And she's free, free fallin...

Several words come to mind when thinking about Hillary Clinton's campaign, freefall and desparation work for me. While the consensus was that Senator Clinton was going to run a more positive campaign following her eloquent concluding statement at last week's CNN debate (or Debate XIX), that has certainly not been the case. The insistence that delegates in Florida and Michigan be sat is maddening. Despite the fact that all candidates agreed that delegates from these states would not be seated at the convention, the Senator was the only one to keep her name on the ballot in Michigan (Kucinich did too, but that was not a real campaign). She is acting like a wild animal trapped in a corner and it is not good for the Clinton brand or the Democratic Party. Recently, she has consistently compared Senator Obama to George W. Bush and George McGovern, the ultimate paradox of paradoxes. The picture of Obama dressed up like a Somali elder in 2006 highlights the deparation that has seemingly overwhelmed the Clintonistas. That is a tactic one might expect from the 527s that brought us the inspiring swiftboat nonsense in 2004. She has tried to criticize his inspiring rhetoric with silly sarcasm, even invoking a SNL debate in this week's debate (or Debate XX). Acting angry over Obama mailers in Ohio that dealt with the Clinton health care plan fell flat. What is left one might ask? Well, the Clinonistas apparently are setting up a legal challenge to the next week's vote in Texas before the vote even takes place. This is just another example of desperation from a fledgling campaign. Please go away Senator Clinton, exit the stage gracefully. Do not subject us to anymore of the negative vitriol that has become commonplace in your campaign. In my view, hope always beats desperation, unless your name is Richard Milhouse Nixon.

The future...

On Wednesday night Chris Paul put on a show against a a two-time MVP and one of the West's superpowers. In fairness to Mr. Paul and his teammates, the resurgent Hornets have played like a superpower for much of this year despite recent struggles. The Hornets currently sit third in a supremely deep Western Conference and one game out of first in the league's toughest division. The reason for their success can be summed up in two words...Chris Paul. This leads to an interesting debate, who is the best point guard in the NBA right now? This is the only position where one can engage in a true debate, as there are approximately three good centers in the NBA and 2's, 3's, and 4's are difficult to distinguish between in today's game. In my opinion, there are six candidates in this debate. They are:

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#6--Chauncey Billups [17.5 ppg/2.8 rpg/7.2 apg/44.2% FG/40.2% 3-pt/91.2% FT/1.3 spg]

For some reason I always think shooting guard when I think of Billups, but he is as clutch as they come in the waning moments of a game. One of the best all-around shooting guards in the NBA. None of his numbers rank among the best in the league (except for FTs), but overall, he is solid.

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#5--Baron Davis [22 ppg/4.7 rpg/8 apg/42.4 FG/34.1 3-pt/74.1 FT/2.5 spg]

Like Billups, Davis is one of those guys you want to have the ball at the end of a game. He is a good shooter, but does not shoot a high percentage from behind the arc. But, he is a greater scorer and an exceptional defender.

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#4--Jason Kidd [11.1 ppg/8 rpg/10.5 apg/37.4 FG/35.7 3-pt/81.8 FT/1.6 spg]

Kidd is part of a dying breed in the NBA, a guy more concerned with pasing than scoring. He is one of the 10 best pure point guards to ever play the game. His shooting has been nothing short of terrible this season, but the move to Dallas is a perfect fit for a guy in the twilight of his career. He does not need to score in this offense, he needs to be the trigger that gets the offense moving. An underrated aspect of Kidd's game is rebounding. No one else on this list averages more than Billups' 4.7, thus Kidd's 8 rpg is certainly worth noting. Other than Steve Nash, no one is better in transition than Kidd.

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#3--Deron Williams [19.2 ppg/2.9 rpg/9.7 apg/51.6 FG/39.6 3-pt/79.9FT/1.1 spg]

One can't fault the Jazz for taking Williams in the 2005 draft ahead of Paul, he has easily been the second best player from that draft class. His stellar performace in the playoffs last year made people take note of his game. He is a great shooter and is able to draw two and three defenders through constantly attacking the basket.

