Dan Gilbert’s Next Letter

by Cleveland Frowns on June 2, 2011

Nobody doesn’t remember that Dan Gilbert wrote this back in July:

I want to make one statement to you tonight: “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former ‘king’ wins one.”

You can take it to the bank.

And then stood by his words months later. So we’re getting another letter shortly after the Heat wrap this thing up on Tuesday, right? Otherwise, what’s a ‘personal guarantee’? What’s a guy’s word worth? Why even have words?

Why even have banks, either? So another thing Gilbert should write is a check. Actually, a bunch of them, first to everybody who bought a ticket to a Cavs game in 2010-11, on the basic premise that when you react to an event that depresses your customers by promising those customers that your NBA team is going to do something that will cure their depression (“take it to the bank”), you have every reason to expect those folks to become less depressed and spend more money on your basketball team as a result, even if you didn’t intend to influence their behavior with your promise.

Also, another bunch of bigger checks to people who were forced to put up with the wild mood swings of the folks who let themselves get all whipped up by Gilbert’s self-serving LeBron demonization campaign. How else is anyone going to take anything to the bank here?

Word up to rich A-holes.

—————

You don’t have to have been caught up in any self-serving demonization campaigns to understand the quote of the day, from Daniel Gibson:

“I don’t think great players should feel the need to say this about a team or say that about a team. I think what it all boils down to if you’re great, you go play great, be great and everybody will realize you’re great. And you wouldn’t have to let it be known that everybody else was less great.

“Great players shouldn’t have to do that.

“So I feel like it’s kind of an admission. He might have needed some help. He might have needed to go somewhere and find someone who is a little greater so maybe he wouldn’t die down in those moments.”

Nor to enjoy 100 Reasons To Hate the Miami Heat at SB Nation.

Which is all for today. Hope everyone has a decent one and that the discussion of how we’ll spend our Gilbert checks can start here.

  • Anonymous

    Frownie as much as I feel like the Heat will win, this series is FAR from over..  but you’re absolutely right, doesn’t change the fact that Dan Gilbert has always been good at marketing, that’s why he’s been able to achieve such massive financial success..  he’s just another squirrel tryin to get a nut..

    Shut it Boobie! Shut it!  

    • Anonymous

      Marketing: The art of getting people to buy things that they don’t really need or want.

      Exactly.

      Other than that, I’d add the words “luck” and “depravity” to your second sentence.

      • Anonymous

        I assume there is some sarcasm in that definition.

        The fact is, that there are lots of things people NEED and a lot of things people WANT, and in each case people have many options and are buying that good or service regardless.  Marketing is the art of getting people to chose you.  

        • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

          Marketing is sales for people who don’t know how to sell.

          Why yes, I am in sales.

          • Anonymous

            CM, I say that line (or a myriad versions of it), with astounding regularity.
            How does one get into Marketing?  They could not hit their sales quotas.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            I would imagine that if I sucked at my sales job, i would probably get relegated to marketing.  That’s a pretty safe assumption.

        • Anonymous

          Some, but there are important distinctions to be made between and among “communicating,” “selling,” and “marketing.” 

          • Anonymous

            No, there isnt.

          • Anonymous

            Exactly.

          • Anonymous

            But then why do you bother to design a web page for your law practice at all?  Why bother citing your qualifications on your home page at all??   

            How do even obtain the opportunity to “communicate” with them in the first place?  

            To think that you “communicate” but others “market” portrays an amazing aura of arrogance.  

          • Anonymous

            No, it doesn’t. Its an extremely fine and important distinction that I
            don’t have the time to get into now. I apologize for being so flip.
            Just asking you to think about it. I promise I’ll come back to it. I
            majored in marketing in college and I think about this a lot fwiw.

      • Anonymous

        every successful businessman has said they’ve been fortunate enough to have some good luck along the way, so i defeinitely agree with you adding the word “luck” as well as the word “synchronicity”..    as far as “depravity”, i can’t wait for your piece exposing Rock Financial/Quicken of predatory lending and moral corruption..  

      • Snoboredca
    • Vari

      Jesus Biki!  We’re going to need the jaws of life to pry your grip of LBJ’s sack.  Screw that guy.  Hope he blow’s his knee out.  Go Mav’s!  Go Ghoastface Drilla!

      • Anonymous

        what did i say that had anything to do with LBJ? (or my alleged affinity for his “sack”)

        LBJ puts up 40+ points tonight..

        • Vari

          No way.  You insinuated your affinity for LBJ’s sack by rallying against Boobie.  Ghoastface Drillah rails off 35 tonight and Mavs by 8.

          • Anonymous

            i don’t blame Boobs for getting his pride hurt when Lebron basically called him and most of the rest of his teammates on the Cavs scrubs..  the truth hurts

          • Vari

            Scrubs who had the NBA’s best record with LeQuit.  LeQuit just needed his homies to get over the Celtic Hump.  Unlike Jordan who conquered teams by himself.  Foever there with be asterisk next to LeQuit’s championships that say pussy.

          • Anonymous

            regular season schmegular season..  you make your bones in the postseason, and the scrubs just couldn’t get it done year after year after year..   

            Jordan conquered teams in the playoffs by himself??   so Pip’s 20 points, 8 boards, 5 assists and 2 steal average when they won 6 championships is considered nothing?   when has one of Lebron’s teammates ever given him that sort of production in the playoffs over a stretch of 6 championship runs (116 games) let alone in the regular season that you love to keep bringing up.   comparing the Cavs supporting cast compared to every NBA championship team in the last 25 years is laughable, at best..  

          • Vari

            LeQuit couldn’t handle being top dog.  He couldn’t handle being the favored.  He had to have the underdog role to really perform.  Just like know and all the articles you’re reading about LeQuit feeding off the hate.  Two years ago we swpet the first two rounds.  Big time player step up for games in crunch situations.  As soon as the Cavs became the favorite, he slacked.  Then blamed his teammates.  Don’t remember Jordan doing that. 

          • Anonymous

            you don’t remember arguably the best player to ever play the game doing that?  oh well, i guess Summit County can be proud about being the home of the 2nd best player of all time…   

          • Vari

            Maybe if he wins some championships he could eventually be the 2nd best player of all time.  Right now he’s just another player without the ultimate hardware.  The loathesome thing is how he’s attaining it.  I totally get what Jordan said about not wanting to team up with Magic or Bird.  Jordan was all about the championships and winning them over Magic and Bird.  LeQuit is just gonna be Wade’s Robin (boy wonder) who helped him get #2.  Sad.  I thought LeQuit was more competitive but he’s just Enis to Roscoe P. Coaltrain. 

          • Anonymous

            different situation and different era..  oh and Bird had 3 other hall of famers on his team, so why would he want to leave?   Jordan had 2 HOF teammates, 3 if you count Phil Jackson..  why would he want to leave???   Lebron had…  Mo Williams

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            You realize he’s a distant 3rd at BEST right now, right?

