This alien tattoo is just incredible! This guy has his whole back of head, and his entire back inked up in green ink for and looks like an alien. Wouldn't it totally freak you out if you were walking behind this guy and looked up to see an alien head looking at you like this? Maybe those people who claim alien abductions were actually picked up by this crazy dude, and he just carried them around backwards so they never saw his real face?
Last summer, we wanted to bring back the word rad. Now, we have a new funny British phrase to spread. My aunt Janey kept saying that the rainy weather in England was "pants," as in not good. Don't you just love that? :) (Photo via Garance Dore)Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Hello, everybody! How are you? We got home last night from a fabulous trip to England. Cornwall has cliff paths over the sparkling ocean, and Dorset has rolling hills with friendly sheep. We felt like we were at the ends of the earth. It was fantastic, especially when we discovered "Scrumpy," an extra-hard Cornish cider. As always, it's an adjustment to be back home--work seems so mountainous! (Bird photo by Today is Pretty)Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
CELTICS DRAFT JR GIDDENS, THE SKETCHIEST CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE DAMN DRAFT... BUT DON'T WORRY, THEY GOT A TURKISH DUDE TOO
I don't know what the Celtics were thinking with this pick. Maybe they are going for the league record for number of small forwards that have been stabbed in bar brawls. This guy flamed out at Kansas after a billion character problems. We don't even know all of them. He's one of those, "If one guy was going to get stabbed, it was gonna be JR," kinda guys. Details will trickle out over the summer.
Then, he got friggin' suspended from the New Mexico after a not-so-hot season in a subaverage conference.
I don't really see the appeal here. Here's who I would have taken instead: Dorsey, Sean Singletary, Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Trent Plaisted, Bill Walker, OR Kyle Weaver. There were so many better options on the table.... DAMMIT. How could Ainge screw this up so badly, isn't he supposed to be terrible with trades and great at picking up second-round talent!?!?
NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE. However, although I am completely befuddled, I can't get angry at the Celtics front office the way I used to.... but this got me back in that direction.......Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Ok, I have spent about as much time watching the NBA Draft as I have watching elephant polo because the Celtics just dominated the world and won a title. I have no idea who the Celtics have worked out, I don't know what Danny Ainge has said about this year's draft class, I don't know how much value our pick has for trades, or even what picks we have. To top it off, my expertise on each of these players in the draft is limited to a maximum of three or four games that I half-assedly watched while scouring the internet for more Youtube videos of Big Baby ballroom dancing. In comparison, last year I spent thousands of hours scouring every detail of the potential players we could have taken at #5. Needless to say, I like this year a lot better. Anyway, thanks to the fine fellows at NBADraft.net, I am going use their mock as a template to do a draft preview anyway.
#1 Chicago - They will pick Derrick Rose. Rose is a slasher/scoring point that shoots clutch free throws like vintage Ben Wallace. He also chose to go to Memphis, which says a lot about him. Namely, he's not waffling between a basketball career and an astrophysics career. He's not going to be distracted by reading books or going to art openings. I wish I knew why exactly Chicago was picking him here, because they have Kirk Hinrich at the point for many years for many dollars. Who's going to take him off their hands? This team is such a friggin' mess, which is amazing because a couple years ago I thought they had the best approach out of all the NBA teams. Their coach is friggin' VINNY DEL NEGRO. Rose also has Chicago ties, so you know some of his old sketchy friends will be leeching his money. This is a guaranteed bad situation for everyone involved. Chicago's team is an absolute train wreck. Never has a #1 pick guaranteed instant doom since the Clippers were involved.
Sullivan Says: Whoa, whoa, whoa BP, hold on a minute! Instant doom? Derrick Rose? The only time those two things should be mentioned together is to describe the confidence of whatever sap is guarding D-Rose. This kid is ridiculously good. He’s a better shooting version of Rondo. This kid is going to be a star, regardless of how many sketch ball friends live under his roof. Allen Iverson has a crew of like 200 people and he’s still the man.
#2 Miami - Straight up lock- they will pick Michael Beasley, who spent some time playing high school hoops in CMass hotspot Fitchburg, a.k.a. Bitchburg. He hated it there, but I don't think he ever gave Conquest Video a shot. Not really fair, it's like hating Santa Barbara but never going to the beach. Anyway. On the court, he's a great fit for the toughness/athleticism/scoring/defense/rebounding/passing/not sucking challenged Heat. However, all the stories I have read about him and heard about him through in the mainstream press and on the rumor mill suggest that he has the maturity level of a bipolar, ADHD-riddled third grader with a caseload of Red Bull in his stomach... and that combined with Miami is a bad, bad combination.
Sullivan Says: Fitchburg is a hotbed for pro athletes. The Bouchard brother’s of NASCAR fame were born there, as well as the late speed skater Art Longsjo. This guy’s pedigree has star written all over it.
#3 Minnesota - NBADraft.net says they'll take OJ Mayo, which is too perfect not to be true. After all, Minnesota worked out great for the last egomaniac shoot-first point guard with a sketchy-ass history. When are they planning Starbury's number retirement ceremony?
