire season, sustains a potentially career-ending injury, and the team takes a total nose dive, resulting in the guaranteed best-chance #1 pick since Peyton Manning himself in '98," I'm sure they would have played that card already.
But they haven't. And this now sounds like a game of chicken. Calling Manning's bluff. Or at the very least, like a very rich man, who has become even more wealthy, trying to get out of a $28 million dollar bonus owed to Manning come March 8.
If Irsay cuts Manning prior to March 8, he saves $28 million and can use it toward rebuilding his franchise. He also does so at his own risk.
Manning made Indianapolis relevant on the national level. He brought them nationally televised games and a heated rivalry with the New England Patriots. He helped them build a new stadium. He took them to two Super Bowls in four years, winning one of them. And he sold a shitload of blue and white jerseys. He is that damn team.
I understand that Irsay has to look at this as a business decision. I respect the difficult spot, stuck between loyalty to the old guard and looking ahead to the new. But saying things that shuffle the decision over to Manning I don't understand. Offer the media something like "we'll be meeting soon" or "Peyton is an important part of this organization" and be done with it. Less is better.
This QB changed the history of Colts football. Volleying the issue back to him sends me a message that some of that has been forgotten by studying numbers.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
ESPN: Bucs, Yanks talk A.J. Burnett
Article found here:
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7574871/new-york-yankees-pittsburgh-pirates-working-aj-burnett-trade-sources-say
In short, if you didn't feel like reading the article, the New York Yankees are attempting to dump starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, and a hefty amount of his remaining contract, on the consistently bottom-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates.
Let me ask this simple question: why would any other MLB club ever, ever do business with the Yankees? Aside from a situation where a player is refusing to sign a contract extension and a team doesn't want to be left with nothing in return, they're asking to get screwed. There is absolutely no bargaining power with the biggest payroll in the league. Except if the Not-Yankees hold fast and realize that the Actual-Yanks are probably in a payroll bind.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7574871/new-york-yankees-pittsburgh-pirates-working-aj-burnett-trade-sources-say
In short, if you didn't feel like reading the article, the New York Yankees are attempting to dump starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, and a hefty amount of his remaining contract, on the consistently bottom-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates.
Let me ask this simple question: why would any other MLB club ever, ever do business with the Yankees? Aside from a situation where a player is refusing to sign a contract extension and a team doesn't want to be left with nothing in return, they're asking to get screwed. There is absolutely no bargaining power with the biggest payroll in the league. Except if the Not-Yankees hold fast and realize that the Actual-Yanks are probably in a payroll bind.
The Yankees have the largest payroll in the league. According to ESPN.com, their payroll in 2011 was $196,854,630, dwarfing the #2 Phillies by an additional $24 million.
The Yanks' farm system is a mess, if not entirely non-existent. NY overpays for talent, burns through them on the way to a title or two, and then tries to ship them off to small markets once they've either served their purpose or turned up duds. Case in point, talk of A.J. Burnett to the Pirates. Pittsburgh, who rolls in at the #27 spot for total payroll in the league, just over $46m, would be entirely justified in telling NY to take a hike:
"Currently, the framework of the deal has the Yankees exchanging Burnett for an undetermined number of prospects, and in return, the Pirates would agree to assume a portion of the remaining $33 million on Burnett's contract, which has two more years remaining on it."
"Ten million ain't gonna get it done," said the Yankees source, referring to the amount of Burnett's salary the Pirates have agreed to pay. "Not unless we get top-level prospects."
Ten million isn't nearly enough in this potential deal for 27-time World Series winning NY? Let me speak in terms they understand: F that. They bought their tickets, they knew what they were doing...I say, let 'em crash.
Bad deal. Pittsburgh needs to say "no," concentrate on their young talent, and continue down the path that they started in the first half of last season, when they were in contention for the National League Central.
The Yanks' farm system is a mess, if not entirely non-existent. NY overpays for talent, burns through them on the way to a title or two, and then tries to ship them off to small markets once they've either served their purpose or turned up duds. Case in point, talk of A.J. Burnett to the Pirates. Pittsburgh, who rolls in at the #27 spot for total payroll in the league, just over $46m, would be entirely justified in telling NY to take a hike:
"Currently, the framework of the deal has the Yankees exchanging Burnett for an undetermined number of prospects, and in return, the Pirates would agree to assume a portion of the remaining $33 million on Burnett's contract, which has two more years remaining on it."
"Ten million ain't gonna get it done," said the Yankees source, referring to the amount of Burnett's salary the Pirates have agreed to pay. "Not unless we get top-level prospects."
Ten million isn't nearly enough in this potential deal for 27-time World Series winning NY? Let me speak in terms they understand: F that. They bought their tickets, they knew what they were doing...I say, let 'em crash.
Bad deal. Pittsburgh needs to say "no," concentrate on their young talent, and continue down the path that they started in the first half of last season, when they were in contention for the National League Central.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Game 29 Reaction
The second regular season meeting between these two teams, Mavs and Clippers, proved equally as entertaining as their first meeting in LA back in mid-January. While the Mavs having home court might have given a little lift to the team, I think the real difference between the two games, as close as they both were, was with the Mavs gelling as a team. Defense at the forefront.
The Clips walked away with a buzzer-beating win in the last match-up, off a Chauncey Billups three. Chris Paul was the one to sit-out that first meeting. Fast-forward to Feb. 13 and Chauncey and Paul switch places; Billups presumably, out for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.
The 96-92 final score in favor of the Mavs, from my viewing, can be attributed to:
1) Great first half from Brendan Heywood. I don't see any official blocks attributed to him in the final box score, but he seemed to have his hands all over the Clippers' possessions and tallied nine big rebounds.
2) Shawn Marion and Delonte West did a great job of controlling Chris Paul as much as anyone can. And when Paul was double-covered, the Mavs still prevented Griffin and DeAndre Jordan from putting up uncontested, score-at-will lobs and/or dunks.
3) Odom showed some life! A total of nine points isn't amazing by any means, but the big man brought a combined offensive/defensive spark when the Mavs needed one in the second quarter. Flashes of the Odom we all know is in there!
4) Griffin going 1/8 at the free throw line. Thank you!
5) Vince Carter is playing like a veteran who thinks he has a shot at a title and, more importantly, wants one. That's just the sort of infectious attitude that a fan hopes spreads.
In the weeks since the first game between these two, Dirk has taken his training break and returned, Kidd has gotten healthy, and the new pieces of the team have clearly bought into the defensive system that Coach Carlisle is preaching. It's working. When the Mavs slow on scoring in the fourth, their defense has been keeping them in close ones.
It was entertaining to hear the Clippers' FOX Sports play-by-play crew pontificate that we could be witnessing a preview of a Western Conference match-up, if not the Western Finals. The way the first two meetings have played out, it would promise to be a hell of a series: great defense, clutch shooting, high-flying spectacle, and close scores.
In the pre-game festivities, it was great to hear Carlisle give a passionate talk to the AAC's crowd regarding the character and determination of Caron Butler, a key player in the Mavs' successes last year. Great to see him receive his ring in front of the appreciative Dallas crowd.
The Clips walked away with a buzzer-beating win in the last match-up, off a Chauncey Billups three. Chris Paul was the one to sit-out that first meeting. Fast-forward to Feb. 13 and Chauncey and Paul switch places; Billups presumably, out for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.
The 96-92 final score in favor of the Mavs, from my viewing, can be attributed to:
1) Great first half from Brendan Heywood. I don't see any official blocks attributed to him in the final box score, but he seemed to have his hands all over the Clippers' possessions and tallied nine big rebounds.
2) Shawn Marion and Delonte West did a great job of controlling Chris Paul as much as anyone can. And when Paul was double-covered, the Mavs still prevented Griffin and DeAndre Jordan from putting up uncontested, score-at-will lobs and/or dunks.
3) Odom showed some life! A total of nine points isn't amazing by any means, but the big man brought a combined offensive/defensive spark when the Mavs needed one in the second quarter. Flashes of the Odom we all know is in there!
4) Griffin going 1/8 at the free throw line. Thank you!
5) Vince Carter is playing like a veteran who thinks he has a shot at a title and, more importantly, wants one. That's just the sort of infectious attitude that a fan hopes spreads.
In the weeks since the first game between these two, Dirk has taken his training break and returned, Kidd has gotten healthy, and the new pieces of the team have clearly bought into the defensive system that Coach Carlisle is preaching. It's working. When the Mavs slow on scoring in the fourth, their defense has been keeping them in close ones.
It was entertaining to hear the Clippers' FOX Sports play-by-play crew pontificate that we could be witnessing a preview of a Western Conference match-up, if not the Western Finals. The way the first two meetings have played out, it would promise to be a hell of a series: great defense, clutch shooting, high-flying spectacle, and close scores.
