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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61887498369300082402019-06-18T02:00:48.075-07:00Meschery's Musings on Sports, Literature and LifeTom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-32551841668782407002019-06-14T11:58:00.000-07:002019-06-14T11:58:34.185-07:00Toronto Wins With an *I played the game long enough to know there are no "What if's." However, if one did exist, this season's NBA Finals would be that exception. With a healthy Kevin Durant and healthy Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors win the 2019 NBA Championship. Period. End of story.

That said, the Toronto Raptors are the champs. They were not responsible for the Warriors injuries. All they could do was play the best basketball they could play, and they did. They were aggressive and determined. They shot well and defended well. They did not not get over-confident even as they saw their chances improve dramatically with Klay Thompson's knee injury in the 3rd quarter..A lesser focused team might have made mistakes. The Raptors won the Championship fair and square.

As for the Dubs.I applaud the fact that they managed to hang in after Klay went down. All that was left of consistent shooters was Steph Curry. And that was a heck of a smart play Kerr designed during the time out with 9 seconds to go in the game that got Steph a shot for the win, albeit a difficult one that did not drop. Loony was guts out but injured. DeMarcus still overweight and not fully back in playing shape from his injury. And the Dubs were still throwing punches, but there wasn't much knockout strength behind them. If this had been boxing, the Raptors won on a TKO.

If any team needs to find a nice quiet spot and rest, it's the Dubs. Have a few cold ones, nap under a palm tree, sit on the beach or by a lake, read. listen to music, watch clouds. listen to rain.. CHILL.

I am proud on these Warriors, who have earned the title Warriors.

So, the season ends and we'll miss the joy of another parade. Instead of Oakland, the Parade will be in Toronto, Canada and Canadians should be proud of their team. Historically, it's the first international NBA team to win a championship. And that's significant. Maybe in the future, an NBA team from an expanded European NBA will win a Larry O'Brien trophy. Maybe some day an NBA team from Africa will win a championship, coached by Serge Ibaka. Oh, well.

Still, in the mind of an old Warrior, the Raptors name on the 2019 Larry O'Brien Trophy will always have and asterisk after it. And the Raptors will look at it and know exactly why its thee.

In honor of KD, a poem from my new collection, Time Out

KD<o:p></o:p>

From our seats<o:p></o:p>

beneath the basket,<o:p></o:p>

watching KD<o:p></o:p>

before the game, <o:p></o:p>

I'm wondering<o:p></o:p>

where have I seen<o:p></o:p>

such fluid grace before,<o:p></o:p>

almost like liquid, <o:p></o:p>

as if Durant<o:p></o:p>

was out to prove<o:p></o:p>

the truth<o:p></o:p>

inscribed on Keats' tombstone:<o:p></o:p>

Here lies one whose name<o:p></o:p>

is writ in water.<o:p></o:p>

KD shoots again, all net.<o:p></o:p>

If I close my eyes<o:p></o:p>

will I see waves?<o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-37914684073127003692019-06-13T08:27:00.000-07:002019-06-13T08:27:12.573-07:00Last Game at OracleMy jersey #14 was the first to be retired and hung in the rafters of Oracle arena, so there's some nostalgia I'm dealing with today. On the other hand, I was a San Francisco Warrior of the City Auditorium and Cow Palace era Warriors, so I'm looking forward to seeing games at Chase Center, next season, my team back in The City.

About tonight's final game at Oracle, the Warriors must keep in mind something an old street fighter told me, "He who gets the first punch in, has the first punch in." Great advice if you find yourself in a street brawl, but also good advice for the Warriors as it applies to Defense. The Dubs must be the first to set the defensive tone of the game. The popular word these days is "aggressive" Stay aggressive, always take the fight to your opponent.

I'll spell it out Lots Of Love to Kevin Durant. I'm not sure what all the blather was about KD, should he or shouldn't he? When, why? etc. All pro athletes know that if its the Finals, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the World Series, you're going to do everything you can to play, to make a contribution. KD did, Those early buckets sparked the Warriors, they ignited a will in the Warriors that took them to the final victory in Toronto. Thanks KD, for the inspiration and the guts, but you'd say I'm sure that you were doing what any athlete worth his salt would have done. You couldn't have done anything else but risk it. It's who we are, it's what we do. We couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't give it our best shot.

So let's stop with the media second guessing bullshit and applaud a great professional basketball player.

I remember driving to Live Oak playground (ok, so it's in Berkeley) to play against the best the East Bay had to offer. Here's to them, some I played against, some I didn't: Joe Gardere, Bobby Dold, Bepo Dyer, Don Barksdale, Joe Ellis, Jim Hadnot, Paul Silas, Bill Russell, Jerry Mullin, Joe Barry, Rick Lawless. Just the ones that come to mind, many more great hoopsters I'm forgetting.

Not a poem but close:

Live Oak,
The playground.
The games we played 'till dusk
Came back for more at night
Emblazoned on Warrior jerseys
Last game in The Town
Thanks for the memories.

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-68099394246293625672019-06-04T15:13:00.000-07:002019-06-04T15:13:45.291-07:00One Second Can Make the Difference & etcWhen the Warriors are the Warriors at their best, they are always one second ahead of their opponents. One second doesn't sound like much, but add up what it means on each pass and it represents the difference between the ball reaching the hand of the shooter before the opponent can close out efficiently. If a team is one second ahead of its opponent on offense, and the opponent is one second behind on its offensive end, a winning time differential exist that is devoutly to be wished. This is why the passing game is so important, and the iso game, no matter how skilled the iso player is is not. I love Kawhi Leonard, but he holds on to the ball too long. No way, you say! Not by Kyrie Erving standards, for sure, but still too long, perhaps a second too long, and as the poet Robert Frost says, "that can make all the difference." Winning in the NBA depends on seconds. Every second that does not lead to a basket is a wasted second. A player catches the ball with space to shoot, he hesitates a second. He's lost the advantage. A coach hesitates calling a time out, one second, two seconds. The play he draws up might have worked had he been faster on the draw. The NBA today is two fast gunslingers facing each other on the street of Showdown, U.S.A. The team that clears leather the fastest wins.

Etc:

Got to love Steve Kerr's T-shirt of 60 Minutes: VOTE FOR OUR LIVES. Right on, Coach!

Are the Raiders nuts signing Richie Incoginito? The Sacramento Bee sport page listed Incognito's multitudinous infractions: spitting on opponents, bullying teammates, fighting in practice, willfully attempting to hurt opponents, the beat goes on and on, but what they left out, and to me, what will hurt the Raiders the most is that he [Incognito] was accused by Yannick Ngakoue, the African-American defensive end of the Jaguars.of using racial slurs, To my way of thinking one racial slur is as good as 100 racial slurs. It mean you are a racist. On a team where 80% of your teammates are African-Americans, this does not bode well for team harmony. Or, perhaps, the Raiders' cocky little coach Jon Gruden, thinks he can make such vile behavior disappear.

Nice baseball poem by Linda Pastan

When you tried to tell me
baseball was a metaphor

for life: the long, dusty travail
around the bases, for instance,

to try to go home again,
the sacrifice for which you win

approval but not applause;
the way the light closes down

in the last days of the season -
I didn't believe you.

It's just a way of passing
the time, I said.

And you said: that's it.
Yes.Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-45088809340511161232019-05-23T11:25:00.000-07:002019-05-23T11:25:07.398-07:00A Little of This & A :Little of ThatMarcus Smart and Eric Bledsoe instead of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green for All Defense First Team, you gotta be smoking smack.

Let's hear it for the Warrior bench, once again came through in the clutch. And how about Warrior smothering Defense? Assistant Coach Ron Adams get kuddos for that.

My wife was wearing her Lucky Warrior T-shirt for the entire playoff series, so I was never in doubt about the outcome

Kings need to be careful. This mornings sportpage: Making a play for free agent Tobias Harris could be a big mistake. No doubt they need a consistent 3 point shooter at the 3/4. But you can't sacrifice defense for offense. I thought I saw Bageley III beginning to get his 3 ball going by the end of season. I do like Harris, but Bagely is a natural 4. One right move and they're a playoff team. One wrong move and they're in the lottery.

I am seriously tired of all the yap yap yapping about KD. He is a Warrior until he tells us he's not. It's that simple. I personally believe he'd be foolish to leave the Dubs. Whose he going to partner up with and be on a team that has the same energy and intelligence as the Warriors, and coaching, don't forget coaching. Does KD really want to start anew at age 30 when he can remain and be part of a team that will not only be part of NBA History but NBA lore. It is not inconceivable that the Warriors could go on to two or three more NBA Championships. That would put them up there with the Legendary Boston Celtic teams of the Sixties. Don't do it, KD!

Toronto vs Milwaukee: As a Warrior fan, I hoping his series goes to 7 games. More Warrior healing and rest time. But irony always manages to rear its head in first game when the team that's tired coming off a grueling 7 games, wins. So Dubs better be prepared for Mr. Irony.

Fishing season is on in, so in honor of my two fly-fishing son-in-laws, this terrific fishing poem:

Catch by Ethna McKeirnan

<o:p></o:p>

I imagine us dancing, a Mexican ballroom somewhere<o:p></o:p>

(anything instead of fishing)<o:p></o:p>

In faded, pre-war elegance, tropically flowered wallpaper<o:p></o:p>

(jigs, flies, speckled lures and mr. twisters)<o:p></o:p>

Drooping lushly like the evening sea-breeze<o:p></o:p>

(damn the wind, they won't bite now)<o:p></o:p>

And you in sailor whites – tuxedo, if I blur my eyes<o:p></o:p>

(black, shiny, slimy leeches, grubs, chubs, fathead. . . )<o:p></o:p>

The band plays 40's swing, a dark man croons "Darling"<o:p></o:p>

(I'm a rapid oxidizer," you announce, sweat streaming down your nose)<o:p></o:p>

"Darling, Take My Heart. . . "<o:p></o:p>

(walleye, pike, sunstroke, crappies)<o:p></o:p>

And my red dress spins faster as you lift me off he floor<o:p></o:p>

9jesus Christ, a four pounder!)<o:p></o:p>

Its ruffled hem streaming round my knees<o:p></o:p>

(landed)<o:p></o:p>

Like a school of tiny iridescent fish<o:p></o:p>

(darling, take my heart)<o:p></o:p>

You sing at last. <o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-60391613586960610312019-05-13T09:49:00.001-07:002019-05-14T08:47:23.327-07:00Good Stuff and Bad StuffLet's start with the GOOD STUFF: CJ McCullum of the Portland Blazers has proven like Klay Thompson of the Flash Brothers, that his presence is essential for the success of his team.Whereas Dame's drives to the basket are usually straight line bursts, C.J. is bustro phedonic, albeit much swifter than the ox, able to break down defenses.

