I'll be honest. This is the first women's world cup game I've caught this year. Still, the combination of national pride and all the intensity that comes with the final in an international competition such as this was too much to ignore. Random pre-game thoughts.
- I had no idea what Hope Solo sounded like. Her voice was a lot higher and softer than I was expecting. Not important just random.
- I really wouldn't sleep on Japan. They've beaten some very good teams to make it thus far. Their technical style, ball movement, and execution can cause problems for Team USA if they are unprepared or sloppy.
- It looks like US coach Pia Sundhage has moved Lauren Cheney up and reinserted Megan Rapinoe into the starting lineup at left midfield. Rapinoe's been a sparkplug off the bench and the American offense is much better with her on the field, creating more (and better) shots. We'll see if it makes a difference when she goes the whole 90 as opposed to subbing in for 40 (or so) minutes.
- The montages showing the '99 championship team reminded me how epic those players were. Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, etc. What a talented group.
That's about it. Like I said I haven't really watched much and the game's about to start. Go go USA!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The OTHER C. Anthony
Here are the facts.
Carmelo Anthony
Real name: Carmelo Kiyan Anthony
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY
Date of birth: May 29, 1984
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 228 lb
Affiliation: New York Knicks, Syracuse
Best known for: Being picked after Darko Milicic in the 2003 NBA Draft, holding the Denver Nuggets hostage during the 2010-2011 NBA season, his ability to score with a variety of methods from a variety of spots on the floor, collapsing during a game as play went on around him, being Mr. La La Vasquez
Waka Flocka Flame
Real name: Juaquin Malphurs
Place of birth: New York, New York
Date of birth: May 31, 1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: ???
Affiliation: 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records, Asylum Records
Best known for: Going hard in the mf'in paint, throwin' money while women do it with no hands, being named after Fozzie Bear's catchphrase, saying his name a lot (FLOCKA!)
Marshawn Lynch
Real name: Marshawn Terrell Lynch
Place of birth: Oakland, California
Date of birth: April 22, 1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lb
Affiliation: Seattle Seahawks, Cal
Best known for: Being the 12th overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2007, breaking the 1,000 yard plateau as a rookie, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his second year, disappointing Bills fans and fantasy owners alike in his third year ultimately being replaced by Fred Jackson, most importantly BEAST MODE!!!!!
Like I said on Facebook...has anyone seen these three at the same place at the same time?
Carmelo AnthonyReal name: Carmelo Kiyan Anthony
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY
Date of birth: May 29, 1984
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 228 lb
Affiliation: New York Knicks, Syracuse
Best known for: Being picked after Darko Milicic in the 2003 NBA Draft, holding the Denver Nuggets hostage during the 2010-2011 NBA season, his ability to score with a variety of methods from a variety of spots on the floor, collapsing during a game as play went on around him, being Mr. La La Vasquez
Waka Flocka Flame
Real name: Juaquin Malphurs
Place of birth: New York, New York
Date of birth: May 31, 1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: ???
Affiliation: 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records, Asylum Records
Best known for: Going hard in the mf'in paint, throwin' money while women do it with no hands, being named after Fozzie Bear's catchphrase, saying his name a lot (FLOCKA!)
Marshawn Lynch
Real name: Marshawn Terrell Lynch
Place of birth: Oakland, California
Date of birth: April 22, 1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lb
Affiliation: Seattle Seahawks, Cal
Best known for: Being the 12th overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2007, breaking the 1,000 yard plateau as a rookie, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his second year, disappointing Bills fans and fantasy owners alike in his third year ultimately being replaced by Fred Jackson, most importantly BEAST MODE!!!!!
Like I said on Facebook...has anyone seen these three at the same place at the same time?
An Uninformed Opinion
It seems like the Casey Anthony case swept the nation by storm, culminating in yesterday's "not guilty" verdict. I take no interest in law or legal proceedings nor did I follow this case closely (or at all), but there was a pretty massive barrage of expressions of shock yesterday across social media platforms.
It seemed like everyone had an opinion about the case, mostly how appalled and outraged they were that a cold-blooded murderer of a little girl would walk freely and how justice was not served.
