1. The King finally has a real second banana. After all these years with all these wing players who were decent, but couldn’t exactly score at will, Jamison is LeBron’s first teammate who commands respect from opposing defenses. If LeBron wants the Jordan role, he’ll need Antawn to serve as his Pippen. Luckily for Jamison, he doesn’t need Pippen-like defensive skills to help this team, since it’s already elite on that end (and he certainly doesn’t have those skills anyway). What he has that resembles Pippen is an incredibly varied offensive game that plays from the arc to the rim. The Cavs will be able to play Jamison in a bevy of positions and roles on offense depending on who else they’ve got in the game. Go small, and Jamison can play power forward or center like he did at North Carolina, maneuvering around slower big men and unleashing shots from all kinds of unconventional angles. Go big (i.e. Shaq), and Jamison can play out on the wing, hitting deep jumpers and driving around those same slow big men. And if he gets a mismatch in the post, it’s all over. Finally, Jamison should be an excellent fit in the locker room; he’s a relatively humble guy who has been stuck on awful teams and should relish the chance to compete at LeBron’s level. On paper this is the best team the King has had yet, and the pressure will be immense for him to take it to the Finals.
2. Let’s make sure that Zydrunas Ilgauskas doesn’t become the forgotten man in the deal. Big Z was a scoring phenom, a tall man even for a center with uncommon agility and shooting range. Unfortunately he was forced to endure years of nagging foot injuries and abysmal Cavs teams (in the three seasons between 1998 and 2001, Z played a total of 29 games), coming out the other side as a respected veteran blessed for his toil with the opportunity to play with one of basketball’s future greats. He doesn’t have a ton left to offer the current squad aside from Shaq relief and his floor-stretching “jump” shot (have we ever determined if he actually gets off the ground?), but it would be bittersweet if this trade delivers a title at the expense of Ilgauskas. The word is that the Wizards are likely to buy him out, and the Dallas Mavericks are said to snap him up in that event, although there’s speculation he could return to Cleveland. The latter is certainly the best resolution from an emotional perspective, but Dallas is not a bad place to land either. Assuming it happens, good on the Wizards for setting the Z free.
3. It isn’t the Gasol trade, but this is a big, big winner for Cleveland. Not only is Jamison a better team fit than Amare Stoudemire, but he brings a willingness to operate on the margins of the offense and take over when needed. He’s shown that characteristic in Washington and, presumably, his career spent on crap teams will make him only too happy to serve as LeBron’s sidekick if it means a great chance at a title. The guy is considerate (see: his Abe Pollin speech to the Wizards crowd) and he stays out of the way, as opposed to certain other aforementioned scoring forwards who have rather large egos. Not that I really know these things, but I’d expect Jamison to mesh well with the Cavs’ laid-back bunch. And of course, adding a player of this caliber can only increase the chances of keeping LeBron around this year.

• Fear the Sword has a heart-warming Ilgauskas appreciation piece. Not much yet in the comments section, though. Come on Cavs fans, this is a big day for you!
• Ball Don’t Lie has a nice compendium of reactions to the trade from various pundits around the web. As one would expect, it’s perceived almost unanimously as a big Cleveland win.

AC Milan (Italy) vs. Manchester United (England) – February 16th and March 10th

Recent history: AC Milan have struggled to maintain their place in the upper echelon of the Italian top league, Serie A, as their city rivals Inter Milan have maintained a dominant grip on domestic titles. They have, however, been one of the clubs who’ve done better on the European stage than in their home country, winning two Champions League titles in the last ten years and losing in the final of another (a penalty loss to Liverpool which was perhaps the greatest game ever played.) They’ve got arguably the two most famous players in the world in David Beckham and Ronaldinho. Beckham is of particular interest in this match, since it’ll be his first return to Manchester United since he left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.

United have won the last three English league titles, and look likely to win a 4th this year. They’ve also been major players on the European stage, making it to the final in each of the last two seasons. It’s almost boring how good they are, even without Cristiano Ronaldo. In Chuck Culpepper’s Bloody Confused (called Up Pompey in the UK,) he says that rooting for United is like rooting for Wal-Mart, which I basically completely agree with.

Why you should root for AC Milan: For one thing, a resurgent Ronaldinho is a joy to watch, and it’d be fun to see him meet up with either his old club Barcelona or old rivals Real Madrid sometime in the later stages. A quarterfinal with Milan in it is basically a guarantee to be more interesting than one with Manchester United.

Why you should root for Man United: To see them succeed without any of the hugely unlikeable superstars they’ve employed over the last 15 years or so, like Ronaldo, Beckha, Carlos Tevez and Ruud van Nistelrooy. They’re down to just two hugely unlikeable superstars now, in Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. But even those two have endearing qualities, like Ferdinand’s name and how much Rooney looks like Shrek.

Bayern Munich (Germany) vs. Fiorentina (Italy) – February 17th and March 9th

Recent history: Bayern has the biggest financial advantage relative to the other teams in their league of any club in the world, and so are regular participants in the Champions League. They do seem to have taken a place as one of the second-rate continental powers recently, though, rarely making it past the quarterfinal. They’ve got an impressive array of world-class players, highlighted by defender Philip Lahm, striker Miroslav Klose and wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

Fiorentina underwent a bankruptcy in 2002 that effectively destroyed the club. A re-formed version of the team was admitted into the lower levels of the Italian league shortly thereafter and they rose quickly back to Serie A. They finished 4th in their first season back in the top flight, but were penalized heavily as part of a country-wide match fixing scandal in 06/07. Nevertheless, they maintained domestic success and managed to qualify for this year’s Champions League by finishing 4th again last year. They finished ahead of Liverpool for second place in their group.

