An old friend helps out at home and TV commercial memories

How bizarre is this.

In search of wireless and morning respite, a bedraggled grunt makes his way to Starbuck on the Lane in Niagara for an hour or so of peace and quiet and a wee bit of work.

First guy he sees when he walks in the door: Another Niagara Falls guy, former NBA head coach and it turns into a couple of old friends chatting.

Yeah, Jay’s doing all right, actually.

It is, as we all know, a very quiet time around the NBA – even if there wasn’t a lockout – but it doesn’t mean there aren’t things to do.

One of the very best programs the NBA runs is its Basketball Without Borders events each summer and Jay’s off this weekend to Ljubljana, Slovenia for a week or so to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the camps that bring together the best young players in Europe for basketball- and life-skill lessons.

The fact it’s on in Slovenia is rather significant.

It’s the first time a camp’s been held in one of the former Yugoslav republics, which was the site of the very first one and was for young kids from that former country.

It’s an excellent program and it’s good that the NBA and FIBA kept it going (they’ve been in Rio and are going to Johannesburg next month) in this odd summer.

Of course, because of the lockout, no current players can take part as they do every other summer.

So, the NBA has invited a handful of former players to each camp and, yes, he will be there.

Ah, I miss the big lug.

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Senior men beat Czech Republic yesterday.

Feel better?

Took ‘em overtime to get the 89-83 win (there’s a brief story here courtesy of Canada Basketball) but a win’s a win’s a win.

Beats the alternative and if they get the one today, the finish to the trip will be far better than the start.

-

RIP Bubba.

I cannot believe he never won an Emmy.

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Because, as we know, it’s all about me …

Q: Good morning Doug. I was just wondering why you write your blog so early in the morning? Since your beat job mostly has you working at night and sometimes into the early hours why not write it then so you can actually get a good nights rest?

Richard H, Whitby

A: Good question, one I’ve actually asked myself, too.

And the answer always goes like this:

“Self, what in tarnation doing getting up so early to get that blog up by 8 or 8:30 in the morning?”

“You know why. That’s when the Irregulars in this neck of the woods are getting to work, high traffic time on the interweb before they start their jobs.”

“Self, you’re a dope. Why not do it after the game, get it done by 2 or 3 a.m. and get some sleep?”

“Who are you calling a dope? You know how it is. There’s a bit of an adrenaline rush when the night’s finally over and you need to decompress. Plus, a guy really likes decompressing most nights. Just as easy to get a few hours sleep and start quasi-fresh. Besides, some days I have germs of ideas done in the afternoon or early evening and it’s not that hard to simply expand on them.”

“Self, you are wise old soul. Sorry I asked.”

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Traffic thing of the day

(And, yes, I’ll move on to something else soon, I promise)

I’ve been lucky enough to have been in Athens, Istanbul, Rome, Madrid, Beijing, London and Barcelona over the course of a career and have seen first hand some of the zaniest traffic known to man.

Scooters, buses, roundabouts, pedestrians, guys waving arms out windows, horns honking and, frankly, chaos.

You know how it is: Six cars come to one corner, six are at the other, people walking and gesticulating like crazy.

Know what I don’t remember seeing?

A fender-bender.

I don’t know it is but, man, those people can drive. A little crazily, sure, but no one seems to get hurt.

-

So a guy’s searching for the right Bubba Smith video (because that’s what we do here at a Raptors blog, search for video of now-deceased ex-football players and thespians) and, of course, these all pop up.

If there was a series of TV commercials better than Tastes Great, Less Filling, I’m not sure what they were.

-

Mail?

Please.

I have a Sopwith Camel flight to Baltimore today and while I’m sure it’ll be bumpy and cramped, could use some work to keep my mind occupied.

And, have an entire night of crabcakes and stools so …

Click. Write. Send.

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So Billy Hunter does a speaking engagement yesterday and says it’s likely the entire 2011-12 NBA season will be cancelled, the league filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board the other day while suing the players association in federal court as pre-emptive strike against decertification and, as a friend said the other day:

NBA.

Nothing.

But.

Attorneys.

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Comments

[Normiyuki H]

My traffic comment for today: I think you don't see fender benders in Europe because their definition of a fender bender is different than ours. If you look closely at cars in Paris, Rome, Barca, etc. the mirrors are held on with duct tape and there is barely any factory paint left on the bumpers. And these are the new cars. Minor bumps and bruises are part of the daily commute. In North America you stop in the middle of traffic for every one of those same scratches.
I also think the automatic transmission - which is almost non-existent in Europe - has fooled the vast majority of North Americans into believing they actually know how to drive. The connection between road, speed, car, brain is blurred with an automatic transmission. It does make it easier to play with the GPS and bang out an email though.

[ptboscott]

hope you have billy bishop along for the ride in the sopwith so the red baron doesn't get you!

