ryan braun...

From all the articles I've read on the overturning of his suspension, not one says he was found innocent of taking PEDs.  He got off because of the chain of custody involving the blood sample.

Many have said, Braun's testosterone level was at an extremely high level.  Athletes in other sports have tested that high.

The kid has had great numbers for the Brewers and I just want to see how well he plays this season.  One factor he won't have Prince Fielder protecting him in the lineup.

jeremy lin...

It was painful to watch the Heat beat the Knicks.  Lin had a terrible game shooting and was stripped twice by Miami's point guards who both dunked the ball with two hands to add an exclamation point to their steals.

Jeremy only scored 8 points on 1-11 shooting from field with 8 turnovers and only 3 assists.  On the bright side, Lin was 6-6 from free throw line, with 6 rebounds and 3 steals.  

The Heat looked so much more athletic and quicker than the Knicks.  This is the third loss in Lin's streak and each loss put the Knicks under .500.  

palio paninoteca...

On Montgomery and Commercial. Between Sacramento and Clay.

A good place to relax and have a cup of coffee in the City.

I used to frequent the joint quite a bit in the past.

I like sitting near the window facing Montgomery.

kris humphries...

I remember when the kid played in the McDonald's All American game.   I thought he was a good player, I didn't think it would take him so long to develop.  He probably left the University of Minnesota too early.  Humphries left after his freshman season.

Forget about his short lived marriage to that head case,  Humphries is a tough NBA player.  The guy can rebound.  He's especially tough on the offensive boards.   Kris is also averaging a double-double this season, as he did last season.  His scoring is up almost 4 points a game.

Humphries is still only 26 and he's in his 8th season in the Association.

kate upton...

19 years old and on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  Apparently, she isn't going out with Jets QB Mark Sanchez.  Whether I believe her is another story.  Sanchez likes them young.  Kate is one of the hottest SI cover models of all-time and I'm old.  I remember how hot Cheryl Tiegs was.

deron williams...

He's one of the best point guards in the NBA and he basically killed the Knicks on Monday night.  I still can't stand the bastard.  His behavior with Jerry Sloan last season was inexcusable!  Sloan signs a contract extension and quits a few days later.  What makes it worse is Williams gets traded to the Nets and the Jazz end up without both Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams.  Williams is a coach killer...

The Knicks really missed the defense of Iman Shumpert against New Jersey.

gilbert arenas and jeremy lin...

They've developed a friendship since last summer after they played against each other in an all Warriors game.  Lin was a fan of Arenas when he played for the Warriors.

Arenas says he talks to Lin every week.  He gives Jeremy advice on watching tape.  Like studying the defender behind the guy who's guarding you.

They do have some similarities because Arenas didn't get a chance to play until after 40 something games in his rookie season.  Gilbert Arenas was the Warriors 2nd round pick in 2001.

Both are decent sized point guards without great athleticism.

twitter idiots...

Jason Whitlock
Floyd Mayweather
Rex Chapman

1 california bus...

At certain times, it's a fucking bear riding this line. Absolutely no fun...

cellphone use in restaurants...

I fucking hate it!! I'm trying to enjoy my meal and this wench is yapping on the phone next to me. That's why I always carry headphones on me...

the lin effect...

I'm even watching the Heat-Magic game to see how well LeBron is playing.  The Magic starts Ryan Anderson from CAL who I saw play live several times at Pete Newell Court.

Two weeks ago,  before Lisanity, I wouldn't have bothered to watch the game.

I'm a bigger NBA fan than college basketball which hasn't been true for me since the 70's...

jared jeffries...

I never thought much of his game after he came out of Indiana.  He's doesn't play a pretty game, but he's a hustler.  Jared plays good defense and just brings great energy into the game for the Knicks.

mark zuckerberg...

In MSG for Linsania for the game against the Mavs.

hubie brown...

I just get so much joy listening to Hubie talk about basketball.  He knows basketball better than anyone. Yes, I'll say it again- better than anyone...

It also helps he's a big Jeremy Lin fan...

And Hubie will be announcing the Knicks-Mavericks game on ABC on Sunday.  10am PST.

the nba...

Winning streaks are impressive, even if they are against less than .500 teams.  On any given night, any NBA team can beat another NBA team.  Just today, the lowly New Jersey Nets beat the Chicago Bulls.  Yes, the Bulls are playing without Derrick Rose, yet the Nets were on an 8-game losing streak.

The Knicks opponent the New Orleans on Friday night, were on a 2-game winning streak, which represented 33% of their wins at that moment in time.  After their win over New York, New Orleans has 7 wins and are on a 3-game winning streak.  That's 43% of their win total for this season.  