Sullivan Says: OJ would benefit greatly from playing alongside Antoine Walker, who could teach him the golden lesson: since there ain’t no such thing as fours, just shoot 3s until your home crowd boos you.
#4 Seattle - Russell Westbrook. I know people are expecting Jerryd Bayless here, but if I was Seattle I wouldn't trust anybody that can't spell their own name correctly. I saw Bayless play quite a bit during the season and he's way too me-first, in my opinion, to be paired with Kevin Durant. He dominates the ball. Westbrook, I believe, is the better fit for Seattle, but since PJ is coaching without anything resembling an offense, maybe I am being too idealistic. I'd love to see Westbrook pushing the pace, driving-and-dishing to Durant instead of Bayless meandering around endless pick and rolls looking for a three, which is all he seemed to do in the games I watched this year. By the way, is there anyone who hates David Stern that doesn't love the Sonics? Also, why is it that every Celtics fans loves Durant, including myself, even before the C's won the title?
Sullivan Says: UCLA players really tend to be good NBA players, but I don’t see this guy panning out. He played 9 minutes a game last year according to like every draft article ever. I don’t get where the hype comes from. Sure, he should play in the league, but this high this soon?
#5 Memphis - This is a tough one, because they already have Kwame Brown and Pau Gasol's brother to play the "4". Should they waste the pick on Kevin Love, who is destined to ride the pine for 2 seasons behind those players? Screw it, they should take Love anyway and maybe they can immediately parlay that into a trade with the Lakers for DJ Mbenga.
Sullivan Says: This team should not be this bad. At the beginning of last season they had Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, Darko, Mike Conley, Hakim Warrick, Kyle Lowry, and Juan Carlos Navarro. If you are willing to call Rudy Gay a poor man’s Kobe, this team was essentially the Lakers (Miller = Vujacic, Gasol = Gasol, Navarro = Fischer, Warrick = Odom, Darko = Turiaf, Conley = Farmar). Now that they traded Gasol for Kwame Brown, they are like the pre-Gasol Lakers. Aka they suck even worse than a team that lost by 39 points in a decisive playoff game. Believe me, I really like the Grizz, but by god, good luck.
#6 New York Knicks - You might say that this one is impossible to call because there are no horrendously overweight, overpaid douches with a stripper-slapping pedigree to draft. However, I am going to go out on a limb and say they take Eric Gordon because he's smallish, selfish, and he really, really, REALLY likes the sketchiest coach since Tarkanian. Sounds like a perfect player for the Knicks.
Sullivan Says: I would take that Bayless kid here. Starbury’s $21 million/yr contract is up after this season, and chances are he will pursue a career banging girls in the back of trucks. The Knicks need a PG.
#7 Clippers - I need a Clippers joke, stat, so I go to Basketball-Reference.com's page on their draft history. It's a murderer's row of headcases. Why would the Clippers do anything differently this year? Hence, they draft Joey Dorsey.
Sullivan Says: I like Dorsey, but I love this next guy
#8 Milwaukee - Joe Alexander. This is the most outrageous team ever, adding in a Maryland-born, West Virginia-schooled whiteboy to an already eclectic team. However! I do believe that Alexander is going to be a very good player and this is a good pick for the Bucks. I watched a couple West Virginia games this year and literally every team would shade three guys on him and he could still get his shot off and get to the rim.
Sullivan Says: This guy, next to Rose and Mayo, is my favorite player in the draft. I saw this kid break a guys ankles at the top of the key and drive with his off hand for a layup. And he is a power forward.
#9 Charlotte - I often make the argument that teams should only draft smart, motivated college overachievers. "You mean like the Bobcats?" is the quick reply, and my argument is immediately ruined. Let's stick to tradition - Brook Lopez is the obvious pick here.
Sullivan Says: Good point BP, I could see this happening.
#10 New Jersey - Everyone is picking them to take some Italian dude, because Lord knows the Italians can ball. I don't have anything to add here except that Vince Carter is a pussy.
Sullivan says: Ditto.
#11 Indiana - About time I took Jerryd Bayless and his horrible name off this board. Anfernee Hardaway thinks Jerryd's name sucks, and don't even get Antowain Smith started on the subject. The Pacers would be wise to end the Jamaal Tinsley reign of terror and get a new point guard that won't get into high-speed shootouts in strip club parking lots. For that, Jerryd's your man.
Sullivan Says: Don’t worry, Tinsley’s reign of terror ain’t over yet –the Pacers owe him 7 mill a year for at least the next three years.
#12 Sacramento - I have heard people say that they are seeking for a second coming of Brad Miller. I even heard someone say that about Kevin Love, could be, if he plays his cards right, the next Brad Miller. People want more Brad Millers, really? Centers that don't rebound, don't play inside, shoot outside jumpers, can't guard anyone, can't protect the middle, and are hurt all the time? Really? Is his passing ability enough to offset all those flaws? Are the Kings that much of an offensive dynamo to use Brad Miller as a prototype center? If you said, "yes," to these questions, than your man is Roy Hibbert.
Sullivan Says: Hibbert is the worst. If you value Centers that run like girls and get outmuscled by point guards, go ahead and disagree with me.
