baldilocks

If You Were Missing National Hockey League Action (KingShamus)

Shop-Rite has a solution for all your NHL lock-out needs.

Here's the problem the NHL has right now.

I'm a hockey fan.  I've been rooting for the Rangers since I was in middle school.  And I am slowly but surely getting used to not watching the NHL anymore.

I'll be frank; I've got plenty of options besides ice hockey to fill my time.  The Giants are a first place team.  The Knicks are having a resurgent year.  The Yankees might sign Josh Hamilton.  My teams are bringing drama and excitement every day of the week.  

Mind you, those are just the sports entertainments I've used to replace my hockey enthusiasm.  If we wanna get further afield than just professional athletics, there are many other things to watch, listen to, read, and play.  "The Walking Dead" is finally turning into the gripping drama critics thought it could be three years ago.  "Tale of The Tigers" is a great read from a terrific conservative blogger.  Black Ops II just might get me back to giving third eyes to hapless noobs; *CQBDevilGod999* could pwn again.

Like I said, I'm a long-time supporter of American hockey and I'm moving on in relatively painless fashion.  Think about the more casual fans out there.  The guys who don't go see a ton of games live.  The people who don't buy merchandise every five seconds.  Those soft hockey fans probably barely noticed that the NHL isn't running games.  Worse, they might not come back once the league decides to end the lock-out.

I don't know all the details of the work stoppage.  I don't know everything that the players and owners are fighting over.  My gut tells me that the owners probably more at fault than the players, but I could be wrong.

But ultimately, all that is a moot point.  This is about the NHL bleeding fans who may never return once the lock-out is done.  Whatever short and medium term financial issues at stake have to pale in comparison to the long-term sustainability of the National Hockey League.  I mean, can the league continue to exist when the owners and players seem determined to alienate the people who support them?

The Education of Chad Ochocinco

New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco got schooled recently but not on the football field.

Football star Chad Ochocinco recently got into a bit of Twitter heat for tweeting that he was reading conservative blogger Glenn Beck’s book “Broke.”

He tweeted the following:

“Gotten through 3 chapters in @glennbeck book and so far everything he’s said is either common or his opinion based off research.”

“I don’t agree with a lot of this s— but nonetheless its interesting reading the views n opinions from what I’d like to call the other side.”

(...)

Therefore upon sending out the tweets, Ochocinco was heavily criticized by followers—some even un-followed him.

One follower responded: “unfollowing [you] after two years because you’re a Beck fan. Disgraceful and disappointing.”

(...)

Since when did [black people] put a limitation on whose book we could read, or what types of books we are entitled to read? It is a very sad day in modern America when a Black man is ostracized for reading a book. Seems very reminiscent to the days of slavery when Blacks privately read (for purposes of knowledge) in hopes that the slave master wouldn’t catch them, or worse.

Right.  In the days of American slavery, it was often legally forbidden to teach a slave to read and those who did so were punished with jail time or worse--along with their students.  Refusing to follow the Twitter feed of an athlete who reads certain books is a response clearly not in the league of the legal proscriptions of the Bad Old Days. However, the mentality is identical. The person displaying either response has one goal in mind: control. 

"Do what I want or I'll kill you."

"Do what I want or I'll ostracize you."

One wonders how many black people are no longer fans of Mr. Ochocinco due to his reading material.  I'm sure that the number would blow the lid off the irony caldron. 

Side note: I'm just happy to see a pro-athlete reading anything.  I might send him a copy of my book; a little football, a little love--I'm sure he'd love it. :)

LeBron-The Disappointment (King Shamus)

As a Knicks fan, it kills me to say this but...Michael Jordan is exactly correct.

 The latest Big Three backlash came Sunday from none other than Michael Jordan, who contributed his weighty opinion to the debate about whether LeBron James should've teamed up with two superstars instead of trying to beat them.

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan said after finishing tied for 22nd in the American Century Championship golf tournament in Stateline, Nev. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

Bingo.

The thing about LeBron is that he has consciously modeled himself on Jordan's career.  That means that he's supposed to be the guy who's taking the last shot at the end of games.  He's the leader in the locker room.  Most importantly, he's taking slightly less money to help his franchise bring a supporting cast to him and his team. 

Instead, Bron-Bron decided to join the three-headed monster in Miami.  More and more, the free agent summit Bosh, Wade and James held in June looks like just a cheesey attempt to rig the system to get their spoiled-brat way.  While it's not collusion in the legal sense, it looks really bad.  Perception in the NBA is really important.  LeBron has done great damage to the way he is perceived by non-Heat fans nowadays.

The idea that James is the next coming of Michael Jordan has been forever tarnished by him leaving Cleveland to join Wade and Bosh in Miami.  In MJ's Chicago, there was no doubt who was taking the big shot at the end of games.  It wasn't Horace Grant and it sure wasn't Scottie Pippen.  On and off the floor, Jordan was the undisputed leader of the Bulls.

