Worst to First

"History repeats itself
Try and you’ll succeed
Never doubt that you’re the one
And you can have your dreams!
You're the best a-round
Nothing's ever gonna keep you down..."
--You're the Best, Joe Esposito (Karate Kid Soundtrack, as if you needed to be told)

It's been discussed a time or two in this space before, but it bears another run-through at this, the halfway point (or so) of the NBA season. My least favorite players were listed yesterday (no Bonzi Wells--I've cooled on him since his exodus to Memphis and his relatively nice behavior since then; 'Sheed would fit into that category as well, but for some reason, I doubt that I'll ever cool on those Kings), but now we'll turn to the best player(s) in the league at the current moment, maybe a top ten (we'll see how it goes). There are a number of guys who have played their way to the top of the list this season, and a few guys who are playing their way off, so here's how I see it as of the end of January.
10) Tracy McGrady: He pretty much makes this list on reputation more than on his current performance. T-Mac hasn't shown a willingness to transform his game to fit into Jeff Van Gundy's system and to meld with Yao's strengths, meaning he's essentially the same one-on-one machine he was on a terrible team last year in Orlando, just with a slightly better surrounding cast this time around. He still won't play defense (even though he's capable of being as good a defender as there is in the league), and his rebounding and assist numbers are pretty much identical to the last few years. No real improvement--I think T-Mac is going to be content being the fourth- or fifth-best wing player in the league for his entire career. Too bad.
9) Ray Allen: Lots of improvement from this cat this season, and he's the main reason the Sonics are such a surprise at this juncture (29-12, a 6.5-game lead in the Northwest Division). His numbers are relatively similar to last year, which shows how misleading statistics can be at times. He's been much more unselfish, taking his shots when they're available, but happy to defer to hotter-shooting teammates (Rashard Lewis, Vladimir Radmanovic, Antonio Daniels, etc.) when necessary. He's in the final year of his contract, but is still playing to win instead of for himself, which is a rare thing these days.
8) Shaquille O'Neal: Still the most dominant center in the game, and he's in better shape than he was for the last two Laker disappointments. He's also been deferring to his teammates (most notbaly Dwyane Wade--we'll talk about him a little higher on this list) and his field goal percentage and blocked shots are up from the Laker numbers. It's hard to say too many nice things about him, because I wish he was still here (not for $30 million), but Shaq is the reason the Heat are the best team in the East, no doubt about it.
7) Dirk Nowitzki: Even without Steve Nash, Dirk has raised his game another level this season, posting career highs in scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting, and doing his best to keep the Mavs in the title hunt. There are maybe only two other guys in the league who are better pure shooters than Dirk (I said maybe, but it would be Ray Allen and Peja), and he's seven feet tall, which represents a ridiculous combination of size and skill. The fact that he's improved his rebounding numbers points to his dedication to be a true power forward in addition to his perimeter skills. My buddy Mike is a huge Mavs fan--I think he has a life-sized poster of Dirk on his ceiling (that's made up, don't worry)--and I'm actually finally in agreement with him about the worth of the big German as a player.
6) Steve Nash: No one player is more responsible for his team's success this season than Nash, whose Suns are 34-10, but 0-4 while he was out injured. The team's scoring went down to 86.3 per game in those Nash-less contests, more than 25 points below their season average of 109 (obviously tops in the league). He's improved the games of Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire (especially Amare, whose field goal percentage is up 10 points and whose scoring--25.7 per game--ranks fourth in the NBA), and has given the Suns the most exciting offense in the game. It's probably the most fun squad to watch run the floor since the Showtime Lakers. That's some compliment.
5) Dwyane Wade: He's the second-most fun player to watch in the NBA right now, only behind number one on the list (scroll down if you want to cheat, but you can probably guess at this point). He still struggles as a perimeter shooter, but he can take the ball to the hole and finish better than anyone his size, and his playmaking skills have been on full display with Shaq now in the mix. Moved over to the two so that Damon Jones can play point, Wade has flourished, scoring more than 23 a game (up seven from last year), grabbing 5.2 rebounds (up from 4.0) and dishing off 7.6 assists (up from 4.5). He's also made strides as a defender, blocking a shot a game and averaging 1.58 steals per. 49% from the floor doesn't suck either. He's going to be way too fun to watch for the next decade-plus; if only Kupchak had been able to swindle Riles into giving him up as part of the Shaq deal. Wow.
