A memo from July 23, 2002 detailing the US plans to invade Iraq has been published on several UK sites. Some highlights:
"The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections."
Hmmm, could the war in Iraq have been politically motivated, designed to stir up wartime patriotic passions right before the election in hope of winning a few more congressional seats?
The main point that jumps out, is that there was a very weak case for war against Iraq and that the Bush administration was left with a plan of trying to provoke Saddam in order to mobilize against Iraq.
Nothing really new here, just nice getting that reinforcement in knowing that I was right all along.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
SXSW Followup II
I went over the bands I'd tagged "must see" a couple days ago. The following is a list of shows I had resonably high expectations for that fell flat.
* Echo Base Soundsystem - I had such high hopes for these guys after being the drummer's neighbor for a couple months last year. It was wall-to-wall white boy dreads. For future reference this is not a sign that the show is going to be great. The group of us left soon after I detected "noodling".
* Twinemen - The two other guys from Morphine were in this band. They were so entertaining, I spent most of the show watching some guy sleep through all the racket and talking to some french dude about cheese.
* Fatboy Slim - He DJ'd the whole set, not playing any of his music. The show had a rave feel to it, but it was outside at Stubbs and there weren't any drugs.
* Aqualung - These guys weren't on my list, but I had to endure them in order to see Bloc Party a show later. Not good. Surrounded by old people making out. Snuck off to a corner and listened to my ipod.
* Bleach 03 - Josh and I kicked things off the day before SXSW by going to Bleach 03's CD release party. This 3 piece comprised of cute little japanese girls fucking blew me away. Easily the hardest METAL show I saw the whole week. They were so good we decide to see their showcase at the whisky bar. The whisky bar doesn't have a stage so these cute little japanese girls are set up on the floor, surrounded by wall of guys 6'3" and taller. The only way to see anything was to look at the view screen on a camcorder held by a guy standing on a bar stool.
* Echo Base Soundsystem - I had such high hopes for these guys after being the drummer's neighbor for a couple months last year. It was wall-to-wall white boy dreads. For future reference this is not a sign that the show is going to be great. The group of us left soon after I detected "noodling".
* Twinemen - The two other guys from Morphine were in this band. They were so entertaining, I spent most of the show watching some guy sleep through all the racket and talking to some french dude about cheese.
* Fatboy Slim - He DJ'd the whole set, not playing any of his music. The show had a rave feel to it, but it was outside at Stubbs and there weren't any drugs.
* Aqualung - These guys weren't on my list, but I had to endure them in order to see Bloc Party a show later. Not good. Surrounded by old people making out. Snuck off to a corner and listened to my ipod.
* Bleach 03 - Josh and I kicked things off the day before SXSW by going to Bleach 03's CD release party. This 3 piece comprised of cute little japanese girls fucking blew me away. Easily the hardest METAL show I saw the whole week. They were so good we decide to see their showcase at the whisky bar. The whisky bar doesn't have a stage so these cute little japanese girls are set up on the floor, surrounded by wall of guys 6'3" and taller. The only way to see anything was to look at the view screen on a camcorder held by a guy standing on a bar stool.
Dallas vs Houston
Dallas plays Houston in the first round of the NBA playoffs that begin this weekend and I think Dallas is going to win. Even though they lost the last two games during the regular season to the Rockets, both losses were before Avery Johnson took over as coach.
The last game they played on March 6th Dallas lost 90 - 69. Dallas was missing Nowitzki, Finley and Dampier.
The game on January 12 Dallas lost 124 - 114. Dallas was missing Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. McGrady had a big game, and I'm sure Howard would have slowed him down some. Plus Nelson was coaching and only gave Dampier 19 minutes.
The big issue for Houston will be that Juwan Howard is out for the rest of the season. He played Nowitzki pretty well defensively and had enough offensive game to keep Dirk honest on defense. Houston doesn't have anyone who is going to be able to keep up with Dirk or Van Horn.
At center, I think that Dampier, Bradley and Henderson will be fine against Ming.
