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June 20, 2011

Doin Rants: Apple’s Atrocious Customer Service

By mceezy

Sorry it’s not sports related, but this is too funny not to share with the world. It’s a good example of why I’m so offended by modernity. I stole that quote from a 92 year old guy on American Pickers. But it’s true. I had a minor billing issue with Apple, but it wasn’t my fault, so I decided to try to get it resolved. BIG MISTAKE. Here’s what happened….

Two years ago… I’m not a huge iTunes user, but it comes in handy at times. One day I had a Visa giftcard with about $4 left on it, so I figured what a great idea it’d be to download a couple songs and use up the card. I picked three songs, the transaction was approved, and the goods were tendered to me. A couple weeks or months later, I went back to buy a few more songs for the hell of it. But I was greeted with an error message stating that there was a problem with my previous purchase and that I owed $3.27. Normally I’d be happy to authorize a company to charge my credit card again if the original transaction failed, but this was a gift card – I had long thrown away that card. I’m too stubborn to pay for those songs again. So I said f*** it, and moved on with my life. Of course, every few months, I’d forget and go back to try and buy more songs. Each time, the same reaction. Nah… I estimate that I tried to spend over $100 on songs, but was denied due to an alleged $3.27 outstanding balance. I even bought CDs for the first time in about 10 years! To me, this whole thing is the equivalent of if I had paid cash for something, and the vendor later LOST the cash, and thus demanded that I pay again. Not gonna happen.

So now that I finally made the jump to the much maligned iPhone, I find that I’m still blacklisted, YEARS later. I can’t even download FREE apps. I decided it was time to do something about it. Again, big mistake. I figured all I had to do was take 5 or 10 minutes of my time and explain the situation to someone and they could correct the error and clear the balance. Not so fast. I can’t even speak to anyone in my own country! I’m an advocate of globalization and outsourcing, but customer service is the one thing that I disagree with. How is someone who doesn’t speak English supposed to help ANYONE? I don’t wanna name names, so let’s call him Purush. Purush replies to me with an e-mail that looked like it was written by an 8 year old. Not an American 8 year old, an Indian 8 year old. I get insulted when customers of mine can’t craft a grammatically correct e-mail. Clearly I’m less than impressed when someone who is supposed to help me can’t even understand what I’m saying, let alone reply to me in an informed matter. He kept feeding me canned responses that really didn’t apply to my situation. What frustrated me most though, is despite multiple requests to please forward my issue to someone else who is able to help, he repeatedly refused to do so, and continued to tell me I need to pay again. He finally has stopped responding to me altogether. I’m as stubborn as they come though, so I’ve just decided to boycott Apple altogether. I won’t spend a dime on apps or games or songs. I’ve talked two people out of iPhones. With Father’s Day coming up, my sister suggested we get my dad Apple TV. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds expensive, and I explained to her I am boycotting Apple so it’s not gonna happen. Classic American business move: alienate a customer over $3.27, and in turn, lose over $500 in sales due to neglect.

Look, I provide terrible customer service at times, but if someone is affected by a mistake I made, I’ll man up and correct it. When I don’t, I’ll still hear you out and try to work something out. But you know what Purush? Even though you were rooting for me to fail, you still have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that you had before you woke up today. You’ll have the same personal problems you had today. I’m going to live my life. You have to get back to the real world at some point. (Lebron James, 6/12/2011)

Purush denied my request for comment or a personal photo to share for this feature.

