Bowling Gems

Ok, fellas, Valentine's Day is approaching, so here's some free advice -- nothing gets quite the reaction as a beautiful piece of bowling jewelry. Trust me, the tennis bracelet is just an expensive gutter-ball. On your romantic evening out at the local lanes, just slip the lovely brooch over your sweetheart's pin-shaped bottle of beer. The love and thank yous will fly like pins at a PBA event.

And for you single folks, go bowling too! That's what our friend Drew Barrymore is doing. (And by friend I mean employer of a relative, although I did have the pleasure of once meeting the starlet.) You may find your soulmate throwing strikes in the next lane. And at the very least, you can have fun making bad jokes about "striking out." Let the games begin!

Good Soldiers

It was so cold my pipes froze (and I'm talking about the ones in my house), but it wasn't cold enough. Not to stop a few Bears fans from tailgating outside Soldier Field from noon until the big game was over. Apparently these true Chicago believers warmed beer cans over barbecues just to watch the Super Bowl in sight of the home field and some outhouses. I know the Bears lost, but can we really deny that man in the picture above the title of "winner"?

In honor of him and LYF's Lake Michigan polar bear excursion, I make this vow: if you torment yourself with icy cold and risk frostbite for the sake of sports or just for kicks, we will enshrine you in our Virtual Igloo of Fame. Five Pin Bowling, after all, has always been a favorite cold weather game. But please, be careful out there and dress appropriately -- even if it means donning goofy looking earmuffs.

Bear Country

If you haven't heard, Da Bears are playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday at 5:45 CST. Let me tell you something about the Windy City: the Bears are big. I mean, every nightly newscast is led by a manufatured or outrageous Bears story. In one, a very pregnant woman offered the advertising rights to her stomach in exchange for Superbowl tickets. In another, called "a family divided," two boys, ages 4 and 6, donned competing Peyton Manning and Brian Urlacher jerseys, spending most of the segment unabashedly picking their noses. (I think the mother and the nosepicking gene were from Indiana -- sorry LYF) A third chronicled the devotion of a wife who induced labor on the Friday before the conference championship so her husband could attend the game.

So here's what I want to know: is there something I can do on Sunday evening in Chicago (where I live) to take advantage of the fact that everybody else will have their eyes glued to the game? I'll probably end up watching the extravaganza, but if I can think of something exciting where lines or crowds usually get in the way, I would jump on the opportunity. Any ideas? And if you read Monday morning about a bank-robbing spree in Chicago on Sunday night, it wasn't me.

The Future of Tigers Baseball

Cameron Maybin is widely regarded in these parts as the future of Detroit Tigers baseball. As these things go, who knows? Antoine Joubert was once the future of Michigan basketball, etc...

No matter what happens, his career highlight for me thus far consists of these interview highlights in the "About Cameron" section of cameronmaybin.tv.

Q: What is your greatest fear?

A: Snakes on two feet.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional character?

A: Blankman

Q: What is it that you most dislike?

A: Cats (ironically the intro music on the site is "Eye of the Tiger" - ed. Also, what if he means "Cats" the broadway musical? I would love a ballplayer who went on record with that. Could Joel Piniero hate "Starlight Express"? Could Pat Burrell despise "Rent"?)

HOLLER!

5PB Staff Artist's rendering of "fear personified":

Where Are They Now: Jim Farmer

Once you have collected yourself and returned from however long you got lost in those blue eyes, can you remember former Alabama Crimson Tide sharpshooter Jim Farmer? Apparently he is now Nashville new country crooner Jim Farmer.

From jimfarmer.com:

Alabama native Jim Farmer comes to country music already a very successful public figure. He's played to wildly cheering audiences and scored points with fans for years. Of course, those original hits involved the 6'4" star playing basketball for the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz and other NBA teams before spending three years on Magic Johnson's touring dream team, the All Stars (WTF is this? - ed.). Now he is concentrating on another longtime love: music.

I definitely remember him playing for plaid sportscoat afficionado Wimp Sanderson. A classic standstill jumpshooter with a bit too much brown hair supporting his matinee idol looks (I have always wanted to get those words in here, sorry EZRollah). Farmer was taken 20th overall by the Mavs in the 1987 NBA draft, Just after Ken Norman, and just before Dallas Comegys.

The most remarkable thing about his pro career (other than the fact that Jim Farmer was drafted 20th in the first round of the NBA draft) is that he lasted 5 seasons, playing for 5 different teams. Of note: Dallas took Steve Alford 6 picks later. Brad Davis must have been looking over his shoulder in 1987, that's for sure.

