Gentle Treatment is the G.O.A.T.

I bet David Falk worked mad overtime to secure Money this endorsement with Gentle Treatment.

The Death of NBA Elite 11

From Peter Moore's blog:

NBA ELITE Delayed; NBA JAM Ships on Wii Next Week, Xbox 360 and PS3 Coming Before Holidays

27-September-2010

Over the past three years, EA SPORTS development teams have had a laser focus on creating titles packed with innovation and  unsurpassed quality.  The acclaim from fans and critics on most of our titles the past few years makes us proud and it also motivates us to keep getting better.

This year, we set extremely ambitious goals for our new franchise, NBA ELITE.  We are creating a game that will introduce several breakthrough features that have been missing from the basketball genre.  

Unfortunately, NBA ELITE 11 is not yet ready and we have made a decision to delay next month’s launch.  We are going to keep working until we’re certain we can deliver a breakthrough basketball experience.

In the meantime, the NBA season is just around the corner and we have a plan to keep our consumers close to the action:

• NBA JAM will launch on the Wii, as scheduled, on October 5. NBA JAM won recognition this summer as the best sports game at E3 and it’s a blast to play. In addition to the Wii version, we’re going to ship NBA JAM as a standalone product on the Xbox360 and PS3 in time for the holidays. Watch for more news soon on the exact timing of that release. 

• For NBA LIVE 10 players, we will continue to offer free content and services throughout the 2010-11 season. We will start with a new roster update so you get all the players for the new season, free of charge. We will also provide free Dynamic DNA updates, daily, for the entire season. That’s a full season of basketball with new rosters and updates, free.

The decision to delay NBA ELITE was hard because the game has great promise.  But ultimately we feel this is the right thing to do.  We’ve been making steady progress on basketball for the past few years and it’s going to take extra time to make the game.

Why make this decision now?  As with all of our titles, we continue to evaluate and improve the code right up until launch.  Feedback from consumers is a very important part of the process .  NBA ELITE had the benefit of play-testing, a demo and a lot of our own research.  All that feedback revealed some concerns about gameplay polish, so we’ve listened to your feedback, and made a judgment that the game would benefit from more time in development.

I want to thank our NBA ELITE development team for their efforts to meet this year’s lofty goals, and we’re behind them as they continue their work.  While no one is happy with this delay, we appreciate the support and ongoing feedback from our fans.  We’ll have more information coming soon.

You can pretty much thank this video:

Exploring Kaman

Chris Kaman lights off $10,000 worth of fireworks on his front lawn.

LeBron James' Life Is Apparently A 90's Hip-Hop Video

ESPN's Arash Markazi attached himself to LeBron James and his inner circle and wrote a profile detailing a night of extravagant partying in Las Vegas reminiscent of a Bad Boy music video from the mid-90's (Then again, what athlete's isn't?). Then the story disappeared off ESPN.com servers.

Here's a screenshot (click he thumbnail for a readable version) of the now-scratched article via Deadspin.com:

"Come back to reality, Dom."

To say that I have been brimming with anticipation since the trailer for Christopher Nolan's latest film, Inception broke last summer would be an understatement. Given how great Nolan's past work (Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight) was, I could only imagine how a film he described simply as, "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind" could turn out. After months of eager waiting, the July 16th release date finally arrived and I was fortunately able to catch the midnight showing.

The film was well worth the wait. In fact, it vastly exceeded the enormous expectations I set for it months in advance. Not only was I on the edge of my seat (literally) for the film's duration, but Inception was one of a very finite number of pictures in the last ten years that made me cogitate so deeply for so long after it had ended. Indeed, with this film Nolan was able to traverse the line between "summer blockbuster," mystery and drama in a way no director has before.

Of particular interest was the film's "spinning top" ending, and -- SPOILER ALERT-- whether it falls or not. There are many theories, but few have been as sophisticated or articulate as the one submitted by Devin Faraci of Chud.com in his article, "Never Wake Up: The Meaning and Secret of Inception".

Find the article after the jump.

Deciding on LeDecision

Because this is the biggest story in sports... because I'm not necessarily qualified to discuss this... because we've never seen anything like this before... because we'll likely never see anything like this again... because this was a display of narcissism on the grandest stage... because this has destroyed a city... because this has reinvigorated a city... because a triumvirate of this proportion is so rare in professional sports... because nobody knows exactly how this came together... because nobody knows how this is going to turn out... because this has the potential to change the direction of sports, period... for better or for worse...

