Filowitz's Friday Five

1) When you lose by 45 points on national TV, like the Knicks did yesterday, something has to change. Until they redeem themselves, they should be forced to play home games at a YMCA on Staten Island. Each member of this sorry squad should have to go personally apologize to Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed, and Bill Bradley, and Earl Monroe, and Bernard King, and Patrick Ewing, and Charles Oakley, and John Starks, and Anthony Mason, and Larry Johnson, and Latrell Sprewell for tarnishing the uniform. I can’t wait to hear how the Garden treats them tonight against Milwaukee. There will be blood, and bile, and vomit, and something will be lit on fire.

2) Can this be the thing that finally brings the end of Isiah? If he survives this, I suggest we throw him into a river to see if he floats, as I suspect he is in fact a witch.

3) Last night was an evening of NBA blow-outs. The Lakers absolutely killed the Nuggets, and Golden State trounced the Rockets. The Nuggets have the same problem as last year – they play horrific defense, and can’t survive if their top 2 have an off night (Iverson shot poorly) since they don’t really have a reliable number 3 option on offense. And don’t look now, but Golden State is back to being that team from the end of last season. Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Monta Ellis are as talented a top 3 as you’re going to find, and arguably the most fun to watch. The Warriors will not be losing very many home games this year, for sure. For any Knicks fans like me that are looking for another team to root for since ours is depressing, Golden State is a good pick.

4) Reminder: If the Jets lose to the Dolphins on Sunday, I will be vocally demanding the firing of the entire team. And if you know anything about me, it’s that I can be quite vocal when I want to be. And determined. And a bit of an asshole. NoMangenius.com is still an available domain. The Dolphins may win a game this year. It just cannot be against the Jets.

5) I’m not a huge college basketball guy, but whoa, have you seen this guy Michael Beasley on Kansas State? 6’10” power forward, averaging 26.7 points and 15.0 rebounds, shooting 60.8% from the field through 7 games. People don’t typically average 26 and 15 in college. Wow.

Sean Taylor

When tragic things happen in sports, everyone is expected to say something.

I don't have much to say, beyond that I think it's sad when someone so young dies so needlessly.

I do recommend reading this column by King Kaufman (sit through the ads if you have to, i.e. if you're not a Salon subscriber.) He's reliably one of the most level-headed and rational sports columnists out there, and here he is no different.

Read it.

Fire or Ice?

I don't know what I'm more excited about — the Winter Meetings and all the possible trades OR the Mitchell report and all the names...

Winter Meetings:
Oye Como Va - So Johan Santana is on the block and the Yankees want him. What's new?
Honestly, it's going to take Melky, Hughes and at least two more prime prospects for the Twins to send the best lefty in the game to the Bronx. Will the Yanks do it? Will the Twins ask for too much and price themselves out of a great deal? Will their fan base in their new stadium be happy knowing they've got to see Santana at least once a year in another uniform? Will Santana agree to any of these trades or throw a monkey wrench and wait for free agency and the highest bidder of his choosing? So many questions with interesting answers to them all...

Mound of reasons - Speaking of pitchers, I'm banking on the majority of the offenders on The List to be middle relief pitchers, like Jason Grimsley. By the way, where's that guy now?
I'm not buying that all the steroids, HGH and clear/cream in the world can help your eye-hand coordination and reaction time.
If that were the case, then wouldn't the US Armed Forces be piping this stuff into RTE's and water supplies? I mean, don't you want those protecting you to stay awake longer, to see clearly when on watch, to be bigger and stronger than the enemy?
Yes, I'm stepping way out off bounds, but all those Vets from Vietnam and Desert Storm mumble about mustard gas and the like whenever I pick up my ears away from the sports page...

