1.28.2006

Dear Mr. Casey,

Hello, Tony! Can I be your scapegoat for today?

Dear Mr. Casey,

Please glue T-Hud's a$$ to the bench! Dwayne Casey, you must be blind or crazy because T-Hud's only contribution to a game is to make it more interesting by single-handedly making 15-pt. leads disappear! Stop. Using. Him. You have 7 point guards on your team now. Use. Anyone. Else.

Decision making... horrible.

Shooting... crap.

Defense... hah!

Shu-shu-shu-shu-shut him down!

Respectfully yours,
Tones

Whew! That felt good!

Shoot-Out (2005) reviewed on Movie Patron

I wrote another review of another indy film on Movie Patron. Check out the site and enjoy all the down-to-earth reviews of current films (as well as my articles on the indy films!).

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Comments on the Wolfies

Alright, it's the end of January and this is my first Wolves article this season. Shame on me. If you've been reading this blog, then you'll know that I haven't had much free time between work and school and quality time con mi esposa. This semester is different, though, and I am now able to work during the day and catch some Wolfies games in the evening. I reckon it's a good time to vent some frustrations and give my take on the new-look Wolves.
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Comment # 1: McHale is my scapegoat.

Garnett needs help. He is in is prime and 'The Franchise's franchise offers him Marco Jaric to help? That's nice and all, but McHale gave up a 1st round pick for that one. Now, with the Davis trade, McHale throws in ANOTHER! Not to say that McHale has done anything with 1st round picks anyway, but still... the Wolves are old and slow due to the Joe Smith saga (being banned from 1st round picks for a few years) and they need youth injected into the system. McCants is nice and promising; I want more of that potentially-promising youth! McHale has sold the future for the now again and again, but what do we have for it? No future and no playoffs. Joe Smith + Chauncy + T. Brandon + Steph + Ndudi Ebi + Will Avery + T-Hud, etc = a good scapegoat in a GM. Ugh. I don't like where the Wolves stand and I don't see it getting any better. Which leads me to my next comment:

Comment # 2: If the Wolves don't have a future, let KG go... for his own sake.

I will NEVER EVER want KG to go. He's the sole reason that I ever learned the game. I hated basketball until I watched a broadcast back in the day to see who this Garnett guy was. I then fell in love with the enthusiasm of Kevin Harlan, the wisdom of Trent Tucker, and the beauty of KG's game. I then learned the game on the fly and became a NBA fan. Anyway, as I see the Wolfies lying in their own filth and seeing no hope in the future, I want KG to leave FOR HIS OWN SAKE. I don't want my favorite professional player EVER to not get a ring. I don't want him to join Malone, Barkley, and friends. Without a ring, KG will have that asterisk next to his mug in the Hall of Fame and we owe it to him to let him go to a franchise capable of helping achieve that goal. I'd be heartbroken, but I would also root for him wherever he ends up.

Comment #3: Wally had to go!

First of all, I've been screaming, "Get Rid Of Wally!" for yeeeaaarrrrrsss now. I do have to say I thought he was very good this year and I shut my trap after he finally seemed to produce consistently, BUT I love the new trade in terms of replacing Wally with Ricky Davis. Wally is the best shooter in the league, but nothing else. He can't dribble, he refuses to pass, and he is useless when defended as he cannot create a shot. He's a wonderful asset as long as he's the number 3 guy. Now, Davis is not a number 2 guy either, but at least he can attack the basket, create shots, and help out on the boards and assists as well. I love the athleticism that Davis brings to the Wolves, but I must also say that:

Comment #4: The Trade is too little, too late

The Wolfies still need the #2 guy. Who knows, maybe Davis will step up a bit and McCants will grow into a #3 guy. Until then, the New-Look-Wolves are only a little bit better than before. They are still not a contender and they are still wasting KG's precious time.

Comment #5: GOOD RIDDANCE, KANDI!

Go do nothing somewhere else and get paid $6 million--Good Bye and good riddance!

Conclusion: the Wolves got a tiny bit better, I don't like the fact that McHale lost another 1st round pick, and unless McHale has another trick up his sleeve to get KG a number #2 guy to play with, get rid of the guy... or let KG go to a franchise that deserves him.

1.04.2006

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Regarding the Hurricanes... Worst of 2005 amended

My wife pointed out to me that my take on the hurricane in the Best Worst of 2005 list was shallow, political, and disappointing. I guess I took for granted that of course I think the two major hurricanes that hit Florida and Louisiana were devastating, horrible, and worth mentioning as "the worst of 2005." You have to realize that I have been sitting in philosophy classes at the U of MN where Bush has been set up as the whipping boy for a natural disaster--as if he was the cause of the catastrophes--so I forgot to mention the disasters qua disasters. I also had to endure the blaming of "progress" as the cause of the hurricanes in my Spanish class. They blamed factories and industrialization as the cause of the hurricanes. I ask those who believe this junk-science to do a bit more research on the cyclical nature of hurricanes before resulting to this knee-jerk reaction to blame man. So now I amend my list with my apologies to those who have lost loved ones or property to mother nature:

WORST OF 2005: Hurricanes! Katrina was a once-in-a-century disaster and the images from New Orleans were... well, I don't know the word as I have nothing to compare them to. I have seen these images from 3rd world countries, but never before from America (not including man-made disasters ala 9-11). It was surreal--but the nightmare was indeed real. Katrina was definitely the worst of 2005.