The Sad Story of Steve McNair

I don't even know where to begin with this whole ordeal. First, I hear that Steve McNair was killed, which was shocking. Then I hear that his boo boo was killed alongside him. Uh, wasn't McNair supposedly a "happily married" father of four? Guess not. Then, it's revealed that his girlfriend is a 20-year-old waitress he met at Dave and Buster's. No, seriously. After examining the crime scene and evidence, Nashville police tell us that it is being classified as a murder-suicide on his girlfriend's part. What drove her to kill him? Quite honestly, we'll never really know, but apparently, she was in financial turmoil, was becoming frustrated that McNair wouldn't leave his family and marry her, and found out that McNair was seeing another woman. Yes, this information is speculation, but it comes directly from friends of the girlfriend, whose name I can't spell and don't feel like looking up.

I am in no way condoning what happened, nor making light of such a serious situation. It's terrible, absolutely terrible, what happened to Steve McNair, and there are no two ways about it. However, the fact that he was gunned down is such a mess of allegations, revelations, and rumors makes the situation even worse. This is straight out of a Lifetime movie. As more and more information comes to the surface, it gets more sad and more surreal. I can't help but say that his legacy in my mind is very much tarnished by the events of the past week.

The worst part of the whole story to me is the effect that this entire episode is having on McNair's survivors. McNair's wife had no idea that her husband was cheating on her, and only found out once she heard the reports of his murder. I can't even fathom what that woman must be feeling right now. Police have said that she is "distraught", and rightfully so. And his children? Goodness. I mean, first you find out that your father has been murdered in cold blood, and then you have to read reports and hear stories about his infidelity towards your mother. This whole story is just sad. I hope that his family is somehow able to overcome the huge tragedies that have occurred recently and live happy, fulfilling lives.

Lord knows they deserve it after all they've gone through in the past few days.

~~ Lank

NBA Free Agent Frenzy

Ok, everyone breathe. Now that the flurry of NBA free agents has somewhat halted (though word of Grant Hill going to New York is currently swirling), let's assess the damage. I'm going to evaluate several moves made this offseason, but only free agency moves. Trades (Jefferson, Carter, O'Neal, Randolph) will not be addressed.

Ron Artest to Los Angeles Lakers - This one has yet to be confirmed because they're still discussing the details of the contract, but he's going to LA. I don't like this move at all for the Lakers, quite honestly. Yes, everyone talks about Artest's ferocious defense and physical offensive game, which is true on both counts. However, they forget that he single-handedly shot Houston out of the Western Conference semifinals against the Lakers. When Yao went down, the Rockets won when Aaron Brooks was running circles around Derek Fisher and facilitating the offense. They lost when Ron Artest started hoisting jumpers and trying to be the alpha male of the series. No really, look it up. Notice the drop off after Yao went out after Game 3. I'm not trying to sandbag Artest, I think he's a good player. However, his combustible attitude combined with his selfish nature do not bode well for his role in Los Angeles. They should've taken his money and given it to Trevor Ariza, someone who knew his role on the team and didn't deviate from it. Speaking of...

Trevor Ariza to Houston Rockets - Obviously, this signing is somewhat of a moot point considering that Yao Ming is injured for the foreseeable future. However, I like that Houston went out and got someone similar to Artest (at least in terms of style, if not stature) to fill his void. Ariza is a good defender on the perimeter and hits open 3s with regularity. The only problem here is that he's unable to defend bigger guys like Artest, which will not alleviate any pressure from Houston's thin frontcourt. Remember, Dikembe Mutombo is also gone this year, so it'll be up to Carl Landry, Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and whomever they sign to fill Yao's place to defend down low. Not a bad signing by Houston, but it doesn't make them any better.

Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto Raptors - Now here's a signing I like a lot. Boosted by the wishes of Turkoglu's wife (who preferred living in Toronto to Portland), the Raptors nabbed a guy who can instantly springboard them back into the playoff race. Andrea Bargnani really came of age last season, Jose Calderon continued to be remarkably efficient, and Chris Bosh is Chris Bosh. By adding Turkoglu to the mix, they have a guy who can get his own shot and take the offense to the next level. Imagine Bargnani hitting open jumpers off Turk's penetration. Remember all of those open dunks that Dwight Howard got in Orlando? Chris Bosh should get a percentage of those now that one of the Magic's best distributors is now in Toronto. Calderon's drive-and-kicks will be much more effective with someone of Turkoglu's caliber shooting the treys. The only drawback here is the 5-year length of the contract. Hedo will start showing some slippage around year 3, and may not be a valuable asset in the latter two years. But for now, it's a great move.

Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to Detroit Pistons - What is Joe Dumars doing, exactly? I like both of these moves, but before I get into why, I want to know his thought process. He gets rid of Chauncey for Iverson, but then fires his coach when the move blows up in his face. Now he signs an enigmatic 2-guard (Gordon) who doesn't like coming off the bench in Chicago...to come off the bench behind Richard Hamilton, whom Dumars re-upped to a weird extension after the Billups trade. Really, this guy confuses me. Anyway, I like that Detroit has figured out that the team wasn't good and instead of trying to lure a big fish in 2010, decided to get better now. Villanueva had a very good year for Milwaukee and is seen as a rising talent in the League. Gordon showed his chops in the playoffs with Chicago and may be ready to become the consistent scoring threat we all want him to be. With a starting five of Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva, and whomever they decide to sign at center, with Gordon, Jason Maxiell, and draftees DaJuan Summers and Austin Daye coming off the bench, Detroit should be better than last season. Granted, they'll still only be about 6th best in the East, but at least they've added youth and talent, two things missing from last year's team.

Rasheed Wallace to Boston Celtics - Umm, I don't really get this one. Boston, with the aging Kevin Garnett, really needed to find someone to rebound and defend alongside Kendrick Perkins. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo will handle the scoring. As evidenced by the series against Orlando, they didn't have enough depth down low. But Lank, 'Sheed plays down low, you're saying to yourself. That's true, but he doesn't actually play down low any more. Watch any Pistons game from the last two season and you'll notice the tall guy on the outside shooting contested jumpers and fadeaways. That's Wallace. Also, you'll notice the guy standing around while the big bodies are banging for rebounds and loose balls. Wallace, again. The contract is only a reported 2-year deal, so it's not like they're investing a ton in him. But I really don't see the upside here. The Celtics needed rebounding and defensive help (again, Garnett cannot be counted on to play 82 games any more), but instead got a soft big man who shoots jumpers. Not a good idea.

Jason Kidd to Dallas Mavericks - At the end of the day, Kidd decided not to go anywhere. Not surprising, considering he enjoyed his time there and enjoyed relative success. But if you're Dallas, why are you giving a 36-year-old past-his-prime-and-it's-obvious point guard a 3-year deal for $25 million GUARANTEED? I mean, really, what's the logic here? Is the Erick(a) Dampier contract not debilitating enough for you? Is having Jason Terry signed through 2012 not enough of an investment in old guys? I just don't understand. Dallas isn't going anywhere any time soon. They have a ceiling with this core group of guys, as evidenced by being outclassed in the Denver series last year and the New Orleans series two years ago, both of which occurred under Kidd's direction at point guard. San Antonio is better now than they were last season, Los Angeles is just as good, Denver is just as good, Portland is just as good, Utah will be better; so what exactly is Dallas hoping for with keeping the old gang together? This just baffles me.

So there's my two cents on the big free agent moves of the offseason thus far. Nothing completely reprehensible or indefensible, but also nothing earth-shattering or power-structure-tilting. However, we may be looking back on these moves in a few seasons if they don't work out, because the teams that took gambles may be ruing the day they did.

