Gellin'

Tonight's game made it feel like things were starting to come together. I truly didn't expect them to beat the Orlando Magic, but they held the lead almost the whole time and had a blowout victory of 120-102. The scoring was very spreadout... 7 guys in double figures lead by Gordon (20) and Rose (22). Miller, Salmons and even Tim Thomas looked good out there. Tyrus Thomas and Noah also had significant numbers. One of the keys was getting Dwight Howard into foul trouble. It costed the Bulls getting Noah into foul trouble, but I'll make that exchange any day! The Magic also played well offensively, but the Bulls were just too hot with their 57% shooting. They played their typical fast paced game with lots of points off turnovers. The second half of the season is looking good so far. They just need to do what they did in their previous successful seasons... get to 500 first, then slowly take the 8th seed and start working up.

Subway Tales: Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward was a movie in 2000 starring Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment. In a nutshell, the movie is about a boy who tries to make the world a better place by paying a favor forward rather than back. The idea is a viral effect of good deeds. One person does a favor for another. The recipient would then do a favor for a 3rd person and so on.

I thought of this movie during a typical daily commute in NYC. New Yorkers are always fast-paced during rush hour. People walk fast, drive fast and are always in a rush to get to work. And everything works efficiently when people "pay it forward." For example, when passing through a doorway, one should hold the door for the person behind. Then that person should hold it for the next. this teamwork creates a faster flow. Today I witnessed this break up. I was part of a long line of people, all going though a door. The person in front of me held it for me. Then I did the same for the person immediately behind me. The woman thanked me, but didn't touch the door. It slammed on the person behind her! Everyone has to pay it forward for this work... everyone!

12 on 12

Sure enough, with the full team geared up, the Bulls lost to a worse team in Indiana. It was sort of a feel out game with the new players, so I guess I can let them get away with that excuse. Ben Gordon did a great job as usual, scoring 28 points. Everyone else was inconsistent. We got only 3 from Hinrich and another 3 from Rose. The new guys did OK for their first game. John Salmons had 12 points. Brad Miller had 10 rebounds. Tim Thomas actually played! Hopefully he plays with a better work ethic this time around. He's a talented player and could be really good if he drops the attitude. The chemistry seemed to be fairly good despite the loss. The next game against the Nets will tell us more.

8 on 12

I mentioned a few days ago that the BUlls play better with a skeleton crew. Well... they did it again last night with an 8-man squad against a strong Denver team. Ben Gordon had a season high 37. It looks like he's starting to catch fire. He's got to work his way up to a 50-point game. Both Deng and Thomas had double-doubles. Even Noah scored double digits with 13... whenever that happens, it usually means a win! It was also such a blowout that Lindsay Hunter got to play a minute and change! If the game was closer, the Bulls would've only used 7 guys. Why is it so hard for management to realize these patterns. Looking on from the outside, I would make sure the team has no more than 8 or 9 active players each night!

Another noteworthy thing is the Bulls seem to play well against Billups' team. They did well against Detroit last year. They never play well against Iverson's team. The Nuggets would always beat them. Now it's the other way around.

Repeated Survey ?'s for 2009-02-20

A repeat of 2008-12-05, but with new answers...

1. When was the last time you took a nap? last week
2. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? tech support
3. To text you? Charlene
4. What are you doing tonight? NBA as usual
5. What are you listening to? Bullscast (Podcast)
6. What did you do over the weekend? work
7. What did you have for breakfast? multigrain bagel w/ strawberry cream cheese
8. Last book you read? Yankee Years
9. Last thing you bought? Yankee Years
10. Last movie you saw: Quantum of Solace

A Win & More Trades

The Game
The Bulls always bring their best game when the team is somehow handicapped. In last night's case, they were missing Gooden and Nocioni because they were just traded. So they had a depleted roster and would be vulnerable to their Central Division rival, Bucks. RJ always plays well against the Bulls too. He still did last night with a game high 32, but the Bulls offense was playoff level. It was as if we went back in time by 2 years, Deng had 21 points and 8 rebounds. Gordon & Rose had 18 a piece. Rose also had 9 assists. The star was a vintage Hinrich with 31. He drained 5/8 3-point shots and was perfect from the stripe. That's the Captain Kirk we're used to. Hopefully he breaks out and stays at this level. The Bulls played 8 guys last night. That's just the kind of team they are. They need some kind of handicap to kick in their superpowers.

