LALARRY

Basketball Notes

Big game Christmas Day: Kobe and the Lakers vs Shaq and the Heat. Expect Shaq to show LA big time that the Lakers kept the wrong man. And Shaq will demonstrate that he can do quite well making a scoring combination with Dwayne Wade instead of spoiled brat Kobe. Not that anyone bets on sports... but if you do, take the Heat and give the 7 1/2 points.

Could it be ? Rumours are flying that Phil Jackson might be interested in coaching the NY Knicks. One reason would be to win a record 10th Championship. But perhaps equally important would be his nostalgia for his NY basketball roots. "There's a process teams go through to put themselves in a competitive place. And when they get to that position, I felt like if they want me to coach that team, I'd have to listen to them, because of my connections in New York and my connections as a Knick," Jackson told The New York Times.

Oh, does that bring back wonderful memories of my youth . The phenomenal Knicks of Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Dave Debuschere, and Dick Barnet, with Phil coming off the bench and Red Holzman coaching. Saturday night games cheering with my buddies from the upper deck of Madison Square Garden in the $4 seats we got for $2 with our student id cards. A tear is coming to my eyes, I have to stop here.

Talk About Extreme Sports

Waves on the North Shore  of Hawaii hit over 20 feet, prompting lifeguards to caution even people standing on the shoreline that they were in a treacherous position.

But the waves were nirvana for the world's top surfers. The Eddie Aikau Invitational Surfing Championship was held. The contest is only held when waves reach a minimum of 20 feet and thus has only been held seven times in the last 25 years.

From the LAT

"Thousands of spectators lined the bay's fringes and jammed the main highway in parked cars to witness the seventh running of "the Eddie," as it has come to be known — and to witness what many consider sheer lunacy on the part of otherwise rational human beings.

Though Hawaiian measurements are from the backs of waves and organizers were calling them 20- to 25-footers, the faces of some measured 50-plus feet, their riders mere specks on drawn-out green walls breaking thunderously under a bright blue sky.

The most minuscule of all, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, was credited with the day's best wipeout, after free-falling down a 40-foot face and having his board snapped like kindling."

Words don't do it justice, you can see some video here

It reminds  me of an interview I saw once with a surfer. He was asked what it was like being wiped out in a big wave. "You know what it's like when someone dumps a bucket of water on your head ? It feels heavy. Well this is like having someone  dump a swimming pool over your head."Catch the video this must be like 2 Olympic sized pools.