One more thing:  Jordan never left Chicago to team up with his buddies.  He just went out and beat everybody.  He whipped absolutely phenomenal players in the most pressure-filled situations.  Look at who he defeated in order to get his championships.  Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, John Stockton and Karl Malone:  These are just some of the all-world players MJ beat in order to win his hardware.  That doesn't take into account playoff series wins and conference championships, where he scored victories against mega-stars like Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and Isiah Thomas.

Compare Jordan's resume to LeBron's curriculum vitae.  He hasn't beaten anybody.  No last second heroics, no monster performances to carry his team and no rings.  Sure, he's been stellar in the regular season.  But god-like players aren't born beating up on the Nets or the Kings in the middle of a December road trip. 

One gets the feeling that LeBron has little interest in being 'the guy' and much more interest in getting paid.  This is weird considering that everybody connected with him keeps telling us he's the greatest player in the world.  It's hard to be the number 1 star when you're a supporting cast member in somebody else's show.  I think James is going to be in for a rude awakening as NBA fans rethink Bron-Bron's place in the basketball world's hierarchy of stars.

Congratulations LeBron.  You've just turned yourself into a second tier star.  Enjoy being Dwayne Wade's caddie.

Another Repeat!

Congratulations to the 2010 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers.  I know you hate them, but I can't.  Call them family. 

And, yes, it's a little loud out there!

John Wooden

1910-2010. Released and reunited with his love and with Love. Rest in Peace.

Do guys like this exist anymore? I pray so.

(Thanks to Ace of Spades HQ)

Los Suns? (KS)

(Robert Sarver: Is that shirt orange enough, homie?)

Seriously?

Oh for God's sake.

PHOENIX -- The The Phoenix Suns will wear "Los Suns" on their jerseys in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night, owner Robert Sarver said, "to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation."

The decision to wear the jerseys on the Cinco de Mayo holiday stems from a law passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer that has drawn widespread criticism from Latino organizations and civil rights groups that say it could lead to racial profiling of Hispanics. President Barack Obama has called the law "misguided."

Sarver, who was born and raised in Tucson, said frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the illegal immigration issue led to the passage of what he called "a flawed state law."

"However intended, the result of passing the law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question," he said, "and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

I for one think this is great.  Because everybody knows that the Phoenix Suns should be focusing on making a political statement, not...you know...winning playoff games.

National Review's Jay Nordlinger has spoken a great deal about the death of "safe zones"-venues and events that are free from the day-to-day grind of politics.  Sports are one of those areas of life where people should be able to safely let down their partisan guards and simply be fans.  What Robert Sarver has done is made many of the followers of his basketball team very uncomfortable.  Why?  Because, as AllahPundit notes, the law is very popular-try 70% favorability on for size-amongst the citizens of Arizona.   

What exactly is Sarver saying to Suns fans by having his team stage a protest rally during one of their games?  It sounds something like-"Hey Phoenix supporters:  Thanks for buying our overpriced crap and shelling out a wad of cash to come to our playoff contest, you knuckledragging fascist dickbags."  That's a pretty interesting method of winning over fans.  What's next? 'Free Face Punch From Amar'e Stoudemire Night'?

Even better, Sarver has taken some heat from fans for being a cheap owner.  Wow.  So the douchedrinker won't spend money to get players to compliment the spectacularly gifted Steve Nash while the guard is still in his prime.  On the other hand, he's willing to turn his team into a walking pep rally for an intensely unpopular partisan agenda that insults his team's fanbase.  What an insufferable jerk. 

Even More:  The jerkiness is not just relegated to Suns' ownership.  Overeducated undertalented sportswriters are working their tedious moral outrage muscles as well.

My Lone Tiger Woods Commentary

Like I said to the Instapundit, I'm not sure who should be embarrassed to be photographed with whom.

Tight Woods may have permanently marred his relationship with his wife, but he isn't destroying the country.

Fifteen

UPDATE: Not happy campers: the LAPD.

UPDATE (June 15, 2009): Sigh. For sure did my LAPD motorcycle cop friend have to dispose of another uniform after last night's "celebration."

Born in Sudan; Made in the USA

Gotta love this.

BEIJING - Lopez Lomong, a
former Lost Boy of Sudan who spent a decade in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to America, will carry the United States flag during Friday's opening ceremonies in Bird's Nest Stadium.

"This is the most exciting day of my life," said the 23-year-old runner, who will compete in the 1,500 meters. "It's a great honor that my teammates chose to vote for me. The opening ceremony is the best day and the best moment of Olympic life.

"I'm here as an ambassador of my country and I will do everything I can to represent my country well."

