MANLY MEN

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump's sycophant vampire advisor, Stephen Miller, has been appealing to young manly men to vote for his boss. He feels it is a demographic likely to look up to and identify with Trump. Apparently some polls indicate that he might be right. This blows my mind. To me, Trump is the least manly man I can think of. Okay, I know Trump is going on 80, but does that's not an excuse for the pot belly, the prissy mouth and the blow-dry. Check it out, even when he was young, Trump looked soft. 

What I'd like to do is address you manly men out there. In my case I'm talking about athletes. I'm pretty sure that if someone was asked to identify one group of men that fit the description of manly men, athletes, arguably, would top the list. 

So Here goes. You athletes out there, are you part of the demographic that will vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States? If so, let me ask you a few questions: Is ignoring lies part of being a manly man? Donald Trump is a pathological liar. Is grabbing women in their private parts one of the signs of being a Manly Man? Donald Trump bragged about doing that. Does being a manly man mean you can sexually abuse women? Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers of sexual abuse. Does being a manly man mean you can start a business, take your students' money, then not provide the curriculum you promised? Donald Trump did that with his school lessons on "how to become a millionaire." Is being a manly man a President who calls soldiers killed in action losers. |That's what Donald Trump said while visiting a military grave site. 

 If you are a manly man would you call one of our fearless war heroes, Senator John McCain, a looser for surviving six long years in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp? That's what Donald Trump called Senator McCain.  Is being a manly man the kind who'd cheat on his wife while she was pregnant? Donald Trump did with a porn star. Does being a manly man give you the right to mock a person with a physical disability? Trump did by mocking the way the man spoke. If you are a Latino manly man is it ok to call other Latinos thieves, killers, and rapists? Donald Trump does this every day. Is it okay for a manly man to ignore women's rights? Donald Trump has made it damn near impossible for women to make decisions about their own bodies. I wonder as a manly man if you would put a country like Russia over your own country? Donald Trump does. He and Russia's dictator are buddies. Ugh. Putin kills people in |Russia who disagree with him.

 Manly men, athletes, please give it a lot of thought before you vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States of America. You are young, the future is yours. Donald Trump doesn't give a crap about you. He just wants to be dictator. Don't fall for this whining weakling who cheats at golf and has the nerve to even suggest that he is a manly man. 

      Meschery's rap 

      Donald Trump is a liar.
      Don't become one of his buyers.
      Kamala Harris is a for you a fighter.
      She's not a dictator subscriber. 
       She's for all the freedom riders
        Not for Trumps billionaire insiders.

        She's a U.S. Constitution believer.

         She's our Donald Trump reliever.

. 

NBA SEASON ENDS OLYMPICS BEGIN & ETC

 The Boston Celtics won the NBA title. I don't want to talk about it. Oh, but I guess I have to, don't I. I can't allow my prejudice for all things Celtics to interfere with my totally objective commentary, can I??? The Celts were the best team. Dallas counted too heavily on their new line up to make the difference, but they did get better physically, but their two pickups were not the offense  they needed against the Celts. The Mavs needed Kyrie and Kyrie disappeared, poof, Totally intimidated by the |Boston fans. Why wasn't

't I surprised? Jrue Holiday made the final difference for the Celts' success. The Bucks' GM should be FIRED giving up a great two-way point guard for Damion Lillard, who couldn't guard my any determined NBA player. .

POST SEASON became a free agents derby. Again. So what's new these days?  Paul George joined the 76ers, which makes Philly a contender IF he & Embid can stay healthy. The Sacramento Kings made a great addition by signing DeMar DeRozan. They'll miss Harrison Barnes, but the move make the Kings one of the hardest teams to defend. Barnes and Chris Paul will be on the Spurs next season and their vet presence will be just what the young Frenchman, Wembanyana, needs to grow his game. 

Klay Thompson left the Warriors for the Mavs, Say it isn't so. But it was. The Splash Brothers Era is over. Klay's round ball days are not over. I won't be surprised if he makes a huge career comeback next season for a well deserved NA NA to the Dubs. But it is what it is. Klay moves on, so do the Warriors. The Warriors did sign three impressive free agents in Buddy Hield, "Slow Mo" Kyle Anderson & DeAnthony Melton. The three will solidify the Warriors' bench in a way it hasn't been for a long time. The three newcomers will not make the Warriors a championship team, but they will make them a contender for a deep playoff run. On the other hand,  if the Warriors manage to sign another star like Lauri Markannen of the Jazz, then the Warriors could win one, maybe two more NBA titles. Curry is still Curry, Green is still Green - for better, not worse, Steve Kerr is still the coach. As the Bard said, Markannen is devoutly to be wished. 