I thought it was pretty crazy how extreme and violent these reactions were. Promises of vigilante justice were made (but hopefully not followed up on) as were comparisons to the infamous OJ Simpson case.
It's funny how quick our seemingly non-judgmental society is to denounce a 25 year old single mother who lost her daughter based on the opinions of talking heads, blogs, and circumstantial evidence.
I'm not saying she did or didn't do it. Like I said, I haven't followed the case much at all, but from what I've read, the case against her was built almost completely on circumstantial and anecdotal evidence and experimental forensic research. By all accounts, she was probably a pretty terrible mother and involved in her daughter's death in some fashion.
But "probably" is not the same as "beyond reasonable doubt" and being a crappy mother is not the same as murder.
It bothers me how easily the general public turned on Casey Anthony using a criteria that certainly none of us would like used against us.
Today it seemed there was no shortage of people wondering who was to blame for what happened. Was the defense just an all-star cast? Did the prosecution fail? Was the jury incompetant?
Those are valid and likely probabilities, sure. But did it occur to anyone else that maybe, just maybe, the judicial system worked exactly how it should? That Casey Anthony was not guilty and the court system saved her from ramifications of crimes she didn't commit? I think this didn't cross the mind of a lot of people, and in that case, I'd ask them why a full trial was even necessary? If "probably" should be enough to put her away, what's the use of judges and attorneys anyway? After all, EVERYONE knows that she did it. Right?
I was listening to the radio on the way home from work today. One caller said that she thought the jury messed up because they came to a verdict so quickly. According to this woman, there's no way the jury spent enough time going over the facts and details of the case.
First of all, no, that's not what a quick verdict means. Second, I thought it was hilarious that this woman would have the gall to say something like that. I highly, highly doubt that she spent more than 1 hour of her life reading or watching anything about this case. And she's doubting the jury, who sat through every minute of the trial and were necessarily consumed by it? That's ridiculous.
Again, I don't want to come off sounding like I think Casey Anthony is some wonderful, innocent human being. But someone can be not guilty without being innocent. I wish that this case had spawned more intelligent discussion, not emotionally charged rants about lawyers drinking champagne or tweets of shock from the daughter of the man who helped OJ Simpson walk free.
Whatever the case may be, it's a sobering reminder that true, real justice is never served on earth. But when it is, it will be swift and unmistakable.
It seemed like everyone had an opinion about the case, mostly how appalled and outraged they were that a cold-blooded murderer of a little girl would walk freely and how justice was not served.
I thought it was pretty crazy how extreme and violent these reactions were. Promises of vigilante justice were made (but hopefully not followed up on) as were comparisons to the infamous OJ Simpson case.
It's funny how quick our seemingly non-judgmental society is to denounce a 25 year old single mother who lost her daughter based on the opinions of talking heads, blogs, and circumstantial evidence.
I'm not saying she did or didn't do it. Like I said, I haven't followed the case much at all, but from what I've read, the case against her was built almost completely on circumstantial and anecdotal evidence and experimental forensic research. By all accounts, she was probably a pretty terrible mother and involved in her daughter's death in some fashion.
But "probably" is not the same as "beyond reasonable doubt" and being a crappy mother is not the same as murder.
It bothers me how easily the general public turned on Casey Anthony using a criteria that certainly none of us would like used against us.
Today it seemed there was no shortage of people wondering who was to blame for what happened. Was the defense just an all-star cast? Did the prosecution fail? Was the jury incompetant?
Those are valid and likely probabilities, sure. But did it occur to anyone else that maybe, just maybe, the judicial system worked exactly how it should? That Casey Anthony was not guilty and the court system saved her from ramifications of crimes she didn't commit? I think this didn't cross the mind of a lot of people, and in that case, I'd ask them why a full trial was even necessary? If "probably" should be enough to put her away, what's the use of judges and attorneys anyway? After all, EVERYONE knows that she did it. Right?
I was listening to the radio on the way home from work today. One caller said that she thought the jury messed up because they came to a verdict so quickly. According to this woman, there's no way the jury spent enough time going over the facts and details of the case.
