With the Celtics -- dang! -- and Lakers looking weak, and the Heat unable to play consistently well, and Derrick Rose coming into his own, I really thought the Bulls were going to win it all this year. ... Especially after they creamed the Heat in Game 1.
I'm officially tuned out for the rest of the NBA season.
Good reads ...
a Joe Posnanski: The Real MVP
a Jason Kidd continues to amaze at age 38
a Phil Jackson exits the stage
a Phil Jackson’s legendary career ends in a sweep
Showing posts with label Chicago Bulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Bulls. Show all posts
5.27.2011
2.01.2010
Kirk Hinrich, the 'Glue guy'
The Chicago Tribune asked this morning: If Hinrich is the Bulls' 'glue' ... then why is he always at the top of the list of trade rumors?
My thoughts exactly. Being a Jayhawks fan, I've long been a Kirk Hinrich fan, and I loved that I got the chance to watch him in Chicago, too ...
The Bulls would be sorry to lose him.
My thoughts exactly. Being a Jayhawks fan, I've long been a Kirk Hinrich fan, and I loved that I got the chance to watch him in Chicago, too ...
The Bulls would be sorry to lose him.
9.12.2009
5.03.2009
Hey, Chicago what do you say ...
I’ve just come inside from an afternoon of living one of my favorite past times: doing yard work while listening to the Cubs on WGN …
The Cubs beat the Marlins for their third straight victory. It’s no wonder I haven’t been able to knock “Go Cubs Go” from my brain for the last couple days.
That and we were down at Wrigley for yesterday’s game …
My friend Tom couldn’t use his tickets so he handed them off to us. Up until Friday, it was in doubt whether we’d go. But when the weather forecast came out -- sunny and 60s -- our minds were made up.
So Phoebe woke us up at around 7:30 yesterday morning in her very own special little way. We ate breakfast. Packed up and hit the road down to Wrigley ... Given our success with driving to the ballpark last year and lingering doubts of whether Phoebe would be able to contain herself on a train, we decided to drive it again.
We made excellent time on the road and found a place to park about a mile from the stadium on Addison. I immediately turned the radio to WGN and we caught the first inning -- including Ryan Theriot’s home run -- in the car while we ate our packed lunches and fed Phoebe. Then we dropped Phoebe in her stroller and hiked to the stadium.
By the time we got to the entrance the marquee had the score posted with the Cubs leading 3-0 in the top of the third. Another inning went by before we actually got planted in our seats. Kates had to make a pit stop at the restrooms and I caught Ted Lilly’s RBI double on the monitor as I stood in line with Phoebe to get my customary Mountain Dew in a souvenir cup … Phoebe just sat patiently and quietly waving her new Diego plush doll, which was the promotional giveaway to the first 5,000 children. As late as we were getting to the game, I was pleasantly surprised -- and pleased -- when an usher leaned over and gently handed Phoebe one of the dolls.
We found our seats in the upper deck on the first place side, a place we’ve sat quite a few times now. And Phoebe immediately got herself perched on Kates’ legs. She was bouncing and clapping like a veteran Cubs fan.
I couldn’t tell you more than a few details from the game, other than the Cubs offense was hitting and Ted Lilly pitched well. Since we arrived so late, I didn’t bother getting my customary program and scorecard. I barely caught Derrek Lee’s home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. And Pete Cetera -- nice! -- sang the seventh inning stretch.
But none of that mattered to me. I was totally content just being there with Kates and Phoebe, soaking in a day at the friendly confines, enjoying the weather, the atmosphere and the people around us …By the start of the seventh inning, Phoebe’s excitement had died and she was getting tired. She ended up cuddled up on my lap and wrapped in our Cubs blanket; those three innings with her were the highlight of the afternoon for me.
And there was the Cubs victory, of course. When the Cubs got the second out in the top of the ninth, I popped up from my seat with the rest of the crowd and held up Phoebe as we waited and cheered for the final out. Then the Cubs put the game away, and “Go Cubs Go” started up over the stadium speakers ...
