One of the nation’s most prominent and exciting sporting events hits Houston April 2–4 at NRG Stadium, returning to Houston for its second time in a six-year span and for the third time in the city’s history (1971: Astrodome; 2011: NRG Stadium). It’s a highly publicized and sought after event the city is ecstatic to host, for many reasons. Whether you’re into basketball or your alma mater makes the Big Dance, you’ll want to get in on all the action.
The Final Four is expected to bring 70,000 out-of-town visitors and approximately $150,000,000 in direct spend to Houston. Just a few reasons the organizing committee is pulling out all the stops to make sure it’s a hit.
“The Final Four is one of the most exciting events a city can host. Houston was a great host in 2011, and we know we’ll be an even greater host in 2016, as our city has that much more to offer this time around. March Madness will culminate here, and all eyes will be on our city. We’ll be ready, and we’re looking forward to showing the world what a great place Houston is,” says Doug Hall, President and CEO of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four Local Organizing Committee.
The big weekend isn’t all about basketball either. Be sure to check out the March Madness Music Festival, which is a FREE concert series that takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday and features both local and national acts. Past artists include Fergie, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, The Zac Brown Band, Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon and Kenny Chesney, just to name a few. Upcoming acts for 2016: TBD.
Fan Fest is also a great interactive sports “extravaganza” perfect for families, complete with
Illustration by German Arellano
basketball exhibitions and fan games, handson championship experiences, youth clinics and more. A Kids Zone is filled with interactive games, a 3v3 tournament and special appearances with former NCAA players and coaches as well as other sports personalities. Cost: Adults – $10, Kids 12 and under – FREE.
Many sports fans don’t know about the huge community component that comes with Final Four hosting duties, like Read to the Final Four where third graders at 68 HISD schools will participate in a bracket competition literacy program, and Super Four Course, where students from University of Houston gain behind-the-scenes training and access, working closely with staff from the NCAA and Houston Super Bowl Host Committee.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BY THE NUMBERS:
300+: NCAA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INITIALLY ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION
68: NUMBER OF TEAMS SELECTED TO PLAY IN THE ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
52: NUMBER OF TEAMS ELIMINATED AFTER THE FIRST WEEKEND OF COMPETITION SWEET 16 AND ELITE
8: NARROWING THE TEAMS DOWN FOR BIGGER MATCH-UPS
3,500: NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE CITY’S ANCILLARY EVENTS
2008: THE YEAR HOUSTON WAS AWARDED HOSTING DUTIES FOR THE 2016 FINAL FOUR
THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR ENDS IN HOUSTON – DON’T MISS OUT ON ALL THE EXCITEMENT BOTH ON AND OFF THE COURT.
2015 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS: DUKE
2016 NCAA’S MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS: ______
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Trevor Ariza of the Houston Rockets (photo courtesy of Houston Rockets)
For Houston Rocket Trevor Ariza, Home is Where the Family is.
They say the third time’s a charm. Now in his third stint in Houston (first when he was 11 years old living in Alief, and again as a member of the ’09-’10 Rockets), Trevor finds himself back in Clutch City, this time with more confidence, defensive abilities and most importantly, his family.
Ariza made his way to Houston during the 2009–2010 season after a trade worth $33mil over five years using the Disabled Player Exception the Rockets were given in exchange for injured Yao Ming. He was then traded to the Hornets and Wizards before returning back to Houston last July. Ariza grew up in the league. He entered the league when he was just 19 and admits he’s learned a lot throughout his 10-year career (more than 650 games!). Mostly, he’s learned patience. “I definitely have more patience. I’ve learned to not …well, I try not to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I try to stay even-keeled, play my heart out and let the chips fall where they may.”
A true West-Coaster (he refers to 59 as “the 59” when talking horrendous traffic), Ariza is slowly getting used to life in Bellaire. Referred to by some as an “NBA vagabond,” Ariza says it’s his family (his wife, 3 kids and 70lb German Shepherd, Bowser) that really makes it home. “Having my family here is definitely part of that – my family is the most important thing to me – everything feels like home as long as they’re around,” he says.
The small forward also attributes the team. “Just being here with the
support of the organization is great; they welcomed me in with open
arms – the coaches, front office and my teammates especially. We’re
almost like brothers,” he says of his fellow players, especially Francisco Garcia who he says he has the most in common with. He laughs at inadvertently adding an adjective in front of the numbered highway, and says even though traffic is pretty awful, he still thinks pickup trucks are “pretty dope.” “I have one myself. I guess I’m part of Texas culture,” he says, laughing of his lifted Chevy Silverado.