The Trades
As I mentioned last night, Brad Miller and John Salmons will fill 2 spots and will most likely start a lot of games. I can see a starting lineup of Gordon, Rose, Deng, Salmons & Miller. Hinrich can switch with Rose on some nights, or Gordon on other nights, Thomas w/ Deng, Noah w/ Salmons and Gray w/ Miller. I like this on paper so far. As for the 3 open spots... leave 'em empty! With today's trade, they should be able to accomplish that. Sefolosha, who has potential, but low stats this year was traded for a draft pick. Hughes was unloaded to the Knicks for 3 scrubs in Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Robertson. Hopefully those guys will see a lot of bench time!

Farewell, Noc!

The trade deadline looms and all the news up until this point was about Amare Stoudemire. In a surprise move, the Bulls dealt Noc, Gooden, Ruffin & Simmons for Brad Miller & John Salmons. I actually thinks this is an even trade. It doesn't make us or them much better. I really didn't want to see Nocioni traded, but I like Brad Miller too. It gives us a decent center that can shoot. He brings with him size and experience. And it also makes room for one of the kids to play along side Luol Deng at forward. At least Noc is headed West to the Kings, so we don't have to face him as much. He'll do great out there and his numbers are sure to go up with the Swiss cheese defense in that conference. I don't know John Salmons as well, but I know that he always kills us when we play the Kings and he's got good numbers this year.

It's sad to see Nocioni go. I'll miss his intensity a lot. He always worked hard and wasn't afraid to give up his body for the ball or to take a charge. He was a great teammate and a good influence for the younger players. I'll still follow him even though I'm a Bulls fan first. I wish him all the best.

So the Bulls will have a depleted lineup tonight, but hopefully we'll see the new team on Friday.

All-Star Weekend (Part 3 - The Game)

I liked the way this game started out. Both sides were playing seriously, like it was a real game. That all ended in the second half though. The East decided to go for 3-point shooting for some reason. And in an All- Star game, you often have non-shooters going for deep 3's. Naturally, they lost to the West for the first time in 3 years. The end of the 4th quarter was just the typical showboating. As I've said before, I'd like to see this game count for something like it does in baseball.

If there was any positive to seeing the West win, it was having that awkward moment with Shaq & Kobe sharing the MVP award! I can tell by body language and voice tones that neither guy liked each other! The same could be said about Kobe's halftime interview as there was a slight hesitation when he was asked what it was like to play with Shaq again. I guess the combination of Kobe, Shaq and Phil Jackson made the Western All-Stars pretty strong. As Shaq said over the summer, "Kobe, you can't do without me!" He was right!

All-Star Weekend (Part 2 - Dunks)

I wanted the Slam Dunk Contest to be its own separate entry because it's always the main event and there's a lot to talk about with this one.

Rudy Fernandez
Fernandez was the 4th man voted in by the fans and hardly anyone knew him, but I thought his dunks were some of the better ones of the night. His first was a behind the back pass off the backboard and dunk. The timing was great, but form could've used some work. He just didn't get high enough to make it look perfect, but it was a still a good first dunk. His 2nd one was similar to Iguodala's behind the backboard dunk from a few years ago. It ended up pretty nice, but I think the judges penalized im on the attempts (which they're not supposed to). His form was great... not better than Iggy, but still worthy of a poster.

J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith is one of the game's best dunkers and he showed some solid ones in the first round. His first dunk was a double bounce, catch and windmill. It displayed timing, hang time and great form. The second dunk was via a teammate assist from way out-of-bounds. Smith caught it off one bounce and tomahawked it in. I didn't think it was anything exciting. The pass was more impressive than the dunk.

