I just took in the Sheed Press Conference on the radio, and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't fully erect when it was finished. I was excited when I found out about this, but it didn't sink in until today. Everything about what happened today was encouraging. Sheed said that the only member of the organization that he was expecting to be there today was Danny Ainge. His voice sounded ecstatic as he thanked his three teammates for showing up to support him. He emphasized his excitement at playing with the big three, his desire to focus his energy on the defensive end, and his willingness to play however many minutes and take however many shots are necessary for the team to win.
Here are some highlights:
some other reasons to be excited:
At the beginning, Danny Ainge spoke about how well Wallace fits in with the Celtics system, and said that he doesn't think it will take more than 2 practices for him to be completely familiar with everything the team does.
Sheed talked about how taken aback he was from the fact that KG, Ray, and Pierce all went to Detroit together to meet with him and tell him how much they would love to play with them. KG was in LA. Pierce and Allen were both in different places. However, this was that important to them. The money was similar from every team, and when you add in the impact of three superstars flying out and asking to be your teammates, how could he say no and how could he not give everything he has to this.
All of the big three were borderline giddy: Ray talked about how he was already thinking about making a play for Sheed during last season because he knew it would be perfect. KG said it was like going back to the AAU days. Pierce said that the move gave him an extra boost in his workouts.
When you really contemplate Sheed: how could you not love this move? The guy is a fierce competitor, he has a fiery personality, he defends better than anyone in the league in the post, and he has insane range. The biggest complaint I can muster is that he's a hothead on the court: that fits this team and I'll take it! Honestly, what is the concern? Since when has this team been worried about technical fouls? The last time I saw them playing in a mild-mannered fashion, they were tanking in hopes of landing Greg Oden.
The guy is most likely here for the next three years, and it will be interesting to see how this effects the type of money Ray is willing to settle for at season's end.
Finally, and most importantly, the Cavaliers absolutely cannot beat the Cs in a 7 game series now.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Joanna Krupa: Devil Woman
I can't believe I'm actually about to defend TO (maybe his departure from the NFC East made me like him more). I just watched the first episode of "The Superstars" on DVR, and it is clear that in Joanna Krupa TO finally found the one thing we never thought he would: a worse teammate than himself. Every other team had partners encouraging each other. Capriati totally shat the bed on two straight challenges. Her partner was very supportive. Lisa Leslie got caught in the cargo net and then went out the wrong way. Her partner was very supportive. TO (who was very supportive of Joanna throughout), got his foot caught in the cargo net in one of his trips through the obstacle course, and it totally derailed Krupa. Here is the video (and this is only one part, it got a lot worse).
In the final heat of the obstacle course, TO got his team a lead, which Krupa blew. And yet, after it finished all she could do was scream "you call yourself an athlete!?" I think TO's teammates are justified in just about everything they have ever taken up with him. However, his athletic prowess is really the one thing you can't question. She looked foolish.
TO stayed very calm and pleasant throughout, and even had a great line on the way out: "I feel sorry for her boyfriend."
MD 20/20: Bling Bling
I have a certain relative (who shall go unnamed) who once drank ten bottles of Mad Dog in one day while being initiated into a fraternity at his college (both of which shall go unnamed). I feel like that's one of the most impressive drinking feats in history. There are few boozes that burn the stomach and the head quite like Mad Dog does. I will openly admit to drinking it often in high school, and occasionally in college when my budget dictated. However, I have not had it in a LONG time, and I've never been better.
Anyways, this relative is getting married in August and had his bachelor party yesterday at an undisclosed location. We were invited to bring any booze we would like to haze him with. There was a case of Jameson, some Smirnoff Ices (the fruity flavors), and pretty much everything else you would never want to drink too much of on their own, never mind drinking them all simultaneously. I thought nothing could be more appropriate for this good man than a Mad Dog.
As I said, it had been a while since I sought out the MD 20/20, and I couldn't be happier to see their new labels, which now feature a gold chain hanging from the classic logo. As you can see, the chain reads: Bling Bling.
I'm not sure if all flavors have this new addition, or if it's just the Blue Rasberry.
