A few highlights: The Rainmen were within a few points for much of the game, especially at the end, but still lost; Eric Crookshank's #20 was worn by Rodney Mayes (uh oh); Dandridge continued his poor performance, with 40 minutes playing time, despite only shooting 33% and giving up 11 turnovers!
It looked to me like just about every game the Rainmen played last year - on the verge of winning, just keeping up, and then losing in the last minute despite being within a bucket or two. Sure sign of a coach who doesn’t know how to use the talent on the court.
Is Dandridge this season’s Booyer (except he is active) - a coach favourite but not living up to the hype?
I think re-assigning Eric’s number is a) in poor taste, since the suspension just happened, b) short-sighted, since the Rainmen want #20 to go to schools and talk to kids, c) a pretty good sign that Eric is toast with the Rainmen, d) stupid PR move since fans may still want to wear the jerseys they bought to show loyalty to Eric but still be Rainmen fans - those are not mutually exclusive, e) all of the above.
The correct answer is: e) all of the above.
Thanks for the great play-by-play Chris. Good for those of us who didn’t listen to the game.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
"Like sands through the hourglass...
So go the players of our team." Apologies to Days of Our Lives. We are back on the roller coaster roster of last season.
So now that Eric Crookshank is suspended with no one from the Rainmen saying why, there has been furious speculation on Section 23 as to the real reasons behind the furor.
It seems like the real reason leaked out, through the many, many fan posts on Section 23. Eric had words (probably very strong words) with the coach and Boom Goes The Dynamite, he's suspended for the remaining 80% OF THE SEASON!
Wow, not bad! Less than a day and a half from Chris’ post to a fan solving the crime! By the way, I thought it was Rick Lewis in the Conservatory with the Lead Pipe.
Veteran fans will remember that The Lewis has favourites and there was a mole in the house last year. I don’t know what The Lewis has on Andre to stay on here at the expense of the team, but it had better be good.
On Section 23, Chris posted some true comedy:
"How on earth is he going to talk to kids about decision making and consequences if he can’t say what he did?
Eric: *after 20 minutes of talking* And that children is why no matter how well things are going for you, you always have to be accountable for your actions. Does anyone have any questions?
Child: ummm… but what did you do that you had to be accountable for?
Eric: That is an internal matter and will be dealt with inside the organization."
Satire -- I love it.
IMO, a baseball coach and PT expert does not a basketball coach make, no matter how close he is to the owner. So I guess that is my thought on what has to change to fix the Rainmen.
In terms of sacrifices of pay and time lost, Eric is still getting paid. The season is only 3 months long anyway, and Eric loves Hali. I believe he has called it his second home. Eric could very likely want to stay here for personal reasons, read girlfriend.
Either the real reason for the suspension is huge and the Rainmen are sheltering Eric as well as his reputation and career and Eric is standing up and being repentant for his mistake, in which case, hooray for everyone; OR Eric is taking one for the team, after standing up to an outclassed tyrant and he is toeing the party line for a longer-term deal with the team to stay in Hali, ’cause we’re so lovable. I don’t know who to cheer for in that scenario.
The hero in all of this is Rainmen PR head Nancy Sheppard, who has obviously coached the three men involved (Eric, The Lewis and Andre) in how to circle the wagons.
Unfortunately for the Rainmen, this blog (’cause it is truly so awesome) has perpetuated significant fan speculation. That cannot be good for the Rainmen. Somehow I think they are trying to save face (whose face, I am not sure as of yet) and in doing so, they remain inscrutable to the point of hurting the organization. At least, that is how I see it right now. I am sure that when the facts come to light — if they haven’t already on Section 23, thanks to Lila — everyone will wish it had been handled differently.
To replace Eric at centre, the Rainmen have signed 37 year old John Strickland, a journeyman if ever there was one. At 6'8" and 275 pounds, Strick will be a lot of man to move under the net. Let's just hope he has the fitness to keep up. That means that young Tyronne McNeal is gone. McNeal only played a handful of minutes and was never given much of a chance to get used to playing for the Rainmen.