We sang, we danced, and the stadium rocked with an excitement that only those who’ve experienced the tradition know. We were practically singing it all the way back to our car.
Too bad the Bulls couldn’t carry the excitement through the night. The Celtics finally knocked them off, ending what was an NBA playoff series for the ages …
I caught most of Game 1, and I caught bits and highlights of the other games … I was becoming a bigger Derrick Rose fan with every game.
But Thursday night’s Game 6 was a monster classic.
Actually, I play basketball with a group of guys on Thursday nights, and I had hoped to at least catch the start of the game before I left for the gym. But it slipped my mind.
Then, as I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the TV, not expecting at all to see the Bulls and Celtics playing in overtime! Again!
I raced to the living room to share the news with Kates and that my bedtime plans had changed: I was staying up to see the end of this game … But it went into a second overtime! And then a third!
Toward the end of the third overtime, and with Ray Allen scoring his 51st point, it started to look and feel as though the Celtics were getting an edge. And I love Kirk Hinrich, but his mistakes were costing the Bulls … Then Joakim Noah came to the rescue. He intercepted the pass from Paul Pierce and pounded it into the hoop while I shot up from the couch -- not at all like I’d been up since 4 in the morning and badly needed to get some sleep for my next early morning.
The Bulls won the game 128-127. On Friday morning it seemed as though everyone was talking about that game. I was glad I stayed up to watch it.
The Cubs beat the Marlins for their third straight victory. It’s no wonder I haven’t been able to knock “Go Cubs Go” from my brain for the last couple days.
That and we were down at Wrigley for yesterday’s game …
My friend Tom couldn’t use his tickets so he handed them off to us. Up until Friday, it was in doubt whether we’d go. But when the weather forecast came out -- sunny and 60s -- our minds were made up.
So Phoebe woke us up at around 7:30 yesterday morning in her very own special little way. We ate breakfast. Packed up and hit the road down to Wrigley ... Given our success with driving to the ballpark last year and lingering doubts of whether Phoebe would be able to contain herself on a train, we decided to drive it again.
We made excellent time on the road and found a place to park about a mile from the stadium on Addison. I immediately turned the radio to WGN and we caught the first inning -- including Ryan Theriot’s home run -- in the car while we ate our packed lunches and fed Phoebe. Then we dropped Phoebe in her stroller and hiked to the stadium.
By the time we got to the entrance the marquee had the score posted with the Cubs leading 3-0 in the top of the third. Another inning went by before we actually got planted in our seats. Kates had to make a pit stop at the restrooms and I caught Ted Lilly’s RBI double on the monitor as I stood in line with Phoebe to get my customary Mountain Dew in a souvenir cup … Phoebe just sat patiently and quietly waving her new Diego plush doll, which was the promotional giveaway to the first 5,000 children. As late as we were getting to the game, I was pleasantly surprised -- and pleased -- when an usher leaned over and gently handed Phoebe one of the dolls.
We found our seats in the upper deck on the first place side, a place we’ve sat quite a few times now. And Phoebe immediately got herself perched on Kates’ legs. She was bouncing and clapping like a veteran Cubs fan.
I couldn’t tell you more than a few details from the game, other than the Cubs offense was hitting and Ted Lilly pitched well. Since we arrived so late, I didn’t bother getting my customary program and scorecard. I barely caught Derrek Lee’s home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. And Pete Cetera -- nice! -- sang the seventh inning stretch.
But none of that mattered to me. I was totally content just being there with Kates and Phoebe, soaking in a day at the friendly confines, enjoying the weather, the atmosphere and the people around us …By the start of the seventh inning, Phoebe’s excitement had died and she was getting tired. She ended up cuddled up on my lap and wrapped in our Cubs blanket; those three innings with her were the highlight of the afternoon for me.