Lomong, who fled Sudan at age 6 and was separated from his family, was sent to America after officials read his letter describing what it would mean for him to live there, and resided with a foster family in Tully, N.Y. He became a citizen a year ago last month and made the team by finishing third at the June trials. [SNIP]

"This is another amazing step for me in celebrating being an American."

Thanks, Lopez, for reminding us of how blessed we Americans are.

(Via Newser)

Celtics Win

The Boston Celtics have won the 2008 NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers four games to two. It wasn't even that close, IMO.

Yes, Boston Celtics and fans, I must admit that yours was far-and-away the better team. Congratulations.

Is this the start of a new Celtic-Laker rivalry?

2008 Lakers Hold to Tradition

Wow. I look away for a minute--or a few years--and Kobe Bryant pulls his head out of his nether regions to put the Lakers back in the NBA Finals!

Out of one of the most competitive Western Conference seasons in NBA history, the Lakers have emerged as its champion.

They beat the San Antonio Spurs, 100-92, tonight at Staples Center in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, winning the series, 4-1.

The Lakers advance to the NBA Finals to face the Eastern Conference champion winner between the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. Game 6 of that series is Friday in Detroit, with the Celtics leading, 3-2.

Actually, after hanging out with Jill Stewart at a Culver City sports bar a couple of weeks ago watching Kobe, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and company take care of the Utah Jazz, I thought it seemed likely that this new breed was ready to join its legendary predecessors--or at least try.

Nice to see that Kobe has grown up.

Now if the Celtics make it, it'll be like old times!

Milestone

Congratulations, Mr. Bonds; no asterisk.

P.S. If you want to hold onto your record for a significant amount of time, Mr. Bonds, you'd better hit a whole lot more of them, because there's a guy that's only 200 and change home runs behind you and he's quite young.

Stanley Cup Champion Ducks

Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks for winning the Stanley Cup against the Ottawa Senators yesterday. The Ducks are the first West Coast NHL team to ever achieve this victory--one that was won in five games of what could have been a seven-game series, no less.

I will admit that I am not a hockey fan, but love for any and all local team victory/superiority is a given.

Also, there is one member of my family who is most definitely a hockey fan. It's my oldest nephew, Reed (15). Reed has played hockey for a long time in kid years and has a hockey stick in his bedroom as decoration. I don't know whether he is a Ducks fan, but I do have a good idea of what he's been looking at on the tube for the last few weeks.

Reed, a big guy, also plays football and basketball, but his mother (my sister) keeps encouraging him to keep up his hockey skills in order to be one of the few black men to have ever played in the NHL--not for the "affirmative action" factor, but merely for the novelty/coolness factor.

I will admit that it would be kind of fun to see the looks on faces of all colors if I could casually mention the fact that my nephew plays in the NHL, not to mention that it would would be nice to see at least one member of my family "gettin' seriously paid" for doing what he/she loves.

Trust me, if Reed becomes an NHL player, I will gain a new television-viewing habit.

Kobe Scores Where It Counts

As much as I still dislike Kobe Bryant, one must give the man his due as a result of his one-game, 81-point feat contributing to yesterday’s Los Angeles Lakers 122-104 rout of the Toronto Raptors. The one-game score is only second to famed Laker Wilt Chamberlain’s 1962 100-point game against the New York Knicks.

At first, I was looking for loopholes: the late Chamberlain was a center and therefore not responsible for feeding the ball to his teammates as point-guard Bryant is. Then I decided to go on the high road.

Bryant was merely showing his teammates what can be done with effort and opportunity. And I suspect that the performance was fueled by something that happened on Martin Luther King Day.

There is still a lot of acrimony among Laker fans in LA about the Shaquille O’Neal trade. Many still think that the Lakers traded the wrong man. (I suspect, however, that few teams were willing to shoulder the public-relations burden of having Kobe on their team in the wake of his rape acquittal, the sleaziness of his accuser notwithstanding.) But, during an MLK Day meeting between O’Neal’s Miami Heat and the Lakers (a Laker win), O’Neal and Bryant publicly buried the hatchet, apparently partially at the behest of the Boston Celtics’ legendary center Bill Russell, who had waged a similar public feud with Chamberlain. But Russell and Chamberlain made up before the end. When Chamberlain died all too early in 1999 at age 53, Russell was undoubtedly heartbroken, but gratified that he and his equally legendary “adversary” had remembered what was important before it was too late.

