Something extraordinary just happened. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich actually laughed. That's like Halley's Comet making a surprise appearance or the Democrats and Republicans putting petty partisanship aside and doing what's best for the people. In other words -- a very rare occasion indeed.
Coach Pop had good reason to yuk it up. His Spurs had finally dispatched the Okla City Thunder to move on to the NBA Finals where the Miami Heat await. It was the first time the Spurs had beat the Thunder in OKC in 10 tries. And it almost didn't happen. Because of the refs. It was incredible how many missed or totally blown calls occurred in this game -- and they pretty much all went against the Spurs. To boot, their all-world point guard, Tony Parker, went out in the first half with a leg injury and couldn't play the entire second half.
Given all that, one would have thought the Thunder would have romped at home -- again. After all, the first 5 games of the series were all blow-outs, with the home team winning. Most everybody expected the series would go back to San Antonio for a game 7.
Yet in overtime, the Thunder finally blinked and the Spurs prevailed. Then again, it should come as no surprise. Okla City has two fantastic players, a couple really good ones, and that's it. No depth on their bench. San Antonio will routinely rotate 9 or 10 men deep and not miss a beat. Sometimes "system" eventually trumps a couple phenomenal talents over the course of a 7 game series.
There's likely not much joy for sports fans in Oklahoma right about now. Their only professional big league franchise was eliminated from the playoffs, and the Oklahoma Sooners girls softball team just got kicked to the curb of the ladies College World Series by Oregon.
Idle thought: I've watched a lot of the ladies softball action. So why is it every single one of them on every single team has really long hair? Is it mandatory to make the team? Nary an Ellen, Whoopie, or Jamie Lee Curtis in the bunch. Seems weird.
Now the Spurs get 5 days off before the NBA Finals start. No doubt a good thing for some of their aging bodies to rest up. And they'll have home court advantage over the Miami Heat.
But as admirable as the Spurs program is under Pop's tutelage -- and as rare as his mirth is (it's kind of like Lurch of the Addams Family trying to smile) -- their chances against Miami probably aren't so good.
Besides their obvious front-line talent, the Heat have a lot of other things in their repertoir. They'll play 9 or 10 deep as well and have size, speed, and 3 point snipers. They can run with the best of them in a slamma-jamma contest, play the half-court slow-down game if necessary, and their team defense can be suffocating when they really want to crank it up.
I suspect it will indeed be cranked up in the Finals.
It would have been nice to see Gregg Popovich smile again -- and even see Tim Duncan, one of the classiest guys to ever play professional sports win another championship, but I don't think it's going to happen.
Miami's just too much.....
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Ballmer, Sterling, and 2 billion
OK, let's recap. In a secretly (and likely illegal) recorded personal conversation, LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling allegedly made some racist remarks. Many, but not all, were outraged when it went public. Among those taking high umbrage was rookie NBA Commish Adam Silver.
Just four days later, Silver and the NBA had completed their investigation and the verdict was in. Guilty. Silver would quickly fine Sterling $2.5 million (chump change, but good luck collecting), ban him for life from the NBA, and move to force the sale of the Clippers. Sterling had to go.
For his part, Sterling himself became an enigma. At first he was apologetic, then defiant, then said he would sell the team, then changed his mind and said he would fight. In the meantime, Sterling had supposedly transferred control of the Clippers to his wife Shelly. And she vowed to fight the NBA. No sale. Also in the meantime, Mrs. Sterling has filed for divorce and had her husband declared mentally incapitated. (That divorce stuff can get downright nasty sometimes, especially with filthy rich people.)
So OK, we knew all that. Then presto, the lovely Mrs. Sterling changed HER mind and has reportedly already accepted an offer to sell the Clippers. That was fast. Why?
Enter Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft. He bid a whopping $2 billion bucks for the Clippers. Certainly Ballmer can afford it. His total wealth has been estimated to be around $20 billion, so 10% of his dough to buy a professional sports franchise is hardly going to put him in dire financial straits. With $18 billion left over, chances are good a ramen noodle diet and begging for spare change on a street corner are not in Ballmer's near future.
Still, $2 billion for the Clippers? Just a few months ago, the market value of that team was estimated to be around $575 million. Even $575 M seems way too high. Consider the franchise....
Since Sterling bought them in 1981, 33 years ago, the Clips have made it to the playoffs only 5 times. They've never even reached the NBA Finals, let alone won a title. Over the course of that time, the Clippers have been the losingest franchise in all of major professional sports, including the NHL, NFL, and MLB. Even the lowly Detroit Lions and Chicago Cubs have fared better. To boot, the Clippers don't even have their own arena to play in. They've long been considered second class citizens at the Staples Center in LA, where the Lakers also play -- even though the Lakers are currently terrible. And they're locked into that lease for the next several years.
So why would Balmer pony up over 3 times the market value to buy the Clips? Just because he can doesn't mean it makes sense. Many financial people are scratching their heads and wondering -- what is he doing?
Yet let's assume the sale goes through. Who wins?
Actually, a lot of people. The NBA will have accomplished its mission to rid themselves of the Sterlings. No more threat of a future player boycott, and hopefully Anderson Cooper and the like can find another scandal or disaster to endlessly blather on about.
