Full moon over North Beach and the weirdest thing happened. We were leaving a sushi restaurant and taking pictures. It was my mom, Edward, my grandma and I. I saw this guy in a Prius wearing a skull cap drive by. We smiled at each other. I saw him turn his car around as we got in ours.

They wanted me to drive. As I was fumbling around trying to figure out the lights, my mom said, there’s was a guy who was almost naked. We looked around and she said he was gone. We asked her a bunch of questions–was he in a car, was he showing her that he was naked… She said he’d been standing by a car and was wearing a g-string. Her story sounded bizarre and I wondered if she was going senile. But then, a few minutes later, we turned out of the parking lot and there walking along the side of the road with his bare ass cheeks to us was a naked guy in a g-string.

We busted out laughing. I wanted to go back and take a picture of him so people would believe this, but when we turned back, he was nowhere in site. As we turned onto the highway, a Prius screeched by in the left lane. I remember thinking simultaneously that this was the guy from the parking lot, and that I must be driving too slow.

We were driving and talking about the g-string man. We wondered if he was going to the house party that was going on near the restaurant, or maybe he was doing some night swimming. As we were lamenting not having a picture to verify our experience, we rounded the corner and there, walking away from us was a butt-naked guy wearing a g-string. We howled in laughter and my mom demanded this time, we had to take a picture.

We turned around and rolled down our window, but the guy was back inside his car. Just go, my mom said, and we jammed out of there, but we were going in the opposite direction from the hotel. They were telling me I needed to turn the car around, but I was watching the rear-view mirror. Bad news, guys, I said. It looks like he’s following us.

It was seriously scary. He followed me through these empty streets lined with trees that reminded me so much of that forest road in la push when I went out driving alone under the full moon. Come to think of it, one of the local cops had pulled me over, but acted like he just wanted to talk to me.

So this guy followed me, flashed his lights and kept trying to get me to pull over. My family was freaking out and keep saying that she was very scared. I told her to calm down. I wondered if I would have to prepare for defensive driving maneuvers in case he tried to run me off the road. A fucking Prius! I wished I could be doing this in a BMW but I figured I learned how to drive with minivan, And I used to race with it.

So I kept an eye on him, trying to drive like I didn’t even notice him, not panicking. Edward navigated me to a loop that would allow me to drive towards the hotel, which saved me a 180 maneuver. At one point, he was honking but we ignored him. So he swerved into the right lane as soon as one opened up and looked right at me as he passed by.

Slowed down, letting him increase the distance ahead of me. I would rather have him in front but I was afraid he would stop and block the road or something insane. My family calmed down but I was still tense watching his taillights. He did slam on the brakes once and I slowed to a crawl. The car behind me must have thought I was drunk. He started moving again. So did I, keeping as much distance as possible. He gained a lot of ground, then suddenly hit the brakes. I got a rush of adrenaline. He pulled over!, my mom yelled.

I approached carefully, seeing his car but not him. I worried he would jump in front of my car. I decided to make break for it, stepping on the gas. As we pass his car, he suddenly jumps out of the shadows with his thumb out like a hitchhiker. Still in nothing but a skullcap and g-string.

He’s waving some blue squares of paper in his other hand. They look like club fliers or something. Of course we don’t stop for this crazy motherfucker so we keep driving, passing him as he furiously waves his thumb at us. In my rearview mirror, I saw him throw his hand to the sky in naked frustration. Then he scrambled to his car,

He’s still following us, I said.

We were about 10 miles away from the hotel, arguing about why this was happening and what could he want. He was behind another car that was keeping him at bay, but it looked like he’d given up anyway. I performed a scary dotted-line pass of two cars and with them between me and the Prius, I felt better. The whole experience was bizarre and creepy, and I was glad I wasn’t the only one who’d witnessed it. How weird would that be if that guy was some ghost who haunts is stretch of freeway?, I said.

The weird thing was that there was something on the windshield the whole time we were driving, like a frost stain.the wipers weren’t resolving it; neither was the defrost. It was troublesome enough that my mom was complaining about it. But after we got Way from the guy, my mom made the comment that the weird frost was gone. Like somewhere during that guy chasing us, the weird frost disappeared.

When we pulled into the hotel, we asked the woman at the gate if shed ever heard of some guy in a g-string, then we told her the story. She was blown away. I’ve never heard of that, she said. You should have called the cops. The guy at the valet wondered if it was some guy he called Monkey Man that he’d heard some stories about, but when pressed for the details of those stories, he couldn’t provide details.

The funniest thing? My t-shirt read, WTF?