And there was the Cubs victory, of course. When the Cubs got the second out in the top of the ninth, I popped up from my seat with the rest of the crowd and held up Phoebe as we waited and cheered for the final out. Then the Cubs put the game away, and “Go Cubs Go” started up over the stadium speakers ...
We sang, we danced, and the stadium rocked with an excitement that only those who’ve experienced the tradition know. We were practically singing it all the way back to our car.
* * *
Too bad the Bulls couldn’t carry the excitement through the night. The Celtics finally knocked them off, ending what was an NBA playoff series for the ages …
I caught most of Game 1, and I caught bits and highlights of the other games … I was becoming a bigger Derrick Rose fan with every game.
But Thursday night’s Game 6 was a monster classic.
Actually, I play basketball with a group of guys on Thursday nights, and I had hoped to at least catch the start of the game before I left for the gym. But it slipped my mind.
Then, as I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the TV, not expecting at all to see the Bulls and Celtics playing in overtime! Again!
I raced to the living room to share the news with Kates and that my bedtime plans had changed: I was staying up to see the end of this game … But it went into a second overtime! And then a third!
Toward the end of the third overtime, and with Ray Allen scoring his 51st point, it started to look and feel as though the Celtics were getting an edge. And I love Kirk Hinrich, but his mistakes were costing the Bulls … Then Joakim Noah came to the rescue. He intercepted the pass from Paul Pierce and pounded it into the hoop while I shot up from the couch -- not at all like I’d been up since 4 in the morning and badly needed to get some sleep for my next early morning.
The Bulls won the game 128-127. On Friday morning it seemed as though everyone was talking about that game. I was glad I stayed up to watch it.
5.25.2008
Sunday reading
Here's some of my favorites reading for the week ... Have fun!
Sports ...
a Baseball to formulate instant replay proposal ... Under the parameters given -- and after watching that botched home the other night at Yankee Stadium -- I'd support it.
a Mike Piazza announces his retirement from baseball ... He was a good one. I'm with Lasorda -- I hope he goes into the Hall as a Dodger.
a The Bizarro Supermen
a Wrigley through the decades ... a nice slideshow, especially of the earlier years.
a It'd be foolish for Bulls to pass on Rose ... I agree. But I'd be heartbroken if they traded Heinrich.
a Derek Lowe Asks Coach If He Could Dip Out Around Fourth Inning ... Hilarious Onion read.
Politics ...
a Obama, Clinton, McCain Join Forces To Form Nightmare Ticket ... Good Onion read
a Youngest Brother Enhanced Legacy, and Built His Own ... A good read on Ted Kennedy
The Internet & Media ...
a How Many Friends Is Too Many? ... A really good read from my friend Raechel ... For the record, I keep my MySpace exclusively to people I know personally, people I've worked or gone to school with -- and bands or TV shows I've seen and like to keep tabs on. Facebook is more restrictive, and I like it.
a Facebook preparing for redesign to clear clutter ... interesting.
TV & Entertainment ...
a 'Wicked' will close Chicago run in January ... and I'm quite proud to say Kates and I were one of the first to see it -- with Ana Gasteyer. ... Here's a slideshow.
a Crossing the Finish Line, 'SNL' Shows Some Late Kick ... Ooh, it's gonna be good.
a Where We Got By Walking in Their Manolos ... Ah, Sex in the City. Good times.
Travel ...
a Pump pain
a The Nighttime's the Right Time to See D.C. ... True that. My time touring D.C. during a night last year was one of the sweetes experiences of my life ...
a Have laptop, will breeze through security?
Life & other stuff ...
a New name game: Aiden Aidan bo Aden . . . fee fi mo Aydin
a Emily, Jacob remain most popular baby names ... Two names we really like and considered, but quickly threw out for that reason.
a The World's Wildest Architecture ... very cool!. I want to work in that basket.