San Antonio is on a 10-game win streak.  New Yorks' opponent tomorrow in the New Garden the Dallas Mavericks are on a 6-game win-streak.

the lin effect...

How much the rise of Jeremy Lin has effected the economy.  I'd rather stay home and save money, but I'm going to a NY sports bar in the City each time the Knicks are playing on MSG.  Madison Square Garden network, not monosodium glutamate.   I'll soon be buying the NBA League Pass on my iPhone.

My sis just bought the NBA League Pass for her home on Direct TV.

The MSG stock has gone up in value since Linsanity around 10%.   Adding over 100 million in value to the company.

I'm sure the Italian restaurant in the Meatpacking District- Valbella will do more business after Lin celebrated his father's birthday at the restaurant with his mom,  teammate Landry Fields, and I'm guessing his dental student brother.

His jersey is a runaway bestseller.

Road games have been sellouts.

It's goes on and on...   The Lin Effect...

Just announced, the new Linsanity shoe by Nike.

Even Sarah Palin loves Jeremy Lin.  She procured a Linsanity t-shirt.  I have to say I smiled after seeing the video and I not a fan of Sarah.  She does like basketball players- her booty call with Glen Rice back at the Alaska Shootout when he was at Michigan.

gary carter...

The former Montreal Expo and New York Mets catcher just died at 57.   Too young to die.  Carter was part of the 1986 World Series Champion Mets.  

   

A Hall of Famer.  Carter also played briefly with the Dodgers and my San Francisco Giants.  

Carter succumbed to brain cancer. 

donald trump...

Never liked the guy.  My opinion.  I like how Nevada will never give him a gaming license.  I heard Steve Wynn can't stand the guy and that's one reason Trump is basically persona non grata in Las Vegas.  I look at the Trump Tower in Vegas and there's no gambling there and I laugh...

bleacher report...

The sports website can be interesting at times, but it's not a reliable source of sports news.  Many of the contributors don't know what the fuck they're talking about!!

This fat fuck contributor and I won't even bother to remember his name thinks Baron Davis will start when he returns.   Let's make that if Baron returns.  Baron has always had a conditioning problem.  He can get in shape, but his desire to be around the Hollywood crowd and now probably the Manhattan elite makes him soft.   He has in his past showed up for a game reeking of alcohol.  Golden State 2008.

Baron, at the very best at this point in his career, he's a backup.  If Baron can play about 15 minutes a game giving Lin some rest, than he'll be valuable to the Knicks.   We'll just have to wait and see...

And this point is really getting ridiculous- whether Melo can play with Lin.  Anthony is the one who suggested to D'Antoni that he should give Jeremy a shot.

This is back at the Cuse, but Carmelo won a NCAA Championship with a limited point guard named Gerry McNamara.   Jeremy is way better than McNamara would ever dream to be.  The point is Anthony was a winner and can still be a winner in the NBA.

Lin doesn't need to score 20 points a game.  If that is what the defense is giving him, we all know he's capable.  But, it's more crucial that he distributes and gets all his teammates involved in the flow of the game.

He's not a perfect player, but who in the NBA is?  No one.  Jeremy needs to cut down on his turnovers.  He said he'll study film.  His defense isn't great, but it's improving.  He'll work on his jumper and he's better driving to the left than most so-called experts think.

The bottom line is Lin is a worker and has the smarts to realize there's always room for improvement.

banh mi...

Vietnamese sandwiches.  I'm not a big fan, but they can be very good.

The problem is banh mi is the new sandwich rage and you're seeing banh mi shop open up all over the place.

I just tried one today and it was the most flavorless banh mi I've ever eaten.  Luckily, there was a tiny bottle of fish sauce on the table to add some much needed flavor.

There's more margin for error in banh mi, unlike sushi which really is fucked up in the states.  Every tom, dick, and harriet thinks they can open up a sushi joint.  They can, but most are really shitty!  In Japan, it takes about three years just to learn how to make the gohan(rice).  

I may to try another banh mi tomorrow to get a read on what a good one is...

keith smart...

After doing a shitty job with the Golden State Warriors last year, he lucked into the Sacramento job when Paul Westphal couldn't cut it with head case DeMarcus Cousins.

Smart was a guard on Indiana's 1987 NCAA Championship team- he made the game winning shot.  Smart who I don't think is Smart doesn't seem to know how to develop guards.  He has 2011 NCAA Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette on his roster, but has played around with his minutes and on Tuesday night, Jimmer had his third DNP(did not play)- CD(coaches decison)this month.  On February 2, it was Jimmer's first DNP-CD in his career, college, high school, etc...

