10.26.2007
Dear NBA owners...
...still wondering about the smartest draft philosophy? Well, I'm here to help. Ready? Here you go, it's simple: select quality players that played four years at quality colleges. They'll produce for you. If you gamble on some high-schooler with freakish numbers, be prepared for the possibility that nothing will come of them. (Yes, I do realize that players such as Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James came straight from high school. But for every one of these stars, there are countless Kwame Browns and Jonathan Benders.)
I'm certain that one team has figured this philosophy out--the Phoenix Suns. Look at their last draft. The Suns selected two non-trendy and non-scout beloved players: Wisconsin's Alando Tucker and Maryland's D.J. Strawberry. And what has come of these picks? From early indications, they are already solid and competent pros that are able to help, not hurt, their team.
Thursday, October 25 - Denver v. Phoenix. D.J. Strawberry hit a game winning 3-pointer to sink Allan Iverson and Carmello Anthony's team. Alando Tucker kicked in 12 points in the winning effort.
Sunday, October 21 -Phoenix v. Charlotte.
Tucker and D.J. Strawberry scored all of Phoenix's points during a 12-5 spurt that extended the Suns' margin to 11 at 87-76 with 4:41 to play. Strawberry, the son of former baseball star Darryl Strawberry, contributed a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. Tucker had also drained a three, along with a 19-footer and layup.
Also of note: All 14 of Tucker's points were scored in the key fourth quarter.
Yes, I do realize that the year is incredibly young. But even at this early juncture, on a team overloaded with All-Stars (Nash, Hill, Stoudemire, Barbosa, etc), these two draft selections have already made solid contributions to their new team. It's time to recognize that being a star throughout four years in college should have more merit than being 18 years old and 6'10".Labels: how to, sconnie, sports
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10.24.2007
VERY important news.
This just in from CNN: Giuliani is a flip-flopper. One may only assume that he will now lose the Presidency end up in the NFL.
Also fresh from the wire: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created low-density aerogels made from carbon nanotubes, CNTs, that are capable of supporting 8,000 times their own weight. The new material also combines the strength and ultra-light, heat-insulating properties of aerogels with the electrical conductivity of nanotubes. The researchers hope that this advance will one day help prove, once and for all, that LOLcats are hilarious.Labels: lolcats, politics, sports
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9.21.2007
Whoa.
Dear Giants,
Although you can only hope to be second in my heart (after, of course, the 'Crew), I will now start rooting for your team.
That being said, it would be nice if your team wasn't entirely made up of AARP-ers. Start grooming yourself some young talent. Please.
Yours,
-BLabels: baseball, brewers, san francisco, sports
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6.29.2007
Conscription
In their attempts to remain in the bottom of the league, the Milwaukee Buck made some awesome draft moves. Even more troubling is that Milwaukee's top pick will not play in Milwaukee, according to his representatives.
Maybe the Bucks should have gone after Don Majkowksi, to bring back the magic to the organization.
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6.21.2007
Hockey Player Fined for Cow Tipping
But not that kind of cow tipping. The sculpted fiberglass kind.
When officers arrived at the scene and asked the pair why they tipped over the Badger-red clad cow, Klubertanz replied: "We were stupid."
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5.13.2007
"I'm not getting any younger and I think everybody knows that," Favre said.
It's interesting to hear that somebody else in Wisconsin agreed with me in a recent contentious local policy debate. This debate was so heated, in fact, that I don't believe any of my immediate family members agreed with me. That debate? Whether or not the Packers should try to land Randy Moss. That person? Brett Favre. Straight from the headlines: Favre disappointed Packers didn't get Moss.
"It is disappointing," Favre said on Saturday. "We could have gotten him for less money than New England did. He wanted to play in Green Bay for the amount of money we would have paid him. It [was] well worth the risk."
But was the three-time MVP angry enough to ask his way out of Green Bay?
Amid public grousing from Favre about the state of his team over the weekend, a report on the Fox Sports Web site, citing anonymous sources, said Favre's agent called Packers general manager Ted Thompson to request a trade a few days after last month's draft.
