Because everyone now loves Wolves center Nikola Pekovich, tonight's Wolves telecast on FSN featured a mini-bio on Pekovich.
Some of the info was safe to assume--his favorite basketball player is Vlade Divac; he enjoys fishing (as legally required of anyone living in Minnesota). But here's the fun fact that I learned: Pekovich's favorite music is by the 11-person second-wave Serbian hip-hop collective Beogradski Sindikat. Now, just in case you find yourself on a plane sitting next to Nikola, you'll now be able to talk about Beogradski Sindikat. Here you go. You are welcome.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Is John Terry Worth It? (answer: Nope!)
alternative title: John Terry is a Fookin' Cancer.
Maybe you've seen the news--Fabio Capello, arguably the best manager England has had in quite awhile, is out.
Apologies if some of this old news to some of you. Some of it is rather old news. But the background is worth it.
Two years ago, in the lead up to England's rather unimpressive 2010 World Cup run, a story broke that totally shattered John Terry's already pretty sketchy reputation among people in the know. In late January, with rumors flying, and carefully worded reports being written, John Terry lost a legal battle (he was using the Human Rights Act to shield himself from harmful reporting, which is more ridiculous than it sounds) and the stories started flying: womanizing, drinking, gambling, and long-forgotten incidents came back to the fore.
(My favorite? "In 2001, Terry and three team-mates were fined two weeks’ wages in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when the players were accused of drunkenly mocking American tourists at Heathrow." Think about that shit for a second. The immediate aftermath.) But pick your own--here's The Mirror's Top 10 Scandals.
Terry's whispered personal issues became a public AND team issue when it was revealed that he had slept with potential England teammate Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend. All reports called her Bridge's "ex-girlfriend", but it wasn't entirely clear that Wayne Bridge knew that until he found she had slept with John Terry (married father of two at the time).
On February 5th, 2010 there was some hope that the gulf between the two could be resolved when then (and until today, current) coach Fabio Capello stripped Terry of the captaincy he had given him two years previous. The captain title means a lot at the top levels of soccer (you tell by the heated editorials about the incident), and it was hoped that this punishment would be enough to bring back Wayne Bridge. That turned out to not be the case.
On February 25th, Wayne Bridge, at that point the only healthy, national quality left back the England side had planned to take to South Africa announced he would not play for England. And he made his reason quite clear: "I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks. It has always been an honour to play for England. However, after careful thought I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive. Sadly therefore, I feel for the sake of the team and in order to avoid what will be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection."
Later that week, Bridge made his point a bit more emphatically:
And so, England wandered to South Africa, with Ashley Cole at left back (coming off a broken ankle) and one could assume, not the best locker room. Had it not been for France's total implosion, the England situation might have been the most talked about during that World Cup. And let's not forget--England tied the USA on a horrible mistake from England's keeper, drew scoreless against Algeria, beat Slovenia in an unimpressive 1-0, only to get Germany in the next round to get absolutely thumped 4-1 (and it wasn't as close as that lopsided score suggests). In four games, England scored three goals, and gave up five.
Fast-forward to March, 2011. Fabio Capello, looking over his roster, decided that the best man for the Captaincy was still John Terry, and gave it back to him. Said Capello at the time, "Sometimes the leader can make mistakes - not only him but I, you, all the people. It is not a risk making Terry captain again. He understood the mistake and he learnt from his mistakes." [emphasis mine] And hey, let's be clear--we all make mistakes, sure. But Christ, John Terry has made enough mistakes for two or three of my lifetimes. I'll go to my grave comfortable that I never slept with a best friend's girlfriend, or mocked people in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 (or any other tragedy, for that matter!)
A lot of old-school English players popped off about how Terry should have never had to give up the armband in the first place, because, well, you know--his personal life is his personal life. As long as he's great on the pitch, who cares if is he driving people off the team with his philandering, his drunken gambling, and his mocking of 9/11 on the day of the event? He's good people, on the pitch! No way that other shit bleeds over on to the playing surface. Said former English Goalkeeper Peter Shilton, "I'm not condoning what John Terry's done on certain occasions but he hasn't broken any laws and I think maybe the manager should have kept continuity in the first place."
So as long as John Terry didn't break any laws, according to Peter Shilton, he was worthy of being the first representative of the English National Football team. That seems a little of a low bar to me, but what do I know?
Allegedly, it was a low enough bar for John Terry to trip over, however. In October of 2011, John Terry's massive favorites Chelsea were playing against (and losing to) the Queen's Park Rangers (QPR to fans and foes alike) and it sure does seem that a camera catches John Terry yelling at Anton Ferdinand, and maybe calling him a "fucking black cunt". That might be seen as racist, yeah? And there's a law in the books in England about that. Terry's defense as the time was [I paraphrase], "Yes, I yelled those words, but the context was, 'Oi, Anton, I never called you a fucking black cunt.'"
Terry denied it. Anton was silent on the matter, and continues to be. The case is in motion, slowly. But on February 3rd, Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand, who has played with John Terry a lot whilst wearing the English kit, said this after hearing that the public hearing on the matter had been delayed (by Terry and his Chelsea club) until July 2012, "I feel insulted, woke up with a bad taste in my mouth, it's a god-damn joke!"
On the same day, the English Football Association took the totally reasonable move of removing the captain's armband from John Terry's arm. And hell broke lose all over again. "Innocent until proven guilty" as a phrase is a pretty simple one, but one that has been misused an awful lot in the wake of that decision.
Let's be clear here, England and various English writers--losing a Captain band is not convicting anyone of a crime. John Terry is not a man done wrong. He's a very good central defender whose literally dozens of actions that range from embarrassing to shocking should have been enough to remove the band (and they have been, before). He's been controversial in the past, and I haven't seen a lot of his black teammates flock to his defense. Hell, I don't need to insert race into it--go ahead and Google "Wayne Rooney defends John Terry" and see what you get.
But Fabio Capello did go to the mat for Terry. I suspect that was more about power than anything else, if I had to guess. Capello has, as detailed above, named Terry the captain of his team, stripped him of the title, reinstated and promised that Terry had "learned his lesson.' Imagine Capello's chagrin when his reinstated, rehabilitated captain was stripped of his armband without Capello's imprimatur? Capello spoke to Italian TV after he resigned, and he said this, "“I told [the chairman] that I don’t think someone can be punished until it becomes official...The court will decide. It’s going to be civil justice, not sports justice, to decide if John Terry committed that crime that he is accused of. And I thought it fair that John Terry keeps the captain’s armband.”
What John Terry has been on the pitch is a very, very good central defender. Maybe one of the greats, but not definitely. What he's definitely been off the pitch is an embarrassment, time and time again. The Captaincy of any national team is not some Civil Service job that once you get, you keep forever. England Football Association owes no one an apology. No one has denied John Terry his paycheck. No one has denied his spot on the English National Team, though based on the clubhouse cancer he might have become, no one could deny they would be outside their rights to do so.
Martin Rogers from Yahoo! Sports sums up the wrongheaded general opinion pretty well (just be clear, it is Rogers' opinion, too): "What [The English Football Association] should have done was to realize a legal process had to be respected and carried on with Terry as captain, a role for which he has the appropriate credentials as a player."
Appropriate Credentials! "Well, he's never been convicted of anything." Good Lord, England. Get your heads out of your asses. Whether or not these charges stick on John Terry, he already blew up your 2010 World Cup team, and is well on his way to blowing up your 2012 Euro Cup team. Get out before he blows up your 2014 World Cup team. Or, you know, just keep making excuses for the most embarrassing man on your team, and keep explaining why he should be Captain. Though for me, drunkenly mocking Americans stuck at Heathrow on 9/11 would be reason enough for him to never wear the band. The captain's band is a privilege, not a right. John Terry thinks it is his by right, and too many folks in the English media are thinking the way John Terry thinks. If John Terry valued the captain's armband, he wouldn't be trying so hard to give it away. Just let him give it away, England.
Maybe you've seen the news--Fabio Capello, arguably the best manager England has had in quite awhile, is out.
