High finance, sporting heroics and a wee bit of basketball

Okay, I fully admit I have no clue when it comes to financial matters.

None.

If I put a card in a machine, hit some buttons and money comes out, I figure I’ve mastered the world.

Hyperbole? Maybe. But those who know me know that to be kind of true.

So this whole story about the Teachers buying up more of MLSEL (read our story right here) perplexes me a little bit.

But in my mind, it’s got to make it easier for them to sell, no? Wouldn’t a buyer want to have fewer “partners” when it makes a purchase? And since that’s one of the great money-making conglomerates in the country – and perhaps in the entire world of sport-entertainment-condos-and-nightclubs-being-disguised-as-sports-bars – wouldn’t you want as much of it as you can get?

I would.

So I don’t know how big a deal it is but I do think it sends a signal that maybe things are moving behind the scenes to get something done.

I, like you, await more news. I’d love to find some out but the people I talk to over there are far removed from that level it’s silly. Or at least they aren’t sharing what they know.

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I’m wondering if Russell Westbrook watched Derrick Rose last night and went, ‘duh!’

I know Rose got up a fair number of shots but I don’t recall too many of them being what you’d call bad shots and whenever he had to share the ball more effectively to make his team better, he did.

I’m done trying to figure that series out – the Hawks could very well play out of their minds and get it all back to Chicago for a Game 7 on Sunday – but the way the Bulls played at both ends of the floor last night was impressive.

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Think it might be time to take post-season award voting rights away from those zany NBA front office types.

They came up with their Executive of the Year yesterday and it turned out to be a tie between Pat Riley of the Heat and Chicago’s Gar Forman.

Now, I can see some resentment towards Riley and how the whole thing came together costing him some votes (and that’s entirely understandable) but it’s the other part that gets me.

Seems Forman, the Chicago GM, got the same 11 first-place votes as Riley but the crazy execs also gave three third-place votes to Chicago’s John Paxson.

Not sure if a few of them didn’t know who was in charge in Chicago or if the people in Chicago were splitting duties but shouldn’t Chicago have actually won?

Guess It’s not just the media that goofs up these things.

Oh, and, no, nary a vote for Toronto.

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Finally, a break.

Larry Bird’s going to stay in Indiana, the Pacers told us yesterday.

And it means no “Can the Raptors get Larry Bird? After all, he’s the executive that wanted Roy Hibbert and if that doesn’t tell you how smart he is, I don’t know what does” questions.

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How the heck did they get to the semifinals of DTWS and nobody told me?

Romeo’s gone? Too bad, kinda liked that kid and there’s the whole Master P-DeMar DeRozan connection.

But I’m all for Kirstie Alley being alive, she’s been a favourite since the season-opener.

I will say this, though:

Of all the stuff she’s done, she’s been a better barmaid than a dancer and both of them were better than he work as a pitch-woman for weight loss.

But that’s a helluva work trilogy, no?

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I’m told by someone who knows that the Raptors are trying to piece together some kind of workout schedule for draft-eligible kids that can be finalized after next week’s lottery.

I sure hope they don’t inundate us with kids who have no chance of being drafted here, as they have in the past.

The trouble is, though, getting enough kids in enough days to make the workouts even remotely competitive. It’s all well and good to see guys jump and run and stuff like that, what you want to see is them in some kind of competitive two-on-two or three-on-three situation and getting players who don’t mind legitimate competition in workouts is difficult to do.

It stinks, and it leaves the power in the hands of players and agents who can duck guys who might expose them but whaddya gonna do?

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TOD in extras over the Sox?

In the past, that’d be an issue; today it’s glorious and I’m looking forward to the sweep.

But I must say, I don’t look at standings too often, at least not before the magical Fourth of July time when you’re supposed to, but it pains me to see them below .500.

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List time? Sure, thanks to the mail and maybe it jogs some memory of great sporting accomplishments of your own.

Q: Hi Doug - if you could finish off a big, championship game in any sport, which would be your dream scenario? Hitting that jumper (or dunk) with time expiring? Throwing (or catching) the game-winning touchdown? Knocking one out of the park in the bottom of the 9th? I assume putting a one-timer past the goalie wouldn't make the list...