It requires saying that the Blazers lucked out signing Enes Kantor a month before their young and talented center Notic broke his leg. Let is also be noted that Kantor, a devote Muslim, played the game in Denver on a dawn to dusk fast as part of his religious tradition. Might be a good idea to consider the decent and positive qualities of Islam and not all the negative crap the Trump White House is chucking around like turds.

Now, how about that five bounce K Leonard jump shot from the corner for the Toronto Raptors' win!

Note: Raptors are lucky to have acquired Marc Gasol. Like a second coach on the floor. I don't hold out much hope for our northern cousins against the Bucks. I just don't feel comfortable with the Raptor's guards. Yeah, Lowry is OK, but as the recent AT&T commercials on TV ask us, is OK good enough?

I'm still knocked out by Golden States performance to win the series against the Rockets. The Warriors' offense might be described as a motion offense, but how do you describe the Rockets' offense: It's dribble, dribble, pass at the last second and sometimes a skip pass or pass around the horn for an open corner shot, but maybe not but back to Harden to dribble, dribble, dribble or to Chris Paull to dribble, dribble, dribble, pull up fade away jumper. They have all the skilled players they need to beat our Dubs, but couldn't do it because they lack one component: for lack of a better term: TEAM FLOW.

The BAD STUFF: It broke my heart to see Tiger Woods accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump. How can an African American, I don't care how many previous projects he's been a part of with the Trump Organization in the past, or his recent designing of the Trump World Golf Course in Dubai (which, by the way, will turn out to be a financial loser like Trump's golf course in Scotland) to associate himself with a RACIST like Trump, speaks to Wood's shallowness of spirit. I thought he didn't look particularly happy, but he did bend his neck when the time came for Trump to place the medal over his head. What a sight, arguably the greatest golfer in the world being honored by a guy who cheats at golf.

I love this basketball prose poem that I've used before, but it's worth repeating.

Basketball by Louis Jenkins

A huge summer afternoon with no sign of rain. . . Elm trees
in the farm yard bend and creak in the wind. The leaves are
dry and gray. In the driveway a boy shoots a basketball as ta
goal above the garage door. Wind makes shooting difficult
and time after time he chasesthe loose ball. He shoots, re-
bounds, turns shoots. . . on into the afternoon. In the silence
between the gust of wind the only sounds are the thump of
the ball on the ground and the rattle of the bared steel rim of
the goal. The gate hangs in the wind, the dog in the yard yawns,
stretches and goes back to sleep. A film of dust cover he
water in the trough. Great clouds of dust rise from open fields
and stretch a thousand miles beyond the horizon.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-65123359333692924942019-05-11T09:29:00.000-07:002019-05-11T09:29:32.196-07:00Holy Curry!Holy Cow, Holy Curry! The second half of last night's game against the Rockets was his transcendent basketball moment in along list of Steph Curry's spectacular performances. There has never been an All Star player in a playoff series who has scored 0 points in a first half, and scored 30 points in a second half of the same game. Watching Curry in the second half was like watching a miracle. Thus I way, "Holy Curry!" with a slight nod in the direction of the Holy Universe.

Missing a few of the bench from the first Dubs, this was the team that won the Championship against the Cavs in Cleveland in six. So let's not be overly surprised.

The Splash Brothers rule. Without Klay's first half, the Dubs lose.

Loony has discovered his "mean streak." I am totally stoked the way he's ripping the boards.

Draymond turns into the mythological dragon come playoffs.

Igudala, according to Coach Kerr, is the "the adult in the room."

The bench that has been mostly absent this season stepped up big time. Coach Kerr praised them and rightly so.

Perfect poem for Steph Curry

When I Got It Right by Carl Lindner

The ball would lift
light as a wish,
gliding like a blessing
over the rim, pure,
or kissing off glass
into the skirt of net.
Once it began
I couldn't miss.
Even in the falling dark,
the ball, before it left
my hand. was sureTom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-28242770185676336872019-05-05T15:58:00.000-07:002019-05-05T20:19:46.366-07:003 on 3 pros not so pro and etc::Dubs, Nate the Great & Split ScreensA bunch of guys whose game has run its course (no disrespect intended) who gives a damn? Donte Greene, Bonzi Wells, Royce White. Really????? I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just that it ain't gonna work with the over-the-hill gang.
\
Most of the 3 on 3 coaches in their prime could outplay their players. Tiny Archibald H of F point guard, and Nancy Lieberman who, by the way, could probably juke Donte Greene, even at her age.
Boring.

Warriors going small against Rockets (Green, KD, Curry, Thompson and Igudala) look strong. But you can NOT play the game of NBA playoff basketball 5 against 10. Dub's bench must step up, particularly on the Defensive end. The job of all the players providing relief for starters must be to play shut-down D. Be frightening. Kick ass! Don't worry about scoring.

Driving home from a Jones' Boy's Concert in Pacific, I found a Memorial Service guide for Nate "The Great" Thurmond in my glove box. I miss my teammate tremendously. I began thinking how Nate is often overlooked by a basketball public that remembers the Russells, Chamberlains, and Jabbars, while Nate was the best ALL AROUND center of all three. (Walton was the best All Around, but he doesn't count because he didn't pass the test of time.)

Then, I began thinking what about the centers in today's game? Jokic of Denver and Joel Embid of Philly as examples of today's "new" centers. They would not have scored against Nate The Great.. Take that to the bank.

Just wondering: When Joel Embid and Pascal Siakam, both from the Cameroon, meet Luc Mbah a Moute do they have to bow to the Prince?

My latest sports gripe: SPLIT SCREENS. Not only do we sports' fans have to put up with endless regular commercials, but now the powers that be have added more advertising space they can sell by virtue of splitting the screen while the sporting event is going on, and they don't even have the courtesy to give the sport the bigger of the two screens. Talk about greed at the expense of viewers. What I do when the split screen comes on is place my right palm over the commercial screen and close my right eye. Blocks the ad Frigg 'em! Corporate greed over the top. Amazon pays no income tax. Is that nuts, or what? But they are not the only corporation paying zero taxes on the back of the Middle Class. Get real, America!.

In honor of the Kentucky Derby:

A Jockey by Ron Koertce

named Kovacs went down
at Pomona yesterday.
He was riding something
that was born to hold
one piece of paper
to another.

The crowd loves to hate
accidents and everybody
wanted to know wo Ted
Kovacs was. Like the
next winner, it was
a mystery.

This then, is to set
the record straight:
Ted Kovacs makes 14
thousand a year when
things to right.

His wife keeps a
scrapbook that shows
the day he tripled,
the $9000.00 Exacta
where he was second,
and all the times he
was in intensive care.

When he almost didn't make it,
the article ran to nearly
20 lines.

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-57202235439936481512019-04-06T10:09:00.001-07:002019-04-06T13:20:26.154-07:00The NFL is a Weeny SportI just finished watching Wales defeat Scotland in an international rugby match. All I can say is the National Football League should be ashamed of itself. Rugby players wear no helmets, no pads. They play in T-shirts and shorts and advance the ball down the field in what appears to me with the kind of violence associated with the Visigoths sacking Rome or our Army storming ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Not a concussion protocol in sight. And talk about fast, holy hundred meter dash!!!! And then, after the match, I'm told, both teams go to the pub and suck up suds and hug each other, and sing songs. Now that's football.

Sacramento Kings center Willy Cauley Stein, a free agent at the end of this season, would consider leaving for another team. He feels, according to this morning's sport page, unappreciated. He says of himself, "I've still got more skills that haven't been brought out." He wants to be more than a rim running center. I'm a fan of Cauley Stein, but find his complaint curious. Is he saying the Kings coaching staff have not developed his potential? If that's the case, pray tell, what would that potential be - skill wise? At this point in his career, the way I see it, Willy is a Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan type of player and that's not an insult. Tyson won a ring being a rim protector and dunking lob passes. But, if Cauley Stein sees himself as possessing the kind of skills that would put him in the category of Anthony Davis, or Tim Duncan or Hakeem Olyjuwon, wouldn't it seem logical that in the four off seasons, Willy would have worked his butt off to learn to shoot a consistent jumper, or develop a few post moves or jump hook? Oh, but maybe, this was the job of the Kings coaches.

Watched my Dubs hand the Nuggets their jocks (I hear this is an outdated male garment) and said to myself if they can play like this through the playoffs, it's another Championship Parade. And just so you know where my heart is, as far as I'm concerned, it's all about Warrior defense. When the attack on D, every other part of their game reaches it's devastating potential.

Question going into end of season. Who will the Celtics give up to get AD? They better be careful not to give away too much. AD does not have a good medical history.

Watching My First Rugby Match by Tom Meschery

I wonder in the chaos
called a scrum,
what is hidden
that is not the ball.

And remains behind
within the vortex
as the ball slips out
and pitched to run

until the next collision.
This way the ball
moves down the field
one embrace after another

that it is not so fond
to its final destination
players bloody and broken
and wars are lost and won.

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-90754703379326638412019-04-01T10:41:00.001-07:002019-04-01T17:28:03.168-07:00End of 2018/19 NBA Season Approaching and etcI don't mean to denigrate Pop's Spurs, but I'd like the Warriors to avoid facing the OKC in the first round. Granted the Thunder are not playing well. But mindsets change once playoffs begin, and OKC has some excellent players and are far more physical than the Spurs. Now that we have Bogut back with the Dubs, I'm less concerned about physicality in the paint and rim protecting, but it's my feeling they have the one time ability to pull off an upset. So, Of course who the Dubs play will be more determined by the team playing for the 7th spot, and how they are viewing their chances. Still, the Dubs need to win down the stretch and stay atop the Western Conference.

When there's talk of Coach of the Year, it appears to me the pundits are overlooking the job Steve Kerr has done this season. Ask all the coaches who've won consecutive NBA Championships how difficult it is, and Kerr has to be considered a strong contender.

It bears keeping in mind that Coach Kerr has had to be extremely creative putting together rotations for this season that were more predictable and more effective in the past. In addition, he's had to figure out how to integrated Boogie into a line-up in such a way as to maximize his positives and minimize his negatives, two of which are: he's not a rim protector and not a fierce rebounder. Note: I believe the first requirement for jumping is that your shoes must leave the court. Sorry, Boogie, I love parts of your game, but you have no hops.

If not Kerr for Coach of the Year, I vote for Pop. He's done wonders with a very incongruous group of players.

A respectful nod to Doc of the Clippers, or should I say Jerry West for breaking the team down and putting it back together better.

If not our Western Conference coaches, than Budennholser of the Bucks. Nifty job with his bench players.

So, what does the race for the NBA Championship look like from Meschery's view point?