I fully agree with Favre. If a town truly respects a player as great as Brett Favre, who has spent the vast majority of his career with their team, don't they owe it to him to suck up their obvious hatred of Mr. Moss and give Favre a nice-going away present in the form of a huge offensive target? The man's been standing behind porous offensive lines with frequently unreliable receiving options (due to injury, inexperience, etc). Wouldn't you like to give the quarterback with probably the strongest arm of all time a true big-play deep threat? I think so. Unfortunately Green Bay (and the Packers, too) didn't. Ditto with the extremely unimpressive draft. The team shouldn't be in complete rebuilding mode yet with the aging (but still talented and competitive) Favre behind center.
"The last thing I want to do is start any [controversy]," Favre said. "But I think he would have been a great addition. You throw Randy Moss, you throw [current starters] Donald Driver and Greg Jennings on the field at the same time, and go three-wide receiver set ... and I think it's pretty intimidating. And we lost out on that, and I think that it's a shame, because I know we could have had him."
I know that there is quite a bit of sconnie readership out there -- thoughts? Agree with me? Disagree? Think that Favre is over-reacting after the draft by requesting a trade?Labels: sports
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5.05.2007
"If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and equality to 22 million of my people they wouldn’t have to draft me, I’d join tomorrow."
There's an interesting piece over on ESPN by Chuck Klosterman examining the claim that Muhammad Ali is the true inventor of rap music. The page also has some interesting video from a recent ESPN documentary on the topic.
Here's the article's opening statement, in classic Klosterman verse:
The ESPN documentary "Ali Rap" (airing Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN) is built loosely on the premise that Muhammad Ali unknowingly invented rap music, simply by being himself in public. If true, this would mean that rap did not originate (as commonly believed) in the South Bronx during the '70s; it would mean rap was invented in Kentucky during the '60s.
This is hard to accept, as there are very few memorable rap songs about competitive horse racing and/or Rex Chapman.
If you've got a few minutes, go give it a quick read.
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5.02.2007
Wha?
Ug. I was still doing homework at this terrible hour, when I took a quick break and noticed this.
It only got worse from there as Milwaukee, which owns the best record in baseball at 17-9 and is eight games above .500 for the first time in exactly nine years, scored seven in the sixth, sending 10 men to the plate.
Wha?
I've been trying to jinx this team by constantly talking about this team's potential, but so far, they've ignored my best spells and kept winning. Go Crew!
If Philly B is reading this, how has Chorizo been doing so far? I seem to recall that he was going to be officially promoted to the majors this year, after he had a bit of seasoning in the minors.
NOTE: Nick writes to share a similar article from the Journal Sentinel by Michael (not Mike) Hunt. I'm particularly encouraged by the following line: "Meanwhile, management is on record as saying it will stretch the budget to add whatever might be necessary should the Brewers take this lead into late summer."
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4.20.2007
Fur-rye Day
Wow. My pal "Wade" found one heck of a video. I'm not even going to ask how he found this.
Do not attempt to play this at work. You will get fired. But you might die laughing.
And hey, how about them Brewers? After a two-game sweep of the Pirates, the first-place 'Crew starts up a weekend-series with the second-place Astros. I have a feeling this weekend will show us what kind of team we really have. Ben Sheets gets the nod as he tries to find his fastball.
Sheets and the Brewers will be wearing their old-school Brewers uniforms for the second "Retro Friday" at Miller Park. All fans attending Friday's game will get a five-inch Cecil Cooper bobblehead doll.
.
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4.09.2007
Jusssst a Bit Outside
This just in - The Cleveland Indians will play their home opener tonight...in Milwaukee.
"What are you going to do - cry about it?" the Indians' Ryan Garko said. "I'd rather play somewhere than sit here and keep getting rained - snowed - out."
Strangely, this isn't the first time the Tribe has played a home game in Milwaukee. In 1989, the Indians played all of their home games in the city, and even won a dramatic one-game playoff against the Yankees thanks to the superb pitching of two and a half men.