Certainly the Sterlings win. Donald only paid $12 million for the team back in 1981. You remember 1981. That was when Bonzo the chimp's buddy, the twenty mule team Gipper, AKA Ronald Reagan was just settling into the oval office for his first term as Prez. A tough act to follow indeed. Ahem.
Now they're about to split $2 billion? Some punishment. Beat me with a stick like that. Even given inflation, going from $12 million to $2 billion is roughly a 16,000 percent return on Sterling's original investment. That's some kind of serious interest.
But you know who wins the most? The franchise owners of all the other teams -- including the other sports. If the Clips were worth $2 billion, than the price tags on their franchises just skyrocketed. How much are teams like the Dallas Cowboys, NY Yankees, LA Dodgers, Chicago Bulls, etc worth now to a potential seller? 4 billion? 6? 10? These are big market teams that continue to pack their houses with fans, have won championships, and have lucrative TV deals and other endorsements pouring in. And what would the Miami Heat be worth right now according to this scale? A trillion?
Thing is, by Ballmer driving up the market value of the other franchises, other things are likely to follow. The players will want even more money. The teams will demand more revenue from the TV people for broadcast rights to offset those costs. And, in the end, the ticket prices for the average fan will go up -- as if they weren't ridiculously high already. In other words, simple logic dictates that for every big winner, there has to be a bunch of losers. Like playing the Lotto.
And it all started off because some gold-digger decided to secretly record her sugar daddy.
The lone consolation the average fan can get out of all this?
She's had her 15 minutes of fame, but the bimbo won't be sitting gratis courtside anymore at Clipper games, with or without the folks Donald Sterling apparently didn't approve of her hanging out with.
Ballmer may have grossly overpaid for the Clippers, but you don't become the CEO of Microsoft unless you're really smart.
And really smart people know better than to hang out with bimbos.
The only way V is seeing another Clippers game is on TV.
Idle thought: $2 billion is far more than has ever been shelled out to construct the most elaborate stadium or arena to date. That amount of money can buy one a tropical island paradise or two with likely enough change left over to purchase this newspaper, lock, stock, reporters, columnists and copy editors, and maybe even pay my editor's lunch tabs for a couple years. Huh. I wonder how many bimbos one can buy for $2 billion? Even Tiger Woods in his heyday wasn't in that class.....
Just four days later, Silver and the NBA had completed their investigation and the verdict was in. Guilty. Silver would quickly fine Sterling $2.5 million (chump change, but good luck collecting), ban him for life from the NBA, and move to force the sale of the Clippers. Sterling had to go.
For his part, Sterling himself became an enigma. At first he was apologetic, then defiant, then said he would sell the team, then changed his mind and said he would fight. In the meantime, Sterling had supposedly transferred control of the Clippers to his wife Shelly. And she vowed to fight the NBA. No sale. Also in the meantime, Mrs. Sterling has filed for divorce and had her husband declared mentally incapitated. (That divorce stuff can get downright nasty sometimes, especially with filthy rich people.)
So OK, we knew all that. Then presto, the lovely Mrs. Sterling changed HER mind and has reportedly already accepted an offer to sell the Clippers. That was fast. Why?
Enter Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft. He bid a whopping $2 billion bucks for the Clippers. Certainly Ballmer can afford it. His total wealth has been estimated to be around $20 billion, so 10% of his dough to buy a professional sports franchise is hardly going to put him in dire financial straits. With $18 billion left over, chances are good a ramen noodle diet and begging for spare change on a street corner are not in Ballmer's near future.
Still, $2 billion for the Clippers? Just a few months ago, the market value of that team was estimated to be around $575 million. Even $575 M seems way too high. Consider the franchise....
Since Sterling bought them in 1981, 33 years ago, the Clips have made it to the playoffs only 5 times. They've never even reached the NBA Finals, let alone won a title. Over the course of that time, the Clippers have been the losingest franchise in all of major professional sports, including the NHL, NFL, and MLB. Even the lowly Detroit Lions and Chicago Cubs have fared better. To boot, the Clippers don't even have their own arena to play in. They've long been considered second class citizens at the Staples Center in LA, where the Lakers also play -- even though the Lakers are currently terrible. And they're locked into that lease for the next several years.
So why would Balmer pony up over 3 times the market value to buy the Clips? Just because he can doesn't mean it makes sense. Many financial people are scratching their heads and wondering -- what is he doing?
Yet let's assume the sale goes through. Who wins?
Actually, a lot of people. The NBA will have accomplished its mission to rid themselves of the Sterlings. No more threat of a future player boycott, and hopefully Anderson Cooper and the like can find another scandal or disaster to endlessly blather on about.
Certainly the Sterlings win. Donald only paid $12 million for the team back in 1981. You remember 1981. That was when Bonzo the chimp's buddy, the twenty mule team Gipper, AKA Ronald Reagan was just settling into the oval office for his first term as Prez. A tough act to follow indeed. Ahem.
Now they're about to split $2 billion? Some punishment. Beat me with a stick like that. Even given inflation, going from $12 million to $2 billion is roughly a 16,000 percent return on Sterling's original investment. That's some kind of serious interest.
