Finally, after all these years of mediocrity, Rutgers' men's basketball team was in a position to beat a ranked St. John's team in the Big East tournament...but unfortunately for them the Big East must have decided to use the refs from the WWE, who totally blew off or conveniently disregarded the last 1.7 seconds of the game after a St. John's player walked and threw the ball into the seats, depriving Rutgers of a chance to win and advance in the tournament. Now that would be something to cry about.
After seeing Paul Pierce fly down the lane and slam one on multiple people the other night , I'm left to conclude that perhaps Paul isn't showing his age after all. I don't know...maybe that's why Tiki Barber wants to return to the NFL - after four years of retirement - at the age of 36...but is he not considering the fact that in his sport people would be slamming him? Michael Vick took off two years, so to speak, and just got the franchise-player contract, but he's a little younger and a lot faster than Tiki.
Giving an extra billion dollars off the top of the pot to the NFL owners...who are not getting slammed, concussions, etc...makes about as much sense as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker giving a deficit-creating tax break to the rich. I sure hope President Obama's coattails are long enough to bring the House of Representatives back to Democratic control when he wins re-election in 2012. I'm about as tired of the Republicans as I am of Charlie Sheen. More, actually. I was going to ask how many strikes Sheen gets, but then he got fired...so I see the answer is 10.
Speaking of 10s, as crazy as Blake Griffin's dunk over the Kia was, I'd have given him the same score for some of his in-game dunks, especially the ones over Timofey Mozgov and Danilo Gallinari while they were Knicks. And speaking of these two new Nuggets, my first thought when the trade was announced was of the old USFL and Herschel Walker, who post-USFL joined the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Of course I couldn't understand why my then-beloved Cowboys could not figure out how to use Walker and Tony Dorsett together...but that said, I began to think about how Walker was subsequently traded to the Minnesota Vikings for about a dozen players...and shortly thereafter, the Cowboys' resurgence began. Could this be in the works for the Nuggets...who are looking really good after the trade? They certainly seem to be enjoying themselves in the absence - according to one player - of someone with "sticky fingers."
Of course, the other piece of this is that from a marketing standpoint it was a trade that the Knicks had to make, no matter how many good young players they gave up. With Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups - who had been the best newcomer before his injury - in Knick uniforms, the Knicks have become must-see TV again in the Big Apple and surrounding areas. The league must be overjoyed that the team in the number one arena in the biggest city is relevant again...even if they are still just title pretenders as opposed to contenders.
Hey Philadelphia Phillies, hope you're watching the Miami Heat games, 'cause the way everyone brings their "A" game when El Heat are the opponent is the same thing you guys are going to see beginning next month. Then again, if they can't score off your pitchers it won't even matter.
About Me
- Mack Williams
- My online column/blog, Sportin' Life - now rechristened as The SEVEN - has appeared on various sites for years, and became the basis for my first book, Sportin' Life: Essays on Sport and Life. My second book is entitled Voices From The Blue States - and my forthcoming children's book to be published in 2012 will be entitled "Jackie Robinson and the Negro Leagues." I am currently developing a TV sitcom, to be entitled Joyful Noize, as well as a comedy/drama entitled No Place Like Home. For more info e-mail me at mcwstar@aol.com.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Week That Was...
What a week this has been!
First Esperanza Spalding beats out Justin Bieber for best new artist, but that's okay, Bieber Nation, because I bet she's never been an MVP! Last night we saw Jevale McGee dunk three balls, Serge Ibaka dunk from beyond the foul line, Blake Griffin jump over a car...but finally we can get back to the most important topic at hand.
Where will Carmelo wind up?
'Melo, if you or your agents or your wife happen to be reading this, hold up! Before you finish packing for your move to one side of the Hudson River or another, I think you ought really consider staying right where you are with the Nuggets - and here is why:
For years, when anyone would analyze the relative strength of the two conferences, the West would come out on top - and that remains true to this day. But when you look further down the road, you may see a change on the horizon. In the East, the five top teams are Boston, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. The Bulls are basically a young team that could contend for many years. The Magic are young, and could contend for years. The Heat are young, and were built to contend for years. The Hawks should be in position to contend for years. Only the Celtics are a predominantly veteran team.
