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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

Photo Credit for Header: Alex Foucre-Stimes

Boogie Nights and the Return of the Elbow Jumper

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I hope all you young basketball players out there are taking a good long look at Dirk Nowitzki’s performance in the Western Conference Finals. Do you see where he is taking and making the majority of his shots? Right from the free throw line. He essentially has one move that cannot be stopped regardless of who is guarding him. I’m pretty sure OKC has tried to stop Dirk with a combination of Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and T. Boone Pickens. Back to the basket, turn and face w/defender giving no space, and drain a 15ft jump shot off of one foot. Cannot be stopped.

Hopefully Dirk’s performance is providing incentive for all young hoopsters out there who bypass the elbow jumpshot for the much sexier “triple” that it pays to work on your mid range game. Most young, and old, players gravitate towards the 3pt line where the the hand gestures are much cooler but the FG% is much, much lower.

Nowitzki is bringing the elbow jumper back in style and riding it all the way to the NBA Finals where a potential rematch w/ Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat is looming. Can we also agree that Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder, much like D Rose and the Chicago Bulls, may be one year away from winning a championship. Durant and Russell Westbrook need to spend a good, long summer together at sleepaway camp where they can reconnect and reestablish the friendship that has made the Thunder roll in the past.

view from OKC courtesy of @photocorry

Monday Morning Musings

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So much for the Rapture. 6pm Saturday night came and went without the Devil and Jesus shaking hands.  I guess it’s time to start paying my bills again.

In all sincerity, I was truly amazed by how many people were discussing the End of Days. I mean, wasn’t it just one guy spreading his message across the billboards of America? If it was truly the creation of a single man or small “flock” then I have to contact this group to do some advertising for VMS because they sure know how to create a buzz.

When 6pm passed without major incident, people in the bar where I was watching the Preakness began hugging and toasting one another as if Dick Clark just ushered in a New Year. Did they really think the world was going to end Saturday night or were they just looking for any excuse whatsoever to drink champagne?

For me, when I think “The Rapture” I don’t think End of Days but rather A) the latest summer blockbuster starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman as a married couple awaiting the return of their son who is on leave from the war in Afghanistan or B) the name of a professional wrestler or C) Mozart’s long lost final concerto. Also, any single one of these scenarios seemed like a much more likely outcome Saturday night.

A Quick Trip Around the Bases

1B – When I think interleague play I think Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros. But seriously, the only commonality between these two is that both teams come from oil rich lands. (Fun fact: Canada provides 20% of all US oil imports. Just a matter of time before President Obama declares war on our friends to the North.) Matchups like the Jays/Stros are bound to happen in the 14th year of interleague play. So for all the Red Sox/Cubs and Rangers/Phillies you have Twins/Dbacks and Mariners/Padres.

2B – It’s possible, I repeat possible, that if Erik Bedard continues to pitch well the Seattle Mariners will contend for the AL West crown. Any team that sports a rotation of Felix Hernandez, rookie phenom Michael Pineda, and a rejuvenated Bedard has a chance to make it to the postseason, even with its putrid offense. As an Oriole fan, my feelings on the former Baltimore pitcher Bedard are quite mixed. He had some great seasons for a few very bad Oriole teams but the fans were still never able to totally embrace him, probably because he was perceived as distant, detached, and moody. Well that and he’s Canadian.)

3B – Don’t look now St. Louis Cardinals fans, but here come the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers, winners of 8 of their last 10 games. I had a good feeling about the Brew Crew heading into the season, which is why I selected Prince Fielder in the first round of my fantasy baseball draft. Add pitchers Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke added to the mix and Brewers fans should expect their team to contend for the NL Central.

HR – News out of LA Sunday morning was that the police there were able to arrest at least on of the perpetrators involved in the beating of the SF Giants fan on opening day at Dodger Stadium. Here’s hoping for some swift justice and a full recovery for Bryan Stow.

view from the Rogers Centre courtesy of @ClaireGeorgia

Beware of Falling Ping Pong Balls

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I remember reading “The Lottery”, a short story by Shirley Jackson, in high school and thinking: “man, those small town folk sure do have a morbid way of maintaining a sustainable population”. For those unfamiliar with the story, the basic premise is that a small village draws straws to see who “wins” the opportunity to be stoned to death by their neighbors. The ritual was established as a mystical way of ensuring a bountiful harvest for the following year.* It’s the kind of haunting story you wish Alfred Hitchcock could have turned into a major motion picture starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak.

*What’s wrong with a little sun and water you say? Fictional small town folk really do think up the craziest things.

