DREADING BLOGGING ABOUT DRAYMOND

 It was at the Warriors' Parade following their first NBA Championship in 2015, at a gathering of players and fans, that I told Draymond Green how much I appreciated his game, that what he was doing for the team, the D, the hustle points, the boards, the passing, reminded me of what I was asked to do for the Warriors when I played in the Sixties. Draymond's super-star was and still is Steph Curry; mine was Rick Barry. We deferred to them. We found other ways to help the team. 

Draymond's reaction to my praise was polite. He might have known who I was, but then again. . . My jersey hangs in the rafters of Chase Center. The Warriors are home to me in The City--where I grew up. In retirement I've become a fan. These Dubs have made my old age sparkle. I identifed with Draymond. I did, even when he foolishly fell for Lebron's disrespectful walk-over and struck Lebron in the cajónes. That spontaneous move cost the Warriors the Championship and the historical achievement of four NBA Championships in a row. 

I cut Draymond slack for that because as a young player I might very well have done the same thing. Since then, I have cut Draymond Green a lot of slack for his emotional outbursts, tech fouls and suspensions because, yes, Meschery might have done the same thing. I led the league a couple of times in personal fouls and got into a number of on-court brawls. I even tried punching Wilt Chamberlain once, much to the humor of the fans watching at my flailing attempts that never quite reached Wilt's jaw. 

Basketball was a different game back then. Fights or thrown elbows, or close-line takedowns on drives were often overlooked. Suck it up, get back in the game, or put up your fists and get it on. The fines were miniscule. Worth every penny if I landed a good one on Clyde Lovelette. Today, the way players fly through the air, the NBA is absolutely right enforcing flagrant fouls, with huge fines and suspensions. Players dropping from such heights could die. 

I use the examples of the "old days" because Coach Kerr alluded to them, comparing Draymond's actions on the court in the early stages of his career to no more than what went on for most of the pre-21st century NBA. I get it, and I suspect any NBA coach who played or coached back then understands what Steve Kerr was talking about. In those days, before the league suspended a player, a terrible foul had to be committed.. I'm thinking of the punch suffered by Rudy Tomjanovich that shattered his face. 

For the league, and particularly Joe Dumars (A member of the most notorious PISTONS' "Bad Boys") to state that the accumulations of bad behavior is at the root of Draymond's recent suspensions is HYPOCRITICAL. That said, this current, particular lengthy suspension is based on Draymond's past action; not the past-perfect ones, but the ones that began with him punching his teammate Jordan Poole in practice, followed by the "Stomp," the "Chokehold" and finally the whirling backhand punch to Nurkic's head. 

It would be fair to say that all the earlier violence prior to "The Punch" were symptoms of a progressive increase in violence. Fair, but that was not my experience. Like Draymond, I was called upon to be the "enforcer." But unlike Draymond, there was a limit to my aggression, as there were to the aggression of other so called "enforcers." 

Unfortunately, Draymond's lack of control is, to my way of thinking, a sign of a serious anger-management problem, one that as a retired teacher I saw plenty of teaching high school. Sadly, for the Warriors, it is my experience there is only one way to treat such behavior and that is as mental illness. 

Draymond needs long-term counseling. The length of that counseling must be determined by professionals, not by the team. The Warriors may have to lose Draymond for this season. For his own welfare, and I dare say for their own. In the state Draymond is today, he is no value to the team. Allowing him to play after only a brief suspension with lack of adequate counseling, Draymond will only cause more team chaos.  It is sad and at the same time, it is the reality. 

For my closing poem, here is a Haiku.

ROOKIE TROUGH THE WINDOW

On a branch, two Crows
Outside seated on a branch 
Watching him practice. 

                 Tom Meschery
 

COURTS OF MANY COLORS

 With apologies to the Old Testament, the NBA has managed to bring forward the Biblical story to the 21st century in spades. Then added glimmer and shimmer and primary colors and in the process made seeing the basketball on TV nearly impossible. And as one fan at the Lakers/Pelicans game in Las Vegas put it, I was there to watch players, but some of those wonderful moves  had to compete with the damn court. 

What is the answer? It seems obvious.

Aside from the awful courts, the tournament was a resounding success. It brought life to the early part of the NBA season, which has been, except for dedicated hoop nerds, the ho-hum part of the season when teams are trying to figure things out. 

Out of this tournament came a surprisingly interesting Finals matchup: The Big Market Los Angeles Lakers vs the Small Market, Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are led by a young upcoming Super Star, Tyreese Haliburton, and the Lakers will, of course, be led by the "Old" Mega Super Star Lebron James. Let's hope that the NBA League has the foresight to promote this market matchup. And not feel sorry for themselves that it was not Antetokounmpo vs James. 

Speaking of Tyreese Haliburton, he is one of the most unique players I've seen come into the NBA in a long time, a true point guard who dishes out double digit assists and also scores and plays defense. This is Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson territory. I wonder if the Kings fans will forever wonder what the best duo would have been: Sabonis/Fox or Sabonis/Halliburton? 

I don't mean to leave on a negative note, but does anyone object to the double screen while watching players shoot freethrows on TV, that the NBA gives the larger screen to the commercial and the small screen to the player shooting? I'm getting pretty darn sick of all the advertising on TV interfering with content. I understand the league needs the ads to pay for the content, but do we have to be constantly reminded to bow at the altar of consumerism? 

Here's a poem to make up for my last littel rant. Morton Marcus was my mentor poet and coached high school basketball in San Francisco in the '60s. His memorial annual poetry reading was just held in Santa Cruz in November. 

A Literary Memoir

     For Morton Marcus

 Is this where poetry starts, Mort,
with a jab and a right cross, uncle
in your corner, trainer and cut-man,
Jewish Mafia gunned down,
and all the intervening year
you tell me about fighting with words?
Some wins, some draws, few losses
but enough to cost you friends and family.
 
I have no problem seeing you in the ring,
a welter weight with quick hands,
jabs that keep your opponents off balance,
no dancing, moving straight forward,
accepting two punches for one,
what you believe it takes to write.
You got to get bloody, you say.
 
We are sitting together a month
before your death. We have done this before
talking late about sports and poetry,
sometimes forgetting there’s a difference,
your punches, my hook shots,
a game I played that you admired,
a poem you wrote that knocked me out.

 CLUES SO FAR

No question that it's too early to make definitive predication except which teams will be at the top and which team will be at the bottom. The Athletic, a truly dandy source for sports, has said it all, so I'm not going to rehash the obvious Celtics/Nugget etc. 

What comes to mind this early? The Tournament. Fans are all over the place on this topic, ranging from Who Cares to Wow! The airplane landing stipes motif down the middle of the court is well done. As I said to a lot of friends and commented on The Athletic, the dark colors are difficult for TV viewers because it is hard to see the ball well, so it becomes a distraction. This is an easy fix: all teams use pastels as some already have.  The NBA needed something to pump up interest in the early part of the season and going to the soccer tradition of tournaments was a good idea. Fans need to give it some time to get used to until it too, like soccer, becomes a tradition. One idea the NBA should consider to up the competitiveness is redesign the uniforms by state, instead of team city by team city, ie: California Clippers; California Warriors, etc. And add another bunch of money to sponsor each winning states Civic Education, God knows we need emphasis in this area the way things are in today's anti-Democracy climate. Imagine the championship in Vegas being between the Colorado Nuggets vs the Florida Heat. Governors would be making side bets. Of course there would have to be group chnages next season to make sure this kind of state competion would happen. It can be done. 

I was really disappointed in my Warrior, Draymond Green putting a chokc hold on Rudy Gobert. It's pretty deja vue all over again, when Draymond gets in a rage, but choke holds are super dangerous. As a black man, Draymond should know better. Males of his race have been terrorized by choke holds for a long time. Connected but unconnected, I thought Gobert's sanctimonious response disingenuous as I remember a few years back the Frenchman giving his teammates COVID as a JOKE. Un BLAGUE, vous est fou? Draymond, we need you on the court. As a retired English teacher, may I suggest an anger management class.  

I'm high on the Warriors two draft choices this year, Point guard Brandin Podzinski and Power Forward, Trace Davis. One thing though, Podzinski, dude, you got to stop with the tongue thing. MJ did that already. And, you're not that good yet. 

