February 2004 Archives
Page of 3It's 60 degrees outside, the 7 inches of snow we got late last week has almost melted, I just washed my car and have plans to play some tennis later today. So why the hell am I sitting inside updating my blog? Well, since you asked, it's because I feel bad for neglecting you all for the last week or so. The job hunt down here, while equally unfulfilling, seems to take me away from my computer more than I would like and trying to keep the site running on a dial up connection is really just adding insult to injury. However, I should have a shiny, new cable modem here on Wednesday so it won't actually take me four and a half minutes to log on to the interweb, load my page and check out how may hits I've had for theday(which are also decreasing, but I'll get over it).
Last night was my first real night on the town here in Charlotte (some of the residents, not my friends it should be noted, have started a movement to call the city Crunkville. I think that tells you all you need to know about how far behind the times they are down here) and while unspectacular, it was entertaining nonetheless. I started out the night by meeting my friend Ben, the motherfucking ruthless villain, for a drink downtown before we headed to Tremont Music Hall to catch the heavily hyped Von Bondies. After a few beers at a nondescript sports bar, we headed to the venue right as the band went on. I didn't exactly hype up the band to Ben but told him there was a good amount of buzz behind them and after the show we were both wondering what the band had done do deserve it (I'm talking musically here, not extracurricular activities). Musically, I felt they weren't anything special. Just what the world needs, another garage rock band. woo...hoo. They sounded like a grunged up version of the Old 97's to me, and that is a bad thing. Let's just say I am more of a Sea Ray guy than I am a Von Dursties guy.
After the gig, we headed out to a hoppin' restaurant and met up with some of Ben's friends. As we were walking in, we ran into an old friend of ours, Tommy "Poop Shoe" Sheridan, whom I hadn't seen in at least 8 years. Talk about old times. We chatted for a bit before he left, and it was great to see him again. I imagine there will be quite a bit more of that in the coming weeks down here. Most of the people I knew at school ended up in Charlotte, so I am bound to see them out on the town sooner or later. The night felt like it was starting to pick up but I had a splitting headache so I left around midnight and drove home. Like I said, unspectacular but somewhat promising.
Friday night I stayed in and enjoyed watching the Celtics beat up on the Toronto Raptors on ESPN. Rookie Brandon Hunter had 11 points and 16 rebounds. Watching games on my dad's 52 inch TV is amazing. The players are like 7 inches tall on the screen. Unfortunately the HD offerings around here are less than ideal so we are stuck on the digital cable for now.
grumblegrumblegrumble.
The two teams played again today and believe it or not the Celtics are now riding a modest two game winning streak. It looks like our new starting lineup will see Hunter at PF and Jiri Welsh replacing Ricky Davis at SF. Rookie PG Marcus Banks has lost alot of playing time to new aquisition Chucky Atkins but to the kid's credit, he is saying all the right things about the situation for the time being.
Peter May of the Boston Globe takes into account that as many as three teams with records under .500 will make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
This is not what the Lakers want to hear from Gary Payton as the playoffs approach.
How desperate is Isiah Thomas? Apparantly he feels that his team's current five game losing streak means that the team absolutely must get Vin Baker because he needs a low post presence to balance out his roster. At least Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News goes on record saying that Baker won't be able to handle the pressure in NYC. The media seems split over whether Vin signing with another team will help or hurt the Celtics case to have his contract terminated. If Vin signs with another team, that must mean he's fit to play, right? Not so fast I say, look at Eddie Griffin's time with the Nets. He obviously wasn't ready to play basketball but that didn't stop the team from making a six figure investment in this crackhead.
You read it here first...IF Vin Baker signs with another team this year and he signs a new long term deal, that team is confident that he can stay sober and produce for them. If he signs for the rest of this year for the pro-rated veteran's minimum, then the team thinks he has one foot in the bar and isn't taking any chances. That'll be all the proof the league should need.
I'd also like to go on record saying how this whole ordeal really makes me sick. Vin has intimated to some of his fellow colleagues that he would accept a modest buyout of his contract (which would also benefit the Celtics) because he doesn't want his dirty laundry aired in public, however, the union and his new agent, Aaron Goodwin, are determined to take this matter to trial. The effects on Vin could be irreparable. Both his agent and his union don't care one bit about Vin Baker the person, they only care about Vin Baker's remaining contract that will pay him $35 million. The agent will get his cut if the contract isn't terminated and the union doesn't want the dangerous (for them) precedent set where a team can terminate a contract due to the players substance abuse.
But let's be honest here, if I had a job for $13 million a year and kept coming to work drunk, would the keep me around and still pay me?
I think not.
In our "News That Actually Makes Sense" spot today... Is the NBA preparing to make the NBDL their new minor league for all the high school players that need a little seasoning before making the jump to the big time?
God, let's hope so.
Is Morrissey planning a US Tour for later in the year? Will the news be announced next week?
God, let's hope so.
Update your grey matter
Because one day it may matter
Man, the snow is coming down right now. Looks like we're going to get a few inches here. Luckily, it's not that cold and the roads are fairly clear. Otherwise there would be a run on bread and milk at every grocery store in this side if the state. NC just shuts down when there is more than one inch of snow on the ground, or even the threat of it.
Random Thoughts:
Is Isiah Thomas still considered the second coming in NYC since his meddling has led to a four game losing streak and newly acquired "athletic forward" Tim Thomas left the game injured last night? Will anyone in the New York media come out and say it was a mistake for him to trade Keith Van Horn?
Has anyone noticed that only three of the teams that the Nets have beaten in their 14 game win streak have had records over .500?
Will UNC faithful call for coach Roy William's head at the end of the season or will the players parents simply stage a revolt like the one that led to former coach Matt Doherty's ouster? For those of you not watching at home, UNC is struggling at 16 - 8 (6 - 7 in the conference) and very much on the bubble for the Big Dance.
I'd like to go on record saying if Stanford was in the ACC, they would be in fourth place behind Wake Forest. Don't even get me started on St. Joe's.
Can Nike sue Sprite for ripping off their Lil' Penny ad campaign?
I went down to the bar last night to catch the Celtics v. Bucks game. Watching my favorite pro basketball team is becoming an exercise in futility but it took today's Boston Globe for me to realize how bad it's been. Boston's largest newspaper informed me that they haven't won a game at the Fleet Center in over a month and back then the Patriots were merely the AFC champions, and Howard Dean was still a viable presidential candidate. Yeeeaaarrrgghhh.
The C's took another one on the chin last night as a last second shot by Waltah McCarty went in the hole but was (rightfully) ruled after the buzzer. So close, but yet so far away. Strangely, I left the bar content as the team put forth their second best effort under new coach John Carroll. New point guard Chucky Atkins paid immediate dividends (and made me fell much better about the trade that brought him here) by posting 14 points, eight assists and zero turnovers in a season-high 43 minutes in his Boston debut. Not bad for a guy that hasn't played in a week.
However, the real story last night was rookie PF Brandon Hunter getting his first NBA start and posting a near double double with 17 points and nine rebounds, all the while holding Keith Van Horn to four points, 16 under his season average. Celtic messageboard posters have been absolutely screaming for Hunter to get some PT and we finally got our wish last night. Hunter still has a ways to go in learning the whole team defensive scheme but the guy is pure energy on the court and it often takes two people to box him out. He pulled down a few one handed rebounds last night and set some hard picks for Atkins at the top of the key. Carroll better not fuck this up and keep giving this guy the PT he has earned.
The Sports Guy gives us 10 ways to fix All Star Weekend in the NBA.
Nick Catchdubs and his evil media empire has some amazing photos from the recent gig by the Sounds in NYC.
Download the whole Eminem v. Apple lawsuit here.
More bad news for my favorite computer maker as Apple's world market share dipped to 1.7%. Ouch.
How to replace your iPod's battery. One interesting tidbit from this piece is that if you send your iPod back to Apple for them to replace your battery, they send you a different refurbished iPod back, not the one you actually sent in for the repair.
