Why I Love Lou Amundson

As with other professional sports leagues, I watch the NBA to see the best basketball players in the world. I love watching LeBron James embarrass defenders with a strong drive to the basket. I'm always amazed at the consistency with which prolific shooters like Stephen Curry can hit shots from beyond the arc. I'm particularly partial to dynamic blocks; the sheer athleticism of top defenders such as Josh Smith is a mix of impressive and terrifying.

At the same time, watching LeBron, Kobe and Durant dominate the NBA on a nightly basis is somewhat depressing. Like many young boys, I grew up hoping to one day become a professional athlete. Unlike most boys, I ended up a 5'8" Jewish white guy with limited athletic ability and an abundance of upper-arm hair; no one will be confusing me for an NBA player any time soon. It's hard to stomach the fact that, no matter how many hours I put into the sports I love, I'll never be able to do some of the things guys like Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash have been doing since they were thirteen.  While I respect the NBA's super-duper-stars, there's something refreshing about watching guys who run on energy and grit rather than speed and athleticism.

That's why I love Lou Amundson, and was excited to see him getting regular minutes in last nights Game Six (and series ending) Phoenix Suns victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. For those of you who don't know Amundson, he's a 27 year-old, 6'9" power forward out of UNLV who's split his NBA career between Philadelphia, Utah and Phoenix (where he's established himself as a useful backup). He's a "garbage man" type player who, like yours truly, knows that if he out-hustles his opponents and puts himself in the right place at the right time, he can grab enough rebounds and hit enough put-back layups to warrant a roster spot. I've seen him play a good amount and have yet to see him attempt, let alone make, a jumpshot. On the flip side, he ranked in the top 15 in the NBA this season in both rebounds and blocks per 48 minutes played.

Amundson's hustle has earned himself playing time on a Western Conference contender.

If I grew twelve inches taller and joined an NBA team, I'd be Lou Amundson.  I'd have bounced between three NBA teams (and the D-League's Colorado 14ers) in my first five years of professional basketball.  I'd be overlooked by every player I matched-up against, but would constantly frustrate them with my refusal to lower my energy level.  I'd be a good teammate and the type of "glue guy" that keeps teams calm and collected during tough times and entertains everyone when things are going well.  I'd ride my bike to and from practice everyday.  And I'd definitely have a hairstyle and facial hair pattern that make me look that I don't get paid enough to regularly visit a barber.  I'm looking forward to playing in my weekly Saturday AM pickup game tomorrow and, in Lou Amundson's honor, I won't shave beforehand.

Bango > Bogut

With the Knicks out of the NBA Playoffs, I've found myself watching games and rooting for one thing: for top-tier free-agents-to-be to suffer frustrating late-season defeats that will prompt them to leave their teams for the bright lights of New York City come this summer.  Chris Bosh's failure to make the playoffs with Toronto can't be good for the Raptors's chances at retaining the star, while Dwyane Wade must be similarly perturbed with Miami's early playoff exit.  After last night's Game Five victory in Atlanta, the Milwaukee Bucks are one victory away from sending Joe Johnson and the Hawks home early, too.

How can a Milwaukee team that, after losing arguably its best player (Andrew Bogut) for the season with a gruesome arm and shoulder injury, was written off as a playoff contender by NBA experts potentially eliminate the Hawks, a team that those same experts proclaimed could take down Orlando, Cleveland or Boston and represent the East in the NBA Finals? Consistently solid play from Brandon Jennings, John Salmons and Carlos Delfino certainly has something to do with it, but I give credit for Milwaukee's hot streak to Bango:

Since Bango pulled off this insane stunt prior to Game Four in Milwaukee, the Bucks have gone 2-0 to take a 3-2 series lead and move within a victory on Friday night of advancing to the second round.  Perhaps Bango's heroics have pumped up the Bucks, filling the players with the adrenaline and confidence required to succeed in the NBA Playoffs?  Or, is it possible that Bango's antics single-handedly energized the fans in Game Four, leading to the Bucks capturing the home victory and the series momentum?  While we'll never be able to directly measure Bango's contributions to the Bucks playoff run, the timing between the stunt (which is all over the Internet right now) and the series turnaround cannot be a mere coincidence.