Apologies if some of this old news to some of you. Some of it is rather old news. But the background is worth it.
Two years ago, in the lead up to England's rather unimpressive 2010 World Cup run, a story broke that totally shattered John Terry's already pretty sketchy reputation among people in the know. In late January, with rumors flying, and carefully worded reports being written, John Terry lost a legal battle (he was using the Human Rights Act to shield himself from harmful reporting, which is more ridiculous than it sounds) and the stories started flying: womanizing, drinking, gambling, and long-forgotten incidents came back to the fore.
(My favorite? "In 2001, Terry and three team-mates were fined two weeks’ wages in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when the players were accused of drunkenly mocking American tourists at Heathrow." Think about that shit for a second. The immediate aftermath.) But pick your own--here's The Mirror's Top 10 Scandals.
Terry's whispered personal issues became a public AND team issue when it was revealed that he had slept with potential England teammate Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend. All reports called her Bridge's "ex-girlfriend", but it wasn't entirely clear that Wayne Bridge knew that until he found she had slept with John Terry (married father of two at the time).
On February 5th, 2010 there was some hope that the gulf between the two could be resolved when then (and until today, current) coach Fabio Capello stripped Terry of the captaincy he had given him two years previous. The captain title means a lot at the top levels of soccer (you tell by the heated editorials about the incident), and it was hoped that this punishment would be enough to bring back Wayne Bridge. That turned out to not be the case.
On February 25th, Wayne Bridge, at that point the only healthy, national quality left back the England side had planned to take to South Africa announced he would not play for England. And he made his reason quite clear: "I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks. It has always been an honour to play for England. However, after careful thought I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive. Sadly therefore, I feel for the sake of the team and in order to avoid what will be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection."
Later that week, Bridge made his point a bit more emphatically:
And so, England wandered to South Africa, with Ashley Cole at left back (coming off a broken ankle) and one could assume, not the best locker room. Had it not been for France's total implosion, the England situation might have been the most talked about during that World Cup. And let's not forget--England tied the USA on a horrible mistake from England's keeper, drew scoreless against Algeria, beat Slovenia in an unimpressive 1-0, only to get Germany in the next round to get absolutely thumped 4-1 (and it wasn't as close as that lopsided score suggests). In four games, England scored three goals, and gave up five.
Fast-forward to March, 2011. Fabio Capello, looking over his roster, decided that the best man for the Captaincy was still John Terry, and gave it back to him. Said Capello at the time, "Sometimes the leader can make mistakes - not only him but I, you, all the people. It is not a risk making Terry captain again. He understood the mistake and he learnt from his mistakes." [emphasis mine] And hey, let's be clear--we all make mistakes, sure. But Christ, John Terry has made enough mistakes for two or three of my lifetimes. I'll go to my grave comfortable that I never slept with a best friend's girlfriend, or mocked people in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 (or any other tragedy, for that matter!)
A lot of old-school English players popped off about how Terry should have never had to give up the armband in the first place, because, well, you know--his personal life is his personal life. As long as he's great on the pitch, who cares if is he driving people off the team with his philandering, his drunken gambling, and his mocking of 9/11 on the day of the event? He's good people, on the pitch! No way that other shit bleeds over on to the playing surface. Said former English Goalkeeper Peter Shilton, "I'm not condoning what John Terry's done on certain occasions but he hasn't broken any laws and I think maybe the manager should have kept continuity in the first place."
So as long as John Terry didn't break any laws, according to Peter Shilton, he was worthy of being the first representative of the English National Football team. That seems a little of a low bar to me, but what do I know?
Allegedly, it was a low enough bar for John Terry to trip over, however. In October of 2011, John Terry's massive favorites Chelsea were playing against (and losing to) the Queen's Park Rangers (QPR to fans and foes alike) and it sure does seem that a camera catches John Terry yelling at Anton Ferdinand, and maybe calling him a "fucking black cunt". That might be seen as racist, yeah? And there's a law in the books in England about that. Terry's defense as the time was [I paraphrase], "Yes, I yelled those words, but the context was, 'Oi, Anton, I never called you a fucking black cunt.'"
Terry denied it. Anton was silent on the matter, and continues to be. The case is in motion, slowly. But on February 3rd, Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand, who has played with John Terry a lot whilst wearing the English kit, said this after hearing that the public hearing on the matter had been delayed (by Terry and his Chelsea club) until July 2012, "I feel insulted, woke up with a bad taste in my mouth, it's a god-damn joke!"
On the same day, the English Football Association took the totally reasonable move of removing the captain's armband from John Terry's arm. And hell broke lose all over again. "Innocent until proven guilty" as a phrase is a pretty simple one, but one that has been misused an awful lot in the wake of that decision.
Let's be clear here, England and various English writers--losing a Captain band is not convicting anyone of a crime. John Terry is not a man done wrong. He's a very good central defender whose literally dozens of actions that range from embarrassing to shocking should have been enough to remove the band (and they have been, before). He's been controversial in the past, and I haven't seen a lot of his black teammates flock to his defense. Hell, I don't need to insert race into it--go ahead and Google "Wayne Rooney defends John Terry" and see what you get.
But Fabio Capello did go to the mat for Terry. I suspect that was more about power than anything else, if I had to guess. Capello has, as detailed above, named Terry the captain of his team, stripped him of the title, reinstated and promised that Terry had "learned his lesson.' Imagine Capello's chagrin when his reinstated, rehabilitated captain was stripped of his armband without Capello's imprimatur? Capello spoke to Italian TV after he resigned, and he said this, "“I told [the chairman] that I don’t think someone can be punished until it becomes official...The court will decide. It’s going to be civil justice, not sports justice, to decide if John Terry committed that crime that he is accused of. And I thought it fair that John Terry keeps the captain’s armband.”
What John Terry has been on the pitch is a very, very good central defender. Maybe one of the greats, but not definitely. What he's definitely been off the pitch is an embarrassment, time and time again. The Captaincy of any national team is not some Civil Service job that once you get, you keep forever. England Football Association owes no one an apology. No one has denied John Terry his paycheck. No one has denied his spot on the English National Team, though based on the clubhouse cancer he might have become, no one could deny they would be outside their rights to do so.
Martin Rogers from Yahoo! Sports sums up the wrongheaded general opinion pretty well (just be clear, it is Rogers' opinion, too): "What [The English Football Association] should have done was to realize a legal process had to be respected and carried on with Terry as captain, a role for which he has the appropriate credentials as a player."
Appropriate Credentials! "Well, he's never been convicted of anything." Good Lord, England. Get your heads out of your asses. Whether or not these charges stick on John Terry, he already blew up your 2010 World Cup team, and is well on his way to blowing up your 2012 Euro Cup team. Get out before he blows up your 2014 World Cup team. Or, you know, just keep making excuses for the most embarrassing man on your team, and keep explaining why he should be Captain. Though for me, drunkenly mocking Americans stuck at Heathrow on 9/11 would be reason enough for him to never wear the band. The captain's band is a privilege, not a right. John Terry thinks it is his by right, and too many folks in the English media are thinking the way John Terry thinks. If John Terry valued the captain's armband, he wouldn't be trying so hard to give it away. Just let him give it away, England.
Monday, February 06, 2012
Pick'em Redux
I didn't help matters by posting the Superbowl pick'em so late. I blame the game. Sure, there were some exciting bits and it went down to the wire. But the matchup and headlines and all the hype was just boring as a bucket of yawns.
So now Eli Manningface is a Hall of Fame quarterback? I blame Ginger Goodell. At least we get to laugh at the Golden Boy.
Final Standings
1. Jess: 35 points
2. Big BM: 29 points
3. Adw: 23 points
4. Miwacar: 22 points
Great, Jess won for the hundredth time in a row. I would say "congratulations" but my mouth is full of humble pie. Please crow in the comment section Jess, you've earned it. Again.
I'm looking forward to college basketball. Also, it will soon be time for the DC Skins 2011 Season Review, barfbags recommended. 7 months until more football: the countdown starts today.
