Quick Hit: The Hawks Are In The Playoffs??

Here are a few quick thoughts on the Hawks’ Game 2 debacle and a picture of the hottest dancer in the NBA, the Hawks’ own Brianna…plus a link to another good blog (if only because we tend to agree on most stuff. I don’t believe in diversity of thought):

I was wondering what type of response Bibby would receive from the Boston fans after his incendiary comments; I figured it would be similar to the reception I would get if I attended my high school reunion (I made fun of a lot of people in high school). It was. Maybe worse.

But hey, on the bright side, at least all the booing served as proof that Bibby actually showed up for this game, unlike Game 1…HEY-OH!!!

Sorry.

Kevin Garnett received his Defensive Player of the Year award from some random Asian man, who looked completely terrified of KG. I expected this tiny man to start yelling “GODZIRA!! GODZIRA!!” at any moment.

I like Josh Smith’s attempt at the Black Man’s Mohawk, or Yo-hawk as I call it. Yes, I came up with that all by myself…I know, I know.

Um, hey…whaddya say we just skip the rest? Really, there’s not a whole lot worth talking about. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can look forward to next season. As a Hawks fan, I have a lot of experience with doing that.

And as promised, for your fill on UGA sports and other interesting stuff, check out Blue Workhorse. Good article on David Pollack here.

Mr. 3000

Sorry for the newspaper-ish punny title, but it’s the best I could come up with. So John Smoltz got his 3,000th strikeout last night. This gives me an opportunity to explain the reasons why I have such strong man-love one of the best pitchers in the game, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes my wife:

He’s been around so long that he was here for the absolutely dreadful “Pre-Schuerholz” years–pitching with the likes of Zane Smith, Joe Boever, Marty Clary, etc–and also for the glory years of endless division championships and a World Series title.

He’s done WHATEVER is best for the team at every step of his career. Closer? Sure. He was one of the most dominant closers in the game. Pitch while injured? Okay, he threw sidearm and still owned the rest of the National League. Re-join the rotation? Can do. He moved back to starter, and quickly became our #1 guy in the rotation.

He’s clearly been the team leader and has handled that post with unwavering courage. He has called out other players when they needed to be called out (many forget last year when Chipper was out for a game or two, and Smoltz called him out in the paper saying “certain players” needed to fight through their injuries. Miraculously, Chipper was in the lineup the next night and for the rest of the season,and performed well).

But most of all, he’s been one of the best pitchers of the last 20 years, and is always the first or second answer to the question “If you had to win one game, which pitcher would you want on the mound?” Many say he has the best split-finger in baseball. Others say he has a focus unlike anyone this side of Tiger Woods. Whatever it is, it has led him to a Hall of Fame career, a Cy Young, a World Series, and the record of the most postseason wins of any pitcher (even though he’s only had one postseason start since 1999).

Now, he has his “number,” since a select few numbers (500 HRs, 3,000 hits, 300 wins, 3,000 Ks) are the ones that most candidates are measured by. Most pundits agree that he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and as a Braves fan, I couldn’t be anymore proud. He’s a monster on the diamond, and will leave a gaping hole that will never be filled when he decides to retire.

I better quit, before I have to hold one of those Mike Piazza-esque press conferences to tell everyone I’m not gay. I’m not…really! You gotta believe me!!!

This Is What It’s About…

It’s about having a reason to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show after all. It’s about truly caring about your bracket again. It’s about a team that faced more adversity than any other team I can remember. It’s about a football school becoming a basketball school (well, at least for a weekend). It’s about “worst to first in four days,” four games in three days, two seniors finally getting their just reward, and one coach getting job security. It’s about tornadoes, grown men crying, hope, and numerous “is this really happening????” moments.

It’s about Dennis Felton’s job (which isn’t in jeopardy anymore). He had the daunting task of rebuilding a program from rubble 5 years ago. He had to withstand the best recruit he’s ever had (Louis Williams) forgoing his letter of intent and going straight to the NBA. He had to survive losing numerous commitments once the Harrick punishment was handed down from the NCAA. He had to survive kicking his two best players off his team on the eve of this season (Mike Mercer and Takais Brown). He had to survive having 8 scholarship players all season. He had to get through the death of one of his favorite players (Kevin Brophy). Yes, it’s about Dennis Felton, now confidently in the position of Georgia coach for the foreseeable future.