[Mr. Russell] said he talked to Mr. (Wilt) Chamberlain at least once a week before he passed away, and I actually thought they hated each other, but he told me that wasn't the case at all. It was something I had to hear from a guy like that. My mother and father also called me and told me to shake Kobe's hand and that we were making a big deal about nothing. And even though I do act crazy sometimes, I do listen." [SNIP]

"It wasn't anything important that we talked about," O'Neal said. "We actually talked about something that was more important than basketball. His wife's having a baby and my wife's having a baby, so I just went up to him and said congratulates on the baby. We'll see each other again when you guys [the media] aren't around. We'll sit down and have a conversation." [SNIP]

As Bryant prepared to leave Staples Center, with his first win over O'Neal's Heat under his belt and the rift over, he said he looked forward to sitting down with O'Neal somewhere in South Beach or Newport Beach during the offseason and further burying their feud.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to that," said Bryant. "We'll probably talk about tricking out cars; like putting hydraulics on a '53 Impala. We'll be talking about fun stuff."

It’s stuff like this—after the team-fan brawls and the like--that might convince me to start watching the NBA again (at least the Lakers and the Heat); if Kobe’s wife and Shaquille can cut the Laker guard some forgiveness for his transgressions, maybe, just maybe I might do so also.

Meanwhile, as one of my co-workers observed, the Lakers are, for better or worse, now demonstrably Kobe’s team.

Setting the Example

Instead of chasing women during his NBA road trips, Shaquille O’Neal has been up to something far more unusual in his hotel rooms.

Shaquille O'Neal was back at the [Inglewood CA] Forum today -- not for an NBA game, but to pick up his MBA.

The Miami Heat center was perhaps the most famous and certainly the tallest of the 2,200 people receiving degrees from the University of Phoenix yesterday afternoon.

O'Neal, who now plays for the Miami Heat, spent more than a year taking classes and doing online work for a master's degree in business administration. After a decade in the NBA, he says he wants to start thinking about what he is going to do after basketball.

"It's just something to have on my résumé [for] when I go back into reality," O'Neal said. "Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else."

I guess the air isn’t so thin up there after all.

Cha-Ching! (UPDATED)

For Reggie Fowler, every month is African American Heritage Month; or at least it will be for his heirs if he continues to play his cards right.

Poised and proud to become the NFL's first black owner, Reggie Fowler is ready to buy the Minnesota Vikings from Red McCombs.[SNIP]

A survey of franchise values by Forbes magazine last fall estimated the Vikings worth at about $604 million. The Arizona Republic reported Saturday that Fowler's net worth is estimated at more than $400 million--far less than Taylor's $1.9 billion. Fowler's group includes three limited partners whom he declined to identify, other than that they're based on the East Coast.

As the general partner, Fowler is required by NFL rules to put down 30 percent of the cash portion of the purchase--though he could borrow up to $125 million from the league's credit consortium. [SNIP]

A former University of Wyoming football linebacker who played briefly with the Cincinnati Bengals, Fowler said he will live in the Twin Cities area--something the San Antonio-based McCombs didn't do. He rejected any thought of moving the team.

I’m not one of those “first black this, first black that,” but I have to congratulate Mr. Fowler for this achievement and for doing the *right* things that have lead to it. Who says all athletes are dumb? (Question: have there been any other black owners/general partners of a major league sports team?)

And you gotta love this line:

Asked about becoming the league's first black owner, Fowler said he thought it was "a great thing…--but also not that big a deal. [SNIP]

"He [McCombs] did not discount the price because of that," Fowler said, laughing.

Ah, the beautiful, green bottom line.

(Thanks to Booker Rising)

UPDATE: (Found at Wizbang) Uh-oh.

In his official biography, distributed Monday by his Twin Cities public relations firm, Reggie Fowler declared that he played in the Little League World Series, implied that he earned a business administration and finance degree from the University of Wyoming and said that he played for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL and the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

According to officials with all of the sports organizations and official records at the NFL, CFL and University of Wyoming, none of those claims is exactly true. [SNIP]

One of Kevin's commenters asks whether Mr. Fowler's money is green or not. Most certainly it is. However, Mr. Fowler must get the approval of the other NFL owners for the transaction. Reading the article, Mr. Fowler attempts to explain some of the discrepancies. But I wonder if there is a point at which too many items from his biography require too many explanations.

We shall see.

Go Pigskin Boys!

Well, Donovan McNabb won’t have the chance to thumb a Super Bowl victory in Rush Limbaugh’s nose this year. But he, nor his team, have anything to be ashamed of in 2005. However, a win, one point or more is still a win and the better team won. At least the Eagles didn’t get beat down in their loss.

But, as it happens, a team called the Patriots have won the Super Bowl championship yet again.

Nothing like those symbolic victories.

Congratulation, Patriots fans and to all of us.

Super Bowl

So it is that in this year, 2005, it’s the New England Patriots versus the Philadelphia Eagles in that epic contest.

And how cool is that, if for mere symbolic value?

I’m fairly neutral as far as which team I want to win. Both teams are personified by their quarterbacks: Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb, a couple of seemingly classy guys.