• "LeGone: LeBron James announces he's leaving Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami Heat"- Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Plain Dealer
• Dan Gilbert's Open Letter To Fans
• "LeBron hardly a king for taking the easy way out with star-laden Heat"- Michael Rosenberg, Sports Illustrated
• "Inside 'The Decision': Miami's coup was a 'surprise' built on long-coveted goal of James, Wade and Bosh"- Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Plain Dealer
• "LeBron's 'Decision'? To Avoid the Path of Greatness"- Buzz Bissinger, Vanity Fair
  
• "Gilbert's letter signals wider backlash"- J.A. Adande, ESPN
• "Cleveland is left at a loss"- Bob Ryan, Boston Globe
• "From our Image Meltdown Files: Did LeBron James just jump the shark?"- Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
• "Easy come, easy go for King James"- Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
• "Stars align and the sun shines on Miami Heat"- Dan LeBatard, Miami Herald
• "LeBron Watch, Day 50: What ESPN Should Have Asked LeBron James"- Scott Raab, Deadspin.com
• "ESPN Gets the Choice, Not Interview Right"- Richard Sandomir, New York Times
• "By rejecting his hometown team, LeBron James earns his slot on the Modell list of shame"- Bill Livingston, Cleveland Plain Dealer
• "LeBron's addition creates a historic opportunity"- Chris Perkins, FoxSportsFlorida.com
• "Welcome to the All-LeBron sound-off"- William J. (Bill) Simmons, ESPN 
• "LeBron James looks neither royal nor loyal"- Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times 
• "Did LeBron Become a Villain Overnight?"- David Roth, Wall Street Journal
• "The LeBron Decision"- Joe Posnanski, Sports Illustrated
• "DECISION 10!!!"- Lang Whittaker, SLAM
• "LeBron's unsavory 'Decision' spectacle"- Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN
• "Durant does the unthinkable this summer, lands deal without fanfare"- Frank Hughes, Sports Illustrated
• "Cheers Greet James in Miami as Criticism Rises"- Jonathon Abrams and Catharine Skipp, New York Times
• "That was nauseating"- Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times 
• "Cruella LeBron becomes villain"- Mark Heisler, Los Angeles Times
• "The DIsappointing Decision"- Vincent Thomas, SLAM
• "Counterpoint: LeBron James Is Not A Cocksucker"- Tommy Craggs, Deadspin.com
• "Gilbert lets out his frustration"- Brian Windhorst, Cleveland Plain Dealer
• "On the Media: ESPN sells LeSoul"- James Rainey, Los Angeles Times
• "The King of Contradiction"- Adam Sweeney, SLAM

The New World Order

LeBron James joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat is the basketball equivalent of Hulk Hogan turning heel and forming the nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

Addendum (Friday July 9, 2010 - 1:14 PM):
Just saw this on Bill Simmons' Twitter. Guess where the first link goes?

The Endless Debate

Sabermetric Guy vs. Non-Sabermetric Guy

Ubuntu 2010

Close, but unfortunately, no Red Auerbach cigar this year.

By the way, who knew McLovin was a Celts fan?

"It's good to be a Boston fan" - Kevin McGran, Toronto Star

I was rifling through some old papers yesterday and came across an old Toronto Star Saturday Sports section I had saved from April 18 of last year. On the front page read the headline "Beantown Boom" followed by a Kevin McGran column comparing Toronto and Boston as sports cities. (Be mindful of the fact that the Saturday paper is the Star's most widely circulated issue, and the column ran during the heat of the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs and MLB Opening Day.) To me, the column signaled the ultimate "throw in the towel" moment for Toronto fans finally coming to grips with the failures of their sports franchises, especially when contrasted with the relative dominance of Boston teams during the Zeros.

Because a) the sports culture in both cities has remained relatively constant since last April (let's, for a second, ignore that the Celtics and Bruins both blew series and game 7 leads); and b) I'm too lazy to write an entry of similar subject matter at the moment I felt it best to throw this article up on the blog.

Take it away, Mr. McGran.

Congratulations, Cam.

Congratulations to Cam Neely, my favorite hockey player of all-time, on being named President of the Boston Bruins today.