So much for Lewis being able to develop young players. Remember that was the selling point for choosing him as coach before last season? Ask Derico Wigginton how well his player development went last year. Better yet, don't ask him, he probably wants to forget the whole thing ever happened.
Despite the touting of Lewis as a PT specialist who can develop young players, history has shown that if a player cannot fall into the Lewis program immediately, he rides the pines and/or is booted. To me, this is code for Lewis is bossy and doesn't take any argument from his players. It's his way or the highway. Older, more experienced players would do well to shut up, keep their heads down and hope for some scout to see them and whisk them away to a better-coached team. Eric finally had enough and look what it got him.
So now that Eric Crookshank is suspended with no one from the Rainmen saying why, there has been furious speculation on Section 23 as to the real reasons behind the furor.
It seems like the real reason leaked out, through the many, many fan posts on Section 23. Eric had words (probably very strong words) with the coach and Boom Goes The Dynamite, he's suspended for the remaining 80% OF THE SEASON!
Wow, not bad! Less than a day and a half from Chris’ post to a fan solving the crime! By the way, I thought it was Rick Lewis in the Conservatory with the Lead Pipe.
Veteran fans will remember that The Lewis has favourites and there was a mole in the house last year. I don’t know what The Lewis has on Andre to stay on here at the expense of the team, but it had better be good.
On Section 23, Chris posted some true comedy:
"How on earth is he going to talk to kids about decision making and consequences if he can’t say what he did?
Eric: *after 20 minutes of talking* And that children is why no matter how well things are going for you, you always have to be accountable for your actions. Does anyone have any questions?
Child: ummm… but what did you do that you had to be accountable for?
Eric: That is an internal matter and will be dealt with inside the organization."
Satire -- I love it.
IMO, a baseball coach and PT expert does not a basketball coach make, no matter how close he is to the owner. So I guess that is my thought on what has to change to fix the Rainmen.
In terms of sacrifices of pay and time lost, Eric is still getting paid. The season is only 3 months long anyway, and Eric loves Hali. I believe he has called it his second home. Eric could very likely want to stay here for personal reasons, read girlfriend.
Either the real reason for the suspension is huge and the Rainmen are sheltering Eric as well as his reputation and career and Eric is standing up and being repentant for his mistake, in which case, hooray for everyone; OR Eric is taking one for the team, after standing up to an outclassed tyrant and he is toeing the party line for a longer-term deal with the team to stay in Hali, ’cause we’re so lovable. I don’t know who to cheer for in that scenario.
The hero in all of this is Rainmen PR head Nancy Sheppard, who has obviously coached the three men involved (Eric, The Lewis and Andre) in how to circle the wagons.
Unfortunately for the Rainmen, this blog (’cause it is truly so awesome) has perpetuated significant fan speculation. That cannot be good for the Rainmen. Somehow I think they are trying to save face (whose face, I am not sure as of yet) and in doing so, they remain inscrutable to the point of hurting the organization. At least, that is how I see it right now. I am sure that when the facts come to light — if they haven’t already on Section 23, thanks to Lila — everyone will wish it had been handled differently.
To replace Eric at centre, the Rainmen have signed 37 year old John Strickland, a journeyman if ever there was one. At 6'8" and 275 pounds, Strick will be a lot of man to move under the net. Let's just hope he has the fitness to keep up. That means that young Tyronne McNeal is gone. McNeal only played a handful of minutes and was never given much of a chance to get used to playing for the Rainmen.
So much for Lewis being able to develop young players. Remember that was the selling point for choosing him as coach before last season? Ask Derico Wigginton how well his player development went last year. Better yet, don't ask him, he probably wants to forget the whole thing ever happened.
