Mid-Season Reflection

Well, it's the middle of the college football season already. There have been some surprises, but I just looked at my pre-season predictions again and they were actually pretty close with the glaring exception of picking Georgia to come out of the East. But, hey the East is so open now that they very well could come back and win it. I said Auburn would start strong and fade down the stretch. As it stands right now, I'd take that back and say that Auburn probably only has one loss in them (to Alabama). I also said their new backfield would be good, and that was wrong, it's really good. Newton is a terror, a one-man wrecking machine.

This is still possible.

Alabama lost one of the games that "really scared me," to South Carolina. This team is not last year's team. That becomes more evident every week. But the maddening part is that the offense IS the same, but puts up crap numbers and can barely run the ball. No amount of nicknames, media hype, or Heisman talk moves the ball on the ground for Alabama. to me, that is the biggest surprise of the year so far - Alabama's offensive struggles. For the last two years, the other teams would know we were going to run, line up to stop and then get run over anyway. This year, we haven't been able to do that to anyone...anyone good, that is.

Hey, remember when we could run the ball?

While the defense showed their age against South Carolina, I have been pretty happy with them all year. There are numbers I look for - <>

I like Alabama to win out, but wouldn't really be surprised by anything at this point.

Some surprises:

"Everything is under control. I got it."

-Lucky Les is undefeated down at LSU. It has been said that anyone - ANYONE - can get 10 wins as head coach at Alabama (every single coach we've ever had has won 10 games in a season before including Dubose and Shula), which sort of cheapens it, right? Well that is how I look at Les Miles at LSU. I really believe with their resources, talent pool, etc. that he wins despite himself. Earlier in the year when they almost lost to UNC, ESPN panned the LSU crowd and they looked so nervous and scared. I was immediately struck with the proper analogy. Les is a terrorist and LSU fans are his hostages.

-Florida is in shambles. I have always had a healthy respect for Florida so this is not to pile on or anything. But the hubris of Urban Meyer is astounding sometimes. His playcalling in the Alabama game down by the goal line said, "I'm the smartest guy in the room, just watch how clever I am." But he forgets that he's only the smartest guy in the room when he has all the talent on the field and on his coaching staff. This is a program that has lost both coordinators, an all-everything QB, tight-end, corner back, and linebacker, and their coach took the summer off. This is why I thought they'd struggle this year, but I never thought this would happen. They lost at home to Mississippi State!!! They got swept by the SEC West this year.

The spread that Florida runs is just like any offense - only as good as the players running it.

-Auburn is still undefeated. Not surprisingly, they opened 6-0 against a weak schedule that still had plenty of close calls. But each week the chirping gets louder from these AU fans. Understandably so. They've had to hear all about Alabama for more than two years now, they have an incredibly exciting player, and they've just passed their first real test of the season. At this point, it looks like they're going to go undefeated into Tuscaloosa. And yes, that is annoying.

Here's the case for Auburn: they've got a player who is unstoppable so far. They've got a schedule that sets up very well for them, and they've got momentum.

Here's the case against them: If a Clemson receiver can catch the ball, they've lost at home to a mediocre team. If Spurrier doesn't pitch a hissy fit and pull his QB who'd thrown for 300 yards already, they might have lost at home to South Carolina. And if Kentucky had one or two more breaks, they lose to the Cats on the road. Those are three games that could have become losses. The Arkansas game was a strange one, but I think it could have gone either way. The score doesn't reflect how close that game was (and AU still gave up 500 yards of offense to a backup QB).

Bottom line: their defense will lose them a game, maybe two. But even I have to acknowledge that the Cameron Newton mania (while annoying and filled with half-assed puns like 'War Cam Eagle') is deserved. He is good.

Now, it is Tennessee week. Which means that a maniacal rage will wash over me around daybreak on Saturday that will then be followed by a lit cigar and smug smile to all those in orange by 9:30 pm. No one hates them like I do (except my dad). And even though they are down and having a bad year, it is still Alabama-Tennessee. We must break them.

Prediction: Alabama wins in another ho-hum kind of way which is actually the most satisfying way to beat rival. You beat them in a way that says, "Yep, it's just another year, just another win, just another example of how we are superior to you." I hope to say that on Black Friday too.

Total. Epic. Fail.

Ugh, I'm so disappointed in myself. I started out so strong, and then became a big fat quitter. Please forgive me faithful readers. There's just something about downloading pictures off my camera that makes me cringe. Too many cords and files with 15 numbers attached. Oh well....I've sucked up my loss to the 30 day picture challenge. Time to move on.

So, here's what's buzzing around in my brain lately. August is almost over! This brings joy to my heart for multiple reasons:

1. This summer has been miserably hot, and August is the crown jewel of summer heat. Over it.

2. I'm ready to embrace crisp fall air and cozy wardrobe. I know that technically, it won't be cool until at least October, but September means summer is officially over, and that's enough for me.

3. Only a few more weeks until football season!

4. September = birthday! :)

5. New nephew arrives in September

I've thrown myself back into reading and am currently enjoying/stressing out over

book titled Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a cool book, but you never really know what's going on, or what's the truth. The narrator speaks like you do, but nope. You only know whatever she chooses to reveal--a little at a time. This is both annoying and intriguing....but mostly intriguing. I'm bad at describing plots, so I'll just refer you to the description on Amazon.com. I'm hesitant to recommend it at this point, since I'm not finished yet. But, as of right now, I say thumbs up, despite the mysterious tone that causes me constant anxiety as I read.

Other items on my Must List right now:

• Project Runway - I'm loving this season so far.

• Mad Men - Duh.

• Pistol and Grits (aka, our dogs) - they crack me up and their little faces make me smile.

