It's AMAZING how quickly the fortunes of a sports organization can change, at every level. Whether the star quarterback of the high school powerhouse gets hurt and has to miss the season, a great college basketball coach resigns or chooses to go to another team, or a baseball icon is suspended for taking performance enhancing drugs. At the drop of a hat, things can go wrong that have a resounding effect on an organization as a whole. And as the level and the stakes get higher, the impact of the adversity gets more severe. And at the moment, the Cavaliers happen to be the biggest case study. Two weeks ago, everyone and their mother was carving their names in the NBA Title. They were the prohibitive favorite, enjoying the coveted rest that many former champions put a precedent on getting during the playoffs. They weren't throwing away games. They crushed everyone in front of them for 2 weeks. They were in the driver's seat. It wasn't hard for the Cavaliers management team to get up everyday and go to work. This was fun. Everything was going according to plan.
Well, do you remember in the Dark Knight, when the great Heath Ledger, as the Joker was in the hospital with Harvey Dent? And he went into that soliloquy about everything going according to plan? Nobody panics when things are going according to plan. We stop evaluating and thinking, because everything is going according to plan. Well the Orlando Magic in the words of the Joker "took our little plan and turned it on itself."
Now this post is not a memorial service for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Far from it. When the Cavs season is over, whether it is following a parade in downtown Cleveland, or a dramatic depressing loss in the ECF or NBAF, I will provide my take on where the Cavs go from here. As many of you know, I have very strong opinions and beliefs about how a sports organization should be run and administered. And I take the business side of the NBA and NFL very seriously as a an interest. I have topics and thoughts about this series that can fill your screens 20 times over. I don't have the time or inclination to do that. I will give you one thing. Here is my biggest fix for Thursday night. I am sure everyone can agree with this.
In the National Basketball Association, the number 1 defensive commandment over the last several years, whether you look at San Antonio, the Boston Celtics, or the Cleveland Cavaliers is: NO ONE IN OUR KEY ! That's what all the successful teams have in common. Just think about all the elite teams. If you keep guys outta your key the whole season you're gonna win 45-60 games. You let guys live in the key, you're gonna win 30-40 games.
And I don't know for a fact that this is the Cavs big rule, but I am sure it is up there. And we have seen this ad nauseam this last week and a half. Our idiot players are helping so hard on drivers and Dwight Howard, that guys like Pietrus, Skip, Lewis and Turk have all day to catch drive and kicks and shoot 3's. Have you ever in your life seen guys so wide open?
Our guards and wings have so far to close out to get back to their men after helping deadbeat on the ball defenders. Most of the time its a full 2 steps, sometimes 2.5 steps. You can moan and complain that the Magic are unbelievably hot and the statistics have not caught up to them yet blah blah blah. It's as simple as this: If you gave Rudy Kirbus 100 3's and let him set his feet and look at the basket with no heat on him, hes gonna make 70 of those. Rudy is not a professional. So what do you think professional basketball players are gonna make if they have tons of time, no heat and have seen the ball go in the basket a few times? Yea, the Magic made 17 3's last night. But we're lucky they did'nt make 25 because they could have cause they are that wide open.
And yea, I saw overtime, where they stuck a little tighter to shooters. And I saw D12 put up a quick 10 points. That's not the point. Andy was dead tired because he was busy keeping us in the game, and had 5 fouls. The Cavs were dead tired and in big trouble at that point. The point is that the Cavs have to stay tight to their shooters and cut down the length at which they have to close out on shooters. They gotta run them off the line at all costs. They gotta make them drive by them and scored contested two's. I am not convinced that guys like Pietrus and Lewis can get run off the line and make great contested 2 point finishes consistently. And you'll never convince me because they can't do it. Dwight Howard has 2 40 point games in his career. That's about 100 short of all the other elite players in this game. Let's see him score 40 the next 3 games. And let's make him uncomfortable. Let's put Darnell Jackson get in there and rake his arms hard 3-4 times. I know Mike Brown is one of the best coaches in the world. I know he has made adjustments. A lot of the adjustments we are not smart enough to see. But there has to be a much bigger premium put on disallowing 3's and welcoming 2's. Not straight line 2's. Not bail out foul, stop the clock and shoot free throw 2's. Just pressure layup/pressure finish/hard hand in the face 2's. Easier said than done I know. But there has to be a significant adjustment or the topics that involve the Cavs become much more severe.
But hey, the Cavs have to win Thursday. Then they have to play the best game of the season in Game 6. Then hopefully, they get to come back and play a game 7 in front of a great home crowd, where the best player on the planet is gonna get EVERY CALL. It should be interesting.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
WEDNESDAY RANTS
“And in this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you’ve been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey”. – President Barack Obama, commencement address at Notre Dame
"Basketball is not like Halloween. Just because you're wearing a uniform doesn't mean you're going to get candy."- Wake Forest Locker Room
John Stuart Mill: "He who is never required to do what he cannot do, never does what he can do."
Peeps whats going on--rough night last night for a lot of you I am sure. It was a very tough loss. A lot of things went wrong for the Cavs that should not have. A ton went right for the Magic. At the end of the day, I think you almost have to just tip your hat to the Magic. The Cavaliers shot themselves in the foot on numerous occasions, but if you're gonna shoot the basketball at as high of a level as the Magic did last night, there is not much to do except commend them. If you're gonna come out of a timeout with 6 seconds to go in the 4th quarter down 1, and run a forward rub screen for Rashard Lewis, and he's gonna take one dribble left without looking at the basket yet, take a no hesitation 22 footer leaning to his left and bury it with the ease of a fat guy ordering dinner when you only need a 2 pointer--it might just be your night. Hats off to Skip to my Lou Rafer Alston for stepping up to the plate and showing people his guts last night. I dunno, I'll get into this a little more later. As bad as it is, and it's very very bad both short term and long term--the Cavaliers are still in a position to win this series.
"Basketball is not like Halloween. Just because you're wearing a uniform doesn't mean you're going to get candy."- Wake Forest Locker Room
John Stuart Mill: "He who is never required to do what he cannot do, never does what he can do."
Peeps whats going on--rough night last night for a lot of you I am sure. It was a very tough loss. A lot of things went wrong for the Cavs that should not have. A ton went right for the Magic. At the end of the day, I think you almost have to just tip your hat to the Magic. The Cavaliers shot themselves in the foot on numerous occasions, but if you're gonna shoot the basketball at as high of a level as the Magic did last night, there is not much to do except commend them. If you're gonna come out of a timeout with 6 seconds to go in the 4th quarter down 1, and run a forward rub screen for Rashard Lewis, and he's gonna take one dribble left without looking at the basket yet, take a no hesitation 22 footer leaning to his left and bury it with the ease of a fat guy ordering dinner when you only need a 2 pointer--it might just be your night. Hats off to Skip to my Lou Rafer Alston for stepping up to the plate and showing people his guts last night. I dunno, I'll get into this a little more later. As bad as it is, and it's very very bad both short term and long term--the Cavaliers are still in a position to win this series.
