Let's get it on

So I arrived at Madison Square Garden a couple of hours ago for the 2007 NBA Draft. And let me tell you, I was a little disappointed.

I mean, other than the zoo of people, the countless parties, a maze of twists and turns and secret rooms, countless TV people cluttered into one narrow area, a 7-foot tall woman, a couple sporting retro bright yellow Clyde Drexler jerseys and the beers I shared with Greg Oden, it was pretty dull.

OK, that last part I made up. But you get my point: It’s a madhouse over here. I’ve been to the Garden many times before, but I’ve never seen it like this. It really is wild. I swear I made a wrong turn and I ended up at someone’s backyard barbeque. But luckily, I made it back in time to hear Dick Vitale quote The Sports Guy, which was interesting.

Anyway, The WaMu Theater is where it’s all going down, but that’s pretty jammed. So I found a work station in the media room, right by where all the press conferences are taking place. Like I said, I don’t think I’ll be able to make any posts during the draft, but let’s be honest: you’ll be watching it on TV anyway. I’ll report back later with all the extra juicy nuggets and some of my favorite quotes from one of the deepest drafts in recent history. Enjoy!

--Dave Zeitlin

Here we go

Well, the countdown is on. The draft is approaching. The questions loom larger.

We now know that Portland will go with conventional wisdom and draft Greg Oden. And, really, it’s hard to argue with it. I mean, the college basketball fan in me was leaning towards Kevin Durant but, as everyone has been saying, you just can’t pass up a 7-footer with the kind of talent Oden has. It would have been nice to have some suspense going in, but there are still obviously plenty of questions left to be answered.

For instance, what will the Hawks do with that No. 3 pick? Will there be any blockbuster deals involving certain disgruntled superstars? Which poor soul will slide down the draft and sit alone in the Green Room, flashing awkward and pained smiles at the camera while the guys who were sitting just next to him are off making down payments on new homes?

But the most important question for Sixers fans right now is what Billy King will do with his three first-round picks. Consensus among many fans seems to be that the Sixers should try to package two of their picks to move up, which makes the most sense – if that’s possible. If not, it looks like they’ll likely end up with a player like Florida State’s Al Thornton at No. 12. It really all depends what happens in front of them, but King shouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger if he can. And I don’t think he will be, considering it will be tough to sign three first-rounders anyway.
While I’m not going to pretend to know what will happen tonight, I will tell you that it would be a little disappointing, at least to me, if they don’t make a deal and end up with someone like Thornton. He was a very good college player, but I can’t help but think that, if that happens, they didn’t make the most of the Iverson trade and turn the extra picks into a real difference-maker. As you may have gathered from my previous posts, I’m a fan of both Acie Law and Spencer Hawes, judging solely on what I saw of them in college. Jeff Green was another fantastic college player, and would be a good fit in Philly. We’ll see. All we can do now is wait.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll be allowed to keep a live blog from the Garden, but I’ll try to make a post before the draft starts, after I get there. And I’ll be sure to give a complete update on everything I see at MSG – the scene, the stars, and, of course, the suits – either late night or tomorrow. Enjoy the show!

--Dave Zeitlin

Time for Round 2

Corey Brewer. That’s the player whose table I decided to sit at when Round 2 of the marathon media session tipped off. (Wow, I think I just managed to use metaphors for three different sports. I know you’re impressed.)

I wanted to be in prime position for at least one player, so Brewer seemed as good a choice as any. Like everyone else, I was blown away by his abilities during the NCAA Tournament last March. And, it turns out, I like him as a person, too. He answered all the questions with a big smile, said what was on his mind and talked wistfully about the two national titles at Florida. And when asked about the comparisons that are being drawn to Scottie Pippen, Brewer said simply, “I like them.”

The crowd seemed a little bit smaller for this group so after a couple of minutes with Brewer, I listened to what Georgetown’s Jeff Green and Texas A&M’s Acie Law IV had to say. But almost right from the start, nearly the entire room shifted its attention to one man: Yi Jianlian.

