Well, for those of you who know me from these blogs, today is a big day for me. It's my birthday! I am 25 years old today, and I felt it was fitting to write a post. What will I write about? My first sports love; basketball! Tonight is game six of the Western Conference Finals, and I'm going to write about the possibilities this game presents.

The L.A. Lakers are one win away from yet another NBA Finals appearence in the thin air of Denver. To say that the Lakers have been inconsistent is like saying that baseball has a steroid problem; it's plainly obvious! Other than Kobe Bryant, they haven't had consistent performances throughout their playoff run. Pau Gasol is (very) quietly producing solid stats, but they aren't overwhelming, and don't get me started on Lamar Odom or Andrew Bynum, who must be auditioning for a new film "Mr. Invisible".

Meanwhile, Denver's team behavior looks like a bad episode of Jerry Springer; they're tripping on the court and at the referees, and they're as maddeningly inconsistent as the Lakers. So, as you can see, both teams have major flaws. But who will win this game tonight?

If you judge on recent history, you'd say the Nuggets are a cinch to win. L.A. got blown away in Houston in a similar situation in the previous series, and the Denver crowd will try and be a factor. But do you think that Kobe would relish the chance to finish off the Nuggets in Denver, almost to say "You know where you can kiss it, Colorado!"? And I have a feeling that someone on the Lakers (your guess is as good as mine on who) will have a great game to compliment Bryant, and they'll be able to pull the game out in a close one. If the Lake show wants to show everyone that they are tougher than they look, tonight's the night to show it.

And who will they face in the Finals? I'm going to say Orlando; they must win tomorrow, of course, but if they do, this will be a solid NBA Finals (though not for David Stern). My only question is this; who will Shaq root for?

Well, I'm sorry if this is a little thin; I have a date tonight, and I have gotta get ready for her. Enjoy the game, everyone!

If you were paying attention yesterday to Lecrab and Stevo's blogs, you'd have seen that they advocated (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) that Manny Ramirez be a starter in the All-Star Game. I said last night in Stevo's blog that I would write a blog saying the same thing. Here it is, in My List form. Here's why Manny should be in the starting lineup:

- Because even if he goes, he won't play, so there's no harm done to the 'outraged fans' of the snubbed #4.

- You noticed I said 'outraged fans', right? Who cares who starts? If people cared, then Allen Iverson wouldn't have started for the East in the NBA All-Star Game. If that can happen, then this can happen!

- Because A-Rod will also probably be an All-Star. And his use was worse than Manny's. Does the phrase 'double standard' mean anything?

- Because we need to rebuild Manny-wood!

- Because he has a child to raise, and can't do kit on $24 million a year!

- Because there will be one player from the Washington Natinals, er, Nationals on the team!

- Because Pedro Gomez needs the extra work!

- Because the Nationals will have a player on the team (they're so bad, I had to say it twice!).

But most importantly...

- Because BudSelig will not be able to wipe the egg off his face quickly enough!

If you think it's time to see Bud's crisis reaction (the classic deer-in-the-headlights look), then vote for Manny. He would be so hot under the collar, he'd rather talk about being friends with Barry Bonds! It's about time that Selig face the music; he's ducked and dodged so many shots, he looks like Ali with the rope-a-dope strategy.

So, to exact some change in the ridiculous All-Star voting, and see Bud once again turn into Dud, then go to LeCrab's or Stevo's blogs and find the link to vote for Manny. Because golden opportunities like this don't come everyday! Thank you!

The week is just getting into full swing, and the time is right for me to dish out some more Random Sports (emphasis on SPORTS!) Thoughts!

Terrell Owens got the key to Buffalo yesterday. After receiving it, Owens threw the mayor under the bus for not giving him more keys.

Over/under on how many weeks into the season before Owens curses Trent Edwards and Richard Jauron? About one-two.

Jon Gruden replaced Tony Kornheiser on the Monday Night Football team. Finally, a "Child's Play" sequel that does some good!

Yesterday, Gruden said Brett Favre was still a good quarterback. Please, Jonny; don't give him any incentive to return!

The Western Conference Finals start tonight. For Lakers fans, let's hope that Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum remember this.

The Draft lottery begins right before the game. This is otherwise known as "the time for prospects to find out if they will holdout from the Grizzlies"!

Chauncey Billups criticized Joe Dumars for trading him to the Nuggets. In related news, Joe Dumars also criticized Joe Dumars for doing the same thing.

Billups also said that the Pistons thought they would be in the conference finals with Allen Iverson. If there's one thing Iverson is not, it's championship material.

Comcast and the NFL Network resolved their differences, allowing the network to continue airing on their boxes. Because no one wants to miss those great Raiders games.

Jerry West said that LeBron James has passed Kobe Bryant as the best player in the NBA. Even more reason for Laker fans to get upset; thanks, Jerry.

And finally...

I got a spam mail that was addressed to Nola (Stevo got this, too; check his latest blog about it when you get a chance) saying he was in England and needed pounds to get home. You could tell it wasn't him; he had no hot chicks in the photos!

Well, that's it for today! Until next time, if it says pounds, don't assume that it's your weight!

While I can't top the randomness of a post yesterday that outlined the problems in Iraq, and the comments rambled about some sports topic, I'll nonetheless try some more Random Sports Thoughts! Here goes nothing.

The Rockets won 95-80 to force a game seven against the Lakers in L.A.  They look like their 2002 championship team... only less fun.

How bad was it for the Lakers? Jordan Farmar (13) outscored Lamar Odom (8) and Andrew Bynum (a goose-egg) for the game! Or, as most of America calls it, Thursday.

Despite the loss, the Lakers and Phil Jackson don't appear worried. Isn't that the same attitude Custer had?

