I’m one of those people who just have never liked sequels. Or remakes, for that matter. Once I’ve seen a movie, the sequel(s) usually turn out to be more of the same, and don’t live up to the hype. Sure, there are a few exceptions: Back To The Future II was pretty good, but that was planned from the get-go. Although the third installment, true to form, left something to be desired. All three Final Destination flicks were pretty good, too, if you like that genre. There are a few others-very few. But I stopped after the second Rocky, the first Rambo, and the first Lethal Weapon. I guess I just didn’t see the point. My kids did convince me to watch the remake of When A Stranger Calls about a year ago. Having seen the original, the second offering was a waste of time. Even they thought so, and they hadn’t seen the first one. But want to.

As the Phoenix Suns are once again flying high, though the recent back to back losses have them sitting at 11-4, (yawn), I can’t help but think that we’ve seen this all before. As usual, their big three of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire will guarantee that they are one of the more formidable teams in the league, and a joy to watch. And again, their top seven players-add in Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diaw-are probably as good as anybody’s. Throw in Brian Skinner, who has been a pleasant surprise in the middle with his athleticism, shot blocking, and ability to connect from mid-range AND the free throw line, and you have an eight man squad that I’d put money on against anyone. Just as I would have on last year’s eight. Problem is, NBA teams are allowed to dress 12. Which most nights are wasted wages to those who collect a paycheck for laundering the Suns’ jerseys.

 That wasn’t the case in the preseason or the first couple weeks of the season. As head coach Mike D’Antoni does every year, he gave decent minutes to backup point guard Marcus Banks, frontliner Sean Marks, and sniper Eric Piatkowski. And the team’s two rookies, D.J. Strawberry and Alando Tucker, saw significant time in the preseason, adding an energy on both ends of the court that stuck out like a sore thumb. Tucker was recently sent to the developmental league, and Strawberry may be headed there too in the not-to-distant future. I have a hard time believing that another team as much in need of young, quick guard play as the Suns are wouldn’t be able to find a spot for these guys in the rotation.

It appears that D’Antoni’s main problem with Marcus Banks is that he’s not Steve Nash. But nobody is. And after some steady performances and a solid game against the Kings just over a week ago, in which he was leading the break, throwing some no-look passes, and playing solid defense, Banks hasn’t seen the floor. In the same time, Nash’s average minutes per game have risen slightly, from around 33 prior to just under 36 since. And while Nash is playing at an unbelievable level right now, there are still 60-plus games to go. This is not an indictment of Nash, but everyone knows that, while in excellent condition, he would be best served by scaling back on the playing time a bit. Common sense would say that an average of around 30-32 minutes per game, and 16-18 for Banks, would serve both players much better come May. But unfortunately, I’ve seen this before. It won’t happen.

Grant Hill was immediately anointed a starter upon his inking the contract, and I’m not sure why. Not that he doesn’t have a starter’s ability, but his current average of 35 minutes per game-we’re still in November-doesn’t bode well for the spring. The optimum situation would have been bringing Hill off the bench for 20-25 minutes, to keep him and everyone else relatively fresh throughout the season. But as we have seen, a definite pattern has been established. A prequel, if you will.

Today, D’Antoni lamented in the East Valley Tribune (www.eastvalleytribune.com) that his team doesn’t seem to be enjoying themselves much these days. While they’re still winning, they don’t have the enthusiasm of the team from three years ago. Which is somewhat understandable, since the pressure then was almost non-existent compared to now. But at the same time, a deeper rotation and an infusion from the bench, including the afore-mentioned rookies, could do nothing but help the overall attitude. He went on to say that his team was playing uptight and without the free flowing energy of years past. Hey coach, you think it’s bad now? Wait until the end of the season, when those top seven or eight guys on your roster have the off-season in the back of their mind so they can get some rest. You no longer have to defend yourself when it comes to your style of play. We saw last year you have no qualms about going head to head with Dallas or San Antonio. Nor do you have to explain your team’s lack of consistent defense. It has shown that, in a big game, it can play it when it has to-provided you have all yours weapons at your disposal. More on that to follow. But, as has been written by yours truly in this space in the past, you have yet to answer the shallow bench criticism. And therein lies the problem.