But when you look at the Western Conference, the opposite is true. As good as the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are, they are much more seasoned teams than those younger teams in the East. Or more specifically stated, when Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant can no longer perform at the levels to which we have been accustomed, their teams will no longer be automatic title contenders. Among the top teams in the West, only Oklahoma City is a young team...which means that there could very well be opportunity for new teams to emerge from the West, in a manner that might not be the case in the East.
My belief is that the always tough-to-beat at home Nuggets - with Anthony, a still vibrant Chauncey Billups, a beast-becoming Nene, the improving Arron Afflalo, wild card offensive terror J.R. Smith, and contributions from Kenyon Martin, Ty Lawson, and Birdman, and perhaps a key free-agent addition - could make their way to the upper echelon of the Western Conference faster than the Knicks or Nets could with the addition of Anthony to their depleted post-trade rosters.
So Carmelo, you might consider calling off the dogs. As one young Dorothy found out, there's no place like home.
First Esperanza Spalding beats out Justin Bieber for best new artist, but that's okay, Bieber Nation, because I bet she's never been an MVP! Last night we saw Jevale McGee dunk three balls, Serge Ibaka dunk from beyond the foul line, Blake Griffin jump over a car...but finally we can get back to the most important topic at hand.
Where will Carmelo wind up?
'Melo, if you or your agents or your wife happen to be reading this, hold up! Before you finish packing for your move to one side of the Hudson River or another, I think you ought really consider staying right where you are with the Nuggets - and here is why:
For years, when anyone would analyze the relative strength of the two conferences, the West would come out on top - and that remains true to this day. But when you look further down the road, you may see a change on the horizon. In the East, the five top teams are Boston, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. The Bulls are basically a young team that could contend for many years. The Magic are young, and could contend for years. The Heat are young, and were built to contend for years. The Hawks should be in position to contend for years. Only the Celtics are a predominantly veteran team.
But when you look at the Western Conference, the opposite is true. As good as the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are, they are much more seasoned teams than those younger teams in the East. Or more specifically stated, when Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant can no longer perform at the levels to which we have been accustomed, their teams will no longer be automatic title contenders. Among the top teams in the West, only Oklahoma City is a young team...which means that there could very well be opportunity for new teams to emerge from the West, in a manner that might not be the case in the East.
My belief is that the always tough-to-beat at home Nuggets - with Anthony, a still vibrant Chauncey Billups, a beast-becoming Nene, the improving Arron Afflalo, wild card offensive terror J.R. Smith, and contributions from Kenyon Martin, Ty Lawson, and Birdman, and perhaps a key free-agent addition - could make their way to the upper echelon of the Western Conference faster than the Knicks or Nets could with the addition of Anthony to their depleted post-trade rosters.
So Carmelo, you might consider calling off the dogs. As one young Dorothy found out, there's no place like home.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Open The Floodgates
Hey, I wonder how many people have thought about how ironic it is that when Cliff Lee takes less money than he would have gotten from the Yankees - and probably the Texas Rangers as well - to join (or rejoin) a team of superstars in Philly, he is hailed as a modern-day hero not all-consumed by the pursuit of the dollar - but when LeBron James takes less money to join a team of superstars in Miami, he is NBA Public Enemy Number One.
Funny thing is, that ain't exactly too bad for the NBA. Every promoter needs a Smokin' Joe Frazier to go up against Muhammad Ali, a Max Schmeling to fight Joe Louis, a John McEnroe to face Jimmy Connors, a Bobby Riggs to challenge Billie Jean King, a "Rowdy Roddy" Piper to call out Hulk Hogan. As a result of "The Decision," the Miami Heat are this year's Designated Haters - or better stated, the team we're supposed to be designated to hate. But that means they're the team we all follow, the team we must know the score for, the team whose clips we seek out on the highlight shows whether we are rooting for them or not. Much as David Stern claims not to have cared too much for the way "The Decision" was put together, it has worked out wonderfully for the Association.
But before there could be a Decision, there had to be someone who risked and or gave it all so that those who followed could have the ability to make decisions. Ladies and Gentlemen, please google Curt Flood.
Flood, a tremendous center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (.293 lifetime batting average, three-time all-star, seven-time Golden Glove winner), had a crazy idea back in the late sixties. I guess one way to look at it would be to think about your own situation, in which you may have gone to various schools for many years in order to create a situation for yourself where you have options in terms of employment. Perhaps there came a time...or two...or three...where you thought you had more or less reached the end of the line with a particular employer...and because you had a certain amount of skills, you had the ability, as LeBron might say, to "take your talents to South Beach" - or anywhere else your services would be valued.
