UCLA 61; Washington 71

Two things are clear. First, this is not the same team without Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. Second, the Bruins will not be traipsing through the West on their way to a third straight final four.

Outplayed, outhustled, and yes, outcoached. Whatever Lorenzo Romar schemed for this game, Washington had players wide open under the basket all afternoon. And time after time they outnumbered the Bruins around the basket, which led to offensive rebound after offensive rebound and second chance point after second chance point. Ultimately, that was the difference in the game. As poorly as the Bruins executed, had they not been outhustled, they still could won this game.

It didn't help matters that the Bruins couldn't shoot. O for everything from beyond the arc. Darren Collison was clanking floaters as if he were new to the game. I'm not sure any of the three pointers that UCLA took actually got to the basket until the game was no longer in doubt. Literally, I think every three pointer they took was missed short. And every time they'd close the gap, they'd let up and the Huskies would separate again. Three point deficits became nine point deficits, and when they'd pull to three again, the Huskies would lengthen to eight.

This was not the Bruins team that most of us are used to seeing. They didn't do any of the things we're used to seeing them do. They were dominated on the glass, they rarely, if ever, ran their offense effectively, and they failed to play strong interior defense. That's a recipe for failure on the road in the Pac 10. And make no mistake, this loss is all on UCLA. Washington is not a good basketball team. They have one good player, and they've been torched at home recently. When you're number two and losing to a mediocre team, it's a loss. It's not a tough game that the other team pulled out. It's not a game where the opponent played a great game. It's a game where you failed to show up and do your job. That's why UCLA lost tonight.

Finally, when the ball was successfully inbounded with about 35 seconds to go, Alfred Aboya should have just hauled off and decked the piece of shit who through the ball off his face.

The Whigs w/ the Rikters and Tulsa @ Schuba's - 2/9/08

Saw about half of the Rikters set, and I thought they were pretty good. Local Chicago act, so there will probably be more chances to see them. Tulsa followed with two really good songs, and then sort of went to a grungy alt-country thing that was good, but not great.

The Whigs took the stage a little after midnight and opened the set with the opening tracks off their two albums to get the crowd going. They switched back and forth between albums for a few songs before settling into the newer stuff, and threw out a few covers toward the end. Setlist below, which is actually complete this time, and in order for the first few songs:

• Nothing is Easy
• Like a Vibration
• Technology
• Production City
• OK, Alright
• Violet Furs
• Half the World Away
• I Never Want to Go Home
• Right Hand on My Heart
• Sleep Sunshine
• Hot Bed
• Already Young
• God's Biographer
  
• Hey, You, Get Off of My Cloud
• Need You, Need You
  

The first highlight was Already Young, which just feels like a great live track the first time you listen to it. They didn't disappoint, as the song drew arguably the loudest applause of the night until they played Right Hand On My Heart, which was also terrific.

Whenever I see a band like this, it always feels like there's one song on which I was lukewarm after listening to the album. Then I hear the live version and it blows me away. Hale Sunrise from the Broken West was like that. Last night that song was Half the World Away. It's a slower track, and the keyboards are prevalant. It's easy to tune out when you're just listening to it in the background while working. But about 2:45 into the song, there's a terrific bridge, which almost sounds like a studio jam. It actually really rocks, and in a loud, live setting, it was phenomenal. It's a perfect little digression that doesn't overstay it's welcome. From now on, that song will never sound the same to me.

They closed the set with a cover of the song God's Biographer by the Dutch band Bingo Trappers. Then, jackets off and sweaty from the performance, they braved the cold (about 15-20 degrees). Schuba's has no backstage. Bands head outside before playing their encore. Needless to say, it can be a bit of a shock to a band from Athens, GA. So before too long, they were back, and closed it out with Hey You, Get Off Of My Cloud, and finally Need You, Need You.

All in all it was a great hour of music, and I'm kicking myself for leaving early when they played with the Broken West a few months ago. I'll try not to make that mistake again. They didn't play Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, which was a bit of a disappointment, but really, no complaints.

Angels Spring Training Preview

Brian Ward asked me to put something together about the Angels for his Spring Training blog. They're getting this together for every team. My contribution is below. Feel free to tell me why I'm an idiot. FWIW, I was just on a conference call today where we made plans to go to a client location in Phoenix the first week of March. Spring Training was the first thing that popped into my head.

Location: Tempe Diablo Stadium
Pitchers and Catcher Report: February 14th
First game: February 28th
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Chone Figgins (3B)
2. Howie Kendrick (2B)
3. Vladimir Guerrero (RF)
4. Torii Hunter (CF)
5. Garret Anderson (DH)
6. Casey Kotchman (1B)
7. Gary Matthews Jr. (LF)
8. Mike Napoli (C)
9. Erick Aybar/Maicer Izturis (SS)

Projected Rotation

1. John Lackey
2. Kelvim Escobar*
3. Jered Weaver
4. Jon Garland
5. Joe Saunders

*Expected to open the season on the DL.

Bullpen

Long – Ervin Santana
Situational – Darren Oliver, Dustin Moseley, Jason Bulger, Chris Bootcheck
7th Inning – Justin Speier
8th Inning – Scot Shields
Closer – Francisco Rodriguez

Key Battles: The biggest question mark going into Spring Training is clearly at shortstop. The off-season trade of Orlando Cabrera, which brought pitcher John Garland in return, opened up the shortstop spot for a battle between Maicer Izturis and prospects Erick Aybar and Brandon Wood. Aybar appears to be the early favorite based on public comments by Mike Scioscia, who favors the young Dominican for his defense and ability to make contact. Izturis is more of a proven performer at the plate, and is solid defensively, but has never put everything together for a whole season. He also provides the versatility to sub at third base and second base if needed. Wood is a long shot, but if he explodes this Spring, he could force some difficult decisions for the Angels brain trust.

The Cabrera/Garland trade has also created somewhat of a logjam in the starting rotation where, upon the return of Kelvim Escobar, the Angels will have six starters for only five starting spots. Ervin Santana will more than likely start the season in the rotation and remain there as long as Escobar is out. When Escobar gets healthy, Santana figures to be the odd man out, but he could beat out lefty Joe Saunders for the fifth spot. He remains the number one option to make spot starts, or to fill rotation holes should anyone else get injured. Either way, Garland’s addition added depth to an already excellent starting staff.

The acquisition of Torii Hunter created the proverbial good problem to have, as the Angels head into the Spring with five outfielders who could start for at least two thirds of the league, and a sixth who could probably start for 6-8 more. Hunter as the every day center fielder seems to be the only lock at this point. Vladimir Guerrero figures to split time between right field and DH, while Garret Anderson will do the same at the left field/DH spot. There are questions about how much Anderson has left in the tank, but after returning to full health he exploded over the last two and a half months of the season, when he put up a line of .350/.409/.650. It remains to be seen whether that was a fluke, or whether he can carry that forward to 2008. Gary Matthews Jr. will play everywhere, depending on who needs a day off, and who is DHing. For the moment, this leaves both Juan Rivera, one season removed from bad broken leg, and Reggie Willits, who exploded at the start of the season before wearing down in the last few months, on the outside looking in. Both figure to be tradable commodities prior to opening day, and a good spring could lead to a deal, perhaps packaged with an arm in return for a big bat. The Angels probably wouldn’t mind moving Matthews as well, but a no trade clause stands in the way.

Waiting in the wings is Kendry Morales, who started to show what he could do at the plate, hitting .323/.343/.462 over the last month of the season. He could see time at first base if the Angels decide to sit Casey Kotchman against tough lefties, but to this point, Morales has been a better hitter from the left side of the plate, so there may not be much platoon advantage there, and the Angels could decide to stick with Robb Quinlan in that role. Both have seen limited time in the outfield, giving the Angels a seventh option should the need arise, though that seems unlikely.