But it’s mostly about the seniors. Dave Bliss and Sundiata Gaines honored their commitments 4 years ago, when it was clear they had a tough road ahead of them and they could’ve gone elsewhere. Bliss came to Georgia as a clumsy, foul-prone oak tree with hands of stone. He will leave Georgia with two degrees and the praise and respect of every SEC team, coach, and fan. Gaines is the heart and soul of the team, literally and figuratively. Before you call that hyperbole, think about this: he has started every single game for all of his four years at point guard. This past season, he led the team in points, assists, steals, rebounds (he’s 6-1), and minutes played. Unbelievable.

Every Georgia fan wanted success for this team, if for nothing else than the seniors and the coach. Felton is trying to run a clean program and build things the right way, and that takes time. He would’ve lost his job if not for this weekend’s miracles. Bliss and Gaines have been through so much in their four years, doing something that should be nothing but fun and entertainment with a lot of hard work mixed in.

Now, they can all look back on these last four years and realize the fruits of their labors. They are in the NCAA Tournament. They will get to show their wares on a national stage. Their team name will be on 65 trillion brackets floating around offices and classrooms all over the country. The world will get to see what they’ve got.

And you know what? They’ll probably lose to Xavier. They’ll probably get killed. But the fact that we’re even talking about them playing Xavier right now, the fact that they’re in the field of 65? After all they’ve been through, that’s more than enough reward.

The WNBA–It’s Shit-tastic!!

This is the best video I’ve ever seen (I’m prone to hyperbole, by the way) :

I don’t know how to follow that, so I won’t.

Hawk Talk

The Hawks FINALLY got a point guard. Who was the last legitimate point we had? Was it Mookie Blaylock? I don’t know. I’ve been working with a therapist to block out all Hawks’ seasons between 1998 and 2007, so I couldn’t tell you. And don’t say Jason Terry. JT’s not a point guard. If he’s a point guard, I’m a power forward.

Anyway, Mike Bibby is here, and I’m ecstatic. I can’t believe that the shit pile we gave Sacramento was the best deal they had on the table. Maybe the versatility of Tyronn Lue to play for the Kings and Sacramento’s WNBA team as Dawn Staley was what sealed it. I don’t know. Tyronn, we will not forget you. I currently have images of you in my head running down the court, while Britney Spears’ “Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” plays in the background, with your long dreadlocks flapping in the wind.

Anyway, back to the trade. The Hawks gave up Lue/Staley, Shelden Williams (worthless since the day we drafted him), Lorenzen Wright (58 year old benchwarmer) and Anthony Johnson (a poor man/woman’s Tyronn Lue) for one of the premier point guards in the game. They gave up a bunch of guys that would barely make the floor at the local YMCA pickup game (okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but work with me here) for a guy that can handle, distribute, and shoot from outside. I am still on Cloud 9.

Of course, the knee-jerk reaction contingent calls the trade a failure because the Hawks have lost 6 of 9 since acquiring Bibby. They say the Hawks are “losers” in the deal because Bibby didn’t have the “Gasol Effect” of instant success. Those people, as I’ve said in this space before, are idiots. Bibby is a point guard. Point guard is the closest comparison to a quarterback in all of sports. It’s much harder for a point guard to come into a new team and develop instant chemistry, figure out where he can contribute the most, and learn everyone’s tendencies. Bibby has to learn where Joe Johnson likes the ball. He has to learn to not, under any circumstances, give it to Josh Smith outside the 3-point line, or he might take will miss a bad shot. There is a lot more pressure on a point guard than on any other position when joining a new team.

The Hawks may not make the playoffs this year. They may continue to lose games at a 67% clip as they’ve been doing since the Bibby trade. But as I heard someone else say earlier today, Bibby is still much better than any point guard the Hawks could get through the draft this year, and with an entire off-season and training camp to get to know his teammates better, we’ll get a true glimpse of what we originally expected from Bibby. He will make this team infinitely better.

Head Coach Mike Woodson is a different matter. As stated above, I hate knee-jerk reactions, which are so prevalent in sports today. So I gave Woodson a chance when he coached the team to a 13-69 record his first year. I touted the progress when they doubled that win total the second year. I urged patience the year after when it felt like they took one step forward and two steps back (because Opposites Attract), and I defended him this year because he didn’t have the horses to win.

*Quick Aside: My buddy Kevin used to sing “We come together ’cause my boyfriend’s a cat” instead of “opposites attract.” For some reason, that always makes me chuckle.