So now Eli Manningface is a Hall of Fame quarterback? I blame Ginger Goodell. At least we get to laugh at the Golden Boy.
Final Standings1. Jess: 35 points
2. Big BM: 29 points
3. Adw: 23 points
4. Miwacar: 22 points
Great, Jess won for the hundredth time in a row. I would say "congratulations" but my mouth is full of humble pie. Please crow in the comment section Jess, you've earned it. Again.
I'm looking forward to college basketball. Also, it will soon be time for the DC Skins 2011 Season Review, barfbags recommended. 7 months until more football: the countdown starts today.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
The Prognosticating Children
It's been a while since we've seen The Prognosticating Tots - and now they've grown into The Prognosticating Children. Here are their predictions for Superbowl XLVI. The decision in unanimous, unless you consider the croc's vote.
Hey, Maybe It is Time To Talk Timberwolves
No better time than Super Bowl Sunday to delve into the particulars of hardly anyone's favorite basketball team, right*? I know you, reader, better than you know yourself, and at some point, possibly during NBC's examination of Tom Brady's chin dimple's magical powers to heal sick baby otters, you thought to yourself, "My God, I'd rather read a homer's take on the Minnesota Timberwolves than listen to this shit." You were being facetious, but all the same, YOU ARE WELCOME. Also, reader, you are correct--you have been masturbating a lot more lately, and it is freaking out your parents/lover/kitties. (am I scaring you with how much I know about you, reader? Don't be scared. It is our secret.) (Did the italics kind of make that creepier? Good.)
If you haven't been here in the Twin Cities, you don't know how desperately bad it has been. I mean, you surely have some idea, if you follow basketball. But you don't really know. You don't remember Ricky Davis being here. You don't remember Nbudi Ebi, or Will Avery, or Marko Jaric. You probably don't remember the brief hope we held that Eddie Griffin was going to turn his life around here. Instead, he jacked off in a car he was driving, and later committed suicide (or maybe he was just super drunk) by driving into a moving train. It felt like an apt metaphor for the team as a whole.
But surely, you've sat on your undeniably nice ass, and have watched some SportsCenter highlights of Ricky Rubio alley-ooping to every guy in a Wolves jersey outside of Luke Ridnour. You know the Wolves are better now. Hell, three games ago, a blogger at NBA.com suggested that the Wolves might make the playoffs. That's borderline crazy talk, and yeah, that blogger has the dubiously super-white name of Fran Blinebury, but still--it happened.
You, dear reader, might point out statistics like: the Wolves have won more games on the road this season than they did all of last year. Or that they've won 12 games out of 24, compared to the 15 out of 82 last year.
And you are right. Let's get into the whys and wherefores and whos and hows and whats and all that.
Coaching Matters. It is safe to say that everyone who watches basketball knows this. So how did the management team at the Wolves take it for granted for so long? The Wolves have been in the league since 1989, and exactly one coach (Flip Saunders) has taken them to the playoffs. The record under various coaches is staggering--The Timberwolves have had eight coaches who led the team in at least 100 games. If you remove Flip Saunders from that mix, you get a combined record of 255-686, which we can all agree--that's terrible. I defended Kurt Ramis a number of times (more in his first year as a coach than his second year, when the Wolves were barely on TV) and I was wrong on that front. And David Kahn was wrong to hire him in the first place--but Kahn corrected that move, and bringing in Rick Adelman has undeniably been a major factor in the improvement of the Wolves. He's upgraded the offense and defense in pretty surprisingly quick fashion, considering the lack of time to practice every team in the NBA has had to deal with this shortened season. One of the biggest improvements, but one of the least talked about, is their defense, particularly in the fourth quarter. Last year, they were dead last in opponent's field goal percentage in the fourth. Last time I checked, the Wolves were now in the Top 5 in that category. And if a game is close in the fourth quarter, it is a winnable game. Especially with a functioning offense.
Kurt Rambis' triangle, that simply did not fit the players here, is gone (maybe, at some point, we could discuss how the Triangle really works well if you have one of the best shooting guards in a generation, and otherwise? Shrug). There's an undeniable synchronicity here--Rick Adelman brings in a great pick and roll game just as the Wolves are welcoming a devastating pick and roll point guard in...
Ricky Rubio. A lot of the national media assumed that Ricky would never play with the Timberwolves. That the very fact that David Kahn had drafted him had doomed him. That he could never survive a Minnesota winter, and if he did, he'd be so disappointed in his teammates that he'd demand a trade. That seems pretty goddamn unlikely at this early point--Ricky's shooting percentage is total shit (though (somewhat oddly) he is shooting an impressive 44% from the three-point line on the road) but he's had more double digit assist games than any Wolves point guard I can remember since oft-injured Terrell Brandon. Ricky's shooting percentage is terrible, as I said, but when you watch his games, it does feel like he hits the ones that matter. And meanwhile, as you've seen, dear reader and national highlights watcher, his assists are often breath-taking. And he's still all of twenty-one years old. He also boards pretty well (he is 6' 4", which surprises folks) and plays smart defense. He's as good or better as advertised. Something that doesn't get mentioned enough--his intensity and leadership on the floor. I've read multiple local stories about how he takes charge on the floor. Hugely important for a team that has had a distinct dearth of leadership on the floor (to the point where there was some discussion of changing the team name to the Distinct Dearths).
So those are the changes--the rest of the roster is essentially the same (with the obvious exception of rookie Derrick Williams, who happens to play the most log-jammed spot for the Wolves). JJ Barea is also new, and does figure to help out a great deal, but he's barely played, as he is just now getting back from a nagging hamstring injury. Oh, and Brad Miller, too. but he's yet to play 10 minutes in a game.
That's how you take a terrible team and make them a .500 team after 24 games played. But some of those same old issues continue, and need to be addressed before this team can really take the next step.
Who's the 2? A rotating band of guys have been taking turns at that. Most recently, as Rick Adelman has given Ricky more and more minutes at the point, it's been Luke Ridnour. He's had some excellent games--last night's win over the Rockets, for example--where he went 8-14 (4-6 from 3 PT) and scored 22 points. But he still plays a style I described in his first game as a Timberpup, back in 2010: "started hot, continued shooting when he wasn't particularly hot and then got hot again at the end, and maybe played a little spazzy at times when I was expecting him to slow the game down a bit." He's one of the closest things to a savvy veteran**** the Wolves have right now, and he's still a little spazzy at odd times. The kind of thing that doesn't kill your team, but does make you scratch your head--and he's not really a shooting guard (his height alone makes it problematic). Playing Ridnour and Rubio together has been working, but it definitely feels like it shouldn't. But options are limited--Wayne Ellington must be frustrating the hell out of the coaching staff behind the scenes. He goes from playing 15 minutes and scoring 13 points to being a Coach's Decision (as he was last night). Martell Webster brings amazing defensive intensity, and a pretty sweet mohawk (no matter what some people say) but has been so injury prone that it is hard to sit back confidently and say, "Yes, Martell Webster will play 40 games this season." Martell also makes me nervous because he fits a classic Wolves gambit--"Hey, that dude fucked us up pretty good when he played against us--let's bring him in!" The only problem is a lot of dudes fuck us up pretty good, even now. Please witness Anthony Morrow's 40+ effort from a couple of nights ago (in a losing effort for the Nets). Crazy random fact--Martell Webster's mother was probably killed by the Green River Killer. (I just read a damn good graphic novel about that!) The shooting guard is pretty important to an offensive's efficiency--it has "shooting" right in the job description, after all--and with KLOVE and Rubio drawing so much attention, someone who can make it rain consistently on this team would make them more dangerous by a large factor.
Who's the 3? I mentioned the log-jam when briefly mentioning Derrick Williams. This will probably be his position as he learns how to play it in the NBA, and good lord, look out when that happens, because the kid is just irresponsibly talented, physically speaking. But he may never be a small forward--his one on one defense at that spot has looked iffy at times this year. There's also Wes Johnson, whose step backwards this year is a conundrum to be sure. A guy who joined Stephon Marbury as the only Wolves rookies to hit 100 3-Pointers, he looks a little unsure as to his role. He went 2-6 last night, and one of those was a perfectly executed alley-oop from Ricky Rubio (who, Jesus Pooped On The Cross!**, loves to throw those things). Wes has had good games--he tied a Wolves record for perfect shooting early this season by going 6-6, and those were from all over the floor. Speaking of inconsistency, let's talk about maybe the most talented player on the Wolves--Michael Beasley.
