Lance Stephenson memes

ICYMI somehow last night or this morning, Lance Stephenson had a great game last night. But he made a name for himself not so much for his on court-play, but for doing what he could to get in the heads of the Miami Heat (and, specifically, LeBron James) in Game 5 of the East finals. That meant playing in-your-face defense, bumping Heat players here and there and, oh yeah, blowing in LeBron’s ear.

Well, a good screengrab/video excerpt like that can’t survive on the Internet without becoming a new meme. So, this morning, we present the best memes of Lance Stephenson blowing on things:

The $15 lineup

Ballislife.com tweeted out the following game Tuesday. The goal is to select an all-time NBA team with just $15, with some of the greatest players ever given different prices.

Not surprisingly, the game has taken the Internet by storm, creating countless debates.

[via facebook]

My team?  Oscar ($4), West ($3), Dr. J ($3), Dirk ($2), Wilt ($3).  Considering I rank Wilt as the greatest player of all time and Oscar as the greatest PG of all time.  Then I rank West over Kobe [now I see I didn't before].  The forwards were harder.  Duncan is probably the bargain as I don't think Malone and Barkley are any better than him.  Dr. J was incredible in his ABA days, but I think Durant might have a better career barring injury.  Might even wind up as the greatest scorer in NBA history.  LeBron over Bird?  Yeah, I think so.  Except for all those incredible clutch shots.

OK, I changed my mind.  I'll take Durant and Duncan instead.  Oscar, West, Durant, Duncan, Wilt.

the Natatorium

[5/21/14] A nearly three-decade battle to preserve the neglected Wai­kiki War Memorial Natatorium is getting added ammunition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is adding the landmark to its list of "national treasures" — a move that harnesses the support of thousands of preservationists from coast to coast.

Built in 1927, the Natatorium's memorial arches, 100-meter saltwater pool and stadium bleachers were meant to honor Hawaii's 10,000 World War I veterans. It has been recognized as an architectural landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and for a few generations was the place where Hawaii residents learned to swim and great watermen like Olympic medalist Duke Kaha­na­moku and his contemporaries trained. However, those glory days ended in 1979 when the Natatorium was closed due to disrepair.

The trust's new campaign aims to pre­sent alternatives to an $18.4 million plan announced in May 2013 by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Mayor Kirk Caldwell to demolish the pool and bleachers and develop a public memorial beach at the site, said David J. Brown, the National Trust's executive vice president, who plans to announce the designation in Hono­lulu on Wednesday.

"The Natatorium is an important war memorial from a period that Hawaii has lost a lot of its history. … It really has the opportunity to be the place that continues to honor the service of WWI veterans," he said. "We think a restored Natatorium could once again become a place of recreation, recuperation and reflection."

Caldwell and Abercrombie have said their plan would be better for the community than spending the estimated $69.4 million it would take to fully restore the memorial.

Heather Dorniden got up

Heather Dorniden falls flat on her face during a championship race, then gets right back up and just wows the entire crowd!

[via facebook]

who watches pro wrestling?

In a presentation given shortly after the Network was announced in January, the company told investors that it would take 1 million U.S. subscribers for the Network to break even, but if it got to 2 million subscribers, the Network would produce additional income of $50 million, thereby nearly doubling the entirety of the company's 2012 operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA).

Naturally, a statement like that had investors licking their chops. Unfortunately, 2 million U.S. subscribers is a completely unreasonable number given the size of the WWE's American fan base, a fact that shouldn't come as much of a surprise to people familiar with how the WWE made its estimate.

In fact, the estimate is based on in-house research that found that 52 million broadband-enabled U.S. homes have someone in them who has "an affinity" for World Wrestling Entertainment. As a result, the WWE reasoned the Network could get 2 million subscribers by getting just 4% of these households to sign up.

This logic is extremely flawed. While it's nice that 52 million households have "affinity" for the WWE, the fact is that only about 5 million people watch the company's flagship cable show, "Monday Night Raw," each week. It stands to reason that people who aren't watching the company's free offerings would be unlikely to pay $9.99 monthly for premium content.

