Good News from Bulls Camp
As I watched the Bulls last season I wondered about Ben Gordon and what they kept saying about him: that the only reason he wasn't playing more or that he wasn't as good as he could be, was because his defense was suspect.

That was it. It was the only thing people agreed on that he wasn't very good at.

And I wondered, if I was a player, and I heard that kind of stuff. Well, I would want to hear it, for sure.

I wondered, if you're a player like that, in that situation, why wouldn't you go into the offseason and just work your ass off on that one thing that everyone agrees you don't have? Why not? Wouldn't that make you into an undiputably great player? Wouldn't it?

Athletes are primadonnas and they suck and they want more money and think they deserve it, blah blah blah - basically, they don't think as ligically as the fans would like.

But some do, and news from the Bulls camp so far tells us that Gordon isn't one of those guys. Skiles is impressed that it's exactly what he'd done - he's worked hard at it.

Can't wait to see it on the court.

Bush will NOT learn his lesson
Topic: Politics
So after the price gouging and all after Katrina and CO. hit the US, you'd think that the government would finally come around on the idea of creating an alternative energy source for cars and transportation in general. Car companies seem to be on board, a lot of people are. But this is what Bush learned about Katrina:

President George W. Bush on Tuesday at a White House press conference urged Congress to consider the problem of U.S. energy prices, bemoaning the shortage of U.S. refineries, which he blamed for the shortfall of oil production.

"I want to make sure that Congress continues to focus on energy," Bush told reporters. "The storm created a short-term problem, and that is when you shut down refineries, it creates a bubble in the system."

The president said one of his actions in response to Hurricane Katrina's effect on U.S. refineries was to suspend "all blending rules in order to be able to more likely import foreign gasoline." Bush said this "helped make up the difference between the refinery capacity shutdown and the demands of the American people."

However, Bush said, "there is a bubble moving throughout the system." The president said that the Congress must recognize that there are "tight energy supplies…and one way to deal with tight energy supplies is to increase supply. And a good way to increase supply is to build refineries."


Of course! Build more refineries!

It's amazing that his bosses will even let him say this shit.

Curry and High School draftees
Topic: Bulls
So Eddy Curry has been traded to the Knicks after all the business about DNA testing, heart problems, etc. While reading about it, I came across these pearls of wisdom from Isiah Thomas, the Knicks GM who acquired Curry, he's referring to the risk involved in this trade and how good Curry will be:

''It's simply because I think he's one of the most talented big men in our league,'' Thomas said. ''Guys like him only come along every 15 or 20 years.''

Thomas compared Curry to other preps-to-pros players he has tutored.

''I'm from Chicago and I have followed Eddy's career since [Thornwood High School] and the summer leagues,'' Thomas said. ''In Toronto, I drafted Tracy McGrady out of high school, and in Indianapolis, my first trade was for Jermaine O'Neal, whom Portland had drafted out of high school four years earlier. From my experiences, I find that the first four NBA years of guys straight out of high school are very difficult years. They're still growing, they're still maturing mentally and physically and there are a lot of things they have trouble adjusting to when thrusted into the NBA.

''For big people like Eddy, one big problem they have is diet and controlling weight. That takes four or five years for them to figure out. In the process, they make a lot of mistakes and do a lot of silly things that get on your nerves and irritate you. But when they get to be 23 or 24, they start acting like men. I believe that I am getting Eddy at that right time, just as I got Jermaine at a very good time. In three years under me, Jermaine became a 20-point, 10-rebound All-Star. I'm not saying Eddy will become as great as Jermaine or Tracy or Kevin [Garnett]. I'm just saying that now, as he continues maturing under coach Larry Brown, he has a chance to be great.''


Let me just run that back again:

From my experiences, I find that the first four NBA years of guys straight out of high school are very difficult years. They're still growing, they're still maturing mentally and physically and there are a lot of things they have trouble adjusting to when thrusted into the NBA.

Ummm then why don't you just draft them 3-4 years later you fucking idiots? It's such bad business because now he's paying a guy (who might have a heart problem and just die one day) over 10 million dollars a year for being huge, that's it. Same with Chandler - they've both shows some promise, but 10 million dollars' worth of promise? I don't think so. You look at the numbers these players put up and then look at their salaries and it just doesn't match up.

Granted, you can look at baseball and the screwy logic that will give guys like Corey Patterson a raise after an absolutely horrible year because of arbitration

BUT

You will NOT see a guy sign a new contract worth 10 million bucks after having an "average" year (although Richie Sexson did, but he had already had some success).

It just makes no sense to me. The NBA is the most out-of-wack of the pro sports in terms of salaries.

The End of the World
You watch the news these days and what do you see?

People starving to death in Africa, people exploding to death in the Middle East and other places, climate changes that could wipe us all out, this new bit about the bird flu that could wipe out 100,000 Americans (no word yet on how the rest of the world would be affected), and all these scenes of total destruction from hurricane after hurricane.

And it makes me wonder, did you ever read any Nostradamus? This is the kind of shit he described would be the precursor to the end of the world, only when you read it it sounds like such an ominous, terrible thing, scary even.

But it's happening right now, and it's kind of surprising that we aren't even the least bit scared about any of it.

Playoff Atmosphere
Topic: Cubs
I watched the last game of the season for the Cubs yesterday and it was great seeing them in a meaningful game, even if it was only meaningful to Houston. The crows was into it and it felt like a playoff game. Ahh, the good old days.

But the season is over for them and it's time to watch the Red Sox and White Sox do their thing - I can't wait for the Yankees and Red Sox to meet up again.

Christopher Paolini
Topic: Books
In case you haven't heard of this guy, he wrote his first book when he was 15 (started it, at least), called Eragon. It was a fantasy genre thingy inspired by his favorite authors on the subject.

By chance, it fell into the hands of a big hotshot and the book blew up. The guy just came out with the sequel (he's like 21 now I think) and it's number 21 in sales over at Amazon. It's all over the stands in Barnes & Noble and Borders.

Which made me go, "Damn, that's awesome! This guy is my hero."

Until I read some reviews by people "in the genre" and I read a few pages of the thing myself.

Turns out it's cliche as hell and the writing is cheesy. How can a 15-year-old be expected to write about love or death or pain or anything really real that is supposed to make up these kinds of books?

The answer is he can't and didn't. Most reviewers say it's damn good...for a 17-year-old (it took him a while, it's a long ass book, they both are - which in itself is impressive).

But anyway, instead of being my hero, the kid now serves to show me that, damn, a 15-year-old sat down one day and worked on a book for years and eventually came up with a 700-page story that a lot of people are buying.

Whatever people want to say about the quality of his writing, you gotta give him respect for doing it.

Also, I read in an interview that he's going to finish out this trilogy and then he wants to write about other things - to expand beyond the genre of fantasy fiction. I feel his pain - this is not going to be easy. But give him a star for trying.

Capote
Topic: Movies
I'm looking forward to this movie. The trailer didn't jazz me up all that much, mostly because I really never knew how Capote talked or was "mannered," so I wasn't blown away. But it seems that whatshisface from the Dirk Digler movie did an amazing job. Plus, I just read the book about a month or so ago.

Don't you love it when you just happen to read an old classic like that, totally unaware that a major movie is underway and then bam! here's the movie.

I like that.

Whereas for LOTR I read the books before the movie came out so I could go in the appropriate order.

Lost
Topic: TV
I don't know why but I'm getting the itch to watch the first season of the show Lost (the italics are fucked right now, bear with me). I never really got into it, even though I tried once, but now that all the hype is out for season two I really want to watch the first season, which just happens to be out on DVD.

I also want to see Stewie, the Family Guy movie just release on DVD.

The Constant Gardner
Went to see it last night. It was a mix of The Insider, The English Patient, and The Talented Mr Ripley (the action at least). This means it has action, a love story, and intrige/suspense.

It all comes together nicely, although I questioned some of the character motivations. Some of the film was made in a Memento-ish style which kind of takes the viewer "along for the ride" that the main character is going through. This kind of tricks you though, and there are some red herrings that throw you off - a staple of any mystery/suspense story.

The cinematography was amazing, Africa like you've never seen it before, and some of the zooms and focus shots served the ambiance very well. It was also very Insider-ish.

As for all the Oscar buzz, I don't know. It was a very good story but I wasn't blown away a la Gladiator or Requiem. Then again, I didn't feel The English Patient at all, and look at all the shit that thing won.

Coach Carter
Honestly, when Mindy picked this one off the shelf at the blockbuster I was like, "(exhale)." Not out loud or anything, GOd knows she's put up with some horrible movie picks on my part, so I went along with it. It was either that or another movie that, when recommended, made me go "Ummm..." which was actually out loud and audible and I think is what got me out of it.

BUt hey, good news, it's a really good movie. It's a cool story, the basketball sequences aren't lame-looking, and the ending wasn't cheesy. Plus, if you get the DVD, you get some more info on the real-life Coach Carter and some of his players.

Oh and Samuel L Jackson didn't annoy me.