In the pre-game festivities, it was great to hear Carlisle give a passionate talk to the AAC's crowd regarding the character and determination of Caron Butler, a key player in the Mavs' successes last year. Great to see him receive his ring in front of the appreciative Dallas crowd.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Game 26 Reaction
After Dallas' 105-95 win at Denver tonight, here are my thoughts:
1) Good win on the road. Granted, a few extra days rest certainly helped older legs beat younger ones. In Denver, no less, where play-by-play is always quick to remind the viewing audience of the affect that the altitude plays.
2) Mavs have a 6-6 road record, one off the Nuggets' 7-6 home record. And the Nuggets are the ones that have been getting more attention so far this season.
3) Nice to see Dirk regaining his usual form: 25 points, 9 rebounds. Very nice.
4) Other players have stepped up while veterans, like Dirk, Kidd, have been out. Marion, Roddy B, Ian, West, Carter, all contributing solid minutes and scoring.
5) When is Odom going to show up? We all know he's in there. He has to show up. Any minute now. Right? Come on, man, you're just stringing us all along until the playoffs and then you're going to knock our socks off! ...Right?
Main take away: this thing is a playoff team. There is much reason for hope and for enjoyment. And as we quickly approach the mid-way point in the season, I have no reason to think that this thing won't be one of eight representing the West in April.
When Kidd gets healthy and Odom gets back to being Odom, I dare say this thing has a shot at the Finals again. Anything is possible this season. Especially for this rag-tag bunch.
1) Good win on the road. Granted, a few extra days rest certainly helped older legs beat younger ones. In Denver, no less, where play-by-play is always quick to remind the viewing audience of the affect that the altitude plays.
2) Mavs have a 6-6 road record, one off the Nuggets' 7-6 home record. And the Nuggets are the ones that have been getting more attention so far this season.
3) Nice to see Dirk regaining his usual form: 25 points, 9 rebounds. Very nice.
4) Other players have stepped up while veterans, like Dirk, Kidd, have been out. Marion, Roddy B, Ian, West, Carter, all contributing solid minutes and scoring.
5) When is Odom going to show up? We all know he's in there. He has to show up. Any minute now. Right? Come on, man, you're just stringing us all along until the playoffs and then you're going to knock our socks off! ...Right?
Main take away: this thing is a playoff team. There is much reason for hope and for enjoyment. And as we quickly approach the mid-way point in the season, I have no reason to think that this thing won't be one of eight representing the West in April.
When Kidd gets healthy and Odom gets back to being Odom, I dare say this thing has a shot at the Finals again. Anything is possible this season. Especially for this rag-tag bunch.
Sports Blowhard: Rodney Harrison
"Rob Gronkowski called out," reads the headline on ESPN.com.
http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7555535/former-new-england-patriots-player-rodney-harrison-rob-gronkowski-partying-not-right
Rodney Harrison, former New England Patriots safety and current NBC Sunday Night Football commentator/sports blowhard, doesn't like the fact that current Pats TE Rob Gronkowski was witnessed celebrating at a party after the Giants' win in Super Bowl XLVI. Or perhaps it's that the video hit the internet. Either way, Harrison especially doesn't like that Gronk took off his shirt.
My knee-jerk reaction: Who gives an F?
Post-Super Bowl, the overwhelming amount of media reaction, from the Worldwide Leader more so than anywhere else, has focused on 1) New England losing, 2) Welker dropping a pass (phrased that way rather than "Welker not catching the ball"), and 3) Gronkowski dancing shirtless.
Again, who gives an F?
Apparently, Gronk can choose one of two reactions:
1) Hang his head and feel sorry about the ultimate outcome of the season, as Harrison approves of, or
2) Celebrate the fact that he had a killer season, won the AFC title, and was on the second-best team in all of the NFL.
One sounds a little better to me. Hey, #87 was one of Brady's most-reliable go-to's this year, hauling in 20 TDs. Then he's hit with a high ankle sprain at the worst possible time in the season? Is the sentiment that Rodney is trying to share with us that, "if Gronkowski is fit enough to dance, then he's fit enough to catch everything down field"?
"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour, or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung," said Harrison. Really? You catch the dude you depended on all year dancing and your first instinct is to gather a posse and beat your teammate with a sack of door knobs? That doesn't sound much like the team spirit I know.
Harrison continued, "It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point."
Probably not. Yeah, maybe he feels bad the video made it out and onto the web, but I bet he doesn't regret celebrating.
We live in a Twitter world. After Harrison's last Super Bowl loss in '08, that wasn't as much the case. But it is now. Anything these guys do is highly likely to find a home on ESPN.com and the like, whereas those same actions probably stayed within the franchise in Harrison's day.
And I don't believe for a second that after New England's loss in '08, and the end of their near-perfect season, that not a single player celebrated. We just don't have access to the grainy, iPhone video to prove it.
If someone is misguided enough to parts ways with Gronk over something like this, I know there are 31 other teams ready to pick him up and celebrate alongside him.
http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7555535/former-new-england-patriots-player-rodney-harrison-rob-gronkowski-partying-not-right
Rodney Harrison, former New England Patriots safety and current NBC Sunday Night Football commentator/sports blowhard, doesn't like the fact that current Pats TE Rob Gronkowski was witnessed celebrating at a party after the Giants' win in Super Bowl XLVI. Or perhaps it's that the video hit the internet. Either way, Harrison especially doesn't like that Gronk took off his shirt.
My knee-jerk reaction: Who gives an F?
Post-Super Bowl, the overwhelming amount of media reaction, from the Worldwide Leader more so than anywhere else, has focused on 1) New England losing, 2) Welker dropping a pass (phrased that way rather than "Welker not catching the ball"), and 3) Gronkowski dancing shirtless.
Again, who gives an F?
Apparently, Gronk can choose one of two reactions:
1) Hang his head and feel sorry about the ultimate outcome of the season, as Harrison approves of, or
2) Celebrate the fact that he had a killer season, won the AFC title, and was on the second-best team in all of the NFL.
One sounds a little better to me. Hey, #87 was one of Brady's most-reliable go-to's this year, hauling in 20 TDs. Then he's hit with a high ankle sprain at the worst possible time in the season? Is the sentiment that Rodney is trying to share with us that, "if Gronkowski is fit enough to dance, then he's fit enough to catch everything down field"?
"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour, or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung," said Harrison. Really? You catch the dude you depended on all year dancing and your first instinct is to gather a posse and beat your teammate with a sack of door knobs? That doesn't sound much like the team spirit I know.
Harrison continued, "It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point."
Probably not. Yeah, maybe he feels bad the video made it out and onto the web, but I bet he doesn't regret celebrating.
We live in a Twitter world. After Harrison's last Super Bowl loss in '08, that wasn't as much the case. But it is now. Anything these guys do is highly likely to find a home on ESPN.com and the like, whereas those same actions probably stayed within the franchise in Harrison's day.
And I don't believe for a second that after New England's loss in '08, and the end of their near-perfect season, that not a single player celebrated. We just don't have access to the grainy, iPhone video to prove it.
If someone is misguided enough to parts ways with Gronk over something like this, I know there are 31 other teams ready to pick him up and celebrate alongside him.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Ballad of Lamar Odom and the Media
A recent ESPN.com article pontificates that Lamar Odom, a la Dirk Nowitzki, could be the next Mav to get some rest: http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7510635/dallas-mavericks-consider-sitting-lamar-odom-next-stretch-games
I say good. Unusual thinking like this might be exactly what this lock-out shortened season requires, especially for a team like the Mavs that 1) features many older players than the average and 2) includes many new parts that weren't part of the team last year.
Lamar Odom being chief among those new parts.
Follow along with me as I share with you my love for Sports Radio 1310, "The Ticket," in Dallas/Ft. Worth. When it comes to sports talk that I enjoy listening to, they're it. Most sports radio will just throw a bunch of opinionated blowhards on the dial, seeking nothing more than instigating a rise out of the general listening audience, hoping to get as many as possible on their airwaves via the call-in, foaming at the mouth. Wherein mindless yelling ensues. Yeah, sounds really entertaining and informative. See ESPN and Fox radio as your chief offenders in these areas of rabid dog-style sports talk.
Of course, The Ticket has their own cast of opinionated personalities, but they differ from the coast-to-coast stations in that they're personable, entirely likable, and, to top it off, every one of their on-air talents knows each other. Unlike a behemoth such as ESPN radio that is compartmentalized into blocks of programming, originating from all over the US, The Ticket has the opportunity and privilege to interact with the other home-grown shows on the station.
Such an opportunity arose the other night, as a collection of Ticket hosts gathered at a remote broadcast for a semi-annual "Guy's Night Out." An on-air Ticket Roundtable ensued. Roundtables will gather hosts from morning, midday, and afternoon shows. They're always entertaining and often sound like they're fueled by copious amount of alcohol. They dare to tell it like it is.