A smaller skirmish will take place behind the plate, where Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis will split time. The only question is which one will take over the primary duties. Napoli has the superior stick, with a 109 OPS+ over his first 174 games, while Mathis provides better defense. Napoli struggled a bit at the plate after returning from injury over the last month of the season, but even his .707 OPS over that period was far superior to anything Mathis has been able to put up over any month in his career.

What To Expect: Aybar will be given every opportunity to succeed at shortstop, but if he can’t cut it, the Angels may back into a better option with Izturis. Expect Wood to start the season in Salt Lake with a mandate to improve his ability to make contact. I’d be a bit surprised if they broke camp with both Willits and Rivera, as neither figures to be in their top four outfielders unless they can find someone to take Matthews and his big contract off their hands. It’s doubtful that all six starting pitchers will be ready to go in the first week, so I wouldn’t expect the fifth spot in the rotation to be decided until a week or two into April.

Sports Filled Thursday

Lots to take in last night, so I'll briefly touch on the four sporting events that kept me from watching the new episode of Lost.

Kings 5; Red Wings 3

Absolutely amazing third period for the Kings, as they potted four goals to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 victory. Alexander Frolov has been terrific since returning to full health, and the Detroit broadcasting crew named him their player of the game last night. I thought Brad Stuart was awful over the first two months of the season, but he's been terrific over the last month or so, and the Kings really need to think about extending his deal.

I understand the sentiment of those who don't necessarily want to see the Kings win at this point of the season. Barring a miracle, they won't be playing in the post-season, and every point threatens their chances at acquiring the top pick. But this is a team that needs to learn how to win, and they've been doing that over the last month. That experience may prove invaluable heading into next season. Confidence is a curious thing, and when a team has it, it can be very powerful. If they can go into next season not believing that they can be good, but knowing that they have been good, that will be more valuable than the difference between the first pick and the fourth or fifth pick. I hope they keep winning.

Florida Panthers 4; Ottawa Senators 5

I know, this seems out of place, but a fiend of mine is a gambler, and he suddenly decided that he wants me to start picking hockey games for him. I don't gamble, but I've been "owning" the picks I make, so I was very interested in this game, and it actually caused me to miss the beginning of the Kings comeback. After blowing a 3-1 lead, and a 4-3 lead, Ottawa was the first team to five, and only a couple of great saves by Ray Emery preserved the victory.

Indiana 83; Illinois 79 (2OT)

From a purely objective standpoint, this was an excellent game. Fairly well played by both teams. Back and forth most of the night, with Illinois performing their trademark late collapse, losing a double digit lead yet again. Free throw woes continue to plague the Illini. Sean Pruitt missed two free throws at the end of regulation that would have sealed the victory, then did so again in the first overtime. Six of Illinois' losses this year have come by a combined 23 points. That includes three overtime games (one double overtime game). In those six games, they've made 67-122 free throws. That's fifty five points they've left on the court. They're not a bad team when the clock is running, but they've killed themselves at the line all year.

From a purely subjective standpoint, I hate Indiana with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. This one hurt, and it was really a game that Illinois should have won. I've lost what little shred of respect I had for ESPN, as they continue to lie about what happened in the recruitment of Eric Gordon. He did not re-open his recruitment, no matter how much Pat Forde, Fran Frischilla, and Jay Bilas want to believe otherwise. Decommitting or re-opening a recruitment entails a conversation with the committed coach wherein the kid explains his intentions. If Gordon had gone to Bruce Weber and said "The situation has changed, and while I'm still interested in Illinois, I'd like to explore other options." Doing so would have allowed Bruce Weber to do likewise. But Gordon didn't do that. His family assured Weber that his commitment to Illinois was solid virtually all the way up to signing day. Quite simply, they lied. Whether they were simply malicious, or too pathetic to look coach Weber straight in the eye and tell him the truth makes no difference. They lied, and liars like the Gordons deserve to play for cheating scumbags like Kelvin Sampson.

Lost in all the hoopla, and the loss, was a transcendent performance by freshman point guard Demetri McCamey. He went for 31 points, 7-13 from beyond the arc, and kept the Illinois in the game all night. He definitely outplayed Gordon. It hurts this year, but in the long run, Illinois is probably better off with McCamey for three or four years than Gordon for one.

UCLA 63; Wazzu 59

Great battle in Pullman last night as these teams traded the top spot on the scoreboard all night. But in classic UCLA style, they wore down the Cougars in the second half, created some separation, eventually pushing the lead to 10 points. With LRMAM, perhaps their best defensive player, home with a sprained ankle, the Bruins allowed the Cougars to shoot over 50%, but dominated the glass, outrebounding Wazzu 29-20. Ten of those were on the offensive glass, and it was second chance points that eventually did in the Cougars.

Darren Collison followed a scoreless first half with an 18 point second half, while Kevin Love netted 16, and Russell Westbrook added 14. Josh Shipp continues to struggle on the offensive end, making only three out of eight shots for six points.

UCLA will face Washington on Sunday, and following that game they'll have only three road games remaining. If they can defend their home court against the Bay Area schools, they'll have the inside track on a third consecutive conference championship.

More Coming Attractions

The Whigs, Saturday, February 9th at Schuba's.



Super Furry Animals, Saturday, February 16th at the Metro. Behold the greatest concert ending song you may ever be privileged to witness, and a little bit of a Juxtaposed With You remix at the end, for hell of it.

Domination

That, folks, was a slaughter. UCLA simply stepped on the gas from the very beginning, and never let up. It's the type of performance that makes an impression on a national audience. Kevin Love was exceptional, and Arizona simply doesn't have anyone who can guard Russell Westbrook. He made Chase Buddinger look like a chump tonight.

Hopefully LRMAM will be OK. Kind of a nasty turn of the ankle there near the end.

This was simply a great team playing at their best against a good team playing considerably less than their best. But make no mistake, UCLA is better right now at virtually every position, and they have a much better coach. McKale will be a tough place to play in a few weeks, but for now, there's not much question who the class of the Pac 10 is.

And if you're looking for the Wildcats, you might want to check somewhere out behind this:

What My SoCal Readers Don't Understand

Yes, it is physically possible for the temperature to go from 50 degrees to below zero in just a few hours. I know that 50 degrees sounds crazy to begin with, but yeah, it gets cold here, and it happens in a hurry. Consider yourselves lucky.

The Verve, when they were good

The two best Verve singles, to keep you occupied until the Arizona homestand. Feel free to gaze at your shoes.

Songs for the Weekend

Let's go back about 12-14 years or so to a time when some of us, most importantly me, were still in college, and starting to broaden our musical horizons to include the north of Europe. First up is a bit of quintessential American style indie for a Dutch act. It's Bettie Serveert with Ray Ray Rain.



And if you're the type who can't appreciate good songcraft, the type who maybe thinks that was a bit effeminate, I give you the Swedish band Salt, with Bluster:

UCLA - 80; Oregon - 75

Niiiiiiiiikolllaaaaaaaa!!

Well, we learned this. Oregon students are stupid. They pissed off someone with the ability to really do them in. Kevin Love went for 24 point and 18 rebounds while the piece of shit Oregon fans gave him nothing but vulgarities, apparently oblivious to the fact that their coach doesn't know how to recruit without Phil Knight. Darren Collison added a career high 22 points, along with six assists against one turnover. Russell Westbrook added 15 of his own along with seven rebounds, and a block of center Maarty Leunen.

Yet the biggest plays of the night came from unheralded Nikola Dragovic, a shooter who hasn't found his shot, and hasn't been able to play strong enough defense to crack Ben Howland's regular rotation. In the game only because of injuries to LRMAM and Lo Mata-Real, and foul trouble from James Keefe and Alfred Aboya, Dragovic hit a pick and pop three pointer with 3:21 to go and the Bruins trailing by four. To the casual observer, it looked like an important shot at an important time. But to the discriminating Bruins fan, it was a huge three from a guy who so far really only has one skill, and even that has been debatable. It was the type of shot that make you cringe, because you know it's a huge momentum swing if he makes it, and possibly a back breaker if he misses it. But it rattled home, and as things turned out, it was a back breaker. Oregon, coming off two Leunen free throws, wouldn't score again until the game was all but over. Part of the reason was a big Dragovic rebound just a minute after his three pointer.

