NCAA tournament odds and ends

Once again, I have too many things to do this week NOT to post a blog about the best Oregon basketball team I've ever seen. First, here are a few quotes that get me excited for the road to the Final Four. From my friend J-Lew on the morning of March 10th:

Having watched 1 of my 2 allotted days at the Big Ten Tournament, I must say that it will be a mistake for anyone to select a Big Ten team to go all the way this year. This brand of basketball is the ugliest basketball I have ever seen. I feel like this tournament is setting the game of basketball back 30 years.

On the bright side, I was able to purchase a pretty sweet looking shirt to commemorate my time here....

And this is from J-Lew later on that night:

After 2 full days of action, I am more convinced than ever about the Big Ten. Of course, now that I watched Greg Oden play in-person (and grab 19 freaking rebounds to go along with 4 sick blocks), I am now convinced he would be my #1 pick. Part of the reason that his numbers aren't guady (besides the one-handed thing), is that Thad Matta has a horrilbe offense that involves 3 guards taking turns over-dribbling at the top of the key before having to rush to get a shot up as the shot clock expires...

I put his quotes first so that everyone knows he said it before the Sports Guy said this:

As for the Big Ten, its second-best team (Wisconsin) isn't as good as Kansas, Texas or Texas A&M, and I wasn't even remotely impressed by Purdue (a No. 9 seed), Indiana (No. 7) or Illinois (No. 12), although I do think Michigan State (No. 11) has a chance to crack the Sweet 16 because of Tom Izzo and Drew Neitzel. Regardless, how did the Big Ten send six teams to the tournament when most of its games had the same disjointed, scrappy, uncomfortable flow of a woman's basketball game? Did you ever watch a Big Ten game that didn't involve OSU and think to yourself, "Wow, this is some high-caliber hoops!" Oklahoma State would have been the third-best team in that conference and it's headed to the NIT. Same for Kansas State. And Syracuse.

Final note: Anyone who toggled between the OSU-Wisconsin and Texas-Kansas games knows which conference was better this season. That Texas-Kansas game was the most hard-fought basketball game I've seen since the Heat-Mavs NBA Finals last June ... and Texas was running on fumes. Meanwhile, OSU and Wisconsin were having the basketball equivalent of a rock fight on CBS. Gimme a break. The Big Ten is awful. Don't say I didn't warn you...Other than dunking, is there a noticeable difference between a game involving two Big Ten schools and a high-caliber women's basketball game?

I didn't get to watch Oregon's games this weekend, but I did get to read a lot about them (not the same thing at all), listen to parts of them, see highlights of them, and hear the commentary others were making. I've also watched more than a few of their games this year, so I feel like I can say the following things.

In 2002 I went to the Oregon-Kansas Elite Eight game in Madison and watched Oregon lose. That Oregon team had three great college players on it. That Kansas team was also amazing. The Oregon team this year is better than that Oregon team. Part of the reason for this is Ernie Kent deciding to use the players he has the way he wants to use them. That 2002 team had there players who could run and shoot with anyone, and then two token bigs to fill out the starting five. Robert Johnson, the starting 4, could rebound okay, but he and Chris Christofferson, the 7'2" starting center, couldn't run with the other three guys and weren't that strong inside. This year Kent has started his five best guys almost all season. Oregon starts four guys who are considered guards:

1. Pac-10 all-freshman guard and Pac-10 tournament MVP Tajuan Porter (a 5'6" freshman from Detroit who bettered Jason Kapono's freshman record for three pointers in a Pac-10 season)


2. first team all-conference and Pac-10 all-tourney guard Aaron Brooks (a 6'0" senior who hit game-winners against UCLA and Arizona and led the conference in scoring)


3. 6'6" wing Malik Hairston (who fought injuries much of the season but still managed to become the 10th Duck to ever reach 1000 points for his career during his junior year)


4. and Pac-10 all-tourney guard Bryce Taylor (a 6'5" guard who was 3-3 from the free throw line, 7-7 from the 3-point arc, and 4-4 on all other field goals to score 32 points in 31 minutes in the Pac-10 championship game against USC).

The only "big" man in Oregon's starting five is Pac-10 honorable mention forward Maarty Leunen, a 6'9" junior that Lute Olson suggested should have been the 10th player on the Pac-10's all-conference team. He does a good job of defending and rebounding while still running with the four guards and hitting 40% of his threes. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.5 rebounds for the season.

The bench is okay, but the most important thing about this team is that all five starters can make you pay on offense. The second most important thing is that the starting five can--and this weekend did--play really good team defense. They have great conditioning, as they showed by winning their three-games-in-three-days by an average of 20.3 points. They're led by a senior who got to play with "the Lukes" (Ridnour and Jackson) and three juniors who have finally been living up to their billing as the best recruiting class Oregon's ever had (back in 2004--if you follow the link Oregon's class for that year is ranked sixth, right behind Indiana and UCLA and right ahead of Louisville and (ahem) Florida. This team won road tests at Arizona and Georgetown and came back from a mid-season slump to ruin the rest of the Pac-10 in the conference tournament. I'll end this section about the Ducks with another quote from the Sports Guy. He's talking about how bad the Pac-10 is, but what's more important is the company in which he puts Oregon:

Anyway, watching all these games and comparing the conferences to one another, I don't see how anyone who knows anything about basketball could argue that the Pac-10 and Big Ten are better than the Big East, ACC or even the Big 12 (my vote for "most underrated conference"). UCLA, Oregon and Ohio State are all good. After that? It's a suckfest.

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I've decided to post my bracket here so that people can hold me accountable. I picked it the best way I know how: as fast as possible. Over-thinking ruins all brackets, I say. I might change one thing before the tournament starts on Thursday, which is to pick Southern Illinois over Holy Cross, but I think that the Salukis are going to miss the underdog status they've had in recent years and blow it in the first round. So here are the pictures of my facebook bracket, which I will be using in all pools I might enter this month. Click on the picture for a clearer view.



