Let's start with a Quickie tradition: The Oscar picks.
Best Picture
Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Toy Story 3
Best Director:
Will/Should Win: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Best Actor
Will/Should Win: Colin Firth (Should Win: Firth)
Best Actress
Will Win: Natalie Portman
Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Best Supporting Actor:
Will/Should Win: Christian Bale (Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress:
Will/Should Win: Melissa Leo (Fighter)
*****
NBA Trade Deadline: Here's the problem for Danny Ainge and the Celtics. Their window was this season. Not next year. Right now.
They have shown that the Heat can't possibly match them, particularly in the playoffs with its increased intensity. The Bulls aren't there yet. The Magic are cooked.
What the Celtics had to do was consider the Finals -- not the conference finals, the NBA Finals. Against the Lakers, Perkins is/was critical.
Now, the Celtics will still likely win the East -- as they would have with Perk. But once they meet the Lakers in the Finals -- or, god forbid, the Thunder -- they will be in some trouble.
I can't believe Danny Ainge panicked over winning the East. They were on track to win the East; they were on track to give the Lakers all they could handle in the Finals.
The expectations for the Celtics were clear: NBA title or bust. The only difference today is that when they inevitably fall short of that, the blame is on Ainge for trading their only legit big.
(Meanwhile, it's a coup for the Thunder, who can lock up Perkins, who makes a much more title-worthy complement to Durant and Westbrook and Ibaka than Green did.)
****
NBA Last Night: I regularly gripe that the NBA regular season is largely meaningless, but last night's Heat-Bulls game had a distinct playoff feel to it. And the Bulls proved that they are unwilling to concede anything to the Heat. Bosh's 1-for-18 FG performance is foreshadowing of what will end up being an epic playoff choke (it also foreshadows the value of a healthy Joakim Noah to the Bulls' prospects -- who on the Celtics is going to stop him? KG? Then who on the Celtics guards Carlos Boozer?)
****
The way the Tigers are handling the Miguel Cabrera thing is offensive and is so obviously going to implode on them, it's shameful. This isn't "imploding" like "ack, we didn't win the division." This is someone's life. And, god forbid, let's hope it doesn't involve others' lives, too. I said this when the Cabrera story broke -- this is a moment for paternalism by the Tigers and MLB. Unfortunately, the team and the league are acting like absent parents.
****
College Hoops this weekend: The biggest game -- by far -- is the BYU-San Diego State rematch. BYU won in Provo; SDSU figures to be the favorite playing at hom -- and possibly for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They're the new Memphis. (If they do get it, dare I bring back the old Quickie "Boldest. Prediction. Ever." from 2006: That Memphis would be the first-ever 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed? We'll see...)
****
Lovie Smith gets an extension: Won't preclude him from being fired in two years if the Bears can't sustain the playoff pace they had last season.
****
Quickish is rolling today -- yesterday was on fire with the NBA Trade Deadline, but tons of great stuff today, too. Please give it a look -- and please tell your friends. (That's foreshadowing of a much much bigger "Tell your friends!" effort that is going to kick off next week with a new month.)
-- D.S.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
02/24 Quickie: Nets, Cards, More
The Nets' risk in trading for Deron Williams was totally worth it. Even if he goes to the Knicks (or Clippers or wherever) in a year an a half. Even if.
Because he is the best PG in the NBA. Because he allowed the Nets' new ownership to say "We're in." Because the new labor deal might make it favorable to him (and the team) for him to stay. Because he could be the chip to lure Dwight Howard to Brooklyn. And because there is likely more NBA immortality to be had by being Brooklyn's first NBA star -- presuming he can turn the Nets into contenders -- than there is doing it for the Clippers or, yes, the Knicks.
Derrick Favors might turn out to be great -- I'm bullish on him. But he might not. As Steve Politi wrote this morning in the Newark Star-Ledger: The chances of convincing Deron Williams to stay are better than the chances of Favors turning out to be as valuable as Deron Williams (even if you discount an expected value that takes into consideration that Williams might leave).
It was a phenomenal move, and Deron Williams should keep that in mind as he evaluates the franchise. Now, if they could just fire Avery Johnson, who is terrible and will do more to drive away Deron Williams than anything. (If Williams told Prokhorov to fire Johnson, Prok would do it in 5 seconds. Let's hope he does.)
*****
Carmelo's Knicks debut: Yup, he shoots a lot. Yup, it turns out that Chauncey Billups might be the ultimately valuable piece of this. Yup, the game was an "event." Let's see what happens Sunday when Melo and the Knicks play a very motivated Heat in Miami.
Cards lose ace Adam Wainwright for the season: Oh, the Cards are so screwed. Presuming that their season is lost (and the future totally uncertain), it is in the best interests of the team to trade Albert Pujols -- and if Pujols cared about Cards fans, he would agree to be traded as a half-year "rental" to a contender in exchange for the massive stock of cheap talent that would help the Cardinals rebuild for a post-Pujols reality.
NFL combine starts today: As with the Senior Bowl, it lacks the Tebow storyline that was the gravitational force of last year's combine. But there is plenty to watch for: How does Cam Newton do? How does Patrick Peterson do? Who breaks through with eye-popping stats?
CBB: Marshon Brooks scores a Big East record 52 in Providence's loss to Notre Dame last night. It's amazing to think that in the glorious history of that league, no player has ever scored 52 -- not Chris Mullin or Walter Davis, not Allen Iverson, not Ray Allen, not Carmelo, no one. Pop over to Quickish and look for the post near the top with a 3-minute video of Brooks' scoring.
Tiger sucks, cont'd: Golf's big "match-play" bracket of the year -- the Accenture -- doesn't have quite the same vibe as the NCAA Tournament, so a "16-seed" beating Tiger Woods isn't that big of a deal. The bigger question: How on Earth does Tiger Woods earn a 1-seed? Golf rankings are absurd. Tiger isn't one of the top 4 golfers in the Accenture field based on his most recent "body of work." It would be like the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee giving Florida a 1-seed because they won the national title in 2006 and 2007.
Tennessee's NCAA problem: It's beyond Bruce Pearl committing an infraction days after crying an apology about his previous infractions. It's beyond the NCAA smacking down the football coach who isn't even there anymore. There is a culture of impropriety, and that starts at the top -- I'm with everyone else who thinks that Tennessee's AD should lose his job over this. But, hey, he makes the school a lot of money.
Stick with Quickish all day for NBA trade-deadline mania, NFL combine reports and more.
-- D.S.
Because he is the best PG in the NBA. Because he allowed the Nets' new ownership to say "We're in." Because the new labor deal might make it favorable to him (and the team) for him to stay. Because he could be the chip to lure Dwight Howard to Brooklyn. And because there is likely more NBA immortality to be had by being Brooklyn's first NBA star -- presuming he can turn the Nets into contenders -- than there is doing it for the Clippers or, yes, the Knicks.
Derrick Favors might turn out to be great -- I'm bullish on him. But he might not. As Steve Politi wrote this morning in the Newark Star-Ledger: The chances of convincing Deron Williams to stay are better than the chances of Favors turning out to be as valuable as Deron Williams (even if you discount an expected value that takes into consideration that Williams might leave).
It was a phenomenal move, and Deron Williams should keep that in mind as he evaluates the franchise. Now, if they could just fire Avery Johnson, who is terrible and will do more to drive away Deron Williams than anything. (If Williams told Prokhorov to fire Johnson, Prok would do it in 5 seconds. Let's hope he does.)
*****
Carmelo's Knicks debut: Yup, he shoots a lot. Yup, it turns out that Chauncey Billups might be the ultimately valuable piece of this. Yup, the game was an "event." Let's see what happens Sunday when Melo and the Knicks play a very motivated Heat in Miami.
Cards lose ace Adam Wainwright for the season: Oh, the Cards are so screwed. Presuming that their season is lost (and the future totally uncertain), it is in the best interests of the team to trade Albert Pujols -- and if Pujols cared about Cards fans, he would agree to be traded as a half-year "rental" to a contender in exchange for the massive stock of cheap talent that would help the Cardinals rebuild for a post-Pujols reality.
NFL combine starts today: As with the Senior Bowl, it lacks the Tebow storyline that was the gravitational force of last year's combine. But there is plenty to watch for: How does Cam Newton do? How does Patrick Peterson do? Who breaks through with eye-popping stats?
CBB: Marshon Brooks scores a Big East record 52 in Providence's loss to Notre Dame last night. It's amazing to think that in the glorious history of that league, no player has ever scored 52 -- not Chris Mullin or Walter Davis, not Allen Iverson, not Ray Allen, not Carmelo, no one. Pop over to Quickish and look for the post near the top with a 3-minute video of Brooks' scoring.
Tiger sucks, cont'd: Golf's big "match-play" bracket of the year -- the Accenture -- doesn't have quite the same vibe as the NCAA Tournament, so a "16-seed" beating Tiger Woods isn't that big of a deal. The bigger question: How on Earth does Tiger Woods earn a 1-seed? Golf rankings are absurd. Tiger isn't one of the top 4 golfers in the Accenture field based on his most recent "body of work." It would be like the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee giving Florida a 1-seed because they won the national title in 2006 and 2007.
Tennessee's NCAA problem: It's beyond Bruce Pearl committing an infraction days after crying an apology about his previous infractions. It's beyond the NCAA smacking down the football coach who isn't even there anymore. There is a culture of impropriety, and that starts at the top -- I'm with everyone else who thinks that Tennessee's AD should lose his job over this. But, hey, he makes the school a lot of money.
Stick with Quickish all day for NBA trade-deadline mania, NFL combine reports and more.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
02/23 Quickie: Melo, Cam, NBA Trades, Caltech!
First of all, the story of the day HAS to be Caltech snapping a 26-year, 310-game conference losing streak last night. See the video of the celebration here.
Carmelo, cont'd: Knicks debut tonight -- that won't be overhyped or anything. Meanwhile, the Nuggets -- without Melo OR the ex-Knicks -- scored 120 and routed the Grizzlies. Presented without comment.
I'm going to say that the only reason the wheels won't fall off the Knicks' (ahem) .500 season is Chauncey Billups. If it was just Amare and Melo? I'm still skeptical.
Cam Newton professes to want to be "an entertainer and icon." And I have no problem whatsoever with him saying this, even before the draft. Even if humorless draftniks and football writers think it's inappropriate or shows a lack of... something. They all dance around it, some more cleverly than others. But it's not to their credit, that's for sure.
The fact is that I want my NFL QB to aspire to be the most successful player ever. I want him doing a million TV ads, like Peyton Manning. I want him living a jet-setting lifestyle, like Tom Brady. And the fact is: Cam Newton IS the most talented QB in this draft. And he DOES have a massive amount of NFL upside (of course, playing for the Panthers or Bills can ruin even the most promising career). I don't mind the attitude. He HAD to have known it would drive people crazy. If he didn't, THAT says more about him than the statement itself.
Dave Duerson, cont'd: This story continues to be the most troubling of any during the NFL's brain-injury epidemic. This latest, in today's NY Times, is tough. More will come out. (And already has.)
Jim Calhoun's 3-game suspension from NCAA... next year: His intransigence in the face of a smackdown -- no matter how ridiculously softly the NCAA wants to euphemize it -- suggests that he probably deserves worse, if only for not recognizing that there was a problem.
Much, much more throughout the day. Stick with Quickish to keep up with all of it.
-- D.S.
Carmelo, cont'd: Knicks debut tonight -- that won't be overhyped or anything. Meanwhile, the Nuggets -- without Melo OR the ex-Knicks -- scored 120 and routed the Grizzlies. Presented without comment.