Unfortunately for the old school athlete, that ability was not in place, due to something called the "reserve clause" which essentially said that your team owned your rights until such time as they chose to relinquish them via trade or releasing you. So back in the day there was no such thing as free agency for athletes, no way for athletes to do the same thing you may choose to do at your job. Just because they are well-paid should not mean that they are without basic rights.
Curt Flood challenged this concept...and the fact that he did basically led to the end of his career, probably well before it should have ended and definitely before the reserve clause was struck down. So when LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh team up together as free agents; when Carmelo Anthony refuses to sign a contract extension with any team willing to do a deal with the Nuggets; and even when Cliff Lee chooses, to the surprise of so many, to return to the Philadelphia team and area he had grown to love in 2009 - take that, W.C. Fields - these guys owe a debt of gratitude to Curt Flood (as well as Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, whose subsequent actions brought down the clause). Somewhere in heaven Curt may have been smiling as he watched "The Decision."
Funny thing is, that ain't exactly too bad for the NBA. Every promoter needs a Smokin' Joe Frazier to go up against Muhammad Ali, a Max Schmeling to fight Joe Louis, a John McEnroe to face Jimmy Connors, a Bobby Riggs to challenge Billie Jean King, a "Rowdy Roddy" Piper to call out Hulk Hogan. As a result of "The Decision," the Miami Heat are this year's Designated Haters - or better stated, the team we're supposed to be designated to hate. But that means they're the team we all follow, the team we must know the score for, the team whose clips we seek out on the highlight shows whether we are rooting for them or not. Much as David Stern claims not to have cared too much for the way "The Decision" was put together, it has worked out wonderfully for the Association.
But before there could be a Decision, there had to be someone who risked and or gave it all so that those who followed could have the ability to make decisions. Ladies and Gentlemen, please google Curt Flood.
Flood, a tremendous center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (.293 lifetime batting average, three-time all-star, seven-time Golden Glove winner), had a crazy idea back in the late sixties. I guess one way to look at it would be to think about your own situation, in which you may have gone to various schools for many years in order to create a situation for yourself where you have options in terms of employment. Perhaps there came a time...or two...or three...where you thought you had more or less reached the end of the line with a particular employer...and because you had a certain amount of skills, you had the ability, as LeBron might say, to "take your talents to South Beach" - or anywhere else your services would be valued.
Unfortunately for the old school athlete, that ability was not in place, due to something called the "reserve clause" which essentially said that your team owned your rights until such time as they chose to relinquish them via trade or releasing you. So back in the day there was no such thing as free agency for athletes, no way for athletes to do the same thing you may choose to do at your job. Just because they are well-paid should not mean that they are without basic rights.
Curt Flood challenged this concept...and the fact that he did basically led to the end of his career, probably well before it should have ended and definitely before the reserve clause was struck down. So when LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh team up together as free agents; when Carmelo Anthony refuses to sign a contract extension with any team willing to do a deal with the Nuggets; and even when Cliff Lee chooses, to the surprise of so many, to return to the Philadelphia team and area he had grown to love in 2009 - take that, W.C. Fields - these guys owe a debt of gratitude to Curt Flood (as well as Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, whose subsequent actions brought down the clause). Somewhere in heaven Curt may have been smiling as he watched "The Decision."
Monday, January 17, 2011
Make That Change, Part II
For years whenever I thought of former Phillies manager Dallas Green I would remember my anger at him after a three-game series the Phillies played against the Mets during the summer of 1980. Green's analysis of the final game won by the Phils - which followed two Met wins - was that finally the Phillies had played like the Phillies and the Mets played like the Mets.
Not that he wasn't telling the truth...the Mets were pretty bad and the Phillies were about to win the World Series that fall...but I hated that he verbalized it in that manner. But now, thirty-one years later, when I think of Green I will begin to associate something else.
Dallas Green is the grandfather of Christina-Taylor Green, the nine-year-old killed in Tucson who was laid to rest last weekend. Naturally our prayers are that the Green family will be able to find healing and peace within their memories of Christina even in the wake of such a tragic event. But with that said, was it ironic that Christina's funeral was just prior to the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., yet another person whose life was senselessly and violently ended?
