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6.20.2009
5.28.2009
Ok I have to say something.
It usually takes a late night of not sleeping or JB doing something completely insane to get me on here typing these days but not today. I want to talk about the NBA and its lack of real officiating.
For those of you that don't know my background in officiating, I officiated football, basketball and softball all through college for both campus intramural and also for the City of Denton. Even though 90% of the students at UNT won't agree with this statement, we went through a pretty extensive training to be able to do certain games. I enjoyed reffin' the big games mainly because the games were better. No offense to the Sorority B Leaguers or anything but A League basketball is more exciting and 'watchable'. Also, City of Denton Basketball got pretty competitive at times both in the high school and private school ranks. So I have made some great calls and I have also made some calls that would even make Joey Crawford look good.
The first rule we learn in officiating school is to NEVER do anything to take credibility away from your partner. If you're partner makes a crap call and you know its a bad one, swallow the whistle and let it be. The NBA as a whole doesn't do that. The day after a game the league reviews every technical, flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 foul and decides whether the official got it correct. If they didn't they will remove the foul from the players record. This is all fine and good for times last Tuesday nights game when Dwight Howard weightroomed Varejo and still hit a shot while he was getting hog tied. Howard hit the shot and did a fist pump, and got popped with a Technical. Obviously undeserving, but where is the technical foul for "taunting" when LeBron hits a big three or tomahawks on someone. If you aren't going to call taunting on the Golden Boy of Basketball for Scowling, beating his chest and screaming this is my effin house, why the hell call it on Howard for making a DAMN good play!
I know I kinda switched gears in there from one topic to another but I think you guys get me. The NBA officiating is a JOKE. I truly believe the league right now has the worrrrrst officiating of all the major sports. Hockey has a GREAT system and they rarely have problems that are being talked about on ESPN, granted its hockey and nobody is watching anyways. Baseball has its moments but I would say overall they do their job correctly. Football and Basketball are the two games that seem to be in the spotlight for crap officiating more times than not.
Another thing I can't help but think about when it comes to the NBA is the way they market their playoffs. They market two players. Kobe vs. LeBron. Its the match up that will save the league like Magic vs. Bird did. The problem is.... What happens when Orlando closes the series out in game 6? The officials aren't going to let King James go down in five, look for him to take 25 free throws again tonight. David Stern is leaving the arenas on a nightly basis and going to his limo and laying in the floor in the fetal position holding his LeBron bobble head and crying at the idea of an Orlando-Lakers or Orlando-Nuggets final. Nike has bought into the Kobe vs. LeBron finals, Vitamin Water has bought into it, Kanye West has bought into it. Too bad Dwight Howard and his team of 3 point assassins didn't buy into it.
Tim Donahey, Joey Crawford vs. Tim Duncan (still makes me laugh) Bennett Salvadore calling any game... its hard to believe that some sort of fix isn't in. Basketball is one of the few sports that a call can truly swing the momentum in a game. One "And 1" or a ticky tack Technical gets someone tossed from the game or on the bench and the entire game is different. Last night in the Nuggs Laker game, Chauncey Billups was hit with a BS offensive foul when he drove to the basket. That was his 2nd foul of the first quarter and he was sent to the bench. The Nuggs were rolling, up by 8 or 9 (not sure exact number as I was in and out of sleep) and by the time he could safely check back in the game they were tied up. One Call shifted the first half last night. One BAD call. Rescind that call NBA
Too Bad College Basketball is getting shifty as well... right Calipari?
For those of you that don't know my background in officiating, I officiated football, basketball and softball all through college for both campus intramural and also for the City of Denton. Even though 90% of the students at UNT won't agree with this statement, we went through a pretty extensive training to be able to do certain games. I enjoyed reffin' the big games mainly because the games were better. No offense to the Sorority B Leaguers or anything but A League basketball is more exciting and 'watchable'. Also, City of Denton Basketball got pretty competitive at times both in the high school and private school ranks. So I have made some great calls and I have also made some calls that would even make Joey Crawford look good.
