Dreaming A Dream by Crown Heights Affair (1975)
Extended Version
R A I D E R L E G E N D
Monday, June 08, 2026
Sunday, June 07, 2026
NHL Stanley Cup Finals 2026
Based on yesterday's Stanley Cup Finals game 3 performances, I'd say these conference champs could be two of the most unpredictable, lucky/unlucky, torturous teams to ever play for the Cup. How does a Hockey Team allow 3 goals in a matter of 39 seconds? Or for that matter how does one make 3 goals in such little time. Deflections, Mistakes, Errors, Bad Luck, Timely luck, you name it. It makes for an exciting, edge of your seat series.
Marner makes Stanley Cup Final history with fastest hat trick - ESPN
The fans for both teams must be pulling out their hair watching this back and forth battle for the Cup. Now I'm not much of a Hockey fan. I went to a minor league game some years back and sat behind the goal, first seat, within reach of the plexiglass, and brother I tell you, it was adrenalin pumping. The players were going at it like their lives depended on retrieving that little black puck. Bodies Crunching, Smashing, Punching and Pinning each other face first against the plexiglass. I swear, whoever devised the NHL rules booklet must've had a top-tier healthcare plan for the players.
Tyler Tucker shatters plexiglass with Vegas Golden Knights Player : r/pics (3yrs ago)
But I digress. Saturday's Cup Finals game went into double overtime, where again a deflected puck would be the deciding factor in the thrill of victory and agony of defeat.
Sports fans should treasure these championship June season series of Hockey and Basketball. Both sports begin their seasons in the fall, play 82 games and hold their Finals game series at the same time. If that isn't a concurrent sports agreement between leagues, then just call me conspiracy Joe. Meanwhile, the fans of both sports are in a state of ecstasy as they take in all of it. And sometimes, like crossover music, you find fans like me taking a peek at a professional game not on their radar. Until it is.
June is truly the month for Finals Championships!
Stanley Cup Finals: Las Vegas Knights (2-1) vs Carolina Hurricanes (1-2)
NBA Finals: New York Knicks (2-0) vs San Antonio Spurs (0-2)
Monday, June 01, 2026
NBA Finals 2026
So, it will be the Knicks versus Spurs to decide who will raise the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Last I checked the Spurs were favored to win. And I must admit, after watching how they out-shot and out-hustled defending champion OKC Thunder in game 7 of the conference finals, they look unstoppable.
Watching the Spurs take down the Thunder in OKC, me as a Knicks sympathizer (last championship 1973) had to conclude there is no way the Knicks outplay the homecourt advantage Spurs in a seven game championship series.
San Antonio, although young, are shooting the ball well, defending well, and appear unfazed as a youthful team going up against experienced players. And then there is 7ft 4in Victor Wembanyama.
Yes, the three-dimensional Spurs big man (defense, ball-handling, shooting/dunks) whose gazelle-like scoring and amazing blocks seem almost unreal. He has a wingspan of 8 feet and a "*Standing Reach" of 9-feet-7 inches.
*Standing Reach: The maximum height a player can reach with one hand while standing flat-footed, with booth heels on the ground and their arm fully extended overhead.
Wembanyama is a problem offensively and defensively for any opponent once he gets going.
But don't tell that to Knicks players and their fans. They won two out of three against the Spurs in the regular season. They're on a record eleven game postseason winning streak. And in their recent sweep of the Cavaliers in the eastern conference finals, they looked the part of an experienced and hungry team. Here are some of the reasons I feel the Spurs have an advantage:
1. Depth
2. Playoff Opponents
(3) Knicks - (6) Hawks, (7) 76ers, (4) Cavaliers - 12 wins 2 losses
(2) Spurs - (7) Trailblazers, (6) T'Wolves, (1) Thunder - 12 wins 6 losses
3. Youth / Athleticism vs Experience
Knicks - 29.4
Spurs - 24.0
Knicks starters avg age: 29.4
- Brunson (29), Hart (31), Bridges (29), Anunoby (28), Towns (30)
Spurs starters avg age: 24.0
- Fox (28), Castle (21), Vassell (25), Champagnie (24), Wemby (22)
And with all that I still say the feisty Knicks have a shot to win it all and shock the world. Let's hope for some competitive games and decent referee call/no-calls. I want a good clean fight. Good luck men!
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Knicks In Da'Finals Y'all
Yes, the New York Knicks have punched their ticket to the 2026 NBA Finals after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knickerbockers will go up against either the San Antonio Spurs or reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. I believe both western conference teams are seen as favorites against the Knicks, but everyone likes an underdog.
As for New Yorkers, after watching them celebrate yesterday's victory like lottery ticket winners, I think they believe their team is on an unstoppable role, an eleven-game winning streak with momentum peaking at just the right moment. Resting while the Cavs and Thunder will play at least two more games, the Knicks are in position to pull off an amazing upset.