The very embarrassing Farmer tidbit that I remember is that he turned up on short lived late night dating show "Studs" (hosted by Mark DeCarlo) during its salad days. I am 99.9% sure that Jim wore a Canadian Tuxedo (sorry again EZR) and that he was the winning "Stud" that evening.

You can purchase his cd "Baby Come On" from jimfarmer.com.

Our First Caption Contest

I happened to be at the MOMA in New York for the first time this past weekend. It was a bit overwhelming for an "art novice" like myself, but it was indeed a very enjoyable experience.

The piece pictured above is in the main 2nd floor atrium. Of course I forgot to write down the name of the artist or the piece (that is Last Year's Fan posing in the background naively thinking for the 100th time that day that "I could have done that."). As far as I can tell, it is 3 rubber Spalding basketballs in an aquarium half filled with some sort of clear jelly.

The best photo caption left in the comments section will win a 1986 Clyde Drexler Fleer Premier Series basketball card. The card has been officially graded by Beckett and is enclosed in hard plastic. It is a really great card. However you won't pay off your student loans with an eBay sell as the overall grade is a 6 (great card but poor marks for "surface quality" due to it being the bottom card in its original pack and picking up some wax from the wrapper). It will look great in your trophy case next to your Kevin Duckworth bobblehead.

Extra, Extra!

The above picture marks a moment of great magnitude in world affairs: EZRollah finally made it to the front page of espn.com's college basketball section! The picture's focus purports to be on #14 Northwestern State's Jermaine Wallace rising to hit the game-winning three to finish the dramatic come-from-behind upset of #3 Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, but we know there are more important matters at hand.

If you look halfway between the ref's shoulder and the Iowa player's shorts, you'll see a guy in a purple shirt (go Demons!) and a blue t-shirt (Free Darko!). Those are fivepin's good friends Davy and Chin. To the left of Davy is Andy, and to right of Chin is EZRollah. Endless thanks and gratitude to the four people who didn't want their center court fourth row seats for the entire first day of March Madness.

A few things stand out in my memory:

Watching four straight games of basketball: serious business, even for a diehard.

The NWSU Demons fan who didn't stop yelling the entire game, not for a single moment. "Don't bring that Big 10 junk in here!"

Feeling good for the Bradley fans -- who traveled better than any other team's -- watching their squad beat Kansas (so long Rock Chalk Jayhawk) and Pitt to make it the Sweet 16.

Andy believing a certain Saluki's cheerleader had a crush on him and trying to figure out how to get her a message with his details.

The complete "did that happen, did we just see a huge upset buzzer beater March Madness" moment.

The nice usher who knew we didn't belong in the VIP section but let us stay anyway.

Seeing an NCAA employee offering Bill Davidson (who sat three rows in front of us) a pass on a plastic necklace, and him giving her a polite but firm "you do understand I own the building" look.

The Demons band, spurred on by a big ol' bandleader, getting it on cajun style. Best Band Ever!

Hopping in the car right after the last second round game for an 8 hour drive home, promising myself to do it all again some day.

What Really Matters

Hours ago, the Indiana Pacers and the Golden State Warriors consummated a trade that included Troy Murphy, Stephen Jackson, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Al Harrington, Ike Diogu, almost $38 million in contracts, former high lottery picks, and infamous malcontents. I couldn't care less. As my posting suggests, basketball is by far and away my favorite sport, but there it was: an empty space where my thoughts should have been.

What does this mean? Is it me or the game? Am I old or wise or neither? Do NBA groupies fight over Troy Murphy? Do Stevens and Stephens have a rivalry? If you were already rich and famous, wouldn't you go by "Ikechukwu Somtochukwu," instead of "Ike," if only to hear Bill Walton try to pronounce it? Sometimes it's the little absences that bring up the all-important questions.

On Second Thought...

It is indeed time to show my true waffling nature...

I take it all back! Now that it is pretty much official, the short and long answer are both "NO" I do not want to see C. Webb on the Pistons. I just can't root for the guy. Am I putting my petty hater tendencies ahead of the good of the team? Sure. Nazr Mohammed has been a complete bust, so why not take a flyer on Webber? I just can't ever see myself rooting for the guy, even if it means Pistons success. Yes, I am a jerk.

Need One?

