Game Three: A Shaky Win for the Lakers

The L.A. Lakers won Game Three against the Boston Celtics and it was a thoroughly unconvincing win. It was a 87 - 81 victory, thanks to a thirty six point performance from Kobe Bryant. The lack of help was staggering. No Lakers starter, other than Kobe Bryant, scored in double figures.

This game was saved by solid support from the Lakers bench. Sasha Vujacic scored twenty points and played his usual frenetic defense. Jordan Farmar had a solid game and showed some toughness in not backing down from P.J. Brown. Trevor Ariza looked much more comfortable in this game, scored and made his presence felt defensively.

Other than Kobe Bryant, the Lakers starters were ineffective. This is surprising since the entire season hinged on this one game. A win for the Celtics would have meant an ‘almost impossible’ 3-0 lead in the series. The expectation would have been a focused, intense effort from the Lakers starters. Instead, it was Kobe Bryant carrying the starting unit:

• Vladimir Radmanovic had more fouls than points. He had four fouls and three points in thirteen minutes.
• Pau Gasol did not have a field goal in the first half.
• Lamar Odom continued to struggle. Along with Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom had more fouls than points. He had five fouls and four points. Lamar Odom was 2 for 9 in shot attempts.
• Derek Fisher made one shot in six attempts.

link: Game Three

In the most important game of the season, the Lakers starters truly failed to give Kobe Bryant much support. Without the twenty points from Sasha Vujacic, the Lakers would have been preparing for the summer break. The Lakers were fortunate to win with strong play from Kobe Bryant and the bench players. The Lakers cannot count on another six point performance from Paul Pierce. The home team Lakers could have been easily lost Game Three. They barely escaped a three to zero deficit.

Catherine Forsythe

Rick Dutrow: Looking for Someone to Blame

It was the jockey’s fault. Rick Dutrow, Big Brown’s trainer, is blaming the jockey for the poor showing at the Belmont Stakes:

“NEW YORK – Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. still blames Kent Desormeaux for Big Brown’s stunning last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes, but he wouldn’t object to the jockey riding the horse in his next race.”

link: Big Brown trainer pins blame on jockey

This is absolute nonsense. Kent Desormeaux eased his mount when he knew the horse had nothing left. It was an excellent decision. Though the race, the jockey kept Big Brown away from trouble. Big Brown started in the Number One hole and Kent Desormeaux kept him out of trouble from that inside position.

Before the running of the Belmont Stakes, Rick Dutrow denigrated the other horses in the field. He said that a Big Brown victory - and the Triple Crown - was “a foregone conclusion“. Rick Dutrow even skipped giving Big Brown his monthly Winstrol, a steroid. Now, with a disastrous finish, Rick Dutrow is looking for someone to blame and he has settled on Kent Desormeaux. It is just completely classless.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

When Data Breaches Are No Longer News

There is an old adage that newspaper editors use as a guideline. That ‘rule of thumb’ is that, if something is happening every day, it is no longer an important news item. In newspaper terms, it is “buried”. The item becomes filler on the back pages.

This is what is happening to data breach / identity theft news items. It used to be that a data breach news item would be carried across the major news services. The story might lead the news of the day. It is not so any more. For example, the University of South Carolina has had a data breach. Over seven thousand people have had their private information compromised. After more than nine hours, this story is being carried on less than twenty online news sources. Previously, such a security breach would be splashed over countless news services.

You might be saying to yourself … “it’s just another data breach story”. That’s the whole point. Data breaches and identity theft are so common now that it no longer surprises us. It is becoming just part of the technological age. And stories of lost computers, hacked main frames, unsecured wi-fi or similar security compromises just become so much ‘white noise’. It is a daily happening. Welcome to the future.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

The Badwater 135

In July, in searing heat, one of the toughest, most grueling athletic events will be held. It is an extreme sport and finishing is an accomplishment. The Badwater 135 is a run like no other:

“…Recognized globally as “the world’s toughest foot race,” this legendary event pits up to 90 of the world’s toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers—against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.”

link: Badwater

There are some runners who return to challenge the elements again. This must be one of the toughest competitions in the world - and one in which the pain threshold is tested repeatedly.

Catherine

Waiting for a Fourth Quarter Miracle

Kobe Bryant has the reputation as the best ‘closer’ in professional basketball. Over the years, he has said repeatedly that he can score at any time that he wants. Often, he has been the deciding difference in close games. There is no dispute about his talent or his sense of self confidence. He believes that he can win games in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

There is a significant disadvantage to this notion of closing out games by relying on Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers may fall into a reliance on Kobe Bryant’s closing skills. As such, it may take away from an early sense of desperation. Indeed, in the post season play, the Lakers have overcome point deficits and won. It almost happened again in Game Two of the playoff series against the Celtics. On one hand, it may be a boost in confidence to know that there is a Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter. However, it may detract from a sense of urgency from the opening tip-off.

Game Three is a ‘must win’ for the L.A. Lakers if they are to make this series competitive. If the Lakers drop Game Three, the series essentially will have been determined… even if they do have the ‘best closer in the game’.

Catherine Forsythe

The Badwater 135

In July, in searing heat, one of the toughest, most grueling athletic events will be held. It is an extreme sport and finishing is an accomplishment. The Badwater 135 is a run like no other:

“…Recognized globally as “the world’s toughest foot race,” this legendary event pits up to 90 of the world’s toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers—against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.”

link: Badwater

There are some runners who return to challenge the elements again. This must be one of the toughest competitions in the world - and one in which the pain threshold is tested repeatedly.

Catherine Forsythe