brokeanklesdotblogspot, is what you do everyday with your boys, talk, rant and debate sports. we will comment on all the latest headlines, fantasy NBA news, spreads, our opinions and views on all sport related topics, NBA, NHL, MMA, NFL, GOLF...everything. lets bring that sport bar talk and arguing here, feel free to add comments and reply to any of our posts. Follow us on Twitter at, twitter.com/brokenanklesblog and email us at, brokenanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
I read this off another blog, and looked more into it. Caron Butler who was recently traded maybe pulled one of the classiest, whole hearted moves I have yet to see any other athlete engage in. He sent a 1 page thank you note to the fans of Washington, and its quite amazing what he has written. I remember seeing him on Jay Leno in his Laker days, simple guy, cool cat, and really down to earth. He is very well respected by his peers, seeing as Kobe basically said this guy is just amazing, and Dallas just became big time with his additon, not only for his on court play but his off court demeanor.
Nice job Caron.
Here is the letter:
When you get traded, you don't get time to say goodbye. More important, you don't get the opportunity to say, "Thank you."
Thank you, to some of the best fans in the world. Representing you and representing this city has been an honor I will always cherish.
During my 4 1/2 years as a Wizard, I learned many valuable lessons, especially how to give back to the community. The most rewarding part of my time in Washington was meeting the incredible people of this city, and I will miss you all. Thank you to the countless individuals who helped me with the annual Coats for Kids, the Bike Brigade and my basketball camp. The memories are many and will never be replaced.
When I came to Washington, I dreamed of winning a championship. I thought I would play the rest of my career in this city, retire a Wizard and one day see my number hanging from the rafters at Verizon Center. I have learned that in basketball, as in life, nothing is guaranteed.
Thank you for the memories. My family and I will treasure them forever. Washington will always hold a special place in my heart.
post by Kevin U follow us on twitter at, twitter.com/brokeanklesblog
A week prior to this, his team mate Dwight Howard set a Guiness World Record, hitting a shot 52 ft, 6 inches away from the basket while sitting down. After practice the other day, Dwight was doing much of the same, so Vince decided to give it a go.
Vince is that guy that you love to hate, in that, he can do things athletically and it seems a lot in general easier and better then YOU! Everybody know's that guy, I am that guy to Kevin Sunder. Anyhow, pretty cool video, Vince is, well i guess the unofficial world record holder now.
Post by Kevin U follow us on twitter at, twitter.com/brokeanklesblog
So Tracy Mcgrady is a Knick now.....fantastic. He's been killed with injuries for the better part of 5 years, but he's such an anomaly in that Tracy is one of those rare players who is a total freak of nature (see lebron, kevin durant) and when the guy is healthy and plays, you can automatically chalk him up for 25/7/7 and he does it in an extremely easy and simple manor that's really unparalleled. I don't think anyone has knocked the dude's skill set over the years, he truly is a phenom, one of my favorite offensive players to watch of all time and at his size to do the things he can do on the court is actually unfair and ridiculous.
However, over the last year he's been more of a poker player then ball player. Sitting quietly, not saying nothing, but knew what he wanted to do all along. Houston refused to bring him back aboard after his last setbacks due to injury last year and by all means they were right. That guy does mess up the development and chemistry of the young guys there and with that being said, the signing of Trevor Ariza in the summer all but spelled, "beat it t mac". So what's TMac thinking, hmmmm. This is where it gets interesting, as he sits on his ass knowing damn well he's not gonna play, he continues to stay in game shape and let's the NBA, fans and media know throughout that he's fine, feeling good, totally healed and back to his usual self. The Rockets showcase him for brief stints in the earlier part of the year, that reit rates he is healthy, and I would say almost since day one of this season, the Rockets were trying to move him. A day before trade deadline the trigger was pulled.
TMAC gets sent to the Kings and don't think for a second before this trade went down, his agent along with TMAC himself, hopped on the lines with the Knicks, and sold, sold, sold the shit out of Donny Walsh on taking his ridiculous contract, convincing him that not only does Tracy reap salary cap benefits but he is the Tracy of old. Donnie probably did have the intention, of bringing in Tracy's contract because of the rebuilding benefits of his contract, but then Tracy does Tracy as he's always done.
He's sitting on the flop totally blind, and the river comes out, and it says 19pts in 17mins, Knick debut a success, he looks fine and finishes the game with 26 points despite not playing more then 10 mins all season. Donnie Walsh looks like a winner and almost immediately after the game, Tracy declares he wants to stay and finish his career off as a Knick and sign for the minimum or next to nothing, next season to stay.
Hmmmmm.....well played Tracy, you went into this poker hand with a pair of jokers and won. Tracy will remain a Knick, and the guy is so sneaky in that, regardless of whoever the Knicks sign this off season, they will have at least two studs, a solid player in Wilson Chandler, a money shooter in DG Italia and Tracy, oh not to mention their all star David Lee who could be one of those studs or an addition two another 1, 1b player. That's not too shabby of a situation if you think about it, but its so sneaky. I mean Tracy has thrown himself literally at the New York media and fans, this guy wants to get out of the first round so badly its unbelievable. The fact remains that despite his unbelievable play in the early parts of 2000, he's been nothing more then a shill of his former self. His legacy, is somewhat finished and non existent, the guy maybe forgotten when you look back at the NBA 25 yrs from now....consider him the mitch richmond maybe of our era ? Don't get it twisted, like a great poker player, Tracy put himself on the Knicks, by choice. He had the intent and plan all along, it won't be that bad of a situation at all next season.
Anyhow, well played Tracy.... and Donnie Walsh, NY fan base , this fool is going down like a tree at some point next season when you have him under contract.
I have wrote this before, and i shall say it again. In sports, there are games you are suppose to win, and games you are suppose to lose. Tonight's loss against the USA hockey team, was a game we were suppose to win. At home, in Hockey, you do not lose to Team USA. You just don't do it. Team Canada Hockey has been really, really over hyped and going over to my facebook just now, and all the excuse status updates and even on twitter (cough cough bobby) tweets that i am reading are just funny. "Roberto should have started", "in 2002 Canada lost the won the gold...". BLAH BLAH BLAH. This team has been so hyped by everyone in this country, the media, fan's, that you would figure they are the equivalent of Team USA Basketball in skill and dominance. Bobby wrote a post below this about the game, getting more in depth with it...reporting it (bobby grrrr), I have a different take on things......
