Rose Gloom

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I was busy on Saturday. As usual, it is my only day to get everything done, and this Saturday was no different. I was however happy about two things. One, I was able to watch the first half of the Bulls opening playoff game, and two, it wasn't raining. Local weatherman, Stever Baskerville warned that Saturday was going to be a rainy and gloomy day. Little did Chicagoans know, the gloom was going to come on West Madison Street at the United Center around 3:00 p.m. Throughout the afternoon, I checked my tweets for scores and updates, then I saw fellow friend and tweeter, Taylor, who has dubbed herself "The Duchess of Deerfield" due to her undying love and affection for starting Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, tweet that he was hurt. I felt uneasy for a moment. Honestly, knowing Derrick wasn't 100%, I wasn't against the staff holding him in this series. While the 76'ers are a formidable team, the Bulls could beat them without Derrick. Save him for Boston or Atlanta I thought. God, how I wish that is what they decided. When word got out that Derrick suffered a season-ending torn ACL, I felt absolutely putrid. To say I was sick is an understatement. The melancholy really sat in on Sunday as I made my way to church and listened to the ESPN-1000 crew talk about the injury. It got real. I pondered over it, wondering why this affected me so. For some reason, Derrick has just affected people. I honestly expected no one outside of Chicago to even care. I saw a few Miami fans tweeting their laughs and crass remarks about how they were glad that he got hurt, which I think is reprehensible. You don't celebrate someone else's pain, but then again, I'm still trying to figure out how one becomes a Miami Heat fan. But I also saw numerous tweets from people all over, including celebrities, who were in shock and disbelief. My sickness over it centered around Derrick moreso than the team. It was like, how can something like this happen to someone like him? Rose, who represents what's right in the league and now this. This season has left quite a few teams battered and bruised, due to the condensed schedule. And to say the schedule has nothing to do with it, would just be an outright lie. Up unil this season, Rose played 280/286 games. Numbers don't lie. Stern's reluctance to acknowledge that is reason number 3, 456,799 why he should step down as the commissioner. The owner's bottom line took precedence over the health and well-being of the players. This was a mistake and should not be repeated. Now there are 3 players who won't be playing for the U.S. this summer, and how heartbreaking Rose is one of them. No, it's not the end of the world. After at least 6-9 months of rehabilitation, Rose will probably be driving the basket for the amazing circus shot and the And-1, but for right now, my emotions are as dreary as the spring weather outside

Sickest Dunk of the Playoffs thus Far!

I would be re-missed if I didn't post about my Bulls! Yeah, I know, I'm such a homer, but then again, who isn't?

This dunk took place in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the Chicago Bulls v the Miami Heat. Now that the Bulls have dropped two in a row and every sports expert from here to Winnipeg, has picked Miami to win the whole thing. I will post a fun moment for me!

This moment came from none other than Tajh Gibson of the "bench mob"! Ridiculous!



Earlier in the game, he dunked all over Dwayne Wade. That was a good one too!

Long Time No See!

So, according to my calculations, it has been 9 months since I last posted on my blog. In case you were wondering, no, I'm not pregnant! :)

So much has happened since I last blogged. So let's have a quick run-through!

1. I still work at the same firm, except now I'm home before dark.

2. I went to Hawaii in October, and had a good time. Mahalo!

3. Christmas was interesting to say the least. Let's just say that my uncle + his crazy girlfriend + alcohol = a Christmas memory!

4. The Bulls finished the NBA season with the best record in the league going 62-20 (I know, I couldn't believe it either).

5. On another note, after the infamous "Decision" and LeBron joining Wade/Bosh in South Beach, now the Bulls are playing them in the Eastern Conference Finals! Drama!

6. My mother beat breast cancer, everybody I knew that was married is now divorced, and I am still single and ready to mingle.

7. My brother turns 40 this year! Wow! We aren't kids anymore.

8. The Bears made it all the way to the NFC title game, but lost to the Packers, who went on to win the Superbowl. (Freakin cheeseheads)!

9. I finally picked a top school I would like to go to. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

10. The vet made me put the kitties on a diet! Can you believe that? They are so not feeling it either.

Yeah, that about wraps that up. I'm still here. Several earthquakes, tornadoes, Osama Bin Laden's death, tsunami's and the Rapture having passed, I'm still here.

And for all of those people who sold all of their belongings, gave away their prized possessions and kids, and spent up their life savings because they believed the crazy old white guy (who predicted the world coming to an end before) in California. Shame on you. Trust God, not man!

The Decision!

So, we are 24 hours away from the biggest free agent signing in the history of the NBA! Actually, in the history of sports, and I feel as if the only thing I have become a witness to is a CIRCUS!

