Five Tool Tool - The Sports Blog That Loves You Back

FTT Off-Topic: A Brief And Obvious Point About True Equality

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:43:00 +0000

Equal Opportunity

Not sports, yada yada, it's summer, I'm making it up as I go along.

The woman to the right of this copy is the German actress Antje Traue, who has a role as the mean muscle in the new Superman movie that you could not pay me to watch. The reason why you could not pay me to watch it is that I'm 44, bored beyond words with superhero movies, and care as much about Superman as I do about the Stanley Cup. Just not my cup of mass market; I get that it is for many, and you're not wrong, and neither am I. Let's get back to the point.

The sole interesting point about the latest movie, and Traue here, is that I'm told that she's a villain without any of the usual baggage that girls usually have to take on to be bad. A man did not do her wrong, she isn't avenging a murdered husband, wasn't made that way by Bad Old Dad, doesn't try to use her Feminine Wiles because she's a tiresome rapacious sexual beast, and just happens to be female because bad people just happen to be female sometimes. Especially in superhero movies, where you need bad people, otherwise the movie is even more dull than usual.

Since Traue isn't unattractive or made up to be unattractive, you notice her, which is to say, she's in a movie. There's no reason why her character, I am told, needs to be female, other than if she's not, the movie misses an opportunity to cash in on some very small novelty, much the way that movies with all-white casts are missing out on an opportunity to make something that's more like, well, reality in most major metro areas. (You can't really make her black, by the way, since the story line is that the baddies are master race types. Gotta go German for that.)

I was also dancing around the dial tonight, and caught a minute or two of WWE. (It's a weakness; I enjoy crap.) Tonight, a brunette heel was delighting in her win of a title belt, only to be chastised by the female management figure as to how, if she is to be a true champion, she needs to stop playing to the stereotype of tearing down other women. At which point I kind of lost how the heel was the heel.

No one ever has, or ever will, tell a male pro wrestler that he needs to stop tearing down other men, because that would be plainly and utterly absurd. It's also absurd for women, but not so much as to get the speech laughed out of the room by the WWE's writers. But that's because, unlike movies, the WWE is a lot further away from equality for women, and feels compelled to toss in '70s/'80s style first wave feminism to the mix. That's the stuff where women have to be better than men, because otherwise we're just contributing to negative stereotypes.

Well, screw that.

If you want women to be equal to men, they've got to take on some of the bad stuff, too. They have to get antagonist roles that are cast without gender being the driver or excusing factor. Older and fatter actresses have to get parts, just the same as old and fat men. Some of the roles have to be minor and perfunctory. Many of the jobs have to be tedious and bureaucratic, or forgettable and background. They get to be as present, and ordinary, as men.

They also get to take a superhero punch, or betray and manipulate others before a comeuppance without learning a valuable lesson, putting on a skirt and making less severe wardrobe choices before shunting off to have redeeming meals and/or babies.

And if you don't want to live in a world like that, or think that entertainment that doesn't go that way is somehow degrading and demeaning and dehumanizing, well... I've only got two questions for you.

Who, exactly, are you protecting? And why do you want so many less women to get work?

Top 10 reasons why Pac Man Jones Will Speak, Again, At The NFL Rookie Symposium

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:17:00 +0000

If It's Tuesday, He's Under Arrest

10) The little-known concept of proactive community service, or building up a bank

9) Best way to remind everyone that he's somehow still alive and in the league

8) Has so much to share with young guys about how to keep the stripper trip and Rain Event economical

7) Doesn't remember doing this last year, and won't remember doing it this year

6) Has to fill those tedious minutes every day when he's not in jail, in court, or locked down under curfew

5) It's going to be in Aurora, OH, which is not Cincinnati, so, hey, maybe he's not that big of an idiot after all

4) It's a little known fact that no NFL rookies got in trouble last year, all due to Pac Man's sterling example

3) Troy Vincent is the NFL's vice president of player engagement, and a notorious practical joker

2) Maurice Clarett needed a wingman, and OJ Simpson and Rae Carruth were not available

1) Jones is setting up his resume for the spectacular Act 2 of his American life, where he becomes the most celebrated and cerebral head coach of his generation

A Brief And Obvious Point About Phil Mickelson Losing The U.S. Open

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:15:00 +0000

He's a guy who makes tens of millions of dollars, and pules about paying his fair share of taxes, because he's a terrible human being and worse citizen.

He gets props for caring about his wife and kids, mostly because he displays his wife and kids in public.

He talks about heartbreak, and at age 43, how he doesn't have many more chances left.

Um, boo woo.

He's a professional athlete -- that is to say, a guy whose job consists of nothing more than what he can do with his body -- with man boobs. The only real disappointment of the weekend is that Philly Fan disappointed me by cheering for him, rather than Random British Guy (Justin Rose) who doesn't get a luck bolt from the heavens by holing out an iron.

So Micklewuss chokes yet again, with a terrible sand wedge play and itchy short game, then can't get it in the fairway on 18 to win. I'll say it; he was lucky to finish second.

And a special shout out to everyone who thought a short course couldn't host an Open. No one broke par at Merion, so by the way I look at this, no one won the U.S. Open. But the one who lost it the most? Phil Mickelson, the 6-time Bitterest Loser at the tournament that he wanted to win the most.

Who said watching golf is boring?

Heat - Spurs Game Five: Either I'm Dwunque, Or Manu's Good Again

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:41:00 +0000

Tonight, With Cause

Here's a confession: I don't have a good relationship with alcohol. There's lots of family history with it, and I've never woke up with a hangover, mostly because I always become very aware of That Way Lies Madness, and pull back from excess. So at age 44, I know my limits and don't push them, and since I'm a hobbit (5'-4", 142 pounds), it really doesn't take much to get me, in the words of an adorable French-Canadian quasi-mother-in-law, dwunque. And that's what happened in a random Trader Joe's dinner that I put together, then capped off with port (I love port!) and cheese and chocolate. So I'm all kinds of altered at the start of this one, and happy about it. Basketball is ending, I'm going to Blog Hard to remember everything later, then spend the next three months trying to care about baseball, and praying that there are scandals to fill the bloghole and keep this a lucrative habit. Wee!

Darius Rucker is on hand to sing the National Anthem, and it's nice that he dressed up for the occasion -- t-shirt and jeans. Guess that Hootie money means you don't need to care very much, eh Darius? Mike Miller starts again for the Heat, because, well, he's the better idea. Manu Ginoboli also starts, possibly out of a Gregg Popovich challenge move, and he pays off early with a make on Chris Bosh. The refs blow the call and give the Spurs a gift point; alert conspiracy theorists! Dwyane Wade responds, but Manu feeds for the room service deuce. Wade is enjoying his new found jumper, but Manu feeds Tim Duncan for another slam and hey, it's interesting that he's not sucking. Wow, my lights are bright. And my kid showed up in the middle of the action and distracted me from everything. Perhaps I need to drink more port. Danny Green wins a tip, Manu feeds Duncan and the Spurs look feisty. Green fails to dunk, James does not, and it's 11-8 Spurs. Wade gets away with a walk, Green doesn't get a call but blocks the play coming back, and Bosh ends Manu on a drive. Wade with another make, and this is the kind of ball that makes a man like pro hoop. Manu sinks another three, he's got 8 now, and rumors of his death are greatly exaggerated. Wade to Bosh for a deuce, and Popovich takes a timeout. 16-12 Spurs as we go to commerce, and that's just great hoop.

The refs take away the Manu gift point. Aww, I wanted a conspiracy! The Heat get a make and have a chance to take the lead, but James turns it, and then Green with a terrible airball. Wade turns it back. Duncan works Bosh like a three dollar whore, and yes, I'm still dwunque. James line drives a three and we're tied; all a road team can ask for 7.5 minutes in. Bosh picks up a foul as Boris Diaw waddles in. Manu sits. Parker embarrasses Norris Cole as Jeff Van Gundy praises Mario Chalmers, who is no longer on the floor. Is he dwunque too? One make for the lead at 18-17. Cole's three is a shot put and awful, and Duncan catches low and gets a call on Miller. One make is all, and it's a 2-point lead. Diaw on James, who inexplicably settles for the early jumper and misses. Parker leans and makes; pretty. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra calls time and it's a 4-point lead into the money minutes.

ESPN flashes that the Big 3 for Miami have scored all of their points; hmm. Parker makes two at the line, helpful, and it's a 6-point Spur lead. Wade misses on Duncan's defense, and Parker owns Cole to make it 8. Wade feeds Haslem at the rim, but he fails, and Gary Neal's deuce makes it a 10-point lead on a 10-0 run. Wade misses and the Heat aren't getting a lot out of James right now. Parker is called for the obvious travel and complains about it; the gods of karma will not appreciate that, Tony! Mario Chalmers turns, Neal heaves early, but Diaw saves it, feeds Kawhi Leonard for the stuff, and the run is now 12-0. Do the Heat want this game, or is this another every-other series for them? 29-17 Spurs with a minute left in the first. Shane Battier misses off good ball movement, but the Heat get the o-board and Ray Allen converts; encouraging for Miami. Leonard answers with the corner three, and another Heat miss ends the quarter. Spurs 32, Heat 19, and that's just about the best possible quarter for the home team, and for ABC/ESPN. (Yes, the ratings for this Finals have been good.)

A small and obvious point about the ads: talking babies who crap themselves are no reason to buy a car, and Designed by Apple in California is designed to make me not think about their sweat shop labor in Asia, or their accounting in the world's tax havens. It's not working in either case.

Spoelstra hates his team in the quarter interview; always amusing. Battier makes a corner three, but Splitter runs the floor and slams; Diaw with a block, but the Spurs turn on the other end. James with an airball; this hasn't been his finest hour. The Spurs stretch it to 14 and turn it, but Wade's foot is out of bounds, and that's just good luck for the home team. Splitter turns, and this isn't his best series. Battier misses, but Bosh gets the board and gets to the line as we go to ads. (And my family goes to chaos. Port does not make all of us agreeable.)

ESPN notes that Miami is shooting 27% from the floor; hmm. A couple of Bosh makes in front of a Chalmers foul, and wow, does he have expressive eyebrows. Green makes yet another three off good ball movement for the 15-point Spurs lead. Bosh follow Wade's miss; still not much from James. Splitter with the slow-motion turn. Bosh misses, Green with Yet Another Three, and it's a 16-point game. Shades of Game 3?

Green with Yet Another Three, and he's threatening to put this out of reach. The Heat get back to some equilibrium, and Battier sneaks a possession on dirty play. Bosh with a stop, James with a slam, Popovich irate with cause. The lead is cut to 11 with a quickness, and we're going to have a game after all.

Diaw walks after time out as ESPN focuses on Green. Allen gets a 4-point play on Parker with Parker making a mistake; huge play, and the run is 10-0 Heat. Diaw misses as the Spurs pay the price for playing him. James makes it an even dozen in a 2:03 span. Duncan at the end of the clock stops the bleeding. Wade misses an easy drive. Bosh hacks Duncan obviously, and the Spurs are clearly looking for their Hall of Famer. Leonard misses a three, takes a foul, then gets owned by James. 5-point game as the Series of Runs continues. Green goes to the line as the Heat, and Ray Allen, overplay the three. Green gets two at the line, which helps. James is lightning quick on the post on Green for a deuce, and why he doesn't do that on every trip, we'll never know. Manu with an old-school foul draw and a make. James to the line on a weak call against Green, and karma dictates a miss. Duncan with the low catch from Manu and make; that's all day on early offense. Allen misses and the Spurs look runnerish. Parker misses the corner three, but James misses in transition, then throws a hissy fit. Battier takes a three-foul on Manu, and the idea that he's angry about that is why people hate Duke. Manu with three makes and it's back to a 10-point Spurs lead. Manu's best game of the Finals by far; Popovich with the genius move to start him. Battier's corner three is a big answer; Parker makes over him. Wade right back; just great ball right now. Parker with the early 2-for-1 miss. Bosh miss and Battier gets away with a cheap no-call; again, why people hate Duke, for the surface class and the true dirt. Parker makes on a great drive at the buzzer, and that's the half. Spurs 62, Heat 51, and I have to get my kids to bed. Wee!