Now, I look back on his tenure, and his record is 93-211. At times, he has looked clueless on the court. His in-game strategy leaves a lot to be desired, witnessed by the Hawks’ poor record in close games. His mysterious handling of guys like Salim Stoudamire is questionable, at best. His insistence on running a predominantly half-court offense, when the team is clearly built for a more up-tempo style, is just annoying at this point. Of course the blame for many of these shortcomings could be placed upon the players (specifically, let’s hope the team’s performance in close games improves with Bibby on board). I don’t know. I’m not ready to call for Woodson’s head, but he should recognize the fact that the onus is on him now. He has his point guard (Bibby), he has his big (Horford), he has his scorer (Johnson), and he has the rest of the supporting cast (Smith, Childress, etc.).

You’re on borrowed time now, Woody. Step it up!

Hi! I’m Buckwheat. Uhmemba Me?

It’s been awhile, but I have an excuse. We sold our house and moved into a new one, and that’s taken up the majority of my time. And as a result, I haven’t had much chance to follow sports as closely as I’d like, so I haven’t written anything either (because I detest when people espouse opinions about things they have inadequate knowledge of).

Anyway, enough with the excuses. The Falcons have made a ton of moves over the last couple of weeks, and I need to talk about them. First, The Purge (reference for any Lost fans out there): The writing was on the wall for Rod Coleman. He was an underperforming, overpaid, injury-prone DT for too long. Crumpler was a bit of a surprise to me. But I guess when you think about his salary combined with the mileage on his odometer, he’s a little older than his birth certificate reads. So, fair enough, I guess.

Next, the additions: I like the acquisition of Michael Turner, but I don’t like the contract. I feel like he and Jerious Norwood can be a great 1-2 punch over the next few years, and that he’s one of those “downhill runners” that everyone covets these days. However, I’m afraid that the similarities between Turner and Peerless Price are too close for comfort. I guess I’m once bitten, twice shy (kinda like this*), but take a look at the two deals:

• Both Turner and Price were the 2nd best players at their positions on their team (Turner with SD and Price with Buffalo) where they weren’t under the pressure to be the lead dog
• Both were relatively unproven when we signed them
• Both were the “best available free agent” at their respective position
• Both got contracts that many around the league viewed as too large

We all know how the Peerless Price signing turned out, so let’s hope Turner has a different fate. Enough on that.
*By the way, when I thought of this video just now, I thought back to when I was about 10-12 years old when it came out, and how I remembered it having the hottest women I had ever seen up to that point in my life, with all kinds of gratuitous skin being shown. But after watching it now? It’s an absolute joke. There’s one shot of a torso at 3:58, and that’s it–of course, that torso does not include a belly, because waistlines were made 15 inches higher up until the mid- to late-90s. This shows how desensitized we’ve become in this age of internet porn at everyone’s fingertips (speaking of which, give me about 5-10 minutes. I need to take a “break.”

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Okay, I’m back now). Anyway, that video reminds me of the Patton Oswalt routine where he talks about how every rock video in the 80s was filmed in some sort of abandoned warehouse where they apparently manufactured sparks. That always makes me laugh. 

I heard someone on The Rude Awakening say the other day that the Falcons have to overpay for free agents because their franchise is in such bad shape. But here’s the deal: they’ve been doing this since Blank took over, and during times of success. Their franchise wasn’t in bad shape when they signed Ovie Mughelli to a deal that’s so depressingly large that I can’t even bring myself to look up the actual figures. Their franchise wasn’t in bad shape when they signed Ed Hartwell to a deal that even Isaiah Thomas would’ve thought twice about.

IT’S BLANK’S FAULT, people. All of these dumb asses that cheer for the single owner, as opposed to a corporation, because of their supposed passion for winning and devotion to the team–this is what you get. It’s basically what would happen if you imagined yourself running your favorite team with millions of dollars at your disposal. You’d make bad decisions all the time, with little attention paid to common sense and financial restraint. Not that I necessarily favor a corporation over a single owner, but people can’t automatically think that if one person owns a team, he inherently makes smart decisions. 

Whatever. I’m sure the Falcons will draft Matt Ryan instead of Jake Long, and Joey Harrington can bring Ryan under his wing and show him just how to transform himself from a #3 overall pick to a shitty back-up in no time. Yes, I, the ultimate defender of Joey Harrington, just said he’s a shitty back-up. I can’t help it. These are dire straits.