Dissing Damien Cox

That Leafs Live Chat moderators not only allowed, but posted, my (admittedly) cheap smear of Damien Cox this afternoon during the Maple Leafs' announcement of Dion Phaneuf's captaincy must reveal something about the popularity of said journalist with the team...

Jesus, God's Son

1992 NBA Finals:

2010 NBA Finals:

Addendum (Tuesday June 8, 2010 - 11:54 PM):
Ironically, the difference between these two players was evident tonight as Ray Ray went 0-13 from the field, finishing with a measly 2 points in game 3. Never in 1,000,000 years would Michael Jordan put forth such a horrendous performance in an NBA Finals game. Never. In sum, Ray Allen: great shooter, little more.

The Anatomy of the 2009-2010 Bruins' Collapse

Due to extensive "medicating" (also known as the consumption of alcohol in extreme quantities) in the aftermath of May 14th I've succeeded in destroying any semblance of ability I have to write coherently about the historic collapse of my favorite team in all of sports, the Boston Bruins, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

(In case you didn't know, the Bruins held a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, and lost the final 4 games of the series, including the game 7 finale on May 14th-- in Boston, no less-- in which the Bruins scored the first 3 goals of the game. Ironic symmetry, eh? Worse, the B's breakdown represents only the fourth time in the history of professional sports that a team has blown a 3-0 series lead.)

And so, I will leave it in the hands of others to analyze, describe, whatever, why the Bruins lost and moreover, why my heart (and head) currently ache:

• "Sifting through the rubble" - Fluto Shinzawa, Boston Globe
• "Infamy revisited one too many times" - Kevin Paul Dupont, Boston Globe
• "A chance to change, but a familiar ending" - Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe
• "Haunted by history" - Chad Finn, Boston Globe
• "What they said ..." - Chad Finn, Boston Globe
• "Bruins Still Have Reason to Be Optimistic About Future Despite Epic Collapse Against Flyers" - Adam Kaufman, NESN 
• "Bruins left to wonder what went wrong after epic collapse" - AP  
• "In the End, the Bruins Were Who We Thought They Were" - Michael Hurley, NESN

It Must Be Love

I'm not one to spread unsubstantiated rumors, but according to Terez Owens...

In what is truly a disturbing story, comes exclusive Terez Owens news that LeBron’s teammate Delonte West is sleeping with LeBron’s Mother Gloria James..Yes, this is the purported story coming from my source in Cleveland..My source explains the following.”My uncle is the general contractor at the Q and has been for the last 7 years. He’s good friends with a lot of guys at the Q, including some of  the bigger boys in the organization and knows Dan Gilbert personally.My uncle has been told that Delonte has been banging Gloria James (Lebron’s Mom) for some time now. Somehow Lebron found out before game four and it destroyed their chemistry and divided the team. I am not making this up, I wish it wasn’t true but it happened. .” With Delonte West’s checkered past, LeBron can be none too pleased with his teammate and good friend hanging with his Mother… The Cavs definitely looked like a different squad from game 4 on..especially LeBron…coincidence, or did this really just happen? Maybe this is the reason LeBron’s leaving Cleveland..-TO

It certainly could help explain his perplexing performance in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Celts.

Addendum (Thursday July 5, 2010 - 2:30 PM):
Noted douchebag Colin Cowherd on the Gloria James-Delonte West rumors:

Laser Show

Dustin Pedroia on Papi's struggles:



Thanks for playing.

Growing One For the Team

As per playoff hockey tradition, I'm growing one for the duration of the Bruins' playoff run. This year, however, the nastiness of my thin beard will not be in vain (or for the purposes of scratching the skin off my girlfriend's face).

No, this year I will be participating in the NHL's Beard-A-Thon project.

In case you aren't aware, Beard-A-Thon is an NHL fundraiser, and proceeds benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation, "a non-profit foundation whose mission is to assist charitable organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life for children throughout New England. The Foundation, which provides grants to organizations that meet the standards of its mission, concentrates on athletics, academics, health, and community outreach programs that assist in helping enrich the lives of children."

I implore you to please pledge me on Bruins Beard-A-Thon!

Pledge here to support the cause: https://www.beardathon.com/bruins/timbrandl/profile.aspx. Scroll down and click Pledge This Beard.

