A couple weeks back I introduced the first installment of a new feature here on Doin Work. Being a Northern California sports fan, I’ve seen more than my share of lousy games. Between the A’s, Raiders, Kings, and Warriors, I’ve endured my share of losing seasons. But there are a few games that stand out in my memory. Today, I’m bringing out the big gun. Quite possibly the greatest game I’ve ever witnessed, given the importance of it. I can probably count the number of professional sports playoff games I’ve been to on one hand. Most of them are A’s games. Although they’ve made it to the postseason more than most teams, it often has ended in disappointment. But not on this day in 2006…..
MCeezy and DJ Inevitable doing what they do best in the Oakland Coliseum parking lot.
It was an overcast Thursday morning. I remember it clearly. We purchased tickets long in advance for this game, but no one in their right mind could’ve predicted the Athletics would come back from Minneapolis with a 2-0 lead on the Twins in the ALDS. After the two improbable victories, the team returned to Oakland with a chance to clinch. Now, any baseball fan knows that a potential series clinching game is no walk in the park for the A’s. They earned a reputation of not being able to close out series. Still, nothing could contain my excitement, for my A’s fandom may have been at an all-time high that season. After attending more than 25 home games that year, I felt like a part of the team. I still remember when I requested the day off from work. My boss said he’d get back to me, and I actually told him straight up, “Honestly, if you don’t give me the day off, I’m gonna quit. It’s that serious.” Ultimately he obliged, but out of good will I went and put in an hour or two of work just to knock a few things out. Around 8am, my friend Andy met up with me and we ventured across the Bay Bridge to Oakland for the big game.
While Dee Brown may be long forgotten these days, with the exception of an annual memory or two around the All-Star break, back in the mid-90s, he was the man. Brown is mostly remembered for one thing: his arm over the eyes dunk in the 1991 NBA dunk contest. Those with superior memories might also remember the sight of him bending over to pump up his Reeboks before a dunk attempt in that same contest. As a former short guy, I was a big fan of Dee Brown. I even remembered today for the first time in at least a decade, that I used to have one of those t-shirt jerseys with #7 and Brown across the back. I’m pretty sure my affinity for him lasted about as long as his time in the limelight. While his performance in the dunk contest was memorable, not much else was.
He was drafted #19 by the Celtics in the 1990 Draft. He played seven and a half seasons in Boston before being traded to Toronto along with Chauncey Billups, Roy Rogers, and John Thomas for Kenny Anderson, Zan Tabak, and Popeye Jones. He then played two and half seasons in Toronto, where somehow, in 98-99, he led the NBA in both 3pt FG made and attempted. What makes it even crazier is that he did it in just 49 games. He jacked up over 7 three point attempts per game that year, converting on 2.8 of them. I’d be surprised if anyone knew that fact off the top of their head. Dee spent his final two seasons in Orlando, where he played a total of 14 games those two years.
All-Star Saturday night is just 48 hours away now, and the Dunk Contest is always the make or break event of the weekend. It’s definitely had its share of ups and downs over the course of the last 20 years, even taking two years off, due to a lockout and a season in which the contest was shelved, before Vince Carter single-handedly brought it back. The Dunk Contest is like Christmas. Sometimes you get great presents, most of the time you get some good and some bad, and some years you walk away with nothing more than a stocking full of coal. That’s what the 1995 Contest was…. a stocking full of coal. First off, the list of competitors reads like a 1995 D-League all-star team, even though it didn’t exist back then. Sure, you had the two defending champions, Isaiah Rider and Harold Miner, but the average basketball fan would be lucky if they could remember more than one of the other guys. There was Antonio Harvey, who was actually an opening night starter for the Lakers in 1993, alongside other Laker legends like Trevor Wilson and Tony Smith. There was Tim Perry, who was traded to Philadelphia for Charles Barkley (along with a couple other guys of course). There was Tony Dumas, who believe it or not, was the second best Dumas in the league that year. And then there was Jamey Watson, who to be honest, I haven’t thought about probably since 1995, if not before. He’d be a great RFP of the Day, except he really WAS forgotten. Watson’s first dunk on this highlight reel pretty much sets the tone for the contest as a whole. It looks like a warmup dunk. Even Rider and Miner, two of the best dunkers of the decade, seemed to leave their ‘A’ game at home. I truly believe this contest was the one that got the wheels turning in the league office to think about canning the event. Here are the highlights. Enjoy….. if you can.
