Ten years later Zach Baker remembers everything about O.J., including where he was the the Juice got loose.
By Zack Baker
210 west Writer [send email]
Most of us probably remember where we were when we heard the words nine years ago.
“Not Guilty.”
In what was dubbed “the trial of the century,” the curtain had fallen on the stranger-than-fiction O.J Simpson trial, with those two words.
It’s now been 10 years since the murders took place, but every once in a while a story about the case will pop up, this month it has been with intense frequency. Usually its O.J opening his mouth again, bashing the victims and emberassing himself.
In fact, when the case does come up, it’s more for a joke than anything else.
Most people seem to believe Simpson to be guilty, so the case that found him not guilty is nothing but a farce, a joke.
Nine years ago however, it was no joke. It was the biggest story in the world. From June 1994 to August of 1995, there was little else on CNN. The only exception was the Oklahoma City bombing, which was as big of a story, certainly bigger in its aftermath.
The tales of Simpson and the cast of characters that surrounded him made for good television. Much of the trial itself was carried on the station.
Here we are 10 years later. We live in a post-9-11 world, a world where the words that make headlines are “war” and “terrorism.”
I wonder if O.J would even make a dent today in the news.
Robert Blake has seen no real headlines for his murder case, or at least not to the level of Simpson. In fact as I write this, I couldn’t tell you how far along that case is. (Of course, Robert Blake was not as big of a star as O.J, and certainly did not have the spotless smiling image.)
But in 1994, I followed the whole trial of Simpson, and I know I wasn’t the only one. Why was O.J such a big story?
It may have been that it came along at just the right time. We were three years past the gulf war, and we weren’t in an election year. We were five years from the height of the President Clinton sex scandals.
It may have been the celebrity of Simpson himself. He was an NFL Hall of Famer, a television analyst, and played the likable Nordberg in the Naked Gun films.
Or it may have been the idea that we thought we knew someone, but in fact didn’t know him at all. Perhaps O.J. proved that we build up heroes just so that we can destroy them.
But in this case we didn’t need to. O.J destroyed himself.
Then there was the race issue. It had only been two years since the race riots after the Los Angeles Police officers had beaten Rodney King, and then were aquitted.
The murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown had nothing to do with race on the surface, but it became the central issue of the trial. It may have been the bloody glove and the alleged racist cop named Marc Fuhrman. Or it may have been that polls said that whites firmly believed in Simpson’s guilt, while African Americans believed in his innocence.
It was a murder case, but it was played up as something more.
Our grandparents had Pearl Harbor, our parents had the Kennedy Assassination and the Challenger explosion.
It may seem difficult to put the O.J Simpson and his trial in the category with those tragedies, especially in the wake of 9-11.
It didn’t mean as much, it doesn’t mean as much as those things.
But I was a freshman in high school, with my heart pounding in sixth period theatre class, when the television came on and I heard those two words:
Not guilty.
I doubt anyone will ever forget it, no matter how strange the whole thing seems nine years later.
Dan Nied is still in shock that his Pistons are now NBA Champs.
Note: this is part of a special NBA finals series.
I know, I know. It’s been nearly a week since the Pistons won the NBA title. But to steal a line from Tayshaun Prince after the clinching Game 5: “I’ve been speechless since that buzzer went off.”
Like Tayshaun, I have barely been able to comprehend what the Pistons did last Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Not only did they become the most improbable NBA champions in 30 years, they knocked off what was supposed to be the best team ever assembled. What’s more, they didn’t just beat the Lakers, they pulverized, embarrassed, chewed up and spit out the Lakers. They stomped on, over, through and beneath the Lakers leaving absolutely no question as to which team was better. If basketball were war, this would have been more Desert Storm than Vietnam. It wasn’t close. Ever.
And that is the trouble I have understanding that the Pistons emerged out of seemingly nowhere to become champions. It wasn’t until they went up 3-1 on the Lakers that I thought there was even a chance to win a title this season. But in retrospect, I should have seen it coming back in February when Rasheed Wallace arrived.
Even after they jacked Rasheed from the Hawks, the long term outlook of the trade was to free salary cap room for Mehmet Okur. It turned out to be the move that put this team over the top. Look, everyone knew the Pistons were a good team. But never over the course of the full season were they considered a powerhouse. They were the nice little team from the east that played tough defense. They were basically seen as the San Antonio Spurs’ junior varsity affiliate.
And none of that perception really changed when Rasheed came to town. Initially he was expected to bolster the defense, provide an offensive spark and help with a nice little run to the Finals and then be on his merry way. But as soon as he got to Detroit everything started to turn around, but nobody noticed how much. The Pistons, who were in a mini-tailspin at the time of the trade, became one of the best defensive teams in the history of the game. Rasheed combined with Ben Wallace to form the most intimidating front court duo since Duncan and Robinson circa 1999. Most opposing players shied out of the lane and those who didn’t instantly regretted it when they watched one of the Wallace brothers swat their shot into the third row. In one stretch the Pistons held five straight teams under 70 points. When the Nets finally broke that streak, by scoring 71 points in a lopsided loss, they celebrated like they just won a division title.
