haiku for 5/6/11

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (R) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague in the first half of their Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball game in Atlanta, Georgia May 6, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL) Jamal Crawford thought that Game 2 was the best shot the Bulls could give against his [...]

What may be the most shocking thing that Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and former Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone have in common? Both superstars had to wait 12 years before winning an NBA MVP award. Isn’t that something? Malone, who played 19 seasons and was a 14-time All-Star, already is in the Hall of Fame, and Bryant is headed there. …

I get the playing with Legos-- because, well, Legos rock-- but the rest is. . .

Like any other baby, Stanley sleeps in a crib, wears diapers, and loves nothing better than being comforted by his mother as she bottle feeds him.

Except Stanley Thornton is 30-years-old - and his 'mother' is really his room-mate.

Mr Thornton seeks comfort in being treated like a baby, a condition known as paraphilic infantilism.

The 'adult baby' lives out his fantasies at his California apartment, where he has built himself a giant crib, play pen and even a man-sized high chair.

Wait, it gets better.

In 2000, he started website for other 'adult babies', where members can find 'mothers or 'babies', and tips on where to buy diapers.

According to his website, he used to work as a security guard, but had an accident and now claims disability benefit for a heart condition.

He first began his return to childhood when he was 14, as a way of coping when he started wetting the bed after being abused as a boy.

He was abused as a boy so to retreat, he pretends to be a baby again? I think he's past therapy at this point. On one hand, I feel a little bit sorry for him because abuse can mess someone up in the head. Obviously. But on the other. He didn't confront what happened to him, he ran and hide from it. And is still running.

KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California ... KMPH Fox 26 SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - Costa Rican rescuers on Friday found the body of a third US high school student who was swept out to sea while taking a beach break during a religious mission. A coast guard patrol recovered the body of Kai Lamar in waters ... and more »

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ALBAY, Philippines – Around 500 passengers headed for Catanduanes were stranded at the Tabaco City Port in Albay on Saturday, after sea travel was suspended by the Philippine Coast Guard due to rains and winds brought by tropical depression “Bebeng.”

As the Queen starts making her own Windsor wine, the industry enjoys a record year

✒ It's been a tremendous year for English wine with our vineyards producing an amazing 4m bottles, a record. And it turns out that the Queen is going to start making her own wine at Windsor, though you won't be able to buy it for three years and will, of course, have to wear a ridiculous hat while drinking it.

I popped along to English wine's annual show this week and tried as many as I could without falling down. The days when a French vigneron could say to me "yurr English wine, eet tastes of rain" are long gone, and some of the sparklers are now quite exceptional – far better than champagnes selling at the same £20-24 mark. In fact, some, such as Camel Valley, Ridgeview and Nyetimber, strike me as being just as good as the premium brands from famous names being sold to footballers and rock stars for more than £100 in shops and at even sillier prices in clubs and restaurants.

It's a matter of prestige. People still feel that for really special occasions, the wine must have the word "champagne" on the label. Soon, however, I'm sure people will say: "We're laying this aside for our daughter's engagement; it's from Cornwall…"

✒ I really enjoyed the royal wedding. I know most people didn't – the viewing figures were comfortably less than half the population – but I saw no point in leaving the country as some did. You could always keep the telly switched off.

But here are the seven worst things about it, aspects of the event that were actually quite annoying:

• Tony Blair and Gordon Brown not being invited. Whether Blair "cashed in" on Princess Diana's death (he didn't), or because Cherie refused to curtsey, or because Blair's memoirs said too much about his dealings with the royals, the snub was to all of us and to democracy. And it gave what should have been a national celebration a nasty, class-bound, party political tinge.

• Beatrice's fascinator, or "repulser" as it should have been called. As if Medusa had gone to Nicky Clarke.

• The fly-past. A miserable six planes! A real, eardrum-rattling, fly-past would have looked like an RAF raid on Schwenningen.

• Prince Harry's speech. Obviously we only have press reports, but a proper, traditional best man's speech would have been packed with disgusting jokes and filthy allusions to the groom's previous girlfriends. That is Prince Harry's role in life and he let us all down.

• John Rutter's specially composed anthem. Sounded like Coldplay.

• Elton John's hissy fit when he asked to be moved to a more prominent seat. Calm down, dear, as we say these days.

• The kiss. Call that a kiss? A bit of tongue, please, Will.

✒ Why does the BBC insist on calling the soldiers and police employed by various tyrants in the Middle East and north Africa "security forces"? For example: "In Syria, security forces are said to have killed up to 60 demonstrators…" Security is the last thing these people provide. The Beeb wouldn't say: "A bomb planted by IRA freedom fighters has caused at least 10 deaths…" Just say, "government troops".

✒ I've been watching some of the host of new cop shows on TV. (The BBC says it has scrubbed Zen because it wants more women detectives. Well, many of the women I know think that Rufus Sewell is quite all right to be going to on with. You might as well say: "Men aren't interested in watching Scarlett Johansson. They want to see burly chaps pouting on TV…")

The new crop of women detectives are real people, damaged and with problems. If they get on well with their male deputies, then they have a terrible relationship with their male superiors. As my colleagues in the Guardian have pointed out, the more realistic the cops, the more fanciful and improbable the murders. And the cliches remain the same, whether in Vera, Lewis or Case Sensitive.

Here are some more recent ones I've spotted: the first murder is usually the weirdest and is unexplained at the end. Any group of children having a boisterous outing will always stumble on a body. All mobile phone calls come at the worst possible moment. When the sidekick searches for a crucial clue on the internet, he invariably finds it immediately, usually with a cry of "bingo, boss!"

✒ Labels and notices, continued: Suzan Carter bought a pack of "whole almonds" from Sainsbury's: "allergy advice – contains nuts". David Voas also went to Sainsbury's, for a steak. The label gives instructions for cooking rare: "2 ½ to 4 minutes each side… Always check that the product is cooked throughout, and no pink colour remains." Thanks, paranoid lawyers!

Les Herbert bought some fish in his local posh supermarket, the one that pushes up house prices by just existing: "plaice fillets in a bespoke Waitrose crumb". A bespoke crumb? Sounds like a very annoying tailor's assistant in Jermyn Street.

Vic McLellan photographed a sign mounted on a fence by a stream near his home: "Kew Angling Society. Strictly No Fishing."

A reader who requested anonymity to spare his wife encloses a leaflet for the Estring brand vaginal ring, used to replace oestrogen for post-menopausal women: "The Estring vaginal ring is not recommended for use in children," it says. Into what bizarre mind could that warning have wandered?

Linda Paramor bought some limnanthes seeds for her garden. "Handy tip," it says on the packet, "plant carefully as they can be evasive." I love the idea of the flowers coyly hiding when anyone tries to admire them.

I didn't love the leaflet that came with Dick Tuckey's penicillin prescription: "Unwanted side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and black hairy tongue." No, please!

✒ David Scott startled me with a tale of a merciful guard on, of all services, Virgin. He was on a London to Manchester train sitting near two Norwegian tourists. One of them said he had lost his ticket and the ticket inspector let him off! "I won't tell you which train it was," David says, "because he would be sacked."

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Costa Rican rescuers on Friday found the body of a third U.S. high school student who was swept out to sea while taking a beach break during a religious mission. A coast guard patrol recovered the body of Kai ...