There were many reasons why the Canadian team lost, many of them technical and some of them a little qualitative, but I am pretty straight forward and i dont care why they lost. Bottom line is they should have won. Its like Team USA Basketball losing to Spain in Madison Square Gardens on a Friday night. Yeah its a possibility, but the team has been hyped up enough, and when looking down the roster you realize that there is actually no F'N chance in hell they will lose cause the team is just stacked. Same goes for this Canadian Hockey squad, sure many of the countries are great, Russia, Sweden, USA, but when looking down the roster of the Canadian team and looking down the roster of the Eastern/Western Conference NHL All Star Team's, there is not much difference. I mean I am not the biggest guy in terms of knowledge of the NHL, Sunder and Bobby who write on this site know the sport well. But i know SPORTS son....and what i just witnessed, a whole country disappointed and maybe that Canadian pride got swallowed after tonight's loss.
And eh....it wasnt even like a close game, 4-2, and the Canadian team couldnt put shit into that net, well maybe Sidney Crosby (literally fell into the net) but other then that, they couldnt score nadda, even with all that advertised fire power.
Hopefully they can make it though, and win the gold still or get a medal, but this loss was very, very unacceptable. I can go on and on, but i like keeping my posts right to the point!
Post by Kevin U
Follow us on twitter at, twitter.com/brokeanklesblog
So, with one week left in the Greatest Hockey Tournament ever, the preliminary round is pretty much over, and now the real showdowns start. But before I get to all that, Super Sunday happened and boy was it a dandy..if you didn't watch it..well then your a chump and I'm not even gonna talk about the game...read it yourself on a new paper site.
Here's my take on today's game...I under estimated the knowledge of Brian Burke. This guy does know what he is doing. He gets big strong players and he gets skilled players all on the ice together. Its unbelievable the chemistry he has created within the group of American players. Players have checked their egos at the door and are playing hard all the time. Kudos has to go to the USA coaches, and team for putting together their heads and making it work.
With that being said, the only reason...and I mean only reason Team USA won today...RYAN MILLER...this dude is a beast for the Buffalo Sabres and he's a beast for Team USA. The way he's been playing the last couple of years, I have to say he's like Marty Brodeur for the Devils, the heart and soul of the team. Canada's shots to the bottom of the net were met by his Reebok pads...he was just a beast in the net...I remember when I was a beast in goal wearing Cooper pads...ahhhh memories...
Team Canada needs to get their acts together, their first round opponent is Germany, and then its against the Russians (based on Canada beating the Germans). The hope here is that this extra game allows the Canadian players to gel together. What do I think they should do....Split up the first line (waiting for the oooooos and ahhhhhhs). Here is what I think should be seen on the top line...Crosby Getzlaf and Staal and then a line with Nash Iggy and Toews, and then the Sharks line and then Richards, Bergeron and Perry...I think that will get Getzlaf going and it will allow Toews to get going as well. Canada has a depth of Centremen, we need to ensure they are willing to play the wings too!!! Oh and huge props goes to the young guns on Canada's defence. Doughty, Keith, Weber all played huge minutes today for Canada!!!
Little hockey tidbit for you, today's Super Sunday matches, were all the Gold Medal games from the last three Olympics...Nagano, Japan (1998) Czechs vs. Russia (Czech's win on a hot goalie named Hasek), Salt Lake City, USA (2002) Canada vs. USA (Canada beats the Americans ending a 50 year Gold Medal drought), and in Turin, Italy (2006) Sweden vs. Finland (Mats Sundin is the Captain of the Swedes and wins the Gold Medal). So far at these Vancouver 2010 games, the LOSING team from the matches have won (Swedes and Fins are at midnight on the east coast so we'll find out tomorrow if that holds true or not).
Also on a side not for you all, in 2002 Canada finished the preliminary round 1-1-1 (very similar to how we finished now), and Sweden was 3-0-0 (like the USA). Canada won the gold medal, Sweden loses to the Belarussians in the Quarterfinal...It now becomes a one game tournament...anything is possible...one thing that has to be an obvious...Roberto Luongo is net for Canada here on out.
Hello everyone, just wanted to drop a quick post during this hockey game. Get on our twitter, @brokeanklesblog or twitter.com/brokeanklesblog. Ill be posting stuff throughout the game.
Let's go Canada!
Post by Kevin U Follow us on twitter, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
The trade deadline just passed and you can tell who were going for it this year (Cleveland, Dallas) and who were trying to buy for next year (Knick, Clippers). NBA trades are more about cap space than about talent, which is sad, because fans of teams get excited about cap space rather than talent coming in. When free agency hits, the tier guys are going to stay or book it to one of these markets. But what happens to the rest of guys. I'm not talking about 1A guys (Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh), I'm talking about guys like Drew Gooden's, Al Harrington's, Nate Robinson's and Bobby Simmons? You know, the over rated guys in the league. I have no problem with these guys getting their own. They have a short playing time and they should get theirs. Only problem, once they get theirs, they plateau out and management and fans see it was a mistake to sign that player. Toronto is experiencing that with Hedo right now. Compared to other sports, this concept of the over rated player is huge in the NBA as they have smaller rosters. So when you are paying Larry Hughes close to 10 million to come off your bench, you have a problem. It's guys like Hughes, Tim Thomas, Randy Foye, Kenon Martin, samuelDalembert and Sean May who were either drafted high or came from good programs where they were allowed to succeed who become highly over rated in the pros and for the first few years and sold to fans for their potential. These dudes come in already with a sense of entitlement and rely purely on their athleticism and never truly pick up the smarts and instincts for the game. Tim Thomas is perfect example of a dude you want to choke out for not getting it. He has the right frame for the NBA, but lacks the intelligence to pick up things. His worst mistake was leaving Phoenix for the Clips. Nash made him look incredible. I hear this from fans when they get guys like Adam Morrison, Sebastian Telfair to their teams; if we can tap into his potential, he can help us. Eventually, you have to realize who these guys are for you. Sub standard players. For every 5 Adam Morrison's, you will get 1 Shannon Brown, who was a throw in for the Morrison deal with LA.
The NBA is sold to fans for it's individualism more than it's team concept. So when these players come into the league, this the path way that has set for them. I don't blame for thinking about their endorsements and merchandising sales for them. But dude, if you are earning $11 million a year, at least have a double digit scoring average
Post by Kevin S Follow us on twitter at, twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
The greatest Jordan spot in my mind ever done on TV. Honestly this spot gives me goosebumps every time i watch it, because every time i watched Jordan play in my lifetime, thats what it was like. That creepy song playing in my head, everything around me did not matter, i just watched Jordan do his thing and nothing else mattered. The argument that there can possibly be a better player or some current players in the same breath as him, in terms of being the GOAT. Beat it and just stop that BS.