I appreciate players who don't do a whole lot of screaming after every good play they make. It's satisfying to watch professionalism without the Look at Me, Look at Me B.S. High on my list of grownups is Keegan Murry of the Sacramento Kings who saves his celebrations for when they are really special. I think Trace-Davis of the Warriors has that grown up attitude toward celebrating on the court. Curry did too, but I've noticed the last couple of years, Steph doing a little drama, but if you're Curry most of the stuff you do is dramatic. 

I want to readers to consider what players in the pro basketball changed the game. I'm not talking improved a position. I mean basketball was never played the same way again type of thing. Who was the first to popularize the jump shot; who made the league a Big Man's League? I believe one can say that the NBA was never the same after Joe Fulks who popularized the jump shot or never the same after Miken, never the same after Wilt, and never the same after Steph Curry. i'll let you all argue about all the rest from the Cousys to the Doctors to the Birds and the Shaqs. I'm thinkng of adding Jokic to my list of game changers. What do you think. Will the NBA game in a few years be a game of Bigs who can shoot threes and have handles? Will players under, say, 6'6" be possible? Will the NBA become a league of Brobdingnagians?

I am always impressed with the Miami Heat? They build around two core guys, Adebayo and Jimmy Buckets. And if they lose good players along the way, they always manage to find the correct replacements. They lose Straus and Vincent. They get Jaime Jaquez in the first round. A couple of other thoughts about teams. Imagine the Orlando Magic with a real point guard. Is Jrue Holiday the best point guard in the NBA? No apologies. needed to Step Curry who's the best All-Around guard in the NBA. Has OKC finally decided to play for keeps, no more first round draft choice gathering like a squirrel for winter? How long will it be before Zion is injured? 6'5" at 280 lbs is untenable. How long befor Kyrie goes off the farm? Big shout out for Tyrese Maxie, proving the 76ers don't need James the Selfish. A similar shout out to De'Aaron Fox for continuing to improve his game. Got to be in cosideration for the Paris Olympics. Is there a faster player in the league than Fox?' If the Knicks get a consistent 3 pt floor spacer they could be spoilers in the East. Clippers are old and slow. Why is Lakers' AD so inconsistent? Is he out of shape? 

Here I am reading my ode to cable cars at a San Francisco event introducing the Warriors new jersey honoring the Cable Car and he first jersey with San Fransisco on its front. 

FOLLOWING UP

 The pre-season has ended, so I need to follow up on my team evaluations. I'll be brief. Let's start with the East. Jrue went to Boston, which makes them my pick to win the Eastern Conference. Buck come in a disappointing second because the Damion/Giannis combo does not prove as effective in the playoffs when Big D counts. It is always interesting to see what rabbit the Heat pull out of their top hats. Because of this, I pick them coming in third unless Morey gets off his duff and get something meaningful for Hardin. Is Harden the worst teammate in the history of the NBA? The rest of the East is generally very average.

The Western Conference is the focus of most of the talking heads attention. And rightly so as there has been a lot of good players from the East go West Young Men. So what are my picks for the West? Let me get my loyalty-pick out of the way first. The Warriors will make into the top four playoff slots. They will be the surprise team in the NBA this coming season. I base my opinion on a lot of factors such as; The CP3 addition is going to work out well; the bench is vastly improved; Wiggins is back for a full season; Klay will regain his shooting touch; Dario Saric is a much better version of Belijca of their championship seaon in '22. The Poole incident is behind them; Kuminga looks like the player they drafted for finally; and their two draft choices look like they might actully provide rotation minutes along with a more confident and season Moses Moddy and do well. and of course there is Steph Curry.

But, realistically, if anybody is counting out the Nuggest to win the West, they do so at their own risk. They have all their starters back, and it is my belief that they will not miss Brown and Green as much as everybody is predicting.  

I like Smart with the Griz, but do not trust Ja. Still, I believe in the story of the Prodigal Son, so I wish Ja the best maturity. The Twolve will make the playoffs, but so might the Sacramento Kings, especially if they stay as healthy as they did last season. 

It's going to be a battle ti the West, that's for sure. 

For three of the talking head favorites in the West, the success will depends entirely on the health of their players. The Suns could be great, but only if Durant stays healthy. The Lakers could be great, but only if AD stays healthy. The Clippers could be a force as long as Leonard and/or  George stay healthy. God help them if they lose Mann and get Hardin. Hardin is the Kiss of Death. 

Forget Dallas as long as they have Kyrie, However I must admit I'm being subjective. Kyrie's racism gets in the way of any objectivity on my part. And, why do I think Donic is still carrying around his baby fat?

I would mention the Pelicans, and I wish I could, but is anyone willing to predict Zion will make it through the season without a major injury? 6'5" at 280 lbs is untenable. 

Etc:

I wonder if anybody in Duck land is wondering what's up with their head coach, Dan Lanning? Why does he take such risks? They would have gone to the Rose Bowl last season had he not called for an onside kick, and this year the Ducks would never have lost to the Huskies if the Coach had punted and trusted his Defense. If I were the Ducks' Defensive Coordinator, I'd be truly pissed. 

I'm also pissed. Why? Take a look at the college football standings: The PAC 12 has two teams in the top ten, the Trojans and the Ducks, and three other PAC 12 teams in the top 25 and the doofuses who ran the PAC12 couldn't get a good TV contract? Give me a break! 

Just so I'm not ignoring baseball's World Series entirely, here's an interesting and add poem about the sport, I wish I knew who wrote it.

STELAE   Anonymous

There are stelae at Palenque
that are nothing but names and numbers.
Homeruns, strikeouts, and stolen bases
for Hunahpa and Hunahpu
who played the sacred game back when
you had to claw for every run
not like today. The losing manager
got disemboweled on the mounds
by the knife of the morning star.
I grow older, hombre, or the beardless
mozus striding for the plate grows young.
At 40 I played in Jalatlaco
place name meaning “sandy ball court.”
The Zapotec lefty decked me
i como se dice beanball en espanol?
And then for once in my mortal
vagabond middle-infielder career
I got good wood on the pelota.
It sailed toward the sacred ring
reached the ancient wall on a bounce.
Hunahpa and Hunahpu
played ball against the Gods
in Xibalba. They lost.
They got their heads cut off
and turned them into baseball
and stuck them on a tree.
A girl ate them. She had babies
Hunahpa and Hunahpu.
They finished second two years running.
They smoked the candles of the underworld.
They used a mosquito in centerfield
for steal signs. They stole them blind.
They sacrificed, they had the long ball.
They had defensive magic. They grew
the changes; they threw the split-finger.
You remember the sequence from Game Six.
The Mayans carved the standings
into statistics of heaven,
these cyclic fratals of the endless game.

NBA , A New Season & etc

 Let's get my rant over with first: It's more than time for writers and talking heads to STOP calling professional athletes  PIECES as if (oh, such cunning use of symbols) we/they are chess pieces. Who pray tell are he Queens or shall we not speculate? The rooks? The pawns? Stop it, you sound ignorant.

Every season, it seems, I begin by saying that the coming season will be terrific. I'm an optimist. Last year was awful for my Dubs, marvelous for the Denver Nuggets and frustrating for the Celtics and the 76ers. It will continue to be frustraing for the 76ers this season until they solve their Hardin problem. Is this guy for real? How many times can a player feels he's been chateded or lied to before he becomes the boy who cried wolf? 

There a number of BIG IFS as this season starts their training camps. They will dictate whether I should be optimistic about 2023/24 or not: 1) Will the Porsingis trade work out?  2) Will the Lillard/Antetokounpo combo create the dynamic offensive improvement it's supposed to or will Lillard's lack of defensive chops hurt the Bucks come playoff time? 3) How will the Chris Paul acquisition by the Warriors improve the team? And HOW, that is the question? 3) Will the Suns KD, and the Clippers Kawhi and George stay healthy? 4) Can the Heat survive the loss of Vincent and Straus? 5) The Kat healthy now, will the Gobbert duo be effective? I don't buy it. 6) Will the Pelicans ever get a healthy season out of Zion, the Pillsbury Dough boy look-alike? Let's see what his weight is at the start of training camp. If it's over 250 at 6'6" I wouldn't put any money on the Pelicans this year. 7) The Lakers look terrific on paper, but their success will be dictated by the same health issues that govern the success or failure of the Suns and Clippers. An injury to Davis or Lebron at or near playoff time and it's curtains for the Lakers. 8) Some might ask if the lose of a key player such as Brown negatively affect the Nuggets. I'll add it to my list, but I don't believe so. Christian Braun, based on his performance in the playoffs last year, should fill in nicely. While the talking heads are going ga ga over the Bucks, they seem to have forgotten the Nuggets and Jokic. 