          • Anonymous

            well in that case, sure i’ll take 3rd best right now a 26 year old with at least 8-10 years of good years left..   and anyone who has watched him play this year know he has improved his game in many ways and i expect him to continue to get better and better..  

          • Anonymous

            Magic also had 3 HOF’s (Kareem, Worthy, and Riley)

          • Anonymous

            “big time player step up for games in crunch situations”  ahh yes, because all 25 year old kids have all the tools (mental and physical) to be able to step up like that each and every time..  (Jordan was 28 when he won his first ring)

          • Vari

            what does age have to do with it?  whether I’m 5 or 35, if I could still put the pads on I would eat a middle linebacker’s lunch!  it’s heart.  it’s competiveness.  2nd place is only the first loser.  LeQuit doesn’t have that killer mentality like Jordan did.  LeQuit needs his Olympic Homeboys to get it done.  If I had my choice of the league, I would still want to do it on my own.  it would be the only way to measure myself as a champion.  maybe LeQuit didn’t have a Dad like the rest of us who told him while presenting a silver medal “come back when you have the gold”.  so Quitness will probably get his gold but he’ll have to tell Dad that dWade and RuPaul helped.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            25 year old MAN.  Can we stop calling him a “kid” now?

            As far as Jordan being 28 when he got his first ring, he was still in the league 7 years, the same amount Lebron was in last year.  At least compare apples to apples.

          • Anonymous

            ok, if you want to compare “apples to apples”.. comparing jordan’s rosters during his championship runs puts the Cavs roster to SHAME

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            That’s funny.  I saw him lose to Detroit 3 straight times, but don’t remember the part where he ran to Boston or LA.

          • Anonymous

            again, the Bulls, even in those teams that lost 3 straight to one of the best defensive teams the nba has ever seen, had more top tier talent on their roster than the Cavs ever had..  like someone already said, let’s compare apples to apples please..  

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            You don’t get it.  Obviously the first 3 times they lost to the Pistons, the Pistons had superior talent.  Did Jordan quit?  No, he fought through it and won.  He didn’t turn into a pussy and run to Bird or Magic to help him.

          • Anonymous

            no brah, you don’t seem to get it..   MJ had some very good players on his team, Lebron didn’t..  

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

             If they were THAT good, they wouldnt have lost to Detroit 3 years in a row.

          • Anonymous

            come on now bro, they were in their first few years of their careers, and then they obviously figured things out and dominated for 6 of the next 8 years..  

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Who’s to say the Cavs couldn’t either?  We’ll never know, because Lebron tucked his tail like a little bitch and ran to Wade’s arms.

          • Anonymous

            no brah, you don’t seem to get it..   MJ had some very good players on his team, Lebron didn’t..  

          • Anonymous

            a core of Horace Grant, Pip, and MJ would blow any core the Cavs have ever had..  

          • Anonymous

            a core of Horace Grant, Pip, and MJ would blow any core the Cavs have ever had..  

          • Jim

            Good God you sound like Lebron’s mother making excuses for him. He was a seven year veteran last season. A man. A grown man who had been to the playoffs five seasons in a row before last year.

          • Anonymous

            who’s second best teammate over the past 2 seasons was a scrub named Mo Williams..  

          • Jim

            Great. and what does Mo Williams being the “second best” player on the Cavs have to do with Lebron’s age?

          • Anonymous

            it doesn’t..  but you can’t blame the man for not wanting to play with SCRUBS

          • Jim

            Good God you sound like Lebron’s mother making excuses for him. He was a seven year veteran last season. A man. A grown man who had been to the playoffs five seasons in a row before last year.

    • Anonymous

      Biki, some squirrels are more squirrelly than others.
      Have you looked into some of Gilbert’s questionable business practices?
      Going out to get my 50 “no’s” a day, or toiling in the mines is just another squirrel trying to get the proverbial nut.  
      Gilbert may certainly be described as a perhaps more cunning, but less innocuous type of vermin.

  • http://brian23.com Brian

    Wait, since when do you not like Dan Gilbert.

    • Jwsbu39

      Frownie:  Love the shirt.  I am confident that if anyone is going to find a way to use Rule 23 to extract something from Danny, it’ll be you (though I think you’ll have a tough time meeting all the elements of any consumer type claim).  As for loser wear, it’s nice that they all go to help the underprivileged these days.  I recall living in Boston in 1986 and seeing no shortage of Boston Red Sox, World Series championship wear.

  • Anonymous

    checks written by dan gilbert:

    $20MM for 400 lb center to help the king get by dwight howard
    $28MM for aging forward to provide scoring help for king albeit scoring impact predicated on running some plays (high screen and roll) instead of playing 1 on 5.
    $26MM for fat, old, cancerous PG* in order to get lottery pick which is the #1 pick in this year’s draft.
    $2.5MM to buyout ineffective ‘defensive guru’ head coach who was unable to control the king and unable to lead team with best record in NBA to playoff finals two years in row.
    (pending) $25MM to buyout aging piston salary drain to procure 8th pick in this year’s draft.

    dan gilbert doesn’t have to write me any checks.  im good.  

    *this is how b-dizzle was perceived at time of signing.

    • Anonymous

      I for sure want that first $48MM back.

      Agreed and long noted that folks had Boom Dizzle all wrong from the start. http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/2011/03/shout-to-boom-dizzle/

      • Anonymous

        Frownie,  Do you know how to catch a knuckle ball?

        • Anonymous

          I could go on for days about knuckle balls, you don’t even know.

          • Anonymous

            I was referring to this
            “When the bouncy-ball gets slammed against the pavement once, sometimes it’s just as well to let it keep bouncing until it slows down so that it’s easy enough to catch. ”
            It reminded me of Bob Uecker’s advice on how to catch a knuckle ball.
            “Wait until is stops rolling and pick it up.”
            Will you post about your experience with the knuckler?  It is baseball season.

  • Anonymous

    This relates to yesterday’s post re: Tressel and how these poor student-athletes deserve to be paid.  Have a look at how Jay Paterno (JoePa’s son) breaks it down and try to tell me you wouldn’t take that deal: 

    http://www.footballscoop.com/news/3931-jay-paterno-basically-our-out-of-state-players-make-8325-per-hour

    • Vari

      That’s because my Nittany Lions do things right!  These kids receive a pretty fair deal.  It’s when player want to live outside their means is when rules get broken.  Which boils down to charater.  Something the Suckeyes have lacked for years.

      • Anonymous

        These kids are getting a hell of a deal; anyone who thinks otherwise is completely delusional.