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Random

June 17, 2011

“Moneyball” Means The A’s Will Be Around In September

By mceezy

While Chappy and I have spent the majority of the 2011 season calling for Bob Geren’s head and preaching conspiracy theories about ownership sabotaging the team, Moneyball the movie has begun to emerge and take us back to the good ol’ days. The movie has been in the works for years now, but it looks like it’ll finally come out this September. It’d be really nice if the A’s were still playing when it comes out, but I’m not holding on to much hope for that. Hopefully it’ll force fans outside of Oakland to wonder, “what the hell happened to the A’s?” A star-studded cast gives the movie credibility, and the presence of Brad Pitt as A’s GM, Billy Beane, will help a lot of guys convince their wives and girlfriends to go with them to see it. Aside from Pitt, I’m interested in seeing Jonah Hill in a serious role, as the fictional Peter Brand, who is actually based on Paul DePodesta. I’m also excited for Andy from Parks & Rec to play Scott Hatteberg. The cast is so stacked that Phillip Seymour Hoffman doesn’t even have any lines in the trailer, and Robin Wright is nowhere to be seen, from what I can tell. The best part about all this for me is that I noticed former Royals pitcher, Jason Grimley, appears on the list of characters. That can only mean one thing – that the incredible 20 game win streak of 2002 is going to be recreated. In fact, I can tell just from the swing that Hatteberg’s walkoff homer from that game is in the trailer. Having been in attendance that night, I already have goosebumps just thinking about that moment being in the film. The downside is the list of filming locations includes Fenway Park, which was the site of games 3 and 4 of the ALDS that year, when the A’s squandered a 2-0 series lead and lost to the Boston Red Sox. That’s going to be a harsh reminder of walking out of the Coliseum after Game 2, thinking the series was in the bag. Nonetheless, you can bet that I’ll be hitting the theater to catch this one when it comes out….

 

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Movies, Sports

June 13, 2011

The All-Time Dallas Mavericks Team

By mceezy

The Mavs are about the same age as I am, and they beat me to an NBA Championship. Even still, I think of losing when I think of the Mavericks, as a result of their first 20 years in the NBA. Their first coach, Dick Motta, took them from 15 wins to 55 in 7 years, but then he left and the team was in the cellar for the next 15 years. The bulk of those losing years were headed up by Richie Adubato, with Quinn Buckner doing a one year cameo and flirting with the all-time losingest record. Fortunately, the Kings were there to help the Mavs break losing streaks of 15 and 16 games. Sadly, neither of those were the longest streak of the year. They reached 20 consecutive at one point. I’ve been in attendance for a 20th consecutive WIN before, but I can’t imagine what they felt after a 20th straight loss.  That season has since remained the benchmark season for the franchise in my mind. But despite all the losing, they’ve had some pretty good players pass the through the tunnel at Reunion Arena. Here is my all-time Dallas Mavericks team, PRE-Dirk and Don Nelson……

G – Rolando Blackman

G – Derek Harper

C – Shawn Bradley

F – Sam Perkins

F – Mark Aguirre

Bench – Roy Tarpley

Bench – Herb Williams

Bench – Jamal Mashburn

Bench – Jim Jackson

Bench – James Donaldson

Bench – Popeye Jones

Bench – George McCloud

Inactive List – Brad Davis

Inactive List – Terry Davis

Inactive List – Sean Rooks (gets the nod over Samaki Walker)

 

5 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports

June 6, 2011

Mama, There Goes That Man….. To Oakland

By mceezy

Who better than the Doin Work crew to weigh in on the new hire?…..

MCeezy – It’s too bad that my first reaction to the Golden State Warriors’ announcement of Mark Jackson as their new head coach was, “THANK YOU, now we don’t have to hear that silly catch phrase during every ABC or ESPN NBA game!” It certainly wasn’t the worst announcer’s phrase there ever was, but I’ll be a much happier person without ever having to hear it again. Let’s just hope the good people in the Warriors front office don’t turn it into some marketing campaign. You can’t be too surprised by the hire, since Jackson’s name was openly floated around as a serious candidate for the job. I really thought, however, once the Lakers hired Mike Brown, it was pretty much opening the door for either Brian Shaw or Rick Adelman. The primary knock against Shaw was that he had no head coaching experience, and most believed that the Warriors were set on hiring a guy who had been a head coach before. That had me thinking an Adelman return to the Bay Area was imminent, but then it seems like Jerry West came in and advised the W’s front office that they needed “a young coach to grow with the team.” I’ve got to believe that when you go out and hire Jerry West, you’re going to have to take his advice on your first decision.