Dwight Howard
The defending champion from last year had some pretty good dunks and others that probably got higher scores than they should have. His 1st dunk in the 1st round was a toss over the backboard from out-of-bounds, catch and reverse windmill. It wasn't that impressive, but the judges gave him a perfect. His 2nd dunk was more about the theatrics. He had a telephone booth in which he changed into a Superman cape. Then he did a plain dunk on a 12ft hoop. I don't think a dunk like that should be allowed because it was all about raw high jumping ability and not style and creativity. He advanced to the second round with the judges help. His 1st of the 2nd round was a bounce off the right edge of the backboard from out-of-bounds, catch and jam. It was like Iggy's dunk, but at an easier angle. The hang time and form were great. I thought that was Howard's best dunk of the night. His second dunk was a free throw dunk... again, it was more theatrics than anything else. It wasn't even close to Jordan's logo/poster dunk, the greatest of all-time. Howard didn't dribble it all the way, didn't have the same hang time and was closer to the basket as he leaped inside the stripe. It was still a solid dunk, and good for the competition, but just not Jordanesque.

Nate Robinson
I really didn't think any of Robinsons dunks were that impressive. The judges need to take his size out of the decision. Height should not be a factor. Also, one of his dunks in the first round involved jumping off the back of his teammate, Chandler. That's no different than getting a boost off a chair! He should've been disqualified. His 1st dunk of the second round (probably got in because the judges wanted to see a short guy in the 2nd round) was just a single bounce off along the baseline and a single pump jam. It wasn't as good as J.R. Smith's first round double-bounce version, but the judges went for the theatrics again. Robinson changed his costume into all-green to symbolize Kryptonite against Howard's Superman. His final dunk was a "jump over Howard." It looked good at normal speed, but in slow-mo, you can easily tell that he boosted himself with his left hand on Dwight's shoulder. Again, that was no different than using a chair to jump higher.

So in general, the judging of the Slam Dunk Contest is about as sure as a heavyweight boxing match. It's a toss up that doesn't consider skills and form. I'd have to say that Rudy Fernandez had the best dunks of the night, but no one knew him and he didn't dress in a silly costume. Maybe he'll learn from this and come in next year as Zorro and perform some easier dunks.

All-Star Weekend (Part 1)

Rookie Challenge (FRI)
In contrast to previous years, this was actually a pretty competitive game. It was close at times and momentum even changed sides a few times. I had a feeling the Sophomores were going to win. As good as the Rookies looked, they didn't have a Kevin Durant. Aside from him, I'd say the Rooks were better. 46 points from one player was tough to beat though. Derrick Rose was quiet in this game as he was surrounded by all shoot-first players. He did end up leading his team in assists with 7. That's his game!

H-O-R-S-E (SAT)
This was a new addition to the festivities. Joe Johnson, Kevin Durant and O.J. mayo faced off in the popular street game sponsored by Geico. NBA players are pretty good with trick shots during practice. So it was nice to see three of them display their skills outside and on TV. The rules were a little different than what I was used to as a kid. If a player made a shot, only the guy after him had to repeat it. The 3rd guy didn't have to. I thought that was unfair because the elimination of a player would be caused by only one other contestant. If a shot is made, it should be repeated by all contestants. It was still fun to watch rules aside though. Durant ended up winning. So he got that + MVP from the Rookie Challenge.

Skills (SAT)
I didn't watch Shooting Stars this year because there was no Bulls team, so I'll get right to the Playstation Skills Challenge starring Derrick Rose. There was tough competition in Mo Williams, Tony Parker and Devin Harris. In the first round, it was easily Harris and Rose to advance. Harris look sleek with his crossover dribble, but fumbled at a few of the passes and jumper. Rose looked the most relaxed and didn't rush anything. The commentators thought he was too relaxed, but this allowed him to be more efficient. In both rounds, I think he only missed one jumper and a pass. He finished with a nice reverse dunk too!

3-Point Shootout (SAT)
This is usually a boring competition unless there's a player from your team competing, but there was actually some drama this time around. When I saw the lineup for this one, I thought Jason Kapono would have it easily. His numbers are down this year, but he's still the closest to matching Steve Kerr's percentage. It was Kapono, Lewis & Cook in the final round. Kapono bombed out and it looked like Lewis was going home with the trophy, but Cook came from behind to tie Lewis. They had a one-on-one overtime shootout that Cook, the underdog won.

