Pre-Birthday Ramble

Ever since the Bucks traded their center Andrew Bogut to Golden State, I've lost the desire to post or even discuss basketball. I no longer fault the Bucks for that decision, as Bogut seems to be experiencing some trouble returning to the court, but I find that I am adrift when it comes to basketball. I just don't have the attachment I used to have to the game.

I've been trying to figure out why the loss of one player would shake my desire as deeply as this one did, but I have no idea. The only thing I can figure, is that the team is currently in such a state of flux that I feel just as much in a state of flux. I mean, I have no idea how many players that are currently on the team will be on the team next season, nor do I know if the team will be sold in the upcoming year.

The implications of an impending sale imply so many limitations on what the team may or may not do in terms of players, meaning that they might fix it so that the players on the team are paid lowest amounts possible to make the team appeal to potential buyers. That means that I can't really attach myself to any particular player unless I want to risk getting angry again.

Plus, with a sale, there's always the risk that the team could end up moving out of state, even if the current owner tries to stipulate a "no move" clause into the purchase agreement. I beginning to think that I'm in flux more because I don't know how much longer I'm going to have a team to cheer for...

Okay, yes, I shouldn't let the state of flux of the team interfere with my team spirit, but it just seems to have left the building, and I'm not exactly sure how to get it back. I'm not sure that I can get it back either.

There are some understandable reasons though. Honestly, I've been dealing with migraines for quite some time, and even when I don't exactly have the head pain to go with them, I'll have sound and light sensitivity - which will not allow me to be noisy, nor want to be around noisy people very often. Not only that, but I really feel uncomfortable in the seats at the Bradley Center, so I'm really not in any hurry to watch any games there any time soon.

Lately I've also been feeling like there are just too many games in the basketball season. Football has a very small number comparatively speaking, and my team - the Packers - only play one game per week. I like that.

Sometimes, there are so many games on during a week that I find myself thinking, "oh, there's another game on?" and I don't necessarily have a desire to watch it. I'm curious how the game ends, but beyond that, not much more interest.

I will admit that I've enjoyed watching Ersan Ilyasova dunk the basketball in the most recent handful of games, but they're so few and far between, that I'm not thoroughly engaged. I'd like to see him dunk more, because I think he could really be a powerhouse in that respect...but not at the risk of injury...

Will my love of the game return?

I don't know, but I'll remain on the lookout for that one player who just might turn my head enough and relight that beacon of team spirit. There have been a few in the past, so I'm hopeful there might be one in the future, just not sure when...

Catching Up With Life

Now that the basketball season is over, I am finding it much easier to get caught up with reading, and I'm even finding it easier to edit again. Being a member of Squad 6 really takes a toll on the body and mind, especially when you get as into the games as I am. Now, I'm not the kind of fan to remember stats - don't need to, they're all recorded down on the Bucks website and in media guides should I ever want to make comparisons. I'm the kind of fun who can get very emotionally invested in a game and can be very dejected after a loss, especially if I think the Bucks could have won it.

I'm happy to say that it didn't happen in the post season play though. Sure, I got loud and cheered and wanted them to win and was upset when they didn't win, but I couldn't stay mad because this team went farther than expected and played better than expected. They were never really out of the games, it just came down to the fact that, without Center Andrew Bogut, we needed everyone to be on top of their game every game in the playoffs. Well, these guys are human and to get mad at them for having an "off" game is counterproductive and really doesn't accomplish anything.

It was such a great experience being part of Squad 6 and I'd love to be back next year, if they'd have me! I'll either find a new wig, or color my hair red next year. My red wig fell apart towards the end of the season, looking more like some animal's nest than a person's hair, so it had to be retired and I took to dying my hair with hair paint. I just might find a way to color it brighter where it lasts a bit longer and won't come off on my clothes! lol!

