All It Took Was A Pair Of Road Losses, But The Cavaliers Fell Right Back Into Their Old Ways5/24/2016
“I’m not sure of his health, but it’s no concern. I thought Channing (Frye) came in and gave us a great lift when we were down. And like last game, to try to put Kevin back in with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter in a hostile game, hostile environment, would not have been fair to him. Channing gave us a great lift off the bench and we kind of just rolled with it,” Lue said.
Whew, it felt like we were never going to get here. Two and half playoff series of winning team basketball and almost everyone - myself included - had thought that the importance of the games had helped the Cleveland Cavaliers put their issues in the past. Nope, it appears they just needed to face a little adversity before their coach and team "leader" alike would revert right back to the problems that plagued them all season long. Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan come out guns-a-blazin' on their home floor and all the sudden Kevin Love - who was lights out to start the postseason - is once again unplayable in hostile environments? The guy that is supposed to contribute significantly to a championship is being sat for a guy they scooped up off the scrap heap at the trade deadline? I guess there is something to be said for having to face a couple speed bumps along the road so that you know how to handle the tough when it gets going. Go an entire month without a single team punching back and you might just have LeBron talking about how he perfectly executed his "personal gameplan" in a game his team lost. Indirectly throwing his teammates under the back wheels of the bus the first time it's starting to roll backwards instead of hauling ass downhill at full speed ahead. I'm not saying that the Cavaliers won't represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. I can easily see them winning the next two games as the performances of Lowry and Derozan seem largely unsustainable. That being said, everyone that is rooting against LeBron can take a little solace in the fact that whoever they end up facing after they likely beat Toronto will provide them enough competition to leave Tyronn Lue's eyes widened and LeBron James undying sense of insecurity heightened.
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Poor bastard. Little did Dahntay Jones know that when he used his one minute of playing time - in a game that was already well in doubt - to frivolously strike to a grown man in his ball bag that he would rope himself into the most well publicized controversy of the NBA playoffs to date. Never mind getting suspended for an NBA playoff game that he most likely wouldn't have played in anyway, because what's even worse is that he unknowingly made himself the easiest comparison for the nut shot heard 'round the world. I'm sure we would have gotten a few laughs when he found out that the NBA only cared enough about Dahntay Jones' getting handsy to fine him a paltry $80, and we surely would rip him for letting LeBron James assert his dominance by paying that tab. What we wouldn't have done is rewound, re-vined, re-GIFed, and retweeted a play that I would imagine is pretty embarrassing to the last man off the Cleveland Cavaliers bench. He was probably perfectly fine with collecting a modest paycheck by playing only the non-consequential moments of the game in which the general, casual viewing public had already switched to another channel. Now he reminded the people that he's actually a person that exists by becoming retroactively attached to a play that had people frantically searching for precedence. Unfortunately for Dahntay Jones they only had to go back one day to get it, and get it - and more importantly post it - is exactly what they did. Bet he wishes he just never had his number called in pity that fateful night so he could continue to fly under the radar as the NBA player that no one remembered was in the NBA. Russell Westbrook Responds In The Battle Of The Stupid By Claiming He Doesn't Know How To Flop5/23/2016
Cast enough lines and you're bound to catch something I suppose. Makes sense that the overly sensitive egomaniac that's always creeping at the surface waiting to lash out at the next person to utter his name was the first to get reeled up to the boat. Hook, line, sinker. Good work Russell. One of the most important players on your opposition was backed into a corner swinging at air and you ran smack dab into an aimless haymaker. This entire sports news circuit today has pretty much all been centered around Draymond Green, and Russell Westbrook allowed himself to get roped right into the stupidity. You know what's just as dumb as saying that a punch in the head and a kick in the cock aren't remotely close to being the same thing? A professional athlete saying that he doesn't know how to fall on the ground. Russell Westbrook has never received a fine for a flop so he has the right to say that he's never committed one, even if it is complete and utter bullshit. What he can't get away with is treating the public like we are unintelligible enough to believe that a player that can run through a wall while dribbling a basketball isn't physically capable of embellishing contact. It's comments like that are just ridiculous enough to take the heat off Draymond Green by giving him the company he so desperately desired in the headline department. Especially when they couldn't be farther from the truth... Draymond Green May Have Just Sold Me On His Innocence By Saying You Can't Compare Punches And Kicks5/23/2016 Well, that settles it. I am sorry I ever doubted Draymond Green's self proclaimed innocence, because this totally valid reasoning for his standing leg kick to the crib of Steven Adams unborn children makes way too much sense not to be true. Kicks and punches. They are entirely different animals. I guess you could make the argument that they are of comparable species, but one is clearly further advanced than the other. Not every violent movement performed by a group of voluntary muscles in a human limb is created equal. I'm not exactly sure why, but I would venture to guess that it's because that the primary brain receptors responsible for conscious actions are further from the legs than the arms. Draymond Green didn't say as much, but he probably thought his audience was keenly aware of their own anatomy. It's actually a little known fact that MMA aren't well trained athletes highly skilled in all areas of combat. They are just boxers with overactive lower bodies. The only reason the rest of the world is better than the United States at soccer is because modern science has largely cured the calf Tourette's that run rampant in less affluent regions of South America. I - on behalf of Draymond Green - would argue that field goal kickers and punters are putting themselves at risk the longer they go without treatment. These unintentional uses of completely controllable bodily operations are simply too dangerous to the future families of professional athletes not to be handled as soon as possible. A quick overview for those not paying attention. Punches to the head? On purpose. Kicks to the dick? Accidents. Always accidents. Serious question, does Draymond Green have a PR team he could talk to before his next public appearance? He's currently grasping at the slipperiest of straws, and it's not doing too much for his argument. One might even say his desperation in excusing an inexcusable body function is a bit unapologetic and makes it easier for the NBA to justify doing the right thing by suspending him. I wouldn't say that, but someone that believes in the outdated idea of autonomous extremities might.
Goddamn it. I am never sticking up for Toronto as a basketball city ever again, and I don't care how Drake feeIs about it. He can diss me on one of the 13 breakup ballads on his next album if my seal of disapproval hurts his feelings, but I can only defend so many acts of inferiority. I took Canada's side when Dwyane Wade flat out ignored that they were their country that has widely recognizable traditions when he continued hoisting off-target jumpers during 'Oh Canada'. I even kinda, sorta understood when they were perturbed by the "USA!" chants in Cleveland. They started to lose my faith a little when the Mayor of Toronto didn't have anything better to do than to write a public service announcement regarding a snub on a completely meaningless online survey, but this? This is the last straw. DeMar Derozan still needs a personal escort to get into the building? The guy who is going to take serious convincing to stay in Toronto come the summer time can't even get into the arena unhassled on an off day?! The same guy whose 32 points led the team to a victory in the Eastern Conference finals just one day before is unrecognizable to their staff? Be better Canada. Be better Toronto. Help me help you. I wanted to believe that you are capable of fostering a professional basketball team, but everything that has gone on during your franchise's most successful postseason has me questioning how I could ever even begin to think that. Might as well just have Derozan fitted for his Lakers uniform now. Not just because Los Angeles has always been "home" to him, but because he isn't even welcomed on site at his current home. As far as being treated like family goes, he is probably better of signing in Greece or teaming up with Stephon Marbury in China. At least they appreciate all their professional athletes, instead of just the ones wearing ice skates. I Was All About This Woman Dressing Up Like The Stanley Cup Until I Heard The Reasoning Behind It5/23/2016 PuckDaddy- When the Pittsburgh Penguins scored their first goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday night, there was much revelry. Andrew W.K. blared from the arena speakers. Fans cheered and waved their rally towels.
And, of course, an adult woman dressed like the Stanley Cup was hoisted into the air by two male friends. “This was on my bucket list,” said Brittany Quinn, a Penguins fan sitting in one of the lower bowl end zones at CONSOL Energy Center. Quinn, Evan Eggert and Steve Rittenhouse were Jumbotron stars each time the Penguins scored in Game 5, as she was lifted to the rafters in celebration. Eggert said they train together at Fitness 19 in Greentree. “She was like, ‘We should do a workout where you lift me.’ And we were like, ‘Wait a second. Pens game. The Stanley Cup.’ It all just cued up,” he said. Of course. They couldn't just let me think that this woman was such an insanely big hockey fan that she wanted to dress up like the Stanley Cup. Couldn't just let me believe that a female - for once - actually dressed appropriately (albeit obnoxiously) - for a sporting event . She could've made up for all the ladies rocking heels to tailgates and leather jackets to spring baseball games in the Pacific Northwest, but nope. She just had to come out and ruin it by talking about how it was a workout thing. She was much more tolerable as the lady with a bowl covered in tin foil affixed to her head than she is as the lady enabling her male friends to shamelessly, yet artfully, display their supposed superior strength. Trust me, I am not unfamiliar with the concept of vanity. I go to the gym quite often and I work out in the mirror while I am there. The difference is that when I walk through the doors back out to the parking lot I instantly revert back to a normal dude instead of a normal dude that "can totally lift more than you bro". I bet these guys curl their milk jugs as they walk to the front of the supermarket. They are undoubtedly the same dudes that puff out their chest and stop at nothing to fit their bicep into the photo. They are the epitome of the person that makes you mutter "we get it, you work out" under your breathe while they are somehow infusing aspects of their routine into completely unrelated conversations. The one on the left is a little plumper than you would expect a person so obsessed with themselves to be, but hey - he does live in the land of Ben Roethlisberger. He's geographically inclined to having a little extra meat on the bones, even if it means covering up some of that muscle that he's apparently so damn proud of. You want an idea of how unbearable these people are? Just take a look at the folks in the background of these pictures. They don't seem too enthused with Stanlaya Cup and her security team, and Pittsburgh generally appreciates any and all acts of stupidity.
Look, if I needed to I could make a very convincing case that this goal - and this goal alone - was reason enough for Devils fans to be ecstatic about the progression of John Quenneville. Overreacting to one impressive clip recorded from an inferior league comes with the territory of being part of a fanbase desperate to see some offensive creativity inserted into the lineup. Fortunately I don't have to let a single highlight, played on loop, cloud my judgement - and more so my writing - because the person responsibility for it is in the middle of an exceptional playoff run. Even if he weren't, the skill and confidence he portrayed at full speed in a playoff game would have the blood rushing to my lower extremities, but thankfully this raging boner is at least semi-rooted in reality. The oft-forgotten member of the Devils prospect pool has taken huge steps in living up to his draft position. A 30 goal season, 73 points in 57 games, and another 27 points in 21 playoff games? That's the type of production that not only warrants getting a little excited, but allows a fan to not feel completely vulnerable in doing so. This between the legs goal - and more importantly the balls it takes to execute it when the stakes of the game are so high - is exactly what is currently missing from the New Jersey Devils. If John Quenneville can bring even the smallest amount of whatever it was that he just flashed up through the ranks with him then the Devils future looks much better than even their most delusional, positive fans thought prior to this past season. P.S. Also good to know that Keith Kinkaid was keeping his eye on the big club from the minors, because this stop was vintage Marty Brodeur...
We have seen it during so many Warriors games this season. A closely contested game turning into a bloodbath in - what seems like - a matter of seconds. One poor possession, a back breaking bucket to follow it up, rinse, repeat, and next thing you know the game has gone from two possessions to ten possessions in the blink of an eye. One team thriving in a chaotic back and forth game, and the other team floundering. That's what we saw last night, and for the first time it was the 73 win that looked absolutely helpless in defeat. Steph Curry, who somehow makes 45 foot jump shots look casual, hesitantly left a woeful attempt at a floater harmlessly glancing off the front rim. The Warriors, who have never not seemed capable of coming back from a deficit this season, looked dead in the water as role players like Dion Waiters were feeding on their corpse. For the first time since I can remember it was the superstars at the other end of the floor inspiring their team to prey on a vulnerable opponent. It's not just the 28 point defeat that was eye opening, it was the way in which it came about. A way which the Warriors are all too familiar with. A way the Thunder now now they are capable of. A way which can easily get out hand if you are on the wrong side of it. Forget the absurdity of the final score. Forget that Steph Curry finished the game with a flat out stunning -39 point differential. The most shocking aspect Game 3 was that the Golden State Warriors - for the first time all season - got beaten BADLY at their own game. I admittedly didn't think the Thunder had much of a chance when the series started. In fact, even after they won the first game in Golden State I was hesitant to admit it was anything more than a minor hiccup by their competition. But having seen them put forth a performance that would make much more sense if the roles were reversed I have no choice but to admit that the Thunder have a very real shot of representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. It's hardly any reason to count out the Warriors because it is just one game, but it's one game that couldn't have possibly made more of a statement. That statement being that the Thunder can do what previously seemed unthinkable, and that is Warrior the Warriors. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Draymond Green will be suspended for Game 4. In fact, as someone that is praying for the Warriors to get to the Finals to save me from watching the insufferable LeBron James win another championship, I hope that Draymond Green isn't suspended for Game 4. The title of this blog is simply stating what I believe to be a fact, and that is that Draymond Green DESERVES to be suspended for Game 4. Nothing more, nothing less. That's not to say that the video above is cut and dry. I am uncertain as to whether Draymond Green intentionally tried to punt Steven Adams nuts up through his mouth and potentially into orbit. What I am certain of is that he meant to kick Steven Adams (either to draw a foul or further beat up an already injured player), and he should be held responsible for the result of doing so. There's just no perspective you can look at that play from that leads you to believe it was solely an unfortunate circumstance of clean basketball. The player who committed the act is known for going above and beyond the rule book to - for lack of a better phrase - stir up shit and get in the head of his opponents. The execution of the act - as shown below - was almost comically unorthodox... That's not a 3 point shooter kicking his leg out to defend his space. That's a post player losing complete control of the ball - well before he had any chance of attempting a shot - and overreacting out of frustration. There's not way you can convince me otherwise without first going outside, finding the nearest hoop, and reenacting Draymond Green's shooting form from that picture without laughing out loud at the result. It's been a long time coming, but Draymond Green emotions finally got the better of him on the basketball court. He proved that even he - himself - is not immune to his own mental terrorism, and it could mean that he's watching the Warriors most important game of the season from the bench. I don't want that to be the case because I think that would make for a detrimental hit to the entertainment value of the product on the floor, nor do I think that will be the case because I'm not sure the NBA has the balls to suspend someone of his caliber when their postseason has been largely unwatchable. I would just have an extremely hard time taking anyone seriously if they were upset if it were the case, because Draymond Green absolutely deserves disciplinary action. Especially considering a much less conspicuous play landed a much less decorated player on the sidelines just days ago...
Here's what I am not going to do. I am not going to tell you that Marc-Andre Fleury was responsible for the Penguins loss last night. Mostly because I thought he played rather well given the situation, but also because saying that Matt Murray would have done any better is strictly hypothetical. So yeah, the two goals posted above probably could have been played better, but take into account they were scored against someone that hasn't played a single meaningful hockey game in nearly two months and it's hard to look at them as egregious mistakes. I guess my main question is not whether or not the goalie change affected Pittsburgh's chances of winning last night, but what it does to their chances going forward. I just don't see any short term or long term benefit in starting a rusty goaltender, that already has an illustrious history as a polarizing playoff performer, in your most pressure packed postseason game to date. It's not like Matt Murray stood any chance of stopping any of the 4 goals scored against him in the Lightning's Game 4 win so a change was far from necessary. I suppose you could say that it was a motivational tool to inspire a team that nearly crawled back to tie the game upon Fleury's insertion in Game 4, but is that enough of a reason to replace the guy that got you there with someone whose always been a lightning rod ( no pun intended) for disparagement? Can a team with so many veterans be so mentally fragile that they needed a familiar face between the pipes to bounce back from a demoralizing loss? If Matt Murray had lost a closely contested overtime game there we would just be talking about how the Penguins have to do a better job playing a full 60 minutes in Game 6. Instead you have Marc-Andre Fleury - who played better than expected - facing an undue amount of scrutiny, and you've introduced the distraction of a goaltender controversy all while your season is on the line. Fact is that Matt Murray probably would have provided at least the same level of performance in defeat and it would have come with far less questions about the stability of the Penguins lineup heading into a elimination game on the road. Long story short, I don't think Marc-Andre Fleury cost his team the game, but I think his coach's decision just made it exponentially harder for his team to win the series. Never ever has a short, scrawny white boy with limited - if any - athletic ability had as big of a target on his back before even stepping foot in a lecture hall. I know this video was somewhat of a parody of the ridiculousness that currently is college athletics, but with a viral statement like this he better be ready to carry the academic torch from day one. He thought the eyes of his peers were burning a hole in his back when he handed his flawless test paper in a half hour before the rest of his class? HA! Just wait until he's in college where people think their actual future is at risk every time they write their student identification number on a scantron. MC-square up son, because it's not going to be so easy to retain your spot as the big brain on campus when you're actually on a real campus. You want the glitz and glamor of being a top flight football recruit then you get treated like a top flight football recruit in your field as well. That means no adjustment period. No benefit of the doubt. Hope he did his shoulder shrugs because he's going to need a far bigger backpack. This kid better have cured some form of cancer by the end of his freshman year or his signing is going to be an indictment of the entire admissions office. I personally think this kid has bust written all over him. If I had to assign a value to it I would say he has 3-Star smarts at best. Far too concerned with his wardrobe and general disposition to live up to intellectual expectations of a Top 100 prospect. Not saying he won't be productive, but when we look back at the college "career" of Alex Gold I have reason to believe we will be talking about what could have been. With such an overly self confident commitment video I assume that "what could have been" is nothing short of the systematic elimination of any and all terrorist threats by graduation.