The first rule we learn in officiating school is to NEVER do anything to take credibility away from your partner. If you're partner makes a crap call and you know its a bad one, swallow the whistle and let it be. The NBA as a whole doesn't do that. The day after a game the league reviews every technical, flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 foul and decides whether the official got it correct. If they didn't they will remove the foul from the players record. This is all fine and good for times last Tuesday nights game when Dwight Howard weightroomed Varejo and still hit a shot while he was getting hog tied. Howard hit the shot and did a fist pump, and got popped with a Technical. Obviously undeserving, but where is the technical foul for "taunting" when LeBron hits a big three or tomahawks on someone. If you aren't going to call taunting on the Golden Boy of Basketball for Scowling, beating his chest and screaming this is my effin house, why the hell call it on Howard for making a DAMN good play!
I know I kinda switched gears in there from one topic to another but I think you guys get me. The NBA officiating is a JOKE. I truly believe the league right now has the worrrrrst officiating of all the major sports. Hockey has a GREAT system and they rarely have problems that are being talked about on ESPN, granted its hockey and nobody is watching anyways. Baseball has its moments but I would say overall they do their job correctly. Football and Basketball are the two games that seem to be in the spotlight for crap officiating more times than not.
Another thing I can't help but think about when it comes to the NBA is the way they market their playoffs. They market two players. Kobe vs. LeBron. Its the match up that will save the league like Magic vs. Bird did. The problem is.... What happens when Orlando closes the series out in game 6? The officials aren't going to let King James go down in five, look for him to take 25 free throws again tonight. David Stern is leaving the arenas on a nightly basis and going to his limo and laying in the floor in the fetal position holding his LeBron bobble head and crying at the idea of an Orlando-Lakers or Orlando-Nuggets final. Nike has bought into the Kobe vs. LeBron finals, Vitamin Water has bought into it, Kanye West has bought into it. Too bad Dwight Howard and his team of 3 point assassins didn't buy into it.
Tim Donahey, Joey Crawford vs. Tim Duncan (still makes me laugh) Bennett Salvadore calling any game... its hard to believe that some sort of fix isn't in. Basketball is one of the few sports that a call can truly swing the momentum in a game. One "And 1" or a ticky tack Technical gets someone tossed from the game or on the bench and the entire game is different. Last night in the Nuggs Laker game, Chauncey Billups was hit with a BS offensive foul when he drove to the basket. That was his 2nd foul of the first quarter and he was sent to the bench. The Nuggs were rolling, up by 8 or 9 (not sure exact number as I was in and out of sleep) and by the time he could safely check back in the game they were tied up. One Call shifted the first half last night. One BAD call. Rescind that call NBA
Too Bad College Basketball is getting shifty as well... right Calipari?
3.13.2009
PEN 15
I remember a time when Spring Break was about being a "Superhero", seeing how many Jager Bombs one could take without having a seizure, or seeing who could last the longest in the Guadalupe when the water was a bitter cold 53 degrees. I remember when reality TV hit the campsite in spring break 06, and when I learned just how powerful a diesel's interior heater was. Spring Break used to be the pinnacle of the college year. A week with no responsibilities, no worries, and definitely no working. Now here I sit the day before my first spring break as an educator and I am thinking of all the grown up things I need to accomplish next week. Send off the mortgage paperwork for the new house, organize and donate clothes that aren't being used anymore, start packing for the big move, and get my stuff ready for the home stretch of the school year are only a few on my list...
DAMN I miss Spring Break! PEN 15!
DAMN I miss Spring Break! PEN 15!
1.14.2009
So this is what it feels like...
Man I haven't felt this good about typing on Three Justin's in forever but when I checked the webpage for the first time in 2 months and saw TWO count em TWO posts from the ever elusive Justin Barnett, I knew it was time for me to come out of Hiberation...
Today I don't want to talk about my holidays, drinking, or women like I normally do, I want to talk about the Sad Affair that is Dallas Area sports. I know insert your dead horse comments here but I need to vent on this sad state of affairs. I will address each team individually to keep everyone from getting confused.
TEXAS RANGERS -
HOW THE HELL are you gonna go and piss off Michael Young? He is about the only good thing you had going for you up until The Great White Rehab came and took the team over. This organization may make more mistakes than Todd Dodge has at UNT. Ok, that may be over the top because I am pretty sure no one in the history of sports has jacked up an athletic program as bad at Todge has. Thats for a later paragraph. The Texas Rangers brought back Nolan Ryan to right the ship and the ONLY improvement I have seen is the use of Nolan Ryan Beef and Kosher Hot Dogs. While I am not calling for Nolan Ryan's firing, I am calling for accountability. Someone needs to step up and follow through on some promises, and I wouldn't even begin to point my finger at the Express. Jon Daniels is a decent GM but he needs to show SOME sort of success on the field. Thats all I am gonna say about the Rangers, we all know I am a Red Sox fan anyways... Trade Michael Young for CoCo Crisp or something...