[knock wood] My 20 gig iPod is over 2 years old and is working like a champ. No battery issues at all.[/knock wood]
LOOKALIKES
One of these men got his first NBA start last night and one has The Vapors.
One of these men finally came to his senses and started Brandon Hunter last night and the other used to scream "hello!" during sports highlights.
I just found out the Von Bondies are actually playing in Charlotte this weekend, so it looks like I won't be totally out of the musical loop down here. The Strokes are coming in March and best of all, Ted Leo is playing in Chapel Hill the day of the ACC tourney final. Hotness.
Lyrics are abundant
Right there I sound redundant
Sorry for the lack of content lately, this job hunting thing is a real hindrance to my blogging schedule!
Even though I am short on time, I will still accept your challenge!
Archers of Loaf – Fashion Bleeds
Paul Weller – Wild Wood (Portishead Mix)
Radiohead – Pakt Like Sardines In A Chrushed Tin Box (live)
The Smiths – Stretch Out And Wait (live)
Primal Scream – The Lord Is My Shotgun
Elastica – Hold Me Now
Weezer – Only In Dreams
Blur – Jubilee
Richard Ashcroft – I Get My Beat
Supergrass – Tonight
The Strokes – Soma
Billy Bragg – She’s Got A New Spell (Peel Sessions)
Mos Def – Mrs. Fat Booty
Grooverider – Super Stylin’
Wu-Tang Clan – Shame on A Nigga
Oasis – Better Man
Luna – Season Of The Witch
Outkast – Elevators
The Sundays – Skin & Bones (live)
Lush - Lovelife
Show 'em my (new) logo!
I just got back from the gym (yay me!) and have some errands to run so we're gonna have to go psuedo bullet stizz for today's content:
- This is cool. I am now accepting applications from those interested in becoming my UK counterpart.
- Sorry for bringing this story up and then dropping it like a bad habit. In case you haven't heard the Rasheed trade did indeed go through and he is now playing for the Pistons. Lindsey Hunter's agent was on a plane or something and they couldn't get all of the paperwork done on time, although that didn't stop the NBA from fining Detroit 200k.
- The buzzards are starting to swirl around Danny Ainge. I still trust ya Danny.
- Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban to host his own reality show, with the winner walking away with a cool million from his own pocket. Format and length are still TBD but it sounds like the show will basically consist of people kissing his ass for the $1 million. Can you say EGOMANIAC? PS - 'Toine sux and so does your team right now. People are more scared of facing the Grizz than they are the Mavs.
- The 10 greatest blockbuster trades that didn't quite work out. No surprise Vin Baker is on this list.
- Duke's dynatsy > UCLA's dynasty?
- The iPod Mini is finally available in stores this week.
- The story behind Oasis and their first ever appearance on British TV.
- Johnny Rotten was booked on the Pan Am flight that blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland but missed it because his wife took too long to pack.
- I agree 100% and from what I've read, everyone else does too. What a DB.
- It appears that SMILE was worth the wait.
- NEWSFLASH! Bobby Brown is back in jail. Is this even newsworthy anymore?
- Napster = 5 million songs sold. What a joke. Buy an iPod and STFU.
- Motorola says it's new 1.4 Ghz chip would be perfect for the next line of Powerbooks. Drool. Me want a laptop.
- This is the beginning of the end.
I'm hopefully going to update my blog links this week. I inform you of this because I know there are alot of sites out there that have linked to me and I have not returned the favor. If that is the case, please drop me a line with your site's info and I'll try and add you as soon as I can. Cheers.
Biting and witty content is scheduled to return tomorrow. Hope to see you then.
So here I go, I'm still scratching around the same old hole
My body feels young but my mind is very old
So what do you say?
You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway
You're half the world away / Half the world away
Half the world away / Half the world away
I've been lost, I've been found but I don't feel down.
"This is the best album I've ever done."
- Morrissey, on You Are The Quarry
You Are the Quarry, the first new solo material in seven years from Morrissey, is to be released May 17th in the UK and May 18th in the US on Sanctuary's revamped imprint, Attack. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Quarry is an album of extraordinary original songs using keyboards interwoven with crunchy guitars that work to create a lush, musical backdrop.
"There are no links to the past. This is a much brighter sounding album, than much of my previous work. We've turned the page with Quarry. It's a dynamic album and I couldn't be any happier."
"America is Not the World," "I Have Forgiven Jesus" and "The World is Full of Crashing Bores" illustrate that Morrissey's genius and wit haven't waned a bit. On "America", Morrissey personally pleads with the U.S. of A to hold on to its humility and to cease its heavy-handedness but, make no mistake, "America" is not an anti-American song. "I love you/I love you/America/ but you are not the world," Morrissey sings in a melancholy voice while a thunderous guitar strums and a drum beats heavily in the background. "I'm Not Sorry" shows that Morrissey has no regrets. "I'm not sorry for the things I've done" he sings to the sound of a droning guitar and the beat-beat-beat of a drum loop as Morrissey warns "There's a Wildman in my head." Morrissey lets his detractors know that harsh words have helped his career in "You Know I Couldn't Last," "the critics can't break you/they unwittingly make you."
"The song is my response to the negative press I have endured over the years," Morrissey says.
Instead of firing back at his detractors, however, Morrissey takes the criticism in stride. In fact, "Last" sounds more like a thank you note to the nay-sayers what with the song's powerful drum beat and hummable chorus making it an irresistible foot tapping piece of pop poetry.
From mandolin to flute to harp to moog keyboard, Quarry's richly textured musical layers see Morrissey exploring new musical territory. The album crosses many genres, incorporating subtle elements of dance, jazz, world and rock. Morrissey said the combination will definitely appeal to his core fanbase and will also reel an audience that may not be familiar with his earlier solo work.
Quarry was produced by Jerry Finn, one of the most in-demand producers working today, who was behind massive selling hit albums by pop-punk rockers such as Blink-182, AFI and Green Day. It may seem strange that a producer who is best known for breathing new life into the punk rock movement would be twisting the knobs for an artist like Morrissey. But to hear Morrissey tell it, theirs is the perfect marriage.
"I wanted a louder sound for this record," said Morrissey. "I was introduced to Jerry by a mutual friend. He made me feel very confident. He's not easily pleased and he's not prepared to be overwrought. He knows exactly what he wants to do. He was able to help me create the sound for this album that I had already been hearing in my head."
Finn said he set out to create an organic "creamy" album with Morrissey and the outcome is much better than even he anticipated. "This is one of the best records I've produced," said Finn. "It's just purely organic and it sounds incredible."
Finn recruited acclaimed keyboard player Roger Manning, a founding member of the seminal pop band Jellyfish who has also worked with Blink-182, Air and Beck, to the fold. Manning's contribution to Quarry is nothing short of spectacular. His keyboard and synthesizer work gives the album a somewhat vintage feel but still manages to sound current and blissful behind Morrissey's dynamic vocal arrangements. Morrissey is backed up on Quarry by his longtime band: guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, bass player Gary Day and Dean Butterworth on drums. You Are The Quarry marks the first time in Morrissey's solo career that he recorded his vocals with the band in a studio, Finn says. On his previous albums, Morrissey would record his vocals first and the band would record the music later.
"Having everyone in the studio at the same time made the creative process much easier," Finn said. "Instead of trying to create the music around Morrissey's vocals, which is how it used to be done, we were able to create a much more listenable album because everyone was in the same room at the same time and it made the album much tighter. I think Quarry is Morrissey's best work because of how it was recorded."
There's no denying Morrissey's impact on pop music. As lead singer for The Smiths, arguably the best alternative act of the 80s, Morrissey blazed a trail for dozens of modern day alternative rock acts including The Strokes, The Rapture and The Shins amongst others.
Morrissey has sold millions of records worldwide both as a solo artist and during his time with The Smiths. His concerts sell-out in minutes and in 2003, despite the fact that Morrissey hasn't released an album of new material since 1997; he played two sold out nights in Anaheim to three thousand ravenous fans. .