UPDATE: I now see that Aaron at Phonograph came up with the exact same blog post. The timestamp on his post reads a bit earlier than mine, but I'm guessing that he wanted to copy my pure brilliance and set it back an hour or two to cover up his thievery.Labels: sports
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3.31.2007
Early April Fools?
Whoops.
West Virginia may have won the National Invitation Tournament, but the Mountaineers' commemorative T-shirts are less than championship material.
They contain a misspelling.
The "West Virginia" printed on the shirts players wore after winning the NIT title with a 78-73 victory over Clemson on Thursday night is missing the last "i" in "Virginia."
Sure, this may seem embarassing, but who doesn't love Virgina?Labels: sports
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3.01.2007
"At Duke, they got soft rims. . . . I’d probably score 84 or 85."
My buddy Phil implored me to read this article about Gilbert Arenas by Chuck Klosterman. "I am [curious] to see what everyone else thinks about Arenas. I like him. I think his antics are funny and different. They really make him stick out...not in a Rodman way, but in a good way."
I never knew that Arenas was such a character. In fact, I largely ignored him until earlier this year when he started dropping zillions of points on everyone in the NBA on a nightly basis. But the article reveals a different side to the man.
What follows is an abbreviated list of the things that supposedly validate his psychosis:
Once took a shower at halftime without removing his uniform.
...
Prefers to spend road trips alone in his hotel room, staying awake all night to watch infomercials and do situps and jumping jacks.
Enjoys bowling (his high game is 277) and the rapper the Game (with whom he is acquainted).
Installed a hyperbaric chamber in his Virginia home to aid physical recovery and overall health.
...
Is a maniacal grudge holder. Arenas claims he would sacrifice an entire N.B.A. season to play one game against Duke, solely to punish its head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who, as the head coach for the United States team competing in the world championship last year, cut Arenas from the squad.
...
He also keeps a handwritten list of all 30 players who were drafted ahead of him in 2001; this is so he can methodically cross off their names as they are jettisoned from the league.
...
The roster of self-styled media inventions is vast: Dennis Rodman, Chad Johnson, Jose Canseco, Jim McMahon, Brian Bosworth et al. But Arenas is atypical, and here’s why: unlike almost every other consciously nonconformist superstar, Arenas is never polarizing. Nobody hates him for being odd; his behavior has exclusively served to make him more beloved.
I've got to say that this piece of writing makes me like the guy; I'm not sure if it is the writing (yay Chuck!) or simply the exploration into the man himself. But I'll root for him.Labels: sports
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2.11.2007
Let's get the week started right!
I promise you will have a good week knowing what movie is coming to a theatre near you.
This is the definition of awesome!Labels: awesomeness, movies, sports
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2.07.2007
How High?
How high do you think J.R. Rider can dunk?
I'm guessing real high.
Former NBA star Isaiah "J.R." Rider was sentenced Wednesday to seven months in jail stemming from three criminal cases against him.
Rider, 35, also was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service, complete a drug education program and was placed on probation for three years following his release.
Rider pleaded guilty in Marin County Superior Court to several charges, including felony cocaine possession, battery and evading a police officer.
It is clear, however, that Rider was not as high as this guy:
Ft. Lauderdale Police say 41-year-old Frank John racked up quite the laundry list of offenses on Tuesday. After running a red light, John drove his car straight into a bicyclist. Then he got into a physical fight with a witness to the accident, after the witness tried to break up an argument between John and the bicyclist. Next, John attempted to steal the witness’s vehicle, but was unsuccessful in his efforts. He then climbed a tree to delay his inevitable arrest. Ft. Lauderdale Police were forced to use their Tasers to remove him from his perch.Labels: sports
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2.05.2007
Bucky is teh kewlest on teh Internets.
Boy, are we ever lucky. Everybody knows that Bucky Badger is awesome. I mean, look at our competitors' mascots - we could be this, or even worse, this.
But did you know that Bucky isn't just cool because he's a badger. He has that je ne sais quoi that makes him far superior to all other badger mascots. I'll prove it to you.
