Sorry for the late start today. There is some more mail to get through and I will get to it, but I thought I'd drop a couple of links just to tide you over.
Some of you may have seen this but Jose Calderon has gone all T.J. Ford. He had a blog entry on his website where he says that he too wants to be a starter. He also no doubt made his agent cringe with this line: “If I have to choose between a sports offer and an economic offer, I will choose the first.” He also wants to “be a starter and be in a team that aspires to everything.”
He continues: “Of course I will not be in a team in which I cannot be an important contributor nor if there is not a solid structure or if there are not options to be in the “Playoffs”.
I'm guessing Calderon will get his wish to be a starter and hey, don't all teams aspire to everything?
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Phone rang last night and it was Rob Babcock calling. He did not apologize for not drafting Andre Iguodala, but at this point it's understood. Instead he was calling to offer his appreciation on Chuck Swirsky, who, as we all know, is heading to Chicago. Babcock was merely looking to get a good word out, so here it goes:
“Chuck is one of the best broadcasting people I've been around,” said Babcock, now an assistant general manager with the Timberwolves. “He has an unbelievable work ethic and his passion for the team and the organization was second to none when I was there. The charity events he would MC, the community appearances he would make – he would do whatever he could. In most cases the broadcasters do their broadcast and that's it, but he developed that role into a true ambassador for the franchise. If he was available to do something, he'd do it.
“And on a personal not he's a genuine, good, guy who really wanted guys to do well.”
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This was brought to my attention yesterday, and it is hilarious. Apparently Charles Oakley is pitching a cooking show. J.E. Skeets, point guard, and the guy who runs the Ball Don't Lie blog at Yahoo Sports tried Oak's recipe for ribs. They certainly seem deliciouso! Make some for dinner tonight. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Skeets and his unique gift for NBA satire.
Charles Oakley's Beef Short Ribs in Cinnamon Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
* 6 large beef short ribs, bone in
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 18 beers
* 1 large onion, finely chopped, no tears
* 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
* 1 cup ground fresh tomatoes
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 2 or 3 Cuban cigars
* 4 cups chicken stock
* 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
* 1 x whole piece cinnamon bark (approximately 3-inches long)
* 1 tbsp. cumin
* 1/2 tsp. turmeric
* 1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper
* 1 heaping tbsp. Mexican chilli powder
Directions:
1. Drink 10 beers.
2. In a large, heavy saucepan, add the cooking oil and the cumin to high heat. Let the seeds sizzle, then add the cinnamon and onions. Sauté until the onions are intimidating.
3. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until your done smoking a nice fat stogie.
4. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes and all of the remaining spices. Just chuck it all in there. Bang the cupboards.
5. Once you stir the powdered spices in the tomatoes, increase the heat back to medium. Stir regularly — with your bare hand, very important! — and continue cooking the spices until the oil separates from the tomatoes. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. 7 minutes if you yell and belittle the oil.
6. Slam 3 beers.
7. Stir in the stock and red wine and bring to a boil. Probably a god time for another smoke. Maybe a game of poker, too.
8. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes and/or until you hear Tyrone Hill screaming from the basement.
9. Add the short ribs and stir well. (Note: If you're short on time, skip steps 1-thru-8 and just eat the ribs raw.)
10. Bring back to a boil.
11. Chug 5 beers, work up an appetite.
12. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer the short ribs until the meat completely separates from the bone. This will take approximately 4 hours, so order some pizza and hookers with Jordan's credit card.
13. Serve, charge dinner guests for your troubles.