Acquisitions contenders that I like by team:  1) The Suns brought in shooter Grayson Allen, two way Nassir Little and center Nurkic who might be a better fit at the post than Ayton, although the health issue comes up again with the Serb. 2) The Warriors have acquired Dario Saric, Paul, & Corey Joseph. Saric will be essential to the Warrior's succes this season. And don't count out Joseph to provide important minutes; he is one of the best below-the-radar point-guards and defenders in the league. Just ask yourself, have you ever seen Joseph have a bad game? 3) Lakers made a smart move signing Vincent. 4) The Cavs made an equally smart move by signing Straus who will improve the team's much needed bench strength. 5) The Kings sing Euro League MVP power forward 6'8" Sasha Vezenkov and  shooter Chis Duarte. I wonder if the media is not taking the Kings seriously enough. Check out their roster, as they say, all the boxes seem to be filled nicely with strong players at every position. 

This is as far as I'm willing to go with observations for next season without some preseason games and I suspect a few more trades in the wind, where Jrue Holiday will land for example. Thus, for the fist time in years I will withhold my optimism and say wait for coming attractions. I have a feeling their are stil some player movement surprises ahead. 

Etc:

Two HOO WAHS! To Joe Lacob for bringing a WNBA team to Chase Arena. Bay Area fans are going to support the team big time. Kuddos also to the formation of a women's pro volleyball league for next year. Not sure, however, about Madison, WI for one of it's teams? 

How about the Chiefs and the 49ers for the NFL championship this season? With apologies to the Eagles.  In college football, how about the Ducks this year for the championship? My wife is a Duck, so is it wishful thinking? The Ducks toasted Stanford last night. And Bo Nix looks like a Heisman candidate. How do you miss with two players named Bo and Bucky? 

Finally, with 5 teams in the PAC 12 ranked in college football's top 20, 3 in the top 10, how is it that the PAC 12 couldn't get a lucrative TV contract and stay in business? These gigantic cross-country leagues are going to implode. Because as Yeats wrote, "The center will not hold." I'd bet on the collapse. No PAC 12, no true Rose Bowl? Pitiful. We're living in a time of Greed rather than class. 

NBA season starting, NFL already on its way, here's a poem for the hardest workers at the games.

VENDER

You think that banner belongs to you?
Let me tell you guys something, it belongs
to us just as much, hustling these aisles 
for a few extra bucks. In my case, to save
for my son to go to camps, become great,
perhaps someday win a ring like ya’ all.
I’m thinking wouldn’t it be dope to be like
Stephen Curry’s dad watching his kid hit
those silky jump shots, or Klay Thompson’s dad.
the time Klay 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 season to send my son to camp.
Only ten years old but, damn, he’s hot 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

or the Chief another ring and waving to the vender

for an ice cream bar, and the vender not his pop? 

                                      Tom Meschery

 

 

 

Thursday Night Football & The NBA's Players Rest Management

 TNF football viewing on Amazon Prime Video SUCKS. I watched my 49ers play last evening on Amazon Prime Video for which my wife and I are paying additional $ above our normal Xfinity bill and missed two crucial touchdowns to 5 minutes of fa TV rozen screen, which came on the heels of several less lengthy earlier frozen screens. This problem of glitch-pauses in action were present last season, that at the start of this season's TNF games I assumed must have been corrected. One would assume that, wouldn't one? It obviously has not. Consequently, I will stop watching NFL's Thursday Night Football until I have been informed that the powers that be have solved this problem. This is totally unprofessional. Amazon and the NFL should be hanging their heads in shame. Anyone out there who feels as I do, don't hesitate to let your feelings be known. 

Resting the stars in the NBA has been a growing problem. New rules by the NBA are now in place for next season. I believe they will help a little, but it seems to me that resting starts so they are ready for the last part of the season is so logical, all teams with any intelligence will look to continue the practice one way or another.. As an ex player I'm not against resting stars or managing a player's minutes. But what I've consistently been concerned with is how this affects loyal fans who pay very high ticket prices to see their teams and particularly their stars. Many of these ticket buyers can only afford two such games per season. How to help them is the single most important problem the NBA should be concerned with. One way to help is for the league to have specific rules about rest management that from the start of the season, fans can calculate whether or not they should spend their money on a game. For example: 1) Teams are allowed to rest their star players on the second day of back to back games. 2) Teams can rest a star player coming off an injury for a time not to exceed 2 weeks. (In this case it is already allowable to manage playing minutes.) 3) Any team that rests a star player other than for documented injury after the All Star break will be fined. I can imagine a number of other possible specific rules, but you get the picture. What's important about specifics from the beginning of the season is that it allows fans to make better choices about which games they spend their hard earned money on. They may not always guess correctly, but it will improve their chances. For those fans who guess wrong and buy tickets for a game in which they do not get to see the best players, may I suggest some way of refunding some portion of the ticket to make up for the lass. Not the entire amount, mind you, because they still got to see NBA hoops that 's fun on any level and whoever is on the court.

Back to TNF Here's a poem I wrote that sums up my feelings about the 49ers. My next poem will be about Nick Bosa.

McCaffrey (With apologies to T.S. Elliot) 

McCaffrey’s the running back
Who’s a mystery to none at all
He breaks through any D line
He keeps his fans in awe
He’s the bafflement of tacklers
Defensive coaches’ despair
For when they look to find him
McCaffrey’s not there.
 
 
McCaffrey, McCaffrey,
There’s no one like McCaffrey,
He breaks the rules of velocity
His powers of misdirection
Would make magicians stare
For when the tacklers look for him
McCaffrey’s not there.
 
Defenders seeks him running
Or receiving, which is hardly rare
But they are left with weeping
‘Cause McCaffrey’s never there
 
                         Tom Meschery

A Little Bit of This & a Little Bit of That

 A Little Bit of This:

I was reading about Aaron Rodgers' torn Achilles tendon injury in relationship to his dislike of his offensive linemen cut-blocking the defensive line. I've only decided to write a little about football, mostly about the NFL this year, so I haven't paid much attention to the lesser known details of the sport, cut blocks being one of them. As it was explained, the offensive lineman throws himself at that legs of the in-charging defensive end or tackle to stop him from getting to the QB. Rodgers' complaint is that if the this particular block doesn't work, the D lineman is far more apt to get to the QB quickly, which means that if a team offensive coordinator likes the idea of cut-blocking, the QB must get the ball out of his hands quickly. Rodgers claims this does not allow him or other QB to improvise. I had to visulaze the action for a while before I could see that I agreed with Rodgers.  I think what bothered me the most about this strategy was the part about the offensive lineman "throwing himself" at the legs of the defensive lineman. Yes, this is a QB issue, but it seems to me it is a defensive linemen's issue. I was under the impression that cut-blocking was not allowed in the NFL any more. It seems to me any aggressive attack against the legs from the knees down is a receipe for serious injury. Ancles, Knees. Danger, right/ Am I wrong? Besides, I don't see the point of limiting your QB by forcing him to throw until he is ready. Most great QBs get the ball out of their hands efficiently. Efficiantly does not mean "hurry up." So, what is the point of cut-blocking? Seems anti-QB to me. 

A Little Bit of That:

Has anybody noticed there is no longer any off season for basketball, the pros and international ball especially? Looking back to the end of the NBA season, I'll bet there hasn't been a week where hasn't been some game or some important issue or event relating to basketball. This morning I read that there has been a two game match between NBA team Ignite and a Aussie Perth pro team. Soon to come,t here will be more games feature many of the 2024 NBA draft choice. Yes, you heard me, 2024. These wannabes don't show up on my calender until a year from now, but there I was reading about these kids and that the NBA scouts were at the games evaluating. This is closing in on mid September. NbA training camp is about two weeks away. Then it's full on hoops. Am I complaining? I can watch hoops any chance I get, but I worry about overplaying can lead to voer injury. The body must have time to rest, to heal, even if there is no injury, the body, like the mind, needs times of peace. It is not quite the same analogy, but I recall that baseball coaches do not teach youngsters to throw curveballs until well into high school. 