I’m not in the time wasting business anymore, but I’ve clocked a lot of hours over at the FailBlog network. It started with Failblog, then I spiraled out of control, frequenting such ridiculous sites as Engrish, Graphjam, and even LolCatz. Today, a friend pointed me over to hackedirl.com, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best one yet. For me, at least. See, I’ve always been a fan of funny graffiti. Hacked IRL is all about it.
Instantly, it reminds me of some of my favorite funny graffiti sightings over the years….
Circa 1998, I got off the freeway at Watt Ave, and someone had painted a T in front of Watt.
Circa 2001, I was in a bathroom, and someone wrote CODY LAMBERT PISSED HERE. If you aren’t a dork like me, then you wouldn’t know that Cody Lambert is the surfer dude nephew on Step by Step.
Circa 2004, in a porta-potty in the parking lot at the Oakland Coliseum, someone wrote on the case of toilet seat covers, FREE GIANTS HATS, and lastly….
Circa 2007, on a garage in Portrero Hill in San Francisco, someone simply spraypainted, POOPDICK
I got to thinking today about how I get excited for different events during NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND each year. One year it’ll be the Dunk Contest, the next it’ll be the Three Point Contest, and the next it’ll be the Haier Shooting Stars. Okay okay, that last one is obviously false. I don’t think anyone with a frenulum preputii gets excited to watch a player shoot set shots with an old guy and a chick. Having said that, I’m on board with Team Sacramento this year. Tyreke Evans, Chris Webber, and Nicole Powell. They might as well just make it a 3-on-3 contest – it’d be so much better. Other things I’m excited to see are Stephen Curry in the 3pt Contest and Gerald Wallace out to avenge his disappointing scores from his first appearance earlier this decade. What takes the cake this year will be the Rookies taking on the Sophomores in the Schick Gatorade Rookie Allstate Sophomore E*Trade Challenge Presented By Ford. Nevermind that both teams are stacked, but just the thought of Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, and Jonny Flynn running the floor together is enough to get the juices flowing. For anyone who actually cares about the outcome of the game, the real challenge will be whether the undersized freshmen can keep up on the boards with the likes of Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, and Kevin Love. While the All-Star game has become an afterthought, the Rookie-Soph Game is the perfect blend of all-star freedom and competitive drive.
Here are a few of the Rookie Sophomore Challenge’s greatest moments….
Tough reminder that Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, and Gilbert Arenas were all rookies on the Warriors.
Mel Gibson is back in the news. What’s ironic is he got upset that the interviewer was talking about his screw ups and Mel was pissed off that he was bringing up the past. Thankfully, Mel gave us another gem when he called the reporter an asshole before they cut off the feed. Mel Gibson is fast approaching trainwreck status, because although this particular incident wasn’t that bad, I’m more concerned with his demeanor. Either that’s his 6th cup of coffee, or Mel’s on one. It looks like he killed a 12 pack and downed a shot of Tom Arnold before the interview. My main conspiracy theory, though, is that Mel Gibson is really a character portrayed by Allen Covert, of Grandma’s Boy fame. Since Gibson was obviously around long before Covert burst on the scene, there’s only one possible scenario…. Mel Gibson did in fact die in that car crash years ago, and Covert assumed his identity.
