We have just got all of the lampshades at the Yard back in the proper places since the glorious game seven victory over the hated Celtics. We implemented a 72 hour waiting period before taunting any children of the Yard. There is only one Celtic fan among the Yard progeny and he is unrepentant until this Garnett jets to a new team. First daughter at the Yard is a total Laker fan as long as they are winning, there is a party involved and it is the better party than other events that night. Andrew at the Yard studied the Celts in AP History not the sports page. We put our differences aside and were unbridled soccer fans for the better part of four days last week. We also all root for the Dodgers, so we have that going for us…which is kind of nice.
The Yard jumped on the Ron Artest band wagon early and often. It was not always an easy ride but Ron Ron soldiered up in Game 7 and showed the way while Kobe meandered towards his 5th title. Trevor Ariza is a nice talent and a Bruin but Paul Pierce would have lit him up like a Roman candle in this series. Trevor got to watch the entire playoffs from his new big screen. He will do that often in the years ahead. Ariza’s agent did him no favors by scoffing at the Laker’s initial offer only to sign for the same amount with Houston.
Artest set the stage from the opening tip in game one when he scuffled with Pierce prior to that tip. He then took him down under the basket in the first quarter. He never let Paulie from Inglewood get comfortable. Artest is 260 pounds of wear him out and he did. The Lakers did not need to get tougher, they needed to go psycho. Ron is first team All-ADD. His championship press conference is among the best ever. He gave his psychiatrist a lot of credit for his efforts and so do we!
Phil Jackson is not only the greatest coach in NBA history; he is arguably the greatest coach in professional sports history. Yard summer interns are researching ancient sports history looking for data but Jackson has risen to the top of any recent mountain. In his 22 years of coaching in the NBA, Jackson coached teams have been to finals thirteen times and won eleven times. Red Auerbach had a comparable run when he won nine titles in seventeen years. Of course, there were sixteen teams in the NBA then. The majority of those teams were east of Saint Louis, there was no television, and no player could ever leave the team that drafted them unless that team released them. It was not just a different era, it was a different game.
Every game in the NBA Finals that Phil has coached in his career was on national television and among the highest rated NBA Finals ever. Every fan, every player and the nation watched as Phil coaxed greatness from great players who had never won a championship before Phil was their coach. Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe never won before Phil lead them. Jackson earned championships with Luc Longley, Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest playing significant minutes along the way.
Red Auerbach never coached an NBA Final that was shown live on television. He never coached a potential free agent and he never won eleven titles. Phil never liked Red, his cigars and his arrogance and neither do we. Phil crushed Red’s record with glee and contempt. We were right there with him with the confetti and our lampshades askew. Boston is back to another twenty years of basketball irrelevance while the Lakers will be in the Finals again next year.
While the Celtics are now but a speed bump in Laker lore, the hated Yankees snuck into town on the heels of the NBA Finals. The Yard attended two of the three and we thank our lucky stars and Prilosec it was not the Sunday night debacle. It was a playoff atmosphere on Friday night with Ster-Roid going yard with the game winner. Saturday night, the Dodgers jumped all over AJ Burnett as has the rest of the AL East. Sunday night, the Yankees did what a $212 million lineup is supposed to do, win when all seems lost to rally from four down. It was painful and ugly and thank goodness, we were watching Vampires with Jo on HBO. It was hard enough reading the print on Monday.
Fortunately, the Dodgers headed straight to San Francisco to take on their other hated rivals, the Giants immediately after the loss. The Dodgers have played the toughest inter-league schedule of any team. They have not fared well against the American League going a miserable 5-13 against the Tigers, Angels, Red Sox and Yankees. Those games all count one and it has been painful. Joe Torre coaches for the post season and that is winning your division. The Dodgers are 20-5 against the NL West and each of those games counts two if you win. Giving up a 6-2 lead in the 9th to the hated Yankees is an intestinal meltdown that is not easily forgotten or quelled. The Giants were just the right Maalox. The Giant vaunted front line pitching has not figured the Dodgers out in three years and it does not appear to be the case this year.
The Dodgers need another starter and for Manny to stay healthy. Frank and Jamie’s divorce is a side show but it is handcuffing Ned Colletti in his search to make the team better. The McCourt’s are going to raise ticket prices next year while lowering payroll. As whacky as the Buss family is, they put the Laker’s ahead of their own genitals most of the time. Frank and Jamie never did and Frank is not going to be able to hang on to the team. Both McCourt’s are proud and feel they deserve the Dodgers. Pride is never in the quotient that equates to good judgment. Neither McCourt is a deserving owner and many would be a better owner. Mark Cuban, Phil Anschutz please make an offer..anyone..anyone..Bueller?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Home is where the wins are.