CORNELL
Let's start with a round of applause to the Cornell Big Red Lacrosse Team, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in perhaps the worst loss in college lacrosse history. It was incredible. I hope many of you watched it. Up 9-6 with 4 minutes to go. Up 9-8 with 20 seconds to go with the ball. They gave up a mystifying game tying goal with 4 seconds left. It was a hectic sequence that saw an All-American from Cornell make a bonehead play, followed by a lowly defensemen, who all he had to do was catch the ball, brutally miss a ball like a 4 year old who just picked up a lax stick. This led to of course, a Syracuse player finding the ball in the air, a quick cradle, and depositing it to the back of the net for the slickest game tying goal in national championship history. With all the momentum, Syracuse made quick work of the Big Red in overrtime, for their 2nd national championship in as many years. Amazing. If this so called All-American just takes that ball and throws it a million feet in the air down to the other end of the field, Cuse has to come 120 yards down the field and score in 15 seconds. Almost impossible. Instead, that 20 minute sequence, brought my dad from euphoria to despair, as his alma mater once again blew a great opportunity to win a national championship. My (spoiled) sister, who will be attending Cornell in August, made me laugh as she feigned interest in the game. I am just kidding. I am sure she was watching with great angst and excitement, only to be crushed by the ending.
Let's start with a round of applause to the Cornell Big Red Lacrosse Team, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in perhaps the worst loss in college lacrosse history. It was incredible. I hope many of you watched it. Up 9-6 with 4 minutes to go. Up 9-8 with 20 seconds to go with the ball. They gave up a mystifying game tying goal with 4 seconds left. It was a hectic sequence that saw an All-American from Cornell make a bonehead play, followed by a lowly defensemen, who all he had to do was catch the ball, brutally miss a ball like a 4 year old who just picked up a lax stick. This led to of course, a Syracuse player finding the ball in the air, a quick cradle, and depositing it to the back of the net for the slickest game tying goal in national championship history. With all the momentum, Syracuse made quick work of the Big Red in overrtime, for their 2nd national championship in as many years. Amazing. If this so called All-American just takes that ball and throws it a million feet in the air down to the other end of the field, Cuse has to come 120 yards down the field and score in 15 seconds. Almost impossible. Instead, that 20 minute sequence, brought my dad from euphoria to despair, as his alma mater once again blew a great opportunity to win a national championship. My (spoiled) sister, who will be attending Cornell in August, made me laugh as she feigned interest in the game. I am just kidding. I am sure she was watching with great angst and excitement, only to be crushed by the ending.
I love watching high level lacrosse. I think ESPNU has done a great job with the coverage this season. It's a great game. It reminds me so much of basketball, it's not even funny how similar it is. My dad and uncle played lacrosse in college. And right about this time every year, with the Final Four played Saturday and Labor Day, I think about what my life would have been like if I grew up in upper New York instead of Cleveland. In upper New York, kids aren't walking around dribbling basketballs, or playing baseball catch. They are twirling around lax sticks. They are learning how to cradle. They are taking shots on the lacrosse goal. I have convinced myself that I would have been a high level lacrosse talent. And I think it would have been a really fun way of life. But I am much more grateful that I got to play the 3 main sports growing up. It was funny though, I asked my dad what team or coach he would wanna play for if he had a chance. He said probably Princeton because he thinks that's the best coach. I said Syracuse because of the coach. I like the Cornell coach a lot. He is sharp, and has been steadily improving the program from a very high level to a top 5 year in, year out level. The Big Red will be back in the title game very shortly. But Monday afternoon is gonna be on their minds for a while.
DREW ROSENHAUS
DREW ROSENHAUS
Anquan Boldin sent super agent Drew Rosenhaus packing this morning. HAHAHA. How great is that? You gotta love when things like this happen. Now, I love Drew Rosenhaus. I hate him too and I think he's too much at times, but it's mostly love from me. He's a douchebag. He's a jerk. He's a jock sniffing self-promoter. He's ruthless. I am sure he has cut some corners, done terrible things and acted unethically at times. I get that. But he is doing exactly what he wants to do. He's self made. He's built an empire for himself. He's worked way harder than all his peers. He never sleeps. He has a zillion clients. He makes a ton of money. You can't knock that hustle in my opinion. You don't have to respect what he's done, but most of the time, I do. And most of the time, I like to see what he does and says. So it's funny when a guy like him, who is so image conscious, gets publicly broken off for all the world to see. DR has handled it pretty nicely though. On his Twitter, he has handled it well, wishing Anquan well, talking about the respect he has for him, and hopes that AB can be back with Rosenhaus Sports Representation in the future. Has anyone checked out Rosenhaus' twitter posts? They are incredible. They are so funny. He is so smart like that. He uses his twits to promote all his players. And he does it constantly. See, Drew was locked into a position with Anquan. He told 30 teams, "look, the deal is X years at X dollars per year, that's what it is and we're not changing our position." And he's been impeccable with his word. He's so arrogant that he doesn't wanna come off that deal cause that's not something Drew Rosenhaus does. It would cost him some credibility. And that's just how it is. What Boldin is gonna soon find out is that it's not his agent's fault. He has to realize that he's not worth what he thinks he is, because he is small and can't stay on the field cause he gets hurt every week. He's a terror and top 8 WR when he's healthy but he never is because he is always dinged. We'll see what happens.
BARCELONA v. MANCHESTER UNITED
Big game today at 2pm--the UEFA Champions League Final, Barcelona v. Man U live from Rome. I would love to take 5 or 10 guys I know who hate soccer above all things, and put them in England for 3 months. Make them go to every Manchester United game, and see if they flip their position on the game. I think it could happen. The UEFA League is the highest level of the game. At times, I find it fun to watch. A game like today would probably be fun to watch. I dunno, I think it's something you can get swept into, whether you like soccer or not.
