Blog Outsourcing 2/22

 

Today is Monday. It is technically a holiday here, but only for students. The working class hero (like me) will be plugging away at the office. Well, today back in 1986, there was a bloodless revolution that toppled a dictator four days later. I was only four years old then, so not much memories.

Speaking of Mondays, this particular day of the week is always a struggle for me. Since I work under the Eastern timezone, which is 13 hours (or 12 in certain circumstances), it equates to being at work late at night until the early morning. So if I had a great weekend, I need to compensate and readjust my clock back to where it was. Serious sluggishness ensues. But no worries. I love my job and what i do, so there.

Here are the links, after the jump.

Redemption for Salt Lake City? Mission still unfinished, though. Oh. 30 years ago, today....

NBC = FAIL. Agreed? Good thing I managed to watched it sort of (TV was on while I dozed off).

Finally. A gold he long needed for legitimacy.

In this new era of the interwebs and mobile media, bad press is really not good. Especially with this coming after the Michael Phelps mess.

Ohno makes history!!!!

Sore loser?

Here is the updated medal count.

48 for 48.

There is a reason why the Twins have a new ballpark. I am so sure Sparty wants to pry him out of J-Rod's hands.

I wonder if GITC is his main apologist.

Keep raising the Durant-e, Kevin.

Trey must be in a good mood. Sparty as well.

Again, I know John will give an arm and a leg to ensure a healthy Paul Pierce.

This video is special was inspired from the comments from yesterday.

TWTWTNBA: Breaking Down the Trade Deadline deals

And so, these are the deals that beat the deadline buzzer.

1. Dallas gets Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson from Washington for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross

2. Portland gets Marcus Camby from the LA Clippers for Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake

3. New York gets Brian Cardinal from Minnesota for Darko Milicic

4. Cleveland gets Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair from the LA Clippers and Washington. LA Clippers get Drew Gooden from Washington. Washington gets Zydrunas Ilgauskas, draft rights to Emir Preldzic and a 2010 1st rounder from Cleveland, as well as Al Thornton from the LA Clippers.

5. Chicago gets Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander from Milwaukee for John Salmons, 2011 and 2012 second round picks and option to switch 2010 1st round picks (with top-10 protection for Chicago)

6. Charlotte gets Theo Ratliff from San Antonio for a future second round pick.

7. Charlotte gets Tyrus Thomas from Chicago for Acie Law, Flip Murray and a future first round pick.

8.  Milwaukee gets Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and a 2010 second round pick from Philadelphia for Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson.

9. Memphis gets Ronnie Brewer from Utah for a future 1st round pick.

10. Sacramento gets Dominic McGuire from Washington for a future second round pick.

11. Boston gets Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry from New York for J.R. Giddens, Eddie House, Bill Walker and a future conditional second round pick.

12. New York gets Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez from Houston and Sacramento. Sacramento gets Larry Hughes, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from New York and Houston. Houston gets Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, the right exchange 2011 1st round picks and a protected 2012 first round pick from New York and Sacramento.

And let's take a look at each team who partook of the trades.

Dallas nets Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson. Caron represents an upgrade in scoring talent from the enigma that is Josh Howard. He would be a nice 3rd wheel to Dirk and the Jet. Haywood finally becomes the low post presence Damp was inconsistently trying to be. Stevenson will be a defensive specialist ala Trenton Hassell / Greg Buckner. We'll see if this move makes Cuban's crew worthy challengers to the Lake Show.

Washington nets Josh Howard, Quinton Ross, James Singleton, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, draft picks and draft rights. You can blame Agent Zero for the quick implosion of the Wizards, which will be completed by the time Gilbert is jettisoned out. Foye and Howard represent some good talent now. Javale McGee and Andray Blatche will be your low post "threats" and if they do not get John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins would be an interesting alternative.

Portland nets Marcus Camby. Had to be done because you are asking too much from Juwan Howard to play 30++ as your starting big. This hopefully also frees up minutes for Jerryd Bayless with Andre Miller now starting. In addition, also frees up minutes to be divvied up between Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster once Brandon Roy is healthy again.

LA Clippers nets Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Drew Gooden. They officially are now in play for the 2010 sweepstakes. Only 4 Clippers are not free agents (Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Baron Davis and DeAndre Jordan). Outlaw serves as an upgrade over Thornton and will be a key component once he is healthy again. Jordan now steps in to play major minutes now with Marcus out of the way. The potential is there to be harnessed. GM Dunleavy has an idea on how to play this offseason.