• Baja Burger - Kent and I recently discovered this gem of a burger joint where you can not only get curly fries, but also sweet potato fries AND onion rings! And the burgers are amazing with lots of variety

• Inception - still trying to decide about the ending. I'll leave it at that for those who haven't seen it yet.

• Crossword puzzles - I wish every day were Sunday

• Alabama Crimson Tide - new season is upon us. Getting ready for lots of fun and lots of nerves. Roll Tide!

Ok, I think I've exorcised the writer's block demon for now. Have a great weekend!!

Football is almost here...

A few random thoughts before I talk sports. I know you probably came here for a long awaited return to picture posts from Dana. What can I say? I'm not sure why she's stopped doing them, but it's not for lack of encouragement.

Homewood starts back tomorrow, and luckily for me, so do I (I kept my job there - I think it's because I resisted the urge to include snarky jokes about teen angst in my newsletters). I am happy for the new year to start and to see and interact with the kids again - a good sign for working in a school long term.

Dana's newfound love of the dogs continues to grow. She helped me bathe them yesterday. We should have taken pictures of it. Both the dogs are getting too old to fight off a bath the way puppies do. Now, they just sit there now with a look like, "If you didn't feed me every night, I would attack you right now."

As far as any news from us, we've had a pretty uneventful summer. Dana's still quietly taking over her company, and I continue to quietly detest UAB while taking classes there. It was a boring summer all-in-all, but I'll still list some of our accomplishments:

-We celebrated Anniversary #2

-I went 3-0 against Dana in Monopoly.

-We killed our plants on the front walk.

-We got lost in Oak Mountain State Park in what amounted to a 4-hour hike.

-We saw Inception and disagreed on the what happened at the end.

-and I learned how to brew Moonshine in our backyard

Only one of those is made up.

As you can see in the side bar, we've been watching Arrested Development and loving it. I always knew we'd like it, but we finally started watching it and it's been worth the wait. And now I hear there's a movie coming. Also, Gob Bluth takes his place in my top 5 comedy characters of all time. He's fantastic...COME ON!!!

And now for football:

Alabama has stated Fall practice. Saban refuses to refer to the team as defending champs or in search of a repeat - anything that equates last year's team with this year's. It's a smart psychological ploy, but I can't imagine it really working. Luckily, I don't believe it will have to work. Meaning, Mark Ingram, Greg McElroy, Dont'a Hightower are guys that will be motivated regardless of the circumstances going in. We have character leadership. There are some question marks for this season for sure, but leadership -at least on offense- is not one of them. Everyone is talking about the secondary being a possible problem. It might be, but I'm much more concerned about our quality opponents that come off a bye week before they play us. There's six. SIX. Only two SEC teams play Alabama without a bye week beforehand. It's too much to expect another undefeated season if that is the case. In fact, if I were betting on Bama either losing no games or two, I'd bet on two.

List of teams that play Bama coming off a bye week:

Auburn (of course)*, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St, South Carolina, and Tennessee

*not to be all narcissistic, but Auburn's entire self-image is wrapped up in what Alabama does. So, it is not surprising that although it would be helpful towards having a more successful season to schedule the bye week somewhere in the middle of the season to get healthy, regroup, etc., Auburn schedules theirs after 11 consecutive weeks of football. On the bright side, when you beat them anyway, it is extra sweet.

Who I know we'll beat:

San Jose State, Penn State, Duke, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miss St, Georgia State, Auburn

Who we should beat, but I'm not 100% sure on yet:

LSU, Florida

Who scares me:

Arkansas, South Carolina

Obviously, LSU and Florida should be better than Arkansas and S.C., but our players know that too and will be sufficiently up for those games. Arkansas has a good offense, they're at home, and our defense will not be completely gelled yet. The South Carolina game scares me just because it is a tough place to play anyway and I never take Steve Spurrier lightly...even when he's been an average coach for 7 years.

So here are my top 5 predictions for this year in the SEC:

1) Auburn will start 6-0. Their schedule is set up for this, and it is also set up for a fade down the stretch. I think their new offensive backfield is going to be good. But as they saw last year, leads are never safe with them because their defense was soft. If their defense is good, AU wins 9 games. If not, they will fall flat after that 6-0 stretch just like they did last year. And by the way, I wouldn't mind it being just 5-0 with Kentucky winning at home against these guys. But I just don't see it happening.

2) Tennessee, by contrast will start 2-5. Their schedule is difficult, they have no depth, their coach is new (although he is likable). I keep trying to hate Derek Dooley, and it's not working. My dad pointed out that I haven't seen him on the UT sideline in orange yet, and that is the key to disliking anyone. Good point. My hope is that the UT fans lose patience with him before he turns them around. I wish they still had Lane Kiffin...life made more sense.

3) The SEC East will be represented in Atlanta by Georgia**. This is my boldest prediction by far. I just think that Florida will lose two games they shouldn't, and if UGA is one of them, I'll look pretty smart for this one. It's also bold in that I'm trusting a freshman QB and an unproven defense against a pretty tough schedule. I just think that something's going to be different in the SEC East this year.

**subject to change if Mark Richt allows another ridiculous uniform change for a big game.

4) Les Miles will be out of the SEC this time next year. I think he's going to fall flat this year. He's lost the fans which will lead to losing the players the first sign of adversity. His QB is a Jekyll/Hyde type. And he's certifiably insane. And if he somehow has a great season, he'll use that as his ticket to take over for the fledgling Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.

The room was actually empty, but Les kept taking questions anyway.

5) Alabama will win the SEC West and then the overall championship. Regardless of the way I feel about their chances to go undefeated, I do think that they'll win the important games. I don't want to make any prediction on who is going to be in the National Championship game, but if it doesn't include an SEC team, then the 2010 winner will be viewed as a paper champ.

I'm so happy it's almost here. Roll Tide!

LeTop Five

We regrettably interrupt these picture posts to bring you my quick thoughts on the LeBron debacle...The LeBacle.

