The Under Dogs

Tebow; the Ultimate Underdog...

2011-11-26T10:50:00.001-08:00

There are those who seem to have the respect of all of those around them right from the outset. They have all of the right abilities, determination, and leadership qualities that they need to climb to the top of their craft, and doing so seems like a natural ascension. Regarding football, this was the case for Tim Tebow. From pee-wee football, through Middle School and High School, all the way up to the most prestigious Football University in his home state, Tebow embodied success. He won at every level and eventually won the respect and adoration of everyone who ever saw him play. By the time he left the University of Florida he had captured two National titles, a Heisman Trophy, and the attention of the whole country. But no one knew what would come next.

Every sports fan knows who Tim Tebow is. Droves of college football fans couldn’t stand him when he was at Florida, while countless others crossed school and conference (and maybe even religious) allegiances to root for the guy. But when the NFL draft came around last year after Tebow’s final season in college, everyone could agree on one thing. He didn’t stand a chance in the Pros.

The opinions came early and often from everywhere. Tebow’s success and leadership came from an intense passion. He possessed an incredible set of intangibles and a determination that was unrivaled perhaps in college football history, but in the NFL those attributes just wouldn’t translate. In the history of the league there had never been a player like him that any “expert” could relate him to. There was no way to predict a path for him. He was a running quarterback who relied on his strength and power, over any type of passing accuracy. But the only successful “running” quarterbacks the league had ever seen had been super fast and agile athletes who could also much more ably sling the ball downfield. Tebow, on the other hand, appeared more like the Fullbacks of old , that don’t even really exist in the league anymore, than any quarterback (Tom Rathman, John Riggins anyone?) but ultimately his inferior passing skills and the much larger size of defensive players he would face sealed the expectation for his NFL career. The verdict was in. Tebow was a great kid, and one of the best college football players of all time, but he had no future in Football.

For the first time in his life he was an underdog.

As a Florida Gator I am biased when it comes to Tim Tebow. When he was a true freshman he played a bizarre, but extremely important role on a National Championship team as a 3^rd or 4^th down quarterback. Every now and then he would jump under center to run for short yardage (and almost always pick it up.) The defenses knew he was going to run it, but somehow he always seemed to get the yardage the team needed. I’d never seen anything like it. I’d never seen football even played that way before. Normally if you wanted to run it you’d hand it to a runningback right? But with Tebow in there running the option, he could keep it, pitch it, pass for short yardage, or even jump pass it (like a basketball move) which I don’t think anyone had ever seen. Right from the beginning you could tell that there was something different about this kid. And over the next four years, the Gators invented an offense around his skill set, and had great success in the process. But even I had huge reservations about Tebow having any type of NFL career. It just seemed impossible. So I was shocked when I saw that the Denver Broncos took him in the first round. Beyond shocked really. I thought they had made a huge mistake.

The fans didn’t feel that way though. His Number 15 became one of the highest selling NFL jerseys overnight. I was shocked to see it last year, when I was able to visit the Bronco’s practice facility during training camp. Tebow Jerseys were everywhere! Maybe even half of the fans there. Whole families were wearing number 15. He hadn’t even played a single down for the team! And he was projected to be the third string quarterback. What in the world was going on?

The fans sensed that none of that negative stuff mattered, and that all of the doubters would just make him stronger. After years of mediocrity in Denver, maybe they needed Tebow. Beyond football, maybe they needed something to believe in. In a way, Tebow became the ultimate underdog, and it endeared him to that fan base in a way that I never expected. It seemed like nobody else believed in him, and that included team management. Shortly after Tebow was drafted, former Bronco great (and all-time great passer) John Elway took over as General Manager, and guess what… Elway never would have drafed Tebow. As quarterbacks they represent polar opposites. Tebow couldn’t avoid the scrutiny even in his own clubhouse, and it looked like he would never even get on the field.

So the fans put up a billboard. No seriously. They bought time on a giant billboard and advertised their plea for Bronco’s management to start Tebow. They brought signs to the stadium. They chanted his name. They called into radio shows and begged the team to trade starting quarterback Kyle Orton and start Tebow. Never before in NFL history had a team been in this position before. It was a daily question. When would Tebow start? How long can management anger the fans? Will they have to start him to avoid an all out fan boycott? It was like the film Rudy, but in real life. Crazy stuff.

Eventually toward the end of the season, the Broncos were so bad that it didn’t matter anymore, and management gave in. They might as well give the rookie some time. And he did well; inspiring the players around him with his contagious enthusiasm and leading the team back for a couple of meaningless victories. But the doubters were still there in full force. No one thought he could be a full time quarterback in the league, and coming into this year the jury was still out. Once again he would not be the starter. He would have to earn it. And of course, he did.

After becoming the starter 5 weeks ago, Tebow is 4-1 as the Broncos Quarterback this season. 7-2 in his career. Perpetuating the notion that in spite of his offensive “limitations” he is somehow able to win. There can be no statistic to verify this, but somehow… the guy just wins. Even Elway has to admit that. And the Bronco fans Love it! But of course Tebow’s future is still uncertain. Eventually, NFL defenses will adjust and it will be get harder and harder for him to do the things he’s most comfortable doing. Can he overcome it? Can he adapt his game too? Can he defy the enormous odds he faced in regards to succeeding in the NFL? These are the great questions, and ultimately only time will tell. But in the meantime, how can you root against him?

Is it possible?

He’s become the ultimate underdog.

And we love this stuff.

Thanks for reading!

Oh What A Night... The Tampa Bay Rays and Destiny...

2011-09-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

Noooooooo Waaaaaaaay!... that just happened. (or) Oh, what a night! (or) A meditation on how the final games of the regular season in 2011 may have been the single greatest night of baseball in Major League history.

You gotta be kidding me!

So, just like that, I am headlong back into baseball. What an incredible couple of hours we experienced last night! It just goes to show you that if you can have a final night of the season like that, you can recapture the hearts and minds of the country in a hurry. Wow. Four teams entered the night striving for the last two spots left in the playoffs; The Cardinals, Braves, Rays, and Red Sox.

The Cards won easily and guaranteed themselves at least one more game early on, but the other three games… were wild. The Phillies scored in the ninth to tie up the Braves and then eventually broke their collective playoff hearts in the 13^th. Baltimore scored two runs, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to shock the Sox in dramatic fashion. The Rays, on the other hand, took it to another level.

Watching the Rays last night was as close to watching a Sports Film as I’ve ever seen in real life. The Rays were down seven to zero heading into the eighth inning. It looked like curtains. (Meanwhile the Red Sox were stuck in a rain delay leading Baltimore 3-2 in the 7th.) It was looking like the Sox were going to win and, if the Rays were lucky, the best they could do was force a one-game playoff. Yea. All they had to do was score seven runs in two innings. And, as we all know, that just doesn’t happen very often in baseball. Well not in real life anyway…

But by the end of the eighth the Rays had incredibly closed to within one run at 7-6. Whaaaaat? Was this really happening? You could see the looks on the faces of the Tampa fans. They were excited, they felt the energy, but they had to be cautious. They knew that those six runs wouldn’t matter at all if they couldn’t get just one more. All over the stadium, diehard Rays fans were donning their Rally Caps, their faces frozen with an odd a mixture of disbelief, longing, elation, and extreme nervousness.

The next thing I knew it was the bottom of the ninth, Rays still down one. There were two outs, and two strikes Everything was on the line. And up at the plate was a pinch hitter no one had ever heard of named Dan Johnson, whose batting average for the season was a less than balmy .105. The Tampa announcers had already swerved into concession mode; they were thanking their producers and various crew members on a great season, thanking the fans for their support… the fans looked on with the expressions of condemned people awaiting their final moments, when, suddenly, CRACK! A shot, deep to right! He didn’t! It’s not possible!!! He did. It’s GONE! The crowd was in shock, as was I. It was unreal. The Rays had tied the game. Were the Rally caps working???

Fast forward to the top of the 12th. The Yankees had runners on the corners quickly with nobody out. All they had to do was score one run to put the Ray’s hopes of advancing in serious jeopardy. But they couldn't score. It was just crazy. And suddenly, Tampa was looking like a team of destiny. They were not to be denied. Not on this night.

Cut to the bottom of the 12^th. Two out. The news of the Red Sox loss had spread throughout the stadium. The Rays were guaranteed at least one more game, but you just felt that there weren't satisfied yet. Up comes Evan (don’t call me Eva) Longoria. The stadium was percolating. They could feel it. They knew it was happening. Cue the heavily orchestrated underscore and the slow-motion tilt down from the Yankees pitcher (Scott Proctor) as he winds up, then cut to a slow-motion tilt up on Longoria, waiting intensely, his eyes focused like laser beams. Here comes the pitch. The crowd holds it's breath. And then… CRACK! It can’t be. But it is. It’s GONE. Solo shot. Game over. The Rays had done it with a walk-off home run. It’s what they used to write poems about… like Casey at the Bat. It’s what grandfathers tell their grandkids… I’m telling you. I’ve been around for years, and this stuff just doesn’t happen. Not in real life.

The Rays (the sports world’s ultimate underdog) had gone from almost certainly being out of the playoffs, to solidifying their spot IN the playoffs within a span of about 20 minutes, and the Red Sox completed their historic collapse. And the rest of us just went along for the ride. The final drama of the Sox losing and the Rays winning actually happened within three minutes. You couldn't script this stuff. It’s why we love sports. It’s why we just have to tune in at the end of the season. And I know it seems like I say this every year, but I can't help it. Baseball is back, folks.

No Rays fan will EVER forget what that game felt like last night. And some fans go their whole lives without knowing that kind of elation.

Because a night like last night was as close to magic as anything can be.
At least in real life.

This is the Underdogs.

And we OUT!

Enjoy the Playoffs.

The day the Blue Jays stole the Red Sox's Mojo...

2011-09-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Aaaah yes. It’s that time of year again. The time to acknowledge that baseball exists. I know, I know… this is the third straight year that I’ve said this but, how much longer could a 162 game season seem? Why does it seem like they play 262 games??? Maybe it’s because this is the third straight year that the Mets have been so far out of the pennant race that they make the proverbial Tortoise look like Usain Bolt (Bu-DuM Chiie!!) But honestly folks, why does it seems like most baseball fans checked out months ago? The answer, of course, is because they have.

This is not the NFL. Baseball fans watch their teams and don’t really follow the others. And that’s fine. It's actually a pretty refreshing sports notion these days, when most people care more about their fantasy teams and individual performances than actual games. But that same wide-sweeping notion seems to have diminished a good portion of the “National pastime’s” flair. Does anybody care about the ole Ball Game anymore? Case-in-point, Matt Kemp of the LA Dodgers entered the last week of the season with a legitimate chance to win the triple-crown! It hasn’t happened in forty-five years, and since 1937, only four guys have done it. But has anyone mentioned this? Except for those faithful that bleed Dodger-Blue, nope. National headlines? Not many. Seems like that’s baseball these days.

But! Now comes the best part. We get to jump back in at the last minute (and pretend we’ve been paying attention all along.) Because, for the Boston Red Sox and (the 2008 Underdog-of-the-Year) Tampa Bay Rays, that 162 game season has come down to ONE game. It’s beautiful. The whole nation will be anxiously tuning in tonight to see if those amazing Rays can pull another miracle (with a payroll total of around one-fourth of the one that Boston pays out, by the way.) And naturally a whole lot of people will also be tuning in tonight to see if the Saux will complete a historic collapse. No team has ever lost a playoff spot after having such a large lead at the start of September. The Mets in 2007 come to mind though, when they lost 12 of their last 17 games and unbelievably Laaaame-ified their way out of the post-season (*tear.) But the Mets only blew a seven game lead. These Sox were up nine.

About 3 weeks ago, right about the time when things started to go sour for the Sox, they were here in Toronto, and I went out to the Rogers Center (Formally called the Sky Dome, of ’92 and ’93 World Series Fame. Joe Carter anyone?) along with a couple of my Disney pals, Jarek, Brigid, and Miss RedSox herself, Eve… or as she would say it Miss REEEEEDDDD SAAAAAAUUUXXXXXX!!!!

It was a beautiful night and the Dome was open, providing a spectacular view of the CN Tower. To say that the stadium was one-eighth of the way filled might have been an overstatement, but whataya want right? It’s September and the Jays were way out of the race. Sound familiar? Anyway, it was still a blast, and a good game. I was amazed at how absolutely terrible Tim Wakefield looked on the mound for the Sox though. I mean, I know that Knuckleballers inherently look pretty bad because the ball comes out so slowly. Plus I think Wakefield is around 45 these days and, as the girls pointed out early on, it kinda looks like he has a beer-belly. So it seemed a little bit like old-timer night in that regard, and the Jays were rocking him. The Sox offense gave him a lot of help though on the scoreboard. Which included a monster home-run from Big Papi (or David Ortiz if ya not hip), that, oh by the way… EVE CALLED!!! Seriously. She called the shot!!! Jarek and Brigid as my witnesses. Eve declared “BIIGGGG PAAAAAAPI IS GONNA HIT A HOOOOOOMMMMME-RRRUUUUUNNNN!!!!”… and two seconds later, CRACK! He did. I had never seen that before in my life.

So even with old man Wakefield giving up five runs early, the Sox still had an 8-5 lead going into the bottom of the eighth. It had been sprinkling on and off and was starting to get a little chilly (sadly, not enough for them to close the roof though, because I would have loved to have seen that! That thing weighs 11,000 tons!!! A little bit more than the anchor weighs, right Chris? I'll explain later.) But anyway, things seemed in-hand for the Sox so we decided to take it on home and leave early. We committed the Cardinal Sin. Eve figured Boston had done enough to win it and I maaaay have mentioned the fact that they “were definitely going to the playoffs anyway”….. um…… Oops.

Toronto scored Five runs in the bottom of the eighth and won the game. Boston has dropped 9 games in the standings since. Whaaaaaaat?

The moral of this story. It ain’t over til it’s over, folks.

Sorry Eve! (Aw, look how happy she was in the seventh inning :)

Either way, we already have Underdogs Galore in the baseball playoffs this year; the Rangers, Brewers, Tigers, Diamondbacks! It's gonna be a good one, I can feel it. Is there room for one more long shot? Or can the Sox turn it back around?

Tonight will tell.

Thanks for reading.

and Goodnight from Canada,

Underdogs OUT.

The Summer of Silliness...

2011-08-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

So we’re right in the thick of it folks. Sports as culture again. Silly culture.

Welcome back to the Underdogs.

It’s been the summer of labor strife in sports, with two of the three most popular leagues in this country having extended work-stoppages. It hasn’t been for games or scores that people have been tuning into ESPN, it's been for updates on meetings and deliberation; it’s lawyers and their technical jargon. The NFL famously took 5 months to figure out how to fairly split about 9 Billion Dollars. But in spite of their "lockout," no one really thought for a second that any of the 2011-12 season would be missed in the NFL. The NBA however, is a different story.

For those of you that don't know about the NBA labor situation right now, I'll sum it up here… the roof is about to cave in. No one is sure exactly how this happened, but somehow, over the last 20 years in the NBA, money started getting thrown around like it was Mardi Gras… like every day! The owners did a pretty good job of reigning things in a little bit, in the late 90’s when they successfully implemented a rookie-salary scale and maximum salaries for veterans, which worked very well when it came to dealing with the great players. But where the league has failed (and astronomically so) in the last decade has been in dealing with the middle class. For the past 12 years, middle tier players in the NBA have been extremely over-paid. The players have been winning big!

The last time Stan Van Gundy smiled this close to Lewis

Now this blog in particular has been admittedly guilty of raking the likes of say, Brian Scalabrine - (what's up Big Red?) over the proverbial coals during the last couple years. And while he was an Awesome example of the NBA’s ridiculous propensity to overpay players, he was really only the tip of the ice-berg. Basically, the agents have the ruled the league for the last twenty years. They are soooo good at negotiating. They’ve had teams bidding against each-other, and sometimes inexplicably, bidding against themselves. Yes, I’m talking to you Orlando Magic GM, Otis Smith. Remember when you signed Rashard Lewis for 6 years, ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN MILLION DOLLARS? Which some reporters said was something like 20 Million Dollars more than any other team in the league could have offered him. What? Who was Otis Smith bidding against? Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t worth even HALF of that. Where is the accountability for these guys? Why didn’t the Magic owner fire Otis Smith for gross incompetence? Although it shouldn’t really be surprising. (Isiah made even worse deals and still managed to stay with the Knicks about three horrendous seasons too long.) At least Smith’s Magic have been contending during his time in office, something Isiah could never say. (Well actually, he's so clueless he probably would say it!)

Anyway, fast-forward five years and the league hasn’t seen any drop off in these Rashard Lewis types of deals, even while the owners have been lamenting huge financial losses. Comically overpaid role players become albatrosses on team’s salary caps on day one, and basically become immediately untradeable. But the league has pretty much been treating these signings as a regrettable, but ultimately inevitable phenomenon. It's just been business as usual. The agents have been in charge, and the NBA owners have been their own respective worst enemies, willingly driving up player prices.

So the whole reason for this lockout is so the owners can try for wholesale changes in the amounts of money they can pay players in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. They basically need to be protected from themselves; really from their own collective stupidity. But oddly, given the way the rules are now, it’s understandable. Well, unless you are a player, I guess. They don’t seem to understand it at all. They don’t want to give up their sweet deal. (57% of overall Basketball Related Income, off the top. Before expenses are taken out.) Or at least, they’d like to keep more of it (they offered 54.7%. Owners want 50%.)

Curry ATE himself out of the league

It seems to me that 57% is way too much for the players, because the owners have to spend money to make that money, and the players don’t. So for them to get a percentage of Gross revenue (as opposed to net revenue) doesn’t make any sense. But even if they sort that out, the other major sticking point is that the owners want shorter contract lengths. Y’know, to protect themselves from paying players that don’t perform up to snuff; (like our friend Rashard Lewis… or Eddie Curry, or Gilbert Arenas, or Hedo Turkoglu, or Elton Brand.) Those guys all made about 10 million dollars too much last year… each! And those guys just came off of the top of my head. There are dozens more just like em. So, the owners are saying to the players, “look, we want to guarantee you guys 50% of revenue; probably around $2 Billion a year. We will have to pay you guys this! The individual contracts just determine which players get what piece of the pie. We want to pay the players that deserve it, instead of having all this this dead (and expensive) weight at the end of the bench.” I have to admit that this makes sense to me.

But it seems that the players don’t want to hear it. At all. Because they want that chance to sign a huge “career” contract. Y’know the old saying right? "You too can be Kevin Garnett.” I guess I understand that too. They have to get what they can, while they can.

So sadly, it seems like this is where the two sides will sit for a while. Maybe a couple more months, maybe six more. Maybe a year. With each side just sitting back waiting for the other side to budge. And of course, that means that there might not be NBA basketball this season. Ugh, it’s a horrible prospect to be sure. I don't even want to think about it... well, anymore, that is.

I feel like all we can do now is hope that somehow these guys can work it out (because it would be nice to have Hoops this year) but we have to just leave it at that. The fans don't factor in at all when it comes to this stuff. It's up to them, and there's the rub. Hopefully they'll get a deal done though because there's too much at stake! The NBA wouldn't squander one of their best years ever by actually missing games the following season would they? (Well... this has been the Summer of Silliness. Let's just hope that's where it stays.)

And in the meantime, whataya say we move on from this gloominess... let's do some football!
NCAA this weekend, NFL next. Life is good!

Thanks for reading.

Underdogs OUT

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I was a Major Leaguer. Yea, I also played little-league with the other guys my age, as well as football, soccer, basketball, tennis; pretty much any sport we could get our hands on. But in the backyard, when my dad would say, “Hey Jeff, you wanna toss around the ole apple?” We both transformed. In fact, the whole backyard did. Suddenly it was Shea Stadium or Wrigley Field. I’m not sure where this game came from, if it was something he planned out or if we just kind of invented it together, but what it amounted to was two guys playing every position on the diamond, in the outfield, and in the commentator’s box! And it was always the Chicago Cubs vs the New York Mets.

Probably because in those days we didn’t have instant access to any major league roster online, or maybe just because we liked those teams the best, it was always those two teams. Frozen in time circa their 1987/1988 rosters, as best we could remember them.

The Cubs had Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Shawon Dunston, Mark Grace, Vance Law, Ron Cey*, Rafael Palmeiro*, Dwight Smith, Greg Maddux, and Rick Sutcliffe.

The Mets had Daryl Strawberry, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson, Lenny Dykstra, Rafael Santana, Mookie Wilson, Wally Backman, Dwight Gooden, and Ron Darling.

(* of course Palmeiro was long gone by the time Mark Grace joined the club and Ron Cey had retired by then I think. But there they all were, somehow, in the backyard.)

It would start with Dwight Gooden (me), pitching to Gary Carter (dad), in the top of the first at Shea. He’d say, “and here comes Shawon Dunston to the plate, folks, to lead off the game. Shawon has struggled against Doc Gooden over the years posting only a .165 batting average against him in his career. He’s hoping to turn that around today, Harry.” And then he’d say, “He sure is Mel, Doc has started to cost this guy some serious psychiatrist bills in the offseason. Here comes the first pitch!” I’d give him my fastball. And he’d say, “Steeeeee-Rike one! A heater right down the middle, and Dunston was a take all the way on that one, Mel!” Then he’d throw the ball back to me and say, “No doubt about it Harry, Gooden knows he’s got Dunston’s number. Gary Carter gives Doc the sign, Doc shakes him off… he wants to go heater again I think Mel. And here comes the pitch... “

I’d throw another fastball. “Swing and a ground ball to third base!” He’d stand up and throw a grounder off to my right. I’d run to it and field it, as he’d say, “Just inside the chalk, Howard Johnson comes up with it and turns to throw to first.” I’d throw it back to him as fast as I could, while he transformed from Gary Carter to Keith Hernandez at first base. “Dunston’s really on his horse, trying to beat the throw…” He’d catch it, “but not in time! Johnson throws out Shawon Dunston by a hair at first. Yea, and good play by Hernandez, stretching out to reach that ball, Harry.” He’d say to himself.

Mark Grace would follow Dunston, with a single up the middle. Then Ryne Sandberg would hit a dribbler to Rafael Santana at short, who would try to turn the double play. Santana (me) would snatch it and flip it to Wally Backman (dad) to get Grace at second, and then he’d turn to throw it to Keith Hernandez (me) to try for two. I’d catch it. “But Sandberg beats the throw to first!” He’d interject. “Backman held it just a second too long, Harry, and Ryno gets to first on a fielder’s choice. And that brings up Andre Dawson."

"Yes indeed Mel! And the Hawk’s already got 28 homers this year, as well as 10 against Gooden in his career. Could he pull some long ball magic here in the first?” I’d wind up and send along another heater. “Here comes the pitch! Swing and a drive! Deep to right!” He’d stand up and throw a fly ball over my head. I’d turn and sprint toward the fence. “Daryl Strawberry’s chasing it deep toward the warning track…” Then Strawberry (me) would turn and snag it at the fence. “And what a catch by Daryl at the warning track to save two runs, Harry. I’ll tell you what Mel, that was a fantastic catch! Doc Gooden knows that he owes Daryl a steak dinner later tonight for hauling that one in!”

Then the bottom of the first would come around and dad would become Greg Maddux, and I’d take over the commentating duties. Mookie Wilson would single to left, Lenny Dykstra would strike out, and Wilson would get nailed trying to steal second. Then Strawberry would blast a high fly ball to center that Dunston would catch at the warning track. “Boy oh boy, Harry,” I’d say, “The crowd here at Shea was ready to explode if that one left the yard. No doubt about it Mel! Well that’s it for the first inning, we’ve got a good one going here folks!”

And it would continue like this for a few hours. Usually the scores would end up being pretty high. Like 9-8 or 13-11, including probably too many grand slams. Just fun (if usually unrealistic) fan-friendly scores. And invariably at some point, Gary Carter (dad) would come out to talk to Dwight Gooden (me) for a meeting at the mound, as would often happen in the majors. And he’d say what he always assumed the catcher said to the pitcher in this situation, “Hey Dwight, what are you thinking about for dinner tonight? You got plans after the game?”