Field of Dreams - With Torrii Hunter's signing with the Angels, the market for center fielders is weakened but still relatively deep. Aaron Rowand is a quality defender who will run into a wall for you and is coming off a career year at the plate. Andruw Jones has been sniped at for the past two-three years from all angles. Whether people are talking about his approach at the plate, Jones being an overrated fielder with too many Gold Gloves to count or that this past year (.222, 26 HR, 94 RBI) is what to expect in the future.
Doesn't matter cuz that's one brother about to get paid. And I've yet to mention Mike Cameron, likely the best bargain for the dollar, and another OF from Japan (although he's a corner guy).

1 vs. 100 - Regardless what is said, the media's focus has been and will continue to be on Barry Bonds. So I'm wondering how many names it will take to lessen that focus on the one and move it towards the masses that allowed this to happen, that looked the other way.
We can't change the past and I don't have the time, but I would love to compare the columns of all the writers like Jay Mariotti from a decade ago when Sosa and Big Mac were blasting home runs and they found that andro in his hamburger, I mean locker, with what they're saying today.
I know I've seen a couple of writers look inward and say, we as a medium should have smelled something. But it doesn't seem to be enough and it likely never will be.
Personally, I hope Mitchell comes up with about 100 names with at least 50 still current. I will be interesting to see how teams approach dealing with a guy, like say Pudge Rodriguez, after it comes out he was juiced up for a five-year run. Will it matter if he's clean now?

The thing is, while it may seem like I care a ton, I really don't. Until they come up with a urine test for HGH, that's the drug of choice. Before that, it was roids and prior to that for about 50 years, it was greenies to get that pre game boost.
When they talk about integrity, I think of scuffed and spit balls. I think of corked bats and groundskeepers watering fields for too long or cutting the grass short. I think of stealing bases and signs, leaning over the plate, out fielders hesitating before a catch and middle infielders feigning stupidity to confuse the runner.
It's the American pasttime because baseball is a simple, complicated game where you can win with might, but if need be, you can win with hustle, moxy and guile.

----------------
Now playing: Pink Floyd - Welcome to the Machine
via FoxyTunes

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 12

Like most of us on Thanksgiving, the Jets went to someone else's house and ended up taking a giant dump.

At least most of us get to do that in privacy. They had the lack of grace to take a giant dump in front of everyone.

This was probably the first game that they didn't even look competitive. It was over before I even sat down to eat my kosher turkey.

Now it's not even December and I'm reduced to watching college football to see whom I want the Jets to draft (Dorsey from LSU is my choice for now) and figuring out good trade scenarios for Chad Pennington (does he reunite with Herm? does he follow Vinny one more time?)

One thing on Clemens: a lot of people seem to want to put this loss on him. From what I saw, though, this was all on the offensive line. They couldn't run block, and they couldn't give him a pocket for more than a couple of seconds. I don't care if it's a young QB in his third start or Tom Brady, if your offensive line stinks, you stink. I'll give Clemens a pass on this one. I still like his arm, and I don't think he looks shaky making decisions in the pocket.

By the way, my statement from a few weeks ago stands: if they lose to Miami next week, I want everyone fired. Every. Single. One of them.

No dumping allowed in Miami.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 11

Hooray! Hurrah! The ghost of Doug Brien is dead!


This is what the team was supposed to look like.

A defense that could actually stop the run, and get some pressure on the QB.

An offense that was efficient, if not explosive.

Above average special teams.

Coaching that made it so they could win close games.

This happened far too late in the year to really matter.

This makes you wonder what could have been, since in the six losses in a row they were tied or leading going into the fourth quarter.

What if they had won just three of them? What if they were 5-5 going into the last six weeks? What if they were thinking about wild cards instead of draft position?

Well, they’d probably lose to the Patriots in the playoffs anyway. Shoot, they’re probably going to lose to Dallas on Thursday. But the whole enterprise would have been so much less dispiriting.


Speaking of the Pats, everyone has been saying some version of “If they scored 56 on Washington and Buffalo, imagine what they’ll do to the Jets, the team that ratted them out about the cheating.” Everyone then chuckles and says something like “100 points is not impossible.”

