NBA Playoffs- One and Done: Mavericks and Suns

Soon, there will a big shake up in Dallas on account of the playoff demise of the Dallas Mavericks against the New Orleans Hornets. People will say that the Jason Kidd trade was a bust, especially since he was useless against Chris Paul. I agree. Some will say that Dirk Nowitski did not impose his will as he could have throughout the series. Yeah maybe. Yet others will say that Avery Johnson's coaching style does not fit with the team's roster. They may be right too. But with all this said, players will be traded and coaches fired, but what's missing in all this is owner Mark Cuban's hand in all this drama.

Cuban has been the triggerman in some of the lame brain moves he's made with this franchise. I have never been a fan of Mark Cuban, much less respected him as an NBA owner. Sure he's lavished his team with luxury items in the locker rooms and etc, but this guy is just a big spoiled kid, masquerading as an overzealous fan. I can honestly say that he's probably the reason the Mavs didn't win against the Miami Heat a few years back: all that whining about bad calls and fouls caught up to him in that Finals series- you've got to admit that there were some bad ones there.

He probably says stuff like this to himself in the mirror: "I bet I can run this team better than a guy who's been in the League (capitalized for emphasis) for 30 years plus as a player, coach and GM; Let me trade away a top point guard because I'm too cheap to pay what he's actually worth and I could win with whomever's sloppy seconds; Let's trade away our future point guard (again) for an aging point guard who's actually closer to entering the Hall of Fame than actually winning a championship."

Okay, I may have been over dramatizing things a little but you get the picture. No wonder Nellie left for Golden State. Poor Avery. In the midst of writing this, I heard that he got canned. Too bad. Well, he wasn't without fault either. Avery, you should have left Jason Kidd run the game like we all know he can. You should've checked your ego at the door and let the guy do his thing.

The Phoenix Suns came into their series against the San Antonio Spurs with their typical arrogance, saying that they're a better team. Whomever the game broadcasters were throughout the series, each mentioned how the Suns thought they are the better team. If you recall, the Suns had the same mentality when they played the Spurs last year. Sure, you have some supremely talented individuals at a few positions, but you can't talk the talk until you've walked the walk. Last year, even after San Antonio dispatched them from the playoffs, head coach Mike D'Antoni still stated that they "were a better, more talented team." Huh?! What?! Didn't you just lose a playoff series? I don't get it, until you can beat a team in a 7 game series, you cannot say things like this. Get over yourself. Maybe that's why he may find himself without a job in Phoenix. Reality and presumptions don't mix well.

MDA's Fill the Boot

At traffic intersections on the way home yesterday, I saw firefighters run from car to car asking for donations to MDA's Fill the Boot fundraiser. So if you see your local firefighers out on the streets this weekend, or any weekend for that matter, asking for donations to this great cause, please be mindful and donate what you can.

My dad used to be a volunteer firefighter in my hometown when I was younger and I remember he and his fellow volunteers doing these fundraisers at our town's major intersections. Seeing these guys out there yesterday brought back great memories. There were not, if at all, any hispanic volunteers in our town back then and I still feel quite proud of my father for being, if memory serves me correct, the only hispanic fireman during his time as a volunteer.

It's about time- Grey's Anatomy returns!

Though I did not go through withdrawals for not having seen Grey's Anatomy because of Hollywood's writers strike, but I might as well have because it was great to see the show again. Ever since the show's been around, at the end of each episode, I always say that each show needs to be at least two hours long. I think it's that good. Great writing and eye candy for both sexes aside, I will really miss the show when it runs its course-- hopefully many, many years from now.

Now I'm excited to see Meredith finally start to get over her abandonment issues; Izzy continues to be the same quirky, freakin' hottie; George still rocks being the heart of the gang and with the possibility of seeing a romantic hookup between nurse Rose and McDreamy, I can't wait for what the rest of the season holds!

Shoes- Do leave home without them?

I ran across this article about shoes on NPR the other day and thought it veddy eenteresting. The article says that the wearing of shoes is harmful to your feet. Yeah I can see the wearing of certain types of shoes, like 5" stilettos, could do specific damage, but this analysis states that most shoes create some sort of injury to the overall health of the human foot. Essentially it says that humans have survived for many millenia without the necessity of a pair of Jimmy Choo pumps or even some funky Birkenstocks.

Yeah, I'd like to see someone tell all these gals who looove shoes that they have to do away with them. Nor would I tell all these other people whose shoes are more than a way to cover one's foot, but as a hip-hop fashion statement. Do you remember people killing others just for a pair of Air Jordans? Yeah... that's gonna work.

I'd be the first one to tell you that most of the time shoes are just special ornaments that make or break an outfit. And there's nothing wrong with a pair of great looking shoes, but I'll tell you, I've worn some that had me wishing I had gotten the lame pair of work loafers instead of the rocking pair I went with in the end. Whether they are some cool, classic loafers for myself or some that I would love seeing a cute gal wear, shoes, harmful or not, are too ingrained in our modern society to get people to stop wearing them.

I'm your Huckleberry- Tombstone, a movie favorite

One of the better contemporary Western movies, if you ask folks, is 1993's Tombstone. This fairly unassuming flick with several well-known actors was a movie that still carries weight more than 15 years after its release. There are several aspects of the movie that I find intriguing but what I love about it is Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday and the romantic undertone of Wyatt Earp's life story.

The constant stream of Doc Holliday one-liners gives one a stockpile of memorable utterances that to me are some of the best. Pick any line Holliday says, whether its his exchanges with Johnny Ringo,"I'm your huckleberry" or when he reunites with Wyatt Earp on the streets with of Tombstone and says to Billy Bob Thorton's Johnny Tyler, "I'm sorry Johnny, I forgot that you were there." Of course he says all this with the smooth lilt of the American South. And ya gotta dig that mustache. I wish mine looked as good as his.

The underlying romantic story between Earp and actress Josephine Marcus ties the movie together. Wyatt Earp first meets Marcus while he's married, but after ridding the Arizona countryside of the villainous Cowboys and after a timely death of his wife due to a drug overdose, Earp is finally reunited with Josephine.

It's a great flick with plenty of intrigue and fast paced action and with brief cameos of Charlton Heston and with an epilogue read by Robert Mitchum to give it the movie some clout, Tombstone is a wonderful movie to enjoy.

Daily Pendejadas- Updating Soaring Gas Prices

Okay, who's getting ticked off by the daily media barrage telling us that each day the price for a barrel of oil has hit an all-time high or that the price per gallon of gas has also hit a new high? Gees, we all know that-- we're not stupid. The prices for these commodities will continue to soar until our oil consumption drops. And the way things are going with gas prices zooming their way toward $5.00, we'll be there before we know it.

Now if gas prices have gone down for eight days straight and OPEC has agreed to release more oil reserves, let me know. Otherwise I don't want to hear anymore of the media's broken record of whining that we've been hearing everyday for as long as I can remember.

Thanks and Good-bye Steve McNair

One of my favorite NFL players retired the other day- Steve McNair. His thirteen years in the NFL proved that he belonged in the league after enduring much consternation early in his career. He came out of Alcorn State without much fanfare and was drafted by the Houston Oilers. Folks thought that the Oilers wasted a draft pick, but after a few years, he proved them all wrong by eventually leading the Tennessee Titans to what is now considered one of the best Super Bowl games of all time against the St. Louis Rams. Even to this day, I cannot think about that SB loss without getting a little misty-eyed. I so wanted Steve McNair to win that game, but the good thing was that he will always be remembered for the courageous manner in which he got the team close enough to have a chance to win the game.

I am still a little upset at the way the Titans franchise treated their one-time franchise quarterback by essentially kicking him out of their off-season facilities prior to the season a few years ago. It was a bit on the not-so-classy side of things. But it pales by comparison to how the city of Houston let the Oilers leave for Tennessee. I sooo wanted to drive to Houston to see them play, but no... they didn't want to fork over the money to build them a new stadium. Yet, you built a new one for the current franchise, the team I call the Houston Usurpers, otherwise known as the Texans (sarcastic applause for the creativity in choosing that team name!)

Anyhow, I digress. I'll be the first one to say that Steve McNair may not be a Hall of Famer, though he garnered a NFL Co-MVP award, but what I will always remember about him was his tenacity and heart and how he carried his teams each and every season. He'll always be a Hall of Famer in my mind.

A Rude Wake Up Call: Overnight storms

We had some major storms blast their through the Dallas/Fort Worth area overnight. Just prior to going to bed, I checked out NOAA's Storm Prediction Center's website to get the latest information. I saw that the immediate D/FW area was under a Tornado Watch until 6:00am. In all the time of being a weather watcher (nerd), I've never experienced a tornado watch to encompass the overnight hours such as this one. Not only did I see that, but I also saw that the region could sustain large hail and very strong winds, upwards of 80+ mph! Needless to say I brought down my patio garden plants off the ledge onto the floor and kept an ear to weather.

Many different areas in north and south Dallas experienced severe storms right around the 3:00 to 4:00am hour and then beyond. What came through our specific neighborhood arrived around 3:40-3:45 or so. What initially go my attention was hearing the hum of the bedroom fan turn off and then back on several times. I heard a few rumbles of thunder with an occasional knock of what I thought was hail on the windows and walls, but when I got to my feet and peeked outside the window, I saw the trees blowing around in a wind that I've never witnessed before: it was a howling, whistling type of wind. There was a eerie strangeness to it. Nevertheless, after blurting out a curse in my overnight stupor, I riled everyone out of bed and into the bathroom.

As soon as everyone got settled in the bathroom, I ran to the laptop to check the latest weather reports and radar. After a few tense moments, I was able to get a internet connection going and got to this radar image and took a picture of it shortly after the storm passed with my camera phone, hence the picture quality. But if you look closely, you'll see that in the radar image in the southern edges of Denton and Collin counties, there's a definite "kink" in the bow echo blowing through the area. In these type of storms, namely squall lines, the northern edge of a bow echo, may usually cause a quick spin-up or two of a tornado. Note the time in the upper right-hand corner of the image.

Who knows what the storm assessors will say with the damage connected to this part of the storm, but the areas around my part of town report the same type of damage: significant roof damage, blown down fences with uprooted and blown down trees, similar to those I've posted below from our apartment complex.

Play Ball!

Hold the presses! The Texas Rangers starting pitchers are pitching, dare I say it, they're pitching pretty good. Six games into the regular season and each starter has pitched at least 5 innings, with Kevin Millwood throwing a rare complete game with his second start. Not only are they reaching the later innings but they are doing it without giving up a lot of runs. Their cumulative ERA is under 3.00.

I know it's very early to make this statement, but it's a step in the right direction. What a difference it makes when you have good starting pitching.

Singing in the Car

There's nothing like hearing a favorite song while driving in your car. Who cares what the other drivers may think, but doesn't it feel good to belt out the song's lyrics? I had such an instance just a few days ago on my way to work.

It had been a while since I've listened to the radio as I've been busy listening to cds for the better part of two weeks (the cds of which will be subject of a future posting). I spent the first part of my commute switching from station to station, with many of them stucks in commercials, until I nailed with the one playing December by Collective Soul. I don't know why I love this song, perhaps the lyrics or that I know them all, or whatever, but whenever this song comes on the radio, it's crank up the volume and rev up the singing! First off I'm not a bad singer. I used to accompany one of my buddies when he sang at Saturday evening mass, so I'm not tone deaf to begin with and could carry a tune whenever possible.

Once I get into December, it's a constant flood of memories, a recollection of my younger days, among them being: listening to a newly purchased Collective Soul album as I drove three hours to visit a gal, then becoming part of my daily soundtrack when I moved to San Antonio, and then it being a part of a music compilation a friend gave me a couple years ago. Whatever the case may be, it's a great song, and for me, many mental souvenirs are attached to it. So if you ever see a crazy looking guy singing in his car, know you may know why.

Drummers Are We- Continued

There were a couple drumming songs I'd like to add to my list from a few days back: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by the Police and Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin.

That Police song has some great hi-hat stick work. It's a wonderful song from an awesome band. It's amazing to hear such power from a 3 man group. Speaking of power, that aforementioned Led Zeppelin song is probably everyone's Zeppelin track. Except for Robert Plant that is. I heard in an interview from waaaay back that Stairway was not one of his favorite songs for whatever reason. Who knows... Maybe if they tour again, he'll get asked that specific question. I really hope that a Led Zeppelin reunion tour happens!

Daily Pendejadas- Definition of a Maverick

Define a Maverick

I live in Dallas, so I get my daily dose of Dallas Maverick bumper stickers and the like. What I see is the franchise's version of what a "maverick" is: a horse. For as long as I can remember a "maverick" is essentially a cow. So I've always found the use of a horse on the Dallas NBA franchise logo a little strange.

Here's what the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says:
Main Entry: 1mav·er·ick
Pronunciation: \ˈmav-rik, ˈma-və-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Samuel A. Maverick died 1870 American pioneer who did not brand his calves
Date: 1867
1: an unbranded range animal; especially : a motherless calf
2: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

But here's a sad note to this connotation. The University of Texas at Arlington, who recently made news with their first entrance to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, also calls their sports mascot the Mavericks. The sad part is that they also use a horse to personify their mascot. You'd think being at a university that someone would've pointed out this misnomer.

I guess both the NBA's Mavericks and UTA's Mavericks are mavericks in their own rights by choosing the wrong animal for their mascots.

Daily Pendejadas- Signal Lights

I want to make a blog series consisting of stupid things, pendejadas, that I see people do, or in most cases, things they don't do. I know I won't be able to make daily entries for this series, but I couldn't pass up the title.

Signal lights or lack thereof

It seems like the signal lights in most people's cars do not work. People do not use them at all. Of course it just ticks me off when the car in front of me slows down and turns in one direction or the other without the notion of letting you know what he or she is going to do. Apparently the sudden flash of the vehicle's brake lights are enough of a "signal" for the fellow motorist. Seriously, it happens so infrequently that when I come across folks who do indeed use their turn signals on the roadways, I feel like getting out of my car and giving them a gold star.