At point guard, Bobby Sura is a legitimate triple double threat. Jason Terry and Devin Harris are extremely quick and play great defense. I'm not sure who has the advantage here.
Shooting guard, Wesley and Barry for Houston, Finley, Stackhouse and Daniels for Dallas. Big advantage for Dallas.
Small forward - McGrady vs. Howard. Howard should guard McGrady as well as anyone can. But Tracy will still have big games.
Dallas has so much more size than Houston and that they should own the paint, as long as they can stop Houstons 3 point shooting, I think they have a great chance of advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
The last game they played on March 6th Dallas lost 90 - 69. Dallas was missing Nowitzki, Finley and Dampier.
The game on January 12 Dallas lost 124 - 114. Dallas was missing Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. McGrady had a big game, and I'm sure Howard would have slowed him down some. Plus Nelson was coaching and only gave Dampier 19 minutes.
The big issue for Houston will be that Juwan Howard is out for the rest of the season. He played Nowitzki pretty well defensively and had enough offensive game to keep Dirk honest on defense. Houston doesn't have anyone who is going to be able to keep up with Dirk or Van Horn.
At center, I think that Dampier, Bradley and Henderson will be fine against Ming.
At point guard, Bobby Sura is a legitimate triple double threat. Jason Terry and Devin Harris are extremely quick and play great defense. I'm not sure who has the advantage here.
Shooting guard, Wesley and Barry for Houston, Finley, Stackhouse and Daniels for Dallas. Big advantage for Dallas.
Small forward - McGrady vs. Howard. Howard should guard McGrady as well as anyone can. But Tracy will still have big games.
Dallas has so much more size than Houston and that they should own the paint, as long as they can stop Houstons 3 point shooting, I think they have a great chance of advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
Friday, April 15, 2005
SXSW Followup
I think I've finally recovered from South by Southwest. Out of the must see bands from my last post, I was able to check out:
* The Octopus Project - Local band, these guys/gal are great, will see again and again.
* Mono - Instrumental band out of Japan, think wall of sound/sonic landscapes, beautiful.
* Holy Fuck - Crazy ass band out of Toronto. Very experimental. Loved every second of it. Donated a glow stick to the main sound creator so he could read his tiny little casio.
* LCD Sound System - Line was around the block for hours before the show. M.I.A played 2 hours before them, there was now way to get into that show.
* The Kills - Saw them at a day show at the Red Eye Fly. Think "What would happen if Peter Murphy and Siouxsie Sioux decided to form a two piece band". The best show of SXSW.
* Viva K - Not a very strong show. The band was good but vocal were lacking.
* Bloc Party - Ended up seeing these guys 3 times. All three shows were really good, I like the last show at the Vice Party best, probably because of the free Sparks. I can see myself being really annoyed by them 6 months from now, but today I'm hooked.
* Calexico - I've seen the a couple times before and the shows ranked up there with some of the best I've ever seen. But the day show at Emos was weak. They were having sound problems and lacked the energy I've come to expect.
* The Octopus Project - Local band, these guys/gal are great, will see again and again.
* Mono - Instrumental band out of Japan, think wall of sound/sonic landscapes, beautiful.
* Holy Fuck - Crazy ass band out of Toronto. Very experimental. Loved every second of it. Donated a glow stick to the main sound creator so he could read his tiny little casio.
* LCD Sound System - Line was around the block for hours before the show. M.I.A played 2 hours before them, there was now way to get into that show.
* The Kills - Saw them at a day show at the Red Eye Fly. Think "What would happen if Peter Murphy and Siouxsie Sioux decided to form a two piece band". The best show of SXSW.
* Viva K - Not a very strong show. The band was good but vocal were lacking.
* Bloc Party - Ended up seeing these guys 3 times. All three shows were really good, I like the last show at the Vice Party best, probably because of the free Sparks. I can see myself being really annoyed by them 6 months from now, but today I'm hooked.