I'm going to say that the only reason the wheels won't fall off the Knicks' (ahem) .500 season is Chauncey Billups. If it was just Amare and Melo? I'm still skeptical.
Cam Newton professes to want to be "an entertainer and icon." And I have no problem whatsoever with him saying this, even before the draft. Even if humorless draftniks and football writers think it's inappropriate or shows a lack of... something. They all dance around it, some more cleverly than others. But it's not to their credit, that's for sure.
The fact is that I want my NFL QB to aspire to be the most successful player ever. I want him doing a million TV ads, like Peyton Manning. I want him living a jet-setting lifestyle, like Tom Brady. And the fact is: Cam Newton IS the most talented QB in this draft. And he DOES have a massive amount of NFL upside (of course, playing for the Panthers or Bills can ruin even the most promising career). I don't mind the attitude. He HAD to have known it would drive people crazy. If he didn't, THAT says more about him than the statement itself.
Dave Duerson, cont'd: This story continues to be the most troubling of any during the NFL's brain-injury epidemic. This latest, in today's NY Times, is tough. More will come out. (And already has.)
Jim Calhoun's 3-game suspension from NCAA... next year: His intransigence in the face of a smackdown -- no matter how ridiculously softly the NCAA wants to euphemize it -- suggests that he probably deserves worse, if only for not recognizing that there was a problem.
Much, much more throughout the day. Stick with Quickish to keep up with all of it.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
2/22 (Carmelo) Quickie
There are a lot of angles to cover in this Carmelo story.
*Right off the bat, I'd send you to the Quickish stream of analysis about Carmelo, mostly from the first two hours after the story broke last night. You will get a terrific survey of quick-hit takes and be able to consume them fast.
*Here is my top-level takeaway: The Knicks will not win a championship with Amare and Carmelo -- they probably won't make it out of the first round of the playoffs. And from all expert analysis, landing Chris Paul or Deron Williams in 2012 is wishful thinking.
And so what are the Knicks left with? Relevancy. And -- in an old Quickie maxim -- if you're not going to win a championship, relevancy isn't a terrible 2nd prize. The Knicks had already gotten more relevant with Amare; that gets doubled with Carmelo.
But Knicks fans are crazy if they think this will get them an NBA championship. It was the right move to make, but not necessarily competitively -- unless the competition you're really in is to matter in a sports landscape dominated by superstars.
*Did the Knicks give up too much? Probably not -- again, if the goal was to maximize the star power (which it seems to be).
*Let's be clear: Contrary to months-old reports, Carmelo would have absolutely taken the $65M from the Nets if the Knicks didn't come up with the winning offer. In the end, he wanted the money more than he wanted the location. That he got both is not a product of his design, but of James Dolan and Isiah Thomas paying whatever price they needed to get him.
*The Nuggets did AMAZING. Consider the recent history of superstars changing locations -- either the teams are blinded into thinking the stars would re-sign with them or they get fleeced for pennies on the dollar. Denver got back maximum value for Carmelo -- and it's not pennies. They got three starter-quality players, a promising young center and a slew of draft picks (not to mention financial flexibility). Taking into account the respective contexts, I think the Nuggets did better than the Knicks.
*The Nets didn't get Carmelo, but -- then again -- they didn't mortgage the future (Derrick Favors, who still has huge All-Star upside, and a slew of draft picks, which could easily turn into an all-star talent). The notion that they won by gutting the Knicks' roster is overblown -- as much as I like it in theory; the Knicks only cared about the star power anyway. The brief rumor that the Nets were going to get Gallinari and Mozgov was exciting; it likely won't happen.
*Carmelo will reportedly wear No. 13 -- that's better than him wearing Bernard King's beloved No. 30; Melo had to have known that taking 30 would be a mistake. Good for him for recognizing it. The Melo-Amare Knicks (see what I did there?) will make their national-TV debut on Sunday night on ESPN against the Heat. Wow. Split the screen with the Oscars, I guess.
*On a personal note, I am not a Knicks fan but I do live in New York, and I am thrilled by the idea that Corey Brewer will be playing for the Knicks. I love Joakim Noah and Al Horford from those title-winning Florida teams, but Brewer was/is my favorite.
*I think we can all agree that the best part of all of this is that the Carmelo-Knicks trade saga is now over. In that detail, he unites all fans everywhere.
-- D.S.
*Right off the bat, I'd send you to the Quickish stream of analysis about Carmelo, mostly from the first two hours after the story broke last night. You will get a terrific survey of quick-hit takes and be able to consume them fast.
*Here is my top-level takeaway: The Knicks will not win a championship with Amare and Carmelo -- they probably won't make it out of the first round of the playoffs. And from all expert analysis, landing Chris Paul or Deron Williams in 2012 is wishful thinking.
And so what are the Knicks left with? Relevancy. And -- in an old Quickie maxim -- if you're not going to win a championship, relevancy isn't a terrible 2nd prize. The Knicks had already gotten more relevant with Amare; that gets doubled with Carmelo.
But Knicks fans are crazy if they think this will get them an NBA championship. It was the right move to make, but not necessarily competitively -- unless the competition you're really in is to matter in a sports landscape dominated by superstars.
*Did the Knicks give up too much? Probably not -- again, if the goal was to maximize the star power (which it seems to be).
*Let's be clear: Contrary to months-old reports, Carmelo would have absolutely taken the $65M from the Nets if the Knicks didn't come up with the winning offer. In the end, he wanted the money more than he wanted the location. That he got both is not a product of his design, but of James Dolan and Isiah Thomas paying whatever price they needed to get him.
*The Nuggets did AMAZING. Consider the recent history of superstars changing locations -- either the teams are blinded into thinking the stars would re-sign with them or they get fleeced for pennies on the dollar. Denver got back maximum value for Carmelo -- and it's not pennies. They got three starter-quality players, a promising young center and a slew of draft picks (not to mention financial flexibility). Taking into account the respective contexts, I think the Nuggets did better than the Knicks.
*The Nets didn't get Carmelo, but -- then again -- they didn't mortgage the future (Derrick Favors, who still has huge All-Star upside, and a slew of draft picks, which could easily turn into an all-star talent). The notion that they won by gutting the Knicks' roster is overblown -- as much as I like it in theory; the Knicks only cared about the star power anyway. The brief rumor that the Nets were going to get Gallinari and Mozgov was exciting; it likely won't happen.
*Carmelo will reportedly wear No. 13 -- that's better than him wearing Bernard King's beloved No. 30; Melo had to have known that taking 30 would be a mistake. Good for him for recognizing it. The Melo-Amare Knicks (see what I did there?) will make their national-TV debut on Sunday night on ESPN against the Heat. Wow. Split the screen with the Oscars, I guess.
*On a personal note, I am not a Knicks fan but I do live in New York, and I am thrilled by the idea that Corey Brewer will be playing for the Knicks. I love Joakim Noah and Al Horford from those title-winning Florida teams, but Brewer was/is my favorite.
*I think we can all agree that the best part of all of this is that the Carmelo-Knicks trade saga is now over. In that detail, he unites all fans everywhere.
-- D.S.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Feb 2/21 (Presidential) Quickie
Kobe wanted to own that All-Star Game, and he did. I'm trying to figure out my favorite moment: His baseline, feel-like-I'm-20-again dunk or his breakaway slam in front of a desperate LeBron, followed by a butt-slap and a smirk that said, "I still got it."
Rihanna mania: Based on my Twitter feed, I've got to be the only one who thought Rihanna was just OK. Certainly not amazing. When your standard is "But it was better than Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl!" (or "Heh heh: Short skirt!), I can understand the enthusiasm.
All in all, NBA All-Star Weekend was a huge success.
*Bieber in the Celebrity game was an event -- even if you hate Bieber, you were kind of curious.
*The Saturday night event -- headlined by the dunk contest -- was the most-watched NBA All-Star Saturday Night EVER.
*And the game itself was an entertaining romp dominated by the elder stateman of the league (Kobe) and its best player (LeBron, who had a triple-double).
****
Carmelo: Nothing has changed since yesterday morning, except that the Nuggets have asked the Knicks for even more (Mozgov), knowing that the Knicks (or, more precisely, owner James Dolan, advised by Isiah Thomas) will do it if they think there's a chance that Carmelo wants money (meaning the Nets) more than love (the Knicks).
Supposedly, Carmelo will decide by the end of today whether he is OK taking the Nets money and sucking for the next three years (plus the rest of 2011); then again, it's not like he's winning a title with the Knicks over the next three years, either.
****
Daytona: 20-year-old Trevor Bayne wins, entirely unexpectedly. I ended up watching 180 of the 200 laps with my 4-year-old, who was fairly mesmerized and asked a lot of questions. He identified with the two brands he recognized -- Cheerios (Bowyer in the 33 car) and M&Ms (Busch in the 18 car), settling on Cheerios as his car, because it was near the front for most of the race... right up until the final few laps, when Bowyer was involved in a crash and his car was KO'ed. Gabe and I were both disappointed; it was unsatisfying to sit there for 3 hours only to have your car not even get a chance to make it happen in the final laps. But Bayne as a storyline is terrific -- the kid isn't even a Sprint Cup driver, but his reputation is secure for decades.
****
Lots going on at Quickish today. Please check it out (repeatedly!). It's not just about Carmelo -- promise.
-- D.S.
Rihanna mania: Based on my Twitter feed, I've got to be the only one who thought Rihanna was just OK. Certainly not amazing. When your standard is "But it was better than Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl!" (or "Heh heh: Short skirt!), I can understand the enthusiasm.
All in all, NBA All-Star Weekend was a huge success.
*Bieber in the Celebrity game was an event -- even if you hate Bieber, you were kind of curious.
*The Saturday night event -- headlined by the dunk contest -- was the most-watched NBA All-Star Saturday Night EVER.
*And the game itself was an entertaining romp dominated by the elder stateman of the league (Kobe) and its best player (LeBron, who had a triple-double).
****
Carmelo: Nothing has changed since yesterday morning, except that the Nuggets have asked the Knicks for even more (Mozgov), knowing that the Knicks (or, more precisely, owner James Dolan, advised by Isiah Thomas) will do it if they think there's a chance that Carmelo wants money (meaning the Nets) more than love (the Knicks).
Supposedly, Carmelo will decide by the end of today whether he is OK taking the Nets money and sucking for the next three years (plus the rest of 2011); then again, it's not like he's winning a title with the Knicks over the next three years, either.
****
Daytona: 20-year-old Trevor Bayne wins, entirely unexpectedly. I ended up watching 180 of the 200 laps with my 4-year-old, who was fairly mesmerized and asked a lot of questions. He identified with the two brands he recognized -- Cheerios (Bowyer in the 33 car) and M&Ms (Busch in the 18 car), settling on Cheerios as his car, because it was near the front for most of the race... right up until the final few laps, when Bowyer was involved in a crash and his car was KO'ed. Gabe and I were both disappointed; it was unsatisfying to sit there for 3 hours only to have your car not even get a chance to make it happen in the final laps. But Bayne as a storyline is terrific -- the kid isn't even a Sprint Cup driver, but his reputation is secure for decades.
****
Lots going on at Quickish today. Please check it out (repeatedly!). It's not just about Carmelo -- promise.
-- D.S.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Feb. 20 (Very Dunky) Quickie
I'm not a fan of the "The dunk contest IS BACK!" meme. Every year, someone exclaims it and it is pretty meaningless.