Bulls guard Derrick Rose shook off the sore ankle he's been dealing with and showed why he's the league MVP on Friday night in Atlanta. Rose sliced up Atlanta for a career-high 44 points as the Bulls seized control of the Eastern Conference semifinals with their best performance of the postseason, romping to a 99-82 victory over the Hawks in Game 3. "Derrick was in attack mode, obviously," coach

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Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich was inactive for Game 3 on Friday night as Atlanta hosted Chicago. Coach Larry Drew has said he's not counting on Hinrich to play during the series as he continues to deal with a strained right hamstring. Hinrich suffered the injury while driving for a basket late in Atlanta's series-clinching victory against Orlando. The Bulls beat the Hawks, 99-82, to gain the 2-1 serie

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At a Strip Mall, Fans Keep Vigil for a Champion New York Times There, on the second level, above a laundry, a barber shop, a Thai restaurant and an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting place, is the Wild Card Boxing Club. A security guard in the driveway was the first sign that something was going on. ... and more »

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Children played in front yards and neighbors chatted under a cloudless sky Friday in a south Memphis neighborhood, yards away from the rising water of the Nonconnah Creek. The unforgiving creek has soaked Johnny Harris ' house as the rest of Memphis awaits flood waters from ...

Unless you live under a rock, you know Donald Trump is thinking about running for president. His sensational public endeavors—pushing the White House to release President Obama’s long-form birth certificate and, most recently, questioning the authenticity of the president’s academic record—have met with astonishment, outrage, and dismay. A recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek cover featured a photo of Trump in mid-rant with the one-word headline, “Seriously?” Journalists, commentators, and even Jerry Seinfeld (who recently canceled an appearance at a Trump fundraiser) have taken to calling Trump a demagogue.

In recent decades, this powerful term, traditionally a scalpel for taking apart dangerous leaders, has become blunt and ineffectual through overuse. I’ve been thinking and writing about demagogues for a decade. I’ve been watching with a mix of bemusement and concern as Trump strains to elevate himself into an actual political figure, rather than the ego tornado he’s been for decades. But one of the lessons of history is that, while it’s easy to underestimate demagogues, it’s also easy to overestimate them. For the time being, I’ve concluded that Trump is not a demagogue. He lacks both the common connection and the lawlessness of classic demagogues, whether Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez today or, in the past, figures ranging from Benito Mussolini to George Wallace to Joseph McCarthy. Instead, call him a quasi-demagogue: a political figure with the desire, but not the chops, to manipulate the masses. 

 

Demagogues are part of the natural life cycle of democracy. So much so that the Founding Fathers designed our various checks and balances and circuit-breakers in part from their mortal terror that a predatory mass leader—a demagogue—would convert popular adulation into American tyranny. James Madison, for instance, explained that “provisions against the measures of an interested majority,”such as an independent judiciary, were required to control “the followers of different Demagogues.” This doesn’t mean, however, that demagogues haven’t popped up throughout the country’s history.

During my years studying and watching demagogues, the one lesson that has stuck with me is this: Many politicians could become demagogues if they wanted to. They could choose the gross emotional appeal, the naked ambition, and the cunning blend of vulgarity and artistry that is the true demagogue’s métier. They don’t because most of them are governed by an ethic of shame. Where others blush and quail, the demagogue happily blusters ahead—crossing boundaries, coloring outside lines, toppling walls. 

Demagogues often look most ridiculous to the people they’re most uninterested in impressing. When the colorful, autocratic Louisiana Governor Huey Long was sworn into the U.S. Senate in 1931, it was precisely his clownishness that gave him such political amplitude. He prompted a firestorm of controversy when he met a German naval commander paying an official call in a pair of green silk pajamas and a bathrobe. One scholar writes, “[T]he lesson he learned from the incident was less the importance of diplomatic niceties than the value of buffoonery in winning national publicity.” With these techniques, Long soon attracted more attention from the press than his 99 Senatorial colleagues combined. He would have challenged FDR for president in 1936, had he not been assassinated by the son of a political opponent in 1935.

You might think that Trump’s own clownishness puts him in the class of a Huey Long. But let’s take a closer look. As I argued in my book Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies, a true demagogue meets four tests. First, he presents himself as a man of the people, rather than the elites. Second, he strikes a very strong, even overpowering emotional connection with the people. Third, he uses this connection for his own political benefit. Fourth, he threatens or breaks established rules of governance. This fourth test is the most important, distinguishing a demagogue like Huey Long (who routinely used the National Guard to intimidate or brutalize political opponents, for instance) from populists like William Jennings Bryan (who, as rambunctious as he may have been, tended to play by the rules).

For Trump, let’s take the four tests in turn. With his Theater of the Absurd hairdo and his massively knotted silk ties, his Manhattan address and his glitzy brand, Trump is hardly a man of the people. True, he’s employing incautious bluster as a proxy for common appeal. “Authenticity” has become the coin of today’s reality-television realm, and there is a mass appeal to his straight-talkin’ persona—this is why his recent use of the “f bomb” plays to his curious political strengths, even while appalling elites. But for Trump to swap his fancy persona for that of a commoner would require him to blow up the brand he’s spent decades building, a task for which he is probably not constitutionally capable.

Second, Trump does not have the broad emotional appeal to the masses that marks the classic demagogue. Over the last decades, Trump has enjoyed billions of dollars of both paid and earned media exposure. He couldn’t be better-known by the American people. Yet he is consistently polling under 20 percent right now among Republicans and right-leaning independents (a recent CNN poll has him at only 14 percent), giving him a base of well under one in ten among the general voting population. The emotional surge for Trump among the very hard-core Tea Party right should certainly be noted. But it’s more likely this brushfire halts at a particular firebreak: the general American public’s hostility and suspicion to the Tea Partiers.

On the third test, it’s very unclear whether Trump is interested in actual political power, or just in increasing his personal brand and wealth. Even now, we can’t tell whether he will run—and keep running, after the glitz of the initial launch wears off—for president. Even if he gets into the race, will he slog through the hard work of an 18-month campaign, including getting on the ballot in all 50 states, participating in debates, developing policy positions? And, if he drops out, will he really have an interest in putting his shoulder to a real political end? Time will tell, but the initial signs are that this is mostly about Trumpery rather than government.

The most important test is the fourth—that demagogues, unlike populists, bend or break the rules. Trump clearly has no inhibition about lying for political benefit. But real demagogues go much further. Look at Joseph McCarthy, who used his selected issue of anti-communism to demolish people’s personal and professional lives. It’s hard to imagine that Trump really wants to encourage threatening behavior. But, if he ever started to ask his followers to test boundaries of lawfulness, to “challenge authority,” our hackles should quickly rise.

 

None of this means Trump isn’t worth taking seriously. To the contrary: Where Trump is succeeding in his demagogic appeals, he’s also illuminating shadowy corners of the American public. And we have to take a hard look at how this is happening. Demagogues, like nightshade, have always flourished in dark places of extreme economic or social distress. The 1920s were the last great era of American demagoguery, when Huey Long and the Detroit “radio priest” Father Coughlin rallied millions of terrified Americans against elites. It’s been no surprise that the 2010s, a time of similar distress, have fostered divisive figures from Sarah Palin to Glenn Beck to Trump.