First of all, no, that's not what a quick verdict means. Second, I thought it was hilarious that this woman would have the gall to say something like that. I highly, highly doubt that she spent more than 1 hour of her life reading or watching anything about this case. And she's doubting the jury, who sat through every minute of the trial and were necessarily consumed by it? That's ridiculous.
Again, I don't want to come off sounding like I think Casey Anthony is some wonderful, innocent human being. But someone can be not guilty without being innocent. I wish that this case had spawned more intelligent discussion, not emotionally charged rants about lawyers drinking champagne or tweets of shock from the daughter of the man who helped OJ Simpson walk free.
Whatever the case may be, it's a sobering reminder that true, real justice is never served on earth. But when it is, it will be swift and unmistakable.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I think someone left a window open...
...because I feel a draft. (*kills self*)
I was on Grantland.com today reading Ben Cohen's piece on the NBA draft. One thought in particular caught my attention:
He's right. The draft is such an inexact science as teams, GMs, agents, and writers try to navigate the realm of eligible players with video, stats, anecdotes and, sometimes, gut feel. You never quite know what a given player is going to become in the pros, but it's this uncertainty that makes draft night so exhilarating.
This year is no exception. With the draft less than two days away, all the speculation, posturing, trade talks and the like are really heating up. Just wanted to throw down some random thoughts.
- Should probably preface this by saying that I really haven't seen most of these guys play. I really don't have the time (nor interesting in NCAA or Euro ball) to keep up, but I've tried to compensate as much as I could by reading. So there's that.
- It's always interesting to see the changes in players' draft stock as time goes on. Since I really started trying to read up on these prospects (pretty much when the Lakers got eliminated) until now, there have been some dramatic movements. It's weird if you think about how drastically people's views change on certain players without them playing a full game. It's helped a lot for guys like Marshon Brooks and Iman Shumpert, two 2nd rounders a couple weeks ago who are now very likely to crack the mid to late 1st. On the other hand there are also players like Bismack Biyombo. He burst onto the scene at the Nike Hoop Summit and seemed like he would rise into the lottery. However, the emergence of some other players coupled with workouts that showed his weak offensive game (not a great finisher, poor hands, bad shooter) may have knocked him out of that range. I think he's a guy that really needs to be seen in games so his athleticism and defense can really be seen. There are always numerous examples in each draft, and we'll see who the big risers and fallers end up being on Thursday.
- Hype always plays a big factor in drafts. Sometimes this backfires as public opinion drifts too far the other way and player's weaknesses are emphasized too much. I think Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker have been the most victimized by that this year (along with Biyombo). Both are seen as scoring guards who might be incapable of being a lead guard for a team. I think the criticisms are fair, but on the other hand they've won and produced in college, and that's worth something as well, at least a shot to prove themselves in the NBA.
- Having said that, Jimmer Fredette's projected as a lottery pick and Ben Hansbrough is a projected low 2nd rounder to undrafted prospect. Not sure I quite understand that wide chasm, and I'm not saying that just because both are white point guards. Ok maybe that's part of it, but Hansbrough is a gritty player, produced when he had the opportunity in college, and is a good shooter with underrated athleticism. I'm not convinced that the gap between the two is really that big, maybe the difference between a 6th man scorer and a 8th man role player?
- None of the LA teams are picking until the 2nd round (with the Lakers picking 4 times), but I'm satisfied with that. A lot of critics have called this a weak draft, but this is mostly referring to the lack of superstars or even surefire All-Stars at the top of the draft. Towards the middle, the draft is fairly deep and there should be a glut of rotation/role players available. Both teams could use a nice big man off the bench, the Clippers continue their search for someone who can fill their hole at the 3 (until Harrison Barnes next year? Crosing my fingers), while the Lakers would like more forward depth and help at the PG spot too. If Jeremy Tyler or Jon Leuer are available, they'd fit nicely with both. Tyler was a highly rated high school prospect who decided to go overseas instead of college and adjusted poorly, but he's still got game and, maybe more importantly, size. Leuer is a hard worker and a good stretch 4 that teams covet nowadays. As for guards, I love the group of guys that might be available. Norris Cole, Nolan Smith, Malcolm Lee, and Shelvin Mack are all among guys that I think can help the Lakers in a year or two.
