The Knicks Fan's Confusion

Zach Randolph.

Really?

Zach Randolph.

Seriously?

Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry on the court at the same time.

This works? Really?

Zach Randolph in a locker room with Curry and Starbury and Nate Robinson.

This is a good idea?

Trading for four years worth of this contract, so they can't make a good move for a huge free agent until 2011.

This helps?

There is a ton of talent on this team, but it looks more like a fantasy team than a coherent product on the court.

Playoff team?

Marbury, Crawford, Richardson, Randolph, Curry start. Lee, Balkman, Jeffries, Robinson, and, um, Mardy Collins, or Fred Jones off the bench.

Playoff team?

Isiah Thomas always does something.

When does he go away forever?

Updated Mock Draft

With the NBA Draft coming up tonight, our good friend the Draft Doctor (who still wishes to remain anonymous and Jewish – yes, a Jewish doctor), gives us an update on the Sherman Ave. Block Party’s first annual NBA mock draft. Again email me today at krisdeblasio@hotmail.com if you want to be part of a live draft chat.

1
Portland Trail Blazers
Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
Duh.

2
Seattle SuperSonics
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
Duh again.

3
Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford, F, Florida
Hawks could use point guard help, but can get that at No. 11. Horford is too good a talent to pass up here.

4
Memphis Grizzlies
Joakim Noah, F, Florida
After slipping down most people’s draft boards recently, Noah now appears to be a favorite target of the Grizzlies, as well as a few other teams looking to trade up.

5
Boston Celtics
Yi Jianlian, F, China
While we still think the Celtics are most likely to trade this pick, Yi’s stock is back on the rise as the draft approaches and he fills a need for the Celts.

6
Milwaukee Bucks
Mike Conley Jr., G, Ohio State
The Bucks reportedly love Conley, and adding him is a great defense against Maurice Williams’ possible departure via free agency.

7
Minnesota Timberwolves
Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
Wolves give Kevin Garnett (if he’s still around) help in the post on a guard-heavy team.

8
Charlotte Bobcats
Corey Brewer, F, Florida
Until the pick is announced (and maybe not even then), we’ll assume the Bobcats will not be the ones making this selection. If they do, they’ll grab Brewer, who gives them another skilled defender and could help fill a void at shooting guard if he can improve offensively.

9
Chicago (from New York)
Brandan Wright, F, North Carolina
This is a tricky spot for the Bulls since the big man they covet won’t still be there. But Wright is a nice consolation prize, even if he duplicates many of the same skills as Tyrus Thomas.

10
Sacramento Kings
Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
The Kings could go a number of directions here, but we’ll give the nod to Green over Julian Wright and Al Thornton.

11
Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana)
Acie Law, G, Texas A&M
The Hawks will get a point guard with this spot, either trading for one (Luke Ridnour?) or keeping the pick and grabbing Law. After an hour, it’s already their best draft day of the decade.

12
Philadelphia 76ers
Al Thornton, F, Florida State
The Sixers would love to move up to get a power forward, but they also won’t mind sticking around here and adding a polished scorer in Thornton.

13
New Orleans Hornets
Nick Young, G, USC
Young’s stock is rising as draft day approaches, and the Hornets will be glad to add a talented scorer to team with Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic.

14
Los Angeles Clippers
Javaris Crittenton, G, Georgia Tech
Clippers get the point guard they need while waiting to see how Shaun Livingston recovers.

15
Detroit Pistons (from Orlando)
Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington
Combo guard fits well as a backup to Chauncey Billups (provided he re-signs) and Rip Hamilton.

16
Washington Wizards
Julian Wright, F, Kansas
Wizards grab a top-ten talent who will provide even more punch to a team that already has Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison.

17
New Jersey Nets
Jason Smith, F, Colorado State
The Nets are looking for a solid post player and could go a number of ways here. They’ve also been impressed by Sean Williams, but Smith is the guy here.

18
Golden State Warriors
Thaddeus Young, F, Georgia Tech
Golden State would love to see Smith still on the board, but Young fits in well with the Warriors’ up-tempo style.

19
Los Angeles Lakers
Rudy Fernandez, G, Spain
They could use a point guard, but the Lakers instead get a scoring swingman to protect against the possible losses of Luke Walton (via free agency) or Kobe Bryant (not that we really think he’s going anywhere).

20
Miami Heat
Derrick Byars, G/F, Vanderbilt
The Heat could use a scoring swingman with all three of their small forwards free agents, and will be more than happy that Byars is still available.

21
Philadelphia 76ers (from Denver)
Tiago Splitter, F, Brazil
With three first-round picks, the Sixers are expected to use one on an international big man who can continue to develop overseas. Sounds like a perfect description of Splitter.

22
Charlotte Bobcats (from Toronto)
Morris Almond, G, Rice
The Bobcats will use this pick to get the two-guard they need, grabbing a player who ranked third in the country in scoring last season.

23
New York Knicks (from Chicago)
Sean Williams, C, Boston College
Isiah Thomas gets one of the big men he appears to covet going in, although there has been much speculation that DePaul’s Wilson Chandler could also be a target.

24
Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland)
Marco Belinelli, G, Italy
What do you get the team that seemingly has everything? A sweet-shooting two-guard with a quick release.

25
Utah Jazz
Alando Tucker, G/F, Wisconsin
Jazz get the scoring wing player they need.

26
Houston Rockets
Nick Fazekas, F, Nevada
With Mike James hopefully stabilizing the point guard position, the Rockets will add some frontcourt depth here.

27
Detroit Pistons
Josh McRoberts, F, Duke
The Pistons need frontcourt depth with Chris Webber a free agent, and they’ll grab a big man late in the first round.

28
San Antonio Spurs
Jared Dudley, F, Boston College
Defending champs don’t have any huge needs, so they’ll take a player who fits their system and can be brought along at his own pace.

29
Phoenix Suns
Petteri Koponen, G, Finland
Again, the Suns don’t have any pressing needs, so Steve Nash gets a backup point guard to mentor.

30
Philadelphia 76ers (from Dallas)
Taurean Green, G, Florida
This may be a little high for Green, but the 76ers get a proven leader and a solid backup for 31-year-old Andre Miller.

Old School Wednesday

Big L was the correct answer. Look to the comments for the complete.

I'll be honest with you all, I've just been warming up. I really prefer to stump people, but like any good dealer, you have to give your clients a couple of freebies before you start charging for the good stuff...

Try this one on for size:

She was butt-naked under the coat. He was amazed
at his second wind kicking in, thinking bout' the fact
that he almost didn't go to the club. Would have been wack
if he missed out on the greatest ep of his life.
Imagine if he stayed home with his wife
cuz girl two, yo her body made the tender look like a fender bender
The three of them together turned the bed into a blender.
He left like five hours later with the permanent cheese grill
and thrills he would forever remember.

And with the quick answer, I'll add this and actually open the faucet a little next week...

Once upon a time there was a brother named Castro.
Had a litle problem with his cash flow (Word).
More than once upon a time, he had a dream to clock mad do though at the time it seemed mad absurd.
Then he saw a lightbulb flash before his forehead, shine so bright he had to close both eyes. Said whoever hit for the average poor asshole bout to be hit with the biggest surprise.
Now meanwhile still short one pot to piss in, not to mention any window to throw it out. Talking like who don't you want where it come from, sipping on a chicken wing, smacking on a stout.
Stepped to his boy at the label of the month like "Yo, what's the haps kid? Let me get a deal. Got a dope style, sound just like so and so, what's his name wrote it for me, even more ill.
Make you want to holla like Marvin, did I mention I'm starving and quite thrist. Meaning what? Meaning that I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure they play my shit first on the billboard and last on the countdown, just like Contact on that show, so what's up black, yo how'd that sound. If you down, then come on let's go.

Happy 30th Birthday, Dan

Yes indeed our little Dan is turning 30 today. We have decided to put together a few tails from Dan's childhood for you to enjoy. So, enjoy.

SCARRED FOR LIFE

Today we celebrate the 30th year on earth of one of our own. Our beloved Daniel Steven “something”witz (he wishes to keep his last name of+f this blog, and can you blame him?). It was a warm summers morn in Toronto Canada in 1977 when Wendy & Harry welcomed there first child into this world, unfortunately for them he would lead to years of heartache and pain.

Well not really, Daniel has been a fine son, a good citizen, and a great friend. My friends and I decided to get together and all tell some tale from Dan’s childhood, and the funnier the anecdote the better.

Mine comes from one of the more memorable, yet crappier days of Dan’s life. Every Sunday afternoon the DeBlasio House (on Sherman Avenue, hence the name of the blog) played host to NFL football. All friends were welcome at anytime, there were no real invitations.