The lesson here is that today’s restless, upset public needs reassurance—and vigorous economic policy that addresses their concerns. But we also need the media to exercise some discretion. In today’s fragmented, 24-7 echo chamber, where 500,000 nightly viewers qualify you as a pundit and one persistent blogger can take over a news cycle, the media has more responsibility for steering the ship of state toward calmer waters. Trump—as quasi-demagogue—is a creation largely of the media. The real conspiracy isn’t Trump’s mania du jour; it’s hundreds of news editors, assignment editors, reporters, and bloggers who he’s playing like fiddles.

More broadly, though, history shows that the only real antidote to demagogues is an alert, vigilant civic culture. The ancient Athenians, exhausted by a series of vicious demagogues, passed a law exiling anyone who “proposed a measure contrary to democratic principles.” We probably don’t need to go so far, though some watching Trump today doubtless wouldn’t mind moving him to Canada. America, after all, is the land of the civic mores the visiting Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville chronicled and admired. And we almost always eventually turn on demagogues. The stars of Father Coughlin, Joseph McCarthy, George Wallace, and David Duke all rose for a time, but, when they fell, they crashed hard.

We can never be complacent about our constitutionalism, and the Trump phenomenon bears careful watching, lest the little fires he’s clearly capable of starting spread into a larger conflagration. But, in general, Americans have shown they’ve got what it takes to nip even quasi-demagogues in the bud. Take note of Palin and Beck’s recent fates: Under heavy fire from the public for their own excesses (a persecution complex in Palin’s case, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in Beck’s), they both are retreating to the sidelines.

We’re early in Trump’s political career, so I offer these judgments cautiously, but my suspicion is that Trump, too, will burn out, like a hot fuse on a cold rocket. This may already have started. When President Obama took the stage last week in his stunner of a press conference to take on Trump’s birther attacks, he declared, “We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.” A hilarious tweet I received shortly after said that carnival barkers were protesting that the comparison with Trump was giving them a bad name. And, of course, the president easily made Trump look both inane and irrelevant when the coverage of Osama bin Laden’s death interrupted “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

There’s also a final thing Trump himself should remember, before he goes farther down what is likely a dead-end road to demagoguery: History remembers Joseph Welch’s famous question to McCarthy—“Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”—as well as it remembers McCarthy himself. Trump has shown he doesn’t take criticism well, sending an angry retort to Vanity Fair and appearing openly thin-skinned after jokes were made at his expense at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He will likely realize soon, if he hasn’t already, that his brand, not to mention his ego, will not sustain the sort of historical thrashing that will inevitably follow any further pf demagogic aspirations. Indeed, in the end, The Donald’s self-love might just be his own best friend.

Michael Signer is Managing Principal of Madison Law & Strategy Group, PLLC and an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech. He was a 2009 candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia and chairs the New Dominion Project, a Virginia political action committee.

Follow @tnr on Twitter.

 

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Costa Rican rescuers on Friday found the body of a third U.S. high school student who was swept out to sea while taking a beach break during a religious mission.

A coast guard patrol recovered the body of Kai Lamar in waters off Bejuco beach on the Pacific coast, said Jesus Escalona, Red Cross assistant director of operations. The bodies of the other two students, Caity Jones and James Smith, were found earlier this week.

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The Coast Guard closed a stretch of the swollen Mississippi to barge traffic Friday, then reopened it later in the day, while police farther south in Memphis went door to door, warning thousands of people to leave before they get swamped.

Record-breaking flooding on the Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers could reduce the availability of barges and disrupt commerce in the Pittsburgh region, port and Coast Guard officials said Friday.

Willie Mays turned 80 today, which is most probably not an event of major significance to most of my readers, but to all the baby boomers like me, it is certainly a monumental event.  It is not merely the fact of Willie’s advancing age, but the fact that our own ages are also advancing that is so shocking.  I grew up loving baseball and having the opportunity to watch Willie, Mickey Mantle, and Duke Snider all play centerfield at the same time.  Only Willie survives of this glorious threesome, Mickey left us nearly 16 years ago and the Duke departed about 2 months ago.   It was a golden era of baseball, with the more recent popularity of other sports such as football, basketball, and hockey, perhaps it is a golden era of baseball that is lost forever in the past.  It was an era that I feel fortunate to have witnessed.

It certainly appears that we are witnessing a changing of the guard in the NBA this playoff season, and this is very refreshing to me.  San Antonio, the #1 seed in the Western Conference, has already bit the dust at the hands of the upstart Memphis Grizzlies, and the defending Champion Los Angeles Lakers are currently trailing the Dallas Mavericks 0-3 in the second round.  The Boston Celtics are down 0-2 to the Miami Heat and they appear to be in dire straits without a big man in the middle.  I personally would love to see the Chicago Bulls winning the Eastern Conference and either Memphis or Oklahoma City advancing in the Western Conference. “New blood, you gotta love it” would make a great NBA advertising.  Speaking of Dire Straits:

The Kentucky Derby is this afternoon, and it is amazing to realize that it has been 33 years since the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed in 1978.  Even more unbelievable is that is has been 44 years since baseball had a Triple Crown winner, Carl Yastrzemski for the Boston Red Sox in 1967.  Baseball’s National League has not had a Triple Crown Winner for 74 seasons, Joe Medwick for the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1937.  Here’s hoping that both Horse Racing and Baseball end these streaks soon.  Both sports could use the notoriety. 

It is nearing the time that the 2011 NFL season is going to be put in permanent jeopardy.  Last week’s NFL Player Draft was just a temporary appeasement and It appears that absolutely NOTHING is being done to settle the lock-out.   I, for one, am completely fed up with the whole sordid affair.  It is time for us fans to boycott the NFL and to turn our attention to the upcoming NCAA Football season.

AP – Children played in front yards and neighbors chatted under a cloudless sky Friday in a south Memphis neighborhood, yards away from the rising water of the Nonconnah Creek. More: continued here

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Children played in front yards and neighbors chatted under a cloudless sky Friday in a south Memphis neighborhood, yards away from the rising water of the Nonconnah Creek.

A great white shark was spotted circling a dead Minke whale off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Friday. The whale died when it became tangled in some lobster gear. After spotting the whale in the distance, mackerel fisherman Jeff Lynch called the coast guard and moved in with his camera, snapping ...

Roanoke Times

Officials salute opening of veterans cemetery near Dublin Roanoke Times Acreage that had been part of the Radford arsenal is the third burial ground for veterans in Virginia. By Amy Matzke-Fawcett Jim Fender of the Disabled American Veterans honor guard presents the flag at the beginning of the cemetery dedication ceremony ... Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery OpensWSET Southwest Virginia Veteran's Cemetery opens in DublinWSLS Southwest Virginia Veterans' Cemetery opens in DublinWDBJ7.com The Republic all 15 news articles »

Leslie Goldman is a diehard workout junkie whose high school athletic experience was limited to sophomore year Color Guard.

"If you doubt his quickness, or you doubt his ball-handling ability, you just saw it right there." Truer words were never spoken, Hubie Brown. Yikes-a-daisies.

Hiccup-quick crossovers and eventual detonations weren't all Derrick Rose did right in the first half of Game 3 of his Chicago Bulls' Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. After appearing a step slow due to his nagging left ankle sprain in Games 1 and 2, Rose looked none the worse for wear in the first two periods at Philips Arena, scoring 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting, notching three assists with no turnovers, and generally dominating in a manner befitting the league's Most Valuable Player.

