Cheap Shots and etc

I suppose it comes down to this: Did Thomas Robinson elbow Jonas Jerebko after the play was over or did he elbow him in the heat of the moment? If it was the later, the kid can't be accused of being a cheap shot artist - like Ron Artest or Andrew Bynum and, lest it escapes notice, Rick Mahorn, ex of the Bad Boy Pistons who never threw an elbow he didn't like. "I just used my wide body to clear people out," Mahorn whined  in the newspaper this morning. Give me a break! He and Bill Lambier were as dirty a duo as there ever was in the NBA, and believe me, I know dirty. I cleared a few people out with elbows when I played the NBA, (never cheap shots, always in the heat of the moment) but nonetheless elbows that could very well have hurt the person on the receiving end. The NBA has every right to curb cheap shots, but ex-players should be careful not to shoot their mouths without first looking in the mirror of their own game. They could discover a goodly amount of hypocrisy there.

Back in my day, teams policed cheap shot artists on their own without league assistance. If Robinson had played back then, my guess is that sometime during the game (had he not been ejected, and most players were not for throwing elbows) young Mr. Robinson would have found himself on the receiving end of an elbow or found himself on his ass after a well placed pick. Ah, for the good old days when playerws like Wayne Embry were around to straighten things out.

"I'm a good kid," Robinson says, and I believe him. I really like his game. He's tough and quick, and energetic, and will, in my opinion, become a strong 3/4 type forward in the NBA. And have a successful career. Thomas Robinson, if you read this blog, you've got a fan in this old Warrior. Keep it up. That doesn't mean elbows, but it doesn't mean not elbows either. Stay tough, and don't give an inch. AND learn to shoot a jump shot.

Speaking of jump shots, will somebody please, please teach Tyreke Evans to shoot one. What is it with that silly kick-back, slingshot he's trying to pass off as a jumper? If I was coaching against the Kings, I'd play off Tyreke and clog the passing lanes. Let him shoot. I doubt he could make 20% even if he was wide open. However, if he could consistently hit from twenty feet or so, wow! And double wow! With Tyreke's speed and facility to get into the paint and finish, no one could stop him. Tyreke's form is wrong in three major ways. I'm not going to say what they are. But they are so noticiable, that I'm shocked that the King's coaches have not spotted the problems and corrected them.

Sorry to see that Andrew Bogut is down for a week or so. Better that and more conditioning, however, than for him to go on the floor not physically ready.

I watched the Thunder vs Bull last night. What an entertaining game. I'm impressed with both teams. How can you not love Jochim Noah? The Bulls will be fabulous once Rose returns, but will go through a down time as they adjust to his return, as teams always do once a star comes back into the rotation.

As for the Thunder. Has anyone noticed how far Thabeet has developed as a player? Remember, this kid is still very young and seven-foot-four. Once the Thunder coaches integrate Lamb into the line-up a little (this kids has a huge up-side) and Maynard get more comfortable in the rotation, and if the Tanganyikan continues to improve, (Perkins, Ibaka, Thabeet clogging up the paint) I wonder, could the Thunder beat the Heat? Hummmm? I'm leaning in that direction.

I'm not much for hypocrisy in life, which means in sports, as in Rick Mahorn, etc types. Here's a poem that sort of fits my mood.

The Boxer's Face  by Lucilius  Translated by Humbert Wolfe

Olympicus, don't look into a mirror
lest, like Narcissus, you drown yourself - in terror.

                  

Coach Pagano and Other Subjects

It's very cool that the Indianapolis Colt's players are shaving their heads to honor their coach, Chuck Pagano's battle against Leukemia. As someone who has survived a similar blood cancer, I appreciate what Coach Pagano is going through and understand what a boost it must give him knowing what his players are doing. If this was all that made news about Coach Pagano's cancer, I'd stop yakking with a hearty hurrah and good luck from all of us cancer survivors but, I must say, I cringed when I saw the recent half time show of Coach Pagano tearfully addressing his players.

Not that he shouldn't have done it, I cringed because he allowed that personal time between him and his team to be televised. I don't know what motivated him to do that. Was he responsible for letting the cameras into the locker room or was this a tasteless decision by management to gain some kind of perverse sympathy for its team? I watched both fascinated and horrified as an intimate moment between coach and players turned into soap opera. Cancer is not a locker-room pep-talk. Give it one for the Gipper and all that kind of nonsense. Cancer is not theater.

Athletes    by Walker Gibson

The groggy fighter on his knees
Sways up at nine, postpones the count;
The jockey, forty-to-one shot, sees
Them all go by, yet whips his mount;
The losing pitcher, arm gone lame,
Still drops that last one in, a strike -
So you and I play a stubborn game,
Disaster prodding us alike.
So you and I, ignoring odds,
Tug caps, clutch ropes, and flail our whips,
Make sacrifices to the gods,
Breed children and build battleships,
Though ours is not an athlete's doom,
Nor death like any locker-room.

