I have to make this quick since I have some place to go, but here it is...
I was thinking about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar today. Come on! As if you weren't also. LOL. Anyway, I was thinking about Kareem and it somehow reminded me about all those girls who have been dating men forever and are impatiently "waiting" and nagging their significant others about getting engaged.
I love Kareem. I skipped a day of medical school to go to the local MC Sports to have him sign a Lakers hat and take his picture. My dad went to some auction a million years ago and came back with an autographed Kareem picture. I went to a Los Angeles Dodgers game and Kareem threw out the first pitch. I will never forget it.
I don't know the specifics about the relationship with the Lakers and Kareem, but I do know the history. 5 titles. He's a center. He's THE big man (i.e. behind Bill Russell). I can't finish Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball", because of all the Kareem bashing.
All I can think about is the poem I once heard...
Patience is a virtue
Possess it if you can
Seldom found in women
Never found in men!
Don't worry Kareem... Unlike those ladies nagging their men for a ring, I can guarantee you that you'll get what you want. You will get your statue and when you get it ~ I'll take a trip out to LA to check it out!
I need to get a Skyhook shirt: http://store.kareemabduljabbar.com/skyhook-tshirt2.html
THE WIRK
Showing posts with label Bill Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Simmons. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, June 28, 2010
Flight delayed? Just Tweet and watch the 2010 NBA Draft
**** I know I'm late, with this post. I was on vacation. That doesn't mean I don't have something to say.
My travel nightmares over the past few days started on Thursday night...
I was at the gate ready to board my flight, when the gate agent got on the intercom to announce that my flight would be delayed. It just so happens I was talking on the phone when the announcement was going on. I heard it just fine (i.e. along with the other 100 people at the gate), but some strange lady in orange pants started waving her hands in front of me to try to shush me. If you read this blog, you also know that I don't like people who wave their hands at me to get me to do or NOT do something. Regardless, the lady spazzed out again while sitting down an hour later and some other strangers had to help her get some airport personnel to attend to her. Who knows what the lady's issue was, but at least she had a team of 5 people to handle her.
On Thursday, my flight was supposed to leave Minneapolis around 5:30 PM, but left around 11:15PM instead. Awesome. Does anyone even know that Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport had a G Terminal?!?! I had no idea. It's faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar. Regardless, There's nothing anyone can do about a flight delay and this blow wasn't as devastating for me, since it gave me a chance to watch the NBA Draft. I love the NBA Draft when the draft pool is loaded with talent. I'm not going to sugar coat it. In comparison to the 1996 NBA Draft, I think this year's draft pool was relatively shallow.
1996 was stacked with talent. As a recap from Wikipedia:
Round one
This year was different. If you didn't know ahead of time who the #1 (i.e. John Wall) and #2 (i.e. Evan Turner) picks were, then you either don't like basketball or you're stupid. Like I said, I'm not going to sugar coat it.
Stuck at the airport, I had no choice but to pony up in front of a TV and watch the NBA draft and READ the closed captioning. After a while that is no fun. So, with my trust iPhone in hand I logged into my Twitter account to see what people had to say. I follow some really intelligent people in sports who are in the know, and I also follow some clowns that make me laugh with their 140 character posts. I sat there and almost accidentally spit out my drink reading the tweets, when the Utah took Gordon Hayward 9th. I laughed out loud after reading some of the comments when the New Orleans Hornets drafted Kansas' Cole Aldrich at #11.
As soon as Aldrich was selected one of my friends who I follow wrote that "Chris Paul was as good as gone." I laughed. Then the Hornets agreed to trade Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Thunder's 21st and 26th picks in the first round. I couldn't wait to see Kevin Durant's face to decipher his reaction to the trade. Actually, now that I think about it, I follow KDThunderup on Twitter and I can't remember if he reacted or not. Read into that, what you will.
Interestingly, with the 23rd pick, Trevor Booker was the first senior to be drafted by the Timberwolves. Read into that, what you will.
During the draft I noticed a post that David Aldridge wrote saying that Rasheed Wallace was going to retire. That was my chance to Tweet that on a day when everyone welcomes rookies to the league, it's always important to remember the veterans!
