Messages

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NBA Discussion / Re: Lane Kiffin leaves Vols to return to USC

« on: January 13, 2010, 12:57:25 PM »

I think this is a good hire for SC in the short term, solely because it will likely salvage this years recruiting class.  Had they not brought in an "SC guy" who many of the players either knew or were very familiar with, their recruiting class would have been devastated.  Which is what will now happen to Tennessee's recruiting class as we're about 3 weeks out from signing day.  Additionally, he brings with him two excellent coaches in his father and Ed Orgeron, who is a fantastic coach and recruiter that all of the players love. 

In the long run, I think this is a risky hire for SC.  Kiffin certainly hasn't proven jack as a head coach in his career.  His Dad is obviously a great D coordinator and tremendously improved Tennessee's defense in one year, so it might work out, but it's a high risk verture, IMO.  But yeah, as a Duck residing in SoCal I couldn't be happier about the end of USC's reign of terror.  The only person in LA happier than Kiffin and me right now ... Rick Neuheisel.   

Oregon returns 18 of 22 starters, OSU has a strong base and great coaching staff (although I think the loss of Canfield will hurt), Arizona is young and vastly improving, Stanford looks great and will have a sophomore Andrew Luck who might be the best QB I've seen in the Pac since Jake Locker, who decided to stay for his senior year (although I guess he technically has about 3 weeks to change his mind).  The Pac-10 is going to be fun to watch again this next season with basically every team except WSU likely to improve and make a run at the title.

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NBA Discussion / Re: In bounds or out of bounds? 2. Bunnyhop travel?

« on: January 07, 2010, 08:24:02 PM »

I missed that game as I was in transit returning from watching my beloved Ducks get beat by the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. 

I can't tell from that video if he's out of bounds ... it's definitely close, but you'd need a better angle and a close up to tell 100%.  It's most definitely not a travel. 

Reality, you're like that little kid that taddles on everyone in school.  Who cares?  Maybe it was a missed call, maybe it wasn't, but I didn't see any Kings bitchin' and moanin' about it then or any time after the game, so that's an indication it likely wasn't a bad call. 

Back to work for me.  That's more enjoyable than this nonsense.

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NBA Discussion / Re: Kevin Garnett is a really nice guy

« on: November 18, 2009, 04:55:01 PM »

jemagee may have a point, but I'm not so sure.  One thing I do know is he's gotten worse since he's been in Boston.  My opinion is that he took so much heat for being soft his whole career, that he's overcompensating trying to be hard, or the tough guy, by basically acting like a punk.  All the chest beating and lion's roars and stare downs, etc. have become laughable. 

Give me a break KG.  You're a fantastic ball player but you're a rail thin guy who would get his arse whooped by most guys in the league.  Keep being a great ball player and give up on the theatrics.  Thanks.  Love, Matt

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NBA Discussion / Re: OT: A legend died Friday

« on: November 18, 2009, 04:47:09 PM »

Laker Fan Dan,

Is talk of Pink Floyd reuniting in 2010 just talk?  (Just like the 2009 talk turned out to be).
Seems Gilmor is the one who consistently says "No".

Hey Reality, Laker Fan Dan is much more of a Floyd expert than myself, but I'll chime in with my two cents.   

I don't think a Floyd reunion tour will ever happen and yes you're right that David Gilmour is the reason.  He and Roger Waters are not fans of each other and while it seems they've both made some comments that they're okay with each other in recent years, I don't think Gilmour will ever back to playing with him.  I think Gilmour views Roger as an ego-maniac, control freak and the reality is that they both probably have a little bit of that.  I also think a contributing factor is that Gilmour has had a successful solo career and doesn't really need Pink Floyd.  Sure he plays some Floyd songs during his solo concerts, but he's not relying on them solely as he has a lot of solo material that stands on its own.  The same can't be said for Rogers who hasn't done much solo-wise since PF.  When you think about it, the only reason most of these dinosaur rockers who hate each other (see Eagles & Fleetwood Mac) reunite is because they've run out of money.  Gilmour hasn't, so he doesn't need to make nice in order to keep up his lifestyle. 

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NBA Discussion / Re: S-Jax & Larry Brown

« on: November 18, 2009, 04:16:59 PM »

This guy is well on his way to grabbing the baton from AI to be the new and improved poster boy for the spoiled, delusional athlete.

Artest, Shaq, Rasheed Wallace, the list goes on and on and yet somehow people only focus on Iverson

Yes, all of those guys are morons.  I'd argue Shaq, while certainly annoying and delusional, doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the rest of those guys.  If for no other reason than that he clearly resides on the opposite side of the police blotter than the rest. 

