One Happy Warrior

 The Dubs are back doing the work of Dubs, winning NBA Championships. My wife Melanie and I watched and cheered as the Warriors, led by a brillian offensive performance by Steph Curry and a relentless defensive performance by Andrew Wiggins steadily and convincingly out-smarted the athleticism of the Boston Celtics. I was surprised after the game, watching the presentation ceremony how demonstrative Curry was, who even when excited is not overly emotional. This Championship must hve meant a lot to him, perhaps more than any ohers. Perhaps it had something todo with the pervious two horrivic losing seasons, that and perhaps having the Core triple sec vets of Splash Brothers and Drayone back together healthy. And perhaps it had to do with mirroring the first championship of 2015, the oen without Durant. I'm only guessing that there was someting to prove. 

What needs to be said is that as good as this tem is, next years' Warriors, barring injuries, should be stronger and deeper. The CORE vets of Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins & Porter will be back Poole and Little Glove, Payton ii, will return more seasoned and improved. And the roster will round out with improved rookies: 7'1' James Wiseman, first rounders Kuminga and Moody will be ready to contribute after a summer of work and a complete training camp under their belts. 

On Monday my wife and I will be in he Championship Parade again. We've been in all ofthem so far. This year we will ake my son Matthew and his son, Leo, my 10 yaar basketball playing grandson. I hope rubbing elbows with usch NBA luminaries will inspire him to continue with the sport. I will get the chance to visit with old teammates, Rick Barry, Al Attles and other NBa players from my time on the court, like the Jim Barnett. Good times, great memoires and a historic future to look forward to. 

From my upcoming new collection of poetry: Clear Path from Random Lane Press

WATCHING THE WARRIORS ON TV

      for Melanie because I promised

Of course you are right as you remind me, don't you,
that it's you sitting beside me as I watch the Warriors
play whomever. Aren't you? Because there have been 
twelve years of opponents, equal to the years we've 
been married and three ouy of four championships rings,
not on our fingers, but for us, gold wedding bands
that mean we're also winners. See my darling
how I've woven in as cleverly as Gerard Manley
Hopkins' spring rhythm, you, deserving of praise.
How could I be a fan without you by my side,
looking up occasionally from the book you're reading
to make a sly but knowledgeable observation.

.

The Right Side of History

 Laking about the LIV, Rory McIlroy said it without being explicit that he is on the  "right side of history." Let me explain how I interpreted his words. The LIV is not about a competitive tour. The ABA had every right to form a new league competing with the NBA, so did World football have the same right to compete with the NFL. We live in a free market economic systerm. The problem with the LIV is it is sponsored by killers and misogynists. So, Rory, even if you don't want to come right out and say it, you ARE on the right side of history. 

The PGA has suspended the golfers who are playing in the LIV.  I'll be sorry not to see Dustin Johnson, little Kevin Na, DeChambeau and his strange mechanics, but they are not on the WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY. I'm reasonably certain that the Old White Men who cntrol the PGA are not suspending these golfers because they are playing in a league that is supported by killers and misogynists, but I could be wrong, being an old white male myself, I should cut others of my ilk some slack. 

So, in the world of golf, it seems that greed has, for the time beomg. won over moral and ethical behavior. It is a lesson that is a legacy of four years of Donald Trump's opening his can of greedy worms. It is a legacy we should all regret. But then, I don't have a lot of gambling debts the way Lefty has. 

Sacramento Kings' fans should cry out in a loud voice, "Not Jaden Ivey!" The Kings need long, tall and athletic wings, they already have speed and handles.

Warriors get on the boards! Shameful what the Celtics did to you on the glass.

I don't blog much about baseball, so here's a fine small poem about America's pastime by Robert Hamblin. 

A HERO FOR ALL SEASONS

I remember Eddie Yost

who raised the base on balls
to the level of art.

Who took batting practice
to practice not to hit.

Who once fouled off nineteen
third strikes to earn a walk.

Who persuaded kids too small
for football and too short
for basketball
that littil'uns could aso be big'uns. 
  