And more of That:

Will somebody explain to me why whenever I change channels to avoid looking at a commercial, that channel is also showing a commercial? On a related note, watching sports and the channel goes to a split screen, why does the commercial get the larger screen? One of these days we're going to wind up simpley watching commercials, no content, just auto insurance, beer and car ads and of course the ubiquitous drug commercials with all the weird names. Where have all our contents gone, (like the flowers and the soldiers) we'll ask each other, and scratch our heads because we've forgotten. 

Here's a Haiku about football

A perfect spiral
Cut the air in flight , I watched it
Laying on my back. 

Back Bloging. Books First

I always feel guilty when I forget to blog. I apologize, but I had a good reason. I've been finishing the 3rd novel in my Brovelli Brothers Mystery series: The Case of the Volkswagen Hippie Bus. Oh, by the way, the second in the series: The Case of the '66 Ford Mustang will launch this coming October. So, apologies and excuses done with, let's begin, starting in reverse order: Literature and Life first, sports second.

This morning on my walk, I was greeted with "Love that T-shirt" by four fellow-walkers. As a retired English teacher, (that was my career after 10 years playing in the NBA.) this made me happy. My T- shirt is black with white lettering. On the front is a picture of a cartoon smiley face book. The caption reads: Ban the Fascist, Save Our Books. If you haven't noticed, there are many Republican governors and Republican state legislators who are passing legislation banning books of all types from school libraries and county libraries state wide. I will leave for another blog, Texas closing high school libraies in Houston and converting them into disciplinary centers. OMG!  I taught high school AP senior English for 24 years in Reno High School. Nevada is by no means a liberal state. So, from time to time, as a teacher I encountered conservative flare-ups from some school board members. In one such case I had included Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon on my summer reading list for incoming seniors. The novel is, i grant you, a tough read, but I felt it was touching and profoundly important for students heading to college as most of mine were. Within hours of my distributing the list, my principal got calls from parents who did not want their children to read a story with a good deal of explicit sexual content. These were conservative and religious parents. What was the result of these calls? Well, the governor of Nevada didn't go ballistic and begin banning books, I can assure you, and I my family were not threatened as teachers and librarians are being threatened today. What did we do? We simply provided an alternative book for the kids to read, one that satisfied parents and me. In this case alternative novel was Earnest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. Look, I'm not using this platform to na na parents who overly oversee their children's book choices, even though I feel strongly that by the last years of high school, such scrutiny interferes with their children's ability to understand the society they are about to become a part of as adults. My point is BANNING BOOKS IS WRONG AND A SLIPPY SLOPE TO A FACIST CONTROLED SOCIETY. I believe absolutely that people of good will can solve problems, even the hardest problems. We did in Reno. It can happen throughout the country. 

Now, back to sports:

Congratulations to Co Co Gauf for winning her first U.S. Open title. There has been some fabulous tennis being played this year. Hopefully, you didn't miss the 20 year old Ben Shelton defeating a more seasoned Francis Tiafoe to make it to the Semi Finals. He lost to the incredible Novak Djkovic, but was not blown away. I was happy to see that the USTA allowed Russian and Belarussian players to compete while not allowing them to play under their national flag in protest of Putin's invasion of the Ukraine.

 Given how well our young American players performed, it looks like America is back in the pro tennis scene. I was sorry to see the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz lose. It will be the Russian Medvedev facing Djokovic in the finals. It is hard for me to cheer for Djokovic after his refusal to take his COVID shots. 

I'm not sure I can be enthusiastic about America's international basketball prospects. Our FIBA team will not bring back any medals this year. Germany and Lithuania smashed us on the boards and made our defense look pathetic. Canada beat us yesterday for the Bronze. Of course, this should not have surprised anyone as we were not playing with our best pros but with a cast of young upcoming NBA stars. As long as we don't play with our best players in the FIBA World Cup, we can look forward to more losing seasons in international competition. The world has generally caught up to us in basketball. That's good thing. 

I like to think I played some part in tje growth of basketball overseas. KC Jones, John Havlicek and I were the second group of American basketball players to travel to West Africa to promote the game back in 1964. The year before Bill Russell and Bob Cousy went. In 1965, again I returned with Si Green and in 1985 I spent 4 months by myself touring West Africa coaching. African players are now playing all over Europe and players of African decent are common in the NBA. The way things are going with International basketball, I would not be surprised in a few years down the line, there will no longer be an NBA but an IBA, the International Basketball Association, comprised of 4 Conferences: Asian, European, African, and Americas. 

Here is a poem I wrote about tennis. 

Tennis Tournament in Chinatown

    For Peter Sears

His first serve slices pencil thin
over the net and drops like a broken elbow,
skittering to the side out of reach,
and after his next serve curves like a new moon
to my forehand, then changes direction
like a scythe to my back-hand, I know
I’m in trouble. Forty-love, the first game
his, won on a squirrelly shot that, were it not
a ball, might well have been a squirrel.
 
My service, a hard one with top-spin
comes just in time to save me from disgrace,
or so I think. In the split second I see it
catch the corner, a certain winner, it returns
to me as a butterfly attaching itself to the silk
thread of the net, as delicate as a brushstroke,
before fluttering off where I can’t touch it.
 
I’m thinking this is not tennis but an ancient
form of art, disguised as tennis for the purpose
of torture, invented in the court of the Sung
Dynasty, and it is the sly Emperor Hui-Tang
himself on the other side of the net.
He is staring at me, crouched, his whites
gleaming in the sun, racket spinning in his hand,
waiting for me to decide how to paint
the rising peacock. Will I paint the left leg
or the right leg first? Meanwhile I’ve two balls
in my hand, confused, wondering which one
to serve and which one to place in my pocket.

Congratulations Coach Pop & etc

 San Antonio's, already legendary coach, Greg Popovich will be inducted into Basketball's Hall of Fame this Saturday. I just finished reading a lengthy and well written article in The Athletic that sums up Coach Pop's life and career. It's great read. It begins with Pop's motto as a coach and human being: Get Over Yourself. As a retired high school teacher, it is an aphorism that should be engraved above he entrance of every high school in the nation and above the entrance to the White House. It should be part of every wedding ceremony and opening statement of every CEO at the beginning of every board meeting. It should be every minister's first words to his or her congregation. And very mornings whisper as one rises in the morning to start one's day.  

Coach Popovich goes into the BAsketball Hall of Fame having long ago gotten over himself. But those of us who have enjoyed watching his teams will never get over him and what he has meant to basketball and his county. 

ETC

Can anybody be mor petty than Donald Trump Tweeting or whatever he doe about how happy he was that our women's national soccer team lost in the FIFA World Cup? And why was that? Because the team includes Megan Rapinoe, a lesbian and a hero of previous teams who has been  critical of Trump while he was president. Trump could certainly benefit from Popovich's advice to get over himself. 

Trump's motto is: If you go after me, I'll come after you. Living with that motto, it's no wonder his soul is so dark. 

ETC

From Trump to a much happier subject: Congrats to Eric Bieniemy, starting his firs season as the Jets Offensive Coordinator. My guess is the Chiefs are going to miss his presence. I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I'd bet Coach Eric's last name Bieniemy originated from the French, bien  ami, perhaps somewhere around Lousiana. Bien Ami means beloved friend. Stuff like that doesn't translate to the rough and tumble of NFL football, but I've always imagined Coach Andy Reed and Erica Bieniemy after retiring sitting in rocking chairs side by side on a front porch with a cold brew in their hands and a plate of pork ribs balanced on their large bellies, talking football and remembering their good old days together. 

Onward and downward: Long time QB of the Packers and now the QB of the Jets, Aaron Rodgers, could stand getting over himself. I still can't get over his anti-vax stance, which in my opinion was all about how his health was more important than his teammates' health. 

Onward and upward: Jimmy G, new QB of the Raiders, wins the first game against his old team the 49ers. You read it first here. 