Taking a play from the Obama administration playbook, diversion is sometimes better than analysis. It is also in the BP playbook but apparently subterfuge is the “go to” strategy until the small people do the math. Initially, BP wanted us to believe that they built a billion dollar platform, that cost $500,000 a day to operate and was only leaking 1,000 barrels a day after the accident. Obama wanted to believe them and the small people did, too. Oops, BP’s scientists, chief engineers, and petrochemical dudes were off by 59,000 barrels a day. Calculating the impact of the disaster is never best done by the responsible party, just ask Elin Woods. Given who was providing the data, it is not surprise that BP’s initial estimates were off by 98.4%. I wonder who at BP keeps their job if they were off by that much when determining where to drill for more profits!
Diversion is what the Yard does best. The oil disaster is biblical and we will be feeling the impact for the rest of our lives and most likely the lives of our children. Regardless of Obama’s pledges, the Gulf will never be the same. But hey, the Lakers have a historic game 7 with the Celtics tonight and Manny is returning to Fenway this weekend. The oil is not going to stop but these games will be played.
The Lakers have never beaten the Celtics in a game 7, ever. They have faced each other 4 times and the Lakers have come up short each time. Three of the four previous were played in Boston and no visiting team has won game 7 since the Washington Bullets in 1978. The Celtics will not win tonight but it is not going to be like Tuesday night’s romp. The Yard is not convinced that Kendrick Perkin is not going to play. Paul Pierce pulled that charade in Game One of 2008 when he needed to be helped off the court only to return to the roar of the crowd. He showed no ill effects and played the rest of that victorious series. Willis Reed limped out in Game 7 against Jerry and Wilt and led the Knicks to their last NBA title. Kendrick Perkins might try the same tonight and that is right out the Celtics play book.
The home court advantage is not just about having your fans yelling “Beat LA” or acting like buffoons as they do in Boston. It is not about Jack, Dyan, Denzel and Charlie mugging for the cameras as they do in LA. It is about sleeping in your own bed, spending time with your family and enjoying the routine of your life with a game at the end of the day. It is not about idle time in hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and turn down service which the road team must grind through for several days at a time.
Kobe is a polarizing force who is either loved or hated but everyone has an opinion. He has dominated at times but leads the finals in turnovers. He cannot do that tonight. He has played great defense, he has been a team player, but at times he has tried to do too much and thrown the ball away. Ron Artest and Odom need to show up and they will. The Laker bench has played well and they will need all of their 27 points tonight. Lakers please win so we no longer have to hear from crusty Bill Russell about winning in LA with the Jack Kent Cooke’s balloons waiting to fall from the Forum ceiling.
Manny has not been Manny so much this year. He is not talking to the press or hitting prodigious home runs. He is playing the same adventurous left field and he is making $25 million albeit $20 million is deferred. He is returning to Fenway for the first time and Boston fans are always so gracious. We are confident that there will be an outpouring of love and maybe even a faux Mannywood on top of the Green Monster.
The Yard likes the Red Sox in the American League. Mostly because we hate the billion dollar corporation that is the Yankees. It is going to be ugly for Manny and he is going to have a rough series. The Dodgers have been playing well but the Lakers will fare batter this week.
Finally, we are traditionalists and this whole shake up in college athletics this week is unsettling. We get why Colorado wants to come to the Pac-10 and maybe Utah as well. Let’s see, travel to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle or go to Lubbock, Manhattan and College Station-check! We do not understand how there is a Big 12 with ten teams and a Big Ten with 12 teams. The Pac-10 is going to be called what? And with the conference’s five natural rivals who is Colorado’s? Ricky Neuhiesel gets to visit the last two places he works so it is nostalgic for Slick Rick.
USC is thrilled with these developments because they are out of the news for a bit. It could be our bias but USC AD Mike Garret’s response that the NCAA brought the hammer down because they were envious and they all want to be Trojans did not sound very contrite. He also declared that this gives USC a reason to dominate again when the veil is lifted. Mike, we do not think you are going to be around much longer so STFU! I would suggest a little more humility prior to appealing this decision.
BTW: Trojan faithful, the hammer is going to stay down. Take it and get on with it and thanks for the memories. Bruin faithful, two losses to USC got wiped out in that ruling. Unfortunately, not that ugly one last year when Pete the Cheat knew he would not be around to play us again.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr. Raymond Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddmore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!
Diversion is what the Yard does best. The oil disaster is biblical and we will be feeling the impact for the rest of our lives and most likely the lives of our children. Regardless of Obama’s pledges, the Gulf will never be the same. But hey, the Lakers have a historic game 7 with the Celtics tonight and Manny is returning to Fenway this weekend. The oil is not going to stop but these games will be played.