Hand up, man up! Jackson will bring much needed toughness to the GSW

So, Jackson it is, and I must admit I’m feeling pretty neutral about it. I think I’ve always assumed an older coach is better, because he’s owed more respect. But I guess these days, even the younger guys are getting pretty old. Anyone who I watched play still seems 40 or younger to me. Although if you’re Stephen Curry, you were born during Mark Jackson’s rookie year, so I guess he seems pretty old. Having said that, I don’t see Jackson having any problems winning over the respect of the team. As a player, he went to the playoffs in all but two of his 17 seasons. He was a leader on every team he played for, even when he was far from the best player. Add to that, his knowledge of the game is pretty highly regarded from every person I’ve heard talk about it. When you compare him to guys like Lawrence Frank and Dwayne Casey, it’s easy to say that Jackson is the last guy I’d worry about players wanting to play for. I wonder if he can bring Jeff Van Gundy with him to be an assistant…..?

By – Although I wouldn’t have minded giving Keith Smart one more crack at turning our franchise around, I totally understand why the new ownership ultimately decided on a coaching change.  Once Smart was shown the door, the Rick Adelman and Brian Shaw buzz started circulating.  Most Warrior fans I spoke with would have been accepting of either, but upon further discussion and thought, I began to sell on the idea of Adelman returning to Nor Cal.  I don’t believe he would fit in with the makeup of our team as it is.  I definitely still welcomed Brian Shaw, whom I most notably remembered for being one half of the “Shaw-Shaq Redemption” duo back when “The Big AARP” was still in Orlando.  I felt it couldn’t do us any harm to hire someone who got to saturate in Phil Jackson’s winning genius.  I assumed the Lakers wouldn’t let him walk though.  When Mike Brown arose as a potential Warrior head coach candidate, I nearly collapsed.  Thank god the Lakers have given up on winning championships, and snagged him.  At this point, I remember speaking to my friend about potential coaching candidates, and I threw out Mark Jackson’s name.  I told him the one thing I wanted on our new coach’s resume, was he be a former NBA point guard.  And one with little to no athleticism at that.  Kevin McHale, Lawrence Frank, Dwayne Casey … all names that came and passed, thankfully.  Then tonight, we finally got our man.  The man whose name I threw out.

C'mon Dubz fans, you know you're excited about CoCo being at our home games!

I’ll tell you why this will work.  As I mentioned earlier, I truly believe the Warriors needed a former NBA point guard with little to no athleticism to be our coach.  These are the type players who depend on court awareness and intelligence to succeed in this league.  This is why Magic Johnson was a terrible coach.  Not to say he was unintelligent, or had a lack of court awareness, but he relied a lot on athleticism to gain success.  Imagine him trying to coach his point guard.  “What do you mean you can’t run a full court break, split two defenders on the way, and drop an under-the-legs-behind-the-back pass to your trailer in stride for the dunk!?  And why aren’t you 6’8”!?!?”  The players who don’t rely on athleticism understand how to be successful through fundamentals, both offensively and defensively and are better suited to teaching it.  It’s the key to their survival.  Marc Jackson didn’t just survive, he thrived as an NBA point guard.  The Mark Jackson’s of the world end up being an extension of their coaches on the court , so whether they knew it or not, they gained some form of coaching experience, just by playing.  This is why I believe someone like Chauncey Billups will be roaming the sidelines in the future.  Another thing about Jackson is, in my opinion, he’s the perfect age for the job, and Jerry West happens to agree with me.  Being that the foundation of our team is built-in our back court, we needed a coach who was young enough to relate to our baby studs, Steph Curry and Monta Ellis, but old enough for them to still respect, and fear him … yet, young enough for them to still remember what a terrific player he once was, and remember the numerous playoff battles and rivalries he was a part of.  I think Mark Jackson fits that description.  Or at least he’s as close as it get.  Ultimately we won’t know how capable he is of leading our team until we see him do it.  But hey, at least we didn’t hire Mike Brown.