Exhibit A. Wow. What is this? And, it is $900? WTF? F minus.
Exhibit B. Is this supposed to be a pissed-off skunk?
Exhibit C. I think that is the brother of the Hamm's Bear. (Nick, does that remind you of a certain do-re-mi song? Hint.)
And don't even get me started on Exhibit D. Nerd. Or, Exhibit E. Silly limeys.
In case you weren't aware, there wasn't any point to this post other than detailing the fact that Bucky is teh kewlest.Labels: awesomeness, sports
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2.02.2007
The Old Man and The Team.
Somewhere, I'm pretty sure that Aaron Rodgers just uttered a few expletives.Labels: sports
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1.30.2007
Didn't Russell Crow play Herpes Gladiatorum?
Credit for this delicious story goes to Brad.
Minnesota high school wrestling programs were suspended Tuesday because of a widespread herpes outbreak.
The Minnesota State High School League banned competitions and direct contact between wrestlers in practice until Feb. 6 after 24 cases of herpes gladiatorum were reported by 10 teams. The virus is spread by skin-to-skin contact, and symptoms include lesions on the face, head and neck.
...
"I think it's a bold step," he said. "How else are you going to get this thing cleared up? How do I explain to a mom that her kid has herpes forever?"
Well, who here hasn't had to explain to a mom that her kid has herpes because of you?Labels: awesomeness, sports
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1.11.2007
Gooooooal?
The most famous sportsman in the world wants to come play soccer in the United States.
"David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in America," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "His decision to continue his storied career in Major League Soccer is testament to the fact that America is rapidly becoming a true 'Soccer Nation' with Major League Soccer at the core."
The Galaxy, citing industry experts, said Beckham's deal is worth more than $250 million in salary and commercial endorsements and is "thought to be the biggest in sporting history."
Beckham will become the biggest star to play soccer in the United States since Pele and Franz Beckenbauer played in the now-defunct North American Soccer League in the 1970s.
...
"I don't think it's just about glitz," U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. "He wants to play on a winning team and be part of a winning organization and help build the game in the United States."
Huh? That's like a cook deciding to leave France or Italy for England. Is this career suicide? Or will soccer actually catch on in the United States?
My guess is that Beckham will become a recognized American celebrity in time, but the sport will be mostly ignored and left in the dust. Do you think the average American can name another professional cyclist other than Lance? Can Joe Schmo name a hockey player other than The Great One? Doubtful.
Sports fans love sports, but Americans love celebrities, especially in Los Angeles, where Beckham will suit up (notice that he didn't sign with Real Salt Lake or Columbus?). I'm excited for his presence in the game Stateside, but unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that (an American) celebrity is all that Beckham will become. I bet someday soon Posh + Bex ~= Brangelina.Labels: sports
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1.03.2007
Trends in Facial Hair
I think Wisconsin must have a little-known tax on mustache hair (by the inch, of course). How else could Rollie Fingers owe so much in taxes?
Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers owes Wisconsin more than $1.4 million in income taxes and is the seventh biggest tax delinquent in the state.
The state Department of Revenue lists Roland G. Fingers as owing $1,433,609. Fingers' listed address is in Las Vegas, and the birth date in public records there matches the baseball player.
What a disgrace to mustached men and upper lip facial hair-ed women everywhere.
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1.01.2007
B A N A N A S
What a crazy game. I'm talking about the Fiesta Bowl - Boise State v. Oklahoma, of course. Who would have predicted Boise State opening up a 14-0 lead to start the game? Or that Oklahoma would score 18 in the 4th quarter to come back and seemingly win? Or, with mere moments left in the game, Boise State would score on a 4th and 18 on a hook-and-ladder play to send it into overtime?
And then OT comes along. Would you have predicted that Adrian Peterson would immediately score in OT on a long run? Or that Boise State would score the equalizer on a trick play on a 4th and 2? Or that Boise State would go for two, and win, on another trick play?
Bonkers. Just bonkers. That may have been one of the best games I've ever seen.Labels: sports
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