Just a quick note to let one and all know that I’m going to be on hiatus for the next few days to a week. No! Stop crying.. back away from that ledge. I’ll be back! 
In the meantime, here are some places to kick it, recommended by moi…
- Steph is still live streaming (You can watch him sleep. Just pretend that’s not interesting. Keep frontin’ like dat.)
- BDL is doing a great NBA lists series. Like this one. (Check out #1 suckas!)
- My boy, Rey-Rey and his SoCal posse have moved to their very own brand spankin’ new shiny domain. You best check it out and say yo, yo.
- This post from Sarah (@ticktock6) at HornetsHype.com made me teary. If it doesn’t make you verklempt, you have a cinder block for a heart.
- Another great NBA Withdrawals list from Nat at Heels On Hardwood. I concur on Barkley. He was made for Twitter. Chuck! The mothership is calling you!
Just read this gem in today’s ESPN.com Hollinger chat:
Chris (Nevada)
Best in East in order 1) Magic 2) Celts 3) Cleveland. Tell me im correct
John Hollinger (3:07 PM)
I think it’s basically a dead heat between Orlando and Cleveland at the top; I have to pick one of them eventually but will take my sweet time. Boston to me is clearly third in the pecking order based on their age issues and the uncertainty with how Garnett can come back. The other oddity about the East is the rock-paper-scissors nature of the match-ups last season — Orlando beats Cleveland, Cleveland beats Boston, Boston beats Orlando. If that holds up this season, playoff seedings could matter even more than usual.
Oh no he didn’t! Thems fightin’ words baby!
How can Stan Van Gundy whine about not being respected when all these mainstream sports honks are ranking his team above the Celtics? My main issue with all this ranking bs is that its impossible to tell yet how these teams’ new additions are going to pan out. The Shaq & LeBron major monster ego collide could be a disaster. Vince Carter could tear an ACL or get a hangnail. Sheed could punch a ref. Come on now. It’s completely unpredictable!
I realize they get paid to make predictions, but I just don’t see how you put the Boston Celtics third. The team is stacked. Like built-for-another-championship stacked. Maybe, just maybe, I can handle being ranked behind the Cavs, for now… but the Magic? Uh uh. I’m not buying it. No wait, I’m gonna backtrack. I can’t handle being ranked behind the Cavs either.
Grrr! This season can’t start soon enough for me… Hopefully, we’ll quickly separate the chaff from the wheat! Bring. it. on.
ps. Celtics tix went on sale today, but I’m holding off. Last season, I bought 4 tix within the first 2 minutes they went on sale and they were the worst seats in the history of awful seats. I’m going to wait this season and try and grab some better seats that season ticket holders want to sell.
I’m 5’4″ and I could probably guard J.J. Redick
* In an article in today’s WaPo, Washington Redskins star, DeAngelo Hall brags about shutting down J.J. Redick back in their AAU days about 10 years ago. Hilariously, he seems to think this was a great accomplishment. I hate to break it to him, but an egg salad sandwich could have guarded J.J. provided it had its running shoes on to chase him around screens all night. I can see if he beat Kobe one-on-one or something, but come on now. What’s next? Boasting about beating his grandma at Wii? Full article: Hall Claims He Gave J.J. Redick ‘That Work’
Personally, I think picking your favorite Yankee is like choosing a favorite turd, but that’s just me
* Mike Lupica thinks Derek Jeter is having a “season for the ages.” Puke. No, I have nothing else to say on the subject. I’m mainly posting this to compare Yankees to turds. Carry on. [H/T Deadspin] Full article: Yankees captain Derek Jeter having season for ages at 35
You mean Shaq isn’t really the lovable baffoon we all think he is? What hell, you say?
* The Arizona Republic’s Dan Bickley takes on the Big Shaqtus and has a word of warning for the city of Cleveland about welcoming a guy who hasn’t exactly ever embraced the sidekick role with open arms over the years. Even though some of this comes off as a personal attack born from sour grapes, I still found it insightful. Shaq definitely has a way of wiping away all past sins with his sense of humor and charisma. Full article: Bickley: Cleveland, beware of Shaq the Hack
Last, but certainly not least…
* Happy 75th Birthday, Tommy Heinsohn! More love for Tommy: CelticsBlog, LOY’s Place
No, not for his sometimes wacky behavior on Justin.tv, because that’s awesome. I’m talking about his background collages. This one looks like he was posing for Glamour Shots at the local mall.
Source: http://www.justin.tv/starburytv
It also gives me the heebie jeebies to see people’s eyes in extreme closeup. *shiver*
Source: NBA.com
My only beef here is where are the little basketballs at the end of the antennae? That’s my favorite part of the logo. Deadspin thinks Crusher looks like Nightmare Ant. I think they’re right. I wonder if Crusher is on Twitter yet? I tried following Nightmare Ant on Twitter for awhile, but he was one scary ass mo fo.
Related links:
Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out (and take all those horrid penny puns with you!)
* The Associated Press is reporting that Tim Wakefield will take over Brad Penny’s spot in the Red Sox rotation starting Wednesday night against the Chicago White Sox. Penny upchucked last night’s game against the New York Yankees in grand fashion, which was the icing on the cake of a really putrid tenure for him with the team. I really don’t see how the Smoltz/Penny 2009 era could be viewed as anything less than an unmitigated disaster. With both of them finally out of the picture, maybe the Red Sox have a chance to get back on track. When I think back on Penny’s time here, even more than the horror show that was last night’s loss to Satan’s baseball team, I will remember this gem of a conversation I had with my mother about him early in the season:
Mom: Where the hell did this Henny Penny come from?
Me: I don’t know. Last I remember, he was pitching for some California team and dating Alyssa Milano.
Mom: That doesn’t narrow it down.
Ha. When you’re right, you’re right.
Adios, Brad. I hope.
Ron Artest is looking to hunt you down and lock you “da fuck up”…
Source: @96TruwarierQB/Twitter
…but he has GREAT taste!
I will admit I was a little nervous when he zoomed in on his waistband… You just never know what might happen. I didn’t want to accidentally peep his starburies or anything like that. But, he apparently just wanted to show Boston some love by zooming in on the shamrock on the Celtics shorts he was wearing. Phew! Can’t hate on a guy for that!
Love is love, Daddy. 111111111
Source: StarburyTV on Justin.tv
I think I’m going to pitch an idea to FOX for a reality show singing competition
* If this story really played out as reported, Shaq has some extra large sized cajones. I can only imagine that in his own head he heard the idea and said to himself: “Great idea. But, nobody wants to see whimpy Steve Nash take on the world’s greatest athletes. He’s Canadian and not the least bit quotatious. Only a shaqalicious-sized megastar could pull off a show like this. I think I’ll steal it. Mwahahaha.” The Arizona Republic has all the dirty details in: Shaq’s behind-the-back move
Blogger news
* @docfunk not only has the funniest one-liners I’ve ever read on Twitter, but has also recently joined Washington Wizards based blog, Truth About It. Check out the inaugural post in: More Juice Please: Why Butler Should Shoot As Much As Arenas
Like a cat walking on its hind legs and other improbabilities
* I love me some Ochocinco, but who the hell does he think he is kicking PATs against my beloved New England Patriots? Tsk, tsk, tsk! Apparently ole Ocho fancies himself a soccer player. More about that from The Boston Globe in: Ochocinco gets kick out of win
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before
* You know that time in high school when your ivy league bound boyfriend broke up with you and ignored you until you started dating the captain of the football team? Then he called you at the eleventh hour and asked you to prom? Evans Clinchy of NESN.com breaks it down in: Powe’s Departure Not About Years or Money
Some of my best friends are… dancers
* Brendan Haywood’s recent homophobic comments about Stephon Marbury bring to mind the semi-recent caveman squawkings of Shavlik Randolph. You know, the whole “Don’t drop the soap around this guy” kind of nonsense. I will tell Haywood what I told Randolph… Don’t flatter yourself. Anyway, Bethlehem Shoals discusses new media’s double-edged sword for The Baseline in: Is Brendan Haywood Really Worried About Starbury’s Sexuality or Something Else?. UPDATE: Kelly Dwyer also adds his insightful two cents for Ball Don’t Lie in: Brendan Haywood isn’t fully informed
Brett Favre is like a fart in church. You want to ignore him, but you can’t
What’s more old and tired than Brett Favre? Bitching about Brett Favre every time he faux retires and then makes a triumphant comeback. Yet still, every single time, I cannot help but throw my hands up in disgust when he un-retires again. If returning to football was a sick child, I would accuse Favre of suffering from Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. He’s addicted to the attention (now primarily negative) and nothing short of a full body cast is going to keep him from returning to football. Again. (And again, and again, and again…) Mike Florio reports for Pro Football Talk that: Favre is on a plane to Minnesota
