Brandon Jennings is the NBA.

Okay, that's a hyperbolic headline. And as much or as little as I post? I try to avoid such hyperbole.

But you look at Brandon Jennings tonight and you see all that is wrong and all that is right. He has spectacular atheticism. Stunning court vision as well. He managed to get rebounds.

And he attacked for the triple double when he knew it was close. Admittedly, this stat grab has justification. The only one who had a debut triple tens? The Big O. And this team got launched today.

But you know what? We've got hope. If this is his floor? His ceiling is going to be spectacular. 2009 may not be big for Milwaukee? But 2010?

Ooh wee.

Man...I'm doing stuff.

You just don't see it yet. Or you need to read me at SEC Football Blogger. In lieu of my text, I bring you this. Please do enjoy.

I hate you sports...

The Yankees win, Mississippi State doesn't.
Miles Austin has made an enemy he cannot fathom and never knew existed.
The Brewers big free agent signing would be Mark Mulder.
The rich are getting richer.
I know to hate like this is to be happy forever...but?

I am morose at present. Cryptological briefs are the best I can do.

In Liew of actual content? I present.

A SLAM DUNK! YAY!



It's been seen before, more than likely by the Dagger. I have lost all momentum as I am leaving for a wedding this weekend.

Bye for now!

At Gawker Media, you'll lose way more points for being scooped on a story you had in your hands.

This was the ending of a missive from Gawker Media head, Nick Denton. It went to the heads of all the blogs under the Gawker aegis. Now, if you're here for some other reason? Let me explain why this is important.



This is Steve Phillips seen with production assistant Brooke Hundley. And it seems as if he was engaging in the strange with Miss Hundley. And while the vagaries and the mishagoes of this affair have been well hewn? Here is the important fact to the tale I'm trying to tell.

The editor of Deadspin had it first. And he sat on it.

And I quote A.J. himself...

"On September 9, we received a tip. Subject: 'S. Phillips.' The contents? 'Rumor winding it's way around the hallowed halls of the WWL is that Steve Phillips is getting canned tomorrow for an offense on par with Harold Reynold's misdeed.'

After a call to ESPN public relations department asking about the 'rumor' I was told that 'I would be wrong' to print that story because it was inaccurate. Fine. I would have been. But natural follow-up question to these types of rumors, as per give-and-take protocol, is well, what's the real story then? Was there an incident with Phillips that Baseball Tonight people are concerned about? However I was summarily nothing-to-see-here-please-dispersed."

He sat on a scoop! And after his publisher specifically told him not to!

We should publish anyway, making clear what we know to be true and what remains up in the air...We can always update. We can always write a second post when we've established more of the facts.-Nick Denton

So can we figure that in the most English way possible, young Mister Daulerio got chewed out from his boss?

Yes.

So, this leaves you with two schools of thought, either A.J. acted unprofessionally because he was burned by ESPN after making a cursory phone call? Or A.J. acted unprofessionally because he was only following orders.

Either way? This is what we're going to see from Deadspin. A lot more hearsay and conjecture, and a downward spiral in quality. A sports TMZ is our new leader.

Rock.

UPDATE: I did e-mail AJ Daulerio and ask him for a comment. He was nice enough to respond.

"I was pissed that espn played the semantic game on that particular story and then proceeded to dick around on it today."

Read the complete text of the memo at The Awl

Hat Tip: Brian

Dear Ted Thompson...

For crap fucking sake, you're doing it wrong.

Ahman Green was done before he left the last time. I know he's a high character guy, and he can still passblock. But he's done. Injury prone. Much worse than Grant running the ball.

And yet? Sold!

Here's the thing, when you have a running back? You have a career that is short and cold. And when you have a running back, the difference between a young street free agent and a good runner is miniscule. Remember when Samkon Gado brought the thunder after Ahman went out for the year? These things happen every season.

But instead of taking a flyer on a Lex Hilliard or a Javarris Williams? They go back to the dry well. Running backs don't get their groove back once it's gone. And this is just a desperation play. Flat out, pure and simple.

In conclusion, goddamnit.