The Season is Upon Us

The NBA season is about to start, and I can say with certainty that if Bogut and Curry stay healthy, the Warriors will be in the playoffs, perhaps even make it into the second round. Go Warriors! I need to mention the new kid Harrison Barnes who's going to be a quintessential 3 in the NBA, and Klay Thompson, a fab shooting guard, who's going to come into his own this season. And I'm crazy for David Lee's game, always consistent, with that, "you never know I might just dump 30 points on you if you don't take me seriously, component. The Warriors have depth and a much better handle on team D.

Now to my transplanted hometown, Sacramento, home of the Kings, GM'ed by Geoff Petrie a player I coached when he played for the Portland Blazers. He's a smart fellow who has got himself in a bit of bind since his glory Vlade Divac days. Now he has DeMarcus Cousins, who will either be an Elvin Hayes, Walt Bellamy headache or one of the greatest centers in the NBA. What a talent. But I tremble when I watch his body language and his facial expressions which spell the words I AM SPOILED, PLEASE DON'T DISCIPLINE ME OR I WILL POUT. And what in the world is going to happen to Tyreke Evans? Can he ever learn to shoot a decent jump shot? Doesn't look like it to me, and Coach Smart has him playing the 3 now. Well, playing the forward position requires some different skills than the backcourt. It's not going to happen. Tyreke becomes a liability. Fredette couldn't guard my grandmother. The Kings have cobbled together some decent players, but they go nowhere without a stable, hardworking, mature Cousins. What are the odds of that happening?

Sorry to see Kevin Love go down with a broken hand. The Timberwolves are still my sleeper team for the future. Keep your eyes on the Russian guard, Shved. Kirilenko will perk up the defense. Both Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love will be back in time to make a late charge. But I may change my mind and pick the Houston Rockets as my sleeper. Their additions for this season are impressive: Omar Asik at the post will realize his potential; three great rookies; White, Lamb, and Motiejunas. Motiejunas could turn into an All Star power forward and Lamb an All Start guard. Jeremy Limm is still a question mark for me. I think players have come to realize he has only a decent jumper, and they'll play him for the drive and also beat on him the way Mario Chalmers of the Heat did last year. Houston can fill the net, but can they play D????

The Celtics? Jason Terry will help and Green will be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Great coaching will keep them competitive, into the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder will not make the Finals of the NBA. Perkins is not the answer in the paint. He has no finesse at all, no real post moves.

LA will not produce even with Dwight and Nash because Brown is not a head coach. Their only hope is if Nash takes over the team. I'm baffled by those who say Brown is a good coach. Princeton Offense, my behind!  By the way, I guess Kobe has not grown up yet as I recently thought he had. How bush was it when he badmouthed Smush and Kwame? So, they're not great players, so what, they're teammates. No class Kobe, No Class. If I was a teammate of Kobe's I'd be looking over my shoulder.

Speaking of class: Tom Brady deserves the Class Medal. After being taunted by that silly SeaHawks player, Brady responded by praising him, ending by saying that his father always taught him "to respect his opponents." That's class Kobe. Get a grip on the concept.

I can't see how Orlando or the Hawks have much of a chance this year. Milwaukee will be a tad better with some new post presence with Dalembert while Monta Ellis and Jennings will score. And Ekepe will improve. Utah will be floating in the middle of the pack, maybe a year away. Not sure about Tyrone Corbin's coaching skills.

Detroit will be improved and may turn into a playoff team. Great first round draft choice. I love Andre Drummond. Combined with Greg Monroe, they can own the boards. Brandon Knight is tough. So I pick Detroit for the playoffs. Stucky is tough minded, not the greatest point guard but will do for the time being. Might go beyond first round in the playoffs.
Chicago, always strong with Noah, Boozer, and Deng, but without Rose, they don't beat the Heat or Boston, or maybe Detroit. Will the Knicks do the job? Not with Carmelo. Carmelo possesses an irreparable selfish gene. He suppresses it for awhile, everything looks sweet, then inevitably it returns, like someone on a constant diet who knocks off a few pounds but eventully falls off the food truck. He simply doesn't get it. As for Amare? Well, he has to be in a system because, I hate to say it, he's not the brightest kid in the class.

The Heat? We'll let the gods decide. Probably they'll win the East. Unless Rose comes back strong. The Nets need a great season from Joe Johnson while Brook Lopez must become a defensive center for once in his life.Was it Stanford that turned him into a wus? Those damn intellectuals.

This blog is about basketball, but our Giants are in the finals for the National League title. So here's poem for them and baseball.

The Double Play  by Robert Wallace

In his sea lit
distance, the pitcher winding
like a clock about to chime comes down with

the ball, hit
sharply, under the artificial
banks of arc-lights. bounds like a vanishing string

over the green
to the shortstop magically
scoops to his right whirling above his invisible

shadows
in he dust redirects
its flight to the running poised second baseman

pirouettes
leaping, above the slide, to throw
from mid-air, across the colored tightened interval,

to the leaning -
out first baseman ends the dance
drawing it disappearing into his long brown glove

stretches. What
is too swift for deception
is final, lost, among the loosened figures

jogging off the field
(the pitcher walks), casual
in the space where the poem has happened.