Three years ago, the revamped Suns sprinted to the best record in the league, but lost to the Spurs in the conference finals, even though Stoudemire was a beast, averaging 37 points per game. A healthy Joe Johnson, who broke his face against Dallas in the previous round, may have helped. But not to worry. This was a team on the rise. Two years ago, Stoudemire was on the shelf and two new starters were replacing Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. But despite all the doom and gloom predictions, and thanks to Nash’s second MVP season and a season for the ages from Shawn Marion, the overachieving Suns once again slipped into the conference finals, where they lost to the Mavericks in six games. We could’ve done without Raja Bell pulling a calf muscle, though. Especially since the rotation was already stretched about as thin as could be. Last season, I was convinced that the Suns were getting over the hump. Their two long winning streaks, their late season erasure of a 15 point fourth quarter deficit at Dallas to win in overtime, and their victory at San Antonio in game four of their series after trailing by 11 midway through the fourth told me the Suns were tough, hungry, and ready. Well, at least eight of them were. But when the eight became six, they came up short yet again. Even in game five, without Stoudemire and Diaw, the Suns led throughout until late in the fourth. Then they ran out of gas. Kind of like a sequel that tries to thrive off the previous edition. It just never seems to work.

Perhaps next off-season, the trade rumors regarding Shawn Marion will be replaced by the search for a new coach. Which would make a lot more sense. Without Marion, the Suns are no better than a five seed. After all, the Suns have won with a ####ed-up-Nash. They’ve won without Stoudemire. But without the ever-durable and supremely consistent Marion, they would be at a loss. And without D’Antoni? Who knows. But his window, if not the Suns', is about to be closed for maintenance.  I know. I've already seen this movie.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

{Or, for those of you not familiar with the David Bowie number, I’ll translate the title: “Moving Marion Would Mark Beginning of End for Suns”}

The Phoenix Suns’ 2007-08 marketing campaign carries a heavy dose of the phrase “Planet Orange,” though it was unsure as this went to press whether the team was referring to one of the Suns’ colors, along with purple, or the area’s lucrative citrus yield. Suns forward extraordinaire Shawn Marion made it public recently that he would like to be traded, citing a weariness of being mentioned in trade rumors during the last few off-seasons. Contrary to popular opinion, there’s not always fire where there’s smoke, but to think the team hasn’t at least had a serious discussion or two on the matter would be naïve. Which can be taken one of two ways; the Suns think that swapping Marion for a player or two would ease their financial situation, or that the rest of the league thinks enough of the Suns highest paid player that a plethora of inquiries have been made regarding his availability.  

It would be easy to criticize Marion in this situation, as some of his recent comments may have been a little hard for Suns fans to ####, such as “It’s like a bad marriage. It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong, both people should just move on,” or, when asked if he was excited about the prospect of joining the Lakers, replied, “Why wouldn’t I be? You have a great organization, a great ownership there with the Lakers.” And when you sharpen your pencil and devise a Matrix with the following given equations--Kobe Bryant has requested to be moved from the Lakers more than once due to a poor, feebly-run management, and Marion’s apparent desire to play with Bryant and his “great organization,”--the contradiction screams louder than the rim does after a half-court alley-oop from Steve Nash to the outstretched right arm of a soarrrrrrrring Marion, floating in a most peculiar way.

Yes, the comments were a little much. However, I for one will cut Marion some slack, due to the frequency and significance of deposits he has made into the appreciation account, so to speak. In other words, considering the comments came from a player who was picked out of UNLV as a relatively unheralded first rounder, (if that’s possible for the ninth overall pick--hire THAT scout as your next GM, sports fans), then worked his rear end off to be the best small forward in the game today, whether the Suns were an also-ran or a playoff team, he gets the benefit of the doubt here. Hard to imagine what this team would be without him.  

With Amare Stoudemire out for the ’05-’06 season and two other starters from the previous year’s western conference finals team gone-Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson-most pundits wrote the Suns off. But after a season in which Marion reached rarified air-more on that later-they found themselves in the conference finals again. A perfect example of Marion’s worth came just prior to that, during the second round playoff series against the Clippers, when Marion guarded point guard Sam Cassell one game and power forward Elton Brand the next. He also spent a significant amount of time defending Corey Magette. It’s also worth noting that he averaged 25.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG in that series. Is there a player in the league whom you would trade Marion for that would be as adept at carrying out these assignments? Maybe a couple. And could one argue that Marion is more valuable to the Suns than Stoudemire? Perhaps. 