POPOVITCH  HAIKU    by Tom Meschery

One thousand wins

    And one loss keeps you awake

Staring into the abyss 

The NFL, My Second Effort and ETC

 Let's begin with ETC: Part of etc in the future is going to be about FANTABULOUS names in all sports. i'm not talking about  the players as athletes but the players' actual names. Yesterday's blog contained my first effort and a great one it was, it will reign supreme, numero uno, until I find one to surpass it. This name will not, but it is definitely Fantabulous: 49er cornerback. Drum roll, please: DEOMMODORE LENOIR. Brandon Aiyuk calls him, "his dog."  

Is Brock Purdy the answer to the 49er QB question mark. Last season was certainly a Brock Purdy coming-out party, but referring to a sport I know best, it's always the second year that tests whether a player can sustain and grow. Lot's of talk abuot Trey Lance being traded. Giving up on an athlete like that sounds dumb to me. What might he look like after a couple of seasons without an injury?  

I would have added Aiyuk to my Fantabulous names' list, but Brandon just takes the edge off Aiyuk. It's got to be first, last, and middle if possible to earn a sport on Meschery's Fantabulous Names List. 

Here's a Haiku about football

QB #1    By Tom Meschery

Watch the rabbit run,
Escaping the coyote
Mahomes evading tackles.

Beware NBA & etc

This morning I read an Athletic article about options for the Knicks looking to fill out their rosters. The title started out:  "Cheap options for the Knicks." I didn't need to read further. I've been thinking about this since reading how writers were congratulating Sun's GM, Jone for his acumen finding chepa players to surround his Big Three, assuming he doesn't consider Ayton, which would make it the Big Four. In the recent past, Teams over the cap apron(s) have been faced with the same problems as the Suns. Take the Golden State Warriors, for example, finding vets they can sing for vet minimums. In 2022 in worked out beautifully; in 2023, the Dubs were not so lucky. Just not the same caliber vets, excpet for Donte DiVincenzo. Here's my worry. As the money rises teams can offer, I can foresee the bulk of it going to the super stars and a great deal less of it distributed among the solid rotation players. I don't believe vet rotation players and their agents would deny that NBA championship teams are built around their Super Stars and those stars, like great film stars, deserve top salaries, However, if the difference between Star contracts begin to infringe upon the contracts of the rest of the team, thing couls get a bit dicey around the league. Without getting into politics, this possibility in the NBA could at some point in the future begin to look like the disaprity betwee wealth in this country where most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the upper 2% of the population. 

ETC

After Basketball season ends, I blog less. I watch baseball, but baseball on television is a game for people who love statistics. Not that there isn't action. Watching pitchers is very satisfying, but I can only do it for so long. as pitching takes up over half of he time of the game. Whenever there's a homerun, I hear the voice of my dearly departed friend, Bill King, one time Voice of the Athletics: "It's going, it's gone, Holy Toledo! I've had the game explained to me by Larry Colton, one time Philly pitcher and now writer of great books. Read Counting Coups, you'll love the story of a Native American girls basketball team on it's way to a state championship. Even with Larry's tutelage, I know I'm not getting half the nuance of baseball. So I don't blog about it much.  

Of course there are so many sports I can write about. Presently, we have America's women competing for the FIFA World Championships. And I'll always have my eye out for tennis.  And I try not to miss major track and field events.  I know too little about winter sports such as skiing and iceskating that there's not interesting I could say about it, unless there is a rekated human interest narrative  involved.

 This all leads upt to the following:

Why not blog about the NFL and college football? Even though i recognize the sports' violence, I still enjoy watching football, especially the NFL, I guess because I prefer seeing sports played on the highest level. The only reason I can think of why I don't blog about football is simply that there are too many players to be taken into consideration to do a credible job. Twenty-two in all and most in positions I know little about except when pointed out to me by a color-commentator. Did you see what the left guard did to open up the hole for the running back? I did not, sorry Troy.  

But I have decided this season to go against my better judgement and write more about the NFL 

Allow me to begin: Hurrah, foe Justin Herbert for earning a five year contract worth $265.2 million. Note please that I didn't round up and kept the.2, which is about the total amount a teacher earns in ten years and probably less in a state like Mississippi. Ah, well. My wife is on board with this contract as she is an Oregon Duck and so is Justin. And she points out he went the full four years and graduated with a 4 GPA degree in science with an emphais in biology. Now we're talking roll model. 

Not to be upstaged by Herbert, Andrew Thomas, offensive tackle for the New York Giants has signed a contract worth $217.5 million. We're talking lineman here, I know zero about offensive tackles so i felt it would be a good start mentioning him. Well, I do know the job of offensive tackles is to clear a path for rurnning backs and to protect quaterbacks from getting crushed by defensive tackles. 

I'm a 49er fan. I go back as far a YA Tittle. I used to also be a fan of the Raiders, but when the team domped Oakland, I stopped. Vegas can have them. Although, I must say, if any city might carry on the raucous tradition of the Oakland fans it's Glitter City. Back to the 49ers: Nick Bosa has not showed up for training camp as his agent is working on the details of a new extended contract. I can't wait to see the numbers. I am a fan of Bosa, not only because he is a fabulous end rusher but because my wife's grandson,Jaxon, has named his cat Bosa.  

I don't think I'll push the envelope mush frurther for my first foray into football blogging, excpet for one last shot: The Winner of the All Time Name for an Athlete in any sport - Drum foll, please - is Amon-Ra-St. Brown. Like Wilt Champerlain's 100 point game, I doubt this will ever be surpassed.

 I leave you with this interesting factoid about football: In England in the 18th century, Rugby, the grandpa of American Football, along with Cricket, was the sport of the upper classes, while Football, which in America we call soccer, was thought of as the sport for the lower classes?  

HEAPS ON HEAPS

And now both bands in close embraces met,
Now foot to foot, and breast to breast was set.
Now all impatient grapple round the ball,
And heaps on heaps in wild disorder fall.
                 Matthew Concanen

               from A Match at Football
                     (1721)

The Temp is Rising

I read this morning in The Athletic about the Sun working to establish a G League team for next season. Good for them.  Sometimes I make comments at the end of articles. I wasn't going to, until a I read a comment about this article posted by a reader. It was not about basketball, but climate change. He questioned if in the future there would be a Suns team to write about, given that with climate change, the heat in AZ would be intolerable. That made me think of all the other cities in the NBA that are going to be massively affected by climate change: San Antonio, Houston, Orlando, etc. The City of Miami is going to be flooded. The Sun's new owner Matt Ishbia might want to consider moving his team to the Northwest  and let KD finish his career where he started in cool and beautiful Seattle. 

Today's 7.25.;23 Athletic had a marvelous, touching story about how Charlie Villanueva has helped rookie Celtic draft choice Jordan Walsh deal with their mutual condition, Alopecia, a disease that keeps hair from growing and lightens ones skin. According to one of the comments following the article,  when Villanueva was playing, Kevin Garnett said to him that he looked like he had cancer, a mean and childish thing to say. I had never thought of KG as a knucklehead. To bad, he was one heck of a player. If he hasn't done it already, let me suggest that he apologize publicly to Charlie and meet Jordan Walsh who is  a Celtic draft choice and embrace Walsh, also publicly. Of course, he doesn't have to. He can continue being a childish knucklehead. But one day, God forbid, KG might get cancer and then he'll have to look in the mirror. 

Just thinking: Anybody out there just a wee bit tired of hearing: Ya Know, bottom line, at the end of the day? And as much as I admire Leborn James, I could stand to open a sport page and not see his name for a few days. 

Women's soccer players are finally going to be paid the dame as the men's team. About frigging time. 

I just watched SLAM BALL. Holy Hops! They have finaly come up with the perfect sport for people suffering from hyper active disorder. Major sponsor Red Bull? 

While the super sports are going on, the fishermen are out abong the streasm and lakes, among them, my two son-in-laws. Here's a fishing poem for all the fishermen.

