How come that f. yugo hit several shots against USA and was missing everything against Lakers?
I was worried before the game as no extra day for players to understand shame brought by defeat.
Now we may even get that punk Iverson on the team and I am a Sixers fan.
I was watching game over NFL game as more of a story. F. they are dancing in the streets in Yugoslavia.
Baron Davis was a big disappointment as sometimes he looks so cool then the next min looks so clueless. Bring a center next time, I have never seen Divac dominate a game so easily, 16 pts in first half.
Also what the f. was going on, Marion and Brand did not play, La Frentz and Williams were riding the pine so they played 8 out of shape guys and were tired in the end. Plus Davis was a no show, and Ben Wallace is a defender and O'Neal is a liability in free throws.
Paul Pierce has stardom written all over him and I hate the Celtics.

Just a friendly reminder that the current Laker dynasty has blasted its way to 3 NBA championships in a row. Not a fluke. I'm sorry if any of you feel PAIN and AGONY about this FACT. There's a GOOD chance that they'll do it AGAIN. "4 Chick" And I plan to be POLITE about this, as always.

WERE ARE THE RINGS???? IS There any guy on the USA team that have a RING?, or KNOW HOW TO WIN? I didn't think so, after talking with some of my INTEL, they tell me NO ONE wanted to play for the "COACHES" they have out there (CRY BABY GEORGE KARL), doing the season he piss off so many players until NO ONE want to be around him, YOU SEE THE WAY HE TALK ABOUT HIS OWN TEAM AND PLAYERS!!!!!, he is the one that DON'T HAVE A CURE? he started 6 different line ups, the guys DON'T KNOW what to except from him, or when they will play etc., GET A HEAD COACH that knows what he is doing AND ONE THAT THE PLAYERS RESPECT, GO LAKERS GO LAKERS GO LAKERS OH YEAHHHHH 4 PEAT!!!!!

Lakers repeat is doubtful. Shaq will miss the first part of the season and get fat after toe surgery (whenever he finally gets around to it). He always starts the season out of shape anyway, and his eventual surgery will only exacerbate the problem. The Kings will jump out to a big lead and again have home court.

Sacramento won the conference finals last year 4-1 ... had the series been called correctly by the refs. Regardless, just as the Pistons finally solved the Celtics, and the Bulls finally solved the Pistons, the Kings should oust L.A.

Who really cares right now anyway? It's football season, and that is the real man's sport. Check in again in about 7 months, when basketball games will start meaning something.

-Superman-

Hey,

Why not let Phil Jacksonas coach?

I would bet he could get better players or at least better team players to play.

No, I guess to obvious.

Why do I think they would have won with him as coach?

Benwholoveswinnersandnotlosers

It's the players' fault too, for not wanting to play for the USA. A team of Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd and KG would not be challenged. Our best team does not include Reggie Miller, Elton Brand, and Jay Williams.

Some of these guys need to step up so we can qualify for and win the Gold in the Olympics. Basketball is to the USA like Soccer is to other countries ... we are the best and we are supposed to win.

-Superman-

Superman
I hated to read about thousands Yugos celebrating with fireworks at 5:30 AM...These two losses were plain embarrasment. Indianapolis was an embarassment. I am embarrased for all Americans.
But you're so right...kickoff weekend...Go Chargers.

kidcisco...

If the KINGS were THAT GOOD WHY NOT HAVE THE SECOND PLACE TEAM PLAY IN THE GAMES????, WHY NOT???because YOUR KINGS players are out there playing for the "OWN COUNTRY", Coming here to take the AMERICAN GRINGO $$$$.
i know you are a laker fan, and i am not a hater, i respect that. But i think the REAL reason that peja and vlade are playing the yugo team is that NON american born players can play for the USA in the Olympics... Athos, Sups, am i right on this one??/

Happyboy, I can answer that one for you that's RIGHT, but like all things look AT 9/11, they come here learn the GAME learn TO FLY AIRPLANES etc. and then come (BACK LATER TO HARM US) either winning in games or doing other things to us, I seen the same thing in the Navy schools that I went to.

Most NBA players DON'T respect (GEORGE CRY BABY KARL), he have been kick FROM TEAM TO TEAM and have gotton second chances over and over AGAIN, no one want to play for him.

HE is a OLD,FAT over the HILL coach, he is VERY jealous OF THE younger coaches that have came into THE NBA and have WON, WON, WON, and get MORE out of there players,(Bayron Scott/rings with the Lakers/NBA finals), New Jersey was a JOKE for years in the NBA until THEY went out and got a coach that the guys respect and wanted to play for, you saw the way he was talking shit about Doc Rivers, most PLAYERS AND COACHES DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND HIM he's a LOSER, if they don't have to around they WANT.