RANDOM THOUGHTS (AND FAVORITES) FROM TREVOR ARIZA
“I think some of the stuff Clutch does is amazing. I saw him on one of those big balls shooting free throws –I’ve never seen that before –that was pretty dope.”
“I definitely enjoy seeing Bun B at games. He’s one of my favorite rappers; he’s a legend here in Texas.”
“My family loves Discovery Green –they just like to go out and play. And there’s a dog park close to my house.”
This article originally ran in the January 2015 print edition in LOCAL Houston Magazine. Pick up your free copy before it disappears. Click here for the online version.
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Bonnie-Jill Laflin: First and Only Female NBA Scout
What It Was Like to Be the First (and Only!) Female Scout in the NBA
How Bonnie-Jill Laflin scored her dream job and her advice to any women hoping to do the same.
Being the first at anything can be a bit scary, but a little intimidation couldn’t stop Bonnie-Jill Laflin from going after her dream job as the first ever female scout in the NBA. Though Laflin is now a huge sports personality with her own show, it was her time as an NBA scout for the LA Lakers that taught her the most about her career. Back then, she was assigned to watch out for prospective players and report back to the team’s general manager. It was a position that meant her superiors were relying on her expertise and gut instincts about up-and-coming players—which ultimately would determine if these guys got signed. Yeah, you could say she was a pretty big deal. But as impressive as Laflin was at this job, her journey to the position was even more amazing.
From Shouting to Scouting
When she was young, Laflin knew she wanted to be involved in professional sports, so she dove in wherever she could—and at the beginning, that meant cheering on the sidelines. “It was a way for me to get in these organizations and inside the sports world and capitalize on it,” says Laflin. So she took advantage of her proximity to the action and went on to cheer for the San Francisco 49ers for two years, where she won a Super Bowl ring with them in 1995. Then she moved on to the Cowboys—the mecca of all pro-sports cheerleading organizations—and even landed a spot on the cover of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Calendar.
After racking up recurring roles on Baywatch and Ally McBeal, Laflin’s popularity grew, which gave her the chance to move to LA, where she was hired as a sports broadcaster for CBS. “And among the many stories I got to report on, I was assigned to cover the LA Lakers,” says Laflin. It was an opportunity that gave her even more knowledge of the industry, and one that put her face-to-face with Jerry Buss, Ph.D., former owner of the Lakers.
This article originally ran on Women’s Health Magazine. Click here to see the full article and all the amazing tips Bonnie-Jill has to share.
This video started it all. This two minute and 10 second promo video is what catapulted what is now titled Battioke into the nation, extending far beyond the 305 area code and Miami Heat crazed fans. All for good reason, and even better cause.
NBA fans and do-gooders aside, this off-pitch singing soiree has reached even the White House. “It was surreal to be honest with you,” says Miami Heat forward Shane Battier. ”We always knew Battioke was a fun event. We got a lot of coverage around the country, but to reach the Office of the White House, part of the national consciousness, it’s pretty amazing,” President Obama even dispensed lyrical advice, warning the Heat at their White House visit earlier this month to “leave Al Green to the pros,” as quoted in a recent Huffington Post article.
“It’s awesome, it’s such a great cause. The kids we send to school are worth the effort and the energy to put this event together,” Battier says of the extreme popularity the event has gained most recently. Scheduled to take place January 27th at The Fillmore Miami Beach, this isn’t Battier’s first rodeo with karaoke. I first met Shane at a local bar in Houston when he was with the Houston Rockets. Christian’s Tailgate, located in Houston’s popular nightlife district of Midtown, was Battier’s regular place to rock out to karaoke.
What was once called Clutch City Karaoke while in Houston, quickly became Battioke once Shane and his wife Heidi restarted the star-studded charity event in Miami. “We did it one year (in Houston) and it was a fantastic event and the next year I got traded to Memphis so I couldn’t hold the event. Someone said ‘You should call it Battioke’ and I said that does have a better ring to it, so when I moved to Miami we changed the name,” Battier explains.
“It’s something my wife and I always enjoyed doing. Neither one of us can sing,” Battier says of the hobby turned charity event. “We have a professional karaoke setup at our house, we get a big group of people and that’s what we end up doing. I have over 20k songs. It’s just fun.”
The twelve-year NBA veteran probably shoots better threes than he does belting out the tunes, but it’s all in good fun, he says. “Karaoke isn’t about your voice, it’s about your confidence and having fun. That’s why Battioke is a really fun event, people cutting lose and just having fun.”
