Friday, May 02, 2008
Hank Steinbrenner
It didn’t take too long for George’s heir to exhibit some of George’s tendencies. Hank’s ready to move P Joba Chamberlain into the rotation right now – things could get interesting in the final season at Yankee Stadium. The Bronx bombers just might sign Barry Bonds to DH for them in the second half of the season. I had to chuckle when I heard one of the top dogs in Yankees Management say on CNBC during a story on the new Yankee Stadium that a family of four could entertain themselves with season tickets at the new arena for about $10K per year. How many families of 4 have $10K wads of cash lying around to spend on baseball? According to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Americans can’t afford their health insurance. Here’s one potential reason why: They’re spending $10K per year on Yankee Baseball. $10K would cover several years’ worth of vacations for me (and many others).
Clemens (AGAIN!!!!!!)
Roger Clemens’ Trials & Tribulations
The Rokcet’s retirement is a humungous soap opera. He had a 10-year+ platonic relationship w/ an attractive teenage/young adult musician? She received FedEx envelopes filled with cash from him. He was more capable in the gym at 40 than 25? He confused Mike Piazza’s broken bat for a ball AND a World Series game for a whiffle ball game? It looks like he should have not unretired and pitched for the Astros. Then his news might be buried in the middle of the newspaper, or not reported at all. This is making P Greg Maddux look better each and every day.
The Rokcet’s retirement is a humungous soap opera. He had a 10-year+ platonic relationship w/ an attractive teenage/young adult musician? She received FedEx envelopes filled with cash from him. He was more capable in the gym at 40 than 25? He confused Mike Piazza’s broken bat for a ball AND a World Series game for a whiffle ball game? It looks like he should have not unretired and pitched for the Astros. Then his news might be buried in the middle of the newspaper, or not reported at all. This is making P Greg Maddux look better each and every day.
Sen. Clinton on O’Reilly Factor (1st half)
She should have made that appearance during her February 11-state losing streak (Both she and Obama have avoided the Fox News Channel like Superman avoids Kryptonite. Which makes no sense sine FNC draws more viewers than MSNBC and CNN combined. Why the Democrats haven’t figured that out in the 5+ years Matt Drudge has been posting the ratings on his website, I have no idea. Maybe they only read the Drudge Retort!). Some plusses for Bill:
· Got her to indicate that Payroll Taxes (i.e. FICA, Social Security) would likely increase to maintain the current benefits.
· Beat her up about energy – her “NO” votes on increasing fossil fuel production are a significant factor in our rapidly rising energy costs. We haven’t developed alternative sources yet -
· Questions that had depth – about Rev. Wright – he didn’t let her get by with “Let the voters decide or her standard “Look it up on my website”
· Universal Health Care – she is still clinging to “Barack’s plan won’t cover everyone” – he focused on the exorbitant cost and the fact that 2 of the BLUEST states, CA & NY, couldn’t figure out how to finance UHC.
· Rebutting her claim that America needs a “fighter” in the White House. We don’t need a fighter – we need a LEADER. It’s difficult to gauge that now because candidates are expected to have detailed plans on so many different things (that the government shouldn’t be involved in) that the candidate’s words become those of the “handlers”. Bill expressed his opinion (correct assessment to me) that she was losing in this portion of the race (and ultimately this would be a deciding portion).
Some counter-punches & topics that I would like to have seen:
· She talked about how great the economy was during the 90’s (that Bill O. did well while the Clintons were in charge) – he could have pointed out that they’ve done pretty well while Bush has been in charge; it also would have been good to point out that things weren’t as rosy as she paints them. The Tyco, Worldcom, and Enron accounting debacles all occurred then (forcing passage of SOX in 2002). And the NASDAQ is still not back to its 2000 high. That tech bubble was a pretty big one. If she is going to point to the housing bubble as a housing crisis, then I’m going to point back to the tech bubble.
· She mentioned that American families aren’t well off. Well, what percentage of them have amenities like Cable or Satellite TV service, High Speed Internet Service, HD Game Consoles, boats, RVs, ATVs, Jet skis, etc. now vs. 2001?
· What will Mr. Clinton’s role be? After all, he’s raking in TENS of MILLIONS of DOLLARS, mostly from companies based in OPEC nations. They raised a TON of money for his 1996 re-election in China – now she’s complaining that too many American jobs are going there? What the heck did she expect?
