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Entries from February 2009

World Cup Qualifying: USA 2, Mexico 0

February 12th, 2009 · 5 Comments · soccer, World Cup

This is another one of those “great day!” results. Like the Lakers beating the Celtics or USC defeating Notre Dame — back when Notre Dame was a worthy opponent. Which reminds me: Once we get past the instinctive “beating Mexico is always good news” … it occurs to us that Mexico is barely a worthy […]

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Brett Favre Retires, for Good?

February 11th, 2009 · 2 Comments · NFL

Pretty much all of us hang around too long, if we can get away with it. Getting career exits just right is a very tricky process, and so few of us manage it. Brett Favre certainly didn’t get it right. He should have remained retired after his tearful announcement in Green Bay a year ago. […]

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A-Rod: Finding It Hard to Be Angry

February 10th, 2009 · No Comments · Baseball, Sports Journalism

Alex Rodriguez and steroids. Lots of anger out there. Ball fans, journalists, regular Joes and Joannes. “How could you!” “He’s evil!” All the rest. It’s pretty amped up. I absolutely am not going to give A-Rod a pass on this, but I’m not blowing a gasket over it, either. For several reasons.

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Don’t Try This at Home

February 9th, 2009 · 2 Comments · LANG, Sports Journalism

A former colleague of mine, recently laid off but, thankfully, just now back in journalism … has what I consider to be a great idea for a murder-mystery novel. I’m going to put the idea up here so that if/when someone else does it, my colleague and I and everyone who has read this entry […]

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Lakers: Too Bad It’s Not June

February 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Basketball, Kobe, Lakers

That was fairly huge. A 6-0 road trip. Including the loss of Andrew Bynum for maybe the rest of the season. A victory in Boston that snapped the Celtics’ 12-game winning streak, and a victory in Cleveland that was the Cavaliers’ first home defeat in 24 games. If this were June, the Lakers would have […]

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I Am So Old That …

February 8th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Baseball, Basketball, Lakers, Lists, NFL

I haven’t done a list in ages. Since before Hong Kong. Maybe since before Beijing. I was looking occasionally at the Pro Bowl today, and I remembered a stat about that … So, in the vein of “it’s all about me” … 10 events I covered, as a sports writer — that happened an impossibly […]

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Finally, Some Good Taste on This Blog

February 7th, 2009 · 4 Comments · bacon

First, came the one-sentence intro. “Your Web site has been so good lately.” In an e-mail from my daughter. There’s a hook, if ever a blogger saw one. Then this link. Have to admit, it does make the site a lot more appealing.

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Sometimes I Like It When I’m Wrong*

February 6th, 2009 · No Comments · Basketball, Kobe, Lakers

* – Subtitled: “Or See the Item Below.” The Lakers’ 110-109 victory over the Celtics in Boston certainly falls into the above (hurray, I’m wrong) category. Since I may loathe the Celtics as much as any team in sports. It’s them or the San Francisco Giants. (Hmmm. Celtics or Giants? Giants or Celtics? Probably Giants, […]

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A Sense of Impending Doom

February 5th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Kobe, Lakers

No, make that “a certainty” of impending doom. The Lakers are going to be crushed by the Celtics tonight. May as well just accept it right now and think about dealing with it. All the shots of the annoying Kevin Garnett screaming and pounding his chest, and Boston fans exulting, blah blah blah. I don’t […]

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China: Where Work Isn’t a Four-Letter Word

February 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Hong Kong, Uncategorized

In the nearly five months I spent in China, going back to last August, I was most impressed by one characteristic: A capacity for hard work. And beyond the mere ability to work hard. The eagerness to work hard. The acceptance of hard work as the gateway to progress and prosperity. The drive to work […]

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