In stark contrast, an ESPN station like 710 in LA will tip-toe around the status of the Lakers, but never call them out directly. They don't truly represent the pulse of the fans of LA. Everyone I work with who bleeds purple and gold is worried, not only about the Lakers' chances of securing a playoff spot this year, but any real potential of landing a big free agent in the next off-season. Listening to an afternoon of 710 will provide you with both a three-hour long breakdown of the previous Lakers game as well as lead you to believe that everything is fine in the organization.
ESPN LA 710 also dances around the issue of LA having two NBA teams. 710 is the flagship station of the Lakers, paying for the exclusive right to broadcast the play-by-play of their games, but they never go so far as to pick sides and call out the Clippers. Turn on any Lakers radio broadcast and, besides hearing John Ireland, the most thoroughly boring man in sports radio, you'll get an earful from Lakers' homer, Mychal Thompson. Dare ask Thompson if the Lakers have a chance of making the playoffs this year and he'll let you know that they're guaranteed to win the next five NBA titles. Minimum.
So while an outlet like ESPN radio runs the typical gamut of Colin Cowherd beating you over the head in the morning as to why the Buffalo Bills will never win anything and then an overload of Stephen A. Smith yelling at you in the evening about the Knicks and Heat, The Ticket keeps things simple, local, and down-to-earth.
The Ticket calls it like they see it. Like any fan would, because they're fans, too. No one is protected. Not Jerry Jones. Not the Cowboys, not the Rangers, not even the World Champion Mavs.
And not Lamar Odom.
The gents from The Ticket gathered at this "Guy's Night" and called out the lackluster play of Lamar Odom. He hasn't shined the way he did in LA. We all know he's capable of more. Odom has admitted as much himself. But it hasn't showed up yet. He's a career 47% shooter, but he's only bringing 35% through 21 games this season.
Is it the change in scenery? Is it lingering hurt feelings from the Lakers' desire to trade him? That damn TV show and the Kardashian family? Does his wife miss LA and remind him of that every waking minute? Is he just out of shape and worsen things with his non-stop candy diet?
F. Who knows! But these are things that the fans wonder, because they see how Odom looks on the court. They see it. They see that he doesn't appear into things. He doesn't have that same aggressive approach. That killer instinct for the ball or the game.
And that's what The Ticket hosts called out. Turns out that Mavs owner, Mark Cuban, had the radio on and was listening, too. He took to Twitter and posted the following:
"Listening to The Ticket radio...total idiots. Absolutely no clue." (Posted Jan. 26)
OK, perhaps that's true of all of us in the peanut gallery. We don't have access to inside information. But all we have is what we see. And so far, all we've seen of Odom in Dallas is not what LA saw of him during his time there.
The fans of the Mavs are rooting for Odom's success, that's a fact. And in the face of all this scrutiny brought about by the public and the media alike, there is nothing more we'd all enjoy than seeing Odom come around and help deliver the much-needed double-double and winning shot in the clinching game of this year's finals. Plenty will eat crow as those who denied him, but many more are also there right now, cheering for him, and asking, "what needs to be done to help this guy out? We need him!"
And that's exactly what The Ticket guys were asking, whether or not it was masked within inebriated humor. We're all thinking it as fans; they're just saying it for us.
Fans of the Mavs are grateful for one of the most-stellar runs in playoff history, but we'd sure love another. And Lamar Odom represents a terrific chance at getting there. But not as he's playing right now.
If he needs a week or two off to run two-a-day workouts like Dirk did and familiarize himself with his new role, new playbook, and new locale, I say do it now. It can only make him, and the team as a whole, stronger.
I say good. Unusual thinking like this might be exactly what this lock-out shortened season requires, especially for a team like the Mavs that 1) features many older players than the average and 2) includes many new parts that weren't part of the team last year.
Lamar Odom being chief among those new parts.
Follow along with me as I share with you my love for Sports Radio 1310, "The Ticket," in Dallas/Ft. Worth. When it comes to sports talk that I enjoy listening to, they're it. Most sports radio will just throw a bunch of opinionated blowhards on the dial, seeking nothing more than instigating a rise out of the general listening audience, hoping to get as many as possible on their airwaves via the call-in, foaming at the mouth. Wherein mindless yelling ensues. Yeah, sounds really entertaining and informative. See ESPN and Fox radio as your chief offenders in these areas of rabid dog-style sports talk.
Of course, The Ticket has their own cast of opinionated personalities, but they differ from the coast-to-coast stations in that they're personable, entirely likable, and, to top it off, every one of their on-air talents knows each other. Unlike a behemoth such as ESPN radio that is compartmentalized into blocks of programming, originating from all over the US, The Ticket has the opportunity and privilege to interact with the other home-grown shows on the station.
Such an opportunity arose the other night, as a collection of Ticket hosts gathered at a remote broadcast for a semi-annual "Guy's Night Out." An on-air Ticket Roundtable ensued. Roundtables will gather hosts from morning, midday, and afternoon shows. They're always entertaining and often sound like they're fueled by copious amount of alcohol. They dare to tell it like it is.
In stark contrast, an ESPN station like 710 in LA will tip-toe around the status of the Lakers, but never call them out directly. They don't truly represent the pulse of the fans of LA. Everyone I work with who bleeds purple and gold is worried, not only about the Lakers' chances of securing a playoff spot this year, but any real potential of landing a big free agent in the next off-season. Listening to an afternoon of 710 will provide you with both a three-hour long breakdown of the previous Lakers game as well as lead you to believe that everything is fine in the organization.
ESPN LA 710 also dances around the issue of LA having two NBA teams. 710 is the flagship station of the Lakers, paying for the exclusive right to broadcast the play-by-play of their games, but they never go so far as to pick sides and call out the Clippers. Turn on any Lakers radio broadcast and, besides hearing John Ireland, the most thoroughly boring man in sports radio, you'll get an earful from Lakers' homer, Mychal Thompson. Dare ask Thompson if the Lakers have a chance of making the playoffs this year and he'll let you know that they're guaranteed to win the next five NBA titles. Minimum.
So while an outlet like ESPN radio runs the typical gamut of Colin Cowherd beating you over the head in the morning as to why the Buffalo Bills will never win anything and then an overload of Stephen A. Smith yelling at you in the evening about the Knicks and Heat, The Ticket keeps things simple, local, and down-to-earth.
The Ticket calls it like they see it. Like any fan would, because they're fans, too. No one is protected. Not Jerry Jones. Not the Cowboys, not the Rangers, not even the World Champion Mavs.
And not Lamar Odom.
The gents from The Ticket gathered at this "Guy's Night" and called out the lackluster play of Lamar Odom. He hasn't shined the way he did in LA. We all know he's capable of more. Odom has admitted as much himself. But it hasn't showed up yet. He's a career 47% shooter, but he's only bringing 35% through 21 games this season.
Is it the change in scenery? Is it lingering hurt feelings from the Lakers' desire to trade him? That damn TV show and the Kardashian family? Does his wife miss LA and remind him of that every waking minute? Is he just out of shape and worsen things with his non-stop candy diet?
F. Who knows! But these are things that the fans wonder, because they see how Odom looks on the court. They see it. They see that he doesn't appear into things. He doesn't have that same aggressive approach. That killer instinct for the ball or the game.
And that's what The Ticket hosts called out. Turns out that Mavs owner, Mark Cuban, had the radio on and was listening, too. He took to Twitter and posted the following:
"Listening to The Ticket radio...total idiots. Absolutely no clue." (Posted Jan. 26)
OK, perhaps that's true of all of us in the peanut gallery. We don't have access to inside information. But all we have is what we see. And so far, all we've seen of Odom in Dallas is not what LA saw of him during his time there.
The fans of the Mavs are rooting for Odom's success, that's a fact. And in the face of all this scrutiny brought about by the public and the media alike, there is nothing more we'd all enjoy than seeing Odom come around and help deliver the much-needed double-double and winning shot in the clinching game of this year's finals. Plenty will eat crow as those who denied him, but many more are also there right now, cheering for him, and asking, "what needs to be done to help this guy out? We need him!"
And that's exactly what The Ticket guys were asking, whether or not it was masked within inebriated humor. We're all thinking it as fans; they're just saying it for us.
Fans of the Mavs are grateful for one of the most-stellar runs in playoff history, but we'd sure love another. And Lamar Odom represents a terrific chance at getting there. But not as he's playing right now.
If he needs a week or two off to run two-a-day workouts like Dirk did and familiarize himself with his new role, new playbook, and new locale, I say do it now. It can only make him, and the team as a whole, stronger.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
DVR-induced sports headache
We have thousands of iOS and Android apps that can utilize GPS to track each and every one of our movements, likes, and dislikes, but my DVR can't tell when to automatically keep recording the sporting event I have taping?
In my book, ESPN has proven itself to be the worst-offender in the scheduling department. Somewhere, I guarantee they've got a team of statisticians that know the average run-time of an NBA game is "X" minutes so they can immediately schedule the World Series of Poker or the Strong Man Competition directly after it. That team knows that something like 86% of the time the game will be out as scheduled. Then they can pre-plan their commercials or SportsCenter reruns, etc. accordingly.