Why you should root for Bayern: The four players I mentioned are extremely fun to watch, and Bayern is looking to re-establish themselves as one of the powerhouses of Europe. It’s a rare opportunity to support a massively successful club who are still underdogs. (Not against Fiorentina, really, but in the competition as a whole.)

Why you should root for Fiorentina: Their recent history is one of those classic comeback stories that everyone loves so much, albeit one with shady backroom dealing and referee bribing. But, hey, what can you honestly expect from Italian soccer? Or, really, Italians as a whole? A deep run in the Champions League would be a nice addition to the tale.

Porto (Portugal) vs. Arsenal (England) – February 17th and March 9th

Recent history: Porto is, along with Benfica and Sporting CP, one of the three clubs that dominates Portuguese football and more-or-less always has. (Excepting, perhaps, this season where Braga is making a serious run at the title.) They’re also responsible for the last Champions League title by a non-huge club, winning in 2004 and beating Manchester United along the way. They were then led by future Chelsea and Inter manager Jose Mourinho and future Barcelona and Chelsea star Deco.

Arsenal has never won the Champions League, despite their establishing themselves firmly as one of the Big Four in England. They made the final in 05/06, and lost 2-1 to Barcelona. No team apart from Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea has won the Premiership since Blackburn Rovers somehow managed it in 94/95. They’re still playing the attacking style that manager Arsene Wenger adopted when he took over the club in 1996. They’ve had horrible luck with injuries over the last couple of years, and it’s a genuine shame that we’ll all be missing out on watching Dutch striker Robin van Persie in this year’s knockout stage.

Why you should root for Porto: Like Lyon and Olympiakos, they’re a hugely successful club in something of an also-ran league and it’s fun when those teams do well against their much more famous competition. It could also be another nail in the English domination coffin this year.

Why you should root for Arsenal: It’s kind of unjust that Wenger has never managed to take home a Champions League trophy, and most non-Arsenal haters would like to see him to it at least once. Andrey Arshavin, their Russian playmaker, is probably the most exciting player in the Premiership right now. Also, if you’re a big Nick Hornby fan, that’s as good a reason as any.

Well, okay. The holidays (and, shockingly, the month of January) have come and gone, and it’s time for Welcome to Soccer to get back on track. And I’m going to start by deviating slightly from the program. I’ll get back to your regularly scheduled basic introductions to the sport soon, but I want to start by getting you up to speed with something a little more current. Next week, the knockout stage (playoffs) of the European Champions League starts and I’d like to run through the match-ups. Each pairing will play twice, once at each team’s home stadium. In the event of a tie, the team that scored the most goals away from home wins. In the event of an away-goal tie, extra time is played and then there are penalty kicks if it’s still not settled. The first legs will be played on February 16, 17, 23 and 24. The second legs will be played on March 9, 10, 16 and 17. Some combination of Fox Sports Net, Fox Soccer Channel, and Fox Sports en Español will show all the games in the USA. There are also packages you can buy from foxsoccer.com to watch individual games, or combinations thereof.

Lyon (France) vs. Real Madrid (Spain) – February 16th and March 10th

Recent history: Lyon have won the French league only seven times in their 60 year history. Those came in sequence, every year from 01/02 through 07/08. Last year was the end of that incredible streak, but they’re still the top French team of this century by miles. They’ve never managed any sustained success in Europe, though, which is part of the nature of playing in a B-list league like France. Their top players are regularly signed up by Spanish and English clubs so they’ve got to work hard to stay competitive.

Real Madrid do what Real Madrid does, which is buy up all the best players in the world, fire their manager every 20-30 minutes and hope for the best. Last summer, they brought in two of the top three players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka as well as a host of other stars, the most notable of which for this match-up was Lyon star Karim Benzema. They’ve won the Champions League more than any other club, but haven’t won since 00/01, which counts as an excessively long time for them. Last year, they were utterly humiliated by Liverpool.

Why you should root for Lyon: It’d be nice to see the beautiful, creative style they’ve been playing for a decade finally pay off against richer, stronger competition. It’d also be nice to see them completely shut Benzema down, as a victory for idealism over pragmatism and style over money. Of course, it goes without saying that anytime Real Madrid loses, everybody wins.

Why you should root for Real Madrid: You are Francisco Franco. Or Gordon Gekko.

Barcelona (Spain) vs. Stuttgart (Germany) – February 23rd and March 17th

Recent history: Stuttgart is in this tournament by virtue of finishing third in Germany last season. They’re only three years removed from an improbable league championship, their first since the 1991/92 season. They’re a pretty good team, but the German league as a whole is on kind of a downturn at the moment and nobody’s mistaking them for a genuine contender.

Barcelona is fresh off an unprecedented six-tournament winning season. They’re guaranteed not to repeat that historic feat as they were dumped out of the King’s Cup (the Spanish domestic cup) earlier this month. Still, they’re the defending champions in Europe and one of the best teams in world.