My UW guy 5'8 Isaiah Thomas is getting Jimmer's minutes now.   Okay, Isaiah is probably closer to 5'7.

Smart did a horrible job developing Jeremy Lin last season with the Warriors.   Hardly played him.  

Keith Smart isn't an NBA head coach.  Mark my words...

iman shumpert...

His decision making on the court isn't always good, but the guy can play D.  Toronto point guard Jose Calderon was killing the Knicks(25 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals) and once Iman started guarding him,  Calderon was neutralized.

Shumpert isn't a point guard, but he will be an effective 2 guard, who can hit the 3, drive to the hole, and play great defense.   He just needs to be smarter on the court.

landry fields...

Lin and Landry were destined to play together.   Jeremy wanted to play for Stanford which is right across the street from Palo Alto High and in 2006 Landry Fields was recruited to play for Stanford by current LSU coach Trent Johnson where Fields had an excellent four year career with the Cardinal.

Trent Johnson made a big mistake by not giving Lin a scholarship and what makes it worse is his attitude is a bad about it.  All he had to say is that he made a mistake, but all I read is that he doesn't over recruit players and why didn't he walk on?   For chrissakes, Lin was right across the street!  Saving a ton on recruiting costs.

mark jackson...

He's in defensive mode after Spike Lee tweeted him thanking him for letting Lin go.

Jackson said he never saw Jeremy Lin shoot a layup.  This is cause for concern, because the day Jackson was hired he should have studied tape on every player under contract at that moment in time.  Perhaps, the lockout prohibited direct contact with the players, but come on- Jackson didn't do his homework.

The Warriors won their second straight game beating the Houston Rockets(two teams that waived Lin).  They are starting to play Udoh, which the Warriors should have done all along instead of wasting money on Kwame Brown.   At this point in time, they should give up on Biedrins, start Udoh and see if Jeremy Tyler can play.

jason whitlock...

That fat fuck is a fucking idiot!  He made a half attempt at an apology regarding a tweet that was a thinly veiled attack on Jeremy Lin.

He said he cried when Tiger Woods won a major.  Dumb shit, Tiger is half-Asian.  Actually more Asian than Black, because his father was a quarter Chinese, a quarter Native American, and half Black.

His favorite quarterback is Jeff George, so you know the fat fuck is a moron!

nba...

I haven't this much enthusiasm for the NBA in years.  I'm even watching the Bulls/Celtics game to pull for Chicago so the Knicks can get closer to the Celtics in the standing.  The Knicks are 2 games behind the Celtics.

I just don't understand why few NBA players shoot the ball off the backboard?  It's an easy shot.

No Derrick Rose out with back spasms.  Ex-Warrior C.J. Watson is a decent backup PG.  Another ex-Warrior in the game- Frenchman Mikael Pietrus.

JaJuan Johnson a rookie forward out of Purdue is having an excellent game.   A career high 12 points with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot.

spike lee...

He's definitely a Jeremy Lin fan now.   I heard him on ESPN Radio New York talking to Screaming Stephen A. Smith about how happy he is about the Knicks finally having a point guard.  And saying that JLin can play.  Smith is finally coming along, but I still hear apprehension in his voice.   Which says,  Stephen A. Smith is a shitty actor.

Let me get to the text message Spike sent to lousy Warriors coach Mark Jackson thanking him for letting Lin go.  Jackson didn't take the text too kindly and said something to the effect that he had never seen him play.  That's a red flag there, because when Jackson took over as coach of the Warriors he should have done research on every player currently on Golden State's roster.   Watching video and so on...

Spike Lee > Mark Jackson.

new york knicks...

The Knicks are now in the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference 1/2 game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.   And 2 games behind Boston for the 7th spot.

As well as Philly is playing 19-9,  I just don't think they'll keep it up.  Doug Collins is doing a great job as coach.

Realistically, the Knicks can get up to the 6th spot in the East.

trent johnson...

The former Stanford basketball coach who failed to recruit Jeremy Lin.  Peter Diepenbrock Lin's coach at Palo Alto High which is directly across the street from Stanford on El Camino Real in Palo Alto has said that Trent Johnson misled Lin when he half-assed recruited him.  I'm not going to get into the details of the situation, but Johnson fucked up.

Johnson is now doing a shitty job at LSU and I wouldn't be surprised if he's let go after this season.

I think a lot of it has to do with integrity.   Something that isn't prevalent in big time college basketball.

greg monroe...