During the year 1992 you could always count on a few guests being there; Nick Lisa, Andrew “the King” Zoltan, Josh and Dan. The date was October 11 and it started as any normal Sunday. The Giants were playing the 1 pm game against the Phoenix Cardinals and the Jets were matched up in an epic showdown with the Indianapolis Colts (always a guaranteed awful game). Ron DeBlasio would start early in the morning making his special homemade sauce, but for some reason this particular Sunday he decided to make a roast pork loin. When Ron made his sauce we always ate at halftime of the first game, but this days special meal would take longer to cook, and we decided to eat at halftime of the Jets game. Dan this particular day was excited for dinner, because his home was kept kosher by his mother so pork was not served.

At halftime of the Giants vs. Cardinals game Josh, Dan and I decided to go play a little Sherman avenue street football. As Dan ran one of his famed down and out routes Josh’s throw floated high. Dan with his mad hops leaped to catch the ball, as he did I tagged him with two hands and throwing him off balance. Dan landed awkwardly and his arm slammed into the curb. Needless to say, Dan was seriously injured. He was a pale person to begin with but when my mother came outside and tried to sit him up he turned as white as white can be, it was hilarious.

Anyway, we had to go to the soccer field to get Dan’s mother to take him to the hospital. Unfortunately Dan had to sit in the emergency room dreaming of the pork he would not get to eat and having to watch the Jets lose to the Colts in a 6-3 overtime thriller. It turns out that he had chipped a bone in his arm, which had lodged in his elbow and had to be surgically removed. He had the biggest cast I have ever seen on his arm for 6 long weeks.

The final part to the story is that the surgery required a nasty scar on Dan’s elbow, which he attributes to me. No matter how much he wants to forget me, he can’t, I have truly scarred him for life.

WHEN THE TRUTH BECOMES LEGEND, PRINT THE LEGEND

It was now late fall 1992, a few weeks after Dan kept his feet in bounds but dragged his elbow on the curb and he was adjusting to the rigors of life with a cast. A bunch of us decided to join the Junior Statesmen of America club. We did this, not because we were future Alex P. Keatons, but in Zack Morris fashion, for the free trip to Philly. While the conference was mostly uneventful, save Admiral Stockdale's "who am I, why am I here?" speech/dementia outburst. The real excitement came on the bus ride.

We knew going in that we would be sharing the bus with a group of students from Millburn. I'm pretty sure that while none of us could point Millburn out on a map, we knew that the Millburn kids were rich and that lead to the potential for hot rich girls on the bus. We needed a plan. We all decided that the truth about Dan breaking his elbow was simply not heroic enough to woo women and we needed a legend. We put our heads together and came up with the following:

It was late in the second half, no wait, it was overtime in a tied soccer game to determine whether we make it to the state tournament. Dan gets sprung on a break away and now its him and the goalkeeper one on one. Dan dekes. The keeper, now beaten, does only what he can do and takes out Dan's legs. Sending Dan hurtling towards the goal as the ball inches toward the goal line. Dan slams, elbow first into the goal post, breaking the bone as the ball slides over the line to win the game. He is taken to the hospital and has surgery immediately to clean up the joint and is in a cast now for 6 weeks. Then the hook, while his goal was the most dramatic in Teaneck history, Dan was now unable to play in the state tournament, though he begged the doctors to play.

Dan practices the story, and we get on the bus. We spread out and intersperse with the Millburn girls, mostly towards the rear. We then wait patiently for the question, "What happened to your arm?" It finally comes about 30 minutes into the ride. Dan took a deep breath, we all turned to stare, hoping to be the anti Jimmy Fallons and make it through. Dan delivered, really delivered, he sold the whole thing to the point I started to believe it. We all kept it together, embellishing when we could. Dan even got an "oooh" from the crowd when he hit the post and snapped his arm. He had them wrapped around his finger.

I'm fairly certain none of us closed the deal that weekend, however, we saw a glimpse into Dan's future as a performer. Now, whenever I hear the famous line from Liberty Valance, I always think of Dan.

THE GREAT CAPER

I don't remember the exact facts behind the two-day excursion I plan to lay out before you. Whether it was the last days of seventh or eighth grade at Thomas Jefferson Middle School are beyond me, to be blamed on either advancing age or years lost in a cloud of smoke.
Nevertheless, the primary faces still stick out like a well-stuffed...

OK, so it was someones brain child to skip the final days of school and use New Jersey Transit to hit up Garden State Plaza. I remember starting at Jared's house with Juvens and our man Dan that first day and what a memorable one it was.

The mall is like any mall, except completely empty of teenagers in the middle of a school day. Well, we wandered around and wasted time until we hit the food court.
It was there that we met someone doing a documentary on mall culture and decided to interview the four youths.

How it was planned to meet them by The Complete Athlete on the other side of the mall is unknown, but I remember walking in and having all employee's eyes shoot in our direction, then focus on the cameraman and reporter when they walked in and talked with us.
By us, I mean Jared and myself and while we kept them occupied by the front of the store, the two skinny guys were in the back piling T-Shirts and other goodies into bags.
I didn't find out I served as perfect cover until later, and it wasn't until later that plans for the return trip was formulated.

Who was at the mall the next day, I can't say. Where we started our 'mall heist' is unclear to me as well, but I know I had other items unpaid for in my bag when we entered CVS and to our delight, noticed no cameras on the walls.

This was an open invitation and Dan, ever the frugal and intelligent thief, stood by the battery racks and dropped countless in before the gig was up and staff FROM BEHIND THE DOUBLE MIRRORS yanked him up and poured salt on our little game.

I recall being asked to the back and noticing Dan in the corner as they checked my bag with me saying,
"Nothing from your store. Nothing from your store."

I have many happy memories of times spent with Dan, from computer games to football routes to hidden belt devices, but that experience stands out as a signature moment in my 30 years and I hope it at least brings a smile as you celebrate your 30 years.
!Malzaltov!

The Knicks Fan's Lament

This has started out to be a wonderful off season for the NBA.

But not for them.

There is talk of the movement of some big time players. Kobe. Garnett. Amare. Jermaine O'Neal. Paul Pierce. Shawn Marion.

But not to them.

The draft is coming up, and the top ten or so picks are some of the most exciting in years. Durant. Oden. Horford. Brewer. Noah. Conley. Law IV. Thornton. Green.

But they don't have one anymore.

But they do have Eddy Curry.

Eddy Curry, who can do only one thing well, besides gain weight.

Eddy Curry, who got paid $8 million last season but can't be bothered to learn how to pass out of a double team.

Eddy Curry, who rebounds with less intensity than some of the short white people that play in my Saturday pickup game.

Eddy Curry, who cost them high draft picks in both last years and this years draft. Last year the pick would have been Tyrus Thomas or LaMarcus Aldridge. This year we'll see who goes #9.

Eddy Curry, who still has a heart condition so bad that he can't get his contract insured, and that could possibly kill him on the court.

That and loads of bad contracts are all the Knicks have.

Bulls fans can be excited. Same with Suns fans, Lakers fans, Blazers fans, even freakin' Hornets fans. They can have hope. They can look at the next year or two with profound optimism.

Knicks fans can be depressed.

Knicks fans can feel only sorrow.

Knicks fans can put their head in their hands with the knowledge that between Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jerome James, Jared Jeffries, Jamal Crawford, and pretty much everyone, they are salary cap screwed until Hillary Clinton is up for reelection in 2012.

Knicks fans haven't even realized their sad state, as they get far too excited about David Lee and Renaldo Balkman. If this was a good team, like San Antonio or Dallas or Phoenix or even Detroit, that only needed a couple of energy guys to keep the stars fresh and healthy, those two guys are worth getting excited about. But if they're you're only decent players? This is not cause for celebration.

So it will pass in this summer of 2007 that exciting things will happen. Big name players will move to new teams. Exciting young talent will be infused.

And Knicks fans will get another year of the Eddy Curry show.

But, hey, at least Isiah Thomas got a contract extension.

Now can somebody please pass the vodka?

2007 NBA Mock Draft

With a little outside help from our good friend, the Draft Doctor (who wishes to remain anonymous and Jewish), the Sherman Ave. Block Party presents our first annual NBA mock draft. Don’t forget, if you want to participate in our live draft chat please email me at krisdeblasio@hotmail.com


1 Portland Trail Blazers
Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
Duh.

2 Seattle SuperSonics
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
Duh again.

3 Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford, F, Florida
Hawks could use point guard help, but can get that at No. 11. Horford is too good a talent to pass up here.

4 Memphis Grizzlies
Mike Conley Jr., G, Ohio State
Grizzlies have too many big men to draft Brandan Wright. Could use backcourt help with Kyle Lowery returning from injury and Damon Stoudamire getting older.

5 Boston Celtics
Corey Brewer, F, Florida
Celtics could look to trade this pick, but word from Boston is that Danny Ainge loves this guy. A guaranteed future All-Star.

6 Milwaukee Bucks
Brandan Wright, F, UNC
Bucks may need a point guard if they don’t re-sign Maurice Williams, but Wright solidifies the front line and is the best player available at this spot.