Love,

The Grand National Championships

NBA Storylines in Twitter Sized Bytes. A preview.

Yeah. You can explain it thusly. Each teams storyline in 140 Characters or less. Let's work it out.

Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics: Will Kevin Garnett stay healthy or not be looked upon as a tremendous dick for his "sideline intensity?" No and No.
New Jersey Nets: Will the new ownership group led by Nikolai Volkoff install a Mafiya-like toughness for a team built on Devin Harris?
New York Knicks: Will they play well enough to get a BIG-TIME FREE AGENT to come in 2010? (Couldn't afford the liscening fee for a BTFA).
Philadelphia 76ers: This team was better last season when Elton Brand went down, can they find a way to mesh this season?
Toronto Raptors: Who leaves Toronto first? Chris Bosh or Gavin "Spinner" Mason?

Central Division
Chicago Bulls: Can an interesting melange of young talent overcome their idiot coach?
Cleveland Cavaliers: Will everyone outside of the mainstream media despie LeBron James unless he's on their team?
Detroit Pistons: Where the fuck did the genius Joe Dumars go? We'd like him back please.
Indiana Pacers: Who let Dahntay Jones in here? Seriously. Who let Dahntay Jones in?
Milwaukee Bucks: Can the didatic between youth energy and right way mesh before Skiles wears out his welcome?

Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks: Are the Chicago Bulls looking into their future?
Charlotte Bobcats: Can they improve their lot as the rich man's Milwaukee Bucks? Because that's what they are.
Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade. What more can he do? I mean, can the Bease join him to make sweet sweet TV.
Orlando Magic: Is Vince Carter Shiva the destroyer upon any team that he surveys?
Washington Wizards: Will Agent Zero get some games under his belt so that wags like me would see the whimsy again?

Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks: Can this team tap into their NBA Live 05 potential?
Houston Rockets: Ctrl-V from the last five years, Can they overcome the injuries of Yao and T-Mac?
Memphis Grizzlies: Can the worst run franchise in the NBA stop sucking so daggum much?
New Orleans Hornets: Can the starting five manage to be healthy for all 82 games?
San Antonio Spurs: Will the Spurs inevitable success make my brain say rage?

Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets: Why didn't they try for a big, bold move?
Minnesota Timberwolves: Does this year even matter or are we going to watch for down the road?
Portland Trail Blazers: Did Kevin Pritchard outgenius himself this offseason?
Oklahoma City Thunder: Is there any blogger in the world not on this teams bandwagon?
Utah Jazz: Can they make a run before the contracts and market size shut the door.

Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors: Why is crazy McOldfart still here? Guess if it's Nellie or Mr. I make love to pressure.
Los Angeles Clippers: Can the team on the floor overcome the coach on the bench? They have a fun starting five if it can.
Los Angeles Lakers: Will this team implode in a batch of Moster Kardashian infused attention whoring?
Phoenix Suns: Will a return to a more innocent time with known Pat Burke foil Alvin Gentry be enough to get more than just good feelings?
Sacramento Kings: Are the Maloofs going to move this team? Because they made a coaching hire designed to move this team.

Okay. That's fine. A good solid post.

I was thinking...

...Is Tom Brady really back? Or was it just a perfect storm, so to speak. An October snowstorm, a broken team starting at a bye week, and you know what?

He's back. It was a scrimmage performance, but he is back.

...If you've youtubed Lindsay Graham and town hall, you're about to find something sillier, Jean Schmidt, a wingnut from Ohio (seen before consoling a birther and questioning the Patriotism of corrupt War Hero John Murtha) is facing a primary challenge from her right. Mike Kilburn doesn't hate Jean Schmidt, he's just "more conservative."

...There is no team more fun to watch in the final minute than the Washington Huskies.

...And there is no team as boring to watch as the Washington Redskins.

...Vander Blue? More like Vander Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

...And on that note? Fuck it. I'm sleepy.

Well...that last post happened.

The Badgers lost Gerrit Graham, and that allowed Iowa to get 17 unanswered points because for the Badgers? That's where most of the pass balance goes. They were able to run on Iowa. But just not well enough.

