nba-all-star-dunk-kewl

This was by far the nicest jury duty experience I have ever had in ...

2006-09-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

This was by far the nicest jury duty experience I have ever had in my life.

When I lived in Wayne County, the county that the City of Detroit is in, I served on a jury once. The waiting room that housed the pen of potential jurists was a large, old, dirty room packed full with what I refer to airport seats; a system of interconnected chairs. The room was dim and quiet and offered nothing but blank walls to stare at. You were not allowed to bring anything into the room with you aside from a newspaper. Cell phones or other electronic devices were not permitted.

This time I when I was called to jury duty, I was called in the county of my current home, Oakland County Michigan, one of the wealthiest counties in America. The diference was insane.

This jury room was huge, open and filled with natural sunlight. Its walls were crammed with windows, and I had my choice of seating; either sit at a round four seater table or my own booth with privacy walls. There was free wi-fi for everyone's laptops (you could bring in laptops, cell phones, whatever you wanted) and a group of TV's with remotes for us to use. The room had 2 pop machines and two snack vending machines along with a coffee counter that offered complimentary coffee, tea and hot cocoa. At lunch we were allowed out for a full 2-hours. There was one other thing. Seated at the table a few feet away was Joe Dumars, President of the Detroit Pistons and hall of fame NBA all-star, he was serving jury duty just like me.

Well unfortunately neither Joe nor myself were called on to serve this day, but its an honor to be nominated. I have no stories to tell about juicy divorce cases or horrendous murders, nothing. Sorry.

I will be back tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good night.

2009 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto

2006-08-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, home of the Toronto Raptors. This will mark the first time ever that an NBA All-Star game will be played outside the United States.

NBA All-Star Game Statistics

2006-08-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

This site has boxscores and stats of all the past NBA All-Star games. They also have statistics of players, teams, leagues, coaches, etc... Basically, a stat lover's dream site.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/

Welcome

2006-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

What's up everyone.

I created this site when I was looking for information on the 2007 NBA All-Star game. All I could find was small amounts of information that was pretty useless unless I was looking for upper level nose bleed tickets for the Saturday rookie game at $2000 a piece. What I envision is a place where everyone can go to get information - When and where to get tickets, Where the parites are at and who's going to be there, the hotels the players are staying and gamble at, the events going on all week, hotel and travel deals to Sin City all-star weekend. This is my vision. Your one stop source for information about the game that you can't find on NBA.com. As I only have a few sources of information, I hope that others will be able to contribute to make those visiting the city that never sleeps for all-star weekend the best trip ever.

This is a once in a lifetime history making event. Can you imagine? Playing blackjack with Yao Ming? Seeing Charles Barkley gambling $1000 a hand? Playing No Limit Texas Hold em' with LeBron James? Craps with Michael Jordan? Kobe and Shaq together? Not to mention, the parites that will be going on all over the strip. So if you are looking for information like I was, you've come to the right place. Bookmark this site and check back often or you might miss your chance to party with Allen Iverson.

What was David Stern thinking?

Historical Glimpses: Peter Press Maravich

2006-07-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

(FortCollins-CO) Quite possibly the greatest showman the NBA has ever seen. Collegiate scoring numbers that will most likely never get touched. Handles that would make you believe that the ball was actually tied to his hands like a yo-yo. A deadly jump shot that started from the hip. All from the boy with the sad eyes. If you haven’t yet figured it out, this installment of Historical Glimpses is dedicated to “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

Peter Press Maravich was born in Aliquippa, PA on June 22, 1947. To say that basketball was in his genes would be an understatement because his father Press Maravich was a long time basketball coach at almost every level, including coaching the Pistol at Louisiana State University. A couple of legendary stories from Pete’s childhood will always live on in my mind as illustrations of what true legends are made of. First, there is the famous story about Pete spinning a basketball on his finger for almost an entire hour before the nail on his index finger got worn so low that his finger burst into a bloody mess. That story happened in an ice cream parlor and was highlighted in the movie, “The Pistol”. A lesser known legend was that Pete’s father Press would drive the family car around the neighborhood after dinner while Pete would dribble a ball ,through the window, outside the moving car! This guy had handles, trust me!

All of this hard work and raw skill landed Pete at the Louisiana State University with father Press. During his four years at LSU, keeping in mind that freshman were not permitted to play varsity basketball in those days, Pete would set scoring records that tower above where current college players are posting. In his freshman year of 1967 the Pistol would average 43.6 points per game on the freshman team. Just a varsity guy playing on the JV right? Wrong! The Pistol would continue to leave opposing defenses in shambles for the next three years while setting NCAA records in nearly every offensive category. His sophomore, junior, and senior years, Pete led the NCAA in scoring by posting 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game. He was named first team All-America in 1968,‘69, and ‘70 before being drafted third overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1970 NBA Draft.

