Goodbye, Reggie

May 20, 2005


This is not how it was supposed to end, my friends. Reggie Miller, the greatest Indiana Pacer, if not the greatest pure shooter, of all time, was supposed to rally his team, lead them to the Finals again against all odds to finish a season that defied all reason.

Everything was thrown against the Pacers this year. Suspensions, injuries, a lack of experience at key positions; no one thought the Pacers could still make the playoffs, let alone scare the defending champion Detroit Pistons in a quarterfinal series.

But the one thing that kept everyone fighting, through 35 different starting lineups and over 100 games of suspensions, was that this was Reggie’s last year – his last chance. His teammates knew that as long as they were in Indiana, they would never play along side a number 31 again. His coach knew that when this season was finished there would be a gaping hole in the leadership department. His peers knew that one of the games’ elder statesmen was going to spend the next five years preparing for his Hall of Fame speech.

His fans knew that he deserved to go out on top.

Thursday night, game 6 of the series, was located in Indianapolis. Reggie, on 11 of 16 shooting, scored 27 points in what would be his last game. He tried to take over the game, attempting to do the impossible – reverse a dead team and lead them into the Finals after Ron Artest threw away the Pacers’ season – Reggie’s last season – and forced predictions from experts of Indiana’s demise.

These fans, the same ones that booed when Reggie was picked in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft, have become a second family to him. When Fred Jones subbed in for Miller in the closing seconds of the game, a game that Indiana had already lost, the thousands of Pacers faithful rose to their feet, saluting the player that defined the team for 18 years. Pistons coach Larry Brown called a time out to allow the standing ovation to continue, while the Pistons themselves led the cheers. Piston forward Rasheed Wallace embraced him at this point, and after the game there was no celebration of the Pistons’ series win. It was all Reggie.

Both teams paid tribute to Reggie Miller. The fans paid tribute to Reggie Miller. Even the referees were caught embracing the man who gave them fits for years, kicking off from opponents as he launched a long shot or flopping and complaining about hard screens. I’ll admit – when I heard the radio broadcast of the ovation, I had chills.

Reggie Miller leaves the game with some momentous milestones: First all time in three point shots made (leading second place Dale Ellis by nearly 1000), sixth all time in minutes and games played, seventh all time in free throw percentage, twelfth all time in points scored. Reggie Miller leaves the game after taking a team – his team – as far as humanly possible after a disastrous season.

Reggie Miller leaves the game with a standard of professionalism and excellence that will be difficult to top. Reggie Miller leaves the game by closing a chapter in NBA history, a chapter started by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, continued by Michael Jordan and Karl Malone; the final superstar of the NBA’s glory days stayed around just long enough to turn out the lights and leave the game to the next generation.

Reggie Miller leaves the game as my all time favorite player, a player that I always liked, even when I was a young Bulls fan: a player that embodied everything I’ve ever cared about in a sport – excitement, clutch play, sensibility about his place in the league, and a real loyalty to a team, and a city, that wasn’t so sure about him in the first place.

Reggie Miller leaves the game with his head high.

And don’t think that the game won’t miss him.

Tags: Basketball, Indiana Pacers, Sports |

6 Comments

Middle school revenge

May 19, 2005


It’s still quiet here.

It’s currently 3:45 am, and I can’t seem to make myself sleep. I’ve done what I can to relax, but here I sit still, slamming keys around in an effort to write. I’m lacking a certain motivation to lay in bed and stay awake, so I’m just doing it on my own up here in the dormer.

I’m currently listening to Pearl Jam, thanks to Chris, and I’m throwing myself back into the early high school years — the awkward years when I forgot how sucky middle school was and began trying to make a name for myself. I can’t say I enjoyed Axtell Park Middle School but, as my grandfather would say, I certainly built a shitload of character by being a constant target for ridicule.

I’m not sure that anyone ever knew how much it hurt being a “dork” in middle school, but that’s the time in a child’s life where you really begin to understand what you have… or what you don’t have. Middle school was hell to me, and high school was my ticket out. I knew that I could start over there, and I did what I could to change whatever image had surfaced of me in years past.

Now, looking back with all of my tender 26 years in check, I understand that Axtell was a perfect trial — the ideal place to learn how tough life could be. I think a lot of my beliefs sprouted from watching myself and others be tormented by “bullies;” people who wouldn’t steal my lunch money but would attempt to steal whatever dignity was left after two years of feeling less than human.

I know that everyone’s had a hard time at some point in thier life. But I’d be willing to bet that most people’s worst times came during those awkward years when you didn’t recognize your own self — when you couldn’t predict your own body or mind any better than you could predict the month’s weather.

High school was escape for me. I made friends that I had never thought I would have — friends that were *gasp* popular. I won people of all backgrounds over, and I owe everything to the kids who gave me shit in middle school. They strengthened my inner fibers, tempered me to nearly everything. They made me realize how precious my own ideals and feelings could be and forced me to lay them out in the open for everyone to see, regardless of how lame they seemed at the time.

