KOBE, MJ, and TWITTER: A Weird Mix

Outside of the United Center where Michael Jordan is permanently
dunking over people.
(photo courtesy of Ed Mancia)

Felipe M

We asked our sports' panel about live tweeting.  Here are their thoughts.

Kobe Bryant was live-tweeting his 81-point performance which was re-aired last week on NBA TV. Which sports’ figure, past or present, would you like to see live tweet their paramount, career event?

Here’s what the panel wrote:

• “Keeping it current, I would love to have Raul Ibanez live tweet his game tying HR & Walk-off HR against the Baltimore Orioles in the 2012 ALDS.”—C. McLain
• “Marshawn Lynch—“Beast Mode” against the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs.”—Dan P
• “Araon Rodgers’ 2010 Super Bowl run.”—Johnny J
• “I would love to have seen Michael Jordan live tweeting about the D.C. Wizards at MSG vs the New York Knicks on March 9 2003. A 39 year-old Jordan scored 39 points in 43 minutes of action.  The Wiz were battling for a playoff spot in Jordan's final year. He out-played the combined effort of everyone in that game.  I watched this game while it was happening on NBC, MJ wanted to win the game so bad, but Latrell Spreewell & the Knicks ended up winning.  The most impressive effort I have watched during a basketball game.”—Donny R

Very interesting choices and Dan's choice is one of the funniest videos out there.  Is it racist?  That's for Daniel Tosh to decide.  

I had a hard time coming up with one event I would have liked to have seen be live-tweeted.  So I will share five instead:

• Michael Jordan playing with the flu at Utah in the NBA Finals.
• Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeout game.
• Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis playing a game of chess… or at least live-tweeting the last game they will every play against each other. 
• Patrick Kane live-tweeting the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup Championship for the Chicago Blackhawks.  Also, live-tweeting how he celebrated afterwards would be just as, if not more, interesting.
• And staying in the NHL, the greatest hockey game I have ever watched was on March 26, 1997 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings.  Not a fan of the goonery, but one can’t deny the raw emotion and the venom that was spewed throughout this hockey game.  Just figuring out who would be best qualified to do a live-tweet is proving to be difficult.  Do we go with the captains, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman? Or do we ask guys like Kris Draper  and/or Darren McCarty to give us their take while countering with Claude Lemieux for the Avalanche?  How about the goalies, Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon who most likely had the best, on-ice view of the whole scene before they got involved with the fighting?  What about the coaches?  So many potential candidates.   

Speaking of Kobe, the Los Angeles Lakers, fan or hater question: how happy/mad are you about their season so far?

The Lakers are so bad, that even "die-hard" superfan,
Jack Nicholson is leaving games early and getting
ready for baseball.
(Source: Mike McCann, Field of Fotos)

No one has gotten more glee out of the Lakers’ struggles this season than me.  I’m a Laker-hater and thinking about them literally makes my blood boil.  Yes, Kobe Bryant has back-to-back games of 14 assists, but with all that talent, it is an absolute joke that they’re not living up to the hype.  With that being said, let’s see what everybody else thinks of the Lake Show this season.

“I’m mad!  I wanted to see some competitiveness in the playoffs. It won't be as intense if Kobe's not in it.”—Johnny J

I think these playoffs will be more competitive than ever.  It is almost near unpredictable to forecast what will happen tomorrow in the NBA, let alone what will happen in the playoffs.  One thing is for sure, however, and that is that come playoff time, the stakes are raised a bit higher and the games get more intense.  Besides, there’s plenty of storylines in the NBA outside of Kobe and the Lakers.  The playoffs will be fine.

• “They were purple and bold, but now about to fold--in 2013.”-- Dan P
• “Hater and happy because, like in actual chemistry, when you mix elements that don’t sit well with each other, the whole experiment explodes.”-- C. McLain
• “If I cared any less, it'd still be too much.”-- Donny R

So the panel was harsh on the Lakers and rightfully so.  It was reported by David Schuster on WSCR THE SCORE 670AM that Kobe was still sitting an hour-and-a-half after the game against the Chicago Bulls by his locker stall, just pondering and trying to figure out what to do with the Lakers.  We give it up to Kobe: he’s a true professional, he cares about winning, and he tries every game.  

But knowing his past as a spoiled, child-like, NBA player, all of these recent struggles couldn't have happened to a more qualified person. 

So it’s safe to say that PATHOLOGICAL HATE will continue to hate on Kobe and the Lakers.

How do we fix the Lakers besides making Kobe Bryant the team's de facto point guard? Dan Plotsky has the answers.  Read Part I and Part II. 

NBA stuff is available here. 

Got Twitter?  Follow us, here.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Here and Now

Felipe M

This week, I asked our staff here at PATHOLOGICAL HATE to share their thoughts on the Nashville Predators.  The Preds’ inaugural season was back in 1998 and I can still remember many traditional pundits and hockey fans scratching their heads in shared perplexity wondering what Commissioner Gary Bettman was possibly thinking in awarding the city of Nashville an NHL franchise. 

Nevertheless, despite a slew of problems, including, but not limited to, the following: 

• Not making their first playoff appearance until their 7^th season .
• Ownership fraud. 
• A threat to move to Canadian city, Hamilton, Ontario. 
• Unimpressive attendance figures (though, it’s worth mentioning that they have one of the smaller arenas in the NHL) 

The Preds still have one of the more stable NHL franchises with a current streak of three consecutive playoff appearances, three consecutive years of improving attendance figures (in terms of capacity percentage%), and most astonishing of all, they have only known one General Manager in David Poile and only one head coach in Barry Trotz.

Despite all of their long-running and recent success, Nashville is still perceived as a low-grade hockey franchise with a fan base that does not understand the sport and are more fair-weathered fans than die-hard fans.  The current stereotype about the fans needing to learn the rules and culture of hockey are still prevalent today as they were back in 1998.  Just look at our panel’s responses.  The question was, “What are your thoughts on the city of Nashville as a legitimate “hockey town?”  Obviously, the connotation of “hockey town” was meant to be taken loosely and in relative terms:

• “Wait. You did say H-O-C-K-E-Y town right? Just checking.”—C. McLain
• “Well, between the Predators and the Tennessee Titans, I guess they have to clap for someone. Hockey will never survive in Tennessee.”—Johnny J
•  “Great small market, but [the term] hockey town [should be preserved] for Original Six teams.”—D. Plotsky.

Plotsky’s sentiment is more alarming, especially for a sports’ entity like the NHL who has been trying to open up to new, non-traditional markets in a rapid manner since 1967.  By that logic, no other city in North America can ever, fully embrace an NHL franchise outside of Montreal, Toronto, Boston, or Detroit to name a few.  

Also, Nashville is stereotyped as another Southern city full of “rednecks” who will always remain loyal to Southern culture and will remain skeptical and xenophobic to foreign concepts, such as hockey.  As Donny Rodriguez explains:

“Nashville Hockey: The NHL loves passing over cold-weathered cities such as Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and Providence for more densely populated areas that have more disposable income and love to casually partake in fringe sporting events.  New cities are good for the sport, but only if the team stays in the city and two decades from now that city starts producing hockey players.  The common Southerner would probably embrace hockey more if there were some "good 'ole boys" with American names swapping fabric of sweaters, like they do swapping paint in those race cars.”

However, the fact of the matter is, when the Predators are winning, the fans come out to support.  That’s true with any other city in any other sport.  I can still remember a time when the Chicago Blackhawks were a young, cheap team run by “Dollar Bill” Wirtz and constantly struggled to bring the fans into the United Center. After the Hawks became Stanley Cup contenders, suddenly, they were the hottest and toughest ticket in town as the Blackhawks have led the league in capacity percentage% in the last 4 seasons when they became Cup contenders.

 

How was their attendance when they weren’t winning? In 2007-08, the Blackhawks finished in 10^th place in the Western Conference, finished 19^th in total home attendance, and that big arena they call home?  82% capacity percentage%! That placed them in 28^th PLACE IN THE NHL!!! As most of you will know, the Chicago Blackhawks are an “Original Six” team.

The fans of Nashville have proved to be as loyal as any in the NHL.  They don’t sell out like the Blackhawks have in the past 4 seasons, but in relative terms, they will support a winner.  And a winning franchise is the Predators.  We’ve mentioned the recent string of playoff appearances, but the biggest surprise is that they still have employed their original GM and head coach!  That’s not just a rarity in the NHL, where historic franchises like the Toronto Maple Leafs go through head coaches and front office personnel like The Black Dahlia Murder goes through drummers, but in sports in general where management positions are constantly on fire (giving new meaning to the idiom “hot seat”).  How Poile and Trotz have kept their jobs, even through the losing seasons, is simply amazing.  And if this stable franchise wasn’t stable enough as it is now, they have locked up one of the better goaltenders in the NHL, Pekka Rinne, to a long-term deal.  Their first draft pick ever, David Legwand, is still on the team!