"My audience believed through the years that I've never received the recognition I deserved on my records," Morrissey said. "I have an incredibly loyal following and they have made it their mission to support me when ever I play a concert. I'm grateful for that."
Prior to signing with the Sanctuary family, Morrissey said he met with the label's chief executive officer Merck Mercuriadis in New York and expressed interest in reviving the Attack label. "They had a drawer full of labels that they bought and Attack was part of the Trojan family," Morrissey said. "I've been a fan of the Attack label for quite some time. I have a Gregory Isaacs seven inch on my refrigerator. Well, I told Sanctuary that I wanted to re-launch the label and have Quarry released on Attack and they agreed."
Attack was launched in 1969 and became the breeding ground for dub and reggae artists including Gregory Isaacs, Family Circle and The Monkey, many of whom at the time had no place to showcase their talents. The label became part of the legendary Trojan Records in the 1970s. Trojan itself is wholly-owned by Sanctuary.
Morrissey will also sign new talent to the Attack label. Morrissey said he's already found three bands to work with and has written a song that was recorded by legendary chanteuse Nancy Sinatra, who will release an album on the label in the near future.
"This is the album that I've wanted to make for quite a while. I believe You Are The Quarry has something for everyone." Morrissey said. "I didn't want to do the same thing over again. That's so boring."
information leafblower would like to wish Chuck Palahniuk, my favorite living writer (with apologies to the inspiration for this site), a very happy birthday today. Here's to many more!
To celebrate, here's a selection of some of my favorite quotes from Chuck's vast body of work.
If our fathers were our models for God, and our fathers fail, then what does that tell you about God.
The first step to eternal life is you have to die.
You do the little job you're trained to do. Pull a lever....Push a button...You don't understand any of it, and then you just die.
I've met God across his long walnut desk with his diplomas handing on the wall behind him, and God asks me, "Why?"
Why did I cause so much pain?
Didn't I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness?
Can't I see how we're all manifestations of love?
I look at God behind his desk, taking notes on a pad, but God's got this all wrong.
We are not special.
We are not crap or trash, either.
We just are.
We just are, and what happens just happens.
And God says, "No, that's not right."
Yeah. Well. Whatever. You can't teach God anything.
You are not a beautiful, unique snowflake... This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.
Reality Means You Live Until You Die. The Real Truth Is Nobody Wants Reality.
The first time you meet that someone special, you can count on them one day being dead and in the ground.
A guy's calling to say he's failing Algebra II.
Just as a point of practice I say, Kill yourself.
A woman calls and says her kids won't behave.
Without missing a beat, I tell her, Kill yourself.
A man calls to say his car won't start.
Kill yourself.
A woman calls to ask what time the late movie stars.
Kill yourself.
She asks, "Isn't this 555-1327? Is this the Moorehouse Cineplex?"
I say, Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself.
A girl calls and asks, "Does it hurt very much to die?"
Well sweetheart, I tell her, yes, but it hurts a lot more to keep living.
The same as if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, you realize, if no one had been there to witness the agony of Christ, would we be saved?
And if Christ had died from a barbituate overdose, alone on the bathroom floor, would He be in heaven?"
Here are condoms lined with a topical anesthetic for prolonged action. What a paradox. You don't feel a thing, but you can fuçk for hours. This really seems to miss the point. I want my whole life to be lined with a topical anesthetic.
When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat?
Only when we eat up this planet will God give us another. We'll be remembered more for what we destroy than what we create.
When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves.
No doubt, this is the kind of stress the constantly mutating AIDS virus must feel.
The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.
Your parents, they give you your life but then they try to give you their life.
I figure, the bigger the mistake looks, the better chance I'll have to break out and have a real life.
Day and night, the future keeps coming at you.
No matter how much you think you love somebody, you'll step back when the pool of their blood edges up too close.
All around us, erosion and insects are just chewing up the world, never mind people and pollution. Everything biodegrades with or without you pushing.
Game shows are designed to make us feel better about the random, useless facts that are all we have left of our education.
Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct.
My point being, is that you cant escape the world, and you’re not responsible for how you look, if you look beauticious or butt ugly. You’re not responsible for how you feel or what you say or how you act or anything you do. Its all out of your hands.
The same way a compact disk isn’t responsible for what’s recorded on it, that’s how we are. You’re about as free to act as a programmed computer. You’re about as one of a kind as a dollar bill.
There isn’t any real you in you. even your physical body, all your cells will be replaced within eight years.
Skin, bones, blood and organs transplant from person to person. Even what’s inside you already, the colonies of microbes and bugs that eat your food for you, without them you'd die. Nothing of you is all-the-way yours. all of you is inherited.
Relax. Whatever your thinking, a million other folks are thinking. Whatever you do, they’re doing, and none of you is responsible. All of you is a cooperative effort.
Whats burning down is a re-creation of a period revival house patterned after a copy of a copy of copy of a mock tudor big manor house. Its a hundred generations removed from anything original, but the truth is arent we all?
If we cant find something to fight for, well settle for something to fight against.
She said when a boy and a girl dog copulate, the head of the boy's penis swells and the vaginal muscles of the girl constrict. Even after sex, both dogs remain locked together, helpless and miserable for a brief period of time. The Mommy said this same scenario described most marriages.
For sure, even the worst blow job is better than, say, sniffing the best rose... watching the greatest sunset. Hearing children laugh.
I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a hot-gushing, butt-cramping, gut-hosing orgasm.
Painting a picture, composing an opera, that's just something you do until you find the next willing piece of ass.
I spent my life attacking everything because I was too afraid to risk creating anything.
Nothing is EVER as good as you imagine.
The Mommy, she used to tell him she was sorry. People had been working for so many years to make the world a safe, organized place. Nobody realized how boring it would become. With the whole world property-lined and speed-limited and zoned and taxed and regulated, with everyone tested and registered and addressed and recorded. Nobody had left much room for adventure, except maybe the kind you could buy. On a roller coaster. At a movie. Still, it would always be that kind of faux excitement. You know the dinosaurs aren't going to eat the kids. The test audiences have outvoted any chance of even a major faux disaster. And because there's no possibility of real disaster, real risk, we're left with no chance for real salvation. Real elation. Real excitement. Joy. Discovery. Invention.
information leafblower never sleeps.
At least not while there is basketball on.
Tonight was supposed to be Rasheed "Smoke Weed Every Day" Wallace's and Mike James' debut for the Detroit Pistons on national TV against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the duo did log some minutes for Detroit in the first half. However, at halftime a league spokesman informed the team that all the required paperwork had not been turned in to the league by all the teams involved in the trade and none of the players could suit up for their new teams. To make this matter even stranger, Larry Brown went on record in the pre-game press conference saying all the players had been cleared to play for their new yeams. Hhhmmmmmmmm......
It appears Chucky Atkins physical with the Boston Celtics was taking longer than anticipated. Messageboard posters are posting that Atkins has a "hot spot" in one of his legs and did not pass his physical, therefor this trade will be nullified.
However, take this with a grain of salt because yesterday on the same messageboard someone else posted the topic with the title of "Terrorists just hijacked the NY Knicks Plane!!!! - No Lie, Turn on the TV". In the message of this ominous post, the author then went on to add "Celtics Sux!!!!!! Pistons rule 4ever!!! Go Detroit!!!!!" so take this with a grain of salt. Also, when Raef Lafrentz took his physical after being traded to Boston, the doctors there found a similar "hot spot" but the trade still went through even though Raef went on to have season ending surgery a few weeks later and we have basically sucked big time ever since.
It goes without sayin what a fiasco it would be for the teams and the league as a whole if the trade was nullified, although I wouldn't complain. Most likely the paperwork will be complete tomorrow and Rasheed will officially be a Piston. However, right now he is still an Atlanta Hawk. The funniest thing about this is yesterday everyone in Detroit was ready to give Danny Ainge the key to the city and now he is back to being public enemy #1. Gotta love Danny Boy.
More info as this develops.
I just wanted everyone to know that I go to this site just about every day and it ALWAYS (repeat, ALWAYS) makes me laugh out loud. Why The Daily Show or someone like that hasn't picked up on this and run with it, I'll never know. It's so perfect for them.
Cheers buddy.
Obvs in '04 all over your tees.
Ahem...Now about my cabinet position...
Man, I was in the WORST mood last night after I contemplated the big trade yesterday. There are two ways of looking at it but I'm really feeling like we got hosed. Still, I've said from day one that I trust Danny Ainge with the fate of my favorite pro sports franchise so I am going to be patient and hope for the best. It's evident from this trade that we have all but given up on this season. Last night on TV, Danny reasoned that if we don't make the playoffs our draft poisiton moves from 15 to 7. Unfortunately since there are so many other crappy teams in the East, we will get no higher than 7 unless the ping pong balls fall our way. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, the NBA, unlike other pro sports leagues, holds a lottery that will determine who gets the first pick in the upcoming draft, so having the worst record in the league doesn't mean you are guarenteed the top pick. The last time the Celtics had the worst record in the league, the freakin' Spurs got the top pick which turned out to be Timmy Duncan. Instead we got Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. Let us never speak of that day again.
Perhaps the Detroit deal was a last resort as off the record reports have Danny turning down a deal with Seattle that would have exchanged Chris Mills, Jumaine Jones, Mike James and Jiri Welsch for Calvin Booth, Brent Barry and Vladimir Radmonivic. That's a horrible deal for the Celtics as Jiri is easily the best player involved and Brent Barry is a free agent this summer so the team could just sign him outright. Calvin Booth's salary is off the hook and would have ruined any financial flexibility we might have had, so good call Danny.
Personally, I think Danny did the Detroit trade as a big EFF YOU to Isiah "I Am So Smart Because I Have A Blank Check To Work With" Thomas and the Knicks. In this mornings ESPN Insider column, one GM went on record, albeit anonymously, to say:
"They're morons," claimed another executive referring to Danny Ainge and Billy Knight. "I can't believe they just did that."
I'd be willing to bet that quote came from an office in NYC, although the Hawks are dummies for basically giving up Sheed for a late first round draft pick in, depending on who you ask, figures to be a weak draft. One good thing about the draft, for which the C's will have 3 first round picks, is that it is loaded with big men even if most of them are 18 years old. A look at the likely candidates:
Emeka Okafor (6-foot-9), Dwight Howard (6-11, 18-years-old), Pavel Podkolzine (7-4, 19 yrs), Kosta Perovic (7-2, 19 yrs), Andris Biedrins (7-0, 18 yrs), Peja Samardzski (7-0, 18 yrs), Ivan Chiriaev (7-1, 18 yrs), LaMarcus Aldridge (6-11, 18 yrs.), Robert Swift (7-1, 18 yrs), Rafael Araujo (6-11, 23), Ha Seung Jin (7-3, 18 yrs.) and possibly big guys like Colorado's David Harrison (7-0) and Michigan State's Paul Davis (6-11).
Work some magic Danny. Oh, and the reported deal with the Spurs for Malik Rose never came to fruition. I'm guessing the Spurs wanted Chris Mihm, whom they have had ineterest in before and Danny told them to piss off.
Mark Stein has a great column today on how hard it is to be a fan of the NBA today with all the wacky trades made due to salary cap implications, most of which make no sense from a pure exchanging talent for talent viewpoint. Fans want their teams to win, not save money.
Join me now as we look back over some past trade deadline deals including the 1990 blockbuster that sent center Uwe Blab from Golden State to San Antonio in exchange for center Christian Welp. Ah, good times.
Good news today for Apple as they have been named the top computer maker in a Consumer Reports satisfaction poll. Also, Business Week has reported that Apple earned the largest profit increase for a tech company for the last calendar year. Put that in yer pipe and smoke it!
In today's I TOLD YOU SO, SO NOW I AM GOING TO GLOAT corner I give you the myriad of problems faced by Napter 2.0. Remember the big hubbub around the time of their release last year. Pffffffffffft. Buh-bye. The company lost $15 million in its first two months of operation, has seen several executives depart, and the latest data shows Napster 2.0 only holding 12 percent of the online music business, compared to Apple's 56 percent. If that wasn't bad enough, after initially agreeing to install Napster software on all their new machines, HP decided to reverse course and sign up with the iTunes Music Store. Ahem....hahahahahahahahaha.
Anyone else hear about what the band The Alarm did for their latest single? Recording as The Poppyfields, the band, from north Wales, are at number 28 after selling more than 4,000 copies of 1970s-style punk single 45RPM. In its accompanying video The Alarm are replaced by teenage Chester rockers The Wayriders who mime along to the song.. Yo, image is everything. Obey your thirst. Show 'em my logo!
Tonight I'll be forced to drink myself to sleep after reading this quote from Paul Pierce:
"We've made three of the five worst trades in the last 20 years," Pierce, 27 in October, groaned to me several days ago in L.A., pinpointing the acquisition of Vin Baker and the gift-wrapping of Walker to Dallas and Joe Johnson to Phoenix. In all fairness, Ainge was only responsible for Walker; Chris Wallace choreographed the other two monstrosities.
"Yo," wondered the dumbfounded Pierce, "how old was Michael Jordan when he started to win titles?"
In the interest of keeping my what's left of my dwindling readership I won't go into the nervous breakdown that was right on the horizon as I tried desperately to keep up with today's 3 PM trading deadline in the NBA with a dial up internet connection and no ESPNEWS. Right now ESPN has snowmobiling on and The Duece has drag racing. Dammit people, the whole dynamic of the (L)Eastern Conference just changed and I have to hear about it on the freaking sports ticker at the bottom of the screen!!??!! Argh. I just added a cable modem internet connection to my HDTV order. I can't take it anymore. But I digress...
While there were a few other minor deals that went down today, the grandaddy of them all involved the Pistons, Hawks and my beloved, although increasingly crappy, Celtics. The trade breaks down thusly:
Pistons get: Rasheed "Smoke Weed Every Day" Wallace and Mike James
Hawks get: Chris Mills, Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura and a first-round draft pick (from Detroit via Milwaukee)
Celtics get: Chucky Atkins, Lindsay Hunter, cash, and a first-round draft pick (from Detroit)
This deal is great for the Pistons because the get the premier free agent on the market right now and still have enough cap space this summer to resign Memet Okur. The Pistons have to be the favorite in the (L)Eastern Conference right now as Rasheed just might be the best post player in the conference (but only if he quits playing on the prerimeter and shooting 3's all game long). This deal really was a slam dunk for Pistons GM Joe Dumars and he is to be applauded.
However, the Pistons have seriously comprimised their backcourt depth with this trade. Atkins and Sura were their guards off the bench. Now they will only have newcomer Mike James and his forte is big shots late in the game, a time he figures to be on the bench in Motown. If Rip Hamilton or Chauncey Billups goes down for an extended period of time, the Pistons are in big, big trouble. Still, it's easy to see them in the Finals now and their big front line theoretically can match up with the big boys out West.
The Hawks are basically collecting ending contracts so they will have cap room this summer to take a run at Kobe or any other big free agent avilable. Although why in the fuck would Kobe sign with them now that Rasheed is gone. At least they got a decent draft pick that they should have tried to get in their earlier deal that brough Rasheed to town. Basically instead of one big expiring contract, they now have 4 smaller ones and a draft pick. Ho hum. Doesn't salary cap management make for good reading?
As for my beloved Celtics, this deal is a mixed bag. Earlier reports of a deal with the Pistons had Scoreless Williamson being involved (somehwere in NYC, Coolfer is laughing) and deals for Juwan Howard, Brent Barry + Vladimir Radmonivich or Kelvin Cato/Maurice Taylor + Bostjan Nachbar were also making the rounds on the internet. For salary cap reasons that I won't go into because I'm already boring you to death, the C's had to deal Mills and his $6.6 million salary so that they can spend that money on someone else this summer. Earlier this week Danny Ainge said he wanted to get a tall veteran point guard and a young banger to help on the boards. Instead we got 2 small point guards and a late draft pick. Ummmm...Woo Hoo? Atkins started for the Pistons two years ago when they won 50+ games so he isn't a stiff but he sat the bench in Detroit for a reason. At the same time, Mike James was starting for the C's and he was better suited to come off the bench so that's a wash.