Granted, I’ve never played in an adult women’s basketball league (the Jewish one in LA where the ages ranged from 13-45 and half of them were in long orthodox skirts didn’t quite count), but I was a bit perplexed when I checked our schedule and saw the games had spreads. Basically, out of our doubleheader tonight, our first opponent was favored to win by 7 points, and the second was favored to win by 4. What’s that about? Are people betting on us? And these were the first games of the season. They don’t even know us!

Well, I suppose we were the underdogs because we’re the team made of individuals. Thus the team name they gave us, “Indy Loop.” I liked the name of our second opponent — Motorboats for America. It makes me think of big breasts and lesbians with a sense of humor.

Our team ranged from college students in their early 20’s to 30 year olds. No in-between. This girl, Cecilia, and I were the only ones who knew each other…I’d learned about this league from Cecilia after playing with her frisbee team that one weekend. I like Cecilia. She’s a great point guard, hustles and drives through the lane like a very muscular bullet. Her reckless speed actually scares the hell out of me, since I’m the veteran with 5 knee surgeries. She’s had two. We’re two wild and crazy girls.

The first team we played were assholes. They were big, meaty girls, and they played dirty. I got hacked so hard on a drive that everyone stopped playing expecting a foul, but they didn’t call it. Later on, I drove and had my defender beat so she stuck her knee in my pivot leg’s thigh and gave me a charly horse. I hit the floor and had to come out of the game for the final minutes to walk it off. That’s terrible. Stuff like that’s how people get hurt. But the good news was, I played fairly in control, made the first 3 baskets for our team (ended with 12 points), had a bunch of steals, a couple of assists, and stole the ball and banked a shot over two defenders at the buzzer to tie up the game at halftime. We still lost by 7, just like the spread. That’s crazy.

The 2nd game, the girls were really cool. They had a cheering section and they kept laughing and giggling, which made it such a lighthearted, fun game compared to the first. The problem was, they were laughing but still playing intensely, while we were laughing at how they were laughing and getting distracted. We lost by 12.

By the way, I wanted #29, which wasn’t available so I’m playing as number 12. :) Look at me, harnessing the power of Seattle. I would get this happy, giant grin every time the ref blew his whistle and said, “Foul on Blue! Number 12!”

There’s this guy I see at the gym every day. He’s an amazing shooter and works out twice a day nearly every day. He’s always challenging me to HORSE. Sadly, I know this because sometimes I work out twice a day (basketball in the morning, cardio to read/watch DVDs on the machines at night). Two weeks ago, we were playing 2 on 2 and we crashed into each other. His shoulder hit my jaw and it felt like a near dislocation. I heard a crunch in my right eardrum and I was dizzy, and it hurt to chew for a couple of days. My neck was also sore for a while. But it wasn’t so bad at the time, just one of those things when you play basketball. And I had stayed in the game to get the win.

So I haven’t been playing basketball since then, taking it easy, but I went into the courts yesterday to practice a little with the girls ball to prepare for the league. Of course, he was there, and I told him that I’d just been taking time off to heal. I was telling him about the league, and he asked when and where it was, then said he’d come out and check it out, if I didn’t mind. I told him that I imagine watching a girls rec league game would not be really exciting at all, but he really wanted to. Also, the games are in another city, about a 20 min drive. In the back of my head, I’m thinking that a guy would only want to do that if he liked the girl. But the thing is, this guy has got to be in his 40’s. And since everyone in Seattle thinks I’m 25-26, it seems kind of crazy to me that he’s seriously interested in me.

Our 2nd game was supposed to start at 9pm, but I guess it started early, ending at 9:20. We were doing a team wrap-up when I saw him in the corner. I went up to him and he said he thought the game started at 9. So he walked me out and I’m thinking, if he asks me if I want to grab food or something, I’ll say that I have to write, because I don’t know what to make of this. And when I don’t know what to make of something, I tend to be very nervous in a one-on-one situation. But in the parking lot, he just said he thought it would be interesting to watch and that this gym was really hard to find. We small talk, then part with a, see you around at the gym.

I have no idea. Maybe he really was just interested in watching women’s rec league basketball.