Sorry if you can't take A.I.  being the poster boy for the spoiled punk athlete, but he's done a fine job during his career of making that name for himself.  Are their others?  Unfortunately, there are many.  He just happens to be one of the "best".   

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NBA Discussion / Re: S-Jax & Larry Brown

« on: November 18, 2009, 03:09:05 PM »

I don't think playing under a Brown disciple in SA is an indication of how Jackson will mesh in Charlotte.  If anything, I think Steve did well in SA because he was a young guy who was mentored and kept in check by some very stable, seasoned veterans on that SA squad.  He didn't really develop in to the delusional, petulant, punk until he left the stable structure of SA.  I'm not sure he's going to get the same peer support from the likes of Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler and Gerald Wallace. 

This guy is well on his way to grabbing the baton from AI to be the new and improved poster boy for the spoiled, delusional athlete.  In a preseason game against the Lakers he was spouting off about how he hated Kobe (no big deal, get in line with the rest of the majority of the U.S.).  What's significant is he continued to spew rhetoric about being as good as Kobe is ... ummmmm ... ok ... SJax ... put the crack pipe down, donkey. 

I think he might behave for a while in Charlotte since he was essentially granted his wish of getting out of Golden State, but I don't see it lasting long under Brown. 

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NBA Discussion / Re: Lebron James is changing his number

« on: November 13, 2009, 12:59:13 PM »

I had forgotten about the other teams that retired MJ's number ... interesting. 

While I think it might be a nice move to retire Jordan's number in the league, listening to LeBron spew about it last night was absurd.  MJ was the best, is the best, and since his time in the league has always been considered the best.  LeBron knew that years ago when he started in the league, but NOW, all of the sudden, "he's been thinking about it" and it finally occurred to him that no one else should wear the number.  I don't know, either he's planning on bolting like jem points out, or he's just a phony jerk off.  More likely both. 

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NBA Discussion / Re: Lowest ticket prices you're seeing

« on: November 04, 2009, 07:10:01 PM »

I know Blake was a lock for ROY pre-season.  I guess my point was that had any of the several well run organizations in the NBA drafted him, he'd be playing today.  I'm referring to the "Clipper curse" and while I'm kind of doing it tongue-in-cheek ... I'm half serious.  Whether it's a bust (see Olawankandi), or an injury (see Danny Manning) the Clippers will always suck because they are the Clippers.  I'd love for them to move to the OC, or better yet back to SD where they came from.  Reality can be a season seat holder down there and go to every Laker/Clip game wearing his Kobe underoos. 

Going from a Sixers fan to a Clippers fan!?!  What, were you trying to live a life of pain and suffering?  That's like jumping off the Bills bandwagon to become a Browns fan ;-)

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NBA Discussion / Re: Lowest ticket prices you're seeing

« on: November 04, 2009, 06:25:02 PM »

Haha, true, jemagee ;-)  

If it were the Lakers I'd definitely pay the $10.  Unfortunately for me, that's the only game the Clippers sell out each year (2x), so for that game you have to go through a broker/ebay/stubhub/etc. anyway and end up paying those exorbitant Laker ticket prices.  

The Clippers will always be a mess because they are the Clippers.  I say this every year and I get these morons telling me they're going to make the playoffs this year.  No, they won't.  I felt sorry for Blake Griffin as soon as he was drafted by them ... career over.  If SA would have drafted him he'd already be the leading vote getter for ROY ... unfortunately the ping pong balls didn't fall in his favor.  It's really sad.

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NBA Discussion / Re: Lowest ticket prices you're seeing

« on: November 04, 2009, 05:51:10 PM »

If they paid me $10, I still wouldn't go to a Clipper game ...

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NBA Discussion / Re: How bout them Ducks MSC

« on: November 02, 2009, 06:42:31 PM »

Hey, ziggy!  Yes, that was quite a game and I was so fired up to be there.  A bunch of us from college meet up for a game every year and this year we decided to go for a big one.  I'm not completely surprised that Oregon beat SC, but I am surprised at just how much they dominated them.  I knew that Oregon's been playing very well, seemingly getting better each week after that horrendous season opener.  Also, being down here in SoCal I get to follow the Trojans pretty closely as well and they're beatable this year.  Nine new starters on D, freshmen quarterback, plenty of injuries (we have lots too, welcome to college football), etc., etc.  Chip and his staff have done a fantastic job with the spread offense and Masolli has really started running it like a finely tuned engine.  Week in and week out defenses have been off balance all game and as they continue to run the no huddle offense, you can see the opposing D getting tired.  This isn't a no huddle offense where the team lines up and waits 15 seconds while the coaching staff calls in the play.  This is a no huddle, where they run right up to the line, get set, and snap it.  At times Oregon was just calling the same play, inside hand off to LaMichael James, right up the gut.  Nothing SC could do about it.  The week before Washington could barely get lined up before the snap in the second half and I was surprised that SC's D was no different.  I honestly thought the SC D would be much for formidable, but they looked confused and tired. 