We should have seen it. But that is what hindsight is for. Rasheed absolutely put this team over the top. The Pistons finished the regular season 20-6 with Rasheed. Still they remained hidden in the bushes of the Eastern Conference. It was easy to dismiss their record as a result of playing half-assed teams like the Wizards and Bulls. But no one bothered to see that the Pistons were beating these teams by at least 15 points every night. And no one bothered to look at how the Pistons fared against the West’s elite teams. The Pistons split with the Lakers, beat the Spurs and the Mavericks all BEFORE trading for Rasheed. After, they were robbed twice by the referees against Minnesota, lost two close games to Sacramento and lost to San Antonio on the road. And while Rasheed’s presence didn’t seem to improve their efforts against these teams, these games were all decided in the last two minutes.
Then when the playoffs came and the East had its annual tournament to see who would play fodder for a Western behemoth in the Finals. The Pistons were predictably the team most experts picked. But less than a handful picked the Pistons to go all the way.
It is hard to imagine that one midseason addition, short of trading for Shaq, could take a team from lifeless prey to champion. And sure, Rasheed had help along the way, with Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince each sharing starring roles, but ask anyone in the Pistons organization and they will tell you that without Rasheed, this season would have ended after the Nets series. Coach Larry Brown said that, without Rasheed, he would be trying to find Michael Jordan for a round of golf during the Finals.
To fathom that this team, which seemed a year away from doing anything of note, just rolled through the Lakers to win the title is like imagining O.J. Simpson joining the LAPD.
As soon as Game 5 ended and the 40 people around me went crazy, all I could do was ask myself “What just happened?” I was stunned. Even when crowds formed in the streets and horns were honking, random cheers developed, I was still in shock. “Did the Pistons just win the title? Did this team just end a potential Laker dynasty?” In every champion I have ever seen in Detroit, there was a series of steps and maneuvers each team took over the course of at least five years. The original Bad Boy Pistons of the late 80’s had to endure Bird stealing the ball in the ’87 Eastern Conference finals, then they had to get past a game 7 loss to the Lakers in 1988 before winning back to back titles in ’89 and ’90. Hell, Isiah Thomas was drafted in 1981! The Red Wings first Stanley Cup in 1997 was a product of getting upset in the finals to the Devils in 1995 and then suffering a crushing defeat to the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. That’s not to mention underachieving first round exits in 1993 and 1994. Steve Yzerman, the cornerstone of those championship teams, was drafted in the early ‘80s, Sergei Fedorov came aboard in the early ‘90’s and it still took seven years to reach the top.
But there I was Tuesday celebrating a championship for a team that only four years ago was 30-52 in the aftermath of losing Grant Hill, their only bona fide star, to free agency. And they didn’t build on that team either. The only current members of the Pistons left from that team are Ben Wallace and Corliss Williamson. General Manager Joe Dumars managed to skip a few steps to the title by finding gold in Wallace (free agent), Hamilton (obtained by a trade with the Wizards for Jerry Stackhouse), Billups (free agent) and Prince (draft). Along the way he added a perfect supporting cast and built the deepest team in the league.
Dumars made more shrewd moves than Robert Langdon in “The Da Vinci Code”. When he sensed that coach Rick Carlisle, who guided the team to 100 wins in his two seasons as coach, wasn’t the man to take the Pistons to the next step, he axed Carlisle and hired Larry Brown, long regarded as one of the best in the business. When he saw that he needed cap room to sign Okur this summer, he somehow found a way (with the help of Celtics GM Danny Ainge) to unload useless contracts to get Rasheed. He traded a 30 point a game scorer in Stackhouse to get the young, relatively unproven Hamilton. When Hill left for Orlando in 2000, Dumars snared Ben Wallace in a sign and trade. And then he took his chances on Billups, who spent his first five years in the NBA with five different teams. They were a group of castoffs and basketball degenerates, all discarded by other teams or overlooked in the draft. Dumars saw their silver lining and fiddled with this puzzle until all the pieces fit into one neat little defensive powerhouse that had enough fire and hunger to rise above the crop of contenders and make their mark as NBA Champions.
And, to tell you the truth, I still can’t believe it.
Go Pistons!
Dan Nied is ready to celebrate a Pistons NBA Championship. But he has a few words for Jimmy Kimmel as well.
Note: this is part of a special NBA finals series. check back to 210 West after every finals game to get Dan Nied's column.
A few thoughts while wondering if tonight is the night the NBA Championship finally comes back to Detroit:
-------After watching the them win Game 4 with a fourth quarter offensive explosion, I don’t think anyone outside of Southern California will disagree that the Pistons have thoroughly outplayed the Lakers in these NBA Finals. But still, I can’t help but be worried that it will all come crashing down soon. Not one time this season, at least before the finals started, did I realistically think the Pistons had a chance to win the title. In my mind, it was all building up to next season, when the new glory days of Piston Basketball would hit a crescendo. But now here we are, up 3 games to 1, one win away from coronation and it just feels like its been a little too easy.
This Laker team was supposed to steamroll over the Pistons, giving Detroit some valued finals experience they can use next year. Never was a championship supposed to happen so quickly and so convincingly. Before this series started I figured that the Pistons could win the title by stealing one of the first games in LA and then winning two out of three at home, and somehow winning Game 6. But I never actually believed they would do it.
And how is it that the Lakers stormed through the Western Conference playoffs, blowing by San Antonio and Minnesota, yet they can’t figure out how to play a Pistons team whose only all star (Ben Wallace) didn’t even average 10 points per game this season?