4) Kevin Garnett: The best all-around player in the game for the last two or three years, KG is definitely not to blame for the Wolves' woes this year. His scoring is down a bit, but his rebounding and assist numbers are at career-high levels, and his trademark intensity never takes a break. It's a shame that Sprewell and Cassell had to let their contract disputes ruin what could have been another stellar season in Minnesota, and Garnett has had to endure plenty of crap in his tenure up there. He's still a crazy match-up for any big man, constantly demonstrating the ability to step out and hit jumpers as well as put the ball on the floor and drive right around an opposing tree. He'd rank even higher on my fun-to-watch list (he's always been No. 1 or 2), but those stupid teammates make his squad too tough to view.
3) Tim Duncan: So boring, but so stinking good. While the Suns and Sonics have been surprising everyone out West and Shaq and the Heat are making all the noise in the East, the Spurs have (once again), quietly played their way to the best record in the league. TD does the same exact thing every year (22, 12 and 3 blocks) and dominates opponents on the block all night long. He's Mr. Fundamental, showcasing the textbook up-and-under and dropstep moves in addition to a tremendous touch on those stepback and bank jumpers. If he had a center a little better than Rasho (or even a power forward) to take the pressure off, he'd put up even better numbers, but he does have to be the defensive presence all the time as well. Again, too boring to write much about.
2) Kobe Bryant: He can do everything on the court as well as anyone else in basketball. He can shoot, drive, finish, dribble, pass, play defense, hit free throws, all while absorbing the maximum attention from the other team. Because it's a one-man show these days in L.A. (sprry, co-star Lamar Odom has yet to arrive), it's even more amazing that he's been able to put up the numbers he has in addition to keeping the Lakers on the plus-side of .500. He ranks in the top ten in the league in 14 categories (this according to his profile on NBA.com), including scoring, minutes played, assists and triple-doubles. Becoming one of the most hated guys in the league, the pressure has mounted that much more, and despite his recent ankle injury (I have yet to view the footage--I refuse to watch any and all ankle injuries on television, because it literally causes me pain to see), he's been incredible. 27.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.35 steals, 1.03 blocks. That's an incredible array of all-around skill, rivaled only by one man:
1) LeBron James: Yes, he's a man, and yes, he's only 20 years old. Yes, he's averaging 25 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.36 steals per game. Yes, he's shooting 50% from the floor, 37% from three-point land and 74% from the line. Yes, he's got the Cavs in first place in the Central Division, ahead of the defending champs (bad, bad Detroit), the surprising Baby Bulls (Chicago is for real, thanks to two rookie Dukies) and the defending conference finalists (the sorrowful Pacers). The following is a direct quote from me, taken eight days ago: "Kobe love might go out the window when you watch this guy [LeBron] with any sort of consistency. I'm on the verge of passing the crown of best player in the league, frankly." I've been completely swayed after checking out two triple-doubles (and several near misses) in game action since then. Kobe wasn't close to this good at this age, and neither was KG. MJ was still hoisting up jumpers and dunking on poor ACC opponents at Carolina, and Magic was winning a title in East Lansing. I can't go too big picture on this right now, but LeBron is for real, and he's the best player in basketball at the moment. If you don't have the privilege of working in sports television (where every game is on for free every night), get NBA League Pass (you know, the thing they advertise for with those lame Bill Walton commercials) and watch him play. Or ask me to make copies of all of his games, and I will gladly oblige. Everyone should get to see this young man play as often as possible.
Okay I think I've talked way too long about the good qualities of dudes, so I should balance things out a bit to say that we gladly welcomed Leeann Tweeden back into the mix today, showing her sit-down interview with Derek Jeter (frankly, if Side were placed in a room with the two of them, I'm not sure which one he would try to make out with). She'll be around for Super Bowl week as well, which should be a lot of fun. It's about time.
Patrick Ewing, Shaun Alexander, Javon Walker and Tara Reid all in the house today, and Javon and Tara are going to re-enact the T-O/Nicolette Sheridan Monday Night Football sketch, which should be hilarious. Off my lunch break (first one in forever), to continue creating a stellar viewing product. Peace.