A better pool to look at would be the people who were already paying for two or three pay-per-views and would realize savings by getting all of the events on the Network. While the WWE's most popular pay-per-view, WrestleMania, can generate more than 1 million buys, its other events are significantly less popular. Only one other pay-per-view, the Royal Rumble, was purchased by more than 300,000 people in 2013.

It's no surprise then that WWE reported only 667,000 subscribers in April. While it's possible the service could get to 1 million over the coming year, it seems that its next big growth period would likely come around the Network's biggest selling point, WrestleMania, which won't come again until April 2015.

And while Monday Night Raw is largely responsible for USA Network being the most-watched network on basic cable, advertisers pay less to reach its viewers than any other show the station airs.

These low ad rates are partially attributable to the stigma that has followed pro wrestling since its carnival origins, but they're also grounded in reality.

According to a survey of sports fans produced by Scarborough in 2013 and reported on by wrestling business reporter Chris Harrington, half of WWE viewers earn an income under $50,000, compared to 30% of sports fans in general. On top of that, 66% of adult WWE viewers never attended college, well above the 44% national average.

Alex Tanney

With the drafting of Johnny Manziel, the Browns release Vince Young and Alex Tanney.

Who's Alex Tanney?  Watch this video.

Sting signs with WWE?

WWE has been unable to grab one man for 20 years now, but it seems those days are behind them. Sting, the man who has never worked for the WWE and could be the only marquee wrestling name to never have worked for any McMahon. Now, rumors are swirling that Sting may have signed and is just waiting to be put on television.

Sting was on WWE Network for the tribute to Ultimate Warrior. He actually made appearances on the Network all that week. WWE also added him to their “30 Seconds of Fury” YouTube show, where they highlighted his Stinger Death Drop finishing move.
WWE was rumored to have filmed him for some other WWE Network projects set to come out later this year, and even DVDs. He is supposedly present on his Ultimate Warrior DVD, but at the time WWE was filming it, he was under TNA contract so that might be uncertain. They did use footage of him with Warrior, however, as they were a tag team before splitting up to join different companies.
Sting was supposedly set to appear on the RAW after WrestleMania 30. However, with The Undertaker being hospitalized the night before and not on RAW, the WWE did not use Sting for the show. They easily could have, as he was in town.
The Undertaker is speculated to be an opponent for Sting at WrestleMania 31, but that has not yet been decided. Many fans want to see it as it is sort of a dream match for fans.

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The issue has always been that the men were in two different companies. The problem now is that Undertaker may be done all together. So WWE may be holding off on bringing Sting in for a while, so that they can potentially use him in Undertaker’s place.
The last word on him coming in, however, was said to be around SummerSlam. There is no word on how they were planning to do that, but it was floating around. WWE also contemplated just having him appear randomly without a set up to surprise fans and bring in major ratings for a RAW TV show.
The one thing we DO know, is that is it believed Sting had signed a contract in the last month. We also know a little about the deal. In that it is said to be a Legend’s Deal and similar to Brock Lesnar’s deal where he will only work TV spots and PPVs but other than that, there are no major details on the deal. The money side on it has yet to be confirmed, but Sting isn’t going to complain, I’m sure. Sources claim that Sting’s major reason for coming to WWE was never about the money in the first place, although, like most, he won’t just say no to the color green.


Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1247297/wwe-news-update-on-stings-potential-signing-with-wwe-when-he-will-appear/#i3tvWSTSzw4wmOWm.99

WWE has been unable to grab one man for 20 years now, but it seems those days are behind them. Sting, the man who has never worked for the WWE and could be the only marquee wrestling name to never have worked for any McMahon. Now, rumors are swirling that Sting may have signed and is just waiting to be put on television.

Sting was on WWE Network for the tribute to Ultimate Warrior. He actually made appearances on the Network all that week. WWE also added him to their “30 Seconds of Fury” YouTube show, where they highlighted his Stinger Death Drop finishing move.

WWE was rumored to have filmed him for some other WWE Network projects set to come out later this year, and even DVDs. He is supposedly present on his Ultimate Warrior DVD, but at the time WWE was filming it, he was under TNA contract so that might be uncertain. They did use footage of him with Warrior, however, as they were a tag team before splitting up to join different companies.

Sting was supposedly set to appear on the RAW after WrestleMania 30. However, with The Undertaker being hospitalized the night before and not on RAW, the WWE did not use Sting for the show. They easily could have, as he was in town.

The Undertaker is speculated to be an opponent for Sting at WrestleMania 31, but that has not yet been decided. Many fans want to see it as it is sort of a dream match for fans.

The issue has always been that the men were in two different companies. The problem now is that Undertaker may be done all together. So WWE may be holding off on bringing Sting in for a while, so that they can potentially use him in Undertaker’s place.

The last word on him coming in, however, was said to be around SummerSlam. There is no word on how they were planning to do that, but it was floating around. WWE also contemplated just having him appear randomly without a set up to surprise fans and bring in major ratings for a RAW TV show.

The one thing we DO know, is that is it believed Sting had signed a contract in the last month. We also know a little about the deal. In that it is said to be a Legend’s Deal and similar to Brock Lesnar’s deal where he will only work TV spots and PPVs but other than that, there are no major details on the deal. The money side on it has yet to be confirmed, but Sting isn’t going to complain, I’m sure. Sources claim that Sting’s major reason for coming to WWE was never about the money in the first place, although, like most, he won’t just say no to the color green.

Masahiro Tanaka is going to lose

Sooner or later, Masahiro Tanaka, ace right-hander of the New York Yankees, is going to lose a game. The law of averages says that it’s inevitable.

But Tanaka has been a little slow in obeying this particular law. From 2012 through 2013, he won a record 30 consecutive games in Japan, pitching for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. So far this year he’s 4-0 and has American League hitters looking as if they’re swinging at BBs. The Yankees are just half a game out of the top spot in the AL East, and Tanaka is the primary reason: all other Yankee pitchers have combined for a won-lost record of 14-15.

In January, the Yankees signed the 25-year-old to a seven year, $155 million contract—and that was after paying $20 million to the Golden Eagles just for the rights to negotiate with him.  So far, it looks as if the Bombers might have gotten a bargain; TV ratings shoot up and stands are packed on days when he’s on the mound. At this rate, it won’t be long before he may be recognized as Major League Baseball’s biggest drawing card.

His appearances are treated by the media like those of a rock star—not unreasonable, perhaps, considering that he’s married to one, Mai Satoda of the now-disbanded Country Musume (“Country Girls”) and a popular TV show Quiz! Hexagon where she endeared herself to Japanese audiences for giving ridiculously answers to trivia questions.  One Japanese reporter likened her persona to Goldie Hawn on the old Laugh-In: “She was well-liked for being ditzy.”

Tanaka’s arrival in New York for his introduction as a Yankee was accorded the kind of press reserved for the kickoff of a Beyoncé tour. He rented an entire Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at the cost of $195,000 to carry Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka, a Japanese baseball official, two friends, and the couple’s brown toy poodle, Haru, on a plane that can handle 190 passengers.  Before his departure, Tanaka was careful to remind reporters, “It’s a private jet. It’s not something the Yankees prepared.” Actually, some suspected that Japan Airlines provided the plane gratis for the publicity.

If Tanaka did pay for the plane, no worries. Estimates are that by the fourth inning of his second start the cost was covered.

Less than two months into the season, he’s on the verge of becoming a huge fan favorite in New York. The Yankees crowd already yells his nickname in chorus when he walks to the mound, “Ma-kun” or just plain “Ma.”  “There is really not a way to say it in English,” explained his interpreter at his first Yankees press conference. “It’s just a very friendly way of calling somebody.”

He takes his pregame tosses to warm up songs by the all-girl Japanese group Momoiro Clover Z.  (In practice he uses custom-made gloves with multicolored fingers, one each for the signature colors of the group’s members.)

Another nickname which is gaining momentum is “Tiger” for Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese secret service in Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, a moniker given credence by the tenacity he’s shown so far.