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#2--Steve Nash [17.6 ppg/3.5 rpg/11.5 apg/51.3 FG/46.6 3-pt/89.8 FT/.7 spg]

It would be easy to put Nash at the top of this list. He is the passer I have seen since Magic (the gold standard at this position) tortured me throughout the latter part of the 1980s. He is the best passer and shooter at this position, although not the best defender.

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#1--Chris Paul [20.7 ppg/4.0 rpg/10.7 apg/48.2 FG/34.3 3-pt/87.8 FT/2.7 spg]

Chris Paul is the league MVP (as a Celtics fan, it pains me greatly to write this). While Tyson Chandler's apparent rebirth in New Orleans and the continued development of David West into a great PF have played a key role in the franchise's turn-around, Paul is the heart and soul of that team. While his 3-pt percentage is not the best, he shoots well from all other parts of the court. Like Williams, his ability to get into the paint and draw defenders opens up opportunites for his teammates. Also, Paul is a phenomenol defender (leading the league in steals). Could Paul expose the defense of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash in the playoffs? In the above mentioned game against Nash, Paul had 25 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists, and 3 steals, while holding Nash to 8 points (1-8 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line). The future is bright in New Orleans...

Countdown to the Madness: I apologize to Isiah Thomas

With only 22 days until the tournament, the mighty Volunteers of Tennessee are the #1 team in the country. I can honestly say that I would have never thought this team could be on top of the polls at any point of the season, nonetheless in the final weeks of a tough SEC schedule. This is a well-deserved honor following a great win over Memphis on Saturday. The fact that future All-American Chris Lofton turned in a terrible performance (7 points on 2-11 shooting) makes this win all that more impressive. It is hard to believe this team will win out with a surprisingly tough Vandy, a resurgent Kentucky, and a young Florida team coming up over the next 8 days. A loss to Vandy tonight seems to be in this team's future. This was a tough week to be in the Top 25, as many teams fell. Duke lost again, this time to the overperforming Miami Hurricanes. The Jayhawks lost a typical tough Big 12 game to OSU. Butler lost a great game to Drake in a battle for mid-major supremacy (Drake lost earlier in the week to Bradley). UCONN finally lost another game (Villanova). An overrated Purdue team lost to underrated Indiana (how this team responds to the Kelivin Sampson situation will be telling, a narrow win over Northwestern is not promising). This is typical for this time of year, as teams start to wear down a bit and look forward to conference tournaments and the Big Dance. Now for this week's Top 5:

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1. UNC

2. Memphis

3. Tennessee

4. Kansas

5. Texas

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UNC seems to be hitting its stride without Lawson. Central to this is QT's play at the point. I had recently said that watching him play made me sick, which it did, but he has improved immensley over the last three weeks. He has averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 assists over the last seven games (UNC is 6-1 in that stretch). While I can't forget his terrible play up to this point, I am willing to apologize to to his star father for questioning his son's abilities. Isiah, I am sorry. Memphis and Tennessee cannot shoot free throws, which will come into play late in the tournament. Kansas needs to establish a go-to guy and Texas has the best guards in the country. The number of teams to watch seems to shrink as the season progresses, but UCLA, when healthy, will be tough coming out of the west, Indiana (Gordon on the big stage like Carmelo Anthony in 2003?), Georgetown (can defense win the day?), and Butler (still the best mid-major team) could play a role late in the tournament.

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My current projection-UNC over Kansas

19 Down, 1 To Go???

Last night was the 19th debate between the Democratic hopefuls. The novelty of watching the first prominent black and female candidates debate for the chance to be the nominee of any political party has worn off. The majority of the debate was spent reaffirming each other's positions and when they disagreed the differences were so minuscule that it was difficult to stay engaged (the segment of health care was unbearable). Two moments stood out, Senator Clinton's "change you can Xerox" line fell flat and drew the ire of the crowd. Besides the fact that the line was utterly stupid, it followed Senator Obama's best answer of the night where he responded to the silly plagarism accusations against him. The second prominent moment was the end. Senator Clinton delivered an eloquent response to a question about challenges in life that made her seem almost human. There was a twinge of conciliation when she said, "You know, no matter what happens in this contest – and I am honored to be here with Barack Obama...Whatever happens, we’re going to be fine." Her hopes hinge on results in Texas and Ohio on March 4. While she will probably win the latter, the former is in play. Not only does she need to win these states, she needs to win them by a sizable margin, which is not going to happen. It seems premature to write the Clintonistas off, but with 10 losses in a row and dwindling poll numbers in both Ohio and Texas, it seems that end might be near. With that being said, hopefully Tuesday night's deabte in Ohio will be the last of this primary season. Hope is alive...

