This Week in Sports

1. Sean Taylor
Redskins safety Shawn Taylor died Wednesday, approximately 24 hours after he was shot in his home. This is one of those very unfortunate situations where you feel bad for the family and friends but you have to believe he may have brought it upon himself. Taylor, 24, has been in trouble since the day he was drafted. DUIs, player misconduct, a constant disregard for the rules of NFL (or society, for that matter). Taylor exemplified the thug/gangster mentality that has plagued the NFL and NBA over the last 10 years. He played his college ball at "The U" (University of Miami) and unfortunately, he lived up to the reputation that school has earned for itself over the years.
At this point the cops are claiming it was a robbery gone bad. However, the details surrounding the event seem to contradict that assessment in my opinion (and the opinion of just about everyone else in the world with a pulse). There was nothing stolen, for one thing, and the attacker apparently broke down a locked bedroom door with Taylor yelling at him/her from the other side then shot Taylor in the groin. A week earlier Taylor's house was broken into and again nothing was taken, but a large knife was apparently left sticking in the bed. If that's not a precursor to a premeditate murder I don't know what is. Maybe we'll find out that this was in fact a robbery gone bad but in all likelihood, Taylor was involved in something he shouldn't have been and it got him killed. Such a sad story and such a waste of talent.

2. Kevin Garnett
Tonight I got my first look at the revamped Celtics team that has been heralded by almost every pundit as the likely Eastern Conference Champion in the NBA. The Cs, after years of insignificance, made two HUGE moves this season bringing in Ray Allen and future "Top 10 Player of All Time" Kevin Garnett. KG is one of my favorite players of all time and much like Allen Iverson, has never quite gotten the credit he deserves because he has always played on terrible teams. Also like AI, Garnett is one of those guys who leaves EVERYTHING he has on the floor EVERY night. You never watch KG play and think "Ya know, he's just not into it tonight." It takes a special competitor to stay up for an entire 82 game season.
Now that Garnett has been traded to Boston he has a real TEAM around him for the first time in 5 years. It was a treat for me, as a fan not of the team but of Garnett himself, to see him play and seem to ENJOY playing for the first time in a long time. He looked renewed and relieved, knowing that he doesn't have to carry the team. The Celtics, just like any other teammate KG has ever had, feed off of his intensity and desire and the likelihood that the Cs don't make the Finals is pretty slim, in my opinion.

3. Ricky Williams
I just wanted to congratulate former Longhorn Ricky Williams on a thrilling 2007 season. After spending the first 10 games of the season on the suspended list because of his FOURTH drug offense, Ricky stepped onto the field for the Dolphins on Monday for his first action of the season...and proceeded to collect 13 yards rushing before being injured and leaving the game in the first half. His season has now been declared over. Great 13 yards Ricky! Really went all out this year, didn't ya? To steal a line from Bill Simmons, I'm betting his first question was "Can you get medicinal marijuana for a torn shoulder muscle?"

4. Refs
Last night the Mavs played the Wolves, badly in need of a win. It was an exciting game, the Mavs won the game, Dirk played great, and I should have been happy with the win. Am I happy? No. Why? Because of my sworn enemy, the NBA officials. That marked the third out of four Mavs games that were almost unwatchable due to The Stripes. The Mavs were cheated out of a win in Indy by Benny "The Rat" Salvatore (the same son of a gun that called the Phantom Foul for DWade in the Finals 2 years ago), were given almost no chance to win in Milwaukee because of the 41 to 17 free throw discrepancy, and had a blowout turned into a nail-biter by overzealous knuckleheads. Last night's game could have been better officiated by any three blind winos picked up off the streets in Deep Ellum. Every "might have been a touch" on the perimeter was a whistle yet somehow the bigs were allowed to manhandle Dirk, Diop, Damp, and anyone else who happened to be in their way down low. The 3rd quarter took almost an hour to finish because of the constant barrage of whistles. If David Stern is really concerned with the state and image of the game, he ought to start the clean up effort by publicly and viciously firing about 80% of the morons officiating the games and starting from scratch.

5. The Knicks
Lastly, I want to take a moment to call out the New York Knicks and that abysmal "performance" they put up against the Celtics tonight. Even against a good defensive team, an NBA team full of PAID players should be able to crack 75 or 80 points. Not only did the Knicks fail to reach the 70 point mark tonight, they failed to crack 60. 60 POINTS. Kobe Bryant BY HIMSELF in a single game scored 81 last season. The Knicks were down by over 50 at one point and finished the game down 46, scoring a whopping 59 points (and that's with a half court heave at the buzzer).
At one point, I routed for the Knicks with almost as much fire and veracity as I do the Mavs. But I cut up my "Knick Fan" card around the time of the Latrell Sprewell for Keith Van Horn trade. So I have no love for the Knicks. But that game tonight was EMBARRASSING. Embarrassing to the city of New York, embarrassing to the players and coaches and all their families, embarrassing to the NBA. The Knicks have the highest payroll in the NBA (by FAR) but that team has been so haphazardly thrown together that they have no chance of competing. Every player on the team is a tweener who does one thing and one thing only: score. They have about 10 volume shooters on the roster and there aren't three players who play defense, rebound, or pass the ball. I swear they launched more forced shots in this one game than the Spurs, Mavericks, and Suns do COMBINED in a whole season.
It is disgusting the mockery Isiah Thomas has made of that team and it's bad for the NBA to have one of the premier franchises in such a state of SUCK. Stern has to step in and step in NOW. Force the Knicks ownership to fire Thomas and cut half of the overpaid BUMS that take up the roster and start over. Then Stern needs to pass a LAW (not a rule, a LAW) that prevents Thomas from ever becoming involved with the NBA in any capacity ever again. I'm embarrassed as a fan of the NBA to have watched that team tonight.

The Top 100 Players in the NBA: 100-81

From time to time, I find that I go through a writing dry spell: I want to write (or in this case, blog) and I have the time to do so, but I can't or don't. It's not exactly writer's block, which is more of a "block" on my creativity. No, it's just that I can't seem to write a quality piece of work worthy of the obviously important topic of which I wish to write. (Say that 5 times fast). But what is a blogger to do in order to keep my flock of rabid fans happy while going through said "lack of quality" times?

The answer to this question is a long used writing technique that professional writers have used since the days of cave drawings: canned articles. That's right, I've got a couple of articles/lists (you know I love lists)/essays that were written during times of excess creativity and quality of work (if I do say so myself) and have been tucked away for such a time as this. At the moment I have multiple items of great interest on which to write about but for one reason or another, can't seem to fill said article/essay/list with acceptable writing.

So here's the first part of a sports related list that I came up with. It will be published in installments during "lack of quality" periods. Please enjoy.

"The Top 100 Players in the NBA"
This list is pretty self explanatory. These are the best 100 players in the NBA right now. This is not "The 100 Most Potentially Great Players in the NBA" or "The Top 100 MVP Candidates in the NBA" or "The Top 100 Team Players in the NBA." It's just the top 100, based on talent, level of play, etc. Nothing more, nothing less, take it as you will.

100-81
100. Raja Bell, Suns
I considered a couple of other defensive minded players, Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen, for this spot but Bell contributes more offensively than either of the others.

99. Sam Cassell, Clippers

98. Troy Murphy, Pacers

97. Drew Gooden, Cavs
Gooden’s basketball IQ is that of a thumb tack but he still manages to put up 12 points and 8 boards year after year.

96. Samuel Dalembert, 76ers

95. Stephon Marbury, Knicks
This guy is losing it fast but he’s still an amazingly talented player.

94. Nenad Krstic, Nets

93. Monta Ellis, Warriors
His numbers are great but they are due in part to the system he plays in and I wonder if he’s already hit his peak.

92. Grant Hill, Suns
If not for a ridiculous number of injuries Hill would be one of the top 10 players of all time.

91. Mike Bibby, Kings
I’m waiting to see how he comes back from injury. He was probably in the top 50 until last season during which he looked terrible.

90. Mike Miller, Grizzlies

89. John Salmons, Kings

88. Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
When he’s motivated there are very few players in the league more talented than Gay.