But last night, at least the 4 contenders tried to raise the bar, creatively. I'm not talking about that contrived Ibaka dunk where he rescued the teddy bear for the kid actor. (Ugh.)
And I'm definitely not talking about the Blake Griffin dunk over the Kia, which -- let's be honest -- was far more sizzle than steak. (At least they decided to go all-in on it with the choir.) In the light of the morning, the stunt feels kind of embarrassing for everyone, Griffin included. He's better than that.
But JaVale McGee did a couple dunks that no other player in the NBA -- including Blake Griffin -- could do: The "two balls on two hoops" and the "dunk three balls at once" dunks.
McGee deserved to win. As Free Darko pointed out last night: Would it have been so terrible if Blake did his Kia dunk and yet still lost to the better dunk-contest dunker?
But DeMar DeRozan had one of those "lost beneath the hype of other dunks" performances: He only had 2 dunks. His first try was muffled by repeated misses. His 2nd dunk was, arguably, the most spectacular of the night.
Say this for the dunk contest: You had to stop what you were doing and watch, because you just didn't know what you might see -- and, on that front, it delivered.
*****
Carmelo: Is it over yet? Nope. Let's try to make sense of the several strands:
He met with the Knicks. Yes, he met with the Nets. But apparently, he only met with the Nets because it was a precondition by the Nuggets for him to meet with the Knicks.
Carmelo affirmed he has no interest in the Nets. The Nuggets would still rather do a deal with the Nets than Knicks. (Tough luck.)
The Nuggets keep asking the Knicks for a ton. Knicks prez Donnie Walsh doesn't want to gut the starting lineup to get Carmelo; owner Jim Dolan (and Isiah Thomas) do. Guess who wins?
(In an added twist, apparently Deron Williams made it clear to friends that he has every intention of signing with the Knicks when he becomes a free agent in 2012. If I was the Jazz, I would call the Knicks and say "We'll take the Carmelo package for Williams RIGHT NOW." And if I was the Knicks, I'd much rather have Williams in hand than Carmelo.)
And so what happens now? Dolan gives up whatever it takes to get Carmelo, and in the next few days -- possibly today -- Carmelo is a Knick. The team makes the playoffs but gets KO'ed in the first round -- as they will next year, too. Then they get Williams in 2012. This is progress?
*****
RIP Dave Duerson. The details that came out yesterday are horrifying -- he killed himself, but just before he did, he told friends to make sure his brain went to research to see what kind of damage he did to it playing football. This is the most troubling brain-injury-related development yet for the NFL. They can continue hoping/banking on people not paying attention or glazing over the details, but this is an awful new chapter in the story.
*****
College Hoops Yesterday: Just in case you thought you had a handle on your bracket, Pitt loses to St. John's and Texas loses to Nebraska. Let's not put too much stock in any single games, but it should serve as a reminder that winning 4 straight to make the Final Four -- let alone 6 straight to win a national title -- is a brutal challenge to predict, this year more than most.
*****
Stern's "State of the NBA": Like the NFL, the league has absolutely nothing to lose by playing hardball with the union to get the deal they want, even if it means losing next season. The league is so good right now that its avid fans will come right back. It's not quite as extreme an advantage as the NBA enjoys, but the NBA won't wipe out all the momentum it has built up by missing half of next season, if it means the owners get the long-term deal they want. As with the NFL, the owners' priority is the long-term; the players' priority is the short-term. That means the players will blink first, and the owners should know it.
(Speaking of blinking first: Will Sacramento give the Kings what it wants or will the team move to Anaheim? For those playing at home, that would make three NBA teams in L.A. Hard to believe that other markets -- Kansas City? -- wouldn't pony up to get the Kings.)
*****
Daytona 500: It's the one NASCAR event each year I watch. This whole conjoined, tag-team, double-drafting stuff is novel, but a bit lame. But if the finish is anything like it was at the Nationwide event yesterday, with Tony Stewart winning by a foot or two, coming from behind in the final fraction of a second, then it's going to be a great race.
-- D.S.
But last night, at least the 4 contenders tried to raise the bar, creatively. I'm not talking about that contrived Ibaka dunk where he rescued the teddy bear for the kid actor. (Ugh.)
And I'm definitely not talking about the Blake Griffin dunk over the Kia, which -- let's be honest -- was far more sizzle than steak. (At least they decided to go all-in on it with the choir.) In the light of the morning, the stunt feels kind of embarrassing for everyone, Griffin included. He's better than that.
But JaVale McGee did a couple dunks that no other player in the NBA -- including Blake Griffin -- could do: The "two balls on two hoops" and the "dunk three balls at once" dunks.
McGee deserved to win. As Free Darko pointed out last night: Would it have been so terrible if Blake did his Kia dunk and yet still lost to the better dunk-contest dunker?
But DeMar DeRozan had one of those "lost beneath the hype of other dunks" performances: He only had 2 dunks. His first try was muffled by repeated misses. His 2nd dunk was, arguably, the most spectacular of the night.
Say this for the dunk contest: You had to stop what you were doing and watch, because you just didn't know what you might see -- and, on that front, it delivered.
*****
Carmelo: Is it over yet? Nope. Let's try to make sense of the several strands:
He met with the Knicks. Yes, he met with the Nets. But apparently, he only met with the Nets because it was a precondition by the Nuggets for him to meet with the Knicks.
Carmelo affirmed he has no interest in the Nets. The Nuggets would still rather do a deal with the Nets than Knicks. (Tough luck.)
The Nuggets keep asking the Knicks for a ton. Knicks prez Donnie Walsh doesn't want to gut the starting lineup to get Carmelo; owner Jim Dolan (and Isiah Thomas) do. Guess who wins?
(In an added twist, apparently Deron Williams made it clear to friends that he has every intention of signing with the Knicks when he becomes a free agent in 2012. If I was the Jazz, I would call the Knicks and say "We'll take the Carmelo package for Williams RIGHT NOW." And if I was the Knicks, I'd much rather have Williams in hand than Carmelo.)
And so what happens now? Dolan gives up whatever it takes to get Carmelo, and in the next few days -- possibly today -- Carmelo is a Knick. The team makes the playoffs but gets KO'ed in the first round -- as they will next year, too. Then they get Williams in 2012. This is progress?
*****
RIP Dave Duerson. The details that came out yesterday are horrifying -- he killed himself, but just before he did, he told friends to make sure his brain went to research to see what kind of damage he did to it playing football. This is the most troubling brain-injury-related development yet for the NFL. They can continue hoping/banking on people not paying attention or glazing over the details, but this is an awful new chapter in the story.
*****
College Hoops Yesterday: Just in case you thought you had a handle on your bracket, Pitt loses to St. John's and Texas loses to Nebraska. Let's not put too much stock in any single games, but it should serve as a reminder that winning 4 straight to make the Final Four -- let alone 6 straight to win a national title -- is a brutal challenge to predict, this year more than most.
*****
Stern's "State of the NBA": Like the NFL, the league has absolutely nothing to lose by playing hardball with the union to get the deal they want, even if it means losing next season. The league is so good right now that its avid fans will come right back. It's not quite as extreme an advantage as the NBA enjoys, but the NBA won't wipe out all the momentum it has built up by missing half of next season, if it means the owners get the long-term deal they want. As with the NFL, the owners' priority is the long-term; the players' priority is the short-term. That means the players will blink first, and the owners should know it.
(Speaking of blinking first: Will Sacramento give the Kings what it wants or will the team move to Anaheim? For those playing at home, that would make three NBA teams in L.A. Hard to believe that other markets -- Kansas City? -- wouldn't pony up to get the Kings.)
*****
Daytona 500: It's the one NASCAR event each year I watch. This whole conjoined, tag-team, double-drafting stuff is novel, but a bit lame. But if the finish is anything like it was at the Nationwide event yesterday, with Tony Stewart winning by a foot or two, coming from behind in the final fraction of a second, then it's going to be a great race.
-- D.S.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
02/19 (Very) Quickie
It's not hard to get excited for the prospects of Blake Griffin in tonight's dunk contest...
Carmelo Update: The Nets and Nuggets have a deal put together, pending Carmelo's approval of an extension with the Nets, which he has given no indication of wanting.
Meanwhile, the Knicks appear to have a deal that the Nuggets will take -- it's better than nothing -- and Carmelo obviously wants to play in NYC.
So the question is: Will the Nuggets demand even more from the Knicks and/or force Carmelo to decide whether he wants to get paid, but play for the Nets.
(I stick with this: Why do the Nets want a player -- a star player, no less -- who doesn't want to play for them? Even if he relents, the 3-year countdown until he leaves is immediately on.)
Last night, Justin Bieber may have been the focus of attention (and, naturally, earning celeb-game MVP, given that voting was done by fans via text), but Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had the best game, doing a bit of everything and out-playing even the NBA alums.
In the Rookie-Soph game, John Wall had the best game, dishing a record 22 assists, including a ridiculous bounce-pass alley-oop to Blake Griffin. (As a huge Wall fan, it was bittersweet: He looked so happy out there; it's a shame his regular team stinks.)
MLB: Miguel Cabrera. This morning, the Tigers are finally saying the right things about Miguel Cabrera -- namely, that's he's an alcoholic who needs help, potentially a lot of help. Let's hope they follow through. It's not just in the best interests of the player; it's in the best long-term interests of the team.
CBB BracketBusters: I'm a big fan of these games, if only because it is one of your best chances to watch potential NCAA spoilers against solid competition -- other potential NCAA spoilers. As always, don't read TOO much into any one win, but you can at least say "Yes, I saw them play this season."
Ads: Nike's big flashy "Black Mamba" ad/"film" released this morning. Check it out here, if you're curious.
Enjoy your day. Give Quickish a pop-in throughout the day to keep up.
-- D.S.
Carmelo Update: The Nets and Nuggets have a deal put together, pending Carmelo's approval of an extension with the Nets, which he has given no indication of wanting.
Meanwhile, the Knicks appear to have a deal that the Nuggets will take -- it's better than nothing -- and Carmelo obviously wants to play in NYC.
So the question is: Will the Nuggets demand even more from the Knicks and/or force Carmelo to decide whether he wants to get paid, but play for the Nets.
(I stick with this: Why do the Nets want a player -- a star player, no less -- who doesn't want to play for them? Even if he relents, the 3-year countdown until he leaves is immediately on.)
Last night, Justin Bieber may have been the focus of attention (and, naturally, earning celeb-game MVP, given that voting was done by fans via text), but Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had the best game, doing a bit of everything and out-playing even the NBA alums.
In the Rookie-Soph game, John Wall had the best game, dishing a record 22 assists, including a ridiculous bounce-pass alley-oop to Blake Griffin. (As a huge Wall fan, it was bittersweet: He looked so happy out there; it's a shame his regular team stinks.)
MLB: Miguel Cabrera. This morning, the Tigers are finally saying the right things about Miguel Cabrera -- namely, that's he's an alcoholic who needs help, potentially a lot of help. Let's hope they follow through. It's not just in the best interests of the player; it's in the best long-term interests of the team.
CBB BracketBusters: I'm a big fan of these games, if only because it is one of your best chances to watch potential NCAA spoilers against solid competition -- other potential NCAA spoilers. As always, don't read TOO much into any one win, but you can at least say "Yes, I saw them play this season."
Ads: Nike's big flashy "Black Mamba" ad/"film" released this morning. Check it out here, if you're curious.
Enjoy your day. Give Quickish a pop-in throughout the day to keep up.