Yi may have gotten more attention than even Oden or Durant. The Chinese prodigy who will likely be a top 5 selection tomorrow was hounded by Asian reporters and photographers, Ichiro style. And the most epic performance from the afternoon had to come from Yi’s translator, who had the Herculean job of interpreting inane, as well as some insane, questions for the big man. As Yi later left the room, a few photographers actually ran into each other trying to get shots of him walking. I’ve seen the Ichiro treatment on TV all the time, but it was definitely interesting to watch the circus live.

After fighting to get quotes from Yi’s translator, I bounced around from table to table for a little bit, making stops to hear everyone talk -- except for Rodney Stuckey. (Sorry, Rodney!) At one point, I got to Law when virtually no one else was there so I took the opportunity to ask him some questions. People forget that Law was easily one of the most talented, clutch and entertaining college players in recent memory. Remember the game in Texas when he went shot-for-shot with Durant and made two impossible 3-pointers to force two overtimes? I asked him about that, of course, and he told me all about how great it was and how fun it was to go against a player of Durant’s caliber. After careful consideration, I decided not to chastise him for knocking my Penn Quakers out of the tourney.

Towards the end, I was able to get some quotes from Durant, who is not as gregarious as the always-joking Oden but seemed pretty comfortable all the same. And he showed some flashes of self-deprecation when someone asked him why he struggled with his off-the-court strength tests. “It’s not that I never lifted at Texas,” he said. “It’s just that I couldn’t lift 185 pounds.”

Anyway, as the session ended, I realized how lucky I was to see some of the greatest college players assembled in one room a day before one of the most anticipated and important NBA drafts in league history. It really was a thrill. But enough with the gushy stuff. Let me sign off with a couple of entirely useless nuggets that I learned:

Most irrelevant piece of information: If Spencer Hawes were a car, he’d be a Range Rover.

Most random moment: When Corey Brewer was asked to pose for a picture while holding an Asian magazine that had Steve Nash on the cover.

Weirdest moment: When a reporter from Finland asked me if I knew anything about Petteri Koponen and if I wanted to be quoted for his paper. (I didn’t know anything. In fact, I had to just to look up his name now. He’s projected as a late first-rounder, if you’re curious.)

Best quote:
“What??”
--Greg Oden, when asked if he could guarantee that he’d be a better No. 1 overall pick than Michael Olowokandi

Well, that’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed the chronicles from a fun afternoon with the draftees. And, as always, make sure to pick up a copy of the Daily Local for more info. Back tomorrow for Draft Day!

--Dave Zeitlin

The Battle for Position

Most of the time, I have at least some idea what to expect when I cover an event. Today, I really had none.

I mean, I knew that all of the best college basketball players in the country would be assembled in one room for one extended session with the media. But what would the atmosphere be like? Would there be autograph hounds hovering around the hotel? Would there be a press conference for each player? Or an every-man-for-himself battle to get quotes?

Turns out, it was a battle. And a fierce one at that.

When the doors to the fifth-floor ballroom were first opened at around 12:30, reporters immediately raced to the table reserved for Greg Oden, the former Ohio State center and projected No. 1 pick.

Oden, of course, wasn’t even there yet so it was kind of an odd sight to see reporters line up five-deep around a table, jockeying for position and glaring at anyone who got in front of them. But I guess that’s what its like with sportswriters at a buffet, too.

Meanwhile, at the table right next to Oden’s, the one reserved for Kansas' Julian Wright, there was just one woman sitting down. And she kind of looked she was stopping during a long walk to get a pebble out of her shoe. Poor Julian.

Let me just say I’ve never been too good at jockeying for position. So when the players first arrived, I was caught in the center of the room, in virtual no-mans land. I felt like Eli Manning with cameras in front of him. This was bad.

But after a quick glance around the room, I managed to squeeze my way next to Florida forward Al Horford, who is likely to go either No. 3 or No. 4 tomorrow. He was well-spoken, humble and looked fashionable in a yellow sweater vest. Seemed like an all-around good guy.