He was unstoppable, or bull, or whatever you want to call it.
Post by Kevin U Follow us on twitter at, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
Here is another one of my personal favorites, "23vs39". Gatorade Jordan spot, where 39 year old Mike is in the gym, shooting, and in walks in a 23 year old Michael Jordan in the Bulls red. They both go at it one on one, where the 23 year old Jordan, was just vicious, dunking, dunking, and explosive. The 39 year old Jordan, shows the tight D, fade away jumper, and the finesse that made Michael Jordan the greatest player of our generation.
The spot ends, and both guys are sitting at the bench, and in walks in 19 year old MJ in the Tar Heels, baby blue....
awesome stuff.
Post by Kevin U Follow us on twitter at, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
Just saw this commercial and its awesome....Dwayne Wade is the new "coverboy" for Jordan Brand, and this commercial he just did entitled "Nightmare's never sleep" is pretty cool. Its awesome that, the Jordan brand of shoes is still the shit, and having Dwayne Wade be the face of his brand going forward, just makes sense. If this guy somehow signs with Chicago this summer, that would be even cooler.
Post by Kevin U Follow us on twitter at, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
Well Well Well...its finally here...The 21st Winter Olympics has finally arrived, and as Kev put it, it is in our Home and Native Land!!! Let me first say congratulations are in order for Alexandre Bilodeau who became not just the first Canadian Gold Medalist at these games for Canada...but Canada's first gold medalist on HOME SOIL!!! 34 years in the making and Canada finally can hear its own national anthem on home soil, was a special night last night and tonight!!!
No offense to the other sports, but the number one team sport in the games is and always will be the Men's Hockey Tournament. This tournament consists of 12 of the top teams who qualified for the tournament. In Group C, you have Belarus, Finland, Germany and Sweden. In Group B, you have Czech Republic, Latvia, Russia, and Slovakia. Rounding out the teams, In Group A, you have Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. Now, previous from the International Ice Hockey Federation Rules in which International games have taken a twist, this tournament has it as well. The teams will play round robins in the group, and all 12 teams will be seeded 1-12. The top four teams in the tournament will get an automatic bye into the quarternfinals. The remaining eight teams will play a sudden death match to determine the remaining four spots in the tournament. These eight teams are reseeded and play in the top four, with the winners going to the semis (again reseeded). I love this idea of reseeding, I've said all the time that in the NHL they should really re-seed the teams so that eliminate bad match ups. By reseeding, your insuring the top teams won't play against each other in nothing other than the final. Its great for the sport, and its great for the tournament as well.
Now, lets be honest, out of the twelve teams involved in the tournament, there are really only 6 teams that are strong medal contenders. Sweden, Finland, Czech's, Russia, Canada and the United States. The Fins and the Czechs in my opinion are the teams who rank on the bottom of these six teams. They don't have the teams they used to, but then again they could be dark horses like they were in 1998 and in 2006 respectively (Czechs in 1998 Nagano, and Fins in 2006 in Turin). The World is hoping for a Canada Russia final. Canada and Russia have had some battles recently, more recent in the World Juniors and in the World Championships. I think a USA Canada battle would be awesome too, but we can't discount the Swedes...a lot of people are forgetting...this was the team that WON GOLD IN TURIN!!! Here's my Pre-Olympic analysis...of the tournament on the top four teams.
The United States of America Don't under estimate this USA team. They've got youth, skill and most importantly in a two week tournament, strength in goal. Like Brian Burke and how he builds his team, I'm going to start from the net out. For the first time that I can really remember, the United States has a good crop of goaltenders to chose from in this tournament. The starter has to be Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. This guy has simply been the best goaltender in the league and should easily be able to win the Venzia trophy for this season's play. The backup's aren't too shabby...Tim Thomas (last year's Vezna trophy winner) and Jonathan Quick, whose lightening fast glove has made him a legit starter in the league. On Defense, they are big strong guys...who don't just knock you down when you get into their zone, but are able to score. Except for Brian Rafalski, all the Defensemen on the team are over 6' tall!!! Finally the forwards...speed, skill and a lot of punch to it. Burke said that he'd build the Toronto Maple Leafs with a top 6 unit of speed and skill, and a bottom 6 unit of forwards who can do the dirty work and won't mind getting themselves dirty in the process. Ultimately, I think that this group of USA players are not as scary as what others are fielding, however...they can surprise people. The Americans have two things motivating them; the first being that 30 years ago in Lake Placid, New York...a group of college kids beat the mighty Soviet Union and the Miracle on Ice happened! The second being, 8 years removed from the Salt Lake City games, now USA can ruin Canada's chances at a gold on home soil! My prediction, USA places 3rd in the tournament. Since we are Toronto Maple Leafs supporters (well I am) the Leafs representing this team include Phil Kessel (F), Ron Wilson (Coach), Brian Burke (General Manager) and Mike Komisarik (he was supposed to play but due to injury will miss the tournament).
Sweden The Swedes are the defending Olympic Champions. Gone are the days of Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg (wait no that ain't right, he's still there...damn he was even Sweden's flagbearer too!!!) Sweden is a methodical team. Built with strength and skill. But the beauty with the Swedes is, every player on the ice wearing the Blue and Yellow know what their roles are on the team and are OK with it. In 2006, Sir Henrik stole the show in the Olympics...he single handily (literally as that catching glove was something special to see) brought Sweden the gold medal . Sweden will have a potent offense that will be scary. I love how they'll probably have Forsberg centreing the Sedin twins...that will be fun to watch for sure!!! The Sedin's will be familiar with the area, as GM Place/Canada Hockey Place will be the site for all the games being played in the tournament. I'm looking forwarding to seeing Henrik Zetterberg suit up, this guy is a beast and is easily the hardest working player on the ice, even when he wins the Stanley Cup!!! Leafs on the team, Jonas Gustafson who should be able to learn a lot from watching Henrik play, but will also learn a lot from being around great players like Forsberg, Lidstrom, Franzan, Zetterberg, and yes I'll even say it...ALFREDSON...FUCKING KRUSTY THE CLOWN!!!! My prediction for the Swedes...fourth in the tournament.