I know it’s horrible to say, but I always imagine that those kids who made fun of me — the ones who gave me shit because I looked like Screech from Saved By the Bell and gave me tongue in cheek review of anything I cared about — to be struggling in life, with karma pressing it’s thumb down on thier spines until they develop a painful gait. I imagine them wishing they would have been nicer to me…to everyone, really…and realizing that they spent what could be the best years of thier lives creating the worst years of mine.

I think about that and realize that I, myself, am not free from negative feelings. I think about that and know that I’m really no better than they ever were.

I’m just a lot quieter about it.

That is, until now.

Tags: On... |

4 Comments

Home alone

May 17, 2005


It’s quiet in this house.

Kerrie, my wife, has jetted off to Mesa, Arizona on official Good Samaritan business, leaving me here on my own while she basks in the scorching desert sun. Her project is to write an article on a center down there which will be published in the Good Samaritan newsletter. I’m very proud of and excited for her; it’s a big step in anyone’s career – the first big travel assignment.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.

With her leaving, though, I have found that this house seems so much bigger with just one person living in it. Things aren’t that different overall – we both work opposite schedules and see each other sparingly throughout the day – but there’s enough change to throw me off of my routine.

It’s funny how much we have settled into a routine, but it’s even funnier how weird it feels when a wrench is thrown into my life. When I come home for dinner, it’s just me and Becket. I turn myself over to an empty bed at night, and in the morning I wake knowing that no one told me to have a good day.

I’m not depressed about it. It’s just so quiet.

I can see now how people can just wander around doing nothing when a partner leaves or passes, for whatever reason. It’s as if my routine was laid somewhere and now I can’t find it. I find myself just puttering around the house, with nothing to pick up or put away, and wondering what I ever did with so much spare time.

Kerrie will be back Thursday, fresh from seeing Steve Nash at a Phoenix Suns playoff game, so I’ll be able to resume my routine of picking up after her and washing her dishes, and I won’t have to make my own dinner anymore.

Did I mention I was jealous?

Tags: Vilhauer |

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Pacers 2, Pistons 1

May 14, 2005


Just a quick spread right now.

The Pacers are up two games to one in thier series against the rival Pistons, and for the first time all year, I’m actually seeing some pro-Pacers articles.

I’m loving this, naturally, so I’m bringing the articles to you, the faithful reader.

Here are the articles. Enjoy:

Carlisle, Pacers offer no sympathy for Pistons: Michael Smith
Toss out the records — Pacers, Mavs prove playoffs truly are second season: Ian Thompson
Let’s get it straight: Carlisle the Coach of the Year: Michael Smith
Walk the Walk, Sheed: Steve Kerr

Tags: Basketball, Indiana Pacers, Sports |

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Change the channel

May 14, 2005


I’m the type of person who becomes very loyal to certain brands. My entire stereo is comprised of Pioneer and only Pioneer components. Volkswagen is always my first choice in vehicles. I go to the same liquor stores and grocery stores, even if they don’t always have what I’m looking for or are a little bit more expensive than the cheap dive downtown. I believe in brand loyalty. It’s true.

Knowing this, you’ll have to excuse me if I sound a little biased towards Sirius satellite radio. It is, after all, the brand we chose after careful research – pouring over Consumer Reports magazines and scanning the Internet for comparisons with it’s competitor, XM Radio. Sure, there are stations that I don’t care for, but I just don’t listen to them. I don’t listen to them: what an odd concept.

I say it’s odd because of an article I read over at CNN.com today regarding Hyundai and its decision to choose XM Radio over Sirius for its standard equipped satellite radio. According to the article:

Hyundai recently surveyed 300 to 400 customers as it was deciding whether to choose XM or Sirius Satellite Radio in as an option for its vehicles. Hyundai ultimately decided to go with XM.
…
John Krafcik, Hyundai vice president of product development and strategic planning, told Inside Line that executives were stunned by the number of “unprompted write-ins” on the survey that said customers were “not comfortable with programming from (Howard) Stern.”

Please.

I don’t care who you are, or what brand you are loyal to, this is horrible logic. If those surveyed would have done a little research, they probably would have found that the sports and talk selections on Sirius where more varied and complete, while the music stations on XM were superior to those from the competitor. Those are valid reasons to choose one or the other.

But this? These people are guilty of basing an entire 180 channel spread on one four hour program that is on during “drive time.” It’s silly. It’s like not getting cable because you don’t like watching MTV’s Cribs, or not going to the mall because you don’t care for that Bath and Body Works store that just opened.

There are three arguments to this, all of which are uninformed and stupid. You’re correct, I did just call them stupid – I’m not usually that fair to uninformed and illogical opinions.

The first is this: “I don’t like what Howard Stern stands for or the content of his show.” Fine. Don’t listen to it. Program it out of your radio. It’s that easy. Instead, listen to three different channels of Public Radio. Wait, you’d probably rather listen to Fox News. Well, that’s there too.

The second is: “I don’t want my children listening to Howard Stern.” Don’t let them. Either program it out (as I said before) or simply use the parental lock to block the station from all but the most mature ears. If you’re still not willing to do that, maybe you can rest assured that XM has parental block too – you can use it to tune out XM channel 66 (Raw, the uncensored rap channel) or 150 (XM Comedy, “the world’s first uncensored radio station.”)