7 Minnesota Timberwolves
Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
Wolves give Kevin Garnett (if he’s still around) help in the post on a guard-heavy team.

8 Charlotte Bobcats
Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
Bobcats need an outside scoring threat, and Green is the best option available here.

9 Chicago (from New York)
Joakim Noah, F, Florida
Bulls would like to shore up the frontcourt on a guard-heavy team, and Noah would team with Ben Wallace to create a defensive juggernaut in the post.

10 Sacramento Kings
Yi Jianlian, F, China
Looking to add a big man, Kings will likely take a chance on the offensively-gifted seven-footer who is being compared by some to Dirk Nowitzki.

11 Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana)
Acie Law, G, Texas A&M
Hawks get their point guard here after taking Horford at No. 3. After 11 picks, it’s already their best draft of the decade.

12 Philadelphia 76ers
Al Thornton, F, Florida State
A more athletic version of Carlos Boozer, Thornton gives Sixers the scorer in the paint they’ve been missing.

13 New Orleans Hornets
Nick Young, G, USC
Hornets add a talented scorer to protect against another injury to Peja Stojakovic.

14 Los Angeles Clippers
Julian Wright, F, Kansas
Clippers can’t afford to pass on a top-ten talent when he is still available at No. 14.

15 Detroit Pistons (from Orlando)
Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington
Combo guard fits well as a backup to Chauncey Billups (provided he re-signs) and Rip Hamilton.

16 Washington Wizards
Derrick Byars, G, Vanderbilt
Wizards get a scoring two-guard to play with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.

17 New Jersey Nets
Jason Smith, F, Colorado State
Nets hoping to find a legit post player who stands out in the mediocrity of Jason Collins, Josh Boone and Nenad Kristic.

18 Golden State Warriors
Tiago Splitter, F, Brazil
Stacked on the perimeter, Splitter gives the Warriors needed depth in the frontcourt.

19 Los Angeles Lakers
Javaris Crittenton, G, Georgia Tech
The Kobe Bryant saga aside, when your starting point guard is Smush Parker, it never hurts to draft another one.

20 Miami Heat
Thaddeus Young, F, Georgia Tech
All three small forwards on the Heat roster are free agents, so why not add one through the draft.

21 Philadelphia 76ers (from Denver)
Rudy Fernandez, G, Spain
Another swingman to share the scoring load with Andre Iguodala.

22 Charlotte Bobcats (from Toronto)
Morris Almond, G, Rice
Bobcats finally get the two-guard they need, as well as a scorer who was among the NCAA leaders in points per game last year.

23 New York Knicks (from Chicago)
Josh McRoberts, F, Duke
The Knicks certainly don’t need any more perimeter players, so they’ll add a big guy to give Eddy Curry some help.

24 Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland)
Marco Belinelli, G, Italy
What do you get the team that seemingly has everything? A two-guard with a quick release.

25 Utah Jazz
Daequan Cook, G, Ohio State
Not the best pick in the world, but the Jazz need help on the wing.

26 Houston Rockets
Nick Fazekas, F, Nevada
With Mike James hopefully stabilizing the point guard position, Rockets add some frontcourt depth to go with Yao Ming and Shane Battier.

27 Detroit Pistons
Sean Williams, C, Boston College
Somebody’s going to take a chance on this guy, and the Pistons need a defensive presence. Of course, pairing a guy who was thrown of his college team with Rasheed Wallace…

28 San Antonio Spurs
Alando Tucker, F, Wisconsin
Defending champs play it safe, adding a solid wing player who could replace Michael Finley in the rotation in a few years, just as he replaced him atop Wisconsin’s all-time scoring list.

29 Phoenix Suns
Petteri Koponen, G, Finland
Again, the Suns don’t have any pressing needs, so Steve Nash gets a backup point guard to mentor.

30 Philadelphia 76ers (from Dallas)
Aaron Gray, C, Pittsburgh
May be a little high for Gray, but with their third pick of the first round, the Sixers look to add a big man.

First base. Second base. Third base. Home

"Around the bases we will roam" is said by my favorite team, the Bad News Bears circa 1976, but I've got another lyric or two up my sleeve...

"I said 'Well Daddy, don't you know that things go in cycles?
Way that Bobby Brown is just amping like Michael.
It't all expected. Things are for the looking..."

I'm positive all my fellow partiers could finish the line, but they might "Shake, shake it" right past my point.

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing how one league is so much better than another. How the American League is worlds better than the National League, how the NFC is the junior varsity compared to thier AFC counterparts and how the best team in the Eastern Conference would barely reach the NBA playoffs out West.

I think my first paragraph details my opinion. Everything goes in cycles and the history of time doesn't start and stop with one single season. In fact, if you deal with the only thing that matters, meaning the last team standing, things are more even than they look.

I'll start with my least favorite topic - The NBA. Yes, the Western Conference is dominant and has all the super stars. LeBron, D. Wade, Agent Zero, Shaq and the...

Oh, yeah. All those superstars filling up TV commercials play in the East, and none in Michael Wilbon's 'Cradle of Basketball', i.e. Boston, New York or Philadelphia. No, the West has Kobe, KG (one conference final), T-Mac and Yao (need I say more?) and the most boring champs in the past 20 years, your San Antonio Spurzzzzz...

Sorry, almost fell asleep thinking about Bruce Bowen step on someone else's foot while Mr. Eva Longoria races to the paint, only to dish to the walking sleeping pill or The Big Fundamental and yes, I've left out the Suns because they Suns play when the sun is about to come up on the East, so few to less see the excitment that is Boris Diaw to Raja Bell...

But I've left one tangent for another. Over the past four years, despite the West having dominant records in the regular season, the two conferences have split the NBA Finals (Heat and Pistons). Yes, the West had a run with the Lakers and Spurs before that, but the East owned the 90s.

The Dream shake, Big Shot Bob and Clyde Dancin' Drexler won two, but the rest were by the East with the original Bad Boys before Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Sean Combs taking two and you know who with the rest. The 70s and 80s were actually split even, 5-5, for each conference and by then, you're back far enough for the Celtic Dynasty. Guess where they play?

Speaking of Eastern dominance, how about the NFL? Yes, the AFC has won 8 of the last 10 Super Bowls, (Quick, who's won the two titles from the NFC?) But before that, it wasn't even close. From Joey Football's second ring with the 49ers in 1985 to Pain Killer Brett's only title win over Statue Drew and the Pats in 1997, the NFC always took home the title. It's during this period that one division takes home SEVEN.

Maybe I was just too young at the time or there wasn't a 24-hour sports network with a need to battle a 24-hour NFL Network, but I don't remember hearing ex-jocks say how pathetic the AFC was. In fact, I'm willing to bet that people picked the Broncos at least twice, thought Marino would win a ring or two and let's not even get started about the Bills...

Just like the NFC East was dominant and now is under the weather, the rumor is the NL sucks like a 12-year old from a non-discript Pacific Rim island. Last year, the interleague record was 154-98 in favor of the AL, who had the Tigers steal headlines all year, only to watch the Twins steal the division. It was a great year for AL Baseball, with another Eastern crown for the Yanks and in the end...THE CARDINALS WON THE WORLD SERIES.

In fact, the leagues have split the past six WS titles since the Diamondbacks squeezed the best from Curt Shilling and Big Unit. The 90s were dominanted by AL teams when it came to the series, but Seattle, Cleveland, Boston, Atlanta and Houston were all good teams for good amounts of time during that decade. There was never talk of imbalance, just the quiet blind-eye to the size of Brady Anderson's home run total and McGwire's neck veins...

So what does all of this mean? It means just like James 'Thunder' Early said,

"The game of hits goes around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around..."

NCAA at it Again

Now, I may sound like an insensitive jerk during this post, but just hear me out. The NCAA in their infinite wisdom has declared that Tyler Smith a transfer from Iowa can play immediately at the University of Tennessee. As most of you know NCAA bylaws state that a player must sit out a year when transferring, for the obvious reason of player gouging by coaches with little to no moral standard (i.e. Bruce Pearl).

At any point that transfer has the option of appealing that bylaw and getting a waiver forgo that year of sitting on the pine. In most cases the NCAA does not grant them the waiver, and that is understandable because they already have a rule in place. The appeal process is for certain circumstances like what happened at Baylor a few years back, or maybe if a ki9d is unjustly kicked off a team or not renewed a scholarship for some reason other than his own doing.

Tyler Smith spent his freshman season at the University of Iowa under Steve Alford. After the season Alford left to take another coaching position. Smith then decided that he no longer wanted to be at Iowa, which often happens when a new coach comes into a program. Now we all no right here the NCA is somewhat hypocritical where a coach can jump from team to team with virtually no consequence but a player must sit out. At this point Smith enrolled at Tennessee and applied for a waiver because as the article states “a native of Pulaski, Tenn., sought the waiver because he wanted to return to his native state to be closer to his father, Billy, who suffers from lung cancer.” Now here is the Kris sounding like a jerk part, who cares? Am I said for the young man and his family that his father has this terrible disease, absolutely, but the NCAA shouldn’t.