-- D.S.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
02/17 Quickie: Pujols, Lakers, Vick, Leo, More
First, a final "Jerry! HEL-LO!" for Len Lesser, who played "Uncle Leo" on Seinfeld and passed away yesterday.
Albert Pujols and Cards don't come to a deal: This a.m., Pujols said all the right things, most importantly "want to be a Cardinal for life." However! The Cards blew it by not offering him what he deserves before we got to this point.
And now the Cubs or Nationals or any number of other teams are going to have a chance to either offer him 10Y/$300M -- or force the Cards into paying it to match (which I would hope they would do.)
Lakers stunned by Cavs: I'm sticking to my general notion that among NBA contenders -- and the Lakers still qualify -- any individual win or loss in the regular season is meaningless, as it relates to the Playoffs. The Lakers are still the team to beat.
Mike Vick bails on Oprah: What a mistake. First, you don't kiss off Oprah. Second, it makes him look like he is entirely satisfied with his rehabilitation, if rumors are to be believed that the show was going to force him to meet face-to-face with people who adopted his dogs.
Here's where Vick missed it: Oprah wasn't going to "James Frey" him. The "redemption" narrative HAS to include Vick facing his dogs and facing the people who saved those dogs. He could have continued to insist how sorry he was, how bad he feels -- on the biggest stage possible. Instead, he looks petty -- even indignant. That's not the image he wants to project.
(What Team Vick -- including the Eagles -- underestimates is that even if the Oprah thing went horribly, it would have been forgotten the first week Vick got on the field for the Eagles and led them to a win with his restored football career.)
Watson wins "Jeopardy": I'm with Ken Jennings (and "The Simpsons") -- I welcome our new robot overlords. The whole thing is a triumph of science (which, by necessity, is a triumph of humanity). It's an incredible achievement.
The Auburn tree massacre: The jokes about this aren't funny. It's pretty sick, actually. Just hoping that Auburn fans recognize this is the work of one lone Bama fan nutjob and not some sort of Tide-wide initiative. (UPDATE: An arrest has been made. The guy arrested sounds like a bit of a loon.)
SI's Grant Wahl is running for the President of FIFA -- for real! It's a worthy cause to support.
-- D.S.
Albert Pujols and Cards don't come to a deal: This a.m., Pujols said all the right things, most importantly "want to be a Cardinal for life." However! The Cards blew it by not offering him what he deserves before we got to this point.
And now the Cubs or Nationals or any number of other teams are going to have a chance to either offer him 10Y/$300M -- or force the Cards into paying it to match (which I would hope they would do.)
Lakers stunned by Cavs: I'm sticking to my general notion that among NBA contenders -- and the Lakers still qualify -- any individual win or loss in the regular season is meaningless, as it relates to the Playoffs. The Lakers are still the team to beat.
Mike Vick bails on Oprah: What a mistake. First, you don't kiss off Oprah. Second, it makes him look like he is entirely satisfied with his rehabilitation, if rumors are to be believed that the show was going to force him to meet face-to-face with people who adopted his dogs.
Here's where Vick missed it: Oprah wasn't going to "James Frey" him. The "redemption" narrative HAS to include Vick facing his dogs and facing the people who saved those dogs. He could have continued to insist how sorry he was, how bad he feels -- on the biggest stage possible. Instead, he looks petty -- even indignant. That's not the image he wants to project.
(What Team Vick -- including the Eagles -- underestimates is that even if the Oprah thing went horribly, it would have been forgotten the first week Vick got on the field for the Eagles and led them to a win with his restored football career.)
Watson wins "Jeopardy": I'm with Ken Jennings (and "The Simpsons") -- I welcome our new robot overlords. The whole thing is a triumph of science (which, by necessity, is a triumph of humanity). It's an incredible achievement.
The Auburn tree massacre: The jokes about this aren't funny. It's pretty sick, actually. Just hoping that Auburn fans recognize this is the work of one lone Bama fan nutjob and not some sort of Tide-wide initiative. (UPDATE: An arrest has been made. The guy arrested sounds like a bit of a loon.)
SI's Grant Wahl is running for the President of FIFA -- for real! It's a worthy cause to support.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
02/16 Quickie: Pujols, Heat, More
I'm on a hot streak with my birthdays.
Last year, I spent my birthday on an airplane traveling across the country to see a billionaire about a really interesting company I wanted to start.
That didn't work out -- which was fine -- but the past year has seen me found, build and launch a new company, the result of which is that I'm spending my birthday thinking about Albert Pujols.
(It also happens to be that my 2-year-old younger son had to stay home sick from daycare today, so I'm spending my birthday operating Quickish and hanging out with him -- I'll take it.)
But back to Pujols: If I'm Albert, it's not unreasonable that I want to be paid like the best baseball player in the world -- and one of the Top 20 (Top 10?) players of all time. I love St. Louis and want to spend my career there, but if the gap between the Cards and the market is big (and it probably will be, both in duration and average annual pay), I have to explore it.
And if I am the Cardinals?
I pay him.
I offer him the $30M a year for the next 8 years -- their previous offer was 7 years, for a lot less than $30 a year. If he wants 10, I think it's reasonable to ask that he take a bit of a haircut on those last two years.
I do it because Pujols IS my franchise. I do it because he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and I want that as part of my team. (I'll hire a bunch of savvy marketers to ensure that we are making it clear to everyone that he is a living legend, to wring every last sales dollar from him -- Pujols has to be comfortable with that. He is a Vegas show. I'm creating the Albert Pujols Channel on YouTube and turning him into a single-handed must-see phenomenon.)
But I do whatever I need to do to keep him. That's easy to say: It's not my money. (As a business owner, I'm totally empathetic to keeping an eye on the P&L statement.) But this isn't Ryan Howard or Mark Teixeira or Prince Fielder.
This is Albert Freaking Pujols -- the greatest living baseball player. (Ironic, given that Stan Musial got the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday.) Pujols is superlative in ways that rarely come along in sports, let alone baseball. And you pay for that. You have to.
*****
Lance Armstrong retires: Speaking of one of the greatest athletes in history. His career will always have a cloud over it, but he is the rare athlete who has maintained a defiance, taken plenty of tests and stayed out of trouble. He's untouchable. That by itself is all-time.
Do you believe Bernie Madoff when he says the Mets owners didn't know about his Ponzi scheme? Why would you?
Hickory wins Westminster, becoming the first Scottish Deerhound to win the title: Chalk one up for novelty!
Must-see video: D-Wade to LeBron on a 90-foot alley-oop.
CBB: George Mason crushes VCU. Is GMU, winners of 12 in a row, prepping for a Cinderella run a la 2006?
More later. Please check out Quickish. Have a great day. I have children's educational TV programming to tee up on the DVR...
--- D.S.
Last year, I spent my birthday on an airplane traveling across the country to see a billionaire about a really interesting company I wanted to start.
That didn't work out -- which was fine -- but the past year has seen me found, build and launch a new company, the result of which is that I'm spending my birthday thinking about Albert Pujols.
(It also happens to be that my 2-year-old younger son had to stay home sick from daycare today, so I'm spending my birthday operating Quickish and hanging out with him -- I'll take it.)
But back to Pujols: If I'm Albert, it's not unreasonable that I want to be paid like the best baseball player in the world -- and one of the Top 20 (Top 10?) players of all time. I love St. Louis and want to spend my career there, but if the gap between the Cards and the market is big (and it probably will be, both in duration and average annual pay), I have to explore it.
And if I am the Cardinals?
I pay him.
I offer him the $30M a year for the next 8 years -- their previous offer was 7 years, for a lot less than $30 a year. If he wants 10, I think it's reasonable to ask that he take a bit of a haircut on those last two years.
I do it because Pujols IS my franchise. I do it because he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and I want that as part of my team. (I'll hire a bunch of savvy marketers to ensure that we are making it clear to everyone that he is a living legend, to wring every last sales dollar from him -- Pujols has to be comfortable with that. He is a Vegas show. I'm creating the Albert Pujols Channel on YouTube and turning him into a single-handed must-see phenomenon.)
But I do whatever I need to do to keep him. That's easy to say: It's not my money. (As a business owner, I'm totally empathetic to keeping an eye on the P&L statement.) But this isn't Ryan Howard or Mark Teixeira or Prince Fielder.
This is Albert Freaking Pujols -- the greatest living baseball player. (Ironic, given that Stan Musial got the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday.) Pujols is superlative in ways that rarely come along in sports, let alone baseball. And you pay for that. You have to.
*****
Lance Armstrong retires: Speaking of one of the greatest athletes in history. His career will always have a cloud over it, but he is the rare athlete who has maintained a defiance, taken plenty of tests and stayed out of trouble. He's untouchable. That by itself is all-time.
Do you believe Bernie Madoff when he says the Mets owners didn't know about his Ponzi scheme? Why would you?
Hickory wins Westminster, becoming the first Scottish Deerhound to win the title: Chalk one up for novelty!
Must-see video: D-Wade to LeBron on a 90-foot alley-oop.
CBB: George Mason crushes VCU. Is GMU, winners of 12 in a row, prepping for a Cinderella run a la 2006?
More later. Please check out Quickish. Have a great day. I have children's educational TV programming to tee up on the DVR...
--- D.S.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
02/15 Quickie: Pujols, Swimsuit, More
One more day until Albert Pujols' world is turned upside-down: I'm sure he is very interested to see what he might command on the open market, but I don't think he is at all prepared for the shit show he will deal with for the next six months.
Tony LaRussa is lining up the straw men by suggesting the union wants Pujols to leave and get the maximum dollars; LaRussa is just deflecting attention from Albert.
Meanwhile, a nice moment for Cardinals fans as Stan Musial is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- a nice moment for ALL fans as Bill Russell earns the same.
MLB Spring Training: Will CC Sabathia opt out? Here's a really good argument why it's inevitable.
Kansas State throttles Kansas: Well, didn't see THAT one coming. K-State may yet make the Tournament field, but it's unlikely they get past the first weekend.
SI Swimsuit: I don't judge anyone if they're really into it, but it was a lot more meaningful to me when I was 14 than now. It is the biggest day of cognitive dissonance of the year at SI offices (except to the extent that they all know (a) it pays their mortgages, and (b) about 100x the number of people visit the site today than typical days).
OJ Simpson beaten up in prison? Yikes. I am convinced that for a good proportion of the population, crimes are actively not committed for no other reason -- and it's a good one -- that you simply wouldn't survive in prison.
Westminster Dog Show: Not for me, but Jonah Keri is doing great work during the broadcasts at WSJ.com.
Jeopardy's Jennings vs. IBM's Watson: Now THIS I can get into. I'm sort of rooting for Watson. Sorry.
Please give Quickish a visit today -- and tell friends!
-- D.S.
Tony LaRussa is lining up the straw men by suggesting the union wants Pujols to leave and get the maximum dollars; LaRussa is just deflecting attention from Albert.
Meanwhile, a nice moment for Cardinals fans as Stan Musial is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- a nice moment for ALL fans as Bill Russell earns the same.
MLB Spring Training: Will CC Sabathia opt out? Here's a really good argument why it's inevitable.
Kansas State throttles Kansas: Well, didn't see THAT one coming. K-State may yet make the Tournament field, but it's unlikely they get past the first weekend.
SI Swimsuit: I don't judge anyone if they're really into it, but it was a lot more meaningful to me when I was 14 than now. It is the biggest day of cognitive dissonance of the year at SI offices (except to the extent that they all know (a) it pays their mortgages, and (b) about 100x the number of people visit the site today than typical days).