Some of my favorite times happened in those backyards over the years. And I’m sure to my mom, it looked like he was spending quality time with me and that he was a great dad (which he was of course.) But to us it was a game. It was the fun of the sport, and having no idea what was going to come of it. The time would just fly by and pretty soon it’d be too dark to see the ball, so we’d have to call it, and we’d run in for dinner. It didn’t’ seem like he was “fitting me in” or “spending quality time with his son.” It didn’t seem like he was trying to be a good dad. It was effortless. It was an unspoken connection, and as silly as it’s sounds, we bonded because of it; because of this wacky game.

To this day when I talk with my pops on the phone or even in person, we talk sports. Somehow it grounds us. Like I had to text him when I was at a Mets game a few weeks ago. We were sitting right near the commentators booth, where Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling are calling games now. Hernandez waved to me as I snapped a picture. Or a few years ago when I was at a Brooklyn Cyclones game where Gary Carter manages the Mets minor league affiliate. I had to give my dad a call because these guys, oddly or not, are kind of like old friends in our lives. They used to play ball with us.

My dad and I don’t only talk sports, but when we do get into it the time just flies, like it did in those old backyards. In a way, it really is what sports are all about. Connecting us in so many ways, not really possible in other aspects of life. I remember one time when I was visiting my folks a few years ago and my mom set up a lunch date with just my dad and me. She said, “Do me a favor. Please don’t talk about sports the whole time!” And she was right. We do need to talk about other things. We just need to be reminded sometimes. So, thanks mom for that.

And thanks Dad, for all those backyard ballgames. And all the other great times too. You have been a huge inspiration in my life and are obviously, the greatest dad ever. Right guys?

"There's no doubt about it. What do you think, Mel?"
"Harry... I couldn't agree more!"

Happy Father’s Day Pops.

The Trials and Tribulations of the Dallas Mavericks

2011-06-13T14:32:00.001-07:00

In the year 2000, I was on the National Tour of Grease with Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka (of Laverne and Shirley fame) and we passed through Dallas in late November/early December. On one of our Mondays off, I found myself walking around the downtown area with no real plan; as I love to do while on tour, just wandering around and finding whatever I happen to run into. I walked in awe through Dealey Plaza, which looked eerily exactly the way it looked in those old grainy photographs, and went to the old Book Depository, now the Sixth floor Museum, for the first time (I would go three more times on subsequent visits over the years.) I checked out the JFK memorial around the corner, and eventually ended up in Reunion Park. That’s when I looked up and saw a big, old, sports arena, across the street and I realized, that must be Reunion Arena! Where the Mavericks play. I hurried over excitedly, wondering if they happened to have a game at home that night. (In the days before iPhones you had to check these things out in person, kids. Or buy a newspaper.) I rushed across the street and as luck would have it, they did have a game that night against the Denver Nuggets. I eagerly bought a ticket and then set off to kill a few more hours before tipoff.

I had been reading about the Mavs a little bit since I had been in town. They were excited about their young nucleus of talent surrounding their all-star shooting guard Mike Finley, which included Steve Nash (a budding point guard who had just started to flourish as a starter there after only getting spot minutes behind Jason Kidd in Phoenix) and a seven-foot, non-center, German kid named Dirk Nowitzki. The team had also recently been purchased by a young, brash, internet-billionaire named Mark Cuban, who at first glance just seemed like another crazed super-fan. You could see that he loved being at the games. He was exuberant and demonstrative, he wore Mavericks T-shirts and sat right behind the bench. He was like no owner we’d ever seen in sports, and he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Let’s just say the gated-community types were shocked by this guy! But I loved it. It seemed exactly like some average dude had won a contest and was suddenly in charge of his own NBA team. It’s every sports fan’s ultimate dream!

Super Fan/Owner Mark Cuban with Kiki Vandeweghe

Of course Cuban wasn’t an “average dude.” He was a shrewd and wildly successful businessman, even at his relatively young age, and his ambition quickly spread into his new passion. He dedicated himself to the task of turning around the fortunes of this wayward franchise. The Mavs had been the worst team of the 90’s. They hadn’t been to the playoffs in ten years, and had only won twenty-one playoff games in their twenty-year history. They flirted with posting the worst regular season record in NBA history twice, in back-to-back years. In the 92-93 and 93-94 seasons the team totaled 24 wins! That’s out of 164 games in case you didn’t know. They were just awful. I was playing basketball in high school back then, and if somebody was having an off-day shooting or was turning the ball over a lot, they’d say, “Sorry ya’ll, I’m all Mavericks right now.” Or if I went to a party with my buddies and it was kind of lame, the code word you had to slip into a sentence was “Mavericks” as in… “Hey, this sucks, can we get out of here?”

It was this perennially losing culture that Mark Cuban felt he had to immediately change, and the locals were starting to buy into it. He changed the logo, the uniforms, the advertising campaigns, and word was out that they were going to build a new flashy arena. You could feel the new energy of hope in the air. Plus the team was looking light-years better on the court. Dirk wasn’t an All-star yet but he had emerged as a solid scorer, and he, Finley, and Nash were giving the crowds a lot to cheer about. I remember Reunion Arena being an antiquated building by NBA standards even then, but the crowd was amazing. They were so into the game! And when the Mavs pulled away from Denver convincingly in the fourth quarter the crowd cheered like it was the NBA Finals. And this was a game in late November! Undoubtedly it was a by-product of all of those years of despair. A win, any win, anytime, was glorious. They celebrated it jubilantly, and I was impressed. I remember later that night telling one of my hoops friends, “Hey, I know this sounds crazy, but I think the Mavs are going to start being good!”

Over the next decade the Mavericks were one of the best regular-season teams in the league, but all of their success was muted by their glaring failures in the playoffs. The names and faces alongside Dirk changed consistently over the years but the stigma never went away, even after a Finals appearance in 2006. Like Dirk himself, the team was considered by most to be physically soft, mentally insufficient, and worst of all… un-clutch. They could never seem to get over that hump. Cuban’s work wasn’t done.

Until last night.

Coach Carlisle and Jason Terry were both giants against Miami

Fast Forward from 2000 to game six of the 2011 NBA Finals. The Mavericks’ journey through the years has been a long and treacherous one. An odyssey though the peaks and valleys of the NBA’s viciously competitive landscape. And on this night in Miami, Dirk needed a lot of help (the thing critics said he didn't have enough of) because he was struggling mightily, and Jason Terry answered the call. He made huge plays all over the place, carrying the team for three quarters offensively, while Dirk's shot sputtered. In fact the Mavs got solid contributions from almost everyone, keeping them in the game and holding the Heat at bay. But in the fourth quarter Dirk returned to form and came through multiple times in the hugest of moments; the very definition of clutch. And as Terry, Dirk, Shawn Marion, JJ Barea and Jason Kidd finished off the Heat in the closing minutes, you could feel the stigma being lifted away. Forever. The Mavericks had finally made it to the promised-land.

As the clock expired, the Mavs bench along with Cuban went wild, but Dirk just walked alone to the locker room. It was so strange to see. He looked bewildered; numb, like it was too much to take in. It actually looked kind of like he had just lost! After all those years, after all of the disappointments and the criticism, he could finally let himself go there. He had finally done it. But there was so much emotion involved that he needed to be alone in order to let it in. He had to breathe it in, in his own time. He had to die and be reborn.

Eventually he came out and raised the championship trophy and did interviews, but he still looked stunned. Like it hadn’t sunk in yet, and understandably so. But it will sink in soon, and he will celebrate the end of the odyssey with his teammates. And along with the city of Dallas.

In 2000 it would have been ridiculous to say it, (and honestly I didn't think that this year's incarnation would reach this pinnacle either after the loss of Caron Butler for the season) but the words can finally be uttered; for the first time in history.

The Dallas Mavericks are the NBA Champions.

They demolished the odds. They made believers of doubters. They played incredibly as a collective unit with seamless, interchangeable, and complementary parts.
They are the best basketball team in the world.

And they are quite possibly... the best Underdog we’ve ever seen!
Thanks for Reading.

Good vs Evil

2011-05-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

The NBA Finals have begun so let's talk some storylines. Here are a quick five that I've been thinking about... in no particular order.

1.) Jason Kidd. Last week we talked about how the outcome of this Finals series will shape the legacy of Dirk Nowitzki, but the same thing may be even more true of Jason Kidd. Kidd is going to go into the Hall of Fame as one of the best 7 or 8 point-guards of all time. But his only memorable post-season runs came in the early Otts with the New Jersey Nets, when he lead them out of the paltry East to the Finals twice in a row. And where they were promptly, completely destroyed by the Lakers and Spurs respectively. Maybe considered the smartest player of his era, Kidd has never been shown the kind of respect reserved for Magic, Cousy, West, Oscar Robinson, Clyde Frasier, and Isiah Thomas, because those guys all won the hardware at some point. And Kidd never has. So where does his legacy go if the Mavs can win this title?

2.) Erik Spoelstra. Met with such harsh criticism during the regular season, mainly because of the constant media attention (and the writers' subsequent need to write something… anything) coach Spo has emerged from the pressure cooker unscathed. And now he’s poised to enter that ever-elusive fraternity of NBA Champion coaches, possibly to be known from now on as the Jackson Club. All-time great coaches Jerry Sloan, Don Nelson, Rick Adelman, George Karl, and Jeff VanGundy aren’t in it. But Spoelstra now has a chance be a part of the Jackson Club, at the ripe old age of 40. It may be blasphemy to say it, but he looks like he could become the modern hybrid of Pat Riley and Phil Jackson (He's only 16 titles behind at this point.) The calm intensity and work ethic of Riley, coupled with Jackson’s ability to shepherd mega-talents, creating inventive ways to motivate them and improve upon their weaknesses. In a league where you must have great talent to compete, coach Spo has been gifted an amazing opportunity, but he still deserves a lot of credit for the Heat’s success. And this could be the start of something huge.

3.) Shawn Marion (and Peja Stojakovic.) The Dallas Mavericks have spent the last ten years adding talent intermittently to their glitzy roster. Some smart, some just head-scratchers, but none were as surprising to me as the 5 year $39 Million contract they doled out to Marion in 2009. What were they thinking? The Matrix had his hay-day with Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire in the mid Otts while playing with the high-flying Phoenix Suns. But he was apparently unhappy as a third fiddle, and he eventually forced his way out of town. After that, the world crashed down around him and he slipped into obscurity; it looked like he was completely done. But in this playoffs he has been rejuvenated and has played a large role in the Maverick’s resurgence. To a much lesser extent, the same can be said of Peja. In fact, there's no shortage of career redemption stories that hang in the balance on the Dallas side is there?

4.) aaand of course, Good vs Evil. Okay, we’ve probably made too much noise about this particular theme here at the Underdogs, but what it really does is describe just how drastically these two teams contrast each other in style, personnel, hype, and how each team was constructed. The Mavericks have played together for years, battling adversity together. They have succeeded and failed over the years, and as I’ve alluded to earlier, they have now, almost poetically, been offered this one chance at redemption. They represent stability, humility, perseverance, and a team that is truly more than the sum of its parts.

The Miami Heat on the other hand have, fairly or not, come to represent excess, entitlement, arrogance, and big man on campus type status. They were constructed in a way that no team in history had been before… overnight, and it instantly transformed them into a champion contender, seemingly without having to really earn it together on the floor. That’s why America hates them. America doesn’t like skipping steps, or any deemed honor given prematurely. When a big flashy new-bully-on-the-block preens and gloats, predicting years of dominance before even playing a single game, (like LeBron did when he joined Miami last summer) America wants one thing… come-up-ance! More than anything else in the world. It’s like my boy, and Honorary Underdog Austen said the other day. He wants to make a t-shirt that says, “I’m a __________ vs Miami Heat Fan!” And you know those would sell! It’s so odd, but the Heat have united America! And the Mavericks represent the last hope against this mighty Evil-Empire-to-be. It’s Luke’s one chance to destroy the death star, before it becomes too powerful to overcome. Because very soon, it will be too late.

This is the story of the Finals. It is overly dramatic and possibly completely irrelevant, because all that’s really going to happen is that these two teams are going to go out and try to beat each other. And it figures to be wonderfully entertaining ball. For all of the Miami “Hate” they have been playing marvelously together these past weeks and the Mavericks have as well, so all that’s left is the showdown. And that brings us to our last storyline.

5.) The Refs. Are they going to let them play? Or are they going to call fouls every time LeBron and Wade drive to the basket and get bumped? Will the Heat shoot 50 free-throws a game? Oftentimes fouls are subjective, and the Heat’s attack options have the potential to make things really difficult for those guys. Hopefully they’ll let them play and only blow the whistle when absolutely necessary, because the last time these two met in the Championship in 2006, the series was swung by some very questionable calls. It needs to be more even this time. Every fan has to accept that the refs are a big part of the game… but let’s just hope they're not the story!

Enjoy the Finals.

Underdogs OUT!

The Good German... and America's New Team!

2011-05-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

I got to see the Mavs earlier this year.

So last time, here at the Underdogs, we were anxiously awaiting either the Memphis Grizz or the Oklahoma City Thunder to emerge from their seven-game battle for Underdog royalty status. And even though the Thunder came through with flying colors and ended the NBA’s only Cinderella story since the 1999 Knicks (and that was during the lockout-shortened "non-season") what Memphis was able to accomplish, considering they’d never won a playoff game before and they’d lost their best player for good a few months back, was still pretty amazing. So they have assured themselves honorable mention at least. But the Thunder came up huge when it counted most, and the feel-good story became theirs. A small-market team, perennially in the lottery, built almost entirely through the draft of quality character guys that fit well together within the system, had risen up to be one of the NBA’s elite teams. These guys had been so patient with their players. I’m not sure they expected to be this good, this fast. Their confidence was at an all-time high... but then of course... they ran into the Dallas Mavericks.

Now, the Mavericks have been overlooked by this blog (and probably other various forms of Underdog Media) for a number of years, because they have been a consistently good team. They’ve had one of the best players of the last ten years in Dirk Nowitzki, and always had a seemingly deep team around him (because of their owner Mark Cuban’s deep pockets.) But they were actually the kind of favorite that underdogs loved to play against. In fact, the 2007 Underdogs of the Year, the Golden State Warriors, pretty much earned their title by dismantling the number 1 seeded Mavs in six games; the only time an eighth seed had beaten a first seed in a seven game series, until the Grizz duplicated that feat this year. The Warriors just overwhelmed Dallas in that series, and most of the country relished in the monumental collapse of those “pretenders” from Texas, that had also choked away the Championship a year earlier to the Miami Heat. They were considered physically soft, mentally insufficient, and worst of all… un-clutch.

Jason Kidd and Dirk. Two more Hall of Famers.

That year, Dirk infamously had to accept his MVP trophy during the third week of the playoffs, from his living room. Usually it’s done on the court before a game. It was the first time I’d ever seen that happen, and it had to have been a huge humiliation for him. After all, this isn't baseball, where MVP’s have come from last place teams before, this is the NBA; MVPs always play for at least a few rounds in the playoffs! Combine that disaster with a few more years of early playoff flame-outs, an aging, non-defensively oriented team, and a seven-foot star who seems more comfortable shooting threes than forcing the issue, and you have the Mavericks in 2011. Nobody expected them to do anything in this year's playoffs, and that makes what they’ve done even more surprising! (Well nobody except for my girl Stacey, I guess, who I saw the Mavs with earlier this year. She's the biggest Mavs fan I’ve ever met, although at times she seemed a little bit more interested in Tyson Chandler’s arms than the score of the game. Youch! Sorry Stace) This year though, suddenly out of nowhere, the Mavs appear to be the real deal, and most of the credit has to go to Dirk.

Dirk's NBA career wasn't always all smiles.

Dirk Nowitzki came into the NBA with no fanfare. In 1998 the Milwaukee Bucks selected the unknown German with the sixth pick and then traded him to Dallas for Robert “Tractor” Trailor; a career underachiever out of Michigan. Clearly most GMs didn’t think much of Dirk back then, because that trade turned out to be one of the most lopsided in history. (In fact, Dallas GM Don Nelson also got Pat Garrity with Dirk and then flipped him to Phoenix for Steve Nash. So, basically Nelson traded Trailor for two future first-ballot Hall-of-Famers! That’s just insane.)

Early on, however, Dirk struggled mightily. Back then European players still had the slow, un-athletic, and soft stigmas attached to them, and Dirk fit the bill in spades. Offensively he tried to play down low with little success, and of course he got torched on defense. More than a few people started calling him Irk Nowitzki… no D. Interestingly he now plays on a team with the guy they used to call Ason Kidd… cause he had no J. Hmm, not too much original thought going into those heckler chants eh?

Owner, Mark Cuban with Kiki Vandeweighe.

Anyway, eventually the tide started to turn, when Mark Cuban bought the team and started investing in players to compliment Dirk’s revolutionary style. They started utilizing him in ways unseen before. The seven-footer could make shots from anywhere and was one of the best passers in the league. And after a few years, when he decided to also start driving to the basket, it was on! Marginal defense non-withstanding, he had transformed himself into one of the greatest weapons the league had ever seen and the Mavericks flourished.

So after being one of the worst teams of the 90’s, the Mavs have been prolific in the last eleven years, winning 620 regular season games. But in this league, what you do in the regular season is a distant memory once May rolls around, and this year the Mavs were easily written off once again by every media person I heard and read.

Stacey. While not checking out Tyson Chandler.

Most people, other than Stacey and the Mavs faithful, had them losing in the first round to the sixth seeded Trail Blazers, (because it’s fashionable to pick at least one upset.) Such disrespect! No one had them winning the first round, no one in a million years would have predicted that they would sweep the Champion Lakers in the second round, and here they are on the brink of another berth into the NBA finals; a chance to exorcise the demons of that 2006 historic collapse. Dirk’s even said as much. No one believed in them, they got no respect, and you know what? Third seed or not, that sounds like an Underdog to me! So maybe Dallas was America’s team all along. And now, our only chance at basketball salvation against the South Beach Talents.

J.J. Barea... the Hobbit.

And Dirk has done it in incredible fashion. Who is his best teammate? A streaky Jason Terry? A very old Jason Kidd? “Seen-much-better-days” Shawn Marion? Or Mr. Clothesline, 5 foot 6 J.J. Barea? (Or at least he seems that short.) No one has won a championship with this much of a drop-off between guys one and two in NBA history. Even 2004’s Detroit Pistons had a more even talent spread. So the Mavs are doing it on pure grit. Preparation and fearlessness. They are a team that just believes they can do it, against all the odds. And that’s inspiring stuff. Seriously, nobody saw this coming!!!

So hopefully they can make it happen tonight against Oklahoma City.

And I really hope I haven’t jinxed em!!

Because America needs the Mavs. And so do we.

Underdogs OUT!

Eat your heart out Stace! :)

Game 7 for The Western Underdog...

2011-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Many people have said it. This has been the best NBA season in recent memory. Maybe even the best in 20 years or so. There has been no shortage of great storylines to digest and the basketball has been just beautiful. It stood to reason then that these playoffs would be equally as intriguing, and they have lived up to the hype.

At the start of the season, I think that most people would have expected Miami to be one of the last teams remaining on May 14, but Chicago? Well, maybe. Dallas? Probably not. Oklahoma City? Hmmm, a long shot. Memphis??? Not on your life.

This bizarre disparity is a big part of what has made this post-season so great for the fans. Gone are the old standbys; the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs. Since 1999 those three franchises have combined for 13 Finals Appearances. The remaining five teams at the moment have 2 total. Both from the 2006 Finals when Dallas met Miami; and this Miami team only has two members remaining from that squad (and one of those two, Udonis Haslem hasn't played since November.) So really no matter which way the remaining games go, history is going to be made. And possibly, new dynasties are going to be started.

But the road to the Finals will have to wait until after Game 7. Or as we call it here at the Underdogs, The battle to become America’s Underdog team. The Grizzlies vs the Thunder! (Fair-weather fans had no idea there were NBA teams with such names! :)

Fasten your seatbelts! Cause it's for All the Marbles! :)
Underdog Style.

The Dramatic Exit of the Lakers and Phil Jackson

2011-05-09T15:39:00.001-07:00

Wow. So… that just happened. In case you were stuck under a rock this weekend and hadn't heard, the Dallas Mavericks completed a shocking sweep of the two-time defending champion LA Lakers on Sunday. And it wasn’t even close. The Mavs were better in every way and incredibly, somehow simply dominated the mighty Lakers (much to the delight of Underdogs everywhere, including this one.) But we will get to the Mavericks later, as they wait to see who their next opponent will be in the Western Finals. For now we have to focus on an ending. Because the NBA’s greatest coach of all time has coached his last game.

Everyone knows about the absolutely amazing string of championships that Phil Jackson was able to put together during his time in the NBA. He won two championships as a player in New York, six as a head coach in Chicago, and five as a head coach in Los Angeles. For a grand total of thirteen rings! And his staggering eleven in twenty years of coaching, is by far the benchmark that all coaches will be judged against for the rest of time. His overall winning percentage for the regular season as a coach is an unbelievable .704, and his playoff winning percentage is almost as good at .688. Statistically he is, by far, the best coach the NBA has ever seen. But as gaudy and as glamorous as his final numbers will stand, enshrined forever in the Naismith Hall of Fame, we should never forget how hard it was for him to get here. Phil Jackson was a genuine Underdog.

Could this uniform BE any more 70s?

Jackson had seriously humble beginnings as a lanky forward coming out of the Division 2, University of North Dakota. He was drafted 17^th in 1967 by the Knicks and stayed there eleven years, but this was back when most players needed second jobs in the off-season to make ends meet. By the time his playing days were done in 1980 he had those two championships rings, with the Knicks (as a bench player,) and modest career averages of 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds to show for it. But what was next? Back then there weren’t hundreds of TV jobs or assistant coaching spots just waiting for former players like there are now. “Coach” Jackson had to struggle to make it happen.

Phil spent many years coaching in obscurity in the CBA and in Puerto Rico, hoping to finally get a chance to get back to the NBA and all the while wondering if it would ever be worth it. Finally he got his chance as an assistant coach under Doug Collins with the Chicago Bulls in 1987, and when Collins got fired in '89, Phil took over. And the man never looked back. His teams won the championship in eleven of the next eighteen years that he would coach. In the modern NBA, no other coach even comes close to that standard. His success is unfathomable. His resume reads like Shakespeare or Woody Allen… It’s just too much for one man to have done. He’s eleven for thirteen in NBA Finals Appearances. They really should just name the trophy after him.

Now detractors will tell you that Phil’s gaudy record owes itself purely to the fact that he’s always somehow coached extremely talented players, and that is true to a point. In his dealings with high profile players, Phil re-wrote the book on how you deal with the modern NBA player, psychologically. His “ego-management” became his most impressive attribute. He didn’t pretend that all players were the same and would respond to the same treatment. So from Michael Jordan to Bill Wennington to Dennis Rodman to Shaquille O'Neal, he was able to get all of his players to focus their respective energy on the common goal, collectively. In other words, yes, the talent needed to be there first but Phil was the guy that could make all that talent work together on the basketball court.

Phil has had three eras as a coach. In Chicago he was the hippy zen-master, battling the establishment with new and fresh ideas based in many philosophy. Then in his first five years in LA he became the establishment, and he somehow morphed into “Evil-Emperor” mode, appearing much more smug and arrogant than he did in his previous incarnation. These days though he is more of an old wise man, seemingly enjoying his “last days” as a coach. He seems friendlier and much more introspective. And now, after going down convincingly to the Mavericks in four games (his team completely unraveling around him) he seems finally ready to retire from the game and head to his beloved ranch in Montana.

And although it hardly seems fitting that the man who in twenty seasons of coaching in the playoffs had never been swept in a series, somehow got swept out of his final one, that is indeed the way it went down yesterday. The Mavs were amazing. Even Phil had to admit that they outplaying the Lakers across the board. But even though yesterday belonged to Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, JJ Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, and the rest of the Mavericks, for now at least, history still belongs to Phil.

