lethalweapon3

Did the Falcons quit providing automated news feeds to Hwksqwk? ~lw3

Would Damp take a vet-min contract and some bus change to come down I-85? http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/08/dont-confuse-this-signing-with-a-doover.html ~lw3

Well, after a torrid 13-4 start to the season, the Dream limped into the playoffs with a disappointing 6-11 finish, including just one victory in their final seven games. Two of those games were home losses to the Washington Mystics, who seized the conference title and will be their first-round opponent for the WNBA playoffs (tix on sale now for Friday night’s Game 2 contest; it’ll be at Philips this time around) In a nutshell, in the first-half of the season, the Dream featured an uptempo rebound-and-kickout offense, which had opponents on their defensive heels anytime they missed a field goal (Meadors’ bleep-works tagline: They Can’t Defend What They Can’t Catch). Well, those teams have all adjusted by getting back on D after missed FGs, resulting in a need for halfcourt magic from the likes of Angel McCoughtry and Izi Castro-Marques to save the day. They’ve also begun giving the Dream a taste of their own run-and-gun medicine, forcing starters to sit long stretches to conserve fouls. The Dream lead the league in fouls committed. The team also failed to get any outside shooting help, and remain easily the league’s cellar-dwellers with 28.9% shooting from the arc (as a team!!! Fortunately, opponents are only shooting a league-low 32% against them). The Dream guards are being forced to drive inside for their offense AND (now) get back on defense quickly after turnovers and misses. Further compounding the team’s inefficiencies, they are also the league’s worst free-throw shooters (70.9%), and as you might imagine, the Dream also lead the league in getting fouled. Any chance the Dream have of winning games in the playoffs will involve offering up a steady diet of Erika DeSouza and Sancho Lyttle. They must log major minutes and help the Dream, still the WNBA’s rebounding leaders, dominate the boards on both ends as they were earlier in the season. They need their point guards (Shalee Lehning, Kelly Miller, Armintie Price) to take care of the ball and get it where their scorers are most effective. They need someone from the bench to step up their production in something other than turnovers (Coco Miller? Yelena Leuchenka?). In crunch time, they cannot leave free throws on the table. And they need Angel, their leading scorer, to display a motivating tenacity and compassion behind her play (sound familar?) that seemed to be invisible (my opinion) all season long. GO DREAM! ~lw3

I'm inclined to agree about the OTL thing, but the league treats them as if they nullify the winning percentage, since there's no more opportunities for 'ties'. In lieu of winning percentage, they now do "points percentage" (points amassed/points available). That avoids the oddity of the Bruins (39-30-13) and Canadiens (39-33-10) appearing to have "losing" seasons, or for a team like the Flyers (41-35-6) to be rewarded with a higher seed than the Bruins despite registering more regular-period losses. The OTLs offer some kind of reward for extra-time efforts that the old system didn't (a loss in overtime was worth no points, equal to a loss in regular time). A "points percentage" above .500 (basically >82 points) is a winning season in the NHL's books. Although (in large part because of all the OTLs) I agree it sure didn't feel like one to fans. http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/ATL/ ~lw3

Is it fair to state that we are amidst an unprecedented period in Atlanta’s characteristically gloomy pro sports history? As the Braves approach their second consecutive season above 81 victories, the Thrashers of 2008-2009 represent the last time one of the four major pro teams finished below .500 to end their season. I don’t think we’ve ever experienced a run like this. Since April 2009, the Hawks have turned in back-to-back winning seasons (47-35; 53-29), the Braves made a September wild card run and finished 86-76, the Falcons got over their longtime hex and went 9-7, and even the Thrashers stayed afloat this season after dumping their franchise player (35-34-13). The Braves’ likely finish this year will make it six straight performances above .500 from our pro teams, which I think is the first time ever. That last time the teams in each of the four major sports all finished above .500 in consecutive efforts was in 1980. Leeman Bennett’s Falcons finished off the year at 12-4, preceded by the Braves (81-80, fully expected at the time to be the high-water mark for Bobby Cox’s managerial career), the Hawks (Hubie’s Central Division champs at 50-32), and the Flames (35-32-13 in their last season before voyaging on to Alberta). The Hawks, Falcons, and the strike-shortened Braves all declined below .500 in their next seasons. Without hockey, in 1982 the Braves were division champs (89-73) while the strike-shortened Falcons (5-4) made the playoffs and the Hawks (42-40) crossed the .500 line. The Braves (88-74) and Hawks (43-39) followed up in 1983 with winning efforts, but the Falcons fell short (7-9), stopping the string at five. In 1991, the Braves’ worst-to-first season (94-68) coincided with the Falcons’ tied-for-worst-to-playoffs season (10-6) and the Hawks’ back-to-the-playoffs campaign (43-39). The Hawks swooped to 38-44, however, in 1992. Despite the Braves’ division titles and the Hawks’ perennial playoff appearances in the 1990s, the up-and-down Falcons kept Atlanta from enjoying a streak of winning seasons for two years in a row. Atlanta’s teams would again rise above .500 collectively in 1995, with the Hawks going 42-40, the World Series champs finishing 90-54, and June Jones’ Falcons making the playoffs at 9-7. After the Hawks (46-36) and Braves (96-66) upped their win totals in 1996, the Falcons flopped (3-13), stemming the winning-seasons run at five once more. A similar deal in 1998 (Hawks 50-32; Braves record-high 106-56; Falcons’ Super Bowl Dirty Birds 14-2), with a run kept alive by the Hawks (31-19) and Braves (103-59) in 1999 before the Falcons’ collapse (5-11). Then, the upstart Thrashers would take six seasons to get into winning territory, in 2006, right on time for the Braves’ winning ways to end, the Falcons to begin their last slide into the abyss, and the Hawks to begin their crawl up from the NBA gutter. So unless I’m missing something, six will be Atlanta’s record for winning seasons among its pro teams, and at least the Falcons have a good shot and keeping the streak going. Even ignoring the expansion Thrashers team, the Braves’ record would mark the first time we’ve had the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks offering up back-to-back winning seasons collectively. Throw in the WNBA Dream (back-to-back winning seasons) for good measure and we’ve got, while not quite the City of Champions, perhaps the next best thing going? ~lw3