You'll notice that I have Oregon beating Florida in the Elite Eight (a game that should be amazing to watch), getting revenge against Kansas in the final four, and defeating Georgetown for the second time this year to win the whole thing in Atlanta. I know that a lot of this is wishful thinking, and I've talked myself into it based on how they played this weekend. But if they continue to play the way they did in the Pac-10 tournament, I really believe that they could pull this thing off.
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I watched most of Portland's game against Golden State last night. I know that the Warriors were without Baron Davis, but it was so good to watch the Blazers play with energy and poise. There isn't much to say other than the guys I already like keep making me like them even more: R-O-Y, Randolph, Udoka, Rodriguez, and Aldridge. It's also fun to see Freddie Jones, a member of that 2002 Oregon team, dunking on people for Portland now.

Alright, I need to finish my Unit Plan that will serve as part of my final in a really lame class tomorrow night.

Not my vidas...

I have to go to class in a few minutes, but I needed to at least link to this and make a quick note. At the Daily Dime on ESPN.com they did a 10 Greatest Centers Ever list. I was a little disappointed that Arvydas Sabonis didn't make it, but he was actually the second guy left off the list. The Sports Guy gave his reasons for not participating, and I think it raises some good issues. Of course I'm biased, since Sabonis is my favorite basketball player ever, but if I had to pick one guy to build around (with health and age not a factor) I would probably pick him, even over Walton. One other note: since Malone was technically a Blazer for a little while, we could have potentially had three guys make that list. That's pretty ridiculous. I'll hopefully write some more about Sabonis when my computer is back, which should be soon since the box is coming in tomorrow.

Recovering

I was on the phone for half an hour yesterday getting my MacBook squared away. I should be receiving a box today or tomorrow in which to send my computer to Apple. Then it should be back, in proper working order and in my hands, in another five to seven days. This is good news because the term is ending, but it's also good news because I've missed blogging. I'm still frustrated that I've been posting so infrequently, but I think that has mainly been because of the computer problems.

While I've been recovering from my ear infection and my cold, and my computer is getting ready to recover from its severed head, my fantasy basketball team and the Blazers are going the other direction. In two of my three leagues I've had at least one big injury (Dwyane Wade) and at least one or two other tough injuries (Baron Davis--forever, Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer finally came back, as did Antawn Jamison). As much as I care about fantasy basketball, I care more about the Blazers. That makes the injury situation tough for me to figure out. I really like Joel Przybilla, and I think he can get back to top form, but his injury and Raef LaFrentz's combine to give LaMarcus Aldridge a bigger chance. Of course he took full advandtage of that chance on Thursday last week against the Bobcats. But it also eases some of the tension that might have been building because of Jamaal Magloire not being traded. Now Mags is the only real big man other than Aldridge and Zach Randolph, so his minutes will be higher than they would have been otherwise. He still scares me most of the time he's in the game, but we didn't trade his expiring deal for junk and now he'll be happier and still playing hard so he can sign with someone during the offseason.

It has been good to have Sergio Rodriguez back, who is so much fun to watch (more on this in the next paragraph). And I'm happy that we get another chance to see what Travis Outlaw can do, even if I'm already leaning toward letting him walk this offseason. The one injury I forgot to mention is Martell Webster's shoulder. He left the Kings game on Saturday night hurt, but I haven't been able to find more information. I think that means he's probably alright. We need more from him.

Yesterday I watched a Phoenix Suns game just for the pleasure of seeing Steve Nash play. I lived in Phoenix for a year and couldn't stand most of the Suns fans, so this made me really dislike the team. I also didn't think Nash deserved either of his two MVP awards. I stick to all of that, but I also say this: I think Nash does deserve the MVP this year. I think that his help defense is a little better than his man-to-man defense, but I've come around to the consesus that his offensive game is good enough to make up for that. Even the turnovers he makes--which he does make, despite the way the announcers were talking yesterday--are made in a way that you know he was doing the most he could to get his teammate into great position to score. I had already floated the "Rodriguez is a little like Nash" line earlier this year, but after having seen quite a few of Rodriguez's highlights and some full games and then comparing them with the Nash I watched yesterday, I don't think that's too much of a stretch. This kid could do those same types of things for his teammates. Of course, it doesn't hurt Nash that he's playing with my other favorite guy to watch in the NBA, Amare Stoudamire. Can LaMarcus bulk up and turn into that sort of presence? Can we get the makeup lottery we deserve and land Oden or Durant? Does it even matter, now that this nucleus has shown their possibility? It really is good to be a Blazer fan again, and part of it is that these questions are fun instead of just frustrating.

Of ear infections and computer problems

Sundays are no longer good days for me. Last week that was the day my computer quit working. As soon as I leave the library and head back to my apartment I'm calling Apple so that I can get it taken care of, finally. This week that was the day that I went to bed at 10:30 only to be kept awake for five and a half hours by my ear, which was in more pain than it has ever been (maybe). I'm seeing a doctor at the health center on campus at 3:00 this afternoon, but I was too tired to go to school this morning and proctor state tests fro my middle school students.

That's been enough whining. Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon, and then I'll be back with consistent posts about the Ducks and Blazers as we head into (and toward) the postseason.

Bad news

Last week was really really busy and I didn't finish my post about the Ducks game like I thought I would, and then last night something catastrophic happened: my laptop disconnected from the hard drive. Yes, my computer is no longer recognizing the volume that has everything on it. Hopefully I can get this fixed soon, but this will definitely affect multiple areas of my life, and blogging is one of them.

I Am A Trail Blazers Fan

That's the name of the new online community I joined last night. I'm pretty excited about it, because now I'm sure I'll...wait, there is no good reason for me to be excited about it. But I still am. I have more work this week than I did last week, which is fantastic. I also start my teaching unit this week.

This weekend I got to see my friend Brian swim really well on Friday, but missed his race on Saturday that made another friend of mine cry because it was so good. I also watched a bunch of Super Bowl highlight shows put on by the NFL Network with my dad yesterday. The series is called America's Game, and it is very well done. Oh yeah, I also watched the Ducks lose on Saturday. I'm halfway through a post about my experience at the game last Thursday, so that'll be done hopefully by Wednesday. And it was great to get a Blazer sweep for the weekend, even if my predictions at Blazer's Edge weren't confident enough in my team.

I know there wasn't much substance here, but hopefully it gives you a few things to check out.

