2011 Year in Review: January and Everything After

The Year that the Populace revolted. Egypt, Middle East, Occupy Wall Street. It was a year of major and minor uprising that showed the voice of the people still mattered. The Middle East and Africa saw their people overthrow their governments and it was a powerful reminder that people still have power. Occupy Wall St. may have had mixed results but their voice was a vital reminder of enough being enough.

That’s probably what led to the rise of Wikileaks, Julian Assange’s crusade to reveal the hidden truth. I don’t know if he’s doing this to speak truth or if he’s saying too much for no point except to be a TMZ-like figure, but he had a dramatic impact this year with his documents.

Blackberry’s Death. The king of smart phones has become a pauper because Research in Motion failed to innovate and be forward thinking like Apple. Despite their full keypad, their quality lagged behind iPhone and Android and folks began abandoning ship. It didn’t help that a 4-day power outage, poor apps, not making sure all phones had the capacity to upgrade and delaying their new phones til late 2012 were all bad signs.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden, Kim Jong Il, Qaddafi – a year of uprising saw three of the most famous villains meet their end. Kim Jong Il was the last but perhaps the most significant considering nobody knows what direction N. Korea will take. Bin Laden was a key victory for US foreign policy, but not the end of terrorism or Al Qaeda. And you know who’s still around? Castro.

Consider this: Fidel Castro has been in charge of Cuba for 50 years. He’s been in charge longer than Obama’s been alive and has long outlived the fall of communism in Russia. You thought Koreans were bugged about Kim Jong Il dying? When Castro finally passes, it’s going to be a crazy domino effect.

For President Obama, 2011 had some successes. The war in Iraq has ended. Bin Laden was killed on his watch. The recession is slowing. The GOP candidates are a weak bunch that wouldn’t beat Hillary Clinton. Yet somehow someway, he has to deal with a Congress that refuses to work with him. 2012 is shaping up to be a crazy end game for his first term but I still think much must be done 

2011 also brought us Good Ole Herman Cain. Let Herm Cook was one of the popular sayings on Twitter as Cain got popular with his catchy sayings, plainspeak and frankly being a comfortable Black Republican. Unfortunately, he proved to be all hype with no backbone and no clear plan and when he proved to be unready for Prime Time, his unraveling was great. Even Sarah Palin thinks he needed to shut up and get smart.

Sports

Penn State. The fall of a legend for the sins of another. As I stated here earlier this year, Joe Paterno committed no moral crime. He is perhaps the 4th worst offender in all this. But no man is bulletproof. He was aware of what happened to those boys and it's sad that a legend has to leave like this but it's sadder that Jerry Sandusky abused his privileges. He took advantage of two organizations for his disgusting behavior.

The coverup of Penn State (combined with the scandals at Ohio State, Miami and the Fiesta Bowl fiasco) showed me that college football's facade is slowly being revealed. It's the last place where loyal fandom elevates individuals to god-like status (that doesn't happen in the pros anymore) and we are seeing the dangerous results of that.

Taylor Branch said it best in one of the year's finest stories, college football is a cartel where players are product and institutions make millions off them. If I may add, fans are customers and it's about time we see not just what we're given but the bigger picture.

1. The Packers win the SB and then go 15-1 as a followup.

2. The NBA in transition to a new era from my youth to the LeBron/Durant/Rose era (kinda how old heads must have felt in 1998/99 when Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, KG and Jason Kidd took over)

3.  Game 162 of the baseball season (Magical), Game 6 of the World Series (Un-BELIEVABLE, Pujols coming to the Angels*

4. Realizing that my Lakers are headed for one last run.

5. NFL/NBA lockouts, David Stern’s killing the CP3 trade – I was glad to see fans support the players and realize that the owners care mainly about making money instead of their satisfaction.

6. Cam Newton’s great year/Tim Tebow’s hype

7. The return of USC/the fall of UCLA to new lows

8. The Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA Title/The Heat's collapse

9. A weak college basketball year gave us two mid majors in the Final Four but also Kemba Walker being the definition of a leader in leading UConn to the title. 

I watched more soccer this year than I did in a non-World Cup year. The good news was appreciating the genius that is Lionel Messi and learning to understand the beauty of great soccer teams. Messi is without question a joy to watch but also discovering the future genius of Mexican wunderkund Chicarito will make me more intrigued to grow into a game I dismissed for so long. 

USC is poised to have make 2012 just like 2004 when they won the title. They are going to be loaded while UCLA welcomes a new coach, a shaky offense and not much to look forward to.

Everyone talked about the Heat, few people made a lot of sense when discussing them. They weren't built to win the title in Year One. Meanwhile Dallas didn't tell us that Dirk Nowitzki was poised to play possessed in one of the best postseasons I've seen in giving the Mavs - a longtime joke of my youth - and Mark Cuban that ring.

No matter what, I'll remember Game 162 and Game 6. Two magical nights of the 2011 season. I'll remember Albert Pujols' Game 3 as one of the greatest offensive performances in World Series history before he electrified Los Angeles coming to the Angels. 