I get back halfway through the third as Wade cuts it to four, but Green stops James on a drive -- wow -- and Parker converts. Big swing. Chalmers misses a three, Neal does as well, and James falls heavily, prompting a Heat timeout. It says something to how well Green has played that he got away with that contact. James with the bad corner miss leading to a Parker make in transition, and Tony looks better in this second half than Game 4. Wade responds, and he's not letting up, either. Bosh with the hook over Green, just to remind everyone that he is, in fact, tall. As well as the Spurs have played, they are only up 4 in the third quarter, at home, with James not doing much yet.

An aside: if you still enjoy Adam Sandler movies, please close this browser and do not return to this site. If you like his work and mine, I might have to off myself.

Neal draws a foul on Allen; nice move. Manu can't finish, but Battier blows the three; Miami gets an absurd call on Manu with continuation, and so much for Refs Conspiring For A Longer Series. 7-0 Heat run in the Series of Runs, so Green just makes from half court. Well, not quite, but close. Wow. Manu blocks Wade, then gets lucky to avoid a turn. Manu owns Allen, and this is a throwback game for the ages for him; old-school three for the mini-run. Spurs crowd cheering "Manu!" now, for cause. 7-point lead, and a miss; Manu with Yet Another, and with 14 minutes left, the Spurs lead by 9. Allen nearly turns it, and then Bosh does, as Miami looks rattled by the Manu Revival. Miami ratchets up the defense, but Manu feeds Splitter for a layup, and wow. 11 point lead. Miami turn by Coles and Haslem, as James is once again absent. Manu misses the heat check three. James gets to the line on Diaw and Splitter, but misses one as Diaw leaves; James FT attempts are down for the series, which is what happens when you flop. Manu ends the quarter with a make, Battier misses from half court, and it's a Spurs 12-1 run, 7 by Manu, to end the quarter. Spurs Fan chants Manu; it's 87-75 Spurs, and we're 12 minutes away from Miami having to win both games in South Beach for a title. America has had worse times.

Manu misses a bad three on a worse possession. Haslem with a push off turnover; Heat supporting cast not doing much tonight. Second straight bad possession by the Spurs ends on a Splitter heave that does not draw iron; Popovich waves in the starters. James misses on Diaw; the idea that the Heat are in a game where James is this ordinary, and that James looks ordinary with 22/4, is telling. Manu Again, and he's got 22 now, with 9 assists; wow. This might be the last home game of Ginobili's Spurs career, and he's playing as well as he ever has. Spurs lead by 14 as we go to commerce, and the Heat defense at the arc? Not working.

Wade denied with no call by Duncan. Leonard hits the three, and that might be the kill shot: Spurs up 17 with 10 minutes left. James misses twice, Green once, but Duncan taps it in, and if this were a fight, it would be topped. 19 point lead for the Spurs, timeout Miami, and after 4.8 games of this series, the only thing I can tell you about these teams is that they really don't ever seem to play well at the same time.

James now 1 for his last 9, 7 for 20, and far from the best player on the floor. Diaw fouls before an inbounds with a reaction for the ages. Chalmers misses the karma free throw as ESPN plays the clip of Popovich's life: "Give them some adversity! Pound the stuffing out of them!" Leonard to the line for two makes, and it's 20 with 9 minutes left. Wade misses, and Diaw takes a terrible foul that was obvious from seconds away; Chalmers got away with one. Allen with another 4-point play on a Green foul, and the Spurs seem determined to keep this game in doubt. Chalmers takes his fifth with cause. Green with a floater, now has 21, and Allen answers with the wide-open corner three. Duncan misses on Bosh, and then slams on a Wade feed; 13 point game with 7:30 left. Miami is making this a game without James; not something they've done a lot of recently. Interesting.

The Spurs need a run to keep us from an interesting close. Manu does not drive on Miller, and Parker misses; 7 minutes left, and the Spurs look like they are trying to protect a lead. Miller's illegal screen wipes a Wade bucket off the boards. Duncan owns on a spin and bank; gorgeous. Wade makes over Duncan, and he's been their best player tonight. Manu makes over James, and the teams are trading hoops and taking time off the clock. Leonard steals one, Manu misses, but Leonard gets the board. Parker runs clock, then gets a foul on Miller, and we're not far from Garbage Time Again. 17 point Spurs lead with 5:18 left.

James to Bosh for an easy lay up. Parker makes an absurd flip. Tick, tick, tick. James with the forced turnover, and it's getting mathematically impossible. Parker drives and draws the foul on Wade, because he's smart and stuff. Spurs Fan chants MVP because that's what every local fan with a star does; one make pushes it to 18. Shock troops soon? Wade nearly turns it. Allen with a too-easy catch and 3-point play; it seems like all of his points are on continuation tonight. Parker with another make, and the Heat have no answer for his penetration tonight. James with the old-school three after an uncalled walk. Green misses a three, and then Allen makes from the corner after missing at the rim, and drama is still possible. Parker travels, and it's an 11-point game with 2:32 left. James with the moving screen wipes off a three for Allen, and there's no avoiding the goat horns for LeBron tonight. Commerce.

Spurs turn; Manu's magic may be running thin. Allen with the easy back door cut; 9 point game with 2 minutes left, and the Spurs turn it again. This would be hardcore theft for the Heat. Wade misses a dunk and goes to the line, and the Spurs haven't gotten a stop in forever. He only gets one. Parker saves them with a drive and make. James misses at the tin. Green shoots and hits the three rather than running clock, because he's a callow youth and Can Not Freaking Miss. That is your ballgame, and if there's a player in the NBA that's done more for his reputation in these playoffs than Green, I haven't seen him. He's got 25 three pointers in five games -- good grief, a new NBA Finals record -- and 24 tonight when his team needed all of them. Shock troops in, and James Jones closes the scoring. Spurs 114, Heat 104, San Antonio with 2 chances to win the series in Miami as James gets out of town like he's got to catch a bus.

Manu ends tonight with 24/10 and gets the post-game interview, and if you want to give this to him, fine... but I credit Popovich for giving Ginobili the start, which changed the whole vibe of his game tonight. Spurs Fan has, as their last memory of their 2012-13 team, their sweetest win. Game Six is Tuesday night, in what has to be considered one of the best playoffs ever. Hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

FTT Off-Topic: Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:42:00 +0000

Yes, Yes, Issues

Not sports, yada yada.

Holidays are kind of cockblocked in my house. My birthday is two weeks before Father's Day, so it seems like something of a drag to have a big deal made about you again, so close to the other date. My wife has the same issue with her birthday and Mother's Day, and our anniversary is right in the middle of our birthdays; bad planning, I know. My eldest's birthday is in late April, and the youngest's is in mid-July; there is also an unholy mess of niece and nephew birthdays on top of their dates.

And I get that this happens to everybody; life is like that, especially when you have family. Modern life requires speed, and getting over stuff. But it's still kind of hard to think too hard about this holiday, for, well, another reason.

My own father was what is referred to, politely, as a piece of work. Alcoholic, absent, abusive: he checked every box. He also died a few years ago, and no one found him for a while; it got unseemly. I met him as an adult, took his life as the proper warning and object lesson, and didn't keep contact. So we never really celebrated Father's Day in my household growing up, or ever think about it. Either as a child or as an adult.

And then you have kids, and then they make stuff for you when you are young, or buy stuff for you when you are older, and there's really no way around it; you fake it until you feel it.

For my birthday, my kids got me books from my Amazon wish list. They included "Dad Is Fat" by the comedian Jim Gaffigan, and "Someone Could Get Hurt" by the sports blogger Drew Magary. The latter is the far superior book, because Magary is far better as a writer, and willing to be brutally honest about his struggles with the role. Gaffigan's a very funny man, but Magary's pretty solid as well, and he's just hitting on more touch points.

Tomorrow, the kids will let me sleep late, but there's laundry to do and a lawn to mow. I've also got an 11:30 golf date with a good friend (and fellow dad), which will be my first chance to swing the clubs the Shooter Wife got me for my birthday. And then Ill get back to the house, open some presents, have a great dinner, put the kids to bed and catch Heat - Spurs Game Five. The kids are like their mom; they give me my space when I ask for it, and let me do what I do. Which means that I do more for them. It works out.

Father's Day didn't use to mean a thing to me. It still doesn't, not really. But every day is better now, and worse, because that's what parenting is like.

Taylor Made Love

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:32:00 +0000

Like these, but with hybrids on 3&4

Two weeks ago, for my 44th birthday, the Shooter Wife gave me the gift of a voucher for a new set of irons. She also had them sized down for my hobbit-like frame, which does all kinds of nice things for my mind.

I am, for the record, a terrible golfer; 30 handicap and up from the whites, which is to say barely someone who needs to refer to a handicap. A good round for me is a minimal number of lost balls and not losing all hope that I'm ever going to get better at this. You name a weakness, I've got it: inconsistent swing, inadequate club head speed, hooks and slices and duffs and pop ups. But buried beneath all of those horrible shots and play is the golfer that I feel that I actually should be, which is a 20 handicap. When I hit it right, and I'm in my right mind, the ball flight is straight as an arrow, the arcs are pleasing, and I look like I belong on a course. I like it; I like it a lot.

I've played about 100 rounds in my life, I think. I played a lot before my first child was born, for a couple of years at muni courses in the Philly area, and then got in a ton of play in a few short weeks in southern Oregon, before we learned that the Shooter Eldest was on the way, and money had to be saved and time was no longer free. Now that the kids are older and more independent, and I'm back in a part of the world where golf isn't an unspeakable expense, I've played a half dozen rounds this year, and been to the range a dozen times, twice with the new clubs...

And not to sound like too much of an ad here, but dear God in heaven, the new irons (Taylor Burner 3.0s, graphite shafts to help my yardage issues, with the hybrid 3 and 4 irons) make the game so much better.

Hooks are less penal. Slices straighten out, rather than accelerate into sideways impossibilities. Well struck shots go higher and further, and the hybrid clubs are a lot easier to hit than traditional high irons. With the club head surfaces pristine, I can see off-center ball marks on shots that are still useful. I also have a 200 yard club that isn't a 3-wood, and potential club head yardages that don't make me feel like an old woman.

The better shots make me more present to my swing, more likely to extend my arms, go for the full back swing, rotate the hips and follow through. It's in my head now to be better, and while I have no idea if I actually will be... well, there's options now. And hope.

Beyond, well, taking lessons. Lessons suck. Better gear is much more fun.

Editor's Note: I shot a 111, with loads more good shots, short game misses, and opportunities missed off the tee. The Struggle Continues.

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, and what the Celtics and Lakers have wrought

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:15:00 +0000

Teammates?

