My Letter to Bill Simmons on the Utah Jazz and Jeff Hornacek

William,

You may never read this based on the subject alone but there are things that must be said about the Utah Jazz.

Jazz fans are being force-fed to idea of patience and the opportunity to watch the young guys develop. This was all fine and good mid-october. Trey Burke goes down and the prospect, at least for the first few weeks, of this media spin was significantly less tantalizing. That being said, Jazz fans knew that there were a few teams in the league that would commiserate. Phoenix, Philly, and Orlando fit the bill of teams that would be at least equally depressing if not more so.

The season starts, “The Hyphen” Michael Carter Williams explodes. The Jazz lose by 20. In Orlando, Oladipo becomes a revelation and Aaron Afflalo exhumes himself from middling swing-guy purgatory. Luckily, these fires were no more than a flicker and these teams found themselves in the dung heap of tanking franchises.

Then there’s Phoenix: the team that got the PG and the coach that everyone said the Jazz didn’t need, Eric Gordon and Jeff Hornacek, respectively. The Suns currently hold the 6^th seed in the brutal Western Conference. The Jazz, meanwhile, have mustered their way to a surprising 3 road wins to accompany their 3 home wins.

Disclaimer. I’m willing to give Tyrone Corbin a pass for last year. Al Jefferson was never going to change (20 & 10 both in what he produced and in what he allowed). Paul Millsap was clearly looking for a new scene and to rid himself to the 2^nd round label that the Jazz franchise and fans would associate with him. Mo Williams was injured. Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley still have leftovers from Y2K. It was a team that defined mediocre. They didn’t deserve the playoffs and it played out on the court. While some of the coaching decisions have been surprising and the defense puzzling at times, Corbin will be allowed to finish this year—and I’m okay with that. Maybe the purge of 2013 (not bringing back anyone, including fan-favorites like Demarree Carroll and Randy Foye) would be expected to spill over into 2014 some.

Now, my question for you is did the Jazz (and everyone else) miss on Jeff Hornacek’s coaching abilities? How much credit for the Suns’ early season success be attributed to Horny?

There are times where I feel like the Jazz franchise is like a bank that won’t adopt mobile deposit. In the conference room where big decisions are being made, that argument “well, this is how we’ve always done it” is heard loud and clear and factored into the resolution. There may be too much family organization to effect true change and innovative ideas. Which is surprising because if the late Larry H. Miller was anything he was a man who took insane risks and innovated at every opportunity.

Was Jeff Hornacek a new mobile phone app for banking and Tyrone Corbin the guy who licks his fingers before giving each of his checks to the bank teller?

Will the Jazz ever be a contender? Can I realistically expect a championship for the Jazz or should I devote my energy to our MLS team (an annual power)?

Baby’s crying so this stream of consciousness must end. You may have gotten too big for these types of inquiries, so this email may be more appropriate for Utah’s favorite son, Zach Lowe.

America's Love of Football a Flaw? Part II

<Everyone needs to imagine the melodious voice of Bob Costas as they read this. Indeed, this is a script written for him to read at halftime during a Sunday night football game this season.>

Is America's love of football a flaw?

Football is a uniquely American experience. From the tailgates of the South, the football Cathedrals of the Midwest, to the television rooms of Americans across the nation. No where else in the world is the onset of autumn--it's chilly weather and portending of a long winter to come--celebrated by the clashing of bone and sinew, the thrusting of an oblong pigskin into the air, and hours upon hours of media coverage.

Baseball may be America's pastime, Football is America's reality; and like reality, it isn't without its flaws. And, like reality, it something that we cannot avoid and that we must address.

Concussions, suicides, helmet-to-helmet, and something called CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) are all part of the everyday vernacular of America's reality. This juxtaposed with the multi-billion dollar industry that football has become. Indeed, there is a lot at stake for both humanity and the bottom line.

The whispered undertones of the end of football, (again, another reality), is just not feasible. The word "flaw" therefore is perhaps an unsatisfactory description of America's relation to football. Perhaps a better word is "birthmark."

