aaron hernandez...

I was shocked to wake up this morning to read that the 27-year old former NFL football player hanged himself in his prison cell.   This was days after he was acquitted of double murder charges.

It makes me respect life more.  Aaron was such a talented football player and he just threw it all away for whatever reason.  It just makes me sad...

As I go into the 4th quarter of my life, it's disheartening that someone so young(even in prison without the possibility of parole)would take their life.  But I was not in his shoes, I don't know what was going through his mind.  

Everyday is crucial in this life, because you just never know...

lorenzo romar...

I was surprised, but not shocked that Romar was fired as head basketball coach at the University of Washington.

He had a good 15-year run(298-196), but this past season was just terrible and disappointing.   UDub had arguably the best player in the nation in Markelle Fultz and all they could muster is a 9-22 record with an extremely horrible 2-16 record in the Pac12.   Yes, Fultz missed six games in his one and done season, but there isn't any indication that Fultz would have helped the Huskies secure a better record, even if he played in those games.   Still Markelle Fultz could be the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

I was looking forward to seeing the nations #1 recruit out of Seattle's Nathan Hale High School Michael Porter Jr. play for the Dawgs next season- now it's most likely not going to happen, unless UW's rookie AD Jen Cohen pulls a rabbit out of her hat and hires former Husky Brandon Roy as the next head coach.   Roy was a first year coach at Nathan Hale and won the Washington State 3A Championship with a 29-0 record led by Michael Porter Jr. and his younger brother Jontay(another UW recruit).  Plus the #1 ranking in the country as I write this post.   Nathan Hale opted out of Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals Tournament later this month- which is like the mythical National High School Championship.

Let's backtrack regarding the Romar connection to the Porter Brothers.   Lorenzo Romar is the godfather to Michael Porter Jr..   Romar hired Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant coach this past season at $300K.   Porter Sr. was an assistant coach at Missouri in the Women's Basketball program.  That's not a move that is usually done.  Also, it relegated Brad Jackson an assistant with the Huskies since 2012 to a newly created special assistant position.  The NCAA has an archaic rule that a basketball program can have only three full-time assistant coaches.  The Porter Brothers led Columbia's Tolton Catholic High School to a Missouri State 3A Championship in 2016.

Now since Cuonzo Martin left CAL to become head coach at Missouri it's rumored that Porter Sr. may be hired as an assistant coach and Michael Jr and Jontay will follow.  Jontay a junior may reclassify and play with his older brother next season in college- where ever that may be?   Another interesting tidbit- the Porter sisters Ciera and Bri play for the Missouri women's basketball team.   Wow!

Cuonzo Martin is a younger version of Lorenzo Romar- great recruiter, yet an average coach in my view.   And strangely, I could foresee Romar getting hired at CAL.  That would make things interesting...

I've followed Lorenzo Romar's career from his playing days at UDub and Athletes in Action where he met Michael Porter Sr..  To UCLA where he was an assistant under Jim Harrick.  Romar helped the Bruins win the NCAA Championship in 1995.  Romar's first head coaching job was at Pepperdine, as was Harrick's.   Harrick resigned from UCLA under fire in 1996.   The timing was off because Romar was already head coach at Pepperdine and UCLA hired coaching neophyte Steve Lavin.  Then on to Saint Louis University and ultimately to Washington.  I was a fan.

My perception of Lorenzo Romar changed about ten years ago.   I saw him in person before a UDub- Boise State football game.   Jake Locker was the QB for the Huskies back then.  He just didn't pass the eye test to me.   I'm not going to elaborate any further.

I wish Lorenzo well.

mr. bings...

Business is business and I understand why Mr. Bings was sold and remodeled.  Unfortunately, the place has lost its soul.  It's sad, but that's just part of life in the Big City.

To be honest, I quit frequenting the joint several years before the new ownership. 

One reason, my friend Michael Chan, the long time bartender at Bings wasn't there as much as he used to be.   

And really, this post is about Michael.  

Can I tell you something or let me tell you something.  That's what Michael says when he wants to tell you something that's important to him.  

I had lost track of Michael for at least a few years. I was worried he was sick and even worse, I thought he might have passed. 

The other night after having a few Irish Coffees at the World Famous Buena Vista Cafe- I was hungry and I walked toward Chinatown to get something to eat.  It was late, about 2am.  There isn't very many places open in San Francisco, let alone Chinatown that are open that late. 

I stumbled upon a Vietnamese restaurant on Broadway called My Canh which I remembered closed late.   It appeared to closed, thus I was about to walk a few doors down to Sam's which was open and serves burgers & crappy pizza.   Then I hear someone yelling "Norm!"   It was Michael Chan. 

Man, I was happy to see him!   I said to him, I was going to Sam's since My Canh is closed.  He said, "No, no, I'll get you in."   Michael knows the people who run My Canh. 

Michael proceeded to order me a large bowl of pho and a raw beef dish in some type of red sauce.  Both hit the spot.   

We caught up while I was noshing on my pho and raw beef.  Michael is a traveling man- Asia, Europe, you name it.  

Then he kept telling he'll never forget my generosity.  I never even thought about it.  I don't like tooting my own horn, then again,  maybe I do...  perhaps in the past, I expected something in return- but I believe I evolved to give from my heart and that's it.  Giving gives me pleasure.  

Michael was kind enough to pay for my meal and an Uber ride back to my apartment.   

Michael Chan was always a kind and generous man and I'm very happy I ran into him at My Canh the other night.  

I rarely am out after 10pm, more like 9pm.  I enjoy being safe in the comfort of my home.  However, life is too short and precious and I need to venture out sometimes to see what this life has in store for me...