TWO GUYS
Let me tell you about two guys. The first guy is from Hampton Roads VA. The second is from Pike Indiana. The first guy was a McD's All-American. The second guy was barely recruited by any good college. The first guy was an All-American, got incredible ink and press, and was one of the most celebrated college basketball players of the last 20 years. He was a great scorer. People raved about his shooting and his character. Hundreds of cover stories. He was Player of the Year. He enjoyed so much popularity. The second guy finally got a bite by a small Division 1 college. He spent 4 years in a small crappy town. He shined on the court, got buckets and carried his team to new heights just like the first guy. He worked on his game for 4 years in a hot gym millions of miles away from a camera or national reporter. In his senior year, he finally started to get some buzz cause they're team made a nice run in the NCAA tourney. The first guy was the 11th pick of the draft 2 years ago. The second guy was the 20th pick of this year's draft. Who would you rather have? The two guys I am talking about are JJ Redick and Courtney Lee.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Rebirth of a Cell Phone
As some of you undoubtedly heard the other night through text message, my cell phone was clearly on its way out Thursday night. I was sitting in my class, and the battery of my beloved cell phone exploded. And when I say exploded, I mean it expanded internally in a way that I could no longer fit it in the back of my phone. In a cold sweat, I proceeded to try to fit it back in. At first I thought I was just retarded, and was trying to jam it in in a weird way. But then I realized that the battery was a lot fatter than it had ever been, so something must have gone wrong in there. That's when extreme sadness set in. I was sullen. I was downtrodden. And all the calls that have shaped my life over the past 5 years were becoming a distant memory. All the hilarious text message exchanges from my friends and family and all the 2am texts to girls, followed by 2:01am text messages from girls laughing me off the stage--all those memories from my phone were slowly coming to end.
For those who are unaware, I have had the same cell phone for 5.5 years. Yea, I know, it really is amazing. It's an astonishing feat when you think about it. I don't think any of my friends or anyone I associate with has had their cell phone for more than a year and a half. My friend Derek Smith upgrades his cell piece almost monthly if not weekly. Currently, I think he is featuring a Blackberry that isn't out anywhere in the states. It must have "fell off a truck" or something. So I have a bond with this cell phone that rivals Stockton and Malone. It's been a friendship forged through a really great time in my life.
On the car ride home from managerial accounting, millions of thoughts rushed through my head as tears came cascading off my eyes. Was this really it? This was how it was gonna end? Then in a flash of brilliance, I remembered that for a time, my dad had the same cell phone that I had. I thought that he might still have it somewhere, and with that, my dream of keeping my cell phone could still be alive. When I got home, I scavenged through the house looking for the old phone. I FOUND IT. I quickly jacked the battery out of the back, and put it on my phone. And as luck had it, it worked and operated smoothly. It worked perfectly. And 2 days later, it's still working great.
Now a lot of you probably figured me for an IPhone or a Blackberry. I know a lot of you are thinking "Damn Jc, you're so plugged in on everything, I thought for sure you would have a Blackberry." And all of you would be absolutely correct. My personality lends itself to a Crackberry or Iphone. No question about it. And probably in the near future, I am gonna get one of those. And when I get one of those, I will probably obsess over it for at least a year, if not longer. It's just that I am part of something really special here with this phone. I can't abandon it until it dies. It's been too good to me. So for the time being, rest assured that my phone is alive and well. It is not going anywhere in the near future. And I look forward to continuing this great run I have been on. If you have any questions, call or text me.
For those who are unaware, I have had the same cell phone for 5.5 years. Yea, I know, it really is amazing. It's an astonishing feat when you think about it. I don't think any of my friends or anyone I associate with has had their cell phone for more than a year and a half. My friend Derek Smith upgrades his cell piece almost monthly if not weekly. Currently, I think he is featuring a Blackberry that isn't out anywhere in the states. It must have "fell off a truck" or something. So I have a bond with this cell phone that rivals Stockton and Malone. It's been a friendship forged through a really great time in my life.
On the car ride home from managerial accounting, millions of thoughts rushed through my head as tears came cascading off my eyes. Was this really it? This was how it was gonna end? Then in a flash of brilliance, I remembered that for a time, my dad had the same cell phone that I had. I thought that he might still have it somewhere, and with that, my dream of keeping my cell phone could still be alive. When I got home, I scavenged through the house looking for the old phone. I FOUND IT. I quickly jacked the battery out of the back, and put it on my phone. And as luck had it, it worked and operated smoothly. It worked perfectly. And 2 days later, it's still working great.
Now a lot of you probably figured me for an IPhone or a Blackberry. I know a lot of you are thinking "Damn Jc, you're so plugged in on everything, I thought for sure you would have a Blackberry." And all of you would be absolutely correct. My personality lends itself to a Crackberry or Iphone. No question about it. And probably in the near future, I am gonna get one of those. And when I get one of those, I will probably obsess over it for at least a year, if not longer. It's just that I am part of something really special here with this phone. I can't abandon it until it dies. It's been too good to me. So for the time being, rest assured that my phone is alive and well. It is not going anywhere in the near future. And I look forward to continuing this great run I have been on. If you have any questions, call or text me.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Part 2
Jon Gruden to the MNF booth, replacing Tony Kornheiser was a great move. I was really excited to hear about that. Chuckie is gonna give us great insight. And for everyone who knows me well, real raw insight about players and the technical X's and O's of football is something I am really interested in. And he'll supply just that. He was part of the NFL Network draft coverage this season. He did a fantastic job. Both him and Mark Mayock were fantastic with player personell evaluation. Had a lot of insight that no one else really had. Talked about different teams' schemes. Great data. The question really is: how much are NFL teams gonna let him know during their weekly preparation? I mean it's one thing to let goofy Tony Kornheiser in the doors, show him your schemes and what you're trying to accomplish that week, it's a much different thing to let Chuckie in the door. Gruden is gonna be back in the league next season. No question. So how are you gonna privy him to any inside info, when he's gonna be back in the NFL making $5 million a year outcoaching you and your organization by this time next year?? It will be interesting to see what kind of access an established team gives him. But he's gonna have great stuff for smart football guy fans, and he'll teach the regular fans a thing or two. Maybe he'll teach us how to get up at 3:17 in the morning to start breaking down film and getting ready for practice that day, which he did like clockwork during his time as an NFL head coach.