Let the players VOTE who they want to PLAY FOR OR COACH TEAM and NOT THE NBA, I promise you THEN you will see YOUR A TEAM NBA players lining up to play.

I know a few NBA players, and have talk about this over with them just this past week, and this is WHAT most if not all have told me, THEY WANT PLAY IN CHI-TOWN, look what the two JERRY'S did to the BULLS team, NO matter how much $$$$$$ the JERRYS try to pay (GRANT HILL,TIM DUNCAN,TRACY MAC, CHRIS WEBBER etc.etc.) NO ONE want to play for that team the way the F**k over the players and broke up the team NO ONE want to go there just think about it, he taught I will just pay them a lot of $$$$$ they will come NO ONE came.

They went there eat/drink/f**k on their dime and left.

If you had a EX-Player coaching the USA TEAM with some (RINGS), that the NBA players respect they would play, I heard this over 5 times this week along from NBA players.

KidCisco

WestCisco: Keep WRITING, man. This is good SHIT

Prognosis following Shaq's toe surgery is excellent. If that's true, and Shaq uses the next 6 weeks to condition himself back to glory speed, then we can celebrate the 4-peat now.

Whatever happens, it'll be fun. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. That would be the Lakers, and nobody else out there at the moment.

Given Shaq's law enforcement credentials, maybe they can bring him along when they toss Webber in the pokey.

Yeah, Webber will go to jail! Just like Iverson will be in jail at the start of the season (all charges dropped, by the way).

Shaq's conditioning? Ha! He always starts the season out of shape, and I imagine he'll be even fatter this year.

-Superman-

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Exactly! You are incredibly boring. Cut and paste the above into all of your posts, and you will save everyone a lot of time.

-Superman-

Dynasties are great for the game.
Let the Lakers win a few more and then hopefully the Celtics can Challenge in a year or 2 !!

Old School Basketball !!

Milky

i loved that rivalry. the only thing i regret about their rivarly is that they never played a finals against each other when both teams were healthy. there was always a key player out of limited because of injury.

The problem with the current Celtics is that they are almost likeable. They need a talented total ass to complete their team. If fate had been different and Bill Laimbeer (Boston naitive) had been drafted by Boston, he'd go down in history as the quintessential grittiest, gutsiest, meanest, most Caucasian, most popular Celtic ever. The green hated him so much because he fit the profile of their prototypical ideal player, but ended up on the other side. The current Celtics batch has finesse, more than grit. It is hard to imagine a finesse-based Celtic team. Sorry, Milk, Sampson -- I love to hate the Celtics. If they step it up this year, it'll be ugly... and maybe fun.

"Superman", I love the angry dumb-ass persona you are cultivating on this site. It is hilarious. It was a stroke of genius to manufacture that dude--what the character lacks in brains and finesse he makes up for with entertainingly dense, subcortical hostility. The best! Very entertaining. Keep postingzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

How about Robert Parrish as a total ass? Always a pissed off look on his face and use to beat up his wife. Maybe he still does?

Dave Cowens was always my favorite tough guy.

Havlicek always my favorite player.

But maybe "the all time player only you could love if he was on your team" award goes to Danny Ainge(sp?)

spelling is correct i believe. he was a great player if he was on your team--easy to hate if you played against him. never made a mistake at the end of a game. if you needed a foul--he could foul with a minimal time off the clock. if you needed a time out he found the referee with the quickness. always knocked down his free throws, never turned the ball over(at the end game), and not a bad outside shooter. a real "coach on the floor".

Ben, you are right that Parrish always looked mad at the world. What a scowl! McHale was my favorite Celtic (if I have to pick one). His clothesline on Rambis was classic. Ainge was a punk, too.

Dog, even if that were true, I'd take that persona over your "know-it-all", expert on every subject, pseudo-intellectual, multi-handle, no friends in real life, loser persona ... but that's just me.

Like I said, stick with the zzzzzzzzzzz's. They are far more entertaining/readable than your usual long-winded drivel.

-Superman-

Actually, another cool thing about your persona is your inability to grasp the gist anything more subtle than a rock. That may be why you are having difficulty with the "readable" thing. And the accusations about changing handles (which I've never done) while constantly using several of your own is classic, too. Not to mention always blaming the refs or whoever when your team loses... Man, that's deep. That's the most enjoyable part about dissing you, dude. I can always count on you to trip over your own angry void. Keep postin' dude. It makes me laugh.

