A Shocking Blog

This is too funny. Philadelphia was in here last night, and the Mavericks ambushed them with 8 points in the first 40 seconds on their way to killing in the 1st Quarter. But, both papers and likely everyone on the team is far more interested in the Spurs on Thursday than they are in basking in the glow of a win over the 76ers…

Off to San Antonio …Is this being built up pretty big for a game on March 2nd?

And so, the preliminaries have been dispatched. The Mavericks head to San Antonio with both teams rolling and the best record in the Western Conference to be decided over the last 26 games of the season, two of which will be in San Antonio.
The way the Mavericks have won six in a row since a loss at Denver has shown them and others that they are a force the Spurs will have to reckon with.
"This is what you want to take down to San Antonio," Armstrong said. "This team has shown so much character all season. And we're not done."

It is a new day, so we need a new Bill Guerin article …

"The best trade we could make would be getting Bill Guerin playing to his capabilities," Stars general manager Doug Armstrong said during a Q&A with fans last week. "If he comes back with a burr where the saddle goes, he could have a great last 24 games. And nobody is going to care about the first 60 games if he has a great last 20 – and, more importantly, a great April, May and June."

Michael Jack Schmidt gives Raffy a lukewarm review …

Schmidt said if he had a vote, he'd put McGwire in the Hall.

"You have to judge him against his peers in the game," said Schmidt, who hit 548 homers. "He hasn't been banished from the game like [Pete] Rose, and his accomplishments on the field stand for themselves."

Schmidt said Rafael Palmeiro, who was suspended last season after testing positive for steroids, should be judged differently.

"Palmeiro is a stronger issue because of what happened over the past year," Schmidt said. "I have to have more facts. I might pass on him in the first year of eligibility without all of the facts."

Someone had to do it: Sasha Baron Cohen vs Sasha Cohen …

1. THE EUROPEAN CONNECTION
Sacha Baron Cohen Sasha Cohen

Baron Cohen is British. Also, a portion of Kazakhstan is in Europe. Sasha has a Ukrainian mother.

EDGE: BARON COHEN
If this seems like pandering to European readers, that is because it is most definitely pandering. This is because when Dick Cheney resigns, I want to maintain my position on George W. Bush's short list of vice-presidential replacements. Incidentally, I am currently No. 458. CBS announcer Verne Lundquist is a deserving No. 3.

2. WEST-SIDE STREET CRED
Sacha Baron Cohen Sasha Cohen
Baron Cohen often flashes "West Side" signals during television taping. Sasha resides in California.

EDGE: SASHA
You just can't fake when someone is keepin' it real.

3. HEADWEAR
Sacha Baron Cohen Sasha Cohen
Baron Cohen wear skullcaps. Sasha wears American berets.

EDGE: BARON COHEN
It is an unwritten ClayNation rule that when berets are put up against any hat this side of President Lincoln's top hat, the beret loses.

Mack Brown steps in on behalf of Vince …

"So anyone who is reporting that he did that poorly is wrong, point blank, because I called and asked," Brown said. "I was told it's not true. So it's unprofessional and really, really poor for someone to be reporting a number that they don't know is factual that I know is not factual when a young guy has so much riding on it in the future."

Take a sample Wonderlic …

What is the Wonderlic? …

Life after Vince Young begins …

The Longhorns began spring football drills at Denius Fields with redshirt freshman Colt McCoy and true freshman Jevan Snead competing for the starting quarterback job. McCoy is listed at the top of the depth chart, although both will take snaps with the first-team offense during spring practice.

"One of the great things about starting this early — it's closure," Brown said. "We don't ever forget it. It was a lot of fun. Last year's team will always be the national champions. This year's team hasn't done anything yet."

The vacancy sign at quarterback isn't the only one the Longhorns will need to remove before the Sept. 2 season opener against North Texas. Texas lost nine starters from last year's team that went 13-0 and won the school's first national championship since 1970.

Among those leaving were six All-Americans, including the nation's top-rated quarterback (Young) and best defensive back (Michael Huff) and a Lombardi Award finalist (Rod Wright).

Brown said McCoy and Snead, who enrolled in classes in January, are similar enough that the Longhorns will be able to stay with the shotgun offense and the zone read, which became their signatures under Young.

Brown said he can't rule out playing both quarterbacks to start the season.
"People love playing two quarterbacks around here," Brown joked last week.

Amazing Race is back tonight …and they concede defeat last season…

It sounded like a good idea at the time -- and that's exactly how it ended: a good idea at the time.

By the time the all-family edition of The Amazing Race limped across the finish line last December, host Phil Keoghan admitted television's most addictive reality race had taken a wrong turn. The Amazing Race was not so amazing any more.

"We tried something," said Keoghan. "I'm really proud of the fact that we tried something, because I think if we hadn't tried to change the race, people would have criticized us for not being adventurous and doing something different. I'm proud of what we pulled together, but there's no denying the fact the race is most successful when it has fewer faces and more places."

Learning about the NBA Logo …

"It's Jerry West," Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told me recently. "I'm familiar with the original photograph from back in the '70s."

