Next!

too many religions

cling to the past

mankind says "NEXT!"

Next...

I guess I should quit my bitching if I do not plan on taking action.

Here is my next career objective.

I am proud to announce to you...

Welcome to Phoenix, Mavs

Now watch out as Steve Nash and Raja Bell, your former stars, are gonna help burn you up!!!

My prediction is the Suns in 5 for the Western Conference finals. (knock on wood)

My prediction in the Eastern Conference finals is the Heat in 5 as well, if last nights game shows all the Pistons have in them...

Energy Revolution

It is time for a change. Our enemies cannot be the ones who control the worlds energy source. We need to let go of old ways and grab hold of new technologies that will allow us to fuel ourselves and employ Americans to do it! Read this article and then look at this one. When we free ourselves from the chains that bind us to countries full of people who hate Americans, we can only be better off...

Just Do It...

Go Home and Cry that is...

Light out of darkness

My first posted fractal image...A Mandelrot set illustrating Z*(n)^2 + c and amended lighting via Photoshop5.

Rasheed fined $20,000 for his 'opinion'

2005 Playoffs

NBA officials get extremely touchy when a participant claims that officials make calls to steer the outcome of a game.

Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy caused a major uproar earlier in the playoffs when he alleged during the Mavericks series that an official told him that instructions were in place to single out a player — Houstons Yao Ming. Van Gundy later backed off saying that he’d talked to a league official rather than a game official. However, the league levied a huge fine, and Van Gundy was warned that a similar future transgression could result in a severe suspension or even banishment.

More recently, after a Game 5 loss to Miami in which he managed just two points, Rasheed Wallace said, “Y’all know we’re going to win game six. If y’all don’t know that, y’all crazy.” The clear implication was that the officials were going to find a way to extend the series with their whistles. Wallace was promptly reprimanded and fined $20,000.

"I wanna be like Mike" - Kobe Bryant

(Feel free to replace the name, Kobe Bryant, anywhere the name, Michael Jordan appears)

In 1994, Jack Madden, recognized as one of the best referees in history, retired after having presided over 35 NBA Finals games. He continues to follow the sport closely, and we checked in with Madden for his views on refereeing a Bulls-Jazz series.

SI: Fans and players have the perception that referees are ready with a makeup call when a clearly bad call has been made on the other end of the floor. Is that true?

Madden: No, that's a myth. If we did that, we'd make a travesty of the game. We're human. Sometimes we miss calls. But if we called a makeup for everything we missed, we'd be trying to even the score all night.

SI: So is it also a myth that Michael Jordan gets away with more than most players?

Madden: There's some truth to that. Michael Jordan is the greatest player I've ever seen. He's so quick with his feet that he gets away with walking an unbelievable number of times, especially when he's in the post, with his back to the basket.

SI: Why don't officials call it?

Madden: Sometimes his feet move too fast [for the official to detect the violation], and sometimes the refs are concentrating on what the defensive player is doing.

SI: Did you nail Jordan for traveling?

Madden: All the time. He got upset about it, too. I think he hated to see me walk into the gym.

SI: Does Jordan intimidate officials?

Madden: He intimidates the younger referees. He gets in their faces, and that can be tough for a new guy. Obviously Jordan intimidates players and coaches, so you can see how it would happen with some refs. But not the veterans. They've heard it all before.

SI: What about John Stockton? His opponents claim he's a dirty player.

Madden: I never saw that. He's very smart, very competitive, and other guys are jealous because he's so great for his size.

SI: When you officiated, what did you look for with Stockton?

Madden: We'd probably concentrate on how he was setting screens. He sets a lot of them during a game. Some are moving screens—but not as many as opposing teams think.

SI: Do the Bulls get more calls in their favor, the way many felt the great Celtics teams did?

Madden: I laugh when I hear that. People don't realize that when you're the better team, you are better in every way, including how you execute. The great teams deserve all the breaks and calls they get.

Issue date: June 15, 1998

You mean this is not the first time???

2003

NBA commissioner David Stern has expressed his disappointment with the NBA officials who staged a visible protest of the suspension of referee Michael Henderson at Friday night's games.
NBA referees turned their jerseys inside-out and wore No. 62 -- the number assigned to a disciplined colleague. "Last night's display was woefully inconsistent with the professionalism with which NBA officials normally conduct themselves," Stern said in a statement on Saturday. "There is nothing more to say at this time."

The league promised more punishment for the referees showing support for Henderson.The NBA released a statement from deputy commissioner Russ Granik on Friday saying any referees taking part in the protest "will be subject to appropriate discipline."The officials were responding to Michael Henderson's being taken off three job assignments and summoned to the league office.

Henderson's bad call at the end of Wednesday night's Lakers-Nuggets game was publicly acknowledged Thursday by the NBA. "An unprecedented job action was taken against one of their colleagues, so an unprecedented response was necessary," said Lamell McMorris, a spokesman and negotiator for the National Basketball Referees Association.

Referees at all 10 NBA games Friday night were expected to take part in the protest, although officials Eddie F. Rush and Nolan Fine worked the Grizzlies-Bucks game in Milwaukee and did not. The third member of their crew, Rodney Mott, wore his shirt inside out with No. 62 magic-markered on the back. McMorris said Rush and Fine were "intimidated" by refereeing supervisor Ronnie Nunn. "From what I understand it was typical bullying tactics by the NBA. Ronnie Nunn came in and threatened them, told them if they wore their shirts inside-out they'd be fired," McMorris said. NBA vice president Stu Jackson did not return a call seeking comment on McMorris' allegation.

Henderson, in his second season as an NBA official, mistakenly whistled a shot clock violation after an attempt by Denver's Andre Miller brushed the rim and was rebounded by a teammate. The officials huddled and ruled it an inadvertent whistle, resulting in a jump ball. The Lakers won the tip and made the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds left.

"This was an unfortunate call at a highly critical point in the game, and we very much regret the error," NBA vice president Stu Jackson said his statement Thursday. He was not immediately available for comment Friday night. McMorris said Henderson's three-game punishment was unprecedented. "It's inconsistent with the performance evaluation standards that the league introduced to initiate communication between supervisors and referees," McMorris said. "This has never occurred for a bad call." McMorris told SportsTicker he had spoken with Henderson and categorized his mood as "upset, as well as the entire NBRA is upset. He's more hurt than anything."