This last week, its been such a pain. Too hot. Just TOO hot. The air conditioners are cranked and the fans are buzzing all day long. Blasphemy!
I don't know if summer sports have started since boy golf doesn't have one, but the weather has been a nuisance to do anything outside. That doesn't mean we don't do anything though or any other professional sport that still play.
Like the Angels:
Interplay league has been stellar with a 4-0 record. Francisco Rodriguez, their closing pitcher, has 31 saves in 12 weeks of the season. The fastest ever. The Angels are doing really really well.
Like the Dodgers:
It has been tough for them with a bunch of their great players injured (Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, Nomar...). But they still pushing. Chad Billingsley is being consistent and Clayton Kershaw is doing well for a rookie. There is a lot to look forward to. Just a matter of when.
Like Kobe Bryant:
Although he is indoors away from the heat, he still is preparing for the Olympics. For the Gold baby! He will have surgery on his pinkie after the Olympics and skip the Lakers Training Camp. Oh well. NBA Draft is this Thursday, but Lakers have the second-to-last pick. Maybe a trade? Probably not.
Like Euro 2008:
Probably soccer is one of the sports I don't get and boxing too. But some plays in soccer are SWEET. I'll post some if I can find any. Anyway, four teams are left. Turkey. Germany. Russia. Spain. Who will it be?
As for the professionals and Oxford athletes, I hope the summer sports you do will be well. Make sure you drink a lot of fluids. Don't be an idiot! Have fun guys.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Goodbye 07-08
As the 07-08 school year comes to a close, so has the Lakers' quest for a championship. Game 6 of the series was close in the first quarter but then completely lopsided after. Very disappointing.
I ditched part of my class bonfire to watch the game and well... that was a bad mistake. I did get great food to eat and a big television to watch, but it was hard to see the Lakers play. There isn't much to say, except that it was really bad.
Lets just hope that next year, Bynum is healthy, Odom is agressive, and the Bench doesn't lose their touch. If things go right, we can expect the Lakers to do even better than when Gasol started playing for the team. Definitely another NBA finals would be imminent.
All in all, it's been a surprising ride this year. I didn't expect much from the Lakers and many people didn't either. I had fun watching the purple-and-gold this year and hopefully you did too.
Maybe, with a little luck, next year will be our year to shine.
I ditched part of my class bonfire to watch the game and well... that was a bad mistake. I did get great food to eat and a big television to watch, but it was hard to see the Lakers play. There isn't much to say, except that it was really bad.
Lets just hope that next year, Bynum is healthy, Odom is agressive, and the Bench doesn't lose their touch. If things go right, we can expect the Lakers to do even better than when Gasol started playing for the team. Definitely another NBA finals would be imminent.
All in all, it's been a surprising ride this year. I didn't expect much from the Lakers and many people didn't either. I had fun watching the purple-and-gold this year and hopefully you did too.
Maybe, with a little luck, next year will be our year to shine.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Scraping By
Well, I wouldn't be too happy tonight after the win in the last game in the Staples Center. The first half of Game 5 resembled much of Game 4: a quarter of power to a quarter of crap. Luckily with the foul trouble of Garnett and the injury of Perkins, the Lakers were able to sneak past the Celtics to make it a 3-2 series.
The gameplay of the Lakers were consistently... inconsistent. At stretches the Lakers were dominant in defending and at times were completely horrible, especially when Radmanovic and Gasol were on-court, they looked lost defensively. Also at times the Lakers were making every shot but then the shooting stroke became nonexistent. The first quarter was wonderful; whoever took the shot made it in. But then came second quarter where the Lakers made only six points with four minutes until halftime.
The Lakers need to change their playing style. Phil Jackson did try to fix the problems. He played Chris Mihm for awhile instead of Ronny Turiaf to match up with P.J. Brown more easily. He also tried playing Farmar and Fisher together in the back-court. But that won't cut it because the Lakers were barely pushing the Celtics away from the lead.
Fortunately, the Lakers played on home-court and the Celtics weren't in sync tonight. But in no possible way will that be the same in Boston. It will be at 9:00pm. It will be freezing cold. It will be full of angry fans. It will be a big fat headache.
The future looks grim for the Lakers, but we can all hope. I still do.