New York nets Brian Cardinal, Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez and a draft pick. I shudder at the thought of the Knicks not getting anything out of this year's crop of free agents.

Minnesota nets Darko Milicic. After watching Lebron vs Melo on the front end of the TNT doubleheader, I remembered the All-Star game in Jerryworld and I remembered my tweet: 5 of the top 6 picks of the 2003 draft class were in it. Darko, welcome to the frozen tundra / barren wasteland.

Cleveland nets Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair. I wonder what was Danny Ferry discussing / teaching Antawn and Bassy while watching Lebron pull out a 40+, 10+, 10+ game. Last time someone pulled out a 40-15-15 was Pistol Pete in 1974. Welcome to the all-or-nothing show feat. the Lebrons.

Chicago nets Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, Acie Law, Flip Murray and draft picks. Bulls are stuck in the middle of a middling group of teams that are in the playoff race while retaining cap flexibility. Hakim and Tyrus are kind of the same talent. They still might not be finished as they still have to figure things out with Hinrich.

Milwaukee nets John Salmons, Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and draft picks. They might finally have someone who can replace Michael Redd's numbers and minutes. Like the Bulls, they also might not be finished.

Charlotte nets Theo Ratliff and Tyrus Thomas. Larry Brown is going for the stretch run to get the 'Cats a playoff berth. Ratliff plays the right way and they can be patient with Tyrus given the depth of their bigs. Priority now will be getting DJ Augustine to "play the right way" and getting a little more guard help with Felton.

San Antonio nets a draft pick. Well, this move is for cap reasons and cap reasons only.

Philadelphia nets Francisco Elson, Jodie Meeks and draft picks. Considering the circumstances, they merely tweaked their mediocre lineup. They got talent, but they really need to figure out what to f'n do to Elton Brand. They need him to produce the way he did with the Clippers and not this pedestrian guy they are overpaying. One thing for sure, Sammy Dalembert is playing inspired ball right now (although I gotta admit, he's still overpaid).

Memphis nets Ronnie Brewer. Finally, a productive piece they can use for their bench. No team is as reliant on their best five than the Grizz (Conley, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, Gasol).

Utah nets a draft pick. See my comment on the Spurs. Besides, they love Wes Matthews, Ronnie Price and Sundiata right now. Oh, and they are definitely rooting for Knick failures. Imagine if John Wall goes to Utah. Or Evan Turner.

Sacramento nets Dominic Mcguire, Larry Hughes, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey. Relatively surprised with them dealing K-Mart, but they apparently deem him as expendable with Tyreke. I think Carl Landry will be in way over his head with this deal, but the Kings need low post offensive threats and he is one of those. I still hope the Bear Jew gets more minutes now.

Houston nets Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, Jared Jeffries and draft picks. Rick Adelman coached K-Mart in Sacramento. He knows what he will be getting from him. He will be great with them right now. Even better once Yao returns next season. Daryl Morey may have definitely has outsmarted two of the smart genius GMs in the NBA (Petrie / Walsh). They added size and another Battier-like player in Jeffries to boot. Now H-Town has three defensive options (Shane, Trevor and Jared) to sick on the likes of Kobe, Melo, Roy, Dirk, etc.

Boston nets Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry. Big D has said he is pretty disappointed that this is the only move they made. But considering what Jesus Shuttlesworth pull off against the Lake Show, maybe the right thing was not trading Walter Ray. Still, this team needs a shock in the system.

TWTWTNBA: Toying with the Trade Machine

Yes, I am toying with the ESPN Trade Machine. I may be delayed with the results, but here are certain combinations I toyed with. And I expect to get rebuttals from people who will say that this deal will not happen, because again, the odds these deals ever happen are slim to none.

1. Charlotte gets Tayshaun Prince and Chucky Atkins for DJ Augustine, DeSagana Diop and Acie Law IV. You know Larry Brown needs to get guys he knows to get these 'Cats ready for the stretch run. We know DJ is not really comfy with playing "the right way," so Chucky will serve as the veteran back-up to Ray Felton.

