Lakers-Celtics: Rivalry Renewed

Somebody wake me the hell up!!! Throw some ice water on me or somethin'. I waited 21 years for my Celtics to get back to the NBA Finals vs the Lakers in '08 and now they're about to get busy once again 23 years later in 2010. That NBA rivalry between 84-87 was definitely the best that I've witnessed in my lifetime. The Lakers stars back then were Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Kurt Rambis, Jamaal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo and Michael Cooper. Celtics came to the court with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell, Gerald Henderson and Robert Parish. The Celtics were coached by KC Jones and the Lakers by Pat Riley.



This years total cast of characters doesn't have the star power of that cast, but damn sure will bring as excitement once they tip-off. My Celtics squad returns the starting 5 that won the title in '08 with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. No one expected them to get back to the NBA Finals. No one!!! The Lakers as the defending '09 champions have Kobe Bryant who is arguably the best player in the game right now. The rest of the LA roster is a bunch of misfits. To be very honest, who cares about the rest of the squad??? Aiiight, they have basically the same squad from '08 with Gasol, Odom & Fisher. Having a 'somewhat healthy Andrew Bynum and the acquisition of Ron Artest in the '09 offseason was significant in propelling them back into the Finals. I respect the Lakers squad, but I don't like them at all. I can't help it cuz it's in my blood.



Even though I grew up in DC and constantly saw the Bullets, I became a Celtics fan. That's primarily because of my dad and granddad. My grandfolks lived in Roxbury, MA when I was real young. On those winter school breaks as a youngster, pop would take me from DC to Boston to visit the grandfolks for the holidays. Pops aint one for driving, so we always flew. During those trips we would find our way to the Boston Garden. There I was laced with a Nate 'Tiny' Archibald jersey, other Celtic trinkets andI quickly embraced the green and white as my team.



I grew up with tons of Celtics memorabilia and apparel. I personally have an autograph book with signatures of Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, Bailey Howell, Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell, John Havlicek & a ton other Celtics greats. I got all of those on my own walking various arenas before games when the Celtics were warming up. So understand that a second NBA Finals appearance in 3 seasons is a kid's dream. I've been to tons of Celtics games in my lifetime. I've flown to playoff games in other cities, home openers in Boston and more games vs the Bullets/Wizards than I can count since I do live in the DC area. I went to Game 2 of the '08 NBA Finals and my hope is to somehow get to Boston for a game this series. It might take a wing and a prayer, but I'm gonna find a way.



I cheered for a Celtics squad in '07 that won a total of 24 games and now they're going for their 2nd title in 3 years. Talk about the ping pong balls bouncing your way. I was mad when we didn't get the number one pick and a chance to get Greg Oden. One word: fortunate. Thanks Danny Ainge for the GM power moves, we all appreciate ya. I sure as hell never expected to be cheering for KG and Ray Allen in Celtic green. It almost seems unbelievable.



With all that being said, a brotha is full of energy anticipating the opening tip-off on Thursday night. Once it's all said and done I expect my Celtics squad to send Kobe home lookin' sad just like they did in '08. It's time to raise championship banner #18.



My prediction for the 2010 NBA Finals... Boston Celtics in 6. Just a reminder, I did predict a Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals back in Oct... Don't believe me? Click here...





Peace-N-Love...

G. Mo

Caption this pic from Super Bowl XLIV

By now we're all aware that the New Orleans Saints were victorious over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV 31-17. We've seen images of Drew Brees with his son Baylen, Reggie Bush with his showpiece Kimmy K, Saint Colts Sean Payton fist pumping the Lombardi trophy and others. But in the onslaught of media images from the epic event, one failed to show up on ESPN, Fox Sports & other sports websites. Somehow lost in the shuffle is this image of Colts P Pat McAfee and K Matt Stover celebrating a made FG in the first quarter. Looming in the background of this exciting embrace is Saints CB Randall Gay. The picture really captions itself to be honest. Now before you go on a tirade, I'm not implying that any of the NFL players in the image are homosexual. But it makes for a real funny picture as I'm sure you can agree.

Peace & Love..

G. Mo

Voyage To Jerryworld: Cowboys-Eagles Game

Aiiiight, let me start this off by just saying that I’m long winded. Feel free to go straight to the slideshow & pics I took at the Cowboys-Eagles game and ignore the dialogue. You’ve been warned.

Voyage To Jerryworld: Pic Set

Voyage To Jerryworld: Slideshow

a few of my previous trips

Day in the Life of a True Celtics Fan - NBA Finals Edition

Day in the life of a die hard Celtics fan

Day in the life of a die hard Cowboys fan

Destination – Eagles vs Cowboys Wild Card playoff game
Location – Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Time – 8PM EST/7PM CST

Sunday Jan 3, 2010
• Cowboys smashed the Eagles 24-0 taking the NFC East title. This set up a re-match for the Wild Card game at Cowboys Stadium for Sat. Made a few calls to some partners to see who was interested in going to the game in Big D.

