I find it funny when folks are so damn certain of what’s going on in the world. I on the other hand have no clue most of the time, but pretending sure is fun.
Perry Mason, Paul Blart, Phil Jackson, and Dog Mountain
Yeah, about that posting often thing….whoops. I’ll try to update more frequently:
- Don’t ever let anyone tell you watching Perry Mason is a bad idea. Judge Sonia Sotomayor apparently watched it for hours. From this timeless television program she learned that being a judge could be pretty sweet. Now she is just an inevitably long, tedious, controversial judicial appointment away from being one of “The Nine.” I better start watching something random like “The King of Queens” and maybe it will have a transformative impact on my life. Check that; that might just transform my waistline.
- Speaking of transformation, Chris Andersen (AKA “The Birdman”) is playing his way into the hearts and minds of Americans. Seriously. My roommate hated the man more than a fat man hates losing a piece of cake, but an ESPN video feature had a big impact on him and a lot of folks (I’m just guessing here). It’s hard to ignore the all-out effort that the Nuggets are putting forth in the playoffs, and Andersen is their tattooed gelled haired cheerleader. His story is the ultimate underdog story (in the same way that Sonia Sotomayor is an underdog, albeit an underdog with a degree from Princeton and Yale). America gets behind the underdog, especially when the overdog is complacent and complains about everything under the sun.
- That being said, this series of course isn’t close to being over. The Lakers have shown a propensity to “flipping the switch” when it matters. Can they do it again? They have two out of three games in Staples. So… yes they can. But if JR Smith and Denver’s bench plays up to par tonight that switch might not matter. Well, there are a lot of ifs: If Carmelo is healthy and plays like he did in Games 1 and 2, If Nene continues to harass Gasol, if George Karl doesn’t blow a late-game coaching decision…yada yada yada. I’m not sure I trust Denver enough to see all those ifs through.
- One switch that already been done switched years ago for me is the “I dislike Phil Jackson switch.” The Zen Master has long since become The Big Excuse Machine (to use Shaquille O’Neal’s nickname format) or The Big Jerk, or The Big No Credit-Giver. TJ Simers of the LA Times had a delightful chat with Phil after the last game. Could you imagine living with Phil Jackson? I bet he’s great at making excuses about menial tasks like taking out the trash or leaving the toilet seat up. I’m tired of this act Phil. You are the Lakers. You don’t have to deal with bad officiating for the most part. You are the beneficiary of it. It’s like the Queen of England complaining about the Feng Shui in Buckingham Palace. What’s your point here, suck it up. You have Kobe Bryant. Simers makes a strong argument that this series is over already, but I hope we see a Game 7 with both teams playing at their peaks.
- Mo Williams, where are you? This is not the All-Star from the regular season. I was at the Dishman Community Center yesterday talking to one of the guys about the Magic-Cavs series. I said if Mo goes for 25 the Cavs win. Obviously he did not. The NBA’s (and Nike’s) dream matchup of Kobe v. LeBron could still happen, but someone (anyone!) on Cleveland is going to have to show up other than the King. I’m not sure it will matter anyways unless Lebron goes for 50-60 in one of the next few games. Orlando’s role players are doing what they should do; hit timely threes, rebound, and just make plays. LeBron is fighting with one hand behind his back, and he ain’t no fencer.
- Going back to “The King of Queens” from earlier….please don’t see Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Now, that might seem like an obvious statement, like “don’t hit yourself in the face” or “don’t lick that fencepost when it’s 20 degrees out” but trust me. There is nothing good about that movie. It’s unwatchable. Kevin James is great at stand-up, but bad at everything else.
- Bryan Cranston would probably excel at stand-up. Bryan Cranston is such an amazing actor that he might’ve saved Mall Cop if he swapped places with Kevin James. Anyone who watches Break Bad understands what I’m talking about. Just last week’s episode…wow. I am constantly amazed at how many people have never heard of Breaking Bad. It’s the best show on television. I don’t want to ruin it more you if you haven’t seen it, but please find a way to catch up. Just 20 episodes. Do it.