------------------------------------------

And now back to the basketball thread:

People who predicted that the Lakers would win the NBA championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002:
Dogster and friends

People who didn't:
Superman

People who are still celebrating the 3-peat:
Dogster and friends

People who aren't
Superman

---------------------------------------------

I think Bill Russell was the truest, toughest, meanest Celtic hero, as discussed earlier on this thread. He's the dude who nearly everone acknowledges as being central to their 13-year dynasty.

But he didn't exactly fit. As much as he loved the Celtics and "Celtic Pride", he found the atmosphere in Boston to be a pain in the ass, in part for racial reasons, but in part because of shortsighted sportswriters and fans.

After Russell left, the Celtics seemed to stock up on talented whiteys, more than any other NBA team: Cowens, Bird, McHale, Ainge... At least that was the accusation (fair or not) leveled against them by many people in the ensuing years.

It was a cynical accusation. When Auerbach retired as coach, he hired Russell (still playing) to be coach. This was a major milestone--the first black person to coach a major American sports team. So in that sense, the Celtics were the first to break the color barrier, in a big way. At the time that Wilt was registering republican and sucking up to Richard Nixon, Russell was at the forefront of the civil rights movement; he wasn't exactly an Uncle Tom. And the Celtics continued to hire black head coaches... KC Jones...

But the high whitey count on the team was taken as representative of the racial problems that plagued Boston in general. This got a lotta press in the '80's and early '90s. Jones, Parrish, Dennis Johnson never denied the issue, as far as I know. Rather, they issued terse "no comment" statements that didn't exactly clear the air.

So is the racial issue on the Boston Celtics a non-issue, or a thing of the past? I dunno. But the demographics of their next key talent acquisition may be worthy of scrutiny.

And will the Celtics win another championship before Red Auerbach kicks the bucket? (God, I hope not). Now that's something to gamble over...

Dogster - are you saying that if Lambeer had been a Celtic that he'd have been gritter and more popular than Cowens, McHale, or Bird? No way.

You can add me to your list of people who didn't think the Lakers deserved to win the championship and your list of people who aren't celebrating it.

Sammy, at least you did not deny the no friends, pseudo-intellectual, know it all, loser part! There might be hope for you yet.

I understand every nuance of everything you write, Dogboy. You are not even in my league. At least other guys I've battled with in the past -- like Kendricks and maybe Aardvark -- were a challenge. You are nothing. You are not funny. You are not witty. Your comebacks suck. Your attacks suck, and you always leave yourself wide open.

You're remind me of Fernando Vargas ... you are a loudmouth, smack talker who keeps getting up, despite the futility and inevitability of it all ... Stay on the canvas, dude! You are just going to get knocked down again! Shit, at least Vargas had the stones to step into the ring ... you prefer to talk your shit from behind your dork-fest computer in your Star Wars/Trek, comic-book convention, and action figure homeworld. I've invited you no less than 3 times to meet me for some face to face debate, or at least a beer or ten, but you always decline with some horribly vain attempt at a witty refusal. Step up or shut up.

Oh yeah ... I will personally pay for every whore for you for the rest of your life if you can find one instance where I posted from an account other than this one ... have fun. Make me the same offer.

Hmmm ... I don't remember you being around here back in 2000 ... what name were you calling yourself then?

-Superman-

if Lambeer had been a Celtic that he'd have been grittier and more popular than Cowens, McHale, or Bird? No way.

No way is right. Laimbeer was a goon. The above-mentioned Celtics are Hall of Famers. The fact of life is fans will forgive their favorite players indescretions 99 percent of the time ... if that player is a superstar.

-Superman-

The 80's Celtics one of the best teams to play the game and without doubt the dorkiest , geekiest and doofiest looking teams to play the game.
Where did they find these guys in the Zona ?

Still laughing
Superman

I lived in Boston during mid '80s (and then later in mid 90s for the total of 12 years), so I am familiar with the racial connotations regarding the Celtics' team composition from various angles.

Boston media treated high white counts as the result of the team's racially blind policy. The logic went, Red Auerbach did not look at his players' color of skins. He only cared about their skills. He had a track record on this matter, when he had prominently supported black players and coaches in earlier years. Bird, McHale, and Ainge were among top players at the time (which is certainly true, as the first two are bona fide HOFmers. Ainge was a chancy pick, as he was playing minor league baseball.) "despite they were whites". So, Auerbach took them.