What's good about this deal for the C's is that they basically gave up someone who never played for them and their starting PG who would have been a Free Agent this summer for Lindsay Hunter and his expiring contract as well as the $3 million the Pistons sent along to pay half of Atkins salary. We also get an extra 1st round draft pick this summer, making a total of three for the team. Danny will be looking to move up by trading all or some of those picks. Dukie Luol Deng is rumoured to be a traget.
The bad aspect of the deal is that it did nothing to shore up our already weak frontcourt. Waltah freaking McCarty is our starting power forward! He averages exactly 3 rebouds per contest. This is bad. If Ainge could have turned Hunter into Melvin Ely or something, this trade would have been better. Unfortunately people will knock this trade for what it isn't as opposed to what it is but that's the nature of the game today.
And that is why Trade Deadline Day is often so exciting and excruciating at the same time. 90% of the deals you hear about don't go down but that never stopped anyone from talking about "What If...".
**BREAKING (although unconfirmed) NEWS** / 4:19 PM
Damn I'm good. ESPN is reporting that the Celtics are speaking with the Spurs about acquiring PF Malik Rose and possibly another first round draft pick. That's my boy!! NBA rules permit teams to consumate trades past the 3 PM deadline if they were on the phone working out details of the trade when the deadline passes. This trade would make sense for both teams as Rose is the doghouse in San Antonio and the C's need someone that weighs over 140 pounds to act as their PF. Stay tuned....
I tell ya, there are many disadvantages that result in moving from the Big Apple to podunk, NC but last night after I got back from running an errand, I looked up at the sky, which was perfectly clear, and saw all the stars in their twinkling glory and I realized that I hadn't really seen them in quite some time. It was a good moment.
I'm not exactly experiencing culture shock down here but I do feel like Homer Simpson once or twice every day, particularly whenever I try and make a local call. I am so used to dialing phone numbers the NYC way, which is 1+area code+phone number. Here, you just dial the local number without the prefix. Remember that Simpsons when the phone company in Springfield made everyone dial the 11 digit number to make a call and Homer says "I'm not going to take this! I'm calling everyone I know to complain." and he dials a phone number and gets the recording on the other end of the line telling him to dial 1+the area code and he curls up in the fetal position? Good times.
Another huge plus of moving back in with the 'Rents is my judicious use of their hugendous 56 inch screen TV. You haven't lived until you've watched basketball on a screen that big. And yes, the cable company is coming to install HDTV next week. Boo Yaa!
Last night was the big Duke v. Wake Forest match up in Winston Salem, NC. I debated making the 90 minute trip to Winston to try and score tickets but then I remembered that I am flat broke and living with my parents. Oh well. The TV it is. The game was back and forth throughout. I was a bit unhappy with the refs. They let the physical play get away from them in the first half and the teams had to be separated more than once in the first half. However, this seemed to pump up the Demon Deacons and they just would not lose on this night and earned a well deserved W. The Devils area bit banged up and it showed last night. Duke has now lost two straight games but that's life in the ACC. Wake frosh Chris Paul, aka the Mayor of Winston Salem, is the fucking man and battled Chris Duhon to a draw. If he didn't wrap up ACC freshman of the year last night, I quit. I've had nothing but good things to say about the Wake program under new coach Skip Proesser and after last night it's easy to see why. The night wasn't a total loss for the Blue Devils as NC State lost as well so Duke is still in first in the ACC. Like I told my Dad, let's get these pesky losses out of the way now so we can beat that ass at tourney time.
One person that must have been grinning ear to ear last night is Lorin, my new Super Furry friend and Wake alumnus. I had the pleasure of meeting Lorin last week in Chapel Hill at the Super Furry Animals show there. We had a great time watching the gig, hanging with the band and drinking as much beer as we could while still being able to drive at the end of the night. The show wasn't the best I've seen the Furries do, but an average show by them blows away most bands. It started a little flat but picked up during towards the end. It was nice to have someone to talk to after driving 7 hours to catch the show.
Meeting new friends = good
Meeting new friends that are Super Furry Fans = better
Meeting new friends/SFA fans that read my blog = BEST EVS
Here are some pictures from the night in question:
Wipe your windscreen with a chocolate cake
To see you / to see you / to see you / nice to see you
Count your pizzas before they bake
To see you / to see you / to see you / nice to see you
Soccer hottie Heather Mitts has been named Page 2's Hottest Female Athlete for 2004. Faithful information leafblower readers will remember first reading about Heather in this space. I even beat Grambo to the punch on this one!
Even though we are past the half way point in the NBA season, I decided to wait and do my mid season report cards until after the All Star break as the trade deadline is looming. One big deal already went down and I’m sure more will follow before the deadline at 3 PM EST on Thursday. Nonetheless, lets see how right and wrong I was in my NBA Preview:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Boston Celtics:
What I Got Right: Don’t be surprised to see him (Paul Pierce) average 7 assists and 8 rebounds this year as the offense will flow through him.
PP is hovering around 5 assists and 6 boards but is also averaging just as many turnovers.
What Was I Thinking? I predict at least 44 wins for the C’s and a playoff spot.
We were SOL as soon as Danny made Raef shut it down and have surgery on his knee. Things have gone so wrong in Boston this year that's all I'm gonna say, lest I incur the wrath of the Basketball Gods.
Atlanta Hawks:
What I Got Right: Traded a 20 point per game scorer in Glenn Robinson for the injured Terrell Brandon, who promptly retired and will come off their salary cap. Enough said.
That's been their season in a nutshell.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
What I Got Right: How many GM’s regret passing on former Dukie Carlos Boozer now?
Boozer is averaging 15 and 10 easily the second best player on the team. Many felt he belonged on the All Star team.
Chicago Bulls:
What Was I Thinking? This might be the year the Baby Bulls break out and make it to the second season.
Not even close. Stay tuned for this year's rebuilding plan.
Detroit Pistons:
What I Got Right: #2 overall pick Darko Milicic is still a year or two away.
Donnie Darko has played all of 54 minutes this year. The reason? Well, one time he tried to dunk it but couldn't get the ball over the rim and ended up falling on his ass.
Indiana Pacers:
What I Got Right: Larry Bird rightfully fired Isiah Thomas and brought in buddy Rick Carlisle as head coach.
Carlisle's squad has the best record in the East and a legit title contender.
Miami Heat:
What Was I Thinking? Can a team win consistently with 3 shooting guards, one small forward and one power forward on the court at all times?
Well, I'm still not convinced, but they are within striking distance for the 8th seed in the East. Lamar Odom has played great.
Milwaukee Bucks:
What Was I Thinking? Cupboard isn’t bare with Redd, Mason and new PG Ford but they are years away.
Redd was an All Star and Kukoc has been playing inspired ball. They will definitely make the playoffs and scare the shit out of whoever they play. The addition of Van Horn can only help them.
New Jersey Nets:
What I Got Right: Zo is half the man he used to be. No lift will make rebounds hard for him. Should have spent free agent money on outside shooter to help teams anemic half court offense in the playoffs.
Mourning played all of 12 games before being forced to shut it down because of health issues. He was only averaging 8 and 2 so he was not a factor.
New Orleans Hornets:
What I Got Right: Star players Davis and Mashburn are just too brittle to take this talented team to the promised land.
Mashburn played his first game of the season 2 weeks ago. Davis started off hot but has faded recently. With three All Stars on this team, they should be head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. But they aren't.
New York Knicks:
What I Got Right: Team is stocked with undersized forwards (7 at last count). No PG to speak of. Injuries have left Dice a shell of his former All-Star self. Why does GM Scott Layden still have a job?
Layden is out and Isiah is in. Thomas has been given a blank check from the owners to reshape the team and he's brought in 8 new players including PG Stephon Marbury. They are a lock for the playoffs and could very well do some damage.
