Because I like to have ESPN play in the background

Painful Injuries

2009-11-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

'Serious' League: Pau Gasol

Biggest mistake of draft was picking this guy in the early second round. What was I thinking? It definitely taught me to do better research next season before going into a draft. As quoted from Gasol himself in The Examiner:

"Every time I put a timetable in my mind, I get disappointed, so I can’t afford that anymore. It’s a matter of time before it gets better. When, who knows? They can't tell me, I can't tell them, I can’t tell anybody. I wish I knew for certain because it would help my mind and spirit."

Great. He better not be selfish by just trying to be healthy in time for the Playoffs! Ugh, that's what I get for drafting a Laker.

'Fantasy 09-10' League: Devin Harris

I loved him last year and then I stupid traded him away. When I got him on auto-draft, I was psyched. Then he only gave slightly above-average numbers in the only two games that he's played this season. And then after giving me hope that he'd be back after 10 days at most with his groin injury, I find out that it'll be another 2-4 weeks! And from the way he's talking, he's leaning more towards 4 weeks. I feel bad for the New Jersey Nets fans. I'm sure this is way more painful for them than it is for me. At least as a Warrior fan, I've gone 1 win.

'NO BITCH@$$NESS ALLOWED' League: Kevin Martin

I'm still speechless about this. And it's the 18-man deep league so an injured K-Mart is still better than everyone else that's left on that Waiver Wire. But out for 8 weeks?? I don't know if I can deal with this. I've got an ass of a team, with the only true scorer being Dwayne Wade, and even he couldn't help me out considered I played against Kobe Bryant who just had to go off for 40+ point games twice in one week, the week that Martin gets injured.

What do I do? Hold on to him? Try to sell him for low? Throw him out in the Waiver Wire and pray that someone becomes a miracle? Advice, would be lovely right about now.

On an un-fantasy related note, I can't believe the Kings are on a two-game winning streak while Kevin Martin is out. Well, OK, so they played the Warriors which isn't that big of a deal. But they beat the Jazz and my old-fashioned mindset has me thinking "Whaaaaat? Tyreke Evans, who are you?"

Most BS Trade Offer Ever

2009-11-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

In the deep league that I play in, I got offered the following trade from team Holler Front~!!:

Daequan Cook, Chris Anderson, Jarrett Jack, and Anthony Randolph
for
Aaron Brooks, Jeff Green, Nick Collison, and Danilo Gallinari.

SERIOUSLY??

I take offense to this trade. First of all, 3 of my players average 30+ minutes on the floor. NONE of his do. Green and Brooks alone outscore all four of the other guys. Gallinari is like my HIDDEN GEM right now. And as much as I don't like Collison, I'd rather take the risk of someone still on the waiver wire and throwing him out there then going through with this trade.

Fantasy is LIFE.

2009-10-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

I'm in 4 different fantasy basketball leagues this season. The excitement is almost embarrassing.

My second draft was on Friday for my boyfriend's roommate's league, "Fantasy 09'-10'." Unfortunately I had to miss the live draft due to going out to dinner for my brother's birthday so I had to rely solely on my lack of pre-ranking skills. My biggest fear was that I was going to have a plethora of guards and not enough big men to hold down my boards and blocks. Lucky for me, I got first pick. Unlucky for me was that my fear came to life. Below is what happens when you are on auto-draft with the #1 pick:

Chris Paul
Jose Calderon
Devin Harris - like I said...plethora of guards. At least I know I'll win in dimes.
Josh Smith
Jason Richardson
Marcus Camby - never in a million years would I ever draft him. UGH.
Anthony Randolph
Eric Gordon
Zach Randolph
Wilson Chandler
Andrei Kirilenko
Francisco Garcia - WTF.
Michael Beasley

With a quickness, I dropped Garcia and picked up Greg Oden as he's set to start for the Blazers. Some good in this team but overall, not the happiest for this one.

My third draft was on Sunday for my boyfriend's friend's league "NO BITCH@SSNESS ALLOWED" (boys are so original). This is by far the deepest league I've ever played in with 18 managers and by the second round, I was already having a hard time. My fantasy-addicted cousin Kevin always tells me that the only fun leagues are deep leagues though so I am excited to see how this pans out. I'm definitely on a roll this season because I was graced with the #2 pick.

Dwayne Wade - Undeniably ecstatic to have him. I have all the faith in the world in him.
Mehmet Okur
Kevin Martin - This pick resulted in an argument between me and boyfriend as we were sitting next to each other and he had 7th pick. I glanced at his computer really just to see what people were saying in the chat since my own computer screen is too small to see anything and accidentally saw who he had on his queue which inspired me to pick him up. Needless to say, I was called a cheater all night long.
Jeff Green
Lamar Odom - STUPID STUPID STUPID DECISION
Jermaine O'Neal - I'm actually excited to have him.
Aaron Brooks
DJ Augustin - Raja Bell, don't come back!
Al Thorton
Danilo Gallinari - Picked him with a heavy heart. I'm hoping that since he's healthy and since D'Antoni loves him so much, he'll actually be useful.
Nick Collison
Vladimir Radmanovic
Michael Finley - At least he starts.