Chappy – To say I was surprised is an understatement. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention to the coaching search, but for some reason I thought they were going to take longer to pick one. Anyways, I think it’s a decent hire, and agree with everything that both of the guys above me said. I’m happy he won’t be announcing games anymore, and liked the way he played when he was in the league. I am not going to jump to any quick conclusions about a guy that has never had a shot at coaching a team. Off the top of my head when Mark Jackson announced games, he always talks about defense over and over. It’s a concept that our team has been allergic to for many years. We usually give up the most ppg in the league, but atleast we’re among the leaders in points scored as well. Small consolation prize that isn’t that fun after awhile. If Jackson can figure out a way to annoy them to the point that they start playing defense, we know it was a good hire. Random excitement update if this Igluodala-Ellis deal happens to go through. Jackson will really have a team that can defend. So judging Jackson, is going to be solely on the defensive end. If he can’t get them to play some D, then he wasn’t the right hire…. 

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

June 3, 2011

My Favorite Shaq Moment Of All Time

By mceezy

It really isn’t saying much since I was never a huge fan of Shaquille O’Neal, though he did seem to get more and more funny as he got older. This postgame interview will always be my favorite….

Shaq, we’re on live…

“I don’t give a shit.”

2 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Sports

June 2, 2011

The A’s Are a Mess – But Don’t Take It From Me

By mceezy

It seems like every day now I’m fighting the urge to post a “Fire Bob Geren” rant. I have to keep reminding myself that there’s only about 50,000 A’s fans in the world. I’d venture to guess that less than 5% of our readers even care about the A’s. Though as much as I want to talk about tonight’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals, all I can think about is this bad taste left in my mouth from being swept by the Yankees at home. The A’s didn’t even put up a fight. The only punch landed was a 2-run home run from Josh Willingham off A.J. Burnett that gave Oakland a 2-1 lead yesterday, but that didn’t last long. Willingham’s also been the only guy doing any fighting for the Green and Gold this year for the most part. Without looking, I believe the A’s were outscored 19-5 by New York this week. Well of course I’m still on board with the Fire Bob Geren Movement, but the Oakland Tribune’s Monte Poole pulled a different play out of the playbook. Now, you won’t hear me praise other writers too often, but everything Monte writes I tend to like. He’s like the anti-Tim Kawakami. Anyway, Poole calls the play action fake and goes after the A’s ownership tandem, Lew Wolff and John Fisher. He brings the heat with gems like, they (took) “what once was a good franchise with an engaged fan base and starve it into lethargic inertia,” and “They have become a wealthy guy (Wolff) and an obscenely wealthy guy (Fisher) who acquired a valuable property, neglected it outright and continue to reap profits. It’s the slumlord model.” To read it in its entirety (and you should) click HERE.

It takes me back to a conversation I had back in 2006 with one of the then new owners’ daughters. I asked, “isn’t your dad the one who just bought the A’s?” She sort of rolled her eyes, sighed, and let out a reluctant “yes.” I then asked, “oh, do you get that a lot?” Again, a sigh and a yes. I replied, “Alright then, I won’t tell you to tell him NOT to move the A’s from Oakland then.” Somehow I get the impression her dad would respond the same way.

2 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Sports

May 30, 2011

It’s Monday… Light It Up

By mceezy

What can I say, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Nothing happened in sports. Unless of course, you’re a fan of the Indy 500. But in that case, we have different definitions of sports. What did happen though, is I came across this old music video from an old friend from college. Every time I watch this video it gets better. So, until something more eventful happens in sports, let’s go and light this Monday night up….