Why you should root for Barcelona: Besides the fact that they’re the embodiment of everything good in humanity and that when they win, it’s one of the most important things we as a people can cling to in these dark political and economic times? Because Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Xavi are some of the most entertaining players in the world to watch, and the Champions League would be much worse without them.

Why you should root for Stuttgart: You are from Stuttgart, or have a friend or family member on the team.

Olympiakos (Greece) vs. Bordeaux (France) – February 23rd and March 17th

Recent history: Olympiakos keep doing what they do, which is being the best Greek club by miles and never making a dent in Europe. They won the Greek league in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. This is only the third time in that period they’ve even made it out of the group stage.

Bordeaux knocked my cynical assumptions aside and played extraordinarily well in the group stage. They’re not a team with much history of winning, and apart from a three-season streak in the 80’s, have only won three French league championships. They haven’t done anything in the Champions League either, though they’ve been very good the last couple of years by playing a pretty, flowing attacking style.

Why you should root for Bordeaux: Because it’s always fun to see teams have their first major continental success, and because they’re a fully owned subsidiary of the French television network that shows My Name Is Earl.

Why you should root for Olympiakos: Teams like them are in an interesting place, and it’d be fun to see them make a run. Also, if you’re an American who is just getting into the sport, supporting Olympiakos would be a good way to root for a team that always wins without having to pick Man U or AC Milan.

Inter Milan (Italy) v. Chelsea (England) – February 24th and March 16th

Recent history: Regular readers know all about Inter and Chelsea’s recent histories, as does anyone else who’d be feasibly reading this. Inter have been dominating Italy of late, but that hasn’t translated to continental success. This irritates them since their cross-town rivals, who aren’t nearly as good, have made two finals in the last decade.

Chelsea have been able to buy a trophy from every competition they’ve played in since Roman Abramovich bought the club except for the Champions League. They got awfully close in each of the last two years, but this means a lot to them. Meaning perhaps more is this particular match-up. Inter manager Jose Mourinho spent some very famous years at Chelsea not long ago, and left in pretty acrimonious circumstances. He’ll be eager to prove they made a mistake in letting him go, and they’ll be eager to shut him up. (Good luck with that.)

Why you should root for Chelsea: The main reason would be because you, too, are hoping that a humiliating loss at Stamford Bridge would be the thing that finally got Mourinho to shut up. It’s not likely, but it’s worth keeping our fingers crossed.

Why you should root for Inter: To see the continued demise of English clubs in this year’s tournament that started with Liverpool failing to qualify for the knockout stage. The Champions’ League is no fun when it just ends up looking like the FA Cup by the semi-finals. Also, because Jose Mourinho did a great job at Chelsea, and was unfairly booted out. Loudmouth or not, it’d be nice to see Chelsea get their own asses handed to them for once.

CSKA Moscow (Russia) vs. Sevilla (Spain) – February 24th and March 16th

Recent history: CSKA Moscow, the club regular readers will remember is not technically affiliated with the Russian Army, had a disappointing 2009 season that saw a crazy coaching carousel and a 5th place domestic finish. That was their lowest finish since 2001, and they’re out of the Champions League next year except in the unlikely case they win it this year. This is the tough time for Russian clubs because, unlike most European leagues, they play their domestic schedule in the summer. So while everyone else is in mid-season form right now, they’re just getting warmed up. Two of their players tested positive for banned substances during the group stage, and there was some talk of the team being banned from the tournament as a result. It didn’t work out that way, obviously, as here they are.

Sevilla have only won the Spanish league once, in the 1945-46 season. In the last decade, since they returned from the second division in 2001, they’ve nevertheless been one of the top teams in Spain. They won back-to-back UEFA Cups (now called the Europa League – the continent-wide tournament for clubs that don’t quite make the Champions League) in the middle of the decade.

Why you should root for Sevilla: The Andalusians probably have the best shot of any non-giant club to win this year. They’ve already proven they can beat Barcelona over two legs by knocking them out of the Spanish Cup late last year. And they play a pretty attractive style. The attacking duo of Fredi Kanoute and Luis Fabiano is as good (or least as entertaining) as there is in club soccer.

Why you should root for CSKA Moscow: Russian soccer is finding its footing for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, and it’s always exciting to see clubs from countries besides Spain, England and Italy do well. CSKA has an exceptionally good defense, which might make for some interesting clashes with the high-powered attacks of those huge clubs later on. Also, Alan Dzagoev is one of the most exciting young players in the world.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

It’s business time! The college basketball season kicked into high gear with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (won by the Big Ten this time, ending a decade of futility) and the championship game rematch between Michigan State and North Carolina. But there have been plenty of other enthralling stories. Kansas remains the clear No. 1 team, and I don’t see that changing. The other contenders (Texas, Villanova, Duke, Purdue, West Virginia) all have significant holes, but the Jayhawks have NBA-caliber talent at every position and a fantastic coach and point guard.

However, several teams have started out hot and significantly increased their national cachet. Syracuse was knocked for losing Jonny Flynn, but Scoop Jardine has handled the point guard role effectively, and last year’s role players like Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku are becoming key contributors. Jim Boeheim is known for rarely needing to rebuild, but I don’t think anyone expected the Cuse to be this good right now. Gonzaga is a similar case, always consistently good but coming off serious losses (Heytvelt, Daye, Pargo). No problem. Elias Harris and Robert Sacre have become serious post scorers, and with Demetri Goodson is one of the best perimeter defenders I’ve seen this year. Finally, UNLV is undefeated and nationally ranked after toppling Louisville and Arizona, as Lon Kruger continues to rebuild the Rebels. I doubt they’ll ever reach Tarkanian levels again, but this is clearly a program that can sustain this kind of success.