87. Al Harrington, Warriors

86. Jerry Stackhouse, Mavs
Not nearly the player he once was but still a real threat.

85. Hedo Turkoglu, Magic

84. Mehmet Okur, Jazz

83. Andrew Bogut, Bucks
I still think when the Bucks figure out how to use this guy he will live up to his number one pick status.

82. Cuttino Mobley, Clippers

81. Lamarcus Aldridge, Blazers

Mavericks Rant

I've been a Mavericks fan for most of my life. I steadfastly supported the team through 11 and 13 win seasons, through the complete dismantling of the Three Js, through the 10 years of playoff drought, and through the two biggest post seasons collapses in history. Of all of my favorite teams in every sport, I most want to celebrate a Mavs championship. Over the last 15 years I have THOROUGHLY considered about a million trades, free agent signings, and coaching moves that would make my Mavs Championship Dreams more realistic.

All that said, I'm about ready to call it quits on this year's team.

They have the talent: They are the deepest team in the league from 1 to 10, they have the MVP and a host of what should be complimentary players, and they have the perfect mix of veterans in their prime (Dirk, Terry) and young guys hitting their stride (Howard, Harris). They've got the coaching staff: Avery Johnson is a fantastic motivator and one of the best adjustments guys in the league, Paul Westphal is an offensive genius, and Mario Elie brings toughness that has been missing. They've got the owner: Mark Cuban will do ANYTHING and everything to get Dallas a ring. And they have the experience: They have been to the Finals and experienced the pain of an early exit and they should have learned from those experiences.

Yet they still struggle with the exact same things that have gotten them into trouble for the last 5 years. The whole team has problems with the fundamentals, the basketball IQ of the team as a whole is still very low, and they rely far too much on outside shooting. We'll take them one at a time.

FUNDAMENTALS
This team SUCKS in the fundamentals department. It's not that they are selfish or unwilling to work or anything like that. It's that they lack understanding of the basics and cannot seem to grasp the little things. A good zone defense can KILL the Mavs because they have no idea how to beat it. You beat the zone by swinging the ball across the court until a hole opens up and by getting a man in the middle of the zone, thereby sucking multiple defenders to the middle and leaving people open.

The Mavs do not perform the "Drive and Dish" very well at all. The NBA game is really built around two things: the pick and roll and the drive and dish. Drive to the basket, watch the defense collapse around you, and kick it to the open man. It's a very simple and effective way to, you know, score baskets.

And they have no idea how to feed the post, or anyone for that matter. Dirk gets DRILLED for his lack of a post game. In truth, 9 times out of 10, Dirk establishes position only to have Jason Terry or someone else move the ball to the other side of the court. If he's got position, get him the ball! Likewise, the Mavs often go 5 or 8 possessions in a row without getting Dirk the ball ANYWHERE on the court, even when he's on fire. STUPID.

These are things that decent 8th grade girls teams can do and there's no excuse for a good, veteran NBA team to struggle in all of these things consistently.

BASKETBALL IQ
Some of this goes hand in hand with the fundamentals. Not getting the ball to the guy with the hot hand is simply moronic. It makes things so much harder on the rest of the team and you often end up making the aforementioned hot hand frustrated leading to his drifting to the perimeter and not working for the ball. They take dumb, forced shots when there is no need to do so. And they commit 12 teams' share of stupid, unnecessary, frustration fouls. Howard and Harris, in particular, are constantly in foul trouble on reach ins and "I just turned the ball over and I'm mad so I'm going to hack this guy so I can gripe at the ref" fouls. STUPID. Avery ought to fine a guy $5k every time he commits one of these.

JUMPSHOOTING
This is the big one. One of my absolute biggest pet peeves is basketball teams that refuse to drive. Part of it is seeing that most of the championship teams of the past 20 years get a lot of their points in the paint and part of it comes from the fact that my own game revolved so much around driving and either finishing in the paint or kicking it out (and I'm a small guy!).

The fact is, it's easier to score points the closer you get to the basket! (Shocking, I know.) And, when you drive, you tend to suck the defense in, leaving teammates open for the beloved jumpshots! (Again, shocking.) You CANNOT win championships in the NBA by basing your whole offense on jumpshots. You just can't. You have to have someone on your team that either gets into the paint and finishes with consistency or can set up shop on the low post and score down low. But the Mavs do neither, at least not with any consistency.

The real frustrating thing is, they have guys that are capable of driving and scoring in the paint. There is no one in the league who can stop Devin Harris when he gets a step. He gets to the rim with reckless abandon. Problem is, he has no idea how to dish it out when he runs into the big boys and he will have several games in a row where he cannot finish. Josh Howard SHOULD be a prototypical slasher: he's got the frame, the strength, the quickness, and amazing body control. He finishes very well in the paint. Problem is, he falls in love with the jump shot and takes far more outside jumpers than he should. Jason Terry is extremely effective on the drive, both finishing and getting fouled, when he chooses to do so. Problem is, he makes every attempt to stay as far away from the paint as possible, as if he was a vampire and the paint was laced with garlic. Almost every shot comes from 18 feet or farther away. Stackhouse was once one of the more feared slashers in the league. Problem is, he's 97 years old and his knees barely allow him to move from the his locker to the shower, let alone to make a dynamic drive and finish. Dirk can be a very good post player. Problem is, as mentioned above, his teammates can't figure out how to get the ball to the post and he gets hacked without calls more than anyone in the NBA not named Shaq when he does get the ball.

With the exception of Stack, who physically is not capable of slashing like he once did, all of these issues are CHOICES. The guys cannot figure out how to finish or how to kick it back out or how to, you know, every once in a while, maybe take a step toward the basket instead of always launching from the outside. Even more frustrating, the Mavs tend to fair pretty well when they do drive and shoot less threes.

I love to collect different stats. Here is an example:
In 9 wins this season, the Mavs have shot 46.9% from beyond the arc. IN the 5 loses, they've shot 22.5%. That tells me that they are relying way too much on the jumpshot. Let's take it even further. In wins, they attempt 14.4 3s per game. In loses, they attempt 20.4 3s per game. 6 more attempts in loses. 14.4 is a very reasonable total. You really shouldn't be launching too many 3s unless you're on. In their wins they seem to either catch fire from deep or figure out that it's not working and drive. Just a little further, in wins the Mavs attempt 28.5 free throws per game, in loses 26 per game. That doesn't seem so bad until you take out the Pacers game (38 attempts) in which the refs called every single touch as a foul, for both teams. That leaves the Mavs at 23 attempts per game in loses, 28.4 in wins. That's significant.

Basically what it comes down to is that this team is not a three point shooting team. Dirk and Terry are deadly from deep but Dirk doesn't spend as much time on the outside as he once did and with Terry's aversion to the paint, his three point shooting cannot be depended on because he takes so freaking many. The rest of the team, Harris, Howard, Stack, Ager, Jones, etc. are inconsistent three point threats AT BEST.

The answer to this is to FREAKING DRIVE!!! Obviously in their wins they've either caught fire or figured out they needed to drive and get points in the paint or get foul shots. In the loses they refuse to drive, refuse to feed the post, and end up with stat lines like tonight against Washington, when as a team the Mavs put up 21 three pointers (none by Dirk, by the way) and hit...3 of them. Pathetic. If they took 6 less 3s and drove instead, they win the game. So the moral of the story is, unless you're on fire, there's no reason for this team to shoot more than 15 threes in a game. Get to the rim, feed the post, and FINISH and this team raises the banner. Keep shooting 20 threes per game and pretending to be Superman while the paint is made of Kryptonite (Jason Terry!!!) and you'll struggle to get a top spot in the playoffs, let alone win a title.

Go See "Dan"

Just got back from out of town celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. I saw a fantastic movie last weekend and while I haven't had a chance to write a full review, I want to encourage everyone to go see it before it is pushed out of theaters by the winter blockbusters. "Dan In Real Life" is fantastic. It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's MEANINGFUL, and it leaves you feeling good. Very few movies these days are both meaningful and good feeling - it's always "fun and light" or "heavy and dark." Steve Carrell's performance is Oscar-worthy and the film is really a pleasure to watch. Take the opportunity to see it on the big screen as I have a feeling it is one of those movies that is more impactful on screen than on DVD. Happy holidays everyone!