- The picture below is from Dog Mountain. The lady and I went on a glorious hike on Memorial Day. I’m constantly amazed at the outdoor opportunities we’re afforded in Oregon and Washington. I’d never heard of Dog Mountain, but I highly recommend it to all Northwesterners. I had a moment yesterday that put that luckiness into perspective. While working out I chatted with a great guy named Chuck. Chuck has horrible degenerative lung issues. We were getting to know each other and talking about life, and somehow my hike came up. He sounded genuinely jealous and said “Man you have no idea how much I wish I could go on a hike.” That’s one of those moments when I feel guilty about my lack of appreciation for what I have. If you can do it, go on a hike today. More tomorrow.
NBA fans are deeply embroiled in the thrilling Houston-LA and Orlando-Boston series. But today is an off day, and unfortunately there is some news to report. One of the NBA’s good guys left us.
Wayman Tisdale. Dead at 44. Cancer.
Jazz aficionados might not love Tisdale’s post-NBA career; his smooth jazz records were a commercial success. Indeed, Tisdale even had some billboard hits but he wasn’t exactly critically acclaimed. The fact is Tisdale’s music introduced him and his big smile to far more ears than his nifty left handed hook ever reached.
He was a success in his post basketball years. Tisdale was a devoutly religious man. He truly talked the talk and walked the walk in his humanitarian efforts.
That’s part of the reason it hurts so much to see him leave.
The NBA is no stranger to the disaster story (Bobby Phills, Malik Sealey, Bill Ray Bates) so it’s disheartening to see another chip fall, and in this case a man who played the game with a huge heart and a bigger smile. He packed so much into his post-NBA days too. It’s hard to wonder what good he could’ve done with another 20 years, but cancer didn’t allow us that chance.
I remember Tisdale’s smile from my youth, from my first NBA game. I was probably seven or eight. Growing up in Medford Oregon I was obviously a Blazers fan. Those were the days of the Rick Adelman-Drexler-Porter Blazers, so tickets were hard to come by. Kings tickets were a different story.
So a caravan of elementary school soccer kids and their fathers set out on I-5 south and ended up at Arco Arena. The nosebleeds never felt so sweet.
Those Kings weren’t exactly going to knock your socks off. Olden Polynice, Mitch Richmond and Wayman Tisdale don’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents. That’s not a list of all-time greats. But even back then I remember Tisdale’s smile, and his joy of the game. I even remember his baby left hook. I don’t remember the outcome of the game, but I’ll never forget the experience. I was already on the road to being an NBA lifer, but a junkie was born in the nosebleed seats that day.
Wayman was a small part of that, and I always remembered his distinct name and followed his career. His cancer diagnosis a couple years ago came as a shock. The NBA will miss their soft-playing sax player and soft-spoken man. Here’s hoping that this generation of NBA players take a page from the Wayman Tisdale playbook. Don’t give up on life once that jumper desert you, or the rim seems too high to touch. Find another way to contribute.
I’m not sure if Sports Illustrated still has their “This Week’s Sign That The Apocalypse is Upon Us” segment going. Perhaps they do. If so, this demands to be in the next issue.
The little boy who was in Big Baby’s way went crying to daddy. Daddy was happy to try and seize his fifteen minutes.
Ernest Provetti told the Orlando Sentinel that he wrote the NBA office demanding an apology from Davis for acting like a “raging animal with no regard for fans’ personal safety.”
Really? Couple of things bother me here. Raging animal? I don’t know if the father would be saying that if Brian Scalabrine made the game-winner. The use of “animal” is cringe-worthy at best. Big Baby shouldn’t have to apologize for being excited. Hell, it’s refreshing to see an athlete be so excited. It shows they actually care.
In Hubie Brown speak:
“You’re Glen Big Baby Davis. You just hit the game winning shot on your opponents floor. You’re excited. You run around like a kid. You also bump a kid who is standing virtually on the floor. Now, you weigh 280 pounds. You just hit the biggest shot of your career. You most likely didn’t see the kid, didn’t feel the “collision” and there’s nothing to it. Move on.”
Thanks Hubie.
Hey, kid: sorry your Magic lost. There’s your apology.
I’ve had a whirlwind two weeks or so, but I’m back on the firm fertile ground of North Portland. I hope to keep it this way for at least 6 days. Much has happened as of late. I’m going to attempt to post more. Digest.
- Whether I return to the world of journalism or not, I’ll always be able to say, “I interviewed that guy before he was a superstar.” I can say that about a few folks, but in this particular example “that guy” is Ashton Eaton. That guy is really really good at throwing and jumping and running. So good that he’ll need another trophy case. Here’s to hoping that guy stays humble and true to his Central Oregon roots.
- Admittedly it’s difficult to watch the NBA Postseason without the Trail Blazers in it, but I’m starting to pay attention again. Story-lines abound:
- “You Better Know About Me.” That’s apparently what Big Baby was yelling to the Magic fans last night. Oh Baby, we know about thee. I can’t help but like you Big Baby. You’re comfortable in your own skin. You’ve been screamed at by KG until you wept on the bench. You’re a big boy who often misses wide open layups, but Baby, you just keeps on coming back! You’re a joy to watch, and nobody can really dispute your boundless enthusiasm last night. Well earned.
- I think I know what happened to Michael Rapaport. Brian Scalabrine packed on a few extra pounds…I think he ate Michael Rapaport. I’m just saying, Rapaport was a dynamo in the NBA All-Star game festivities. Maybe Scalabrine got a little jealous. There’s only room for one sweet-shooting ginger on America’s hardwoods.
- The Denver Nuggets are not a likable cast of characters for the most part. JR Smith and Kenyon Martin I’m looking at you. It’s not the tattoos or the bravado either. Okay maybe it is. I just don’t like this team. But Chauncey. Oh Chauncey. Chauncey Billips is the exception to the Mile High Rule. The Nuggets are flying so far below the radar right now they might as well not be in the postseason. I am not one to count out Mr. Big Shot when it comes down to crunch-time. The Lakers have historically had little trouble dispatching the Nuggets. If LA can get past Houston (a big if) I think Denver is up to the challenge this time around.
- I wish I cared about the NHL. The Ovechkin-Crosby thing should be must-see TV for me. I used to care. The Forsberg, Sakic, Roy trio years ago made hockey fun. Why don’t I care?
I’m back from a thoroughly enjoyable trip to LA. I ate so much tremendous food that it’s hard to categorize what ranks highest on the deliciousness scale. Hell, it’s hard to remember everything I ate. But apparently the eat-and-drink-whatever-you-like diet is working wonders. At dinner last night a good friend claimed I looked like I lost 20 pounds. I think I might be on to something. Here’s a breakdown of food and experience on the trip.
- This is a #19 at Langer’s. Sam and I went there Friday morning. The concept of ingesting more food afterward was sickening. We wandered around the eclectic neighborhood surrounding MacArthur Park. My embarrassment about not knowing Spanish has never been more pronounced. It’s on my to-do list, folks.
- Venice Beach has canals. That’s one of those “ah-ha moments.”
- I was in LA on a weekend when the temperature didn’t hit 80 and the smog was so minimal you could see the mountains every day. Makes a Northwestern want to move there. Almost. The world’s most powerful Brita water filter can’t transform LA water into my tap water in PDX.
- I sat next to what I can only describe as the black Abe Simpson on the 30 hour ride home. I mean that in the finest sense of the word. Don is a hilarious gentleman, quick to tell a tale (although never quick to finish said tale) and even quicker to finish it with a “yeah, veeeeeeery interesting.” Don grew up on a farm. Don wasn’t a “jock type” because Don’s school in the farmland surrounding Philadelphia didn’t have sports programs. Don joined the Coast Guard out of high school. He considered going to college to learn to blow glass. Don retired from the Coast Guard in 1982. He’s been riding the rails and traveling the world ever since. I know a lot about Don and Don’s life. I like Don.
