Speculations, Comments, and Stupidities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Few Comments and Observations from this Morning's Sports Page

 Clippers defeat the Mavs. I was pulling for the Mavs, not for any basketball reason, but because Mav's owner Mark Cuban was such a vocal critic of psycho Donald Trump. Such a comment will cost me Trump supporter. To which I reply who wants them?

What Dallas wants  (desperately needs) is a better supporting cast for their super star. Let's start by getting rid of Porzingis So he knocks down the 3 ball occasionally and dunks a wide open feed, Big Deal! The Mavs get more D out of flat footed Boban the Giant. Ever notice that when Porzingis catches the ball within 10/15 feet from the basket with a smaller man guarding him, the 7 foot plus passes out rather than turning into a jump shot. Is he afraid of a little body contact? And who the hell can he guard? Make a trade, Mavs; there might be a sucker out there. Think young, long, athletic 3's and 4's. Next on the list is a rim protecting center who will love every minute of Donic's lob passes. Imagine a Clint Capella of the Hawks or DeAndre Jordan in his heyday. They also need a true point guard off the bench who doesn't need to score but can play solid D. Will Kleeber ever be be a reliable shooter? This a a long shot, and I don't know if it's what can be done, but how about keeping Boban in Dallas all summer working on footwork, low post moves, and maybe ballet lessons. I'm not kidding. If the bieeeegggg man were only slightly better, he'd be one hell of a back up center. You can not teach height. 

I understand what a force Denver's Jokic is, but why don't I like him? My wife says it's because he's always wiping his nose on his shirt. Maybe it's because I'm getting tired of his "pitiful pearl" whining to the officials. Jokic is huge, talented, the difference between the Nuggets losing or winning. What does he expect? He needs to check out a clip of Shaq with the Lakers. Opponents beat on the big fella relentlessly, and he hardly ever said anything, just beat everybody down. I was never a great Shaq fan, but the man was not a complainer. Have I beat this drum before? If so, it deserves beating. 

Will 76ers' Joel Embid ever stay healthy through a full season? But he played through the slight miniscus tear, and darn near brought his team from behind to beat the Hawks who almost blew a 30 point lead. 

Let's close with a hats off to two women in sports: 

Yako Sasso, a 19 year old from the Philippines won this year's U.S. Women's Open. She tied Inbee Park as the youngest winner in event's history. Question? Why are there so many Asians in women's pro golf compared to men's?

Simon Biles won her 7th U.S. All-Around Championship. Did we have any doubt?

It's take me out to the ball game season, so here's a baseball poem.

LOOKING AT AN X-RAY OF MY BACK   by Tom Meschery

I say to my doctor my spine 
looks like a curve ball,
and he says
it's breaking pitch
to the inside. I think that's funny,

Commetns & Observations

 Lets start with Phil Michelson winning the PGA. At my age, I'm always excited to watch a senior citizen beating the youngsters. I'm a little concerned, however, about the writer in my local paper referring to Mickelson as the  "Peoples' Champion." Given that Phil is clearly a millionaire a couple of times over and has griped and grumbled over the burden of high taxes on the rich, it doesn't seem to fit his conservative mindset. But I love the story about Phil flying all night cross-country during a tournament to be at his daughter's recital, then flying back again to play. A good father deserves a pass from a grumpy liberal like myself. So right on, Phil. Let's hear it for over 50. 

Norway vs Scotland for the Gold in the Mixed Doubles International Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland. Canada vs Sweden for Bronze. U.S. needs to work at its game. 

I saw some moves by 76ers' Joel Embid in yesterdays win over the Washington Wizards that made me appreciate the big fella better - on the dead run down the center of the paint, received the pass and made a lovely finesse underhand reverse English layup, ala Step Curry. How about a three way tie for MVP: Jokic, Curry and Embid?

Why can't opponents figure out that Trae Young is going to shoot a floater when he penetrates the paint?

I love the way Russell Westbrook handled his trade to the Wizards like a true professional, never a whine, played hard 100%. Deserves a lot of credit. If he could ever hit consistent 3's he'd be un-guardable, but he rushes his shot. Hummingbird reflexes. A summer project? What do you say, Russell?

