Author: whodeanny

I’m a Political Man… and I Practice What I Preach

Hey, I love the Cream song 'Politician'.

 

I'm in the storm before the calm of Finals week. Spending time to blog has felt like a true luxury item as of late. I hope to take some time to do more this weekend.

 

Today's big, early DC news is kinda local for me. Ft. Wayne IN is a couple hours away. (Close enough that I've driven to a bar there to watch my favorite unknown guitarist perform. Blessings, EJ.) Their US Rep Mark Souder resigned today because of a sexual relationship with a staffer. This is perfect timing for me because my US History classes are learning about Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.

 

Part of the follow up involves comparing the expectations we have of high school students at a Jesuit school compared to the expectations of the American public for our Presidents. When students learn that the leaders of the House prosecution of Clinton, Henry Hyde and Newt Gingrich, also had extramarital affairs, they are shocked. Hopefully the Souder news will help indicate how common this situation is among political figures.

FDO

Last Night’s Travels

A friend is fighting a losing battle with Canada. Here's a poem about heading towards Toronto.

FDO

Last Night’s Travels

 

Driving on the highway into Etobicoke

Hoping to find somewhere to get off

Finally the sign for Queens Land

 

© Gayle Force Press 2003

Sharing Rainbows

On a rainy day, this feels like a helpful poem to share.


FDO

Sharing Rainbows

When you stare

Just hard enough

Into the clouds of a sunny sky

Notice what you can find

Nearly invisible innumerable rainbows

Bending light through their water

Opening a whole new world

Of hiding visions

Drenched in possibility

With every single glance

At any given moment

Each of those rainbows

Might be only yours

Right until you choose

Like Noah and Dorothy

How you want to share it

 

© Gayle Force Press 2008

 

2009-10 NBA Playoff Predictions Part 2

 

Conference Semifinals:

East   

Cleveland vs. Boston

Cleveland in 5 games.

This is the last stand for the Celtics’ Big Three and I believe they will begin re-tooling immediately after the Cavs spank them in 5 games. The Cavs match up exceptionally well with Boston, especially since Kevin Garnett can no longer produce a series averaging 30 points and 15 rebounds a game. Even if KG manages to play Antawn Jamison to a draw, the Celtics only have a strong advantage at one position, point guard. And unfortunately for Rajon Rondo, the Cavs big men have lots of fouls to use discouraging forays to the basket since they won’t have to worry about Boston interior scoring. Again, this is just a great matchup for Cleveland and they’ll head into their rematch with Orlando with lots of rest.

 

Orlando vs. Atlanta

Orlando in 6 games.

Even though I think the Hawks have the potential to knock off the Magic, both teams will head into this series expecting Orlando to win. Dwight Howard will dominate Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia (who will play big minutes because Horford will be in foul trouble all series long) down low and I expect Vince Carter to have a stellar series against fellow Tar Heel Marvin Williams. Orlando just has too many weapons for the Hawks to deal with. Much like the Celtics in the parallel Eastern series, I anticipate this being the swan song for this group of Hawks with Joe Johnson and Mike Woodson both leaving for greener pastures in the summer. Much greener than Atlanta ownership wants to provide.

 

West

Los Angeles vs. Utah

LA in 7 games.

I think the second round of the Western conference playoffs may be among the best two weeks of basketball we’ve seen for awhile. Utah and LA have strong frontlines with great depth and talent. Those groups will be close to a draw with health perhaps determining the advantage. The contrasts between the Jazz strength at point guard with Deron Williams and the Lakers dominant shooting guard, Kobe Bryant, are fascinating and may decide the series in the last minute of a few games. At the end of games, Kobe can slow D-Will down but the Jazz strong defenders will be called for fouls by violating Kobe’s arms, legs, wrist, left hand or aura. The Utah faithful will pay close attention to which referees are assigned to the games, particularly if there’s a game 7 in Staples Center. In the end, the dream of a Kobe-LeBron Finals will continue at least one more round.

 

Dallas vs. Phoenix

Dallas in 7 games.