This has no bearing one whether or not he should be granted a waiver. He had no plans to transfer when Steve Alford was still the coach. So the issue here is not his dying father, the issue is Steve Alford really. Was he in any way wronged by the NCAA, Iowa or the University system that is why someone should be granted a waiver, not because of a family problem. Listen pal, all of us have family problems. This is where the NCAA opens up a can of worms when they make decisions like this with no explanation. That is the NCAA’s problem, they never offer a logical explanation for these things. So are we to believe now that if you have a ill parent you can transfer without consequence, because to me that is what this decision says, but maybe I am too literal.

I just want an explanation, that’s all. And if I am waiting for the NCAA to give me one, I have no chance of hearing a logical one.


UPDATES

Anyone who knows me and who read my last blog knows my ever loving obsession with the NBA Draft, and guess what kids, it’s draft week. So what could be better than wall to wall Block Party coverage. On Tuesday we have a First Round mock draft, Wednesday we have a Block Party original. Thursday we will have one more final draft preview, and then Friday we will post some of our live draft chat. If anyone is interested in being part of the live NBA Draft chat please email me at krisdeblasio@hotmail.com

Sam's Army vs. El Tricolor

The biggest event in sports today is not what you think. It's not an interleague match up, not a golf tournament or car race (if you count that as a sport) but a futbol match. USA vs. Mexico. Ask yourself this, since the fall of the CCCP is there a bigger rivalry for one of our national teams?

In the last decade the teams have developed a rivalry whereby the US' strong showing has helped deliver international respect for Sam's Army until the disappointment of World Cup 06 where they failed to escape the group stage. A win today secures a birth in the prestigious Confederations Cup which matches the top teams in each region. A win by the US makes a statement that Mexico is now the second team in the region it dominated for seemingly eternity.

Say what you will about soccer but this tournament has brought me back to the game. Last summer, I intently watched the world cup from opening kick to final head butt, however it didn't deliver me to my tv for the european or champions league games this fall.

3 weeks ago it all changed. I attended a Gold Cup doubleheader with my father in law. We watched Honduras upset Mexico and Panama choke away a game against Cuba. It was exciting, passionate, colorful and that was just the crowd. Since then I have been glued to my television watching all of the US games and some of the other games. I have also gotten into the final race of La Liga and the off season machinations of the european leagues, including the incrediple signing of Thierry Henry by Barcelona.

The game should be interesting. Both teams truly hate each other which is always a bonus, especially in a championship. The US is playing in the hostile territory of Chicago and is without 2 starters because of yellow and red cards issued in its last game. In this tournament the US has had a propensity for getting up early then giving up goals late. The first goal today will win. The US has transformed from a defensive oriented team that generates its opportunities from counter attacking breaks to a ball possession attacking scheme. They are vulnerable to Mexico's speed and flair which will test the shaky and young back line. Ultimately, it will be a battle of toughness, the US is in Mexico's head and will prevail.

US 2 Mexico 1

Side Notes:

Sometimes its just not your year. The yankees have done everything to find a way to lose in just about every close game. They are no longer the team taking advantage of the error and getting the sac fly but are making the error, walking in runs and striking out with men on third and less than two outs.

Great A Rod stat - 7 home runs in the ninth inning this year. can you say "opt out"

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend a Q&A with the man behind the greatest characters of my youth. Mr. Frank Oz. He was in Teaneck for a preview showing of his Death at a Funeral. The Q&A was interesting but paled in comparison to the joy of his movie. If you enjoy good comedy this is for you. Do not be frightened by the unknown actors or your xenophobic feelings about England and English comedy. The film centers around a family mourning at a funeral while trying to keep the dead man's skeletons in the closet. It compares favorably to the other comedies of this summer, including Knocked Up and is worth a full price fare.

At the same screening we saw "A Mighty Heart", the story of the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl. The magnificence of the movie is in telling a story for which we all already know the ending. The pace and tone of the movie displays via constant establishing shots of Karachi and the outlying areas gives a true sense of the chaos of the region and the hopelessness that breeds terrorism. Jolie is fantastic, powerful and still controlled. Like Sean Penn, her acting skills are sometimes obscured by her political activities. You will be hard pressed to find a better American actress working today. It is her Oscar to lose.

Catching Up

As I mentioned in my last post, I went away for a little while. To Bonnaroo, a huge four-day music festival on a farm in Tennessee about 70 miles southeast of Nashville.

You camp out at this festival; so I spent about five days living in a tent in what is ostensibly the middle of nowhere, though with 80,000 other people (we temporarily became the sixth largest city in Tennessee during the festival.)

Which means there wasn’t really computer access, and certainly no television. Not that I wanted it – I was there to hang out with friends and see bands and have fun, not sit around watching TV or looking at a computer screen, which is what I do for a living.

But that also means that I was very disconnected from the sports world during this time. I couldn’t check ESPN.com, or any of the myriad blogs that I read. If there was a blockbuster NBA trade, or if Chad Pennington died at Jets mini-camp, or Barry Bonds broke the home run record then shot himself at home plate like that running back in The Last Boy Scout , I wouldn’t have known right away.

The only thing that I could have done was watch Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The festival had a tent set up where they were showing movies throughout the weekend, and they were going to show Game 4 and Game 5 (if necessary, which it wasn’t).

I could have gone to that tent to watch the game on Thursday night. I didn’t. I went to a different tent and saw The Black Angels, a psychedelic rock band from Texas, instead.

It was definitely the right call. The Black Angels played an incredible set (seriously, follow the above link and check the band out) that was one of the standouts for me for the whole festival. And I knew from watching the first three games of the finals that Game 4 wasn’t going to be anything resembling incredible. Even if Cleveland won, it would have been ugly, and delaying the inevitable. But they didn't, and the Spurs celebrated, and, yeah, whatever. Good for Tim Duncan, the Pete Sampras of basketball.

And, yeah, I missed a Yankees-Mets series, and what turned out to be an interesting US Open (though I’m no golf fan), and some other baseball stuff. But here’s what I didn’t miss:

- Tool completely blowing us away, including a song with guest Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine.

- Standing the equivalent of 20 rows away for The Police (I could see their faces; thanks to Sean Milano for finding the “secret entrance” to the pit area in front of the stage). From what I hear, this was one of their best sets during the reunion.

- Standing in the same spot for Wilco, a band that’s even better live than on record. You want to talk about talented musicians who know how to play with each other, mixing strong song writing with noise-rock improvisatory freak-outs, you’re talking about these guys.

- Getting just about moved to tears by Mavis Staples (of the legendary Staples Singers) as she sang “The Weight” (as she did in The Last Waltz) and realizing that I was not alone as I saw the girl standing in front of me weeping and smiling.

- Seeing solid sets by bands I really dig, like The National and the Black Keys

- Demetri Martin killing in the comedy tent

- Baking in the 90 degree plus sun as Wolfmother rocked our melting sweaty faces off

- Grooving until day break to Sasha and Digweed

And that’s not even everything.

The lesson here?

Well, mostly that this was a good time in the sports year to miss some time. It was really just a handful of baseball games, a golf tournament I don’t really care about, and a few news cycles that I could easily catch up on when I got back. Maybe I wouldn’t have been as happy had this been over a football weekend.

But I’d do it all again in a heartbeat, because live music is vital and visceral in a way that nothing else can really be. Even if to do it again I end up having to watch an actual good NBA Finals game in a tent with a bunch of sweaty hippies.

It's that worth it.

Old School Wednesday

Last week's answer: Eminem — Role Model from "The Slim Shady LP" (1999)

This week's lyrics:
The Iron Horse is the train and champagne is bubbly
A deuce is a honey that's ugly.
If your girl is fine, she's a dime.
A suit is a fine, jewelry is shine.
If you in love, that mean you blind.

Slight change to the prizes for the answer. Partial credit gets someone partially home, possibly in pieces. The correct answer, meaning artist and song title, earns your full trip home. Add the album and year of release for the Norman Chad Special of a check for $1.25.

Good luck, gumshoes.