1 Comment   |  tags: | posted in Music

May 26, 2011

Let’s Change Baseball Because One Guy Got Hurt

By mceezy

I really don’t know why this is a debate right now. I thought it was just homerism as I listened to Giants play-by-play man Duane Kuiper whine about Buster Posey’s collision last night. Add to that, Posey’s agent sent a memo to MLB pleading to ban home plate collisions. But when I saw Buster Olney pleading his case for the change, I knew it wasn’t just local sentiment. Unless he’s just trying to protect a fellow Buster, I don’t know why he’s on this bandwagon. It’s classic American knee-jerk reaction to something that happened once out of a thousand times. What’s next, banning talking on cell phones while driving? Oh, wait a minute… Anyway, the last home plate collision I can remember that left a catcher significantly injured was Ray Fosse in 1970-i don’t even know because I wasn’t alive. It’s NOT that serious. What IS serious is Posey’s injury. Now, I’m no Giants fan, but I root for them about 150 games per year. I spent the greater part of a decade living in San Francisco, so I definitely want them to be good, but I never really forgave them for blowing the 2002 World Series. I certainly will never forgive them for winning the 2010 one. Now that they’re up to three-less championships than the A’s, I don’t want them to get any closer. On the other hand, Buster Posey is the catcher on my fantasy team, and more importantly, probably was going to be a major piece of my team’s future. Now I have to decide if he’s worth a roster spot just for the sake of keeper consideration. (I might have to let go of Strasburg, ha.)

What makes my perspective unique though is I never saw the collision before I heard all the hullabaloo. I first learned of it this morning reading the game recap on my phone while doing something that starts with an S, and isn’t showering or shaving. Like the baserunner, Scott Cousins said, it was the go-ahead run in the 12th inning. He had to do whatever he could to score. However, before saying my piece, I decided I had better watch this play finally. I was surprised to discover that it seems running into Posey WASN’T, after all, necessary. That collision had all the makings of your typical small guy complex. Cousins isn’t that small per se, but it looked like a kid who’s been bullied his whole life that was about to get back at everyone who ever picked on him by mowing down a defenseless super star. Apparently Cousins played at the University of San Francisco while I was there, and claims to be a Giants fan. Well, I never heard of Scott Cousins until yesterday, so that’s saying a lot. USF is a small school – everybody knows everybody. So to not know a guy who would go on to play major league baseball is saying something. I guess the only way he could get the City’s attention is by blindsiding the Giants star catcher. Well congratulations, kid. You got SF’s attention now. Just don’t plan on ever coming back.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 25, 2011

RFP Of The Day: Dan Quisenberry

By mceezy

What a whirlwind this feature has been… When I saw the headline, Royals Winningest Pitcher Dies, my first thought was “Oh no! Dan Quisenberry died!” I come to find out it was actually a fellow named Paul Splittorff who passed, and on top of that, I discover that Quisenberry wasn’t even a starter. Turns out he was a closer, and a damn good one at that. He finished in the top three in Cy Young voting for four years in a row from 82-85. I guess I’m really giving away my age here. Sure I had a lot of Dan Quisenberry baseball cards, but clearly I didn’t watch a lot of Kansas City Royals games. The only highlight I can remember is George Brett charging the field during the infamous pine tar incident. I was a bit too young to remember their 1985 World Series win.

In a shocking turn of events, while looking for a good picture of Quisenberry, I come across one of his grave. Apparently the guy passed away from brain cancer in 1998 I must have erased that from my memory, because I sure as hell don’t remember that. What I remember though is a nasty submarine delivery and an even NASTIER mustache…..

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Random Forgotten Player, Sports

May 24, 2011

The Best Grandma To Play The Game

By mceezy

I’m still not sure, to this day, whose idea it was to dress Larry Johnson up as an old lady, but it seemed to work out pretty well. I wasn’t a huge fan of the campaign, but I WAS a HUGE fan of his shoe. Easily my favorite pair of shoes I ever owned. You know, the black ones with the Hornets teal and that React juice inside. I had some black and purple Kevin Johnson’s too that were essentially the same, but none could top the LJ version. Grant Hill’s Fila shoes a couple years later are probably a distant second on the list. I can’t remember if I ever had any Derrick Coleman BK Dymacels though!

