Dream Team 1992 vs. Dream Team 2012

Posted on by georgefattell

The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team is dominating, barely beating*, the competition in London and the comparisons to the original 1992 Dream Team have become inescapable in recent weeks.

*U.S. 99 – LITHUANIA 94

Many fans, myself included, have debated which “Dream Team” is better, the 1992 original, which was the first to feature a roster comprised of NBA stars, or the latest version, featuring many of the NBA’s best current players.

Let’s look at the rosters of the two teams:

1992 Team

C-David Robinson 7-1
C-Patrick Ewing 7-0
PF-Karl Malone 6-9
PF-Charles Barkley 6-6
PF-Christian Laettner 6-11
SF-Larry Bird 6-9
SF-Scottie Pippen 6-7
SF-Chris Mullen 6-7
SG-Michael Jordan 6-6
SG-Clyde Drexler 6-7
PG-John Stockton 6-1
PG-Magic Johnson 6-9

Head Coach-Chuck Daly

2012 Team

C-Tyson Chandler 7-1
PF-Kevin Love 6-10
PF-Anthony Davis 6-10
SF-LeBron James 6-8
SF-Carmelo Anthony 6-8
SF-Andre Igoudala 6-6
SF-Kevin Durant 6-9
SG-James Harden 6-5
SG-Russell Westbrook 6-3
SG-Kobe Bryant 6-6
PG-Chris Paul 6-0
PG-Deron Williams 6-3

Head Coach-Mike Krzyzewski

I first became a serious NBA fan when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league. I have remained a serious NBA fan since the 1980’s, so I am very familiar with the players from both teams.

So, which team do I think is better? Well, here is my two cents…

I think 1992 team would win if the teams played a seven game series on a neutral court, but it would be competitive. I think it is ridiculous to assert that the 2012 could not defeat the 1992 in even a single game. I could easily see the 2012 team winning 2 or 3 games in a 7 game series.

I think the 1992 team has a big advantage at the Center position and at Power Forward.

I’ll give the 2012 team a slight edge at the Small Forward position.

I think the 1992 team gets the edge at both the Shooting Guard position and Point Guard position imo.

The Spreckels Theatre New Marquee and Blade Sign

Posted on by georgefattell

The Speckels Theatre, located at 121 Broadway, in downtown San Diego is being renovated both inside and outside this year, the 100 year Anniversary of the historic theatre.

The most significant part of the exterior work has been the restoration of theatre’s neon marquee and neon blade sign. This version of the marquee was installed back in 1937, as was the blade sign. The work on the marquee and the blade sign was only completed a couple of weeks ago.

Spreckels Theatre Blade Sign at Night

Batmobiles at Comic-Con 2012

Posted on by georgefattell

Here are some pictures I took of the Batmobiles on display in front of the San Diego Bayside Hilton for Comic-Con. This was the first time that all of the Batmobiles, from the 1960’s version to the present Tumbler, have been on display at the same location.

Unfortunately, I did not purchase a pass for Comic-Con this year so I could see all the cool displays inside the Convention Hall, but there were a variety of very cool displays outside the Convention Hall, and the Batmobile collection was the best imo. There were a total of six vehicles, including two Tumblers from the Chris Nolan Batman films.

The Dark Knight’s Tumbler

Here is Michael Keaton’s Batmobile.

UFC 148: Silva vs Sonnen II – Las Vegas

Posted on by georgefattell

I’ve been too busy the last few days to write a detailed prediction for Silva vs. Sonnen II. However, I’m really looking forward to this fight.

It is a classic Striker vs. Wrestler showdown.

I’m very conflicted. See my tweets below. I can see it going either way, although I am giving the edge to Silva. However, I do want Chael Sonnen to win.

George Fattell ‏@GeorgeFattell
UFC 148 – I don’t really care about any fight on that card except the Main Event: Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen. Could be a Great fight!!
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8:03 PM – 6 Jul 12 via web · Details

George Fattell ‏@GeorgeFattell
UFC 148: I keep going back and forth on the Silva vs Sonnen fight. Gosh, very tough call. How can you bet against Silva? But……
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1:49 PM – 7 Jul 12 via web · Details

George Fattell ‏@GeorgeFattell
If everything goes right for Sonnen he has a chance imo. Unfortunately, I think Silva will win, but I will be rooting for Chael Sonnen.
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1:53 PM – 7 Jul 12 via web · Details

Visit to Levitated Mass

Posted on by georgefattell

I spent a couple of days up in Los Angeles earlier this week for some R & R and visited a few of my favorite spots in the City of Angels, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I had to go to LACMA to see their celebrated new work of art, the huge boulder called Levitated Mass (LM).

LM was conceived over 40 years ago by artist Michael Heizer. It took him several decades to find just the right rock for the project.

I must say that you don’t truly appreciate just how massive LM really is until you see it in person and walk right up to it or walk underneath it. I’ve been following the progress of this piece of art for over a year, back to when the boulder was still at the quarry in Riverside county. Before finally seeing LM in person I had seen many pictures of the boulder, but I found it more imposing in person than I thought I would. Here is a picture of me in front the 340 ton monster rock. I’m 6’1″, so that gives you an idea of the size of LM.

Is Levitated Mass truly a work of art? Some have posed that question and my answer would be a resounding yes.

Microsoft enters the tablet wars with the Surface

Posted on by georgefattell

Microsoft made quite a splash earlier this week with the debut of their new tablet computer, called the Surface. My initial impression of the tablet is quite positive overall. It seems like a very well designed device, I would even say polished.