Trust me, I am just as happy as everyone else that the NFL got strong-armed into giving up the money they got paid to honor the United States military before and during televised events. I just don't want there to be any confusion, because the only reason one of the most money hungry organizations in the country is giving up hundreds of thousands of dollars that are rightfully theirs is because they are trying to save face. The National Football League is a business. The United States military is a brand. It is a pretty common occurrence for brands to pay businesses to promote them, and this is no different - regardless of the cause being exponentially more praiseworthy. Just because the Army, Navy, and Air Force keep this country safe doesn't mean they aren't funded financially, and - as wrong as it seems- even the most admirable of financially funded institutions have to pay for advertising. That's all this was. The only reason the NFL gave the money back to taxpayers is to shut up said taxpayers that were so vocally disapproving of a sports league profiting off the military. It was nothing more than a publicity stunt to combat the criticism they faced throughout the season. Just another business decision in a never-ending cycle of business decisions. There is a reason the NFL is worth billions upon billions of dollars and it's because they make important choices with their wallet and not their heart. 100 yard long American flags, the man power it takes to hold them up, and the air time it takes to broadcast them to millions all come with a price tag, and the rich don't typically get richer by flipping bills that don't primarily benefit them. I love hating on the NFL's higher ups as much as the next guy, but if you have a problem with them collecting money from the military in exchange for premier marketing opportunities then your real problem resides with capitalism. YardBarker- “Discovery is necessary to shed light on the nature of Plaintiffs’ claims, when those claims accrued, and which — if any — CBAs might be relevant. If a full record ultimately reveals that Plaintiffs’ claims accrued while they were subject to a CBA, and that those claims are substantially dependent on interpretation of the CBA, then the Court could properly determine that the claims are preempted by labor law preemption. In the meantime, however, Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is premature and must be denied.”
“District Judge Nelson’s order denying the NHL’s motion to dismiss on preemption grounds is an historic decision in American sports [and] labor law. We are thankful that retired NHL players will be permitted to continue to pursue their claims that the NHL withheld critical information about the risk of long-term neurological consequences from repetitive head trauma. “Thousands of retired NHL players continue to suffer from the effects of head injuries suffered on the ice. The time is now for the NHL to take a leadership role in the international game of hockey and strive to ensure that retired players and their families receive the assistance they need and that the parents of youth hockey players receive truthful information about head trauma.” What's that they say, there's no such thing as a dumb question? The NHL probably already knew the answer but it doesn't hurt to ask and make sure. After all, knowledge is power and with the amount of negligence they displayed they can use all the power they can get their hands on at this point. The NHL might be actively trying to trivialize the amount of significant, dangerous head injuries that it's employers have incurred on their watch, but you probably would to if you were them. Going to court to argue against every player that has the slightest bit of long term brain damage from a sport as physically demanding as hockey sounds MISERABLE. Might not be the most commendable action to attempt to get the entirety of the case thrown out to - ironically enough - save themselves the headache, but it would have - ironically enough - bothered them forever if they didn't. It's kind of like going to church as a kid. You know it's probably immoral to incessantly beg to stay home, but the payoff of playing video games on a Sunday morning is worth the inherent blasphemy. If getting out of sitting in front of a judge and jury for days on end when you are almost certainly guilty is wrong then I would NOT want to be right. I consider myself an ethical person, but if it saves me enough money I'll make sure my moral compass is pointing in the polar opposite direction. With the amount that the NHL is sure to have to shell out in serious, life long damages, it would be simply irresponsible if they didn't do everything possible to stay away for litigation. Even if their desperate, shot in the dark proposal does make them look like terrible, horrible, no good, very bad people. Metro- A black Oxford student who refused to tip a waitress because she was white has said he has no regrets for his actions.