· Got her to indicate that Payroll Taxes (i.e. FICA, Social Security) would likely increase to maintain the current benefits.
· Beat her up about energy – her “NO” votes on increasing fossil fuel production are a significant factor in our rapidly rising energy costs. We haven’t developed alternative sources yet -
· Questions that had depth – about Rev. Wright – he didn’t let her get by with “Let the voters decide or her standard “Look it up on my website”
· Universal Health Care – she is still clinging to “Barack’s plan won’t cover everyone” – he focused on the exorbitant cost and the fact that 2 of the BLUEST states, CA & NY, couldn’t figure out how to finance UHC.
· Rebutting her claim that America needs a “fighter” in the White House. We don’t need a fighter – we need a LEADER. It’s difficult to gauge that now because candidates are expected to have detailed plans on so many different things (that the government shouldn’t be involved in) that the candidate’s words become those of the “handlers”. Bill expressed his opinion (correct assessment to me) that she was losing in this portion of the race (and ultimately this would be a deciding portion).
Some counter-punches & topics that I would like to have seen:
· She talked about how great the economy was during the 90’s (that Bill O. did well while the Clintons were in charge) – he could have pointed out that they’ve done pretty well while Bush has been in charge; it also would have been good to point out that things weren’t as rosy as she paints them. The Tyco, Worldcom, and Enron accounting debacles all occurred then (forcing passage of SOX in 2002). And the NASDAQ is still not back to its 2000 high. That tech bubble was a pretty big one. If she is going to point to the housing bubble as a housing crisis, then I’m going to point back to the tech bubble.
· She mentioned that American families aren’t well off. Well, what percentage of them have amenities like Cable or Satellite TV service, High Speed Internet Service, HD Game Consoles, boats, RVs, ATVs, Jet skis, etc. now vs. 2001?
· What will Mr. Clinton’s role be? After all, he’s raking in TENS of MILLIONS of DOLLARS, mostly from companies based in OPEC nations. They raised a TON of money for his 1996 re-election in China – now she’s complaining that too many American jobs are going there? What the heck did she expect?
NBA Musings
NBA Trade Rules
How can it be acceptable for the Mavericks to sign Keith Van Horn out of retirement solely so that they can trade him to New Jersey as part of the Jason Kidd trade? How long does he have to go to New Jersey for? Can he wait until after the first day of spring to report? Can he wait until the new arena opens in Brooklyn? Once he reports, how long does he have to stay? Who pays his contract, the Mavericks or the Nets? I suppose this is better than the Nets and Mavericks having an “understanding” that the Nets would release Jerry Stackhouse after 30 days so that Stackhouse could choose to go back to the Mavs in time for the playoffs. Maybe the Nets should have negotiated for a couple of Mavericks home games in the NYC area.
Suns vs. Spurs
The Spurs were a little better (and luckier) than the Suns in the tight late-game situations. From Duncan’s 3 to force the 2nd OT in Game 1 to Parker getting into the lane to hit layups, runners, and jumpers throughout the series, the Spurs cruised to a 4-1 victory. That being said, they were the beneficiaries of two or three loose ball calls late in Game 5 that gave them extra possessions. And I do think the Hack-a-Shaq rule needs to be updated. I think Shaq (or Ben Wallace) needs to be moving for a foul to be called. If Jacque Vaughn hugs Shaq but Shaq isn’t moving, is it really a foul? I think that the foulee should have some control over the situation – maybe D’Antoni should have had O’Neal inbound the ball as a counter-tactic. Shaq could have stayed OB after inbounding the ball – then would a hack-a-Shaq hug been a T?
No More Over the Back?
I haven’t watched any NBA since last season’s playoffs – one observation that I don’t like is the tendency to award the ball out of bounds to a team victimized by an over-the-back violation. I’d rather see the foul called on a sloppy play like that.
NBA Coaches
Isiah Thomas - I wonder what his next job will be. Since Knicks owner James Dolan loves Thomas so much, maybe he could reassign Isiah to MSG TV. Then we can see if Thomas can run non- basketball organizations into the ground.
Larry Brown – He still has a chance to coach all of the NBA Franchises in his lifetime. Cross Charlotte off the list.