Mon Jan 4, 2010 – Tues Jan 5, 2010
• Checked flights from DC, but none were under $459. Hoped to catch an e-saver when they came out on Wed.

Wednesday Jan 6, 2010
• Checked flights in the morning, saw that US Airways had a RT for $211. Booked it. Went back to ticket sites StubHub & NFL TicketExchange and purchased the best single seat available in lower level. Informed the bojangling 'friends' that I was leaving them and going solo since they were shucking & jiving. Made other necessary reservations for rental car & prepaid parking at off stadium location and was ready to roll.

Saturday Jan 9, 2010
• 11:37am - Arrived at DCA airport, parked car at $12 lot and caught shuttle to terminal.
• 12:02pm - Breezed through security, although agents (clearly Redskins fans) harassed me during the entire process. When I got to the gate, it was a sea of blue & silver. At least 30 other Cowboys fans were there already. There were only 2 dudes there with Eagles gear on. They caught hell.
• 12:08pm - Pilot came through and said "Look at all these Dallas cockroaches" and gave five to the 2 Eagles fans.
• 12:44pm - Boarded plane en route to DFW. Sat next to a young girl who reminded me of Peppermint Patty. She paid me no mind while knitting, but she was coughing up a lung. I took cover quickly.
• 1:52pm - Flight attendants served up some cranberry apple juice. That was the perfect complement to some homemade oatmeal cookies I had brought with me.
• 4:20pm - Arrived safely at DFW. It was freezing!!!!! I swear the temps were colder than the weather I had just left in DC. Called wife letting her know I made it safely, stood outside for a sec and caught the Alamo shuttle to their location. Scooped up a nice looking Malibu and was on my way.
• 4:40pm - 5:26pm – Followed the directions via Google Maps on the Blackberry while listening to Jets-Bengals game on radio. Drove to First United Methodist Church where the parking reservation was for, showed them my prepaid $25 receiptd for parking & jumped on their shuttle to stadium.
• 5:41pm – Ahhhhhhhh…. The arrival at Jerryworld!!!!! From the outside, that joint was amazing. I had been past during the construction a year prior, but was amazed at the monstrosity before me now. The excitement was building.
• 5:45pm-7:50pm – Just soaked in the experience. Walked around the stadium, located my seat, gave high fives to random folks, talked trash to Philly fans and took a ton of pics with my DSLR camera. The big screen aka The Jerrytron was dope!!!!
• 7:53pm – Located my seat, said what’s up to folks in and around my row
• 7:58pm - Eagles enter. Chorus of loud booooooooooos…
• 8:00pm - Cowboys arrive. Yesssssir!!!!
• 8:03pm – Ted Nugent performed National Anthem with an electric guitar solo. The joint was tight.
• 8:06pm – Opening Kickoff. Talk about a fever pitch.
• 8:42pm – First strike, Tony Romo to John Phillips with a 1 yd TD pass, Cowboys 7-0
• 8:47pm – Didn't enjoy that TD for too long. Vick hits Maclin on a 76 yd pass. Jenkins fell down. The stadium got suddenly quiet. Eagles fan 3 rows in front starts running his mouth and taunting. Tied 7-7.
• 9:09pm – Cowboys strike back. Tashard Choice with a 1 yr TD run. Cowboys 14-7
• 9:20pm – Eagles fumble on 18. Suisham kicks 25 yd FG. Cowboys 17-7
• 9:30pm – Tony Romo to Miles Austin with a 6 yd TD pass. I holler "Where you at playa???" down to Eagles dude who was popping off at the mouth. He glances back with“Yeaah aiiight, you got it man”. Cowboys 24-7
• 9:48pm – Eagles fumble again. Suisham kicks 48 yd FG. Cowboys 27-7.
• 9:58pm– 10:13 – Halftime. Took more pics, celebrated on the concourse with random fans. Hollered, jumped around and acted like a fool.
• 10:28pm – Definitely the highlight of the night. Felix Jones with a 73 yd TD run. Once he got the ball, he was gone!!! Straight smoked the entire Eagles D. Mayhem broke out in the stands. Cowboys 34-7.
• 10:32pm – Trash talkin’ Eagles dude turned into a punk. Cat actually got up, grabbed his stuff and left from his seat amidst a loud chorus of cheers. No heart. Of course I hollered "Where you going... you leaving us so soon?" in my 'mommy cares' voice.
• 10:51pm – McNabb throws a meaningless 4 yd TD pass to Jackson. Cowboys 34-14
• 11:06pm – Desean Jackson drops back to receive a punt along the goal line. I holler out “Ayyyy Desean… who’s azz is stinging nowwwwwwwww chummmmp!!!”
• 11:34pm – Final: Cowboys 34 Eagles 14. First playoff victory since ’96. Celebration begins. The sounds of Lil’ Flip’s Game Over plays throughout the stadium. When is the last time you heard that joint? LOL….
• 11:37pm - Some random woman came up, stood patiently while I taunted some folks and then asked me if I had a girlfriend. A girlfriend? What is this HS? I flashed the wedding ring, she smiled and keep it movin'.
• 11:40pm - 12:31am – Hung around stadium. Took more pics & joked on Eagles folks who were still around . Hollered, high fived, hugged & dapped up every single person I saw who was wearing Cowboys gear.

Sunday Jan 10, 2010
• 12:35am – 12:56am Got outside and couldn’t remember where shuttle was. Walked all the way around stadium. Temps were in low 20’s. Decided to catch cab back to church.
• 1:04am – Arrive back to rental car. Lady from church says “Ohhhh honey, the shuttle is at stadium waiting for you”. I explained to her that I lost my bearings of where I was and just took a cab. Talk about feeling like an idiot.
• 1:10am-2:30am – Drove around & bar hopped with fellow Cowboys fans. Somehow it wasn’t quite like DC. Remember the scene from 48 Hrs when Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) walked into the redneck bar? That’s kinda how I felt.
• 2:38am – Drove to Denny’s for some eats. It was the first time I had eaten since the plane ride to Dallas. No joke, I can’t eat or drink when adrenaline is pumping at Cowboys games. I forget all about hunger or thirst in the energy of the moment. But I tore up that Grand Slam breakfast at 3am. I sat up in that spot for like 90 min with a terrible migraine.
• 4:33am – Had to gas the rental back up. It was deadly cold outside. Temp gauge in car showed 14 degrees. That was crazy for North Texas!!!!
• 4:40am – 5:33am Arrived back at Alamo & took a nap in the warm car.
• 5:38am – Took shuttle from Alamo to terminal. Did the security thing & went to gate for 7am flight back to DC.
• 5:44am – 6:32am– Sat and talked to a few Cowboys fans who had been on the exact same flight with me from DC. A lot of them were just as amped as I was.
• 6:39am – Boarded plane for flight back to the District.
• 7:02am-7:31am – Plane sat on runway, then had to return to have wings de-iced.
• 11:18am - Plane landed at DCA. Called the wife to advise her I was headed home, caught shuttle to the lot where my car was, paid the bill and hit the road.
• 12:21pm – 6 something pm– Arrived back home, watched Patriots-Ravens game and some of Cardinals-Packers game. Crashed!!!
• 2 something am – Woke-up realizing that the crash had taken place. LOL!!!!


The End.................................

Peace-N-Love

G. Mo

G.Mo’s Amazing Sports Moment From 2009

So much has occurred over the past year. But when I reflect back, there’s really one true moment that outshines them all. In fact it’s only 3 minutes of unbelievable excitement that stand out. But that 3 minutes is not just one of the best of 2009, but an amazing period in sports history.



With slightly more than 3:00 minutes remaining left in the 4th quarter, the Steelers led 20-14. At the 2:58 mark, Pittsburgh C Justin Hartwig was called for holding in the end zone resulting in a safety making the score 20-16 in the Steelers favor. After Mitch Berger punted, the Cardinals set-up shop at their own 36 yard line. 2 plays later, something incredible happened. Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 64 yard TD to put Arizona ahead 23-20. In the words me and boyz used on the block when playin' with the K2 back in the days... Larry was bookin'!!!! From the moment he caught the ball there was no doubt that was gonna wind up in the end zone.







As a die hard Cowboys fan, I hate the Steelers. I was surrounded by folks rooting for the Steelers and for the first time that night I saw fear in their faces and their impending misery was destined to be my salvation. Text messages & calls to the cell came from everyone I knew who wanted the Cards to win. You couldn't tell me that they weren't about to pull the upset. All the Arizona defense had to do was hold on with 2:37 left on the clock. That was not exactly an easy task knowing the history of Big Ben and his history of comebacks. But more than any point that night, I was amped and cheering for the Cardinals.

Cards kicked off and the Steelers began the critical drive at their own 22. A holding penalty on first down backed them up to the 12. Roethlisberger then worked his magic completed 4 of 6 passes to the Arizona 46 with 1:02 left in the game. On 2nd & 6, Big Ben hit Santonio for a 40 yard pass play to the 6. On 2nd & Goal, the hearts of the Cardinals faithful were broken. Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes with a perfect pass as Holmes tip toed to keep both feet inbounds for the game winning TD. A big time play by both Big Ben & Santonio. One for the history books.





Being that the catch was made under 2 minutes, it went to the replay officials. One image is firmly stuck in my head from that night. It was Larry Fitzgerald's show of emotion as he watched the catch on the Jumbotron. You had to feel for dude. I know I was sayin' the same thing at my Super Bowl party.



Arizona got the ball back, but Warner got sacked and fumbled away any last hopes. Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl and Santonio Holmes was the MVP.



I’ve been watching football since about ’77 and remember my first Super Bowl in ’78 as the Cowboys mollywhopped the Broncos. Since that time there have been some remarkable finishes to win the Lombardi trophy. But I’d be hard pressed to give you an ending that was as great as the one witnessed in Super Bowl XLIII.

Peace & Love...

G. Mo

Joy & Pain...

The Thrill of Victory


The Agony of Defeat


If you didn't have the pleasure of watching a great SEC Championship game, these two images should be enough to tell you who won. Mark Ingram continued his quest for the Heisman trophy but putting on one hell of a running exhibit vs a great Florida defense. QB Greg McElroy picked the Gators apart and the Crimson Tide defense stepped up big time. Now as you can see in the first GIF, Ingram is celebrating with his teammates. They're going to the National Championship game to play Texas, so they're excited and rightfully so.

However, if you take a close look at the second GIF with Tim Tebow, well.... ummmm... yeah, aint really too much I can say on that one. In actuality there is, but I'll reserve judgment. I can understand the tears and all. Tim Tebow has had a great college career and is an incredible competitor. I can accept that. But why are your teammates consoling you on some Brokeback Mountain type foolishness. You got one cat stroking Tim's hair as he bites his trembling lip in sadness. Then to add to the madness, another cat comes over and puts his hand on Tim's shoulder. I'm not calling any of the participants out aiiiight, but the entire scene screams (((Wild Mango))). What happened to cats dapping each other up, hard punches on shoulder pads, quick 'manly' hugs between teammates or 'atta boy' smacks on the rear??? Now jokers are waiting to exhale??? *shakes head* That's all I gotta say on the matter.

Jan 7. Alabama vs Texas for the BCS Championship. That should be one hell of a game. Oh yeah, Mark Ingram better win the Heisman. If the panel gives it to Colt McCoy, they each need to have their future voting rights revoked.

Peace & Love...

G. Mo

Tryin' to win the M-F'n game!!!!

Josh McDaniels Goes Off!!!



Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels just wants to win a motherf'n game!!! You can't blame him for going off on his O-line at that very moment cuz they had 3 straight false start penalties in the red zone. Plus, heading into the Giants game that night, the Broncos had 4 consecutive losses to Ravens, Steelers, Redskins & Chargers. Now, an NFL coach going off on his players is not a surprise. Hell, I even had coaches in Pop Warner who said a curse word or three. The funny part about McDaniel's vent it is that NFL Network had a 'slight' issue with their stellar production team. On the evening of Thanksgiving with millions of people tuned in worldwide, they aired that tirade of expletives. You could clearly hear the Broncos coach holler "All we're trying to do is win a motherf'n game!".

I was sitting there watching the game and the moment I heard it, I turned my head sharply to the screen. I hit the rewind on the DVR to confirm the error and I was right. I mean, I've done live production stuff on many occasions and you've got a control room full of folks watching every single clip. Seems impossible not to miss if you ask me. Especially since it wasn't aired live. Someone should have caught it. They all need to be fired. Yeah, the network sent a press release apologizing for the error, but that's to be expected. If nothing else, FCC President Robert McDowell needs to drop a heavy fine on Steve Bornstein's NFL Network like Roger Goodell has been hammering coaches, players & owners.

But don't be mistaken, I laughed that night and have been laughing ever since. It was pure hilarity!!!! I even decided to make an animated GIF from the clip so I could watch him curse in slow motion, over and over and over again. LOL!!!

Peace & Love...

G. Mo

Fail to the Redskins!!!

It's a great day in the District. As a Cowboys fan born & raised in the city, there's nothing more I enjoy than celebrating the misery known as the Washington Redskins. I listen to local sports radio. I watch the local Comcast Sportsnet channel and whatever else that allows me the pleasure of hearing the local fans whine and moan. Yeah, I know the Cowboys haven't won a playoffs game since Pac & Dre did California Love, but whatever. I'm sippin' Red Kool-Aid enjoying this train wreck of a team. To add insult to injury I figured I'd go over to ExtremeSkins which is the forum for Redskins fans. Based upon the Motivational... scratch that, Demotivational Posters they created, I'm guessing they're a lil' bit upset. LOL!!! I couldn't let this archive just remain over there. Thus I've taken the liberty of posting a 'few' of my favorites along. I figured that since I'm kicking 'the man' while he's down, I might as play with my animation software and throw in some GIFS from their last game vs the Eagles on Monday Night. Classic material I must say. Enjoy....

Peace & Love...

G. Mo