Now, I am not naive to accept this theory with a face value. The Boston media, including its sports media, was no way cosmopolitan, at the time. For example, when the Celtics beat the Bulls in playoffs in early years of Michael Jordan, the Boston media called him a "physically talented" slam dunking athlete who would never able to beat "smart playing" Celtics. You had to be there to understand this, but Boston media was never shy of making racial connotations. Another example is, when a Japanese marathoner won a Boston Marathon, a columnist spent the entire page ridiculing him for not being able to speak English.

Of course, this was happening with the backdrop of racial turmoils of the city in 80s. The busing program for school children was becoming a disaster for both sides. Then, the city accepted thousands of Cambodian refugees in its suburb, causing innitial frictions with residents. There were riots in public housings by their black residents. Meanwhile, MIT's student body became 25% Asian, and Harvard nearly 20%. The list goes on...

The core of the problem was, racial segregations were well and alive in Boston well into '80s (more on this below), i.e. different races lived in different parts of Boston without much interactions. If you happened to live in a wrong section, you were let known. I heard so many stories about this. The police would have literally stopped white bikers if they rode into black neighborhoods. I even experienced this first hand. I lived in an apartment in Back Bay. I had a wonderful landlady, but at the corner grocery store, there was a white clerk who said "thank you" only to white customers, never to non whites.

It was ironic that Boston and Massachusetts had reputations of being "liberal". But, one theory goes, these reputations made the city "exempt" from national scruitinies that had forced other cities to racially integrate earlier. Southern cities, for example, were forced to change their systems during the '60s, because their segregations had been legal and formal. In Boston, segregations were not in the letter of laws, but it was in the way how the people lived.

When I came back there in '90s, the city's racial atmosphere was much better.

I just want to say thank you to Superman and Dogster for your entertaining,uh banter.

Since kendricks left this place has been pretty boring.

What do you think about football?

""""""""""""""""""""""" stocks?

"""""""""""""""""""""""" La Tropa?

""""""""""""""""""""""""" ETC.?

Pretty damn boring after awhile.

Gee, I wish I had some new stories about Sweetie Pie, but I guess she is retired and living happily everafter in blissful matrimony.

Thanks again guys, but could you get a little more nasty???

Byron: I found your thoughts and experiences regarding the coach, the team, the media, and the city of Boston to be very interesting. The idea that the “liberal” reputation hid racial conflicts makes lots of sense. Boston has always fascinated me, for better or worse. I nearly moved to Boston to join a “league” (hint: not Baseball), but ultimately decided to return to the west coast. I’m surprised to hear that the racial issues are not what they once were in Boston. What changed? And more important than anything important, what does this mean for the Celtics?

Milkster: “The 80's Celtics one of the best teams to play the game and without doubt the dorkiest , geekiest and doofiest looking teams to play the game.” Maybe what the Celtics need is a talented UGLY total ass, preferably from Butt-Lick, Middle America.

Ben: football, stocks, La Tropa, Sweety Pie, etc… What kinda bullshit are ya talkin’ about? This is a fuckin’ basketball thread. That other stuff is OFF-TOPIC. Speaking of which….
-------------------------------------------------
Oh, yeah, right, like I'd really want to meet internet alpha chimp face to face. Sorry, dude, I have no interest in meeting you. None. Zero. This is not a difficult concept. Get over it.

If you get all ballistic and irritable about someone's posts, don't read them and don't respond to them. That's a simple, time-honored solution. But you remain TOO FUCKING DENSE to get it.

Most people aren't so fragile that they can't tolerate an opposing point of view about sports, or life in general. If the other team wins, they don't get all vindictive and miserable, or blame the refs. If you ever grow up, I wonder if you'll be human.

**I can always count on you to trip over your own angry void.** Sorry for you if I find that entertaining, but that's the part that keeps me from ignoring you entirely. At least you figured out what "nuance" means. That's a Step Up... but trust me, dude, you've missed a few things.

Excuse me, but you've posted under numerous handles, as others have noted. I've ALWAYS logged on here, and posted here as Dogster, and it is the only handle/account I've used. I give Hombre permission to verify this to your sorry paranoid ass, using whatever means he deems fit. As for any further stalking behavior on your part, fuck off.

It's kind've amazing--your last post was more evidence that you are a legend in your own mind, nothing more. When do we celebrate the 2 year anniversary of your overcompensating posturing at this site?

Aw, cripes. Enuff of this shit...

Dogster, you've always missed the point, which is what is truly amusing! You either don't get it, or you are in denial, which is all the more amusing.

