Hoops Conspiracy?

Who would you rather not be these days? Bud Selig or David Stern? Steroids scandals in major league baseball or crooked ref and game fixing scandals in the NBA? If there is anything to the growing conspiracy theories and the charges made by convicted felon / ex-ref Tim Donaghy, I think that the NBA scandal may end up doing more damage to its sport.


ABOVE: Tim Donaghy - Heroic whistleblower or just a convicted felon trying to get an easier sentence? Recall Donaghy was convicted of gambling on NBA games for which he was also working as referee

For years NBA conspiracy theorists have charged commissioner David Stern and his cronies of "fixing" games by instructing NBA refs on how to call key games. And there have been some horribly called games that can be easily used as "evidence", such as the infamous Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals where in the crucial 4th quarter the L.A. Lakers shot 27 free throws to Sacramento's nine. The Lakers won the game, and eventually won the championship that year. Consumer crusader/perrenial presidential candidate/Kings fan Ralph Nader even wrote a letter of complaint to Stern and the NBA office about that game. Ask any San Antonio Spurs fan about their chances of winning a game if Joey Crawford is on the court to officiate. Or consider the almost acknowledged double standard for how you officiate for the stars of the league vs. the regular players. I recall a rather infamous game where Shaq was called for a foul, and then the ref actually went to the scorer's table to make sure he wouldn't be fouling Shaq out of the game. Why should that matter?

In every sport you will have complaints about officiating, but in no sport does it reach the level of dissatisfaction that it does in the NBA. And now disgraced ref Donaghy, through his lawyers, has sung about two specific games (including the controversial Lakers/Kings Game 6) that were evidently "fixed" in order to extend a series to make more money for the league. Now, you can dismiss his accusations as those of a man facing a sentencing and trying to get a better deal, as Stern does. But the sad thing is that nobody was really shocked by the allegations. Now even players from that 2002 series like Scot Pollard are coming out and saying they agree that there was something "wrong" with that series. When asked about it this week, Lakers coach Phil Jackson responded by referring to the Game 5 before that was, in his view, "stolen" from the Lakers on bad calls.

Do I think these games were "fixed"? I have a hard time believing that. And as several sports commentators have pointed out in the past few days, if the league is fixing things, they haven't done a very good job. Why let small market San Antonio win four championships in the last decade? Why let Detroit get so far, so often? If they were fixing things, it would be all Lakers, Knicks, Celtics and Bulls all the time. But there does need to be some sort of overhaul, because the officiating is often atrocious. For years I have been furious about the double standard for the league's stars. A foul is a foul, dammit.

I have sympathy for the refs, too. Officiating a constantly moving basketball game is a lot harder than officiating a slow as molasses baseball game or even football. More fouls are called, and you have to be watching all of the players every second of the game. It is constant action and mistakes will be made. But the NBA is going to have to do something to restore their credibility, whether or not Donaghy is full of shit. Hearings? A more open review after games? Something. Perception is crucial for a business like the NBA, and they have a real credibility problem right now. I don't really have an answer because I am not sure what would really work, but something needs to change.

Common Ground With Obama

I have found that I have some common ground with the presumptive democratic nominee afterall. I was listening to an NPR interview with Obama this afternoon, and he was asked the very important question of who he thought would be the NBA champions. He admitted that at the outset of the series he picked the Lakers in 6. Recall, faithful readers, that was my prediction as well. Since the Celtics are currently leading 2-0, that prediction seems very unlikely to come true at this point. He said that he did not really have strong feelings either way because he is a Bulls fan, and he is thrilled that they have the number 1 pick in this year's draft. I was heartened by the fact that Obama follows the NBA. I don't know why.

I was reminded of when Hillary Clinton was asked whether she preferred the Mets or the Yankees when she was running for her New York Senate seat. She straddled the fence and said "both." As any self respecting sports fan knows, you can like one, the other or neither...but not both. At least Obama risked angering Celtic Nation by taking a stand on who he thought was the better team between Boston and L.A. That is political courage.

Oh Yeah? I'll Show You Cute...And a Prayer

My good friend over at A New Career In a New Town and his lovely wife recently got an admittedly adorable new puppy. He has since been assaulting his readers with photos of puppy cuteness. I can fight fire with fire, ANCIANT. I present to you our new dog, Toby…



Toby is somewhat of a mystery dog. We picked him up at the Animal Defense League, a no-kill shelter. They in turn had snatched him up at the city pound (the ADL takes certain dogs and cats out of the pound that they feel have a chance at adoption). As you know from a previous post, we already have a dog (Winston) and cat (Maurice, who was adopted by yours truly at the same ADL about ten years ago). My wife has been demanding a second dog for some time, so we met after work over at the ADL to ostensibly take a preliminary look around. I got there first, and Toby immediately caught my attention. I introduced my wife once she arrived…and before you knew it I was driving home with Toby in the passenger seat of the car.

Toby is the sweetest and most affectionate animal I have ever come across. In the domination battles, Winston seems to be asserting himself as alpha dog, but Toby will occasionally stand up for himself. He even forced Winston to back down from the couch the other night. Whoever gets on the couch first has the advantage, as they can then take a defensive position and dig in at the high ground, thereby blocking the top of the little doggie stairs we have for dog access to said couch.

But on a much more serious note, Toby has got major health problems. The ADL said that he had heartworms and had been given treatment, but everything else was fine. We took him to our vet for a full check-up, and it was discovered that he has the following: heartworms, anemia, some tick disease, a respiratory infection, his blood levels are all out of wack, and he may be in kidney failure. The doctor gave him about a 40% chance of pulling through. The ADL offered to take him back, but told us they did not have the resources to treat him so they’d just put him to sleep. Well, shit. Our vet has some ideas for treatment and he's the best in town, so we are going with that and hoping for the best. A “free” adopted dog has now cost us about what we would have paid for a fancy, purebred dog. But he’s a great little guy, and we are going to do everything we reasonably can. I am guardedly optimistic, he seems to be reacting well to the treatments so far, but the tests being taken today will really determine his fate. So, whether you pray, chant or send out good vibes, set aside some for this little dude. Go Toby!

Dez's Favorite 100 Rock/Pop Records (#'s100-96)

Considering that GNABB was born in February of this year, I have shown remarkable restraint by holding back my lists of favorite albums or movies until now. But I can stand it no longer. What follows is #100-96 of Dez's Favorite Rock Records as of June 2008. Those of you who have had the misfortune of reading previous lists of mine know that I can go on for pages about each record, but I have mercifully decided to be as brief as possible. Also, so as not to overwhelm readers with all one hundred at once, I have decided to give you five selections each Friday, so this will be a regular feature at the end of each week for awhile. As usual, I welcome comments and thoughts, as well as your own lists of faves.

Rules? Pop/Rock records only, and no artist gets more than three selections. No compilations, no live albums. In this Age of iTunes and downloads, I fear that people are quickly losing appreciation for a cohesive album; one which is meant to be listened to as a whole work, not just as a group of songs. (Although, many of my selections are just collections of unrelated but outstanding songs.) There is something about holding a physical record in your hand vs. ordering a song up on your computer or iPod. I am somewhat heartened by the growing niche popularity of LP's. I'm on board, and I buy as many LP's these days as CD's or downloads. That is all for a different post, but all true music fans should buy LP's. Neil Young is right, they sound better. And the ritual is important. I will try and start each group of 5 with further thoughts and comments, so as to not overwhelm with one big-ass post. So, more on this next week.

Here we go, #'s 100-96...

100. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time, 2006

To prove I’m not all about the classic rock period, we’ll start with one of my favorite new bands. JMW turned me on to these guys, and they have a fiercely devoted following. BOH are all about sweeping, melodic, majestic pop. Song after song features hooks all over the place with dramatic crescendos. I hear some New Order and Cure here (the lighter side) instrumentally, but comparisons to Radiohead (their early stuff) and Coldplay (but with more guitars) are equally appropriate.

99. Thomas Dolby – The Flat Earth, 1984

You mean the “She Blinded Me With Science” guy? Yeah, and that song isn’t even here. This is a very obscure, forgotten little record that has a wonderfully coherent sound and mood. The intricate bass playing of Matthew Seligman and spare guitar from Kevin Armstrong help Dolby make #99 a musically captivating listen throughout. Sure, the 80’s synthesizers are there, but the bass and guitar lay a spry, funky groove over an appealing mix of synths and acoustic guitars. I know I am not alone in my admiration for this lost 80’s gem, I was pleasantly surprised when looking this up in my trusty ‘All Music Guide’, they gave it their highest ranking of five stars. There are a couple of missteps, but they are more than made up for with the pretty title track, “Dissidents”, "I Scare Myself" and the gorgeous “Screen Kiss”.

98. Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection, 1971

There is more blues, country and overall roots rock influence here than on any other Elton record. “Ballad of a Well Known Gun”, “Where To Now St. Peter?”, “Amoreena” (used wonderfully in the opening sequence of the film ‘Dog Day Afternoon’) and “Burn Down the Mission” are all solid rock songs that are about as earthy as Elton ever got. This is Elton John, though, so even here he throws in at least one gorgeous ballad, “Come Down In Time”. For folks used to his insipid Disney themes of the last couple of decades, go back to this record and those released around this time to see what the fuss was all about in the first place.

97. The Byrds – The Notorious Byrd Brothers, 1968

In the midst of internal turmoil (but then, when were the Byrds ever not in turmoil?), one of the most important and underrated American bands of all time created a gorgeous piece of pastoral, psychedelic folk rock. Nothing else out there really sounds like this record, and it represents the best of the wide open sonic freedom of late 1960’s rock recording. Funny story: the horse on the far right on the album cover is supposedly there to represent the recently booted (or resigned, depending on whose story you believe) David Crosby.


ABOVE: Is that David Crosby on the far right?

96. Pearl Jam – Vs., 1993

I know that Ten is more beloved, cohesive and influential, but I prefer the power and eclecticism of their follow-up. PJ veers from punk-like bursts of energy with “Animal” and “Leash” to perfect acoustic power rock like “Daughter” and “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”. They were lumped together with the grunge bands of the early 1990’s, but Pearl Jam is really a classic rock band in grunge clothing. Their music has more in common with The Who or Neil Young than with Nirvana or Alice in Chains. Remember the days when the release of a new Pearl Jam album was an event?

NBA Finals Are (finally) Here

David Stern and the NBA brass got what they wanted. A Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals. These two rivals will meet tonight for the start of the 11th NBA championship clash between these perennial greats.

Let's first look back to the conference finals. I got the Eastern right and the Western wrong. The Pistons against the Celtics and the Spurs against the Lakers suffered from the same problems: aging rosters and key players who were not at 100% due to lingering injuries (Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton for the Pistons, Manu Ginobili for the Spurs). Stern can rest easy that he avoided his nightmare scenario (ratings-wise) of another Spurs-Pistons match-up.


ABOVE: Will Kobe finally win a championship without Shaq's assistance?

Instead? We've got storylines galore. We’ve got the star power of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Can Kobe cap his MVP season with his first post-Shaq championship? (Does anyone remember Kobe complaining loudly last summer about wanting to be traded because he did not feel that the Lakers had the mentality to win?) This is the first finals appearance for Gasol, Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen, and all are respected stars who have paid their dues. Many people feel that Garnett especially deserves a championship for his Hall of Fame-worthy career and years of plugging away in vain in Minnesota. If the Lakers win, this will be the 10th championship for coach Phil Jackson, giving him the most rings as a coach in NBA history. Who would he pass up? Boston’s Red Auerbach, of course. Which two NBA teams have won the most championships? Boston (16) and L.A. (14). We’ve got the league’s #1 offense and its MVP (Kobe) going against the league’s #1 defense and its Defensive Player of the Year (Garnett).

BELOW: Will the respected trio of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce each get their first championship?


I don’t need to hype this series up any more. The NBA is taking care of that for me. My prediction? Lakers in 6.

"The Ike & Tina Turner of Politics"

As I watched history unfolding before my eyes last night on TV, I was amazed (although I shouldn't be at this point) as to how Hillary Clinton steadfastly refused to acknowledge what was happening. Even after it was clear that Obama had the delegate count to finally take the democratic nomination and she could have gone on national television to be gracious and mend fences and at least acknowledge that for the first time an African-American was the nominee for one of the major parties in this country...Hillary gave a speech that could only be categorized as defiant. Instead of being the good soldier and trying to unify the party, she continued to make her case as to why she feels she is the better candidate and how she won more in the popular vote than anyone else (according to Clinton Math). "What does Hillary want?" indeed. She went on to declare that she was "not making any decisions" and encouraged her 18 million strong Hillary Army to e-mail her and help her to determine her next moves. I was reminded of holdout Japanese troops, long after World War II had ended, still dug into their caves on various Pacific Islands, ready to fight to the death.

