First, a moment of silence for the Dallas Mavericks. We gave it a good go, but just could not keep up.
Good signs: we played D (just not when it mattered), once again, I think a full year of Avery will tighten things up; we're still fun to watch especially when Stackhouse and Terry are on; speaking of which, I like that Terry has become our younger Van Exel, complete with the knee-high socks; Dirk showed signs of being the "vocal leader" an important first step to the big gaping hole in his game, "making others better".
Which brings us to the bad signs: Dirk is vocal, but his ranting and raving at teammates is just whining until he backs it up by NOT going 0-5 in overtime. Dude, it's cool you want the ball in crunch time, and that you aren't afraid to let your team hear it when they screw up, but you HAVE to back it up. Here's to hoping he's not kidding when he tells reporters that he's even harder on himself and that he's going to work his ass off this summer.
On another sports related note, IMDB says that Red McCombs was in The Longest Yard playing himself. I saw this movie on Friday (yes, I'm not usually the type to, you know, pay for an Adam Sandler movie, but I was in the mood for some cheap laughs, actually, I live in La Jolla, so they weren't all that cheap but whatever) but I don't remember seeing him or hearing another character refer to him, like "Hi, Red McCombs, what're you doing?" I can't believe I missed it, I am, after all, a graduate of the Red McCombs School of Business. On second thought, I have no idea what he looks like, I mean I've seen pictures of him, but all old, white men look alike to me. And I really didn't pay that much attention to the dialogue, it's not as if I was dealing with David Mamet or Aaron Sorkin. With gems like, "Get yo' country ass back in the huddle", you tend to set aside the part of your brain that has to work hard.
Not that I didn't enjoy the movie, it was funny and entertaining, and since I am a member of the worthless generation that never saw the original, I wasn't incensed about ruining a classic or anything. Really, with a cast that includes not just Chris Rock and Adam Sandler, but also pro-wrestlers Goldberg, Steve Austin (very convincing as a racist guard), Kevin Nash (even more convincing as a steroid-fueled guard gone femme when they switch his roids with estrogen pills), a real old-school criminal , a 387-pound Indian powerlifter , and Brian Bosworth (that's right, THE BRIAN BOSWORTH ), how could you go wrong?
Speaking of the cast, Michael Irvin also turned in a better than decent performance as the convicts' receiver Deacon Moss. The character wasn't much of a stretch, but it was great to see Irvin once again with all his charismatic brashness on display. In another lifetime (by that, I mean high school) I wrote a review of Jerry Maguire and said that Cuba Gooding's portrayal of Rod Tidwell was a mix of Charles Barkley's attitude and Michael Irvin's brash charisma. The lesson is, of course, that I haven't learned too many new words since I was seventeen. Seriously though, I worshipped the Dallas Cowboys of the early '90s, and I always loved the way Irvin was arrogant, but in a likable way. He was the heart, soul and mouth of those great teams, and until his demons caught up with him in an all too public way, a certain first ballot Hall of Fame receiver (hopefully the voters will still do the right thing and induct him along with Aikman and Emmitt). He may have gotten busted with the coke and the strippers and such, but I will always contend (backed up by statements from his teammates, including Emmitt) that he was one of the hardest working players, and one of the most motivational leaders to be around. But all that is for another time and another Greatest Misses post coming soon to a theater near you. Since I've already shattered the record for linking to imdb.com sites in one post, I'll wrap this up now.
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Actually, there's a couple more things to note. First, a thanks to the Sports Guy's Intern for linking to the following article by Conan O'Brien. He is, as stated in many a forum by many a writer, an unstoppable Shaming Force for all those who try to entertain through the written word. We have all offically been put in our place. Damn those Ivy League boys.
Speaking of Ivy League boys and writing, my very own brother has started a blog. Yes, that's right, he's a bit late to the Pizzle party, but he has been linked right over there to the side. So take a gander at the Other Kalam's view of the world and enjoy!
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"This racism...is killing me inside"
---Dave Chappelle as Clifton the Milkman in perhaps the greatest sketch ever, the Niggar Family.