You see, it's not the opposing viewpoints ... that's what makes sports fun. If everyone agreed that Patrick Ewing sucked dick his entire career and never came close to fulfilling his potential, sports would be boring. There have to be guys who think he was great and simply never had the supporting cast ...

The problem is when guys like you get thrashed in a debate, can't defend their position, and then resort to personal attacks as a last resort. That's your M.O. You present a case, lose, solicit help from others, and then start bashing ... and that, my friend, is what is childish. You will, of course, naturally deny this, but all you need to do is re-read the Wilt Vs. Russell thread from top to bottom. It's right there in black and white ... right where YOU started all of this. See, now I've enlightened you ... you're welcome. Now you can improve yourself. While you're at it, re-read my debate with Ootie on the Yankees Vs. Mets for a sports argument the right way ... somehow neither of us resorted to bashing each other with personal insults! Imagine that!

You've laid out many personal attacks when you have not had anywhere else to go. What's even more incredibly stupid is that you don't know me from Adam. My problem with you is I highly doubt you'd say half of it face to face ... I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

I'll never have a problem with a man who says to my face that Allen Iverson is a thug who should be in jail, because that's his opinion. On the other hand, if that man follows up his statement by calling me an idiot, then there's going to be a problem. What you lack are called "social skills" and you should have learned them from 1st through 6th grade. You remember ... the little notes on your report cards that said "Dogboy does not get along well with others?" Then again, maybe you can't remember that far back.

I know it's easy for you to hide behind your keyboard in Ultima Online world act like a tough guy, or an Elf, or a Wizard or whatever other such shit you internet geeks pretend to be ... but hey, if you are comfortable hiding behind a monitor and spewing your bile, feel free. It does not make you much of a man in my book, but if you're comfortable with yourself, who am I to judge?

The good thing about our situation here is that we run in the same circle ... a very, very small three block, dirty, filthy circle ... damn, inevitability sucks!

Ben, I'm sorry Dogboy can't really hold up his end. I'm trying my best to carry him ...

-Superman-

Both you guys are doing great.

Thank you and keep up the good work.

You both just made my whole day.

Hey, what do you guys think of Ahora?

I was just doing some transferring of old homemade family videos from 1980 and later to DVD, and got caught watching a tape of the 1988 and 1993 NBA Finals with the Lakers. Wow, I sure miss Magic and showtime.

Maybe this’ll be the end of this and maybe it won’t. My apologies to any of you who are sick of this bullshit. Kudos to Hombre for not censoring any of this.

If any of you are interested (for whatever whacko reason) in the love-fest between me and “S”, then by all means go back and read the thread. You won’t get the full picture, because the joyous interaction spread rapidly to other areas of this site, but you’ll get a reasonable snapshot. Start at April 1--a good day to play jokes on fools.

That’s when I first posted on this long dormant NBA thread. My first post was basically intended to explicitly start some debates. And yeah, I was looking for something of a good-natured NBA smack-down, which I think was both explicit and obvious to most people.

I had posted that I was a die-hard Laker fan, but thought Bill Russell was the “greatest” NBA player (not the most talented; the greatest). I also said I thought Kareem was better than Wilt. Then, another poster suggested that “only a Laker fan would put Kareem over Wilt Chamberlain”… to which I responded, “That's fuckin' brilliant man. And lets not forget that Wilt was only 6’10.” Basically, Wilt Chamberlain played for the Lakers and was about 7’1”. So my blunt sarcasm was not exactly subtle.

Up to that point I had no idea who “S” was… In his first post, he started by (a) completely missing my not so subtle comment, and (b) getting personal, beyond anything good natured.

S’s first sentence of his first post:
“First of all, Wilt was 7'1", not 6'10". If you don't know what you are talking about, step off. Secondly, anyone who thinks Wilt Chamberlain was not the best basketball player of all time has more than a few screws loose.”
Then later, in that first post, after blaming refs, etc.
“Idiots who argue Russell was better…”

Well, that kinda set the tone. The dude was takin’ things waaayyy to literally, missing subtlety, and was calling me an idiot. Whatever. It really didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but history kept repeating itself. It’s kind’ve ironic now, given what he’s bitchin’ about.

Anyway, the rest is history. Over time, “S” seemingly (a) took comments personally that had nothing to do with him, (b) took mild ridicule as a personal attack, (c) accused me of being various other posters who complimented my posts, (d) read things into my posts that weren’t there, and (e) wanted to meet face to face in order to settle things personally. My mistake is that I kinda egged this shit on at times, finding it highly amusing.