Do I want the Pistons to pick up a recently bought out player?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: I can't believe that the short answer is yes given who we are discussing. C. Webb has long held the top spot on my most hated athlete list (if Roger Clemens keeps coming back he has a definite shot at the title).

Last night's disheartening home loss to the Bobcats is a perfect reminder of where this team is at - unmotivated, lethargic, with all sorts of local rumors of dissent behind the scenes. Perhaps a "big name" like C. Webb would mix things up just enough to get things rolling again. Could he contribute and play as a 5th option every night? Could he come up in a clutch moment if they needed him to, something that he never did in Sacto? Maybe, maybe not. But this team really needs a kick in the tail, and this just might work. Something has to change, and change soon before Flip completely loses this crew.

Of course my top choice for option #2 for C. Webb is not the Lake Show, but a 5 year incentive laden guaranteed deal with the NY Knicks. (Also, click on the above photo to link to audio samples from C. Webb's debut album, "2 Much Drama." I couldn't resist.)

Need One?

Do I want the Lake Show to pick up a recently bought out player? Let's take a glance at his credentials. His career averages are 21.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg. He was in the top 5 in player efficiency rating twice, and of all the players that have been in the League since they started keeping this stat, he has the 41st highest career PER. He averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.4 assists LAST YEAR. He led (with others) his team to the national championship game in his only two years in college. He turned around a moribund franchise and pushed them to win 55 games or more for 4 straight years and to the conference finals or semifinals each of those years.

Do I want Chris Webber on my favorite NBA team? Hellz yes.

Has a player even accomplished more and been so underappreciated? Sure, he called the infamous time out (query whether the coaches told the players the team had none left -- I don't know the answer). Yeah, he's never won an NBA championship and he's averaged "only"21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4+ assists in the playoffs, slightly off his regular season stats.

I just wrote about my feelings for the Fab Five, so maybe I'm biased, but it seems to me that everyone should lose so well.

I think there's always been a sense of Webber having too much too easily, and of never quite living up to his potential. His brash Fab Five days, his dating a supermodel, his seemingly limitless ability. If he had Jordan's mentality and Bird's work ethic, maybe he would've won a championship. But his career has been top notch.

I think Webber's in a state of mind now where he'd be happy to play limited but valuable minutes. He's seen what it can do for a player, and he's seen how it is now otherwise. We know he doesn't need to be the guy taking the last shot, right? And he's still got a little left in the tank, if his per minute stats are any indication. His passing skills, especially from the high post, would be perfect for the triangle. Defensively, well, he won't be a stopper down low. Would I take Tim Duncan first? Yes. Has Webber been the most clutch player ever? No. But I'd gladly pick him up tomorrow. Plus, let's get him back where he belongs -- in home gold.

Why I'm Not a Fan of Michigan Hoops

I grew up in Michigan in a non-partisan hoops household. My first "basketball hero" was Scott Skiles, and as far back as I can remember, Michigan seemed to be overrated and underachieving, while Micigan State was just the opposite. That was the beginning of my Michigan hoops haterdom if you want to call it that.

Like EZRollah, my time at UMich conicided with the Fab 5, and I just couldn't find it in me to root for them. Even their first year - their "shock the world" year - they seemed (to me, at least) to be too prepackaged and overhyped. The baggy shorts, black socks, and nicknames for each other seemed to isolate them, as if they were only playing for themselves and not for school pride or spirit or anything that sort of mattered to me.

No Big 10 titles, no nothing. Not even any real legacy other than the fact that they were the Fab 5. That's like being famous for being famous but without any real fame. Or something like that.

Mitch Albom didn't help matters either, with his book and coverage of the team. I will never forget his whole (praphrase)... "These guys are being exploited. I saw Chris Webber digging in the cushions of his couch to scrounge change to buy a Value Meal. It is a great injustice..."

For me, there was never anything to get behind with those guys, and I admit that I was already a State fan before they hit the scene, but they sure did nothing to change my mind.

I understand EZ's point about Amaker doing all of the right things, he is almost an anomaly at this point. I irrationally blame the Fab 5 for Michigan's past 12 years of recruiting woes. I could go on and on but in a nutshell, despite the diploma on my wall (okay in my sock drawer) that is why I am not a fan of Michigan hoops.

Why I'm A Fan of Michigan Hoops

Before I went to Michigan, I was a fan. In 1980’s Winnipeg, where I grew up, you had the Jets, the NHL, the Jets, the Blue Bombers, the Blue Jays and Expos, the NFL, the NBA, the Curling Association of Canada, Bison Racing, Moose Polo, the Jets, and college hoops.