If someone wants to legally drive a car, they must essentially register with the government and pass a test which shows their fitness to operate a vehicle without endangering the lives of others. If someone wants to be a doctor, they must complete several years of schooling as well as an internship in order to show their ability to work in that field without endangering the lives of their patients.
If someone wants to be an attorney, they must complete their undergraduate program and law school, and then pass the bar exam showing them to be capable of working in that field. So why then could the accused shooter just walk into stores to pick up all of the ammo he wanted? Why can people walk into gun shows - as detailed on news reports - and often get firearms without background checks?
One can only hope that it will be this tragedy that finally propels us as a nation to seriously address the issue of gun violence.
Not that he wasn't telling the truth...the Mets were pretty bad and the Phillies were about to win the World Series that fall...but I hated that he verbalized it in that manner. But now, thirty-one years later, when I think of Green I will begin to associate something else.
Dallas Green is the grandfather of Christina-Taylor Green, the nine-year-old killed in Tucson who was laid to rest last weekend. Naturally our prayers are that the Green family will be able to find healing and peace within their memories of Christina even in the wake of such a tragic event. But with that said, was it ironic that Christina's funeral was just prior to the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., yet another person whose life was senselessly and violently ended?
If someone wants to legally drive a car, they must essentially register with the government and pass a test which shows their fitness to operate a vehicle without endangering the lives of others. If someone wants to be a doctor, they must complete several years of schooling as well as an internship in order to show their ability to work in that field without endangering the lives of their patients.
If someone wants to be an attorney, they must complete their undergraduate program and law school, and then pass the bar exam showing them to be capable of working in that field. So why then could the accused shooter just walk into stores to pick up all of the ammo he wanted? Why can people walk into gun shows - as detailed on news reports - and often get firearms without background checks?
One can only hope that it will be this tragedy that finally propels us as a nation to seriously address the issue of gun violence.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Make That Change
Until a little under a week ago the saddest thing in Arizona of late was the so-quick eclipse of the Phoenix Suns. Then came the events of last Saturday morning...which served to jolt some of us back to reality.
In the wake of this tragedy, voices from across the political spectrum have called for a timeout and a reassessment of the way we speak about each other and our political differences. The one issue several conservatives have is their seeming inability to address the fact that they may be a part of the problem. One such individual is Rich Lowry of the National Review, whose column appeared the other day in the New York Post.
I definitely found myself in agreement with Mr. Lowry about the need for us to usher in a new era of civility. But it is a shame that it took a tragedy of this magnitude to bring us to this realization.
It's also a shame that we seem to have sunk to an unprecedented level of nastiness during these last two years or so. Don't get me wrong; to me, dissent is not only most welcome but truly patriotic...when sincere. Certainly 300 million people are not all going to agree on anything.
But when Rush Limbaugh openly roots for the President - the leader of our nation - to fail; when attendees at McCain-Palin rallies shout "kill him" - referring to Mr. Obama - and this misguided sentiment is not repudiated by Ms. Palin; when supposedly intelligent Republican members of Congress align themselves with crackpot racist birther theories which call into question the legitimacy of this President; when Sharron Angle advocates "second amendment remedies"; when Congressman Joe Wilson yells "you lie"; and when the SarahPAC map has the various Democrats' districts in a gun's cross hairs, we can only conclude that these people are collectively advancing a theory that things are drastically wrong and that drastic corrective action is needed. What kind of action? Could that depend on the mindset of the hearer or reader or viewer?
As it turns out, I had many differences with the policies of the Bush administration, as did many fellow Democrats and people on the left. But never did I wish failure upon President Bush; on the contrary, I wished that he would pursue avenues that would lead him to experience more success. And never did I dislike him because of his ethnicity; in fact, a baseball fan such as myself would probably enjoy an "orange juice summit" with Mr. Bush, the former Texas Rangers' owner. What I did not enjoy was what resulted from his policies.
So as conservatives get rather defensive about even discussing the possibility that their words have escalated the tone in this country, I feel that I can speak for virtually everyone else in saying that I know that these people I referred to earlier...as well as the rest of the right I didn't get to...had absolutely nothing to do with last week's shootings. That said, these people - and many others, for that matter - have contributed to the creation of a climate in which irrational and unstable people could theoretically take their words as calls to action. In order for us to "make that change" needed to usher in this new era of civility, they need to take a look at the "man in the mirror."