The Miami Heat are no stranger to having fun. “I don’t know if you know this or not, but my teammates are not shy. They are not wallflowers. When it all came together it was comical,” Battier says of his teammates’ enthusiasm at shooting the viral promo as well as planning for the big event on the 27th.
As for who he’s most looking forward to seeing on stage at this year’s annual event, Battier just laughs. “Every year Dwyane Wade, Lebron and Chris Bosh bring it. Chris Bosh has a really underrated sense of humor; he won Battioke last year with an unbelievable Barry White’esque version of ‘My First, My Last, My Everything.’ If Barry White were a Vegas lounge singer…” he trails off in laughter.
But it seems last year’s title holder may have some stiff competition. “The dark horse this year is Greg Oden, big Greg Oden. He loves to karaoke, so we’re going to see what he has this year,” Battier says.
As for the promo video we can’t stop watching, Battier had some help on that. “I worked with the Miami Heat video crew essentially – we had meetings and we really challenged the script writer. We had the idea of doing a behind-the-look scenes of what it takes to prepare for Battioke – all the work and the time and effort that goes into getting ready for one single night of the year. That was sort of our theme, that’s why I was in the powder blue tux in the weight room, preparing myself mentally – I have the world’s greatest teammates who are down for anything – they were fantastic as well.”
As funny as the video is, people may have forgotten there is a very noble cause behind all the out-of-tune singing and afro wigs: The Battier Take Charge Foundation. The annual karaoke event benefits Shane and Heidi Battier’s charity, whose mission is to send deserving kids to college.
“Both my wife and I think college is such a transformative time, you learn so much about yourself. It’s not necessarily the academia part – you learn to be your own person, you learn to take charge of who you are while in college. Everyone should be able to experience college. There are numerous kids out there who want to go to college and get a degree but don’t have the means,” Battier says of their mission. Last year the event raised over $150,000, and this year they’re hoping to raise $300-400k, at least doubling it.
Last time we spoke, we talked about Battier’s place as the 7th smartest man in sports (according to Sporting News), which he attributes a lot to his college days at Duke, but far beyond that as well. “I’m not the smartest guy — I think I have really good awareness, I work really hard and I listen. I try to be thoughtful. Whether it’s your family life or a
More Battioke Shenanigans
basketball career, that thoughtfulness and awareness can make you better,” Battier says. A man who talks the talk and walks the walk behind the words of wisdom on his Twitter bio, which reads: Trying to do well and do good.
Miami Heat owner Micky Arison will also be in attendance at this year’s Battioke. “Micky has been a great supporter of Battioke the last three years and we’ve yet to get him to sing, but you never know this could be the year…” Battier says.
I did get Battier to tell me what song he’d want Arison to sing, if he somehow found his way on stage: Baby Got Back.
“It’d be the most organic moment, at Battioke ever, maybe the most important, if Micky got up and sang Baby Got Back,” Battier laughs just picturing such an image.
Battier is just as vocal about his adoration for karaoke as for his love of Bud Light, so I couldn’t resist finding out if it was still his favorite beer. “Yep, the people in St. Louis that work for Anheuser Busch do a fantastic job always, and I’m appreciative of their efforts and will always be a proud supporter of Bud Light and the family of Anheuser Busch products.”
As the Huffington Post put it, “you know you want the honor of seeing the sports world’s next viral YouTube happen live,” so get your tickets today at Battioke.com for $150.
“It will be a special night and it may change your life forever. Tickets are limited, so if you’re planning on going, I’d buy them today,” Battier closes.
Well Mr. Battier, after yet another successful charity event, you surely deserve an ice cold one. Maybe two.
Follow Shane and Heidi’s Battioke event and charity on Twitter: @shanetakecharge
This article was first seen on CBS Man Cave Daily on the sport’s column of The Blonde Side. Click here to see the original version.
Something tells me Superman could make his free-throws
Dwight Howard has 88 million reasons to make a free throw. He has 88 million reasons to be consistent. He has 88 million reasons to prove the haters wrong.
Bleacher Report just did a funny piece on the topic of the two things Dwight Howard is awful at: free throws and media questions. Ha, lucky us.
Howard’s answer for his poor free throwing shooting is that we talk about it too much. But in the game of basketball, there aren’t many gimmes. There aren’t many free points. A right-handed layup, that’s a gimme. Heck, in the pros any layup is a gimme. Any time you’re in the paint without a defender up in your face, that’s a gimme. Anytime you play the Jazz, that’s a gimme. 99% of the time Dwight touches the ball, that’s a gimme. Anytime you’ve been in the league for nearly a decade where the free throw line has remained a constant, that’s a gimme. If you’re shooting from a point on the court known as the “charity stripe,” that alone should tell you IT’S A GIMME.