Hate this team the most but the league itself has already proven to be the most interesting. I play my boyfriend (Ron Artesticle) first. All's fair in love and war, right babe?

4th and final draft for me is tonight. The people in this league are the folks I've solely been playing with for the past 2 seasons. They saw me first know nothing, having drafted 3 Warriors and come in super dead last and then saw me the second season as the girl who talked way too much shit, but for good reason. I made it to the playoffs and would have gone further than 5th if it wasn't for my opponent having Jose Calderon go off with 19 assists on the last day. This season is payback time.

Here's to a good season, gentlemen (and ladies). Trades, anyone?

09-10 Fantasy Basketball - HOLLERize 2.0

2009-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

I think I'm ready to give up Farmville on Facebook.

My first of three drafts was last night. Thanks to the boyfriend for letting me and my roomies play with the boys. It's gonna be a fun season! Already got in a fight with my girl Trina (The Question Marks) though. She was lucky enough to get 1st pick and got Chris Paul after only finding out who he was that same day. And then she picked up Andris Biedrins (my FAVE) as her 2nd pick (retarded). So when she asked me to pick her 4th pick when she was in the bathroom, I drafted Raymond Felton. It's gonna be an interesting one!

Presenting to you Team HOLLERize 2.0 in "serious league":

Kevin Durant - From Rotowire: "He's a legitimate threat to lead the NBA in scoring this season." I believe in you!
Pau Gasol - I hate the Lakers but all's fair in fantasy basketball.
Jason Kidd - Dimes, dimes, dimes. That's all I need you for so please don't disappoint.
Mehmet Okur
Rajon Rondo - I'm getting trade offers already for him. Need to leverage this well.
Rashard Lewis - I completely forgot that he's suspended for 10 games. DAMMIT.
Nate Robinson
Luis Scola - NBA TV Fantasy Preview labeled him a "sleeper" and is expected to go off this season with Yao out and everyone double-teaming against Ariza. Let's hope so.
Zach Randolph - I called my boyfriend asking him what I needed. His answer was boards and blocks and I picked him. I was replied with a "SMH." I had him last year. I have a very love/hate relationship with him.
Chris Anderson - Simply for the blocks alone.
Eric Gordon - My saving grace last season and the best pick up ever. Let's hope you keep up the momentum playing alongside a healthy Baron Davis.
Chris Duhon - Why did I just pick up both of the Knicks point guards? Dammit.
Ronnie Brewer

Two more drafts coming up this week. I need Dwayne Wade and my boo Andris Biedrins in at least one of my teams!

"@NBA" on Twitter

2009-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

I love summer and all that it promises but the fact that the NBA season ends and the NFL season doesn’t start until September is enough to make me yearn for Fall to come sooner. Thankfully, my addiction to Twitter has been able to feed my NBA hunger, even if it’s not always basketball-related.

As a “soon-to-be Marketing Professional,” (LOL) social media in and of itself has become a serious interest of mine. I’ve become a Twitter-freak, following all sorts of random people from Around the Horn’s Tony Reali to big-named Marketing execs to Martha Stewart to, of course, NBA players.

Honestly, I only got into Twitter initially because my brother couldn’t stop talking about how funny Shaq was. Following Shaq led me to follow Steve Nash who led me to follow Baron Davis…and now, almost half of the people I follow are in the NBA.

I haven’t seen much updates from Shaq recently but I’m assuming it has to do with his transition to Cleveland. Dwight Howard always brightens up my day with absolute randomness, like the time he broke his bed due to imitating a Keri Hilsen video. I first heard about Michael Jackson’s death from Shawn Marion. Charlie Villanueva, while not the most popular NBA player, has become of my favorite people to follow, especially since he personally replied to a comment I said about how I didn’t want a Lakers-Cavs Finals.

I can go longer about my NBA experiences via Twitter but I’ll stop there for now.

Twitter and other social media channels have the power to make people and things that used to seem so above us now be almost at our own level. I see the NBA players that I follow as actual people, who go through BS, who like to laugh about silly things, who don’t always have the best days. They are offering to share themselves with the rest of the world and I love it.

On another note, the NBA just reached 1 million followers, being the only other brand besides Whole Foods to reach that monumental number. The people who do social media for the NBA are pretty savvy; while the GS Warriors simply tweet up links of articles published about them, the NBA shares a number of videos, random stats, different featured profiles, and other things that makes me continue to be a follower. And they kept their word when they said they’d do a special shoutout to whoever ended up being their 1 millionth follower, no matter who it was.

I would do anything to be on the NBA’s social media team.

March Madness: "Bracketology"

2009-03-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

For some reason, my newbie-ness thought that the term "bracketology" was universal so when I used it with my boyfriend with the utmost of confidence, he embarressed the hell out of me by busting out in laughter. What a jerk.

Playing NCAA Brackets was more along the lines of playing Roulette for me. I didn't have a damn clue about college basketball, and I barely even noticed the little numbers next to the school names until halfway through the bracket. Which probably explains why I'm last with only 35 out of 48 correct picks. I'm embarressed to admit that I didn't think Pittsburg would actually take it all the way. Maybe because the Sooners were in my head due to football, I don't know. Or maybe I got Oklahoma State confused with Oklahoma? I probably should have done a littttle bit of research before I went click-happy.

