Sawyer Is Kind Of A Dick

According to ABC.com's "Sawyer's Nickname Generator", Sawyer would call me Avalanche.

Vote in my poll about foamy handsoap on the right side of the blog. You'll never regret it, as opposed to that lame-o Presidential vote, where you'll only feel worse about yourself.

My First Ole Miss Basketball Game

Last night, I visited the "Tad Pad" for the first time to take in the Ole Miss/Mississippi State game with Brittany, her parents, and her grandfather. Her dad and grandfather are Mississippi State guys, and me and Brittany are obviously Ole Miss fans, and who knows who her mom was rooting for. Here are some reactions from the game last night:

(1) I didn't realize how fierce the rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State really is. I have never been to an Egg Bowl game, so I've never really seen what its like, but it really is intense. Neither side has particularly classy fans, but neither is cleverly disrespectful (read: Penn State or Maryland) either, so there is an abundance of harsh language and cringe-worthy comments coming from fans of both sides. There was also a scuffle between the players on the floor, which I hoped would escalate into a fight. It did not. Double technical fouls though, which was enough to calm the bloodlust for a few days more, I guess. Anyway, it was fun to see how heated both sides got about their equally unranked 17-7 teams. I love good rivalries.

(2) Mississippi is damn fast! I've been an ACC fan forever (arguably the best basketball conference year in and year out -- don't argue with me, its my blog) and I was really impressed with Ole Miss's speed. They have big men who scramble and move like they are much smaller, and they play frantic basketball for the entire game. Granted, this was a much bigger game then usual, so the intensity might have been dialed up a little bit more than normal, but they still impressed with their tenacity and speed.

(3) The "Tad Pad", Ole Miss's home court, is small. I was 2 rows from the back, and still felt like I had pretty good seats. I'd recommend catching a game there, even if you get into it late and have "bad" seats. They're all pretty good.

(4) My prediction: although Ole Miss won last night, I'd probably put my money on Mississippi State making the tournament over them. Something about the way Ole Miss plays made me feel like they have a considerable amount of spottiness left in them. They could beat any team in the country, but they could also lose to anybody on any given day. Thats the nature of a young team, and I think that Ole Miss might just fall a little short this year. Tough pill to swallow when you start 13-0.

(5) The crowd loved the game. But they loved this guy being there even more.

Chris Paul Would Never Do This

There Will Be Me In A Theater Seat, Version 2.0

I will be at the 8:00 "There Will Be Blood" showing tonight. Review to come. I'm so damn excited.

Some People Just Have All The Luck

With all the hoopla surrounding the All-Star game in NOLA this past weekend, I thought it would be interesting to post someone's experience at the game. This comes from the Wake Forest Sports message board. The poster is the cousin of Mike Conley Jr., rookie point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. Here, in his own words, was his experience at the All-Star Game this weekend. Compare this to that assclown Bill Simmons' article about the same game. Enjoy.

"The NBA's base hotel was the Sheraton Downtown and the rate we were able to get was $257 a night ( NBA rate), which I thought was kinda high, so our lawyer called to book a room at the regular rate for himself which came out to around $500. I'm thinking, 'Wow, I've never stayed in a hotel this expensive before, it must be nice....' We arrived Thursday morning and, of course, the outside looks a bit damaged, but I expected that. The lobby area looked nice and they had a pretty large bar right in the middle. I get to my room and I quickly realized its a disaster: no flat screen HDTV, water damage all over the place, electrical outlets broken. The bathroom had water damage, and the tiles were cracked, the shower looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. How could somebody pay $500 a night for that? More importantly, how does the NBA place its All-Stars in such a dump? Thursday night, I got to meet CP3 [Chris Paul, point guard for the New Orleans Hornets] at a charity pool tourney he and Mike [Conley] were doing. That was a pretty cool party. That night a lot of big name athletes were there like Jordan, Magic, Reggie Bush, etc. Reggie Bush acts so Hollywood its amazing. You would at least think he's a pro bowler. Anyway, I woke up Friday morning, called room service and ordered pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, side of bacon, and orange juice. Total cost: $50. Yea, $50. They charged me 11 bucks for a drink at the bar, a driver charged us 25 bucks to take us 2 blocks. Taxis wouldn't pick people up, people fighting over taxis, taxis overcharging people. They didn't even turn the meter on half the time. Friday night, the pimps, hoes, thugs, drug dealers, rappers, and wannabe rappers rolled into town. If you stepped outside the Sheraton and looked to your left and right, it would be about 300 of the 'hoodest' dudes you will ever see just feet from the NBA hotel. I decided to hit Bourbon St. that night and it was a mistake: fights all over the place, not to mention it was shoulder to shoulder all the way down. Finally I was able to slide by the pimps, dodge the drug dealers, and hide my valuables around the thugs so I could get back to the hotel. Funny thing happened Saturday night, though. Reggie Bush decided he was gonna throw a party the same night as Jordan's birthday bash. I guess he thought he would be able to get some big names at his party, but boy was he wrong. It sucked big time and he was pissed. The [NBA Players Association] fought really hard not to have the game in NO and players were pissed big time. Anyone that says they had a great time probably is lying. They did have the annual shootings, one being right outside the hotel last night amongst the 300 thugs camped out."