Look, I’m not saying I don’t love every second of this. I really do. But I feel like I’m at a party and a blonde bombshell just walked up to me and asked me to meet her in the bathroom in five minutes. I’m not sure if I can believe this is happening. I’m looking around for a hidden camera or something.
-------The attitude around Detroit since Game 4 has been almost one of arrogance. It’s hard to tell right now if Piston fans are, when it comes to a Piston win in Game 5 tonight, assuming or sensing. If we are assuming that the Pistons can just show up for the trophy presentation, look for the Lakers to win big. If we are sensing that the Lakers have already thrown in the towel and just want to get this season over with, then we’ll be dancing (not rioting) in the streets tonight. This is more common with the Pistons than any other team I’ve ever seen. They seem to have the exact same mind set as their fans. It has been painfully evident in these playoffs.
When they went up 2-0 on New Jersey, every fan that called into sports talk radio was making plans for the next round. The Pistons then lost the next three games and had to rally to beat the Nets in seven. Against the Pacers, the Pistons took a 2-1 lead and the fans felt the same way. The Pistons promptly got blown out at home in Game 4 and again had to rally to win in six. So my question remains: Will that happen again tonight? You have to think that the Pistons understand the magnitude of this game. They may never again get a chance to win a championship at home. Plus their foot is cemented firmly on the Lakers’ throat and they cannot afford to give the LA any life in this series. Larry Brown and the Pistons are smart enough to know that if this series leaves Detroit, it’s a tossup weather they had a 3-1 lead or not. So expect Detroit to come strong tonight. But expect the Lakers to come strong too. May the better team win.
-------Now, on to Jimmy Kimmel. I’ve let this fester for the last week because I wanted to write with my head, not my heart. If you recall, at halftime of Game 2 of the Finals, Kimmel did a promo for his late night talk show on ABC. He took a pot shot at the city of Detroit by saying “I hope the Lakers win because if Detroit wins, they are gonna burn that city down.” The local reaction in Detroit was uproarious. The local ABC affiliate pulled Kimmel’s show the night after the remark and ABC followed suit nationally. Kimmel issued a half-assed apologized last Wednesday, the day after the remark, but then on his show that night he reportedly went on a 5-8 minute rant bashing the city, which led to ABC pulling the plug across the nation.
In some ways, that this caused such a ruckus in this city makes Detroiters look like an overly sensitive group with a low tolerance for humor. However, Kimmel made two errors here. First, the joke was not funny. It was an old bit that has been done countless times in the last 20 years. More importantly, though, it was factually erroneous. The last time Detroiters burned anything because of a championship was 1984, when some jackass decided to light up a taxi cab after the Tigers won the World Series. Unfortunately, a photographer was there with his camera and that photo became the national face of Detroit.
When the Pistons won NBA Titles in 1989 and 1990, Detroit celebrated peacefully. When the Red Wings won Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002, the only semi objective scene was some women lifting up their shirts (And if that isn’t a great celebration, then I don’t know what is.) There were similar celebrations for the University of Michigan, which won the NCAA Basketball title in 1989 and a national title in football in 1997.
Personally, I was in downtown Detroit the night the Wings won The Cup in 1998. We walked from block to block until we got to the Spirit of Detroit (The statue in front of City Hall that is currently adorned in a Pistons Jersey. Back then, it wore a Red Wings Jersey.) There were no fights. I don’t even remember any swearing going on. It was just a city with pride bursting out its sides. We chanted, we partied and we all had a good time. Not once did I fear for my safety.
If Kimmel wanted to bring up riots and fires, he should have done some research. Detroit’s last riot was in 1967. Unfortunately, the City is just now starting to recover from its consequences. However Kimmel lives in LA, who had full blown race riots after the Rodney King verdict in 1992. To his credit, Kimmel alluded to this fact in his second apology, which came last Thursday. However, his research was two days too late and his carelessness had been revealed.
But yes, Detroiters may have gone a bit overboard in flooding Kimmel message boards with demands for an apology. However it must be understood that the people of this city are among the most loyal and prideful in the world. We know some parts of this city are an eyesore. We don’t like it any more than you do. But we also see the beauty of a blue collar town that is enriched with culture and color. We relish the diversity that brings us Whites, Blacks, Latinos and Arabs. And we are quick to take offense when people stupidly give in to the media’s perception of Detroit. This is our city and 4.7 million people are damn proud to live here.
It is because of the tired media perception that Detroiters are so sensitive about their surroundings. And when a man who has never been here takes a shot at us on one of sports’ biggest stages, in an event in which our team is a featured act, it gets the blood rising a little bit and the masses tighten together in a common theme: to defend our city.
And that was Kimmel’s mistake.
But let’s make one thing clear. It was not the people of Detroit that got Kimmel pulled off the air last week. It was a decision made by ABC. In my mind it was the wrong way to handle the situation. While Kimmel did anger people around these parts, and was in danger of starting an all out war of words, there is never an excuse to censor an entertainer, especially when his questionable remarks can be interpreted as simply light trash talking. Kimmel’s rant against Detroit should have been aired on ABC in its normal time slot last Wednesday. And it is a shame that ABC and its Detroit affiliate, WXYZ, could not see that.
So Kimmel made a mistake. Much of Detroit is already willing to forgive him. It is water under the bridge. And while it hurts when people have a negative perception of your city, sometimes the only thing you can do is exercise your right to free speech the way your aggressor exercised his.