Top Five parties that looked the worst because of this decision:

5) Cleveland fans: Am I being obtuse to think that it is NEVER ok to riot and set things on fire? At least not with regard to sports? I understand it was a terrible night and that your sports heart was ripped out and then spiked like a football. But I think that most of those fans were just looking for an excuse to act like idiots. And this seems to happen all the time, when your team wins, when your team loses, when a coach takes another job, everything seems to become a reason to riot and act like an idiot. I'm not saying that there aren't members of my fanbases that wouldn't do the same thing, but I'm talking more about society than this fanbase vs. that one.

Specifically to Cleveland fans, he didn't owe you anything except to do this with a little understanding. He failed. I'm sorry. But let's not forget that you booed him in Game 5 against Boston, burned his jersey within moments of the decision, and said "good riddance" moments after saying "I hope he stays." There is not a more conditional love than the kind in sports.

4) ESPN: There is another top 5 (really Top 500) here. The list of crimes that ESPN has perpetrated in the last ten years is staggering, but last night was a clear case of "Well there's nowhere else for the fans to turn, we might as well grab the ratings because someone else will." All I really wanted was for someone on the show to admit at some point that this was a terrible show and a terrible idea. I also wouldn't have minded a decent freaking question at some point. How bout, "LeBron, do you regret doing this in this way? Would you like to thank the Cleveland fans? If you 'changed your mind again this morning,' who were the two teams you were alternating between?" Anything. My theory is that ESPN used Stuart Scott (Jim Gray was handpicked by James) because they knew that everyone can't stand him anyway, and they didn't want one of their likeable reporters linked to this mess.

Also, if I'm a reporter at ESPN and I have knowledge of where LeBron is going the morning of the decision that will air on my station that evening, aren't they telling me NOT to report it? And isn't that the antithesis of a reporter's job? But, at the end of the day, they knew we would tune in, so...

3)Anyone who watched (including me): whenever you want your team to fire the coach, the best way to get the message is to stop buying tickets to the games. ESPN, on some level, knew it was an obscene idea to do this. But they said, "Whatever, people are going to watch." I would bet more than half the people who watched "The Decision" felt the same way about it that you do when you eat a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. "I know this is terrible for me. I know I'm going to feel like crap when this is over. But I have to do it..." And then all of those things came true. I knew going in that it was going to make me ill...and then I tuned in.

2)LeBron James: #2?! Yes, he was smug, unapologetic, clueless, and smug again. It was so sorry to do that to his fans that way. I will say it again, he didn't owe the franchise anything but some base level of manners (a phone call telling them what he was going to do beforehand at least). Some of the blame for this farce on television goes to his management team (all his buddies from growing up), who encouraged him to do it this way. I don't care, he's still an adult who could have said no.

Let me be clear on this though: It was a shrewd basketball move. If he was a greater player, he would have been able to drag Cleveland (and that supporting cast who didn't bother to 'support' him in crunch time) to the Finals again. He knew he couldn't do it (and neither could Kobe when he was in the same situation which is why he asked for a trade on the radio in 2006), and LeBron decided he would never feel this way again.

So, he wants to play with guys he knows he'll always be able to count on, if not defer to in big moments. We all want him to be like Jordan. But he's not. And with this decision he's at least admitting it. People want to talk about his legacy all the time, but can we wait until these guys play together before we decide where to rank them historically? I think Wade will prove to be the more Jordan-like of the two, but let's see first.

I wanted LeBron to leave Cleveland. I felt bad for the fans, but I wanted him to have a better career than the one he was going to have there. I wanted him to go to (in order) Chicago, Miami, Knicks, Nets, and then Cleveland. I wanted to see him in a winning environment, or at least a different one.

So, I liked the decision, just hated the execution of it. Don't go on TV, that's messed up.

1) Dan Gilbert, Cavs owner: Awwww, I feel so sorry for this billionaire who's been "betrayed" by the guy who made his sports franchise increase its revenue by a factor of ten ever since he was lucky enough to win the lottery and draft him #1 overall. That letter was a calculated move by a calculating man to shift the blame from himself for the situation. And this situation was created by......Dan Gilbert. He enabled LeBron. He gave him everything he wanted since he was 18 years old without thinking about how an 18 year old wouldn't know how to contend for a championship. You want new teammates? Ok. You want a new coach? Ok. More money? Sure. You can have anything just stay, please.

How is LeBron going to respect someone who acts this way? Gilbert had one job. Build a winner around this guy that you were lucky to get in the first place. He made the wrong hires, wrong decisions, and the wrong statements all at the wrong times. If LeBron quit in the playoffs, why did you offer him a max contract afterwards? If you hate him so much, why beg him to stay?

LeBron is a spoiled, entitled, 25 year old millionaire...and he acts like it. Where is the maturity from Gilbert? He's a loser. He's as responsible for LeBron thinking he can get away with this with no repercussions as anyone. Why? Because he never held LeBron accountable for anything before. LeBron had one request: get me a team and a coach with some kind of fortitude. Gilbert never could. I wouldn't have stayed either.

Conclusion: I am fascinated to watch Miami games now. I love Dwyane Wade and always have. My hope is that he has the kind of career that makes people say, "See? If Kobe hadn't been such a diva, he could have had all that."

Me Again?

Day 8: Post a picture of yourself.

Apparently this blogging schedule can be a bit repetitive. So, here's another picture of me. Trying to lighten things up since my last post. The only crying here is that of my own embarrassment.

This photo was taken by my good friend Ann Wade as I prepared for a day on the slopes in Breckinridge 3 years ago. I hate skiing, and I think I was attempting to pump myself up here. Nothing like a set of navy blue long-johns to get you going!

Here I am at the end of the day . . . not so jovial.

