Showing posts with label Phoenix Suns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix Suns. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Raptors intrasquad watched by half-empty gymnasium
The Toronto Raptors are in Vancouver this week practicing out at UBC in preparation for their pre-season tilt at Rogers Arena against the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night.
So what better way to open up the team to fans than to hold an on-campus intrasquad game, with the proceeds going to charity?
Everything, as it turns out, if you're charging $15 for a scrimmage. Hundreds of seats remained empty throughout the event. Perhaps they should have advertised that Jarrett Jack would be singing Justin Bieber songs.
[Video update of Jack's aforementioned performance here]
While it's a good concept, charging money for the NBA in Vancouver is pretty well heresy after Michael Heisley stuck a knife into the city, and twisted it, taking away the beloved-yet-miserable Grizzlies.
Ubyssey editor Justin McElroy made the point on Twitter that when the Grizzlies took their training camp to the University of Victoria, the event was free for students.
Although at least UBC filled up half the gym. My school can't fill up a bus. For $35, Thompson Rivers University students get two-way transportation from Kamloops to Vancouver and a ticket to the Wednesday exhibition game. Spots are still available.
So what better way to open up the team to fans than to hold an on-campus intrasquad game, with the proceeds going to charity?
Everything, as it turns out, if you're charging $15 for a scrimmage. Hundreds of seats remained empty throughout the event. Perhaps they should have advertised that Jarrett Jack would be singing Justin Bieber songs.
[Video update of Jack's aforementioned performance here]
While it's a good concept, charging money for the NBA in Vancouver is pretty well heresy after Michael Heisley stuck a knife into the city, and twisted it, taking away the beloved-yet-miserable Grizzlies.
Ubyssey editor Justin McElroy made the point on Twitter that when the Grizzlies took their training camp to the University of Victoria, the event was free for students.
Although at least UBC filled up half the gym. My school can't fill up a bus. For $35, Thompson Rivers University students get two-way transportation from Kamloops to Vancouver and a ticket to the Wednesday exhibition game. Spots are still available.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 31st - Morning Briefing
Jays, Twins sweep. Dirk to Phoenix?
-Current ESPN know-it-all and future Vancouver Pacers General Manager Bill Simmons destroyed the internet in Arizona today with this tweet that suggested the possibility of a Steve Nash/Dirk Nowitzki reunion in Phoenix. Rumours have apparently been floating around for a while now. To me the situation is pretty far-fetched, seeing as both Nash and Nowitzki would be migrant workers taking the jobs of hard-working Americans, something that Arizona was supposed to run out of the state.
-In more basketball news, it was pretty much confirmed yesterday that Hedo Turkgolu wanted out of Toronto.
-Justin Morneau went 1-for-4 as the Twins doubled up on the Rangers 6-3, completing the sweep. The game's highlight came as Dernard Span caught the final out running in from centre (that's right, it's a Canadian blog) field and Orlando Hudson, apparantly not hearing Span call for the ball, clipped his shin. Hudson, the former gold glover with the Jays, stayed down for a while as the fans cheered the Twins win. I haven't seen a second baseman get up that slowly since the morning after Stubby Klapp earned his name.
-It was funny hat day atSkydome Rogers Centre:
That didn't seem to faze the Jays, who easily completed the sweep of the Orioles with a 6-1 win. Ricky Romero pitched a complete game, giving up the only run in the first inning and was just six hits and two walks shy of the second perfect game on as many days.
-Gibson, British Columbia's Ryan Dempster threw 6.2 innings before being chased by the Cardinals. He gave up nine hits and six earned runs with three walks to seven strikeouts and he drops to 3-5 on the year. St. Louis won 9-1, off of two homeruns by Albert Pujols. I can only imagine how many fruit flies were attracted by the Dempster/Pujols pitcher-to-batter combination in this game.
-Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimo... Zimongi... Zinmoji... Zimonjic made it to the men's quarter finals at the French Open in Doubles, defeating the host French pairing of Guillaume Ruffin and Alexandre Sidorenko 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-3. They will play in the semifinals on Tuesday (Mardi in France) against two guys you've never heard of.
-The lead story on both Sportscentre and Sportsnet Connected was that a goalie who is 6-1 in the playoffs with a 1.96 GAA and a .930 save percentage will start in Game 2. Although considering Philly's revolving door of goalies ever since Ron Hextall left, perhaps it is headline news that the Flyers are starting the same goaltender on consecutive nights. Hell, Ray Emery never made it to the rink sober in consecutive weeks.