Sports ...
a Baseball to formulate instant replay proposal ... Under the parameters given -- and after watching that botched home the other night at Yankee Stadium -- I'd support it.
a Mike Piazza announces his retirement from baseball ... He was a good one. I'm with Lasorda -- I hope he goes into the Hall as a Dodger.
a The Bizarro Supermen
a Wrigley through the decades ... a nice slideshow, especially of the earlier years.
a It'd be foolish for Bulls to pass on Rose ... I agree. But I'd be heartbroken if they traded Heinrich.
a Derek Lowe Asks Coach If He Could Dip Out Around Fourth Inning ... Hilarious Onion read.
Politics ...
a Obama, Clinton, McCain Join Forces To Form Nightmare Ticket ... Good Onion read
a Youngest Brother Enhanced Legacy, and Built His Own ... A good read on Ted Kennedy
The Internet & Media ...
a How Many Friends Is Too Many? ... A really good read from my friend Raechel ... For the record, I keep my MySpace exclusively to people I know personally, people I've worked or gone to school with -- and bands or TV shows I've seen and like to keep tabs on. Facebook is more restrictive, and I like it.
a Facebook preparing for redesign to clear clutter ... interesting.
TV & Entertainment ...
a 'Wicked' will close Chicago run in January ... and I'm quite proud to say Kates and I were one of the first to see it -- with Ana Gasteyer. ... Here's a slideshow.
a Crossing the Finish Line, 'SNL' Shows Some Late Kick ... Ooh, it's gonna be good.
a Where We Got By Walking in Their Manolos ... Ah, Sex in the City. Good times.
Travel ...
a Pump pain
a The Nighttime's the Right Time to See D.C. ... True that. My time touring D.C. during a night last year was one of the sweetes experiences of my life ...
a Have laptop, will breeze through security?
Life & other stuff ...
a New name game: Aiden Aidan bo Aden . . . fee fi mo Aydin
a Emily, Jacob remain most popular baby names ... Two names we really like and considered, but quickly threw out for that reason.
a The World's Wildest Architecture ... very cool!. I want to work in that basket.
2.21.2008
Holy news day!
... It was another one of those days again.
... I got a page at about 2:30 this morning for a fire at a popular resturant in town ... Problem was I had the volume turned down on my phone, and it took a voicemail from my editor at 6:45 to get me out of bed and going ... I rushed to the location and by that point, the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. A crazy day of going back and forth to the scene and talking to neighbors (and beating out television people ... I hate local TV news...) ensued ...
Then, this afternoon, came the news of the big Bulls trade. Ben Wallace, the guy many of us thought would help bring the championship back to Chicago, was done -- traded to the Cavs for four players that included none other than former Jayhawk Drew Gooden! ... Hearing the news, I shouted to my cohorts "Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich reunited and it feels so good!" ... Definitely looking forward to watching this one play out!
Then! this evening as I'm home and de-stressing from the day (listening to a little Shawn Colvin), my friend Laura calls ... "Are you watching TV!?" she asks excitedly. I wasn't. "Turn on your TV!" ... The jury in our infamous Mark Jensen trial had reached a verdict that was nearly 10 years in the making: "Guilty! guilty! guilty!" Laura shouted. ... I hung up with her and sat glued to the TV for the next 45 minutes as the local stations carried live coverage of the press conferences with the attorneys and members of the jury ...
And to cap it off, we learned today that the death of Drew Peterson's third wife has been ruled a homicide ...
Ah, American Idol... I'm beginning to wonder what I would do without you.
It was good to see the Idol kids doing a group performance again. Sure tonight's '60s medley was super full of cheese, but the fun they're having on stage is always contagious ...
And then we began cutting 'em loose ... and oh, the tears started flowing!
First up, Garrett Haley ... After all, his dismissal was the no-brainer of the night, but boy, Ryan Seacrest didn't waste any time getting to the point. It was fun while you were here, thanks for playing and have a nice life kid!
We also said good-bye to Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella, and Colton Berry ... All very good choices. Thank you, America.
But before tuning into "Lost," Kates and I had perhaps the most fun of our night with a show we didn't even plan to watch ...
