Are you staring at my titles?

9 random thoughts that I wrote about while watching Michael Jackson's memorial, some of which have to do with the memorial, but most of which do not.

1. What happened to Mariah Carey? Listening to her try to get through “I’ll be There” during the Michael Jackson memorial was slightly painful. She can’t hit any high notes. Her voice has gotten really raspy and weak. How does that happen? It’s really too bad because she was such a talented singer and performer.

2. Why do they insist on messing with a working formula. Chuck was a great show. I’m not even interested in next season now. I finally got to watch last season’s finale. What they did to his character made absolutely no sense. It ruined everything that was great about the show and how it worked. Boo.

3. The Hangover was absolutely hilarious. Todd Phillips has now directed three of the funniest movies made since 2000: Road Trip, Old School, and now The Hangover. Genius.

4. The question keeps coming up about whether or not Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time. First of all, tennis has been affected more in the last few decades by technology than any other sport. Trying to compare players who played with wood rackets to those who play with graphite is simply impossible. The game is too different. Is he better than Sampras or Nadal? I think that if you paired them all together at their respective peaks and had some kind of tournament where they played against each other on all surfaces, Federer wouldn’t win all the matches, but he would win more than the other guys.

5. I don’t understand the way cats think. They are crazy. My girlfriend’s cat doesn’t seem to understand that my feet are connected to my body. Of course she can’t figure out that her own tail is connected to her body, but even so, it’s very annoying.

6. Michael Jackson’s brothers are all wearing matching single gloves at his memorial. That’s cool. I’m not sure why they are not all on the same hand though. That’s a little weird.

7. During the first half of this baseball season, Albert Pujols has been out of this world good. He’s always been great, but he seems to be at another level. I hope he can make it to 60 home runs. That would be awesome.

8. Michael Jackson didn’t show us the worst, but certainly some of the weirdest ways that fame could affect a person. There’s just too much. Where do you start? When I was growing up, we had this record of Michael narrating the story of E.T. That was so cool. I wish I still had it.

9. Serena Williams is an interesting woman. And according to John Wertheim, she does not pack lightly.

You all wish you were as cool as Han Solo, PI

Fine I'll do it.

My brother knows how much I love lists.  I mostly love disagreeing with them, but I do love them.  He told me about a website that rates the greatest albums of all time based upon how they are ranked in other lists.  I decided to get in on this because I didn't like that some albums were underappreciated or unappreciated all together.

These lists are so hard to make.  I do know that I love every song on Radiohead's The Bends, but does that really make it the best album of all time?  I don't know the answer to that.  I just know what I like.

You should be able to see my list here:  My list.

You probably won't like what you see, but that's the beauty of the exercise.  Enjoy.

I am a Witness, for a lot of Bad Basketball with LeBron James

I love the NBA…usually.  LeBron James is the most talented basketball player alive.  The NBA playoffs have been incredibly entertaining this year.  All that being said, the end of game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic showed why so many people love to hate on the NBA.  The great basketball that was played, at times by both teams, was overshadowed by the events of the final minutes and ultimately the final seconds of regulation.

Watching the Cavaliers offense disintegrate into the LeBron James one-on-one show during the last few minutes of regulation could not have been more frustrating.  If one of LeBron’s teammates actually touched the ball on the offensive end during the last few minutes of the game, I certainly didn’t see it.  The Cavs apparently hired a new assistant coach to essentially act as their offensive coordinator.  But what’s the point of having an offense at all if it can’t get you a basket when you need it?  Even Mo Williams admitted that there was no other option other than LeBron James at the end of game 2.  And are James’ teammates that bad?  For a man that has gotten so much praise throughout the season for being a great teammate, LeBron James seems to forget that they even exist at the end of games.

Sure he gets some things done.  There was one point towards the end when Orlando was slow getting back on defense.  LeBron recognized and dribbled past everyone for a monster dunk.  And he did make a three to get the Cavs within one point towards the end of overtime.  This probably goes back to the game a few years ago when LeBron scored the Cavs’ last 25 points in a playoff game against Detroit.

Maybe LeBron is not entirely to blame for the way he played the end of the game.  It obviously works enough for him to keep doing it.  Cleveland’s management deserves some blame for not surrounding him with better players.  Cleveland’s coaching staff could be blamed for not having better or more imaginative ways even for LeBron to get the ball and take the final shot.  And of course the officials need to take some blame for the way last night’s game ended.