Now, don’t you figure the Jets players and coaches hear this stuff, too? Don’t you think these professional athletes, these long-time rivals, these intense competitors, are going to do everything in their power to not let that happen? Am I the only one that gets the feeling like that game is going to not end up a laugher, that there will be fighting, that there will be hard hitting, that there will be a reasonable NFL final score?

Maybe I am the only one thinking that way that’s not currently employed by Woody Johnson. But if I know anything about the NFL, it’s that if all of the sports dingbat chattering classes are saying one thing, you are best to bet the other way. Even with this Pats team, doing their unprecedented thing.

Filowitz's Friday Five

1) Do read Kris’ post about Bonds below (and Martin's too.) Personally, I just wish this particular story would go away. It’s too serious and dreary a topic for sports, and not serious enough for what else is going on in the world. I want my sports to be entertaining. If I want to get bogged down in wonky legalese, I’ll read about health care.

2) While we’re at it, can the entire sport of baseball go away for a little while, too? I’m done with A-Rod stories. I’m done with the Yankees and the Red Sox. It’s football and basketball time now. You bat swinging gentlemen can please leave me alone until the spring. Thanks.

3) Did you realize that Zach Randolph is leading the league in average rebounds per game right now? Seriously. I wonder, though, if this is less due to his prowess on the glass and more due to the fact that he plays alongside Eddy Curry, perhaps the worst rebounding big man in the history of basketball (which according to John Hollinger is not really much of an exaggeration.)

4) Have you seen any of the Memphis Grizzlies this year? Their record isn’t great, but they’ve got some fascinating players in Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, and yes, Darko Milicic. Not to mention Mike Miller, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley Jr. Once they truly figure out Marc Iavaroni’s offense, they are going to be dangerous. Or at the very least a lot of fun to watch. Tonight they play New Orleans. No doubt I’ll be watching that on League Pass before I go out (I'm going to see Mission of Burma tonight. Awesome band. They were in Our Band Could Be Your Life, which is one of the best books about rock music ever, and you should read it.)

5) This Sunday night, we shall all be Bills fans. And, most likely, we shall all be upset about it.

Just like Barry, I wanted my own space

This originally was a comment for the last post, but I realize I had too much to say...

Let me begin with what I started with

Inovator, I'm saddened that you though I would want an asterisk. Saddened that you don't think I'm agreeing with you on more than half of what you've already said.

I was more upset that they hijacked PTI, that the Mets will employ a Yorvit Torrealba-Ramon Castro tandem behind the plate and that Roy Hibbert (left off your All-American list, by the way) and the No. 5 Hoyas pounded past Michigan at the Phone Booth in D.C.

My main problem was stated with gusto by Steven A. Smith on the 6 p.m. ScoreCenter.
One can't argue with the feds going after Bonds for lying. One can't deny that Bonds was on something, doing drugs he shouldn't have been, but the indicment means little to proving his guilt. It just means the Feds think they have a case and our resident lawyer can back me up.

It doesn't mean he's guilty, not yet and Ray Ratto of the Chronicle agrees.

But it's really interesting that MLB, the feds and the media only cracked down like sharks with chum in the water when he got close to Ruth, Aaron and the record.

Maybe if he was a nice guy. Maybe if as he got closer, he got smiley around the media and would give Pedro Feliz 15 mins. each night for the late ScoreCenter...

But hindsight is 20/20 and the reality is Bonds, like so many other players, pitchers and batters alike, used whatever they could to get ahead...just like every NFL player from the 60s (North Dallas Forty) until now (Shawn 'Lights Out" Merriman (sp)), just like every baseball player who popped 'reds' and 'greenies' after a long night out right before a 1 p.m. day game in the 60s, 70s, 80 and 90s.

Like it or not, we are a drug culture and have been for some time. I can remember not going to the Bird Sancutary with Jason, Jared and Sean, but I can remember my college years. Well, I can try to remember what isn't hazed in a cloud of smoke.