Russia This team is full of star power galore. Lots and Lots and Lots of offense. It doesn't hurt having some of the top players in the NHL play for your country. Ovi, Malkin, Kovalchuck...wow...what a line that is right there. Dark horse for those who don't watch hockey enough is Alexander Raddulov. You might be saying, Bobby...who the hell is he and why are you bigging him up? Well, he was with the Nashville Predators, and when the KHL inaugurated, they went in and signed this guy under the Preds noses (which then prompted the NHL, and the IIHF to investigate everything). Long story short...this guy is the start of the KHL in Russia. He's big, fast and loves to score (remind you of a player who wears number 8 in Washington). Raddulov has some of the dirtiest goals in the KHL, and he spins his stick likee he just shot a cannon in war!!! The worry for this Russian squad is a couple of things...after Gonchar and Markov, who do the Russkies have on Defense?Thats really when the Russian's get thin...problem with Markov and Gonchar, both have very flimsy knees and a small injury could really hurt the team in a huge way!!! The second and third reasons go hand and hand...Ego and not enough pucks on the ice. Ego is a great thing in sports, it is what drives our competitive edge. Its what makes us better. Ego is a great tool to motivate when it comes to club sports because in most cases there is only one player who is deemed the star. In National teams, it is a little different. Egos can collide and cause friction between teammates. I don't know if that is what will happen in Vancouver with this team, but what I can say is this...the four forwards I mentioned, love to score and love to be the one to score at all times. There is not enough pucks on the ice to do that for them...and I think if the Russians go down in a game, that's when the friction will start. There are no Leafs on this team...although Kulemin was looked at heavily. Prediction...Russia places 2nd.
Canada We all knew where we were on that faithful February 24, 2002 when Canada beat the United States in Salt Lake City to win Canada's first Olympic Gold Medal in 50 years in Men's Hockey From the minute Canada got out of medal contention in Turin, Italy all eyes have been on Vancouver's Men's Olympic Hockey. Specifically in our country, where Hockey is Life (again sorry Kev, you just know its true), you knew that it would be a great mission to ensure that Canada not only places well in the tournament but wins a Gold Medal. In a pool done by I think the Toronto Star, it said which would you be more satisfied with, Canada reaching its desired medal total but the Hockey not winning gold, or Hockey wins gold, but Canada doesn't reach the desired medal count. Almost 65% of the voters went for option B than A. That's how much hockey matters in this great country of ours. Canada has a riches of players, and no matter what is done, the players NOT REPRESENTED in the Olympics will always draw into a conversation. When you have players like Jordan Staal, Jeff Carter, Vincent Lecaliver, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Brad Richards, John Tavares, Shane Doan, Ryan Smyth, Dione Phaneuf, Mike Green, Joe Boemester, Robyn Regher, Cam Ward, and the list goes on and on of players not chosen to pla for Canada....it can get quite astounding. Canada could send a Canada B team and I think we'd win GOLD AND SILVER!!! Steve Yzerman in my opinion put together a team of the best players that will work together to acheive one goal. Canadian hockey is never about the name on the back but the logo and name on the front. No Leafs were named on this team, and based on the way the Leafs played in this tournament, I didn't think any were really being considered...WATCH FOR DREW DOUGHTY...THIS KID IS A MAN ON A MISSION!!!! Is there any doubt, what my prediction is...Canada wins Gold!!!
These are the four best teams in the tournament, I think it should be a special one. I hope that its not the last time that NHLers are in the Olympics...send them to Sochi Russia!!!
Here is my final treat...I promise...long blog but well worth it in the end...the Babes of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics...enjoy y'all
So this years massive nba all star weekend was a massive disappointment!! No if, and or but's about it, from Friday to Sunday the events of this game/weekend were just BALLS! I would say the only two worthwhile events this entire weekend were the skills competition (big ups to Nash) and the celebrity game (well watching T.O. and his phenomenal basketball skill set).
The NBA needs to revamp this weekend entirely and make it mean something, because its getting ridiculous. I had blogged a few weeks back about what I think they need to do to make this weekend better, ill put the link up with this article shortly, but they should (well david stern should) have a read and make some decisions. I am always available for input Mr. Stern.
I am not really going to get into detail but you guys get my drift, if you follow my posts regularly you know my thoughts about the NBA All Star weekend, so there really isn't any point in getting into detail as I usually do. This weekend was first of all bombarded by the CBA talks that are going to take place next year (well the deadline for a new deal is next year) and trade rumors. Yes, Amare will be a Cav by Thursday of this week, and yes David Aldridge is Carlton Bank's long lost Dad. I swear that guy is the TMZ of the NBA, dude start reporting things that matter.
The highlight however for me this weekend, was watching T.O. do his thing. For those who haven't seen him play ball, hop on youtube and search maybe "t.o. basketball" or something like that. The guy is an amazing ball player, like I guarantee if he put all his attention to basketball he could make the NBA in some capacity. He can shoot, handle, drive, slam, do it all. At one point in the celebrity game he gets the ball on the weak side, jab step, drop step, spins to the basket and slams it one hand. Crazy. I'm telling you with that slam he won the next days mediocre waste of time dunk off (which derozan was robbed of the title) that had a lot of ball head's in utter disappointment. Thanks T.O. For making my All Star weekend, cause from the actual game, to the events it was all shit, with the exception of you're antics in the celebrity game.
One more thing, the NBA I think was more concerned about setting a world record for attendance (which they did) and turning the game into a bloody MTV music show, then making the game and the weekend mean something more.....Stern make something happen, anything, cause next year if its in the same format, ill actually do something else over the long weekend.
Last night, (well 2 nights ago, post was written on saturday!) the Olympics officially began in my home and native land. It was a really cool ceremony, lots of nice singing, KD Lang looking like Sean Penn, special effects and considering it was the winter olympics there was lots of snow...I mean rain falling.
Weird.
So just thinking of the Olympics and all, something came at me like a lightning bolt. Rewind back a couple years ago, the summer Olympics were being held in China and all the hype was around the "Redeem Team," remember that? They won the gold and played a formidable Spanish team in the finals and it was one awesome finish, with Kobe closing the Spanish team out in the final few minutes.
All the focus though before that game though was about the Spanish Team and their infamous dumb ass picture before the Olympics.
Look at these dumb asses, honestly, how stupid do you have to be to sit in for a photo shoot like this. Like seriously! Half that roster plays in the NBA, each one of these guys plays or has played in the US and on top of it, each one of these guys has a serious agent who guides them through any of their PR stuff. The fact that these guys took this photo still boggles my mind, I mean look at them! To me, its not funny, or silly, its plain stupid. These guys basically demonstrated their ignorance, and unawareness of the politically correct society we live in.
After the picture was taken and released, it was almost immediately pulled and not talked about. Its amazing what the "higher powers" (cough, cough nike, cough, cough the nba) can do.....
Oh yah their women's team for Spain didn't want to be left out either. Fools.
