Well, it is all over for the summer...hoops on the TV has gone into it's summer hibernation. I like baseball but without being able to watch the Cleveland Indians on a consistent basis I can't get too interested. Even though I was shocked to see the A's get one hit at Coors Field yesterday and shut out two days running...
Anyhow, I must admit that as a soothsayer, I suck. After I talked so much trash about how the Miami Heat could never win with Antoine Walker (not to mention Jason Williams) here they are with the trophy. Even though his defense is M.I.A. I gotta give #8 credit as he played alright in the Finals. Not too too many deep threes, he hit the glass a lil bit and kept his turnovers to a minimum. Grudgingly, I now give 'Toine a bit of respect as a ballplayer. Wait til next year...
Once again, I only caught the end of the third and the whole fourth last night as I was helping my wife prepare for a presentation she is giving in Manhattan on Thursday. Pretty boring as games go but I found it very appropriate that it was Erica Dampier's buttered up hands that mishandled a beautiful pass from Dirk in the waning moments. Appropriate in the sense that sportswriters were starting to give the big oaf too much credit in limiting Shaq's numbers (mostly due to Diop) and that Dampier dissed me one night at the Starlight Room. Yeah, I am a huge Warriors fan and saw him last summer at the cheesy club near Union Square and after many beers thought I'd say what up. Now I can't imagine too many people flocking to hit up Damp but the dude acted like he was MJ or Magic.
me, nice guy Warrior fan-"Hey Damp, nice season."
Damp, coming off his first decent season with GS- "Hmm." And walks away....
Now I recall growing up seeing Mark Price, Craig Ehlo, Larry Nance, John Bagley and Ron Harper around Cuyahoga Falls (back when the Cavs played at the Richfield Coliseum many of the younger players lived in the Falls at Timber Top apartments and would occasionally ball at local playgrounds and open gyms) and those guys were cool (not to mention way better ballers than Dampier). So, ha ha on you Damp....catch the ball, lay it in and maybe even get a foul and you are a hero...
Didn't think so, chump.
How about Stackhouse's rejection of Udonis Haslem's dunk attempt in the fourth??? Nasty Nasty Nasty.
I was rolling at 'Zo's epileptic seizure celebration after a big play. What was that?
You know what was more amusing than the game itself? The trophy presentation...
-Jason Williams acting like a wig dog idiot with his hat askew, swinging his arms and yelling over the Commish as he tries to make a little presentation speech. A little respect, huh? But, oh yeah, this is the same J. Will who recently said in a press conference that he's "the same guy he's always been who doesn't care about anything."
- Shaq saying that Pat Riley is the best coach he has ever had. Take that, Phil.
Really, especially when a team clinches away from home, the league should do the presentation in the locker room. I could see that J. Will was mugging for the few hecklers that were straggling behind and to hear booing during the presentation was shitty. Move it inside, Stern.
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The following letter was printed by the SF Chron yesterday. Being a cyclist that has been hit by cars and duels with them everyday I was so angry that I could barely finish this. What this guy doesn't understand is that there are NOT enough bike lanes in SF (unlike Berlin where every street has one) and and that cyclists are "frothing at the mouth and flipping the bird" because we are not ensconced in a 3000 lb. death machines. Drivers rarely use their turn signals when making a right turn, often throw their doors open without even looking to see if there is a cyclist nearby and generally threaten those of us who choose the healthy, environmentally sound two wheeled way of commuting. So, without further adieu...Howard Olsen...:
Bacchanal of Rage
Editor -- I think it is time for a discussion about the Bacchanal of Rage known as Critical Mass. How long has this been going on? Is there still a point to it? It's now as much a part of the Bay Area commute as the Bay Bridge metering lights. To what end?
Based on my experience, the Critical Mass riders are there as an excuse to run wild in the streets. During the most recent "ride," I saw a driver honk at the people blocking the intersection. The response from the crowd was a collective howl that included spitting, shouting, and hopping up and down.
The real problem with Critical Mass is this behavior is not limited to the last Friday of every month. It's the rare driver who hasn't been confronted with a frothing, bird-flipping display by bicyclists. The other day, I was at O'Farrell and Polk streets, when a bicyclist got into the middle of the traffic lane and ostentatiously slowed the cars behind him to 10 mph. His response when I honked? He chased me for three blocks, hitting my car with his bike lock. He finally shattered my rear-view mirror and sped off into the distance.
My basic question is: Why do we have to keep indulging these apes? I know that the faux-virtuous answer is "One more bike is one less car." I'm sure this is true for some riders. Judging by the appearance and career choices of the vast majority of bicyclists, however, it's more likely that the last car they purchased was more Matchbox than Ford.
If bicycle riders want to be a part of the commute, I think it's time that they finally joined the rest of Western civilization and follow some basic rules: Stay in the bike lines and can the screaming fits.
HOWARD OLSEN
San Francisco
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BUILT TO SPILL TONIGHT AND THE NEXT THREE NIGHTS!!!!! LOOK FOR SET LISTS HERE...
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Even though the NBA is gone fishin' there are plenty of hoops here in SF to check out, thanks to the SF Pro-Am league.
http://www.sanfranciscoproam.com/
Every week for the next couple of months the best free entertainment in town hits the Kezar Pavillion. For the last six or so years I have been going to the Pro-Am league to see great players (in the past I've seen Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Josh Childress and Mark Madsen in addition to great local college players like Jamal Pugh and Ali Thomas) honing their game. If you are in The City...GO. It's free, their is a great bar across the street to spend the money you've saved and great taquerias on nearby Haight street.
dude. i think reils almost has 'toine's shimmy down.
Posted by: Frotuss | June 24, 2006 at 12:26 AM