The Lakers have never beaten the Celtics in a game 7, ever. They have faced each other 4 times and the Lakers have come up short each time. Three of the four previous were played in Boston and no visiting team has won game 7 since the Washington Bullets in 1978. The Celtics will not win tonight but it is not going to be like Tuesday night’s romp. The Yard is not convinced that Kendrick Perkin is not going to play. Paul Pierce pulled that charade in Game One of 2008 when he needed to be helped off the court only to return to the roar of the crowd. He showed no ill effects and played the rest of that victorious series. Willis Reed limped out in Game 7 against Jerry and Wilt and led the Knicks to their last NBA title. Kendrick Perkins might try the same tonight and that is right out the Celtics play book.
The home court advantage is not just about having your fans yelling “Beat LA” or acting like buffoons as they do in Boston. It is not about Jack, Dyan, Denzel and Charlie mugging for the cameras as they do in LA. It is about sleeping in your own bed, spending time with your family and enjoying the routine of your life with a game at the end of the day. It is not about idle time in hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and turn down service which the road team must grind through for several days at a time.
Kobe is a polarizing force who is either loved or hated but everyone has an opinion. He has dominated at times but leads the finals in turnovers. He cannot do that tonight. He has played great defense, he has been a team player, but at times he has tried to do too much and thrown the ball away. Ron Artest and Odom need to show up and they will. The Laker bench has played well and they will need all of their 27 points tonight. Lakers please win so we no longer have to hear from crusty Bill Russell about winning in LA with the Jack Kent Cooke’s balloons waiting to fall from the Forum ceiling.
Manny has not been Manny so much this year. He is not talking to the press or hitting prodigious home runs. He is playing the same adventurous left field and he is making $25 million albeit $20 million is deferred. He is returning to Fenway for the first time and Boston fans are always so gracious. We are confident that there will be an outpouring of love and maybe even a faux Mannywood on top of the Green Monster.
The Yard likes the Red Sox in the American League. Mostly because we hate the billion dollar corporation that is the Yankees. It is going to be ugly for Manny and he is going to have a rough series. The Dodgers have been playing well but the Lakers will fare batter this week.
Finally, we are traditionalists and this whole shake up in college athletics this week is unsettling. We get why Colorado wants to come to the Pac-10 and maybe Utah as well. Let’s see, travel to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle or go to Lubbock, Manhattan and College Station-check! We do not understand how there is a Big 12 with ten teams and a Big Ten with 12 teams. The Pac-10 is going to be called what? And with the conference’s five natural rivals who is Colorado’s? Ricky Neuhiesel gets to visit the last two places he works so it is nostalgic for Slick Rick.
USC is thrilled with these developments because they are out of the news for a bit. It could be our bias but USC AD Mike Garret’s response that the NCAA brought the hammer down because they were envious and they all want to be Trojans did not sound very contrite. He also declared that this gives USC a reason to dominate again when the veil is lifted. Mike, we do not think you are going to be around much longer so STFU! I would suggest a little more humility prior to appealing this decision.
BTW: Trojan faithful, the hammer is going to stay down. Take it and get on with it and thanks for the memories. Bruin faithful, two losses to USC got wiped out in that ruling. Unfortunately, not that ugly one last year when Pete the Cheat knew he would not be around to play us again.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr. Raymond Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddmore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
It is a wonderful day in the neighborhood.
It has been such a special week in the Yard tonight’s results notwithstanding. The Laker’s win in Game 3 was huge especially after that ugly game 2 at Staples. The UCLA Women softballers won their 11th National Championship. We celebrate all sports at the public U. The Dodgers went from last place to first place in less than a month with a sweep of the Cardinals. And then when I thought the week just could not get any better, USC was finally held accountable for their investment in National Championships.
Since the NBA has gone to the 2-3-2 formula for the NBA Finals, the team that wins game three of a 1-1 series has gone 10-0. The Lakers are going to do the same. The Celtics played desperate tonight and the Lakers played like they did what they had to do on Tuesday night. The Celtics could not go down 3-1 or it is game, point, match and set. They played like game 2 and they Lakers will respond as they did in game three for game five.
Glen Davis had a very nice game and it will probably be the highlight of his NBA career because he will not have another game like that again. He acted like it as well. As legendary as the Celtics supposedly are, they played tonight like it was their first BBQ. Nate Robinson got a technical when he was fouled. Big Baby shouted to the heaven while drooling a load out his mouth that could stop traffic. The Boston crowd needed this game with Red Sox in 3rd place and the hockey Bruins losing a series they were leading 3-0 and leading 3-0 in game 7. Boston is a tragically great sports town.