"Don't Forget the Lyrics!" baby! ... While fast-forwarding through the commercials during "Idol" (we were watching it on delay with the DVR), I caught a glimpse of Boyz II Men on a stage and singing. Intrigued, I played the commercial and it turned out they were appearing on a celebrity version of "Don't Forget the Lyrics" ... Nice!
So after "Idol," we kept it on Fox and watched the show ...
Talk about great fun!... To see the boys on stage and singing again, and doing songs like the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," and "Kung Fu Fighting" -- all impromptu -- was wildly entertaining. Then! as they climbed the money ladder (in case you haven't seen the show, the number of words the singer must get increases with each level ... and the Boyz were playing for charity) their final two categories to beat were Motown and Boyz II Men -- wonderful!
... They brought the house down with Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" -- complete with The Miracles dance moves and the harmony. And then they had the couples dancing in the aisles with their own "I'll Make Love To You." And! for a little encore they did "End of the Road."
What a blast from the past! ... Kates and I were beaming as we sang every word. And when it was all over we just looked at each other and laughed ...
"We're so old!" I cried.
Sadly, I think it was the first time I've said that and actually considered it to be true.
So "Lost" ...
Of the three episodes we've seen now, tonight's was my least favorite ...
But there were a couple good eye-opening moments ...
No. 1, we now can assume when Kate told Jack "I have to get back to him" at the end of last season's finale, that the "him" was her "son" -- who we found out at the end of tonight's episode was Claire's baby Aaron! (To Kates' credit, she predicted it ...)
No. 2, what the heck was Jack talking about when testified in Kate's trial that there were only eight survivors in the plane crash!?
... And this wasn't revealed, but my theory is Miles is the spy Ben was referring to on the freighter ...
... I got a page at about 2:30 this morning for a fire at a popular resturant in town ... Problem was I had the volume turned down on my phone, and it took a voicemail from my editor at 6:45 to get me out of bed and going ... I rushed to the location and by that point, the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. A crazy day of going back and forth to the scene and talking to neighbors (and beating out television people ... I hate local TV news...) ensued ...
Then, this afternoon, came the news of the big Bulls trade. Ben Wallace, the guy many of us thought would help bring the championship back to Chicago, was done -- traded to the Cavs for four players that included none other than former Jayhawk Drew Gooden! ... Hearing the news, I shouted to my cohorts "Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich reunited and it feels so good!" ... Definitely looking forward to watching this one play out!
Then! this evening as I'm home and de-stressing from the day (listening to a little Shawn Colvin), my friend Laura calls ... "Are you watching TV!?" she asks excitedly. I wasn't. "Turn on your TV!" ... The jury in our infamous Mark Jensen trial had reached a verdict that was nearly 10 years in the making: "Guilty! guilty! guilty!" Laura shouted. ... I hung up with her and sat glued to the TV for the next 45 minutes as the local stations carried live coverage of the press conferences with the attorneys and members of the jury ...
And to cap it off, we learned today that the death of Drew Peterson's third wife has been ruled a homicide ...
* * *
Ah, American Idol... I'm beginning to wonder what I would do without you.
It was good to see the Idol kids doing a group performance again. Sure tonight's '60s medley was super full of cheese, but the fun they're having on stage is always contagious ...
And then we began cutting 'em loose ... and oh, the tears started flowing!
First up, Garrett Haley ... After all, his dismissal was the no-brainer of the night, but boy, Ryan Seacrest didn't waste any time getting to the point. It was fun while you were here, thanks for playing and have a nice life kid!
We also said good-bye to Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella, and Colton Berry ... All very good choices. Thank you, America.
* * *
But before tuning into "Lost," Kates and I had perhaps the most fun of our night with a show we didn't even plan to watch ...
"Don't Forget the Lyrics!" baby! ... While fast-forwarding through the commercials during "Idol" (we were watching it on delay with the DVR), I caught a glimpse of Boyz II Men on a stage and singing. Intrigued, I played the commercial and it turned out they were appearing on a celebrity version of "Don't Forget the Lyrics" ... Nice!