And then the Fab Five happened. Even in Winnipeg.

With their baggy shorts and black socks and confidence, the Fab Five made college basketball a major sport and athletic attire a fundamental part of the hip hop wardrobe. (Not that I know squat about hip hop, or that Winnipeg was a hotbed of rap culture, but that’s what I’m told.)

Some people liked them, some didn’t. But you know what? They played basketball like nobody’s business. In an era when Grant Hill stayed in college 4 years, five freshmen starters took their team to the championship game. And they had a fun time doing it with panache. (As for the Ed Martin scandal, well, Michigan has paid more dearly for non-recruiting violations than most schools have for actual recruiting ones.) They were the most tragic, fabulous, and memorable college team, in any sport, of my lifetime.

Today, you have the opportunity to cheer for Tommy Amaker, a coach who graduates his players, behaves with decorum, and isn’t afraid to wear mock turtlenecks in the face of overwhelming opposition. You can root for a university administration that is giving this classy coach time to succeed, despite the win-now-at-all-costs pressure. And you can align yourself with a great tradition and one fighting the odds. You get to be the underdog and the heir to the fortune, the upstart and the legend. What more could you want?

As Vitale is to Duke...?

I listened to the last 5 minutes of the Florida / OSU game on the radio last night, for very obvious reasons. Brent Musburger was on the call with Bob Davie (wtf?) and had quite a bit of time to fill (for obvious reasons).

Brent went on a little mini dialog, saying something along these lines: "I tell you what - Florida is one of the greatest public universities in the country. I mean we are talking kids with 1300 and 1400 SAT's who have trouble getting in. It is one great institution, etc..."

To his credit, Davie jumped in to distract him with news of Florida's great (for the SEC) football graduation rate, but Brent went right back to singing the academic praises of the university.

Much to my surprise (Midwestern bias alert), Musburger was not too far off the mark. College Admission Essay ("The Largest College Resource On the Internet") mostly backs up his claim:

Admission to the school is surprisingly competitive for the large student population; last year, over 22,973 students applied and 12,029 were admitted. Eventually, only 6,596 were admitted. The students had a combined average SAT score ranging from 1140 to 1340 and a comprehensive ACT score ranging 24 to 29. Over 79% of admitted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.9. These high statistics may be surprising for a large state school, however, U Florida has constantly been attempting to up their standards for admission and draw more out of state students, which has been remarkably successful.

Huzzah to the Florida Gators! Champions of the gridiron, the hardwood, and increasing academic standards. UF is also hanging tough at #11 in the Princeton Review "Party School" rankings.

Hall of Fame Game

The Baseball Hall of Fame nominees for 2007 were announced in late November. The only real discussion on this has revolved around "McGwire - in or out?" which has grown rather tiresome.

Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees for 2007 which in and of itself is somewhat tiresome. My initial thought was to try and compare each band being inducted (indicted? TAKE THAT R&R HOF!!!) to each of this year's "sure thing" baseball inductees but I immediately got stuck on Tony Gwynn, the ultimate hit machine. Van Halen or R.E.M. would be the most logical picks for him, but they just don't quite work for Tony. Same with Ripken, even though like Patti Smith he has always bored me to tears.

Instead, here is my very quick first thoughts free association of this year's baseball nominees and the first musical act that immediately popped to mind (reasoning / justification where applicable, written retroactively after the fact of the free association). Unlike baseball, no cheating was allowed!

Harold Baines - Marvin Gaye (must have been based on similar looks?)

Albert Belle - AC/DC (Thought of Helle's Belles AC/DC cover band?)

Dante Bichette - Mountain (No idea - larger guy, played in Rocky Mountain State?)

Bert Blyleven - REO Speedwagon (No clue)

Bobby Bonilla - Metallica (The double LL in the names I assume?)

Scott Brosius - Sandfrog (Must have made me think of Scott Spezio?)

Jay Buhner - Judas Priest (Bald head like Rob Halford?)

Ken Caminiti - Killdozer (No clue, I have never heard a Killdozer song that I know of)

Jose Canseco - Miami Sound Machine (Jose was from Miami maybe?)

Dave Concepcion - Madonna (Immaculate Collection / Concepcion similarity?)

Eric Davis - Eric B. & Rakim (Eric is in both names?)

Andre Dawson - Hawkwind (The Hawk / Hawkwind?)