        Keep pointing the finger at the NCAA, OSU honks, but the real problem is the asshole recruits that are brought to campus with an obnoxious sense of entitlement.  Recruit players who give a shit about the university & appreciate the opportunities provided by said university and you won’t have these problems (and you’ll still win games). 

        • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

          No you won’t.  You’ll be Penn State.

          • Anonymous

            Ok, so according to your logic, anyone who is worthy of a football scholarship to tOSU must also be an arrogant prick who walks onto campus looking for more handouts (in addition to the free education) with an obnoxious sense of entitlement?  I’ll disagree.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            I was disagreeing about your point where you recruit average players and still win games. No, you won’t win games, unless you’re in the MAC.

            I’m not sure about the rest of what you’re talking about here.

          • Anonymous

            Who said anything about recruiting average players???

            Read it again, Chris:

            “Recruit players who give a shit about the university & appreciate
            the opportunities provided by said university and you won’t have these
            problems (and you’ll still win games).”

            By your definition, you must think that good players have to meet a certain “Asshole Quotient” in order to qualify for a scholarships to tOSU. 

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            It’s actually a pretty logical extension to make – the top end players are usually a little more assholish than the average players.  That’s just the way it is.

          • Anonymous

            Actually, it’s a pretty dumb assumption to make, but keep blaming everyone except the people responsible for what is going on in Columbus if it makes you feel better.  

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            I played baseball in college.  The top players were assholes A LOT MORE OFTEN than scrubs were.

            So it wasn’t an “assumption” as you call it, it’s based on life experience.

          • Anonymous

            Your argument is invalid, we’re talking football, not baseball; all baseball players are assholes.  

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Now THAT is funny.

          • Anonymous

            I thought so too; glad we can find common ground when it comes to humor.

          • Anonymous

            You’re way off here. All baseball players are STUPID. Only 95% of them are assholes.

          • Anonymous

            I stand corrected.  

        • Anonymous

          Hi, OSU honk here. And I completely agree. Gotta stop recruiting these kids. Sure, Terrelle Pryor was the most talented player in the nation his senior year of high school, but did you know that he was not going to give a shit about the university? How do I know he didn’t care? Why, because he’s driving a four-year old Nissan 350Z with 80,000 miles on it that his Mom is paying for that cost a whole $11,000 with payments over 54 months after he traded in his old ride. An $11,000 car! Hoo boy! And wait, what else? You mean to tell me that he traded his Fiesta Bowl Sportsmanship Award for a tattoo! Uggh. Wow, this kid really doesn’t care about the university. Sure, he’s never missed a game in his career, consistently played through injury, his academics are in order, never failed a drug test, never been arrested, returned for his senior year to face his suspension when he easily could have entered the draft, but he got pulled over without proof of insurance! Uggh, Terrelle. Get it together man. You know who OSU should have signed instead? Jimmy Pinkens from the local high school. Now sure, Jimmy doesn’t have much athletic ability and his arm isn’t so good, but by golly I sure do know that Jimmy would appreciate being a Buckeye. 

          Look, I know I’m exaggerating here, but really, you don’t think OSU should have recruited Pryor? I completely understand taking a pass on kids who have poor academics, a criminal history, or other known problems, regardless of their talent, but as far as I know none of those concerns applied to Terrelle (and really, they still don’t). And just to make sure I include everyone else in this, I don’t think there was ever any evidence that Boom Herron, Mike Adams, Devier Posey, or Solomon Thomas were likely to be trouble either (and I am using “trouble” EXTREMELY loosely here – they sold some stuff). 

          Also, you say they would still win games. Well, Pryor would have been a Heisman favorite, Adams is projected as a first round pick, recent projections have Herron as the #2 back in the draft, and Posey is the best wideout on the team. These aren’t the kind of players that you can just casually say “well, we can just get someone else” about. 

          • Anonymous

            Hey OSU Honk,

            According to Chris Spielman, Pryor has been operating under his own rules since he stepped foot on campus and from what I’ve read, it seems as though his teammates are completely disgusted with the guy (congrats on winning that recruiting battle!). 

            And, if you don’t think there were at least a dozen other QB’s talented enough to win games at tOSU who would have gladly accepted a scholarship (and played by the rules and been a better leader than TP), well then you are incredibly dense.

          • Anonymous

            Of course there were other QBs who could have won at OSU. Pryor was viewed as the best recruit in the nation and has obviously been extremely good at OSU. I don’t understand why OSU should not have recruited him. 

            Do you honestly believe that Penn State wouldn’t be a better football team with TP at the helm than Matt “Moxie” McGloin? Because that’s what can happen when you whiff on a big recruit.

            Also, why is he a bad leader? Because he sometimes gets visibly frustrated on the field?

          • Anonymous

            He’s a bad leader because he (allegedly) routinely shows up late for meetings, practice, etc and has been operating under his own set of rules since his arrival on campus.  This is not how a leader should conduct himself. 

            RE: McGloin at PSU; he was a walk-on and therefore not scholarship worthy.  Here’s a list of some QB’s who were available in 2008,  TP was not the best option:

            Blaine Gabbert (Missouri)
            Andrew Luck (Stanford)
            Dayne Christ (Notre Dame)
            Landry Jones (Oklahoma)
            Jacory Harris (Miami)
            EJ Manuel (Florida State)
            Mike Glennon (NC State)
            Kyle Parker (Clemson)
            Darron Thomas (Oregon)
            Jordan Jefferson (LSU)
            BJ Daniels (USF)
             

          • Anonymous

            If he is routinely late that is not good, and hopefully was dealt with internally.

            As for your list of QBs, outside of Luck, Gabbert, and maybe Jones, are you serious? In any event, OSU has typically not had much success with QB recruiting outside of its region, so most of these guys wouldn’t have been options anyway. 

          • Anonymous

            According to Spielman, it was not dealt with internally, this is part of Tressel’s culture of enabling star players.

            RE: the available QB’s in 2008, Luck, Gabbert and Jones are head and shoulders ahead of TP without question and Dayne Christ would be as well if not for injuries, coaching changes, etc.  tOSU could win championships with any of the guys listed, and with the exception of Jacory Harris, none of the guys listed have gotten their HC fired.   When you are a nationally relevant program like tOSU, it’s important to recruit nationally; if they haven’t been successful in recruiting QB’s outside the region, it is a result of  either a lack of effort or a lack of necessity or both. 

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            You’re also assuming that any one of those kids on that list were even interested in Ohio State.  I know it’s hard to believe, but a lot of kids outside of Ohio aren’t.

          • Anonymous

            Recruiting is all about effort; if you show a kid enough love, they will be interested, especially if you flash the block O at their HS. Also, Andrew Luck’s father is an Ohio native and St Ignatius grad, I have a hard time believing that he wouldn’t have some interest in tOSU if they came knocking.