So after "Idol," we kept it on Fox and watched the show ...
Talk about great fun!... To see the boys on stage and singing again, and doing songs like the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," and "Kung Fu Fighting" -- all impromptu -- was wildly entertaining. Then! as they climbed the money ladder (in case you haven't seen the show, the number of words the singer must get increases with each level ... and the Boyz were playing for charity) their final two categories to beat were Motown and Boyz II Men -- wonderful!
... They brought the house down with Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" -- complete with The Miracles dance moves and the harmony. And then they had the couples dancing in the aisles with their own "I'll Make Love To You." And! for a little encore they did "End of the Road."
What a blast from the past! ... Kates and I were beaming as we sang every word. And when it was all over we just looked at each other and laughed ...
"We're so old!" I cried.
Sadly, I think it was the first time I've said that and actually considered it to be true.
* * *
So "Lost" ...
Of the three episodes we've seen now, tonight's was my least favorite ...
But there were a couple good eye-opening moments ...
No. 1, we now can assume when Kate told Jack "I have to get back to him" at the end of last season's finale, that the "him" was her "son" -- who we found out at the end of tonight's episode was Claire's baby Aaron! (To Kates' credit, she predicted it ...)
No. 2, what the heck was Jack talking about when testified in Kate's trial that there were only eight survivors in the plane crash!?
... And this wasn't revealed, but my theory is Miles is the spy Ben was referring to on the freighter ...
1.20.2008
Sunday reading
Good reads that caught my eyes during the last couple weeks ...
Sports ...
a Kids' area to be part of Miller Park renovations ... This is great, but shouldn't parents be watching their children and not the game?
a Cubs execs try to calm stomachs
a Hearings confirm success of the Mitchell Report
a 2 wrongs only double the offense
a Atomic apples spoiling this bunch
a Observations from a nearly perfect NFL weekend
TV ...
a Suzanne Pleshette, sexy star of 'Bob Newhart Show,' dies at 70
a If the directors cut the right deal, it could save Hollywood from civil war
a 'American Idol' returns as a bright spot on strike-stricken horizon
Media & technology ...
a Thinly Sliced Laptop Polishes Apple's Image
a Baltimore Sun's 'Wire' Portrayal Fuels a Hot Debate
Politics ...
a Romney and reporter tangle at press conference
a Why Obamamania? Because He Runs as The Great White Hope
Life & other stuff ...
a Chihua-wheels: Disabled dogs get rolling
a The Battle To Remold the Mall
a Band of Scouting Misfits Attains Eagle Ranking
a Is Decade Doomed To Anonymity?
a No Assembly Required: For Ikea's Live-In Weblebrity, Reality Comes at a Discount
Sports ...
a Kids' area to be part of Miller Park renovations ... This is great, but shouldn't parents be watching their children and not the game?
a Cubs execs try to calm stomachs
a Hearings confirm success of the Mitchell Report
a 2 wrongs only double the offense
a Atomic apples spoiling this bunch
a Observations from a nearly perfect NFL weekend
TV ...
a Suzanne Pleshette, sexy star of 'Bob Newhart Show,' dies at 70
a If the directors cut the right deal, it could save Hollywood from civil war
a 'American Idol' returns as a bright spot on strike-stricken horizon
Media & technology ...
a Thinly Sliced Laptop Polishes Apple's Image
a Baltimore Sun's 'Wire' Portrayal Fuels a Hot Debate
Politics ...
a Romney and reporter tangle at press conference
a Why Obamamania? Because He Runs as The Great White Hope
Life & other stuff ...
a Chihua-wheels: Disabled dogs get rolling
a The Battle To Remold the Mall
a Band of Scouting Misfits Attains Eagle Ranking
a Is Decade Doomed To Anonymity?
a No Assembly Required: For Ikea's Live-In Weblebrity, Reality Comes at a Discount
Sunday morning
Kates is becoming my little sports fan more and more every day …
This morning, having decided we weren’t leaving the house today (the temperature gauge outside reads 2 degrees, and we’ve got ice glazing our windows …), we ate breakfast while I had “Outside the Lines” and “The Sports Reporters” going on ESPN …
While I mostly just took it in, Kates was spouting her sports opinions on report after report …
On Roger Clemens' upcoming date with congress: “Everyone think Roger’s guilty, it’s McNamee they all believe …”
On Jokim Noah’s rookie problems with the Bulls: He's the problem with the Bulls. He's all we've been hearing about since they got him ..."