Andrew S, Toronto

A: You have to realize that as I go through this, I’ve never actually done any of it, right? I do remember botching a suicide squeeze in an OBA playoff game in Stoney Creek about a hundred years ago, though.

Anyway, in order? With the best last?

Throwing a perfect 50-yard spiral to a guy perfectly in stride just over his inside shoulder down the field.

A 165-yard, gently drawing 8-iron for eagle to win the Masters by one.

A diving catch down the right field line to preserve a 1-0 no-hitter with a guy on first in the top of the ninth. Has to be top so we’re at home and the fans can go berserk.

A catch-and-shoot three-pointer at the buzzer.

And, yes, I want that squeeze back. The runner breaks, pitcher sees it, throws at my body like he’s supposed to and I get the ball down anyway. He scores, we win and the mental scar of that Stoney Creek failure is gone.

You?

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Andrew Bynum gets five games and a $25,000 fine and while it’s all well and good that the league acted quickly, I don’t think they went far enough.

I’d say eight to 10 games would have been more appropriate but I guess that’s just me.

Whacking an airborne guy with an elbow with no provocation except that he was beating them senseless with his play is, as Charles would say, turrible.

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Okay, if you’ve got a minute today, send some mail here.

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And if you’ve got a minute tonight, show up at 7 for an IGBT as we say bye-bye to the Celtics. And, yes, I fully plan to load myself up on coffee and caffeine so I can see what the Thunder and Grizzlies have in store for us.

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Comments

[Casey]

Even though I'd put baseball towards the bottom of the list of my favorite sports to play/watch, I'd still take the walk off home run as the one sporting feat I'd like to accomplish. Thinking of Kirk Gibson's walk off against Eckersley still gives me chills, even being a Jay's fan, Gibson's home run still tops Carter's in my book.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/3

[Peter]

My Heroic Sports Moment: I played soccer every year when I was a child. Every year we made it to the championship game (and either won or lost) But every year, I played defence, and never scored a goal. We often had the same coach, and several of the same teammates, and I was respected for my defence, and treated like the role player that I was, not a star. One year, the championship game went into overtime, and then shootouts. For some ridiculous reason, still unknown to me, my coach picked his best 4 goal scorers, and then kept looking around, and around, and a father on the team suggested that he pick me as the 5th shooter. It got to the point where it was my turn to shoot. If I made the goal, we win the championship, and I took the best shot that I could. The ball trickled along the ground and found the bottom corner of the net, just out of reach of the goalie. My first, and ONLY goal playing what had to have been a decade of little league soccer, was the championship winning goal. The next year, I returned to the same team and it was clear that I had moved from role player to star. I even got to wear the coveted number 2! The lowest number other then the goalie's number, which often went to the best player on the team back then. Ah the memories! :)

[Blake Kennedy]

Dream scenario for me as an athlete? I was a power forward when I played aeons ago, so I'd say my dream would be to step up and take a charge with my team up by one with 2 seconds left as the star player from the opposing team drove into the lane. Either that, or tip in a miss at the buzzer.

[Dave T (Ottawa)]

The only game winner I've ever hit: last game of the season in intramural play, I'm playing off-guard. Pass to the big at the top of the key, take the screen from my point, big gives it back and cuts to the basket, point guard flares to the baseline. My man got caught on the screen and is half a second behind me, time is running down, and maybe 10 years ago I'm confident I can break him down but my knees and fitness make me a distributor/shooter. Shot fake, defender bites, I wait.. wait... one step inside the 3, take the shot, win by 1.

Also, 2 free throws down by 1 with no time on the clock. I've seen it done once in person and the pressure is intense. Even in an amateur game.

[JHK]

@Peter: great story, which brought me to my old futbol days back in high school days.
When I was in grade 10, I was the striker (CF) for our junior high team. I was taller than most guys and also agile/fit. I wracked up something like 12 goals in a 10 game season and the team went pretty far into the playoffs as well. I was all over the school news for being the 'soccer star' guy, became pretty popular around school. A year of high-end high school life went by and the soccer season returned. Prior to the senior team try-outs, I realize that I had gained almost 15 pounds in the off season and was not mentally ready - still dreaming in the glory days. Barely made the team, and almost never got off of the bench.