The gameplay of the Lakers were consistently... inconsistent. At stretches the Lakers were dominant in defending and at times were completely horrible, especially when Radmanovic and Gasol were on-court, they looked lost defensively. Also at times the Lakers were making every shot but then the shooting stroke became nonexistent. The first quarter was wonderful; whoever took the shot made it in. But then came second quarter where the Lakers made only six points with four minutes until halftime.
The Lakers need to change their playing style. Phil Jackson did try to fix the problems. He played Chris Mihm for awhile instead of Ronny Turiaf to match up with P.J. Brown more easily. He also tried playing Farmar and Fisher together in the back-court. But that won't cut it because the Lakers were barely pushing the Celtics away from the lead.
Fortunately, the Lakers played on home-court and the Celtics weren't in sync tonight. But in no possible way will that be the same in Boston. It will be at 9:00pm. It will be freezing cold. It will be full of angry fans. It will be a big fat headache.
The future looks grim for the Lakers, but we can all hope. I still do.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The End?
What else more can go wrong for the Lakers? They had as high as a 24 point lead, but then shattered by another horrible third quarter. All of the reasons why the Lakers did so well in the first quarter completely vanished after halftime. Odom stopped being aggressive, Lakers were out beat in hustle plays, Ariza didn't play anymore, and Kobe's passes led to missed shots.
But what really ticked me off tonight was Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. When you have someone like Eddie House or Ray Allen, who can easily hit a quick jump shot, why in the world would you give them space?!? It's better to make them force a shot than just let it come by and take an open look shot. The Celtics are not a pick-an-roll team, THEY DON'T HAVE A GOOD PG. So the only time the Lakers should pressure with a double-team is in the paint area, not around the 3-pt line.
There were two different Lakers out there tonight and it wasn't pretty.
No team has ever won the NBA finals when down 3-1 in a series. There could be a Cinderella-like ending for the Lakers, but most likely it will be a disappointing end. I am disgusted with tonight's game. Truly disgusted...
But what really ticked me off tonight was Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. When you have someone like Eddie House or Ray Allen, who can easily hit a quick jump shot, why in the world would you give them space?!? It's better to make them force a shot than just let it come by and take an open look shot. The Celtics are not a pick-an-roll team, THEY DON'T HAVE A GOOD PG. So the only time the Lakers should pressure with a double-team is in the paint area, not around the 3-pt line.
There were two different Lakers out there tonight and it wasn't pretty.
No team has ever won the NBA finals when down 3-1 in a series. There could be a Cinderella-like ending for the Lakers, but most likely it will be a disappointing end. I am disgusted with tonight's game. Truly disgusted...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thank Goodness
Tonight I had a golf banquet, so I missed practically the entire Game 3. But when I got home, the game was still on and the Lakers had only a four point lead. I suspected the reason was possibly Gasol and Odom did well tonight. However, it wasn't a night for the all-stars. It was the night for the MVP.
Although I did miss majority of the game, I got to see some sweet highlights. And most of the plays were Kobe Bryant slashing through the defense easily, then hitting close ranged shots. Kobe Bryant got the game rolling for the Lakers and allowed them to survive the struggles of their big men. Also what was great to see was the free-throw stats. In Game 2 the Lakers got to the free-throw line ten times, THE WHOLE GAME. Tonight, they got fourteen free-throws, in the FIRST QUARTER. Thatreally helped the Lakers build up their intensity. But what was really key for this game was Sasha Vujacic.
Other than Kobe Bryant, Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic was the only other Laker to score double-digit points. There were other reasons why the Lakers succeeded tonight. Yeah, Kobe forced Paul Pierce to struggle. Yeah, the Lakers' defense was excellent. Yeah, the Lakers played with a lot of heart. And yeah, the Celtics had the opportunity to win. Wait... WHAT!?!
Vujacic scored 20 points tonight. When not including Kobe Bryant's stats, the Lakers' starters scored 22 points altogether. With that kind of numbers, of course the Celtics had the chance to win. It started to look like that in the third quarter and probably scared some of you to death. This happened because the Celtics were able to pick through their mishaps in the first half by closing the gaps Kobe Bryant easily ran through and forcing Kobe Bryant to be the facilitator. Our MVP, however, was able to find someone to hit the shot and it was The Machine.