The Detroit Piston big man is averaging 16 points,  10 rebounds a game.   As Warrior fans know he was available when the Warriors picked 6th in 2010 NBA Draft.   Detroit picked Monroe with the 7th pick.

Epke Udoh, the Warriors draft pick is averaging 4 points, 3.4 boards a game.   On the bright side, Udoh averages 1.6 blocks per game.

Another reason the Golden State Warriors are horrible...

And Monroe leads the Pistons with 1.5 steals a game.

the nba...

I should probably change the name of this blog to linnotes...

Three months ago, I really didn't care if the Association had a season.  I really didn't.  Then Jeremy Lin was cut by the Warriors.  I quit being a Golden State fan after that move.

He gets cut by the Rockets a couple weeks later and gets picked up by the Knicks and rarely plays.   I go to the Sundance Film Festival in January and when I get back I read that Lin has a triple-double in the D-League and he starts to get some playing time for the Knickerbockers.

Now this... Unfuckingreal!  He's saved the NBA, saved the Knicks, and saved D'Antoni's job.

I only wish my niece and nephew still lived in Manhattan...

houston rockets...

I can't fault  GM Daryl Morey for waiving Lin.   The Rockets have three point guards on their roster Kyle Lowery, Goran Dragic, and Jonny Flynn.  I don't think any of the three are as good as Lin, but they shouldn't have picked him up in the first place, if they weren't going to give him a shot.

Now, the Warriors are another story.   Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry aren't true point guards.  Their combo guards.  People think Curry will be a decent point guard, but he'll never be a real point guard.  He's an undersized 2, a shooting guard.   When they cut Lin, they had no backup other than that 2nd round pick from Hofstra.   A real dumb move since Curry can't stay healthy- the guy is fragile.  Just look at him.

new york knicks...

I grew up in Seattle, Washington and the first team I really enjoyed as a kid was the Knicks team of the 70's with Walt "Clyde" Frazier,  Willis Reed,  Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas, Phil Jackson, Dean Meminger, etc...   Coached by the legendary Red Holzman.   They won NBA Championships in 1971 and 1973.

Now, with Jeremy Lin on the Knicks,  I am once again a Knicks fan about 40 years later.   Okay, I liked the Knickerbockers with Patrick Ewing a bit.

The Knicks are 1/2 game out the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks.

david lee...

It's been rumored that David Lee is letting Jeremy Lin use his New York apartment.   I used to joke last year that the Warriors had two Chinese guys on the team Lee and Lin.   Weak joke...

Anyway, I'm no longer a Warriors fan, but I am a David Lee fan.  Yes, he's overpaid for what he is, but Golden State was willing to pay him.  

Lin has credited Lee with helping him with the transition from college ball to the NBA.  

joe lacob...

The lousy Warriors owner is quoted as saying he was right about Lin.   What a bunch of bullshit!  The Ws got rid of Lin on the first day of practice of this shortened season.

He should be saying that he made a big mistake by letting Jeremy Lin go.   Just like he make a big mistake by hiring clueless Mark Jackson as a coach.   Don't get me started with Kwame Brown and that Jenkins kid from Hofstra.

mike brown...

The clueless coach of the Lakers said that he knows nothing of Lin and had never seen him play.

The Lakers were one of the teams trying to sign Lin after his 2010 NBA Summer League performance.  I realize Brown wasn't the coach at that time, but it just goes to show you he hasn't down his homework.

The Lakers aren't the team they used be without Phil Jackson in the helm.

jeremy lin...

Just heard about a 9 minute audio interview with Jeremy Lin.  It started off a bit slow, but I really like the kid as a person.  I'm not a religious person, but I respect his faith.

What I learned from Lin is that when he was waived by the Warriors on December 9th, he didn't see it coming.  My god, it was halfway through the first practice of the season.  His agent had no indication.  The Warriors did what they always do- they fuck up personnel moves.

Jeremy was very disappointed in being waived, but his belief in himself and in god gave him the strength to persevere.  I'm so happy for the kid!

joe lacob...

Co-Executive Chairman, CEO & Governor of the Golden State Warriors.  Does the guy need that many titles?

I read his bio on the Warriors website and when I read he played a significant role in hiring Mark Jackson, I realize he doesn't know what he's doing regarding running an NBA team...

And reading in another publication that he wanted Stanford to recruit Lin out of Paly High is probably a half truth.  If he had any pull as a Stanford booster- Lin would have been on the Stanford roster.   You know,  Lin would have qualified academically and had the required SAT score.

