Who wins the Euros and time spent as a storm chaser

Man, I wish I were on a plane to Lithuania today.

No, not to visit Sonny but to see EuroBasket, which could turn out to be the best basketball tournament ever with so many good teams in such a delightful atmosphere and with so much at stake.

Seriously, I can’t tell you often enough the passion a European championship evokes, there’s nothing to compare it to over here at all. Forget any World Cup of pucks, never mind the small Olympic pucks tourney; I guess the closest you can come is if you remember the World Cup when it was in the States eons ago.

Now, I think it’s ridiculous that they’ve gone to 24 teams and a tournament that’s going to take almost three weeks to complete because there will be some dreadful first round games and it’s almost as much a case of surviving as winning.

But as an event – with only two Olympic berths at stake and just four other spots in that last-chance tournament next summer available --- it will be unrivalled.

Who wins?

Well, that’s the zillion dollar question, isn’t it?

I’ve followed the run-up fairly closely but will fully admit I’m not entirely up-to-date on who’s in top form and it’s impossible, really, to get a read off the exhibition and tournament results of the last few weeks because a lot of teams – make that every team – has a tendency to hold things back until the action begins for real Wednesday.

But from people I’ve spoken to, what I’ve read and what I know of the history of some of these players and teams, I feel fairly confident with these guesses:

Gold: Spain.

They are simply too good and too deep and too experienced.

World championships, Olympics, European championships, EuroLeague experience, NBA history to draw on.

I honestly can’t see them losing.

Of course, that means they will.

Silver: Lithuania.

You cannot discount the impact of being at home in this type of tournament and I cannot explain, lo though I’ve tried, how rabid and supportive the Lithuanian fans are.

Referees, shoddy at times, can be intimidated, even some opponents can be taken aback but how raucous and loud – and well-behaved – those fans are. Oh, and Lithuania’s good, too.

Other qualifiers: France, Serbia, Greece, Slovenia.

There are questions about all of them. Can France score enough? Is Serbia deep enough? Is Greece big enough? Does Slovenia have enough big-game experience?

It’s going to be an absolute dog fight once the quarter-final round comes around the pressure is truly turned up beyond belief. I just have a feeling about those four, but I’m sure you’ve got equally strong feelings about others. Besides, who can pick against a team that Rasho's involved with?

I only wish some TV network over here would give us at least a game of the day but that’s not going to happen. Guess we’ll have to find some time to watch live streaming on tiny screens and get our fill that way.

I have a feeling it’s going to be an incredible ride once the first round is over.

Tomorrow: FIBA Americas.

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Well, if those weren’t the two worst baseball games I’ve seen back-to-back since the 2-14 Mighty Yankees of 2010, I don’t know what were.

Dreadful. Long. Boring. Uneventful.

Glad I don’t have to see ‘em again until Thursday in New York.

Guy I feel the worst for?

Wil Ledezma.

Because the bullpen’s worn out because the starters have been bad, they had to leave him hanging out there for six runs, five hits and three walks in what might be the worst major league inning I’ve ever seen pitched.

And they designated him for assignment, perhaps ending his major league career.

Tough day at the office.

Now, I know they didn’t want to leave him out there to suffer like that, and I’d imagine there were thoughts of designating him regardless of how that inning turned out but it was still tough to see him suffer through it.

Worst thing?

We walk into the clubhouse after the Faux Manager does his bit and who’s the only guy sitting at his locker?

Wil Ledezma.

Talk about your Dead Man Sitting.

Now, we didn’t approach him, there was no reason to interrupt his thoughts.

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So we’ve got Irene in the news and I’m wondering if you’ve ever heard the one about the hurricane and I?

Had to be 2000, maybe 2001, and I’m dispatched by The Tall Foreheads to Daytona Beach to talk to this young basketballer that was all the rage back then. Not sure if HWSNBN was having a charity game or a golf tournament or whatever but we were going.

So was a big storm, as it turns out.

I get there about a day before it’s supposed to hit – I guess they didn’t have the same quality of forecasts back then – and with the winds howling and rain coming any second they decide to cancel the event and the Carter clan moves over to Orlando or somewhere else inland.

And, like a dope, I stay.

End up interviewing a bunch of people buying all the plywood – for windows – and masking tape – for smaller upper windows because if you tape them diagonally it helps keep them together – at some Home Depot for a nice little story.

And then, like even more of a dope, I decide that it’d be cool to meet up with our photographer anyway and chase the storm, which has now taken a more northern track.

We drive up north and turn right and somehow find our way to – I believe – Myrtle Beach, where the full impact is supposed to be felt.

I tell you, we’re driving in the dark in sideways rain with winds that could topple giant trees and I’m seriously considering a career change.

We get to Myrtle Beach, do the requisite “storm is coming” story and pictures and bunk in with a bunch other photogs. We’re on about the fourth floor of this hotel and, I swear, rain is coming in the window like we were standing out in it and I’m thinking the wind’s going to knock the whole place down.

Storm subsides, we drive over to Charlotte, I guess, the next day, catch a flight home and immediately tell the boss that the next time we want the Vince At Home yarn, someone else can do it.

-

Ron Artest might be on DWTS next season?

That’s got crazy good written all over it.

-

Speaking of hurricanes …

You know I had to do that, right?

Dylan’s classic.

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Tunisia?

Yep, Tunisia.

In what has to be one of the more unexpected results of the international basketball season, Tunisia won the African championship and joins the United States (world champs) and Great Britain (hosts) as the three teams in the men’s 2012 Olympic tournament today.

Tunisia beat Angola – which had won every AfroBasket title since 1997 – and will play at the Olympics for the first time.

Kinda cool; never covered a Canada-Tunisia event, hope I get a chance to.

-

Hey!

How could you people not have reminded me the MVA thing was on last night!

Really.

That kind of relative freak show is something no self-respecting 50-something should miss, just for mocking reasons alone.

Seriously.

How much fun could a fellow have with this?

Oh, and I went to bed not knowing Beyonce is with child?

I tell you, you folks have to be better.

Or I have to be more hip, if that’s still a word.

-

All right, off to the Falls and real life, will get to comments when I can, hope the Mick and Angelo's borrowed wireless from the hotel next door is working.

 

 

Comments

[doug]

you can have all your Beyonce's, Lady Gaga's you want...this was and is the real talent that was at the MVA's last night...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyP_Gsp5mI

[Adam Noack]

So if Canada's SMNT wins a 1/4 final, they at least have a shot at the last ditch effort qualifier next summer?

Will Bonner's citizenship be ready by then?

Blogger's note: All indications are yes

[Greg]

Saw the "win lunch with Doug Ford" contest and got excited for a minute. Then I realized that I'd misread it. At first glance I thought it was "win lunch with Doug Smith" - a much more agreeable sort of prize. Keep up the great work Doug!

[Lorie]

So, if you missed the MVA's you were spared witnessing a number of unfortunate things (and @doug, you're correct: Adele's truly great) one of which was the debut (at least to the vast public) of Lady Gaga's male alter ego. Now, I've got no issue with alter egos of ANY description. But she named 'him' Calderone, and not just Calderone but Jo Calderone. Yikes! And God help me, but as I looked at this Gaga-As-Calderone creation I started to see a Raptor uniform. And it was number 8. Jose!!! Am I missing basketball or just staying up too late watching stuff I shouldn't be watching? (Even if that mockery potential is off the charts.) At least Gaga can't spell...(Ha! Calderone with an "e" is a shoe as you've all been informed here.) Maybe that explains why she didn't pick a name that's even trickier to spell. Like "Bargnani". Ciao!

[doug]

@Lori here is a performance of Adele's from the Letterman show if you haven't seen it..I think it is one well I know it is one of the best live performances I have ever seen...talk about having a crowd being captivated, look at that crowd not a soul is even breathing...and this is a Letterman crowd not a crowd of her "fans' she is a incredible talent, that's all i can say about that....then look at the second clip of outtakes from her on talk shows, what a laugh and pleasant, down to earth talent....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm5ClbbK_EE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxAzvLY66qE&feature=related

[Lorie]

@doug: Thanks for the links; that performance on Letterman is one of her very best ever. There are differences, but the late (she died too, too young of cancer) Eva Cassidy is a singer whose voice I find as moving as I do Adele's. Here's a sample: Eva's interpretation "Autumn Leaves".
http://youtu.be/XSXYu-3r1S8

[Mike kovacs]

Funny in my line of work MVA means 'motor vehicle accident'!

[Mike D.]

@Greg, my speed-read-and-double-take of that contest description was exactly the same as yours.

[doug]

@Lori...thanks for the link and I listened to a few of her videos she had a extraordinary voice, very soulful and emotional....but I always have preferred singers that sing their own material, such as Adele does and at 21 years of age pretty impressive...i always remember a line from "No Direction home", the Bob Dylan documentary done by Scorcese where Dylan in reply to the folk crowd who were upset at him going electric said "at least I sing my own songs"...I thought it was a brilliant line then and believe in it now...that is not to take anything away from Cassidy as she had a wonderful voice, and it's to bad she was taken at such a young age...

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I've been away and may be coming late to this, but have you seen Bosh's new tattoo on his back? I know a bit about tattoos and I can tell you the one he's got is crappity-crap-crap awful.

AG, Toronto

Blogger's note: Ugly, with a capital U-G-L-Y

[Casey]

Doug, any thoughts on the Bolt false start over the weekend? I always enjoy your point of view on all things sports.

Blogger's note: Silly rule but, like my colleague Randy Starkman, not sure what the best one is. I do think that if they changed stuff originally for TV they're nuts

[M]

What are you all talking about?

Blogger's note: Apparently nothing you can comprehend

[JT's Hoopsblog]

After watching that VMA, I finally saw how out of touch I was with today's pop culture. And I have been watching them since the 1990s.