There are many directions in which to go from here, but I will choose instead to end this post.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Basketball Jones: 2008 Draft Preview
Many fans (myself included) have been contacting the Basketball Jones endlessly in search of an NBA draft episode. Well, it looks like that won't be happening. But, instead, they have provided all of us with this preview of last year's draft. In retrospect, it's really amazing how dead on these guys were about everything that went down last year. Take a look.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Joe Buck is a pussy
Watch this and enjoy. This is Joe Buck's new show, which is really just Buck taking over for Bob Costas' old show on HBO. It is simply fantastic to watch him squirm...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/artie-lange-rips-joe-buck_n_216163.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/artie-lange-rips-joe-buck_n_216163.html
Friday, June 19, 2009
Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics
I hate to take away from Nick's pending wedding, but I'm pretty sure he want me to post this. So congrats Nick and enjoy:
This morning I caught Rajon Rondo on the Dennis and Callahan show responding to swirling trade rumors. Supposedly Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins are also on the block. Now as Wyc Grousbeck recently said on the Dale and Holley show phones calls and discussions happen all of the time in the NBA. Of course that’s what any savvy owner would say. Still, initially I was a little taken back by the rumors, as I’ve grown attached to this team over the last two years. Yet I like the fact that Danny Ainge is always thinking about how to prevent the C’s recent revival from being a flash in the pan. In order to be good over the next 5 years the Celtics are going to have to make some hard decisions. They have to decide who gets paid. And at the heart of it’s the delicate line professional sports teams walk right now. When it comes down to it fans in the 21st century are rooting for the jersey. But it still helps to follow guys over the course of several seasons. Ultimately this is a Rajon Rondo post, but I’d like to make three points regarding all of these rumors before delving into the numerous points of information that have surfaced about the former Kentucky point guard.
1. Kevin Garnett’s health or lack thereof hangs over all of this. I’m even more convinced than I was in January that if healthy the C’s could have made a hell of a run at the championship in 2009. I’d like to see this team get one more shot at it next year. Of course if KG is not effective, it’s not going to happen.
2. I’ve loved everything Ray Allen has brought to the C's. He’s been unselfish, professional and at times an assassin. I understand that he may have to be traded or not resigned after next season. But I don’t want the C’s to align themselves for one of the marquee 2010 guys and miss out on acquiring someone. I honestly don’t see LeBron or Wade ending up in Boston. And I’m not sold on Bosh. Wait and see I guess.
3. I’m a huge fan of Perkins. I know people outside of Boston can’t stand him, but it’s been awesome to watch his growth as a player. Just know that moving him will make things more difficult for KG.
On to Rondo…
Point One: Rondo is somewhere between stubborn/difficult and uncoachable.
- This notion has been floating around over the last few days and I just don’t buy it. Granted if memory serves that was the word out of Kentucky and Rondo slipped in the draft as a result. I’m positive that a lot more goes on behind closed doors than we’ll ever know. And I
don’t doubt that Rondo and Doc Rivers disagree frequently. But how can you explain Rondo’s improvement over the past few seasons? He fits within Boston’s systems and can’t be doing this all on his own.
Point Two: Rondo was late for a playoff game, showing up an hour before tip off.
- Rondo danced around this a little bit in the Dennis and Callahan show. He never addressed the specific incident, but did admit he hates wasting time in the locker room. He just likes to show up, get dressed and play. In fact at times he’ll get to the game and sit in his car for a half hour before heading in. I’m torn on this one. To be honest it’s a little weird. Granted he’s entitled to his own routine. It just screams a little bit as a guy who is relying heavily on his health and youth. It does shed some light on the final topic.
Point Three: Rondo is not well liked by some of his teammates.
- My initial reaction is, what is this freaking kindergarten? You know who everyone likes? The 15th man on the roster. If they didn’t he be gone. This is the freaking NBA. Being liked isn’t the be all end all. He does not appear to be a cancer and if Rondo is such a jerk why is he in Perk’s wedding later this summer? Still I could see how he might not be buddies with everyone. The guy roller skates a massive amount in the off season and by all account is a little quirky. Still, is the NBA really a league where everyone is buddy buddy.
Point Four: Rondo’s defense suffered when KG went out and Derrick Rose lit him up in round one of the playoffs.
- This one might make me the angriest. You mean Rondo was a better defender when KG was on the floor? I always thought Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis and Leon Powe brought the exact same defense. Here’s a thought. Paul Pierce was a better defender with KG. And so were Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins. And I bet KG would argue that it’s easier to defend with Rondo and Perk on the floor than say Ervin Johnson and Troy Hudson. And for the record Rose had a huge game one, got burned plenty by Rondo and did not win the series. Finally, Steve Nash has been talked about as a possible replacement. Now there’s a guy who struggles on D. And Nash is also almost exactly 12 years older than Rondo.