Yes. I know it's been a while since I was able to blog about something. Thanks to the other co-owner (Big Diddler, aka Kev) for reminding me of this everyday on his blog and at my work. In my last blog, I wrote about the 90's generation of ballers to today's softer generation and it just seems something or someone is missing. I got it! We need Charles Oakley. Charles Oakley is baddeset, toughest baller I ever watched. When New York traded him to Toronto for Marcus Camby, I was the most excited person about this deal. Oak single handley changed Toronto from a soft team to a don't come in the paint or Oak will knock ya down team. It also didn't hurt that Oak played the same on the court as he did in real life.
When watching the Bulls-Knicks in the 90's, that was a rivalry where these guys would step over their own mother to beat the other opponent and who do you think was in the middle of all this? Oakley is a perpetual ish disturbor who had the basketball IQ, but also the street smarts to take players out of their game. Don't believe me, ask Alonzo Mourning (ring chaser). Oak brought toughness, rebounding and an edge to his teams he played for. Of course he crossed the lines some times, but he didn't apologize for it and made sure everyone knew where he was coming from. If you don't think Oak made a difference in Toronto, look at how Vince played before and after Oak left. Vince was a remarkable athletic freak who could cut through the paint and get to the line any time. If Vince was slacking, Oak made sure he was there to put Vince in his place. When Oak left, Vince starteed to rely more on his outside game. With Oak gone to push him, he rested on his talent, became lazy and was never the same player again (you know im right Kev). Of course Oak brought more to the table in his game, jsut ask Charles Barkley (slap in the face), jeff McGinnis (thrown basketball in the head for dealing with his girl, Tyrone Hill (nearly knocking the ish out of him for not paying on his dice game) and Vince's mom (putting in her in her place when she was questioning their strategies)
Oak has also done his healing part as well. Did you know it was Oak who squashed the beef between T-Mac and Vince? Oak played with Jordan, so he knew who the meal ticket was on the team and realized these guys needed to be pushed or get a slap upside the head when they were crusing. When people ask me who my favourite player is, I say with a straight face; Charles Oakley. My generation of ball had these players like Oakley, Dennis Rodman and Bill Lambeer. If you look at today's generation, the only guys I see similar to those is Ron Artest and Reggie Evans (a trade I loved as soon as I heard it). No one else in the league comes close.
If you watched Wednesay's Raps game against Philly, Reggie Evans made his debut and played 5 minutes. After he was subbed out, he got a standing ovation and a Reggie chant. Why all that for a bench guy who played 5 minutes? It's because he is closest thing Toronto has had since Oak and people respect real ballers.
I don't know what's sitting infront of me right now at the game but its starting to piss me off. Johnny and I witnessed Canada's worst male athlete/male ever, dude couldn't even hit a layup for a grand prize of a trip.
32-26, Raptors look good, Reggie Evans hasn't seen the court yet and is suited and anxious. Its 10:01 in the 2nd and hasn't seen the court. And here is another Raptor first, four alley's thus far. I'm keeping this short, still checking email anf sorting out a crazy day at the trading desk once again.
The headline, brings me back to the days of good knees and 8.5 foot nets on the street lol
The All Star weekend is upon us, well this weekend its upon us and it use to be something I would look forward to in past years, but not so much anymore. The game itself is kind of boring now, an over glorified pick up game, where the guys are just messing around, not as serious as it use to be. The 3 point competition is still pretty cool, h.o.r.s.e ( doesn't even come on tv), rookie game...yaawwwn....you guys get my drift, its really lost its flare. I can say its attributed to one reason and one reason alone, the dunk off.
The dunk off which in the past was the staple of the weekend, has become watered down, repetitive, and I don't care what anyone says, but after VC in 2000, and maybe J-Rich, they should have maybe just retired it because those dunks from the prior mentioned just set standards.
So how can we change this? How can the dunk off be the showcase of the weekend once again ? The players understood over recent years and realized they can't just dunk anymore they need to put on a show. Case in point: bringing a telephone booth to the court and changing into a cape, placing cupcakes on the rim and blowing out a candle placed within it, or my personal favorite; placing a taped marker near the 3 point line and not taking off anywhere near it. JSmith, honestly bro, what was the purpose of that?!!
The one thing that gets the fans and people going though in the dunk off is the nostalgia factor. Throwing on that retro wilkins, or webb jersey. Emulating a jordan or dee brown jam from back in the day, gets the crowd going crazy. With that being said, myself along with this other guy who writes on this blog once a month sunder, had talked about this and I'm gonna ink it. I actually talked about it and he started talking about how Seattle should still have a team....
Demar Derozan, you wanna win the dunk off this year and be the highlight of the weekend....??
"Yah big kev I do, help me" derozan talking... "Ok, son, let big kev help you"
Take it back to 2000, and get out the #1 raptors jersey that says "McGrady" and the #15 jersey that says "Carter" out of the closet. And because every dunk since those two were in the competition have been pretty lame, just dub Tracy and Vince's slams from that year. How crazy would that be !!???
Imagine it for a second, Derozan comes out his first dunk is something of his own and he impresses the judges (the dude can slam. no doubt). I mean he can't completely copyright infringe the 2000 competition so he does this to let the peeps know, yah I'm foreal son. For his second dunk, he takes of his jersey and puts on the T-Mac, and does the 360 tomahawk windmill jam, like tracy did in 2000 as his first, but Demar you refine it a bit and throw it down with authority. Crowd goes nuts, Derozan moves to the next round and puts on the Carter, he then proceeds to either (a) stick his elbow in the cylinder or (b) go behind the rim, 360 windmill and blows the entire roof off Dallas. He now moves to the finals and has the crowd in the palm of his hands (much like vince did). He now invites Tracy from the crowd to throw him the bounce pass from heaven, goes in between the legs, windmill jam, lands, two fingers pointing to the sky and looks at the crowd, waves both hands in opposite directions and says its over. People begin to faint, I break another television converter at my house cause I'm going nuts and the dunk off becomes relevant again for this one night.
Derozan, you've won the dunk off, you've put on a show and will be remembered. This scenario is as unlikely as me becoming the head coach of the team, but I can dream can't I !!???? Oh not to mention, you bring Toronto back to relevance in the NBA again, and we start making some of that TV money once again....
Let's just hope he wins the "dunk in" on friday, otherwise Ill look like a jackass for writing this, hahaha. Derozan better make it! I mean Chris doesn't get voted in and now are legit dunking rookie has to "auditon" for the dunk off. Eh last time I checked we were 5th in the east foo's! Like Rodney Dangerfield, we get no respect.