I meant to comment on this in the last series, but I forgot the point; a sign that was seen in the Pacers' crowd, "Built, Not Bought." The conceit being that Indiana was in some way superior, perhaps on a moral or ethical level, because the franchise constructed the team in a traditional fashion, rather than the star political work that united Chris Bosh and LeBron James with Dwyane Wade.

Now, let's leave aside the absurdity of the statement -- that how a team's roster is constructed, in a team with a pretty strong salary cap, is more or less ethical than any other -- and just go with the meat of the complaint. To wit, that the way that star players are more or less building their own franchises, in a conspiratorial fashion, is a new and unwelcome method of building a team, since it basically favors the rich getting richer, and attractive NBA cities (those would be the ones with better weather and state income tax situations) are going to always crush less advantaged cities.

Now, two points about this:

1) In a league where two franchises -- Boston and Los Angeles -- have dominated to an extent that is greater than any other league (yes, even more than the Yankees and Cardinals in baseball), and for a much greater period of time, how exactly do we know this is new, and

2) Can't we acknowledge how the obvious trading tank jobs down by the Lakers and Celtics to power their recent championships inspired all of this?

Remember, the Lakers win from the acquisition of Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies, in a trade that was regarded for years as vital to the Laker rings, and a move that stank like week-old fish in terms of competitive balance. Just as the Celtics' rise to glory was achieved in extreme part by the acquisition of Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves and not for very long General Manager Kevin McHale, who is better known for his Hall of Fame career while playing for, um, the Celtics. The construction of these Big Threes more or less convinced James that (a) the game was rigged against a traditional team build, so he had to take matters in his own hands, and (b) if the game was going to be fixed, it was time to fix it back. The past three trips to the Finals, likely to result in two rings and maybe more, prove to the world that, no matter what else you might think of James as a person, he's spot on as a talent evaluator.)

So the story on the World Wide Leader today is that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have been in contact with each other to conspire to be teammates when they become free agents, which happens, um, on July 1. And if you believe in the rule of three, well howdy... Denver's Andre Iguodala just opted out of his deal, so he's free, too. And if I can have those three together, it's one hell of a nucleus, in that a motivated Howard and Iguodala are shutdown defenders, and Paul will make both of them wildly more effective on offense by being the first elite point guard they've ever played with.

Good enough to win an NBA championship? Well, it depends on the rest of the roster and the coach, of course, but I'm guessing no. Two of your big three are liabilities in close games due to terrible free throw problems, all three of those guys are more injury-prone than you'd like, and by the time they gel together, they are likely to be just slightly past their primes as players. All three of these guys have been linked to coach firings, which means that any new coach is likely to be walking on eggshells, which is far from a formula for NBA championship success, either. And, well, winning an NBA championship isn't easy; a rapid infusion of talent is great, but it's not a guarantee. A Paul-Howard-Iggy squad doesn't have either of the best players on the planet (James and Kevin Durant, naturally), will require some significant salary deference in the new NBA landscape, and will need to find a home where this all makes sense.

That's not the Clippers, of course; no one goes to Donald Sterling by choice, and being the second-tier team isn't going to fit this situation. It's obviously not Denver, either; that club is going south with a quickness, and having a players' coach like George Karl run off after a #4 seed isn't going to bring anyone to town. No, there's really only one place where this all makes sense: Dallas.

They've got the ability to jettison contracts to set up the spots. They'll still have Dirk Nowitzki, who's just about perfect as an additional wheel and deferring superstar to make this work. They've got an owner that will spend money, a reasonably stable coaching environment, a full stadium, warm weather and no income tax. (By the way, this all applies to Houston, save for the Dirk issue, though maybe James Harden trumps Dirk.)

So... prepare to hate the Mavs, and to watch some great playoff battles with the Rockets, Warriors and Thunder. And for Laker and Celtic Fan to pule hardest about how this new era of team building is so, so, so unfair...

I feel much safer now

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:31:00 +0000

Seconds Before Reach Around

Today's moment of Blood Pressure Rising comes from CSN Philly and NBC Phila- delphia, who decided to report that the Eagles are implementing a league-wide recommendation to further limit the kinds of things you can bring to a game. With a straight face, and we have to presume, a significant amount of lube.

First, the news, Now, you can't bring a bag that's bigger than your hand, coolers, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, all luggage, seat cushions, computer bags and camera bags.

Why the sudden crackdown? Public safety! Certainly not to grind an extra sawbuck or two from the captive audience that has their stuff confiscated! And to make sure that no one can ever go to a game after work with a laptop, since that's just clearly a spectacular security risk, and something that a wide number of people, well, do every damn day. Or to get people to do the calculus of sitting in bad old seats (I'm looking at you, Green Bay) or buying or renting eight seat cushion a year. That's fun.

(By the way, my outrage and disgust for this nonsense is totally for your benefit, in that I don't ever actually carry anything into a game. Historically, maybe a laptop from work. But you can avoid that if you plan ahead. Baseball would be a lot more annoying. But I'm getting sidetracked; just take away that none of this affects me, and my bile is pure.)

I'd also like to take a moment here to thank NBC for carrying the Eagles and the NFL's water and buying the safety and speed through security excuse. Because there's been such an outbreak of trouble for years now about what fans bring to games, as opposed to, you know, buying stuff at the game to throw on the field.

There's also this: the security folks that I've ran into at stadiums make you long for the speed and efficiency of the TSA. If you give those people less to do, they won't do their jobs any faster, mostly because they are going to be taking more and more stuff away. That generally doesn't go quickly, since each person who runs afoul of the Stasi is then going to have that 5-stage of loss experience as they try to determine whether they can leave it behind or miss the game. Good, good times!

Now, not to make things seem too draconian, they will allow clear plastic bags, one gallon clear freezer bags, and small clutch bags (with or without a handle, so, you know, go crazy on that). And exceptions will be made for medically necessary items. So I suppose if you've got a spinal condition and a note from your doctor, maybe you can bring a seat cushion after all.

And maybe something else to go with that spinal condition, like glaucoma or stress (from living in an increasingly hateful world where your interest in seeing a live NFL game just makes you an all-day target for the most rapacious money-grubbers this side of a casino or amusement park)...

Well, maybe there is a way to get over being angry about these new rules after all?

The A's Get A Signature Win

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:19:00 +0000

Number One In The Hood, G

By mid-June, a third of the MLB season is over, and while we don't know who's going to win -- in that, being a game where the worst team will beat the game 4 times out of 11, we never really know who is going to win -- we do pretty much know who is going to be playing games that matter in September, for the most part. And while you can look at things like runs scored, runs against, advanced statistics, minor league help and so on and so on...

Well, I'm dumb. I like to watch games.

Today, I got to catch six innings of the A's-Yankees game. The kicker being that I turned the game on around 7:30pm EST, or about an hour after the game should have ended. Oakland won with a walk-off in the 18th, after Last Man Pitching Jesse Chavez stoned the Yanks for a walk dozen innings, DH Nate Freiman blooped a single off Mariano Rivera, and the pinstripes left town with no more wins than they came with. Enjoy your lack of timely getaway and broomstick, Yanks. Hope you can recover in Anaheim.

Now, beating New York isn't so damned deadly difficult right now. The Bombers have stayed afloat for two months with a waiver wire job for the ages, having gotten production out of freely available talent like Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner; much of that has been melting away in recent weeks, which is to say, sliding back to regression. They win these days when the starting pitching stays in the game long enough to hand a lead over to a lockdown bullpen, and they'll win later in the year when they get back some high priced talent on offense. Winning games at home against such a team isn't that big of a deal, except, of course, when you do it with style.

Chavez is, basically, a good minor league pitcher. He's been on a bunch of different teams and spent much of his day dancing around base runners. Oakland also had a runner thrown out at the plate in extras, and shook that off to win the game anyway... and, well, while the stats tell you that truly great teams just beat the stuffing out of the opposition, that's not how the year goes. Last year's A's team won a stunning number of games with walk-offs, to the point where they had to think hard about how to assault the game-winning hitter in the post-game interview. The same thing happened for Baltimore. And if you lose enough of these games (I'm looking at you, Philadelphia, with your comatose offense and your DOA bullpen), the same feeling applies.

You need to be good, and the A's are: that's 11 in a row at home to go 2 up in the division. But when you're lucky, too? In baseball, you usually get better.

FTT Off-Topic: The Temerity Of Not Paying For Not Service

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:46:00 +0000

OK, but just don't talk money

Not sports, move along, though that's not real likely, really.

Six months ago today was the Sandy Hook Massacre. I'm not going to call it a tragedy, because tragedies imply narrative elements, as well as sorrow. Tragedy is the opposite of comedy and what we say to trivialize deaths and misfortune. What happens in this country in re guns isn't any of those things. It's just what happens, every day. over and over again, while we furiously do more of the same.

According to Slate, 5,047 people in this country have been killed by guns since Newtown as I type this, which is to say just about 28 people every single day. Sandy Hook just took the nation's daily quota and put it all in one place. It's the only reason anyone noticed it. Oh, and because killing kids is still novel. We were so naive then, right?

This should be a small and obvious point, but probably won't be. I'm also not going to engage in how we actually get to a place where there isn't a massacre every day. I have no actual hope of that happening, because I don't think we're good enough as a nation to avoid it. We hate each other, deeply and passionately, and we want each other dead. With each passing day, we have less and less in common with people who live in other states, more and more Big Fear over the demographic changes, greater certainty that anyone working in public service is venal, and continuing abhorrence of gays. And the fact that other, highly analogous nations -- I'm looking at Australia -- have banned guns and seen dramatic drops in gun deaths means, well, nothing. Because the other side says so. But I digress.

No, the story that I want to focus on is how some on my side -- you know, the side that's so outraged, so galvanized, so moved by the Sandy Hook Massacre that nothing has changed on a federal level since then, despite holding the Presidency and Senate -- are outraged by the idea that the Democratic senators who voted against background checks might not be worthy of continued financial support. Or should be subject to an organized boycott, led by the greatest enemy to freedom ever, a Republican mayor with enough money to think he can actually change anything. (Or improve on our Massacre Every Day track record.)

Why, that turns people into single issue voters! It's blackmail! Heavy-handed! Defeatist, since it just sets up those Senators to crushing losses in the red states! Makes us no better than the other side, who will take back power and... keep everything exactly the same?

You see, I'm jealous. The other side gets their representatives to stand with their cause, even after dozens of children were killed, and 90% of the country favors an issue, because they live in living fear of pissing off their supporters. (Admittedly, many of those supporters are armed to the teeth. And you wonder why I don't have much hope of us not killing each other.)

Yeah, that would be terrible. By all means, don't do the effective thing. Instead, keep coddling and giving money to the people who are with you until, well, they are not.

And while we're at it, can you folks start paying me to post about sports? Say, for the next century, in advance, where I will cover Boston's teams, MMA and the NHL, exclusively. I'm totally good for it.

And if you do give me that money, and I don't do the work?

Well, you clearly will need to give me more, or else you'll lose influence with me.

Play me out, Lady Day...

Heat - Spurs Game Four: Forgot About Dwyane

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Dwayne, Not Dre

Like many 44-year-old painfully white suburban home owners and fathers of two, I like gangsta rap. And the common point between a lot of the rap I like is that Dr. Dre is involved, either as a performer or producer.

'Dre, for those of you who aren't afflicted with my musical tastes, is behind acts like NWA, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. He's nearly as great as he says he is, which is saying something. especially for rap. He's also spectacular at getting paid, but all of that success does nothing to stop him from his most common rap trope; that of an aggrieved parent of the genre who doesn't get enough due for what he's done. "Forgot about 'Dre" isn't just a track, it's a contractual requirement for every album.

Tonight, like many other times in this playoff year, the Heat bounced back from a defeat with a vengeance. And the commonality to a lot of those wins is that it was Dwyane Wade that led his team to a defiant performance, even more than the predicted return to greatness for LeBron James. But Wade was so good tonight, it even got Chris Bosh to be great. And for a third straight game, we got a runaway win that was still good to watch, just because we got to see a player just transcend the game.

In the pre-game, it was all about whether Tony Parker is hurt, or if LeBron James is going to start at center, so that Mike Miller can go for Udonis Haslem. The former sounds to me like hype, and the latter desperation, but it's not as if the Heat should be anything but desperate tonight. The Spurs take the early lead on good energy and crowd support, and Parker utterly undresses James on a drive. LeBron answers by going to the post and getting two quick calls; quite a strong leading indicator to a Miami win, that. Miller is killing the Heat on defense nearly as much as he's helping on offense, and Kawhi Leonard caps the early 15-5 start with a corner three. So far, this is clinical, and the Spurs look unstoppable.

Down 10 and into commerce, Wade and James show some steel and turn the tide. A 6-0 run ensues, and maybe we'll have a series after all. It's contagious enough to get Bosh awake too, and the shortest 7-footer in the NBA starts to play to his height, if not his contract. Just four minutes after being up 10, the game is tied.

Parker dueling James now, and neither man blinking, but Wade is great tonight, and Manu Ginobili continuing his not so secretly awful playoffs is helping the Heat cause immensely. The first ends as Heat 29, Spurs 26, with Wade already in double figures with 10, James with 11. This game is looking special.

Haslem makes a layup, and Wade another, for a 7-point Heat lead. Chris Anderson is nowhere to be seen tonight; curious. Gary Neal takes a charge from James, enhancing it, for a dumb second foul. James gets a board and goes to freight train mode, and Wade gets the Iversonian clearout board and put-back; 20 point swing since the early minutes. Duncan is called for a moving screen as Bosh goes operatic -- that one's fine worthy, and I really wish they could review and penalize flops in real time, since these post-game $5K fines are no deterrent -- and that's the Spurs' 8th turn in 18 minutes. Ginobili gets his third foul, and Spurs Fan is selling the conspiracy stories for a long series already. Duncan denies James at the rim, then lays in a room service assist from Parker. That's such an issue for the Heat here, going against a big who defends the tin without fouling. Parker to Leonard for a key bank shot is just all kinds of pretty, and if this is Tony while hurt, I'd hate to see him healthy. 5 point Heat game, both teams bringing the A game, everything you could hope for as a fan so far.

James and Shane Battier convert and get it to five, and Bats is helping to make the Heat better in the halfcourt defense. Ray Allen's third make pushes it to seven, and Parker gets no call on contact. The replay shows that James is doing his decisive post work, the thing he did that destroyed the Pacers in Game 3. Wade to Bosh is surgical, and showing up every third game makes Bosh heroic to Jeff Van Gundy. Boris Diaw is on, rarely a good sign, but he actually gets to the line, so the end of the world is nigh. Duncan ends Norris Cole on a lay up, and Diaw drains the corner three for an instant five points and change of narrative. I'm not prepared to live in a world where Diaw helps you win a title.

Parker makes a ridiculous shot in traffic, but his attempt to get the tie after a Bosh miss is too hot by half. Allen drives -- doing more of that recently -- and stays perfect. Parker just toying with Cole now, and he's 15/3/6 for the half. Leonard blocks Cole, Diaw scores in transition, and that's a greased lighting 11-2 run for the home team. Just crazy action here, and Parker keeps getting the Heat to sag when he feints a retreat, then just keeps flying past them. Leonard takes a dumb foul to kill clock, and Bosh ends the half by not getting the drive and stuff to count before the buzzer. Funny. 49-49 game, and what a game.

Looking at the first half numbers, the three point shooting jumps out at me: 0 for 3 for the Heat (a lot less than what they normally do) and 4 for 7 from the Spurs, also a lot less than the Game 3 fireworks. Both teams shot 50% or better from the floor, the rebounds and assists were both tied... and both teams had, and lost, 10 point leads. Just a great and wildly entertaining half.

Diaw starts the second half for Splitter, guarding Wade. I'm shocked, but he's got active hands and helps them get a tying possession after another tough love James make. Wade and James somehow don't finish in transition, and the Spurs go back up. Bosh clicks, then Duncan totures Miller, but Leonard misses from the arc. Miami gets a free possession off a blown call, and Wade takes full advantage with the old-school three. That gives him 17, gets Duncan's second, and looks like the guy who has won rings before... but Leonard scores on him as Wade collects his third, and his fourth comes on a block attempt on Duncan thirty seconds later. Erik Spoelstra keeps him on the floor anyway, which might be the coaching move of the series so far. Mario Chalmers misses and Duncan does not, and Wade gets it back. Diaw misses, but Miller gets whistled, and this game is just on a knife edge right now.

Great back and forth as Bosh blocks two shots, Danny Green denies Wade at the rim, Duncan swats James and I don't want to blink from all of that. LeBron's catch and swish gives the Heat the lead again, and a peeved Popovich timeout. That was a crazy two minutes, and just huge defensive effort all over the floor. Great, great ball.

After commerce, Green gets his second three to rattle home, but Allen replies on a great feed, and we're in many lead change land. Chalmers gets a three for his first points in San Antonio, and a Miller block lets James leak out for the dunk. For a guy with back problems and little lateral quicks, Mike Miller makes a lot of plays. Tornado 7-0 run, and James is well on is way to a huge night. I get that Tiago Splitter hasn't been good tonight, but the lack of a second shot blocker isn't helping the Spurs.

Duncan makes two free throws, just to show that no weakness in his game will be allowed to persist. Bosh scores off a LeBron miss. Leonard adjusts in the air and gets the old school three on Bosh's foul, his third. 16 minutes to go, Miami up by 3. The third quarter ends with Miami looking like they might finally get some separation, but the Spurs drain shots from the arc to stay in range, and it's 81-76 Miami.

In the fourth, Allen and Neal trade threes, and that's it for 3+ minutes, as the defense continues to astound. ESPN shows the defense numbers as Splitter makes free throws, but Wade's left hand make is crazy good, and then he steals a ball, evades two defenders and flushes for what might be the signature play of the night. Wade now with 5 steals, 26 points, and that was spectacular. Duncan banks one, but Wade won't be denied from the mid-range; he now has 30. Manu misses, Wade feeds Bosh at the rim, and it's 11 in a hurry, and the crowd sounds funereal. Duncan drops 2 FTs as James continues to rest. Bosh now with 18/10 and 2 blocks, and he gets another steal. 11 point Heat lead with the ball, and we're 6:04 from a tied series.

After commerce and the inevitable Wade highlight reel, Wade feeds Bosh for another two at the line; the lead is 13. Parker misses in the lane, and while it's overly simple to put this on him, he has no points in the second half. Wade soars and scores, and if that guy keeps showing up, Miami's unfair again. Duncan gets to 20, but James answers for his 25 and 26th points. Popovich pulls Parker with 4:27 left, and no one in the NBA concedes better or faster. Duncan turns it for the Spurs' 18th. Spoelstra pulls Wade, and Bosh dives and steals one for the Gritty Highlight.

Chalmers kicks one as Popovich goes all the way to a Nando De Colo sighting. Manu's so far down, he stays on the floor with De Colo, Matt Bonner and the rest of the Tracy McGrady-esque crew. Spoelstra keeps his starters in, because he's paranoid and wants to keep Ginobili down. It says something that Popovich goes to the shock troops despite the game still being theoretically in range -- 12-point game with 135 seconds left -- and two days off before the next game. The last two minutes close out with James, Matt Bonner, James again, Cory Joseph and James one more damned time to end it. Heat 109, Spurs 93.

Miami is now 6-0 after a loss, with each win being by 10+ points. James and Wade combine for 65/17/8, and if you want to throw Bosh into the mix, it becomes 85/30/9. Perhaps they were offended by those comparisons to Leonard, Green and Neal? That was like watching tanks against cavalry. Spoelstra never pulled his starters, and the Heat never played like they had a lead. They might not be the best team in NBA history, but they've certainly got the best ability to flick the switch after a loss, and they've got home court again.

Game Five now becomes a must-win for San Antonio, and since the Heat are prone to mailing in games they don't need, it wouldn't shock me if they get it. But after 11 straight games of the Heat winning every other game, that pattern has to end sometime, doesn't it?

A Brief And Obvious Point (and Questions) about Dodgers v. DBacks and Zack Greinke

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Not His Year

"If he doesn't do that, he loses a lot of respect in the clubhouse. It's more dangerous for him not to do that than to do that." - Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, about starting pitcher Zack Greinke hitting Miguel Montero in retaliation for DBack pitcher Ian Kennedy hitting Yusiel Puig

Um, Don?

I realize it's been a long season, and you are under a lot of stress, what with the fact that you've been pretty much avoiding your GM for weeks now in the hope that if he doesn't find you, he can't fire you, and Puig might just make everyone forget about firing you in the first place.

But, um, might you remember what happened to Greinke the last time he got involved in festivities? That ended with Carlos Quentin breaking his collarbone.

And did you see what happened to Greinke the next time he went to the dish? That looked a little dangerous there, too.

So, Don... two quick questions.

1) Which Dodger is going to mess Greinke up if he doesn't throw at the opposition? (My money is on Andre Ethier. He seems to have plenty of free time to do Donnie Baseball's bidding.)

2) What degree of damage is going to be done that trumps a broken collarbone and getting thrown at by the opposing pitcher?

And one final point...

After the Dodger-Giants fan ugliness of past years... and the Dodger-Padre kerfluffle from earlier this year... and the back and forth snarkiness with the cross-town Angels...

Well, um, what exactly has gotten into the NL West and Dodgers, anyway?

Top 10 takeaways from Jason Peters' drag race arrest

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:43:00 +0000

Guess where I found this image?

10) On the bright side, resisting an officer by flight implies that he's really recovered from those knee issues

9) He would have totally gotten away with it, but the special horn that he had on his car that plays "Dixie" failed to fire, which meant the gorge jump failed

8) Louisiana police have now arrested Peters twice, which still puts him two behind the average for black men in Louisiana

7) If you are old enough to remember Jerome Brown, this incident really isn't as funny for you

6) Peters drives a white Camaro, which is kind of touching, really, in that at least he's supporting a U.S. auto manufacturer

5) To be fair, drag racing in Monroe, LA counts as one of the smarter and more culturally advanced things you can do in town

4) The arrest happened early in the morning on a Wednesday and Peters wasn't charged with a DUI, so that's good news, I guess

3) Fleeing the cops is totally smart when you are 6'-4" and 340 pounds, because how could they profile that, really

2) If Peters was dressed like an extra from "Road Warrior" or "Death Race", this could have been the best story ever

1) In all seriousness, expensive and aging starters for a 4-12 team with a new coach and GM really don't need to provide additional reasons for release

Julius

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:28:00 +0000

Julius is 63.

Now airing on NBA TV after a month of ads, it's "Doctor", the long-overdue documentary of Julius Erving, one of the most beloved basketball players ever. In it, you get to see some of those rarely seen clips from the man's glory days in the Rucker Park playgrounds and the ABA. And if you are anything like me, your eyes will pop at dunks and moves that happened in a time that hardly seems possible now.

It is, of course, a bit of a whitewash, but that's what happens with all of these documentaries. And it is, of course, completely worth your time, if only because Erving is one of the five most influential players in the history of the game.

