Now that I have officially put college basketball to bed for the season, I must admit that I feel rather liberated. No longer will I be annoyed by the Missouri Valley. No longer will I feel the constant need to remind you how overrated Dee Brown is. No longer will I bore you all to tears by rambling on and on (and on and on and on) about Iniana. And most importantly, no longer will I be burdened by my own ridiculous avoidance of the ampersand.
I am free...
(at least until October when the Texas A & M Aggies take the court once again).
Not sure what possessed me to watch the Bulls last night, but, boy, am I happy that I did. What a comeback! Down 90-73 in the 4th quarter, the Bulls finished the game on a 29-6 run & grabbed the much-needed victory. They now head into a home & home with Philadelphia only 1/2 game back of the Sixers & only 1 1/2 games behind the free-falling Pacers in the playoff chase.
Many have argued that the Bulls would be better off missing the playoffs & getting an extra shot in the draft lottery. I respectfully disagree. I still think this team has decent talent & should be viewed as a future contender (yes, I admit that they need a post threat to take the pressure off of their perimeter options). That said, any playoff experience, even if it involves a sweep at the hands of the Pistons, in my mind, is good for the team. I have full faith that Scott Skiles & John Paxson are well aware of the current shortcomings of the team & will not have the wool pulled over their eyes by any "success" that a playoff appearance may suggest.
The big question involves what to do with Ben Gordon. I think most Bulls fans agree that the team would be foolish to part ways with Captain Kirk, Andres Nocioni & Luol Deng. Ben's situation may be a little different, however. Yes, he certainly is capable of putting the team on his shoulders & single-handedly winning games (see: last night's 4th quarter explosion including a truly phenomenal five-feet-behind-the-line, lean-in three pointer to give the Bulls the lead), but he is woefully inconsistent. Overall, should the T-Wolves dangle Kevin Garnett or the Celtics suggest Paul Pierce, I'd be willing to let Ben go if I were Bulls management.
And, no, my opinion that the Bulls don't need the extra lottery balls has not been changed by Kentucky guard Rajon Rondo's announcement that he in making himself eligible for the NBA draft. Rajon Rondo is entering the draft? Rajon Rondo? Look Rajon, there is a place for overrated point guards who can't shoot & aren't leaders. It's called Belgium. Enjoy the waffles.
Nice to see that Bearister was able to take a few minutes between diaper changes & infant rocking to inform everyone that NoMah was placed on the 15-day disabled list before playing in even one game for the Dodgers. In other believe-it-or-not news, CNN is reporting that Saddam Hussein is a bad guy, MTV is reporting that the Rolling Stones will not retire any time soon, & Spike TV is reporting, yep you guessed it, that Jessica Alba is hot.
Nice to see MTV get back to music & CNN get back to news. I guess the Duke-North Carolina postgame show has finally ended.
I was shocked to see that Sergio Mitre was the Marlins game two starting pitcher & even more shocked to see Florida clobber Andy Pettitte & the Astros 11-2. In fact, I believe I started laughing at the pathetic state of the Marlins' roster when I heard that Mitre was the second best pitcher on the roster. And then Random Thoughts commenter Bill Wirtz's Nachos (or is it Mike McDermott?) reminded me that Glendon Rusch is the Cubs Game 2 starter. Kind of like picking on a kid for wearing Wrangler jeans & then having your mom come home with Rustlers.
Okay, who in the heck is forwarding the Random Thoughts to the Benson family? It was less than a day after "The Wife" put the hammer down regarding cheating that Anna withdrew her divorce petition & announced that she will try & work things out with hubby Kris.
Just wondering: How in the heck did Kris Benson score her in the first place? Oh yeah, it must have something to do with the number of zeroes at the end of his check.
Roger Clemens is, unfortunately for him, back in the news. No, he did not once again get thrown out of the stadium during his son's game & he has not scheduled a fight-to-the death with Mike Piazza. Instead, Clemens is being criticized for his comments that he could not get his dry cleaning back in a timely fashion because 50,000 Japanese and Koreans were attending the World Baseball Classic battle between the two teams. It's a good thing he didn't have a hankering for some egg rolls & and fortune cookies.
I mean, c'mon. A little insensitive? Sure. But you tell me the last time you needed your shirts pressed and didn't feel like you had walked into the international Ichiro Suzuki fan club headquarters.
I wonder if his lawn service showed up during the Mexi...
Hey! I didn't actually say it!!! To cover my bases however...Vicente Fox & Vinny Castilla...if you are out there, I'm sorry.
Reportedly Clemens will apologize to the Asian community, unless he doesn't.
Okay, I promised you that I had put the 2006 NCAA Tournament to bed, but even the most disciplined children come out of their rooms occasionally for a drink of water & one more story. So before I return the Madness to its room for the night, one more interesting story. Apparently, during the championship, Joakim Noah winked, puckered his lips & blew a kiss to the UCLA dance team & cheerleaders. According to Noah, "They were just talking crazy to me, like, 'You're so ugly.' I mean, it hurts when you have so many beautiful girls out there just telling you how ugly you are & stuff. ... The best thing I could do was just blow a kiss bye, & maybe they like me."
Joakim, I can't blame you for trying. My guess, however, is that you ought to let the challenge go and concentrate on the sure thing. I'm sure Billy P-acc-ker, Jim Nantz & Bryant Gumbel would love a little one-on-one time with the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. Either that of start hanging out with Tail-chaser Brian Anderson.
Stay away from Lorenzo Mata. I repeat. Stay Away from Lorenzo Mata.
Okay, I fully recognize that many of my references are not understood by some Random Thoughts readers. That said, never did I expect "The Wife" to put one over my head. Dunbar Bulldogs? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Some might call that a taste of my own medicine...
Finally, as all readers of the Random Thoughts know, I enjoy referring to athletes & teams by clever little nicknames (hey, they're clever in my mind). Apparently not satisfied with monikers like Tail-chaser Anderson & Rex the Wonder Dog & Kyle the Bearded Wonder (Look, the guy is probably never going to be heard from again...I wanted to get him one last mention), commenter WrigleyBill suggests that I not refer to any players who the Cubs have scrapped or traded by name. Does this mean I have to refer to Juan Cruz as "He Who Must Also Not Be Named," & Mark Bellhorn as "He Who Must Not Be Named Either?"
Forget that! That would get more annoying than a page full of ampersands.
Have a nice day & night.
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8 comments:
Everybody knows the Bulls need a post threat to become a serious contender. The big question in my mind (besides for whether the Bulls must give up Gordon to get one) is whether Coach Skiles is the man to take the team deep into the playoffs. Please remind me what type of success he has had in the playoffs. Look, I am not going to bash the guy too much, but his strength is rebuilding, not winning championships. Let's call a spade a spade and try to steal a good coach from someone else. I hear that Steve Alford may be available (Ha ha!).
Follow up question re: the WBC...did traffic significantly improve during the Championship game?
Not naming former Cubs players? I just said that it was bad luck, not a rule to live by. Baseball is full of superstition. We live in city that blames a lack of goat seating in Wrigley for the Cubs not winning a title in almost a century…
Clemens and John Rocker should team up to a host a late night show. How does “The White Bread, Red Neck Comedy Hour” sound? Did you hear the one about the priest, the rabbi, and Jessica Alba?
Great article on chicagotribune.com about Henry’s greatest accomplishments (signing Dee, Ramirez) and follies (signing DuBois). No mention of dumping Chip and Stoney… Hendry is up for contract extension this weekend. Cubs got an “L” today. Reality sets in…
Sorry for the lack of commentary & wit (wait, that's always absent), but I'm still watching the last 3 tourney games until something becomes remotely exciting :) Not to worry, I'm 100% POSITIVE (like a Bonds drug test) that Madness is the best time of year - HANDS DOWN!
To the Bulls, I agree w/Bearister that I'm not certain about Skiles. I attend many games w/a friend (courtesy of his inlaws season seats, thank you very much) and not only does he have serious rotation issues (he lost that Orlando game himself w/Bulls up 9 heading to 4thQ), but his hard-guy mantra will only play with rebuilding clubs. They're not rebuilding, they're ready to BUILD A WINNER (w/a low post man of course). One thing for certain, DO NOT trade Ben Gordon.... I repeat - DO NOT.
Sure, Jessica Alba is hot, but did she win "Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award" five years in a row? I don't think so!!
Hey, how about giving credit where credit is due -- it was THIS faithful reader/commenter that pointed out the Nomar injury!!
How come Kansas cannot be named (oops, now I've done it) and former Northsiders cannot be named, but you just feel free to toss in Dee Brown wherever and whenever you choose?? Poor guy, the worst thing that could have ever happened to him was breaking his (arm/leg...I forget) and have to play in college one last year. His stock went way down this year, in my eyes.
Hey Dan, I have not seen an single mention of Marcus Liberty in any of your blogs.
Before you completely put the NCAA tournament to bed, there must be one last rip on CBS. Some of us love watching "One Shining Moment" after the end of the championship game. It summarizes the tournament through a myriad of highlights, played with the background of a great song (even though redone 8 times). But there was one key shot missing from this year's version, probably because of the 83 shots of Joakim Noah. GUNSTON!!!!!! I mean come on CBS! He's only in the Random Thoughts Mascot Hall of Fame and he had extended coverage in this year's tournament! I say, Booooooo CBS.
Now a boooo out to ESPN. I of course thought that the whole Marriage Madness on Mike and Mike was extremely hokey and stupid, but even moreso now when I watch this morning to see that the "bride" looks nothing at all resembling Jessica Alba. Or Maria Sharapova. Or Eva Longoria. Or...you get my point.
Bonds on Bonds? Shouldn't it have been called Bonds on (fill in the blank)?
The Masters is currently starting. Good quiz: Who is better looking, Elin Woods or Amy Mickelson?
Please rethink your use of the ampersand. It's weird looking.
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