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Posts Tagged ‘Sasha Vujacic’

The World in 2010

Posted in Journal, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

At the beginning of every new year various publications recap the year that was through the perspective of the media, which entails an encapsulation of news events no one truly genuinely about. Maclean’s “Year in Pictures” is the only summary of the years events I tend to purchase because,as I learned in my journalism class, pictures put events into words that even words can’t express.

On newstands everywhere

So fuck the traditional lists. Will Smith says it best in Hitch: “life is not about the amount of breaths, it’s the moments that take your breath away.”

To that end, here are the top moments of 2010 that took Gaber in Toronto’s breath away in chronological order (accompanied by pictures in tribute to Maclean’s).

January 1st, 2010: Counting down to 2010 in Times Square.

Empire State of Mind

Why it’s significant: see 5..4..3..2..1

March 16th, 2010: Acceptance into Ryerson University.

 

(Lizzie Peirce/GQ China)

Why it’s significant: Gave me something to do after Vancouver College, as well as an appropriate destination to continue chasing my SLAM magazine ambitions.

June 17th, 2010: Los Angeles Lakers edge out the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 of the NBA finals.

Sweet, sweet revenge

Why it’s significant: Judging by the Lakers’ performance this season and Kobe’s steady decline. This could’ve been the last stand of the decade old triumvirate of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson.

June 30th, 2010: Graduation from Vancouver College

(Mrs. Wong/GQ China)

Why it’s significant: The end of the best 5 year of my life with friends I’ll cherish for a lifetime. Vancouver College is the best high school in British Columbia, bar none.

July 7th, 2010: LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland.

Why it’s significant: By teaming up with Dwayne Wade and Christopher Bosh, Lebron and his super friends shifted the tectonics of the NBA for the next decade. In hindsight, this could be the unofficial passing of the torch from Kobe to LeBron.

July 14th, 2010: Thierry Henry signs with the New York Red Bulls.

Why it’s significant: By signing with New York, I get a couple chances a year to see the Arsenal legend I idolized as a child in person when he plays Toronto FC and/or the Vancouver Whitecaps.

August 29th, 2010: Allen Iverson leaves the NBA for professional basketball in Turkey.

"We talkin' about practice?"

Why it’s significant: How the times have changed, when a former MVP (and emblem of a generation) is forced to play basketball elsewhere because no NBA team is interested in him. It makes me wonder how much Kobe has left in the tank…

November 13th, 2010: Experiencing Bruno Mars sing live in Toronto.

Why it’s significant: Click this for an elaborate explanation, in short it taught me everyone’s amazing just the way they are.

December 15th, 2010: Sasha Vujacic is traded to the New Jersey Nets.

I ❤ Sasha


 Why it’s significant: This should require no explanation to anyone who knows me.

December 20th, 2010: Returning home to Vancouver

Gaber and friends

Why it’s significant: Validated the age-old saying “there’s no place like home.”

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Ode to Sasha Vujacic

Posted in Journal, tagged , , , , , , , on December 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »

What should I do?

When Mitch Kupchak dealt Sasha Vujacic, my favourite player of all-time, to the New Jersey Nets the timing couldn’t have been any worse. Exactly four days before I was going to see Mr. Vujacic live and in the flesh at the Air Canada Center. I had my Vujacic #18 home gold jersey pressed at the dryers, my “We Want Sasha” sign was ready to be waved incessantly, and thanks to Kupchak my dreams were crushed.

So what should I do?

As my friend Chris questioned: “Man, tough decision; follow Vujacic and become a Net, or lose him and stick with the Lakers! Sucks for you.”

What should I do?

Stay loyal to the team I’ve adored religiously for a decade now or follow my idol to Newark? I remember my first memory of Mr. Vujacic vividly to this day. Regular season game at home in 07′ against the Mavericks, you hit a contested three to complete the comeback 101-98. At the time you had less swag than Soulja Boy and a clean hair-do so you simply pumped your fist in celebration. How far we’ve come Sasha.

My man-crush for you was deepened the following season when your role was expanded. The Zen Master often played a three guard rotation to close out games with you, Kobe, and Jordan/Derek. You showed the world that shot against Dallas was no fluke, as you scorched defenses with your patented three, and on the other end you’d bother the shit out of opposing guards with your pesky d. It was this season you went from the “AM shooter” to a fully functional machine.

What should I do?