Fresh off a fawning piece by some jerk, Hawks point guard Jeff Teague got off to a fast start as well, hitting his first five shots and finishing the half with a team-leading 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting, one assist and one turnover.

Poor shooting by Teague's mates spurred by solid Bulls defense (the other Hawks were a combined 12-for-31 from the field) and hot shooting by Rose's spurred by not-so-solid Hawks defense (the other Bulls were just a tick under 50 percent at 14-for-30) helped tell the tale, as Chicago took a 56-43 lead into halftime.

International readers ("Int'l read'rs"): If the clip above isn't rocking for you, please feel free to check the cross-and-crush elsewhere.

It was obvious from the living room, the stands, and both benches. The Atlanta Hawks were not prepared to match effort levels with a desperate Chicago Bulls team in Friday's Game 3, and as a result Chicago pulled away for a one-sided win. Hawks coach Larry Drew was forced into calling a timeout less than one minute into his team's home game to try and wake his players up, but the Hawks never responded, and ended up losing by a 99-82 mark. As a result, Chicago has taken back the home court advantage in this series.

Though Atlanta's lack of motivation and dodgy execution helped guide him toward a career-high in points, a springy pair of legs and accurate touch from outside also shepherded Derrick Rose toward 44 needed points for Chicago. The Bulls, ever the constant in this regard, came out and played stifling defense throughout the win, and when paired with Rose's brilliance and Atlanta's apathy, a blowout resulted.

Drew could tell right away that things were off.

"When I called that timeout 47 seconds into the game," the Hawks coach said following his team's loss, "I saw then and there that my team had not made that commitment that we made in Game 1. I knew. I saw an energy level, and that right away I knew we were in trouble. You have to come out and match energy and effort. Forget about Xs and Os."

Chicago's Xs and Os were on point, all night. The team's coaching staff was able to clear the strong side of the court easier in order to aid Rose in finding both clear lanes to the rim, or making it so the Hawks had to over-commit to the lanes he suddenly seemed able to drive into. Because Atlanta's defense was so lax, Rose was able to both get to the rim, or scare Hawks guard Jeff Teague into giving him room on a jumper that just wasn't there in Games 1 and 2. Rose hit for just 20 percent of his three-pointers before Game 3, but he nailed three of six in Friday's win.

Atlanta had no answers offensively either. Luol Deng was an absolute dominant force defensively, chasing around Joe Johnson and then Jamal Crawford (who combined to miss 12 of 19 shots) through screens and around the baseline, and catching up with the two in transition when other Bulls were lost on cross-matches.

Chicago's guards also made life hellish for Al Horford as he received passes in his wheelhouse -- spotted up 18-feet from the basket -- helping and swiping as he unsteadily rose for flat-footed jumpers that he had made with greater statistical regularity than any other big man in the NBA during the regular season.

With those three options gone mute, and Atlanta's transition game taken away by all the Bulls makes on the other end, the Hawks had no choice but to limp to just 82 points despite hitting 47 percent from the field.

Chicago wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders offensively, but it was clear from the start that they were going to have good chances from the field if Atlanta continued to defend as listlessly as they were in the first quarter. The Bulls had several good looks in the first quarter that would not go down; the Hawks failed to ramp up the defense, and the result was a fantastic 125 points per 100 possessions mark for Chicago once the nice looks started falling.

Though the Bulls talked about pushing the pace after Game 2, and insisted on it before Game 3, this was actually a slow-paced game overall (don't listen to the newspapers that tell you otherwise tomorrow) and finished with just 79 possessions. The team just moved the ball with expert precision and Rose had the touch. He absolutely could not be stopped from anywhere on the court.

The MVP had 44 points on 27 shots, with eight made free throws, five rebounds, and seven assists. He had just two turnovers despite dominating the ball for nearly 38 minutes, with a block and a steal. And anytime Rose or his cohorts missed, the team's offensive glass work was good enough to put Atlanta away. The Bulls picked up offensive rebounds on a dominant 42 percent of its chances in that area, a ridiculous number created almost entirely by Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson's combined 15 offensive rebounds.

The Hawks, frankly, seemed comfortable in just standing around and watching. Atlanta wasn't letting Chicago waltz to the basket or beat them badly to open spots, but it was significantly easier for Chicago to get where they wanted in Game 3. Atlanta's coach, for whatever it's worth, seems beside himself at his lack of options in that area.

"There has to be a genuine excitement when playing in front of our home fans." Drew said postgame. "There has to be a self-motivation. When I called that timeout [in the first quarter], I just wanted to make them aware that 'Hey guys, we are not ready to play.' "

Atlanta, as is usually the case in disappointments like this, did not shock with their middling effort. There wasn't any overt laziness or refund-worthy play. The Hawks just seemed happy with letting the game happen, rather than matching Chicago's intensity long enough to try to make an impact that goes beyond merely showing up.

"They play hard," Jamal Crawford pointed out following the loss. "That's how they won 62 games, they compete and they play hard all the time. They don't take rests in the regular season, and they don't take rests in the playoffs."

That's Atlanta's problem. The Hawks treated this game like one of 82, instead of the most important game of their career. Chicago saw its own season flash before its eyes, got desperate, and did what it needed to do.

The Hawks had no such worries, and the team is now forced to win three out of their next four. With two games left to play in Chicago against a Bulls team that has beaten them four out of the six times they've played this season, that's no small task.

And if the Hawks came out with the same attitude we saw on Friday night, they've got no possible chance. Take it from their coach.

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ATLANTA – They say bad habits from the regular season carry over, and apparently that’s true. For instance, just because it’s the playoffs doesn’t mean the Hawks have stopped mailing in games.

In a season full of baffling home blowouts, the Hawks added another to the list in a 99-82 loss to Chicago in Game 3. It was the eighth time this season Atlanta lost at Philips Arena by 15 points or more, falling behind almost immediately as Derrick Rose eviscerated them for 44 points. The Bulls lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Sunday.

While Rose’s brilliance meant Atlanta was unlikely to win this game no matter what they did, the Hawks felt the lopsided nature of the defeat was more a result of apathy than execution or Xs and Os. Few in the audience disagreed.

The turning point? How about the 49-second mark. Hawks coach Larry Drew called as early a timeout as you’ll ever see after two easy baskets gave the Bulls a 4-0 lead. What set him off was an easy transition lay-up for Rose after a defensive board, a bucket that opened the floodgates on his career-high performance.

“I saw an energy level that, right away, I knew we were in trouble,” said Drew. “When you play an explosive guard like Derrick Rose, you have to make a commitment to getting back and making sure you try to keep him out of the paint. He’s too fast and too explosive.”

“I saw right then and there my team had not made the commitment we made in Game 1. We know he’s so good and explosive that he can get in there. But when I don’t’ see the effort on getting back in transition, not getting there and allowing them to get to the basket without a contest, I knew that we were not committed like we were in Games 1 and 2.”

The only energy in the arena, in fact, came from the Bulls fans chanting “MVP” after most of Rose’s 16 field goals. For the third time this season, the arena had a heavy sprinkling of Bulls fans, adding insult to injury as Atlanta’s “home” crowed cheered its demise.

And it should be noted that Rose foiled the Hawks even when their efforts were up to snuff. The most crucial instance was coming out of a timeout after the Hawks had cut the Bulls’ lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter. On Chicago’s possession, Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford played great denial defense to eliminate a play the Bulls had diagrammed for Kyle Korver. No matter; Rose improvised and hit a difficult shot on the other side of the floor to end the Atlanta rally.