Hard to stop a Train: I’m not exactly sure why I liked Purdue as a kid. I do recall spending much time pondering how a man could come to look like Gene Keady. Regardless, the Boilers are still one of my favorites, so it clearly goes deeper than one man’s hilarious comb-over. The lack of Tournament success makes them sympathetic, since they always field tough, intelligent teams that play hard. This year it’s all coming together, Purdue’s best chance to make that elusive Final Four since the Big Dog was getting them elite seeds on the regular. Much is made of Robbie Hummel’s return to health, and for good reason. He’s the closest current Boilermaker to Glenn Robinson, with his size and eclectic skill set, only lacking that pure scoring ability. Luckily Purdue has plenty of other weapons like E’Twaun Moore (excellent dribble-drive point guard) and JaJuan Johnson (super-athletic big man).

On defense, the team’s bona fides come from head coach Matt Painter, who orchestrated a swarming man-to-man at Southern Illinois that stifled the Missouri Valley for years. (He can also be seen tossing Robinson a sweet alley-oop in the highlight video below.) Chris Kramer doesn’t contribute a lot on offense, but he is a prototypical Painter swingman, always the first after a loose ball, always moving off the ball and looking for cuts to the basket, and always keeping his hands in the opponent’s passing lanes. Purdue isn’t level with teams like Kansas and Michigan State (because of depth questions), and they lack a true go-to scorer like the Big Dog. However, plenty of teams have succeeded despite a lack of either, and this team may have the chemistry, versatility, and desire to do the same. I like them as a potential contender to Michigan State’s Big Ten perch, and as a serious Final Four darkhorse in the right bracket.

Weary in Westwood: The Bruins are having trouble beating the Big West, raising fears of a major collapse this season. It’s too early to jump that far with Ben Howland at the helm, but UCLA is nonetheless undergoing a painful transition period. The last holdovers from the core of what I’ll call the Early Howland Era, savvy point guard Darren Collison and effort-guy Alfred Aboya, have finally left campus. In their wake is a collection of under-experienced youngsters and veteran role players, with no true leader. A down year seems inevitable now, but sometimes this kind of season can rejuvenate a team for the long haul. Really, the whole UCLA program seems spent after making the Final Four so many times and not winning it.

When a team is competitive at the highest level, the best players tend to dominate the practice reps and the minutes, and the younger guys don’t develop the same way they might on a lesser team. Then when the core group of championship players leaves, the new guys struggle when they take over. Role players from the past couple seasons are asked to take on more responsibility, and they are often stretched too thin. But of course, it’s not as if these fresh players are scrubs. My favorite UCLA newcomer is Reeves Nelson, a member of the dwindling Two Last Names Club. He’s a bit undersized for a post scorer, but his arsenal of moves is beyond his years, and he brings energy to the game. Also, Nelson should get a chance to play more minutes sooner than expected, as starting center Drew Gordon announced plans to transfer. Once he and the others get up to speed, the Bruins will be back at the Pac-10 summit. The question is how long that will take.

Rave on Trevon: Wisconsin’s Trevon Hughes has become an all-conference player in his senior year. He carved up Duke’s stingy man-to-man defense and carried the Badgers during the second half of a monster victory, coming up with all kinds of slinky-like shots in the lane and burying some key 3-pointers. On one drive, he spun into the lane and stepped back to release what I’d describe as a “teardrop fallaway” over a Duke big man. I had a feeling the shot was going in, even as I simultaneously recognized its ridiculousness, which illustrates how amazing Hughes had been to that point. I’m hoping that this kind of performance becomes a trend, because Hughes has never lived up to his potential as a scorer. Such a development would put the Badgers right up there with Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten.

Elsewhere in the Kohl Center was Wisconsin’s stellar defense against Kyle Singler with talented freshman Ryan Evans, who seems a natural successor to Marcus Landry as the team’s stopper. The Badgers are one of few teams with the chops to rotate properly against such a quick motion offense, and Duke was unable to return the favor. I think they struggled because the Devils couldn’t adjust to a team that plays a very similar style, and most of their customary advantages were gone. I find it hard to believe that at 4-1 with the loss to Gonzaga, Wisconsin wasn’t ranked before this game. That will obviously change, but they ought to just put this team in the Top 25 every preseason and call it good. I don’t know if a Bo Ryan team will ever have a true down year.

Below is 6-3 DP’s Liveblog of the 11/29/2009 match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