Randon Thoughts from September

Have you noticed the increase in NFL post-game player kneel-downs following great plays or touchdowns, or of players crossings themselves, or increased finger pointings skyward in the direction of heaven so far in this early season? I have, and I believe something is going on religiously in this kick-ass sport, and my guess is it started last year with Tim Tebow, tebowing. His overt and public acknowledgement of his Deity has turned into a kind of football tent-revival. I'm not disparaging this movement, if it indeed exists. Prayer circles after games in the NFL have been around for a long time, so this may be merely an extension of a growing religious fervor among the pigskin crew. Anyway, who can it hurt? Maybe, the unbelievers. I worry such religious enthusiasm, if the movement grows, might hurt the players who do not believe God is interested in football and plays no roll in it's action or outcomes. Will these apostates be discriminated against by the believers?

Another thought: if Tebow flops in the NFL, which is a reasonable possibility, he has a job waiting for him as the official minister to football worldwide. It's a made to order TV ministry. Okay, I'm being "snarky."
Sorry, Tim. You have the right to go with your beliefs. Pause. A deep sigh. Just don't bring it into my court.

Another random thought: For years I have been upset by the beer commercials sponsoring sporting events, football in particular. Why? Because, as a great fan of beers, I knew these beers to be some of the worst tasting beers brewed in the world. Gag me! How can these companys dare to call their products beer? Now, I've changed my reasoning. The way I'm figuring it now is that the more people who succumb to these beer commercials and taste these obnoxious brews, the more people will stop buying them. I'm calling it reverse advertising. It's not the label or the numbers of dancing girls, it's the quality of the beer that matters.

Here's a poem I wrote about football.

Football Poem With Random Implications    by Tom Meschery

                                              For Dell

In King Lear, Kent trips Oswald
and calls him a base football player,
base, because it was a sport played
by peasants not by the sons of gentlemen
who, later in English history, attended
famous public schools like Rugby
after which the sport of Rugby is named,
which in rules and action more closely
resembles American football that has,
in recent years, become America's most
popular sport, supplanting baseball,
a sport better suited to statisticians
and novelists. I'm not surprised to learn
about the base nature of soccer, given
the often rowdy behaviour of its fans,
clearly plebs. Such behavior, having nothing
to do with the results of the games, but
with their station in life, would never
be tolerated by graduates of Rugby,
many of whom sit in the House of the Lords.

Monday Night Football

Do I have to suffer another year of listening to Jon Gruden's fake enthusiasm, his self-important, self-serving, obnoxious analysis? It's particularly nauseating after listening to two professionals, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, discussing football intelligently, while providing reasonable insights into the game the night before on Sunday Night Football. Why, for pity's sake does the network think Gruden is at all interesting. Does Gruden believe he is channeling Dandy Don Meredith, the first Monday Nighter? Now there was an original. As for Gruden, he is an unreasonable facsimile of himself.

Thinking of Monday Night Football reminded me that Chet Forte, a basketball player and a contemporary of mine, was the first director of that show. In 1957 at Columbia University, Chet was voted a First Team All-American. I'd just started college at St. Mary's. Forte could shoot lights out from distance, and if the NBA had had a three point line back then, when he played, he might have had a much longer career as a pro.

Looks like the 49ers are for real. And so is Alex Smith who deserves a lot of credit for suffering the slings and arrows of the last four years. As for the Raiders, my old bud, Bill King, former play by play man for the Raiders, A's, and Warriors is turning over in his grave. I'm wondering if this continued carryover of silly mistakes and underachieving defense from the past isn't an Al Davis curse; there's precedence in sports - the curse of the Bambino, for example.

I would like to blog some more, but the Monday Night game is about to start, and I'm off to watch the game without sound. I'm a big Manning fan - both of them - but I have to give a leg up to the older bro.
Longevity counts, at least at my age it does.

P.S. I'm back. Just watched Payton Manning intercepted three times. Hallucinating, I think. And then, to bring his Broncos back in the 4th quarter. Lots of courage. The Falcons better find a running back.

Here's a wonderful old, very old classic poem about football written by Sir Walter Scott. The game of football, soccer to us, was developed in England in the 18th century?

Football Song

Then strip, lads, and to it, though sharp be the weather,
   And if, by mischance, you should happen to fail,
There are worse things in life than a tumble on heather,
   And life is itself but a game at football.

And when it is over, we'll drink a blithe measure
   To each Laird and each Lady that witnessed our fun,
And to every blithe heart that took part in our pleasure,
   To the lads that have lost and the lads that have won.

                             Chorus

Then up with the Banner, let forest winds fan her,
   She has blazed over Ettrick eight ages and more;
In sport we'll attend her, in battle defend her,
   With heart and with hand, like our fathers before.