The East first: The 76ers do not have the chemistry; the Celtics? Yeah, they can be extremely tough but seem to have too many lapses in concentration, plus I'm not that big a fan of Kyrie as a leader; the Bucks appears to have all the positions covered and bench strength at max at just the right tiime. That leaves Toronto. Can they win with Lowry as their leader? Neither a true point guard nor a pure shooting two guard.

The West: The Warriors and the Rockets. Watch out for the feisty Clippers. There is no question that the Rockets are tough. But whither goeth Hardin, so goeth the Rockets. The Warriors win because it's extremely difficult to beat them in a seven game series.

Now cometh the ETC like the Post Man:

Is anybody pissed at the split screen coverage of sporting events? And what's with the larger screen being the commercial and the weeny screen to the sport. Rise up sports fans, we have nothing to lose but a few bad beer commercials and some lying Big Pharma promises.

I hate to say it, because I like Joe Biden, but he needs to drop out of the race for the presidency. This latest revelation, which is not really a revelation, that he pats and hugs and embraces women, not sexually, but certainly condescendingly, disqualifies him in the eyes of the modern generation of educated women voters the Dems need to beat the jerk we have in office now. It's time to pass the political baton to the youngsters.

Zion Williams is not the Second Coming of Lebron James. More of a Randle look-a-like inside/slashing power forward. Not a jump shooter, not with that sidewinder form. But I may eat my words as Lebron was not a shooter when he came into the league.

Pulling for U of Virginia just because - from loser last year to winner this year seems like justice.

I've never been much of a bowling fan, but clearly it requires great talent to play the sport well. So here's a bowling poem in honor of a sport I overlook and in honor of fathers and sons. .

Hook by Floyd Skloot

My father limps on the leg that healed short.
His twice-broken right wrist, too weak to hold
a bowing ball palm up, is why he spins
a hook he cannot control. The ball rolls
slowly, as if limping while it wanders
from one gutter to the other and back.

We stand dead last in the Father and Son
League, not helped by my rocketing straight shots
that knock down nothing as often as they
knock down everything. He watches, giving
no advice. At thirteen, knowing there is
nothing for me to say either. I wait

for the ball's return so I can heft it
again and aim down the gleaming alley.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-41238531352616069892019-03-02T06:33:00.000-08:002019-03-02T06:33:43.793-08:00I gotta sayWhat's with sports owners these days? Kraft of the Patriots is getting below the belt massages at an exotic massage parlor, and Giant's CEO is video'd knocking his wife to the ground in a restaurant trying to grab a cell phone out of her hand. I guess Sir Charles was right back when he said, "I ain't nobody's role model." Or something to that effect.

A quick comment about 49er headline in today's Sac Bee sports: Seeking guys who can "take it to another level" at receiver. Duh! On a pro level, would you seek a player who didn't? Double Duh!

It bears repeating Sacramento sports fans are still being subjected to reading about their Kings results two days after the game happens because the paper is unwilling to pay the bucks it needs to be a first class newspaper. So lets say there's an astonishing event that happens in California (you chose the event) that happens at nine in the evening, I guess we wouldn''t hear about it the next morning, right?

The LA Clippers beat our Kings, if you want to know. A great game. Our young, refreshingly enthusiastic youngster almost pulling it off, and what do I read this morning: some stuff about Coach Joerger believing something special is happening in basketball in the River City "for many years to come."

A Kings' footnote: The young power forward Harry Giles could turn out to be special. He's got a feather touch and very smooth and quick. I'm seeing a little Scotty Pipen. Don't know if he has quite that handle, but we'll see.

Two tough losses by my Warriors on the road. No question we have the best Starting Five. Now our bench has to back the five up with some grit. I can accept losses, but not when losses are the result of lack of toughness. But, I'm sounding like a coach instead of a retired English teacher. Or maybe I'm sounding like a Saturday Morning Quarterback.

How the hell did the Rockets get Ken Faried? The "Manimal" is a LOAD on the glass - both ends, and all of a sudden, this once upon a time only energy guy is making shots. Very worrisome for all opponents in the West.

When is the league going to ban Donald Trump for life for flagrant fouls against our country? What is with this person that he feels he's got to kiss the arses of dictators? I understand Putin because Putin is blackmailing him, but those two murderers from Saudi Arabia and North Korea????? You'd think, being a bully himself, Trump would understand the only way to defeat a bully is to stand up to him. What an embarrassment Trump is. And the Republican Party, what can I say except remember the little weasels that always hung out with the school bully, those guys with no courage and no brains of their own? The Elephant Party might want to start looking in the mirror for any resemblance to weasels reflecting back to them.

Trump and Kim Going One-On-One in Hanoi by Tom Meschery<o:p></o:p>

 Sacramento Bee February, 27, 2019<o:p></o:p>

The dark letters at the top of the page,<o:p></o:p>

I have no doubt, were composed <o:p></o:p>

with me in mind, to spoil my breakfast,<o:p></o:p>

to ruin my coffee with an image<o:p></o:p>

of a basketball court: one evil president<o:p></o:p>

and a fat little dictator, facing off:<o:p></o:p>

uniforms made of their country's flags,<o:p></o:p>

ro-sham-bo'ing at the top of the key,<o:p></o:p>

for first ups. Scissors cut paper - Kim wins.<o:p></o:p>

Rock breaks scissors, Trump wins.<o:p></o:p>

Tie-breaker, you decide. I'm betting<o:p></o:p>

on the dictator, with the better cross-over,<o:p></o:p>

step back. Trumps too slow, and can't <o:p></o:p>

pronounce defense even with a cue card. <o:p></o:p>

Over coffee on a cold, wet morning,<o:p></o:p>

I'm imagining a game of basketball<o:p></o:p>

played in the middle of a city<o:p></o:p>

rebuilt using airplane and body parts,<o:p></o:p>

in the shadow of Buddhist temples,<o:p></o:p>

the saffron yellow of monks' robes,<o:p></o:p>

and the insanely green rice fields<o:p></o:p>

of Coppala's war. My coffee<o:p></o:p>

tastes bitter with every score,<o:p></o:p>

listening to their heavy breathing,<o:p></o:p>

smelling the stink of their sweat. <o:p></o:p>

I have a friend who flew missions<o:p></o:p>

over Hanoi and was awarded<o:p></o:p>

The Airforce Cross. He told me <o:p></o:p>

he could strafe a village <o:p></o:p>

with the push of a button,<o:p></o:p>

schools, and huts and once<o:p></o:p>

a soccer field of young men<o:p></o:p>

disappeared into history books.<o:p></o:p>

Is there a merciful bomb left<o:p></o:p>

undiscovered in Hanoi that will end<o:p></o:p>

this ridiculous game of head-fakes<o:p></o:p>

and jab-steps and let the rest of the world<o:p></o:p>

live in peace, allow me to start my day over<o:p></o:p>

with fresh coffee and a different front page<o:p></o:p>

announcing, if there is any justice left, <o:p></o:p>

the last two deaths of an unjust war. <o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-16210763196933869912019-02-18T10:07:00.002-08:002019-02-18T10:07:55.392-08:00NBA All Star Game, & etcOkay, so there was a little D being played in the last five minutes of the game, probably motivated by bragging rights.

Dunk contest is getting ho-hum. All 10's for Smith's five missed tries before finally executing????Where have all the real high-flyers gone? Long time passing?

Shak and Barkley are almost incoherent. Sub in another smart woman, like Candace.

Seth and Doc Rivers daughter engaged. We're talking children with great basketball genes.

Steph's son was named Canon. With a sports' name like that and my belief that the principal of irony governs the world, odds are in favor of him turning into a etymologist.

It's worth mentioning again my plan to upgrade the All-Star Game: Create a 4 point line, and two 5 point opportunity boxes at the intersection of sideline and mid-court line.

I hate to say it, but Commissioner Silver's search for more parity could be solved by dropping the league down four teams. There are some really very average players making up rosters. The remaining teams could absorb the best players from the four teams dropped. I know this solution will not be widely applauded, but what the hell, at my age, who cares.

Steph and Seth's mom sinks half-court shot. We now know where the boys got their "real" eyes. Apologies to Dad.

NBA Cares rocks. Lots of charity and love and joy during the festivities. And how about the fashion statements?

Loved seeing all the kids on the court. Basketball will soon be the most popular sport in the world.

Also, big shout out for the NBA again for including Wade and Nowitski as honorary All-Stars. Classy move.

Next year, The Greek Freak needs to enter the dunk contest so we can see something really airborne.. Imagine, like Wilt, picking a silver dollar off the top of the backboard with one hand and dunking with the other. Just saying!

A replay poem from a few years back. Nothing serious, but fun, like the All -Star game.

Chinese Checkers by Arleen Cohen

The dragons
tell me how to move,
like a grasshopper across
the multi-colored field
springing from hole to hole
outmaneuvering the beetles.

I see the sacred star
and one by one
I deposit my eggs
until it is
filled and full.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-66986692423775613822019-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:002019-01-15T16:44:20.475-08:00SactownWhat's that song? Sactown Races, do dah. . . etc? Okay, Camptown Races.

Not that you don't think you're at the races watching the young Sacramento Kings basketball team, led by thoroughbred, De'Aarron Fox. Young man from U of Kentucky can out race most if not all of the NBA guards. He encourages, by example, the rest of the team to catch up to him, and they've been doing it this season. If the Kings were not in the tough Western Division, at 22 - 21 they'd be in 3rd place in the Central and Southwest Divisions and 2nd place in the Southeast.

After my Warriors, the Kings are my favorite team to watch. They are young, enthusiastic, and fast, Watching youthful mistakes can be frustrating, but their losses are never about lack of effort. Sure, they've let a few games where they were ahead, slip away in the fourth quarter. Even in defeat, they're youthful exuberance is a joy to see.

All the Kings administration and coaching staff need to do is be patient. One more solid draft choice or acquisition, Perhaps a wide body, kick-ass back-up center for Cauley Stein? Perhaps a bigger back-up guard for Fox. I love Yogi, but he's not the tough JJ Barea type, so a longer body with similar quickness would be better. After that it's all about the continual growth of the young Crown Princes, aspiring to royalty.

Therein, of course, is the rub. Players at the highest level, just because they've got a signed contract, can not stop improving themselves. For example, If Cauley-Stein wants to reach stardom, he must learn to shoot a consistent mid-range jumper. Bagely, the a huge upside talent at power forward, must learn to shoot free-throws. All of them must work on their individual D. Team Defense is only as good as individual defenders defend individually. All of the Kings need to build strength and stamina. To be a playoff team, you need to be a fourth quarter team.

A few additional comments:

In professional basketball, if a really good team plays poorly in the first half, but their opponent can't stretch the lead beyond at least twenty points going into the locker-room, there is no guarantee the team ahead will be able to maintain the lead. I say this as an example of where I believe my Warriors are at this stage of the season. If one game represents the entire season, with half-time (half of the season) coming up. I don't see any team outplaying the Warriors in the second half, even thought the Dubs certainly haven't so far played as well as they can.

