AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Ed Betz

Henrik Lundqvist played like a King. We’ve been awfully critical of the third-year Ranger netminder this season but yesterday wasn’t one of those days as the recently re-signed 26 year-old Swede was utterly brilliant in backstopping his team to a 1-0 home shootout victory over a pesky Bruins team.

Having not beaten Boston all season and with sixth place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs, the Rangers needed a stellar effort because even without captain Zdeno Chara and Aaron Ward, their opponents made it a challenge to finally get two points.

The biggest reason had everything to do with Lundqvist’s counterpart Alex Auld, who also was outstanding in not allowing anything to get by him even when his own teammate Andrew Ference nearly put the puck in their net late in regulation.

That was the kind of day it was as both goalies shined taking turns making highlight reel saves which impressed the MSG crowd.

If the opening stanza was without drama, the same couldn’t be said for the next 45 minutes. Each team took turns attacking and generating high quality chances but they were stopped in their tracks by both guys in net.

One such Ranger opportunity saw a sprawling Auld get across to rob Brendan Shanahan of a sure goal and then jump on top of the rebound.

But maybe the best sequence came courtesy of Lundqvist, who made two straight flat out denials on what looked to be certain goals. After an initial stop while down, he stuck his legs in the air and got a piece of a shot destined for the back of the net.

Less than a minute later, he just closed the pads on another Boston opportunity. 

The game would go to overtime. Neither side found a way to beat either sharp goalie forcing it to a shootout. I’m not an avid supporter of extra points being decided by the skill competition. However, this was the only way it would be on Sunday.

Rookie Nigel Dawes would be the hero as he converted for the third consecutive time in the shootout going low to the stick side on Auld. A strategy Shanahan tried but didn’t convert on in Round One.

Lundqvist hadn’t fared well against Boston in shootouts this season. Boston won the last two. In particular, Phil Kessel had his number. This time, he was ready for the second-year pivot and patiently outwaited him to make the stop.

After a miss by Chris Drury, it came down to Boston rookie David Krejci. When Lundqvist slid across to deny him, the Blueshirts had finally won against Boston pulling a point ahead in the standings and improving to 9-0-3 in their last 12. The club’s best stretch since 1993-94 when they won something called a Stanley Cup.

“It was fun to play and it felt really good to finally beat them in a shootout,” a very pleased Lundqvist expressed to the AP after finishing with 29 saves and picking up his league-leading ninth shutout (tied with Columbus’ Pascal Leclaire).

 “They had a couple of good players who made a couple of good moves. It was a big statement for us to beat this team.”

“I was just thinking about trying to get the puck past him. He played an unbelievable game,” Dawes, the only scorer on the day indicated. “I just wanted to find an opening, and the first thing that popped out at me was low blocker.”

There’s no question that this was one of the more exciting scoreless games you’ll see as both netminders were tremendous. Auld finished with 35 saves in a losing effort earning his team an important point.

No player was going to beat either and it made for quite the conclusion.

The Rangers are playing great hockey right now and they’ll look to continue it tonight when they visit a desperate Buffalo squad, who trails the Flyers by four points for the final Eastern playoff berth. It definitely won’t be easy.

We’ll see how they come out.

Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Stephen Dunn

Josh Shipp didn’t have much time or real estate to work with but somehow he made a near impossible seven footer to save No.2 ranked UCLA from an upset, allowing the Bruins to rally back and prevail over Pac-10 rival California 81-80.

The Bruins trailed by as many as 11 but scrapped and clawed their way back late slicing the deficit to one thanks to freshman standout Kevin Love’s trifecta with 17.3 seconds to go. Following a steal which allowed them to get the ball back, they went for the win in the final 10 seconds but a UCLA shot was blocked out of bounds by a California player giving them one more chance to stave off a big upset on their home court.

With just six and a half seconds remaining, Shipp got the ball on the right baseline and worked his way to the basket with two defenders on him. With seemingly nowhere to go except out of bounds, he took the low percentage shot. It rainbowed over the backboard and in to miraculously give UCLA an 81-80 lead with 1.5 seconds still on the clock.