So a few weeks back I had blogged about how Vince Carter and the Disney crew were a disappointment so far this season. Their record is great and they got all over teams earlier in the year but as of late they've looked lost and you can tell their not gelling as a unit. Losing Hedo, who fit so well with their team last season, set them back and the arrival of Vince Carter, really hadn't looked like such a good deal, well until last night.
Vince has been a slump all season long and has been nagging with injuries on and off this season, and just hasn't looked like the guy who can give you 25/6/6 a night. He's been struggling with his shot, has got caught up heavily relying on the 3, as per Orlando's style and he seems unsure whether he should be VC or just plain ole Vince. No matter what anyone says about the guy, you can't knock two facets of his game: (1) he can light anyone up for a quick 30 and (2) he is a consummate team player, so much so that it gets frustrating at times.
Last night, he went off and I think Orlando figured it out yesterday. Get the ball in his hands, Dwight set that screen and everyone else get the f**k outta the way. My favorite Raptor of all time, looked as if he was rockin the purple in 2000. He had a decent first half, he was shooting well, looked confident and then in the second half things got nasty. If you did not watch the game, you should know it shall be known as the "come up....son". 3rd Q was all VC, he put his head down and at one point scored 12 straight, and in the 4th he showed the whole repertoire, in and out and just burned a NO squad that had these guys on the fence for the entire game. 1/2 man 1/2 amazing was all Reggie was sayin on the commenting side, Marv was all over Vince saying, "his career high is 54, and 51...looks like he'll break it..."
Bottom line, with 47 seconds to go, the Magic wrapped this game up and NO went for the foul, TO and quick shot strategy, Vince opted to in bound the ball instead of receiving and being sent to the line for some easy buckets. He could have finished with at least 54-56 and in the last 10 seconds was dribbling the ball out when everyone in the arena including the opposition was down for him gettin his fiddy....but he shook his head and said no, no, no with a grin.
He just wanted to prove a point, something he's done for his whole career, cause just when you think he's a flake, a loser, punk, waste of whatever (I've heard so much shit talked about this guy its unbelievable) he shows you why he is still one of the deadliest offensive threats this league has ever seen. Your playing with Dwight Howard, Rashad Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and you drop 48. Yah that's kind of nice.
This performance can translate into confidence for him, the magic and that means trouble for the rest of the east. These guys start putting it together from now, and get momentum into the playoffs with Vince being VC, like he said in 2000, "its over..." I called it when they made this trade that the Magic will be in the finals, that team is just stacked and as good as the cavs are, and Lebron aka Kan-EZ is, how you gonna stop 4 all stars in a 7 game series? You don't....
I'm out, and if after you read this and your like, "he's still a loser...etc etc" or my favorite are those Raptor fans who were riding his dick while he was here and think he's an ass now....here's some advice:
I just finished watching a Vintage Vince Carter performance, something I haven't seen in years. For those who know me...well do I even have to say anything lol.
Don't think for a second I'm not talking about this tomorrow...
So one week after some of the biggest trades in Leaf history occur, we now sit down and evaluate it. Now its fair to say, the Leafs are 2-1 since the trade, and their new goaltender hasn't allowed a goal in a Leafs jersey. However, that's all normal news...what I'm going to write about is what sort of chances the Leafs have of making the playoffs. With about 23 games left in the regular season, anything can happen. One of the biggest reasons for my renewed hope...the Olympic Break.
The Olympics are in Vancouver, and well they are trucking in snow from probably the North West Territories...however the gem of the entire tournament is the Mens Hockey Tournament. With teams made up of mostly NHL stars will be taking on each other. Team mates will face each other, and coaches will face their players. The Toronto Maple Leafs, are sending a hand full of players. Tomas Kaberle of the Czech Republic, Phil Kessel of the Americans, Jonas Gustafson of Sweden, and Mikhail Grabovski of Belarus. These are Toronto's Olympians this year (Hagman would be representing Finland but was traded to Calgary last week). Now when you look at a team like Detroit who is sending four players alone just to Sweden, you know they've got a great team. However, during this 2 week Olympic break, players not competing can relax, go on a vacation with their family, and get re-energized for the start of the season after March 3rd (thats when the big Trade Deadline is this year). Teams sending 9 to 10 players to the Olympics have to be holding their collective breath, remember in 2006 in Turin, Italy the Senators sent a goalie to the Czech Repbulic team by the name of Dominak Hasek, and he was injured in his first game at the Olympics. The Senators went on to win the Eastern Conference Regular season title, but got eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
The Leafs half 49 points to their name, and sit tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. However the difference in points between 8th and 14th, is 10 points. So with 23 games left to play in the regular season, and approximately 45 points to make up for a playoff spot, the Leafs will need to go 22-1-1 (the one loss would have to be in overtime). That would get them the 45 points they need. However, my theory in this, is make your significant push for the playoffs like you always do, and just miss, like you always do. The Leafs don't have a 1st Round Pick (as I've mentioned many many times on this blog), and I believe the single most important reason for bringing in Gigure is not only to Mentor young Gustaffson, but also to ensure the Leafs don't give a top 5 draft pick to the Boston Bruins (who are currently looking outside the playoff picture). If the draft lottery were done today, the Leafs would be sending the 2nd overall pick to the Boston Bruins, and Boston still has their number 7 pick in the draft. In Honour of Giggy, I've gotta get this one video up there...
Now I've heard that bringing in Phaneuf has now leveraged the Leafs into facilitating a deal for Kaberle, and you know what...I don't think it will happen. The only way, and I mean ONLY WAY a deal like this will be done, is if the Leafs get a bonified number 1 centre to play with Phil Kessel. The Leafs would have to get a player like Nicklas Backstrom from Washington, or Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh, or Anze Kopitar from the L.A. Kings, or dare I say, Jeff Carter from the Philly Flyers. That is the Leafs Immediate need, is a number one centremen. However, with that being said, Bozak is playing quite well with Kessel, so the need may actually diminish. Two American College stars playing their hearts out for the Blue and White is always a great time!
Kaberle is the only player from the Leaf teams of the early 2000's whose tasted playoff glory in Toronto (Poni actually may have been here too). And remembers when this city mattered in the Hockey world. The Phaneuf trade re-energized a hockey market that is content with mediocrity, and doesn't expect much out of their team. Last night's game, was probably one of the most energized crowds I've seen at the Air Canada Centre. Fans were doing the wave, cheering Ottawa Sucks, and Go Leafs Go with pride. This is the crowd, this is the atmosphere that makes teams scared to come to Toronto.