Point Five: Rondo is carried by the Big Three.
- As good as Rondo is he’s not at the point where he’s raising teammates’ games like Jason Kidd during his best years with the Nets. Still Rondo brings much needed energy, athleticism and playmaking to the C’s. He’s a rising star at the point guard position and there are not a lot of guys in the league who could do what Rondo does with the C’s, big three or not.
Point Six: He can’t shoot:
- I won’t point to his superb field goal percentage, which is greatly helped by layups and floaters. I don’t even think it’s necessary to delve into his improvement since coming out of Kentucky and all the work he is currently putting in. I’ll just say this. I hate when we focus on what a guy can’t do instead of looking at what they do. How many guys can throw up triple doubles in the playoffs? Not many.
Point Seven: Rondo thinks he’s a max contract guy.
- In the Dennis and Callahan interview Rondo said while he may not be there yet, he’d like to be. It was unclear if he thought he’d be there once his current contract runs out or after his next one. I absolutely love his game but I’m not sold on the max contract. Just because a team has the ability to give a max contract does not mean it should. One needs to only look at division rival Philadelphia, and numerous other teams as well, to see what happens when guys get drastically overpaid.
Point Eight: Overall Rondo is difficult.
- I’ve probably touched on this already. It’s just important to stress that shipping a guy out of town for that reason makes way less sense if Amar’e Stoudemire is on the other end of the deal. I’d like to compare it to the Red Sox letting Mo Vaughn walk and trading for Carl Everett, but Rondo doesn’t deserve to be spoken about in that company. How about the fact that Rondo will be 23 in February? How long did it take Paul Pierce to get it? Guys frequently come into the league, put up stats, get paid, and then figure out what it takes to win as they mature. Rondo has to go through that process as well. I'd hate to see a guy leave town because he's quirky and still maturing.
Clearly I’ve written 1000+ words when I could have gone with three: Don’t Trade Rondo. On the bright side it’s June, the C’s were knocked out in the second round and the NBA season is over. Yet the Celtics got some substantial airtime of late on WEEI. What a difference a few years make. Nothing wrong with that.
This morning I caught Rajon Rondo on the Dennis and Callahan show responding to swirling trade rumors. Supposedly Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins are also on the block. Now as Wyc Grousbeck recently said on the Dale and Holley show phones calls and discussions happen all of the time in the NBA. Of course that’s what any savvy owner would say. Still, initially I was a little taken back by the rumors, as I’ve grown attached to this team over the last two years. Yet I like the fact that Danny Ainge is always thinking about how to prevent the C’s recent revival from being a flash in the pan. In order to be good over the next 5 years the Celtics are going to have to make some hard decisions. They have to decide who gets paid. And at the heart of it’s the delicate line professional sports teams walk right now. When it comes down to it fans in the 21st century are rooting for the jersey. But it still helps to follow guys over the course of several seasons. Ultimately this is a Rajon Rondo post, but I’d like to make three points regarding all of these rumors before delving into the numerous points of information that have surfaced about the former Kentucky point guard.
1. Kevin Garnett’s health or lack thereof hangs over all of this. I’m even more convinced than I was in January that if healthy the C’s could have made a hell of a run at the championship in 2009. I’d like to see this team get one more shot at it next year. Of course if KG is not effective, it’s not going to happen.
2. I’ve loved everything Ray Allen has brought to the C's. He’s been unselfish, professional and at times an assassin. I understand that he may have to be traded or not resigned after next season. But I don’t want the C’s to align themselves for one of the marquee 2010 guys and miss out on acquiring someone. I honestly don’t see LeBron or Wade ending up in Boston. And I’m not sold on Bosh. Wait and see I guess.
3. I’m a huge fan of Perkins. I know people outside of Boston can’t stand him, but it’s been awesome to watch his growth as a player. Just know that moving him will make things more difficult for KG.
On to Rondo…
Point One: Rondo is somewhere between stubborn/difficult and uncoachable.
- This notion has been floating around over the last few days and I just don’t buy it. Granted if memory serves that was the word out of Kentucky and Rondo slipped in the draft as a result. I’m positive that a lot more goes on behind closed doors than we’ll ever know. And I
don’t doubt that Rondo and Doc Rivers disagree frequently. But how can you explain Rondo’s improvement over the past few seasons? He fits within Boston’s systems and can’t be doing this all on his own.Point Two: Rondo was late for a playoff game, showing up an hour before tip off.
- Rondo danced around this a little bit in the Dennis and Callahan show. He never addressed the specific incident, but did admit he hates wasting time in the locker room. He just likes to show up, get dressed and play. In fact at times he’ll get to the game and sit in his car for a half hour before heading in. I’m torn on this one. To be honest it’s a little weird. Granted he’s entitled to his own routine. It just screams a little bit as a guy who is relying heavily on his health and youth. It does shed some light on the final topic.
Point Three: Rondo is not well liked by some of his teammates.
- My initial reaction is, what is this freaking kindergarten? You know who everyone likes? The 15th man on the roster. If they didn’t he be gone. This is the freaking NBA. Being liked isn’t the be all end all. He does not appear to be a cancer and if Rondo is such a jerk why is he in Perk’s wedding later this summer? Still I could see how he might not be buddies with everyone. The guy roller skates a massive amount in the off season and by all account is a little quirky. Still, is the NBA really a league where everyone is buddy buddy.
Point Four: Rondo’s defense suffered when KG went out and Derrick Rose lit him up in round one of the playoffs.
- This one might make me the angriest. You mean Rondo was a better defender when KG was on the floor? I always thought Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis and Leon Powe brought the exact same defense. Here’s a thought. Paul Pierce was a better defender with KG. And so were Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins. And I bet KG would argue that it’s easier to defend with Rondo and Perk on the floor than say Ervin Johnson and Troy Hudson. And for the record Rose had a huge game one, got burned plenty by Rondo and did not win the series. Finally, Steve Nash has been talked about as a possible replacement. Now there’s a guy who struggles on D. And Nash is also almost exactly 12 years older than Rondo.
Point Five: Rondo is carried by the Big Three.
- As good as Rondo is he’s not at the point where he’s raising teammates’ games like Jason Kidd during his best years with the Nets. Still Rondo brings much needed energy, athleticism and playmaking to the C’s. He’s a rising star at the point guard position and there are not a lot of guys in the league who could do what Rondo does with the C’s, big three or not.
Point Six: He can’t shoot:
- I won’t point to his superb field goal percentage, which is greatly helped by layups and floaters. I don’t even think it’s necessary to delve into his improvement since coming out of Kentucky and all the work he is currently putting in. I’ll just say this. I hate when we focus on what a guy can’t do instead of looking at what they do. How many guys can throw up triple doubles in the playoffs? Not many.
Point Seven: Rondo thinks he’s a max contract guy.
- In the Dennis and Callahan interview Rondo said while he may not be there yet, he’d like to be. It was unclear if he thought he’d be there once his current contract runs out or after his next one. I absolutely love his game but I’m not sold on the max contract. Just because a team has the ability to give a max contract does not mean it should. One needs to only look at division rival Philadelphia, and numerous other teams as well, to see what happens when guys get drastically overpaid.
Point Eight: Overall Rondo is difficult.
- I’ve probably touched on this already. It’s just important to stress that shipping a guy out of town for that reason makes way less sense if Amar’e Stoudemire is on the other end of the deal. I’d like to compare it to the Red Sox letting Mo Vaughn walk and trading for Carl Everett, but Rondo doesn’t deserve to be spoken about in that company. How about the fact that Rondo will be 23 in February? How long did it take Paul Pierce to get it? Guys frequently come into the league, put up stats, get paid, and then figure out what it takes to win as they mature. Rondo has to go through that process as well. I'd hate to see a guy leave town because he's quirky and still maturing.
Clearly I’ve written 1000+ words when I could have gone with three: Don’t Trade Rondo. On the bright side it’s June, the C’s were knocked out in the second round and the NBA season is over. Yet the Celtics got some substantial airtime of late on WEEI. What a difference a few years make. Nothing wrong with that.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
More Puppets!
Everyone else in the world says they are sick to death of these puppets, but frankly I don't ever want this campaign to stop. I don't know if it's that I don't want the season to be over or if I just have a soft spot for puppets. But, whatever the reason, PLEASE NIKE give me more puppets!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
How In The World Does This Make Sense?