The Weekend Wrap 6/15-6/17

I know it pains most of you to hear, but the Yankees haven’t gone anywhere just yet. Yes the Sawx continue to play good baseball, but in a two and a half week span the Yankees have put themselves right back into the mix. What is the reason for the Yankees resurgence? Well Bobby Abreau and Robinson Cano’s bats finally woke up, but it is consistent starting pitching. And adding Roger Clemens to that rotation bolsters that ability to get quality starts most nights. The two pitchers who have been the anchors are Chien Meng-Wang and the always reliable Andy Pettitte (but critics didn’t think he could pitch anymore and that it was a bad signing). Wang is a legitimate #1 starter in this league; just because he isn’t a high priced Yankee doesn’t mean he isn’t a quality Yankee. In 63 career starts Wang has 45 quality starts which is 71%, and this season he is on that same pace having 8 of 11 quality starts. Pettitte could still be a #1 but has settled in as the #2 starter. Over the past two seasons (in which many a baseball expert predicted his demise) he has started 50 games, 34 of them of the quality variety. And when you have a team that scores 6 runs a game, getting them into the 7th inning with less than three runs on the board gives your team a good chance to win. Those two pitchers along with Mussina and the Rocket for now give the Yanks a formidable rotation, and if they can get Phillip Hughes back healthy that only increases their pitching depth.

You know, if you look at the numbers the PGA Tour just isn’t that afraid of Tiger anymore. Now some will argue and say look at what happened to Aaorn Baddely yesterday who clearly shit himself, but that is one guy. Niclas Fasth of Sweden wasn’t intimidated, shooting a final round 70 (par) and finishing one stroke behind Woods, and Jim Furyk is the one who made the late charge on Sunday evening birdying three straight holes on the back nine. And then there was Angle Cabrera after making birdie on 15, stumbled on 16 and 17 giving two strokes back, then making his best recovery of all and paring the 18th and most difficult hole on the golf course. In Tigers first 21 majors he had 7 wins and no second place finishes, in his last 21 he has 5 wins and 4 second place finishes. Most famously in 2002 when Rich Beem refused to become unraveled as Tiger made four straight birdies to close out the tournament. At the 2005 US Open Michael Campbell shot a final round 69 while Tiger bogeyed three of the last four holes. And earlier this year Zach Johnson never wavered even after Tiger took a one stroke lead going into the back nine on Sunday; Johnson’s steadfast demeanor and game plan propelled him to victory over Tiger at the course he owns.


AND

As usual, I was correct. No, the Cavaliers didn’t win the NBA Finals in seven games; in fact they got their asses handed to them. However, if you look back at my post I talk about how it is a no lose situation for me to pick that. I spoke to everyone who called me a ridiculous clown for picking the Cavs this weekend and not one person mentioned was a fucking moron on am. I will always go on picking the under dog, because if I happen to be right I look way smarter. Just like always picking the field over Tiger, the percentages are in my favor.

Dia de los padres

Happy Father's Day to Marty.

Many of us live a great distance from our Fathers. For me, the distance makes today an especially poignant day of reflection. We often overlook that which was ingrained in us by our fathers.

While I won't see my father today, I will remember the Father's days past when I was a kid. Most of those were spent on a baseball field either at Votee Park or the High School field. We would have breakfast and drive to the game together, discuss the lineups, talk about the Yankees and usually the Rangers and Knicks (at that time they were real franchaises). Once we arrived at the field it was all business, we hung up our jerseys, took BP and he turned into Coach. He was a great coach, the best I ever played for and I think many of my friends agreed. He never took the team too seriously, allowing Augie and Yousaf to call him "wings", a joking nickname that took a shot at his flowing side burns. He was also secure enough to take advice from his co-coach Bob Fischer and from his players. Its often not easy when your dad is the coach but that was never the case for me. I enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together doing something we both loved.

We won a lot of games those summers but the the off-field times at Pizza Hut and other post game dinners stick out in my head. I was reminded of my father's impact when I saw George DeCruise at a wedding a few weeks ago. He came up to me, first told me I looked just like my father (sorry for you dad) then wanted to talk about the team and all the fun we had, ironically he left out the time he ran through the temporary fence in right field in Fair Lawn. Yeah, we may have gotten into a fracas or two with Fair Lawn and yeah somehow we lost a championship game to a Ridgewood team who we had beaten 3 times earlier in the season, Ed Note: oddly enough in the Championship game the team showed up ine mismatched uniforms and were shaving in the dugout. but what truly mattered was spending time together.

Dad, I want to thank you for all that words simply aren't enough to describe. Until I became a real, responsible adult I never fully appreciated the amount of sacrifice, work and energy you put into my childhood. Whether it was going into work at the crack of dawn to make sure you could leave on time to make a 4:30 soccer game or it was driving 90 min each way to a Rutgers game just for the 10 minutes of time we had to talk before the game started. I will always cherish those talks. Thank you for setting positive examples. Thank you for teaching me how to grind and work and that the most important part most times is just showing up. You taught me responsibility, and always instill in me the confidence that I can achieve my dreams.

I miss you and I love you.

Happy Father's Day.

Old School Wednesday

Here's the line(s) of the week:

Me and Marcus Allen went over to see Nicole.
Heard a knock on the door, must have been Ron Gold
Got behind the door, put the orgy on hold
Killed them both and smeared blood in the white Bronco
(We did it)

Comment back with the correct answer and win a brand new, all-expense paid trip directly to your front door after you're done doing whatever it is you are doing.
(Prize invalid if already home or in South Carolina)

What Am I Wintessing?

What have we seen so far with the NBA Finals?

- Before the series started, we heard a lot of people say "Cleveland is an underrated defensive team." After two games, is San Antonio an underrated offensive team, or was Cleveland an accurately rated defensive team, i.e. they are good against weaker competition, but can't shut down superior competition? I'm leaning towards the latter.

- If Robert Horry and Drew Gooden played Game 2 in prison, Drew Gooden would have been forced to toss Robert Horry's salad right about now, the way Horry embarrassed him in that game with those blocked shots. Drew Gooden prefers syrup.

- San Antonio does not play a boring offensive style. They never walk the ball up - they start running after every rebound. People accuse them of being boring because they don't play with a lot of playground swagger (except for Robert Horry sometimes, see above.) They just execute efficiently, creating open shots for each other, and making those open shots. It's not as visceral a viewing experience, but it isn't as boring as the offense that Cleveland runs, that same one play where a big guy sets a pick for LeBron by the three point line. The Cleveland offense is predictable and unimaginative, the very definition of boring. San Antonio is at worst only mildly thrilling.

- That said, these games have been pretty boring. During the second quarter, I flipped to "Kill Bill 2" on the IFC channel, and watched the whole "Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei" scene. At the end of the third quarter, I flipped it to "Heat" on Encore and caught most of the scene with Pacino and DeNiro in the diner. I've seen both of those movies many times, and it was still way better than most of that game. And I like watching NBA basketball.

- I should probably get HBO already.

- LeBron won't be able to tarnish his legacy with this series. San Antonio is too good, and his Cleveland teammates are too mediocre. Ten years from now, I bet we'll have as hard a time remembering other guys off this Cleveland team as we have remembering more than Shaq off of the 1995 Magic. LeBron will be remembered for being the only reason this gang of mooks ever sniffed an NBA Finals. Not so bad a legacy.

- I'm not going to have to worry too much that I can't watch game 4 and 5 of the finals because I'll be at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee. I'm pretty confident I won't miss much. Which is a shame, really.

The Sport of Kings

You know what I don’t understand, Horse Racing. Not that I don’t understand the sport (we are not going to get into that “what is a sport” argument here, so stop that nonsense before it gets started), I just don’t understand the decline in popularity, then the sudden spurts in popularity. It makes no sense to me.

All experts agree that a Triple Crown winner is needed, but I don’t necessarily subscribe to that theory. In the last 20 years the most popular horse in the world is Barbaro, who nobody had heard of before the Kentucky Derby and then two weeks late broke his leg and never raced again. Since the last Triple Crown winner we have had 10 horses win the first two legs of the Triple Crown but failed to win the third. In two of those instances we had great rivalries, which is what really makes sports.

Think about it, what would Muhammad Ali be without Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes. Nobody really considers the Montreal Canadians of the 60’s ands 70’s all that great, but we revere the Celtics because they had a nemesis in Wilt Chamberlain. In 1978 Affirmed outdistanced Alydar by a total of 2 ½ lengths in the three races.

In 1989 Sunday Silence was stellar horse who beat out Easy Goer in the first two legs of the triple crown but then in the Belmont Easy Goer blew the doors off of Sunday Silence outdistancing him by 8 lengths. Then there was 1998 with Real Quiet and Victory Gallop. Real Quiet won the first two legs but then in the Belmont the horses broke down the stretch nose to nose with Victory Gallop pulling off the upset. During those two seasons horse racing was important, and we can still talk about those races with reverence.

Since then there is always some horse favored to win the Kentucky Derby and then when he doesn’t his owners pull him out of the next two races, never really creating a rivalry buzz. Well after the Barbaro story of last year maybe people are totally done with horse racing. Why is that you ask? Well do you know who won the Kentucky Derby this year? A good looking horse named Street Sense, followed by Hard Spun and Curlin. Now before I could even catch my breathe Street Sense handlers announced he would not race in the other two legs of the Triple Crown. Huh? What? Then the owners of Curlin (who was s Derby favorite) announced he probably wouldn’t run in the last two races either. Well both owners came to their senses and entered both Stallions in the Preakness. So what happened in the Preakness, do you know? Well Curlin and Street Sense hit the home stretch behind a few horses but strengthened down the last furlong and Curlin outreached Street Sense at the finish line.

