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.

Much Respect.

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.

Courtesy of Koster

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

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.

Congratulations Nick

A big roomofzen congratulations go out to Nick on the eve of his wedding day.

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!

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.

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.

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:

LeBron Puppet: 2010

Does This Picture Make You Like The Magic More Or Less?

via Ball Don't Lie


I can't decide.

Tom Thibodeau: Successor to Doc Rivers?

Clearly other teams in the league aren't appreciating the Tom Thibodeau's talents. Doc Rivers is a devoted family man who says that every year he needs to reevaluate whether or not he wants to continue coaching (it reminds me very much of Tony Dungy). Now that a deal is in the works for Thibodeau to be back, I want to state on record that I think the best plan is for Wyc to reach DEEP into his pockets, and shell out big money for Thibs so that he can be groomed to be Doc's successor.

I really think Doc was the best coach in the NBA this season, no question about it. As far as I'm concerned, his ticket is punched to work here forever. However, if the Cs are able to bring home banner 18 sometime in the next two years, and if PP and KG retire at the end of that run, I wouldn't be surprised to see Doc ride out of town with them. The best thing to help Rondo and Perk lead this team into the future would be to have familiarity with the head coach. If all this happens, and Doc still wants to stay on board, then Thibs will walk and (I would hope) become a head coach elsewhere. This is the risky financial part for Wyc. But, I feel pretty strongly that this would work out well.

Steelers Super Bowl Rings Unveiled

Pretty manly for a piece of hand jewelry.

The line of Lombardi Trophies is amazing. It really looks like it's going back into the ring.

Ricky Rubio Signature Moves: The No Look Pass

I have a feeling I've seen that move before, but a cool video nonetheless. There are a lot of mixed feelings about this kid, and the negative camp grew larger after reports surfaced saying that he'd rather return to Spain than play for Memphis or Oklahoma City. I was surprised by those reports, especially since I think a young up and comer like him would be chomping at the bit to take over the reigns in OKC, where there is so much young, explosive talent. But, despite that, I'm still very intrigued by Rubio, and I can't wait to see what he can do. I think he looks pretty impressive for an 18 year old.

Thibs Back With Celtics Next Season

"Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that assistant Tom Thibodeau withdrew from consideration from the head coaching job with the Sacramento Kings.

Thibodeau, who also interviewed for the Philadelphia 76ers job, is expected to rejoin the Celtics bench next season."

I don't understand this, I wasn't expecting it, but it's fantastic news.

Top Of The World

Certainly, none of us imagined it would take Adam Morrison this long to reach this point. But now, after 3 greuling seasons and a change of city, he appears hungrier than ever to capture his first championship. This moment was clearly not lost on him last night, as he was flailing all around on the bench as if he were actually in uniform, showing the most life we have seen from him since before that fateful night in Oakland:



I actually thought Morrison had died on the court for about 4 months until I saw him get drafted on live television. While it was clear at that point that Morrison was not actually clinically dead, spiritually he has seemed completely vacant. However, this championship run, for which he is being paid quite handsomely despite not actually suiting up seems to have rekindled a firey passion deep within his soul. He was jumping up and down like a giddy schoolboy last night as he watched his teammates. This might be just the lift the stache needs to refocus his efforts on working his way back onto the court and back into the hearts of moustache enthusiasts everywhere. Look out NBA, once Morrison tastes this sweet championship nectar, he may never look back.

Blood In The Water

This man (who admitted he's been very grouchy lately) is a cold blooded killer, and it was clear last night that he will not be denied this championship. I realize that you can't change your prediction once it's been made, so I'll stick with 6 games. But, if I could go back in time, and make a new prediction after what I saw last night, I'd say get the brooms out. This thing will be over soon.



JA Adande from this morning's Daily Dime:

"He's so ornery that his daughters have renamed him "Grumpy" from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." A Lakers staffer encountered him in the workout room before the game, normally a chance to exchange a few pleasantries, but took one read of Bryant's mood and didn't say a word. Those who spend a lot of time with him say they haven't seen him this focused for such a long stretch. The only time he's cracked a smile in front of the media the past few days came Thursday night when, ironically, he was discussing how solemn he's been.

Weep not for the isolated family members or fearful work colleagues. Feel for the Orlando Magic instead, who paid the price for Bryant's battle against the giant names of the past in a 100-75 Lakers victory in the opening game."