When a Cal home run pass went off a Bruin and out of bounds, excited fans spilled onto the court thinking the game was over with it showing only 0.1 on the clock. However, the officials reviewed replays and gave the Golden Bears the ball with one more chance.

Patrick Christopher’s prayer fell well short allowing the Bruins to escape with a school record 28th win this regular season.

The victory was UCLA’s seventh in a row which they’ll take into next week’s Pac-10 league tournament before the selection committee (brain surgeons, huh) sorts out who’s in and out as well as what seeds each team shall get.

Love paced a balanced UCLA attack with 22 shooting 6-of-14 from the floor and nine for 10 from the charity stripe. He only made one three but it turned out to be large cause it came in crunch time. Five Bruins hit for double digits including the game hero Shipp, who finished with 12 despite misfiring on six of eight trifectas.

Ryan Anderson scored 21 (6-of-11 FG, 8-for-9 FT) to lead the Golden Bears, who suffered a gutwrenching defeat after leading for most of the day. Jamal Boykin chipped in with 18 and Christopher had 13.

Editor’s Note: The game wasn’t without controversy as it appeared Anderson was fouled by Russell Westbrook, who tugged at his jersey before the ball went out of bounds. It also appeared to go off UCLA and probably should’ve been Cal ball. How such a big call could be missed is a joke. Have the guts to call it.

In other notable college bball Saturday action, Georgetown won their second consecutive Big East regular season title by posting a hard fought 55-52 home victory over No.12 Louisville. They can thank guard DaJuan Summers, who connected from downtown on the right wing to give them the lead for good with 40 seconds to play.

Setup nicely by senior Jonathan Wallace off some dribble penetration, a wide open Summers hit nothing but the bottom of the net to put the 11th ranked Hoyas in front by two. It was his only shot of the second half which saw the two Big East schools go toe to toe in a defensive physical battle.

Rick Pitino’s Cards had plenty of chances to tie the score. Trailing by three, they misfired on three treys including Earl Clark’s wild miss on a contested shot. It really was a bad force. He still had time left as there were over 10 seconds to go. Clark should’ve dished back out to New York product Edgar Sosa.

Sosa got one more opportunity due to a missed front end of a one-on-one by Georgetown’s Jeremiah Rivers but his attempt didn’t come close allowing the Hoyas to repeat as regular season conference champs for the first time in school history.

St. John’s season came to an end at MSG where they dropped a tough one in overtime to West Virginia 83-74. Had they prevailed, it’s possible Norm Roberts’ club could’ve qualified for the Big East tournament. Instead, they’ll be packing up early yet again for the fourth time in the past five years making the 100th Anniversary of the men’s basketball program a complete embarrassment.

Sure, Roberts’ team played hard most of the season but when you don’t have a consistent offense outside of Anthony Mason, Jr., you aren’t winning too many games.

What made the defeat worse that they should’ve won. Leading by a couple with under eight seconds left, they allowed somebody by the name of Joe Mazzulla to go the length of the court and convert a lefty lay-up before time expired. Roberts’ team usually plays good aggressive hardnosed D but on this tying bucket, they didn’t even come close to touching Mazzulla let along getting in his path.

Wouldn’t you at least want to challenge him and make the shot attempt a tad more difficult?!?!?!?!?! Not if you’re these Redmen. Just brutal.

Not shockingly, West Virginia controlled the overtime outscoring St. John’s 15-6 with the game’s leading scorer Joe Alexander torching them for seven of his 29. He made 13-of-15 from the line and also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double double.

By comparison, the Johnnies shot a putrid 7-for-18 as a team from the charity stripe. It’s easy to see why they lost. The Mountaineers were 30-for-42 at the line.

The defeat dropped St. John’s to 11-19 for the season. They won just five games in the Big East while losing 13.

Unfortunately, it overshadowed a strong effort from sophomore Larry Wright, who notched a career high 20 including six triples. Mason, Jr. added 17 and five boards before fouling out.

Former Lincoln Railsplitter Eugene Lawrence concluded his four-year St. John’s career finishing with eight points and seven assists. Freshman point guard Malik Boothe had seven assists off the bench. Hopefully, the former Christ The King star will be heard from next Fall.