#13 Portland - If I were the Blazers here, I would take Anthony Randolph from LSU here. Not because I have seen him play, because I haven't, but because he's huge, athletic, and versatile, which is what the Blazers need. He may not slip to them here, however. I think that under the iron fist of the Blazers coaching staff he could be used very effectively as an energy guy off the bench for what should be a very good Blazers team. They could also take Brandon Rush, who is the second coming of Morris Peterson.
Sullivan Says: Why not.
#14 Warriors - I predicted the NBDL dominance of Patrick O'Bryant and so did everyone else not in the Warriors organization. O'Bryant's NBA highlight reel can be found below.
Sullivan Says: You just got it poppin’ like Orville Redenbacher.
That being said, the Warriors need frontline help and they're a really, really stupid franchise, so I say they take the tall French guy that weighs a little less than the amount of dope in Robert 'Tractor' Traylor's Nissan Sentra.
#15 Suns - Where to begin? The Suns could throw a dart at their draft board and address a crippling need at this point. Who knows? I'll put my money on a foreigner. Let's just say the best Croatian with the stupidest haircut.
#16 Sixers - Kosta Koufos from Ohio State. How amazing would it be for the Sixers to land this guy? Philly fans might even stop being insufferable windbags for ten seconds. Memo to Koufos- don't hold out for more money and then get redrafted next year because every game you play in Philly you will get pelted with batteries. Ask JD Drew about that one. I think Koufos is a good player and would blend in well with the surprisingly fun to watch Sixers pretty quickly.
#17 Toronto- DeAndre Jordan from Texas A&M. Thankfully, DeAndre just had one year of poultry science courses at this academic wasteland. Four years at A&M is about as good for you as drinking gasoline and smoking crack for four years. DeAndre got out while the gettin's good, and while mid-first round big men make me suspicious in general (these are where the "project" picks abound), I think that a front line with him and Bosh would be pretty formidable. We all know that Andrea Era has been an unmitigated disaster. EDIT: This pick has been traded to the Pacers, along with TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovich, who is apparently still in the NBA. Still probably a good move for the Pacers to take DeAndre here because the Pacer front line isn't exactly, um... formidable. Weird for the Raptors to now have 11 power forwards on the team, but whatev, they're the geniuses not me.
#18 Washington - JaVale McGee from Nevada. Although I am always skeptical of people with unusual first/last name combinations (but I was totally right about Jamaal Slovenski and D'Brickishaw Goldstein, neither of which went anywhere), but I will make an exception for Mr. McGee. The Wizards have the worst rebounding team in the league. Assuming Agent Zero and Jamison are back, which they should be, the Wizards need some serious help up front. They have some options for big guys, but McGee is the a shotblocking machine they need. He could go down as the best Irish basketball player from Flint, Michigan of all time.
#19 Cleveland - Chris Douglas-Roberts is the obvious pick here. He claims to have never lost a game of one-on-one, EVER. I love that. So brash. But, as much as I would hate for the Cavs to be good again, the "stick a couple shooters around LeBron" strategy is asinine and has proven not to work. How many shooters do they have to stick around Lebron before they figure this out? Why not add a big two-guard to attack the basket like a maniac?
#20 Charlotte - Brook and Robin aren't just two chicks that got married in San Francisco, they're your new starting front line for the Charlotte Bobcats!
#21 New Jersey - JR Giddins, formerly from Kansas, now from New Mexico. Giddins is a maniac who has a Jamaal Tinsley-esque ability to find bar brawls and throw himself into the middle of them. Nobody is picking him to go in the first round, but I have my fingers and toes crossed because there is no team I hate like the Nets. I wish them nothing but headcases and fragile little pixies a.k.a. Vince Carter. BTW, that Marcus Williams experiment is working out great, huh?
#22 Orlando - DJ Augustine, Texas. There comes a point where DJ has to be drafted. I do think it's funny that "the guy that managed to hold back Kevin Durant and limit his true potential" has turned into a potential lottery pick in one year. I don't see the appeal here, he's a Marcus Williams-type to me. It doesn't help that I have never seen a good game out of DJ and I watch Texas whenever they're on TV, especially when they had Durant.
#23 Utah - Donte Green, Syracuse. The Jazz need a wing scorer so badly it's just flat-out ridiculous. Green is the best shooting guard available at this point in the draft and even though he already plays like a present-day Antoine Walker, this is the only move they can make at this point. I have never seen a superathletic 6'10" college freshman shoot so many threes as this kid. Another red flag is that he went to the same high school as Carmelo Anthony. However, as I mentioned before, the Jazz need a player with the potential of Green because their most athletic three right now is a white kid from Creighton, and he has to guard Kobe a couple games a year.
#24 Seattle - It feels as though Seattle has ten picks in the first round this year. That's good, because most NESCAC intramural bball championship teams could take the Sonics in a 7-game series. I think they take Darrell Arthur from Kansas with this pick to get a lockdown post defender/weakside shot blocker to go along with their fancy new lockdown defensive point guard. The Sonics would be a very, very athletic team with much-improved defense. However, their coach is best known for being strangled by his own player. He would have led the '98 Bulls to the lottery if he was in charge.