But it's the dreaded OT game that throws all those database and metric-induced numbers right in the shitter.
Example case: today's Mavericks v. Spurs NBA game. Officially scheduled for two-and-a-half hours in the on-screen guide. DirecTV asked if I'd like to add an additional 30 minutes, since they knew it was a live broadcast. As a cautious type when it comes to live sports, I said sure, let's give it an extra half-hour.
The game ended up in Overtime. Five extra minutes of basketball took nearly thirty minutes to play. The game finished with just about three minutes to spare on the extended recording. If it had gone to double-OT, I'd be stuck with ESPN.com for my ultimate answers. I suppose I could also stream the archived version of the game from the ESPN3.com site, but that's not the point.
If DirecTV, or any other TV provider for that matter, can suggest that you add extra time when requesting to record a live event, why can't the provider instead receive a signal from the channel indicating that the event isn't over and that all home boxes should keep recording until a termination signal is sent?
Granted, this is a complete First World-type problem. I'm not talking clean water for African villages here. But I'm not the first one to think of this, right?
In my book, ESPN has proven itself to be the worst-offender in the scheduling department. Somewhere, I guarantee they've got a team of statisticians that know the average run-time of an NBA game is "X" minutes so they can immediately schedule the World Series of Poker or the Strong Man Competition directly after it. That team knows that something like 86% of the time the game will be out as scheduled. Then they can pre-plan their commercials or SportsCenter reruns, etc. accordingly.
But it's the dreaded OT game that throws all those database and metric-induced numbers right in the shitter.
Example case: today's Mavericks v. Spurs NBA game. Officially scheduled for two-and-a-half hours in the on-screen guide. DirecTV asked if I'd like to add an additional 30 minutes, since they knew it was a live broadcast. As a cautious type when it comes to live sports, I said sure, let's give it an extra half-hour.
The game ended up in Overtime. Five extra minutes of basketball took nearly thirty minutes to play. The game finished with just about three minutes to spare on the extended recording. If it had gone to double-OT, I'd be stuck with ESPN.com for my ultimate answers. I suppose I could also stream the archived version of the game from the ESPN3.com site, but that's not the point.
If DirecTV, or any other TV provider for that matter, can suggest that you add extra time when requesting to record a live event, why can't the provider instead receive a signal from the channel indicating that the event isn't over and that all home boxes should keep recording until a termination signal is sent?
Granted, this is a complete First World-type problem. I'm not talking clean water for African villages here. But I'm not the first one to think of this, right?
NBA: 2011-12 Season so far
The Mavs just wrapped game 21 for the season, beating the San Antonio Spurs in dramatic fashion in Dallas, 101-100 in OT. Thankfully, it was the Mavs' first OT game in this lock-out shortened season.
At 21 games in, that's just shy of a third of the season's 66 games. As a recent ESPN The Magazine article puts it: 80% of a normal season is being squeezed into 75% of the usual amount of time.
That's what leads the Mavs, for example, from January 29-February 4, to 5 games in 7 days in 3 cities.
And it's stretches such as this that all 30 teams in the Association will face this season. With two-thirds of the season yet to go.
Which is why I get the feeling that jockeying for playoff seeding position won't be as important this year. Just make it in. That's it. If you land home court advantage, great. Well done. But just making it in is enough in what could amount to the Wild West of playoff basketball.
Teams will be trying all sorts of tactics during the regular season to either rest players or get them enough action to improve their performance hindered by lack of a sufficient training camp. Which leads me to believe that, more than any other year, a #8 seed means neither anything better nor anything worse than you made it in. You're not much better or even worse than a #1. Maybe only a few games will separate the two in the final standings anyway. A few which may come on final buzzer-beaters or nights where stars got a much needed night off.
Sure, I don't think for a moment that front offices and coaches will completely forget about favorable match-ups come playoff time. But with weeks where teams will play 5 games in 7 days and fly thousands of miles, resting some old legs in an attempt to just make the post-season dance will probably take precedence in an unprecedented season.
At 21 games in, that's just shy of a third of the season's 66 games. As a recent ESPN The Magazine article puts it: 80% of a normal season is being squeezed into 75% of the usual amount of time.
That's what leads the Mavs, for example, from January 29-February 4, to 5 games in 7 days in 3 cities.
And it's stretches such as this that all 30 teams in the Association will face this season. With two-thirds of the season yet to go.
Which is why I get the feeling that jockeying for playoff seeding position won't be as important this year. Just make it in. That's it. If you land home court advantage, great. Well done. But just making it in is enough in what could amount to the Wild West of playoff basketball.
Teams will be trying all sorts of tactics during the regular season to either rest players or get them enough action to improve their performance hindered by lack of a sufficient training camp. Which leads me to believe that, more than any other year, a #8 seed means neither anything better nor anything worse than you made it in. You're not much better or even worse than a #1. Maybe only a few games will separate the two in the final standings anyway. A few which may come on final buzzer-beaters or nights where stars got a much needed night off.
Sure, I don't think for a moment that front offices and coaches will completely forget about favorable match-ups come playoff time. But with weeks where teams will play 5 games in 7 days and fly thousands of miles, resting some old legs in an attempt to just make the post-season dance will probably take precedence in an unprecedented season.
Dallas Mavericks: Game 21 Reaction
The Mavs won, but at what cost?
The basketball sabermetrics that had the Mavs up by 18 late in the third quarter also saw them down by as much as nine by the middle of the fourth, and eventually winning by only one in OT as a last-ditch three-point attempt from Danny Green failed.
Danny Green and an assortment of San Antonio scrubs had the Dallas starters puzzled and on their heels for most of the fourth quarter. Without a rash of late game heroics from Vince Carter and Jason Terry, including JET's game-tying shot with exactly 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation to force OT, the scrubs would have won.
When Dallas was busy building up their 18-point lead early in the third, it appeared that Spurs' coach Popovich decided it was time to rest his starters, cede the game, and live to fight another day. Ride the bench players and try to at least make things respectable appeared to be the game plan. They got more than that.
While Duncan, Parker, and Jefferson didn't see another minute of play after the Mavs went up by 18, Dallas kept Carter, Terry, Dirk, and Marion on the court, desperately trying to catch up once they fell behind. Conversely, the Spurs' reserves went on to score their last 51 points.
Yes, the win over San Antonio feels good, especially in such dramatic fashion. And especially since the last meeting between these two was a drubbing at the hands of the Spurs on their home court, 93-71. This was a rivalry game and felt every bit of that.
While this was Dirk's first game back from a four-game rest that saw him working out two-a-days to strengthen his ailing knee and overall game, he was not stellar. Even though his 10 points did make a difference in the final total, his 13 boards were a bigger contribution. The contribution of 21 from Carter and 34 from Terry were clearly bigger. Even the 14 from Roddy B. They stepped up. And that provides me comfort and helps relax the knee-jerk reaction that this thing is in trouble for 2011-12. While the Big Man is regrouping his game, other starters are able to step in, make up the difference and then some. And, currently, the Dallas bench provides the most points in the league.
But I come back to "at what cost?" All this extra effort to come back and win a regular season game they already had in the bag. This doesn't change the fact that the Mavs have to immediately board a plane and get to Phoenix for a game in their gym tomorrow night; fly back to Dallas for a showdown with OKC on Wednesday and Indy on Friday; and close-up the week at Cleveland on Saturday night. Perhaps we won't see as much Carter and Terry against Phoenix on Monday night, and perhaps they won't need it. But the Spurs will have their starters ready at Memphis tomorrow. And while their back-ups nearly walked away with a win at Dallas, they definitely took away an earned sense of confidence.
The basketball sabermetrics that had the Mavs up by 18 late in the third quarter also saw them down by as much as nine by the middle of the fourth, and eventually winning by only one in OT as a last-ditch three-point attempt from Danny Green failed.
Danny Green and an assortment of San Antonio scrubs had the Dallas starters puzzled and on their heels for most of the fourth quarter. Without a rash of late game heroics from Vince Carter and Jason Terry, including JET's game-tying shot with exactly 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation to force OT, the scrubs would have won.
When Dallas was busy building up their 18-point lead early in the third, it appeared that Spurs' coach Popovich decided it was time to rest his starters, cede the game, and live to fight another day. Ride the bench players and try to at least make things respectable appeared to be the game plan. They got more than that.
While Duncan, Parker, and Jefferson didn't see another minute of play after the Mavs went up by 18, Dallas kept Carter, Terry, Dirk, and Marion on the court, desperately trying to catch up once they fell behind. Conversely, the Spurs' reserves went on to score their last 51 points.
Yes, the win over San Antonio feels good, especially in such dramatic fashion. And especially since the last meeting between these two was a drubbing at the hands of the Spurs on their home court, 93-71. This was a rivalry game and felt every bit of that.