I anticipate this being another classic series although I would guess there to be at least a couple blowouts and giant momentum shifts in this matchup.  While the stars will almost certainly perform at high levels, I expect this series to be decided by role players. It will take big games by Leandro Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Brendan Haywood and Shawn Marion to tip the balance.  Phoenix’ second tier players just aren’t as good as Dallas’. As much as I’d love to go against chalk here, I  think Dallas is just enough better to put the Suns away.

 

 

Conference Finals:

East

Cleveland vs. Orlando

Orlando in 6 games.

Everyone thinks that the Cavs are bound for the Finals but I still think Orlando will knock them off. LeBron is the best player in the world and he has strongest supporting cast yet but I don’t think they’re strong enough to outplay the Magic. At virtually every position (besides King James of course) the Magic has an advantage. If the Cavs could send Shaq and Antawn Jamison into a time machine to 2005 things would be different but in 2010 those two simply can’t play with Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis for a series. Although I love Shaq and appreciate the shape he’s worked himself into during his thumb injury, I expect this series to put the silly Superman debate to rest. Howard may have a couple 35-18-7 games like the ones Shaq threw up ten years ago. Combine the positional advantages with the coaching dichotomy between Mike Brown and Stan Van Gundy and I anticipate the Magic putting a dispiriting end to the LeBron era in Cleveland. (Whoops, that slipped out.)

 

West

Los Angeles vs. Dallas

Dallas in 6 games.

Dallas will defeat the Lakers largely because they have a strong team concept and can win close games. Even though Dallas does not have current team experience going deep in the playoffs, many of their individual players do. Dirk, J-Kidd, ‘The Jet’, Erick Dampier and ‘The Matrix’ all have been to the conference finals before and will expect to win this year. Rick Carlisle is one of the few coaches with zero fear of the Zen Master and Dallas won’t be rattled by bad calls or brief Kobe explosions. The Lakers, meanwhile, will be running on fumes after an intense, physical series with the Jazz. Unlike last year, when the Lakers were able to win close games against the Nuggets because of Rocky Mountain meltdowns, they’ll have to take games from the Mavericks because Dallas won’t give them any easy opportunities or second chances. Dallas will also keep Kobe from embarrassing them as he has so many times in the past. Caron Butler and Shawn Marion just won’t allow it.

 

 

NBA Finals:

Orlando vs. Dallas

Orlando in 5 games.

Yes, the Orlando Magic win their first championship after 2 previous trips to the Finals.

I think Orlando poses a horrible series of matchup problems for the Mavericks. To have any chance at all, Dallas will have to win one of the first two games in Orlando. If they manage that, the Finals may be competitive but I anticipate Orlando taking out its last year frustrations our on the Mavs. The Magic have many of the strengths that the Mavs do but with younger, more athletic players doing the same things. One of the secret Jedi mind tricks Stan Van Gundy has played very well this season is inserting a hot guy into the lineup and riding him. That means guys like Mikael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson, Marcin Gortat, Matt Barnes and JJ Redick all expect that they’ll have a chance to contribute if they play well. Rick Carlisle does not have that kind of trust in his players and the pressure on the Mavs will be horrific. This may be the last best chance for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, two all time greats but Finals losers, to get a ring. I don’t think Brendan Haywood, JJ Barea and Roddy Beaubois will perform up to their capabilities, especially if the Magic take an early series lead.

For Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson this will be a great time to elevate their careers. Howard as a potential MVP candidate, VC as a sure fire Hall of Famer and Jameer as a legitimate All-Star player. Consider also that SVG was given the boot just before Dwyane Wade won a title for the Heat (through no fault of his own) and was embarrassed in last year’s Finals by Phil Jackson and I think the Magic will be playing their very best basketball of the year at precisely the right time.

For the second consecutive year, the Finals loser will follow up by winning the title. I don’t think that’s happened since 1988 but that’s what I’m predicting. Now let’s see where the next two months take us.  