I haven't read Bill Simmons' NBA Draft Diary post yet. Like a kid on Christmas, I anxiously look forward to it every year, Simmons' basketball knowledge is so deep that I use it as a litmus test to see if I still "have it". If I get lost and don't understand his references, it's a sign that I need to study-up some more. My brother isn't a formidable opponent, even though he like to think he knows his basketball history ~ he doesn't. Usually he hits me with some highlights from Simmons' piece and a couple of questions, but since he's in Cape Town this year (i.e. World Cup), I'll forgive him for slacking this year.
John Wall is a Washington Wizard, Stephen Strasburg is a Washington National. Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin. Alex Ovechkin is a Washington Capital. In the course of a few years, Washington DC has become a "sexier" town for athletes. Now, all Washington needs to do is show the rest of the teams that it can WIN.
THE WIRK
My travel nightmares over the past few days started on Thursday night...
I was at the gate ready to board my flight, when the gate agent got on the intercom to announce that my flight would be delayed. It just so happens I was talking on the phone when the announcement was going on. I heard it just fine (i.e. along with the other 100 people at the gate), but some strange lady in orange pants started waving her hands in front of me to try to shush me. If you read this blog, you also know that I don't like people who wave their hands at me to get me to do or NOT do something. Regardless, the lady spazzed out again while sitting down an hour later and some other strangers had to help her get some airport personnel to attend to her. Who knows what the lady's issue was, but at least she had a team of 5 people to handle her.
On Thursday, my flight was supposed to leave Minneapolis around 5:30 PM, but left around 11:15PM instead. Awesome. Does anyone even know that Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport had a G Terminal?!?! I had no idea. It's faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar. Regardless, There's nothing anyone can do about a flight delay and this blow wasn't as devastating for me, since it gave me a chance to watch the NBA Draft. I love the NBA Draft when the draft pool is loaded with talent. I'm not going to sugar coat it. In comparison to the 1996 NBA Draft, I think this year's draft pool was relatively shallow.
1996 was stacked with talent. As a recap from Wikipedia:
Round one
- Allen Iverson* (SG) United States Philadelphia 76ers Georgetown-So.
- Marcus Cambyx (C) United States Toronto Raptors UMass-Jr.
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim+ (PF) United States Vancouver Grizzlies California-Fr.
- Stephon Marbury* (PG) United States Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Minnesota) Georgia Tech-Fr.
- Ray Allen* (SG) United States Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Milwaukee Bucks) UConn-Jr.
- Antoine Walker+ (PF) United States Boston Celtics (from Dallas) Kentucky-So.
- Lorenzen Wright (C) United States Los Angeles Clippers Memphis-So.
- Kerry Kittles (SG) United States New Jersey Nets Villanova-Sr.
- Samaki Walker (PF) United States Dallas Mavericks (from Boston) Louisville-So.
- Erick Dampier (C) United States Indiana Pacers (from Denver) Mississippi State-Jr.
- Todd Fuller (C) United States Golden State Warriors (from Golden State via Orlando and Washington) NC State-Sr.
- Vitaly Potapenko (C) Ukraine Cleveland Cavaliers (from Washington) Wright State-Jr.
- Kobe Bryant* (SG) United States Charlotte Hornets (traded to L.A. Lakers) Lower Merion HS (Lower Merion, PA)
- Peja Stojaković* (SF) Yugoslavia Sacramento Kings PAOK (Greece)
- Steve Nash* (PG) Canada Phoenix Suns Santa Clara-Sr.
- Tony Delk (SG) United States Charlotte Hornets (from Miami) Kentucky-Sr.
- Jermaine O'Neal* (F/C) United States Portland Trail Blazers Eau Claire HS (Columbia, SC)
- John Wallace (PF) United States New York Knicks (from Detroit via San Antonio) Syracuse-Sr.
- Walter McCarty (PF) United States New York Knicks (from Atlanta via Miami) Kentucky-Sr.
- Zydrunas Ilgauskas+ (C) Lithuania Cleveland Cavaliers Atletas (Lithuania)
This year was different. If you didn't know ahead of time who the #1 (i.e. John Wall) and #2 (i.e. Evan Turner) picks were, then you either don't like basketball or you're stupid. Like I said, I'm not going to sugar coat it.