The only reason that I *might* want to see the Eagles win is to simply hear Mr. McNabb calmly thank one Rush Limbaugh for his victory. But if his team—the one with the best record in the NFC and the third best record in the NFL--does win, he’ll probably be more gracious than that. Maybe. I hope not, though.

On the other hand, Tom Brady and other quarterbacks like him have set a new tone following onto the greats in that position. And who can forget how heartening it was to see the very red-white-and-blue Patriots win the Super Bowl in that still very raw year of 2002?

The only teams with better regular season records than the Eagles were the Patriots and the Pittsburg Steelers—beaten by the Patriots yesterday. The Steelers were the leaders; now we have two of those who worked the hardest in the regular season and who survived crunch time in the playoffs. And, in spite of these statistics, what counts in football is the individual year, getting to the Big Show and one’s performance in same. (Does any NFL fan remember the names of Doug Williams or Jim McMahon?)

So all I can say is this: you go, boys. May the best men win.

More to Life

I never thought I'd feel sorry for this guy, but, after having read this article some weeks ago, I now do.

TYSON: DYING CAN'T BE AS BAD AS LIVING
Dec 22 2004
EXCLUSIVE: Despair of a fallen idol
From Anthony Harwood at Gleason's Gym, Brooklyn, New York

This week, 38-year-old Mike Tyson was back at Gleason's Gym, where he used to train as a youngster - but the conquering days are over. This time, there is no fight to prepare for and no prospect of one.

Instead Iron Mike is here to teach kids how to box as part of a community service sentence he was given for his part in a brawl at a Brooklyn hotel. The gym owner persuaded the district attorney that Tyson should put something back into the community instead of going back to jail. [SNIP]

Overweight and on prescription drugs to fight depression and keep him calm, Tyson is still carrying a leg injury from the pounding he took from Britain's Danny Williams, who knocked him out in July.

Contrary to what his adviser Shelley Finkel claims, he is not planning a comeback fight in March. Maybe there will never be one. "I'm just training," says Tyson, who hasn't worked on his bad knee for more than two months. "I don't know if I still want to box. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I feel I don't more than I want to. I'm just tired." [SNIP]

"Dying can't be as bad as living," he muses. "There's no way that dying can be as bad as living. But while you're living you have to live.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I just live, I guess, get some food. But I don't cook. I go to restaurants every night." Asked how he fills his days, he replies: "I don't do anything. My life sucks." [SNIP]

The public persona of Mike Tyson is nearly a mirror of that of the proverbial Primal Man. Almost. He eats when he’s hungry, drinks when he’s thirsty. He raises Hell, both in the boxing ring—to his glory—and out—to his detriment and that of others. And, of course, he has sex when the desire arises.

We all remember this:

Tyson was jailed for six years [SIC; he was sentenced to six years] in 1992 after raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant, in a hotel in Indianapolis. He served half his sentence.

(Sidenote: I don’t know if he did the deed or not. But every time I read about this incident, I am reminded of an axiom that good mothers impart to their daughters: don’t go to a man’s hotel room *ever.* The part that Mom may leave off is this: not unless you’re willing to give up more than good wishes. An up-front explicit agree to give up no drawers is valid, but only an idiot or a schemer says this after she has voluntarily removed her clothing.)

For all of Mike Tyson’s life of fulfilling the primal callings of man, there’s a part of him, as he approaches forty, that realizes that there is something more to life that being full and physically sated. Some part of his soul grasps that these things have not brought about happiness and that the other parts of his being have been left to starve: the mental, the emotional and the spiritual.

It remains to be seen whether he will find some higher purpose for himself or whether he will be blessed enough to have someone come into his life to open that particular door for him.

My advice to him: don’t do it, Mike! Don’t solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution (and, from my beliefs, taking this road leads to a permanent problem). There’s another life out there. You only have to be ‘Iron’ enough to look for it, to grab it and to live it.

UPDATE: Kathleen has an excellent post on Tyson.

The Brawl That Never Was

Back in the day, when OJ was still admired, when network anchors were trusted father figures and when yours truly was still a size six, the best televised NBA 'fight' occurred, IMO.

It involved the Showtime-Era Lakers (of course), specifically Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, along with some nameless player from an Eastern Conference team.

Kareem had a reputation for taking no crap from anyone. After being man-handled and derided for being soft in the early part of his career—for a man over seven feet, he was relatively slender and for a professional athlete, relatively taciturn—he began to take up martial arts and build up his naturally slender body.

Normally rather cool-headed, he would occasionally lose his temper, often with ample justification. (I recall seeing a photo of his arms after one particular game: both arms were covered with bloody scratches.) After the infamous Kent Benson incident—in which Kareem sucker-punched Benson after being doubled-over by a Benson elbow to the midsection—the attempted intimidation of “the Big Fella” ceased.