There are still a few players who are unsettled. What do the Warriors do with Andrew Wiggins? The mystery continues. Will Kevin Durant remain in Arizona? What will the Pelicans do with their wing three star Brandon Ingram, known fondly in this household as One-Punch Ingram? How about Zach Lavine, another great player with an injury history? Would the Warriors welcome KD back? You bet. Humm, Durant and Curry are playing together in the Olympics. Could there be some conversations going on between them? "Hey, Kevin, pass the fois gras. How would you like. . . ?" Could be happening. Bon appetit!

   Speaking of the Olympics, Coach Kerr's team USA struggled during the practice games, damn near got beat by South Sudan. But yesterday morning on TV I watched our Red, White, and Blue men convincingly defeat a strong Serbian team lead by three time NBA Player of the Year, Nikola Jokic. We have too much firepower for the rest of the world. We can't get cocky and let our D down, but if stay focused, it's a Gold for the U.S. They will be invited to the White House by President Kamala Harris. 

Speaking of our present V.P. candidate for President.  Trump pulled out of the debates,   afraid of going one-on-one with a woman. Trump is known as a bully and all bullies are known for being cowards. Representative Nancy Pelosi terrified him. 

Back to the Olympics. Is anyone totally frustrated as I am with NBC's Prime Time Olympics' production? How many product commercials, personal stories, and Olympics ra- ra ads must we suffer  before seeing an event? No complaints about daytime coverage. I loved the parade of boats and barges with the athletes in the openiing ceremony down the Seine heading for the Eiffeil Tower. Formidable! Merci for the creative chops. 

Olympic controversy: Badminton gets to play in the state of the art basketball arena while the basketball team must play in Lille, a hundred miles from Paris in a retrofit football stadium? I wonder how many of the 8 thou seats badminton will fill? Me, I'm looking forward to the table tennis games. 

The summer leagues is over and I am not very impressed with this years' class of players. But I'm not a big fan of summer leagues as a way of determining talent. There is so little time to prepare, that all the players look like those dog races, back and forth, back and forth, try frantically to get to the rim and if not try to kick to a three point shooter. BORING. The Chicago Bulls might have drafted  a winner in Matas Buzelis  Reed Sheppard looks like he has some point guard skills the Rockets could use. And Kel el Ware might make the fans in Atlanta glad. The Spurs could have found a future point guard in Stephon Castle.  And Donovan Clingan might as well buy a home in Lake Oswego and start furnishing. He'll be in Portland for a long time. Getting Clingan gives the Blazers a great trading chip in Deandre Ayton, There are teams that could use a 7 footer who can score and not so worried about paint protection. 

It's getting hardrand harder for me to stay with MJ as the GOAT instead of LeBron. LeBron is tres manifique. I guess I'll hang for another year with MJ, but if James has nother great season, I'll be forced to switch. What an amazing force James is. And, I do love his politics. 

Off to watch the Olympics. See you on my Blog soon.

SIMONE

 I heard Simone Biles dare

The horizontal bar

To do its best to upend her.  

She didn’t say the  words

They were in my head.

I held my breath

for the audacity of thought

knowing this was not

her favorite event,

that there should be one more

challenge left for her to master.

To leave the sport with a dare,

to me seemed fitting

to succeed or fail Irrelevant.  

The dare is everything.

 

     Tom Meschery 

  

 

THE NBA FINALS AND ETC

 A week off from NBA basketball and my wife sighs in relief. She can watch a movie. What a concept. Well, the respite is over and the Finals begin tonight. Celtics vs Mavricks. My wife's grandson is a Mavs fan and we have a bet. I'm not a Cetlic's fan, but I can't root for the Mavs because Kyrie Irving has never uncondionally and straightforwordly disavowed his anti Semetic beliefs. I do appreciate what Nico Harrison has done with the Mavs. When he acquired PJ Washington and Daniel Gabbard;  he filled in the missing defensive players that brought his team to this place in sports history. Prior to their arrival, Irvng and Doncic's reluctance to play solid defense was an unsolved problem. It is also worth noting that Derrick Lively Two has developed faster than was expected. I love the Mav's team. I should add that in terms of pure basketball Kyrie Irving is one of the top ten offensive one on one hoopers to ever grace an NBA court. And Doncic will go down as one of its greatest pure shoots. So many other playes on the Mavs to like: Jones, and Green, for  example. But that one rotten apple keeps me away from wanting the Mavs to win. In these terrible political times of conservative racism, it is enough to sway my vote in favor of the Celts. 

The Celts will win 4 to 2. For this to happen Celt's center Porzingis must be on the court after returning from injury and play well. And Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum must show the world how two magnificent athletes can play well together and silence all this silly comentary about a rivalry. And let's hear it for Jrue Holiday, perhaps one of the best two way point guards in NBA history (Fire Bucks' GM for letting him go.) and White and Old Man Al Horford - I temember those back to back NCAA Final Vitories - and from my wife's alma mater, U of Oregon, guard Payton Prichard, coming into his own. 

Boston will win four games to two. Nonetheless, it will be a tiight series. 

On a more positive note, one of the reasons, I've decided to be a temporary Celtics' fan is a recent article I read about Boston's Jalen Brown. He is an amazing young man who is clearly more than just a terrific basketball playeer. He learned to speak Spanish and Arabic, Arabic, I suppose, because he is a devout Muslim. He is an MIT Fellow. He lectures on Robtics and in this mornings' Athletics he reminded me of one of my farotie West African proverbs: " If a child is not embraced by the village he will burn it down to feel it's warmth." I'm always looking for example of people of color who I can na na the old white Repbulicn men wih. There is not one Republican in the Senate and the House that has half the inneligence that Jalen Brown possess. Take that you bunch of racists. 

I'm also rooting for the Celtics because I'm a huge fan of Jrue Holiday, the Celt's two way point guard. I'm still trying to figure out why in the world the Bucks GM believed getting rid of Jrue and bringin in Lillard would improve the Buck. Did he flunk NBA Basketball 101? 

And I have to be pulling for Payton Prichard because he is a DUCK. My wife received her PhD from the Universtiy of Oregon, so supporting Prichard is crucial to peace in our marriage. 

ETC

Won't it be interesting to see where the four mega free agents: Ingram, George, KD and Lebron wind up? How abut KD back on the Earriors. 

There is a lot of speculation about where Bronny James will be taken in the draft. If Lebron is true to his word that he wants to play with his son before he retires, is it possible that Bronny goes numero uno in the first round? 

Personnaly, I think Bronny is makinga big mistake staying in the draft. If he wants to make a name for himself in the game, he should have used the NCAA portal and found a solid Division One small college where he will start for the next four years, get good coaching, improve his game, especially his three point shooting and come out for the draft as a mature seasoned 23 year old. 

Congratulaions to Steph Curry for winning the Magic Johnson Award. 

On the subject of awards, did Rudy Gobbert really deserve the Defensive Player of Year Award? And isn't it cool that a guy that was not even drafteed wins the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Congrats Naz Reed. 

I was hoping that the NBA wold expand for the upcoming season, but it looks a year away. Las Vegas and Seatttle seem to be the new teams which would take the TWolves and Griz, both east of the Mississippi into the Eastern Conference. Seattle is so deserving, having their beloed Sonics stolen from them. And Vegas becaue Lebrfon want to own a team after he retires. 

I'm very curios to see what our Sacramento Kings will do in the off season. Would they give up Murry for Paul George? Or for KD?

Back to the Warriors. What in the world are they going to do with Andrw Wiggins? Dare they trust him to give them a strong full season? 

And what can the Suns do if KD leaves? I guess they'll have money for one of he other two free agenst. They seem to be deetrermind to pay the second tier of the NBA tax. Deep pockets new owner? 

And will Orlando ever get a true point guard?

With all the "bruises" that are keeping players off the court, I thought I'd remind folks about the good old day os sports medicine. 

Spit On It
 
The first time he landed wrong
he came up lame and wished for a miracle
that never happened. All season
he limped, but sucked it up the way
the older boys said he must to be a man
and not a pussy, a dictum he carried
with him into other sports and into life.
 
Today, he hears on television that so and so
won’t play because of a bruised knee
or a sore shoulder or ankle, and he hears
his high school coach yelling, “Spit on it!”
which never worked. Or did it? He recalls
the passage from the Bible where Jesus cures
blindness by mixing mud with his saliva
and rubbing it into the blind man’s eyes.
Scientists have proven saliva contains
a healing agent called histatin. As for mud,
who knows? So, he does not complain
that his knees throb or his fingers
are arthritic, or raising his right arm
causes him to grit his teeth. He sucks it up,
spits and rubs. He says it seems to help.

                  Tom Meschey From Sweat: New & Selected Poems About Sports

Days of the NBA Playoff's Lives

 It's been a bit of a soap opera with the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers with super star failures and dramatic sweeps. I had my hanky out as I watched AD of the Lakers prove once again he doens't produce in the 4th quarter. The menage-a-trois of the Suns was swept by TWolves for the Sun's lack of a point guard and a weak bench and an overrated Bradley Beal. 

I brought the hanky out again as I watched the Clippers 4 Super Star bundle unravel, proving to me that this strategy of bundling ageing stars is as passe as last year's women's fashions. Perhaps, like fashion, it will come back in a future decade. But, for now, the last decade's stars, although sill viable individually, are no longer athletic and young enough to fuse into championships units.The GMs of these star overload teams need to think of a new script. Durant and Paul George are free agents. As individuals these aging stars are still enormously valuable, take Kyrie Irving for example, one aging star among all the young ones. But that's the last hint I'll give the GM unless they want to sign me to a consulting contract. Any takers?

Some observations along the playoff path: The Knicks/Pacers series have been very enjoyable, both teams playing scrappy ball. Knikcs better not tire Brunson out, or hey risk losing. I'm pulling for the Knicks, however, how can someone not for a team with Hart, Brunson and DiVincenzo playing on the same Villanova team. That they all wound up on the Knicks close to their homes and college greatness, that's worth cheering for. 

My grandson says anybody but the Celtics. Are they such villians? I suppose you look up in the rafers and see so many NBA championsips that it's easy to look at them as Darth Vadors. In my opinion, the Celts should win the East. This is especially true if Porzingis returns soon. They still rely way too much on the three ball, but that's a league wide sin, so it's hard to fault them when the have three excellent three ball shooters. Derrick White has come into his own this season. Is there an All Star Two Way Guard Team? He'd be one of the top five.  

With the season over for someteams and darn near over for others, the teams I'd hate to be managing are the ones straddling the middle, like the Hawks, Heat, and Bulls. In the West, the Warriors and the Kings are in the same position and need to do some serious thinking. These fence sitting teams have enough juice that the wrong decision could be destastrous. The Kings need toughness. Is there a quick fix for them? Do the Wariors finally say, our era of greatness has ended with noble efforts. It's time for a rebuild. In MIami, I think Butler is overrated. Should the heat look to pick up some good players in return for him. As for the Hawks and Bulls, how do you uptick from mediocrity?

As for the Bucks, how do you make up for the terrible decision to trade Jru Holiday and bring in Dame Lillard? Did the Bucks win a championship with a pick and roll offense? No. Do the Buck need fresh legs? Yes. 

As for the 76ers? Will Joel Embid ever have an injury free season? The answer is NO. All you have to do is watch the way Embid runs. Never with a strong center of gravity. The Sixers have no choice but to stay with Joel Embid. They have a strong cocah and many worthy players. If I were the Sixers, I would be inquiring into pysical fitness gurus, looking for solutions for Embids propensity for injury. I'm serious when I advise talking to trainers for ballet dancers. But also Martial Arts trainers. There might be diet considerations. The Sixers have got to think outside the box. Joel Embid is worth the effort.  

If I'm the GM and coach of the Orlando Magic, I'm excited about the ruture. Find a true point guard and a floor spreading hree point shooting wing. I ditto he GM of the Thunder here even though hey are still playing in the West. They are full of great yound prospects. Future looking good for them. 

I'm not forgetting the Grizzlies. Ja Morant will be back. He is enough to put the team back into playoff contention. But they could sure use Steven Adams back. Perfect for this team. Jared Jackson at the wing 4 was a holy threat. Adams didn't need the ball but filled up the paint. Also, he was and is tough as nails. And a man of character, strong locker room is someting the Griz need in the Morant era. As strange as theis sound, considering I critized Ja heavily, I believe he's going to come out of this weirdness a better player and a better man. 

And the Utah Jazz, well, they have to keep doing their OKC accumulating draft choices imitation for the time being.  

This leaves us checking out the top teams. Predictions? 

Nuggets in the West      vs     Celtics in the East

Ta, ta, ta, TA! And the winner of the 2024 NBA Championship goes to Serbia. 

It's hocky playoffs, so here's a basketball players viewpoint poem:

WHY I NEVER PLAYED HOCKEY 

It’s too fast. I can’t follow the puck.
I’m cold even in this padded uniform.
I feel like I’m in the North Korean army
and we’re invading the South,
then the South is invading us,
then we’re back at it. We will go on
like this forever invading each other
on a field of ice. I feel as if I have a cage
over my head. I am ten and the ice
on the pond is cracking under my skates.
I’m twenty in the NHL, and I have no teeth.

No POst Season for Warriors. What's Next?

 The Sacramento Kings attacked relentlessly and the Warriors of an earlier era would have had an answer, but not last night's Warriors. These were not the Dubs. These were older, slower, less aggressive Warriors. So, what can be said, realistically? There is no dishonor in saying that the great Dubs era that saw 4 NBA Championships and 6 Westeern Confrernce Championship is over. The Splash Brothers and D. Green will be heading to the NBA Hal of Fame. Lat night, with the addission of CP 3,we had the priviledege, despite the loss, of seeing 4 Warriors Hall of Fame players on the court at the same time. 

So what's nextThe Kings were beaten badly by the Pelicans abd akk tge play in teams have found their places eithr in or out. Teimberwoves, Knicks, Denver,  Clevland all won their first games. It is Sunday and their will be the rest of the first round games to watch. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pels upset OKC. I wouldn't be surprise if the Mavs upset the Clips. Boston should go through the first two rounds easy enough. But if it runs out it is the Knicks vs the Celts for the East, I wouldn't be surpised if the Knicks upset the Celtics. My grandson like the Mavs as his upset team. I have no faith in Kyrie Irving's defense. But the Mavs made a fabulous trade at the deadline gettin Gafford and PJ. So, it's possible. But I don't see a Western team that will beat Denver in a seven game series. This is someting that I was used to saying about the Waarrios. You could upset the Dubs once, but not over seven games. True for Mike Malone's team. 

So, let's get back to "What's next" for the Warriors. First, the era of small ball is over. The Warriors must acquire long, tall and altheletic players to compete in the future. Let's use as an examle, Franz Wagner of the Magic. The Warriors could havd drafted for him, but didn't, selcting instead Johnathon Kuminga, a 6'5" granted athletic guard or wing. As one coach told me, "Franz Wagner had Warriors written all over him." Too bad. Nothing agains Kuminga, but will he ever be a reliable 3 poin shooter. Anyway, this is just about saying The Wariors must retool. How the go abou ti is not for me to say. But no moar small ball please. Hats off to Steph Curry for continuing to carry the Warrios on those talented shoulders. but how long before he becomes frustrated? If I were him, I sure wouldn't want to do it for one more season, like the last two. 

   I live in Sacramento, so the Kings are my alternative favorite team. What's next for them? They have plenty of offense. And I've seen them play some decent defense. But I've NEVER seen them play sustain aggreseive defense for 4 quarters. They might be the worst second half team I've seen in a long time. Sorry, Mike Brown, reality check. So, the answer is: get defense credibility or it's a future of PlayIns. Ugh! 

Hat's off to Michel Porter Jr for not allowing his terrible family misfortuen to affect his play. I'm sure he loves his two brothers,, Coban and Jontay, but he also feels a commitment to his teammates. He's a pro.  

Thrilled to see the picks for our Olympic basketball team. Thrilled to se that Jrue Holiday was selevted, proving that Grant Hill know the value of a two way point guard. This is going to be the best American Olympic team since the Dream Team. 

My pick for the NBA Championship? The Denver Nuggets. 

VENDER

You think that championship banner belongs to you?
Let me tell you guys something, it belongs to us,
The hawkers with the cotton candy and the ice cream bars. 
a few extra bucks. In my case, to save money
for my son to go to camps, become great,
perhaps someday win a ring like ya’ all.
I’m thinking wouldn’t it be great to be like
Stephen Curry’s dad watching his kid hit
those silky jump shots, or Klay Thompson’s dad.
the time his son scored 50 point, 34 in one quarter.
Or Durant’s mom, how proud I’d be to be
that proud of my son, and him proud of me.
Here I am hawking frozen ice cream bars,
counting up in my head how much I can make
this basketball season to send my son to camp.
Only ten years old but, damn, he’s pretty good already.
Heck, isn’t this what fathers dream for their sons?
Like little boys dream of going to games
sitting with their dads, eating cotton candy
and watching the Dubs win an NBA Championship?
 
                       Tom Meschery