Thursday, May 17, 2007
Boozer, Bowen, Baseball and Ira Newble, etc.
OK. I know. I’ve been a lousy blogger of late—there are plenty of excuses but none of them valid so I’ll apologize here (and on Al Sharpton’s show if he’ll have me, but no way am I meeting with Corzine at the governor’s mansion) and move on.
In an effort to make up for last time, here’s my sweep of things that have bugged me, thoughts in general, etc., from the last two weeks.
Hockey
This will be brief. I just want to go on the record as rooting for the cold weather and Canadian teams. I’m sure the Ducks (who, apparently, are no longer Mighty) have a good fan base, but no way Anaheim cares more about hockey than baseball, football, basketball or jai alai. So it’s nice to see Ottawa, Buffalo and Detroit still around—these people dig hockey. I’m done here.
NBA
I read a story on Ira Newble (yes, he’s still playing, though not much more than I am right now) rallying his teammates to the Darfur cause. Yes, this isn’t new but it also isn’t getting any better. His take is to put pressure on China, which has been unabashedly supporting the Sudanese government and, by extension, Sudan’s support of the janjaweed militias.
I like it when athletes have a social conscience, so I was impressed that Newble has rallied all the Cavs to sign a petition supporting his cause (remember, Beijing is hosting the next Summer Games). All but two—LeBron James and Damon Jones—signed. When asked why, LeBron said he didn’t have enough information and Jones issued a no comment. Total bullshit. Both have major business investments in China so are pleading ignorance instead of greed. I know, I need to grow up and realize that professional sports is all business and LeBron and Jones are hardly alone (hell, Jordan built an empire by ignoring social causes to make money), but it’s still a little disappointing. You always hope for more, and I applaud guys like Newble for taking a stand.
NBA Playoffs
I haven’t watched as much of the postseason as I’d like, but I think it’s been a pretty good one so far. There have been great storylines, with the Warriors bouncing the Mavs (props to BT for recognizing a potential upset there), McGrady again failing to advance past the first round and a truly great series between the Suns and Spurs. But here are the two things that jump out to me:
-) Carlos Boozer. The dude has been amazing, averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds and shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Can you imagine if he was still on the Cavs, paired with LeBron, with Z as a third option and Larry Hughes as the fourth? That team would have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA title. Meanwhile, Utah has become genuinely fun to watch. I never thought I’d see that.
-) The suspensions. Technically, the rule is the rule and Stoudemire left the bench area, but we need a little more leniency on this one. If he was actually involved in the altercation, a suspension is warranted. But he wasn’t. This rule needs to be addressed in the offseason, because it very well may have ruined the best series we’re going to get all postseason.
-) The Spurs. They may be dirty (Bowen is definitely borderline and Duncan whines a lot), but this team knows how to win. They’ve been on top for a long time and, unlike the Mavs, consistently beat inferior teams regardless of style or star power. Another NBA Finals MVP and Duncan may have locked up the nod as best player of this generation (over Shaq, Garnett, Kobe, etc.).
Baseball
It’s still too early. I’m happy as a Met fan, as are Red Sox fans, Brewers fans, Gil Meche fans (ie, Royals execs), etc. Similarly, things don’t look good for the Blue Jays and the Yanks and Phils have given up a lot of ground early (both teams will be in the thick of the playoff race regardless). But the bottom line: We still have 125 games to go.
They really need to shorten the baseball season to 120 games, have at least one off day per week, start the season in mid-April and end it in early October. Again, money is the reason this won’t happen (no owner wants to lose the gate of 20 home games) but it would make sense for everyone else.
In an effort to make up for last time, here’s my sweep of things that have bugged me, thoughts in general, etc., from the last two weeks.
Hockey
This will be brief. I just want to go on the record as rooting for the cold weather and Canadian teams. I’m sure the Ducks (who, apparently, are no longer Mighty) have a good fan base, but no way Anaheim cares more about hockey than baseball, football, basketball or jai alai. So it’s nice to see Ottawa, Buffalo and Detroit still around—these people dig hockey. I’m done here.
NBA
I read a story on Ira Newble (yes, he’s still playing, though not much more than I am right now) rallying his teammates to the Darfur cause. Yes, this isn’t new but it also isn’t getting any better. His take is to put pressure on China, which has been unabashedly supporting the Sudanese government and, by extension, Sudan’s support of the janjaweed militias.
I like it when athletes have a social conscience, so I was impressed that Newble has rallied all the Cavs to sign a petition supporting his cause (remember, Beijing is hosting the next Summer Games). All but two—LeBron James and Damon Jones—signed. When asked why, LeBron said he didn’t have enough information and Jones issued a no comment. Total bullshit. Both have major business investments in China so are pleading ignorance instead of greed. I know, I need to grow up and realize that professional sports is all business and LeBron and Jones are hardly alone (hell, Jordan built an empire by ignoring social causes to make money), but it’s still a little disappointing. You always hope for more, and I applaud guys like Newble for taking a stand.
NBA Playoffs
I haven’t watched as much of the postseason as I’d like, but I think it’s been a pretty good one so far. There have been great storylines, with the Warriors bouncing the Mavs (props to BT for recognizing a potential upset there), McGrady again failing to advance past the first round and a truly great series between the Suns and Spurs. But here are the two things that jump out to me:
-) Carlos Boozer. The dude has been amazing, averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds and shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Can you imagine if he was still on the Cavs, paired with LeBron, with Z as a third option and Larry Hughes as the fourth? That team would have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA title. Meanwhile, Utah has become genuinely fun to watch. I never thought I’d see that.
-) The suspensions. Technically, the rule is the rule and Stoudemire left the bench area, but we need a little more leniency on this one. If he was actually involved in the altercation, a suspension is warranted. But he wasn’t. This rule needs to be addressed in the offseason, because it very well may have ruined the best series we’re going to get all postseason.
-) The Spurs. They may be dirty (Bowen is definitely borderline and Duncan whines a lot), but this team knows how to win. They’ve been on top for a long time and, unlike the Mavs, consistently beat inferior teams regardless of style or star power. Another NBA Finals MVP and Duncan may have locked up the nod as best player of this generation (over Shaq, Garnett, Kobe, etc.).
Baseball
It’s still too early. I’m happy as a Met fan, as are Red Sox fans, Brewers fans, Gil Meche fans (ie, Royals execs), etc. Similarly, things don’t look good for the Blue Jays and the Yanks and Phils have given up a lot of ground early (both teams will be in the thick of the playoff race regardless). But the bottom line: We still have 125 games to go.
They really need to shorten the baseball season to 120 games, have at least one off day per week, start the season in mid-April and end it in early October. Again, money is the reason this won’t happen (no owner wants to lose the gate of 20 home games) but it would make sense for everyone else.
# posted by EJ @ 10:52 AM 
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First, thank you for giving me props. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what to do with a prop, but thank you no less.
Second, if I had to make a list of the 10 NBA players that I though were least likely to campaign for Darfur, Ira Newble would have been a strong candidate for that list before today. I'm very surprised, and good on him (as the Aussies say). I'm also impressed whenever any athlete gives an opinion on a meaningful topic, regardless of whether I agree. It happens just so rarely.
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Second, if I had to make a list of the 10 NBA players that I though were least likely to campaign for Darfur, Ira Newble would have been a strong candidate for that list before today. I'm very surprised, and good on him (as the Aussies say). I'm also impressed whenever any athlete gives an opinion on a meaningful topic, regardless of whether I agree. It happens just so rarely.
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