But you know who wins the most? The franchise owners of all the other teams -- including the other sports. If the Clips were worth $2 billion, than the price tags on their franchises just skyrocketed. How much are teams like the Dallas Cowboys, NY Yankees, LA Dodgers, Chicago Bulls, etc worth now to a potential seller? 4 billion? 6? 10? These are big market teams that continue to pack their houses with fans, have won championships, and have lucrative TV deals and other endorsements pouring in. And what would the Miami Heat be worth right now according to this scale? A trillion?
Thing is, by Ballmer driving up the market value of the other franchises, other things are likely to follow. The players will want even more money. The teams will demand more revenue from the TV people for broadcast rights to offset those costs. And, in the end, the ticket prices for the average fan will go up -- as if they weren't ridiculously high already. In other words, simple logic dictates that for every big winner, there has to be a bunch of losers. Like playing the Lotto.
And it all started off because some gold-digger decided to secretly record her sugar daddy.
The lone consolation the average fan can get out of all this?
She's had her 15 minutes of fame, but the bimbo won't be sitting gratis courtside anymore at Clipper games, with or without the folks Donald Sterling apparently didn't approve of her hanging out with.
Ballmer may have grossly overpaid for the Clippers, but you don't become the CEO of Microsoft unless you're really smart.
And really smart people know better than to hang out with bimbos.
The only way V is seeing another Clippers game is on TV.
Idle thought: $2 billion is far more than has ever been shelled out to construct the most elaborate stadium or arena to date. That amount of money can buy one a tropical island paradise or two with likely enough change left over to purchase this newspaper, lock, stock, reporters, columnists and copy editors, and maybe even pay my editor's lunch tabs for a couple years. Huh. I wonder how many bimbos one can buy for $2 billion? Even Tiger Woods in his heyday wasn't in that class.....
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
NHL playoff predictions
Interesting commercial and food for thought Dept. Not sure what to make of the Fifth Third Bank. My questions would be -- what happened to the 1st and 2nd banks? Did they go under? And if this is their fifth try at a third bank, here's hoping they can finally get it right. At any rate, the name itself doesn't exactly inspire consumer confidence, ya know?
OK, enough of that nonsense. On to the playoffs.
The defending Stanley Cup champs Chicago Black Hawks staved off elimination in their own building a few hours ago, but it took them double overtime to finally put away the LA Kings. At that, the Kings lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 to be played in LA. Can the Hawks win out there to force a Game 7 back in the Windy City?
Nope. Since falling behind 0-3 to the San Jose Sharks in the opening playoff round, the Kings have been on a roll. They would come back to win four in a row over the Sharks, then defeat Anaheim in a seven games series which included an amazing five road wins between the two teams, the last being the Kings knocking off the Ducks in the shadows of Disneyland. Then again, the term "road game" was misleading in that series. How far apart are LA and Anaheim anyway? A drive and a 7 iron?
Nevertheless, the Kings seem to have regained the form they showed just 2 years ago, when they entered the playoffs as only a #8 seed and rolled to the Cup. Chicago's not going to beat these guys two games in a row, though I still think the Black Hawks have the coolest uniforms in all of pro sports. Besides, with no NFL team, the Lakers a mess and the Clippers going through the whole Donald Sterling snafu, LA could use a break right about now.
In the east, Montreal and the NY Rangers is an interesting match-up. The Rangers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Madison Square Garden. They better win it to close out those pesky Habs, because they surely don't want to go back to Montreal for a Game 7. Both teams have shown they can win on the other's home ice, but can you imagine the fever pitch of the fans, players, etc., in Montreal for a Game 7 that would propel them into the Stanley Cup Finals? The Canadiens haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993, when ironically they defeated the LA Kings 4 games to 1. The coach of the Kings at the time? One Barry Melrose, who has become quite the noted NHL television personality and analyst. Barry still knows hockey -- big time. To boot, Montreal has suffered through even more doldrums than LA in the professional sports world. No NBA franchise. Yeah, they have a CFL team, but that's hardly the same as an NFL presence. And baseball? Their Expos folded up shop a while back and moved to Washington DC to become the Nationals. Ouch.
How huge would another Stanley Cup be in Montreal? Off the charts.
So who should win between them and the Rangers? The Rangers are a logical favorite because they have two games and only need to win one. But I'm taking Montreal to go to the Finals for sentimental reasons, one in particular. I'll get back to that.
New York's a great town. Lots of things to see and stuff to do. But the natives are also quite rude in their ways.
Then again, I was in Montreal a while back, and was treated like a peasant around town, and particularly at a fine dining establishment because I couldn't speak French.
So it's probably a fair statement to say New Yorkers and Montrealers can both be offensive to visitors, though in different ways.
Yet I want Montreal to win this series. Why?
Because I love hearing both national anthems before the games. Unlike other pro sports, the NHL trots out some world-class singers to belt out these anthems. And they don't jazz it up, blues it up, rock it up, rap it up, or otherwise change the songs to draw attention to themselves. They sing them as they were written. National anthems are supposed to be about honoring countries, not some celebrity flavor of the day getting their 5 minutes to show off while butchering the songs themselves. And certainly no crotch-grabbing. Ahem.
So for that reason alone I hope Les Habitants make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Once there, who to root for? Tough choice.