[Lorie]

Hey Doug:
Thanks for the clips! Unlike most progressive-minded, intelligent gals, I LOVED 'Married with Children'. But really, I say, what's not to like? It had a theme song sung by the one and only Frank Sinatra, follows the misadventures of a man who sells SHOES for a living (!!!), and touched on subjects with an irreverance that I found hilarious (and prompted the "Rakolta Boycott" that of course had the opposite effect and increased the show's popularity). Oh, yes, those Miller Lite ads were the best (and this one could only have been improved upon with the inclusion of a certain Mr. Uecker) and being of A Certain Age, I had no difficulty naming the participants. With one exception. Who is the tall gravel-voiced fella who puts the bowling ball in Dangerfield's hands and said "All we need is one pin, Rodney"? Him I can't place! Cheers, and Safe Travels!

Blogger's note: Am having a hard time loading it on bad airport wireless connection. Anyone?

[D-Mac Ottawa]

The "All we need is one pin, Rodney" would be Ben Davidson of the Oakland Raiders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SdzXsUJF98
And if you could use a nice Rodney fix on a dog day Thursday afternoon, here's one classic line after another: http://www.meilach.com/funquotes/rodney.html
Whoa, cheers!

[Snas]

I counted 3 former Raptors in that Euroleague clip. Pape Sow, Omar Cook and Rasho. Any other connections to the Raps, Doug?

Blogger's note: Not that I saw but I didn't watch too too closely

[Mike D.]

Let's not forget Bubba's role in "Blue Thunder" with Dick Butkus and, I am surprised to notice, Dana Carvey:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxuNtxBBEkE

Doug, I am a big Rasho fan (and still hoping that the Raps can find a younger equivalent to anchor the middle for the next decade) but he dunked more often in that highlight clip than I remember seeing in his entire Raps career. Are the baskets lower at Olympiakos? :)

[Cluck Kent]

@ Lorie - It took a bit of searching around but I believe that was Ben Davidson, former defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders.

Traffic. So I'm cruising westbound on the 401, 8pm on a Wednesday night coming down that slight grade from Dufferin to the 400 area by the MTO building. I'm in the passing lane going about 140. I hear some unusual noise and glance in my rearview just in time to see this BMW 5 series pull into my lane from the center lane just barely off my rear bumper. The catch - he was backwards and still going my speed. He must have really been moving and grazed someone who swung him around. It was surreal for that instant. He went right on through the lane and hit the guardrails hard.

[SheikYurbouti]

Ben Davidson handed off to Rodney

[smitty seven]

played for the raiders,name escapes me

[doug]

that's Ben Davidson a old Raider player and pretty tough old-nosed one at that and those commercials are classics...when have these words been spoken last "wow what a good defensive play by Hill", not great even just good, I don't think in awhile(last night 0-0 game in the second, double play ball, he doesn't even get a out, Rays get a 5 out inning and the beginning of the end, he gets it inning over and who knows)...this is the trouble a organization and manager can get in...you bench Escobar for not running out a ball although he is playing extremely well but run Hill out there consistently when really he has did nothing for a long,long time...and then a manager says you earn your playing time, so words need to be backed up with actions..believe me players notice, you can't have a double standard...Johnny Mac should get half the playing time at 2nd at least...and i agree with the above poster all drivers should learn to drive on a standard, you learn about power, how to control your engine in all conditions, how a car handles etc. and become one with the car...automatics just don't give drivers the right feel for a car or appreciation for it's power;;;

[Lorie]

Thanks all for identifying former Oakland Raider player Ben Davidson - or is it thanks for ALL identifying Ben Davidson - and as Doug Smith often says the readers here (but ESPECIALLY your commenters!!!) are among the most intelligent in the cyberworld. And only getting better as we all continue to work on our understanding of homonyms, heteronyms and the correct use of the semi-colon. Cheers! (...which is an example of a capitonym!)

[doug]

are congrats in order??...for being in the right place at the right time, as you will have the Brett Lawrie story this weekend...or would you rather it have been a nice quiet lazy weekend at the park between 2 non-contending teams??...but as a reporter pretty prime stuff to be doing the biggest sports story of the year thus far as far as current Jays are concerned...and why has this happened??...rookies are the big story in baseball it seems, with Strasburg, Harper, (imagine that kid's weekend when he is called up), Lawrie etc...as fans/media we just need to let these kids play...and me thinks next year Chad Mottola will be the batting coach with the big club, as these kids excel in Vegas then hit the "show" and regress it's not coincidence...(Snider.Thames etc), yes pitching is better, scouting, teams pitching to your weakness etc.., but something else is a amiss.....look forward to your Lawrie scoops...

Blogger's note: Kind of looking forward to the story; better than run-of-the-mill game stuff