A Good Cry

Day 7: A picture that makes you cry.

Oh, how I love a good cry. I put off posting this assignment because I couldn't really think of a picture that makes me cry. All that came to my mind were scenes in movies, and since those are technically pictures, I'm bending the rules to showcase 5 "pictures" that guarantee tears and sniffles from me. This is a somewhat random list, and there's no way I could cover all my teary moments, but I think this represents a good cross section.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne's adoptive father, Matthew, dies of a heart attack in their cow pasture. He tells her that she's "his little girl." Takes his last breath in her arms. "Don't go Matthew! Please." Ahhhh

Field of Dreams

Ok, so I know I'm not a boy, but the final scene of Field of Dreams ranks as one of my all-time most tearjerky moments. I cry every. single. time. Main character Ray Kinsella realizes one of the ghost players is his father when he was young. Ray never had a chance to play catch with his dad when he was alive and always wishes he could. This is his chance! As the young man walks away, Ray calls out, "Hey Dad! Wanna have a catch." Flood gates open. And.....Scene.

Forrest Gump

This should be well known and require no explanation from me. Forrest's "mama" was so sweet. When he goes to visit her as she's dying and she tells him "I'll miss you Forrest." Awww, she's so sweet.

Up

This is a new addition to the list, but a strong strong contender. I don't know how many of you have seen the Disney movie Up, but the first 15-20 minutes is one of the emotional movie experiences I've ever had. I was crying like a crazy person and could not stop. The sweetness is beyond words, and I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Rent it!

Titanic

Ahh, the granddaddy of them all. Clearly I could not make this list without my friends Jack and Rose. I don't care if it is a tad cheesy upon replay, I'll never let go. (heh heh) I remember when my mom and I went to see this movie when I was in high school. She literally had to pull the car over on the way home because she couldn't pull herself together. That deserves a #1 spot on the list. My heart will go on.

Short Holiday

Today's blog assignment was to post a picture that makes me cry. Eek! Call me crazy, but I'm just not in the crying mood right now, so I'm taking 4th of July off. I will resume my pictures duties tomorrow or Tuesday. For now, eating apple pie and ice cream. :) Have a great day off!

Inspiration

Day 6: A picture that inspires you

This picture was taken in a place called Panacea, Florida. If you know me, which I assume you do, you know this is where my family went on vacation for as long as I can remember. It is a very small town in Florida with one stoplight, but it's on the water, has great seafood, and it's quiet and unbelievably relaxing. My grandparents built the house there that our family has used for decades. My mom started going there when she was a teenager. This picture was taken from the dock at our house.

When I was young, Panacea was always a very creative place for me. I read tons of books there, and I was a very imaginative child. Panacea always felt like a place that was full of stories to me. If I were to ever write a book, this would be the place I could do it. Something about it inspires me and makes me want to read, write, listen to music, and be outside. It stirs my imagination and takes me to a different place, and for that I will always love it.

Day 4: RIP Pop Tart

Day 4: Post a picture of your morning.

Enough said.

Day 4

Day 4: A picture of where you went today

So, obviously I went to work today. However I felt a little weird standing outside my building taking a picture of it like a weird tourist, so none of that. After work, me, Kent, and Pistol took a little trip to the nearby school playground.

Pistol has a lot of energy, but spends most of his day fenced in the backyard. When we take him to the playground, which also has a huge, open field, he gets to run free and he's so happy. When Pistol is happy, you can't help but smile because he's so cute.

Running Free

"Do we have to leave?"

Day 3

Day 3: Picture of what you did today.

Welcome back for day 3. I would like to start by thanking my lovely readers for their very nice comments and encouragement! I wish I could reward you with pictures of a day full of fun and excitement. However, it's Wednesday. What can I really do with that?

Welcome to my desk! Try not to be too impressed by the double screens. I'm a proposal writer, which basically means I am right here all day with my computer, papers, coffee, and a variety of colored pens. It has days where it's very intense, and it has days where it's pretty slow. Today, was in between, which is why I had a chance to snap pictures in my office (while hoping that no one would walk by as I did it). I spent the day editing, pulling some documents together for submission, and rewriting a business plan. Kind of a strange line up of activities, but that's the daily stuff. I'm thankful for my friends at work that give me little breaks and trips to the office with candy.

After work, Kent and I ventured to Moe's, but I forgot the camera. Oops. Back home, I started looking through a cookbook that my great aunt and uncle gave me as a wedding present. My aunt passed away last year, so I'm glad to have this gift from her with a sweet note on the inside.

In flipping through the book, I came upon a recipe that sounded delicious, and easy to make. Score! I'm passing it along to y'all and hope to make it soon.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz. uncooked rigatoni

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 (14.5 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) container chive and onion cream cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare rigatoni according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of baking dish; add onion in a single layer.

3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl and set aside.

4. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

5. Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken, and next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella.

6. Bake, covered, at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Make 4-6 servings.

Time for So You Think You Can Dance!

Day 2: Clothing

Day 2: Post a picture of what you wore today.

Well, I can't say that I'm too enthused about today's subject. I don't always like my work clothes, but it's much more fun to buy that fun, cute pair of shorts and summer sandals rather than office apparel. Thus, I leave you with a sad photo of today's work attire. You won't see pants, but fear not, I wore them...standard black.

One new piece of clothing today, or accessory rather. I got some new glasses! I've had the same pair of glasses since 2003, so I figured it was time for an upgrade. I hope you like them because I'll probably make them last for the next 10 years.

PS: All this picture posting is making me feel uncomfortably narcissistic. Sorry. Hopefully tomorrow's topic will improve.

Blogging Assignment

I'm completely stealing this idea from my clever friend Camille, but I liked it so much that I had to. I think I've said before that I like "assignments" for blog posts because it decreases the pressure factor. This seemed like a pretty interesting idea, so here goes.