All Good Things...

"They say that all good things must end some day
Autumn leaves must fall
But don't you know that it hurts me so
To say goodbye to you"
--Summer Song, Chad & Jeremy

Like the Lakers' reign as champions, like SportsNight on ABC (and then again on Comedy Central), like Jim Carrey's comedic career, like Duke's undefeated season (darn you, Maryland), like Kobe's status as a likeable dude, like, well, you get the picture, all good things must come to an end. And I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but as of yesterday, I stopped liking Honey Wheat Thins. I'm just done. Ever since my first exposure more than a year ago, I seriously never thought I'd see this day come. To paraphrase noted philosopher 50 Cent, I ate those things like a fat kid eats cake, though maybe even that doesn't do it justice. I used to go through 3-4 boxes a week, though it had been trimmed down recently (primarily due to budget concerns--without sale prices, each box runs like $3.99) to 1-2.
The epiphany occurred yesterday in one of the edit bays, where a half-filled box sat between my buddy Mike and me. He finished it off and I had just one, realizing during the chewing and swallowing process that I didn't really enjoy it and didn't really need another one. I had to consider what was going on for a second, but it was really true: I didn't need them anymore.
It's strange to become so accustomed to something and then to just realize all of a sudden that it no longer needs to be a part of your life. Had that happen with a girl one time, though unfortunately the decision was made in my direction instead of by me--sorry, no more on that, my apologies for the sympathy-seeking interlude.
Granted, it's been less than a year-and-a-half, but Honey Wheat Thins had become a staple, a habit, so it's weird to see them gone now. I suppose I'll return to their sweet goodness on occasion, just for old times' sake, but it really is over now--I've gotta move on.
Don't worry, that entire section was done tongue-in-cheek; I'm not that freaked out or serious about the loss of HWT's from my routine, but it's given me cause to think about why certain things are so appealing at certain times in life and then lose that appeal at some other point. It happens with music all the time. I'll go through a phase where I'm only listening to one CD (for a while it was Jimmy Eat World's "Futures," lately it's been Linkin Park and Jay-Z's collaboration "Collision Course") and then that CD leaves the player and I don't hear it for months at a time. I had to be reminded by the radio yesterday that I liked Matchbox 20 (commercial during the Laker pre-game show on the way home last night, "Bent" on one of those FM stations, Star probably), so I played a mix of their best stuff on the way to the gym this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just some food for thought, I don't know how it works.
Mentioned the other day how Latrell Sprewell was one of my least favorite players in The League, and that I needed to come up with a few more to make that a worthwhile topic of discussion. Here are the guys I can't stand, broken down by division (because I'm lame and organized like that):
Atlantic: Ricky Davis
Central: Scot Pollard
Southeast: Doug Christie, Samaki Walker
Northwest: Latrell Sprewell, Damon Stoudamire, Ruben Patterson
Southwest: Bruce Bowen, Malik Rose
Pacific: Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Chris Webber, Brad Miller, Greg Ostertag
There are three categories under which the players fall, giving them the "I can't stand" designation: 1) ridiculously selfish (Davis, Spree), 2) current or former Kings, Spurs, Jazz, Blazers--anyone who rivals or rivaled the Lakers at one time or another (Pollard, Christie, Stoudamire, Patterson, Bowen, Rose, Bibby, Peja, C-Webb, Miller, Big O), and worst player in the history of the Laker franchise (Suck-maki).
As I've scanned back briefly, I'm realzing that this morning's entry has dwelled almost exclusively on the negative, a reality which by no means indicates my current state of mind. On the contrary, getting to "sleep in" until 5 this morning (I was up by 4:30 yesterday because of a 6 a.m. edit session) has given me a positive outlook on today. And this evening's show will be a great one, with Donovan McNabb, Stevie Franchise (I do root for him, despite his new backcourt mate) and Brian Urlacher all booked. Good times.
Also, a heads up to my legions of readers (read: Side)--next week being Super Bowl week, don't expect much production on the blogging end of things. I'll be working a crazy long seven-day week (including ludicrous hours on game day), so writing might unfortunately fall by the wayside. Dang, another negative thing. Gotta end positive. Hmm. How about LeBron. 27, 9 boards and 15 dimes last night. He's freaking 20. There's something positive. Out.

By Request...

"Tell me what you gonna do?
Where you gonna go?
You’re running out of time"
--Choose, Santana

This morning marks the first time I will have blogged not solely on the basis of my own inspiration, but in response to the request of a friend (and new compatriot in blogging). Having appropriately addressed the draft needs of those lovely Lightning Bolts, I must now wax eloquent on the quarterback situation down south...
Based on Drew Brees' lousy 2003 campaign (2108 yds, 11 td, 15 int), General Manager A.J. Smith felt the need to upgrade the quarterback position on draft day, an assumption with which I vehemently disagreed at the time. My feeling was this: he had shown he could play the year before, when he a) had the full confidence of the coaching staff (started all 16 games), b) had a great running game (LT almost 1700 yds), c) a few decent targets (Curtis Conway, Tim Dwight, rookie Reche Caldwell, Stephen Alexander) and d) at least an average offensive line. The defense was good too (I suppose this could be point "e" in the outline), still led by Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison and Marcellus Wiley, so Brees and the offense didn't have to do everything by themselves. The Bolts finished 8-8, very respectable in the toughest division in football that year (Raiders 11-5 went to the Super Bowl, Denver 9-7, KC 8-8). The following year, however, injuries decimated the offensive line, so Brees had little or no protection. A.J. traded Junior for a low-round pick and released Rodney (who obviously turned out to be way over-the-hill in helping lead that Patriots defense in their title run), so the defense was nowhere near its previous year's performance. The main target on whom Brees was supposed to rely was body-building, steroid-injecting freak David Boston, who did catch 70 balls, but dropped plenty more and was hurt more often than not, leaving Brees without anyone to throw to. In addition, Marty showed poor judgment in giving Doug Flutie a few starts, causing Brees to lose confidence and question his role and his future with the team. The organization was disheartened by Drew's display, and opted not to renew his deal in the off-season.
Fortunately, the main positive that came out of this horrific 2003 season (4-12 and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft) included the emergence of a superstar in Antonio Gates. The undrafted free agent didn't do much until Week 10, but closed the season with a 5-catch, 117-yard performance against Green Bay and a 5-catch, 64-yard outing at Pittsburgh in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively. Brees was going to finally have a guy he could throw to in the red zone. In addition, Caldwell, Kassim Osgood and Eric Parker were looking like guys who could step up at the receiver positions, and the offensive line was going to have a stud or two. Toniu Fonoti, a rookie from Nebraska, and Mike Goff, the other guard, both played as well as could be expected under the circumstances, and looked to build toward 2004.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect much from this team coming into '04, but that was after the draft, which I felt would be able to help us out in addressing a few of these big needs. With the number one pick, we didn't need Eli Manning or any of the other quarterbacks, because I was confident that Brees would rebound and have a better season, especially if we gave him some help. Trading down and taking an offensive lineman and/or a receiver would have been the most desirable option (Robert Gallery, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams came to mind; I also thought Mike Williams at the time, not knowing whether or not he'd be eligible), but please, just give the guy some help.
So instead, the Eli fiasco happens, everyone laughs at the Charger organization because it's so bad that the Manning family won't send someone there (who's laughing now, Eli?), and we end up with Philip Rivers. I loved the trade of Manning, but to get Rivers in return was idiotic. Of course, we did end up with Nate Kaeding (third-round pick last year) and two more picks this coming year (first and fifth-rounders), so it wasn't all bad, but it could have been much better. Think about Fitzgerald or Roy Williams on that squad. Dang. (Note: the rest of the draft was tremendous, bringing in two starters on the offensive line (Hardwick and Olivea), two big contributors on defense (Olshansky and Phillips) and a backup running back for the future (the Burner).
Anyways, that all brings us to the present, following a Pro Bowl season from Brees, leaving him and the team in a precarious situation this off-season. My recommendation follows:
Franchise Brees, meaning we'll pay him probably $8 or $9 million, and let him continue the momentum and the chemistry he developed with Gates and mid-season acquisition Keenan McCardell. Give him another receiver, a big target to help out the passing game a little more. Let that offensive line, which was so brilliant this year, continue to jell and play another year together. Let the positive energy from a 12-4 season carry over.
Yes, you're paying Rivers a ton of money, but there's nothing proven about his ability. How many of these highly-drafted quarterbacks turn into Pro Bowlers? Not enough to justify casting off a guy who's already reached that level, and is only two or three years older. 26 is not old for a quarterback. Drew Brees still has a good eight years (and maybe more) of productive play in the NFL ahead of him. I won't compare him to Joe Montana, but Joe played until he was 38, even making the Pro Bowl when he was 37. It's possible.
Hopefully after Brees is franchised, we can sign him to a long-term deal, and once he proves himself again next year, Rivers can still be dealt for a good return. We've got plenty of cap room and can eat the bonus money--winning is worth that, to be sure.
And no, I certainly wouldn't mind a Mike Williams-Shaun Cody draft, though Mel has us with Derrick Johnson (Texas) and Roscoe Parrish (Miami), which wouldn't suck either. Other desirables: Dan Cody (Oklahoma), Braylon Edwards (Michigan), Erasmus James (Wisconsin), though it's possible they'll all be gone when we pick (#12 and #28).
Lots of responsibility for A.J. & Co., who lucked into a great move when Rivers held out and Brees had the season he did. I'm withholding complete optimism until his status is determined and until draft day, but good things could certainly be continuing in Charger land.

Patting Myself On the Back

"With the 12th and 28th picks in the draft, we should be able to help out on both sides of the ball. My wish list: a pass-rushing defensive end and a big receiver. Guys like Steve Foley put some good pressure on quarterbacks this season, but we need more help. Kassim Osgood might be on the verge, but we need a real number one guy to play opposite Keenan McCardell and give Brees another year with plenty of options. I'm confident we can address both needs."
--Me, Wednesday morning

Now check out the words of draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. today, assessing the Chargers' draft needs:
"A pass rusher is needed at either defensive end or outside linebacker to help out Steve Foley, and the offense could use a wide receiver with good size to help take the pressure off tight end Antonio Gates in the red zone..."
This can't be long--it's being hastily written in the break between rehearsal and taping--but I needed to affirm my knowledge of my squad. Rumors abound that Mel may actually have read my blog in order to make his "scouting report," but they can't be confirmed at this time. All he did was reorganize the words in my first few sentences and then replace McCardell with Gates in the second point. I'm not so sure about that guy...
Good weekend awaits, though I remain unsure my car will hold up to enable full participation. It overheated last night in fanatic-filled Westwood, barely got me home and then struggled on the way to work this morning, so we'll see. A post-work trip to Pep Boys seems to be in order.

Head Start

"Early in the morning and I can't get right
Had a little date with my baby last night...
...Now it's early in the morning
And I ain't got nothing but the blues"
--Early In the Morning, Van Morrison