Maybe the whole Ryan thing could work out…but the Falcons have got to get some help on the offensive line. I heard GM Dimitroff on the radio this morning talking about possibly working with the “talent” (my emphasis, not his) that they currently have, and shaping them into better players. You can’t make a chocolate cake out of a pile of shit, Tom. If we do not draft at #3 for a top offensive lineman, or grab one in the 2nd or 3rd round, then we must stock up on a mid-level type guy with a manageable contract. Matt Ryan might as well be Bob Ryan if he has no line to protect him, as Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman can attest to.

We’ll see what the draft holds. I will definitely reserve judgment on the new regime and give them some time to instill their philosophy and build their team. With the current shape of this franchise, Falcons fans aren’t expecting a Super Bowl this year. But we’d at least like to see the foundation.

And So It Begins…

Just a quick post today, since I have some work to do (at my real job…the one that pays me actual money). But I wanted to touch on what appears to be the beginning of something I foretold in this entry about Randy Moss. From the looks of ESPN’s Hashmarks Super Bowl blog, I was right. Randy Moss is still an asshole.

Why do people mispronounce Plaxico Burress’ name? It’s NOT Plexico, it’s Plaxico. I’ll never understand this.

I hope that Bill Simmons starts using “The Tom Brady Face” in his columns, instead of the Eli/Peyton Manning face, given that they’ve ended the Patriots’ last two seasons. Seriously–did you see Brady’s face in those shots Fox gave us after mistake after mistake? It looked like he was completely dazed.

I’m happy the Giants won, mainly because of Bill Bellichick. Why is he such a dickhead? Did someone do something to him that we’re not aware of? Is there a reason why he walked onto the field–knowing there was still a second left on the clock–to shake Coughlin’s hand? Did he purposely want to ruin the celebration? Why did he then walk off the field and into the locker room–again, before the game was technically over? My dad didn’t teach me a lot, but one thing he used to say was, “you can tell a lot about a person in how they react to a loss.”  So it’s now confirmed: Bill Bellichick is an asshole.

5 Days Late And More Than A Few Dollars Short

I know that the Falcon fan base has been waiting in complete suspense to hear my views on the hiring of Mike Smith (sarcasm). Let’s get one thing straight: I have confirmed that this isn’t a made up person, as much as his name may sound like it. Mike Smith is an actual coach, with experience and a playbook and everything. What do I think of him? Well, here goes…

I must say I was a little shocked when I heard the news of Smith’s hire. Arthur Blank has always seemed like the kind of guy that wants to make a splash with these sorts of things…he’s a little attention starved. Even throughout the whole Vick fiasco, he would feign sadness and disappointment, but you could almost sense an excitement at being the center of attention. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Onto Smith…he seems nice enough. And while that sounds like a dismissive statement, it’s far from such. With this hire, I was focusing on the attitude and personality of the coach, given the Petrino disaster. These Falcons players needed a coach they could talk to and feel comfortable around. They did not need a Jim Mora, who they felt comfortable to treat as a colleague rather than a coach, but they also did not need a Petrino-like dictator. As I’ve said in this space before, they needed something in between. From initial reports, it looks like that’s what they’ve gotten.

New GM Thomas Dimitroff heralded Smith’s personnel acumen. I’ll be interested to see this on display, as the Falcons have had an extreme shortage of any type of skill when it comes to judging talent. With a high (or is it low?) pick in the upcoming draft and many holes to fill, this may prove to be one of the most critical drafts for the franchise in a long time.

Perhaps more importantly than the Smith hiring itself is that the new coach is assembling a nice staff. I’m of the opinion that head coaches mean little these days as far as X’s and O’s. Very rarely are they calling plays and setting formations…they are more often managing their staff and the players as a whole. Their coordinators are the ones that are assembling playbooks and teaching the players the execution. Certainly, the head coach instills an overall philosophy, but it’s up to the coordinators to make sure that philosophy is carried out. With Mike Mularkey heading up the offense and Brian Van Gorder controlling the defense, I’m confident in their tactical skills (assuming Van Gorder is still the DC…as of press time, he is. That may change in the next couple of hours).

Regardless, it’s another change. And many times, change for the sake of change is not a good thing. In the Falcons’ case, it’s a GREAT thing, because any amount of change within the organization enables the team to bury 2007 a little deeper.