Americans are forced to juggle two competing realities. Unfortunately and fortunately, getting rid of one gets rid of the other. This is not a call for the end of football--that would mean to removal of an important part of American culture. Nor is it a call for the acceptance of the dangers of football without action to alleviate those dangers--that would be inhumane. Rather, this is a realization that these two realities walk in tandem and that our duty is to ensure to health of both.

America's Love of Football a Flaw?

Americans love football.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar sports league.

College Football elicits passion and allegiance that approaches religious levels.Rivalries define communities.

For millions of Americans, football is another in a litany of factors that identify who they are.

Sound is the argument that claims that teams are pricing out large segments of their fanbases. Equally factual is that most stadiums are at capacity weekly.

Schools are building multi-million dollar football facilities, gouging money from student fees and other sources. Johnny Manziel's right hand and sharpie dominate the news outlets.

Football unites Americans. From Brian Williams of NBC News talking about "his Giants" during a broadcast to the blue-collar worker settling down in front of his TV on a Sunday afternoon.

It is true that football has become romanticized. How a sport that is so violent became the source of so much nostalgia is simple really. Think about it: Homecoming, Rivalry Week, the Super Bowl. These happen once a year, every year. They will happen next year too.

Football benefits from scarcity. Though the games take 4 hours to complete, blink and you will miss it. The game becomes an event that you will only get a handful of chances to participate in. It's hard to remember a certain baseball game in August that is cluttered among the 20+ other games played that month plus the 162 played during the season. From September to February, football owns the weekends.

Football is dangerous.

Retired NFL football players suffering from dementia, tragic suicides, and new scientific studies have contributed to increased awareness of the above statement. Studies suggest that the impact is not exclusive to the player who reached the elite level of NFL play, but that a few concussions in high school can be enough to affect quality of life, later in life. Steps to improve safety and penalize recklessness have been taken. 

The concluding sentence of the preceding paragraph is purposefully vague as it reads just as well in this article as it would in an article about new legislation aimed at discouraging texting while driving. You can never remove the danger from football just as you can never completely keep a car operator from multi-tasking while driving. If the desire was to completely remove the possibility of injury from vehicular carelessness, the solution would be to remove texting capabilities from mobile phones, or to abolish driving. Neither is happening. Football is going anywhere either.

Is football one of America's flaws?

The NBA Finals - Heat v. Spurs (2013)

It is that time of year. 

After something like 7 years of exhausting playoff wrangling, we are down to two. LeBron's Heat v. The Real Big Three. Spo v. Pop. Wade's disintegrating knees v. Ginobli's disintegrating hair. 

The storylines are good. The play on the court should be solid, at least as solid as it can get after these players have waded through almost 100 games. It should be a fine series. Not likely one for the ages, but at least one we'll remember--especially since it will likely be Miami's last real shot at a title. (The preceding statement is not a vote of confidence in a team like, say, the Pacers to dethrone the Heat but rather a lack of confidence in the Heat's ability to seriously contend with their current roster.)

The prediction - Miami in 6.

The Spurs have had too much time off. The similarities between the 1998 Finals and the 2013 Finals are plentiful enough for me to not like San Antonio's chances. In '98, the Utah Jazz annihilated the Lakers in a 4 game sweep. Jordan's Bulls, meanwhile, fought tooth and nail against the Pacers in a series that went the distance. The result - the Bulls in 6, albeit minus the theatrics from Jordan pretending he was sick. The 2013 Spurs rolled through the Grizzlies, the Heat went 7 rounds with the Pacers. 

Dwayne Wade should be well rested after taking some much-needed vacation time during the Eastern Conference Finals. He rose up when he needed to. With just a couple of weeks worth of games left before the offseason, I expect Wade to rise up once again. The Heat probably only need him to show up for two games. LeBron and some perverse combination of Udonis Haslem, Chris Anderson, Ray Allen, and Mike Miller can take care of the other two games. Anything provided by Chris Bosh will be gravy.