“That’s frustrating, for sure,” said Crawford. “Plays like that kind of stick the needle in the balloon, because you’re fighting so hard to get back and then he makes an incredible shot.”

There were subplots for Atlanta that were equally disheartening, however. While Rose was having his way on the perimeter, the Hawks were also getting destroyed on the glass. The Bulls had 18 offensive rebounds, nearly matching the Hawks’ total on the defensive glass (25); the board dominance gave Chicago a nine-possession edge.

“They completely beat us up,” said Drew. “My big guys didn’t show up tonight and I told them that at halftime. You have to play this team with energy, you have to match their physicality, you cannot complain to the officials, and you have to be ready to make it a war for 48 minutes. Tonight we did not do that.”

One option for Atlanta to deal with the board disparity is returning Jason Collins to the starting lineup, something Drew said he will consider based on what he finds when he watches the tape. That lineup has its own issues – scoring immediately becomes a concern, especially against the league’s top-ranked defense – but if it can stem the bleeding on the defensive end it might be worth it.

And obviously, having Kirk Hinrich would have helped. With Rose appearing back at full strength after struggling with ankle problems in the first two games, Teague’s general inexperience and his lack of size to contest Rose’s shot became much more glaring shortcomings.

Nonetheless, to a man the Hawks admitted that the greatest remedy is to simply play harder.

“It’s just disheartening to come out and start the game like that,” said Crawford.

It’s a sight the locals have witnessed far too often this year; as was the case with this game, usually right after they’d been sucked in by a recent burst of success. The glass-half-full approach is to say the Hawks weren’t winning this one anyway with Rose going off as he was, so perhaps it’s best to get it out of their system now.

But based on recent history, there’s little assurance the Philips Arena crowd won’t get an encore performance on Sunday.

The culture-enrichers keep pouring into Lampedusa. Depending on which news story you read, 500, 800, 831, or 1,400 new arrivals landed on the island overnight.

First, two boats with 500 people:

500 Refugees From Libya Make Landfall in Lampedusa

(AGI) Palermo — Two boats that sailed from Libya with 500 refugees made landfall on the island of Lampedusa this evening.

The boats were sighted this afternoon by an aircraft of the Coast Guard. The disembarkment operations were concluded slightly before 10 pm this evening at the Favaloro dock, where a total of 500 migrants came on shore, including approximately thirty women and children, all of who originated from Sub-Saharan Countries.

Next, a total of five boats with 800:

More Than 800 Arrived Last Night in Lampedusa

(ANSAmed) — Lampedusa (agrigento), May 6 — Immigrants are arriving on Lampedusa in high numbers again: more than 800 in a single day. Another boat, the fifth in a few hours time, arrived last night just before midnight after it was intercepted by a patrol boat of the Italian Finance Police, 19 miles west of the island. The barge had 60 non-EU citizens on board, including one woman, almost certainly departed from Tunisia.

Seven more immigrants were detained last night by the police in Linosa, the smallest of the Pelagie islands, immediately after they landed. Most migrants who arrived yesterday in Lampedusa, and have been taken to the first reception centre, are refugees from countries in the sub-Saharan area, who had departed from Libya.

The number was later revised to 831:

Lampedusa Witnesses Arrival of 831 Migrants in 12 Hours

(AGI) Palermo — Last night, Lampedusa witnessed the arrival of a 5th migrant boat in just over 12 hours. Last night’s’ landings raised the arrivals total to 831. A bout of bad weather had put a temporary halt to migrant flows from Libya, now in full swing. Docking at Favaloro quay, of yesterday’s 5 landings, two boats alone accounted for some 500 migrants; two other boats accounted for 216 Libyans and 50 Tunisians. Nine other Tunisians are reported to have landed on the island of Linosa.

Steen sent an Italian TV news report about Lampedusa. I’m hoping for a translation later, maybe tomorrow, but the title of the clip refers to a total of 1,400 migrants.

Let’s pause for a moment and consider these numbers. We’ll use the median published figure of 800 migrants during the previous 24-hour period. The MSM reports (see below) are stuck on 25,000 as the total number of refugees that have arrived in Italy since January. However, three weeks ago the Italian government put the figure at 27,000, and I have seen more than 3,000 additional immigrants reported since then. So the correct number is at least 30,000, which is what I have been using for a while.

By agreement with Tunisia, Italy is allowed to repatriate up to sixty migrants a day. The most recent reports indicate that the Italians are not heaving out the Tunisians as fast as that; the average has been about thirty repatriations per day since they began in early April.

About five hundred Tunisians have managed to sneak across the border into France, and various other European countries have willingly accepted small groups of the North African migrants — the reported numbers seem to indicate that about six hundred have been shipped out so far.

So we start with 30,000, subtract 1,000 repatriations, and 1,100 relocations (official or otherwise), leaving roughly 28,000 recently arrived culture-enrichers in Italy.

And Italy just acquired 800 more over a single 24-hour period.

Let’s assume that those 800 arrive only sporadically, maybe once every four days. That would mean that an average of 200 refugees are being added every day. While that’s going on, an average of thirty per day are repatriated, and three per day are being sent to other European countries.

Which means Italy is gaining 167 culture enrichers per day, or roughly 5,000 per month.

Obviously, the current situation cannot continue indefinitely.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
In other “Camp of the Saints” news, Italy is now conferring with Malta over their common plight:

Frattini Speaks of Common Interest With Malta Over Migrants

(AGI) Palermo — Franco Frattini said that Italy and Malta have a common interest in the EU taking strong action over immigration. The foreign minister was speaking to journalists in Palermo. Following last Monday’s formal protest to Malta over a boat with 416 migrants on board that the Maltese didn’t assist after it sent an SOS when in Maltese waters, he assured, “It is an interest on which we will never be divided.”

Meanwhile, the head of the European Commission concedes that there may have to be some adjustments made to the Schengen Agreement:

Barroso Wants Schengen Rules Assessed Case by Case

(AGI) Palermo — At a press conference that followed the final day of the PPE study conference in Palermo, the president of the European Commission, Jose’ Barroso, has said “We will not abolish the Schengen Treaty” but apply the rules on a case by case basis as happened recently between Italy and France.

Barroso said he would immediately return to Brussels and had no plans to visit Lampedusa.

SwissInfo has more details on the proposed Schengen changes. Some excerpts are below; the full text will be included in the news feed.

Notice the article uses the 25,000 figure, as do virtually all the major MSM outlets. This shows that the media — and presumably the bureaucrats in Brussels — are not being honest about the extent of the crisis in Italy:

EU Moots New Schengen Rules

The European Commission has put forward new proposals to ensure the “better management of migration” in the wake of an influx of immigrants from North Africa.

The Commission has been pressed by Italy and France, who say reform is needed to “restore the faith of citizens in free movement”.

The proposals, outlined on Wednesday, are being submitted to European Union interior ministers and to the three non-EU Schengen member states, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

The 25-member Schengen area has scrapped systematic border controls between its members, allowing for passport free travel within the zone.

The Commission has now said the “temporary reintroduction” of limited border controls could sometimes be necessary “under very exceptional circumstances, such as where a part of the external border comes under heavy unexpected pressure”.

But the EU commissioner for home affairs, Cecilia Malmström, has stressed that any such measures must be temporary and geographically limited.