Tech Deals of the Week (2/15-2/21)

It's certainly harder to do this with Circuit City gone now! The list gets cut down by at least 1/3. I've been trying to put more Online ones here, but just the ones that are really good.

Flash Sales
- 8 GB SanDisk @ OD or ST for $14.99
- 16 GB SanDisk @ OD or ST for $29.99

Tweakers Speakers @ OD for $19.99
These portable speakers just came out and it seems like Tweakers thought of everything needed to makes these easy to bring along. The cable is retractable, the body expands/retracts and it has no power supply (internal, rechargeable battery). It's probably the best non-powered speaker out there. This is $10 off the retail price.

LCD Sales
I think a lot of older models will be going on sale because many LCD series are going 16:9. The older 16:10 ones in my opinion are better for computing because it's slightly higher resolution.
- Acer 22" @ OD for $149.99
- Acer 18.5" @ OD for $99.99
- AOC 22" @ ST for $149.98
- AOC 18.5" @ ST for $99.98

Indoor HDTV Antenna @ RS for $19.99
Radio Shack continues to have this one on sale as we approach the final week before the deadline. Remember, you can fish out your old rabbit ears to get the ATSC signal. This item is just for people who have tossed their old pair.

6 ft HDMI Cable @ TG for $14.99
As more electronics become digital, you'll need to buy more HDMI cables. These are normally very expensive, so at $14.99 it's a good idea to buy a spare.

Trendnet N Kit @ CU for $82.98
This is the first wireless-n deal I'm featuring. The prices started dropping recently from about $100+ to $70 for routers. What makes this deal great is it includes the router and a USB adapter. If we assume the router is $70, then you're basically getting the adapter for $12.98! [click here]

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

Blunder in the Final Seconds

The Bulls just played a pretty competitive game against the Heat. Both teams went on a lot of runs. Miami was leading for most of the game, but the Bulls put together a great 4th quarter and even took the lead. It was close towards the end of the game. Gordon got fouled on a 3-point shot and convert all 3 free throws. On the other end, the Bulls even got the steal. Wade fumbled the ball and Hinrich took it away and called timeout. Here's where it went wrong... a big coaching error. Instead of going full offense, Del Negro has Sefolosha inbound the ball. Also on the floor were Noah & Thomas. What was he thinking? They should've loaded up their shooters. Sefolosha ended up throwing a bad pass. Miami called time and drew up a great play. Wade was the decoy. He made a nice pass to Marion for the dunk.

That was a such a waste. Gordon (34 points) and Rose (18 points) did so many great things in that game. Gordon did it from the outside and inside... even had 2 dunks! He became Air Gordon tonight, flying all over the place. I hope we can see more of that because it was very effective. Rose made some athletic plays going to the hoop. He cut by the entire Heat defense on one play. It just sucks when the players did everything right and the coach messes it up by not having the right guys on the floor at the end.

Johnny "Red" Kerr Night

Last night the Bulls honored long time Bulls member (coach & announcer) Johnny "Red" Kerr during a special halftime ceremony that included Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Both guys gave great speeches about one of the Bulls' most valued veterans. They downplayed their own achievements, saying that "players come and go," but fans will always associate Johnny "Red" Kerr with the Bulls.

Back at the game, the Bulls were playing a pretty close game with their Central Division rivals. The Pistons had a 1-point lead at halftime. The Bulls came out stone cold after the long ceremony. It appeared that they were going to drop this one as we're all used to seeing, but they player great in the 4th quarter... clutch. We got to see vintage Ben Jordan knock down a clutch 4-point play! It wasn't a last second shot, but it was the dagger. Maybe the presence of Jordan & Pippen helped the confidence of this young team. They should come by more often!

Be Virus Free & Anti-virus Free!