We take drugs for recreation. We take drugs for health (NyQuil is my personal favorite). We take drugs for the hell of it and we become addicted. As much as is made about steroids, I'm sure alcohol has derailed more careers, baseball and whatever, than a needle ever has.

They bitch about the integrity of the game, but what about Mickey Mantle playing with a hangover? What about Max Magee, God rest his soul, winning the first Super Bowl MVP still drunk from the night before? They make interesting stories now, but is thatjust because they weren't reported at the time?

Because we have the 24-7-365 news cycle and the need to fill dead air on sports talk radio, we now have all this crap.

There is the black and white elephant sitting in the corner, but there are so many things keeping this in the middle of the room, only the lazy will race to race.

I'm done for now, but since I was thinking about posting about America's obsession with O.J. and this loosly applies, check out this memorable Mos Def verse...

You can laugh and critisize Michael Jackson if you wanna,
Woody Allen molested and married his step daughter.
Same press kicking dirt on Michael's name
show Woody and Sun Yi at the playoff game (holding hands)
Now sit back and just think about that:
Would he get that same press if his name was Woody Black?
O.J. found innocent by a jury of his peers
and they've been fucking with that nigga for the last five years.
Is it fair, is it equal, is it just, is it right?
Do you do the same shit when the defendant's face is white?
- "Mr. Nigga" - Black On Both Sides

I will care no more, forever

Maybe I am a jaded sports fan?

Maybe I am just a silly Bonds apologist?

Maybe I am a little too much of both, but I really just don’t care anymore.

Where did it all go wrong in sports? Can we point to a specific moment? Was it when OJ cruised down the California freeway trying to elude police? After all this was a major story and the 24 news network genre of television was expanding, and heck they needed something to talk about. Or are our athletes just that much more untrustworthy and dislikable. Again, to me it doesn’t really matter, I just don’t care on so many levels.

So Barry Bonds lied to the Grand Jury, okay. Is he the first guy ever to do this? No, heck ten years ago our President did it and we love him so much we are going to elect his wife.

Does this indictment really change anything? I don’t think it does, I have always thought Bonds was the bets ballplayer of his generation and even though I know deep in my heart he did do steroids, I also know that most likely abut 85% of his competitors did too. The talk is this basically eliminates Bonds from the Hall of Fame. Okay, Pete Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame, but that hasn't made him any less of a ball player, in fact his popularity has probably grown since 1989. The same can be said for Shoeless Joe Jackson who is now a cult hero in American popular cinema. Heck maybe one day Bonds will be Secretary of State.

But the thing I truly hate the most about this whole “controversy” is the self righteous sports columnist or broadcaster out there. Now obviously today everyone is going to have their opinion and I don’t have the time nor the inclination to read all of them, but I did check out one of my least favorite jerks in the world, Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun Times. He writes:

This isn't a sad day for baseball. Hell, this is a joyful day, the first day
of the rest of our lives without the creep who scummed up Henry Aaron, hijacked
the Great American Home Run and held us hostage with his sleaze and smarm. I
spent too many sad days and nights watching him in cathedrals like Wrigley Field
and the waterfront park in San Francisco, loathing his every swing, hating what
he was doing to my boyhood memories, knowing he was living a chemical lie.

Oh well Boo-Hoo for Jay Mariotti. Get over yourself, chances are if we poured over your personal life we may find that you cheat on your taxes or sleep around behind your wife’s back so let’s take it easy with the holier than thou attitude.

Now of course there are going to be tons of negative reactions to my column here today, the legal Jews (Andrew and Josh) are going to tell me what this all means in a legal sense, and Josh being a big Clinton guy will somehow spin it that Clinton lying to the Grand Jury was Dick Cheney’s fault and that if W would have went straight to the police none of this would have ever happened (come on people, a Woody Woodpecker reference, that is huge). I surmise that people like Dan and Martin two baseball aficionados will come on here and talk all about asterisks and striking records from the history books. Maybe some others will have similar opinions to those guys or maybe they just won’t care as much as I do.