Stuck at the airport, I had no choice but to pony up in front of a TV and watch the NBA draft and READ the closed captioning. After a while that is no fun. So, with my trust iPhone in hand I logged into my Twitter account to see what people had to say. I follow some really intelligent people in sports who are in the know, and I also follow some clowns that make me laugh with their 140 character posts. I sat there and almost accidentally spit out my drink reading the tweets, when the Utah took Gordon Hayward 9th. I laughed out loud after reading some of the comments when the New Orleans Hornets drafted Kansas' Cole Aldrich at #11.
As soon as Aldrich was selected one of my friends who I follow wrote that "Chris Paul was as good as gone." I laughed. Then the Hornets agreed to trade Aldrich and guard Morris Peterson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Thunder's 21st and 26th picks in the first round. I couldn't wait to see Kevin Durant's face to decipher his reaction to the trade. Actually, now that I think about it, I follow KDThunderup on Twitter and I can't remember if he reacted or not. Read into that, what you will.
Interestingly, with the 23rd pick, Trevor Booker was the first senior to be drafted by the Timberwolves. Read into that, what you will.
During the draft I noticed a post that David Aldridge wrote saying that Rasheed Wallace was going to retire. That was my chance to Tweet that on a day when everyone welcomes rookies to the league, it's always important to remember the veterans!
I haven't read Bill Simmons' NBA Draft Diary post yet. Like a kid on Christmas, I anxiously look forward to it every year, Simmons' basketball knowledge is so deep that I use it as a litmus test to see if I still "have it". If I get lost and don't understand his references, it's a sign that I need to study-up some more. My brother isn't a formidable opponent, even though he like to think he knows his basketball history ~ he doesn't. Usually he hits me with some highlights from Simmons' piece and a couple of questions, but since he's in Cape Town this year (i.e. World Cup), I'll forgive him for slacking this year.
John Wall is a Washington Wizard, Stephen Strasburg is a Washington National. Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin. Alex Ovechkin is a Washington Capital. In the course of a few years, Washington DC has become a "sexier" town for athletes. Now, all Washington needs to do is show the rest of the teams that it can WIN.
THE WIRK
Friday, May 28, 2010
Why do we even know the names of referees and umpires?
I'm not that old and I'm not that young, but I remember the days when I didn't know the names of the refs or the umpires. I long for those days... Through all my years of watching and following sports, I've learned the names of a few - the respected, the notorious, and the history making.
An example of the respected is, Dick Bavetta. I came to "know" by watching him on TV and seeing him in action. I've never met him, but I respect the way he carries himself and I was amused with his personality when he agreed to race Charles Barkley up and down the court over All-Star Weekend. I was in Las Vegas during the race and ALL the TV's switched to the race. It was awesome and I can still hear the crowd cheer when Dick Bavetta dove at the end. I've never met Dick Bavetta ~ but he seems like a good guy.
Here's a video of the hyping up the Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta race from the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend:
Here's the actual race:
An example of the notorious would be Tim Donaghy. If you don't know who he is, then you don't follow professional basketball and you should probably click the link. Now I recognize that with the degree of interaction of among coaches, players and referees that there can be tension. However, should I really know the names Steve Javie, Joe DeRosa, etc.?
An example of history making referee is Violet Palmer. She was the first African-American, female to referee an NBA game.
I did a quick google search using the terms: terrible NBA referees and this post by Bill Simmons came up. In it he mentions Joe DeRosa and Bennett Salvatore. We all know about Joe DeRosa, since he recently received a one-game suspension after throwing a basketball at a fan. As for Bennett Salvatore, I'm going to include Simmons' quote here for your convenience:
To quote Bill Simmons' post, "Bennett Salvatore -- Always one of the worst, he took it to another level this season. If you see him on the court at the start of the game, get ready for about six technicals, two near-brawls and both coaches having to be restrained by their assistants at various times."