Leaving father Press at LSU, Pete left a mark that reads like this, and will continue to read like this until the second coming of the lord himself decides to lace up some high-tops. He holds the NCAA records for points scored in a career at 3,667 with a 44.2 PPG average in 83 games, most field goals made and attempted with 1,387 for 3,166, most free throws attempted and made with 893 for 1,152, most games scoring 50 or more points at 28 times, single season scoring average and points total at 44.5 and 1,381 in 1970, single season field goals made and attempted in 1970 with 522 makes and 1,168 attempts, single season 50 points games with ten in 1970, most free throws made in a single game with a 30-31 performance against Oregon State in 1969, and had the damn arena at LSU named after him in 1988 by the Governor of Louisiana Buddy Roemer. It is now called the Maravich Assembly Center. Talk about leaving your mark!

While in the NBA, Pete continued to awe crowds with his trademark style, long hair and floppy socks, and fast-paced flashy play. As a rookie in 1971, Maravich averaged 23.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. These numbers qualified him for the NBA All-Rookie team. Similar numbers would be posted for the next five years before Pistol Pete would once again leave his mark on the game forever. In the 1976-77 season with the New Orleans Jazz Pete would average 31.1 points per game and lead the NBA in scoring and average better than five rebounds and assists. This monumental season would solidify Maravich as more than just a flash point guard, but a true lights-out scoring machine regardless of level of play. He has the third highest single game scoring total in NBA history for a guard with 68 points coming against the New York Knicks.

More than all the numbers and accolades along the way, and obviously there is a cornucopia of them, Pistol Pete may be best remembered not for his ability to score but more for his skills dishing the rock with the no-look dime to an often times invisible teammate. He was a master at the behind-the-back, between-the-legs, and even the behind-the-head pass. Pistol Pete had so many passes in his repertoire he rarely did the same one twice, and no one since has done it better. If his passes weren’t your cup of tea, Maravich could dazzle any crowd with his dribbling skills. Nearly impossible to touch when he wanted to elude defenders, Pete made a show out dribbling out the clock while an opposing team was trying to foul. He was such fluid ball handler, and maybe the best since the Harlem Globetrotter’s Marques Haynes (Another legend in his own right and a pioneer that led the way for guys like Maravich).

The final read on Peter “Pistol” Press Maravich concludes like this; Maravich was a two time All-NBA First Team in 1976 and ‘77, All-NBA Second Team in 1973 and ‘78, NBA Scoring Champion in the 1976-77 season, five time NBA All-Star, one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, and his jersey number 7 is retired to the rafters of the Utah Jazz organization. These accolades here, plus all the other history in this article, are why Pistol Pete is this installment of Historical Glimpses, but there is something else all true hoop fans should know about Pistol that makes his legend that much more magical…

After Pete died back in 1988 of a heart attack while playing in a pick-up game, it was revealed that he only had one coronary artery complex. People without this condition have two coronary artery complexes. That means that Pistol Pete Maravich played his entire ten year NBA career with only half a fully functional heart. Most people that are born with this condition rarely live past their adolescence. This just proves that Pistol Pete was born to do one thing and one thing only and that was to play basketball. He was truly an inspirational figure for the future of the game. He was a showman that put people in the stands while this great league was developing. He was a commodity to be seen when his teams came to town and he rarely disappointed. As one of the 50 greatest players of All-Time Pistol Pete can be remembered as truly a gift to the game of basketball forever.

Insider Politics

2006-07-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Salt in a wound

"Late last month, 55 Catholic Democrats from the House of Representatives released what they termed a 'historic' Catholic Statement of Principles. In substance, the statement seeks to reconcile the support for abortion embraced by the Democratic Party with Catholic social teaching and a 'consistent moral framework for life,'?" Father Thomas Williams writes at National Review Online (www.nationalreview.com).

"This statement has been salt in an already festering wound for Catholic Democrats estranged from their party by its ever more entrenched pro-abortion platform. It is a position that has caused Catholics, especially practicing Catholics, to trickle away from the Democratic Party," said Father Williams, dean of the theology school at Rome's Renina Apostolorum University, where he teaches Catholic social doctrine, and a Vatican analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

Father Williams added: "All the typical rhetoric is in the 'Statement': talk of a 'safety net' for those who are 'most in need,' a commitment to advance 'respect for life' and the 'dignity of every human being,' and of course, protection for 'the most vulnerable among us.' Unfortunately, it is precisely the most vulnerable among us -- voiceless unborn children -- whom the Catholics of the party have sacrificed on the altar of Moloch."

Moloch was an ancient Phoenician and Ammonite god, to whom children were sacrificed by burning. "If the party would only take its own rhetoric seriously, then the most important social-justice issue of our day would command center stage. There is no indication of that happening any time soon. As a result, Catholics who would otherwise be sympathetic to the Democratic Party reluctantly find themselves obliged to abandon it," Father Williams added.

FancyFord.com and racism?

Liberals are screaming "racism" over a Republican Web site highlighting the lavish lifestyle of Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. The "Fancy Ford" site (www.fancyford.com) is operated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and targets the Memphis Democrat, who's seeking the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Bill Frist.