In a sports sense I cared so much more that Oregon lost last night in college football and that Memphis beat Oklahoma in college hoops first marquee match-up of the year. Where is a good Knicks story when you desperately need one.

As It Was In The Beginning, So Shall It Be In the End

That didn't take long, did it?

It only took 5 games for the Knicks to revert back to being a complete mess. Who knows what will end up happening with Marbury? None of the options are particularly appealing at this point.

If they let him come back, how can that be good for team chemistry? Not to mention the fact that he looks like exactly the wrong point guard to be running this team. They need a pass first point guard who makes good entry passes into the post, and who can hit open long-range jumpers. That sentence in no way defines Starbury.

If they buy him out, how is that good for the team? Another $40 million down the hole, with a lingering stench of ineptitude and failure. And a mindset is further entrenched, so everyone knows that all you have to do is bitch enough and the Knicks will just buy you out, so you can go somewhere else.

They can't trade him. Who wants an aging shoot-first point guard that's not exactly known for being a good team guy and that's still making $20 million a year for the next two years? What can they even get in return? More problem players and bad contracts? How does that help?

They can't really afford to get rid of him either, from a basketball perspective. Who else is there to play the point? Mardy Collins? Yikes.

I can't even form a decent opinion about what I think they should do. Part of me wants them to keep him, and just take their lumps with him this year and buy him out at the end of the year, when they have a better idea of where the rest of the team is and what other point guards might be out there for them to acquire or draft.

And the rest of me would just like to see him go already. I'm beyond tired of Steph and his antics. Unlike people like Rasheed Wallace or Stephen Jackson or even Ron Artest, Starbury's play on the court doesn't make me want to forgive him his toxic personality and craziness off the court. If he never plays another Knicks minute, I won't miss him.

And we were just starting to get a little optimistic about this year. Silly us.

Like a large whole fish that's been sitting in the sun, this just stinks no matter what you do.

The only possible upside is that maybe this is what finally brings us the end of the reign of Isiah. Which would be fitting, since getting Marbury was his first big move as GM. If the handling of getting rid of him was Isiah's final undoing, it would be a kind of poetic end. Well, one of those poetic ends to a Shakespeare tragedy where everyone dies, but still.

Good riddance to all, and to all a good night.

Filowitz's Friday Five

1) It’s very early, sure, but it looks like the Knicks are going to be competitive this year. Without question, they can score as well as any team in the league. The defense and rebounding is just slightly north of abysmal, sure. But the fact that they have at least six guys that can legitimately score the ball, inside(Curry, Randolph) and outside (Crawford, Marbury, Richardson, and Robinson), will keep them in most games. After so many years of putridity, being competitive would be a nice breath of fresh air.

2) It’s a conundrum, rooting for these Knicks. On the one hand, they are my team, and I want them to win. On the other hand, I want the end of the Isiah Thomas era to come as quickly as possible. If they win, he will likely remain the coach and GM for at least another two to three years. If they lose, it will be another lost season where I’m rooting for a hopeless and miserable team. If only Isiah would choke a player, or if only we could somehow link him to Al Qaeda, then they’d have no choice but to fire him.

3) Some quick NBA observations:

Chris Paul is really freakin’ good. That 21 assists he had against the Lakers? Legit, and inspiring.

The Warriors can’t win without Stephen Jackson. People sometimes forget how incredibly skilled a player he is, since they are distracted by his blatant insanity.

The Clippers are undefeated. What the f? Who woke up Cuttino Mobley?

4) Doesn’t the rest of the NFL season seem like a foregone conclusion? The Pats and the Colts will be battling for the AFC, and one of those two teams should win the whole thing. So, you know, it’s kind of hard to care if Tennessee is the fourth or fifth seed in the playoffs, or if the Colts/Pats will beat the Cowboys, Giants, or Packers in the Super Bowl. Not that I’ll stop watching, mind you. It’s just not as much fun to watch the inevitable.

