Classy move by a young team

Time is short these days, so what’s making it here is only the good stuff. This moment, from after the Warriors loss last night to San Antonio, certainly qualifies.

Golden State took me — and most other casual or hardcore NBA fans — for quite the postseason ride. The Warriors became my must-watch team during these playoffs. The combination of former Knick Mark Jackson at the helm, a slew of young, seemingly unselfish stars and just a likable team that embraces that term in the best manner possible, made them darlings at Oracle and beyond.

In the process, continuing a regular season trend, the Warriors homecourt advantage was something special. The fans were great and there was a strange feeling that they were uniquely “in sync” with their team. It was visible for any TV-watching spectator, and Stephen Curry and teammates made sure to recognize it.

It’s rare you see a losing team come back onto the court following an NBA playoff series. But the gesture to salute their fans shows a lot about the character of this team. In short, they’re hard not to like. Curry’s right, too. There’s a strong young nucleus there.

We hope they keep climbing. It’s a team, and a fanbase, that seem deserving of future success.

Matt Kemp is sucha great person. He came over after the game and made one of my best friends night he’s fighting a tough battle and this was sucha great gift by Matt Kemp ! I’ll never forget this.

I’ll let you watch it, but this the type of stuff I wish came across every day. Very simply, a superstar doing what we would want all our superstars to do. Use their status, when possible, to make someone’s day. Never mind what this ailing fan is battling (as some short-sighted commenters have asked), it’s almost irrelevant.

From the background, Kemp made a point earlier in the game that he would come over and visit this kid. A simple high-five would’ve been more than many athletes regularly offer. The signed ball was a nice added touch. But, if you’re Matt Kemp, why not offer your hat, shoes and the jersey off your back? Clearly, for him it’s not even a question. And that’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. Well done, Mr. Kemp. You’ve surely got a super-fan now, and count this blogger among an ever-growing group of advocates.

Out of reach

The Knicks are looking like the worst versions of themselves at exactly the wrong time. Sunday afternoon’s 102-95 loss to the Pacers at Madison Square Garden was a reminder of just how hard it’s going to be for this team, particularly in its recent games’ incarnation, to even win a game in this series let alone advance to an expected match up with the Miami Heat (who are still going to destroy anyone in their path).

What’s disturbing is not so much Melo and J.R. Smith’s terrible shooting. Or the foul trouble. Or the lackluster play from Tyson Chandler and a minimally effective bench. No, the worry is in the personality of this team coming through. One of mental weakness. Poor basketball IQ. Overall fragility. The whining. The constantly looking for whistles. The poor decisions and sloppy play.

It’s all very disheartening and bodes poorly for the Knickerbockers prospects. Sure, a hot shooting night from Smith and Melo can cure all ills – temporarily. Some may argue that “hey, it’s what got them there.” And, yes, I guess that’s at least partially true. But this is playoff time. This is about team play. You’re seeing it in teams like the Bulls, Indiana and even the Thunder despite a heavier reliance, of course, on KD.

It’s vanishing on this Knicks team faster than Kaiser Soze. Someone needs to realize that the ball needs to be in Raymond Felton’s hands the majority of the time. As he goes, so does this team. Overall, the Knicks need to grow up. It’s the Postseason, and they look mentally weak. That’s not going to cut it. Indiana will be happy to illustrate that point. Should there not be dramatic change from Woody and crew, they will do just that — and in quick order.

I’m all heart, mutha*ucka

I used to hate Joakim Noah. No reason really. Just ignorance. Probably looked at the histrionics and the off-the-court stuff and just thought this kid was a punk trying to play basketball. A proverbial “energy guy” whose biggest asset was pissing off one of the opposing team’s stars. Consider this the sincerest and most emphatic apology, Mr. Noah. I’m not sure there’s any other kind of player I’d rather have on my team. In fact, five Noahs would be a dream.

I’m not the only one who’s watched Noah mature from a pretty decent role player to an extremely productive, pivotal and, I’ll go as far to say, inspirational player. Last night’s performance in Brooklyn was only the latest example. He’s been doing it most of the season. In Brooklyn, it was 24 points on 10-17 to go along with 14 boards and six blocks. Not just eye-opening. Dominant. That’s what he’s becoming.

The cliche is overused. But anyone watching can attest that Noah has taken this Bulls team, one saddled by major injuries in the Nets series, and willed it to the next round. He’s also become just awesome to watch. To me, Noah is what you want everyone on your team to be. You NEVER question his effort. His mistakes are minimal and when they do arise are almost always aggressive ones. He plays smart. He gets the absolute most out of his ability. Really, what more can you ask?

Who knows what the Bulls can really muster against the mighty Heat. But you can definitively count on one thing. Joakim Noah will be right in the middle of it all, proving just how good — and extraordinarily valuable — player he has become.

