Jack’s Blog

Forgive me but I should have mentioned I was going to at the Stanford Pain Management Center yesterday.  While I have you here, I ought to let it be known I’ll be in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow through Sunday, then onto Monterey for freshman orientation Monday.  The blog will should resume on Tuesday.  Blame me if you like, but read on.

It is a microcosm of America that any discussion of the NBA Finals always reverts to blaming somebody.  It was LeBron James’ fault that, while he was so great a player, his teams never won a championship.  Now his team’s on the verge of closing out the Thunder and hoisting the NBA Championship trophy.  So what did I hear today on ESPN?  Stephen A. (tell it like it is even if it always isn’t) Smith and Skip (I love to be hated because if I didn’t, I’d be sad all the time) Bayless each say they’d lay the blame for the Thunder’s downfall on Kevin Durant.

My immediate thought was, “What would they be saying if the Thunder was up 3-1?”  Oh yeah, back to LeBron.

That’s the new way of life in this country.  When I listen to the most fervent conservatives, I hear how terrible a job the Obama administration has done.  The Obama sucks! rhetoric outweighs the Romney’s the man! belief on a scale of about a zillion-to-one.  It’s not “get our man in”, it’s “get the other guy out.”  On the flip side, President Obama’s message is his programs are the right ones for America, it’s just that the conservatives won’t allow him to implement them.  He mentions the millions of jobs his administration has created.  So I guess unemployment could be even worse.  But I imagine that he been asked prior to being elected what an acceptable -and realistic - unemployment rate would be during the last year of his first term, his answer would have been significantly lower.

The most absurd argument - and you can get passionate people from both sides to argue the point - is the reason for the national deficit.  When George W. Bush took over, there was a surplus.  When he left, there was a deficit.  That was one of the arguments the Democrats made in seeking to get their candidate elected.  So, their guy got in - and now there’s a much greater deficit.  And the Republicans are livid!

Yet they weren’t nearly so upset when W was in office and we went from plus to minus.  Now the worm’s turned and the Democrats seem to have amnesia when it comes to their complete and utter disdain for a president to take the country’s fortunes backward.  As is usually the case, the massive outrage is made by an extremely small segment of society - on each side.  Their (whichever’s) goal is to swing our way of thinking to their (negative) side.  Do they think the rest (majority) of us are dupes?  Never mind.  Forget I asked that question.

“If it’s true that when everybody’s right, nobody’s wrong, doesn’t it stand to reason that if everybody’s wrong, nobody’s right?”

Prior to yesterday’s Nuggets-Lakers game, I turned on ESPN and a show I’d never seen was on.  I can’t remember its title, but there was a moderator (I can’t remember his name) who had a female journalist to his right (I can’t remember her name, either, but she was extremely articulate and well-versed on the sports topics they were discussing) and to his left was Skip Bayless, who, if memory serves me correctly (and after not remembering the name of the show or the others on it, how can I even think that would be possible), writes, or at one time, wrote for the Dallas Morning News - or some other paper in Dallas (can’t remember). 

I thought I enjoyed Skip when he was on Around the Horn but that was because he was always on it with Jay Mariotti - and most people would enjoy a barracuda in their bath water more than Jay Mariotti).  It was rumored that the citizens of Chicago had a going away party when Jay stopped pontificating writing in their paper - but waited until he left before they threw it).  Then, when I was telling a friend what I was going to blog, he said to me that Skip wasn’t on Around the Horn.  That must mean I confused him with someone else because I am sure I didn’t/don’t/never will like Jay Mariotti.  I’m not a fan of anyone whose ego is larger than his or her skills.

It seems, after his performance yesterday, Skip has become a recent graduate (summa cum laude) from the Mariotti School of I’m Right & Whomever I Deem Wrong Must Be, Even If I’ve Never Met Them.  In everything Skip said during this nameless show, he was not only 100% correct, but he felt the need to thoroughly destroy the character of the poor soul who got in his crosshairs.  He was the clear winner in every debate.  Of course, it might have been more fair had the person in question actually been on the show or even allowed to express his reason for doing whatever Skip was lambasting him for, but why is that necessary when Skip is completely unbiased and totally fair with whomever he had on the spit. 

