After taking a day off from waking up at 5am - ish to watch the French Open, I got right back in the saddle today. If you think that is sad, just wait until I tell you how long I continued to watch - more on than off for the next 10 plus hours.
No Roddick today so that was kind of a bummer. But we did get both Venus and Serena with wins. Venus played a stocky dynamo that gave her a brief problem in the second set. Serena had no such problems. I wish they had played doubles today.
The 6'9 American, Isner, went out like Sampras on clay. Fellow American Mardy Fish lost 10-8 in the 5th. A heartbreaking loss on the worst court at Roland Garros. It looked like they were playing at Kings Park Park.
The best match of the day was between two chicks that I've never seen before. Rezai from France and some Russian. Rezai had the crowd behind her but kept getting broken. Of course then she would break the Russian what's her name. It's currently 7-7 in the 3rd. Have to restart due to the sun going away.
I heard the Lakers game came down to the last second last night. I also heard that Ron Artest took a really bad shot, had a put back, and gave an epic interview. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it live. The power went out so I was stuck with updates on my Droid.
So that sucked.
But you know what is awesome? You know how when the power comes back on your clock flashes starting at 12:00am? The power came back on at 12:00am. That's right. My clock is flashing. But it's flashing the correct time.
Huge.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
onyewu? more like offyewu
I doubt that Bob Bradley will have the stones to give Onyewu's plane ticket to Johannesburg to somebody else. But he should.
Beasley at left back is something that went horribly wrong at Costa Rica but it would have been nice if we could have seen that experiment given another chance or chances before the games really started to count. I say that because there are some serious problems in the back right now.
Against England, the Yanks need either Beasley or Hejduk to start in the back. The problem is that Beasley won't be back there and Hejduk won't even be on the continent. I would seriously have brought him just for that game. (If Onyewu goes to SA and has to go home, they can call up somebody AND it doesn't have to be from this preliminary 30 man roster. I just doubt that Bob is smart enough to do that.)
Up top is another problem. The US was playing their best ball last summer with Davies up top with Altidore. Davies is obviously hurt so he needs to be replaced. The problem with that is that they aren't replacing Davies with a similar player. When he initially went down, I thought Findley could be that type of player - a speedster that takes on defenders and compliments the bigger Jozy.
Ching isn't that guy. Neither is Buddle, Johnson, or Gomez really. Dempey is obviously a class player but not really a forward. He would probably play a little behind the forward (Jozy).
Findley hasn't really gotten a chance so it's a real long shot. The fact that he even made it to the final 30 is pretty freaking impressive. Maybe the plan is to have Donovan up there since there are a bunch of midfielders. The problem with that is that Donovan tracks back a lot on defense. It's not something that gets talked about a lot but it's needed.
I can't wait to see who Bob cuts tomorrow. I hope he will learn from the mistakes that Bruce made last World Cup. Renya was past his prime and injuried. Pope should have been a back up. O'Brien was hurt.
Taking a lame duck Onyewu would be the first mistake.
I say that the 7 cuts tomorrow are:
Rogers
Marshall
Pearce
Findley
Bedoya
Johnson
Kljestan
I'd keep Findley over Ching. I'd also ship Onyewu home from SA and replace him with Hejduk. Neither of those things will happen. You won't send Ching home Bob!
Beasley at left back is something that went horribly wrong at Costa Rica but it would have been nice if we could have seen that experiment given another chance or chances before the games really started to count. I say that because there are some serious problems in the back right now.
Against England, the Yanks need either Beasley or Hejduk to start in the back. The problem is that Beasley won't be back there and Hejduk won't even be on the continent. I would seriously have brought him just for that game. (If Onyewu goes to SA and has to go home, they can call up somebody AND it doesn't have to be from this preliminary 30 man roster. I just doubt that Bob is smart enough to do that.)
Up top is another problem. The US was playing their best ball last summer with Davies up top with Altidore. Davies is obviously hurt so he needs to be replaced. The problem with that is that they aren't replacing Davies with a similar player. When he initially went down, I thought Findley could be that type of player - a speedster that takes on defenders and compliments the bigger Jozy.