Sports Quick Hits

Lowell
It came down a couple days ago that World Series MVP had resigned with the Boston Red Sox. The contract is somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 years, 37.5 million dollars. Apparently he left one extra year at 12 mil on the table in Philly to stay with the Sox. Personally I think 12 mil+ for a 36 year old third baseman is a little high. But what are you going to do? He was the MVP and obviously there was a market for him. It’s a great story and I’m very happy for Lowell. Mike is a true class act who has always just gone about his business without much fanfare. He’s a cancer survivor and his comeback is an outstanding story.

Stoudemire
I saw a blurb (and that’s all it was) on the A.P. wires concerning Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire. Apparently Amare, who missed the entire 2005-06 season, is having recurring pains in his surgically repaired knee. I found it ironic that it really was just a quick blurb because I’m here to tell you it will be a huge story within the near future. Maybe not this season but before too long it’s going to start hindering his play. Microfracture surgery, which Amare had, is an extremely serious procedure that almost never leaves the recipient with anywhere near the athleticism he/she once had. Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Allan Houston, and a score of other NBA players have testified to the fact that post-surgery their legs just wouldn’t do what they had before. The Suns are in trouble and better hope that they win the title this year because the future is dark. Nash is getting old and his idiot of a coach STILL hasn’t figured out how to manage his minutes. The rest of the team is built around perennial malcontent Shawn Marion and the freakish athletic ability of Amare. But when that athleticism starts to go, Amare will not be a shell of himself. Some players can transition as they age (or get injured) from depending on athleticism to depending on skill and smarts. This is not going to happen with Amare. He was BADLY outplayed by a much younger Dwight Howard in the Olympic qualifying, his motivation is in serious question, his development has stagnated over the last 3 years, and he’s still as dumb as a rock (and not a cool rock like a prism or a geode, I mean like a normal rock that you kick down the street). Not a good future for Amare.

The Pats
This is the best team in the history of the NFL and it’s not even close. The Patriots absolutely DOMINATE everyone that stands in their path. That defense may be a little shaky but it should be noted that the one time they needed them (Colts game) they stepped up and shut Peyton Manning down. I was watching the Sunday Night Football game this week and marveled at how quickly New England could pile up points, not just for themselves but for my fantasy team as well. I have Brady and Wes Welker in my lineup each week and I’m absolutely KILLING the competition. Example: Patriots get the ball back on their own 20 with a little over 2 minutes left in the half. They marched down the field with mechanical precision that the Terminator would be proud of to score. I just sat watching and counting, “There’s one point, there’s two, there’s four…” 22 points they scored for me. On one drive! Amazing.

Mavs Comeback
In the first quarter and a half of last night’s Mavs-Raptors game, Dallas looked TERRIBLE. I was ready for Avery to pull Dirk and the starters and rest them for tonight. It was the worst defense of the Avery era and the offense was just as bad. And then they decided they didn’t feel like losing tonight. Devin Harris went NUTS to end the half and single handedly knocked the deficit down from 24 to 14 at halftime. In the 3rd quarter the Mavs were fighting, trying to get back into it and kept pulling within 2 only to have it pushed back to 4 or 6. And then Mr. MVP himself made an appearance. Dirk came up BIG TIME, playing great defense on one end and then hitting 4 straight 3s to end the quarter. It was amazing, no one was going to stop him. They cruised through the 4th and at the end you could see the looks of exasperation on the faces of Sam Mitchell and the Raptors. It should be noted that this was the second biggest comeback in Mavericks history (24 points) tied with a mid March game in 2006 when they came back from the same deficit, and oh by the way, the opponent that night was also the Raptors. Poor Canadians.

Priest Holmes
Today after yet another spinal injury, Chiefs running back Priest Holmes announced his retirement. I wish him all the best and I have to say he made the right choice. You don’t want to wake up in 5 years and not be able to walk because you took one too many hits to the head. Holmes was always the underdog, sitting behind Ricky Williams at Texas, behind Jamal Lewis in Baltimore, and then sitting behind Larry Johnson at Kansas City. Yet everywhere he went he found a way onto the field and was a BEAST of a runner. He set the record for most touchdowns in a season in 2003 (later broken by Shaun Alexander and LT) and led the league in rushing 3 times. Great career for a classy guy, sorry to see him go.

72 Dolphins
I wrote about the sour grapes of the 72 Miami Dolphins a couple weeks ago and want to reiterate their sorryness once again. Not only are the obnoxious and cranky, they are also overrated. I heard some stats today that really put their 17-0 Super Bowl season into perspective. In that season the Fins didn’t play a SINGLE team that made it to the playoffs. The combined winning percentage of their opponents was 36.7 percent (terrible) and only 2 teams on their schedule had winning seasons. In addition, they often trailed in their games and barely beat a handful of truly awful teams. The Patriots, as noted above, are MOWING through the competition. As I said before, I hope the Dolphins enjoyed last year’s champagne because it’s the last time they’ll get to toast their record.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

When Winning Isn't Enough

Saturday was a pretty good day for me, sports wise. Actually, it was about as good as it gets. Ohio State destroys Michigan for the fourth straight year, leaving open the possibility of a National Title and again insuring my bragging rights for another year over my friend Jeff, who is a great guy in spite of the fact that he is a Michigan fan. Later that night the Mavs finished off the pesky Grizzlies because of Dirk getting his at the exact right moment. And to top it all off, my beloved Texas Tech Red Raiders kept those dang Sooners from backdooring their way into another title game appearance and ended what had been a frustrating season on an incredible high.

And yet I find myself wanting, at least when it comes to the Red Raiders. After a Holiday Bowl THRASHING of Cal in '04 and a Cotton Bowl appearance in '05, Tech has now had two consecutive seasons of disappointing returns. Last year was the Insight bowl (The what? Exactly.) and barring a miracle or the Holiday Bowl selection committee all getting drunk together and deciding not to take UT, we'll end up back in the Alamo Bowl this year, only slightly ahead of the Insight Bowl in prestige. I have begun to question the direction of the program.

Let me say first of all that head coach Mike Leach has been HUGE for Texas Tech. From 1960, when they entered the South West Conference, to 2000, when Leach was hired, Tech was generally considered an average program at best. They put up decent seasons for a couple of years and then followed it up with three or four terrible seasons. Tech put up 7 straight losing seasons to begin the 80s and the 90s saw most Red Raider seasons ending with 6, maybe 7 wins. Respectable but barely. Leach's stay has seen Tech put up at least 8 wins in every season following his first. The difference between an occasional 7 win year and consistently putting up 8 or 9 wins is tremendous in college football. Likewise, since Leach came on board, Tech has gone 6-2 against the most hated of all college football programs, the evil, annoying, and misguided Texas A&M Aggies. (Yuck) That kind of rival bashing is a great benefit to the program and the school and a service to man kind as goodness knows the blasted Aggies need a swift kick every year.

There are other benefits of Leach. His system is the most entertaining in the nation. The spread offense is fun to watch and it brings attention to the school that would otherwise never be given if the team was still a running power. Against OU on Saturday quarterback Graham Harrell threw 72 passes. There are some teams that literally do not have their QB throw 72 passes over the course of 7 games. It's exciting. They score a TON of points and that leaves no doubt that they are never out of game (as seen in the Insight Bowl last season when Tech put up 24 points in the 4th quarter on route to an overtime victory). In the same way, Leach's system is owed a great deal for the changing landscape of high school, college, and even professional football. Many teams that were once traditional running teams have switched over to the spread. A large percentage of high school programs now run the spread. Tom Brady and Pats are looking at the first undefeated NFL seasons since 1972 by running a version of the spread. There have been other fast paced, high scoring offenses before but none has had the long term success and effect that Leach's system has. For further illustration, look no further than Nebraska's coaching search this off season. Nebraska has always run some version of the option. ALWAYS. You can bet good money the person they hire will run the spread. It's a phenomenon.

