Loyal Followers of the Chuck Wagon:

Tonight we play the Lakers in Los Angeles. It is going to be a tough game. The loss to Sacramento was inexcusable. We just simply can't lose those kind of games. It is imperative that we beat the teams we should beat if we want to successfully march to the playoffs. If we lose tonight, then we are back at .500 with a very hot, and surprisingly solid, Phoenix team coming into Toyota on Tuesday. It would be really nice to get a win tonight somehow. We have got to stay afloat.

When Tracy comes back, it will be very interesting to see how he fits into our rotation. Who do we start? Do we bring Tracy off the bench? Would Tracy even be willing to come off the bench? If we decide to bring him off the bench, would he randomly decide that he needs another surgery? These are all legitimate and important questions to ask at this juncture. I personally don't believe that TMac buys into our team concept, heart, which is not a good sign. He has the potential to run this team into the ground, but I trust Rick Adelman to not let this happen. I believe that if he shows a me-first attitude that he will be traded sooner, rather than later.

My heart of hearts tells me that for some reason TMac is going to play hard, and I would personally like to see him come off the bench with the likes of Carl Landry, Kyle Lowry and David Andersen. Look at the possible lineup:

Starters: Arron Brooks at the point. Trevor Ariza at shooting guard. Shane Battier at small forward. Luis Scola at power forward. Chuck Hayes at Center.

First substitution line up: Arron Brooks at the point. Trevor Ariza at shooting guard. Tracy McGrady at small forward. Carl Landry at power forward. Chuck Hayes at center.

Midway through 2nd quarter line up: Kyle Lowry at the point. Chase Budinger at shooting guard. Tracy McGrady at small forward. Carl Landry at power forward. David Andersen at center.

This second quarter line up is a quality one. There would be ample amount of space created with athleticism all over the floor. It could be a really solid combination with Lowry and McGrady slashing and geting open 3's for Budinger and Andersen, while also creating open 15 footers for Carl Landry. The running game would also be ideal with this line up assuming McGrady is willing to push it.

The finishing the game line up: numerous possibilities. Some combination of Lowry and or Brooks if one of them is hot. 2 of TMac/Battier/Ariza/Budinger with Scola or Landry down low. Yes, in a tight game against a big team, Hayes would probably need to be in the game. But, the addition to McGrady, a competent creator of a score, changes our whole complexion late in games. Our offense would be less stagnant in the half court while we would still possess the ability to run.

Our defense is starting to worry me a little bit. We are just out sized. Don't mistake out sized with out manned. We are not out manned. We have the talent and skill set to play with anyone, it is just tough sometimes when our 5 players are at such a size disadvantage. We are having a lot of trouble rebounding the ball with any consistency. Against Sacramento we really struggled to clean up the glass and gave up numerous second chance points. Hayes struggled pretty good for the first time this year against a more athletic big man. But, I honestly don't know where to go from that. Do we stick Landry on a big athletic Center? I am not too sure. I would just prefer to stay with Hayes.

About Hayes....has anyone else noticed his improvement on the offensive end? He actually has developed some pretty decent post moves which is a beautiful sight to see. He still does sometimes pick the wrong times to attack though.

Overall, I think we will bounce back from this recent adversity and continue to improve. I am very anxious to see if McGrady can be a team-first guy that just wants to win. It may be wishful thinking, but I believe he will be a valuable addition to our squad. And, if for some reason he is not, then it is bye-bye Tracy.

Good luck tonight Rocks.


The Noles won yesterday. I was very interested in seeing EJ Manual in a prominent role. He passed the first test. We didn't open up the whole playbook, and ran solidly throughout, but he shows potential. He is so big and athletic that the imagination can come up with numerous scenarios of him excelling in Jimbo's dynamic offense. It was nice to see Ty Jones back in there at running back and have himself a good game. Jermain Thomas really has run hard the last few games, and the future looks bright with our current crop of tail backs. Recievers did a nice job. Fortson played his best game of the season and had the best tackle for our team on EJ's only mistake of the game.

The defense played well in spots, but there are still so many weaknesses. We really need to tackle better and get more pressure from the front 4. Our tackling is horrendously bad at times. It makes us look like a JV defense. But, once again, very excited to see who Jimbo brings in to run that side of the ball. The bright spot: we can't get any worse.

We play Maryland next week in Mickey's final game inside The Doak. It will be an emotional game and we are breaking in some new Nike Oregon-like uniforms with Black Helmets. I thought our school colors were Garnet and Gold? I hate all these uniform experiments. Let's just do away with all these white out/black out games and stick to tradition. Garnet tops with Gold bottoms at home- with the occasional All Garnet look, and White tops with Gold pants on the road- with the occasional White top and Garnet pants look.


In other news, my gambling skills have really hit a wall. I need to get back on the drawing board and climb myself out of this funk. I am going to start giving a pick-of-the-day in NBA games starting tomorrow. I am hoping that this will help my luck. When you gamble like us Sims' do, it's easy to see why Vegas is such a successful city. In the end, unless you are really really good, you are probably going to lose. I believe in my ability to pick sporting contests, and I am determined to gain my bank roll back and beat Vegas. I am not going to stop until I do.

I just ordered a new computer that I cannot afford, but I went ahead and did it anyway. 2 23' LCD monitors are going to make doing research for my blogs much easier, and you can expect more posts from The Bomb of Dos. This new computer is also going to be used to create the resurgence of The Iced Out Eskimoz. I have already spoken to Big Yeast and IceBurg Slim, and there will be a few studio sessions that go on over the Thanksgiving Holiday. If anything of substance comes from them other than drunken freestyles, I will be sure to post the product on here. It's the IOE. This purchase of a computer has for sure pushed my move out date from my parent's home to at least June of next year- possibly longer. If it was up to me, I would stay forever. I don't see why not. I don't bother my parents. I leave them alone and have my own space. I pretty much just come home from work- couch it- eat it- then sleep it. I don't see why I would need to leave- I'd just be back over here for any Rocket or Nole or sporting event of interest because I would never have as good a TV setup out on my own. We will see what happens. My Father hinted at me yesterday that it was time to move out- but I am convinced that he didn't mean it. I think my Mother put him up to it- shame on them. I am a gift. They should cherish the time they have me. I am the Dos for crying out loud.

Does anyone else feel lost on Sundays? I really don't know what to do with myself on these days. I watch and gamble football, but I always feel worthless doing it. I do not feel worthless on Saturdays watching college games, but I do on Sundays. I don't understand. Maybe it is because I don't really have a pro team to route for. I have never been able to get into the Texans, even though I try to year after year. I need to come up with some scheme to make money and do all of my work on Sundays. So, if anyone has any ideas, please pass them along. I am money-hungry.

In closing, I would like to say Go Rockets and Go Noles. Happy Sunday to all the loyal followers of the Chuck Wagon. Take care and God Bless.

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