Bynum’s knee is an issue and it could make a difference but the Lakers have not even played a good game yet and the series is tied. Boston has played as good as they can and it does not look good enough. Artest is going to have 16 point game at some point even while holding Pierce below his season average. Ray Allen shooting 4 for 24 these last two games has been fun to watch. If Ray Allen belongs in the hall of fame so does Derek Fisher. D-Fish has had more big shots in big games in the NBA Playoffs than Allen has had since high school.
The Dodgers have not played their best but it is good enough for 1st in the NL West. The starting pitching is still a question mark but the middle relief is the best in baseball. Kershaw is starting to show the promise and Ely is a surprise. The Giants enjoyed a nice little stay in 1st. It must have been nice for San Francisco. It has been a long time since any professional sports team was in first for any day of the week in the city by the bay. Tim Lincecum is the freak but when you sign your first $11 million/year deal, you are no longer the freak, you are the franchise. Timmy might need to smoke a bone. He walked 68 batters all of last year. He has already walked 32 this year. ML hitters are not swinging at that pitch he drops in the dirt anymore. His survival is not based on innings pitched, it is pitches per inning and he is way up over last year. He is getting $330,000 per start this year as opposed to $22,000 last year. He might be pressing. Really?
The punitive phase of the USC golden era was anticipated and as glorious as the summer foliage. Who is really shocked other than USC season ticket holders? Pete, you may not have been there when the money changed hands. But let us look at what all of us learned and tell us why you had no clue.
Matt Lienhart and Dwayne Jarrett are living in a $3200 a month apartment paid for by Matt’s father. Reggie Bush is wearing 2 carat earrings and driving a fully restored classic Impala. Joe McKnight is driving a range rover. And that is just the stuff that was obvious to everyone except Peter apparently. In hoops, OJ Mayo is hanging with known bad boys who already got the school in trouble with Jeff Trepangier.
Pete is no dummy. He left before the feces were blowing his direction. Lane Kiffin deserves all the feces his khakis can absorb. Not only is USC going to lose 10 scholarships but all of those recruits get fresh look rights to leave in light of these events. Every school will be recruiting USC athletes who were told that these sanctions were going to be light. We think Lane might have made light of this when he swooped in to try and save their last great recruiting class. Trojan recruit, West LA is heaven compared to where you will live. The Bruin football program is purgatory to the hell that will evolve for three years across town. Lane, good luck and good bye. Steer clear of Knoxville and save your money because you and Mike Garrett will be on the same bus pass out within the next three years.
“Arrogance diminishes wisdom” Plato
Since the NBA has gone to the 2-3-2 formula for the NBA Finals, the team that wins game three of a 1-1 series has gone 10-0. The Lakers are going to do the same. The Celtics played desperate tonight and the Lakers played like they did what they had to do on Tuesday night. The Celtics could not go down 3-1 or it is game, point, match and set. They played like game 2 and they Lakers will respond as they did in game three for game five.
Glen Davis had a very nice game and it will probably be the highlight of his NBA career because he will not have another game like that again. He acted like it as well. As legendary as the Celtics supposedly are, they played tonight like it was their first BBQ. Nate Robinson got a technical when he was fouled. Big Baby shouted to the heaven while drooling a load out his mouth that could stop traffic. The Boston crowd needed this game with Red Sox in 3rd place and the hockey Bruins losing a series they were leading 3-0 and leading 3-0 in game 7. Boston is a tragically great sports town.
Bynum’s knee is an issue and it could make a difference but the Lakers have not even played a good game yet and the series is tied. Boston has played as good as they can and it does not look good enough. Artest is going to have 16 point game at some point even while holding Pierce below his season average. Ray Allen shooting 4 for 24 these last two games has been fun to watch. If Ray Allen belongs in the hall of fame so does Derek Fisher. D-Fish has had more big shots in big games in the NBA Playoffs than Allen has had since high school.
The Dodgers have not played their best but it is good enough for 1st in the NL West. The starting pitching is still a question mark but the middle relief is the best in baseball. Kershaw is starting to show the promise and Ely is a surprise. The Giants enjoyed a nice little stay in 1st. It must have been nice for San Francisco. It has been a long time since any professional sports team was in first for any day of the week in the city by the bay. Tim Lincecum is the freak but when you sign your first $11 million/year deal, you are no longer the freak, you are the franchise. Timmy might need to smoke a bone. He walked 68 batters all of last year. He has already walked 32 this year. ML hitters are not swinging at that pitch he drops in the dirt anymore. His survival is not based on innings pitched, it is pitches per inning and he is way up over last year. He is getting $330,000 per start this year as opposed to $22,000 last year. He might be pressing. Really?
The punitive phase of the USC golden era was anticipated and as glorious as the summer foliage. Who is really shocked other than USC season ticket holders? Pete, you may not have been there when the money changed hands. But let us look at what all of us learned and tell us why you had no clue.