Despite the touting of Lewis as a PT specialist who can develop young players, history has shown that if a player cannot fall into the Lewis program immediately, he rides the pines and/or is booted. To me, this is code for Lewis is bossy and doesn't take any argument from his players. It's his way or the highway. Older, more experienced players would do well to shut up, keep their heads down and hope for some scout to see them and whisk them away to a better-coached team. Eric finally had enough and look what it got him.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Latest developments with the Rainmen
The Rainmen have started their season at 3-1, with the one loss happening last Sunday. All of the games have been close, with single digit differences in the final scores each time. The Rainmen's loss to Montreal was a direct result of Eric Crookshank, one of the Rainmen's leading players, being benched for about half the game.
On Monday, the Metro newspaper reported what seemed to be a disagreement between Coach Rick Lewis and Crookshank. It is hard to believe the team would want to air out its dirty laundry in public. Anyway, it seemed like a blip until today, when the same paper reported that Eric Crookshank is now suspended for the season, with pay! What?!?
Oh man. What a PR nightmare the Crookshank suspension will be. He is the face of the team, he is announced at the games as “Halifax’s own”, and he is a personable guy to boot.
If #20 isn’t on the court, expect new fans of this season to stay home in droves, especially kids.
Without Crookshank, I can see the Rainmen repeating last year’s record of 0.375, especially since Brian Silverhorn, the Rainmen's outside shooter, is out with a bad knee. Ugh.
Why do I feel like a Chicago Cubs fan all of a sudden?
On Monday, the Metro newspaper reported what seemed to be a disagreement between Coach Rick Lewis and Crookshank. It is hard to believe the team would want to air out its dirty laundry in public. Anyway, it seemed like a blip until today, when the same paper reported that Eric Crookshank is now suspended for the season, with pay! What?!?
Oh man. What a PR nightmare the Crookshank suspension will be. He is the face of the team, he is announced at the games as “Halifax’s own”, and he is a personable guy to boot.
If #20 isn’t on the court, expect new fans of this season to stay home in droves, especially kids.
Without Crookshank, I can see the Rainmen repeating last year’s record of 0.375, especially since Brian Silverhorn, the Rainmen's outside shooter, is out with a bad knee. Ugh.
Why do I feel like a Chicago Cubs fan all of a sudden?
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Patriots 2008 Season Post-Mortem
Going 11-5 and not making the playoffs because of Brett Favre makes me ill. Long story short, the Pats did very well this year and could have won the division, if Favre and the Jets had beaten the Dolphins in the final week of the season, but Favre's 38-year-old arm was not up to the task. Matt Cassell ensured his multi-millionaire status with a near Brady-esque performance all season. The Pats are likely to put the franchise tag on him to make sure either a) they can keep him if Brady's off-season rehab doesn't go as well as expected, or b) they can actually get something for him if another team wants Cassell bad enough.
Injuries made it an uphill battle this year for the Pats, even after the devastating first-quarter-of-first-game end of the season for QB Tom Brady. Other notable injuries during the season included Rodney Harrison and Adalius Thomas on defence and Laurence Maroney on offence, although the backfield was plenty full with Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, and LaMont Jordan sharing the ground attack duties. Even Junior Seau came out of retirement, along with late-season replacement (and former Patriot) Roosevelt Colvin, to fill out the defence. Speaking of defence, rookie Jerod Mayo won the Defensive Rookie of the Year honours. Mayo was a bright spot on an ageing defence, that needs new life next year if they are going to keep up with opponents' offensive lines.
My man Wes Welker -- one of two Patriots who were selected for the 2009 Pro Bowl, along with kicker Stephen Gostkowski -- almost broke his receptions record from last year, falling short (no pun intended) by only one catch. If not for the 2008 Snow Bowl against Arizona and the Wind Bowl against the Bills, he certainly would have broken the Patriots receptions record that he set last season.
Speaking of weather, Bill Belichick weathered the critics who believed his success was due to Brady's greatness. True, Belichick has enjoyed coaching in the Brady era, including being named the NFL Coach of the Year for last season's 16-0 record, but I think this year showed that Bill has improved since his time with the Cleveland Browns, when his team went 36-44 over 5 seasons, with only one winning season in that period. In his 9 years at New England, Belichick has a record of 102-42, or 0.708 winning record, with a post-season record of 14-3, or 0.824, including 3 Super Bowl championships. His 11-5 record this season is 0.688, or just below his average with the Pats. Although there is talk of some of his coaching staff leaving for other opportunities, Belichick will withstand these changes and will continue to prove that he is one of the best coaches in NFL history.
