Welcome to this year's first post; I apologize. So, what have we missed since then?
-The rise and (current) fall of Oregon basketball, with special guest cameos from SI luminaries. -New Oregon football offensive co-ordinator, who will make the spread-option offense even harder to gameplan for. -The continued strong play of the Trail Blazers, including playing three overtime games out of four...and losing a bunch of games really close, including the "how many players need to pull to make Zach Randolph an All-Star?" lottery. Apparently, one more. Somebody, kneecap Dirk, please. -I don't know the specific news, but even if the Mariners' front office did nothing, it was wrong.
but that's all in the past, and if you don't know how to find out about the past, well, here's somebody to talk to. Let's talk about the future.
-on Friday, Brandon Roy will be in the Rookie-Sophomore game at the five-ringed circus that is the NBA's All-Star Game. I'm just praying he doesn't injure anything...and for this reason, I'm glad nobody else is participating in the Sin City festivities, because they could use the rest and relaxation, especially after this four-game streak.
-the Ducks have games on the road in the Bay this weekend, hosting the Washington schools next, and closing out against the Beavers at home on March 3. The Pac-10 tourney is after that, and God forbid that being our only way to get into the big dance. We need to play defense and rebound - it's as simple as that, the offensive end of the game is going great guns.
-I'll find out more about the Mariners and write about them later, but right now, my mood is a justified "apathetic." why? Bad offseason moves, trading away proven young talent, and the supreme possibility Ichiro gets traded before the all-star break. Call me cynical, but...
-Williams has a big blue-chip new sponsor - AT&T - and could be a mid-pack team again this year. Yay! Arsenal is going well too, just getting past Bolton today 3-1 in an FA Cup Replay to advance...UEFA Champions League play resumes next week, and I'm crossing my fingers their game against PSV Eindhoven is on ESPN, preferably on Tuesday.
-headband: check. wristband: check. sleeveless t-shirt and great big shorts? check. Intramural basketball, here I am. It's a lot of fun - hey, we won our first game last week! - and it's a fun way to be active.
Link of the Day: FreeDarko's Valentines Day spectacular discussing, nebulously, love and basketball - two great tastes that go well together. FD is necessary reading anyways, and this post today isn't in the intellectual atmosphere, so please read it.
First and foremost, quick words about the Vegas Bowl
appropriate for the game and the end of the season. photo: associated press, goducks.com
Disappointment. That's about the only way to describe the second half of the Ducks' football season. After starting 4-0 and sniffing the heady heights of a top-10 ranking, the emperor was proved to be naked and the Ducks were shown to be Pac-10 pretenders without any heart.
Heart, in college football terms, can do many wonderful things. It lifted up the Beavers and Arizona after slow starts to the season; it almost brought the Ducks back in the Civil War against Oregon State. And, the lack of it meant the Ducks folded up like a house of cards in games against Cal, Washington State, Arizona, and BYU. Wasting talent and bringing a poor attitude into the games is what killed the Ducks, not any lack of talent.
There needs to be an attitude change in Oregon football, and it needs to happen soon. How? I don't know, nor do I care. if this means hiring, firing, shifting jobs or whatever...just get it done. Because the only thing more disappointing to Oregon Duck faithful on Thursday night than the ugly new helmets was the lack of fighting spirit.
Now onto something happier: Five out of six for the Blazers, and only two points away from a six-game winning streak
The two players who will determine the future success of a franchise. NBA.com/Trail Blazers
B-roy's back, Z-bo's still averaging about 25 and 10, the Blazers are playing defense (except last night...) and Rip City is about to re-awaken, I can feel it. I don't like Roy running from the point as much (though having him playing 2-guard and touching the ball a lot is alright, and him at point to give JJ a break is also okay, though why we wouldn't just use Sergio is beyond me...) but having him on the court just adds an electrifying element to the game and lifts the spirits of the team as a whole.
Aldridge needs to be worked in slower than Roy, but that's alright - he'll get his soon. Jack is playing really well, Magloire is upgrading his trade value, and everybody's healthy. Playoffs are a ways away and still a dream, and I do doubt we'll make them, but - and this is a good thing - I think we're out of the Oden Sweepstakes.