Toronto is to Hockey what Mecca is to the Muslims, what the Ganges River is to the Hindus and what the Vatican is to the Catholics. Toronto is the only city to have three holy shrines. The Hockey Hallf of Fame, the memorable Maple Leaf Gardens, and of course the Air Canada Centre. Brian Burke has said many times that Toronto is the Vatican of Hockey, it is a city hat ozzes pride in their team, and wishes them well. Maybe we won't have the days of Douggie and Wendal and Felix, but for a new generation of hockey fans in Toronto, Kessel, Phaneuf, and the Monster might be theirs. The Leafs will always matter in this city, and sorry Kev, no matter what they do, they'll always have front page coverage over the Raptors!!! LOL
On a side note, I love it when the Leafs wear their alternative third jersey! They should definitely wear those more than the other jersey.
45 points in 23 games, can it be done...gurus will probably say no...but listen I'm a Swami...I trump that shit!!!! GO LEAFS GO!!!!
On a sad note, I along with the entire Broke Ankles Blog family want to send our heart felt condolences to Brian Burke and his family on the loss of their son on Friday night in a car accident on the snowy roads in Indiana. Brendan Burke was a courageous kid, who fought off some stereotypes, and he definitely had an eye much like his father for Hockey players and talent.
Follow me on twitter @jollybenjabi
Cheers everyone!
Post by Kevin U Follow us on Twitter at, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
Basically its a little bit past the ½ way point in the NBA season, and lots of interesting things have been going on thus far, and more to come I hope. BANG BANG GA STYLE SON! The MVP race this year, is tight but you can already figure out who I have in the top 2, the other 3 maybe no surprise as well. Lets get to it, brokeankles examines the MVP race for 2010, as of Feb 4th, 2010.
5. Steve Nash Nash in the beginning of the year may have been in my top 2 or even top 1. Setting benchmarks for how a 35 year old man should be balling, leading his team in many stat categories, all while guiding them to an above .500 record. As we stated in a blog before, the suns are a SURPRISE so far, and it can all be attributed to Nash’s stellar play. He’s a starter in the all star game once again, and don’t be surprised if he takes home MVP honors for the game, he likes sticking it to Dallas everytime he plays. Nash and Co have fallen a little short as of late, some lineup changes and injury bugs have caught the best of them. Expect them to resume there frenetic pace once again just in time for the playoffs.
4. Chris Bosh CB4 has been the most dominant power forward this year in the NBA. That’s a big statement to make, but look at his numbers, his team is 5th in an east, where it is well known who would be in the top 4 prior to the season beginning. He is willing the Raptors to victories, is an all star yet again, setting career benchmarks and highs in many stat categories. In addition he has become the face and saviour for basketball in Canada, with the entire country on his back, last week he was named eastern conference player of the week, with the most ridiculous averages seen to date on his part. Chris will continue to dominant, and if the raptors can somehow make some more noise in the Atlantic, expect him to be in the top 2/3 in this convo later this year.
3. Kevin Durant / Carmelo Anthony He slid past Bosh in this list, last night after he over took Melo as your NBA scoring leader but having KD all alone at the 3 spot, would not be right as Melo has been a solider all year. Lets talk KD first, Durantula has now let the entire world know this season he is foreal, taking an OKC team into the playoff race which is just phenomenal, on top of the fact he has improved literally every facet of his game. With his solid play, improved skill set, sky is the limit for the former number 2 pick. Kevin Durant maybe the hottest topic in the NBA as of right now. Melo, has been leading the NBA in scoring for the majority of the year, and will continue to do so for the better part of his career. He is a machine on the offensive end of the game. He as well like KD has improved his overall play and has taken the role of being leader very serious. He plays on a great squad in the Nuggets, has them second in the West and at the top of the scrappy Northwest Division. Carmelo is foreal, and I hate the fact he gets lost in the talks sometimes of the oh so fabled class of 2003. Carmelo keeps this up, he like Bosh will jump into serious MVP consideration by year end.
2. Kobe Bryant This was a tough one for me; I think you all know how much I love Kobe. But Kobe has let some injuries get the best of his game for the better part of the season, which has accounted into some stupid losses on the LAL front and some shaky performances as of late. He has the second best record in the league with a formidable Lakers squad that is pretty much poised to win another chip this season. Kobe however, needs some rest in my opinion before the playoffs start to correct some of these wanky injuries he has. In the start of this season, it was hands down Bryant at the number one slot, maybe up until mid Jan.
1.Kanye West. Oops I mean, Lebron James
Lebron, has been insane this year statistically and his team is becoming a serious dominant force and is steam rolling through competition as of late. Lebron has been the focus of every game defensively and offensively and has been just phenomenal. Factor in the focus on team play he has exhibited since day one of being in the league and he has elevated the play of everyone on his team. He has even made me consider Anderson V as being the defensive player of the year. Lebron keeps up this pace, and the MVP is all but locked up, another back to back MVP winner. Lebron, keep it up, your too much dude!
other notables : rajon rondo, billups, dirk
Post by Kevin U Follow us on twitter at, Twitter.com/brokeanklesblog Email us at, brokeanklesdotblogspot@gmail.com
So the Raptors are playing literally the worst team in all of sports tonight, the new jersey nets. I'm already gonna call this a win, like normally you'd be inclined to give some credit to the other side involved but those guys are a total f'n mess, total mess. Del Harris who's had a pretty decent coaching career, resigned yesterday as an assistant coach, devin harris has become baron davis (bd, 4yrs ago), CDR is too busy twittering (check his twit feed if you don't believe), and factor in the fact that they play in the swamps and nobody in Jersey gives a shit about them, you have all the ingredients of a first class mess. They want Johnny Wall so badddddd.
So you can imgaine when they go on the road the home team needs to do something to entice fans to come out and watch. The Toronto Raptors have decided to kill it today, an unprecedent half time show to bring butts into the ACC. A half time show of historical significance, seriously! Today at the half performing live in front of the fans will be none other then, Vanilla Ice.
"Dance! bum rush a speaker that booms..."
Now I hope, I actually pray, that the raptors dance pack, the mascot and even some of the players get involved with this performance. I don't even know the last time the Iceman may have performed in front of a large audience, he'll definitely need the help. Him and his boojie moves.
"Alright stop, collaborate and listen/ Ice is back with a brand new invention..."
So if you haven't been to a game this year, this would be a decent fan experience. You'll be able to see the Raptors whip the ass of the crappy Nets and see one of the greatest rappers of all time perform at half time lol. A win and a concert all in one, now that's value.