While this was Dirk's first game back from a four-game rest that saw him working out two-a-days to strengthen his ailing knee and overall game, he was not stellar. Even though his 10 points did make a difference in the final total, his 13 boards were a bigger contribution. The contribution of 21 from Carter and 34 from Terry were clearly bigger. Even the 14 from Roddy B. They stepped up. And that provides me comfort and helps relax the knee-jerk reaction that this thing is in trouble for 2011-12. While the Big Man is regrouping his game, other starters are able to step in, make up the difference and then some. And, currently, the Dallas bench provides the most points in the league.
But I come back to "at what cost?" All this extra effort to come back and win a regular season game they already had in the bag. This doesn't change the fact that the Mavs have to immediately board a plane and get to Phoenix for a game in their gym tomorrow night; fly back to Dallas for a showdown with OKC on Wednesday and Indy on Friday; and close-up the week at Cleveland on Saturday night. Perhaps we won't see as much Carter and Terry against Phoenix on Monday night, and perhaps they won't need it. But the Spurs will have their starters ready at Memphis tomorrow. And while their back-ups nearly walked away with a win at Dallas, they definitely took away an earned sense of confidence.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Review: Dan Le Batard...Is Highly Questionable
This will serve as the first in a series of reviews of what I would probably refer to as "Afternoon ESPN filler." Because the network has already re-run the previous night's episode of SportsCenter for about eight hours straight, but their next episode isn't quite ready yet, they need something timely that will fill in the gaps on their various channels: flagship, ESPN2, U, etc. Thus, enter the back-to-back blocks of opinionated, sportsy talking heads. Dan Le Batard fitting nicely into that mold.
With these reviews in mind, I set my DVR to record an afternoon's worth of the Worldwide Leader's programming. "Dan Le Batard...Is Highly Questionable" presented itself as the first.
The broadcast on Friday, January 27 was my introduction to Le Batard.
Running a background search, I gathered the rundown that he's Miami-centric, writing for the Miami Herald and hosting an afternoon radio program with a dude nicknamed "Stugotz." Right there, that sends up a red flag for me. I like my radio hosts down-to-earth and personable. I'm not into sports radio dudes that call themselves "The Brick," or "Money," "The Dragon," or especially some New York-sounding joker in Miami by the name of "Stugotz." Those are all real sports radio broadcaster names, by the way.
So what I've got on DLB prior to hitting play on my DVR is the following: from Miami, Cuban background, radio show with Stugotz, and a Wikipedia page that claims he's both, quote, "self-deprecating" and refers to Lou Holtz as "Lou Sir." OK. Here we go.
They say that no one gets elected without at least appearing likable. Whether or not it's actually true is another story, but the public has to at least believe you're a good guy. And I can see the appeal here with Le Batard. He's full of smiles and has a laugh which fills the sound stage. But that's pretty much where it ends for me with him.
His show ran 30 minutes, half of which was your usual palette of daytime commercials. The other 15 minutes broke down into a middle section of athlete/celebrity interviews sandwiched between two segments with his dad, Gonzalo. More on Gonzalo in a bit, but the show itself was more run-of-the-mill than questionable. Aside from the Pat Sajak interview gold he stumbled upon this week, the highlight reel of athlete/celebrity interviews were entirely forgettable. I found myself growing tired of them and hit fast-forward. Whizzing-by in there, Cuba Gooding, Jr. That seems both timely and sports-related.
In comparison, I did make it through the opening and closing segments, almost entirely due to DLB's interaction with his father. Gonzalo plays the sidekick roll and successfully steals the spotlight. He's your always-happy Cuban grandfather. He loves everybody! He's the Cuban Roberto Benigni!
The show opens with a "News of the Day" segment where DLB offers up his brand of op-ed as the topics roll by, while Gonzalo replies with what you'd probably overhear him sharing with his buddies at the local barbershop. I preferred the latter. The show closes with them in the segment "Si o No?," which measures how much another series of "News of the Day" pieces move their individual sports meters. But I think it's more entertaining for them than the viewer.
Overall, outside of, what, maybe JuCo college kids and people at home with the flu who don't have Netflix, I'm not sure who is watching "Dan Le Batard...Is Highly Questionable" on even a semi-regular basis. I don't see myself revisiting the set of their Miami kitchen. I'll have a book handy the next time I'm out-of- commission and occupying the couch on DayQuil.
And even though DLB doesn't register anywhere near either Colin Cowherd or Jim Rome on the unlikability scale for me, he doesn't give me much reason to listen to what he has to say either. If I gave a damn about Miami, probably. But I don't.
With these reviews in mind, I set my DVR to record an afternoon's worth of the Worldwide Leader's programming. "Dan Le Batard...Is Highly Questionable" presented itself as the first.
The broadcast on Friday, January 27 was my introduction to Le Batard.
Running a background search, I gathered the rundown that he's Miami-centric, writing for the Miami Herald and hosting an afternoon radio program with a dude nicknamed "Stugotz." Right there, that sends up a red flag for me. I like my radio hosts down-to-earth and personable. I'm not into sports radio dudes that call themselves "The Brick," or "Money," "The Dragon," or especially some New York-sounding joker in Miami by the name of "Stugotz." Those are all real sports radio broadcaster names, by the way.
So what I've got on DLB prior to hitting play on my DVR is the following: from Miami, Cuban background, radio show with Stugotz, and a Wikipedia page that claims he's both, quote, "self-deprecating" and refers to Lou Holtz as "Lou Sir." OK. Here we go.
They say that no one gets elected without at least appearing likable. Whether or not it's actually true is another story, but the public has to at least believe you're a good guy. And I can see the appeal here with Le Batard. He's full of smiles and has a laugh which fills the sound stage. But that's pretty much where it ends for me with him.
His show ran 30 minutes, half of which was your usual palette of daytime commercials. The other 15 minutes broke down into a middle section of athlete/celebrity interviews sandwiched between two segments with his dad, Gonzalo. More on Gonzalo in a bit, but the show itself was more run-of-the-mill than questionable. Aside from the Pat Sajak interview gold he stumbled upon this week, the highlight reel of athlete/celebrity interviews were entirely forgettable. I found myself growing tired of them and hit fast-forward. Whizzing-by in there, Cuba Gooding, Jr. That seems both timely and sports-related.
In comparison, I did make it through the opening and closing segments, almost entirely due to DLB's interaction with his father. Gonzalo plays the sidekick roll and successfully steals the spotlight. He's your always-happy Cuban grandfather. He loves everybody! He's the Cuban Roberto Benigni!
The show opens with a "News of the Day" segment where DLB offers up his brand of op-ed as the topics roll by, while Gonzalo replies with what you'd probably overhear him sharing with his buddies at the local barbershop. I preferred the latter. The show closes with them in the segment "Si o No?," which measures how much another series of "News of the Day" pieces move their individual sports meters. But I think it's more entertaining for them than the viewer.
Overall, outside of, what, maybe JuCo college kids and people at home with the flu who don't have Netflix, I'm not sure who is watching "Dan Le Batard...Is Highly Questionable" on even a semi-regular basis. I don't see myself revisiting the set of their Miami kitchen. I'll have a book handy the next time I'm out-of- commission and occupying the couch on DayQuil.
And even though DLB doesn't register anywhere near either Colin Cowherd or Jim Rome on the unlikability scale for me, he doesn't give me much reason to listen to what he has to say either. If I gave a damn about Miami, probably. But I don't.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
ESPN: Feedback on MLB-changing proposals
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7505635/feedback-mlb-changing-proposals
Articles like this can sometimes provide a few nuggets of interesting discussion, but for the most-part they're simply a complete time-suck. Something I typically read during my lunch hour as I huddle over a pile of leftovers at my desk.
How to improve the game of Major League Baseball? Well, geeze, there are a couple that I can completely understand implementing.
More instant replay is bandied about more often than most things when it comes to suggesting changes for MLB, but I'd argue more for implementing challenges for each Manager, akin to those used in the NFL.
Instant replay beyond its current form in MLB would open a whole can of worms. Maybe it's a total cop-out and completely lazy to say, "leave it the way it is, it's tradition," but instant replay's use is a slippery slope. Where would it stop? If there's one thing MLB is guilty of more than any other sport, it's the amount of subjective interpretation that it's chock full of. Are we going to replay every call the home plate ump makes? Hell, no. And having the element of human error enter into the mix only adds to the drama. Especially when they pop-on the silly television broadcast strike zone boxes with the color-coded pitch-by-pitch splatter chart. TV loves that stuff. They're not going to drop it.
But I'm all for each manager receiving the right to challenge one or two plays a game. But no silly red streamers that they tuck in their stripped socks. They have to throw their ball cap down on the diamond. Or break a bat over their knee. Then they take a look at the replay in the booth.
The other thing that I can see doing away with is the mandatory throwing of pitches during an intentional walk. That's just silly. I've never understood it. Yeah, perhaps there's the off-chance that the pitcher completely miffs it and sends one to the backstop, bringing in a runner. But I thought that was lame, too. You're deciding to take a pass on the hitter, but could then get boned another way? Just simplify the process: 1) let the home ump know you want to take the intentional walk and 2) batter takes first base. Done.
And it has nothing to do with saving time for me. It's that it's stupid. Why have to go through the motions? Pitch counts? Who cares? Dudes left and right were juiced on 'roids for the better part of two decades. I think that trumps many things.
More than any performance enhanced shenanigans, the one thing that seems to catch more ire from media types is the sheer length of ball games. Who cares? What else do you have to do? If you don't like it, go back to the episodes of "The Bachelorette" on your DVR.
Most of the time-saving suggestions in the article link above seem to me like proposals put forward simply for the thrill of garnering knee-jerk reactions.
Dropping an inning and ending at 8? Whatever. Do you want to drop an entire quarter from NBA games? Or how about no half-times or period intermissions? Those seem like a colossal wastes of time in comparison. Nine innings are part of the game. What a silly suggestion.
How about the suggestion for a minimum amount of batters that a relief pitcher must face? Um, guess we should just throw in that anyone in the starting line-up should also have a minimum amount of at-bats prior to a pinch hitter, too. What's the use of strategy? Why don't we also make running backs and wide receivers stay in for every down, too? Lame suggestion.
Overall, most of the suggestions to change the game seem to circle back to the running time of MLB games. A Google search just now tells me that the average length of a game clocks in at just under three hours. Really, three hours is too long for you? That's less time than most NFL games, which Google also says is just over three hours.
I just don't get the reasoning behind it. Is it the result of our Tivo-driven expectations that everything should be instantaneous? That anything worth our attention should be over in thrity-second increments?
If you don't like the running time, put something else on your TV. If you don't like it when watching it in-person, why are you there?
Articles like this can sometimes provide a few nuggets of interesting discussion, but for the most-part they're simply a complete time-suck. Something I typically read during my lunch hour as I huddle over a pile of leftovers at my desk.
How to improve the game of Major League Baseball? Well, geeze, there are a couple that I can completely understand implementing.
More instant replay is bandied about more often than most things when it comes to suggesting changes for MLB, but I'd argue more for implementing challenges for each Manager, akin to those used in the NFL.
Instant replay beyond its current form in MLB would open a whole can of worms. Maybe it's a total cop-out and completely lazy to say, "leave it the way it is, it's tradition," but instant replay's use is a slippery slope. Where would it stop? If there's one thing MLB is guilty of more than any other sport, it's the amount of subjective interpretation that it's chock full of. Are we going to replay every call the home plate ump makes? Hell, no. And having the element of human error enter into the mix only adds to the drama. Especially when they pop-on the silly television broadcast strike zone boxes with the color-coded pitch-by-pitch splatter chart. TV loves that stuff. They're not going to drop it.
But I'm all for each manager receiving the right to challenge one or two plays a game. But no silly red streamers that they tuck in their stripped socks. They have to throw their ball cap down on the diamond. Or break a bat over their knee. Then they take a look at the replay in the booth.
The other thing that I can see doing away with is the mandatory throwing of pitches during an intentional walk. That's just silly. I've never understood it. Yeah, perhaps there's the off-chance that the pitcher completely miffs it and sends one to the backstop, bringing in a runner. But I thought that was lame, too. You're deciding to take a pass on the hitter, but could then get boned another way? Just simplify the process: 1) let the home ump know you want to take the intentional walk and 2) batter takes first base. Done.
And it has nothing to do with saving time for me. It's that it's stupid. Why have to go through the motions? Pitch counts? Who cares? Dudes left and right were juiced on 'roids for the better part of two decades. I think that trumps many things.
More than any performance enhanced shenanigans, the one thing that seems to catch more ire from media types is the sheer length of ball games. Who cares? What else do you have to do? If you don't like it, go back to the episodes of "The Bachelorette" on your DVR.
Most of the time-saving suggestions in the article link above seem to me like proposals put forward simply for the thrill of garnering knee-jerk reactions.
Dropping an inning and ending at 8? Whatever. Do you want to drop an entire quarter from NBA games? Or how about no half-times or period intermissions? Those seem like a colossal wastes of time in comparison. Nine innings are part of the game. What a silly suggestion.
How about the suggestion for a minimum amount of batters that a relief pitcher must face? Um, guess we should just throw in that anyone in the starting line-up should also have a minimum amount of at-bats prior to a pinch hitter, too. What's the use of strategy? Why don't we also make running backs and wide receivers stay in for every down, too? Lame suggestion.
Overall, most of the suggestions to change the game seem to circle back to the running time of MLB games. A Google search just now tells me that the average length of a game clocks in at just under three hours. Really, three hours is too long for you? That's less time than most NFL games, which Google also says is just over three hours.
I just don't get the reasoning behind it. Is it the result of our Tivo-driven expectations that everything should be instantaneous? That anything worth our attention should be over in thrity-second increments?
If you don't like the running time, put something else on your TV. If you don't like it when watching it in-person, why are you there?
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Game 15 Reaction
 |
| Mavs @ Clippers |
Also, a Chris Paul-less Clippers, made up by a very strong outing from Mo Williams.
Delonte West put together a very nice game tonight with 17 points, matching the ailing Dirk's total. And Mahinmi contributed another 13. But Mo Williams returned to play for L.A. with a very nice 26 points. And Chauncey provided the dagger to the heart with 5 of 11 on 3-pointers, including the game winner with less than 4 seconds to go in regulation. Which makes it 2-for-2, in as many games, on this L.A. swing, sending Dallas to loss in the closing seconds on the opposing team's Hail Mary 3-point shot.
It was a beauty.
Barely seconds earlier, Terry hit a three to put Dallas up 89-88. But it left five seconds on the clock. Much like this last weekend's NFC Divisional game between New Orleans and San Francisco, it was just too much time for the other team.
And even though this was the third game in three nights for the Clips, including a blow-out loss at Utah last night, they looked ready to play and win.
But it was a good game. Especially to see in-person. Largest lead by either team was nine points. The Mavs went on a 14-5 run at one point to tie it.
The biggest take-away? Even the folks in L.A. don't like the Kardashians. No less than four separate times did the court-side Khole, Kim, and their mother show up on the jumbo-tron, each time met with a thunderous chorus of "boos." Those ladies must have thick skin, because, while they may not listen, I know they aren't deaf.
But the game itself was thoroughly enjoyable to witness in-person, despite the ultimate turn-out for a Dallas fan.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
NFL: Follow-up
At the close of NFL Week 8, these were the predictions that I made for the playoffs:
NFC
East: Philadelphia
North: Green Bay (#1 seed)
South: New Orleans
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Cards: New Jersey Giants, Detroit
AFC
East: Buffalo
North: Pittsburgh (#1 seed)
South: Houston
West: Kansas City
Wild Cards: New England, Baltimore
So, some good, some bad. Even really bad. See the bandwagon picks for Buffalo and Philly.
NFC
Hits: Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, New Jersey, and Detroit. Also correct about the #1 seed for the Packers. But, hey, they were 8-0 at that point and it would have been a shock to most red-blooded Americans if it hadn't played out that way.
Misses: Philly. Replace with Atlanta.
Overall: 5-1. Not too shabby.
AFC
Hits: Pittsburgh, Houston, New England, and Baltimore.
Misses: Buffalo and Kansas City instead of Cincinnati and Denver. Seed #1 went to the Pats.
Overall: 4-2. Respectable.
Alright, 9-3 all told.
But this is where I really missed the mark.
Super Bowl XLVI
The all-Pennsylvania showdown of Philly vs. Pitt.
Whoops. Hurts to miss that one.
Now that only four remain, how about a do-over?
NFC Title Game
GIANTS over 49ers
AFC Title Game
PATRIOTS over Ravens
#46
PATRIOTS over Giants: Brady's Revenge
But damn it all if I don't get the sinking feeling that the Giants get the last laugh and send the Pats to 0-3 against them in recent history. I can just see the Giants being that damn team who happens to get it all going at just the right time.
F.
NFC
East: Philadelphia
North: Green Bay (#1 seed)
South: New Orleans
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Cards: New Jersey Giants, Detroit
AFC
East: Buffalo
North: Pittsburgh (#1 seed)
South: Houston
West: Kansas City
Wild Cards: New England, Baltimore
So, some good, some bad. Even really bad. See the bandwagon picks for Buffalo and Philly.
NFC
Hits: Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, New Jersey, and Detroit. Also correct about the #1 seed for the Packers. But, hey, they were 8-0 at that point and it would have been a shock to most red-blooded Americans if it hadn't played out that way.
Misses: Philly. Replace with Atlanta.
Overall: 5-1. Not too shabby.
AFC
Hits: Pittsburgh, Houston, New England, and Baltimore.
Misses: Buffalo and Kansas City instead of Cincinnati and Denver. Seed #1 went to the Pats.
Overall: 4-2. Respectable.
Alright, 9-3 all told.
But this is where I really missed the mark.
Super Bowl XLVI
The all-Pennsylvania showdown of Philly vs. Pitt.