Quick hit on Duck Basketball
We're in the top 20, we're in ESPN.com's Power 16 for the first time (and also, importantly, ahead of UW in that ranking), and we're still undefeated. I think it's officially time to get excited. More on the team after I get to watch them again.
Taking the Four Letter Network to task over some unimportant athlete
It's okay that nobody on ESPN knows who you are; it's another sign that the United States only cares about auto racing if it turns left for 500 miles. Photo: fiafoundation.com
the Page 2 writer, Patrick Hruby, wrote on Schumacher:
"When Schumacher announced his retirement in October (something I learned, by the way, when my editors asked me to write this), I missed it. Completely. Just like the rest of his career. And I like it that way. The downside of our cultural cacophony is the downside of Las Vegas buffets. You end up stuffed and dazed, full of food you don't even like, knowing far too much -- which is to say, anything -- about the life and times of, say, Paris Hilton.
Actually, I don't mean to pick on Hilton, or anyone that cares about her. It could be political hacks arguing on "The Today Show." It could be Rex Grossman and Does he have what it takes to lead the Bears to the Super Bowl? It could be Schumacher driving really, really fast. None of these subjects are intrinsically good or bad. Nor is the larger conversation encompassing them. The problem lies in the expectation our ceaseless, ever-expanding conversation creates:
That you need to know. About everything.
No, you don't.
Schumacher's gone. Life goes on, essentially unchanged. Just because people talk doesn't mean you have to listen."
...okay, I get the point: a breath of fresh air is necessary in the busy world we live in. I get it. However, please don't belittle a great athlete's career to prove that point.
it would only have taken two minutes to go to formula1.com to check his career stats, see the records he holds, and throw a small paragraph in about how he dominated Formula 1 in his 16-year career. A sentence about how he was both a ruthless competitor, never settling for second place, and a great humanitarian; my suggestions for American athlete comparisons? Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter. A guy who does it the right way and isn't ostentatious or flagrant in a T.O.-esque manner. And, in the world's most-watched sport and the highest pinnacle of a form of sports, a man who was absolutely dominant (if he'd won the 2006 championship - or hadn't screwed up in 1997 or been injured in 1998 - he would have won an unheard of 8 titles - second place having 5 - in 16 years. .500).
But, instead, he gets slighted, and it just further proves that America doesn't care about motorsports unless it involves NASCAR, which is a shame - NASCAR is a bad product, and Formula 1, sports car racing, MotoGP, and rallying are all very engaging to watch, especially in person. More actual meat is given to French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane - a man who never played competitively in the United States, which is ridiculous considering Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix multiple times.
maybe it's just me - knowing too much about a sport many people don't care about - but should I feel as slighted as I do?
I want to implode the Seattle Mariners’ front office right this very second. I can’t take another year of this, I just can’t. The lack of ambition, the lack of a big name in the off season (though there still is faint hope for that and it is the symptom of the first) and the flat-out idiocy of Bill Bavasi is frustrating and infuriating. For a franchise that was on the brink in the late ‘90s and was one win away from owning the all-time single-season wins record in 2001 to turn into a cellar dweller with no ambition is absolutely maddening for a fan.
The offseason after the 2004 season was the turning point. Even though we did manage to get Sexson and Beltre, this was the season of Beltran being a free agent and, while we did need the first- and third-base options, you have to imagine we made the wrong contract year choice in the end. Sexson has played admirably, hitting a lot of long balls but still whiffing a lot, but it’s doubtful Beltre, for all his defensive brilliance (and he *has* been brilliant defensively), will ever match his 2004 batting production ever again.
Last year was much the same. We need a top of the line pitcher to replace Freddy Garcia; who’s our big free agent purchase? Jarrod Washburn. Jarrod freaking Washburn. Another player with one good year and not much else.
So what do we do this year needing another top-shelf pitcher and a big bat. Who do we get? Miguel Batista from the D-backs, Jose Guillen for the outfield and Jose Vidro for some prospects.
