News & Notes: 5/30/07, Kobe, Hockey, Bonds

Bah! First, in the most overhyped storyline of the day, Kobe Bryant is apparently asking for a trade from the L.A. Lakers.

This site lists the Bulls as the 3/1 favorites to land him. But the question is, do the Bulls want him?

Well, I'm not the Bulls, but I am me, so let's rephrase that question to "As a Bulls fan, do I want him?"

Short answer, yes. Long answer, if Luol Deng isn't traded for him, then a big time yes. The rumors floating around include players like Deng, Ben Gordon, and Ben Wallace. But like all things sports, we'll just have to wait and see. I remain excited and optimistic. If we get him, that'd be stellar, but if not, oh well.

It's win-win.

Next item: Hockey.

I've been disinterested with the NHL since probably the late 90s. I never really followed hockey on a regular basis, but that could be because the Chicago Blackhawks have been absolutely terrible. I loved the Colorado Avalanche and Patrick Roy for a while, but it was more of a bandwagon thing. And all I really did was watch a few highlights on SportsCenter and a playoff game here and there.

But last night, things changed -- uh, maybe.

I was watching Comcast SportsNet last night, and they did a piece which talked about Jonathan Toews, a guy the Hawks drafted third in 2006. Toews could potentially be a stud. He has a Canadian Gold medal at the World Championships under his belt, he took his North Dakota team to the Frozen Four, and oh, he's 19. Yeah, two years younger than me.

Toews, combined with whoever the Blackhawks select with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, immediately makes the team interesting again. Will they be contenders right away? Probably not. But it's getting me to care again, and that's something I haven't done for a while.

So, my 2007-08 policy is going to work like this: I'll aggressively follow the team for the first month of the season, and if they are still in contention at the end of that month, I'll continue to follow them until they fall out of the playoff race.

It could be interesting. Right? ... Maybe?

We'll see.

And lastly for today, bodacious Barry Bonds.

Not a lot to say, other than a quick comment on his amazing quote yesterday. This was his response when asked if he'd donate his home run memorabilia to the Hall of Fame:

"I'm not worried about the Hall," the San Francisco slugger said during a recent homer drought.

"I take care of me."

"Doesn't everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?" he said last week.

He's the best.

Predictably, everyone in the media is freaking out about it, but if that quote makes you mad, it's probably just because Bonds said it. Think about it, why should Barry Bonds have any obligation to donate his personal items to a Hall of Fame that may not admit him as a player? It makes no sense.

Is it really that selfish? Not if you ask me.

Either way, Bonds gets to keep his gear while the haters keep grinding their teeth.

Can't get too mad about that.

Favoritism In The NBA Final 4

In what's become an annual tradition in my AIM Profile, I break down my rooting interest once my favorite team -- in this case, the Bulls -- is eliminated from contention in the post-season. On tap for right now, the NBA.

Remember, this isn't who I think is going to win (if you must know, I picked the San Antonio Spurs in my DI Point-Counterpoint), it's just who I'm pullin' for.

Favoritism in the NBA Final 4

1) Detroit Pistons - It's never a bad thing to be eliminated by the eventual champions, and in this case, they'd deserve it. Of the remaining teams, I like Detroit best for a few reasons.

• Rasheed Wallace: The guy is so misunderstood that it hurts. His passion for the game is infectious, and anyone who can't get past his high amount of technicals is just too close minded to have ever understood him in the first place. Does his emotion compromise the team? Yeah, sometimes. But without him, they aren't winning squat.
  
• Mason: I love the Pistons PA guy. Call him annoying, but if you can't get into "DEE-TROIT, BASKET-BALL," what can you get into?
  
• Tayshaun Prince: Probably one of my Top 10 favorite players in the NBA. He ranges from good to really good at just about everything; almost like an evolved version of Luol Deng. It's probably why I like him so much.
  
• Chris Webber: Say what you want about C-Webb, but I love him. He's one of the few players in the league that makes me smile with just about everything he does. Maybe it's my Michigan bias, but some way, some how, he just has to make up for that timeout he called in the NCAA Finals oh-so long ago. What better way to do it than with a ring?
  
• The East: I want it made clear, I do believe the West is the better conference, but at the same time, people have spent this season treating the East like it doesn't even belong in the NBA. Don't get me wrong, it's been a rough go for the Leastern Conference this year, but need I remind you that the East has produced two of the last three champions? Sure, Miami was a fluke and a lot of analysts also argue that the West teams "beat each other up," which weakens them come NBA Finals time, but to that, I say "whatever."

