A Few Thoughts About the Sacramento Kings

With all the hoopla about the King's new, architecturally splendid arena, it's easy to forget that the team inhabiting that palace is not playing basketball well. Vlade brought in veterans to stabilize the defense and boards, and support Cousins, and, perhaps, keep the lid on the big man's tantrums. It's not happening. I see little in the way of solid man-to-man defense. I see very little in the way of rim protection. Rim protection should be an important responsibility of Center, Demarcus Cousins, but the big man has little talent for it. He doesn't have the instincts of a shot blocker, plus he has no hops. That leaves Koufus, who makes the effort, but has only a little more natural talent for shot blocking than Cousins.

What about the other guys? Gay is not a boarder and only an average defender. So, the front court is susceptible to the drive. What about the back court? Maclemore III has the athleticism and works hard at defense, but loses his way. Mac's natural condition on the court is one of confusion. Poor kid, I look at his baby face and wonder if anybody's home. Ty Lawson has speed, but does he have the will? Collison will be back. He will help with speed and defensive smarts. But he is not strong and can be overpowered by big, fast guards.

I like Temple. In my opinion, he needs to start instead of Maclemore III. Collison and Temple as starters would make a better defensive front than Lawson and Mac. Some would argue that Matt Barnes should be starting instead of Koufus to shore up the D intensity. But Barnes is so edgy, one wonders when the short fuse will burn down before the bomb goes off.  I'd still vote for him as a starter with Koufus coming off the bench. Casspi is the type of player whose worth can only be measured if he has substantial minutes. On a Euro League team where he would be a starter, he could be an All Star. Omri doesn't get the minutes in this rotation. Either play him more or trade him. Tolliver won't hurt you. Solid off the bench performer. The rooks. The Greek and the Haitian are really raw, although Labisiere seems to have a nice touch. Maybe, maybe Richardson should get some minutes. Looks to have talent.

A couple of questions. 1) Does Cousins ever "show" or switch on screens? 2) Does anybody sense there is a team defensive effort. ie: players on a string?

Finally, there simply isn't enough athleticism on the Kings for them to compete against the strong NBA teams. So, expect a few more wins than last year, but not many. If that happens, expect Cousins to ask to be traded.

I've always liked this poem written by the Roman poet, Virgil, from his Georgics translated by Smith
Palmer Bovie as it demonstrates the mentality it takes to win.

The Chariot Race    by Virgil

Have you not seen them fighting for the lead,
Their chariots plunging when the barrier drops,
The drivers' surging hopes, the pounding fear
That drains exulting hearts? They close in,
Ply the lash, crouch over loosened reins,
The glowing axle spins, the drivers' bodies
Seem now to scrape the ground, and now to soar
Through empty air, wheels rising in the wind;
No hanging back, no rest: a golden cloud
Or sand swirls in their wake, the flecks of foam,
The breath of the pursuers, soak them through;
So great is their love for praise, their will to win.

Another Reason to Vote for Hillary

Hey, out there in undecided land, if you need a reason to vote for Hillary Clinton for President of the United States of America, consider the following list of professional athletes and coaches who are supporting Donald Trump:

Mike Tyson ---Latrell Sprewell...Richie Incognito... Bobby Knight ... John Daly... Denis Rodman...Terrell Owens. Holy Anger Management! Imagine these guys in the Trump cabinet. How long would it be before we're in a war with Iran? Come to think of it, maybe the Clinton government (she's the winner) could package these guys and send them to Iraq to fight ISIS. I'd actually feel sorry for ISIS.

Other pro athletes supporting Trump worth mentioning are:

Nick Mangold. . . Mike Ditka. . . Luo Holtz. . . John Rocker. . . Eric Wood. . . Derik Woolf. ... Paul O'Neill. All whites. Are we surprised?

Actually, looking at this list, I'm not surprised one bit. I am, however, astonished, astounded and shocked by the number of  NFL African-Americans, who were quoted in a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, that they are still undecided, citing worry over economics and their taxes going up, sounding like a bunch of privileged uber-wealthy Republicans. Holy Memory Loss. Do they really believe Trump gives a sh_t about people of color? This Presidential race is about a whole lot more than your paltry millions.

Here's another poem I published it a few years back and worth repeating.

Ulysses    by Claude Clayton Smith

There is yet some elastic
in this tired old jock,
enough to toss the ball
around and teach my son
Telemachus the subtle art
of looking left - while
thinking right. To catch 
the opposition napping,
to cross them up and leave
them guessing. Elastic
yet to flip the pages of 
faded clippings and narrate
tales that live as legends:
the hours of practice
the hard-fought game
the occasional moments
of glory. 