Underdogs Out.

America's Team!

2011-05-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

So far in the second round of the NBA playoffs we’ve seen the Celtics get bullied by the Heat, the Bulls get upset on their home court, and most shockingly, we’ve seen the Lakers drop their first two games at home to the Mavericks (did you see Kobe's expression?) But the most compelling story so far has got to be (Drum Roll please)... that the Memphis Grizzlies have become America's Team!

Okay, so maybe my proclamation is bit of a reach, but they really should be. Featuring an assorted and compelling cast of characters and a coach who was an assistant for 18 years before getting the gig two years back (and still I'd never heard of him,) these guys have somehow managed to do the impossible. Their first round matchup against the mighty Spurs was case-in-point. The Four-Time Champion Spurs had the best record in the West this year. The Grizz had the worst record in the Western Playoffs, had never won a single playoff game in history (much less a whole series,) and they had lost their “best player” Rudy Gay for the season a few months back. Plus, only once before in history had an eighth seed beaten a first seed in a seven game series. The odds were significantly stacked against them. It was the Evil Empire vs Luke. Rocky vs Apollo Creed. America Loves this stuff!!!

Will Z-Bo's Smile Continue?

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't look at it that way though. After losing Game 6 and the series, he openly admitted that the end result was no fluke, quipping to reporters with a defeated but sentient smile, "People might look at this and call it an upset... but they don't know the West. They haven't seen these guys play." What have I been saying for years people? The West is vicious!

Anyway, despite Pop's attempt to diffuse some of the drama, the Grizz are certianly the biggest underdog left in the race. This young group of scrappy upstarts has the full attention of the league and the only thing left to wonder is, "Um, how far can they go?" Can they handle the pressure cooker? After watching them defeat Oklahoma City rather convincingly on the road, only a day and a half after dispatching the Spurs, I started thinking the unthinkable, like "Ummmmm… can these guys actually win the West???”

Lionel Hollins has taken his team into uncharted waters.

This notion, previously thought to be completely ridiculous (if thought of at all,) now suddenly doesn't seem like such a stretch. If they can continue to get such inspired performances out of Z-Bo Randolph, Marc (Little Bro) Gasol, and Mike (somehow I got good really quickly and rather unexpectedly) Conley, it might just be possible. And then where would we be? The entire league would be turned on its head! There are no Cinderella stories in the NBA. The system of drawn-out playoff series' all but prevents them. Yet here we are. Could we have our first real Cinderella-type run since the Knicks of ‘99? Well, here's hopin'! The league may not want it, but basketball fans and underdogs everywhere would relish in it!

So as the basketball world continues to marvel at Miami’s Dynamic Duo, the Bulls’ fearless tenacity, and the Mavericks’ uncanny control of the Lakers, a big chunk of attention also has to be focused on a place altogether expected; Memphis, home of the mighty Grizz. America's Team. And hey, if they can’t make it out the second round, America’s team would simply then become the Oklahoma City Thunder. Aw y'know… It’s not personal... it's an Underdog thing!

Here's to the little guy! (Figuratively speaking of course.)

and Thanks for Reading,

NBA Awards and the Defensive Player of the Year Bias...

2011-04-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

It’s the first week of the NBA playoffs and that means it’s season awards time. Well, individual awards that is. The big team award won’t happen until mid-June when the Champ is crowned. Obviously that is the most important “award” in hoops, but the individual awards have their place too, they are a matter of historical reference. But as with all awards they conjure up endless debate because there are so many ways to look at it, and really, all of this stuff is just a matter of opinion anyway right?

Okay, I’ll just come out and say it. I’m not a fan of awards, and even more so, those ridiculous awards shows. The Performing Arts is teeming with them, and these days there are just way too many. Hollywood, Broadway, the Record biz… enough already. You can buy awards now for crying out loud. Studios campaign for them like politicians in an effort to add prestige to their films and TV shows. They plan their release dates accordingly. It’s really kind of gross. One of my favorite random Simpson’s references is from about ten years ago when Homer was watching the Award Show of the Year - Award Show, on TV… the Awardies. Brilliant.

Dwight Howard... is the Eraser...

But honestly, at least the NBA just hands out its awards with five-minute acknowledgments before games, not with all the pomp and circumstance of the more extravagant ego trips. The major ones are the league's Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Sixth Man of the Year. The MVP is by far the most controversial of the lot, because the definition of the MVP is so vague. Most Valuable Player? Does that mean best player? Most indispensible? No one knows. And the league wants it that way. More conjecture is a good thing, and whatever the voters decide goes. Now this year we’re all pretty sure that Derrick Rose of Chicago will win the MVP, Clipper Blake Griffin will definitely win Rookie of the Year, the Bulls’ Tom Thibedoux will be Coach of the Year, Lamar Odom just won Sixth Man, and a few days back, Dwight Howard shocked absolutely no one by winning his third straight Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Starting in 1982 five of the first Six DPOY’s were awarded to perimeter-oriented players, but since then - since 1988, only two perimeter players have won the award; Gary Payton in 1996 and Ron Artest in 2004. It has basically morphed into “the Shot-Blocker of the Year Award” where big men are always heavily favored. This shift has been embraced and now it is just generally accepted that the little guys get enough attention elsewhere; so they should just let the big men have their respective moments in the sun. This thinking does make some sense of course, because good defensive teams are always anchored by a dominant low post presence, so the best defenses are all showcased by a ferocious shot-blocker. But c’mon… in the last 23 years, the “best defender in the league” has been a low-post player 21 times? No way. I’m calling Shenanigans.

Long ago it became clear that, in basketball, stats are difficult. There are just too many variables and intangible things happening throughout a free flowing team game to ever really quantify individual statistics definitively. But the two major stats that have come to represent the defensive end of the floor are blocks and steals. Generally 3 blocks or 3 steals per game for a player is considered very good, but oddly, neither stat is necessarily indicative of playing good defense. And conversely, a player could play great defense all game long, and not log a single statistic to prove it. So how could any of the voters know who the best defensive player is? Watch ALL the games??? Well, naturally it makes the Defensive Player of the Year Award quite difficult.

But still, what’s with the big man domination? If you’re talking about versatile defenders, those guys don’t really cut the mustard do they? Which brings us to arguably the most versatile defender (and thereby maybe the best defender) of all-time, Scottie Pippen. Scottie Pippen was the most dominant defensive presence of his era. He made the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team eight times, and Second Team twice. (During that ten-year span, Dikembe Mutombo won DPOY 4 times, Hakeem Olajuwon twice, Alonzo Mourning twice, and David Robinson once. It was the all centers club.)

But Scottie, could do it all.

Pippen was 6-7 with long arms, and was deadly quick, an amazing leaper, and incredibly competitive. He could basically defend any player at any position; and shut them down. He may have done more to disrupt opposing teams' offenses than any other player in NBA history, and yet he never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. I don’t think he was ever even the runner up. That's just crazy. So here is where we need to adjust our thinking on this award. People, please consider all of the great defenders in the league, not just the lumbering big men in the paint. Remember the (slightly) shorter guys too!

Now, that’s not to say that Dwight Howard isn’t deserving of the award this season because I think he is. But the fact that Scottie Pippen may have been the best defender ever and was never really in contention for this award once (much less multiple times) is pure folly. We can’t let that happen again.

Hmmm… I guess I do care about awards after all.

Thanks for Reading.

Underdogs OUT!

The NBA playoffs and the Lost Underdog Factor...

2011-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

UMDuluth took the NCAA Frozen Four Championship
in dramatic fashion with a Golden Goal against Michigan.

So we’re done with the NFL, College Football, Hoops, and Hockey Championships, and now it’s finally time for the NBA Playoffs; or as it’s known around here, the best time of the year. (Also because of the NHL playoffs though... the Hockey Golden Goal is the coolest thing in sports!... but we’ll have to get to that another day.) Now, obviously we love the NBA and their playoffs, but this time of year has also admittedly become something of a buzz-kill to Underdog aficionados around the world. Why? Well because, historically, in the NBA the Underdogs rarely pull through.

Unlike the amazing one-game matchups that captivate the nation for three weeks in March, the NCAA’s bigger basketball brothers engage in a much more drawn-out and calculated championship tournament. Each round consists of a best of seven-game series so the drama is gradual, and inevitably the more talented/experienced team always seems to win. Yes, there can be some thrilling upsets in individual games but almost never in a series. The intensity of a one-game-win-or-go-home scenario only simultaneously occurs for both teams in the event of a seventh game, and that just doesn’t happen very often.

But that won’t stop us from pulling for our mighty Underdog brethren in the face of the longest odds. It is as Theoden says in the Lord of the Rings, when he is told that his army can't possibly defeat the enemy, “Yes. But we will meet them in battle none-the-less!”

So who are our great Underdogs in shining armor/armour this year?

In the East it is hard to think of any of the Underdogs as having a chance in any round. But the most compelling matchup has to be the offensively-potent New York Knickerbockers against the suddenly-defensively-mortal Boston Celtics, in the 3-6 matchup. What an incredible turn of events! The Celtics were looking unbeatable in the East for most of the season, but Danny Ainge hurled a major roll of the dice on trade deadline-day by trading the C’s big defensive anchor Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and shocking everyone who follows the NBA in the process. Finally back from injury, Perkins was poised to reclaim his position and solidify the Celtics defensive identity, and with it their status as a legit championship contender. But instead, in a blink of his eye, Perk found himself wearing a Thunder jersey in the NBA’s newest city. It was unprecedented. A core member of a championship team, dealt just before the most crucial point of the season. What a gamble!

Perkins still looks strange in blue.

On the face of it, Ainge’s thinking seemed perfectly defensible. He didn’t think they could afford to re-sign Perkins in the off-season, and he didn’t think they had enough depth at the wing behind Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, in potential matchups against Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade, so bringing back young swing-man Jeff Green in the trade made some sense. But what he didn’t foresee was the damage the trade would inflict on the guys that stayed behind. Unquestionably, the Celtics are not the same team anymore. If you’re looking for an argument proving a player’s worth beyond statistical numbers, look no further. It’s right here. The Celtics are lost right now without Perk, and if the Knicks can somehow make some magic happen in this first round series, Danny Ainge may end up looking like the Dope of the young Century. How could you purposefully hamstring your own team that way? I guess, sometimes when you swing for the fences, you miss.

When we look to the Western Conference matchups, the Underdog picture gets quite a bit more interesting. Big Kendrick Perkins’ arrival in Oklahoma City has sadly once-and-for-all pushed the Thunder (2010 Underdogs of the year, Honorable Mention) from true Underdog Status, at least in the first round. But they could still prove to be quite a bit of a nuisance to the defending champion Lakers in the later rounds, which at least preserves them some partial-underdog status.

In the Western first round, the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trailblazers look to be the major players in the upset category with compelling matchups against the Spurs and Mavericks respectively, but the most unlikely of all the Underdogs this year has to be those scrappy and resilient Denver Nuggets. What an incredible story this is! Their trade of Carmelo Anthony has had the "reverse Kendrick Perkins effect!" As we all know the Nuggets were all but forced to trade their best player (ever?) to the Knicks at the trade-deadline, and all of the experts predicted their inevitable demise, slipping out of the playoff picture. But what has happened has been something quite miraculous. They’ve played far better without Melo than they did with him! They move the ball beautifully. The offense is actually allowed to move fluidly, without a “superstar” ball-stopper to disrupt it, forcing his own shot. And most importantly, they play ten deep in their rotation, something unheard of in the NBA.

The Nuggets lead the NBA in the unofficial stat, most tattoos.

Since the days of Jordan and Pippen, the formula for winning in the NBA has always been “you need two superstars.” And lately that has morphed to, “you need three superstars… or at least 2.5 (Chris Bosh.)” The Nuggets have NONE! J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Nene? No “house-hold names” in the bunch! And it makes the Denver Nuggets the only real possibility of a Cinderella Story in the NBA playoffs. They are the Butler Bulldogs, just a little bigger, and taller, with more tattoos (Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson alone must have 100.) Everyone counted them out, but now the have a real chance to silence the doubters and prove that Underdogs aren’t dead in the NBA. The favorites have had their day. Now it’s time to mix it up!!! :)

Well, at least the Underdogs will have their chance. C'mon Nuggs!

Thanks for reading.

Underdogs out!

UConn Butler and the Art of the Off Night...

2011-04-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

“No way that just happened.” Tommy Callahan, Tommy Boy, 1995.

So our highly heralded Butler Bulldogs, the 2010 Underdogs of the year, once again defied incredible odds and made it to the NCAA Championship game! After beating VCU in their Final Four matchup, the famously scrappy squad continued their miraculous two-year run in the Tournament that had many national media members actually saying that they should not be considered Underdogs at all anymore. Noooooo. Don't say that!!! So what happened next? Well, they went out and played in what history will almost certainly remember as, “the worst Championship game ever played.” The Bulldogs shot 18.8% from the floor. Ouch. And that percentage is not just from three-point range by the way, that’s from everywhere. (In fact they shot better from behind the arc, at a 9 out of 33 clip, than they shot from "two-point land" at 3 out of 31! Amazing. I’m pretty sure that that 3-31 from two-point-territory has never happened before… in a basketball game at any level!)

If they had even managed to shoot 30% (and that still would have been bad for them) they might have been able to win the game anyway, because UConn played awfully on offense as well. The Huskies shot just 34%, including 1-11 from the three-point line and looked just as out-of-sync on offense as their counterparts. Usually that’s not nearly good enough to win the NCAA Championship, but on this night it was. UConn took over in the second half, leaving the Butler guys to wonder what could have been. After extraordinarily making back-to-back trips to the Tournament Championship game, they finished their season on monday night in perplexing and embarrassing fashion. From the mountaintop straight to the valley. Well, that’s sports for ya.

Ugh. Sorry Butler. For what it’s worth you will still get strong consideration for this year’s Underdog of the Year Award if you haven't wrapped it up already. Admittedly though, that is probably not much consolation. But c’mon, it’s nobody’s fault. Who would have guessed that your two best players would shoot 5-28 from the floor? That the best individual shooting percentage on the team was Chase Stigall's 27%? Or that the bench production would total two Ronald Norad free-throws? Maybe it's really a question for the super-computers at NASA. How could every single player on one given team all be that off at the same time? I don't know if a probability for such a scenario is even possible to calculate, but I'd have to imagine that it would be astronomically small. It's the perfect storm for a nightmarish offensive output and it’s just the kind of thing that can happen in a one-and-done tournament. On any given night, for no particular reason, things can fall apart. But hey, at least both teams played inspired defense!

Honestly though, lots of NCAA tournaments have ended in similarly anti-climactic fashion. It’s not an indictment of the system and maybe it’s actually a vindication. Nothing could possibly live up to the thrill of the first two rounds of the tourney with all of the amazing competition, cinderella stories, and buzzer-beaters. And it's very possible that the two teams that remain standing at the end are technically “inferior teams” to some that are watching at home, but that’s what makes the Tournament so special. Because Butler isn’t the best team in the country. Maybe they’re not technically even in the top ten. But they deserved to be there. And Underdogs everywhere are going to be waiting with bated breath to see what they do next year!

C’mon Butler!

Underdog of the Year ThreePeat??

Count ‘em out… I dare you.

Thanks for reading.

Underdogs OUT.

Happy Underdog Day!

2011-04-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Picked surprisingly high, Hayward, right, fit right in in Utah

The 2010 Underdogs of the Year were the Butler Bulldogs. In their memorable run in last years NCAA tournament, this "Mid-Major" upstart out of Northern Indianapolis came within a half-court heave of winning the whole enchilada in the Championship game against Duke. They weren't satisfied by simply shocking the world in making the Final Four, they actually thought they could win it all. No one else believed in this Cinderella story then but they made people believe. Then after the season Butler lost their best player to the NBA, when Gordon Hayward went ninth overall to the (you guessed it) Utah Jazz, and the writing was on the wall. It was time for them to come back to Earth and settle back into their rightful place among the relatively inconsequential middle class of College Hoops, right? To just be satisfied with another Horizon League title and hope to maybe make it past the first round in the NCAA Tourney, like most Mid-Majors. Right? Um… no. Butler didn’t get the memo.

Defying even longer odds this year and destroying virtually every bracket in the country (along with Virginia Commonwealth… or as most Americans know them, “who?”), the Bulldogs have done it again. They are back in the Final Four for the second straight year, which is an incredible thing just in itself. But no one has ever done it like this. The Tourney has known its fair share of Cinderella stories. Over the last twenty years, George Mason, Gonzaga, and St. Mary’s have topped the list with unlikely runs in the tournament, but only George Mason ever made it the Final Four, doing it in 2006. Until Butler did it last year. And now, what??? They’ve done it again! I think this is an entirely overused word but… That is unbelievable!

Since that aforementioned 2006 George Mason squad lost to the eventual champion Florida Gators in their Final Four appearance, it seemed fitting that this years Butler squad would also try to make their own Final Four history against the G-men from Gainesville. And while not nearly as dominant a team as that 2006 team was, the Gators were clicking and playing their best basketball of the season coming into that Elite Eight matchup. So naturally, as with every single game they’ve played in the tournament for the last two years, Butler was the Underdog. As a Gator fan I was terrified when our eleven point lead started to slip away with about eight minutes to play, and even more nervous when the Bulldogs forced overtime, behind Shelvin Mack’s brilliant (and infuriating) three-point shooting. The guy couldn’t miss! (Which was the only thing keeping them in the game because their supposed “best player” Matt Howard was having an off night.) The Gators had the better talent, but as usual, the Butler Bulldogs proved to be more than the sum of their parts, and willed another win in overtime. Ugh. It was a really tough one to take as a Gator fan. But as a hoops fan, I gotta give it up. Butler deserved it. Which should surprise no one at this point. These guys are making the Cinderella story into something much more routine.

So now, at last, we come to the Final Four. And what’s the first game up? The Underdog Showdown of course! Butler, (a team that beat the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, and 9^th ranked teams in their bracket division) against Virginia Commonwealth, (who beat the 1^st, 3^rd, 6^th, and 10^th ranked teams on their side, and had to win a play-in game just to be listed in the field of 64.) If VCU wins the whole thing they will be the only team to ever play seven games in the tourney. Um, yea. The Underdogs have turned this thing upside down! Nobody knows what’s going to happen in this tournament anymore, and that is really an amazing tribute to how brilliant the run to the College Basketball Tournament has become. It’s not just about the marquee names, it’s about how five guys can jell together on the court and whether or not they can execute in the clutch moments. You have to earn it. And it makes College hoops really special. Could you imagine schools like Butler or Virginia Commonwealth playing in the College Football National Championship game? Impossible.

Such an interesting word, impossible.

I don’t think the guys on those VCU or Butler squads know what it means.

Happy Underdog Day!!!
and Enjoy the Game!

The New East... and the Chicago Bulls

2011-03-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

In the last blog I mentioned how excited I am for the NBA playoffs this year, so I can’t resist diving in real quick. And who would have thunk it?? It looks like the East’s top four might be as good as the West’s this year… or maybe better! If you had uttered that phrase anywhere near knowledgeable hoops junkies during the last twelve years, you would have been laughed right out of the gym (or sauna?), and rightfully so. The “aughts” were an absolutely terrible decade for the NBA’s Leastern Conference. While the monsters of the West battled among themselves (often times having five or six of the leagues top six teams) the East, on the other hand, started promoting sub .500 teams into the playoffs. In 2004 the Knicks got in to the playoffs and they were ten games under .500! Conversely, it became commonplace for Western Conference clubs to be left out of the playoffs with winning records. Multiple teams in multiple years this happened. It was absurd and unfair. The West was just that much better.

So as a result, very strong teams like Dallas, Phoenix, Sacramento, and even Portland (in the early part of the decade) who would have dominated had they played in the East, are mostly forgotten historically, while the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons and their players get bogus credit for all the Eastern Conference Championship Banners they won. When for the most part, it was kinda like playing in the NIT tournament. Seriously, who grieves for Chris Webber? Steve Nash? Bonzi Wells???

Today the West continues to have the better conference. As of now three teams have winning records that will be left out of the playoffs, while in the East the eighth (and possibly seventh) playoff seeds will finish below the .500 mark. While that is still despicable and embarrassing, and the top three teams in the league still reside in the West (including the current NBA Champs,) for the first time in years the East actually might make things interesting.

The Boston Celtics have been the cream of the East for the past four years, and the Orlando Magic have risen to a legitimate contending level as well. LeBron and Wade joining forces in Miami this year has solidly put them in the top four, but the best team in the East, right now, has to be the Chicago Bulls.

At the top of their roster the Bulls are laden with good and more importantly, complimentary basketball players. Take note Miami. Somebody, and I can’t remember who, made a great point the other day. They said something like this, “If somebody told me I could have both LeBron and Dwayne Wade on my team, of course I would do it.” BUT, fitting those similar pieces together within a real basketball situation (not just fantasy numbers) has been something of a nightmare for the Heat and Coach Spolstra. There is only one ball to go around. Yes, they still have a good record at 45-21 (winning against lesser talent) and they will certainly be a high playoff seed in the East, but there is still an enormous question mark that hovers over their late game-half court offense when the score is close… and who takes the shot? So far in that situation they have been impossibly terrible. This is not the case in Chicago.

When the Bulls took Derrick Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, I thought they should have taken Michael Beasley instead (because they really needed a low-post scorer.) But boy was I wrong. John Paxson and the Bulls brass obviously met with both players before making their choice, and after talking to Rose, they KNEW that he was the guy for them. Why? Because of his character. Everybody in the draft’s top ten has great talent, but Rose was so much more than that. He was smart, he was hungry, and he was a leader. He was exactly what they needed. Rose is the perfect example of this new trend of dominating point guards in the league. Somehow, at a very young age, these guys just get it. They care about winning more than making commercials or starting record labels. They care about creating a legacy. And Rose has been invaluable.

With Rose running the show and Luol Deng playing brilliantly off the ball, the Bulls are just now getting solid contributions from their two big men, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, who missed dozens of games with injuries. Only recently at full strength, the team is just now coming into it’s own, which is scary for the rest of the league. Right before the season started there were rumors that the Nuggets were willing to trade their superstar Carmelo Anthony for Noah, virtually straight up, but John Paxson adamantly refused to include him in any deal. I was shocked by this. I thought he made a huge mistake by not seizing the opportunity to add a perimeter player of Melo’s ability, because their biggest weakness now was their outside shooting. Although I knew how valuable Noah’s defensive intensity was (and of course I LOVE the guy… he lead my Gators to two NCAA Championships for crying out loud!!) I really thought Pax missed the boat on that one too, questioning his foresight. And guess what? I was wrong again!

The Bulls new head coach Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mastermind behind the Celtics last few years of championship contention as Doc Rivers’ top assistant, had a plan for Noah. He was the second most important piece to their puzzle and was to be the anchor of the Bulls Defense, and that plan has pretty much worked to perfection. Add in Taj Gibson and Kyle Korver off of the bench and the picture becomes clear. The Bulls are, pretty much, a good Two-Guard away from winning the next five or six championships. (Hmmmm isn’t that the position Michael Jordan revolutionized a few years back? How interesting! You think he thinks everyday about maaaaaybe coming back? Yea, me too.)

The bottom line is the Bulls play the right way. They play amazing team defense and Derrick Rose’s ability to either score or find the open guy on offense is nothing short of a miracle. There is no question mark in Chicago as to who is going to have the ball in his hands, and as long as Rose is healthy I really think the Bulls are the favorites in the East. And he’s still getting Better! But, even if the Celtics, Magic, Heat, Hawks, or (gulp) Knicks are somehow able to knock these guys out of the playoffs this year, the Bull’s future is downright scary. Next year they will be in a position to add the aforementioned A or B list Shooting Guard to the squad (Jason Richardson anyone?) because Chicagoans know, Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer are more like K and L list, respectively.

