Dave G's Dugout

Pistol Pete

If you like basketball, sports, or are human enough to appreciate the simple beauty of perfection, you should watch this clip. Really. It's incredible.

 

Pete Maravich, in my humble opinion, is the greatest college basketball player of all time. Yes, Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor (aka Kareem Abdul Jabbar) won championships, but they played for John Wooden at UCLA, the greatest coach and greatest program ever. Pistol played for his dad at LSU on a team that went 3-20 the year before he arrived. Maravich didn't have tremendous height or an imposing physique, but he still averaged over 44 points per game - before the institution of the 3 point line. He was simply a prodigy, one of the greatest shooters and ball handlers of all time. So as the college season is set to begin and thousands of players across the country strive for greatness, let's take a moment here to watch - and honor - actual basketball greatness. Just watch the clip. Your jaw will drop.

Belated NBA Preview...Or Why I Love Mike D'Antoni

Has the blog returned? Oh, it just might have...only time will tell. Yes, I admit it's been quite a while since my words have graced this page. Just how long? Well...since I've last written, Philadelphia won a championship, a black man was elected President, and - oh yeah - the Knicks have a winning record. The world, it seems, has changed. 

What can I say about Mike D'Antoni? Not since Def Leppard has anyone done more with less. The Knicks  are 6-4, Stephon Marbury has yet to play a minute, and Zach Randolph (aka Stay Puft) is averaging 20.8, 12.9 through the season's first ten games. This is amazing. It's beautiful. Honestly, I feel the same way about the Knicks' first ten games the way I felt about the Giants' playoff run: utter shock and unrestrainable smiles. This won't last, obviously, but it seems clear that the organization has awoken from the Isaiah Thomas nightmare. And frankly, that's enough for me. Anything else is an added bonus. 

West Preview:

1. Lakers: They're the best team in the league on paper. But games aren't played on paper. Gasol is still soft. Odom's role is uncertain, and he shrunk in last year's finals. Bynum looks great, but he is unproven. Yes, he could be the next great center. Could be. But right now, he's an unproven 21-year old with a surgically rebuilt knee. And Kobe, while the best player on earth, needs to be the leader of last season and not the horrible teammate we saw in the Finals.

2. New Orleans: The one thing the Hornets were missing was experience. They got a ton of it in last year's playoffs and imported a wealth of it in James Posey. A veteran of the Boston and Miami championship teams, Posey adds leadership to an amazingly talented and mature Hornets lineup. Add him to the Chris Paul, David West, and Tyson Chandler trio and New Orleans has a very real chance to win it all.

3. Utah: With so many of their players becoming free agents after this season, the Jazz may be looking at it's last chance to win. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams are as dynamic a duo as the league has, but Utah is just not as good as New Orleans or LA, and could lose to Houston or a healthy San Antonio as well. Williams will need to stay healthy for Utah to have a chance and Boozer may be in Miami before we know it. 

4. Houston: I love this team. Last year, without Yao, the nice guy Rockets went 22-0 and played amazing team ball. McGrady was the scorer, Battier was the defensive specialist, and Alston, Scola,  and Landry turned a lot of heads. This year, Yao is back, which takes a ton of pressure off T-Mac, and the addition of Ron Artest turns Houston into a true title contender. Here's why: He's the one guy in the league who is truly unpredictable. He's a defensive-minded player who could snap at any minute, and will thus keep opponents on edge. Shane Battier is a great defensive player, but he doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opponents. He's most likely to appear on Jeopardy. Artest is most likely to appear on America's Most Wanted. In playoff ball, I'd love to see how Pau Gasol reacts in his presence.

5. Phoenix: They look really good right now and they're playing with heart. Steve Nash and Shaq, the NBA's two resident good guys, have both already been disciplined by the league. If I'm Terry Porter, this makes me really happy - these guys are playing with attitude for the first time in a while. They know full well that the window is closing and they seem to be playing harder and tougher than they did last year. Amare Stoudamire is one of the top players in the league and if he returns to the level of the '06 playoffs, the Suns might just get to the top of the West. Diaw/Bell/Barbosa make a great second shift and are perfectly capable of stepping up when Grant Hill qualifies for Social Security later this season and if and when Shaq's body fails on him. Robin Lopez is one of my favorite new guys, specializing in defense and comic books, and Matt Barnes wins the November award for most headlines for a guy I've never heard of before. 

6. San Antonio: No depth, but more experience than anyone in the league. Manu and Parker are hurt, but if they're back by playoff time, you really can never discount the Spurs. Duncan, Manu, and Parker are the three guys you'd want on the court in the Finals. The problem here - besides health - is the staggering lack of depth. Still, when Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan are on board, you have to expect great things.

7. Dallas Mavericks: In short, everyone on this roster has something to prove. Kidd has to prove he can still play, Dirk has to prove he can still win, Josh Howard has to prove his sobriety, and Mark Cuban has  to prove his innocence. 

8. Denver Nuggets: I guess I'm on board. I really want the Blazers to grab this last spot, but I think the Billups trade has playoff implications for the Nuggets. It solidifies Anthony as the team's primary scorer and franchise player and gives them a point guard to match up against Paul and Williams (Billups also happens to be one of the league's great leaders and a former Finals MVP). With JR Smith, Nene, and K-Mart in the front court, the Nuggets look pretty damn good right now. I love Iverson, but he and Carmelo never belonged on a team together. I don't think this is a deep playoff team by any means, but they'll probably keep Portland outside the bubble.

Just for good measure...9. Portland Trailblazers: If the Blazers make the playoffs, it will be because of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Fernandez...not Greg Oden. Oden can be a good role player for them this year, but if they lean too heavily on him they will fall over. Brandon Roy HAS to be the center of this team.

Predictions for the Eastern Conference: 

1. Boston Celtics: This team is f'ing hungry. They have the talent and they damn sure have the drive. Pierce can't stop talking about defending the title. Garnett can't stop bullying people (Calderon and Bogut). Seriously, Garnett punched Bogut in the face. How is this not a bigger story? 

2. Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron. Mo Williams is no Scottie Pippen, folks, regardless of what ESPN may think. But he is the best role player LBJ has had and that should count for something. Big Z and Delonte should come up big throughout the year, and the inevitable Wally-for-a-4 trade will help tremendously.

3. Detroit Pistons: Allen Iverson is my favorite player in the league and has been for a long time - and he was born to play in Detroit. This trade was a salary dump, plain and simple, but let's not ignore  what AI brings to the table. He's a tough, relentless player who brings it all every time he steps onto the court. He immediately drives up the scoring totals and the energy. But that doesn't overtake Boston. 

4. Orlando Magic: People need to get on Dwight Howard more for taking certain games off. But at the end of the day, he, Turkoglu, and Lewis make one hell of a front line. 

5. Toronto Raptors: While the attention is focused on Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon will quietly explode this season and cement his spot as the third best point guard in the NBA and the best in the East. If Jermaine O'Neal is healthy enough to contribute, the Raptors will turn some heads. 

6. Philadelphia: Elton Brand is not the savior. At his best he's an all star, though not an elite player. And he's rarely at his best. Igoudala is the leader of this team, but he's not capable of leading the Sixers past any of the East's top three teams. Brand, Igoudala, and Miller are enough to make the Sixers competitive, but Philly fans should be glad they won the World Series..it'll be a while before they can measure up in the NBA.

7. Atlanta: Despite Josh Childress's EuroTrip, the Hawks are still stacked with young talent. Al Horford should have been the rookie of the year last year and will prove his merit as a top center this season. Josh Smith is a beast. Marvin Williams will see increased time this season and will have to prove himself (honestly, it's now or never for Mo). Mike Bibby is a proven leader and a great anchor for this young team. And Joe Johnson is the league MVP through the season's first ten games. The Hawks are not a deep team, by any means. But they have amazing talent, heart, and guts. They will play every game with a huge chip on their shoulders and are definitely not a team I would want to face in the first round of the playoffs. 

8. Miami: Mark my words: Dwyane Wade will be the MVP. Shawn Marion will either contribute or be traded for guys who will contribute. Mike Beasley will become a 20-10 guy by season's end. Mario Chalmers has been shockingly good so far. But really, it all centers on Wade. He's one of the few guys in the league who is good enough to almost single-handedly take his team to the playoffs. There will never be another Michael Jordan. Never. But Wade is probably the closest thing we've seen.

MVP: Dwyane Wade

ROY: Derrick Rose

Most Improved: Marvin Williams

Sixth Man: Odom, if he is sixth man. Stuckey, otherwise.

Coach of the Year: Mike D'Antoni

Playoffs: 

East: First Round: Celtics over Heat (in 4), Cavs over Hawks (in 7), Detroit over Philly (in 5), Toronto over Orlando (in 7)

        Second Round: Celtics over Toronto (in 6), Cavs over Detroit (in 7)

        Conference Finals: Celtics over Cavs (in 6)

West: First Round: Lakers over Nuggets (in 5), Hornets over Mavs (in 5), Jazz over Spurs (in 6), Rockets over Suns (in 7)

         Second Round: Lakers over Rockets (in 7), Hornets over Jazz (in 6)

         Conference Finals: Lakers over Hornets (in 7)

NBA Finals: Celtics over Lakers (in 6)

A Giant Slap in the Face

    Let's dispense with pleasantries: I am outraged. The Giants and Jets' new stadium is on track to be named after Allianz, a German insurance and finance company with strong Nazi ties. Now, let me be clear. I am Jewish and proud of it. But I am not of the mindset that no Jew should ever buy a German car or that today's Germany is an evil place with evil people. So when I first heard that a German company might be the namesake of the Giants' new stadium, I was more upset that a football stadium would be named after a non-American company than I was that it was, specifically, a German company. I really didn't give it much thought. Then I read about Allianz.

    Saying that Allianz had some connection to the Holocaust would be like saying that the Giants had some connection to last year's Super Bowl. During the reign of the Third Reich, Richard Sandomir writes in today's New York Times, Allianz did the following: It "insured facilities and personnel at concentration camps like Auschwitz and Dachau. Kurt Schmitt, its chief executive in the 1930s, served as Hitler’s second economics minister and can be seen in a photograph from a rally wearing an SS-Oberführer’s uniform and delivering the Nazi salute with Hitler standing in front of him. Like other insurers in Germany at the time, Allianz followed anti-Semitic policies by terminating or refusing to pay off the life insurance policies of Jews, and sent cash that was due beneficiaries and survivors to the Nazis. It also became the insurer of Jewish valuables taken by the Nazis." This provokes feelings in me that are fifty times more potent than the "I won't buy a Volkswagon" argument. This would be New York's football teams playing under the banner of Holocaust enablers. And frankly, this should not fly.

    Now, I know that Allianz is a different company today, with different executives, different workers, and newer policies that tend to frown on systematic murder. But despite the sixty years that have passed and despite the company's lukewarm attempts to compensate survivors, this is still an issue about which many people are rightfully very sensitive. The Giants and Jets need to respect that and think very carefully before they agree to this deal. These teams are seriously considering, and by all accounts are leaning toward, naming their new stadium after a company that was a willing participant and a direct beneficiary of genocide. Financially speaking, this may make the most sense. The teams are businesses and in business, the dollar trumps all. But football and sports in general aren't just about money - not to the millions of fans who make football such a deep part of their lives. To force fans to cheer their team in a stadium named for a company that enabled the Holocaust is cruel. It's disgusting, it's despicable, and it says exactly what the teams' owners think of their fans. What does this say to any Giants or Jets fan, let alone a Jew, a Holocaust survivor, or the families of victims? If they go through with this, they will have to deal with the fallout and last I checked, New York didn't exactly have a tiny Jewish population. I would have a very hard time rooting for a team that calls Allianz Stadium home. And I'm sure I'm not alone.

Lance Armstrong Coming Back for '09 Tour

Awesome.

NFL Turned On Its Head

       The Bears, Cardinals and Titans are all in first place. Kyle Orton beat Peyton Manning. Brett Favre led the Jets to victory. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, combined, have as many touchdowns as Peyton and Tom Brady. And oh yeah...Brady is out for the year. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...the 2008 NFL Season!

    Everything is upside down after the first Sunday of the season. But the biggest story - really the biggest possible story anyone could have imagined - is that Tom Brady will likely miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. The Patriots are still the Patriots - complete with a roster of Super Bowl players - but they are anything but complete without Brady at the helm. Matt Cassel has been Brady's backup and will be called upon to fill his shining shoes. Cassel played well yesterday, but can he really take the Patriots back to the Super Bowl with the Colts and Chargers ready to steal the Pats' AFC title? It doesn't really need to be said that Tom Brady isn't just a quarterback. He might be the best quarterback of all time and either way, he is the leader of this team. Envisioning a tough game without him, let alone a full season, is almost impossible. Cassel or possibly Chris Simms will step into the starting lineup one of the best teams of all time. They'll have Randy Moss drawing double coverage and Wes Welker in the slot. They'll have Maroney on the ground and one of the best defenses in the league to give them a little leeway. But still, neither one is even close to being in the same vicinity as Tom Brady. With the Jets and Bills breathing down New England's neck in the AFC East and the Colts and Chargers seeing Super Bowl, things got a lot bleaker in Boston yesterday.

    More to come...

Brady Out

Tom Brady is reportedly out for the season. 

Phelps Phun

Funny stuff

MLB Adds Instant Replay

    Major League Baseball will be adding instant replay just in time for the pennant race. In a season where several home run calls were blown, this is a great step to help the League get things right. It's tough to imagine our most traditional sport embracing technological advances, but if the NFL and NBA can do it, why shouldn't the MLB do what it can to make sure the umps make the right calls? If only this had been around back in 1996, Jeffrey Maier would be able to show his face in Baltimore today.

Phelps Phever and Other Olympics Observations

    In the 100m freestyle this week, a Russian swimmer crossed over into the lane of a Georgian swimmer and attempted to drown him. The other swimmers stood idly by.

    The 2008 Olympics have not been without controversy, as China let a nine year-old go Milli Vanilli on an international stage, the Karolyi's openly questioned the ages of Chinese gymnasts, and Russia decided to take this opportunity of international unity to bomb the shit out of Georgia. But besides these news stories, which of course range from trivial to grave, the Olympics have been incredible so far and only look to grow more engrossing as the games go on.

    While at first I was only excited about basketball and the Redeem Team's quest to, well, redeem themselves for the horror of 2004, I have now officially been sucked into the excitement of the Games. Here are a few stray thoughts I've had from watching over the past week:

• The Men's 100m Relay was one of the greatest sporting events I have ever seen and probably the greatest race I have ever watched. That being said, when do I really ever watch any races? This one, though, was incredible. After French superstar Alain Bernard guaranteed a victory in his country's press (smash the Americans was the term he used), American Jason Lezak chased him down in the final stretch of the race and beat him to the wall by eight-hundredths of a second. The US won the gold, Phelps' quest for eight is alive, and the French, once again, look pompous, arrogant, and foolish. All in a day's work...
• Michael Phelps is incredible. It will be a shame if he fails to win 8 golds, not only because he is capable of winning eight, but because there will be idiots in the press who will label his performance a disappointment if he doesn't do it. What this man has accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary. He is the greatest of all time, regardless of whether he wins eight or not. Also, he's from Maryland. Boo yah!
• The Men's basketball team is ridiculous. They should not lose. I forgot how good Dwyane Wade truly is and now that he is healthy for the first time in two years, he is playing the best basketball on a team filled with the best basketball players in the world. With all the talk of Jordan-Johnson-Bird on the original Dream Team, we forget that it was Charles Barkley who played the best ball. With all the focus on LeBron and Kobe on this team, D-Wade has emerged as the on-the-court star. I worry, though, about a physical team like Greece. Our big men are limited to Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, and Carmelo (if he's playing the 4). If Greece goes hard after them and gets those guys in foul trouble, they could wear us thin and then pound us on the boards. Still, I have every bit of confidence that our boys will bring back the gold.
• Watching the Chinese women's gymnastics team really bothered me. They didn't quite look like fully-formed people. One was 4'6" and weighed 68 pounds. She was missing a tooth. None of them looked 15 or 16. They had no curves or substance to their bodies. It was really sad to watch. The commentators were talking about how they are pried from their families at toddler ages and put into this machine of a program, like a gymnast farm. Their families won't let them come back because the prospect of an Olympian child can elevate their status. Really sad. The American women had substance to them and looked healthy, like athletes should. But these girls looked like zombies.They may have won the gold medal, but I think they lost China a lot of respect. Their participation also raises obvious and serious questions about China's ethical participation in the games. Registration materials lend credibility to accusations that the girls are younger than they say, but their state-issued passports list them as old enough to compete. Not like China would have any motivation to doctor those...

    Over the next few weeks, we'll watch Michael Phelps gun for Mark Spitz, we'll watch the Redeem Team seek to become a Dream Team, we'll watch the gymnastics controversy wage on, and we'll hold our breaths as the real life drama of war in former Soviet Bloc unfolds. In a way, it's all oddly fitting. The Olympic Games, like the world, are not without controversy.

Broadway Brett: Jets Steal Favre

    Brett Favre is a New York Jet. In related news, the sun began revolving around the earth, Isiah Thomas was named executive of the year, and OJ found the real killers. But seriously folks...the New York Jets pulled off one of the most shocking trades in recent memory last night by sending a fourth round pick (which may eventually become a first round pick) to Green Bay in exchange for the greatest player in Packer history. Just yesterday, the talking heads were saying there was no way Favre would end up in New York. By morning, Favre was a Jet, the Packers had begun a new era, and the Big Green were officially relevant once again. It was a good day all around.

    The Jets are not going to win the Super Bowl this year. They might not even make the playoffs. They play in a conference that has New England, Indy, San Diego, Jacksonville, etc and even if they didn't, they were never just a Brett Favre away from title contention. But while adding Favre might not bring Jets fans their first Super Bowl title in nearly 40 years, it certainly gives them a lot to look forward to for at least the 2008 season.

    Before this morning, the Jets were largely irrelevant. They were coming off a 4-12 season, had two mediocre quarterbacks competing for the starting job, and shared a stadium with the Super Bowl champs. They were coming dangerously close to becoming the Clippers of the NFL. But today, everything changes. For the rest of the season, the Jets will be the top story in every NFL broadcast. They will sell a ton of new merchandise and will gain monetary momentum in terms of building their new stadium. And, most importantly, they will improve as a football team. Favre will add a leadership that Jets fans haven't seen in a quarterback since Vinny T in 1998. They may not be the best team in the AFC (or even the fifth or sixth best team), but Favre gives them a chance to win any game they play. Whereas Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens were liabilities, Favre will bring the talent, experience, and leadership necessary to help carry the Jets to the playoffs. Whether or not they get there is another story; my point is that now they have the potential.

    The Packers are also in a better position now that Favre has moved on from Green Bay. By sticking with Aaron Rodgers during this whole fiasco, they ended an era of uncertainty that threatened their future and could have derailed the kid's confidence. Though it was sentimentally and politically tough to ditch Favre, the Packers made the right move in doing so. Rodgers has shown tremendous class, grace, and humility during this entire saga, displaying the character necessary to fill Favre's shoes. The Pack has faith in his playing ability and can now have faith in his leadership ability as well. Favre, on the other hand, acted like a little kid this off-season, changing his mind, selfishly keeping himself in the spotlight, and blaming others when he went back on his word. While I wrote back in March that Favre's character was unimpeachable, I now believe that he is a prima donna whose ego got the best of his formerly characteristic class.

    Though Favre went from a title contender to, well, the Jets, the change will give him an opportunity to fill a new and exciting role. Had he spent the season in Green Bay, he would have been a relic, hanging onto his glory days and keeping the franchise in the past. As a Jet, he will have a chance to help his team climb from the bottom, bringing hope to a perennial loser and teaching his teammates how to win in the future, even after he finally hangs it up for good.