The Sacramento Kings 2016/17

It looks like the Sacramento Kings finally have a coach they can rely on to take them out of the desert of the last ten years and into more fertile ground. His name is David Joeger. His first three games coaching demonstrate a solid approach to the professional basketball. He was rock-solid in Memphis and he will be the same rock in River City.

There is still, of course, the problem of his extremely talented child/center, DeMarcus Cousins, who threw a fit in the closing minutes of last night's game against the Timberwolves. His antic disposition, rushing into the stands and throwing his mouthpiece after he was called for a sixth foul could very well have cost the Kings the game, one they deserved to win, displaying the kind of grit past Kings' teams rarely displayed. I was surprised (very surprised) the refs refrained from T-ing the big guy for his tantrum. As Cousins ranted, I was reminded of some of my least mature students having melt-downs. I always sent them to the principal's office to cool off. In the old days, that could have called for a spanking. Commissioner Silver, get out your ruler, I'm sending you a trouble maker. 

The Kings' team, I'm happy to report, especially for the sake of my wife's grandsons who have suffered through nothing but losing season during their short lives, are a much improved team under Dave Jeoger and his staff. They are a bit of a hodge-podge of vets, which makes for some concern as to what direction the Kings are taking. My bet is that the front office has decided to forgo a youth plan. This said, I have no complaints about the vets, all of them competent, if not superior players. I've always liked Ty Lawson (before he started having problems). I remember getting on the phone with Al Attles of the Warriors when Ty graduated from North Carolina and telling him to draft the Tarheel's guard. So, I'm pulling for Ty to resurrect his career with the Kings. Afflalo is a streak shooter, but a good defender. Matt Barnes is a flake, but a much better pro than people give him credit for. He too could become a kind of defensive presence and influence the Kings need. Once Darren Collison returns, it only helps the Kings backcourt. Temple is competent point guard and also a solid defender. Koufas is Koufas, a worthy back up center. Cauley Stein is a work in progress,but as the season moves on, he'll improve. How about mastering a few post moves, huh? Maclemore remains a mystery, but seems to be hitting the long ball more consistently, not enough for my taste, but that's me. Toliver will provide good back-up minutes. Omri Casspi doesn't seem happy to me looking at lost minutes. He's at his best when he can shoot the three ball, but none of the Kings appear to be looking for him. He's a tough kid, but a frustrated one. Rudy Gay is Rudy, a Carmelo Antheny clone, but not as strong or as proficient a shooter. STILL, Rudy can create of the bounce from the wing, and every team needs a player like that. Gay will suffice until a better option comes along through a trade. As for the rooks, it doesn't appear that the coaching staff is willing to risk using them much this year. Good decision, bad? Who knows. I like Richarson and Labisiere. The Giant Greek needs lots and lots and lots of work. Footwork would be a good start.

My prediction for this year: Baring injuries the Kings make the Western Conference  Playoffs. Joeger  in the mix for Coach of the Year.

Oh, my God, am I out on the limb, or what? Cousin's hysterics could be the saw that cuts of the limb behind me.

Not just the Kings' Dance team, but around the entire league, totally unimaginative routines. NBA teams are desperately in need of talented choreographers. Here's a poem about NBA dance teams.

NBA Dance Teams    by Tom Meschery

There's a timeout.
The dance team rushes onto the court
and begins dancing the dance of flinging hair.
The music is thumping.
They're humping air.
My wife, sitting next to me, says'
"Sesame Street for the big boys."

Ratings Decline for NFL on Television

The Neilson Company recently reported that 11 percent fewer people are watching NFL football. Why am not surprised?  A great number of folks have already tuned out because of football violence. Now, many of the remaining fans are saying no to the mind numbing numbers of commercials that interrupt the flow of the game. Eleven percent actually seems low to me. I would suggest that the NFL should brace itself for a twenty percent dip in viewership. But that leaves a healthy portion of the American public still glued to Sundays and Mondays. And Thursdays? (Are you kidding me! That's a loser night.)

What astounded me about the recent drop in ratings is that some pollsters are blaming it on Colin Kaepernick's take-a-knee protest against the disproportionate police violence toward African-Americans. Here I go again: you gotta be kidding me? This time, notice the question mark. I have a lot of friends who'd tell me not to be naive. They would tell me that there remains a large percentage of Americans harboring prejudice towards people of color. If that is true, you might ask then what percentage of those men and women harboring such prejudice are NFL fans? Gee, I guess if you have a bunch of NFL fans who are haters,then the pollsters may be correct. Now that's pitiful. And as far as I'm concerned anti-The United States Constitution and anti-American.