5) I wish I could care about hockey. I want to care about hockey. I still like hockey. But I can’t make myself really pay attention. Maybe I should go to a Blackhawks game or something; it could ignite a spark. Not likely, but worth a shot at least.

November Madness

That’s right folks only 130 days until selection Sunday, the greatest day in sports. College hoops season officially gets underway tonight and I am fucking pumped! Obviously I am excited for a new season for my Gamecocks but I am an overall hoops junkie. I guess the story of this season will be the new coach's in new places. Some of the most talked about are Tubby Smith to Minnesota, Billy Gillespie to Kentucky, John Beiline to Michigan, Bob Huggins to West Virginia, Steve Alford to New Mexico and John Pelphrey to Arkansas, and of course the unfortunate situation at Wake Forest with Dino Gaudio taking over for the late Skip Prosser. Every year when all of these coach's changes happen you can find some prognosticator who says things like "this is a great fit for (insert university here)" or "this guy will be able to recruit (insert local geographic area of said university)." Now of course me being the negative nellie that I am, I think they all suck and will all fail miserably. That being said here are some of my favorite and least favorite teams for the year.

The Good

Memphis- What’s not to love? Okay, the last two years they have fallen short of the Final Four after super regular seasons. Well get ready for the same thing, with the addition of Frosh Derrick Rose they most likely won’t lose a regular season game, certainly not a C-USA game

Gonzaga- Early in their rise I was never on the bandwagon but recently as they have stumbled in the Tournament I have been driving the bandwagon. The return and redemption of Josh Heytvelt will be this season’s theme and he has the good to be among the best big men in the country.

Connecticut- Their 7 freshmen from last year all made it back for their sophomore year including big man Hasheem Thabeet. Junior scorer Jeff Adrien could be the best player in the Big East.

Tennessee- Benefitting from the two most favorable transfer decisions in recent memory; JP Prince played a year and a handful of games his 2nd year at Arizona but transferred to Tennessee and starts his sophomore year over again after sitting out & Tyler Smith an All Big 10 performer last year transferred to Tennessee and received a waiver to not have to sit out a year. Add those two to a lineup that brings back 4 starters including All American candidate Chris Lofton and you could have a Final Four squad in Knoxville.

Marquette- The Warriors..er…Golden Eagles are lead by the most un-talked about backcourt in the country in Dominic James and Jerel McNeal. Coach Tom Crean has a core of solid veterans to go along with his explosive backcourt.


The Bad

Louisville- Pitino has resorted to recruiting the biggest thugs he can find and hoping he can coach them up. The growth of Edgar Sosa and the re-emergence of David Padgett are what people are counting on for this team and I just don’t see it happening.

Oregon- Conventional wisdom says this team will be better after losing only Aaron Brooks their star senior last year. However, I was not all the enthralled with them when they had Brooks, so my chance of liking them this year are slim.

Arizona- Lute Olson is taking a leave of absence and leaving the team in the incapable hands of Kevin O’Neal. Combine that with a shoot happy Chase Budinger and a freshmen shoot first PG Jerryd Bayless and things could get interesting in the desert.

NC State- Yeah they have a ton of talent coming back and they had a good year last year, but I know a handful of middle school coach’s who could out coach Sidney Lowe in a big spot. Good regular season team, but don’t look for much in the postseason.

Kentucky- Now some of you will say this is already revisionist history but I have been off the Cats bandwagon since they basically forced my main man Tubby Smith out. That and the fact that Billy Gilliespie hasn’t made any friends in Lexington with his antics make me think the Cats may struggle. Three of Billy’s least favorite people are his main guards Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and Jodie Meeks, and since they control the bal most of the time it could be a long year in the Bluegrass State.



The All Americans

Dominic James, Marquette- This young man has started every game at Marquette and his primed for a breakout year. He is an explosive scorer in the open floor with a solid jumper and good leadership skills. He has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them to big victories

Chris Lofton, Tennessee- He has steadily improved his game each year, so that being said if he improved this offseason he his hitting half court shots on a regular basis. With other scorers around him this year his numbers may be down, but when the game is on the line the ball will be in his hands and being launched from anywhere inside the arena.

Brandon Rush, Kansas- Last year injuries slowed the super talented soph, but this year back healthy nothing should be able to stop Rush. He is a superb athlete with the ability to shoot the three and drive and finish over people and through traffic. He has the total package and this is the year for him to put it together.

DJ White, Indiana- Strong, physical and explosive are the three best words to describe White. Down low he is almost impossible to stop, and with the help of freshmen guard Eric Gordon White should have less double teams to face which will increase his numbers.

Derrick Rose, Memphis- This guy is special, already forcasted as the #1 pick in next years draft, Rose is just getting started in Memphis. He has a quickness and gear with the ball in his hand that is impossible to stop at his height. This finally gives Coach Cal the go to scorer he has needed to get them over the top.

What're You Looking At?

Let's try the first ever Sherman Ave. Block Party caption contest.

Leave yours in the comments. Who knows? There may even be a prize for the best one.*





Hat tip: Henry Abbott at TrueHoop



* I know. There will be no prize. But please leave a caption anyway. They're fun!

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 9

In honor of the game this week, here are some other new ways the Jets can lose in spirit-crushing fashion:

1) Try to kneel down to kill the final 10 seconds. Fumble the snap, other team recovers to score the winning touchdown.

2) On one of those Trinity-style multiple lateral plays at the end.

3) After throwing the game-losing interception, Kellen Clemens punches my mom.

4) Mangini calls more crappy plays on 3rd and 4th and goal blowing a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute, and then raises my property taxes.

5) After blowing a large halftime lead, they also work to repeal the 22nd amendment and George W. Bush is elected to yet another term.

6) I'm sure there's one even worse than all this. They have a bye week to figure it out.

Filowitz's Friday Five

1) I can’t believe how many people are rushing to defend the New England Patriots’ complete lack of sportsmanship. I’m sorry, everyone, but they are running up the score, and they are behaving in a completely classless manner. Yes, they’re great, but they don’t have to be such dicks about it. Being great and not being a tool in being great is what it means to have class. Once you are up by more than four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, you run the ball, and make the clock move, to hasten the end of the contest. You have won, the game is over, and margin of victory doesn’t count in the NFL (and shouldn’t count anywhere else, but that’s another story.) Some people seem to enjoy this giant middle finger that Belichick is giving all teams in the league. It is smug triumphalism, and is everything wrong with the American character. I hope they pay a terrible price for their douchebaggery. If this were a film about gangsters, soon Belichick would be getting busted by the FBI or shot by a character played by John Leguizamo.

2) Kevin Durant already looks kind of awesome. He’s going to have ups and downs, and like Charles Barkley said last night, “eat a couple of cheeseburgers, brother.” But in two NBA games he’s already shown flashes of being a scorer unlike which we’ve ever really seen. I can’t wait to watch his development. In other news, I’m going to be in Seattle over Christmas, and will be going to a Sonics-Raptors game there. Can’t wait to see him in person.

3) Another player to watch out for this year: Dwight Howard. It looks like he developed a bit more of a finesse game to go along with his already impressive power game. Dude is probably the best rebounder in the league right now, and if he has really added post moves and short jumpers, he will be absolutely unstoppable. Not to mention if he can learn to pass out of double teams, then watch out for Rashard Lewis’ 25 points a game.

4) For good measure, also be sure to watch Chris Paul and Dave West (from Teaneck High, okay!) in New Orleans. And Josh Smith in Atlanta. And TMac and Yao in Houston. And Gerald Wallace in Charlotte. It’s going to be a fun season. League Pass is going to just about pay for itself (not in real money, but you know what I mean.)

