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SPORTS DAVE long’s longshots
Brady bound for Miami next?
Idle thoughts today from an idle mind. Given the Tom Brady-toMiami rumor that surfaced last week, maybe we have a clue why TB’s retirement announcement seemed so botched. Maybe he quickly wanted the Bucs to contemplate life without him, to get leverage for forcing a trade to Miami. Where, oh by the way, he and Yoko are building their dream retirement home on billionaires row just off Miami Beach. Loved Jimmy Kimmel’s assessment for the Rams’ woefully sparse Super Bowl victory parade turnout: “honestly, I think there were more football fans on the street cheering for OJ during the slow-motion chase.” Speaking of L.A., so much for it being the center of the basketball universe. Just two summers ago when the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George after the Lakers slimily, albeit legally, tampered to pair Anthony Davis with LeBron James it looked like that city was going to dominate the NBA for several years. But with the Clips 36-39 and the Lakers 31-43, both are fighting to barely make the playin round. And while the Lakers did win the title in the abbreviated bubble year, they’re just 162-137 in LeBron’s time in L.A., with that lowly play-inround finish ahead, after being bounced in Round 1 last year and missing them all together in Year 1. And with the Clips even worse, it’s turned out to be a colossal failure considering the expectations. Especially when they collectively still owe the Pelicans and Thunder an astonishing seven more first-round picks through 2026. And none are protected as both trend down! The Lakers predicament is good news for the Celtics. They’re tied with a most-ever 17 league titles, and with the C’s suddenly surging as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum enter their prime, they look a lot more likely to get No. 18 first than I would have thought possible as late as New Year’s Day. Anyone else notice that the Hornets have gone 8-2 since signing Isaiah Thomas when he scored 9.2 points per in 13 minutes a game off the bench? That includes their 119-110 win over the Nets in Sunday’s battle for the top seed in the play-in round that starts the playoffs. Incidentally, with the mask mandate lifted, that game was the first one in Brooklyn for the guy Danny Ainge stupidly traded Isaiah (and the draft pick that turned out to be Collin Sexton) for — Kyrie Irving. The loss made the Nets 9-13 in the 22 games played by their so-called difference maker. Hearing Deion Sanders say it was “disrespectful” when media people called him by his first name at a recent press conference instead of “coach” was comical. Pretty rich for a guy who showboated everyone anytime he did something big. As for not calling him by his title, you’re a football coach, Deion, not the president. Get a grip.
Speaking of pretty rich, how about ex-Patriot LeGarrette Blount recently lambasting college coach at Oregon Chip Kelly for “not supporting” him after he delivered an unprovoked sucker punch to an unsuspecting Boise State player after the first game of his senior season? So much for maturity helping him take responsibility. Got to love ex-Trinity hooper Wenyen Gabriel getting another NBA chance in L.A. He’s started in four of his 11 games with the Lakers, while averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds a game. I don’t get HBO, so I haven’t seen any of its 1980s Showtime Lakers series. But I saw a clip of the first meeting between Jerry Buss and a made to be the villain Red Auerbach as an over-thetop (even for him) arrogant adversary. John C. Reilly as Buss looked more like a porn king than an NBA owner. Not sure I’m interested in seeing Jerry West as a bitter drunk either. I crossed paths with Dr. Buss one time, just outside the Kingdome during the 1989 Final Four in Seattle. True to form, he came walking toward me before the Saturday afternoon games with a gorgeous 20-something blonde on each arm. Loved the recent line from Will Clark, whose swing was often compared to Ted Williams during his 80s/90s heyday, while talking about today’s three-outcome — walk, strike out, homer — launch angle approach to hitting: it must have “Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb rolling over in their graves.” When you hear Jermaine Wiggins say on WEEI the Patriots should trade Mac Jones for (before they were) Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, don’t listen. Remember his suggestion to fix the 2017 dumpster fire Celtics was signing ball hog Carmelo Anthony. Wiggy’s a likable fellow, but a dope. For what it’s worth, no matter how good he is I wouldn’t want Watson with 22 sexual misconduct complaints against him. (He has denied all the allegations, according to the New York Times.) However, since I don’t have much faith in mankind when sports is involved, I think the hoo-ha around him will disappear with a win or two as football-crazed Cleveland is win-hungry since it hasn’t won a playoff game since Bill Belichick bested Bill Parcells and the Patriots in 1994! I give ESPN’s Tom Brady-Charles Woodson 30 for 30 on the Tuck Rule play a C- at best. It was 15 minutes (maybe) of new content stretched (endlessly) into 60. How many of the 900 replays shown did we really need to see? Six? How many times did we need to hear Woodson, Jon Gruden and Lincoln Kennedy say it was a fumble and they got screwed? Or Brady and Bob Kraft saying good call? All it did was remind me how close that call was, and that the play on the field would have stood because the replay was inconclusive. Bad rule. Right call. Also, the notion Brady would have gone back to backing up Drew Bledsoe for fumbling was ridiculous. The season turned when TB replaced Drew. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.
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Hippo | March 31 - April 6, 2022 | Page 7