Countdown to the Madness: 29 Days and Counting

With only 29 days remaining until the best four days on the sports calendar, some of the top teams are starting crack, which is common this time of year. Duke fell to an inferior Wake Forest squad, Kansas lost a tough game to an underrated Texas team, Stanford lost to ASU in OT, and Georgetown got dominated by Syracuse. Even Memphis struggled with the mighty Blazers of UAB on Saturday, winning in the game's final seconds. This has been a resurgent year for two conferences that have been down--the PAC 10 and Big 12. The PAC 10 is easily the toughest conference and will probably get seven teams in (which ever team finishes at .500 or better between Cal, Oregon, and Washington will make seven). The Big 12 is remarkably competetive and the resurgence at Baylor after probation is nothing short of amazing. To me, the conference that I have overlooked the most is the Big East. There is not a single team in this conference that anyone would think could advance past the Sweet 16 at this point in the season, but is deep in potential tournament teams. Currently, this behemoth conference has 10 potential NCAA teams (Villanova is a longshot, but is within two games of .500 in conference play). It is difficult to take this conference too seriously because of its size, it really is two conferences, but it is easily the second best conference after the PAC 10.

The Top 5 teams as of right now:

1. Memphis

2. UNC

3. Kansas

4. Tennessee

5. UCLA

Others teams worth watching include Texas, Butler, Duke, and Stanford. Two great games on Saturday: Drake at Butler and the potential game of the year, Tennessee at Memphis.

My projection: UNC over Kansas

And the Oscar Goes To....

In honor of the Oscars next weekend, here are my top 10 movies of 2007. It is worth noting that I have not seen all of the films I would like, so this list could change (have not seen Persepolis, Charlie Wilson's War, Cassandra's Dream, and 4 Months, Three Weeks, and 2 Days). As far as the Oscars go, No Country For Old Men will probably win Best Picture and Director. This is somewhat disappointing, for while it would be great to see the Cohen brothers win for both of these categories (they won for screenplay in 1996 for the utterly brilliant Fargo), PTA should win here. Lewis and Bardem are well-deserved locks in the acting categories. As is normally the case, I have seen very few of the films nominated in the actress categories, but Cate Blanchett playing Bob Dylan will probably win and Ellen Page will not win despite being a crowd favorite (Laura Linney's performance in The Savages is worth noting here). To me, the most important category is screenplay. Chances are, this will be the one category Juno wins and Diablo Cody will start writing every movie that comes out over the next 5 years. Adapted screenplay is a tough call with three strong nominees. While their film left something to be desired in the final act, the Cohen brothers provided a fantastic screenplay and, as is always the case, PTA exemplies brilliance in the art of screenwriting. Ron Hardwood's screenplay for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is worthy competition with these heavyweights. The Academy will probably disappoint like in 2002 (Gosford Park over The Royal Tennenbaums, Memento, and Amelie!!) and 2003 (The Pianist over Adaptation) and choose Atonement. And now for the list...
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1. There Will Be Blood
2. The Darjeeling Limited
3. The Counterfeuters

4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

5. Control

6. No Country For Old Men

7. Juno
8. Paris, Je T'aime
9. Into the Wild

10. Margot at the Wedding

Out with the Old, In with the New

Delegates, bonus delegates, super delegates....my head is spinning. When will the madness end? Today I cast my first vote that I was excited to cast. It helps that our primary is pertinent for once with the Democratic co-frontrunners deadlocked and John Kerry’s name not on the ballot. Senator Obama should be weary of my endorsement, as every candidate I have ever voted for in a primary has lost the nomination. My hit list includes Howard Dean, Ken Longmyer, Harris Miller (I was one of three people who voted against Jim Webb), and guys who's names I cannot remember. It appears that my streak will end to today, as Obama is poised to sweep the non-cleverly dubbed "Chesapeake Primary." With three wins today, Obama will have won seven contests in a row following the weekend sweep of Louisiana, Kansas, Washington, and Maine. That streak could reach nine with Hawaii and Wisconsin voting next Tuesday (I challenge anyone to come up with a clever name for that one). By this time tomorrow Senator Obama can claim to have won 23 of 35 contests to date, a winning percentage of .657. A winning percentage like that would make the Senator the #3 seed in the NBA's eastern conference behind the mighty Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. Not too bad for a guy that was supposed to be finished after Super Tuesday.

Senator Clinton's campaign seems to be embracing a Rudy Giuliani strategy of establishing March 4 as a firewall for her candidacy. Chances are she will lose every contest between Super Tuesday and Super Tuesday Lite, thus loses in either Texas or Ohio could be the fatal blow for the Clinton era. At this point, Pennsylvania could matter on April 22 (BK should get throwing in the bullpen). It is worth noting that the primary that precedes Pennsylvania is Mississippi, which is held 43 days before Pennsylvanians head to the polls. That could be longest six weeks of our collective lives. Go Obama…

March Madness Countdown: 53 In a Row for the Boys in Blue

Last night UNC extended its all-time record in Chapel Hill against Clemson to an unbelievable 53-o. This seems improbable based on the highly competitive nature of basketball historically played in the ACC. One would assume that at some point over the past 53 years that Clemson would have won once, but that is not the case. To the Tigers credit they have come close twice this season to beating the Tar Heels, relinquishing a 15-point lead last night before falling in double OT and losing in OT at Littlejohn Coliseum in January on a Wayne Ellington three-pointer at the buzzer. Despite a tough lose to the uber-annoying Blue Devils earlier in the week, it is important to remember that UNC is currently playing without its top two point guards, which means QT is getting extended playing time. Quentin Thomas is easily the worst point guard to ever start a game at UNC in my lifetime. One gets a sick feeling in the bottom of their stomach watching him consistently turn the ball over and take bad shots. This team is a Final Four team with Lawson and Sweet 16 team without. The country's best player has been nothing short of amazing over the last three games with 39 & 13 against Clemson, 28 & 18 against Duke, and 22 & 21 against FSU. At times it seems that Tyler Hansbrough is the only person in blue playing at full-speed.

With 37 days until the world's greatest sporting event commences, here are the Top 5 teams in the country:

1. Memphis
2. Kansas
3. UNC
4. UCLA
5. Duke

This is an interesting year, but it seems to be top heavy with the above teams, but there is a lot of good guard play across the country, which is the key to a good run in March. Other teams worth watching include Georgetown (great defense but will the real Dr. Hibbert please stand up), Texas (superior guard play that rivals all teams in the top 5), Butler (someone has to be that mid-major team), and Tennessee (arguably the funnest team to watch next to Memphis, who they play on February 23).

My current projection-UNC over UCLA

Confessions of a Movie Snob

I began watching movies as art around 2002 when I realized that the movies that were playing in the big multiplex were all pretty much the same: love conquers all, horror movies, smash 'em up "thrillers," more horror movies, and crappy teen comedies. It was refreshing to realize that the Almodvars, Inarritus, Andersons (Paul T. and Wes), and Gondrys existed and that the Schumakers of the world were not the visionaries you once thought them to be. Of course those that embrace independent films and go to small, cramped theaters that are falling apart to see movies with subtitles ("You mean I have to read while I watch the movie?") run the risk of being a labeled a movie snob. Well, call me snob. I began keeping annual lists of best films in 2003, so in honor of this life-altering awakening, here are my favorite films from the past five years...

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1. City of God (2003)-directed by Fernando Meirelles
2. Bad Education (2004)-directed by Pedro Almodvar
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)-directed by Michel Gondry
4. Old Boy (2003)-directed by Chan-wook Park
5. Goodbye Lenin (2003)-directed by Wolfgang Becker
6. Babel (2006)-directed by Alejandro Inarritu
7. Pan's Labryinth (2006)-directed by Guillermo del Toro
8. There Will Be Blood (2007)-directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
9. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)-directed by Wes Anderson
10. Tsotsi (2005)-directed by Gavin Hood

Something Must Change

Further proof that the American people want actual change is exhibited in the latest round of approval ratings for President Bush and the Democrat-led Congress (read story here). Both executive and legislative branches of the government are closing in on all-time lows with little hope of change given the impending presidential election. The fact that the president can be put in the same sentence as Richard Nixon in 1974 and Harry Truman in 1952 when it comes to low approval ratings is hard to believe but demonstrates the partisan divide that has taken control of political discourse in this country. Is it possible to change this? A second Clinton presidency would merely exacerbate this divide and make many Americans numb. A McCain adminstration would rile up the most vitriolic from the far ends of the political spectrum, right and left. But there is always Senator Obama, so there is hope...

2007's Coolest Songs

1. "Fake Empire"-The National
2. "The Well and the Lighthouse"-Arcade Fire
3. "All My Friends"-LCD Soundsystem
4. "Mistaken for Strangers"-The National
5. "Turn On Me"-The Shins
6. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"-Radiohead
7. "Keep the Car Running"-Arcade Fire
8. "Start a War"-The National
9. "Rhythm & Soul"-Spoon
10. "If the Brakeman Turns My Way"-Bright Eyes
11. "Intervention"-Arcade Fire
12. "Sky Blue Sky"-Wilco
13. "Pace Is the Trick"-Interpol
14. "Is There a Ghost"-Band of Horses
15. "North American Scum"-LCD Soundsystem
16. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"-Radiohead
17. "Four Winds"-Bright Eyes
18. "Spitting Venom"-Modest Mouse
19. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"-Spoon
20. "Sleeping Lesson"-The Shins
21. "My Third House"-Kings of Leon
22. "Either Way"-Wilco
23. "Missed the Boat"-Modest Mouse
24. "Take Your Medicine"-Cloud Cult
25. "You're a Wolf"-Sea Wolf

For another take, look here.

Top 10 Albums of 2007

While I cannot be quite as ambitious as others, I can at least offer the ten best albums of 2007:

1. Boxer-The National

2. In Rainbows-Radiohead

3. Neon Bible-Arcade Fire

4. Sound of Silver-LCD Soundsystem

5. Leaves in the River-Sea Wolf

6. Wincing the Night Away-The Shins

7. Sky Blue Sky-Wilco

8. Cease to Begin-Band of Horses

9. Ga Ga Ga Ga-Spoon

10. Fort Nightly-White Rabbits

Hoping for Hope

Not since 1968, has a candidate piqued the interest of so many people. Armed with a message of change from the monotony that is political discourse in this country, Barack Obama provides a much needed change from the status quo that has a stranglehold on the political stage. Incessant bickering over who is the most conservative or liberal or who has sponsored the most bills with the fewest earmarks has become the barometer by which the electorate is expected to gauge candidates for public office. When it comes to electing presidents, the debate never seems to get to the important issues of the day (war, health care, economics that impacts those that are not wealthy, etc.). It normally stops at, which candidate would I rather have a beer with? Which church does candidate A belong to? Candidate B's spouse is so insufferable that I could never vote for him/her!!

Senator Obama does what Robert F. Kennedy tried to do 40 years ago, talk about the issues that matter to people. From the current news coverage, which is devoted to following candidate's around the country without end to see what bad joke Senator McCain is making, what witty one-liner Governor Huckabee can provide us, or whether Senator Clinton teared up at a campaign event, one might forget that the United States is currently fighting a war on two fronts. Kennedy burst into the spotlight in 1968 with a message of ending the Vietnam War and focusing the attention of the American government on those in this country rather than in a country half way around the world. It was breath of fresh air in 1968, like what Senator Obama is providing today with regard to the Iraq War. He is the only candidate running on an anti-war platform, he is the only one who will stop the never ending flow of American lives and money into a country that does not want to be a satellite of the United States of America. When is enough enough? Unfortunately, Robert Kennedy, like his brother, was never able to exhibit his full potential and the Vietnam War continued for another five years. Where is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel with regard to the Iraq War?

Senator Obama provides a change in both skin color and demeanor for the American presidency, as well as political discourse, both of which have been in need of maintenance for some time. While he also provides an ideology of much needed change when it comes to health care, taxes, and diplomacy, my support for the senator is driven by the belief that only a President Obama can lead the country through the darkness and into the light when it comes to the Iraq War. Only then can the government begin addressing those issues that are of the utmost importance to the American people. At least we can hope...