But then we come to the negatives of the system and, more importantly, Leach. For one thing, because they are so successful with the spread, the national media views it as a gimmick. The 2000 Tech team blew open all school records for passing but they have set new marks each and every season since. To some extent, just about any high school quarterback could run this offense. So when we have a truly gifted QB, like Graham Harrell, he never gets the credit or attention he is due because of the system.

Recruiting is a huge issue and I don't think Leach helps much. Tech is already up against it in recruiting because Texas and OU get the top crops of Texas high school players, followed by the national programs like USC and Florida. They are often left with players who are smaller or less athletic or just not as good. This comes into play most significantly on defense which is full of kids who can hit a barn and knock it over but struggle to cover. To counter this the recruiting has to be GREAT which leaves the program in a catch twenty two: to get big time defensive recruits you have to put up big time wins, but to get big time wins you really need better defensive players. In my opinion, Leach's personality hinders the recruiting process even more. Plain and simple, Leach is a weird dude. I often question how effective he can be in recruiting because I have to believe a lot of parents are turned off by his quirks. More to the point though, he may not even be putting any emphasis on the recruitment of defensive players.

Which brings up the last issue. Leach is as stubborn as the obligatory mule. He really believes that he can and will outscore any opponent that comes his way and that defense is only a mildly entertaining intermission between offensive drives. He never runs the ball, even when the situation DEMANDS it, which makes it hard to run out the clock (cost them a win at Oklahoma State this year and many others in the past) and equally as difficult to recruit running backs; Tech generally is forced to rely on a small guy who can catch as well as a wide receiver and just hope that two or three times a game he can run without fumbling. Leach's belief in his players, and ultimately his system, is so strong that he often refuses to change it up or adjust when the situation calls for it.

The results of all of this is just what Tech has done since 2001: 8 or 9 wins, an incredibly entertaining team, all kinds of receiving and passing records...and loses to any team that is better than them, namely Texas and OU. And you know, when you consider that a lot of other schools in the nation would die for 8 or 9 wins, that doesn't sound so bad. It is nice to be bowl eligible for 15 straight years, to dominate your rival every year, and at least half way believe you could be the conference bullies. But is that enough? Am I, and are we as the Red Raider Nation, content to take these wins and these stats and continue to hope that they'll catch lightening in a bottle one year? Or is it time to consider the possibility that Leach has taken the team as far as he can?

And that's the problem. He's been more successful than any Tech coach since the 50s. The prospects look good for the program to continue to win at least 8 games over the next few years. And the spread allows Tech to ALWAYS be dangerous. But is Leach the guy to take them to the next level? Or are the Red Raiders even capable of getting to the next level? They've moved in the right direction. They've gone from average to every year Bowl eligible to big time bowls (Cotton). But now it's taken a step back, or at least stalled. In my mind not staying a player for the Cotton Bowl or maybe even a contention for a BCS game is a step backward. It's a frustrating position to be in. You have to like the wins but you want MORE.

Leach was in contention for the Miami job this past off season and part of me felt it wouldn't have been so bad to see him leave. Unless the Red Raiders drop back to 5-6 territory for a couple of years, he'll never be pushed out of Lubbock because he's had so much success. And yet I've started to feel like he's not capable of taking this team to bigger and better things. Maybe he's Don Nelson. Nelson took over the Mavs in 1997 when they were the absolute worst franchise in ANY sport. 4 years and a whirlwind of moves later he had the team in the playoffs. 2 years after that they were one game from the Finals. And then they stalled. Early playoff exits, poor execution. It became apparent that Nellie had done all he could. He turned the team over toe Avery Johnson and a year later they made it to the Finals and are a legit title contender every year. I'd hate to see Leach go and I'm thrilled with the success he's brought the team. But with each loss to Texas, each inevitable falter to OK State or Colorado, I can't help but feeling that maybe Leach was the perfect guy for taking this team to relevance, but not the guy to take them to greatness.

Beat Down in the Big House

Today I witnessed the great Jim Tressel lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to victory over the hated Michigan Wolverines for the 4th consecutive year. Even in my wildest Buckeye dreams I would have never thought 4 straight wins was possible. Rivalry games are so unpredictable and so emotionally charged that even if one team is 10-0 and one is 0-10, you expect a close game.

This one brings distinct pleasure because it means the vaunted Wolverine senior class of Chad Henne, Jake Long, and (in particular) Mike Hart went winless against OSU during their careers. Mike Hart ticks me off. He has AMAZING talent but he runs his mouth way too much, especially for a guy who's never quite been able to live up to the Heisman potential he's had since day one. Today was no different. He started off the game by being the aggressor in a pregame shouting match with the whole Buckeye team. Then on the first drive of the game he laid a huge hit on an OSU defender (great play) but of course followed it up by jawing and taunting the guy he'd just laid out. It's not that he's classless, it's that he's annoying. And in true Mike Hart fashion he ended the game with a a whopping 44 yards rushing while leading his team to 3 points. I think most people around the country expected a huge day from Hart but instead were treated to a lot of this:

(That's Hart there in the middle getting sandwiched)
And this:

And this:

(Beanie Wells 222 yards 2 TDs)
And ultimately this:


In the end, THE Ohio State University will make its 6th BCS Bowl Appearance in 7 years (and a National Title game with a little help) and 4 straight against Michigan (and 6 of 7 in the Tressel era) while Hart and Henne go home winless for their careers and Michigan gets to spend the off season looking for a new coach. It's a good day in Buckeye land. Now if we could just get a little help from anyone playing OU, West Virginia, and LSU. O! H! I! O!

New Game!

Today we're going to play a new game called "Sloth or Scola"

There's a rookie power forward who plays for the Houston Rockets named Luis Scola. I always kind of thought he looked like Frankenstein's monster but while watching the game with a friend last night he pointed out a much closer comparison. You be the judge.

#1: Sloth from the Goonies or Luis Scola from the Rockets:

#2: Sloth from the Goonies or Luis Scola from the Rockets:


In case you weren't sure, the first picture is Scola, the second is the great Sloth. A little mean? Sure, but you've got to admit the resemblance is pretty striking. If Scola could wiggle his ears it would be a dead ringer. In honor of this resemblance, I'm encouraging opposing fans to throw Baby Ruth candy bars at Scola when the Rockets come to town as it is most certainly his favorite snack.

Review for "American Gangster"

Denzel Washington. Russell Crowe. Ridley Scott. November. “Based on a true story.” Yep, that sounds like the recipe for a couple of Academy Awards.

It’s that time of year again. Every major film production and distribution company will be releasing its top notch drama in hopes of capturing the attention of the award show gurus. This is the first real “Oscar Hopeful” I’ve seen this season and I must say, I hope the rest of the field lives up to the standard set here.

“American Gangster” is the story of 1970’s drug pusher Frank Lucas (Washington) and Richie Roberts (Crowe), the cop who eventually brought him down. Lucas is an interesting figure in that up until this point, at least to white America, his story is mostly unknown. For a crime figure as big as he was, very few people knew much about his story until this film began making the rounds. Lucas imported heroin, and strong heroin at that, directly from Asia and sold it at such a low price anyone and everyone could (and did) buy it, turning Lucas into one of the richest men in the world. This was all done under the radar because, as pointed out in the film, the authorities could hardly believe that some “negro” could be making that much money; he was thought to be a middle man at best. Truth was, however, while the Feds chased the Italian Mafia, Lucas was busy putting the Mafia out of business.

Eventually, and really quite shortly when you consider his reign lasted only about 8 years, Lucas got too big to go unnoticed and was brought to justice through the work of Richie Roberts and his “Untouchable” like team. In the end, Lucas turned on just about every buyer, seller, and partner he ever had, most notably the corrupt cops of the day. According to the film, Lucas’ finger pointing led to approximately 80 percent of the NYPD’s Special Forces Unit, those most directly responsible for stomping out the drug trade, being convicted of some sort of charge related to Lucas’ operation.

“American Gangster” is a very strong film, if a bit too long. There are portions of the film that could have been cut without missing much but then again, whom I to question Mr. Scott? The movie flows without much bogging down and while it flirts with the boring side at times, it never quite jumps over that razor thin line.