Matt Lienhart and Dwayne Jarrett are living in a $3200 a month apartment paid for by Matt’s father. Reggie Bush is wearing 2 carat earrings and driving a fully restored classic Impala. Joe McKnight is driving a range rover. And that is just the stuff that was obvious to everyone except Peter apparently. In hoops, OJ Mayo is hanging with known bad boys who already got the school in trouble with Jeff Trepangier.
Pete is no dummy. He left before the feces were blowing his direction. Lane Kiffin deserves all the feces his khakis can absorb. Not only is USC going to lose 10 scholarships but all of those recruits get fresh look rights to leave in light of these events. Every school will be recruiting USC athletes who were told that these sanctions were going to be light. We think Lane might have made light of this when he swooped in to try and save their last great recruiting class. Trojan recruit, West LA is heaven compared to where you will live. The Bruin football program is purgatory to the hell that will evolve for three years across town. Lane, good luck and good bye. Steer clear of Knoxville and save your money because you and Mike Garrett will be on the same bus pass out within the next three years.
“Arrogance diminishes wisdom” Plato
John and me.
The passing of John Wooden was never expected. It always seemed like he would forever be sitting along the railing in the lower bowl at Pauley Pavilion. In his 99 years on this planet, he spent 63 of them mentoring at UCLA. He had outlived several of his former players and outlasted several of the coaches who followed him. His historical numbers and legacy is staggering not just in depth but in width. His impact not only changed UCLA, it changed everything.
When Wooden arrived at UCLA in 1948, the University of Southern California Trojans had already won four national titles in football securing their legacy in this star struck city of the angels. The third generation of USC myopians were already attending classes and singing that annoying fight song. The USC basketball team had won four conference titles and been to a Final Four. USC had already won 18 national championships in men’s athletics before Wooden coached his first game for the Bruins. UCLA had not won any national championships in any sports and were lightly regarded in all sports. The UCLA Basketball team had not finished over .500 in two decades.
Flash forward to the late 60’s, this young Bruin fan was starting to embrace the powder blue and gold but LA was a scary place for all Bruin Fans. USC had practically been added to the articles of incorporation for the city and UCLA was still the plucky public school across town. Trojan Fan had two more generations of in breeding brought on by their success in football, track and baseball. Legendary coach John McKay won football national championships in 1962 and 1967. In 1965, current USC AD Mike Garrett was winning the Heisman trophy followed by the OJ zigzagging his way to another Heisman in 1968.
It took John Wooden seventeen years of coaching at UCLA to win his first title. Those first seventeen teams only made the NCAA tournament four times. Los Angeles media was respectful of UCLA and their puritanical coach but no one knew what was about to be unleashed over the next ten years.
In 1967, Wooden’s dynasty was in its infancy and a perceived anomaly. Wooden was a tea totaling Midwestern bumpkin who was not endeared to the Los Angeles faithful or the LA Times. His legendary sound bites were perceived as corny in this tumultuous era of Viet Nam, Nixon and the Beatles. John McKay was the maverick across town that was the legend not Wooden. Bragging rights still were owned by the school in the hood. The braggers were loud and proud in their cardinal and gold.
In the next nine years John Wooden re-wrote the definition of brilliance. He did it with such subtle humility that the loud crowd from across town hardly knew what had transpired. He did not brag or gloat like McKay and his faithful legions. The LA Times did not know what to make of this no nonsense, intensely private coach who shunned the spotlight and recognition. This was LA! Who does that?
During this historic period, his teams were a combined 230-12. The Bruins lost only one home game. The Bruin’s 88 game winning streak will never be broken. The UCONN Women are dominating but chick hoops are not the same thing. The streak ended with four of the twelve losses coming in 1974. That year a petulant Bill Walton decided that the bong was more important than the teachings of the Wizard. UCLA won eight titles in those nine years. It is and will always be the greatest stretch of coaching brilliance that this planet has witnessed.
Today, coaches negotiate more lucrative contracts for getting to the Sweet 16 or a single Final Four by winning three or five consecutive tournament games. Mike Krzyzewski won 12 tournament games in a row and was a dynasty. Billy Donovan won 12 in a row and he was a genius. From 1967-1974, the UCLA Bruins won 38 tournament games in a row. Wrap your head around that for a minute when you think about your next March Madness pool. Their only tournament loss in Wooden’s last nine years was to David Thompson and North Carolina State in double overtime in the 1974. He coached a lesser team to the 1975 title and he retired.
Most of the accolades and the blessings came much later when the LA Times and others had time to reflect on how historic his results were. His legacy locally to the media grew during the 35 years after he retired not the 47 years that he coached with his simple conviction of how the game should be played. He never coached for the records or to be revered. He coached because he believed in the journey not the results. His teams always found their way because they were coached how to play. The wins were a byproduct not an expectation. He understood that is how life is best lived.