What is different about this years Ducks vs. previous years is that it isn't just all about offense.  In years past, it seemed like we'd just out score the opponent.  This season, the D has really stepped up.  Nick Alliotti has done a fine job, but on top of that the kids on D are really flying around the field and playing like a cohesive unit.  Even with injuries to Walter Thurmond and TJ Ward and Glasper in the secondary, young guys are stepping up.  It's not the biggest group of guys but the D line and linebacking crew are very speedy and really move laterally across the field.  Special teams has been outstanding as well this season ... so for probably the first time since I've been a Duck (1992) I'm seeing a very balanced team and that is exciting.  Heck, we return 19 starters next year so it's a good time to be a Duck :-)

There are still four games left against very good teams, so anything can happen.  Stanford and AZ are looking tough this year and you know the Civil War is always a battle, but the Beavs are legit too this season.  It will be difficult, but beating SC was huge and I like our chances to be playing in Pasadena in January. 

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NBA Discussion / Re: Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter

« on: October 19, 2009, 05:49:50 PM »

msc, jn?

I did/do like that song.  Never really got in to Filter a whole heck of a lot, but that song has a great driving bass and guitar line.  I remember figuring out how to play it on my guitar back when it came out. 

I also remember the controversy surrounding the song.  When you posted the Wiki link in this thread it educated me because I had always heard the story that it was a news anchor in Minnesota, or North Dakota, who committed suicide on the air.  So the story I recall wasn't accurate, but similar in that it was a public suicide in some kind of protest. 

The band took a lot of heat at the time the song came out.  IMO, they have the right as artists to express their take or viewpoint.  They're protected under the first amendment.  It can be argued that it was done in poor taste, but as I recall at the time they were kind of trying to give the guy kudos for standing up for what he believed in.  Because it was a suicide, we're obviously dealing with an extremely sensitive topic and they were treading in grey area between good and poor taste.  I certainly feel for the family members and all of that, but the song itself is written in an artistic, poetic manner.  In other words, I don't consider it anything similar to Beevis and Butthead saying, "huh, huh, way to blow your head off, dude". 

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NBA Discussion / Re: MSC - Calling out our resident Oregon Duck

« on: September 16, 2009, 11:13:38 AM »

I tend to agree with ziggy on the mental part.  He is a big, strong back.  One of those guys that can carry a few college defenders on his back while he picks up extra yards.  He definitely has the frame to be successful at the NFL level. 

Reality, it's also important to note that his 1,000 yds and 17 tds in 2008 were earned while splitting time at tailback with Jerimiah Johnson.  It was a solid 1-2 punch with Blount being the big bruising back and JJ being a quicker, faster, more agile back.  Point being if Blount weren't splitting the carries with another darn good back, those numbers (at least the yardage) would have been significantly higher.   

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NBA Discussion / Re: MSC - Calling out our resident Oregon Duck

« on: September 15, 2009, 12:15:51 PM »

I thought this was an interesting article relating to the punishment not fitting the crime perspective ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-zirin/legarrette-blount-and-the_b_279554.html

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NBA Discussion / Re: MSC - Calling out our resident Oregon Duck

« on: September 15, 2009, 12:14:16 PM »

I agree with you, ziggy, that the punishment did not fit the crime.  An all around bad situation.  I would have liked to see a 4 game suspension.  I think that would have been sufficient for a punishment and also would have allowed LeGarrette to showcase his skills in the second half of the season and potentially have a shot at the NFL.  He'll still have a shot, but it's significantly harder to make it without the opportunity to show your skills on the field. 

The BSU big screen operator is another good point.  That shouldn't have happened and most venues don't replay altercations and questionable calls for that exact reason. 

As far as Chip Kelley, time will tell.  I'm not ready to throw him under the bus yet, as I've been a fan of his as the offensive coordinator.  I think our biggest challenge was graduating three, stud offensive lineman.  It's tough to replace three guys that talented on the line without a steep learning curve and I think we're seeing that.  It's not like we have the benefit of being 3 deep at every position like USC.