          • Vari

            What is so difficult to understand about this?  You break the rules, you’re wrong.  We pretty much have this thought process taught to us at the earliest of age.  When you sign your letter of intent, you are provided with a list of rules that you must follow in order to be eligible to play sports and receive your scholarship benefit.  They print it in black and it comes on white paper.  Granted you can read it (which many OSU players may not) it’s pretty simple.

          • Anonymous

            Yes! You break the rules, you’re wrong. As good a code to live by any. Plus, another classic dig (OSU students can’t read – HA!). 

            Since I am a registered commenter and you aren’t, I have unilaterally decided that I have rule-making authority over you. From now on you are forbidden from making asinine posts on this board. That’s a rule! Don’t let me catch you being wrong.

          • Vari

            I didn’t notice a crown and a scepter.  Apparently you are King of “?” Anyways, I can see how you would want to defend your “school”, however.  There are certain things that are black and white.  And if the players at “the” Ohio State University cannot abide by the rules set forth by the governing body, then they need to be punished.  This is basic.  This applies outside of college athletics as well.  Different governing body though.  Why is it that Suckeye fans are so arrogant to the point that they cannot admit that their players and their coach are/ were thug criminals?   

          • Anonymous

            I am most definitely the King of Pointing Out How Senseless It Is to Say “A Rule’s a Rule” and if You Don’t Follow It You Are Wrong.

            The players at OSU who sold their memorabilia were punished. They have been suspended for five games. I think it is a bad rule, but also understand that the rule was in place and thusly that the players should be suspended. 

            And no one, Suckeye fan or otherwise, should admit or believe that Jim Tressel and the Tat 5 “are/were thug criminals” because nothing they did was thuggish (unless you consider someone with tattoos a thug), and was most certainly not criminal. 

          • Vari

            so rigging raffles (with actual money involved) is not criminal?  filing false insurance claims is considered legal? trading merchandise for controlled substances is not criminal?  driving under a suspended license is not illegal?  pretty sure those are illegal.  I don’t know what kind of household you were raised in but in my house I was taught that rules are in place for a reason and are not to be broken.  Sure, your 6 players were suspended but the investigation reveals a litany of violations over a long period of time.

          • Anonymous

            I should clarify, I thought you were only referring to the Tat 5. When Clarett filed the false insurance claim that was certainly criminal. Call me a homer, but I don’t think the word of a disgruntled coach fired by Tressel about something that happened 30 years ago is enough to indict him. I think the fact that after all the digging he did that was the only thing SI could find on him is illuminating. If you want to call TP a criminal for driving under a suspended license that’s your perrogative. I don’t think that traffic violations are what most people think of when they hear “criminal,” however. I got a speeding ticket the other day so I guess I’m just another OSU criminal too. As for the pot, what the SI story has obviously is not enough to convict in court, but I also know that obviously kids on the team are smoking pot. So again, in that sense, yes they are criminals, as is half the student populous, a good percentage of America, and our President. 

            A commonsense definition of criminal is someone who has committed a felony, most commonly violent crime. And still not sure how this makes them thugs. 

        • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

          It’s also hard to guess that Pryor won’t give a shit about the school when, I don’t know, he does something like this to show his decision?

          http://media.cleveland.com/osu_impact/photo/pryor-tattoosjpg-d5337c1daa4ea8d8.jpg

          • Anonymous

            Yea, and he paid for that tat by knowingly breaking NCAA rules that have given the school an enormous black eye and forced the resignation of the 2nd best coach in school history. Such appreciation; what a guy!!!

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            OH MY GOD HE’S SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON FOR GETTING A TATTOO!

          • Anonymous

            No, he’s such a terrible person for blatantly breaking the rules so he could get some free ink.  It was an incredibly selfish thing to do and it has resulted in a terrible image for the university which will last long after he is gone.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            As I believe Frowns said a while back, if we all just blindly followed rules, we’d still be a British Colony. I’ve never once said that he didn’t break any rules, I’m saying that most of these antiquated rules are flat out fucking dumb.

          • Anonymous

            You can say what you want about the rules (and for the record, I don’t necessarily agree with all of them), but they are the rules and TP knew damn well he was breaking them and the harm that it could cause the university if he got caught.  Tressel & Pryor (and the rest of the fab five)  have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.

          • Anonymous

            You can say what you want about the rules (and for the record, I don’t necessarily agree with all of them), but they are the rules and TP knew damn well he was breaking them and the harm that it could cause the university if he got caught.  Tressel & Pryor (and the rest of the fab five)  have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.

          • Vari

            It has nothing to do with getting a tattoo it has everything to do with how he got the tattoo.  Rules were broken.  Apparently OSU fans are not familiar with rules.  the definition of rules.  The act of following them.  So on, ect. ect.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Yes, I’d rather have Joe Pa’s guys.  Rape arrests, brandishing knives against teammates, getting arrested for fighting, DUIs, and on and on.

            At least we can look to him for a direction in this tattoo’d morally bankrupt day and age. 

          • Anonymous

            Hey, Phil Taylor is one of JoePa’s guys, are you gonna root for him in a Browns uni?

          • Vari

            Was.  JoePa booted him for the legal problem. 

          • Anonymous

            Exactly. Tressel would have just ignored it and hoped everything turned out ok.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Ray Small and his 15 suspensions disagree with you.

            Tressel apparently has a problem.  He tries to help kids whom other coaches or people would simply give up on.  I bet he still talks to Small and probably will until Small stops talking to him.

            He should just give up on kids more often and kick them off the team.  Maybe he would still have a job.

          • Anonymous

            I’ll say one thing Chris, you are certainly loyal to your hero, Jim Tressel.

            But don’t think for a minute that Tressel wouldn’t have run Ray Small right off the team if he didn’t think the kid could help him win football games. That’s what Tressel is all about: winning football games; not helping poor young guys like Ray Ray. If he helped some people along the way, great, but he was out to do one thing and that was win football games (something he was damn good at).

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            There’s obviously no arguing with you.  All of the charity work that Tressel and his wife take part in are a huge front to help win football games.  The James Cancer center doesn’t have sick and dying children, it has future football players that will help him win games.

            The hundreds of former players that still keep in touch (including Maurice Clarett) and still say what a good man he is are still helping him win football games.  Right?

            I can’t believe that I didn’t see it before.  I’m such an asshole.

            /end sarcasm

            Can you seriously stop this shit now? You really don’t know how idiotic your witch hunt sounds, do you?

          • Anonymous

            Dude, he’s a football coach, not a saint.  He was paid to win football games and he was damn good at it.  I’m sure he enjoys helping people and I’ve said before that he’s a decent  guy (I’ve actually met him and his brothers on a couple occasions, so no witch hunt here), but his end goal was winning football games.  I like Tressel; I think he’s a good football coach, but he is no Mother Teresa, that’s all. 

            /end explaining the obvious to SUPERFANS

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            I just gave you 3 very good reasons why he does things without winning football games in mind, and you give me Mother Theresa.  I suppose my work is done here.

          • Anonymous

            And I just told you that all of those things are secondary to winning football games no matter how much he may enjoy helping people.  He’s a football coach first, humanitarian second, that’s all.  It’s far from a witch hunt.  Mother Teresa was all humanitarian; Jim Tressel is not; it’s not a bad thing, it’s just the truth. 

          • Anonymous

            I’ll say one thing Chris, you are certainly loyal to your hero, Jim Tressel.

            But don’t think for a minute that Tressel wouldn’t have run Ray Small right off the team if he didn’t think the kid could help him win football games. That’s what Tressel is all about: winning football games; not helping poor young guys like Ray Ray. If he helped some people along the way, great, but he was out to do one thing and that was win football games (something he was damn good at).

          • Anonymous

            he also wore a Miami Heat hat warming up before this year’s bowl game..  i think that’s the real reason people are piling up on him.   (just kidding, he definitely is not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to ncaa compliance)

          • Anonymous

            Lebron has that sweet 330 also. Just sayin…

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Good point.

          • Anonymous

            And TP & LBJ are “boys” which means defending TP = you love LBJ

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            Shhh, keep that quiet.  If Biki finds out, I can’t troll him anymore.

    • Anonymous

      Right, $83 an hour. Of course, Jay calculates the hours based on NCAA maximums for required practice time. This doesn’t include travel to and from games, extra film study or workouts by the players, and, oh yeah, the twelve to fifteen hours a week of actual class plus how ever much time is spent studying for said classes that the players put in so they can remain eligible to play football. And the $83 per hour figure he throws out is based on out of state tuition. Let’s be honest, few if any of the out of staters would have gone to PSU (or any other out of state public school for that matter) if they actually had to pay tuition. 

      You ask who wouldn’t take that deal (a college scholarship for 3+ of football playing). The answer, of course, is nobody. Why? Because that’s the only deal in town. And while that $83 an hour may actually be a great deal for the kid who never pans out, didn’t really contribute, but got a free education, it’s actually a pretty terrible deal when you’re Terrelle Pryor, Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram, Cam Newton, Reggie Bush, etc. and you are the face of your program, people have spent millions on your jersey, and the school has made even more millions off its TV contracts based on the audience its games will command because you are playing in them. So pardon me if I’m not morally outraged that these same kids sell some of their stuff at face value in return for a bit of cash or some services (ASIDE: how backwards are the NCAA rules if athletes who either trade their own property for cash and or services at a fair (or below) market value receive a 4 game suspension, but an athlete who flat out takes cash from a booster (Troy Smith $500) or gets to take a free vacation on an agent’s dime (Marcell Dareus) only receive a two game suspension? On the “maintaining your amateurism scale,” shouldn’t “getting free stuff because you are an athlete” be worse than “selling/trading awards you earned in your capacity as an athlete or other personal possessions at face value?”).

      And Vari, love how drop a “Suckeyes” three words after getting on your high horse about character. Brilliant, really.

      • Anonymous

        “Oh yeah, the twelve to fifteen hours a week of actual class plus how
        ever much time is spent studying for said classes that the players put
        in so they can remain eligible to play football”

        This is a joke, right?  How much time do you think Pryor is spending in class or studying?  I’m guessing it’s right around zero hours.

        The $83/hour also doesn’t include the monthly stipend or per diem for travel days, so it’s probably closer to $100/hour. 

        • Vari

          Exactly.  I don’t see Pryor taking Advanced String Theory this semester.  As for the Suckeyes comment, sorry, I guess my charater is terrible for using such a moniker.  But stealing car stereos and filing false insurance claims and selling jerseys for weed and tattoos and cars and taking money from boosters is completely moral.  Cause nothing says I’m devoted to an education and my school like those things.  All the Suckeyes fans are so quick to place the crown of thorns on Tressel’s head and it’s terribly funny.  This guy was rigging raffles to make sure the top prospects took home the better prizes!  Wonder where these fine upstanding young men at “the” Ohio State learned their tricks.  Probably from “the” dirty coach.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            So you’re telling us that Joe Pa only recruits players of the highest moral fiber right?  I just want to make sure that is your message here.

          • Vari

            I’m not gonna say that, because he has recruited some questionable character here and there.  Usually JoePa is quick to deal with problem player, though.  He rarely has a difficult time with booting players from the program.  He probably should have booted the Safety who got in the Frat Fight but he didn’t.

          • Anonymous

            Just to be clear, if you are an athlete and you are not taking advanced physics courses, you are likely not attending class at all. Makes sense.

            Who stole a car stereo? I’m not saying that never happened, I just don’t remember that and my google search of “OSU football player steals car stereo” came up empty. Yes, Clarett filed a false insurance claim and never played a down of football at OSU again. As far as selling memorabilia, it was against the rules, but I’m not so sure that it was immoral. Selling things generally is certainly not immoral; it is an accepted and vital part of society. I am not convinced that simply because the NCAA rules outlaw such conduct by a select group or persons for a short period of their lives that such conduct becomes immoral. As far as devotion to school, not sure how any of the conduct you described indicates devotion or lack thereof to the school. 

            What I do think shows devotion to the school is returning for your senior year to face your suspension instead of leaving to enter the NFL draft where you assuredly would have been selected. 

          • Anonymous

            We’ll see if TP honors that commitment to return to school this year.  If I were a betting man, I’d bet against it. 

          • Anonymous

            Vari,  Great subject, but Dr Weinberg admitted his string theory was wrong years ago.  (He is a UT guy too.)
            I have spoken with him, I am an “Only E” proponent and I follow that T O E.
            He at least leans in that direction too.  Speaking with him was like meeting Sam Rutigliano, Bernie Kosar, and Bob Feller all at the same time.
            But what the hell, his SS theory got him a Nobel Prize.
            I admire that he had the huevos to admit the problems with his theory.

          • Vari

            It’s crazy to try to wrap your brain around some of that! I read this one book, can’t remember the name, loaned it to my father-in-law but I had to read some passages so many times just to try to comprehend it. It was like learning to read all over again. I needed the reading comprehension workbook to with it!

          • Anonymous

            You are so correct!
            Einstein could not grasp the importance of “random”.
            Also, most people can not comprehend that time does not exist.  It is only something we created to help our little brains quantify our own obsolescence.  
            (Einstein screwed that up with his famous “Twin Paradox”, brillaint mathematician, but he could not grasp conceptual physics.)
            I love this stuff and I thought that I had the big answer, the T O E.  (Theory of Everything)
            I spoke with my favorite Nobel prize winner about the concept of only energy and not energy.  (It also explains the elusive “dark matter problem.)
            He handed me a book and said “This came out ten years ago.”
            I need to stick with being just a dum sales guy.

        • Anonymous

          Wait, are you saying that Pryor hasn’t been going to class? How does this logic work? I’m guessing it’s the old “I don’t like OSU, OSU is in trouble right now, I’ve heard stories about big time athletes not going to class, one time like ten years ago OSU had a kid who wasn’t going to class, so Pryor doesn’t go to class.” If you have any proof, I’d love to see it. 

          • Anonymous

            Actually, I do like OSU, I just don’t like the obnoxious asshole fans who think that anyone associated with the university is incapable of doing anything wrong, that’s all. 

            RE: Terelle Pryor and class, let’s just call it a hunch.  

      • Anonymous

        I thought this was interesting:

        Answer

        “Minor League Baseball player contracts are handled by the Major League Baseball office. Here are the salary ranges:

        First contract season: $850/month maximum. After that, open to negotiation

        Alien Salary Rates: Different for aliens on visas–mandated by INS (Immigration).

        Class AAA–First year: $2,150/month, after first year no less than $2,150/month

        Class AA-First year: $1,500/month, after first year no less than $1,500/month

        Class A (full season)–First year: $1,050/month, after first year no
        less than $1,050/month

        Class A (short-season)–First year: $850/month, after first year no less than $850/month

        Dominican & Venezuelan Summer Leagues–no lower than $300/month

        Meal Money: $20 per day at all levels, while on the road.”
        Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_minor_league_baseball_players_salary#ixzz1O8vbixyN

        • Anonymous

          I’d rather be a scholarship football player.  

          • Anonymous

            That is kind of my point.  I didn’t look up minor league hockey, but I’m guessing those guys aren’t making very much either.  Plus they don’t even get to opportunity to get a free education.

          • Anonymous

            And it’s a valid point at that Beeej.

            I don’t understand how anyone can see it as anything other than a tremendous deal for scholarship players. Our society is so entitled that a free education (and all the other free shit that scholarship athletes receive) is apparently worth nothing; it’s really sad and depressing.

          • Anonymous

            Ooopsie!! I think we forgot about a little something called the signing bonus? 

            The 323rd pick last year got $150,000. The #1 got 6,250,000.

            And these players do not directly contribute to team revenues for 2-3 years at the least. They are paid that way as an investment in potential alone.

            The argument is a joke. You can’t say “well I’d be willing to be a college football player for nothing, so that’s what they should get and like it.” That’s just pure resentment and envy, not justice. These athletes have rare physical talents that create hundreds of millions of dollars in value for other people. Others really should not dictate the terms they play on, and it certainly shouldn’t be dictated by the very people that make their livings off these athletes.

            Big time NCAA football is simply a lie now. These are not “student athletes.” Free education from schools reaping millions of dollars from their play is not compensation in kind or in quantity. 

            From Penn State to Texas to LSU, it’s grown to the point where it is all a huge, stinking lie.

          • Vari

            What’s the percentage of athletes that actually make it to the prfessional level?  How many actually have an opportunity to make the milions?  What about the kid who worked hard to get a scholarship so he could obtain an education and possibly a profession other than pro sports?  Are they to be left behind because they don’t have “earning potential” for these universities?  Just like you may see 110,000 people watching a football game but only 40 taking in a softball match? How do you justify the gaping difference?

          • Anonymous

            I don’t get your argument. For the record I think athletic scholarships are, on the whole, a bad idea and corrosive to education at all levels. The fact that this grand football fraud funds a bunch of free rides for lacrosse players and so forth doesn’t really make things much better. I’d rather have those lacrosse players actually earning a scholarship through…oh I don’t know…scholarship?

            Maybe this gets at a crux of my beef here. It’s not really that I want “student athletes” paid by colleges. I’d rather see professional football and colleges de-linked to some extent at least. There at least should be some avenue of choice (like in baseball) by which folks looking to earn their living that way can ply their trade without the lie.

          • Anonymous

            The problem of course is that football is not baseball.  18 year old baseball players have a chance against grown men baseball players; 18 year old football players are tackling dummies for grown men football players.  

          • Anonymous

            The problem of course is that football is not baseball.  18 year old baseball players have a chance against grown men baseball players; 18 year old football players are tackling dummies for grown men football players.  

    • Anonymous

      Is Jay Paterno some sort of authority on this?  I’d prefer to get the opinion of a heisman trophy winner, a national championship coach, and a guy who is currently still coaching in college, Steve Spurrier:  ”I just wish there was a way to give our players a piece of the pie,” Spurrier said. “It’s so huge right now. As you know, 50 years ago there wasn’t any kind of money and the players got full scholarships. Now, they’re still getting full scholarships and the money is in the millions. I don’t know how to get it done. Hopefully there’s a way to get our guys that play football a little piece of the pie.”

      • Vari

        Deplorable.  Spurrier is only saying that because he’s allowed his guys to run rampant for years. 

        How many times do you go to the head of your corporation and justify breaking rules because the company makes so much money?  You don’t.  Because it’s ludicrous.   You work hard and hope to be rewarded upon your merit and skill.  If I don’t like it I can quit.  Seems the same thing applies here.

        • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

          My company doesn’t tell me that I can’t trade personal belongings for tattoos.

        • Anonymous

          How many corporations collude to form an employment monopoly, “pay” their workers in company product that most of them don’t want, and set rules that they cannot sell their possessions or profit off their work and talents in any other way than the corporation says? So yes, it’s ludicrous.

          When the NCAA goes “all amateur” and no one connected with college football gets paid anything for it, and all the money goes to charity, then you will have an argument. The fact is a whole class of people gets rich off the lie, while the athletes themselves carry most of the burden, including risking their future fitness for employment, and get nothing.

        • Anonymous

          yes, you share the wealth a bit more, otherwise the employees may try to break the rules. 

          he’s not saying it’s fair to break the rules, he’s saying that with the billions of additional revenue that is currently generated versus the old days maybe giving them an extra $300 bucks a week would prevent them from having to break the rules.  

      • Anonymous

        Jay Paterno is currently still coaching college football, Biki; he coaches QB’s at PSU. It’s good to see you’re using the pillar of moral practices that is Steve Spurrier to support your argument, that always helps. Also, if football players get a piece of the pie, then scholarship swimmers and javelin throwers have to receive a piece as well, the ‘Ol Ball Coach may want to consider that. The whole point of Paterno’s comments is that paying players is not going to solve anything (it will actually probably make things worse). The problem is that these kids are brought up with a sense of entitlement simply because they are good athletes. If these kids were taught to appreciate the value of education rather than looking for the easiest path towards fortune and fame, then they might understand what a tremendous opportunity they have as scholarship athletes.

        But hey, it’s easier to just blame the evil NCAA than to take a look in the mirror and examine your own priorities, right?