Postgraduate student Ntokozo Qwabe was widely condemned after bragging he had made waitress Ashleigh Schulz, 24, ‘cry white girl tears’. He and a friend visited a restaurant in Cape Town but left the note ‘we will give tip when you return the land’. The pair were widely condemned on social media, with Mr Qwabe described as a ‘racist bully’. So, given time, you might think he would come to regret leaving the note, but he told the Daily Vox he was proud to ‘disrupt whiteness’. He said: ‘The act was not directed at Ashleigh, the waitress. Quite frankly, her feelings are irrelevant to us. ‘The manager came to our table and made a scene; this is what we call white tears. They’re not literal tears – no one cried. ‘These innocent white girl tears re-entrenches patriarchy because white women’s tears make white men want to jump in and save white women from all these aggressive black people.’ I don't know what it is, but I kind of like this guy. I know that seems weird since he wants me and everyone that looks like me to wait on him hand and foot - free of charge - before rotting in eternal damnation, but his dedication to that line of thinking is actually rather compelling. That's not to say anyone should be stiffing people that work service jobs strictly because of the color of their skin, but it does seem like a rather small price to pay for stealing the black man's land. No offense to Ashleigh (honestly? be more white), but if our ancestors knew that the going rate for property was a half hour of slave labor from one white woman then they probably still would have made the deal. Fair is fair, even if it means that rent is going to be a little tighter this month. Don't waste another minute on your hypothetical crying, because those non-existent albino crocodile tears from the soulless eyes of the white devil will be getting no sympathy from Nkotozo Qwabe. Don't get me wrong. This guy is definitely a racist dickhead, but I give him credit for being an unapologetic racist dickhead. You might be saying "what's the difference between him and a member of the KKK?", and I would say that it's much more difficulty to unabashedly hate the majority. To knowingly be outnumbered and staunchly defend your incredibly indefensible actions? This guy might be a fucking asshole to most, but to a select few African Americans - that still feel entitled to the smallest of reparations even though they, personally, did nothing to earn them - he's a hero. An aggressive black hero that will stop at no amount of frugality to disrupt whiteness and put a nickel sized chink in the armor of the caucasian patriarchy. The Austrian Hockey League Champions Accidentally Broke The Trophy Just Minutes After Winning It5/19/2016
BarDown- EC Red Bull Salzburg has dominated the Austrian Hockey League since 2007. Since ’07, they’ve won the Austrian Championship a total of six times, including back-to-back championships three separate times during that span. They won the championship again this season, but for a team that has won it so many times in the past nine years, you’d think they know how to carry the trophy by now.
Nothing like a quick reminder, after winning your 6th championship in 9 years, that your flat out dominance of the Austrian Hockey League is just that - flat out dominance of the AUSTRIAN Hockey League. Impossible to let the size of your trophy case go to your head when it's contents are only a gravitational pull away from assembly being required. I have to apologize to my man Kutlak for the headline, because saying that this guy "broke" the trophy is simply disingenuous. That fucking thing fell apart faster than Phil Kessel's nutrition plan. This has nothing to do with EC Red Bull Salzburg's perceived clumsiness, because that Cup's lack of durability is nothing more than an indictment of the league from which they won it. I don't know what the Red Bull/Suzuki sponsorship money is going towards, but if you want your league to maintain any respectability then it's probably best to put some assets towards making sure the ultimate prize isn't been held together by whatever held my 1st grade tee-ball trophy together. Just saying, might be a tough sell to recruit some overseas talent when they see a guy that should be triumphantly hoisting a trophy over his head as part of a Kodak moment frantically trying to jam the pieces back together like a frustrated father on Christmas morning. I don't think the guys playing puck over in Austria have any unrealistic preconceived notions about their level of competition, but it would still be nice to let them celebrate a championship without promptly being made aware of how insignificant it is. On the bright side, it will definitely be less physically taxing to guzzle beer out of it.. LBS- Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly attacking a photographer.