* Calexico - I've seen the a couple times before and the shows ranked up there with some of the best I've ever seen. But the day show at Emos was weak. They were having sound problems and lacked the energy I've come to expect.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
SXSW Schedule
Here's the list of bands I'm interested in seeing this SXSW:
My must sees are:
The Octopus Project
Mono
Holy Fuck
LCD Sound System
The Kills
Viva K
Bloc Party
Calexico
Wednesday, 16 March 2005
[X] 05:59PM Eugene Mirman (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 08:00PM Robyn Hitchcock (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 09:00PM Jetscreamer (Friends)
[X] 09:00PM We Are Scientists (Hard Rock Cafe)
[X] 09:00PM Trespassers William (Copa)
[X] 09:45PM America is Waiting (Hard Rock Cafe)
[X] 10:00PM The Chapters (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 10:00PM This Microwave World (Chuggin' Monkey)
[X] 10:00PM Mike Doughty (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 11:00PM The Octopus Project (The Velvet Spade Patio)
[X] 11:00PM Midlake (Friends)
[X] 11:00PM The Winks (Beerland)
[X] 11:00PM Appogee (The Velvet Spade)
[X] 11:00PM Echo Base Soundsystem (Flamingo Cantina)
[X] 11:00PM The Thermals (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 11:00PM Modey Lemon (Club de Ville)
[X] 11:00PM La Tia Carrera (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM Areola 51 (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM The Album Leaf (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 12:00AM Twinemen (Blender Bar at The Ritz)
[X] 01:00AM Laika & The Cosmonauts (The Drink)
[X] 01:00AM The Zom Zoms (Chuggin' Monkey)
[X] 01:00AM Hella (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 01:00AM Migas (The Jackalope)
[X] 01:00AM Mono (Eternal)
[X] 01:00AM Sleater-Kinney (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 01:00AM Canoe (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 01:00AM The Wrens (The Parish)
Thursday, 17 March 2005
[X] 08:00PM NickNack (Zero Degrees)
[X] 08:00PM Film School (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 09:30PM Veronica Lipgloss & The Evil Eyes (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 10:00PM The Deathray Davies (Room 710)
[X] 10:00PM Holy Fuck (The Velvet Spade)
[X] 10:00PM Robyn Hitchcock (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 11:00PM The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (Austin Music Hall)
[X] 11:00PM MXPX (Emo's Annex)
[X] 11:00PM M.I.A. (Elysium)
[X] 11:00PM The Futureheads (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 11:15PM Graham Coxon (Stubb's)
[X] 11:30PM Silver (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 12:00AM Open Hand (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM Hot Hot Heat (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 12:15AM The Earlies (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 12:15AM Robert Plant and Strange Sensation (Austin Music Hall)
[X] 12:30AM Fatboy Slim (Stubb's)
[X] 01:00AM Single Frame (Co-op Bar)
[X] 01:00AM Magnapop (Lava Lounge Patio)
[X] 01:00AM Flametrick Subs w/ Satan's Cheerleaders (The Jackalope)
[X] 01:00AM LCD Soundsystem (Elysium)
Friday, 18 March 2005
[X] 10:00PM The Kills (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 10:00PM Bloc Party (Stubb's)
[X] 10:30PM Robyn Hitchcock (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 11:00PM The Go! Team (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 11:00PM Noodles (Caribbean Lights)
[X] 11:00PM Ash (Eternal)
[X] 11:00PM Viva K (Pecan St. Ale House)
[X] 12:00AM BLEACH03 (Whisky Bar)
[X] 12:00AM Porn (featuring Billy Anderson, Dale Crover & Tim Moss) (Room 710)
[X] 12:00AM Mommy and Daddy (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 12:00AM The Woggles (Club de Ville)
[X] 12:00AM The Frames (Antone's)
[X] 12:30AM Spoon (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 01:00AM Shonen Knife (Elysium)