(He's also, of course, the player that made me love hoop more than any other sport, and my childhood hero. So I'm not really the most skeptical of audiences here.)

I grew up in a household where I was the only one who cared about basketball. That's pretty much still the case. As the youngest and smallest child in a house of people who reacted to losses with profanity and anger, having a sport that was more or less my own was a relief... and those Sixers teams were just a joy, especially if you were a little kid. Darryl Dawkins broke backboards! Lloyd (not World B., not yet) Free took crazy shots and sometimes made them! Doug Collins and Henry Bibby were super gritty! And so on, and so on. And every game, Doc would do something that made the announcers whoop like little kids, and make me wish I could dunk more than, well, anything. (Or even just palm a basketball. Doc's hands were as absurd as the rest of him, really..)

Here's another thing: it's not exactly news or something to dwell on, but I grew up with a lot of racist people, in a very racist time. My immediate family avoided slurs and were relatively decent, but extended relatives would say hateful things pretty often, and to kids... and it always, always, always bothered me. I suppose they all had their excuses -- we were poor and perpetually afraid, and as such more than susceptible for blaming someone else for our problems -- but I had friends who didn't look like me, who I didn't want to lose. Watching the Sixers was my little moment of rebellion, of decency.

And talking to them about Doc was something that always worked. We all wanted to be him. Hell, I wanted to just *talk* like him; that deep voice, those full sentences, that calm and cool and assurance. And I got one other, very big thing from Doc: the idea that the way the game looked mattered, nearly as much as who won.

This is, of course, a ridiculous thing to say. Erving only wins one championship in his NBA days and as such, isn't given his due as one of the very best small forwards ever. His career NBA line of 22/7/4. shooting 50% from the floor barely scratches the surface of what made him special, but a pure stat head would wonder if his 6'-6" 200 pound frame and gambling ways on defense might have made him overrated. (The advanced metrics are actually kinder than you'd think.)

I don't remember any one on his teams, with the exception of Bobby Jones, Caldwell Jones and Mo Cheeks, being particularly cited for their defense. Doc doesn't score more than 18 points a game in the playoffs after age 32, and he turns it over 3+ times a game, so those assists are coming at a cost. I always thought, as a kid, that he wasn't getting enough help, and if Dawkins or a perpetually injured Collins is the second best player on your team (note: not turnover machine George McGinnis), you really don't have enough help... but the real story might be that he just wasn't as great as I remembered. On his championship team, he might have been just the third best player, given that Moses Malone was the absolute horse, Andrew Toney shockingly good at the off guard, and Doc was 32 with a million minutes on his legs, in a time where no one had any ideas about nutrition, conditioning or fitness work. There were fat guys in the NBA then, lots of them, really. Doc's just good compared to his era, right?

And then you watch the clips, and all of that noise goes away.

I don't remember him ever puling for calls from the refs; keeping his class and cool was more important. For all of the dunks he threw down, he didn't take many hard fouls; guys bodied him, of course, but not when he was at risk. He didn't bury his coach, or talk about not getting enough shots, or missed practice or got in the news off the court. Part of that was the era; Doc clearly felt the need to be a leader all the way back into his ABA days, and following the Jackie Robinson approach was clearly the way to go as a '70s black athlete in a team game. He also seemed to feel like he needed to keep a league with serious PR issues afloat by remaining as decent as possible, and accommodating to the media. And other than the Larry Bird fight (as if Bird didn't live to antagonize everyone on the planet that didn't share his uniform, and talked more garbage than anyone else in the league), I don't even remember him showing much of a temper.

An aside about Bird: I know, intellectually, that he was a better player than Doc. I know that, looking at the numbers, his otherworldly passing and ability to stretch the floor were better assets to his team than Doc's transition game and dignity, and that the only real way to argue for Doc is to say that his best years were spent in ABA obscurity, or playing with weaker teammates. I also know that if you grew up watching and idolizing Bird, you grew up watching a monomaniacal spoilsport, a perpetual red ass, and the biggest trash talker of his era. Perhaps that did you some damage, made you more of a team than the game, or more about other people losing, than your team winning. Perhaps it did me some damage, make me accept less too easily, made me overly concerned about winning with class, gave me an out for not giving everything to a cause.

But I do know this: If Bird had never won a championship, the players of his generation would have been glad and grateful. Doc's the only guy you ever hear opponents say they were glad when he got a ring.

Here's another little known fact about Doc: along with the playoff losses to the Blazers, Lakers and Celtics, his lack of a temper is what kept him from being truly beloved by the area sports fans in his own time. Even in their Doc led heyday, the Sixers were the fourth most popular franchise in town, behind the Phillies, Eagles and (yes) Flyers, with not a small amount of racism involved in that, too. College basketball at the Palestra was more important to the area, and the town always wanted to see its heroes sweat, curse and flail. No one wants to admit this, but Pete Rose and Larry Bowa were far more beloved than Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton, and the Sixers had attendance issues until Charles Barley and Allen Iverson came along. Erving, one suspects, was seen as a more graceful version of Wilt Chamberlain to the folks in town; supposed to be the best, but no rings, so let's direct the anger at him.

But there's more to the game than who wins and who loses. There's the way it's played; the purity of movement, the aesthetic of the jump shot, the way that a fast break develops, the extension of Julius' arm as he'd soar, dip and conduct the ball through the hoop.. I will put my half dozen hard wired Doctor J highlights in my mind against any number of ring ceremonies and frat boy parades for Celtic or Laker Fan, not just because it's all I have, but because it's all I need.

It's been 35 years since I stayed up late to watch games on tape delay and see Doc walk the baseline and make that up and under over Kareem.

It was 30 years since I saw him rise over Michael Cooper and put eternal proof to the idea that there ever was, or could ever be, a Doc Stopper.

26 years since a 36-year-old Doc, in his last home regular season game at the Spectrum, dropped 38 on the Pacers in a 4-point loss that seemed more appropriate than a win.

25 years since I got a bootleg copy of Erving vs. Bird on my Commodore 64; 24.9 years since I had worn the game down so much that Doc only beat Larry 256 to 0, with dozens of shattered backboards on Larry's sad head, and an entire game in which he never got a shot off, what with all of the blocks and steals.

It's been 12 years since Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue like a roach, after a charmed two months of cupping his hand to the ear to make the crowd yell louder.

One year since Andre Iguodala put a career of late game failure aside to charge down the court after Omer Asek's missed free throw, and will his desperately limited team past the shattered Bulls.

And when you ask me why I love hoop. and why I'm a Sixers fan, still... it's those moments.

The documentary has a lot of them.

So go watch it.

And at the very end of it, when you see the man's weathered hands reach to the net and stretch, then cup the ball, dribble, and rise enough to still throw it down, at age 63...

Well, that's one more moment.

Top 10 takeaways from Heat - Spurs Game Three

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:50:00 +0000

Oh So Scowly

10) It's pretty much a given at this point that Kawhi Leonard is the league's real MVP

9) Being near, or being, Mike Miller just makes every three point shot go in

8) Tracy McGrady actually got to play in a Spurs win, that's how out of hand this game was

7) You and I shot as many free throws in this game as LeBron James, and we all deserved that many shots, really

6) It's really not fair that the Spurs dressed Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Danny Green and Gary Neal's uniforms tonight

5) For everyone that goes mental over closing out quarters, the Spurs did that with prejudice in the second and third

4) Dwyane Wade's bone bruise is a very handy excuse for the fact that he pretty much can't shoot any more

3) Gregg Popovich finally said the words that every coach should say in his in-game interview: "I can't tell you that"

2) I'd say something about James' game tonight, but that would involve effort and aggression, and that sort of thing just seems so passe, really

1) Miami is 5-0 after a playoff loss, with every win by double digits, which is a lot more encouraging stat than the fact that they are 5-5 in their last 10, all of which were against teams that are either good and/or using their starters

Heat - Spurs Game Three: Take Back Your Beatdown

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:24:00 +0000

If history is any indicator, the winner of this game wins the series, which is one of those statements that becomes more true with, well, ever succeeding game in the Finals. But it really could be true here, since a Heat win would have taken back home court, requiring a trip back to Miami, and more or less tell the story that the Spurs' win in Game One was nothing but the Heat having fatigue issues after surviving the Pacers. A Spurs' win tells us that they've got home court and mean it, and that the size and coaching advantages are going to keep bearing fruit. Oh, and speaking to coaching? The Heat didn't take practice on their travel day or today. I'm sure that had nothing to do with their relative lack of intensity tonight, right?

In the first, the Spurs race out to the early lead, as per the usual script for such games. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker do the damage, and the Heat ball movement doesn't look nearly as crisp as usual, but their effort is there for now. Manu Ginobili's first touch is encouraging, but so is Mike Miller's. It must be nice to save a rotation player until the final two rounds of the playoffs. With the refs turning a blind eye to a possible LeBron James charge on Ginobili before a transition dish and make, we're back to neutral with a quickness.

More Matt Bonner tonight than expected, which is to say, any. Dwyane Wade looks spry early, as does Kawhi Leonard; the first goes down as another in a surprising number of quarters in which he gives his team equal or better production than James. The refs give the MVP a slip and fall in a post up, then Norris Cole makes a rainbow jumper for near equity, before Ginobili hits Gary Neal for the straight away three. James answers to Birdman Anderson for the flush, and this is great ball right now. Manu feeds Tiago Splitter -- he's alive after that block after all! -- for a dunk. Ginobili's only real bad play comes at the end of the quarter, where he runs clock and doesn't make a good enough pass to give Danny Green a shot at the arc. At the end of the first, it's Spurs 24, Heat 20, and for the eighth quarter out of nine, neither team is very much better than the other.

Leonard picks Cole, then gets the foul to boot. Splitter and Leonard get o-boards but no rim love, and Leonard takes his second , which isn't going to help. James misses the jump shot you have to give him, and then Neal hits his second three; 7 point Spur lead. Moving screen on the Bird and the Spurs have a chance at some separation here. Neal can't get the roll and Splitter can't get a call; Spur Fan is right to scream. The refs give Green a get-even call on James, and that's worrisome. James misses a long bad three over Splitter, and if I'm the Spurs, I'm thrilled that he's taking that; it's the kind of shot that demotivates teammates. Commerce finds the Spurs with the ball and a 7 point lead.

Bonner misses the room service three, and if he's not making that shot, there's not much reason for him to be in the game, though keeping Boris Diaw out is a help. (But remember, Jon Barry said Diaw would be very important in this series! Mostly because the bench gets very unbalanced when he's not sitting on it!) Chris Bosh only gets 1 for 2, and the Heat's prowess at the line is often a leading indicator of whether they are focused or not. Bonner misses from the baseline as the Heat decide Green deserves more attention than him. Bosh hits the mid-range, and the Spur offense has stalled. Cole's baseline three after a hurried Splitter put back miss makes it one again. Bonner shocks the world by driving and shooting, getting a call. Wade with an awful miss; Green drains from the baseline, and it's suddenly six. Jeff Van Gundy calls out Wade for leaving Green, correctly. This man is making himself some money in the Finals.