5) If the Comedians of Comedy tour through your city, you should definitely go see it. I saw them last night in Chicago, and it was awesome. In particular, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, and Brian Posehn. Really different, creative, intelligent, yet still kind of filthy, stand up comedy. The exact opposite of Dane Cook. Meaning, it’s funny, and not prone to make you want to punch someone in the sternum.

Kris and Dan Answer NBA Questions

Welcome to the fourth installment of "Kris and Dan Answer NBA Questions" here at the Block Party.

Over the next couple of weeks, to get ready for the NBA season (which opened yesterday!) Kris and Dan are going answer a bunch of questions. One question and two responses per post. Pretty straight forward.

This question comes from our esteemed colleague Martin:

Question 4: Can the Denver Nuggets, with a healthy foursome of Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, shock one of the big three (Spurs, Suns, Mavs) in the Western Conference playoffs?

Kris says:

Hummm.....how much do I love the Nuggets? Let's say it in just a few words, not much. Now I will qualify that by saying this, though being a huge NBA fan, I always think every team stinks every year. What don't I like about the Nuggets, everything. If we were playing down at the park this would be the first NBA team I would take, the same goes for the NBA regular season which doesn't mean Diddly-poo. But, as for playoff basketball I am not on the Nuggets bandwagon.

In the short here are a few reasons why; JR Smith, Mike Wilks, Yakhouba Diawara, Eduardo Najera and Steven Hunter. These are some of the complementary players on this beautiful Nuggets roster. Listen, my life revolves mainly around the sport of basketball and I don't know who Wilks and Diawara are, never heard of them. So when Iverson misses a few games this year George Karl is going to turn to Mike Wilks to fill in, thank you, no. Here is what is worse, apparently Mike Wilks has played 214 NBA games over the past 5 NBA seasons. Okay besides not being in love with their bench I have plenty of problems with their starting lineup as well.

Everyone is in love with the fact that Kenyon Martin is back and healthy and that is why the Nuggets are a chic pick. Let me get this straight this starting lineup includes Iverson, Melo, Camby and Martin right? That lineup has the mental stability of a Jenga game aboard a cruise ship in the North Atlantic on an April evening in 1912 (that is when the Titanic sunk). Are you kidding me, a whole season with these nutbags is going to drive George Karl back into the bottle.

No I don't believe this team can keep it together all year, and the explosion is going to be fun. "Man we talking bout practice man." That is the same guy who is on this Nuggets team right? This is sucker-punch Melo right? This is crazy Kenyon right? And coke head Camby right? And you think they can unseat a team of solid veterans like the San Antonio Spurs? Good luck with all that.

No way, no how. I know Martin you love AI but his time is up.

Dan says:

The Nuggets have two of the best scorers in the league in Iverson and Carmelo. They have All Star level players in Camby and Martin. They have some nice other pieces, in Nene, Najera, and Kleiza. They have Chucky Atkins for some reason.

So of course they can shock one of the top teams in the West in the Playoffs.

If the playoffs have shown us anything, it's that a top team can lose to a hot team that gets hot at the right time. Like Golden State beating Dallas last year. Or Cleveland beating Detroit last year. Or the entire 1999 Knicks playoffs run. Or even the Denver Nuggets beating the George Karl-coached Sonics back in the mid 90s, the famous shot of Mutombo on the ground clutching the ball in joy.

If those teams can pull off upsets, or semi-upsets, then so can this one.

Now, this doesn't mean that it's likely to happen, or that it is in fact going to happen. But if it's June and we're watching the Nuggets beat Dallas or Phoenix in a game 7, I'm not going to say that I'd be totally shocked. There's certainly enough talent here to get it done.

If Camby, Martin, Iverson, and Carmelo actually play 50 games together as a team during the regular season? THEN I'd be completely and utterly shocked.