Metal Monday: My Top Ten Glenn Danzig Songs

Metal Monday is something I used to do periodically on Rhymes With Hondo. It didn't really work there -- it's out of place on something so specific as an NBA team blog; I didn't post regularly enough; and the posts I did make were sort of half-assed. When I started this blog, I decided to redouble my efforts and make it a truly regular feature.

I'm still not sure where I'll head with this. Some posts might be a list, like this one. Others might be a link to an album stream or free download. On the relatively rare occasions I purchase a new album, I'll probably do a review. Occasionally, I might try to "cleverly" tie it into basketball. Realistically, though, most of the posts will probably just be me telling you what I like to listen to.

I wasn't going to start it up for a while, but Halloween and a four-part series from MetalSucks inspired me to do a post on one of my favorite artists, the godfather of horror punk: Glenn Danzig.

Pan-Am Wrap-Up, In Brief

I awoke earlier than usual on Sunday morning to watch the medal games, but couldn't find them on TV or online. Too bad, too; it looks like I missed some good games. The results:

Bronze: USA 94, Dominican Republic 92
Gold: Puerto Rico 74, Mexico 72

Scott Schroeder over at Ridiculous Upside has some game coverage as well as a recap of the USA's performance at the Games, if you're interested.

Pan-Am Semis: Mexico 71, USA 55

If the U.S. men's basketball team is going to bring a medal home from these Pan-Am Games, it's going to be bronze. Team USA was thoroughly outclassed by host Mexico on Saturday afternoon in Guadalajara.

I'm not going to stretch to find something positive to say about the Americans' performance. The high point was the first quarter, when the U.S. pushed the tempo, something they had waited to do until the second half in come-from-behind wins over the Dominican Republic and Brazil earlier in the week. (The U.S. apparently lost to Uruguay on Friday night in the final round of pool play, a meaningless game I didn't watch and couldn't find much information on.) Leading 15-11 after one quarter, it went downhill quickly for the U.S., which trailed by five at halftime.

This game was still entertaining to watch, however, mainly because of Mexico's guards.

Pan-Am Games: USA 88, Brazil 77

This USA Basketball team seems something like a science experiment. The team has no true point guard, no reliable post threat, and had a mere two weeks to practice together before the competition. If you're interested in seeing what such a team looks like, be sure to tune in Friday night to its final pool play game against Uruguay. Let me warn you, however, that it's not always pretty. In fact, it usually isn't.

If you're wondering how such a team erased a 17-point third-quarter deficit to beat Brazil going away, well, I don't have a great answer for you.

USA Basketball at the Pan-Am Games

Apparently, the Pan-Am games have been going on for a while, but the men's basketball tournament didn't start until today. The U.S. will makes its television debut Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, but thanks to a tip from Ridiculous Upside, I was able to check out the U.S.'s opening game against the Dominican Republic this afternoon online.

A sluggish first half gave way to what became a very entertaining game, with the U.S. ultimately triumphing 77-76. The U.S. team is full of D-Leaguers, and I thought I'd give you a little breakdown of what I saw from some of the guys on Wednesday in case you, like me, would rather watch mid-level international basketball Thursday night than Game 6 of the World Series.

The Beautiful Game

With the first two weeks of the NBA season already cancelled and mediated talks between the owners and players' union extending into their third day, several NBA stars announced a six-game world tour to take place from October 30 to November 9.

NBA stars playing exhibitions is nothing new to this lockout, though this tour is unique in terms of its scope. I haven't been keeping track of just how many of these games have been going on, but players have spent the offseason showcasing their skills in events ranging from the charity game at Florida International University hosted last weekend by Dwyane Wade and Lebron James to pickup games at Harlem's legendary Rucker Park, the most famous playground in the world. (Here is a short clip of Kevin Durant catching fire in the fourth quarter of one such game.)

It's hard to imagine this happening in other sports. This summer's NFL lockout didn't last long enough for it to become a real possibility, but it seems unlikely that a bunch of the world's best football players would get together for a game of two-hand touch. And I wouldn't expect to see a group of locked out major leaguers hitting the sandlot for a friendly game, either.

Guys I Like

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When You Play for the Nets, Even Your Wife Stops Paying Attention

My girlfriend was driving to work this morning, listening to 102.7 here in Los Angeles, and heard something approximating this exchange:

Ryan Seacrest: "So what happens if the lockout ends, and [Kris Humphries] plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder? Would you move there with him?"

Kim Kardashian: "Is that a real team?"

(To her credit, Khloe Kardashian could apparently be heard laughing in the background, chiding her sister with "They're really good!" Of course, the eighth-seeded Thunder took Lamar Odom and the Lakers to six games in the first round of the 2010 playoffs.)