Some more McSweeney's, school, signing day, and another Blazer loss

Really, if yesterday's link to McSweeney's wasn't enough to get you checking that site everyday then I don't believe you enjoy reading or laughing. Here's a snippet from today. Think of it as another attempt to get you hooked.

THE AMERICANS
WHO VOTED FOR
GEORGE W. BUSH
WISH TO RETURN
THEIR TELEVISION.
BY WAYNE GLADSTONE

- - - -

AMERICA: Yeah, hi. I bought this TV here about two years ago and I'd like to return it.

BEST BUY CLERK: Oh, yeah. I remember you. You loved this TV. What happened? Is it broken?

AMERICA: Broken? Well, I'm not sure. It's just that ... hmm. How do I explain?

BEST BUY CLERK: Well, what's the problem?

AMERICA: Well, I've heard there are other TVs? Like a smart TV that knows when your shows are on and can record them for you? One that can be programmed with parental controls and specifications.

BEST BUY CLERK: Yeah, sure, but you said you didn't want a smart TV. I remember. I tried to sell you that. But you said it was "haughty." That it gave you too much information—like it couldn't make up its mind. You wanted a "simple" TV that you could relate to.

AMERICA: Yeah, I know ... but this TV. I mean, sometimes I'll put it on a channel and it just stays there. No matter what. No matter how bad the channel is or how much I want something different. I even changed the batteries in the remote control and banged on the side of the set, but nothing works. It's like it's ignoring me.

BEST BUY CLERK: And that's a problem?

AMERICA: Well, yeah.

Funny, huh?

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I have my first real paper of grad school due today, and of course I haven't started yet. That means I'll be working like crazy when I get home at one so that I can have it done by the time I go to class at four. Shouldn't I be working on that now instead of this post? Umm, good question.

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Today is signing day for college football, and hopefully the Ducks pull in some good guys. Not that it seems to matter, since we have a set pattern: underachieve, overachieve (but just enough to give hope for the next year), underachieve, overachieve, etc.

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Last night's Blazer game was ridiculous. I wasn't watching, but I did follow the gamecast at the beginning and then again at the end. Even though Nash wasn't playing, the fact that the Blazers could come back against the Suns is a good sign. And even if Nash had been playing, the fact that we continue to come out flat and get way behind early drives me crazy. How many times do I have to say "young" and "inconsistent" here? More than I already have, really? What if I just say it a whole bunch of times now, will that make the need go away? Worth a try, I suppose: young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent young and inconsistent

There you go guys, now stop losing close games and coming out with no effort.

A pretty good Blazer weekend

Yeah, I was at a Blazer game that ended on the wrong side of the win-loss column. And the way it happened, with a disgusting first half, was no good. But at the end of the game, when LaMarcus Aldridge's last-second shot cut the final deficit down to two, there was a little happy to go with all of the sad. Sure, the happy and the sad may taste the same, but I'd rather taste the happy.

When I got off MAX to go to the game I could feel a buzz in the crowd. No, the buzz didn't come from anything I had ingested prior to my arrival. Fans seemed genuinely excited to be going to a Blazer game. And there were a lot of them. Maybe part of this was from all the Chicago fans wearing Bears gear. But there was certainly a lot of energy from Portland fans as well. And much of this might have come from the news that came out late the day before that Paul Allen wanted to buy back the Rose Garden. Most fans think this means that the Blazers will be staying in Portland for good. I hope that's the case. No matter what, it seems to solidify things for a while. It also seems like an act of good faith that Allen wants to bring the team back to its former glory. (Whatever that might mean.)

Unfortunately, the first quarter of the game dampened the spirits of the crowd. The Bulls were playing terribly, with several passes careening into the stands. And yet Portland couldn't take advantage. It was like the Bulls were offering us the game, but we were too polite to take it so easily. "No, no, you should have it. Really? Are you sure? Well, maybe just a little. What, you really want us to have it? Oh, okay. Well, at least keep some for yourself. No? Well, if you change your mind..."

The Bulls did change their mind, and took advantage of us in the second quarter. This quarter was sick and gross. I don't really know what else to say about it, so I'll just quote the notes I wrote on my napkin from Section 313, Row A, seat 5:

The 2nd quarter was gross. It felt like there were as many Bulls fans as Blazers fans, which was probably because they had so many more reasons to cheer than us. A few times it looked like we were going to start playing with energy. It never lasted.

This is what I wrote in the third quarter:

3rd qt. Wow! Exactly what we needed: energy, good defense, and R-O-Y, Zach, and Joel to step up big. All the sudden it seemed like we were in Portland.

The third quarter really was that much better. I know that some of that was Chicago not playing as well, but a lot of it was us coming out with a ton of energy and doing the little things. The offense was running through R-O-Y, which was fantastic. It seemed like most of Zach's points were coming after Brandon had already looked for what he could. Even so, it seemed like Zach was still into the game, which is usually the knock on him when the offense isn't going through him every play. If he enjoys playing with R-O-Y enough to handle not getting the ball every time down and if he likes Sergio as much as I think he does--from the body language of the few games I've actually seen--then we might be in for a treat if we don't ship him off. A more content version of Zach could be like a more assertive version of Rasheed. Well, except that Rasheed plays good defense and blocks shots. Zach, unfortunately, has only blocked seven shots all season, as my friend Mark keeps telling me.

The fourth quarter was probably the best basketball of the night. Both teams were executing pretty well on offense and made it look respectable on defense. It was actually fun to watch the whole second half, but the fourth quarter was great. I hate settling for moral victories--and I've been settling more and more--but it was a good way to close out a game. especially since we scored the same amount of points in the third quarter as the first half, and outscored our first half by two in the fourth. Yikes.

After the game I went out with a few friends from high school, which was fun, but I was still frustrated by the game for this simple fact: why can't we win? The Bulls are a pretty good team. We played TERRIBLY in the first half. Put those two things together and that should be a huge loss, especially since we're also young and inconsistent. But we were within two at the end. Had we run a few offensive sets better in the fourth or had Zach made his free throws like usual, we would have won. I know that the Bulls didn't play well in the first quarter at all, but their second quarter wasn't that bad. And their third quarter seemed tough because we actually started playing well more than them just losing it. Part of me thinks that if R-O-Y hadn't gotten cut early and missed most of the first things would have been different, but as Dave at Blazer's Edge has noted, we have a habit of coming out flat in games.