Knicks in the playoffs after an 8 year absence. Give Tibs and Julius Randle tons of credit. I wonder if the Lakers would love to have Randle back? 

Speaking of the Lakers, Andre Drummond has been a great surprise. Low post centers still have a value in the NBA. 

Speaking of the Lakers, it looks as if AD and LeBron are finally physically ready, which does not bode well for the rest of the Western Conference. 

The importance of three point shooting never more evident than the Utah win over the Griz last night.

Offense smashes into the chest of the defender, knocking him ass over tea kettle and the defender is called for a block??????? What the F- - k! Player sets a screen for dribbling teammate; player guarding the dribbler smashes into the blocker, spinning the blocker around. Ref calls moving screen????? OMG!  

The worst dribble-bully in the league is LeBron James. He lowers his shoulder and smashes into defenders at an All Star rate. Rarely get called for a charge. Harden ain't too bad at it either, although Harden's acting job, thrusting his arms dramatically into the air wins the Meschery Shakespeare Award. By the way, is anybody tired of LeBron always grabbing his head and writhing in pain when he gets knocked down 

Keep a lookout at the end of the season for Meschery's Gotcha Awards.

Instead of a poem. 

I urge all my readers to look up on the internet the story of Louis Armstrong's life as a virtually destitute child in New Orleans and being taken into the home of a Jewish family by the name of Karnovsky. You'll be inspired. Satchmo in Yiddish means "Fat Cheeks."

". . . It's a wonderful woild. . . oh, yeah!"

A Little Golf, Maybe and more

On the day the 2021 PGA begins on Kiawah Island, I was thinking of my friend Andy Brumer, a skilled golfer and a terrific poet, whose book, The Poetics of Golf, for you golf fans is a must read. Which made me think that it was high  time I wrote something about golf. Okay, so I don't know squat about golf. Should that stop me from writing about it? I watch golf, These days mostly because it is so peaceful on the eyes and mind, like a soccer field without the players. And in golf, there is scenery: trees in every variety in abundance, lakes, streams and oceans. Ducks, geese, and a the occasional solitary alligator refusing to acknowledge the golf ball in its path to water. The sport is also beautiful, not in the kinematic sense of a Steph Curry magically dribbling through the Lakers for a layup or LeBron James clutch long-range jumper that broke my heart last night as the Lakers defeated my Dubs in the Play In. It's the precision of golf that gets me. Every stroke depends on it from the drive off the tee, to the approach from a sand-trap to the putt. It's minimalist poetry.  

I'm a great fan of the walk from Tee to second shot. The golfer's mind must be reasonably at rest, since he or she has little idea what to expect until she reaches her ball and determines her next shot, unless, of coarse he has seen the flight of the ball heading to New Jersey, in which case he is cursing himself down the fairway. Watching from my seat in front of the TV I do not know the turmoil going on in the golfer's mind, and imagine most golfers are enjoying the fresh air and a brief stretch of the legs. I repeat, I know nothing about golf. 

I have my favorites. They have little to do with the numbers of majors they've won. I would mention all the old greats, except I never watched them. I'm a Johnny-come-lately to golf. I cheer for Little Tommy Fleetwood. Bubba Watson and his pink driver is a favorite. I've always liked lefties in all sports. In basketball, they're really tough to defend. My wife loves Jordan Spieth because his caddie is "gorgeous." I'm a Spieth fan also because of how he cherishes and cares for his challenged little sister. He's not a bad golfer too, and I'm pulling for him or Jason Day to win this years PGA. Sergio Garcia is one of the golfers I've always enjoyed watching, although he's slipped some. DeChambeau drives me nuts with his robot like approach to the game. I used to like Matt Kuchar until he tried to under pay his Hispanic caddie. I'm a Hideki Matsuyama fan since his brilliant win at the Masters this year, but also because I lived four years in Japan as a child, and I have a sportswriter friend, Ed Odevan. writing from Tokyo. I like personal connections to influence my preferences. I'm for Tony Finau because golf is really too white and needs a little color to perk it up. Nervous nelly Keegan Bradley is a golfer I get a big kick out of. Love his approach to the tee: step up, step back, spin the club, step up again, maybe back and forth again. Take a lude, dude! Top of my favorite's list is Rory Mcllroy. Do I have a reason? No. It's a gut reaction to his game, how it appeals to my to my senses, which is how I usually judge athletes in all sports. It is why LeBron James will never rank in the top ten of my greatest basketball players. 