Dallas Stars -
Sean Avery's sloppy seconds... I would take em in a minute! Have you seen girl next door or the original 24. DANG! I don't see that as an insult, I would be honored to have your sloppy seconds!!! I don't know, like, or care to learn about hockey so I will just say this... Games are DAMN fun live and the New Years Day game outdoors is pretty sweet!
Dallas Mavericks -
The Sweet Sweet Little Mavericks... How's that Jason Kidd trade working out for you? Devin Harris is having a breakout year just like Avery predicted. The guy needed a few years to develop. Jason Kidd needed a few years to determine he was done. Rick Carlisle is a good coach, he is getting alot out of these Mavs. They have one maybe two solid people on their bench to go with 2 maybe 3 solid starters. They are not a deep team and until Jason Kidd learns to enter the LANE on a pick and roll instead of hugging the 3 point line, that plan of attack isn't going to work. Watch him execute a pick and roll then watch Jason Terry execute one. Terry gets into the defense IMMEDIATELY, Kidd hesitates and enters if he enters at all. For the basketball idiots out there, getting into the defense is more effective due to the fact that it will draw MORE defenders into the lane. If one guy has three players closing in on him, what does that mean? There should be 2 Open men either cutting to the basket or on the perimeter. Its pretty simple but for some reason Kidd stays outside more times than most and tries to enter the defense with a pass. Not Smart basketball. I give Dirk credit for saying he would take less money to some REAL help into Dallas to win a championship, but if the Cubes can't pull that off you have to trade Dirk. That guy deserves a LEGIT shot to win a championship. It pains me to say that!
UNT Mean Green -
I am not spending money on season tickets until I see some sort of improvement or someone (cough cough TODGE) set up and take responsibility for this program that is heading straight down the shitter. I love my Alma Mater, but its almost embarrassing to talk to friends about them because of drugs, departing quaterbacks, and "racist" coachs. Here's to hoping Riley "50 Yard Line Vomitter" Dodge is the real deal!
And lastly,
THE DALLAS COWBOYS
Is there a word limit on the length of a blogspot post because this could take awhile. First off, Adam "Don't Call Me PacMan" Jones has been released by the team. It should have never gotten to this. I will be honest, I was excited to see him play and once he accomplished nothing but getting his ass beat by his bodyguard. I am glad to see him leave so that we can make a move in the draft. WAIT, we have no draft picks because of Roy Williams. I will not slam this trade yet because I am a firm believer that Roy Williams will be the #1 Reciever in Dallas next year. He came into the system late and then had to deal with egos and personalities in order to get into the rotation. Romo/Witten/Ware... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Do not let these three guys split up. Get Ware resigned and let them play next year. If Romo continues to blow massive ass in the late months of the season, go out and get a young QB in the 2010 draft. The rumors are flying about T.O. My opinion.... CUT HIS ASS. He isn't helping this cause and there isn't enough oxygen in the locker room for him, tank johnson, Adam Jones, and Jerry Jones. His skills are deteriorating, he is getting restless since he hasn't tried to kill himself or call his QB gay lately. A year ago he was crying about 'His Quarterback', this year he dislikes him bc of Romo's man-crush on Jason Witten. I have a man-crush on Witten and I am ok with it! And finally does anyone want to put a timer on how long Wade Phillips last next season? I am willing to say the MINUTE Jason Garrett excepts the Rams head coaching position his old hillbilly ass is fired. That will open the door for a Bill Cowher or Shanahan entrance to Big D. I would LOVE to see Bill Cowher grab T.O's facemask and rip into his ass with spit flying out of his mouth. But that won't happen because Jerry would have to release too much control of his team.
The Dallas Area Sports are in a SAD SAD SAD time. I am counting on an MISD basketball team win me a state championship so I can 'pop champagne' and spray it all over my apartment....
Until next time, Stay up til you go down...