Oh well. I still believe in Memphis all the way!

My Addiction: Fantasy Basketball

2009-03-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

It’s official: I’m not a blogger, I just like to talk when I feel like it.

With that being said, I would like to get back into the habit of writing in this again. In my defense, I’m graduating this year so ever since the fall semester started, school has been kicking my ass. But I won’t get into that boring stuff.

A lot has happened since my last post: the 49ers got a new head coach in Mike Singletary, the Arizona Cardinals actually almost beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl, A-Rod admitted to being on steroids, Tiger Woods finally came back, Don Nelson went crazy by sitting his starters…the list goes on. But let me talk about one thing that has taken over my life aside from school, work, sorority, and my boyfriend: Fantasy Basketball.

So it’s Week 19 and I’m currently getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter, 3-6. Don’t let that fool you though; I’m pretty proud of my team (even though I’ve made some horrific management decisions in the past couple of weeks) and I’m sitting comfortably at 4th place with less than three weeks until the playoffs. It’s not my fault that I’ve got 5 players not playing and my opponent’s ugly team decided to all of a sudden get better in a month’s time.

I started this season with a pretty random bunch, with everyone talking shit about all the guys I picked up. Mind you, I got the 12th spot in the draft.

Deron Williams (injured or not, I know I wanted him)
Dwight Howard
Andris Biedrins (an accident, I didn’t mean to pick him as my third round)
Devin Harris
Andrei Kirilenko
Rip Hamilton
Zach Randolph
Rajon Rando
Travis Outlaw
Drew Gooden
Earl Watson
Jason Kapono
Marc Gasol

Looking at that list, I realize I only have half of the same people I started with. Here’s who I have going into the Playoffs (for now):

Deron Williams
Dwight Howard
Aaron Brooks (a pick-up after dropping T-Mac, a guy I got in trade for Devin Harris and Biedrins—THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF THE SEASON)
Monta Ellis (part of the Harris-Biedrins deal)
Rip Hamilton (thank God for coming back into the starting lineup)
Rashard Lewis (the only good thing that came from theHarris-Biedrins deal even if it still doesn’t fully make up for it)
AK (after dropping him when he got injured and picking him back up a week later)
Drew Gooden (because I have a gut feeling that he’s going to be amazing as a Spur)
Marc Gasol (my SAVING GRACE this week)
Eric Gordon (my favorite pickup, even if he’s injured his week)
Larry Hughes (a pick-and-drop guy who I’ve finally decided to keep since being dealt to the Knicks)
Zach Randolph (I need him back ASAP)
Peja Stojakovic (got in a trade early in the season with DJ Augustin for Rondo—second biggest mistake of the season)

You don’t have to tell me twice that my team would be AMAZING if I had just kept Rondo, Devin Harris, and Biedrins but I couldn’t beat the excitement of trading. Monta being on my fantasy team definitely makes me dislike him more and more every game that he doesn’t play (as well as other reasons that I hope I can get into in time). Rashard’s numbers in the beginning of the season made him look so valuable but ever since I got him (when Jameer Nelson got injured), he’s only had one statistically beautiful game. And I won’t even get into my horrific decision to get T-Mac.

Inner struggles I’m going through right now:

To keep Monta or no? There’s talk that he’s unhappy at Golden State and that it’s actually some of the reason why he didn’t go with them to their recent road trip. His arrival keeps getting pushed back and with the playoffs in two weeks, I’m getting impatient. And who’s to say he’ll even put up numbers when he does come back? I’m so close to dropping him and picking up someone to help me get my blocks back up.
Drew Gooden—ugh. Sometimes, I have no idea why I’ve held on to him for so long. I’m counting on this gut feeling about the Spurs, but who knows? When healthy, his numbers are impressive though, but by next week, if he’s not playing, I’m going to have to take some action.
The trade deadline was yesterday therefore all I’ve got to choose from is whoever is on the waiver wire. Good enough pickups include Rashad McCants, Nenad Krstic, Thabo Sefolosha…and any of the Warriors bench considering Don Nelson’s going to be playing them more often.

Sigh. I hope this weekend fairs better than the rest of this week. $20 and my pride is on the line. I spent the majority of the season having my smack talk say “My new name should be ‘I can beat the boys’!” Figures it would come back to bite me in the ass!

Thanks Niners for making my dad and brother have a good rest of the week.

2008-09-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

49ers 1 - 1

OK, so it's not exactly brag-worthy but I for one am ecstatic to see the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks. One, because my dad and brother feel for the Niners the way I feel for the Warriors therefore were jumping up and down with pure euphoria at the end of overtime, and two, because it was a division win. The likelihood of the 49ers making it to the playoffs are slim (from the limited knowledge that I have) but hell...it's not looking too shabby for SF. Next week they're playing the Detroit Lions who got murdered by Green Bay and there's a huge chance that the Niners can actually be 2 - 1. I've seen my brother's head almost explode one too many times in the past couple of years to know that this is significant. My dad actually bought tickets to next week's game (because he had to go to a game that we had a chance at winning) so I shall be there in my 49ers attire, drinking beer and screaming my happy ass off with my dad and my brother...while my mother sits and claps politely, simply happy to see her family together and enjoying each other's company.