TMZ reports that Harden is accused of shoving a photographer who walked up to him in Hollywood and asked for the four-time All-Star’s opinion about Donald Trump. The cameraman claims he broke his finger because it was caught in the camera when Harden pushed him. The photographer filed a police report, and officers are trying to determine if there is any evidence to support the allegation. Harden has not been charged with any crime. Do the paparazzi have guaranteed contracts? If not, then TMZ should have already bought this dude a first class ticket to the unemployment line. Simply can't have guys on your roster that don't perform through a little pain under pressure packed circumstances. As Mike Singletary so infamous said, "cannot play with them, cannot win with him, cannot coach with him, can't do it". This man - whose job it is to pry information from the most enigmatic people in the world - was presented with the perfect "no excuses, play like a champion" moment , and he immediately (also quite literally) called for backup. Never mind the fact that he failed miserably in fulfilling his job requirements. What does the African American NBA player think of Donald Trump?!? No one wants to hear about the injury you got missing a tackle that led to a touchdown, and no one wants to fill out your police report when you had an athlete that's marred in actual controversy and you asked him about his political affiliation. There are thousands of questions a street walking "journalist" should be asking James Harden before he gets to his presidential opinion. For starters, how does it feel knowing that he's the primary reason that an NBA head coaching job has become undesirable? What's it like now that the Houston Rockets have become an unattractive destination for free agents solely because he makes Carmelo Anthony look like a selfless, facilitating point forward? Why did he go from an MVP candidate on a championship contender to a derelict on the most underwhelming team in the NBA in the span of one calendar year? Hell, at the very least get some Kardashian info. Not saying this guy deserved a broken finger, but his interrogation made Dwight Howard sound self aware. James Harden probably shouldn't be putting his hands on invasive members of the media, but - much like a hockey player turning his back on the play at the last second - this dude put himself in a position to get hit and he should be held responsible for properly bracing himself for the contact. Either that, or be prepared for everyone to ignore your digital injury and praise James Harden for finally showing that he does - in fact - know how to get defensive.
Will the real Kevin Durant please stand up? I repeat, will the real Kevin Durant please stand up!?! I honestly never know what to expect out of this guy. In fact, I don't even know what I just watched. Pretty sure he just went from smiling ear-to-ear to doubling up Dion Waiters with some derogatory language in about a half second. At first I thought he was kidding, but that second "fuck you" and the chest bump really sold me on his sincerity. Not that I have a problem with an NBA superstar getting pissy because he got the ball a second later then he wanted it and his job was made slightly more difficult. That's par for the course in professional basketball, but generally I know which personalities to watch at the tee box to see some good old fashioned inter-team dominance established. Kobe used to be a lock for some in-game ridicule. LeBron usually waits until after the game to subtly put them in their place on social media. James Harden is more of a passive guy that just treats his teammates like they are actually invisible when he's upset. But KD? I didn't think he would be one to openly disparage his own, and maybe that's the problem. Maybe I should have expected the unexpected from Kevin Durant. After all, he's the same guy that went from calling Mark Cuban an idiot in one press conference to responding to a harmless question with a vow of silence just a few nights later. He's the guy that sometimes demands the ball and looks like the most unstoppable player in the world, and other times where he just stands idly by and let's Russell Westbrook shoot the Thunder out of the game. I don't know if his disapproval was an overreaction to Dion Waiters making him look stupid for waving his arms on a play he eventually scored on anyway or if it was his way of demanding excellence. Sadly, because it's Kevin Durant we are talking about, I don't think I ever will. YardBarker- In a story on ESPN, Guillen said that he interviewed for the White Sox job the day after an all-night party, celebrating the then Florida Marlins (whom he coached for) winning the World Series in 2003. “We started drinking all kinds of drinks. Bad idea. I drank a little bit and overslept for my interview. I had a very nice night but the next day was miserable. The alarm rang, my wife woke me up and I said ‘No. I don’t want to go.'” The flight didn’t do anything to sober Ozzie up or jog his memory. Even today, he remembers that the interview with Kenny Williams took place at a restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. Aside from that, Guillen can’t remember a thing, nearly 13 years later. “I was in Naperville. That’s where Kenny Williams wanted to interview. It was a little private restaurant. I don’t