Kevin Love survived the classless and oh so clever (Love's a pussy? Really?) Oregon fans, and basically made the Oregon front line his collective bitch, equaling the offensive output of Leunen and Joevan Catron, while dominating both on the glass (18 rebounds against 11 combined), and was never in foul trouble. Booed every time he touched the ball, he sent the home crowd home very disappointed. Oh, and he did that without Mata-Real, and without LRMAM, two stalwarts in the UCLA frontcourt. He was awesome, and in what may be his only game ever at Mac Court, he earned this win.

Russell Westbrook brought himself back to down to the right level. After trying to make the highlight reel on every possession against U$C, he settled down tonight, made big shots when the Bruins needed him to, and took the ball to the hole on the basket that gave UCLA the lead for good.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Josh Shipp. The numbers are uninspiring: 2-8 from the field, three rebounds, seven points (along with six assists). But honestly, I'm a little surprised he took eight shots. Sometimes you're not on your game, or your opponent is focused on taking you out of the game. And in those situations, the best thing you can do is keep yourself from forcing things. That's not easy to do when you're often the team's offensive focal point. But Shipp let the game come to him. He didn't try to make himself the story. When a leader like Shipp isn't a factor, and UCLA wins a close game, you know they didn't do it in spite of him. You know he let his teammates do what they needed to do to win.

Quite a show of resiliency tonight, especially after Oregon had started to separate a bit, taking a seven point lead with under eleven minutes to play. All in all a great win for the Bruins, and with awful OSU on tap for the weekend, the Bruins are looking for a second consecutive road sweep, the home loss to the women of troy being their only conference blemish.

The Walkmen at Schubas - 1/20/08 - A Quick Recap

First live show of the new year for me. I skipped the first two bands, figuring I'd be there in plenty of time to get a good spot, but that turned out to be a bit of a bad move. Still weaseled my way into a good viewing are, but the place was packed when I showed up, which isn't surprising. The Walkmen can fill larger venues than Schuba's. They played a bunch of new stuff, almost half the set, and one song that I recognized at the time, but can't remember now. They played almost nothing off of Hundred Miles Off. List of what I can remember:

1. Little House of Savages
2. 138th Street
3. Thinking of a Dream I Had
4. No Christmas While I'm Talking
5. What's In It for Me?
6. Wake Up
7. Another One Goes By

Set lasted roughly an hour, which wasn't surprising, because they put a lot of energy into each song, so I have to figure that takes a lot of a person. I was disappointed that they didn't play Emma, the Rat, or a lot of stuff off the last album, but I can't complain. It was an hour of solid entertainment.

White Rabbits played right before and I thought they sounded sort of Walkmen-esque, but a little more accessible. I'll check out their other stuff. All in all, not a bad start to 2008. Here's a clip someone recorded at the show of Wake Up:



And again, I'm always disappointed that I think there are a lot of people who really like that version of Another One Goes By, but who have never heard the original Mazarin/Quentin Stoltzfus version, which I think is superior. Which isn't to say the Walkmen version isn't excellent. I just don't like it as much as the original. Judge for yourself:

Norm Chow to UCLA

Well, that takes some sting out of the performance by the basketball team, doesn't it?

UCLA now has arguably two of the most coveted coordinators in college football, to go along with what is currently a top ten recruiting class. Next year may be a tad rough, but the future looks very bright. Weird to think that I'll have two fairly decent college football teams to root for in the near future.

Pathetic

UCLA loses to a bunch of kids who can run and jump, but can't think their way out of a paper bag, which is why they've ended up at Thug Central. Note to the Bruins: The other team just isn't going to quit when you take the lead.

This is the most embarrassing loss of the Howland era. There is no excuse for crap performance that the Bruins put on the floor today.

And not to pin the blame on one player, but Russell Westbrook played BY FAR the worst game of his season. He's ahead of schedule, so a game like this was due, but he was flat out awful. Balls going off his feet, an inability to maintain possession, shots that barely cleared the rim at their highest point, and he's clearly fallen in love with the highlight reel, as his botched dunk demonstrated. 2-11, 0 three pointers, and fortunately ESPN's box score doesn't list his many turnovers yet. And as well as he did on defense in the first half, his man still ended up with 16 points.

You have to feel bad for Kevin Love. He didn't shoot well, but he finished with 18 and 12, outplaying Mayo. But in the end, all that matters is that his team lost. You can say the same for Josh Shipp.

As for LRMAM, well, he apparently needs another off-season to work on his jump shot. And someone can add shot selection to his lessons.

I don't mean this to sound like a shot at Howland, but until a few years ago, this game would have been on Wednesday night. It would not have come after a week layoff. I don't know if the layoff had an effect, but in the past, it wouldn't have been an issue. It would have been midweek, and the Bruins would have been playing a non-conference game today. I love 99% of what Howland brings to UCLA, but I don't care for his scheduling, and I never have.

All you can do is hope they use this as a learning experience.

On Rick Neuheisel

At the start of the coaching search, he probably wasn't my first choice. But whether it's rationalization, or the acquisition of new information, I've gotten to like the idea, and I'm glad that UCLA made that hire. Nothing he's said since has dissuaded me from that view.

I'm not worried about the past trangressions. Despite their volume, they were very minor, and I think he's probably learned his lesson.

I'm not worried about the gambling thing. And any of you who want to bitch about that, well, if you've never participated in an NCAA basketball pool, have at it.

I'm not worried about him lying about interviewing for other jobs. He's not leaving UCLA unless he's asked to leave. This has always been the job that he wanted.

I'm not worried about Walker leaving. Dissolution of the recruiting class would be unfortunate, but I don't think recruiting will be a problem long term. And at this point, I'm not sure Walker would be comfortable working under Neuheisel. And let's be honest, the DC will have to work under Neuheisel. He's not an equal, he's an assistant. And if this class is loyal to Walker, and Walker isn't loyal to the head coach, that could mean big problems down the road. But if Walker is willing to maintain that position, and agree to work under RN, then all the better.

But ulimately, he's not Karl Dorrell. He's not wedded to the West Coast Offense, which does not work in college football, nor is it philosophically the right offense to play in college. He's been successful during his two stops as a head coach. He's got pro experience as a coordinator. He knows what he has to do to keep his nose clean. I like the hire, and I think UCLA is a better program because of it.

Ilinois 17 - thUg$C 49; Thoughts on the Rose Bowl

• There's no question which team is better, just as there wasn't before the game. That said, I think Illinois would beat $C probably 10-20% of the time, and experience was a big factor. Maybe the mood was different on TV, but there was a real sense of momentum in stadium when Illinois was driving to make the score 21-17.
  
• Three plays were the difference in the game. The Jacob Willis fumble was the first, but I actually think the Illini could have recovered if they had been able to get a defensive stop. They blew an opportunity to do that when $C converted a 3rd and 12, which was followed by the lateral that bounced into Joe McKnight's hands for a 64 yard run. That took the wind out of the Illini sales, and the game was effectively over right there.
• I thought the play calling in the first half was atrocious. It was the same uninspired run, run, screen, run, run, run, run, screen, etc. that they ran against Iowa. No deception. No play action. Just the same crap over and over until they decided to throw at the end of the first half. Lo and behold, things opened up, they started to move the ball, and Mendenhall got off. If they had done that a quarter earlier, that Mendenhall score may have made the game a lot closer.
  