Urban and Hockey: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

Remember in middle school when a fight would break out in the lunch room, and everyone would start chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” I always wondered a couple of things: who started those chants, and how was everyone always chanting in perfect unison?

The Atlanta sports media is collectively chanting the same thing as John Kincade of 680 The Fan and Steak Shapiro of 790 The Zone are going at it. It all started when Kincade wrote in his blog about the NHL All-Star Game this weekend in Atlanta. It seems that the NHL has decided to put the majority (or maybe even all) of it’s marketing/promotional material on 790 The Zone, instead of 680 The Fan.

The first reason one would raise an eyebrow at this decision is because 680 The Fan is the flagship station of the Atlanta Thrashers. I’m not sure why Kincade didn’t talk about this more in his blog. Instead, one of the points he made was that 790 “has a majority urban audience.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this is a true statement.

790 took offense, however, as you can read in the AJC article. I’m not exactly sure why, as the numbers clearly show that 48.1% of 790’s listeners are African-American, compared to 15.9% of 680’s. Sure, maybe Kincade could’ve used a better term than “urban,” and maybe used some of the above figures to back up his argument…but he certainly didn’t have to.

If you put aside the semantics of the term “urban,” for a second, Kincade makes an extremely valid point; why would the NHL put all of it’s marketing efforts behind a station that is the direct (and only) competitor of it’s local franchise’s flagship radio station? Of course, this is the NHL’s decision, and not the Thrashers’. But you have to think that the Thrashers’ brass had some input on this, right?

And we all know that hockey is not a sport that many African-Americans follow. The statistics bear out that fact. So why would the NHL choose to market their All-Star Game with a station with such an African-American following? It’s basic demographics; you cater to your market. Certainly, there can be some efforts to recruit fans from different demographics, but the weeks leading up to the All-Star Game are not the time to do that.

I must admit that I wouldn’t have gone to the game either way, or even watched it on TV. And I’m sure Kincade is aware that whether the ASG was advertised on 790 or 680, there wouldn’t be any converted fans going out to purchase $300 tickets to the game just because they heard about in on a radio station. It seems like it’s based on principle, and I have to side with Kincade in this regard. The NHL has a history of making bad decisions, and this is just the most recent example.

Hittin’ The Wall

I told anyone that would listen (and others that wouldn’t) before the start of the ‘07-’08 NBA season that the Hawks would make the playoffs. Most people laughed at the idea, and others thought I was crazy. Through the first two months of the season, I looked brilliant. Now…

Well, things aren’t looking so good lately. The Hawks have lost 8 of their last 11, and 3 in a row. This all comes just as they embark on a brutal west coast trip (at Denver, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and LAC). More alarmingly is how they’ve looked as they’ve hit this downturn.

As I’ve stated in this space before, the Hawks have yet to find a true leader. Sure, Joe Johnson is their statistical leader, but he has yet to show that true fire and passion that such a young team so desperately needs. After Joe, there aren’t many veterans left. Anthony Johnson, given his position and experience, could be a leader, but he just took over the PG spot on a consistent basis over the last month or so. Lorenzen Wright? He and the far end of the bench go together like hookers and blow. And that’s not a good thing (at least in this case).

This lack of leadership is evident on the floor in key situations. In crunch time, everyone develops a strong aversion to the basketball. Joe Johnson tries to take over, but he looks uncomfortable in those situations. Josh Smith has shown that he’s just not mature enough to truly step up at these times, as evidenced perfectly by his ill-advised three pointer in the waning seconds of Monday’s loss to the Trailblazers.

There is also another problem that should rear it’s ugly head any day now. Al Horford is going to hit the proverbial “wall.” He is used to college basketball, where by this point in the season his team would’ve typically played approximately 15-20 games. He is now in his 38th game with the Hawks, having logged 31.5 minutes per. So basically, he’s played a full college season by now. And there are still 44 games to go in the regular season. This is not good. Given that the Hawks rely on him so much for an inside presence on defense and on the boards, he is bound to wilt at some point soon.

What does this all mean? Well, the Hawks are currently sitting in the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, with the Pacers, Nets, Bulls, Bucks, and Bobcats within 3 games. With no one expected to come in and give them a boost–either by coming back from an injury or via trade–someone is going to have to step up their game. Who will that be?

To be clear, I’m not panicking…I just realize that given the circumstances, things don’t look so good for my bold preseason prediction. Here’s to hoping the Hawks make me look smart…my blogging reputation depends on it!