The NBA Slam Dunk contest has seen better days. It is an event desperately seeking an all-star. As someone who previously has covered the All-Star Weekend, I know from experience—and, of course, common sense—that the entire event is built around big-name NBA stars. Believe me, they are falling from the rafters. You can’t walk three feet without tripping over one.
Yet, on Saturday night, a remarkable happened. Everyone who is anyone in the NBA had descended upon Orlando, but for some reason, there was not a star in sight when it came time to put on the Slam Dunk contest. In fact, the winner wasn’t Superman or King James or the Black Mamba. This year’s Slam Dunk contest winner was the Human Pogo Stick, aka Utah’s Jeremy Evans.
Don’t get me wrong, there were NBA stars everywhere, from all generations. Dwight Howard had a front-row seat, Cedric Ceballos gave dunking lessons to one of the contestants and Dominique Wilkins could be seen smiling and laughing on the sidelines. Big-name stars were on the sidelines, granting interviews and even conducting interviews, but when it mattered most, on the court and above the rim, they were nowhere to be found.
The best the NBA could put forth was Houston’s Chase Budinger, Indiana’s Paul George, Minnesota’s Derrick Williams and Utah’s Evans.
Last year, fans witnessed the likes of Blake Griffin jumping over a car; this year, fans were given Williams jumping over a motorcycle. Some might say this is a huge leap backward for the NBA (although, dunking over a motorcycle is quite impressive in my book). But even Griffin was pitted against another ho-hum list of competitors in Washington’s JaVale McGee, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka.
So, has the NBA Slam Dunk contest become obsolete?
Has it gone the way of the NFL’s Pro Bowl, now considered an afterthought that many of its stars avoid like the plague?
Or has it gone the way of Major League Baseball before the All-Star break?
How about Game 1 of any series—MLB, NBA or NHL?
Or my personal favorite (read: least favorite), preseason football.
On Saturday night, as I sat watching the contest, I couldn’t help but wonder: Who are these guys? And I wasn’t the only one. TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley jokingly commented several times throughout the broadcast: “You need to keep putting up those photos and those names so America will know who they are voting for.”
To be honest, the contest was pretty entertaining, even without the big names. There were dunks over the heads of NBA players (Dahntay Jones and Roy Hibbert) and hip-hop moguls (P. Diddy). There were two-ball dunks (Evans), dunks over motorcycles (Williams), blind-folded dunks (Budinger) and glow-in-the-dark dunks (George). There were even dunks paying tribute to NBA greats Larry Bird and Karl Malone.
While the diehard fans will probably continue to tune in, the casual fans may need more of a draw. And we all know that the All-Star Weekend is about casting the widest of nets. It’s not too late for the NBA to fix the slam dunk contest. The league only needs to look as far as the front row on All-Star Saturday night for a solution.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Whitney and Ali
Couldn’t we all use a do-over sometimes?
You know those dreaded, inappropriate first words you said to your future in-laws? Don’t you wish you could take them back?
Or, how about that time you inexplicably put on your “comedic” hat at your wife’s law firm holiday party where you proceeded to launch one unfortunate lawyer joke after another. And, by the way, your wife was up for partner at the time—emphasis on was.
Or, maybe it was simply the Mohawk hairdo you sported for senior picture day in high school, in defiance of your parents. The topper, of course, was that you sprayed it half blue and half green.
I’m sure these folks would give anything for a do-over.
On Saturday, two icons were celebrated for their life and legacy. One has benefited from a do-over; unfortunately, time ran out on the other one before she got a chance to fully redeem herself.
On Saturday, more than 2,000 friends, celebrities and loved ones descended upon Las Vegas to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday. Ali turned 70 on January 17.
Across the country, in an environment that was equally jovial at times, more than 1,500 friends, celebrities and loved ones filled the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, to pay their respects to Whitney Houston. Whitney was honored during a “homegoing” celebration, which was televised and streamed online for millions of viewers.
What’s more, one of Whitney’s biggest hits “The Greatest Love of All,” was a do-over of a George Benson song for the Ali biopic, “The Greatest.” (Benson’s song also was a do-over of the original song performed by folk and cabaret singer Jane Olivor). Whitney performed the song at Ali’s 50th birthday party. Unfortunately, she would not live to perform it 20 years later.
Both Whitney and Ali had celebrated careers, and both had careers tainted by controversy. On Saturday, whether you believe rightly or wrongly, they were each celebrated for their contributions—their peak performances.
If you ever find yourself in a position to have a do-over—and consider yourself lucky if you do—hopefully, you’ll make the most of it. After all, as the events of the past week have shown us, do-overs aren’t always guaranteed.
You know those dreaded, inappropriate first words you said to your future in-laws? Don’t you wish you could take them back?
Or, how about that time you inexplicably put on your “comedic” hat at your wife’s law firm holiday party where you proceeded to launch one unfortunate lawyer joke after another. And, by the way, your wife was up for partner at the time—emphasis on was.
Or, maybe it was simply the Mohawk hairdo you sported for senior picture day in high school, in defiance of your parents. The topper, of course, was that you sprayed it half blue and half green.
I’m sure these folks would give anything for a do-over.
On Saturday, two icons were celebrated for their life and legacy. One has benefited from a do-over; unfortunately, time ran out on the other one before she got a chance to fully redeem herself.
On Saturday, more than 2,000 friends, celebrities and loved ones descended upon Las Vegas to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday. Ali turned 70 on January 17.