And with that. GO PISTONS!
The Pistons, led by a pair of Wallaces and a Prince, stifled the Lakers to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. And of course, Dan Nied is lovin' it.
Note: this is part of a special NBA finals series. check back to 210 West after every finals game to get Dan Nied's column.
Go ahead, say it.
It makes me laugh.
Please tell me that the Pistons did not win Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Tell me that the Lakers lost it.
Maybe in the past three playoff series. But this time, LA simply got beat. By a lot. And the amazing thing about the Pistons 88-68 win Thursday night was that finally, no one in the media can say the Lakers simply did not show up. Of course, that has been the recurring them of LA’s playoff run. When they win it is because they are the best team in the league. When they lose, it is despite being the best team in the league. Well, the Lakers and all four of their Hall of Famers are down two games to one to the Pistons and are officially in danger of losing the championship to a team with zero Hall of Famers, but 12 scrappers with heart.
But enough about the Lakers. We’ve heard about them since before this series started and, until they prove they can beat the Pistons without a miracle shot, I would just prefer to focus on the team that, with defense and team play, put themselves in position to win a championship Thursday.
The Pistons defense stifled its opponent all night. They challenged shots, pressured the guards, forced Shaquille O’Neal out of the paint and got hands in Kobe Bryant’s face all night. In the end the Pistons, led by Ben and Rasheed Wallace, Lindsey Hunter and Tayshaun Prince, held Bryant and O’Neal to a combined 25 points. Or, if you want to get technical, six points less than Richard Hamilton scored for the Pistons. Bryant did not make his first field goal until midway through the third quarter.
When a team shuts down the only two decent players the Lakers have, victory is almost assured.
But the Pistons stifled LA’s role players too. Bill Walton’s boy, who came up with seven points and eight assists in LA’s Game 2 win, was held to four and two, along with four fouls.
But the Pistons played offense too. But with the defense playing as well as it did Thursday, they didn’t need much of it. In fact, nearly every time the Pistons have shot at least 40 percent from the field this postseason, they have won. Thursday they hit their mark, hitting 40.8 percent of their shots. The real battle was won on the offensive boards, where Detroit got 15 second chances to only 7 for the Lakers.
The other number that led the Pistons to control of the series is 50: The combined points of starting guards Hamilton and Chauncey Billups in Game 3. When both find their offensive game, nobody can beat this team.
Nobody.
So the upset is poised to happen now and the Pistons have clearly been the better team through three games. That’s not to say the Lakers won’t storm back to win this thing, but right now LA seems like a forecasted storm that dies out by the time it reaches your house. It may bring a lot of thunder and dark clouds, but just a few drops of rain and no lightning.
But while no one is quite counting out the Lakers yet, the Pistons are proving they may just be the best team in the NBA.
Ronald Reagan deserves as much respect as any former president. But Chuck Soder says his devotion to wife Nancy makes him an exceptional man.
By Chuck Soder
210 west Writer [send email]
Less than a day after he died, thousands and thousands of personal facts about Ronald Reagan's life surged through media outlets nationwide. To learn about his attitude, his catch phrases or even his movies, one could merely pick up a paper, turn on the TV or type in "Reagan" on any Internet search engine.
Being that I was in the womb when he was inaugurated, I didn't know a lot of the little things about the Gipper until he died Saturday from pneumonia complicated by Alzheimer's disease at age 93. Thanks to the news, I picked up those little things: Much of the media coverage focused on Reagan, the person, not Reagan, the president.
For instance, I didn't know he wore contact lenses. I didn't know he worked alongside a monkey in 1951's Bedtime for Bonzo. I didn't even know that the man who attempted to take his life was merely trying to impress Jodie Foster, the would-be assassin's longtime imaginary girlfriend. I also didn't know that absolutely everybody already knew that.
But, while scanning the sea of timelines and trivia, I found a few facts that showed me why Reagan deserves a level of respect that rivals his popularity.
To see who the real Reagan was, don't look to his quotes, his speeches or the bills he did or didn't sign. Look to the one person who knew him best -- Nancy. It is his relationship with her that best reveals why he should be remembered in honor.
They were inseparable. From his first date with her in 1949 till Alzheimer's made him so weak he couldn't talk, Reagan constantly professed his love for Nancy, who remained by his side until the day he died. They held hands everywhere, kissed in public regularly and intimately, and when Reagan walked out of the White House, Nancy was often waving from her window. However, any time a man in the spotlight shows his affection for his wife, there is always an asterisk attached.
But, in Reagan's case, the asterisk has been removed -- Nancy herself smashed it in 2000, when she published "I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan."
Stashed in a shopping bag for years, Nancy published her collection of holiday cards, love letters and telegrams that show the private side -- the real side -- of our nation's 40th president.
I'd never heard of the book until the flood of Reagan coverage this weekend. But some of the excerpts I read were so emotional that I thought Reagan was in love with me, and I never even met the guy.
Some of them are unabashedly cheesy:
"My Darling," he writes, "[d]o you know that when you sleep you curl your fists up under your chin and many mornings when it is barely dawn I lie facing you and looking at you until finally I have to touch you ever so lightly so you won't wake up -- but touch you I must or I'll burst?"
The guy is totally gaga over his gal. In excerpts, he reveals that, a) Nancy is his greatest love, b) losing her is his greatest fear and c) she is his greatest strength.