I'm more going after the early morning portion of the lyrics to set the tone for the hour of my writing, but the rest of the lyrics aren't too far off either, unfortunately. Oh well.
Two thoughts on football from this past weekend:
- Of course the Pats beat the Colts. I've been on Sports Guy's side ever since last season, and Peyton had never shown the ability to win in Foxboro, so why should Sunday have been any different? Why do people keep picking against that team? Remember how they started last season 2-2, coming off a disappointing 9-7 year (missing the playoffs)--people counted them out, looked at the Super Bowl victory over the Rams (profuse apologies to my bro for even bringing up this painful memory) as a fluke? So then they reel off 12 in a row, destroy Peyton in the conference title game and hold on for a great win over the Panthers, and everyone's back on Belichick's jock. Now here come the Steelers, ending the 21-game winning streak and rolling to homefield advantage. Here comes Peyton, breaking records and running the best offense the game has ever seen--quick break for a side note: this is not my opinion, this is the opinion expressed by many a hack over the past month or so. In my humble estimation, you can't do any better than the '94 Niners, who shellacked my beloved Bolts in SB XXIX, 49-26. That would be Steve Young (70% completions, almost 4000 yards, 35 td's and seven rushing scores) at quarterback, Ricky Watters (877 yards and 6 td's rushing, 719 and 5 td's receiving) at halfback, Bar None at fullback (6 td's and a ridiculous number of pancake blocks), Jerry Rice (112 catches, 1499 yds, 13 td's) and John Taylor (41-531-5) at receivers, and Brent Jones (49-670-9) at tight end. For those who don't remember, "Bar None" was the nickname given Florida State grad William Floyd, because he was the best fullback in football, bar none. Of course, his successor at FSU, the touchdown machine known as Pooh Bear Williams, might have been close, registering the following statistics during his sophomore season: 46 carries, 127 yards, and 12 touchdowns. For those who didn't major in math, that's more than one touchdown in every four carries. That's absurd. To compare, Auburn's Carnell "Cadillac" Williams scored 12 touchdowns this season for the undefeated Tigers. He carried the ball 239 times, more than five times the number for Pooh Bear. But I digress, back to the Patriots, or at least that's what I think I was writing about...So yeah, here comes Peyton and everyone's writing off the Patriots again, saying they'll have no answer for this amazing offense, and of course, they had plenty of answers. Shut those Colts down. No touchdowns. They're incredible. I'm not a fan, per se, but I can certainly appreciate what they're doing.
- Michael Vick is pretty much just a running back--and a great one at that--who gets to throw occasionally. He's the only quarterback in the league who can throw for just 82 yards and still absolutely destroy a defense. I would love to see the Falcons beat the Eagles if only to see what on earth Bill Belichick would come up with to stop this guy. It's possible that Jim Johnson (the Eagles' defensive coordinator) will beat him to the punch and get the job done with that crazy blitzing style they employ, but man, that would be a fun buildup to the big game. Supposedly, video game Vick is comparable to video game Bo from back in the day, but I'm not so sure. As far as quarterbacks go, it didn't get any better than Philly QB #12 (or Randall Cunningham) from the old Madden, rolling out and running or passing, leaving helpless defenses in his wake. Having suffered through the leadfooted reign of Drew Brees in our Charger franchise, there's no doubt that a mobile quarterback is a necessary part of a successful video game squad. We've had Madden for a while now and I still haven't played with Vick; I think that needs to change sometime soon...
Okay, so with the sidebars, that ended up being way more than two thoughts, but only two of them actually related to this weekend, so my conscience is clear--I don't feel I've mislead anyone.
As is the case with most of these posts, my thoughts are returning to the Chargers, who have a lot to do before training camp starts. They've got so much on which to build, following this amazing 2004 season, but plenty of challenges await. Next year's road schedule includes visits to New York (Jets), Indy, Philly and New England, which means the record might not be quite as stellar, but the product could be even better. Marty's already been extended, so as long as he's not coaching a playoff game, we're fine. He does a great job managing the roster, and he should have at least two rookies ready to step right in and contribute (hopefully even more than that). With the 12th and 28th picks in the draft, we should be able to help out on both sides of the ball. My wish list: a pass-rushing defensive end and a big receiver. Guys like Steve Foley put some good pressure on quarterbacks this season, but we need more help. Kassim Osgood might be on the verge, but we need a real number one guy to play opposite Keenan McCardell and give Brees another year with plenty of options. I'm confident we can address both needs.
Lake Show hosting the T-Wolves tonight, which should be an interesting one. KG & Co. have been an incredible disappointment, much moreso than the Shaq-less Lakers, so we'll see how Lamar and Caron continue to cope without Kobe. Spree has quickly become one of my least favorite players in the league, based mostly on his "feed my family" line and his awful play in the midst of this season's contract dispute. I've gotta brainstorm some of my other least favorite athletes, hopefully for presentation tomorrow. Work time now.

Good One

Josh: "What if I can't run that campaign?"
Santos: "Then no one can."
--Opposition Research, The West Wing