Ray Allen with an o-board and putback; bad moment for Neal, probably the last one he had tonight. Mario Chalmers picks up his third foul halfway through the second, and that could be telling, if only because it could add to James' fatigue level from chasing Parker, and Wade's not nearly as good as he once was in subbing at the point, mostly because no one fears his jumper. Duncan converts inside for the Spurs' biggest lead at 8. Wade gets two back at the line; he's been Miami's best player this half, not that it's saying all that much. Neal gets Miller to parachute past him on a ball fake, then cans the easy one. James misses, Duncan boards, throws the fundamentally perfect 70 foot pass, and Leonard drives and scores for the Spurs' first double digit lead of the series. That was just pretty, and the way the Heat are buying into what the Spurs are selling -- long jumpers from inside the arc on weak rotation -- is kind of amazing. This is as relaxed as I've seen a Heat opponent be in some time.

Duncan turns it to kill the Spur mo, but gets it moving again with Miller's first. Neal drains his third three of the night, and he's the Designated Danny Green so far tonight. Miller's corner three from Wade is a championship response. The Spurs overpass, with Duncan missing an easy one and then falling heavily and not getting up. Long commerce for cheap drama.

Manu turns it, leading to Wade to James for the auto deuce, but not as pretty as usual. Another turn, the Spurs' 8th. Green gets the weak call on a Bosh miss in the lane, and the karma gods ignore his two makes. Ginobili misses a three they needed, and Miller drains his third; 10-0 run by the Heat. Cole fouls Parker so obviously that even the Spurs' point guard gets the call. Wade goes old school to tie it, and then Parker hits a degree of difficulty baseline three for the lead. James runs clock, gets blocked by Green, and Parker finds Neal at the buzzer for a huge three. Big swing there from a possible tie to a 6-point Spurs lead, all when everyone can dwell on it for a good long time. Heck of a half, and looking at the game in retrospect, this mini-run at the end of the half might have been huge.

The teams trade points early, then Green hits another from the arc -- are all of the three point shooters going to crush this game? -- and such is the level that the Spurs are playing at tonight, that any miss seems like an opportunity for a run. It starts to feel like a runaway for a little while before Miller hits his 8th straight three -- good heavens -- to get it back to 10, and that was immense, given how bad the Heat were looking there. Wade clangs one, and Leonard is bailed out on a foul on Bosh. Leonard with a steal, feeds Manu for the flush, 14 point Spurs lead and that's just brilliant ball.

Parker heads to the locker room just to make Spur Fan stop screaming with joy for a moment. Leonard does the job on James again, and Neal finally misses, but Duncan tangoes with Miller and saves the possession. Leonard with the 3 to make it a 17 point game, and it's clear to everyone now that he's been a *lot* better than James; he then adds in a steal for funsies. James commits to the rim but misses, and that's the second straight game he's started 2 for 12. He's also not getting to the line for cause. Wow.

Impossible make by Neal out of timeout; the lead is 19. James misses again, Leonard does not, and the third quarter wilding is on the other foot tonight. In slow motion replay, you see just how out of it the MVP is in this game; a drive without purpose or decision, no threat to finish, getting it back after a near turnover and then shorting an open baseline floater that never had a chance. When he's right. that's a flush or a trip to the line early in the play, and a bank shot or pass on the latter play. Tonight, it's just a mess, and in over half of these Finals so far, James has not even won his matchup, let alone been the best player on the planet.

Cole saves the Heat after a terrible possession; you have to like his game, and wonder if he's the Heat's future in a post-Wade world. Cory Joseph -- no, seriously, Cory Joseph -- then gets the latest steal on James and finishes. Who needs Parker? Well, the Spurs; James hits a three and reminds everyone in the building that an 18 point lead with 13 minutes left is not insurmountable. Manu gets to the line and misses one, and James gets another. Smoke on the horizon. Manu's three is a bad idea, and James boards, then gets it back in the lane for 7 points in a row. Cole steals it, Allen feeds James, and Manu stops the end of quarter collapse narrative by finding Bonner at the rim out of a trap for the slam. Once again, the Spurs own the very end of quarter to stop a run. At the end of three, the Spurs lead 78-63, and they've won every quarter tonight.

Popovich with the best answer ever in a coach's interview: "I can't tell you that." Love this man. Parker returns and seems to be moving well. Neal ends a terrible possession by just crushing a 30 footer. Ye gads. Wade from mid-range is a mess, and Neal just hits another; there is smoke coming off him now. Wade misses so badly I wonder if he should be on the floor, and Green gets his own o-board and putback for your garden variety 8-0 run in 87 seconds to push the lead to 23. Garbage Time awaits!

Miami is shooting 7 for 12 from the arc. They are only minus 2 in turnovers. And they are getting absolutely waxed.

Cole turns it, Leonard stuffs and Parker's sitting, because Popovich is too smart to risk him. James gets no call and barely any backboard; Green swishes a three like he's Stephen Curry. No one on Miami wants to shoot, so Wade drives and flips it in. Green after chaos hits yet another three, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is either proving a point to his starters or in shock by this full-on wilding. Wade and then Allen makes, followed by a James run out and slam, and one of the reasons why I love Pops is how angry he takes timeouts when his team plays badly with a big lead. 94-71 with 7:47 left.

The highlight reel shows just how good the passing has been, along with how disgusted Spoelstra is; if this keeps up, the Spurs might actually become popular. Bosh gets a block that should have been a goaltend, so Green just hits another 3; that's just comedy, honestly. 15 threes and counting for the Spurs now. Wade blocks at the rim, and the only real worry I'd have as a Spurs fan is that they're going to get three-happy in future games. For the first time that I can remember in these playoffs, Tracy McGrady gets in a game the Spurs are going to win; he passes to Splitter for a dunk, gets a board, then feeds Green for yet another three. Good Lord. Popovich empties the bench while up 31, and for the second straight game, the series that seems so even well, isn't. Green and Neal combine for 51 (!), which is about 31 more than anyone could expect.

With five minutes left in the game, ESPN does what they do best: speculate without facts about the storyline of the next game, this time about Parker, and then talk about anything that isn't in front of them. (Tebow!) McGrady racking up stats and even moving well, but the shot stays out and DaJuan Blair (speaking of another guy who plays for a lot of teams) gets on the board. San Antonio PA going to full ZZ Top in-game as Van Gundy scours his notes for a Turning Point. Um, dude? The Heat's leading scorer has 16 points and is -29; that'd be Wade. The Spurs might be winning the second half just on their threes. They are going to win by 30+ points in a game where Parker, Ginobili and Duncan combine for 25 points. If anyone says they saw this coming, they are filled with San Antonio River Water. After several minutes of back and forth and smiles for Blair, Patty Mills and Bonner, it's all over. Spurs 113 Heat 77, a new Finals record for threes made, a 2-1 series and this couldn't have been more surprising.

Game Four is Thursday; I'm sure the Spurs would prefer it we played a double header right now. Miami has been incredibly resilient all playoff long -- 5-0 by double digits after a loss -- but this was clearly their worst loss of the season, and maybe the James Era. They are also .500 against Real Competition in their last 10 games, and not making anyone remember that 8-1 start against the sad-sack Bucks and Bulls. See you in 48 hours.

Top 10 reasons why the Patriots signed Tim Tebow

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:11:00 +0000

How about No Back?

10) The NBA Finals were having an off-day, and ESPN called in a favor

9) Finally gives the team that all-important outreach to heartland fans and social conservatives, beyond the team name and grating self-righteousness

8) Coach Bill Belichick is a master motivator and really wanted to get the confidence of his team's secondary up

7) Gives the team the critical insight it needs to stop that juggernaut Jet offense

6) Want to make sure that Tebow has a job in the NFL longer than Rex Ryan, so he's totally a lock for that 90-day lease

5) Punt team just wasn't explosive enough

4) Tom Brady needed a good laugh, and someone strong to carry his bags

3) New England doesn't have tabloids or a strong media presence

2) Josh McDaniel cried and cried and cried, and totally promised he'd feed and water and walk him

1) Um, it's a mid-June signing of a guy who may or may not make a final roster, so let's not set the Internets on fire here

FTT Off-Topic: You And Your Fancy Internet

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:13:00 +0000

Tube Me Baby

So the non-sports moment to stick in my craw today is a grouchy column in the NYT, then commented on my the swells who write about media in my online advertising newsletters so that I can't possibly ignore it. The central conceit of the piece is that the Internets aren't all that important or meaningful or great, since all it goes is distract and trivialize and keep us from doing More Important Things, since hey, cat video and porn clickie clickie clickie.

Now, three quick points about this.

1) Given what has happened to the middle class in this country during my adult lifetime, let alone the student debt burden being loaded unto our young people and their parents... um, you want people distracted. You want them getting very into Facebook, locked into their PlayStations and XBoxes, tapping on their phones and basically getting as distracted and sidetracked as humanly possible. Because if they aren't good and distracted, they are going to get angry, and focused, and probably way too damned dangerous.

2) I can tell you this, with utter and complete certainty: we have lost no great pieces of art, no stunning musical compositions of utter genius, no brilliant novels or transcendent careers in business or politics or sports or any other pursuit where the best of the best become famous for doing what they do.

Those people aren't playing games, or clicking on cat videos, or watching a half dozen hours of television per day or, basically, living any form of like that's very much like the one you are living right now. Genius, for good or ill, is not distractable; it is focused and monomaniacal and driven and devoid of all kinds of basic humanity. Which makes it quite troublesome to live with and prone to very, very big swings and misses, along with the moments of genius and all. But true genius isn't lost in the weeds that easily. It's the great mediocre and below that won't stay on point.

3) Finally, this. What happens to your business when the Internet is out? I can tell you what happens to mine; it more or less ceases to be a business. Computers without connectivity are doorstops and paperweights. My day to day is spent in conference calls, screen shares and IMs, working on Word files and Powerpoints and more, and when the Net isn't working it's basically a snow day of suck.

And I get that my job isn't the same as everyone else's, but an awful lot of office work jobs are.

So, finally.

I get that we need to fill pixels with things that get clicks. I get that clickbait is a necessary part of every online balanced breakfast. (Hell, there's going to be another Tebow list on this here blog real soon, because my kids need bagged cereal, and Tim Tebow lists equal bagged cereal.)

But seriously, doesn't working for the best newspaper on the planet involve you filling the wordhole with something that's above a rejected Slate pitch?

FTT Off-Topic: The Rich Aren't Like You And Me. They Are Much, Much Worse.

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:31:00 +0000

Can't you just move to Dubai already?

As usual in such matters, not sports and writing for my own amusement. Like it or not.

There's a story in the NYT today -- and no, I'm not going to link to it, it will just spike your blood pressure, the way it did mine -- about how theme parks are joining every other aspect of America in going to a tiered model of pricing, where the swells in the audience are given the opportunity to pay more and have a superior experience to the likes of, well, you.

Universal Studios Hollywood, just in time for the summer high season, has rolled out a $299 VIP ticket that gets you valet parking, breakfast in luxury lounges, special access to the back lot, a fancy lunch and -- this one's the kicker -- unlimited line skipping.

Now, I've just been to Universal, in April, in Orlando. I had a decent time, as I've got older kids that are right in Universal's wheelhouse of post-Disney fun. We were able to get a deal on tickets from the place we stayed at. We went for 3 days over the course of a week in the area, and pretty much did everything there was to do. I might recommend it over Disney, seeing how Disney is more money for a base ticket.

But now, I'm not going to do that. And, well, I'm probably never going to go there again.

Why? Well, it's not due to a hatred for theme parks. We've been to Knoebels a half dozen times and will probably go a half dozen more, but that's more of a day trip. I tried to make it to Cedar Point just a few weeks ago, and was only stymied by child illness. The Shooter Eldest just went to Six Flags a week ago. Wildwood and Ocean City and a host of other places are probably in our future. And so on.