They can be pretty uppety in LA too, with all the high falootin movie stars running around. And the traffic is brutal. Six lanes both ways on a freeway and it's bumper to bumper for miles? Only in LA. WAY too many cars.
Whatever. It's two good teams that most thought wouldn't be in the Finals in the first place. It should be a helluva series.
May the best team win -- and bring on the national anthems.....
OK, enough of that nonsense. On to the playoffs.
The defending Stanley Cup champs Chicago Black Hawks staved off elimination in their own building a few hours ago, but it took them double overtime to finally put away the LA Kings. At that, the Kings lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 to be played in LA. Can the Hawks win out there to force a Game 7 back in the Windy City?
Nope. Since falling behind 0-3 to the San Jose Sharks in the opening playoff round, the Kings have been on a roll. They would come back to win four in a row over the Sharks, then defeat Anaheim in a seven games series which included an amazing five road wins between the two teams, the last being the Kings knocking off the Ducks in the shadows of Disneyland. Then again, the term "road game" was misleading in that series. How far apart are LA and Anaheim anyway? A drive and a 7 iron?
Nevertheless, the Kings seem to have regained the form they showed just 2 years ago, when they entered the playoffs as only a #8 seed and rolled to the Cup. Chicago's not going to beat these guys two games in a row, though I still think the Black Hawks have the coolest uniforms in all of pro sports. Besides, with no NFL team, the Lakers a mess and the Clippers going through the whole Donald Sterling snafu, LA could use a break right about now.
In the east, Montreal and the NY Rangers is an interesting match-up. The Rangers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in Madison Square Garden. They better win it to close out those pesky Habs, because they surely don't want to go back to Montreal for a Game 7. Both teams have shown they can win on the other's home ice, but can you imagine the fever pitch of the fans, players, etc., in Montreal for a Game 7 that would propel them into the Stanley Cup Finals? The Canadiens haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993, when ironically they defeated the LA Kings 4 games to 1. The coach of the Kings at the time? One Barry Melrose, who has become quite the noted NHL television personality and analyst. Barry still knows hockey -- big time. To boot, Montreal has suffered through even more doldrums than LA in the professional sports world. No NBA franchise. Yeah, they have a CFL team, but that's hardly the same as an NFL presence. And baseball? Their Expos folded up shop a while back and moved to Washington DC to become the Nationals. Ouch.
How huge would another Stanley Cup be in Montreal? Off the charts.
So who should win between them and the Rangers? The Rangers are a logical favorite because they have two games and only need to win one. But I'm taking Montreal to go to the Finals for sentimental reasons, one in particular. I'll get back to that.
New York's a great town. Lots of things to see and stuff to do. But the natives are also quite rude in their ways.
Then again, I was in Montreal a while back, and was treated like a peasant around town, and particularly at a fine dining establishment because I couldn't speak French.
So it's probably a fair statement to say New Yorkers and Montrealers can both be offensive to visitors, though in different ways.
Yet I want Montreal to win this series. Why?
Because I love hearing both national anthems before the games. Unlike other pro sports, the NHL trots out some world-class singers to belt out these anthems. And they don't jazz it up, blues it up, rock it up, rap it up, or otherwise change the songs to draw attention to themselves. They sing them as they were written. National anthems are supposed to be about honoring countries, not some celebrity flavor of the day getting their 5 minutes to show off while butchering the songs themselves. And certainly no crotch-grabbing. Ahem.
So for that reason alone I hope Les Habitants make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Once there, who to root for? Tough choice.
They can be pretty uppety in LA too, with all the high falootin movie stars running around. And the traffic is brutal. Six lanes both ways on a freeway and it's bumper to bumper for miles? Only in LA. WAY too many cars.
Whatever. It's two good teams that most thought wouldn't be in the Finals in the first place. It should be a helluva series.
May the best team win -- and bring on the national anthems.....
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
NBA playoffs. Predictions
And the teams playing in the Finals will be....
Let's start with the Miami Heat. Since losing game #1 of the conference finals to the Pacers, Lebron and Co. have been on a roll, winning the next three games easily. Even if Indiana manages to win game #5 at home, no way do they survive game #6 in Miami. And given the fickle nature of how the Pacers can play -- world beaters one game and milquetoasts the next -- did anybody really think they were going to knock off the two-time defending champs?
Okla City and San Antonio is more interesting. Sure, the Spurs spanked the Thunder in the first two games in Alamoland, but then the Okies held their own serve in games 3 and 4 when they returned to the friendly confines of Tornado Alley. If Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Chewbacca, or maybe that's Ibaka, can't find a way to win a game in San Antonio, they can't advance to the Finals. But yours truly has a sneaky suspicion they will. If they happen to win game #5 in San Antonio to go up 3-2 in the series, remember the Spurs have lost their last ten games in a row at Okla. The Okie fat lady would be ready in game 6 to turn out the lights. Even if both teams hold serve for the next two games, and it goes to a game 7 in San Antonio, I have this funny feeling that somehow, some way, the Thunder is going to pull it off. This, while yours truly has rooted for the Spurs for years, and still think they're the classiest franchise in all of pro sports. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the young studs are going to get them this time.