For now, another disappointing season is over. I wish I could say something nice but thankfully it is. Well, there’s always next year. Right?

Relentless. That’s one of many adjectives to describe Zoe Cohen. The Berkeley Carroll senior recently completed her final season starring for the Girls Varsity Basketball program.

During her outstanding high school career, Cohen achieved plenty in helping lead Coach Walter Paller’s Lady Lions to an ACIS championship last year and finishing with nearly 1,600 points. Her hard work and dedication on and off the court which included plenty of practice time along with extensive workouts at the BC Athletic Center ultimately paid off.

She’ll be attending SUNY New Paltz this Fall and get an opportunity to continue her basketball career. If you didn’t catch Cohen’s exciting high school act, then get out to see her when she returns home to play NYU!

You can bet there will be plenty of family and friends in the stands giving a wealth of support. That was pretty evident at the Berkeley Carroll gym where she wowed supporters with an exciting brand of basketball which included tenacious driving hoops along with step back treys.

Opponents also couldn’t put her on the line because she was butter. Just ask ACIS league runner-up Dwight. In the biggest game of the 2007-08 regular season where it meant no playoffs if her team lost, Cohen ripped up Dwight for 37 with many swishes coming from the charity stripe in crunch time to insure that BC had a chance to defend their league crown.

Though they ultimately fell to league rival and eventual champion Staten Island Academy out in Todt Hill this past Monday concluding a brilliant career, it meant everything to the passionate Cohen who got a little emotional when her coach bear hugged her.

With the season finally over and preparing for softball along with big hoops games starring for her AAU team, Cohen was nice enough to take time out of a busy schedule to take part in an interview:

Derek Felix: How much have you enjoyed your senior year?

Zoe Cohen: I have always imagined being a senior in high school, and it is pretty crazy I just recently played my last home game. Overall senior year has been a lot of fun. First semester was definitely my biggest challenge in terms of academics, but second semester has been a lot of fun. In terms of basketball it has been really great. It was kind of a disappointment at the beginning with the lack of players and commitment, but the last few months have been great.

DF: As the go to player on your team, do you relish all that comes with it? Responsibilities? Attention?

ZC: As the go to player on my team, I definitely relish all that comes with it. Starting in 10th grade I was put in the position where I knew that I would need to step up. Looking back, it seems as if ever since I hit a buzzer beater to beat St. Saviors in the championship game of the Berkeley Carroll Tip Off Tournament, I have learned to step up. Playing with Berkeley Carroll basketball has helped me immensely grow into a confident player.

DF: Your school lost a few players from last year’s ACIS champs. Only you and teammate Elena Levi are seniors. Has it been a little different experience given that the rest of the team is fairly young and not too deep?

ZC: Last year we lost three great players, which I knew would change the dynamics of the team this year. Before the season started there was about 15 girls signed up to play basketball, and by the middle of the season there was only 8 girls on the roster, and no Junior Varsity program. It was hard going to practice every day and knowing that we didn’t have enough to scrimmage, or run through some drills. Although it took our team a little time to get started, we played hard throughout the whole season.

We never gave up, and even though we had 5 freshmen, some of which had never played basketball before, they all worked hard and learned their positions on the go. Therefore, it has been a completely different experience this year, but it has definitely been a great one.

DF: You had a great win over Dwight. Ironically the same ACIS rival you cameback to beat for the title last year. How much did it mean to pull that out in front of your home supporters and qualify for the league postseason?

ZC: I think that the Dwight game was probably our best game this year. We knew going in that they had nothing to lose, while we knew that if we lost we were not going to make the ACIS playoff tournament. We knew that they were going to come out strong, and we played extremely well. That win proved to all of us that we were one of the top teams and I think it gave us all a little more confidence.

DF: You’ve had some great games in your career. Were the 37 you scored in that big win your standout performance given the circumstances?

ZC: I think that my 37 points was definitely my best game considering the circumstances. We were losing at half time, and my shooting was on, and I took control. It was my last regular season game and I wanted to make the playoffs one last time.