In the wake of this tragedy, voices from across the political spectrum have called for a timeout and a reassessment of the way we speak about each other and our political differences. The one issue several conservatives have is their seeming inability to address the fact that they may be a part of the problem. One such individual is Rich Lowry of the National Review, whose column appeared the other day in the New York Post.
I definitely found myself in agreement with Mr. Lowry about the need for us to usher in a new era of civility. But it is a shame that it took a tragedy of this magnitude to bring us to this realization.
It's also a shame that we seem to have sunk to an unprecedented level of nastiness during these last two years or so. Don't get me wrong; to me, dissent is not only most welcome but truly patriotic...when sincere. Certainly 300 million people are not all going to agree on anything.
But when Rush Limbaugh openly roots for the President - the leader of our nation - to fail; when attendees at McCain-Palin rallies shout "kill him" - referring to Mr. Obama - and this misguided sentiment is not repudiated by Ms. Palin; when supposedly intelligent Republican members of Congress align themselves with crackpot racist birther theories which call into question the legitimacy of this President; when Sharron Angle advocates "second amendment remedies"; when Congressman Joe Wilson yells "you lie"; and when the SarahPAC map has the various Democrats' districts in a gun's cross hairs, we can only conclude that these people are collectively advancing a theory that things are drastically wrong and that drastic corrective action is needed. What kind of action? Could that depend on the mindset of the hearer or reader or viewer?
As it turns out, I had many differences with the policies of the Bush administration, as did many fellow Democrats and people on the left. But never did I wish failure upon President Bush; on the contrary, I wished that he would pursue avenues that would lead him to experience more success. And never did I dislike him because of his ethnicity; in fact, a baseball fan such as myself would probably enjoy an "orange juice summit" with Mr. Bush, the former Texas Rangers' owner. What I did not enjoy was what resulted from his policies.
So as conservatives get rather defensive about even discussing the possibility that their words have escalated the tone in this country, I feel that I can speak for virtually everyone else in saying that I know that these people I referred to earlier...as well as the rest of the right I didn't get to...had absolutely nothing to do with last week's shootings. That said, these people - and many others, for that matter - have contributed to the creation of a climate in which irrational and unstable people could theoretically take their words as calls to action. In order for us to "make that change" needed to usher in this new era of civility, they need to take a look at the "man in the mirror."
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Worst Persons In The World
Some weeks ago I expressed my thanks to the Tea Party for their presence which would enable the Democratic Party to retain control in November. Well, as we now know, the Republicans took control of the House, but the Democratic Party retained control of the Senate - and for that, I continue to thank the Tea Party. Were it not for some of the absolute worst possible candidates ever running under the banner of the Tea Party, the Republicans might very well have taken the Senate as well - which would not have been cool.
I mean, bottom line is that if you don't have a working knowledge of the Constitution...and have to go on television - as Christine O'Donnell did - to explain that you are not a witch, you should not be elected to the Senate. If you imply that violent action might be needed if you are not satisfied with electoral outcomes...and then say you'll make your positions on the issues known once you're elected - as Sharron Angle did - you should not be elected to the Senate. Unless they're producing a 2011 version of "Hogan's Heroes," if you dress up as a Naxi as a "bonding" activity with your son - as congressional candidate Rich Iott did - you should not be elected to the House. If you have questions about the validity of the Civil Rights Act - as Rand Paul does - you should not be elected to the Senate from Kentucky.
Obviously Kentucky needs a do-over...and really for both Senate seats. We're at war in Afghanistan, got thousands of troops yet in Iraq, unemployment is over nine percent, BP has yet to make the Gulf region whole, and so on and so on - yet Mitch McConnell publicly says that "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
Of course, some of us learned of the madness and lunacy of these Tea Party clowns through the efforts of Keith Olbermann, the host of "Countdown" who has been "suspended indefinitely" by MSNBC for violating NBC policy by donating to three Democratic candidates. Naturally there are people that are envisioning the possibility of MSNBC ultimately letting Keith go, which would really make as much sense - both in terms of practicality as well as public relations - as the New York Yankees choosing not to re-sign Derek Jeter due to the dip of his batting average to .270 this year. True, the Bronx Bombers have A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, the brilliant young superstar Robinson Cano and other stars, but Derek Jeter has been the face of the franchise during its' entire run of excellence since 1996. And while I believe Jeter has several good years left - although there will come a point in time when a position switch might need to be addressed -I also believe that there are some people that deserve to complete their careers with their one team...and retire when they want to, not pushed out the door as was Bernie Williams by these same Yankees some years back.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson was a Laker. Larry Bird and Bill Russell were Celtics. Derek Jeter is a Yankee and The Captain should be afforded the opportunity to complete his career on his own terms.