#25 Houston - Mario Chalmers, Kansas. Houston's point guard play sucks unless their point guard is playing in Rucker Park alongside a fat guy in sunglasses with a t-shirt over his head screaming into a microphone, "OHHHHHHHHHH!!!! THA PROFESSAH!!!!!" over and over again for 3 hours. The only game Rafer Alston could beat Chalmers at would be a "spit on a valet" contest. I would look for Chalmers to contend for the starting job as a rookie, he knows how to run a team.
#26 San Antonio - They need help at virtually every position. It always amazes me how think these Spurs teams are yet they get away with it every year. If I were them, and I was in this position, I would take Brandon Rush from Kansas. He could help out right away, and the Spurs don't exactly have a decade of improvement ahead of them.
#27 Trail Blazers - Jason Thompson from Rider. Everybody needs a few versatile big guys except for the Raptors and the Grizzlies, who have 11 each. I have never seen him play but he went to JR Rider university so you know he can ball. Either that or beat up his girlfriend, or both. Just kidding, everyone seems to think this kid will work his ass off so he seems like a natural fit for the Blazers.
#28 Memphis - JJ Hickson from NC State. The Grizzlies won't be short on power forwards. In fact, this may be the first all-power forward starting five in the history of basketball. Remember, this is Chris Wallace, who drafted exclusively small forwards while in charge of the Celtics. When this dude gets something in his brain, he is not going to let go.
#29 Detroit. Let me pause for a second here. I have heard rumors that the Pistons are trying to swing a trade for Carmelo. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Pretty good planning, dumbasses!!! MWAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I say that they take the tallest, slowest, youngest, stupidest looking white foreigner available here, sit him on the bench his entire career, and then brag about what a great pick it was because your team made the Eastern Conference Finals the year you drafted him. Oh man, that Darko pick was the worst EVER! Who didn't see that one coming? HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
#30 YOUR NBA CHAMPION BOSTON CELTICS!!!!!! Everyone seems to think the Celtics will take DeVon Hardin, a center from Cal. Considering I have just heard of him for the first time one minute ago, this doesn't thrill me. Also, his DraftExpress profile says "Worst Case Scenario: Jamal Sampson". Who the hell is Jamal Sampson!?!?!?!?!? You guessed, it, Ralph Sampson's cousin and Josh Childress' best friend. Yikes. I am hoping that Bill Walker will fall into the Celtics' laps here to replace the soon-to-be-gone James Posey as hardnosed perimeter defender. If that doesn't work out, I think the Celtics should go for a shooting guard here to take some of the pressure off of Ray Allen. Courtney Lee would be a good pick, even though I am not sold on men being named "Courtney." I would like to have a long discussion with whoever approved that. Also, Kyle Weaver from Washington State, I think, would be a good pickup because he could play the 2 or as a bigger 1. However, his outside shooting is sketchy so maybe he would just be a bigger Rondo and not a change of pace guard. The final option the Celts have would be Trent Plaisted from BYU, who could just be the second coming of Greg Kite. I feel as though the Celtics have several good options at the #30 pick that will address needs for the team going forward.
It's weird, though, I am oddly nostalgic for the lottery, when we would pin the hopes of a franchise on a random 19-year-old and momentarily forget about what a disaster the rest of the team was. Well, it was fun while it lasted!Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Just when you thought this Shaq freestyling story couldn't get any more hilarious, some random sheriff has demanded Shaq's badges back.
PHOENIX -- Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year.
"I want his two badges back," Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they're fired. I don't condone this type of racial conduct."
We've seen this story a thousand times. Young upstart cop tries to do the right thing (take out bad guy Kobe), but goes about it the wrong way. "That's the last straw!" says the sheriff and our hero has to hand in his badge and his gun. ("One month suspension! NO PAY!") But that's not where this story ends. Oh no. After a night of heavy drinking and moaning about how working on this case cost him his marriage, our hero then realizes that he can still get this bad guy. You see, our hero hears some low-level muscle (Rony Turiaf) talking about the big score his boss is going to make in just two days. Our hero can save the day. But who can our hero trust!? He can't do it alone, without his badge and gun! So, he enlists the help of a sexy young underutilized genius secretary at the precinct to track down some valuable documents. Then, after managing to convince his old partner, just a week away from retirement, to break the rules and help him, they go after the bad guy vigilante-style and our hero uses his battle-rapping skills to save the day. But will it be enough to get back in "America's Toughest Sheriff's" good graces?
Arpaio, who describes himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff" and is best known for feeding jail inmates green bologna, clothing them in pink underwear, and making them work on chain gangs, said he didn't expect his actions would teach Shaq a lesson. But he hoped he learns that as a role model who wants to someday be a full-time sheriff, he needs to know his words matter.
"Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't think that either conduct should be out there publicly, even if media wasn't there," Arpaio said.
He's old fashioned. He doesn't take any guff whatsoever. But, in the end, although they go about it in different ways, I get the feeling that Shaq and the sheriff will agree on one thing: JUSTICE.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
QUOTE #1: "Everyone that knows Shaq knows two things about me: One, that I'm a rapper, and two, that I'm a comedian. When I played with Kobe, me, him, Brian Shaw, J.R. Rider, we had freestyle sessions all the time. ... all in fun and we said crazier stuff than that. If I hurt anyone's feelings, I apologize."