If You're a Fire Guy, , , some thoughts on the 2022 Finals

 It's hard if you're  a fure guy to control the flames. Guess about whom I'm talking. Draymond, are you reading this? Prrobably not, already in Boston in a hotel room dreaming about tying up Horford again, as you did in Game Two at Chase Center. You were "The Man" my man. You set the tone for the rest of the game. Your teamates picked up your vibe. The Celtics did not shoot so well with hands in their faces, did they? I loved the Fire, Draymond. But, please be careful that the flames don't burn you. The Warriors must have you playing not sitting in the locker room waiting for the league to fine you for a Flagrant Two. 

I wonder how many people listend to Coach Kerr talk about Steph Curry's physical conditioning. All of us who've been Curry fans from the day that he stepped on the court at Oracle Arena should be able to see the difference between Steph's shoulders then and now. It's a visual. Coach Kerr praised his super star for that growth, for that intelligence of growth, for Steph's indomitable will. My wife, Melanie, once told me that Steph Curry is every grandmother's wish for a son-in-law. It's a good way to put it that as a model for youg men, there is no better one than Steph. 

I was delighted to see how much better Jordan Poole played. I was delighted to see how delighted Steph Curry was when Poole hit that incredibly long jumper almost at the half court line. Leadership???

If thee is a most valuable player on the Warriors over the length of the playoffs, may I sugges he is Kevon Looney. I'm sure not one Warrior would argue with me. In the "old days" when I played, there used to be a way of describing Looney's talent for rebounding. We'd say, "he has a nose for the ball." We're not always talking about centers. 

Shout out for Gary Payton II, coming off a fractured left elbow, his shooting arm, and playing D the way he did, and scoring and bringing energy up and down the court. You've found a home in the Bay Area and in the hearts of all Warriors fans. 

There is a constant truth in the NBA: NBA Finals Championships are won by DEFENSE. End of story. 

End of Blog. 

PS. When will the NBA stop treating the Playoffs as a separate part of the season and wait until the playoffs are over to hand out individual awards. When? Write the  NBA. Complain. I hope you flood the office. Most of the awards are usually right on, but others are not, such as Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player. Write, Write, Call, Instgrapm. Tweet, Email. Blog. 

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, Iguodala,
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.
 
            
          

A Little Bit of a Lot

Do yourselves a favor and read the article in The Athletic today about Ukranian Slava Medvedenko, Shaquille O'Neal's backup on the Lakers' teams of the early 2000's. Slava is defending his country from Putin's army. It is a story of bravery and resolve. He has invited Shaq to come to his home country to visit and appear in support of the Ukranian people. The minute  the playoffs are over, Shaq should go. 

I've become a big fan of Marcs Thompson's sports writing. How can you not with lines such as these, talking about our dear Dubs: "The Warriors have shown they can take their foot off the pedal. If they've got room for error, they're not above using it." Makes an old retired rhetoric teacher's heart glad. Let's not take the foot off the pedal tonight, okay?

When I read that the Sacramento Kings have hired two assistant coaches and it is not mentioned that newly hired Coach Brown has not approved the hire, I start to worry. Hiring assistants should be exclusively the job of the head coach, not the job of the GM or the owner. 

Absolutly loved the comeback by the Warriors reserves two nights ago. Kerr kept them in even after a worried Coach Kidd brought back his starters. The comeback continued until the 25 plus deficit was reduced to 8 points. Might have been interesting to see what the reserves could have done had they been left in after that. I believe in miracles. 

Glad to see the 49ers comitt to Trey Lance at QB for next season. Also delighted to see that the Raiders are evaluating Colin Kaepernick as a back up QB. What I saw breifly on TV, Colin looks in great shape. Congrats to the Raiders for showing some courage, giving Colin that chance to prove himself when no other NFL team had the cajones. 

Joel Embid complains about not being selected NBA MVP, "What more can I do?" He asks. Okay, for starters: learn to shoot deep 3 pt shots like Jokic; learn to pass/assist like Jokic; learn to facilitate the offense like Jokic. End of story. jokic is Chapter One, you're Chapter Two. 

Great Coach Kerr line about Luka Doncic, "He can make 3 pt jumpers in his sleep." I think Kerr was talking about nightmares. Still, the ball stays in Luka's hands too long. When the rest of the Mavs' team is handdling the ball and getting shot opportunities, the Mavs are a much tougher team than when they rely mostly on Luka. Tonight at Chase Center we'll see if the Warriors can close out the series. 

Don't forget WNBA star, Brittany Griner, a prisoner in Russia. Write letters, Email, Instagram, get on Facebook. Get angry sports fans!