This is one of Scott’s finer works and most certainly his best since “Gladiator.” Many directors might have been tempted to show the background for the inevitable clash between Lucas and Roberts in flashback and in my opinion that would have been a mistake. Rather, starting the story from the beginning and leading up to fore mentioned clash leaves the viewer feeling as if he has something invested in the movie and in the characters and builds the drama as we draw closer and closer to the moment when Lucas is finally stopped. That Washington and Crowe do not share the screen until the final 15 minutes is a stroke of genius. Because “American Gangster” moves so well, the viewer never really realizes this fact until the moment that they do meet and it makes the final confrontation that much more fresh and important.

Great credit for the success of “AG” should go to the actors, both acclaimed and lesser known. Denzel is Denzel. He is always strong and always COMMANDS the attention anytime he comes on screen. I believe you could have 20 naked, burning clowns riding unicorns on screen with Denzel only watching in the background and the audience’s attention would still be drawn to Denzel. He is a truly magnificent actor and films such as “Training Day” and “American Gangster” allow him to show off his depth and his presence. He is certainly worthy of the Oscar nod that will undoubtedly come his way.

Crowe is equally impressive, though for me, his stage presence doesn’t quite match that of Washington (but truthfully, not many can). Roberts is, of course, an imperfect hero. A womanizer, a drinker, and a bad father, his only real virtue is in the fact that he is not a dirty cop in an era devoid of honest police work. He refuses to take a bribe or file a false report even when these actions result in the death of his partner and his own exile from the rest of his department. But that which alienates him is what eventually leads him to his role as head of a team specifically designed for bringing down the drug trade. Crowe plays the vulnerable and afflicted Roberts well and could very well earn an Oscar nod himself.

Three other performances deserve special mention. Josh Brolin is spectacular as the dirtiest of dirty cops, Detective Trupo. Trupo wages war against Lucas because Lucas refuses to pay him off and the result is a battle that provides the upfront action the audience wants while distracting from the battle to come between Lucas and Roberts. Brolin is an excellent actor and between this film and the upcoming “No Country For Old Men,” he will hopefully have the opportunity to gain some well deserved respect in Hollywood.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, as always, gives a strong performance as one of Lucas’ brothers who is essentially the second in command. Ejiofor is a fantastic actor who never seems to get the credit he deserves. Whether it’s “Children of Men,” “Serenity,” or (cringe) “Melinda and Melinda,” Ejiofor seems to always steal the screen yet never reaps the benefit when it’s all said and done. Maybe casting directors are just unable to pronounce his name and so choose not to call him rather than risk the embarrassment of stumbling through “Chew-it-tell Edge-oh-for.” Regardless, Ejiofor is fantastic in this role and every other role he’s ever played and I hope that “American Gangster” will vault him to bigger things.

Lastly, I would like to point out the work of Ruby Dee, who plays Frank Lucas’ mother. According to imdb.com, Ms. Dee has 93 credits to her name and I’d be lying if I said I had ever noticed her before. I noticed her in “American Gangster.” Her lines are few, her screen time is sparse, but in one short monologue in which she rages against the ways of her drug pushing son, Ms. Dee owns the screen. She shows great power and desperation mixed with a little guilt at having profited off her sons’ illicit work. Ms. Dee may only have been on screen for 9 or 10 minutes but she, as much as Washington or Crowe, deserves a nomination as she made an impression on this writer and anyone else who was paying attention.

I would stop short of calling “American Gangster” a great movie. However, it is a very good, well structured movie that is deserving of the attention it garnered before its release and barring some serious surprises, I expect to see its contributors name’s mentioned once Oscar season rolls around.

Notes From the Sports Week

Just some random notes from this week in sports.

1. ARod and the Yankees
Alex Rodriguez is apparently set to sign a 10 year, 275 million dollar contract with the Yankees. So basically, in spite of the fact that they have won NOTHING since aquiring ARod and in spite of the fact that they said straight up they'd never resign him if he opted out of his contract, the Yanks have gone ahead and signed him anyway. And for the second time in 8 years, ARod has signed the biggest contract in the history of American sports. I think I'll do a full blog on this in the future but to make it quick, GOOD. I'm glad Rodriguez signed with the Yankees. They deserve each other. The ultimate "me over the team" baseball player back with the ultimate "chemestry? we don't need no stinking chemestry" baseball team. I respect the heck out of the Yanks for paying whatever they can to add talent but at some point they completely abandoned the value of a TEAM in favor of a bunch of overpaid individuals. I hate the Yanks and I hate Arod and so it makes me pretty happy inside to know that they not only have each other for 10 more years but also that they will win ZERO World Series titles as long as ARod is in pinstripes.

2. Mavs DESTROY Spurs
It's still early so of course, it matters little. BUT, the Mavs played the Spurs tonight and completely destroyed the defending champs. They outplayed the Spurs in almost every facet of the game. Devin Harris made Tony Parker look stupid, Jason Terry (again) hit every important shot, and Dirk Nowitzki had maybe the best defensive game of his career. Since Avery came on as the coach of this team, they've tried to model themselves after the Spurs (minus the whining and flopping). This season it looks like it is working because Dirk is truly taking on the Tim Duncan role. His scoring numbers are down but every night he's putting up a balanced stat line. Tonight was 17 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal. This is after the 21 points, 12 boards, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals against Philly. If the Mavs need him to go for 35 he still can but on your average night he's able to contribute in every way instead of just scoring and rebounding. Championship baby!

3. The San Fran Witch Hunt
Look, I'm biased. There's no question. I freaking love Barry Bonds. I think he's the greatest player in the history of Major League Baseball and frankly, I don't care if he was juiced for a couple of years or not. I'm so sick of this WITCH HUNT that MLB and Congress and whoever else have engaged in against Barry. EVERYONE from 1998 to 2003 was juiced. EVERYONE!!! I'm completely beaten with the arrogance of MLB and the ignorance of the national media laying the entire consequence of the Steroid Era at Barry's feet. The way he's been portrayed you'd think that sometime back in 1996 Barry thought "You know what might make this thing awesome? What if I developed some sort of drug, we'll call it a steroid, that makes me stronger and faster! Then I'd go from best player in the league to best player in HISTORY! Better yet I'll let all my opponents in on it so we can ALL be freaking awesome!" then went into his secret laboratory and used his master's in chemestry to develop anabolic steroids, HGH, and whatever other crap these guys used, then passed it around to everyone in baseball, AND somehow got Bud Selig to never make a rule outlawing the use of steroids. Did he cheat? Ya, except for the fact that this wasn't even illegal in the sport. Still, ya he cheated but so did 90% of the people he played with and against, including the pitchers who he was batting against (75% of the those who have tested positive in the last 3 years are pitchets). MLB screwed up by not nipping this crap in the butt when they knew it was happening and now Barry's got 900 fingers pointing at him because he's the one who's actually had the ability to stay in the league after all the other steroid guys have crashed and burned. It's a witch hunt and it makes me sick. Baseball can't EVER get ANYTHING right. Down with Selig!

4. Grant Hill
I love Grant Hill. Ever since his days at Duke he's been one of my favorite players in the NBA. He's as classy as they come, nicest guy in the world, and one of the most talented guys to ever put on the uniform. If not for extreme and unjust injuries, Grant would be included with Michael, Magic, and Larry in the pantheon of all time greats. But since 1999, Grant has been afflicted with an unfair share of injuries. Since 2000, his games played in each season have been: 4, 14, 29, 67, 21, and 65 (out of 82 each year). It's been one surgery after another for Grant and that combined with his wife's life threatening illness, he's nearly been pushed into retirement a number of times. But he decided to make one last attempt this year and signed with the Suns. Tonight was the first time I've gotten to watch the Suns this year and it was GREAT to see Grant out there. He was running well and looking good. He even had a strong, two handed jam off a Nash pass that looked a lot like the type of thing he would have done pre injuries. Grant is a true ambassador of the sport and if anyone deserves a productive and injury free season it's him. I wish my best to Grant and hope he has a great year, though he's going to be watching the Finals from home.