4 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Sports

May 23, 2011

Mondanity

By mceezy

It’s actually far from mundane where the sports world is concerned, but the A’s got swept by the Giants and I’m not really able to see a lot of positives out there at the moment. The world is lousy right now as far as I’m concerned, but at least we’re all still here, right? Well, maybe minus 100+ of us out in Southwest Missouri. That storm was nasty, and while I constantly question why anyone would settle in Tornado Alley, I don’t think anyone could have seen one of that caliber coming. Oh, and we also lost a legend in the Macho Man Randy Savage. Dude took intensity to a whole nother level and probably should be credited as one of the primary founders of the concept of swagger. Turning my attention back to sports, here’s what captivated my interest now that the weekend is over….

FIRE BOB GEREN – I told Chappy the other day that we need to bring back the “Fire Bob Geren” movement. That was before they got swept in San Francisco, and have now lost 5 in a row to drop to 22-25 on the season. People who aren’t fans of the A’s – which apparently is all but 10,000 people in this world – will say Geren doesn’t exactly have a lot of talent to work with. The reality is he has the best pitching staff in all of baseball. Even with injuries to Dallas Braden, Brandon McCarthy, and Tyson Ross, as long as Cahill, Anderson, and Gonzalez are still standing, they’re alright. Admittedly the offense is terrible, but they went out and got Josh Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and David Dejesus. None of them are all-stars, but each has proved himself as a big league hitter, which is something I can’t say for guys like Daric Barton or Cliff Pennington. This is Geren’s 5th season as Manager, which is practically an eternity in this day and age. The problem is he’s Billy Beane’s best friend, so you can’t count on him firing his best friend. Now, if he were Lamar Odom it’d be another story! (And if you get that reference you should be ashamed of yourself)

If you care to hear more about the Fire Bob Geren Movement, head over to AthleticsNation, where someone apparently felt the same way I did waking up this Monday morning. Only this person must not have a job to go to, because this is the longest blog post I’ve ever seen. On the other hand, Geren’s managerial shortcomings can provoke one to express a lot of frustration, so I completely get it.

Joakim Noah Called Someone a Fag – Man, why is this such a huge story today? Maybe I tuned in at the wrong time, but this entire Thunder – Mavericks 2nd quarter broadcast has been all about Noah’s “homophobic slur.” Now don’t anybody comment on why it IS such a big deal, because I’m not saying he shouldn’t have been fined and publicly reprimanded. What’s frustrating for me, and everyone else out here in California, is it has been acceptable to be gay for like 20 years now. I’m tired of seeing the rest of the country showing up all late to the party trying to overcompensate. Add to that this ridiculous commercial with Grant Hill and Jared Dudley telling us that it’s rude to call things gay. Please, Jared Dudley grew up in San Diego. I’ll bet my life he’s called plenty of things gay in his day. I guess these commercials are breaking news to a large population of the U.S., but what’s next, Shane Battier and Blake Griffin telling kids it’s okay to be of mixed descent? Get with the times. (I just saw on the ESPN ticker that the Phoenix Suns President announced he’s gay. That happened like two weeks ago. It’s a big move for him, but we should have moved on by now.)

Ray Lewis NEEDS to Remain in the Public Eye if the NFL Has a Lockout – If you saw Sal Palantonio’s interview with the Ravens’ linebacker you know what I’m talking about. I like Ray Lewis on the field a lot, but I MAY just like him even more in a different capacity, like, say a reality show. He might even have a career as a pro wrestler. Shoot, just as long as he keeps doing interviews I’ll be interested. Just watching the man talk…. it reminds me of nights in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. You know that old probably homeless, possibly a crackhead grandpa that tries to talk to you and you just keep walking? Well I have a tendency to engage that guy in a conversation. I may not always take away something constructive from it, but grandpas always seem to have a way of making it seem like what they’re telling you is the most earth-shattering stuff you’ve ever heard, even though you have no idea what in the world they’re talking about. That’s the same feeling I get when I watch Ray Lewis talk. I just want to see more. (If there’s a fantasy football season, I’m naming my team “Evil, Which We Call Crime”)