It is no secret that I am NOT LeBron James' biggest fan. I don't dislike him per se, I just don't care for what he represents, and I particularly don't like his team. His high school/neighborhood friends who have placed their entire livelihoods on his shoulders, all in the name of having his back. However, their laissez-faire way of managing basketball's biggest talent has become detrimental to his future as a legend in this game. Whether it is his refusal to shake the hand of his opponent after suffering a conference finals loss, or dodging the media while he pouts about it, there have definitely been some snafus in the professionalism of LeBron James.

Professionalism aside, he is an explosive and freakishly athletic talent. However, to be a legend or to be the best, you have to be professional and likable! One thing for certain, some of James' antics have landed him as the subject of the most scathing articles in sports.

Tomorrow, James and his team promise to reveal where he will play next season, and most likely the next six seasons. Will he stay in Cleveland, move to Chicago, NY, Miami, or New Jersey? These are the million dollar questions that ESPN has asked verbatim for the last month. Quite frankly, I will be glad when he does say where he's going so we can all move on. After all, our country is still at war, we have the largest oil spill in history and unemployment is still stifling the economy. I am beginning to feel like a schmuck for constantly turning to ESPN, checking the Internet and my sports alerts for news. Here is my breakdown of his possible choices.

Cleveland: If LeBron stays in Cleveland, he pretty much will be in the same position he was in last season, except for the fact that instead of Mike "Mr. Potato Head" Brown, the new coach is Byron Scott. This is an obvious upgrade, which will help, but the biggest issue LeBron had was a lackluster supporting cast. Ilgauskas had pinches of good games, but his basketball I.Q. is low, and at times he was downright goofy. Mo Williams had spurts of shooting greatness, but he also had long stretches of shooting droughts, and unfortunately it was usually when his team needed him. Shaq is done. Delonte West could be considered arguably better than Williams, but due to his romp with Momma James, it's safe to say if LeBron stays, he's outta there. This team would make the playoffs, maybe after a few tries even, the Finals, but no ring here!

New York: Considered to be the holy grail of professional sports, the big apple is known for buying their way into professional titles. However, this feat has failed time and time again for the Knicks. In fact, they have become synonymous with overpaying the wrong players (i.e., Allan Houston, Stephon Marbury). They have not disappointed this year. They signed Amar'e Stoudamire to a 5 year/$100M deal! I am just going to let that lie for a moment. Yes you read that right, $100 Million dollars to Amar'e Stoudamire! You would think they would've learned their lesson by now, clearly they haven't. While AS is athletic, a consistent scorer and is known to have breakout games. He is also a bad defender, sometimes selfish with the ball, and a cancer to some locker rooms. It is no secret that there are former teammates in the league that literally loathe him. With that said, it will be very interesting to see how AS will play with another star, especially someone bigger than Nash. It will also be interesting to see him play in a defense-oriented conference and on a team with no real point guard. If LeBron lands in New York, he and Stoudamire will be the team. That is NOT enough. Under the scrutiny of New York media, this situation can quickly become impossible.

Miami: So we now know that D. Wade lured Chris Bosh to join him in South Beach. On paper, this looks great. Two bonafide stars playing together in the land of the beautiful, however, like NY, the Heat lack a sufficient supporting cast. Mario Chalmers - pass. Quentin Richardson - pass. DaSean Butler - not nearly developed yet. Jermaine O'Neal - he's done. Michael Beasley - a wild card with emotional problems. This organization has the most work to do to their roster to put themselves in contention. That was painfully obvious when they were ousted by Cleveland in the semifinals last season. If Wade thought he was frustrated before...but that's right, if LeBron joins them - there will be a little confusion. Sometimes you can have too many stars. This isn't the Olympics, this is an 82-game season. Wade and James' games are very similar and Coach Spoelstra isn't experienced enough to balance all of those egos. Doesn't matter because Riley is coming for his job now anyway. Not sure about rings here. Maybe, but definitely NOT a dynasty.

Chicago: This is the most likely pairing. Has been from the start, much to my chagrin. Due to my issues with LeBron's professional development, I didn't want him to come to the Bulls. However, looking at where he is likely to have the quickest success to a championship, it's definitely the Bulls. Rose, Noah, Deng, now Boozer and James is definitely a championship caliber team. But, there are some ifs that all hinge on chemistry. While Rose and Noah are young players, they are very mature, focused and passionate about the game. They check their egos at the door and do whatever it takes as a team to win. LeBron hasn't grasped this yet, and I fear his penchant for things always being about him and surrounding him would throw off the chemistry of the team. Tom Thibedeau is also a no-nonsense defensive minded coach who will not allow LeBron to play three positions every time he walks the ball down the court. This would force Bron to make adjustments to his game, which I know he doesn't like to make. Finally, the Bulls organization is about business. Contrary to the DelNegro/Paxson scuffle last season, they are a take-care-of-business organization. Old players are dispersed throughout as assistants, scouts, commentators, etc. So Bron's team would NOT have free-reign, nor would they be calling the shots. Titles could come to Bron here, but he would have to be open to change.

New Jersey: Honestly, and I know Jay-Z is a 1% owner and the team is moving to Brooklyn, but right now, they are in New Jersey. That would be like LeBron coming here to play for a Joliet team. Out of all the teams, New Jersey has the least chance of landing him for obvious reasons. Even in Brooklyn, it will give them an expansion team feel and missing will be the rich histories of a New York, Chicago or Los Angeles franchise. Even with the Russian owners billions, it is too much of a volatile situation for Bron Bron. No rings here.

In all, LeBron is making a "Decision" at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow night. He is getting a whole hour on ESPN to seal his fate for the next six years. The choice he makes will decide whether he wants to win championships or is he after more fame and money and more expansion of his brand. I can already see the direction his team is going, but only tomorrow will tell whether my hunch is right. Stay tuned!

Miscellaneous Randomness - Superbowl Edition!

So today was the Superbowl. YES! Superbowl Sunday, and it brought with it all of the excitement and drama that you look for in the final football game of the season. For two weeks, I kept getting that question regarding my pick for the big game. I could not give one, because quite frankly I always thought it would be a very close game. I was RIGHT! Not only did this thing go down to the fourth quarter, there were lead changes in the final three minutes of the game, with the game literally going down to the last 15 seconds. It was phenomenal. In the end, the Steelers came up the victor, but I must tip a hat to the Arizona Cardinals. They played a hell of a game. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald also did not disappoint, but in the end, it was that amazing catch by Santonio Holmes that sealed the fate for the champs!



As an aside: It was overwhelming to see Jennifer Hudson sing the national anthem. She looked beautiful and she sang her face off. I see nothing but continued greatness for my fellow Chicagoan! )Photo courtesy of Getty Images)




Well, as I have stated on previous posts, it is cold as a snowman's azz in Chicago, although it is starting to warm up. To think I was happy that it was in the upper 30's this weekend. However, I think it is a consensus, that most Chicagoans can deal with it being cold, it's all of this damn snow that makes it unbearable sometimes. And we have plenty of it, as seen by the pics from in front of my house. I am praying for some more warm weather to melt this snow - well a girl can hope!



The Bulls go on a west coast trip twice a year. They started the season off with a dismal 1-6 road trip record, and ended it in horrible fashion by losing to the Thunder. However, a few months later, and a few players healthier and all of a sudden they look like a team that actually has talent and doesn't want to become the Detroit Lions of the NBA. With rookie phenom Derrick Rose at the helm, who knows, they may even have a chance to make the playoffs. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The Ankle Break!

I knew I would be excited for the rookie coming into the season, but I figured it would be his second or third season before he would actually make the play of the day. Derrick Rose absolutely owned Andre Miller the entire game Sunday when the Chicago Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers. Dunking on him, blocking his shot out of the building - no that wasn't enough. He then went on to come down the court and initiate one of the best crossovers I've ever seen. Check out Miller breaking his ankle!



SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Blah Blah Blah! Miscellaneous Randomness - 05/21/08

Okay, so I have been trying to wash my car for like a month...LOL! That is so sad to say, but either it rains or it is too cold to be at the car wash holding a sprayer. The funny thing is I wasted ten dollars by going to one of those drive-through joints only to realize I needed change to dry my car. I had no change and it was so crowded I didn't even bother trying to park the wet car and find the change machine, so I drove off hoping the wind would dry my car, but I was left with dry wet spots, and the freakin leaves have had a field day with my car. Why is this so hard? I think because I haven't had to do it in a while. I went three years without a car before this year, and prior to that, I always went to the car wash with a guy who would end up taking over and washing it himself...(TO DO: Find male friend to go to the car wash).

I am just wondering if the Celtics will win this series with Detroit. Although they got game one, the last two series, they didn't win one road game, if that continues, then this series will go seven games. Can you imagine having to play 21 games before you make it to the Finals???

The Chicago Bulls got the Number #1 draft pick in the NBA draft this year and I couldn't be happier. This year's draft won't be as good as last year, so those first ten picks or so are important. Not to mention, after the way they ejaculated away this past season, they needed some good news. Now all they need is a decent coach.

I was walking down the alley by my crib today on my way home from work. And as I was walking I saw a car approaching so I moved over to the left. Well the neighbors who live behind where I live, they have a big tree that spills over into the alley, and right when I reached it, a huge bumblebee came flying out of it. At the same time, some old dude in a beat up car comes slowly driving by with the window down talking about, "Hey baby!" Arrrggghhh! I am trying to keep from getting stung, and he is trying to holla...speaking of which. I have a bad history with bees. One time when my mom and I were going into Sears, a bee flew up my dress in the parking lot and stung me on my breast. By the time I got that bee away, I was standing in the parking lot in my slip clutching my left boob...LOL! Yeah, it's funny now, then I was not a happy camper.