Whoops. Hurts to miss that one.
Now that only four remain, how about a do-over?
NFC Title Game
GIANTS over 49ers
AFC Title Game
PATRIOTS over Ravens
#46
PATRIOTS over Giants: Brady's Revenge
But damn it all if I don't get the sinking feeling that the Giants get the last laugh and send the Pats to 0-3 against them in recent history. I can just see the Giants being that damn team who happens to get it all going at just the right time.
F.
Dallas Mavericks: Game 14 Reaction
Beat the teams you're supposed to beat. That would be the Milwaukee Bucks (without Andrew Bogut) and the Sacramento Kings (holding them to 60 points...60).
But then put up a 73-70 stinker against the Lakers, in which LA was held to (or only managed, take your pick) seven points in the third quarter. Seven. In a quarter. A Lakers team that included an active Kobe. And then still lose. Darn near unforgivable.
Except for the fact that we're seeing some of the worst professional basketball ever. Scoring is down league-wide. I thought that it would have been over by now, but we're still seeing the ramifications of the lockout. The season may have started on Christmas Day, but we're witnessing an awful lot of games that would give the preseason a challenge for the label of "sloppy." And that's how we end up with a 73-70 game that featured 5-36 on three-pointers. The only one the Lakers made all night was Derek Fisher's game-winner with 3.1 seconds left in regulation. But, if you only make one, that's the one to make, right?
In my opinion, the bright spot for the Mavs: Ian Mahinmi. He is really coming along. Twenty-four minutes and a respectable 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Going the other way, I've previously shared my dislike for LA fans, especially those that root-on the Lakers. Their scale ranges from lazy and apathetic scenesters to parolees. I can't stand them and neither should any decent human being, speaking directly to you. But they did show some sports-common sense when Lamar Odom took the court, offering him a standing-o that seemed to go on for a good thirty seconds. Then there was an Odom highlight reel that played on the Staples' Center TV. They really seemed to like that guy when he played for the home team.
Really wish that guy would locate his game and get things together. Twenty-four minutes, 10 points and 4 rebounds is not a bright spot for him. I know he can do better, once he gets out of his "new kid, new school, miss my old school" funk.
But then put up a 73-70 stinker against the Lakers, in which LA was held to (or only managed, take your pick) seven points in the third quarter. Seven. In a quarter. A Lakers team that included an active Kobe. And then still lose. Darn near unforgivable.
Except for the fact that we're seeing some of the worst professional basketball ever. Scoring is down league-wide. I thought that it would have been over by now, but we're still seeing the ramifications of the lockout. The season may have started on Christmas Day, but we're witnessing an awful lot of games that would give the preseason a challenge for the label of "sloppy." And that's how we end up with a 73-70 game that featured 5-36 on three-pointers. The only one the Lakers made all night was Derek Fisher's game-winner with 3.1 seconds left in regulation. But, if you only make one, that's the one to make, right?
In my opinion, the bright spot for the Mavs: Ian Mahinmi. He is really coming along. Twenty-four minutes and a respectable 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Going the other way, I've previously shared my dislike for LA fans, especially those that root-on the Lakers. Their scale ranges from lazy and apathetic scenesters to parolees. I can't stand them and neither should any decent human being, speaking directly to you. But they did show some sports-common sense when Lamar Odom took the court, offering him a standing-o that seemed to go on for a good thirty seconds. Then there was an Odom highlight reel that played on the Staples' Center TV. They really seemed to like that guy when he played for the home team.
Really wish that guy would locate his game and get things together. Twenty-four minutes, 10 points and 4 rebounds is not a bright spot for him. I know he can do better, once he gets out of his "new kid, new school, miss my old school" funk.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
ESPN: Colts fire coach Jim Caldwell
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7471905/indianapolis-colts-fire-jim-caldwell-nfl-worst-2-14-season
To summarize the last couple of weeks for the Indianapolis Colts: finished the season 2-14, locked-up the overall #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, hired a brand new GM, and, today, fired current head coach, Jim Caldwell.
I'm no fan of the Colts. Not because I don't like them or carry a grudge. Simply, they amount to a blip on my personal interest radar. Like the Seattle Seahawks or Buffalo Bills. Oh, yeah, those guys. None of these recent developments do much to move my needle. This team really doesn't do anything for me, especially without Peyton behind center.
And that's exactly what my gut tells me about next season in Indy: Peyton won't be there. Not out of the league, just not in Indy. As the Home QB, anyway. This smells like cleaning house. Cut bait time.
To summarize the last couple of weeks for the Indianapolis Colts: finished the season 2-14, locked-up the overall #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, hired a brand new GM, and, today, fired current head coach, Jim Caldwell.
I'm no fan of the Colts. Not because I don't like them or carry a grudge. Simply, they amount to a blip on my personal interest radar. Like the Seattle Seahawks or Buffalo Bills. Oh, yeah, those guys. None of these recent developments do much to move my needle. This team really doesn't do anything for me, especially without Peyton behind center.
And that's exactly what my gut tells me about next season in Indy: Peyton won't be there. Not out of the league, just not in Indy. As the Home QB, anyway. This smells like cleaning house. Cut bait time.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Trip to the White House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuG6OWWU6zY
It's a silly tradition, but a tradition none-the-less: championship teams visiting the White House to receive congratulations from the President. President then reads something his staff writer researched and put together. President receives official team jersey with name on it. It's a total time suck, but it's fun.
Good on Mark Cuban for being pro-active and scheduling the trip on an off-day when the Association didn't see fit to do so when putting together the season. A season schedule that includes what seems like 75% of the Lakers' home games occurring on Friday nights and half of the Heat's games on national TV.
While the President's speech is rife with "dad jokes," I understand that he does make time to watch SportsCenter every night. Which makes it even less acceptable for him to drop in all those "Nowinskis." Why can't people get it right?
But it is pretty cool how giddy they all look.
And I think that's officially it. The celebrations of the Championship should now all be complete. It was a helluva run. One of the best I've ever witnessed as a sports fan, regardless of team affiliation.
Now it's just back to winning and the season ahead.
It's a silly tradition, but a tradition none-the-less: championship teams visiting the White House to receive congratulations from the President. President then reads something his staff writer researched and put together. President receives official team jersey with name on it. It's a total time suck, but it's fun.
Good on Mark Cuban for being pro-active and scheduling the trip on an off-day when the Association didn't see fit to do so when putting together the season. A season schedule that includes what seems like 75% of the Lakers' home games occurring on Friday nights and half of the Heat's games on national TV.
While the President's speech is rife with "dad jokes," I understand that he does make time to watch SportsCenter every night. Which makes it even less acceptable for him to drop in all those "Nowinskis." Why can't people get it right?
But it is pretty cool how giddy they all look.
And I think that's officially it. The celebrations of the Championship should now all be complete. It was a helluva run. One of the best I've ever witnessed as a sports fan, regardless of team affiliation.
Now it's just back to winning and the season ahead.
Dallas Mavericks: Game 11 Reaction
Here's a stat, take it as you will: since the last-second loss at OKC on Dec. 29 (104-102), the Mavs haven't allowed the opposing team to break into triple digits in any of the eight ensuing games. They did get their asses handed to them last week at San Antonio, but, hey, not into three-digit territory.
Another stat: they're beating the teams they're supposed to beat. See: Toronto, Phoenix, New Orleans, Detroit.
The Little Mavs have also got a nice road streak going, beating the aforementioned Pistons yesterday and, tonight, the veteran Celtics. Nice win tonight, 90-85. They're getting their defense going. Big steals at the end of the game, coupled with sloppy play from Boston, allowed Dallas to take advantage. Perhaps the "Moneyball" the Front Office is running says that it doesn't mater if they miss 10+ free throws as a team when their defense is solid.
As I wrote a few days ago, West is impressing me. He's filling in nicely for the injured Kidd. I miss Barea, but West brings a D that JJ didn't appear to have in his time with Dallas. Mahinmi is also showing much improvement, rolling out an average 8p/5r a night.
Break the .500 mark. Perhaps this signals the sloppiest basketball is now in the past!
Another stat: they're beating the teams they're supposed to beat. See: Toronto, Phoenix, New Orleans, Detroit.
The Little Mavs have also got a nice road streak going, beating the aforementioned Pistons yesterday and, tonight, the veteran Celtics. Nice win tonight, 90-85. They're getting their defense going. Big steals at the end of the game, coupled with sloppy play from Boston, allowed Dallas to take advantage. Perhaps the "Moneyball" the Front Office is running says that it doesn't mater if they miss 10+ free throws as a team when their defense is solid.
As I wrote a few days ago, West is impressing me. He's filling in nicely for the injured Kidd. I miss Barea, but West brings a D that JJ didn't appear to have in his time with Dallas. Mahinmi is also showing much improvement, rolling out an average 8p/5r a night.