 (Obligatory statistics paragraph to follow. Please bear with me). Many have said that the addition of Steve Nash prior to the 2003-04 season has inflated Marion’s value, and that Marion is a “product of the system.” I won’t address the latter because, in a team sport, how many athletes’ productions are NOT results of the system? Very few. As for the former statement, let’s ponder that more closely. Over the three year period before Nash joined the Suns, 2001-2004, Marion scored 4741 points in 242 games. In the three seasons since, Marion has scored 4761 points in 241 games. Note the consistency in those numbers for a minute, and take note of his games played in all six of those seasons: 81,81,79,81,81,80, with more than one of those games missed being a late season rest. Marion’s average PPG pre-Nash; 19.6. With Nash; 19.8. Now let’s look at Nash’s numbers over the same time period. In the three seasons before joining the Suns, 2001-2004, Nash had 1919 assists in 242 games. After joining the Suns, he accumulated 2571 assists in 227 games over the last three seasons. The bottom line? Nash before; 8.0 assists per game. Nash since; 11.2 assists per game. It goes without saying that there are several other factors involved in these stats, and that they are simply that-stats. But can one make the case that Marion has made Nash better? And while I’m on the subject, I’m still trying to figure out how the Matrix could have a season like he did in ’04-’05, when The Matrix was in the top 20 in the following categories: Scoring (17th-21.8 PPG), Field goal pct. (52.4, 18th), rebounding (4th-11.8 RPG), blocks (18th), steals (6th), minutes played (7th), double-doubles (tied for second), Pts./Rebs./Assts. (11th), and 3rd in the league in ‘efficiency rating,’ whatever that is. Sounds good, though. Not to mention he shot 81% on his free throws during the season and 88% in the playoffs. Yet got all of one fifth-place MVP vote. ONE.  If you can find me another player who had a season like that -who isn't 6'10" or bigger- and he’s probably in Springfield or will be someday. Perhaps the hurdle facing Marion and his level of appreciation is that he is definitely a unique specimen, or at least one who hasn’t achieved this level of success, and we really don’t know what to make of him. We’ve seen great leapers, great defenders, great dunkers, and great quickness from the forward position. We’ve seen all the attributes Marion possesses, but never rolled into a single package like this. Not to beat a dead horse, but it’s hard to say Marion is fully appreciated when what he does for a basketball team is put into full perspective. And when you consider what the main cogs of the Marion trade rumors are being compensated and what they provide for their teams, one could almost make that case that Marion is underpaid. Almost. 

Players involved in the Marion trade rumors the past year or so have included Jermaine O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom and a Laker to be named later (I’m on the edge of my seat), and Andre Kirilenko. Let’s eliminate three of them from realistic consideration right now. O’Neal, Odom, and Kirilenko all come with caveats. O’Neal could be a big help to the Suns if he’s motivated. Odom could fit in with the Suns if he can stay healthy. Kirilenko may be able to regain the form he showed a couple years ago, if he can gain the confidence of his teammates and coaches. But Jazz point guard Deron Williams’ recent comments stating that Kirilenko is the first to leave after practice after arriving last, and that Williams wouldn’t trust him as much as other teammates with a big shot, tell me all I need to know about him. I would want no part of AK47, which, in a bit or irony that is begging to be mentioned, could blow up the Suns for the foreseeable future.  

Regarding Garnett, he is one of the very short list on players who may bring the Suns equal value. However, that move would give them a more specific type of player who would work well in certain matchups, rather than the flexible Marion, who works in nearly every matchup. Garnett playing  the opposing team’s point or shooting guard is hard to imagine. Which would force the Suns to add yet another player to fill the bill. And since the league only allows five men on the floor at one time-unless you’re the San Antonio Spurs, of course-that deal makes little sense as well. And it must be pointed out that any of the above names don’t address the issues that really kept the Suns from winning the title last year; quality depth, D’Antoni’s unwillingness to go deeper than eight to see if he had quality depth, and a defensive upgrade.  

Of course all of this brings us back to the subjects at hand; A) would the Suns be better off dealing Marion, and B) if not, can he and the team smooth over the perceived chemistry issues that may arise? Any trade attempted would be difficult to pull off salary-wise, and just as difficult to get equal value in return. Why? Because the time has come to declare Shawn Marion and his league-leading nickname, The Matrix, an elite player. And without an elite player coming back in the deal, it would be the beginning of the end for Suns chances to poke their head through the championship window that may be on the way down. There have been a few pundits who have made a significant issue out of the fact that Marion’s numbers have dipped in the playoffs. But after further review, that can be said about most players, since the playoffs pits the best teams against each other. And without Marion, the Suns can forget about winning 60 games during the season. Rather, they would settle in at around 45 to 50, and be no more than a five seed in the ultra-competitive western conference.  As for the chemistry issue, if leading by example accounts for anything, the last member of the Suns who should be subject to criticism is Marion, as he more than any other Sun in recent history has been through the playoff wars. I find it hard to believe that he would play at anything less than what he has in the past. And frankly, if Boris Diaw and head coach Mike D’Antoni had progressed from the ’05-’06 season to last season like they should have, we may be talking about the Suns going for two straight. In short, Shawn Marion is not the problem, and trading him solves nothing, especially given the names that have been bandied about in return. And to avoid ignoring the obvious, if root of the problem is Marion’s request to be traded, address it. The Suns need to explain to Marion that a raise is simply not an option, due to the fact that they are already up against the cap. But a three year extension at a workable salary, with a no-trade clause, may be enough to placate him. That would end the trade rumors immediately, which should have been nipped in the bud two off-seasons ago. Would an extension somewhat handcuff the Suns? Maybe. If you can call having Marion, Nash, and Stoudemire under contract for the next three seasons a handcuff.  

On the other side of the spectrum, the Suns’ organization may want to point out to Marion and his agent that a trade would do nothing to solve the recognition and respect issues he faces. He would be the same type of player on another team, and if that team is an also-ran, he’ll fade even farther into the NBA masses. Case in point-what would Dirk Nowitzki be on a .500 team? Come to think of it, not much different than last year. A very good player whose team got bounced in the first round. Or at best, an athletic seven footer who scores a lot. And Marion needs to look no further than former Sun Joe Johnson, who was quoted in the April 23, 2007 edition of ESPN magazine with the following comment, “I got a sense of satisfaction by showing my all-around package. But when the playoffs come around, I’ll be at home again.” Is this the sort of recognition you want, Shawn? The Matrix deserves to be on the NBA all-defensive team, and has for a few years now, as well as the first or second team all NBA, but being on a less successful team won’t help him one bit in either of those quests. 

 If an extension cannot be worked out over the next few months, the trade rumors will surface yet again next off-season, since the Suns are certain not to trade Marion while on their way to another very successful season. Act now, Planet Orange. Because when it comes right down to it, you have one of the most well-trained, well-conditioned, and talented basketball players in the league in tow. A player whom Don Nelson calls, “as important as anyone they’ve got.” Nelson played on Celtic championship teams and has subsequently coached in the league longer than many of its players have been alive.  

In light of all this, The Matrix stated last week, “I’m a professional. I will be where I’m supposed to be.” And if you’re not, Shawn, Planet Orange will be blue, and there’s nothing we can do. 

Thanks for taking the time to read. And thanks to www.eastvalleytribune.com, www.nba.com, and www.basketball-reference.com. And thanks to Shawn Marion. Shawn, your fans here love you very much, you know? I hope the Planet Orange spaceship knows which way to go. Can you hear me, Major Shawn?

After trailing much of the game by anywhere from eight to fifteen points, the Phoenix Suns rallied in the fourth quarter to nip the Chicago Bulls tonight, 97-96. Actually, rallied may not be the right word. It was more o####radual overtaking of the game.

In the first half, Shawn Marion stood head and shoulders above the other Suns with his defense, steals, rebounding, and general flat-out hustle. The Suns were playing with a lot of energy, but it was apparent midway through the first quarter that the Bulls were playing very well, and the Suns had their work cut out for them. To the Bulls credit, every time the Suns closed the gap to five or seven points, the Bulls responded, pushing the lead back up to ten or twelve. Ben Gordon would finish with a career high 41 points, including two free throws with five seconds left to put the Bulls up by two. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The Suns won this game with their fourth quarter defense, timely offense, both inside and outside, and some big performances on the glass. Amare Stoudemire had a put back off a missed Leandro Barbosa drive late in the fourth to get the Suns within two. Boris Diaw, with only his sixth made three-pointer of the season, drilled one to tie the game with less than a minute left. And after Gordon’s free throws following a foul by Steve Nash put the Bulls up by two, the Suns ran a play that resulted in Barbosa nailing a three with just over a second left. After a Bulls timeout, Barbosa got his hand on the ball as Gordon went up for a shot as time expired, which sent the Bulls faithful home feeling empty, considering they had led the entire game. The Suns played stellar defense down the stretch, which resulted in their win.

