Random thoughts on sports & other things....
1) Congrats to the Cavaliers! Damon Jones's shot with 4 seconds left in OT gives the Cavs their third one-point win in the series. What a great, competitive series. Two stars (LeBron and Gilbert) with less-than-spectacular supporting casts resulted in unpredictable games. And, somehow, the Cavs pulled all the close ones out. I may not be as excited as LeBron and Damon in the above picture, but this is a fun ride that's not ending just yet.
Prediction, however, for the second round: Pistons in five. When the Cavs NEED inconsistent Donyell Marshall, insane Z Ilgauskas, and unknown Flip Murray all to show up just to beat the Wizards, the Pistons will make sure the supporting cast is beaten down. We'll be lucky to win a game 3, and that's it.
2) This was the 30th anniversary of the "Miracle of Richfield", the seven-game series vs. the Bullets in the Eastern Conference semis. This was the first playoff appearance for the Cavs, and they won games 5 and 7 with last second shots.
The Cavs played their games (up until 1995 or so) at the Richfield Coliseum, a place that can be nicely described as a white elephant in a cornfield. Apparently, the planners thought that Akron would become a budding metropolis, so they built the arena halfway between Cleveland and Akron off of I-77, near the Ohio Turnpike. It wasn't developed then, and the area still is not developed. It was a desolate location, not inducive for turning out good walk-up crowds. Thank God the Cavs moved downtown in the mid 90s.
3) You may see a man behind the table of these games; this man is dressed in the K-Mart version of a Lou Carnesseca sweater, is about 65 years old, balding and overweight. He's Joe Tait, the voice of the Cavs since birth. One of the most underrated play-by-play announcers in the nation.
4) From 1988-1994, the Cavs lost in the playoffs to the Bulls a total of 5 times. I remember the 89 series (the Shot), the 92 (the best team the Cavs ever had; we lost in the Eastern Conf finals) and the 93 series (the last hurrah for Price, Daugherty, etc.).... but there were losses in 88 and 94 as well. Hopefully, the Pistons won't become our nemesis for the next few years in a similar fashion.
5). Browns: Some may have seen that we have traded away Trent Dilfer to the 49ers for Ken Dorsey. At the time of the trade, I hoped Savage has a plan "B"...
and it looks like they have a plan "V".... "V" for.......yes, it's true.... VINNY!
(I better start praying for Charlie's health now.......)
6) You need to watch this clip from a minor league game in Alaska....
Plane crashes behind fence during game
Two comments that were submitted for this clip are golden:
a: "Do you have to return to the exact pitch count on that? How are you supposed to mentally prepare yourself for a 3-2 pitch when a f***ing plane just crashed out in left field and there was a 40 minute delay in the game. At the same time, how does the pitcher stay warm?"
b:"Harry Caray: "Hey! Do you think that Cessna's made out of cheese? If it were, would ya eat it? What if it was made out of spare ribs? Hey!""
7) Anybody else watch "The Daily Buzz", the morning show on UPN? I know I'm not in the right demographic, but it's good. Better than the other phony dreck on TV in the morning.
8) I love small airports. Arrive 40 minutes before the flight, check in is a breeze, the secuirty line has one person in it- and I still get to the gate 15 minutes before boarding.
7 comments:
Congrats to the Cavs for defeating the Wizz; specifically, congrats to Lebron for securing Jordan-esque treatment from referees in his third season in the league. Those four-step layups will serve you well in the years to come.
Am I bitter about the officiating? Hell yes. Do I think the Wizz blew three of the games, sadly, yes. Lebron should not have had such an easy series; the Wizz should have played a more physical matchup and knocked him on his ass somewhere between steps 11-14 on his drives to the lane.
As I told Derek throughout the series, I recognize the treatment that LeBron got from the refs...
and I don't feel in the least bit guilty. Not at all. My teams, of course, have faced Michael Jordan many times, John Elway, the Steelers, bottlegate vs Jacksonville, the Yanks, Red Sox, etc. etc. etc. Many, many time during those games we were on the shaft end of some "questionable calls".
So now things go a bit our way because of a superstar? Nope, no guilt whatsoever.
Enjoy before he leaves my man.
Read BSG's article about Lebron. He is annoyed with the same shit as I am. The ugly mug, the nail bitting, and some of the calls.
I would be a lot more bitter if the Wizz were actually a team someone could root for, if Arenas wasn't such a space cadet, and his supporting cast acted with any more human nature than professional mercenaries.
The NBA has taken to promoting individual over team, which turns off the casual fan with "questionable" officiating at the benefit of its marketable players. Truthfully, I look forward to watching the Suns/Clippers series, as those teams are less star-driven than the remaining counterparts (save Kaman being an idiot).
As always, Derek with the snide comment on the state of Cleveland sports.
To rrd's point, I have not watched much of the Heat series - are there calls going for Shaq in those series as well? What about Kobe and the Lakers? Duncan with the Spurs?
And Eric, you forgot about Nash. Watching the Nash-Kobe calls made me retrack some of my earlier statements to Eric on Lebron. It was out of control. And Duncan???? God I can't even stomach watching their games anymore because they protect him so much.
But then you have Shaq. The Refs state that they could call an offensive or defensive foul on everyone of his possesions since he is so big. But remember he was in foul trouble 2 out of the 6 games in Chicago, due to questionable offensive fouls. He does not seem to get a lot of calls now a days.
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