Wow, here we go, now we’ve got something here don’t we. Ummmm….nope.

For whatever reason nobody was talking about this, why? Honestly, that Sunday night on Sports Center they had a big piece all about the tragic end to Barbaro’s life. We are on the verge of a great rivalry and we are talking about some horse who won one race of consequence. Well in a predictable move the owners of Street Sense again pulled him out of the Belmont.

In the Belmont Curlin ran a solid race and finished in second, but still nobody is talking about him, why not? This horse just finished 3rd, 1st and 2nd in the three Triple Crown races; that is fucking impressive. So at the end the question remains, why? What makes horse racing popular or a horse popular? What did Barbaro do that Street Sense or Curlin not do? Can we every make the Sport of Kings relevant again?

Must Wins and Must Sees

Game 2 is a must game for Cleveland. The 232 format makes it impossible for teams down 0-2 to win. My disdain for the 232 is recorded in my previous post. As with any long series the most important adjustments are made between games 1 and 2. If I were holed up in a hotel suite in San Antonio with Mike Brown these would be my suggestions for getting back in the series:

• Run guard guard screen rolls on the wing with LeBron setting the screen for Gibson/Hughes/Pavlovic. Since the Spurs jump and double LeBron on ball screens this gives him the opportunity to force a mismatch and if they still double you have a ball handler with an open drive or a shooter on the strong side of the floor. It also gets the ball in LeBron’s hands going toward the basket.

• Play some zone defense to make the Spurs play outside in rather than running the offense through Duncan. The Spurs shooters are pretty streaky, I’d rather live and die by them than Duncan. You should also bring strong doubles to Duncan on the catch early in the game, if you can frustrate him early on he tends to fade for a while.

• Need more Boobie – Daniel Gibson needs to play more, he is the only guy they have who can attempt to control Tony Parker off the dribble, it would be a different story with a healthy Hughes. He also presents a legitimate shooter who you should be able to open up with the doubles on LeBron. The other guards need to feed off his fearlessness and find ways to assert themselves.

• Transition conversion percentage – There will not be many opportunities to run because San Antonio gets back and recovers better than just about any team I've ever seen but when you get a chance you can’t brick a layup, you have to convert.

A few quick thoughts:

Knocked Up – Funniest movie I’ve seen since Wedding Crashers, easily the funniest and maybe one of the 5 best of the year so far. It isn’t perfect, it drags and some of the characters are superfluous, but it is well worth the admission price. It was nice to see a movie that was genuinely funny without resorting primarily to bodily humor jokes. Plus Katherine Heigl is worth seeing.

Ocean’s 13 – Was disappointed by Ocean’s 13, it was clearly better than 12 but nowhere near as fun and stylish as 11. The tone was off and it the plot was confusing. Yeah its fun to see all the characters you are familiar with, Clooney and Pitt are charming, the other guys play their roles well but it was just missing something. I walked out thinking it was just an excuse for Clooney and Pitt to hang out and get paid. On a side note, it didn’t help that the guy behind me took off his shoes and put his feet up on top of the seat next to me then answered 3 phone calls with his ringer on loud and felt the need to comment back to the movie after every joke/comment/surprise.

Early Oscar Watch – Saw a preview for American Gangster with Denzel and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott. It’s based on the true story of Frank Lucas from the 70s. It’s got gangsters, cops, Vietnam and two of the best actors of our generation. Set to arrive in theaters in November.

Yankees – Nice to see the Yankees found out the season started already. People will credit Clemens’ comeback and ARod’s walk off vs. Papelbon but the real story behind the comeback is the return to small ball. They have started to hit and run, bunt and actually score runners from third with less than two outs. Don’t overlook them in the second half if Pettitte can stay healthy.

Springsteen – Even if you are not a hardcore Springsteen fan, I defy you to pick up his new live cd and tell me you don’t enjoy it. It is composed of songs recorded in Dublin on his last tour with the Seeger Sessions Band. A 20 or so piece band he put together that plays folk music inspired by Pete Seeger. They also rework some of the Boss’ staples. I especially enjoy his rewrite of How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live. A song originally by Blind Alfred Reed that Springsteen reworked and first covered at the New Orleans Jazz Festival last year. It is undisputed that The Rising is the single best commentary on 9/11, and this song is as good a description of the wake of Katrina as I have heard.

Television – Though Summer is traditionally home to bad TV I must recommend the Fox reality show, On the Lot. It’s a filmmaker reality show that is refreshing in the amount of talent of the contestants. The show runs usually on Tuesdays and is like seeing a good Short Film Festival. I would also be remiss if I left out the new comedy central show Lil Bush which follows little George W. Bush and his friends (Condi, Dick and Rummy) through harrowing adventures. It debuts Wednesday at 10:30. If you have seen the previews you know that this is clearly must see TV.

Sopranos – For those who care, and I’m fairly certain at least half of my co-bloggers don’t, I predict Little Carmine will come back, eliminate Phil, retake his rightful place as the Boss of NY and broker a peace with Tony. The most important thing is that Silvio pulls through.

I’ll meet you further on up the road

Underdogs in 5

I'll keep this short, mostly because I don't really care about this sport, especially during baseball season. But to be honest, gentlemen, I'm shocked.

Shocked and appalled for white people nationwide. I'm writing a blog with two Canadians, one guy who got really drunk in Montreal (Haven't we all?) and a third whose parents were born in Buffalo, NY.

Hey, if you consistently go 1-for-3, you'll be a Hall of Famer in 20 years.

Granted, I did go to a university that dropped football and now playing the first hockey game of the season for Homecoming, but how could none of you mention the fact that the Anaheim Ducks, no longer Mighty but strong enough to pry Lord Stanley's Cup away from its rightful owners to our north. And in five games no less?

Oh, is it because like everyone south of the International Boundary could give two squirts of piss about hockey.



I hate to be the rating harbinger but a major network 1.5 for anything is pathetic. In fact, it's the worst rating, to borrow an Ali voice, Of All Time!!!

That means Joey, repeats of Touched by an Angel and my personal favorite, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, got better numbers than Hockey Night in Anaheim on the big Peacock.

Tim Cowlishaw has a great column about the 10 things to save the NHL. I don't think it can be saved. They had their chance and blew it twice, first with a stupid strike that no one cared about, especially since the owners won, then the move that will eventually lead to their demise in this country, an item that Cowlishaw listed fourth but is the only one that matters in my book.

"Kiss up to ESPN. Make amends. There's still enough room for programming at the world-wide leader to get your games back there. Versus gives the NHL no presence at all. The studio show has Bill Clement, a great analyst, in the misguided role of host.

Get back to ESPN – even if it's ESPN2 – and get your highlights back on SportsCenter."

Could it be, Cavs in 7?

First of all, if you know anything about me, you know I am not going with the curve when I make predictions. I think had the Albany Great Danes in the Sweet 16 in this years NCAA pool. It is easy to pick the Spurs, that doesn’t take any sack; it’s like rooting for John Wayne; to quote Ray Liotta in Goodfellas, “Jimmy (DeNiro) was the kind of guy who rooted for the bad guys in the movies.” I am that kind of guy when it comes to picking sports. I could say Spurs in 5 and then when that happens, nobody cares. However, if I say Cavs in 7 people listen; if I get it right I am a genius, if I get it wrong still nobody cares.

For the past few days as the hype has picked up I have started to closely analyze this series. And being a history buff I always look to our past to see if I can help make sense of the future, which is a good lesson for all the kids out there. Also, reading my own hyperbole about the rise of LeBron and the rise of Jordan to greatness (which, Dan, was what my piece was about not comparing their games or styles of play) I began to harking back to the days when Jordan first step foot on an NBA Finals court.

The year was 1991, the other Bush was still President, Saddam Hussein was alive, famed Yugoslavian Poet Vasko Popa died, Sonic the Hedgehog debuted, the Troodos Haven sunk in the Mediterranean carrying 144,000 tons of crude oil, Boris Yeltsin was elected president of Russia, Mount Unzen in Shimbara, Nagasaki, Japan erupts, and Pee Wee Herman was arrested in Florida for whacking it in a movie theatre. I could go on, but do you really care that in Hamlet, North Carolina, a grease fire broke out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant, killing 25 people or that Baudouin I, King of the Belgians died on July 31st, probably not.

Anyway, what was my point?

Ah yes, Michael Jordan was about to rule over the NBA and popular culture in America for the next decade. Again today I want to look at the comparisons and relative similarities to the situation LeBron James faces this June as did Jordan in June of 1991. Jordan squared off with the Magic Johnson lead Lakers which as we found out would be the end of their Showtime Dynasty. LeBron faces off with Tim Duncan’s ultra-conservative but supremely effective Spurs squad who have been the dynastic team of the last nine or so years.