Bango isn't the only popular and lovable NBA mascot leading his team into the playoffs.  The Suns Gorilla has Phoenix within a victory of the second round.  Benny the Bull couldn't prevent Chicago from losing the Cleveland, but he did propel the Bulls to a win in Chicago.  San Antonio's Coyote and Dallas's Champ do battle in one Western Conference first round tilt, while Denver's Rocky and Utah's Bear square off in another.  Some said the Celtics were too old to go deep in the playoffs this season, but Lucky's good fortune led Boston to an impressive first round victory over Burnie and the Heat.  Orlando's Stuff the Magic Dragon has the best name of any NBA mascot; the Magic were also the only team to sweep in the first round.

It's worth noting that my New York Knicks (and their back to back seasons of 50+ losses) are one of the few NBA teams that doesn't have a mascot.  If the Knicks hope to lure any top-tier free agents this off-season, they better come up with one quick.  Might I suggest a Rooster?

Gameflow: The Robotic Mike Martz

Avid reader Yanksbuff writes: "What do you think of the new Madden NFL 11 "Gamelow" option?  Does it just dumb down Madden, or is a great teaching tool for kids?"

For those of you who are unaware, the Gameflow feature in Madden NFL 11 (set to debut in August) is a default setting that, according to CNET, "aims to eliminate play calling by auto-selecting a play for every down, based on a team's actual playbook and play-calling tendencies."  From the Yahoo! Games video game blog Plugged In (see the video at the bottom of the post for more information):

Gameflow is basically a virtual offensive or defensive coordinator that both calls plays and walks you through them. Not only will you get on-field diagrams, you'll also receive verbal instructions from your coordinator. This way, Madden NFL 11 will actually teach you to play the game as you go, rather than forcing you to spend hours in the Tutorial.

According to Madden creators, the typical gamer uses only a fraction of the 350+ plays in a typical team's playbook, and I'd be willing to bet there are tons of players who do nothing more than throw Hail Marys, use the Halfback Option Pass and occasionally run a Toss Sweep to the outside.  For years, Madden has included the "Ask Madden" feature to assist with play-calling and encourage gamers to run a more well-rounded offense, but many users were likely reluctant to use the option likely because they either found traditional plays boring or didn't understand how to run them.

Although it will be the default option in Madden NFL 11, the feature can be turned off, allowing traditionalists and neophobics to return to the version of the game they know and love.  For gamers willing to embrace the new technology, however, I can envision a scenario where Gameflow revolutionizes the way casual football fans (not only kids, but adults too) understand, follow, and appreciate the National Football League.  While some Madden gamers (like myself) have a football background, understand the sport's complexities and thus run a well-balanced offense that includes a power running game, high percentage passes and the occasional shot downfield, others desperately need the Gameflow technology.  I'm personally in favor of any addition to Madden where the goal is to encourage gamers to embrace the mental and strategic aspects of football.

For some, developing a better understanding of Madden's amazingly detailed and accurate playbooks will encourage a stronger appreciation for the strategy and finer elements of a sport that is often only associated with speed, strength and brutality.  Others will use the feature to learn more about the tendencies, strengths and weaknesses of particular NFL teams, coaches and players, since Gameflow customizes its recommendations based on the team the gamer is playing with.  Most importantly, though, Gameflow might limit the number of times the sweaty, overweight New Jersey resident sitting next to me in the upper deck of Giants Stadium screams for Eli Manning to through a Hail Mary to Hakeem Nicks on fourth-and-eight, which would be truly fantastic.  I'm looking forward to testing out the technology; maybe even a hardcore Madden gamer and football fanatic can learn something.

Purple & Teal

This post was originally written in December 2005, when I first had the idea for this blog (or at least one like it).  While some of the references are a bit dated, I felt like this masterpiece was too significant to keep only on my hard drive, hidden from public view.  We must remember the Purple and Teal era of the 1990s, lest we find the 2010s "flooded with magenta and chartreuse."