But it’s not just Houston where Howard is sucking it up. Dwight has never really been any good at those free buckets at the line, not hitting more than 50% since the 2010-11 season. There’s this thing about sports – when teams spot your weakness, like in the Astros case where everything seems to be a weakness, they exploit them. It seems to reason if the Astros can’t hit a fastball if their lives depended on it, would you throw them a curveball followed by a slider?
Um, no.
The same rule applies here to Howard – if the big guy can’t sink a free throw when the pressure’s on, why not foul him all day and all night? And it seems to be working, especially down the stretch.
When it comes to free throws, Dwight is the exact opposite of our mascot. Get it? Clutch.
To date, Howard leads the league in free throws. Obviously not ones being made, but attempted shots, so far at 87.
In the much-anticipated Lakers game where Dwight greeted his old teammate buddies on his new home court, they sent him to the line 12 times just in the fourth quarter alone. For those not so good at math, that would have been 12 much-needed points in the fourth quarter, instead Dwight nailed only five. And isn’t that weird? The Rockets lost by one point that night. One.
According to NBA.com Dwight is only hitting 47.1% of his free throws, his second (30.8) and fourth (41.4) quarters
Dwight Howard having trouble from the charity stripe
averaging the lowest.
And all this talk about how good Dwight is at making free throws in practice really doesn’t matter. I was good during Driver’s Ed, but my awful driving record is pretty much what matters at this point, does it not? My car insurance doesn’t calculate my insanely high rates based on how good I was when I practiced.
I don’t think “Hey officer, I was driving really good and legal until you started watching me,” would suffice as an answer the way Dwight thinks he can tell us the cameras and the lights and the pressure are getting to him. But again, like I always say – I’m not a 6-foot-11 professional basketball player or three-time defensive player of the year…But the point remains, I’m a terrible driver when it counts, as is he a terrible free throw shooter.
The $88 million you signed to come to Houston is meant to account for all that pressure and those cameras and the media and the criticism your bound to take by being a beast of your size and your nature. That’s coddling money for you buddy. And Dwight, if the pressure is getting to you already, perhaps take a page out of Matt Schaub’s book – it isn’t going to get any better until you do. That’s the cold hard truth in Houston and anywhere else.
Not that you should put much stock in Wikipedia, but if you look up “free throws” it even calls Dwight out as “a notoriously poor free throw shooter.” Wikipedia had 450 players to choose from this year alone, let alone the thousands of greats and poors over decades of play, and they cited Dwight as one of the worst. Well, if being one of the worst pays $88 million, put me in coach.
Let me be clear in saying Dwight Howard’s inconsistent free throw shooting isn’t the only inconsistent play the Rockets are experiencing at this point, like never knowing exactly which Patrick Beverley or Jeremy Lin you’re going to get come game time – the team really needs to step it up and win those easy games, and those easy “charity stripe” points.
They’re a pretty high contender this year and I for one want to see a team perform at least as expected this year.
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Everyone sitting at home, raise your hand if you’re as excited as I am about the NBA season back in action? Although I do love me some basketball, I never thought I’d say those words, especially in week 9 of the NFL, but given the way baseball and football has played out here in Houston this year, I’m ready to see some W’s put on the board.
And the Houston Rockets are looking as if they may not give us a hat trick in the disappointment department.
As you all well know, the Dwight Howard era has officially begun in H-town. This year’s slogan, A New Age, promises a different team, and those all around the NBA have quickly noticed, thanks in part to the drama king himself and the $88 million that got him here.
You may have heard of James Harden and Dwight Howard (or seen them on those awkward billboards where it looks like Harden is telling Howard how to say Houston), but Daryl Morey scripted two of the most notable back-to-back offseasons to bring each of us THIS TEAM. And it’s damn exciting.
The NBA Season is here, and thankfully it’s a long one. The Rockets ran the Bobcats up and down the court to start the season with a 83-96 win over the team who has most recently come off an NBA-worst two-year record of 28-120 (sounds a little like an Astros record, doesn’t it?).
No surprise, Howard shined in his Houston debut with 17 points and 26 rebounds, tying his career high. He also added 2 assists and 2 blocks for the night. But a win over Charlotte and some of these lesser NBA teams doesn’t say much. After all, the highest scorer for the Bobcats was Josh McRoberts with 15 points for the night. The Rockets had three (THREE!) guys top that: Howard (17), Harden (21) and Garcia (19). The game felt a little like David and Goliath, so you can’t put too much stock in it.
Here are a few key things I’m personally going to keep an eye out for:
1. Potential Drama. For the first time in a long while, the Rockets have multiple big names; it’s no longer a guessing game of the roster. I think there are a few elephants in the room with this team, so we’ll see how that plays out as we get a little deeper into the season.
A New Age
You do recall just two seasons ago where ESPN announcers didn’t know a single name on the team, with K-Mart being our biggest name? My how times have changed in just two years.
2. The Rest of the Division. The Rockets play in the West, notably the toughest in the league. It will be interesting to see how the team plays, but equally to see how the other big teams will do. That will dictate our Playoff changes just as much as anything else. To put it simply: the Western Conference is stacked, like Pamela Anderson kind of stacked.
3. Back to the Drama (I am a girl, remember). Howard took his drama straight from Orlando to LA, and we’re all crossing our fingers he left it just outside Kobe’s locker. The Rockets are quite frankly boring on the drama front, which is probably a good thing. The team jells quite nicely and I’ll be interested to see if Howard left his dramatic ways and doesn’t drive a rift between this team.
4. Defense. This team has been so focused on offense, that’s just another reason Howard was such a key pickup. Last season the Rockets ranked 28th in the league (2nd worst in the league), allowing 102.5 points per game.
5. Patrick Beverly vs Jeremy Lin as Starter. I think Kevin McHale was genius in starting Beverly over Lin on opening night, but it’ll be interesting to see who wins that starting battle, who stays healthy and who can lead the team on offense better.
6. I’m certainly going to miss Carlos Del-THREENO. This team has got to find another perimeter shooter and clutch guy to keep this team going. As of opening night, it looked like Garcia may step up to those shoes behind the arch.
7.I will not miss: Royce White. Sorry buddy, but peace out.
The 2013 Houston Rockets Led by Dwight Howard
8. Where to Watch? I’m deeply saddened that on Howard’s highly anticipated debut, even in torrential downpours, the Rockets couldn’t sell out the home opener. The seats, especially the pricier ones the cameras kept panning around, were wide open for the taking. Furthermore, this Comcast-only option-Monopoly-nonsense to watch games will prove a little trickier this year with fans wanting to be more involved watching D-12. It’ll be interesting to see how involved fans can stay throughout 82 games of mostly watching at bars. Could prove to be interesting weekday nightlife of getting hammered, right Houston?
Oh, and if you thought a Dwight Howard / Wilt Chamberlain comparison seemed ludicrous, there’s this:
Howard is only the 4th different player in the last 50 seasons with at least 17 points and 26 rebounds in a season opener, the first since Wilt Chamberlain did it 43 years ago, where he had 31 boards (via ESPN Stats & Information).
Like every big championship or postseason, everyone has an opinion, including but limited to your local barista who probably doesn’t speak a lick of English yet somehow is convinced LeBron sucks.
Let’s get this out of the way; I’m a Heat fan. And for the sake of everyone calling me a bandwagon, it’s been documented on the world wide web for many years, but for you newbies, it dates back to 1995 when my neighbor, Alonzo Mourning, was traded to South Beach…err, Miami. So while it’s true I do love me some King James, chalk and all, the dude was in elementary school when I became a fan, and the same goes for the remaining parties in the Big Three.
But this NBA Finals matchup isn’t a piece of cake and it’s worthy of numerous debates and analytics – this isn’t Miami sweeping the Bucks or San Antonio dominating that trendy purple team from Los Angeles – this is the finals and these teams, both chock full of veterans are vying for the very same Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The series now tied at 3, all comes down to what ESPN calls the best two words in sports: Game 7. And I couldn’t agree more. (Although, it does seem rather pointless to have played six games which now seem completely irrelevant since it’s yet again back to the final score of one final game…)
Miami went into the finals with a franchise-best regular season record of 66-16 (yeah, that same team that went on a 27 game win streak earlier this year but can’t seem to win back-to-back in the postseason) and San Antonio with an almost equally impressive 58-24, who have been manhandling the Heat the same way the Kardashians did Kris Humphries.
If the Spurs win, it would be the fifth title in 15 years finally designating them as a Dynasty in many eyes, and if the Heat win, it’d be a back-to-back title win and the third in eight years – certainly not a bad matchup for a much anticipated series. Not to mention, with these two teams and their coaches’ decision to rest their big men in their only meeting earlier this year where Miami swept San Antonio 2-0, we don’t have much to gauge it on, who can guard who and who’s going to go off – most of it is just speculation, and CONGRATULATIONS, there you have 99% of all sports conversations EVER.