After LeBron made his game tying free throws, the officials did the right thing by not calling a foul when Dwight Howard and Anderson Varejao got tied up on the last second lob attempt.  The players were instead awarded five more minutes of game time to figure it out.  But what about the sequence that led to those game tying free throws?

LeBron received the inbound pass from the sideline.  (Why NBA teams get to automatically advance the ball past half court after a timeout is beyond me and best left for another time.)  From the moment he touched the ball it was obvious that he was not going to even think about passing.

I coached a high school basketball team this year.  Anytime a player with the ball lowered their shoulder into the defender, a foul was called against the player with the ball.  No question.  Last night LeBron drove the ball and lowered his shoulder right into a backpedalling Mickael Pietrus.  LeBron then lost his balance and control of the ball.  LeBron could have gotten called for an offensive foul, but really it was a great opportunity for the officials to put their whistles away and let the players decide the outcome of the game.  Instead Pietrus was somehow called for a blocking foul.  Are you serious?

I am not an Orlando Magic fan.  But after watching that game and comparing the way those two teams played, it seems impossible not to like the Magic.  Their style of play is more similar to the college game that everyone seems to love, except that they do it much, much better.  (Don’t believe me?  Just ask former college All-American JJ Redick who can’t even get in the game for this team.)  The way they moved the ball and played an overall team game was such a change of pace from the Cavs end of game “give it to LeBron” offense.

This year’s playoffs have been so exciting and have been filled with great basketball.  It just disappointed me to see this game reduced to LeBron and the officials vs. Orlando.  Hopefully as the great Herm Edwards would say, “We can build on this.”

The Internet is a Harsh Mistress

I am always surprised by the way things work on the internet.  I don't visit this site for over 3 years, and yet it still survives.  Someone has decided that it is worthwhile to let my old words sit here and wait for what?  For me to come back?  For someone to want to read a track by track review of Strong Bad's CD written by a career camp counselor?  For the internet to die a fiery death?

Well I'm glad it's here because I think I'm coming back.  I thought myspace was going to be the place to be.  I thought that would be a great way for people to see my blog.  And yes, some of my friends took the time to read, but now there are better and more advanced ways to do things.  Plus, no one uses myspace anymore anyway.  Of course eventually I will ditch this blog again for what I think will be greener pastures only to come crawling back.

This is a strange place.

Hall of Shame

As we wait with baited breath to discover who will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today, I am starting to see why people get so heated about who should or should not be elected. (I am also noticing that this article will become effectively obsolete in about two hours when election results are announced).

It used to be that the choices seemed really simple. The players I had heard of got elected. The other guys didn't. Now, however, I am starting to see a lot of names on the ballot that I recognized. Not only that, but a lot of players that I idolized. Now I know that Gregg Jeffries is not a Hall of Famer, but what about Orel Hershieser. I mean, this guy was unstoppable in the playoffs, but people are saying he's not Hall of Fame caliber.

The worst is the case of Albert Belle. Here we have one of the most feared hitters of the 90s. He is the only player ever to have 50 homers and 50 doubles in the same season. That is unreal. Yes he corked his bat, but that's not even the biggest road block. The real reason he will never be in the Hall of Fame is because he never got along with the media, and it just so happens that the media decides who's in and who's out. Kirby Puckett had a great career cut short by injuries just like Mr. Belle. Except that everybody loved Kirby Puckett. I loved Kirby Puckett. He's a in. Mr. Belle should be too.

Of course, in my world so should Donny Baseball, Hershieser, Will Clark, Lee Smith, and Fred McGriff. How can you not put the Crime Dog in? Seriously.

Bowl Season is Heating UP!

What a finish to the 2005 Alamo Bowl. This is prime example of why you never leave a game early. Unfortunately it was one of those coulda', if only, kind of endings.

After what was apparently a poorly officated bowl game, Michigan almost won on a hook and ladder play, that half the players in the stadium thought was dead. The officials did not even bother to throw a flag on the play, for the extra men on the field either because they didn't see the 75 extra red jerseys on the field, or because they saw the 20 extra blue ones and decided "Who cares, it's just the Alamo Bowl." I really thought it was going to turn into one of those "I actually saw it" type of moments I could brag to my friends about. Instead it was just another meaningless bowl game.

I need some playoffs!