OJ Simpson beaten up in prison? Yikes. I am convinced that for a good proportion of the population, crimes are actively not committed for no other reason -- and it's a good one -- that you simply wouldn't survive in prison.
Westminster Dog Show: Not for me, but Jonah Keri is doing great work during the broadcasts at WSJ.com.
Jeopardy's Jennings vs. IBM's Watson: Now THIS I can get into. I'm sort of rooting for Watson. Sorry.
Please give Quickish a visit today -- and tell friends!
-- D.S.
Monday, February 14, 2011
02/14: Love, Dogs, Pujols, Heat, More
First of all, happy valentine's day to everyone. As is the annual tradition here, let's talk about love.
*I'm not a big dog person (allergies), but "Best In Show" is one of my favorite movies of all time -- if you consider "dog show" as part of the universe of "sport," "Best In Show" is arguably the greatest sports movie of all time.
And so the Westminster Dog Show -- today and tomorrow -- is amazing if only for its opportunity to flex your favorite "Best In Show" quotes, which we'll try to do all day on Quickish today.
*If you're a Cardinals fan -- or just a baseball fan -- you love Albert Pujols. Which makes this week's deadline for a deal (which may or may not have EVER had a chance, short of the Cards paying the $300M over 10 years Pujols wants... and probably deserves) all the more difficult.
Cards fans are going to have to go through an even greater cognitive dissonance than Cavs fans, who HAD to have known, down deep, LeBron was bolting. But Cards fans are a chipper, earnest group -- the betrayal will be all the more severe, especially when he goes to the Cubs, who should have no problem with giving him the $300M he wants.
My biggest problem with all this is the notion that Pujols thinks he can avoid six months -- SIX MONTHS -- of daily questions about this, simply because he insists he won't talk about it. That won't keep people from asking about it or talking about it.
(Here's the bright side, Cards fans: Maybe he gets SO sick of it that he decides to sign, just to silence the noise.)
*Celtics fans have to be loving the dominance over the Heat, who have shown no sign of being able to beat Boston this year -- which will extend into the playoffs. If Miami couldn't win yesterday, they sure won't do it in May. The good news for the Heat: The Celtics probably have one year after this before age gets them, so that still leaves three years of the 5-year-plan to contend. Unless, of course, Dwight Howard goes to the Knicks or Lakers...
*Love the nostalgia for Ronaldo, who is retiring today, at his peak -- rather than his later years.
*South Carolina fans are loving it right now: An SEC East title, followed up by landing the nation's No. 1 prospect this morning -- Jadeveon Clowney. If RB Marcus Lattimore is the most punishing offensive force East of Andrew Luck, then Clowney has the chance to match him on the defensive side.
*Have you seen the video of Justin Bieber showing off his ringtone? It's Mike Gundy's "I'm a MAN!" rant. It's not love, but it actually made me like Bieber -- how can you not like a kid who knows the Gundy rant by heart?
There is so much on Quickish this morning, I can barely keep up with all of it -- some great reads, some amazing analysis. Please check it out -- and check back throughout the day.
Otherwise, happy valentine's day to you and yours. Despite the uncertainty in the NFL, it's a good day to remember what you love about sports.
-- D.S.
*I'm not a big dog person (allergies), but "Best In Show" is one of my favorite movies of all time -- if you consider "dog show" as part of the universe of "sport," "Best In Show" is arguably the greatest sports movie of all time.
And so the Westminster Dog Show -- today and tomorrow -- is amazing if only for its opportunity to flex your favorite "Best In Show" quotes, which we'll try to do all day on Quickish today.
*If you're a Cardinals fan -- or just a baseball fan -- you love Albert Pujols. Which makes this week's deadline for a deal (which may or may not have EVER had a chance, short of the Cards paying the $300M over 10 years Pujols wants... and probably deserves) all the more difficult.
Cards fans are going to have to go through an even greater cognitive dissonance than Cavs fans, who HAD to have known, down deep, LeBron was bolting. But Cards fans are a chipper, earnest group -- the betrayal will be all the more severe, especially when he goes to the Cubs, who should have no problem with giving him the $300M he wants.
My biggest problem with all this is the notion that Pujols thinks he can avoid six months -- SIX MONTHS -- of daily questions about this, simply because he insists he won't talk about it. That won't keep people from asking about it or talking about it.
(Here's the bright side, Cards fans: Maybe he gets SO sick of it that he decides to sign, just to silence the noise.)
*Celtics fans have to be loving the dominance over the Heat, who have shown no sign of being able to beat Boston this year -- which will extend into the playoffs. If Miami couldn't win yesterday, they sure won't do it in May. The good news for the Heat: The Celtics probably have one year after this before age gets them, so that still leaves three years of the 5-year-plan to contend. Unless, of course, Dwight Howard goes to the Knicks or Lakers...
*Love the nostalgia for Ronaldo, who is retiring today, at his peak -- rather than his later years.
*South Carolina fans are loving it right now: An SEC East title, followed up by landing the nation's No. 1 prospect this morning -- Jadeveon Clowney. If RB Marcus Lattimore is the most punishing offensive force East of Andrew Luck, then Clowney has the chance to match him on the defensive side.
*Have you seen the video of Justin Bieber showing off his ringtone? It's Mike Gundy's "I'm a MAN!" rant. It's not love, but it actually made me like Bieber -- how can you not like a kid who knows the Gundy rant by heart?
There is so much on Quickish this morning, I can barely keep up with all of it -- some great reads, some amazing analysis. Please check it out -- and check back throughout the day.
Otherwise, happy valentine's day to you and yours. Despite the uncertainty in the NFL, it's a good day to remember what you love about sports.
-- D.S.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
02/13 (Very) Quickie
Don't forget to check out Quickish today: Already have a bunch of good things posted.
Wisconsin beats Ohio State: Yes, Wisco was favored, but it was the way they overwhelmed OSU after being down 15 -- and seemingly out. Their comeback was, based on Wisconsin's typical deliberateness, shocking and eye-opening. Can't help but file it away for March.
(I am not picking Ohio State to win the national title, although their Big Ten regular season title, Big Ten Tourney title and NCAA No. 1 seed seem virtually assured.)
Albert Pujols Watch: I have become increasingly frustrated with St. Louis mainstream media for seeming to abstain from the Pujols situation entirely. I'm not asking for Carmelo-style forced drama, but this is a huge story and they do their readers a disservice by not projecting the fans' interest (and, yes, anxiety).
Bernie Miklasz made up for all of it with his terrific column today. It was worth the wait. (Even if his premise is that this deadline on Wednesday is fake-ish.)
NFL Labor: Read this analysis. It is damning -- but, like most economics arguments, will have no practical implications or consequences on its own. It will, however, help you understand why the owners aren't going to give an inch. (And, given the combination of irrational economics and largely ignorant media, why should they?) This isn't about player salaries; this is about the larger structure of the NFL over the past decade or so.
Today: Heat-Celtics. As repeated here often, regular-season NBA offers few if any games of consequence. There are, however, a few that are entertaining. This should be one of them.
-- D.S.
Wisconsin beats Ohio State: Yes, Wisco was favored, but it was the way they overwhelmed OSU after being down 15 -- and seemingly out. Their comeback was, based on Wisconsin's typical deliberateness, shocking and eye-opening. Can't help but file it away for March.
(I am not picking Ohio State to win the national title, although their Big Ten regular season title, Big Ten Tourney title and NCAA No. 1 seed seem virtually assured.)
Albert Pujols Watch: I have become increasingly frustrated with St. Louis mainstream media for seeming to abstain from the Pujols situation entirely. I'm not asking for Carmelo-style forced drama, but this is a huge story and they do their readers a disservice by not projecting the fans' interest (and, yes, anxiety).
Bernie Miklasz made up for all of it with his terrific column today. It was worth the wait. (Even if his premise is that this deadline on Wednesday is fake-ish.)
NFL Labor: Read this analysis. It is damning -- but, like most economics arguments, will have no practical implications or consequences on its own. It will, however, help you understand why the owners aren't going to give an inch. (And, given the combination of irrational economics and largely ignorant media, why should they?) This isn't about player salaries; this is about the larger structure of the NFL over the past decade or so.
Today: Heat-Celtics. As repeated here often, regular-season NBA offers few if any games of consequence. There are, however, a few that are entertaining. This should be one of them.
-- D.S.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
02/12 (Very) Quickie
Happy 50th anniversary, Strat-O-Matic.
Cavs win! Cavs win! The ignominy of US pro sports' longest losing streak will not be theirs alone for posterity. (They will remain tied with the 76-77 Tampa Bay Bucs.)
Penguins-Islanders: Crazy brawling! (Puck Daddy has the best recap/videos.)
NFL Labor Watch: The owners are going to win this, and it's going to be a rout. I don't think this can be stressed enough. They don't mind shutting down the offseason. They don't mind shutting down the preseason. They don't mind shutting down part of the regular season.
Because while the players' have an average career of 3.5 years, the owners are in this for the long haul -- one year of pain is a blip compared to a decade of things the way they want it to be. And while fans may not be happy, they're not going anywhere -- in fact, we will come back in even bigger numbers than before.
College hoops today: If Ohio State is going to lose in the regular season, it's going to be today at Wisconsin. (For the record, I'm not picking Ohio State to win it all in March.)
RIP, Chuck Tanner. "We Are Family," indeed.
Have a great Saturday. Please check in on Quickish throughout the day and evening to keep up.
-- D.S.
Cavs win! Cavs win! The ignominy of US pro sports' longest losing streak will not be theirs alone for posterity. (They will remain tied with the 76-77 Tampa Bay Bucs.)
Penguins-Islanders: Crazy brawling! (Puck Daddy has the best recap/videos.)
NFL Labor Watch: The owners are going to win this, and it's going to be a rout. I don't think this can be stressed enough. They don't mind shutting down the offseason. They don't mind shutting down the preseason. They don't mind shutting down part of the regular season.
Because while the players' have an average career of 3.5 years, the owners are in this for the long haul -- one year of pain is a blip compared to a decade of things the way they want it to be. And while fans may not be happy, they're not going anywhere -- in fact, we will come back in even bigger numbers than before.
College hoops today: If Ohio State is going to lose in the regular season, it's going to be today at Wisconsin. (For the record, I'm not picking Ohio State to win it all in March.)
RIP, Chuck Tanner. "We Are Family," indeed.
Have a great Saturday. Please check in on Quickish throughout the day and evening to keep up.
-- D.S.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Strat-O-Matic: Happy 50th Anniversary
Saturday, Feb. 11 -- tomorrow or today or yesterday, depending on when you’re reading this -- is the 50th anniversary celebration of Strat-O-Matic, the legendary card-and-dice baseball game. (Here's a primer from Wikipedia.)
Let's start with this: Many/most fans call it "Strat-O." I called it "Strat." Sorry.
From Strat’s Years’ 24-27, it was among my biggest obsessions. I’m not sure what drew me to it -- what draws any fan to it? I liked mixing and matching teams -- an early form of fantasy baseball -- and I liked the range of probabilities and outcomes.
I had the "1985 edition" set -- so it covered the 1984 season. For the next three years, all me and my friends did was play with THAT set, so it was like we were permanently in 1984. As a young Cubs fan, this was fine with me, as that was the season the Cubs won the NL East.
But my most vivid memory of Strat was my freshman year of high school. I wasn’t nearly cool enough to be part of the “cool kids,” and so my friends and I continued to play Strat, rather than -- say -- going to parties we couldn’t have gotten into anyway.