In 1948, USC owned this town and had 18 national championships on their resume. UCLA had none and only the belief and passion of a small town coach and his pyramid of success. In 2010, UCLA has 105 national championships to USC’s 94. It is not about the championships, it is about the conviction and passion of one simple man who forever changed my life, UCLA and the history of this city. The nation noticed along the way but John and me, we lived it. John Wooden, god speed your journey to your beloved Nell! God bless your passion for the school we both love.
When Wooden arrived at UCLA in 1948, the University of Southern California Trojans had already won four national titles in football securing their legacy in this star struck city of the angels. The third generation of USC myopians were already attending classes and singing that annoying fight song. The USC basketball team had won four conference titles and been to a Final Four. USC had already won 18 national championships in men’s athletics before Wooden coached his first game for the Bruins. UCLA had not won any national championships in any sports and were lightly regarded in all sports. The UCLA Basketball team had not finished over .500 in two decades.
Flash forward to the late 60’s, this young Bruin fan was starting to embrace the powder blue and gold but LA was a scary place for all Bruin Fans. USC had practically been added to the articles of incorporation for the city and UCLA was still the plucky public school across town. Trojan Fan had two more generations of in breeding brought on by their success in football, track and baseball. Legendary coach John McKay won football national championships in 1962 and 1967. In 1965, current USC AD Mike Garrett was winning the Heisman trophy followed by the OJ zigzagging his way to another Heisman in 1968.
It took John Wooden seventeen years of coaching at UCLA to win his first title. Those first seventeen teams only made the NCAA tournament four times. Los Angeles media was respectful of UCLA and their puritanical coach but no one knew what was about to be unleashed over the next ten years.
In 1967, Wooden’s dynasty was in its infancy and a perceived anomaly. Wooden was a tea totaling Midwestern bumpkin who was not endeared to the Los Angeles faithful or the LA Times. His legendary sound bites were perceived as corny in this tumultuous era of Viet Nam, Nixon and the Beatles. John McKay was the maverick across town that was the legend not Wooden. Bragging rights still were owned by the school in the hood. The braggers were loud and proud in their cardinal and gold.
In the next nine years John Wooden re-wrote the definition of brilliance. He did it with such subtle humility that the loud crowd from across town hardly knew what had transpired. He did not brag or gloat like McKay and his faithful legions. The LA Times did not know what to make of this no nonsense, intensely private coach who shunned the spotlight and recognition. This was LA! Who does that?
During this historic period, his teams were a combined 230-12. The Bruins lost only one home game. The Bruin’s 88 game winning streak will never be broken. The UCONN Women are dominating but chick hoops are not the same thing. The streak ended with four of the twelve losses coming in 1974. That year a petulant Bill Walton decided that the bong was more important than the teachings of the Wizard. UCLA won eight titles in those nine years. It is and will always be the greatest stretch of coaching brilliance that this planet has witnessed.
Today, coaches negotiate more lucrative contracts for getting to the Sweet 16 or a single Final Four by winning three or five consecutive tournament games. Mike Krzyzewski won 12 tournament games in a row and was a dynasty. Billy Donovan won 12 in a row and he was a genius. From 1967-1974, the UCLA Bruins won 38 tournament games in a row. Wrap your head around that for a minute when you think about your next March Madness pool. Their only tournament loss in Wooden’s last nine years was to David Thompson and North Carolina State in double overtime in the 1974. He coached a lesser team to the 1975 title and he retired.
Most of the accolades and the blessings came much later when the LA Times and others had time to reflect on how historic his results were. His legacy locally to the media grew during the 35 years after he retired not the 47 years that he coached with his simple conviction of how the game should be played. He never coached for the records or to be revered. He coached because he believed in the journey not the results. His teams always found their way because they were coached how to play. The wins were a byproduct not an expectation. He understood that is how life is best lived.
In 1948, USC owned this town and had 18 national championships on their resume. UCLA had none and only the belief and passion of a small town coach and his pyramid of success. In 2010, UCLA has 105 national championships to USC’s 94. It is not about the championships, it is about the conviction and passion of one simple man who forever changed my life, UCLA and the history of this city. The nation noticed along the way but John and me, we lived it. John Wooden, god speed your journey to your beloved Nell! God bless your passion for the school we both love.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Biblical Relevance
It is hard to find the relevance of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the hated Celtics while BP is turning the Louisiana bayou into a parking lot for the next millennium. This biblical environmental disaster shows no signs of abating. It is surprising that there was so little disaster planning before drilling five miles into the sea a hole the size of a dinner plate to uncork ancient, pressurized toxins that will kill everything for a lifetime if anything goes wrong? We cannot fault BP on their response since the disaster but there did not seem to any preparation for a disaster in this high risk endeavor. New Orleans is going to need to win another Super Bowl soon!
