Remembering Memorial Day - Freedom Isn't Free

Monday we celebrate Memorial Day in order to honor the Veterans who paid the ultimate price. Please don't confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. They are two very different holidays. Both honor our men and women who served but Memorial Day celebrates the ones who died in service to our country. Let us all honor those who gave all.

Los(t) Suns Have Set

I couldn't resist the little jab with the Spanish. Someone in the Suns organization made a lame attempt at politicizing the Western Conference Finals before it started and I felt that was inappropriate. This is/was Basketball and not the floor of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Enough of the politics - the Lakers prevailed tonight on the Suns home court and that's good enough for me. Winning in Phoenix surprised the hell out of me.

Congratulations to Phoenix for a great series. The played their hearts out and came oh so close but the better team won. But no thanks to the officiating which thoroughly pissed me off last night. Not one close or disputed call went the Lakers way. The refs may as well have been wearing Suns jerseys. One call in particular - the flagrant foul on Sasha Vujacic against Goran Dragic was just plain shit. Sasha is an emotional player to say the least but his foul on Dragic was a flop by Dragic and nothing more. Can you say Academy Award Performance? But it got the Suns going and had the Lakers not been as tough as they are it could have cost them the game. After the flagrant foul was called Phoenix got hot and nearly eliminated an eighteen point lead (again) by the Lakers.

For years I have bitched about the NBA officiating because it stinks. There's a reason why having home court in the NBA playoffs is so important and it's the officiating - not the players. Teams don't get suddenly better because they're playing at home. The close calls almost always go in favor of the home teams and every basketball fan knows it. It's the NBA's dirty little secret (except it's no secret). I suppose the refs just get caught up in the crowd and the cheering and it seems to influence their calls. I hate it but there's nothing a road team can do but play through. And tonight the Lakers did exactly that.

Extra credit for tonight's win again goes to Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest. But kudos to the rest of the team for hanging tough and withstanding the near comeback by the Suns. A lesser team might have folded but tonight we saw why the Lakers are the NBA champs. Kobe made some of the most difficult and clutch shots in the last quarter I've ever seen him make. I'm sure it frustrated the hell out of Coach Alvin Gentry considering the tight and very good defense of his players had little effect on Kobe's shooting. Ron Artest also had a much better shooting night (25 points) and was especially effective in the first half with his three-point shooting. He once again played very strong defense.

And here are a few Ad hominem jabs at TNT's Marv Albert. His voice alone makes me want to puke. And (as with the refs) Marv was also wearing his Suns Jersey last night. I don't know why, but for some naive reason (silly me) I thought sportscasters were supposed to show at least some small bit of objectivity when calling games. Marv nearly shit in his pants every time the Suns hit a three-point shot or made a nice defensive stop. Doug Collins makes Marv Albert look like a fool when it comes to journalistic professionalism. And Marv, you need to retire the Toupee. That or least have a few gray hairs dyed into it. You're nearly seventy (68) now and the rich coffee colored brown rug isn't fooling anyone. Stevie Wonder could see through it.

And (like lots of Network and Cable sportscasters) like the other Laker haters calling NBA games across the league Marv was riding on the Phoenix bandwagon all night long until it became obviously apparent the Lakers were gonna win. Then the fucker started jabbering about what great players Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers are. Marv and so many other sportscasters have been pulling this kind of shit for years when it comes to the Lakers. It makes me miss the late great Chick Hearn all the more. Marv and his bullshit make me want to shoot my television. And since Marv likes wearing women's underwear while biting ass he can smooch mine while he wears his finest pink panties. I promise not to fart. Damn - I can't stand his ass!

Now for the Boston Celtics: They are virtually the same team now as they were in 2008. That was the team kicked the shit out of the Lakers - especially in the last game of the finals that ended up being a thirty-nine point blowout. I fully expect the Lakers to play a much more physical game this time. I strongly suspect this is one of the reasons the Lakers acquired Ron Artest this year - Ron is known around the league as an enforcer. Without Andrew Bynum in 2008 the Celtics got away with pushing around Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. But that was then and this is now and I expect a different Laker team. If Artest (or Derek Fisher) have any close encounters with Kendrick Perkins or some of the other Celtic tough guys we may see some fisticuffs. Just a guess. Anyway, the series begins in L.A. on Thursday night. Time for some payback.