Thanks Michael! 

jim tomsula...

When he gets fired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, will he ever get another chance to be a head coach in the NFL?   I say, never, ever...

4-10 in his inaugural season and perhaps his only season with two games left.  I hope the Niners lose their next two games- next week at Detroit and end their horrible, horrible season at that wasteland in Santa Clara which is about 50 miles from my apartment in San Francisco.  Oh, the season finale is versus the St. Louis Rams who may or may not return to LA or the LA area.   Going off on a tangent- the Rams have the most overrated coach in the NFL; Jeff Fisher who makes $7M a year.  Twice what Ron Jeremy/Tomsula makes.   26-35-1 as the Rams head coach.  Let's not forget that tie against the Niners in 2012.  Wow!

This blog post is supposed to be about Tomsula, but I need to write a bit more about that lousy coach Fisher.  St. Louis could win their next two games and finish 8-8 which would be his best record as the Rams head coach.   Those three 13-3 seasons with the Tennessee Titans are ancient history...   It could happen, but it ain't gonna happen.   St. Louis faces the hottest team in the league- the Seattle Seahawks at the home of the NFL's 12th Man.   My prediction 7-9.   A loss in my hometown of Seattle and a win at Santa Clara before a sparse crowd of perhaps 28K.   Fisher still has one more year remaining on a $35M contract.  Will he be back next season?  I hope not.

Back to Tomsula.  He's a fucking rat and cockroach.  How does he survive through the coaching regimes of both Mike Singletary and Jim Harbaugh?  I believe he ratted on both Singletary and Harbaugh.  Tomsula was even the interim coach for one game after Singletary was fired.  I remember when that happened and I was thinking- who in the fuck is this guy?  Now, I'll never forget him; which is a bad thing...

The Niners under Tomsula are lucky to be 4-10.  That road win in Chicago was lucky, lucky, lucky.  Robbie Gould the kicker for the Bears gifted the game to San Francisco by missing a 36 yard game winning field goal as time expired.   What gets me is that the Niners got cocky after that win and got spanked by the lowly Browns the next week.

Numbers speak for themselves.  Even if the Niners finish 6-10 and I highly doubt they will, that still is a shitty record.

I saw San Francisco defensive lineman Ian Williams interviewed after the game by that midget on KPIX.  Williams was disappointed in the loss because he believes his team is talented.  What parallel universe is Williams living in?   If Williams believes his teammates are underachieving in games and then it's on the coaches and especially that former butcher- Jim Tomsula.  Okay, he wasn't a butcher, but I believe he was a meat salesman.  I will say that linebacker NaVorro Bowman has fully come back from his hideous injury.  He was all over the field.  Great, great linebacker.   Bowman is tied for the lead in combined tackles at 136 which includes assists.  And is leading the league in individual tackles at 100.

A loss is a loss.  There are no moral victories in football.  Yes, the Niners were down 24-0 at halftime against the Bengals and came back to lose 24-14.   Cincinnati was playing with a backup QB who has never started in the league.   So is losing with dignity acceptable?  I think not...

Do I feel sorry for Tomsula?  Not one iota.  He's making $3.5M a year and no other team in the NFL would have considered hiring him as a head coach.  I don't think they'll even hire him as a defensive coordinator.  He's suited to be a defensive line coach- that's it.

But we all know who put Tomsula in the position he has no business being in, but that's another story...

derek fisher...

My prediction, he won't last the 2015-2016 season as head coach of the Knicks.  Why Phil Jackson hired him in the first place is beyond my comprehension?  

Steve Kerr is a very smart man for reneging the Knicks offer for Golden State and we all know what happened- an NBA Championship for the Warriors for the first time in 40 years.  The Knicks haven't won a championship since 1973.

And won't win one in the foreseeable future.   

Fisher has been on my shit list since he weasled his way out of contract with the Utah Jazz to be closer to better treatment for his daughter who had eye cancer and subsequently re-signed with the Lakers.  The doctor who performed eye surgery on his daughter was in New York.  LA isn't closer to NY, than Salt Lake.  Plus, the Salt Lake region is well known to have great medical facilities.  

He also weasled out of a contract with Dallas and then signed with OKC.  I believe Mark Cuban is still pissed at him...

My buddy used to coach a high school team in the Bay Area and the team was lucky enough to watch a Lakers practice in the City.  After practice almost all the Lakers including Kobe stayed around and took pictures.  The only player that left was Derek Fisher...

By January 2016 Fisher will be fired, but still owed about $18M left on his $25M deal.  

Phil Jackson has proven he can coach, but at this point in time- he doesn't seem to know how to run an NBA franchise.  

albert tanimura...

He was my Auntie Patsy's husband.  A good man who left us a few days ago.  

He was married to my Aunt for over 50 years.  

One memory I had of Albert is he suggested I go to Punahou while visiting his home in Manoa in the 70's.   It sounded like a grand idea at the time- but realistically, my parents probably couldn't afford the tuition and my home was in Seattle.

At least I saw Albert about four months ago at my mom's 90th birthday party.  

Rest in peace Uncle Albert.  

ellen pao...

I wish she'd just go away...

I've read much about her in the past six months- too much.  

Don't understand her marriage to Buddy Fletcher?  I have never seen a picture with her and the man who allegedly took millions to satisfy an over the top lifestyle.  

Pao more than likely lives in the Bay Area. I'm guessing Buddy Boy lives in New York?  One of those bicoastal marriages. 

We'll see if Reddit fires her as interim CEO...