===
Today is going to be busy. Stanley Cup Finals, maybe some tennis action, and a couple of baseball games later. Toronto has a pretty important three-game series with the Tampa BayDevil Rays. For those in Sportsnet's Pacific Region (or have the channel) you can watch Justin Morneau play against the Seattle Mariners for the nightcap.
-Current ESPN know-it-all and future Vancouver Pacers General Manager Bill Simmons destroyed the internet in Arizona today with this tweet that suggested the possibility of a Steve Nash/Dirk Nowitzki reunion in Phoenix. Rumours have apparently been floating around for a while now. To me the situation is pretty far-fetched, seeing as both Nash and Nowitzki would be migrant workers taking the jobs of hard-working Americans, something that Arizona was supposed to run out of the state.
-In more basketball news, it was pretty much confirmed yesterday that Hedo Turkgolu wanted out of Toronto.
-Justin Morneau went 1-for-4 as the Twins doubled up on the Rangers 6-3, completing the sweep. The game's highlight came as Dernard Span caught the final out running in from centre (that's right, it's a Canadian blog) field and Orlando Hudson, apparantly not hearing Span call for the ball, clipped his shin. Hudson, the former gold glover with the Jays, stayed down for a while as the fans cheered the Twins win. I haven't seen a second baseman get up that slowly since the morning after Stubby Klapp earned his name.
-It was funny hat day at
That didn't seem to faze the Jays, who easily completed the sweep of the Orioles with a 6-1 win. Ricky Romero pitched a complete game, giving up the only run in the first inning and was just six hits and two walks shy of the second perfect game on as many days.
-Gibson, British Columbia's Ryan Dempster threw 6.2 innings before being chased by the Cardinals. He gave up nine hits and six earned runs with three walks to seven strikeouts and he drops to 3-5 on the year. St. Louis won 9-1, off of two homeruns by Albert Pujols. I can only imagine how many fruit flies were attracted by the Dempster/Pujols pitcher-to-batter combination in this game.
-Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimo... Zimongi... Zinmoji... Zimonjic made it to the men's quarter finals at the French Open in Doubles, defeating the host French pairing of Guillaume Ruffin and Alexandre Sidorenko 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-3. They will play in the semifinals on Tuesday (Mardi in France) against two guys you've never heard of.
-The lead story on both Sportscentre and Sportsnet Connected was that a goalie who is 6-1 in the playoffs with a 1.96 GAA and a .930 save percentage will start in Game 2. Although considering Philly's revolving door of goalies ever since Ron Hextall left, perhaps it is headline news that the Flyers are starting the same goaltender on consecutive nights. Hell, Ray Emery never made it to the rink sober in consecutive weeks.
===
Today is going to be busy. Stanley Cup Finals, maybe some tennis action, and a couple of baseball games later. Toronto has a pretty important three-game series with the Tampa Bay
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday May 30: Morning Briefing
Halladay perfect, Nash out
-Roy Halladay... remember when he used to pitch for Toronto? Well, it turns out he's doing well in Philadelphia too. He was 6-3 and third in ERA in the National League coming into last night's game against Florida.
Oh. Hm. I guess that's pretty damn good. What could have been, eh Jays fans?
-What do you think will be on the front page of the Philadelphia Bugle Sports Section this morning? The story of some guy the Phillies got in a trade with a team from far up north? Of course not! Philadelphia lost Game 1 to the Blackhawks 6-5 in a game described to me as one "with terrible goaltending and even worse defense." Not without controversy! CBC showed footage of a puck hitting Tomas Kopecky on the bench, and minutes later, he jumped onto the ice and scored!
Okay, it's not quite up there with the non-call on the Gretzky high-stick, partly because Kopecky being hit by the puck had nothing to do with the fact that Brian Boucher refused to move his right leg, instead flailing at it with his stick à la Goldberg the Goalie from the first scene of The Mighty Ducks (when the team wasn't good).
-NBA playoffs. The Suns found themselves down 14 at the half and didn't have another miracle comeback in them (only to be sabotaged by Ron Artest. DRAAAGOOOOO!) and lost to the Lakers 111-103, meaning that the Lakers and Celtics will meet in the NBA finals for the 437th time. Steve Nash's ceremonious exit (21 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) means that we can finally go back to concentrating on hockey. The fact that the two most destestable teams in the NBA meet in the finals have nothing to do with the fact that hockey will take precedence over basketball for the rest of the year.
Charles Barkley did say that Steve Nash represents all that is good about basketball. That has to count for something. It's also worth noting Nash is pretty much Barkley's exact opposite on the court.
-Did you know that the upcoming A-Team movie had some scenes filmed in Kamloops, British Columbia? Probably not. But B.A. Baracus, also known as Quentin "Rampage" Jackson, also fights people for a living. Foreshadowing the upcoming film's critical reception, he lost to Rashad Evans in a unanimous decision, the teammate of Montreal's Georges St. Pierre, who 'guest-Tweeted' the fight @ufc.
Considering GSP can't speak in English for 140 characters, I'm amazed he got two words in in all four tweets.
No Canadians were on the card, but the next UFC card, two weeks from now, is in Vancouver!
-The Blue Jays took the second game of the three game set with the Orioles, thanks in part to eight strong innings by Brett Cecil (5-3) and two dingers by Lyle Overbay. The Jays have won the second most games in the American League but are tied for third in the AL East. Justin Morneau went 1-for-3 with an RBI in a Minnesota 8-3 win over the Rangers, and Jason Bay went 2-for-5 in a losing cause against the Brewers. Bay left 4 runners on base.
-And, right at the bottom of the page, is your Major League Soccer update! Dwayne De Rosario scored two goals to lead Toronto FC over the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1. The Reds hold onto second place in the Eastern Division, and play next January 5th against Kansas City at BMO Field. I don't think I even need to STRESS how important that early season, inter-conference game is for the Canadian Nutri-Lite Champions.
===
It's Sunday, and unless you like baseball or cars driving around a circle, chances are you won't be watching sports. My afternoon project will consist of trying to kill that damn fly that's been buzzing around my kitchen screen window for the past two days.
-Roy Halladay... remember when he used to pitch for Toronto? Well, it turns out he's doing well in Philadelphia too. He was 6-3 and third in ERA in the National League coming into last night's game against Florida.
Oh. Hm. I guess that's pretty damn good. What could have been, eh Jays fans?
-What do you think will be on the front page of the Philadelphia Bugle Sports Section this morning? The story of some guy the Phillies got in a trade with a team from far up north? Of course not! Philadelphia lost Game 1 to the Blackhawks 6-5 in a game described to me as one "with terrible goaltending and even worse defense." Not without controversy! CBC showed footage of a puck hitting Tomas Kopecky on the bench, and minutes later, he jumped onto the ice and scored!
Okay, it's not quite up there with the non-call on the Gretzky high-stick, partly because Kopecky being hit by the puck had nothing to do with the fact that Brian Boucher refused to move his right leg, instead flailing at it with his stick à la Goldberg the Goalie from the first scene of The Mighty Ducks (when the team wasn't good).
-NBA playoffs. The Suns found themselves down 14 at the half and didn't have another miracle comeback in them (only to be sabotaged by Ron Artest. DRAAAGOOOOO!) and lost to the Lakers 111-103, meaning that the Lakers and Celtics will meet in the NBA finals for the 437th time. Steve Nash's ceremonious exit (21 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) means that we can finally go back to concentrating on hockey. The fact that the two most destestable teams in the NBA meet in the finals have nothing to do with the fact that hockey will take precedence over basketball for the rest of the year.
Charles Barkley did say that Steve Nash represents all that is good about basketball. That has to count for something. It's also worth noting Nash is pretty much Barkley's exact opposite on the court.
-Did you know that the upcoming A-Team movie had some scenes filmed in Kamloops, British Columbia? Probably not. But B.A. Baracus, also known as Quentin "Rampage" Jackson, also fights people for a living. Foreshadowing the upcoming film's critical reception, he lost to Rashad Evans in a unanimous decision, the teammate of Montreal's Georges St. Pierre, who 'guest-Tweeted' the fight @ufc.
Considering GSP can't speak in English for 140 characters, I'm amazed he got two words in in all four tweets.
No Canadians were on the card, but the next UFC card, two weeks from now, is in Vancouver!
-The Blue Jays took the second game of the three game set with the Orioles, thanks in part to eight strong innings by Brett Cecil (5-3) and two dingers by Lyle Overbay. The Jays have won the second most games in the American League but are tied for third in the AL East. Justin Morneau went 1-for-3 with an RBI in a Minnesota 8-3 win over the Rangers, and Jason Bay went 2-for-5 in a losing cause against the Brewers. Bay left 4 runners on base.
-And, right at the bottom of the page, is your Major League Soccer update! Dwayne De Rosario scored two goals to lead Toronto FC over the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1. The Reds hold onto second place in the Eastern Division, and play next January 5th against Kansas City at BMO Field. I don't think I even need to STRESS how important that early season, inter-conference game is for the Canadian Nutri-Lite Champions.
===
It's Sunday, and unless you like baseball or cars driving around a circle, chances are you won't be watching sports. My afternoon project will consist of trying to kill that damn fly that's been buzzing around my kitchen screen window for the past two days.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday May 29th - Morning Briefing
Suns host Lakers in Game 6, Bettman sounds off
-Phoenix fights for for their playoff lives against the Lakers in Game 6 of the series, tonight at 8:30 PM on TSN. The way Nash has played these playoffs, if you miss this game, it's probably because you have to work. In other basketball news, Nate Robinson dominated the 2nd quarter with 13 points in the frame to put the game out of reach as the Celtics won 96-84 over the Magic. Fitting a small black guy would play that well on the day that Gary Coleman died.
-Meanwhile, at 8 PM, Chicago and Philly start their series. Refer to my previous post to decide who you want to cheer for. Both teams riding long Cup droughts, and both teams have horizontal stripes. Hard to cheer against either, unless you have a long standing personal vendetta against a player. And boy, oh boy, does my hatred for Blair Betts go far. (kidding)
-This is Gary Bettman finally being annoying on our side.
-UFC 114 plays tonight in Las Vegas. No Canadians on the card, but that won't stop us from watching. Rashad Evans and Quentin Jackson are the main event, with a feud dating back to last year's filming of 'The Ultimate Fighter' TV series. Jackson quit the UFC for his acting career, so he may have some ring-rust. Evans is coming off a controversial win over Thiago Silva, in which he won a boring fight but may have been knocked out briefly in the third round. The winner of this one gets to take on Shogun Rua, who recently took the light heavyweight belt from Lyoto Machida in Montreal.
-At the French Open, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, QC, lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets. One of these days, Wozniak will have an opponent who's name I can pronounce.
-Toronto FC play the San Jose Earthquakes tonight, in what will assuredly be not in the top three most-watched sporting events in Canada. Just a heads-up.
-Taylor Hall didn't work out at the NHL draft combine. Tyler Seguin was above average on all the workouts (no shit). Taylor Hall will still go first, proving that the combine is pretty well meaningless and pretty much just an excuse for TSN to promote the World Juniors a little bit more.
-Finally, in baseball, the Blue Jays shut out the Orioles 5-0 thanks to a strong performance from Ricky Romero who went 6 strong, striking out 7 and not allowing a run. Aaron Hill went 2-4 with a homer to raise his average to .164 (still somehow below the Mendoza Line). Jason Bay was 1-4 as the Mets got shutout 2-0 by Milwaukee, and Justin Morneau was 0-2 but walked twice in a 2-0 win by the Twins over the Rangers. In other major league news, it turns out that a girl we hang out with is the cousin of Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Crazy.
---
It's Saturday, and there is lots going on. Some of you will be stuck at work all day, like me. For those that aren't, don't hang out at the beach. Do what I'd do. Sit inside and watch people bounce balls, play with sticks and beat each other up.
-Phoenix fights for for their playoff lives against the Lakers in Game 6 of the series, tonight at 8:30 PM on TSN. The way Nash has played these playoffs, if you miss this game, it's probably because you have to work. In other basketball news, Nate Robinson dominated the 2nd quarter with 13 points in the frame to put the game out of reach as the Celtics won 96-84 over the Magic. Fitting a small black guy would play that well on the day that Gary Coleman died.
-Meanwhile, at 8 PM, Chicago and Philly start their series. Refer to my previous post to decide who you want to cheer for. Both teams riding long Cup droughts, and both teams have horizontal stripes. Hard to cheer against either, unless you have a long standing personal vendetta against a player. And boy, oh boy, does my hatred for Blair Betts go far. (kidding)
-This is Gary Bettman finally being annoying on our side.
-UFC 114 plays tonight in Las Vegas. No Canadians on the card, but that won't stop us from watching. Rashad Evans and Quentin Jackson are the main event, with a feud dating back to last year's filming of 'The Ultimate Fighter' TV series. Jackson quit the UFC for his acting career, so he may have some ring-rust. Evans is coming off a controversial win over Thiago Silva, in which he won a boring fight but may have been knocked out briefly in the third round. The winner of this one gets to take on Shogun Rua, who recently took the light heavyweight belt from Lyoto Machida in Montreal.
-At the French Open, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, QC, lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets. One of these days, Wozniak will have an opponent who's name I can pronounce.
-Toronto FC play the San Jose Earthquakes tonight, in what will assuredly be not in the top three most-watched sporting events in Canada. Just a heads-up.
-Taylor Hall didn't work out at the NHL draft combine. Tyler Seguin was above average on all the workouts (no shit). Taylor Hall will still go first, proving that the combine is pretty well meaningless and pretty much just an excuse for TSN to promote the World Juniors a little bit more.
-Finally, in baseball, the Blue Jays shut out the Orioles 5-0 thanks to a strong performance from Ricky Romero who went 6 strong, striking out 7 and not allowing a run. Aaron Hill went 2-4 with a homer to raise his average to .164 (still somehow below the Mendoza Line). Jason Bay was 1-4 as the Mets got shutout 2-0 by Milwaukee, and Justin Morneau was 0-2 but walked twice in a 2-0 win by the Twins over the Rangers. In other major league news, it turns out that a girl we hang out with is the cousin of Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Crazy.
---
It's Saturday, and there is lots going on. Some of you will be stuck at work all day, like me. For those that aren't, don't hang out at the beach. Do what I'd do. Sit inside and watch people bounce balls, play with sticks and beat each other up.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Morning Briefing: Friday May 27th
Suns drop heartbreaker, Twins avoid Yankee sweep
-The Suns loss has settled in, full TSN highlights can be found here. Sweet redemption for Ron Artest, who had two big misses in the waning minutes. Victoria's Steve Nash had a team-high 29 points and 11 assists and was 12-of-20 from the field. This was one of the greatest basketball games I've ever seen, which is saying something because I used to take in about 30 Vancouver Grizzlies games a year.
-New Westminster's Justin Morneau went 2-for-2 and the Minnesota Twins beat the Yankees 8-2 to avoid a sweep, and maintain a game-and-a-half lead in the American League Central. The idle Blue Jays are mired in the middle of a statistical anamoly. Their 27 wins is tied for 5th in all of baseball, yet somehow they lie in 4th place in the American League East. That will change, with a three-game set coming up against the Baltimore Orioles. Check your local listings. The scheduled pitchers for the Orioles are Kevin Millwood, Chris Tillman and Jeremy Guthrie, who have combined for three wins this year.
-The City of Ottawa has introduced plans to renovate Landsdowne Park with a new stadium. This is an artists rendering of the new building, complete with Renegades fans packing the house:
-In junior hockey news, Travis Hamonic of the Brandon Wheat Kings, and former Canadian Junior Team member, has signed with the New York Islanders to an entry-level deal. Just for kicks, let's watch that video of him knocking the piss out of Taylor Hall:
Hamonic will qualify as an overager next season, so there's a possibility to see him on NHL ice next year, although with the condition of Nassau Coliseum these days, that will only happen during away games.
-Twitter and Live Blogging didn't exist back in 1993, but that doesn't mean that we can't pretend Game 6 of the '93 Western Conference Finals between Toronto and Los Angeles wasn't extensively covered. Brilliance from Down Goes Brown.
-Finally, Blainville's Aleksandra Wozniak advanced to the third round of the French Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Kateryna Bondarenko. Why do Eastern European countries have women's tennis players with hotter names?
---
It's Friday. That means the start of my weekend shift at work. Don't miss the Celtics/Magic game tonight, if only because there's a chance that Boston sports teams could potentially choke away two 3-0 series leads in the same season.
-The Suns loss has settled in, full TSN highlights can be found here. Sweet redemption for Ron Artest, who had two big misses in the waning minutes. Victoria's Steve Nash had a team-high 29 points and 11 assists and was 12-of-20 from the field. This was one of the greatest basketball games I've ever seen, which is saying something because I used to take in about 30 Vancouver Grizzlies games a year.
-New Westminster's Justin Morneau went 2-for-2 and the Minnesota Twins beat the Yankees 8-2 to avoid a sweep, and maintain a game-and-a-half lead in the American League Central. The idle Blue Jays are mired in the middle of a statistical anamoly. Their 27 wins is tied for 5th in all of baseball, yet somehow they lie in 4th place in the American League East. That will change, with a three-game set coming up against the Baltimore Orioles. Check your local listings. The scheduled pitchers for the Orioles are Kevin Millwood, Chris Tillman and Jeremy Guthrie, who have combined for three wins this year.
-The City of Ottawa has introduced plans to renovate Landsdowne Park with a new stadium. This is an artists rendering of the new building, complete with Renegades fans packing the house:
-In junior hockey news, Travis Hamonic of the Brandon Wheat Kings, and former Canadian Junior Team member, has signed with the New York Islanders to an entry-level deal. Just for kicks, let's watch that video of him knocking the piss out of Taylor Hall:
Hamonic will qualify as an overager next season, so there's a possibility to see him on NHL ice next year, although with the condition of Nassau Coliseum these days, that will only happen during away games.
-Twitter and Live Blogging didn't exist back in 1993, but that doesn't mean that we can't pretend Game 6 of the '93 Western Conference Finals between Toronto and Los Angeles wasn't extensively covered. Brilliance from Down Goes Brown.
-Finally, Blainville's Aleksandra Wozniak advanced to the third round of the French Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Kateryna Bondarenko. Why do Eastern European countries have women's tennis players with hotter names?
---
It's Friday. That means the start of my weekend shift at work. Don't miss the Celtics/Magic game tonight, if only because there's a chance that Boston sports teams could potentially choke away two 3-0 series leads in the same season.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Ron Artest breaks Steve Nash's heart
That's not how these games are supposed to end. A terrific basketball game with an equally terrific comeback by the Suns. At one point in the second quarter, they were down by as many as 18, before chipping away, behind Steve Nash, and then Jason Richardson tied it up with a three-ball with 3.5 seconds to go.
Done. Kobe covered, forced into taking a bad shot, we're going to go to overtime. With the Suns recent luck in the playoffs, this was going to be the year that it all turned around.
Then Ron Artest outmuscles Jason Richardson for the rebound, and stomps on the heart of Canada by hitting a layup high off the glass as the horn goes. This is just minutes after he put up a shot attempt with 21 seconds on the shot clock and his team up by 3.
What makes this loss so depressing was that the Suns had no business being in that game. In the second quarter they shot like the Irish infantry and had more turnovers than a bakery that was giving out free basketballs. Hell, back in the second quarter TNT showed a replay of Suns coach Alvin Gentry vomiting into a fucking garbage can. But somehow they clawed back. Nash had 29 with 11 assists. Stoudemire had 14. Even Channing Frye hit the odd three every now and then and had a double-double.
Goddamnit, that wasn't supposed to end that way. The series should be 3-2 in Steve Nash's favour going back to Phoenix to close. Here we all are, laughing at Ron Artest's stupid shot and wishing TNT would stop showing replays of Kobe Bryant's winning shots through the ages. So then Kobe has to throw up an airball and Artest make a miraculous play.
Damnit. Damnit, damnit, damnit.
Done. Kobe covered, forced into taking a bad shot, we're going to go to overtime. With the Suns recent luck in the playoffs, this was going to be the year that it all turned around.
Then Ron Artest outmuscles Jason Richardson for the rebound, and stomps on the heart of Canada by hitting a layup high off the glass as the horn goes. This is just minutes after he put up a shot attempt with 21 seconds on the shot clock and his team up by 3.
What makes this loss so depressing was that the Suns had no business being in that game. In the second quarter they shot like the Irish infantry and had more turnovers than a bakery that was giving out free basketballs. Hell, back in the second quarter TNT showed a replay of Suns coach Alvin Gentry vomiting into a fucking garbage can. But somehow they clawed back. Nash had 29 with 11 assists. Stoudemire had 14. Even Channing Frye hit the odd three every now and then and had a double-double.
Goddamnit, that wasn't supposed to end that way. The series should be 3-2 in Steve Nash's favour going back to Phoenix to close. Here we all are, laughing at Ron Artest's stupid shot and wishing TNT would stop showing replays of Kobe Bryant's winning shots through the ages. So then Kobe has to throw up an airball and Artest make a miraculous play.
Damnit. Damnit, damnit, damnit.
Briefing - Thursday May 27
-The CFL has announced that a deal has been made between the CFL and the CFLPA. The deal has not been ratified so explicit terms were not announced, but the CFL presser confirms that there will be a drug testing policy as part of the new agreement, as well as a clause that sends Jason Armstead to remedial math classes on the league's dime.
-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his team is not having a problem adjusting to the Suns' 2-3 zone. He's probably right, and if Phoenix's bench plays for the remainder of the series as it did in Game 4, Los Angeles is proper fucked. Particularly when Derek Fisher and Ron Artest are undressed by Slovenian backup point guards while Kobe watches:
-So, uh... I did some quick calculations, and it seems that 84 per cent of the 38 players who played in the last game for Chicago and Philadelphia are Canadian. Not only that, but there's a certainty that at least two players will win both a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger on Philly, and Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith on Chicago. Only three players have ever done that before, being Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan in 2002, and Ken Morrow in 1980 with the New York Islanders. Also, to bring up old stereotypes, not a single Russian or Swede are in the Stanley Cup Final (UPDATE: Not name Hjalmarsson). Compare that to both team's failure to make the semifinals at the Olympics, it looks like Canada is pretty much the best country for hockey on the planet. Neener, neener, neener.
-Without playing, Toronto F.C. won the Voyageurs Cup as the Canadian Nutri-Lite Soccer Champions. Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. drew 1-1 in Montreal against the Impact, clinching the title for the Reds with still one fixture left between the Whitecaps and TFC. When asked about how it was to win such a prestigious championship, Preki said "huh?"
-The Arcade Fire have two new songs out. This one is called The Suburbs, and it's leak this morning pretty much broke the Internet:
-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his team is not having a problem adjusting to the Suns' 2-3 zone. He's probably right, and if Phoenix's bench plays for the remainder of the series as it did in Game 4, Los Angeles is proper fucked. Particularly when Derek Fisher and Ron Artest are undressed by Slovenian backup point guards while Kobe watches:
-So, uh... I did some quick calculations, and it seems that 84 per cent of the 38 players who played in the last game for Chicago and Philadelphia are Canadian. Not only that, but there's a certainty that at least two players will win both a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger on Philly, and Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith on Chicago. Only three players have ever done that before, being Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan in 2002, and Ken Morrow in 1980 with the New York Islanders. Also, to bring up old stereotypes, not a single Russian or Swede are in the Stanley Cup Final (UPDATE: Not name Hjalmarsson). Compare that to both team's failure to make the semifinals at the Olympics, it looks like Canada is pretty much the best country for hockey on the planet. Neener, neener, neener.
-Without playing, Toronto F.C. won the Voyageurs Cup as the Canadian Nutri-Lite Soccer Champions. Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. drew 1-1 in Montreal against the Impact, clinching the title for the Reds with still one fixture left between the Whitecaps and TFC. When asked about how it was to win such a prestigious championship, Preki said "huh?"
-The Arcade Fire have two new songs out. This one is called The Suburbs, and it's leak this morning pretty much broke the Internet:
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 20 - Morning briefing
-Calgary defeats Brandon 5-1 in an utterly meaningless game in the final round robin game of the Memorial Cup. Fun fact: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, who gave his name to the Hitmen, visited the team after they won the WHL championship. No word as to whether or not brother Owen's path is mimicking the Calgary Flames most recent season.
-The Blue Jays defeated Seattle 3-2 at Safeco Field, in a game that was televised, only on a delay. Except in the Pacific and West regions. Kevin Gregg pitched himself in-and-out of a 2-out, 2-runners on jam in the bottom of the 9th, and now leads the American League in saves. The losing pitcher in this game for Seattle was Doug Fister. (Fister? I barely know her!)
-Steve Nash and the Suns now find themselves down 2-0 to the Lakers after a miserable fourth quarter. Coming back in the third to have the game tied at 90 after 36 minutes, Pau Gasol pumped through 14 of the Lakers' 34 fourth quarter points and they won handedly 124-112. Nash had 11 points and 15 assists.
-Breaking tonight, Floyd Landis reportedly admitted to his blood doping use at the Tour de France. The PED-crazed media can now finally look away from Toronto.
-It's Thursday. The Canadiens are in action at 7 Eastern on CBC, Steve Nash is down in his series so the basketball playoffs are pretty much over (seriously, off-day until Saturday, oddly enough) there's an off-day at the Memorial Cup so that means we'll see Ricky Romero pitch against Jason Vargas in a matinee on Sportsnet, unless that's pre-empted for reality show repeats like last night's game was. Also, Gibson's Ryan Dempster is on the hill against the Phillies for the Cubs.
-Oh right, and Canada is playing Russia at the World Championship. Catch the inevitable loss on a repeat on TSN2 during primetime hours, followed by some mock shame from the TSN panel. Then we'll be over it in time to ignore the Spengler Cup come December.
-The Blue Jays defeated Seattle 3-2 at Safeco Field, in a game that was televised, only on a delay. Except in the Pacific and West regions. Kevin Gregg pitched himself in-and-out of a 2-out, 2-runners on jam in the bottom of the 9th, and now leads the American League in saves. The losing pitcher in this game for Seattle was Doug Fister. (Fister? I barely know her!)
-Steve Nash and the Suns now find themselves down 2-0 to the Lakers after a miserable fourth quarter. Coming back in the third to have the game tied at 90 after 36 minutes, Pau Gasol pumped through 14 of the Lakers' 34 fourth quarter points and they won handedly 124-112. Nash had 11 points and 15 assists.
-Breaking tonight, Floyd Landis reportedly admitted to his blood doping use at the Tour de France. The PED-crazed media can now finally look away from Toronto.
-It's Thursday. The Canadiens are in action at 7 Eastern on CBC, Steve Nash is down in his series so the basketball playoffs are pretty much over (seriously, off-day until Saturday, oddly enough) there's an off-day at the Memorial Cup so that means we'll see Ricky Romero pitch against Jason Vargas in a matinee on Sportsnet, unless that's pre-empted for reality show repeats like last night's game was. Also, Gibson's Ryan Dempster is on the hill against the Phillies for the Cubs.
-Oh right, and Canada is playing Russia at the World Championship. Catch the inevitable loss on a repeat on TSN2 during primetime hours, followed by some mock shame from the TSN panel. Then we'll be over it in time to ignore the Spengler Cup come December.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday May 19th - Morning Briefing
-Even though two of Philadelphia's goals were scored by Daniel Briere, of Gatineau and Simon Gagne, of Sainte-Foy, Flyer fans at Wachovia chanted 'Frenchies suck' in the waning minutes of their 3-0 Game 2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, it appears that Michael Leighton and Jaroslav Halak accidently switched jerseys sometime before the start of Game 1.
-Basketball: Here's a video that Raptors fans will love, of Vince Carter missing two important free throws late in Game 2 against the Celtics. The audio is slightly off, but it's nonetheless amusing.
-In Brandon, Eric Wellwood scored on a rebound from 15-feet out 12:22 into the overtime period and the Windsor Spitfires finish the round robin 3-0, eliminating the Moncton Wildcats. Moncton's Gabriel Bourque had a wide open net with 30 seconds to play and hit the crossbar. The Wildcat loss means that the final round robin game between Brandon and Calgary is entirely meaningless, as the two will meet again on Friday for the semifinal.
-If you're lucky enough to have Sportsnet's alternate channel, you'd have maybe seen the Blue Jays destroy Minnesota 11-2 at Skydome in the second game of that series. Hill, Wells, Encarnacion and Overbay all homered for the Jays, who gain a game on the Yankees who lost to the Red Sox 7-6, but stay five back of the division-leading Rays, who beat the Tigers 6-2. Marcum went 7-strong to pick up his third win on the year, allowing five hits, two walks and striking out three. New Westminster's Justin Morneau, who was strong in Monday's game, went 0-for-3 with a strike out.
-With a goal and an assist, Jonathan Toews continued to secure his spot atop the NHL playoff points race in a 4-2 win over San Jose in Game 2. San Jose is now 0-5 in home conference finals games in their history and look overmatched in this series.
-Steve Nash and the Suns appear to have shaken off Game 1 as just one game in a long series. Bright Side of the Sun has the compilation of clichés dropped at their Tuesday practice.
-Stay classy, Olympic protesters. An anarchist group firebombed an RBC branch in Ottawa, protesting RBC as a sponsor for the Vancouver games. The fire caused $300K in damage, thankfully, nobody was hurt. A video and message from the group can be found here.
-Basketball: Here's a video that Raptors fans will love, of Vince Carter missing two important free throws late in Game 2 against the Celtics. The audio is slightly off, but it's nonetheless amusing.
-In Brandon, Eric Wellwood scored on a rebound from 15-feet out 12:22 into the overtime period and the Windsor Spitfires finish the round robin 3-0, eliminating the Moncton Wildcats. Moncton's Gabriel Bourque had a wide open net with 30 seconds to play and hit the crossbar. The Wildcat loss means that the final round robin game between Brandon and Calgary is entirely meaningless, as the two will meet again on Friday for the semifinal.
-If you're lucky enough to have Sportsnet's alternate channel, you'd have maybe seen the Blue Jays destroy Minnesota 11-2 at Skydome in the second game of that series. Hill, Wells, Encarnacion and Overbay all homered for the Jays, who gain a game on the Yankees who lost to the Red Sox 7-6, but stay five back of the division-leading Rays, who beat the Tigers 6-2. Marcum went 7-strong to pick up his third win on the year, allowing five hits, two walks and striking out three. New Westminster's Justin Morneau, who was strong in Monday's game, went 0-for-3 with a strike out.
-With a goal and an assist, Jonathan Toews continued to secure his spot atop the NHL playoff points race in a 4-2 win over San Jose in Game 2. San Jose is now 0-5 in home conference finals games in their history and look overmatched in this series.
-Steve Nash and the Suns appear to have shaken off Game 1 as just one game in a long series. Bright Side of the Sun has the compilation of clichés dropped at their Tuesday practice.
-Stay classy, Olympic protesters. An anarchist group firebombed an RBC branch in Ottawa, protesting RBC as a sponsor for the Vancouver games. The fire caused $300K in damage, thankfully, nobody was hurt. A video and message from the group can be found here.
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