Switzerland, which has been a full member of the Schengen area since March 2009, will take part in the discussions of the new measures, but not have a vote.

The Swiss government will decide whether to apply any new rules on immigration and border controls.

Rethink

Many of the proposals are in fact updates of previous ideas which had been somewhat coolly received in EU capitals. But the row between France and Italy over the arrival of 25,000 migrants from Tunisia in the Schengen area has led to a rethink in many countries.

For example, France is currently exercising strict border controls at Ventimiglia (on its border with Italy) because of the influx of North Africans via the Italian island of Lampedusa, many of whom have said they want to go to France.

Until now, the only situation in which border controls can be reintroduced is when there is a serious threat to public order.

Any requests for the reestablishment of controls are assessed by the Commission. So far – about a dozen cases – it has always agreed.

[…]

“The answer to migration flows should not be a reintroduction of border controls or a change in the Schengen rules,” wrote former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt on the website of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, which he chairs.

“What we need is transparency and accountability: The Commission and parliament should be involved in the evaluation of the concepts of ‘public order’ inside the Schengen area to prevent unilateral decisions of re-introducing border controls.”

Both France and the European Union say that they do not intend to put these measures into action, but that they are regarded as a “deterrent weapon to force states to respect their obligations”.

But this is no easy matter for those who have large maritime frontiers. Greece, for example, has a problem controlling its long sea border with Turkey. The Commission says it should be given more help, in particular by increasing the funding for Frontex, the EU agency for external border security.

[…]

Malmström is clear that there should be no going back on Schengen.

“The free movement of people across European borders is a major achievement which must not be reversed, but rather strengthened,” says a press release from the European Commission.

The proposals will be now be discussed by the Schengen interior ministers. A decision will be taken by EU leaders at the end of June.

That’s today’s news from the Camp of the Saints. I’m sure there will be more tomorrow — in fact, I already have in hand a translation from the German.

Stay tuned.


Hat tips: C. Cantoni and Insubria.

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Chicago point guard scores 44 in 99-82 Game 3 demolition of Atlanta

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Children played in front yards and neighbors chatted under a cloudless sky Friday in a south Memphis neighborhood, yards away from the rising water of the Nonconnah Creek.

They've been trying to fire the guy for several years, and now at the 11th hour he resigns? I like Kool-Aid, but I'm not drinking this batch.  I've lived in the Washington D.C. area long enough to know that the last place Maryland Basketball Coach Gary Williams wants to be is off the sidelines.  Dude is part of the fabric of college basketball. 

Who else is gonna upset Duke and North Carolina in the ACC?

Williams has won way too many games to simply walk away.  He says his health is fine.  He says he still loves the game.  He says it was his decision.  But I have one question: Why now? If you were truly secure in the position and had a good recruiting class why would you abandon all of that?  Williams had some great young players on the team last season.  Were they the best in the ACC? Nope.  Did they have potential? Absolutely.  He had too much going for himself to roll out the way he did.

Is there more to the story? 

Are local media types in the Washington D.C. area drinking the Kool-Aid? Perhaps.  I know a lot of these reporters play golf with Williams.  A lot of journalists  in D.C. are good friends with Williams.  There's nothing wrong with that.  He's a great guy from what I'm told.  Very friendly. Smart. Reflective. Kind.  He's the kind of guy who you'd want to be your best friend—very loyal.  But are the right questions being asked about William's so called retirement?

I doubt it.

I'm not throwing my fellow journalism brothers and sisters under the bus, but you've got to admit:  It doesn't sound right.  It doesn't look right. Why?  Because the entire ordeal isn't right.  Something is missing here folks.  There's an underlying issue somewhere, some place. A guy with this much talent, experience, and skill simply doesn't turn in his coaches playbook while Coach K is gearing up for another national championship run.

It's well documented that former Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow wanted Williams out a couple of years ago.  It was a nasty experience that was never fully explained or resolved.  Yow wanted more from Williams.  She wanted another national championship.  She wanted CBS Sports crews roaming the campus in College Park reporting news about the Terps being back in the Final Four or the championship game.  But it wasn't to be.  Williams and his Terps had hit mediocrity.  They were no longer a factor in the chase for March Madness. They were no longer a a serious contender in the ACC. 

To put it bluntly, Williams' program was slipping.

Fortunately for Williams, Yow took another AD job in the Carolinas.  But the feud was well documented.  It got so bad that an assistant Athletic director under Yow also criticized Williams before Yow split. Williams defiantly asked Yow's deputy:  How many national championships have you won?  Good one Williams.  Score one for Gary.  Was she Yow's mouthpiece?  Perhaps. Good Cop, Bad Cop routine? Maybe. Yow never publicly trashed Williams.  She was smarter than that.

Heck, Williams is a basketball icon in the D.C. region.  He won a national championship in 2002 with current Lakers guard Steve Blake running the offense.  He resurrected the Terps Basketball program.  It was left in shambles following the death of Len Bias, the legendary Maryland basketball superstar who died of cocaine use shortly after being drafted number one by the Boston Celtics.

The line in the sand had been drawn, and even though Yow was history, the critics were already circling Comcast Center.  The doubters were present.  The vultures had set up shop in College Park, and they weren't leaving without some fresh or dead meat.  Williams didn't help his cause by not making the NCAA tournament field this past season.  He didn't help himself by refusing the recruit the talented "one and dones" who play one year of college basketball and then bolt for the NBA. 

He didn't play the game and that may have been another nail in his coffin.

More nails were soon to follow.  Namely, the announcement of Kevin Anderson as the new Athletic Director at Maryland.  Anyone with a little sense could see the handwriting on the wall in College Park.  Shortly arriving on campus, changes began happening quickly under Anderson.  Long time football coach Ralph Friedgen was replaced.  It didn't sound like he wanted to go, but he was out.  Questions began swirling about whether Anderson approved of the Fridges' coaching staff.  Should he hire this guy or that guy to bolster the staff? 

Next, Maryland took the unusual step of announcing Freidgen's replacement before he left.  You've heard it before: The coach in waiting.  I've always thought "the coach in waiting" must produce a lot of sleepless nights for the current coach.  But what's done was done. Unfortunately for the Terps the "coach in waiting" took another job, and Maryland was left hanging.  Lucky for Anderson, he found former Connecticut Football Coach Bobby Edsall waiting in the wings to accept the job.

Anderson never gave Williams a vote of confidence.  Call him Yow-light if you will.  Did he push Williams out?  Williams says no.  He says it was time to go. Too many years in one coaching job.  His tear-filled resignation speech carried "live" nationally was hard to watch.  Something didn't seem right.  Something seemed off.  I just didn't get the sense Williams was happy or in my humble opinion, happy about the way it ended on the Maryland Campus.  From where I sat, those joining him on the stage were simply going through the motions. 

Look, I don't know much about Anderson. But I respect the fact that he has to bring some national championships back to the basketball program.  I respect the fact that he has to make the Terps football team a national contender.  The Washington D.C area is too large not have a collegiate national contender in basketball and football. His plate is full.  The pressure is on.  He's made the changes. Now let's see if they were the right changes.