Tony Fernandez - Tony Toni Tone (Tony is in both names)

Steve Garvey - Weather Report (This one is the funniest to me. Boring? Whiter than snow? Garvey looks like a t.v. weatherman?)

Rich Gossage - Kenny Loggins (The Goose / Goose from Top Gun / Danger Zone? I bought a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses today and made some "Top Gun" jokes at the time.)

Tony Gwynn - Luther Vandross (Similar looks?)

Orel Hershiser - Randy Travis (Definitely similar looks here?)

Tommy John - The Who (Tommy / Tommy the rock opera)

Wally Joyner - Spin Doctors (No idea)

Don Mattingly - John Cougar Melloncamp (Both from Indiana?)

Mark McGwire - MC Hammer (MC in both names? But why MC Hammer?)

Jack Morris - Mustache (Jack had a strong Mustache?)

Dale Murphy - Ryan Adams (No clue, two similarly generic sounding names?)

Paul O'Neill - The OJays (No clue whatsoever except for the O?)

Dave Parker - The Detroit Cobras (The Cobra / Detroit Cobras?)

Jim Rice - CCR (No idea)

Cal Ripken, Jr. - Power Station (No idea)

Bret Saberhagen - Kansas (Kansas City Royals fame?)

Lee Smith - The Dirtbombs (I have thought before that Lee reminded me of Mick Collins of the Dirtbombs, and my friend Greg has played basketball with Lee Smith, and Greg loves the Dirtbombs?)

Alan Trammell - Steely Dan (No idea)

Devon White - Devo (Both names start with Devo)

Bobby Witt - Yes (No clue)

Pretty boring unless there is some intriguing psychological underpinning to my choices that I am missing. Out of the bands mentioned, I am not a huge fan of any of them except for Eric B. & Rakim, The Who, and CCR. Also, I have no idea when I last thought of Power Station, Weather Report, or several others, let alone heard one of their songs. Fun! (And yes, that is Randy Johsnon in perhaps the greatest photo ever taken.)

Stat Sheet Stuffer

In my current Fantasy Basketball league, I am getting destroyed (Team: V FOR DARKO'S VENDETTA) which is no big surprise. I tend to hang tough at Fantasy Baseball, but I just can not crack the mystery of FBasketball. This is my 4th consecutive year, and each season I have been horrible.

Anywyays, Yahoo! provides pretty good sortable stats and player rankings. I just checked for our overall top ranked statistical leaders for the past month based on all categories (FG%, FT%, 3PTM, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, TO). The top 4 ranked players come as no big surprise if you have been following the league this season:

1. Gilbert Arenas (on a TEAR) 2. Shawn Marion (always good, Thundercat style) 3. Baron Davis (everyone always says "IF he can stay healthy, he's a monster... which he has done/been this year. Did anyone see him on "NBA Week" on "Wheel of Fortune" last year? He could not have been more likable, and dominated his night of competition) 4. Josh Howard (also a monster this season, across the board)

Who is #5 you might ask? Jamison? Kidd? Kobe? KG? Nope. Pride of Golden State, Matt Barnes. ON FIRE! His 7 3-ball game a couple of weeks ago didn't hurt, but he has sustained this for the past month. He is ranked #37 for the season in our league, so if you took out the last month, he would be nowhere in sight. Let's see if he can keep it up. I would have guessed for HOURS before giving up on who was in that #5 spot.

For sake of complete reporting, on the season our top 5 are:

1. Marion 2. Arenas 3. Garnett 4. Jamison 5. Kidd

For last week:

1. Barnes 2. Ginobili 3. Marion 4. A. Stoudemire 5. Nowitzki

Throw it DOWN Big Man!!!

Only 5-ish hours to nab this amazing photo of Bill Walton. $14.99 for the opening bid seems like quite a bargain at twice the price if you ask me.

No sportscaster has ever made such a dramatic leap from the top of my All Hate team to the top of my "I Hope He Is Calling This Game" team. I can't pinpoint exactly when this happened, but I am sure that it was at some point during the Rockets championship years when his irrational hate for Robert Horry began to surface. He would get all over Big Shot Rob on a simple first quarter inbounds play:

"What is Robert Horry doooooooooooing? He is singlehandedly inbounds passing theRockets out of this series. He is lucky that Olajuwon plays the game the rightway."

Big Shot Rob hits clutch go-ahead 3 pointer:

"Noooooo. Terrible shot selection! You have to feed it down low in thatsituation. Horry is just terrible, he has a hall of famer on the blocks, give itto the big man!"