CAVS-MAGIC tips tomorrow night ladies and gents. The Eastern Conference Finals. Gonna be a great series. I know all of you are very excited. I cannot frickkin believe that Charles Barkley picked the Magic. That's unbelievable. I realize that he knows a lot better than you and me. I realize that it's kinda his schtick, and he's playing the part a little bit. But that's gonna be pretty tough sledding Chuck. This ain't last year. This is different. It just is. But at the same time, if you're a Cavs fan, you shouldn't be totally comfortable. You should be confident. But like Chuck is defending: the NBA game is all about matchups. And he like the matchups for the Magic. That's fine. But LeBron transcends any matchup deficiency for the Cavs. He's just currently at such an astronomical playing level right now, that it's hard to entertain the thought of anything less than 2-0 heading on a plane to Orlando for game 3. But on the other hand, if MJT (Michael Jordan of Turkey) keeps playing at the level he's been at, they get shooting from Redick, Skip to my Lou, Lee and Pietrus, and D12 has his way on the glass, Cavs might have something to think about. Not to mention max player Rashard Lewis, who has been efficient. What are the matchups, I don't even know. Let's think:
Magic: D12, Turk, Redick, Skip, Lewis
Cavs: Z, Bron, Mo, West, Wallace
Okay, with those lineups, Charles Barkley has a point. Not great matchups for the Cavs. Howard has an advantage, so does Lewis or Turk. And you gotta waste D West, a great defender on Redick. It just seems like bad matchups for the Cavs. I have only been thinking about it for 10 minutes, but it's easy to say. When Andy comes in, who does he defend? I dunno right now. Its becoming a little more clear why we had so much trouble with them in the regular season. We have a hard time matching up defensively, and when they hit 3's they are tough. We're gonna see what they do with these matchups tomorrow. Obviously I don't have a ton on the subject right now. I will have a much better idea tomorrow. But shouldn't be too much of a problem tomorrow, unless they go 13-20 from 3 like they did in game 7 against the Celtics. That might equate to an 0-1 hole. We shall see. LeBron is gonna carry the day though folks. He is the ultimate force. He is gonna play 45 minutes. They have absolutely no one to guard him. He's gonna have a triple double at halftime. He'll have enough juice to carry them. I am interested to see if SVG has something up his sleeve. And I will be anxious to see if COY Mike Brown has stuff as well.
I played hoops at St. Edward's open gym today. And for about the 100th straight time I have tried to play there after I graduated, I left with a tremendous feeling of inadequacy as a basketball player. I don't really know what it is. But every time I play in that setting, with former players and current players alike, I feel like and play like a guy with not much playing ability and a player who doesn't really know what he is doing (cue the, "yea, you feel that way because you suck and always have jokes").
But I think that the St. Eds open gym arena has a food chain that is a little different than other open gyms. There is a weird dichotomy of whose good and whose bad, who shoots and who doesn't, and who wins and who loses. There are guys that are great open gym players, and others who need refs and scoreboard to be motivated to play well. And this is due to a large degree of factors, and all are negotiable of course. Like every open gym, it really just depends on what you're trying to get out of it. And I'm not trying to get a ton out of it. I'm there to see my buddies who coach there, see the guys that coached me when I was there, and talk to my head coach about how things are going. I like to play and guard the guys that are playing there currently to see how good they are, and if they are getting better. So I'm there to get up and down, get some rebounds and make a play if I'm open. I'm not there grinding and taking bad shots. But I just have this level of discomfort when Im playing in games that is weird.
The open gym v. real game argument is one that I have always been fascinated by. Look, I have had a very long and fortunate playing career. It is something I have been truly blessed with, and it's a huge reason why I am married to the game, and am constantly trying to find and gain a better perspective about how the game should be taught and administrated. I have had great experiences in high school as well as college. I have had the privilege of playing with some great players, and great coaches. So I have seen a lot of pick up games, I have played in a lot of pickup games. I have seen and played in a lot of regular games. I have seen tons of guys, who are flat out unstoppable in an open gym flounder in an official setting. But, as a guy who has had some real game success, I find myself envying at times, those guys who are great in pickup games.
But after a 41 point effort in the Lakewood Y league the night before, I wanted a piece the action at St. Eds today. I was gonna play a little harder than I usually do, and try to take a lot of shots and stay on as long as I could. But yet again, I was hamstrung by bad decisions by my teammates. I really wasn't a player of any consequence, and I got hammered every time I touched the ball. Literally got the shit beat out of me every time I set that ball on the floor. It was ridiculous. My right knee is sore. So I left and had to go back to the drawing board of trying to solve the St. Eds open gym riddle. I can feel myself really fading and killing my point of this take so I'm gonna stop. But I will definitely re-visit the open gym debate shortly.
CAVS-MAGIC tips tomorrow night ladies and gents. The Eastern Conference Finals. Gonna be a great series. I know all of you are very excited. I cannot frickkin believe that Charles Barkley picked the Magic. That's unbelievable. I realize that he knows a lot better than you and me. I realize that it's kinda his schtick, and he's playing the part a little bit. But that's gonna be pretty tough sledding Chuck. This ain't last year. This is different. It just is. But at the same time, if you're a Cavs fan, you shouldn't be totally comfortable. You should be confident. But like Chuck is defending: the NBA game is all about matchups. And he like the matchups for the Magic. That's fine. But LeBron transcends any matchup deficiency for the Cavs. He's just currently at such an astronomical playing level right now, that it's hard to entertain the thought of anything less than 2-0 heading on a plane to Orlando for game 3. But on the other hand, if MJT (Michael Jordan of Turkey) keeps playing at the level he's been at, they get shooting from Redick, Skip to my Lou, Lee and Pietrus, and D12 has his way on the glass, Cavs might have something to think about. Not to mention max player Rashard Lewis, who has been efficient. What are the matchups, I don't even know. Let's think:
Magic: D12, Turk, Redick, Skip, Lewis
Cavs: Z, Bron, Mo, West, Wallace
Okay, with those lineups, Charles Barkley has a point. Not great matchups for the Cavs. Howard has an advantage, so does Lewis or Turk. And you gotta waste D West, a great defender on Redick. It just seems like bad matchups for the Cavs. I have only been thinking about it for 10 minutes, but it's easy to say. When Andy comes in, who does he defend? I dunno right now. Its becoming a little more clear why we had so much trouble with them in the regular season. We have a hard time matching up defensively, and when they hit 3's they are tough. We're gonna see what they do with these matchups tomorrow. Obviously I don't have a ton on the subject right now. I will have a much better idea tomorrow. But shouldn't be too much of a problem tomorrow, unless they go 13-20 from 3 like they did in game 7 against the Celtics. That might equate to an 0-1 hole. We shall see. LeBron is gonna carry the day though folks. He is the ultimate force. He is gonna play 45 minutes. They have absolutely no one to guard him. He's gonna have a triple double at halftime. He'll have enough juice to carry them. I am interested to see if SVG has something up his sleeve. And I will be anxious to see if COY Mike Brown has stuff as well.
I played hoops at St. Edward's open gym today. And for about the 100th straight time I have tried to play there after I graduated, I left with a tremendous feeling of inadequacy as a basketball player. I don't really know what it is. But every time I play in that setting, with former players and current players alike, I feel like and play like a guy with not much playing ability and a player who doesn't really know what he is doing (cue the, "yea, you feel that way because you suck and always have jokes").