I never liked having anti-virus programs installed because they take up memory. I like having my memory as free as possible even if I'm working on a super computer because I tend to use complex programs that really beat on all of the PCs components. Yet, I've never had a virus on any of my personal systems. Here's how you can do the same:

1) Use Firefox or SeaMonkey instead of Internet Explorer. The main reason why I'm virus free is because I have never in my life had IE as my default browser. I started with Netscape 2 and used it up to version 4.X. I stayed on 4.X until it seriously stopped working for some sites. I then moved over to Mozilla Suite 1.X and used that until the official release of Firefox. Now I either use Firefox or SeaMonkey. IE is a huge target and it's part of the operating system... an easy entry to your system.

2) Don't go to porn sites. These sites are known for multiple popups, many of which install spyware. All invasive advertising tactics had their origins in the porn industry.

3) Don't download illegal videos or software. Sites that carry these need funding and often run on the same model as porn sites. Videos come in all sorts of formats. Some have rare codecs... which include spyware. I don't even need to get into the software because they're already executable by nature.

4) Only install software you need and make sure they come from reputable organizations. There's tons of crapware out there. Even if they don't have viruses or spyware attached, they will slow your system down. Uninstalls don't always clean up everything. So just be careful what you install.

5) Only open emails from people you know and stores you buy from. Delete any from senders you don't recognize.

Sports & Drugs

Two of sport's greatest stars were called out in the past week for separate incidents involving drugs. Here's my take on Michael Phelps & Alex Rodriguez.

Michael Phelps
I think the media is coming down too hard on Michael Phelps. First of all, he was using something that isn't illegal in some places. He didn't use it to cheat and win his medals. Yet they're treating him like a criminal. OJ gets away with murder and Kobe with rape... but Phelps is going to get busted for using pot? I think the golden boy is going to bounce back from this in a few months. He's obviously a good guy with a close family and strong values. He knows that he did something stupid and won't repeat the same mistake. It's Kellog's loss for not renewing his contract.

A-Rod
I was actually shocked by this news. Based on appearance, I never thought A-Rod did steroids. At least he did better than Clemens though. Earlier today, A-Rod came out and admitted it. The media should give him some credit for that. He said that he used performance enhancing drugs during his Texas years from 2001-2003. I believe him that he didn't use any during the Yankee years. Again, I have to bring up his body composition. He stayed relatively the same size. The real steroid users like Canseco and Bonds gained muscle mass too quickly and their heads got larger too. Also, the Yankees signed the 10-year contract thinking A-Rod was clean. So they must've tested him thoroughly. In my eyes, I don't think any of A-Rods records are tainted because he performed better during his clean years. So the enhancements had no effect. Other steroid users had significant declines when they came off. So A-Rod is going to go through a lot of tough times this year, but he stepped in the right direction by coming out early and admitting it.

Western Road Trip

It wasn't a bad road trip for the Bulls. they ended this weekend losing to the Mavericks, but I can live with a 1-point overtime loss. The Bulls core was great in the game. Naturally Ben Gordon led the team with 28 points, including a final 3-point shot that brought them within one. If only someone fouled him for a 4-point play, things would've been different. Derrick Rose added 22. Tyrus Thomas was great during the whole trip and had 23 on the night. Nocioni had 13. Hinrich & Deng had 10 a piece. The team shot 59% from 3-point land. All of these things usually translate to a win, but there's just something about Jason Kidd. He and LeBron James always give the Bulls trouble. Kidd didn't have a particularly good game, but he hit the game tying 3-pointer to force overtime after the Bulls made a 4th quarter run to take the lead. Nowitzki had a game high 44 as the Bulls had no defensive answer for him. They also let Jose Barea got hot and score 20 off the bench.

Trade Rumors
There's talk of Amare Stoudemire leaving the Suns and the Bulls are in the mix. It seems like a package including Gooden, Thomas & another player is in the rumor mill. It seems like a no brainer, but there are some complications. Stoudemire's numbers are down. Thomas just had a great road trip. Also, Stoudemire would be able to opt-out in 2010... the year that could potentially shift a lot of stars around. The Bulls could lose him and get nothing back. In my opinion, I think they should pull the trigger... especially if they could ship Gooden and Hughes off. While Stoudemire's numbers are down, he's still a superstar and an experienced player. The Bulls are in desperate need of a consistent front court player.