I have all these memories of you Sasha from the 2008 playoffs. You played so well, Lakers-fan.com began creating a series to chronicle your playoff performances. If you haven’t watched them, do yourself a favor and follow this link. Us die-hard Laker fans remember the heated battle with Manu in the conference finals and then came the finals where the Leprechaun-Lake Show rivalry was renewed. And more importantly you (okay and Kobe) saved us from getting swept off the grandest stage of them all.

In that game 3 you went 7-10 en route to 20 points, matching Ray Allen jumper for jumper. Some of the shots you made were so ridicilious I still re-watch the highlights of that game (found here) over, and over, and over just to make sure it really did happen. Mike Breen’s call of “Vujacic…BANG” still resonate in my mind every time I let a jumper go in recreational basketball. To be fair to the Celtic fans reading this (curse you all), the game after Allen blew by Vujacic to seal the decisive game 4, the same game we were up 24 before the C’s came storming back (and Eddie House hit the trey to complete the comeback, #1 nightmare).

The following season we exchanged the Space Cadet Vladimir Radmanovic for Jesus Morrison and Shannon Brown. Little did we know then, that would be a turning point in your career. Week by week, Shannon began to wow Laker fans with his athelstism while gaining Phil Jackson’s trust with his steady decision making and defensive capabilites. Someone had to make way for Shannon, and unfortunately that someone was you Sasha. As the year went on you and Morrison became bench pals.

Spotlight on Adam Morrison's facial expression

But there was a difference between Adam and yourself. While neither of you recieved many minutes, one looked like so bored and he’d rather be out performing miracles (Adam) and the other was always up applauding every Laker score like he just won the lottery (Sasha). And that’s why I continued to love you Sasha, because no matter how dim things looked your enthusiasm on the bench influenced my enthusiasm for life. And that’s no bullshit. You probably led the league in man hugs after a big shot.

There is a moment that is rarely discussed when Sasha Vujacic’s career highlights are brought up. It’s the elbow to Shane Battier‘s face during the Western Conference semis in 2009. Here watch it for yourself, Sasha vs. GSP UFC 125. Dana White make it happen.

How about a more recent Sasha moment? When he lived up to his nickname and showed the world why he’s a motherfucking Machine. In game 7 of the rematch against the Lephrachauns, the score was 81-79 and Sasha takes Ron off knowing the C’s have to foul. Magically (or maybe the Zen Master drew it up, we’ll never know) Sasha ends up with the ball, gets fouled, and steps up the line hitting both free throws. C’s call a timeout and Sasha prances all the way back to the Laker bench popping his jersey (big difference in swag from the Dallas game winner to this one) Game. Set. Championship.

For those who don’t play basketball, you have to understand how difficult it must’ve been for Sasha to come off the bench ice-cold and knock down the biggest free throws in NBA history (okay, slight exaggeration)

Unfortunately for Sasha, the end of the Lakers 09-10’ campaign was preceded by a disappointing season statistically, only having averaged 2.8 points per game, at roughly 40 percent shooting from the field, 31 percent beyond the arc. It was a career-low for Vujacic, perhaps a result of the injuries to his right shoulder and left ankle, but the problems seemed to carry-over from the previous season when his numbers began to take a steady Nestea plunge.

Machine in the bedroom?

I feel like a parent who’s sending his kid off to college; I hate to see you leave but this trade to the Nets may be the best for your career and I can’t be so selfish.

I find solace in Kobe calling you the only guy besides Fish he’d trust to hit a game-winner.

I find solace in you re-uniting with Jordan Farmar. And Farmar’s chorus of complements: “he’s a soccer player. He’s annoying. He’ll be up on shooting guards, chasing them around screens, he’ll be good for us.”

I find solace in my mentor B. Ralla looking at the positives of the trade: “hey at least he’s in the raps division now.. cpl more chances to see him live” (April 11th is the next opportunity)

I find solace in Sasha’ performance tonight against the Raptors. 6 points, 2 dimes, 2 boards in 27 productive minutes.

So what should I do?

I guess I’ll bend the rules just this once until Sasha re-signs with the Purp and Yellow in the off-season….

For the rest of the season… this is tough … I’ll be taking my support to Newark with my boy Sasha Vujacic while simultaneously cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers in our quest for a three-peat.

Hollywood misses you already Sasha.

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My inaugural Raptors game at the ACC

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2010| 2 Comments »

Sorry guys, I have an essay due tomorrow and I’m extremely short on time. But this blog and its readers are so important to me I had to recap the game for you some way. So, here is a random collection of my thoughts during the Raptors‘ 2010-2011 home opener vs. the New York Knicks.