2. Phoenix gets Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox for Amare Stoudemire and Earl Clark. If the Pistons really want to be competitive in the new East, if they can somehow get Amare, they might get a leg up. Earl Clark will be a good fill-in. Imagine what Charlie V can do with the SSOL. Tayshaun may be a better Shaun Marion.

3. Nuggets get Ben Gordon and Ben Wallace for JR Smith, Malik Allen and Johan Petro. If the Mavs made their move with Caron, why not the Nuggets with the new Microwave. Big man insurance with Big Ben will help solve bad depth in the frontcourt. Also jettisons their big headache in JR Smith.

4. Cleveland gets Monta Ellis, Anthony Morrow and CJ Watson for Delonte West, Daniel Gibson and Daniel Green. If the Cavs really want to lock up the title, A starting five of Mo Will, Monta, Lebron, Jamison and Shaq with a bench of Anthony Parker, Sideshow Bob and JJ Hickson would be good enough.

5. Detroit gets Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Nathan Jawai for Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown.  Al is a 20-10 guy. They can just pull that off. An Al-Stuck-Tayshaun-Rip-Gomes would work.

6. Three-team deal: Lakers gets Luke Ridnour and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee gets Luke Walton, Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson, Warriors get Sasha Vujacic. The Lake Show gets a back-up PG in Ridnour and a quality home product in Mbah a Moute. Bucks now turn it over to Brandon Jennings. Who knows what Nellieball can do for the Machine.

7. New Jersey gets Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell for Josh Boone, Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian. End the Stuckey experiment and go with the now with Devin Harris. with the state of Detroit as it is, Yi might be able to get the China factor into play.

8. Wizards get Tracy McGrady for Gilbert Arenas, Francisco Oberto and Al Thornton. Houston has been getting by without a stud, so nothing will change with Agent Zero suspended this year, but adding a big in Oberto and another forward insurance with Thornton would help Houston go up in rank.

9. Miami gets Raja Bell and Anthony Morrow for James Jones and Daequan Cook. They get a shooter and a veteran and at the same time, both Bell's and Morrow's contracts expire at the end of the season, leaving the Heat with only ONE player locked up for next year (Beasley).

10. Three-team deal. Lakers gets Kirk Hinrich and Jared Jeffries. Knicks get Adam Morrison, Jerome James and Tyrus Thomas. Bulls gets Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Cuttino Mobley. More expiring contracts for the Knicks, Bulls get rid of Tyrus (and at the end of the season, Vinny del Negro). and the Lakers probably lock up another ring for Kobe.

Blog Outsourcing 2/15

Well, welcome to the post-Valentine edition of TMA. Also known as the post-All Star Weekend. About time to do an All-Star Weekend assessment.

Well, the game was what you can say was much better than the Saturday Night.

Saturday was pretty much, blah. The dunk contest is an absolute disappointment. The three-point shootout was a surprise. Skills is what it was and H.O.R.S.E. was going to be good, but the provider at home decided to cut it short due to scheduled programming.

Good thing, the game made up for it. Especially the halftime portion.

Time for the links:

Your game recap.

Let's see what the Cowboys could do to top this.

Update with the trade.

You know one thing needed to happen for the floodgates to possibly open. Well, with Caron moving, it has started.

According to John, Paul Pierce is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

He still won, but with a so-so performance.

Future is now for him. He rules H.O.R.S.E.

One month before the Event. Another good Filipino makes his move.

Jamie McMurray fans can celebrate.

Cycledan would be disappointed with this news.

Looks good for Vonn.

Video Daily Double (the halftime edition):

One-half of the NBA halftime:

And this is the other half:

Thank you, Wright Thompson

The rest of the article is in here, but here is the first paragraph of a great read on ESPN.com.

The soul of New Orleans is in a trumpet and a low-ceilinged bar. It's in the free red beans in the back. It's in the art hanging near the food that has two dogs howling at a New Orleans Saints moon. It's in the voice of Kermit Ruffins, two hours into his standing Thursday night gig at a packed club hidden in the neighborhood behind the French Quarter, the place weathered and peeling like the side of a workingman's boat.

He plays a song he wrote, "All I Want for Christmas Is the Saints in the Super Bowl," and the crowd dances and sings all the words. When he takes a break, he calls me in closer. There's something he wants to show me. He undoes his thin black tie, and the top two buttons, then pulls both his collared shirt and T-shirt down just enough so I can see. I notice the top point first, and slowly, the entire tattoo comes into view, a month old, enormous, covering his entire chest. I start laughing, and so does he. A symbol of the city adorned with a symbol of the city. Kermit Ruffins has gotten an enormous fleur-de-lis, the Saints' helmet logo, tattooed on his chest.