And like that…poof…they’re gone

Is a post-series handshake a common and expected part of an NBA Playoffs series? That’s a legitimate question. I won’t contend that the league is anything like the NHL, whose post-series lineup is just one of the absolutely stellar traditions that make its postseason so phenomenal. But I would contend at least a quick fist bump or bro-hug at the conclusion of an NBA Playoff series should be assumed? Especially from vets who’ve been around the block. I ask only because the immediate semi-sprint of KG, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry (along with a few other Celtics) off the court following Boston’s game six loss at TD Garden last night struck me as pretty bush league. Let me rephrase that. It was classless crap.

Now, let me make clear that I am not a KG hater like so many. There are things I respect about him, Pierce and Terry. How can you not? However, last night’s showing was piss poor.Check out the 3:09 mark of the video below to get the best sense of what took place at the final whistle.

Milliseconds after the horn, a KG salute to who-know-who and right to the tunnel and exits for him and his future-in-limbo cohorts. It stuck out even more to me as I continued to watch the postgame scene unfold with heightened awareness around the exchanges between players. During that time, I made note of Jeff Green making his way from Knick to Knick — from Melo to the end of the bench – exchanging embraces and handshakes across the board. Younger yet wiser?

Class isn’t a word that immediately comes to mind with this Knicks bunch either, don’t get me wrong. So, I’ll just as quickly get on them should similar behavior be displayed when the blue-and-orange eventually bow out. That said, I felt like the actions of Terry, Garnett and Pierce went largely unnoticed and deserve to be called out. Sure, these team don’t like each other. And I wouldn’t anticipate this Honey Nut series to feature the highest standards of sportsmanship. But this was poorly played. Should this be their final exit, Pierce, Terry and Garnett did it without class.

Already piling on

Emotional posting. No rational writing here. My feeling. Cut the crap on Geno Smith, media. Kill it, fans. Enough already.

Like other Jets fans, I’ve been reading the bad ink on Geno Smith. It’s unavoidable. And it’s getting ridiculous. While I’m not like many other members of Gang Green Nation, passionately obstinate in their  disdain of one Rich Cimini, it’s articles like his ESPN.com piece today that make you want to call him a hack.

Really, a new story that gets front-page ESPN NY billing because some scout used the term “brat?” It’s all about page views and trash journalism. Today’s article — literally — contained 95% of the content from the previous days’ stories on Smith’s overall attitude and purported “lack of maturity.” The impetus for a story dressed up as an entirely new one? A one-sentence quote from an NFC scout. That was the only difference. Pathetic.

Geno Smith may be a horribly, ill-equipped, weak-minded quarterback with little maturity and no leadership skills. Somehow I’m not sold on that quite yet, and it may be wise to just wait and see. My guess is that there’s a long list of superstars, along with all the busts, who haven’t been the mature, polished leaders they may have eventually become straight off of draft day.

The kid’s 22. Let’s give him maybe a few months? Hell, maybe even some game action? Crazy thought, I know.

Solid gold, Mr. Caliendo

I can’t tell you much about Frank Caliendo as a comedian. I saw his skit show once. It was pretty unwatchable. That said, the man has quite a knack for impressions. And we’ve seen him rock some classics from the sports world and noted those dead-on acts previously. In particular, he does a tremendous job on Barkley and his Walton work is under the radar and underrated. This, however, was my highlight of draft weekend.

Check out the below clip. I was on the road on Friday, so much of my time was spent listening to Mike and Mike and a host of other ESPN radio shows, all of whose hosts were waxing poetic with draft analysis. Luckily, Greeny and Golic couldn’t get enough of this clip and kept replaying it. Seeing the video it almost loses some luster. Let me tell you, from behind the wheel, if someone would’ve told me this was Mel, I’d have bought it every day and twice on Sunday. SO. GOOD. In fact, don’t even watch the video. Just close your eyes and listen to the Jarvis Jones twenty seconds. Like I did, you’ll be amazed.

Well played, Mr. Caliendo.

Not. Ready. For. This.

It’s so haarrrdd to say goodbyeee to yesterday…
Photo via Deadspin

Or this so much…

Via NFL.com

Or…for the love of!

A Bucs Life?
Via Buccaneers.com

Soooo…it’s been 24 hours or so. As you can see, I’m coping well so far. I’ve only had a dozen of my friends ask me about this yesterday and today. Calls. Texts. Emails. F. U. ALL. Seems like because one is a huge Jets fan and has a blog, it is therefore my personal responsibility…no, my civic DUTY…to espouse on this historic trade. How ’bout two words? IT. BLOWS. Like that hard-hitting analysis? Now, can you fockers leave me alone? Can’t a man get a little time to grieve?