But I think that the St. Eds open gym arena has a food chain that is a little different than other open gyms. There is a weird dichotomy of whose good and whose bad, who shoots and who doesn't, and who wins and who loses. There are guys that are great open gym players, and others who need refs and scoreboard to be motivated to play well. And this is due to a large degree of factors, and all are negotiable of course. Like every open gym, it really just depends on what you're trying to get out of it. And I'm not trying to get a ton out of it. I'm there to see my buddies who coach there, see the guys that coached me when I was there, and talk to my head coach about how things are going. I like to play and guard the guys that are playing there currently to see how good they are, and if they are getting better. So I'm there to get up and down, get some rebounds and make a play if I'm open. I'm not there grinding and taking bad shots. But I just have this level of discomfort when Im playing in games that is weird.
The open gym v. real game argument is one that I have always been fascinated by. Look, I have had a very long and fortunate playing career. It is something I have been truly blessed with, and it's a huge reason why I am married to the game, and am constantly trying to find and gain a better perspective about how the game should be taught and administrated. I have had great experiences in high school as well as college. I have had the privilege of playing with some great players, and great coaches. So I have seen a lot of pick up games, I have played in a lot of pickup games. I have seen and played in a lot of regular games. I have seen tons of guys, who are flat out unstoppable in an open gym flounder in an official setting. But, as a guy who has had some real game success, I find myself envying at times, those guys who are great in pickup games.
But after a 41 point effort in the Lakewood Y league the night before, I wanted a piece the action at St. Eds today. I was gonna play a little harder than I usually do, and try to take a lot of shots and stay on as long as I could. But yet again, I was hamstrung by bad decisions by my teammates. I really wasn't a player of any consequence, and I got hammered every time I touched the ball. Literally got the shit beat out of me every time I set that ball on the floor. It was ridiculous. My right knee is sore. So I left and had to go back to the drawing board of trying to solve the St. Eds open gym riddle. I can feel myself really fading and killing my point of this take so I'm gonna stop. But I will definitely re-visit the open gym debate shortly.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
THE RETURN OF JC SUMMER SPECIAL PART 1
“I do not concern myself with being consistent in what I say, but with being consistent with the truth as it reveals itself to me.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward are the three qualities work has to have to be satisfying.” – Malcolm Gladwell
PEEPSSSSSS!!! What's happenin--It's your old buddy JC. Nice to be back with you. Working on a 3 week layoff here. I am sorry I had a busy couple weeks. I know many of you have had a hard time getting out of bed without new access to my dementia. Got some great stuff to get going with here. For all those who have been very concerned at the access that Rudy Kirbus has been getting on this blog, let me ease your worries. Rudy will not be making another post on this arena unless it is first approved by me. The mass texts and emails and people calling me at all hours of the night asking me why I am letting Rudy write on this fabulous platform have all been taken in stride. I agree that Rudy was diluting the product I am trying to put on the field every week. That criticism is well received. But Rudy has been an integral part of my blog and is one of my biggest critics. We discuss potential topics and he criticizes where I take certain issues. He is going to be heard from again, I guarantee you that. But for the time being, it is going to all me going forward until he has something that has to be shared with the YOUGOTJC peeps.
Where are all the Kerry Wood fans right now? Burying their heads under pillows? I only ask because I know there are many out there right now reading this. And I know this because I have brought them to task and asked them to defend it, which they have not been able to. But the flame thrower really trumped himself tonight. We were up 5-2 in KC about 20 minutes ago. Then, in a span of 10 minutes-- 2 JACKS, a Triple, 2 Walks, and a Sac Fly--6-5 Royals win. That's a guy were paying 10.5 million dollars this year and next year? How unbelievable is that? When I heard we signed him, I was sitting at work. And I remember thinking to myself..."O, hmm okay, thats probably a 1 year $4 million dollar deal with a lot of incentives." 2 year $20.5 mil just floored me. O well. Like my buddy Pat Bujnak said when I shot him a text that said "Fire Shapiro and Wedge," to which he responded: "who are the Cleveland Indians?" And that's completely right on the money. The Tribe has in effect become irrelevant with this terrible start. They have been swallowed by the sea of the Cavaliers and the Browns. Swallowed much more by the Cavs obviously, but the new regime and the fact that football is always gonna be the biggest sport in all the land have put the Tribe out of business. I am gonna get off this topic, but I'll end with Mark Shapiro. That guy is the most overrated GM in baseball. The guy hasn't made a good move in a very long time. He's done C- homework on free agents. He hasn't drafted a good player in quite some time. You look at a team like the Fla Marlins--they got 12 guys under 25 who hit the shit outta the ball to all fields, who run and cause trouble on the bases, who throw their bodies all over the field, etc. Where are all those guys for us? Where are all the gritty as shit young players who can hit? They are out there. We gotta find them better.
Just watched the first half of the Nuggets-Lakers. Looked like we were gonna get a great Game 1 until this sequence happened. Okay, Nuggets up 14. 3 minutes left in the first quarter. Loose ball, Billups finds the ball and leads a semi advantage break. He pulls up for a 3, just a touch long, long rebound Vujacic gets it. 3 ball for Sasha Vu in the corner. Bad possession by the Nugs, comes back, 3 ball by Shannon Brown (what?) Nuggets miss 2 free throws and then they trade baskets. End of first quarter, Nuggets up 8. That 9 point swing is gonna lose the game for the Nuggets in my opinion. If Billups splashes that 3, Phil might call timeout. Those 2 transition 3's by the Lakes never happen. Look I know I'm hammering this small sequence a little too hard. But it in effect killed all my hope of a great series. The Nuggets just do way too many stupid things. They are never gonna beat the Lakers. They are retarded. JR Smith came in and threw the ball all over the court. They make stupid fouls. They give up way too many easy shots, especially, wide open 3's. I hope that they can keep it together for 7 games, but I think they have kind of reached their peak in the "keep their composure department". I really like what Melo did in that first half though. I think he is gonna have a big series. He is playing the best basketball he has played since his legendary year at Syracuse. That REDEEM Team experience was so great for this year's NBA season, especially for Melo and LeBron. I mean for LeBron, it gave him that "holy shit, Kobe has woken up at 6am for 13 straight days to work out for 4 hours before we do any team activities, maybe I should UP my regimen a smidge and get ready to lead my team to an NBA Finals" moment. For Melo, it was more like the: "you know what, fuck that 6am shit, I'm gonna mail in the season like I have been, but I am really gonna start to focus when the playoffs start" moment. Either way, you can really see Melo competing a lot harder than you usually see him. He is gonna go at Kobe Bryant at a very high competitive level this series. That's exciting. But, the Lakers should survive the Nuggets, a little easier than I had hoped.