Great episode last night, and the above dialogue represents the real chill moment, as Josh and Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) seem to finally be coming to an understanding of one another. Most of the characters missed this episode--Toby and POTUS making brief appearances--but it was still a great one, and probably sets the stage for the following storyline over the rest of the season: Santos comes out of nowhere (he's toiling in obscurity at the moment, well behind the two vice presidents) to become the Democratic candidate, with Josh firmly in control of the campaign. He'll end up facing Senator Vinick (Alan Alda) in the election, whenever that may be. It'll be quite interesting to see how they get there, and how Will Bailey and Donna handle the inevitable loss by Vice President Russell. Will was unusually acerbic last night, not as nice a guy as I'm accustomed to seeing. He made some comment to Josh like, "You're going to end up working for us anyway; do you want to go on record bashing the next president so we can't hire you?" That's taking a little too much for granted, my friend. I liked him better when he was Jeremy on SportsNight, that's for sure.
An added bonus to watching last night's episode (and attempting to follow the entire season, last week excepted) was that I overheard two co-workers (a line producer and a segment producer, both well above me in the pecking ordr) discussing Santos and Josh when I got to the office this morning. My ears obviously perked up, and I immediately joined the conversation, delighted to find other fans in the workplace. It's always nice to rehash stuff like that the morning after, figuring out why certain things happened the way they did. I'm wondering why Josh burned up the numbers Bartlet gave him: 24 to 6 over 6, reflecting the dropout rate in New Hampshire. Seemed strange that he would turn down the advice, I don't know. I'll bring it up to the group sometime soon.
As little as I watch television (besides its daily creation), I'm entitled to a little rant about the one hour a week in which I do partake, so hopefully that wasn't too awful. If you're not watching West Wing ever, something needs to change about your Wednesday evenings that can make it possible to do so.
Lakers host the Cavs tonight, which should be great to watch. Ira Newble might get some minutes against Kobe, and Caron Butler could guard LeBron a little bit, but for the most part, it's going to be a showdown between the two best guards in the league, bar none. Cases made for Steve Nash (no defense), Ray Allen (not enough rebounding, passing or defense), Allen Iverson (too small) or Dwyane Wade (almost there, probably a solid number three behind these guys) are viable, but it doesn't get any better than this. As I like to do from time to time, let's take a look at the numbers:
Kobe: 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.1 blocks, 41% field goals, 33% 3-pointers, 80% free throws, 4.5 turnovers
LeBron: 24.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, 49% field goals, 35% 3-pointers, 76% free throws, 3.4 turnovers
I'm biased somewhat, but I can still see that LeBron actually does more than Kobe, and he shoots the ball better as well. There was a great debate in the barbershop the other night (after we stopped rolling the cameras), that involved a comparison between Kobe (who the barbershop guys love above all else), LeBron, Michael and a few others (Magic, Larry and Oscar Robertson were the other names brought up in the course of the conversation). I loved Sports Guy's NBA column the other day, because it ended with unmitigated excitement about getting to watch LeBron now and for the next fifteen years. We don't get much of a chance to watch him play out here, so when he's on ESPN or TNT (as is the case tonight), please take advantage. Kobe love might go out the window when you watch this guy with any sort of consistency. I'm on the verge of passing the crown of best player in the league, frankly. Duncan's still too boring, KG can't figure out how to be the best player on the floor, a good teammate and a winner at the same time, and now Kobe's shooting the ball poorly for a team that's going to be the six- or seven-seed in the West. LeBron is doing EVERYTHING for the first-place team in the Central (and what would be the two-seed in the East if the playoffs started today). Look who else is on that team: Ilgauskas, McInnis, Gooden, Newble, Harris, Traylor...His supporting cast is no worse than Kobe's, is it? Odom's better than Gooden, Butler's better than Newble; McInnis is better than Atkins and Big Z is better than Mihm. So it's a wash, right? And yet they're three full games up on L.A., and ready to go up four tonight, I'm afraid. Good one tonight.
Work. Peace.

Post-Meeting Solution

"There's a way to carry on
To push me out then place me back where I belong
There's a way to make anew
To resurrect the wishes that I wish for you"
--There's a Way, Collective Soul

When faced with obstacles, one must become resourceful and figure out alternate means to accomplish one's goals. Staring 8 a.m. meetings in the face and realizing the fragile nature of this bloggin institution, it didn't take much thought to figure out that I still have the 8:40-9:00 window open, the quick slot between morning meetings, in order to get some writing done. This opening doesn't necessarily appear every day, because stuff comes up all the time that needs to get done, but today is one of those free days, so here goes...
A quick amendment to what I said yesterday about Peyton v. Pats: Ty Law was evidently placed on injured reserve last Friday, so he will not be a factor on Sunday. Richard Seymour is doubtful for the game as well, which could cramp New England's pass-rushing style, but I still think Brady and Dillon will be able to score too much on the awful Colts D for Peyton to overcome.
Big win for the Lake Show last night, over the equally-struggling T-Wolves on the road. Kobe did have 31, but the supporting cast went on a 24-7 run with the franchise on the bench in the fourth quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead. I know I can't expect games like this from the rest of the guys all the time, but 14 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two blocks from Chris Mihm? 12 points and 11 rebounds from Caron? 10 off the bench for Jumaine Jones and eight from B-Cook? How can I not get excited? I also know that we won't go 16-for-35 from three-point range all the time (45.7%), but a good shooting night is another encouraging thing. I've come to grips with the fact that this year's team will continue to test my patience and loyalty, but because I've had to deal with losses to Chicago and Memphis, I can get excited about this one, no doubt. Hopefully this sort of a game gives Kobe some cause to be a little more confident in his teammates, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Doug Christie got traded yesterday. Ha.
Gotta go. Short is better than nothing, I think.