Since that rant is done, I'll end by recapitulating the title of this post: it was a pretty good Blazer weekend. The stadium is back in Allen's hands, which should be a good thing, and we played a couple tough games on Friday and Saturday. The 2009 championship is going to be fantastic, and I can't help but think we're getting glimpses of that every once in a while with LaMarcus, Brandon, and Zach.

*I really wanted to put just the "taste the happy" clip in here, but instead I had to link to that whole episode of Arrested Development. Not that it isn't worth it. And when I called the second quarter "sick and gross" I was of course quoting Eli Cash from The Royal Tenenbaums.

Something good to read everyday

I still check this website every day, but I don't always read it. Well, I'm glad I did today. Here's a taste:

Apricots

This über-food has been proven to boost serotonin levels, giving fleeting feelings of contentment, which cast the despair into sharper relief. Use them as a snack or to brighten up a salad.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain massive amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight heart disease, and plant sterols, which lower cholesterol, as well as lots of antioxidants. You can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 15 percent to 50 percent if you eat a few five times a week. You will still rot in the nursing home, but more slowly and at greater cost to your kids.

You should go check it out. It's awesome.

Powell's

I am sitting in Powell’s listening to Elliott Smith, after riding the MAX from the Lloyd Center to Pioneer Square. That ride is part of what is known as “fareless square,” a stretch of track that requires no fare to ride. It’s a stereotypical dreary Portland day, and as I walked down 10th avenue toward Burnside Elliott welcomed me to his home. I will always enjoy soaking up the atmosphere of Powell’s. At this moment I’m in the coffee shop with Elliott—Craig Thompson’s book Blankets in front of me—watching all the people around me enjoy books and conversation. This kind of atmosphere is ideal. When I was in the men’s room I noticed the condom dispenser on the wall. Maybe there are other bookstores that have condoms for sale in the rest room, but I wouldn’t believe them necessary anywhere else. At Powell’s there is a sort of energy among patrons that makes it seem possible to find a member of the opposite sex, have a great conversation, and then move it back to a more comfortable location. Not for me, of course, but I could imagine it for others. The one knock on Powell’s right now is that they don’t have the book I need to read for class on Tuesday, and I thought I might be able to get it done while I sat here enjoying the atmosphere. Of course, if they did have this lame education book my estimation of the place might lower just a tiny bit. But they don’t, and Powell’s is still one of the coolest places I’ve ever spent time.

Portland on a broken shoe string

As soon as I finish writing this post I'm headed up I-5 to the city of roses. After going to the Portland-Houston game in December with my friend Josh, he invited me to go to the Portland-Chicago game with him tomorrow. I accepted, but as I figured out some budgetary information this morning I realized how terrible this timing is. I just finished paying off a debt to Fuller Theological Seminary, where I was a student for approximately three weeks. I should be okay, but I'm going to be riding my bike for more pressing reasons than exercise in the coming months. Also, I might have to go on a hunger strike, or at least something that people could mistake for one. Having said all that, I'm pretty excited to be on my way up to one of the coolest cities in the country. What, you'd like to hear my plans?

1. See my grandma, my friends Scott and Lindsay, and perhaps a few others over the few days I'm up.


2. Spend some time reading and doing homework in Powell's, the coolest book store in the world. Excuse the hyperbole, but it sure tops the list of stores I've ever visited.


3. Watch my second Blazer game of the season.


4. Hopefully take some notes during the game and post about said second Blazer game of the season.


5. Find Chuck Palahniuk and convince him to get a move on publishing a new book.


6. Put together the newest elite rock group from Portland.


7. Spend less than thirty dollars.

I have no idea how many of those are possible. Hopefully all of them, but if I have to cut some out, I'll go with number seven first, and then number six. But number five is staying. Maybe I can find him at Powell's. And I know you didn't really want to know what my plans were, but I employed that cheap device to transition into my sweet list. Sorry for using you like that.

*I decided not to change what I wrote, but fix it here. It turns out Palahniuk doesn't live in Portland anymore, which is incredibly disappointing. But it also turns out he has a recently published short story and a new book on the way. So I can cross number five off the list twice.

Friday night basketball

Last Friday night I got to partake in what first-ever and long-time Blazers play-by-play man Bill Schonely used to call “free basketball.” Twice.

When I turned on the Portland-Memphis game, the Blazers were still down by a bit. They had played a terrible first half, and had been struggling to come back throughout the third quarter. This was the game that Zach Randolph set a career high in points and shot attempts. But this is also a game that the Blazers would not give up on. It was so encouraging to watch them work, struggle, and do whatever they could to pull out this victory. I would have been really happy with this in most games, but because this was the second of a back-to-back, and one in which the first game of the two was terrible, I was ecstatic. I don't have much else to say because I've waited so long to write about it. But I was very glad that the Blazers came out during the second half and did what they could. This has been true in the last few games, as they've gone 6-4 in their last ten.

I turned on the DVR to capture the second half of the Oregon-Washington State game as soon as Portland finally won. I watched a bit, but realized that we were down and I was tired. After a half hour or so of reading in the guest room, I heard my mom come up from the garage and turn the TV on to check the score. The Ducks had been down by 13 or so when I had left. When she said that they were down by two, I decided to give the rest of the game a chance.

I have been saying all year that the best thing about this team is how good the top five are. With the 2002 elite eight team there were three great players and two good role players. But this team has five players that I trust with the big shot at any time. In the Cougar game Aaron Brooks and TaJuan Porter both made huge three pointers at the end, but it was Maarty Leunen who made two free throws with .5 of a second left in regulation. And then Brooks caught on fire as the overtime started. I know that we lost tonight in Pauley Pavilion, but this Ducks team is very good, and deserves to stay in the top ten (if we can beat USC on Saturday).

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J-Lew asked why Brooks was suspended. Sorry it's taken so long, but this is what I know. The league suspended him for the elbow during the Washington game in the Pac-10 tournament. That suspension was served the during the next game of the tournament. In addition, the team suspended him for the season opener and the first of two against Washington. Those suspensions were not imposed by the league, and were something done completely within house. For more on the background, go here or here.

