US Basketball is back baby!

For the few of you too wrapped up in mr. phelps or women's powerlifting, there is a certain team that is putting its own stamp on these games. The U.S. basketball team is back with a new intensity and grit that is putting them right where they should be, on track to win the gold medal. No longer can we just wheel out some nba players and mop the floor with teams like the 92 dream team did, we must actually put some of our best out there now and really fight to win.
In 2002 the U.S. finished sixth, that's right sixth in the FIBA championships. It was a clear message that the americans cant just show up and win on reputation.
In 2004 they finished with the bronze medal in Athens with a cast of all-stars..and Larry Brown who single handedly had the brilliant idea of benching Carmello, Amare Stoudemire, and an ok player known as LEBRON in favor of his veteran NBA guys..nice move there.
In 2006 in the FIBA championships the team got beat by Greece and had to settle for the bronze there as well. I am suffering through all of it watching and actually questioning if we can win anymore. The only thing that made me feel better about our team was the fact that i always just muttered "well i mean if we had all of our really good players out there, then we would have to win...right?"With the advancement of pro leagues in greece, spain, italy, and even israel the world game has caught up and aren't creampuffs anymore. Which is why i am sold on this team and love...and i mean love to watch them play. The defensive ferocity in which the americans are playing is exactly what has been lacking in recent years, and make no mistake about it they are locking people down. Kobe has even adopted the new olympic nickname "the doberman" for his defensive efforts and dropping the black mamba moniker for this team. I mean how can you not love a team that wheels out ko'bs, chris paul, lebron, d-wade, darren williams to name a few.
There is an edge to this team as well, you can see it in these players eyes..it actually does matter to them to restore pride back in US basketball. There is also a true seriousness about this team, a look they have never had in the times i've watched them over the years. There is no let up in them, it is attack, attack, and then attack some more. To give an example of the mix of fastbreak defense they are running the outscored Spain 32 to 0 in fast break points the other day. Thats a ZERO.....ok. The funny thing also that i saw is that these euro teams have gotten so emboldened that both Greece and Spain tried to full court press them. Um, ok, that is the worst thing you can do against this team, did i mention that this team actually runs the two point guard system sometimes with Paul and Williams running it. Oh, and the wings are Lebron, Kobe, or Wade....to press that team is most ridiculous thing you could ever do. But, it shows how confident the other countries have become, to even think about doing that is such a slap in the americans face they deserve to get throttled. It is time once again for this team to pull the bull durham on these teams..."announce my presence with authority."
I must also mention the other main thing is that the re-emergence of dwane wade out of the, "maybe he's finished" category is another big surprise that has made me encouraged. I mean he is back in a big way and i had my doubts about him. The thing is, yes they have had pros out there, but, the game was always so great in teaching the fundamental law of all sports, that great players don't always guarantee a great team. So the american squad took its lumps these last six years and finally had to realize that that if they didn't bring their best they would probably be beat. They created a unique blend of role players (tayshawn prince for defense, chris bosh for versatility) shooters (micheal redd) and superstars. They also went a bit small with only dwight howard as their only true big man, a bold decision with teams like spain sporting two seven-footers in their starting lineup. The decision to go fast and versitile with an emphasis on defense has paid huge dividends already with teams having to constantly be wary of the streaking fast break of paul-wade-bryant-lebron....now that is a sick fast break. This is the team that U.S. basketball fans have been waiting for a while, and with its emergence we have restablished our b-ball cred again. This is also a basketball purists team, unselfish passing, total comittment to defense, up and down the court B-ball. Forget about anything you are doing when the US faces argentina, stop and appreciate this team because it is fantastic to watch.

Big brown....my neeegaaah!!

Well, well, well, my friend..looks like we have another huge disappointment in the ever elusive triple crown chase. The steroids weren't given to him this month in an obvious fallout from the whispers about it being tainted if he won. Well it looks like maybe they should have. It is pretty clear to me (and lets be clear about this, i don't know everything about the weird category of horse drugs that they list one the racing forms) that the roid rider was truly a creation of his training regimen. His trainer is a convicted felon and known roid trader who was as cocky as any moron i have seen in sports in some time. So to me it was clear on that day that the roids did play a part, no question. So now you go off to your stud farm somewhere and live off the rest of your days eating oats and hay with nothing to do but...well you know. But somewhere forever in my sports history mind this one will not sit well. Part idiot arrogant trainer, part mystery roid horse, and then of course the pull up last place walk in finish at the belmont. The goose bumps go up, they turn the corner...here we go....time for history baby!!!!! .....then.....oh....he's just pulled up....oh great...wow...congrats other winner horse I've never heard of.
So for another year i bid you adieu damn horse racing....although for those two minutes..it was such a rush.

Roger Dodger...I love it all..

So to put it mildly i have really enjoyed the whole fiasco that Roger Clemens seems to find himself these days. First, of course, it was the whole denial of steroids agains Brian Mcnamee dog and pony show. In front of congress lying and licking his lips the Texas hero further ruined his credibility. So now the latest reports are that he had a long relationship with country singer Mindy Mcree. Yes now the media is painting the man as a cheat even in his private life. Not that it really is any of our business but i love it never the less. Why? Because he is getting his karmic payback for doing joining the Yankees after he was Mr. Red Sox. You just dont mess with the baseball gods like that my friend. Not like that. He was always smug about how he was a yankee as well...as if he never even played at Boston. Am i wrong that i love every aspect of his fall from grace? Maybe, but i love every morsel of this fall from grace. So cheer up roger...and issue another statement of apology but not admit anything....i love it... oh yes and do me a favor...keep acting like the most stubborn fool i have ever seen.