We all forget that in 1991 Jordan was not yet Jordan. He was an upstart young player who people didn’t think had what it took to win, mainly because he didn’t yet make his teammates better. He got past a weaker Eastern Conference, and yes the conference was weaker, it was top heavy with the 2 time defending champion Pistons and the end of Celtics run as a good team. Otherwise the East had a mediocre 76ers, Knicks, Bucks and Hawks squads who all finished with no more than 48 wins. Magic’s Lakers battled through the West, sweeping a Houston Rockets team whose core would go on to win 2 NBA Championships later in the decade. Then the upstart Warriors with the best young trio in the league had upset the Spurs in round 1 and the Lakers disposed of them in 5 games. In the Conference Finals the Lakers faced the rival Portland Trailblazers who had been to the NBA Finals the year before and would the year after, the Lakers handled that in 6 games.

Over the previous 8 seasons the Lakers had averaged 60 wins a season and won three championships. The Lakers had a superstar player in Magic Johnson who was still terrific but in season 12 was on the other side of his career, along with teammates like James Worthy and Sam Perkins. They had some good young talented players like wingman Byron Scott and center Vlade Divac. Nobody really thought the Bulls had enough to take on the time tested and playoff experienced Lakers squad. But guess what happened, Jordan stamped his name on the game

Now if you look at it this series is setting up extremely similar. The Cavs got through a much weaker conference playoff bracket, really only being challenged by the only good team in the East (and 5 time consecutive Eastern Conference Final team), the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs had to get through the Western Conference which contained two 60 win teams. The Spurs had to beat the Denver Nuggets who had the best second half record in the league, then took care of the Suns in 6 games; the fun and gun Suns who everyone thought would win the championship with a two time MVP and 2 first team all NBA players. Lastly the Spurs easily handled the Utah Jazz won 51 regular season games. Sound familiar, if no just wait.

Over the previous 8 seasons the Spurs have averaged 58 wins a season and won three championships. The Spurs had a superstar player in Tim Duncan who was still terrific but in season 10 was on the other side of his career, along with teammates like Robert Horry and Michael Finley. They had some good young talented players like wingman Manu Ginobili and point guard Tony Parker. Nobody really thinks the Cavs had enough to take on the time tested and playoff experienced Spurs squad. Can LeBron stamp his name on the game?

Cavaliers in 7 games.

The Youth

Some thoughts before tonight’s game:


1) What if LeBron plays really bad in the Finals?

Like really, truly, awfully, John-Starks two-for-eighteen, Nick Anderson missing all those free throws, Dirk Nowitzki against the Warriors, bad?

Does that mean we have to take back everything we’ve been saying about him?

Does that make his 48 points in Game 5 more like Dirk scoring 50 against Phoenix last year, or when Vince Carter scored 50 in 2001 against Philly when he was on Toronto?

That is, instead of that game being the harbinger of continued dominance and transcendent play, that Game 5 was just another tremendous individual performance that signified nothing?

I doubt LeBron will play that bad – he’s been pretty good most of these playoffs, and in the past couple years as well. But still, given the pressure he’s under right now, being deemed the savior of everything good and true about basketball, it’s not inconceivable that he’ll crumble, or at least stumble.

And if he does, the backlash will likely be fierce.

There’s a little evil part of me that almost wants to see that happen. Just to see how everyone responds – LeBron, the media, fans, pundits, other players (would Dwyane Wade be laughing?)

Just another fun storyline to keep an eye on.


2) I like, no, I LOVE that the games are starting late.

I don’t have any kids.

I don’t hang out with any kids.

I don’t really care about kids.

F your kids.

I’m a busy guy. Games starting later at night mean I can actually watch them. They fit my schedule perfectly. So I applaud the NBA for their schedule of games starting at 9pm Eastern, 8pm Central.


Though switching to the 2-3-2 home/away format just for the finals always was dumb and always will be dumb, so it’s still dumb.

What Are We Witnessing?

About LeBron, everyone seems to want to know: who is he like?

Is he like Jordan?

Kris lays out the case below. To my eyes, they play a different style, so I don’t see it. Howard Beck agrees.

And there was this about Jordan: when he had the ball in his hands at the end of a game, there was an air of inevitability about the proceedings. You just knew he was going to win that game. Any Knicks fan who saw any of those playoff series in the early nineties knows this (he says fighting back tears and bile.)

Except for Game 5 in this past series, LeBron hasn’t consistently proven himself at the end of games. And the magic of that Game 5 was that there wasn’t that same feeling of “here we go, he’s doing it again” you got with Jordan, but instead the constant and wonderful surprise of, “Look, he’s finally doing it! Finally! Right before our eyes!”

So, no, I don’t think LeBron is like Jordan.


Is he like Magic?

I can see this one a little more than Jordan, at least in their styles. But it’s still a stretch. Magic played as a true point guard most of the time, and LeBron is not that, despite his obvious gifts as a passer.

The biggest difference between LeBron and Magic, though, is this: Magic played the game with a joy, an ebullience, which I never see from LeBron. Magic had a way of playing that made you smile when you watch. As much as I love watching LeBron, he doesn’t play with Magic’s joie de vivre. With LeBron, it’s watching a very talented guy out there taking care of business, in a powerfully business-like fashion.

Not to mention that I couldn’t see LeBron running the Showtime Lakers the way Magic did. I don’t know if LeBron’s style is compatible with that. Maybe he could, but I can’t picture it.

So ultimately, no, I don’t think LeBron is like Magic.


Is he like anyone else?

I saw a graphic on ESPN that said the only players with comparable career numbers in the playoffs were Larry Bird and Walt Clyde Frazier.

Is LeBron like Bird? No. And not just because of skin color. Bird could shoot way, way better than LeBron. LeBron is better on the dribble. Not the same player at all.

Is LeBron like Clyde? No one is like Clyde. End of story.


The way he plays the game, he’s not like Kobe. He’s not like Shaq. He’d not like McGrady. He’s not like Wade or Melo, either.

So maybe we are left with this: what if LeBron is sui generis?

Can we handle that in this media age, where we rush to compare everything to something else?

Can we appreciate LeBron without context, and just appreciate what we are seeing in and of itself?

Does a lack of context rob him of his greatness, or could it instead enhance it?

All I know for sure is this: LeBron makes me want to stop what I’m doing to watch. He does things, like that dunk on Tim Duncan early in the season, that made me have to call my brother just to make sure he saw it too. He plays with a combination of speed, power, and NBA smarts that is a marvel, something that leaves you in a daze as you watch.

I don’t need to know what I’m watching is like. I just know I like watching it. And want to keep watching it. And keep track of when it's on again, so then I can watch even more of it.

Shouldn't that be enough?

LeBron and the Average Fan

Fans would have loved to see the three-headed monster that is San Antonio face against the veteran team from Detroit in the NBA Finals. Everyone except people around the world not located near the Alamo or 8-Mile, television executives, my mom and David Stern.

The NBA and their partners would never root for a specific team, we all know that. So we all know that Game 5 was like Christmas morning, the lighting of the Shamash during the Festival of Light and the last day of Ramadan rolled into one.

The ascension of LeBron and The King’s Chosen Few means sports fans like myself may actually tune in, which is the only way to judge the importance of your event nowadays.

Almost to the day two years ago, June 15 to be precise, ABC drew just 7.2% of U.S. TV households to watch the Pistons win Game 3 from the Spurs. It was down 32 percent from the previous year, when there was actually a cavalcade of stars with the final year of the Lakers’ old-man bandwagon in pursuit of a title.

In 1981, the NBA Finals on an evening tape-delay still drew a 6.7. For those non-communication majors in the crowd, that means the game was already decided when it was broadcasted nationally.

From that point on, the numbers never slipped lower than a 10, until the record low in 2003, a 6.5 when your same boring Spurs faced the hometown New Jersey Nets.

I’m sure our mutual friend Scott had his eyes glued to the screen, but just like when we were all at The Castle on the Hill, I don’t watch the Nets.

In fact, I never really watched the NBA, despite claiming to know a thing or three about it. The regular season lasts forever and the playoffs seem to follow suit.

A Georgetown follower for over 20 years, I followed Alonzo Mourning to Charlotte, then followed Allen Iverson to Philadelphia. But all that meant was I would watch Sportscenter with a vested interest when their highlights came on.

In 2000, I had a vested interest in the NBA playoffs living in Portland, Oregon. As the Blazers made a deep run and had the Lakers on the ropes, me and my roommate Dru made plans to sleep outside the Rose Garden ticket gates, less than a couple of miles from our apartment, for Finals tickets.