Across the country, in an environment that was equally jovial at times, more than 1,500 friends, celebrities and loved ones filled the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, to pay their respects to Whitney Houston. Whitney was honored during a “homegoing” celebration, which was televised and streamed online for millions of viewers.
What’s more, one of Whitney’s biggest hits “The Greatest Love of All,” was a do-over of a George Benson song for the Ali biopic, “The Greatest.” (Benson’s song also was a do-over of the original song performed by folk and cabaret singer Jane Olivor). Whitney performed the song at Ali’s 50th birthday party. Unfortunately, she would not live to perform it 20 years later.
Both Whitney and Ali had celebrated careers, and both had careers tainted by controversy. On Saturday, whether you believe rightly or wrongly, they were each celebrated for their contributions—their peak performances.
If you ever find yourself in a position to have a do-over—and consider yourself lucky if you do—hopefully, you’ll make the most of it. After all, as the events of the past week have shown us, do-overs aren’t always guaranteed.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
At Least Gisele’s Not Married to a Ref
So, you think it’s great to be Gisele Bundchen?
You want to be a sexy supermodel? You want to be married to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who some might say is equally sexy? You want to be rich and famous? Well, all of that comes with a price.
For starters, you have to have a thick skin. So thick that you need to be able to set aside your feelings and opinions when you are confronted by exuberant Giants fans immediately after your husband’s team loses in the Super Bowl.
And because she is rich and famous and married to Brady, Bundchen’s comments were captured on video by the gossip Web site, theinsider.com. She was heard saying: “My husband cannot f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time,” Bundchen said. “I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”
Believe me, it’s hard to bite your tongue, to stay composed. I know. I’ve been there. No, my husband and his teammates didn’t just lose a big game, much less a Super Bowl. However, my husband has officiated basketball games for several years, at various levels. And if you think that Tom Brady suffered a verbal pummeling with every errant throw, just imagine the beating the officiating team takes.
I sat in witness, listening to comments, some directed specifically at my husband, and others directed at the refs in general. I’ve heard all types of comments ranging from how bad the officiating team’s eyesight is to cruel taunts about the best way the officials should meet their demise. Win or lose, despite dropped balls or overthrown passes, hundreds of fans still show up the next Sunday decked out in “12” or “83” or “insert your favorite player” jerseys.
However, most fans have a negative view on officiating—and they all think they can do a better job than the officials on the floor. And what’s more, except for a handful of officiating “geeks,”—and believe me, they exist—very few people show up to games rocking the black-and-white stripes of the officiating crew.
I’m not rich or famous or married to Tom Brady, but I do benefit on so many levels. For one, I’m not easily recognized. In fact, unless my husband comes over to chat with me during a break or before the game, very few people are aware of our relationship. And even if they were—and some have been, and I’ve heard about it—I wouldn’t respond to their comments. I know, as an official’s wife, that it comes with the territory.
After several days of unflattering media coverage and comments, including an unfortunate choice of words from Giants running back Brandon Jacobs who said that Bundchen “needs to continue to stay cute and shut up,” (he has since apologized), I suspect that Bundchen truly appreciates that taking the high road might benefit her greatly the next time she finds herself in this situation. And believe, now that people are aware of how easy it is to mock her, fans will try to test her.
Let’s just hopes she passes the next time around.
You want to be a sexy supermodel? You want to be married to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who some might say is equally sexy? You want to be rich and famous? Well, all of that comes with a price.
For starters, you have to have a thick skin. So thick that you need to be able to set aside your feelings and opinions when you are confronted by exuberant Giants fans immediately after your husband’s team loses in the Super Bowl.
And because she is rich and famous and married to Brady, Bundchen’s comments were captured on video by the gossip Web site, theinsider.com. She was heard saying: “My husband cannot f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time,” Bundchen said. “I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”
Believe me, it’s hard to bite your tongue, to stay composed. I know. I’ve been there. No, my husband and his teammates didn’t just lose a big game, much less a Super Bowl. However, my husband has officiated basketball games for several years, at various levels. And if you think that Tom Brady suffered a verbal pummeling with every errant throw, just imagine the beating the officiating team takes.
I sat in witness, listening to comments, some directed specifically at my husband, and others directed at the refs in general. I’ve heard all types of comments ranging from how bad the officiating team’s eyesight is to cruel taunts about the best way the officials should meet their demise. Win or lose, despite dropped balls or overthrown passes, hundreds of fans still show up the next Sunday decked out in “12” or “83” or “insert your favorite player” jerseys.
However, most fans have a negative view on officiating—and they all think they can do a better job than the officials on the floor. And what’s more, except for a handful of officiating “geeks,”—and believe me, they exist—very few people show up to games rocking the black-and-white stripes of the officiating crew.
I’m not rich or famous or married to Tom Brady, but I do benefit on so many levels. For one, I’m not easily recognized. In fact, unless my husband comes over to chat with me during a break or before the game, very few people are aware of our relationship. And even if they were—and some have been, and I’ve heard about it—I wouldn’t respond to their comments. I know, as an official’s wife, that it comes with the territory.
After several days of unflattering media coverage and comments, including an unfortunate choice of words from Giants running back Brandon Jacobs who said that Bundchen “needs to continue to stay cute and shut up,” (he has since apologized), I suspect that Bundchen truly appreciates that taking the high road might benefit her greatly the next time she finds herself in this situation. And believe, now that people are aware of how easy it is to mock her, fans will try to test her.
Let’s just hopes she passes the next time around.
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