SNL - James Harrison

I think this is how I am going to feel once I get back on my bike.

Guest Blogger Comment - Kobe Vs. Lebron

On February 2nd the Lakers came to New York and Kobe Bryant scored 61 points setting a new Madison Square Garden record. Two nights later Lebron James came to town and lit up the Knicks for 52 points and pulled in a triple double. My good friend Matt Henegar witnessed both of these games in person (shout out to Brandon Baker who saw the Kobe game too). Matt is a die hard Laker fan with deep loyalties for the Southern California sports teams (Dodgers, Lakers, USC, Pepperdine).

Matt was able to score tickets for both these games within heckling distance of Spike Lee and Jay-Z. So I asked him if he were a general manager of an NBA franchise and was able to secure either Kobe or Lebron for his team, based on his recent scouting, whom would he choose. Here is his reply.

I can honestly say that trying to pick between Kobe and Lebron is like trying to pick between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. Having seen both up close, I think Kobe is clearly the better "player" as he has superior all-around basketball skills. He's better at penetrating and ripping apart the defense. He's also a better pure shooter and is much better at creating shots in some of the most amazingly difficult situations. He's much smoother than Lebron and seems to have much better hang-time and body control. So he can create different shots and put moves on other players even after he's already in the air.

Lebron, however, is a beast! The guy is huge and his pure basketball skills rival those of Kobe. The amazing thing about his game was that it didn't necessarily seem like he was going out of his way to score or rack up other stats. He just did. He's one of the biggest guys on the court and moves like he's one of the smallest. There's just no way to measure his value to his team. He plays at a completely different level than anyone else. It's like watching a typical NBA player take on a bunch of junior high schoolers. There were times when you got the sense that Lebron is almost embarrassed by his own abilities -- like he's sort of holding back to avoid having everyone else on the court completely lose interest. Kind of the way I reel it in a bit at times when I'm playing with Aidan and Owen in the basement [Matt's sons, 7 and 5 years old respectively].

Both were full of CRAP when they said that they didn't really know what their stats were toward the end of the game. I believe Kobe said he didn't realize he was about to break one of Michael Jordan's records when shooting a free throw toward the end of the game. I can tell you that it was very clear to me that Kobe knew something significant had happened when he made that free throw because I noticed his demeanor at the game without having any idea about the record. When I watched on Sportscenter later that night, it was clear to me that he knew at the time. Similarly, Lebron tried to claim that he didn't know he was a rebound short of a triple double with less than five seconds left at the end of the game. We were watching the last shot by the Knicks (when the game was easily in hand, and Lebron was otherwise simply goofing around with JayZ and Spike Lee) when Lebron came flying through the air, knocked down his teammate and grabbed the final rebound with one second left, as he was falling out of bounds. Based on how he was playing just before that I can assure you that he knew. They both were telling straight-faced lies during the post-game news conference.

All of that being said, I think I would take Lebron if I was forced to pick between the two, as he has more up-side at this point. Kobe is at the top of his game at the moment, and I get the sense that Lebron is just getting started. As a side note, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a GIANT! The dude is 7' 3" tall and stood almost a head taller than anyone else on the court last night. I've never seen anyone that big in person. He made David Lee look like a little guy. And he has very good basketball skills too -- a complete freak of nature.

It was such a privilege to have been at consecutive games where the two best players in the game absolutely went off in the NBA's most famous (although certainly not nicest) arena.

- Matt Henegar
Husband, Father, Attorney, Late 80's New Wave aficionado, and
the Zydrunas Ilgauskas of his basement basketball court.

So there you have it sports fans and Basketball die-hards. Feel free to Amen or tell Matt why he is absolutely wrong.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday Throw Down

Economic Perspective:
2,000 (years) x 365 = 730,000 (days)
$900,000,000,000 / 730,000 = $1,232,876.71 per day since Jesus was born (not adjusted for inflation).

Best web-phenomenon term:
FaceBook Fits - coined by Elizabeth in reference to certain types of status updates.

Compelling solution to fiscal crisis:
Lawerence Lindsey on The Daily Show

Best Political Cartoon of the Week:
Party of Fiscal Responsibility

L O S T Prediction:
Miles is the son of Dr. Edgar Hallowax the guy from the Dharma Initiative instructional films.

Weekend Plans:
Allison has class on Saturday so I might take the boys to see the Red Bull Snowscraper competition on the Lower Eastside. Should be TOTALLY RADICAL DUDE!

Bravery or Stupidity...

Is this brave or stupid?

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo

Levi Learns to Ski

Watch Your Step

I stepped off the curb to see which bus was coming down the street on 125th. The moment my foot hit the pavement I immediately felt a fiery shooting pain up my leg, and three milliseconds later (yes it was exactly three) I heard 'pop' 'pop.'

I lost my balance but I didn't fall down in the street (note: this is why I don't stand near the subway tracks when the train comes, all it takes is one misstep and 'squish'). I turned and hopped back on the curb and made it to the bus seat where I got that cold sweat, hard to breathe, faint feeling as my ankle began to throb.

I definitely have a self-diagnosed high ankle sprain and I have become painfully reminded just how much walking a person is required to do when they live in the city with two kids.

I had to gingerly walk down the street so as not to misplace my footing and make my situation worse. With each step I took my mind started to comprehend just how difficult it is for an elderly person who lives in this city to get around. There are so many uneven sidewalks, utility covers, trash cans, dogs, people, kids, razor scooters, doormen, subway grates, construction, STAIRS, crosswalks, etc to navigate. As a 33 year old fairly nimble person these obstacles are hardly ever noticed or respected. But these obstacles are really scary and seriously life threatening to the elderly. Couple everything I listed above with the winter chill and some snow/slush/ice on the ground and you get a situation that's ten times as dangerous.

As I hobble around the city for the next several weeks (yea no opening soccer game) I will be just slightly closer to understanding the difficulties elderly New Yorkers deal with. My goal for this fall and winters season is to slow down and notice the dangers in the paths of the frail in the city and do my best to help them navigate them safely. I will let you know how it goes.

Let's Go Dodgers...

Wow time flies by so fast it's unbelievable. The top picture was taken in September of 2006 and the bottom one was taken in June of 2008. Both pics were at Shea Stadium on the way into a Mets vs. Dodgers game.

The Henegar boys are Dodger devotee's and whenever they come to play the Mets and they have an extra ticket they bring me and Levi along. This generous method of indoctrination has caused us to be both Yankee and Dodger fans. It's not as random an allegiance as you might think. I can remember summers going to Dodger Stadium to watch them play as a kid and one summer going on the field for a fireworks show.

While the game didn't go in the Dodger's favor (they lost 6-1) we had a great time. And how could you not...great seats, popcorn, hot dogs, Italian sausage, chicken fingers, pizza, fries, beer, soda, dippin' dots, night game, and feeding off the energy of a 7, 5, and almost 4 year-old. It was really cool to see them stand up and chant "Dodgers, Dodgers" to all the Mets fans in the stadium. They showed no fear or doubt, especially to the teenagers sitting behind us.

While I wouldn't necessarily call myself a baseball fan, there is nothing like taking your kid to the ballpark. It will never get old.