Tech Deals of the Week (2/8-2/14)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Geek Squad @ BB for $12.99
- 4 GB PNY @ ST for $12.99
- 8 GB PNY @ ST for $19.99
- 16 GB PNY @ ST for $39.99
- 4 GB SanDisk Titanium @ OD for $19.99

Indoor HDTV Antenna @ RS for @19.99
Radio Shack continues to have this one on sale as we approach the final week before the deadline. Remember, you can fish out your old rabbit ears to get the ATSC signal. This item is just for people who have tossed their old pair.

Mad Catz/Saitek Cyborg Keyboard @ BB for $59.99
This model is made for gaming, but also great for power users who like to customize keys for frequently used tasks. The Cyborg can also color code certain keys using R, G & B led lights.

Optimus 3.5" Picture Frame @ RS for $29.99
This is a small model, but what's special and oddly rare is that it has a normal aspect ratio. For some odd reason, most frames in the market are widescreen while cameras shoot at full screen.

I-Inc 28" LCD @ CU for $329.99
This is a nice model to use as both a computer monitor and TV. It has a 1920x1200 resolution like all 24" monitors, but is4" larger diagonally, which makes it a good size for movies. [Click here]

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

The Lighting Guy

This is a very funny spoof of the Christian Bale tirade:


It's even better than the original! Letterman also did a spoof a couple of nights ago. Bale might be nuts, but at least he gave us 4 minutes of great, reusable content!

LeBron's Triple Double

How many times can the Knicks get wrecked in a week? After Kobe's 61, LeBron James topped that performance with a triple double that consisted of 52 points, 11 rebounds & 10 assists. Kobe's 61 came along with 0 rebounds and 3 assists. So I think James' performance was better and more complete. But neither performance eclipses Jordan's past ones. Let's put it this way... David Lee isn't Patrick Ewing. He's a good player, but defensively he's a bullseye.

I kind of feel bad for the Knicks though. All the news this week was about how many points Kobe and LeBron would drop on them. And it's not over yet. The Celtics are next up! Who's the next to hit 50 points? Allen? Pierce? Garnett?

Bulls Update

Now's a good time to get back to the Bulls. They had a 3-game winning streak... their first since early last year. The first was last Wednesday with a 20-point victory against the Clippers. They followed up with a 21-point win against the Kings on Friday. While those were both bad teams, they were able to get a 3rd win in a row against the Suns! Gordon, Rose and Deng have been amazing these past 2 weeks.

They couldn't get #4 though because they had no answer for Yao Ming when they faced the Rockets. What surprised me was the win against the Hornets right after. I was expecting a 3-game losing streak to make up for the wins, but they bounced back and got a win. Even though some of these wins I'm talking about are against weak teams, I think they're important because they're confidence builders. The Bulls have the talent to beat good teams, but they always end up losing because of lack of confidence. The Mavs are next on Saturday. They really need to take that game. I feel a little better now, but won't really have faith until they can put together a 10-game winning streak. That would get them back in the race and make last year a fluke.

Verbal Termination

Christian Bale will be playing John Connor in Terminator: Salvation, but after yesterday's release of his tirade, maybe they should recast him as one of the machines! This is hilarious and I had to get it up on this blog.


He must've been really mad to go off for like 4 minutes straight. Celebrities should really be careful these days with all of the portable electronic devices, Internet & YouTube. In all fairness, the guy he was yelling at apparently interrupted a very difficult and emotionally charged scene. Maybe it was a long day for the star as well.

Masked Man

So that's a version of the Red Bull Snowscrapers poster. The vertical version in the newspapers had each athlete labeled. The one in the middle is Shaun White. Now... isn't odd that the most popular winter sports athlete is fully masked for a promotion like this? He does have his patented long hair sticking out, but a stunt double could've done that pic.