So, assuming that happens what have you got? A new Chicago Bulls Dynasty? Another statue infront of the United Center? Be afraid Eastern Conference. Be veeeeeery afraaaaaaid!

This past summer, a pal of mine, and honorary Underdog, Kyle Fabel said that LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh had ruined the NBA when they decided to join up in Miami. That creating a “super-team” was going to destroy the competitive balance in the league. Well, I’ve already admitted twice in this blog when I was wrong, and Kyle was wrong in this case. It’s not about the individual players. It’s about how they fit together as a team. How they can co-exist. It’s about basketball… and the better team always wins.

Derrick Rose knows that, Joakim Noah knows that, Tom Thibodeau knows that. And now, so does Kyle. And that lucky jerk is a Bulls Fan!!!

You think he’s looking forward to the Playoffs!

Yea, me too.

And so are we.

Thanks for reading,

Underdogs OUT!!!

Carmelo, the Knicks, and the small-market conundrum...

2011-03-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

What's up Peeps? Welcome back to the show.

The Under Dogs spent the last month in New York, and the whole city is a buzz with excitement... because during that time, as you might have heard… the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony!!!

Yes, the NBA these days seems to enjoy as much of its intrigue and attention from player movement (and speculation of said movement,) as from the actual games. Possibly more. Fans and Media members are extremely fascinated with players changing teams, and rightly so. One player with specific needed strengths can make a more dramatic difference on a basketball court than any athlete can in any other American Sport. So diehard Hoops fans… love trade speculation. And this year, we got a ton. (And not just talk this year but actual trades!) It was the best trade deadline ever!

But it’s tricky business. Because of the league’s unique salary cap dictated by maximum contracts, team’s General Managers have to be creative and above-all intelligent, in the way they construct their teams. So as a GM, the consequence of multiple missteps in your team-building strategy, could cost you years upon years of good basketball. (Just ask the Knicks… and the ever-delusional Isiah Thomas.) But, with smart moves and good planning within a solid system, you can prove invaluable to your franchise, your city, and your business partners.

Will promising young Clipper, Blake Griffin, skip town
in five years?

The natural bi-product of this system is that at some point you, as a GM, have no control over what will happen. For instance, let’s say you are a GM. What happens if A) Your best player’s current Maximum contract is going to run out at the end of the season, and B) You offered him a Maximum extention on that contract on the first day you were allowed to, but C) He has refused to sign it.

Why? Because he wants to play for the Knicks.

This is what you would have had to deal with this year if you were the GM of the Denver Nuggets. It was an element of a mostly effective system that reared its ugly head this season, for the always image conscious NBA. And the media ate it up. They wrote articles about it every day. Since the beginning of the season, the Nuggets and Carmelo pretty much knew this was their last year together, but what to do? No team was going to trade for Anthony (or give up anything of value) unless he signed an extension, so they wouldn’t be simply “renting” him for the last months of the season, and Carmelo repeatedly said he would only sign the extension with the Knicks. But the Knicks didn’t have anything that Denver wanted! It was a circular-logic problem and there appeared to be no answer. Or, as Ned Flanders would say, this was a “Dilly of a Pickle!”

So what happened? Well eventually, after scratching their heads for two-thirds of the season, Denver finally decided that they didn’t want to be like Cleveland or Toronto this past summer (when those teams lost LeBron and Chris Bosh respectively… for nothing,) so they traded Melo to the Knicks. Proving that if you’re good enough, you can get what you want. It’s the way of the world right? The Knicks get the guy they want under contract for the next 4 years and for the first time in ages, the future in New York actually looks bright.

The Mavericks have continued to contend with
solid personnel moves.

Now naturally, this situation has many people up in arms about the future of a league where players seem to have an inordinate amount of power, sort of like the tail wagging the dog. The Denver Nuggets played the role of victim masterfully in this case, and all other small-market teams located in “less desirable” cities are freaking out as a result. They are terrified that they will lose their ability to compete with the larger markets, something along the lines of what we have seen happen in baseball. But the key difference, is that the NBA has a salary cap. So technically, the footing is far more even. Two of the three best teams of the past decade in the NBA have been from San Antonio and Detroit. And during that span teams from Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Oakland, Portland, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City have ventured deep into the playoffs. Would that happen in baseball? Never.

The Clippers finally unloaded Baron Davis' ridiculous contract
at the deadline. Is their historically inept leadership turning around?

So conspiracy theorists are really reaching when they accuse the NBA of having a large-market bias. From a business stand-point the league is almost certainly at its healthiest when the dominant teams are in Los Angeles and Boston, and then maybe throw in Chicago and New York, if possible. And yes, that happens to be where we are today, (and if I was a conspiracy theorist, the Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett trades would be exhibits A and B respectively.) BUT, the Celtics were bad for seventeen years! San Antonio and Detroit won five championships in eight years! And the New York Knicks have been the laughingstock of the league for ten years! (Not to mention the LA Clippers thirty years of futility.) It seems like none of these things would have happened if David Stern was really pulling the strings like Stromboli.

Can D'Antoni lead Amar'e and Melo to a Championship in NY?

So, is the league “happier” when large-market dollars are dominating the attention of the league. Probably. Just ask any economist. But I definitely believe that the league has created a system where small-market teams can compete, AND be fiscally responsible. You have to be very smart and a little bit lucky (San Antonio and Oklahoma City.) And yes, you may eventually lose your “star” player, but Denver and Cleveland had Melo and LeBron for seven years respectively. Phoenix had Amar’e for eight years. It’s not like they came to town, didn’t like it, and bolted. Build a winner around them and they will stay. Period. Make questionable moves, never define an effective system, create an aura of instability… and they will leave. It’s the way of the world. Why should basketball be any different?

So here’s to the NBA and what will certainly be the best playoffs in many years. The basketball this year has been amazing! And don’t worry too much, about the future, small-market owners and fans. Don't cry foul, the roof's not caving in. If you build it… they will come.

Thanks for reading as always,

UnderDogs OUT!

The 2010 Underdogs of the Year

2011-01-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

What's up Underdogs? So they are telling me that 2010 is over.
It seems like it just started... like five years ago right?

The Underdogs began the year twenty-ten back in Miami, when Dwayne Wade and the Heat blew out the Atlanta Hawks. (About six months before Lebron "took his talents" down there... youch.) And we ended it in the house that John Wooden built, as UCLA held off a resilient UC Irvine Anteaters squad last week here in Los Angeles. Overall 2010 has been a good year for Underdogs. So let's do a quick review.

First things first: It’s not ALL about championships, but they are pretty important in the sports world. These were the notable ones this past year.

Alabama beat Texas for the College Football National Championship, 37-21, after beating Florida for the South Eastern Conference title. The SEC has won Six BCS Championships in the last 11 years, including Four different schools winning during that span. Auburn has a chance to make it Seven and Five respectively, if they win against Oregon next week.

The New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts for the NFL’s SuperBowl Championship, 31-17. SuperBowl XLIV… (or uh, 44)… was the first appearance and win for the historically tortured Saints fans.

We made it out to Canseco Field House in Indianapolis
for the Big Ten Championship Tourney. A few weeks later
Duke beat Butler in the same building.

Duke beat Butler for the NCAA Basketball Championship, 61-59, in a classic David vs Goliath matchup. Goliath won this time though, as Coach K snagged his fourth NCAA Championship with the Blue Devils. Butler was a number 8 seed and is the smallest school to reach the Tournament Championship Round in 40 years. Their amazing run earns them the title. Butler Bulldogs – Underdogs of the Year!

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers for the NHL’s Stanley Cup Championship, 4 games to 2. Chicago won game six in sudden death over-time, 4-3. It is their Fourth Stanley Cup Championship but first since 1961.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics for their 16th NBA Championship, 4 games to 3. It was the Eleventh time these two teams had squared off in the finals, winning a combined 33 Championships since 1949.

The San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers for the Major League World Series Championship, 4 games to 1. It is their first WS Title since the team moved from New York in 1957. My SF buddy Joel had been waiting his whole life for this moment and joined the entire City-by-the-bay in a long awaited celebration. I bet Joel is still smiling!

Roger Federer won his record 16^th Grandslam Title at the Australian Open in January. Rafael Nadal won the next three of the year. At age 24, he already has 9 Grand Slam titles.

The University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team lost to Stanford on December 30^th ending their NCAA record-winning streak at 90 games! It is doubtful that any such streak will ever exist again.

And Brett Favre ended his NFL record “iron-man” streak on December 13^th at 297 consecutive regular season starts. 321 including playoffs through the past 19 years. It is an amazing achievement considering how increasingly brutal the NFL game has been over that span.

So, anyway, that’s what the Big Dogs did this year... (But, who cares about them right? :)

This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for… it's the Top Five Underdogs of 2010. Some of them won championships, some got close, but all of them defied the odds and shocked the sports world along the way. So without further adieu... Ladies aaaand Gentlemen... preeeeeesenting, your... 2010...

Underdogs of the Year:

1. Butler Bulldogs - They obliterated everybody's brackets with an inspiring and improbable run to the NCAA Championship game beating Michigan State (5), Kansas State (2), and Syracuse (1) along the way, and were a only a missed three-pointer at the buzzer away from winning it all! It will probably make for a good sports movie someday.

2. Texas Rangers - With the third lowest payroll in the Major Leagues, the Rangers blasted the Yankees to capture their first ever American League Championship. Ca-TiA!

3. San Francisco Giants - Very few people could have predicted a World Series victory for the lowly Giants at the beginning of the season. Their winning percentage over the previous 5 years was a dismal .462.

4. Phoenix Suns - Left for dead because of sold-off draft-picks, bad trades, and annual player free-agent defections, Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire still managed to will their thin squad to a sweep of the mighty Spurs in the second round of a deep Western Conference playoffs. And then they were a bizarre Kobe Air-ball to Ron Artest (guy-in-exactly-the-right-spot-at-the-right-time) buzzer-beater put-back bucket away from possibly beating Los Angeles and making their first NBA Finals since 1993. Didn’t happen though, and then Amar’e jumped ship for New York. Triple Ouch for Steve Nash. Left once again... he's got to be the lonely bridesmaid of the NBA.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - They are currently playing wonderful and surprising offensive football and are 10-5 with one game left, already clinching the AFC West Division heading into the NFL playoffs. In the previous three seasons combined, they’ve totaled 10 wins.

Honorable Mention: Chicago Blackhawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cincinnati Reds

Historic Pauley Pavillion at UCLA in December

So here's to a great year of Underdogs!

and I'm sure there will be many more to shake things up in 2011.

Happy New Year you Beauties!!!

and Thanks for Reading.

Underdogs OUT

Outdoor Minneapolis Football and Mother Nature's League...

2010-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Last year the Underdogs were in Minneapolis at the last regular season baseball game ever at the Metrodome, before the Twins opened their new outdoor stadium this past spring. Football has remained in the dome however, as the NFL’s Vikings have played every home game there since 1981. Well, that is until last week… when seventeen inches of winter snow and severe winds caused the roof to cave in. Oh man, did you see all that snow falling through the roof? The footage was amazing!

So that leads us to tonight, when the Vikings will play their first home game outdoors in almost 30 years, at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Stadium. How strange is that? You’d think that the Great North Vikings, the famed Purple People Eaters, would have thick skins and a tough-as-nails mentality right? But in reality, these guys have been playing for the last 30 years as if they called Miami home… or San Diego. They’re used to playing in perfectly comfortable conditions. Basically they’ve given away their home field advantage. They play in Minneapolis for crying out loud! The Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and the two New York teams rough it outdoors in frozen weather every winter week? Why have the Vikings gone the way of the Prom queen? Well, having been in Minneapolis in December before, I would guess that’s it’s because… um, it’s crAZY cOLD OUTSIDE!!! They link their downtown buildings with skywalks in Minneapolis because it gets so bone chillingly cold there! Oh and if you need some advice on how to deal with the Minnesota cold check out my cuz, Dr. Robinson in this link. http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/video/Cold-Weather-Calls-for-Preparation-from-Northlanders-111475519.html?vid=a

Brett Favre has a great history of playing in Cold Weather Games

One of the great and unique things about football in American sports is that they play the games. No matter what the weather conditions are the game goes on. In baseball if it rains even remotely hard they delay or postpone the game. As tough as Hockey guys are, they never have to deal with any wind chill, and basketball players?... Forget it. They have 12 prom queens to a side by comparison. In football, they play the games. Period. And this ideology has created some fantastic, almost mythological, contests throughout the years.

The Chicago Cardinals won the NFL Championship in 1948

1948 the Chicago Cardinals won the NFL Championship against the Eagles in a Blizzard. In 1981, the Bengals beat the Chargers for the AFC Championship in The Freezer Bowl (there was a negative 59 degree wind-chill that day in Cincinnati!) In 1982 (The Snow Plow game) the Patriots beat the Dolphins 3-0. How’s that for a football score? And of course the 1967 NFL Championship game, also known as The Ice Bowl, the Packers beat the Cowboys on the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field. And even though these days the league only puts SuperBowls in warm weather cities, in 2007 my Bears had to play for the Championship on a relentlessly rainy Miami night. Nobody could run an offense in that hurricane right? Although somehow during the half-time show Prince was able to play his guitar beautifully… and he wasn’t lip-synching either! I checked. Gotta be one of the best half-time performances ever, I would think. Y'know, if anybody keeps track of that sort of thing.

Anyway, I don’t think those Bears had anything to complain about really; they were pretty much over-matched in everyway by Peyton Manning and the Colts that year. In fact, if the weather had been better they probably would have lost by a much worse score.

At the Frozen Tundra... but INside :)

But today’s Bears find themselves in another position to make history. They can clinch the NFC North Division title with a win tonight in the frigid Minneapolis air, and it should stand to reason that they have the advantage over their perennial rivals. The Bears almost always play outside. And what stadium gets colder than Soldier Field in Chicago? Tonight pretty much gives them an extra home game. While the Los Angeles Vikings are used to playing in the tropical Metrodome, the Bears have Grit-and-Beared it for as long as anyone can remember. It’s the reason they’ve never had a finesse passing game… ever. It’s the reason they’ve always been defensively oriented. It’s the reason that opposing teams dread when they are scheduled to play there between November and January. And it’s the reason that Bears fans are insane!

So as we go into this pivotal Monday Night game tonight in Minneapolis, we Underdogs are reminded of one more quality that makes American Football so fantastic.

Mother nature has a roster spot.

Oh, and apparently Father Time is going to make an appearance too, since Brett Favre had decided to play tonight. As recently as yesterday he was listed as inactive because of a shoulder injury.

Of course he decided to play. The drama just never stops in the NFL.

Let’s go BEARS!!!

Thanks for reading,

This is the underdogs.

Ornament Box Score Wrapping and the Return of the Knicks....

2010-12-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

Incase you haven’t noticed, it’s that time of year again. The colored lights are up, giant plastic snowmen and raindeer are cluttering up front yards and rooftops, and with each passing weekend the shopping centers are getting more and more unbearable. But then, on the fun side, there’s putting up the tree! That's always a good time right? I have such fond memories of putting up the tree when I was a kid.

One of the reasons was because before we could unwrap the presents on Christmas day, we had to unwrap the ornaments to put them on the tree. And in my family each year we would secure our ornaments, (some antique, some downright jankity... sorry Mom :) using that old standby… the newspaper. (For those of you that don’t know, the newspaper was an artifact that used to be issued daily to individuals or families in order to communicate information complied from various news institutions… but truthfully, most people just read the comics. Ah, whatever, look it up on Wikipedia.)

The great Walter Payton, always my favorite player.

Anyway, the point is, it seemed that somehow most of our ornaments were wrapped in... the sports section! Oh, yes, that beautiful almanac of articles, rankings, standings, and box scores from historical sports’ seasons past. It was indeed a secret pleasure of mine to see how long we could last with the same sports section from year to year. In some cases many years survived. Of course I put my own personal effort forth to keep the great 1985 Bears' and 1989 Cubs' seasons alive over the years, and it was always fun to re-live the amazing Michael Jordan Bulls' years from the 1990's too, through those crinkled layers of ornament padding. (Those late-1980’s Bull’s box scores were quite a thrill. The starting-five scoring was always something like: Jordan: 58, Pippen: 9, Grant 7, Cartwright 5, and Paxson 5. No wonder they didn’t win championships until Mike started to share the ball. Yikes.)

In 1991 Michael Jordan's Bulls finally won the championship,
beating Magic's Lakers in five games.

Just one more happy nostalgic element to the holidays, I guess, but for some reason looking at the standings in December is always a little bit warmer and cozier for me. And box scores too! Growing up overseas taught me to be a Box-Score-Guy. Basically, if you couldn’t see the game, you could simply look at the box score in the newspaper and pretty much understand what happened. Box scores for baseball and football games work quite a bit better than for basketball games though. In baseball the stat is king; every situation is basically pitcher vs batter in a relatively consistent vacuum. Football can be mapped out as a series of drives from a specific yard-line to the endzone. Basketball, though… well, it’s kind of all over the place. The basic stats: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks do tell a significant story of a game, but they can also be rather inconsequential or misleading. For instance, getting 10 rebounds in a game is considered very good. But you can miss a shot right at the basket, take four different tries to tip it back in, and end up with 2 points and 4 rebounds on one play. You can knock the ball away from an opposing player, but it’s the guy who actually possesses the loose ball who is credited with the steal, so many of them are just lucked into. And assists… well, some are kind of a matter of opinion. There’s no stat for help defense, or the great pass before the assist, and a full court heave at the buzzer counts as a missed three-point shot.

In other words, it’s a team game, and unless you watch every minute, you won’t really know which players are the most valuable to your team. There are intangibles that players contribute on the court that cannot be measured statistically. Still though, much of each game can ring true through a good old fashioned box score, and as luck would have it this holiday season, the Knicks have been on a TEAR! (And that’s… TEAR as in, The Knicks are on an eight game winning streak for the first time since 2000, not… TEAR as in Knicks fans are Crying in their Beers again... as has pretty much been the story since that season ten years back.) As previously mentioned on this blog, since moving to New York in that very same year 2000, I'd made the switch to Knickerbocker-backer, and have been thoroughly enjoying some long awaited Good basketball from this club. And coach D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense can provide us with some dynamite box scores too! Like take this first one from a recent 129-125 win against Denver at MSG. (Click on it to make it bigger.)

First of all you can tell that Coach D’Antoni plays his starters almost constantly, and secondly, each of the six guys that played at least 20 minutes, scored at least 13 points. That shows incredibly balanced scoring and means that the Knicks are moving the ball well. Raymond Felton’s 17 assists and the rookie, Landry Fields’ 7-11 shooting clip from the field along with 9 rebounds also jump off the page as quite impressive. Of course Amar’e Stoudemire and Wilson Chandler putting up 30 and 27 points respectively, is nothing to sneeze at either (as my dad would say.) This is simply a beautiful box score for a Knicks fan!

This second box score is a little less satisfying, since the mighty Celtics came into the Garden this past friday and ended the Knicks winning streak, beating them 118-116. (Again, click to enlarge.)

While sill a rather beautiful box score, what it doesn’t tell you is that Amar’e Stoudemire hit a potentially game winning three-point bucket at the buzzer that was eventually waived off by the refs because he didn’t get the shot off in time. I was able to watch the fourth quarter of this game, sadly only my second Knicks game of the season, and it was reeeeaally close… but they got it right… Amar'e didn’t get it off in time. As much as Spike Lee tried to convince the refs that he did :) Either way, it was still the best quarter of Knicks basketball that I've ever seen.

What this box score does tell us is that the Knicks are still playing wonderfully fluid offensive basketball, particularly Felton and Stoudemire. Wilson Chandler is performing extremely well as a third option, and Landry Fields is still giving the team valuable intangibles (because otherwise D’Antoni wouldn’t have played him for 36 minutes with only 6 points and 6 rebounds,) and in spite of the loss, the Knicks showing that they can hang with a proven championship contender is a brilliantly heart-warming sign for their fans. Of course, this box score could also prove quite historic during future ornament-unwrapping-tree-putting-up-sessions. The Celtics have four FIRST BALLOT Hall of Famers on their team at the same time, and that doesn’t include Rajon Rondo, who is arguably their best player. By the time his career is over he may be HOF material too. Amazing.

So the plot thickens in the NBA East, Atlantic Division. Boston is still the run-a-way favorite to win it, but the New York Knickerbockers for the first time in years are putting up a fight as their solid second place rival. Happy days are here again for Knicks fans! It’s been a looooooong time. And even though these box scores from espn.com are of the digital variety and will be of little use to the ornament wrappers of the world, it is comforting to remember their physical counterparts, and the ways in which we used them in simpler times. Maybe I'll print these up to wrap the ornaments this year, just for old times sake.

Happy Holidays everyone… And happy ornament unwrapping. Which year is your sports section from? :)

Underdogs out.

Auburn and Oregon... Worlds Apart...

2010-12-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

In College Football, not all season finale games are created equal. This week, the top two teams in the country, Auburn and Oregon, faced defacto play-in games to get into the National Championship. You win and you're in. Simple right? But somehow, it doesn't seem like the playing fields are all that level.

The Oregon Ducks have amassed an 11-0 record going into today’s game, defeating a #9, a #21, and a #24 along the way. Their final game of the season is against cross-state rival Oregon State; who comes into the game 5-6 and Fifth in the Pac-10.

The Auburn Tigers come into the game 12-0 having defeated a #6, a #11, two #12s, and a #22. Seems like they’ve played a much harder schedule than Oregon, right? So, do they get to play a cupcake team in their final game like Oregon does? Uh… no. They get to play a #19 South Carolina team, that might have an even higher ranking than that, had Auburn not already beaten them in September! Oh and by the way, South Carolina has beaten a #1, and two #22’s this season. That’s a better quality win resume than Oregon has!!!

This piqued my curiosity a bit, so I parked myself on the couch today to take a closer look. Since both games were on at the same time I was lucky enough to do the remote control cowboy thing, switching back and forth dynamically during commercial breaks. And as an outside observer… I have to admit. It looked a little bit like switching from High School Varsity, to Middle School. At times it didn’t even look like the same sport! South Carolina and Auburn were bigger, faster, and far more sophisticated on offense and defense than their west coast brothers. Oregon played down to Oregon State and only broke open the game late in the third quarter, on a clutch (and very questionable) third-down-and-9 pass interference call that gave them the chance to continue driving to an eventual score. Oregon State turned the ball over four times, often at crucial times and giving the Ducks great field position. It kind of felt like they were gift-wrapping the title game for Oregon. While the final score looked pretty good for the Ducks, I didn’t think they looked that good at all. Especially for the #2 team in the country.

Regardless, both Auburn and Oregon won their games today so it appears that we will have the two "most-deserving" Championship finalists play each other on January 10th. But somehow, I couldn’t help but dream of a scenario where OSU was magically replaced by South Carolina for that Oregon game today… just to see what would have happened. Could you imagine the looks on those Ducks' faces? (Where's Hermione when you need her?... hey, at least in Quidditch, they have a playoff :) Because, based on quality wins, I think South Carolina should be ranked above Oregon.

Blasphemy? Maybe. But, speaking of quality wins, let’s take a quick look at our two Championship contenders.

Auburn Beat

LSU (6)

Alabama (11)

Arkansas (12)

South Carolina (12)

South Carolina (19)

Mississippi State (22)

Oregon Beat

Stanford (9)

Arizona (21)

USC (24)

Of the six games that Auburn won against ranked opponents, ALL of those teams finished the season still ranked in the top 25. Of Oregon’s three games against ranked opponents, only ONE of them is still in the top 25. SIX to ONE.

And now I just heard on TV that they think that Oregon is going to be the favorite in the Championship game. What??? Auburn is actually going to be the Underdog??? I love it! I don’t know what expert predicted that, and I’m sure it will corrected before they actually play, but regardless, it is has to be one of the silliest thing I’ve ever heard uttered on the air. I understand that college football needs to at least pretend that there is parity amongst their conferences, but let’s not be ridiculous. Auburn’s strength of schedule more than doubled-up Oregon’s for crying out loud! Where does Oregon stack up if they played a full season in the SEC? Fifth? Sixth?