I called my mom in the car to ask her about it and this was The Jean’s comment–“He’s too old so there’s no point in even talking about it.” *sigh*

I hadn’t called her to have her scope out if I should date the guy. I think I was just worrying about an impending awkward conversation, because my first thought as I was driving away was that I’m going to switch my gym schedule just in case. Just in case what? I guess I’m afraid of awkward things being put on the table. Of someone wanting something from me which I can’t give. And that terrible split feeling I get in those moments, where I feel bad for disappointing them or hurting their feelings, but I also feel embarrassed that I would be so presumptuous to think their feelings might be hurt or they might be disappointed. I wish I knew how to navigate these feelings. But then I think, why am I so afraid of guys? So what if a guy likes me? I’m lucky. And they’re a positive. I act like it’s the scariest thing in the world. When really, even if a guy likes me, I take it as a compliment and if I’m not interested in him romantically but he’s cool, I usually would be happy to have another friend, that is, as long as he’s willing (some guys will like a girl but if she’s not romantically interested, will have no desire to be friends). I think it’s because I like having male friends, but it’s always such a rarity to really be able to have a true friendship, once it’s on the table that one of the people is romantically interested. I think for a friendship to work out, usually either he has to be in a relationship (because I’m usually not), or we both have to be in a relationship, or we have to be a part of the same group of friends. And we both have to value the friendship over any other kind of possible attraction, so the initial attraction eventually mellows out. I think if I weren’t someone who gets so much anxiety over the potential of hurting someone’s feelings, this wouldn’t even be a thought. I wonder if it gives other people as much anxiety? One thing I always noticed about Jennifer Aniston in all her roles was how good she was at turning guys down, how she did it in such a sweet, complimentary way, it was never a big deal. I’v always wanted to be able to do that, be better about doing that.

Like the guy in the bar on Sat. I was really flattered, but kind of terrified, because I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t feel particularly attracted to him, but if I could have talked to him without it being weird, I would have. But it’s a delicate, diplomatic skill to maneuver those kind of encounters, and one that I currently handle about as well as someone with mittens trying to grab a flopping fish. I’m better than I used to be, though. I don’t look stricken then run away. Well, not since that one time in August.

Having uncomfortable conversations which maneuver around expectations to derive a mutual positive. Learn how to dole out rejections better, learn to take rejections better. Learn to not let anxiety override my brain and say or do things that aren’t aligned with what I want and o
r that don’t show a kind consideration and sensitivity to others. Handle things respectfully that does not allow room for others to disrespect or second guess my wishes, and does not disrespect the feelings and wishes of others. I would really, really like to be better at that.

this is one of the funniest basketball articles this year:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080326

“And if that’s not enough, Gregg Popovich went a long way toward erasing the bias against coaches who don’t wear ties during games and look a little sloppy. … Every time he’s yelling at a referee, he looks like some drunk guy at a Martha’s Vineyard wedding who’s furious that the open bar just closed and eventually has to be restrained by two in-laws.”

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Warriors fans seem to think that there’s a trade brewing between Minnesota and GS that will be announced on August 6th that brings KG to the Warriors. However, with the Suns recent trade of Kurt Thomas and draft picks to Seattle, I have a feeling that it could just as easily be an announcement of KG to the Suns. If the Suns end up getting KG for Marion, they’ll be ridiculous next year, and I really do want Nash to win a championship soon. But you have to admit, this looks good…

I can’t say it enough. Never, never, never schedule big events during a mercury retrograde. Remember what the retrograde did to the 2000 elections?

Read this rumor about how the Warriors were working out a deal for Garnett on draft day that got screwed up due to miscommunications and the phones in the war room not working. Phones in a team’s war room on draft night not working? Sounds like classic mercury retrograde weird.

Overheard on the GS Warriors message board a few weeks ago (yeah, I’m delayed with my basketball insight):

-do you think there will ever be an Asian player considered the next Michael Jordan?

-No way. Michael Jordan was known for driving to the basket. Asians don’t know how to drive.

Interview with me at Game 3 of Warriors/Jazz series:

http://www.ktvu.com/video/13307891/index.html?source=

Greatest dunk I’ve ever witnessed

What Underachiever Will the Warriors Draft This Year?

One of the biggest days of the year is coming up for me next week–the NBA draft. Throughout the year, I keep an eye on the draft projections, researching them and trying to figure out which of the many names will one day be household. It’s kind of like gambling, or trying to predict the future. Mind you, each year I probably watch about 1/3rd of a college game at most so I haven’t seen the majority of the players play. I just like to read about them and their scouting reports.

The Golden State Warriors have made a name for themselves of having awful drafts. Count on the Warriors to pick up clumsy white big man Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, while also later trading for Erick Dampier of the same draft. Count on the Warriors to vacillate between young high-school phenom Tracy McGrady, and undersized center from a tiny conference, Adonal Foyle, and pick Foyle because they thought he might turn out to be a poor man’s Tim Duncan (the fact they gave Stone Hands a ridiculously large salary when he shouldn’t be playing in the league at all, let alone starting for a team, is insult to injury). The Warriors once badly needed a point guard in a draft that featured Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Andre Miller and Jason Terry, and instead, traded the pick for a geriatric Mookie Blaylock to Atlanta, who promptly used the pick on Jason Terry. Let’s not forget the 2002 draft where the Warriors had the #3 pick, and while their camp was high on Amare Stoudamire, management was worried about “character issues” and instead, went with the safe, “can’t miss” pick of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. My friend Nate put it best when he described Mikey as…”half man, half deer.” The guy looks like he’s perpetually caught in headlights.