This was the best win of the season for the Suns. Not their most well played game. Not their best offensive performance by any means, but their best win, no doubt. As the second half wore on, it appeared that they were headed for a loss, which considering that they were on the road against a good, tough team, would not have been the end of the world. But to the surprise of many who saw the game, the Suns pulled it out. And showed that they have their eyes on the prize.

This was a statement game, and it’s a shame if you missed it. Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diaw all stepped up at different times. Steve Nash had an average game for him, which makes the win that much more impressive.

Thanks for taking the time to read.  

The preseason prognostications for this team hovered around .500. With three starters from last year's 62-20 team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals gone, and roughly half their roster changed, the Phoenix Suns appeared headed for a low playoff seed at best. Lottery-ville was certainly a possibility. But head coach Mike D'Antoni boldly, perhaps defiantly, predicted his team would win 50 games. Little did we know he was establishing the mentality of his team by saying that.

A Pacific Division title and two playoff series victories later, the Suns took an early upper hand Wednesday night in Dallas. Late in the fourth quarter, with Shawn Marion hobbling on a re-injured left ankle and Raja Bell having been carted off with a leg injury, the Suns found themselves trailing the Mavs by nine points and on the ropes. And I allowed the thought to creep into my mind. The one that said the Suns had achieved far more than anyone thought they would this season. And I was okay with that. I'm a realist. They have had a great ride and it was a pleasure to watch. Bell's injury looked serious, Marion's looked like it would hinder him until he could get a week or so off, which woudn't be any time soon. Kurt Thomas was back in uniform, (he didn't play), but it appeared that would be too little, too late to help the Suns.

 Well, a funny thing happened on the way to what looked like a certain Mavs victory. Steve Nash hit a lay-up from what seemed like an impossible location, then drained two threes. Marion then took a perfect feed from Nash and jammed it home. But that's not the unusual part-the Suns played some timely defense, got the rebounds they needed, forced a couple turnovers, and went up by one on Boris Diaw's short jumper with less than a second to play. After another Dallas turnover and two Tim Thomas free throws, the Suns had game one of the series, 121-118. Diaw, a player the Hawks looked at as a throw-in in the Joe Johnson deal, but whom D'Antoni and then-Suns GM Brian Colangelo wanted, finished with 34 points and made 8 of 10 free throws. Marion, an electrifying lunch-pail guy if ever there was one, finished with 24 on 10-15 shooting and 13 rebounds. He was also 4-4 from the line. And Nash? 27 points and 16 assists, as well as the aforementioned three point daggers.

In the lone pre-series scouting report I read, the coaching edge went to Dallas. I guess we'll see now. Avery Johnson has a huge task ahead of him, with Phoenix snatching a perceived certain victory from the Mavericks. Admittedly, if Bell and Marion are less than full speed the rest of the way, D'Antoni will have his work cut for him as well. But he gets large kudos here. He has proven time and time again that his team will play their rears off for him, and that is certainly no small feat in today's NBA. This season, Johnson wrested coach of the year honors away from D'Antoni, last year's winner. I have a question regarding that-If the Suns win the series, will Scottie Pippen call for Johnson to give the award back?