I don't mean to suggest that Oregon doesn't deserve a trip to the title game, but wouldn't it be easier for everybody if the Pac-10 had a Conference Championship game first? That way they could prove that they belong against a highly ranked Stanford team. It would certainly level the playing fields a little bit more and then we wouldn't have to keep guessing, comparing apples and oranges. Right? Merlin's Beard! We need some Magic over here!

Anyway, I asked my Auburn guy, and honorary Underdog Mike Masters, if we could just send Mississippi State to the Championship game instead. And then when they beat Oregon they can give the trophy to Auburn. Or how about Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, or LSU?

Mike said no.

And he wants January 10^th to get here in a hurry!

So do we.

This is the Underdogs.

The NFL and the Los Angeles "fantasy" scene...

2010-12-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

What's up Underdogs? Last time around we tackled College Football (and hopefully those realignment ideas are currently being implemented. Right, University presidents??? ) But for the time being let's just chill out a little and spend some time talking about the gridiron guys that have a playoff system already... and also, the ones that get paid!

(Well, officially that is. Incidentally... can Cam Newton's dad be my agent??... ooo, sorry Mike :)

The National Football League is far-and-away the most popular sports league in America, and it’s easy to see why. So many stories to follow, so many intriguing players, and the ever-compelling standoff between offense and defense, which, as elemential as it seems definitively, can be infinitely complex. After the Big Guy Upstairs, the NFL owns Sundays in this country and it really is a lot of fun to watch! (Even though the Lady Underdog, Lakisha, can somehow easily sum up every single play of each game as “aaaaaaand… they all fall down.”) Brilliant right?

The Rams played in LA from 1946 to 1994 before moving
to St Louis.

In spite of this physical certainty though, every one of our country’s major cities (especially the ones of the cold weather variety) flock to see their teams; if not actually at the stadium then on a flat-screen somewhere. (The warmer weather cities do too I guess, they just come a little later and leave a little earlier :) This season I find myself in a warm-weather city listed as the second biggest market in the US, that formerly supported two NFL franchises at the same time and now has zero. But regardless of this oddity, people in Los Angeles still seem to care, even though they haven't had a pro football team here since 1994. (Admittedly however, football aficionado, and honorary Underdog, Jimmy Ludwig, does quite often refute this notion by simply pointing out the USC Trojans. youCH! Reggie Bush anyone???) But the question still remains; why does the NFL still matter in Los Angeles?

The LA Raiders played here at the LA Coliseum

through 1994. Now it is used predominantly as the

home for the USC Trojans

A big part of the answer is due to the fact that many residents of LA are transplants and football bloodlines run deep. If you were a football fan when you were eight and still are… you probably pull for the same team. It’s actually quite remarkable. Even considering the complicated dichotomy of sports-team-loyalty which we will tackle at a later date, I’ve yet to see another sport match the NFL as far as life-long fans are concerned. So consequently, every sports bar and restaurant in this town is packed every Sunday with ex-pats from other cities pulling for their team via "The NFL Ticket." (Oftentimes this includes ex-northerners who miss their teams but not the accompanying frozen weather.) That’s the beauty of sports in 2010. You can still watch every game your team plays. Actual geography doesn’t matter anymore.

My boys Brian Marino and Chris Palazolo don't know
Jimmy Ludwig... but...

Another reason is probably due to the emergence of “fantasy football,” which might actually be more important on a national scale than the conference standings themselves. It’s kind of ridiculous. I do understand the draw for football fans though, because it is a fun way to be competitive with your friends or co-workers every week, and hope for bragging rights. The irony of course being… that you haven’t really done anything! Seriously, whoever came up with this idea, is a genius. And I suppose it’s telling, after all. What’s more American these days than celebrating a victory in which you didn’t really do anything?

... they could all get together, drink a few
beers, and talk about the Detroit Lions.

Oh boy that’s a tough nut to crack, and I'm sorry to get all deep. Cynicism aside though, the fantasy leagues must be great for the NFL in generating interest, especially for the less important games, but I can’t help but feel negatively toward them. Somewhere down deep inside me there is a sports purist that hates how popular the fantasy sideshow has become. It’s like when I first moved to New York and met a guy named Zulf. So one day we’re hanging out talking football, and I’m going on about standings and my team, and I ask him who his team is and he says, “Ah, I don’t’ have a team I just care about the lines. Y’know, the Over/Under for each game and what the good bets are. Whether or not a team can cover the ‘spread’ or not,” etc… Zulf didn’t care about the winning or losing in the actual games, just the Vegas angle. It wasn’t something I had really ever thought about before, but I suddenly realized with some discomfort, that there are countless people out there who don’t care about the game at all. Just the numbers… and the money. Ugh. Well that brought the naïve and idealistic sports fan inside me down a few pegs. But I understand it, and people can obviously do what they want. It just, for some reason… made me want to take a shower.

Anyway, fantasy football in my opinion isn’t nearly as egregious a sports perversion as betting on games, but it is still harmful to the game from the purist’s perspective. In fantasy it’s not about the teams but about the players. The importance is on individual play rather than actual game results, and that is in direct contrast with the age-old sports mantras. “There is no I in… T-E-A-M”, "Just Win, Baby," or “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Hmmm, I wonder what Coach Lombardi would make of this movement? I’m not saying that fantasy sports should go away or anything. I’m just saying… somehow they just don’t feel right.

Speaking of the ole Coach, he must have been smiling last Sunday when his Packers took out Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome. Wow. What a difference a year makes, right? Of course, Brett pulled the usual guessing game about whether he would return again this season and decided at the last minute to make another run at it. The problem is, he did the same thing last year, and apparently… you can’t capture lightning in a bottle twice. Last year he surprised everyone while performing as one of the best quarterbacks in the league… this year he pretty much the worst! Crazy right! I mean, think of all of the fantasy implications!!! All those poor owners who drafted him too high! Their seasons must have been RUINED. :)

Underdog Mike Masters with 2 of Green Bays 3 Lombardi
Trophies. Mike's Atlanta Falcons might be the biggest favorite
right now in the NFL.

So last year (when the Underdogs were in Minneapolis,) Favre inspired the Vikes to an amazing last second win against the Pack and it started a tidal wave of national speculation predicting a Favre-Vikings Championship. This year’s game ended it. As well as the Brad Childress’ coaching tenure with the Vikings. Ouch. What a way to go. You think Favre will be back next year?... Me neither.

But he gave it a shot right?

And that’s why we love the games. Not the statistics or individual accolades, but the numbers on the scoreboard when the clock runs out. That's the beauty of Football; anything is possible.
We are now up to Week 13 in this NFL season with no clear frontrunners for the Superbowl. Gotta love it right? It's a year for Underdogs!
Me? I'm pulling for the team I've pulled for since I can remember... back when it was Walter Payton, Willie Gault, Mike Singletary, and Fridge Perry suiting up.
Let's Go Bears!! :)

We out Like Brett Favre!

Thanks again for reading.

UnderD’s OUT!

Fixing College Football

2010-11-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

As we’ve mentioned before, on this here blog, one of the best and most appealing things about sports is that they exist in a vacuum of absolutes; unlike so many other areas of life where the difference between right and wrong or winning and losing is muddled with gray areas filled with hundreds of voices screaming their various contrasting opinions. In the real world it is difficult to know sometimes what is right, or good, because there are usually other overwhelming factors that sway judgement, or as Palpatine said to Annakin, “Good… is a point of view.” In sports however, one need only look at the standings to find truth. In sports there are steadfast rules, endzones, and foul lines. Decisions are handled by impartial referees with no personal agendas (we hope) and finally and most importantly, there is a scoreboard. At the end of the game one simply has to look at that scoreboard to see who is the victor. No need for further conjecture (although ESPN would probably fight that notion to the death) no need to stay awake all night pondering “what if.” That is the truest beauty of sport. Action can succeed where literal expression falters. When the day is done there is a winner and a loser by way of absolute truth within its parameters, and all of the talk just fades away into the abyss. In sports “truth will out," it has to. Well… except for in College Football.

College Football might be the most popular of all sports in America but, as we all know, it also may be the most flawed. The problems are logistical. There are so many teams and conferences that it is impossible for most of them to be judged against each other on the field, therefore polls and computer ranking-programs have been instituted to decide where teams fit in the national standings. And the game is too brutal to implement a tournament, as every other college sport does, in order to crown a true champion. So major College Football directly violates our cherished sports maxim. Incredibly, most of the time, it cannot be decided on the field. In the sports world this is inconceivable. So we’ve got to do something about it... right?

As long as I can remember people have been complaining about this great contradiction, and have pleaded for an NCAA playoff system. People have argued for a best-12 to 16 team playoff where these teams would face each other in a head-to-head tournament to once-and-for-all decide who is king in each respective football year. On its face this seems logical. But expecting amateur athletes to face the dangers of an extra month of football just doesn’t seem realistic and NCAA purists fear that with this kind of a system the regular season would be stripped of all importance. But as with most things, the biggest issue at stake here is money. The Bowl games on New Years Day generate huge sums for University coffers and some think that the institutions would suffer greatly with a playoff system in place. And that is why, as always, my dear Underdogs, the road to salvation lies in between.

A top four team play-in to the National Championship game would keep the current Bowl system in place and, while definitely not a perfect solution, it would at least give Four teams a real shot to win the big prize. Arguing about 4th place is much less dramatic than arguing about 2nd. For the most part we can let the teams decide their fate on the field when it matters most, while keeping the purists happy, because with this system the regular season remains important.

But why stop there? A Four-team playoff is definitely a good start to managing the mess that is the College Football world, but there still is the problem of inconsistency and disparity between conferences. And it still doesn’t solve the age-old problem of: (grab your Advil bottle, folks) when a team goes undefeated, but doesn't play very many ranked opponents, what in the world do you do with them??? (Boise State! What’s up?)

Therefore the Underdogs have taken on the extremely difficult task of fixing College Football. Now, it may seem absurd at first, but in the hopes of finally alleviating as many of this sport’s problems as possible, please try to keep an open mind. And remember, this is a rough first draft!

The first thing we have to do is create conferences consistently giving due credence to geography while respecting historical rivalries as much as possible. We know this is Hallowed Ground, and people will be shocked and offended, but for the sake of the greater good… we are gonna give it a try!

The first thing we need to do is combine the ACC with the Big East, and that would bring us to 20 schools. Split it into North and South and we get this:

Atlantic Coast Conference

North

Boston College

Syracuse

Pittsburgh

Rutgers

Connecticut

Cincinnati

Virginia

West Virginia

Maryland

Virginia Tech

Atlantic Coast Conference

South

North Carolina

North Carolina State

Wake Forest

Clemson

Georgia Tech

Duke

Louisville

Florida State

Miami

South Florida

No problems so far right?

Next we need to do away with the silly numbers of the Big 10 and Big 12 (sorry guys but the numbers don’t even make sense anymore) and create the MidWestern Conferences.

Also split into North and South. The North retains the Big 10’s History, the South, the Big 12’s History. Also filter in a few SEC teams to keep each conference at a nice round 10.

MidWestern Conference

North

Michigan

Michigan State

Ohio State

Iowa

Iowa State

Illinois

Northwestern

Penn State

Wisconsin

Minnesota

MidWestern Conference

South

Purdue

Indiana
Missouri

Nebraska

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas Tech

Next we combine the WAC and the Mountain West into a Mountain Conference. With a North and South. Filter in some PAC-10 Schools to keep the numbers consistent.

Mountain Conference

North

Colorado

Colorado State

Utah
Brigham Young

Wyoming

Utah State

Idaho

Boise State

Nevada

UNLV

Mountain Conference
South

New Mexico

TCU

North Texas

Louisiana Tech

Arizona
Arizona State

Kansas

Kansas State

Baylor

Texas A&M

Then finally the PAC-10 becomes the Pacific Coast Conference and the SEC pairs down to 10 teams.

Pacific Coast Conference

Oregon

Oregon State

USC

California

UCLA

Hawaii

Washington

Washington State

San Diego State

Stanford

Southeastern Conference

Arkansas

Tennessee

South Carolina

Alabama

Mississippi

Mississippi State

Georgia

Florida

LSU

Auburn

So now we’ve created Eight Ten-team conferences:

The Atlantic North (ANC)

The Atlantic South (ASC)

The Southeastern Conference (SEC)

The Midwestern North (MWNC)

The Midwestern South (MWSC)

The Mountain North (MNC)

The Mountain South (MSC)

The Pacific Coast (PCC)

Each team plays 6 games within their division and 6 out of conference games rotating through the other conferences systematically over years. And yes, these schedules could be more difficult so it would likely be that no team goes undefeated, but that would be more true to the competitive spirit right?

Each conference would play a Conference Championship game making a possible 13 games. And eventually each conference could expand to 12 schools each (Like y'know, if The Midwestern North wanted to let in Notre Dame for example :) that would make 96 teams in the country legitimately Bowl eligible. That’s not so bad huh?

So one year lets say, hypothetically, the conference champs are as follows: (Record and National Rank to the right.)

Atlantic North - Virginia Tech (11-2) (9)

Atlantic South - Florida State (10-3) (11)

Southeastern - Auburn (13-0) (1)

Midwestern North - Ohio State (11-2) (8)

Midwestern South - Nebraska (13-0) (2)

Mountain North - Boise State (13-0) (4)

Mountain South - TCU (13-0) (3)

Pacific Coast - Oregon (12-1) (5)

The top 4 teams play the play-in games for the National Championship in Bowl Games rotating between the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and the Orange Bowl in which case it would be:

Boise State (4) at Auburn (1) in the Rose or Sugar Bowl

TCU (3) at Nebraska (2) in the Orange or Fiesta Bowl

The next week the winners play for the Championship.

(Or if the playoff is expanded to Eight teams, the four undefeated teams are hosts in the first bowl games in an order determined by rankings.)

In that case the matchups look like this:

Florida State (11) at Auburn (1) in the Orange Bowl

Virginia Tech (9) at Nebraska (2) in the Sugar Bowl

Ohio State (8) at TCU (3) in the Fiesta Bowl

Oregon (5) at Boise State (4) in the Rose Bowl

The remaining teams then play a Four-team playoff over the next two weeks.

Realistically, of course, all of this change is a long shot to ever happen, but even if a little of it could eventually happen I think it could only enhance College Football. (Not hurt it as purists would have you think.) And with that we leave you… To think it over. I know it's a lot to digest and change can be scary. But we love this game right? We deserve this!

As complicated as this revolutionary change might be, it's got to be light-years ahead of what College Football is now. Perhaps one day logical heads will prevail and actually get something done to fix it. Ya think we might have something like this in fifteen years??? It's possible, right? Quick! Call your respective University Presidents!!! :)

All the best,

And Thanks for Reading!

Underdogs OUT!!!

The Rangers, The Giants, and The Dangers of Winning...

2010-10-28T17:05:00.001-07:00

My only trip to the Gorgeous ballpark by the bay in SanFran
was in 2000. It was PacBell park then. Today it's AT&T.
Next year... who knows. Carrier Pigeon Park?

As we began the Fall Classic last night in San Francisco, a fittingly wonderful atmosphere for an autumn ballgame, it was easy to look around and see all the great things about baseball. Two great teams, two great fan-bases, with a chance to make history. So much to get excited about! Could it be putting me into baseball-recovery mode? Hmmm, seems like I've said this before. Yes, as I’ve admitted in numerous past blogs, for one reason or another baseball has lost me in recent years. The season’s too long, the lack of a salary cap favors larger market teams, and the league has basically done Squadoosh to punish admitted past-Steroid users. (Need an example? Mark Maguire is a hitting coach in St Louis after a smug, calculated “confession” that was both egotistical and somehow also “whoa is me.” Seriously, he made it sound like he was a victim! After ten years of lying, he knew he had to perform a little lip service to make some money again. So he hired a P.R. firm to handle his “apology.” And it worked! Ugh… my sheer disgust at his lame press-conference this past spring probably cost me six months of baseball. Y'know, like how after watching Super-Size Me, you couldn't look at a McDonalds sign for a while? Like that.) But if I had to be honest about it, I’d guess that the real reason I’ve been so down on baseball the last few years is because the Mets have been, in a word, garbage (please to be pronouncing this ala a French accent with the liquid second G, gAR-baGE.) And really, when that is the case, no matter who your team is, the baseball season inevitably turns into a long, excruciating, slow-motion-speed-walk to nowhere.

In August the Giants were forming up, the Rockies forming out

I felt it from the fans in Denver as they began to sense their Rockies slipping out of the pennant race in early August. Two weeks later the Dodgers fans had already entered their acceptance period, and the Mets… forgetaboutit…. seems like it has been accepted since May. The one certainty in the Major League season every year is that by the last third of the schedule, close to two-thirds of the league’s fanbases have already checked out. Why? Because our culture has become obsessed with championships; banners and trophies and as many of them as you can carry. It’s not about the game anymore, it’s about the standings, and sadly, virtue is not its own reward. So when your team is looking like a good triple-A team in late July and that sneaking feeling starts sinking in, you realize that the dream of attaining the ultimate prize is not happening. So why not find something else to do, right?

With Tim Tebow now waiving Towels in Denver
Gator fans have had a rude awakening

I’m not proud of this attitude mind you. I think it is rather despicable actually, but I also have to think that it is the inevitable result of winning. That thrilling taste of the promised-land in every sports context always must be followed at some point with disappointment. I first noticed it in myself in 2007 when the Florida Gators lost a game midway though the college football season, and my immediate thought was, “well this year is out.” Who cares about an SEC Championship or a Bowl Game? It’s National Championship or bust. What a terrible attitude to have! I’m ashamed of it. It certainly is an awful example to set for the impressionable youngsters of this country (Cue that Whitney Houston song from the 80's) but time and time again we set this example. It's not about overall achievement anymore, most sports fans simply ask, “What have you done for me lately?” (Which oddly, is a Janet Jackson song from the 80's. Coincidence? I think not. Okay, that's why I never made the debate team :)

With Derek Roland at Yankee stadium. I've only been to the
Death Star twice. First in 1997 and then pictured here in 2007.
I guess I'm due to visit the new one in 2017 :)

I’ve lived in New York for the last ten years and if the city has taught me anything, it is that every year pretty-much every Yankee fan expects a World Championship. I’ve never seen anything like it! Anything short of that is a failed season. In the last ten years the Evil Empire has won 973 regular season games. 973! That’s an incredible average of 97.3 wins a season. But with the exception of last fall when they finally played a great World Series and brought home the hardware, most Yankee fans consider it a lost decade. One out of Ten is not enough. Any other fan base would be doing coordinated cartwheels! Is it just possible that a great many Yankee fans don't enjoy the post season as much as they fear their eventual disappointment. And maybe that is a completely natural attitude to have when your team has won Twenty-Seven Championships and been to the playoffs Forty-NINE times. Their team is so good that the only thing that can possibly be note-worthy is when they fail. It's not their fault, it's human nature. After all, philosophically, we only know what we know. But whatever the reason may be, it appears that only the win-starved fan-bases can truly appreciate their team’s success. So really, Cubs fans should count themselves lucky; they will never become jaded! See, there is some good baseball news on Chicago’s north side. You just have to know where to find it. But then again the Cubs know that; they've been selling it for 101 years. (Uh-oh better cue up Billy Joel's 80's ditty, "Wooah, oh-oh-Oh... For the Longest Tiiiime." Sorry Pops, couldn't resist!

Will it be the Rangers or the Giants taking the big prize?

So as our Underdog Heroes, the Texas Rangers, go into game two tonight in San Francisco, keep in mind that before this year, in their fifty-year history, the Rangers had only been to the post season three times. Their all-time post-season record: 1-9. Until this year they had never even won a playoff game at home! Those fans don’t know the meaning of being jaded, right? And that is a beautiful thing. It makes me happy that baseball can make people feel this way. Texas girls Catia, Kristen Beth, and Miss Oristano know what I’m talking about. So does Mr Golden Gate himself, Joel Blum.

It should be also noted that the Giants aren’t exactly perennial favorites either. Since moving to San Francisco in 1958, these guys have only reached the playoffs eight times, and have never won the Championship. (Really, the only reason the Underdogs list them as Evil is because of Barry Bonds, but don’t worry, that stigma should wear off in about fifteen or twenty years.) Basically, either way this shakes out, one of these two teams is walking out of this World Series forever changed. And their fans will celebrate an elation that can only come from decades of hopeful anticipation. Indeed, one of those two fan bases will finally be a winner! Whether or not that is a good thing, is anyone’s guess.

Rangers vs Giants. A brilliant Underdog Match Up!

Enjoy the World Series.

And Happy Halloween!!! :)

Thanks for reading!

Underdogs OUT

The 2010 Baseball Playoffs and the Ojeda Factor...

2010-10-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

Jimenez faded down the stretch, as did Colorado

Did anyone notice that the last three installments of the Underdogs have focused on non-sports related topics? No? Well they did. And people were probably getting upset. I actually don't have any evidence of that, but, just in case anyone actually did get upset, we will now attempt to set things right with a triumphant return to the world of sports blogs. Indeed, the Underdogs are back with the first baseball blog of the year. YAY! Just in time for October! yay? Ah yes. On a crisp fall day on which the Major League Baseball Playoffs will begin, the big question on my mind is… does anyone care??? (Aw, I love saying that because all my Yankee fan friends get all bent outa shape :) But really, what a season! To me it felt like it ended 6 months ago. Wait, didn’t I say the same thing LAST year??? UGH. The Mets were abysmal… so were the Cubs, and the San Diego Padres choked away a big Divisional lead to give the Evil San Francisco Giants a playoff birth. I tried to get excited about the Rockies while passing through Denver, when I got to see the masterful Ubaldo Jimenez beat the Giants to win his 17^th game, but even he couldn't carry them to the promised land.

The day after giving away Manny Ramirez to the White Sox
the Dodgers pretty much gave up on the season.

Then when we got here to LA we headed out to Dodger Stadium (right next to Elysian Park, where we play tennis) to see the Dodgers lay down and die against the Evil Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers, Rockies, and Padres all had a chance with about a month and a half to go in the season to turn things around and somehow oust the Phils or Giants from contention, but none of them could. The only saving grace in the National League was that the Cincinnati Reds were able to hold off the (also Evil) St. Louis Cardinals.

Coors Field in Denver

So here we are at baseball playoff time and if you take a look around, there are actually lots of good Underdog types to root for. No teams from LA or Chicago, no Boston Redsox. Seriously, as I am writing this out I am actually getting excited about baseball for the first time since Spring Training. The Tampa Bay Rays beat out the Evil New York Yankees for the AL East Divisional Championship (while spending about a third as much on payroll as the Empire.) The small market Minnesota Twins and the previously mentioned Cincinnati Reds defied the odds to make the postseason, but the most surprising contender this year has to be the Texas Rangers.

Dodger Stadium.

Alex's Least favorite place to watch a baseball game.
But not because of a Perfect-Game-related spat :)

Amazingly only three teams had a lower payroll this season than the Rangers did, so their playoff appearance is definitely a remarkable achievement. Clearly they are doing something right down there in Arlington. Also, the 101D’s own Catia Ojeda is the biggest Ranger Fanatic I’ve ever met, so I like to live vicariously and pull for them. And I can’t reiterate this point enough… she is a serious fan folks. If you want an example ask her about the “Perfect-Game story” that went down at Fenway a few years back. She still gets mad at her (now husband) Alex, (congrats guys! :) when it comes up because even though he was not a Sox fan he had the temerity to root against her boys as the night went on, tantalized by the chance to witness a perfect game. She didn’t buy the “history-of-the-game” argument and was horrified at his lack of respect. In fact, since she was probably the only person in the ballpark wearing a Rangers hat, she considered it a full-fledged betrayal! To this day if you bring it up (and of course I love to do so) she will momentarily go back to that place and look at Alex as if he is the scourge of the earth, with those “how DARE you eyes.” Always a priceless moment.

