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WEEKEND NOTES

June 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I normally don’t watch soccer, but when I learned Team USA would be playing Mexico in the Gold Cup final at the Rose Bowl, I made it a point to tune in….

Throughout my life, the two teams I’ve despised have been the Raiders and Dodgers, but in the past few years they’ve been replaced by the Mexican National soccer team; whose fans have been neanderthal, classless, barbaric and disgraceful….

A few years ago, during a game against Team USA, Mexican fans burned American flags, spat and stomped on Old Glory and threw batteries, blood and urine on the American players….

If that wasn’t bad enough, they also chanted “Osama! Osama! Osama!” during the game; in honor of their hero….

The liberal, politically correct American press did their best to cover up the story by refusing to print the facts; but thank God for the new media. Without them, we never would have learned about the Mexican fans deplorable behavior….

But this was not a one-time deal, because the Mexican fans always behave this way against Team USA, especially when the games are in Mexico….

With all this in mind, I sat down in fron of the set on Saturday; American flag in hand….

Sure enough, as our national anthem played, there was booing, air horns blowing and people loudly bouncing beach balls. I didn’t see any flags burning or hear “Osama!” chants, but the Mexican fans disrespect for our National Anthem was, as always, disgraceful….

Once the game began, we jumped out to a 2-0 lead and it looked for all the world like we were going to embarrass them. But Mexico scored twice `before the half and the game was tied at the intermission….

In the second half, Mexico controlled the action, scored twice more and wound up with a well-earned 4-2 victory….

Team Mexico made all the plays, outplayed Team USA and deserved to win….

The Rose Bowl attendance was 95,000 and it was supposedly a home game for us, but you couldn’t tell by the crowd….

Of the 95,000, at least 90,000 of them were wearing green and cheering for Mexico. Nothing wrong with that and I have no issue with people buying a ticket and supporting their team….

As long as they respect our flag, our anthem and our laws, they’re free to cheer for their team….

Since nobody in America cares about soccer, there would have been less than 10,000 people in attendance had the promoters relied on American fans….

So it’s actually great for the sport to get sell-out crowds in 100,000 seat stadiums….

Just don’t burn our flag, throw piss bombs, boo our national anthem or chant the name of a man who was responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 Americans….

After the game, the Gold Cup ceremony was conducted in Spanish; which grealty offended Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard. After watching the ceremony, Howard called the Spanish post-game ceremony a “disgrace” and said “If we would have won this tournament in Mexico, they damn sure wouldn’t conduct the ceremony in English….

He’s 100% correct and, as the home country of the Gold Cup, the ceremony should have been conducted in English….

After the game I was watching the news and couldn’t believe what I was seeing; Mexican people taking to the streets all over Los Angeles to celebrate. They danced, blew horns and chanted “Mexico! Mexico!” over and over again….

There were tens of thousands participating and almost all of them were waving Mexican flags or wearing green….

It looked like a third-world country in the streets of L.A…..

Again, nobody in the United States gives a damn about soccer and there’s nothing wrong with people having a good time; as long as they obey the law and respect authority….

And for the most part, it seemed the celebrants weren’t causing too much trouble….

I guess it’s simply a reality of Los Angeles in 2011 and if anyone is offended, they’re wasting their energy….

Unless there’s major illegal immigration crack-downs and a closure of out southern border, this is the way it’s going to be….

Let’s just hope the fans of Team Mexico stop behaving so poorly; so we can have an intense, hard fought, respectful rivalry….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

The View From The Beach

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Monday morning sports radio and television was agog with Rory-Mania, all hailing the smiling Irish phenom who just swamped the field in the U/S. Open, winning by 8 strokes with a record score of 16 under par.

“All hail the new king, the old king is dead” seemed to be the prevailing attitude, as golf, dying a fast death in ratings and attendance without the one and only Tiger Woods missing in action, couldn’t wait to proclaim the beginning of a new era.

Except that the ratings dropped from last year’s U.S. Open, when, curiously, a guy named Tiger Woods fought his way back into contention and stirred the old television meter.