The Onion does it again

Peyton Manning Overjoyed His Commercials Will Finally Appear In Super Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS—Colts quarterback Peyton Manning took a moment during Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday to acknowledge his "deep, abiding joy and...

Getting back into a good routine

I've finally developed a good routine that includes riding my bike to the middle school and stopping to get coffee in the mornings. Last week I finished reading The Satanic Verses--which was excellent, by the way--so now I can get back into the habit of blogging in the mornings while I drink my coffee. I was going to write about watching both overtimes of the Portland-Memphis game and the overtime of the Oregon-Washington State game this weekend, but I haven't yet.

So the purpose of this post is just to inform my (assumed) readership that there will be more and consistently posted content again very soon.

MId-week update

I was fortunate to watch the overtime of the Blazers win against the Timberwolves tonight. What stood out?

1. Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Brandon R-O-Y all made pairs of clutch free throws at the end. It's not that I don't expect this from all three of them. In fact, that may be the most amazing part. I do expect all three of those guys to make clutch free throws at the end of games.


2. I'm sure a lot of people will talk about this play, but when Portland was down 96-93 toward the end of overtime Zach rotated over to help on Kevin Garnett. It was good, quick help. When KG passed out of the double he found Mark Blount under the hoop. I thought it was a bucket, but Martell Webster was there to frustrate Blount and force him into a travel. Two instances, on one play, of guys doing the "little things" that are so important. Why make a big deal about it? These two guys aren't known for their defense, and "little things" take on even more meaning with 45 seconds left in overtime.


3. The line for Sergio Rodriguez was disappointing to me tonight, because I always want to see high assists and low turnovers. Sure, I like seeing guys score points--how would we win without 'em?--but what I really want is Sergio to elevate the passing game of the whole team. Having said that, I'll take 18 from Sergio off the bench. He really does keep showing more and more of the aspects to his game that will make him a fantastic NBA player.


4. I still hate Jamaal Magloire. I don't have a follow-up to that.


5. It will be interesting to see what happens when Travis comes back. People coming back from injury this year have messed with the team when we had good things going, so this could play out like that. Or it could be more like when Jack just came back from the concussion. Sure, it was shorter, but maybe the team has reestablished the right sort of chemistry to hold through another shift in playing times and roles. Hopefully.

....................................................................
I have class every Thursday night, so I won't get to watch the Ducks play the Huskies tomorrow night. Aaron Brooks doesn't get to play in that one, so it could be a little rough. But we've played through other injuries already this year, so maybe missing the potential POY will show how tough the team is.

Aaron Brooks...no, NOT that one

Since I'm not an insider at ESPN I couldn't read the whole thing, but it was nice to see a great player from my team get some love from Jay Bilas. This is most of what you can see if you follow this link:

So, for POY, the strongest candidates have been Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (big shots, big plays in big games), Texas' Durant (the most talented player in America), Nevada's Nick Fazekas (he has been as good as any big man), Florida's Joakim Noah (no player is more productive in just 24 minutes), UCLA's Arron Afflalo (plays on both ends and is the Bruins' heart), LSU's Glen Davis (big-time college player),Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan (one of the most productive interior players in the country) and Tennessee's Chris Lofton (this year's Redick). Let's add another name ... Oregon's Aaron Brooks. Brooks is averaging more than 18 points, almost 5 assists and 2 steals, and he has taken it on himself to hit every big shot Oregon has needed to win key games. It was Brooks who shot down UCLA, and he was magnificent on the road at Arizona. There might be a long way to go in this whole player of the year debate, but Brooks deserves to be in it as much as anyone we have named so far.

I put my favorite part in bold, just to emphasize it. Brooks really has been great for Oregon this season. I watched all of the Arizona game on Sunday and most of tonight's Cal game, and in each one he made big shot after big shot and took over whenever we needed somebody to do so. He's in the line of people like Luke Ridnour, Kenya Wilkins, and Terrell Brandon. In fact, here's what Ernie Kent said about that to Luke Andrews of the Oregon Daily Emerald, our on-campus newspaper:

When asked to compare Brooks to some of the great Oregon point guards of the past, from Luke Ridnour to Kenya Wilkins to Terrell Brandon and on down, Kent was quick to name Brooks near the top.

"He's definitely one of the best we've had here," Kent said. "I mean that, too. Athletically, he is the best. I don't think I've ever had a point guard that has his kind of stamina that can go like he can go for 40 minutes of a game, never miss a beat and come into practice and look the same way."

Comparing a few Quarterbacks

So my friend Mark wrote this. I'm responding with this:

PASS ATT COMP YARD TD INT rank Young 4149 2667 33124 232 107 1 Manning 4890 3131 37586 275 139 2 Brady 3064 1896 21564 147 78 3 Marino 8358 4967 61361 420 252 4 Favre 8224 5021 57500 414 273 5 Fouts 5604 3297 43040 254 242 6 Elway 7250 4123 51475 300 226 7 RUSH ATT SACK YARD TD FUM rank Young 722 358 4239 43 68 1 Manning 269 170 701 13 45 7 Brady 239 182 435 3 59 6 Marino 301 270 87 9 110 4 Favre 526 424 1774 13 138 3 Fouts 224 476 13 5 Elway 774 516 3407 33 137 2 value ATT rank Young 7103 4149 1 Manning 4927 4333 4 Brady 1614 2548 7 Marino 6752 8358 2 Favre 2672 7612 6 Fouts 5017 5604 3 Elway 3155 7250 5 YARD TD INT ATT AY/A rank Young 33124 232 107 4149 7.382 1 Manning 37586 275 139 4890 6.970 2 Brady 21564 147 78 3064 6.372 4 Marino 61361 420 252 8358 6.487 3 Favre 57500 414 273 8224 6.001 7 Fouts 43040 254 242 5604 6.190 5 Elway 51475 300 226 7250 6.111 6 RW RL R% PW PL W% projR% projW% rank Wrank Young 78 25 0.757 8 6 0.718 0.685 0.667 2 4 Manning 92 52 0.639 5 6 0.614 4 8 Brady 70 24 0.745 12 1 0.783 1 2 Marino 131 85 0.606 8 10 0.583 0.617 0.594 6 12 Favre 139 85 0.621 11 9 0.610 0.620 0.607 5 10 Fouts 3 4 0.429 7 14 Elway 91 48 0.655 14 8 0.650 0.593 3 6 rank sum final rank Young 8 1 Manning 23 3 Brady 22 2 Marino 25 4 Favre 31 6 Fouts 33 7 Elway 26 5

There are a few things that I need to explain. The top chart shows QB passer ratings and the components of that rating.