Ching isn't that guy. Neither is Buddle, Johnson, or Gomez really. Dempey is obviously a class player but not really a forward. He would probably play a little behind the forward (Jozy).
Findley hasn't really gotten a chance so it's a real long shot. The fact that he even made it to the final 30 is pretty freaking impressive. Maybe the plan is to have Donovan up there since there are a bunch of midfielders. The problem with that is that Donovan tracks back a lot on defense. It's not something that gets talked about a lot but it's needed.
I can't wait to see who Bob cuts tomorrow. I hope he will learn from the mistakes that Bruce made last World Cup. Renya was past his prime and injuried. Pope should have been a back up. O'Brien was hurt.
Taking a lame duck Onyewu would be the first mistake.
I say that the 7 cuts tomorrow are:
Rogers
Marshall
Pearce
Findley
Bedoya
Johnson
Kljestan
I'd keep Findley over Ching. I'd also ship Onyewu home from SA and replace him with Hejduk. Neither of those things will happen. You won't send Ching home Bob!
Friday, May 21, 2010
barefoot basketball?
Being unemployed, you find yourself with all kinds of crazy time on your hands. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I use my time efficiently. I don't.
A textbook example of that was what I watched on TV around lunchtime. I watched the NBA Draft Combine from Chicago. More specifically I watched guys get measured with their shoes both on and off. No seriously, I did. I also caught some of the vertical leap.
Momentarily ignoring the obsurdity that is me watching this grand spectacle, let's get to some of the other obvious problems.
Why are they measuring guys without their shoes on? Will there ever be a time where they have to play barefoot? Is there a chance that the NBA becomes the NBBA sometime soon?
I also think that a person can be either 6'9 or 6'9.5. I really don't think there is a need for 6'9.25 or 6'9.75. The half inch is almost too much. The quarter inch is just ridiculous.
So after that exciting process is over you then have two columns of data to mull through. What stood out to me is that Cole Aldrich of Kansas wears platform shoes on the basketball court. He was nearly an inch shorter than Greg Monroe without shoes but taller than Greg with shoes. I didn't realize that high heels were part of the standard uniform in Lawrence. Maybe he thought he was at the WNBA Draft Combine. I'm sure they measure all kinds of fun things at that combine.
If I were scheduled to be a top pick in the draft, I wouldn't waste my time with this nonsense. I'd just tweet my measurements and twitpic my shoes and call it a day. Maybe stand on a scale during a Skype conversation but that's about it.
A textbook example of that was what I watched on TV around lunchtime. I watched the NBA Draft Combine from Chicago. More specifically I watched guys get measured with their shoes both on and off. No seriously, I did. I also caught some of the vertical leap.
Momentarily ignoring the obsurdity that is me watching this grand spectacle, let's get to some of the other obvious problems.
Why are they measuring guys without their shoes on? Will there ever be a time where they have to play barefoot? Is there a chance that the NBA becomes the NBBA sometime soon?
I also think that a person can be either 6'9 or 6'9.5. I really don't think there is a need for 6'9.25 or 6'9.75. The half inch is almost too much. The quarter inch is just ridiculous.
So after that exciting process is over you then have two columns of data to mull through. What stood out to me is that Cole Aldrich of Kansas wears platform shoes on the basketball court. He was nearly an inch shorter than Greg Monroe without shoes but taller than Greg with shoes. I didn't realize that high heels were part of the standard uniform in Lawrence. Maybe he thought he was at the WNBA Draft Combine. I'm sure they measure all kinds of fun things at that combine.
If I were scheduled to be a top pick in the draft, I wouldn't waste my time with this nonsense. I'd just tweet my measurements and twitpic my shoes and call it a day. Maybe stand on a scale during a Skype conversation but that's about it.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
at least that is over
You knew it would go that way.
I mean I purposely watched a movie until 10pm, while DVR'ing the National Championship Game, so that I could fast forward through a bad game. But I never had to use fast forward, minus the commercials, becasue it was close.
I became emotionally invested in the game. I yelled a few times. I stood a few times. Keep in mind that the players on the team that I follow were sitting at home. Luckily they were sending clever tweets but that is besides the point. So Butler of course loses and I find myself momentarily dejected.
Rewind. I got this tournament out of my system on a horribly slow ride home from Providence over two weeks ago. For some reason I voluntairly punished myself by not only driving slow, but driving the long way. I think the route I took was an extra 60 or 70 miles.
Speaking of drives home, the Butler fans have one thing going for them right now. They are already home. They don't have to wake up tomorrow morning and trek across the country. On the flip side, the players have to wake up and go to classes tomorrow. Hell some of them went to classes today. Crazy
I mean I purposely watched a movie until 10pm, while DVR'ing the National Championship Game, so that I could fast forward through a bad game. But I never had to use fast forward, minus the commercials, becasue it was close.
I became emotionally invested in the game. I yelled a few times. I stood a few times. Keep in mind that the players on the team that I follow were sitting at home. Luckily they were sending clever tweets but that is besides the point. So Butler of course loses and I find myself momentarily dejected.
Rewind. I got this tournament out of my system on a horribly slow ride home from Providence over two weeks ago. For some reason I voluntairly punished myself by not only driving slow, but driving the long way. I think the route I took was an extra 60 or 70 miles.
Speaking of drives home, the Butler fans have one thing going for them right now. They are already home. They don't have to wake up tomorrow morning and trek across the country. On the flip side, the players have to wake up and go to classes tomorrow. Hell some of them went to classes today. Crazy
Sunday, April 4, 2010
bye bye baylor
Nothing says Easter Sunday like the Women's Final Four. I must now admit that I'm watching my 3rd women's game of the year. The others were Georgetown's loss to Rutgers in the Big East Tournament and Georgetown's loss to Baylor in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was during that Baylor game that I realized that the Bears had a giant in the middle. A 6'8 freshman shot blocking machine that goes by the name of Brittney Griner. I mean she had 14 blocks against the Hoyas. Georgetown shot a whopping 17% from the field.
Insane.
Then they beat Tennessee and I figured they were legit. I made sure to tune in tonight and see if they could ride Griner into the National Championship game. Turns out they couldn't.
Look normally I laugh at women's hoops but there is something mesmerizing about a player blocking 10 shots a game without even really jumping. I'm like a moth to a flame now.
Too bad that the rest of her team sucks. So many turnovers, missed layups, and just overall panicking to get the win.
Do women leave early for the WNBA Draft? If so, I gotta figure she is off like a prom dress.
It was during that Baylor game that I realized that the Bears had a giant in the middle. A 6'8 freshman shot blocking machine that goes by the name of Brittney Griner. I mean she had 14 blocks against the Hoyas. Georgetown shot a whopping 17% from the field.
Insane.
Then they beat Tennessee and I figured they were legit. I made sure to tune in tonight and see if they could ride Griner into the National Championship game. Turns out they couldn't.
Look normally I laugh at women's hoops but there is something mesmerizing about a player blocking 10 shots a game without even really jumping. I'm like a moth to a flame now.
Too bad that the rest of her team sucks. So many turnovers, missed layups, and just overall panicking to get the win.
Do women leave early for the WNBA Draft? If so, I gotta figure she is off like a prom dress.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
rivalry weak...
ESPN should just call it Duke - UNC week because, for the most part, the rest of the games aren't the biggest rivalry games out there. It's blatantly obvious that their strategy was to just call whichever week those two Tobacco Road schools played Rivalry Week.
The only other top notch rivalry game I can see on their schedule is Friday's game between WVU and Pitt.
Syracuse is on right now, but their big rival is the Hoyas. Texas played, but they didn't play Oklahoma. Michigan State played, but they didn't play Michigan. I could go on but I don't feel like it. I'll be as lazy as ESPN and half-ass it.
Speaking of suCKs, UCONN is doing a pretty good job attacking their zone. They aren't good enough to win this game, but I like how Kemba Walker is getting some penetration. Their big men are also doing a good job when they get the ball at the free throw line.
I think it's funny that ESPN is still trying to pump up the Duke - UNC game tonight. UNC is horrible and Duke is alright. These things go in cycles and right now we have been in a cycle of suck for the ACC. UNC had been carrying the conference the past few years. Now that they aren't any good, I cant see a team from that league making it to the 2nd weekend of the Tournament.
The only other top notch rivalry game I can see on their schedule is Friday's game between WVU and Pitt.
Syracuse is on right now, but their big rival is the Hoyas. Texas played, but they didn't play Oklahoma. Michigan State played, but they didn't play Michigan. I could go on but I don't feel like it. I'll be as lazy as ESPN and half-ass it.
Speaking of suCKs, UCONN is doing a pretty good job attacking their zone. They aren't good enough to win this game, but I like how Kemba Walker is getting some penetration. Their big men are also doing a good job when they get the ball at the free throw line.
I think it's funny that ESPN is still trying to pump up the Duke - UNC game tonight. UNC is horrible and Duke is alright. These things go in cycles and right now we have been in a cycle of suck for the ACC. UNC had been carrying the conference the past few years. Now that they aren't any good, I cant see a team from that league making it to the 2nd weekend of the Tournament.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
dozen of donuts for Greggers...
Who doesn't like 12 donuts? I know I do. And so does Mr. Greg Monroe. Just a few days after watching Drew Brees lead his hometown Saints to their first Super Bowl win, he went out and had a much better passing night with 12 assists of his own.
Last week's South Florida game flashed before my eyes during the 2nd half when Peterson banked home a three for a seven point lead with under 15 minutes to go. It got worse before it got better as Clark was about to go postal after picking up his 4th a minute later.
But then something happened. On their next possession the guys played hot potato with the rock which resulted in Julian Vaughn lay-up. After that they tightened up the D and moved the ball around with pin-point passing that Arsene Wenger could be proud of.
20 assists on 30 made baskets is pretty good. What I liked the most is that their shots from deep weren't falling and they went away from it.
There was a sequence in the 2nd half were you could see Austin getting upset at Hollis for not making the right switch. This happens a lot when any of the reserves are in. Obviously I watched it a few times and you can see what the problem was. It was Hollis not staying with the guy that Austin had released. The problem gets even worse when TWO reserves are in at the same time.
I liked Henry getting 5 minutes. He should always get AT LEAST 5 minutes. Benimon seems to have regressed a little bit. I think he's thinking too much. I know he has an offensive game but he won't even show a glimpse of one. He's going to give Joe Touomou a run for his money for fewest shots taken per minute in a season.
Thanks Greggers. It's on to the next one.
Last week's South Florida game flashed before my eyes during the 2nd half when Peterson banked home a three for a seven point lead with under 15 minutes to go. It got worse before it got better as Clark was about to go postal after picking up his 4th a minute later.
But then something happened. On their next possession the guys played hot potato with the rock which resulted in Julian Vaughn lay-up. After that they tightened up the D and moved the ball around with pin-point passing that Arsene Wenger could be proud of.
20 assists on 30 made baskets is pretty good. What I liked the most is that their shots from deep weren't falling and they went away from it.
There was a sequence in the 2nd half were you could see Austin getting upset at Hollis for not making the right switch. This happens a lot when any of the reserves are in. Obviously I watched it a few times and you can see what the problem was. It was Hollis not staying with the guy that Austin had released. The problem gets even worse when TWO reserves are in at the same time.
I liked Henry getting 5 minutes. He should always get AT LEAST 5 minutes. Benimon seems to have regressed a little bit. I think he's thinking too much. I know he has an offensive game but he won't even show a glimpse of one. He's going to give Joe Touomou a run for his money for fewest shots taken per minute in a season.
Thanks Greggers. It's on to the next one.
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