The third is that “I don’t want to support the company that supports Howard Stern.” That’s fine. Instead you’d rather support the company that supports the Playboy Channel, XM channel 205, where according to the XM website you can ” take a trip to the wild side — call-in to Night Calls host Tiffany, immerse yourself in the erotic world of Sexy Stories, and get playful advice from the Playboy Advisor.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this because I’m a Howard Stern apologist. I don’t even think Stern is entertaining. Not at all. I do, however, respect that he is a human with protection against censorship and that others should have the opportunity to listen to him if they so choose. You have the choice to do it or not. Choice. Another weird concept.

Yes, I know that it was a survey. Yes, I understand that Hyundai has the final say on what radio will go into their cars as they roll out of the factory. Still, I don’t think the best way to get what we want is to avoid conflict, to hide from something offensive rather than just turn it off. Society as a whole wants to blame someone for everything instead of just taking control of their fears and doing something about it. Like simply turning the damned channel.

I guess all that I’m hoping for is that people begin realizing that choices aren’t forced, and that shunning one thing over another for the simple fact that one small completely avoidable part of it may be offensive for 13 percent of the day is pretty ridiculous.

In fact (with tongue pressed firmly in cheek) I’d call it pretty un-American.

Tags: Annoyances, Sirius |

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News update 05.12.05

May 12, 2005


Just a throw away post today – Here are the weird things happening in the news today:

First of all, I guess Comedy Central mainstay Dave Chappelle has checked himself into a mental hospital in South Africa. Nobody really knows the true reason why, but it’s kind of a scary thing to have happen to one of the most talented comics of our generation.

The story is here.

Second – Sometimes I try to get people to believe that I’m a big “football” fan, in the European sense of the word. I am, I guess; I really did enjoy watching English Premiership Soccer back when I had Fox Sports World, and I own a Liverpool jersey (with stylish Carlsberg logo on the front). I don’t get to partake in the sport as much as I used to anymore. It’s on Sirius satellite radio, but it’s on live (which makes it about 7 am here in the States.)

Anyway, the owner of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers has secured a majority stake in Manchester United – the most popular and richest soccer team in the world. This may not seem like news to you, but to me, it’s kind of a big deal. Imagine if some multi-millionaire from France came across the pond and end up with over 50% of the stock in the Boston Celtics. Or the Green Bay Packers. People would be pissed!

So, unsurprisingly, United fans are pretty pissed about this, considering he’s the type of owner who will sell the naming rights to Old Trafford (will we soon be seeing Man U games in Nextel’s Trafford Stadium of Manchester?) and raise ticket prices. He’s the new sports owner – more concerned about making money than controlling a great team.

Just thought I’d throw some English gossip your way. The article is here.

Third: Only the BBC would bring us stuff like this. It’s a powerful article about a powerful picture – the marriage of photography and the truth. Just like I learned in Baghdad Express, war can be hell. Sometimes the images get mixed.

We certainly didn’t see this picture in the U.S.

Go here. Now.

That’s it. I’m just rounding up the news and delivering it to you in a tidy little package. With blue ribbons. And shiny wrapping paper.

You’re welcome.

Tags: Journalism, Random Links, Soccer |

1 Comment

Hamburger, hamburger, hamburger

May 10, 2005


No wonder people get fat.

Everything gets bigger and bigger, I find, in the world of fast food.

News has been buzzing for a while about Burger King’s Enormous Omelet Sandwich, a breakfast item which consists of one large sausage patty, two eggs, two slices of American cheese, and three strips of bacon. It weighs in with 730 calories and 47 grams of fat.

730 calories

To put that in perspective, the average American female aged 19-50 requires 1800 to 2400 calories each day, while men in the same range need 2200 to 3000 (Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services).

Critics hate it, but it’s defended by Denny Post, chief product officer at Burger King: “It’s designed for people who like to start the day with a hearty breakfast.”

But wait! If you think that’s bad, you should see the first sandwich that bucked the “eating fast food is good for you” trend: Hardee’s Monster Thick Burger.

1420 calories

This ridiculous piece of food has no less than two 1/3 pound slabs of beef, four strips of bacon, and three slices of American cheese. It costs $5.49 and has 1420 calories and 107 grams of fat.

And if that doesn’t send your heart into cardiac arrest just by looking at it, then feast your eyes on this:

a million calories

Yes, this is what happens when burger restaurants fight. For years, two restaurants, Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub (Clearfield, Pennsylvania) and the Clinton Station Diner (Clinton, New Jersey) have been fighting it out over who serves the biggest hamburger. Denny’s held the title for a long time, offering the 96er, which was, according to their website, 96 ounces (6 pounds), of beef, two whole tomatoes, a half head of lettuce, 12 slices of American cheese, a full cup of peppers, two entire onions, and a river of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. It cost $23.95.

The Diner fought back with the 12.5-pound Zeus, but held the largest burger title for only a few months, when Denny’s upped the size again with the above hamburger – the 15 pound Beer Barrel Belly Buster.

The ingredients: 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers. On a bun.

Get this guy a T-Shirt!

Eat up, indeed.

Tags: Random |

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