~~ Lank

Something That Pleases Me: July 4th

As you may have noticed, I've been absent from my blogging exercise for a couple days now. But I refuse to apologize, because I was busy getting my America on. What exactly constitutes "getting my America on"?. I'm glad you asked, because it's quite simple.

Red meat, fireworks, sunburns, and good people.

That's America in a nutshell. Yes, we're famous for much more than that, but starting with those four is a pretty good way to go.

I went out to the Albemarle Sound in eastern North Carolina with my roommate, Uncle Matt, and threw down hard. Lots of sun, lots of playing in the water, lots of jokes, lots of red meat, lots of fireworks (they even let me light a couple fuses), lots of good times. Independence Day has long been one of my favorite holidays because of the patriotism, goodwill, and festivities that surround it; and my trip this weekend only reaffirmed that.

The fact that I haven't quite yet recovered from the holiday weekend is perfect. If I had recovered already, then I would know that I didn't have a very good 4th of July. But as it is, I know that I enjoyed the heck out of the holiday, spent it with good people, and hated for it to end.

Or, as Uncle Matt so eloquently put it as we were lying around and attempting to recover Sunday evening, "man, we got hit by the Fourth of July train."

~~ Lank

Movie Review: "Public Enemies"

As I've mentioned in several previous posts, I've been looking forward to seeing "Public Enemies". Ever since I saw the trailer a few months ago, I have had the feeling that it's a movie I was really going to enjoy. Between the gangster movie theme, Johnny Depp's portrayal of John Dillinger, and the direction of Michael Mann, there's no way I wasn't going to be excited about it. Would it live up to the expectations I placed on it? This is the question that could only be answered by viewing the movie, which I did Tuesday night (actually Wednesday morning) at 12:01 am. Yes, I went to see a midnight showing during the middle of a work week. I told you I really wanted to see it.

"Public Enemies" lived up to the hype...but it took a while to get there.

For those of you who don't know the slightest thing about John Dillinger, that's ok. I realize that not everyone had a grandfather who told stories about him and his escapades (I, like Dillinger, was born in Indiana; Grandpa had to tell us about him or else he wouldn't have been doing his job). For those of you that do know a lot about Dillinger, know that the plot remains pretty faithful to the real story. Obviously, it's Hollywood, so some "creative liberties" have been taken, but it's a pretty firm account of his days as a bank robber. By choosing to focus solely on this period of Dillinger's life (as opposed to making a thorough biopic), the plot is much more focused instead of wandering around through various times in Dillinger's existence. This works greatly in favor of the movie, as we get an in-depth crime drama rather than a watered-down biography.

The first half hour or so of the film, we see John Dillinger (Depp) running around various states, robbing banks and living the good life. We also see Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) chasing various criminals and attempting to combat the rampant bank robbing going on during the Great Depression. The two stories remain rather independent of one another, however, so the first part of the movie feels a bit disjointed. Basically, I was asking myself, "where are they going with this?"

Luckily for me (and the rest of the people who see this movie), there was a method to the madness. The dual plot eventually merges into one, and, man, does it pay off. The deeper we get into Dillinger's story, the more gripping Depp's performance becomes. The farther along we get into the chase, the more intense Bale's performance becomes. They're reminiscent of two heavyweights fighting to steal each scene and provide the audience with a memorable performance. Throw in lavishly-filmed shootout sequences, authentic settings, and a smartly-paced plot, and "Public Enemies" provides a very riveting movie-going experience. Despite the sky-high expectations I had going in, I was still very satisfied with the film and found myself thinking about it during the following day at work.

In the days of seemingly numerous forgettable movies and lackluster plots, "Public Enemies" provided a nice change of pace; a dramatic story full of substance, told in equally substantial fashion.

~~ Lank

Something That Pleases Me: Karaoke

It's Friday night. You're in a low-key bar, just trying to unwind after a long week at work. All of the patrons are nice enough, but you're not really being friendly to one another; everyone seems content with keeping to themselves. A few hours later, you're all singing the same songs, cheering at the end of each tune, and high-fiving and congratulating yourselves on your respective performances. What changed?