- Barring trades at the top spots, the unpredictability will start at the 3 spot with the Utah Jazz. It's pretty likely that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams will go 1-2 (likely in that order, with maybe a 10% chance that it's reversed), and the next few picks will hinge on whether the Jazz look for a Deron Williams replacement (Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker), an athletic forward to eventually displace Andrei Kirilenko (Jan Vesely), or a big man to play with their Al Jefferson/Paul Millsap combo (Enes Kanter). They've all got big upside but significant risk as well, so this will play a huge role in shaping not just this draft, but the Jazz's future as well.
- Jimmy Butler might be my favorite prospect in this draft. The versatile forward was a beast at Marquette, but his story is incredible. Check out Chad Ford's piece on it here.
- If not Butler, Kenneth Faried might be my favorite. He's an extremely hard worker from a small school and he will almost certainly make a huge mark in the league immediately with his rebounding ability. Historically, in terms of college statistics translating to the pros, rebounding has had the most predictive ability. This bodes well for Faried, whose nose for the ball will serve him well in the next level.
- I thought Bismack Biyombo had the best name in the draft, or if not, then Kahwi Leonard. But yesterday some news changed my mind. Meet possible 2nd round draft pick Tanguy Ngombo.
- I can't be the only one who hopes the Morris twins end up on the same team right? It would just be amusing to me. Only real shot is with Charlotte at 9 and 19, unless some team trades to make it happen.
- Anyhow that's it for now. Eager to read more news/rumors tomorrow.
I was on Grantland.com today reading Ben Cohen's piece on the NBA draft. One thought in particular caught my attention:
"No day on the NBA calendar packs more risk than draft night, and trades are the riskiest part about it. They require front offices to forecast the potential of players who have never set foot on NBA hardwood and then swap these prospects for assets that might be more certain, less certain, or much less certain."
He's right. The draft is such an inexact science as teams, GMs, agents, and writers try to navigate the realm of eligible players with video, stats, anecdotes and, sometimes, gut feel. You never quite know what a given player is going to become in the pros, but it's this uncertainty that makes draft night so exhilarating.
This year is no exception. With the draft less than two days away, all the speculation, posturing, trade talks and the like are really heating up. Just wanted to throw down some random thoughts.
- Should probably preface this by saying that I really haven't seen most of these guys play. I really don't have the time (nor interesting in NCAA or Euro ball) to keep up, but I've tried to compensate as much as I could by reading. So there's that.
- It's always interesting to see the changes in players' draft stock as time goes on. Since I really started trying to read up on these prospects (pretty much when the Lakers got eliminated) until now, there have been some dramatic movements. It's weird if you think about how drastically people's views change on certain players without them playing a full game. It's helped a lot for guys like Marshon Brooks and Iman Shumpert, two 2nd rounders a couple weeks ago who are now very likely to crack the mid to late 1st. On the other hand there are also players like Bismack Biyombo. He burst onto the scene at the Nike Hoop Summit and seemed like he would rise into the lottery. However, the emergence of some other players coupled with workouts that showed his weak offensive game (not a great finisher, poor hands, bad shooter) may have knocked him out of that range. I think he's a guy that really needs to be seen in games so his athleticism and defense can really be seen. There are always numerous examples in each draft, and we'll see who the big risers and fallers end up being on Thursday.
- Hype always plays a big factor in drafts. Sometimes this backfires as public opinion drifts too far the other way and player's weaknesses are emphasized too much. I think Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker have been the most victimized by that this year (along with Biyombo). Both are seen as scoring guards who might be incapable of being a lead guard for a team. I think the criticisms are fair, but on the other hand they've won and produced in college, and that's worth something as well, at least a shot to prove themselves in the NBA.
- Having said that, Jimmer Fredette's projected as a lottery pick and Ben Hansbrough is a projected low 2nd rounder to undrafted prospect. Not sure I quite understand that wide chasm, and I'm not saying that just because both are white point guards. Ok maybe that's part of it, but Hansbrough is a gritty player, produced when he had the opportunity in college, and is a good shooter with underrated athleticism. I'm not convinced that the gap between the two is really that big, maybe the difference between a 6th man scorer and a 8th man role player?
- None of the LA teams are picking until the 2nd round (with the Lakers picking 4 times), but I'm satisfied with that. A lot of critics have called this a weak draft, but this is mostly referring to the lack of superstars or even surefire All-Stars at the top of the draft. Towards the middle, the draft is fairly deep and there should be a glut of rotation/role players available. Both teams could use a nice big man off the bench, the Clippers continue their search for someone who can fill their hole at the 3 (until Harrison Barnes next year? Crosing my fingers), while the Lakers would like more forward depth and help at the PG spot too. If Jeremy Tyler or Jon Leuer are available, they'd fit nicely with both. Tyler was a highly rated high school prospect who decided to go overseas instead of college and adjusted poorly, but he's still got game and, maybe more importantly, size. Leuer is a hard worker and a good stretch 4 that teams covet nowadays. As for guards, I love the group of guys that might be available. Norris Cole, Nolan Smith, Malcolm Lee, and Shelvin Mack are all among guys that I think can help the Lakers in a year or two.
- Barring trades at the top spots, the unpredictability will start at the 3 spot with the Utah Jazz. It's pretty likely that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams will go 1-2 (likely in that order, with maybe a 10% chance that it's reversed), and the next few picks will hinge on whether the Jazz look for a Deron Williams replacement (Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker), an athletic forward to eventually displace Andrei Kirilenko (Jan Vesely), or a big man to play with their Al Jefferson/Paul Millsap combo (Enes Kanter). They've all got big upside but significant risk as well, so this will play a huge role in shaping not just this draft, but the Jazz's future as well.
- Jimmy Butler might be my favorite prospect in this draft. The versatile forward was a beast at Marquette, but his story is incredible. Check out Chad Ford's piece on it here.
- If not Butler, Kenneth Faried might be my favorite. He's an extremely hard worker from a small school and he will almost certainly make a huge mark in the league immediately with his rebounding ability. Historically, in terms of college statistics translating to the pros, rebounding has had the most predictive ability. This bodes well for Faried, whose nose for the ball will serve him well in the next level.
- I thought Bismack Biyombo had the best name in the draft, or if not, then Kahwi Leonard. But yesterday some news changed my mind. Meet possible 2nd round draft pick Tanguy Ngombo.
- I can't be the only one who hopes the Morris twins end up on the same team right? It would just be amusing to me. Only real shot is with Charlotte at 9 and 19, unless some team trades to make it happen.
- Anyhow that's it for now. Eager to read more news/rumors tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Picking nits (well technically just one nit) again
I've been known to nitpick grammar a little bit too much. Usually it's all in good fun or perhaps out of annoyance at a simple, stupid mistake that should be so clear that it's impossible to mess up.
But sometimes little details can make a pretty significant difference. Consider the stray letter "s." Anyone who's played Scrabble (or Words With Friends or even Boggle) should be immediately familiar with how powerful that little letter can be.
A single "s" changes a prince into princes, and another one changes them into a princess.
So there is one nitpick that does irritate me related to this. It's not so much the error as how it's basically ignored and not even thought about or noticed that annoys me the most.
This is how Galatians 5:22-23 reads:
Seems basic enough and I don't want to delve into anything too deep, but think about how that little detail changes the perception and meaning of the passage. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.
But sometimes little details can make a pretty significant difference. Consider the stray letter "s." Anyone who's played Scrabble (or Words With Friends or even Boggle) should be immediately familiar with how powerful that little letter can be.
A single "s" changes a prince into princes, and another one changes them into a princess.
So there is one nitpick that does irritate me related to this. It's not so much the error as how it's basically ignored and not even thought about or noticed that annoys me the most.
This is how Galatians 5:22-23 reads:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.Catch that? Contrary to what I've heard a lot, this is not a laundry list of positive qualities that Christians should have. It's a description of the singular influence that the Holy Spirit should have in us. There are no "fruits," it's impossible to pick and choose because there is only one fruit of the Spirit.
Seems basic enough and I don't want to delve into anything too deep, but think about how that little detail changes the perception and meaning of the passage. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.
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