I mentioned in an earlier story that the Suns were playing with house money, and realistically, they probably still are. But considering they were down 3-1 to the Lakers, were on the brink of being sent home by the Clippers on more than one occasion, and in the Western Conference Finals opener put a roadblock on Dallas' momentum in the fourth quarter to pull out a win, I won't admit that they're dead until '0:00' shows on the clock in an elimination game and the Suns have less points. Game one was an amazing finish by an amazing team, the amazing Suns.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

So I see where Mark Cuban has been fined yet again by the NBA. I'm almost expecting him to put the team up for sale any day now, saying that he can't afford to keep paying fines and salaries both. Interesting to note that part of his most recent fine was assessed because of things he said in his blog. Maybe it's just me, but I would think the league has more pressing issues than monitoring an owner's blog. The NBA certainly drew more attention to the issue by fining Cuban for that. The amount of fans that were aware that he even had a blog just increased tenfold. But I guess they'll get the fine money, so apparently they view that as an acceptable trade-off. Here's a revelation, at least in my mind; the NBA has fined dozens, maybe hundreds, of players, coaches, executives, etc. due to comments regarding the officiating over the last twenty years or so. (I can't help but recall Shaq complaing about Dikembe Motumbo in the 2001 finals, saying that Motumbo shoudn't be flopping "every time I back him down," as Shaq put it. I wonder if I was the only one who felt the following question begged to be asked: "How do you 'back him down' without committing an offensive foul?") It doesn't appear that too many folks associated with the game have been pleased with the referees. (Certainly Shaq didn't genuinely think that he hasn't gotten more than his share of calls, did he? I mean, how else do you consistently get the ball eight feet from the rim and wind up shooting three-footers. Quickness?) Hasn't the league collected enough in fines by now to improve the situation? Maybe some better officials? Surely there must be some solution.

Rumor has it that the NFL is actually considering increasing the number of playoff teams in the next couple years. I say to heck with the playoffs-just have everybody play in a bowl game and then we can all vote on who the best team is. That should work, shouldn't it? As it stands now, 12 out of 32 teams make it to the post-season, or 37.5%.I guess when I think of a playoff team, I would expect them to be in the top third (at least) of their league. In the interests of the NFL fan, (I'm way out of line here, I know), how about two less teams in the playoffs? I am well aware that more playoff teams mean more money for the league through broadcasts, commercials, etc. But it would also mean more wear and tear on the players in a sport where our stars already have a very short time to make an impact. Not to mention the fact that this could be a very real possibility: "Welcome to Cleveland, where the 8-8 Browns are set to do battle with the 8-8 Buffalo Bills . . ." Uh, no. I don't think .500 teams, or less, are anyone's idea of a playoff team. I know the NHL and the NBA do it, which is what makes them, well, the NHL and the NBA. This is the NFL we're talking about here, and they've clearly separated themselves as the premier sports league. They should keep it that way.

Shawn Marion of the Suns seems to get some heat whenever he has a bad game or two in the playoffs. I haven't figured out why. This is a guy who was top twenty in everything in the league this season except popcorn sales, while guarding a center one game, a power forward the next, followed by an assignment on a guard after that. Marion recently went from defending Elton Brand of the Clippers to Sam Cassell, the point guard, in subsequent games. Not only are there only a few guys in the league who could do that, and I literally mean a few, but how many would even be asked to do so by their teams? Look at Marion's minutes the last few years along with all his other numbers. No one in the league can do what he does on both ends of the court. Without him, the Suns win about 30 games this year. Yes, you could say the same about Nash, probably. But I'm referring to Marion here because he get the brunt of the criticism. Rest assured that the Suns are well aware of his worth

Speaking of the Suns, they are playing with house money right now, and any advancement they make after the first round victory over the Lakers has to be considered a bonus. Don't forget the fact that they started the season without three starters from last year's Western Conference Finals team, including Amare Stoudemire, the best young big man in the game. To think at the season's beginning that this team would still win the Pacific Division with 54 victories and get to the second round has to be viewed as an accomplishment, especially when they lost their starting center, Kurt Thomas, with about a quarter of the season to go. They are an extremely resilient team and, win or lose, are a credit to their profession. Not to mention a joy to watch. Everyone involved with the product they put on the court is to be commended. By the way, next time you're killing time on the internet, take a look at the Suns' organization and note how many former players of theirs are employed by the team. That says a lot right there. 

One final note, for now. I heard yet another radio personality lamenting the decrease in attendance, and TV ratings, for pro sporting events. The reality is, unless it's a significant rivalry or a very meaningful game, the attendance is not going to be what it used to be. There are simply too many things to take up our time these days. You know, important stuff, like reading blogs on the internet, for example. Not to mention video games, a glut of cable and satellite channels, and people just flat out finding alternatives to spending their time and money on attending a game. The decrease in average attendance that most teams have seen the last 20 years should surprise no one. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a PlayStation2 that is calling my name.

ricko