Magic, on the other hand, had a reputation of being more of a lover than a fighter (in his case, most unfortunately). Though I fuzzily recall Magic being involved in at least one brawl, for the most part, he would back down, even if severely provoked.

On the day I was watching, some young player, smaller than the 6’9” Magic, pushed the latter in the chest: ample provocation for a serious smack-down. But Magic declined the invite. He held up his hands in the surrender mode and could be heard speaking to the other player: “Man, what’s wrong with you? I’m not here to fight.” So what does the guy do? He pushes Magic again!

But before Magic could respond, a purple, gold and brown blur sped into the picture and the incident was over.

In the replay, the camera is pulled back to catch the entire incident. Kareem was standing about twenty feet behind Magic observing the developing situation. Somewhere in the midst of the second push, Kareem took about two steps to end up beside Magic. He shoved Magic behind him as if Magic had weighed one hundred pounds. Then he bent down and put his nose about a fraction of an inch away from that of the other player.

This time it was the other player who held his hands up in surrender, while taking a couple of steps backward just to avoid misunderstanding.

No fans were harmed in the outcome of that incident. :-)

Fight Night (Updated)

Well. I just saw something that I never thought I’d see in American professional sports: an all-out brawl between the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the fans in the Auburn Hills Arena (Detroit 45 miles north of Detroit; thanks, Solomon).

Beer, punches, bodies and epithets were flying all over the place. Blame the Pistons’ Ben Wallace for the first shot, but blame all of the others for their equal or worse lack of self-control.

Los Angeles KCAL9’s Pat Harvey suggested that both teams—all of whom violated the NBA’s up-off-the-bench rule—be suspended for the year.

I agree. Punish the guilty: both the players and the fans.

Don’t let our sports icons and fans become like those of the Europeans.

AFTERTHOUGHT: In addition to the season-long team suspension, fine all the players that were off the bench for $200,000, whether they make 600K or 16 million a year; and ban all the involved fans from any NBA games for two years. Prosecute the guilty, both player and fan alike.

Yes, all these clowns ticked me straight off. Grow up, "gentlemen."

UPDATE: The full report, so far. I would have linked to the Daily Recycler for the video, but the Ku Klux Klan seems to have invaded the comments section for the post. Somebody call Orkin.

This incident is what I get for ripping on Spanish soccer fans the other day. ;-)

(Thanks to Roger L. Simon)

UPDATE: Four players are suspended for the foreseeable future.

NEW YORK - Indiana's Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson, and Detroit's Ben Wallace were suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Saturday for taking part in one of the ugliest brawls in U.S. sports history, a fight with fans that commissioner David Stern called "shocking, repulsive and inexcusable."

Good, but there must be someway in which Detroit fans can also feel the pain.

Reading the article further, Artest sounds like a candidate for a lifetime NBA ban.

UPDATE: The verdict: Artest suspended for 30 games, O'Neal and Jackson for 20 and Wallace for 5. The first three got off light, but Wallace's suspension was heavier than he deserved, in my opinion. After all, the sort of thing he did happens all the time in the NBA with the offending player usually being ejected from the game or being suspended for one game at most, along with being fined. True, his action was (arguably) the catalyst for the brawl. But how was he to know that the Piston fans and the three Pacers were going to lose their collective minds?

CORRECTION: Artest: rest of the season; Jackson: 30 games; O'Neal: 25; Wallace: 6.

Additional suspensions:

...Pacers guard Anthony Johnson got five games...[SNIP]

Four players were suspended for a game apiece: Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman.

Red Sox

Pehaps the all-knowing, all-seeing Allah will come out of hiding, now that his "Crimson Jihad" had finally prevailed.

Anyhow, congrats Red Sox fans. Even you, Senator Kerry.

UPDATE: Allah returns with a picture worth a thousand words.

Go Away, Little Boys

Months ago, I posted about how much I missed the Showtime Era LA Lakers. After the recent war of words between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the nostalgia for the old team is even stronger.

Now that O’Neal has been traded to the Miami Heat, he and his former teammate, acquited rape suspect Bryant, aren’t holding back on their distaste of each other.

The latest revelation came this week when it was revealed that Bryant told investigators in Colorado [when he was questioned about the alleged rape] on July 2, 2003, shortly after his infamous transgression, that Shaq has paid women up to $1 million to remain silent about sexual encounters.

What a man Bryant is. Whether the allegation about O’Neal is true or not, the revelation betrays quite a bit about Bryant’s lack of character: irrelevantly give up someone else when your reputed-to-exist testicles are in a vise.

Though I’ve not been too fond of O'Neal either—not since the blatant swearing incidents before the cameras--his response has been a little more muted. But not much:

“This whole thing is ridiculous. I never hang out with Kobe, I never hung around him. … And one last thing: I’m not the one buying love. He’s buying love.”