So it looks like another bowl trip to Florida for Wisco. Not indefensible. But it's like the song says. Is that all there is for being a Badger football fan? I really would like to disagree. But I cannot.

As for Iowa? With Tony Pike's injury and the sudden degeneration of Terrelle Pryor under the regime of the vested sweater? The rent to owner of the darkhorse BCS championship contender? It is team Black Heart Gold Pants.

Even if, as Adam Jacobi said, week one was like robbing a bank with a banana with gun written on it.

WHOO!

i WILL SAY THISB AND SAY THIS ONCE. THE BADGERS ARE BUILT FOR A 9-3 SEASON CONSISTENTLY. THEY GOT TOB 4-1 WHICH IS NICE1 BUT IT EBDS TODAY! RTOMORROW!

IOWA IS THE SORT OFV A SCHIOO,L WHERE THEY WIN FOOTBALL GAMES VERSUS INFERIOR OPPONENTS AND IF YOU WEAR RED? YOU CAN RUN ON THEM!

FOR CRAP SAKE, ARKANSAS STATE IS THE RED WOLVES PEOPLE!

AND THIS WILL BE WHY JOHN CLAY WITHJH GET TO HIS WIN ON . BY WEARING RED NUMBERS

IS THIS MAKINFG SENSE?

I SAY YES! I MEAN, THE BADGERS ARE BUIKT TO RUN THE FUXCKING BALL AND T WILL GO DOWN THE THROATS FO THOSE FUCKING METHHEADS IMN IOWA CITY,

BADGERS 121 HAWKERES 12

WHOOP!

I consider myself to be a Democrat...

Because it's the party that fits my values. At least my values in terms of what I learned in Civics class. After all, what the Republican party was is long sense changed from what it was. But the thing that I've come to realize?

I'm on the wrong side of everything. Most of you are too. Not for nothing, you just don't bring enough to the table. And once you find that out. It's okay.

If you expect nothing from anybody in power? If you expect nothing from anybody who wants power? You won't be disappointed. As much as you love your Marcy Kaptur or Alan Grayson? They're Congressional backbenchers. People will not buy them off.

I mean really. You might be able to bring the power of three, four other people into the equation. I may be able to bring the idle person googling D'Nika Romero into the equation. But a bank can provide an idle congressman with over one million dollars. And that is why we are nothing but peasants to them.

I know. I'm being cranky. But you know I'm right.

Moving on.

(Hey 2 posts in one day! Whoo!)

A salute to Mike Sims Walker.

I am a Mike Sims-Walker owner. I have him on five of my teams in this fantasy football problem of mine. I started him four times last week. Suffice it to say, if I ever see Jack Del Rio? He will be getting an MMA knee strike or two in the equalizers before I run away.

But this makes me thrilled to the gills.

Everyone wants to know why Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker was deactivated for Sunday’s 41-0 blowout at Seattle.

Well, the answer is simpler than you think.

Sims-Walker missed bed check Friday night due to a late-night rendezvous with a lady friend, according to an NFL source, who described the situaton by saying, "undefeated and untied."

There guys, mystery solved.

See, Mike Sims-Walker had a decision to make. Either he goes home and goes to bed. Or he goes and gets sex. Sex won. Sex always wins. Unless you're so far gone about your local sports team that you live like a monk.

But then you have to remember something. MSW is a Jaguar. They don't really have local sports fans. So considering that he didn't completely screw me over.


I salute you.

And I salute all who are getting it. As I am not. That is why I do thses things.

Okay. I know. The kid is struggling to bring anything to this table.

And some of y'all are wondering why. I will just tell you, move to here and here. I brought interesting there.

I dunno why my synapses aren't saying, this will be good for what's here. But they're not. It's that fucking writers block thing.

(This was supposed to be a post on the general fuckery of Deion Sanders after all.)

Zombieland in a Paragraph

First of all, I did see Zombieland. It was worth every penny. It doesn't compare to Shaun of the Dead. It's not a comedy based on personal relationships. I know it may sound stupid, but it seems to be more of a Zombie Midnight Run. You have the asskicker who's running from his ghost, his nebbish nemesis/tag team partner. You have the disruptive force. (Though one would have to consider Emma Stone as someone infinitely more attractive than John Ashton.)