I’m sorry, but am I the only one frustrated by all of this?!
This franchise needs a reinvigoration. The only real solution left is to go get Barry Zito for far too much money. We still need a top pitcher, and the bats should fill out in the lineup. But we need something to help the gate draws, and the only solution is a big-name free agent – Matsuzaka would’ve been too perfect, given the intrinsic Japanese ties the club has but we got outspent by the hellbent Red Sox – and sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Plus, imagine what a guy like Zito – who still has plenty of years of that nasty curveball left in him – can teach our young pitchers. King Felix behind Zito? It makes me drool.
Not only to improve the draw, but the Mariners need to do this just to show some ambition. Ichiro deserves better, and I’m afraid that a player and man who is the cornerstone of our franchise will want to leave sooner rather than later if we don’t appear to be anything but a cellar dweller for the fourth consecutive season. Even worse, I’m afraid he’ll be traded before he can leave for free.
The Mariners are my team; I’m from the northwest, and I’ve followed them since I was a child. Seeing the M’s play the A’s in the Kingdome was the first professional sports game I ever went to see and I’ve watched much of the season on TV since those dome days. I just don’t want to see a great team be any less than the best, and after being so close to see what’s happened is saddening.
more on the Blazers, Ducks (we're No. 22!) and the imploding Seahawks later. Blazer update after their game tonight against the Clippers.
last night I spent at least an hour watching basketball player mixes on YouTube. Seriously, we just kept throwing out all-time names - Dominique, Larry Legend, Clyde the Glide, Larry "Granmama" Johnson, MJ, Karl Malone, Charles "break your fingers with a block" Barkley...and the beat goes on.
Here's a couple of the best I found last night:
First off, Bron-Bron is just filthy. He's just doing this for his own amusement in warm-ups. This is what would happen if he entered the Dunk Contest in LV...
Spanish Chocolate, Sergio Garcia, in action for Spain over the summer. Kid needs to get that three-ball working for the Blazers on a regular basis, he's already got the speedy dishes under control.
Chuck, the round mound of rebound. As alluded to above, it's not the dunks that are best - though the explosiveness is ridiculous - but his blocks. Good god. Watch a couple of the taunts afterwards too, lol.
Clyde the Glide, Portland's finest. Free-throw line dunks just never get old, too. I want one of the old Blazer Drexler HWC jerseys like nobody's business, I love the old wordmark.
----
I only watched the last five or six minutes of the second half of the Oregon-Georgetown game, but damn, I was impressed. We were playing some ridiculous defense - without any big men! Against a team led by a big man! Mind explode! Now we're 6-0, and I think we should be able to clear out the rest of our out-of-conference schedule. God, we could be ranked soon. I can't handle this, I just can't. Pac-10 games are going to rock.
We accepted the Las Vegas Bowl bid, and will play BYU on December 21. Should be an exciting game, and certainly going to Vegas is better than going to El Paso, Texas.
Blazers play the Magic tomorrow at home. Can't remember the rest of their schedule, but I'm still happy with their play after watching (briefly) the game against Indiana. How we can stay in a game shooting less than 40% is....absolutely incredible. We're losing, but not because we're a sopping mess on the court, but through inexperience.
Sorry for the lack of timeliness, but I wasn't online for much of the weekend...I still have thoughts and opinions on the Civil War and the Blazers though.
13,500 or so people in the 18,000-capacity Rose Garden, but it was a pretty good atmosphere in the 4th quarter
Blazers pull out win in end of fourth quarter, impress hell out of Robo-Duck As promised and advertised, I went to the Blazers-Nets game on Wednesday, Nov. 22. My dad and I drove up in the rainy Portland evening, bought tickets up in the 300 section, and got some food, a couple beers, and took in the NBA pre-game atmosphere. With just a few minutes until game time the Rose Garden was surprisingly (and sadly) a little empty, but by the end of the first quarter the listed attendance of almost 14,000 had almost completely filed in and the Garden filled a bit. The upper parts of the lower bowl looked a bit empty, but the corners and ends of the 300-level bowl – aka the cheap seats – were pretty full.