Former Laker coach Phil Jackson will have his say about Bryant’s character in an upcoming memoir:

The former Lakers coach said he became so frustrated with Bryant that he told Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak in January, "…I won't coach this team next year, if he is still here…He won't listen to anyone. I've had it with this kid…"

And here:

Jackson said the Lakers footed part of the bill for Bryant's travel back and forth between Los Angeles and Colorado and that an ungrateful Bryant complained his private jet wasn't up to standard.

"Kobe was unhappy with the type of plane that was selected: he wanted one with a higher status. He should feel fortunate that he's not footing the bill himself," Jackson said.

Frankly, I wish the Lakers had traded Bryant as well. Both he and O’Neal should bugger off, in my opinion (oh, wait; that is the problem in the first place). The San Andreas fault is already straining under the pressure of too many anal orifices sitting on top of its western-most layer. Great athletic skills do not equal great men and, while it isn’t a requirement that athletes be great men, these two are to absolute pits. Kareem and Magic, they ain’t.

After tonight's win [the 1980 Finals, in which Magic replaced the injured Kareem at center], the first rookie to be named Finals MVP didn't forget the man he replaced at center. "I know your ankle hurts, Kareem," Magic said, "but why don't you get up and dance, anyway?"

*****

Trade Kobe, Laker higher-ups, and go through some rebuilding years yet again. You know that many great players want to wear that Laker uniform. Maybe you (and Laker fans) will get lucky enough to have as a magical (no pun intended) combination as was had in the eighties. It can happen.

USA B-Ball Team Gets the Bronze

Yes, it’s another sports post.

Just yesterday, I was listening to Dennis Prager expound on a study which contrasted the demeanors of silver-medal and bronze-medal winners when observed on the winner’s platform. The upshot was that silver-medal winners were generally a subdued bunch, while bronze-medal winners were generally overjoyed. Dennis’ conclusion: it was a matter of perspective. Silver medalists compared themselves upward (to the gold medalists) and bronze medalists compared themselves downward (to everyone who didn’t make it to the platform).

I found myself wondering how the beleaguered and much-maligned 2004 USA Olympic basketball team would react if they, somehow, made it up on that platform, even if it was just to accept the bronze.

And, then, what do they do? They manage to get there.

"We wanted gold but we'll take anything right now," said forward Shawn Marion. "When you ain't playing for gold and your [sic; come on, Reuters] playing for third, it hurts. We had to dig deep down but at least we are going home with something."

Allen Iverson:

“…we came here to represent our country the best we could. We didn't want to go back without a medal. I'm glad we finished the tournament on a positive note."

Now, there are some Olympians who were likely extremely happy to set foot upon the much-coveted platform.

My compliments, gentlemen. At least you showed up.

(Thanks to EBrown at Vision Circle and to Lucianne.com)

Questioning Patriotism

You may have noticed the front page picture on this site.* Back in 2000, that picture was the subject of much consternation, controversy and what not. (My first viewing of this photo was at Cobb’s site a few weeks back.) Some of it I understand.

In the past I have lamented on the improper display of the flag. As a former military member, I am mindful of how the flag should be treated and often have had to bite my tongue when I see flags flying that are in disrepair or see them flying at night or while it’s raining.

However, a little perspective is a handy thing to have and I have re-thought my position. While many civilians aren’t aware of the flag protocol and often violate it, they are usually doing so to show their love and respect and pride for the things that this country stands for. In such cases, a little gentle correction is warranted, rather than going ballistic.

For that reason, when I saw photo the 2000 Olympic Track and Field 4x100 meter relay team hamming it up while displaying their pride for their accomplishment and for the nation they were in Sydney to represent, I was inclined to be rather forgiving of their improper display of the flag as I was to rocker Kid Rock’s donning of a flag poncho during his performance at this year’s Super Bowl.

Apparently, however, from the response that S-Train received from posting the 2000 Olympic photo and expressing his opinion regarding same, some aren’t quite as forgiving.

Allow me to add bit more perspective. Remember this photo?

It’s from the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. Recall that the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing then.

Did Tommie Smith and John Carlos and the rest of black America have a legitimate beef with their country? Most definitely. However, the purpose of this post is not to debate whether showing their disrespect toward the flag and the National Anthem was appropriate in this venue.

As most of you who read this blog know, I’m not one to call racism lightly or dredge up the racial sins of America at every turn. But, in light of the various indignities—to use a perfectly insufficient description—that were visited upon black Americans for centuries (and still occasionally are), it’s a wonder that any black Americans still love this country, are proud of it, and are willingly to represent it, celebrate it and defend it.