So with the draft in a week and the Warriors holding the #9 pick in a weak draft, I figure there’s not going to be anything get excited about but it doesn’t stop me from obsessing about the board. Keep in mind that the only things I know about most of these players are from what I’ve read on the internet, but I think the player I’d be most excited about the Warriors getting this year is Ronnie Brewer. He plays the 1-2-3, is strong and quick, is a great passer and a good defensive player. I hear his shot is atrocious because of a freak childhood injury that left him with an elbow that doesn’t extend all the way, but as long as it goes in, I don’t care how it looks (ie Shawn Marion). I also like the way he expresses himself in interviews. He sounds like someone with heart. I also like Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo.

The one guy there’s a lot of talk about the Warriors picking is Patrick O’Bryant. He’s a big center with a frame that can take on more, but in his interviews he sounds an awful lot like Erick Dampier. And to a Warriors fan, the only thing worse than a guy who reminds you of Erick Don’t Care is a guy who reminds you of Chris Webber.

Personally, whatever happens, I think the problem lies in the inability of the Warriors system to develop good players and have their young guys meet their potential. If you’ve got someone who’s got a heart like Wade or Arenas, he’s gonna succeed in almost any system that gives him room to develop because they have that internal fire and good instincts. For example, I have a theory that Dallas has the best staff (best trainers, doctors, etc) because their players come back so quickly from injuries and perform at a high level, while every player I’ve seen who landed in Dallas has suddenly bulked up without losing their agility, speed, etc (ie Nowitzki, Howard, Terry). I think a player like Leon Powe, who is going to drop into the 2nd round because of injury concerns, would do well on this team because he would have the best trainers and doctors to keep his major red flag, the injuries, in check. Without injury concerns, he’s a guy with fire in his heart and an incredible motor who could play Dallas’ running game and gives them an athletic post presence. Someone like Rondo would do well with Phoenix because he’s fast and athletic, and while he’s not a shooter, he’s a great distributor and slasher. But no matter who comes to Golden State, they’re faced with a few problems, mainly a team that doesn’t know what it’s identity is, a management that doesn’t know what it would like the team’s identity to be, a coach that can not earn the respect of his players, and an owner who is cheap.

They say that the Warriors are the farm club for the NBA, the place where young players have break out seasons as soon as they leave the team. All I ask is that they draft someone who truly has the fire, the desire and the talent, and let him and all the other young guys play rather than playing guys like Foyle and Dunleavy (and Davis). Or trade the pick for something that will actually make this team better in the long run.


A picture for byt because he asked nicely…

I thought I would just share with you all that this is one of my favorite pictures.

Andres Nocioni: the best YMCA player in the NBA
(excerpt from SI article by Chris Ballard)

The frenetic Argentinean has been the key for the Bulls thus far in making the Heat sweat. In Tuesday’s Game 6 Bulls loss, Nocioni had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and in the series he’s averaging 20.8 and 9.6. I don’t have a tally of the times he’s hit the floor, flown out-of-bounds or shoved his elbow into someone’s back, but no doubt his numbers are impressive in these categories as well.

Nocioni reminds me of that guy at the Y, the one in his late 30s who’s still playing with the younger guys and takes every game very, very seriously. He’s the dude setting hard picks (and yelling “Use it! Use it!”) while playing with a bunch of teenagers who are goofing off. He’s the guy who lifts weights after he plays, the guy who never wants to play 21 or H-O-R-S-E, because what’s the point of that? Nocioni is that guy if he were 26 years old, 6-foot-7 and had the athleticism to dunk on James Posey. The other day, Scott Skiles described him repeatedly as “a man” while trying to explain Nocioni’s effectiveness, and it was easy to see the coach’s admiration for his forward. In fact, Nocioni might be a decent approximation of Skiles had Skiles been 6-7 (remember, Skiles once tried to fight Shaquille O’Neal). In the wake of Tyson Chandler’s injury, Skiles hinted that he might put Nocioni on Shaq for short periods of time. Here’s hoping he does.