Lotta great guys in the LA stands tonight. Larry David was sitting next to Spike Lee, right next to Phil Jackson. Denzel was in his usual spot, with his usual NY Yankee hat. Jack Nicholson and best friend Lou Adler were in there regular seats. But my man crush Justin Timberlake was on the floor as well. And look, save the "get off his nuts" commentary. The guy is flat out the most talented guy walking around right now, and it's really not even close. He's dating one of the hottest chicks in the game. He has 2 songs in the top 10 most downloaded Itunes songs. He produces. He acts. He's already one of the best guest hosts in SNL history. Have you ever seen him on Saturday Night Live? He's better than almost every professional skit comedians on the show. It's incredible. He also plays golf constantly. His style is nasty too. He's operating at a very high level guys, that's all I'm saying.
Just flipped it over to Baseball Tonight on ESPN2. Baseball Tonight is an institution similar to Sportscenter. Great arena to catch the highlights of the night. But the biggest development of the season so far, is the death of Eric Young and the birth of EY. HAHA. Has anyone else noticed this? Eric Young, former big league player, does a nice job on the show. But he's not Eric Young anymore. He goes soley by "EY." Never anything else. It's classic. I laugh every time. And everyone else on the show has done a fantastic job sticking to the EY gloss.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward are the three qualities work has to have to be satisfying.” – Malcolm Gladwell
PEEPSSSSSS!!! What's happenin--It's your old buddy JC. Nice to be back with you. Working on a 3 week layoff here. I am sorry I had a busy couple weeks. I know many of you have had a hard time getting out of bed without new access to my dementia. Got some great stuff to get going with here. For all those who have been very concerned at the access that Rudy Kirbus has been getting on this blog, let me ease your worries. Rudy will not be making another post on this arena unless it is first approved by me. The mass texts and emails and people calling me at all hours of the night asking me why I am letting Rudy write on this fabulous platform have all been taken in stride. I agree that Rudy was diluting the product I am trying to put on the field every week. That criticism is well received. But Rudy has been an integral part of my blog and is one of my biggest critics. We discuss potential topics and he criticizes where I take certain issues. He is going to be heard from again, I guarantee you that. But for the time being, it is going to all me going forward until he has something that has to be shared with the YOUGOTJC peeps.
Where are all the Kerry Wood fans right now? Burying their heads under pillows? I only ask because I know there are many out there right now reading this. And I know this because I have brought them to task and asked them to defend it, which they have not been able to. But the flame thrower really trumped himself tonight. We were up 5-2 in KC about 20 minutes ago. Then, in a span of 10 minutes-- 2 JACKS, a Triple, 2 Walks, and a Sac Fly--6-5 Royals win. That's a guy were paying 10.5 million dollars this year and next year? How unbelievable is that? When I heard we signed him, I was sitting at work. And I remember thinking to myself..."O, hmm okay, thats probably a 1 year $4 million dollar deal with a lot of incentives." 2 year $20.5 mil just floored me. O well. Like my buddy Pat Bujnak said when I shot him a text that said "Fire Shapiro and Wedge," to which he responded: "who are the Cleveland Indians?" And that's completely right on the money. The Tribe has in effect become irrelevant with this terrible start. They have been swallowed by the sea of the Cavaliers and the Browns. Swallowed much more by the Cavs obviously, but the new regime and the fact that football is always gonna be the biggest sport in all the land have put the Tribe out of business. I am gonna get off this topic, but I'll end with Mark Shapiro. That guy is the most overrated GM in baseball. The guy hasn't made a good move in a very long time. He's done C- homework on free agents. He hasn't drafted a good player in quite some time. You look at a team like the Fla Marlins--they got 12 guys under 25 who hit the shit outta the ball to all fields, who run and cause trouble on the bases, who throw their bodies all over the field, etc. Where are all those guys for us? Where are all the gritty as shit young players who can hit? They are out there. We gotta find them better.
Just watched the first half of the Nuggets-Lakers. Looked like we were gonna get a great Game 1 until this sequence happened. Okay, Nuggets up 14. 3 minutes left in the first quarter. Loose ball, Billups finds the ball and leads a semi advantage break. He pulls up for a 3, just a touch long, long rebound Vujacic gets it. 3 ball for Sasha Vu in the corner. Bad possession by the Nugs, comes back, 3 ball by Shannon Brown (what?) Nuggets miss 2 free throws and then they trade baskets. End of first quarter, Nuggets up 8. That 9 point swing is gonna lose the game for the Nuggets in my opinion. If Billups splashes that 3, Phil might call timeout. Those 2 transition 3's by the Lakes never happen. Look I know I'm hammering this small sequence a little too hard. But it in effect killed all my hope of a great series. The Nuggets just do way too many stupid things. They are never gonna beat the Lakers. They are retarded. JR Smith came in and threw the ball all over the court. They make stupid fouls. They give up way too many easy shots, especially, wide open 3's. I hope that they can keep it together for 7 games, but I think they have kind of reached their peak in the "keep their composure department". I really like what Melo did in that first half though. I think he is gonna have a big series. He is playing the best basketball he has played since his legendary year at Syracuse. That REDEEM Team experience was so great for this year's NBA season, especially for Melo and LeBron. I mean for LeBron, it gave him that "holy shit, Kobe has woken up at 6am for 13 straight days to work out for 4 hours before we do any team activities, maybe I should UP my regimen a smidge and get ready to lead my team to an NBA Finals" moment. For Melo, it was more like the: "you know what, fuck that 6am shit, I'm gonna mail in the season like I have been, but I am really gonna start to focus when the playoffs start" moment. Either way, you can really see Melo competing a lot harder than you usually see him. He is gonna go at Kobe Bryant at a very high competitive level this series. That's exciting. But, the Lakers should survive the Nuggets, a little easier than I had hoped.
Lotta great guys in the LA stands tonight. Larry David was sitting next to Spike Lee, right next to Phil Jackson. Denzel was in his usual spot, with his usual NY Yankee hat. Jack Nicholson and best friend Lou Adler were in there regular seats. But my man crush Justin Timberlake was on the floor as well. And look, save the "get off his nuts" commentary. The guy is flat out the most talented guy walking around right now, and it's really not even close. He's dating one of the hottest chicks in the game. He has 2 songs in the top 10 most downloaded Itunes songs. He produces. He acts. He's already one of the best guest hosts in SNL history. Have you ever seen him on Saturday Night Live? He's better than almost every professional skit comedians on the show. It's incredible. He also plays golf constantly. His style is nasty too. He's operating at a very high level guys, that's all I'm saying.