I say, "let's talk", but I really don't know what to say about Beasley. There are games, when he is focused and engaged, where he seems like the second-coming of Kobe Bryant (but without the allegations of rape--Beasley's far too mellow for that shit). Slashing drives into the lane, hitting floaters, stepping back and popping and drawing fouls like no one's business. When the Wolves beat Houston in late January, Beasley was unstoppable--10 of 14 from the field, 12 of 12 from the stripe. A week later, against the same team, he was 3-9 and had a +/- of -7 (team worst). I don't mean to suggest that there are games when Beasley isn't engaged--I think he is either engaged or TOO ENGAGED. He gets a little too wrapped up in what he is doing, and gets away from the team a bit. What I'd really like to see from Beasley is for his assist numbers go up a little--he can shake guys as well as anyone, but too often he just runs into traffic for no good reason, and makes a tough shot tougher. I have a feeling that if any of these guys really brought defensive intensity to their role, they would jump to the top of the list. It is telling, as of last night, that it's the one spot on the floor where no one can carve out 25 minutes of time. Rubio, Ridnour and KLOVE (the 1, 2 and 4) all went over 30 minutes--Johnson, Williams and Beasley all played under 20 minutes, and Webster probably logged some minutes officially at the 3 as well.
[Intermission]--I've been wondering when KLOVE was going to get sick of the lack of calls he's not getting, and it may have happened tonight, but it is hard for me to know for sure whether he intentionally STEPPED ON LUIS SCOLA's FACE. Take a look for yourself. And do remember that Scola did happen to throw a ball right into KLOVE's KLOVESACK*** just a week ago (whilst trying to save a ball from out of bounds.) Said Kevin, after the game, "He was right there, it happened to be his face just like in Houston where it happened to be my groin.” Hmm.
Who's the 5? We are getting some clarity here, and it is looking more and more like Nikola Pekovich (who I have fucking loved since Day 1) is getting his chance. After his first game in 2010, I wrote, if I may quote myself here, "He'll take some time adjusting to what is and isn't a foul in the NBA...but he'll get there. And when he does, he'll probably start stealing minutes from Darko Milicic." Now, to be fair, I was excited by Pekovic because of his tattoo featuring a warrior standing on a pile of skulls, and his Ivan Drago/Schwarzenegger quotes (like: "This is the only time I want to come [to the NBA], some time when I am man and all this.")
The Wolves signed Darko Milicic to a deal, that was kind of derided by folks until they realized that it wasn't that much money, NBA wise, and that given the dearth of big men in the league, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Darko's had a rough start to the year, with injuries and illness, and Pekovic has stepped into that void, and provided some stability to a position on the Wolves roster that is really about converting close in and being ready for both crazy passes and rebounds. Pekovic seems to get that part of the game extremely well. He's highly efficient around the basket, a monster on the boards (and maybe just a monster in general. Have you seen him?). He's also a much better free-throw shooter than Darko--75% compared to to 58% (career). Mike Fratello opined on the NBA Network that the Wolves were paying Darko an awful lot of money to be the second string, but Darko is being paid almost exactly $100,000 more than Pekovic, and they are both below $5 million this year, so that seems like a really, really silly argument, put forth by someone who has just glancing knowledge of the situation. (No offense, Mike!).
So, no big deal, right? Just need to confirm our center, figure out the small forward and find a shooting guard who isn't a point guard. No problem at all. But for now, and I'm sure I speak for all fans of the Wolves, and fans of the NBA in general--we're quite alright with a super-young, exciting, and competent Wolves team.
*my favorite team, though. I've divided my life, at almost 50/50 between DC and St. Paul. But it is really easy to close the book on the Wizards, and has been, since, what, 1996? I barely cared when they got John Wall. And it looks like that was a good reaction, mental health wise. Just sayin'. The Wizards are fucking terrible, and as a Wolves fan, we've seen what happens when you replace Flip Saunders with Randy Wittman. It worked out GREAT! That's why Randy Wittman is still here, and hasn't been fired by every franchise that has ever hired him.
**yes, I'm trying to make that a phrase that people use. "Jesus Pooped On the Cross, what a fucking game!" and so on.
***that's what people are calling Kevin Love's balls now. Trust me, I'm a blogger.
****It annoys me more than it should that the Google Search of "Trent Tucker Savvy Veteran" doesn't come up with a video of Trent Tucker saying, "SAH-vee VET-TER-ran"
If you haven't been here in the Twin Cities, you don't know how desperately bad it has been. I mean, you surely have some idea, if you follow basketball. But you don't really know. You don't remember Ricky Davis being here. You don't remember Nbudi Ebi, or Will Avery, or Marko Jaric. You probably don't remember the brief hope we held that Eddie Griffin was going to turn his life around here. Instead, he jacked off in a car he was driving, and later committed suicide (or maybe he was just super drunk) by driving into a moving train. It felt like an apt metaphor for the team as a whole.
But surely, you've sat on your undeniably nice ass, and have watched some SportsCenter highlights of Ricky Rubio alley-ooping to every guy in a Wolves jersey outside of Luke Ridnour. You know the Wolves are better now. Hell, three games ago, a blogger at NBA.com suggested that the Wolves might make the playoffs. That's borderline crazy talk, and yeah, that blogger has the dubiously super-white name of Fran Blinebury, but still--it happened.
You, dear reader, might point out statistics like: the Wolves have won more games on the road this season than they did all of last year. Or that they've won 12 games out of 24, compared to the 15 out of 82 last year.
And you are right. Let's get into the whys and wherefores and whos and hows and whats and all that.
Coaching Matters. It is safe to say that everyone who watches basketball knows this. So how did the management team at the Wolves take it for granted for so long? The Wolves have been in the league since 1989, and exactly one coach (Flip Saunders) has taken them to the playoffs. The record under various coaches is staggering--The Timberwolves have had eight coaches who led the team in at least 100 games. If you remove Flip Saunders from that mix, you get a combined record of 255-686, which we can all agree--that's terrible. I defended Kurt Ramis a number of times (more in his first year as a coach than his second year, when the Wolves were barely on TV) and I was wrong on that front. And David Kahn was wrong to hire him in the first place--but Kahn corrected that move, and bringing in Rick Adelman has undeniably been a major factor in the improvement of the Wolves. He's upgraded the offense and defense in pretty surprisingly quick fashion, considering the lack of time to practice every team in the NBA has had to deal with this shortened season. One of the biggest improvements, but one of the least talked about, is their defense, particularly in the fourth quarter. Last year, they were dead last in opponent's field goal percentage in the fourth. Last time I checked, the Wolves were now in the Top 5 in that category. And if a game is close in the fourth quarter, it is a winnable game. Especially with a functioning offense.
Kurt Rambis' triangle, that simply did not fit the players here, is gone (maybe, at some point, we could discuss how the Triangle really works well if you have one of the best shooting guards in a generation, and otherwise? Shrug). There's an undeniable synchronicity here--Rick Adelman brings in a great pick and roll game just as the Wolves are welcoming a devastating pick and roll point guard in...
Ricky Rubio. A lot of the national media assumed that Ricky would never play with the Timberwolves. That the very fact that David Kahn had drafted him had doomed him. That he could never survive a Minnesota winter, and if he did, he'd be so disappointed in his teammates that he'd demand a trade. That seems pretty goddamn unlikely at this early point--Ricky's shooting percentage is total shit (though (somewhat oddly) he is shooting an impressive 44% from the three-point line on the road) but he's had more double digit assist games than any Wolves point guard I can remember since oft-injured Terrell Brandon. Ricky's shooting percentage is terrible, as I said, but when you watch his games, it does feel like he hits the ones that matter. And meanwhile, as you've seen, dear reader and national highlights watcher, his assists are often breath-taking. And he's still all of twenty-one years old. He also boards pretty well (he is 6' 4", which surprises folks) and plays smart defense. He's as good or better as advertised. Something that doesn't get mentioned enough--his intensity and leadership on the floor. I've read multiple local stories about how he takes charge on the floor. Hugely important for a team that has had a distinct dearth of leadership on the floor (to the point where there was some discussion of changing the team name to the Distinct Dearths).
So those are the changes--the rest of the roster is essentially the same (with the obvious exception of rookie Derrick Williams, who happens to play the most log-jammed spot for the Wolves). JJ Barea is also new, and does figure to help out a great deal, but he's barely played, as he is just now getting back from a nagging hamstring injury. Oh, and Brad Miller, too. but he's yet to play 10 minutes in a game.
That's how you take a terrible team and make them a .500 team after 24 games played. But some of those same old issues continue, and need to be addressed before this team can really take the next step.
Who's the 2? A rotating band of guys have been taking turns at that. Most recently, as Rick Adelman has given Ricky more and more minutes at the point, it's been Luke Ridnour. He's had some excellent games--last night's win over the Rockets, for example--where he went 8-14 (4-6 from 3 PT) and scored 22 points. But he still plays a style I described in his first game as a Timberpup, back in 2010: "started hot, continued shooting when he wasn't particularly hot and then got hot again at the end, and maybe played a little spazzy at times when I was expecting him to slow the game down a bit." He's one of the closest things to a savvy veteran**** the Wolves have right now, and he's still a little spazzy at odd times. The kind of thing that doesn't kill your team, but does make you scratch your head--and he's not really a shooting guard (his height alone makes it problematic). Playing Ridnour and Rubio together has been working, but it definitely feels like it shouldn't. But options are limited--Wayne Ellington must be frustrating the hell out of the coaching staff behind the scenes. He goes from playing 15 minutes and scoring 13 points to being a Coach's Decision (as he was last night). Martell Webster brings amazing defensive intensity, and a pretty sweet mohawk (no matter what some people say) but has been so injury prone that it is hard to sit back confidently and say, "Yes, Martell Webster will play 40 games this season." Martell also makes me nervous because he fits a classic Wolves gambit--"Hey, that dude fucked us up pretty good when he played against us--let's bring him in!" The only problem is a lot of dudes fuck us up pretty good, even now. Please witness Anthony Morrow's 40+ effort from a couple of nights ago (in a losing effort for the Nets). Crazy random fact--Martell Webster's mother was probably killed by the Green River Killer. (I just read a damn good graphic novel about that!) The shooting guard is pretty important to an offensive's efficiency--it has "shooting" right in the job description, after all--and with KLOVE and Rubio drawing so much attention, someone who can make it rain consistently on this team would make them more dangerous by a large factor.
Who's the 3? I mentioned the log-jam when briefly mentioning Derrick Williams. This will probably be his position as he learns how to play it in the NBA, and good lord, look out when that happens, because the kid is just irresponsibly talented, physically speaking. But he may never be a small forward--his one on one defense at that spot has looked iffy at times this year. There's also Wes Johnson, whose step backwards this year is a conundrum to be sure. A guy who joined Stephon Marbury as the only Wolves rookies to hit 100 3-Pointers, he looks a little unsure as to his role. He went 2-6 last night, and one of those was a perfectly executed alley-oop from Ricky Rubio (who, Jesus Pooped On The Cross!**, loves to throw those things). Wes has had good games--he tied a Wolves record for perfect shooting early this season by going 6-6, and those were from all over the floor. Speaking of inconsistency, let's talk about maybe the most talented player on the Wolves--Michael Beasley.
[Intermission]--I've been wondering when KLOVE was going to get sick of the lack of calls he's not getting, and it may have happened tonight, but it is hard for me to know for sure whether he intentionally STEPPED ON LUIS SCOLA's FACE. Take a look for yourself. And do remember that Scola did happen to throw a ball right into KLOVE's KLOVESACK*** just a week ago (whilst trying to save a ball from out of bounds.) Said Kevin, after the game, "He was right there, it happened to be his face just like in Houston where it happened to be my groin.” Hmm.
Who's the 5? We are getting some clarity here, and it is looking more and more like Nikola Pekovich (who I have fucking loved since Day 1) is getting his chance. After his first game in 2010, I wrote, if I may quote myself here, "He'll take some time adjusting to what is and isn't a foul in the NBA...but he'll get there. And when he does, he'll probably start stealing minutes from Darko Milicic." Now, to be fair, I was excited by Pekovic because of his tattoo featuring a warrior standing on a pile of skulls, and his Ivan Drago/Schwarzenegger quotes (like: "This is the only time I want to come [to the NBA], some time when I am man and all this.")So, no big deal, right? Just need to confirm our center, figure out the small forward and find a shooting guard who isn't a point guard. No problem at all. But for now, and I'm sure I speak for all fans of the Wolves, and fans of the NBA in general--we're quite alright with a super-young, exciting, and competent Wolves team.
*my favorite team, though. I've divided my life, at almost 50/50 between DC and St. Paul. But it is really easy to close the book on the Wizards, and has been, since, what, 1996? I barely cared when they got John Wall. And it looks like that was a good reaction, mental health wise. Just sayin'. The Wizards are fucking terrible, and as a Wolves fan, we've seen what happens when you replace Flip Saunders with Randy Wittman. It worked out GREAT! That's why Randy Wittman is still here, and hasn't been fired by every franchise that has ever hired him.
**yes, I'm trying to make that a phrase that people use. "Jesus Pooped On the Cross, what a fucking game!" and so on.
***that's what people are calling Kevin Love's balls now. Trust me, I'm a blogger.
****It annoys me more than it should that the Google Search of "Trent Tucker Savvy Veteran" doesn't come up with a video of Trent Tucker saying, "SAH-vee VET-TER-ran"
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Josh Hamilton, The Dali Lama, Media and Addiction
Brief summary on the news of today: Josh Hamilton was seen drinking. How much? No one seems to be saying. No one has even said he drank to excess. However, according to Gerry Fraley of Dallas News, Ian Kinsler showed up at the bar to try to get Hamilton to go home. But still, for all we know, Josh Hamilton had two beers, and cornered a couple of people to talk about how great his Fantasy Football team was this past year. "Gronkowski in the 6th Round! Can you believe he fell to me?" Crap like that. That's what I'd be doing if I found myself at Sherlock's Pub and Grill in Dallas on a Monday.
Who knows what Hamilton was doing? No one! (well--people know, but they are running silent at the moment)
Brief summary of why I may come off as a dick on this whole Josh Hamilton thing--his absolute lack of science and sense. Alcohol/drug abuse, and the inability to rein that it in? That's biochemical. Some people can do it, some people can't. It is genetic. Native Americans aren't particularly affected by alcohol because they believe in Wakan Taka instead of Jesus Christ--it was genetic (at least to start. Seeing one's entire culture destroyed can also lead to binge drinking, to be sure).
So yeah, people who expect a belief in Jesus to see them through what is, fundamentally, a brain chemistry problem annoy me. Especially when they blame their backslides, as Hamilton has, on 'the devil' or 'a crisis of faith'. Hey man, not every Buddhist and atheist is a raging drug addict. The Dali Lama doesn't believe in your Jesus, and he's yet to be photographed sucking on skanky bar chicks in bars.
But that's actually not my main point. There's a very simple article of addiction. You are sober for as long as you are sober, and no longer. Every recovering addict in the world understands that concept. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but there's this LA Times blog entry that has bothered me ever since I read it, some ten minutes ago.
That blog entry reads just fine, unless you jam a couple of sentences together. And it is these two sentences: "Hamilton, a four-time All-Star and the American League most valuable player in 2010, has been sober since October of 2005...The only other time Hamilton broke his sobriety was in 2009 when he said he questioned his Christian faith and it led to a night of drinking at a bar in Tempe, Ariz." [emphasis mine]
So, LA Times, and everybody else who is framing it this way--Josh Hamilton has not been sober since 2005. He's been sober since 2009. "Crisis of Faith" is not a reason, it's an excuse. It is a piss-poor excuse, at that.
And you know what? Let's be more specific than that--the last time Josh Hamilton PUBLICLY broke his sobriety was 2009. Let's not presume he's been sober the entire time, because we really don't know, do we? We know that he went to a bar in 2009, and we know he went to a bar this past Monday. We know that those were the two times that he broke his sobriety in a very public way. Is there any reason to assume that the hundreds of days in between were filled with baseball, puzzles, and pettin' kitties? We don't know. We have Hamilton's word, and the fact he passed drug tests (which, let's face it, are hardly a be-all, end-all determination of sobriety).
Now, I'm not suggesting that the media should assume Hamilton has maybe been battling (or embracing) his demons behind closed doors. But maybe, let's not assume that the two times he's been caught boozing are the only two times it has happened. Addicts are a pain in the ass that way.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, for example, is almost suspiciously sympathetic: "And as he is so good at doing, Hamilton will placate the sadness that permeates his fan base today through words of encouragement and strength and hosannas to how through God’s help and his family’s love he’ll persevere and win this lifelong battle. That’s all addicts can offer. There will be those who call them hypocritical or weak-minded or full of excuses. Such ignorance never ceases. Sobriety for those who struggle the most is merely a moment between relapses – hopefully a moment longer than the last, one that eventually lasts forever."
And again--horsepucky. That's not all addicts can offer. They can offer an educated understanding of what is happening to them when they drink or drug up. They don't have to rely on strength and hosannas or (motherfucker, please) God's help.
I welcome this kind of sympathy for all of the drug addicts in the country who aren't millionaires. But let's be clear--a man who blames his tattoos, his drug problem, and his public relapses on some ancient battle between The Devil and Jesus IS being weak-minded and making excuses.
There are addicts far more worthy of our support than Josh Hamilton. And a lot of them are in jail right now. How about you write moving apologia for those guys, Sports Media? Hey, Jeff Passan, want to write a moving column about Minnesota Indians in jail? OF COURSE YOU DON'T.
Who knows what Hamilton was doing? No one! (well--people know, but they are running silent at the moment)
Brief summary of why I may come off as a dick on this whole Josh Hamilton thing--his absolute lack of science and sense. Alcohol/drug abuse, and the inability to rein that it in? That's biochemical. Some people can do it, some people can't. It is genetic. Native Americans aren't particularly affected by alcohol because they believe in Wakan Taka instead of Jesus Christ--it was genetic (at least to start. Seeing one's entire culture destroyed can also lead to binge drinking, to be sure).
So yeah, people who expect a belief in Jesus to see them through what is, fundamentally, a brain chemistry problem annoy me. Especially when they blame their backslides, as Hamilton has, on 'the devil' or 'a crisis of faith'. Hey man, not every Buddhist and atheist is a raging drug addict. The Dali Lama doesn't believe in your Jesus, and he's yet to be photographed sucking on skanky bar chicks in bars.
But that's actually not my main point. There's a very simple article of addiction. You are sober for as long as you are sober, and no longer. Every recovering addict in the world understands that concept. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but there's this LA Times blog entry that has bothered me ever since I read it, some ten minutes ago.
That blog entry reads just fine, unless you jam a couple of sentences together. And it is these two sentences: "Hamilton, a four-time All-Star and the American League most valuable player in 2010, has been sober since October of 2005...The only other time Hamilton broke his sobriety was in 2009 when he said he questioned his Christian faith and it led to a night of drinking at a bar in Tempe, Ariz." [emphasis mine]
So, LA Times, and everybody else who is framing it this way--Josh Hamilton has not been sober since 2005. He's been sober since 2009. "Crisis of Faith" is not a reason, it's an excuse. It is a piss-poor excuse, at that.
And you know what? Let's be more specific than that--the last time Josh Hamilton PUBLICLY broke his sobriety was 2009. Let's not presume he's been sober the entire time, because we really don't know, do we? We know that he went to a bar in 2009, and we know he went to a bar this past Monday. We know that those were the two times that he broke his sobriety in a very public way. Is there any reason to assume that the hundreds of days in between were filled with baseball, puzzles, and pettin' kitties? We don't know. We have Hamilton's word, and the fact he passed drug tests (which, let's face it, are hardly a be-all, end-all determination of sobriety).
Now, I'm not suggesting that the media should assume Hamilton has maybe been battling (or embracing) his demons behind closed doors. But maybe, let's not assume that the two times he's been caught boozing are the only two times it has happened. Addicts are a pain in the ass that way.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, for example, is almost suspiciously sympathetic: "And as he is so good at doing, Hamilton will placate the sadness that permeates his fan base today through words of encouragement and strength and hosannas to how through God’s help and his family’s love he’ll persevere and win this lifelong battle. That’s all addicts can offer. There will be those who call them hypocritical or weak-minded or full of excuses. Such ignorance never ceases. Sobriety for those who struggle the most is merely a moment between relapses – hopefully a moment longer than the last, one that eventually lasts forever."
And again--horsepucky. That's not all addicts can offer. They can offer an educated understanding of what is happening to them when they drink or drug up. They don't have to rely on strength and hosannas or (motherfucker, please) God's help.
I welcome this kind of sympathy for all of the drug addicts in the country who aren't millionaires. But let's be clear--a man who blames his tattoos, his drug problem, and his public relapses on some ancient battle between The Devil and Jesus IS being weak-minded and making excuses.
There are addicts far more worthy of our support than Josh Hamilton. And a lot of them are in jail right now. How about you write moving apologia for those guys, Sports Media? Hey, Jeff Passan, want to write a moving column about Minnesota Indians in jail? OF COURSE YOU DON'T.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
IDYFT Superbowl Pick'em: oh, them again
We were hoping for a different, better, more interesting Superbowl matchup. Either fanbase is incredibly annoying already. I dread having to hear the crowing of the winners and the whining of the losers. Fans of both the Hatriots and the Vagiants crow and whine too much already.
However, it is the last game of football for seven months. It ought to be a good game. Then we can head into the offseason knowing that labor unrest won't jerk us around and our football magazines will come out on time.
This IDYFT Pick'em will hopefully ameliorate the mixed feelings you may be experiencing, faced with a leftover Superbowl rematch.
Standings
1. Big BM: 24 points
2. Miwacar: 22 points
Adw: 22 points
3. Jess: 17 points
4. MuMuMan: 10 points
Get ready, here comes the big money winner-take-all Superbowl Pick'em!
1. New York Giants versus New England Patriots (+7)
2. NY Giants score? (closest +3, +5 exact)
3. NE Patriots score? (closest +3, +5 exact)
4. MVP? (+4)
Bonus Questions
5. Which team has more rushing yards? +1
6. Which team has more passing yards? +1
7. Which team commits more turnovers? +1
8. Which team has more penalties? +1
Special Questions
9. Which team scores more special teams points (XP, FG, return TD)? +2
10. Who will win the coin toss and will it be heads or tails, nah just turnin yer crank.
Good luck! You could win a t-shirt!
However, it is the last game of football for seven months. It ought to be a good game. Then we can head into the offseason knowing that labor unrest won't jerk us around and our football magazines will come out on time.
This IDYFT Pick'em will hopefully ameliorate the mixed feelings you may be experiencing, faced with a leftover Superbowl rematch.
Standings
1. Big BM: 24 points
2. Miwacar: 22 points
Adw: 22 points
3. Jess: 17 points
4. MuMuMan: 10 points
Get ready, here comes the big money winner-take-all Superbowl Pick'em!
1. New York Giants versus New England Patriots (+7)
2. NY Giants score? (closest +3, +5 exact)
3. NE Patriots score? (closest +3, +5 exact)
4. MVP? (+4)
Bonus Questions
5. Which team has more rushing yards? +1
6. Which team has more passing yards? +1
7. Which team commits more turnovers? +1
8. Which team has more penalties? +1
Special Questions
9. Which team scores more special teams points (XP, FG, return TD)? +2
10. Who will win the coin toss and will it be heads or tails, nah just turnin yer crank.
Good luck! You could win a t-shirt!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Subaru--The Car For Moms Who Will Go To Hell
I thought it odder when Cadillac decided to use a song from the Pogues in a commercial that featured the line, "With a heart full of hate and a lust for vomit", but this commercial is still odd. The song and its title is featured prominently, "If I Should Fall From the Grace of God." Is Subaru suggesting that a mom forced to drive her triplets around would contemplate the sweet, sweet release of death and a horrible afterlife? Makes sense to me, but to the broader consumer market, it may not.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
IDYFT Playoff Pick'em 2012: Championship Round
Some outstanding games have rained sundry fortunes upon our participants. Final victory is still very much in play, as the picks increase in value.
Breaking News in the Penn State Scandal: for a party in 1997, Sandusky hired the band "Boyz II Men" because he thought they were a delivery service.
Standings
1. Miwacar: 22 pts (Ravens/Packers, Packers)
2. Adw: 18 pts (Ravens/Packers, Ravens)
3. Big BM: 16 pts (Ravens/Packers, Packers)
4. MuMuMan: 8 pts (Lions/Ravens, Lions)
5. Jess: 5 pts (Lions/Tebows, Packers)
Championship Round
1. Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots? +4
2. New York VaGiants at San Francisco 49ers? +4
3. Your Shoe-in? (+2/-4)
Bonus Questions +2
4. Which game is closest?
5. Which game has the most total points scored?
6. Which individual team scores the most points?
7. Which individual team allows the fewest points?
8. Which individual team scores a Special Teams touchdown?
Breaking News in the Penn State Scandal: for a party in 1997, Sandusky hired the band "Boyz II Men" because he thought they were a delivery service.
Standings
1. Miwacar: 22 pts (Ravens/2. Adw: 18 pts (Ravens/
3. Big BM: 16 pts (Ravens/
4. MuMuMan: 8 pts (
5. Jess: 5 pts (
Championship Round
1. Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots? +4
2. New York VaGiants at San Francisco 49ers? +4
3. Your Shoe-in? (+2/-4)
Bonus Questions +2
4. Which game is closest?
5. Which game has the most total points scored?
6. Which individual team scores the most points?
7. Which individual team allows the fewest points?
8. Which individual team scores a Special Teams touchdown?
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Hey, What's the Deal With Billion Dollar Stadiums, Anyway?
During of all the crazy Minnesota Viking stadium talk (which we have talked about, to death), one thing has consistently bothered me, but I haven't given much voice to--why is the stadium so expensive? The total cost has been estimated at just over $1 Billion. That's a lot of money, regardless of who is paying for it (if the Vikings gets their way--taxpayers about 70%, NFL pool 20%, Vikings 10%). But even if the Vikings paid for all of it, it is a shocking amount of money. When did stadiums get so damn expensive? I mean, they are always expensive, but the last few years, it seemed to me, has featured a positive explosion in costs.
And I wasn't wrong. Here's the stadium costs (adjusted for 2012 dollars*!), in millions, of every stadium built since 2000.
(*all costs as reported by Wikipedia)
The Vikings are attempting to build the 3rd Most Expensive stadium in NFL history, right behind the last two built. I don't think anyone is surprised when Jerry Jones' monument to himself topped a billion dollars. Maybe a few people were surprised that the Giants/Jets shared stadium also topped a billion dollars. Why are the Vikings attempting to compete, cost wise, with the Cowboys and Jets/Giants? Isn't shit cheaper in the sleepy urban utopia of Minneapolis/St. Paul?
And look, just five years ago, a new stadium cost less than half as much. What is going on here? Why does the cost of building a new stadium in the NFL outstrip the GDP of Liberia?
Hell, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis seemed horribly expensive, way back in 2008. It cost 75% of the estimated cost of the new Vikings stadium, and it was built for one of the most successful franchises in the NFL over the previous decade, as opposed to, in the Vikings, one of the sketchier franchises over the past decade.
And that's not the only comparison in which Lucas Oil Stadium seems to blow the doors off the proposed Viking stadium--it is in downtown Indianapolis (while the Vikings push for a stadium 10 miles outside of downtown, with little to no public transport) and it has a retractable roof (which the Vikings say they don't want, but you know that they do, and have refused to include in their estimates). It seems the Vikings are well are demanding the most expensive fixed roof stadium in NFL history.
Again--look at that chart. Look how crazily fast the costs have risen. Maybe it is time to inject a little sanity back into the argument, and instead of pushing for a Billion Dollar Stadium, just to have one, maybe it is time to compromise on that price. The Vikings don't need the 3rd most expensive stadium in league history. They just need to play in something nicer than the Metrodome (included in that category--a Metrodome with some upgrades).
And I wasn't wrong. Here's the stadium costs (adjusted for 2012 dollars*!), in millions, of every stadium built since 2000.
(*all costs as reported by Wikipedia)
The Vikings are attempting to build the 3rd Most Expensive stadium in NFL history, right behind the last two built. I don't think anyone is surprised when Jerry Jones' monument to himself topped a billion dollars. Maybe a few people were surprised that the Giants/Jets shared stadium also topped a billion dollars. Why are the Vikings attempting to compete, cost wise, with the Cowboys and Jets/Giants? Isn't shit cheaper in the sleepy urban utopia of Minneapolis/St. Paul?
And look, just five years ago, a new stadium cost less than half as much. What is going on here? Why does the cost of building a new stadium in the NFL outstrip the GDP of Liberia?
Hell, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis seemed horribly expensive, way back in 2008. It cost 75% of the estimated cost of the new Vikings stadium, and it was built for one of the most successful franchises in the NFL over the previous decade, as opposed to, in the Vikings, one of the sketchier franchises over the past decade.
And that's not the only comparison in which Lucas Oil Stadium seems to blow the doors off the proposed Viking stadium--it is in downtown Indianapolis (while the Vikings push for a stadium 10 miles outside of downtown, with little to no public transport) and it has a retractable roof (which the Vikings say they don't want, but you know that they do, and have refused to include in their estimates). It seems the Vikings are well are demanding the most expensive fixed roof stadium in NFL history.
Again--look at that chart. Look how crazily fast the costs have risen. Maybe it is time to inject a little sanity back into the argument, and instead of pushing for a Billion Dollar Stadium, just to have one, maybe it is time to compromise on that price. The Vikings don't need the 3rd most expensive stadium in league history. They just need to play in something nicer than the Metrodome (included in that category--a Metrodome with some upgrades).
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Enter: Shakopee?
First off, I'll give all of you non-Minnesotans a moment to get over the giggles that may be induced by a town called "Shakopee". It sounds funny, right? Like "Shack o' Pee". You are a little off on your pronunciation, but you are pretty close. Go ahead...giggle. Shack o' Pee! Hilarious!
It is, of course, of Native American origin--the home of Mdewakantonwan Sioux Chief, Shakopee.
For Minnesota Vikings fans who want to see a stadium built for their team, the idea of Shakopee throwing their hat into the ring at this late date may also seem somewhat humorous. Shakopee is a good 35 miles from central Minneapolis. Even the crappy Arden Hills site the Vikings want is much closer to both downtowns of the Twin Cities than that.
But, wait, just a moment, because I think this argument could get interesting.
The Vikings hate downtown Minneapolis (they claim) because of the congested matter of downtown; there's no way to break ground right away, and there are businesses already there, and there is simply no room to develop the "proper fan tailgating experience" (i.e., getting drunk in a parking lot).
And to be fair, plenty of Minneapolis businesses aren't crazy about some of those plans, either. One of those businesses is the Catholic Church--the franchise in question being the Basilica of St. Mary's, one of Minneapolis' most distinctive and prominent church edifices. And there are plenty of other, secular business owners who worry about the impact on their business, if any of the non-Metrodome sites are approved.
So, Arden Hills, the Vikings favorite site is a non-starter. Minneapolis is a tough sell because of established businesses. Wrecking the Metrodome and starting over would be great, if the Vikings weren't such whiny bitches about that. "We'll have to play in a college stadium! We'll lose money at the gate! We're a bunch of babies who don't know that we make all of our money on TV rights anyway!" And so on (there may have been some unfair editorializing by me in there. I don't mind that I did that.)
And so, again, Shakopee. It is distant. But it isn't much further than the Arden Hills site the Vikings prefer. It's another 10 miles or so, in the other direction. BUT...
The roads to it are already better than the roads to Arden Hills are now. Shakopee already has a little bit of the Twin Cities playground vibe to it, what with ValleyFair, the only solid, non carnie-infested amusement park in the metro Twin Cities area; Canterbury Park, a place to gamble on ponies and cards; and one of the biggest Casinos in Minnesota in Mystic Lake Casino (owned by those previously mentioned, pesky Mdewakantonwan Sioux).
Shakopee has the added benefit, for those of us who live in either Hennepin County or Ramsey County (the counties of Minneapolis and St. Paul, respectively) to not be in either of those counties. Fundraising would have to come from Scott County--and who knows? For the residents of Scott County, paying for a stadium to have thousands of Twin Citians flock into their county might make economic sense. Maybe those drunk, sad Vikings fans head to the casino, or to the track. Maybe Shakopee can actually make money on the deal.
Which is probably why the Vikings are lukewarm on the idea. Those dollars belong to them, dammit!
Regardless, keep your eye on this seemingly ridiculous, no chance in hell idea. It might make sense!
It is, of course, of Native American origin--the home of Mdewakantonwan Sioux Chief, Shakopee.
For Minnesota Vikings fans who want to see a stadium built for their team, the idea of Shakopee throwing their hat into the ring at this late date may also seem somewhat humorous. Shakopee is a good 35 miles from central Minneapolis. Even the crappy Arden Hills site the Vikings want is much closer to both downtowns of the Twin Cities than that.
But, wait, just a moment, because I think this argument could get interesting.
The Vikings hate downtown Minneapolis (they claim) because of the congested matter of downtown; there's no way to break ground right away, and there are businesses already there, and there is simply no room to develop the "proper fan tailgating experience" (i.e., getting drunk in a parking lot).
And to be fair, plenty of Minneapolis businesses aren't crazy about some of those plans, either. One of those businesses is the Catholic Church--the franchise in question being the Basilica of St. Mary's, one of Minneapolis' most distinctive and prominent church edifices. And there are plenty of other, secular business owners who worry about the impact on their business, if any of the non-Metrodome sites are approved.
So, Arden Hills, the Vikings favorite site is a non-starter. Minneapolis is a tough sell because of established businesses. Wrecking the Metrodome and starting over would be great, if the Vikings weren't such whiny bitches about that. "We'll have to play in a college stadium! We'll lose money at the gate! We're a bunch of babies who don't know that we make all of our money on TV rights anyway!" And so on (there may have been some unfair editorializing by me in there. I don't mind that I did that.)
And so, again, Shakopee. It is distant. But it isn't much further than the Arden Hills site the Vikings prefer. It's another 10 miles or so, in the other direction. BUT...
The roads to it are already better than the roads to Arden Hills are now. Shakopee already has a little bit of the Twin Cities playground vibe to it, what with ValleyFair, the only solid, non carnie-infested amusement park in the metro Twin Cities area; Canterbury Park, a place to gamble on ponies and cards; and one of the biggest Casinos in Minnesota in Mystic Lake Casino (owned by those previously mentioned, pesky Mdewakantonwan Sioux).
Shakopee has the added benefit, for those of us who live in either Hennepin County or Ramsey County (the counties of Minneapolis and St. Paul, respectively) to not be in either of those counties. Fundraising would have to come from Scott County--and who knows? For the residents of Scott County, paying for a stadium to have thousands of Twin Citians flock into their county might make economic sense. Maybe those drunk, sad Vikings fans head to the casino, or to the track. Maybe Shakopee can actually make money on the deal.
Which is probably why the Vikings are lukewarm on the idea. Those dollars belong to them, dammit!
Regardless, keep your eye on this seemingly ridiculous, no chance in hell idea. It might make sense!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A Reasonable Owner in Oakland
I'm not a Raiders fan. However, I would never say that I hate Raiders fans...some of my best friends are Raiders fans!
They suffered through the years of Al Davis being, in their own estimation...a brilliant maverick...an eccentric owner who sometimes made brilliant decisions...the owner of a funny franchise...a crazy-ass old man who is ruining the franchise.
And now, sadly, Al Davis is gone, but with all of the fresh blood that the NFL and primogeniture allows, the Raiders' have a new owner, and he's Mark Davis. He'll turn things around. He is his father's son, with his moxie, his courage, and the years and years of experience of growing up at the feet of one of the NFL's most unorthodox thinkers. Good times are here again, for Oakland fans. And then they met Mark Davis. And they all thought*, "Hey, isn't that Nick Swardson as Bucky Larson in that movie no one saw but everyone hated?"
GUH!
Now, I'll never judge a man by his haircut, unless he is a fucking multi-millionaire, in which case, I will. And in this case, GUH. Good luck, Oakland Raiders!
Good news, Oakland Raider Nation: the 17th century Dutch boy who is dressed as a 21st century, sixty-five year old man has hired a pretty incredible support staff made up almost entirely of former Green Bay Packers. Presumably, Mark Davis is going to be too busy trying to replicate the experiments in Weird Science (who can blame him for that?) to give a shit about actually running an NFL franchise, and that's fantastic news for those who want to see the Raiders succeed.
*I would have been shocked if I were the first person to make this connection. I wasn't.
They suffered through the years of Al Davis being, in their own estimation...a brilliant maverick...an eccentric owner who sometimes made brilliant decisions...the owner of a funny franchise...a crazy-ass old man who is ruining the franchise.
And now, sadly, Al Davis is gone, but with all of the fresh blood that the NFL and primogeniture allows, the Raiders' have a new owner, and he's Mark Davis. He'll turn things around. He is his father's son, with his moxie, his courage, and the years and years of experience of growing up at the feet of one of the NFL's most unorthodox thinkers. Good times are here again, for Oakland fans. And then they met Mark Davis. And they all thought*, "Hey, isn't that Nick Swardson as Bucky Larson in that movie no one saw but everyone hated?"
GUH!
Now, I'll never judge a man by his haircut, unless he is a fucking multi-millionaire, in which case, I will. And in this case, GUH. Good luck, Oakland Raiders!
Good news, Oakland Raider Nation: the 17th century Dutch boy who is dressed as a 21st century, sixty-five year old man has hired a pretty incredible support staff made up almost entirely of former Green Bay Packers. Presumably, Mark Davis is going to be too busy trying to replicate the experiments in Weird Science (who can blame him for that?) to give a shit about actually running an NFL franchise, and that's fantastic news for those who want to see the Raiders succeed.
*I would have been shocked if I were the first person to make this connection. I wasn't.
Monday, January 09, 2012
IDYFT Playoff Pick'em 2012: Divisional Round
Congratulations! You may have already won!As a bonus of appreciation, everybody gets a touchdown's worth of points just for participating. But don't expect such largesse to continue. The divisional round is going to be higher stakes, higher points and higher pants.
Standings and Superbowl Picks
1. Miwacar: 12 pts (Ravens/Packers, Packers)
2. Adw: 8 pts (Ravens/Packers, Ravens)
3. MuMuMan: 7 pts (
4. Jess: 6 pts (
5. Hawks: 4 pts (Patriots/Packers, Packers)
Garwood: 4 pts (Patriots/Saints, Saints)
6. Big BM: 1 pt (Ravens/Packers, Packers)
Divisional Round
1. New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers? +3
2. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots? +3
3. Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens? +3
4. New York Giants at Green Bay Packers? +3
5. Your Shoe-in? +2/-4Pick one team that will definitely win this weekend
Bonus Questions +2
6. Biggest Point Differential?
7. Closest Game?
8. Most Total Points (game)?
9. Fewest Total Points (game)?
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