SEE?

And this movie actually earns emotional moments as it comes to the end of the movie. I give it a 13 out of 5. It was that good.

This is what I did today.

I made posts for other people. Well, SEC Football Blogger was a post for me. It was a post about how I compared SEC Football Teams and what we knew about them to what was in my iPod. It was magical. I also made Reverse Survivor awesome at the OMDQ. I say this. I know who wins reverse survivor.

Yeah.

Ten Fantasy Football Thoughts...

No need for an introduction, this post will be what you think it is.

10. If you can find an upgrade, and catches aren't a factor in your league? I would consider cutting bait on Leon Washington. Now, the odds on a real upgrade are longish. But if you're looking at a Jerome Harrison? I would go as far as cutting the guy who lost run to Shonn Greene.

9. Ronnie Brown is someone who you can find a way to get interested in. In the next 4 weeks? It's the Jets twice, the Saints and a bye. After that? It's mostly cake.

8. You can't cut Romo, but the guy does not have clutch decision making skills. If you have a backup in the David Garrard phylum? You have to call him your QB1.

7. Easy way to a defense by comittee? Whoever plays the Rams and or Browns.

6. Or the Raiders. (By the by? Drop all Raiders.)

5. I would wait one more week before I decided to roll out onto the Mo Massaquoi train. Unless your scenario is a desperate one. Your hitched your wagon to Laurent Robinson? Make a run for Massaquoi.

4. Don't make a move for Rashard Mendenhall until he shows this type of running versus a team with a real run defense. Please be patient.

3. Vernon Davis is having a breakout. Huh. Who saw it coming?

2. If you have the space? Pick up Matt Leinart. If you don't? Wait for a time when you need only one quarterback.

1. If Ricky Williams is available? I would pick him up. I expect you would find both Brown and Rilliams get 20 or so touches until Henne gets some semblance of a groove. Which won't happen.

The Seven things I learned from this week in college football.

Introduction in regards to the craziness of this season. Mention of how a rival with an inferior record beats an unbeaten and resurgent rival. Jonathan Crompton joke. Oh hey, next week has a real big game yeah?

Line break to artificially pad post size.

7. Notre Dame has returmed to being a legitimate heel team. Not in the multiple championships sort of way. But in the oversell for an undertalented team and only find a way to win via hitting a nutshot sort of way. Kyle McCarthy saved the game by destroying D'Andre Goodman Chuck Cecil-style. Washington deserved better.

6. That being said? Golden Tate is going to be a stud professional receiver. Great pros straddle the line between insufferable and awesome. Golden Tate is already there.

5. Why didn't anybody tell us that Houston can't stop the run? It's not as if they had an inexperienced defensive line that was like 91st in rush defense last season. Oh. Yeah. They did. Donald Buckram looked like Barry Sanders tonight.

An aside: I would still bless the Case Keenum as Heisman candidate meme. This loss was in no way his fault.

Aside Number 2: BYU will never...EEEEEEEVER...be mentioned as a national championship contender A-GAIN.

4. There will be no legitimate case for a BCS buster this year. I'm calling Boise State losing to Tulsa. And TCU is going to lose.

3. Iowa and Wisconsin may be the marquee match-up of the Big 10 conference. I mean, if Wisconsin can win the checkers game versus Ohio State and if Iowa can have the greatest hot start in history.

2. There is a ridiculous amount of unbeaten and unranked big schools. Three teams are 5-0 and unranked. One isn't going to make the top 25.

1. Who's leading the MAC East? Temple. My call of them being this year's Buffalo is back!

Harrumph. The Kid's got nothing.

Time to give up on tonight.

So Zombieland...

I'm excited for it. Tense, balled up fists, just wanting to get the movie out. (And I wrote some awesome posts on SEC Football Blogger). But today. It's out. And I will get this done this weekend. I will watch you Zombieland. You will entertain me. Or my money back.