The challenge is to post a picture everyday for 30 days. Each day has a category of picture to follow, all different.

Day 1: Post a picture of yourself.

Ok, this is me! Albeit, not my day-to-day attire and hairstyle, but the rest of it is there. I remember taking this picture and being completely, entirely, wonderfully happy. I can definitely have my down days where I complain, sweat the small stuff, forget all the amazing blessings I have. But, I always hope that no matter what, this is what I am on the inside and what I strive for. Laughing, joyful, and happy.

That Was Brutal

"It's a hard way to fall. And this ain't the easy way down."

-Ryan Adams

I can't help myself. That game last night was too much for me. Every possession was agonizing, every shot missed felt HUGE. Probably what was most upsetting for me was not that the Celtics lost, but that the Lakers won. I'd picked the Celtics to lose the series they played over a month ago...against Cleveland. I haven't forgotten that they stunk for the second half of the season. They disregarded the regular season, and it really only bit them in the butt once...last night. Had they had home court advantage, there is no way the C's lose that game. But they are responsible for that, they mailed in the regular season (claiming they needed the rest and maybe they're right). What I hope is noted is that the winner of last night's game was going to be remembered as one of the weakest NBA champions in history. Put either of those teams against the '03 Spurs, you think they win? They don't. How bout the Bad Boy Pistons? No. The Bulls of the 90s would have swept both of these teams. Hey, I grew up on the Celtics-Lakers Finals, so I love that these are the two teams, but this was an ugly, sloppy series that, if it had been between the Jazz and Magic would be talked about as the worst in history.

Things that happened last night:

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo came up small.

I wish it wasn't so, but had any one of them played 20% better, the C's pull that out.

Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Ron Artest rescued Kobe Bryant's reputation. They delivered him from what would have been tatooed on the forehead of his career, "crapped himself in the NBA Finals Game 7." I hate Gasol, but he made huge plays for them and got every rebound. And for all the hype about Kobe's closing ability, just remember that the Lakers went to Gasol for every big possession down the stretch. Fisher once again hit the biggest shot of the Finals (no one remembers that he sent a missile through the net to tie the Magic at the end of regulation last year), when he tied up the game in the 4th.

Then Ron Artest, who killed Pierce all night on defense, hit the kind of shot that makes an opposing player feel like they've been stabbed in the chest - a 3 with less than a minute in a one-possession game.

The Celtics got the style of game they wanted, and then they blew it. When the game got tight at the end, the C's shrunk from the moment. That is one of the toughest parts to swallow here. It is one thing if the Lakers had taken this game away. But really what happened was that the Celtics gave it to them. They went scoreless for 7 minutes, they stood around waiting for someone else to make a play, and they never rebounded...not at all. The saddest part is that rebounds are all about heart, and the one thing I felt the Celtics had on the Lakers was their heart. Just a miserable way to lose.

It's a shame you never showed up tonight, Ray. We could have used you.

This version of the Celtics is over. As unlikely as this run was, it would be more unlikely if they got back together and did anything like this again. They're too old, they're now mentally fried, and there's no guarantee that they will have their coach back. It's over. I loved it while it lasted, but this now needs to be a rebuilding project around Rajon Rondo. I'm going to miss this team. They pulled a lot of crap that I didn't like so much, but they were a fun bunch to root for on most days.

Things that didn't happen last night:

The refs costing anyone the game.

And thank goodness because they had been awful for most of the series. But they let them play and decide the game for themselves. I would have liked a call here and there to have been different, but nothing that dramatic. And anyone that mentions the foul shot discrepancy without mentioning how aggressive the Lakers were going to the rim is manipulating the numbers.

Kobe Bryant proving anything.

He didn't start "trusting his teammates." He didn't "let the game come to him." He didn't really affect the game positively for the Lakers beyond hitting three big free throws that were a gift from Joey Crawford (ok, they missed that one, but they were mostly good). Look, it is well documented that I don't like the guy. He's the most selfish athlete on the planet. But I won't say he's not an incredible player. He is. What upsets me is when people say things like, "He's got one more to go until he ties Jordan." Kobe was Shaq's sidekick for three of those, not the other way around. Kobe was Pippen, not Jordan. This would be like saying that Robert Horry is as good as Jordan because he has as many rings. Ludicrous. But the best way to decide where Kobe belongs in this conversation is to ask what would have happened if you switched him out for Jordan last night. Did anyone ever say, "The Bulls won last night despite Jordan's effort." How about Bird? You think he would have played like a mental midget in Game 7 last night? Magic? Nope. The names that come to mind are: Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Jon Starks, Patrick Ewing, and Tracy McGrady.

Kobe's earned the right to a few bad games, I will concede (just not a Game 7). I am not saying he's not a superstar. He's a top ten all time player. He is good enough to win most NBA games by himself. But ranking him ahead of one of those guys in the last paragraph is crazy. It cheapens what they were more than it builds Kobe up. Unfortunately, the stories you will hear coming out of this series will be about the number of his titles, instead of the stinker he layed in a big game. If the Celtics had just delivered the knockout blow when they had the chance, Kobe would take his rightful place in history and we could finally put this foolishness about him and MJ to rest.

All that said, at least our loyal 6 readers don't have to worry about reading anything about basketball for a while. I know I don't want to right now.

The 'what-if' plays

"One bounce, or gust of wind, or malfunctioning headset, or even a piece of dust in a referee's eye can turn a game, and by extension, a season into crap... you never know when that gust of wind will come along and blow away your chance for this feeling again."