Asdrubal Cabrera is the MVP of the American League – Sure, Jose Bautista has better numbers (he just hit his 19th HR of the year tonight), but how is HIS team doing? I’m the last guy you need to notify that the Cleveland Indians have the best record in baseball, seeing how I made them my preseason pick to win the AL pennant. I can’t say I saw Cabrera being this good though. If I did, I would have drafted him instead of Omar Infante in the 22nd ROUND of our fantasy league’s draft. True, yesterday’s 5-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI performance may just be fresh on my mind, but thanks to a little ESPN2 exposure tonight, I’ve just watched this kid go 3-4 with another home run, plus a key go-ahead RBI double in the 8th inning. If the Indians do end up making it to the World Series like I’m predicting, it will because Asdrubal Cabrera got them there.

Warriors Hired Jerry West – This is exciting for obvious reasons, but I’m not sure what effect it will actually have on the team on the floor. It doesn’t seem like anything will really get the Warriors over the hump anytime soon, but you wouldn’t just bring on Jerry West if you didn’t have a good reason would you? Well, maybe. Like Matt Steinmetz points out, it will, at the very least, give the Warriors  a little more credibility. If I were a free agent, I’d probably let Larry Riley go to voicemail. But if Jerry West were calling…. You see where I’m going with this. We’ll see what the results end up being, but this is the biggest hire since the Chris Mullin / Don Nelson regime was brought back, and THAT got us that one memorable playoff appearance, so there’s reason for optimism. Just like comedian/actor Kevin Hart says, “You ain’t a Warrior if you don’t G.S.!”

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 19, 2011

May The Worst Team Lose

By mceezy

Last year I wrote a pissed-off mock draft after the NBA Lottery was drawn. This year I just turned my TV off and left my house. Not surprisingly, neither the Warriors nor Kings moved up, but that’s nothing new. And fortunately, the talent this year is so dreadful, that it’s not like I feel like they’ll be missing out on anyone. But it just never ceases to amaze me how the NBA Lottery can defy mathematics nearly every year. I really thought Stern was going to throw the Kings a bone this year, but I should have known better. The Lottery left me scratching my head though, and wondering two things: One, what were the odds of winning for the team that won the lottery each year? and Two, how many times in the last 15 years or so has a Northern California team moved up into the top three? The only time that comes to mind was 2002 when the Warriors got Mike Dunleavy at #3. (I have since gone back and discovered that they tied Chicago for the worst record in the league that year, but Houston got the #1 pick to take Yao, so the W’s actually moved DOWN). With all this curiosity in mind, I’ve decided to go back year by year and see who got the #1 pick, and how amazing it was that they got there….

2011 – Cleveland. They finished with the second-worst record, but won the lottery with a pick that had less than a 3% chance.

2010 – Washington. Tied for 4th worst record

2009 – Clippers. Tied for 2nd worst record

2008 – Chicago. Jumped 8 other worse teams to land hometown star Derrick Rose.

2007 – Portland. Jumped 6 worse teams to assume the Greg Oden burden.

2006 – Toronto.  5th worst record

2005 – Milwaukee. 6th worst record

2004 /2003 – Orlando and Cleveland actually had the worst records in those years.

2002 – Houston. 5th worst record

2001 – Washington. 3rd worst record in a terrible draft

2000 – New Jersey. 7th worst record

1999 – Chicago. 3rd worst record.

1998 -Clippers. 3rd worst record.

1997 – San Antonio. 3rd worst record.

6 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Sports

May 16, 2011

Stern’s Letter To Sacramento

By mceezy

As much as I wanted to talk about how much I love Derrick Rose and the Bulls right now, I’m sure you’re all aware already of how Chicago fared against Miami last night. What you may not have seen in your usual news outlets is a letter written to Sacramento from NBA Commissioner David Stern. I usually will take the first opportunity I can to jump all over Stern, but this letter impressed me…. the first time I read it, at least. He talks about how support from everyone from Mayor Kevin Johnson, to other state politicians, to local businesses, to of course the fans, was “a phenomenon unlike any other (he) has seen in almost three decades as NBA commissioner.” Just when Sacramento seemed all but certainly to be the next Seattle, too many people stepped up to say, NOT SO FAST. Even Seattle fans, who are forced to endure the Oklahoma City franchise’s run deep into the NBA playoffs, lent their support to the cause. Anyone with any knowledge whatsoever of the situation who didn’t think a month ago that the team was moving for sure is lying. I sure did.