S—If we happen to cross paths in the Zona Norte, or wherever, it’s no big thing. It is nothing I’m gonna seek out, but I’m not afraid. I have a low opinion of you and you’ll hear it from me personally if we meet. If you get confrontational, or threatening, it’s more your problem than mine. For your sake, I hope you get past your adolescent ideas about what it means to be a man.

Dogster
(who didn’t pick a FUCKING comic book character as a handle)

Indyla: do you mean '88 and '91? Or '87 and '88? Showtime pretty much ended after the Lakers played the Bulls in the finals...

What Dogster meant to say to Indyla.

"Indyla: You fuckin idiot, do you mean '88 and '91? Or '87 and '88? Any FOOL knows Showtime pretty much ended after the Lakers played the Bulls in the finals...

Geez Man pull your stupid head out of your ass.

Kindly Dogster

Dogstar: It was the 87-88 and 92-93 Finals.

LOL! That was weak. I guess you think everyone is too stupid to read the thread themselves? That being the case ... I was referring to a few of these dogsterisms:

--My blunt sarcasm was apparently too subtle to pass through your dense kryptonite skull. THUNK!

Why put it that way? Why not "I was being sarcastic" or something like that? See, sarcasm does not work well in print unless you are a talented wordsmith (you're not). You took "Step off" is an insult? Nice try.

Get it? Or does it take awhile for the nickel to drop?

Again with the insults ...

--Super(fluous)man:
You make some interesting points, underneath all the bluster. It is nice to see that the frontal lobes of your brain are in fact intact, even if I don’t agree with you. You may want to have your amygdala checked, however.

Almost a compliment, but you just couldn't help yourself, now could you?

Superman, you ignorant slut.

Why date yourself?

You are obviously deranged. How pathetic!

Weak ... nothing to do with the topic, but you were desperate at that point.

The best part of me reading that Wilt Vs. Russell thread over again just now was seeing how thoroughly I dominated you. No wonder you are all bitter. You got whipped and you lashed out ... sad, but not surprising.

If we happen to cross paths in the Zona Norte, or wherever, it’s no big thing. It is nothing I’m gonna seek out, but I’m not afraid.

Yes you are ... or you would not have said you weren't. More importantly, why would you be? I've never threatened you.

It's not really a matter of "happen to" anymore. I mean, if we both keep going to the zona for the next 20 years ... it's inevitable.

For your sake, I hope you get past your adolescent ideas about what it means to be a man.

For my sake? Shit, now I'm afraid! LOL! You must have finally gotten that YMCA black belt! Adolescent or not, I have very definite opinions when it comes to respect and disrespect.

-Superman-

Thanks for the break from adult conversaiton, guys. I'm going back to the pervert portion of the site.

Fuck, I'll be old in 20 years! Inevitability does suck.

-Superman-

Being old is not horrible, but I wish I could start over. I would love to be young.

Being young is good.

Lucky Bastards

Don't we all have a game plan if we could get 20 years back... and Im not talking about stock options

I have had a good life and allot of fun.
The day I arrived in San Diego for the first time 33 years ago, I had $500 in the bank and was renting an apartment in El Cajon with three other guys.

I would like to do it again.

benwholikestodream

Glad to hear of your success. Too bad the new economy doesnt allow for that now.

Why didn't Team USA win in Indy?
It wasn't the superstar's void.
It wasn't that USA had bad players this year
It wasn't because Aregentina or Yugoslavia where a better team.
IT WAS THE FUCKED UP ATTITUDE OF THE FANS AND THE WHOLE NATION.

Didn't anybody notice that Conseco Field was almost empty on most games?
That the people attending mostly where fans of the other team?

The US is so sucked up by commercialism, that any NBA pre-season game has better attendance than all the World Championship games put together.

This World Championship means so much in Yugoslavia, Argentina, Spain, etc. That the teams play with so much energy.

The USA players see it as a burden! "It gets in the way"

So don't complain that your USA Team didn't even make the final four.

Open your eyes first and take a look, There is a world outside the USA....

The masterater

Magic Johnson, my all-time favorite player of any sport ever, just entered the Basketball Hall of Fame.

On another day, maybe I’ll try to convince you that Magic Johnson was one of the two greatest basketball players ever, right up there with Bill Russell and well ahead of Michael Jordan. On another day, maybe I’ll explain how Magic played the single greatest game of playoff basketball ever in 1980 (game 6 against Dr. J the 76ers). On another day, maybe I’ll explain how Magic would’ve won 2 more championships in the ‘80s if Bird never existed, or how the Showtime Lakers in their prime could beat any other team that ever played. Maybe I’ll take a stab at all this at some later date. It might make for some spirited debate. But…

Today, I’m hoping that the significance of this Hall of Fame induction for both the sport and our society will be remembered through the ages, right up there with other truly great and significant moments in sports history.