And on Golf Week's noose cover: "Tiger said he didn't have a problem with the broadcaster. They're only making it worse..."
Ah, I've succeeded. I've taught her well.
So we finally got around to watching "Babel" last night -- you know that film that was an Oscar contender last year ...
And so it goes.
Interesting film. I can definitely see the comparisons to "Crash" ... Though I didn't care much for the storyline about the deaf Japanese girl, each of the storylines grew more compelling as the film moved on and there were some good aha! moments when they finally started to fit together ...
Kates and I watched the final pre-strike "30 Rock" this morning.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Never thought I'd say it a couple years ago, but "30 Rock" is my new favorite sitcom.
The musical finale -- Midnight Train to Georgia! with Gladys Knight! -- in the last episode was awesome! Classic ...
This morning, having decided we weren’t leaving the house today (the temperature gauge outside reads 2 degrees, and we’ve got ice glazing our windows …), we ate breakfast while I had “Outside the Lines” and “The Sports Reporters” going on ESPN …
While I mostly just took it in, Kates was spouting her sports opinions on report after report …
On Roger Clemens' upcoming date with congress: “Everyone think Roger’s guilty, it’s McNamee they all believe …”
On Jokim Noah’s rookie problems with the Bulls: He's the problem with the Bulls. He's all we've been hearing about since they got him ..."
And on Golf Week's noose cover: "Tiger said he didn't have a problem with the broadcaster. They're only making it worse..."
Ah, I've succeeded. I've taught her well.
* * *
So we finally got around to watching "Babel" last night -- you know that film that was an Oscar contender last year ...
And so it goes.
Interesting film. I can definitely see the comparisons to "Crash" ... Though I didn't care much for the storyline about the deaf Japanese girl, each of the storylines grew more compelling as the film moved on and there were some good aha! moments when they finally started to fit together ...
* * *
Kates and I watched the final pre-strike "30 Rock" this morning.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Never thought I'd say it a couple years ago, but "30 Rock" is my new favorite sitcom.
The musical finale -- Midnight Train to Georgia! with Gladys Knight! -- in the last episode was awesome! Classic ...
12.30.2007
Sunday reading
Good reads that piqued my interests the last couple weeks...
Sports ...
a It's been 14 years since the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, but in many ways Tonya Harding hasn't moved on
a No Game for a Family
a Bulls' interim coach Myers will be stressing sacrifice
a Bulls' firing line could expand
a Boylan gets a chance to make Bulls his own
a NFL takes a sack in TV drama
a Which teams got their holiday wishes?
a Change won't gum up Wrigley ... I still refuse to call Comiskey anything but. And I will cry if Wrigley's name is changed. Like Morrissey says: "A corporation would have to be idiotic to come in, wipe out the name Wrigley Field and slap something like Great Dot.Com Ballpark across the front of the building and believe everyone will jump onboard." But that's not the point of his column ...
a Sports Illustrated does first-ever 3rd printing for Favre issue
TV & Movies ...
a BEST FILM ENDINGS ... EVER!
a 'Hunt' recounts search for John Wilkes Booth after Abraham Lincoln shooting
Media ...
a Driver who crashed into TV studio 'wanted to be on the news,' prosecutor says
Education ...
a Elementary Math Grows Exponentially Tougher
Looking back on 2007 ...
a Best & worst viral videos of 2007
a Best nation & world photos
a Best sports photos
a Predictions, please: The top 20 questions for 2008
Sports ...