I know, I know. Woe is me! My NBA team (a league that not many of my friends care about, and a team that I have no geographical ties to) lost a game they could have won. But this play happened last night, and I was reminded of something. Another of my teams won the championship this year, and had to make a lot of these types of plays. They are the little plays, the ones that can go unnoticed when you win, but stand out when you lose. Here's the play:

As you can see, Rondo missed Pierce who was wide open for a lay-up. Now, this is maddening on several levels. The most basic one is that Rondo has proven to be an incredible basketball visionary who would miss this pass only 1 out of 1,000,000 times. But he missed it this time.

But here is the way that it tortures my mind: What if Rondo makes that pass and Pierce makes the lay-up? There are so many possible outcomes past that. Maybe nothing changes, maybe everything does. But I feel like the game would have swung. Pierce was out of rhythm all game, and sometimes it just takes a simple shot to get you back into it. Also, and more importantly, the game is now tied. The Celtics had fought and clawed to get the game close again, but they never tied or took the lead. For all the talk about mental toughness, I think the Lakers have some, but are as apt to fold as they are to hold leads. Their poise shrinks in a big way if the score is tied, I believe*.

*And with reason, The Lakers, for all the media hype about how they are so much mentally tougher than they used to be, are still the same team that was up 3 with 4 minutes to play in Game 2 and gave up a 11-0 run with the "best closer in the game" (rubbish) going 1-4 with 3 turnovers.

The point I'm making is this: there are big things that separate great teams from regular ones. There are little things that separate great teams from other great teams, and sometimes those little things are controllable and sometimes they aren't (yes, the officials were horrendous last night). Several months ago, I made this point about how fragile Alabama's season was - in the quote above - and how these little things can separate a great championship team from a great team that could have won it all but didn't. I feel like the Celtics are on the other end of this after Game 3.

Know what the worst part is? There are moments like this out there in every single game. And if you let yourself think about it for your team, you'll be tortured too.

Pistol and Grits story

Since he was a puppy, Pistol has always looked up to and deferred to Grits.

I had a free day on Friday, which I had been hoping to fill the morning with by reading about the Celtics heart. Instead I read (and rightly so) about the absence of it. I wasn't in the greatest mood, and when that happens, I like to go and rile up my dogs with some treats - that always makes me laugh.

Now, there are drawbacks to going into my backyard to do this. One is that Pistol (my dog), is a barker. He has some hound in him and it is a soulful, sad bark. He also barks a lot. Basically, any thing that gets his attention (a car passing, a noise in the next yard, and especially the chance that someone is bringing him something to eat), Pistol will bark at it. Like most people, I love my dogs so much that I have become immune to the annoying nature of Pistol's barking. It's not as constant as it was when he was 3 or 4, and I guess he just wore me down. Nevertheless, if you take a treat out to the back yard, count on Pistol barking with excitement.

Grits (my sister's dog), on the other hand, lets Pistol be her mouthpiece most of the time. She is old - going on 14 years old. She limps around with arthritis, she hates being left outside even though right now our garage is like a sauna, and she is basically deaf. Every morning when I go wake the dogs in the garage to take them to the backyard, I find Grits passed out on the floor next to the fan (she snarls at Pistol until he vacates the spot in front of the fan so that she can have it), and she can only hear me if I clap my hands right by her ear. More than once, Dana has thought Grits had passed away to doggy heaven (and no one would be able to blame her either).

So, back to the story. I got a hotdog out of the fridge and gently opened the back door so as not to rouse too much barking right away. Pistol came around the edge of the house, ears perked up, and wagging away. He saw the hotdog, knew it was for him, but didn't bark. This is beyond strange for him. I waited a few moments for Grits to come hobbling around the house too. She never came...oh no.

At this point, Pistol has seen the treat, sat down, begun 'shaking' with the air, and is looking at me incredulously, "Why haven't you given me my tasty treat yet?!" By this point, usually he would have been barking... a lot. And I always interpret it as "Yes! Food! Give! (Pause) Quick! Food! Me!" But he's still being quiet. So, I walked around the egde of the house and saw that Grits was lying in the shade asleep and oblivious to me and Pistol...and the hotdog I had intended to split between the two of them. I took a second to make sure I saw that she was actually alive, and then looked back to Pistol. He looked up at me and still had not barked (a new record for silence from him), but his expression said, "See? If you don't wake her up, I'll get the whole thing. No one has to know. Come on." And then he started pawing the air again (Pistol knows the trick 'Shake' but doesn't care if there's a recipient for the shake. he usually just waves his paw impatiently until you give him the food).

This is Pistol's "you have a treat for me?" face.

So, I gave him the whole thing and let Grits stay asleep. She gets the best of Pistol most of the time because she's smarter, older, and nastier than him. He earned it.

Good boy!

Hating the Lakers and Loving the Celtics

"This is about drawing a line in the sand, man. Across this line, you DO NOT..."

I was born into Alabama fandom. My dad went to school there and taught me to cheer for them as I was just learning to talk. I try to remember this fact when I'm asking the question "Why would someone CHOOSE to cheer for Auburn if they live in Alabama?" Maybe they didn't choose it, maybe it chose them the way Alabama chose me. I could write an entire post on this, but the point of bringing it up is to say that I chose to be a Celtics fan. More accurately, I chose to be a Larry Bird fan. One of my earliest memories was watching Bird against the Lakers. Through a set of 7-year old eyes, I can remember thinking that he was one guy against an entire team of fast athletic guys. And he fought them off, time and again. He stood out. He was incredible. So I cheered for his team. Go Celtics!

As a middle schooler, I went through a Hornets phase, but really it was just for the cool Starter Jacket (should I have italicized "cool" or Starter there?). I still pulled for the Celtics...even though they stunk. The only thing that really stood out about them in those years was the "Blind Man" dunk Dee Brown did in the Slam Dunk contest. They were difficult to pull for, but I still did because of the memories of Larry fighting off the villains like Wyatt Earp.

