Ron Artest

I'm the biggest Ron Artest fan there is.

I hated his guts with his cocky thug attitude and how he seemed to not care about the game.

I hated his guts on the Pacers when he fought the crowd.

I hated his guts when he was on the Rockets and fouled Kobe every play and got in his face when Kobe let a little elbow loose.

But that's why I love him.

Without the Ron Artest's of the NBA every game is an All-Star Game. I'm pretty deep into Bill Simmons's, Book of Basketball and reading about the old NBA. Like the time when Kermit Washington literally almost killed Rudy Tomjanovich with a punch later deemed "The greatest punch in the history of mankind," or when McHale straight-up clotheslined Kurt Rambis's bitch-ass.

I want the passion. I want the Bad Boys of Detroit again. I want Rodman again. I want an enemy that everyone hates. I want some rivalry. Look at the rivalry games in NCAA football, they dont just want to win, they want to crush each other. If you get hurt you're a pussy. This is the men's league, son.

I'm writing this right now because I just watched the Heat vs. Cavs game. A game that epitomized everything that's wrong in the NBA today. First, before the game everyone hugged and kissed and put on their makeup. The final score was 102-86 Cavs, a close game for most of it. But let me provide a play-by-play of the 3rd quarter. Lebron walks the ball up-court, tosses to Shaq in the post he turns makes. Wade walks the ball up-court, tosses to Beasely on the baseline, no one within 10 ft. so he sinks the 10 footer. etc. etc. Here's where it really grinded my gears. Lebron pushes the ball on the break, goes for a between the legs pass back to Hickson, Wade intercepts. Then, instead of Wade being pissed the other team tried this or Lebron being pissed he made a moronic play trying to look cool, they both smile. Wade pushes the ball back up-court laughing, Lebron nonchalantly jogs back laughing (Cavs are up by 2 in the third at this point). Wade drives runs into Shaq on a no-question foul on Shaq but nothing is called. Instead of Wade reaming the refs he just starts laughing, again. GARBAGE. You think if Rodman or Wade or Bird or Magic were Shaq right there and dropped a real foul hat Wade would be laughing? Most likely they'd pretend to be hurt and fake limp back to the bench. What are sports without passion, rivalry, and utter hatred towards your opponents? They're an exhibition. Think about it, how much more did we like Phil v. Tiger when we thought they hated each other? And that's golf! If Phil kicked Tiger's bag after he stuck one and smirked I would instantly become the biggest Phil fan of all time. So I propose this, get rid of the Dream Team. Is there any question we have the best basketball players on earth? No. don't let these guys hangout and become butt-buddies. In fact, if it wasn't illegal I say the media should make up stories to make these guys hate each other. Then, trade Artest, Raja Bell, Bruce Bowen (I know he's retired but RIP his NBA career), Kenyon Martin, and JR Smith to the Bobcats to join Gerald Wallace and give everyone in the league someone to hate. Not hate like Joke Noah or Varejao, because they're gay, overly passionate for their skills, and have stupid hair, but HATE. Let them beat the shit out of Lebron or Wade. I want to see another Carmelo bitch-slap. Granted that's exactly what it was, but at least he had the right idea. I mean that would've knocked me or McGowan out instantly (he's listed at 6'8 230). Yeah right he's 230 more like 260. So lets see some enemies. Lets see some rivalry. Ron Artest punch Lebron in the finals and see how soft he is. I mean Barkley one time form-tackled Shaq. I mean shit, is toughness not a key attribute in the NBA anymore?

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. In the middle of reading Bill Simmons's Book of Basketball.

Will someone explain in detail what the Franchise Tag is in the NFL and why everyone hates it when they get it?

(I'm lookin to Tighe or McGowan here)

People Say I look Like Lane Kiffin

What a couple of weeks we have had in sports. Between Urban Meyer, Mike Leach, Mark McGwire, Pete Carroll, and the NFL Playoffs, in addition to great college hoops, I haven’t really done anything other than loaf in front of the TV. Somewhere, though, Tiger Woods is breathing a sigh of relief for finally having entered that “my-private-life-is-finally-not-the-center-of-the-sports-world” stage that inevitably comes with all controversies. One particular topic which really grinds my gears though is Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee for Southern Cal this past week.

For a number of reasons:

(Before I begin, I would like to say that I am responding only to what I have seen on TV and in the papers. I probably should have done more research about some of the controversial issues I will bring up, but I think I would rather not. Doing so might endanger my argument, or worse, change my opinion of that scumbag.)