- Don on marriage: “Marriage, what’s that, a new language? A new dance move? I was married once for five years. I think I broke some sort of record.” Don has a couple kids across the country who he drops in on every year or so. After that last comment, Rosie a delightful Filipino grandma in front of us injected. “I was married for 62 years Don.” Raucous laughter ensued. Rosie, you win.
- I didn’t sleep much. That allowed me to be up for the sunrise. I’ve done that before, and it’s not as great as it sounds. But I snapped some great pictures of Mt. Shasta. I didn’t bring enough books on my trip, so Sam supplied me with a classic Hemingway novel. The Sun Also Rises inspired my facebook status on a groggy morning “Andrew Theen is riding the rails as the sun rises, butted up against mt shasta and watching the shadows lurch across the valley.” Lack of sleep makes me verbose.
What do those seemingly unrelated groups have in common? They are all bold adventurous travelers on the Tour De Force that is the Amtrak Coast Starlight route. A mere 30 hours to LA, and worth every second (I think. Maybe). Anyone who knows me knows I talk about America’s desperate need for bullet trains about twice a week. It’s one of about five standbys or throw-ins that I bring into a conversation.
It’s pretty easy to talk about trains, and steer people in a conversational direction where train talk is unavoidable. It’s like the Kevin Bacon game. I bet I can turn any conversation towards trains with ease. Everyone has an opinion about America’s transporation infrastructure, just like Susan Boyd’s singing skills and how the Obama’s are doing with their puppy rearing. I mean these are the issues of our times.
With all my talk about trains, I’d never ridden a train in America. So thanks to another recent spate of unemployment, a window opened so to speak, and one of America’s iconic train routes beckoned me to hug the rails. Plus a great friend lives in LA, so the stars aligned. Trains could be a great incubator a for swine flu as well, but I guess we’ll know in a week or so…
The views along the way are amazing.
This is a shot of Salinas Valley. The vegetable capital of the country. It was surreal seeing so much water artificially pumped into a very arid area, but that’s how we all eat, I guess. I wonder where our Baconnaise fields are? Our food system sure seems to be propped up, on a house of cards. But a beautiful area none the less, and the scope of food production is amazing.
The best part of the trip is once the train winds up through the mountains and hits San Luid Obispo. South of SLO there is a picturesque stretch of railine hugging the California coast. Much of that area is on the Vandenberg Air Force Base, so it’s a remote area that is typically off-limits to cars. Neat.
It was a fairly exhausting journey, but one I rather enjoyed nonetheless. Unfortunately I arrived in LA to see the Blazers season come to an end. I’ll wrap up my thoughts on a very successful (yes, very) season when I have a bit more time to think about it. First some of the highlights from an entertaining train ride.
- When I got on in Portland the fellows behind me had a combined 30 teeth between them and from the sounds of it, half a dozen ex-wives. Is there a correlation between poor dental hygeine and the successfulness of marriages? I want our top researchers on the topic to solve this elusive riddle.
- Lots of first time Amtrak riders like myself. That’s an encouraging sight, or maybe people are just getting more afraid of airplanes and the sicknesses they carry within…
- I met at least half a dozen people who were in the same boat as me; recently unemployed. Really nice folks too. Hopefully everyone gets back on their feet and soon.
- A Berklely woman said she was an expert at guessing where people are from. She thought I was from her native New York City. I don’t know why, but that was funny to me.
- Trains are more spacious than airplanes, but don’t be deceived. I slept like garbage. It’s very difficult to sleep on a moving machine for me.
- At a quarter to seven am a foursome of middle-aged moms entered the lounge car and sat near me. These ladies were just like my mom and her friends. They were celebrating their 20th anniversary of “ladies weekend.” They offered me blueberry pancakes and bagels and cream cheese. They were also drunk off mimosas before seven am. Awesome.
Off to enjoy the sights and sounds of LA. More soon.
Well that was frustrating, wasn’t it? Two losses on the road. Two losses by a combined four points. Too many thoughts to accurately convey in one post.
- Somebody’s got to take McMillan to task about his rotation eventually. I’m not going to bicker about the point guard situation, that’s not a definitive issue in this series (you really thing Bayless is ready for any PT? Or that Sergio wouldn’t be making dumb fourth quarter mistakes?). But I will take issue with Nate’s handling of crunch time minutes.