I never really hated the Lakers when I was a kid. They were just the team against my team. How do you not like Magic, James Worthy, Byron Scott? Kareem...ok I didn't ever like him. But they were fun to watch for a little kid with all their dunking and no-look passes. I didn't grasp that you had to hate your rival yet (although my dad was trying to get me to understand it about Tennessee football). Go Celtics! The Lakers...whatever.

I'll fast forward through the Jordan years because if you couldn't root for Jordan (especially while your team wasn't even in the playoffs to root for) then, well, you didn't like basketball.

We'll pick up with when I began to hate the Lakers. They traded for Shaq. Shaq was /is everything that basketball is not supposed to be. He held advantages because of nothing that had to do with hard work or basketball skill. He beat you up and then dunked it because he was bigger and taller than anyone he matched up against. The refs let him do it because ever since Jordan, superstars got the calls. He was a walking offensive foul. When Hakeem played Shaq in the 95 Finals, I was giddy at the way he showed the world what a virtuoso basketball player plays like verses a bumbling brute who never worked on his free throws. Now Shaq was a Laker, so I was going to root against his team (unless it was the Celtics), no matter who it was.

Other Laker hatables: Rick Fox - what a punk! His hair, his mannerisms, he was incredibly annoying to watch. Bob Horry - I never hated him, just hated that he made huge shots for this team. Same for Derek Fisher. Kobe Bryant...I'll get back to him since he's still a Laker.

During this time, the Lakers had a nice rivalry going with the Kings (who Shaq called the "Queens," which I must admit was pretty awesome). The Kings ran fast breaks, threw backdoor passes, hit outside shots, and loved playing with each other. They were easy to root for in those games. The Lakers would hoist bad shots, and Shaq would climb over someone's back, throw them out of the way and slam a putback down. Or they would have Rick Fox mug someone, then throw the ball ahead to Kobe for a Jordan-impression dunk. They hated each other, and you could tell. Fox, and Fisher got along, but that was about it. They couldn't stand Kobe, and they deferred to Shaq because they had to (all except Kobe anyway). All the while Phil Jackson was riding superstars to the title of "best coach in NBA history." Phil, by the way is a heck of a coach, but I respect about 6 living coaches more than him. I don't hate Phil, just think he's a little over-rated. The Lakers won because they were good, but they also won because they were lucky.

Horry's dagger against the Kings was a perfect combination of both. He had the skill and "onions" to hit the shot, but it was extremely fortunate for them that their 6'10 power forward was standing on the 3-point line, down by 2 as both squads fought for a rebound...why wasn't he in the lane again? Hey, the Kings were soft and the Lakers weren't and that's why they always beat them (that, and the widely accepted conspiracy theory about how Game 6 in Sacramento was fixed). But none of that changed the fact that the Lakers were part of what I hated about pro basketball at the time: Kobe goes one-on-one, and Shaq plays football.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were equally hard for me to watch. Antoine Walker was a maddening player to pull for. Paul Pierce (and he still does this), takes terrible shots that go in, so he keeps taking them. They never really made much noise (went to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002), so they were never relevant to many discussions involving the Lakers. I stilled cared about them and pulled for them, but they rarely did anything to reward that. The Rick Pitino years were awful (and I still like Pitino even though he did some severe damage to the franchise). Eventually, after a number of terrible moves and bad luck, the Celtics scored big with the trades for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. I could not have been more excited to get Garnett. He was a team guy. He had stuck it out with a crappy franchise out of loyalty and heart. He played with emotion and guts. He was my favorite player in the NBA, and now he was a Celtic.

Ray was another one I'd always admired, but not to the same degree. Looking back, I can't believe it worked so well, that these two guys who were so used to being the team leader would accept less minutes and shots after all these years of getting the lion's share of both. Even more unbelievable is that Pierce would allow these other stars to come in on HIS team and be leaders and take some of his spot light away. But they made it work. Why? because they wanted to WIN. That had become the most important thing to them. Unlike...

Kobe and Shaq's divorce happened after they were beaten at their own game - a physical Detroit team spanked that tail in 2004. Kobe cries and moans to get his dominant center, and Hall-of-Fame coach shipped out of town so he can run things his way. Does that sound like a winner? Is his main goal to win or be the unquestioned scorer on the team?

Phil Jackson writes a book about how awful it was trying to coach this petulant, whining, baby who would rather lose and score 40 than win in a team system. Then he comes back to coach him. More than once, Kobe quits during games in an attempt to prove a point to his coach (that he shouldn't have to pass to such awful teammates). Again, is he a winner or a selfish player?

I could go on all day about what I hate about Kobe. I won't, but I could. So, let me begin with some disclaimers:

whoops, sorry,

• I like Paul Pierce and hate Kobe Bryant even though they do a lot of the same things on the court. They play one-on-one in crunch time, and take terrible shots that go against the team concept of the game I love.
• Kobe is better at basketball than I would like to admit. He's smart, and plays strategically even when I'd like to say he's just being selfish and stubborn.
• Last night, I watched him make a series of unbelievable shots and will the Lakers over the Suns in Pheonix, a performance that I'm not sure any other current player could have pulled off.
• Part of what I hate about Kobe is not even his fault - it is the media gushing over him and not mentioning all the things about him that are negative and terrible. For instance, when his teams were losing in the first round and they would talk about how difficult it must have been for him...I wanted to scream, "HE CREATED THIS SITUATION BY DEMANDING THEY BLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM UP!"
• The Colorado trial is best not to go into, but I wanted to scream those first four words from the last point about that too. It also revealed a lot about Kobe that he told the police that his teammate, Shaq had done the same thing as him plenty of times and just bought the women off. How noble of Kobe not to do that!
• If Michael Jordan had never existed, Kobe wouldn't be so difficult for me to stomach. It is not entirely fair to compare anyone to Jordan, even though Kobe basically asks you to compare them with his every action on the basketball court. Jordan had a lot of advantages in terms of media coverage and teammates covering for him being an a-hole, that Kobe never had. If Jordan had not ever been around, Kobe would seem a lot more original to me. Instead, I always feel like he's doing a cheap Jordan impression, and the media loves to compare the two.
• It shouldn't count against Kobe that he won three championships as Shaq's sidekick. But it also should be taken into consideration if we are playing the "who's the greatest player" game. Winning is winning, but no one is telling me that Robert Horry is better than Larry Bird because he has more rings. Horry, like Kobe rode Shaq to several of those titles. At the same time, I want to hold it against Kobe that he won those as a sidekick. But what is the answer, to disregard those rings? No. Just accept them in the proper perspective.