Tonight's game I won't say was a huge success. The Lakers did win and played with much more intensity than in the last two games. But there are a lot of problems still to deal with:
Gasol and Odom.: Why pick the worse time to choke up?
Garnett and Pierce.: Was it only an off-night?
Radmanovic.: Can he really defend Pierce? Or even play decent?
Lakers' bench.: Is it really only going to be Vujacic helping the team?
Well, we're going to find out Thursday.
Although I did miss majority of the game, I got to see some sweet highlights. And most of the plays were Kobe Bryant slashing through the defense easily, then hitting close ranged shots. Kobe Bryant got the game rolling for the Lakers and allowed them to survive the struggles of their big men. Also what was great to see was the free-throw stats. In Game 2 the Lakers got to the free-throw line ten times, THE WHOLE GAME. Tonight, they got fourteen free-throws, in the FIRST QUARTER. Thatreally helped the Lakers build up their intensity. But what was really key for this game was Sasha Vujacic.
Other than Kobe Bryant, Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic was the only other Laker to score double-digit points. There were other reasons why the Lakers succeeded tonight. Yeah, Kobe forced Paul Pierce to struggle. Yeah, the Lakers' defense was excellent. Yeah, the Lakers played with a lot of heart. And yeah, the Celtics had the opportunity to win. Wait... WHAT!?!
Vujacic scored 20 points tonight. When not including Kobe Bryant's stats, the Lakers' starters scored 22 points altogether. With that kind of numbers, of course the Celtics had the chance to win. It started to look like that in the third quarter and probably scared some of you to death. This happened because the Celtics were able to pick through their mishaps in the first half by closing the gaps Kobe Bryant easily ran through and forcing Kobe Bryant to be the facilitator. Our MVP, however, was able to find someone to hit the shot and it was The Machine.
Tonight's game I won't say was a huge success. The Lakers did win and played with much more intensity than in the last two games. But there are a lot of problems still to deal with:
Gasol and Odom.: Why pick the worse time to choke up?
Garnett and Pierce.: Was it only an off-night?
Radmanovic.: Can he really defend Pierce? Or even play decent?
Lakers' bench.: Is it really only going to be Vujacic helping the team?
Well, we're going to find out Thursday.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Foul x 1000
If you watched the last quarter, that was a hectic seven minutes. If you watched the other three quarters, you're crazy.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals was mostly a lopsided game, dominated by the Big Three and unexpected Leon Powe. It was frustrating game to watch for a Lakers fan. Why? Well:
A Laker has the ball, barely hits the defender... FOUL!
A Celtic has the ball, barely hits the defender... no call.
A Laker is defending, touches the ball handler... FOUL!
A Celtic is defending, touches the ball handler... no call.
The referees were inconsistent with their callings for the most part. It was extremely noticeable in the first two quarter. All the fouls bothered the Lakers tremendously. It seemed as though a Lakers' foul resulted in a turnover their next play. The Celtics took advantage of that, causing their lead into a blowout.
But with a little luck and with the Celtics slacking off, the Lakers were able to pull a twenty-four point deficit to a two point deficit. The Lakers' sudden magic suddenly disappeared though, never able to tie the game or even take the lead. It was likely because of the last play, Kobe Bryant never touched the ball. Without Kobe Bryant controlling the ball, his teammates struggled, rushing the ball and then taking a horrible shot. With plenty of time on the clock, all of that was unnecessary.
I suggested in my last post that Radmanovic should not play much. Almost two minutes into the game, he was benched with two fouls. I also suggested that Pau Gasol man up. In the middle of the first quarter, he dunked over Garnett. Things were looking good for awhile. But once the whistle kept blowing, everything went out of control.
Now the Lakers are down 0-2 in the series. The Lakers need to completely step up their aggressiveness and intensity at home. If they continue the style they have been playing the last two games, expect a sweep by the Celtics. It has been that ugly.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals was mostly a lopsided game, dominated by the Big Three and unexpected Leon Powe. It was frustrating game to watch for a Lakers fan. Why? Well:
A Laker has the ball, barely hits the defender... FOUL!