Orlando Magic:
What I Got Right: Spent free agent money to bring in Juwan Howard, who plays same position as young stud Drew Gooden. Why? Helped Celtics on draft night by selecting Reece Gaines instead of Marcus Banks.
Ganies agent has asked for his client to be traded so he can get some PT elsewhere but he's stunk every time he's stepped on the court. They can't trade Howard fast enough. Gooden has regressed big time this year.
Philadelphia 76ers:
What Was I Thinking? Could be surprise of East if Iverson shares the ball like he did for the US National team this summer. Well, they are the surprise of the East but only because they are a horrible team. Expect McKie and Snow to be traded by tomorrow if at all possible. There are even some AI trade rumours out there as well. Just a mess.
Toronto Raptors:
What I Got Right: Rookie Chris Bosh will be counted on heavily. Antonio Davis wants out but has a huge contract.
Davis was traded to Chicago and might be moved again. His knees are shot and he's done. Bosh has played extremely well this year but much like Dwyane Wade, you wouldn't know it because of the Melo/LeBron hype. Don't sleep.
Washington Wizards:
What I Got Right: ...team goes nowhere until former #1 Kwame Brown becomes a player.
The Wiz are still a few years away but they have an exciting young team and Brown has been vastly improved this year after a slow start.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Mavericks:
What I Got Right: How does the Big 3 react to the new additions? For all the credit Nellie gets for being a great, unorthodox coach, he hasn’t won shit.
'Toine has been dominating the ball to the detriment of the rest of the team. Mavs fans want him gone pronto. Publicly the team will say everything is fine but it's easy to see they were a better squad last year.
Denver Nuggets:
What Was I Thinking? Going to be awful again this year but future is bright.
The future is now in Denver. Camby has played great and Nene is cleaning up down low. Melo has been as good as advertised. Once they get a decent SG, they will be money.
Golden State Warriors:
What I Got Right: Boneheaded front office decisions continue to haunt this team.
Think they'd like to undo that Van Exel/Jamison trade right about now? Lotteryland for another year, if not more.
Houston Rockets:
What I Got Right: Whoever plays D will get the PT.
The Rockets have the best D in the league. Francis will be traded this summer for a real PG.
LA Clippers:
What I Got Right: Expect a big year from Maggette.
Corey is averaging 20 and 6 and is only going to keep improving.
LA Lakers:
What I Got Right: 4 Hall of Fame players on team but Kobe and Shaq are already arguing over whose team it is.
Injuries have played a big part as has Kobe's rape case, but most of the press is worried whether or not Kobe will opt out of his contract at the end of the year. Lakers go nowhere unless Malone is healthy. His injury has hurt them more than you realize.
Memphis Grizzlies:
What I Got Right: Could be playoff bound.
Much like the Bucks in the East, would be in the playoffs if the season ended today and will definitely scare the shit out of whoever they play. Look out.
Minnesota T’wolves:
What Was I Thinking? Team is obviously improved from last year but still 5th best team in the West. Primed for a meltdown.
With all due respect to the Kings, the TWolves have been the best team in the L all season. KG for MVP.
Phoenix Suns:
What Was I Thinking? Could probably win the East.
Injuries and bad chemistry forced management to blow up the team and send Marbury packing, essentially scuttling the season. Great young nucleus though. In 3 or 4 years might be the best team in the West.
Portland Trailblazers:
What I Got Right: 21 year streak of making the playoffs in serious jeopardy. Time to blow it up and start over?
Rasheed was traded to Atlanta for Shareef Abdur Raheim. More trades might be on the way. Playoffs are a pipe dream.
Sacramento Kings:
What I Got Right:All-Star year from Peja if healthy.
Currently 3rd in the L in scoring, Peja is being mentioned as a candidate for MVP.
San Antonio Spurs:
What Was I Thinking? Has an NBA Champion ever improved as much in the off season as the Spurs did?
The moves the Spurs made haven't worked out as well as they hoped. They are trying to trade Ron Mercer and Malik Rose and gear up for another title push. Still a team to be feared. No one can stop Duncan.
Seattle Supersonics:
What Was I Thinking? Going to be a long season in Seattle.
The Sonics aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Flip Murray carried them at the start of the season and now Jesus Shuttlesworth is back and healthy. Look for them to make a move and try and get some big bodies with a pulse to help down low. Playoffs are a possibility.
Utah Jazz:
I think it says alot that I left the Jazz of my season preview and no one noticed. Let's mark it up as a "What Was I Thinking?" for arguements sake as I most likely would have written that they would challenge for the worst record in NBA history. Instead Coach Jerry Sloan has them playing near .500 ball. If he doesn't win Coach Of The Year this year, I quit. He is simply the best coach in the NBA and has been for quite some time.
A quick side note, thanks for your patience with the site. It's taken me longer than I thought to get up and running here and no buzz for dealing with dial up. Hopefully I will have DSL by next week and everything will be back to normal. That being said, it's great to be back.
Why didn't I think of this first?
OK...Seriously...What's the big deal? Yes the team with the biggest payroll in baseball just traded for the best player in baseball, who also just happens to be the highest paid player in baseball history. For those counting at home, the Yankees now have 4 players that will make over $100 million over the life of their contract. I wonder how this will affect ticket prices in the Bronx?
But here's the thing - I'm not so sure this makes them THAT much better. Yes they will be improved but the Yanks still have alot of problems to deal with.
Let's make no mistake, Jeter can't hold ARod's jock at shortstop right now. This will become a major issue before the year is over.
Who's going to play second for the Yanks?
It's not like the Yanks didn't give up a major piece in this deal. Alfonso Soriano was close to becoming only the second or third player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same year. Dude is in his early 20's. He's going to get even better. Will ARod?
There are alot of baseball games to be played and alot of angles for the media to chip away at the Yanks with. This is Joe Torre's last year and it will easily be his most pressure packed.
Boston still has a better pitching rotation!! Curt Schilling will pitch more games than Kevin Brown this year. Book it.
Last night on SportsCenter that fat ass Jason Whitlock was complaining about the Yankees payroll (he lives in KC) and was ready to give the Yanks the title. Lest we forget, the Yanks have been the favorite going into the season for the last 7 or so years but they haven't won the World Series since 2000. Baseball is unlike all the other major sports in that the best team doesn't always win the World Series. Think Florida was the best team all year last year? Was Anaheim the year before that?
But lets get one thing straight. From a pure personnel standpoint, Yankees GM Brian Cashman is to be applauded. This was an amazing move for the franchise. They basically used the salaries from Drew Henson, Aaron Boone and Soriano and went out and got ARod. It was a brilliant move and that's why the Yanks are always the team you love to hate. It's also the reason that Cashman will be unemployed for about 2 hours once he quits or is fired by Steinbrenner this year. He's the best in the biz right now.
The Sports Guy agrees with me and puts it much more eloquently. I only wish I could've got my shit together and on here first so it wouldn't seem like I am straight copying him. Trust me, I wasn't.
I'm not standing on the ledge. Not even close. I like this stuff. This escalating Red Sox-Yankees feud was already the most compelling storyline in sports. Now it's even better. This baby is ON.
Fuck the Pixies reunion and their grab for cash.
Fuck Brett and Bernard getting back together.
If reports out of the UK are true, the rulers are back and all the pretenders to the throne better hit the highway.
That's right ladies and germs...The La's, the band I called the greatest of our generation might be reforming.
Over the last week, rumours in the band’s hometown of Liverpool are that founder members Lee Mavers and John Power had been seen out together and are collaborating again.
One fan, emailing NME.COM wrote: "Met them at the The Zutons gig at Liverpool Uni the other day, sound fellas. Lee said they’re best mates again, drinking and going out together. Interestingly, Lee said they were working together on new material and to look forward to gigs within the next few months and material within the next year or so!"
A source close to the band has since confirmed that the pair are working together again, but said there are currently no definite plans. It is not clear whether the other members of the band are involved.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
*SOBS UNCONTROLLABLY*
It’s All Star weekend in the NBA, which is fine and dandy, but that means that the trade deadline is next week and that's where the real fun and intrigue is. The rumours are already hot and heavy. Some of the proposed deals I have read about include:
Steve Francis for Allen Iverson
Keith Van Horn for Tim Thomas
Marcus Fizer for Melvin Ely and Keyon Dooling
Fizer for Corliss Williamson or Chucky Atkins
Nazr Muhammed for Michael Doleac
Rueben Patterson for Shandon Anderson
Aaron McKie for Jerome Williams
Eric Snow for Gordon Girecek and Tyronne Lue
Girecek for Carlos Arroyo or Jarron Collins
Brian Grant for Juwan Howard
Christian Laettner for Michael Curry, Mo Pete & Michael Bradley
Keon Clark for Tom Gugliotta
Antoine Walker is on the block as well. Jamal Crawford and Juwan Howard are considered the players most likely to be traded.
As for the floundering C’s expect them to make a deal that includes Chris Mills and his expiring $6 million contract. They need a PF in the worst way. Danny Ainge set his sights on Atlanta’s Shareef Abdur Rahiem but the idiots in Atlanta’s upper management decided to give him to Portland for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person, both of whom are free agents at the end of the year, thus cutting roughly $20 million from their payroll. Boston’s deal wouldn’t have included as much cap room but would have given the Hawks draft picks in this year’s draft. Instead, they get nada. Suckers.
As far as the coaching carousel goes, rumours have Jim O’Brien going to Portland at the end of the season, with Mo Cheeks leaving for Philly and Paul Westphal getting the Celtics gig. Personally I’m hoping for former Celtic guard and current Minnesota assistant Jerry Sichting to get the nod in Boston. Dennis Johnson's name has also been mentioned.
Saturday February 14th
10:56 PM
Back at (my temporary) home and my crazy week is now at an end. The change I have been asking for for so long is finally here and it is hard to deal with it. An examination of how it has affected me thus far will have to wait, instead, a recap of the least week:
MONDAY – My last night with Molly Wizzle and kitty. Needless to say it was emotional. I will say no more on this subject out of respect for Molly. We decided to skip the Super Furry Animals show in New York and stay at home and enjoy our last bit of time together. I couldn’t be happier with that decision.
TUESDAY – Woke up at 8 AM, ran some errands and then went to pick up the moving truck. Took advantage of alternate side of the street parking and got the spot right in front of my apartment. Molly and I loaded up the truck in under 2 hours, much quicker than my estimates. A quick lunch later and I was on the road by 1:30. Walking out that door for the last time was easily one of the most difficult and most emotional things that I have ever had to do. I was in a daze for most of the day trying to cope with what was happening. I had planned to drive about 6 hours and stop for the night in northern Virginia, but made it all the way to Blacksburg, VA around 10 PM and stopped for the night there. Unofficially, that’s the most I have ever driven in a single day. I stopped at a Days Inn (only $40 for the night), went across the parking lot to the gas station, bought a 40 of Budweiser, came back to my room, called Molly, wished her good night, drank my beer and pretty much cried myself to sleep.
MILES DRIVEN: 400
WEDNESDAY – Woke up at 9 AM. Went next door to Denny’s for breakfast. Got on the road around 9:45 and finished the trip to Hickory, NC. Got in around 1 PM. Unloaded the truck. Got in my parents hot tub to ease my aching back. Went to bed around 9:30 PM.
MILES DRIVEN – 175
THURSDAY – Couldn’t sleep in, no matter how much I tried. Got up and ran some errands. Unpacked my computer. Resisted the urge to veg out and catch up on what’s been going on and read everyone’s blogs. Mailed Molly’s Valentine’s Day present. Started out on my trip to Atlanta. I had two job interviews there on Friday. Spent most of the day driving. Left NC around 3:30 PM. Arrived in Atlanta around 8 PM. Checked in to a La Quinta Inn and tried to find a sports bar to catch the Celtics / Bulls game. No joy. Ate dinner at Denny’s. Went back to my hotel room and passed out watching Dateline after speaking briefly with Molly.
MILES DRIVEN – 260
FRIDAY – Got up at 9 AM. My first interview was at 10 AM. The job isn’t what I really want, but it went well and I’m in no position to be picky right now. They will contact me next week. Went to Waffle House and ate breakfast. Made my second interview at noon. That one was with a headhunter and she told me I was perfect for the job she had in mind but it was on hold for right now and she would be in touch as soon as she knew what was going on. Not what I wanted to hear but still encouraging. As I am a glutton for punishment and borderline stalker, I drove to Chapel Hill NC to catch the Super Furries play the Cat’s Cradle. A full report on that show later. Said my goodbye’s to the band around 2 AM, drove 10 minutes and got a hotel for the night. Finally got to sleep around 5 AM.
MILES DRIVEN – 400
SATURDAY – Got up around 9 AM. Curse my non ability to sleep in. Drive to Lexington, NC to see a good friend I haven’t hung out with in over 3 years. Watched some college basketball and even some racing. Ate lunch, tried to combat my hangover and lack of sleep. Left his house around 3 PM, finally arrived back home at 4:30. Walked straight up to my room and slept until 7 PM. Got up, ate dinner, went back to bed. Woke up in time for the slam Dunk contest. Started writing.
MILES DRIVEN – 170
So you lost your trust
And you never should have
And you never should have
But don't break your back
If you ever see this
But don't answer that
In a bullet proof vest
With the windows all closed
I'll be doing my best
I'll see you soon
In a telescope lens
And when all you want is friends
I'll see you soon
Today's post is gonna be a long one, so settle in before you begin.
Last night began with my sparsely attended going away dinner at Two Boots down on Avenue A. I wanted to go there becuase 8 years ago when i started my internship in NYC, the first place I went to in the city (besides the office) was Two Boots where I met a really good friend of mine for the first time. After we ate, we all went to Coney Island High on St. Marks Place ( I remember being really confused and thinking we were actually going to a high school on Coney Island) to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I remember that night like it happened last week.
Anyways I was joined by Redboy, Shane, Nina, Molly and Anna (pictured). We had numerous pitchers of Stella and some great pizza (best in the city in my humble opinion) and life was good. Nina gave me a Spongebob Squarepants mouse pad that I am using at this very second. Cheers. So we ate, drank and were merry and then Redboy had to go off to his Dj gig. We all went up to Tracy J's on 19th street to catch the Duke / UNC game which, needless to say, is one of my favorite nights of the entire year. Tracy J's is owned and operated by Art Heyman a former Duke All American, 1965 National Player of the Year and #1 pick of the New York Knicks. It is Blue Devil Central in NYC. I was in heaven. And what a game! Big play after big play from both sides. That was the Duke / UNC rivalry that I remember. UNC deserved to win the game, but Chris Duhon, playing a majority of the second half with 4 fouls, would not let the Blue Devils lose. His reverse layup in the waning seconds of overtime gave Duke the W. I'm obviously biased but Duhon has to the front runner for ACC player of the year right now. He is owning pople at the PG spot. 
With about 5 minutes left in regulation, Coolfer, (pictured) who had joined us at the bar for drinks, asked me what I thought the final margin would be. "Duke by 2" I replied confidently. I am so money. A sincere thanks to everyone that came out last night to send me off. Cheers!
ESPN also had some great stuff on the percieved lack of success by the Blue Devils in the pro's and how some recent Coach K disciples are changing that image. Good stuff.
Also, Danny Ainge is looking to make a trade before the deadline. Not exactly breaking news but at least he's gone on record saying further changes need to be made.
Alright, for the main even, I humbly submit my TOP 15 CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS WHILE LIVING IN NYC. Let me preface this by saying I'm sure other pople could come up with better lists from their experiences and I'm not trying to drop a bunch of names here...This is more for me so I can come back and read this years from now when I am senile and have blocked my time in NYC out of my mind. That being said, I thought it would be cool to share some of my fun with everyone. Here goes.
15) MATT DILLON – As reported last Sunday.