Ok, disclaimers out of the way. My biggest problem with Kobe is that there is nothing genuine about him to me aside from his desire to be considered one of the greats. Before you say it, yes, that is a noble sounding problem to have but here's my tweak: the other guys that were great were great because they wanted to win first and the accolades they received were a by-product of winning. Kobe wants it out of order. I feel like he's only just realizing that the winning comes first and then you can be in the discussion as one of the greats (LeBron by the way will be realizing that soon. Hopefully BEFORE he decides where he's playing). Kobe's mugging at teammates, jawing with the refs, and posturing after big shots all seems so fake to me. He grew up watching basketball, and I think (a lot like A-Rod by the way), he never developed an identity of his own, he just adopted the mannerisms of the players he wanted to be like. Take this chin-poking thing he's doing. He's never done that before last year. He was 33 when he started doing it. Haven't you developed all your involuntary reactions to things by the time you're like 18 years old? It is a calculated thing he's trying to do. It's like he's begging you to believe that he's a killer out there instead of just being one and letting the moments happen. You know who let the moments just happen? All the people Kobe is trying to surpass in the discussion of the greatest of all time.

It also says a lot to me if a guy's teammates don't like him. And Kobe has never had teammates that like him...ever. His current teammates like that he bails them out with insane clutch plays, but I don't think they want to hang around him. I think they find him insufferable. Maybe I'm projecting because I find him insufferable. I don't know, but that is the "short version" of my hatred for Kobe. I like team guys who put the winning above anything else, and Kobe has NEVER done that. His priorities are geared more toward the perception of being a "winner" than they are about actually winning. The 2008 Finals told you everything you needed to know about the differences between the Celtics stars and Kobe Bryant.

Other Lakers in bullets since this has turned into a meandering stream of consciousness bash-fest:

• Pau Gasol - I can't stand how soft he is while pretending to be a tough guy. I can't stand how he complains to the media about how he doesn't get enough shots after they win the game. But my least favorite thing about him is a broad one: I hat watching him on the court. He's effeminate out there. When something doesn't go right for him (missed shot, turnover, missed rebound, whatever), he always looks to a ref or to his bench in with an incredulous look on his face. It reminds me of when a golfer misses a putt and then motions with his arm at the green like "it was supposed to break THAT way." Pau looks around when something doesn't go right as if he's saying with a thick Spainish accent, "It is impossible that I would make mistake. Dis is someone else fault." When he does something good, he does one of two annoying things - a) he immediately looks for Kobe on the court to see if he approves and then goes and gently touches his head to Kobe's head. What is that?! Or b) he tries to look tough by screaming, only he's not tough looking so it comes off as forced.

• 
  

• Ron Artest - honestly, I kind of like Artest. But when he makes a shot it always seems lucky to me. But he plays hard and he sometimes screws the Lakers' offensive flow up. So I don't mind him so much.
• Lamar Odom - everyone gets on Rasheed Wallace for not caring enough (I'm at the head of this line, by the way). But there is not a player who would improve more by just caring about the game than Lamar Odom. He could be a top-10 player in the league, but he just doesn't want it.
• Derek Fisher - I would love Fisher if he didn't play for the Lakers. Other than Kobe, he hits the biggest shots for them, and that is about the only thing I hate about him...that and the dirty plays he makes.
• Andrew Bynum - the one thing that I can sympathize with Kobe on is wanting Bynum out of LA. He's a younger version of Odom. He takes up space and can be good at times, but deep down, he's soft.

• 
  

• Sasha Vujacic - are you kidding me? There is no other player in the league who elicits more hate than this guy. Even guys on his own team can't stand him. My only wish last night after it was obvious that the Suns were going to lose was that someone go and punch him in his face. What's the worst that can happen. By the way, there's no crying in basketball.

I think that's it for my Laker hate for now. The rest of them, like Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar aren't even worth a bullet point. Don't get me wrong, the Celtics aren't perfect, but at least they are playing for the right team. The whole point of me doing this was to get it out there that I haven't always hated the Lakers...I've just never liked the Lakers that have either Shaq or Kobe on the team. And it's been a long time since they've been without one of those two.

As for my prediction, I have been short on confidence for the Celtics this entire post season. I'm sorried about their chances of winning this series, not only because it will be tough to beat LA, but also because if they were going to lose, I didn't want it to be to the Lakers (I really would have settled for ANYONE but the Lakers). So there is a lot riding on this. In my head, I'm very worried about beating a Laker team with home court advantage.

But in my heart, I WANT those softies on the court. I want to see Garnett intimidate and feast on the wispy Gasol. I want to see Bynum ask to be taken out after Perkins bodies him out of the lane for 10 consecutive trips. I want to see Ray Allen frustrate Kobe by running off screens and burying 3's from the wing. And I want to see Rondo expose Fisher for being too old and slow. But mostly, I want to see Pierce out-duel Kobe and then listen to all these writers back-track on their position that it's Jordan-1 and Kobe 1A. I want this series. I just hope these hateable Lakers don't make me sorry I wanted it.

Beat LA!