CATCH   

I imagine us dancing, a Mexican ballroom somewhere
(anything instead of fishing)
In faded, pre-war elegance, tropically flowered wallpaper
(jigs, flies, speckled lures and mr. twisters)
Drooping lushly like the evening sea-breeze
(damn the wind, they won’t bite now)
And you in sailor whites – tuxedo, if I blur my eyes
(black, shiny, slimy leeches, grubs, chubs, fathead. . . )
The band plays 40’s swing, a dark man croons “Darling”
(I’m a rapid oxidizer,” you announce, sweat streaming down your nose)
“Darling, Take My Heart. . . “
(walleye, pike, sunstroke, crappies)
And my red dress spins faster as you lift me off he floor
9jesus Christ, a four pounder!)
Its ruffled hem streaming round my knees
(landed)
Like a school of tiny iridescent fish
(darling, take my heart)
You sing at last.
 
             Ethna McKiernan

This & That July 19th

 I was struck this morning with Sam Amick's article in The Athletic about Joel Embid in which he sude the term RINGZ CULTURE. What a shame it has come to that. Historically it minimizes so many great NBA teams that reached the Finals and lost. I'm thinking of th great Utah Jazz teams of Stockton and Malone, and Charles Barkley's and Kevin Johnson's fabulous Suns' teams. To them I add my marvelous 1967 San Francisco Warriors team with Nate "The Great" Thurmond and Rick Barry. We lost to Wilt's 76ers, which was a great team even when with Moses Malone at center they later lost to Walton's Trailblazers. I never wore diamonds on my finger, but what shines most is in my heart. Ringz are finally  just glitter. 

Let's hear it for Sabrina Ionescu, the WNBA player who shot lights out 37 pts in the recent 3 pts shooting contest at the WNBA All-Star Game. There's a lot of talk already about a NBA vs WNBA shoot out between Steph Curry and Sabrina. Advertisers are lining up. So are Vegas odds makers. Aside from her miraculaous performance, there is a point to be made here. When you see shooting like this and watch the recent WNBA games, I don't think it is too farfetched to believe that someday there will be a female who can make it on to an NBA team. Okay, not in any of the power positions, but how about as a point guard who can shoot like Ianescu? Of course, she'd have to have the body and strength of Serena Williams, but is that so hard to visualize? I wrote a novel called She's Got Game about a female college All-Star who forgoes the WNBA to try out for the NBA. It's in manuscript and waiting for an agent. Any agents out there, I'm listening. 

Hurrah for Carlos Alcaraz for defeating Novak Djokovic for the singles mens' championship at Wimbledon.  A worthy young champion. Spain should be proud. One takeaway from the presentation at the end of the match. Ever since COVID, I stopped cheering for Djokovic when he refused to be inoculated. I don't do selfish well. So, I was thrilled the young Spaniard defeated him. But Novak's concession speech made me change my mind about him. It was so honest, I couldn't help to believe he's a much better person that I thought. Yes, he's still wrong about COVID, but he understand what it takes to be an athlete, to be gracious in a loss. I still won't cheer for him, but I will not bad-mouth him either. 

Here's a poem I wrote after watching the Wimbledon. 

RACKET   by Tom Meschery

To his astonishment,
his shot goes wide
its fault he seems
to be assigning
to the racket
staring up at him
out of his hand,
not to any misjudgment
on his part.
Fingering the stings
he speaks to it
as he might speak
to an enemy
Perhaps  a change
of rackets
will be all it takes.
He threatens or cajoles
while in the stands
we wait for service,
his rage to end
and the match to continue,
down 40 love.   

Was Blazer GM Telling Dame Lillard the Truth?

 It is my belief that the Portland Trailblazer's General Mgr. Joe Cronin was lying to Damian Lillard. He had no intention of building around Lillard, That was made very clear to me when after drafting Scoot Henderson, he didn't instantly try to trade him for veteran players to help Damian achieve his goal to legitimately compete for a ring. (There are plenty of teams in desperate need of a poing guard od Scoots caliber/potential. Scoot was the only asset for which Cronin had a chance to find the value he needed to convince Damian he spoke the truth instead of speaking out of the wrong side of his mouth and waiting for Damian to realize that he was stalling. Frightened, probably to take responsibility for initiating the trade  of  one of Portland's beloved sports figures.  Lillard deserved better. Let's see if Cronin can do the right thing now and find a place for Damian on a contender. It can be done, if Cronin really cares. 

A few comments about free agency. There are a lot of new multi-millionaires today. Good for them. It's going to be interesting to see what the Rockets do now that they have VanVleet as their point guard. I was happy to see Draymond did not depart and the Warriors resigned him. He got stability with a 4 year contract, and the Warriors got a financial savings to help them avoid the punitive new CBA rules. Some folks I know who hated Draymond's "Punch" asked me why not trade him? My answer to that is it would be like a wheel trying to turn without a hub. All in all bringing in Chris Paul and moving Jordan Poole to the Wiz where he can start over is best for Jordan while Paul will be best for the Warriors. People are asking how does a pick and roll expert like Paul fit into the motion offense that the Warriors run. Don't worry. Coach Kerr is smart. Paul has a high basketball IQ. They'll figure it out much to the amazement and regret of the rest of the league. I'm also getting my head around the Warriors' two draft choices and liking the choices much better. My old team has not finished filling out their roster, so more on the Warriors to come.  

I think the Boston Celtics will regret trading Marcus Smart. I think the Grizzlies improved their team greatly by acquiring Smart. Brooks is gone and Steven Adams will be back, so now the Griz will have two adults in the room to tone down the Ja Morant weirdness when he returns. Smart is the kind of tough and honest dude who I believe might be able to influence Ja, show the kid (for truly Ja is still a kid)  how to be a real pro.

Are the Celtics a better team with Porzingis? Only if he can stay healthy and have the same year he had last year with the Wizards. If so, it's not going to be easy beating Boston in the paint.   

The Lakers helped themselves by obtaining Gabe Vincent. They better hustle and sign Reeves. There is still an AD problem to figure out, or a problem with energy and toughness AD himself needs to figure out. He's like a part of his core game is missing, but it is essential. 

What's happening with Hardin? Only the Gods know. No loyalty on his part and not on GM Morey's part either. Hardin took less money last year with the expectation he'd be rewarded this season. Not happening. Perhaps here's the opportunity for a three way trade of some kind to bring Damian Lillard to the 76ers. Just thinking. 

Does the Beale trade make sense for the Suns? Absolutely. They gave up nothing and got one heck of a basketball player with a high IQ in return. I don't like their bench, but they have the rest of the summer to figure out how to find solid vets to fill in around the core of Booker, Beale, KD and Ayton. I've heard a lot of grumbling about Ayton, but he's still young and still 7 feet and can still rim run and block shots. Does he really have to do more with the other three around? Let's all cross our fingers KD stays healthy. 

Do I really care about Kyrie? Not a wink of sleep will I lose over the fate of that Knucklehead. And as the old cliche goes, Leopards don't change their spots, I predict that Kyrie will do something stupid this coming season. I do believe that the Mavericks may have finally found their center. And I applaud them for bringing back Seth Curry. The more space they can create for Doncic the better. Seth can shoot the three.  

Denver lost Brown. They'll miss him. The Pacers will love him. Brown is a hooper. I wouldn't be surprised if Donte DiVincenzo winds up back with the Bucks. They resigned Middleton and now must,  MUST, sign  Lopez. And Giannis MUST spend all summer perfecting his mid-range jumper. 

That's all dear readers, for the moment. Lot's of trades and deals to come I'm sure. Congrats to the Warriors' nee GM, Donleavy. He's stepping into some big shoes. So with Myers on my mind, I offer a poem I wrote for him after he departed.

THE GROUT IN THE WARRIORS’ MOSAIC

              for Bob Myers, GM of the Golden State Warriors

 

It's impossible when reading this 

Not to see the function of the man as glue.
Or see that, were it not for him,
Each tile would find it’s way to waywardness.
 
I’ve been a Warrior and a Warrior fan
And know the function of each player
On a team, to a man, must stick together.
It’s how a team succeeds, how teams win.
 
It’s like the writer says, mosaic,
On their own, as a wall, or ceiling
Beaufiful as they are, can not survive
a season. They need grout applied
 
by a steady hand. The craftsman
but much more, an artisan who sees
an angle butts well against the square,
the square against the trapezoid.
 