...and although I won't go into detail, I'm also a big fan of Billups and Hamilton. Those guys are the best back court in the league. No contest. So yeah, I guess I could have just listed "The Pistons Starting Lineup" as one of my reasons.

2) San Antonio Spurs - Again, they have the "been there, done that" feel to them because they have in fact been there and done that. So seeing a team like this win isn't going to hurt, because nothing's really at stake. They also get bonus points because I picked them to win in the DI, and I like looking right. Docked points for Bruce Bowen. Does any non-Spurs fan like him at this point?

3) Utah Jazz - Watching old highlights of MJ, Scottie, and Co. torching the Utah Jazz almost a decade ago really made me nostalgic about watching this team lose, and I took a special enjoyment of seeing that happen in Salt Lake. Although I really enjoy Deron Williams, have come around on Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, and can tolerate AK-47, John Amaechi's words about Jerry Sloan's bigotry are still in my mind, and the obvious racism of their fans -- pushed even more into the spotlight by Golden State players -- makes them almost impossible to get behind.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Why hate on Ohio? Eh, a few reasons. First, LeBron James has replaced Peyton Manning on my "amazing player who I hope doesn't win a title even though he probably deserves one" list. No real reason other than the fact that he's a rival of the Chicago Bulls and also because he's been known to take games off. I also think the whole quote about his biggest goal being "global icon" shouldn't precede win an NBA title, which, you know, is his actual job. Bonus hate points: that weird hair on the back of Gooden's head, Mike Brown's questionable coaching prowess, and, of course, Anderson Varejao.

-

Here's to that playing out in the most desirable way possible.

Bulls-Pistons: DOA, Field of Dreams

Well, if I've learned anything about the Bulls-Pistons Round 2 series, it's that it's a lot harder to write about your favorite team when they are being disassembled by a much, much better team.

The Pistons really turned it on the past three games, and there's really not a lot to say. When people have asked me about the series, I've pretty much said the only thing there you can: the Bulls are being outclassed in just about every phase of the game. And I'm really developing a distaste for Ben Wallace. Yeah, he can shutdown some of the best traditional centers in the NBA, but really, how many teams still use centers like that? You've got Shaq, Yao, Dwight Howard...am I forgetting anyone? Even if I am, there aren't more than a handful, and playing 4 verse 5 on offense isn't helping the Bulls score points. That said, I don't miss T-Chan, and I think, even now, he's half the player that Big Ben is.

Here's to the Baby/Grown Up/Losing Bulls not getting swept.

***

In slightly more cheerful news, I took a trip to the Field of Dreams with P and Healy two days ago. Since I don't really feel like re-writing about it here, I'll just re-post the column I wrote for the Daily Iowan:

Dream Field
Bobby Loesch - The Daily Iowan
Issue Date: 5/11/07 Section: Sports

Between a light finals schedule this week, my beat coverage winding down, and this amazing weather we've been having, my buddies P, Healy, and I planned a trip to Dyersville, Iowa, to see the Field of Dreams, made famous as a setting in the 1989 movie of the same name.

Before the trip, I did a Wikipedia search on the film just to brush up on some stuff and check out trivia. All of the info was pretty standard, but the quotation, "The restored relationship between protagonist Kinsella and his father is notable for making male viewers cry," had me laughing.

Anyway, we made the hour-and-a-half drive from Iowa City, and at about half past noon, the field was in sight.

"There's a guy with his shirt off," Healy said.

Little did he know it was actually a wooden statue of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.

We parked the car in the gravel lot in between cars with Iowa and Wisconsin plates and made our way toward the field. Going in, we estimated as many as 20 people would be around, but those guesses ended up being overzealous - there were no more than five or six.

The Gift Shop(s)

Before we took the field, we headed over to the gift shop, which, according to Healy's online research, lent out baseballs and gloves for people to play catch. But there was a problem, there were two separate gift shops.

One, called "Field of Dreams" was approximately 100 feet behind home plate, while the other, called "Field of Dreams Souveniers" was located by third base. The first gift shop, which is managed by the Lansing family, who own the field, uses proceeds for the maintenance and upkeep of the field, farm, and house. The other shop is owned by a different farmer who leased it to out-of-sate investors not associated with the Lansing farm or family. Naturally, I drifted to the first one, which I perceived to be less evil.