Not unlike the situation with the Yankees and their talent, MSNBC has other capable hosts on its' air - including, of course, the truly outstanding Rachel Maddow - but Keith Olbermann is clearly the face of that franchise, the network's highest rated host and the main reason many people - myself included - have gotten turned on to MSNBC. If I could speak to MSNBC president Phil Griffin, I would want to ask what it is that makes a suspension "indefinite."
For instance, if the always-in-control Mr. Jeter were to have an uncharacteristic run-in with an umpire which led to a suspension, the suspension would be for a specific length of time, a certain number of days or games. What does Keith have to do in order to make his NBC suspension of a finite nature?
Furthermore, there are some offenses that don't require the maximum punishment for the crime. In a basketball game, a player may mouth off to the referee and wind up getting a "technical foul." As a result of receiving the technical, he or she is neither ejected from the game at hand nor suspended from future games; it basically serves as a warning to chill - and don't let it happen again. Shouldn't giving $2400 to three candidates really be more like a technical foul kind of offense? Like "dude, we don't do that here...unlike at FOX...so don't do that again...and have a great show tonight!" But to take your main guy off the air for that...that's like Pat Riley suspending D-Wade and LeBron James - the people everyone wants to see in order to cheer or boo - for wearing the wrong color shoes. Handle your business internally and keep it moving.
I know that rules are rules and there is no point in having them if they are not to be followed, but considering the fact that FOX "News" serves as a publicity and fund-raising sub-committee for the Republican and Tea Parties, the suspension of Keith Olbermann for this petty offense makes Phil Griffin...along with Ms. Angle, Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Palin, Senator-elect Paul, Rich Iott, and Senator Mitch McConnell...one of my own Worst People in the World.
So my suggestion is this: If Keith is not back on the air by Monday evening, shut down the MSNBC phone lines with your calls until he is restored to his position. And to Keith, one thing directly from me but probably the sentiments of many:
Come on, man. Bring back the Worst Persons segment!
Good night, and good luck.
I mean, bottom line is that if you don't have a working knowledge of the Constitution...and have to go on television - as Christine O'Donnell did - to explain that you are not a witch, you should not be elected to the Senate. If you imply that violent action might be needed if you are not satisfied with electoral outcomes...and then say you'll make your positions on the issues known once you're elected - as Sharron Angle did - you should not be elected to the Senate. Unless they're producing a 2011 version of "Hogan's Heroes," if you dress up as a Naxi as a "bonding" activity with your son - as congressional candidate Rich Iott did - you should not be elected to the House. If you have questions about the validity of the Civil Rights Act - as Rand Paul does - you should not be elected to the Senate from Kentucky.
Obviously Kentucky needs a do-over...and really for both Senate seats. We're at war in Afghanistan, got thousands of troops yet in Iraq, unemployment is over nine percent, BP has yet to make the Gulf region whole, and so on and so on - yet Mitch McConnell publicly says that "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
Of course, some of us learned of the madness and lunacy of these Tea Party clowns through the efforts of Keith Olbermann, the host of "Countdown" who has been "suspended indefinitely" by MSNBC for violating NBC policy by donating to three Democratic candidates. Naturally there are people that are envisioning the possibility of MSNBC ultimately letting Keith go, which would really make as much sense - both in terms of practicality as well as public relations - as the New York Yankees choosing not to re-sign Derek Jeter due to the dip of his batting average to .270 this year. True, the Bronx Bombers have A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, the brilliant young superstar Robinson Cano and other stars, but Derek Jeter has been the face of the franchise during its' entire run of excellence since 1996. And while I believe Jeter has several good years left - although there will come a point in time when a position switch might need to be addressed -I also believe that there are some people that deserve to complete their careers with their one team...and retire when they want to, not pushed out the door as was Bernie Williams by these same Yankees some years back.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson was a Laker. Larry Bird and Bill Russell were Celtics. Derek Jeter is a Yankee and The Captain should be afforded the opportunity to complete his career on his own terms.