Then, two of the coolest kids in my class wanted to play with us -- they loved it, and they totally dorked out with us. But their participation was totally on the “down low.”
They couldn’t tell their cool friends they were playing Strat with us, obsessing over the league and trades and homemade stat sheets in between classes.
But that was fine for me and my friends. I was so baffled that the cool kids were playing with us, that they even seemed to enjoy spending time with us. Even...grateful.
Ultimately, I out-grew Strat after my freshman year of high school. Other things took over: School, finding a sport, working on the school newspaper, girls.
But I retain such a fondness for Strat-O-Matic that I sometimes wish I could re-capture those years where it was my obsession. I know others feel that way, too. It’s a fun community to be a part of: “Did you play Strat-O-Matic," answered in the affirmative, signals you know.
You know what a fun, obsessive game it can be. You know how it impacts your fandom in a positive way -- particularly in giving you an appreciation for the role of probability and randomness in the sport. You know that it can become a lifestyle.
Happy 50th birthday, Strat-O-Matic. And I hope everyone who ever played remembers their experience as fondly as I do.
By the way, along the same vein as Strat, my favorite baseball book of all time -- a novel about an obsessive man who creates his own fictional baseball league based on cards and dice and probabilities -- is also one of the most underappreciated baseball books of all time:
The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. (Yes, that’s the complete title. By Robert Coover. Published in 1968. I was introduced to it in high school during that freshman year when my Strat obsession was at its peak. Highly recommended. If I had a million dollars I would buy the movie rights. It’s a brilliant book.)
-- D.S.
Let's start with this: Many/most fans call it "Strat-O." I called it "Strat." Sorry.
From Strat’s Years’ 24-27, it was among my biggest obsessions. I’m not sure what drew me to it -- what draws any fan to it? I liked mixing and matching teams -- an early form of fantasy baseball -- and I liked the range of probabilities and outcomes.
I had the "1985 edition" set -- so it covered the 1984 season. For the next three years, all me and my friends did was play with THAT set, so it was like we were permanently in 1984. As a young Cubs fan, this was fine with me, as that was the season the Cubs won the NL East.
But my most vivid memory of Strat was my freshman year of high school. I wasn’t nearly cool enough to be part of the “cool kids,” and so my friends and I continued to play Strat, rather than -- say -- going to parties we couldn’t have gotten into anyway.
Then, two of the coolest kids in my class wanted to play with us -- they loved it, and they totally dorked out with us. But their participation was totally on the “down low.”
They couldn’t tell their cool friends they were playing Strat with us, obsessing over the league and trades and homemade stat sheets in between classes.
But that was fine for me and my friends. I was so baffled that the cool kids were playing with us, that they even seemed to enjoy spending time with us. Even...grateful.
Ultimately, I out-grew Strat after my freshman year of high school. Other things took over: School, finding a sport, working on the school newspaper, girls.
But I retain such a fondness for Strat-O-Matic that I sometimes wish I could re-capture those years where it was my obsession. I know others feel that way, too. It’s a fun community to be a part of: “Did you play Strat-O-Matic," answered in the affirmative, signals you know.
You know what a fun, obsessive game it can be. You know how it impacts your fandom in a positive way -- particularly in giving you an appreciation for the role of probability and randomness in the sport. You know that it can become a lifestyle.
Happy 50th birthday, Strat-O-Matic. And I hope everyone who ever played remembers their experience as fondly as I do.
By the way, along the same vein as Strat, my favorite baseball book of all time -- a novel about an obsessive man who creates his own fictional baseball league based on cards and dice and probabilities -- is also one of the most underappreciated baseball books of all time:
The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. (Yes, that’s the complete title. By Robert Coover. Published in 1968. I was introduced to it in high school during that freshman year when my Strat obsession was at its peak. Highly recommended. If I had a million dollars I would buy the movie rights. It’s a brilliant book.)
-- D.S.
02/11 Quickie: Favre, Ray Allen, Sloan, Cam, More
So, in a pique of pique, I tracked down and debunked this "Brett Favre/Dancing With the Stars" rumor. It felt good, and not just because people seemed to like it.
If I kept sport-talk radio producers or bloggers or TV talking-heads from wasting time on it today, I have done a service to them and fans alike.
But, to be less haughty about the whole thing, it was just fun to trace it. Sourcing is a big issue in sports news -- and all news -- and this was a very clean example to showcase.
Since then, things have been a little off-the-hook with Quickish, which is why I'm not writing until now. Apologies. (On the plus side, it's been Quickish's biggest week ever -- and that's not even counting the Super Bowl.)
Now...
Ray Allen: NBA's career 3 king. When he was at UConn in '95-96, I loved Ray Allen. He was my favorite player. I can't recall why, I just really liked him. This is a great record to hold. (Unbreakable? Unlikely, but it's going to be 20 years before someone does it.)
Jerry Sloan quits: Yes, we could say "resigns," but it's quitting, right? There's no shame in that, unless you've spent some time ripping other "quitters" but don't want to rip Sloan.
And I don't. He had a Hall of Fame career. I will say that his intractability -- the source of so much success -- ultimately failed him. It's not a quality I admire as much as many others do.
Cam Newton's media workout: It did what it was meant to -- it put him in the conversation for Top 5 overall, and certainly put him at the top of the QBs list. I think he'll have a great career.
Josh Hamilton's new deal: Great move by the Rangers, and smart by Hamilton to take it. In two years, he can go cash in with the Yankees or Red Sox.
College hoops tomorrow: Ohio State at Wisconsin is the best shot any team will have of beating OSU until the Tournament. More: Baylor/Texas, Pitt/Nova, Kentucky/Vandy.
Good for Cal: Or, should I say, good for the boosters who ponied up the money to allow Cal to keep three sports it had cut. See: Boosters are not all evil.
NFL Labor: Things do NOT look good. Settle in. It's going to be long and boring and frustrating, but it is what it is.
SB Tix Snafu: The league has expanded its offer to the 2,000 fans who were delayed getting in until the game started. That's a fair thing. The deal for the 400 remains largely unsatisfactory.
Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Strat-O-Matic. I need a separate post for this, if I can manage it, because Strat was a HUGE part of my life from age 12-15.
Have a terrific weekend. If you haven't yet, please give Quickish a look today -- and we're going strong all weekend. Keep up quickly with the big topics -- just a minute or so will catch you up.
-- D.S.
If I kept sport-talk radio producers or bloggers or TV talking-heads from wasting time on it today, I have done a service to them and fans alike.
But, to be less haughty about the whole thing, it was just fun to trace it. Sourcing is a big issue in sports news -- and all news -- and this was a very clean example to showcase.
Since then, things have been a little off-the-hook with Quickish, which is why I'm not writing until now. Apologies. (On the plus side, it's been Quickish's biggest week ever -- and that's not even counting the Super Bowl.)
Now...
Ray Allen: NBA's career 3 king. When he was at UConn in '95-96, I loved Ray Allen. He was my favorite player. I can't recall why, I just really liked him. This is a great record to hold. (Unbreakable? Unlikely, but it's going to be 20 years before someone does it.)
Jerry Sloan quits: Yes, we could say "resigns," but it's quitting, right? There's no shame in that, unless you've spent some time ripping other "quitters" but don't want to rip Sloan.
And I don't. He had a Hall of Fame career. I will say that his intractability -- the source of so much success -- ultimately failed him. It's not a quality I admire as much as many others do.
Cam Newton's media workout: It did what it was meant to -- it put him in the conversation for Top 5 overall, and certainly put him at the top of the QBs list. I think he'll have a great career.
Josh Hamilton's new deal: Great move by the Rangers, and smart by Hamilton to take it. In two years, he can go cash in with the Yankees or Red Sox.
College hoops tomorrow: Ohio State at Wisconsin is the best shot any team will have of beating OSU until the Tournament. More: Baylor/Texas, Pitt/Nova, Kentucky/Vandy.
Good for Cal: Or, should I say, good for the boosters who ponied up the money to allow Cal to keep three sports it had cut. See: Boosters are not all evil.
NFL Labor: Things do NOT look good. Settle in. It's going to be long and boring and frustrating, but it is what it is.
SB Tix Snafu: The league has expanded its offer to the 2,000 fans who were delayed getting in until the game started. That's a fair thing. The deal for the 400 remains largely unsatisfactory.
Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Strat-O-Matic. I need a separate post for this, if I can manage it, because Strat was a HUGE part of my life from age 12-15.
Have a terrific weekend. If you haven't yet, please give Quickish a look today -- and we're going strong all weekend. Keep up quickly with the big topics -- just a minute or so will catch you up.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
02/10 Quickie: Madness, Duke, Tix, Cam, Habs-Bruins
Since I can remember watching the NCAA Tournament obsessively -- so let's call it at least 25 years -- the ultimate frustration has been being beholden to CBS to program your games for you.
Either the game you really wanted to see wasn't in your TV "region." Or the CBS directors were too slow to change games late.
And so you went to a sports bar, which was fun, but a bit stressful. (Or you had to have a dish and buy a Tournament package.) Then March Madness Online came, and it was a revelation: You could control your own experience -- albeit grainy and a bit herky-jerky. Then MMOD came to the phone, and you could shuttle from work to home and not feel like you were missing anything.
But what they are announcing today is the true Holy Grail: Every NCAA Tournament game, shown live and in its entirety.... on regular ol' TV channels: CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV.
Now you are your own TV programmer -- as SI's Richard Deitsch put it. And it is amazing. Finally: You can flip from game to game -- if you're ninja enough, you can use picture-in-picture and "last channel" and zip around in every possible configuration of timing and interest.
(Equally interesting, the power shifts from CBS producers to... Twitter and Facebook, which will be your ultimate system for knowing what game is reaching its peak interest.)
It is good business for CBS and Turner -- it is a winning scenario for fans.
*****
Duke comes back from down 16 to beat UNC: Duke doesn't win that one -- at least like they did last night -- at the Dean Dome. Nevertheless, it was an impressive rally by Duke -- and a particularly good game from Kyle Singler, who only shot poorly because he used all his energy locking down Harrison Barnes. Of course, Nolan Smith was the star.
To clarify yesterday's point: It's not that every regular-season college basketball game is meaningless, per se; it's just that among the national elite, whether you win or lose a single game in the regular season has absolutely no bearing on your chances of winning six straight in late march. Obviously, it matters a lot to Duke and UNC fans who wins that game between them. But in the grand scheme of national titles? Bupkis. (EXCEPT! To the extent you want to -- or can -- glean clues for late March from individual games, which is something I do -- and regularly causes me bracket problems.)
Georgetown beats Syracuse: Rough sledding for the 'Cuse -- another statement win for the Hoyas. Perennially, I am a sucker for both on my bracket, so this is going to end badly either way.
Huge win for Rutgers over Villanova: Remember when Mike Rice nearly coached Robert Morris to a first-round NCAA Tournament upset over 'Nova? He deserved it then -- and he got it last night. From a recruiting standpoint, it was a monster moment.
(Late night: Utah State loses at Idaho. Utah State is one of those mid-majors that gets ranked but is ultimately -- and I mean "March Madness results" -- overrated. But not before sucking you into picking them to the Sweet 16. Not that I'm bitter....)
NFL Ticket Snafu: I feel bad for the 400 (and possibly additional 850) who really do feel like suing the league is the only way to get fairly treated -- yes, I'm comfortable saying that the league's offer, either option, is not as good as many in the media would spin you to believe -- but are being lumped in with the Cowboys PSL owners who just seem disgruntled and greedy.