New Schedule

"Time is wasting, time is walking
You ain't no friend of mine
I don't know where I'm goin'
I think I'm out of my mind
Thinking about time"
--Time, Hootie & the Blowfish

My apologies for a sparse period of writing last week, due in large part to a new shooting schedule which has our first meeting of the day commencing precisely at 8:00 a.m. I'm exempt this morning because of a piece I'm working on stemming from a shoot over the weekend, so now that my tapes are logged, I have a moment to write. Other than the death of blogging time (which is no small effect), the new schedule has been great, providing far more manageable days and more enjoyable showtimes.
Here's to another lovely weekend, which did include the aforementioned shoot, something I'll describe in a bit of detail presently. Took a camera crew to a dinner and auction event called "In the Spirit of the Game," benefiting the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. Tom Arnold was one of the scheduled speakers, so we were assigned a short piece based on the events of the night. It was at the Beverly Hilton, which looks like a pretty nice hotel, though I wasn't necessarily able to experience it to its fullest. The only negative of the night was having to miss the Charger game, though I assumed I'd be able to see another one next weekend--and yes, I know what happens when one assumes (that is the first and last mention of the Charger game in my blog this morning--it never happened).
So Tommy Lasorda is the MC for the event, Tom does a short monologue, and then several awards are given out: Willie Mays presents one to Frank Robinson, Curt Schilling gets one and then presents one to the Boone family (Bob, Bret and Aaron F-in) to posthumously honor Bob's father Ray, the scout who originally signed Schill like 20 years ago. Reggie Jackson also presented, and a bunch of other people were there as well: Jennie Finch (wow), Bret Saberhagen, Barry Zito (accompanied by the much-shorter-than-I-thought Alyssa Milano), and a ton of baseball execs (including former Dodger GM Dan Evans, with whom I had a very nice conversation).
The rest of the weekend included a Friday evening drive up to Hollywood to see Brian Z's college buddy play at Highland Grounds. Good music and a nice chance to see Charlie, Becky, Jenny, Amber, Ryan and Vanessa made driving through the rain a worthwhile endeavor.
Saturday (before the dinner) was a very relaxing day, consisting of setting up my new Powerbook and goofing around with some possibilities for a big project I'm going to be undertaking soon. Watched a little of the early football game (nice win for the Mad Scientist and his Rams) before departing.
Sunday morning brought with it no work for the first time in 17 weeks, so I definitely made sure to sleep in before beginning a very productive day. Got a ton of work done in my room, clearing space for the new computer and dumping a bunch of stuff that had accumulated in the corners, got to have a nice lunch with Stu, and got some grocery shopping done, which included the ingredients for some of Mom's macaroni and cheese, something I had decided to make for Ashley's birthday. The last item on the agenda before dinner's creation was the Bel Air evening service, but Stu and I got stuck in ridiculous traffic and didn't get to the exit (normally a half-hour drive) until about 6:50 p.m., meaning we would have been able to enjoy a whole ten minutes of church. Depressingly, we got back on the freeway and drove right back home.
Dinner went much better than expected--it's Ashley's birthday today, so I said I'd cook for her last night, and Phil and Ale (I think that's a better spelling than "Ollie," but the pronunciation isn't as clear--"Ale" implies pale ale or ginger ale, so in order for it to sound right, I might have to go with Ollie instead) joined us as well--Charlie showed up late having already eaten, so I'll sort of count him in. Mom's mac and cheese, some broccoli and some applesauce--a standard meal from the Riddell household--and it actually turned out to be quite tasty. I've even got a little bit left over to enjoy tonight when I get home. Nice.
I'm sure the minute-by-minute from the weekend was incredibly engrossing, so to alleviate the boredom somewhat, I shall stray from the previous form and offer up a few sporting observations from the past week (my Bolts excepted--when the mourning period is over, I'll be able to assess the past season and the future, but not a day sooner).
Randy Moss is good. On a bad wheel, he's still amazing. Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown had better be ready, and Brian Dawkins needs to start shading Randy's way already.
Peyton Manning has the game of his life coming up this weekend. He's put up ridiculous numbers all season long (including a video-game style 457 and four TD's yesterday--I need to clarify "video-game style": that's me playing with Drew Olson on NCAA Football with the difficulty level set to junior varsity, not Suss playing with Jake Martin on Madden 2005 with the difficulty level at All-Pro), but he had a great year last season and tanked at Foxboro in the conference championship game. If he can overcome Belichick and Crennel and nemesis Ty Law, the Colts could very well be headed to the Super Bowl, but it's going to be a much different scenario next weekend than it was on the turf against the terrible Broncos yesterday.
Ben Howland's Bruins could very well be the real deal. With only two seniors who do anything important (Dijon Thompson is very important, Brian Morrison can be), they've got a very young squad, but one that's obviously capable of some very good things. Working Saturday night, I didn't get to see the come-from-behind victory over the University of Dub, but those boys fought back in a big way. I love that backcourt--Farmar and Afflalo--because they do everything: they shoot, they pass, handle and play d. Shipp is a better shooting version of his brother, Dijon can play two, three or four, and Hollins and Fey are starting to contribute a little bit. Since SC has a corner on the football market (and will as long as Carroll's there), we've got to take some pride in the hoops end of things, and Big Ben has given us a reason to do just that. If we can pull another upset this weekend at 'Zona--never mind, I can't get too far ahead of myself.
Okay, so it's time to get to work. Hopefully the schedule won't be too unfriendly, but if this does end up being the sole entry this week, don't hate. Peace.

Back to Work

"Maybe that's all family really is.
A group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

This is from "Garden State," a movie I evidently need to view sometime very soon, as per the recommendation of several people, and based on a limited (five-minute) viewing last week. This scene was included in the brief showing, demonstrating the main character's ("Andrew," played by the film's writer and director, Zach Braff--you may remember him from "Scrubs") longing for a real childhood and some of the many things that overtake him as he's returned home to New Jersey after a long time away. I obviously can't review the film just yet, but I'll do my best to see it as soon as possible and confirm or deny the "great movie" comments that have been coming my way.
So I'm back to work this morning after almost two full weeks off, representing easily the most time I've taken away from work since sometime in 2003. I must reflect on the goals established in the final blog of 2004 to see if it was indeed a successful break...
- finish Christmas shopping: yes, and I believe it was a successful round of presents, most notably the new bathroom my brothers and I worked to provide for my mom (purchasing the materials and carrying out the necessary manual labor) and the Rose Bowl tix for my bros (what an amazing game--one of the top two or three college football games I've ever been to, with Chad Henne and Braylon Edwards matching Vince Young's crazy legs point for point, and the contest, fittingly, not over until the final gun, as Dusty Mangum's wobbly field goal attempt made it through for the Longhorns. Great stuff)...
- finish my current book: "Fever Pitch" is done and was well worth the read. Anyone who has ever devoted themselves to a team (in this case soccer, but it can apply to any sport) needs to read this book. It chronicles the author's progression from his first soccer game as a youth to his adult status as a season-ticket holder, and all the life happenings that come along the way. It's a unique perspective on the struggles of life, using the analogy of team sports and the corresponding fan devotion to tell those stories. Great stuff. I've now started the first of several Christmas present books, that being "Fletch and the Man Who," one in the long line of "Fletch" stories, the first of which spawned the epic Chevy Chase film...
- sleep in: done and done...
- play music with Charlie and Joel: not yet, but Joel's still in town for another week, so I'm hoping we make this happen very soon...
- enjoy and appreciate my time with family and friends: easily the most fulfilling element of the break, especially with my brothers. We got to work together at Fox (I was able to finagle jobs for both of them last Sunday and for Michael yesterday), work together on the home improvement project, attend the Rose Bowl game, and maybe most importantly, took the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl in our Madden 2005 franchise. We got through an entire season (and almost halfway through another one) in the breaks from work and in whatever other time we happened to be in the same place at the same time. After struggling in the first half of the 2004 campaign, we gained some consistency (I firmly believe it came from handing the ball off to L.T. all the time) and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Playoff wins over KC (easy) and New England (cut the lead to two with under a minute to play, failed on the two-point conversion, but recovered an onside kick and nailed the game-winning field goal in the final seconds--Suss as Nate Kaeding) were followed by an AFC title game victory over Ricky Williams and the Miami Dolphins, but Daunte, Randy and the Minnesota Vikings were too much to overcome in the big game. With Drew Brees not rated quite as high as his real 2004 season has demonstrated he should be, we made the bold move of drafting a quarterback in the first round and have ridden his inconsistency to a 5-2 record thus far in 2005. The defense is quite solid, led by All-Pro safety Sean Taylor and his counterpart Coy Wire, as well as middle linebacker extraordinaire Donnie Edwards and free agent signee Michael Strahan. LT is the focal point of the offense and the passing game is becoming a more balanced part of the equation with this Jake Martin kid hitting Plaxico Burress (we had to trade for him after Keenan McCardell retired) and Antonio Gates with more regularity...
Okay, I think I spent way too long discussing a video game football team, so I must once again extoll the virtues of the real San Diego Chargers, victors yesterday over the Kansas City Chiefs and holders of a 12-4 record, the best in franchise history. With what amounted to a junior varsity team (no Brees, LT, Gates or McCardell), they dominated KC (until the last half of the fourth quarter) and received several good signs for the future. Michael "The Burner" Turner looked great running the ball, and he'll be able to provide a more than adequate backup to Tomlinson if and when that's necessary. Flutie was decent and Philip Rivers got his first action of the season, even tossing a touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd (another big receiver in the Kassim Osgood mold--one of those two guys is going to become a stud sometime soon). The defense played great as well, intercepting Trent Green three times (Matt Wilhelm, Terrance Kiel and Drayton Florence) and breaking up a pass intended for Tony Gonzalez on a fourth-and-goal (thank you Hanik Milligan). I love this team. Have I mentioned that before? So now we get a home game against the Jets on Saturday, which should be tremendous...
New format of the show continues at least until the Super Bowl, so Tom and Salley are in control and Chris Rose and Bryan Cox are out, which will be a continuing strange thing to get used to, but we'll be fine. Hopefully it'll just mean bigger and better, more opportunities to do cool things like the barbershop feature and the special olympics project. We'll see. Time to get started...