Points are Relative

Last night Kobe dropped 61 points on the Knicks. So afterwards, the stories started coming out about how he's the best in MSG... King of MSG. Jordan's highest was 55. But you have to look more deeply into it. Jordan's greatest scoring games were mostly against the leagues top teams... playoff level teams. When Jordan got his 55 in MSG, it was against a very deep Knicks team with one of NBA's best centers in Patrick Ewing. The Knicks style at that time was tough defense and strong playmaking ability. The current Knicks team is one of the worst in the franchise's history. They suck at defense and can't block shots. If Jordan ever faced a team like that, he'd get benched by halftime with 30+ points because it would be a blowout. I also feel the same way about Kobe's 81 against the bottom-of-the-barrel Raptors team he faced. NBA's players today are just not of the quality as the 90's. Pull together the best players of today and they wouldn't stand a chance against 1992's Dream Team. They wouldn't stand a chance against the 95/96 Invinci-Bulls. Hell... the 5 best players today probably can't beat Jordan, Pippen & Rodman in a 5-on-3 game! The rules today also favor the scorers more. They call more fouls now. Jordan had to contend with the Detroit Bad Boys tackling him in mid air... 2-3 at a time. And he would still convert the and-1. Kobe wouldn't be tough enough to do that.

Jordan scored 69 against a 500+ team. He scored 63 in the playoffs against the eventual champion Celtics. Those performances were easily better than 81 against NBA's worst.

Fans and Rivals

The trophy presentation at the Australian Open was a great moment... one that many fans didn't understand after I read many blogs and comments. Several messages out there said that Federer was not man enough when he shed tears. That match was a tough battle for both men. They poured out everything they had to give us a great show. After losing the final set, Federer was overcome with emotion. All of his hard work... 2 weeks of hard work and no championship. There's that and the all of the stories the media would write about how he's lost his edge. That kind of pressure is enough to make anyone crack. Yet he collected himself after Rafa came over to comfort him and said...

"Let me try again. I don't want to have the last word. This man deserves it."

Nadal saw his pain as he's been in the same situation before in all of the tournaments he went runner up to Federer.

"Roger, sorry for today. I really know how you feel right now. Remember, you’re a great champion, you’re one of the best in history."

The amount of respect for each other is amazing and great for tennis. They face each other all the time in many of tennis' greatest matches. But in the end, they're also fans of each other. I'm sure we'll see a lot of this in the future. These 2 guys are going to take the championship & runner up in many tournaments to come.

To everyone who wants to write Roger Federer off:

He had another great tournament. He lost a close final to someone of equal skill. He's not on his way downhill. Nadal is just on his way up. If Federer lost his edge he wouldn't have made it to the final. If he lost his edge, he wouldn't be the #2 seed.

Transformers 2 Teaser

It was just a glimpse, but looks like it will be as good as the first one at least. I was able to make out Optimus Prime and Starscream. There was also a four-legged robot... Ravage?

Same Cast, Same Situation, Different Place

I actually had to miss the Australian Open Final's live broadcast, so I made every effort to avoid watching the news and listening to the radio because I wanted to catch the replay without knowing the outcome. I was able to do that successfully in the end! I also chose to watch the replay instead of the Superbowl that the rest of the country was tuned into.

Before the match, I was thinking that Federer would have an easy, but 5-set win. He's been the more successful of the 2 on hard courts as Nadal has never made it to the final. Also, Nadal just had that marathon with Verdasco the day before. Federer had an easy match against Roddick 2 days earlier. Still, I was thinking 5-setter because Nadal always fights until the last game.

The match was a typical one between the world's two best players. It was even. They traded shots, had long rallies and there was no hint at who looked like they had the edge. Nadal took the first set 7-5... a good start. He moved well and showed some powerful serves. Federer came back and took the 2nd set 6-3. Nadal then won a close 3rd set 7-6(3). Nadal was great in chasing down the ball and Federer's unforced errors also helped out. Then Federer came back again in the 4th set, 6-3. The 5th set was the only one that didn't feel close. Federer started off good, but lost it towards the end. Whether he was overthinking or physically fatigued, Nadal stayed in it and took advantage. He's now the winner of their first non-grass/non-clay matchup.