Basketball at 5 am on Christmas Morning

Well, the big boss here at General Internet said we could hang a Gone Fishin' sign out for the holidays, so that's what I'm doin' beginning next week. I'll be back January 8.

In the meantime, it is 5 am Christmas morning and Santa Claus has already been to my house. There are mounds of presents downstairs under the tree just waiting for me to open them. But no one else is awake. Not even my second cousins who are 4 and 6 years old. What is the world coming to when kids aren't waking their parents up at 5 am to open presents on Christmas morning? My cousins have their kids brainwashed. If I'm awake, those kids should be, too! I probably had a bit too much candy last night, though.

Oh well. I figure I've got an hour or two to kill so I'll go through some of my recent notes...

• Did you know that the Bulls really are a conglomeration of players from all over the place? You know Toni Kukoc is from Croatia and Luc Longley is from Australia. But Bill Wennington is from Canada and Steve Kerr was born in Lebanon. And, of course, there is Dennis Rodman who isn't from this planet. If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, Dennis is from somewhere else.
• Keep an eye out for Kerry Kittles in 1997. Even in NJ, this Nets rookie has not been getting much press, but his game is solid and he understands the speed of the pro game at an early age. Combine this with a versatile game for a good sized guard and Kittles has a good chance at being a star in this league.
• Charles Barkley's recent two game suspension gave him a nice little Christmas break. The Rockets lost both games and it has to worry Houston fans that the team is apparently relying so much on the confrontational Barkley.
• Rasheed Wallace has been turning in some big games for the talent-laden Portland Trail Blazers recently, scoring more than 30 points three times this season. Unfortunately, with Wallace's immaturity, the well-documented problems of Isiaih Rider, the enigmatic Kenny Anderson, the poorly disciplined Clifford Robinson, etc., it is hard to imagine this group of individuals ever coming together as a team.
• Has anyone else noticed the distinct difference in sports advertising on the web as opposed to on TV? Advertising on TV is beer, cars, shoes, soft drinks, and fast food. Advertising on the web is primarily for other web sites. But don't web surfers also drink beer, drive cars, eat junk food, and wear shoes?
• All those people who were saying that the departure of Allan Houston from Detroit would kill the Pistons because he, not Grant Hill, was their best player, are pretty quiet these days. It is very easy to overrate players like Houston who shoot a lot of three pointers that can dramatically shift perceived momentum because they do seem to often have a very positive influence. They also often have a very negative influence by shooting poorly. Hill, on the other hand, is a steady contributor who doesn't produce as much drama from three-pointers but can score from anywhere on the court. The Pistons know that they can build a successful future around Hill, not an erratic Houston.
• Jim Farrin, a writer for Basketball America, once kept track of the referees who were most biased for the home team. Refs generally call more fouls on road teams than on home teams, not necessarily because they are biased, but because home teams do indeed play better. But some refs have shown a tendency to favor the home team more than others. The worst of these, according to Farrin, was Hue Hollins, who called Scottie Pippen for fouling Hubert Davis with a few seconds left and the Bulls ahead by 1 in Game 5 of their 1994 playoff series. Game 5 was, perhaps not surprisingly, in New York and the Knicks won because Davis made his free throws. Speaking of gifts...

It's 6:30 and someone else is awake. It's my brother. He's 6'3" and would have been a good off guard if he'd liked the sport as much as I do. There goes my aunt, too. I don't think she's seen a basketball game in years, but she likes my columns. My uncle is up, too. He taught me a lot about how math and science relate to sports. Even my grandmother is awake. She thinks everything I do is the greatest even though she wanted me to be an astronomer and doesn't quite understand my passion for basketball.

But where are those kids? It will be daylight soon and no kids are up! ... Wait, I hear a toy. Here they come. I can hear them.

"Is it time now, mommy?" Dustin says.

"OK, Dustin. It's time," my cousin answers, who is far more mature than I think I can stand.

Roaring out of the bedroom come my two second cousins... finally.

"It's Christmas!!!!" they scream as they run down the stairs.

I think it's time for me to go enjoy the holidays with my family.

Have a Merry Christmas.