Either way, methinks neither the Spurs nor Thunder, regardless of home court, could defeat Miami in the Finals. The Heat are too talented, too deep, too experienced, too versatile, and when it counts the most -- besides having a championship pedigree -- they play flat-out hard, ALL over the court.
So, given the Heat are going to 3-peat, only one relevant question remains. How many more years and how many more titles will be enough for Lebron in South Beach before his Ohio roots get the best of him, finally call him home, and he returns to play for Cleveland in his twilight years?
Chances are, he's never going to match Michael Jordan's 6 rings, even if he stays in Miami. The Heat is getting collectively "old", and the back side of their bell curve likely looms soon.
James is signed for two more years with the Heat, and will become an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2016.
Here's another prediction -- if Lebron wins a couple more titles in Miami, when his contract is up would be the perfect time to go back home. By then the Heat won't be as dominant as they are now, and James makes no bones about his Ohio roots. No, he probably wouldn't win a championship in Cleveland any more than he could in the first few years of his NBA career, but hey, after 3-4 championships and a few hundred million in the bank -- how cool would it be for him to thrill the fans in Cleveland once again, by returning home to where it all started? VERY cool.
And if THAT happens, one more question arises. When Lebron James gets inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, as he surely will, which team would he choose to enter the Hall as a member of? The Heat or the Cavs? Championships versus roots. He would have to pick.
And wouldn't that be interesting?
But for now, first things first. James and the Heat have 5 more games to win before they are champions for the third year in a row.
And they're going to do it.......
Let's start with the Miami Heat. Since losing game #1 of the conference finals to the Pacers, Lebron and Co. have been on a roll, winning the next three games easily. Even if Indiana manages to win game #5 at home, no way do they survive game #6 in Miami. And given the fickle nature of how the Pacers can play -- world beaters one game and milquetoasts the next -- did anybody really think they were going to knock off the two-time defending champs?
Okla City and San Antonio is more interesting. Sure, the Spurs spanked the Thunder in the first two games in Alamoland, but then the Okies held their own serve in games 3 and 4 when they returned to the friendly confines of Tornado Alley. If Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Chewbacca, or maybe that's Ibaka, can't find a way to win a game in San Antonio, they can't advance to the Finals. But yours truly has a sneaky suspicion they will. If they happen to win game #5 in San Antonio to go up 3-2 in the series, remember the Spurs have lost their last ten games in a row at Okla. The Okie fat lady would be ready in game 6 to turn out the lights. Even if both teams hold serve for the next two games, and it goes to a game 7 in San Antonio, I have this funny feeling that somehow, some way, the Thunder is going to pull it off. This, while yours truly has rooted for the Spurs for years, and still think they're the classiest franchise in all of pro sports. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the young studs are going to get them this time.
Either way, methinks neither the Spurs nor Thunder, regardless of home court, could defeat Miami in the Finals. The Heat are too talented, too deep, too experienced, too versatile, and when it counts the most -- besides having a championship pedigree -- they play flat-out hard, ALL over the court.
So, given the Heat are going to 3-peat, only one relevant question remains. How many more years and how many more titles will be enough for Lebron in South Beach before his Ohio roots get the best of him, finally call him home, and he returns to play for Cleveland in his twilight years?
Chances are, he's never going to match Michael Jordan's 6 rings, even if he stays in Miami. The Heat is getting collectively "old", and the back side of their bell curve likely looms soon.
James is signed for two more years with the Heat, and will become an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2016.
Here's another prediction -- if Lebron wins a couple more titles in Miami, when his contract is up would be the perfect time to go back home. By then the Heat won't be as dominant as they are now, and James makes no bones about his Ohio roots. No, he probably wouldn't win a championship in Cleveland any more than he could in the first few years of his NBA career, but hey, after 3-4 championships and a few hundred million in the bank -- how cool would it be for him to thrill the fans in Cleveland once again, by returning home to where it all started? VERY cool.
And if THAT happens, one more question arises. When Lebron James gets inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, as he surely will, which team would he choose to enter the Hall as a member of? The Heat or the Cavs? Championships versus roots. He would have to pick.
And wouldn't that be interesting?
But for now, first things first. James and the Heat have 5 more games to win before they are champions for the third year in a row.
And they're going to do it.......
Monday, May 26, 2014
Checking out the Detroit Tigers
You'd have to be at least 35 years old or so to remember when the Detroit Tigers started off the 1984 season with an astounding 35-5 record (.875) after their first 40 games. A peek back at history (with a little help from Google) tells us the Toronto Blue Jays were 26-14 at that point.
Most years, the Jays' .675 winning percentage after 40 games would have found them atop the division -- any division. But not in 1984. They were already 9 nine games behind the streaking Tigers. Though the Tigers cooled off (a little), they would go on to win their division by a whopping 15 games, and ultimately trash the San Diego Padres in the World Series that year. Obviously, they were the best team in baseball back in 1984.
They haven't won a Fall Classic since. Thirty years and counting. The last two times the Tigers made it to the Big Dance, they've been blistered to the tune of a 1-8 record. Lots of regular season wins and hype -- but no cigar in October.
