Guess I Called That One Wrong

I really thought OKC would win it all.  Guess I was wrong.  Oh well.

But, thanks to the Heat winning we got to see Cuban take Skip Bayless down a notch or two or 53.

Alternate lead in to this clip:
annual salary of a sports blowhard talking head: way more than the average American makes.
approximate net worth of Mark Cuban: 2.3 billion USD.
watching Cubes verbally kick Bayless in the jimmy: priceless

I Can't Believe What I Just Saw

Mavs win?  Yeah! Mavs win!  How?  I do not know.  But, they did.  Wow.  Series changer?  Maybe.  We will see.  Regardless, this is/was one of the best comebacks late in the game of all time.  Or maybe the best, I cannot think of one better right now.  Name one better, I dare you.  Let's go cross-sports.  Well, let's not.  Otherwise I'd start talking about the Red Sox against...  And the series is not over.  So it might be all for naught.  We will see...

Let's see what happens going forward.  However, going forward the Mavs have no business winning this game or series, according the the talking heads.  They do like to talk, don't they?  We will see...

Evan Longoria Is a Jedi/Ninja?

It's not real of course.  But, Sean Elliott is definitely a Jedi/Ninja as he demonstrated by making the Memorial Day Miracle happen:

Spurs vs. Phoenix (Texas vs. Arizona)

How can a city and state get it so right (San Antonio, Texas) and one city and state get it so, so wrong (Phoenix, Arizona). 

On so many levels.

Number of Presidents, Texas - 2 (I only count native born Texans, which are LBJ and Dwight D. Eisenhower, not the Yankees, H.W. Bush and W. Bush); AZ - 0.

Number of NBA championships, San Antonio, TX - 4; Houston, TX - 2; Phoenix AZ - 0.

Number of laws offensive to Hispanics (keep in mind that each state has at a minimum about a 30% Hispanic population): Texas - 0; AZ - 1.

Way to go AZ (sarcasm intended here).  And way to go Texas (sarcasm not intended here).  Seriously, for all the different ways the GOP have tried to screw up Texas at least the Texan GOP'ers haven't decided to offend one of the largest voting blocks in Texas.  Of course, if Texas State Rep. Donna Riddle has anything to say about it we'll have a similar, intolerant law passed in Texas.  For lots of different reasons I'd like to see Gov. Rick Perry address this. 

Needless to say the immigration issue is a serious one.  But, to sports-minded people like me, the Spurs/Suns series is a big deal, albeit a much, much more minor deal than the immigration issue.  But, what a great coincidence - TX vs AZ.  Politics meets sports yet again.  I wonder if Manu Ginobli or Tony Parker will make sure to carry their visas everywhere they go in AZ in case they're asked for proof of citizenship (yes, I know the law's not effect now).  Tim Duncan was born in the Virgin Islands.  What does that make him?  And how will Eva Longoria "prove" that she's actually an American citizen?  All the Spurs, and their entourage, should, maybe, out of protest, wear their birth certificates, ID's, passports and visas around their necks to show and prove and protest their right to be in these, the United States of America.  

Oh, by the way, which was one of the last states to aknowledge that Martin Luther King, Jr. deservered a holiday for his contribution to us?  Oh, that's right, it was the state that keeps on discriminating in the post civil rights movement era, a state called AZ.  Way to go AZ.  Way to keep the trend going.

But, as usual I digress, AZ will play TX.  The Suns will play the Spurs.  Phoenix vs. San Antonio.  Who do you think has got it right?

Rick Barnes Is Brilliant, But Why?

I made a snarky comment on facebook, something like, "Rick Barnes is brilliant because he's the basketball coach at a football school?  Do you think he's a facebook friend of the Duke football coach?"

Seriously, since 2002 UT has made the sweet sixteen or better 6 times.  Three elite 8's and one final four.  Not bad.  But, this year they went from being ranked number 1 in the nation to getting bounced out of the tourney in the first round.  And I would guess that Rick Barnes' job is secure.  For now. 

The last and only final 4 UT has reached since Barnes has been at the helm was in 2003.  And this year was a major step backwards.  UT is regressing as a program.  Albeit regressing from a final 4 appearance in 2003 but nevertheless still regressing.  If they continue to on their current track next season (make the tourney and get bounced in the first or second round, or worse don't make the tourney) then Barnes should maybe worry.  Maybe.  Remember, he's a basketball coach at a football school.

Why the UT Mens' Basketball Team Lost

I feel my bad fandom regarding the mens' Texas Longhorns basketball team contributed to their early exit from the Big 12 tournament. Plus, they didn't score as many points as their opponent. Come to think of it, the points thing probably had more to do with them losing then my fan apathy. They're just not playing as well as they were early in the year and Baylor actually has a pretty darn good team.

To compare and contrast, I even made a point to wear my lucky UT "Hawaiian-style" shirt to the football Big 12 Championship this year. I/we/they needed every thread of that shirt to pull out the win. Although, I did wear the same shirt while watching  the National Championship on TV and they didn't win. But, I've determined that the shirt is fine, it's just that I wasn't watching the National Championship game in person.