For more information, visit:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=525498

Thanks and follow my progress after the jump.

My Favorite Yankee

Down for the first 7, the Bosox complete the comeback and secure an Opening Night victory thanks in part to this man, Damaso Marte.

Dock Ellis & The Most Impressive Feat in Sports History

I am almost ashamed to admit this, but yesterday I learned of one of the most impressive feats in sports history... thanks to Robin Williams. Being Robin Williams, the story naturally involves levels of counterculture, including drugs, sex, and alcohol (or those in any combination) for comedic effect. However, the comedic function or illicit nature of the tale should not hinder the extraordinary nature of this accomplishment. If you are a better sports historian than I, have seen Williams' HBO special "Weapons of Self-Destruction," or have even taken the time to read the title of this entry, you of course know that I am speaking of the incredible Dock Ellis.

Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. made his major league debut in 1968 as a starting pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and spent 12 seasons in the majors, pitching for teams such as the Oakland A's, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets. Ellis retired with a record of 138-119, an ERA of 3.46 and 1, 136 strikeouts. His best season was arguably 1971 in which he went 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA, was selected for the first, and only time, to the NL All-Star team and won a World Series.

However, Ellis is best known for several strange on-field incidents throughout his career. Among them is the no-hitter Ellis pitched against the San Diego Padres on June 12, 1970... while under the influence of LSD. As the story goes, Ellis thought the Pirates had an off-day and was spending the day in Los Angeles doing acid with friends. Ellis took acid at noon, and it was not until his girlfriend looked at the paper an hour later that Dock realized he was scheduled to start that night in San Diego. So, they rushed him onto a plane to make the game.

That night, Ellis struck out six, walked eight, and pitched 9 innings of hitless baseball despite not being able to feel the ball or see the catcher. As Ellis explains:

I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher's) glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought it was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me.

Magical. There are no other words. A no-hitter eludes most pitchers for their entire careers-- hell, quite a few Hall of Fame hurlers have never completed the task. Compound that with the effects of psychedelics and Ellis' feat is that much more mind-blowing (Excuse the bad pun).

The Coronation of Gus Johnson

While the 2010 NCAA Tournament has had its fair share of memorable moments on the court, it will be remembered not for basketball (barring some out-of-this-world buzzer beater or comeback in the Final Four), but rather the rise of commentator, Gus Johnson. After years of treating fans to heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat commentary on CBS and local Knicks broadcasts (the only reason a contemporary Knicks fan could ever be considered lucky), this tournament has solidified Gus as, arguably, the best play-by-play man in the business.

Johnson's brand of commentary is unique for its overwhelming power and enthusiasm. Every line is delivered with emphasis and meaning, never beige. He is all out for 2-3 hours. No breaks. It's as though Johnson is announcing the end of the world for entirety of the broadcast. Even announcing the sponsors, Gus is emphatic, "LG. LIFE'S.... GOOD." And yet, as ridiculous as Johnson's hysterics sometimes become is, he never crosses the line into hyperbole. His excitement is, indeed, authentic (The obvious antithesis being Jim Lampley's contrived "Bang! Bang! Bang!" during the recent Pacquiao-Clottey fight.). As he explains, "The energy just goes through your body sometimes. Some of those treys, man, you just get your body into it and you can feel the excitement coming out of your pores. I’m so fortunate to have a job like this. I’m such a lucky guy."

In many ways, Gus is no different than those whom he dictating the game to: a fan, excited by a humongous block, clutch three, or a big slam. Nowhere is this more evident than in big moments down the stretch of a game where He has been known to periodically jumped out of his courtside seat after big plays, and he is one of the few commentators who allows his voice to rise, "Ahhhhh...." or, "Oooohhh" as the ball is in the air-- just as you or I would. The only difference is instead of the cursory blabber that we exhale after one of these moments, Johnson is somehow able to conjure memorable phrases that not only accurately capture the moment, but seemingly heighten its magnitude, delivering signature calls like, "Oh my goodness!", "Rise and fire!", or one of his many others. This is perhaps where Johnson shines most as a sportscaster.



