News and Notes
-Bill Simmons interviewed David Stern the other day. If you want to read a lovestruck superfan interviewing a relentlessly PC politician, here you go. I like the Sports Guy, but this interview is brutal. David Stern is a pragmatic commish, don't get me wrong, but then again, why are the ratings so bad? Why has the game deteriorated in the last decade, despite having some huge stars?
I'll tell you why, in my less-than-humble opinion. In the Stern era, the game has become slower, lower scoring, and sensitive to the point of stupidity. Meanwhile, the league has expanded to add some of the most useless franchises in pro sports. The Charlotte Hornets didn't work? Well, move them to New Orleans and start the Bobcats! Ugh.
The refs have gotten much, much worse. The number of stupid rules has expanded exponentially. Age minimum? Dress code? What is this, the USSR? Ask yourself this- have Stern's changes made the NBA better? Why do we worship this bureaucrat?
Here's my list of what I will remember Stern for:
1) The WNBA.
2) The Charlotte/New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, the Charlotte-soon-to-be-somewhere-else Bobcats, the Toronto Raptors, the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
3) The lowest-rated NBA Finals in history, every year. (Thanks to the diluted product.)
4) Terrible refs.
5) Stupid and arbitrary rules. The assistant athletic trainer for the Bulls got a technical last night, and the whole bench looked completely bewildered. At the same time, palming the ball and travelling get called only in college, and Kobe gets two shots whenever he looks at a ref sideways. Like I said in a previous post, the mark of a good business is CONSISTENCY, and the NBA is about as consistent with its calls as Ben Wallace is with his free throws.
6) The first round of the playoffs going from 5 to 7 games, ensuring that upsets are nearly impossible, and sweeps take a week and a half to finally finish. The playoffs weren't QUITE long enough before, were they?
7) A reign that finished without criticism, because for some reason the guy is untouchable.
-Sebastian Telfair was found hiding a loaded gun in a pillow at Logan Airport. How perfect is that? Only a Trailblazer would pack heat on a chartered flight. Looks like the Portland plan of building a roster completely out of criminals and high schoolers is going swimmingly. I can't say I blame Telfair- he's probably trying to protect himself from Ruben Patterson, Zach Randolph, and Darius Miles.
-In football news, Daunte Culpepper has fired his agent and is now representing himself. Good move. In his first order of business, he is asking for an extra $10 million. Strike while the iron is hot, I always say. Demand more money when you have new management, have just missed an entire season with devastating knee injuries, and before you got hurt you were having the worst season in NFL quarterbacking history. You would think that athletes would learn from T.O., but then again, we often underestimate the stupidity of pro athletes.
I'll tell you why, in my less-than-humble opinion. In the Stern era, the game has become slower, lower scoring, and sensitive to the point of stupidity. Meanwhile, the league has expanded to add some of the most useless franchises in pro sports. The Charlotte Hornets didn't work? Well, move them to New Orleans and start the Bobcats! Ugh.
The refs have gotten much, much worse. The number of stupid rules has expanded exponentially. Age minimum? Dress code? What is this, the USSR? Ask yourself this- have Stern's changes made the NBA better? Why do we worship this bureaucrat?
Here's my list of what I will remember Stern for:
1) The WNBA.
2) The Charlotte/New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, the Charlotte-soon-to-be-somewhere-else Bobcats, the Toronto Raptors, the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
3) The lowest-rated NBA Finals in history, every year. (Thanks to the diluted product.)
4) Terrible refs.
5) Stupid and arbitrary rules. The assistant athletic trainer for the Bulls got a technical last night, and the whole bench looked completely bewildered. At the same time, palming the ball and travelling get called only in college, and Kobe gets two shots whenever he looks at a ref sideways. Like I said in a previous post, the mark of a good business is CONSISTENCY, and the NBA is about as consistent with its calls as Ben Wallace is with his free throws.
6) The first round of the playoffs going from 5 to 7 games, ensuring that upsets are nearly impossible, and sweeps take a week and a half to finally finish. The playoffs weren't QUITE long enough before, were they?
7) A reign that finished without criticism, because for some reason the guy is untouchable.
-Sebastian Telfair was found hiding a loaded gun in a pillow at Logan Airport. How perfect is that? Only a Trailblazer would pack heat on a chartered flight. Looks like the Portland plan of building a roster completely out of criminals and high schoolers is going swimmingly. I can't say I blame Telfair- he's probably trying to protect himself from Ruben Patterson, Zach Randolph, and Darius Miles.
-In football news, Daunte Culpepper has fired his agent and is now representing himself. Good move. In his first order of business, he is asking for an extra $10 million. Strike while the iron is hot, I always say. Demand more money when you have new management, have just missed an entire season with devastating knee injuries, and before you got hurt you were having the worst season in NFL quarterbacking history. You would think that athletes would learn from T.O., but then again, we often underestimate the stupidity of pro athletes.
posted by BP at
1:23 AM
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