I don't think Donte Stallworth is a bad guy. I never have, and I was sad to hear about the DUI manslaughter charges that he was facing in Florida. However, our friend Jarrett sent me this link today, and I became angry. Stallworth was facing up to 15 years of prison for killing a 59 year old man, but he has avoided any sort of career threatening or life ruining prison time by reaching a financial settlement.
I'm not upset that Stallworth's life and career haven't been derailed, and I'm not looking for any sort of retribution in this case. I hate to see bad things happen to anybody. However, I can't help but become outraged when I read stories like this , and then think about the way Michael Vick has been publicly treated.
Do we, as a society, really place less value on human life than we do on the life of dogs? Leonard Little killed a woman in 1998 because he got behind the wheel of a car drunk and drove recklessly. For this, he received a slap on the wrist, similar to Stallworth. I brought this point up on this site when the Vick allegations first came up. Now, many have stated that Little's situation was different (and they have said the same for Stallworth) because it was unintentional. First of all, he was arrested again in 2004 for driving drunk. He wasn't convicted of the DUI (despite smelling like alcohol and failing three field sobriety tests), but was found guilty on the speeding charge, which should not be taken lightly when you've already claimed one life. Secondly, you don't get a pass for carelessly ending someone's life because you didn't mean to. It just doesn't work that way.
Again, I'm not saying I wish Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth were wasting away in a prison right now. I don't wish that on anybody. However, Michael Vick spent almost two years in federal prison for providing the money and property for people to run a dogfighting ring. At the end of the day, I feel that it is a much greater crime to take a person's life. My biggest problem with all of this is that I feel the vast difference between the way Vick has had to suffer and the way Little and Stallworth has is completely related to the way the public has reacted to these crimes. It's scary to see the legal system work that way. But, what really puzzles me is why people will devote their lives to destroying another man because they are so opposed to dog fighting, and yet nobody seems to care one bit about people killing other humans. Very strange.
I'm not upset that Stallworth's life and career haven't been derailed, and I'm not looking for any sort of retribution in this case. I hate to see bad things happen to anybody. However, I can't help but become outraged when I read stories like this , and then think about the way Michael Vick has been publicly treated.
Do we, as a society, really place less value on human life than we do on the life of dogs? Leonard Little killed a woman in 1998 because he got behind the wheel of a car drunk and drove recklessly. For this, he received a slap on the wrist, similar to Stallworth. I brought this point up on this site when the Vick allegations first came up. Now, many have stated that Little's situation was different (and they have said the same for Stallworth) because it was unintentional. First of all, he was arrested again in 2004 for driving drunk. He wasn't convicted of the DUI (despite smelling like alcohol and failing three field sobriety tests), but was found guilty on the speeding charge, which should not be taken lightly when you've already claimed one life. Secondly, you don't get a pass for carelessly ending someone's life because you didn't mean to. It just doesn't work that way.
Again, I'm not saying I wish Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth were wasting away in a prison right now. I don't wish that on anybody. However, Michael Vick spent almost two years in federal prison for providing the money and property for people to run a dogfighting ring. At the end of the day, I feel that it is a much greater crime to take a person's life. My biggest problem with all of this is that I feel the vast difference between the way Vick has had to suffer and the way Little and Stallworth has is completely related to the way the public has reacted to these crimes. It's scary to see the legal system work that way. But, what really puzzles me is why people will devote their lives to destroying another man because they are so opposed to dog fighting, and yet nobody seems to care one bit about people killing other humans. Very strange.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Pau Gets A Puppy From Mom and Dad
I don't want to ridicule Pau Gasol today, because he played well enough in these finals to have taken MVP honors (even though we all knew he wouldn't before the series even began). Offensively, he played great. He could have had a lot more points if he had more touches, but the Magic were packing in the middle, and the Lakers offense doesn't need to force anything. If they did though, he would have been up to the task. He also played tremendous interior defense on Dwight Howard. He played tough and he played physical. I already (despite what you might think from reading this site) had a great appreciation of his game, and it grew leaps and bounds as I watched these finals.
All that said, it's rare to have such a great athlete photograph so awkwardly on such a consistent basis. He looks like a 12 year old girl in that picture above.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Embrace The Weekend: The Dream
I don't want to be one of those "these players today are nowhere near as good as the old days" guys. I'm young, and I think that the talent in the NBA is fantastic right now. However, I think we can all agree that there's not a single big man in the NBA that can do this stuff:
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