The second chart shows a QB rushing rating that I built off of the passer rating and the components of that rating.

The third chart shows a QB value that was developed by Chase Stuart. The explanation for this value can be found here.

The fourth chart shows the adjusted yards per attempt for each QB.

The fifth chart shows the regular season winning percentage, playoff winning percentage, and weighted total winning percentage for each QB. I came up with this myself, and each playoff game is worth twice as much as each regular season game. For the older quarterbacks there was some missing info, so I had to project what the starting record for them would have been in these games. For Steve Young it doesn't include the 40 games he started from 1985-1991, 19 of those with Tampa Bay and 21 of them with San Francisco. For Dan Marino it doesn't include the 26 games he started in 1983, 1987, and 1993. For Brett Favre it doesn't include the 13 games he started in 1992. For John Elway it doesn't include the 92 games he started in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992. For all of these missing games I projected how they most likely did based on their team's winning percentage and their history.

The sixth chart shows combines the results of all the other ones. In each chart I rank the quarterbacks. For the last chart I found the sum and the ranked each one, from lowest to highest point total (like in golf). Each category was worth one point, except the winning percentage chart, for which I made it worth double. In the final tally, the best QB of all the ones Mark mentioned in his post is Steve Young. (This wasn't surprising to me, as the same Chase Stuart who came up with the value rankings has him listed as the best QB of all time here.) Young is followed by Tom Brady, then Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Dan Elway, Brett Favre, and Dan Fouts. (Although the Fouts info is really spotty, so who knows if he could have been ranked higher.)

Mark could certainly argue with the way I came up with my formulas, but based on the ones I used, all the talk of Brady being better than Manning is based on reality.

*PASS-passing stats
ATT-attempts
COMP-completions
YARD-yardage
TD-touchdowns
INT-interceptions
RUSH-rushing stats
FUM-total fumbles
AY/A-adjusted yards per attempt
RW-regular season wins
RL-regular season losses
R%-regular season winning percentage
PW-playoff wins
PL-playoff losses
P%-playoff winning percentage
W%-weighted winning percentage (each playoff game is worth two regular season games)
projR%-projected regular season winning percentage for those QBs with missing stats
projW%-projected wighted winning percentage for those QBs with missing stats
Wrank-weighted rank, with winning percentage rank being worth twice as much as other ranks

In defense of mediocrity

I should be doing homework right now, but three things have me riled up enough to be writing this instead: 1) on the Kay House wall people have complained about Randolph's lack of blocks 2) J-Lew's comment about Rodriguez getting away with three travels 3) the game against Phoenix last night.

1. I already said this on the Kay House wall, but it's important to say here: Zach Randolph is not a good defender. I wish that he were. Instead, he's a great scorer who can control the boards when he's really into it. Lately he's shown that he can even help on defense if he's playing with a lot of energy. In addition to being a bad individual defender, he's also short. Plus, he couldn't jump very well before the micro fracture surgery. Scottie Pippen once said that he had played with no harder worker. The coaches have all talked about the effort he put in this summer to get into better shape and expand his offensive arsenal. I don't think it's beyond reason that he could put that sort of effort into his defense over the next few seasons. The kid's my age, for goodness sake, and has already had to fight through a career-threatening surgery, immaturity, poor decision-making, and the absence of family. I know, for that much money he should be able to block a few shots, but I think he can develop that aspect still.


2. YES Sergio got away with at least three travels in that video. I also know that Zach travels most of the times he touches the ball. But I also know that many other NBA players get away with the same. Is that how it should be? Probably not. But since the Blazers get the shaft in so many other areas, I think we should get some leeway when it comes to a play maker like Sergio and an inside monster like Zach.


3. I watched the fourth quarter last night of the Portland-Phoenix game. Here are some impressions:


• Brandon R-O-Y is a man. There was one moment when he got the ball, drove to the hoop on the left side and drew Stoudamire and Marion. He did a jump stop, then juked both of them into the air, slipped between them and made the shot. At another point he was man-to-man against Marion, backed him down, did a little shoulder bump to create space and made the fade-away over Marion's outstretched hand. (My mind keeps shouting MJ, even though it's completely unfair.)


• When the Blazers are working hard, they can do anything. They held the Suns to two shot-clock violations, and a third possession in which the air-ball was collected by the Blazers as the buzzer went off. The Suns like to shoot early in the clock, and the Blazers got three turnovers off of keeping that from happening. That's impressive.


• Zach is really amazing when he's on.


• Zach and Sergio love playing together. I could see it in their body language.


• Sergio and LaMarcus also love playing together.


• JJ looks like the concussion and subsequent challenge by Sergio might have helped his game, which is sort of odd. Hopefully he comes back strong and makes the fight for PG of the future a good one. It was also cool to see him and Rodriguez in at the same time. I salute that.


• Lastly, the Blazers get no respect. Despite what I mentioned about Sergio and Zach being allowed to travel, the refs bone us over on most nights. From Blazer's Edge:

  The league really should look at the last couple of games though. Somebody needs to ask how a team that outscored its opponents 195-182 managed to face a 28-68 free throw attempt disparity.

Oh, and the title to this post is a reference to Portland's mediocrity. I know we're not there yet, and I'm still hoping for Oden, but--and this is too bad--I still feel the need to defend my team against minuscule attacks. Onward and upward (to the number one pick and a championship in the 2009 season).

*Photo stolen from Casey Holdahl's blog.

More fantastic sports news from the onion

Peyton Manning Looking Forward To Ninth Annual Super-Bowl-Watching Party

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said Monday he is looking forward to wrapping up his football season and relaxing with...