Why the hell is Hillary Clinton still in the damn election??? I mean at this point I am just sick of her arse. I am sick of her talking about it's not over and pasting on that fake smile while she "donates" yet another several million dollars to her campaign. All I have to say is a real lady knows when to take a bow.

Yesterday, I went to Walmart with my mum, no I'm not English, I just like the way that sounds. Anyway, I went to purchase a new vacuum, and as we were getting in line, some dumb cashier wouldn't take us, because her girlfriend, who had gotten out of line, left her cart off to the side, had reappeared. In fact, she waited for her to come back and then gladly told my mother and I that we HAD to let her girl go first because she had been there before us, even though she left the line. I was livid. My mother went to get the manager. We ended up in the next line over from hers, and when the manager approached her, she flat-out lied on us. I yelled from where I was standing that she was lying, and we had words. I hate to get loud for any reason, but I can't stand when people do things they know are wrong and then try to act like it's your fault in the end. In fact, she can kiss the left cheek for her horrible customer service.

It's official, my kitty cats are spoiled! Rotten! They have completely taken over my apartment, and traipse around as if they own the joint. But, I love them to pieces, they are so cute.

I will be so glad when I get off of work on Friday. I pretty much like my job, but this week has been especially difficult because I have a project that I will be glad to say goodbye to.

Okay, that's enough randomness for today, wait...

The Chicago police finally arrested Drew Peterson. I mean come on, three mysteriously dead wives and he's walking around like nothing is wrong? If he was black, he would have been buried under the jail. These idiots are talking about seeing soft dirt in the back yard, that should have been checked before now, I can't take it!

Okay, this is enough for real!

Playoff Memories

So, as I am enjoying this time of year probably for the twentieth time of my life, I decide to peruse the websites for rhetoric on this weekend's games. All of the main sites (ESPN, SI, Yahoo, NBA) pretty much have the same stories and highlights. However, I ventured onto Page 2 hoping to catch a good story from Scoop, and came across Page 2's homage to their favorite playoff moments.

I smiled, inwardly knowing that somewhere on this list would be a Jordan moment. Considering that Jordan dominated almost an entire decade in NBA history, I prepared for some stories that I could share in. I was surprised when I read Jemele Hill's commentary on her most memorable moment. It was the 1987 Eastern Conference playoffs when Boston beat Detroit off of the Larry Bird steal of Isiah Thomas's inbound pass. Jemele bitterly recounted how she has hated anything Celtics ever since.



I can understand that as well. I too, have teams that I historically just don't like. But, the last statement in her paragraph left a bad taste in my mouth. She said:

"(Oh, and for the record, my 1A favorite NBA playoff moment was when the Pistons refused to shake the Bulls' hands after being dethroned in the '91 conference finals. You say classless, I say awesome.)"

Now, I know a lot of sports enthusiasts such as myself and I don't know anyone who can agree with that statement. In the '91 Eastern Conference Finals, when the Pistons walked off that floor by not even saying goodbye, thanks for a great series, good luck or anything, that clearly went down as one of the worst sports moments in history. It was certainly the most classless in NBA history and that is her fave? Jemele, so much bitterness can kill a person! To this day Isiah Thomas can kick rocks in my book, which he literally can do now considering that he's unemployed and any GM would be out of their mind to hire him at this point. The fact that she could take such an enormous act of sore loserness as "awesome," is just blaphemous. As many times as the Bulls lost to the Pistons prior to that year, Jordan always showed class and sportsmanship, which is why his legacy surpasses so many of his counterparts. I had to embed that moment for all who don't know.



And since we are on the subject of these nostalgic moments, I will offer one of my favorite moments in playoff history. It is no secret that I can't stand Cleveland. We'll just chalk it up to the whole city. It doesn't matter if we're talking Cavaliers, Browns, Indians - Cleveland sucks in my book and they always will. Being a die-hard Bulls fan, there are just too many bad memories to let it ride. From the fight between Danny Ferry and Michael Jordan to the collage of cheap shots from Brad Daugherty and Gugliotta. I can't stand Cleveland!

So, as you can probably guess, my favorite playoff moment was when Michael put them in last-minute shot infamy with what has been dubbed as "The Shot Part 2." We always see the first time he lit them up during the 1989 regular season, when he shot over Craig Ehlo and won the game. But that second shot that took place in the '93 playoffs was oh so sweet. I prayed for moments like this. I was a young high-schooler, a sophomore in fact, and the laugh that I got from this moment just made my decade. Check it out!



I hope you enjoyed my playoff memories, and please don't hesitate to leave a few of your own.