[X] 01:00AM Centro-matic (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 01:00AM Calexico (Antone's)
[X] 01:15AM Guitar Wolf (Beerland)
Saturday, 19 March 2005
[X] 08:00PM Yuppie Pricks (The Jackalope)
[X] 08:00PM Tia Carrera (Whisky Bar)
[X] 08:00PM Apostle of Hustle (Momo's)
[X] 09:00PM The Meat Purveyors (The Parish)
[X] 09:00PM Montag (Copa)
[X] 10:00PM Million Dollar Marxists (Beerland)
[X] 12:00AM Dark Fog (Whisky Bar)
[X] 01:00AM Ambulance Ltd (Exodus)
[X] 01:00AM Nada Surf (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 01:15AM MF Doom (Emo's Main Room)
My must sees are:
The Octopus Project
Mono
Holy Fuck
LCD Sound System
The Kills
Viva K
Bloc Party
Calexico
Wednesday, 16 March 2005
[X] 05:59PM Eugene Mirman (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 08:00PM Robyn Hitchcock (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 09:00PM Jetscreamer (Friends)
[X] 09:00PM We Are Scientists (Hard Rock Cafe)
[X] 09:00PM Trespassers William (Copa)
[X] 09:45PM America is Waiting (Hard Rock Cafe)
[X] 10:00PM The Chapters (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 10:00PM This Microwave World (Chuggin' Monkey)
[X] 10:00PM Mike Doughty (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 11:00PM The Octopus Project (The Velvet Spade Patio)
[X] 11:00PM Midlake (Friends)
[X] 11:00PM The Winks (Beerland)
[X] 11:00PM Appogee (The Velvet Spade)
[X] 11:00PM Echo Base Soundsystem (Flamingo Cantina)
[X] 11:00PM The Thermals (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 11:00PM Modey Lemon (Club de Ville)
[X] 11:00PM La Tia Carrera (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM Areola 51 (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM The Album Leaf (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 12:00AM Twinemen (Blender Bar at The Ritz)
[X] 01:00AM Laika & The Cosmonauts (The Drink)
[X] 01:00AM The Zom Zoms (Chuggin' Monkey)
[X] 01:00AM Hella (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 01:00AM Migas (The Jackalope)
[X] 01:00AM Mono (Eternal)
[X] 01:00AM Sleater-Kinney (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 01:00AM Canoe (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 01:00AM The Wrens (The Parish)
Thursday, 17 March 2005
[X] 08:00PM NickNack (Zero Degrees)
[X] 08:00PM Film School (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 09:30PM Veronica Lipgloss & The Evil Eyes (Emo's Jr.)
[X] 10:00PM The Deathray Davies (Room 710)
[X] 10:00PM Holy Fuck (The Velvet Spade)
[X] 10:00PM Robyn Hitchcock (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 11:00PM The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (Austin Music Hall)
[X] 11:00PM MXPX (Emo's Annex)
[X] 11:00PM M.I.A. (Elysium)
[X] 11:00PM The Futureheads (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 11:15PM Graham Coxon (Stubb's)
[X] 11:30PM Silver (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 12:00AM Open Hand (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 12:00AM Hot Hot Heat (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 12:15AM The Earlies (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 12:15AM Robert Plant and Strange Sensation (Austin Music Hall)
[X] 12:30AM Fatboy Slim (Stubb's)
[X] 01:00AM Single Frame (Co-op Bar)
[X] 01:00AM Magnapop (Lava Lounge Patio)
[X] 01:00AM Flametrick Subs w/ Satan's Cheerleaders (The Jackalope)
[X] 01:00AM LCD Soundsystem (Elysium)
Friday, 18 March 2005
[X] 10:00PM The Kills (Emo's Main Room)
[X] 10:00PM Bloc Party (Stubb's)
[X] 10:30PM Robyn Hitchcock (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 11:00PM The Go! Team (Buffalo Billiards)
[X] 11:00PM Noodles (Caribbean Lights)
[X] 11:00PM Ash (Eternal)
[X] 11:00PM Viva K (Pecan St. Ale House)
[X] 12:00AM BLEACH03 (Whisky Bar)
[X] 12:00AM Porn (featuring Billy Anderson, Dale Crover & Tim Moss) (Room 710)
[X] 12:00AM Mommy and Daddy (Blender Balcony at The Ritz)
[X] 12:00AM The Woggles (Club de Ville)