Golfing purists will always watch the sport, whether it’s a major or The Doral open, because they enjoy the sport. But the fringe fan, the one who would check in to see how Tiger was doing, is disinterested.

Golf is a “sport”, okay GAME, dominated by rich white guys straight out of the frat house. Tiger Woods went to Stanford and by all accounts a middle class kid, but he not only had game, but he’s black, and that made it cool for inner city kids to like the game. Now Tiger might be the whitest black guy in the world, hell his favorite group was Hootie and The Blowfish—really—and if you closed your eyes and heard him speak he sounded like the geekiest Caucasian in your high school class, but on the screen, his complexion gave him a connection to all minorities.

I’ve been a golfer for a long time, but after Tiger Mania hit, suddenly getting tee times was a pain in the rear. I remember hearing people look at the influx of new, um, darker, people on the driving range and the links and knowing what they were thinking—”Eff Tiger Woods! He’s ruining our game!”

Now McIlroy, who has a dynamic game and engaging personality and talks a little smack, looks poised to become The Next Big Thing.

But honestly, all I see is a newer version of Coca Cola, packaged different but the same old same old.

And when somebody calls me on a Monday morning and says, “Did you see Rory yesterday?”, I’ll say what I said this morning—”No, because I didn’t care”.

Tiger Woods may indeed be a pompous, arrogant insincere womanizer that has let down the golf community, but damn if he didn’t defy the old “no one is bigger than the game” tag.

Like Wayne Gretzky, who made you care about hockey because of his once in a lifetime brilliance, Tiger, because of his unbelievable talent and being a minority, was and is bigger than golf. He didn’t just intrigue the longtime fan, he brought a whole new audience with him.

As great as Rory McIlroy could be, all he’s bringing to the party are, excuse the stereotype, drunk, loud Irishmen. And dave Smith says he’s not a fan? Bull bleep…

Other views..

I watched the newest Mexican sensation, Saul Alvarez, over the weekend, and with his attacking style, he’s the new Mexican favorite. I don’t know, his red hear makes him stand out the great old action fighter, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, and he’s just as easy to hit. He will be exposed by a slick boxer and knocked cold by a hard hitter with his chin propped up as it is. It seems only natural that the promoter should be in a rush to put him and Julio Cesar Chavez in the ring together. That fight would match two boxers with almost the same ability, lots of charisma, and huge followings. It would be a mega million dollar fight in Mexico. I’d hurry up and match them before they both run out of European set ups to beat up on…

How bad is Southern California baseball? As of this writing, the Dodgers are 8 games under .500, the Angels 3 games under, and the Padres are, well, back to being the Padres. The Dodgers have no management to help them, and have matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and a bunch of crap.

Arte “I’ll do anything to make this a contender” Moreno has just said he’s not spending any more money, and the team celebrates when they actually score a run.

One thing I will give the Dodgers credit for is having objective reporting. The other day Steve Lyons absolutely ripped the effort, and said the team keeps saying “we will make up ground against the weaker teams, but when they will realize that THEY are among the weaker teams?”

Meanwhile, in Arte Land, they continue to relive 2002, and believe they can actually contend with one of the best and deepest teams in baseball, the Texas Rangers. Let’s see, their 3 and 4 hitters are 37 and 35 years old, and their highest paid player just had a hot streak that got him to .200. They “lead” the league in runners left on base and striking out. Their bullpen is horrible. Yes, that is one championship caliber team. But at least they have a fan friendly environment…

Filed Under: Jon Castro Tagged With: , ,

WEEKEND NOTES

June 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The latest Lakers trade rumor of Pau Gasol for Kevin Love and the T-Wolves #2 pick in the draft has me thinking….

Hmmm….

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal; getting an young All-Star and best rebounder in the game, plus a high lottery pick….

And with Pau over 30 and coming off a miserable post-season, the time might be right….