Thanks Milwaukee Bucks

This post is long overdue. I wanted to blog about it right away, but when a player breaks his career high that he had just set not too long ago and the Bucks lose a game, it's hard to know what to say. Not only that, but to hear him call it a useless stat when they lose, makes it all the more difficult to find the right way to congratulate him.

Back in December, he scored a career high 31 points in a win against the Indiana Pacers in a game so exciting that I put the entire thing on a VHS tape after having watched off the DVR twice. Last week Tuesday, Bogut outscored himself with 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite these efforts, the Bucks lost the game, but only by a point. After some careful pondering, I've realized that, even though the Bucks lost the game, a career high isn't a useless stat.

Why?

Well, it says that Bogut is coming into his own and that other teams need to beware of the force they will be facing!

So congratulations to Andrew Bogut for his career high of 32 points! Keep it coming!

I love watching the games and I feel the need to be at every one! Of course I would like to see them win every game, but it's not necessary. This team has something it hasn't had in a long time.

You know what it is?

Heart.

Ah, I bet you thought I was going to say Scott Skiles, the head coach, or John Hammond, the general manager. While it's true that both of these men were instrumental in putting together this team, it's the players themselves that really deserve the credit.

All of the players want to do well and are working very hard to achieve their goals. They want to win and it shows in the amount of fighting and scrapping they do to create turnovers and chase down loose balls. They've also worked very hard to become better free throw shooters. It's been a long time since we've seen dunks and alley-oops on a regular basis, and the team is working to bring that element back to the games are creating some exciting basketball.

And they're doing all of this without Michael Redd. As much as I like Michael Redd, he just doesn't fit with the team anymore. In fact, when Redd first went down this season, Carlos Delfino really stepped it up and we thought he was going to be this great player for us, but when Michael Redd came back and took back his role in the starting lineup, that all changed. Well, since Michael Redd went for the season (I really do wish him a good recovery), Carlos Delfino has stepped it up again and has been playing great. I hope it continues.

Between Squad 6 and the players, games are extremely fun! I enjoy them so much that at times I don't want them to end! I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Thank you John Hammond, Coach Skiles and all the Milwaukee Bucks for making basketball exciting again, especially to Andrew Bogut for creating Squad 6. I've had a great time being part of this soon to be legendary group, and I hope I can continue to be a part of it for years to come!

Good Luck on the road at Miami, Orlando and New York! I wish I could be there in person, but I'll be sitting in front of the TV and I'll just have to wait until you get back in town on Saturday!

Bucks vs Lakers

Twitter and Facebook were very active Wednesday night after the Bucks played the Lakers. 

Why?

Well, the NBA officiating came under fire and close scrutiny.  For whatever reason, it seems that the NBA officials do not like the Milwaukee Bucks this year as evidenced by the fact that our opponents seem to get more foul calls than we do.  


Can someone please explain to me how a guy can run down the court, leap off the court using his own feet, fly through the air and land untouched in between two Bucks and still get a foul call?  There wasn't one there, but yet the Lakers got to the line.  


Of course the one most of the tweeters were commenting on was the blatant charge that was called a block on Bogut.   That was not a block.  It was a charge.  What made this situation even worse was that the refs appeared to take their lead from Kobe.  


Hello!  I thought the refs were supposed to be independent of the players?  Why are they looking to Kobe for direction here?  (Note: I didn't see this, but that's what all of the people who watched it on TV noticed and commented about it.)  


Okay, didn't the NBA just have issues about a ref fixing games for cash?  Well, I think that more investigating is needed because the officiating that has happened in Milwaukee has definitely indicated that there are some refs making shady calls.  


Time to clean house and get new refs who know how to call a game fair!  No more discriminating star treatment!  All games and all players should be treated equally by league officials.  I don't care if it's your first game or your last or if your a star, if you commit a foul, it should be called, and if someone fouls you (no matter who you are, rookie or not), it should be called.  The game should be called the same for all four quarters.  No exceptions.  


Time to fix this problem NBA Commissioner, or the NBA itself will start to lose its fans and eventually teams!!!!!!!  Less teams = Less endorsements = Less money!!!!  

Fun and Games

Intro

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been awhile, but, hey, I've been busy!

I've got myself onto Bogut's Squad 6 and pretty happy about that, but since I have to be at every home game cheering my loudest and proudest, it takes time away from other things, like this blog.

I haven't forgotten, I've just been thinking about what I'd like to chat about.

General Hospital

I've recently gotten caught up with GH for this week and I can honestly say I really like Jonathon Jackson playing Lucky again. Lucky seems to have much more depth now and it's been really cool to see all that old footage again! They still make me cry!

You know, it's been awhile since I've gotten tears in my eyes but that exchange between Luke and Lucky where he was trying to tell Lucky about Elizabeth and Nicholas really got me! I was very teary at the exchange, which is something I've missed! It's very hard to ignore the onscreen chemistry between Lucky and Elizabeth now. Day by day, the attraction between Nicholas and Elizabeth seems so ridiculous that I think it's just time for the writers to let it go. The kissing just doesn't seem real to me, although, it never really did.

The difference I feel is like night and day. When Greg Vaughn played Lucky, it was so hard to see him with anyone, let alone Elizabeth. Since Jonathon Jackson came on the scene, I can actually see him as a real person again and I want him with Elizabeth. I can't help it. The more I watch now, the more I am convinced that Lucky and Elizabeth belong together!

On a new note, I am very much intrigued with this new artist guy. From the way it looked on Friday, that face we see (James Franco's) is not really his own, but a mask he dons to go in public.

The real question is, who is he really? Is he the guy who took the photo of Michael to convince everyone that Michael was dead and became twisted because of it? Or, does it mean the photographer is really AJ? That would explain why he is bent on revenge against Jason and Sonny. This should make for an interesting turn of events!

Castle

I love this show for more than just the fact that Castle is an author. The characters are well constructed and believable, but that isn't necessarily what keeps me watching. It's the actors, and not necessarily Nathan Fillion, though I do enjoy watching him. It's his daughter. Between Castle's daughter (Alexis - played by Molly C. Quinn) and his mother (Martha - played by Susan Sullivan), he loses quite a bit of the spotlight in this show. It's not just the talent of these two lovely actresses, but the carefully executed banter written by the show's writers. Castle's family as well as his profession as a writer adds a dynamic to the show that does manage to set it apart from the other crime shows, making it unique to watch.

However, I would still love to see another Firefly movie in the future!

Sports

I've been a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks for quite some time, but I have been re-energized recently. The first thing that I found to be utterly cool about the Bucks is that Andrew Bogut bought 100 season tickets in the lower bowl of the Bradley Center for extreme fans. Bogut's goal is to get the Bradley Center rockin' during the games with crowd noise, giving the Bucks a true home court advantage.

I was just handed these tickets, I had to go down to the Bradley Center and audition in front of the Bucks organization and Bogut himself. However, Bogut was recovering from the flu and Charlie Bell filled in for him. It was a very cool experience!

Since we've been sitting in this section. We've had the opportunity to meet some very nice young people and a few other people our age. Of course, I think that we are among the oldest members of the Squad, but I don't care. It's really fun.

But it isn't just being a member of Squad 6 or the fact that I've been crushing on Andrew Bogut since we drafted him that has me energized for this Bucks team. It's rookie Brandon Jennings, it's the return of Ersan Ilyasova, it's the energy that players like Charlie Bell and Carlos Delfino exhibit when they're on the floor. It's the fact that this is a team that fights and scraps and doesn't give up! It's the entire team and the presence the have on the court.

Oh, and did I mention that Bogut slapped hands with me at the end of Saturday's game? Yeah, well, he did and it was a life-fulfilling experience. He is just as gorgeous and sexy up close!

Of course, I have to wonder - do sports figures look at us weird, extreme fans and laugh at us because we consider them to be celebrities? Or do they truly appreciate the way we hero-worship them?