And here we go again. The Tigers jumped out to the best record in baseball this year at the 40 game mark -- 27-13. The pitchers were pitching, the sluggers were slugging, and all was well in Motown. Since new manager Brad Ausmus took over, the Tigers have already stolen more bases -- and it's still only May -- than they did all of last year.
But recently something very strange has happened. In their last nine games, the Tigers are 1-8. Even more alarming is they're not only getting beaten, but battered, no pun intended. In their last 6 games, opposing teams have put up 56 runs on Detroit's supposed vaunted pitching staff, including 34 in the last three games alone. Just last night the Oakland A's skunked them 10-0. What the hell is going on here?
Reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is holding his own, as is youngster Rick Porcello. Long time super-stud Justin Verlander, he of the Fastball Flakes breakfast cereal (seen those around lately?) has been shelled in his last couple outings and posts a journeymanesque 5-4 record.
Well OK. The bullpen's terrible, a few players have exhibited Roberto Duran's "hands of stone" in the field lately, and they've made some bone-headed base-running blunders to kill a possible rally.
Still, they not only remain atop their division with a 5 game lead, but despite their recent losing ways, also continue to have the best record in the Major Leagues.
If Scherzer continues at his present pace, he could win another Cy Young, though the name "Mad Max" comes to mind after he turned down a $140 million contract extension offer. Time out. $140 MILLION? How much is enough for this guy? $200 million? 500? His own tropical island with an aircraft carrier to protect it?
Slugger Miguel Cabrera continues to put up his gawdy hitting stats. The dude's flat out dangerous with a bat in his hands. And wouldn't it be something if he were to win the Triple Crown again? Only Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby have done it twice. Very lofty company, I dare say.
Let's cut to the chase. Of course the Tigers will win the American League Central Division. Once again that division is woefully weak, with no other team even above .500.
It's all going to boil down to the playoffs. Once there, can the Tigers win a couple series' to qualify for the World Series? And if they get that far, can they finally close the deal after 30 years of falling short? Hard to say. Anything can happen in a 7 game series between two good teams. Winning three in a row is no small feat.
Indeed, a lot can also happen, and probably will, in the remaining 120 games. The dog days of summer baseball haven't even started. There's still millions of tickets to be sold, parking fees to be paid, hot dogs, pretzels and ice cream to eat, beer/pop to drink, programs and team paraphernalia to buy, and wondering how you're going to pay the electric bill next month after a day at the ballpark with the family.
Is this a great game or what?
Most years, the Jays' .675 winning percentage after 40 games would have found them atop the division -- any division. But not in 1984. They were already 9 nine games behind the streaking Tigers. Though the Tigers cooled off (a little), they would go on to win their division by a whopping 15 games, and ultimately trash the San Diego Padres in the World Series that year. Obviously, they were the best team in baseball back in 1984.
They haven't won a Fall Classic since. Thirty years and counting. The last two times the Tigers made it to the Big Dance, they've been blistered to the tune of a 1-8 record. Lots of regular season wins and hype -- but no cigar in October.
And here we go again. The Tigers jumped out to the best record in baseball this year at the 40 game mark -- 27-13. The pitchers were pitching, the sluggers were slugging, and all was well in Motown. Since new manager Brad Ausmus took over, the Tigers have already stolen more bases -- and it's still only May -- than they did all of last year.
But recently something very strange has happened. In their last nine games, the Tigers are 1-8. Even more alarming is they're not only getting beaten, but battered, no pun intended. In their last 6 games, opposing teams have put up 56 runs on Detroit's supposed vaunted pitching staff, including 34 in the last three games alone. Just last night the Oakland A's skunked them 10-0. What the hell is going on here?
Reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is holding his own, as is youngster Rick Porcello. Long time super-stud Justin Verlander, he of the Fastball Flakes breakfast cereal (seen those around lately?) has been shelled in his last couple outings and posts a journeymanesque 5-4 record.
Well OK. The bullpen's terrible, a few players have exhibited Roberto Duran's "hands of stone" in the field lately, and they've made some bone-headed base-running blunders to kill a possible rally.
Still, they not only remain atop their division with a 5 game lead, but despite their recent losing ways, also continue to have the best record in the Major Leagues.
If Scherzer continues at his present pace, he could win another Cy Young, though the name "Mad Max" comes to mind after he turned down a $140 million contract extension offer. Time out. $140 MILLION? How much is enough for this guy? $200 million? 500? His own tropical island with an aircraft carrier to protect it?
Slugger Miguel Cabrera continues to put up his gawdy hitting stats. The dude's flat out dangerous with a bat in his hands. And wouldn't it be something if he were to win the Triple Crown again? Only Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby have done it twice. Very lofty company, I dare say.
Let's cut to the chase. Of course the Tigers will win the American League Central Division. Once again that division is woefully weak, with no other team even above .500.
It's all going to boil down to the playoffs. Once there, can the Tigers win a couple series' to qualify for the World Series? And if they get that far, can they finally close the deal after 30 years of falling short? Hard to say. Anything can happen in a 7 game series between two good teams. Winning three in a row is no small feat.
Indeed, a lot can also happen, and probably will, in the remaining 120 games. The dog days of summer baseball haven't even started. There's still millions of tickets to be sold, parking fees to be paid, hot dogs, pretzels and ice cream to eat, beer/pop to drink, programs and team paraphernalia to buy, and wondering how you're going to pay the electric bill next month after a day at the ballpark with the family.
