Thoughts

It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to Darko Milicic today. His trade to the Orlando Magic has been completed. The deal sends Darko and Piston's backup point-guard Carlos Arroyo to Orlando for (injured) center Kelvin Cato and a first round draft pick.

The details of the draft pick are that Detroit gets Orlando's first round pick in 2007, unless Orlando has a top 5 pick whereby they keep it and Detroit gets their first round pick in 2008 regardless of position.

The article from Sportsline does the perfect job of putting Darko's tenure in Detroit into perspective:

...Milicic's future in Detroit came down to this: The Pistons' environment couldn't handle developing a project for the future while using its lineup of all-stars for championships today.

I wish him well in Orlando. I am a Darko fan, and hate to see him go, but in that system compared to the system in Detroit he will be able to see more court time.

And while Milicic could have forced a change in that environment, had his play or his attitude risen above that obstacle, he didn't.

I think attitude was the biggest problem. When Darko would get into a game early, say in the second quarter, he would play very respectably. He also had a strong summer before this season began. In the summer league he saw decent minutes and was able to establish his on court identity. It was when he had the garbage minutes at the end of a blowout victory that he would play without confidence. I cannot blame him for wanting more playing time, but I cannot condone the lack of effort on the court in the final minute(s).

Reports have often stated that the chance to play under Pistons' new coach Flip Saunders was Darko's to lose. All he had to do was work hard and show Flip that he had the desire to learn and contribute. I have no intimate knowledge of the goings-on behind the scenes of this team. I cannot say whether that happened or not or if that was why Darko never played or not. But that inference can be made. This should be a lesson he has learned and he will be better prepared for his move to Orlando.

In the end, I do believe this trade to the in Darko's best interest, though I will no longer be able to see him in Detroit's red, white and blue.

Best of luck to Darko Milicic in Orlando.

Why do the strangest things happen at fast food locations? Should I take that as a sign to maybe seek sustenance elsewhere? Sure I would be healthier and maybe even live longer, but then what stories would I have to share? First, the guy I posted about last month and now this.

Today I was back at Burger King. There was a woman ahead of me in line. She was a tall woman, with thick black hair. Her two little brats kids were wreaking havoc across the dining room while she ordered the food. She was not a particularly attractive woman, but had enough makeup on and carried enough name brand accessories to lead me to believe there was a wealthy man somewhere who thinks she is something special. I think she is a different kind of special.

Simple order, really: Whatever she was going to binge then purge and two of those little meal thingies with the toys, you know, for the kids.

Lady: ...and two Happy Meals. NO! OH MY GOD! Kids' Meals! I mean Kids' Meals! I am soooo sorry.

She went on like this for a good 10-15 seconds. She began spouting apologies you may expect to hear if in fact the young man behind the register might take some offense to her faux pas. We all knew what she meant, and he even rang up her order as if she had done nothing.

Have you ever seen cartoons where someone asks a robot an illogical question and its head explodes? *Does Not Compute* I think this lady thought the BK employee may have the same reaction to her ordering a Happy Meal at Burger King.

Something tells me she is not the first person to walk into a Burger King and order something off the McDonalds menu and vice versa. I just hope she can recover. And her poor husband who will have to wonder what he got himself into when she weeps in his arms tonight after she confesses her sin...

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Villanova coach Jay Wright signed a seven-year contract extension Tuesday, one day after his Wildcats defeated No. 1 Connecticut.

The contract will keep Wright at the school through the 2012-13 season. Athletic director Vince Nicastro said the agreement represents a "significant commitment" to Villanova basketball.

The No. 4 Wildcats (20-2, 10-1 Big East) beat the Huskies 69-64 Monday night.

"We now have a long-term commitment, a new practice facility planned, a newly expanded conference and renovations planned for the Pavilion," Wright said. "There's nowhere our staff and my family would rather be."

In four seasons, Wright has led the Wildcats to a 95-56 record and took them to the round of 16 in last year's NCAA tournament.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

In the collegiate setting, the hardwood floor is almost exclusively reserved for the players and their coaches. The rare occasions when the court plays host to others come after "The Big Win".

This Big Win phenomenon occurs as the home team, a significant statistical underdog, successfully pulls off the upset. The upset can be triggered by hard work, determination, playing as a team, lucky shots and good home-court officiating. Whatever the catalyst, the societal norm is for the underdog fan-base to leave their seats, run out to center court, jump up and down, and then wait to be ushered away when the jubilation of triumph has quieted.

The process, though "tradition" if you care to say so, is flawed. There needs to be new life brought to celebration. If I were any good at math or even had the free time to pretend I was, I would do this myself. Alas, I am not and I have not. I do have the starting point for the revolution, however.

An algorithm. A mathematical computation that results in either "rush the floor" or "stay firmly in your seat".