It's not due to a lack of money. We're not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination (click on some ads and change that!), but I make decent coin and can afford a little bit of recreation here and there without falling too far behind in the plan to save for the kids' college funds.

It's not even due to an unwillingness to say no to the kids, or to lay down the law on spending. They each get allowances, and if they want something, they're expected to spend their own cash, rather than come begging, or do without.

Rather, it's this. There's only so much that you want to subject yourself to situations where you feel like an ass because your bankroll doesn't compete, or your willingness to set money on fire is limited. It kind of takes the fun out of it.

Also, I'd rather my kids weren't exposed to awful people. Whether they have money or not.

At Universal, we were on line for the Jurassic Park water ride (which is pretty great) when it ran into technical issues. We were close to the front when it happened, so they gave us a line skipping receipt to use, like the VIPs get. And I felt like a tool for using it, and for undermining the central point that I was making to my 7-year-old when we used it -- that theme parks are fun, but you have to be patient and wait in line a lot.

Just like everyone else.

Except, um, for those people over there. They paid more. More than us. A lot more than us. And a lot more than everyone else on line.

No, honey, that really doesn't seem fair. And as I've told you many times, life isn't fair. If it were, you wouldn't live in the best and richest nation on earth, never really go hungry or cold or stay sick for lack of medicine, always have clothes and toys and pets and your own room or so on and so on.

And your eyes have already glazed over as you look at the people who don't have to wait on line, and Daddy kind of hates them now, and the park that lets them use their money to be such unrepentant scumbags, to the point where he feels bad for taking you here in the first place, and wants to key their cars and set things on fire and yes, the line seems even longer now, doesn't it?

As I said, It kind of takes the fun out of it.

So we're not going.

Hopefully, other people won't, either.

Which would fix the whole line problem in the short run, and the whole rapacious corporate decision in the long...

Since there just aren't enough rich douchebags to keep these places open.

And, um, finally, this.

There are places where the rich get everything they ever want, never have to encounter people with less, and are catered to constantly.

Mostly while under armed guard and constant surveillance, since they live in fear that the lower classes will, you know, up and kill them.

Like they have, over and over again, throughout the centuries in region after region of the world.

Weapons are cheap. Security is expensive, and has to be perfect, and nothing in this world is. Rub people's nose in their poverty enough, they make bad choices. For them, and for you.

Perhaps developing a sense of propriety might be an idea?

Top 10 takeaways from Spurs - Heat Game Two

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:04:00 +0000

Tiago's End

10) After what LeBron James did to Tiago Splitter, George Hill doesn't feel so bad

9) Since Tim Duncan didn't shoot well from the floor in this game, he must be suddenly and irreversibly old

8) This game got so far out of reach, even Tracy "Gregg Popovich's Defeat Cigarette" McGrady got to play

7) This was Miami's fifth win after a playoff loss, all of which have been by more than 10 points, so it's clearly a bad idea to make them angry

6) Tony Parker shot four free throws tonight, or about a dozen less than he'll shoot in Game 3

5) You know this wasn't a very good game for James because there were enough loose balls around for even Chris Bosh to get to double digits in rebounds

4) You can watch a lot of basketball and not see a game with 13 lead changes and a 35-5 run

3) Shane Battier hit a three pointer and really earned his Participant ribbon

2) Joey Crawford officiated a game with 31 fouls, 28 free throws, no technicals, no flagrants, and no extended peep show camera time, just to show that he can

1) Seriously, no one is going to remember anything about this game that isn't that absurd block by James on Splitter

Spurs - Heat Game Two - Clear Air Turbulence

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:26:00 +0000

After the James block

Every time I take a flight, I'm a little amazed when people get up and casually wander around the plane. I get up when I have to, in that I'm not going to soil myself, but the people who just get up to stretch or walk or whatever just throw me. Haven't they heard of Clear Air Turbulence, or realize that they are in a metal tube that's 30,000 feet above where monkeys are meant to be, and that at any moment, the plane can fall or rise fast enough to cause, well, life-changing damage, and possibly the most awkward conversation ever at a funeral? Sit the hell down. Do not mock the Plane Gods. They can hurt you real bad.

Game Two of the NBA Finals was the clearest resemblance that I've ever seen to Clear Air Turbulence, with said Turbulence being personified as LeBron James. We had a game that was back and forth, with the Spurs staying close due to the contributions of their role players and three point shooters, and James having one of the worst games of his playoff life... and then the game changed with a vengeance, and the Spurs found themselves scraping their brains off the ceiling. But let's build up to that.

We are now contractually required in all sports to show you pre-game choreographed dance routine with call and response. Miami does theirs with Dwyane Wade. Woo! Wade also seems to be saying that he needs to be more aggressive. Have you ever heard of an athlete needing to be less aggressive? Me neither. Being aggressive must be like being awesome; one can never be enough of it. I fully expect to see, in my lifetime, some NBA player to just come out swinging a steel chair at his opponents, just to show He's Most Aggro. Anyway, I digress.

The Spurs started the first quarter skittish, but the Heat couldn't take advantage, and Danny Green's early threes staked them to the game's first lead. Miami fought back with Chris Bosh and Wade are, but Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan were solid as well, and whenever the road team gets past the initial burst of emotion from the home team, that's a win for them. There's also a solid lack of LeBron James so far other than the final make; credit Leonard. By the end of the first, neither team lead by more than 5, we were tied at 22, and you can now turn on your devices and move about the cabin.

Gregg Popovich is polite with Doris Burke; not nearly as much fun as when he's rude. ESPN makes this all about the Spurs turnovers, which seems premature, but random and tied isn't a story that the World Wide Leader In False Narratives is going to tell, so there you go. Mike Miller's first shot is a three and a make as Mike Breen notes how Shane Battier doesn't exist any more, and Miller's renaissance that started in Game Six of the Pacers series appears to be for real. The Heat defense is hardcore, and Norris Cole's make gives the Heat a mini-run. The Spurs erase it with a straight on Gary Neal three, and that's 5 of 7 from there. We're now into the fifth quarter of even or better game for the road Spurs, and just from judging the game play, it was hard to tell which team is desperate for the win, and which one is supposedly just happy to get a steal.

Tiago Splitter blocks Bosh at the rim as the teams trade effort defense; big effort all over the floor in the second. No player with multiple fouls, so once again this game isn't being dictated by the refs, at least not in the most obvious sense. Manu Ginobili caps a 10-0 run from the arc, and the Spurs benefitted from Tony Parker not getting a call earlier in the play. Chris Anderson finally stops it with a FT make. Ginobili turns it and takes his second foul, and he looks bad with the ball tonight. Anderson with a stuff, but Parker gets on his horse and finishes; wow. James gets back in the game and makes from distance over Splitter, and it's a 2-point game for commerce again.

Mario Chalmers shows skill in a give and go with James, but Parker makes yet another. James finds Ray Allen at the arc for the lead, so Parker just makes another banking drive. The MVP isn't enjoying his usual shutdown effect on defense when he goes on Parker, part of which is because the Spurs are spectacular on screens. Ginobili takes his third as the game goes on the see-saw; Allen again. Parker to Duncan for the settling bank and lead. Wade in the lane, and that's six in a row for Miami. Parker owns James on a drive, but can't get enough behind it, and Wade eventually converts in the paint for the 3-point Miami lead. Crowd fully engaged, so Parker gets to the rim and sets up Green for the wide-open three and tie. Wow, wow, wow. Parker is playing unreal ball so far, and gets a turn on Chalmers; it's answered by Parker actually missing on a drive, but even that works out as James elbows Duncan for his first foul. We go to commerce with Jeff van Gundy puling that elbows to the head should be no-calls. This just in: Jeff van Gundy doesn't think anything is a foul, and this level of analysis is never tiresome. Game moving along swimmingly, just one more reason to love this series so far.

Duncan short rims one and Chalmers sticks a three; he's looked good tonight, and now has 10. Parker makes the Spurs' 7th turnover of the first half; too many for them to win. James hits Wade with a laser for the make and a 5-point Heat lead. Miami gets away with a foul on Parker at the end of the clock, and the Heat's ability to force long possessions is getting intense. Another turn ends the half, with James getting the rim on a halfcourt heave that wouldn't have counted. It's Miami 50, San Antonio 45, and while the Heat lead only came late and isn't very major, it's telling to me that they are finally getting some turnovers, and the Spurs are behind despite hitting a bunch of threes.

The halftime analysis is all about James and his lack of production, rather than noting how the Heat had only three turnovers and are getting production out of many sources. Udonis Haslem falls hard and gets praise for it; Parker misses a FT, and the subsequent Bosh make gives the Heat the biggest lead of the night at six. Duncan's miss drops him to 2 for 8, but James misses a lane runner that he normally makes, then blows another easy chance in transition as Green cagily pulls the chair on him. Parker misses in the lane as the refs show another Home Team Needs Game Two moment. (Your ref tonight is Joey Crawford, which really isn't a good thing.) James gets away with a charge on Green as the Heat start to get separation. Popovich pulls Parker, but Leonard gets a board and make off another Duncan miss to stop the run. Leonard, Duncan and Splitter combine to bully the Heat on the boards, and then Splitter's block on Wade leads to Green's fifth (!) three pointer; it's a one-point game. The world will little note, nor long remember, this little flurry, but when Miami had the chance to push this to double digits with Parker on the bench, the Spurs' support players -- Leonard, Splitter, Green -- stemmed the tide on the road. Not what you'd expect, really.

After the too-late Erik Spoelstra timeout, Bosh from mid-range is answered by Leonard from the arc, and we're tied again. 10-2 run for the Spurs in 2 minutes. Wade draws Duncan with veteran craftiness, but misses both; free throws are a deteriorating part of his game, along with anything that isn't a drive to the hoop. Duncan angrily whips a ball off Bosh's leg after a bad entry pass, then clangs a mid-range jumper. James is now at 6-4-2 in 27 minutes, which is becoming The Entire Story, really. Leonard makes, then misses the FT. James takes his second foul on a moving screen, and this is as ineffective as he's been in some time. Duncan and James add a miss to their woeful lines, but Haslem gives us yet another tie. Super ragged possession by the Spurs ends with a Green turnover and Popovich looking snarly with the ball. Chalmers makes a defensive tech to break the tie. Wade and Bosh combine for an ungainly bank, but Ginobili threads it to Duncan, who slams with as much rage as you will ever see from him. James is denied at the rim by Green (!), and then the UNC product makes another shot from the baseline. I can't believe I just saw that.

And in retrospect, this might have been the worst thing to happen to the Spurs tonight, in that this was when James flipped the switch, and the Spurs started looking for seat belts.

James flops after an o-board and draws Green's second. Chalmers owns Green for an old-school three and 2-point Heat lead; just constant back and forth here. 15:43 left in the game as commerce happens and ESPN prepares the Danny Green Highlight Reel. Neal lets one go through his hands; James answers with his own turn, and Anderson adds a foul for good measure. Ginobili does the same, and Allen ends that circus with a three and a 5-point lead. Duncan misses and the crowd's smelling blood as Chalmers feeds James for the acrobatic leaning make; unfair. The Spurs don't panic, as Duncan works Anderson in the post and gets one make, then Leonard gets the board for a Parker floater. All of that work is erased by James feeding Miller for the three, and the sense that Storm's A Coming rises. Parker misses and gets the board, then hits the deck for another no-call. Duncan turns it ugly after Ginobili inbounds it to him, and Chalmers answers with the and-one. The FT make gives us our first double-digit lead of the series (!). Ginobili's three stays out, and Duncan's baseline make is post-buzzer. At the end of three, it's Heat 75, Spurs 65, and for the first time in seven quarters, Miami looks like, well, Miami. The defending champions.