Let's take it a step further. I'm surprised more African-American players are not following Kap's lead. Their ho-hum reception to their fellow football player's protest should gladden the hearts of NFL exec. The protest is going nowhere.

What should be worrying the NFL is the number of parents who are not excited about sending their boys onto a football field. These days every injury sends a flock of doctors rushing onto the field. It's the NFL's way of telling the public they are concerned about concussions and other injuries. Fine, but I don't see the game getting any less violent, do you?

The NFL should also be gravely concerned about the commercial interruptions that make the game much less pleasant to watch, rather than allow the speculation that it's Kap's fault. I wonder would happen if Kaepernick started to play well, say become a super star like Tom Brady? I can see the Pat vs the 49er game now: The National Anthem is being played, Kap is taking a knee and Brady is standing erect, hand over the Donald Trump button on pinned to his chest.

Where I'm going with this scenario is not a pretty picture. Donald Trump is going to get more votes in this election than people think. (That's pitiful) He won't win, but his numbers will indicate the amount of racial prejudice that still exists in this beloved country of ours. If Trump stops watching the NFL, the NFL should become truly alarmed.

Congratulations Abe Lieberman and VI Warshawski. Your Cubs finally won the National League Pennant. That Abe and VI are fictional characters, Lierberman being a Chicago cop and Warshawske a Chicago PI, is my way as a dedicated detective-fiction reader of saying congrats to the city of Chicago. You've been the most loyal fans ever. You deserve to win the World Series.

Church   by Tom Meschery

      "It can be a tremendous, soulful experience
        to find communion with 18,000 others."
                    George Karl, coach of the Denver Nuggets

I am tempted to write about communion - 
18,000 kneeling at the railing in a Cathedral
or about the word soul as a collective energy
of fans worshiping their heroes, but my wife
says sport as religion has become a cliche,
Since it's probably the truth, I'm stuck,
with soulful and experience, two words
I can't get out of my head like a refrain
without the rest of the song. I'm sitting
in front of my computer remembering
Sunday mass at Saint Dominc's, how empty
the aisles were compared to Kezar Stadium,
standing room only for 49er games.

Ty Lawson and etc

When I taught high school in Reno, NV, I was placed in charge of an intervention program called Double Trouble that provided help to students suffering from drug problems. I have a lot of experience recognizing kids that are using. I also know that had any of our students been charged with four DUI's, there would have been a major intervention. I appreciate what Matt Barnes said about the Kings being a family. I get it. I also get that families enable their loved ones who are abusers, covering for a drunk father, drunk mother, drunk child.There is no such thing as "keeping it in the family," as Barnes would have us believe. Doing so, is dangerous and destructive. So, the Kings better take a hard look at what's going on with Ty Lawson. It could very well be that this is a different kind of "personal" problem, but I wouldn't bet on it.

AA is the only tried, true, and time tested way for an addicted person to overcome his or her addiction. You can take that to the bank, Vlade.

I continue to be appalled that the NFL would allow the Raiders to leave Oakland. Have there ever been more loyal and enthusiastic fans?   It's not the money. The $650 million Sheldon Adelson is contributing to the cost is not chump change, although he can definitely afford more. And taxing hotels does not cost the citizens of Southern Nevada bucks out of their pockets. I simply believe the whole deal is slimy. Like father like son? Big Al didn't hesitate to take the Raiders to LA when it suited his pocketbook, and return the team to Oakland when LA was no longer lucrative. So, here's the son following in his papa's footsteps. Big surprise. What the hell does the Al Davis Memorial Flame stand for anyway? Not loyalty.

Against the Chiefs, Kap looked physically strong, but mentally weak. When the arm is right, but the accuracy is off, it's all about being focused mentally. This is true of all sports in which the athlete is required to hit a target.

I posted this poem a long time ago. It is one of my favorite football poems, so here it is again,worth reading twice.

Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio   by James Wright

In the Shreve High Football stadium,
I think of Polacks nursing long beers in Tiltonsville,
And gray faces of Negroes in the blast furnace at Benwood,
And the ruptured night watchman of Wheeling Steel,
Dreaming of heroes.

All the proud fathers are ashamed to go home,
Their women cluck like starved pullets,
Dying for love.

Therefore,
Their sons grow suicidally beautiful
At the beginning of October,
And gallop terribly against each other's bodies.