Just not terribly exciting
As the Association playoffs enter the conference finals, I couldn't be more indifferent with the four teams remaining. They all play team basketball, and you would think that I would actually enjoy that. However, there isn't really any sizzle to the matchups -- in many ways, I would be terribly surprised if both series were not swept by the Car parts and Boot accessories, as they are the superior sides
Assuming I am correct, a Finals rematch of 2005 should be pretty good ... but for now, zzzzz
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The Association lottery ... does this process make any sense to anyone?
Yes, I find peculiar, dark pleasure in seeing them Green Leprechauns get shut out of spots 1 and 2, and probably spiral some more down the tubes. However, what good is it to have the worst and second worst team in the league, as a result of a random lottery, end up picking fourth and fifth in a draft with two obvious great players who could potentially change the fortunes of those cities.
Lakers, Celtics, Knicks ... at this point, could not be any more irrelevant -- yet I suppose I think that the Association would be much better if these franchises were healthy and dominant, rather than middling to sucking as they are right now ... but that's just me
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This may be the first season that I am vaguely familiar with what is going on with that long running series AI. I'm not expert on the show, I hardly watch it -- but I think that at least for this year, there is this sense that the outcomes are as put-on, predetermined, and heavily influenced by producers as ... professional wrestling. Whether this means the long awaited death of this rather mindlessly entertaining show for the masses ... TBD, but the cracks in its armor are showing, producer arrogance is very evident, the "stars" it produces are largely irrelevant, etc.
I must say that last night's program was such a mismatch of epic proportions that I would almost consider it producer induced show suicide if the underdog won tonight. I mean, it would be such an all-time fiasco of juiced/fix is in, that the masses would leave in droves. And yet, if the favorite won, it would be quite the anti-climax as well. The show is over the barrel, and it's about time
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Lastly, I watched some of that legislative Herman Inquisition on TV a few days ago, and I came away with the following impressions:
1. UH is much bigger than just its Ath department. Why legislators would want a briefing from only the UH ath dept is a big mystery to me, ath facilities issues, football sched fiasco, Wallace contract/Nash selection fiasco, not withstanding
UH sports certainly are important to the community, that is without question.
2. The current chancellor is a lame duck, and sure acts like it
3. The current AD is doing an okay job, there are some obvious issues with his performance. But I don't think you get to the performance issues by drumming on him for 4 1/2 hours, in many ways, it became like the Oliver North hearings -- if anything, I would think more people sympathized with HF after that full on, attempted hatchet job
4. I think that if you are going to have a witch hunt, you should understand the principles of the childhood game from Milton Bradley, Which Witch is Which. Simply, know what the witch looks like before you go on a witch hunt, or else you look like angry townspeople with pitchforks and torches ablaze ... in other words, pretty out of control
5. Lastly, although fans are an important part of the overall UH ath dept equation -- one certainly cannot run an ath dept from such an emotional and passionate place. It made Kmart's questioning look totally retarded. Seriously dude, who cares if you lettered in swimming at UH, tried to hug Wags at the BYU win, or tried to tear down a goalpost
The passionate fan perspective is no way to run an ath dept, nor is it a good way to evaluate the performance of an ath director.
6. Fire HF!!! is a very easy road to go down. Saying someone messed up is very easy to say in hindsight. I would like to see our legislators take a supporting role in the matter, facilitate constructive improvements to all of UH including the ath dept ... than appear as fickle as fans and ask fan-type questions which are at the end of the day, not very important
What the fans think is not the first priority when trying to manage the priorities of an ath dept
7. Why is Senator Sakamoto so cool? If you watched the briefing, I think we got another example. Constructive, above the fray, inclusive, professional, supportive.