Freestyle sessions with Kobe, Brian Shaw and @#$@!%^@#$%^ JR Rider!?!?!? There has to be footage of this out there somewhere. This is more historic than the legendary Duane Allman with Derek & the Dominos jam. It simply has to see the light of day.
QUOTE #2: "I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever. That is what MC's do. They freestyle when called upon. I'm totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all. And by the way, don't forget, six albums, two platinum, two gold. Anybody who knows me knows I'm a funny freestyler. Check the NBA DVD when I was rapping about Vlade Divac during my first championship run. Please tell everybody don't make something out of nothing."
No truer words have ever been spoken. "That's what MC's do...They freestyle when called upon." What a great metaphor for life- it's meaning is much like Shaman Philip Jackson's favorite, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Meaning, if you're a true MC, and life hands you a mic, son, you better be freestyling.
Now, moving forward, how can Kobe NOT respond with a diss track of his own? He's an MC, too, according to Shaq, but will he be man enough to freestyle when called upon!?!?
STAY TUNED!!!!! Update: Here's the Vlade diss Shaq was talking about.
This video is so funny it hurts. As if all the "I guess we can stop comparing Kobe to MJ" headlines weren't embarrassing enough, here we find Shaq ripping Kobe a part with drunken pot-shots, while free-styling in a NYC night club. Im sorry , did I mention Shaq was FREESTYLING IN A NYC NIGHTCLUB! His rant consists of him repeatedly asking Kobe 'How his ass tastes now' and at one point he even alludes to Kobe ruining his marriage, 'I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting divorced'. Meanwhile ESPN is trying so desperately hard to instigate another Kobe/Shaq feud when its sooo obvious that they hate each other. This story was so fluffy that their breaking coverage of this consisted of a 'YouTube'-quality video fromDMZ. Thats respectable journalism right there. This story makes Kobe look like an ass, Shaq look like an ass, and ESPN look like an ass. The only person who comes away from this video with any credibility is the 17 year-old kid backing up shaq on the mic, nodding his head and holding up Shaq's giant 'BIG' bling. If you were to tell me that the Celtics would win the NBA Championship and Shaq would rip Kobe Bryant apart on a youtube-freestyle all in the same week, I would have called you crazy. It turns out, sometimes dreams do come true.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Jo Jo White, Vince WIlfork, Dee Brown, and Lucky at the dentist office. This title run couldn't be any better.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
It's a good blog. I agree with this general premise that the Lakers will be a better team next year, assuming Bynum can stay healthy/fully recover from his knee injury. I can also completely understand a Laker fan's desire to start thinking about next year. Most of the comments on this post are similar- praising the Celtics' performance and then moving the convo on to what to do for next year. Some of the comments, however, really cracked me up, and I am going to break down the post-season fury that we've ALL experienced relatively recently unless you're a Bobcats fan. This may be the only place in the world where Asthon Kutcher can anonymously call Terri Hatcher a short-sighted douchebag while Flea pleads for peace.
1) Complain about the way the conquering opponent celebrated. San Diego Chargers fans brought this to an art form. This is a great move because it deflects all anger brought forth by the loss onto something that isn't even remotely game-related. A solid move, although the shelf life for this mentality is only a couple days before you start looking like a psycho. It also warrants mentioning that THE MACHINE drilled a three at the buzzer when the Spurs had given up.
Russ Ahi Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:33 pm Celtics played well, i’ll give them that…
but damn they were so unclassy towards the end of the game… i’ve never seen gatorade being poured with 5 minutes left in the game…it’s just really unclassy the way they beat the Lakers…i mean, show some respect
west213 Jun 17th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
sako stfu, they freakin beat us by 30+ points and still were taking shots at the end.
now thats f uckin classless….. f uck em
2) Conspiracy. This one is the easiest because the NBA front office is so sketchy and the reffing is so inconsistent. Of course, it also requires the biggest dose of denial. It's a symptom of potential mental illness. Your posts on blogs will probably be subpoenaed when you are charged with a violent crime against humanity.
PGMVP Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:17 pm Click this link to quote this comment in your reply
8 on 5 that´s all i could say 8 on 5. You will never beat 8 guys, what really dissapoints me is because we didnt even try but i gotta tell this was the worst finals i have ever seen in my young life. All calls to celtics. You ask if they deserve i say NO, you don´t act to win a championship, you don´t get help from 3 guys on the court. 8 on 5 that´s all why i could say.
3) Shift the blame to some random benchwarmer. Boston fans pinned the tail of blame on the doughy ass of our $4m-a-year redheaded wonderboy genius Brian Scalabrine. The Lakers, in this example, go after Ira Newble.
Ko-Pau19 Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:25 pm Click this link to quote this comment in your reply
This just shows the type of defensive SF we need next year…… hmmmmm any ideas anyone?!!!!! Also we should totally trade Mihm, Radman & Walton. WE need players with Heart and Passion. And can somebody tell me why the HELL did we ever sign IRA NEWBLE??? WE BARELY USED HIM AT ALL!!!