Saint Nick ran out of Miracles. That's what happens when you're the only Saint playing against a team of Saints.

I was not impressed with Dustin Johnson's reasoning for playing in Saudi Arabia. "I'm not a politician, I play golf." Soooo. . . athletes should not be sensitive to brutal murders? You're playing the back nine, while they cutting some guy up into pieces? You got enough $. F--k the Saudi murderers. Don't play. Show some courage!

Fox, by Tom Meschery

 for De'Aaron

On the trail,
leaving the riders ,
in their superfluous
red costumes behind,
out-running the hounds.

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-9486607230277992802018-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:002018-12-31T08:42:29.625-08:00A Few Passing Thoughts Going Into 2019One: I turned 80 and can play better D at my age than my Dubs are playing these days. Come on, fellows, don't let an octogenarian show you up. Talk, close-out, switch hard, get in peoples' faces. D is a 48 minute job. D is also a habit that can be lost if not played all the time.

Two: Raider fans don't deserve the screwing their getting from Little Davis, and I mean little and greedy. And from Mr. Know-It-All Gruden who struts the sideline like a banty rooster, with about as much football intelligence as the feathery critter. I hope they have to play next season on some Vegas high school turf..

Three: I'm not ruling out the 49ers the way I'm ruling out the Raiders. With the 49ers, you c;an detect a plan and an energy that will take them into next season. Not saying they'll kick ass next NFL season, but there will be lots of good carry-over. 2020 will be their year.

Four: Is there any way to get rid of Shaq and Barkley and giggle master Ernie from NBA broadcasting. Kenny, the only one who tries to talk hoops. All the other three do is clown around. Fans deserve better. Great to see Candace Parker talking basketball.

Five: Serena Williams is a STUD, and GORGEOUS and TALENTED. Why isn't tennis covered more fully in our newsprint? By the way, where are all our American tennis pros???

Six: That goes for lots of other so called "minor " sports - one of my favorite gripes. I'm getting really tired reading about what NBA stars having an owies and which NFL player has been suspended for beating up his girlfriend, and which college football stud has been suspended for using whatever frigging substance. Let's sub a womens' volleyball game story in instead of these boring and tawdry revelations. Americans have got to wean themselves off the Big Three Sports -baseball, football, and basketball diet. It's like get off the red meat and eat more veggies. With apologies to my Warriors. You know I love you.

Seven: Speaking of NFL, this year is noticeable for a whole group of new and exciting quarterbacks. Love Mahones, so much fun to watch. Along the same vein, great fun watching speedster DeAndre Fox of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. We're talking serious lightning speed..

Eight: The Sacramento Bee, our local newspaper, does not cover late ending sports, thus there is never a story about the Young Kings team, the city's only major league franchise when they play at home. Is that bush league, or what? Double ??? You think the NBA is going to award an All-Star game to a city with a rag like this?

Nine: I have never been an advocate for the death penalty. There is simply no evidence that it deters murders. However, as a high school teacher, I've been a witness to males (fathers even) abusing young girls and can not imagine anything more vile. Regarding the animal who abused all our lovely female gymnasts, I'm okay that the state give the SOB the needle. And any other abuser of children. Good riddance! And lets hear it for those young female gymnasts, in the middle of this monstrosity that was happening to them, still performing their sport with courage and dignity.

Ten: 2018 saw Tiger make a substantial comeback. He'll never be the Tiger,Tiger burning bright, but he can still play the game and get fans excited. A back injury in golf is like an Achilles injury is in basketball, tough to recover from. With that in mind, let's cross our Warrior fingers for DeMarcus Cousin's return from his torn Achilles tendon injury.

Eleven: Hey, I was sure sorry to read this morning about the 173 U.S. billionaires losing 5.9 percent of their wealth, leaving them - oh woe is me - with $1.9 trillion bucks. Can we all shed a tear?

Twelve: Some lies are more venal than others:. Closing out 2018, Trump tells our brave soldiers in Iraq that he got them a 10 % raise this year. TOTAL FRIGGING LIE. Go stand in the corner, Trump.
Has anybody figured out how many lies this man has told to the American public in 2018?

Thirteen:  One more time: Why not a four point line in the NBA? Tell me it wouldn't be exciting.

Fourteen: 2019 should be the year college football drops all these silly bowls: Music Bowls, and Ceramic Bowls, and Pizza Bowls and Mineke Muffler Bowls. Really? Do people give a sh-t?

Fifteen: Any bets on how many Trump groupies (read administration) will be indicted and begin serving time in 2019? The Republicans sold their souls for the 20% tax cut, and the Christian Conservatives sold their souls for anti abortion judges. And Fox News simply sold its soul.

Sixteen: Huge shout out for Lebron Jame's starting his I Promise Elementary School for At Risk children in his hometown of Akron. Also big thank you to Lebron for supporting new and wonderful medical insurance for NBA retirees. And to the NBA League and Player's Union for similar support and dedication to the guys from the past.

Seventeen: Bravo to Matt Millen, just underwent successful heart transplant surgery. All fingers crossed for a football warrior. We should all think the way he thinks about life when he said, "I'm thankful for what I have, and I'll take what I get."

Eighteen: Alabama and Clemson should be interesting. Got to hand it to Nick Saban; he continues to produce winners and that is not easy on any level of coaching. Sure the more you win, the easier it is to recruit the best HS players. But coaching the best is not easy and requires a special kind of personality. It's not just X and O's.

Nineteen: Pop doing some terrific coaching with a whole lot less talent that he's had in the past.

 Poem for the end of the year and for the coming year: Has nothing to do about sports, except JOY is a Coach Kerr of Golden State Warriors mantra.

Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don't hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
it its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that's often the
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don't be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-72897003058035056422018-12-10T09:30:00.000-08:002018-12-10T09:30:24.967-08:00Holiday Season review of NBA, and etcThe Golden State Warriors recent success when lots of talking heads were questioning the Dubs chances, is a perfect example of how essential a healthy team is in today's fast paced league. Curry out hurt was like losing the hub of a wheel, but also some missing spokes, like Draymond and at times Livingston, Igudala, McKinnie. Now the Dubs have lost Damian Jones. Sorry to hear of his injury, but the Warriors are fine playing small ball, so I'm not as worried.

The loss of key players is Houston's fault for not recognizing how key Ariza and Mbah a Moute were to the defenisive integrity of the team, be it ever so humble. The two missing players traded away kept defense together after the initial two passes, after which Harden, Paul, and Gordon get lost or confused. It was even worse last season when Anderson was on the court. Couldn't guard my grandmother. Now Anderson is defenseless in Phoenix.

Does the Sun's coach have a clue? This team sucks on Defense. And, I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish on offense, do you? I really believed Ayton was going to be much more NBA ready than he is. He needs a summer and work.

A team can't possibly be as bad as the Wizards are with their personnel. Can John Wall be anything better than a bolt of lightning? This is all mental and coaching.

I take back anything I said about Doc being an overrated coach. His Clippers are tough and are making noise in the West. As early as it is, Tobias Harries is having an All-Star season. Harrell is a load. They defend aggressively. I didn't consider the Clips in the mix in my start-of-season NBA evaluation. The team chemistry has made me change my mind.

Butler has turned the 76ers into a championship caliber team. But I really question Butler's attitude and whether he might turn on his team like he did against the Twolves and the coach he owed his career to. I have a thing about loyalty, and Butler, in my mind, doesn't seem to seem to consider it important.

I didn't believe the Lakers could be competitive this year, even with Lebron, but I was mistaken. I do believe that Javale is one key, making a big difference for the Lakers, and good for him. Shaq has stopped dissing the man. Warriors could use the big fellow. But probably couldn't have paid him after last season. Sometimes these financial things are bad news.

 The Bucks' Antetetokounmpo really, really, really must develop a jump shot beyond five feet. Didn't any coach on the team tell him that's what he needed to work on during the summer. I would have had a shooting coach baby-sit the young man all summer. I would have done it. I love Greek food.

The Celtics are still my favorite to win the East. They just seem a little tougher mentally than the 76ers, Bucks, and Toronto. Hayward off the bench is working, but I'm betting in crunch-time Hayward will contribute to a essential wins.

OKC is playing extremely well, but I have never trusted Westbrook when it comes to decision making. The addition of the young German,Shroeder has added significant depth at the point. He and Westbrook actually play well together. How many teams would kill to have Adams?

The Jazz added depth they desperately needed with the addition of Korvar. The Jazz are well coached. They execute. They are solid in all areas, but their level of physicality is one rung down from the top.

Minnesota continues to be soft. Who would have thunk it with Coach Tibs at the helm. Has Wiggins improved? I don't think so. Twolves need a smart point guard desperately.

Indiana is similar to the Jazz. Lots of solid players but only one great one in Oladipo. To win a championship in the NBA these days, a team has to have at least two superior players at two different positions. Three would be even better.

Doncic is everything he was cracked up to be. His presence makes the Mavs a contender. However, I'm not a big Smith fan, but he'll suffice for the time being. Rim protector, rebounder and dunker in the paint with D'Andre Jordan. Harrison Barnes, Westly Matthews, JJ, Powell - more than enough offense now.

Did the Kings make a mistake not taking Doncic? Yes, they did, but with reservations. Bagley has a high upside, a long, fast lefty who, unlike Doncic, needs some time. Will he ever make the impact of a Doncic? I doubt it. However, if Bagley works hard, he will be an All-Star, in my opinion, so the Kings can't beat themselves up over the loss of the Slovenian, Larry Bird

The King's Fox is also the real deal. I love how he improved his three pt shooting over summer. I love players who improve themselves, work on their game. The Kings have to stay patient. Keep those young guys going and growing. One more solid draft choice. Look for the Kings to make plenty of noise next season. In the meantime, enjoy the speed as Fox races you down the court. How about this for a website title: Fear the Speed. More evocative than Fear the Beard or Fear the Deer. Who the hell fears a deer, anyway, perhaps a stag or a moose. And a beard, how do you fear a scraggly bunch of hair. My wife says she sees critters living in Harden's Half of America's males are looking like the Wright Brothers cough drop guys. Looks like they're all living rough and doing the signs.

The Kings might consider firing the exec (alleged exec) who started talking about Coach Joeger and GM Divac having differences. Loyalty issues for me again. And upfront issues too. If you've got something to say, say it and own it.

Denver is definitely in the hunt. Big talented guy Jocic in the post. Some sharp shooting wings and backcourt. Millsap out but will be back after first of the year. Good coaching. Spoilers, but not winners, at least not yet in my opinion.