a It's been 14 years since the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, but in many ways Tonya Harding hasn't moved on
a No Game for a Family
a Bulls' interim coach Myers will be stressing sacrifice
a Bulls' firing line could expand
a Boylan gets a chance to make Bulls his own
a NFL takes a sack in TV drama
a Which teams got their holiday wishes?
a Change won't gum up Wrigley ... I still refuse to call Comiskey anything but. And I will cry if Wrigley's name is changed. Like Morrissey says: "A corporation would have to be idiotic to come in, wipe out the name Wrigley Field and slap something like Great Dot.Com Ballpark across the front of the building and believe everyone will jump onboard." But that's not the point of his column ...
a Sports Illustrated does first-ever 3rd printing for Favre issue
TV & Movies ...
a BEST FILM ENDINGS ... EVER!
a 'Hunt' recounts search for John Wilkes Booth after Abraham Lincoln shooting
Media ...
a Driver who crashed into TV studio 'wanted to be on the news,' prosecutor says
Education ...
a Elementary Math Grows Exponentially Tougher
Looking back on 2007 ...
a Best & worst viral videos of 2007
a Best nation & world photos
a Best sports photos
a Predictions, please: The top 20 questions for 2008
1.02.2006
See ya Mike Sherman …
I’m not so much surprised that it happened as much as I am that it happened so fast …Then again half the coaches in the NFL were fired today -- or so it seems.
I caught the headline on the Internet this morning about as fast as the folks at MSN could post it. Course, I gasped and shouted it to the co-workers sitting around me …
And in grand Wisconsin fashion -- because the Packers for some odd reason transcend LIFE around here -- virtually every news station in the state tonight has made it their top story (never mind the coal mine explosion in West Virginia, an ice rink that collapsed in Germany, a war in Iraq, the monsoon-like weather today and other more pressing issues …) … Ugh. Every station is speculating who the next head coach will be as if the official announcement will come tomorrow, and the local Fox station even has a phone-in poll asking viewers whether Sherman’s firing will affect Brett Favre’s decision to retire. Double ugh.
I hate it when news people jump on stories and over-analyze them like there‘s no tomorrow, when it will take days, even weeks, for the story to develop. … Yes, all these issues are pertinent and questions should be answered. But don’t suffocate me with them.
Here’s what I think: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Packers need to begin rebuilding and Sherman’s just the start …After learning of Sherman’s firing today, I mentioned to a co-worker that I thought Favre was more of a problem this season than Sherman. She agreed, but added that Sherman didn’t exactly appear to be coaching Favre either, as in encouraging him to take better care of the ball or convincing him he didn’t have to do EVERYTHING. ‘Good point, that’s true,’ I said. …Favre did nothing wrong in a lot of people’s eyes this season, and that’s too bad.
So I continue -- Favre should retire. Never mind all the decimating injuries. Forget about the lack of an offensive line. Despite a decent performance yesterday, Favre plain didn’t get it done this year. He’s 36 years old and there’s no denying he’s lost some steps … But the thing that irked me for most of the season were the repeated soundbites from Favre saying that he needed to be the playmaker and makes things happen. Now I‘m no quarterback, but as far as I know, you can’t make plays by blindly launching the ball into triple coverage every time a 300-pound lineman starts running at you. You can be a playmaker and lead the team by protecting the ball, taking the sack when you have to and then capitalizing when the time is right.
Favre’s had better days than what we saw this season. Let’s savor those memories and hope he doesn’t overwrite more of them by deciding to play again next year.
More reads ...
OnMilwaukee.com: It's time for Packers fans to move on
Mike Celizic: Sherman exit means Favre's gone also
* * *
In better, more exciting news: I watched the Bulls/Bucks game tonight … It’s good to see my boy Kirk Hinrich doing so well with the Bulls …. Too bad Chicago couldn’t pull it out. Ah, but the Bucks are a good team too. Darn good game.
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