"He sits in the Oval Office," Reagan writes, referring to himself in the third person, "[and] he can see (if he scrooches down) [Nancy's] window and feels warm all over just knowing she is there."
The letters span decades, from the time they met until the mid-1990s. As the governor of California, he was her "In Luv Guv," and, during his time in the White House, he signed letters as "Prexy." An online book review at freerepublic.com says that, despite the passing of time, Reagan's tone remains steady.
So did his devotion to his wife, according to a note from their 31st anniversary:
"I told you once, it was like an adolescent's dream of what marriage should be like," Reagan wrote. "That hasn't changed."
She has said "Ronnie" evoked the same emotions in her, and she has backed that statement up with tears. Her compassion is what drove her to be so protective of her husband's privacy once the effects of Alzheimer's confined him to beds and wheelchairs. Even in publishing his letters, she donated the proceeds to the Alzheimer's Foundation and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
However, Reagan did have problems. For a while, some of his children resented him for the shadow he cast over them; others loathed his conservative viewpoints. He also had marriage problems -- with his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, who divorced him in 1948.
But, though he made mistakes, he corrected them. He and his children all had reconciled by the mid-1990s. His second marriage made up for his first and then some.
And that is why Reagan deserves to be remembered in honor. Like any other president, his effectiveness will always be debated. But, through his marriage, he proved himself to be a caring human being.
And any such person deserves respect. So, Mr. Reagan, you have mine.
Yeah Dan Nied's heart was pulled out of his chest when Kobe Bryant hit his miraculous trey in game 2 of the NBA Finals. But confidence in his Pistons remains intact.
Note: this is the third installment of a special NBA finals series. check back to 210 West after every finals game to get Dan Nied's column.
After three hours of intense mental trauma and nut-busting basketball I came to one definite conclusion after Tuesday night’s game 2 of the NBA Finals:
That Kobe Bryant kid is a pretty good player.
Everything else is a blur. From 9 p.m. to midnight I watched what may have been one of the greatest NBA playoff games of all time and my entire memory of the game goes like this: Tip off…Lakers by eight at half…Lakers up 11 early in third…Pistons up six in the last minute... Pistons up three with 11 seconds left. It was at that point that I realized my Pistons would be coming back to Detroit with a decisive 2-0 series lead, poised to pull off an improbable upset and win the NBA Championship. But then that god$@*^ Kobe Bryant stepped in, hit a three pointer to send the game into overtime (where the Lakers would win 99-91) and gave me the only memory of the night I needed to pull me back to earth. The series is knotted at 1-1.
I have pieced together a semblance of what happened in that final minute of regulation. Apparently everybody’s favorite Irishman Shaquille O’Neal was fouled on a layup and hit the free throw. Apparently Larry Brown decided not to foul in the last 10 seconds, letting Bryant pretty much become the Michael Jordan of this era. I hear Chauncey Billups missed a wild shot while hoping to get a foul that never came. In the overtime it seems that the Pistons managed only two points and stood around while Bryant and O’Neal did handstands on their way to the rim.
Actually, I’ll come clean now. I remember every bit of it. It’s just that I’ve spent the entire day trying to forget it.
I will admit it’s been hard to shake the thought of Shaq standing unmolested, with the ball and 8 seconds left, beyond the three point line looking for Bryant. “FOUL THAT FAT BASTARD” is what I think I yelled at the time. And I will admit that the thought of seeing Bryant’s shot 10 years from now on ESPN Classic has sickened me all day.
But trust me, I’ll be ok. It’s easy when you force yourself to look on the bright side. It is something I’ve learned to do in a mini 12-step type program I’ve used throughout the playoffs.
The first thing you have to do if you are a Pistons fan is accept what happened. Yes, the Pistons let game 2, and maybe an NBA championship slip out of their hands in 37 seconds. While I am not fine with that, there is nothing I can do to change it.
Next, you must draw on past experiences. Look, I had already written the Pistons off twice this postseason: Once after the triple-overtime game 5 loss against New Jersey in the second round and again after getting blown out in game 4 by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, forcing Detroit to win for a second time in Indiana. They survived both times. I can take another stomach punch loss. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Then you need to keep things in perspective. Going into the series most thought that the only way the Pistons could win the title is to take one of the first two in Los Angeles. Well, mission accomplished. Theoretically the Pistons are right where they need to be. Sure it doesn’t help when you vomit a certain 2-0 lead all over the court, but hey these things happen, right?
Next it is important to look on the bright side. 1) The Pistons proved they can play with the Lakers no matter what. While LA didn’t play a perfect game Tuesday, they turned in a complete performance with Kobe and Shaq hitting on all cylinders. Luke Walton played out of his mind. They even got some key minutes from role players like Kareem Rush. 2) The next three games are in Detroit and, while no lower seed has ever taken all three games in the finals, I like Detroit’s chances of going back to LA with a 3-2 lead.
The most drastic step of all is called “Wait ‘til next year”. See, this Pistons team wasn’t supposed to even sniff the title this year. But they have proven that with just a bit of tinkering they will probably be the pick to take it all next year. In fact, Sports Illustrated has already named them the early title favorites for the 2004-05 season. Unlike the Lakers, who will almost definitely be dismantled after Kobe leaves as either a free agent or a convict, the Pistons future is bright. And after all, we always have Darko.