Dennis Hopper 1936 - 2010 RIP

Say what you want about Dennis Hopper. His binges were legendary and his running battle with authority caused him to nearly self destruct several times over. But he lived an interesting life and gave some wonderful performances. Among my favorites were the obvious ones such as Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, An American Carol and Hoosiers, among others. And his portrayal of screen villians was quite good. He was quite a nasty little fellow in Kevin Costner's Waterworld, which is a movie I confess to actually enjoying. His mad bomber in Speed was excellent. Either way, whether playing a campy bad guy or a sympathetic character, Dennis was always enjoyable.

Earlier in life, he was just as famous for abusing drugs, alcohol, women, and just about anything and everything he could as he was for his screen performances. His redemption came about in the eighties when he finally got clean and sober and began living up to his potential.

I'm surprised at some of the posts I've been reading on the various websites and blogs. Most people don't even realize how long and varied a career Dennis had. On any given day you can find him among the actors on AMC and TCM cable channels. His career began in the fifties and continued almost to his last days. He also had a long list of television credits and also guest hosted SNL.

His political leanings were just as eclectic as his acting. As a young man he was an extremely far-left liberal. Late in life he became a born-again Conservative, twice voting for Ronald Reagan. He did confess to voting for Barack Obama in 2008 but considering he was suffering from Prostate Cancer he should be forgiven. RIP Dennis. You lived an interesting life and I enjoyed your work. What else can one ask for as an epitaph?

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/dennis-hopper-creator-hit-easy-rider-dies-ap

Whew! That Was Close... Too Close!

About a week and a half ago I posted my first comments on this year's NBA playoffs. Off course since I'm about twenty minutes down the 110 Freeway from the Staples Center you know where my allegiances lie. I have been a huge Laker fan for over forty years. I go back to the Jerry West/Elgin Baylor era.

In my earlier post I also came real close to making the stupid statement that Steve Nash was overrated. I was letting politics get in the way of critical thinking as far as Steve Nash is concerned because of his dumb comments on Arizona's new immigration law. I'm glad I kept my big fat mouth shut on that one. Last night Nash absolutely refused to let the Suns lose. It's as if he was trying to will a victory out of Phoenix. It's too bad the Lakers had a bit to say about the outcome because Steve (And the rest of the Suns) played his heart out. I will say this - Steve Nash has the ugliest two-handed shot in the league and travels damn near every time he drives in for a layup. But - he is deadly accurate with with that ugly little shot and nearly single-handedly beat the Lakers last night with that nasty little running jumper.

Straight up Phoenix should have won the game. If not for a very good team effort and hustling defense the Lakers would have lost. Teams don't usually give away seventeen point leads in playoff games and still win against a top quality team like the Suns. The Lakers dodged a bullet last night and everyone knows it. For about half of the game it look like L.A. had finally figured out the zone defense the Suns are playing. Unfortunately teams play two half's in the NBA and the Lakers slacked off in the second half.

So how did L.A. pull this one out of the fire? Credit Ron Artest with not giving up on rebounding Kobe Bryant's baseline jumper with three seconds left in the game. Artest pulled off the play of his career and saved what surely would have been a fourth loss in Phoenix and no NBA finals this year. Thanks to Ron Artest the Lakers are still very much in the picture.

For much of the game Ron looked lost. His outside shooting has been very streaky. Last night was a cold shooting night for Artest. He did play outstanding defense to make up for his shooting problems. But - with fifty-six seconds to play and a full twenty-four seconds on the shot clock Ron threw up a three point brick that had me screaming bloody murder. It led to a Suns rebound and plenty of time to tie and possibly win the game. It was a huge mistake on the part of Artest and came close to causing a loss and sending the series back to Phoenix and giving the Suns a chance to clinch at home. And the Suns would have done just that.

With the series now 3-2 in favor of the Lakers I have serious doubts the Lakers can take the sixth game in Arizona and clinch the West. And, as I have been bitching about for years, the calls NEVER go in favor of road teams in NBA games. I hate it but that's the way it is. The Lakers will have to go seven games if they can/will wrap up this series. They will not win in Phoenix. And to win in L.A. they will have to bring their very best A-Game to beat the pesky Suns.

