Guy Berger

This is one of the few positive aspects of a Spurs championship. Guy

Ethan Iverson interviews Ron Carter. Carter comes off as a little arrogant, IMHO. Guy

I agree. Furthermore, I'd guess that flash predicts player salaries better than player skill. Guy

They won't. Just like with Dwyane Wade before him, we'll hear an endless amount of nonstop gushing. Guy

Given the amount of over-the-top praise given to "King James" (and it's only going to get worse over the next ten years), I hate jumping to his defense. But let's keep in mind that the guy is only 22. Lebron is better than Kobe was at the same age. Jordan started his NBA career at 21 or 22, and didn't win his first title until he was 28. He has the advantage of being larger than either Kobe or Jordan. He's a better passer than Kobe, and a worse defender. We'll see. Guy

1) I'm too lazy to calculate it. How many do you have to get correct out of 20 to reject the hypothesis of pure luck at 95%? (I'm guessing that 12 could easily be generated by pure luck.) 2) On the flipside, I wonder if there are people who get this thing methodically wrong; in other words, if they pick "genuine" it's "fake" and vice versa. Guy

12

If Phoenix give up (2 to 3 guys minimum required), then they won't be Phoenix anymore. Lakers might improve but would have no go-to stars. -_- I think this is a good trade for both teams: Phoenix trades Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks and the rights to Atlanta's 2008 first-rounder to the Lakers for Kobe and Radmanovic. 1) Phoenix would have a starting lineup of Nash, Kobe, Amare, Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. Assuming Kobe plays team ball (admittedly a big "if"), this is easily a championship-caliber team. 2) The Lakers would indeed lack a "go-to" star, but right now Kobe's getting them (at best) an annual first round exit from the playoffs. Some other trade ideas. Guy

Interesting article in the NYT about Chinese gold farming. Guy

So I just had my first full-on WII experience at a friend's house. It was fantastic, and I'm actually thinking of getting a set myself. That tennis game is great, though I hurt my index finger when I whacked a fixture during my swing. Ouch. Guy

This pretty much encapsulates my feelings. I'm a big Wayne partisan, and I can't fault Hamilton's performance for what it was, but this performance was great/hilarious simply because of the contrast between the two. Guy

Guy didn't say that! Notice the quotes. I was quoting one of the youtube comments. Guy

"I thought Shorter was too outside.And that a lot of his playing was so much bullshit!!he wasn't in with the tune at all."

What about him, Lakers are not going to trade him, and who has enough to give up to get him anyway????? Phoenix could put together some interesting trades for Kobe. Guy

Agreed. As far as I'm concerned, if Universal isn't issuing this stuff then it's fair game for the pirates. If people feel guilty, they should mail a $5 check to Lou. Guy don't think Lou will get 5$ out of any of his albums sold... Yup. On further thought, if you REALLY want to do a good deed, burn or download the album, send 5 bucks to Lou, and donate the rest of the CD price to your favorite charity. Screw Universal AND the pirates. Guy

As David alluded to above, Fripp is certainly no slouch in the "chops" department. I think Hammer was great in the first Mahavishnu Orchestra. (And also on J Abercrombie's Timeless.) Guy

Well, I think the article hints at how this could become a big deal. The people that are betting on the market are also those that are more politically empowered -- the middle classes in the big coastal cities. If they lose their shirts, they're going to be pissed, and things may get uncomfortable for the government. Guy

You really think so? LeBron is a good ball handler and passer and makes a top point guard less of a necessity. (Same with Wade in Miami.) Cleveland's main problem is that aside from LeBron, all their players are slightly above average at best. An upgrade at any position would be a big improvement. Guy

What part of the rhythmic concept do you mean? Most of the prog-fusion hybrids I've heard have a ton of the asymmetric meters, busy drumming and syncopated rhythms that characterize Mahavishnu's music. Guy

As long as you acknowledge that you sold your soul to the devil. Guy

I don't think Parker is necessarily "great", though I agree that he's very good. Guy

Mike, I think there were a lot of fusion and prog rock bands that were influenced by Mahavishnu. Guy Please go ahead and drop some names - I'll gladly stand corrected. I'm too lazy to find every single example, but "Mahavishnu" pops up in a lot of band descriptions at the GEPR. I am not sure whether to include mid-70s King Crimson in this list -- while Fripp has denied listening to MO, the lineup is almost exactly identical. Guy

Mike, I think there were a lot of fusion and prog rock bands that were influenced by Mahavishnu. Guy