DF: Can you talk about your relationship with Coach Paller? How much has he meant to your career and the program’s success?

ZC: Coach Paller has been great to me. I have had a great time playing for him, and he has helped me a lot with my game. As I fouled out with a few seconds left on the clock in my last high school game against Staten Island Academy, Coach Paller gave me a big hug. I didn’t ever think that that moment would be emotional, but once it occurred to me that it was all over, I started to cry a little, and that’s when I realized how much the Berkeley Carroll program and Coach Paller have helped me and supported me throughout my high school career.

I will miss coach Paller a lot next year, he has been great a great coach and a great friend, and that’s really all you can ask for in a coach. Also, Coach Morgan, our assistant, has really helped me a lot this year. It has been great having her around, she is really going to strengthen the Berkeley Carroll Girls Basketball program in the future.
DF: Recently, you were looking at New Paltz and Oneonta. How’s the college search going? Any closer to a decision?

ZC: I am going to SUNY New Paltz, and I am extremely excited.

DF: You and Elena are good friends and star athletes. Who’s better?

ZC: Me and Elena are best friends, she is a great athlete. I can’t say who is better, she is an unbelievable soccer player and I know she is going to be great at the next level.

DF: Basketball isn’t the only sport you play.

ZC:  I play softball also. I played tennis when I was a freshman, but I stopped and decided to join the softball team. Softball is a lot of fun to play. It is a lot of fun to play outside, especially after a season in the gym.

DF: Final question: Having scored over 1,500 points in your brilliant career, do you ever step back out of character and look at what you’ve accomplished on the court?

ZC:  I definitely step back and look at the accomplishments that I made on the court. These accomplishments help me stay confident and help me realize what I can do on the basketball court. So, although Berkeley Carroll basketball does not play the best competition, it has taught me a lot about stepping up and being a leader, as well as teaching inexperienced kids how to play the game and have fun.

But with all of this over now, I have definitely looked back at my accomplishments on the court and have thought about some of the great moments of my career.

Editor’s Note: As someone who was fortunate enough to score her games the past couple of years, it was a joy to watch such a special athlete. Cohen’s not only a great player but also a winner off the court as well. She’ll do extremely well at New Paltz.

I’d like to thank her for taking part in this HB exclusive and wish her continued success.

Please look for our next HB interview with Cohen’s best friend/teammate and BC soccer star Elena Levi. We should be having more upcoming features this month as well.

Stay tuned.

It’s no holds barred as Hard Hits returns to the airwaves with co-hosts John “JPG” Giagnorio, Brian Sanborn, Rob “Kraze” Davis plus possibly Nate Sousa and Jeff Bashlor making cameos.

So, what shall be covered? The better question is what won’t.

Since there are a few minutes before the show, some quick hits:

-Another great performance by Chris Paul who went for 25 points and 16 assists in an 11-point home win over the slumping Nets. Somehow, despite dropping their fourth in succession, the 10 under Nets are still in playoff position. What a disgrace!

-The Knicks lost a close one to the Pistons to fall 26 games under (18-44). With the Celtics dismantling the Bulls (talk about mailing it in), Lord Isiah’s Dumb and Dumber Clown Management program is now a cool 31 behind Boston. Ya just can’t make it up.

-Tom Coughlin and the Giants finally reached agreement on a new four-year contract worth a reported $21 million. Well deserved for the Super Bowl winning coach. Remember several months ago when the Giants had given up a franchise record 80 the first two weeks and trailed the Skins by 17 at halftime in Week Three with Coughlin looking close to done? Amazing how things can change!

-Another Met just went on the DL.

-Is it too early to be concerned about Chien-Ming Wang? He couldn’t even make it out of the first inning getting lit up the other day.

-Martin Brodeur won’t have nearly as many shutouts as the other candidates but he deserves a fourth Vezina.

It is the middle of March and in most of the United States, this time of year has various meanings. For most it symbolizes that spring is near, the snow banks are melting away, and one can feel the change towards warmer weather. People are busy again, breaking out of the winter doldrums, and the clocks spring forward for 1 hour (excluding Indiana and Arizona) so people who work past 6pm can actually see sunlight when stepping out of the office and driving home from work.