Somebody cranked up the karaoke machine, that's what changed.

Anybody who's ever been part of a karaoke performance, whether on stage or in the crowd, knows that it's a pretty surreal experience. People are actually interested in amateur singers, who don't really sing the songs that well. It's weird. Yet, it's perfect at the same time. There's something to be said for throwing inhibitions to the wind and just belting out a few lines from your favorite song, and others joining you in the exercise.

My take on karaoke was reaffirmed to me this past weekend. Skip's birthday was Friday night, and my brother's was Saturday, so we decided to bless the public with some epic performances. Skip and I have been plotting a flawless rendition of Jay-Z's "99 Problems" for months now. Upon entering the bar, I signed us up for that very tune. All we had to do then was wait, as our names were relatively low on the list. Time passed, and I would walk into the karaoke room from time to time to check the progress of the list. As I was in there, I noticed that a lot of people were favoring ballads and hard rock songs. I have no problem with this, but I was a little curious to see how our rap act would go over. A couple hours later, it was time to find out.

When the big screen that shows the lyrics to the song told everyone that "99 Problems" was our song of choice, there were some cheers in the crowd. However, it wasn't until we grabbed the mics and started rapping that business picked up. By saying, "I got the rap patrol on the gat patrol/foes that wanna make sure my casket's closed", we might as well have said "everyone stand up right now and make a bunch of noise." The place went nuts. By the time the chorus hit, Skip and I didn't even need to say anything because we had 50 people singing backup. Did we know these people? Well, save for the six or so friends that were with us, no. They just found a tune that made them feel good, enjoyed the fact that two unassuming white boys were up there ripping a Jay-Z song, and decided that they were going to have a good time with it.

At the end of the song, when we said, "you crazy for this one Rick", most people were standing and nodding their heads to the beat, having just finished reciting the chorus in unison. The applause afterwards was loud, not just for us, but because everybody was so thrilled that they'd just genuinely enjoyed the heck out of singing that song. Everyone knew the words, everyone knew the beat, and everyone enjoyed showing that to everyone else. Basically, for four minutes, we were all best friends, rocking out to the same music.

All because of karaoke.

~~ Lank

Radio Wimbledon: My New Best Friend

Work can get boring. Especially when you work in an office building with rows and rows and rows of cubicles, constantly reminding you that you're one of many worthless minions all running the same rat race. When something comes along to break up the monotony, it might as well be christened as a savior.

My newest savior is Radio Wimbledon.

By broadcasting a live feed straight into my headphones at my desk, Radio Wimbledon allows me to hear all of the matches on the main two courts (Centre Court and Court 1). Since Andy Roddick, my favorite tennis player, has played most of his matches on Court 1, I've been able to follow along all tournament. The fact that lovely London is 5 hours ahead means that the action is just cranking into high gear as I enter the workplace. Today's Roddick-Lleyton Hewitt match was spectacular and thanks to my new best friend, I didn't miss a single stroke.

Had I been at home, is there any way I would've listened to nearly 4 hours of a single tennis match on the radio? Highly unlikely. I would've watched the TV coverage, but that's much easier to follow than radio. However, boredom at work means that the tennis match instantly became my number-one priority, allowing me to knock out the hours of 11am-3pm without a problem. Luckily, I sit alone in my group of cubes, so nobody saw me fist-pumping and slamming my head on my desk as the peaks and valleys of the match unfolded.

An underrated part of listening to the matches is the actual commentary that Radio Wimbledon announcers provide. They're usually middle-aged British men who use their awesome accents to produce some rather funny palaver. Some highlights from today's game:

-- "Well, that was a donkey drop; it looked like something you might hit." Apparently, a donkey drop is a rather slow serve.

-- "I tell you, this Roddick is pure showbiz." Not quite sure what he meant by this, but it sounded complimentary.

-- "Trust me, there's more to that story from Saturday night than we can share on the broadcast." Translation, these two old Britons threw back a few pints the night before Middle Sunday and got into some mischief.

-- "Those chants are up there with the finest lyrics of our time." A sarcastic reply to the Aussies constantly chanting, "LET'S GO HEWITT." Apparently, our elderly friends enjoy originality in their cheers.

-- "It helps Roddick that he can take a gander at his shelf of aces and say, 'I'll take this one.'" Probably my favorite quote of the match, the announcers were in awe of Roddick's seemingly endless array of rocket serves that allowed him to crawl out of hole after hole. He had 43 aces in the match, FYI.

As you can tell, there's a lot of quality stuff going on with the broadcasts at Radio Wimbledon. It's not just that it breaks up the monotony of my work day, it's that it does it with such flair. I'm really going to miss these guys next week. Hopefully, Roddick wins Sunday's Final and an American reigns supreme again at Wimbledon.

Otherwise, I'm not going to have anything to look forward to celebrating on Monday morning since my new best friend will be leaving me for 50 weeks.

~~ Lank

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day and first day of NHL free agency!

It has been an exciting month in the NHL. We have seen the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, super stud John Tavares goes #1 in the draft to the Islanders, super stud Victor Hedman go #2 in the draft to the Lightning and a some big name defensemen are being traded around the league like Pokemon cards. The league hasn't been this exciting since we had a Calgary Flames home playoff game, boy those guys know how to rock the house.

The big surprise so far this off season has to be the trading of big name, top line defensemen. Chris Pronger found himself traded from the Ducks to the Flyers, which will help the Flyers compete and contain the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Jay "Bo-Bo" Bouwmeester was shipped from the Panthers to the Flames, which creates a scary pairing for opposing offenses with hard hitting Dion Phaneuf also back there. American wunderkind that was Scott Gomez has also been shipped from the Rangers to the Canadians in hopes of making it out of the first round of the playoffs with more offense.

But all this action has only led up to today. Canada Day.

A couple of free agents for you to keep your eyes on in the coming weeks:

Marian Hossa - Hossa is one of the top wings in the NHL and he will likely only go to a title contender. Keep you eye on where Hossa lands, because once he does, go to Vegas and put down a fat bet that his team will lose in the Stanley Cup final. Sorry Marian, but it just seems to happen that way.

The Sedin brothers - Henrik and Daniel are two great young talents in the league. They have been paired together in Vancouver for the past couple of years, but it might be tough to keep all this talent and stay under the salary cap. My guess is that you will see Daniel looking for a job elsewhere. Henrik is a top line center that you need to have in this league.

Nikolai Khabibulin - The "bulin wall" is a goal keeping prize in this class. The tough Russian net minder has been around for a while and always strong in the net. The veteran presence in the net will demand a lot of attention from teams looking for consistency between the posts. However, being 36 many teams don't want to drop a long term contract on a person that might not be around, or able to play long term.

Martin Havlat - Now this is a situation to keep an eye on. The Blackhawks had an impressive season last year and made the playoff. They want to continue their improvement and become a Stanley Cup contender. Part of being a contender is being able to cultivate and keep your young talent. The 'Hawks have done this with young starlet (and American) Partick Kane, who undoubtedly is the future of the franchise. Another aspect of building a championship team is acquiring skilled veterans who provide leadership and consistency throughout the season and come playoff time, enter Martin Havlat. Here's the catch, Havlat and Kane play the same position. With Kane rising up the ranks of NHL young stars it will be hard for Havlat to get back on the ice with the first line. So this may lead him to move elsewhere around the league. Chicago needs to find a way to keep Havlat for their development as a team continues.

That is your quick off season NHL update. Enjoy the week and Happy Canada Day everybody.

~Dirk - Everything International Correspondent