Standing in front of T-shirts, stickers, baseballs, and even actual DVD copies of the movie was an elderly woman named Marcia Weigell, who has worked at the field for
18 years. Much to our disappointment, she told us the shop had to stop lending out balls and gloves because of pending lawsuits. Luckily, Healy had a mitt and a tennis ball in his car, so we made do.

Weigell estimated 50,000 people visit the field each season, which lasts between April and November.

"Most people are happy to come down," said Weigell, who has been interviewed by countless television and newspaper reporters. "Some people who come are actually emotional because they just lost their father, but for the most part, people are just
happy."

I guess Wikipedia was right. It was my fault to question its power.

The Field of Dreams

"They built it, and I came," P said after we finally stepped onto the field.

After playing some pitch and catch, half-jogging the base paths, snapping some pictures, and looking into the not-yet-grown cornfields in the outfield, Healy asked me to throw a pop-up to him. As I obliged, I noticed power lines running over left and center field. After getting more information out of Weigell, I learned the power lines are the divider between the Lansing farm and the farm that leases the out-of-state shop. It depressed me to think something so pure and serene as the Field of Dreams could be tarnished by commerciality, but I did my best to block it out.

Now, I'm not one for simple pleasures - I'll take A/C and a television over a camping trip on most days - but the overwhelming simplicity of the scenery really captivated me. Mixing it with a gorgeous mid-May day, and it was one hell of an afternoon.

"I haven't felt this emotional since Friday Night Lights," P said in a serious tone.

I wasn't sure if he was joking.

All problems aside, I'd say the trip is a must-do for any baseball fan, serious to casual. And because I don't have a clever "If you build it, they will come"-type ending, I think I'll leave you with a phrase I saw on the back of the Field of Dreams sign as we made our way towards to the car:

Live the magic, Have faith in simplicity, and Always dare to dream.

News & Notes: 5/2/07, Grown Up Bulls, St. Louis Trip Nixed, Moss, Keyshawn

Sorry for my lack of timeliness on some of these subjects, but I got pretty burned out after my live-blog. Nevertheless, I'm back, baby!

First off, the Grown Up Bulls sweep the Miami Heat in Round 1. It all happened so fast. I had a meeting for the newspaper, so I actually missed the last eight minutes or so of game time, but when I found out the Bulls actually closed it out, I was partly surprised. I mean, yeah, I thought the Heat would quit on the series, but they're the defending champions, right? Playing at home? Man, the Bulls have come a long way.

Second, I know I ended my last post talking about my trip to St. Louis. Well, that couldn't have ended (or, started?) worse. Minutes before we hit the highway, we got news of Josh Hancock's death, and needless to say, we never made it to St. Louis because the game was postponed. Sad story, and made more angering due to the fact that the whole thing is likely DUI related. Ugh.

In better news, Randy Moss is headed to the Patriots!

First, the only negative I see: it puts a helluva lot of pressure on the Patriots. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is crowning the Pats as the Super Bowl 42 Champs, and the whole thing is giving me an eerie Carolina Panthers vibe. I don't like it one bit.

I won't list the positives, because they're obvious, but I will give a few reasons why I think the situation won't be catastrophic.

1. It's clear that Moss is awfully motivated. In all of his interviews around draft day, he kept talking about how all of the uncertainty about what team he'd be playing for led to him working out and training harder than he'd ever trained before. Maybe he's lying, but I don't think he is, and when he's delivering quotes like "You're going to see things from me that you've never seen before," you better believe I'm fired up.
2. He took a pay cut to play for the Pats. It's clear winning is his No. 1 priority, now.
3. The Patriots gave up a 4th round pick on him. That's it. No matter what happens, it's clear they got a bargain deal for a player with a high ceiling of potential.
4. Even if -- going against everything I believe -- Moss becomes a problem, the Patriots have enough depth at wide receiver now to cut all ties immediately. Moss' one-year deal gives the Pats a lot of flexibility. But again, I really don't see any negatives spawning from this. The only reason people will be worried is because the sports media will give them reasons so to worry. You just have to look at the situation; Moss has clearly matured, and I think he's willing to put his past behind him and finally come into his own on a winning team.

And last, but not least, how could I not mention Keyshawn Johnson getting cut from the Carolina Panthers. I noted the irony on Draft Day of the Panthers drafting USC wide-out Dwayne Jarrett because Keyshawn said Jarrett wasn't ready for the NFL. Now? Jarrett's on Keyshawn's old team. Sports are amazing, sometimes.

Either way, best of luck to Keyshawn in the future. I always liked him.