iPhone madness!

Greetings - a tremendous Friday to all of you:

I just woke up after a 4 hour snooze following my 10 hours on-line overnight at the Apple Store in Santa Monica. The company I work for is purchasing several iPhones for marketing purposes, and I was one of the brave soles who volunteered to take turns waiting in line. We broke it up into four 6-hour shifts, and I took a double from 6PM Thursday night to 6AM Friday morning, in anticipation of the 6PM launch of the phones.

My comrades in arms, Nicole, Sara, Lon, and Andy, were great company. Many stories to tell (some not for a blog post) about the experience included:

1. Numerous people stopping and asking "What is this line for?" (My most common response was that I was waiting on line for the iPhone and then to buy the new and much-less publicized "iBra" being launched across the street at Victoria's Secret).

2. The music, which got better during the night until it stopped at midnight, although the quality was still no better than "missing the cut at local talent show" level.

3. Getting heckled by the assistant manager of the nearby adidas store at 1AM as he and his co-workers were locking up for the night. After several back and forths with others of us on-line, I inquired as to why he wasn't working at Foot Locker instead and suggesting it was because they ran out of referee shirts - (I guess anything is funny at 1AM)

4. A group of 5 or 6 guys getting drunk, to the point that one of them tore off his shirt, announced to the freelance photographers and videographers that he was a former backyard wrestler, and then proceeded to impale himself on the concrete for the cameras - twice! This left him no worse for wear, but several large welds getting brighter before the sun came up over Santa Monica Boulevard (you know I was going to use that one).

5. Andy actually being able to sleep for a good portion of his 6-hour shift, which I found very impressive.

and the highlight of the night for me:

6. Our very own fearless leader, C.K. himself, showing up and trying to convince the crowd that his Helio phone had much better features and was less expensive without being locked into AT&T Wireless. He even proceeded to point out the specific functionality of the Helio, like it's
ability to have GPS and to send a text message - hilarious.

All in all, quite a fun all-nighter, and glad to have been part of the Mahalo team. To see a picture for the earlier group on line, which made it's way onto the front page of Yahoo's website today, see here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coneee/653667863/

Special shout out to my buddy Steve who spotted me for the first 2 hours, and to Jonathan H. and Raj for bringing us donuts at 6AM (oooooh, doooonuuuts)

Now for some Sports Takes:
Before getting in line, I watched a lot of the NBA Draft and was shocked at the Knicks trade of Steve Francis and Channing Frye to Portland for Zac Randolph. Shocked, because it was actually a pretty good trade by Isiah Thomas, the Rasputin of NBA General Managers. I don't know how he still pulls a regular paycheck from the Dolans, but he does, and this was actually a decent move. Now we find out if this is the start of Isiah building the Knicks back to a winner, or this trade simply being a good one because "even a broken watch gives the correct time twice a day".

NFL Europa closed it's doors this week, after a 15-year run as a developmental league for the National Football League. I am not surprised by this in the sense that it was never wildly popular in Europe - I think because it was using inferior talent. For much the same reason that soccer fails as a pro league here in the U.S. - the greatest players in the world don't play here, and we don't have a long history of loving the game like we do with American football. But I'm disappointed the league is shutting down because it did offer many players a chance to play and improve to the point that they were able to not only be signed onto NFL teams, but help them win championships. Think about it: if there wasn't this league over the last 15 years for players to improve their skills and showcase their talents, then names like Kurt Warner, Adam Vinatieri, Jake Delhomme, and Jon Kitna, might never have become known to NFL fans. NFL Europa, we hardly knew ya.

Finally, the second grand slam in tennis is underway at the All-England Lawn, Tennis, and Croquet Club (that's Wimbledon to the rest of us commoners). There was a time recently when American players dominated this tournament, which begs the question: Where have you gone Pete Sampras and Chrissy Evert, a nation turns it's lonely eyes to you. Well, Serena and Venus are still trying to get it done on the women's side and overcome nagging injuries - but on the men's side, it's time for Andy Roddick to step up and get it done. He's made the finals of several Grand Slam tourneys in recent years, but can't seem to get past Roger Federer. Sure R-Fed is an all-time great, but so was Sampras, and Andre Agassi was still able to balance relationships with Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields, and Steffi Graf to win a few times. A big deal was made about the fact that Roddick hired Jimmy Connors as a coach. look, Roddick has game and skills, but unless Connors is able to donate a portion of his heart and courage to his pupil, Roddick will unfortunately continue to play second fiddle. I guess this is appropriate, considering he shares his nickname (A-Rod) with another guy who also always seems to come up short in the clutch.