Spoelstra, in the post-quarter interview, defends James' play as just part of his multi-dimensionality; this dimension would be known as Getting Roasted Alive As a Choke Artist If His Team Were Not Up By 10. Parker airballs it on defensive pressure, and a James make, then pass to Miller for the three makes me think garbage time is coming. 15 point Heat lead. Neal bricks a panicky three, and I'm not sure why he's getting burn with Green on the bench. Chalmers with a make as Popovich continues to eschew the timeout; it's not helping, though Van Gundy thinks it's manly. Um, the lead is 17 now, you idiot. Chalmers blocks Splitter, James converts, and now we finally get the timeout. 19 point game, and we have achieved Garbage Time. But not Brain Injuries. That came soon after.

Neal with a jumper to try to convince the national audience to stick around. Anderson with two makes wipes that off the board. Splitter gets Anderson's fifth in 14 minutes, and the Spurs don't seem to be a good match up for him. And then James has the highlight of the game (series? season? decade?) as he straight up rejects Splitter's dunk at the rim. It ends in an Allen three, because, well, why not. The Spurs look like an opponent about to have his spine ripped out in Mortal Kombat, so James obliges with a steal, then collects the over the shoulder pass from Miller and dunks it as we go into Full On Globetrottery.

Remember when we talked about the Spurs not being able to withstand the A+ Heat Game? Well, they are getting it tonight, especially in the second half, and the lead is now 24. That just ended the game. Hell, it just may have ended Splitter. (An aside: Tiago Splitter is a legitimate 7-footer. He's internationally trained and experienced, strong and secure with the ball... and he just got absolutely obliterated while dunking. You know when guys talk about getting served up with a facial? What James just did to Splitter was a thousand times worse, and is going to be shown a few billion times over the years. 30-5 Heat run. Wow.)

Popovich concedes. No, seriously; Tracy McGrady is on the floor, and T-Mac is Popovich's Defeat Cigarette. The remaining minutes are at preseason speed, without any dumb physical fouls because the Spurs have actual class, and lots of people who won't take any shots of importance this year get some numbers. Why they didn't just end this thing after the James block, or why Spoelstra didn't take Popovich up on the offer and pull all of his starters too, I don't know, but whatever gives van Gundy a chance to fellate McGrady works, I guess. Matt Bonner and Shane Battier hit some shots and smile, so maybe they'll both get into a future game. Probably not. And that is that.

The final was Heat 103, Spurs 84, and the next game is Tuesday. I have no idea what kind of game we'll get. Remain buckled.

Andy Pettite Wins His 250th. Is 250 the new 300?

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 07:09:00 +0000

40 and Winning

Today, Andy Pettite had a day for the ages: he picked up his 250th career win on the same day that the team that has defined his career, the New York Yankees, drafted his son, Josh. By getting his team past the Mariners, Pettite raised his season record to 5-3, lowered his ERA to 3.82 and his WHIP to 1.26... which is to say, more or less his career levels.

Now, it's not real likely that Pettite is going to get to 300 wins. He's only thrown 258 innings since 2010, having taken 2011 off, and the DL trips are not going to get less frequent now that he's on the south side of 40. By his career norms, he wins half of his starts, but that's down to about 44% in the last five seasons. since you don't exactly let a senior pitcher go deep into games. So he'd need to make something like 113 starts, or take the ball every turn out through this year, then go all the way through 2016. It's possible, but this is a guy who has made over $139 million in his career; he's not exactly hurting for cash. You'd have to think that he's going to need something more like 5 years to get there with injuries, and that's also assuming that someone's going to keep giving him an opportunity all that while. (And yes, the similarities between him and Mike Mussina, who stopped at 270 wins and $144 million at age 39, are pretty potent.) The number of modern starting pitchers who took the bump for 23 seasons pretty much begins and ends with Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Jim Kaat and Tommy John... and none of those guys had Pettite's injury history. (Even John, for whom the surgery is named, as a workhorse, really.)

Pettite is, of course, the active career leader in wins: only two other guys (Roy Halladay and Tim Hudson) are over 200, at 201, though CC Sabathia isn't far behind at 197. No one in the top 10 is really racking up wins right now, and you pretty much have to go down to Justin Verlander at 132 to see someone who doesn't look less than 2-3 seasons away from retirement, unless you are buying into Barry Zito at 164. (Me, not so much.) And if you were to tell me that there will not be another 300-game winner for the next 20 years, I wouldn't be surprised at all. I'd also hope that we can somehow get past the idea that wins are important as a realistic measurement of pitcher value, but honestly, that kind of stuff is just too ingrained, really.

There are 24 men who have reached 300 wins in their career, but with the exception of the compromised Roger Clements, the freakish Randy Johnson and the otherworldly Greg Maddux, the names are as loaded down with deadball guys as people you've might have seen. But if you take the standard down to 250, you only get 47 guys for the 130 years of organized ball -- and it's not like these names are pikers. If I have one game to win, I'm more interested in giving the ball to Bob Gibson, at 251 wins, then I am to Cy Young at 511.

So, getting back to Pettite. He's going to the Hall, assuming that we can get to a point where anyone who has any contact with PEDs can go. (And if they can't, we can pretty much shutter the Hall now.) The post-season record sends him over the top. But in the future, I'm wondering if we don't just make a bigger deal out of 250.

Or even 200, which has only been done by 113 guys...

The New Sixers Coach: Embrace The Unknown

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Come on down, New Coach!

This is probably weeks, if not months, ahead of when the actual hire will take place, especially since nearly a quarter of the league has openings right now and this might be the least attractive of any of the openings, but it needs to be said.

The next Sixers coach should not be George Karl. Or Larry Brown, or Lionel Hollins, or Nate McMillan, Mo Cheeks or any other Big Name that might sell tickets to utter fools and/or give the franchise's remaining 38 fans delusions of a playoff run in 2013-14.

Rather, this. The next Sixers coach should be known to, well, nearly no one outside of serious basketball circles.

This isn't a quick job, folks. Other than point guard Jrue Holliday and tweener forward Thaddeus Young, there isn't a major piece in place right now, and if you want to cast doubt on both of those guys as being top 10 in the league at their relative positions, I won't argue with you. Starting center Spencer Hawes is soft and erratic, and a guy whose NBA destiny will be to disappoint any franchise that brings him in. Your shooting guard last year was Jason Richardson (old, hurt, never more than a useful role player. The small forward or shooting guard was Evan Turner, the mixed bag of meh who can rebound and handle the ball... but can't really defend, shoot consistently, or keep his head in the game, especially when the refs don't sign off on his slip and falls. The final starter was a rotating slopfest of Damian Wilkins (surprisingly useful but utterly pointless), Lavoy Allen (put it this way: he makes you long for Hawes), Arnett Moultrie (some moments in limited minutes, but greener than grass and will probably be exposed with more time), Dorell Wright (a three point shooter who's been buried by three franchises now, none of whom made the playoffs) and Nick Young (talented but clueless, and an obvious liability when the jumper isn't dropping, and he doesn't shoot for a high percentage).

Note that I'm not even bringing up the guy who was supposed to be the best center in the East. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't play basketball any more, which is, well, absolutely on the nose if you look at actual games.

The team doesn't have a high draft pick. Even if it did, this draft class looks weak anyway. It doesn't have a ton of money to throw at a free agent, or reside in a state with no income tax (a la Florida and Texas) to get an additional boost for pure mercenaries. There's no crazy ownership that's ready to flout the salary cap, influential superstars who can put together a cabal, history of success with international markets or innovation. The building isn't a difference maker, and while the history and fan base are proud, that doesn't really matter at all to current players. It's a major market, but as the playoff success of this year's teams show, major markets don't really matter, either.

I'll go further. If this team goes to the playoffs next year, it's probably a *bad* year. Because NBA teams, especially ones with this little obvious starting class talent, don't come together in a year. Or maybe even two.

So what the Sixers need is someone who doesn't just have the ability to coach up young talent, but someone with the stamina, commitment and long-term job security to take necessary losses for, well, a good long while. Someone who plays Moultrie over Wilkins, who doesn't slow down the tempo to live with his team's current fitness level, and who is willing to try personnel that might actually work out despite, well, not looking like the classic idea of basketball players. (Which is, to say, the point of hiring new general manager Sam Hinkie, who comes from the Houston stat experiment environment, and has the stones to call last year's big trade a failure. Which is right up there with calling water wet in terms of a startling admission, but when you are a Sixers fan, you take what you can get.)

There isn't an established NBA coach around that should sign up for that.

Which means that if you get an established guy... we're gong back on the treadmill we've been on ever since Allen Iverson was at the height of his powers. Twelve years and counting on that, by the way.

So, to recap. If I've heard of the next coach of the Sixers, it's a bad sign for the franchise.

If they win as many games next year as this year's terrible team, it's a bad sign for the franchise.

And the new savior is the old second-in-command of a team that, for all of the good they've done, haven't gotten past the first round of the playoffs.

Such a fun team to root for, no?

Top 10 reasons why the Nuggets fired George Karl

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 05:29:00 +0000

No, Seriously

10) Feared that he wanted an extension, or as other employees might call it, money or job security

9) The track record of Coach of the Year is that you get fired in 18 months, so this is really just the Nuggets being 17 months ahead of the curve

8) Only won 57 games and the #3 seed in the West with a roster filled with guys that, statistically speaking, should never be allowed to shoot anything but lay ups and dunks

7) Really felt that he wasn't getting the most out of the untapped potential that is Kosta Koufos

6) Personally blame him for JaVale McGee's lack of court savvy

5) Karl's GM is now with Toronto, and the NBA is clearly now like when a signed rock band lost its A&R guy in the '90s

4) Karl is 62, has never won an NBA championship, and desperately needs to go coach the Clippers so that team can become an even bigger fraud

3) Didn't seem to hate Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for ending his team's season nearly hard enough

2) As the behavior of NBA teams in this off-season has shown, there is the teams that go to the Finals, and every other coach can hit the bricks

1) Weren't buying this whole transparent cancer survivor sympathy ploy

Top 10 takeaways from Spurs - Heat Game One

noreply@blogger.com (DMtShooter) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Neither should shoot threes

10) It turns out that rust really isn't a big problem for a franchise that has won four previous titles, each time after a long layoff

9) The Spurs turned the ball over once per quarter, which really seems like something the Pacers should have tried

8) Just because Chris Bosh has made some three pointers doesn't mean that he should take three pointers

7) LeBron James has to be irritated that this Danny Green never showed up when they were both in Cleveland

6) ESPN's Jon Barry talked in the pre-game about how important Boris Diaw was going to be in this game for roughly more than he actually played

5) For a smart and well-coached team, the Spurs sure do seem to leave Ray Allen alone outside the three point arc a lot

4) Tony Parker seriously annoyed the Globe Trotters by stealing their fall to a knee, get up again and make an impossible shot routine

3) The Heat only got to the line 17 times tonight, against the Spurs 18, so you can probably expect that number to double after they spend the next 2 days working the refs in the media

2) Tracy McGrady was a DNP-CD tonight after pre-game speculation that he was going to retire after the season ends, which just goes to show that Gregg Popovich can not be so easily manipulated

1) When you close off a team on the road with suffocating defense while taking near pristine care of the ball, that is called winning, not stealing, the game