Catia and Alex last Halloween as Deviled Egg

Anyway, so when the Rangers finally broke up the perfect game in the seventh inning with a single up the middle, Catia immediately jumped up joyously to cheer the hit. Then she started defiantly talking smack to the surrounding Red Sox Nation as they looked at her in disbelief. When we get to this part of the story, I like to watch Alex as he relives the moment as well with a slightly nervous expression. Because at that point he suddenly had to turn his attention from their little spat about the Perfect Game to the current problem… of how to get them out of Fenway alive that night. Imagine that spectacle! One diehard Texas fan swimming proudly in a sea of crazy (possibly dangerous) Boston fans? Now, that’s a brave underdog!

Everything turned out alright in the end though. They made it out of there and today Catia and Alex are a brilliant married couple. (Just off of the honeymoon in fact.) And I think that without a doubt the Perfect Game spat made them stronger. I mean, when you think about it, if that is the biggest fight they’ve ever had in their relationship… they must be the ones playing the perfect game. HHHMmm. Catia just cringed at my bad pun.

Anyway, when you add it all up the AL has three good-guy teams (Twins, Rays, and Rangers) to the NL’s one (Reds.) And that’s not such a bad postseason for Underdogs. Because of the Ojeda connection, I am pulling for the Rangers over the Rays in their first round matchup, and hopefully the Reds can somehow come out of the NL, but the biggest first round series has to be the Yankees against the Twins. Game one is tonight in Minneapolis, right back where the Underdogs started a year ago. Last year we made it out to the Twins last regular season game at the Metrodome (we even got Certificates saying as much) as they finished the season on an incredible tear to beat out Detroit for the last playoff spot. The Yankees ended Minnesota's playoff dreams quickly however in the first round, and the Cinderella story hit midnight. This year though the Twins have home field advantage (in their new outdoor stadium, where it might get down to 45 degrees tonight) and a good chance to redeem themselves against the mighty Yanks. At last count, the Twins have two World Championships compared to the Yankees' twenty-seven, so there is no doubt that it is a tall order facing the Minne-boys. The Yankees are really really good. But for Underdogs everywhere… It would be fun to see the upset! And eventually, perhaps, the chance to see the Ultimate Dream Scenario...

Reds vs Rangers in the World Series!! :) aw That would KILL Vegas!

2009 in Minneapolis. The Underdogs have come full circle.

Baseball is BACK baby! Hmmmm, I think that is also something I said a year ago when we started this thing. Hard to believe it’s been a year already. Seems like three doesn’t it? Happy Baseball Watching!

And as always, thanks for reading,
Underdogs out!

The Art of the Comic Strip and Woody Allen

2010-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by James DeShawn Ludwig III

Aspen is a place for revelations. And the third in our series that occurred there, as we continue our brief hiatus from the sports world, (sooo sorry baseball... but not really) came from a simple book found in the condo where we were staying. Theatre Aspen had rented it for Jimmy, presumedly from a winter-dweller who makes like a tree during the summer months, and one day (in between tennis matches... Check out Kisha in Mid-Air!?) I spotted something curious sitting on his bookshelf. Right there in plain view on the shelf was a book entitled Dread and Superficiality; the Best of the Classic Newspaper Cartoon from 1976 to 1984. The strip was called Inside Woody Allen. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was a twilight-zonian experience for me to discover this artifact. It's what it must have been like when those archeologists found Lucy, back in '73. It's been here this whole time! Waiting to be discovered!!! I was positively astounded that I had not been aware of the existence of this comic strip! Why? Two reasons. First, Woody Allen is my favorite filmmaker and has been one our most prolific writers and performers of stage and screen. And second, I have long considered myself something of a comic strip aficionado.

When I was a kid I was an adamant follower of many comic strips. It was important business. Every morning there were dozens of new comic strips inside the newspaper just waiting to be checked out. So intriguing, so consistent. Something you could count on. Then I started clipping them out and putting them in books and up on the fridge (and, well maybe it got a little out of hand :) but the important thing is that it quickly became one of my favorite art forms. Yes, an Art Form. It eventually became clear to me though, that most people didn’t think of them in this way. Almost everyone I knew took them for granted or subconsciously disparaged them. I was shocked to see how casually people would dismiss these works after glancing over them, either chuckling to themselves or giving the obligatory, “eh” – as in, “ I could have done better than that.” In this way the Newspaper Comic Strip has to be one of the most disrespected art forms in history. Infamously proven by the degrading and despicable euphemism that somehow became synonymous with this art form early in the twentieth century: “the funnies.” Ugh. And it stuck! What kind of artistic credibility can one expect with that label?

Naturally there were many artists that accepted this menial position and directed their work to the lowest common denominator. Churning out strips featuring simple archetypical characters in mindless crude situations, the likes of Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, Andy Capp, Snuffy Smith, Family Circus, and Garfield rose to prominence through the years. Sorry Garfield lovers (if there are any left) but really what is there in that strip? Garfield hates Mondays, loves lasagna, and Jon’s a loser. That’s pretty much it.) Honestly, for years these strips have given the Funnies a bad name. A collection of works fit to wrap a fish in. Beetle Bailey has been running from Sarge for 60 years, Andy Capp gets drunk every night, and does anyone ever read the Family Circus???

That's not to say that simple is bad. Many simple strips have a legitimate place in our hearts because of the comfort of their consistent predictability. Much the same way that you can miss three years of All My Children and still pretty much know what’s going on when you finally tune in. I enjoy a lot of strips that fit this model, like Blondie, BC, Zits, Dilbert, Rose is Rose, The Wizard of Id, and, of course, the immortal Peanuts (So popular that they still run every day, ten years after the passing of the legendary Charles Shultz.)

But there were some artists that broke the bounds of the typical and raised the bar for the art form by challenging their readers with continuous storylines, more sophisticated philosophical messages, or in other bizarre ways. Among these are some of my favorites: Crankshaft, Non Sequitur, The Boondocks, and my personal Comic-Strip-Mount-Rushmore of Doonesbury, Bloom County, The Far Side, and For Better of For Worse. But standing on a cloud, about a thousand feet above Mount Rushmore, is the greatest comic strip of all time: Calvin and Hobbes.

While this example of Calvin is devoid of Watterson's considerable artistic ability it
is probably apropos of how I feel about comic strips as an art form. Maybe I should get some help.

I’ve long held that Calvin and Hobbes’ paramount position among comic strips is an absolute certainty. I don’t think it can be debated. The sheer creative output by Bill Watterson, for ten years starting in 1985, cannot be rivaled by any other strip; and maybe any other art form altogether. Far more versatile than any strip before or since, Calvin could play at any speed and any style. Watterson’s incredible imagination (brilliantly illustrated though Calvin’s constant day-dreaming) could go from one side of the world to another in one strip! At the height of his popularity, Watterson was so powerful that he even forced newspapers to change the way they formatted Sunday strips, which were artistically limiting. This guy was Lennon and McCartney and Elvis to the world of comic strips. No one else even came close. And comic strips have never been the same since he departed the field. After rejecting all licensing and marketing opportunities for Calvin and Hobbes (all the stickers and shirts are illegal by the way) Watterson left Hundreds of Millions of Dollars on the table and retired from cartooning in 1995. He shunned the money and effectively vanished into thin air. No one even knows where he lives! How’s that for artistic credibility?

If you need to be reminded, go pick up a Calvin and Hobbes collection or check out some strips online. Gems like this...

and this...

and then there's this...

So anyway, back to Aspen (no... not to tennis!) to this book on the shelf. Unbelievable. As I mentioned, I think of Woody Allen as one of the most prolific writers ever. He's written articles, books, plays, screenplays, directed, acted, released stand-up albums, two musical albums, and has performed internationally with his Jazz band.

I have seen all of his films and absolutely love his style of storytelling. He basically is his own film genre. His characters, while usually of an urban ilk, run the gamut of the philosophical world (and not only the ones he plays, ALL of them. It’s trippy to remember that they all came from his mind.) And with this amount of productivity there are sure to be a couple of “clunkers” in there so I understand how people can be critical, but even in my least favorite of his films (Anything Else and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion anyone?) there are always a few dynamite intimations sprinkled in that only he could have conceived of. Like “Don’t worry, we can walk to the curb from here.” from Annie Hall, or “I had a great evening; it was like the Nuremberg Trials.” From Hannah and Her Sisters, or “I don’t want to bad mouth the kid, but he’s a horrible, dishonest, immoral louse. And I say that with all due respect.” from Broadway Danny Rose, or my personal favorite from Deconstructing Harry when his character Harry Block tells his brother-in-law, “I don’t think you’re paranoid. I think you’re the opposite of a paranoid. I think you go around with the insane delusion that people like you.”

Woody Allen’s 46^th film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger opens tomorrow here in the U.S. 46 films written and directed! Does anyone else even come close to this guy’s overall body of work? Seriously, akin to Shakespeare has been this guys contribution to the creative world. It is mind-boggling. Not that I worship the ground the guy walks on or anything. Certainly many people have sordid opinions about Woody Allen’s personal life or decisions he’s made, but I’ve never been a person that values the artist above the artwork. I don't know the guy, but his creative contributions have had a profound impact on my life.

Me with Woody back left on Clarinet

Last year for my birthday present the Lady Underdog, Lakisha, took me out to The Carlyle on the Upper East Side where Woody plays with his Dixieland Jazz ensemble on most Monday nights as his schedule permits. We had great seats. The place is tiny (or as we say in NY, intimate) and he even sat right next to me at one point before the band took the stage. And when they did get up there, they treated us to some world class New Orleans style classics. It was kind of amazing to see him up there, completely separated from his comic persona, he appeared to be simply jamming out with his friends and having a blast. And he is actually quite a good clarinetist too!

As we sipped our wine and nibbled on desserts, they played for about an hour and then most of the guys left the stage, and I thought, "Oh that's cool... you can't expect him to play for too long." But then he stayed up there with two of the other guys and they played for at least another 45! And each time you'd think the set was done, Woody, with a mischievous grin, would quickly start up a new song to see how long it took for his startled band-mates to join in. Honestly, he looked like a little kid up there, having the time of his life.

So it now comes to my attention that the man who has done all of these things artistically was also the subject of a comic strip? It was like two of my worlds colliding unexpectedly. I suppose I had presumed that this was one medium he had never dabbled in, and I should have known better. It was the early persona of Woody Allen as a comical hard-luck loser that first inspired cartoonist Stuart Hample to give him a call in 1975 to see if he would allow himself to be the subject of the strip. To his surprise Woody agreed and even gave him permission to use any of his previous material as fodder. The result was Inside Woody Allen, and at a time before the Internet or cable TV it must have been a huge publicity coup for Woody to also be in millions of homes in the newspaper everyday. Stuff like this:

While not directly involved, Woody oftentimes would send Hample letters with ideas for storylines, character development, and to encourage him to avoid the lowest-common-denominator jokes (like the previously mentioned cellar-dwellers among comic strips. Born Loser I'm looking in your direction!) And of course he wanted Hample to push the envelope and challenge the readers with deeper and darker content. Around the same time Woody was having similar troubles with how his films were being received. He didn't want to be only a laugh man. In his 1980 film Stardust Memories, his character, Sandy Bates (coincidentally also a filmmaker) is greeted by a fan who says "I love all of your movies, especially the early funny ones." Needless to say, this put Hample in a tough spot between Woody and the Associated Press who were naturally pushing for only “non-offensive” material. And in the end he was writing a comic strip after all. Sometimes it's nice to just be funny.

Reading through the collection, I think the results were a mixed bag. It appears that Inside Woody Allen peaked solidly in the second tier of our Comic Strip Hierarchy. Fun and interesting, but without a solid commitment to secondary characters or their relationship development. But really, that's not a bad place for a cartoonist to be. We can't all be like Calvin. Overall I found Hample's work to be very enjoyable. Although I'm sure that my opinion is slightly biased. If it hasn't already been blatantly obvious based on this installment of the Underdogs, I should mention that both the subject matter and the art form are near and dear to my heart.

This last strip is from a week before I was born, and illustrates another thing I like about Woody. He’s a Knicks fan. And c'mon, who among us hasn't dreamed that they were magically seven feet tall? :)

Next up… back to sports! :)

Thanks for reading.

Underdogs OUT!

The John Denver Sanctuary

2010-09-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of Aspen’s most peaceful and pensive places to go and just enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Rockies is the John Denver Sanctuary located just north of the Roaring Fork River. Of course the sanctuary bears the name of that unique and soulful singer/songwriter who defined himself within the neighboring mountains and touched millions with his music. It is really a beautiful spot. The garden by the creek is scattered with giant rocks, many of which are engraved with some of his most famous and poignant lyrics, and one bearing his name that also reads: “I am a song. I live to be sung. I sing with all my heart.” Designed as a fitting tribute to honor the spirited artist who left us much too soon, it is indeed a sanctuary and not a mortuary or true memorial. It is simply a place where people can sit, reflect, sing, play, or do whatever they want. Seems like that’s the way he would have wanted it. The John Denver cannon, rooted in the majesty of nature’s awe-inspiring splendor and the celebration that it can create in the human heart, is undoubtedly a natural fit in this place. So it makes perfect sense that he made Starwood in Aspen his home for many years.

In the early sixties, Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., the son of an Airforce Pilot, dropped out of Texas Tech in Lubbock (the town where I was born, although the last time I was there was when I was two years old… because I am also the son of an Airforce Pilot and we moved a lot :) Eventually John changed his last name to Denver, because he said he “always wanted to live in the mountains”; and also presumably because it would fit better on the marquee. Like countless artists before him and since, he became a traveling musician, struggling to find his place in the national music scene. Eventually he had some success in LA and New York, but it was clear even early on that he really belonged in the mountains of Colorado.

Jimmy and Lakisha, all smiles at JD's Sanctuary

I have to think that the Rocky Mountain High lyrics, “He was born in the summer of 27^th year, coming home to a place he’d never been before.” is almost certainly an autobiographical reference to his own creative and spiritual rebirth that came when he finally made Aspen his home in the early 70’s. He must be telling the story of his own elation after finally realizing his dream. According to his book Take me home: An Autobiography, John and his wife Annie were hanging with friends in the mountains one August night during the Perseid Meteor Shower. When the shooting stars finally lit up the sky (causing them to cast a shadow) the idea for the song formed in his head, he later recorded it, and it became one of the most recognized songs in history. According to local legend the first time he played it for an audience was in 1973 at the Red Onion tavern right downtown in Aspen. By 2007 it was the official state song of Colorado when the Colorado General Assembly declared that “Rocky Mountain High reflects the strength and beauty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the importance of preserving the natural beauty of our state.” It now shares the distinction with the old classic Where the Columbine’s Grow.

Somehow JD fit right in with those Muppets!

In addition to his musical achievements, John was an environmentalist and activist, an actor, a writer, a pilot, and the official Poet Laureate of Colorado, but I remember him most as a kid from his Christmas album with the Muppets. I still have this album and consider it one of the best Christmas albums ever (Seriously, check out Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem’s version of Old Saint Nick; they put the Beach Boys to Shame! Or John and Ivory-ticklin dog Rowlf’s amazing duet version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.) I am a little too young to remember his great Muppet Show moments, but I'm sure there were many. John Denver and Jim Henson at the height of their art forms and popularity coming together in 1978. Seems like a natural fit right?

Kisha looking for the triple-word

Over the years I had listened to my fair share of John Denver, especially since he was one of my Mom's favorites. I remember often hearing her playing and singing his folky classics and I wonder how many times I "accidentally" caused one of his old records to skip on the turntable while I was bounding through the living room. Listening to his stuff as an adult, I always considered him a truly incredible singer, but as a songwriter a lot of his music seemed to be too overly simple and predictable. After all no one calls JD a musical genius. But while his musical prowess might not have been as refined as some, listening to his stuff now in Aspen, either while playing Scrabble in his sanctuary or while watching some shooting stars of our own from the hot-tub, it actually makes a lot more sense to me. It is Simple, honest, and filled with pure ecstatic love for this magical place in the Rockies. I get a sense of how he must have felt when he first came here. How it healed him, taught him and gave him hope for the future. It’s hard to think of a more fitting match between artist and setting. Like they were always meant to go together.

And nearly thirteen years after the tragic passing of John Denver, one of our great storytellers, his music lives on. And you can feel it come alive, here in Aspen. His muse, his bliss, his peace of mind, his friend, and his home.

Harry Dunne, Aspen Brewery, and the The Ludz with Sudz...

2010-08-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

So as the Underdogs were on the way to Aspen I was thinking to myself, "what is up with Aspen?" I only knew of it as a winter ski-haven for super-rich people, which basically meant that I had no connection to it at all. Because the only time I’ve ever been “skiing” was when I was almost five years old and my family went to the Alps in Switzerland, but I was so young I basically spent the whole time sledding… and enjoying wearing a one-sie, I don’t know!!! The only semi-connection I had with Aspen was through watching the Farrelly Brother's film Dumb and Dumber as an impressionable adolescent. C’mon you remember it! Instant classic!! Remember 1994, when Jim Carrey was still at the height of his comedic powers (sporting the chipped tooth) and the immensely talented Jeff Daniels proved that he could match it? Who could forget? When Carrey, as Lloyd, says “I’m talking about a place... where the beer… flows like WINE. I’m talking about a little place called Aspen.” And Harry quips back, “I don’t know Lloyd, the French are Assholes.” It also features gems like: “Lloyd! You drove a SIXTH of the way across the country in the WRONG direction!!!” Followed by Harry saying, “Oh, I’m sorry, mister PERFECT!!! I forgot that you never ever made a mistake!” Which naturally was preceded by Harry waking up in the passenger seat of his (sheepdog) van, looking out at the flatlands of Nebraska saying, “Hmmm… I thought the Rockies would be a lot Rockier than THIS.” To which Lloyd casually responds, “Yea… that John Denver was full of shit, man.”

Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas, circa 1994

Ah, these are great moments in the history of American motion pictures right? Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it, because I’ve heard that Jeff Daniels both reveres and detests that he agreed to shoot that film. On the one hand, he got to work with Jim Carrey and be a part of a large-budget-world-wide-production comedy, on the other hand, college kids from 1994 until Jupiter will always associate him with the infinite loser Harry Dunne. And trust me, these kids have no idea that this guy has recorded three albums as a singer-songwriter, has been on Broadway twice, nominated for a Tony, and has written twelve plays that have all been produced at his theatre, The Purple Rose.. Why? Well, probably because most people don’t know or care that much about theatre… (ugh, it’s true) But that's not the point. I'm not trying to get all negative with this :)

As a tribute to the Underdogs, or as more likely, a complete coincidence all together, Jeff Daniels actually came out to see our show earlier this year in East Lansing, MI. A town that is also home of the Michigan State Spartans, who are, as previously ascertained on this blog, still doing very well in the NCAA basketball department (Especially after Tom Izzo very wisely decided against coaching the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers… he somehow uncannily and prophetically predicted that LeBron was going to jump ship to Miami. Hmmmm. Smart man!!!)

Backstage with Rachel York. Check that hair!

Anyway, Jeff Daniel’s son is a student at MSU, running lights on campus, and since he is a friend of Rachel York (our Cruella DeVil) he came on by to see the 101D. After the show I got to hang out with him for a minute. I told him that I loved him in The Purple Rose of Cairo, one of my favorite Woody Allen’s, while trying to ignore the obvious fact that he looked exactly like Harry Dunne; unkempt and awkward looking, with straw-like hair protruding from his homeless-man style toboggan hat. He was completely cool with not saying anything at all so eventually I made my way out of there, but later in the month I had a chance to see the new play Gravity at The Purple Rose. in Chelsea, Michigan. And it is a really nice spot. So here’s to you for keeping theatre alive, Jeff Daniels… Harry Dunne.

Ajax Mountain is a gorgeous spot, even without the snow.

Anyway, back to Aspen. What a spot!! So gorgeous all the way around that the Underdogs had trouble leaving. First of all, coming into town through the Rockies via Independence Pass, which is only open during the summer months, is absolutely stunning, and only a precursor to the treasure that is this town within. Even during the summertime this diamond-in-the-rough shines; it’s so vibrant, earthy, and fresh. And the Lady Underdog and I had the best tour-guide possible to show us around. Indeed, brother-in-arms (and Honorary Underdog) Jimmy Ludwig, truly gave us the royal treatment while we were in “his ‘hood.” A frequent Aspen-er, Jimmy knows all of the great hikes around and out-of town, spots for tennis and hot-tubs (directly below his balcony in fact), and historical points of interest to check out. And that's without even mentioning the tickets to the Aspen Music festival or his brilliant play, Same Time Next Year directed by Sit-Com legend Jay Sandrich (although, oops I guess I just mentioned them… curious.) But really, Jimmy and co-star Joan Hess were absolutely wonderful in this charming two-character piece by Bernard Slade. And I mean it!... trust me, I’ve heard over-zealous critics gush. Well, maybe not, but check out TheatreAspen!!! They are doing sublime work.

Jimmy and Lakisha walking the town.

Anyway, life with Jimmy Ludz is where it’s at; and I’m not just saying that because when we would finally reach the apex of each Rocky Mountain hike we would go on, Jimmy would traditionally break out some strategically packed and seriously good microbrews to share with everyone, (For which he has been honorarily dubbed the 'Ludz with Sudz' by his fellow neighboring hikers. It is a fact. This man knows his BEER!) I’ve learned over this past year that this Happy Hour Guy is the pinnacle when it comes to loving life. But we'll get to that later.

First up on Jimmy’s A-List of must-visit spots is the Aspen Brewing Company; the craft brewery on North Mill Street, created by a few dedicated and creative hometown boys named Brad, Duncan, Rory, and Terry. Now in its third year, these guys have become so popular they are almost unable to keep their local beer aficionados adequately supplied! There isn’t even enough room at the bar, much less within their fermenting tanks in the brewery to satisfy all of the demand for this glorious grog. Because of their growing popularity the guys are planning to expand to a bigger spot in town where, hopefully, all of the demand for their seven different microbrews can be more efficiently accommodated. No promises though! :)

But, not to worry, the Aspen Brewery, right now, the way it is, is great. If you are ever in the area, it is a must-hang! I've never been to a place like this before. The entire brewing process in all of its intricate steps is literally happening right around the corner from the bar. One guy is brewing it, the other pouring it :) And they don't bottle or distribute this stuff yet. The only place you can get it is on tap at the Aspen Brewery, either in a pint or a Growler, (which I learned is really just a fancy, or ScaaaaaRey, name for a big jug.) And trust me as soon as they brew it... it's gone!

Another one of the advantages of rolling with Jimmy is that he knows all of these guys; through years of "work" and "research sessions" while visiting as the host of the vastly popular and brilliant webseries The Happy Hour Guys, so he gets carte blanche when it comes to exploring where the magic happens. With a giddy exuberance that can only come from the truest passion, Jimmy brought the Underdogs along and showed us each of the brewing steps in complete detail; because that's the only way Jimmy rolls. If you don't know, now you know. We got the hands-on experience every step of the way, from malting, to mashing, to boiling, to sparging, to fermenting, to filtering, and then of course, to pouring.

And finally, after meeting all of these diligent co-owners of Aspen Brewery and seeing the painstaking process of their routine on premises, it was finally time to reap the rewards of... well, their hard work. I mean I figured we might as well enjoy it while pondering the universe's great mysteries at the bar... because after all, Rory says that "Brewing is Zen." Good line right? How come I haven't seen that on a t-shirt yet???

All in all, it is an extremely charming place and certainly not a bad way to spend an afternoon. The company and the ambiance couldn’t have been finer, oh, and did I mention… their beer sampler… comes in a SKI! :) Of course it does!!!

And finally, if you do get a chance to visit this haven in the mountains, make sure to take some time to meet a few of the Brewery dogs (who are always on hand milling about the bar.) These guys are awesome; they don't play, they chill. Probably because they are so used to having people around, the stimulus that would usually put dogs into an excited frenzy, bounces off these pups like a soft breeze. They may have time for you, but they may not. In other words, they're cooler than the other side of the pillow. And since these guys pretty much live under the bar at the Aspen Brewery, I guess that really makes them the true Underdogs.

Youch! Gotta love going out on a bad pun!

Next up. We’re still in Aspen.

I told you it’s hard to leave this place! :)
Thanks for reading!

Underdogs out

Team USA and the Basketball Hall of Fame...

2010-08-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Say what you will about the new Big Three in Miami,
it's going to be fun to watch!

So now that the summer of LeBron has run its course and we know where he and other coveted free-agents will be playing in the NBA next season (the whole of New York City just hung their respective heads for a moment. Yea, they're still not over it!) (And while extending the mildest of apologies to baseball's "pennant races" (boo... the Mets are coming up short again)) it is finally time for us to turn our collective sports-attention to the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Championships. Whew, bet you didn't see that coming! Just as Football’s FIFA World Cup is played every four years, so is this International hoops tournament; although admittedly, on quite a bit smaller of a scale than their world dominating big brother footballers. Most Americans think of the Olympic Games as the benchmark for world supremacy in sports, including basketball, but it is in the World Championships where the “official FIBA Champ” has been crowned since 1950.

When Spain won the FIFA World Cup this summer
hundreds of thousands flocked the streets in Madrid
to welcome them home. Comparatively, international
basketball is an afterthought.

I have often wondered why the Basketball World Championships seem to be so traditionally over-looked globally, but after long and deliberate consideration I have at last come to the realization that the simplest explanation must be the correct one. Maybe it just appears that way because in comparison with the unfathomable mania that dominates the globe for a solid month during the World Cup, nothing could possibly measure up. Right? I mean, really. Every four years the World's basketball faithful have to follow that???

Arvydas Sabonis is under consideration to
enter the Hall of Fame next year.

Or maybe, because of the Olympics, most sports fans just don't really care at all. For example, in 2002, the event was held in Indianapolis… considered by many to be a “basketball city.” Almost nobody showed up. The crowds were embarrassingly sparse… even for USA games. And that year, infamously, a team from the United States of America… with all NBA players on the roster, finished SIXTH in the world; something unheard of! Two years later in the Olympics, Bronze. USA Basketball needed to change. National teams from Europe and South America in particular had started to display much more cohesiveness and chemistry than the American squads as most had been together under the same system for years. And with each passing year the athleticism and ability of international players was also on the climb. The US policy of throwing random players together for a couple of weeks with a different system and coaching staff each time was not going to cut it anymore. The “World” had caught up.

So USA Basketball turned to revered basketball mind, Jerry Colangelo and Duke coach (and Hall of Famer) Mike Krzyzewski, to turn around Team USA’s shaky culture. They started by getting solid 4-year commitments from the best American players. (In the past many elite players would turn down invitations last minute, due to the grueling NBA schedule, injuries, or simply the lure of a summer social life.) But now it was different. The USA had something to prove. 30 guys were invited to camp, and only 12 guys would emerge. Kobe, LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard had to TRY OUT… probably for the first time since the 6^th grade. Nobody was guaranteed a spot. The US was indeed rejuvenated, but it still wasn’t enough in the 2006 World Championships in Japan, as a savvy Greece team upset the “redeem team” in the semi-final. USA finished Bronze again. And while that same team was back again two years later to indeed “redeem” while winning the Gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Bejiing, Team USA has not finished better than Bronze in the FIBA World Championships, since 1994. Sixteen years ago was the last time Team USA won the coveted “Naismith Trophy” that accompanies the Gold Medal. Think Dr. Naismith could have ever predicted That??? :)

And speaking of the good doctor, while gigging up in Connecticut recently, I was able to swing up to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Which is right down the street from where he came up with the idea for the game back in 1891, when the YMCA charged him with developing an indoor game to provide an “athletic distraction” for rowdy youths trapped indoors during the long cold New England winter months. If you don’t know the story, check out the way Bill Cosby told it in San Francisco back in 1972. (“You can’t play football… because your fingers have disappeared, man.”) Seems like a fairly sensible request to create an indoor game, right? And while the game the Doctor invented that day with a soccer ball and a peach basket, is very different from the high-flying super-sport that it has developed into in the past 120 years or so, most of the rules were established way back in that YMCA Barn, by Naismith and his restless kids.

I had been to the Hall of Fame once before back in the year 2000, but this was my first time since the new building had been completed in 2003. Now there is a huge building in the shape of a sphere (or a basketball shape, as they say around here) right off of I-91 where the history of basketball greatness is forever enshrined. The exhibits they have on the early years of the game are fascinating, as well as the details on how the game evolved into one of the most popular in the world, and the ring of honor, where all of the best ever are immortalized, is a thrill for hoops junkies like me. But the coolest thing about the place is that there is a NBA style basketball court right in the middle of the sphere where you can shoot hoops all day if you want. Perfectly buoyant hardwood floors, soft break-away rims with silky smooth nets, and those ideal leather basketballs that practically dribble themselves. So when I got in I eagerly grabbed a ball off of the rack but then an employee told me that the courts were closed at the moment for a special clinic that some UMass players were giving to a High School Girls team from Montreal. More than slightly disappointed I shrugged it off and headed back to the elevator, but then he said, “But you can join in if you want to.” That was all the prompting I needed.

So for the next 45 minutes I got to run drills with UMass Players: Terrell Vinson, Freddy Riley, and Sean Carter along with D’arcy, Jennine, Amelie and the rest of the Canadian hoopsters with Pony-tails! So much fun… you never get to run drills in real life. I think I hit something like eight of my first nine threes. It’s amazing how much easier it is to shoot without the wind gusting in unpredictably. After ten years of gritting it out on the menacing concrete, unforgiving steel backboards, and archaic bare rims of the New York park street-courts, it was like dying and going to heaven.

Later on while perusing the museum I would occasionally peer over the side to look at all of the people shooting hoops throughout the day. During normal playing hours there are lots of hoops available for people to try their jumper (including the original Peach-Basket) and one time when I was looking down I noticed, that on the basketball court every possible demographic that I could think of was represented. From toddler to grand-mother, all different shapes and sizes, all differing nationalities and style preferences, all wearing unmistakable smiles. How often do you come across a game so universally enjoyed? So simple that its appeal spans so vastly across the human landscape? I couldn’t think of another sport that lends itself so readily to the masses, where all you really need is a ball and a basket, and it hit me in that one moment how special this game is. Doctor Naismith may have completed his assignment that day for his bosses at the Y, but the lasting result of his “athletic distraction” has proved nothing short of miraculous, eventually providing worldwide happiness beyond measure.

Inspired to get back on the court to shoot a few more, I raced back down the stairs, grabbed a ball off the rack, and started dribbling toward an empty hoop. Quickly one of the employees caught my eye and said, “oh, you only have about ten minutes left to shoot okay, because the court is closing early today.” “Okay, cool, thanks,” I said, slightly dismayed, looking around at all of the jubilant hoopsters having a blast on the hardwood, “Why is it closing early?” I asked. “Because of a wedding,” he said.

Oh c’mon Mom. Maybe she wanted it! :)

Anyway, last weekend the Hall of Fame welcomed in new members Karl Malone, Dennis Johnson, and Scottie Pippen (fittingly introduced by last years inductee, Michael Jordan) as well as the 1992 US Olympic basketball team. Or you may remember the media dubbing them the Dream Team. That squad with Mike, Sir Charles, Scottie, Larry, and Magic dominated the games that year, winning each contest by an average of 43.8 points. The world was certainly overmatched in those days, but alas, the times they have-a-changed. And we are about to find out who is the best in 2010.

Derrick Rose has the quickness to
compensate for the lack of size on
the US Squad. Will it be enough?

So if you are sitting around this weekend with nothing to do. If your baseball team is already out of the playoff picture (102 years and counting, North-Side-of Chicago!) or nationally televised Preseason football games that don’t mean anything can’t really grab your interest (Brett Favre only played four downs last night, Minneapolis!) why not dust off your patriotism and check out the Basketball World Championships from Turkey starting this Saturday. Will Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Tyson Chandler, and this US team of young upstarts be able to live up to their Olympic-Gold older brothers (or fathers), and bring the Naismith trophy back to the states for the first time in sixteen years? With teams from Spain, Brazil, and Argentina sporting the bigger and more experienced rosters this year, it is going to be far from easy, and the US may even be playing the role of an Underdog in this tournament. And well... you know we have a soft spot for guys like that around here! :)

Let's go Coach K and the young dogs!!!

USA! USA! USA!!!
Sorry, I 'm just dusting off that patriotism.

Thanks for reading,

Underdogs OUT!

Next up: The Underdogs head through the middle of the country as the Underdog Trail leads ON... to Colorado!

The ESPN Campus in Bristol and the LeBron Watch...

2010-07-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

In 1978 an unemployed sports announcer in Bristol, Connecticut had an idea. He had just been fired by the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association as its communications director and play-by-play announcer, and he wanted to find a way to broadcast UConn basketball games, state-wide, so all Connecticut-ers could see their beloved Huskies in action and, y’know, also so he would have something to do. Now right around this time, satellite technology was just coming into play as a decent option for broadcasting television programming on cable, and this guy found a little-used company named RCA that had 23 active transponder sites available for customers to rent.

After discovering that it was cheaper to rent satellite time for 24 hours than for five hours, and that the satellite’s range was much farther reaching than just the North Eastern Seaboard, he decided to offer a 24-hour sports programming network all across the country. Naturally, something like this had never been done, but he went for it. He used his credit card to lease space on RCA's Satcom 1, and he called his new company Entertainment Sports Programming Network, Inc., or ESP Network for short. According to espn.com, the name became ESPN when the company's initial order for letterhead came back wrongly printed. Gotta love those happy mistakes.

That man’s name is Bill Rasmussen, the staple show was called Sportscenter... and the rest… is History.

For better or for worse, the world we live in today is one inundated with constant communication between people. It is still, seriously, amazing to me. Can you imagine people of centuries past trying to wrap their brains around how easily we can keep in global contact today? We can talk on cell phones, Skype (video phone,) or by instant messenger on computer to anyone in the world, anytime, anywhere, instantaneously. People have video-conferences that span continents. We can email, text, or write on each other’s Facebook walls. Or we can broadcast our brilliant opinions to the world on Twitter, YouTube, Wikapedia, (or stupid Blogs :) It’s crazy. But, of course we all know that already. We are living in the future after all. The affect of all of these technological advancements on us, however, is not known. Is the human brain really able to process all of this information? Are we supposed to be able to keep in touch with such a vast number of people? Will we lose our short-term memory ability because of google?

I don’t think we will ever learn the answers to these extraordinary questions, (although I’m sure many expensive studies will be done) but one thing is for sure; ESPN did it right. Cable television was nothing in 1978 and today there are about a thousand channels and endless hours of content online and on in-demand channels. It’s the media equivalent of going from a paper airplane to an F-22. I’m sure Mr. Rasmussen would admit that even he didn’t foresee just how far we would come and so quickly, but it is truly amazing to think that this one guy envisioned “sports-as-culture.” And it’s hard to imagine the world today without it.

ESPN invented the sports culture, cultivated it every day with new and constantly updated media, and is today an International Juggernaut. I know because everyday I wake up and check espn.com to see if we have any more of a clue as to where LeBron will sign this summer. Could you imagine anyone caring about where an NBA free-agent was going to sign on a daily basis in 1978? I’m not even waking up to check a score; no actual game is involved here. Could you imagine televising the NFL draft in 1978? This year the NFL says 23 million people watched at least part of it. No game; just guys standing around and shaking hands. This is “sports-as-culture “ – people care about the stories around the games and the players as much as they care about the games themselves. Mr. Rasmussen hit the nail on the head, and ESPN is King.

So when I got the call to take a tour of the “campus” in Bristol, CT, about 15 minutes drive from where I was doing The Last Five Years at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, I jumped at the chance. Are you kidding me? Of course I did. It’s like a Mecca for me! And the tour did not disappoint. Honestly, I was like a kid in a candy FACTORY… not just a store. It is quite literally, a sport's junkies Paradise!!! Oh and here's the kicker... there are no public tours of the campus… you gotta know somebody. Thanks Naomi and Steve!!! I had one of the coolest days of my LIFE!

We actually had six little kids in our tour group (10 person maximum) so at first glance it seemed like the tour might not be the best, but as we went along it proved to be kind of an ace in the hole. One of the kid’s moms was friends with one of the camera men, Rob, so he came along and showed us demonstrations of how the studio cameras, gibs, teleprompters, and steadycams work (Y’know, because people love kids!) And it was a relatively slow studio day so we were able to see almost all of the studios. Plus I got to meet Sportscenter Anchor Dari Nowkhah, World Cup Analyst Tommy Smyth and then Ric Bucher! I follow "Buke" all the time because he does Bill Simmons Podcasts and he’s on the NBA beat… Sadly though, he said he doesn’t know where LeBron is going to sign. Boooo. But he did say however, that he is looking forward to when the decision is made... because maybe then he can finally see his family again.

Most of the kids had a good time on the tour, while some seemed (gasp!) disinterested… but I think it is safe to say that I enjoyed it more than all of them combined. Probably because I’ve been watching ESPN for twenty years, right? It was absolutely BRILLIANT!!!

Meanwhile, the World Cup from South Africa continues on the World Wide Leader, and the entire world continues to ask the question; can anybody beat The Netherlands??? (Tommy Smyth thinks that Germany can), a couple of blokes at Wimbledon played a fifth set that actually ended at 70 games to 68, and Nebraska will be joining the Big 10 in 2011, but the breaking news tonight? ESPN just declared that Lebron James will announce his decision of which team he will sign with as a free agent live on television. And it's going to be on… you guessed it, ESPN. Thursday night at 9pm Eastern Standard. No game, just news. Think that will get a pretty good rating? Lebron’s people just agreed with ESPN execs on an hour-long special with the advertising dollars going directly to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Good idea? Who knows. But one thing's for certain.

Bill Rasumussen had it right.

Long live the King.

Oh, and Lebron… It’s gotta be New York Right???

Riiiiiiight.

Underdogs OUT!

MSG and the Comedy that is the Knicks

2010-05-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

So when the 101D and the Underdogs rolled into New York, there was one thing on everybody’s mind. MSG. Madison… Square… Garden. The Mecca of all sporting venues in America and the self proclaimed (yes, a building can actually proclaim itself something) “world’s most famous arena.” Since its first year in 1968 the Garden has pretty much hosted every possible kind of indoor entertainment. The Ringling Brother’s Circus, The Westminster Dog show, and virtually every popular music act. And now... they had us.

The 101D set up at the Theatre at MSG. The WaMu theatre they call it. And yes, it’s the very same stage where Lebron James shook David Stern’s hand in 2003… Downstage center. (It’s also where Knicks fans booed Isiah’s selection of Renaldo Balkman in 2006… ah NBA draft drama :) But most notably, MSG is also the home to the New York Rangers, The New York Liberty, and… the (no championships since 1973) New York Knicks. Working at MSG has its perks. The 101D Dog trainers housed our Canine pals on the third floor in close proximity to the court, so we could go visit them when we wanted (always great fun!)

What up DX, Gracie, Jada, Phoenix, Lacy, RV, Murphy, Forks, Burt, Frankie, and Jackson?!! Y'all are the REAL underdogs! Inspiring in every way… oh and by the way, right up the stairs from my doggs? The team that needs the most inspiration. That's right… Your New York Knicks!!! The Under D’s got to hit up the last two home games of the season at the Garden against the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards, and that was lots of fun too. Because as most Knicks fans know… finally there is hope. But before we get to the present day… Let’s talk some Knicks history.

No one could write enough about how bad the Knicks have been in the last ten years. If you had a million monkeys at a million type-writers there would not be enough combined letters randomly key-stroked to adequately illustrate how miserable the last ten years have been for New Yorkers at the Garden.

And the primary figure for the Knicks during this period was General Manager and coach Isiah Thomas. In 2003 the franchise was blindly entrusted to Thomas by owner Jim Dolan, in one of the most egregiously baffling and comically-long-lasting travesties in sports management history. Never before has any team in any American professional sports league endured such a consistent stretch of terrible-ness. In every way conceivable.

Isiah Thomas was the worst man for the job in NY; a terrible GM who compiled (and severely over-paid for) a collection of “good players” who didn’t fit together well or fit any kind of offensive system… mostly, because a system wasn’t ever instituted!

Instead, Isiah would stand on the sideline and smile knowingly at his confounded team (as they racked up another loss) almost as if he was a dad… bemused by his wayward young sons who just aren’t getting it. “Aw! but they sure are trying hard!” Basically, everything was left to chance. Like rolling dice and hoping it adds up to something. Not what you would expect in the (again self-proclaimed) basketball-capital-of-the-world right? So how did it happen? Jim Dolan. The rich kid who inherited a Billion-Dollar empire (that included the Knicks) and simply didn’t’ seem to have much interest in basketball. His company makes so much money that the Knicks didn’t have to be good and clearly this guy didn’t care. In the single biggest slap in the face to Knicks fans (and that’s a tall order folks) in March of 2007 Dolan rewarded Isiah with a three-year extension before the Knicks finshed the season at 33-49. Was he even paying attention??? Clearly, no.

For those of you who don’t follow the NBA very closely, they have a salary cap and maximum amounts allowable for player contracts. So, unlike the Yankees, or Red Sox, or… Cubs in baseball (what’s wrong with that sentence?) the big markets aren’t assured the best players (or in the Yanks case, lots of them.) Simply put, small market teams can compete with the huge market cities, provided they are smart.

Now that’s not to say that money tells the whole story in sports. For instance, I often complain about how much the Yanks are able to spend each year ($206 Million in 2010) in effect, buying another World Championship; Pittsburgh is last on that list at under 35 Million (or about what A-Rod makes by himself!) Kinda disgusting right? But, as my man Ray is quick to point out (usually when I’m complaining about the Mets throwing another season away) if my logic was solid the Mets would have been in the World Series last year along with the Yankees, because the Mets came up second on that list. And although they were still a good $70 million or so short of their Big Brothers in the Bronx, it certainly should have added up to more than a Last Place finish in the NL East. Ouch. And because I can’t resist another dig… the CUBS were a close third on that list with a 135 Million-Dollar Payroll last year, and they finished 67-95! Surprised? No, of course not. Ray is Right. Money can’t buy championships. You also have to be good… and Smart.

Even though there is a Salary cap in the NBA, teams are allowed to exceed it. Essentially it is a soft-cap where teams are allowed to go over the cutoff to sign their own players. So if they have a player at a relatively low salary and he becomes a big star, they are still able to resign that player at market value when he becomes a free agent. It’s better for the league for the stars to stay on their own teams. Some teams have been smart about this over the years (see: San Antonio Spurs) and some teams have not (see: New York Knicks.)

In 2006-07 the NBA salary cap was at $65.42 Million. The Knicks had an NBA record high, 142 Million-Dollars in player salaries that year. So including penalties (teams have to pay the league a luxury tax for being over the cap) the team shelled out almost $191 Million for their players, half of which weren’t even playing at the time. And the final outcome? The Knicks missed the playoffs and had a 33-49 record. Dismal. And that is just a glimpse of how atrocious Knicks management has been... it's been ongoing.

To be fair, the Knicks bloated payroll isn’t completely Isiah’s fault. He inherited plenty of ridiculous contracts from the almost equally spend-happy previous GM Scott Layden. Layden and Isiah both hid behind the conventional wisdom that sports people have preached over the years; you can’t rebuild in New York. In other words, other cities would stomach a few bad seasons while management planned for the future and assembled a team that could compete for championships, but not New York. The city and its sports fans are too demanding. So in ten years of “not rebuilding” the Knicks have a record of 327-493... that’s a .385 winning percentage. The “wisdom” seems faulty wouldn’t you say?

So the light at the end of the tunnel for all of us Knicks fans has been that finally two years ago the obvious became reality. Dolan fired Isiah (although he’s still paying him… gotta love rich kids) and hired Donny Walsh (a proven GM and respected basketball mind) who then hired Mike D’Antoni (a brilliant offensive coach who’s system brought enormous success to the Phoenix Suns) as coach. Then Walsh basically conceded the past two seasons by trading away all of the Knicks best players to obtain valuable “cap space” for the summer of 2010. Finally the Knicks are far enough under the salary cap to significantly improve. If you are into the NBA you know that the most exciting two-word phrase you can utter in this league is “Cap-Space.” And Why? Because of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the greatest free-agent class in NBA history.

Buuuut, mostly it's just about LeBron.

The whole world wants to know… Will he stay in Cleveland or land in the Big Apple?
Tonight's extremely well Hyped up Game 6 in Boston will tell us a lot about LBJ's future. It's HUGE! What's it gonna be BronBron?
Gracie wants to KNOW!!!

That’s coming up NEXT!

On the UnderDogs :)

The Road to the Final Four!!!

2010-04-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

As if everyone doesn't know this already, March in this country has become a month almost exclusively dedicated to College Basketball. In every office, work-site, school, factory (wait do we have those anymore?... let's make it 'think tank'), or (even) Theatre across our vast land, March Madness reigns Supreme. It's everywhere you look! And the brackets are OUT. Countless brackets are filled out every year in the hopes of filling out that ever-so-elusive PERFECT Bracket! Basically, everybody starts out on cloud nine with all the hope in the world... and then the upsets start rolling in. At which point the hope switches to the possibility that your bracket will be just good enough to beat your friends :) I mean, there are only 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible outcomes after all (Yea, that's more than Nine Quintillion.) 65 teams get in. One team wins. It's simply the perfect event in sports.

So, as I mentioned before, the Under Dogs finally made our escape east from Big Ten Land (also known as the Midwest) and the next stop on the trail was Providence, Rhode Island. Home of Ted Berrigan, the Farelly Brothers, and Brown University - where the Ivy Leaguers live... and act smart. Yea, Providence is a cool town indeed. But it was about to get even Cooler :)

And as luck would have it, the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament this year were being played in New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Jose, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Spokane, and... Providence. Yes! Once again fortune was smiling on us.

I knew we were in for a pretty sweet time when we entered the hotel and were inadvertently welcomed by a NCAA basketball banner!!! A first!!! (I say inadvertently because the banner was most likely meant for the University of Ohio, who was entering the hotel a little later than us… I mean, since they were the ones taking on number 3 Georgetown that Thursday, not us :)

Just as with the Big Ten Tourney the week before, the UnderD's were able to check out the first round of NCAA action right down the block from the hotel at the Duncan Donuts Center; two more Firsts!!!... my first time ever live at an NCAA Tournament Game, and first time at any arena named after a Donut Brand... well not just any Donut Brand, I guess. They tell me America runs on this stuff.

America's problems aside, the festivities at the DDC were percolating as we made our way to our seats, nibbling on our Boston-Cremes (just kidding.) It was definitely NCAA Tourney energy in the air. From here on out, it was win or go home. Along for the ride this time was one of our all-time favorites, Honorary Underdog and 101D Physical Therapist, Marissa Chapnick. Although her reputation admittedly proceeds her here, I must sing her praises nonetheless. Hailing from the prestigious (yet oddly Yankee-fan heavy, Staten Island, not only is she, admirably, a New York Mets fan, but marvelously and some would say miraculously, a Florida Gator Fan too!) How does THAT happen??? Marissa and I were the only Underdogs who were able to make the first round that day in Indianapolis and we were in for a show!

The first game was between the heavily favored 2nd seed Villanova and 15th seeded Robert Morris. What a game for underdogs! Robert Morris played a magnificent game and lead most of the way going into the fourth quarter. Only a last gasp come-from-behind effort by Villanova forced an overtime, and then in a heartbreaker for the Colonials, Villanova squeeked out a 73-70 overtime win. We in the stands, and the whole nation breathed a collective sigh of relief, as the first game of the Big Dance almost proved to be a huge bracket-buster! The Underdog in me, feeling the taste of early bracket Mahem so close, was elated at the potential upset (I don't think a 15th seed has ever beaten a 2) so I was kind of devastated that Villanova pulled it out at the end. Marissa was happy though because all she cared about was preserving her bracket going forward. It was a futile sentiment. The Tourney was about to take Doc Marissa (and Everybody for that matter) on a thrilling ride of explosive upsets, impossible to predict!