The great thing about our country is its general capacity for change in the face of unworkable conditions. And it has changed. So, in recognition of that fact, the Tommie Smiths and the John Carloses of this world have, in a generation, become the Maurice Greenes, the Jon Drummonds, the Bernard Williamses and the Brian Lewises of the 2000 photo.

To those who criticized S-Train for the photo, you need to recognize that or, at the very least, get over the fact that the gentlemen in the photo—winners all—are just as American and just as proud of it as you are. And, if you really want to be helpful to such young men, congratulate them on their achievement(s), tell them how the flag is properly displayed and advise them to "chill" during the national anthem and explain the reasoning behind it.

Their patriotism, however, is unassailable.

*My site picture is often changed. Go here to view the picture in question, if it isn't on the front page.

The Anti-Tillmans

LaShawn notes one of the reasons that the USA Olympic bastketball team is in dire straits, linking to Rudy Gersten’s NRO piece on the NBA players that at first accepted positions on the team, then declined.

The list of perennial NBA All Stars that either declined invitations or withdrew after previously agreeing to play is quite impressive: Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Jermaine O’Neal, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin, and Ben Wallace — to name just a few.[SNIP]

Many of these players have not been shy about why they refused to play for Team U.S.A.

Security reasons. (Bryant is one of the exceptions here. Likely, he isn't allowed to leave the country just now.)

Noting that many of the foreign-born NBA players did not back out of their commitments--either for the USA or the countries of their birth--I have to say that some people have keener perspective on their good fortune in life than do others.

Among American-born NBA players who did fulfill their Olympic commitments this year, my opinion of one of them has shot up a bit. Previously a bad-actor, it seems as though Allen Iverson is maturing in several ways. Good on him.

Perhaps Malone, Kidd, Wallace, et al. can make up for their…lack of integrity by holding a clinic for those who are in Iraq for security reasons.

However, I won’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen.

Name the Speaker

Which 2004 American Olympian said this? “We've got to conduct ourselves as model citizens. That's not too much to ask for"

UPDATE: My buddy Marty guesses (or googles) correctly: it's Allen Iverson (registration required) of all people. Live and learn, Allen.

Fallout From The Iraq War

I’m not a soccer fan, but this is just too cool.

Iraq beats Portugal, 4-2 in the Olympics.

It’s amazing what can be achieved with love of sport being the motivator, rather than the threat of torture. I imagine that there will be a lot of non-Iraqis and non-fans of soccer rooting for this team.

(Thanks to Blogs For Bush and Hugh Hewitt)

Lamenting the Lakers of Old

Looks like the Lakers are on their way to another great year, old, creaky bones not withstanding. Tied for the best record in the NBA—and having beaten the tar out of the team they’re tied with--they look to make yet another run for the championship.

So, why am I not excited about it? It’s more than just the Kobe scandal, it’s been coming on for years.

Even during the happiness of the Triad years, I couldn’t get all worked up about these Lakers. (Sidenote: One of my friends, an LAPD motorcycle cop, says he hates it when the Lakers win a championship. Too much head-cracking.)

I don’t love these guys and I know why I don’t. They can’t compare to my “first love”—the Lakers of the eighties. Shaquille O’Neal is big and skilled but he isn’t Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kobe Bryant is extremely talented and skilled, but he’s definitely no Magic Johnson. (Has Bryant ever had more than five assists?) Until this year, these Lakers were two superstars and some guys.

It’s not enough to be great in your own right. The really great ones make everyone else look great as well. (There’s only one exception to this rule.)

The Showtime-era Lakers were love-inspiring. Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green and Kurt Rambis made you love them. Then there was the coach, Pat Riley, casually pacing the sideline, too cool to rant and rave at his players—he might mess up his hair/wrinkle his 1000 dollar suit and they didn’t require a tongue-lashing anyway. We loved him too.

Two superstars, three excellent players and two good players who played their roles well made for the legendary run. And no legend is complete without an antagonist, the anti-Showtime personified by the Boston Celtics, legends in their own right, headed by Beantown’s own inspirer of shock, awe and love: Larry Bird.

Perhaps that’s the problem. There’s no arch-nemesis for these Lakers, no Eastern Conference rivalry that brings out the best both teams; no great theater, no drama.

Or maybe I just miss the joy that Magic seemed to exude every time he stepped on the court. Or the way nobody messed with Kareem and the grace of his Sky Hook. Or the way the Forum would erupt with hoots of “Coop!” whenever sixth man Michael Cooper stepped on the floor.

These Lakers might become champions again, a hard thing to achieve. But inspiring devotion is even tougher.

Obligatory Baseball Post

After overhearing that the New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox game scheduled for today was cancelled, I joked to my aunt: "What happened? Did they put all those fools in jail for the night?" Turns out that Fenway Park is soaked with rainwater.