This is the first post of a series I’d like to call, “Great Sports Games I Attended.” Last night’s big upset of Gonzaga for USF inspired me to think about some great games I witnessed over the years. Tonight’s installment features one of the greatest college basketball upsets ever. Now, it doesn’t include any teams I’m particularly attached to, but a couple of years ago, I made the trip up to Reno, Nevada to catch the Nevada Wolfpack take on the then #2 Kansas Jayhawks. I went up there with a friend of mine who was a huge Jayhawks fan. I, however, had a lot of friends from high school attending UNR at the time. The Wolfpack, led by future fugitive, Kirk Snyder, pulled off a huge upset of Wayne Simien and the second ranked Kansas Jayhawks in 2003. Kansas not only had Simien, but also Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, JR Giddens, and Reno native David Padgett. Padgett caught a lot of heat for going to play for Kansas instead of Nevada, which didn’t sit well with the local fans. He struggled to a six point finish, and the Wolfpack won by a final score of 75-61. It was a definitely a thrilling game to watch from the stands. Ultimately, because my friend was a Kansas fan, it led to a big falling out between the two of us, as the loss put him in a terrible mood. Nonetheless, it was a great game that I’ll never forget.
Sorry, no recap or analysis – I missed the game. Since 75% of Doin Work is USF alumni, we had to honor the Dons huge upset of #13 Gonzaga last night in San Francisco. What’s funny is I didn’t even bother checking the score at any point last night. I’ll typically check scores for just about every other WCC opponent, but Gonzaga I usually don’t bother. I didn’t find out until this morning when I logged into Facebook and someone had posted a comment that said “Congrats on the win.” I got that immediate adrenaline rush like when you realize you’ve won the lottery. Actually, I don’t know what that feels like, but you know the “no way, that couldn’t have happened!” feeling. The loss was just the fourth for Gonzaga this season. The list reads like a who’s who of basketball powerhouse programs: Michigan State, Wake Forest, Duke, San Francisco. Okay, so maybe the fourth program doesn’t really belong anymore, but we’ll always have the mid-50s. We also still have more national championships than any school in California besides UCLA as well, but who’s counting. Senior forward Dior Lowhorn led the way for USF with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Steven Gray isn't on Rashad Green and Perris Blackwell's level. Seriously. Look at his feet.
I couldn’t pass up this video clip of Kobe Bryant on Sesame Street. He’s helping little Abby teach kids the meaning of the word miniature. Kobe pulls out a book, Abby makes a miniature one. Then, he pulls out a painting, and surprise, Abby makes a miniature painting. I’ve got to admit, I got really scared when he pulled out the hot dog. I didn’t want to see his miniature wiener. Thankfully, Sesame Street producers opted to go in a different direction.
It’s no secret who my teams are. I’m pretty much a homer when it comes to sports. If you’re wondering who my team is in any given sport, just find the team located in Northern California and you’ve got it. Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors, Oakland Raiders, Sacramento Kings, San Francisco 49ers, and if you have to find a hockey team, the San Jose Sharks. Every once in a while, though, there’s an out of market team that captures my attention. Often times it’s because of a player I like. Other times it’s because I’m a habitual underdog supporter, and there’s actually a team out there worse than mine. Here’s who they are, how they fared, why I liked them, and who I liked on the team….
#10 – 2000 Cincinnati Bengals
Season Outcome: 4-12, 5th in AFC Central
Who I Liked: Corey Dillon, Peter Warrick, Takeo Spikes
Why I Liked Them: This team sort of tricked me. I had flirted with Bengals fandom for a few seasons, mainly on the strength of receivers, Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. 2000, however, was the year I finally traveled down striped road and jump on the Bengal bandwagon, if there is such a thing. The problem was, Pickens and Scott were gone, and Akili Smith had assumed full time QB duties. What was left was 1,400 rushing yards for Corey Dillon, and Peter Warrick leading the receiving core with an underwhelming 52 catches and 4 TDs. I almost bought a Peter Warrick jersey one day at the San Francisco City Center early that season. Good thing I didn’t, that’d be the second worst jersey in my closet right now.
The late Wayman Tisdale.... the greatest to ever play for the Kings and the Suns?
For all the Sacramento fans out there, here’s a great deal on Kings tickets for the February 5th game against the Phoenix Suns. Lower bowl tickets for ONLY $40.50!!! These seats are usually $89.50, so grab them now and go watch Tyreke Evans run circles around Steve Nash, IF Coach Gentry even lets him try to guard him. Click on the link below for this special deal, and use the password…. kings.
Voting closed today for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, so in honor of the inevitable snubs and undeserving nods, here’s the top WTF all-stars of the last 15 years. These aren’t necessarily guys who were undeserving, but certainly a list of names you wouldn’t necessarily think all-star.
F – Christian Laettner (1997) 18 ppg, 9 rpg for Atlanta
F – Chris Gatling (1997) 19 ppg, 8 rpg for Dallas
C – Jamaal Magloire (2004) 13 ppg, 10 rpg for New Orleans
G – Wally Szczerbiak (2002) 18.7 ppg for Minnesota
G – Allan Houston (2001) 18.7 ppg for New York
F – Antonio Davis (2001) 13ppg, 10 rpg for Toronto
C – Rik Smits (1998) 17 ppg, 7 rpg for Indiana
F – Anthony Mason (2001) 16 ppg, 10 rpg for Miami
F – Detlef Schrempf (1997) 17 ppg, 6 rpg for Seattle
F – Dale Davis (2000) 10 ppg, 10 rpg for Indiana
C – Vlade Divac (2001) 12 ppg, 8 rpg for Sacramento
F – Tom Gugliotta (1997) 20 ppg, 6 rpg for Minnesota
Wanna get away? Don’t mind bringing sand to the beach? Check out Sandy Balls Holiday Club in the UK. If that doesn’t interest you, perhaps you should check out their sister property, Crusty Nuts.
The tinkering continues in Oakland as the Athletics acquired 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff today from the Padres. He’s not exactly a guy I rosterbate to, but he can probably man the corner better than anyone else in house. He comes to Oakland with a minor league PTBNL (rumor is a fellow called Eric Sogard. We’ll hold off on him until we know he’s in the deal) . Going back to San Diego is Scott Hairston, who was just acquired from San Diego last summer. The A’s are also sending fringe player Aaron Cunningham in the deal. Cunningham looked promising in his time in AAA-Sacramento, but never found his stroke in the majors, batting .211 in limited action. I’ve seen a good majority of his progression through the minors since he was acquired from Arizona in the Dan Haren deal. While he was one of my more exciting prospects, I ultimately concluded that he’ll probably project to no better than a 4th outfielder on a big league team. Hairston, meanwhile, was the clear odd man out immediately following the Coco Crisp signing. All in all, the A’s acquired a position of need – and quite frankly their most dire by far – while trading away from a position of strength. …Strength in numbers at least.
While this move addressed some questions, it also raises just as many in my mind. Obviously the team got a veteran third baseman which they needed, but what does this mean for Eric Chavez? Don’t get me wrong, I’m about two full years removed from having stopped counting on Chavez being on the field, but I at least need some closure. Last I heard he was almost healthy. Granted that probably applies to him 95% of the time, but still. Perhaps he’s going to spend the majority of his time at DH, but wait, isn’t that what they brought Jack Cust back for? I really hope this move wasn’t made to clear room in the outfield for Cust. The other thing I still wonder about is the future of the third base position. Surely Kouzmanoff can’t be the long term solution. He’s a career .261 hitter whose average has declined in each of his three full seasons in the bigs. Not one to ever pay attention to fielding statistics, I couldn’t help but noticed that he’s cut his errors drastically each season, from 22 to 11 to just 3 last year. His fielding percentage has gone up each year as well, topping off at .990 last season. At least having a good defensive third baseman will alleviate a lot of roster concerns. I just really wish we had someone promising there in the minors. Brett Wallace was the most hope I’d had in years, and now he’s in Toronto. Don’t get me wrong, I’m equally excited about Michael Taylor. I just can’t come up with anything more exciting than Adrian Cardenas when I think about the A’s prospects at third. Problem is, Cardenas isn’t even a third baseman. It’s okay though, a good player is always just a trade away. At the rate the A’s are going, there should be a few more before the season rolls around.
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