–>My floor mates and I had prime lower bowl seating through the Ryerson Student Union’s student discount. To make things better, there was a red or black Raps shirt on every seat to promote fan unity. (the concept looks so cool on tv, to be apart of it was surreal) To make things even better, the girl sitting in front of me took her shirt off in front of the sold out crowd in order to slide the Raptors one on.

—>The point guard debate is going to get ugly real quick. Triano decided to start Jarrett Jack over Jose Calderon tonight. (a carbon copy of the Ford/Calderon situation) The situation ranges from fans to coaching personnel alike; you should’ve heard how passionately the fans around me were advocating for Jack to play extended minutes. While little old me, shouted at the top of my lungs every time Jose was inserted into the game. Jose distributes the ball much better, but Jack is by far a better slasher and defensive player. (Jose did take a charge on Amar’e though!) A classic debate between playing the traditional point guard or the scoring point guard. I wouldn’t want to be Triano right now. However, I still wonder how much better this Raptor team would be if the Calderon for Boris Diaw/Tyson Chandler trade fell through. Did I mention Jose is my favourite Raptor yet?

—> During Stoudemire‘s trip to the free throw line, my friends and I began a “you need Nash” chant. The world was watching to see how Amar’e would play without Nash. We got our answer tonight: Amar’e was reduced to a lot of isolation on the elbows reminiscent to Bosh last year in Toronto, tonight he was matched up against Reggie Evans and took it to the rim at will but when he faces a better defensive team (Raptors were ranked last defensively last season)…that’ll be a true test of his offensive ability without Nashty.

—>Speaking of former team mates of Nash. Leonardo Barbosa is the best pickup the Raps made. His ability to finish in transition, ignite the fast break, and knock down big shots will be instrumental to the Raps’ offence this year. DeRozan started the game, but there is no doubt Barbosa should be finishing games this year. I wonder if Barbosa and Amar’e are still friends from their days in Phoenix…they didn’t exchange a post game hug.

—>Speaking of DeRozan. His jersey appeared to be the most popular amongst fans tonight. I asked my friend who’s from Toronto why he thinks this is the case. Apparently it’s because DeRozan and Weems were so involved in the community this past summer and they’re more accessible through Twitter. So this is how Toronto determines their favourite players…

—> Speaking of Sonny Weems (I swear I’ll stop after this one), I believe that every time he shoots…Jack Armstrong is required to scream “Sonny with a chance!” (alluding to the family channel show starring Demi Lovato)

—>Amir Johnson logged a total of 12:34 tonight, Bryan Colangelo pays this guy 7 million a year to sit on the pine!

—>It’s unfortunate the Italians, Danilo Gallinari and Andrea Bargnani, weren’t matched up against each other. We got a taste of what could’ve been when Danilo switched on a screen and the two played 1 on 1 on the perimeter…resulting in a Bargnani miss. There was an exchange when Bargnani answered a Danilo three with a triple of his own, the crowd was electric. It’ll be interesting to see which one of the two wins the race to become the next Dirk first.

—>Down the stretch I’m not sure why Bargnani didn’t get more touches especially after his hot start. (one of a few problems with Jack handling the ball too much) Barbosa’s potential game tying three was way long and my first Raptor game ends in dismay. Sorry Kobe, it was hard not to cheer for the Raps when I’m a citizen of the city, live at the arena, and they whore me out with free shirts.

—>I needed an outlet to cheer me up after the disappointing ending to the game. What better remedy than to say hi to Sherman Hamilton preparing for the post game show. I didn’t say anything to Leo Rautins though, he must also be disappointed his son, Andy, got as many minutes as Sasha Vujacic in the Lakers’ home opener.

All in all, the ACC is rocking and I can’t wait to go back on the 19th but this time cheering against the Raps as the Lakeshow rolls into town.

 

Numero Ocho

 

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Beautiful Girls All Over the World (thursday recap)

Posted in Journal, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2010| 4 Comments »

8:30 a.m.: Got up extra early to make my Grandmama a birthday card. Hallmark cards are cheesy and never convey what you really mean. Serendipitously (love that movie, word, restaurant everything that is associated with it) I have a photo of her on my digital camera from our trip to Whistler to use as the card’s cover. Grandmama if you’re reading this, give me a ring soon!

10:48 a.m.: Officially hate Toronto weather, it’s impossible to judge like a putt on Augusta. In Vancouver it was simple: if it’s sunny outside then throw on shirt and shorts, if not then dress accordingly. Here, if it’s sunny outside that means a hoody/sweatshirt at least and if it’s gloomy then throw on some battle gear and be prepared for war with mother nature.