But when I look at this deal closely, a few red flags surface: 1) Love is closer to 6’7″ than his listed 6″10″ and to say he’s a defensive liability is a gross understatement. Sure, he plays hard, has an excellent nose for the ball and finds ways to score; but he has all kinds of difficulty guarding the big PF’s in the West and that’s not going to change once he’s here 2) On paper, that #2 pick looks great, but by all accounts this is a weak draft and the Lakers are unlikely to acquire a player who’s going to make an immediate impact; which is what I want if I’m going ot trade a 7’1″ All-Star forward….

So my answer is no, because it doesn’t address the team’s biggest weakness; a glaring lack of defense, quickness and foot speed in the backcourt….

Now if the Lakers could talk New Orleans into giving up Chris Paul for Gasol, we might have something….

But the deal I like best is still Lamar Odom for Monta Ellis; because this keeps the Twin Towers of Gasol and Andrew Bynum together and addresses the lack of athleticism and defense in the backcourt….

True, you lose size and bench strength without Lamar, but Ellis is such a great talent and dynamic scorer that I think I’d pull the trigger….

Nothing against Rory McIlroy, who put together four incredible rounds of golf and is a great young talent; but without Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open field it just wasn;t the same….

I tried to watch on Saturday and Sunday, but had such little interest I lasted about 10 minutes….

For years, the only time I’d watch golf was if Tiger was in the hunt on Sunday; if he was out of contention I’d find something else to do….

Now that he’s gone, I have about as much interest in golf as American Idol….

Again, this isn’t a shot at McIlroy, who is young, talented and seems to have a great personality. And who knows, if the kid continues to play this well and begins winning majors consistently maybe I’ll become a fan….

But in the present I’ve lost all interest in golf….

I’m watching 30 for 30 on ESPN Classic and the film is called “June 17, 1994.”

It’s about what was going on the day the cops chased O.J. in his white Ford Bronco and the film maker has done a brilliant job bringing back all the memories….

The film is centered on O.J., of course, but also switches back-and-forth from the New York Rangers championship parade, Arnold Palmer’s final U.S. Open appearance, the Knicks-Rockets NBA Finals game and Ken Griffey, Jr. playing for the Mariners ….

I’d forgotten how gripping and emotional this day was and for the first time I’m hearing the actual tapes of O.J. and Al Cowlings speaking with the police while the chase was happening….

The director also has great shots of people lining the freeway and then actually running after O.J.’s car after he exited Sunset Blvd. and headed toward his Brentwood home….

Literally hundreds of people are running directly behind the car and stay with it all the way to Simpson’s driveway….

It’s fascinating stuff and some of it I’d never seen before….

After the car pulls into the driveway, Simpson’s son Jason comes out of the house, approaches and begins screaming and fighting with Cowlings….

The only thing missing were the Howard Stern fans making phony phone calls….

Mixed in with all this were shots of Bob Costas, at the Knicks-Rockets game, getting ready to go on the air. All of his off camera conversation is captured and you can see how worried he, Tom Brokaw and everyone at NBC are about handling this situation the right way….

Remember, O.J. was a long-time NBC employee and a close friend of Costas; which makes Bob’s apprehension riveting….

The whole thing is fantastic, as are all of the 30 for 30 films I’ve seen….

Kudos to ESPN for this series, because every single film has been tremendous….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

IT’S A TOUGH SEASON, BUT DODGERS NEED TO STICK TO THEIR GUNS

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I was a kid, my dad used to get Dodgers tickets through his work and we spent many summer evenings at the ballpark….

And as a couple of Dodger-haters, nothing made us happier than driving home and discussing them losing….

But despite our disdain for the team, one thing was undeniable: The setting was beautiful, the ballpark was immaculately clean and the atmosphere was safe and fan friendly….

Which makes what’s going on this season surreal….

I’ve been to two games this year and been astonished at how this franchise has fallen off the earth….

A few months ago I took a friend and her young son to their first baseball game, expecting to see a large, Saturday night crowd. Instead, the place was empty and there weren’t 10,000 fans in attendance….

My friends live in Australia and asked why the Dodgers had such a big stadium when nobody goes to the games….

“We get more than this for a friendly cricket match,” said the mom….

A week or so ago, I went to another game and when the crowd was announced at 30,000, I broke out laughing….