How does Shirley Jackson’s tale compare to the NBA draft lottery held Tuesday night in the small village of Secaucus, NJ? It doesn’t. Not at all. In fact the only thing still decomposing in the Meadowlands are Jimmy Hoffa’s remains. Or perhaps David Kahn’s career as Minnesota Timberwolves general manager.

I’m happy that the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the #1 and #4 picks (Los Angeles Clippers what were you thinking?????). Maybe Kyrie Irving and some other frontline player – probably an unknown Euro 7 footer who is a cross between the next Dirk Nowitzki and Darko Milicic – will team up to help heal the city of Cleveland’s last remaining scars after Lebron’s “Decision”.

Overall, the NBA draft isn’t what it used to be because, in general, basketball players don’t stay in college long enough to build a little brand recognition with the average fan. Consequently, you have a bunch of kids entering the draft who very few people know or care about.

Of course, the NBA could switch things up a bit and model their lottery after the Shirley Jackson’s short story. Imagine a scenario where instead of receiving the 14th pick in the upcoming draft the last lottery team is relegated to the NBA Development League. Not to equate life in the D-League to being stoned to death by a group of innocent children but I think you get the point.

view from American Airlines Arena courtesy of @everyoneluvray

Dollar Night is a Done Deal

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Monday night was “Dollar Night” at Nationals Park where fans could purchase tickets to the Nationals/Pirates tilt for just a simple buck. Judging from this picture, the promotion was well received by the DC/Metro area.

Question is, until school’s out for the summer and the warmer weather rolls in, why not make every night dollar night in DC? Same goes for places like Pittsburgh, Florida, Tampa, and (gulp) Baltimore. Seems like a rather simple solution to these early season attendance issues. More people at the park means more concessions sold and also creates a much more attractive stadium environment for the players.

But what do I know, I’m just a fan.

view from Nationals Park courtesy of @primetimereds

Monday Morning Musings

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Older people can be so ornery when they have their routines broken. I have an uncle who had the same breakfast, oatmeal and coffee, for almost 30 years until one morning his son, my cousin, got up real early and ate what was left of my uncles oatmeal. That morning, my uncle had to settle for a poached egg and grapefruit and trust me when I tell you that he hasn’t been the same since.

When news broke on Saturday that Yankees DH Jorge Posada was refusing to play after being moved to the 9 spot in the lineup, I for one was not surprised. Posada’s like 40 years old and has probably gotten so use to the routine of hitting 4-8 in the lineup that he just did not know how to cope. Have you ever seen your grandmother wake up and not turn on the Today Show then immediately go outside to water the garden? That’s what I thought.  So no, I don’t blame Jorge at all for his “reasons”. Older people need their routines.

A Quick Trip Around the Bases

1B – So apparently Jose Bautista is for real. You would think that after his 2010 campaign, 54 HRs and 124 RBI, people wouldn’t be all that surprised by his early power surge in 2011. His 3 home runs Sunday against the unfortunately hapless Minnesota Twins now gives Bautista 16 on the year putting him on pace to eclipse his total from 2010. At this rate I’m not sure what’s going to be higher: Jose Bautista’s home run totals or number of times a blogger compares his career to that of Brady Anderson? For a columnist of Jon Heyman’s clout to essentially vouch for Jose, here’s hoping his clean and off the sauce.

2B – Lance Berkman continues to rake this season as if he were still in his Killer B prime back in Houston. My former summer league coach had also worked previously with Berkman in the Cape Cod League and this coach would always tell me that Berkman had the quickest hands he had ever seen. I once asked my coach to compare my hands to Berkman’s and his response, “Jon, at least you play the game the right way”. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

3B – On Sunday, the Braves and Phillies faced off against one another in Atlanta in what MLB called the “Civil Rights Game”. I’m all for honoring transcendant moments in American history just as long as it means that teams will wear their throwback uniforms. And what is it about throwback unis anyway? Not only are the primary colors jarring to the senses but the sizing of the jerseys and pants are way off as well. Players looked they had to borrow their parents uniforms yesterday almost like how we use to on the junior varsity.

HR – Speaking of the Braves, poor Chipper Jones has another knee injury, this time a torn meniscus. If he opts for surgery he could miss up to a month. I have a torn meniscus and cartilage in my right knee and a doctor told me to have it surgically repaired. When I asked about the downside to surgery he told me that I would have to deal with a lot of arthritis in that specific joint when I get older. So you got that to look forward to Chipper, which is nice.

view from Target Field courtesy of @tomyoung590