The other note on atmosphere: I’m a bit too used to Autzen and, even, Mac Court. The PA and organ-runner were trying their hardest to get the crowd into it, but it took the Blazers making comebacks to really get the Garden rocking. At least they didn’t pipe in non-stop hip-hop during the game, like I’ve heard on TV in some arenas; not that I don’t like hip-hop – quite the opposite – it’s just my opinion on American teams playing too much music during sporting events.
The game itself really showed me a lot about the Blazers this year...
-Another slow start – Kristic scored 6 of the first 8 points for the Nets, and we were quickly down 13-4 or so. Even more shockingly in the end of the first quarter and into the second, Z-bo had more time on the bench then in the game – Nate sat him early and let Aldridge and Magloire get some quality time in the game. Tactically, it made sense, but it was sad to see LaMarcus on the bench for much of the second half.
In your eye - I believe that was Aldridge on the block, might've been Magloire
-We let Kristic run all over us, which I’m okay with – make their weaker link score on us. Better than leaving VC open to score 35...oops, never mind, that happened too. Jefferson played in his first game back from injury, and scored 16.
I think I'm officially in the Sergio Garcia Fan Club by now
-Spanish fucking Chocolate…my oh my, I like what he brings to the game. He didn’t see much time in the second half – Jarret Jack played well and heated up on shots in the second half, keeping Sergio on the bench, but when they were both playing on the court in the middle of the second quarter I loved the passing and the small-guard play. Sergio needs to learn a bit more when to play an ‘ordinary’ offense and when to utilize his court vision to whip those passes out to the wings (or, in one case in the second half, over his head to a man behind him), because always making the long pass is going to be too predictable in the future. Very talented young player, though. Very talented.
-Zach Randolph is looking very comfortable once he gets his motor going in the game. See also the comments about a slow start. Randolph had 21 of his 25 points in the second half – including all nine of his free throws – but was mysteriously missing in the first. Also, Magloire played very well – he might be finally adapting to Nate’s play style and the Blazers in general.
-Outlaw was great in the game as well. Udoka played well for his minutes, but you can’t help but think that he’s a stop-gap starter until Roy comes back from injury. Ime got into foul trouble too early.
Z-bo has one a mug above the bar at the free throw line this year. He's a regular by now.
-Z-bo lead with 25 points and Jack had 17, but the Blazers had four players with more than 10 points versus the Nets’ three. It’s a small stat, but it really states how team-oriented Portland played on Wednesday, though that may be a rotation more by necessity than anything else.
-"Pilgrim Blaze" brought out a bunch of little kids onto the floor between the first and second quarter and asked them what they were thankful for. Stock answers until the final two: "I don’t live in New Jersey" and "The Blazer Dancers." From little kids younger than ten years old. Awesome.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Blazers experience, $8 Drop Tops aside. I really get a good feeling from this team this year, and if they keep playing like they did last night – even if they don’t win and steal comebacks – they will have my support. This team will be even better next year, which is a scary thought and, not too sadly, I think we may be out of the Greg Oden sweepstakes.
Celebration, bitches. What a come-from-behind victory.
Duck Football: Can I get a kicker?
The hardest place to be today after the Civil War was not in the Oregon Duck locker room, where the players were left to ask “what if we had a real kicker?” nor in the head office of the Oregon athletic department, where they must be counting the lost pennies, nickels and dimes from missing out on the third-ranked bowl game for the Pac-10.
No, the hardest place to be was my parent’s house in suburban Portland.
Why?
I’m the only Duck in the family.
Yeah. Painful, isn’t it?
So when I’m normally turning to my roommates and joking about “buying a call” or getting a little help from the zebras, instead I have my dad yelling about Phil Knight and booster checks to the Pac-10 refs. Instead of my friend Jake painted up in green and yellow with the wig and his Hawaiian board shorts, I’ve got my dad, mom and sister all in orange. I think the dog’s even rooting for the Beavers too.
Such is the price to pay to be the splintered end in a rivalry split, but hell…at least we didn’t get blown out this year.