 

FDO

Ease on Down the Road

This morning a student told me that I featured in a recent dream she had. In the dream an old woman stole her purse and she didn't know what to do so she found me and I went and retrieved her purse. Not exactly the heroism I imagined for myself back in the day but considering my knee I think old ladies are about my speed!

 

FDO

Why President Obama Is Black

I’ve had students challenge President Barack Obama’s Blackness, asking why it is that he and everyone else seems to consider him Black although he has approximately equal Black and White parentage. Usually I just talk about the one drop rule and social perception without going much deeper. Often students will chime in that Obama never really had a choice, insisting that Black was the only race he could have been in America.

 

The revelation of his single Census box identity as Black has ratcheted up this conversation and led to some interesting responses. Melissa Harris-Lacewell suggests that Obama created “a definitional crisis for whiteness” by transforming the expectations of what Black and White lives are supposed to look like. She believes Obama won election in 2008 largely because his life hit all the marks previously associated with success in the White community and his decision to identify himself as Black is a deliberate effort to embrace his Blackness.

 

John Judis subtitles his piece on the subject “Why Barack Obama Isn’t Black” and discusses the one drop rule as a legacy of slavery and racism while positing that Obama did the expected but not best thing by indicating himself as Black only. Refusing to accept the paradigm, Judis seems to say, is the only way to remove the power of race as a social construction.

 

Even though I understand the hue and cry, the President’s choice seems remarkably simple to me: He thinks of himself as Black. That in no way diminishes his affection for his mother and grandparents; it certainly doesn’t elevate his absent father. Barack Obama was born in America and has been defined as Black for his entire life. How many of us have ever said (or even thought) Barack Obama is the 43rd White man to become President? Our country does not define Whiteness in the same ways we define Blackness and President or not, that’s the reality for Barack Obama in the same way it is for everyone else.

 

Judis wants the President to begin challenging conventional notions of race by checking more than one box. I would suggest that Harris-Lacewell provides a great answer to that request. Living as he does, accomplishing what he has, being who he is challenge race theory more than any form possibly could.

 

FDO

Easy Like Sunday Morning

I’m sitting on my front porch, typing a probable blog post about President Obama’s census form choice. A car just rolled past with two men in it. The driver was White and he had a Black passenger. Almost as soon as I noticed the passenger, he noticed me. Instinctively, learned of course but definitely unthinking, I raised my hand and my head in greeting. He was doing exactly the same thing to me.

  

FDO

2009-10 NBA Playoff Predictions

Round 1:

East

Cleveland vs. Chicago

Cleveland in 5 games. 

Cleveland is interested in a sweep but I suspect the Bulls will have at least one game in which they make lots of 3 pointers and enough hustle plays to take the series back to Cleveland. That’s about the best they can hope for. Well, other than getting a new coach and D-Wade to show up during the summer.

Boston vs. Miami

Boston in 5 games. 

Boston should dominate this series since they have 4 of the 5 best players. Despite Dwyane Wade’s brilliance, the Celtics interior depth will keep the Heat from having much success rebounding or scoring in the paint. Boston’s defensive rep should keep D-Wade below a dozen free throws per game. Boston will be able to use this series to round back into shape, setting up the matchup with the Cavs they’ve longed to have.

Atlanta vs. Milwaukee  

Atlanta in 4 games. 

This may rival the Suns-Trail Blazers for least competitive series. Atlanta will be excited for the chance to get into the second round and get some rest while waiting for the Magic-Bobcats winner. Milwaukee’s a great story but have very little chance to take a single game.

Orlando vs. Charlotte

Orlando in 5 games.  

As much as I like the Bobcats’ swingman duo of Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, they don’t have a strong advantage over the Magic at those two positions and are severely behind them in virtually every other category. Larry Brown is a great coach but not good enough to overcome the talent disadvantages he’ll be facing.

West

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City

LA in 6 games.

