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The Woelfel World of Sports
November 2007
Tuesday November 27, 2007
Posted by: gwoelfel at 10:37PM CST on November 27, 2007
BY GERY WOELFEL After last season, the last thing the Bucks need is be stricken with injuries again. But the Bucks, who were decimated by injuries last season en route to the Lottery, are already experiencing some health issues, starting with David Noel. Noel, the Bucks' second-round draft choice last season, acknowledged he has a tear in his right wrist and may need surgery. "I'm going to get a second opinion next week,'' Noel told me after the Bucks saw their five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night in a loss to Philadelphia at the Bradley Center. Noel said he injured his wrist while working out over the summer, and it started to bother him again about a week ago. While Noel will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., next week to determine whether he'll undergo surgery, Bucks point guard Mo Williams is dealing with a bothersome sprained right thumb. Williams had the thumb wrapped during Tuesday night's game and, while he played decently after a slow start, he admitted the injury is affecting him. "Oh, yeah,'' Williams said. "I'm just trying to play through it.'' Bucks center Andrew Bogut isn't at full strength, either. Bogut , who has gotten off to an impressive start this season, came down with food poisoning last week when the Bucks played in Cleveland. Bogut became quite ill after his return to Milwaukee and seemingly wasn't at full strength against the 76ers.
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Posted by: gwoelfel at 3:52PM CST on November 20, 2007
BY GERY WOELFEL I was on the phone talking to Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News when he brought it to my attention that Kobe Bryant was having this monstrous game. The Lakers superstar guard had 50-some points at the time, so I decided to turn on the television and watch the “Kobe Show’’ while still talking to Chris. As Bryant continued to ring up more points, we continued to be more amazed at the spectacular performance Bryant was staging. When Bryant called it a game, he had scored a stunning 81 points. Yet, as brilliant as Bryant’s performance was on that night back in January of 2006, it was only the second most prolific scoring game in NBA history. And it was still a distant second behind Wilt Chamberlain’s almost mythical 100-point outing. I wondered later that night whether anyone would ever match Bryant’s ridiculous scoring output – much less approach Chamberlain’s epic production. And I wondered whether Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the legendary center, could have surpassed Bryant’s 81 points and challenged Chamberlain’s remarkable mark if he so desired. I had seen Abdul-Jabbar begin his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks back in 1969 and how, one season later, he was the league’s MVP while leading them to an NBA championship and how, just in his third pro season, he averaged a whopping 34.8 points a game. To this day, I have never seen a more dominating player than Abdul-Jabbar, one who could score virtually at will, one who could get off a shot whenever he wanted with his unstoppable “Skyhook’’. And that’s includes Mr. Jordan. But Abdul-Jabbar never had that jaw-dropping, one-for-the-record book scoring game. The most points the 7-foot-2 Abdul-Jabbar ever scored as a Buck was 55 in 1971. Nevertheless, I’m absolutely convinced Abdul-Jabbar could have rivaled Chamberlain’s unforgettable achievement. And guess what? I’m not alone. Last season, I broached the topic of Abdul-Jabbar possibly setting the single-game record with Phil Jackson, the Lakers’ Hall of Fame coach who had played against Abdul-Jabbar. Jackson was adamant Abdul-Jabbar could have done so and noted how Abdul-Jabbar was more concerned about team accomplishments than individual accomplishments. I also broached the subject of Abdul-Jabbar scoring 100 points to Jon McGlocklin, who was a starter on that same Bucks’ championship team. McGlocklin, like Jackson, was equally convinced Abdul-Jabbar had the capabilities to match Chamberlain’s record. And, like Jackson, McGlocklin reiterated what a team-oriented player Abdul-Jabbar was. But while Jackson and Jackson re-enforced my belief about how Abdul-Jabbar could have seriously threatened Chamberlain’s record, I had never had the chance to ask the man himself – until Tuesday. That’s when Abdul-Jabbar made a guest appearance at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee as part of the Bucks’ season-long 40th anniversary celebration. Abdul-Jabbar will have his retired No. 33 jersey re-dedicated at Wednesday night’s game against the Lakers. When I posed the same question to Abdul-Jabbar as I did Messrs. Jackson and McGlocklin, he didn’t take long to respond. He recalled a meeting he had with John Wooden, his legendary coach at UCLA, and how it gave him a different perspective on the game. “I probably could have (challenged Wilt’s record) if that was my mind-set when I stepped onto the court,’’ said Abdul-Jabbar, now a special assistant coach for the Lakers. “But when I got to UCLA, John Wooden said, ‘All right, you can be the leading scorer in the country, you can definitely score more points than any other college player and you can be the best scorer ever in the history of college basketball. “Or, you we can have the best team that possibly ever played college basketball. But you can’t have both. “At that point, I made a choice at that I would score my points so the team would win and not so I could read wonderful things in the paper. And that was always my mind-set. “I think that was something that really increased my understanding of the game. It enabled me to know what the game was really all about and how to play the game. And that was so crucial.’’ That obviously wasn’t the case with Chamberlain, who was almost obsessed with setting records. “Wilt didn’t mind if his team lost as long as he got his 65 points,’’ Abdul-Jabbar said. So, being the consummate team player – he led UCLA to three straight NCAA championships before winning six NBA titles -- Abdul-Jabbar said he was never even tempted to go after Chamberlain’s record. “No, I was never tempted to do that,’’ Abdul-Jabbar said. “And the guys on the team wouldn’t have tolerated it. "They expected me to maintain that posture of team first. Let’s beat the other guys and let’s not worry about how many points I score. “When you have that mind-set and then have it re-enforced by your teammates, it’s pretty easy to stick with it and not get caught up into that.’’ Sunday November 18, 2007
Posted by: gwoelfel at 4:52PM CST on November 18, 2007
BY GERY WOELFEL It has always been the case in the NFL: the better your quarterback, the better your chances of winning. That is especially true this season. One only has to look at the Packers’ amazing success to gauge the importance of a good quarterback. In almost every one of their 10 games this season, the Packers have not only had an advantage over their opponents because of Brett Favre but a gargantuan one. While Favre boasted the fifth-best passer rating in the NFL at 96.2 going into Sunday's game against Carolina, the Packers had faced only one – repeat, one -- quarterback who even ranked in the top 15 in passer rating. That was Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was eighth at 91.7. After that, the next-best quarterback the Packers had faced – as far as passer rating is concerned – was Denver’s Jay Cutler, who ranked a mediocre 16th with an 84.8 rating. Two other QBs the Packers have played this season – Washington’s Jason Campbell and the Giants’ Eli Manning – are the only other ones ranked among the top 20. And they are barely in that group. Campbell (79.9) is 19th and Manning (78.6) is 20th. The rest of the QBs the Packers have encountered are bad, if not pathetic. To wit: the Chargers’ Philip Rivers was ranked 21st at 77.9; the Bears’ Brian Griese was ranked 22nd at 77.1and Damon Huard was ranked 23rd at 77.1. The other QBs to start against Green Bay this season were Carolina’s 44-year-old fossil, Vinny Testaverde, and the Vikings’ infamous second- and third-string backups Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger. While the Packers have been incredibly fortunate to have played against such a collection of virtually non-descript quarterbacks, they’ll be facing much better quarterbacks – and not coincidentally – much better teams in their next two games. The Packers will take on the Jon Kitna-led Lions Thursday. Kitna has the seventh-best passer rating at 92.7. Then, in their next game, the Packers play the Tony Romo-led Cowboys. Romo, the pride and joy of Burlington, has the third-best passer rating at 103.3. After those two games, we should have a much better indicator of just how good the Packers are. Thursday November 8, 2007
Posted by: gwoelfel at 4:33PM CST on November 8, 2007
BY GERY WOELFEL Not only is Yi Jianlian a gifted basketball player, he is remarkably mature for someone only 19 years old. Take, for example, Yi’s approach to Friday night’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets in Houston. The game will mark the first meeting between Yao Ming, the Rockets’ veteran center, and Yi, the Bucks’ ballyhooed rookie power forward. Nobody has to tell Yi it will be a spectacle to the burgeoning basketball populace of China. After all, he and Yao are icons in their homeland. Yet, with the eyes of China on him and Yao – it is estimated around 100 million viewers in Asia will watch the game on television – Yi gives you the impression it’s just another game – like the Bucks were going to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. “I think everybody knows that it’s a big game for Chinese fans,’’ Yi told me. “It’s going to be fun for them. It’ll be exciting. “But for me, it’s a game. I have to do my job.’’ Of course, Yi might be inclined to try and do his job a little better. After all, his parents – Yi Jingliu and Mai Meiling – will be watching the game from their home in Shenzhen, China. YI BULKS UP: While Yi has been with the Bucks for just over a month, you can already tell his body is becoming more toned and stronger. Tim Wilson, the Bucks’ strength and conditioning coach, told me last week he and Yi had agreement where Yi would lift weights on non-game days. Well, after Thursday’s practice at the Cousins Center, Wilson noted that Yi is now going beyond what was asked of him. “He’s even starting to lift on a game days,’’ Wilson said. “He’s just doing a great job.’’ A SLEEPLESS SEASON: Jan Krystkowiak, the wife of Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak, gave birth to twins girls Tuesday night. The Krystkowiaks have named their girls: Samantha Ann and Finley Jo. They also have three sons: Cameron, Luc and Ben. “Mo made a good point,’’ Krystkowiak said, referring to Bucks point guard Mo Williams. “He said when I’m at home I can’t sleep because of the girls and when I’m on the road I can’t sleep because of them.’’ FUTURE HEAD COACH: While Krystkowiak was with his wife at the hospital Tuesday, Bucks assistant coach Tony Brown took over the head coaching duties and did a marvelous job as the Bucks played one of their most complete games in a loooooong time in crushing Toronto. Brown modestly downplayed his role in the victory, saying, “We had a great game-plan.’’ But he didn’t downplay the thrill of running the Bucks’ show: “It was great. I loved it.’’ Brown is now 2-0 as a head coach. While an assistant in Boston, he subbed for Glenn Rivers and led the Celtics to victory. Prediction: At this time next year, Brown will be a head coach on a permanent basis.
SESSIONS GOES TO D-LEAGUE: As expected, the Bucks have sent rookie guard Ramon Sessions to their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers. Sessions, the Bucks' second-round pick, had been inactive for the Bucks' first four regular-season games. MORE CHALLENGES FOR BOGUT: Center Andrew Bogut has gotten off to a flying start on the defensive end, having grabbed double-digit rebounds in three of the first four games. Bogut will have his hands full this weekend, though. He faces Yao on Friday night and will likely spend a great deal of time Sunday night guarding all-world Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. Bogut is looking forward to the challenge. Said Bogut: “It’s going to be a measuring stick to see where I’m at.’’ Monday November 5, 2007
Posted by: gwoelfel at 3:32PM CST on November 5, 2007
BY GERY WOELFEL You don’t need a Ph.D. in football to know the reason for the Green Bay Packers’ surreal success this season. It’s Brett Favre. Favre has been so brilliant that he’s not only making the players around him better – a true trait of a superstar – he’s even making Packers GM Ted Thompson and Packers coach Mike McCarthy look competent. And I, for one, didn’t think ANYBODY could do that. Favre has been so spectacular the Packers have a 7-1 record, the best in the NFC and the second-best record in NFL behind the ridiculously good New England Patriots. Favre has been so brilliant he’s masked a multitude of weaknesses on his team, most notably a joke of a running game that has neither a “take-it-to-the-house’’ threat nor an offensive lineman who could block his way out of a paper bag. Yes, Favre has been that good. I further contend he’s never played better in his long and illustrious career, one in which he has been bestowed with an unprecedented three Most Valuable Player awards. Under normal circumstances, Favre would be well on his way to a fourth MVP award. After all, he has passed for a league-best 300.8 yards a game and thrown for 2,406 yards, which is the most in the NFC. But Favre’s fate will likely mirror Barack Obama’s; he’s going to finish second in the MVP voting to New England’s Tom Brady (2,686 yards passing and an insane 33 TD passes) -- just like Obama is going to be the runner-up to Hillary Clinton as the Democratic party presidential nominee. Yet, even if the 38-year-old Favre falls short of joining New York Giants quarterback Charley Conerly (1959) as the oldest MVP in NFL history, he has already made this one of the most delightfully surreal seasons in Packers’ history. |
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