Carmelo, Cont'd: For a second, I actually believed he might sign an extension with the Nuggets if they don't trade him -- it's a ton of money, after all. But I hope he doesn't, because he really WANTS to play for New York. He'll be miserable -- if $20M or so richer -- playing in Denver. When you're as rich as Carmelo already is, is $20M worth it? Maybe it is.
Cavs lose 26th straight: But the Wizards, winless on the road, are coming this weekend. So hope is around the corner, Cavs fans. Embrace your destiny!
NFL Draft: Cam Newton is having his "special private workout" today. It's an open question whether he even needs it; his stock is high and only going to get higher. You've seen the mock drafts that have him going no later than 10th to the Redskins; there's one that has him going No. 5 overall to the Cardinals. I think by the time we get to the draft, he is a lock for the Top 10 and will be the first QB taken.
I think the comparisons to Tebow are fair; Newton is bigger and faster and throws a bit better (but I'm not sure he has Tebow's maniacal focus). Both were absurdly productive college QBs playing week-in-week-out against the most NFL-like defenses in the country, and both will have long solid NFL careers.
OK: This Habs-Bruins insanity transcends love of a sport and gets right into "if you love sports -- period -- you love this."
-- D.S.
Either the game you really wanted to see wasn't in your TV "region." Or the CBS directors were too slow to change games late.
And so you went to a sports bar, which was fun, but a bit stressful. (Or you had to have a dish and buy a Tournament package.) Then March Madness Online came, and it was a revelation: You could control your own experience -- albeit grainy and a bit herky-jerky. Then MMOD came to the phone, and you could shuttle from work to home and not feel like you were missing anything.
But what they are announcing today is the true Holy Grail: Every NCAA Tournament game, shown live and in its entirety.... on regular ol' TV channels: CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV.
Now you are your own TV programmer -- as SI's Richard Deitsch put it. And it is amazing. Finally: You can flip from game to game -- if you're ninja enough, you can use picture-in-picture and "last channel" and zip around in every possible configuration of timing and interest.
(Equally interesting, the power shifts from CBS producers to... Twitter and Facebook, which will be your ultimate system for knowing what game is reaching its peak interest.)
It is good business for CBS and Turner -- it is a winning scenario for fans.
*****
Duke comes back from down 16 to beat UNC: Duke doesn't win that one -- at least like they did last night -- at the Dean Dome. Nevertheless, it was an impressive rally by Duke -- and a particularly good game from Kyle Singler, who only shot poorly because he used all his energy locking down Harrison Barnes. Of course, Nolan Smith was the star.
To clarify yesterday's point: It's not that every regular-season college basketball game is meaningless, per se; it's just that among the national elite, whether you win or lose a single game in the regular season has absolutely no bearing on your chances of winning six straight in late march. Obviously, it matters a lot to Duke and UNC fans who wins that game between them. But in the grand scheme of national titles? Bupkis. (EXCEPT! To the extent you want to -- or can -- glean clues for late March from individual games, which is something I do -- and regularly causes me bracket problems.)
Georgetown beats Syracuse: Rough sledding for the 'Cuse -- another statement win for the Hoyas. Perennially, I am a sucker for both on my bracket, so this is going to end badly either way.
Huge win for Rutgers over Villanova: Remember when Mike Rice nearly coached Robert Morris to a first-round NCAA Tournament upset over 'Nova? He deserved it then -- and he got it last night. From a recruiting standpoint, it was a monster moment.
(Late night: Utah State loses at Idaho. Utah State is one of those mid-majors that gets ranked but is ultimately -- and I mean "March Madness results" -- overrated. But not before sucking you into picking them to the Sweet 16. Not that I'm bitter....)
NFL Ticket Snafu: I feel bad for the 400 (and possibly additional 850) who really do feel like suing the league is the only way to get fairly treated -- yes, I'm comfortable saying that the league's offer, either option, is not as good as many in the media would spin you to believe -- but are being lumped in with the Cowboys PSL owners who just seem disgruntled and greedy.
Carmelo, Cont'd: For a second, I actually believed he might sign an extension with the Nuggets if they don't trade him -- it's a ton of money, after all. But I hope he doesn't, because he really WANTS to play for New York. He'll be miserable -- if $20M or so richer -- playing in Denver. When you're as rich as Carmelo already is, is $20M worth it? Maybe it is.
Cavs lose 26th straight: But the Wizards, winless on the road, are coming this weekend. So hope is around the corner, Cavs fans. Embrace your destiny!
NFL Draft: Cam Newton is having his "special private workout" today. It's an open question whether he even needs it; his stock is high and only going to get higher. You've seen the mock drafts that have him going no later than 10th to the Redskins; there's one that has him going No. 5 overall to the Cardinals. I think by the time we get to the draft, he is a lock for the Top 10 and will be the first QB taken.
I think the comparisons to Tebow are fair; Newton is bigger and faster and throws a bit better (but I'm not sure he has Tebow's maniacal focus). Both were absurdly productive college QBs playing week-in-week-out against the most NFL-like defenses in the country, and both will have long solid NFL careers.
OK: This Habs-Bruins insanity transcends love of a sport and gets right into "if you love sports -- period -- you love this."
-- D.S.
02/09 Quickie: SB Tix Snafu, Pujols, More
So, would you take "Option 1" or "Option 2?"
If you were one of the 400 fans whose Super Bowl ticket was invalidated by the league, would you take:
*Option 1: a ticket to next year's Super Bowl (which the league has said you could scalp) and $2400 cash
*or Option 2: a ticket to a future Super Bowl of your choice, plus hotel and airfare?
I'd go Option 1, get the Super Bowl ticket and sell it, then sock away that money to go to a future Super Bowl when my team is in it. With Option 2, you never know.
Then again, there's always Option 3: Sue the league. The group suing the league will likely be able to settle for more than the value of either of the league's options.
(Can the league really afford to publicly battle fans that decide to sue them? There is zero moral high ground, and the judgment will be to make it go away as fast as possible.)
*****
Albert Pujols Watch: Apparently, he's reporting to spring training a week from today, so the Cards have 8 days to make a deal with him or he will pursue free agency after the season.
I see no sign that Pujols (or Team Pujols) has thought this scenario through: Pujols will be "LeBron 2.0" -- all anyone will want to talk about, on every Cardinals trip this season, is his pending free agency. Every city. Every beat writer will have the "Would he come HERE?" angle. Everyone will play up the "Countdown to the season ending!" Cardinals fans will be their typically cheerful selves, but inside be dying a little, with every game. It's a mess.
And while I appreciate the argument that Pujols doesn't want this to be a distraction during the season, he's kidding himself if he thinks it won't be just because he doesn't want to talk about it. He owes it to the team to re-sign with them or accept a "rental" trade for the season.
*****
CBB Tonight: UNC-Duke. A great rivalry in sports, to be sure, but slightly overrated, if only because their regular-season match-ups -- even their ACC Tournament match-ups -- are ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of the "national" college hoops scene: That is to say, the NCAA Tournament, which is both team's ultimate goal. (Of course, I'll be watching.)
*****
Love that 56,000 fans packed Lambeau Field to celebrate the Packers, but does this really surprise anyone? Of course they did, in those numbers.
*****
The best story from yesterday was the belated appreciation for a piece published Sunday that tried to ID the precise Cubs game that Ferris Bueller attended in his eponymous "Day Off" movie. It turns out that the scene was filmed in May '85, but the author makes a compelling argument that the game in the movie itself was supposed to be a June game.
*****
It appears we have entered the slow February post-NFL season -- but Quickish is rolling along, hitting the big topics of the day (today: Pujols and UNC-Duke, among others) and anything that breaks (like yesterday's NFL Ticket Offer). Please pop by and check it out (and tell friends!)
-- D.S.
If you were one of the 400 fans whose Super Bowl ticket was invalidated by the league, would you take:
*Option 1: a ticket to next year's Super Bowl (which the league has said you could scalp) and $2400 cash
*or Option 2: a ticket to a future Super Bowl of your choice, plus hotel and airfare?
I'd go Option 1, get the Super Bowl ticket and sell it, then sock away that money to go to a future Super Bowl when my team is in it. With Option 2, you never know.
Then again, there's always Option 3: Sue the league. The group suing the league will likely be able to settle for more than the value of either of the league's options.
(Can the league really afford to publicly battle fans that decide to sue them? There is zero moral high ground, and the judgment will be to make it go away as fast as possible.)
*****
Albert Pujols Watch: Apparently, he's reporting to spring training a week from today, so the Cards have 8 days to make a deal with him or he will pursue free agency after the season.
I see no sign that Pujols (or Team Pujols) has thought this scenario through: Pujols will be "LeBron 2.0" -- all anyone will want to talk about, on every Cardinals trip this season, is his pending free agency. Every city. Every beat writer will have the "Would he come HERE?" angle. Everyone will play up the "Countdown to the season ending!" Cardinals fans will be their typically cheerful selves, but inside be dying a little, with every game. It's a mess.
And while I appreciate the argument that Pujols doesn't want this to be a distraction during the season, he's kidding himself if he thinks it won't be just because he doesn't want to talk about it. He owes it to the team to re-sign with them or accept a "rental" trade for the season.
*****
CBB Tonight: UNC-Duke. A great rivalry in sports, to be sure, but slightly overrated, if only because their regular-season match-ups -- even their ACC Tournament match-ups -- are ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of the "national" college hoops scene: That is to say, the NCAA Tournament, which is both team's ultimate goal. (Of course, I'll be watching.)
*****
Love that 56,000 fans packed Lambeau Field to celebrate the Packers, but does this really surprise anyone? Of course they did, in those numbers.
*****
The best story from yesterday was the belated appreciation for a piece published Sunday that tried to ID the precise Cubs game that Ferris Bueller attended in his eponymous "Day Off" movie. It turns out that the scene was filmed in May '85, but the author makes a compelling argument that the game in the movie itself was supposed to be a June game.
*****
It appears we have entered the slow February post-NFL season -- but Quickish is rolling along, hitting the big topics of the day (today: Pujols and UNC-Duke, among others) and anything that breaks (like yesterday's NFL Ticket Offer). Please pop by and check it out (and tell friends!)
-- D.S.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
02/08 Quickie: SB Hangover, More
And so Super Bowl XLV was the most-watched TV show in US history. That seems appropriate.
*Love that the Lambeau celebration sold out in, like, 2 minutes. It's going to be a fun scene this afternoon. I hate this discussion, but hard to not consider Packers fans among the best in sports.
*Meanwhile, Jerry Jones didn't quite apologize for the SB ticket snafu -- more like "I'm sorry you felt bad" rather than "I'm sorry we screwed this up."
*By the way, the lasting pop-cultural memory of the Super Bowl? Like Janet Jackson 7 years ago, it might just be Christina Aguilera's Anthem screw-up. Incredible.
*Sally Jenkins has a stinging indictment of Super Bowl excess.
*Cavs lose 25th straight: That's an NBA record. 2 more losses for the US pro sports record for consecutive losses. Again: Better to be epically bad than mediocre!
*Carmelo to the Lakers for Bynum? If I was the Nuggets, I'd sooner do that than meddle around with the crap the Knicks are peddling. But does Carmelo even want to play in LA?
*Did you hear about this Wake Forest baseball coach who gave a kidney to one of his players yesterday? Amazing.
*And did you hear about the Baseball Prospectus writer who figured out precisely what game Ferris Bueller was at? Cubs-Braves in June '85.
More later. Visit Quickish!
-- D.S.