I will be rooting for them to show up and show out. And if they don't win, make it at least a courageous effort in getting to the mountaintop.
You are there New York. You are on the cusp of an NBA championship that has eluded you since 1973, when bellbottom pants and platform shoes first became fashionable. You have the players, you have the heart, you have the hunger. And you have 8.58 million residents in the five city boroughs, along with Spike Lee and Stephen A. Smith, who see you as their basketball savior at this moment. Can U Dig It!
"Do You Realize, That You Are A Champion In Their Eyes"
Thursday, May 14, 2026
"Bear Down" Bob Ross - NFL Schedules Released
On a day NFL game schedules for 2026 were released, this ad by Chicago Bears wide-receiver Rome Odunze is a touchdown. Somewhere in the heavens legendary painter and afro-hair icon Bob Ross is smiling with paintbrush and palette held high.
"We don't make mistakes. We just have happy accidents" - Bob Ross (Titanium White)
Raiders 2026 Schedule | Las Vegas Raiders - raiders.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
The Hate Merchant
The Hate Merchant
by Niven Busch
The Hate Merchant, published in 1953, is a novel about a charismatic pitchman named Caspar Damion Splane who discovers he can manipulate people by selling them hate, turning a revival meeting into a profitable, hate-fueled movement. The book explores themes of manipulation, power and the dangers of unchecked rhetoric, as Splane uses his persuasive voice to exploit the loneliness and suffering of others for personal gain, becoming rich by selling fear and division.
note: And this is the latest book I picked up at a library sale and just began reading. An early 1950's novel that appears to prophesize 2026 American leadership.
After only two chapters, nineteen pages into reading, and the author has clearly exposed deficiencies in the protagonist Splane. He is not a kind-hearted man but one who is in desperate need of getting revenge for slights real or imagined. Perhaps this story will slowly reveal all that has led up to Splane becoming Splane.
Was it a broken childhood home, a failed business venture, a spurned love interest, or just a warped egotistical outlook on life and the world. The horror would be if he, or any human being is born with such a need to feel right and superior at the detriment of others.
"The Hate Merchant" looks to be a story about a man who plots and plans chaos, fear and destruction due mostly to his own shortcomings and lack of empathy. Its apparent his main issue is he hates himself. He is the hate that hate gives and feeds on. And Splane is clever enough to find a public platform for spewing out hate on a fearful, receptive audience.
Yes, Splane fits the manipulative, self-centered narcissist who would rather burn down society than fix it or seek help to fix himself.
So, I come to this character analysis on what to expect after reading only nineteen pages. Well, let's see just how it plays out and if fiction has predicted future realities.
____________________________________________________
And here it is. Only a little over one-hundred pages into the novel. Our protagonist Splane, while speaking on a platform promoting Christian values and salvation, has stumbled upon the food of hate in his message to a revenge-hungering evangelical audience.
". . . and to those powers," he finished, "the evil and conniving men and women, betraying this fair land for profit in her hour of greatest need - to the treachery of the betrayer, yes, to the wiles of Satan himself and his colleagues in Washington, D. C., and elsewhere we throw down the gauntlet. Let them do their worst. We shall prevail."
Not long after vilifying politicians in their capital with characterizations of evil, conniving, treacherous betrayers for profit to the wiles of Satan, Splane grabs onto one listener's antisemitic remark aimed toward the local department store Silversteen's, named for its Jewish owner. And with clever, cunning ease the once street hawker of cheap goods has the ideal merchandise for the ripe and ready consumer. Hate!
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Sweet Sweep of Lakers and Lebron
The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Lakers last night, sweeping Lebron James and a Luka-less L.A. team out of the NBA playoff picture. The reigning NBA champion OKC Thunder were masterful and resilient in taking down a gutsy Lakers squad. They have discovered a young star in second-year guard A.J. Mitchell (28pts) to go along with all-star and likely back-to-back MVP Shai Alexander (35pts). Hopefully the King of L.A. will seriously consider retirement and move over for young Lakers talent to rise up. Bye-Bye-Lebron!!!
Around the same time in L.A. the San Francisco Giants were putting the finishing touches on a hitless Shohei Ohtani (0-5) and the Dodgers. The Giants, showing more patience at the plate, have found their hitting groove to go along with their defense. And surprisingly, their pitching seems to be getting stronger as the season marches on. Meanwhile, those once dominant Dodgers are looking anything but like the league champions of 2025. Not sure what is going on with them. Just maybe, the Giants have their number this season. They've beaten Da'Bums three out of four games so far in 2026. The next three nights in L.A. should tell us more about both clubs. Go Giants!!!
Surging Devers, Adames helping Giants' offense get its 'mojo' back
Giants 6-2 Dodgers (May 12, 2026) Game Recap - ESPN
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