even know what kind of restaurant it was. I don’t know what kind of questions he asked me or what kind of answers I gave him. We sat in the restaurant and had black coffee and and water, club soda water, because I was afraid that I’d have to get up in the middle of the conversation. I did the best I could but that day, I don’t remember anything.” “Thank God I got the job because if I didn’t get the job, I’d have to explain to my family why, because alcohol was involved. That’s not a good example for you, your family, or a good example for your kids. I guess I’ve been lucky. I didn’t know what I was talking about.” I don't think I am breaking any news by saying this, but I can't emphasize it enough. Going into an interview feeling the way that Ozzie Guillen apparently was is the single dumbest thing you can do if you actually want the job. On the other hand, if I were the one doing the hiring - especially for a leadership position in professional sports - it's the exact state I would want my candidates to be in. You want to truly get a read on somebody? Cut away all the fluff? Get past all the schmoozing and ass kissing? Drop all the pleasantries and get right down to business? Bring them in when they are still a little drunk, a little hungover, and maybe a little jet lagged. Sit them down when they are so beaten and battered by the effects of alcohol and travel that they can barely put two thoughts together without deeply massaging their forehead. If a person can make perfect sense of a game as intricate as baseball in those moments then you can bet your ass they can manage a Major League ball club. When you give someone an opportunity to run your billion dollar operation day in and day out for a minimum of 162 games a year you do so with the understanding that things aren't always going to be sunshines and rainbows. It's easy to accept a man at his strongest when you felt comfortable enough hiring him when he was at his weakest. Man has simply never been in a more vulnerable state then when exiting an aircraft with booze on the breathe, a massive headache, and a waning will to live. If a person can impress in that precarious of a situation* then they can undoubtedly handle anything else that is thrown their way - ESPECIALLY if it is an overly intrusive member of the media. God bless Ozzie Guillen... * I suppose an important caveat is that your hangover be a result of celebrating the pinnacle of your success in the same field for which you happen to be interviewing. Shouldn't Be A Surprise That Carson Palmer Feels "Addicted" To The Idea Of Winning A Super Bowl5/19/2016 “Playing quarterback in the National Football League, getting to the Super Bowl is an incredible challenge,” Palmer said, via The Arizona Republic. “That’s why I’m still playing. I (strive) for it. You get addicted to it.”
The up and down nature of his career? The oft-predictably unpredictable performances late in the season? This is like when a friend suddenly drops 20 pounds and becomes ridiculously irritable, but you don't think anything of it until you find out he's been popping prescription pills. It makes perfect sense. I can't believe we didn't notice this before. Carson Palmer is addicted to postseason football. That's why he experiences so many mood swings once he gets the smallest taste of it. The most successful quarterbacks take it one game at a time, but he simply can't be trusted to handle it in moderation. All it takes is one tiny hit and all his decisions become completely compromised. What narcotics abusers call a relapse, Carson Palmer calls the playoffs. Those 13 straight interceptions he threw to the Carolina defense were nothing more than the football equivalent of sucking dick for coke. They were subconscious cries for help adequately disguised as desperate attempts to fulfill his championship fix. He's so obsessed with winning a Super Bowl that the mere thought of getting to one makes him act in ways which lead you to believe that he's better off not getting to one. God forbid he ever appears in the big game. No telling what kind of mess he would get himself into trying to procure his drug of choice. One can only imagine the inevitable overdose we would have to bear witness to... h/t YardBarker Credit to Joe Thornton for interacting with some extroverted away fans, but how different does this scene look if San Jose wasn't absolutely burying St. Louis? Probably wouldn't be too many new wrinkles to work into his prototypical white guy dance routine if the Sharks were on the verge of heading home two games in the hole in the Conference Finals. That head nod/shoulder shrug combo is reserved for well in doubt winning efforts only. If the Blues put a couple of good shifts together and netted a few goals then Jolly Joe, his warm smile, and welcoming Santa Claus beard would have turned into the pissed off old guy at the end of the bar whose dark eyes and weathered facial hair speak of a treacherous past faster than those girls could say "oh em gee!". No idea how a group of chicks that are such diehard hockey fans that they are preoccupied with dancing through their team's bitter, bitter defeat got such great seats, but I'm glad Jumbo Joe was in a good enough mood to give them their money's worth. Safe to say their team's performance certainly didn't. |
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