NBA Finals Prediction: The Unavoidable Teabag

This long layover between the conference finals and the finals has really brought me back down to Earth. If I had written this preview on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday, I'd be picking the Magic. Playoff excitement will do that to you sometimes. You get swept up in one team's momentum, and it causes you to lose sight of reality, and you find yourself clinging to shreds of hope that symbolize what would make this postseason the most memorable. For me, last year, this phenomenon led to me trying to convince everyone that the New Orleans Hornets were going to make a run all the way to the NBA finals. It's fun to root for these new and exciting teams. It's like rooting for Santa Clause. This year, it seems to have manifested itself in my misplaced "belief" that the Magic had all the right kind of mojo going on right now to beat the Lakers, therefore making the Celtics look great for having taken them to 7 games in round 2. Luckily, this waiting period has calmed me, and I am now bringing you a very grounded and realistic perspective. My emotions have settled and I am thinking more clearly. That 5-day handgun waiting period law really does make a lot of sense.


Before I begin to make my prediction, I'd like to state that unlike the people at Nike and those fucks at the league office, I am thrilled that we didn't end up with a Kobe LeBron finals, because I believe the Lakers are superior to the Cavs in every way, and it would have been one of the most anti-climactic moments in sports history.


Now, you can certainly make a compelling case for the Magic:



I ripped into Dwight Howard earlier in this postseason for still needing to develop effective post moves. However, as I have watched him more and more during these playoffs (I basically never watch the Magic during the regular season if they are not playing the Celtics), I have finally arrived at an appreciation for what a dominant force he actually is. That I always thought him overrated was just a product of me not realizing exactly how athletic he was. His ability to run the court is tremendous for a big man, and he is a very dangerous player when he moves his defender out of the paint and they run pick and rolls with him. In transition, his ability to get down the court quickly and establish position leads to a lot of easy buckets and trips to the free throw line.

Rashard Lewis is a matchup nightmare for anybody. It's hard to imagine Pau Gasol defending him out on the perimeter. He and Hedo turkoglu, with their size and shooting range, give any defenders nightmares. Rafer Alston's quickness could give Derek Fisher trouble. Mikael Pietrus and Courtney Lee have been playing at an incredibly high level throughout the postseason. Marcin Gortat has done a great job of spelling Dwight.

The play of the Magic has improved steadily throughout these playoffs, and it's hard to imagine them playing at a higher level than they are right now. Were it not for two incredibly heroic LeBron James performances, they would have swept the Cavs. They've played the Lakers twice this season, and won both games.

It all seemed to make sense around this time yesterday. You can't argue with that type of momentum.




However, as I slept last night I started envisioning how this thing will actually go, and I woke up this morning feeling very centered and having no doubt in my mind that the Lakers will win this series. Here's why:

- Yes, the Magic are 2-0 against the Lakers this season. However, Jameer Nelson dominated in both of those games, and they were still very very close. Plus, I would imagine that these matchups carried much more urgency for the Magic than they did for LA.

- LeBron James absolutely tore the Magic apart. But, nobody was there to help him. I expect Kobe to do the same thing as LeBron, but there will be some key differences: A) Kobe's coach will be sure to get him the ball in favorable scoring positions B) Kobe has a more polished game, and can score down low with his back to the hoop C) Unlike LeBron, Kobe has good teammates and getting them involved makes the team play better. The statistical impact may not be as great as what we saw from LeBron, but the overall impact (I expect) will have a much more profound effect on the series.

- Do you feel like the Lakers were ever really tested in this postseason? They certainly let their guard down against a Yaoless, Tmacless, pesky Houston team. But, there was no sense of panic, no real sense of worry. That was the most un-game-7-like game 7 I've ever seen. There was never any doubt, and they really don't even seem labored at this point. Just taking care of business.

- We've all spent so much time this season talking about how difficult it is to defend Rashard Lewis (well, at least I know Celtics fans have ever since KG went down). However, in this case, it is also very fair to ask how Rashard Lewis will defend Pau Gasol, who (kill me please) is an increbly saavy and versatile scorer inside (I hate him so much). He will give Lewis fits, and he will also most likely draw some key fouls against both Lewis and Dwight.

- You can't lose sight of Lamar Odom in the Rashard Lewis discussion. The best way to defend a 6'10 tweener with range is with another 6'10 tweener with range. With the exception of KG, who could be better suited to defend Rashard Lewis than Lamar Odom?

- DJ Mbenga is 7 feet tall and can eat up fouls against Dwight.

- Trevor Ariza is a very athletic ballhawk, and I think he will do a good job defending Hedo Turkoglu (to whom he only gives up 2 inches).

- Dwight and Kobe will both spend a great deal of time at the free throw line in this series. Big advantage: Lakers. The Cavs shot free throws horribly last round. Dwight, obviously, is shaky at the line (yes, I know he shot 70% last round....call me when he does it over the course of a season).


The Prediction: Lakers in 6. I've been preparing for this since KG went down in February.

Dave Matthews Band Plays Dirty Water at Fenway