Then in walked his Florida teammate, Joakim Noah, who is, for lack of a better word, interesting. Apparently, Noah didn’t get the memo that you were supposed to dress up for the event because the eccentric Gators forward sported a white t-shirt and plaid shorts. I really can’t wait to see the guy’s outfit tomorrow. Short of a suit with ducks and clowns on it, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point.

But the crowd around Noah was almost as big as it was for Oden, so I went over to Mike Conley’s table just as the former Ohio State freshman guard was arriving. New York was a little bit too big and crazy for him, he said as he first sat down. Is that Isiah Thomas' excuse, too?

Next to Conley was Spencer Hawes, the Washington center who is projected as a top 10 pick. Many people didn’t see too much of him in college since he played on the West Coast and was hurt for a while, but I really think he’s going to be a great big man. From what I saw, he really has a solid offensive game – one which actually includes a mid-range jump shot. “Draft the big man first,” Hawes said, talking about Oden. Or maybe he was talking about himself. I’m not sure.

Soon, I found myself in a groove, going from table to table, waiting for an opening and diving in for quotes. This should really be a sport. I’d like to know the reporter who got in the most questions in to the most players. I’d support the accomplishment with a plaque.

Just then, however, I heard the announcement that there were only two minutes left before they bring in the next group of players. Ok, so it’s a two-minute drill. Crunch time, baby. Hopefully I’ll manage this better than Herm Edwards.

So with the time dwindling down, I decided to make a last-ditch effort to talk to Oden, or at least listen to him. But the crowd around him was still exceptionally large. As I walked over, I think I saw one cameraman propped on Julian Wrights’ head for a better view.

But I wiggled in there, just in time to see Oden grip a Spalding basketball for a photoshoot and tell the crowd he has really dry hands. Nice. Maybe I’ll lead my newspaper story with that.

As the first group of players left, I vowed to be more aggressive for the next group. But unfortunately, there were already a mob of people at Kevin Durant’s table. This was going to be interesting.

Find out how I did and what the rest of the players were talking about when I come back in a bit.

--Dave Zeitlin

Arriving in the Big Apple

"Here it is. Heart of New York City. Times Square. Named for the … good times you have when you’re in it."
--Michael Scott (The Office)

For a column in college, I once wrote that going to a Big 5 triple-header was heaven for a college hoops fan.

I may need to amend that because today’s visit to the Westin Hotel in Times Square was pretty freaking memorable.

From 1-2 p.m., nearly all of the projected lottery picks for tomorrow’s NBA Draft filed into a banquet room, sat at different tables with please-don’t-hurt-me looks in their eyes and waited as sportswriters from around the country lunged at them like Homer Simpson for a keg of Duff beer.

And now, as I’m sitting here writing in the Westin’s lobby, Greg Oden is about five feet behind me, signing autographs and smiling for cameras. Yes, it’s true what they say about him: he’s tall.

Anyway, I have a lot of material and quotes to decipher, but I’ll be back shortly, with separate entries from the two groups of players who spoke to the media – and, of course, some of the highlights, and lowlights, from the session.

Right now, I think I’m about to follow Michael Scott’s lead and get some of that famous New York pizza – at Sbarro. Check back in soon!

--Dave Zeitlin
Wednesday, 3 p.m.

Live from the NBA draft

Staff writer Dave Zeitlin will be in New York City the next two days covering the NBA draft. Look for his blog posts starting Wednesday right here at the Sports Corner.

The final countdown

The Phillies loss to the Indians in Cleveland on Wednesday night put them at 9,990 losses all-time. So by my math they are just 10 losses away from becoming the first-ever franchise with 10,000 losses in any sport.

Truly an epic achievement, especially for sarcastic 20-something fans who have never seen any of Philadelphia's four pro sports teams win any sort of championship. But hey, at least the Phillies have a strong argument as the worst team ever. Who else can make that claim?

It is worth noting that the Phillies will cross the milestone while enjoying a mildly successful run (for them). They have finished above .500 for four straight years, a mighty achievement, even with no playoff appearances in that stretch.

At least current fans have a wide collection of exciting and appealing players to root for. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and even Shane Victorino are some of the most likeable Phillies since the heady days of Macho Row in 1993. It's better than the Von Hayes era, that's for sure.

One Web site is tracking the countdown to 10,000 losses and offering fans an opportunity to vent their frustrations. You can can check it out here.

Tom Hope, web editor

Amazing (or fake?)

This is possibly the greatest shot ever. Don't try it at home.

Mets vs. Phillies needs more juice

First, a disclaimer: I own a pair of Mets sneakers and wear them proudly -- which speaks to my allegiances (sorry, Phils fans), my passion for baseball (probably too great) and my mood at the current moment (not good after that ugly sweep in New York).

So take it for what it's worth when I say that the Mets-Phillies rivalry, if you can even call it that, needs some juice. (Not 'roids but excitement).

For instance, when I was leaving the lovely Shea Stadium after Tuesday's extra-inning Philies win, there was some heated, competitive back-and-forth banter between two passionate sets of fans. Only problem was that it was between Mets and Yankees fans, who engaged in the age-old, never-ending, Who's-the-best-team-in-New-York debate.

Meanwhile, my roommate, in bright red Phillies colors, frolicked around the parking lot, almost daring the home fans to take some kind of action for this Philadelphia intrusion. Now, don't get me wrong: I didn't want my roomate to be mercilessly beaten by a crazy Mets fan (he was, after all, my ride home). But a little "Hey, you're still the worst franchise in sports" wouldn't have hurt as he basked in the glory of his team winning.

Believe me, this is not an indictment on any group of fans. From what I can tell, the Mets and the Phillies both have a passionate fan base -- but, at times, it seems both groups are more eager to trash their own team rather than the other (See, the 10,000-loss countdown as an example -- and many Mets fans have recently adopted the same roof-is-caving-in mentality, as well.)

Granted, it's a long season and the two teams play each other countless teams and the organizations have rarely been good at the same time. But indulging in rivalries and the friendly, and not-so-friendly, banter between fans of teams so closely situated geographically is part of what makes sports great -- and why walking into the Linc with a Giants jersey feels like walking on death row.

Not that baseball will ever evoke the same kind of passioante responses that football does -- but a little more couldn't hurt, right?

One more story from Shea before I sign off: About the third time Jimmy Rollins got to the plate, and the New York faithful let him hear it, a few fans sitting behind me asked me why Rollins kept getting booed. So I told them about Rollins' preseason declaration that the Phillies were the team to beat, to which the fans said something, "well, looks like he shouldn't have said that" before lustily joining in on the chorus of boos.

Looking back on it, the whole scene seemed rather pathetic as a couple of disinterested, uninformed observers latched on to a meaningless quote to get more excited about what was a very good ballgame.

A Mets-Phillies game shouldn't need a Jimmy Rollins sound bite to create a spark. The spark should already by there.

Dave Zeitlin, Staff Writer

Frankly Franchitti

Why is it that some sports can't get out of their own way?

Take, for instance, last Sunday‘s shortened Indianapolis 500 -- a race that ended in less than satisfactory fashion for everyone except those who took pleasure in seeing a rain-soaked Ashley Judd jumping up and down in celebration of husband Dario Franchitti's victory.

I don't know if Speedway president Tony George knows this, but there stands a good chance of rain in Indiana during the month of May. The 500 is the Indy Racing League's premier event, marking the rare occasion when most Americans don't think of NASCAR as the only motor car circuit that matters.

This year's edition also had its share of thrills -- and more lead changes than a typical Saturday at your local dirt track. But the powers-that-be need to do everything humanly possible to ensure a real finish.

Go to Monday if you have to, or better yet bring lights to the Speedway. That way, if stormy weather clears out late in the afternoon, a same-day finish is still possible. If it's good enough for tradition-laden cathedrals like Daytona and Wrigley Field, surely Indy can handle the adjustment.

Either way, the winner swigging a quart of milk -- arguably the greatest post-race scene in the world -- should take place in the winner‘s circle, not the garage.

Bryan Davis, Assistant Sports Editor