Every time I hear Eddy Curry stories, it reminds me of my futbol days.

[Lorie]

Hey Doug,
So this is supposed to be stuff you've never done, right? Wouldn't want to put you boys to shame with my real-life athletic accomplishments. (Kidding. Sort of.) But the one thing that I think would be an absolute blast, and that I may yet achieve is this: I wander in to the World Snooker Championship in, oh, let's say, Monte Carlo. It's an open event so an unknown player can just show up with her cue and a dream. And in front of thousands of disbelievers, I run the tables, game after game, defeating former and current champions straight through to the Title, with a cool, devasting efficiency. And, of course, killer shoes. Not exactly a single shot or play, but that's my dream scenario! Cheers, and rack 'em up.

[Nick]

I was in the city finals with my Jr Boys team and we were down 1 with 3.4 seconds left. The other coach and I call for a time out and we draw up the play. A back screen with a runner sent down the court...our player caught the ball just above the 3 pt arc took 2 dribbles and made it to about half as there were 2 defenders coming at him. He let it fly and as the buzzer went off their home crowd was going nuts....then they saw the shot bank off the backboard and go in. Their gym went dead silent after we scored. From a coaching stand point it was an amazing thing to witness but as a player? Wow I can only imagine what they went through.

As for todays in game blog, are you proposing that you may do a double header this evening? That would take dedication! Let's see it happen!

[E.M.]

I feel your pain Doug. I had a game-winning bucket clang off the iron during my Bantam basketball days. It was actually a pretty good open look, and it even felt good leaving my hand, just didn't have enough to go in. :(

[Jarrod]

Funny you're pushing for 8-10 games for Bynum - I just read J-Rich saying how it was ridiculous and overkill. I think that, unless we want players to wear helmets, the league needs to stomp on the thug-style tactics now before it becomes the fiasco that is Hockey Night In Canada.

In terms of that special sporting moment, I had so few growing up, but Im a teacher and I do coach boys and girls basketball (both junior and intermediate grades) and I've lived and died with every hail-Mary buzzer-beater and every bricked free throw that was inches from tying the game. It's more rewarding than any last-second shot I could even dream of hitting.

[Stew]

I hear D Wade got some votes for exec of the year....

[The J]

My choice? Probably my early 90's Blue Jays bias, but it would have to be a bottom of the 9th walk-off HR, Joe Carter style.

My Reality? Well there have been many heroic moments but they mainly came against invisible defenders in my parents driveway. I think I probably imitated the Michael Jordan "the Shot" celebration as much as the shot itself.

Though there were also some fine moments with a Sega Genesis controller in my hand. That time I made Dominique Wilkins dunk on Ewing's head with a Tarzan Dunk to win in NBA Jam will go down as one for the ages. Not to mention the walk offs playing Reggie Jackson RBI baseball on the old master system, or Bo Jackson Football/Baseball on the Gameboy.

[Steve]

I love all this sporting moment talk .. it brings so many good memories that's for sure. One real one that I can vividly remember is playing centre field back in grade 8 at the city-wide middle school softball tournament. Barely holding on to a two-run lead in the semi-final game the other guys had runners on first and second with two out when the kid at bat strokes a liner to the gap in left-center. I saw the ball get by our left fielder who took an agressive track to the ball which left it in my hands as I got over to the gap on a deeper track. As I picked up the ball I could see the runner who was on first already a third of the way to third and new we were in trouble but I let a cannon go and delivered a one bounce strike to the catcher in three steps ahead of the runner for the final out and the 1 run win. I will never forget the look of disbelief on the parents and coaches of the other team by the time I got in to the infield to celebrate with our team.

[Nick M]

@Lorie
If that is your dream then I am sure you have seen this and have a lot of these in mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTtZqAnxyxo
That would be impressive indeed!

[Matt M]

You're concerned that the TOD is below .500. You should Email Griffin and suggest Rogers fire Beston, AA, Farrell, themselves and trade Rivera for Pujols. What kind of fan are you anyways?

Blogger's note: I was going to demand they trade for Jared Weaver and may still.