I (or my Heart) can't take too many more of these dramatic endings. I'm no Spring Chicken and I'd like to survive to see the Finals. Hopefully for some payback against a (fast fading) Boston Celtics team who look to be aging right before our eyes as their series against Orlando goes to the sixth game. A week ago I was predicting a Boston sweep but the Orlando Magic have come back to life and shown why they're in the Eastern finals. But bear in mind though that no team has ever come back from being down three games to win a Conference finals series. Orlando has a chance to make history. They play tonight at six Western time.

Check out Ron's gutsy rebound and the final play of last night's game in the video below. In my opinion he saved the series for the Lakers. At least for the time being.

Great Moments In History Featuring The Heroic Exploits And Adventures Of Dick Blumenthal!

Senatorial candidate Richard Blumenthal has recently come under fire for embellishing lying about his record as a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Here at the World Of Greasywrench we believe in setting the record straight about Blumenthal's service in the USMC.

When the Blumenthal for Senate campaign recently sent us this photo we decided to publish the pictorial evidence to prove once and for all that Dick is NOT a liar. So without further ado here is conclusive proof of Dick's military record. In clockwise rotation we can see Dick at various times and places proving once and for all he IS a combat veteran.

Senate democrats were overjoyed about the nomination of Blumenthal. Congressman Max Cleland, also a fellow Vietnam vet, reportedly said he "felt tingles up his legs" when the news became public. One democratic congresswoman was alleged to have "wee wee'd in her panties" at the thought of another valiant combat vet "just like John Kerry" representing the democratic party. John Kerry had no comment. Congresswoman Marxine Waters was quoted as saying "The face and reputation of ALL democrats is like Dick."

From clockwise the photo features Blumenthal as he is...
1 - crossing of the Delaware with General George Washington
2 - With George A. Custer prior to the battle of the Little Big Horn

3 - Returning to the Philippines with General Douglas MacArthur

4 - Flag raising At ground zero with several firemen from New York

Click on the image to enlarge and enjoy pictorial proof of Dick's service to his Country!

BTW, there is no proof of the upcoming release of a book critical to Blumenthal titled "Profiles In Bullshit" concerning his military record and (allegedly) bogus combat service. The rumor about the book is a "baldfaced lie" said one unidentified congressman. "And if anyone knows about lies it's democrats" said the anonymous congressman.

Here on The World Of Greasywrench we're in complete agreement with that last statement!

Time To Count Some Pre-Hatched Chickens

Alright - now on to some more serious matters... The Lakers vs The Suns. No it's not Los Suns, it's The Suns. Screw it - they can call themselves whatever they want. In about a week or so it's gonna be the setting Suns. Here's hoping I won't be eating this post (and some crow) in a week or ten days.

I do believe these are the best two teams left in the West. Without Yao the Rockets this season never had a chance. The Mavericks are over achievers. The once great Spurs are now old. And the Lakers are what they are - the best in the Western Conference. They're peaking at the right time and for the most part are healthy. Kobe has some issues with his finger and Andrew Bynum has a knee problem but otherwise things look good. After eighty-two games and the first two series the Lakers look sharp. I hope the week off didn't dull the edge. I was actually quite surprised at the sweep of the Jazz.

Whoever wins this series will have to most likely face the Celtics. And no - I'm not using the hindsight of the first game against Orlando as a benchmark. I also think Doc Rivers can and will out-coach Stan Van Gundy any day of the week. I had a feeling the Celts would end up on top of the East if they stayed healthy. I said this last season before the playoffs. I do believe Orlando is a pretender (along with Cleveland) and I said it. The Celts play a team defense that no one in the East can match. Boston also out hustles ALL the other teams in the NBA from what I have seen. That includes the Lakers and most of the Western Conference teams. But on paper the Lakers are definitely number one. Now if we can only get these games played on a sheet of paper.

Should the Lakers prevail against Phoenix and meet Boston they are virtually the exact same teams that played in the finals two years ago. The difference being the Lakers are healthy this time. The Lakers have home court advantage and that (as I have said many times) will make all the difference in the world. I hate the way calls go in the NBA when teams are at home. They referees are anything but consistent but that's the way it is. Home court teams ALWAYS get the calls and everyone knows it. The next two series will be no different. Of course I'm getting ahead of myself again so lets get the Suns out of the way and hope the Celts can do the same with the Magic. Then It's time for some payback.

