Golden State Warriors Thrilling Win in OT

Kelenna Azubuike and the Warriors Bench Celebrate Thrilling Overtime Victory!

They may not be the Lakers, but the Golden State Warriors have thrilled me for the second time this season at Oracle Arena as they defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-121 in overtime.

My last thrill at Oracle Arena had Baron Davis sinking a clutch shot over Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets in the final seconds. This thrill, without Baron, was induced by Don Nelson shuffling his bench players in and out of the game to give his starters just enough bounce in their legs to knock down 4th quarter shots.

As always with the Warriors, it was a game of runs. They came out hot and took the lead early in the first quarter, allowed Chicago to bounce back by the second, let Chicago shut them down and take a double-digit lead in the third, aggressively came back to tie it in the fourth, then leading by two with seconds remaining in overtime, pressured Chicago into a game-ending airball as time expired.

Yeah, they ain't the Lakers but when the game was on the line they pulled out the victory, and that's all that matters. I couldn't quite understand why the Warriors attack was primarily outside jump shooting, but as the game winded down I realized that without Baron Davis running the show, jump shooting while rotating fresh players into the lineup gave the Warriors their best chance to beat a tough, young Chicago team.

Actually, the two teams looked very similar in their style of play with Chicago shooting well from outside. Neither team really drove to the basket much and I don't think it was due to pressure zone defense.

Either I'm getting older fast or the NBA has gotten younger over time; the two Ben's for Chicago, Gordon and Wallace, were the only familiar players for the Bulls along with P.J. Brown. As for the Warriors, many new players and the second coming of coach Don Nelson made my night a real journey into unknown territory.

Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson, the two former Pacers, led the Warriors in scoring , with Monta Ellis still coming into his own as a floor general, sore ankle and all. Josh Powell seems to be a scoring spark off the bench for the Warriors along with Andres Biedrins scoring and rebounding. Pietrus, Barnes, Jasikevicius, Azubuike and even Adonal Foyle contributed mightly to this Warriors win, A Team Win.

So I'm 2-0 this season attending Warriors games. Screw L.A., bring on Kobe and those dreaded Lakers, I'm on a roll. I can say that I was there when.......
The Warriors Won in Overtime.

Who and Why?

So just who is/was this man and why is he smiling so wide in his E&J wheelchair? Well, for starters he was 89 years old and worth $550 million dollars at the time this picture was taken. He was a texas oil man before and during the George Bush, Sr administration and that was plenty enough to put a smile on his face. In the hood, E&J stands for the "Easy Jesus", the choice brand in low cost highly potent brandy. Perhaps he'd just taken a swig or two of the "Easy Jesus" and was feeling ready for some action. With $550 million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, what kind of action would you want?

That's right, the hottest playa's club type action you could find. And who does our boy above discover but a 26 year old blond beauty who resembles Marilyn Monroe just enough in his aging eyes to make him feel young again.

And so you have it, the above picture is of the late
Millionaire J. Howard Marshall II who made headlines in 1994 when he married the Anna Nicole Smith when she was 26 and he was 89. Howie died a year later in 1995. File photo courtesy Temple Webber Photography, from "Done in Oil," Texas A&M Press

The shocking news headline of the day was learning that Anna Nicole Smith died after collapsing at a hotel in Hollywood, Florida. She was 39 years old.

I never quite understood why so many people loved and/or hated her so much, but I sure understand what Howie Marshall the oil man saw in her; Howie was a straight up 89 year old freak and let's face it, Anna Nicole was short on talent but had a face and body with potential. With the advent of enhancement surgery, Howie basically re-created him a woman of his dreams, a Marilyn Monroe replica. And we sporting fans should be thankful that Howie had the foresight and money to create such a specimen.

Unfortunately, as with Marilyn, fame and fortune took its tool on Howie's creation as Anna Nicole fought hard for acceptance, respectability and the fortune that she felt Howie meant for her to have upon his death.

Now with the passing of Anna Nicole Smith, we'll never know if Howie's creation would've gained the love and respect of all mortals. But I do feel she will be remembered as a pioneer in the art of seduction and using what she had to get what she wanted.

We'll miss her full figured womanhood and controversial lifestyle.

Ana Nicole Smith
1967-2007

Dungy, Manning, Colts Win Super Bowl XLI

It wasn't pretty, but the Indianapolis Colts did just enough against the Chicago Bears and the elements to win Super Bowl XLI.