And as I watched the Predators fight off the St. Louis Blues in Overtime, Rinne stopped a barrage of scoring opportunities as the period was coming to an end.  Play was stopped for a face-off and the Nashville faithful stood up and gave Rinne a long, standing ovation as they appreciated his and his team’s effort.  The Preds lost the game in the Shootout, but give credit to the mostly, “Southern, redneck, no-nothing-about-hockey" fans: they knew a great effort when they saw it.  They have themselves a top-notch franchise and they know that as well.  

Check our most recent, sports' collaborative efforts here and here. 

SPORTS FROM THE HIP: Part II

The following is a collaborative effort as we look back at the week in sports. We only use one sentence or less, or your money back!

Pathological Hate

• LeBron James became the youngest to reach 20,000 points in the NBA last week: Your thoughts on LeBron James' career so far?

All the hype has been met. (Felipe M)
Having heart always prevails. (Johnny J)
Used to be unlikeable, now he's undeniable. (Donny R)

He also reached the 5,000, career assist mark, displaying his ability to dominate and share. (Dan P.)

Future G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time) (C. McLain)

The most boring, but completely dominant superstar ever, sans “The Decision” (Josh C)

• The NHL opened their season this past weekend. What does the NHL coming back mean to you?

It’s going to be a great winter! (Felipe M)
Absolutely nothing! (Johnny J)
I might actually tune into Regular season hockey now that it'll be a year-long playoff race. (Donny R)

As a 4th year fan, I am bonafide, addicted to the sport (Dan P)

Even wackier, playoff scenarios! (C. McLain)

I’m happy to have my Sharks’ games back, though I have a hard time wanting to support the NFL after yet another lockout. (Josh C)

• Marco Belinelli hit the game-winning shot against the Boston Celtics on Friday. What do you think about Marco as an NBA player?

Would give him the green light on all open shots. (Felipe M)
Bulls couldn't afford to keep Korver, so he will do. (Johnny J)
Not as frustrating as a Kyle Korver 1-for-4 3pt% game. Donny R)

I like the versatility that Marco brings and the fact the Bulls do not need to run plays specifically to get him open. (Dan P)

Who??? (C. McLain)

Specialist (Josh C)

• The Sacramento Kings and the Maloof family have agreed to selltheir controlling interest to a Seattle group who plans to move the team to Washington state: your thoughts on the possible return of the Seattle Supersonics?

Just what this franchise needed. (Felipe M)
They should have never left! (Johnny J)
Finally, an opportunity to use the Seahawks' color scheme, in hoops, where it belongs. (Donny R)

Totally ecstatic about the deal, although I feel bad for the Kings’ fans-- wait do they have any fans?(Dan P)

You can put lipstick on a pig but... (C. McLain)

Good for Seattle, good for the NBA to have the Sonics back, but poor, poor Sacramento ("Swerve City!") for suffering the same fate that the original Sonics suffered. (Josh C)

• The Harbaugh brothers become the first siblings to coach against each other's teams in any sport during the post-season (per Elias Sports Bureau): your thoughts on this incredible, unique feat?

Fascinating achievement, especially when thinking of the different sports families that are out there. (Felipe M)
 It was just their time. (Johnny J)
a storyline that will be filler for the 16 hours of pregame coverage. (Donny R)

Very impressive how fast they both achieved success and they almost played against each other last year as well (Dan P).

Forget "Tiger-blood"; I’ll take some of that Harbaugh-blood. (C. McLain)

Was hoping it would happen last year; so happy to see it come to fruition this year. (Josh C)

• Chip Kelly finally agrees to leave Oregon and coach the Philadelphia Eagles next season: Your thoughts on Kelly?

Leave college now or else feel the wrath of the NCAA. (Felipe M)

Someone that can install the read option to a backfield that can perform it well. (Johnny J)

Will be better than the 2012 Eagles, but not better than Silver Linings Playbook (Donny R)

Best of luck, but he's the next great college coach to find out how hard it is to turn around a pro NFL team when you don't get to recruit the players (Dan P).

Finally, someone who can actually coordinate successful "Wildcat" formations. (C. McLain)

Yawn! (Josh C)

• Tony Gonzalez stated that he will not return to play in the NFL next season: Where do you see Tony Gonzalez by the end of July, 2013?

Rumors will be flying about him coming back in time for training camp. (Felipe M)
He'll be back dunking the ball over the field goal crossbar. (Johnny J)
In the words of Hawk Harrelson--"he gone!" (Donny R)

If I’m Arthur Blank, I’m throwing him a lucrative, one-year deal at him, because they desperately need him back (Dan P.)

With a tackle and not being tackled for a change. (C. McLain)

Retired. (Josh C)

Donny Rodriguez recently wrote about his actual, First Rodeo. Check it out!