The Magic beat the Celtics 83-75 to also force a game seven. Those are two and a half hours I'll never get back again.

At least Dwight Howard got his touches. See, even Stan "Master of Panic" Van Gundy knows where his bread is buttered!

Is it just me, or is there nothing more painful in sports than Hedo Turkoglu shooting three-pointers?

The Magic could have won even bigger if they had hit their free-throws (17-31 overall). Who would have thought that having Shaq would have made them a BETTER free-throw shooting team?

According to reports, Manny Ramirez's drug test says that the female fertility drug he claims to have used wasn't found, indicating steroid use. As Drew Rosenhaus once said, "Next question!"

John Elway's son has decided to stop playing football at Arizona State. Now, if only we could get Terrell Owens to quit...

Brett Favre met with Dr. James Andrews to see if he could avoid surgery on his bicep. Please. James, make him have surgery!

The Red Wings and Hurricanes advanced to the conference finals, making it possible that there will be a Stanley Cup rematch with the Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. Well, Gary Bettman did work for David Stern, so...

Ah, I miss the days when ESPN Classic actually, you know, showed sports.

David Ortiz went zero for seven and left twelve runners on base as the Red Sox lost to the Angels 5-4 in 12 innings. In related news, he said he's struggling because his doctor gave him a perscription for a female fertility drug.

And finally...

Umpire Paul Schrieber apoligized for putting his hands on Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez in Wednesday's game. Ordonez is at least thankful it was Schrieber and not Joe Crawford.

That's all for today! Until next time, for L.A.'s sake, let Mr. Hyde appear!

What exactly makes a great leader of man? Is it having the respect of the team around him? Is it laying down the law when necessary? Is it massaging egos and having those egos put "team" ahead of "I"? If those are the criteria, then former Pistons coach Chuck Daly fits the bill. Daly is the standard by which the Pistons coaches who followed him will be measured. He won better than 46 games each year. But the wins cover only part of the story. He turned what was a sad-sack franchise, the only NBA team that began play prior to 1949 (the year the Basketball Association of America became the NBA) not to win a title, into a champion. Most importantly, he turned what was a finesse, offense-only, defenseless team into the "Bad Boys", the most loathed team in the league, but also the most successful (and ahead of its time) team in the late 80s and early 90s.

Many people today tend to discount what the Pistons did during that time; they followed the Magic/Bird rivalry which the league craved, and then were replaced by the Jordan-led Bulls in the 1990s. But what they did deserves mention; they became the blueprint for what today's successful teams do to win; shut down your opponent, and be physical. But they could also finesse when necessary, and the backcourt of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson was unmatched in the league at the time. Daly made that team possible. Who else could deal with personalities like Bill Laimbeer, Zeke, Dennis Rodman and John Salley, among others, and win two NBA titles? Daly was a great coach, and he proved himself over the long haul here as well as in New Jersey and Orlando. Small wonder he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

So it saddened me when today, the local news station reported that Daly has pancreatic cancer that has spread to his liver, which means he likely has less than 5 years to live. It is a truly sad day for the NBA, and it sent chills down my spine. I have had pancreatitis (inflammed pancreas) four times, and the combo of that and high triglycerides nearly killed me in 2003. So I know that anything involving the pancreas is serious business. That it is happening to Daly (who is in remarkable shape for a 78 year old man) shows it can happen to anybody. It's just sad that it's happening to such a good guy, a guy who still makes his summer home in Michigan and who works tirelessly at whatever he does."

(from Tribute to a Great Leader, March 6, 2009)

Today, that great leader of men, Chuck Daly, died from that pancreatic cancer at the age of 78. The NBA lost more than just a coach. They lost one of the game's great ambassadors, a man who accomplished more than many coaches can dream about. Consider this; Daly, Lenny Wilkens and Rudy Tomjanovich are the only coaches who can claim an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal since the "Dream Team" concept began in 1992. And Daly's job with the 1992 team was infinately more difficult. Consider his roster (current HOFers in bold):

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, David Robinson, Karl Malone (he'll be in next year), Chris Mullin, Christian Laettner, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen (another soon-to-be HOFer), Charles Barkley

All of that talent, and he didn't call a single timeout during their dominant run to the gold. Who could pull that off in today's game? I said in March that Daly gets overlooked by today's people, who are easily swayed by Phil Jackson's nine titles. But Daly never had the very best players in the league when he won his two (Isiah Thomas was great, mind you, but the best of his era? Not when Magic and Bird were at their peaks), whereas Jackson has had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and now Kobe. And many of Phil's titles came against diluted competition; Daly had to go through the Magic-led Lakers, Bird-led Celtics and Jordan-led Bulls. Who has opposed Phil consistently? Nobody! If things were level, it would at least be a close contest between the two.

And it can't be understated; Daly did much work throughout basketball; he and Hubie Brown were Duke assistant way back when, he led Penn to four Ivy League titles, and then was a key assistant on the Philadelphia 76ers when Julius Erving was at his peak. You can't get much better than that. And would all of the NBA's coaches be wearing those lapel pins with his initials if they didn't respect his ability? I doubt it.

"Only Nixon could go to China": Leonard Nimoy as Spock in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"

And only Daly could coach those Pistons teams of the late 80s and early 90s. As I mentioned in March, who else could manage those characters? Would Phil have used his Zen to persuade Bill Laimbeer? That's laughable. And Dennis Rodman had his best all-around years under Daly, even considering him a surrogate father. Daly did a masterful job where most would have failed.

So, in closing, I send my best wishes to the Daly family in this difficult hour, and the NBA world just got a lot smaller today. Thank you.