Is this a great game or what?
Tiger, Rory, and the marriage thing
Marriage is a great institution if one hooks up with the right partner. Yours truly has tried it a couple times himself. Alas, I fired #1 and, many years later, #2 would fire me -- so I suppose that's fair on some level. But glorious as it can be, it would appear there are times when holy matrimony, or even considering it, can be detrimental -- especially in the golfing world.
Enter Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Remember, back in the early 2000s, Tiger was winning everything, including major after major. Woods was far and away the #1 player in the world. There was Tiger -- and everybody else. It wasn't a matter of if, but when he would surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories. It certainly wasn't uncommon for bettors to take Tiger over the entire field in any given tournament. And then along came Elin, the Swedish bombshell.
They would marry in 2004, and Tiger continued to pound out the tournament wins. Problem was, it turned out Woods had apparently stayed busy pounding out the bimbos on the side as well.
Elin and Tiger had their first child, a daughter, in 2007. Tiger won one major, down from two the year before. In 2008, along came their second child, a son. Again, Woods won one major. Then besides a wife -- he had two kids. And he hasn't won a major since. Six years and counting.
A year later, in 2009, Woods' serial infidelity would be exposed and Elin wasn't happy, to say the least. The Big D loomed immediately. When the dust cleared, Ms. Nordegren, who'd been a clerk in a clothing store before hanging out on the PGA tour and eventually hooking up with Tiger -- walked away with the kids and $100 million bucks of his money. Did Tiger have it coming? Sure. Regardless of how rich and famous a man is -- when he gets married -- he's supposed to swear off the bimbos. Somewhere in the handy-dandy guide to a successful marriage, I'm pretty sure that's spelled out in the by-laws.
Look at what's happened to Tiger since. He won his last major, the 2008 US Open, on a bad leg. He and his long-time caddie, Steve Williams, got divorced as well. Just recently, Woods had back surgery, which has put him out of action indefinitely. He may or may not ever play again, let alone return to the dominant force he was a decade ago.
And the downhill slide all started when he got married. Throw in a couple kids, and the slope into oblivion can get really slippery for a golfer.
Quick question: Why would a guy like Woods back in the day even remotely consider getting married? Good grief, he had his choice of Grade A cuisine the world over with no strings attached. Sure, Elin wasn't hard to look at -- but she wasn't all THAT.
Given all that's happened, does anybody really think Tiger remains a threat to catch Jack's record now? The dude can barely chip and putt these days, and the young, fearless studs the world over with some serious game themselves keep on coming.
Kudos to Rory McIlroy. The young Irish laddie had the wisdom to nip this problem in the bud. Remember, Rory had been in quite a slump too after a hot streak a while back. He had taken up with Caroline Wozniacki, a pro tennis player, and quite the looker herself. They were even engaged to be married. Then his game went in the dumper. Rory was lucky to make a cut at a tournament, let alone win.
So for whatever reasons, he fired Caroline. The wedding's off. Outta here. Ain't gonna be no kids getting in the way either. Forget that.
And just four days later, Rory shot a blistering final round of 66 to capture the European PGA flagship tournament, the BMW Championship.
The moral of the story? Marriage can be a great thing. But if you just happen to be a young, good-looking male professional golfer that's already made big bucks -- with the pretty girls standing in line every place you go hoping for a chance to get close to you -- you just might want to think long and hard (no pun intended) before you get a preacher involved to swap vows and wedding rings. Easy to get into. Most times painful to get out of.
And your game will never be the same. Rory figured it out before it was too late. Tiger's still in rehab years later.
'Nuff said.
Enter Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Remember, back in the early 2000s, Tiger was winning everything, including major after major. Woods was far and away the #1 player in the world. There was Tiger -- and everybody else. It wasn't a matter of if, but when he would surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories. It certainly wasn't uncommon for bettors to take Tiger over the entire field in any given tournament. And then along came Elin, the Swedish bombshell.
They would marry in 2004, and Tiger continued to pound out the tournament wins. Problem was, it turned out Woods had apparently stayed busy pounding out the bimbos on the side as well.
Elin and Tiger had their first child, a daughter, in 2007. Tiger won one major, down from two the year before. In 2008, along came their second child, a son. Again, Woods won one major. Then besides a wife -- he had two kids. And he hasn't won a major since. Six years and counting.
A year later, in 2009, Woods' serial infidelity would be exposed and Elin wasn't happy, to say the least. The Big D loomed immediately. When the dust cleared, Ms. Nordegren, who'd been a clerk in a clothing store before hanging out on the PGA tour and eventually hooking up with Tiger -- walked away with the kids and $100 million bucks of his money. Did Tiger have it coming? Sure. Regardless of how rich and famous a man is -- when he gets married -- he's supposed to swear off the bimbos. Somewhere in the handy-dandy guide to a successful marriage, I'm pretty sure that's spelled out in the by-laws.
Look at what's happened to Tiger since. He won his last major, the 2008 US Open, on a bad leg. He and his long-time caddie, Steve Williams, got divorced as well. Just recently, Woods had back surgery, which has put him out of action indefinitely. He may or may not ever play again, let alone return to the dominant force he was a decade ago.