*Love that the Lambeau celebration sold out in, like, 2 minutes. It's going to be a fun scene this afternoon. I hate this discussion, but hard to not consider Packers fans among the best in sports.
*Meanwhile, Jerry Jones didn't quite apologize for the SB ticket snafu -- more like "I'm sorry you felt bad" rather than "I'm sorry we screwed this up."
*By the way, the lasting pop-cultural memory of the Super Bowl? Like Janet Jackson 7 years ago, it might just be Christina Aguilera's Anthem screw-up. Incredible.
*Sally Jenkins has a stinging indictment of Super Bowl excess.
*Cavs lose 25th straight: That's an NBA record. 2 more losses for the US pro sports record for consecutive losses. Again: Better to be epically bad than mediocre!
*Carmelo to the Lakers for Bynum? If I was the Nuggets, I'd sooner do that than meddle around with the crap the Knicks are peddling. But does Carmelo even want to play in LA?
*Did you hear about this Wake Forest baseball coach who gave a kidney to one of his players yesterday? Amazing.
*And did you hear about the Baseball Prospectus writer who figured out precisely what game Ferris Bueller was at? Cubs-Braves in June '85.
More later. Visit Quickish!
-- D.S.
Monday, February 07, 2011
02/07 Quickie: Packers, Rodgers, VW, Halftime, Xtina, Lockout, More
I wish I didn't have to do this, but want to put this front and center: Hugest apologies for the Quickish inaccessibility during the 2nd quarter last night. If you were annoyed, you cannot imagine me.
The good news is that between the pre-game and 1st quarter -- then the thrilling and fast-paced second half, Quickish was rolling. And it was the biggest day yet -- not a bad way to end the first four weeks of being live. (Was it only four weeks ago today that Quickish launched? Wow.)
But let's get to... well, everything:
*Packers win: So easy to root for them. And it wasn't as close as the score -- if the Packers WR make those dropped catches, it's a margin of victory more like 14+. Thrilled for Packers fans.
*Aaron Rodgers MVP: The epitome of easy-to-root-for. He plays what feels like effortlessly, and this title (and MVP) vaults him into rare air. Best QB in the NFL right now? Yes. (And the championship belt was THE BEST.)
*Ticket snafu: This bothered me so much. Not that the seats weren't ready, but that 400 fans were screwed over. I said this last night: The NFL should have told 400 of their execs (and their guests) to give up their seats for the fans. Let the execs watch on a TV from the remote concourse. That this simple gesture of respect didn't happen is appalling.
*The ads: You know where I stand -- I thought the Volkswagen "Force" ad was the best of the bunch. (That the Doritos "Dog" and Bud Light "Dog" spots tied for the USA Today Ad Meter title -- with VW as runner-up -- is depressing, if not particularly surprising.)
*Best of the rest: It's funny -- I didn't love the Chrysler "Imported from Detroit"/Eminem ad as much as most. I mean, it was powerful -- the voice-over, the gritty footage, the "Lose Yourself" intro music, the choir (?), Eminem. But the cars are still crappy. I wasn't the intended audience, though. The intended audience is consumers who pick between American models. And -- in that respect -- Chrysler leapfrogged GM, which went with "Our cars have Facebook!"
*Christina Aguilara: Joke. But I thought the Anthem was pre-taped. If she sang it live, I give her some credit -- but how hard is it not to know the words?
*Halftime show: Horrible. Among the worst ever. The Quickish outage was almost worth it, if only because I spent halftime catching up on posting on the site, with only half an ear -- if that -- on the show. Following the mockery on Twitter was enough.
*Packers dynasty? Just think: The team wasn't even healthy -- not just yesterday, but all season. Imagine if they can stay healthy. I have no problem installing them as the team to beat in '11...
*Lockout looms: ...if there IS an '11. There will be. Try to tune out the noise between now and March 4 (and beyond). They will settle, won't be pretty. The league will win. And fans won't care.
Did I miss something? I must have missed something. Hit up the comments with your own takes on the game, the scene, the show, the ads -- everything.
Thanks for dropping by Quickish yesterday -- be sure to come by today for all the best post-Super Bowl analysis and commentary.
-- D.S.
The good news is that between the pre-game and 1st quarter -- then the thrilling and fast-paced second half, Quickish was rolling. And it was the biggest day yet -- not a bad way to end the first four weeks of being live. (Was it only four weeks ago today that Quickish launched? Wow.)
But let's get to... well, everything:
*Packers win: So easy to root for them. And it wasn't as close as the score -- if the Packers WR make those dropped catches, it's a margin of victory more like 14+. Thrilled for Packers fans.
*Aaron Rodgers MVP: The epitome of easy-to-root-for. He plays what feels like effortlessly, and this title (and MVP) vaults him into rare air. Best QB in the NFL right now? Yes. (And the championship belt was THE BEST.)
*Ticket snafu: This bothered me so much. Not that the seats weren't ready, but that 400 fans were screwed over. I said this last night: The NFL should have told 400 of their execs (and their guests) to give up their seats for the fans. Let the execs watch on a TV from the remote concourse. That this simple gesture of respect didn't happen is appalling.
*The ads: You know where I stand -- I thought the Volkswagen "Force" ad was the best of the bunch. (That the Doritos "Dog" and Bud Light "Dog" spots tied for the USA Today Ad Meter title -- with VW as runner-up -- is depressing, if not particularly surprising.)
*Best of the rest: It's funny -- I didn't love the Chrysler "Imported from Detroit"/Eminem ad as much as most. I mean, it was powerful -- the voice-over, the gritty footage, the "Lose Yourself" intro music, the choir (?), Eminem. But the cars are still crappy. I wasn't the intended audience, though. The intended audience is consumers who pick between American models. And -- in that respect -- Chrysler leapfrogged GM, which went with "Our cars have Facebook!"
*Christina Aguilara: Joke. But I thought the Anthem was pre-taped. If she sang it live, I give her some credit -- but how hard is it not to know the words?
*Halftime show: Horrible. Among the worst ever. The Quickish outage was almost worth it, if only because I spent halftime catching up on posting on the site, with only half an ear -- if that -- on the show. Following the mockery on Twitter was enough.
*Packers dynasty? Just think: The team wasn't even healthy -- not just yesterday, but all season. Imagine if they can stay healthy. I have no problem installing them as the team to beat in '11...
*Lockout looms: ...if there IS an '11. There will be. Try to tune out the noise between now and March 4 (and beyond). They will settle, won't be pretty. The league will win. And fans won't care.
Did I miss something? I must have missed something. Hit up the comments with your own takes on the game, the scene, the show, the ads -- everything.
Thanks for dropping by Quickish yesterday -- be sure to come by today for all the best post-Super Bowl analysis and commentary.
-- D.S.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
02/06 (Super Bowl) Quickie
Last time (at least for today): Please consider yourself personally invited to check out Quickish during the Super Bowl tonight -- laptop, phone browser, iPad browser...your choice.
And while the Super Bowl is about as atypical of a sports event as it gets, it is still going to be a great demonstration of the Quickish experience (and, even more important, legitimately useful to you as you as a complementary experience as you watch on TV).
And so if you'd tell friends about Quickish and Quickish.com (at parties, on Facebook, on Twitter...your choice), I would be grateful.
Now, as for the game:
*The Pick: I'm with the majority of fans and "experts" -- I'm picking the Packers to win. On offense, I like Aaron Rodgers in perfect "dome" conditions; on defense, I think the banged-up Steelers offensive line finally falters against BJ Raji and Co. I actually don't think it will be close.
(If you aren't a fan of either team, one worthwhile rooting interest is that Brett Favre's legacy gets eroded just a bit more if Aaron Rodgers leads the Packers to a title.)
*I think the Volkswagen "Darth Vader" ad will win "Best Super Bowl ad," in a runaway. As always, I'm hopeful that we'll see some innovative and entertaining ads, but based on the ones leaked in advance, it doesn't look promising.
*The food: As I said yesterday, the go-to snack is Doritos, per my 4-year-old's preference. But Mrs. Quickish made chili AND mac-n-cheese from scratch, and it's going to be awesome.
More on the radar:
*Well, yesterday was about as good as regular-season college hoops will EVER get for me: Northwestern beats Illinois on national TV in the afternoon, then Florida beats Kentucky on national TV in the evening.
(No, seriously: Northwestern playing on CBS, with the intro/outro music and Bill Raftery and the graphics and the great atmosphere allowed me to accurately visualize what it would be like if NU actually played in the NCAA Tournament. It was amazing. As NU is NEVER on CBS on Saturdays -- let alone during the NCAA Tournament -- this can't be understated.)
*NFL Hall of Fame Class of '11: Deion and Faulk were locks. Love that Sabol got in. I grew up a huge Bears fan in the 80s and early 90s, so Richard Dent holds a special place for me. Some very worthy folks left out, but sure to be inducted in the next year or two.
*Cavs lose 24th straight. Again: Better to be epically bad than mediocre. Take heart in that, Cavs fans.
*NFL Awards: Brady unanimous MVP; Vick wins Comeback Player of the Year. Vick was the more compelling story this season, but Brady was at the height of his talents.
Enjoy the game! Again: Would love if you would visit Quickish during the game (and tell friends!)
-- D.S.
And while the Super Bowl is about as atypical of a sports event as it gets, it is still going to be a great demonstration of the Quickish experience (and, even more important, legitimately useful to you as you as a complementary experience as you watch on TV).
And so if you'd tell friends about Quickish and Quickish.com (at parties, on Facebook, on Twitter...your choice), I would be grateful.
Now, as for the game:
*The Pick: I'm with the majority of fans and "experts" -- I'm picking the Packers to win. On offense, I like Aaron Rodgers in perfect "dome" conditions; on defense, I think the banged-up Steelers offensive line finally falters against BJ Raji and Co. I actually don't think it will be close.
(If you aren't a fan of either team, one worthwhile rooting interest is that Brett Favre's legacy gets eroded just a bit more if Aaron Rodgers leads the Packers to a title.)
*I think the Volkswagen "Darth Vader" ad will win "Best Super Bowl ad," in a runaway. As always, I'm hopeful that we'll see some innovative and entertaining ads, but based on the ones leaked in advance, it doesn't look promising.
*The food: As I said yesterday, the go-to snack is Doritos, per my 4-year-old's preference. But Mrs. Quickish made chili AND mac-n-cheese from scratch, and it's going to be awesome.
More on the radar:
*Well, yesterday was about as good as regular-season college hoops will EVER get for me: Northwestern beats Illinois on national TV in the afternoon, then Florida beats Kentucky on national TV in the evening.
(No, seriously: Northwestern playing on CBS, with the intro/outro music and Bill Raftery and the graphics and the great atmosphere allowed me to accurately visualize what it would be like if NU actually played in the NCAA Tournament. It was amazing. As NU is NEVER on CBS on Saturdays -- let alone during the NCAA Tournament -- this can't be understated.)
*NFL Hall of Fame Class of '11: Deion and Faulk were locks. Love that Sabol got in. I grew up a huge Bears fan in the 80s and early 90s, so Richard Dent holds a special place for me. Some very worthy folks left out, but sure to be inducted in the next year or two.
*Cavs lose 24th straight. Again: Better to be epically bad than mediocre. Take heart in that, Cavs fans.
*NFL Awards: Brady unanimous MVP; Vick wins Comeback Player of the Year. Vick was the more compelling story this season, but Brady was at the height of his talents.
Enjoy the game! Again: Would love if you would visit Quickish during the game (and tell friends!)
-- D.S.
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