How can you sign a contract, as Kiffin did with Tennessee, and then simply get up and leave? What is the point of even signing a contract? Seriously? Don’t contracts exist so that there is a binding agreement for the signer to the employer? Now I will be the first to admit that I personally know almost nothing about these things, and there might even be a good explanation for it (such as a buyout or something). But as I see it, if a coach came to the school/team I root for, and signed a multiple year contract, I would expect him to honor it for at least two years, hence “multiple”. Kiffin did no such thing. Screw him.
I want to make myself clear that I understand why ho took the job, the reasons are obvious: better pay, larger recruitment pool, better looking undergraduates with whom one can cheat on their spouse, etc. That said I don’t blame him for wanting the SC job. What pisses me off, though, are the outside circumstances involved with his decision.

Broken Promises

After promising a celebratory singing of “Rocky Top” after a victory against Florida, he indirectly swore an oath to fans and players that he will do what it takes to not only remove Florida from the SEC throne, but also to move Tennessee into the upper echelon of college football once again. Many coaches make bold decisions when they are hired; doing so gives fans and programs hope and inspiration that they have finally found the guy for the job. Unfortunately for Kiffin this decision was about as bad as Mark May’s to wear sunglasses to the BCS title game. What the hell was that all about anyway?

Kiffin allegedly showed a video to Tennessee recruits last March saying “We’re gonna make Tennessee the USC of the South, the USC of the east coast.” In other words, he was promising to rebuild a dynasty at Tennessee while assuring these players that Southern Cal was not his bag, and that he would be around for years. Believing Kiffin then would be like believing your average greasy used-car salesman whom most educated Americans know they shouldn’t trust. That’s what makes Kiffin even nastier; he was selling to UNeducated Americans in these gangster high school players. (I know that statement may be a little risky, but so was The Rock’s decision to accept a role as a hockey playing tooth fairy. Why did he do that? Was he trying to kill his career? And why didn’t the creator of “The U” have a special segment on The Rock’s off-field activities? You know they were preposterous.) Back to Kiffin though…

Kiffin screwed over the student athletes

The announcement was made on the morning of Wednesday the 13th, the day that second semester classes started at Tennessee. Kiffin had recruited a few players who graduated early from high school so that they could enroll at Tennessee 2nd semester 2010, not an uncommon practice. Now as I understand it, if they were in class on Wednesday the 13th they were considered enrolled at Tennessee. They were likely informed of his decision on Tuesday evening, and had between then and the next day of classes to make a decision on their Tennessee careers. They had maybe 24 hours to decommit from Tennessee (as I believe some players did), and find other schools to play for, if they so desired. What doesn’t get publicized is how these high schoolers -turned college students who did indeed decommit from Tennessee now have a whole semester off to do what they please—whether it be gamble, drink, smoke crack or hold up gas stations (lets be honest there is a reason the Tennessee football program is under NCAA review presently). These kids probably made the decision to graduate early from high school sometime in early 2009, undoubtedly because of Kiffin’s influence on them, and now that he is gone to pursue his own interests he has left these men in the dust. They could decide to stay at Tennessee for good, or stay this semester and then transfer (which would require sitting out for a year due to NCAA regulations), or decommit from Tennessee and find another school to enroll in, perhaps following him to USC. But they had to make this decision before they were enrolled at Tennessee, else they were considered a student. They undoubtedly went through a ton of difficulties (registering in and out of high school and college, trying to convince their babies mama’s they’ll stay faithful, etc.), just to get in to Tennessee early, all for naught. Needless to say, Kiffin has totally screwed these players for a number of years.

Eligibility

People say how “great of a fit” it is that Kiffin is now the head man at USC. Why? He didn’t do much at Tennessee (7-6), and certainly not with the Oakland Raiders (5-15-1). What does he know about (re)-building a dynastic college football program? Sure he may have the pieces around him (Orgeron, his father Monte), but that doesn’t necessarily equate to success for a 34 year-old never-was. Unless he has privately proven himself to the SC athletic brass, to me this was not a good hire. Good luck to him though. He has a difficult road ahead of him, trying to restore SC to Pac-10 dominance amid the Reggie Bush controversy. And its funny that Kiffin went from one school filled with questions concerning NCAA regulations to another in USC and the Reggie Bush compliance issues. Gotta love doing whatever it takes to win!

The only reasonable outcome, as I see it, is for the NCAA to somehow allow these kids who have committed to the original coach, (notice I don’t say school because the actual academic institution is not why they committed in the first place, it’s the coach), to go with the coach. Chances are the new school, like USC, can afford to give scholarships to these kids. They should be able to justify letting a top SEC recruit commit to their program. But as I said before, I am almost positive it is much more difficult and complicated than I propose. The NCAA is really not that great of an organization, especially without Myles Brand at the top. It is tough to find a comparison to the NCAA, but I know that when push comes to shove the NCAA will usually choose whatever decision allows for them to make a greater profit. Screw Lane Kiffin. He is, and always will be, a villain who is bad for college football.

Good Morning Passionate Fans

As I sit brain-dead, index finger in nose at my computer on this wonderful Monday morning after a long weekend, I'd like to thank you for accepting me as a contributor to the blog. I have read through previous posts and can say that I am as excited as Pat Foley after a simple re-direct, Stacy King during a menial replay or Hawk Harrelson when he sees cotton candy to be a part of this cyber sports fellowship. With that said, I look forward to more postings.

Things I thought About This Weekend (Part II)

I think I'm gonna stick with this title for a lot of my posts, because often while watching sports I am also dealing with something else which needs to be publicized. In no particular order, here we go...

-Nicklas Lidstrom is pretty old (39), and pretty slow. He was beaten really badly against the Blackhawks a few nights ago by Troy Brouwer, who is also not the fastest. This is good news for Blackhawks fans, as he's been pretty nasty for the Wings for a long time. Which reminds me...

-I saw former Hawk and Wing Chris Chelios on TV recently. He plays for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, the NHL's minor league affiliate. He turns 48 on January 25th. How he is able to still play intrigues me for a few reasons. Number one being the obvious physical implications all these years take on his body. He must be a health nut or something to keep playing. Number two is...doesn't he feel weird playing hockey with men much much younger than him? They are all trying to play well to get moved up, and he is trying to play well to...win? Can't imagine any NHL team signing him so it's interesting to see him still play. The guy is a rink rat, no question. Still the man though.

- I simply don't understand why some goalies in the NHL, particularly those who've played with the Hawks the last two seasons, aren't more active and physical with forwards trying to screen them by standing in front. I'm sure the rules are a little different from Illinois high school hockey and the NHL, but I used to regularly hack with full force at the exposed back-side of forwards' legs. And the Hawks goalies are often burned by this strategy (especially in the playoffs), yet the coaching staff continues to let opponents stand idly by without putting a man on him.

- I was driving up to northern Wisconsin for New Year's and heard a radio station's tagline after a song. Can't remember which one but it went "So-so's radio station: Central Wisconsin's radio station for older women".

What? And why was I listening to that station?

- I cannot stand talking about my personal life transition to people. And I'm at a really ambiguous point in my life too so its not like lying to people about it does anybody any good either.

- I just don't think Eric Berry is as good as everyone says he is. I haven't watched a lot of SEC football, but most of the highlights I've seen of him are just not that impressive. Like the one also on Tim Tebow's personal highlight reel where Tebow Truck-sticks over Berry.

-Taylor Mays has also been a disappointment for USC this year.

- The Sporting News article Kevin sent out (http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-12-28/coaching-you-call-work) is some of the hottest garbage I have ever read. I firmly believe that the guy who wrote that article did it not out of his personal, true feelings, but rather so that it would create a controversy. (For anyone who even reads the Sporting News, that is, Kevin...) There is no way he thinks those things, and if he actually does, well then he's an idiot. I was fortunate to be able to play 4 full seasons of college football, and I know that even for a small Division III head coach, the strain on one's family cannot be underestimated. In recruiting alone, the what-if's and coulda been's and the fact that teenagers do a lot of dumb stuff when they think they're the shiznit make a formidable argument for a guy like Urban Meyer to step down. Outside of recruiting, a regular day for most successful coaches -- head or assistant-- usually runs from five or six in the AM to 11 PM. My coach regularly had to miss his now 5 children's activities because he had to deal with some idiot player on our team, or some to-be idiot player from some white trash town in central southern Illinois. Because of this strain, my coach also had to step down this Fall. I'm sure whatever Meyer is going through is legitimate, and the effects on one's family and personal health are much, much more significant than most casual observers of college football probably believe. When Meyer has to deal with dopes like Carlos Dunlap, in addition to sustaining great recruiting, vying for an SEC and national title, dealing with questions about a potential move to Notre Dame, and his family all in one, I think he deserves a little more slack.

-Israel Idonije has quite possibly the largest lips in the NFL.

- Raul Mondesi is running for mayor of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. I read this online recently..."His intellectual shortcomings are obvious," one political observer notes. "We don't know of one project that Raul Mondesi has submitted." This reminds me of when Heath Shuler ran for congress in North Carolina. But he actually won that vote....

- Finally, if anybody is still reading this, here is your reward. Earlier in this post I talked about not enjoying the transition my life is currently under. Well I have been applying for a lot of jobs recently, and apparently the potential employers have had a good laugh at my expense. One particular employer emailed me after I had applied, asking for a re-submission of my resume. So I obliged and thought nothing of it. She then responded again saying that twice now I had actually submitted an essay from a German history class this Fall that had the same title as my resume, simply "Tighe Burke". I have been sending out the same document--which I thought was actually my resume--to probably over 25 employers in the last month., including a guy who was essentially "hooking me up" with a potential job. I hate so many things right now.

- J.T. O'Sullivan is so ugly and bad I don't know honestly why he is under contract in the NFL. When he came in during the 3rd quarter against the Jets, I thought I was watching Dan Orlovsky again, except with a mullet so pathetic its not even worth mentioning in an amateur blog.