LeBron James, in my opinion, is the greatest player of all-time. He has passed the media and fan-imposed hurdles of "can't win the big one" and/or "can't win a championship". Now, he's playing for legacy. I think he understands that. He is a much smaller player and can essentially do whatever he wants on the court. He seems to want to win a championship now not to prove anything, but because it is what he is supposed to do. I also suspect that he understands that the days of this current era of Heat dominance appear to be numbered. Unless Wade can hook up with Kobe's doctor in Germany I just don't see him being any more than a role player as he drifts more and more out to the perimeter. Wade's jump shot has always left a lot to be desired. Jason Kidd developed into a very useful perimeter player in his career, it remains to be seen if Wade has similar focus and dedication. Bosh still has many years of production left in him but it will just be production, not transcendent performance. For the Heat's style to work, they need at least one more guy that can attack the basket. All that being said, LeBron can still likely carry these old Heat bones to a couple championships--barring injury of course.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli. It has been a glorious run for this group. Just like last year in the conference finals against the Thunder, I see the Spurs falling to the athleticism of LeBron and whoever else from the Heat decides to show up.

Star Trek : Into Darkness

Bravo, Cumberbatch. Bravo.

Spoiler Alert

The role of Khan will not come to define the acting Benedict Cumberbatch (his role as Sherlock just might though), but what a solid performance. The rage, the paranoia, the megalomania, the elegance of his evil was well played. 

Two scenes encapsulate his turn as Kahn for me. One, his duel with Kirk while trapped in the brig. Scene the second, the vulnerability he displayed as he became more obsessed with saving his crew (his only weakness, besides the Vulcan Death grip, that became his undoing). Bravo Mr. Cumberbatch. Now, explain how you cheated death to defeat Moriarti.

The story that developed in Star Trek was unexpected. I can understand why hardcore Trekkers might be perturbed with J.J. Abrams choice of direction--twisting the storyline of what many feel is the best of the original Star Trek films. For my part, I was decidedly unperturbed (after all, my formative years followed the timeline of the release of the Star Wars prequels--nothing is sacred in fanboy fiction anymore). Though the tale was not one that would ever match Cumberbatch's Shakesperian delivery, I appreciated the tribute to the past. Admittedly, I did not see the final resolution (and perhaps the largest deviation from the original storyline) until the tribble twitched in the sickbay.

KAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHNNNNNNN!

It is dream of mine to one day have a reason to deliver that preceding line. I do not know if that day will ever come, but I will use Zachary Quinto's pronouncement as an inspiration.

Chris Pine may never be able to play any other role effectively but Captain James T. Kirk. I also doubt that his career will follow the long, winding path of he who preceded him in playing the role.

All signs point to a 3rd installment of this current crop of Star Trek films. The brief but impactful appearance by the Klingons during Into Darkness should provide enough of a launching board for a future plot.

2013- NBA Eastern Conference Finals Preview

In five minutes....

Heat v. Pacers. I will not count out the Pacers. Lance Stephenson and Paul George are wings on the rise. Roy Hibbert has been a beast at the rim. George Hill running point. David West. Any one of these guys can rise up and have a good game. Ultimately, it will be the inability of any one of them to simply will their team that will be their undoing against the Heat. At this point, I don't believe you can count on them as a collective nor as individuals to guarantee that they will be at their best against the best team in the world, the Miami Heat.

That being said, there has not been as much as destiny and drama involved with the 2013 playoff run for the Miami Heat as there was during the 2012 campaign. They are likely just that good that they don't need any extra motivation. Correction, LeBron may just be that good. 

Though the feeling of inevitability is not as omnipresent as it was last season, the Heat will win this series against the Indiana Pacers in 6 games.

2013 - Western Conference Finals Preview

Five Minute Sports Report:

Spurs v. Grizzlies.

Watch out NBA fans, this could get ugly. It is nice to see a couple of small market teams make it to the Western Conference Finals. I'll take the Grizzlies in 6. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have the edge in the frontcourt. Mike Conley has proven himself to be no slouch this Playoff season. He will match up nicely with Tony Parker. Defensively, the Grizz should throw the Spurs off their game.

I do like the narrative of the Spurs on their last leg and defending the aging dynasty to the last man. I don't like it enough to pick them to win.

Media types may not like the matchup for its lack of drama. Serious hoops fans will appreciate the clash of styles and the exhausting battle that is about to ensue.

Again, Grizzlies in 6.