I get that most of y’all hate seeing one of those big-market teams dribble their way into the finals – unless you’re a hardcore Miami, LA or New York fan, you don’t really want to see them make it all the way, but you have to admit it makes for an interesting and entertaining series, one that NBA and TV execs are reveling in, as am I.
But let’s take a minute to debunk the biggest myth about this matchup that’s going around like a dirty rumor in a sorority house:
Age:
Believe it or not, as most media are desperately trying to make you believe, this isn’t an old geezer of a team competing against a brand spanking new squad with young legs. It isn’t David vs. Goliath, to be frank; it’s the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs, a pretty damn even matchup, which this series, now tied, has very much indicated.
As Michael Rosenberg with SI wrote last week, “Yes everyone, the San Antonio Spurs are so old, the jokes about them being old are old. The biggest problem with the jokes? The Spurs are younger than the Heat.“
According to Rosenberg, in Game 1, the average age of a San Antonio player was 29.5 while the average age of a Miami player was 30.3. Sure, there’s a pretty hefty age gap between head coaches Spoelstra and Popovich, and even though Tim Duncan has played in an NBA Finals game in three separate decades, it isn’t nearly the disparity many think.
Miami: LeBron James: 28, Chris Bosh: 29, Dwyane Wade: 31, Shane Battier: 34, Mike Miller: 33, Udonis Haslem: 33, Ray Allen: 34
San Antonio: Tim Duncan: 37, Tony Parker: 31, Manu Ginobili: 35, Danny Green: 25, Kawhi Leonard: 21, Tracy McGrady: 34
And speaking of Tracy McGrady, that brings me to another very valid point, especially for those in good ole Texas, specifically Houston…
Do y’all really want to see San Antonio win this thing and hoist up that Larry O’Brien trophy just 200 miles West of us?
I see a lot of Houston rooting for San Antonio and I can’t figure out why. Is it that Texas pride bottled up inside you that just doesn’t die? Is the hatred for Kobe Bryant so far gone that the Texas folk are clamoring to see Tim Duncan get his fifth ring, which would tie him with the Black Mamba? Do y’all really hate Miami that much and if so, why? You can’t still be angry about The Decision, can you?
These are all questions the loud-mouthed fans at the bar can’t seem to answer when I pose them. Have y’all not forgotten about that T-Mac guy? Even Amanda Bynes could have handled his potentially faux injury causing him to hobble off the court and give up on the Rockets while still racking in a good portion of their salary cap. Rockets fans can’t want a guy who quit on them to win a ring, especially after joining a contender’s bench the last possible week of the season, can they? Is the I-10 rivalry only relevant in the regular season or just within the confines of our great ginormous state? What would Moses Malone think of you Red Rowdies jumping on the “Beat the Heat” bandwagon? Wow, sorry, lots of rhetoricals for ya.
But here’s my biggest question of all:
For those of you simply rooting for San Antonio because you “want to see a Texas team win,” let me ask you this – would Texans fans ever root for the Cowboys? They are still in Texas, am I right?
And just in case you aren’t a big basketball fan and looking for a reason to tune into the Finals, maybe one of these will help:
Try counting the number of tattoos on Birdman (and see how many times he shoves guys in the paint)
Check out the Heat Hater signs in the stands or marriage proposals or baby-daddy proclamations to LeBron
Join the Twitter conversations and see what’s trending for the game. When LeBron lost his headband in the fourth quarter of Game 6, even the most novice sport’s fan would have been highly entertained.
Who flops more: Chris Bosh, Shane Battier, LeBron James and Manu Ginobili (make a friendly wager with a friend during the game or that cute guy/girl next to you at the bar).
On a parting note, did you know Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are the only three teammates to make the NBA Finals four times who did not play for the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics? That sounds like a pretty Big Three if you ask me…
Twitter does this funny thing during a big sporting event – it goes off, even when Chris Bosh doesn’t. There are many times Twitter and their beloved hashtags become more entertaining than the game itself. If last night wasn’t such a H-U-G-E comeback for the Heat in Game 6, Twitter and the #NoHeadband trend would have had my full attention.
LeBron losing his headband in the 4th quarter had the same effect a wardrobe change at a strip club does – it changes the game entirely. Losing that headband coincided exactly with the Heat turning around the subpar game of basketball they had been playing the previous three quarters. Or maybe it was also the yellow rope the arena crew was sectioning off in preparation for the inevitable Spurs postgame NBA Finals trophy presentation.
After two back-to-back postgame press conference questions fervently asking The King “about the play you lost your headband,” and SportsCenter noting that by 1am, there were 107 fake LeBron headband Twitter accounts, the headband thing took on a life of its own.
User @brendanohare hit the scenario head-on (no pun intended) with this tweet:
Imagine being someone who doesn’t follow sports and trying to figure out the connection between basketball and headbands right now—
Brendan O’Hare (@brendohare) June 19, 2013
We’re all still speculating and ramming our own recommendations down Twitter’s throat wondering if LeBron does in fact goes sans headband tomorrow night for the final game of the season, the same game ESPN says are the best two words in sports: Game 7.
For now, here are some of the funniest LeBron Headband tweets I saw floating around those crazy interwebs:
Things going in the Heat Hall of Fame after tonight: Mike Miller's shoe, LeBron's headband, Chris Bosh's fossilized body…
Racking up another triple-double and forcing winner takes all Game 7, Heat fans all across the country are pretty damn happy that headband was MIA.
To see all the funny tweets in the original article on CBS Man Cave Daily, click here.
You can also follow me on Twitter: @jaymelamm – although, full disclosure, I’m not nearly as funny as these characters. The witty nature comes and goes.
In a short span of 24 hours I went from the raging and intoxicating excitement of Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio to a Monday night Astros game in Houston. Let that sink in for a minute. That’s like driving a Bugatti and then having to hitchhike.
Rather than going the negative route, which I often do with the Astros, I figured I’d play Positive Peggy and list some of the benefits of such a dismal turnout at Minute Maid Park – things that were a bit more difficult at AT&T Center just the night before were a piece of red velvet cake last night. Fervent yawning aside, even on a four-game win streak for the Astros, there were some advantages to having the 1,263,240 square-foot ballpark all to yourself and just a few close friends.
10 Benefits of Attending an Astros Game you won’t find at the NBA Finals
10. Free Tickets. Having worked for the Astros years ago, it’s not terribly hard to get free tickets, but walking up to Minute Maid Park last night, people were practically begging you to take tickets off their hands. And good seats too. (Opposed to the $650 ticket price for Game 5.)
9. Free and Easy Parking. Yup, just like the Dierks Bentley song. No need to arrive early to sit in traffic and be on the lookout for a spot, and no need to try and “beat the crowd” upon exiting, unless of course you’re just that bored, which is understandable.
8. Cell Phones. What was impossible the night before, took just seconds last night. We were able to post photos to Facebook and download that new Taylor Swift album with ease, as opposed to the FAILED message I got trying to upload an Instagram photo the night before that subsequently drained my entire battery.
Also, please note the difference in comments received. At Game 5 they were along the lines of “OMG, so jealous, I love your life, I wish I was there!” At the Astros game they were more like “Wow, you must be bored” or “Wouldn’t you rather be watching hockey or catching up on sleep?”
7. Leg Room. Stretch out and relax, this isn’t a United flight and there’s no one in front of you to make it awkward to prop your feet up.
6. Team Store. Want an Astros shirt? No problem! They have them in EVERY SINGLE SIZE (as opposed to Game 5 where there were slim pickins’).
5. Upgraded Seats. At MMP, there’s no need to wait for the StubHub Move of the Game for better seats, just get up, act like you belong, and go sit behind homeplate. Bring all your friends too, because there will be open seats all around you.
4. Discounted Beer. I’ve gone to more games than I can count in my lifetime and have never been offered a discounted beer. The Aramark beer vendors were so bored the guy in our section offered us a $7.50 Bud Light for $5. #Winning
3. No Lines. Not for bathrooms, beer or food. And probably not to go on the field and shake the players’ hands either, but I’m just guessing there. At Game 5 you’d miss at least 5 flops per team just by trying to use the restroom.
“Wow, that is so much more than I ever asked to hear about plushies.”
2. Conversations with Orbit. Although “Mascot Rules” indicate a professional mascot cannot speak while in costume, the furry guy was so bored he hung out snapping photos and being silly. Although the downside was he hung out a little too long and started to creep everyone out, even the children.
1. Social Media Contests. Every stadium runs social media contests for fan involvement to promote their sponsors. Last night, the video board (the largest in MLB, mind you), ran a contest for Wich Wich asking fans to tag #Strowich on Twitter to win some ham and cheese concoction. Seven minutes after the contest ran on the board, just ONE fan used the hashtag. ONE. Even better, she just used the hashtag and said nothing else. Congrats on your new sandwich Astros fan and I’m sure Wich Wich is throughout impressed with their ROI on that promotion.