The NBA Playoffs when the Lakers are playing the Celtics is always relevant. There is history that was written long ago that will be relived over the next few weeks. The origins are from our youth but recent history is the litmus test. It will be a marathon defined 24 seconds at a time. The Yard is a Laker Honk that has been defined irrationally over a lifetime. Yard reporting is not unbiased. We only strive for relevance. Relevance is more of a guideline than a strict policy. Bias is a policy.
The Celtics paced themselves into the playoffs peaking at the right time for a deep playoff run after a largely irrelevant regular season. The Celtics lost as many home games as the Lakers lost anywhere. Boston lost by 29 at home to the Cavaliers before vanquishing them. They lost two in row to Orlando before squashing them. The Celtics are who we fear they are. NBA games in June are for the chosen and the Lakers are this year.
The Celtics are first team all sneer. Ray Allen creaks out that half smile past the chip on his shoulder all game. Rajan Rondo fronts the defense with a chin that Jay Leno is jealous of. Rahseed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins are technical fouls on demand. Paul Pierce is never happy about any call or the 36 random hairs growing on his face. The Celtics can win any game as well as lose it. Boston will be playing with the fear of “we will never pass this way again” mortality. Kobe feels that way also but it does not always appear that he has a quorum among the playing eight that it takes to win a championship.
The Lakers stumbled into the playoffs with enough disinterest to fill a high school English class in late May. They were giving up the leads, they lost to lesser teams, at home and on the road. Andrew Bynum was injured. Ron Artest was consistently missing unnecessary 3 pointers. Kobe brooded and Phil reminisced.
Three weeks later, the Lakers are giving up leads to lesser teams. Andrew Bynum is injured. Ron Artest is taking misguided treys and Kobe is brooding. The Lakers have lost on the road but they have not lost at home. Phil has had the best sound bites through it all.
The Lakers will have home court and they will need it to bring Kobe his 5th Championship. Ron Artest has done a number on Paul Pierce this season and that will be the difference. Artest brings an unpredictable psyche of defensive pressure that is a subtle drain on Pierce one possession at a time. The Celts play better when Paul gets his. He will not this time and he will play frustrated. Kobe will be in Rondo’s head from the opening tip. Derek Fisher trying to guard Ray Allen is a mismatch but Fisher has been brilliant in the playoffs. Paul Gasol is a different player than when Kendrick Perkins pushed him around two years ago and Bynum did not play. Rasheed nor the rest of the bench is an upgrade over the players that that were on that championship team.
The Celtics bragged at the 2008 ESPY’s at Staples Center about how awesome they were by winning that championship. Bill Russell has been bragging on ESPN all week about how awesome they were. Kobe has been seething for two years to get to this moment. He wants the stage, the title and his place in history.
Celtic Fan, 1984 and 2008 only come once in your lifetimes. The Celtics upset Laker Showtime in 1984 with Gerald Henderson and Dennis Johnson earning their shamrocks along the way. In 1985 and 1987, Showtime closed out the Celtics in six games and finally celebrated on the parquet in 1985. In 1987, a tearful Larry Bird conceded that Magic Johnson was the greatest player he had ever seen. The Celts never made the finals again until 2008. In 2010, none of these greenies will concede who Kobe has become but he will win his fifth championship while the Celtics go into another 20 year tour of basketball irrelevance. Son, enjoy the past, the future is purple and gold.
Beyond the arc: We support the NFL’s choice and we look forward to seeing all of those Hollywood Celebrities shilling their new series while shivering in their seats. We would love to see the Rolling Stones shaking more than Keith Richards does on Monday mornings. We will be thrilled to coalesce into our sofa, drinking $1 beers watching corporate America shell out $1000 a seat for a frigid football game. And if the economy is still in the tank in 2014, it is going to take more than a Super Bowl to save NYC.
Is it just us or does Floyd Landis get creepier by the day? He spends millions defending himself against doping charges after winning the Tour de France in 2006. His defense is surreal including a last minute blackmail attempt of Greg LeMond threatening to expose that he was sexually abused as a child. He writes a book proclaiming his innocence. Then after fighting for nearly four years, he admits he did dope and everyone else did including Lance Armstrong! Floyd Landis is a whack! Is it just us or does it seem odd that nearly everyone that one testicle Lance beat for seven straight years in the Tour has been accused or indicted for using performance enhancing drugs? Lance was “clean” and he went on the beat all of the dirty guys for seven straight years?! Guys that were younger than him and using EPO, and HGH and blood transfusions and Lance did none of that and beat them all? Wow, now that’s incredible!
Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. ~Plato
The NBA Playoffs when the Lakers are playing the Celtics is always relevant. There is history that was written long ago that will be relived over the next few weeks. The origins are from our youth but recent history is the litmus test. It will be a marathon defined 24 seconds at a time. The Yard is a Laker Honk that has been defined irrationally over a lifetime. Yard reporting is not unbiased. We only strive for relevance. Relevance is more of a guideline than a strict policy. Bias is a policy.
The Celtics paced themselves into the playoffs peaking at the right time for a deep playoff run after a largely irrelevant regular season. The Celtics lost as many home games as the Lakers lost anywhere. Boston lost by 29 at home to the Cavaliers before vanquishing them. They lost two in row to Orlando before squashing them. The Celtics are who we fear they are. NBA games in June are for the chosen and the Lakers are this year.
The Celtics are first team all sneer. Ray Allen creaks out that half smile past the chip on his shoulder all game. Rajan Rondo fronts the defense with a chin that Jay Leno is jealous of. Rahseed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins are technical fouls on demand. Paul Pierce is never happy about any call or the 36 random hairs growing on his face. The Celtics can win any game as well as lose it. Boston will be playing with the fear of “we will never pass this way again” mortality. Kobe feels that way also but it does not always appear that he has a quorum among the playing eight that it takes to win a championship.
The Lakers stumbled into the playoffs with enough disinterest to fill a high school English class in late May. They were giving up the leads, they lost to lesser teams, at home and on the road. Andrew Bynum was injured. Ron Artest was consistently missing unnecessary 3 pointers. Kobe brooded and Phil reminisced.
Three weeks later, the Lakers are giving up leads to lesser teams. Andrew Bynum is injured. Ron Artest is taking misguided treys and Kobe is brooding. The Lakers have lost on the road but they have not lost at home. Phil has had the best sound bites through it all.
The Lakers will have home court and they will need it to bring Kobe his 5th Championship. Ron Artest has done a number on Paul Pierce this season and that will be the difference. Artest brings an unpredictable psyche of defensive pressure that is a subtle drain on Pierce one possession at a time. The Celts play better when Paul gets his. He will not this time and he will play frustrated. Kobe will be in Rondo’s head from the opening tip. Derek Fisher trying to guard Ray Allen is a mismatch but Fisher has been brilliant in the playoffs. Paul Gasol is a different player than when Kendrick Perkins pushed him around two years ago and Bynum did not play. Rasheed nor the rest of the bench is an upgrade over the players that that were on that championship team.
The Celtics bragged at the 2008 ESPY’s at Staples Center about how awesome they were by winning that championship. Bill Russell has been bragging on ESPN all week about how awesome they were. Kobe has been seething for two years to get to this moment. He wants the stage, the title and his place in history.
Celtic Fan, 1984 and 2008 only come once in your lifetimes. The Celtics upset Laker Showtime in 1984 with Gerald Henderson and Dennis Johnson earning their shamrocks along the way. In 1985 and 1987, Showtime closed out the Celtics in six games and finally celebrated on the parquet in 1985. In 1987, a tearful Larry Bird conceded that Magic Johnson was the greatest player he had ever seen. The Celts never made the finals again until 2008. In 2010, none of these greenies will concede who Kobe has become but he will win his fifth championship while the Celtics go into another 20 year tour of basketball irrelevance. Son, enjoy the past, the future is purple and gold.
Beyond the arc: We support the NFL’s choice and we look forward to seeing all of those Hollywood Celebrities shilling their new series while shivering in their seats. We would love to see the Rolling Stones shaking more than Keith Richards does on Monday mornings. We will be thrilled to coalesce into our sofa, drinking $1 beers watching corporate America shell out $1000 a seat for a frigid football game. And if the economy is still in the tank in 2014, it is going to take more than a Super Bowl to save NYC.
Is it just us or does Floyd Landis get creepier by the day? He spends millions defending himself against doping charges after winning the Tour de France in 2006. His defense is surreal including a last minute blackmail attempt of Greg LeMond threatening to expose that he was sexually abused as a child. He writes a book proclaiming his innocence. Then after fighting for nearly four years, he admits he did dope and everyone else did including Lance Armstrong! Floyd Landis is a whack! Is it just us or does it seem odd that nearly everyone that one testicle Lance beat for seven straight years in the Tour has been accused or indicted for using performance enhancing drugs? Lance was “clean” and he went on the beat all of the dirty guys for seven straight years?! Guys that were younger than him and using EPO, and HGH and blood transfusions and Lance did none of that and beat them all? Wow, now that’s incredible!
Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. ~Plato
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