Today I don't want to talk about my holidays, drinking, or women like I normally do, I want to talk about the Sad Affair that is Dallas Area sports. I know insert your dead horse comments here but I need to vent on this sad state of affairs. I will address each team individually to keep everyone from getting confused.
TEXAS RANGERS -
HOW THE HELL are you gonna go and piss off Michael Young? He is about the only good thing you had going for you up until The Great White Rehab came and took the team over. This organization may make more mistakes than Todd Dodge has at UNT. Ok, that may be over the top because I am pretty sure no one in the history of sports has jacked up an athletic program as bad at Todge has. Thats for a later paragraph. The Texas Rangers brought back Nolan Ryan to right the ship and the ONLY improvement I have seen is the use of Nolan Ryan Beef and Kosher Hot Dogs. While I am not calling for Nolan Ryan's firing, I am calling for accountability. Someone needs to step up and follow through on some promises, and I wouldn't even begin to point my finger at the Express. Jon Daniels is a decent GM but he needs to show SOME sort of success on the field. Thats all I am gonna say about the Rangers, we all know I am a Red Sox fan anyways... Trade Michael Young for CoCo Crisp or something...
Dallas Stars -
Sean Avery's sloppy seconds... I would take em in a minute! Have you seen girl next door or the original 24. DANG! I don't see that as an insult, I would be honored to have your sloppy seconds!!! I don't know, like, or care to learn about hockey so I will just say this... Games are DAMN fun live and the New Years Day game outdoors is pretty sweet!
Dallas Mavericks -
The Sweet Sweet Little Mavericks... How's that Jason Kidd trade working out for you? Devin Harris is having a breakout year just like Avery predicted. The guy needed a few years to develop. Jason Kidd needed a few years to determine he was done. Rick Carlisle is a good coach, he is getting alot out of these Mavs. They have one maybe two solid people on their bench to go with 2 maybe 3 solid starters. They are not a deep team and until Jason Kidd learns to enter the LANE on a pick and roll instead of hugging the 3 point line, that plan of attack isn't going to work. Watch him execute a pick and roll then watch Jason Terry execute one. Terry gets into the defense IMMEDIATELY, Kidd hesitates and enters if he enters at all. For the basketball idiots out there, getting into the defense is more effective due to the fact that it will draw MORE defenders into the lane. If one guy has three players closing in on him, what does that mean? There should be 2 Open men either cutting to the basket or on the perimeter. Its pretty simple but for some reason Kidd stays outside more times than most and tries to enter the defense with a pass. Not Smart basketball. I give Dirk credit for saying he would take less money to some REAL help into Dallas to win a championship, but if the Cubes can't pull that off you have to trade Dirk. That guy deserves a LEGIT shot to win a championship. It pains me to say that!
UNT Mean Green -
I am not spending money on season tickets until I see some sort of improvement or someone (cough cough TODGE) set up and take responsibility for this program that is heading straight down the shitter. I love my Alma Mater, but its almost embarrassing to talk to friends about them because of drugs, departing quaterbacks, and "racist" coachs. Here's to hoping Riley "50 Yard Line Vomitter" Dodge is the real deal!
And lastly,
THE DALLAS COWBOYS
Is there a word limit on the length of a blogspot post because this could take awhile. First off, Adam "Don't Call Me PacMan" Jones has been released by the team. It should have never gotten to this. I will be honest, I was excited to see him play and once he accomplished nothing but getting his ass beat by his bodyguard. I am glad to see him leave so that we can make a move in the draft. WAIT, we have no draft picks because of Roy Williams. I will not slam this trade yet because I am a firm believer that Roy Williams will be the #1 Reciever in Dallas next year. He came into the system late and then had to deal with egos and personalities in order to get into the rotation. Romo/Witten/Ware... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Do not let these three guys split up. Get Ware resigned and let them play next year. If Romo continues to blow massive ass in the late months of the season, go out and get a young QB in the 2010 draft. The rumors are flying about T.O. My opinion.... CUT HIS ASS. He isn't helping this cause and there isn't enough oxygen in the locker room for him, tank johnson, Adam Jones, and Jerry Jones. His skills are deteriorating, he is getting restless since he hasn't tried to kill himself or call his QB gay lately. A year ago he was crying about 'His Quarterback', this year he dislikes him bc of Romo's man-crush on Jason Witten. I have a man-crush on Witten and I am ok with it! And finally does anyone want to put a timer on how long Wade Phillips last next season? I am willing to say the MINUTE Jason Garrett excepts the Rams head coaching position his old hillbilly ass is fired. That will open the door for a Bill Cowher or Shanahan entrance to Big D. I would LOVE to see Bill Cowher grab T.O's facemask and rip into his ass with spit flying out of his mouth. But that won't happen because Jerry would have to release too much control of his team.