14) HARRISON FORD –I saw Han Solo making his way uptown on Broadway, around 18th street, as I was on my to Paragon Sports to buy some snowboarding gloves. He had shades on and was walking very fast I spotted him a ways off, it was hard to miss him.
13) DICK CLARK – The ageless one was spotted in the crowd of the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy.and trying not to draw attention to himself.
12) HELENA CHRISTIANSON – I can name about 400 more people I saw on June 7th, 1997, the night that Radiohead played Irving Plaza, but she just stood out. It was a day after the NYC Tibetan Freedom Concert ended and I swear everyone that played the festival stayed around to catch Radiohead the next night. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the venue as crowded as it was that night. I can also say without a doubt that it was the single greatest concert I had ever seen or will ever see in my life. Describing it as powerful doesn’t do the gig justice. OK Computer had yet to come out but they were playing the songs that would be on that album as well as a majority of The Bends. They opened with Lucky and ended it with Black Star (the only time I have heard that song ever played live) but only after Thom aborted a solo try at Been Thinking About You. I heard that u2, Oasis, Blur, Madonna, REM, and a host of other celebrities were there. I stuck around after the gig by the secret back door that the stars use to exit the club and was amazed at the people I saw. Helena wasn’t the most famous, but she was easily the most beautiful. Like Woah. Wicked game indeed.
11) WINONA RYDER – I had just gotten a beer at the Seahorses / Mansun gig at Irving Plaza and was walking back to the front of the venue when mizz Ryder passed me on her way to the bar. She was incredibly tiny and looked like you could knock her over by sneezing on her but was still captivating. I couldn’t help but stare.
10) LIV TYLER – One of the last things I got to do at my first music industry gig was hang out with a client of ours that had just done some work with Spacehog. The group were playing the Bowery Ballroom and he asked me to tag along. I did and we ended up in the band’s dressing room before they went on and everyone was just shooting the shit, catching up, etc. The room upstairs in Bowery is tiny and has an L shaped couch. I sat down. She sat next to me. Out of respect, I tried not to freak out. We spoke a bit and she was very nice. And very, very hot.
9) DAVID BYRNE – Not really a fan at all, but I got a kick out of seeing him in the crowd when the Super Furries played Irving Plaza in support of Rings Around The World.
8) EDDIE IZZARD – CMJ, many years ago when Placebo and a few other Virgin acts were playing some hotel ballroom in Midtown, I spotted Mr. Izzard, dressed in jeans and a coat (no makeup), in the crowd, casually rocking out. I knew who he was and that he was a British comedian but hadn’t ever heard any of his material. His face had been plastered all over London the last time I was there so I recognized him right away, even with his beard. I went up to him and said “Hi” and he just looked at me weird. After an uncomfortable silence he said “You’re American right? How the fuck do you know who I am?” It was fucking hilarious. I wish I would have busted out something like “Tea, Cake or Death?” but I didn’t see Dressed To Kill until 2 years ago.
7) DIANA ROSS – The Queen of Motown came into the office at my old job on 22nd street one day as she was looking to purchase the floor above us. Her hair was bigger than Ben Wallace’s. She was extremely polite and asked to have a look around. I took her on a quick tour of the premises. She thanked me and went on her way. For the record, not once did I call her “Miss Ross”.
6) GWYNETH PALTROW / CHRIS MARTIN – Some randon Sunday night a year or so ago, Molly, Anna and I decided to meet up in the city and go get dinner. We decided on Mary’s Fish Camp, on West 4th street. Unfortunately, it’s closed on Sundays. Molly and I got there first so we were going to call Anna and tell her the dilly. Molly sat down on the stoop outside the restaurant to dig her cell phone out of her purse and make the call. While she was preoccupied doing that, I spied a lanky blonde with long hair walking toward us with some scruffy looking dork by her side. As the duo got closer, it dawned on me who it was. As they walked by us, I kinda stared at them wide-eyed (I have no idea why, although Gwyneth was very pretty). Chris nodded to me as they passed and I did the same to them. And off they went. Molly missed the whole thing.
5) BEASTIE BOYS – Like I said earlier this week, there was one particular summer , the Beasties were everywhere. You couldn’t go to a decent show without seeing them. I have seen each Beastie on their own at some point in the city but two particular times stand out(not including getting my picture taken with Ad Rock). The first was one day at work when I had to go run an errand for my boss that took me all the way across town. I was pissed off that I had to do it, so I took my sweet time getting back. As I was crossing Lexington Ave on my way back to 5th Ave, I saw this middle aged guy riding a low rider bicycle lazily making his way up the street. This looked too strange to be true so I walked toward him to get to the bottom of it. Turns out it was Mike D on his way to Capitol Records New York offices. The lyrics popped into my head immediately:
My crew is shining just like and icicle / I ride around town on my low rider bicycle
The second was seeing Blur on their tour behind 13 play at the Roseland Ballroom. I was with a few friends on the VIP sidestage and the entire Grand Royal family was there, all grooving out while Damon was singing Trimm Trabb.
4) JIMMY FALLON / JACK BLACK / JOHN MCENROE – At my last gig, I worked with a NYC rock band that got the opportunity to open a show at the Roseland Ballroom. Everyone was really excited about the opportunity, but the after show was amazing. While the headliners were still on, I was hanging out backstage with Jimmy Fallon and Mick Rock, the famous photographer. I will be the first to admit that Jimmy ruins too many skits on SNL with his incessant laughing, but in real life he is sincerely one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. Dude got me beer after beer and kept offering more. He was DJ’ing on a crappy boombox with his iPod. Then Jack Black walked in and the two of them started going at it. It was so funny I was spitting beer out of my nose. Just fucking hilarious. Then Jables went away for a while and things returned to normal until I looked over and there he was. My hero. John Patrick McEnroe. The greatest tennis talent America has ever produced. Some of the people I was with didn’t even know who he was but I was hyperventilating. I was trashed by this point of the night but still had the ability to talk without slurring too bad so I went up to him. The timing was bad but I figured I’d never get another shot to talk to the tennis legend. I went up, introduced myself, and told him how he inspired me to play tennis as a kid and that try as I might, I could never copy his service motion even though I worked on it endlessly in high school. McEnroe could not have cared less. He said like 3 words to me and then disappeared. I didn’t care. I gave it a shot. I don’t begrudge him for not talking to my drunk ass. He did lose cool points for his outfit though. Some long trenchcoat, a dark blue button up, black leather pants and a Mets cap. Ugh.
3) PAVEMENT – Possibly my best night ever in NYC. And it of course involves the Super Furries. They were opening for the Olivia Tremor Control at the Bowery Ballroom. As I briefly described before, the Bowery has one big dressing room upstairs behind the stage for the headliner. The supporting acts have to use these two small areas with velvet curtains upstairs on either side of the bar. After their set, we were all chilling in the Furries little area when Bob and Steve, the rhythm section from Pavement, dropped in and started drinking everyone’s beer. They were being really loud and boisterous and drinking up a storm. I’m a huge Pavement fan so I was just trying to take the whole scene in. I was seated opposite the Pavement guys, talking to Bunf, the Furries guitarist about football and bullshit. One of the guys from Pavement, Steve I think, busted out some weed but had nothing to smoke it in. I happened to have my bowl on me and offered it up so everyone could have a smoke. We all did and continued on talking, drinking, etc. Anyways, after the gig, Steve puts my bowl in his pocket and is getting ready to depart with it in his possession. Bunf looks at me to see if I saw what he was doing. I was cool with him taking it. Hey I like Pavement, I have no problem sacrificing my bowl to them and told Bunf the same. Bunf was having none of that. I told him I didn’t want to make a scene but he went over to Steve and said “Alright, give it back you wanker” or something like that. Steve was acting like he had no idea what was happening. Bunf wasn’t budging. “Hand it over” he said a little bit louder and finally Steve did and apologized. It was very surreal, even more so after the 37 Heineken’s I drank during the show.
After the show, we went with Gruff, some of his extended family who were in town, and a bunch of other people to a huge loft party/rave over by the main Post Of
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