The Face of the 2007-2008 Chicago Bulls

I don't know if Noah will be able to play a lick of NBA basketball, but just by this picture alone I can't wait until he crosses paths with Bulls coach Scott Skiles.

It's hard to make Ben Wallace's hair cut look like Chris Mullins', but damn it man if you didn't do it.





Keep your freak flag flying.

Ladies and Gentlemen....the Coach.

I'm honored to have my first guest columnist. With the NBA draft coming up I went to my main basketball man, Coach. Some people can cook, some can play the piano, my little gift in life is giving nicknames. Coach and I met in college and the man spewed basketball out of his every pore, so rather than go by his birth name I christened him after the most famous basketball coach in Chicago, DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer.

I asked him for some draft tidbits instead I got an interesting take on the NBA which one day, if ratings hold, will be having double headers with the Stanley Cup on the VS-Outdoor-What number is it channel. By the way who did win the NBA finals?

I give you, the Coach....




My good friend and college chum doug_plank asked me to write a column on the upcoming NBA draft. My first thought was, “Who cares about the upcoming NBA draft? The NBA finals ratings were at an all time low.” But then a second thought hit me. “Why does no one care about the NBA?”

Even I am not excited about the NBA draft, which if you know anything about me, is very surprising. I grew up in Indiana and am a basketball junkie. I coach high school basketball. I used to know every participant in every Final Four from 1965 to 1991. I used to sit by the TV and watch coverage of the draft with a notebook and give teams grades on the draft. And I don’t care about the upcoming draft? What is that all about?

So why the apathy? Could it be that the NBA is as crooked as the current White House administration? Don’t get me started on that one, I could write a whole book on that subject. Could it be the current NBA commissioner, David “I am the judge and the jury” Stern. Baseball’s commissioner, Bud “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” Selig isn’t any better, but people still care about baseball.

No, I think the apathy stems from the fact that there is no poet laureate for the NBA. No one to wax poetic about the game. Sure, the NBA has Bill Walton, but that is it. Baseball has Tim Kurkjian, who can tell you anything about any player who ever put on a baseball glove. Did you know that Alex Rodriguez is the first player with the last name Rodriguez to have 28 home runs by June 26th since the great Ramon Rodriguez of the Sonora Saguaros? Tim Kurjian knew, and told us all on ESPN. And speaking of ESPN, what about Peter Gammons? A man so famous they put him on the stinking $20 bill. He loves to sing the praises of baseball. And last, but certainly not least, we have the diminutive Bob Costas. Costas can make the Mickster look like a victim and tell you that baseball is so great because it doesn’t have a clock.
Who does the NBA have? Stephen A. Smith? Greg Anthony? Or how about everybody’s favorite, Jim “I hang from Kobe’s jockstrap” Gray. If the NBA wants to see its ratings go up, it needs a spokesperson. That, and league that isn’t fixed like a WWE match.

The Passing of Shooter

Rod Beck passed away today at the young age of 38. That age is not a misprint. He pitched mainly for the the Giants but in the magical year of 1998, Kerry Wood 20k game, Sammy 66 hrs, and the wild card, Beck saved 51 games. He was not flashy he threw a mid range fast ball that dare major league batters to hit it.


I have a couple of fond memories of Rod Beck.

In 1998 I made a trip to L.A. in May to see the Cubs play the Dodgers. My brothers and I were sitting in the right field bleachers and before the game Shooter was standing around the warning track signing autographs down by the low outfield wall.

I asked if I can get a picture of him and he said sure. My brother took the picture and as I shook his hand and thank him a loud “WHACK” came from the Cubs bullpen. It sounded like someone was beating a leather couch with a tennis racket.

I asked Rod who is that. And Shooter said “That’s the kid, and if he doesn’t have his control tonite he’s gonna kill someone.”

The kid was Kerry Wood.

I was also at the one game playoff against the Giants and was thrilled when Shooter got Joe Carter to pop up to Grace. And the best memory I have and will alway keep is that of Rod Beck jumping for joy into Mark Grace. It was the glee of boy in summer jumping into the pool for the first time.

When I saw ESPN that night they said Beck got Carter out on a 83 mph “fastball.” Rod was gassed. Like a movie hero, who had an empty gun and a monster about to attack him, he threw the empty gun at the monster and it killed the monster.

His arm was shot and he never that effective again.

God bless your soul, Rod Beck and thank you for giving your right arm to the 1998 team. Hopefully your in a place with an endless cooler of beer and friends there to appreciate your warm smile and personality.

Here's a great ESPN story on Shooter trying to comeback in 2003 while living in an RV in the parking lot of the AAA Cubs. Can't imagine any other major leaguer being this accessible.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/2003/0515/1554407.html