And I’m hoping that y’all will realize that Magic Johnson was one of the two or three greatest PEOPLE ever to star in the NBA.

What do I mean when I refer to “truly great and significant moments in sports history?" I’m talking here about moments when someone becomes bigger than sport, in heroic ways that cut to the heart of humanity. Some moments that come to mind are: Jesse Owens winning 3 gold medals in 1936 at Hitler’s Berlin Olympics; Jackie Robinson crossing the color barrier as a major league baseball player; Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali standing his ground as a nonviolent conscientious objector to the Viet Nam War (thus giving up his title); Bill Russell and Frank Robinson crossing the color barrier as coaches of professional teams; and perhaps Roberto Clemente giving his life in the service of others, then being the first latin elected to the Baseball Hall. Such examples of sports-based human greatness are rare. Most couch potato’s watch sports on autopilot, and don’t think about the deeper issues.

And why rank Magic Johnson so highly as a person?

Some great invincible immortals have died recently: Ted Williams. Joe Dimaggio. Wilt Chamberlain (too young!). Walter Payton (too young!).
And yet Magic Johnson, my all-time favorite player of any sport ever, just entered the hall of fame, healthy, happy, and full of life! THIS IS HUGE.

Nobody expected this in 1991. Magic Johnson’s death sentence was expected to kill him within a few short years. It was expected that he would privately crawl into a lonesome, isolated hole and waste away as anonymously as possible like so many other chicken-shit celebrities afflicted with HIV.

And yet he went public with his disease in ’91, in one of the seemingly darkest moments in sports. And yet his decision, to become a visible, public spokesperson, was a brave, positive act, designed to save lives and further a cause. The act was in many ways a selfless one, designed to maximize the chance of “winning.” It was typical of the man. (As a player, he never demanded the greedy Jordanesque salary he could have claimed. Rather, he chose to improve his position and the position of those around him, settling for less jack). In 1991, he instantly informed the many, many women (possibly more than Wilt’s exaggerated stats) of their potential predicament, due to exposure. And he informed the world, through his actions, that he would live and die well, fighting the good fight, without being worn down by stigma. And he succeeded in reconciling with his wife, saving his family.

And he’s spent the next 11 years living the good life while furthering his cause.

Today, he's happier, richer, and stronger than he was eleven years ago, when he retired due to being HIV positive.

Reportedly, he can bench-press 325 pounds. Weighing 245, he's about 20 pounds heavier than he was in his prime playing days, but now he's reportedly in top shape. He still kicks ass in basketball, in charity games and in semi-pro leagues. He recently had a triple-double in a Swedish basketball league guest appearance, despite being 10+ years older than anybody else in the game. He says that his T-cell count is at normal levels and that there are "no viral accumulations" in his bloodstream.

"I guess people thought I'd be dead by now," Magic said several years ago, in an interview, "but I'm still here -- and I'm still going to be here. I don't think about dying. I just live."

He lives the old, wise saying: “Live each day as if it was your last. Garden as if you will live forever”.

What he has done as a basketball player -- a state high school title, an NCAA title, 5 five NBA titles-- is nothing compared to what he's doing these days. Magic is a better dude now, a bigger hero, a greater and more accessible example a life well lived.

Most people are simply aware of his administrative/executive role in winning the last 3 NBA championships with the Lakers dynasty. But what is less well known is that he is among the most influential black businessmen in America. He owns maybe 20 Starbucks -- nearly all of them in poor or black neighborhoods. He owns maybe 10 Magic Johnson Theaters in inner-city neighborhoods. He owns a TV and film production company, a successful talent-management company and a record label. He's part owner of five or so shopping centers, a restaurant and Founders Bank. His foundation has, since 1991, given away $20 million, primarily to community-based organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS education and disease prevention programs.

A key point is that he's making most of his money in ghetto neighborhoods in which most investors are total chicken shits. Or I should say that they were chickenshits until Johnson’s innovative business ventures showed that $ could be made in the inner city.
Magic makes an especially big impact because he hires African-American contractors to build businesses that he staffs with mostly (but not all) African-American employees, many of whom are working for the first time, thanks to his outreach programs. When he built one multiplex, in Crenshaw, he hired 12 gang members to be part of the construction crew, and 6 of them eventually kept full-time jobs. He has gone into areas where there were mostly pawnshops, liquor stores, and gun shops, and built sparkling clean social meccas that are testaments to the bright future of Black America.

He’s not the first ex-athelete to have good intentions. But his track record towers above the others. He’s different. He’s better. He’s braver. He’s smarter.

He's a player in American politics, in a very positive way. I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the Al Sharptons, Jesse Jacksons and Louis Farrakan’s of the world. These dudes are pretenders, as far as I can tell. But Bill Clinton once strolled Watts with Magic—a huge positive gesture. Bush, Jr. has met with him (as Magic seems to operate in the world with great equanimity). Senator Bill Bradley is a frequent contact. MJ (the real one) is the rare inner-city multimillionaire athlete who actually gives back to his roots. "Black athletes forget their neighborhoods.” "They forget where they came from. They take their millions and move to the suburbs, but if they'd just invest in our own neighborhoods, they'd make more money there than anywhere else!"

The other MJ (from Chicago and Washingon) hasn’t come near to following Magic's example, as Johnson diplomatically points out--"Michael really would own the world then." That other dude had great individual skills and basically is just out for himself, as far as I can tell. That’s been true as a player and as an executive. The marketers have done a great job of creating an image for Jordan, but he’s no Magic Johnson. (Magic was addicted to sex and Michael was addicted to gambling – so Magic picked the better “drug” of choice! LOL).

Sooooo. HIV and AIDs have not killed Magic Johnson, against the odds, against the predictions, against the ominous stats, and against the legions of bigots, doubters, and morons. "It sounds funny," he said, "but it's been a joy. I've been able to teach and help people." "I'm doing very well, like I have been for the last 11 years,'' he said on Friday. "It's still laying asleep in my body. So the medicine is doing its job. I'm doing my job. And God is doing his.''

Magic uses his community-based theaters for health seminars. He has pamphlets at all his Starbucks that remind customers that AIDS is the No. 1 killer of American black women between 25 and 44 years, and that blacks suffer the highest mortality rate for breast cancer. He gives away 50,000 toys a year, provides computer systems to community centers, and typically answers hundreds of HIV/AIDS-related letters a week. He goes beyond simple tax writeoffs to charity, carrying his positive, successful model deep into formerly troubled waters.

I guess it figures… Magic Johnson, more than any player or ex-player, has made a lifetime of accumulating assists. On the court and now off.

A clear sign of Magic’s significance is HOW he chose to go into the Hall of Fame. Magic has always made a point of being friends with even his most bitter rivals on the court. He always maintained his friendship with the “hated Celtic” Larry Bird. Choosing Bird to speak for him was HUGE, beyond the confines of petty professional sport. The world, not just African America, sees two seeming enemies continually reconcile and be friends. The fact that Magic reconciles with, and jokes with, an angry white dude from Butt Lick Nowhere (Indiana) sets a huge example to the reactive gangbangers who wouldn't otherwise have credible role models. In a world with too much hate, the world can see two competitive foes who understand the larger picture, despite intense competitive passions. (Magic’s involvement with the Lakers is another reason that this franchise is worthy of greatness. When people truly “hate” the Lakers, they aren’t seeing beyond their own noses, or the significance of this franchise)

What other basketball player, except perhaps Bill Russell (a great civil rights leader, among other things), has had such a significant positive social impact?

Dogsterthegreatwhiteyhope

Here, Here!!

Nice post Dogster.

I was going yo make some flippant remark, but just can't quite bring myself to do it.

I'll do it. Get a copy editor, dude. Being long-winded is one thing, but jeez.

To summarize, for people who have better things to do than read a book today:

Magic was great. Everyone already knew this. Magic is an above average human being. Everyone already knew this. Magic is now in the Hall of Fame. It was inevitable.

-Superman-

To summarize:
"Superman" is a total moron: condescending and not very bright, with the emotional age of an adolescent. The world would probably be a better place if he put a loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Hombre may be making a mistake by letting this dude hang around because he adds NOTHING positive. (and because Dogster is having too much wicked fun using this dude for target practice).

Dogsterwhoistryingtogivebenwhathewants.

When I get elected to the Club Hombre Hall of Fame, I'll let Superman give a speech.

Por favor DogGrande,

It would break my heart, if I was not allowed to give the speech. Of course, I then could not speak from my heart(thank you Larry Bird's PR man).

And from the bottom of my carazon thank you both for your continued venom and hatefulness.

You both are excellent.

Go Cowboys and Go Golden Bears