Tanaka seems to have two natures, as The New York Times’ Barry Bearak noted in March, “Shy and good-natured off the field, yet so fierce and determined while on it that he could appear possessed. He roared as he threw a pitch. He pumped his fist after striking someone out. He scolded teammates for sloppy play.”  So far in the States, he has eschewed the roaring, pumping, and scolding so as not to antagonize his new teammates and opponents.

He doesn’t need such histrionics to intimidate. At 6’2”, Tanaka throws a fearsome four-seam fastball which has been clocked as high as 94 mph and a split-fingered fastball as well as a slider which, says Yankees catcher Brian McCann, “breaks like it’s falling off a table.”   All the pitches in his arsenal are delivered with a fluid hip-swinging propulsion that has scouts in awe. (Watch Tanaka’s “loaded hips” delivery.)

He emerged from high school as one of the most famous athletes in Japan, and at age 18 signed with the Golden Eagles. In his first season, pitching against batters who were on average ten years his senior, he was 11-7. Over the next six years he went 88-28 with an ERA of 2.21. In his last three seasons in Japan his ERA was a jaw-dropping 1.40.

Tanaka has given the Yankees a dignity, discipline, and confidence, qualities   they sorely need now that Mariano Rivera is gone, Derek Jeter is in his final season, and Alex Rodriguez is lost for the year to a drug suspension.

In turn, he has learned something about American baseball. Some of his teammates, including his countryman and future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, call him by yet another nickname, “Meat,” a tag applied to Tim Robbins’s rookie pitcher by Kevin Costner’s veteran catcher in Bull Durham.

When asked by a reporter if he knew what it meant, Tanaka said with a laugh, “Someone told me that’s how people call each other in the Yankees clubhouse.”

What, another reporter wanted to know, would he do when his winning streak—currently at 34—came to an end?  With a soft smile and a shrug that belied by his steely eyes, he replied, “Start another.”

Kevin Durant MVP

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Kevin Durant has plenty of scoring titles. Now, he finally has an MVP trophy to go with them.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star won the NBA's top individual honor Tuesday, grabbing 119 first-place votes. Miami's LeBron James, who had won the last two MVP awards and four of the previous five, finished second with six first-place votes and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was third.

Durant won his fourth scoring crown in five years this season by averaging 32 points per game.  Durant's run of 41 consecutive games this season with at least 25 points was the third-longest streak in NBA history. In all, he scored at least 40 points 14 times. He also averaged 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.5 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field.

***

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Michael Carter-Williams has something to show for being a bright spot in a dismal season for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Carter-Williams won the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award on Monday after becoming only the third player since 1950-51 to lead all rookies in scoring (16.7), rebounding (6.3) and assists (6.2). Oscar Robertson (1960-61) and Alvan Adams (1975-76) were the others.

Despite the performance of their dynamic guard, the Sixers were awful this season. They were 19-73 and tied an NBA record by losing 26 straight games.

Carter-Williams received 104 of a possible 124 first-place votes. The Orlando Magic's Victor Oladipo finished second and Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz was third.

Allen Iverson is the only other player in Sixers history to win the award. The 11th overall pick from Syracuse in last year's draft, Carter-Williams is the first player picked 10th or lower to win since Mark Jackson did it in 1987 for New York.

Carter-Williams had a spectacular debut, posting 22 points, 12 assists and nine steals to lead the Sixers to a stunning 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. He was the second rookie after Shaquille O'Neill to be the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA.

*** [6/4/14] NEW YORK -- The Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, the 2013-14 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player and winner of four scoring titles in five seasons, highlights the 2013-14 All-NBA First Team. Durant was the lone unanimous selection, appearing on all 125 ballots as a First-Team pick while LeBron James of the Miami Heat garnered 124 First-Team votes.

Joining Durant and James on the First Team are Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls. Harden and Noah captured First Team honors for the first time in their careers. Paul is an All-NBA First Team selection for the fourth time. Durant makes his fifth appearance on the First Team, while James earned his eighth All-NBA First Team nod.

Durant averaged a career-best 32.0 points to go with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists, also a career high. In capturing his fourth scoring title, he joined Jordan (10), Chamberlain (seven), Gervin (four), and Allen Iverson (four) as the only players in league annals to win at least four scoring titles. He shot .503 from the field, .391 from three-point range, and .873 from the free throw line, leading all players in free throws made (703) and attempted (805). Durant authored two 50-point games, topped the 40-point mark on 14 occasions, and turned in 17 games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

James shot a career-high 56.7 percent from the field this season, marking the seventh consecutive season he has improved his field goal percentage. He connected on 116 three-point field goals, the second straight season he has made over 100 three-point field goals while shooting at least 55 percent from the field. He posted his ninth 2000-point season, becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to accomplish this feat, joining Karl Malone (12), Michael Jordan (11) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9).

Noah, who appeared in 80 of Chicago's 82 games, ranked sixth in the NBA in rebounding (11.3 rpg), 12th in blocks (1.51 bpg) and added 1.24 steals. He was one of just three players (Detroit's Andre Drummond and New Orleans' Anthony Davis) to average at least 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals. Behind Noah, the Bulls held opponents to a .430 field goal percentage, second-stingiest in the league.

Paul led the NBA in assists (10.7 apg) and steals (2.48 spg), while averaging 19.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as the Clippers won a franchise-record 57 games. Paul became the seventh player in NBA history to top the 6,000-assist plateau before the end of his ninth season. He's only the fourth player in NBA history to reach 6,000 assists before his 29th birthday, joining Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and John Stockton.

Harden finished fifth in the NBA in scoring (25.4 ppg), and added 6.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds. He was one of only two players (LeBron James) to average at least 25.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He finished second in the NBA in free throws made (576), topped the 30-point mark in 24 games and registered two 40-plus outings. Harden also ranked fifth in the NBA in minutes (38.0 mpg).

The All-NBA Second Team consists of guards Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, forwards Blake Griffin of the Clippers and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves and center Dwight Howard of the Rockets.

The All-NBA Third Team includes the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard and the Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic at guard, the Indiana Pacers' Paul George and the Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge at forward and the Charlotte Hornets' Al Jefferson at center.

Alyssa Tobita streak ended by freshman

St. Francis freshman Taylor Lau defeated defending three-time state champion Alyssa Tobita of Mililani 6-1, 6-3 to win the girls singles title at the Carlsmith Ball/ HHSAA State Tennis Championships in Wailea, Maui, on Saturday.

"After it was over, I was sad for Alyssa," Lau said. "It's always good winning, but it's sad seeing the effects that winning can have on people because she was trying to win it four times."

Lau, who is rated a four-star recruit and ranked 80th in her age group nationally by tennisrecruiting.net, earned her bronze ball by finishing third in a junior tournament in Mobile, Ala., in March.

She also won the USTA President's Day Junior Section Championship in February and the Wailuku Winter Junior Sectionals in January. Lau advanced through her bracket with 6-0, 6-0 wins in her first three matches. In the semifinals, she beat ILH champion Ashley Ishimura of Punahou by winning 3-6, 6-2, (2).

 *** [5/3/14]

One match is all that separates Mililani's Alyssa Tobita from a 4-peat in girls singles.

The senior swept past third seed Lani-Rae Green out Waimea 7-5, 6-1 in the semifinal round of the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA State Tennis Championships on Maui on Friday. 

She got into the semifinal with a quarterfinal win earlier in the day, a sweep of sixth seed Serena Le of Punahou, 6-0, 6-0. Tobita faces St. Francis' Taylor Lau for the title. 

*** [5/2/14]

Mililani senior Alyssa Tobita is two days away from her fourth straight girls singles title.

Tobita swept Baldwin's Jessica Pressman 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA State Tennis Championships on Maui on Thursday and followed it up with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Kaiser's Lisa Owen in the second round. She will take on Serena Le of Punahou in today's quarterfinals and either third seed Lani-Rae Green of Waimea or OIA runner up Hina Goldsmith of Roosevelt in the semis.