New Sactown Royalty Profile: Spud Webb

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

Continuing the site's run of profiling the greatest Sacramento Kings in franchise history, Spud Webb holds down the #11 spot, coming up big, despite the fact that at 5' 7", he ranks among the shortest NBA players of all time.

On a personal note, my most fond memory was of Spud Webb leading the Kings to an improbable victory against the much-hated Phoenix Suns and Charles Barkley on April 8, 1994 - which just so happened to be my 17th birthday. Sitting in the top row in the nosebleed section of Arco, at my first Kings game ever, the fans noisily made thunder rain down on the Suns, as Webb scored 18, dished out 13 assists, and the Kings won 104-101. (Boxscore Here) It was an experience I'll never forget, and one where Spud Webb, made a big impression on us all.

More at Sactown Royalty: The Sactown Greatest, #11: Spud Webb

Listening to ''Breathe'', by Telepopmusik (Play Count: 2)

West Coast Fans Snubbed by MLB, TV

As you know, the A's are going to the playoffs again, after a two-year absence. For some who don't live in the San Francisco Bay Area or follow the team as I do, the club's being in the playoffs, and supposedly, on national television, will be the first exposure they've had to the A's, who often finds themselves on the short end of the media attention stick, in favor of Eastern clubs, primarily the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. But now, as the playoff picture has solidified with the conclusion of baseball's regular season, it's clear that the corporate bigwigs pulling the strings have opted to keep A's fans in the dark, in a never-ending quest for higher media dollars and ratings.

As a result of the Detroit Tigers' failing to win a single game against the AL Central doormat Kansas City Royals, the A's are set to take on the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome starting Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a home game here in Oakland on Friday. According to the postseason schedule, the two games in Minnesota are planned for the ungodly hour of 10 a.m. here on the West Coast, noon in Minneapolis, and 1 p.m. for those on the East Coast. The primetime schedule is instead dominated, not surprisingly, by games involving the New York Yankees or the New York Mets. In fact, even a hierarchy shows there, as on the days where both Subway teams have games on tap, the Mets draw the weaker of the television schedules, ceding primetime to their cross-town brethren in the Bronx and playing first, against the LA Dodgers.

MLB: 2006 Divison Series Playoff Schedule

For those of us who hold down 9 to 5 jobs and have been following our team for the full year, this schedule is an abomination. Barring staying home to watch the game, we will be barred from seeing them in action completely on Tuesday and Wednesday, and even Friday's game, at 1 locally, forces hard-working employees to take the day off. Instead of enjoying friends and family around the TV set, rooting on our team, we will be stuck at the desk in our cubicles, sneaking glances at the Yahoo! or ESPN scoreboard, or impossibly trying to avoid knowing the outcome until we find the games at home on our TiVo, but that won't work.

There's long been call for MLB, ESPN, Fox and the like to look into their East Coast biases, and their sucking up to big money teams like the Yankees, and each time, we seem to be shot down as conspiratorial loonies. This postseason's schedule is sad, frustrating, and ridiculous all in one, and should not be allowed.

Listening to ''Trishika'', by Telepopmusik (Play Count: 1)

Routine Maintenance Never Fits My Schedule

You know how it seems that regardless of the situation, or the market or the product, there is always a car analogy waiting in the wings to annoy you? Why is it that every example is expected to be made more easy to understand because you can relate it to a brand of car, how well they are kept up, or horsepower and engines? It seems like the English language ran out of nouns and adjectives to adequately describe most incidents, but we've all managed to imbibe Kelly's Blue Book and your automobile owner's manual.

Recently, I mentioned how my lack of routine maintenance on my teeth turned into a litany of dental visits, to the tune of four in four days (some kind of record, to be sure). While at the dentist, I was given the standard lectures on how to take better care of myself, and the old, reliable analogies were thrown out there. "You know, fillings/gums/etc. are like your car. If you don't rotate the tires/change the oil/etc. every few thousand miles, you will have problems."

Well, thank you very much, Dr. Einstein, D.D.S. But you don't realize who you're talking to.

Instead of a maniacal auto-obsessed gearhead who changes the oil in his driveway and can analyze every ping with a simple pop of the hood, you're talking to somebody who very recently managed not to get the oil changed in his 1998 Mercury Tracer for more than 6,700 miles, more than double what is advised. In fact, as I had the oil changed on New Year's Eve in 2005, I went a full nine months between Jiffy Lube visits, before somewhat reluctantly taking care of it yesterday.

So, when somebody says I should have the same level of "routine maintenance" for me or anything else, they're in trouble. I'm sure part of the issue resides with my ego telling me the rules don't apply.

Want me to pay that bill within 30 days? Why? Because it's convenient for you? Well, send me another notice, and I'll think about it. Want me to see the dentist every six months? Why, because some bureaucrat decided that was the new rule? Want me to update my driver's license to show where I really live instead of somewhere I used to? What's the point? Heck, even my bank checks still say I live in Belmont, and I haven't been there since 2002. What do I care - the money still comes out of the account...

So long as the lights stay on, the water keeps running, and my belongings don't get repossessed, it really doesn't bug me if you get paid within 10 days or 90 days. I have a primary care physician, but I bet you he doesn't know me, and I certainly haven't seen him this year. And if my car starts to slow down for whatever reason, I'll keep driving it until it simply stops. Then I'll get a new one. But don't tell me I should have rotated the tires and gotten the air pressure to 32 pounds per square inch. Those rules are for other people.

Listening to ''Better Off Alone'', by Alice Deejay (Play Count: 5)

ANtics Episode 2.31: A's Are AL West Champs

The 2006 regular season complete, the A's bags are packed, ready to do battle with the Minnesota Twins. Though the A's had a torrid second half, there were times in September when it seemed the team was ready to let it all slip away. The ANtics look back...


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Also: Take the Poll: When 2006 is complete, what will you most remember?

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