The Dodgers had to deal with the end of the Frank McCourt era and his divorce from his wife. This season was supposed to be a downer of low expectations but I was able to see two young players I watched from the start develop into stars. Thank you Matt Kemp and Clayton "Cy Young Prince" Kershaw for saving this season. 

Television watched me fall in love again with Treme and Boardwalk Empire. Boardwalk ended on a shocking note while I enjoyed seeing the slice of New Orleans through the eyes of my favorite musicians and Treme folk. I enjoyed getting into Modern Family and peeking at Happy Endings but I really didn’t have too many new shows that I enjoyed.

The last season of Entourage was a mixed bag to some but I liked it. To me, it showed that everyone on that show had to grow up and realize what mattered. The fairy tale ending felt a bit much but I liked seeing Ari Gold brought to his knees and a reminder that Vince is at his core, a loyal friend that Drama, E and Turtle benefit from. I always saw Entourage as a show about not just Hollywood, but about friendship and relationships. Even Ari with Lloyd showed that as much as Ari crapped on his assistant, he needed him in more ways than he thought.

Moviewise, this was a pretty weak year filled with plenty of sequels and unimaginative superhero plots. I only saw a few films and my favorite was Midnight in Paris, a Woody Allen nostalgia trip that showed the glamour and danger of nostalgia as well as teaching people to appreciate the present.

I realized this year, Hollywood showed the essence of what it made attractive. Imagination, creativity, uniqueness, adding something extra to the product. As usual, the later films of the year brought that in time for Oscar bait (Hugo for one, looks like that from the surprising touch of Scorsese) but it seems like everyone is waiting for the greatness to emerge in 2012.

That said, I enjoyed crossing a few films off my list. Die Hard, Dog Day Afternoon.

Troy Davis became a big story because we watched the justice system kill a man who potentially was innocent. Reasonable doubt wasn’t enough to prevent a man from being executed. I’ll remember how angry I felt and how sad I was that night. I’ll remember how many folks rallied together and remember that the justice system is set up against certain folks so I have to remain vigilant.

Rest in Peace to the many we lost. A new year means remembering those who didn’t make it this far and we all know somebody who unfortunately got called home. Let’s honor their memory however you see fit. Play a song, watch a movie, just keep living.

I’ll have more to say when I officially cap my thoughts on this year but I can’t say how much I appreciated my blog this year as change came.  I’ll end this with 10 of my favorite posts of the year.

http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/01/huck-finn-and-slave-jim-dangerous.html - The problem with censoring the past (Jan)

Tribute to Bill Russell http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/02/black-history-month-bill-russell.html

Writing on LCD Soundsystem http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/03/electric-relaxation-lcd-soundsystem-all.html (This became one of my most popular blogs and I’m grateful for that)

Reminding Folks the World Won’t End when Man says it http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-end-of-worldno-its-not.html

Celebrating White Heroes of the Struggle http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/02/black-history-month-celebrating-white.html

A Eulogy for Troy Davis and Part 2 http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/09/eulogy-for-troy-davis-lament-for-broken.html

Frankenstein http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/06/genius-of-frankenstein-and-why-its.html

Sharing Grief http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/07/grief-share-in-it-understand-it-but.html

How I became a Sports Fan http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-became-sports-fan.html

Destroying Herman Cain http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2011/11/breaking-down-herman-cain-and-why-he_04.html

Virgo Kent's NBA Preview (Welcome to the NBA NWO)

I may be excited for the NBA season to start Sunday but I have far less patience for the business of the game. I don’t care for owners who only see losing profits instead of seeing their role in it or trusting their basketball people to do their part. I don’t care for poor GM’s who can’t evaluate talent and chemistry and contribute to players wanting to go elsewhere.

I don’t care for David Stern threatening to ruin the game I love with his power trip. I don’t care about people mad at players realizing the power that we gave them and fulfilling Curt Flood’s dream to be agents of change instead of being happy to play and make money.

I want to get back to discussing basketball but it feels like after seeing what this lockout is about it feels secondary. I’m gonna try to anyway despite every time I think of David Stern or see the LA Clippers, I know we are watching a league that should be enjoying a great 2010-11 campaign but comes back after a drama summer.

Stern used to be the best commissioner in sports but like all great men of power, they get delusional the longer they hold it. When they get threatened by something powerful (in Stern’s case, the Malice at the Palace), they start overreacting to keep that power. Richard III did it, Tony Montana and Michael Corleone too. So did Adolf Hitler and other leaders.

It started with the dress code. Then it led to curbing everyone’s enthusiasm after being fouled with handing out technical fouls for the slightest anger instead of just far worse whiners. Now it came to being a bully in the lockout proceedings ("I know where the bodies are buried?"), something Bryant Gumbel took a justified step further.

With the aid of the owners, he held the league hostage in this lockout without addressing the main concerns. Yes, the players gave $3 billion back but how does that make the league better? When guys are still getting crazy, overpaid deals? When a luxury tax only hints at what could be possible with revenue sharing? So he and the owners bullied the players into a deal knowing that the fans would ultimately hate them if they didn’t.

This was all about restoring power, not fairness or competitive balance*. Nowhere was this more evident than Chris Paul being arranged to go (NOT traded) to the Clippers, instead of to the Lakers in a 3-team deal. Instead of respecting a great GM who made his team better and weakened a Western power despite giving them Paul, the owners whined and Stern acting as co-owner of a team killed the trade for “basketball reasons”. That’s the power move of a desperate man who isn’t thinking clear.

*(By the way, the league hasn't had competitive balance in 31 years. Look how many teams have won NBA titles since 1980. The NBA is the only league where half of the teams makes the playoffs. Factor in 3-5 teams that just finish outside and that's 19-21 teams out of 30 who are in playoff contention. By definition, those teams are competitive.)

The Hornets got a younger package from the Clippers (and guys who looked like they were not happy to be there.) The Rockets, who thought they were getting Pau Gasol, look worse. The Lakers looked lost and flustered for the first time in seven years and gave Lamar Odom away for less than they got Gasol for. The Clippers got way more exciting and got their biggest free agent in years.

If this was a genuine move, it’d be earthshaking in its own right. But the earthquake feels artificial. Instead of nature doing her thing, it’s a man made quake that could have seismic consequences on the rest of the league, its perception and a lot of other shady instances in league history.

The Decision last year was the creation of the NWO in the WWE. The Chris Paul trade being killed was the Montreal Screwjob that made WWE Chairman Vince McMahon go from owner to power player screwing with the system. One was pivotal but ultimately more beneficial for the league despite people mad at LeBron and Chris Bosh. The other was also pivotal but deeper consequences within the league that are dangerous.

Hate these guys if you will, but David Stern did far more damage to the league than they did.

All that matters now is that the powers that be have showed their hand and I’m worried what more foolishness could transpire next. David Stern and the owners have long been the Hidden Hand behind the scenes overseeing this league but now that a new world order is in effect, this could threaten what we see and love if you care about the NBA.

But this isn’t all doom and gloom. Here’s some quick hit storylines I’m watching.

1.  Will the Heat win this year? I don’t see why they aren’t the favorites. The team that lost last year got better with Shane Battier but all eyes will be on Dwyane Wade's health and if LeBron James will play angry with a lil more developed game in the post/midrange.

2.  Can Dallas repeat? I think they’ll get back to the Western Conference Finals. With Lamar Odom and a crazy X-factor in Vince Carter, they might just be another Green Bay in terms of sneaky defending champions.

3. Can Memphis sustain its great run? I've seen Portland rise and fall. Memphis looks like a team that caught fire but I have no clue what will happen the year after. The great mystery of the West.

4. The last hurrah for the Lakers/Celtics/Spurs. Last postseason was the changing of a guard in the league. This will be the last chance for this teams to remain elite and I think the Spurs have the best mix of youth to stay around.

5. Kevin Durant finally wins MVP? Maybe this depends on Russell Westbrook and how he handled his postseason. But Durant showed why he’s the most unstoppable offensive force in the league and I think this year he gets even better.

Oh yeah, can somebody explain to me how Kendrick Perkins got on the Buddy Love diet?

6. Lob City? Chris Paul trade hate aside, the Clippers are exciting for the first time in 10 years. Time will tell if they are as good as they were 5 years ago or if Donald Sterling will interfere with this run of good like he always does.

7. Kobe’s last hurrah. I said this summer that nobody has been an All-NBA selection after their 15^th season except for Shaq and Kareem. Prior to 2 weeks ago, Kobe looked as healthy as he’s been in years. But after that wrist injury and his divorce, there’s no telling how he’ll play this year and it’s pivotal because it could be his last as the KB that we know.

8. Rip Hamilton might be the best signing of the summer. Shane Battier to the Heat could compete with this but if Hamilton has anything left, he gives Derrick Rose another weapon with postseason experience. I like this for Chicago, who I think is still the No. 2 team in the East.

9. Will Golden State finally reach the postseason? Mark Jackson is my early pick for Coach of the Year if the Warriors get there. It’s about time Monta Ellis, Steph Curry and that high risk, high reward lineup makes good on their promise and mature into a formidable team.

10. Dwight Howard? This is going to be annoying and this offseason annoyed me on it. My prediction is he plays most of the season in Orlando. He's either going to New Jersey or the Lakers but watching Chairman Stern find a way to meddle in this too.

11. Which rookie will impress the most? Another weak draft class at first but I’m interested in the Cali kids I covered who are in the league (Darius Morris, Derrick Williams, Jordan Hamilton, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Tyler Honeycutt). Curious to see what Kemba Walker does in Charlotte? How quick Jimmer Fredette gets humbled. Kyrie Irving’s growth in Cleveland.