It took me about 10 minutes to complete each step Tuesday night. And here I am, optimistic as ever. But still there is that lingering feeling that Kobe’s shot may have turned the tide of this series so dramatically that the Pistons will never recover.
But even if that is the case, I can take it. I just fear seeing it on ESPN Classic in 2014.
Smarty Jones' failed Triple Crown bid reminds Joel Hammond of the perfect drama of sports.
By Joel Hammond
210 west Writer [send email]
What I enjoy most about sport is its ability to invariably unite persons who would, on any other terms, not be joined together. Professional teams, as we have seen during this year's NBA and NHL postseasons, unite entire cities.
Detroit's success has once again merged perhaps the most diverse city in the country into one sea of blue, Laker-hating animals.
Tampa Bay, the city of the 95-degree June days, has become enamored with a -- gasp -- Stanley Cup Champion that entered the league only 12 years ago.
Smarty Jones had the same power.
That was the brilliance of this year's Triple Crown threat's storybook ride to the top of front pages, newscasts and American hearts everywhere: He enveloped a nation with a sense that they were a part of something special, that he had provided and would continue to provide a steady figure in a time where not much else was so.
Then, he lost.
With Sunday's loss at the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, Smarty provided a link to what I truly enjoy most about the sporting world: If you don't have the goods, you're not going to win, no matter what you've done for the down-and-out city of Philadelphia or masses of people across an entire nation.
Smarty taught me a valuable lesson about the cruelty of sports: It is everything.
It provides the drama nestled in each and every sporting event -- the
virtual glue required to provide intrigue and make aforementioned cities
unite on the most peculiar terms. Smarty's ride through the Kentucky Derby was fun to watch. His domination at Pimlico in the Preakness forced the nation to become downright smitten with the strikingly beautiful creature.
But, in victory, Smarty managed to mask even the possibility of failure
-- the cruelty of sport. Philadelphians, down on their luck because
the Phillies haven't recovered from the 1992's CarterGate, the
Sixers are in a well with no bucket and the Eagles are the epitome of the
close-but-no-cigar theory, pinned their dying hopes on the three-year-old
thoroughbred's broad shoulders.
And Philadelphia, on the Friday before the Belmont was a sight to behold. Signs
exhorting Smarty Jones. Televisions in bars and cheesesteak grills tuned to
racing coverage that people don't normally watch. A wrap around the day's
Daily News.
Then Birdstone, by defiantly charging past the overwhelming favorite
in the last 1/8 of a mile and triumphantly ending yet another Triple
Crown hope, reminded every one of the millions watching that day of the
cruelty that makes sports so beautiful.
The cruel truth that belied Birdstone's superior day was that Smarty
Jones, who in his two glorious wins had been labeled too smart to lose by
so many "analysts," was outsmarted by a horse who seemed out of the
race on the backstretch.
The favorite fought off Rock Hard Ten and Eddington while Birdstone,
entering the final turn was still 5-6 lengths behind, biding his time.
Then came the fitting finish: Birdstone slowly gained ground on the
outside. There was a surreal point in the stretch run where it was
painfully evident to so many who desperately wanted another Smarty Party that
he would not be able to withstand Birdstone's charge.
Smarty lost by a length.
Shoulders slumped.
Tears flowed.
Smarty, his old owners, criminal jockey and likeable trainer were
gracious in defeat. Trainer John Servis admitted Birdstone was the
better horse, perhaps more suited for the one and a half mile length of the
Belmont, the longest of the three triple crown races.
Birdstone jockey Edgar Prado said he was sorry, only to remind the
world that this was "his job."
So cruel.
So right.
Some will say the Lakers didn't show up for game one of the NBA Finals. Dan Nied saw a whole different story.
Note: this is the second installment of a special NBA finals series. check back to 210 West after every finals game to get Dan Nied's column.
Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace elevated from behind the three point arc, let the ball go and watched it swish gracefully through the hoop.
With that, Wallace put his team up 3-0 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and all of a sudden, after one possession in the series, the Pistons were not quite the pushovers the world made them out to be.
If there was any doubt about the Pistons ability to stay with the Lakers, it was quashed when LA had to rally late in the second quarter to take a one point lead into the half. Any and all doubts about the toughness of this Detroit team were extinguished after an 87-75 Piston win that put the series score at 1-0 in favor of the doormats.
Sure, we’ll hear today that the Lakers just didn’t show up for game one. Of course we will. If you believe the media, the Lakers haven’t actually been beaten in this post season, they’ve just let other teams outscore them. So be it. But the way it looked Sunday night in Los Angeles the Pistons may just be the gritty workhorse that crashed this Tinseltown championship party.
Long-armed Detroit forward Tayshaun Prince glued himself to Laker guard Kobe Bryant, altering his rhythm and forcing bad shots. While Bryant ended the game with 25 points, he didn’t help his team by shooting 10 of 27 from the field.
Bryant did help his team by holding potent Pistons guard Richard Hamilton to just 12 points. But the Pistons had an answer in point guard Chauncey Billups, who led his team with 22 points. Heading into this series against the defensive minded Pistons, it was thought that all the Lakers had to do was contain Hamilton. But the secret is out: more than one player can score on this Detroit roster.
Still, the Lakers got 34 points from center Shaquille O’Neal, but the way the Pistons played O’Neal may have been the reason for the win. After a first half of double teaming and fouling the Lakers’ brick house, Detroit coach Larry Brown decided he would let O’Neal win his battle. The Pistons stopped their double team tactics in favor of making sure no other player got his shot. It worked. Other than O’Neal, no Laker shot 50 percent or better from the field. On the other side, five Pistons hit that mark.
It remains to be seen whether this game was an anomaly or if the Pistons have figured out how to beat the Lakers. But what most thought was bad offense in the Pistons’ Eastern Conference Final series against the Indiana Pacers, a series where the teams struggled to find 70 points, was proven to be great defense. But the Lakers have been here before, losing game one at home to Philadelphia in the 2001 Finals. They took the next four and the series four games to one.
No matter, Sunday the Pistons have proved they aren’t going to lay down for media destiny. When Rasheed Wallace hit that three pointer on the game’s first possession, the Pistons were alive and the battle had begun.
Surprise.
210 West's resident Pistons fanatic Dan Nied takes an unbiased look at the NBA Finals and sees a chance for hard working Detroit against the Lakers.
Note: this is the first installment of a special NBA finals series. check back to 210 West after every finals game to get Dan Nied's column.
Pressure.
That’s all these NBA playoffs have been for the Detroit Pistons so far. If you remember, back in April it seemed that every media outlet had the Pistons cruising to the finals to face the mighty Lakers. Well, after a scary Game 7 against the Nets in the second round and a six-game win over Indiana in Eastern Conference Finals (A series so tough, painful and ugly that it felt like going through a meat grinder) the Pistons will begin he NBA Finals tonight at 9 p.m. They are right where they are supposed to be.
And, because they are playing a Laker team filled with stars, now the pressure is all off and life in Pistonland is a beautiful thing.
Not one media outlet, even within the city of Detroit, has picked the Pistons to win this series. Most are going with the company line: “Detroit will give them a run, but the Lakers will win in six.” What else could you ask for? If the Pistons pull off the upset, they are one of the beloved teams in sports history. If they lose, well, they gave it their best, no shame in getting there.
But take a closer look at the match ups in this series and you will see that the Pistons have a legitimate shot. You can say that Detroit has the edge in three of five starting positions, a deeper bench and a worthy coach. While the Lakers basically have Shaq, Kobe and home court advantage.
But think about these three match ups.
Detroit small forward Tayshaun Prince has the edge over Devean George. Prince has proven that, if he shows up, he can give you 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. He will also be asked to stifle Kobe Bryant on defense. A tall task, sure, but Prince seems to thrive playing big time names. Remember the first round of the 2003 playoffs against Orlando. Detroit got scorched by Tracy McGrady on their way to a 3-1 series deficit and the brink of elimination. Then Prince stepped in to guard McGrady and all but shut him down. That’s not to say he’ll do it again with Bryant, but there is precedent.
Then there is Rasheed Wallace matching up against Karl Malone. If this was 1998 I’d say the Pistons are in trouble. But, six years after the fact, can you honestly see Malone getting the best of Rasheed? The Mailman may have to settle for Shaq’s garbage when Rasheed and Ben Wallace double team the Big Doughnut. And then Malone will have to guard Rasheed, who has the ability to dominate on the offensive end. Of course, if Rasheed has a 4-19 shooting night, like he did in the Indiana series, then that will make Malone’s job much easier.
That brings us to the point. Gary Payton against Chauncey Billups. Payton is a media hyped hall of famer. Sure he’s put up good numbers over the course of his career, averaging over 20 points per game. But only one time has he done anything to lead his team deep into the playoffs. in 1996 when his Sonics lost to the Bulls in the NBA finals. Even as the general of the decent Seattle teams of the mid 1990s he always had Shawn Kemp down low. But as soon as Payton signed on with the Lakers to buy himself a ring, he was a hall of fame point guard. Let’s say this: Isiah and Magic he ain’t. He isn’t even a Steve Francis.
But The Glove has gotten his HOF hype this year while constantly complaining about Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. (Yeah, the same offense the Bulls used for six championships and the Lakers for three.) But no one stops to point out that if the Lakers win this series, it will be despite Payton. This is the one spot where the Pistons have a clear advantage in this series. Billups is a proven 20 point a night player. While coach Larry Brown has kept his shooting down in favor of even ball distribution, the Pistons could exploit this match up for the entire series. If Billups gets hot the Pistons are hard to beat. If Billups AND shooting guard Richard Hamilton get hot, the Pistons might be unbeatable.
And sure the Lakers still have Bryant and O’Neal and a carpetbagging coach in Jackson, but we’ve barely mentioned the defensive heroics of Ben Wallace and the genius of Larry Brown. It might not be enough to win the series, but this will not be a walk in the park for the Purple and Gold.
And just remember where we started here: Pressure. It is all on the Lakers and the Pistons should be able to come out loose and fired up at the scads of bulletin board material they’ve already seen.
The Pistons have gone as far as expected, this season is already a success. The Lakers will have failed even if they lose Game 7 in overtime on a last second shot. Combine that with a talented Detroit roster and you may see, behind the hullabaloo of a star studded team, an upset in the making.
Zach Baker may hate the Lakers more than bee stings and mouth kisses from Aunt Connie. And really, who can blame him.
