Game 11---Padres 9 Cubs 0

Product---Kosher hot dogs
Temperature---53 degrees, sunny

Today was by far the worst day of the season for me as a vendor, so instead of getting into that right now (see the Observations section), I am going to provide you with some of my thoughts on the NBA playoffs.

After three games in each of their series’, I am feeling quite happy with my Finals picks
To refresh the memory of those who don’t remember, I picked the Mavericks and Pistons to meet in June. And to update those who don’t pay attention, both squads are leading 2-1 in their respective semi-final matchups. Detroit stumbled a bit Saturday, becoming the latest witness to what Lebron is preaching. But they still have the Wallace boys in the post, Chauncey running the point and back-to-back Eastern Conference title banners hanging from the roof of the Palace. The Cavs will most likely be happy they took one in the series and then sink into Lake Erie and wait for next season.
Dallas on the other hand showed me why I think they are the best team in basketball. Could anybody imagine one year ago that the Mavs could win a playoff game where Dirk Nowitzki only makes three of nine field goals, the team only drains one three-pointer and Devin Harris is the second leading scorer? It’s a different team in Dallas, one that’s equipped with big men to slow down Tim Duncan and perimeter defenders to hassle Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

OK, I was wrong
This was proved a long time ago, but now it’s become official as Ludacris claiming the #1 spot. On June 27, 2001, the Bulls traded Elton Brand to the LA Clippers for the draft rights to Tyson Chandler and backup ball-boy Brian Skinner. At the time, I said it was a great deal for the Bulls, getting a guy who all the so called ‘experts’ said was a carbon copy of Kevin Garnett. Instead we were sent a 7-foot toothpick whose career scoring average is a Bill Wennington-esque 7.1 a game. So what has Elton been doing since he invaded Clipper-land? He’s just dominated, especially in these playoffs. 22 points, 10 boards and 2.5 blocks a game. Rhymefest and Kanye would be proud, because for Elton in the playoffs, this experience is ‘Brand New’.

Bad Ball By Big Ballers
You would think that a series that includes players like Dewayne Wade, Shaq, Jason Kidd, and Vince Carter would be fun to watch. You would also think that teams would stop pitching to Albert Puljos after he won the NL MVP last year and has 19 homers in 38 games. But in both cases you’d be wrong. I can’t explain why Fat Albert is still getting thrown to, but I do know why the New Jersey/Miami series has been a snooze. It’s because these teams don’t play to their personnel’s strengths. The Nets have two of the best wing players in the league and maybe one of the five best point guards in NBA history. Yet they want to play a half-court game and play pick and roll basketball with Nenad Krstic. The Heat have three point shooters, a couple of slashing guards and a slow, lazy and aging but still dominant big man. But Pat Reilly is telling his team to run like he’s still coaching Magic and the Showtime Lakers. This has not been the series I expected, and it has been by far the most boring of the four semi-final matchups.

Observations:
As I mentioned at the top of the blog, today sucked big time. And it wasn’t just crappy for me. Even beer guys were complaining about the crowd…I was forced to do kosher dogs for the first (and hopefully last) time this season. This also had me working out of the left field commissary for the first time in ’06…By the way, koshers earn you $19.50 a load, and since I only could sell two loads, I made $39 in commission. Add in the $35 in tips, and this was by far the worst day financially of the season…It’s tough to complain about how crappy it was in the stands when you compare that to how crappy it was on the field. I don’t want to do this, but I am very close to officially giving up on this entire season…Turns out it doesn’t matter what color the bats are, because even with part of the team rocking the pink bats for Mother’s Day, they could only knock out two hits versus Clay Hensley…So when do the Bears report to Bourbonnais for training camp?