First, let me make clear that I’m not talking about the segment on Terrell Owens because, as soon as that came up, I had had enough Bayless Wisdom for the rest of my life - even if I outlive Methuselah - and, like most people, I’d outlived my need for anything “Terrell Owens” about three relationship-killing teams ago.

The segment of the show that caught my eye (and rancor) was about the final second of the Magic-Cavs game, the one in which LeBron hit a walk-off three.  Bayless’ description of Stan Van Gundy’s coaching IQ started with Stan’s switching of Hedo Turkoglu in place of Mickael Pietrus to guard LeBron (Pietrus had given James fits all game).  Since media members have been criticized for second guessing - as in, who the hell can’t figure out what should have been done? - Skip claimed that he jumped up at yelled at the TV when this took place.  That certainly is good enough for me to believe it happened, as I’m certain he’d believe others who came up with such a lame story to influence people to believe them.

He criticized Turkoglu for slow feet (but failed to mention that he successfully shut down the first option, which was a lob and only had space created for the game-winning J because James pushed off to make it).  Cavs coach Mike Brown, LeBron and inbound passer, Mo Williams all said the first option was the lob, but Skip the last time Skipp doled out credit was, I believe when Jesus was a sophomore in high school.  Criticism is the new (or not-so-new) mantra for sportswriters attempting to gain fame and fortune.  Hey, it’s what people want to read and hear about (”Gee, my life’s not that bad after all.  Sure, I’ve been out of work for a few years, but at least I can take enjoyment from media members like Skip Bayless cutting down other people).

Bayless also ridiculed Hedo for jumping sideways (”like he was afraid of fouling him!” ranted Skipper).  Let’s see, the Magic were up two with one second to go, what in the world would make Turkoglu fear fouling someone shooting a three?  Bayless also blasted the referees for officiating that made him “sick to my stomach.  The refs kept Cleveland in the game.”  Maybe I shouldn’t quote him, but I’m fairly certain of the gist of his remarks.

After hearing Skip, the All-Knowing, it sounded like the perfect scenario would have been to allow Stan Van Gundy to coach the first 47 minutes and 59 seconds, sound the horn and make the substitution of Bayless for Van Gundy, the thinking being Stan did OK for the “beginning” of the game, but would screw up something that Skip knew so much more about - late game situations.  Naturally, Skip also jumped on the “why wasn’t Rashard Lewis draped all over Mo Williams, a la Lamar Odom in the two games won by the Lakers on Trevor Ariza’s steals?”  This is how most people, probably including Stan VG feel if you watched as he agonized at the post-game press conference intimating as much.

Or, MAYBE, could Skip’s foul mood have come from the fact he calls LeBron, Prince James, because he’s made the case that LeBron can’t make the clutch shot and this made Skip Bayless look bad - and anyone who’s ever dealt with that type of new breed journalist, i.e. the one who, while he may have never strapped one on before in his life, has the uncontrolled ego of a spoiled child who never got to be the somebody others (much less deserving) got to be.

So, if Skip were to admit it (a “journalist’s mistake” is called an oxymoron in that line of work), his main reason he was so upset was because Stan Van Gundy made him look wrong.  If Stan had only had Regis’ “phone a friend,” Skip wouldn’t have to hear about it from LeBron lovers that Skip change his opinion (something you’ll see the majority media member do - on the second Tuesday of each week).

When I checked to see if Skip Bayless was married, I came across nothing definitive.  I did see that his given name was John, but he had changed it to Skip.  Could it be he also refers to himself with another moniker?  The one that scares the hell out of potential matches:

“While every girl is looking to marry Mr. Right, she doesn’t want to find out, after the ceremony, that his first name is ALWAYS.”