Break the .500 mark. Perhaps this signals the sloppiest basketball is now in the past!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Dallas Mavericks: Game 8 Reaction
Dallas was absolutely throttled by the Spurs tonight. The Mavs don't have to worry about defending anything if this is the way they're going to play, especially when facing their heated rival, minus their best player, Ginobili.
And especially when they let Matt Bonner score the game-high 17 points. Matt Bonner. Geeze.
In fact, game-high point totals in the first eight games have all gone to the Mavs' opponents:
Game 1: LeBron - 37
Game 2: Lawson - 27
Game 3: Durant - 30
Game 4: Bargnani - 30
Game 5: Love - 25
Game 6: Durant - 27
Game 7: Gortat - 22
Game 8: Matt freaking Bonner - 17
The one shining stat for the Mavs in the season so far? The most bench points in the Association.
And especially when they let Matt Bonner score the game-high 17 points. Matt Bonner. Geeze.
In fact, game-high point totals in the first eight games have all gone to the Mavs' opponents:
Game 1: LeBron - 37
Game 2: Lawson - 27
Game 3: Durant - 30
Game 4: Bargnani - 30
Game 5: Love - 25
Game 6: Durant - 27
Game 7: Gortat - 22
Game 8: Matt freaking Bonner - 17
The one shining stat for the Mavs in the season so far? The most bench points in the Association.
Dallas Mavericks: Game 7 Reaction
Alright, this thing is starting to get some legs under it. A solid win against OKC at home and a win that they should get against a not-even-rebuilding Suns team and this thing rolls in at 3-4 today.
Take away the ridiculously awesome buzzer-beater by Durant in Game 3 at OKC and this thing is 4-3. Not too shabby for all the new parts still figuring out how to play together.
Two thoughts:
1) Delonte West is a nice surprise. I must admit that I was not convinced when the signing was announced, but whether it's moneyball stats management was rolling the dice on or simply the right fit, he's playing really well and proving to be a good addition.
2) Odom seems to be getting out of his funk. Good. I don't want to see Odom from Game 1 again: four minutes and an ejection. I prefer tonight's 15 points and 5 boards version.
Take away the ridiculously awesome buzzer-beater by Durant in Game 3 at OKC and this thing is 4-3. Not too shabby for all the new parts still figuring out how to play together.
Two thoughts:
1) Delonte West is a nice surprise. I must admit that I was not convinced when the signing was announced, but whether it's moneyball stats management was rolling the dice on or simply the right fit, he's playing really well and proving to be a good addition.
2) Odom seems to be getting out of his funk. Good. I don't want to see Odom from Game 1 again: four minutes and an ejection. I prefer tonight's 15 points and 5 boards version.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Goin' Bowlin' 2011: AP Champion (Unbridled Opinion)
I read crap headlines like this and it gets under my skin: "Some voters might not pick BCS winner" http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls11/story/_/id/7424042/allstate-bcs-championship-game-some-ap-voters-not-pick-bcs-winner-no-1
What a bunch of horseshit. Who cares? While I'm tired of hearing the endless bitching about how the BCS blows goats because it's so unfair, no one does a damn thing about it. I don't see any schools stepping aside and saying "we respectfully decline an invitation to a BCS level game until some sort of playoff system is devised and implemented." No, they'll gladly complain this year about being left out, then suck at the BCS teet when they make it in the next season. But the bigger asinine story is the one regarding the all-powerful AP voters and how they might vote for someone other than the BCS winner as the national champion.
I'll say again, "who cares?" I really don't give two farts about the eventual winner of the SEC rematch. I'm sure the TV will be on in my house next Monday night and it'll be tuned to ESPN, but I just don't care. Yes, I'm one of those people that would have preferred to see OK State get a shot over Alabama. Or Stanford. Oregon. Wisconsin. Boise State. Pretty much fill-in-the-blank-anybody-but-Alabama. Probably slight prejudice. So what? I think any of those match-ups would prove to be more interesting. Perhaps even draw larger ratings. We'll have to wait and see. But despite having said all that, no matter how I feel personally, the team that wins on the field at the Superdome will be the one and only champion. AP or no AP.
Politicians are decided by voting. Champions of football are not. You know what you get when there's a split BCS and AP champ? Obnoxious USC fans telling you they almost won three national titles.
I live in L.A. I'll often hear Trojans proclaim to my face, due to my Texas roots, "if it wasn't for Vince Young, we'd have had three national championships this decade." How quickly one actual championship becomes nearly three. One on the field against the Sooners in 2005. The one in 2004 came from AP voters. LSU won that year; looking toward Monday, they can actually say they've nearly won three in a decade. And then the 41-38 loss in 2006, when those same Trojans all claim to have known from their seats in the Rose Bowl that VY was running, but couldn't yell loud enough for their coaches to hear. One championship. But the AP voters have empowered a fan base of knuckleheads to proclaim that they were inches from three.
That's OK. Approximate conversation I had with a Trojan around mid-season this year:
TROJAN: So, think your Horns are going to be worth anything this year?
ME: Yeah, I think we've got some rebuilding ahead of us, but things are looking up.
(then she...she...decides to get personal)
TROJAN: You didn't do so hot last year.
(ok...)
ME: Well, at least one of us can be Bowl eligible this year.
TROJAN: Bowls are for salad.
Huh? Not sure if this is a Trojan thing or L.A., but almost makes me long for interaction with Aggies instead. Almost. I guess Bowls are for salad if you can live on AP voters giving you fictional titles.
And I say that with all honesty. If I were a player on that field, an AP title would feel like a participation trophy. That's nice. What does it do for me? No one pulls on a victory hat and t-shirt and sprays Gatorade for an AP title.
Bowls are for salad but some dudes who write for The Daily Press or CSN Bay Area are going to decide a football champion with a vote? No thanks. I don't like Alabama, I'd prefer to see someone else in their place, but if they win, they win. Crown them. Again (fuckers). End of story. Any other list seems as meaningful as a Maxim "100 Hottest Women" list.
Do they still make Maxim?
What a bunch of horseshit. Who cares? While I'm tired of hearing the endless bitching about how the BCS blows goats because it's so unfair, no one does a damn thing about it. I don't see any schools stepping aside and saying "we respectfully decline an invitation to a BCS level game until some sort of playoff system is devised and implemented." No, they'll gladly complain this year about being left out, then suck at the BCS teet when they make it in the next season. But the bigger asinine story is the one regarding the all-powerful AP voters and how they might vote for someone other than the BCS winner as the national champion.
I'll say again, "who cares?" I really don't give two farts about the eventual winner of the SEC rematch. I'm sure the TV will be on in my house next Monday night and it'll be tuned to ESPN, but I just don't care. Yes, I'm one of those people that would have preferred to see OK State get a shot over Alabama. Or Stanford. Oregon. Wisconsin. Boise State. Pretty much fill-in-the-blank-anybody-but-Alabama. Probably slight prejudice. So what? I think any of those match-ups would prove to be more interesting. Perhaps even draw larger ratings. We'll have to wait and see. But despite having said all that, no matter how I feel personally, the team that wins on the field at the Superdome will be the one and only champion. AP or no AP.
Politicians are decided by voting. Champions of football are not. You know what you get when there's a split BCS and AP champ? Obnoxious USC fans telling you they almost won three national titles.
I live in L.A. I'll often hear Trojans proclaim to my face, due to my Texas roots, "if it wasn't for Vince Young, we'd have had three national championships this decade." How quickly one actual championship becomes nearly three. One on the field against the Sooners in 2005. The one in 2004 came from AP voters. LSU won that year; looking toward Monday, they can actually say they've nearly won three in a decade. And then the 41-38 loss in 2006, when those same Trojans all claim to have known from their seats in the Rose Bowl that VY was running, but couldn't yell loud enough for their coaches to hear. One championship. But the AP voters have empowered a fan base of knuckleheads to proclaim that they were inches from three.
That's OK. Approximate conversation I had with a Trojan around mid-season this year:
TROJAN: So, think your Horns are going to be worth anything this year?
ME: Yeah, I think we've got some rebuilding ahead of us, but things are looking up.
(then she...she...decides to get personal)
TROJAN: You didn't do so hot last year.
(ok...)
ME: Well, at least one of us can be Bowl eligible this year.
TROJAN: Bowls are for salad.
Huh? Not sure if this is a Trojan thing or L.A., but almost makes me long for interaction with Aggies instead. Almost. I guess Bowls are for salad if you can live on AP voters giving you fictional titles.
And I say that with all honesty. If I were a player on that field, an AP title would feel like a participation trophy. That's nice. What does it do for me? No one pulls on a victory hat and t-shirt and sprays Gatorade for an AP title.
Bowls are for salad but some dudes who write for The Daily Press or CSN Bay Area are going to decide a football champion with a vote? No thanks. I don't like Alabama, I'd prefer to see someone else in their place, but if they win, they win. Crown them. Again (fuckers). End of story. Any other list seems as meaningful as a Maxim "100 Hottest Women" list.
Do they still make Maxim?
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