These times between when fantasy basketball ends and when it begins can always feel empty. At what time did I become an uber-nerd? It consumes me. And now the Lakers are trading Caron Butler and most likely Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown. A Butler for Brown straight up trade already seems ridiculous since Butler may prove to be the best player in the long run out of the Shaq trade (Odom=underachiever), and now for Brown who can not function in the triangle offense and is a known headcase? I think Brown needs a different environment but I’m not sure the Lakers are it. I’m just glad he didn’t land on the Warriors. Butler will be moving to the SG position in Washington to replace Hughes. Whatever. While rumor has it Washington is sending Kwame to the Lakers and setting him up to fail. Again, yawn. I just don’t want the Lakers landing Garnett.

In other news, I woke up today in a bad mood and it continues. I would really like to be left alone for a while. At least being left alone to stew in my own headspace means more blogging.


If you’re a Warriors fan, you’ll know why this picture is awesome.

More NBA Trade Deadline News

Warriors get: Baron Davis
Hornets get: Speedy Claxton, Dale Davis

Whut. They gave up Speedy. That pisses me off.
Okay, as far as positives, Baron Davis is a damn good player when he’s healthy. Teamed up with Richardson, they’ll be a dynamic backcourt with insane scoring ability and entertainment value. I just have a tough time with his contract and the fact that he’s never healthy. And the fact he’s got a big mouth.

Celtics get: Antoine Walker
Hawks get: Gary Payton, Michael Stewart, Tom Gugliotta

Tom Gugliotta was my favorite player in high school. I met him once at a Radiohead concert and told him, “You were my favorite player in high school.” And he said, “Was?” And I was embarrassed but in hindsight, c’mon. You haven’t been good since you married that hot athlete wife of yours.

Antoine Walker gets traded back to Boston where he and Paul Pierce were once a potent duo. He’ll probably have to accept a role that’ll be smaller than the one he had during his last tour of duty, due to the emergence of the young players and the focus that management has on them. He’s no longer the man he was on the J.V. Hawks. My guess is that Al Jefferson in company are going to have increased rebound numbers as they run around collecting all of Toine’s misses.

Hawks get Gary Payton. I’m sure he’ll be a great locker-room influence on the young guys. I take this as a signal that they want Antoine to chew up less of the minutes and shots so that they can develop the two Joshes and company.

Spurs get: Nazr Mohammed, Jamison Brewer
Knicks get: Malik Rose

I have no idea how Nazr’s going to do or what his role and minutes will be in San Antonio. He started out the season strong but then faded, and now that he’s playing with the NBA’s premiere monster in the paint, I don’t know how much there will be for him to do, other than holding Timmy’s jock strap. Who knows though. Nazr is a decent center though who came cheap. This may be what it takes to allow Michael Sweetney to emerge. Nazr’s presence moved Kurt Thomas to the 4-spot, cutting into Sweetney’s minutes. This trade will allow Kurt to work as an undersized center again, with Sweetney and Malik playing PF. Sweetney’s a darling of management. I wouldn’t mind seeing what he can do with this shake-up.

Knicks get: Maurice Taylor
Rockets get: Vin Baker, Moochie Norris

Mo was doing pretty well in his supporting role in Houston. There’s a minor logjam now in New York with Mo Taylor, Michael Sweetney and Malik Rose basically playing the same position, along with Kurt Thomas being undersized for the center position. The Knicks will probably experiment with some big and small line-ups, moving Rose to the 5 and Taylor to the 3 if it comes down to that. But it really doesn’t matter since the Knicks have the best point guard in the league and all…

Warriors get: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Rodney White
Nuggets get: Eduardo Najera

I could kill someone.

11th Hour NBA Trade News

76ers get: Chris Webber, Matt Barnes, Michael Bradley
Kings get: Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner

Chris Webber goes to Philly in exchange for Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner. I am f-ing THRILLED. I hate Webber. He slows down the offense, he holds the ball for too long, he’s a pig. I’ve also noticed that while he racks up guard-like assists each game, he can NEVER seem to find Brad Miller or Peja. It usually turns into a two-man game between him and Bibby, which pisses me off because Peja and Brad are two of my favorite players. Bibby, Peja and Brad Miller played really well without him at the beginning of last season and were rolling until he came back and messed up the chemistry. I’ve been grumbling about how Webber needs to leave and finally…as the clocked ticked down.

Philly’s a stronger team now with a low-post guy with a consistent outside shot and great passing ability. Maybe this will even improve the glut of young SGs over there, who aren’t even averaging double-figures in scoring, last I checked. The only things that will stop them internally are if Webber can stay healthy and how he’ll affect the team chemistry, but his addition gives Philly a deadly multi-dimensional game, when you count in AI’s slashing and Poor-Man’s-Ashton-Kutcher (Korver)’s shooting. What I’m interested in though is this–if Webber goes down, with the crowd in Philly’s post gone, that means that Dalembert will have a chance to really step up. I’d keep my eye on Sammy. He’s been severely underachieving all season, but with most of the guys crowding his position gone, if Webber’s hurt, it’ll be just him and Marc Jackson manning the post. As for Sac, watch Brad Miller go CRAZY. Also, Brad has really good chemistry with Songaila. Songaila tends to have big games when Webber is out and he plays the 4 with Miller at 5. I’m excited for Sac. Once Peja gets healthy, they’re going to going to have an interesting run. The Big Nasty is a great 6th man and hustler, and Kenny Thomas does the little things that complement a team’s superstars. What remains to be seen is how the team’s defense will shake out.

Cavs get: Jiri Welsch
Celtics get: 2007 First Round Draft Pick

I love Jiri. He was drafted in the 2nd round by Golden State and that summer, he outplayed Dunleavy Jr. in the summer league. He’s a workhorse and hustles, can pass, shoot the 3 and play defense, and is reliable. He’s not flashy but he’s the kind of complementary player who can get things done. I don’t know what this means for the Cavs since I’m not sure yet how they’re going to use him, or how quickly he’ll adapt to a new team. But LeBron will like him. He consistent when it comes to finishing. As for Boston, they’re making way for their talented rookies. Gary Payton’s agent’s talking about how Gary wants a two-year extension in Boston…this after he was saying that he would refuse to report to training camp at the beginning of the season. Keep your eye on Tony Allen.

76ers get: Rodney Rogers, Jamal Mashburn
Hornets get: Glenn Robinson

A trade of contracts but Philly wins. Glenn Robinson hasn’t played all season and teams wanted his expiring contract. Mashburn’s a star but his career is over. Rodney Rogers will probably take over Kenn Thomas’ role. I’ve always felt he was a similar player to Corliss, so it makes sense. This will free up playing time for Lee Nailon in NO. Whatever for NO. They’re just focusing on developing their young players at this point. Keep your eye on J.R. Smith.

Bucks get: Reece Gaines, 2 draft picks
Rockets get: Mike James

Hmmm… Mo Williams all by himself running the point in Milwaukee. He started off HOT at the beginning of the season when Mike James was on the DL, averaging around 8 assists a game. I’m assuming he’ll hit those numbers again. Meanwhile, James will probably start for Houston since Sura’s been hurt, as he always is, and Ward’s still recovering from knee surgery. I like Reece Gaines. He has a cool name. I don’t see either team improving that much. I’m waiting to see if the Bucks move Michael Redd. If so, it’ll be interesting. Right now, the Bucks are too soft (don’t everyone look at Keith Van Horn all at once…)

Baron Davis

Golden State is in talks with New Orleans about acquiring Baron Davis for Dale Davis and his contract. Other players will probably be involved.

???

Oh man. They just signed Speedy and Derek Fisher to big contracts, both thinking that they were going to be handed the starting PG position. Richardson is locked into the 2, but Montgomery has been experimenting with a small lineup that allows Fish and Speedy to be on the court at the same time. But do we really need 3 PGs?

Baron Davis is a damn good player…when he’s healthy. Unfortunately, he tends to be healthy for no more than 50-60% of each season due to nagging back problems. This year, he’s missed 36 out of 54 games.

The Warriors need a reliable big guy, or they need a Big Nasty who cleans up and can score (Like a rich man’s Najera). They need a post presence, since Troy Murphy doesn’t play with his back to the basket. Zack Randolph would be a better option in theory than Baron Davis, what with the situation in Golden State and the risks involved with taking on Baron. Zack was also on the championship Michigan State team with J-Rich. Even Shareef would be great! We would LOVE to have Shareef.

Unless they can get Baron Davis for Dale and nothing else, I don’t want them to do this trade. Even trading the Davises straight up is daunting, because Baron’s contract is huge, and there are some really amazing superstar free agents hitting the market soon (read: Yao). Maybe if New Orleans was willing to take Adonal as well and send over PJ Brown. Adonal’s contract is a joke. But Baron Davis is an expensive mistake.

Julia Angry

Just got back from the Warriors/Clippers game. The Warriors dropped back to 0-3, losing another one tonight with sloppy play. They just don’t have much chemistry out there. I think they’ll get better as the season progresses.

So let’s talk about my shitty little hick town of Fremont, California. Back in the day, it was all white trash of the cowboy variety. And then Silicon Valley boomed and it became the residential city for Silicon Valley multimillionaires, their employees, and random sports superstars. Not to mention, M.C. Hammer before he dropped the “M.C.” Obviously, the cowboy-up folks hate the Asians, who comprise nearly 60% of the population. There was quite a stir a few years back when some letter eloquently ladened with racial slurs hit an internet message board talking about how all the foreigners in this town need to go home. So seeing how prosperous this town is and how every other car is a German luxury car (or minivan), it’s easy to forget that at heart, Fremont used to be run by white trash.