For you number folks: I realize the baseball outing was just one of 81 regular season games at home and the other was an NBA Finals game, but there were 18,581 in attendance at the Spurs/Heat game (of a total capacity of 18,591) and only 13,870 (if you buy those numbers) in attendance at the Astros/White Sox game (of a total capacity of 40,950).
To see this original article on The Blonde Side’s CBS Man Cave Daily column, click here.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/photo1.jpg23402340Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-06-18 13:27:472013-06-21 13:32:4210 Advantages of an Astros Game over an NBA Finals Game
San Antonio, first of all, congrats on your successful blackout. Wait, nevermind.
Let me back up and start with this – I am in fact a disgruntled Miami Heat fan (not to be confused with a bandwagon disgruntled Heat fan), so any comments alluding to “she’s just pissed her team lost” will be rightfully ignored, dismissed and mocked because you my friend, are stating the obvious.
Here is my list of the 10 most annoying/random observations from my friend Drew and I last night at AT&T Center:
10. Hootie! I loved seeing Hootie sing the national anthem, but having Blowfish there would have been icing on the cake.
9. Inside Secrets. It was very San Antonio of you to have a mariachi band play a timeout at center court, but from a newbie to this arena, I was confused why this marked the loudest Spurs fans got all night. Were they talking shit about LeBron in Spanish and I just wasn’t aware? As always, I’m confused.
Nothing says KISS CAM like melted cheese San Antonio
8. Taco Cabana Kiss Cam. Call me a hopeless romantic, but don’t most stadiums/arenas have a more fitting sponsor for the in-game kiss cam? In Houston, they have a dentist promising beautiful smiles. But this go round in San Antonio, y’all have the Texan Taco Bell equivalent. Nothing spells romance like melted cheese. (Actually, that does sound awesome…).
Text LASIK for a bad officiating call in the NBA Finals 2013=
7. Text LASIK To 45384. Was it just me, or was it an eerie coincidence this particular advertisement only came up when there was an officiating call that didn’t go San Antonio’s way? Me thinks good ole David Stern would not endorse this particular sponsorship.
6. My homeboy, Alonzo Mourning. This guy is the whole reason I became a Heat fan back in 1995, and he was in attendance looking mighty dapper. But Zo got shitty seats, about six rows up from the court. I realize it’s an away game, but it’s ALONZO MOURNING. What happened to that Southern hospitality?
5. Rick Fox is not a VIP. Among other notable things, this cat was married to the beautiful Vanessa Williams, but the 3x NBA Champ had to go through the common folk entrance in front of a bunch of intoxicated and obnoxious fans (myself included) – just felt weird.
4. 80’s Cover band dressed like the Spurs Silver Dancers. The after party and free concert, Overtime, just outside the arena, featured a free concert from the entertaining 80s hair band Metal Shop. Metal Shop coincidentally was dressed very much like the Spurs dance team, keeping the crowd pumped up after the big win.
The Coyote, sans pants
3. The Coyote. Does anyone else not think it’s super creepy the mascot wasn’t wearing pants? If I walked around the arena in just a Spurs jersey and no pants, I’d be arrested. Or the fact he had more costume changes (sometimes wearing game shorts or leather chaps) than Mariah Carey on an episode of MTV Cribs? Or the fact he was using a tiny piece of notebook paper with the words “GET LOUD” barely legible in black ink? With his feeble attempt at poster board signs, puffy paint and construction paper as props, I’m scared to ask if a small child is missing half his science project somewhere around the San Antonio area. The only sign that was big enough to see had upside down words! And perhaps it’s important to note that only in Texas can someone dressed in costume stand in front of 18k+ people and shoot a gun into the crowd.
2. The Blackout that wasn’t. This was the worst blackout ever for multiple reasons. Even when the team gave 18k+ fans a FREE Spurs t-shirt on their seats before the game, only 1/3 actually wore the shirts (or anything black). Oh and by the way, did anyone realize it was Miami who wore black uniforms during your beloved blackout while the Spurs wore white? Was there some miscommunication there?
1. Chris Bosh.
In all honestly, San Antonio dominated my home team last night and deserved to take the series 3-2. The fans were friendly and despite the loss and dismal play by Miami, it was a great atmosphere for any sports fan. As I mentioned to my friend Drew after the game, I proclaimed Miami is a much better team than San Antonio, to which he casually and intelligently replied, “that’s why it’s a 7-game series – whoever wins is the better team.”
To read this original article and The Blonde Side’s column on COED Magazine, click here.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/att08900.jpg304405Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2013-06-17 13:33:272013-06-21 13:41:04A Disgruntled Heat Fan’s Observations From Game 5 in San Antonio