Last night the Villanova Wildcats beat the #1 ranked Connecticut Huskies. Villanova, though highly ranked, was technically the underdog, despite playing in Philadelphia. The game was not on Villanova's campus, but at a bigger facility 30 minutes away to accommodate more fans. After the victory was sealed against the #1 team and time expired, the fans for the #4 team rushed the floor.

Villanova is currently ranked #4 in both polls and there are a handful of people around the country who wonder if maybe they should be higher than that. All I am saying is that while it is still a big win, it was not so out of the realm of possibility. Very few people, if any, are left with the taste of "Oh my. I can't believe they won that game." If there was more of a discrepancy between rankings, I would appreciate the enthusiasm. That was Villanova's game to win, and they did. And they won it at home, for all intents and purposes.

There are some people that watch and/or are a part of the professional football family that say touchdown celebration is unnecessary. I firmly believe their mantra "act like you have been there before" applies in this situation as well. This was only the fifth time in Villanova's history that they have beaten a #1 team, but it is a program accustomed to winning big games.

A discussion that I have oft had at the end of college basketball games is about student-section chanting. When the game is drawing to a close and the underdog is set to win, fans, typically student-fans, may be heard chanting "over-rated". My argument against this is simply that it makes your team look less impressive. "Wow, you guys lost to us! You really must not be as good as people think!" I think rushing the court sends the same message. As if we, as fans, did not think it possible to beat this team. Does that not send the wrong message?

When the home team is unranked or at least 10 seeds lower than the ranked visiting team.

When you weight the conference and overall record of the visiting team, more highly if they are undefeated.

Perhaps when the visiting team is favored by 10+ points.

There are many factors that may be employed in our algorithm, but ultimately we need to change the face of celebration. Let us be more selective of the situations in which we rush the court. I know many smaller schools, and often bigger schools in down years for the program, never know the adrenaline spike experienced while rushing the court. That is a shame; I feel it is something everyone should be able to experience, however I know it does not make sense to allow it.

The hardwood is reserved for the players and coaches. We must only trespass on their territory when the timing is perfect. It is a special occasion when the opportunity to rush the court presents itself; we should not desensitize ourselves to what it truly symbolizes.

The hardwood is sacred. Tread lightly and only when deemed acceptable.

On my flight home last night from Las Vegas I woke up to our plane shaking it like a salt shaker. Turbulence is something that I will never enjoy, but it does not bother me very much anymore. That may be a sign that I fly too often, or maybe something else. Last night, however, was a LOT of turbulence. The captain came over the speakers and said that air traffic control had suggested we try three different altitudes in search of relief, but none proved any better than the rest. The best estimate he could give was that we would endure another 20 minutes of bumpy travel after however many had gone by already.

Lucky for me, I was asleep through what was apparently most of it, but the poor guy next to me was a different story. I got the impression he does not travel in the air very frequently, and may not again for a long time after last night. I woke up to him with his arms outstretched, hands "white-knuckled", grasping the headrest of the seat in front of him.

When we got off the plane, Kyle told me about his unfortunate situation. He said the woman next to him decided that in the face of turbulence she would widen her base for what seemed a lower sense of gravity. This process entailed her widening herself out and spilling out of her own seat and flowing over into his.

"Did you see the couple still sitting in my row when you got off the plane?" he asked.

"That woman just spent the last 4 hours sitting on me."

It was not the most pleasant flying experience.

I have had suspicions before and even though I lack concrete proof, I am now convinced that sports complexes around the country sell each and every ticket with the exception of the 2-4 directly behind each coach's spot on the bench. At football games, there really is no opportunity, but I have seen this happen at multiple hockey games, many basketball games, and even the occassional baseball game (I do not watch much baseball).

I have not noticed this happening at the collegiate level, which is nice; at least there is still someplace we can go and see a game in its pure state. Professional sports are another story. The next game you watch on TV, when they cut to the coach of either participating team, look over his shoulder. Without a doubt you will see a prime, text-book example of cleavage.

cleav·age (klē'vĭj) n.

1. The act of splitting or cleaving.
2. The state of placing one's buxom breastesses on a platter for the world to enjoy.

So here is the actual conspiracy: Those tickets remain unoccupied though they are "sold" in the eyes of the box office. The average fan cannot purchase those tickets; they are reserved by stadium staff. At the beginning of each game the staff keeps an eagle eye out for low cut tops, push up bras, and the like. Once "she" is found, probably the best approach is to ask her companion(s) if they would like complimentary upgrades to their tickets...for subtlety. Conveniently, the staff memebers lead them to seats directly behind the bench. She would never suspect a thing if her beau gets better tickets and now he looks like he is kind of a big deal. They change seats and no one is any the wiser.

Keep an eye out.

Mark my words.

Shady dealings I tell you.

...and I love it.