NBA Draft 2008

So three out of the four past years my co-workers and I have made it a yearly ritual to go to the NBA Draft which is held at Madison Square Garden in the Theatre. This year the draft was going to be an exciting as all of last year's top prospects from high school had to go to school for a year to be eligible for the draft under the new NBA guidelines. So all the superstars were in the draft this year that might have otherwise been in it last year.

One of the reason I love the NBA Draft is because all of the top players are in one place at one time and you get to see the whole draft unfold live. You get to see Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith talk to/about the players live while the draft is going on and the suspense as to who will be selected is breathtaking.

The first few picks went as I expected. Derrick Rose to the Bulls, Michael Beasley to the Heat and O.J. Mayo to the Timberwolves. However when it came to the sixth pick the Knicks were up and the crowd was excited. I really thought the Knicks would take Jerryd Bayless from Arizona as he was an explosive guard who could really help them out. Instead they went with Danilo Gallinari. He is an Italian who supposedly is going to be a great player in the league but he is unproven. The crowd, me included, booed the pick loudly. After all the discontent from the crowd I felt kinda bad for the guy in a sense but if he proves himself New Yorkers will suppport him like no other.

We stayed for the rest of the first round of the draft and watched the remaining picks. The next day I turned on Sportscenter and saw the reaction of the crowd when Gallinari was picked. Long behold there was Dave and I on the screen caught booing the poor guy. However, it was pretty neat to be on TV at the draft and all in all it was a great experience with the fellow co-workers once again. I look forward to next year's draft already!!

U.S. Open Drama

A few weeks ago Tiger Woods added to his already phenomenal career with an incredible win at the U.S. Open. I began watching the tournament on Friday. Because it was at Torrey Pines on the West Coast I had the luxery of being able to take advantage of the 3 hour time difference to watch most of the round in full at night on the east coast. Tiger had a few incredible birdies on the back nine to put himself in contention. Mind you he was playing on bad knee and leg...Saturday was more of the same. Woods held strong and stayed in contention by continuing to hit incredible shots at opportune times.

Then we come to Sunday...Woods was on the 18th hole and was down one stroke to Rocco Mediate. If he made the birdie they would go to a playoff round the next day and if he missed the birdie putt Rocco would be the U.S. Open champion for 2008. Talk about pressure!! Anyways Tiger took his time, studied the putt and buried it. The roar that he let out along with the crowd was priceless. Seeing him yet again in the clutch come through really brought a smile to my face. It's really awesome to see great athletes perform at their best under pressure. Rocco said as the putt went in, " I knew he'd make it." Tiger just has the knack for making the key shots time and time again.

Watching the playoff round on Monday was soo exciting. Tiger was in control for most of the round until Rocco started hitting key shots on the last few holes and Tiger had some bogeys. With a couple of holes to play Tiger was down one to Rocco. Yet again Tiger made a key putt on the 18th hole to push the playoff into a sudden death overtime where Tiger was able to beat Rocco on the first hole.

Rocco put up a valiant effort and for that he should be applauded. However Tiger should be applauded as well. He basically won the U.S. open on a broken leg. It's incredible that he was able to fight through it and still beat the best players out there when he was far from at his best. It just shows the true champion and how much better he really is than everyone else on the tour.

Tiger announced he will be getting surgery to fix his leg/knee and will be out the rest of the season. This is sad in a sense because Tiger is such a big draw for the Tour and him not playing for the rest of the season will definitely hurt TV ratings. However it is a chance for others to step up and make a name for themselves in his absence.

This surgery will only make Tiger better as he stated he hasn't felt healthy in 10 years! He really is an exciting player to watch and I enjoy every moment of it. I liken him to Michael Jordan as he has that "it" presence about him where you become entranced by every shot he take and it can be really exciting when he is in contention for a major.

Scallywags vs. Carpetbaggers

On my way to my friend Dan's wedding upstate New York this weekend I used the word "scallywag" when talking to my friend Mister David Mikulik about about girls who are conniving act. He laughed and was like, "Mister Martin where did you get that word from." So I decided to give him the originations of my word selection.

If you have ever watched the Irv Gotti reality TV show you would know what I'm talking about. But in case you haven't here you go. Irv and his wife are separated. He lives in New York City and she lives in New Rochelle with the 3 kids. Anyways one night Irv comes over and they get in a huge fight and his wife says you would rather choose your scallywags then your wife and kids so go be with them. I took a liking to the nature and feeling that came from the word. It just felt like a good way to describe a dishonest person :) Thus my use for the word scallywags came to be.

Dave and I decided to get the real definition of the word so we looked it up. A scallywag was a white southerner who supported Reconstruction policies after the American Civil War (usually for self-interest). Dave then was like so they can also be like a carpetbagger. When he said this it cracked me up because again here was a word that would be good to describe a dishonest person as well. A carpetbagger is an outsider who seeks power or success presumptuously. After the Civil War the carpetbaggers from the North tried to take over the South.