Seriously, that’s how I feel. It’s going to take some time just to get my head around it. Sure, it’s been inevitable for some time. Still, I may just break out my white Revis jersey, the one I purchased a few years back with the notion that at least THIS GUY would be a franchise cornerstone for a few more years, and spend a moment with 2-4 just reminiscing.

So, really, what do I think? I think it was going to happen and had to happen. Losing your best FOOTBALL PLAYER (forget about offense, defense or special teams) is a huge blow (Captain Obvious!). It immediately makes the Jets worse. Forget about the compensation for now. It was interesting to look at the defense with a glimmer of hope that a Cromartie-Revis duo might again patrol the outside. Wasn’t to be.

That said, he was gone all last year too. And, no, the defense wasn’t the same. But it was passable. It was the offense that was incompetent. There are building blocks on this defensive team. Some even not-ancient. Plus, this is a corner, folks. A lockdown, difference-making corner, yes, but still. Given this regime, the history and the approach for the future, committing to Revis was never in the cards. Although not apples to apples exactly, this current time period (albeit hard to believe only a few years removed from back-to-back AFC title appearances) reminds me of the tenor in Queens when Sandy Alderson took over in 2010. Back then, I mentioned that the goal should be for the Mets to return to relevance in 2014.

The Idzik era and early approach feels similar. The Jets arguably are in a place where the talent is not as depleted as Flushing. Two good drafts and some pieces falling should make more regular playoff probability a reasonable, not-too-distant future. Things can turn around quickly in this league. And I’m fine with it. Reyes is not Revis. But the emotions were not vastly different for me. I think this move had to be made, although that doesn’t necessarily make it “right” on paper or otherwise. Many may try to offer logic-based pros and cons on this move. But emotion is all over this transaction. And it’s in my analysis. Feel is not scientific. There are no stats to justify it. But this team, although they’ll talk around it, is starting over in a lot of ways. If doing so, I’m OK with some painful cord-cutting along the way.

The Jets need a new culture. A new crop of young talent. A new approach to managing the cap. A new quarterback woudl be nice too. In short, an entirely different direction. While it’s impossibly hard to say goodbye to a lifetime Jet, I understand it. It may come back to be a lopsided, unconscionably stupid trade in hindsight. Or Revis could tear up another knee this fall. Who knows?

What’s clear is the Revis era is over. Gang Green’s short-lived time near the top is also a fading memory. Now, we begin to build a team again that can compete for the playoffs for a long stretch. It starts with Thursday. The New York Jets are on the clock…

Saluting Boston

I’m a huge sports fan, so I guess it’s not surprising that when tragedies are placed in the context of sporting events the emotion seems to hit hard. Case in point, last night’s Bruins-Sabres games.

It’s often said that in the wake of inexplicably cruel events, the best is brought out in us. That coming together and experiencing and sharing some of the joys of “normal” life can help in the healing process. I’d like to think that’s the case. And, as a passive observer, it seemed that one probably couldn’t help but  agree if they were sitting in the seats at TD Bank Garden in Boston last night.

The Bruins and the ice also felt like the most appropriate place to showcase the best of Boston’s spirit and the emotion of the week’s events. Nothing against the Sawx or the C’s, but something about the game of hockey, the DNA of the sport, the fans, its place in New England, I don’t know…

Anyway, a few moments from last night. If chills are your thing, take a few to watch this. Sometimes getting back at things, even with a simple drop of the puck, can be a worthy step.

Boston Tribute Video Opens the Night, Bruins Faithful Sing National Anthem in Unison

Bruins and Sabres Salute Boston and Their Fans at Center Ice

Good stuff all around. Classy on Sabres part as well.

Tip o’ the cap to New Era

Today, MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson day. Across the majors, players on every team will don the number “42″ on their backs and honor the man who broke baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1947.

New Era, the official cap company of Major League Baseball, recently released a new brand spot honoring the man and his achievements. As a marketer, I’ve seen far too many examples where brands take advantage of a day, event or other emotional touch point to promote their company, its products and/or their services. It’s always a delicate balance. Many times, they screw up. The message comes off as blatantly disingenuous, exploitative or – too frequently – both. This time, New Era gets its right.

The spot focuses on the idea that “first changes everything.” It speaks not only to the courage of Jackie Robinson but to the legacy his accomplishments have left to those who’ve come after him. It also happens to flow pretty naturally from New Era’s “Fly Your Own Flag” positioning. In speaking about the brand’s own flagbearers, New Era describes its spokespersons as individuals who are “Making a difference. Changing perceptions. Doing what they do because they love it.” Sounds a bit like number 42. The notion that a tip of the cap is a gesture that speaks to appreciation, recognition and respect is perfectly fitting for the cap maker.

In a rare case, the stars truly= align on this one. Successful all the way around. Kudos to New Era on a day where we should all tip our hats to Jackie.