Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Because We're in the Sports Doldrums

U.S.A vs. Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals at 2:30 today. Who you got?


Posted by rob at 10:26 AM

70 comments:

Dennis said...

What's the Confederations cup?

10:44 AM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

I got the one on the left.

10:46 AM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

The girl on the left or the boob on the left?

10:58 AM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

teejay, what did you do to the links?

11:00 AM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

What are you smoking man?

11:05 AM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

where do we think eric maynor goes tomorrow?

11:06 AM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

i dunno. weird stuff was happening to the links. i blame blogger. again.

11:09 AM, June 24, 2009
Dennis said...

Maynor looked terrrrible in the Wiz workouts I caught on NBATV a few days ago...Johnny Flynn on the other hand is sickening in any sort of ball handling drill. Ty Lawson also looked surprisingly weak...

This all of course means absolutely nothing. But, I do believe that NBA "combines" have more merit than the NFL combines simply because of the individual nature the NBA has migrated toward, and the fact that one guy is 1/5 of the team as opposed to 1/11 in foolsball.

11:14 AM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

I'd hate to be an ass, but I asked a question in the comments below just before these funbags were posted, and I'd like an answer frankly:

TJ said...
What if Takagi did have the codes? Does that change anything?

10:44 AM, June 24, 2009

11:17 AM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

It's well documented, but I have enormous manlove for Mr. Flynn and would love to see him on the Wiz...

11:18 AM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

i can't decide if flynn will be baron davis or khalid el amin.

11:21 AM, June 24, 2009
Dennis said...

Well, he's not a fatbody or a terrorist, so he's no El Amin.

11:29 AM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

Regarding the draft, I can't believe that Jeff Adrien is a likely Round 2 pick.

This should be its own post, but I hate that everybody gets excited/worried about players' ceilings while ignoring their floors. Adrien consistently played tough as nails and put up good numbers in the NCAA's toughest conference, while battling tough teammates for touches and boards. His floor is that he can be a solid rotation guy that puts up decent numbers and plays tough D. And he comes from a program that produces a lot of pro players. As much as I hate to admit it, Psycho T fits in here as well. Some team (likely the whitey-loving Jazz) will take him at/after pick 20 and enjoy his contributions for several years.

Opposite example: Chase Budinger. He has lots of athleticism, but he also has the potential to be an absolute flake. Rubio and the stiff center from Ohio State fit into this category as well.

If GMs were more risk averse, they'd probably have more balanced teams. Nothing wrong with hitting a double in the first round, instead of trying for a homer (and whiffing). You can call this the Battier Corollary.

12:21 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

And am I the only guy on the planet who thinks Adrien kinda looks like Rusty from European Vacation?

12:22 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

This Mark Sanford story is really turning into the gift that keeps on giving. I guess his demise opens the GOP door for Bobby Jindal in 2012. Good times for Republicans...

12:32 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

jindal's gonna have to find a way to send tim pawlenty on a child prostitution junket to thailand.

12:48 PM, June 24, 2009
Jerry said...

Good point about the floors. Adrien's concern is probably his height relative to his playing style. I'm not sure what he measured at. But that's a consistent trend. I'd probably put Sam Young in the same group (or maybe just the group of guys with awesome guns).

1:00 PM, June 24, 2009
mayhugh said...

TJ - I'll bite:

I think Takagi still dies in the same fashion. Granted, they wouldn't have had to kill him at that point if he gave them the codes - he would have just blown up on the roof with the rest of the hostages if the plan, as originally conceived, came to fruition. But if you're Hans Gruber in that situation, you still want every one else know that you're in charge and you'll use force as necessary. So Hans probably would have still made Takagi eat a bullet and then made up a story about how Takagi sassed him. The one monkey-wrench in this is that Theo and Karl had $20 buck riding on life or death, the implication perhaps being that they were betting whether he would have the codes, and that if he did he wouldn't have been shot.

1:16 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Mayhugh, that is fantastic work.

2:06 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

hans gruber is a brilliant over the top movie bad guy. alan rickman is seriously underappreciated.

2:09 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

I'm very happy Hans does indeed shoot Ellis in the head.

2:15 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

nice parlor trick for sanford: from appalachian trail to fucking argentinian woman in less than 36 hours. i really enjoy the family values party.

2:33 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

landycakes getting chippy and...

altidore!!!

3:00 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

Rob: Nobody doubts the sex aspect of the trip, but what makes you so sure he was seeking female companionship?

3:05 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

um, because he just said so in a press conference.

3:11 PM, June 24, 2009
Dennis said...

I'm sure Gilbert and Mike Miller will have a lot to talk about in the locker room...

3:49 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

dempsey!

4:03 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

Biggest US soccer victory ever?

Beating the hands-down best team in the world on a neutral site, when that team had just about all of their big guns out there is an impressive feat. I think it helped a bit that Tim Howard is very familiar with Torres from their EPL clashes this season. Torres is an assassin, but he was held in check today.

4:21 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

biggest of this generation, certainly. you could argue that the win over t&t to get into the world cup for the first time was pretty large, too - for different reasons. as was the 1950 victory over england in the world cup. but this one's pretty massive.

4:23 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

South Africa - Brazil is tomorrow. US will play the winner on Sunday at 2:30 PM EST.

4:25 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

correction: t&t win wasn't first world cup berth for us, just first in modern era. apologies to the soccer purists in the audience.

4:35 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

By the way, that goal was total luck and Landon Donovan is a humongous pussy for not shooting it from that close, but I'll take it.

Wow, I just cared about US Soccer for like 15 seconds.

4:59 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Hold on, even though this whole tourney is for pride (right?) this is the biggest win in US Soccer history?

What the hell does that say about US Soccer history?

5:01 PM, June 24, 2009
Whitney said...

The Olympics are for national pride. If you have some problem with the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, Herb Brooks' ghost and I are going to take you out into the alley and give you a serious trash can beatdown.

5:06 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

You're trying to compare this win with that?

I sure as hell hope not.

5:06 PM, June 24, 2009
Whitney said...

You had some point about this tournament being "for pride." What else is there in the hierarchy of sporting events? Money? You shallow bastard. Eruzione's gonna come by and bloody your sassy mouth with a wrister just for kicks.

5:09 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Um, this tournament is all for show right? There is no qualifying at stake, correct? Then frankly who really cares...I'm happy we won, that's great, but in the grand scheme of things what does this really mean?

And no, I'm not trying to hate on soccer, I'm genuinely asking.

5:10 PM, June 24, 2009
Whitney said...

Jerry would say it's that mentality that's killing college football. A big and meaningful game can be a big and meaningful game without getting you to the next round of the playoffs. What we accomplished today can only have positive repercussions on future fixtures. That it's subjective and up for debate as to how it affects the US team's future makes it interesting to some and annoying to others.

5:17 PM, June 24, 2009
TR said...

We just beat a country that was ranked higher than Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, England, Germany, etc.

Both squads had their best players and wanted to have a good showing in the host country of next year's World Cup.

After a lackluster run since 2002, the US finally showed themselves that they may be able to make a little noise in the 2010 World Cup. Assuming they qualify...

5:18 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

look at whitney getting all soccery. if only he put this much passion into his mets blog.

6:53 PM, June 24, 2009
Jerry said...

Thanks Whit. College football is the perfect comparison. It's Oregon State beating USC. Yeah, it probably gets the Beavers into a bigger bowl game, but they're not winning the championship. Sometimes winning the game is just about winning the game.

Same with the US. We're not winning the World Cup. We qualify for the World Cup every time. What are we playing for? Stuff like this.

7:33 PM, June 24, 2009
Jerry said...

This approach might be easier for Teejay to appreciate:

Think about all the "queer soccer fans" around the world that are bummed out because they won't get to see a Spain-Brazil final. We just ruined their weekend.

7:36 PM, June 24, 2009
Marls said...

In toronto for work and decided to hit up the Blue Jays-Red Leggings tilt with 9000 of my closest friends. Frankly, I am stunned by what a dump the skydome is.

8:02 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Nats Park is Fenway South. It's disgusting.

8:15 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Jerry, when presented that way, I get it.

8:16 PM, June 24, 2009
Marls said...

The blue jays are handing out free buckets of KFC to random fans who are going apeshit in response. Good times.

I know that they won back to back WS, but should the jays really have 9 people in their "ring of honor"?

8:30 PM, June 24, 2009
Whitney said...

Dave Stieb
Tom Henke
Joe Carter

uhhh...
Ernie Whitt?
Devon White?
Carlos Delgado?
Jim Clancy?
Lloyd Moseby?
Rance Mulliniks?
Al Woods?
Cito Gaston?
John Olerud?
Mitch Williams??

8:52 PM, June 24, 2009
Mark said...

Greetings from Chicago. I skipped out on the last half of today's conference to watch USA-Spain so you boys might be effed when it comes to an NBA Draft preview (I had planned to skip out on the conference to write the draft preview...I am an employers dream). I might still see if I can piece a little something together whilst drunk tonight and after the conference ends early tomorrow afternoon but here are a couple thoughts:

- I love Adrien too, but he's a poor man's Jason Maxiell. I might take him in the mid-second but no higher. I think he can be a solid rotation guy but I don't think its his floor. He's like 6'7" with a very basic offensive game. I'd say his floor is somewhere in Eastern Europe.

- Flynn is my favorite point guard in this draft. If he can tighten up his jumper, I think he can be an All-Star multiple times in his career. He's tough, super athletic, a natural leader and as quick as anybody in this draft. Remember, the NBA's stance against hand checking has changed the game for pgs.

- TJ hates Ricky Rubio about as much as I hate Tyreke Evans, though for entirely different reasons.

- Chase Budinger's ceiling is, at best, a poor man's Rudy Gay...and I don't think he'll EVER get to that point.

- Eric Maynor goes to the 76ers. At least that what every mock draft says. Andre Miller's a free agent, getting older AND they have no other pgs.

- Finally, I think some of you underestimate Mike Miller's desire to be black (or at least accepted by black folks). His best friend at UF was Udonis Haslem and his best friend on the Magic was Tracy McGrady. I think he'll fit in just fine in DC.

9:47 PM, June 24, 2009
rob said...

i like how marlin refuses to capitalize 'blue jays'. fuck those canadian bastards.

and i think garth iorg is in the ring.

9:51 PM, June 24, 2009
zman said...

Canadians like KFC?

10:16 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

Mark and I love Flynn, and Mark even undersold him...the tough and athletic part actually means he will take contact on ever play and deliver. Think D Rose this year and the less gay T Parker. Flynn is going to be so good.

10:59 PM, June 24, 2009
Marls said...

Canadians fucking love KFC and Roberto fucking Alomar who also makes the ring of honor.

11:08 PM, June 24, 2009
T.J. said...

The Julian Tavarez homophobic hall of fame/ring of honor?

12:00 AM, June 25, 2009
Whitney said...

Did George Bell make the ring? I thought of him during Jays highlights on MLB tonight. Not sure why. Clearly this is bugging me.

12:15 AM, June 25, 2009
Mark said...

I didn't want Whitney to have to drink himself to sleep tonight (whoops) so I looked up this "ring of honor". First off, its called the Level of Excellence (fucking a canadians are stupid) and here's who's on the list:

Tony Fernandez, George Bell, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Dave Stieb, Cito Gaston, Broadcaster Tom Cheek, Executive Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick. Thats it. Thats the list.

I'm pretty sure that Jimmy Key and Kelly Gruber (Hans' half brother) are all kinds of pissed about their exclusion from the Level of Excellence.

Also, I'm not putting my name on TJ's Flynn description. I think he's much more similar to a more athletic, slightly bigger Jameer Nelson. He finishes better but he doesn't shoot it as well. I think he'll be better, earlier than Jameer but their games are similar.

12:49 AM, June 25, 2009
Mark said...

Also, Shaq's going to Cleveland. Me thinks the Cavs will live to regret this trade. I mean, they didn't give up anything for him but I just dont think he's nearly as good as most still think. Okay, he put up numbers on Phoneix last year but they wee fucking awful and he has to be an offensive centerpiece. Despite what he says, his ego won't allow him to be a peripheral character. Just look at his obsession with Van Gundy and Howard as proof.

12:52 AM, June 25, 2009
TR said...

Sports Guy's recent podcast with LeBatard had good insight on the Shaq-SVG feud in Miami. Apparently, Shaq didn't like SVG getting on his fat ass to work hard. He went to Riley and said he wouldn't play for SVG. Riley axed him and took over coaching responsibilities.

I have no idea why any time would want Shaq. He's really kind of a tool.

7:51 AM, June 25, 2009
TR said...

Darko Milicic is younger than Pitt's Sam Young. Interesting.

8:32 AM, June 25, 2009
Mark said...

I remember hearing something about that during the NCAA Tourney. I guess Young turned 24 during the spring. Too bad he looks 36.

As for Shaq, I had heard much of the same thing. Not really surprising though. Even in his prime he usually showed up to camp 30 lbs overweiht and worked himself into shape by mid-to-late season. Thats fine and good when you're in your 20s and the most dominant player in the league. Not so much in your 30s. Shaq's ego and work ethic have remained the same as his ability has decreased and age has increased. I'm looking forward to him and LeBron feuding at some point next year

10:33 AM, June 25, 2009
Jerry said...

I think it's a pretty massive upgrade for Cleveland. They get a good center for nothing. Shaq is a far cry from what he used to be, but he's a lot better than anything they had this year up front. 18 and 8 on 61% from the field is pretty solid.

10:47 AM, June 25, 2009
mayhugh said...

I'm thinking Lebron is liking the Shaq trade and I'm fairly excited to see them play with each other (ngs) next year. The delusional ten year old within me wants to believe Shaq can and will turn over a new leaf, have some kind of brief rejuvenation and get in great shape (for a 7 footer in his mid thirties who is listed now at 325), and be a great 2nd fiddle. Just based on watching the playoffs, he's a massive upgrade in presence alone on defense. Offensively, I'm kind of curious as to what kind of set offense they will run. Big Z chills out at the corner of the free throw line a lot and clears the lane for Lebron to drive and score or kick. I think Shaq might clog the lane a bit more.

And while I like the Wizards trade, mostly for the poo that the Wiz offloaded, can someone with far more knowledge of the sport than me (Jerry/Mark) please explain why the "experts" are saying the trade takes the team from 19 wins last to 50 wins next year?

11:11 AM, June 25, 2009
TR said...

Purely from a stats point of view, it's an upgrade. But the extra "stuff" you get with him may cause a lot of problems. The guy still thinks of himself as the top dog, even though he's old, fat and beaten down. His presence will not do much for Mike Brown's authoritative presence on that team, his poor free-throw shooting will always be an aggravation, and his ability to play more than 60 games is in question.

This could work if James wins a title and gets sentimental about staying in Cleveland. Or if Shaq comes into camp in good shape. But those things are unlikely.

11:13 AM, June 25, 2009
rob said...

as was pointed out on the radio this morning, be prepared for the inevitable, 'can lebron win without shaq?' media bloviation if the cavs win it all next year.

11:58 AM, June 25, 2009
Whitney said...

Rob, I want to take a moment and commend you on the picture for this post. It's patriotic, aesthetically pleasing, and simply a nice greeting every time I come to G:TB. I am okay with it if we never change it. Or at least until I have a girlfriend. Go USA!

12:05 PM, June 25, 2009
rob said...

and here i was getting ready to send an email telling one of you clowns to post something. tr, aren't we overdue for a summer music sampler?

12:08 PM, June 25, 2009
Whitney said...

Yep, I will see what I can do. Dave has a cool new song out called "The Bear" at his myspace site if you folks want an hors d'oeuvre.

12:24 PM, June 25, 2009
rob said...

that's my favorite greasetruck song.

12:44 PM, June 25, 2009
Whitney said...

Easily their best. I figure by the time Dave turns 50 his music will have made him famous.

12:45 PM, June 25, 2009
rob said...

i've been in a meeting all morning. has there been any discussion of how bad an idea shaq to phoenix was in the first place?

1:47 PM, June 25, 2009
Mark said...

Jerry's far smarter than me but sometimes his dependence on numbers clouds his judgement. His recent thoughts on Shaq seem like one of those times.

First, I don't think his numbers will be nearly as good in Cleveland but more importantly, as TR stated, he's not going to be a complimentary player as willingly as most think. Look what happened in Phoenix. He came to Phoenix and said he just wanted to play D and grab boards whilst letting Nash and Amare take care of the offense. Within 6 months they were running their offense through him and had completely changed the offensive identity, which didn't work well for anyone.

Shaq gets a pass for his ego and sometimes divisive attitude because he's funny and outspoken but he's kind of dick when he's things aren't going his way.

4:11 PM, June 25, 2009

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