4) Blame the GM. This is my personal favorite. It's pretty air-tight in most circumstances because you can just throw random names out there. Like, "If the Lakers weren't such IDIOTS and made that move for Baron Davis we wouldn't be talking about this today." Most people, including myself, have no idea whether Baron Davis was available, what the Lakers would have had to give up to get him if he WAS available, and have no idea whether he actually would have worked out in LA. It doesn't really matter because nobody knows- it's the ultimate straw man. However, consider the fleecing that the Lakers got with Gasol this is pretty iffy as an argument from a Lakers perspective.
# ShortDiezel Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
TO MITCH AND MR. BUSS:
PLEASE GET RID OF..
PHIL “WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW” JACKSON VLADIMIR “SPACE CADET” RADMONOVIC LUKE “IN THE LIFE OF” WALTON
YES, I BLAME THE LOSS ON THEM.. including Lamar but if we can keep him that would be ok, but as a back up to Artest
BRING IN RON ARTEST!!!!
Big Phil Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
VLAD RADMONOVIC is the laziest piece of SH!T in the NBA. FLUKE WALTON IS JUST A HUMAN WART WHO DOES NOT EVEN BELONG IN NBA. MITCH IF U CAN’T SEE THAT AND MAKE SOME KEY CHANGES TO GET PLAYERS WITH MORE HEART, DETERMINATION, ENERGY, WHO CAN SLASH/DRIVE/CREATE THEIR SHOTS BESIDES KOBE, THEN U GOT TO GO TOO.
4a) Blame the GM and threaten to kill the opponent. This strategy is demonstrated by the aptly named "187-celtshits":
# Gravatar Icon 52 187_celtshits Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
NEEEED TO GET===ELTON BRAND, RON ARTEST, BARON DAVIS, AGENT ZERO GILBERT ARENES…
i think we need another point gaurd..i mean fisher is good,,but we need a point gaurd to help make plays…………..
4b) Threaten to kill the opposing team's best player! Can't say I've done this myself but warrants mentioning. Yikes.
Kingz of L.A. Jun 18th, 2008 at 1:42 am
i hate Boston so much wow i hate the whole team but they played harder then we did we give up a 20 plus lead and 19 plus lead wait next season we get ron artest and we get drew back and Kobe’s finger will be great and Derek foot will get better this was big step for a young team hate K. G and ray Allen paul pierce. paul pierce better his back when he comes back to L.A p.s some one for L.A hit with a knife in chest
5) Blame the coach! Another favorite of mine. This one explains itself, but, interestingly, these Laker fans do almost none of this. This is strange because Phil was completely outcoached in this series- maybe Lakers fans aren't ready to admit it because he won three titles in LA already.
ab4sure Jun 18th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Phil.. hire a coach who will help you develop a defensive mentality ok.. we all know you need alittle help in that area. And why not try IRA Phil? I don’t understand that one. Phil??? you slowing down? If the lakers learn their lesson this series, they will next year thank Boston for the spanking of this year by kicking their Azz and getting the Championship.
6) Forget blame the GM- this one is my #1 seed of complaints- bitch about Gerald Green's lack of minutes!!!
DCLAKER Jun 18th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Now can I say…….GETARTEST!GETPIETRUS!OR GETMAGGETTE and I’d take Gerald Green right now ’cause this kid has waaaaaaaaaaaaay more heart than Vlad and Luke combined,it just goes to show that you can have all the IQ in the world but if you can’t BALL you don’t deserve to be in the NBA,Period!
NO ARENAS!!!
7) Grudging acceptance. Once you've gone through all of those solutions above, you are forced to admit that a loss can't be blamed on one player, coach, owner, or executive.
LakerNation1 Jun 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
i love our LAKERS very much….but the Celtics had more hunger. i hate the celts, but u gotta give credit to where it is due. im proud of our lakers. no one thought we were even gonna pass the 1st round let alone go to the finals….next year is a new year….and im looking forward to it. see u guys next season…and let the summer rumors fly!
8) Once you've accepted the loss, you start thinking about the future. Usually this starts with weird analysis. This is when you crunch some random numbers to try to figure out why things happened. Here's a great example. This poster believes that because 2009 is an odd numbered year the Lakers will win.