        • Anonymous

          the problem is the gross inequity of revenues the NCAA gets and the kids who generate the revenues..   i don’t disagree that Tressel f’d up and should be gone, but the main issue here is the broken system..  that’s my only point of bringing up Spurrier.  and he said he didn’t have all the answers but that they should figure out a better way to redistribute the revenues..  

          • Anonymous

            The system that is really broken is society itself and how these kids are brought up. Athletic ability will only take you so far, education is far more important; that should be the message that these kids get from day one. Instead they get: you’re a good athlete so you are entitled to special treatment and you get to follow a different set of rules that doesn’t apply to anyone else in any other profession. That’s the real problem.

          • Anonymous

            so what’s your opinion on how to divy up the $5 billion in revenues?  you think that we should be lining the pockets more of the corporations, conferences, schools, coaches, etc?  don’t you think that there is the possibility of giving the kids a little more spending money so they can take their girlfriends out or catch a buzz with their buddies?  

            i’m sure there’s enough money in there to give every NCAA I scholarship receiving athlete $300 per week during their season.  380,000 ncaa I athletes times 3,600 ($300 times 12 weeks of average season) = $1.3 billion.  

            bottom line, there’s plenty of money to go around to potentially curb kids from cutting corners or breaking the rules.   is it society’s fault?  maybe, but not sure how the NCAA can change that.. they can however try to put in some processes that could maybe just maybe prevent the guys from doing stupid things for a measly couple grand.  

          • Anonymous

            I don’t think that tossing these kids a few extra bucks per week is going to solve anything.  Boosters will still try to pay them or give them free cars, tats, etc and there will always be players who are stupid enough to accept the freebies at the expense of the entire university. 

            You’re right, the NCAA cannot fix the way society works, but they are also not to blame for the way society works.  The NCAA requires that each student athlete receive a handbook regarding all of the rules and regulations (and most schools have a lengthy meeting covering all of these rules ad nauseum), but clearly a bit more education/scare tactics/adjustments/whathaveyou is in order in light of all the recent issues.  

          • Anonymous

            Isn’t part of the problem that we tell them that their athletic ability can “pay their way” for them? How does that make sense? Education is important, but hey, if you’re good at your football we’ll give it to you for free– a lot quicker than we will if you’re good at your math.

          • Anonymous

            That is definitely part of it; one definitely has to sell themselves more in order to get a math scholarship, but there are also probably more people who are really good at math than there are people who are really good at sports. 

            The system is far from perfect (at least we can agree on that), but I don’t think that the athletic scholarship is the real problem.  If a kid REALLY wants to attend college, qualifies academically, and is a superb athlete, I think they are worthy of a scholarship if only to diversify the student population.  Obviously student-athletes benefit colleges and universities in a number of other ways other than diversification, but they also receive opportunities that the average student or average athlete would not receive (free education).  In my mind, that is a fair trade-off. 

            Of course, if the student-athlete never had any interest in attending college in the first place and is just using it as a springboard to professional sports, then I can see where they may feel like they are getting the short end of the stick.  That is where the problem lies.  They are student-athletes and many of them would not have the opportunity to attend college if not for their athletic talent.  They should appreciate that fact, but too many of them would rather resent the fact that they can’t trade pants for tats.  The smart ones take advantage of the system by finishing their degree so they have something that can sustain them when their athletic abilities fail them.   The dumb ones whine about the system and squander the opportunity to receive a free college education because they were too concerned with “getting theirs.”   The system was never designed to be a farm system for professional sports; it’s designed to provide opportunities to individuals who otherwise would not have the opportunity to earn a degree.

            Again, the system is  far from perfect, but the real problem is that today’s society insists on obsessing over fortune and fame instead of focusing on education and becoming a productive member of society.

        • Anonymous

          >>>If these kids were taught to appreciate the value of education rather than looking for the easiest path towards fortune and fame, then they might understand what a tremendous opportunity they have as scholarship athletes. >>>

          The other part of the lie is that even if you really wanted that education most, you hardly would have time for it given what has to be put into football. I played baseball at a division III school (no scholarships, no pressure, no fans, no money, no talent, no nothing) and gave it up after 1 year because even something like that is a significant drag on the educational opportunity. I’m sorry, it’s a lie. It’s not college football. It’s professional football played at Universities under fraudulent terms. Until you can admit that and figure out that someone other than the kids are to blame for that, you’re just blowing smoke on this.

          • Anonymous

            Sorry Bup, you’re wrong. I played college football for 4 years without the aid of scholarships, and it really wasn’t all that hard. I never felt sorry for myself nor did I feel like I deserved anything more than what I got. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to play college football because I am fully aware that millions of people would have loved the opportunity that I received. Now I have a degree and the experience of a lifetime from my days on the football field and I have zero regrets. I’m sorry you couldn’t hack it as a college athlete; it’s a hell of an experience, but it’s nowhere near as difficult as you’re making it out to be. The problem may not be the athletes themselves, but whoever is teaching them that entitlement is a core characteristic of successful people certainly is to blame.

          • Anonymous

            I’m not saying you can’t do it, obviously. I’m saying you are by definition taking away from what you can give to your education when you split it like that. Even with no real competition, it’s simply X hours. Practice, games, travel, and the necessary lowering of your intelligence from hanging around with baseball players. I decided to focus in and ended up with a good grad school scholarship based on academics, so I’m happy with that.

            We’re all biased by our experience obviously. You probably benefitted from the current system as much as anyone can, so you argue for it and would prefer to rail on society in general. I did well with academics so I argue for that and would rather see a little more honesty in the system. Where you can’t really argue is that these guys who’s talent generates millions for others are not getting as good a deal as they could.

        • Anonymous

          >>>If these kids were taught to appreciate the value of education rather than looking for the easiest path towards fortune and fame, then they might understand what a tremendous opportunity they have as scholarship athletes. >>>

          The other part of the lie is that even if you really wanted that education most, you hardly would have time for it given what has to be put into football. I played baseball at a division III school (no scholarships, no pressure, no fans, no money, no talent, no nothing) and gave it up after 1 year because even something like that is a significant drag on the educational opportunity. I’m sorry, it’s a lie. It’s not college football. It’s professional football played at Universities under fraudulent terms. Until you can admit that and figure out that someone other than the kids are to blame for that, you’re just blowing smoke on this.

  • http://twitter.com/lilOUmikey Michael Tricarichi
  • http://twitter.com/lilOUmikey Michael Tricarichi

    Sigh

  • Anonymous

    I think you should write a pro Yankees post tomorrow. You are on a crazy roll here.

    Tressel=God

    Gilbert=Satan

    I think I understand life now.

  • Anonymous

    Ps That is the quote of the year from Boobie. Untoppable!