But hey, at least it’s not raining 60 percent of the time all the time.

10:50 a.m.: I once read “it’s better to be three hours early than two minutes late.” Thus, I head over to my interview to become Ryerson basketball’s public address announcer a full ten minutes early. Those who know me know I’m late for everything in life and ten minutes earlier is an eternity.

While exchanging interests, I discover the man interviewing me is also a big Laker fan…things are looking up. Hopefully it went well, as my friend messaged me after the interview: “soon enough ESPN will be hiring their first Chinaman!”

12:30 p.m.: I love the one lecture a week when all the first year Journalism students are together, it feels like Christmas. Everywhere you turn you see a friendly face, someone you’ve wanted to see all week but not that badly, and of course the ever unattainable Maryse.

Today it was extra interesting, we had a photographer from the National Post show us pictures from the G20 Summit. While going through the slideshow he explained the process behind the successful photo (“I asked him if I could take a picture of him, he told me to ‘fuck off’. So I asked him to put the rock he had in front of his face so he wouldn’t be identified.Then he was like ‘oh okay.'”

He also revealed the ruthless nature of the police during the week: macing innocent people, Officer Bubbles, even arresting photographers such as himself. “It was like a game show the way they were handing out charges” he said.

Judging from the photos, Toronto looked like a city-wide old school ECW brawl; anything people could get their hands (chairs, slingshots, etc.) could be used to break shit.

4:00 p.m.: In class, we attempted to make our “JRN 100 (the class code)” a trending topic on Twitter. In short, it didn’t work. It’s a testament to how much we’re learning in class when we have time to do such petty things.

Now that we’re actually doing something (more writing). I’m listening to “Nothin’ on You“, and the chorus manifests itself in this classroom full of women. It’s quite the change from VC‘s makeup comprised of all guys. Now it’s like I’m going to LFA as the only guy legally enrolled. It has it’s ups and downs.

5:54 p.m.: Time to drop in for my daily chat with Bev. Somewhere during the conversation she mentions that 1 in 10 students are admitted into Ryerson Journalism. There’s a self esteem booster if I ever need one…probably on tuesday when I fail grammar again.

8:45 p.m.: Floormate Adam and I both have a distinctive style of playing FIFA: give it to our favorite player and allow him to make a play in the open field. We decide to patent our gameplay as “Allen Iverson soccer (self explanatory)” and played Real Madrid (Ronaldo as his Iverson) vs. NY Redbulls (Henry as my Iverson) with one rule: goals only count if they’re scored with our designated Iversons. The Theirry Henrys prevailed 5-2.

9:23 p.m.: Back on Twitter, the Globe and Mail of all people are first to report my man Sasha Vujacic‘s engagement to tennis princess Maria Sharapova. I wouldn’t have it any other way. My teenage crush in Sharapova (right after she won Wimbledon)  wedding my current man crush in Vujacic…dreams do come true. Think about the athletic potential of their offspring!!!

With Vujacic’s engagement, I think I’ve figured out what stunning women look for in NBA players (see Adriana Lima & Marko Jaric)

1. Pretty boy who comes off the bench sparingly, so they can continue to sit and look good…doing what they do best.

2. Fair amount of facial hair.

3. Irresistible Accent.

Have those three things while playing in a big market and you’re set.

10:00 p.m.: I rekindle an old ritual that I haven’t partaken in much since I moved into res: swimming 24 laps for Kobe. As you can tell by now, Kobe’s sphere of influence ranges from the grimaces I make at myself while I brush my teeth to attempted swagger. For more on Kobe, here’s the letter I wrote to him that he never replied to.

To grasp Kobe’s psyche, two pieces of reading are mandatory…

1.)  Chris Ballard’s masterpiece.

2.) The Epilogue of Bill Simmons‘ Book of Basketball when Bill Walton speaks candidly about Kobe.

As mentioned earlier, it doesn’t feel like I’m learning a whole lot yet here, but if there’s one thing that keeps me motivated it’s the pipe dream of one day interviewing the man that has molded me into becoming a man.

Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant. 