A Celtic has the ball, barely hits the defender... no call.
A Laker is defending, touches the ball handler... FOUL!
A Celtic is defending, touches the ball handler... no call.
The referees were inconsistent with their callings for the most part. It was extremely noticeable in the first two quarter. All the fouls bothered the Lakers tremendously. It seemed as though a Lakers' foul resulted in a turnover their next play. The Celtics took advantage of that, causing their lead into a blowout.
But with a little luck and with the Celtics slacking off, the Lakers were able to pull a twenty-four point deficit to a two point deficit. The Lakers' sudden magic suddenly disappeared though, never able to tie the game or even take the lead. It was likely because of the last play, Kobe Bryant never touched the ball. Without Kobe Bryant controlling the ball, his teammates struggled, rushing the ball and then taking a horrible shot. With plenty of time on the clock, all of that was unnecessary.
I suggested in my last post that Radmanovic should not play much. Almost two minutes into the game, he was benched with two fouls. I also suggested that Pau Gasol man up. In the middle of the first quarter, he dunked over Garnett. Things were looking good for awhile. But once the whistle kept blowing, everything went out of control.
Now the Lakers are down 0-2 in the series. The Lakers need to completely step up their aggressiveness and intensity at home. If they continue the style they have been playing the last two games, expect a sweep by the Celtics. It has been that ugly.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wimpy >:(
In past interviews, Coach Phil Jackson always described Pau Gasol with the term "wimpy." I always shrugged it off because Gasol plays the center position for the Lakers when he is actually a pure power forward. However, tonight's game couldn't prove me any wrong about a wimpy Gasol. It was a real off-night for Pau. He missed open shots, lost easy rebounds, and was dunked over by Kevin Garnett too many times. It was frustrating to watch Gasol flop around when he hopelessly tried to box out the Celtics' big men. Got to give props to the Celtics though, Garnett powered his team in the first half and Pierce pushed the game in their favor in the second half.
The Lakers' bench was not as overwhelming as in the series versus the Nuggets and Spurs, but they were able to keep the game close when the first unit was resting. Yet instead, the match-up of Radmanovic vs. Pierce and Gasol vs. Garnett were way too ugly. Radmanovic could not keep up with Pierce's quickness and Gasol could not match Garnett's toughness, ultimately leading to the downfall for the Lakers. I hoped to see Trevor Ariza match up with Paul Pierce, but I guess it wasn't the right moment tonight.
In my first blog, I feared the Lakers would make it to the NBA finals and then have to go against the Celtics. All the fuss of this series with the stories of the reborn rivalry and the rejuvenated fan base should be thrown into the trash. I want the Lakers to win and take the trophy home. That's all that matters.
A lot of changes needs to be completed by Sunday's game. Hopefully I won't have to see Radmanovic in the lineup too long next time. He is an excellent shooter, but no way a defender. Maybe put him in for certain plays and use him when needing a quick shot. Also Gasol needs to suck it up, take the hard hits, and be a man. Tonight was pretty pathetic. Oh how I wish Andrew Bynum was back.
It will be tough and challenging, but the Lakers must stride to win it all. Another wimpy game could potentially risk an unwanted ending.
The Lakers' bench was not as overwhelming as in the series versus the Nuggets and Spurs, but they were able to keep the game close when the first unit was resting. Yet instead, the match-up of Radmanovic vs. Pierce and Gasol vs. Garnett were way too ugly. Radmanovic could not keep up with Pierce's quickness and Gasol could not match Garnett's toughness, ultimately leading to the downfall for the Lakers. I hoped to see Trevor Ariza match up with Paul Pierce, but I guess it wasn't the right moment tonight.
In my first blog, I feared the Lakers would make it to the NBA finals and then have to go against the Celtics. All the fuss of this series with the stories of the reborn rivalry and the rejuvenated fan base should be thrown into the trash. I want the Lakers to win and take the trophy home. That's all that matters.
A lot of changes needs to be completed by Sunday's game. Hopefully I won't have to see Radmanovic in the lineup too long next time. He is an excellent shooter, but no way a defender. Maybe put him in for certain plays and use him when needing a quick shot. Also Gasol needs to suck it up, take the hard hits, and be a man. Tonight was pretty pathetic. Oh how I wish Andrew Bynum was back.