And when fit together into a portrait
Or a landscape or in the case, less anyone,
Not recognize the subject of this poem,
Bob Myers, stands back and observes
With satisfaction of a job well done.
 

Tommy Smith & John Carlos & etc about the NBA

 John Carlos, Tommy Smith, Dr Kenneth Noel & Dr. Harry Edwards were honored by inducting the four men  into the California Hawaii Legacy Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Sacramento, CA, the city in which I now live. Over the years since Smith and Carlos  made history in the 1968 Olympics by raising their black gloved fists on the winners podium as the "Star Spangled Banner "was being played, the two sprinters have gone from national pariahs to heroes of the Civil Rights movement. This is only one of many such awards Smith and Carlos have received, since our country has long ago come to acknowledge the bravery of what they did in 1968. I'm writing this blog to not only remind people of Carlos and Smith, but to remind my readers that their was a third brave soul on the podium that afternoon during the medal ceremony. Below is a poem I wrote in this person's honor;

DOCUMENTARY

    for Peter Norman (42 -2006)

I'm reading about fires raging in Australia
dark, particle filled smoke hovering over xitiesw and towns
images of kangaroos leaping before the rushing flames,
eucalyptus trees burning like torches.

North of th3e fire, my friend's son is working to save lives

He writes his parents he is in no danger but Australia is in flames.

Somewhere I read that the continent of Australia 

contains eleven out of the twelve most poisonous spieces of reptiles on earth.

Their coastal waters teeming with sharks.

In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City,

Peter Norman, an Australian, having won the silver medal

stood on the podium with with Americans Tommy Smith and John Carlos

when they raised their black gloved fists int the air

Norman, a white man, wore a badge of solidarity.

The Australian Olympic Committee

never forgave him for that one act of bravery.

The call them fire storms. The Ausstrains are praying for rain.

The Australian Olympic Committee never allowed Norman to run for his country again. 

ETC ABOUT THE NBA

I've been thinking about the Golden State Warriors draft and trade. I'm not sure why so many of the talking heads still believe Draymond Green is entertaining  leaving the Warriors, if he ever did. 

Draymond is going out with the horses he came in with. Jordan Poole is gone replaced by Chris Paul.

The Warriors drafted the hot 3 point shooter from Santa Clara University, Brandin Podzienski. The young talented but raw Baldwin II has joined Poole in Washington. In his place the Warriors drafted the 6'9" power forward 22 year old Trace Jackson Davis, the son of Indiana Pacer's power forward Dale Davis. Trace comes in with a grown man's body and can already board and bang. He's got the genes. Podzienski by all accounts sizzle from the 3. And then, we have 18 year NBA All Star Chris Paul coming off the bench to lead a second unit in which these two draft choices will certainly be a part. 

If all of the Warriors remain healthy, are the Golden State Warriors a stronger team than last years. 

And if you think they are, can they win another championship. I leave you with that question unanswered. Be thoughtful. Do not stress over the lost of a talent like Poole. Remember Monte Ellis  who Warrior fans adored was traded and what was the result of that trade?  

Dream Whisperer

 Back in the day in a Warriors vs Lakers' game in Los Angeles, we were ahead of the Lakers by 2 points going into the final seconds of the 4th quarter. Lakers' ball. The ball was in the hands of LA's point guard Dick Barnett. (actually no one called guards points or shooters in those days, just guards) Dick would become legendary years later as a New York Knick and member of the Knicks' two NBA Championship teams. Back to the story. So, there was Dick dribbling the ball up the court, hippity-hop, which was sort of his style of dribbling. He could really "handle" the ball. Modern day translation: Dick Barnett possessed a great handle. With only seconds left on the clock, Dick was moving at a fast pace. I was watching this action unfolding from my position defending Rudy LaRusso standing on LA's baseline. I could see Dick was not going to pass the ball. Dick was being guarded by Al Attles, no slouch on D. Barnett made it as far as midcourt on the corner nearest the announcers' table and within hearing distance of their great play by play broadcaster, Chick Hearn. I thought Al had trapped in that corner. Seconds left, Barnett rose up for a jumper. Dick's jumper was mechanically perfect from the waist up and an awkward hilariously funny kick back looking thing from the waist down. All of us, players, coaches, fans, and ushers saw what happened next. The ball rose back-spinning into the air. It reached it's apex and descended. It is at this point, Dick Barnett turned to Chick Hearn and said. "Baby, we ah in ovahtime." The ball hit nothing but net. We were tied and had to play a 5 minute overtime period. This is one of Chick's favorite stories part of which is also part of my story that I tell in my forthcoming Memoir: They Called Me The Mad Manchurian. I have long forgotten if we won the game in overtime or not. It doesn't matter who won. In my mind Dick Barnett won the game with that shot. There's probably a stat sheet somewhere that would answer the question who won, but who really cares. 

Why am I relating this tale? I just finished watching The Dream Whisperer, the story of Dr. Dick Barnett's successful 9 year quest to get his Tennessee A&I University teams that won 3 consecutive national championships inducted as a team into the Basketball Hall of Fame. It's one hell of a story of determination. And on this Juneteeth day honoring the end of slavery in the United States profoundly appropriate. 

One closing remark. Dick and I are about the same age. I'm 85. I watched Doctor Barnett on the TV screen walking, sort of hunched over with a little hop to his hip in his step.  And at first thought Dickie, your getting old, but then realized that's the way Dickie Barnett always walked. He was growing old while he was growing young. Dick Barnett, great shooter, funny man, intelligent and honorable,. Thanks for the memory and memories. 

I never wrote a poem about Dick. I probably should have, but I did write one for his friend and teammate Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Here it is.

EARL THE PEARL        By Tom Meschery

     For Earl Monroe

In the rec leagues
they called me Black Jesus.
When I walked onto the court
the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
In college, someone found a rhyme
and I became a pearl.
I guess I’ve been a mixed
metaphor ever since.
Today, when I back a player
down toward the paint
and spin into my shot,
I know before the ball leaves
my fingers it’s going in.
At that moment I can heal
lepers, raise the dead. 

Good for the Nugget & etc

 I've always had a warm spot in my heart for the city of Denver. It was there, playing in the AAU basketball tournaments in 1957 as a high school player and during my four years of college, that I demonstrated  the skills as a forward that led to my being selected in the first round of the 1961 NBA lottery by the Philadelphia Warriors. In high school I'd played center. No pro team had any use for a 6'6" center. In Denver, I played for the San Francisco Olympic Club that had a 6'10 center, so I played the forward position. It was, as they say these days, huge in my life. So I had no problem, once the Golden State Warriors were eliminated, deciding who I was going to cheer for to win the the 2003 NBA Championship. I was not disappointed. The Nuggets reign as the NBA's champs for 2003. They deserved it.

Better writers than me have already filled the internet with detailed accounts about how the Denver Nuggets did it, and who the best players were, their attributes, and their best moments. So, I'm not going to rehash old news. Let's leave it that I agree with most of the writers that this Denver team if they keep their core in tact, should compete for the Finals for years to come. All the accolades the players received by the press, I agree, were well deserved. I will not go so far as to agree that Jokic is the greatest player in the NBA today. That he is the greatest center in the NBA today, of course I agree. Greatest player is too broad, just as G.O.A.T is too broad that I can't think in those terms. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of all time. Michael Jordan was the greatest 1 thru 3 of all time, John Stockton was the greatest point guard of all time. Am I getting my point across? One can say that the Joker is the best passing center of all time, but then I remember one and a half years that Bill Walton played for the Portland Trailblazers and I say to myself, well what if Bill had not injured himself and had a long NBA career? I can say with confidence that Jokic is the best 3 pt shooting center to every play in the NBA so far. 

Since I brought up Bill Walton, I just finished watching ESPN'S 30/30 about Walton called The Luckiest Man in the World. It was an enormously moving film about one of the most fascinating and complicated basketball players that every put on an NBA uniform. Unquestionably Bill was one of the greatest high school and college basketball player that ever played. For the 1976/77 and half of the 1977/78 seasons Bill was the best all-around center in the NBA. I was Lenny Wilkens' assistant coach for Bill's first two years as a Blazer. In both those seasons Bill was injured, so it was all potential until he started paying better attention to his body and getting NBA healthy, which is a whole lot more difficult than just being generally healthy. Lenny and I were fired. Jack Ramsey took over the head coaching job and Bill lead the Blazers to an NBA Championship. If you are a basketball fan, this 30/30 about Walton is a must see. Let me repeat myself about how great a basketball center Bill Walton was, just so it's clear I'm on record. For one and half seasons, Bill Walton was the BEST ALL AROUND center to ever play the NBA. He checked off every skill set that a center should possess to be great. If you watch The Luckiest Man in the World, I'm reasonably sure you'll come away convinced that I'm right. 