- Rudy Fernandez has been the second best Blazer player this series. That’s not a debatable issue. Anyone who watched the Olympic Gold Medal game knows Rudy has major stones. Let’s just be honest. Rudy is a far more intelligent basketball player than Outlaw, and he has a sense of the moment. That’s why despite sitting on his hands for in Game 3 while the ship sank around him, he was still able to come in and drain a big-time three. I agree with Dwight Jaynes, Rudy needs to start in Game 5.
- Travis is proving his biggest shortcomings may be insurmountable career flaws - not a good passer, incapable of dribble drives (aside from the “dribble dribble” fadeaway) and he’s just not a smart basketball player. I’m tired of the wait and see mode with Trout. We’ve waited, we’ve seen. He’s playing his way off this team.
- If I told you before this series that Houston’s bench would be the more electric, entertaining, and ultimately vital unit you wouldn’t have believed me. But it’s a fact. Von Wafer isn’t even playing 20 minutes in most of these games, but he is making every second worth it. Kyle Lowry is living in the lane. Landry, Hayes, etc are all providing something when they’re in there. The Blazers will most likely send it back to Houston for a Game 6 (the crowd will lift them to victory) but containing Houston’s backup backcourt (I can’t believe I’m saying that) is absolutely critical if the Blazers have any hope of victory.
- Houston is outworking Portland. That’s self-explanatory, but true. The Blazers made their hay during the regular season as a top-flight rebounding club. Bottom line, Houston wants it more. I want to see bodies on the floor if I’m Nate McMillan.
- Even with all the foul trouble Portland’s bigs have dealt with, Portland is right there when the game is on the line. I don’t know what to read into this, but it’s encouraging. Despite fighting essentially with one hand behind their backs, the Blazers are still putting themselves in position to win.
- The defense in the third quarte brought the team back. I will give Outlaw some credit here, he played decent defense on Artest. But Artest was in his full-on street baller mode. He was jacking up horrific shots, so letting him go ahead and do that almost qualifies as good defense. Specifically, it was team defense that gave the Blazers that lead. Aldridge blocking shots, Roy blocking and scrapping for loose balls. I still can’t understand why that energy can’t be applied to an entire four quarters. The Blazers still haven’t done that more than maybe a handful of times all season. You better believe they need to play a complete game, three times in a row to advance to the second round. I don’t know if they’re capable of that sort of effort.
-Fourth quarter rebounding collapse, turnovers, poor play calls, worse execution, all of these miscues aside….the games are there for the taking. We knew it before this series started; Houston is an absolutely perfect foil for this club right now. I can’t help wondering: Is It Time?
- Is it time for this young team? Every great team has to take its lumps. You have to piss the bed so to speak. You have to lose games you could’ve or should’ve won. This playoff series is chapter 1: the training wheels.
Now it’s do or die. The Blazers have lived like this all year. They’ve climbed back from so many deficits, but winning three in a row in the playoffs is a different beast. It’s not like beating Memphis in April. I’m confident there will be a Game 6, and that the game will be up for grabs. Will the Blazers take it, or give it away like the last two? Only time will tell.
Much of the talk in the postmortem after Game 2 centered around the loss of the legendary Dikeme Mutombo. A ruptured quadricep tendon is an excruciating injury. I wish Mutombo all the best in a difficult recovery. I’m not buying that this plays a huge role in the overall scheme of things. Deke’s loss will be felt from an emotional leader/cheerleader standpoint. Nonetheless as someone who was in attendance at the RG the other night, seeing the big man go down was a very sad scene.
Chris Sheridan at ESPN has a very nice piece on Dikembe’s non-basketball legacy. He also has a great exchange centering around a decision by the league years back to reign in Deke’s finger-wagging ways. It didn’t work out well.
“What are you guys doing to me? You are taking away my trademark?!” Thorn recalled Mutombo arguing, refusing to accept the notion of an outright ban, and pretty much refusing to let the conversation end until Thorn backed down.