And if he liked Lin so much and the story that his son knew and played ball with Jeremy is another embellishment.   If he was such Lin fan, he wouldn't have cut him to try to sign DeAndre Jordan.

The jury is still out, but this Lacob fellow is no better than Chris Cohen.   Wow!  And that's really bad...

jeremy lin...

23 points with 10 assists.  His first double-double.  A career-high in assists and leading the Knicks to their third straight win over the lowly Washington Wizards improving their record to 11-15.

He only had 2 turnovers this game.  A 5-1 turnover to assist ratio is fantastic.

Linsanity!!!!

mark jackson...

I still can't believe this guy was hired as the Warrior's coach?   Yes, he was a great point guard in the league with an unorthodox style, but that doesn't translate into NBA coaching success...

I wanted to read that Jackson admits a mistake that the Warriors waived Jeremy Lin.  All he said, he's a good guy.   Jackson didn't say that Lin is a good player.  Mark Jackson is full of shit...

I'm happy for my Rainier Beach/UW guy Nate Robinson's success with the W's.  Note: I went to Rainier Beach High and the University of Washington in Seattle.

However, the point is that Lin was waived to clear salary cap room for the unsuccessful bid for D'Andre Jordan and I believe Mark Jackson's thinking that an Asian kid can't play and couldn't beat out rookie 2nd round pick what's his name?  Charles Jenkins.  Lin is way better than Jenkins.

jeremy lin...

I'm so happy for the kid!  And now that his $788K contract is guaranteed for the rest of the season, he can get a place in Manhattan.  Not a great place with Manhattan prices, but better than sleeping on his older brother's couch and Knick's teammate/Stanford's Landry Field's couch.

twitter...

I'm not a big fan of twitter, although the company is based in San Francisco.  People can't shut the fuck up on the micro-blogging site!  For me, it's good to find out certain info, but I rarely tweet.  I'd rather rant on my blog.

stephen curry...

I've watched the kid enough to realize he's not a point guard.  He's a 2.  An undersized shooting guard.  The Warriors are starting two guards who are small and don't have legitimate point guard skills.

Even my Rainier Beach/UDub guy Nate Robinson isn't a legitimate point guard and he's even smaller.

I've never seen rookie PG Charles Jenkins play, but I know he isn't better than Jeremy Lin and one reason Lin was cut by the Warriors is the powers that be didn't think Lin could beat out Jenkins.  That's a crock of shit!

Another thing I don't like about Curry is that he's injury prone.   I definitely wouldn't build a team around him.

jeremy lin...

28 points 8 assists 2 rebounds 2 steals in 45 minutes in a win over the Utah Jazz in his first start for the Knicks.  8 turnovers was the only blemish to another career high in scoring by Lin.

Can't wait until Wednesday when the Knicks play the Wizards and John Wall.  A rematch of the 2010 NBA Summer League matchup where Lin outplayed Wall which led to four teams vying to sign free agent Lin.

madonna lip syncing...

She can't do a live performance without lip syncing.   Sure, she's successful and makes a ton of money, but give me a fucking break- lip syncing is horrible!

I went to a Madonna concert over 20 years ago and she lip synched most of the concert- what a waste of fucking money!

jeremy lin...

I'm so happy that Lin finally got some PT and he scores a career high 25 points in 35 minutes with 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals leading the Knicks over the Nets.  A win that saved coach D'Antoni's job for the time being.

I've followed Lin since I saw him play for the California state high school championship for Paly(Palo Alto) High in Sacramento against Socal powerhouse Mater Dei in 2006.

meryl streep...

I can't believe Streep hasn't won an Oscar for best actress since 1983 for SOPHIE'S CHOICE...  She's nominated this year for THE IRON LADY depicting Margaret Thatcher.   I believe Viola Davis is the front runner in THE HELP, but it wouldn't surprise me if Streep wins her second best actress Academy Award and third overall.   She won a best supporting actress Oscar for KRAMER VS KRAMER in 1980.

A year and a half ago I saw Streep at JFK.  My sister named my niece Meryl in honor of Meryl Streep.  My niece will be 30 next month.

being native to san francisco...

I am not.  I've lived in San Francisco off and on since the late 70's(my current stint 1997 to the present), but never will I admit to being native.   I am and will always be from Seattle, Washington.

I know to call San Francisco, the City, not San Fran like that fat fuck Curt Menefee on the NFL on Fox keeps calling my city.  Yes, it's my city, but I'm not a native... That idiot really pisses me off.   And it ain't Frisco.  Frisco is a town in Texas.