Ser-Gi-OOOOOOOO

Here are quotes with links:

In Sunday’s late game, the Nuggets routed the Trail Blazers. Though Allen Iverson was brilliant (29 points, 11-for-21 shooting, nine assists), it was the spectacular play from new Denver guard Steve Blake and Portland guard Sergio Rodriguez that really stood out. Blake put up 25 points and three steals in his first game for Denver following its trade of Early Boykins to Milwaukee. Rodriguez had 23 points, 10 assists and three steals and proved his potential to be a starting point guard.

Rodriguez is averaging over 14 assists per 48 minutes played and is also shooting 46 percent. He is playing only 10.5 minutes per game and has taken just 91 shots in his 33 appearances, including his 11-for-14 shooting Sunday night.

The future is extremely bright for Portland, which features a large cast of young players. Guard Martell Webster, only 19 years old, promises to soon be one of the top perimeter shooters in the league with his impressive range and flawless shooting delivery. He reminds me of Steve Smith when he shoots. However, Webster is one-dimensional, as 60 percent of his shots have been from 3-point range, though he’s made an impressive 53-for-132.

(from RotoTimes)

He may be the youngest player on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, but he is far away from being a junior any more. Just a month into his NBA career, Sergio Rodriguez posted eleven assists, against the Hawks in just 28 minutes on the floor. He might not get those kinds of minutes often, but he is doing something right: every time Sergio steps off the floor, his team is statistically better off than when he entered. Soon there will be no need for him to nervously stretch his jersey any more.

(from HOOPSWORLD)

Its a good thing the Blazers got rid of Steve Blake. His career high 25 points helped Denver to a 109-93 win over Portland last night. AI had 32 and 9 dimes....Denver outscored the Blazers 41-17 in the third. Nice effort boys. Two Blazer starters were held scoreless, none had more than 9 points. Zach Randolph a stellar 1-12 from the field, with just 4 points. The lone bright spot for Portland was Sergio Rodriguez...23 points 10 assists off the bench. This kid has been inconsistent, but could really be something in the future...hes only 20.

(from TD Zone)

The newcomer is most comfortable in an uptempo game. He pushes the pace with abandon and has a knack for finding open teammates with both routine and difficult passes, which he somehow makes look easy.

Rodriguez has been remarkably effective in his limited NBA time. He dishes out an assist every 3.4 minutes, second in the league behind Phoenix’s Steve Nash (3.2). Teammates Jarrett Jack (6.3) and Brandon Roy (10.5) aren’t close. Rodriguez’s assist-to-turnover ratio (3.19) ranks seventh in the NBA and leads rookies.

The young Spaniard can shoot and he can score, but he has spent his first months as a Blazer passing up shots to set up teammates with a savvy beyond his years.

“I know I must shoot, to keep the defense honest,” he says. “But I prefer an assist to a score. The most important thing is to play with my teammates, and that my teammates are happy with me. They have to have confidence in me. When you find this, other things fall into place.”

Already, Rodriguez is about the most popular guy to play with on the team.

“He gets people the ball in the right places,” center Joel Przybilla says. “The first time I played with him in a pickup game, I called a couple of buddies and said, ‘He’s gonna be a player, man.’ He’s so unselfish. He’s so under control already. His future in this league is just unbelievable.”

(from the Portland Tribune) You should go read this whole article.

And Sergio makes three?

Last week, there was speculation that Sergio Rodriguez might be out of the Blazers' rotation completely. But Jarrett Jack has missed the last two games after a car accident on Friday and Rodriguez has seen more playing time, not less, as a result.

Line of the Week Sergio Rodriguez (POR) 01.14 vs. DEN 23 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 11-14 FG

Sunday night, Rodriguez had a breakout performance. He entered the game late in the first quarter with the Blazers down by nine and they were down by 12 by the end of the period. Three minutes into the second, Rodriguez had two points and five assists. By the half, he had 13 points, three boards and six dimes ... and the Blazers led by seven.

Unfortunately for Portland fans, the home team could not come back from Denver's 18-0 run that started the third quarter. But Rodriguez's final line was the best we saw out of a rookie this week, and it could be what puts him ahead of Dan Dickau in the rotation when Jack comes back. And along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland's future seems even brighter.

(from NBA.com Rookie Rankings)

(I know these probably don't look very good, but I just wanted to show a comparison of Nash's Hollinger stats and Rodriguez's. You can find these at Knickerblogger.com, here and here)

Sergio Rodriguez

There was a ton written about Rodriguez after his 23 point, 10 assist, 4 rebound, 3 steal, and four turnover game against the Nuggets on Sunday. Instead of adding to that--although I will link to a bunch of those soon, I think--I'm just putting this YouTube highlight clip from the game up. Enjoy.

Maybe my last post about the Miami officiating

I thought I was done talking about this, but then I found this story today at HoopsHype. HoopsHype linked back to the story at MSNBC. I think I'll quote the whole thing, because it's short and then people can draw their own conclusions.

NBA official Rodney Mott was suspended three games without pay Friday for making an obscene gesture toward a fan and also using inappropriate language.

Mott made the gesture and remarks after the Portland Trail Blazers’ 93-90 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night in Portland.

The 49-year-old Mott is in his ninth season as an NBA official.

They're not walking through that door

I want to respond to something I read on Blazer's Edge last night.

I've been excited to see Z-Bo put up good numbers this year partly because I like to see any Blazer do well but more because I'd like his trade stock to skyrocket. He doesn't feel like a Blazer I can pull 100% for. I can't picture him mixed in with Clyde, Terry, Jerome, or Buck, and I guess that's my measuring stick.

The Sports Guy has brought up a certain Rick Pitino speech numerous times over the years in his articles about the Celtics. This infamous speech told the city of Boston that Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish weren't walking through those doors. (Sorry I didn't use quotes, I'm going off my memory, so that may not be verbatim.) Every time Simmons brought it back up I thought his point was to show people how badly Pitino handled a city with such a rich basketball history. Pitino should have embraced the Celtics culture and history rather than breaking with it. So the Sports Guy seemed to be suggesting. But I understand why Pitino felt the need to say those things. I know that Portland doesn't have the same sort of history, but we do have a great history. This team and city were the picture of a successful small market team. But, at the risk of being the bad guy, here is my response to that quote on Blazer's Edge:

Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, and Buck Williams are NOT walking through that door. Zach Randolph doesn't need to be able to play with them, because the last of those players left ten years ago. I loved that team. I grew up watching those guys. But constantly comparing our current players to them is NOT helping the team or the culture. Patterson and Pritchard have been helping the team and culture by trading away some people, letting others walk, and bringing in new guys who buy into a culture of responsibility.