It will be tough and challenging, but the Lakers must stride to win it all. Another wimpy game could potentially risk an unwanted ending.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Recruiting and Improvements
Well, for those of you who did not know, we are going to be recruiting more heavily, particularly from the younger classes, to sustain GameDay past next year hopefully. Unfortunately, the bulk of the staff is within the class of 2009 (myself included) and without people to step up, it might just die, which would be a real shame considering what we are trying to accomplish.
Anyone who is interested should contact either James or I to get information on just what we need you to be able to do. We will, of course, train you for whatever duties you are to perform.
I do plan to write an article about the specific positions and go into more detail later but for now I will just give you a quick run down of everything.
GameDay meets periodically to discuss its plans and make improvements as they are necessary. Mainly, we have a big general meeting before each season to assign people sports and make sure everyone is on the same page. The basic duties for every member is to attend at least one game every two weeks (not asking much at all), periodic writing assignments (these can be either articles on a team, sport, or even recaps), and being involved in the events we put on.
As we plan to increase the number of activities we run next year, you will have plenty of opportunities to be active and any help that can be given will be most appreciated. But remember, GameDay is considered a community service and the hours you put into the organization you will certainly get back. Not only that, but we give you real business training and skills onto how to run an organization. I remind you, GameDay is COMPLETELY student run and independent of any club.
It is also more fun than you would think. Of course, you do have to work, but you can meet the rest of the staff and hangout with them at games. It really is an opportunity and I am glad to have joined. Especially after next year, there will be plenty of opportunities for advancement.
Also, if you can think of any ways we can improve the organization for next year, then please, by all means, tell us. We would be more than happy to accommodate you.
And remember, we always have our athletes in mind and want to increase our overall school spirit! You and your peers will be getting the support in whatever sports you may play.
Please do not shy away, we really do want to know!
-Seth
Anyone who is interested should contact either James or I to get information on just what we need you to be able to do. We will, of course, train you for whatever duties you are to perform.
I do plan to write an article about the specific positions and go into more detail later but for now I will just give you a quick run down of everything.
GameDay meets periodically to discuss its plans and make improvements as they are necessary. Mainly, we have a big general meeting before each season to assign people sports and make sure everyone is on the same page. The basic duties for every member is to attend at least one game every two weeks (not asking much at all), periodic writing assignments (these can be either articles on a team, sport, or even recaps), and being involved in the events we put on.
As we plan to increase the number of activities we run next year, you will have plenty of opportunities to be active and any help that can be given will be most appreciated. But remember, GameDay is considered a community service and the hours you put into the organization you will certainly get back. Not only that, but we give you real business training and skills onto how to run an organization. I remind you, GameDay is COMPLETELY student run and independent of any club.
It is also more fun than you would think. Of course, you do have to work, but you can meet the rest of the staff and hangout with them at games. It really is an opportunity and I am glad to have joined. Especially after next year, there will be plenty of opportunities for advancement.
Also, if you can think of any ways we can improve the organization for next year, then please, by all means, tell us. We would be more than happy to accommodate you.
And remember, we always have our athletes in mind and want to increase our overall school spirit! You and your peers will be getting the support in whatever sports you may play.
Please do not shy away, we really do want to know!
-Seth
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Machine
I know James Li (GD's Chairman) loves him. I know my friends hate him. I also know Sasha Vujacic can be a little cocky when he plays. But hey, Vujacic has made quite a man of himself this year. Other than his pledge of keeping his long hair held by some rubberband, he has been manly enough to keep some of NBA's high talent, like Carmelo Anthony, super duper angry. Also during the playoffs, Kyle Korver and Manu Ginobili joined the "Who Hates The Machine" list.
So in spite of all the suspense of the NBA final series that starts this Thursday, the video clip below is to relieve some of the anticipation for the first series game and to poke fun at Sasha. Enjoy and prepare well for Game 1.
THE MACHINE!!!
So in spite of all the suspense of the NBA final series that starts this Thursday, the video clip below is to relieve some of the anticipation for the first series game and to poke fun at Sasha. Enjoy and prepare well for Game 1.
THE MACHINE!!!
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