Take the second game we saw for instance, when number 12 St. Mary's completely outplayed number 7 Richmond. I was blown away by the Gaels performance… I mean, if you google St. Mary's they aren't even the first school that comes up!!! This is St. Mary's, California, from the bay area, and they came to play, people! Their big man, Omar Samhan, was killing everybody down-low and their perimeter players (made up mostly of their five Australians on the squad) was nailing everything in that game. I felt like I was at a basketball clinic of how to work the inside-out game, as Samham was hitting his boys for jumpers all day, when he was doubled. Amazing. And Richmond was baffled.

Of course, St. Mary's went on to stun the world next when they dispatched Villanova in the second round to make the Sweet 16. Samhan and his Underdog cronies continued to turn the NCAA tourney world on its head, but the biggest upset in that first round came later that night from none other than our Hotel-mates - the Ohio University Bobcats. Going up against the number 3 Georgetown Hoyas, the Bobcats killed everybody's brackets by blowing them out, 97-83. WHAt??? Ohio??? Beat Georgetown? Nobody saw that one coming!

The next day walking by one of the conference rooms in the hotel, I saw the Ohio coaches going over their game plan for their next opponent, Tennessee of the SEC. And I even had a chance to take a picture with their mascot and cheerleaders in the lobby one night, but I didn't take it. I figured they were overworked as it was and I didn't want to bother them in their downtime. But then why was the guy wearing the Bobcat head? In the LOBBY?? Aw, I missed my chance! Anyway, their Cinderella story didn't last long, as they got blown out in the second round by the Minutemen. But Butler's Underdog trail did last.

The Butler Bulldogs had played right next-door from our theatre in Indianapolis that previous Wednesday, at the historic, Hinkle Fieldhouse. They won the Horizon League title in convincing fashion against Wright State that night, and assured the extra traffic that we had to get through after the show. More importantly, that title gave them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament and against all odds, started their journey that has continued all the way to the final Four!

So here they were, last night, the only two campuses that we played on the entire 101D tour; Butler, from Indianapolis vs Michigan State, from East Lansing. Battling it out to decide who would go to the National Championship game! Who could have guessed that??? Butler's never even been close to this spot before, and well, Michigan State will be playing Goliath in this production :)

And Butler Pulls it off! The upsets are never ending this year!
Next up for the Bulldogs, an even Bigger Goliath. Duke in the Championship game!
wow.
You gotta Love the Madness!!!
UnderDogs out

The Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis

2010-04-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

So we finally made it out of there! The Midwest I'm talking about. GoodNess!... The Midwest is ALL about the Big Ten, people. I mean, I’d heard the stories but I found out first hand on this trip... it is for Real! I feel like spending the last two months or so around those parts has had a rather significant affect on me. East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Columbus, and Indianapolis were the last 5 stops on the Underdog Trail, and all of them are, you guessed it, Big Ten towns :) So it is only fitting, that just before we made our escape back East, that the UnderD's hit up the Holiest of Holy's - Big 10 Basketball style - that's right, the Big Ten Tournament! Held annually now in Indianapolis (Which is also the site of this year's NCAA final Four... Think any of these guys will be lucky enough to make it there? Everybody in the Midwest does! :)

Now, I've always heard that Indianapolis a basketball mecca of sorts; the center of the Basketball word, some say. Or that, simply, Basketball matters more here. There may be some truth to that… at least on the college side of things. Even though the NBA's Indiana Pacers certainly had many good years throughout the nineties and even two Championships in the 1970’s (Red White and Blue style (or the ABA if your not hip :), the true colors of Indiana have always been without a doubt, Hoosier Red. It’s kind of a dark red… or is that maroon? Maybe not that dark… kinda blood red maybe. Fitting, because these people Bleed it! The whole state does. And that number includes our Cruella, Sara Gettlefinger, who came along with me, and fellow 101Ders Mike Masters and Joe Dellger, to Conseco Fieldhouse that day in Indianapolis. Even though she did her for-real Schooling at Cincinnati, Sara grew up in Indiana… and as she said, “it’s not like it’s really a choice or anything. It’s just something that you do if you grow up anywhere within Indiana borders. You pull for the Hoosiers.”

So on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana was the second game in action against the Northwestern Wildcats; Jimmy Ludwig’s Michigan Wolverines beat Iowa in the first game. (Then later they Almost took out favorite Ohio State in the second round, losing on a buzzer-beating three. Sooo close! You would have thought they'd guard Evan Turner a little closer on that final play, I mean what was he going to do? Drive past you to shoot the desperation three??? ugh… Sorry Jimmy. Next year baby.) Anyway, naturally Sara was Decked out in her Dark Red IU colors. (She said she would have painted her face up too but playing Cruella is already pretty demanding on the make-up side of things, so she decided to skip it) Everyone else seemed to pick up the slack though. It seemed like the whole place was a sea of red.

Despite the admirable turnout, Sara admitted that it obviously isn’t the same these days as it used to be. After all, this year the Hoosiers were 10-20 going into that game and not even favored against a less-than-juggernaut Northwestern team (who incidentally, has never EVER been to the NCAA tournament. I was shocked when my Uncle, who lives near Northwestern in Evanston, told me that. Northwestern has NEVER been??? It can’t be! When I checked the facts later it turned out to be true… but then, of course it did… this guy worked for the Encyclopedia Britannica and the World Book for fifty years, I think he knows his stuff. Hi Uncle Dick! Great Christmas letter, like always! :)

The Indiana Hoosiers know the NCAA Tournament very well. Historically, after UCLA and Kentucky, they are third in the number of total National Championships with Five (the last two under… ulp, Bobby Knight in the ‘80’s.) One of my favorite things to do in life is to ask any IU fan, that I happen to meet, what they think about Bobby Knight… because they all say the same thing. He is one of those very unique situations, where you honestly both love him AND hate him. Although he had many winning seasons, Coach Knight’s repeatedly absurd antics on the court (however well intentioned) throughout the years ended up painting him in a pretty bad light, especially in the national perspective. He clearly loved his players and the game, but his rough edged, un-P.C. approach seemed to have outlived its usefulness by the end of the twentieth century. Former players always had a mixed bag of things to say about him. Basically, the tough guys loved him, the soft guys didn’t. Man, I would have HATED playing for him. :)

Anyway, It all culminated with his dismissal from the University in 2000, and I remember thinking at the time that it would lead to riots in Indiana. It was like the Hoosier world tipping completely upside down! But it made sense after all; it reminded me of the old adage, “You can’t argue with success.” Well by the end of the 90’s there wasn’t much success anymore, and Bobby’s outlandish and oftentimes outrageous behavior was more of an embarrassment to the University than anything. He looks harmless though right? Maybe it's because his face doesn't match his sweater in this picture as it usually did. It's too bad I couldn't find a shot of him famously throwing the chairs on the court in protest, that's my favorite (this is is obviously not my pic by the way. Hope they don't sue :) Anyway, when the firing finally went down, as Sara said, Hoosier nation just quietly nodded their respective heads and moved on. To a 10-20 season in 2010 though. Nobody could have envisioned that. Ugh.

The Hoosiers had won TWENTY Big Ten Tournaments coming into this one, and were representing their hallowed previous generations rather well in this game, outplaying Northwestern for the most part, while clinging to a 5-point lead with 8 minutes to go. Now, since the first game had gone into overtime, we were watching the clock closely at this point. We knew that we might have to leave early to get to the theatre for the show that night if the games went long, and that was indeed the way it played out. Sadly, Sara, Mike, and I had run out of time and we had to leave Conseco… during a close game with a little over seven to play??? ugh, (or maybe I should say, Mike and I had to drag Sara kicking and screaming to her “day job”... she is Die-Hard Y'all!! :) Eitherway, we left Conseco with about 7:20 to go in the game (Hoosiers up seven,) to head up to the theatre on the Butler Campus. By the time we got there, Indiana had lost by fifteen! WHAT??? I only occasionally gave Sara the Iphone-Scorecenter updates along the way as she drove us (through the rain), trying not to upset her too much :) It was a 22 point swing since Sara had left the building. They had lost their moxy! Coincidence? I think not. Bobby Knight is rolling over in his GRAVE!... or uh, lazy boy.

Anyway, everything turned out alright. Sara got over the loss quickly and went on that night, brilliantly as always, to slay Indy as that lovable nutbar Cruella. But, it was a bad day for Jimmy the next day when UM went down to Ohio State and even Joe Dellger’s highly seeded Wisconsin Badgers (who we saw blast UM in Ann Arbor) were upset in their first game the following day. That left it up to Ohio State to take it, and they did, beating down Minnesota 90-61 in the championship game. My Columbus boys, Ken and Brian were stoked to see the Buckeye resurgence, and equally jazzed about a deep run in the upcoming NCAA tournament, and rightly so, but I wasn’t interested enough to go back to Conseco for the last game. We had already seen the Buckeyes. One night when we were in Columbus after the show (thanks to an early show and a late hoops start time), the Lady Underdog and I were able to check out the second half of a game against Illinois. The Buckeyes looked good and their star player Evan Turner is the real deal, but as we've learned after all... if it's not your team, it’s no fun rooting for the favorite. Honestly, now and forever... Here we be UNDERDOGS! :)

Next up. NCAA in Providence! March MADNESS!!! :)
Underdogs OUT

Jimmy Ludwig and the Game with Sticks...

2010-02-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

Out here on the 101D trail, I have the privilege of sharing the stage with a great many tremendous performers and it is truly a joy everyday. One of said performers is none other than the Incomparable Jimmy Ludwig (Pictured left, with me and Cruella... aka the also Incomparable, Rachel York.) And as I’ve mentioned earlier in this blog, Jimmy is a Michigan guy, who grew up in the Upper Peninsula (or the U.P. if ya hip… or, some would say, Wisconsin :) but he also did his Undergrad (as did many generations of Ludwigs) right down the street from here in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan. Consequently, of course, Jimmy is a die hard Wolverine and Big 10 guy and, sadly… he seems to be one of a few remaining unfortunate souls who appear to be in denial about the obvious superiority of the SEC over the Big 10, whenever it comes up in conversation. Now for the first part of that last sentence he can’t really be faulted… he’s pretty much bled Michigan Blue since birth… but the second part is another matter all together… a real head-scratcher. It is just sad, really. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Jimmy is a great guy and an amazing performer… but… c’mon!... Jimmy! It’s the new millennium!!! Getcha head out the sand, already… geeZe!!! (This part of the blog could go on forever so I’d better move it along :) Luv ya JLudz!)

Regardless of other ignorances, Jimmy knows Ann Arbor (among other things... mostly about beer and its history… and drinking it :) and he can recommend lots of great restaurants, bars, or just some random cool places to hang out. He can also recount that most memorable of the good old days in town, when Glen Rice and Big Blue won the NCAA National Title a few years back, and the jubilation that followed in the streets. (Or should I say, the Riots that followed… weeeeell, Jimmy has maintained that he wasn’t involved, that much.) Anyway, so when Jimmy said that the Lady Underdog and I HAD to get out to Yost Ice Arena on the UM campus to see a Wolverines Hockey Game, I said, “Yea Dogg! Sounds CooooooL.”

Yost is a throwback. Completed in November of 1923, it is considered the nation’s first University field house. It housed UM track teams and basketball teams over the years until it exclusively became a hockey venue in 1973. Going to a game there is like going back in time a little bit. Until you look up at the jumbotron of course. On that beautifully picturesque, snowy campus night when the Lady UnderD and I made it to Yost it was UM against Bowling Green… yup, they have a hockey team!

Now I love Hockey, and have always had the utmost respect for these guys and what they can do out there on the ice, but since I never really grew up in a place where playing hockey was a thing… it’s just not in my blood. I’ve tried to follow the NHL but I can’t really ever get into it until the playoffs (IF at all) but LIVE hockey is another thing altogether… SO much fun! (Although, I almost got killed at the Garden in NYC a few years back when I went with a bunch of my Buffalo homies (what up D???), to watch the Sabres knock the Rangers out of the playoffs in an elimination game. Those New Yorkers are NUTS!!!... but it was still fun :)

Anyway, when I hit up a few of my “northern” friends to let them know I was at a Hockey game, I got some props because they know it’s not my sports-viewing-strong-suit. Well I got some props, but my boy Brian Marino, a Michigan native, simply replied, “Hey that’s great… but don’t you need someone there with you to tell you what’s going on???” OUCH.

So watching Hockey at the college level is great. The players are still amazingly skilled, but it’s almost easier to appreciate that skill when it isn’t so many miles above the mere mortal as it is in the NHL. Also, I had a chance to continue my education as an aspiring sports photographer. Ugh, I’ve got a long way to go. But the Lady Underdog has quite the Knack! :)
Ahhhh... hockey. Soon the US will play Canada for the Gold Medal in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Whoooo will take it??? :) UnderD's OUT!

Michigan, Magic, and the Fab Five's impact on Basketball Fashion...

2010-02-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

So as I've mentioned before, on this here Blog, I am an SEC guy. (That's the Southeastern Conference if ya not hip :) And as the Florida Gators and, the (ugh) LSU Tigers and… the (Double ugh) Alabama Crimson Tide have proven in recent years, the SEC has far-and-away been the best football conference in the country. You can pretty much pencil in the SEC champ every year to play for the National Championship (usually against the Big 12 Champ nowadays, as the country is finally noticing and giving respect to the second-best conference... Sorry Pac10.) For years that respect went to the MIdwest's own, Big Ten along with their storied history and big name programs; Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan. The Big Ten coasted on reputation about ten years too long on the National Landscape and was humiliated in a number of big games (Ohio state BSC Title games anyone?? Sorry Columbus.) But in spite of the Big Ten’s fall from grace on the football side of things, the Midwest loves their big ten! LOVES it. The Big Ten Rules around here... And Especially... in Michigan!!!

The 101d came back to Michigan two weeks ago to play for a week in East Lansing; The sister city to the very Capital of the mitten state, and also the home of those fighting Michigan State Spartans. And while historically MSU has taken a backseat to their rival UM Wolverines, in recent years they have built up some significant bragging rights of their own in the BigTen. And Especially... Because it's BASkEtBall season!!! :-) That’s right, Basketball! The best game ever :)

Since 1995, when Tom Izzo took over as head coach in East Lansing, the Spartans have been one of the best basketball programs in the country. 356 wins in that span along with 5 Big Ten Championships and 5 trips to the NCAA final four have cemented him as the best coach in school history. Not to mention their one National Championship in that span, coming in 2000, against… well… those fightin’ Florida Gators of course, who (in my UNbiased opinion) marched methodically to the championship game that year. So… um, as I said, we are NOT going to mention that :) NOR are we going to mention their point guard and team MVP that year, Mateen Cleaves, who absolutely killed the Gators in that championship game, (smiling all the way through it, I might add, ugh.) It should be noted that Morris Peterson and Jason Richardson, who may have also played brilliantly, on that day in April 2000, will likewise, NOT be mentioned here.

Twenty-one years earlier, here in East Lansing, there was another brilliant young point guard (who also had an affinity for smiling as he picked apart your defense) by the name of Earvin Johnson, or as most people called him, “Magic.” He too led the Spartans to a national Championship, his sophomore season, against Indiana State and their relatively well-known phenom, Larry Bird. Magic got the best of Larry that day, but they spent the next ten years practically trading the Championship Trophy back and forth from LA to Boston as they battled it out every year in the NBA. Those two guys generally get credit (along with a guy named Michael Jordan) for raising basketball and the League to new un-dreamt of heights in the 80’s and 90’s. Which has lead to a game that is now so widespread internationally it ranks as the second most popular sport in the world, naturally following soccer (or football, or futbol.) And that’s quite an achievement considering that soccer’s importance in many countries more closely compares to religion than recreation :) Magic had a lot to do with that, as young hoopsters around the world grew up idolizing his flashy style on the court. The Flint Michigan native won a High School State Championship, A NCAA National Championship at MSU, 5 NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and an Olympic Gold Medal for the US in 1992. All of this information can be read under the title “Always a Champion” at the foot of the “Magic” Statue outside of the Breslin Center on the Michigan State campus, and naturally, I had to stop by to check it out.

Now, I love statues, don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen many memorable ones; Jordan in front of the United Center in Chicago, Ghandi at Union Square in New York, MLK in Birmingham. But over the years I’ve noticed that, for some reason, bronze statues never really look like the person they are supposed to be. Have you ever noticed that? :) I mean it must be extremely difficult to get facial details right on a bronze statue, because this thing was supposed to be a likeness of Magic Johnson as a 20 year old… his face looks more like Bill Russell, TODAY. “Magic’s” face totally looks like a modern day Bill Russell (who turned 76 last Friday.) Just sayin. Bronze statue molders of the world hear me. Y’all need to step it up :)

Right around the time when Magic and Larry Bird joined up with Jordan on the US Dream Team that dominated the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, five youngsters in Michigan were making history of their own on the basketball court. But instead of wrecking havoc on College Hoops from East Lansing, these five guys decided to go to Magic’s first choice of schools; the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. You know their names right? The Fab Five Freshmen; Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson... (although I had to look up Ray Jackson. Sorry dude, for some reason I can always remember the other four :) These guys were the only entirely freshman starting five to even come close to a championship in NCAA history, and they did it in 92 as freshmen and 93 as Sophomores, each time falling one game short of the big prize. Still, those were the golden days in Ann Arbor.

But despite their on-court success in those years, their greatest and lasting achievement was how they, and UM basketball, revolutionized fashion sense within the game. As I’m sure you had noticed, up until the early nineties, NBA and College basketball players, for some mind-numbingly BAFFLING reason, wore the SHORTEST shorts that could be found. It's really kind of unbelievable now looking back. I mean, check out these old pics!! :)

And these are tall guys too. What were they thinking about? It’s so bizarre to look back at the old films and see how short these guys’ shorts were!!! Bill Russell, Wilt, Dr. J, Bird, McHale, Stockton. Ugh. WAY too much leg! It is an obvious and inexcusable travesty that the “Daisy-Duke” style lasted for so many generations, oddly unchecked, but the winds of change were blowing in the early 90’s, and the Fab Five took it to the extreme. These guys had their shorts past the knee!

Suddenly, instead of looking well, kinda goofy, Basketball uni’s finally had some STYLE. And we all emulated it. All over the world, practically over-night, basketball shorts extended their base lengths by 12 inches… or more. Finally, some sanity! But then, as with any fad, in many instances we took it too far... Tremaine Johnson, (my NHS highschool teammate, point guard) I’m looking in your direction!... Tremaine was about 5 foot 9 and his shorts were at his ANKLES! But… he did kinda look mad cool :) right Sousa? Gary?...

Anyway, basketball has never been the same since those days at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor when the Fab Five changed the way the game is viewed. (Honestly, it probably had more to do with the uniform designers than the players, but for the sake of this blog we’ll give the credit to the guys on the court.) Thank you Chris, Juwan, Jalen, Jimmy, and Ray for, at long last, bringing basketball to it’s senses. We are forever in your debt.

And as luck would have it, Ann Arbor just happened to be the next stop on the Underdog trail, and, of course, we had to head out to that very hallowed ground of Crisler to see a Modern day Michigan basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers (Currently ranked #14 in the country.) Wow. The years have not been kind to the Wolverine basketball program. (Is that because they're not paying their players anymore? Youch. Low blow? :) Yea, sadly for the Big Blue supporters, The Fab Five is definitely NOT walking through that door. Wisconsin wins in a blowout 62-44, and it wasn't really that close. Still it was a thrill to be in that historic hall where the ghosts of the Fab Five still linger. The debate continues even up to the present day. Were they the best team money could buy? :)

Next up Michigan HOCKEY... and we get to Chicago!

Stay tuned, and Take Care,

Underdogs OUT!

The Music CITY!!!

2010-01-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Living in the internet age these days, there aren’t really that many great mysteries out there anymore. I mean, of course there ARE great mysteries and perhaps, now that I think about it, there are probably a great many more mysteries now than ever before BECAUSE of the internet age (notice I’ve just changed my mind after writing that first sentence.) BUT, let’s just say that in the spirit of that first sentence, sometimes there are factoids and queries that persist in the back of our minds somewhere for years that we just let sit there unknown… (probably because they aren’t important enough to look up. ) But they’re still there… every now and again dropping in to remind us of our trivial ignorance… and then slipping away as quickly as they came. Too Dramatic? Perhaps. But, long story short – too late – I, myself, happen to have a number of these said suppressed queries nestled here and there in my subconscious, and two have come up lately. The first was in the Music City.

We got to Nashville, last week to play the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Or the TPAC if ya hip ;) and it was clear right away that this is a pretty cool town to visit. Throughout the downtown area they have speakers mounted on their traffic light-poles playing songs from their hometown heroes and there is live music Everywhere. Every bar or restaurant on Broadway has a stage (or an apple-box) sporting at least 5 guys (or gals) all crammed up there Jammin out (even if there’s nobody in the establishment… doin’ it for the love baby! :) And I’m talking like all the time… even noon on a Wednesday. You can tell that music is just different in this town. And country is KING. SuuuuWEEE! We dun heard us some sweet and low-down, honky-tonkin, blue-grass-pluckin, Down-home-pickin’, hilly-billy-fiddlin, Yee-HAW Yappin, and red-neck-croonin “music” at Legends Corner, Tootsies, The Stage, Bailey’s, and Roberts Western World.

We dined on some smokeTacular BBQ too (what up Jacks!?), and even hit up the Musicians Hall of Fame (Circa 2006) which basically honors all of the session players, who you’ve never heard of, but have pretty much played on every song you’ve ever loved (what up Funk Brothers!?)

But, in the spirit of that first sentence again (remember? That one that I immediately second-guessed?), most significantly, this town was able to finally shine the light on one of those not-so-important-but-equally-annoying-mysteries that has been lurking in the back of my silly little brain since high school.

This is my admission: Every year when the Gators play at Vanderbilt and I catch it on TV or something, I momentarily wonder… where in the devil is VANDERBILT???... But then, almost as quickly as it popped in, the question magically dissipates and I’d get distracted by something else… (Squirrel!!!) And the mystery remains. So, anyway… long story – short… (All together now :) DUN Dun DUUUUUUUNNNNN!... Vanderbilt is in Nashville.

All SEC people, even the ones who don’t know where the heck Vanderbilt is (not me anymore :) know about that bizarre stadium they play in. It’s the only basketball arena I’ve EVER seen that has the players benches located on the Baseline, not the Sideline, and the court itself is even elevated above portions of the crowd. Maybe that’s why I never had time to figure out where this University was… I was too busy wondering how two teams can play a basketball game with no coaches or bench players… and where on earth would they go if they wanted to Check In to the game??? Such a curious place. Seeing it on TV is the basketball-watching equivalent of a ufo sighting, or like the Twilight Zone (remember in the movie from the 80’s? That girl without a mouth… creeepy) there is something straaaaaNge about it. Anyway, that place is the historic Memorial Gymnasium on the Vanderbilt campus. Since 1952 it’s been the home of the Vandy Commadores and throughout the years when they've played there they have won 78% of the time.

Unfortunately, because of a 101D matinee, I was unable to go to the game against Auburn on Saturday (probably couldn’t have gotten a ticket anyway) so I just took a jog around campus beforehand as the Commadore faithful were filing in. Currently they are ranked at #21 and are undefeated so far in the SEC… until the GATORS come in there that is, to take them OUT! (um… actually, I just realized, they already lost here. Shhhhhh)

Anyway, the Vandy Campus is quaint and memorable, and Nashville was a good time for everybody. Hopefully I’ll make it back there sometime to hear more of that HangDanglin, RingRanglin, Hoot an HOLLerIn-juke stuff. In the meantime, at least I can rest assured that one of life’s great mysteries has finally been alleviated in my mind. The second one is coming next.

Nashville is the Capital of Tennessee.

Capital of Michigan anyone??

UnderD's

We OUT! :)