NO MO FLO!

Stephanie Courtney - I'm sure that she's really a nice person. She's probably a great sister, wife, mother, daughter, whatever. But I am so sick of seeing the Progressive commercials featuring this young lady I seriously am thinking of shooting my TV or spitting up. I just don't know which will happen first. The first word to come to my mind is OVER EXPOSURE!

I have nothing but contempt for the American advertising industry and have made that clear many times during my adventures in the blog world. From the bizarre ads still featuring...

1 - Billy Mays (dead for nearly a year) selling everything ever made

2 - Broadview Security ads featuring perps who are always white

3 - Talking Cockney accented Lizards selling insurance

4 - Outright lies on infomercials featuring British accented guys

I hate the advertising and marketing techniques I'm forced to endure when I venture into network tv-land! So give me a break (and I don't think I'm alone here) and send this gal on a vacation... please. She currently has more air time accumulated than the local news anchors. For the love of God give me a break... please. Get her a job in the fast food industry or government.

That's it. I had to get that off my chest....

Nazis Or Homophobes? Make Up Your Mind!

Via the annals of Hotair.com comes this lovely little article from Joan Vennocchi, one of the lefties at the Boston Globe. Now the halfwits on the left are playing their second (or is it their third or fourth?) favorite card - the Homophobe card when it comes to Elena Kagan. As usual, it's just more projecting from the left. With progressives it's never cut and dried. According to progressives there's always an ulterior motive from the Right.

In the eyes of the far-left, no matter how much Conservatives object to the nomination of Kagan based on her tenure at Harvard or her lack of actual Judicial experience, it's really a perception of her sexuality. Excuse me but the only ones obsessing over Kagan's alleged sexual orientation are the left. I don't give a shit who she lays down with - male or female. I do however care about her politics which will enter into any judgement as a member of the SCOTUS.

Now I'm really gonna go out on a limb here and shock the few readers I have and make an announcement - I'm a Lesbian! When I say that I'm a Lesbian think of the movie Spartacus and the scene when Roman General Crassus asks the defeated slave army to roll over and give up the living or dead body of Spartacus. All the slaves stand up and proclaim "I'm Spartacus". It's one of the great scenes in movie history and is actually able to generate a man-tear out of me. No one I know who is a true Conservative would ever discriminate against Kagan on the issue of sexual preference. Ever!

Now why am I calling myself a Lesbian? It's probably because, as with Lesbians, I love women in a physical and emotional sense. I prefer a woman as a lover and I married a woman. And I don't sleep or have sex with men - only women. Since this is the case "I'm A Lesbian" and my sexual choices are my business. And whatever her sexual orientation, it's also the personal business of Elena Kagan and not any of mine.

But what IS my business is her record and political orientation. She IS is a liberal with what appears to be an overt disrespect (typical?) of our Men and Women in the Military. And I will discriminate against her on that basis. As an American I have the right.

Videos That Need To Go Viral...

There's no ambiguity in the question from David Horowitz or the response from this young woman. David Horowitz turns the tables on a student member of the MSA and asks her if she supports the terrorist organization Hamas. After fumble-fucking around and dodging the question she finally answers - yes. It doesn't get any clearer than this. Watch the video below.
Update on fat chick who supports Hamas: From Frontpagemag.com comes this juicy little CYA from the fat girl who would not repudiate Hamas. Read it here.

In the video below, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie does something we very rarely see a politician do. He speaks the truth. How refreshing in this day and age when we can't get a politician to do anything other than blow smoke or tell us lies to hear a question answered so bluntly.

And from MichelleMalkin.com we find this little gem. "Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who represents a congressional district that includes 300 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, turned and walked away and did not answer when CNSNews.com asked him whether he was committed to sealing the border against the influx of illegal drugs."

After watching this fat little douchebag and his non-answer waddle away I feel the need to run a virus scan. This POS should be seeking employment if the folks of Arizona wise up. Great way to represent your State Raul. Get to work on that resume asshole. Video below.