This morning, my brother and I were crossing a major intersection of the affluent side of town. From the far side of the six-lane road, some guys in a souped up truck were stopped at the light. The driver rolled down the window, pointed and yelled at us, then flipped us off. My brother and I kind of looked around like, “Who’s he pointing at?” before realizing it was us. I grab my brother’s hand as the crosswalk signal turns white and we cross the street. As we approach the truck, the driver of the car demands that my brother “come here.” I can feel my brother scared as he presses closer to me. I whisper to him to ignore the guys. He keeps trying to get my brother to approach the car but when we continued walking, he calls my brother a name and flips him off, then the other guy opens his door like he was gonna come fuck with us. Complete harassment. From a couple of white trash punks.

OH. MY. GOD. There is 1 think you absolutely DO NOT do around me. YOU DO NOT FUCK WITH MY BROTHER. You can fuck with me and I’ll still want to beat your ass, but if you fuck with my brother…I turn into the Hulk and go CRAZY. My temper is explosive in those situations and I have trouble seeing around my rage. Thankfully, it doesn’t get triggered often. But today, I almost lost it. I started shaking when I realized my brother was scared and was ready to yank that kid out of his car and throw down with him, and if I had been in my car with my bat in the trunk, I would have gotten it and had some words. Man, I almost exploded. If we had been anywhere else but in an intersection, walking in front of their car, I would have probably gotten into something. Words at best. But obviously, it was a bad situation that would have turned out really badly if I had reacted.

I know the high road is to always walk away. Bigoted pieces of trash are idiots and obviously, I have and will always have a better life than those guys. I’ve experienced all kinds of senseless injustices either from racism or from people envious of my social status (see: Person Who Shat In the Showers), and it sucks hardcore and makes me rage inside, but when it’s directed at my brother who’s defenseless…it just ain’t right.

Anyway, I’m glad that we walked away. Nothing good was going to come out of that situation. But the saddest thing, is I asked my brother, if I wasn’t around, if he would have gone over to that car. He said, “Well, I wouldn’t if you were there and you told me not to, but if I was by myself, then yes because he told me to.” And that made me scared and really sad. I don’t think they would have physically hurt him. My guess was that the guy was going to spit on him. But Christ. I worry about my brother so much. He’s far too innocent, and people are far too fucked up out there, just looking to outlet sadism and their frustration with life by destroying something pure and beautiful.

I’m angry tonight. I’d like to meet up with those guys in a dark alley somewhere, no cars, just me and them. Okay, and my baseball bat. I’m not completely stupid.

Do You Like Pina Coladas?

Okay, I was just at the gym with my mom and saw they had a Pina Colada smoothie. So I started singing that song to my mom and when I got in the car, it was playing. The universe is synchronized. In this case, I don’t know if it’s a good thing!

So I’m up in the bay area. Came here for the Warriors/Jazz game last night and the Warriors/Clippers game tonight. If ya’ll miss me and want to see me on TV, check out the Clippers game, every time they show the Warriors bench. Our seats are right behind the Warriors bench. First seats, first row. If you see an older Chinese man with a round face and glasses and his arms crossed and looking really serious like he’s part of the coaching staff, look for me right next to him. That’s my dad.

Last night was my first game this season. First game watching Derek Fisher live. When he first got into the game, they called a timeout, so he was standing about 4 feet in front of me in the huddle. That man has GUNS. His arms…are gorgeous. Perfectly chiseled. Oh my God. I have an arms fetish, as exhibited by the period of my life between 10-13 years old when all I would compulsively sculpt was ripped, chiseled arms from shoulders to hands, usually posed in full-flexed glory while arm wrestling (don’t ask…I don’t know either). Anyway, I kept staring at his arms in awe. And then I would notice him noticing so I would look away, and when he looked back down I would stare again. And then he would catch me again and I would look away, and then I would stare again. I felt terrible. But it couldn’t be helped. Damn this Scorpio influence. Revving up my primitive drives. All I want to do these days is objectify men.

The thing I was pissed about last night was that Troy Murphy made an awesome move under the basket to get around Boozer (who’s a monster) and failed to finish with an easy bank-in. Then the crowd booed him. What the fuck, people? This poor kid missed all but 28 games last season, worked his ass off to get back in shape and we booed him. This is why no one likes to play for Golden State. I’ve watched Murph play for years and the guy works hard. He’s probably harder on himself than anyone else. You’ve got these talented players who are lazy and don’t give a fuck. And then you’ve got the guys who work their asses off and become great through sheer willpower and heart. Murph is one of the latter. And then he gets booed by his home crowd when he’s struggling and most needs support. I was pissed. His struggles are psychological. He wants it too badly. He just has to relax and get into his rhythm. And not have his own crowd booing him.