Once again, there weren’t 10,000 people there….

The excuse people are making is the McCourts personal troubles and the team’s poor performance, but that is politically correct rubbish. The attendance was fine during the McCourt years, so that explanation is bulls***….

The reason for the drop in attendance is a result of Raider Nation’s savage beating of Giants’ fan Bryan Stow; the aftermath of which resulted in a huge police presence at the ballpark….

Over the past 10-15 years, the Radier Nation thugs have taken over Dodger Stadium, resulting in long-term fans refusing to attend games….

But this didn’t hurt attendance, because the ex-cons and gang bangers replaced the civilized former fans….

Of course the Dodgers and Major League Baseball should have cracked down and instituted a zero-tolerance policy on these sub-humans, but ticket sales and, more importantly, beer sales dictated the organization turn a blind eye….

The result was a nightly display of cursing, deplorable treatment of women, beatings, threats and obsenity-laced taunts from these drunken hoodlums….

The stadium was hijacked by Raider Nation, with nary a protest from Dodger management….

So, 15 years too late, management was pressured into finally doing something about the violence after the Stow incident. The McCourts and the organization would have preferred to sweep the thing under the rug and conduct business as usual; evidenced by McCourts silence on the matter as the Giants did the right thing and paid the medical bills of Stow….

Finally, after enormous criticism, the Dodgers announced a fund for Stow and an increased police presence at the ballpark….

And, with the increased use of L.A.P.D, the Raider Nation neanderthals stayed away in droves; fearing getting busted on a parole violation for consorting with known felons….

Yes, this is going to be a horrible season for the Dodgers; because the attendance is embarrassing, the team is awful and the McCourts have to scramble to make payroll….

But in the long run, if the organization sticks to their guns and makes the zero-tolerance policy permanent, this season will all be worth it….

The Dodgers will be sold, the team will improve and the long-term, law abiding fans will return if they’re convinced Raider Nation has been exterminated….

But if the team caves in to political pressure and charges of profiling, the gang bangers will slowly return as the police presence declines….

And the beatings, violence and abhorrent behavior will be back….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With:

NOTES ON A SCORECARD

June 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In Bill Plaschke’s column yesterday, he urged the Lakers to try and make a deal for Dwight Howard; offering up Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom….

If I’m Mitch Kupchak there’s no way I make the trade, for two reasons: 1) Giving up both Andrew and Lamar makes the Lakers woefully thin on the bench; and the bench wasn’t any good with Odom. 2) The proposed deal also doesn’t address the team’s primary weakness; a lack of quickness and speed in the backcourt.

So even with Howard, the Lakers are still have Derek Fisher starting, with Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, Luke Walton and Co. comprising the second unit….

I know Howard is a monster, but that team doesn’t win the championship and probably doesn’t get out of the second round….

Another reason I don’t like the deal is I’m a big fan of Bynum and feel he can become an All-Star now that he’s free of the triangle….

Andrew has excellent hands, good feet, a soft shooting touch and nearly unstoppable when he gets the ball in the post. The problem is Bynum is always getting the ball 20 feet from the basket….

Now that the triangle has been junked, hopefully the Lakers will bring in a quality point guard, run lots of pick-and-roll and keep Andrew down low….

So the Howard for Bynum and Odom deal is officially vetoed….

But there is a potential deal which intrigues me; Odom for Monta Ellis….

Ellis is 25, lightning quick, a great scorer and a major upgrade over Fisher….

The question is whether he can play point guard, which he really hasn’t had to do at Golden State….

There’s no doubt Monta has PG skills and can play the position effectively; because he’s incredibly quick, handles the ball like it’s on a string and nearly impossible to stay with one-on-one….

The question is whether Ellis has a PG mentality. He has all the necessary skills, but can he transform himself from a great scorer into a top-flight lead guard?….

With the right coach yes….

Despite my misgivings about Mike Brown, I still make this deal….

It keeps the Twin Towers of Bynum and Pau Gasol together, replaces Fisher with one of the NBA’s best players and markedly improves the backcourt defense….