Despite what everyone is saying, including Williams, it feels like the Terps now former basketball coach was pushed.  Shown the door. Nudged out. 22 years at Maryland. 668 career victories at Maryland, American, Boston College, and Ohio State.  I'll tell you folks, 668 wins is a lot of wins.  If you're Maryland do you not lean on Williams for basketball advice after 33 years of roaming the sidelines?  Do you "find a place" for him?  Just askin'.  Or, do you simply hold the plastic news conference, read a few citations, trot out some former players, and say thank you?

Gary Williams had fallen on hard times in College Park.  The landscape of college basketball was changing.  It's a slippery landscape.  Loaded with influential AAU coaches directing high school superstars to a handul of college powerhouses around the country.  But did Williams deserve better treatment at the end? I beleive so.  Was he ready to retire? I doubt it.  At 66 years old, it's not like he uses a walker to enter the arena.  Physically he looks good. He sounds good.

I have two words for you: Bobby Cremins.  Cremins shocked the basketball world when he abruptly resigned from Georgia Tech in 2000 after 22 years and more than 450 wins.  Six years later he resurfaced at the College of Charleston.  Still gettin' it done.  Still one of the best.

Have we truly seen the last of  Gary Williams?

In a little more than two years since making his UFC debut, Stefan Struve has steadily risen through the ranks of the organization’s heaviest division. Although Struve insists that he isn’t feeling the pressure, the fact of the matter is “The Skyscraper” is on the brink of becoming a bonafide contender in the UFC's heavyweight division.

An established star on the European mixed martial arts circuit, before making his UFC debut in February of 2009, Struve has since claimed five wins in seven Octagon appearances—including victories over Paul Buentello, Christian Morecraft and, most recently, Sean McCorkle.

Right now, Struve is preparing for his next bout—a heavyweight tilt on May 28th against Travis Browne at UFC 130.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Stefan Struve about, among other topics, the joys of home-ownership, what he's been able to accomplish in the UFC so far and his upcoming bout against Browne later this month.

How are you doing today?

Good. I just finished training; I had grappling this morning with my training partners and had strength and conditioning in the evening and I just came home from my new house—I bought a new house. So, I’m doing really good.

You’ve got a new house?

Yeah, I just bought a new house a couple days ago—I just got the key yesterday.

How does that feel?

It’s awesome; it’s really nice. I bought my house with the money I’ve made in the UFC so far, so it’s been excellent.

That’s got to feel good.

Yeah, it feels really, really good. That’s another reason why I love my job.

The money?

Well, it’s not only the money that makes you happy, but the things that you can do with it; I bought a home for myself and that’s really nice. I’m really thankful for the way my career has gone so far.

Did you think, in the beginning, that you would be able to buy your own home with your talents as a mixed martial artist?

At first, I didn’t think about that. When I first signed my deal with the UFC, I didn’t think things would go this fast. That’s the truth.

Were you surprised to get that call from the UFC so early in your career?

Well, I was young—I was 20 years old—but to be honest, I was doing really, really good in Europe; I won 14 fights in a row and then I lost one and then I won five straight. For someone that’s 20 years old and fighting in the heavyweight division at 220 pounds, I think that’s pretty good, you know? We heard that Dream was following my fights and we heard that the UFC was following my fights and Affliction was following my fights, but when the offer finally came, of course we were very proud and a little surprised. The UFC is the biggest stage there is.

Was there any hesitation on your behalf to sign the contract?

To be honest, there was. At first we thought, if we signed with the UFC, then we would only be fighting three or four times a year. When I wasn’t fighting in the UFC, I was fighting seven-to-nine times a year. I really liked that rhythm, but to be honest, three or four times a year is good enough for me. With the way that I’m getting paid, it’s better because I can let my injuries heal and I can take more time to work on technical training instead of going back to strength and conditioning right after the fight, you know?

At this point, you prefer the three or four fights a year?

I think I will fight three times this year because this will be my first fight in May. I was supposed to fight in March against [Brendan] Schaub, but it got canceled because I had a small injury that I had to let heal and I needed some more time.

Do you think, looking back, it was a positive thing for your career that you got the opportunity to come to the UFC so early?

Yeah, of course I think it was. I was pretty much done fighting lower-level competition in Europe; there were no more big tests for me, to be honest. I’m getting tested in the UFC and I think Travis is another big test for me.

Did you have a “welcome to the UFC” moment, where it all kind of hit you that you were in the major league?

When it hit me? Yeah; fight-week, with all of the media attention and the attention from the crowd and the fans at the weigh-ins at the stage with all of the people in the audience. When I finally stepped into the Octagon I realized that I had to fight in the UFC for the first time and I thought, “Okay, now we’re here and now it needs to happen.” And it didn’t happen [laughs].

Was that at all overwhelming?

Yeah, everything was a little overwhelming; the media, the audience—everything. And then a guy like Junior Dos Santos is standing in front of you—who didn’t really have a big-name back then, but was coming off a big win over Fabricio Werdum—so he felt really good in there. I think I jammed; I couldn’t move, I didn’t do my thing, but losses happen and it made me stronger.

After a loss, do you ever question why you compete?

No, not really; I love my sport and I couldn’t be more thankful for the way my career has gone so far. Of course, after a loss you’re disappointed, but I never think, “Why am I doing this?” That never happens, no. 

How do you feel about what you’ve been able to accomplish so far in the UFC?

I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished so far; I’ve already got five wins—I’ve won five out of my last six—and my only two losses are against guys that are doing really well right now in the UFC. In the fight with Roy [Nelson], there were some things that were happening fight-week that—and you wish that those things didn’t happen—but they happen. For the future, it will be nice to get a rematch with both guys, but there’s no rush; I’m only 23 and, like I said, I’ve very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and I plan on winning my sixth fight in the UFC in a couple of weeks.

How much better do you feel you are now than when you first came into the UFC two years ago?

A lot, a lot, a lot better. I’ve worked on everything; my ground-game has improved a lot and especially my stand-up—if you look at my fights, I’ve improved so much. I think I weighed in at 239 pounds, and I’m at 260, 262 right now, so I’ve improved a lot.

You’re at 262, you said?

260, 262 or something like that; around 260.

Do you usually walk around that heavy?

No; I got a little heavier. I had some more time off after the fight, so I did more strength and conditioning to get bigger, you know? That was good. I did a lot of technical training after the fight with [Sean] McCorkle; a lot of BJJ and technical kick-boxing. I’ve improved a lot since my last fight.

Do you feel a lot stronger with that added weight?

Yeah. I’m feeling it a lot—especially when I’m hitting somebody with a punch. In the gym, I’m afraid to hit people with full-force, because I know that if I hit someone it’s good-night—that’s a good feeling. On the ground, as well; I’ve got a lot more strength. It’s really good.

What do you think you will weigh come fight night?

Somewhere around 260—I don’t know. When I started my camp, after my fight with McCorkle, I went to L.A. for two weeks and when I came back I was at 280. It’s pretty big, but I didn’t train a lot and I ate a lot of pizza and shit like that in L. A. Like I said, I think around 260.

What motivated you to put on the extra weight?

Look at who’s running the heavyweight division; Brock [Lesnar], [Shane] Carwin, [Cain] Velasquez and Dos Santos—those are big guys for their frames. I need to put more muscle on my frame. On my frame, I can easily go up to 280 or 290, in my opinion, and cut down, weigh in at 265 and weigh 280, 285 in the cage.

Is that something that you would be interested in doing in the future?