The Dallas Area Sports are in a SAD SAD SAD time. I am counting on an MISD basketball team win me a state championship so I can 'pop champagne' and spray it all over my apartment....
Until next time, Stay up til you go down...
12.30.2008
"Do you know why I pulled you over today, sir?"
Few sequences of words hit you with the same impact. They're right up there with "We need to talk" and "I'm pregnant" and "That's my quarterback". Well, maybe not that last one. Sorry T.O., not getting any tears from me. To make the situation worse, they weren't said by your normal every day Five-O. Spoken by one of Texas' Finest, a genuine State Trooper.
I don't think I need to backtrack much in this story. I did what anybody does when they realize an officer of the law is checking them out:
1. Furtively checking my rear-view mirror while trying to make it look like I'm not actually furtively checking my rear-view mirror
2. Both hands on the wheel, good ol' 10 and 2 o'clock
3. Making sure the cruise control is set at EXACTLY the posted speed limit
4. Sitting up as straight as a human possibly can while still retaining the ability to drive a car. Extra obvious in my case as my head is against the roof of my 1996 Mazda MPV
I think that about wraps it up. Basically I drew as much attention to myself as possible. Also, I knew my registration had been expired since August. I knew this was why he pulled me over. I didn't expect him to ask me "How long have you owned this car? The plates and tags don't match". Did he really think I happened to steal such a wonderful automobile? My car looks like the love child of the space shuttle and an eggplant that was spray painted navy blue with "tan/champagne" accents. Why anybody would steal this particular machine is beyond me. Turns out, somebody effed up the data entry at the local courthouse. I showed him the actual receipt from the registration process. After much blubbering and stammering on my part, he took pity on me and let me go with a warning.
And so I drove off to merge again with the wonderful I-35 North traffic. I watched him pull back onto the highway and he checked ever. Single. Car. Staring at each windshield like he saw somebody lucky sap getting some afternoon delight at 65+ miles per hour. I guess its their job to do shit like that, but damn do I hate that feeling of looking in the rearview and seeing them trained on you like a Mako shark on Discovery Channel Shark Week chasing a hunk of tuna strapped to the back of a fast-moving boat.
SO, get your damn tags and inspection done kids. Then you won't have to go through all this shit
I don't think I need to backtrack much in this story. I did what anybody does when they realize an officer of the law is checking them out:
1. Furtively checking my rear-view mirror while trying to make it look like I'm not actually furtively checking my rear-view mirror
2. Both hands on the wheel, good ol' 10 and 2 o'clock
3. Making sure the cruise control is set at EXACTLY the posted speed limit
4. Sitting up as straight as a human possibly can while still retaining the ability to drive a car. Extra obvious in my case as my head is against the roof of my 1996 Mazda MPV
I think that about wraps it up. Basically I drew as much attention to myself as possible. Also, I knew my registration had been expired since August. I knew this was why he pulled me over. I didn't expect him to ask me "How long have you owned this car? The plates and tags don't match". Did he really think I happened to steal such a wonderful automobile? My car looks like the love child of the space shuttle and an eggplant that was spray painted navy blue with "tan/champagne" accents. Why anybody would steal this particular machine is beyond me. Turns out, somebody effed up the data entry at the local courthouse. I showed him the actual receipt from the registration process. After much blubbering and stammering on my part, he took pity on me and let me go with a warning.
And so I drove off to merge again with the wonderful I-35 North traffic. I watched him pull back onto the highway and he checked ever. Single. Car. Staring at each windshield like he saw somebody lucky sap getting some afternoon delight at 65+ miles per hour. I guess its their job to do shit like that, but damn do I hate that feeling of looking in the rearview and seeing them trained on you like a Mako shark on Discovery Channel Shark Week chasing a hunk of tuna strapped to the back of a fast-moving boat.
SO, get your damn tags and inspection done kids. Then you won't have to go through all this shit
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