From Andy Bruner's The Poetics of Golf, Some may call this prose, I call it prose poetry.

Pro-trait #11: Se Ri Pak

Who has the best swing in golf? It's Se Ri  Pak. Why? Because of  the smooth and silky way she takes it back. Sam Sneed said  the swing should resist friction like oil. Nor did he care if it belonged to a boy or a goil. Who has the best swing in golf? It's Se Ri Pak. Why? Because it looks like it grows from the root of a flower and that nothing fed it from a mechanical source.

    Who has the best swing in golf?

     A magazine editor asked me to choose one, and I thought, "Even a dunce by using his eyes can deduce it's "Se Ri Pak's" And he printed it. 

World Mixed Double Curling Championship

 A bit of a fake out to start as I want to say a few words first about the Sacramento Kings. I've lived in Sacramento for the last twelve years. Although I am a Warrior, both ex-player and resolute fan, even during those dreadful years of losses before Curry and the Dubs, I have adopted the Kings as my team of second choice. I have watched and shaken my head at their futile attempt to make the playoffs. If I were asked how futile has this season looked, for the first time in my memory, at least since the owner stupidly fired Mike Malone, I can say not that futile, in fact somewhat encouraging. Despite their record every single start has improved his game. And most importantly, the new GM Monte McNair managed to acquire through some nifty trades, three solid reserves, and in the case of Terrance Davis ii, a possible starter, to replace the previous weak bench. 

Stability combined with smart leadership from the top is the best sign that the future can change. To be sure, there needs to be filled and questions about personnel and coaches that must be addressed and answered, but I see a number of key players that could make up a strong playoff ready core. I wish I felt better about Marvin Bagley's ability to stay healthy because his growth was very positive, and a speedy power forward with an inside and outside game is exactly what the Kings need to get to the next level.

 Another huge encouraging sign is the instant production of rookie pt guard Tyreese Haliburton, a thoroughly mature presence coming in out of college. (Might this say something about one and done projects?) In the past, I've been very critical of Coach Luke Walton, but I've changed my mind, or perhaps Luke has changed it for me. Team growth has been there. Such growth is always the result of coaching decisions and effort. With that in mind, and with the caveat that I'm still not happy with individual defense, it seems the wisest choice is to keep Luke for one more season and see whet he can achieve with some roster stability. I will be the first guy to cheer for Bill Walton's son. 

Today' headline online: "Norway and the United States had quick six-end wins in Monday evening's opening round-robin session for Group B in the World Mixed Doubles Championship being played in Aberdeen, Scotland. I love Scotland. My wife and I visited there during their three days of summer. A delightful country of Trump haters. I love curling. Turn on your TV and watch. I'll bet some of you will be hooked. It's bocce ball on ice played with stones and brooms. Tell me that doesn't peak your interest. Our two champs representing the United States are Tabitha Peterson and Joe Polo.

 We pay so much attention to the so-called big three and a half sports, hockey representing the half - a Canadian sport really -  that we forget so many other interesting sports. My apologies to golf and tennis; they are not exactly under appreciated sports and have a huge fan base. What I'm talking about are sports like badminton, curling, softball, fencing, gymnastics (other than in an Olympic year), bowling, etc. As a country we need to give a little more love in the way of viewership to these sports and their devoted athletes and coaches. 

Curling by Tom Meschery

Let's hear it for curling, a sport in which
two brooms, like blockers in the NFL
(I'm thinking Packers, Green Bay in the snow.)
lead the running back, a guy names Stone
down the icy field; masked fans in parkas,
sipping from their flasks. They're watching curling
on local ice, while I'm enjoying building
this extended metaphor; thinking that Milton
had he a sense of humor, which there's no
evidence he possessed, might have appreciated.
My wife also enjoys curling,. "What's not to like
about a sport played with brooms?" she asks.
"The ice needs cleaning, and the players
are only doing what any good wife would do."
She's talking to me while dusting,
which comes before vacuuming, a rule
in her sport that must never be broken.