In addition to NFL games in San Antonio and Baton Rouge, NBA games in Oklahoma City, and college football’s New Orleans Bowl’s relocation to Lafayette, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has presented the sports world with another intriguing scenario – the potential return of professional football to Los Angeles.  While many sports fans and journalists seemed caught off guard by the proposal, there is no rational reason to be surprised; after all, we are currently living in a decade of “second chances” when it comes to professional sports league expansion.  The four major American sports leagues have combined to add four new franchises since 2000, with three of them presenting their respective cities with another shot at successful franchises.  The NHL gave Minneapolis a second chance at professional hockey in 2000, creating the Minnesota Wild to replace the former North Stars, who have since relocated to Dallas to become the Stars.  In 2002, the Houston Texans took the place of the Oilers, who moved to Nashville to eventually become the Titans, and the NBA established the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004 to take the place of the former Charlotte Hornets, who moved to New Orleans just years earlier.  Only Columbus, who never had a professional sports franchise until the Blue Jackets in 2000, bucked the trend.  Thus the return of professional football to L.A. later this decade would certainly make sense.

While the new franchises of the 2000s are linked by their common roles as second chances for their respective cities, the expansion clubs of the 1990s are connected by an even more obscure, and certainly less explainable, phenomenon.  While every other wave of professional sports expansion has been, and will most likely continue to be, motivated by some combination of economic opportunity and political pressure, expansion in the 1990s was seemingly executed for one purpose, and one purpose only – to flood professional arenas and stadiums with purple and teal uniforms and logos.

The real "surprise" was the teal on the uniforms of both 1995 NFL expansion teams. 

How else can we rationally explain the fact that of the 15 franchises that entered the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB between 1991 and 1998, an astounding TEN originally had either purple or teal as an official team color (San Jose Sharks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Toronto Raptors, Vancouver Grizzlies, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays).  Additionally, the Carolina Panthers adorned their uniforms with a unique “panther blue,” which, if classified as a member of the teal family, would up the count to eleven.  Perhaps more amazingly, the Mighty Ducks, Diamondbacks and Devil Rays incorporated both purple and teal into their uniforms when they were introduced to the world or professional sports.  Only the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators were spared from the wrath of the purple and teal between 1991 and 1998. 

To what can we attribute this frighteningly bizarre phenomenon?  While both teal (Miami Dolphins) and purple (Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Vikings) had made their way into professional sports well before 1991, never before had the two colors received such attention and recognition.  More amazingly, no previous wave of expansion had ever seen two colors dominate the uniform spectrum in this way – especially not colors as obscure as purple and teal.  Somehow, in a span of eight years, purple and teal began to dominate professional sports wardrobes in a way that only blue and red could hope to compete with.  When sports historians look back and attempt to study the 1990s, they will be forced to conclude that American fans of basketball, baseball, hockey and football were, for one crazy decade, obsessed with a color combination that was previous relegated to the discount rack in the plus-sized women’s clothing department at Sears.  We can never allow ourselves, as sports fans and protectors of the colors that make our teams great, to forget the purple and teal era, lest we forget the horrible injustices forced upon uniforms across the nation.  Unless we are careful, the 2010s could be flooded with magenta and chartreuse.

Attack of the Ads

The plan was simple.  Go to Citi Field Friday night to watch the Braves take on the Mets.  Watch Braves phenom Jason Heyward as he abuses the Mets pitchers with hard-hit line drives.  Write a blog post about witnessing a can't-miss prospect play up close for the first time, comparing the Heyward experience with my first live glimpses of LeBron James, Andy Roddick and Sidney Crosby.  Simple.

Let's just say things didn't go according to plan; Heyward looked confused (0-4, 3 Ks) and the Braves put on an embarrassing performance in their 5-2 loss.  Mets arch nemesis Chipper Jones dropped two pop-ups to the delight of the home crowd (I've got to admit, I respect the consistency with which Mets fans have greeted Chipper with the same "Larry" chant during each of his ABs for more than ten years).  Worst of all, it was Mets rising star Ike Davis, not Heyward, who had his coming out party, launching a 450+ foot homerun into the picnic area just in front of Shea Bridge in right center.  It reminded me of a home run Mo Vaughn hit off former Braves reliever Kevin McGlinchy that bounced off the upper half of the Budweiser sign at Shea Stadium.  Very impressive.

So, the Heyward "witnessing greatness" post will have to wait a bit.  Instead, I wanted to comment on the first thing that struck me when I made my original visit to the new Mets ballpark in April 2009 -- there are A LOT of ads at Citi Field.  I have no problem with in-stadium advertising; I realize that it's an important source of revenue for the club, and I even find that well executed promotions sometimes add to the fan experience.  I liked the Verizon-sponsored promotion that lets fans text their vote for songs they want to played in between innings, for example (and the Mets fans got it right when they picked "Single Ladies" over "Girls Just Want To Have Fun").  That being said, Citi Field overdoes it.  There are visual ads everywhere, and countless sponsored promotions being blared over the PA system at every possible opportunity.  They're one step away from broadcasting QVC on the centerfield video board while the pitcher throws his warm-up tosses.

It's not really the number of ads at Citi that bothers me, though -- it's the quality.  I'd be willing to cut the Mets some slack if I thought these ads were generating big dollars, but based on the companies paying for stadium signage I find it hard to believe.  I guess the Goya sign to the left of the scoreboard is an upgrade over last year's ad letting fans know about a website that buys U.S. Coins, but the Arpielle Equipment Co. sign is unfortunately still up there; anyone in Queens in need of a lightly-used backhoe?  The leftfield wall lets us know where to go if we want to hire New York Union Contractors for any large commercial construction projects we might have planned.  My personal favorite, though, is the sign encouraging us to buy Planters' BIG NUT BARS, which is so (unintentionally?) hilarious that it reminds me of this recurring SNL sketch.  Unfortunately I didn't snap a photo of it.

Citi Field is a beautiful ballpark, but all the signage definitely cheapens it a bit.  It's like plastering a Bentley with bumper stickers letting us know your child is an honor student at James Woods High School or suggesting that we Save a Cow and Eat a Vegetarian instead.  Anyway, that's enough for today -- this week I hope to write a little bit about my suggestions for speeding up baseball games (a hot topic right now), and maybe post something I wrote years ago on trends in uniform colors.  For now, I'm off to grab a pair of Big Nut Bars.

Game Time

Even for a Braves fan stuck at a Mets game, Opening Day in New York is special.  I spent the first day of the 2010 Major League Baseball season in the third row of Section 16 at Citi Field watching the Mets battle the Marlins, choosing an afternoon of Johan Santana and Hanley Ramirez over one filled with Income Statements and Excel spreadsheets.  It was a near-perfect fan experience; the weather was fantastic, our seats were incredible, and the pregame ceremonies were uplifting.  Even the chicken tacos I ate just before Darryl Strawberry threw out the ceremonial First Pitch were surprisingly decent.  As I sat back in my seat, snapping photographs (check out the shot at the top of the page) and watching my favorite sport played at its highest level, I found myself wishing I could share the experience with other similarly-minded sports fanatics, most of whom were forced to spend the day in front of a computer screen instead of behind a backstop.

That's where Caught Looking, this blog, enters the picture.  While it's unlikely that anyone other than a few close friends and family members will ever read this, I want to start documenting my experiences as a professional and college sports fan.  With a number of baseball games already under my belt this spring, a trip to the World Cup in South Africa planned for the summer, and two years on a BCS Conference campus awaiting me starting this fall, I feel like now is the perfect time to launch Caught Looking.  Some posts will be about sporting events I attend in person (including what I hope will be a string of insightful and regular posts from the World Cup in June), others will reflect on games I watch on TV, and some will be related to things I read, hear and watch online.

After work tonight I'll be riding the 7 Train back out to Citi Field to watch my beloved Braves take on the Mets, hoping to get a good first look at 20 year-old phenom Jason Heyward.  Tomorrow I might spend the afternoon at home watching the later rounds of the NFL Draft followed by the Lakers vs. Thunder at the eardrum-busting Ford Center in Oklahoma City, or I could drive down to Harrison, NJ to get my first look at the new Red Bull Arena when the Red Bulls take on the Philadelphia Union.  The more sports I consume, the more I'll write; hopefully you'll stick along for the ride.  Thanks for reading.