Yeah—in the future. I’m getting bigger every single fight and for my next fight, I may even have to cut a little bit before the fight. That’s for the next fight; I’m under the 265-limit right now.

Did you think, when you started your career, that you would ever be that heavy?

Of course I knew that I would get bigger eventually. Especially with the people in the gym, when I was young, they would say that if I did the right things—if I ate correct and kept on training—it will all come by itself. If I continued to do the right things, they said I’d become a monster. I said that sounded cool, but I was 16 years old when they said that, but they had it right [laughs].

I remember, I think it was in one of your first bouts in the UFC, Joe Rogan said that when you grow into your body and physically mature, then you would be a real force to be reckoned with. Now that that is becoming a reality, how confident are you?

I’m really confident for my next fight. Like I said, I’ve improved a lot. My kick-boxing and my ground-game was already really technical, but because I’m getting bigger and stronger right now, I feel that my technique is really starting to work; when I give someone a push-kick or a jab or something, it has impact and I can feel it. Like I said, when I spar, I’m afraid to hit somebody with all of my power, because I know, if I hit someone on the chin then it will be good-night [laughs]. That’s a really good feeling.

What does that mean to you?

[Laughs] To me, it means that Travis Browne is going to have a bad night at UFC 130, that’s for sure.

What problems does Travis pose to you?

He’s a big test; he’s got solid power in his fists and he’s got some powerful kicks. He’s a tall guy, he’s a good striker, but I feel that my ground-game is far ahead of his. He’s got some good wrestling, but I’m not really afraid of wrestlers because my ground-game is good and my guard is good—they don’t really want to be in my guard, in my opinion. You saw that in my last fight, when McCorkle took me down because he didn’t want to stand up with me, so he decided to take me down and after a couple minutes I reversed him and he didn’t have a chance on the ground against me.

Do you feel Travis has anything to offer that you haven’t already seen?

I’m not underestimating him; he’s a good fighter. He’s four inches smaller than me—that’s a lot—but, he’s still 6’7” and he’s got a lot of power in his hands.  In my opinion, it’s going to be an awesome fight. He always comes to fight and I always come to fight; we both love to throw leather. It’s going to be an awesome fight for the fans, for sure. He puts it all on the line and I put it all on the line...I like to be in a brawl and I just like to fight. It’s been too long; I wish I could just close my eyes and be in there [laughs].

What do you think Travis’ game plan will be going into this fight?

I think he’ll want to put pressure on me and, maybe, take me down to try to ground-and-pound me, but I don’t think he will succeed with that [laughs].

Do you have a prediction for how it’s going to end?

I don’t really do predictions for fights, but I always come to finish my fight—it’s the same thing with this fight at UFC 130; I’ll be coming in to finish the fight and he’ll be coming in to finish the fight. Of course I’m confident and I feel that I’m going to win this fight. Either by submission or knock-out—I don’t care—wherever the fight goes, it’s fine with me. I’m going to be in there to finish.

What would a win at UFC 130 mean to you?

A win at UFC 130 would be my sixth win and my third straight, so that’s a good feeling. I want to put another streak together and maybe go up against the bigger boys—we’ll see. There’s no rush; I’m only 23 years old, so I’m going in there without any sort of pressure—I’m just going to fight my ass off and I’m going to do it with a good feeling, that’s for sure.

Assuming you win, where do you see yourself in the UFC’s heavyweight division?

If I win, I’ll be top 10. I think I’m around top 10 now—maybe in it, but maybe not yet. I think being in the top 10 in the UFC for someone who is only 23 years old and fighting in the heavyweight division isn’t that bad. With the future ahead—like I said, no rush and no pressure—I’m just going to keep on giving awesome fights to the fans. When I get bigger and learn more, I’m going to make a run for the belt, but there’s no rush for that. This fight is the first fight that I’ve had coaches for every single thing, you know? At first, we did almost everything in our own gym, but now I’ve got a BJJ coach, I’ve got a strength and conditioning coach, I’ve got a coach for the stand-up, I’ve got new guys to train with. It’s been an awesome camp and I can’t wait to go show how much I’ve improved.

What inspired you to make that move?

All the guys do it that way, you know? I figured that I should give it a try and see how it works. You need people who are the best in their discipline; for the stand-up, ground-game, wrestling, strength and conditioning, nutrition. You need people who know everything about all of those things and it has been really good. I’ve learned a lot about every aspect. Especially for the mental aspect of the game; I’ve learned so much and I know for myself that that’s good. Like I said, I can’t wait to show all of the technique that I’ve learned.

Do you feel that everything is really coming together at this point?

This is just the start, in my opinion. If I can keep going like this for five or six years, then I see myself being one of the best in the UFC. Also, with the strength and the weight that I added, my wrestling has been going very good, I’ve been throwing people around easier than before. Like you said, it’s coming together a little bit, but for me it’s only the start.

What are your goals in the sport at this point?

At this point? Right now, the only goal is to win my fight at UFC 130. For the future, I still have at least 12 or 13 years of competition in me—and maybe ever more. Of course I want to have the belt around my waist at some time. I’m only 23 and doing really good in the UFC, so I see myself with a belt in a couple years.

Is that what motivates you to train every day?

Every single fight motivates me to work hard. It’s my job—I need money—and I get paid for delivering exciting fights. Another motivation is the appreciation that I get from my fans. I’m not a big contender yet; it’s not like people are talking about me fighting for the belt after my next fight or anything, but I get fan mail. I read things on the Internet and people talk to me on Twitter and Facebook—it’s very motivating. People love my fights and there are a lot of people that really appreciate the way I fight—that motivates me, too.

What do the fans mean to you?

A lot. Of course, without the fans this sport wouldn’t be this big. I always want to deliver a good fight and give the fans what they came to see and what they paid for.

Have you thought about what you might like to do in 12 or 13 years when you’re doing fighting?

Well, I can’t see myself involved in anything but sports, so I think owning a gym or anything related to sports; making people better, making people stronger. Maybe something related to nutrition. I want to learn about everything that has to do with my sport. I want to start studying again so I will learn even more about my body. I want to be the best with everything, you know?

Are you excited to see what the future holds for you as a mixed martial artist?

Like I said, I can’t wait for the future, but right now I love my job, I love my life, I love Holland—things are going very well. The future can wait, and I’ll just do my thing. You never know what will happen—you might get injured—so, I enjoy every second of this and I try my best to improve every day.

A game removed from an ankle tweaking that had Chicago fans concerned, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose rebounded with perhaps the best game of his young career. The reigning MVP put up a career-best 44 points in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Bulls beat the Hawks by a 99-82 score.

Rose scored his 44 points within 38 minutes on the court, shooting 16-for-27 with four three-pointers. He also dished seven assists and pulled down five rebounds. Joakim Noah was terrific in a supporting role; though he only scored two points, he was good for 15 rebounds and five blocks in a huge defensive effort.

The Hawks couldn't find an answer for either man, as Rose's shots kept falling and Noah's presence made inside scoring a tough undertaking. Jeff Teague added 21 points and Josh Smith added 17, but the Hawks were out-rebounded 47-34, and center Al Horford wasn't a serious scoring threat until the game was effectively out of reach.

The Bulls now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to one. Game 4 will tip off in Atlanta at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.

For more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Bulls blog, Blog a Bull, and our Hawks blog, Peachtree Hoops.

Coast Guard closes stretch of Mississippi; Memphis urges residents to leave their homes

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