EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday! I don’t know about you guys but up here in Western New York it’s felt more like the Pacific Northwest these past two weeks. It’s been rainy, gloomy with blowing winds and now light snow. I don’t understand how people in the Northwest deal with this as a way of life. It is just insane to me but time does the processing bar wino it is also the fact that maybe I am in Buffalo and it could be depressing on its own but enough about New York State’s Queen City and time for today’s topics: RIP Sean Connery, let’s laugh at the New York Jets, NBA news.
RIP Sean Connery
So, my wife came downstairs and said that I cursed Sean Connery. See, as a real estate sales person I was advising one of my big city clients on contractors for the renovations he was planning. He doesn’t quite know the Buffalo/Western New York area and how things work. 
I had said to the missus last week I constantly felt like Connery’s Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables, reminding Kevin Costner’s version of Elliott Ness that this is “the Chicago way.” I just sub in “Buffalo way” of doing business. When she told me he passed away I just screamed “no” about eight times and refused to go on the internet to confirm. I finally gave in… but didn’t realize you was 90! Still, I was incredibly sad because I’ve loved him in all his work even – less popular stuff like The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. And sad because I am a huge James Bond fan. Spike TV used to have their Bond for the Holidays, where it was James Bond movies for six or seven days. I would literally sit down and watch everyone one. Connery, Roger Moore, Bronson, I loved them all. Sean Connery’s version will always have a special place in my heart as the original Bond, especially around the holidays. Rest in peace, Sean, you are a legend, never to come again..
NY JETS
The New York Jets achieved a huge milestone yesterday in their loss to Cam James’ Kansas City Chiefs. This confirms that the Jets in no way will have a winning season – again – and with one more loss they will have a losing season. No surprise there. 
What I did find shocking though, are the rumors this week that Trevor Lawrence, QB for number #1 Clemson and 2X national champions, and a “generational talent” according to our very own Big Ben Whitney, is considering going back for his senior season at Clemson. Lawrence is destined to be the#1 pick, which is likely to fall to the Jets. This would be a classic case of Gang Green; them getting the pick but the pick staying in school after an all-time tanking attempt (intentional or not)! No doubt the kid got scared back to class because the Jets are one of these perennially bad franchises that will never get right it. Like the Browns, they are somewhat competitive here and there but never expect to win a title. They’re like MLB’s Mariners and Angels or the Nets, Nuggets and Clippers in the NBA. In the NHL you have a the Sabres, Columbus and the Wild, thought to be fair Hockey teams have been moving a lot so it’s harder to pindown the perennial underachievers. Though you would have to consider, the Flames? But back to Lawrence. He is staring down the barrel of a Jets QB gun and thinking really hard if he wants to come out this year or just wait another year and still get the good money – maybe gets taken by a good organization on the rebound, as opposed to a perennial loser. Can’t blame the kid for thinking it over.
NBA Chatter
In NBA news, it looks like something is cooking in Philadelphia. After recruiting Doc Rivers from the aforementioned perennial loser Clippers, where people thought (for some reason) Doc was why they couldn’t get over the hump. They recruited the GM for Houston, Daryl Morey. Morey parted ways with the Rockets after they collapsed in the first round of the playoffs to the LA Lakers. What’s even odder is that Morey left after head coach Mike D’Antoni also stepped away. Are we really supposed to believe it is just a coincidence that the GM volunteered to step away – and was not fired -when the coach also resigned? D’Antoni’s new job is as the assistant coach for Brooklyn Nets under his former player, Steve Nash. Nash is a rookie coach and it seems like he got his old coach from when he was at the top of his game in Phoenix (and a little bit in LA) to help provide some steady hand tactics, while he works on his player-management skills, trying to get the Nets over the hump. So replacing D’Antoni in Houston will be Stephen Silas, son of NBA legend and coach, Paul Silas. Silas was hired by new GM, and Morey’s former assistant, Raphael Stone. Silas cut his teeth most recently with Dallas, helping with the development of Luka Don?i?. He’s got a reputation for improving guards and a great relationship with players. Houston already has a dynamic guard combo in Russell Westbrook and James Harden, so not sure how he is going to get more out of those guys. Maybe he can get the rest of the roster to score! The Western Conference still has the LA Lakers – the best team in that conference… until Angry Ward’s Warriors get healthy again.
Anyway, thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for Blossoming Ben Whitney, who likes Rockets and Jets and James Bond.