[The J]

@Stew - I totally agree. I can't believe Pat Riley won an award for saying "okay, boys we've got a lot of money and a lot of sunshine." Though, I assume he went on to say "If you all come together there will be instant championships. I don't imagine 3 giant egos, and 3 guys who constantly need the ball in their hands could have any problems winning 70 or so games".

For me it's hard to be impressed with executives who's biggest coup was not making smart trades, key draft picks, and showing patience with developing players, but rather dumping as much cap space as they could so they could gamble on free agents. What's different between what Chicago and Miami did, with what NY and NJ tried to do. They all gambled, and it paid off for one of them, and decently for a couple others. Give me someone like Masai Ujiri in Denver for making the best of a bad situation with Melo, and showing the patience to pull out a great trade that no one thought he had the ability to complete.

[Boko]

Doug, which potential finals series do you think will be most pleasing to the eye? And who'd be your winner (as in the team you're cheering for)?

Blogger's note: Can't imagine I'd "cheer" for anyone but Miami-Dallas would be quite compelling on a lot of levels.
And I'll guess at winner when we see who's in it

[Rob.V]

The executive of the year award is silly. How do 2 guys from the same team end up on the ballot anyway?
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And aren't GM's suppose to be good at what they do, it's a job... not an award!
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It's sort of like when your plane lands, and people clap... WTF???... what was the alternative?... weren't we suppose to land safely???
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Just do your job (or let D.Wade do it for you)... and move on.

[Stavros]

Glory years...

Hoops tourney way back in the day and we're in OT during a prelim round. I come off a screen to the top of the key and hit a catch and shoot with 2 seconds left. We win. Feels great, especially because the last shot in regulation was my missed layup. Shooters should stay outside the paint.

[Penguin]

The Gibson homer was dramatic, but the fact is that only two players have ever hit walk-off World Series winning homers. Joe Carter, of course, and Bill Mazeroski, for the Pirates (yes, they used to be a very good team) in 1960 to beat the Yankees. I can remember listening to that one on my small transistor radio. Tough to choose a favorite between these two.

[Eric]

I like it when someone (else) is old enough to remember the Maz homer. That game, which had several lead changes and just about everything else a good game should have, made me a baseball fan. (If he'd done it for the Yankees they would have named a street after him and we'd be hearing about it every other day.) As a good outfielder/poor hitter in a gentlemen's slo pitch league I once had a game winning double to win a tournament consolation round. Like someone else already said, it's probably the same great feeling at any level.

Blogger's note: As an average-hit, good-field oldtimer, I'd like that chance

[James]

I would love to see a Miami - Dallas finals but on the other hand which series would you rather prefer the Dallas Mavericks playing in the Western Conference Finals, OKC or Memphis?

Blogger's note: Probably OKC, kind of like the town better

[J]

@Rob V:

LOL, I don't think that's really a proper analogy. Landing a plane isn't usually in competition with someone else. If you insist on using a plane for the analogy, perhaps a better one would be 30 pilots all competing for the same runway and they're all out of fuel and have to make emergency landings. Only one plane will be able to land safely on the runway; everyone else will have to make do with whatever they can get. Applause goes out to only the pilots that manage to land safely. I think that's more like it.

[booyah]

Dream Scenario? The 350 pound recently turned 'heel' slams my head into the turnbuckle with the padding removed by his henchmen. The ref gives a warning to the heel's manager who's creeping close to the ring -- which conveniently allows one of the goons to give me a chair shot and a low blow to boot. Still groggy from the chair shot, I get pummelled by some illegal closed fist shots and some eye-gouging as the ref bends down to remove the chair from the ring. The crowd boos their disapproval and the heel locks me into a modified camel clutch/sleeper hold with leverage from the ropes. The ref checks with 2 suspicious rapid fire arm lifts in succession and the third drops halfway down when the miracle happens. I raise my finger in the air and start wagging it to the fans. That is the moment. The denouement is a series of headbutts, leg-drops, and elbows -- followed by an old-school atlas press and a full-ring bulldog. The crowd goes delirious as I put the finishing touches on a comeback for the ages with a one-armed pile-driver. The ref is out cold, and then I turn my attention back to the heel.

[Topper]

Birth week starts on Sunday and ends the following Saturday night..regardless of what actual day your birthday happens to fall on...