Portland at 14 and 11 for the moment. But only for the moment. Nurcic is not consistent. If he could be, that might change my opinion of team prospects. Aminu is not consistent. The Blazers are still lacking a dependable stretch three. Defense needs a tuneup as well.

Looking at the leader boards, I guess I shouldn't leave out Memphis, Charlotte, and Orlando, all playing well, but does anyone believe they'll be there at the top in April?

Etc:

Here's my idea for Kareem Hunt and guys like him who think it's okay to beat up women. Put abuser and abused in a vacant room. Tie both hands behind the abusive guy's back and give the woman a baseball bat. Then lock the door.

I've always believed a team wins championships with defense. Finally, the American people have put a good defense in place by voting in a Democratic House. Whatever trump's offense is, it will have to compete against a fired up Big D. What's going on in our country is totally crazy. Has the United States of America ever been in such a mess? Perhaps during the McCarthy period in the Fifties, but in that case we were anti-Communist and looking for American traitors at the expense of civil liberties. Now civil liberties in general are being manipulated out of existence.Were McCarthy alive today, he'd only have to look to the White House to find a Communist stooge. Yes, a Communist, Putin-loving stooge. When trump gets impeached, I suggest he go to Russia to live out his miserable life. Let's get our country back!

Amen to that, my wife says.

The Advantages of Being a World Class Athlete by Anthony Lacavaro

In the end when the doctors circle around
Like doctors, they can find nothing wrong.

A perfect body they murmur over
And over like a prehistoric discovery,

Nothing wrong, nothing wrong except it's dead.
There will be no reason for this tragedy

Which catapults your death into the world
Of public myth: were you too good

For us, did they take you, or were you not
Of the earth to begin with and just returned.

The results of the test say nothing about it.
Though one of the doctors speaking

Out of turn, will say softly,
"One foot appears to be larger than the other."

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-2041199133303988302018-11-20T08:42:00.001-08:002018-11-20T08:42:30.665-08:00Warriors Demise and etcMark Twain said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Twain could have been talking about the Golden State Warriors, who are experiencing an unexpected losing streak. Horrors! Not the Dubs, not our darling Curry led angels (with one less than angelic Draymond, but what the hey, John Milton would completely understand the need for a seraphim with a chip."

To those of you who are rubbing your little anticipatory hands in glee, relishing an NBA Finals without the Warriors, you might want to revisit the Warrior roster. If I'm not mistaken, they still have the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Curry, Thompson, KD, and Green. They still employ the wily two vets, Livingston and Iguadala. The bench is improved over last year. And, sitting in the wings, or on the bench, wearing unnecessary speckles, healing from last season's Achilles injury, Gold Medal winning center, Demarcus Cousins.

Just saying!

My biggest etc is directed against the Sacramento Bee. In some management's wisdom, they have decided not to cover late sports. It has been totally frustrating to watch a game on TV, the Kings for example, watch them win, which didn't happen much for the last few years, and have nothing in the morning paper. This morning brought my temp to a boil. Yesterday the KC Chiefs and the LA Rams played what might have been the best Monday Night Football game in recent memory and there was nothing about it in the morning sports. It was the game didn't happen. Yesterday evening the Sacramento Kings, a bunch of growing youngster super stars, upset the seasoned and perennial playoff team the OKC Thunder and there was nothing in the sports this morning. It was as if the game had never been played. There wasn't even any coverage on the their On Line Bee. How hard is that to type in a story? Shame, shame, and shame. If the newspaper is so financially strapped that they can't cover late breaking news, they should fold their tent and slip into oblivion.

Hated to see the Chiefs/Rams game end on a Mahonnes' interception. Both QBs were magnificent.

For Hank Greenwald, the wittiest sports broadcaster in the biz, here's a poem I wrote in his honor.

PLAY BY PLAY<o:p></o:p>

 For Hank Greenwald (1935 – 2018)<o:p></o:p>

Hank calls it:<o:p></o:p>

A 20 foot shot,<o:p></o:p>

that goes 15.<o:p></o:p>

Fans' laughter<o:p></o:p>

lighting up the airwaves.<o:p></o:p>

It's electric,<o:p></o:p>

someone says.<o:p></o:p>

"If that's what it takes,"<o:p></o:p>

Hank says, "I've got <o:p></o:p>

plenty more<o:p></o:p>

where that came from."<o:p></o:p>

And he had.<o:p></o:p>

And he did.<o:p></o:p>

Game after game<o:p></o:p>

Warriors & Giants,<o:p></o:p>

his words, like<o:p></o:p>

sparks, <o:p></o:p>

lighting up radios. <o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-66021709623514392912018-10-30T09:41:00.003-07:002018-10-30T09:49:25.491-07:00Klay & EtcThe warrior's Klay Thompson's 52 point record-breaking performance against the Chicago Bulls was, often noted but not nearly enough, an example of why the warriors are such a powerful team. Scoring performances of this kind are not some new phenomena for the Dubs. The Splash Brothers have been at it for a while, and KD has joined them to make it a scoring trio. So, what makes this newsworthy again and not just another ho-hum-in-the-zone-eye-popping-three-point extravaganza? It's not the player doing the scoring, that makes these performances, as brilliant as they are, important, it is the performance of the players on the bench. As Klay's scoring against the Bulls proceeded, the ball dropping rimless into the basket, the net flipping like a young girl's skirt, the Warrior bench was on their feet, dancing, whooping, signing the air, holding each other in a display of team unity and affection that does not exist on other NBA teams - at least not with this exuberance and heartfelt joy. There has never been a professional sports team that exemplifies team camaraderie like the Dubs. It should be emulated by athletic youth throughout this country.

Right on Dubs.

I noted this morning sports page of the Sacramento Bee that Boston winning the World Series was not a headline. In fact what would have been headlines of most papers front page twenty years ago was down at the bottom of the sports page. I am not a baseball fan, but, come on, Bee, this is the World Series. The best the sport can offer, the Mount Olympus of sluggers and pitchers and fielders, and spitters, and hand-signalers, the worthy descendants of royal game of cricket. I was beyond grief.

Okay, so I'm being a little sarcastic.

Lowell High School where I played and became an All American, was over 50% Jewish American kids. When I started playing in the NBA in 1961, most of the teams were owned by Jewish men. The owner of the team I started for, the Philadelphia Warriors, was Eddie Gottlieb, RIP, one of the good men of our sport. Playing in the NBA put me in touch with many wonderful Jewish Americans. I do not understand anti Semitism. It is so illogical and ignorant and brutish. I have been grieving for the families of those who died in their synagogue in Pittsburgh. And I am disgusted by the divisive comments and behavior of our president. This was the perfect moment for him to be presidential, to mourn with his Jewish American citizens, to don a yarmulke, to wear it so all Americans can see, and to publicly denounce the fascist and white supremacists, to name David Duke for what he is, an anti American bigot.

But, we all know trump can not and will not do this because the raciest, and Neo Nazis and white nationalists are part of his beloved base.

I have no answer for donald trump's evil. But I offer this to think about.

trump (v.2)

"fabricate, devise" 1690's, from trump "deceive, cheat" (1510's, from Middle English trumpen (late 14c.), from Old French tromper "to deceive," of uncertain origin. Apparently from se tromper de "to mock, " from Old French tromper "to blow a trumpet." Barchet explains this as "to play the horn, alluding to quacks and mountebanks, who attracted the public by blowing a horn, and then cheated them into buying worthless products.

Consider that people whose last names are baker probably originally were bakers, and those whose names are Smith had an original family member who was a smithy or a blacksmith. It does not surprise me, then, that donald trump is a descendent of deceivers and mountebanks. The acorn does not fall far from the family tree.

Here's a poem I wrote recently about being in the zone. I dedicate it to Klay Thompson.

AUTO DA FE<o:p></o:p>

 I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At the right<o:p></o:p>

 moment I light the match.<o:p></o:p>

 Mia Hamm<o:p></o:p>

I remember the game. I was on fire.<o:p></o:p>

Shot after shot dropped.<o:p></o:p>

Someone yelled from the stands I was hot.<o:p></o:p>

I yelled pass me the fucking ball.<o:p></o:p>

On the next move I burned my opponent<o:p></o:p>

and scored. I was like one of those birthday candles, <o:p></o:p>

the ones with the flames that never go out.<o:p></o:p>

The arena was filling up with smoke.<o:p></o:p>

Fans were holding handkerchiefs over their noses<o:p></o:p>

In the distance I could hear sirens.<o:p></o:p>

I was too hot to care, I was reckless <o:p></o:p>

like a kid playing with matches. <o:p></o:p>

It was only a game of basketball,<o:p></o:p>

but I would not recant the story of my life.<o:p></o:p>

If you tried to stop me, <o:p></o:p>

I'd just add more fuel to the fire. <o:p></o:p>

The rest is history. <o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-59603499754104517812018-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:002018-10-20T08:44:16.866-07:00Baring Injuries and etc.After the first week of the NBA season, I'm picking the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors to compete in the NBA Finals.

Duh!

Well, not exactly. Boston lost to a very tough Toronto Raptors last night.. The Warriors have won two uninspired victories. Last night's game against the Utah Jazz should have been a loss, considering their lousy first half defense, salvaged at the end by a tip in by Jonas Jerebko on a missed Durant jumper with one tick left on the clock. So, some observers might say it's not quite such a "Duh!" as to the winners of the East and West.

Except for this:

BARING INJURIES Toronto and Utah looked to me as if they were already playing at mid-season form if not exactly at playoff level. Both the Warriors and the Celts, not at all. Boston has still not incorporated Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving into their offense as Coach Steven certainly will by the first of the year or sooner. The Warriors are not nearly in sync with a number of additions to their team. Klay Thompson's three is still in China. Igoudala, a key defender and leader, is missing. And the Bigs: Looney and Jones are not where they will be at a later date [you choose the date] Looney on offense, and Jones on Defense. Looney is showing me some moves on offense I never expected. And, does anyone doubt that Klay will regain his touch? Also, a surprise to me, I'm beginning to believe Damian Jones may possibly turn into a young Tyson Chandler who led the Mavs to a NBA Championship. This belief after the first two games, requires me to take back what I said about him in my last blog. I take it back, my man, and apologize, but don't let me down!

For the time being lets not count on Cousins.

I've got to give a shout out to the Utah Jazz. I liked them a lot at the end of the last season. Based on what I saw last night, I like them better. I'm still trying to figure out how Ingles gets that three off. He must be a lot quicker than he looks. He kind of lumbers along and appears about to fall asleep. Then, he's shooting in your face. Must be the Aussie factor. And I'm betting his real age is somewhere in forties.

It's a little early to be making predictions, since I haven't seen all the teams play yet. I could be surprised.