On a different subject, our whole family was in the car last night coming back from the game, and my mom suddenly says, “Your dad wanted me to tell you not to go to clubs by yourself anymore.” I asked her, “When do I go to clubs by myself?” She said, “In Vegas.” So even though my dad was in the car with me, he had my mom pretty much tell me, “Your dad thinks you’re slutty.” And my mom thinks I’m a virgin. They need to combine their two views and find the middle ground because despite my extreme contradictory Gemini projections, that’s about where I sit.

That’s all for now. I woke up this morning and found that Michael had placed a tiny teddy bear (about 4 inches long) by my head to keep me company while I slept. He is the sweetest person in the world.

Have a great weekend, guys!

As well as deciding the fate of our nation today, basketball season also starts! And of course, that means, I become the Queen Bee of geeks until April. My fantasy team:

Team Gonads and Strife:

PG Steve Francis, Orl
SG Kobe Bryant, LAL
SF Predrag Stojakovic, Sac
PF Amare Stoudemire, Pho
C Brad Miller, Sac
G Chauncey Billups, Det
F Troy Murphy, GS
Util Ray Allen, Sea
Util Ben Wallace, Det
Util Carlos Arroyo, Uta
Bench Larry Hughes, Was
Bench Joe Johnson, Pho
Injury Reserve Kerry Kittles* , LAC

Please take a moment of silence to be envious of my Gonads and Strife. What’s that you say? Where’s Garnett? Fuck you.

A Long Overdue Basketball Post

Okay, so I haven’t said anything about USA Basketball because I’ve been busy in my Happy Place, rocking myself in the corner of my closet and banging my head against the wall. It all comes down to this–we’re Americans and in America, we live and die by the dollar sign. Yes, we could have probably put together a more functional team. Maybe even pulled some unknowns who haven’t/can’t make it in the NBA but have excelled in European basketball. But how many jerseys would have have sold with NBA scrub names? How many people would have tuned into the games if we had sent the likes of Brian Cardinal, Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn? Winning the gold and upholding a tradition is not as important as showboating but then again, aren’t we a country built upon showboating? Anyway, I don’t really care enough to rant about it. In the end, there is only one person who should shoulder the blame: George W. Bush. Because he’s an idiot and the whole world is rooting for us to fail in every aspect now. In better news, I love team Argentina. Manu. I love that guy. He’s adorable.

The Dampier Trade

Oh hell yeah! Damp never really had his heart in Golden State. He was awesome last season, and that worked out for us as far as trade value. I was grumpy for a whole week when I thought he was going to NY for Othella Harrington and Nazr. That was bullshit. But now…Najera is a banger whose style will totally complement Jersey Surfer Boy with an Irish Temper, Troy Murphy. Laettner will be dealt for his contract. And we got draft picks. DRAFT PICKS! Which the Warriors will blow, but hell, it theoretically ensures the future of a young team.

I dreamed a whole basketball conversation last night. I was talking to someone and I asked him, which team do you think will have the biggest turn-around next season? He said Golden State. I said Utah. Kirilenko, Boozer, Mehmet and Carlos Arroyo?? That’ll be a fun team. In the dream, I also thought that all this talk from the Warriors about re-signing Jason because he’s the cornerstone of the organization was fluff to build up his trade value. JR is a crowd-pleaser who is limited in his defense, and a very streaky offensive player with a questionable outside shot. Half the league is made up of serviceable 2-guard scorers. They’re easy to find (and draft). They need to trade JR for someone solid with the intangibles..

People I’d rather have than JR (logic not abided):

Jason Terry (at least he’s more consistent and can shoot the 3ball)
Pau Gasol
Bobby Jackson
Tayshuan Prince
Z Ilgauskas
Corey Maggette

WHY CAN’T WE HAVE GINOBILI?????

I love him.If we had him, I would quit my job and spend home games sitting behind the Warriors bench and playing with his hair.

I had another dream a few nights ago where I won Fantasy Basketball and got a voucher for a free Volkswagon. I went to the dealership to see if I could get a Touareg, and then trade that and my car in for an Infiniti FX hybrid. Which doesn’t exist. But it did in my dream.

In other basketball news, I’ll be flying up to the Bay Area in November to watch the 2nd and 3rd Warriors home games. Utah and the Clippers. Good times.