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5489854 ~lw3

The "Original Born Ready" is headed to Foxboro... (aside: what happened to the Falcons updates?) http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ao1cGxkybMDk2qXJsG1PJLJDubYF?slug=ap-falcons-patriotstrade ~lw3

Who's Court??? ~lw3

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/08/espn-personality-jay-mariotti-released-from-jail-on-50000-bail.html Curious, any comments from him regarding Lance Stephenson on the Horn last week? ~lw3

No bowling parties in Virginia for you, Mr. Krstic! :-) ~lw3

Small Wonder will be a Buck now, signed with Milwaukee for $1.3 mill. ~lw3

Just checked it out this afternoon. Felt like a first-person-shooter-slasher-neck-snapper game. Good action that could have been much better. So many assaults/attacks/explosions that were less about satisfying plausibility than the audience's visceral amusement. And what was the plot/angle again? Mercenaries bludgeon hundreds of soldiers and blow a corrupt regime to smithereens to salvage... a foreign general's daughter? Was that it? Throughout the flick, they did spread out a few extended go-for-the-Oscar moments (including Mickey Rourke, in the challenging role of Mickey Rourke). Each was more like a cue to the audience that it's an awfully good time for a pee break. The fight scenes were okay but could've been far more creative. They were good enough for mauler types like Cauliflower Ear Couture, Sly, and Stone Cold, but way below Jet Li's pay grade. Statham is the man when it's action time, but when he tries to get dramatic you can see why he may never get a Bond role. Everytime Crews appeared I couldn't help but hope he remembered to put some Old Spice deodorant on. I saw JCVD and Seagal wimped out of their scripted roles because they didn't want to lose (to Jet Li - Dolph Lundgren filled in and did just fine) or die or something. They missed out, that was some easy money for the taking. If everyone's still alive in a couple years, there will probably be a sequel. ~lw3

Hope it works out with Derrek. Do we have to go with Glaus at 3rd once he returns from the DL? I'd rather go with the little man (Brooks Conrad) from here on out. ~lw3

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/351217-can-you-find-the-hawk-in-this-rap-video/ I'm guessing a minor fine for each at the worst. B-Roy already apologized and J-Craw will probably issue a simple statement as well. Fortunately it's a crappy song and video which will only get airplay if the national sportswriters get their panties in a bunch over it. ~lw3

Southern Dude at Party: "So, what school do you go to?" Eli Gal: "Yale." Southern Dude: "I SAID, WHAT SCHOOL DO YOU GO TO?" Sorry, couldn't resist. Agreed, though. I like my rookies to talk like Marvin and play like Not Marvin. So long as he does the latter I could care less about the former. ~lw3

^ Probably not the best choice for him and B-Roy to appear in these things when blunts and money abound, doesn't really do anything for them. But they grown, and they really didn't "do" anything in the video, so no harm, no foul, and a meager fine at worst. B-Roy is apologizing to anyone within earshot right now. ~lw3

At Philips, they should leave little bags with Hawk logos under opponents' chairs that read: USE IN CASE OF MOTION SICKNESS. ~lw3

~lw3

Like Pecherov, Varnado's heading to Italy. He'll play with a team in Pistoia. http://thehoopsmarket.blogspot.com/2010/08/pistoia-basket-signs-nba-second-round.html Italy's becoming a hotter spot. Travis Diener is on his way as well. http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20100817/FON02/8170524/Travis-Diener-to-play-in-Italy ~lw3

Thanks for the correction, coach! ~lw3

I know Jordan Crawford plans to wear #53 this season, but I'm wondering aloud whether we can expect the Hawks to retire that jersey number for Dikembe in the next several years. Do you think it will happen? And should it? We don't have a retired jersey among the post-Nique-era players of the late 1990's (I trust Smitty's will go up as well). On the downside, he was not around for many seasons (three full seasons, plus one strike-shortened and one half-season), so he's not a career-leader in any Hawks categories. Also, as with the current crew, not much playoff success during his tenure (just a single second-round victory, actually the last one we've had, in Chicago). On the upside, Deke was, I believe, the last Hawk to get NBA individual season-end awards (a couple DPOYs and the IBM Award) before Jamal this year. His signature finger wag preceded the Hawks years, but seemed to come into its own as a symbol of the Hawks' defensive reputation during that NBA period. And his lauded humanitarian work came into focus here, working with CARE and starting up his own foundation here (I believe it's still based here). ~lw3

Slow news day... http://theybf.com/2010/07/11/kenyon-martin-kisses-trinas-lips-goodbye ~lw3

http://www.basketnet.net/news/132275/pistoia__il_primo_americano___jarvis_varnado http://olimpiamilano.com/news/4617 ~lw3

http://www.justnews.com/sports/22809651/detail.html http://www.justnews.com/news/22685894/detail.html http://wbztv.com/sports/celtics/antoine.walker.arrested.2.900369.html Jan 5, 2009 2:49 pm US/Eastern http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2830539 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2007-07-10-2964747446_x.htm http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C1EpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=M9gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2814,1033682 ~lw3

Heat players have been at odds with the fuzz in metro Miami for the past couple years. The Big 3 in particular had better watch their P's and Q's. And no NBA players need to be caught driving "420," much less 78... http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/15/1777439/miami-heat-player-udonis-haslem.html ~lw3