lak4lif Jun 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm I predict a laker title next season, because its an odd number year 2009. If you count the time the east won the championship, its mostly been on even number years, not counting 1994,2000,2002. 1974-Celtics 1976-Celtics 1978-Bullets(wizards) 1984-Celtics 1986-Celtics 1990-Pistons 1992-Bulls 1996-Bulls 1998-Bulls 2004-Pistons 2006-Heat 2008-Celtics Well get it next seoson
Have you guys watched show about 1960's advertising execs and their scandals? I've never seen it, but the friends we had dinner with last night are obsessed.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
This is even better than the Rondo commercial. Two things to pay attention to in this: The genuine joy and happiness on the faces of KG and Ray as they give each other bumps and asking each other "how are you doing champ?" Classic. Also, Letterman expressing his love for the classic Celtic uniform design pointing out that the LA uniforms made the Lakers look more like dental hygienists than ball players.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Greatest commercial ever. I encourage everyone to go out and buy a pair of reebok shoes immediately. Dee Brown priceless!!!Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
I am hoping that Hulu will put up some more games. This one is an instant classic- I especially love the smoke at the beginning of the game. With all the pyro and smoke, it's as if they were playing a basketball game on the beaches of Normandy on DDay. It's also amazing to watch Ray Allen- he was a completely different player in this series.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
This is one of the more random posts here on Cup of Jo (along with this and this), but my dad just emailed me these photos of himself (taken for an article in Michigan), and I adore them. The photographer really captured his serious and funny sides, as well as his kind eyes. Happy belated Father's Day, Dad!Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
I am so proud to be part of a fan base that be full throttle enjoying an exhilarating celebration of an NBA title over their most hated rival but still have the decency to pause and boo the ever-living s*** out of Stu Scott and David Stern. It brings a tear to my eye.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Um, what? I'm really glad that Ben Affleck is helping children, but seriously, these People Magazine photos are insane. At first, I was sure they were photoshopped, but no, his head is really that big. Like an orange on a toothpick. (Via Paige)Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
Give it up for Scals... he may not have played a nanosecond in this playoff run but he stepped up every way he was asked to in the postseason. Aside from the passionate, ML-Carr-esque enthusiasm on the bench, Scal helped out in other ways. Remember when Paul Pierce was throwing out gang signs and threatening to kill Al Horford? Scal was there to settle him down. Remember when Pierce went down with a knee injury? Scal was there to carry him off the floor. Remember when the Celtics made way too many PB&J's and it appeared as though they would go to waste? Scals was there to eat 12 metric tons of PB&J's- for the good of the team.
Don't you love the look of framed photos in a hallway? I can imagine visiting this home above and wandering slowly through the hallway, gazing at all their lovely family photos and artwork. Frame walls turn a ho-hum passageway into an experience. Lovely! (Photo via Desire to Inspire)Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
KG CELEBRATES BY PERFORMING FELLATIO ON THE CENTERCOURT LEPRECHAUN AND THEN SCREAMING LIKE A MADMAN- WE WOULDN'T WANT IT ANY OTHER WAY
A year ago today, we were racking our brains trying to figure out how the Celtics could possibly turn the #5 pick, not Oden or Durant, into a player on a viable playoff contender while Pierce was still under contract. We were just hoping the Celtics would return to the playoffs in 2-3 years! It was an impossible task, we all should have known that, and Pierce kept on bitching about getting some veteran help. We all thought he was self-centered and short-sighted. Well, perhaps Pierce deserves executive of the year because he got veterans and he won an NBA Finals MVP trophy. Kudos to Danny Ainge for putting this fine team together, from KG to Scalabrine. And, thanks to Doc's "pick a name out of a hat" substitution strategy, every active player had a significant moment in the playoff run. That's nice. Doc also deserves a ton of credit for making Phil Jackson look like he awoke from 15-year-coma, huffed glue several hours, bought a clipboard, and decided to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. Doc led the Celtics to victory in this one, and nobody, including me, will ever be able to take that away from him. People that relentlessly criticized Doc over the last few years, myself very much included, look like idiots now. Most NBA peeps put Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach on the same level, and Doc just dominated Phil in a one-on-one coaching matchup. Improbable, at best, but also very impressive and worthy of extensive praise.
This team goes down as one of the best in Celtics history, no doubt about that and I will not argue about it either. They had the best record in the league for the regular season, they defeated the defending Eastern Conference champs with the best player in the NBA playing his best (Lebron, obviously), they dealt the death blow to the Detroit Pistons "dynasty" (after half of the team is traded this offseason), and then beat the best team in the supposedly superior Western Conference with the reigning league MVP. Sure, they struggled in the playoffs, but they took the best teams in the NBA on head to head and they emerged victorious. The exclamation point was biggest blowout in NBA Finals history over a team that was favored to win the series, with, as I mentioned the reigning league MVP and a Hall of Fame coach.
So, congrats to the Boston Celtics. I think it's fair to say that they could play the "Nobody believed in us except ourselves!" card as they celebrate tonight because although most of us believed at some point or another, I don't think there is anyone out there that believed in the Celtics the whole season. There were many times when we thought that the Celtics would be a good team, but would come up a little short. Nope! I'm a dumbass, but a very, very happy dumbass.
CELTICS GO GANGBUSTERS IN GAME 6; BEAT THE LAKERS LIKE RENTED MULES FOR 48 MINUTES; KG DELIVERS THE BEST POSTGAME INTERVIEW IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE; THERE ISN'T ONE DAMN THING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT BECAUSE THAT GAME WAS EQUAL PARTS SATISFYING AND F-ING HILARIOUS
Alright, so Ray Allen's son was hospitalized the other night and for what reason is nobody's business. The good news is that the plucky, babyfaced, and handsome young stud is fine and RayRay's kid is feeling a lot better, too.
As for Perk, it appears doubtful but the force is strong with him. Anything's possible. If he can't go, my fingers are crossed for a Big Baby cameo.Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
A million thanks to Deadspin for this invaluable link. I was left wondering after the recent Donaghy allegations- would Doug Christie's wife allow him to comment on it or would she demand he spend every waking hour planning their upteenth re-wedding? Well, apparently Doug isn't whipped any longer because although he isn't allowed to leave the house without a homing beacon, he's more than welcome to bitterly blog about not getting signed by the Sonics this year. Treasure this blog while you can because as soon as Jackie finds out that someone with two X chromosomes read it you can bet your sweet ass it will be gone.