That sound you hear is me jumping off the Dixon bandwagon, eating crow and crying about the Ducks' Civil War loss all in one motion.
Brady Leaf impressed me. After booing him at times this year and last when he’s swaggered onto the field to help stop the bleeding or save Dixon’s ass from the fire, this time I instead looked forward to what the junior could do in his first ever start. “Can’t be any worse than with Dennis in,” I thought.
And I was right. He played very well – 25 out of 43 passing for 272 yards and one touchdown and interception, which compares very well to the Hero of the Day, Oregon State’s Matt Moore, except for where the little W goes in the statistics. And, unlike in the past few weeks when offensive stuttering or defensive gaps have directly caused us to lose, this time it can be pinned on one person.
Or should I say on one leg?
Oh dear.
I don’t blame Matt Evenson for missing the kick; that was the sophomore’s third attempt this season, come on. Oregon State fans, remember, wanted to string up Alexis Serna after his miss to lose to LSU in his first ever college game. While this isn’t playing down in Baton Rouge against an SEC team, it wasn’t an easy kick, either.
No, the real goat of today was Paul Martinez. Leading the nation in touchdown runs by kickers isn’t the greatest stat to have, especially when your in-state rival has a Groza winner on the sideline contemplating how he’s going to change up his speech if he wins it again this year. Martinez missed two kicks that he absolutely needed to hit, and an inexplicable PAT – this is the equivalent of a free throw, and yes, the weather was crappy, but still, how can you miss that thing? And how can you push the other two field goals wide?
All the hard work done by Brady Leaf, Jonathan Stewart, and the stepping up by the Duck defensive line to force pressure on Moore and stop the run was pushed wide right by Paul Martinez three times. What a sad way to end a Civil War that was within our grasp.
At least San Francisco is a lot nicer place to visit than El Paso, Texas.
Early-week updates
So the Blazers got rocked two nights in a row after winning at home against the Nets. Sacramento just put their foot on our throats and we choked - not much can be done there - and the Suns were the Suns. We host the Pacers tonight, and we should be able to win this one - hell, the Raptors were able to stomp them over the weekend.
I still can't believe the Blazers have done this well - now, if we can just get Roy back, we'd have a hell of a youth movement going. I can't wait to see how well we can do with depth at the bigs back (Przybilla, La Frentz, and Aldridge all rotating with Z-bo at the 4 and 5? Oh god!) and Roy back. I hope that doesn't limit Sergio's minutes at the 1....I'm wondering how awesome a Garcia-Roy backcourt could be in five years. "Dominance" comes to mind.
Tomorrow night the Ducks men's basketball team plays at Georgetown in a real test of a game. I think we might be able to win it - though Hairston's return scares me regarding the balance of chemistry and having to use our big men a lot against the Hoyas' dominant front court does as well. If we stay close then we should be more than fine, I think. The real must-win is against Nebraska in over a week. I should go to that game...
Moos leaving is a bit of a shock to the athletic department, and I'm really, really wondering who's going to take over from him. I really hope it isn't Lannana or Bellotti - I love them as coaches, but they shouldn't double dip.
I feel like my dad whenever I've done something incredibly stupid - I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. I still love the Ducks, just now how they've been acting the last half of the season. O-fer on the road this season (save Fresno St.) and now Fortress Autzen is gone?
Basketball season is finally giving me hope and something reasonable to look forward to, as opposed to our likely Sun or Las Vegas Bowl invite. Ugggh.
Duck Basketball
We play Rice in Houston tonight (a game that starts soon actually) and this is one of the two pre-Pac-10 games against a real opponent that we absolutely have to win. Playing at Georgetown is going to be difficult, but if we're in that game next Wednesday than I'll be happy. However, we MUST beat Rice and Nebraska - they are winnable games. The rest of the non-conference games should be slam dunks; however, keeping in mind the only other team from Oregon we beat last year was Oregon State, I'm not taking anything for granted, yet just remaining confident and hopeful we'll head into conference play strongly this year.
Portland Trail Blazers
Z-bo pulling down a huge board last Saturday against the Nets, who I'm going to see in person in Portland on Wednesday night
Blazers get to host the Spurs tonight - yay, the league's most boring, ruthlessly efficient team! - and that one's on FSN at 7. Wednesday night we host the Nets - the game of destiny that I'm going to be headed up to - and that's also on at 7 on FSN.
the Blazers played very poorly on Friday night in Boston, winding up losing by more than 20 against a very poor Celtics team. However, the team got it turned around for Saturday night's game in New Jersey against the Nets. According to the Oregonian's Jason Quick, Jarret Jack was so distraught by the Friday night game that he couldn't go to bed and instead called up to coach Nate McMillan's hotel room...Nate had an equal amount of unrest and the two ended up watching that night's tape until about 3 in the morning.
God I love this level of dedication. Is this the franchise finally turning around to the positive side? Is this the bright new dawn, or at least it's first rays?
in other Blazer news, Miles will be out for the rest of the season with microfracture surgery on his bad knee. Z-bo and Amare Stoudemire have proven it takes more than a year to recover from the surgery, and Amare - after sitting out almost all of last season - is still a little tenuous. Watching the Suns' center's recovery is the biggest clue as to what Darius will expect because, just like Phoenix's big man, Miles' game relies on sheer athleticism - Miles is very talented, Amare is a freak, but they both rely on their bodies more than game knowledge, so seeing how Stoudemire recovers throughout this year should give us an idea.
Randolph is still doing well after playing most of last year on his own recovery. The man is just doing everything right. However, some within Blazerdom are calling for both their heads. What's my take? We figure out Randolph after this season, but Miles needs to go stat. Him being gone is a blessing (not even in disguise, it just is one) because it won't jack with the team's chemistry. However, he's really worthless to us with a bad knee...or if he's not going to recover properly and just be an 800-pound gorilla on the salary cap. I hope we do something with his contract sooner rather than later, but still wish to reserve judgment for Z-bo until he gets a full season's worth of testimony. He's got a hot start and a great month of November....he could build it into an All-Star season (which would ROCK) or he could go downhill. It's too hard to call right now.
I wish I was the great white "freak athlete," but I'm not, which is why I'm writing as opposed to playing sports. Watching and following more basketball has inspired me to pick up the rock more this year, though...I need to develop my ugly Shawn Marion jump shot into something a bit more textbook.
Expect a nice Time-Delayed Live Blog on the Blazer's Wednesday night game that night. I honestly can't wait.
oof. finally got the chance to watch the majority of a Blazer game on TV last night, and as they were playing the Cavs it meant I was also a Witness to the work of King James. LeBron is a player I hope to watch for a long time, because, as the announcers have said, he's likely the most unselfish superstar in recorded history. His sweet little no-look pass into the lane on a break in the second quarter tells the story of why James is already a great one just as much as his powerful dunk over about three Portland players in the fourth. The man is ridiculous, and the craziest part is just how effortless he makes his 30-7-7 line look. It's the most lunch-pail 30-7-7 you can possibly imagine.
Randolph played well - again - but looked fucking gassed in the fourth quarter.
The Blazers looked good, but they just looked tired. Z-bo lead the way again, but also looked a little dead on the court during the fourth quarter. He's doing much better - much better - to pass the ball when he gets it down low, but unfortunately him and our only current center, Magloire, just cannot work together on the court. Magloire is just garbage, so expect Aldridge to get a lot more playing time until the Vanilla Gorilla gets back from injury, which may be as soon as tomorrow.
the worst part is, while Randolph has some serious frequent shopper's points for the free-throw line this year, he was too tired to drain as many last night (only 12 for 20) as his season average (89%).
Roy needs to get back soon too, but right now our problem is *not* guard play. the real problem is starting out too slowly in the first quarter and not keeping the tempo just right.
You do not know how happy I am that the problems are just that - these are issues that good young teams have. Team chemistry and getting used to the rhythm of pro ball are easy things to work on - if players weren't hustling (like Randolph wasn't last year) or weren't playing enough defense (...okay, Martell needs help there) then that would be more of a problem.
Sergio Rodriguez (top) isn't having the same immediate impact as Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas (bottom), but they share one key factor.
A player that I cannot wait to see next week is Sergio Rodriguez. Spanish Chocolate isn't quite having the same immediate impact as my own personal favorite Catalan enfant terrible, Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal, but they share a few key factors. Both are young (duh), are very good passers for their respective sports, but what really makes them go is that both have wonderful minds and eyes for the game. During a time-out in the third quarter, Spanish Chocolate was over with Nate and was intently drawing up plays with the coach. This wasn't a struggle of figuring out what to do, but the look in his eyes said he was already understanding the game on a higher level and figuring out how to break down his opponents. And with his quickness and great passing, while we'll never be a true free-flowing team, you can tell why the Suns wanted him, and we're all the better on transitions and the break for having him on the court.
Untapped potential is fun, isn't it?
Just for the record, my three biggest resources for reading about basketball right now are the aforementioned Free Darko, for the aesthetic, TrueHoop for the best news on roundball (written by a Blazers fan no less!), and Blazer's Edge, for everything and anything on the Trail Blazers. I hope to send in my impressions of next week's Nets game to Dave at Blazer's Edge.
That's all for right now. Senior day recap for the Ducks' football team, impressions and season preview of the high-flying Duck men's basketball team, and - finally - a season review of the Mariners are all on the docket. Just over a week away from the Civil War too. Fun, crazy, hectic times ahead.
As a way to earn my sports blogging stripes, I've been reading one of the big ones for the better part of this year; however it's only been recently that I've started to read (as the season has fired up) some of the NBA blogs. One of the best, of course, is FreeDarko. What an inspiration they are - while True Hoop may be the best basketball blog, period, for news, Free Darko goes from the fan point of view and that includes the culture.
against FD code, I'm posting photos that aren't two or three logic steps away from the text
the thing I love about Shoals, DLIC, the Recluse and the rest of their crew is that they are so into the aesthetic of the NBA. No, not the uniforms, but in the color of the players' characters and how they play, both individually and within their teams. Observe this comment from a recent post on the subject:
"I was reading Ruskin this morning for class and stumbled across this: "There are, however, far nobler interests mingling, in the Gothic heart, with the rude love of decorative accumulation: a magnificent enthusiasm, which feels as if it could never do enough to reach the fulness of its ideal; an unselfishness of sacrifice, which would rather cast fruitless labour before the altar than stand idle in the market; and, finally, a profound sympathy with the fulness and wealth of the material universe..." Proto-F/Darko, no?"
indeed. This followed a post on Jalen Rose and also talking about how the Fab Five were a proto-FD team not for the flash but for the earnesty with which they played some round ball. While there is a certain pleasure in seeing well-run half-court offenses, seeing wide-open, creative college ball and a few choice NBA teams is much more fun and interesting in the long run. Begs the question "how should the game be played?"
Free Darko and NBA fans everywhere are hoping Amare returns to full, frightening power this year
I will watch the Suns non-stop this year. In part because Barbosa and a relatively healthy Amare are among the two most joyous performers we have in this league. But I'm also eager to see the evisceration of the team that tried to efface the real point of the running Suns. This wasn't just supposed to be a team that scored a lot—it was a cathartic exercise in basketball expression, the unlikely belief that playing loose and wild was not incompatible with NBA success. Shoals on the Suns, and also perfectly encapsulating what makes the game so fun.
I've been really on trying to watch the NBA and my Blazers this year. In the past I'd followed it with a cursory glance, noting when people got in trouble and the general ebbs and tides of the season; now, I'm more impressed with Z-bo's line for a given game or how the Blazers get the game-winner off.
run-and-gun soccer, total basketball - one in the same?
I think I've figured out why: the aesthetic of the NBA is much like that of soccer. Both flow as a rule of thumb; both have wonderful characters on and off the field/court; both can be played stodgily or with great, unbridled joy. For the Phoenix Suns of now or the great running Denver Nuggets teams of old, I present you with Arsenal under Wenger or the great Ajax and Dutch National teams fully under the influence of Total Football. The skill involved in running an up-tempo, pass-heavy soccer or basketball club is so similar, no wonder both are a joy to watch.