What eventually emerged was a compromise, with the NBA allowing Mutombo to perform his signature finger wag as long as he was looking toward the stands when he did it.
It’s sort of ironic that Mutombo’s career can be encapsulated by two snapshots of the Congolese giant in a very vulnerable state; prone on the hardwood.
The first, a jubilant victorious young Mutombo unabashedly crying and clutching the ball like a trophy above his head. That was after the Nuggets upended the top seeded Sonics in 1995. That moment will stay with me forever; proof that the intoxication of victory is as pure for professional athletes as it is for young kids acting out their basketball fantasies on the blacktops across our great land.
The second, a sobbing Mutombo who knows his career is finished. Carted off the court to the polite applause of a visiting team’s fans, lifted up by six normal sized humans and off into the annals of NBA history. We’ll miss you big guy.
On to Houston and Game 3. Here are some things to keep an eye on.
- Von Wafer. Keep Wafer out of the key, and keep him under 10 points and I think the Blazers have a great chance. Yes, Von Wafer is a key to this game. He’s giving Houston extremely productive minutes, and he’s been a spark plug all year against Portland Stop Nilla Wafer and Portland’s chances are great.
- Fouls. Don’t foul so much. This is easier said than done, but the Blazers need to walk the fine line between aggression and foul-prone. Keep Houston off the line and their chances increase exponentially.
- 3 point shooting. Expect the Rockets to double Roy and Aldridge more often in this game. This is going to open up things for Blake, Batum, Outlaw, and Rudy. Batum could be the beneficiary of the most open looks. The Rook is having a hard time staying on the court thus far this series. If he can get a productive first run, and hit a 3 to get his confidence it could alter the outcome
- Low post scoring. While it’s likely LA can keep up his big daddy momo gained in game 2, the centers need to produce. If Prz and Oden can combine for 15-20 points and double digit boards, the Blazers can steal this game.
- Brooks, Aaron. It’s difficult to root against AB. He’s having such a tremendous year, and he is a joy to watch. Brooks can’t get going again, or else trouble is the operative word for the Rose City faithful. Blake needs to get that venomous look in his eyes and compete like his life is on the line and Portland will be just fine.
- Weather the storm. The Blazers are obviously not the quickest starters in the league, but they can’t fall behind by 10 in the first quarter or it’s lights out. Stay close, and strike when the moment presents itself.
- Contest shots. Seems self-explanatory, but the Blazers need to continue to do this without fouling. The Rockets have been absolutely lights out on jumpers so far. I’m not sure they can keep up this pace, but keep a hand in the face of shooters.
- Make it interesting. If the game is up for grabs in the fourth, ride the back of Roy to victory. The Rockets and their fans might start to doubt whether this team can ever get out of the first round. Make it close, and that doubt could bubble to the surface.
Now these horses are fast. Does that make them untruthful? I think not. They struck me as the opposite actually; very obedient and full of truth. These Belgian draft horses are bred to dominate the Earth like Yao plowed the Blazers the other night. A very close friend recently determined he would try farming by using old-fashioned horse power. Results coming this fall, with photos too.
Today’s post comes from one of the more poignant sound bites I’ve heard in recent times. The gist of it is applicable to the very essence and genesis of this blog, as well as a lot of journalism’s titanic problems facing it these days. NPR had a nice piece on the pros and cons of Twitter this morning, that’s where John Tompkin’s of the Poynter Institute dropped that knowledge bomb.
“The enemy of truth is speed, and in our business in journalism, we are always fighting that friction, aren’t we? The Web, very often, has very little concern for truth and verification — let’s get it out there, and then we’ll sort it out,” he says.”
I couldn’t agree more. I will now do the opposite of Tomkins’ suggestion and throw these thoughts out there.
- One of the enemies of the Portland Trail Blazers is a quick point guard. I’ve sang the praises of Steve Blake for a while now, but Blake struggles to keep the league’s speediest PGs in front of him (see Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo) and you can possibly add Aaron Brooks to that list. Dealing with Yao is obviously a huge issue, but containing Brooks just jumped up a peg or two on the worry-meter.