Thus Mister Mikulik had coined the word carpetbagger for use in describing dishonest, conniving people. The great thing about these two words that they describe the dishonest people of the North and South after the Civil War. I told Dave there is nothing like building the ever growing vernacular we use with each other on a daily basis with our group of friends. So I urge you all to enjoy the usage of these two words when dealing with dishonest people. I guarantee you that if you use this word it will make the person stop and really think about what it means in relation to them. Thus thats part of the enjoyment! haha.

Tucson, AZ

Recently the associates attended a conference in Tucson, Arizona at the West Paloma Resort and Spa. Upon landing in Tuscan, we look out the window and realize there is a huge air force base in Tuscan where the U.S. fighter jets leave out of. It was really cool to see all the different planes and seeing them in the air later on doing practice manuevers.

Now I had never been to Arizona before but I do have one thing to say. It is HOT!! Probably a tad bit too hot for me. It was a very dry heat while we were there for the conference but as always we made sure to make the best of the time spent there and to enjoy our stay.

One of my co-workers Dave is a really good golfer and he told me we'd go play some golf while out in Arizona especially since they have some nice golf courses. This was my first time playing golf and it was weird because I have pretty much played every other "main" sport at least a few times, from volleyball to horseshoes, to soccer. You get my drift. Granted I stink at a lot of them but I had NEVER played golf before on a course so it was a new situation to me.

My co-worker Victor was kind enough to take me to the practice range where he gave me some pointers on how to hit the ball and what clubs to use when doing different types of shots. He was a good teacher and gave me a good understanding for how to hit a golf ball correctly. The one thing I realized is that its VERY HARD to keep your arms straight as you pull the club back to hit the ball. I wound up hitting a lot of ground balls and wild shots while on the practice range but hitting a few nice drives and chips felt really good!

Now to the golf course. Hole 1. I was kind of nervous. Like I said before, first time playing golf on a real golf course. I started out a little rusty hitting some unplayable shots, mishits, etc but as we progressed through the course I started hitting the ball better and getting a better feel for the game. After we played the 18th hole I was kind of tired but there are some things I took away from my first experience on the course.

1) my co-workers were really helpful and encouraging which made me feel comfortable and enjoy learning to play the game.

2) the views on the course were magnificient and I realized playing golf on a lazy afternoon can be really relaxing and fun.

3) it is really hard to play golf. it takes a lot of talent and the pro's are phenomenal. I now have a new found respect for the shots they are able to make on the course.

All in all my first experience on the golf course was a memorable one and I thank my co-workers in full for that.

The Boston Celtics

Well I was a little sad that the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. However, part of me is happy for the Big Three in Boston. Kobe already has three rings and none of the Celtics Big Three had any. When the final buzzer sounded in Game 6 it was really sweet to see Kevin Garnett full of emotion screaming at the top of his lungs "anything is possible." Over the years I have watched KG play a lot and he always has that fire burning on the court. I really feel that he sincerely loves to play the game of basketball with a ton of passion and he works so hard at it that you cant be but happy for him finally making the NBA finals and winning a championship ring. Ray Allen, another great player. Has had a great career with the Bucks and the Sonics before he became a Celtic. Seeing him in the boston green this year was different but he again is another player who really works hard as his craft. Consistently the first one out on the court shooting jumpers before games and just putting the time in needed to be a star even in the latter stages of his career is very impressive. So I was really happy to see him finally break through and get a ring as well. Then we have "The Truth" Paul Pierce. He has been the leader of this franchise for awhile now. Enduring the good times and the bad. He is a special player and the MVP performance he put up in this Finals was one for the ages. Kobe Bryant is the best player in basketball at the moment but Paul Pierce outplayed him consistently in the Finals.

The Lakers will be back and will be a contender in the West once Andrew Bynum comes back as long as he successfully recovers from surgery. I still feel the Celtics have one or two more years in them to contend for a title. It's easier for a team to advance out of the East compared to the powerful Western Conference and I feel the Big Three are now even hungrier to win because they have finally had a sweet taste of what it feels like to be a champion.

Tha Finalz

Ok folks. The time has come. Tonight is the first game of the NBA finals my friends. This is what everyone has been waiting for. The Lakers and the Celtics. The most storied franchises in the existence of the NBA. David Stern is smiling right now because the history of these two teams, now playing each other again in the finals is a dream come true for TV Ratings and ultimately money in his pocket.

This series has all the drama one could ask for. You have the superstars also known as the big three on Boston. Mister Big Ticket, KG (Kevin Garnett) followed by the Truth (Paul Pierce) and completed by the sharpshooting guard Ray Ray Allen. On the Lakers side only one thing needs to be said. You have the Black Mamba, tha Killa, tha Asassin Mister Kobe Bean Bryant. I am very interested to see how Boston covers Kobe. Granted they could focus the defense on him but the Lakers have a very good supporting cast that can light up opposing teams given the chance.

What an exciting series it will be. I believe the Lakers will win because they have a better bench and they have the best player in the world and the team is peaking at the right time. But this is why they play the games. To figure out a true champion so sit back, relax and enjoy!