It started with a bang when Chicago's Johnny Hester returned the openning kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, a first in Super Bowl history. When Peyton Manning followed up Hester's play with an interception, the momentum was all Chicago's. But then it seemed the watery elements of South Florida took over the game. By the end of the first quarter there'd been six turnovers, three by each team.

Somehow the Colts overcame their mistakes and the Bears continued to make more. I read somewhere today that God must hate the Bears. Running back Benson hurt in the first quarter, quarterback mishandling the snap two plays in a row, Colts 53-yard interception returner for TD a hair's width from being ruled out-of-bounds which wouldn've nullified the Colts touchdown and given them the ball on their own 47 yard line, Rex Grossman.

You can read about it anywhere on the internet today, the Super Bowl that really wasn't. I myself have a hard time defining just how I feel about the game. It wasn't a bad game to watch, but I kept feeling like something big was about to happen and it just never did. Maybe the hype got the better of me. Chicago Defense against Colts Offense. Maybe I just wanted to hear another coach lose his cool in a postgame interview after letting the Bears off the hook.

Whatever it is about this Super Bowl that left a queasy feeling in my stomach, I'm not disappointed in its outcome. I'm happy to see Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning finally get there's.

As for Tony Dungy being the first African American to win the Super Bowl, he said it all while on the winner's podium last night:

I tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. [SNIP!] But again, more than anything, I've said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches, showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that.

So Congratulations Indianapolis Colts, you are the NFL's Super Bowl Champions of 2006! And you did it the Lord's Way.

final score

Colts 29
Bears 17

Super Bowl XLI

Prediction?

24 to 21 OT
You Pick'em!

Enjoy The Super Bowl

7 ft 9in Basketball Player From China Signs

Sun Ming Ming is a 7ft 9inch basketball player who just joined the Maryland Nighthawks of the ABA league. And we all made fun of 7ft 6in Yao Ming when he came to America to play ball.

Sun Ming Ming is from a small town called Dayan, near Harbin, China, in the Heilongjiang province. His incredible size is partly due to a medical condition (a tumor on the pituitary gland) which caused his body to grow at a rapid rate. He's had surgery to halt the condition and possibly save his life.

Sun wears a size 19 sneaker and weighs in at 340 pounds (some say more like 370). Early footage of him on youtube reveal his movements as a bit slow and labored, but that was before the corrective surgery.

After seeing Yao Ming mature into a great basketball player, I wouldn't be suprised to see Sun Ming Ming follow in Yao's footsteps and wind up playing in the NBA All-Star game some day.

In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on Sun and give him time to hone his basketball skills while playing in the ABA. Yes folks, the ABA does exist.

The May-or's Club

Imagine if you will:

You've won Mayorial office of a major U.S. city. You're young with a a beautiful brunette wife who's an aspiring journalist. You make a lovely Mayorial couple with comparisons to a young John and Jackie Kennedy. No kids yet. You hire your boy onto your staff as deputy chief, a cushy position. You assign his lovely blonde wife as your appointments secretary. All is well in your Pacific Coast Camelot. That is until your dark haired princess begins itching for and pursuing a big career in New York City television journalism.

You consider the impact a divorce will have on your political career. When your wife finally decides to fly the coup you feel naked and abandoned. Alone in your Castle you're powerless to get her back. To comfort the blow to your ego you confide in your beautiful blonde secretary, your married beautiful blonde secretary. The same secretary who just so happens to be married to your boy the deputy chief of staff.

Funny thing about men of power who confide in such beautiful creatures. Shit Happens!


Now our story continues a year and a half later.

Your divorce has been finalized and your ex-princess has a successful career in the Big Apple. You see her often on her nationally syndicated television show and wonder what could have been. Meanwhile, you're ready to campaign for re-election and who better to run your re-election campaign than your boy with the once beautiful blonde wife. You promote him to campaign manager and things seem fine as you've adjusted well to bachelorhood once again.

Remember, when shit happens it usually has to hit a wall or fan somewhere. Well, that wall turned out to be the Maya's once beautiful appointments secretary who has since undergone rehabilitative treatment for an unspecified substance abuse. Part of the rehabilitation program guidelines requires confronting your demons in their closet. Unfortunately for our blonde, her demons of adultery with the Maya, stood up in the closet, dusted itself off and made a beeline for the nearest newspaper office in the city.

By the time the Maya's affair with his newly appointed campaign manager's wife was splattered over the frontpage of local newspapers, his campaign manager had resigned, his secretary had relapsed and Camelot was surrounded by protestors seeking to oust his excellency from the throne. And his ex-princess may have to cover the story for her east coast news syndicate. Who says Blondes have more fun?