[X] 12:00AM The Frames (Antone's)
[X] 12:30AM Spoon (La Zona Rosa)
[X] 01:00AM Shonen Knife (Elysium)
[X] 01:00AM Centro-matic (Maggie Mae's)
[X] 01:00AM Calexico (Antone's)
[X] 01:15AM Guitar Wolf (Beerland)
Saturday, 19 March 2005
[X] 08:00PM Yuppie Pricks (The Jackalope)
[X] 08:00PM Tia Carrera (Whisky Bar)
[X] 08:00PM Apostle of Hustle (Momo's)
[X] 09:00PM The Meat Purveyors (The Parish)
[X] 09:00PM Montag (Copa)
[X] 10:00PM Million Dollar Marxists (Beerland)
[X] 12:00AM Dark Fog (Whisky Bar)
[X] 01:00AM Ambulance Ltd (Exodus)
[X] 01:00AM Nada Surf (Red Eyed Fly)
[X] 01:15AM MF Doom (Emo's Main Room)
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Coachella Festival
Just as I'm starting to get excited about the 2005 South by Southwest, I come across this Coachella Valley Music Festival. It's like they're cherry picking from my high school tape collection with the likes of: Bauhaus, Gang of Four, New Order, Cocteau Twins, Mercury Rev and Nine Inch Nails. Then they throw in some newer favorites like: Pinback, Arcade Fire, M83, Four Tet, Chemical Brothers, Snow Patrol, Weezer and Prodigy.
Anyone feel like a California road trip at the end of April?
Anyone feel like a California road trip at the end of April?
Monday, January 24, 2005
Dates in MS SQL Server
Coming from Oracle, dates give me all kinds of trouble in MS SQL Server. Thing just don't work the way I want them too. Fortunately, Gary Larson has a really nice overview on how to work with dates in SQL Server.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Introducing Kyle Ryan
I went to the courthouse today and changed my last name to Ryan. Making me Kyle Thomas Ryan. I think changing the name legally was the easy part, not looking forward to updating everything else, like drivers license, social security card, passport, credit cards, phone, electic service.....
Feels good to drop that Edbauer albatross. It's the most annoying name to have to explain to someone over the phone.
"What's your last name?"
"Edbauer."
"Bauer?"
"No it's one word Edbauer kinda like the store Eddie Bauer without the die in it"
"Can you spell it please?"
"E-D-B-A-"
"E-D-D"
"No. E as in edward, D as in david, B as in bobby, a as in apple, U-E-R"
"Oh, like Eddie Bauer! are you related?"
"No."
Feels good to drop that Edbauer albatross. It's the most annoying name to have to explain to someone over the phone.
"What's your last name?"
"Edbauer."
"Bauer?"
"No it's one word Edbauer kinda like the store Eddie Bauer without the die in it"
"Can you spell it please?"
"E-D-B-A-"
"E-D-D"
"No. E as in edward, D as in david, B as in bobby, a as in apple, U-E-R"
"Oh, like Eddie Bauer! are you related?"
"No."
Monday, November 01, 2004
Sweet! Kerry is going to win!
Thanks to the Green Bay Packers, Kerry is going to win the presidential election. Since 1936, the winnner of the last Washington Redskin's home game before the presidential election has predicted the winner.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow
If you are out and about tomorrow night you might check out the lunar eclipse. There won't be another for 2 years. Prime viewing time here in Austin will be around 10.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Sunday, September 26, 2004
No more football for Kyle
Saturday morning I met up with Bryan and his friends to play flag football. I was excited about it, going so far as to buy a pair of cleats so that I could showcase my skills. My first offensive drive I made a sweet catch reaching across my body for a 30 yard gain. On my second defensive drive I was playing exclusively on the line as a pass rusher.
On the second defensive drive my cleats got caught on someone's shoe laces twisting my ankle and I felt it pop. I tried walking it off and hung in for couple more plays before deciding that the pain in my ankle wasn't going to get any better, in fact it was getting worse. After 4 to 5 hours of icing the ankle, I was still in excruciating pain walking around the apartment.
I decided to go to the emergency room, to convince myself that it was just a sprain, and everything would be fine in a couple days. I went to South Austin Hospital over on Ben White and 1st. Unfortunately, they're doing a lot of construction and parking is two blocks away from the entrance. Fortunately, I found a short term parking spot right in front of the main entrance. I limp into the hospital every step more painful than the last. The nurse at the front desk asks if I want to use a wheel chair. My initial reaction is to shrug off the offer and tough it out, after all it's just a sprain right? Fortunately, she convinces me to take the wheel chair offer. Little did I realize that the front entrance is at the opposite end of the hospital from the emergency room.
Anyway, X-Rays were taken of my right ankle and I have a fractured talus, which is right above the bone that make up your heel. The fracture is nondisplaced so it shouldn't require surgery. However, I do have this big ass boot that I need to wear. Also, the emergency room doctor recommended that I see an orthopedist this week.
I should have known better. Seems like every time I play football I end up with some sort of injury, like a strained knee, twisted ankle even broken hand. I figured, hell it's just flag football what could possibly happen? Well now I know. So that's it, no more football for me unless it's on my XBox.
On the second defensive drive my cleats got caught on someone's shoe laces twisting my ankle and I felt it pop. I tried walking it off and hung in for couple more plays before deciding that the pain in my ankle wasn't going to get any better, in fact it was getting worse. After 4 to 5 hours of icing the ankle, I was still in excruciating pain walking around the apartment.
I decided to go to the emergency room, to convince myself that it was just a sprain, and everything would be fine in a couple days. I went to South Austin Hospital over on Ben White and 1st. Unfortunately, they're doing a lot of construction and parking is two blocks away from the entrance. Fortunately, I found a short term parking spot right in front of the main entrance. I limp into the hospital every step more painful than the last. The nurse at the front desk asks if I want to use a wheel chair. My initial reaction is to shrug off the offer and tough it out, after all it's just a sprain right? Fortunately, she convinces me to take the wheel chair offer. Little did I realize that the front entrance is at the opposite end of the hospital from the emergency room.
Anyway, X-Rays were taken of my right ankle and I have a fractured talus, which is right above the bone that make up your heel. The fracture is nondisplaced so it shouldn't require surgery. However, I do have this big ass boot that I need to wear. Also, the emergency room doctor recommended that I see an orthopedist this week.
I should have known better. Seems like every time I play football I end up with some sort of injury, like a strained knee, twisted ankle even broken hand. I figured, hell it's just flag football what could possibly happen? Well now I know. So that's it, no more football for me unless it's on my XBox.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
More programming sites
A great guide on how to write unmaintainable code http://mindprod.com/unmain.html. I like the idea of using a baby book for ideas on variable names.
Here's a great resource from Microsoft on their recommended design patterns for .NET. I imagine that Josh is the only person I know who might be interested in this.
Here's a great resource from Microsoft on their recommended design patterns for .NET. I imagine that Josh is the only person I know who might be interested in this.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Sending Email Unsing .NET
Here's a great site on using smtpmail in C# http://www.systemwebmail.com/default.aspx. I came across it while looking for a way to authenticate the smtp connection to a mail server, but there's a ton of other useful info specific to System.Web.Mail.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Anyone want a gmail account
Looks like I can invite 6 friends to get a free gmail account with 1 gig of space. If you're interested let me know and I'll send you an invite.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Maybe Dampier is OK
I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Dampier and the new Mavericks team. If Dampier has Avery Johnson's stamp of approval then the guy's alright with me. Still I think their success will come down to whether Nelson can coach a legit center who plays in the low post. I'm not sure that he can.
Bill Simmons "The Sports Guy" to the rescue.
It's been two months since the NBA finals finished and it's two months before next season starts. Trying times for a rabid basketball fan. After barely getting by on scraps of NBA news (like trade rumors and box scores from the olympics) the sports guy comes through with some methodone for the NBA addict, four days and 59 hours of NBA classics, including 27 hours of the Basketball Jesus himself.
I'm sure I'll watch a couple hours throughout the weekend, but I have a tough time getting into replays of games. Even taping a game, then watching it later, when I have no idea what the outcome was, doesn't have the same magic as watching the game live.
I'm sure I'll watch a couple hours throughout the weekend, but I have a tough time getting into replays of games. Even taping a game, then watching it later, when I have no idea what the outcome was, doesn't have the same magic as watching the game live.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
What are the Mavericks Doing?
Looks like the Dallas Mavericks are poised to trade Christian Laetner, Eduardo Najera and a first round pick for Erick (not a typo) Dampier, Dan Dickau and Evan Eschmeyer. At first glance it seems like a good deal for Dallas except fot getting Even Eschmeyer back, that guy is completely worthless. How do you end up with this guy, not once but twice? It's not like they loved his skills the first time around.
I must admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for the Gonzaga alum, which doesn't mean necessarily that I think he can play in the NBA. Dampier is obviously the jewel of the trade for Dallas. He has legitimate size for a center, will bang underneath and grab rebounds. However, I tend to agree with the sports writers who think his 12 point 12 rebounds per game last year was directly related to this being a contract summer for him. His stats tend to show marked improvement before he's due to sign a new contract.
This trade seems like a desperation move on Dallas' part to placate the reporters and sports talk show hosts, who keep pointing to the lack of a legitimate center as blocking the Mavericks from greater success in the playoffs. This past offseason they've aquired 5 new centers (Booth, DJ, Dampier, Evan, and the next big white stiff Podkolzin). None of them are particularly skilled players. I don't see Don Nelson utilizing any of the centers they've assembled effectively. His tendency is to prefer playing 5 smaller skilled players than a traditional NBA starting 5. Which makes me think that Dampier essentially takes Fortson's spot on the bench this year.
I have trouble believing that Dallas will make the playoffs this year. They've lost Nash, Jamison, Walker and Najera while picking up Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier. While I like Terry and think that he will be a better perimeter defender than Nash was, I can't picture the Terry and Nowitzki pick-and-roll being anywere near close to the pick and roll perfection Nash and Nowitzki had going. Jamison settled in great a sixth man last year even winning the sixth man award. No way in hell do I see Stackhouse being happy with a bench role. I predict him to have received the locker room cancer award by the end of year.
At least they still have Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Dirk and Finley. And I do like the additions of Jason Terry and Devon Harris. With any luck they will still be fun to watch.
I must admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for the Gonzaga alum, which doesn't mean necessarily that I think he can play in the NBA. Dampier is obviously the jewel of the trade for Dallas. He has legitimate size for a center, will bang underneath and grab rebounds. However, I tend to agree with the sports writers who think his 12 point 12 rebounds per game last year was directly related to this being a contract summer for him. His stats tend to show marked improvement before he's due to sign a new contract.
This trade seems like a desperation move on Dallas' part to placate the reporters and sports talk show hosts, who keep pointing to the lack of a legitimate center as blocking the Mavericks from greater success in the playoffs. This past offseason they've aquired 5 new centers (Booth, DJ, Dampier, Evan, and the next big white stiff Podkolzin). None of them are particularly skilled players. I don't see Don Nelson utilizing any of the centers they've assembled effectively. His tendency is to prefer playing 5 smaller skilled players than a traditional NBA starting 5. Which makes me think that Dampier essentially takes Fortson's spot on the bench this year.
I have trouble believing that Dallas will make the playoffs this year. They've lost Nash, Jamison, Walker and Najera while picking up Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier. While I like Terry and think that he will be a better perimeter defender than Nash was, I can't picture the Terry and Nowitzki pick-and-roll being anywere near close to the pick and roll perfection Nash and Nowitzki had going. Jamison settled in great a sixth man last year even winning the sixth man award. No way in hell do I see Stackhouse being happy with a bench role. I predict him to have received the locker room cancer award by the end of year.
At least they still have Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Dirk and Finley. And I do like the additions of Jason Terry and Devon Harris. With any luck they will still be fun to watch.
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