Pat Riley – What’s the over-under on his return to the bench? The Heat have 2 All-Star players in G Dwayne Wade and F Shawn Marion. If they can add a third (who is a PF or C), then I fully expect Riley’s new coach to express the desire to spend more time with his family.
Mike D’Antoni – Chicago would be a good fit for him. The Bulls have offensive talent and he can build a winner a lot quicker in the East. He’ll have to prioritize finding a defender to guard F LeBron James if he wants to taste the finals.
Avery Johnson – he had to leave Dallas. The Mavericks’ leadership should listen to any and ALL offers for everyone but F Dirk Nowitski. Three straight post-season flaemouts starting with the 2006 Finals and they have an old roster. They might not like what they are offered talent-wise for F Jerry Stackhouse and G’s Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, but they should be willing to move all 3 of them. Letting Steve Nash leave for Phoenix is turning out to be a big mistake.
George Karl – the Nuggets are fun to watch at times but until F Carmelo Anthony figures out how to play team offense consistently and play defense more than once or twice a game, they won’t have postseason success. IF F Kenyon Martin’s contract is up soon, he might be good to let go – I don’t see him being a good influence for Anthony.
How can it be acceptable for the Mavericks to sign Keith Van Horn out of retirement solely so that they can trade him to New Jersey as part of the Jason Kidd trade? How long does he have to go to New Jersey for? Can he wait until after the first day of spring to report? Can he wait until the new arena opens in Brooklyn? Once he reports, how long does he have to stay? Who pays his contract, the Mavericks or the Nets? I suppose this is better than the Nets and Mavericks having an “understanding” that the Nets would release Jerry Stackhouse after 30 days so that Stackhouse could choose to go back to the Mavs in time for the playoffs. Maybe the Nets should have negotiated for a couple of Mavericks home games in the NYC area.
Suns vs. Spurs
The Spurs were a little better (and luckier) than the Suns in the tight late-game situations. From Duncan’s 3 to force the 2nd OT in Game 1 to Parker getting into the lane to hit layups, runners, and jumpers throughout the series, the Spurs cruised to a 4-1 victory. That being said, they were the beneficiaries of two or three loose ball calls late in Game 5 that gave them extra possessions. And I do think the Hack-a-Shaq rule needs to be updated. I think Shaq (or Ben Wallace) needs to be moving for a foul to be called. If Jacque Vaughn hugs Shaq but Shaq isn’t moving, is it really a foul? I think that the foulee should have some control over the situation – maybe D’Antoni should have had O’Neal inbound the ball as a counter-tactic. Shaq could have stayed OB after inbounding the ball – then would a hack-a-Shaq hug been a T?
No More Over the Back?
I haven’t watched any NBA since last season’s playoffs – one observation that I don’t like is the tendency to award the ball out of bounds to a team victimized by an over-the-back violation. I’d rather see the foul called on a sloppy play like that.
NBA Coaches
Isiah Thomas - I wonder what his next job will be. Since Knicks owner James Dolan loves Thomas so much, maybe he could reassign Isiah to MSG TV. Then we can see if Thomas can run non- basketball organizations into the ground.
Larry Brown – He still has a chance to coach all of the NBA Franchises in his lifetime. Cross Charlotte off the list.
Pat Riley – What’s the over-under on his return to the bench? The Heat have 2 All-Star players in G Dwayne Wade and F Shawn Marion. If they can add a third (who is a PF or C), then I fully expect Riley’s new coach to express the desire to spend more time with his family.
Mike D’Antoni – Chicago would be a good fit for him. The Bulls have offensive talent and he can build a winner a lot quicker in the East. He’ll have to prioritize finding a defender to guard F LeBron James if he wants to taste the finals.
Avery Johnson – he had to leave Dallas. The Mavericks’ leadership should listen to any and ALL offers for everyone but F Dirk Nowitski. Three straight post-season flaemouts starting with the 2006 Finals and they have an old roster. They might not like what they are offered talent-wise for F Jerry Stackhouse and G’s Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, but they should be willing to move all 3 of them. Letting Steve Nash leave for Phoenix is turning out to be a big mistake.
George Karl – the Nuggets are fun to watch at times but until F Carmelo Anthony figures out how to play team offense consistently and play defense more than once or twice a game, they won’t have postseason success. IF F Kenyon Martin’s contract is up soon, he might be good to let go – I don’t see him being a good influence for Anthony.
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