"11 Dancers Dancing..."

First, just watch...if you can:



First time watching this I had to stop right after Taj Gibson's "3 blocked shots" verse to regain my composure.  Is this the worst team song/video ever?  At first I thought it might be until I checked YouTube and Wikipedia for other disasters.  There were a lot.

Obviously the gold standard is the Super Bowl Shuffle.  It was unique, the '85 Bears had true characters, and, most importantly, they backed it up!!

For instance, there's this disaster recorded by the Raiders in 1986 who went on to an 8-8 record that year:



Wow, was that bad.

But much much much worse is this utter embarrassment put out by New England (not the players but close enough) in response to the '85 Bears masterpiece and leading up to Super Bowl XX:



Yuck.


So as you can see the Bulls' "12 Days of Christmas" isn't nearly as bad as it could've been.  But I still have a few observations:

*Luol Deng: "10 buzzer beaters".  I searched "Luol Deng Buzzer Beater" on YouTube and there were 32 results (Jordan had over 1,800) only ONE of which was a semi buzzer-beater.  A tip-in to tie and force OT.
--should've been: "10 line drive jumpers"
*Keith Bogans: "11 dancers dancing".  Sound more un-interested?  No.

*James Johnson...Oh, dear James Johnson:  "8 Taking Charges".  First, what is a "taking charge"?  Really?  c'mon man...and why did he feel it was necessary to hit that high C? 
 --should've been: "8 high fives"
*Kurt Thomas: "7 back massages".  Ok, we get it.  He's old. I have to know who wrote these lyrics!
--should've been:  "7 forearm shivers"
*Ronnie Brewer's shot is even uglier close-up


Where was Scalabrine, or more importantly, Omer Asik????

Good effort though.  Joakim Noah's awkward chomp smile saved the day

Sports..what's not to love, or at least like, or at least tolerate?

There are a few times of the year when I really feel sorry for those who don't get the enjoyment out of sports that I and many others do -- March Madness, NBA playoffs (when the Bulls are in it of course)...or any playoffs for that matter, and college football bowl season are a few that come to mind....and yes, that list pretty much encompasses the entire sports calender. If you're not gonna get excited about sports I can understand that I suppose, but what I really don't understand is when people develop a negative reaction towards anything "sports".  Again, I'm not saying that everyone must love sports or even like it, but what is it about watching the best athletes in the world out battle each other with so much on the line under extraordinary pressure that not only makes someone not interested but disgusted?  This, I don't get.  Is it a hatred of competition in general?  Like giving everyone a "congratulations for competing even if you weren't as good as your oppoenent "trophy?  Athletics is a wonderful thing, not only for enjoyment for couch potatoes but also for kids growing up.  Learning lessons such as overcoming adversity, enjoying competition, valuing hard work and teamwork, showing good sportsmanship, developing leadership skills, etc I suppose could all be learned in other ways, maybe, but they certainly can all be developed and learned with sports.  Even forgetting all that stuff, and simply enjoying the entertainment, what's the problem? 

It's also unique in this respect:  we can watch athletes participate in the same sport that we played in growing up.  Those who played baseball know exactly how difficult it is to lay off a curve ball one pitch after being fooled on a 90mph fastball.  Or knowing how fatigued we get during a game of 3 on 3 halfcourt, let alone a triple OT game 7.  Or watching a football player make several mistakes only to bounce back with a game-winning play.  Is there a comparison to this in any other form?

Like I said, I can understand that not everyone schedules their weekend around the Bears game, but I have a hard time understanding those who can't at least see the intrigue of sports in general.  What's to hate?  I don't yearn for the next Art Institute exhibit, but I don't recoil in horror when someone mentions it...

What a Surprise...

Dallas beat Miami 98-96.  The Heat can't beat good teams who don't hand over the game, as Dallas only had 12 turnovers.  The NBA is so top heavy right now that frauds can fool people into thinking they're a decent team by beating up on a stretch that includes the Sixers, Raptors, Wizards, Pistons, Cavs, Nets, Bobcats, etc.  The Heat may have the 2nd best record in the East, but they're not the 2nd best team.  Teams that have a chance:

Celtics
Lakers
Mavs
Spurs
Bulls
Heat
Thunder
Jazz

that's basically it.  I had to leave the Magic (for now), Hawks, and Nuggets off this list.  That makes 8 out of 30 teams with a chance to do anything.  Middle of the pack includes Magic, Hawks, Nuggets, Knicks, and Hornets.  The rest of the teams are awful.  That will make for a lot of bloated winning streaks.  

Michigan Hoops and Fat Guy Moments

UM Basketball has been on a hiatus...a 15 year hiatus.  Although they made the tournament 2 yrs ago (eliminated in the second round) they have essentially been irrelevant since Tractor Traylor.  Yeah, remember that fat guy who looked like he was 45 when he was 18? 

Off on a tangent, searching for this image got me thinking of great fat guy sports moments.  There are a lot, maybe none better than this one:



I think my favorite part of this is the half second after Traylor gets tackled and he's just lying there face down like a fatally wounded beached walrus.

Anyway, not that a win over Oakland Unversity (Oakland, Michigan) should cause someone to take notice but it does.  Oakland lost to Sparty by 1 and beat #7 Tennessee in the last week.  It's just amazing how Michigan hoops has fallen off the face of the earth.  They have zero seniors.  How does that happen?  And it's not like Michigan has zero seniors b/c of all their early-entry NBA draft picks.  Of course it doesn't help that Michigan's downfall has coincided with Little Brother continuing to be annoyingly consistent and the Luckeyes being rejuvinated.  However, there is something to be said for watching a young team grow up and play better than expected.  I think they need more fat guys.

Miami Buckeys

Miami Heat and Ohio St are very similar.  Overwhelm the bad and mediocre teams but have a hard time with good teams who don't hand them the game. 

E-V-A-N-S-T-O-N, E-V-...

Sad day in the ETHS family.  Coach Riehle passed away. 

As good of a coach as he was, he was an even better person and will be missed.

Lead the ETHS football team to the state semi-finals in 1998 (would've won that game if it weren't for a snow/sleet storm).  One of the most memorable sports moments in recent ETHS history. 

Stomach Punch

Joakim Noah's out until march?!?!?!

Thumb surgery?!?!?

In the midst of a 7-game winning streak and comfortably atop the central division?!?!?

Ugggh!  This one hurts.  Bad.  Just as the Bulls were rolling; beating some good teams and blowing out the bad ones.  So now what?   It seems Boozer's "fall" will be the second worst injury this season...

Dammit!

Paterno's Old.....but wow is this funny

Paterno trying to have a phone interview...but he just can't hear a thing!



All I can think about is what on earth those conversations are like when Paterno is in the living room of a recruit:

Paterno: Well son, are you ready to Come to Penn St??

Recruit: Yes sir.

Paterno: Huh?

Recruit: Yes sir!

Paterno: Huh???

Recruit: YES SIR !!!! (whispering to mother: "damn this dude's old")

Paterno: Well son, are you ready to Come to Penn St??

Pats 36 Bears 7 Ugggh

I need time to digest this before writing.  When Chris Harris dropped that tipped Brady pass in the endzone you could've made the argument that the game was over at that moment.  Great teams make great plays when they matter most.  They don't let opportunities literally slip through their fingers.  The Patriots scored a touchdown on their next play and the rest is forgettable history.  The Bears had chances at two other would-be interceptions and missed them both.  When you're an underdog those miscues and missed opportunities are amplified.  Coupled with New England's incredible lack of mistakes, it made for one of the more depressing, disappointing games in a long time. 

Great teams and great players make great plays at key opportunities, a la Charles Woodson who had a knack for rising to the occasion. 

Very disappointing.  The Bears are probably somewhere between the team we saw yesterday in the snow and the team we say lay the samck down against Philly.  Borderline playoff team.  Meh

It's my money, and I need it NOW!!

Yeah, how annoying is that commercial?

Anyway, on a semi-related note:  Carmelo is apparently saying that he will only sign an extension if traded to New York.  I guess he doesn't need his money NOW(!) but he'll get it soon enough.  I would have concerns about this if I were New York, or any team trading for a player who demanded a trade.  But this situation is a little different.  'Melo's not just demanding a trade but he's determining the destination.  I would hesitate to sign a player to massive money who will only apparently be satisfied playing for one team.  For a player who has had questions about his night-in night-out effort, this seems to send the message that he'll only try hard if he gets his way.  This certainly isn't new, but what's most concerning is that he wants New York, seemingly b/c it provides the spotlight.  So is basketball secondary?  He only has the fire to win if he's in the spotlight?  That bothers me.  I can't imagine Derrick Rose trying less b/c he's not in his preferred city.  He has that desire to win and fear of losing that great players have, no matter how bright the lights shine.  I don't think a true competitor can turn it off and on like like that.  NY, you can have 'Melo...