NBA weighs retroactive penalties for floppers

Thank God all the problems in the world have been solved, now, the NBA can deal with their primmadonna millionaires and put an end to "flopping," it was second only to "world hunger."

Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavs is one of the best "Floppers." Here, he demonstrates a "flopper" move.

MIAMI (AP) — David Stern is determined to stop the floppers, even if it takes until the next morning.

The NBA commissioner believes too many players are deceiving referees into calling fouls by falling down, or flopping. So he and the league's newly reformed competition committee met Monday for a discussion about how it can be prevented.

One option, Stern said, is a "postgame analysis" in which a player could be penalized if it was determined he flopped. The league retroactively upgrades or downgrades flagrant fouls after review, and along those lines he said that perhaps a player could receive a message from New York saying: "Greetings from the league office. You have been assigned flopper status."

"No, I'm joking, but something like that," Stern said. "That sort of lets people know that it's not enough to say 'it's all part of the game.'"

Advice to would-be Romney running mates: Run for the hills

Nothing is easier to mock in politics right now than the apparent reluctance of leading Republicans to sign on as Mitt Romney’s second banana. A few weeks ago, Jon Stewart summarized the way that Rob Portman was plugging his Senate colleague Marco Rubio, who in turn was passing the baton to Jeb Bush, with the line, “Doesn’t anyone want the rock in crunch time?”

Since naked ambition is the only bipartisan trait left in politics, however, no one takes these sorts of demurrals seriously. When someone like former primary candidate Tim Pawlenty says “Take my name off the list” for the umpteenth time, everyone assumes that he is merely trying to protect himself from the embarrassment of a high-profile rejection. (In his case, the Iowa Straw Poll was bad enough.)

But what if all these Romney refusniks are actually telling the truth? What if they made a rational calculation and concluded that the upside--sharing the history books with Spiro Agnew, seats at the best international funerals--is not worth the cost if Romney loses in the fall? We could hardly blame them. The modern history of what happens to losing vice presidential nominees is enough to make any politician recoil in horror.

The Bridge Builder

The Bridge BuilderAn old man, going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him."

Wrong Again

Well, I missed that one, and my faith in professional basketball has been reborn.

When the game started tonight and Lebron hit those quick threes, I changed channels and watched something else, I could see it happening as I predicted. Well, Dallas was ahead at the half and I turned over and watched an old Jack Benny show.

I switched to the game when there was two minutes left, it looked like Dallas might win, but, there was still a chance ........... but NO, Dallas won, with only one star, who I really didn't know much about. And, the Dallas star, Dirk Nowitzki, (pictured here) turned out to be the MVP of the game, trophy presented to him by the man the trophy was named after, Bill Russell.

The MVP wasn't one of the three stars from Miami, the "Dream Team" lost, happiness reined in Cleveland. They were probably celebrating as much up by the "Lake" as they were in Dallas.

A great ending to the season, I still think that someone screwed up, it wasn't supposed to end this way, but it did. Will be a long Summer for some ...........

I grew up watching basketball

I grew watching basketball. My brother was good, he was 12 years older, but I remember watching him in Jr. High School, then high school and some in college and even when he was in the Navy, saw him play once.

I spent many a weekend at the old Coliseum at the Fairgrounds in Dayton, Ohio watching touring teams that came to town. The House of David, the Globetrotters, Caterpillar Tractors, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, the Dayton Mets. Saw Cousey and some of the early big men. I watched a lot of basketball.

Last night, I watched the opening of the Championship game, Lakers and Celtics then went to something else. Watched part of the 4th quarter when it was getting close, but turned the TV off and listened to the radio when I went to bed. I didn't even know the outcome till later on the next day, and, I have to admit, I really didn't care who won. The network had it go to seven games, the Celts jumped out to a lead, then TV wanted it close, probably wanted the Lakers to win. More to talk about if then won. All the coaches victories, more of a story, so they won, just like the network wanted.

All the players and coaches made their millions, the owners got rich, the network got rich, the advertisers were happy, a great tournament, just like the script called for.

I was an avid fan, when it was two teams competing, honestly, not just for the millions.

The LA fans are happy, a lot of BIG names .... wonder what it cost them?