I don't want to forget about that team. It really was a great team. But that team never won a championship. That team had a few guys who weren't perfect off the court. And most importantly, the way to win in any league is not to recreate a former success, but to figure out the best way to find new success. So we shouldn't be trying to get that team back anyway.

Of the champions in recent years, the Pistons are the only team that could be compared to a previous successful version of that franchise. Part of the reason for that is the GM being one of the players from the earlier version. But even so, the two championship versions--while similar--were certainly quite different. Firstly, even though the more recent team was defensive minded and tough, they also had a reputation as being a bunch of good guys. That wasn't the case with the back-to-back teams in 1989-1990. And both relied on good guards and role players, but that's not the same as trying to find someone "like Isiah, like Joe, like Bill, like Dennis" etc.

I think that we should stop holding the team up to it's shadow, and instead start looking at what we have. There may still be changes that should should be made. Those changes shouldn't come because someone wouldn't have been able to play with "Clyde, Terry, Jerome, or Buck,"
but because moving the player is necessary to make the team and the culture of the team the kind that will bring success back to the rose city. I hope it happens soon, and I still believe that it could happen in 2009 if management sticks to the plan.

Here's the proof

This is video evidence of the phantom call on behalf of Dwyane Wade against Portland that the previous post mentioned. I hadn't actually seen it until I read a rant on AOL with this video. After witnessing a basketball travesty--or perhaps, continuing travesty--I decided to let others see it. Although I shouldn't complain too much, since Zach Randolph travels on every play. But still, there's a difference between giving a star the benefit of the doubt and giving preferential treatment to a select few. Just ask the Mavericks.

I'm not the one complaining

I don't like listening to people complain about how much the officials are doing to ruin their team, but I thought this article was good and insightful. Here's a quick taste:

But someone needs to stick up for this young team playing their hearts out. Portland is not a good team or even an average one; they need to play a near-perfect game on an even field to have a chance in every contest. They aren’t good enough, yet, to win games on an uneven playing field, the kind they seem to face every night.

“It’s part of the game,” people will say.

“They haven’t earned it,” people will say.

Part of the game is playing by a different set of rules than the other team? They have to earn fair play? Seriously?

If that’s true, there are far more serious problems here to address. You shouldn’t have to earn an interpretation of the rules in your favor – the rules should be the same on both sides. For the Portland Trail Blazers it’s quite obvious the rules are different.

And yes, it’s probably the same for teams like Atlanta and Seattle – this isn’t a problem unique to Portland; it’s one bad teams have faced for a long time.

That doesn’t make it okay.

Now read the rest of the article.

Sometimes college football is FANTASTIC

I love when people talk about how good the Big 12 and Big Ten are at college football. A lot of these people also repeat the claim that the Pac-10 is over rated. So, just for fun, and because I hate the Big Ten even more than I hate every school from Florida, here's a fun graphic I found on Wikipedia.

And it gets better

Was it just two days ago that I wrote about the dysfunction affecting the Blazers? I didn't exactly outline a plan for getting things back together, but I gave suggestions that could have been summed up like this:

1. Don't bench Zach. Believe in him. Let him prove the media wrong.
2. Stop pulling Jarrett Jack for R-O-Y, let them play together.
3. Play Przybilla and Aldridge more that Magloire.
4. Develop a rotation again.
5. Get Rodriguez into games, if only for a few minutes, to get a spark.

So we pulled out a big win at Sacramento in overtime tonight. Let's see how many of the things I suggested--in different words, of course--were done.

1. Zach played 45 minutes, had 32 points, 15 rebounds, and was 12-15 at the free throw line. Check.
2. JJ played 45 minutes and R-O-Y played 42 minutes. Jack had 17 points and 8 assists, R-O-Y had 23 points and 5 rebounds. Check and check.
3. Przybilla only played 15 minutes (with 4 fouls...he has to learn how to stay out of trouble) but Aldridge played 20, so they totaled 35 minutes. Magloire only played 24. Another check.
4. I don't think we really had a rotation, it seemed like McMillan played everyone, a lot. But it was an overtime game. No check.
5. Sergio played 5 minutes, hit one three-pointer and had one assist. I didn't get to watch, so I don't know how much energy he infused, but I have to believe it was something. Check.

It looks like we did four of the five things I (sort of) called for in that post on Thursday. And we won. More importantly, we showed effort and heart in coming back to send it to overtime and then finishing it away from home. That's the biggest thing. It looks like we might have our fire back, which is pretty good, because without it we'd just be the Portland Trail.

(Lame joke to end with, but I'm pretty excited, so it stays.)

This has been a big day

I already mentioned that I didn't watch Oregon beat UCLA. That was a pretty good start to this day for me as a sports fan. And then I got to see the end of the Seahawks game. As I've said, my confidence in the Seahawks has waned recently, so I was only watching the game every once in a while. But when I turned it on in the fourth quarter I was able to watch Seattle pull out a huge win. A HUGE WIN. I was recently discussing Jeremy Stevens with my friend Mark, and he was saying that Stevens is that good or something or other. I wasn't really listening. I argued that Stevens has come up huge, even though he has had a few problems with dropped passes. Well, he did it again today. And the other guy to come up huge was Lofa Tatupu. That guy is fantastic. If he had better body control--barely--he would have been able to keep his foot in bounds and the we would have been tied. But at the time I already thought that the safety might have been better for us. And it worked out that way. The defense came up HUGE. Babineaux stepped it up, that's for sure. It was great to have Bobby Engram back. Oh man, I can't talk about this any more, I just had to mention it. And not to jinx things, but the Blazers are ahead of the Kings at the moment, which would complete the trifecta for the day.