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What my musings are all about...

Blogging might well be the 21st century's form of journaling. As a writing teacher, I have always advised my students to keep a daily journal as a way of organizing their thoughts for future writing projects, a discipline I have unfortunately never consistently practiced myself. By blogging, I might finally be able to follow my own good advice.

The difference between journaling and blogging is that the blogger opens his or her writing to the public, something journal- writers are usually reluctant to do. I am not so reticent.

The trick for me will be to avoid cluttering the internet with more blather, something none of us need more of. If I stick to subjects I know: sports and literature, I believe I can avoid that pitfall. I can't promise that I'll not stray from time to time to comment on ancillary subjects, but I will make every attempt to be interesting and perhaps even insightful.

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Speculations, Comments, and Stupidities

I rely on The Athletic for my sports news now that our local newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, no longer does late news of any kind. For my readers information, newspapers all over the country are being bought by hedge funds and are being systematically dismantled. For example what pleasure can be derived from reading about the winner of this year's Masters two days after the green jacket was presented to the first Japanese golfer, Hideki Matsuyama?

This is by way of an intro to some of the info I've been reading on The Athletic. I'll start with three:

Warriors: Lots of speculations about what the Warriors should or should not do about this years' draft, mainly centering around should they use last years exceptionally talented first round draft choice in a  trade of solid vets to join Mr. Curry for a run at the championship, or should they bundle their 7 & 14 picks to move up to a fourth for a better youngster. The writers provide scenarios in between these two larger themes. It is my humble conclusion (and as a prior Warrior I have no inside info) that the Warriors are going to stay pat with what they've got. Sometimes teams need to make judgements and take risks. I believe taking the risk that Wiseman will be a better offensive and defensive contributor next season after a real off-season is odds on likely. He just has to be 50% better to make an impact. This would allow the Warriors to use Loony in a true back up role where he is more comfortable and for which he is better suited. As for #7 & 14, I can name a couple of college players in the draft who are not in diapers and NBA ready to contribute. I'll not name names. So Klay comes back as strong or close to strong and what do you have? On the other hand, let's say the Bucks are willing to give up Giannis for Wiseman and Wiggins and the 7th and 14th. Is that truly a no-brainer? Speculation is fun. 

Comments about the  Playoffs: I'm rooting for the Bucks to win in the East because I've always held a soft spot in my heart for Milwaukee, a true working mans town and home to my good friend Charlie Dee who never saw a scrum in rugby or a political battle he didn't like. As for the championship, I'm all in for the Suns. I'm a big fan of Coach Monty Williams, who might be the perfect example of a pro coach that has found the middle ground between toughness and compassion, between "his way' and "their way" And let's all cheer for Chris Paul. There is not a player I can think of who deserves the ring more. Always the true professional, never a complainer, always a mentor for his younger teammates. Go Chris!!

Stupidities: Todays The Athletic about Mavs hiring Jason Kidd and Blazers hiring Chauncy Billups, Kidd with a spousal abuse history (he pleaded guilty in 2001) and Billups with a more serious sexual abuse accusation for which he was found not guilty. The stupidity here is not that these two men have a dubious history. One owned up, the other was found not guilty - end of story. Move on to what makes them good candidates. Kidd has had two tries and flamed out in both. This should not inspire a lot of confidence in Mr. Doncic. Other than one year as an assistant with the Clippers, Billups has miniscule experience. Why is that important, considering Steve Kerr of the Warriors was selected having no prior experience coaching at all? Because the person the Blazers brought in for two interviews, Becky Hammon, the assistant coach for the last five years with Pop in San Antonio, is far more qualified than Billups. Talk about tokenism. Stupid? You bet. Both teams, on both counts. 

Lot's of pro golf these days. Rocket Mortgage Championship. Where the hell are the superstars in golf these days? The Open in Scotland coming up. Here's a lovely Haiku by Andy Brumer

Is golf an art
or a science?
Does a coin have one side or two?