Instances such as these were plentiful last Thursday in Salt Lake City as Johnson called two nail-biters in #5 seed Butler upsetting first-ranked Syracuse, and the double-overtime classic between K-State and Xavier. The latter was comparable only to a roller-coaster ride (please forgive the cliche) with Xavier coming back from a 15 point deficit on the shoulders of Jordan Crawford to force double overtime, only to lose 101-96. Since, the game has been hailed as one of the best NCAA Tournament games of all time, and having watched it live, I'd have to agree. Did Johnson have something to this? No question.

The passion of Johnson that night was infectious. At some points, you questioned whether Gus was going to survive the duration of game as the shouting he was doing on the sideline could have induced a far lesser man into cardiac arrest, or at very least, forced his tonsils to explode. I don't even want to think about what a third overtime may have done to poor Gus on the sideline (In fact, for liability purposes I think CBS should provide Len Elmore with extensive first-aid training in case Johnson does cause himself physical harm from these calls in the future.) Highlights included Johnson exclaiming, "Ohhh... OH?!?! OHHHHHH!!!!" after Crawford buried a long-range three to force the second OT, and the now-infamous "He's in shape!" following Pullen's dagger three-pointer as the game entered the wee hours on Thursday night.



Johnson's enthusiasm did not go unnoticed, either. During the game, Johnson hit the number one trending topic on Twitter. One tweet declared, "Gus Johnson could be commentating my grandparents having sex, and it would still be exciting." The only thing better as J.A. Adande would later note was the trending topic description:

Gus Johnson is the play-by-play announcer for CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional in Salt Lake City. Literally every human on earth loves him.

Indeed, how can you not love Gus Johnson? His wild energy is not only endearing, but more broadly, he is one the very few commentators capable of capturing the true essence of sports. The buzzer-beater, the unbelievable catch, the knockout punch-- unfortunately, over the years these feats have been degraded to mundane, and almost bland, events. This attitude is reflected in the demeanor of our commentators. The best example is the 2012 Olympics (sans the men's Hockey final) where not even a human on two wood slats twisting 50 feet in the air can draw so much as a peep from those broadcasting. Johnson, on the other hand, portrays sports the way they really are-- and the way they should be broadcast-- as extraordinary, and exciting.

Truly, this year's March Madness has been the coronation of a commentator. Time to move over, Marv, the Gus Johnson train is in town.

First Pitch

After abandoning the blogosphere somewhat before its mainstream explosion in 2005 (I don't think the word blogosphere had even been created yet), I have returned with a renewed sense of passion and am ready to pitch my thoughts onto this everlasting, and infinite medium once again. We'll see have many innings I last.

My intention, if it is not already obvious, is to discuss sports-- in general. Yes, am I quite aware this domain is overcrowded, and analyzed ad naseum in print, on radio, and (even more so) online. Reporting titans, like ESPN.com which boasts a stable of established writers (Bill Simmons and Scoop Jackson being among my favorites), and vast resources, ostensibly own the genre of sports journalism. Recently, however, more independent sources such as Deadspin.com, TheBigLead.com, BleacherReport.com, FreeDarko.com, SportsByBrooks.com, among others, have gained even greater readership, and influence among sports fans, reporters, and even those who play the game (Not to mention the advent of Twitter which has further complicated the relationship between the fan, and sports news). Realizing this, if I can reach even a small fraction of the millions of eyes that frequent these websites, I will be ecstatic. If not--and I fully expect not to-- I will continue blogging away, rambling on incessantly about the various issues in sports.

I cheer for these teams.

If I had to assemble a seven-man Hall of Fame, these would be the players in it.

At this time, I must come clean: I am an obnoxious homer. I follow, and firmly support all Boston teams-- the Red Sox, Bruins, New England Patriots, and to a lesser extent, the Celtics. Indeed, if you ask anyone who knows me, they will agree (Even though, as they argue, I live in Canada and spent only a short period of time during my infant years in Beantown. At some point I hope to include their varying opinions on the blog). As such, do not be surprised if the "various issues in sports" I plan to examine in the following posts focus primarily, if not exclusively, on Boston sports. My mantra: Boston sports through the eyes of a native Bostonian transplanted in Canada. Though, depending on the performance of Boston teams my dedication to this strict modus may wax and wane. And if the play of the Bruins and C's lately is any indication, we could be in for a long drought of Boston-related prose.

If that's the case, this venture could be as short-lived as the major league career of Billy Koch's (file as Derogatory Toronto Sports Reference #1). Here's to hoping it's not.

Regards,

Tim