  • http://cinema-talk.com/ Jake Savage

    Anyone else see most of the anti-LeBron gear now as not only being completely uncreative but also bordering on self-parody? Let the dude have his championship this year so I don’t have to worry about rooting against him in the NBA playoffs in the upcoming seasons. He probably couldn’t care less about NE Ohio anymore and we should reciprocate that indifference. Still, publications are getting responses from every person with even the slightest bit of connection with the guy.

    Great game of hockey last night.

  • Anonymous

    What’s that? You say the tribe just regained the best record in the majors blasting a couple homers and a billion doubles? Cool!

    As for the other little tack on–  It seems even in the most “apathetic” circles this is destined to suck up all the oxygen, so I hope you’re right that this will lessen or end with a Heat championship.  Not sure I see why it would anymore though. 
    It’s too bad that Gilbert had to open his mouth in anger (doubt it was marketing, that would have been done in Palatino.) Too good that he poured everything into trying to make it come true and significantly accelerated our chances for a quick return to relevance.  Too bad that words spoken in rage when you feel like you just got punked get trotted out to haunt you. Too good if that helps Gilbert focus on continuing to be arguably the best owner in the NBA.As for Boobie, that is one sweet jujitsu move there. That puts it about as well, as truly, and as civilly as it can or should be put.

    • Anonymous

      maybe Boobs should be in the gym practicing his jump shot instead taking verbal shots at people, we sure could use some more consistency next year..  

      • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

        U MAD BRO?

      • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

        U MAD BRO?

  • Jim

    Number 6 is right. Mo Williams’s team choked last year in the playoffs because of how scared they were of the situation. Because a team is only as good as its leader and everyone knows Mo shrunk in the situation, specifically game five when the series was tied 2-2 with home court advantage.

    Nothing Number 6 could do to change his teammates attitudes in that series. Because as we all know, Number 6 knew going into game five (again, tied 2-2 with home court advantage) that his team could not win and so he implicitly didn’t give it his all which is not the same as quitting, human nature being what it is and all.

    So he goes out and takes one shot in the first quarter, four in the entire half, and ends the game shooting 3-14 with a +/- of -22. Again, not Number 6′s fault. Human nature and Mo Williams’s lack of leadership conspired against him. 

     The different player you see in this years playoffs is a direct result of his teammates not being afraid of the moment. Or so says number 6. 

    • Anonymous

      so guys that probably were the best basketball player in their home town/high school, and most likely one of the top players on their college teams and has faced a lot of mental challenges over the years that they have met time after time to achieve the extremely rare status of playing in the NBA, yet once they get their they lose all their mental fortitude??   i mean i think if you get paid $12 million bucks to shoot a basketball, you should not have to look up to the “leader” of the team..  

    • Anonymous

      Excellent points, but Mo Williams as his best #2 over 7 years is still absurd.

      • Jim

        Not denying that (although I think an argument can be made Andy or Boozer was the best player he played with before this year). My point is as these playoffs continue and you watch Lebron utilize all his talent, game five of last year stands out even more. There are a few things that most fans of basketball, even the most ardent Lebron hater can agree on:
        1.  Lebron James is ridiculously good at basketball.2. Lebron James isn’t a habitual choker.3. Lebron James’s game five against the Celtics was so untypical Lebron that we are still discussing it a year later. Bill Simmons still even writes about it. We may never know for sure what happened that game but it would be a great made for TV movie someday.

  • Mspitale

    Let’s hope Mr. Dan keeps away from twitter when this thing is over in 5

  • cranky m

    Hey, remember when you said that the Heat would probably win in 4 games, 5 at most? And remember when i said that it was foolish to pick the Heat in 5 games? And remember when you flippantly dismissed me? And then remember when the Mavs won an away game at Miami tonight?

    That was awesome.

  • cranky m

    Hey, remember when you said that the Heat would probably win in 4 games, 5 at most? And remember when i said that it was foolish to pick the Heat in 5 games? And remember when you flippantly dismissed me? And then remember when the Mavs won an away game at Miami tonight?

    That was awesome.

    • cranky m

      i meant that i said it was foolish to pick the Heat in 4 games, damn it. You know what i’m saying.

  • http://nuworaqu.dyndns.org/amateur-interracial-cuckold-videos.html Dim1982

    Thanks so much for giving everyone such a nice chance to read in detail from here. It is often so beneficial and also jam-packed with a good time for me and my office fellow workers to visit your blog particularly three times a week to read through the fresh secrets you will have. Not to mention, I am also usually amazed with all the unbelievable advice you give. Selected 1 facts in this post are surely the simplest I’ve ever had.

    Visit my blog School house lofts worcester ma

  • http://kusefefi.dlinkddns.com/can-you-overdose-on-motrin.html Stinger1954

    I needed to post you the very little observation to help thank you very much over again with your amazing methods you have featured here. It’s remarkably open-handed of you to offer easily just what many individuals could possibly have made available for an electronic book to end up making some bucks for themselves, precisely given that you could have done it in the event you wanted. These pointers also served to provide a good way to comprehend the rest have the same desire much like my own to see way more related to this problem. I’m certain there are some more fun instances in the future for many who looked over your blog.

    Visit my blog buy xenical without prescrption!

  • http://qowohi.sytes.net/las-vegas-and-imitrex-zoloft.html Merc1980

    I needed to put you one bit of remark to help say thank you as before for the extraordinary basics you’ve shared at this time. This has been quite strangely open-handed with people like you giving publicly what most people could have marketed as an electronic book in making some bucks for their own end, and in particular now that you might well have tried it if you desired. These strategies additionally worked like a great way to comprehend someone else have similar fervor just like my very own to know the truth a good deal more on the subject of this problem. I am sure there are numerous more fun opportunities ahead for those who look into your blog.

    Read more on my blog online doctor prescription adipex

  • http://hilofoxa.sytes.net/online-pharmacy-diflucan.html Ne01975

    I enjoy you because of all of the effort on this web site. My mum really likes working on internet research and it is easy to understand why. My spouse and i notice all about the lively manner you give advantageous guides via this web blog and therefore attract response from website visitors on this theme while our own princess is undoubtedly learning a lot of things. Take advantage of the rest of the new year. You’re carrying out a brilliant job.

    Read more on my blog phentermine online consultation free shipping.

  • http://nerorode.sytes.net/prednisone-cause-joint-damage.html Reznor1960

    I simply wanted to appreciate you once more. I do not know the things I could possibly have gone through in the absence of the solutions discussed by you relating to that area of interest. It has been the traumatic situation in my view, but seeing your expert technique you dealt with that took me to cry over gladness. I’m happy for this advice as well as sincerely hope you find out what a powerful job that you are providing educating others through the use of your web blog. I am sure you’ve never encountered any of us.

    Welcome to my blog overnight provigil

Previous post:

Next post: