Random Thoughts (June 23, 2008)

What a weekend! I have been living healthy for well over a month and have killed myself to try and get into shape. That plan went out the window on Saturday and Sunday. I spent Saturday down the Cape at my friends wedding. The reception was at the Wychmere Harbor Club in Harwichport, located directly on Nantucket Sound. It was a great time. The food was excellent, the view was amazing and, after six weeks, the beers were ice cold and very tasty. Cheating on my diet could not be confined to just one day of pleasure. Yesterday I went to City Hall Plaza in Boston and thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ Beach Party put on by the Phantom Gourmet. I gorged on ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, potato salad, and baked beans. It was out of this world good. The best ribs were grilled up by the Aussom Aussie and after tasting the sauce at Butch's, I bought two bottles. I'm getting sick just thinking about my behavior this weekend but it was well worth it... The NBA Draft is on Thursday and I will have an updated mock draft on the way before then. Some interesting rumors are floating around. One has the Miami Heat shipping Dwayne Wade to the Bulls for the No. 1 overall pick, Tyrus Thomas and Larry Hughes. The Heat would then have the top two picks on Thursday (Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley most likely) along with a decent guard in Hughes and a good prospect in Thomas. The Bulls would add Wade to a backcourt of Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich and a frontline of Joakim Noah, Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden. This makes sense for Miami, a team that celebrated a championship two years ago but got old in a hurry. They could rebuild with Rose, Beasley and Thomas. For the Bulls, this trade makes sense to me only if they re-sign talented swingman Luol Deng and then move Gordon for a frontcourt scorer. The second trade rumor that caught my attention was the Phoenix Suns sending forward Boris Diaw to Toronto for guard TJ Ford and the 17th pick. To me, Phoenix is in serious panic mode. This is a franchise that ran Joe Johnson out of town, sells off first round picks (thanks for Rajon Rondo, 21st pick in 2006) to save cash and then goes out and trades for the remains of Shaq. I like them acquiring Ford, a player who is a health risk but would be perfect in a backup role behind Steve Nash. The Suns would also add the 17th pick to the 15th pick, allowing them to add some young depth. With Terry Porter replacing Mike D'Antoni, the Suns are already changing up some of the things that worked so well for them the last four years. Making a move like this, to get deeper and younger, would make me believe they are ready to transition into the future... The man in charge of operating the bright lights of the Boston sports spotlight can now direct his attention to Fenway Park. Hope you enjoyed April, May and June boys because we will all be watching you with a close eye for the rest of the summer... When the time comes, will anyone actually miss Dan Shaughnessy? I know that I won't... The Patriots open up training camp in just about one month... I can't say that I have watched every second of every game but the European Socc... err, Futbol Championships have caught my attention... Enjoy Manny Ramirez tonight...