5. Sour Grapes
Every year the members of the 72 Miami Dolphins get together and toast themselves after the last unbeaten NFL team loses. EVERY YEAR. They are the only team in NFL history to go through an entire year undefeated. A great feat to be sure. But in my opinion, it has gotten old now. 35 years of this junk. Now it looks like a team might REALLY make a run at the perfect season. The Patriots are possibly the best team ever and they have a coach that will do anything he can to spit in the face of anyone who opposes him so you know they're going to work hard to get that 16-0. A couple days ago one of the members of the Dolphins went off on a reporter about how he was tired of being questioned about it and talk to me when they're 14-0 not 9-0. Look, there's some truth to that. The media really should just leave it alone until they get close. But realism is not the strength of the media. And more to the point, this guy was all upset about being questioned, like he never even thinks about the unbeaten record. Could it be the fact that you jokers get together every year and make a big deal about drinking champagne and smoking cigars in honor of remaining the only unbeaten team? That probably has something to do with this staying in the public eye. Anyway, after 35 years haven't you had your fill? At some point it's going to come to an end and I think it's pretty sorry to act like a bunch of fools every year. And even more to the point, I hope you enjoyed last year's cigar because this is when it ends. The Pats are going 16-0 and winning the Super Bowl and that's all there is to it. And the 72 Dolphins can fade into history where they belong.

Hicks

There are a few things I strongly dislike in this world. Traffic and the morons that cause traffic is one. Poor officiating is another. Rosie O'donnel. The way British people say "schedule" and "zebra." Nicholas Cage and John Travolta.

Very high on the list of things I strongly dislike, however, and ever gaining ground on Rosie and Travolta is Rangers and Stars owner Tom Hicks.

Somehow this worthless sack of crap got his hands on not one, but two DFW Metroplex sports teams. The Rangers have always had problems and have never been the model of a well run organization. But they've gotten oh so much worse since Hicks came on board. And so as not to appear as playing favorites, he is making every effort to drive the Stars, once a proud hockey franchise, into the ground right along with the Rangers.

It started out really well. Hicks has some freakishly deep pockets. Figuaratively speaking he could put a herd of those blasted longhorns he loves so much in each pocket. The dude has more money than he could ever spend. He purchased the Stars in 95 and for several years put as much money into the team as could be expected for an NHL franchise. Then in 98 he bought the Rangers. At the time sports fans in DFW were excited and thought he'd be like Jerry Jones and put crazy money into the team. The Rangers, as noted, have always been a terrible franchise. Three division titles, no playoff series wins, and no world series appearances in their history. And again, for a few short years, Hicks did in fact put money into the team.

Two problems. First of all, he never did surround himself with real active, knowledgeable baseball guys. He overbid by 50 million dollars to bring in A-Rod and gave Chan Ho Park 15 mil a year and thought that would be enough. Oddly enough, baseball is probably the one sport that one superstar cannot carry a team in. By paying ARod 25 mil a year he couldn't (or wouldn't) pay for any of the other positions. The team floundered in last place and eventually traded A-rod for 50 cents on the dollar. The second problem was, somewhere along the line, Hicks stopped spending money.

Hicks has figured out, both with the Stars and the Rangers, that because this market is so supporting of its teams, he can put next to nothing into the team, blame the lack of expenditure on the fans, and make a crap load of money off this little scam. People will still go to the Ballpark even when the Rangers suck and Hicks, as always, refuses to put any money into the team. Hockey fans in Dallas are FREAKISHLY attached to their team and will continue to fork over 50 bucks a ticket for bad seats to watch a team that hasn't been able to score for 5 years but still hasn't done anything to get scorers.

I've freaking had it with this guy. Dallas is the 5th biggest market on the national sports scene. And yet year after year the Rangers in particular are in the bottom third in payroll. Think about that: fifth biggest market and their payroll is in line with Kansas City, Florida, and Tampa Bay. That's pathetic. And yet year after year Hicks blames the lack of spending on the fans not coming to the ballpark (bull crap) and says he's not making enough profit off the team.

The same thing is going on right now with the Stars. Payroll in the NHL isn't an issue because of the salary cap but figuring out how to spend that money is more important in hockey than in baseball. Every year he raises ticket prices (for both franchises) and then turns around and makes weak, insignificant patch-job signings, like last year's Eric Lindros signing. This team CANNOT SCORE! Go get SOMEONE who can fill the net. Every year Hicks and his team (who I can't blame because they're not getting anything from the owner) lacklusterly poke around at the big fish just so they can say they tried but in the end they never pony up the money they know it will take to sign a real goal scorer. And so each year they bring out the dog and pony show and tell us how they're going to be a defensive team and there wasn't really anyone out there worth signing anyway.

Now Hicks has fired the GM. This is a move that I've expected. Doug Armstrong didn't bring in the scorers needed to take this team back to prominence. But as I've noted, how much can he really do, knowing that his owner isn't going to pay any real money even if he does get one of the big free agents to come to Dallas. The problem isn't the firing of Army. The problem is that he wanted to fire Army in the off season but didn't have the nerve to do it. Now he's done it 15 games into the year and put a complete novice at the head of the team. This season is lost now. If you're going to make a move, do it when the team has a half a chance to get used to that move.

An even bigger issue, though, was the press conference. Hicks comes out and talks about his presidents of operations and how good they've been and how much of a difference they've made. And he talks (like ALWAYS) about revenue. He scolds the Stars fans for not giving up their first born for the Stars and again reminds the lowly serfs/fans that without their money he can't (translation: won't) spend the money necessary to make the Stars or the Rangers relevant again. He speaks to the media and to the fans like he's the chairman of the board speaking to the dang shareholders.

Here's the thing Tommy Boy: WE DON'T FREAKING CARE ABOUT YOUR PROFITS!!! We are shareholders in a sense, but in THE TEAM, not you, not your revenues. If you want to make money off a company then don't get into sports. Sure, there's money to be had but not nearly at the same level that a corporation can bring you. The point of a sports franchise is not to make money but to WIN and then take the money that comes from that. There just aren't many teams in any sport that really rake in money. The Yankees and the Cowboys come to mind, but oh by the way, The Yankees payroll last year was 250 million dollars and oh by the way, Jerry Jones just spent about 500 million of his own money to make that stadium the best in the world. In sports you have to give to get. We're sick and tired of being admonished for not paying the ever increasing ticket prices for teams that are ever decreasing in talent. Put some money into these teams, stay out of the public eye and SHUT YOUR MOUTH! Every time the dude talks it's a speech about lack of revenue and cicle talk concerning the direction of the franchises. How bout this, we'll spend some money when you spend some money and stop running these teams into the ground. If the money really is so bad, then GET OUT and sell the teams to owners who know what it takes to put a winner on the field/ice. Cuban has been trying to get into MLB for years, surely he wouldn't mind taking on the Rangers. Can you imagine what Jerry would do with the Stars?

It's time to put up or shut up Hicks. Spend some money or sell the teams and move on. Don't you have an English soccer team to ruin anyway?

Three New Shows Worth Watching

This season started as one of the best TV years in recent memory. The lag in worthwhile plots, however, has led to a lull in quality programming in the last month or so. I can only guess how much worse the writer's strike will make the upcoming months. (Speaking of which, the word is the networks will fill air time with reality shows should the strike continue for much longer. Ugh. Here's hoping the Mavs are playing seriously meaningful basketball during this strike or my DVD player is going to be carrying more than its fair share of the load.) "Heroes" has been so stagnant even the creator is apologizing to fans. "Grey's Anatomy" has fallen into the trap it had so successfully manuvered around to this point by allowing the romance to completely take over the rest of the show. "The Office" is just about the only returning show that has held up its end of the bargain by not only staying the course but by getting even better in its fourth season.

That said, there are three new shows this season that have not only captured my attention but have retained it thus far. All three deserve more attention than they've gotten thusfar and so here goes my attempt at swaying viewers to at least flip the Tivo on for these shows.

3. Journeyman
First of all, no that's not 80's star Anthony Michael Hall in the lead here. It took me about 4 weeks to be absolutely sure of that but it is in fact Kevin McKidd of "Rome" fame. This show is "simple" enough in its premise - out of nowhere, Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter begins to take trips back in time. He soon discovers that each time he goes back there is something he is to accomplish. Usually there is a person he must save or forever change the life of in order to better the future in one way or another. Sometimes the results are direct (a gambling addicted lawyer that is to committ suicide becomes a powerful attorney affecting civil change) while sometimes it's more indirect (a man he saves repeatedly turns out to be a criminal who's son becomes a world renowned scientist). Vasser must balance this new power with the demands of family and job and a jealous brother who each passing week grows closer and closer to sending his brother to prison for the crimes he believes he is committing. It's an entertaining show, if nothing else, and McKidd is a great actor, even if he does seriously resemble Anthony Michael Hall. With every sci-fi show, however, "Journeyman" walks the line between intriguing and ridiculous. Let's hope the shows creators can continue to keep on the right side of the line because it's rare that a sci-fi show can make it on network TV and this is good enough to do so.

2. Chuck
Alright, when I saw the ENDLESS previews for this show that NBC threw out for the months leading up to the premiere, I thought "That looks like the dumbest show ever." I pronounced "3 weeks" to my wife, meaning I would bet the show lasted 3 weeks before cancellation. Still I Tivoed a couple of episodes and I must say this is the most pleasantly surprised I've been with a show in a long time. "Chuck" is really funny. It's well written, well shot, and surprisingly well acted. The show centers around Chuck Bartowski, a geek who works for the "Nerd Herd" (aka Geek Squad) at "Buy More" (aka Best Buy). A real genius, he was kicked out of Stanford for cheating and now has no life and makes no real attempt to get one. His ex-roommate, who coincidentally got him kicked out of Stanford, went on to become a CIA operative and on a rouge mission, he sends Chuck a batch of video encoded government secrets which become imbedded in Chuck's brain. So every once in a while (I would say about once a week and always on a Monday) something jogs his memory and makes him think of a government secret and a mission ensues. He is accompanied by a CIA operative, Sarah, and an NSA operative, John. It's a silly show but that is in fact the greatness of the show. "Chuck" delights in its silliness and never takes itself too seriously. The supporting characters are brilliant: Joshua Gomez's Morgan is a geek cliche but still humorous and Adam Baldwin is finally getting another opportunity to show his brilliance after "Firefly" was so unceremoniously killed. But the show hinges on Chuck, played by Zachary Levi. Levi is an essential unknown and in the previews for the show I really thought he was going to overact the whole thing. But in reality, Levi's deliver is smooth and well timed. His dialouge is witty and he strikes just the right cord of being nerdy without falling into the annoying cliche nerdiness that most of these characters become. It's easy to believe that at one time this character wasn't a complete nerd but has become so due to circumstances. Chuck comes across as a slightly less cool version of Jim Halpert from "The Office." It's a fun show that I look forward to each week and really isn't that about all you can ask from a TV show?

3. Pushing Daisies
ABC gets a spot in my top three with what is really the only new full length show the network came out with this season. While the execs in all their wisdom decided "Cavemen" was a worthwhile program, they also greenlit "Pushing Daisies" so I can't hold too much against them. "Daisies" was created by Barry Sonnenfeld, the same person who gave us "Men In Black" and "Get Shorty" and even the most amatuer of film students can see the simirities in the way these works are shot. Dark is overly dark but light is just as overly light, the plotlines are over the top but in a fantastic way, and the dialouge is just a little different than your average TV show. "Daisies" centers around a pie maker who at an early age discovers that if he touches something that is dead, it will return to life. However, there are several other rules which apply to this ability, including the fact that if he ever touches the reborn again, it will return to death. Therefore he cannot and does not pet his dog and he is unable to touch his girlfriend who was his child hood love and whom he brought back to life while attempting to find out who killed her so he could collect the reward money. Sound a little out there? It is. But as in the case of "Chuck", this show knows it's crazy and celebrates that fact. The way this show is shot is awesome but the true brilliance of the show lies in the actors. Lee Pace plays the lead role perfectly so that the viewer can feel sympathetic to poor Ned but not so much that he becomes a sad figure. Kristen Chenowith is humorous in her role as the assistant pie maker who is head over heels in love with Ned. Anna Friel, the dead girl who's not dead, is amazing and brings a glimmer of sunshine to material that could very easily become dark without her presence. I hope to see more of her in the future. The real find here, however, is the ALWAYS underrated Chi McBride who plays the private investivator Ned partners with to solve crimes and more importantly, collect reward money with. Chi's brand of obvious sarcasm is perfect for the role and I can only hope that this show can vault Chi into more mainstream roles than those he has had to take over the years. It's a fun ride that "Daisies" takes us on and I was extremely pleased to see that ABC has picked the show up for the full season in spite of its lackluster numbers.

Five Songs You Should Download

Every so often I'm fortunate enough to come into possession of an iTunes gift card and spend days looking for the best possible songs I can get with my $15. iTunes is a great thing for two reasons: 1.) you can find music you would never hear otherwise and 2.) you can get the singles of the bands who don't have the decency to make a quality album but occasionally come up with a hit. Here are five songs that I've picked up over the last couple of weeks that are worth a download.

"Thanks I Get" - Wilco
I'm a fan of the folk-rock/independent rock genre and Wilco has been one of the poster bands for this movement. But Wilco has always been a band that intrigued me but ultimately failed to deliver a truly good album (or hit single) in each of its previous attempts. This is the song I've been waiting for. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful and whereas I have felt other Wilco songs have been overly dominated by their guitar work, "Thanks I Get" displays perfect harmony between singer and band. It is also beautifully arranged and is much more catchy than anything Wilco has done before. You've probably heard this song over the last couple of months as Wilco is the official band of Volkswagon. Here's hoping Wilco's follow up album will have more stuff like this.

"Bubbly" - Colbie Caillat
This song gets played about 197 times a day on pop radio. But don't let that scare you off. The debut single of a talented young musician, "Bubbly" is an extremely catchy if simplistic little love song that is a breath of fresh air compared to the overproduced, over sung junk that has taken over the majority of our radio airwaves. It's far from a transcendant piece of work but it's a warm-fuzzy feeling sort of song and Ms. Caillat has a beautiful voice that resides somewhere between Norah Jones and Joss Stone. It's a good song that is sure to make its way into countless spring TV shows but the real find here is Ms. Caillat who has the potential to be a force for good in the fight against synthesizers and Britney Spears. Hope to see more from her in the future.

"I'm So Sick (Acoustic)" - Flyleaf
Flyleaf broke onto the music scene in late 2005 with a unique brand of hard core, heavy, Christian influenced music. The lyrics are screamed and the music is deafeningly loud and clashing. They make Evanescence look like The Osmonds. Yet there's no hiding the fact that each song is filled with Christian themes. It's a scream fest that Jesus himself could rock out to. "I'm So Sick" was the first single, a song that got a lot of play and has become a favorite of mine. The acoustic version, however, is even better. While the original was powerful through its loudness, this version is just as powerful through its quiet. Lacey Mosley's voice is HAUNTING and the lyrics sung at this level with only the light strumming of a guitar to back it bring goosebumps. You can feel the lyricist's suffering pouring out through Ms. Mosley's voice. This is destined to find a spot on my all time favorites list.

"I'm With the Band" - Little Big Town
This is straight up one of the best songs I've heard in a long time. I'm no fan of country music and I found LBT's previous efforts to be cliche and lacking in content. But if the next album is anything like the single, I'm in. "The Band" is an anthem for traveling/gypsy bands everywhere and channels the work of Willie, The Eagles, and Lynard Skynard. The song begins and ends in four part harmony and the music works perfectly with the singing, adding to the voice work rather than overpowering it. This is an incredible piece of work that invoke images of white lines, passing countryside, and, for me, the "Tiny Dancer" scene in "Almost Famous." I can only hope that Nashville can give us more work such as this and less of the unimaginative junk we've been force fed for the last few years.

"Stay (I Missed You)" - New Found Glory
This is a punk-cover of the mid 90's Lisa Loeb song that was a long running hit in the Billboard Top 100. And it's awesome. I'm a fan of the cover song but this is one of the best ones I've heard in a long time. Lisa Loeb provides dual vocals to accompany Jordan Pundik. The seeming clash in style of Pundik's classicly punk voice and Loeb's reserved, soft voice actually works in perfect compliment. NFG provides an edge and some real feelings to a song that I've always found to be lacking in both. While the rest of this album doesn't live up to NFG's previous cover album, this song stands out as an awesome example of how much fun a cover song can be when done right.

The Heat

The Miami Heat are awful. And I don't mean like the normal kind of awful team that resides each year at the cellar of the Eastern Conference. I mean HISTORIC AWFUL. Like "Daddy Day Care" is regular awful and "Daddy Day Camp" is HISTORIC awful. Now at the end of the day, their final record won't be anything close to the 72-73 Philly team that won 9 games or the 92 and 93 Mavs teams that won 11 and 13 games respectively. That won't happen because they still have Shaq who even in his present condition is still worth a lot of wins. And when Wade comes back he'll make them at least a decent team.

But that won't change the fact that this team is AWFUL.

Without Wade, the Heat have not one player that can consistently create for himself and make good decisions. This was the reason Ricky Davis was brought in but the truth is, Ricky is a DECENT creator (for himself and only himself, never a teammate) when he's the second or third option. When he's the first option, he's in over his head. Now you can survive in the NBA without creators if you have two things: defense and good shooters to combine with an inside force. The Heat have neither.

Jason Williams, Ricky Davis, Penny Hardaway, Dorell Wright...all of these guys are streaky shooters at best. There's not one guy on that team that will kill you every time you leave him open. That's what they had in Jason Kapono but they let him walk in free agency. There's no ramifications or negative consequences to keep a team like the Spurs from double and even triple teaming Shaq on every play. Udonis Haslem is the only guy who is even remotely consistent with the jumper and he's a 15 foot shooter. More over, after watching them play tonight you'd think that the Heat don't even know they have Shaq on their team. At times the Heat went literally 6 or 7 straight possessions without Shaq every touching the ball. We've established that no one else on this team is capable of scoring without serious help, right? I know Shaq isn't the same Shaq from 2004 but he's still SHAQ! The Heat played like they had Gary Coleman playing the center spot tonight.

The big thing, though, is their defense. At some point Mark Jones, the broadcaster, said something to the affect of "this team depends on great defense and when that doesn't happen they struggle." Translation: this team would be lucky to score 100 points in TWO games, let alone on a single night, so they better bust their tails on D and hope to goodness that the other team decides to put two farm animals in the starting lineup in place of their two best shooters.

Problem is, this team probably STILL couldn't hold another team under 85 points if they DID play two farm animals. Their perimeter defense is seriously the worst I have EVER seen. Dead serious. I feel that a team of 8th grade girls from a school for the deaf and blind would play better perimeter defense than these guys. Jason Williams has never been even a passable defender but he's gotten worse after the knee surgeries. Smush Parker is a complete idiot in every facet of the game so it's no surprise that he still can't seem to wrap his head around the concept of actually staying IN FRONT of your man. And then there's Ricky Davis. I used to think there was no worse perimeter defender in the league than Antoine Walker. But darnit if Pat Riley didn't go out and prove me wrong and found one who was. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Ricky's man drove tonight it was a free trip to the paint. Granted, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are incredibly tough covers but surely an NBA player should be able to stop them every once in a while. Meanwhile Shaq is aging and not nearly as explosive when it comes to shot blocking as he used to be. But he doesn't stand a chance with that team full of matadors out there waving a red flag and giving opponents clear paths to the basket. I wanted to scream "Ole!" on almost every possession.

This is a really, really bad team. And if they don't get it together soon, no amount of magic that Shaq and Wade can put together is going to save them.

We're Raising a Banner This Year

Ya, it's only 4 games into the year but I'm going to tell you right now: the NBA championship comes to Dallas this season. Put the champagne on ice, print the t-shirts and hats, plan the parade route (okay, not that, since that's what jinxed us in 06), and engrave "2008 Dallas Mavericks" on the trophy. This thing is done.

The Houston Rockets are everyone's "It" team this year. Lots of people are picking San Antonio and Phoenix to win it all but on a lot of "expert" ballots, the Rockets are often picked to finish ahead of the Mavs during the regular season and advance farther than the Mavs in the playoffs. McGrady is supposed to be smarter now. Yao has turned into a superstar. They've added some capable veterans. And they have a new coach, Rick Adelman, who is a great offensive mind and will supposedly allow for Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and a host of point guards run wild in ways that would have made Jeff Van Gundy want to punch a baby were he still coach. (Shout out to Dane Cook for the punch a baby line of jokes.)

Truth is, they're an easy pick over the Mavs. The Mavs have completely blown two championship chances in two years and at some point their window of opportunity will close. Houston is exciting and has a traditional base of power, with an inside force (Yao) and an outside scoring freak (McGrady).

But here's the thing: The Mavs just knocked the Rockets out tonight playing at nowhere near full strength. They were missing 2 starters and 2 extremely valuable bench players. 4 very important players missing and yet as the game progressed, the Mavs just wore the Rockets down. Houston stayed close early but the Mavs kept pressuring them from every angle and watched as they cracked. Yao was exhausted and was truly outplayed by Gana Diop, a guy who makes about 10 percent of what he does. Jason Terry was absolutely on fire and seemed like he never missed a shot. Dirk struggled all game long but in true MVP fashion, stepped it up when it counted and made two huge shots. And in true un-MVP fashion, Tracy McGrady was once again taken out of the game when it counted and barely scored in the last 8 minutes.

This team is darn good and will only get better when they have everyone back healthy. They are still the only team that is built to outslug the Spurs, exhaust Yao and the Rockets, and out shoot the Suns. They have what is unquestionably the deepest roster in the league. And more importantly, they are a team that is DRIVEN to make up for the mistakes that they seem to have learned so much for. This thing is done. The National writers should do themselves a favor and write the headline right now. Dallas Mavericks, 2008 NBA Champions.

Disclaimer: Should the Mavs fail to live up to their potential or have yet another historic collapse down the stretch, this author will immediately distance from any championship predictions and this post will mysteriously disappear. In the event that they do win out, I will of course compare myself to Nostradamus. Just fair warning.

Sneaky, Sneaky

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week I decided to fast. I don't exactly know why, I just thought it would be a good idea. I usually don't eat breakfast anyway, so I decided to skip lunch and committed to not eating until supper. It was something I've never done before (more than anything because my metabolism used to work so fast that a 12 ounce steak would leave me hungry again within 20 minutes) but it turned out to be an awesome thing. Depending on God for such a small thing, keeping my stomach from growling all day, really opened my eyes.

One of the things that was brought forth is the sneaky, sneaky ways of Satan. I don't know about you but I don't think I consciously consider the affect Satan is having on me and others during the course of a normal day. Sometimes I feel his presence during the big things but forget the little things he does.

Case and point, no less than 5 times each day did I nearly eat something without thinking about it. The snack that the school provides for my kids on Wednesday was warm chocolate chip cookies (one step under green olives and pizza for my favorite food) and before I even thought about it I stuck my hand in and pulled a cookie out. I barely caught myself and, of course, saved the cookies for later. Another teacher offered me a piece of candy that I took and opened before remembering my commitment. Both days were full of opportunities to eat without thinking.

The point is not that I avoided temptation. I doubt God would judge me for eating the cookie or send me a one way ticket to Hell for eating the offered mint. I don't think it would have been a sin and there certainly was no intent. The point is, that Satan is one sneaky son of a gun. Sin or no, he nearly had me breaking my commitment without even thinking about it. How often does he do that each day with real sins? It's something I don't think about but now that I've seen it first hand, it really makes me consider the impact he has on our lives. I'm reminded of "The Screwtape Letters" in which the elder demon writes fondly of an occasion when he used the stomach to gently push a curious atheist away from a book that might have raised questions. It was simple, it was discreet, it was sneaky, and it was EFFECTIVE.

As much as he most certainly is the Lord of Lies, Satan is just as much the Sultan of Sneak (you know you like the alliteration!). And in the words of John Turturro, "I fear (we) have underestimated the sneakiness."