Taken straight from Wikipedia: The Blazers were leading in Game 7 in Los Angeles, before the Lakers came back and won the series in a 4th-quarter rally. That’s the rally that’s ended with Kobe throwing the oop to Shaq, who runs back down court with his giant mouth in an O.

Trust me, if you’ve seen basketball, you’ve seen this and that essentially ended my love affair with the league. That and I moved back east.

Even in my current Central Time Zone, I’ve got little desire to stay up until midnight to watch any game, yet alone one that will allow the final 2 minutes on the clock last 20 in real time.

So with all that being said, I’m wondering why ABC would decide to start every game at 9 p.m. including Games 2 and 5, which would be on Sundays.

You want to know the reason why football is truly king in this age of video-everything. Yes, it helps to have a short season meaning every game matters even more, but it’s the fact that every game IS PLAYED DURING A REASONABLE TIME.

Same thing can be said about NASCAR, golf and to a much lesser extent, baseball. There’s something to be said for watching something, then still having your entire evening ahead of you.

I’m willing to eat my weight in cheese if Bud grew a pair and told Fox, “Hey, I would like some of my younger fans to be able to watch a World Series game before they have to go to sleep…”

But that’s another battle for another day.

So with all of this going against the NBA: the horrible timing of games and sagging ratings with viewers choosing to flip between 150 channels, their TiVo or DVR, watch online updates as they blog and so forth, why am I smiling?

Because LeBron James is that good.

Rarely does anyone with the amount of hype live up to the billing. I mean, the guy was projected as a number one pick as a high school junior. How many of us were ready for their current adult profession while still trying to reach third base with a girl?

Huh, what? I meant get into a three-way. Yeah, that’s the ticket. A three-way with…an upperclassman and her sister, yeah, that’s right. That’s the ticket.

The point is I’ll join the masses, like the guy at the gas station where I get my milk for $2.99 a gallon, and watch the Finals. To be witness to what, I don’t know, but I’m sure my wife still won’t care, and that’s the truth.

The truth is I've been waiting a long time for this — a blog with friends that might actually get read. No, to be able to relive my childhood with the people I shared it with. With the different personalities present, this experience should be an interesting one and I for one can't wait.

King James vs His Airness

(ed. Note As we embark on this new journey the four writers of this blog have decided that when a topic comes along that is as big as my belly we will all address it with our own unique viewpoints, maybe we will call it a foursome or something, but that will be determined later)


FINALLY THE FAT MAN HAS COME BACK………….TO CYBERSPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have now had some time to digest what clearly has to be one of the all time great performances in sports history. Whether or not LeBron James goes on to win zero, 6, or 10 NBA Titles, what he did in the past two weeks was remarkable. By now we all know the numbers, especially from that game 5 performance where he was playing on a different level than everyone else on the court, or planet for that matter. After witnessing this virtuoso performance the comparisons to the leagues greatest players were bound to arise.

Obviously LeBron’s full body of work is still another 15 years in the making, but what he has done in four short years is worth discussing. Rather than trying to compare LeBron to Jordan in overall careers I want to compare their respective career developments through four seasons. Also, I want to try and see who has elevated the play of his teammates more by comparing the 1990-91 Chicago Bulls to LeBron’s current squad.

The growth and development of LeBron and Jordan is staggeringly similar when you begin to really break it down. Yes Jordan’s point totals far outreach those of LeBron’s but it truly was a different game 20 years ago, where the lowest scoring team in the league averaged 98 ppg and this season where less than half the teams scored over 98 ppg. The best way to look at it is how these two have helped there teams significantly increase win totals. Not including Jordan’s injury plagued second season, his first 4 full years the Bulls win totals went 38, 40, 50, to 47 and in LeBron’s he went 35, 42, 50, and 50. In their third seasons they both notched their first playoff series victory. They were consistent All-Stars and widely regarded as the best young talent in the league. But here in year 4 LeBron is beginning to elevate his team to a championship level which still took Jordan several more seasons.

One could argue that the league is decidedly weaker at this point, but I would rather compare the teams Jordan and LeBron first lead to the finals. We have a tendency maybe to overrate some of the Bulls players, guys like John Paxson and Bj Armstrong because we remember them watching Jordan parade around with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Luckily we do not overrate any of LeBron’s superstar teammates like Larry “Turnover” Hughes and Sasha “3 Charges per game” Pavlovic.

The first startling revelation is that the Cav’s are actually a more veteran group, when you realize that Donyell Marshall and Eric Snow have played a combined 25 years in the league. However, when you look closer at the starting lineups you see that they are more comparable, the Bulls starters had 25 total years and the Cavs have a total of 27 seasons. So they both basically have taken a solid mix of younger starters like Horace Grant & Scottie Pippen and Drew Gooden & Sasha Pavlovic and veteran PG/C John Paxson & Bill Cartwright and Larry Hughes & Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

I would take Pippen over Pavlovic in a heartbeat obviously, Hughes over Paxson, but the big man match-ups are more intriguing. Offensively Ilgauskas has a slight advantage in points and rebounds but not significant, but Cartwright was a solid defensive presence whereas Ilgauskas’s lack of mobility limits him especially on help defense. And as for Horace Grant v. Drew Gooden you would think Grant obviously, but as the sunshine scooter would say “Not so fast my friend.” Gooden and Grants numbers are very similar (12 ppg. & 8 rpg.) and both were relied upon in the same way by their teams; hit open 15-18 foot jumpers, help control the defensive glass, and use their athleticism to put pressure on the offensive boards.

The last part of the evolution is the ability to take over games and will your team to victory. For both men this genesis again happened at similar times in their careers. Jordan had his coming out party in his third season when he scored 63 against the Celtics, much like LeBron’s playoff performance in his third season last year against the Wizards, where he notched a triple double in his first playoff game and hit a game winner in a critical game 3. But their live forever moment for both seems like it came in season 4. Jordan’s came against the Cavaliers when he hit that pull up jumper on Craig Ehlo and LeBron’s was a driving up and under lay-up on the entire Piston’s team which couldn’t stop him from getting to the basket. Again the similarities are staggering, in the Game 5 versus the Cav’s Jordan had 44 pts. 9 reb. & 6 ast. And LeBron against the Piston’s had 48 pts. 9 reb. & 7 ast.

Now all LeBron has to do is start collecting championship trophies like Jordan. I for one think that may begin to happen sooner rather than later.

Believe Da Hype

It’s nice to finally be able to believe in something, even if it is a 22 year old, man-child from Akron. King James has restored my faith. So often we are wooed by the fantasy of hype. Rare is the time when that hype manifests itself in fulfillment. LeBron James is that fulfillment.

More than anything else, LeBron represents hope. Not just the typical hope of the American Dream that says anyone can become successful with the right mix of talent and hard work, but the hope that there is truth behind all the hype. We are bombarded daily with images and sound trumpeting the next big thing: The trial of the century, #1 vs. #2, the season’s funniest new comedy, the pound for pound best fighter, its all bullshit. How many times do you shut off your television after a fight and swear you will never buy another one? How often does a rivalry game live up to the billing? But we all come back for more. We come back because of hope that one day a championship fight, a game seven, a conference final will actually live up to the hype and deliver. When that happens, it reminds us of why we are sports fans, because even with all the cheating it is still the purest form of drama.

LeBron is refreshing in his uniqueness. He has been thrust into the spotlight since he reached puberty and has done nothing but distinguish himself. His ability to thrive without a major stumble is remarkable. He had the world given to him on a platter at age 18; far before Michael and Tiger and look what he has done under the pressure. He isn’t perfect, just ask Paul Silas or Larry Brown but he has grown with every experience and come out better on the other side. How many of us can say that without the bright lights and big expectations as well as the embarrassment of riches. I’m certain we would all trade places with LeBron, just for the security of knowing your children’s children are set for life, but how many of us would remain motivated with that knowledge?

I want to express my excitement at being part of this venture. I have known Dan, Kris and Marty for as long as my memory reaches and feel truly fortunate to share writing space with each of them. I appreciate your indulgence and look forward to the conversations that follow.

By way of prediction: I cannot see how the Spurs can lose the series. I will tune in when available but don’t really find it to be must see games unless the Cavs strike early in the series and go up 2-1 or the series gets to 2-2. The most disappointing aspect is the ridiculous 2-3-2 format of the Finals. It makes no sense for there to be a 2-2-1-1-1 format for every round except the most important round. It serves to penalize the team with the three straight home games, because at that level it is nearly impossible to win all three and without that you have to win two on the road which is also difficult. There is no legitimate reason to continue with the 2-3-2, they take enough days off that travel shouldn’t be an issue. Lastly, some of my favorite memories of my blogmates stem from weekend afternoons on Sherman Ave during the early 90s runs of the Knicks. We are lucky to have grown up then because now we wouldn’t have Saturday and Sunday afternoon games to hang out and watch and be interrupted by OJ, we would be stuck with games starting at 9:30 on a Sunday night. The NBA should be ashamed.