American football rarely sees such entertainers; in college ball the spread-option teams like the Ducks are about as close as you get, but in the NFL the only really entertaining player I can imagine is Reggie Bush. Barry Sanders was, too. Football works on clock-like precision and perfect execution of set plays; the individual is as far removed as possible. The best teams are precise, not creative; the best touchdown plays are obvious, while the best goals and some of the best basketball dunks and plays come out of nowhere.
Roma's second goal and the winner at Milan last weekend. Try and watch the first pass that leads off to the left - one of the better moves in a while, and the fluid three-touch goal is absolutely gorgeous. This, not defensive shells and ten-men-behind-the-ball play, is why soccer is the beautiful game...[edit] the youtube embed isn't working, so links it is sadly.
While basketball may feature more points on the board, both it and soccer have a natural rhythm to the game, to the up-and-down of attack, a rhythm that can change from a funeral dirge (Chelsea, the triangle offense) to a samba beat (the Suns, Arsenal, Brazil). No wonder both are the truly universal sports of the world.
sorry for the lack of updates, but this weekend shall provide a bunch of fodder. Here's a quick preview:
-Duck Football - vs. USC at the Coliseum. This game will be the difference between the Holiday and Sun Bowls for the Ducks and Trojans this year. I'm a little worried that USC's staunch defense will come out swinging and keep their stuttering offense in the game, but...well, their defense allowed Matt Moore to run rampant on them, so there you go. And while others are worried about USC's talented receivers, those same receivers struggled until the fourth-quarter almost-comeback against the Beavers. And even though it's in the LA Coliseum and USC fandom is incredibly fervant, the place was a moratorium in the second half when UW was in town.
Too many questions that can't be answered to call this one. I'm just going to have to park it on the couch and watch. It's the late game, too, which is kinda cool because many of the Ducks' games have been early this year.
-Duck Men's Basketball - vs. Lehigh, Cal State Northridge and Portland State - with anything resembling luck the Ducks will open their season 3-0...that is, if the hype that "this is the year it all comes together" is anything to go by. I'm still incredibly cynical of Ernie Kent, just because he can talk a lot of talk and get recruits but has had a nice habit of throwing away games and also not inspiring his players to play at their best...but, I will be in the stands against Lehigh tomorrow night, so the chance to see us play (minus Malik, who's out to injury) will be good - especially because, with three games in three days, the rotation will be heavy. Good chance to see pretty deep into the bench on this one.
in other Duck sports news, there is some shenanigans going on with the women's sports, but the Daily Emerald has got far better coverage than I could ever muster. Soccer team got snubbed, their star gets picked up for basketball season, and the basketball player who quit the team Monday has joined the volleyball team Thursday. Merry-go-round, indeed.
-The NFL - Big game on Sunday night, even if the Bears are no longer perfect. This is the real crunch time - everything up until last week was really just a tease. Pro football season truly starts in November.
-The EPL - my Arsenal host Liverpool on Sunday, Newcastle the next week and then Hamburg for the Champion's League. Big games; the Gunners need to turn their shots-on-target and opportunities into goals on the scoreboard. I'm convinced that, until the team lives up to its 4-goals-a-game potential, the masses and supporters of other teams won't look at Arsenal like NBA fans look at the Suns, and go "you know, that's just fun to watch."
-the NBA - Blazers play some more this weekend, including against the New Orleans-OKC Hornets tomorrow night. Seeing the player they could have drafted last year in the Hornets uniforms will be interesting...blazers are 2-0 at home and Randolph is starting to make noise for a real turnaround/career-setting year this year. Granted, it's one week in. But still. This is sports - it's practically mine and everyone's jobs to extrapolate good years out of the first week or two.
That's all for now. Another topic to keep your eye on is a retrospective of Michael Schumacher, which I will probably write all misty-eyed after watching the tape of his last race.
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