• 10:51 AM: 10 minutes until kick-off, and Gol TV is doing lengthy pre-game. So far, it’s pretty awkward for the American announcers to translate on the run.
• 10:53 AM: Barca line-up: Valdes, Pique, Puyol, Abidal, Alves, Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Messi
• 10:53 AM: Real: Casillas, Albiol, Pepe, Arbeloa, Ramos, Lass Diarra, Alonso, Ronaldo, Kaka, Marcelo, Higuain
• 10:56 AM: A quick note for Welcome to Soccer readers. This match is the biggest club rivalry in the world. You can ascertain why based on the clubs post in the series. This year, the drama revolves around the addition of the new galacticos at Real. Albiol, Alonso, Ronaldo and Kaka are all big, expensive additions. There were questions about whether both Messi and Ronaldo were going to play from injuries, but they’re both in the line-up. Ibrahimovic is on the bench.
• 11:03 AM: Kick-off.
• 11:06 AM: Barcelona is behind Real by one point, so a win here will give them a 2 point lead at the top of La Liga. (Non-WtS readers will be annoyed by the things I’m saying that everyone knows, maybe, but I don’t even know if there are any non-WtS readers.)
• 11:07 AM: Beautiful back-heel pass from Messi to Iniesta. Both teams are out with full energy, as you’d expect.
• 11:08 AM: Technical note. You’ll have to refresh the page to get updates, unfortunately, since I’m completely useless with figuring out how to do this stuff automatically.
• 11:11 AM: Real’s attack looks potent, and a lot faster than they’ve been in recent years. If Manuel Pellegrini has learned to appreciate Higuain, I’m not going to be able to like him anymore.
• 11:11 AM: Higuain, I mean. I never liked Pellegrini.
• 11:13 AM: Long-shot from Xavi goes just over the bar. Both sides are so fast, it sometimes looks like there’s 20 men to a side.
• 11:14 AM: Last time out, Barca became the first team ever to score 6 goals as a visitor at the Santiago Bernabeau, Real Madrid’s stadium. Real won’t want to just win, here, they’ll want to destroy.
• 11:16 AM: Very nice ball from Inieista, about half a step too fast for Xavi to collect it in the box.
• 11:17 AM: You could tell which team is the heroic republican defense force and which is the brutal fascist invader just by looking at the managers. Will Real ever hire a manager that doesn’t look like a Bond villain?
• 11:18 AM: The Real-as-fascist thing doesn’t work as well, though, when they’re playing this kind of open, attacking soccer. The horribly effective albeit unattractive industrial-revolution machine days of Capello and Schuster may be over.
• 11:20 AM: Has there ever been such a famous and great athlete who was so completely unlikeable as Cristiano Ronaldo? Barry Bonds doesn’t come close. Maybe Kobe Bryant.
• 11:24 AM: Oh, what a save from Valdes. Kaka sets up Ronaldo, who’s one-on-one with the Barca goalkeeper. Victor kicks it away and Ronaldo looks like a kid about to throw a temper tantrum.
• 11:24 AM: The Real attack is pouring in, now.
• 11:31 AM: Barca’s defense has been rock-solid, but they just can’t get past midfield. Xabi Alonso is playing very well.
• 11:35 AM: The home team is starting to hold on to possession. Hats off to Real that they haven’t gone to hacking at Messi’s knees like they did the last couple of years.
• 11:35 AM: Ho, ho. And Seydou Keita puts his shoulder right into Sergio Ramos’ ribs. Who needs Yaya?
• 11:39 AM: This, friends, is a case study in why goals alone don’t make a game entertaining. The teams have taken turns stringing passes together and threatening. There’s been excellent last-stand defense from both sides. Everyone is sprinting everywhere. Yeah, okay, Real’s been a little better so far. But this is a really compelling match. The midfield battle is as intense as I’ve ever seen.
• 11:40 AM: I can never think of any words to describe Sergio Ramos that wouldn’t draw protests from GLAAD.
• 11:43 AM: Gol TV has all these “exclusive views” that follow individual players and look like they’re filmed with iPhones.
• 11:51 AM: Okay, half-time. 0-0, and it’s been a very tense and entertaining first half. Real had about a 10 minute spell where they looked like dominating the match, but a good save by Valdes and a beautiful slide tackle from Puyol stopped their two best chances. Real is stifling Xavi and Iniesta, which is all you really have to do to beat Barca. (Right, and it’s usually so easy.) Surely we’ll see Ibrahimovic in the 2nd half.
• 11:59 AM: I in part blame the fact that I woke up just in time for the game for the fact that I’m totally unable to explain how good this match has been.
• 12:07 PM: And off we go. Pep Guardiola’s got to have made some adjustments during half-time. And Ibra’s warming up.
• 12:09 PM: Keita makes a badly-time but not particularly hard challenge on Pepe, who starts screaming and rolling around like he got knifed. As Dani Alves hasn’t done the same thing yet, I think it fair to complain about this.
• 12:12 PM: The first five minutes of the second half have been all Barca, but they still can’t break the last Real defenses.
• 12:13 PM: Ibrahimovic on for Henry. The Frenchmen was a non-entity in this game. Ibra’s got a nasty reputation for being unable to perform in big matches, which he could make a step away from here.
• 12:16 PM: Holy shit. Barca strings together some beautiful passes, but can’t find the way through. It goes out for a corner, then Xavi crosses in a nice ball that can’t find a head. A lightning-quick blitzkreig counter-attack from Real sees Higuain through on goal only to be stopped at the last minute by a diving Carles Puyol. Wow.
• 12:20 PM: GOAL BARCA! Zlatan Ibrahimovic! A move started by a lovely Pique stop of Ronaldo gets up to Dani Alves, who plays a pitch-perfect cross to Ibra, who taps it in on the most powerful shot a man could achieve on something I call a tap-in. Ray Hudson is halfway to an aneurysm in the Gol TV booth. Lovely move by the home team, and Iker Casillas is going to have to quit looking dumbfounded at every ball that comes near him in these matches if he wants to keep being called the best goalkeeper in the world.
• 12:22 PM: Real’s getting their reinforcements ready, but they look rattled.
• 12:24 PM: Drama, drama, drama. Sergio Busquets gets his second yellow card on a very, very, very stupid handball. Now the club’s got to hold on to their lead with 10 men.
• 12:28 PM: Cristiano Ronaldo’s off for Karim Benzema. Yaya Toure’s on for Keita.
• 12:31 PM: Inches wide from Pique on the free kick. It’s pretty hard to tell Barca’s down a man, honestly.
• 12:33 PM: Kaka makes a stunning move off the dribble in the box to spring an open Benzema, but Puyol once again comes sliding in out of nowhere to save a goal.
• 12:36 PM: And Arbeloa off for Raul, the captain.
• 12:45 PM: Real can’t break through, and Barca are dominating possession.
• 12:51 PM: Messi point-blank after a brilliant pass from Alves, but saved by Iker. It was an easy one for Leo.
• 12:52 PM: 10 men each now, as Lass Diarra is sent off with his second yellow after a brutal tackle on Xavi. Oh, just like Real to get thuggish when they get frustrated. Maybe we can get a headbutt to the chest before the end of the match?
• 12:57 PM: And the match is over. 1-0 is the final. Incredible match, all around. Real comes in and completely controls the first half, only to be stopped time and again by individual brilliance from Valdes, Puyol and Pique. Ibrahimovic comes on and immediately puts his side ahead. Busquets goes off and Barca play half an hour a man down, still managing to maintain possession. Lass Diarra is sent off at the end. Wow, what a match. What a match.

Just a quick note that I will be live-blogging El Clasico (WtS readers: that’s the game between Real Madrid and Barcelona) tomorrow. I have no idea how to do that, but I fully intend to figure it out. So, tune in at around 12:45 Eastern for some up-to-the-minute analysis, maybe peppered with the occasional paranoid rant about fascism and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Nets Winless Watch 2009: O-fer fifteen. After whiffing against the Knicks, their Friday game against Sacramento presents another possible win. If they lose their next two, they tie the record for worst winless start to a season at 0-17. If there’s any bright spot in the Nets’ season, their defense has been solid, ranking as a top-ten unit in the league.

Home fryes: Channing Frye has never been hesistant to hoist the long mid-range jumper, for better or worse, but by increasing his range to the three point line, he has dramatically increased his value. It doesn’t hurt that he is making them at a 44% clip. He’s now attempted more 3’s this season than the rest of his career.

The other new Buck: Buried under all the talk of Brandon Jennings has been another surprising start by a Bucks newcomer, Ersan Ilyasova. After having a cup of coffee in the league three years ago, he played for FC Barcelona in Europe for two years, honing his game and developing into a strong rebounder and a three point shooter who can spread the floor. He’s started the last five games for the Bucks, taking over Hakim Warrick’s spot in the lineup, and boasts a robust 19 PER so far in the season.

Endurance: I have to give credit to the Golden State Warriors for one of the most impressive wins of the season. Playing with just six men, they beat Dallas on the road with Monta Ellis, Anthony Morrow, and Vladimir Radmanovic playing all 48 minutes. The team has been more competitive after the Stephen Jackson trade, losing close games to Cleveland and San Antonio, and beating Portland and Dallas. And although Jackson had value as a playmaker, he still loved to shoot, inefficiently, and taking away all those shot attempts and redistributing some of those to more effective scorers like Morrow, Maggette, and Curry has to help. The team should be even better once Biedrens and Turiaf return to shore up their front court situation. Anthony Morrow has quickly developed into one of my favorite players to watch play. He just knows how to move off the ball better than 99% of the players in the league, and you have to love his jumper. It’s a testament to the hard work he’s put in since graduating from Georgia Tech. As an avid follower of ACC basketball, I would have never guessed two years ago after Morrow’s last college game that he would even make it to the NBA, let alone be a legimate starter and arguably the best shooter in the league.

Trouble in paradise: What’s wrong with the Spurs? After the offseason additions of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and Dejuan Blair, the Spurs were thought to be legimate title contenders. And while judging the Spurs from early regular season results are always a little foolhardy, it has to be a little worrisome that the team has struggled as much as it has. Part of the problem is defense, which has traditionally been a team strength. They rank 18th in the league in defensive efficiency, and at times, the team looks every bit as old as their league leading average age of 29.2 years indicates. But there are a host of reassuring things for Spurs fans. Their offense has been very good as virtually every player on the roster is an efficient scorer, and those who are inefficient now are spot up shooters like Roger Mason who should likely turn it around. The team has also been using their bench liberally, with no player averaging more than 33 mpg, keeping the legs fresher for the important games down the road.

Still nuts: Watch Ron Artest on the Jimmy Kimmel Show in nothing but his boxers and Jimmy Kimmel shaved in his head.

I don’t know what to make of Allen Iverson right now. He’s always been a unique personality; I never pretended to have a clue what he was thinking at any time before. With him, you just wait and see what happens. The same is true with this retirement situation. A lot of athletes, many of whose names are short yet difficult to pronounce, make it all but obvious that they secretly plan to un-retire. Other athletes, like Barry Sanders, walk away and never look back. I’d venture to say that basketball players come back much more often than football players, and either way, Iverson is somewhere in the middle on the retirement-confidence scale.

The fact is that for the past month – and in this letter, too – Iverson has emphatically repeated his conviction that he can still play. And if he can play, is it such a leap that he’d want to start so badly? His methods are one thing, but there’s been nothing unreasonable about Iverson’s desires. So why release this announcement, why today? Why announce your “plans” to retire and not your actual retirement? Because he’s coming back. He wanted to play for Memphis, until they shoved him on the bench without telling him.

It’s a long season. There will be a team that needs a scorer, a team with an open starting spot, a team that needs to drum up some publicity, a team that just wants to see what will happen. They don’t want to deal with him personally? Come on, the champs just got Ron Artest. If you can play, you can play. And I don’t think we know about Iverson from playing 49% of the minutes in Detroit. Imagine putting him on this year’s Suns, where he could run and shoot to his heart’s content. It’d be the best passing backcourt in the NBA.

I’ve always liked Iverson as an iconoclast, a guy who came from a certain culture and was proud of it, not ashamed, even while everyone else thought he should “clean up.” It didn’t hurt that he had the sickest crossover in the game. I’m not going to say that he should absolutely be a starting player in the NBA, because I don’t know that. I do hope some team gives him a chance, and he takes it. A letter like that is semi-embarrassing to renege on, but the potential for greater glory ought to outweigh any other concerns. So come on NBA general managers, let’s get this thing done. I just want to see what happens.

This exercise began with Ryan and I kicking around fun ways to evaluate baseball pitchers, and we realized that there’s a lot to be said by comparing them to famous bands and artists with similar career trajectories. Whether any of it is useful can be debated, but it sure was fun. The fits are rarely perfect – but that makes it so much cooler when they are. Without further ado, please enjoy the first installment of the Starting Pitcher = Musical Artist Exercise.

Pitcher: Dwight Gooden
Artist: Jimi Hendrix
Explanation: Perhaps the most straightforward. Gooden was considered a phenom, potentially on his way to the greatest pitching career of all time, until he got on board the 80s cocaine train and never got off. He did stick around for several more years as a mere shadow of his former self. Hendrix was considered potentially the greatest guitar player to ever live, but he couldn’t survive his excessive drug use. Who knows what either man could have done?
The Difference: Gooden still played baseball, but Hendrix actually died. As a result, Hendrix enjoys a much better reputation than does Gooden. Also, different eras.

Pitcher: Jamie Moyer
Artist: Aerosmith
Explanation: Both had good careers, then made a comeback and stuck around at an average level well past their primes. Moyer makes a living as a soft-tossing lefty craftsman, getting by on pure pitching knowledge, while Aeromsmith makes a living playing for nostalgic baby-boomers and staging tabloid fights, getting by through the well-worn rock star template.
The Difference: Moyer’s World Series ring, earned when he was 45, holds up much better than “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing.” Also, Aerosmith’s second-wind was more pronounced than Moyer’s.

This is what happened to the cocaine train around 1994.

Pitcher: Steve Howe
Artist: Pete Doherty
Explanation: Though not as talented, Howe was Gooden to the extreme, getting himself suspended seven times and eventually kicked out of baseball for his substance abuse (only to be reinstated later). Howe never sobered up, killed with meth in his system after rolling his pickup. Doherty is also frequently in trouble with the authorities, and has perhaps ruined a once-decent career. In their industry dictionaries, both men are featured prominently under the entry for “fuck-up.”
The Difference: Some people really love Doherty’s work, while I doubt there are many Steve Howe nostalgists out there.

Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Artist: REO Speedwagon
Explanation: They were workmanlike, not flashy, built up a devoted following. They briefly reached the pinnacle of their professions (a Cy Young, a No. 1 album). Then they hung on way too long and just became well-known jokes. Glavine recently retired, but Speedwagon has yet to follow his lead. Of course, when you get to play shows on a boat with Styx, Boston, and Toto, why would you ever hang it up?
The Difference: To be kind, Glavine enjoys a bit more critical respect than does REO Speedwagon.

Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia
Artist: Meat Loaf
Explanation: Awesome, unconventional, well-paid, underappreciated, these two — are fat, alright, they’re really freakin’ large. And that’s pretty much why this is a match made in heaven. And in case you’re wondering about the underappreciated part, “I’d Do Anything For Love” was very important to my childhood, alright?
The Difference: None, yet! This bodes well for C.C.’s longevity. Who needs pitcher similarity scores?

Pitcher: Mark Fidrych
Artist: Daniel Johnston
Explanation: You may not know Daniel – he’s a brilliant artist and singer-songwriter who also happens to be bipolar and, thus, very quirky. And you see where this is going. Fidrych was famous for talking to baseballs, grooming the mound, and performing other entertaining antics. A recent documentary brought Johnston’s career back to life for a new audience; unfortunately, the recent Fidrych renaissance was the result of his premature death.
The Difference: Johnston has been critically acclaimed by many, while Fidrych was a great pitcher for only a short time before injuries ruined his career.

Pitcher: Mike Mussina
Artist: Rush
Explanation: Rush has a complicated reputation. A lot of people don’t really care about them because they played prog in the 70s, but those people may not realize how much other stuff Rush did, and how consistent they were. And then some other people just despise Rush for no reason. These are the same exact people who think Mike Mussina’s not a Hall of Famer. And I don’t even like Rush.
The Difference: … seems ironclad to me.

Pitcher: Bob Gibson
Artist: Black Sabbath
Explanation: More than any other guy here, Gibson was Ozzy Osbourne on the mound. He was fierce and intimidating and would throw at anyone. Ozzy bit the head off a dove. Not only that, Gibson was a seminal 60s power-pitcher in the same way Sabbath was a seminal metal band. Both enjoy stellar reputations to this day.
The Difference: As far as I know, Bob Gibson hasn’t become a blabbering dunce in old age.

Seriously, try to picture this dude singing "Like Spinning Plates."

Pitcher: Randy Johnson
Artist: Radiohead
Explanation: They got off to solid starts, but a shift in territory helped them become sensations. They both stayed on top for an uncommonly long stretch, earning heaps of awards and critical praise. Oh, and Thom Yorke also looks funny.
The Difference: Johnson’s style was imposing as could be, while the feel of Radiohead’s later fare can only be described as “not physically threatening.”

Pitcher: Dennis Eckersley
Artist: Inverse Dave Grohl
Explanation: OK, hear me out. A starting pitcher leads the team, while a closer makes sure things are good on the back end of the game. A lead vocalist leads the band, while a drummer makes sure things are operating smoothly in the back end of the song. Eck was a great starter who became an even better closer. Grohl was a great drummer who started up his own band. Simple.
The Difference: Most would agree Nirvana was more relevant than the Foo Fighters.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for the second installment!

Nets Winless Watch 2009: Now sitting at 12 losses. To their credit, their roster is suffering from a gamut of injuries and their loss margins were fairly respectable last week. The Saturday matchup with the just slightly less awful Knicks gives them a good chance to notch their first victory.

Don’t you just feel awful for Larry Brown: ESPN recently compiled a list called the Future Power Ranking, which ranked NBA teams on their viability in the next three years based on things such as players under contract, finances, management, etc. The Bobcats finished last. So, of course, the Bobcats, not being a team to rest on their laurels, decided to go ahead and put even more distance between them and the rest of the league by dealing for Stephen Jackson and his lovely contract that runs for 3 more years on an average of $9 million dollars per year. The same Bobcats who don’t have a chance of competing for anything important this year. And the same Stephen Jackson who’s a malcontent chucker who never had a PER over 16.  Have fun desperately trying to trade him within a year when he’s tired of losing and starts moping around.

Really good BJ: Brandon Jennings scored 55 points against the Warriors last Saturday, breaking the record for most points scored in a game by a rookie. And I think for most, the initial reponse was to be guarded. After all, Jennings isn’t your typical annointed NBA young star. He doesn’t have the collegiate chops a la Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose. He doesn’t have the hand picked NBA media hype of a Lebron or Dwight. He was often cast as immature, thinking he was too good for college, and undoubtedly, many secretly gloated at his misfortunes in Europe.  And if you try a little, you can easily come up with many caveats for his scoring outburst. He was on fire with his jumpshot. The Warriors are defensively challenged and continued to go under ever screen, giving Jennings open looks. Tony Delk even scored 50 points once. But the point still remains, the kid put up 55 points as a rookie. That’s incredible and it’s really hard not to get excited about his prospects. He’s lightning quick, shows a quiet confidence on the court that’s rare for a rookie, and shows a much better stroke than advertised. There’s a sense that this isn’t like Jamal Crawford putting up 50; a career low efficiency, high volume shooter who happens to get very lucky three games of his career. While Jennings forced a few shots, which is excusable given his night, for the most part, he was all about picking his spots. He took what the defense gave him, and explored all the offensive options. For a rookie, that’s admirable.

Breaking the seventh seal: Kevin Durant has struggled shooting the ball this year, but Thunder fans should be happy that Durant is maturing as a scorer. He’s learning how to get to the line, and every year, he’s improved his rate at drawing free throws. He’s sixth in the league in free throw attempts so far. Being able to draw fouls is such an important ability that any great scorer must possess, and allows them to get easy points even when their shooting isn’t on.

Hawking the Hawks: Why do I have so much trouble associating Atlanta as an elite team in my mind? The team has improved it’s win-loss record for four straight years. This is clearly a team on the rise. And it’s not like they were chopped liver last year, totaling 47 wins. Adding Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague to bolster their backcourt depth could seemingly push them over. But perhaps it’s their slow rise to the top that has lulled me into pidgeonholing them too soon. In my mind, this team was supposed to blow up two years ago. That was when Josh Smith was still a seemingly endless bundle of athleticism just waiting to be molded. Joe Johnson was entering the prime of his career. The team had drafted Al Horford, the big man of their future. And any minute now, Marvin Williams was going to put it all together and justify being drafted ahead of Chris Paul. But it didn’t happen quite like I had expected. The Hawks improved, but not as drastically as anticipated, but nevertheless, good enough for the playoffs, good enough to take the eventual champions to seven games. There was optimism, and adding Bibby in the offseason, they won 47 games last year. And I felt like that was it. The Hawks had reached their peak. I had been waiting so long for the Hawks to turn from the team of the future into the team of now that when they finally reached that point last year, I was ready to etch their future in stone, a team full of talent that could be better, but too flawed to be. A team content to be a challenger, but never a true contender.But they are proving me wrong so far this season.

Last and very much least: This is where I was supposed to talk about Iverson, before I realized that I have nothing interesting to say. At this point, until he’s willing to embrace a bench role, the guy will be irrelevant to the league, unless as a sideshow curiosity. It’s a shame, because he can still play.