ETC:

I'm delighted with the rebirth of the BIG MON in the NBA: Ayton in Phoenix, Bamba in Orlando, adding to the presence of versatile bigs already in the league: Joel Embid, Anthony Davis, Kristap Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, and Demarcus Cousins. It was just a matter of time, wasn't it? I wish I could add Cauley Stein but he's still missing an ingredient on both ends. Still, he is a legit 7 footer and can flat out run the court.

I've always loved this poem about a sport not much is written about in our sports pages.

Karate by Stanley Plumly

If I could chop wood.
If I could just cut through
this furniture

the paraphernalia
of blocks
and stacks of boards,
wedged and
piled
head-high.

If I could break the back
of a single two-by-four,

if the Japanese instructor would only
lay his little building
of bricks
in front of me,

if I could only drive nails
deep into the hard rose of the wood.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-90658837084599070972018-10-15T19:12:00.000-07:002018-10-15T19:12:09.537-07:002018/19 NBA Season CommentsAnother NBA season that looks top heavy in the West, with Boston, Philly, and Toronto, easily the favorites in the East.

As a general rules, in my opinion, a team to win the NBA Championship must have at least two WOW players - Super-All Stars such as LeBron James, KD, Curry, Antetokoumpo, Paul George, James Harden, etc.

  EASTERN DIVISION

Boston Celtics: They are solid at every starting position with solid bench strength at every position. Irving and Hayward are WOW players (If Hayword is healthy) with some HALF WOW's in Jaylen Brown Horford and emerging WOW player, Jayson Tatum. The Celts can run, but are also patient. They can defend and rebound. Bench is strong. They have an excellent , gifted coach and appear to have all his players on the same page in terms of goals. You can't out tough them and you can't out finesse them, at least not in the East.

Philadelphia 76ers: They should be the second best team in the East, but a lot will depend on Embid's health and the development of Marquelle Fultz. Other questions, can Ben Simmons ever learn to shoot? Can JJ Redick have one more top notch shooting season after 13 years? I think the addition of Wilson Chandler will provide depth at the SF to help an great but inconsistent shooter Robert Covington. I like the coaching, but this season will test his mettle. Can the team defend as a team beyond the third pass? Joel Embid is a WOW players. Simmons is a HALF WOW, not a full WOW until he learns to shoot from middle distance and free throws. If all the stars are aligned, the 76ers could upset the Celtics. But not in a 7 game series.

Toronto Raptors: Have a point guard problem. Is Kyle Lowry a true point? Probably, but I'm not entirely convinced. He can shoot, even though streaky. Fred Vanvleet is a solid point guard, but over 80 games? Can the Raptors stretch the floor shooting threes? Lowry and CJ Miles are both streak shooters in my opinion. Danny Green is strong addition, and he can shoot deep. Green could turn into an X factor. Kawhi Leonard gives the team a WOW player. Lowry is a HALF WOW. But will Kawhi by in mentally is the question? Will he stay healthy? If he's right, the Raptors will be very tough. They are very solid at the center and power forward positions. I see lots of growth in Siakim.

Indiana:Pacers: Two huge question marks for a team I like a lot. Do they have a true starter-type point guard who can be a complete floor manager? I see Darren Collison and Cory Joseph as excellent PG backups. Perhaps Aaron Holiday? But he is a rookie and that's a lot to ask a rookie to take over the running of a team. At every other position I love this team. Oladipo is a WOW player. Myles Turner is a HALF WOW player with a caveat, which is - will he or won't he insist on being the star he can be? Or is he just a little too congenial? I'm not sold on Doug McDermott, but he could prove me wrong. Bogdanovic will stretch the floor and Sabonis might make an All Star team one of these days. McMillan is a solid coach. Put an All Start type point guard on this team, and they go to the finals of the Eastern Division playoffs and maybe further.

Milwaukee Bucks: I'm picking the Pacers over the Bucks, but this could flip, as the Budenholtzer factor has to be assessed. Here's another team like the Pacers, with some questions at the point guard position. I've never been a Bledsoe fan. I think he makes bad decisions. Dellavadova is a true point guard, but he's slow and an inconsistent shooter. His D is top notch. The Bucks play him off the bench, and I bet most teams in the NBA would like to have a tough strong thinker like Delly coming off the bench for them. That leaves Malcolm Brogdan at the point. I like him, but not with any enthusiasm. Antetekoumpo is a WOW player. Krhis Middleton is a HALF WOW in my opinion. Zeller, Lopez, Maker are solid in the post. Can Snell at shooting guard shoot consistently? They have strong help off the bench at the power positions in Henson and Ilyasova. I think the Buck are one season and one draft choice/trade away from making some real noise.

Washington Wizards: What is it about the Wizards that I don't like? The chemistry? Wall and Beale should be dominant. Why aren't they? Was Gortat for Howard the gamble that will pay off? I doubt it. Never thought Howard ever worked hard enough at his game. Some strong young shooting forwards in Porter and Obre. Will Austen Rivers be the guy off the bench that makes a difference? Just too many question marks for this team to do anything but play themselves out of the first round of Eastern Division Playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't make the playoffs. If Miami can get Butler without giving up too much???

Chicago Bulls: Surprise team in the east.

 WESTERN DIVISION

Golden State Warriors: Always tough for me to evaluate the Warriors objectively as I'm an ex Warrior and one of their biggest fans. So, I'll begin with the obvious - if Demarcus Cousins can recover fully from his torn Achilles tendon and play the way he did in New Orleans, the Warriors should win a fourth NBA Championship. If not, the Dubs have a problem in the post, (not sold on Jones) and may have to rely on Draymond and small ball, which is not a bad thing because Draymond is a Mr. All Around Stud. In all the other four positions, the Warriors are super solid. Cook has come along nicely and it looks as if Jacob Evans, the team's 1st round choice in June, will be a solid defender. Igudala and Livingston are a little long in the tooth, but should have enough where-with-all left for this season. I'm interested to see how Jerebko fits in to the Dubs defensively. I've always thought of him as a little soft on D. I'm a big Jordan Bell fan and am getting to be a Loony fan as his progress has been steady in defense and offense. Curry, Durant, and Klay are WOW players. Green is a HALF WOW (got to put more arc into the jumper for consistency's sake). Cousins is a WOW player. Lot's of WOW's going on. Could be a starting five with 5 All Star players. Coaching: EXCELLENT.

Houston Rockets: I thought that the Rockets would miss Ariza and Maboute, but I've changed my mind. PJ Tucker has shown me some stuff. He is definitely an X factor player. The Rockets have never had any defensive toughness, but PJ can change that. Even so, he is only one player. I still think the Rockets remain vulnerable on D: Hardin is an unwilling defender; Chris Paul, when all is said and done, is too small; Gordon is not a solid defender, and neither is Carmelo, who always looses defensive focus after the 3rd pass. .I'm a huge Capela fan. If Dwight Howard had Capela's work ethic, he be superman. Gerald Green is too flacky for my taste, and can make and has made in the past some awfully stupid moves. Ennis might turn into a strong acquisition. The Rockets will still be able to stretch the floor, so they will always be dangerous. As long as Chris Paul has a full healthy season, the Rockets are the only team I see giving the Warriors any trouble. D'Antoni is only an adequate coach in my opinion. Run and gun is easy to say.

Oklahoma Thunder: I will never be sold on a team with Westbrook running the show. Russell's problem is he's not a good point guard and he's not a good off guard. So what is he, really? A point shooter? Now what do you do with Dennis Schroeder? Is he really going to be happy coming off the bench? If OKC can figure out this problem, they'll be the 3rd best team in the west. At the forward and post positions, they are extremely strong. Steve Adams is awesome and doesn't need the ball to be successful, a HALF WOW. Paul George is a WOW player. Is Russell Westbrook? Not in my book, but I'll grant he's a HALF WOW. Nerlen Noel might turn out help when Adams has to rest. I like the Noel pick up - a little soft, but very long. Grant and Paterson are solid. Robinson will always play great D, but remains a shooting liability. Got to improve his free throws. Coaching has got to improve for this team to move forward. I see no strategic defensive or offensive strategy that's at all innovative. .

Denver Nuggets: Lots of talking heads are predicting a break out year for the Nuggets, led my Nicola Jokic, a WOW player. Maybe, if Paul Milsap, a HALF WOW player, stays healthy and Isiah Thomas can find his Mojo. If those two players have strong seasons, there is enough talent that the Nuggets could upset OKC and hold off all other challengers except the Warriors and Rockets. And if I were the Warrior and Rockets, I wouldn't take the Mile High City's team too lightly. They can shoot and penetrate. Even though Plumlee is no threat offensively, he's a first-rate backup center, who'll run the floor and pick up cheap baskets. Solid if not imaginative coaching.

San Antonio Spurs: . Pop will find a way, but the loss of Kawhi was big. I've never been an Aldridge fan and Pau is getting old. Aldridge is a HALF WOW player. Who's going to run the club, now that Murrry is gone with an injury? Patty Mills? Maybe, but I like Patty coming off the bench. Who's going to stretch the floor? Derozen is a WOW player. but a middle distance shooting expert, Other than Patty Mills, where are the 3's coming from? The Spurs may turn out to be the worst three-point shooting team to ever make the playoffs.

Utah Jazz: A well coached team, a year away, in my opinion, from contending for the finals in the West if they make the right trade and draft choice at the end of the season. Not impressed with the point guards.I don't care if he's improved, Rubio is still a poor shooter so teams can slack off. Same is true with Dante Exum. Neto is marginal off the bench. Team needs a stud at the point, then watch out. Donovan Mitchel is a WOW player. So is center Rudy Gobert a WOW. Joe Ingles always mystifies me, how does that slow dude get his shot off? Crowder and Favors will give the Jazz strength at the power spots and occasional big point production, but not consistent. Will see about the progress of O'Neele. Looks like a lot of potential. Still wondering where there's real jazz in Utah.

Los Angeles Lakers: Will make the playoffs on the back of Lebron James. Definate young stars, Ingram and Kuzma will contribute. Rondo will help, but is a flake factor, so what will he be like at the end of the season? Other flake factors: Lance Stephensen, and Mile Beasley, with these two anything can happen. Javale, I love you, but not as a starter. The more minutes you get the greater the chance of errors. Lonzo Ball looks like he's worked hard on his jumper, but I'd still slack off him if it meant stopping James, Ingram or Kuzma. I was hard on Ball last year, but I'm seeing him in a more positive light. I like hard workers, and he appears to have worked hard on the off season to improve his game. I'm a big K Caldwell Pope fan, but there is only one basketball to share. Walton is a good coach and getting better OJT. If Kawhi comes next season, the Lakers become scary.

Surprise Team: If Doncic is as good as his rep, Dallas, maybe.

General over-all not going into the 2018/19 season: There are a lot of mediocre players in the NBA, so I hope the NBA is not thinking of expansion for a while.

It's still football season, so here's a football poem I wrote recently.

JAXON by Tom Meschery<o:p></o:p>

I've a grandson who plays high school football.<o:p></o:p>

He's a linebacker, which means he attacks

the ball carrier, hoping to dislodge

any pig skin or weapon of mass destruction

tucked under the runner's arm with the intention

of harming the National Interest or ruining

the chances of his team winning the game. <o:p></o:p>

Football is that kind of sport. The difference<o:p></o:p>

between death and a losing season is blurred.<o:p></o:p>

Why not chuck a grenade to a wide receiver<o:p></o:p>

and watch him explode into the end-zone,<o:p></o:p>

or take a hit from a 300 pound line-man?<o:p></o:p>

Or, in the case of line-backers, volunteer<o:p></o:p>

to lose their memories before they're fifty.<o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-30015197707867355022018-10-08T08:34:00.002-07:002018-10-08T08:34:53.372-07:00Why Am I Not SurprsedI've been on vacation and have not kept up with the sports news. Too busy enjoying the quiet of New York City.

So, I came back to the Raiders fumbling the season. Why am I not surprised?

First of all: I knew from the start that they overpaid Carr. He's a worthy QB, but not at the expense of failing to sign Kahil Mack. Stupid and short sighted. This is on Mark Davis. (what kind of a son constructs an eternal flame for his father anyway?) I'll guarantee Al would have traded his eternal flame for Mack any day. Football decision, not BS.

Second of all: It is my belief that the principal of IRONY must be taken into account whenever decisions are made. When you hire a person who is presented to team fans as a season changer, "to fix thing for good" the chances are excellent that irony will step in, and the opposite will happen. It is an act of arrogance and arrogance always fails.

Third of all: John Gruden was out of the game for a very long time, a very long time. The game changes, players change. Was he really ready to take over a failed program? Really? As a color broadcaster I never thought he was that informative, but that is my bias. I will offer this, bias or not, that on air Gruden was way-over-the-top-full-of-himself. He reminded me of a puffed up little bantam rooster. I never felt he was authentic. Lack of authenticity is something pro athletes pick up on very quickly. The locker room has to be REAL. If it is not, things start to fall apart fast.

I've always loved the Raiders and Raider fans. My best friend, Bill King broadcast the Raider games for years, so I'd love to wish them success. However, success doesn't seem in the cards for the Black and White this season.

And, finally, perhaps this failure is the result of bad karma that is the result of the team leaving their loyal Oakland fans for glitzy Lost Wages.

Or, could it be, that the fruit of the tree has fallen too far away from the tree.

Or, all of the above?

A 63 yard field goal by Graham Gano for the Panther's win deserves a kicking poem.

The Kicker's last Steps

 For Jack Driscoll

One point behind, ten seconds left,
I lunge forward

a halo of gnats around my head.
I always thought field goal kicking
should be easy,
like pushing a word
from my tongue into the air.
But the goal posts
move backward
ten yards with each step.
Foto
And alone on this field -
only the year lines like a ladder I've forgotten
how to climb, the moon's floodlight
like a stiff graduation gown,
the empty avenues
of bleachers?

When night fog clutches my ankles
like the pudgy hands of a linebacker,
I try to thin of anything but kicking
(the river beyond the goal posts,
the blank scorecards. of my parents faces),
try not to think that in an instant
my toe must dive
deep into leather
as if it's in love with it.

From the sidelines my approach must look
almost casual, as though I hardly care -
in the silence of this last step
I hear the winds of three ducks above me
flying toward the creaking ice of the river.Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-30205538723346226162018-09-11T08:27:00.000-07:002018-09-15T07:23:37.467-07:00The Start of the NFL and EtcOakland Raiders: John Gruden may not be enough and Derrick Carr looked frightened. I mean, did you see that last intercepted pass. That was a basketball shot that looped straight into the hands of LA defensive back's hands. Guy looked totally surprised before running for a TD. Carr looked uncertain and flinchy the entire game. like he was worried about getting hit. I hope that's not true, but I think Gruden made a mistake saying "everything they [Raiders} do is about Carr.

San Jose 49ers: (Let's call them what the are and not SF) Back to football. Garapolo looked pretty average. He's obviously not. But at the end of last season, he was a surprise. Now that teams have film of him, they're better prepared. This makes all the team deficiencies more important to solve.
In the meantime, Shanahan wins the "Spin" of the NFL's first week: impressed with how G handled adversity.If you don't make it as a head coach, Kyle, there's a job waiting for you in politics.

New York Jets: Have finally got a QB. Darnold looked mostly like a vet as he led his team to a win over the Lions, which is not a shabby outfit. It was a serious performance.

Early betting on the vikings to win the Stupid Bowl would be reasonable. LA Rams next in line.

Arizona Cardinals might as well get it over with and make Rosen their starting QB. Preseason showed the kid had poise, skill and cockiness needed to be a big time NFL quarterback.

My long-shot team for max improvement is the Cleavland Browns.

This could be a very lopsided NFL season with wide disparity between the good teams and the bad, a little like our economy, the rich getting richer and the poor (and Middle Class) getting poorer.

 ETC

Pro Tennis has got to get off that weird and outdated rule that coaches can't coach from the sidelines. In what sport, other than tennis, do coaches have to sit on their hands and keep their mouths shut as they watch their athletes perform? DUMB AND MORE DUMB. That silly ass ref during the Serena William's match calling calling a foul for a coaches "thumbs up" gesture. It started a chain reaction. Serena should not have blown her cool. Her racquet toss required a point loss.

Lots of CHEERS Keegan Bradley winning the BMW. Bradley hasn't won since since 2011. Love watching him approach shots: approach, step back, approach a second time. measure, step back, approach, twist club a couple of times. My wife calls him "Nervous Nelly". Nerves off steel at the end against Rose in the playoffs.

More CHEERS for Djokovis wining the US Open. Got a ways to go to tie Federer's 20 Grand Slams, but he's in striking distance of Nadal's 14.

The recent death of my old college roommate and Saint Mary's College basketball teammate, John Shirley prompted this poem.

On Hearing of John's Death by Tom Meschery<o:p></o:p>

Got an email <o:p></o:p>

from Ron with a poem<o:p></o:p>

about the wind that is a gift<o:p></o:p>

on a day I needed one having heard<o:p></o:p>

of the death of my college roommate,<o:p></o:p>

the best and only one-legged basketball player<o:p></o:p>

in the history of Saint Mary's College who'd limp<o:p></o:p>

past you for a lay-up if you weren't careful, so smart<o:p></o:p>

he barely studied his sophomore year and got straight A's<o:p></o:p>

and nearly drove me out of my mind learning, instead of reading <o:p></o:p>

the Classics, while I was struggling with the dactylic hexameter of the Iliad,<o:p></o:p>

how to play one fucking song, Easy Rider on his guitar, the same notes over<o:p></o:p>

and over; and the poem Ron sent me closed with the wind sounding like<o:p></o:p>

a blues harmonica that arrived, as befits poetic license, all the way<o:p></o:p>

from Pluto, the farthest planet in the Universe, which is where,<o:p></o:p>

perhaps, if one does not believe in heaven, my roommate<o:p></o:p>

John is now entering like the wind, the fierce wind <o:p></o:p>

of his life no longer limping but sure footed<o:p></o:p>

past Pluto, past all other undiscovered<o:p></o:p>

planets, their moons and suns<o:p></o:p>

and the dark matter<o:p></o:p>

of our lives.<o:p></o:p>

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-91407156909996258072018-08-21T10:02:00.001-07:002018-08-21T10:02:22.421-07:00Stolen Base Gone like the DinasaurIn this morning's Sacramento Bee Sports dated 8/21/'18, there was an article by Gary Peterson arguing that baseball was better before Metrics. I'm not a huge baseball enthusiast, but along with the article, there was a photo of Goose Gossage stating that baseball today was very difficult for him to watch. As much as I was a fan, Gossage was one of my favorite baseball players. He had a great name and a great flair and a great mustache. So, I read. After I finished it seemed to me he'd made his point: "The game is all home runs and strikeouts, absent all risk/reward gambits." Why? Because the actuarial tables say they result in negative metrics. The writer went on to illustrate with a bunch of comparisons between teams of the past vs teams of the future. Since he used metrics, my eyes glazed over. Let's see if I get the gist: Hits to strike out ratios - today more strikeouts than hits. According to Scott Miller of Belcher Report: If you have a poetic bone in your body, you got to love this: As if they [batters] were 18 blindfolded men chasing a butterfly. As for pitching. American League as of today had turned in only 20 complete games. The National League only 10. At this rate, AL would complete 31 and NL 13. Giants Sam Jones in 1960 completed 13 himself. Onward and upward. According to the writer, there has been an average of 1.37 stolen base attempts in the majors this season, the lowest figure since 1964.

I told my wife. "Geez," she said. "the stolen base was the only exciting play in baseball." That sort of summed it up for me. But I email my friend Larry Colton, ex of the Phillies and holder of the single game strike out record for the University of California for his thoughts on the subject, who is my baseball guru for his comments.

We wait with bated breath.

Metrics strives for some kind of statistical perfection. Not only is that impossible, it is boring.

Not exactly a baseball poem, but it could be.

Midnight Lazaruses by Chaun Ballard, from Rattle summer 2018 issue

we were married
 to
concrete
 playgrounds, blacktops

 where seven days

nights
 a ball would drop

and like that
 bodies would complete

shadows
 and a game would be

found.

Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-11995996310620032152018-08-13T08:17:00.001-07:002018-08-13T08:17:19.320-07:00Mea Culpa ReduxI've already apologized via my blog for my years of denigrating golf as less than a sport. And to all golfers who give a jot about my beliefs, I apologize again big time. After watching the latest Open won by Brooks Koepka, chased to the 18th by Adam Scott and Tiger Woods (Go Tiger!), I have come to this realization: Golf played on the professional level is the most psychologically (mentally) and physically demanding sport of all the major sports in the world.

Please note, however, that I limit my definition to professional golf, not the ordinary get-out-and-play the links on weekend variety, in which case the level of mental and physical wear and tear drops significantly..

Onward and upward to the pro golfer. No athlete is challenged to perform his or her sport under such mental and physical strain while requiring such precise accuracy than golf played on the highest level. Mental acuity, physicality, precision, accuracy, and subtlety - all must come together at exactly the same time with different requirements of force for each stroke from the T to putt.
Not to mention the hazards. Imagine what kind of skill is needed to come out of tall grass or looking up through trees as your ball rests on the side of a hill. It's a little like asking a basketball player to shoot the ball from where it lands in the stands after an errant pass. I watched with renewed respect for the game as Koepka, Scott and Woods, three marvelously conditioned athletes, competed.

Let me say that I'm not blind to a few of the tubbys on the professional tour, who provide hope to all the rest of the out-of-shape weekend linkers, but I do not exclude them from my definition. They will simply play themselves out of the pro tour with back problems. A few, such as the enormously out of condition, John Daly, might move on to the Champions Tour by dint of their superior skills. So be it; there are always anomalies.

Least people didn't read it in small print and on the last page of the sport's section, our U.S.A women's softball team defeated the Japanese to win the World Softball Championship. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, not some weenie championship. In my section of the paper, overshadowed by less important articles, like the Ryder Cup who's in the conversation.

I don't blog about baseball, but this baseball poem I recently read in a must read collection called This Loss Behind Us; A Triple Play of Poetry (Pint Size Publications) is beyond funny.

Pope Vincent by Paul Hostovsky

If you would like to be summarily excommunicated from the merry flock
the blue and white acolytes who clap on cue and shout appropriate epithets,
all you have to do is say something less than supportive about his royal divinity
Pope Vin Scully
Now 88 and still helping the team sell things.
Let us pray he never dies.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-60312369781316514692018-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:002018-08-05T09:32:53.384-07:00NBA Off Season CrazinessMy interest to blog flags once the NBA season ends. However, there are always a few newsworthy incidents or moments that require comments.

Urban Meyers, like Rick Pitino, bball, coach of Louisville, didn't know squat. Anyone who believes that I have the Golden Gate Bridge I'm willing to sell him for a modest price. Yeah, like donald trump didn't know nutting about Don Junior meeting with Russian agents of the KGB.

What is it about people who have power and money? Why do they think they can get away with lying?

As a high school teacher, if I didn't report even a suspicion of abuse to my principal, I would be fired. Which is what needs to happen to Meyers and the man running our White House.

Speaking of racist, trump, he's at it again, attacking Lebron James for "Awwwww," hurting the little president's weeny feelings. Why doesn't trump attack David Duke?

Speaking of loonies, was Terrell Owens born that way or did he grow into it? Okay, perhaps the Canton Hall of Fame snub is not that big a deal, but why wouldn't Owens want to join his fellow football players on such a profoundly important day? Could it possibly be that he want all the camera to be on him?

If Vladimir Putin KGB killer president of the new Soviet Union, could have scripted a perfect way to sow division and suspicion between the citizens of the United States, there would have been no better president to have sitting in the White House than donald racist trump.

I was sorry but not surprise when Lebron said all African American people, no matter how successful, continue to suffer racism.

TYLER HONEYCUTT DEAD by Tom Meschery<o:p></o:p>

His coach told the reporters it was hard<o:p></o:p>

for a player to adjust to playing in Russia,<o:p></o:p>

not knowing the language or culture.<o:p></o:p>

It was hard for me to be in elementary school,<o:p></o:p>

a Russian immigrant, wearing short pants<o:p></o:p>

and not knowing how to speak English.<o:p></o:p>

But that was a long time ago. Now,<o:p></o:p>

you find language lessons on line.<o:p></o:p>

I'm taking private lessons twice a week<o:p></o:p>

at Alliance Francaise, so my wife and I<o:p></o:p>

can move to France because our country<o:p></o:p>

is suffering under a racist dictator.<o:p></o:p>

Perhaps Hunnicut's death at the hands<o:p></o:p>

of the police, or by his own hand <o:p></o:p>

had nothing to do with language<o:p></o:p>

and the foreign culture. What if <o:p></o:p>

he was simply tired of living as a black<o:p></o:p>

man in our culture? I wouldn't be<o:p></o:p>

surprised. I'm white and I'm watching<o:p></o:p>

my depression rising like mercury<o:p></o:p>

in a glass thermometer in a heat wave.<o:p></o:p>

Tyler's depression might have reached<o:p></o:p>

the melting point and burst, the shards<o:p></o:p>

of glass flying through the air with his blood.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

 Tom Mescheryhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-53774028688077537062018-07-04T07:38:00.000-07:002018-07-04T07:38:09.036-07:00Boogie WarriorShall we say that between Draymond and Boogie, the pair might set a technical fouls record to go along with the Warriors third NBA Championship in a row.

My first reaction to hearing DeMarcus Cousins had signed a 1 yr contract with the Warriors was an extended moan, that turned into a question mark, and finally into a Holy -hit. The last expletive had to do with the kind of unique talent Boogie will bring to my team. The Warriors have not had a real post since the days of Nate "The Great" Thurmond. And a post who can go out onto the perimeter and shoot threes. Mama Mia!!!!

There has never been any question that the Boogie is an Awesome physical and skilled talent. For me, it has always been about attitude on the court and in the locker room. In past blogs I've accused him of being a dark cloud downer, a whiner, a locker room lawyer, and a candidate for anger management intervention. My wife, who hates cry babies, was not nearly as nice as her husband.

That said, so I can't be accused of hypocrisy, Cuz is now a Warrior and that means I have to cut him some slake. Such slake cutting has to do with the possibility that Boogie has been changing for the better since he left the dysfunctional Kings. Remember, I said, possibility. Boogie watchers, like my wife's grandson, John-Clark, who knows his basketball, has never wavered in his support of Boogie. He points out Boogies total career stats, and his performance last year with the Pelicans, before he suffered and Achilles tendon injury. John-Clark is right. There's is not a better pure center in the league than Cuz. This may change with DeAndre Ayton, but that's for another Blog.

Keeping John-Clark's loyalty in mind, I will consider (only consider, mind you) that there could have been a shift in Cuz's court attitude that started during the 2014 Olympic Games in Brazil. The theory might go like this: Cuz played his butt off for America's Olympic Team. No denying that. His effort won him the respect and friendship of his super star peers (Draymond Green being one of those players). These guys embraced the Cuz when he was, for the most part, being viewed around the league as a knucklehead. There is a lot to say for friendship and support. It might have been the motivation to consider changing his attitude and behavior.

I'm just saying. It could have happened this way. And, it could be something the Warriors took into account when deciding whether or not to take DeMarcus Cousins into the fold. . .

And into the waiting arms of Draymond Green if the Boogie doesn't boogie straight.

Going into this season I will remember the free basketball clinics you have provided in Sacramento and the funeral for Stephon Clark you paid for. So, welcome Boogie Cousins to my Warriors. I wish for your Achilles injury to heal, for you to regain all your skills and physical prowess. You can be part of a great tradition, even if it will probably be only for one season.

Go Warriors!

This is a poem about climbing in Scotland. Not exactly a rope-up Mount Everest type of poem, but athleticism non-tthe-less. And a good old fashioned well-rhymed poem is always pleasant to read.

Climbing in Glencoe by Andrew Young

The sun became a small round moon
And the scared rocks grew pale and weak
As mist surged up the col, and soon
So thickly everywhere it tossed
That though I reached the peak
With height and depth both lost
It might as well have been a plain;
Yet when, groping my way again,
On to the scree I stept
It went with me, and as I swept
Down its loose rumbling course
Balanced I rode it like a circus horse.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188749836930008240.post-47000095311961960612018-06-20T12:38:00.000-07:002018-06-21T07:07:49.039-07:002018 NBA Draft and EtcLet's begin with ETC first: When Jesus Christ said, "Suffer the little children. . . " he had no idea how many little children would suffer in the years following his ministry. History is witness to such monstrous suffering: Add to that list of monstrous acts against our little ones, the policy of donald trump that separates immigrant Hispanic children (four year-olds even) from their mothers and fathers. The people of the United States have lost the moral high ground. Yes, not only the White House and the Republican Party, but all of us. Every single person in America should be on the streets protesting what is going on at our southern border. Until we do and stop trump's immoral behavior, we have no right to criticize the German people for electing Adolf Hitler and the subsequent passive acceptance of his diabolic policies by the citizens of Germany.

I was a seven year old immigrant, son of Russian immigrants, who was accepted by this wonderful country of ours after the Second World War. The ship carrying my mother, sister and I docked in San Francisco in 1947. With other immigrants, we walked down the gangplank and were met by U.S. immigration officials. They did not take my sister and me away from our mother. Instead, they hugged us and gave us candy.

Americans, we all better stand up and be counted. These are children being harmed. Children, the little ones, the innocent, the least able to defend themselves, the future, whatever color that future might bring.

Now for the DRAFT. Funny how the importance of it pales by comparison with what's happening to those poor children.

ANYWAY:

Suns: Ayton is going #1 and will be a another, less prone to injury than Embid, Embid. How's that for a little rhetorical flourish?

Sacramento has the second choice. I pray only that the Kings don't take Michael Porter Jr., whose back injury makes such a high choice too great a risk. I worry about Marvin Bagley III, a sure winner, except that his grandfather is Joe Caldwell, one of the great knuckle-head NBA players of the sixties, who made my life miserable when he played for me with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA during the 1971/72 season. Does the acorn fall far from the grandfather tree? To me, Luca Doncic is a solid choice, a veteran of the Euro-League, and this season's Euro All Star. He's been challenged by grown men and in return challenged them. There is no reason he can't play and defend the 1, 2, and 3. He's gritty and confident and skillful.Remember, the Kings already have a 4 in Harry Giles III, who should be recovered from knee injuries and ready to show his stuff that made him the top high school player of the year two years ago.

Spurs: My prediction based on Pop's decision not to trade Kawhi Leonard to any Western Conference team is that Leonard goes to the Celtics. The Celts have draft choices for a rebuild, and Jalen Brown, and a second young player to create a deal that would work for the Spurs. Come to think of it, given the Spurs roster, this trade might actually work in their favor. There are already rumors about this trade on the internet.

Whatever team winds up with Mohammed Bamba is getting the next Dekimbe Motombo.

Jaren Jackson Jr, 18 yrs old, youngest big of the bigs, is going to become an NBA All Star dual position 5 and 4.

Trae Young will not pan out. Donte Divincenzo is going to have a solid NBA career. Perhaps more than solid.

Kevin Huerter is a light's out 3 point shooter, and one of my surprise picks.

Warriors: I'm betting on Bob Meyers nose for sleepers. Something like a great sommelier can pick the finest wines.

The following is an appropriate poem about an immigrant to honor immigrants in today's sinful environment.

How I Became An American by Tom Meschery

A few home-run kicks at kickball,
in fourth grade, and I knew that's what
I needed to do to become an American:
kick farther, run faster, jump higher.
Then, it didn't matter if I spoke with
a Russian accent and my mother wore
a babushka and my father could barely
speak English. I was no longer
an immigrant, I was an Athlete.
I'd circle the bases and be embraced
by my teammates as a citizen
of a country of many sports, although
I was years away from raising my hand
and repeating the oath of allegiance
that would bind me in ways
to the United States of America
that I would never fully understand.

Tom Mescheryhttp://email@example.com