Today's game was fun to watch though. Alex Smith, good riddance. JT O'Sulivan...you are what this franchise needs. Just quit getting sacked! 8 times ain't cool. But once the ball got rolling, it was our defense that saved the day. Two freakin' useful interceptions in a row?! Loved it.

Two more random, note-worthy tidbits of two games that I caught (and one that is pretty much on repeat on SportsCenter right now):

Caught a good minute of the Raiders - Chiefs game. Don't know anything about the Chiefs but the Raiders played sick. I caught Darren McFadden's catch and touchdown and it had me on my feet.
The San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos game gave me a flashback of the last Lakers-Warriors game where Monta Ellis and Derek Fisher fell and that bullshit call happened against the Warriors. However, I will admit that this bullshit whistle is a thousand times worse. Any loss is bad but to know that it could have been avoided by something that was beyond their control...le sigh.

My football posts are so lame. It's quite obvious that I don't know about football. But I sure as hell love to watch it.

Gotdammit Monta.

2008-09-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Monta Ellis Out 3 Months

I'm the biggest slacker that ever tried to be a blogger so sue me for being a couple of weeks late with this issue.

My devastation was indescribable after hearing about Monta Ellis' left ankle injury that will result to him being out of the game for 3-4 months. Three weeks after the news came out and it still knocks the wind out of me just a little bit. With Baron Davis leaving, Monta was the face of our franchise, the last hope the Warriors had to make it to the playoffs. While it sounds morbid and faithless, I can't help but believe it to be true. He's going to miss at least a third of the entire season and for someone who was appointed starting PG, training camp alone was going to be crucial to his success in that spot.

That's not even the worst of it though. On September 6, the Contra Costa Times was the first to announce that Monta Ellis actually lied about the reason behind his injury. Instead of hurting himself by working out or even playing a pick-up game of basketball, he finally admitted after weeks of rumors that it was definitely not a basketball-related injury. Exactly what it was is still unknown and being kept secret for as long as the Warriors front office and his agent can allow it. People at GSOM have their own opinions though, from a motorcycle accident to something ridiculous like chasing after a girl (whaaatevs, Monta would never have to try hard to get a girl, even if he can be goofy-looking at times).

Now the question is...what to do about it? Tim Kawakami, columist and blogger for the San Jose Mercury Times, has a couple of educated guesses and has enlightened me with a number of possibilities. Considering the fact that he just recieved an extension and one of the biggest pay raises in NBA history, the front office has to discipline him in some way to let him know that this is not okay. When Vladimir Radmanovic had a snowboarding injury last year, the Lakers fined him $500,000, which is chump change to Monta's $66million. Granted, I have no expertise in giving fining suggestions so I'll end it with the fact that I definitely support any disciplinary actions taken towards teaching Monta Ellis a lesson (except voiding his contract altogether). Just like there are rules and guidelines to follow in any profession, he needs to understand that there are just certain things he's restricted from since he's a multi-million dollar professional NBA player. If he wants to go risking his body then he needs to do that with someone else's money on the line. Think about it: he's making $11mil just this season, which is about $1.83mil each month of the regular season. If it takes him the full 4 months to recover, that's a little over two months of being out, while still getting paid $3.66mil. That's a lot of money to sit and watch your teammates get owned by the Hornets, Pistons, Blazers, Celtics, Cavs, Rockets, Spurs, Magic, and Lakers.

(Not that I don't have faith in the rest of the Warriors. For all I know, there might actually be the best case of chemistry with all the new people coming in and they can DOMINATE as the Underdogs. I still have faith. But this is me being realistic.)

Le sigh. I'm still excited about the season though and I've got tickets lined up to 3 games, and working on getting tickets for Opening Night against New Orleans. WARRIOR FAN TIL THE DEATH, BABY.

Bay Area Baseball Comparisons

2008-08-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to the SF Giants VS Colorado Rockies game at AT&T Park. Not the most exciting game (I left at the 8th inning, with the Rockies up 7-2), but I had a good time drinking beer with 40+ year old engineers who had more fun yelling each other's names than actually watching the game.

Have you ever been to AT&T Park? I've only gone there to actually watch a game twice, but I've worked at the stands at least 4 times each season for the past 4 years. I don't know how other stadiums in big cities are, but this one is nice. They've got slides and games for kids and the club level is sweeeet. Even the bathroom in the highest level are clean 24/7.

I've also been to McAfee Colliseum for an Oakland As VS Seatle Mariners game. The stadium looks like shit, especially compared to where the Giants play just over the bay. The green looks like seaweed and nothing looks like it's been renovated in over a decade. However, the one time I went there had to be the best time I ever went to a baseball game. The game was actually exciting (a close call that had the fans booing, a double play to get the fans on their feet, and a home run by the Mariners to keep the score tied at the 7th) and the fans are something else. You definitely don't see girls in tight jeans, mid-drifts and heels at an A's game.

There's just something about the Giants that makes me shake my head. I'm sure this franchise hasn't always been this way but from simple observation, the only reason why half the people go to their games is to get trashed anyways. Whatever happened to the love of "America's favorite past-time?"

McAfee Colliseum

AT&T Park

Oct. 29 needs to come sooner.

2008-08-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

Two reasons to be excited for October 29, 2008:
1. My baby brother turns 21
2. The Golden State Warriors start the 08-09 season with the New Orleans Hornets at Oracle Arena. My attendance is still tentative; depends on how my school schedule ends up. I'm hoping that it'll allow me the opportunity to be a screaming fan.

08 - 09 Season WishList

Oct 29 VS Hornets (duh)
Nov 13 VS Pistons (my personal Big 3 = Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, and Chauncy Billups)
Dec 12 VS Rockets (the new Big 3 = Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Ron Artest, OH SHIT)
Dec 26 VS Celtics (this game is probably going to be insanely expensive but I don't care, I want to go! This would be the best Christmas present EVER)
Jan 7 VS Lakers (gotta go to a Laker game!)
Jan 25 VS Clippers (B Diddy's return to the Bay! This is a can't miss)
Feb 4 VS Suns (because it was the one team I really wanted to see last year that I didn't get to watch)
Feb 18 VS Lakers (because the second time around is just as good as the first)
Mar 17 VS Clippers (same)

Upcoming posts about my prediction for the Warriors this season and my opinion on the 08-09 team.

Random fact: Andris Biedrins is now the longest tenured Warrior right now. Yes, my 22-year-old sexy Latvian Center is the Last "OG" Warrior Standing. Leave me alone, just let me think this way!

Non-Follower of the Olympics

2008-08-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm embarressed to say that I haven't been following the Olympics very well this year, which is a damn shame considering I proclaim to love sports oh-so-much. But I can't help it; games are at such odd hours! I've only seen four events: USA VS China Men's basketball, Women's Diving, USA VS China Gymnastics, and a bunch of swimming that all led to Michael Phelps showing the world how freakin amazing he is.

I got so excited watching Men's Basketball. I'm glad it was close even if it was just for the first quarter. I am in love with this year's Dream Team.

I have to say that watching the Gymanstics competition was hard and a tad disheartening. Seeing little girls fall and mess up in front of the whole world makes me hope that my own daughter never wants to be an Olympic gymnast. Well, I guess they're not actually LITTLE but they sure as hell look younger than I even I look (and that's pretty damn young!).

And...that really is all I have to say on the Olympics. Haha. I know, my credibility is going down the drain.

On another note...I need to change the title to this blog. Oh how I miss ESPN :(

As a brand new sports fan, I couldn't have asked for a better first ESPYS Awards Show

2008-07-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

The ESPYS Awards Show epitomized everything that I love about sports. It's a damn shame that I only caught the last half. Time is limited so I only got to YouTube Part 1 of the ESPYS. But I will catch the big chunk in the middle that I missed eventually.

Justin Timberlake as the host
I actually had yet to completely fall into the JT-craze, more as a defense to my Backstreet Boys fanhood than anything else. But him hosting the 2008 ESPYS made me go into a state of no return. My respect for him has elevated. And he was funny! The opening of the show had me rolling nonstop. My top two favorite jokes:

JT hella hating on the Jayhawks

AND

"It was a big year for Eli Manning. He won a Superbowl...and he finally saw a girl naked!"

I never thought I could ever actually feel connected to Justin Timberlake but watching him host the ESPYS made me feel like I could actually hang out with him while watching a game on my small ass TV in my living room with some cheap beer. Yes...he was that good.

And the winner for best female athlete: Candace Parker
I love this girl. But I'll admit, I had no idea she was that tall. I mean, yeah, she's a profesional basketball player so she's supposed to be that tall but she is just perfectly proportional that her height doesn't stand out. I'm focusing on her height only because I'd probably go up to her pelvic if I stood next to her. Whatever, she's beautiful and a damn good ball player. Good shit on not tripping; heels can be tricky.

And the winner for best moment: Great Sportsmanship, Central Washington VS Western Oregan Softball
You have got to be kidding me...this moment beat Jon Lester's no-hitter? The guy overcame lymphoma! This girl was still able to walk just fine (in heels, mind you) at the awards! This was wrong, just plain wrong. I used this time to go to the bathroom.

And the winner for best game: Super Bowl, Giants over the Patriots
I'll be the first one to admit that I loved this year's Super Bowl. I watch the Super Bowl every year with my family (the only major sporting event for a long time that I followed) and we always go for the under dogs. During that final quarter, the family was straight up going insane and we never celebrated so hard (except in '94 when the 49ers beat the Charger, of course). However, overall the game was slow and definitely not as exciting as Game 3 of the Celtics-Lakers series (screaming in my boyfriend's face during Boston's comeback made my day) and especially not as exciting as the NCAA Championship game. The Jayhawks deserved this award more than anyone else. First of all, I truly believe that college athletes, while they have money in their futures, are honestly playing for the moment and genuinely playing with their hearts. At the moment of the Championships, it has nothing to do with getting drafted in the next couple of months--it was about bringing glory to their school, their team, and themselves.