"Only in New Orleans," he says, winking. "I'm killing 'em when I take off my shirt at the beach. Especially at the Super Bowl."

 Reading this brought a tear to my eye. Back then, and now, in the midst of a backdrop of a New Orleans Super Bowl title.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/8/10

Yes, you are the champs!"

Congratulations, New Orleans! You did it. You have finally won it. The 9th team to win it in its first try. After all you have been through, you deserve it.

I actually missed out on the first half and halftime show. And as you all know, the Philippines does not get to see the Super Bowl commercials. Thank God for the gift of Youtube! for me to catch up. Blame it on a good time last night. I enjoyed it, maybe too much. While you guys get the CBS treatment, we here get the world feed feat. Bob Papa and Joe Theismann.

However, the 2nd half was great. Seeing two teams go at it mano-a-mano, capping off with the Tracy Porter pick 6.



And so, with that, let the link love commence.



Your mandatory Super Bowl recap.

The Onside Kickoff heard round the world. First one recovered by the kicking team outside of the 4th quarter in Super Bowl history.

Who is Tracy Porter? And what's with his hair?

In Haiti, Pierre Garcon will be a cheered by his fans wearing their shirts.

Twas quite a Brees, eh? What about Manning?

You could have had him, Jerry Jones. You could have had him.

In other news:

Johnny hates Jazz sports.

The Celtics are in deep doo-doo.

Not much news, because it is, after all, the Super Bowl.

Here's a parting picture to savor the moment.

*Thanks to the Times-Picayune for the pictures*

Surpassing the Logo

Kobe just passed by Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer of the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Lake Show lost by two, Kobe scored 44 and was a Ron Artest miss from winning the game.

He did say, that if his body would allow it, he might be able to have a crack at the hallowed mark of Kareem.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/1/10

Welcome to the first TMA of February. In days, it will be Single Awareness Day all over again for all unattached people everywhere.

I need a date. I need love. I need eternal happiness and bliss. At least all of you have a lovelife. I don't. What should I do?

Maybe I should do the ff:

1. Shape up.
2. Save.
3. Be true to myself.
4. Act like I was already worked on by the Queer Eye folks.

Anything else? Maybe Trey's advise as seen in previous posts would be a great suggestion for all desperate single guys and ladies out there.

***

Oh, I was at my sister's debut the other day. She looked like an absolute pink princess. Looking back, I felt that I should be able to be more of a responsible bro and be more of service. Also realized that man, I look so dated at my pictures. I also thought about my dad, who wanted this to happen for her. Man, time has passed. Anyway, stop being mushy.

Time for Link love:

Grade III Sprain = Torn Ligaments. Will you play, Dwight Freeney?

Will Bobby Hebert outdress Lady Gaga?

Rex always finds a way to get attention. He always does, patphish? Where was he? He was here.

Your mandatory Pro Bowl Update.
Maybe positive things in the future of H-Town.

Feel free to castigate the choices of the 00's All-Decade Team.

Ok, who wants Julius Peppers should raise their hands.

Bad juju for Nawlins? Maybe good juju for Chauncey.

Today is Lakers stole Pau Gasol day. To celebrate, they kept the C's struggling. Coming soon. JP toys with the Trade Machine.

John Lithgow vs Ron Jeremy in the All-Star Game.

Kevin Durant is awesome.

The Maple Leafs made their move. Let's see if it pays off.

NHL can't get a break with scheduling. Stanley Cup rematch gets buried on Pro Bowl Sunday, Grammys, and Boston-LA. Penguins have not lost on shootouts.

Miz > Trey. Unfortunately, no jorts on the line.

Not good news for GITC. And Carolina's struggles continue.

And the Fed Express continues. He's ahead of Tiger now.

Coming soon on May Day. But he still takes potshots at my boy. He is just envious that the writers love my boy. Ok. You win your match. We win ours then we talk. Deal?

Futbol update: Man U chasing Chelsea. Plus, I wonder what African officials would do if they were shot at by militants like the Togolese endured.

Video links. Grammy winners all.

Kings of Leon:


Taylor Swift: