Friday

HAWKS WILT

Joe Johnson is a great offensive 6th man but doesn't move without the ball and doesn't defend.  Josh Smith has done a great job in the post season.  Horford is great. Pach is a great backup.  Crawford is a great 6th man but doesn't move without the ball and doesn't defend. Hinrich is a good point guard and almost a great defender but almost ...  Bottom line is that Hawks need a new GM:  Proof is the foregoing plus where is the defender or defenders; where is the shooter that comes off picks; where are the other shooters???  Trade JJ & Crawford and most of the bench and get at least 3 small forwards who can guard on the perimeter and can shoot the 3; get another Big and ... you see why it needs to start in the front office with a new GM?
By the way I bet D Wade didn't get called for this clear and hard foul, re: photo ... is that called the Superstar pass?

Saturday

2011 March Madness| Final Four

     Pratlaw states:  VCU, UCONN and BUTLER have the most senior line-ups.

     VCU:  Why did VCU lose so many regular season games?  Nothing against their coach and my bet is he will be a great one, but he is young and the simple answer is they were over-coached.  Cinderella in the tournament, from this window it figures their coach told them 'let's have fun' and he has let them play in the tournament so far.  It also figures, however that Coach Smart will hear footsteps and over coach them again ... but they have a veteran team  ... but then they are also living on the 3 ... so I will take Butler at the last shot.  If Coach Smart checks his ego at the door VCU could win the whole show:  They are long and I want Skeen to be drafted by the Hawks!  Hear me Rick Sund?
     BUTLER:  disciplined and they were in the final game last year - enough said
     UCONN: Big East winner and Kemba Walker - the favorite to win no question
     KENTUCKY:  Well coached but young and all over the place - the long shot.

Monday

Climate 2010: the graph that should be on the front page of every newspaper // Current

Climate 2010: the graph that should be on the front page of every newspaper // Current
I BLOGGED THIS STORY BECAUSE OF ITS TITLE. BUT IT IS A GREEN ARTICLE AND WHILE WE ARE POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WE NEED TO START PLANNING ON WHAT TO DO WITH THE LAST FEW CENTURIES OF PLANET EARTH AS WE KNEW HER

Wednesday

Training: Strength; Stamina; Balance; Rhythm; Control

  Pratlaw states: Any skill position at the next level should  Become An Acrobat meaning become skilled at the art of acrobatics.  Some martial arts would come in handy as well.  Query how many linebackers and safeties would want to try to clock a receiver who was skilled at making someone hitting them so violently injury was probable instead wind up with cracked ribs or the wind knocked out of them?  Turn the worm and learn how to acrobatically and|or martial arts-wise turn energy forced upon you back on itself.

Catching The Ball Across the Middle

Pratlaw states: The Colts Austin Collie had a promising career doing what Dallas Clark, Tony Gonzalez, Hines Ward continue to do.  Catching the ball crossing the middle.  From this naive window the thought continues to arise:  When will these guys learn some acrobatics and MMA and I don't know ... maybe ball up and put some knees in the face mask of someone bringing the wood to them?  For that matter when will a Quarterback being hit scrunch up and kick-flip one of these balls to the walls pass rushers ten feet in the air.  The answer of course is when one of them goes to circus school and learns something about acrobatics.  Ha!

Tuesday

Michael Vick's Redemption

 Pratlaw states:  Passion is myopic and nonsensical to the voyeur who has not experienced something kindred to the passion at issue.  Competitive passion is a must in any competitive endeavor but what differences are there between football, basketball, golf, baseball passion.  Or are they all the same requirements?  I do not think they are the same.  Football involves focus on winning the game, ferocity, calculation of angle, the very things needed to successfully hunt prey.  Basketball is more choreographed, individual and requires quicker feet, balance, restraint, movement.  Golf requires inner calm, repetitive practice, a passion to compete against an internal model created solely by the competitor.  Baseball renders the participant powerless yet mandates an inner competition like golf and repetitive practice.  The further a participant goes into any sport the more the requirement that they know everything there is to know about the game in addition to the natural elements required to physically succeed.  Anyone who has seen Michael Vick's transformation this year knows what this essay is about.  In order to succeed beyond natural ability the mind must be joined in the passion play.  Are you faster?  Are you bigger?  Are you quicker? None of the foregoing matters unless and until the brain gets in the game.  Hats off to Michael Vick.