Anyway, Christie's logic is as follows- if the Kings had gone on to win the title in 2002, people wouldn't think his crazy-ass relationship with his wife was so crazy and he would gain the respect as a "champion", which would allow him to keep playing on crappy teams like the 07-08 Sonics that needed veteran leadership. Trying to stay aboard this crazy train of demented logic takes every ounce of my strength but I am conscripted by a higher power, i.e. IHeartCeltics' Sullivan, to soldier on and mock him as well as I possibly can.
A champion is treated in a whole different light. They are valued in the locker room and commercially on a whole different level. For years, my wife and I have been ridiculed and talked about like we are weird, all because we did not fit the “mold” of what the culture breeds in the NBA. It got to the point that these stories would precede us to the point that teams thought that I (i.e. we) would be a problem. That is bogus!!!! Respecting yourself, your family and being a team player is a problem? The point being that if the series would have went the way we all know that it should have, as a champion my relationship would have been praised because the “champs” are always shown in a good light. Just like now, you see Kobe and many players with their wives and kids right there hugging and kissing, now it’s “chic”…
This is the twisted delusions of a man that has been emotionally worn down by his lunatic wife over many years of constant marriages to the same person. Somehow, he turns this referee scandal into some sort of weird attack on his marriage and his family. Doug, Doug, Doug... everyone would still think you were weird even if you won the title. Dennis Rodman didn't get many good NBA gigs after he won THREE titles. Now, of course, you're weird for mostly the opposite reasons as Rodman- you're weird because your wife won't let you make eye contact with another woman, she follows your team bus calling you incessantly like a crazed stalker, she pummels opposing players with her designer handbags, and she forces you to dress in a separate locker room just in case a female reporter sneaks a peek at your Buck Johnson. If there's a guy at any job that has a wife that calls him a million times a day and threatens female coworkers that talk to him, that becomes a problem right away. The NBA is no different, buddy. Anyway, maybe Christie can steer his prose into a more rational direction.
And not to knock any of the players, I am very pleased and proud that now all of them can feel ok about showing how they feel about their families in public. After my family and I took all of the bullets and were put through hell, our businesses suffered and ultimately the profession that I love so dearly has been taken away with lies and propaganda, just as that series was.
Are you kidding me? Last season (‘07/’08), I go in the gym with the Sonics and Trail Blazers (not to mention the GMs that I spoke to personally) and outplayed 90% of their guys. The only thing my agent told me they were interested in was my relationship with my wife, what happened before, or why did I leave the Clippers??? Truth be told, my family and I were dealing with the same old lies and workers starting trouble with us. I’m not willing to deal with that!
Uh oh! The train has left the rails...
Let's break down the leaps in logic:
1) This is the most egregious one- I doubt that he is outplaying 90% of the players on the Blazers and Sonics considering he hasn't shot above 40% for a season since the 03-04 season. He has played in 14 total games since 04-05 and he's old. There might be a reason or two why teams aren't climbing over each other to sign him. Just sayin'...
2) "What my agent told me" = "How my agent spun the issue" x "The thing that pissed me off the most about what my agent told me." This is much like the guy that tells you he got fired because his boss just didn't like him for some reason. Sure, buddy. People get fired for that all the time, a survey of HR representatives around the country came back saying that "irrational personal vendetta" is the #1 reason for employment termination.
3) "Same old lies and workers starting trouble with us" = "My wife went crazy-go-nuts on some employee/employees" + "My wife and I are incredibly paranoid."
4) When you have the option of signing a guy that shoots under 40% from the field, has basically been out of the league for two years, and has a wife that is notoriously demanding... I think most reasonable people would just go ahead and sign Adrian Griffin instead. You get similar production with 1/1,000 of the drama, and probably for less money.
Now, if Doug was putting up Kobe Bryant numbers, I'm sure 20+ teams would put up with all kinds of his wife's shenanigans... but you don't want your 15th man to be the biggest pain in the ass on the team. This was Joe Forte's problem in Boston. Lots of problems for the team with limited production is a bad combination for anybody, and the Christies have a rap sheet of insanity that goes back a whole decade.
I think, what I tried to get across with this post, was summed up in one swift comment on the blog by Demar:
# Demar says:
June 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Doug, nobody blackballed you, you just suck...and your crazy ass wife is THE REASOn you are not playing, besides sucking.
Amen. This blog has the potential to be a treasure trove of paranoid ramblings once a week! With this referee scandal gaining steam again, we know Doug will be forced to opine. It's the ramblings of a true madman. Stay tuned, folks!
PS. Also, hi to Jackie Christie! I know you Google you and your husband's names several times a day, so thanks for reading! Don't worry, I am not trying to flirt with your husband! Jackie.... JACKIE!!!! Put the Prada bag down!!!!Source URL: http://ledger-heath.blogspot.com/2008/06/ Visit ledger heath for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection
