Or should I call it Monday morning tidbits? Not my fault, Blogger was down for an extended period of time. Anyway, some observations are now dated, but they are nevertheless insightful and entertaining!
The blog is back, baby! And why? Let's ask friend of the blog, Alice Cooper.
The blog is back, baby! And why? Let's ask friend of the blog, Alice Cooper.
Don't believe me? Here is Alice Cooper with Warning Track Power correspondent David Schaffner:
It took a little while for it to set in that I had turned in all my final papers, but once it did, this is how I felt:
A Quote
After the Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics last night, LeBron James surprisingly commented on his controversial offseason decision to join his new team:
"I apologize for the way it happened...but I knew that this opportunity was once in a lifetime. As much as I loved my teammates in Cleveland, as much as I loved home, I knew I couldn't do it by myself against that team (the Celtics)."
This creates a number of questions. Did he mean it? Will Cleveland fans accept his apology? Why now? The third question is the most interesting to me. The Heat celebrated like they had won the championship last night, including a fascinating shot of LeBron down on one knee apparently crying/praying/thinking really hard.
The excessive celebration combined with the reflective tone of their press conference gave the feeling that this was the end-goal for the Heat. The way they are playing, I think it's safe to say they will be ready to go in the conference finals, but it was still interesting how much they acted like this was the final step. Then again...
...this group has been guilty of premature jocularity before. CUE THE VIDEO!
A Video
What's up with Kevin Durant's backpack? Reporters and fans alike have expressed their confusion at why Durant has worn it to most of his playoff postgame press conferences. My favorite part is that he also now carries his bible with him, and that paired with his backpack makes him look like somebody who will ride his bike to your house, ring your door bell, and ask if you've heard the good news. Of course you don't give him the chance because you turn off the lights and hide when you see him coming. Anyway, click this link to see Durant explain what's in his pack (kind of).
A Photo
Here is a photo gallery of Reggie Bush and how he has spent his offseason. He has lately found himself in some trouble because he whined about his future in New Orleans after the Saints drafted a running back, and then he tweeted that he was enjoying all his free time during the lockout. Those tweets, of course, were jokes and were taken out of context. Or something. The gallery speaks for itself.
A Tweet
@RealMikeWilbon: How do you go 9 1/2 mins without getting Durant, maybe the purest scorer in the league, a shot in a playoff game w/ season on the line?
There is a developing situation in Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook is an electric player and very entertaining to watch. There's just one problem - he thinks that he is the "go to" guy. This tweet refers to the 4th quarter of an eventual victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in their second round series. Yes Wesbrook scored 40, and yes the Thunder won. But, as many experts have said, it is not a long term plan for success to have him take 13 more shots than the NBA's best scorer.
The rest of these playoffs will show a lot about what Westbrook is about. If his top priority is winning championships, he'll get the ball to Kevin Durant and quit playing 1-on-5. If his top priority is individual accolades, then he will continue with what he's been doing - taking the Thunder offense hostage.
Monday addition: The Thunder absolutely thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies in game 7. Why? Russell Westbrook shared the ball and Kevin Durant had 39 points. They will be NBA Finals bound if he plays like that for 4 out of 7 games against the Dallas Mavericks.
The fact that people have compared his recent play to Steph Marbury should have been an instant red flag. Hopefully Westbrook recognizes that...
Speaking of Stephon Marbury...
...any thought that starts with those four words will end with something special. Remember this gem from the video archives? (Language warning: just in the first 5 seconds or so) CUT THE CHECK:
Speaking of crazy athletes...
...John Rocker has announced his intentions to write a memoir. If you understand why that is funny and terrifying, you know there really isn't much else to say. If you do not understand, skim through this old Sports Illustrated article about him. You'll get the idea...
I especially like his choice for a title: Scars and Stripes. Invoking patriotism is a classic go-to move, and here it is combined with his "rugged toughness." Either Rocker or somebody else involved with this project (I'm guessing the latter) is clever to tap into this contemporary cultural trend. "Well yea, he is racist and kind of a psycho, but he loves America! He can't be that bad."
About the Rockies
When I was younger I played in a machine-pitch baseball league. Every pitch in the same place, right down the heart of the plate, dead straight, enough to make any hitter salivate. Even a 10 year old kid. Inexplicably, I went through a stretch where I struck out 500 at-bats in a row (approximate number, using 10 year old scale). Each strikeout consisted of 3 swinging strikes, and I absolutely could not make sense of what was happening.
My coach pulled me aside and said: "Your swings are way too big. Stop taking big upper-cuts, you're not going to hit a home run every time anyway. Let's see a nice level swing."
I would never claim to be in a position to analyze specific swings on the Rockies and say that the swings are too big or that these players are trying to do too much. But when the team continues to have games where they produce 2 runs on 5 or 6 hits, one cannot help but wonder. Maybe Carney Lansford (the Rockies hitting coach) needs to consider giving the advice that a little league coach gives to a kid who can't make contact against a pitching machine. In a lot of these low scoring losses, Rockies hitters are getting pitches to hit, yet they continue to fail to string together hits. You know, a rally that goes something like this: single, walk, single, double, 3 runs plated, and not a home run among them. Anybody remember the last time this Rockies team did that to punish an opponent for giving them pitches to handle? Friday and Saturday of this weekend excluded, these are the types of rallies the Rockies have sorely missed in their past 25 games (9-16 record).
They got away with this boom or bust offense early in the season for two reasons. 1) Tulo really boomed and carried them for a week and 2) the starting pitching was dynamite. Now that Tulo has cooled off and the starting pitching has collectively decided to walk too many batters, the ineffectiveness of the offense has been fully exposed. Combine that with some bullpen meltdowns, and you have a team that spoiled its fast start and is at risk to fall below .500 with tough games this week (Giants, @Phillies, @Brewers). The good news? There is a bunch of baseball left. No need to panic.
Warning Track Power's message to the offense: "Your swings are way too big." Or to quote another former coach of mine, the great Gary Krug: "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WIN WITH 5 RUN HOME RUNS." Think about it...
A Quick NBA Prediction
Bulls in 5, Thunder in 6. I know what you're thinking: you're just picking against the Heat because you don't like them. Yep. Deal with it.
Links
Bill Simmons writes about Phil Jackson http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110513&sportCat=nba
Jason Whitlock says the Heat are no match for the Bulls http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-Dwyane-Wade-Chris-Bosh-Miami-Heat-are-no-match-for-Derrick-Rose-Chicago-Bulls-051211
Johnny Ludden writes about Kevin Durant (and his backpack!) http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aj_ci6ZZVFuMplaoeHMNjpM5nYcB?slug=jy-ludden_durant_thunder_beat_grizzlies_reach_west_finals_051511
