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Thank You, Abe Pollin
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 25, 2009 11:17 AM EST
2 comments
Some people invest their money. With the capital they've earned, these people can give funding and support to those who can make a difference.
Other people invest their time. They might not have the bank accounts that people in the first group have, so they help deserving causes with their efforts, their output, and their presence.
Rarely do you find people who can do both, especially at the level that Abe Pollin did throughout his life. In an era where so many owners demand the city pony up money for new arenas, Abe went against the grain twice and paid for new arenas out of his own pocket. Abe Pollin knew how to make money, but more importantly he knew how to give money.
Odds are if you've spent any amount of time in or near the District of Columbia, you've been impacted by Abe Pollin in some way or another. Whether you were one of the lucky students who received a scholarship from Abe, your business prospered from the rebirth of Chinatown that he spawned, or the joy you received from being a Wizards fan, Abe Pollin had a positive impact on your life.
Below is just a small sampling of reflections on the passing of Abe Pollin. Feel free to add your own reflections in the comments.
Thank You Abe Pollin For Caring About Us - 3rd Stone From the Sun
Though he often lamented the escalating salaries of players over the years, he knew how much impact they had on society. He was the man who demanded, and brought in, the rule of player conduct on the current labor agreement of the league. "You may or may not want to be role models, but you are role models. If you don't want to be role models, you should get out of this business and go do something else." He was a role model himself. He saved a historic synagogue from being turned into a dance club a few blocks from his offices, even though it cost millions of dollars to refurbish. He gave every school in the city working computers so children could use them. He established a program called "Abe's Table", where his team would go door to door and give food to the needy. Today the program was out giving food when he passed away.
Abe Pollin built Verizon Center, mentored Magic Johnson - Michael Wilbon, Washington Post
Not surprisingly, Pollin was praised widely in the wake of the news that he had died, at 85, and deservedly so, especially when the conversation turned to his civic and charitable contributions. In the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned in this space that Pollin and I clashed on a couple of issues, some of it the everyday stuff that happens when a columnist is critical of a local owner. But some of it was a little more confrontational, like a pointed disagreement over the firing of Michael Jordan and, years earlier, the building of the new downtown arena. Pollin actually took out a huge ad in The Washington Post the day after I wrote a column saying that the basketball franchise would only remain viable if he got out of Capital Centre and moved downtown. Pollin paid thousands of dollars for ads in The Post and The Washington Times, ripping me and calling Capital Centre "state-of-the-art," which by then it certainly was not. Anyway, it wasn't more than 18 months later when somebody from Pollin's office called me to come and cover the groundbreaking for a new arena downtown. I came ... and brought with me a copy of the ad in The Post. When handed a yellow hard hat, I handed Pollin the ad and asked him to sign it, which he did with a smile, after grabbing me around the neck and kissing me on the cheek. All was forgotten. I was easy. After I suffered a heart attack nearly two years ago, there was a warm phone call and a floral arrangement at the door from Abe and Irene Pollin.
When it comes to Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin, think big picture - J.A. Adande - ESPN
As with any life, Pollin's shouldn't be reduced to a single image. It should be a collage -- in his case, one that would include not just that Google Street View of D.C.'s Chinatown district but everything from underprivileged kids receiving college diplomas to a red basketball jersey hanging in a former sports editor's house. And while a certain other Washington-based franchise has defiantly refused to change its offensive nickname, Pollin was the one who -- completely unprompted -- changed the name of his team from Bullets to Wizards to avoid any violent connotations. Pollin wasn't as flamboyant or successful as former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, nor did he generate the animosity of current Skins owner Dan Snyder. However, as a fellow former Washington resident texted me Tuesday, Pollin was one of the few nongovernmental types who defined life in D.C. Before selling the NHL Capitals and before the arrival of baseball's Nationals, Pollin oversaw two-thirds of Washington's pro sports teams. And, fittingly for a man who made his fortune in the construction business, he made his biggest impact with buildings; first the Capital Centre just outside the Beltway, then the Verizon (née MCI) Center in the District.
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Briefing: Wizards Hold on to Beat the Sixers
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 25, 2009 10:41 AM EST
9 comments
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[Ed. Note: Obviously, there was a lot more than a game going on last night. Today's briefing will be two-part. The first part will focus striclty on the game last night and in the second part we'll focus on tributes to Abe Pollin. -Jake]
Wizards pull off comeback, hang on for win - Mike Jones, Outlet
The unlikely hero of the night, however, was Nick Young. Young had been inactive on Saturday night, and had five DNP's this season. But he came out tonight with the Wizards shorthanded with Mike Miller and Caron Butler out with injuries, he started and played a smart game on both ends of the floor. He scored 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, grabbed four rebounds and had two assists.
Wizards 108, 76ers 107 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider
Young helped hold Andre Iguodala to just 12 points on 2 of 10 shooting. He also made some smart basketball plays, like when he recovered a loose ball in the third quarter and alertly called timeout before falling out of bounds. Saunders said that going on the inactive list probably forced Young to say, " 'I got a choice. I can change myself or go along with the motions.' To his credit, our last few practices, he's probably been our best player."
Wizards win one for Pollin - William Yoder, Agent Dagger
Antawn Jamison notched a free throw at the 8:24 mark in the third to get things started for the Wizards and to give them a 56-55 Wizards lead. From there on the Wizards would turn up the pace as the club would go on a 19-4 run to take a 15 point lead at 74-59. In a stretch where the Wizards looked like the club we had hoped to see going into 2009, as opposed to the club we have, Washington shot seven for nine from the field while tallying four assists and no turnovers. It was a stretch where the Wizards looked like a team that was in-synch offensively, and mature enough to hold on to the ball.
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Everything is Bigger in Texas, Even the Blowouts: Spurs Win 106-84
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 21, 2009 11:20 PM EST
17 comments
What's the difference between a team that trusts its offensive system and a team that doesn't? 22 points, 20 assists, and just over 13 percentage points better when shooting from the field. Other than that, not a whole lot.
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Know Your Colts History: The Answer in Indy
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 21, 2009 11:32 AM EST
9 comments
The recent discussion about whether or not LeBron James would make it as an NFL player, got me thinking about how another NBA player could have had an impact in the NFL, specifically for the Colts.
As we all remember, the 1998 Draft forced Bill Polian to choose between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. We all know in hindsight that picking Peyton was the right move, it wasn't such a sure bet at the time. The only thing that could have made that decision more difficult is if there had been a third option for Polian to mull over. If it hadn't been for one player who decided to take his skills to the hardwood, this three-way battle could have occured. The player in question grew up in the Newport News area, home of Mike Vick and Aaron Brooks. Many who live in the area will tell you he player was better than both of them. Of course, we'll never know what kind of football career he could have had, because Allen Iverson decided that he had a better career in basketball.
If Iverson had decided to go into football, he would have graduated in 1998, the same year as Manning and Leaf. Maybe it's silly to propose that Iverson would have been in the discussion to be the top pick, but it's hard to say anything is silly when you're trying to choose between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. Once you really take a look at NFL climate at the time, envisioning Iverson as a top NFL draft pick isn't as far-fetched as you might think.
You can look at his size and say that he never would have cut it on the pro level, but as BBS has pointed out many times here, size doesn't matter. Size hasn't stopped Drew Brees, it hasn't stopped Darren Sproles, and it sure didn't stop Barry Sanders. Michael Vick isn't much taller than Iverson. Did his height stop him from being the top pick in 2001 NFL Draft? If you can play, you can play. Clearly, Iverson could play.
You can say that he wouldn't have had the smarts to be a QB at the pro level, but I would counter that by saying that Iverson would have entered the league right as the scrambling quarterback revolution was starting to explode. Kordell Stewart had just finished his first season as full-time starter at quarterback and he guided the Steelers to an 11-5 record. That was good enough to win the AFC Central and the team only lost by a field goal to the eventual Super Bowl champions. Those eventual Super Bowl champions were the Denver Broncos, who were led by a quarterback who could still make plays with his feet. Other scramblers like Steve Young, Tony Banks, Steve McNair, and Mark Brunell also made scrambling quarterbacks hot commodities. More than at any other moment in NFL history, general managers would have been willing to overlook some deficiencies passing the ball in order to get someone who could make plays on the run.
Even if you want to dismiss that Iverson would've been taken seriously as a quarterback in the NFL, he certainly would have possessed the speed and ability to be a shutdown cornerback in the NFL. A defensive back had beaten out Peyton for the Heisman. Who's to say that another one couldn't have taken the top draft spot away from him as well?