Not unlike the situation with the Yankees and their talent, MSNBC has other capable hosts on its' air - including, of course, the truly outstanding Rachel Maddow - but Keith Olbermann is clearly the face of that franchise, the network's highest rated host and the main reason many people - myself included - have gotten turned on to MSNBC. If I could speak to MSNBC president Phil Griffin, I would want to ask what it is that makes a suspension "indefinite."
For instance, if the always-in-control Mr. Jeter were to have an uncharacteristic run-in with an umpire which led to a suspension, the suspension would be for a specific length of time, a certain number of days or games. What does Keith have to do in order to make his NBC suspension of a finite nature?
Furthermore, there are some offenses that don't require the maximum punishment for the crime. In a basketball game, a player may mouth off to the referee and wind up getting a "technical foul." As a result of receiving the technical, he or she is neither ejected from the game at hand nor suspended from future games; it basically serves as a warning to chill - and don't let it happen again. Shouldn't giving $2400 to three candidates really be more like a technical foul kind of offense? Like "dude, we don't do that here...unlike at FOX...so don't do that again...and have a great show tonight!" But to take your main guy off the air for that...that's like Pat Riley suspending D-Wade and LeBron James - the people everyone wants to see in order to cheer or boo - for wearing the wrong color shoes. Handle your business internally and keep it moving.
I know that rules are rules and there is no point in having them if they are not to be followed, but considering the fact that FOX "News" serves as a publicity and fund-raising sub-committee for the Republican and Tea Parties, the suspension of Keith Olbermann for this petty offense makes Phil Griffin...along with Ms. Angle, Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Palin, Senator-elect Paul, Rich Iott, and Senator Mitch McConnell...one of my own Worst People in the World.
So my suggestion is this: If Keith is not back on the air by Monday evening, shut down the MSNBC phone lines with your calls until he is restored to his position. And to Keith, one thing directly from me but probably the sentiments of many:
Come on, man. Bring back the Worst Persons segment!
Good night, and good luck.
Friday, October 29, 2010
NBA 2010-11
Back in June, after LeBron James announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach, many people would have thought that an NBA preview would begin and end with the Miami Heat. Now, three days into the season, folks may be ready to put the bubbly back in the fridge in Miami.
This is not to diss the Heat, who have, arguably, the second and third best players in the world on their roster (sorry folks, but to be the man you must beat the man - and I've got Kobe still with the crown on his head). Any team with players like D-Wade and LeBron will win an enormous amount of games on sheer talent alone. That said, there have been teams such as the Julius Erving/George McGinis/Doug Collins/World B. Free/Caldwell Jones/Darryl Dawkins/Harvey Catchings/Joe Bryant/Terry Furlow et al '76-78 Sixers - perhaps the most talented team in sports history ever to NOT win a championship - that have been loaded with talent and nonetheless came up empty.
To be honest, as talented as Miami is at the top of their roster, the jury is probably still out on the balance of the roster. It remains to be seen whether they will have enough good shooters to spread the floor enough so that Wade and James will have enough room with which to work. Failing that, the basic strategy against them would be to basically play a 2-3 zone packed into the paint, daring them all to shoot from outside...because certainly you've got a better chance with any of them from outside than with them driving to the rim.
With all this said, my picks for the divisions are as follows:
Atlantic - Boston
Central - Chicago
Southeast - Miami
Northwest - Oklahoma City
Pacific - Lakers
Southwest - San Antonio
Most improved in the East - New Jersey, with Avery Johnson at the helm. He will have them playing defense to the extent that playing the Nets will not be an automatic win at all anymore.
Most improved in the West - Either Golden State...who will obviously be hard-pressed to make their improvement translate into a playoff spot...or Oklahoma City. I see the Thunder improving simply because future MVP Kevin Durant and their young stars continue to get better. Sooner or later the championship trophy will reside there...but as for this year...
I envision a Boston-Miami final in the eastern conference, and in the still-loaded western conference, perhaps the Spurs on the veteran end of things or OKC on the youthful end may be able to deny the Lakers their opportunity to three-peat...though I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
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