Next time: A salute to the Big Hurt and CB on milestones, and a lesson in watching the All-Star Game. Happy Birthday USA.

Does a goalie have Hart, and it's good to be King

Item One: Stanley goes Hollywood
First, congrats to the Anaheim Ducks for winning the 2007 Stanley Cup. They played with a lot of physicality and grit, and were truly the best team in these playoffs. I was especially happy to see Scott Niedermayer hand the cup to his brother Rob.

I remember 2003, and the one thing that slightly tempered the New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup celebration was the fact that Scott had won his third cup with the Devils, but at the expense of his brother Rob, who had never won it. Watching them meet in the end-of-series handshake line, you could tell that if it was possible to quickly make a trade, Scott would have done anything to have his brother Rob enjoy the moment fully.

So watching Scott give the Holy Grail to Rob was truly a wonderful moment. I'm sure Ottawa fans were too disappointed to appreciate it, but anyone else that loves hockey, anyone else that loves sports, and anyone else that has a sibling, knows just how touching that moment was. Having briefly had a chance to get to know Scott while writing some hockey articles for several outlets back in 2003 and 2004, I know just how special it was for him to have his brother take the Cup and skate with it.

And this may just be the beginning for the Ducks. Sure they have their share of "gray beards", but they are mostly a young team with the potential to build on this year.

Item Two: NHL Awards Preview
Okay, so now that the Cup has been presented, there's one last bit of business before the amateur draft signals the official start of summer: the NHL Awards. Here's a quick glimpse:

• Calder (Rookie of the year): This is one of those where I think because Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal are teammates, they will cancel each other out and allow Colorado's Paul Stastny to win.
• Selke (Best defensive forward): Hard to argue with Sammy Pahlsson after watching him in the Finals shut down Ottawa's big scoring line.
• Adams (Best coach): It's a regular season award, which is why Randy Carlisle isn't nominated - Lindy Ruff of Buffalo is the choice here.
• Vezina (Best goalie): I'll admit an obvious bias towards Martin Brodeur, and tell you that in other years, he would be a no-brainer. Still, Vancouver needed Roberto Luongo much more than the Devils needed Brodeur, so I say it will go to Luongo.
• Lady Bing (Most gentlemanly): Got a love a bruising, physical sport that is known for violence and yet hands out a sportsmanship award. Joe Sakic is my choice here.
• Norris (Best defenseman): Again, because two of the candidates (Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger) are teammates, I'll take the other nominee, Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit.
• Hart (League MVP): Two of three candidates are goalies (Brodeur and Luongo) and the other is Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. This is a difficult call, but I think the voters will feel that Crosby will win a lot of these later on, so I say Luongo, even though my hart, er, heart, says Brodeur.
  

Item Three: He's not just another #23, he's the next #23
Picture being a team that has won the NBA Championship 3 times in 7 years. Being a team that plays the game the right way, and has good guys that you can root for. Now imagine being the second billing on the NBA Finals marquee to a team that's never been there before.

That's what it means to be the San Antonio Spurs and enter the 2007 NBA Finals playing second fiddle to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most people believe that this Knig James' coronation ceremony; that he will now lead the Cavs to the title just like his "numbersake", Michael Jordan did in 1991 with the Bulls. That Chicago team had never been to the finals, and were playing a Los Angeles Lakers team that had been to numerous finals. Yet the Bulls won, and now people are drawing a comparison between MJ and those Bulls, and LBJ and these Cavs.

Except that Lakers team was an aging team, and this Spurs team is still in their prime. These Spurs have the ability to do what a selfish Detroit team couldn't; focus on being a team first in their attempt to shutdown LeBron and the Cavs. I think it'll go the full 7, and that home court will help show the way for San Antonio. As for LeBron, his time will come, but I just don't think it'll be this year.

Random thoughts: Did you hear about Annika Sorenstam calling out Michelle Wie? This is what the LPGA needs - not a bunch of docile, timid, and respectful players, but tough chicks calling each other and smashing each other with 4-irons. Okay, maybe not the last part - still, it is nice to see that players on the LPGA Tour have a pulse. As for Wie, perhaps she's making the right decision going to Stanford full-time this fall. She needs to live life a little bit before settling down into a full-time professional grind. It worked for Tiger, maybe singing "Come Join the Band" (the Stanford fight song) is just what she needs for a while... here's why horse racing will never again dominate the sports landscape - Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, who lost by a nose hair in the Preakness, is not racing in the Belmont Stakes this weekend. No rematch, no trying attain lasting glory. Nope, once you lose a shot at the Triple Crown, you pack it in. That doesn't seem to jive with our sense of competition, does it?... So Billy Donovan had a change of heart and decided to go back to Florida, leaving the Orlando Magic at the door. Well, actually, the analogy would be better stated that he went through with the wedding ceremony, but called Raul Felder just after the reception started. You know what though? Good for Donovan that he knew he didn't want to coach in the NBA and had the guts to try to fix it before he got too far along. Better he not go through the motions and hurt the Orlando franchise. Takes guts to admit that you're wrong publicly and subject yourself to ridicule, but he made the right decision... Oh, and back to the Ducks for a minute - Memo to KNBC's Fred Rogan: Know which Niedermayer brother your talking to, like which one came to the Ducks from New Jersey as a free agent, and which one has been in Anaheim for a while. That was hard to watch...How soon until someone posts a spoof video of Paris Hilton's jail stay in the MasterCard 'Priceless' theme...

Kobe being Kobe and Stanley moving to Disneyland

Item One: "I Kobeius"
Anyone who thinks Kobe Bryant is going anywhere needs to have their head examined. The fact of the matter is: Kobe makes too much money; the Lakers wouldn't receive fair value for him, and to get Kevin Garnett or Tracy McGrady straight up would leave them in the same place they are now (a team with a franchise player and not much else); and Kobe would wind up on a team just as bad as the Lakers are but likely in a smaller market.

Still, at what point does Kobe look in the mirror and determine that maybe the person who is at fault the most for his troubles is himself? He orchestrated Shaq being sent away while they were still winning championships; he's the one who orchestrated Phil Jackson's departure from the Lakers, and signed off on Jackson's second tour of duty; he's the one who's elected to have a big salary which limits the Lakers flexibility to deal for a wingman, his Scottie Pippen if you will. I'd have a lot more respect for his opinions if he would admit to some of his own shortcomings the past few years.

Item Two: Stanley's Disneyland adventure
After 40 years of having professional hockey in the Golden State, it seems the Stanley Cup is finally going to spend the summer in the Hotel California. The Anaheim Ducks have found a way to shut down the Ottawa Senators top scoring line in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, and found timely scoring to squeak (or quack) out a 2-0 series lead. How you know it's going well for the Ducks: the game-winning tallies have been scored by Travis Moen and Sammie Pahlsson. Only one team out of 30 has blown a 2-0 lead in the finals. It appears as if the Curse of St. Patrick affects not only the Montreal Canadiens, but all of the teams from Canada, as no team from the country that borders us to the north has won hockey's holy grail since Montreal traded away Patrick Roy (a.k.a. Saint Patrick) in 1995. The last Canadian team to win was Les Habitants in 1993.

Item Three: It's all on George, not Cashman or Torre
While one New York baseball team keeps winning (Let's Go Mets), the other team continues to struggle mightily. The Yankees (a.k.a. The Evil Empire) find new and different ways to lose games, and the death pools for both Brian Cashman and Joe Torre are in full effect in New York. The problem is, neither of them are to blame for the fact that the Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000. The problem is George Steinbrenner. See, he not only wants to win, but he wants to in a dominate fashion. So rather than have a great team, which means having a few great players and a lot of clucth players, he's assembled a team of great players. See the difference? If you don't, just watch a Yankees game and watch how the superstar players can't do the little things to help each other out. Plus, they overspent on so many front line players, that their backline players (bullpen, bench) is bottom of the barrel. This will not change until either Vader Steinbrenner goes back to letting his team be built like it was in the late 1990's, or until George Costanza comes back as assistant to the traveling secretary.

Random thoughts: One of the advantages for me being in California now is that I get to listen to Vin Scully call baseball games. I still am not a Dodgers fan, and probably never will be, but hearing Scully's soothing and professional delivery makes me wish other teams would go back to this kind of play-by-play and get rid of the screamers...Was watching Marshall Faulk on NFL Network analyze which of the 2nd year QB's will have the most success: Matt Leinart, Vince Young, or Jay Cutler. He felt Young would have the least success, "Because of Madden", as in the Madden Video Game Cover Jinx. Interesting the Marshall is a new feature in the game this year, yet here he is perpetuating the Madden Jinx myth...I hear they are working overtime to keep Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel seperated at the MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet. My question is: Why? I'd tune in just to see if they are fake nice or if they throw down (my money would be on Biel, but it would probably have to go to the judges scorecards)

Next Time: NHL Awards and NBA Finals previews...