And the downhill slide all started when he got married. Throw in a couple kids, and the slope into oblivion can get really slippery for a golfer.
Quick question: Why would a guy like Woods back in the day even remotely consider getting married? Good grief, he had his choice of Grade A cuisine the world over with no strings attached. Sure, Elin wasn't hard to look at -- but she wasn't all THAT.
Given all that's happened, does anybody really think Tiger remains a threat to catch Jack's record now? The dude can barely chip and putt these days, and the young, fearless studs the world over with some serious game themselves keep on coming.
Kudos to Rory McIlroy. The young Irish laddie had the wisdom to nip this problem in the bud. Remember, Rory had been in quite a slump too after a hot streak a while back. He had taken up with Caroline Wozniacki, a pro tennis player, and quite the looker herself. They were even engaged to be married. Then his game went in the dumper. Rory was lucky to make a cut at a tournament, let alone win.
So for whatever reasons, he fired Caroline. The wedding's off. Outta here. Ain't gonna be no kids getting in the way either. Forget that.
And just four days later, Rory shot a blistering final round of 66 to capture the European PGA flagship tournament, the BMW Championship.
The moral of the story? Marriage can be a great thing. But if you just happen to be a young, good-looking male professional golfer that's already made big bucks -- with the pretty girls standing in line every place you go hoping for a chance to get close to you -- you just might want to think long and hard (no pun intended) before you get a preacher involved to swap vows and wedding rings. Easy to get into. Most times painful to get out of.
And your game will never be the same. Rory figured it out before it was too late. Tiger's still in rehab years later.
'Nuff said.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Indy 500 is here again. Glorious
Somewhere, they'll probably be playing the final rounds of golf tournaments. Same with tennis. Major League Baseball will have a full schedule of games. The NBA and NHL will both feature terrific playoff contests. I'm pretty sure the NASCAR folks will be running a 600 mile race in Charlotte. And Landon Donovan, the highest scoring forward by far in American soccer history, will still be wondering how the hell he got left off the World Cup team.
And you know what? I don't care about any of it. The holy day has arrived. Time for the Indianapolis 500.
Bring on Gomer, oops, Jim Nabors, to sing "Back Home In Indiana". Sha-ZAM. (Got beer)
Let loose the thousands of balloons into the sky. (Already set up the pizza delivery)
All quiet while the chaplain offers his words of thanks and prays for the safety of the drivers. (Praise the Lord, the significant others have once again decided they have better things to do than watch a stupid race. May the force and credit card limits be with them)
Rise for the national anthem, even in man-cave, hand over heart. (Generator's gassed up and good to go in case something stupid happens -- like a power outage caused by an earthquake, tornado, tsunami, nuclear war, or the "smart" meter going berserk. You never know. Always best to have a back-up plan at critical times)
And finally, the sacred words themselves. "Start your engines". (Reloaded the propane tank and got brats and chicken for the grill -- just in case -- but such an assignment would be delegated to the lowest seniority viewer in attendance)
The crowd in attendance rises to its feet as they approach the green flag. Here they come out of turn four, three abreast. (The house is now in official lock-down mode. All cell phones must be turned off)
Qualifying at 230+ MPH? As in, if a driver can't average at least 225 all the way around the track, including the four corners, they need not bother to show up? Amazing.
Oh yeah. I am so ready for this. With all due respect to the tennis and golf folks, guys named Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Les Habitants of Montreal and the NY Rangers, and everybody else in the sports world -- these people are all on hold. It's time for Indy. And in my world -- this is a glorious thing.
Bring it on.
And you know what? I don't care about any of it. The holy day has arrived. Time for the Indianapolis 500.
Bring on Gomer, oops, Jim Nabors, to sing "Back Home In Indiana". Sha-ZAM. (Got beer)
Let loose the thousands of balloons into the sky. (Already set up the pizza delivery)
All quiet while the chaplain offers his words of thanks and prays for the safety of the drivers. (Praise the Lord, the significant others have once again decided they have better things to do than watch a stupid race. May the force and credit card limits be with them)
Rise for the national anthem, even in man-cave, hand over heart. (Generator's gassed up and good to go in case something stupid happens -- like a power outage caused by an earthquake, tornado, tsunami, nuclear war, or the "smart" meter going berserk. You never know. Always best to have a back-up plan at critical times)
And finally, the sacred words themselves. "Start your engines". (Reloaded the propane tank and got brats and chicken for the grill -- just in case -- but such an assignment would be delegated to the lowest seniority viewer in attendance)
The crowd in attendance rises to its feet as they approach the green flag. Here they come out of turn four, three abreast. (The house is now in official lock-down mode. All cell phones must be turned off)
Qualifying at 230+ MPH? As in, if a driver can't average at least 225 all the way around the track, including the four corners, they need not bother to show up? Amazing.
Oh yeah. I am so ready for this. With all due respect to the tennis and golf folks, guys named Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Les Habitants of Montreal and the NY Rangers, and everybody else in the sports world -- these people are all on hold. It's time for Indy. And in my world -- this is a glorious thing.
Bring it on.
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