It also makes the bench weaker, because you’re replacing Odom with Fisher….

But if you make a couple of good free agent signings and maybe talk an elite player into accepting the mid-level, this could work….

I’m not much of a hockey fan and didn’t watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but the scene in Vancouver is being broadcast all over the world….

No, it’s not the fans celebrating a World Championship, but people taking to the streets burning cars, looting and fighting….

Evidently the good people of Vancouver aren’t happy about losing Game 7 at home and decided to start a riot….

Vancouver might be the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen and it’s a shame to see their citizens behaving this way….

Watching ESPN, it appears the Canucks went out like LeBron James and put up almost no effort in losing 4-0….

It’s understandable the fans would be upset over such a poor effort, but why destroy the property of people who had nothing with the loss?….

It makes no sense and hopefully the police will take a zero tolerance policy and issue stiff prison sentences for all the thugs….

It’s too bad, because it was a rare opportunity for fans to watch hockey in prime time on a major network. The game was aired at 5PM PDT on NBC, followed by wall-to-wall coverage on ESPN….

That’s a tremendous opportunity for a sport with such little interest and miniscule ratings….

It will be fascinating to see the numbers tomorrow, since hockey was given a great time slot on a major network….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , ,

NBA FINALS NOTES

June 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After watching the Mavericks close out the Heat with a 105-95 win in Game Six of the NBA Finals, a few things came to mind: 1) I owe Dirk Nowitzki an apology 2) LeBron James isn’t mentally tough enough to win a championship 3) Pat Riley needs to fire Erik Spoelstra immediately and take over as Miami’s coach 4) Miami has the worst fans in all of professional sports….

I’ve been a harsh critic of Dirk’s over the years and said before this year’s playoffs than no team with Nowitzki as their best player could win a championship….

I’ve always believed he was soft, but in the 2011 post-season Dirk put on a legendary performance, taking his team on his back and winning a championship….

He hit clutch shots, got to the rim, finished plays to win games and proved me wrong….

So Dirk, I officially apologize and congratulate you on a great performance and accomplishment….

As for LeBron, I was disappointed in both his play and explanation for disappearing….

In the post-game press conference, James was asked about his struggles and credited the Mavericks defense for getting him out of his game….

Bulls***….

King James settled for jump shots against the likes of Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, didn’t post up, didn’t go to the rim and deferred to Dwyane Wade far too often….

Hell, LeBron deferred to Udonis Haslem and Eddie House….

Despite his incredible gifts, LeBron lacks the toughness, killer instinct and will to win of Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and Michael Jordan….

He needs to grab the ball, wave off his teammates and attack, attack, attack. If his team loses, so be it, but it’s better than running from the spotlight when games are on the line….

Nobody has been a harsher critic of Pat “Benedict” Riley than me, because in my opinion he’s an egomaniacal, lying, backstabbing weasel who stole Stan Van Gundy’s job….

Riley also runs and hides when the going gets tough, evidenced by his quitting on his team three times since he took over as coach….

Yes, he’s a low life and a phony, but he’s also a hell of a coach and the Heat win this series with him on the sideline….

There’s no way the Heat fold up and give away two games with Benedict coaching, because he drives his team and demands maximum effort….

There’s also no way Riley would have sat on the bench with his thumb up his ass and not made a single adjustment in the NBA Finals….

This team needs an a**hole to lead them and there’s no one better qualified than Pat “Benedict” Riley. It’s time to break out the whip and drive these prima donnas to maximize their potential….

It was amazing to watch Spoelstra sit there with a cluless look on his face as the Mavs did pretty much whatever they wanted….

He should have put LeBron on Dirk whenever Nowitzki got hot or was in a position to win a game. Haslem and Chris Bosh had no chance against him, but James’ athleticism, quickness and strength would have bothered Dirk….

Instead, Spoelstra had the best seat in the house for the Dirk Show….

No adjustments and no coaching….

Question: Has Spoelstra ever seen a zone defense? I know he’s been coaching a long time and has a reputation for breaking down film, so why was his team so clueless whenever Dallas went zone?….

No adjustments and no coaching….

Offensively, the Heat are consistent in one thing: They don’t run an offense….

Unless you call Wade or LeBron dribbling at the top of the key with the shot clock running down, while their teammates stand and watch, as running an offense….

It would have been nice to run some motion and get Wade or James the ball coming off screens; because that would given the Mavs a new look, made them move their feet and work….

No adjustments, no coaching….

If I’m Pat Riley, Spoelstra is on the unemployment line tomorrow morning….

Miami has always had a reputation as a lousy sports town, but this year’s finals puts them solidly in first place, with no contenders on the horizon….

In Game One, seats were available at game time, an unheard of situation in the NBA Fianls….

Last night, in a close out situation, the Heat fans sat on their hands while hundreds of Dallas fans drowned them out….

During the game I took a bathroom break and turned up the sound so I could hear the play-by-play. Since I couldn’t see the screen, it was difficult to tell which team had scored, because the small group of Mavs fans were making more noise than the thousands of Heat fans….

It was really embarrassing and the Miami fans should be ashamed of themselves….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

NBA FINALS NOTES

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After the Heat lost Game 5 to the Mavs, 112-103, I started to think about what life is going to be like for LeBron James if he loses this series….

Because if thinks he’s being heavily criticized now, wait until you see the vitriole if his team gets closed out on their home court….

My suggestion to LeBron is the following: Step up, demand the ball, go to the rim, defend as if it’s your final NBA game and will your team to wins in Games 6 and 7….

Anything less will result in a firestorm you might never escape….

Sure, LeBron has taken some criticism in the past for post-season failures, but in truth was never on a good enough team to win….

He got to the finals in 2007, but the Spurs were simply a better team….

The last couple of years the Cavs were very good, but not good enough….

This year, however, Miami is the better team and a loss will result in fingers pointed directly at the self-proclaimed media mogul….

And with King James disappearing act in Game 4 and the fourth quarter of Game 5, he’ll deserve it….

Yes, LeBron had a triple-double last night, but it was probably the softest, most ineffective one I’ve ever seen. And with his performance in the fourth quarter, his triple-double meant nothing….

It’s time for the King to take the attitude that it’s his team and he’s going to be the leader. No deferring, no passing up shots and no disappearing….

Attack, attack, attack and let the chips fall where they may….

On the other hand, Dirk Nowitzki is on the verge of forever erasing the soft label that has followed him for years. And with his tremenous play this series, some would say he’s already shaken that label….

But not me….

No doubt, Dirk has proven me wrong thus far and played brilliantly; but he’s not to the finish line yet. If Nowitzki plays poorly and Dallas loses the series, the soft, never-won-anything tag will remain….

But if the Mavs close them out, I will admit defeat, apologize to Dirk and eat a healthy serving of crow and humble pie….

Dwyane Wade was very close to getting a Man Card Violation last night, when he hobbled off the court and missed half the third quarter with a contusion; which is a fancy way of saying a bruise….

When I saw this, my mind drifted back to a few years ago; when Wade injured his shoulder and wound up being taken off the court in a wheelchair; crying like a baby….

By the way, I still don’t understood why a guy with an injured shoulder needed a wheelchair….

I know a seerated shoulder is very painful; but he should have insisted on walking back to the locker room instead of taking a wheelchair….

And sitting out half a quarter with a bruised leg in Game 5 of the finals furthered my suspicions about him….

It’s hard to believe the trainers couldn’t get Wade ready during halftime, but when the third quarter began Dwyane remained in the locker room, with his team down 60-57….

Twenty minutes in the locker room and a bruise keeps Wade off the floor for the second half tip-off?….

Finally, with 4:33 remaining, Wade re-entered the game with the Heat trailing 75-71….

Sure, his team only lost a point while he was out; but had he began the quarter and played well, Miami could have been up by 10….

Dwyane Wade is an NBA champion and one of the greatest players in NBA history, but am I the only one who finds his abscence in the third quarter puzzling?….

Can you imagine Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant staying in the locker room, in the most important game of the season, with a bruise?….

Just asking….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

NBA FINALS NOTES

June 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt LeBron James disappeared last night and deserving of criticism in the Heat’s 86-83 loss to the Mavericks. Chris Bosh also went AWOL after halftime and also deserves to get ripped….

But the guy most responsible, Erik Spoelstra, somehow escapes criticism from the press….

I’ve been watching playoff basketball for a long time, but I think Spoelstra’s coaching in this series is the worst I’ve ever seen….

Yet hours after the game I haven’t found one single word of criticism in any media outlet….

Not one….

After the game, when asked to explain LeBron’s disappearance and his team’s 4th quarter collapse, Spoelstra responded “We’ll have to take a look at the film and make adjustments.”….

Say what?….

After Spoelstra spewed this nonsense, I anxiously waited for the obvious follow-up questions:

-Why in the hell didn’t you make any in-game adjustments, since waiting to “watch the film” is too late?

- Since Dirk Nowitzki keeps making uncontested lay-ups in the final seconds with Udonis Haslem guarding him, why wasn’t LeBron assigned to Dirk during the 4th quarter?

-Why is it that your offense consists of everyone standing around while LeBron or Dwyane Wade go one-on-one?

-Why did your team come out of two late game time outs and shoot rushed, ill-advised three-pointers?

-After watching your team blow a 15 point, 4th quarter lead in Game 2 because they fired up long range shots, why didn’t you insist your players attack the rim, get to the free throw line and close them out?

-After watching your team blow a 15 point, fourth quarter lead in Game 2 because you had Haslem and Chris Bosh guarding Dirk, why didn’t you make an adjustment and put LeBron on him?

I could go on and on, but those are the queations those lame reporters should have been asking….

I said a few games ago that if I’m Pat Riley, Spoelstra’s job is on the line. The Heat clearly have the better team, so the coach should take the pipe if they lose….

As you all know, I’m not a fan of Riley. But I’ve never questioned his coaching ability and if he were on the sideline the Heat would have swept and they’d be planning a parade in Miami….

Riley never would have tolerated this disorganized offense and defensive mistakes on Nowitzki; because he would have made in-game adjustments….

I can’t imagine a Riley team giving away two games where he had huge, 4th quarter leads….

So now, instead of celebrating a sweep over an inferior team, the Heat are in the fight of their lives and in danger of actually losing the series….

And if that happens, Spoelstra should be hitting the unemployment line….

My prediction still stands, though: Heat in 6….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

NOTES ON A SCORECARD

June 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After the NCAA declared USC was going to be stripped of their 2004 National Championship, my reaction was the following: So what?….

We all know who won the National Championship and we all know who was the best team; so if the NCAA wants to make a sanctimonious, hypocritical ruling seven years after the fact, more power to them….

I’ll just ignore it….

If the NCAA launched an investigastion into any Division I program, they’d find the same or much worse. Every program is paying players, fixing grades, admitting students who shouldn’t be in college and covering up indescretions, so I couldn’t care less what happened at USC….

One problem is the Pac-10 has a weak, impotent, gutless Commissioner, while the Big-10 and SEC have Commissioners who are BCS power players with tremendous influence….

This is why the Pac-10 gets continually screwed while the Big 10 and SEC get slaps on the wrist or no penalties at all….

So excuse me if I don’t give a s*** what the NCAA says about USC, because those hypocrites are far worse….

Fight on….

Suprised to see Dirk Nowitzki say that teammate Jason Terry “hasn’t been clutch” in the the NBA Finals….

Normally I’d say it was a bad idea to call out a teammate, but in this case I’ll make an exception….

Throughout his career, Dirk has been criticized for being soft, timid and lacking heart. But finally, in the 2011 post-season, Nowitzki has stepped up and become a leader….

So if a teammate isn’t performing up to expectastions, a leader is going to call him out….

That’s what Larry Bird, Rick Barry, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan would do….

Congratulations to Julio Chavez Jr. for winning the Middleweight Championship on Saturday night, but he’s lucky to be fighting in this era….

Because if the kid were fighting 25 years ago he’d be lucky to be a sparring partner….

Back then, the division boasted Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and several others who would have disposed of Chavez Jr. in quick fashion….

Not only would Chavez Jr. not made the Top-10, he would have been an “opponent” and $300-a-week sparring partner….

The kid has a lot of heart, but doesn’t move his head, gets hit too much and was lucky to win against some stiff named Sebastian Zbik….

Can you imagine what Hearns would have done to Chavez Jr? My God, with the kid standing there with his chin exposed, Hearns would have teed off and possibly decapitated him in about one minute….

Same with Leonard, who would have landed combinations at will and gotten Chavez Jr. out of there in one round….

Young Chavez might have survived more than a round against Duran and Hagler, but would have taken such a savage beating that he would have been forced to retire…

Wow, boxing isn’t what it used to be….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , , , ,

WEEKEND NOTES

June 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Question: Whenever I see an explanation of how to score a professional fight, it’s always the same: “Effective agression and who lands the harder, cleaner blows.”….

So why don’t today’s judges abide by the rules?….

A good example was Saturday night’s fight between Glen Johnson and Carl Froch, which I had Johnson winning 115-113….

While Froch moved away and hit Glen on the arms and gloves all night, the Road Warrior must have landed 30 straight right leads right on Froch’s jaw; several of which hurt him….

But in the end it was Froch winning a majority decision; with only the Japanese judge, who scored it a draw, actually paying attention….

Every time I watch a fight these days, the announcers are screaming about a guy winning a fight because he’s “busy.” On and on they go, about their house fighter “outworking” his opponent….

This, of course, is complete bulls***….

It doesn’t matter how busy you are, how many punches you throw or how much you’re working. If everything you throw lands on your opponents gloves, arms or shoulders, you get no points and lose the round….

If a fighter throws 100 punches and lands 10 slaps as he’s backing up, it doesn’t equal one straight right hand on the button….

This is why HBO and the rest need to get rid of the Punchstat nonsense and explain to the viewers how the scoring process is actually supposed to work….

If you do nothing for three minutes, but land a good shot to the jaw which stings your opponent, you win the round….

At least that’s how it’s supposed to be….

It all changed was April 6, 1987, when for the first time a fighter who ran, slapped and missed 99% of his punches was awarded a decision against a guy who forced the action, showed effective aggression and landed all of the harder, cleaner blows….

Of course I’m talking about the Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler fight, which in my opinion is one of the great robberies of all time….

If you’ll recall, Leonard spent the majority of the night running, stopping to punch only when there were 30 seconds left in the round. And when he did punch,. they hit Hagler on the gloves, arms or shoulders; with almost none of them finding Marvin’s chin….

Meanwhile, after a slow start, Hagler dominated the fight and won every round from 6-12. He walked Ray down, worked the body, landed hard shots and completely controlled the fight….

But in the end, two of the judges were tricked by Leonard’s theatrics and influenced by the crowd….

Somehow Ray won a unanimous decision; winning one card by the ridiculous score of 117-111….

That judge, Jo Jo Guerra, should never have been allowed to work again….

I felt so bad for Hagler; who came up the hard way, defied the boxing establishment and became a World Champion in spite of them….

He never got a fair shake with the judges, especially in Las Vegas, but that night at Caesar’s Palace was criminal….

Ever since that fateful April night 24 years ago, boxers have been rewarded for doing the same thing; running, slapping and missing punches….

Meanwhile, old school fighters who slip, counter, land the harder shots and make their opponents miss routinely get screwed….

With Bernard Hopkins leading the way….

It used to be that making your opponent miss, countering and giving them a boxing lesson was enough to win….

No more, because now it’s about being “busy,” no matter if you never lay a glove on your opponent….

If the authorities want to change the rules and score fights like amateur boxing, please least let us know. Then we can score fights accordingly and reward the runners, slappers and “busy” fighters….

But if you’re going to continually tell us professional fights are scored on effective aggression and landing the harder, cleaner punches, then let’s get back to scoring them that way….

Filed Under: Dave Smith Tagged With: , ,
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