It will be difficult to watch the playoffs without the Patriots, but it is still football and every game is a must-win, so it should make for some exciting games.
Injuries made it an uphill battle this year for the Pats, even after the devastating first-quarter-of-first-game end of the season for QB Tom Brady. Other notable injuries during the season included Rodney Harrison and Adalius Thomas on defence and Laurence Maroney on offence, although the backfield was plenty full with Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, and LaMont Jordan sharing the ground attack duties. Even Junior Seau came out of retirement, along with late-season replacement (and former Patriot) Roosevelt Colvin, to fill out the defence. Speaking of defence, rookie Jerod Mayo won the Defensive Rookie of the Year honours. Mayo was a bright spot on an ageing defence, that needs new life next year if they are going to keep up with opponents' offensive lines.
My man Wes Welker -- one of two Patriots who were selected for the 2009 Pro Bowl, along with kicker Stephen Gostkowski -- almost broke his receptions record from last year, falling short (no pun intended) by only one catch. If not for the 2008 Snow Bowl against Arizona and the Wind Bowl against the Bills, he certainly would have broken the Patriots receptions record that he set last season.
Speaking of weather, Bill Belichick weathered the critics who believed his success was due to Brady's greatness. True, Belichick has enjoyed coaching in the Brady era, including being named the NFL Coach of the Year for last season's 16-0 record, but I think this year showed that Bill has improved since his time with the Cleveland Browns, when his team went 36-44 over 5 seasons, with only one winning season in that period. In his 9 years at New England, Belichick has a record of 102-42, or 0.708 winning record, with a post-season record of 14-3, or 0.824, including 3 Super Bowl championships. His 11-5 record this season is 0.688, or just below his average with the Pats. Although there is talk of some of his coaching staff leaving for other opportunities, Belichick will withstand these changes and will continue to prove that he is one of the best coaches in NFL history.
It will be difficult to watch the playoffs without the Patriots, but it is still football and every game is a must-win, so it should make for some exciting games.
Rainmen beat Kebs in Home Opener, 124-112
It’s good to see the Rainmen dominate Quebec, who had our number last season. The fact that we beat the Kebs in almost every area of the game augers well for the coming year.
The PBL box score is fantastic! I liked the play-by-play and the stats on turnover, second chance and bench points. So that’s what a real league is like…
Good chemistry between most of the Rainmen, it seems like some of them are actually friends. Having a double-digit lead for much of the game also helps boost team spirit.
Eric: the most obvious game changer and team leader. When Coach put Eric back on to re-capture the energy on the floor, the game changed back to the Rainmen’s favour. After the game, Eric announced that they want to bring a championship to Halifax. I think they might do just that!
Rob Sanders/”Shoulders”: just about knocked a guy out driving to the net; once he lowers that shoulder, count on him scoring.
Jimmy: the most consistent point guard we have, who also happened to score 15 points.
Dandridge: not his best game, hopefully he gets back to his former three-point draining self for Sunday.
Silverhorn: was not in his usual shooter position, but mixed it up under the net and scored from the FT line. With Dandridge as an alternate shooter, I thought this role went alright for Brian.
SirVal: OK, maybe he isn’t the second-highest scoring athlete in NCAA anymore, but I was impressed with his athleticism, in particular the grab he made of a pass that was behind him as he crossed the floor. Let’s give him some space and see how he performs before we write him off.
Hammack: up and down game for him, impressive at times but 2 flubbed passes took the air out of our sails for a bit.
Cordell “Ce n’est pas” Jeanty: like Dandridge, seemed a bit off for this game.
David Bailey: probably going to be the player to be voted Most Like KD. He makes things happen, but isn’t the superstar. Also, he is a nice guy in person.
McNeal: who knew our 7-footer could sink the long shot? However, would like to see him mix it up more around the net and use his size to back other guys off.
Ramey and Mayes: didn’t see enough of them to make an impression, sorry.
Coaching: Certainly improved from last year. Subbed in the bench when we had the game in hand but were not afraid to replace them with starters to ensure the win.
Quebec Coach: Apparently selling Benz’s didn’t work out, he was sporting a Honda shirt. The Fit is Go! hahahaha
P.S. the Quebec assistant coach looked like an extra from the Godfather movies; nice tie, buddy!
Officials: Will the officials ever give a technical for coaches being on the court will play is on? Sure doesn’t seem like they will.
Production: At half-time, the electrical cord that rose to the rafters in front of my seat was moved, thank you to whoever made that happen in my absence.
Seemed like everyone was still feeling their way, production-wise and the Weather Girls (only one veteran from last year) were pretty disappointing. They need to either be a presence or be disbanded. Why are they not shaking their pompoms under the net when the opponents are shooting? I still think they should be leading some cheers and otherwise engaging with the audience, rather than simply walking in a group everywhere like the popular girls in high school.
There were 19 people sitting at the courtside tables (PR, game officials, media types), versus about half that number last year. It looked like they were having an economic summit to try and solve the credit crisis, or something. Just seemed like a lot of people.
Paul Palmeter is no Mavs Gillis.
The PBL box score is fantastic! I liked the play-by-play and the stats on turnover, second chance and bench points. So that’s what a real league is like…
Good chemistry between most of the Rainmen, it seems like some of them are actually friends. Having a double-digit lead for much of the game also helps boost team spirit.
Eric: the most obvious game changer and team leader. When Coach put Eric back on to re-capture the energy on the floor, the game changed back to the Rainmen’s favour. After the game, Eric announced that they want to bring a championship to Halifax. I think they might do just that!
Rob Sanders/”Shoulders”: just about knocked a guy out driving to the net; once he lowers that shoulder, count on him scoring.
Jimmy: the most consistent point guard we have, who also happened to score 15 points.
Dandridge: not his best game, hopefully he gets back to his former three-point draining self for Sunday.
Silverhorn: was not in his usual shooter position, but mixed it up under the net and scored from the FT line. With Dandridge as an alternate shooter, I thought this role went alright for Brian.
SirVal: OK, maybe he isn’t the second-highest scoring athlete in NCAA anymore, but I was impressed with his athleticism, in particular the grab he made of a pass that was behind him as he crossed the floor. Let’s give him some space and see how he performs before we write him off.
Hammack: up and down game for him, impressive at times but 2 flubbed passes took the air out of our sails for a bit.
Cordell “Ce n’est pas” Jeanty: like Dandridge, seemed a bit off for this game.
David Bailey: probably going to be the player to be voted Most Like KD. He makes things happen, but isn’t the superstar. Also, he is a nice guy in person.
McNeal: who knew our 7-footer could sink the long shot? However, would like to see him mix it up more around the net and use his size to back other guys off.
Ramey and Mayes: didn’t see enough of them to make an impression, sorry.
Coaching: Certainly improved from last year. Subbed in the bench when we had the game in hand but were not afraid to replace them with starters to ensure the win.
Quebec Coach: Apparently selling Benz’s didn’t work out, he was sporting a Honda shirt. The Fit is Go! hahahaha
P.S. the Quebec assistant coach looked like an extra from the Godfather movies; nice tie, buddy!
Officials: Will the officials ever give a technical for coaches being on the court will play is on? Sure doesn’t seem like they will.
Production: At half-time, the electrical cord that rose to the rafters in front of my seat was moved, thank you to whoever made that happen in my absence.
Seemed like everyone was still feeling their way, production-wise and the Weather Girls (only one veteran from last year) were pretty disappointing. They need to either be a presence or be disbanded. Why are they not shaking their pompoms under the net when the opponents are shooting? I still think they should be leading some cheers and otherwise engaging with the audience, rather than simply walking in a group everywhere like the popular girls in high school.
There were 19 people sitting at the courtside tables (PR, game officials, media types), versus about half that number last year. It looked like they were having an economic summit to try and solve the credit crisis, or something. Just seemed like a lot of people.
Paul Palmeter is no Mavs Gillis.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Barack Obama makes history
Last night at 1:15 AM Atlantic Standard Time is one of those times of my life that I will probably remember for a long time, one of those "Where were you when it happened?" moments. That was the time of Barack Obama's speech in front of hundreds of thousands of people in Chicago.
Obama became the first black man to be elected president of the United States. I think this really marks a turning point in US history, given that nation's record of slavery and systemic racism against minorities.
Obama's victory makes the old adage that "anyone can become President" ring truer than ever. I think Obama's status as a black man who was not descended from people who were taken in the slave trade made it possible for him to ascend to America's highest office. He was not a direct product of colonial slavery even though he has lived with its after-effects his whole life.
My greatest fear of this election before last night was that the "shadowy men" who have run the US for the past 8 years would somehow rig this election as they have the last two, with voter fraud in 2000 and blatant fear-mongering in 2004. What last night's assembly in Chicago showed me and the rest of the world was that Obama's message resonates with Americans and his quest for the White House would not be denied.
As most people probably feel this morning, I am hopeful for the next 4 years. With Democrats in control of the executive and legislative branches of the government, they can make real progress toward repairing the debauchery of Bush Jr.'s reign.
Obama became the first black man to be elected president of the United States. I think this really marks a turning point in US history, given that nation's record of slavery and systemic racism against minorities.
Obama's victory makes the old adage that "anyone can become President" ring truer than ever. I think Obama's status as a black man who was not descended from people who were taken in the slave trade made it possible for him to ascend to America's highest office. He was not a direct product of colonial slavery even though he has lived with its after-effects his whole life.
My greatest fear of this election before last night was that the "shadowy men" who have run the US for the past 8 years would somehow rig this election as they have the last two, with voter fraud in 2000 and blatant fear-mongering in 2004. What last night's assembly in Chicago showed me and the rest of the world was that Obama's message resonates with Americans and his quest for the White House would not be denied.
As most people probably feel this morning, I am hopeful for the next 4 years. With Democrats in control of the executive and legislative branches of the government, they can make real progress toward repairing the debauchery of Bush Jr.'s reign.
Monday, November 3, 2008
From Jon Hamm's appearance on SNL
Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women
• Step 1:
When in doubt, remain absolutely silent.
• Step 2:
When asked about your past, give vague, open ended answers.
• Step 3:
Have a great name.
• Step 4:
Look fantastic in a suit.
Look fantastic in casual wear.
Look fantastic in anything.
Sound good.
Smell good.
Kiss good.
Strut around with supreme confidence.
Be uncannily successful at your job.
Blow people away everytime you say anything.
Take six hour lunches.
Disappear for weeks at a time.
Lie to everyone about everything.
Drink and smoke constantly.
…basically, be Don Draper.
Mad Men is the best show on TV. If you haven't seen it yet, try to catch up. Season 2 just ended. Unfortunately, we will probably have to wait until next summer for Season 3.
• Step 1:
When in doubt, remain absolutely silent.
• Step 2:
When asked about your past, give vague, open ended answers.
• Step 3:
Have a great name.
• Step 4:
Look fantastic in a suit.
Look fantastic in casual wear.
Look fantastic in anything.
Sound good.
Smell good.
Kiss good.
Strut around with supreme confidence.
Be uncannily successful at your job.
Blow people away everytime you say anything.
Take six hour lunches.
Disappear for weeks at a time.
Lie to everyone about everything.
Drink and smoke constantly.
…basically, be Don Draper.
Mad Men is the best show on TV. If you haven't seen it yet, try to catch up. Season 2 just ended. Unfortunately, we will probably have to wait until next summer for Season 3.
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