The site says Mr. Ford "likes to live the good life ... perhaps a little too much. Lavish hotel stays. Fine dining. Couture suits. Parties with Playboy Playmates ... all on his campaign contributors' dime. It makes you wonder ... what would the folks back in Tennessee think?"

The anti-Ford site, which cites Federal Election Commission records and press accounts, is "character assassination," a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee told the Hill newspaper. Liberal blogger Jesse Berney (www.jesseberney.com) calls the "Fancy Ford" site "disgusting," and a "racist attack site."

"What's the message behind this site?" Mr. Berney asks. "The line of white women on the front page, the fact that it highlights his attendance at NBA All Star events featuring Biz Markie, the emphasis on opulence all combine to portray Ford as a pimp. The site tries to be subtle in its racism, but it fails."

Taxing time

A Washington group asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) yesterday to revoke the tax-exempt status of a conservative group for helping disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff secretly fund an anti-casino campaign that benefited his clients.

Americans for Tax Reform also violated its nonprofit status by taking a cut of the money that it handled, said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW. "This thing that they did where they basically took in money from tribes, laundered it and skimmed some off the top had nothing to do with their purpose" as an anti-tax organization, CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said.

A spokesman for Americans for Tax Reform declined to comment, but said he would have an official reaction later, Reuters news agency reports. Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist has had a close relationship with Abramoff since the early 1980s, when they were active in College Republicans.

Mr. Norquist told the Boston Globe last year that he passed along $1.15 million from an American-Indian tribe that runs a casino in Mississippi to anti-gambling groups trying to block a casino in Alabama. Because the contributions were routed through Mr. Norquist's group, the anti-gambling activists would not know that they were bankrolled by gambling money.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee said it might file an IRS complaint challenging CREW's nonprofit status on the grounds that it behaves in a partisan manner.

Madame President

Laura Bush said yesterday that the United States is ready to have a female president -- preferably a Republican. She offered her opinion while touring an exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts with Marta Sahagun, the first lady of Mexico, and Eliane Karp, the first lady of Peru. The exhibit features archaeological finds from Mexico and Peru, which show that long before Europeans arrived, women served as warriors, governors, artists, poets and priestesses.

"They really show what a heritage we have in our hemisphere, a really very, very organized and intellectual society," Mrs. Bush said. During an exchange with reporters, Mrs. Bush was asked if the United States was prepared to have a woman in the Oval Office. "Sure. Absolutely," she replied. "I'm voting for the Republican woman."

Mrs. Bush previously has expressed support for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for president, but Miss Rice has said repeatedly that she's not going to run.

The All-Star Game...What Does This Mean?

2006-07-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

I "sort-of" watched the Baseball All-Star selection Show on ESPN last night. I say "sort-of" because there are players on each team that I have not even heard of. Or if I have heard of the them, I am wondering how they managed to get on the team.

Check out the starting outfield lineup for the National League: Jason Bay, Alfonso Siriano, and Carlos Beltran. WHO ARE THESE GUYS! Last I checked Siriano was a 2nd baseman who balked at playing the outfield...almost threatened to quit over it!

And as long as we must name a player from every team--we get Mark Redman from the Kansas City Royals with a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 5.45. YIKES!

Here are some other "household names": Scott Kazmir, B. J. Ryan, Robinson Cano, Derek Turnbow, Dan Uggla, And David Wright. WHERE'S MY NAME IN THIS LIST?

My point is this--and All-Star game should be just that--a team filled with the very best players in the game. Not rosters filled with coaches favorites from their own team, not players whose own fans stuff the ballot-box, etc.

What is the solution? I am not sure--but somehow we should be able to get the best players on the field--and enjoy a hard-fought game. But who am I kidding? We couldn't even get our best players on the field for the Olympics or the World Baseball Championships.

Not that the game means anything anyway. On the one hand the Commissioner's office keeps telling us about the home field advantage in the World Series and we have sportswriters and talk-show hosts tell us it means nothing...and even players bail out with hang-nails and other life-threatening ailments rather than play.

I did not watch the NFL Pro-Bowl this past season, nor the NBA All-Star game. Guess I will go for the trifecta and skip the baseball one as well.

When does the college football and basketball and baseball seasons start up again?

Vegas to host NBA all star weekend for 2007

2006-05-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2007, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The 2007 game will mark the first time that NBA All-Star is held in a city without an NBA team.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will serve as the host organization for NBA All-Star 2007.

NBA Commissioner David Stern awards All-Star 2007 to Las Vegas.

NBA All-Star is a week-long celebration that enables fans from around the globe to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love while also leaving a lasting impact in the host city’s community. The week’s festivities will culminate on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007 with the playing of the 56th NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack Center. The game will be televised on TNT in the United States and will reach a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries.

2006-02-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

The NBA staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the East against the best in the West.