Of course, all of this is conjecture. Manning, Leaf, and Iverson all went down separate career paths that made them famous in different ways. For Colts fan, it certainly worked out for the best that things went the way they did. Thinking about any scenario where Peyton Manning doesn't end up in Indianapolis is a scary one, but it is good for making us stop to appreciate what we have and how glad we are that things worked out the way they did. That's what Thanksgiving is all about, right?
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Briefing: The Thunder Kept on Rolling and Rolling
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 21, 2009 10:10 AM EST
1 comment
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I'm not all that good at picking momentum-changing moments, but I do know that when play like this happens, odds are that team is going to win. Sometimes, you just have games where it just doesn't come together and tonight was one of those nights. There are a lot of places blame can be assigned for last night's blowout, as you'll see below, but let's hope that no one dwells on last night for too long. It's a long season and there's another game tonight. The best thing that everyone can do is forget about what went wrong last night and gear up for a big game against the Spurs (see how I didn't say anything about you-know-who there? I'm getting better!).
Instant Analysis: Wizards-Thunder - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington
The Wizards had no answer for Durant. The former Montrose Christian star poured in 35 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He wasn’t alone; fellow Prince Georges County product Jeff Green had a double double by half time and Westbrook scored 26 points on only 12 shots. Most of Westbrook’s’ damage came from the lane (which he got into at will) leading to 12 free throw attempts and seven assists. Jamison, Butler and Arenas combined to score 69 of the Wizards 108 points but it simply wasn’t enough.
Wizards run hot and cold in defeat - Mike Jones, Washington Times
The Wizards (3-8) started off slow - falling behind by 10 in the first five minutes - responded with a spurt that put them back in the game, but went cold again and slipped into a double-digit hole. The roller-coaster ride continued throughout the game, and finally after pulling within 82-81 with three minutes left in the third quarter, Washington allowed Oklahoma City to outscore it 45-27 in the final 15 minutes of play.
Thunder 127, Wizards 108 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider
Saunders said that every time his coaching staff focuses on one weakness, the team forgets everything else that it has learned. After training camp, the team focused on rebounding and became a better rebounding team. They focused on defense and became a better defensive team through the first 10 games. But the past few practices, the Wizards tried to address their offensive woes, then decided not to play defense against the young and exciting Thunder. So much for that carryover from the big win against the Cavaliers. "We focused on offense and we forgot all of our defensive concepts," Saunders said. "We have not evolved to be a total team, where we can grasp everything."
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Gilbert just upped the ante on his hunt to get 1,000,000 followers.
6 days ago
JakeTheSnake
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Briefing: Antawn Jamison is Unfamiliar With the Concept of Rust
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 19, 2009 3:01 PM EST
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Rust is natural. If you take someone away from something that they do on a regular basis for an extended amount of time, it takes sometime to get back into that rhythm. That's just the way things work, unless your name is Antawn Jamison.
Not only was Jamison thrown back into the starting lineup, but expected to carry the team as they slumped through most of the first half. If it weren't for his 21 points and 8 rebounds in the first half, the Wizards would have faced a much, much more formidable deficit heading into halftime. You tend to forget about these things when the team ends up winning by 17, but without Jamison's spectacular first half in his first game back from injury, the Wizards would be staring at a 2-8 record this morning. Antawn didn't waste anytime helping out where the team needed him to help out. That's what team captains do, and that's why he was so sorely missed when he was out.
Behind the Box Score, where the Nets still haven't won - Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don't Lie
After watching Antawn Jamison in this win, I'm convinced that every player should develop a cold after deeming themselves ready to return to action. That way, you don't feel as if you're coming right off the shelf, rather, you feel as if you've been waylaid by something else (a cold) that is easily overcome. Jamison fit right in, in his first game of the season, only turning the ball over two times in 38 minutes, pouring in 31 points in various styles and pulling in 10 rebounds (six offensive).
Wizards Plus: Jamison's title focus - Mike Jones, Washington Times
Before the start of the season, Jamison threw out the "C" word, saying a championship "is all I'm playing for." To keep that goal fresh in his mind, Jamison has an 8-inch-by-10-inch, framed color photograph of the Larry O'Brien Trophy hanging in his locker. On the wall that borders Jamison's locker, which is just outside the trainers room, is a poster-sized image of the trophy, also framed. "We need a little championship aura in here," Jamison said last week. He also said he plans on ordering a copy for all of his teammates' lockers.
Wizards 108, Cavaliers 91 - Mike Jones, Outlet
"Sometimes you don’t realize the little things," Jamison said. "One thing I’ve noticed lately is our energy level has been down, whether we miss a couple of shots or make a run, guys run to the huddle with their heads down and that’s something that I knew that I could come in and change that and just move that ball form one end to the other, another added weapon for them to really key in on. I’ve been sitting down for what seems like forever, so I had a lot of energy. I knew it was going to be different from what we’ve been doing." Jamison kept shooting, and kept barking at his teammates and eventually Mike Miller responded with back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter.
Is it a rivalry yet? Wizards top Cavs 108-91 - William Yoder, Agent Dagger
Antawn Jamison made his return Wednesday night and helped lead his Wizards to a 108-91 victory over Cleveland at the Verizon Center. The Wizards powerforward helped spark the Wizards with 31 points on 12 of 22 shooting, and10 rebounds. Jamison helped fill a void tonight that the club had strugled to fill all season. They had been missing the man on their team who keeps the club together when things get rough. When no one else can seem to put the ball in the hoop, grab the rebound, or make the defensive play, Antawn has been there. He was there tonight.
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The Death and Rebirth of Agent Zero
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 17, 2009 6:00 AM EST
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One of the major storylines of the early season has been the "new" Gilbert Arenas. The wacky, controversial shooter was apparently being replaced with a more subdued Gilbert Arenas who just wanted to get his teammates involved and become a pure point guard. On the media end, he was doing a good job for most of the season, only generating controversy when he didn't talk.
The results were more mixed on the court. At times this season, he's shown that he can be an elite passer. He's also shown that he can still score with the best of them when he gets (or gives himself) the green light. What he's struggled with this season is balancing between initiating the offense and knowing when to take over. Granted, it's a tricky line to walk, but rarely do you see someone fluctuate so wildly between being a scorer and a passer.
This back and forth between opposite ends of the offensive spectrum is a microcosm of Gilbert's career. He can play to any extreme that you want him to be (remember, he claims to be a Republican even though he has an Obama tattoo) but he can't fall in the middle. Look at his interactions with the media. He could have very easily decided to just stick with the same general jocktalk that every other athlete uses and avoid all the controversy that came along with speaking his mind 100% of the time. Instead, he decided to go all the way to the opposite end of the interaction spectrum and avoid controversy by not talking at all. Staying medium hasn't worked well for Jim Zorn and it certainly won't work with Gilbert Arenas, that's just not who he is.
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Briefing: This Probably Isn't Going The Way Flip Saunders Planned It
by JakeTheSnake on Nov 15, 2009 1:27 PM EST
6 comments
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Poor Flip. Do you still think he would've taken the job in Washington if he had known nine games in that he would 2-7 and that Earl Boykins and Mike Miller would be the team's leading scorers in his first game against his former team? I know he'd point out that Jamison and Foye are injured and the team is still getting used to each other and a new system, but you have to think in the back of his mind if he's wondering if he's become latest victim of this snake-bitten franchise.
Wizards drop sixth straight game, losing to Pistons, 106-103 - Michael Lee, Washington Post
The Wizards hadn't topped 90 points since scoring a season-high 123 points against New Jersey on Oct. 31. Coming off a game in which they scored a season-low 76 against the Miami Heat, the Wizards reached that total with 3:32 left in the third quarter. They went ahead 78-69 when Caron Butler rebounded his own miss and made a layup. But the Wizards got too comfortable with the lead, and the Pistons closed out the period on a 9-2 run. "The stuff we did in the third quarter, that was the 19-win Wizards, from last year," Haywood said. "We don't need that."
Wizards' slide reaches six - Mike Jones, Washington Times
"It's like we're inventing ways to put ourselves in the hole," coach Flip Saunders said. "One thing that's very obvious with us - and has to change - is that if we don't make shots, the energy gets sucked out of us and we become very stagnant in the defense, and that carries over into the offense. Just because you're not making shots, you can't let that dictate the level of effort that you play with."
Wizards lose yet again, this makes six in a row - William Yoder, Agent Dagger
Despite the loss, tonight was far more encouraging than previous losses in what is now a six game losing streak. The Wizards put points on the board at a better rate than they had since they played the Nets at the end of October. Mike Miller returned and gave the club the versatility they have been missing, and Earl Boykins provided a tiny surge of energy off the bench that they have been missing.
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