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G.O.O.D. Friday II

Posted in Journal, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 16, 2010| 2 Comments »

9:30 a.m.: Courtesy of my lifelong friend C.Pang, I recieved a Sasha Vujacic jersey in the mail yesternight. (witty way of combining yesterday and night. Just remember who started it when it gets as popular as “ceeb”) Obviously this morning I threw it on with no hesitation. Considering I haven’t seen another man rock a Laker jersey (although I have seen a Steph Curry one) on campus yet, I’m sure I’ll be only with a Sasha jersey. Hell, I’ve asked myself many times am I his only fan. Or better yet why am I such a big fan?

11:00 a.m.: While studying with “T” for my first mid-term, Major Themes in International Relations, I sample the Bruno Mars CD, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, I bought with my friend’s HMV gift card. Two things I have to say about it.

1. The CD itself is reminiscent of a pricey sports car’s exterior or Jonas Hiller last night when they played my Canucks: sleek black with a silhouette of Bruno on the bottom.

 

Helmet's so nice I had to post it.

 

2. The best songs are, in no particular order: Talking to the Moon, Just the Way You Are (of course), Marry You. The reason being you can take the lyrics Bruno conveys in each of those songs, envision your own girl/pipe dream of a girl…and your heart melts.

The bonus track , Somewhere in Brooklyn, is now my second favorite New York related track (behind Empire State of Mind)

12:48 p.m.: On my way to the exam, I get a text notifying me someone I write frequently about has found my blog. Cough…Maryse…cough. I guess have to censor what I write about her now (or not). But that could take away from the entertainment perspective of this blog, it’s like the debate between if Fat Joe and DJ Khaled should be able to use the “n” word in their songs, or if NFL players should be entitled to a celebration after a touchdown. (they both add to the entertainment value of the product but are not necessary needed) Needless to say, I never intended for Maryse to read any of this.

3:02 p.m.: Walking over to English, I’m stopped by friend who said he’s read the blog and enjoys “me and my fancy words.” Little does he know the amount of time I allocate towards stacking ammo. (I have a notebook of full of words I’ve read and I didn’t understand at the time, but now I do because I look up the words and scribble down their definitions) It’s the Steve Nash effect, he wasn’t blessed as an extraordinary athlete but now is the best offensive point guard of the last decade all because of sheer hard work. With English as a second language, it certainly was a tedious process to expand my vocabulary.

3:05 p.m.: There’s only one guy from my graduating class who’s attending Ryerson this year, and he’s in my program. We haven’t spoken much, and that’s both our faults. We regularly conversed back in the good old days, now that we’re halfway across the country our relationship we speak less. (that makes as much sense as the Knicks’ management under Isiah Thomas) Serendipitously, before our English class together he’s sitting alone on a bench so I took a leap of faith and sparked a conversation. We reflected on our time here so far, and most importantly what we left behind at Vancouver College. Crazy how much that conversation felt just like it did a year ago. Just goes to show the magical relationships that foster at VC never die…

3:55 p.m.: We learn that our English professor needs surgery but she still showed up. I rescind everything I’ve written about her before (she’s the biased Black lady), she’s a warrior. Her captivating lecture under the circumstances ranks right up there with Terrell Owens‘ during Superbowl 39 and Karl Malone‘s during the 2004 finals. (both played their hearts out on one leg)

BFF by default, Hayley, found out my number is 6 (calculated through some complex equation involving my birth date) which means I’m over sensitive and care for others. LeBron‘s new number is 6, he clearly doesn’t fit the bill.

3:59 p.m.: The floor moderator places a ban on sports in the hallway, effectively ruining our  hallway soccer matches. But like all things, the ban has a loophole…we’re still allowed to play in the lounge. The lounge is a better venue anyway.

7:12 p.m.: Recieve confirmation from the author of Jisforjulia.wordpress.com that the Bruno Mars tickets are officially purchased. I love Toronto, everyone comes to town. Ne-Yo, Usher, Bruno Mars all in the span of a month, someone get me an oxygen mask.

12:45 a.m.: Before hitting the hay, I open up Bill Simmons‘ latest article. He ranks every NBA team in order of “must-see” to “charity auction teams”. I have tickets to the Raptors‘ home opener pitting Toronto (#29 on his list) against the revamped New York Knicks (#7). Read the article if you have time but this is what he has to say about the Raps this year…

“The good news for Raptors fans: They get four chances to boo Vince Carter and Chris Bosh this year. That’s almost 10 percent of the season!”

Personally I can’t wait to see if Amar’e is still a 23 and 9 guy without Steve Nash surgically threading him bounce passes and to get a first look at who will emerge as the face of the Raptors.

Kleiza? Jose? Jack? DeRozan? Bargnani?

Can anyone believe a new season is upon us already?

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