• Temple City High School has had very few athletes ever make noise on national level, but I was embarrassed to be a Ram after Temple City grad Desmond Reed showboated his way into the end zone. It would have served him right if he had torn up his knee again while doing it.
• The thUg$C band is as undisciplined as the football team, but it was great to see the 3 in 1 again, even without the Chief.
• It's a lot different going to the game and having good seats than it is having the crappy seats I used to get when I worked the game every year.
• Rashard Mendenhall is a freaking stud. I haven't seen many guys who blend his power and speed. He may have run his way into the first round today.
• Illinois looks to be pretty good next year. If they can replace Mendenhall, and if Juice can learn to throw a little better, the offense will be improved. The defense will be a bit of question mark, though.
• The game was a good experience, and I'm glad I went, even with the score the way it was. It was nice to be around so many fellow alums.
  

Top 10 Albums of 2000 - #1: Simple Kid - 2

It's rare that an album comes completely out of nowhere to impress me this much, but it happened twice this year, Panda Bear being one, this being the other. I first came across this before he opened for BRMC a few months ago, and I wanted to know whether I should get there in time for the opening act. It sounded good, I went, and was blown away. I immediately (legally) downloaded the album and couldn't stop listening to it for the next two weeks.

Virtually all self-recorded, he walks the line between traditional (Ballad of Elton John) and experimental (You); Bluegrass (Little King Kong), and metal (Mommy and Daddy); Folk (Old Domestic Cat), and Indie (Serotonin). Yet somehow, this has generated almost no buzz whatsoever. Not a single mention on Pitchfork. The new album doesn't even have an Amazon review. It's like I'm in some alternate universe where I'm the only person that's heard of this guy.

Start to finish, this album is a masterpiece. Some tracks stand out more than others, but they're nicely placed so that the album doesn't really reach a crescendo until the penultimate track, Mommy and Daddy, where Ciarn McFeely shows off his metal chops, no small feat for a one man act. Within the first week of owning this, I knew it was the best album of the year. It's simply fantastic.

Here's Serotonin, Ballad of Elton John, and Self Help Book.

Top 10 Albums of 2000 - #2: Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Another 2007 revelation, inspired by a Song of the Day post back in April, this was one I listened to a few times and thought was good. Then I got the urge to listen to it again sometime around October and was blown away. The opening triumvirate of Comfy in Nautica, Take Pills, and Bros are probably the three best opening tracks on any album I've ever heard, rivaling even OK Computer.

These songs are sounds, but not noise. They sound both carefully crafted and pulled from the ether at the same time. It's pure sonic bliss for the first 20 minutes. It gets a little goofy/experimental from there on, but closes nicely with Ponytail. It's hard to write too much about this one. It's unlike almost anything I've ever heard, but still quite familiar. It's just basically fantastic.

Here's Comfy in Nautica, Bros, and someone's video for Take Pills:

Section 20; Row 67; Seats 101 & 102

Just got my Rose Bowl tickets today. Casually asked the owner of a local Mexican food restaurant that my parents frequent, and he hooked me up. Should somewhere between the 25 and 40 yard lines, about ten rows under the press box, which are actually excellent seats at the Rose Bowl. Could stand to be a little lower, but these will be good. Paid face value. Only downside is that they're in the U$C section, but I'll survive. It's the alumni section, so they're all rich and docile.

This will be like the fifth or sixth Rose Bowl game I've been to, but the first where I've had decent seats.

Top 10 Albums of 2000 - #3: Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Now we get to a band who's sound has really evolved over time. Their very early work was much more Pixies influenced, much rougher. It's a sound so foreign to their newer fans that they don't even play stuff from Telephono in concert anymore, or at least they haven't at any of the shows I've been to in the last few years.

The result of that evolution is Gax5, and it's arguably their best to date. I say arguably because I think it's a question of peak value vs. consistency. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb", "the Underdog", and "Finer Feelings" are as good as anything they've ever done, and maybe the best three songs to appear on the same album. That said, I don't think it's consistently good as Gimme Fiction. Start to finish, I'll take their last album. I'm not a huge fan of "the Ghost of You Lingers", "Eddie's Raga", or "Japanese Cigarette Case", and they tend to stick out surrounded by such excellent tracks. But the quality of those top three, along with "Don't You Evah" and "Black Like Me" push this into the upper echelon of 2007 releases.

Here's Don't You Evah, Black Like Me, and Cherry Bomb.

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #4: Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus!

It's kind of strange to think about a favorite band as being "under the radar", then realizing that they've got eight full length albums, a rarities collection, and a singles compilation. Generally bands that stay under the radar don't stick around long enough to be that prolific. But Hey Venus! marks the bands eight album, and fourth in the last five years or so.

Much like their last album, Love Kraft, Gruff Rhys shares the vocal duties with Huw Bunford ("Battersea Oddessy") and Cian Ciaran ("Carbon Dating", which sounds a lot like his Acid Casuals song "Bowl Me Over"). This might be their most pop-friendly album since, well, maybe ever. After the brief introduction of "Gateway Song", the album launches into the two most consumer friendly tracks on the album, "Run Away" and "Show Your Hand", before settling down with the mellowed out "Gift that Keeps Giving".

Like a lot of SFA albums, except for maybe Rings Around the World and Phantom Power, it tails off a little bit at the end, and you'll probably find yourself listening to the first seven tracks a lot, and the last four tracks not so much. That's not to say they aren't great tracks, but they tend to require the right mood, whereas a song like "Run Away" sounds good no matter what you're in the mood for. There are no real epic, defining tracks here, like Love Kraft's "Lazer Beam", Phantom Power's "Slow Life", or Rings' "Receptacle for the Respectable" or "Run, Christian, Run". But start to finish, it's on par with all of those albums.

Here's Run-Away; Show Your Hand (you have to sit through a minute or so of chat, but you'll get a cool glimpse of "God, Show Me Magic"); and the Gift that Keeps on Giving.

More fun with Sitemeter

Alright, who keeps coming here after googling Warren Busick? It was a throw away line in a post from quite a ways back, but it gets me like three or four hits per week. Sheesh, I don't think I've even seen him since I was about 12.

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #4a: Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor

Alright, mea culpa, I forgot this one when I put my original list together, and I'm shoehorning them into roughly the spot they would have had if I hadn't been an idiot. Now that that's out of the way...

Earlimart returns with the third full-length of the Aaron Espinoza fronted era, and start to finish, it's their strongest outing to date. They've retained the knack for finding just the right ambient noise to back their stronger tracks, and even amplified by touring (briefly) with a string quartet. This is most notable on "Answers & Questions". They've moved away somewhat from the feedback heavy tracks like "Unintentional Tape Manipulations" and "Lost at Sea" from previous albums, and moved toward more piano and softer vocals, which suits not only Espinoza's ability, but Ariana Murray's, who contributes lead vocals on "Happy Alone", and shares them on "the World".

There's nothing here as sumblime as "Heaven Adores You" from the last album (though "Answers & Questions" is close), but the album is their most consistent to date. Every track is solid, and the pacing is excellent. No videos this time, but you can stream the whole album at their site.

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #5: The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On

The first full length from The Broken West, once known as the Brokedown until they found out they shared the name with a Chicago band. They hold the record as the band I've seen the most in a single year. I saw them initially when they opened for the Walkmen early in the year, then a month or so later when they headlined. They came back in the summer to play the Taste of Randolph Street festival, and hit the town once again with the Whigs in late October. The nice thing about listening to indie stuff is that one can actually afford to see the same band a bunch of times in the same year.

This is simply good, straightforward indie pop/rock, and it's very impressive for a debut. And it's very West Coast. While bands like Beulah captured the San Francisco Sound, the Broken West are much more L.A. Laid back groovy pop-songs like You Can Build an Island and Slow are set among the driving pop beats of So It Goes and On the Bubble, and the almost country sounding Abigail.

There's really not much more I can say. It's not complicated. It's not groundbreaking. This album just does what it sets out to do very, very well. Here's the studio version of Down in the Valley, a live version of So it Goes, and a live version of You Can Build an Island:

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #6: The Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

After a five year hiatus, which saw side projects from both Hilarie Sidney and Robert Schneider, as well as the end of their marriage, the Apples In Stereo returned with arguably their best album yet, and while Sidney is no longer a full fledged member of the band, she lends vocals to a couple of the many excellent tracks on this album.