One of the commentators on CNN last night was great (and I can't remember who it was). He called Bill and Hillary the "Ike and Tina Turner of politics. They will not do anything nice and easy, it's got to be hard and rough."


ABOVE: Bill and Hillary Clinton will fight to the finish

Allegedly she is now pushing for the VP slot, but that speech last night was not the way to go about it. The strategy was to throw her weight around and bully Obama into begging her to join the ticket. Rarely does a politician in Obama's current position want to be seen as giving into threats. I am still convinced that her real endgame is to do enough damage to Obama so he loses to McCain, and then she will mount another campaign in 2012. That is the only plan that logically explains why she is doing what she is doing. It has been clear for weeks (actually, over a month) that Obama would be the nominee. Yet she and Bill continued their race baiting, divisive tactics. So far, Hillary has been a much more vicious foe for Obama than McCain. As offensive as Father Michael Pfleger's sermons were this last week, his caricature of Hillary was spot on.

Obama is really in a tough spot. He and his campaign rightfully can't stand her. Yet they could desperately use her on the ticket to convince her formidable army of supporters to back Obama. In some states, an amazing 30% of Hillary supporters claim they will vote for McCain before Obama. But what if? What if Obama makes a deal with the devil, and wins? What the hell would he do with Hillary and Bill once in office? What a nightmare.

On a personal note, congratulations to Obama for his historic night. It is frustrating, because I really want to support Obama. I like him and I feel like his victory in the general election would go a long way in healing our country. Yet I feel some of his policies would be disasterous, so I cannot in good conscience support him. McCain is right on Iraq. I can't really get beyond that point, because Obama's plans for Iraq would do such harm to the region and to us. So, go McCain.

RIP Bo Diddley, 1928-2008

Few artists can claim to have created their own style of music, but that is only one of the accomplishments of Bo Diddley. Say “play a Bo Diddley beat” to any knowledgeable musician, and they will know exactly what you are talking about. Many of his most famous songs stay with one chord throughout the entire song; all of the excitement and focus is on that rhythm. Immortal original tunes like “Who Do You Love?” and “Bo Diddley” are but two examples. And just so you don’t think that Bo was a one trick pony, check out the riffmaster of “Roadrunner” or the freakin’ groove of “I Can Tell” which is as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Born Ellas Bates (he later took the name Ellas McDaniel, from his mother’s cousin who adopted and raised him), Bo became one of the biggest artists on the legendary blues/rock record label Chess Records (along with Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.) He is hailed as an innovator on several fronts: as a music innovator (the Bo Diddley rhythm pushing rock music forward), as a guitarist, as a guitar designer, and as a songwriter (contributing such tunes as “Bo Diddley”, “I’m a Man”, “You Don’t Love Me”, “Who Do You Love?” and “Roadrunner” to the rock canon).

For me, it is “Who Do You Love?” that stands as his crowning achievement. The perfect example of his patented Bo Diddley beat/rhythm, over which Bo raps (yes, ‘raps’ way back in 1956) as if he were some hoodoo master hybrid of his Mississippi roots transplanted to the stark Southwest with references to “47 miles of barbed wire”, “a brand new house made from rattlesnake hide” with “a chimney made out of human skull” and “cobra snake neckties”. It is a remarkable tune of mesmerizing and pulverizing rhythm, with barbed wire guitar leads and vocal boasts that sound as much tribal as they do rock and roll.

Today we lost one of the last living fathers of rock and roll. There are only a handful left from the days of the music's birth, and Bo Diddley was one of the greatest of the greats. A true gentleman and intellectual from those days, as he helped to design his distinctive rectangular-shaped guitars that he made so famous.

For a good overview of his music, I would suggest grabbing His Best: the Chess 50th Anniversary Collection.


ABOVE: Crank this video up to 11 and just groove out to this kick-ass performance from Bo Diddley. Decked out in his black leather glory, he rocks this audience of hippies into a frenzy by jamming on his patented rhythm for about 4 minutes. Awesome.

RIP Bo Diddley.