While 50 Republican Senators refuse to pass a basic gun control law HR 8 that would tighten background checks, another 19 elementary school children have been murdered by a guntotting crazy in the town of Uvalde,Texas. (The greatest of shame upon you senators.)

The following poem was written after the Nazi airforce bombed the city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. God will do the same for the dead children of Uvalde, I pray.

IN GUERNICA THE DEAD CHILDREN   by Norman Roston

In Guernica the dead children were laid out in order on the sidewalk

In their white starched dresses.

In their pitiful white dresses.

On their foreheads and breasts, the little roud holes

Where death came in like thunder

While they were playing their important summer games.

Do not weep for them Madre

They are gone forever, the little ones

Straight to heaven to the Saints

And God will fill their bullet holes with candy.

 

Wiggins, My Take & The Kings

Mainly the question Warrior Andrew Wiggins' presence poses Is he the wing answer to the Warriors concept of deep shooting, defense and movement? This year, really the first year that fans should judge his performance, Wiggins played like a star through the first half of the season and was named to the starting five on the West's All Star team. Some pundits questined whether he belonged. I didn't. That is not until the second half of the season when Wiggins game went south or north or whereve disinterest or confusion or lost spirit takes a player. I texted coaches and knowlegable NBA sources, what was going on with Wiggins? How could a player who played so well before the All Star Game, play so unenthusiastically the rest of the way? I got all sorts of possibilities. None satisfied me. Wiggins is a 6'7" swift, leaping, slashing, shooting wing with a 7 foot wingspan. Past perfomances prove he is cabable of sustained greatness. Why then, now does he not perform at that level all the time?My wife, who is an artist and sees life in terms of esthetics, joked that perhaps Wiggens sees himself as a ballet dancer and not a pro-basketball player. "Ha, ha!" I said. Later, I began thinking about what Melanie's joke. What if? Which is the question one always asks oneself if one is a mystery writer, which I happen to be (See my website Warrior14.com for info. on my upcoming first mystery novel) What if Andrew Wiggins doesn't see himself as a star? I played in the NBA for 10 years. I've been around the sport all my adult life, even while I was teaching and in retirment. Every NBA star I ever knew or every spent any time examing possessed a very strong and clear image of himself as a GREAT player, a STAR. There are no modest superstars. They may say the right things and people may thing they are being modest, but it is fiction. They actualize how they see themselves. And they see themself in the heavens in the galazies of brilliance. The more I thougt about this, the more it made sense to me. Every thing i've ever heard about Andrew Wiggins is that he is a gentle, thoughtful young man and a great teammate. What if the answer to his inconsistency is his inability to visualize himslf in the role of a superstar. In some ways I understand. I was selected to the West's 1963 All Star Team. If someone had asked me back then was I an All Star, I would have probably said no. I had a good season, that was it. That response for all intents and purposes predicted the way I would play and whee my game would lead me. For the next nine years until I retired, I was a reliable, defensive minded, rebounder, an important cog in the machine of the team, but I would never be an All Star again. 

Back to Adnew Wiggiins and his performances in this seasons playoffs. Suddently Wiggins has left whatever kept him playing so lacklusterly in the second half of the season and is playing like an All Star. His guarding of Super Star Luka Doncic (Here' a guy who has a firm image of himself in the role of super hero) was magic. What I'm hoping for is this: Andrew Wiggins is finally seeing himself as a bone fide super star. 

Cloe your eyes Wigs. There's a picture there. It's of you flying through the air dunking on Wilt Chamberlian, or of you slashing past Bam Adebayo, or sinking a three over the outstretched hands of Magic Johnson. It's you. You beleong you belong in the same realm as Steph and Klay and LeBron, and KD. 

SACRAMENTO KINGS

A couple of quck thougts about the Kings. They lucked out by jumping from the 7th lottery postion to 4th and a chance to get a really solid college player in the draft. The most essential thing right now is that the owner Vivak Ranadive must get off the dime and externd GM McNair's contract so the Kings will finally have some continuity. McNair has earned it, making some difficult but smart moves, so that for the first time since I moved to Sacramento, the Kings have a chance to create a playoff team. No ownership meddling any more. 

Ode to the Golden State Warriors 2015    by Tom Meschery

 

One small change and the line reads: 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 much luck, timing, and the stars triangulate.