"Girls were hot wearing less then bikini's" - where? Of course, "A 1 A, beachfront aveeeeenueeee"
I'm interested to see if the tv feeds are going to show the performance at half time, seeing as this game has been advertised for the last two weeks on the jumbo tron in the ACC with Jose and Demar rapping ice ice baby. And during games, this half time show has been plugged by the announcers in the ACC and even Mr Bosh himself has urged the fans to come out and watch Vanilla lol!
Anyhow ill leave it at that, raptors win, raptors win.....and the iceman rocks the house, so if you haven't been to a game yet this season, now would be a good time.
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages...let me welcome you to the new Battle of Ontario. Yes this isn't your Battle of Ontario from the 90's where it was Sundin vs. Alfredson, or Lalime or whatever goalie Ottawa had gotten vs. Cujo or Belfour, no no, this is the new battle. From Calgary Alberta and representing the Toronto Maple Leafs, she's 5'4" and can be seen in such films as Old School, Girl Next Door and along side Jack Bauer in 24...ELISHA "SLOPPY SECONDS" CUTHBERT!!!! And from Mukogee, Oklahoma and representing the Ottawa Senators she's 5'3" and can be seen performing the U.S. Anthem at the Superbowl in Miami...ladies and gentleman Carrie "I distracted Tony Romo" Underwood!!!
Now, lets be honest, this is probably the most interesting Battle of Ontario that will be happening in a very long time. Both teams are headed in opposite directions, so we require some sort of entertainment. Now my recommendation is that Elisha and Carrie get some KY jelly, or jello and just wrestle it out there. Nothing fancy, I mean, if we really want to ensure the NHL will sanction such an event, we'll even have them wear a leafs and senators bikini.
Dion Phaneuf coming to the Leafs has brought that element of excitement back to Toronto, and I'll have to say, I'm looking more forward to Miss Cuthbert hanging around the ACC than anything. All she needs to do is bite her lip and say, "I'm all wet" ala her movie the girl next door!
Carrie Underwood, if you didn't realize was the girlfriend Tony Romo had when he completely folded at the end of a season, and a lot of the Dallas media, and the fans in Cowboys country blamed her for the reason the Cowboys weren't successful in the playoffs. Now although Romo is a basket case (as we've seen with his numerous other girlfriend's he's still managed to mess things up for the Cowboys) is Carrie Underwood the reason why Mike Fisher didn't make the Canadian Olympic team? Maybe Stevie Y thought he'd be distracted and thus decided not to pick him, then again Phaneuf wasn't picked either and he's dating a celeb.
Dion Phanuef plays his first game as a Toronto Maple Leaf tonight, and J.S. Giguire will start his first game as a Leaf. Giggy does like to play against New Jersey as that was the team that beat him in the Stanley Cup finals, the same finals where he was crowed the Conn Smythe award winner for MVP of the playoffs (in a losing cause). One of my ball hockey team mates said this last night, and I have to say I agree...from the Goalies and Defensman, the Leafs look like a Stanley Cup Contender, in the forwards, it looks like the Marlies. Speaking of the Marlies, to all those that I gave Marliest tickets to, who were anxiously waiting to watch the likes of Bozak, Stalberg and Hanson...I apologize, now you'll get to see even worse AHL players as the Marlies had to call up players from their affiliates...gotta love the talent pool that is in the Maple Leafs Organization!!!
In Calgary, the deal that brought in four new bodies, didn't pay immediate dividends for them. And my oh my how things can change over a span of a couple of years, we were all expecting that Phaneuf's jersey would be retired when he left Calgary, and now that same number three belongs to Ian White. Its funny how things work out in the NHL, Oli Jokinion (I have no clue to spell his finnish last name) and Niclas Hagman were both teammates on a World Junior team that won Finland gold in the 90's, played together in Florida for a short time, and will be playing together in the Olympics in a week; so why on earth would Daryl Sutter trade him away, when instant chemistry is there between his new player and an asset that he's had and uselessly taking cap space on. Regardless, the new deal for Calgary has officially happened, and to no surprise, Jokinin and Prust are now New York Rangers, and Kotilak and Higgins are Calgary Flames. Those two former Rangers go from the most exciting city in the world, to one of the coldest cities in North America...hope you have a fun time buddies!!! This deal is a clear salary cap dump, as it is quite obvious, Calgary has their sites set on a particular Russian from Atlanta...
Now let's get back into this KY/Jello match up between the two contestants in the Battle of Ontario...both women get into the tub and u can see the jelly just going against their legs...yes it is slippery isn't it. Wow, Carrie Underwood has brought her guitar into the match up ala the Honky Tonk Man....this should be interesting. Elisha has her hockey stick so both sides are even! I don't know about you guys, but I'm just picturing two beautiful women, wearing bikini's in KY jelly...holding some pieces of sturdy wood!
I'm ending the blog right there...don't think there is a point to go much further than that!!! I'll let your imagination run wild!!!
Raptors Win, Raptors Win.....sounds almost natural as of late, we've gone 6 straight and could maybe go 5/6 in our next set of games starting this week.
I have been pretty critical of them for ummm the better part of 4 years and I still am, but watching their recent success on the court you can't help but enjoy what their doing and if you are a raps fan, t dot ball head, you couldn't ask for more at this moment. So cherish it Raptors fans! So the question you have to ask, well that I've asked, how and when did this change occur??!!
Ill say the team "got it" per say after that trouncing by ATL in November and after all the finger pointing was done by the team internally, after the fans and media called it a season and were asking for heads, these guys began working hard. In doing so they strung together some solid "W's" in December and had a stellar January. The coaching staff was all over these guys, inserting Jack in the starting five, Jose being ok with coming off the bench, Bargs playing with heart and Bosh doing the Bosh thing have all attributed to their success.
Another reason however for this strong play and confidence in play, I really feel can be pointed back to one of the greatest Raptor games EVER in HISTORY!, @ home hosting LAL a few weeks back. I was at the game and it was insane, insaneeeee..... The Raptors who were out matched on a talent for talent basis, had their backs against the wall for the better part of a game. A game that you look at as a game you will probably lose when reviewing the schedule earlier in the year just based on the fact your going up against the world champs. But these guys wanted it, you knew the boys in red wanted it, the entire ACC wanted it and the Raps delivered a squeeky one point victory over Kobe and Co. That win I believe has translated in confidence and a swagger that has been missing from this team for a very long ass time. The Raps are an exceptional home team, well over the last two months and after handling LAL a week and change back they feel down the stretch they can execute and get things done. Its all hard work, and confidence. Our squad will never beat a team based on talent, we will win with aggression and heart. Its the Toronto way of sports unless we're talking about the glory year jays who looked like the yanks of this era....
Anyhow let's see how the boys fair up until all star break...I'm think 6 straight. Booya.