Just flipped it over to Baseball Tonight on ESPN2. Baseball Tonight is an institution similar to Sportscenter. Great arena to catch the highlights of the night. But the biggest development of the season so far, is the death of Eric Young and the birth of EY. HAHA. Has anyone else noticed this? Eric Young, former big league player, does a nice job on the show. But he's not Eric Young anymore. He goes soley by "EY." Never anything else. It's classic. I laugh every time. And everyone else on the show has done a fantastic job sticking to the EY gloss.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Jackpot!!!
After several requests to hear more of me and less of JC3 I have decided to make my followers happy, and write another guest blog. Let me start of by saying that the Cavs looked pretty good last night. Anytime Wally throws one down, you know its going the Cavs way. My good friend, and longtime drinking partner Mike Armagno aka "The Big Citizen", sent me a text during the game asking me if LeBron would be the best player in the NFL. I firmly believe he would. Who would be able to stop him in the redzone, I mean besides Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. Anyways let me get to today's real topic. I often sit around and think what I would do if I won the lottery. The list of possibilities is absolulty endless. I think I have put together a pretty solid list of ways to blow that 50 mil pretty fast.
1.Stay at John Carroll and rack up 500 dollar bar tabs on the Coventry road area on a nightly basis.
2.Fly a bunch of my buddies to Vegas for a week.
3.Buy Pizzazz
4.See the Boss 20 times
5.Join Canterbuy
6.Buy Armagno a car
7.Get Kelly Blair a really good fake i.d.
8.Get a place in Chicago and get Cubs season tickets.
9.Donate money somewhere so something can be named after me.
10.Buy Johnny Curran a pair of golf shoes.
I also want to apologize to anyone I forgot to mention in my Top 10 summer drinking partner list. I left out some true booze hounds, and to those I afended I am sorry. Koltsov, Protege, McConville, Flynn, the list can go on and on.
Also a happy 21st birthday to Jumpin John Ryan. I hope your first beers a good one brother.
See you at O'Rielly's
Big Rud
1.Stay at John Carroll and rack up 500 dollar bar tabs on the Coventry road area on a nightly basis.
2.Fly a bunch of my buddies to Vegas for a week.
3.Buy Pizzazz
4.See the Boss 20 times
5.Join Canterbuy
6.Buy Armagno a car
7.Get Kelly Blair a really good fake i.d.
8.Get a place in Chicago and get Cubs season tickets.
9.Donate money somewhere so something can be named after me.
10.Buy Johnny Curran a pair of golf shoes.
I also want to apologize to anyone I forgot to mention in my Top 10 summer drinking partner list. I left out some true booze hounds, and to those I afended I am sorry. Koltsov, Protege, McConville, Flynn, the list can go on and on.
Also a happy 21st birthday to Jumpin John Ryan. I hope your first beers a good one brother.
See you at O'Rielly's
Big Rud
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Reports: Team JC in Talks About Dealing Kirbus
"If a dog’s going to bite you, he’s going to do it as a pup.’ If a guy’s going to compete, he’ll do it early." -Lou Holtz
PAT RILEY'S DANGER SIGNALS OF THE DISEASE OF ME:
Hey there fellas. It's your old pal JC. You were treated earlier to another edition of Rudy Kirbus' take on life events. Sweet. He thought of a really catchy title. He covered the Cleveland Cavaliers in depth. He gave you two stone cold reasons why the Lakers can't beat the Cavs. He besmirched my West 6th game (despite mild success in my last visit in February). He gave you a shoddy list of drinking partners. And while I praise the list, I crush the poor execution in which that list was conveyed. Once again, he whined and cried about the lack of off-season moves made by me in Lakewood Y free agency period. And as a parting shot, he encouraged irresponsible drinking habits to the hundreds who wait on pins and needles for new posts on this platform. CHEERS RUDE!
There have been wire reports and irresponsible bloggers claiming that Team JC has been actively trying to trade Rudy Kirbus for the last several months. Gene Reddy broke a story in early April claiming there was a deal in place that would have sent Rudy and Brandon Kurtz to EFG Property in return for John Link. D1Yleague.com had Rudy in a deal that would have sent Joe Cooney to Team JC while Rudy and Joe Haffey would have been sent to PJ McIntyres. The most recent trade offer that came to my desk was from Team Salay offering Reid Anderson and 100 dollars to Team JC for Rudy Kirbus and Bub Schuler. Reddy came back earlier this week, calling Rudy the Braylon Edwards of the Y League.
Well let me be the first one to squash all these rumors. RUDY KIRBUS IS NOT GOING TO BE TRADED. He has been an integral part of this franchise. He has been there from the beginning. He is one of the faces of the franchise. He is a great locker room guy. Rudy is gonna be a part of Team JC for a long time.
Despite Rudy's disparaging comments about the free agent period, Team JC under the management of JC and Tyler Sekerak have made significant progress in building a roster. We have committments from Brian Schmidt and Samario Clancy. We are close to signing Brendan Shuler and Tori Davis. So I dunno where this lack of activity stance is coming from from Rudy. If anything, Kirbus better get ready to come off the bench and contribute meaningful minutes. He's a tweener in the Y league. He is without a position. He can't defend the guards in the league. And he refuses to guard post players in this league. If the season started today he would be our 6th man. He would be a pass first screener, who if he runs the floor and shows hunger will get a lot of touches on the box and pick and pop opportunities. His conditioning is going to have to improve as we plan to play an uptempo scheme in which guys run designated lanes hard for layups. Its simple Patton school of Y league. SO in closing, I think Rudy's comments in his guest post were mostly lip service. He had his moments. But let me be the first to tell you that the Team JC roster shakeups that were promised the day after the season ended last year are happening, and we are not done. Until next time, maholo.
J.
PAT RILEY'S DANGER SIGNALS OF THE DISEASE OF ME:
- CHRONIC FEELINGS OF UNDER-APPRECIATION – FOCUS ON ONESELF.
- PARANOIA OVER BEING CHEATED OUT OF ONE’S RIGHTFUL SHARE.
- LEADERSHIP VACUUM RESULTING FROM FORMATION OF CLIQUES AND RIVALRIES.
- FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION EVEN WHEN THE TEAM PERFORMS SUCCESSFULLY.
- PERSONAL EFFORT MUSTERED SOLELY TO OUTSHINE ONE’S TEAMMATE.