Back to the Nuggets for a last word. Keep your team together. Sign Brown. Don't lose the dude, he's a winner. 

THE SHOT     by Tom Meschery

Remember the first time you knew for sure you were the one.
Let’s say the one is all of us in our own way, in our own time.
It could have been a playground or a gym, probably a gym.
You shot the ball and watched its certain flight. How certain?
You could have turned your back on it before it fell and shouted,
Like a player I knew, once in a game did with seconds left
And down by two let fly and cried out, “Baby we’re in overtime.”
He was a star in the NBA before all of you stars were born.
It wasn’t arrogance. The words were like an announcement
Shooters know, don’t they, when the ball will drop, or not
It’s something in the finger and the eye called touch and sight.
Tell me that I’m not right, that I’m a liar. Tell me the game
Doesn’t turn magical in that moment of arch and backspin
And I’ll stop writing. I know you can’t, Curry, wearing
The magician’s hat in The Garden the night of fifty points.
I watched him through my crystal ball sail one jumper
After another over the heads of the disbelieving fans. 

Why is No One Talking About About Saudi Murderers Anymore?

Monnohan commisioner of the PGA, when the LIV was formed, reminded the Golf World of the murderous history of the Saudi who financially supported the LIV. After the merger Mr. Monohan says he understands that some players will call him a hypocrite. No calling, you ARE a HYPOCRITE. Someone, I dare say, should investigate Commisioner Monohan's bank account. It seems that GREED has won. This is the Pandora's Box Donald Trump opened with his presidency that has consumed our nation that heretofore was able to keep that box if not entiely closed, relatively closed, so that greed and pure self interest did not consume society. The American people must show their patriotism and support of the families of the victims of 9/11 by not watching this new incarnation of professional golf. And product advitisors such a Rolex and Mercedes Benz should withdraw their support of this new league. 

A few quick observations about the NBA:

What schmuck on The Athletic, yesterday wrote the headline: Joker or Choker? Are you stupid or just thrilled by one liners?

As great as the Murry and Jokic pick and roll duo is, I'd like to remind writers that Stockton and Malone maintained their greatness over a dozen years I'd also like to remind such writers quick to laud the duo as the reason the Nuggets defeated the Heat last night that the Nuggets would not have won, no matter how great the dynamic duo was, without Bruan and Brown. This pair provided the off the bench scoring, defense and most importantly the GRIT that was lacking in the Nugget lost in the second game in Denver. 

I read that the Suns are thinking of waving or renegotiating the contract of Chris Paul. Smart, given Paul's history lately of injuries, the hardest ones to deal with coming at the crucial time at the end of the seasons when his leadership is most needed. Waiving him is stupid, so renegotiate. The Suns will not find a better point guard in free agency if they are trying to max out the KD/Booker combo before KD starts loosing skills. But, as our present President Joe Biden likes to say, Here's the Deal. Have the Suns done what they can to help Paul reduce his chances of injuries? As a player in the NBA I played through my entire ten year career with groin pulls. There were things we did so that I could play though the pain, But assuming Pual's injury is more serious than mine were, has the Sun's medical staff done everything it can to minimize Paul's tendency to muscle injuries? I'm bettting Paul has less than 8% body fat, which make him vulnerable to such injuries. There is science, but there is also thinking outside the box. Perhaps a little creativity might uncover something that would help Chris Paul. For example, what kind of fitness regimen do ballet dancers employ?  Just thinking. 

Not exactly a poem, but an appropriate metaphor for the best Pick and Roll duo of the NBA

Stockton licks the stamp

 places it on the envelope

and he Mailman delivers.. 

    

PGA HYPOCRISY & NBA FINALS

Yesterday on television, I watched the primo director of the PGA talking about the newly formed LIV sometime after it started and had convinced some ot the PGA's elite players to jump ship. For Big Bucks, needless to say as every sports fan knows. (Phil Mickelson received $200 million, Dustin Johnson, $97 million and Bruce Koepka $69 million dollars.) He didn't waste time to remind the golfing world that this league - the LIV - was solely sponsored by the Saudi government, a government that supported the twin towers bombers and routinely murders its own people. He didn't say it but the message was clear, the money these players were receiving was stained by blood. The league itself was bloody. I remember back then how appreciative the World Trade Center survivors and victims' families were for the PGA's stance.

Yesterday, those same survivors and victims' families were betrayed. The PGA announced that it would be merging with the LIV. which is to say they will be partners with terrorists and killers. Phil Mickelson stated joyously that it was an amazing day. Yes, Phil, amazing it is that GREED ounce again triumphs over honor, but it is by no means joyful. It is sad and dishonest and unpatriotic. And you have the audacity to call it joyous. Just as the past president our country Donald Trump has the audacity to allow Saudi sponsored golf to be played on his golf courses. Just as  the PGA now has the audacity to provide the Saudi government with a world public relations coup. Shame on the PGA. 

Let's be clear, I have no problem with competing leagues. That's fair business practice and we've seen it happen often in the United States. What I object to strenuously is with a league owned by the Saudi government. As most Americans did, on 9/11/2001, I watched Saudi nurtured pilots steer their deadly planes into the Twin Towers in the heart of New York City. Unless the Saudi government divests its entire ownership interests in the LIV, I will never watch PGA golf again. I would hope all Americans to similarly pledge. 

THE NBA FINAL. Now to something truly joyous: basketball. The Heat and the Nuggest are tied. This is a surprise to me. I would have thought the Nuggets would have dominated on the Mile High home court. As it turned out the Heat had other plans. I do recall for responding to some Athletic Writers that the only chance the Heat have lies not with their two stars, Butler and Adebayo but with Vincent, Straus and Martin.  I like being right. I do, however, add that Adebayo played the last two games like he was better than Anthony Davis, not a less talented version of AD. He played the entire 50 by 90 feet of the court and Jokic, as great as he is, and his help D, had trouble finding him. I still believe the Nuggets will win, but it is possible it will take 7 games. Here, however, in closing, is a question to ponder. Are these two games of Adebayo an aberration or a new norm? The Heat's centers inconsistent offensive highs and lows have alwasys mystified me. What Heat fans can hope for is that this is the year, in these Finals, that Bam finally internalizes how talented he truly is.

In honor of the NBA Finals, I offer this poem I wrote about my beloved Dubs.

Ode to the Golden State Warriors 2015   by Tom Meschery
 
One small change and the line begins: Good luck,

timing and the stars. This morning, I'm still seeing
Curry’s three float through the sky of the arena
reminding me of a lesson in geometry:
An arc is a segment of the circumference
of the circle – from foot (the flat plane of release)
that travels in silent degrees over the moon.
That it drops into the hoop is a matter
both of mathematics and imagination.
 
I am watching this arc with my arm in a sling
having had my shoulder replaced with titanium,
a science of a lesser degree than the one
Curry, and his teammate, Thompson,
use to turn mathamatics into a sport.
 
As far as my titanium shoulder will allow,
I raise my arm to salute the Splash Brothers
and their teammates, three out of five,
Bogut, Barnes, and Green
and all the other players off the bench,
no small part of the equation called teammates.
And raise it up again through pain
to honor the others: players and coaches,
Gentry, Adams, and Kerr for his coaching
that were it not intense, looks much like joy.
 
Something so old inside me called desire
yearns to play again, to shake off years,
travel through the television screen
and be six-six again, called undersized
like Draymond Green snatching rebounds,
playing beyond our skills because we will it,
because we know that timing gives us wings.
 
And wherever they are, the old Warriors,
Nate and Rick, Al and Jeff, I wonder, if like me,
they’re watching these new Warriors, Dubs,
seeing how luck, timing, and the stars triangulate.
 
           
          

timing, and the stars. This morning I’m still seeing