NBA Trade Deadline, Ty Thomas, Joe Noah's foot and Live Dong

Luol Deng in the flesh at MSG. Fucking phone cameras...

Went to the Bulls/Knicks game in NY last night. Turns out, Kirk Hinrich actually DOES suck. I swear to god he missed every single shot last night including ones my fat semi-blind brother could make if he was that wide open. Not only are we stuck with that miserable contract but he's getting worse every season. Gah!

A few other observations:

Tyrus Thomas is fun to watch. He's inconsistent but freakishly athletic. You just know he's gonna throw down a mean dunk when you see the open lane. You know he's dying to swat shots in the paint and you know he's not thinking about foul trouble or the actual game (which is exciting!). You never know what's going to happen with him. I guess we'll have to watch Charlotte games to find out...

Derrick Rose is the shit. He doesn't even look like he's trying while he's dominating. It pisses me off actually... you see Pargo out there busting his ass trying to move the ball and beat Duhon off the dribble and then Rose does it like you woke him up from a good nap and he's hungover. It's insane. I'm sure gonna enjoy watching him and Bosh next season.

The Garden is pretty cool actually, except for those annoying guys the Knicks pay to "rouse" the crowd. They are annoying. Otherwise, all the seats are pretty good, the crowd wasn't particularly hostile and while they know their team sucks, they still care.

Cheerleaders are underrated. Better in person.

D'Antoni might have a hear attack before the end of the season.

VDN is brutal. There were no actual "plays" last night, just Rose creating shots and Deng/Miller hitting them. He needs to go. It's bad for Rose (and Hinrich, apparently). Has anyone gotten better under his coaching?

Deng is silky smooth.

Taj is pretty good.

Brad Miller is awesome and a dirty, dirty thug.

David Lee is wildly overrated.

On the trade deadline: Sucks we couldn't deal Hinrich or land TMac (he'd have actually been a good fit on the Bulls). I'm hopeful we can land Bosh or Wade next year but even if we don't, we didn't destroy our team to try (like the Knicks did).

-KEG

So Long Frank

You think my THIGHS are big...just wait and see

As of 2010, Frank Thomas is officially done with baseball (even though we knew he was finished after a sub-sub-subpar season with Toronto/Oakland in 2008). For anyone living outside of Chicago, you probably are thinking "Oh, OK. He was good. I guess."

No, Frank Thomas was not "good."

Frank Thomas was fucking AMAZING.

In an era where the "top hitters" tested positive for steroids, corked bats, and stupidity, Thomas provided consistent production year in and year out. A career .300 hitter, Thomas was not exactly known for being "fast" but he was known for playing smart (Little known fact - Thomas is the only player in Major League history to hit over 100 sacrifice flies and not collect a single sacrifice bunt. Yes, the links are there for you people that don't know the difference). He's fourth on the all-time list for sac flies, often helping drive in stranded Sox runners instead of striking out while trying to launch a homerun.

Not only was he an absolute monster with the long ball, but he was patient. Thomas drew 138 walks in 1991 - the most of any player in a single year in that DECADE, not to mention the most since the 1960s. Oh, and did I mention that he is the only clean player of the modern era to have over 500 HR and a .300+ average? That's a list of big names like Ruth, Williams, Aaron, and Mays, and two people that probably shouldn't be there (A-Rod and Manny).

Speaking of 'roids...

No one, under any circumstances, accused Thomas of using. He fucking HATED steroids. Not only was he ACTIVELY involved in the Mitchell report (he volunteered, and was the only active player to speak up), but he also advocated steroid testing way back in 1995. If I were the best fucking baseball player of the last 20 years and some assholes who kissed their fingers and launched 60+ HR stole the spotlight, I would be pissed too.

Once you take some questionable names off the list, Thomas is THE hitter of the 1990s, hands down. Yeah, I know we covered this before, but it needs to be said again: Thomas is the best.

So long Frank, and thanks for the memories. I will always remember the sight of your gigantic thighs as you slowly lumbered out of the batter's box on one of your many extra base hits.