Hey there fellas. It's your old pal JC. You were treated earlier to another edition of Rudy Kirbus' take on life events. Sweet. He thought of a really catchy title. He covered the Cleveland Cavaliers in depth. He gave you two stone cold reasons why the Lakers can't beat the Cavs. He besmirched my West 6th game (despite mild success in my last visit in February). He gave you a shoddy list of drinking partners. And while I praise the list, I crush the poor execution in which that list was conveyed. Once again, he whined and cried about the lack of off-season moves made by me in Lakewood Y free agency period. And as a parting shot, he encouraged irresponsible drinking habits to the hundreds who wait on pins and needles for new posts on this platform. CHEERS RUDE!
There have been wire reports and irresponsible bloggers claiming that Team JC has been actively trying to trade Rudy Kirbus for the last several months. Gene Reddy broke a story in early April claiming there was a deal in place that would have sent Rudy and Brandon Kurtz to EFG Property in return for John Link. D1Yleague.com had Rudy in a deal that would have sent Joe Cooney to Team JC while Rudy and Joe Haffey would have been sent to PJ McIntyres. The most recent trade offer that came to my desk was from Team Salay offering Reid Anderson and 100 dollars to Team JC for Rudy Kirbus and Bub Schuler. Reddy came back earlier this week, calling Rudy the Braylon Edwards of the Y League.
Well let me be the first one to squash all these rumors. RUDY KIRBUS IS NOT GOING TO BE TRADED. He has been an integral part of this franchise. He has been there from the beginning. He is one of the faces of the franchise. He is a great locker room guy. Rudy is gonna be a part of Team JC for a long time.
Despite Rudy's disparaging comments about the free agent period, Team JC under the management of JC and Tyler Sekerak have made significant progress in building a roster. We have committments from Brian Schmidt and Samario Clancy. We are close to signing Brendan Shuler and Tori Davis. So I dunno where this lack of activity stance is coming from from Rudy. If anything, Kirbus better get ready to come off the bench and contribute meaningful minutes. He's a tweener in the Y league. He is without a position. He can't defend the guards in the league. And he refuses to guard post players in this league. If the season started today he would be our 6th man. He would be a pass first screener, who if he runs the floor and shows hunger will get a lot of touches on the box and pick and pop opportunities. His conditioning is going to have to improve as we plan to play an uptempo scheme in which guys run designated lanes hard for layups. Its simple Patton school of Y league. SO in closing, I think Rudy's comments in his guest post were mostly lip service. He had his moments. But let me be the first to tell you that the Team JC roster shakeups that were promised the day after the season ended last year are happening, and we are not done. Until next time, maholo.
J.
LeBron Whats Your Ring Size?
[JC Note: sup peeps, this is Rudy Kirbus' second guest post. This is unedited (obviously) and has not been altered. The thoughts and opinions of this post in no way represent the candid dynamic I bring to the table every week. Enjoy]
Anyone who does not firmly believe that the Cavs are going to win the NBA Championship this summer is insane. There are as sure as Johnny Curran getting turned down this weekend on West 6th trying to pick up the girl of his dreams. LBJ is hands down the best player on the planet, and I am convinced he will refuse to lose a game 7 at home. The supporting cast is one of the best in the NBA, and the fans In Cleveland are so hungary their ready to do anything for a championship. The only team with any chance to beat the Cavs is LA, but Andrew Bynum's a pussy, and Derek Fisher is 56 years old. The Cavs are going to beat the Hawks in 5, the Magic in 5, and the Lakers in 6. You heard it here first.
Now lets get to my true passion y league basketball. Gm JC3 once again as showed no ability to make any big off season move. He continues to believe that his team can win without an est. big guy, which is as likely as Mike Armagno missing a redemption shot in 10 cup beer pong. Team JC has talent, but what we need is size. Go out and get us a big guy Johnny...Please
My Top 10 People to Drink with this summer
10. Brain Hamrick/Brian Dandrea-always life of the party
9. Ryan Barrett-I see him all year or he would be higher
8. Tony DeMichele-Keystone Kid alwalys willing to pick up the tab
7. Rory O'Neil-could be a big weekend in Chicago
6.T-Walsh-enough said
5.Armagno-Big Citizen does his best work in the summer months
4.Rabbit-21
3.T.J. DiSanto-back from Italy could be great stories
2.The Zajac Family- any combination of them could involve flip cup, century pong, or porch drinking
1.Anyone who works at Canterbury-member, fellow caddie, etc. nothing says summer like Canterbury
-JC3 would be on the list but I dont want him drinking during the y season
-Kelly Blair is not 21 but Ill give him a pass if he brings Vorhees
I want to leave everyone with a couple final thougts. First I have yet to hear back from Titus, he fears JC3. Second, summer is the best time ever to get loaded for no reason at all. Stop working and start drinking.
Bottoms Up
Big Rud
Anyone who does not firmly believe that the Cavs are going to win the NBA Championship this summer is insane. There are as sure as Johnny Curran getting turned down this weekend on West 6th trying to pick up the girl of his dreams. LBJ is hands down the best player on the planet, and I am convinced he will refuse to lose a game 7 at home. The supporting cast is one of the best in the NBA, and the fans In Cleveland are so hungary their ready to do anything for a championship. The only team with any chance to beat the Cavs is LA, but Andrew Bynum's a pussy, and Derek Fisher is 56 years old. The Cavs are going to beat the Hawks in 5, the Magic in 5, and the Lakers in 6. You heard it here first.
Now lets get to my true passion y league basketball. Gm JC3 once again as showed no ability to make any big off season move. He continues to believe that his team can win without an est. big guy, which is as likely as Mike Armagno missing a redemption shot in 10 cup beer pong. Team JC has talent, but what we need is size. Go out and get us a big guy Johnny...Please
My Top 10 People to Drink with this summer
10. Brain Hamrick/Brian Dandrea-always life of the party
9. Ryan Barrett-I see him all year or he would be higher
8. Tony DeMichele-Keystone Kid alwalys willing to pick up the tab
7. Rory O'Neil-could be a big weekend in Chicago
6.T-Walsh-enough said
5.Armagno-Big Citizen does his best work in the summer months
4.Rabbit-21
3.T.J. DiSanto-back from Italy could be great stories
2.The Zajac Family- any combination of them could involve flip cup, century pong, or porch drinking
1.Anyone who works at Canterbury-member, fellow caddie, etc. nothing says summer like Canterbury
-JC3 would be on the list but I dont want him drinking during the y season
-Kelly Blair is not 21 but Ill give him a pass if he brings Vorhees
I want to leave everyone with a couple final thougts. First I have yet to hear back from Titus, he fears JC3. Second, summer is the best time ever to get loaded for no reason at all. Stop working and start drinking.
Bottoms Up
Big Rud
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