By Zack Baker
210 west Writer [send email]
Forgive me if I choose not to line up in the Los Angeles Lakers parade this
morning. Sure, pundits are back on the bandwagon, talking about the
greatness of a team that 11 months appeared incapable of one loss.
For me however, when Lakers coverage comes on, every three minutes or so, I switch the station.
Uttering the name of a certain shooting guard on trial for rape will result in the same action.
I am sorry, but I hate the Lakers.
OK, hate is a strong word. I don't hate them, I ... well, yeah I hate them.
The Lakers are like the guy in high school who used to shove you
lockers just because they could. They went out with the cheerleaders, but then
stole your girlfriend, again, just because they could.
I hate the idea of them, hate the fact that they play in a town of
so-called celebrities who pretend to love them. We all know Jack Nicholson loves them but he's JACK, so it's cool. But Rob Lowe was at a game last week, being interviewed about something. He pledged his undying love and support to the Lakers, then plugged his TNT original movie.
I guess he's not working for Schwarzenegger anymore then?
Watching a Lakers game is like watching Hollywood Squares. Every once
in a while there is a big star there, but for the most part it's B-level "celebreities"
who just had a pilot canceled on the WB. They know a Lakers game may be
their only real chance to work in television.
But it's more than the celebrities. Ever see a Lakers championship win that
didn't result in a riot?
But I digress.
Sure, they didn't win last year, but that's like Brad Pitt taking a short film vacation after three blockbusters. Now every media outlet in the free world is picking this version of Tinseltown Trash to blow by the Detroit Pistons for this year's NBA crown.
Need another reason to hate the Lakers? Tim Duncan, David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship last season. If you listen to many, it was actually the Lakers who lost it.
They tanked. They imploded. The stars were aligned against them. Never
mind that they played the Spurs in the Conference SEMI-FINALS. Hell, in this year's post season, no team has beaten the Lakers in this post season. The Lakers have just "not shown up" a few times. At least according to the media.
To that same Purple and Gold bleeding media, it sometimes seems to no longer be the NBA, it's the Los Angeles Laker traveling road show, with special guest star opponents. The only thing that has kept Laker-mania off the NBA front pages was LeBron James, and the Lakers don't have him, thank goodness.
At least not yet.
The Lakers have, arguably, the two best players in the game in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. They also have one of the greatest coaches of the era in Phil
Jackson. Then, they signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton. I'm not sure they really needed those guys, but what the heck, they had the
money.
I swear, I hate the Lakers.
Joel Hammond examines why the almighty dollar was more important than improper recruiting actions in the Colorado football program.
By Joel Hammond
210 west Writer [send email]
Three facets of big-time collegiate athletics became painfully evident throughout the entire four-month scandal at Colorado that supposedly would rock the college football world and bring about wholesale changes to the way the business is conducted.
Those facets, in no particular order:
1. Money always wins.
2. Football, as the prime money-maker for an institution like the University of Colorado, always wins.
3. Money always wins.
Have no fear, the UC board of regents and administration still vow that the recruiting of the Buffaloes football program will be entirely different the next time around, with monitored trips by numerous administrators, curfews, no alcohol, etc. You know, the whole she-bang. The proverbial whole kit-n-kaboodle.
If they only knew the half of it.
The changes that will have manifested themselves upon the Buffaloes’ football program will be painfully evident the next time reinstated coach Gary Barnett and his flunkies go on a recruiting trip to Joe Stud’s house.
You see, Joe Stud is a quiet kid, with quiet parents, from a quiet town, and just happens to be the best damn running back in all the land. Joe’s parents, Bobby and Kathy Stud, have heard all about this coach Barnett’s troubles, and are wondering why he wasted a trip to their quiet town and their quiet house.
Joe Stud’s off to Austin, or Lincoln, or Stillwater, or Norman. Any Big XII school not fully entrenched in the biggest scandal this side of BALCO.
Recruits win games. Winning games puts butts in the seats. Butts in the seats equal cash.
Say it with me now: Money always wins.
You see, when the recruiting practices that take place when mom and pop aren’t around aren’t known by the public, it’s easy to lie to the face of said mom and pop.
But now, they are very public, and painfully well-documented: At Colorado there were alleged rapes. There was alcohol. Sex was used as a selling point of the university.
For all anyone knows, this practice has gone on around the country at major and perhaps even mid-major programs for years. Hell, it may continue to go on at the institutions that weren’t caught.
But the widest-known fact about college football, basketball, hockey and even baseball is that money is running rampant, and with state-wide budget cuts for higher education happening not only in my old stomping grounds in Ohio but in Colorado as well, everyone is clamping down and trying to get a piece of the pie.
Colorado insiders are saying that the school could simply not afford to fire Barnett and pay him his contract, of which there is reportedly upwards of $4 million remaining with bonuses.
I say the school could not afford not to pay him his money and tell him to get the hell out.
Money always wins.
Colorado will be at the bottom of the Big XII and likely descending rapidly upon the bottom of the 117 teams that play Division I college football in no time.
Kids want to play football, parents want the best for their kids. When the violations and troubles are known, parents will not buy the load of garbage Mr. Barnett and coaches like him will attempt to sell them on their recruiting trips.
The best for Joe Stud, is not at a school where he will be embroiled in rape allegations by a coach who simply “was not aware” of what was going on.
Yikes. I have a feeling a lot of parents may feel the same about sending their Joe Stud somewhere were the coach is oblivious toward their son’s action.