AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

The Spurs were up 2-0 and they let the Lakers come back and beat them 4-2. Now I have to listen to another three weeks of crap about what a brave hero Kobe Bryant is and how its so great that Payton and Malone are going to get their championships. LA, you can kiss my ass. I never thought I would actually hate a team more than the Yankees (and being a Boston fan, that's saying something) but at least the Yankees have guys you can like and appreciate on their team. The Lakers have no redeeming qualities. There are no nice guys you can root for and respect the quality of their play. Its all "give me the damn ball" and "I'm so big that I can foul and not get called for it because the refs will dismiss it." If Sacramento wins the series between them and Minnesota then I look for the Lakers to be in the finals in 5 games or less. Minnesota might be able to push them to 6 but I don't think they have the experience to get over the hump. Maybe the Pacers can be a little more than a speed bump for the Lakers but without a true center, I just don't see the Pacers being able to overcome the odds and that just sucks because it would have been nice to see Reggie Miller retire on top.

On a side note, I'm going to stray in the realm of Mrs. X for a little bit. I don't watch American Idol but I hear about it from Mrs. X and I did catch a little bit of it during the final 4 while she was staying at my place (I was on the computer in the other room). First, all of you who say that the show is racist, shut up. People are so eager to cry racism when things don't go their way that its lost all meaning. The final 6 of this year included three African-Americans and a Hawaiian of Asian descent. Two out of three of a minority doesn't seem to be overly racist does it? Some have have also tried to cry racism by pointing back to the first season when Tamyra Gray finished fourth. Never mind the fact that, as Mrs. X tells me, she had a terrible performance that night. Imagine harking back to the days when people were actually judged based on the quality of their performance each time.

Now, did Jasmine deserve to get kicked off? Yes. I heard it in the other room and she was God awful. But Simon said that she would be okay if all of Hawaii voted for her and it appears that they might have. They also enjoy the advantage of being 6 hours behind EDT and get to hit the phone lines when there is less call traffic. Advantage Jasmine. I would also like to point out that LaToya and Fantasia sing very similar styles and will easily split votes. In addition, both have somewhat outstanding personality flaws. Fantasia is seen as a stuck up bitch while LaToya is referred to as cold and somewhat stiff. So there are many reasons besides race that seem to be driving things. Of course, there is also manipulation by Fox. Mrs. X told me when this season started, that she thought AI would be pushing hard to get a minority female or a teen (preferably both). So the viewers have been subjected to the judges slurping it up to Fantasia (who would be easily manipulated by her handlers to do whatever they told her to do. Diana would be an agreeable second choice as her youth would allow her handlers to make all the decisions for her for the first two years. But I think that Fox has steered things adequately for a Fantasia victory. Outrage is high enough that Jasmine will be voted off third no matter how well she does. Then, all the diva voters will converge, along with a bunch of others who have been stirred up by the racism card fears. I personally hope Diana wins just to see things turned on its ear.