Maybe it's just me, but…
GAS PUMP BOOGIE
The latest price increase for automobile fuel IS correctly based on “supply and demand.” Except in this case, the “demand” is from Big Oil for consumers to “supply” money for their profits. This price gouging is going to continue until economists realize that many businesses are beginning to lose money because the “Consumer Price Index” has reflected the decision of consumers not to spend their Dollars because prices have risen past the point where there are NOW loud resounding NO chants coming from the marketplace. Rising transport costs have created this negative atmosphere and IT IS BIG OIL’S FAULT!
THE BELMONT STAKES
The first Belmont Stakes was run in 1867; two years after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. NO JON! I WAS NOT SITTING RINGSIDE FOR THAT ONE!
NBA FINALS
Boston played LA in the 1962 NBA finals. Boston had Russell and LA had retreads Jim Krebs and Ray Felix. A was in their locker room mourning a tough loss and Felix tried getting everyone up by saying, “Don’t worry guys, we’ll get ‘em next game.”
Hot Rod Hundley chirped, “I don’t think so, baby, that was game seven.”
Growing up in the Bronx, I was always a Knicks fan, but I didn’t dislike the Celtics- I hated them-and hated Red Auerbach.
Auerbach always enjoyed his reputation of being a dirty trickster. Do you remember that clock at Boston Garden? How about the dead spot in the Boston Garden’s floor? Only the Celtics could read the clock and dribble around the dead spot. The story went that Auerbach once clogged up the toilets in the visitor’s locker room and another time turned off the hot water for the visitor’s showers. When Auerbach was asked about these things, he just grinned and puffed on THAT DARNED CIGAR.
Still the Celts are from the East and I had to go with them instead of LA.
DAVID STERN
NBA Commissioner David Stern responded to allegations that refs had worked together to rig the outcome of the 2002 playoffs in his usual “Sgt. Shultz” of “Hogan’s Heroes” fame, way: “I see nothing, nothing.” He said the allegations were misleading, lacked credibility, and were deemed to be baseless. BY WHO? Stern NEVER said they were false and we only have his word on all of this.
Ralph Nader and the League of Fans called for an investigation in 2002 but were ignored. The Kings’ big men had 20 fouls in game six while O’Neal had four. This year in game three the Lakers had 37 free throws in the 4th quarter alone of game three won by the Lakers 87-81.
THERE IS A BIG CREDIBILITY ISSUE HERE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED.
PHIL JACKSON’S TAKE ON THE SCANDAL DU JOUR
Lakers coach Phil Jackson answered an inquiry about game six of the 2002 NBA finals by saying: “Was that (a suspicious game)after the fifth game, after we had the game stolen from us after a bad call?” Let’s see if “King David” Stern (the Sports Curmudgeon called him “the Sultan of Smug”. I envision him with his arms folded across his chest and his nose up in the air) makes Jackson be the first coach fined for criticizing referees six years after the game. Jeff Van Gundy was fined $100K for saying that he heard that it was suggested by the league that the referees should look closely at illegal screens being set by Yao Ming because of complaints from Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban. It seems the Van G’s stance was echoed by Tim Donaghy (for what it’s worth). Donaghy might deserve all of those names that he has been called, but that DOESN’T MEAN HE’S LYING.
DEGREES OF EXCELENCE
Michael Wilbon stopped saying that I was a knucklehead long enough to point out that the Celtics and the Lakers have won 30 of the NBA’s 61 titles. The Celts have 16 and the Lakers have 14. “Neither invented the game,” said Wilbon, “But both defined it, refined it, made it relevant.
They won’t plain ole’ hate each other. The Lakers, other than Bryant and Derek Fisher, are too young to have worked up that kind of empathy, even for Boston. And the Celtics, particularly the Big Three, are new to those green jerseys.
But by the time the series begins, they’ll learn more about the history of the rivalry, more about how important the two teams are to the league.”
NBA FINALS
I didn’t like the 2-3-2 game format for the Finals. It rewards the team with the SECOND BEST RECORD in the first five games when it should reward the #1 team.
ACK-ACK
I have my own Celtics story. Mendy Rudolph was ref’ing a Celtics game and called a foul on the player who was guarding Tommy “Ack-Ack” Heinsohn and signaled that Heinsohn was shooting one-and-one because it was a non shooting foul. Heinsohn erupted and said that it should have been a two-shot shooting foul. Heinsohn was heard to say: “Mendy, are you crazy. I was shooting. Ask anybody, they’ll tell you I never pass!”
BARTOLO-OLE
I hate to say it but the Red Sox look like they made a good deal when they were the only ones to reach out to Bartolo Colon when they offer him a minor league contract. Now he’s pitching for the big club and has a 4-1 record with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. On 6/11, he went six, allowed one run on five hits, while striking out seven. His P/S (pitch/strikes) was 93/59.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
MLB, also, tried without success, to have Stats available by LICENSE ONLY. The Court refused to get involved with this: “It would be a strange law that a person would not have a 1st Amendment right to use information that is available to everyone.
Do you remember when MLB sued those people in Brooklyn for using the term Brooklyn, when the Dodgers left the borough over fifty years ago, in a certain type font?