Every AiS record has sounded a little bit different than the one before. From the jangly pop of Tone Soul Evolution and Fun Trick Noisemaker, to the lilting pop of Her Wallpaper Reverie, to the feedback drenched Beach Boys melodies of Velocity of Sound, they've managed to alter their sound just enough to let you know that they had evolved since the last time you heard them. New Magnetic Wonder showcases Schneider's experiments with vocoders and other bits of technology, while still calling back to their past, maintaining the framework of melodic psych-pop that has shaped every album to a varying degree.

There's a little bit of everything here. The opener "Can You Feel It" would have sounded at home on Fun Trick Noisemaker. The more raw "Skyway" follows, a track that could have had a home on Velocity. "Same Old Drag" and "Play Tough" bust out the harmonies that were so prevelant on Tone Soul, while "Sun is Out" opens as a lo-fi low tempo track right out of Wallpaper, before becoming a campfire style sing-along. Sidney pitches in with Sundaal Song and Sunday Sounds. It's like a greatest hits album of all new material, if that makes any sense.

The album is replete with short little song breaks (Don't download this album unless you can get it for one price, and don't get it from Emusic). There's 24 tracks, but it plays as something closer to a tradition 12-14 track album. And typical of AiS, it's all stuff that really transfers well live. They put on a great show, and they're someone you should check out if you get the chance.

Here's Same Old Drag; Can You Feel It?; and a live acoustic version of Skyway:

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #7: Radiohead - In Rainbows

A majority of the buzz surrounding this album was centered on Radiohead's method of delivery. What was somewhat left out was the fact that this is another really, really good album, probably their best since OK Computer which, let's face it, is probably an insurmountable piece of work for Radiohead. It's one of the three best albums of all time, and all of those people who say they like The Bends better are lying, and simply trying to be contrarian.

For those unaware, Radiohead offered this album for download a few months ago through their own website. For how much? Whatever you were willing to pay, including $0 if you were a dick. I paid £5, which I thought was fair. I'd much rather purchase music from the artist when possible, which is why I tend to stream a lot of stuff via Rhapsody, then wait until I see a band live to buy the CD whenever I can.

Unlike the last three albums on the list, this album feels like a bit of a departure for Radiohead, but it's hard to tell, since they've kind of been all over the map lately. However, they've toned down the experimentation a bit, and this album seems more instantly accessible than the previous three, though it's more down the path of Hail to the Thief than either Kid A or Amnesiac. Starts off quickly with 15 Step and Bodysnatchers, which are my two favorite songs on the album.

For the first time since OK Computer, it's not a chore to listen to an entire Radiohead album beginning to end. Here's the first two tracks mentioned above, plus Jigsaw Falling Into Place.

The Mitchell Report

I've given it a long, hard thought, and after much soul searching, I've come to this conclusion:

I. Don't. Care.

I don't care if every player who has ever played is, was, or will be juicing. This is arguably the biggest waste of effort in the history of the sport.

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #8: The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

One of the biggest changes from the first two Shins albums to this one seems to be a little tweak in production. James Mercer's vocals have moved just a tiny bit more to the forefront. I don't necessarily think is either a positive or negative development. I kind of liked the first album's production, which made them seem like more of a collaborative affair, but you can definitely tell that the success of the band has allowed them to upgrade their recording.

Like albums 9 and 10 on this list, there's some gentle evolution here compared to the first two albums, but it's still very much a Shins record, and if you were to see them live, it wouldn't necessarily be readily apparent which songs were from which "era". But there's comfort in consistency, so I don't really think that's a negative. It's different enough to be fresh, but similar enough to be familiar (and I swear I didn't read the Pitchfork review right before using the words "comfort" and "familiar").

Sleeping Lessons and Australia are as good as anything they've ever done, and Phantom Limb was an excellent choice as lead single, as it introduced the bands' sound to new listeners very well. Beginning to end, there's a slow point or two. The "Black Wave/Split Needles" combo isn't may favorite part of the album, but I think they scored on their forays into new sounds on Sea Legs and Red Rabbits.

Here are Sleeping Lessons, Australia, and Turn on Me w/ Anita Robinson (Viva Voce) on the David Letterman show.

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #9: New Pornographers - Challengers

Why it's in the top 10: Much like the #10 album, this was highly anticipated, and the show they played in July at Pitchfork prior to it's release only served to whet my appetite. And much like Ted Leo, you know what you're going to get with New Pornographers: Melodic power pop, terrific hooks, a mix of high energy up-tempo tracks and the occasional ballad.

Why it's not rated higher: All the same caveats apply about this being a particularly crowded field and whatnot. When putting this list together, a main criterion was simply how much I listened to the album, which was especially difficult considering most of the albums listed came out in the span of about two months. Sometimes this one had a hard time cracking the rotation, though there were certain songs that got played over and over again (like Myriad Harbor).

While it's an excellent album, it's not the transcendent masterpiece of the type that populate the top of the list. For my taste, it tended to go a little too heavy on the ballads or slower numbers. I count at least five. It was lifted by some excellent Bejar, including Myriad Harbor, which may be one of his best NP tracks to date, and the Spirit of Giving, his NP foray into down-tempo numbers. Quite honestly, they could put out a full Bejar album and I'd be perfectly happy. For my tastes, he's my favorite NP composer, and I think he's at his best when he's writing his NP material (except for maybe Streethawk, which is my favorite Destroyer album).

Ultimately it fits in pretty well with the rest of the New Pornographers oeuvre. 20 years from now, it may be difficult to tell which album a given song comes from. They haven't exactly undergone a Beatles-like transformation over four albums. And there's nothing wrong with that. They keep producing great music, and this album is another in that line. Here's some live stuff: Myriad Harbor, Mutiny I Promised You, and My Rights Vs. Yours from David Letterman:

Top 10 Albums of 2007 - #10 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living

More than anything, this album suffered from timing, and high expectations. I didn't really start listening to Ted Leo until last summer (2006) at the Pitchfork Festival, but subsequently devoured both Hearts of Oak and Shake the Sheets. This was one of the most anticipated albums of 2007 for me. And while it's still a very good album (mediocre Ted is better than 99% of what's out there now), it didn't quite live up to the expectations I had following the previous two albums. Perhaps I was exiting a Ted phase at the point in time.

Still, all things considered, it really is an excellent album. It's got all of TL/Rx trappings. And infectious brand of indie punk with boundless energy, devastating hooks, and it plays great live. Still, when all was said and done, it just seemed like I didn't listen to it all that much this year. As I re-enter a Ted Phase, that will probably change.

Standout tracks are Sons of Cain, Colleen, The Unwanted Things, and the World Stops Turning.

Here's Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.; Sons of Cain (Live); and Who Do You Love (solo).

Begin the Countdown - Top 10 Albums of the Year

A few caveats. First, some of you may be surprised to learn that I don't get paid to review music. Shocking, I know, but it's the truth. As such, I don't routinely get free music sent to me. Second, partially due to the last point, I can't really review stuff I haven't listened to, so everything on this list consists of CDs I've either bought, or albums downloaded legally. Finally, there's a lot of stuff I've left out, because this has been a banner year for stuff I listen to. A lot of really top notch bands released new albums, which contributed mightily to the record number of shows I saw this year.

I'm going to start this list off with this year's honorable mentions. These albums are just outside the top ten. Some are surprises because I didn't expect to like them this much. Some are surprises because I didn't expect them to fall out of the top ten, but that's how good this year's crop was. So without further adieu (in alphabetical order):

Nicole Atkins and the Sea - Neptune City
Saw her open for the Raveonettes in October, and to be honest, if this had been something I'd heard on the radio, or saw on TV, I would not have picked them out as a band I'd listen to. But the live performance was really terrific. And the whole album is really entertaining. Here's the title track.


BRMC - Baby 81
A bit of a return to their hard rock roots, which is good and bad, considering the last album, the rootsier "Howl" had really grown on me. Anlthough this has some really good stuff on it, it's not my favorite BRMC album, and didn't quite rise into the top 10 this year. Here's Weapon of Choice:


Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Big surprise for me here, as I really like this album a lot, and it's probably number 11, but just wasn't quite good enough to crack the top 10. They put on a really good show, but it was at a really crappy venue, and the sound suffered as a result. Probably slid a bit due to the lyrics. I'm not usually a big lyrics guy, but some of these songs were kind of dopey on the lyrical end, especially Rest My Chemistry, which is essentially about whether Paul Banks can find the strength to screw a groupie. Anyway, here's another with questionable lyrics, No I in Threesome.

Grant Lee Phillips - Strangelet
For me, this album suffered from timing. I got it right around the time I was listening to a bunch of other stuff, and as the year comes to an end, I realize I haven't listened to it as much as I would have expected, but it's his best album since Mobilize. It's the most musically diverse and the most fun to listen to. Here's Raise the Spirit.


Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate
Another one I would have figured would be in the top 10, but was edged out by a crowded field. After a longer than expected hiatus while they waited for drummer Pat Spurgeon to heal from a kidney transplant, Zach Rogue and crew returned with their third album, and much like the first two, it's very good. Put on a very good show as well. Here's Lake Michigan.


The Whigs - Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip
These last two are both albums that came out in 2006, and both from bands that I stupidly skipped seeing, even though I had tickets (they were opening acts), and I hadn't taken the time to listen to their albums enough before the shows. First up is this album from the Whigs, a trio from Athens, GA. I've since grown to really like it, and as the year ends, it's been in regular rotation the last few weeks. None of the Youtube videos are very good, so I'm posting the bad recording of my favorite song off of this album, the title track. They have a new album due out next month. Here's Give 'Em a Big Fat Lip.


Viva Voce - Get Yr Blood Sucked Out
Another 2006 album, though they did just re-release their previous two albums, 2003's Lovers Lead the Way, and 2004's The Heat Can Melt Your Brain. Still, this album is their masterpiece so far, and the video below is the best song off that album, and probably one of the three best songs to which I was introduced this year. It's From the Devil Himself.


So that's it for the honorable mentions. Tune in tomorrow for #10.

Some good news for a change

Coming off a weekend where UCLA lost to $UC in football, Texas in football, and in which the Kings blew a two goal lead, and the Lakers and Broncos played like crap, today brought some good news finally.

Building on the momentum of the Illinois to the Rose Bowl announcement, fortune delivered the end of the Karl Dorrell era. I tried to stay on Dorrell's side as long as possible, and going into this season, I had high hopes that he'd be able to stem the tide of negativity and put up a great season, inlcuding a BCS bowl and victory over $UC. And while injuries certainly were a factor, particularly in the Notre Dame game, they certainly weren't against Utah, and that was the game that forever changed my opinion. They came out listless and never seemed liked they cared, and they got hammered by one of college football's bottom feeders. Against Notre Dame, they still could have won the game had they had a halfway competent third string quarterback (oh wait, they did, but they had converted him to receiver, even though he never played at receiver). And despite the struggles of McLeod Bethel-Thompson, that game could have been won if the coaching staff hadn't consistently set him up for failure.

Make no mistake, the problems that beset this year's Bruin football team were almost completely due to poor coaching. I think Karl Dorrell is probably a hell of a guy, but he's not a very good head football coach. At least not yet.

And the good news keeps coming. The Super Furry Animals just announced a North American Tour which will be hitting Chicago in February. This will mark the fifth or sixth time I've seen SFA, one of the best live acts still in business.

Oh, and I got promoted.

UCLA chokes against Texas

Maybe if they showed up to play the first half, they would have won. Horrible defense, even worse shooting, and they still should have won if they'd had a clue what to do in the last minute. Absolutely pathetic performance against a very overrated Texas team, which does nothing but fling the ball at the basket half the time, and tonight they were lucky that a lot of them went in.

Still, this was a #1 ranked team that played like they didn't deserve to be in the top 25, and if they don't come prepared, this is going to happen a lot. Fortunately, I'm confident that Ben Howland will keep them ready. But the fact is, the Pac 10 has already lost the luster that it had pre-season. UCLA and that other team both lose to Big 12 opponents on their home floor. That's pathetic.

Illinois Is Going to the Rose Bowl!!

Well, it's taken a while, but the Illini are headed to Pasadena for a bowl game, and hopefully the game will be more exciting than the last trip the Illini took to Pasadena. I'm talking about the regular season matchup in 2003 that finished with UCLA winning 6-3. Don't let the score fool you, the game was even more boring than it sounds.

I will, naturally, be in town for the game, as I'm usually home at that time anyway. I was planning on heading back to Chicago for New Years this year, but the Illini have thrown a monkey wrench into those plans.

Early pick: I think the Illini will get killed, but that's what I thought about the Ohio State game, too. And U$C has had problems with scrambling quarterbacks. Of course, most of that struggling came against Dennis Dixon, who is a lot better than Juice. But still, it's a reason for some sliver of optimism.

Party at my parents' house!

UCLA slaughtered by U$C

The nice thing about this game being on national television is that the whole country has a chance to see what a shitty coach Karl Dorrel is. Here we are in December and his players can't execute a simple hand off with regularity. And when your defense makes a big stop, and your opponent might have to settle for a field goal, it's not really a good idea to give them another third down, even if they're ten yards further back.

It's a testament to how down U$C is this year that they aren't going to win this game by 50. UCLA has given them opportunity after opportunity, turnover after turnover, bad decision after bad decision, and they're still only up by 17 points.

So long Karl. You really won't be missed. I'm sure Karl is a good guy, but he's simply been in over his head. He is not a good football head coach. Hopefully, the athletic department will make the right decision next time.

Thank goodness it's basketball season.

Quick thoughts on the Illinois-Maryland debacle

• If you had told me that the refs would let them play to the extent they did tonight, I would have guess that Illinois would win by ten. But they were awful. Brutally awful. And most of it happened inside.
• Sean Pruitt was awful. The next pass he makes out of the post will be the first. He goes to the hole and flings the ball at the basket, and the one time he got a chance to dunk, he choked. A guy that shoots from no more than five feet out finished 4-16 from the field. Man, that sucks.
• Brian Randle wasn't much better. 2-8 from the field, and stuffed at least once by a guy he should have owned. And he couldn't get it done from the free throw line either.
• On the defensive end, Maryland killed the Illini in th paint. They walked into the lane over and over again, with almost no resistance. The difference in the paint was roughly 40-15 or so. That's pathetic. The Illini made one two point basket in the last eight minutes, and Pruitt promptly missed the subsequent free throw that would have pulled the Illini to within one.
• Rodney Alexander played pretty well, then inexplicably didn't see the floor for the most important part of the game.
• Calvin Brock started well, hit a jumper at the beginning of the second half. Then disappeared.
  

Really bad performance tonight against a pretty bad Maryland team. They need to be better than that.

Slingbox?

Anyone have one of these things, or know someone who does? I don't always trust Amazon reviews.

I ask because I'm back in Atlanta for the week, and if the travel thing keeps happening, there's a lot of Kings games that I'm going to miss. Most people probably wouldn't think that was a bad thing, but I paid for the damn package so I'd like to watch the damn games. And my understanding is that I can hook this sucker up and watch whatever is on my TV from any computer with a good internet connection. I was initially intrigued, then turned off by the fact that they don't seem to work with Blackberries, which is what they gave me at my newish job. But I'm starting to think it might be a worthwhile investment.

Anyone?

Torii Hunter. Really.

Well, after thinking about it for a while, I'm still not really sure what this means. I simply can't believe that this is the roster the Angels are going to take to April 1st. So really any analysis that contemplates that happening is almost sure worthless, but what the hell, that's what blogs are for, right?

The most obvious picture shows Hunter in center, one of Vlad or GA in the field, and GMJ at the opposite corner, which probably isn't ideal unless either Vlad or GA is made the primary DH while the other is in the field 5 out of 7 games. It also means that Juan Rivera is essentially worthless to this management team, despite being a better hitter than at least two of the guys who will see regular time in the outfield or DH, which tells me they haven't really thought all that much about Rivera.

Logic of course dictates that one of either Saunders, Santana or Weaver will be packaged with one of either Willits or Rivera, and probably at least one of Nick Adenhart or Brandon Wood in a package for a Miguel, but your guess is as good as mine. As I write this, nothing has been finalized, but Tony Reagins appears to like to work quickly. New rumors have the Angels essentially giving up on keeping Howie Kendrick, but I can't do anything but hope they're wrong. I don't know what it is, but I really like Howie Kendrick, and I see him winning multiple batting titles in his career. I'd hate to see the Angels give up that kind of offense, damn the walks, at such a difficult position to fill. I'm sure people think I'm nuts and I'm totally overvaluing Kendrick, but so be it.

Back to the signing, six years is a long time, and much like the Matthews deal, the years concern me much more than the dollars. I like to think I have a theoretical grasp on the economics of the game, but hell if I know how much teams really have to spend. Revenues are supposedly booming right now in baseball, and the Angels are one of the teams driving that, with boatloads of fans showing up at the Big A in addition to a monster television contract signed just a year ago. So the dollars aren't my concern. Hell, it's not my money. And honestly, this team has shown a willingness to accept that some things are sunk costs. If they weren't, they wouldn't have already decided to move Matthews out of center field.

Are the Angels better because of this deal right now? I think so, but not a ton, mostly because this means fewer at bats for Juan Rivera, assuming he's even in Halo red next season. And to the extent it precludes them from making other moves, we'll just have to wait and see. Much like the Matthews signing, it has the feel of a move made for the sake of making a move. But again, in the final analysis, I just can't see them going to Arizona without at least one more major shake up, and if this deal is any indication, there's almost no point in trying to predict what that might be, because these guys are working from their own private playbook.

Torii Hunter? Really?

I don't get this at all. Makes no sense to me unless they've caught Matthews actually injecting HGH and think they can void his deal. I'll try to write more tonight, but right now, I'm perplexed.

College Basketball - Quick Thought

UCLA vs. Michigan State

If they can beat the nation's 11th ranked team without 3 of their top 10, 2 of their top six, and their best player, then UCLA is going to be pretty good. They showed a ton of heart tonight, overcoming an awful start to fight back into the game, take the lead for the first time late in the game, and hold on for the win. I haven't seen the stats yet, but I think Westbrook went the full 40. And Kevin Love probably won't see a more physical team this year.

Great efforts by Al Aboya and LRMAM. Aboya had the steal that led to the tying dunk, and LRMAM scored the last two field goals for the difference. Ben Howland showed that while he won't rush his injured players back to soon, he still thinks these games are important enough to shorten his bench in order to win.

Listening to Schulman and Vitale, you would think that Drew Neitzel was some superhuman point guard who boldly overcame a tummy ache. Fact is I've seen him play in the Big Ten for four years now. He's decent, but a healthy Collison would have wiped the floor with him, and full Bruins squad wins by 12 points.

Illinois vs. Duke +3

Sometime about seven years ago, when Michigan State was getting a reputation for bruising physical play, Illinois got the reputation as the team that does nothing but fouls. And when you play Dook, you already start down three players, because they are going to get all the calls. They have the asshole who spends the whole game doing nothing but screaming at the ref who happens to be in front of him. Kzyzksfslasfhski is a cocksucker, but he knows how to work the refs. Illinois was in the game until every breath was a touch foul.

As it was, I thought the Illini looked good last night against a mediocre to poor Arizona State team. Randle showed his athleticism, and Rodney Alexander could be a revelation. If Chet Frazier can shoot (so far, so good), and if Brian Randle and Sean Pruitt can stay on the floor, the Illini can be in the top five in the Big Ten and back in the tournament. I also see Billy Cole and Mike Tisdale making contributions this year. They won't be great, but they won't be awful, and they may even be better than last year.

Angels trad O-Cab for Jon Garland

If you haven't heard this by now, then you're probably here looking for Sharin Foo pictures. I don't blame you.

Can't say as I saw this one coming, but the initial reaction is that the Angels aren't done. I can't believe they would have made this deal without something bigger on the horizon. Certainly the speculation will be around Miguel Cabrera, but that doesn't make sense to me, as it still leaves the Angels without a shortstop*, and without a day-in day-out position for Chone Figgins, which one would figure would be either 3rd base, 2nd base, or center field. 2nd base only opens up if they trade Howie for Miguel Cabrera, which still leaves them without a shortstop*. Center field only opens up if they find someone dumb enough to take Gary Matthews Jr., and seeing how Allard Baird and David Littlefield don't have that power anymore, it's a long shot.

All of which means the deal that's more likely to be on the table is something, primarily pitching, for Miguel Tejada. It's going to take Santana and either a top prospect (Wood) or maybe a couple of mid-level prospects (Rodriguez and Conger?). Perhaps Santana and Adenhart, since Nick grew up a lot closer to Ballmer than Anaheim.

In return, the Angels get Jon Garland, who was rumored to be on the way to the Angels six years ago, not long before Darin Erstad helped lead the Angels to a World Championship (at least with his playoff performance). Now they get a better than league average innings eater who will be just 28 this year, the final year of his contract. Obviously this leaves the Angels with six starters if you assume Ervin was heading back to the rotation next season, which will lead to the invevitable speculation that he (or Saunders, or even possibly Weaver) is headed somewhere else. If I had to bet, I'd put money on Miguel Tejada over Miguel Cabrera. He fills (in theory) the hole at short, and brings a pretty big bat along with him.

*I use the asterisk to note that I don't really think the Angels need a shortstop right now. I think they're better right now than they were yesterday. The rotation is deeper, and I think Maicer Izturis could, health permitting, play 145 games at shortstop, provide adequate defense, and hit better than Cabrera did last season. Plus, he's only 27, so his best years are arguably ahead of him. I like this deal for that reason alone. I'll miss OC. He was a good Angel, and very likable guy, but I can't see him putting up another season like he had last year. I'll root for him in Chicago, but I'm not heartbroken over this deal.

Bonds indicted

And let me check.....just one second....... Nope. Still don't care if anyone or everyone who ever played professional sports is a juicer. Next manufactured controversy, please.

Panthers 2; Thrasher 3 - OT

Went down to Phillips Arena tonight to take in the last two period of the Thrashers-Panthers game. OK arena. We had club seats, so we were in the last row of the first section, near center ice. Pretty good seats, and the concourse in our area was really snazzy, but that's what you can get for $20 when buy tickets after the first period is over. Up higher, though, might have sucked. From the looks of it, one entire side of the arena is made up of luxury boxes, which were right above it. I mean, a whole side of the arena is reserved for the very rich. Kind of overkill, really.

As for the game, it was OK. Tough to get into it when you don't care for either team. But it had a great finish. Marian Hossa scored with 2.6 seconds left to tie the game, and Ilya Kovalchuk, who has been on fire lately, scored the game winner in OT. So the end was really exciting, and Hossa and Kovalchuk are worth the price of admission.

Plenty of former Kings in action, as Josef Stumpel and Olli Jokinen lined up against Alex Zhitnik. Always cool to see a new arena, even if it half full (kind of like a Hawks game).

Do You Believe in Unlikelihoods?!

You make the call. What's more unlikely:

1. Illinois goes into Columbus and beats the number 1 Ohio State Buckeyes;
2. Juice Williams throws for four touchdowns; or
3. the Kings, trailing 4-0, get five goals against Dallas in the final seven minutes and win 6-5 in overtime?

Welcome home, pal.

UCLA vs. Portland State - Liveblog

This should be fun, as I figure to get drunker and drunker as the game goes on. Free internet broadcast courtesy of CSTV. We finally get to see Kevin Love in a Bruins uni.

• Interesting thing about these broadcasts. They overlay the radio feed with the camera feed from the guys filming the game for scouting purposes. So during commercials, they apparently show what the Pauley scoreboard shows. I was just encouraged to get on my feet and make noise. I can get kind of loud, but not Krakatoa loud.
• 5th starter tonight is Al Aboya.
• And Love opens with a defensive board and an outlet pass that leads to a break and two points.
• Love seal and dunk. He's good. And an easy dunk on the inbounds. Wow.
  
• I may be in the minority, but I like the C. You did something good. Flaunt it. And the obvious upshot is that it's going to get mentioned in every game on TV. People are going to ask about it. And game after game, all year, people are going to hear that UCLA was the first school to 100 national championships.
• Under 16 TO: First impressions? Pretty solid quality on this video. Thanks, CSTV.
• PSU takes a time out because of dunk we never saw. Here's the problem with this set-up. Love hits a shot inside, and while they're showing replay, he gets a rebound on the other end that leads to a dunk that we don't see. Now the game is back on, but it beat the radio feed. Weird. Niiiiiiiiiiiikolaaaaaaaa into the game.
• Again, we miss game action for a replay, but that seems to be the way this is going to go.
• The defense has been awesome, with the typical doubling and flashing UCLA defense that leads to a lot of steals. They look like they could win this game by 100 points if the try.
• Hey, remember when Lavin was coaching, and you never sure if they'd actually win games like this?
• 36-17 at the end of the first half. They slowed down a bit. Whether that's because they naturally slowed down, or they took their foot off the gas, but the first ten minutes were very impressive. Impressions:
• Kevin Love is very good. He's not an overpowering Shaq-type force, but he has a great feel for how to put the ball in the basket, and his passing is as advertised. He can yank down a few boards, too.
• The defense looks like they're ready to pick up where they left off. Double teams, steals, etc.
  
• Dragovic picked up some nice minutes, as did Stanback. Both look like they can contribute 8th and 9th man minutes. When Collison, Keefe, and Roll return, this team can go 11 deep.
  
• LRMAM looks like he needs to find a role. Maybe he'll better with Collison, but right now, with Shipp and Love picking up scoring slack, he looks a little lost on the offensive end.
• Josh Shipp can shoot. He's turning into the scorer that his brother was.
  
• Westbrook can be electric, but he's got a lot of learning to do. Fortunately, he gets to learn against the best point guard in college basketball. Much like every day practice against Farmar made Collison a terrific player, Collison's tutelage will help Westbrook improve. And just imagine the guard battles in practice next year with Westbrook, Holliday, Lee, and Anderson.
• It's really weird watching these games with a clock and scoreboard on the screen.
• Love just grabbed a board and made a two foot pass to Shipp. Tells me that he's not going to fire outlets to nowhere when the opportunities aren't there. He's got 18 and 11. First in a long line of double doubles.
• I love Lo Mata-Real, but it's going to be really nice to have a center that you can play on both the offensive and defensive end late in games. Love can make free throws.
• I can't stop thinking about depth. Their second team (RW, Roll, Chace, Aboya, Lo) would be a heck of a starting five in most conferences. And that doesn't even factor in Keefe or Dragovic. Good God, this can be a freaking 12 man rotation!!
• An addendum to the last bullet, the top ranked recruit from the Roll, Collison, LRMAM, Aboya class isn't even with the team anymore. Ryan Wright was the "stud" from that class.
• Westbrook's offense isn't quite as "instant" when he starts. But when DC gets back, he's going to be a super-sub who can fill in a for a few games at a time. This experience is invaluable.
• Game over. UCLA wins handily. It's not a 50 point win like Duke put up, but then again, Howland doesn't leave his starters in up by 40 with 30 seconds to play.
  

So that's that. 69-48. K-Love was pretty solid. 22 points, 13 boards. The last Bruins with similar debut numbers was T.J. Cummings. The difference between Love and Cummings is that Kevin's not afraid to get paint on his shoes. I've never seen a player with T.J.'s size who was so reluctant to go anywhere near the basket.

Win. Experience. On to bigger things.

All Kinds of Stuff

Just to catch up, I thought I'd throw a bunch of different subjects into one post. I gotta admit, the fact that I'm on some blogrolls kind of increases the pressure to catch up once in a while, and I've been slacking, so I'll do this in the order of importance.

UCLA Football

Honestly, it's gotten so bad lately that I've started to head toward the worst possible dimension of fandom: Apathy. Any other season and I would have been at a bar watching Saturday's game. But this week I had a played in a golf tournament on Saturday morning, checked the score on the way home, commiserated with my dad, and really had no interest in keeping track of the finish.

This is a team with 20 returning starters, all recruited by Dorrell, and they are going to fail to get to a bowl game. Think about that for a minute. A team that started the year ranked 11th, with 20 starters back, and they aren't even going to get to a bowl game. And they haven't even played the tough part of their schedule yet. They've played one good team (and beat them). They've lost to Utah, Arizona, Washington State, and the coup de grace, arguably the worst Notre Dame team in history. I'm not quite sure what it takes for the Athletic Department to realize that a new direction is needed, but it seems like Dorrell's record should speak for itself.

I really can't see them winning any of their last three games. Maybe ASU if they get lucky, but that's a stretch. The only real drama remaining is when Dan Guerrero is going to announce Dorrell's dismissal, and who will be tabbed to replace him. Brace yourself for disappointment on that second front. The financial realities at a public university in California dictate that UCLA won't be able to spend top dollar. I'm not quite sure what that leaves. Perhaps an up and comer with whom they can catch lightning in a bottle. But personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Norm Chow take over.

UCLA Basketball

It's early, and some guys are nursing injuries, but hey, they look like they're going to be pretty good, huh? Honestly, I don't have much to say on them at this point, since every bit of information I get is second hand. I'll have more to say once they start to show up on my TEEVEE.

That said, I'm not particularly concerned about the early injuries, especially the injury to Collison. UCLA is back to a position where March is what matters, and while I don't want anyone to get hurt, the worst part about a Collison injury is less wear and tear on Darren, and more experience for Russell Westbrook. That seems to me like a pretty good silver lining. They're as deep this year as they've ever been. Mike Roll's injury will provide more experience for Nikola Dragovic, and that depth is going to be paramount throughout a tough conference season. Any team that can only roll six or seven guys during conference season this year is going to be in big trouble in the Tournament. There will be very little left in their tank.

Illinois Basketball

I have even less to say about the Illini hoops team than I did about UCLA. We're going to be OK, not great, and probably a bubble team at best. But Bruce Weber always gets everything out of his talent, and because of that, I'd say they're also a bubble team at worst. They'll be competitive every night. A lot of new faces will be getting minutes. How many of those minutes I'll see is open question, since Comcast and the Big Ten Network are still duking it out.

Kings Hockey

These guys are fun to watch. They're young, skilled, and over the last few weeks, they've really been competitive. Hopefully they're getting a little confidence that can carry them through to at least a position to contend for a playoff spot. The new faces, save for Brad Stuart (who has kind of sucked so far) seem to be melding nicely, and Mike Cammalleri has been awesome so far. But no one comes here to read about the Kings.

Angels

To A-Rod, or not to A-Rod? I guess it all depends on what he's asking for and if there's any team out there who is likely to give it to him. There's not much question that he would fill a need which may or not be filled by a healthy Dallas McPherson. Obviously the levels of production are hugely disparate, but so are the salaries involved. It's not my money, so I guess Arte can spend it or not spend it however he wants. I'm not going to be heartbroken if the Angels don't reel him in.

Last Coming Attractions For A While

Going to see the Broken West with a couple of other bands tonight at Schuba's. I think they're up second, and I'll probably just take off after their set. They will become the first band I've ever seen four times in the same year.

So It Goes (Live)


So It Goes (Acoustic)