Note: I edited the post a bit. Sue me.

Why is Curt Schilling Still Playing?

The news today out of Boston spring training is that the team doctors have told Curt Schilling that he will undergo rehab rather than surgery for his off-season arm troubles. This after Schilling's doctor advised him to have surgery to repair the damage and hopefully prolong his career. Schilling basically told the Florida media today, in fewer words, to blame it on the Red Sox and not him personally if he ends up really hurt and has to retire because of not having the surgery.

My question is: why in the hell is Curt Schilling still playing baseball?

He won a championship in Arizona. He threw off the "curse" and on the damn World Series in 2004 with the "bloody sock". He's a fucking hero in Massachusetts. He won another one last year just to round out his World Series ring collection. What in the world is he hanging around for?

If I was Curt, I'd hang it up for good. He doesn't need the money, and he certainly doesn't need the fame. In fact, he can't keep his damn mouth shut enough now as it is. His best days are behind him. Quit while you're ahead.

Done and Done

Jason Kidd is a Maverick. Finally. Bring on the Grizzlies on Friday!

Holy Shit, Will You Just Sign Jason Kidd Already?

For the 700th time in the last week, ESPN has felt it appropriate to update us on the pending NJ/Dallas trade for Jason Kidd. Here is what has happened so far:

- NJ and DAL agreed in principle to a trade involving Kidd and Malik Allen for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, 2 draft picks, and $3 million

- Jerry Stackhouse spoke to the Dallas media and said "I'll take 30 days off and I'll be back", referring to the plan to trade him to NJ, have NJ immediately buy out his contract, wait 30 days, and resign with the Mavericks

- The NBA figures out (with Stackhouse's help) that the plan essentially doesn't trade Stackhouse to the Nets and, since they got all pissy about the same deal happening with Gary Payton a few years ago, they blocked Stackhouse's trade to NJ, even though NJ denied having any plans to buy him out

- DAL substitutes Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell for George and Stackhouse. However, NJ balks at Hassell's inclusion because he is making twice as much as Jerry Stackhouse, indicating an intention to buy out the contract

- The NBA again objects to the deal because Keith Van Horn, previously retired, has made no showing of actually being a legitimate player for DAL. Instead, he is simply a piece to be traded and though the NBA has no rules against this happening, they don't like it. Van Horn will likely have to report to NJ and pass a physical and appear to be an actual NBA player before he can be included in the trade

So basically NOTHING has happened. The trade still sits, waiting to happen. Let's just hope it goes through before Friday, when I will be watching the Mavs take on the Grizzlies in Memphis. Maybe Kidd will be in uniform for that game?

Note: I put that picture up because its just so damn cute. I think it might have been taken mere minutes after Kidd was released from police custody for beating his wife.

"Wake Forest Knocks Off #2 Duke Convincingly"

And so goes the title of ESPN.com's article about the game tonight. Amazing. 13 points over the Blue Devils. I put money on Duke and I couldn't be more happy that I lost it.

Pineapple Express

Judd Apatow's new shit. Looks much funnier in this preview than it did on the Superbad DVD extras. Check it out. Release Date: August 8, 2008