Though as nice as the concept of the letter is, a second read opened my eyes to how – well, “Stern” this letter really is. No matter how much the commissioner tries to sugar-coat it, the message, I believe, is simple. “You better pony up for a new arena. You need it. It’s in your best interests.”

TO READ THE LETTER, CLICK HERE

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May 11, 2011

RGBNFP Of The Day: Robert “Tractor” Traylor

By mceezy

That’s ‘Random Gone But Not Forgotten Player’ of the Day for those playing at home. And for those who missed the news, former University of Michigan Star, Robert “Tractor” Traylor died today, presumably of a heart attack. I’d love to recap his NBA career, but I’m not sure he really had one. I remember he was part of a draft day trade. Who was involved with that? Hmm, I’d better check. Oh, that’s RIGHT…. the Dallas Mavericks traded him to Milwaukee for Dirk Nowitzki!!! What a devastating move that was for the Bucks.

Anyway, the point of this isn’t to talk about what a disappointment Traylor was in the NBA. The reality is Traylor was THE MAN in college. It should surprise no one just by looking at him that he was a beast. But, the guy had some electric dunks in his day. When the And1 Tour was on ESPN, that big dude named Cadillac or something like that always reminded me of Traylor. RIP Big Man….

2 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Random Forgotten Player, Sports

May 6, 2011

Let’s See How Far We’ve Come

By mceezy

So I heard that song while doing a little grocery shopping at my local Nugget Market. It always takes me back to my time working for the Sacramento River Cats. It’s probably the only place I ever heard that song, but for some reason they put it on every single promo dvd that I was forced to see thousands of times. Anyway, switching the big league baseball, we’re basically a month into the season, so it’s time to see where we’re at it… who’s overachieving, who’s underachieving, and most importantly, will it continue?

The first guy that jumps out at me is Lance Berkman. I never doubted the guy’s credentials, but it seemed like he was on the decline the last two years. He got off to a slow start last year in Houston, and then after being traded to the Yankees, he never got it going, and quickly became an afterthough. He was far from the most attractive free agent out there, but St Louis was quick to snatch him up. I believe the A’s made a phone call that was never returned, if I remember correctly. (sounds about right). Through 10 games, Berkman has 10 home runs and 32 rbi. In his 39 games as a Yankee, he had just 1 home run and 9 rbi. WILL IT CONTINUE? I doubt it, but NOT because Berkman will fall off, rather as a result of Pujols catching fire and carrying the team for a while, and then Holliday, and maybe Berkman again. The point is, there’s not enough RBI to go around for any of these guys – even Pujols – to have a monster season.

The next thing that jumps out at me is the fact that Alfonso Soriano leads the Major Leagues in home runs, with 11 through 29 games. If he can manage to stay on the field for an entire season… I WON’T say he’s on pace for 59 home runs! But I WILL say it’s not too far-fetched that he could flirt with his career high, his lone year in Washington where he hit 46 bombs. WILL IT CONTINUE? I don’t know, you kinda learn to bet against anything going right for the Cubs. It’s hard to imagine Soriano staying focused, or healthy, or both, for an entire season. What he may be able to do is build up some value to become a trade deadline asset.

Jered Weaver could win 30 games! Okay, it’s highly unlikely, but when you win your first six starts, one can’t help but think about a guy racking up 30 of em. He finally lost a game this week, blemishing his record to the tune of a 6-1 mark. Still, all he has to do is win just 24 out of his remaining 27 starts. WILL IT HAPPEN? F*** no, but as long as you play for my favorite team’s archenemy, anything’s possible. I’ll say this much, if he did win 30, I guarantee four of them would have been against the A’s.

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports