Category: Sports

All in the Games.

By way of my sis-in-law Lotta, here’s a funky animated gif: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton play the oldest game of all. (The text is early on from Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman, when Morpheus descends into Hell to retrieve his helmet and is challenged to a contest of wits to reclaim his prize, at the risk of unending torment.)

Strangely enough, just as she sent me this, I’d just grabbed an animated gif of a different game, which — at least imho — also has some metaphorical resonance for the primary season. (For those who don’t follow basketball, that’s virtually an automatic basket by 7’5″ Yao Ming getting stuffed out of nowhere by 5’7″ Knick Nate Robinson…Notice also (in the Youtube) how Yao tries to play the victim card after ignominious defeat…)

Oden for Obama.

“What I got from talking to him is that he is a real sports fan and he knew about the Blazers. He said that when I come back Brandon, LaMarcus and I will be a force next year. He also asked me about my knee, and he said he wasn’t feeling my mohawk.” By way of TNR, Sen. Obama picks up the key endorsement of (much-touted) Blazer rookie Greg Oden.

The Court of King James.

Senators Obama and Clinton aren’t the only people sending reinforcements to Ohio. At the trade deadline, Lebron James gets some much-needed help in Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, and Delonte West, giving up Drew Gooden and the underperforming Larry Hughes to Chicago and Donyell Marshall to Seattle. Elsewhere in the league, Bonzi Wells and Mike James went to N’Orleans, and former Knick Kurt Thomas ended up in San Antonio (which will help take the sting out of the Spurs winning another championship, if that’s in the cards, around these parts.)

Speaking of the 16-38 Knicks, they…stood pat. I must say, it’s been a tough season to be a Knicks fan. My TiVo conscientiously tapes all of their losses for me, so I caught the second half of Wednesday’s 40-point stinker against the lowly Sixers, 124-84. Look away! It is hideous.

Dallas Dilemma | Bibby Checkmated.

As the rumored Kidd-to-Dallas deal looks to enter its death throes (partly due to what might’ve been an illegal arrangement involving Stackhouse), the Sacramento Kings say goodbye to the final remaining piece of their memorable squad of early-00’s contenders (Vlade, Webber, Peja, Bibby, Christie, Turkoglu) by sending Mike Bibby to Atlanta for Shelden Williams and a bunch of expiring contracts. I always kinda hoped that Kings team would won a title…(and I’m with Ralph Nader: preferably one of Kobe’s.) Update: A revised Kidd to Dallas deal goes through.

Sir Charles: Conservatives are not in my 5.

“I don’t like what the Republicans have done to our country.” Obama supporter, former Republican, and 2014 Alabama gubernatorial candidate Charles Barkley is mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. “Every time I hear the word ‘conservative’ it make me sick to my stomach, cause they’re really just fake Christians, as I call them. That’s all they are…They want to be judge and jury…These Christians are not supposed to judge other people, but they’re the most hypocritical judges of people we have in this country. And It bugs the hell out of me. They act like they’re Christians and they’re not forgiving at all.“

Kidd returns to Dallas.

Another blockbuster NBA trade: Jason Kidd is set to go to the Mavericks for Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and a gaggle of expiring contracts. I don’t ever want to count out the Spurs, but that should make a 7-game Phoenix-Dallas series in the West very interesting. Update: Wait a tic: Journeyman Devean George puts a damper on the trade.

Shaq in Eclipse (and he’s ok with it.)

“‘I’m a historian of the game, so I understand that on this team I’m probably a big role player, and I have no problem with that…Kareem was fortunate enough to have those style of players around him toward the end of his career, and I sort of feel like him now,’ O’Neal said. ‘I’m no idiot. I’m not going to come in here trying to take over and take 30 shots. I’m going to fit in very nicely — rebound, outlet to Steve, get some easy buckets, play some defense. That’s all we need to do.” Whether or not the Shaq experiment works out in Phoenix, the Big Fella seems to be saying the right things.

Superman under a Red Sun?

“‘It looks like it’s going to happen,’ said one source close to the situation. ‘We should know for sure by [Wednesday].” Is Shaq headed to the Phoenix Suns? Strange…and unexpected. Granted, Shawn Marion has been pushing for a trade, but — in the manner of all great centers — Shaq’s aging in dog years at the moment, and he’s not exactly what you’d call a master of the fast break. I guess Phoenix wants to get a ring before they become one of those classic contenders that never made it, a la the old-school Trailblazers or the Vlade-Bibby-Webber Sacramento Kings. Still, it wouldn’t seem to make much sense on paper. Update: It’s done — Shaq’s in Phoenix.

Giant Upset.

In easily one of the most exciting Superbowls in recent memory, Eli Manning and the NY Giants score an upset 17-14 victory over the seemingly inevitable New England Patriots. (The big losers? NE’s offensive line and pass protection, which looked terrible last night.) Inasmuch as I’m an NFL fan, I root for the Jets. Still, I’m all for a good game, and backing the NY-area underdog against the (increasingly suspect) Patriot machine was an easy call. Besides between the Sox last year and arguably the Celts this summer, a perfect Patriot season would’ve made Hub-area fans totally insufferable. So, congrats to the Giants, and let’s hope Sen. Obama benefits from a similar kind of underdog magic tomorrow…