Can you beat Walton and Snapper Jones in the booth? Good luck. My buddy Greg has a great catch phrase that he ripped directly from Walton that is perfect for any awkward social situation. During some random game a player (probably Eric Montross) gave about 5 pump fakes before getting rejected, and Walton delivered this pot of gold:

(After long silent pause) "Too many pump fakes!"

I can just see him shaking his head in disgust. Did you know that he has a great show on Sirius, if you like the Grateful Dead.

(q: What did the Grateful Dead fan say when he ran out of drugs?

a: This band stinks!)

I always secretly hoped that he would show up as Dick Butkus' replacement on "Hang Time" to mercilessly teach fundamentals to the kids of Deering High.

"Danny Mellon I don't care what Coach Butkus or Coach Reggie Theus taught you.You are playing for Deeeeeeeeeering High. You must feed the post the right way.George Mikan is spinning in his graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave right now."

Incidentally I would love to see a complete dvd box set of "Hang Time" and "City Guys" at some point. Saturday mornings have never been the same.

Bonus Quiz

If you can guess who this NBA player is, you're a better fan than me.

Also, should neckspan be a negative term? Kinda like the opposite of wingspan being good. A 7-footer with a normal size neck is at a tremendous advantage over this mystery player, don'tcha think?

Ciao Kobe

I have one New Year’s resolution – stop being a fan of Kobe Bryant. Despite everything, I have found myself continually checking his stats and just being generally amazed by him. But no longer – I have to let go. Before I shed this feeling forever (I’m trying not to think too much about what this all means about me), I would like to make one last stand.

Jack McCallum, one of my favorite NBA writers, recently wrote that “Bryant has three rings, but, in each of them, he played a secondary role to O'Neal.” People just assume Kobe was Shaq’s sidekick. It’s become accepted lore.

But I watched those games. In 2001, for example, if the MVP had been given out after the conference championship —what was then agreed to be the “real” NBA Finals — Kobe would’ve won it. In Game 1, in San Antonio, he had 45 points on 54+% shooting and 10 rebounds. In Game 2 he had 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. In Game 3 he had 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. He was the high scorer in each of the three first games. He finished up in Game 4 with 24 points and 11 assists.

Remember this quote from Derek Fisher after the Spurs series in 2001: “I can't believe how much better Kobe is, scoring, defensively, giving us open shots,” Fisher said. “We all feed off him.” He averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in the playoffs.

Sure, Shaq ran over the overmatched Nets. But it was Kobe who rendered Duncan and Robinson obsolete.

Now I’m off to root for Chris Paul and Steve Nash. Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar too. I’m feeling better about myself already.

Where Are They Now: Richie Farmer

Photo from: http://www.kyagr.com

After watching that Kentucky v. Duke game, after Laettner hit That Shot, seeing a devastated Richie Farmer be consoled by Coach K almost made me momentarily like Coach K and feel bad for Rick Pitino. Fortunately, that all passed.

Any college fan who saw Farmer play no doubt can recall his mustache and modified art mullet, and his near horizontal push as he drove the ball up court. After being named Mr. Basketball in Kentucky in 1988, he was recruited to play at the only school where he ever wanted to play. He was one of four seniors who stuck around after the UK probation, and came just that close to a national championship.

While Laettner maintained an unremarkable pro career and recently was involved in an attempt to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies, Farmer has gone on to greater glory as an elected official in his home state. He is the current Commissioner of Agriculture of Kentucky.

I am grossly underqualified to comment on most things, particularly agriculture and politics. I enjoyed watching Richie Farmer play and leave his heart on the floor.

Here is an excerpt from his recent November, 2006 "State of Agriculture" address:

In closing, I reiterate that the state of Kentucky agriculture today is strong. But even more exciting is the fact that if we continue to work together, its future will be even stronger.

In "point / counterpoint" fairness, here are a couple of comments from the forum at bluegrassreport.org ("An unfiltered and candid look at politics, politicians and the media in Kentucky"):

Richie did a good job handling the press on the court, but it looks like he became very rattled when the press asked him about matters of the court. Guess it's a different game.

Heard from an employee in that office that Richies brother in law should know all the latest news since he spent most of his time reading the newspaper in his office.

Happy New Year!

Dear Reader(s?):

Happy New Year! We hope that you had a lovely, safe, and happy holiday season. More frequent posting to come as we ring in 2007.

*Very* soon: full report on the 2007 Polar Bear Plunge in downtown Chicago...

Cheers,

FivePinBowling