Oh well. Can't win them all.

And the winner for best male athlete: Tiger Woods
I was on the phone with my boyfriend as I was watching this and he said it had to be Kobe Bryant and I went for Tiger Woods. My argument was that Kobe couldn't win a championship while Tiger Woods won the US Open...with a torn ligament! That's a G. But that's not actually what I wanted to talk about.

When Will Ferrell came on, I just couldn't believe it. I'm not a regular viewer of the ESPYS so I don't know...does this happen every year? Does some actor come up and act a fool at the biggest professional sports social event of the year? If so...I am never missing the ESPYS.

Baron Davis to the LA Clippers

2008-07-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

The news is almost a week old but the sting is still fresh in my Warriors-bleeding heart.

I know that the possibility of B Diddy leaving Golden State has always been there but I'm sure every Warrior fan wouldn't, no, couldn't believe it to be true. Baron Davis was the heart and soul of this team. He picked this franchise up from nothing. When people think of Warrior Nation, it brings visions of Baron Davis dunking on AK47 or of Baron Davis kissing 3s to the crowd. What hurts the most is that he knows this and he still left.

Career-wise, you can't blame Baron Davis for doing this. He knew how much he was worth and the Warriors' front office wouldn't give him what he felt he rightfully deserved. Would they have extended his contract next year, giving him that job security that every NBA player needs? Doubtful.

But damn...LA? The only thing worse than going to the Clippers is going to the Lakers (the thought alone makes me want to rip my heart right out of me). That southern region is the biggest rival of every Bay Area native. It's a straight up slap to the face.

(I'm no Bay Area native, but I can only imagine that that's what it feels.)

Honestly, I think Baron should just admit that he wanted to be closer to Hollywood so he could pursue his hobby. That it really was that selfish of a move. If he had waited, I'm sure another team would have offered him just as much, if not more. Then it would just be considered another strategic career move and not a selfish, back-stabbing, heartbreaking decision.

Baron Davis is a drama king, plain and simple. A damn good baller, but a drama king nonetheless. Good luck to Davis but I hope he doesn't go around claiming to want to win a ring now because then he'd just be full of bullshit.

Please Chris Mullin...do something. Make a good offer and give us Warriors fans something to believe in. I am tired of passing by every opportunity to make our team better. Money shouldn't be an option when they're charging $80 for an upper level seat at Oracle Arena.

I'm just glad that I chose green and black Air Force Ones as opposed to the Baron Davis hardwood classic jersey for Christmas.

Pacquiao and the Boston Celtics

2008-06-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines' current hero, has won yet another fight. A number of the Boston Celtics were at the fight and congratulated him after the fight. There's even a clip that my dad showed me from one of his Filipino web sites of KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce chanting "Manny! Manny! Manny!" alongside of him. And then I heard they all kicked it in Manny's room afterwards.

Manny Pacquiao is a gangster.

A reporter to Kevin Garnett: Did you know KG, that Manny is your number one fan?

KG: I'm his number one fan.

Now that is just precious.

Good to know

2008-06-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

Player News 6/20/08

Chris Mullin would have been a fool if he didn't match their offers.

Andris and Monta...the future of Golden State is in your hands.

NBA Champions

2008-06-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

So are the Celtics really that good or are the Lakers really that bad?

Let's face it: At the end of the day, Kobe can't hold up the Lakers by himself. It may take an MVP to win games, but it takes a team to win championships. The Celtics embaressed LA not once, but TWICE in one week. You've got to hand it to them.

On another note, my heart went out to the Celtics when they realized they had just won the Finals. I love seeing grown men almost cry. Just look at the way Boston was celebrating; their victory was a product of honest hard work and effective team work, not lucky streaks. I honestly believe that KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen definitely deserve this win more than Kobe Bryant.

Le sigh.

NBA season is officially over.

I guess I can tune into baseball. But the Giants are so lame!

Unforgettable.

2008-06-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

The one moment that stands out throughout this whole Playoff season:

Celtics-Pistons, Game 5 - Rondo literally glides into a layup and one of the commentators (can't remember which one) exclaims: "He just pulled a Beyonce...to the left, to the left!"

Haha I love NBA commentators.

Oh Pistons...I got disappointed at the end of Game 6. But I was more disappointed in your fans who lost their faith halfway through the 4th quarter. The Palace of Auburn Hills is filled with a bunch of pathetic, non-fans. But I'll admit, Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce hugging it out made me feel good in my heart.

Celtics-Lakers it is then. At least I got one prediction right haha. Conspiracy by David Stern and the NBA office? Haha, naaaaah, they deserve it. I'm ready for the Finals. Now here are some players who want that title more than ANYTHING. It's about to be crazy. At least I get to watch Game 1, 3, and 4...Game 2 will be missed due to me being on a Mexican Cruise with my pledge sisters. HOLLLLLER AT YOUR GIRL!

NBA coaches

2008-05-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

While this is a rather old topic, I'm going to say my thoughts on it anyways because I have nowhere else to get it out at.

I don't think Mark Cuban should have fired Avery Johnson. I mean, just because he couldn't take the Dallas Mavericks past the first round in the Playoffs doesn't mean he was a complete failure. It's not his fault that the Mavs just had to get placed in Round One series with two underdog teams that shocked the world. It's not Avery Johnson's fault that the Mavs are a bunch of old farts who are just getting slower and slower as the years go by. But whatever. 20 bucks says the Mavs don't win Mark Cuban an NBA title for awhile.

D'Antoni is said to have talked to the Bulls administration (along with Avery). Le sigh. I love him for the Phoenix Suns. Will the Suns' style of play be different with a new coach? I hope not.

I don't want to start thinking about the possibility of Coach Nelson leaving Golden State. So I won't go there. I live and breathe watching Nellieball. Granted, it also kills me but hell it's what happens!

Inaccurate predictions

2008-04-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

So my laptop officially died on me. I never realized how much I relied on that thing until now. I had to sign up for classes and I was trippin because I had my whole college plan laid out in an Excel file and I couldn't remember what classes I needed to take. Rather frustrating.

On another note...

If you're been keeping up with the NBA Playoffs (which unfortunately I haven't been able to do to the fullest due to stupid school), then you can see that my predictions have been only somewhat correct.

Obviously, the Celtics did not sweep the Hawks, although it was definitely not the most exciting Game 7 ever. I flipped the channel on to ABC at around 11AM Pacific Time to see the Hawks trailing by almost 30 by halftime and realized that getting ready for church was definitely more worthwhile.

Obviously my beloved Pistons didn't win their game against the Sixers at Game 5 but hell, at least they made it. I was getting kind of worried for a second! Saw Game 2 of the Pistons and Magic series and I was actually impressed. Prince is sexy :) So far, my predictions are going okay. I totally think they can win in Orlando.

Didn't get to see the Bostons-Cavs game today but I heard Boston held King James to 2-18 field goals and only 12 points. And Jesus Christ, what is this I see...10 TURNOVERS? But to be fair, the Cavs held Ray Allen to ZERO points which I guess is the reason why the game only had a four point difference. Ilgauskas seemed to have kicked ass with his 22 points and 12 boards...maybe it was his feature on NBA Access this morning. Which by the way almost made me cry. I had no idea his wife had given birth to stillborn twins. I do believe that this series can continue to be interesting though.

Obviously, everything about my predictions for the Western Conference was completely wrong. The Denver Nuggets proved to not deserve their sport in the Playoffs and I definitely think the Warriors could have made it way more interesting. Let's just take a moment and daydream about how amazing of a playoff series it would have been with the Warriors and Lakers.......

Sigh. Back to reality.

I'll admit, I was not convinced that Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets were the real deal, even though they finished the regular season at second. However, NOW, with them holding down the Spurs 2-0 in the second round, I am FULLY CONVINCED. Chris Paul, you are the shit and there is nothing more I'd like to see than to see you give them damn Fakers a good run for their money. Although, I do think the Jazz can do the same as well. They just don't interest me as much as the Hornets do.

Time is running out for me in this computer lab. Man I miss my laptop almost as much as I miss seeing the Warriors play on TV.

Boo to school and other obligations.

2008-04-21T22:42:00.001-07:00

I have yet to see a playoff game from beginning to end due to school, work, sorority, and a pathetic infatuation with a boy taking up a lot of my time. The only games that I've been able to partially see were the Jazz-Rockets Game I, Nuggets-Lakers Game I, and the end of the Cavaliers-Wizards Game 2 aka blowout game. Ugh. If only I could have watched the Suns-Spurs Game I. Oh Steve Nash, that final shot was your's. But I will definitely have to give it to Manu Ginobli though. DIZZAM.

On another note, let me get back to my thoughts on why I chose the teams that I chose to win their series, even though I'm already kinda sorta being proven wrong (DAMMIT MAVS).

Obviously, Boston Celtics are going to take it in the East but I have a biased love for the Detroit Pistons so it would make me happy if they were to win it instead. Granted, they have to beat the 76ers first for that wish to come true. Come on Billups and Wallace! Be that dream team that I know you are! You're my favorite team in the East for a reason!

I expected the Cavaliers and Wizards series to be much more interesting than it actually has been, especially after all the shit Gilbert Arenas was talking about Lebron James. I hope the Wizards play at least a little bit more better now that they're heading back home; I just want this series to get interesting!

My prediction on the Lakers and Jazz winning the first round seems to be according to plan but I'm getting worried about my second favorite team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. At least they get to go back to Phoenix because they really are going to need all the help they can get to in order to win at Game 7. Come on Amare...dazzle me like you always do when you play against the Warriors!

I can't believe I doubted the ability of Chris Paul and the Hornets. I can't believe the Mavericks are in the playoffs and the Golden State Warriors aren't. Maybe the Mavs will feel better if Mark Cuban's in the audience?

For those who don't know, I hate the Los Angeles Lakers with the fire of a thousand suns. However, I really do think they can not only win it in the West but also take it and win the Finals against the Boston Celtics (or Detroit Pistons haha). Gasol is a beast, Kobe is straight up MVP status, Lamar Odom is doing it big, Fisher definitely has his clutch moments, Bynum is still one of my favorite centers in the league even if he might still be rusty when (if) he comes back, and their bench can be crazy good when they want to be (slash, Luke Walton is pretty damn hot). The Boston Three Party and Company are good and I'm damn sure they won't give up without a strong, exciting fight...but I'm gonna give it to LA in the end.

And if for some reason Utah ends up knocking out LA in the second round well then...that just shows you that I'm still pretty amateur and I really just like to talk out of my ass, haha.

NBA Playoff Predictions

2008-04-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

I don't consider myself an NBA analyst or anything. This is just fun for me and to see if I even come remotely close. I'll go more in depth with my thoughts another time.

**************************

Eastern Conference

First Round

Hawks-Celtics: Celtics sweep
Cavs-Wizards: Cavs at 6

Raptors-Magic: Magic at 7
76ers-Pistons: Pistons at 5

Second Round
Celtics-Cavs: Celtics at 6
Magic-Pistons: Pistons at 5

Eastern Finals
Celtics-Pistons: Celtics at 6 (but I would love to be wrong and have the Pistons beat the Celtics)

Western Conference

First Round

Nuggets-Lakers: Lakers at 5
Jazz-Rockets: Jazz at 5
Suns-Spurs: Suns at 7
Mavericks-Hornets: Mavericks at 7

Second Round

Lakers-Jazz: Lakers at 7
Suns-Mavericks: Suns at 6

Western Finals
Lakers-Suns: Lakers at 6

World Championships: Celtics-Lakers: Lakers at 6

07-08 GSW will always have a place in my heart

2008-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

(Written 4/16/08)

****************

Today marks the last game of the regular season for my beloved Warriors. It pisses me off that the game was pulled from ESPN which means that this game won't be aired at all anywhere. Ticket prices have gotten ridiculously lower since the loss to the Denver Nuggets. It's annoying to see people all of a sudden not care about the Warriors simply because they didn't make the playoffs. Don't people understand that they won almost 50 games this season with an almost 60% winning percentage throughout the whole season? This year's Golden State Warriors are the first team to win this much games and not make it to the playoffs. It's not the Warriors' fault that they have to play in the Western Conference, a conference that has not eight but ten playoff-worthy teams. I can't even be mad but really, if you know anything about basketball at all you'll know that the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets, Suns, Mavs, and Nuggets really do play some great basketball and deserve their spot in the playoffs.

I'm here at school wearing my Warriors jersey and I've had at least three people say to me, "You know they didn't make it to the playoffs, right?" Yes, dumb fuck I know that.
My only response: hold up my jersey and say "Warrior fan til the death, baby."
Don't question my fanhood or my knowledge of the NBA. It offends the hell out of me.

I'll admit, I am a bandwagon jumper. But I've fallen in love and I've fallen hard. I would love to go to tonight's game but prior engagements have me saying no to $40 lower level seats and if it wasn't for my Lil Bro (whom I haven't seen in over four months due to him being in Boot Camp), I'd be there. One, it's Fan Appreciation Night which equals lots of free stuff, haha. Second, who knows who's going to be back in a Warriors jersey next season. They only people who are complete gaurentees are Brandon Wright, Marco Bellinelli, Kelenna Azubuike, and CJ Watson. Everyone else has to renegotiate their contracts and salaries. Will Baron Davis choose to come back? Will management keep Stephen Jackson even though his playing this past month has not been the absolute best? Will management realize the value of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins and pay them for their actual worth? Is this really the last we'll see of Mickael Pietrus, Al Harrington, and Matt Barnes?

Le sigh. I guess we won't know until Draft Day. Can't wait to see who we pick up. Please be useful, please be useful, please be useful.

****************************************
Recap of my personal 07-08 GSW season

12/7/07 VS Miami Heat (First game ever, yay!) with AJ
Final Score: 120-113

12/14/07 VS Los Angeles Lakers (hands down, best game ever) with Alvin, Katrina, and Sanjaya-wannabe
Final Score: 108-106

1/21/08 VS Minnesota Timberwolves (the UGH game) with Trina, Lauren, Michelle, and Jason M.
Final Score: 108-109

2/1/08 VS Charlotte Bobcats (the Blowout Game/J-Rich's Return to Oracle/GSOM Night 3) with Brandon, Kat, Alvin, Lauren, and Steph
Final Score: 127-96

3/12/08 VS Toronto Raptors (Free Game I) with Andrew
Final Score: 117-106

3/15/08 VS Memphis Grizzlies (Free Game II/First Time at Lower Level) with my Baby Brother Jason
Final Score: 110-107

3/21/08 VS Houston Rockets (GSOM Night 4/John Legend's Performance) with Kristina, Katrina, Michelle, Lauren, Steph, Kat, Brandon, and Alvin
Final Score: 106-109

4/10/08 VS Denver Nuggets (Biggest Game Of The Year/Biggest Heartbreak Of the Year) with Jeremy, Seanie Boy, and John
Final Score: 105-114