"My impression is that it's Jerry West dribbling to the hole," said David Kohler, president of Laguna Hills, Ca.-based Sports Card Plus Auctions and owner of perhaps the largest private collection of Lakers memorabilia. "I know it's always been assumed that it's Jerry West."

And yet, in a league with a well-deserved reputation for hyping even the most mundane milestone, the NBA did not celebrate the recent 35th anniversary of the logo's unveiling. The league has also refused to acknowledge publicly that West is the player in the logo. A high-ranking NBA official who asked that his name not be used told me that the identification of West is an "urban myth" and that the league has "no definitive records" about who designed the logo.

Why does the NBA refuse to admit that the logo is a representation of West? Is their "urban myth" statement PR bunk, or do they know something the rest of us don't?

What is a transition player in the NFL free agency system? …

Racism alive and well in Spain …

As will have been reported by now, Sam Eto'o was subjected to the usual stuff that he and other black players get at Zaragoza. Last season, when Barça won 4-0, Eto'o famously did his monkey dance in front of the goal where most of the insults were coming from. It was an attempt to defuse the whole thing with a bit of humour, but inevitably it backfired, and resulted in Saturday's scene.

With thirteen minutes left, unlucky for some, and the score still at 0-0, Eto'o suddenly lost his rag and began to make his way towards the goal where the same pond-life which had insulted him last year had been having a go at him throughout the match. As the Zaragoza defenders (wisely perhaps) prevented him from going too close, Eto'o grabbed Alvaro, Zaragoza's Brazilian (black) defender and appeared to point at him, asking the crowd why they weren't abusing him too. Well - he wasn't actually saying that. He was trying to point out the absurdity of the whole thing. Unable to make his point in the cauldron of noise, he turned around and began to walk off, mouthing the phrase that may yet become a watchword in Spain's troubled racial arena - 'No juego más' (I'm not playing any more).

He meant that particular game, of course, but you wouldn't blame him if he wanted to retire from the whole sorry scene. That's because it's not rocket science. The fact that Zaragoza got away with it last season, and have continued to get away with it ever since was the reason behind the lamentable scenes on Saturday, with Eto'o eventually breaking down in tears on the pitch, surrounded by a babbling commotion of players and officials.

Football can suddenly become a very unbeautiful game - and it only has itself to blame, in Spain anyway. It's not up to columns like this to lead the protest, but as reported last year, when I phoned Zaragoza for a chat, they just gave me the 'no comment' line. I might try them again during the week. Why not? They're unlikely to receive any punitive calls from the Spanish Federation.

Racists will always exist, but at least they can be prevented from enjoying themselves every fortnight at everyone else's expense. It's not rocket science. Zaragoza's manager, Victor Muñoz, normally a fairly intelligent chap, commented after the game that it was 'a minority' that had been making the monkey noises, and that it was wrong to blow the whole thing out of proportion because of 'a few'. The racist chants did not represent Zaragoza. Wrong again.

I am so proud of Wisconsin…

Just 2 Guys website …

After having Brandon Noble on the show Friday, 601297.html> Here is his Washington Post article again …Very scary stuff…

Player sold for meat …

BUCHAREST - Romanian second division soccer club UT Arad sold a player in exchange for 33 pounds of meat, local sport daily Pro Sport reported on Monday.

However, the deal turned out badly for fourth-division Regal Horia, because defender Marius Cioara decided to end his soccer career and find a job in agriculture or construction in Spain.

“We are upset because we lost twice — firstly because we lost a good player and secondly because we lost our team’s food for a whole week,” a Regal Horia official was quoted as saying by the daily in its electronic edition.

Just to let you know why I am always behind on email, these 9 emails were received between 10:00 and 10:30 last night:

Hey, bob

Did you see the shocker performed by the big german at the end of the game?

Have you created a monster???????
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Did you catch Dirk flash the shoker at the end of
monday's game?
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So Dirk makes his yearly appearance with BaD Radio and tonight he's seen
giving The Shocker while leaving the court? (attached)

Coincidence??

Hank
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Dirk, at the end of tonights game 2-27-2006
He provided the shocker to the crowd?

Quit spoiling his lilly white german ass!

talk amongst yourself.
no reply!
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Did you guys see Dirk give the "Shocker" sign on Monday night at the end of the game. It happened at 10:00pm. I wasn't TIVO'ing it, but I'm sure someone was...

p1dave
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Boys,
I’m sure you’ve all gotten a ton of emails about it already, but in case you missed it, as Dirk was leaving the court after the game tonight, he raised his right arm in the air and held up “the shocker”. I got a really good laugh about it and hoped you all caught it too!
His, Therefore Yours,
Jeff Russell
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Bob,
Did you by chance see Dirk leaving the court tonight? Has he left the court he rose his right hand with the love for the shocker!

Brad Bahr
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at the end of the game tonight (to the crowd). im sure someone has it tivo'd and will be sending it to you soon

-rik
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Did you just see Dirk hold up "The Shocker" walking off the court after the
Sixers win?????

Plain as DAY!! I don't have it TiVod but somebody has to!!!

Brad C

Well, thanks to Hank, here it is:

Welp, see you later…