- Now to the horses. Wild Horses are such an issue in South Dakota and other parts of the country, that an idea is floating around to administer some horse contraceptives. If I could buy stock in things like “Planned Horse Parenthood” I’d be a bad investor. Well, that or I could gamble on whether or not people can afford to pay their mortgage…this is America after all.
- I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else, but the Oregon House of Representatives is looking at outlawing some cell phone use on our roads. I think teenagers are perfectly safe behind the wheel. I know I was, sans cell phone….oh, right, nevermind
- The enemy of truth could also be waterboarding. That may be why two high-profile enemy combatants were waterboarded an incredible 266 times. Don’t know what knowledge bombs were gleaned from this, but hopefully the US government now knows the meaning of life.
- Maybe the Blazers were having so much fun in the sun like the rest of us this weekend that they simply took their eye off the ball Saturday. Yeah, that’s why they lost, that and the referees. It’s all their fault. I thought that was Brandon Roy and Nic Batum playing Frisbee in Irving Park on Friday… I leave you with what may soon be an illegal photo snapped of the RG on a sunny drive home
Portland seems to be in sleep mode after last night’s demoralizing loss. I’m not sure if this will video will make you smile or not, but I’ll share it. This is from the day of the Oden-Durant draft. I covered this event, and was on the floor for the impromptu celebration. It was difficult multi-tasking to hold all my audio gear and shoot the video, but it was quite a moment, and it captured the mood of the crowd in attendance. Hopefully Oden starts to perform in a way that legitimizes this response. His career is in its infancy, so I’d say there’s a good chance.
I think I know now how to make a website. I’ve done it once before, but that experiment garnered mixed reviews. Hope this works better the second time around.
- Today I think I know how the Portland Trail Blazers are feeling. Well, at least they know what playoff perfection is supposed to look like. I think they know being anointed as the “future” of the league doesn’t mean you’re exempt from embarrassment, even on your home court. In my experience embarrassment is a formative process. This should make them stronger. Remember before the season started making the playoffs was the goal. Now, making this series competitive is the goal. Learning from this experience becomes the most important thing. All the great teams have to take their lumps. Now, 27 point lumps are hard to swallow but this team is resilient. They’ll recover, but it may not be on Tuesday.
- I think I know now why Breaking Bad is, in my estimation, the best show on the TV box. Star Bryan Cranston is as versatile as a young Arvydas Sabonis. Cranston can step out and hit the three, play tight d on the perimeter, and he has crazy court vision. Check out Cranston’s credits: Babylon 5, The King of Queens, Seinfeld, Chicago Hope, and he even voiced a British pre-teen adventure book called “Adventures with Kazmir the Flying Camel.” That’s absurb. Anyone who hasn’t watched this show is out of their mind.
- For the first time in an eternity I subjected myself to Bill Moyer’s Journal. I absolutely respect Moyers for what he is, and what’s he’s done for progressive thought and giving a platform for public affairs in this country. But anyone who has seen his newest (relatively) concoction knows its shortcomings. Free-flowing conversation is fine, but it is okay to interrupt people occassionally. You can do that without becoming Chris Matthews. Anyways, David Simon was on and it was an interesting watch. Check it out if you have an hour to burn.
- I think I know now why the NBA has lost so many of the casual fans. It’s an obvious issue, but the refereeing inconsistency is a principal issue that keeps those invisible basketball fans from buying back in completely. Blazer manics who blamed the officials for anything yesterday are just that, maniacs. The Blazers were wiped off the floor yesterday, and the officials had absolutely nothing to do with that. But watching the playoffs just makes me long for the days when physical play was allowed in the regular season. Point guards these days are the king because you can’t touch them on the perimeter. They are that chocolate cake on the counter in the plastic wrap. You best not touch, or mom (the refs) will turn your world on its head. But once the playoffs come, you can manhandle point guards? Just check out how long Rajon Rondo was allowed to ride Derrick Rose. Basketball is a contact sport. Why does the NBA only become a contact sport as the playoffs dawn? That’s frustrating for players, coaches, and fans alike.