An LA victory feels like a fait accomplit even though I’m not sure it should.  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will have monster series but the Lakers have tremendous strength, flexibility, coaching and experience. I think the Thunder will grab a couple games and put a little fear into the Lakers, perhaps even taking two of the first three games. Once the Lakers get the ship rolling though, I think they’ll overwhelm the Thunder. If Jeff Green were a more consistent player, the Thunder would have more than a puncher’s chance but he doesn’t have enough help in the post.

Denver vs. Utah

Utah in 6 games.

I’d love to see these teams play a series when fully healthy but that certainly won’t be the case this postseason. Even though I think Carmelo Anthony may average 35 points a game, the Jazz duo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer is looking to make a deep run this year and are primed to do that against the Nuggets’ defense. As great as Chauncey Billups continues to be, D-Will is physically dominant and Nene, ‘The Birdman’ Chris Andersen and a hobbled Kenyon Martin will have a very tough time keeping Boozer, Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur from combining to average 60 points and 30 rebounds between them.

Phoenix vs. Portland

Phoenix in 4 games.

This is the other matchup I can envision being not just a sweep but perhaps a sweep with multiple double digit wins. Brandon Roy won’t have any chance to come back from his meniscus surgery and LaMarcus Aldridge won’t be able to handle the energized Amaré Stoudemire well enough to stay out of foul trouble.

Dallas vs. San Antonio

Dallas in 5 games.

Dallas is clearly on a mission and they have the talent, depth, athleticism and experience to beat the Spurs. Even though I expected the Spurs to compete for the NBA title at the start of the year, the Richard Jefferson experiment has failed miserably and Caron Butler will eat him alive in this series. I expect Shawn Marion and Roddy Beaubois to have the bulk of the minutes guarding Tony Parker which means Jason Kidd and Manu Ginobili will find themselves in a great battle of smart, crafty hustlers. This will be a fun series to watch but I don’t see the Spurs making the critical plays at the end of games. With Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Caron Butler and Jason Kidd, the Mavs have four guys who love big moments and big shots.

More predictions soon.

FDO

Going for Gordon?

Lottery?!? You’re talking about lottery?!?

Uh no. Lots of folks in Indiana have suggested that Butler forward Gordon Hayward may be drafted by the Pacers this summer. Since the Pacers are not in the playoffs I have to repeat myself. Just a moment.

Lottery?!? You’re talking about lottery?!?

I am not a particular fan of Larry Bird’s work as an exec but taking Hayward would be a shocking development even for him.

People wonder about Hayward’s appeal to the Pacers because of some helpful non-basketball factors. He’s White, he’s local, he’s a folk hero kid, he’s from a team system, he’s super smart and he’s entirely clean cut Hoosier to the core.

While all those things are true, I don’t think Bird will make that kind of reach. (I think Bird may be willing to trade out of the lottery and add a second late first rounder or early second round pick so he can delay taking Dallas’ second rounder until next year when the Mavs pick will likely come earlier. If that happens and Bird’s drafting between 18 and 25, he’d probably be excited to grab Hayward then.) The biggest issue is simply that this is the deepest draft in a couple decades if not ever. I know that’s a giant statement but because of the underclassmen declaring early to avoid Collective Bargaining limbo next year there are lots of guys who would normally stay in school (uh, like Gordon Hayward) are headed to the draft.

Beyond the competition, Hayward is not Bird’s ideal kind of player. He’s quite young and Bird loves seniors; Hayward doesn’t have an obvious NBA position and Bird likes guys who fit clearly defined roles; Hayward mirrors Mike Dunleavy in ways that may make Bird wary; finally, Bird’s track record indicates that he does not feel the kind of pressure many execs do the placate his fan base when draft day arrives.

Please remember that a couple years ago, Broad Ripple high and IUPUI senior George Hill was available for the Pacers but Bird didn’t jump. Hill fit the Pacers’ needs at the time much better than Hayward does now and filled the non-basketball factors (except his race) just as well as Hayward does. Hill is excelling with the Spurs and perhaps Bird believes Hayward will have the same impact but I don’t think Bird will be willing to spend his lottery pick to find out.

FDO