I realize those are only basketball examples, but we all know there are baseball ones also. Today I was watching Pardon the Interruption and earlier in the week I was watching SportsCenter. I keep seeing and hearing about Umpire Joe West, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle, and Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen. I watched the clip and the Buehrle's move that was called a "balk". I saw both Buehrle and Guillen get tossed. Now I'm not going to argue whether Buehrle's move was a balk or not, but I keep asking myself why I even know Joe West's name. Alright already. He's an umpire. Umpires and referees need to do their jobs and stop trying to steal the spotlight and make situations about them. That's just my 2 cents.
Earlier in the year I went to an NBA game and I saw a ref throwing souvenir balls into the crowd. This was surprising to me, since I remember the days in the tunnel when the walkways cleared since the refs were going to pass through. The refs were more or less sequestered in their own locker room like jurors, and I'm sure that helped to maintain their objectivity. There should be no personal bias between officials and players.
But hey, that's just my 2 cents... Seriously? Are we going to be able to buy officiating jerseys with referee and umpires names on them soon? Are the referees and umpires going to get trading cards and their own shoes now? Just saying. Alright, I'm going to wrap up this post since I want to download all of Cowboy Joe West's music tracks... What?!?! You do, too?!?! Ok - here you go: http://www.cowboyjoewest.com/
Lastly, if anyone can tell me why the NFL referees sport "candy-striper" (i.e. red and white) uniforms at times, drop me a note. I'm sincerely interested in the explanation.
THE WIRK
An example of the respected is, Dick Bavetta. I came to "know" by watching him on TV and seeing him in action. I've never met him, but I respect the way he carries himself and I was amused with his personality when he agreed to race Charles Barkley up and down the court over All-Star Weekend. I was in Las Vegas during the race and ALL the TV's switched to the race. It was awesome and I can still hear the crowd cheer when Dick Bavetta dove at the end. I've never met Dick Bavetta ~ but he seems like a good guy.
Here's a video of the hyping up the Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta race from the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend:
Here's the actual race:
An example of the notorious would be Tim Donaghy. If you don't know who he is, then you don't follow professional basketball and you should probably click the link. Now I recognize that with the degree of interaction of among coaches, players and referees that there can be tension. However, should I really know the names Steve Javie, Joe DeRosa, etc.?
An example of history making referee is Violet Palmer. She was the first African-American, female to referee an NBA game.
I did a quick google search using the terms: terrible NBA referees and this post by Bill Simmons came up. In it he mentions Joe DeRosa and Bennett Salvatore. We all know about Joe DeRosa, since he recently received a one-game suspension after throwing a basketball at a fan. As for Bennett Salvatore, I'm going to include Simmons' quote here for your convenience:
To quote Bill Simmons' post, "Bennett Salvatore -- Always one of the worst, he took it to another level this season. If you see him on the court at the start of the game, get ready for about six technicals, two near-brawls and both coaches having to be restrained by their assistants at various times."
I realize those are only basketball examples, but we all know there are baseball ones also. Today I was watching Pardon the Interruption and earlier in the week I was watching SportsCenter. I keep seeing and hearing about Umpire Joe West, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle, and Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen. I watched the clip and the Buehrle's move that was called a "balk". I saw both Buehrle and Guillen get tossed. Now I'm not going to argue whether Buehrle's move was a balk or not, but I keep asking myself why I even know Joe West's name. Alright already. He's an umpire. Umpires and referees need to do their jobs and stop trying to steal the spotlight and make situations about them. That's just my 2 cents.
Earlier in the year I went to an NBA game and I saw a ref throwing souvenir balls into the crowd. This was surprising to me, since I remember the days in the tunnel when the walkways cleared since the refs were going to pass through. The refs were more or less sequestered in their own locker room like jurors, and I'm sure that helped to maintain their objectivity. There should be no personal bias between officials and players.
But hey, that's just my 2 cents... Seriously? Are we going to be able to buy officiating jerseys with referee and umpires names on them soon? Are the referees and umpires going to get trading cards and their own shoes now? Just saying. Alright, I'm going to wrap up this post since I want to download all of Cowboy Joe West's music tracks... What?!?! You do, too?!?! Ok - here you go: http://www.cowboyjoewest.com/
Lastly, if anyone can tell me why the NFL referees sport "candy-striper" (i.e. red and white) uniforms at times, drop me a note. I'm sincerely interested in the explanation.
THE WIRK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)