For avid sports fans, the image above is the clear sign that March has arrived.

Many people partake in College Basketball pools of various kinds throughout the country, whether it is just for bragging rights in the Accounting Department or for monetary gain. Sports fans (and non-sports fans) are hooked on these brackets like no other time in “Bracket History”. The following chatter will begin in the office in under two weeks:

“Hey Joe, I took the 13 over the 4 seed in the East bracket, do you like Drexel’s chances to pull off the big upset too?”

“Billy, I think the 2 seed in the West is prime for an upset. I am taking the upstart 10th seed to upset the 2 seed and reach the Elite 8. If that 10 seed comes through for me Billy, I can win the pool! OH YEAH!!”

The Men’s NCAA Basketball tournament is a sporting event that encompasses so many things that are great about sports. There is the pure joy that the players and fans feel, as the anticipation of each game draws near, the bands are playing, the fans are on the edge of their seats watching at their homes throughout the nation. There is the David Vs Goliath angle, where upsets seem to happen at least twice a day in the first 2 rounds. There is no denying the greatness of the NCAA Tournament, but from my angle, these brackets are hurting the event as a whole.

Fans, and sporting networks such as ESPN, the world-wide leader in self promotion, have put SO much emphasis on these brackets that it takes away some juice from the regular season. Just watch the ticker on ESPN2, where they now have a Bracket Busters section, to get you ready for who can bust your bracket. Translation: Here is how ESPN will help you win the $ in your office pool and you can reign supreme for 15 seconds of fame!

To me this takes something away from the beauty that is the tournament. Many fans just emphasize this sheet, and not the great plays and great finishes to all the games. It overshadows taking a day off on a Thursday, getting comfy on the couch, and watching all the games at once CBS breaks to one 5-12 game in the East Bracket, and then to another fantastic finish in the South Region, and so on. Or going crazy about why CBS did not go to the buzzer beater finish and decided to stick with a 1-16 matchup that was basically decided, or rant about something Billy Packer said, and so forth.

As great as College Basketball can be, something needs to be done to put more of an emphasis on the regular season and more importantly the players, coaches, and schools involved in the NCAA Tournament, and NOT in whether Digger Phelps gives you the inside scoop to win your bracket.

Otherwise, you might as well just change the NCAA logo to a giant bracket and throw $10.00 into a pot and call it a day.

NOTE: In case you are wondering who wrote this: I am Brian, AKA “Sambone” and I am a contributor to Hitting Back. Many thanks for Derek for allowing me to contribute to this great site! I welcome any comments or feedback you might have about this or any future articles!

Manic depression is touching my soul

I know what I want but I just don’t know

How to go about gettin’ it

Feeling sweet feeling 

Drops from my fingers, fingers

Manic depression is catching my soul

How do you explain Jimi Hendrix? I think the above lyrics sum up just how special the best guitarist of all-time IMHO was. He was definitely ahead of his time. To even contemplate what he accomplished in such a short span before his mysterious death at the ripe age of only 27.

How do you change the dynamic of electric guitar playing and put together as many big albums and still played timeless hits as he did before passing away under odd circumstances. Sure. We know he choked on his own vomit presumably from too many sleeping pills or drugs. But it’s never fully been explained how.

I guess it will just be one of those unsolved mysteries much like the JFK Assassination. Well, come on. That one’s pretty obvious as well. Damn government.

When I listed the above lyrics from the notable “Manic Depression,” it’s very easy for me to hear Jimi playing that guitar and belting out the words in such a smooth fashion. He might’ve played that guitar like an animal sometimes biting it and playing it behind his back, etc. but he was pretty smooth at the mic when he wanted to be.

I can only imagine what it must’ve been like to catch the Jimi Hendrix Experience live as my father and many others did up at the original Woodstock and other venues.

So, what makes him the best? His style was just ferocious as he went on to create a distinct sound on overdriven amps while hitting every high note. You want epic solos. You can cite whoever you want (Page, Clapton who was unreal last week, Vaughn, Eddie Van Halen, etc.) but when it’s all said and done, I’m taking Jimi over anyone.

This isn’t a knock on those other great guitar players who are all amazing in their own God given right. I just feel what Jimi did made him the best. Who knows what else he might’ve done had he stayed around longer. That’s rock n’ roll for ya.

As someone who grew up playing guitar, Jimi was the man. Whether it was “Foxey Lady,” “Fire,” “Crosstown Traffic” which was played on the radio yesterday as I came home from work or the everpopular “Voodoo Child,” “Purple Haze” and “Stone Free,” there was so much to admire.

That Star Spangled Banner into Purple Haze is the best rendition I’ve heard to this day. I’m sure many of you have seen footage of that epic Woodstock performance. It pretty much speaks for itself.

I could probably go on and on about Jimi’s music because it’s just that memorable. What kind of gets lost is that the rest of the Experience featured quality musicians including Noel Redding, Chris Chandler and Mitch Mitchell.

I feel what’s most impressive is that of the many covers they did, most were very good. Jimi’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” is a must listen. So is his Beatles’ cover of “Day Tripper.” And the much covered “Wild Thing” is classic Jimi.

It’s never a requirement to do covers but if a band or artist so chooses to do so, it better sound good. The original Guns N’ Roses is another example of that with solid covers of The Beatles’ “Live and Let Die” and Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

It’s so easy to cite the big hits as I’ve already done but there’s plenty of under the radar material on albums such as Electric Ladyland, Voodoo Soup, The Experience, etc.

It’s video time. So I’m going to select a diverse amount just to give our audience a taste of my all-time favorite musician.

Jimi Hendrix: “Johnny B. Goode“ 

a fantastic cover of the great Chuck Berry hit which shows off Jimi’s unique talents. He played with such emotion!

Jimi Hendrix: “Voodoo Chile“ 

really dig the footage here. Very rare indeed and in classic black and white with Jimi multitasking and not missing a beat. Great sound quality.

Jimi Hendrix: “Hey Joe”

Another great song. I also love Crosstown Traffic. There’s some really strong lyrics in it. From memory:

Darling can’t you see my signals turn from green to red

And with you I can see a traffic jam straight up ahead

Dodododododododo

You’re just like Crosstown Traffic

So hard to get through to you

Dodododododo

Crosstown Traffic

All I need is to run over you

All you do is slooooooww me down

When I’ve got to get on the other side of town

Jimi Hendrix Goofing Around 

I happened to like the footage of Jimi toying around with a violin. Comical stuff.

Jimi Hendrix: “All Along The Watchtower“-Isle of Light

This really is priceless stuff. Oh. And it happens to be one of his best. The solos are just kickin’ and he just sounds tip top!

There are many among us

Who feel that life is but a joke

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “She’s So Fine”

this is pretty different with Jimi not even singing but the drums are killer and it sounds very good. Love the end!

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Wait Until Tomorrow”

a very underrated song with excellent words and perfect chemistry. The drums are fairly overlooked in many of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s tracks but are very prevalent here. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Purple Haze”

Purple Haze all around

Don’t know if I’m coming up or down

Am I happy or in misery

Whatever it is that girl put a spell on me

Help me

Help me

Oh, no, no

<ridiculous guitar solo>

I think I’m going to turn this into two parts as there’s so much more to cover. So, we’ll just leave off here and continue at some point this weekend.

Hope ya’ll enjoyed the first part. 

 
Isn’t it about time we honor one of the great artists??? I say so! I’ve always been a huge Bob Marley fan. He might not be around anymore but his music is timeless and shall live on forever passed on from generation to generation.

Feel his music as the wonderful lyrics are belted out perfecting the art form known as reggae. I say, “Yeeeeeee maaaaaaaaaaaannn!”

The Jamaican who fronted The Wailers was just the freaking man. His music was so soulful and fun loving. It was just legendary. Not surprisingly after Marley’s death at the young age of 36 to cancer, his posthumous compilation album Legend released in 1984 is still the best selling reggae album of all-time with over 12 million copies sold.

I have it along with at least four classic Marley t-shirts. Two of which I wore yesterday and the other day declaring my appreciation for his music. One love!

So, where to begin in terms of his hit songs? You could pretty much pick and choose. So I’ll just randomly select some of my all-time favorites below:

Bob Marley: “No Woman No Cry”

Said - said - said: I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in trenchtown,
Oba - obaserving the ypocrites
As they would mingle with the good people we meet.
Good friends we have, oh, good friends weve lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you cant forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh.

Bob Marley: “Is This Love”

This is short but what a great video as it really captures what this very cool song is all about!

Bob Marley: “Redemption Song”

These songs of freedom

Is all I ever had

Redemption Songs

Redemption Songs

Bob Marley: “Buffalo Soldier”

Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock rasta:
There was a Buffalo Soldier in the heart of America,
Stolen from Africa, brought to America,
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival.

If you know your history,
Then you would know where you coming from,
Then you wouldn’t have to ask me,
Who the ‘eck do I think I am.

Bob Marley: “I Shot The Sheriff”

Great footage of Marley in concert. Gotta love it.

Bob Marley: “Could You Be Loved”

No matter what song you listen to, it has the same great energy. You just can’t go wrong.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll comeback with another legend. Stay tuned!

LeBron James lit up the Knicks. Well, is it really a stretch that the 23 year-old MVP candidate went for 50 in the Cavaliers’ 119-106 win at The Garden earlier tonight?

Come on. You know better. Especially when it comes to the Dumb and Dumber Clown Management 101 philosophy which excludes actual team defense along with any sort of logic.

Anyone who coughed up a few bucks to go was there for one reason only. To witness one of the NBA’s best superstars. Well, how about that? That Nike LeBron commercial looks prophetic:

“We are all witnesses.”

You knew James would lead his Cavs to victory. The two questions were by how many and how much would he get? He wound up with his second 50-point night of the season and fifth of already a brilliant career.

“I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building and it’s overtaken of how I could ever dream about,” the affable James expressed to the Associated Press after shooting 16-of-30 from the field including a deadly seven from downtown on 13 attempts.

“To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true for me. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Hey. Still some of the most knowledgable hoops fans (despite losing braincells from how dreadful these Knicks are) have to find something to appreciate in such a pathetic season which now has their team a cool 25 under (18-43). 

The one and only Walt “Clyde” Frazier likes to refer to their team as “heroes.” Try more like zeroes as there’s nothing heroic about this NBA laughingstock. All you ever get is that same idiotic stoic look on Lord Isiah’s ghostly face. Yeah. He’s going to hell alright and taking the ship with him. Welcome to Team Titanic. Jim Dolan has a nice seat up above as the New York Knickerbocker boat goes down probably with some cheap cigar and one of his band’s third rate blues songs.

Did we mention that the Knicks only trailed by two entering the final 12 minutes before predictably doing what they do best. Tanking in crunch time. They were outscored 35-23 by the Cavs with James cashing four of his three’s when it mattered most.

He did all this after injuring his right pinky on a dunk attempt back in the opening quarter. No matter as he notched 20 first half points on an efficient 7-of-12 which included a fadeaway trey at the buzzer.

Just how special is LeBron? He also made history by becoming the first player to score at least 50, hand out 10 assists and grab eight rebounds since legendary NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Jan.19, 1975.

“The 3-ball for him, that’s the shot that you would hope that he takes,” said Dumb and Dumber Team President Isiah Thomas of James’ lethal shooting from long range. “However, when he makes them like that, he’s virtually unguardable because he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast and he’s unselfish, also. He’ll give the ball up.”

Thomas’ club trailed by only a point with less than four and a half left but predictably got outscored 11-1 with James nailing three trifectas keying the spurt to put the game out of reach at 110-99 with over two minutes remaining.

James was even congratulated in person by a diehard fan after he exited to loud cheers with 23 ticks left.

“It was a great feeling. You get a fan to come down there to express the way he feels about you … told me I was his favorite player, that never happens,” he noted.

“I respect him, I respect his pride and for him to come out there and tell me something like that face to face, it’s like the (most) unbelievable thing that ever happened to me.”

His proud coach Mike Brown summed up the special night quite well:

“You can’t take it for granted because he’s that good. He’s just a great player. I try not to because coaching a guy like that, working with a guy like that, it’s probably a once in a lifetime deal. You just try to take advantage of every second that you’re with him.”

Now imagine LeBron playing on the grandest stage. On second thought, don’t. It’s enough to make you sick. He’d probably somehow be ruined.

Just ask Stephon Marbury.

Dubi Dubi Doo. No. Not those nostalgic Bud Ice “Beware The Penguin” commercials.

Rather the stellar play of Islander backup Wade Dubielewicz, who once again outdueled Henrik Lundqvist in a shootout to give his team two large points in a 4-3 shootout win at the Garden last night.

With All-Star No.1 goalie Rick DiPietro still out due to the death of his grandmother, Dubielewicz made his second consecutive start and proved to be the difference in another topsy turvy affair between the two bitter New York rivals.

Coming off a tough luck start in which his team fired 53 shots on Florida backup Craig Anderson but fell short on the scoreboard 1-0 the other night, Dubielewicz kept the Islanders afloat early on with some solid stops to keep the contest scoreless.

He saved all 12 Ranger shots in a period controlled by the MSG hosts. Blake Comeau’s centering feed from behind the Ranger goal went off a defenseman to put the Isles in front despite being outshot 12-6 and largely outplayed.

Rookie Nigel Dawes squared the match when he buried a Scott Gomez feed for a power play goal. It was his 11th. 

However, the Isles cameback with consecutive goals two minutes apart thanks to some shaky play from Lundqvist. First, Sean Bergenheim’s 40 foot wrister beat him on the next shift. Not long after, a brutal turnover behind the net led directly to a Trent Hunter goal which went through the netminder.

The Blueshirts did rally back thanks to a Chris Drury right wing blast slicing the deficit to one entering the final stanza.

Ryan Callahan knotted it up with a shorthanded tally, converting a Gomez rebound for his seventh.

The Isles nearly went ahead but Ruslan Fedotenko’s shot hit the far post. The overtime was conservatively played with not much in the way of big chances forcing it to a shootout.

In it, Dawes and Islander captain Bill Guerin traded goals in the second round. A questionable decision by Tom Renney sending defenseman Michal Rozsival out over team captain Jaromir Jagr, Drury and Callahan left many pondering why.

Dubielewicz not surprisingly turned aside his chance. Following a Brandon Dubinsky miss, Islander rookie Jeff Tambellini won it in the sixth round beating Lundqvist with a wrister top shelf.

Dubielewicz finished with 27 saves and stopped five of six Ranger shooters to give his team a big win getting them within three of eighth place Philly for the final playoff spot.

Lundqvist only made 15 saves and struggled most of the night leaving more questions as to what’s wrong with the recently re-signed netminder.

He easily could’ve been pulled in favor of capable backup Stephen Valiquette for a second straight game.

The Rangers did pickup a point for the 10th consecutive game improving to 7-0-3 during that span. They remained in seventh due to a Boston 1-0 OT loss to Florida. Both have the same amount of points (77) but the Bruins by virtue of one more win (35) and one extra game left are still ahead.

The rematch completing the home-and-home between the archrivals is tomorrow night at Nassau Coliseum.

If you heard of House of Pain, then you know which song quite obviously. There was only one which just kicked the complete crap complete with dope rhymes and even sicker lyrics.

So get out ur seat and Jump Around!!!!!

House of Pain: “Jump Around”

Since I really do dig it, here are a few of the strong lyrics:

Pack it up, pack it in
Let me begin
I came to win
Battle me that’s a sin
I won’t tear the sack up
Punk you’d better back up
Try and play the role and the whole crew will act up

I’ll serve your ass like John MacEnroe
If your girl steps up, I’m smacking the ho
Word to your moms I came to drop bombs
I got more rhymes than the bible’s got psalms

Off the hook! And with that, dac vee daniyah!!!!!

Editor’s Note: Being that I haven’t heard tunes from this group in so long, I almost forgot just how good they were. “Who’s The Man” and “On Point” were pretty popular back in the day. 

Not surprisingly, the videos are pretty darn good too.