I don’t think the Surface will dislodge the iPad as the #1 selling tablet within the next couple of years, but it could become a solid #2 in the tablet space and therefore I think Google should be more concerned about the Surface than Apple.

Microsoft will offer two models of the Surface

All models will have:
The integrated kickstand
The cover w/ built-in keyboard.
10.6 inch HD Display
Front and Back Cameras
Wifi only

The basic model, called the Surface RT will have:

Micro SD slot
1 USB 2.0 port
32 GB and 64 GB configs
1.49 pounds
HDMI

The upper level Surface Pro will have:

Windows 8
1 Micro SDXC slot
1 USB 3.0 port
32 GB, 64GB and 128 GB configs.
1.99 pounds
Mini DisplayPort

I am happy about the introduction of the Surface because I expect that the competition that Microsoft is bringing to the tablet space should force Apple and Google to raise the quality of their tablets and I thank Microsoft for that. Even the latest 3rd gen iPad still lacks features such as a USB port and a SD slot. I think Apple may now be forced those add those features in the next gen iPad.

Official prices for the Surface have not been announced yet, but various tech sites have reported the low end Surface RT will start at around $600.00 and that the Pro model could start at around $1,000.00. These price points seem to be relatively high but if the Surface proves to be a durable, high quality device that combines superior hardware with an innovative operating system it could sell quite well and carve out a significant niche in the tablet space. Apple has demonstrated that many consumers will gladly pay a premium for computer products that offer superior design and high quality.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

When I watched the introduction of the Surface in Los Angeles I found it rather ironic the entire event was clearly very much influenced by the way Apple has introduced products for the last 10 to 12 years. Steve Ballmer and his team seemed to channel Steve Jobs and the Apple team, without ever mentioning Apple or the the iPad by name.

Only time will tell if the Surface will be a success or not, but I would not bet against this tablet.

Where do you dock your Superyacht in San Diego?

Posted on by georgefattell

I was out and about in downtown San Diego today (06-18-12) and took a walk past the Fifth Avenue Landing on the Embarcadero. There are usually some fairly large yachts docked there, but today I saw a few real monsters, including one Superyacht called the Attessa, which is over 300 ft in length and is equipped with a helicopter. I find many of these super yachts interesting because they are all different in one way or another. You just don’t see mass produced Superyachts. The web site for the Landing states that there is room for 12 yachts there. So, if you are visiting SD in your Superyacht you know where to go.

Fifth Avenue Landing

The 2012 NBA Finals: Time for a Heat Wave

Posted on by georgefattell

Well, I honestly can’t say that I am very surprised by the teams that have made it the NBA Finals this year. I predicted that it would be Miami vs. OKC back before the season began. Here is what I wrote on this blog back on 12-23-2011:

Eastern Conference Champion: The Miami Heat. Chicago and New York will push the Heat to the brink, but the Heat still maintain a slight edge with Wade, James and Bosh.

Western Conference Champion: The Oklahoma City Thunder. I probably would have picked the Dallas Mav’s if they had retained the services of center Tyson Chandler, but he was a big loss, especially on the defensive end of the court. Picking up Lamar Odom certainly helps the Mav’s, but not enough to surpass the young and talented Thunder squad in my view.

Champion: The Miami Heat. I hate making this pick, but I have to if I’m going to be honest. I don’t think this will be the beginning of a dynasty, but this “Dream Team” should be good for at least one ring. If they fail to win a championship this season then they should trade at least one member of their vaunted big three.

Back when I made my preseason predictions I thought the Heat would amass the best record in the league and therefore have home court advantage. Of course, it did not quite work out that way. The Thunder ended up winning more games during the regular than the Heat and now have the home court advantage. Most professional basketball analysts now favor the OKC Thunder and the Vegas sports books have installed the Thunder as favorites.

I am going to go against the conventional wisdom (and Vegas) and stick with my pick of Miami to win it all. I understand the arguments for the OKC Thunder. Clearly, the Thunder are an excellent team and they definitely appear to be the team of the future given the fact that their core stars are so young. The OKC “Big Three” are all 23 or younger. Kevin Durant is 23, Russell Westbrook is 23 and James Harden is 22. Durant and Westbrook are already All-Stars and Harden, the winner of this year’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, will probably become an All-Star himself within the next couple of years. OKC also has a strong supporting cast and one of the better coaches in the league in Scott Brooks.

So, why do I think the Heat will defeat the very formidable Thunder? Well, I think it comes down to fact that I think Miami’s “Big Three”, comprised of Wade (All-Star), Bosh (All-Star) and James (All-Star AND current NBA MVP), have too much firepower for OKC.

I am well aware that the supporting casts for each will play an important role for each team and I would concede that OKC’s supporting cast might be stronger than Miami’s, but will they give OKC a decisive advantage? No, I don’t think they will.

I’m think we going to a long series between two teams that are close in terms of overall talent. I will be surprised if this series goes less than 6 games. I think the Miami Heat win in 6 or 7 games and LeBron James long quest for a ring will finally end.

Election 2012

Posted on by georgefattell

Here is how the the election prospects of Obama and Romney looked on Intrade as 2 June 12:

Intrade charts are based on a scale on 0 to 100. The value of the election winner will go to 100 and the loser will go to ZERO.

Obama’s chart closed at 54.1 on June 2nd.

Romney’s chart closed 41.5 on June 2nd.