Like you, I don’t know much about new Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond, other than the obvious.
We know he doesn’t scare easily. If he did, he never would’ve accepted the job, $8 million contract aside.
We know he comes from a winning organization. Not that several years with the Detroit Pistons guarantees success as a general manager. Witness Isiah Thomas.
Finally, don’t discount the importance of Hammond’s impressive family ties. Because the man is obviously a close relative of Bill Gates. Compare for yourself. Hammond. And Gates. Somebody check Ancestry.com.
Other than that, the man’s a mystery to most people. He’s a guy who worked behind the scenes to help build a winner, but received little public credit along the way. Kinda like Steve Wilkos, Jerry Springer’s former bouncer, only Hammond never had to deal with any fights.
Well, except for that one time.
But Wilkos got his own show and now Hammond has his. And while we don’t expect Hammond to go infiltrating crack houses like Wilkos, the job may be just as difficult.
The long lesson of this mercifully ending season is that the Bucks have some talent, but certainly aren’t a team. Larry Krystkowiak tried turning them into one and was rewarded with heartburn. His last endorsement deal as Milwaukee’s coach should be for Prilosec.
Milwaukee’s next coach – and you can bet it will be either Rick Carlisle or Larry Brown – is faced with quite the jigsaw puzzle. And right now, it’s missing too many pieces.
So what pieces will Hammond be searching for? Well, he dropped an intriguing hint Monday morning on SportsRadio 1250. Steve “Sparky” Fifer asked Hammond what position he thought basketball teams should be built around, and Hammond didn’t hesitate to say point guard. Moreover, he didn’t follow it up with a standard complimentary line about any of Milwaukee’s current point guards.
Paging Mo Williams. You’re wanted on the white courtesy phone.
We’ll learn more about Hammond in the weeks and months to come. We’ll find out who his coach will be, who his first draft choice will be and how his roster will shape up.
And maybe, if we’re very lucky, we’ll discover just how he’s related to Bill Gates.
This week’s pop quiz
1) What did construction worker Gino Castignoli, a Boston Red Sox fan, bury in the concrete foundation of new Yankee Stadium?
A) A David Ortiz jersey, because he wanted to curse the Yankees.
B) A Ted Williams jersey, because God knows some part of the Splendid Splinter should be buried.
C) A talking Phil Rizzuto key chain. Holy Cow!
2) How did new Yankee boss Hank Steinbrenner respond to Castignoli’s harmless little prank?
A) By saying, “What a thoughtful and clever way to add another page of lore to the storied rivalry between these two great sports franchises,” and congratulating the man on his sense of humor.
B) By saying, “I hope his coworkers kick the s*** out of him,” and spending who knows how much cash to dig up the jersey with jackhammers.
C) By saying, “Bet you never thought my dad George would end up being the friendly Steinbrenner,” and biting the head off a live kitten.
3) And what was Mr. Castignoli’s response to Hank?
A) “Tell Hank he can come meet me if he wants to try – and tell him to bring Posada too, because he’s the one Yankee I can’t stand.”
B) Reminding everyone that his previous claim to fame was pleading guilty to being involved in a multimillion gambling operation with ties to the Gambino crime family.
C) Hiring the Swift Kids for Truth to do a Steinbrenner attack ad.
D) Offering to call the whole feud off for a talking Phil Rizzuto key chain.
Answers: 1) A; 2) B; 3) A, but seriously, there’s only one Yankee he can’t stand?
In other news:
Welcome Back Buckner
Staying with the Red Sox theme temporarily, we present the touching tale of Bill Buckner’s MacArthur-esque return to Fenway Park last week. May it serve as a cautionary tale the next time we take an athlete to the woodshed by laying far too much blame at his feet. Don’t forget to watch the video. And don’t worry. Nobody will laugh at the lump in your throat.
Unless they’re named Hank Steinbrenner.
The State of Soccer
Milwaukee soccer fans – yes, there are more than a few – shouldn’t miss Bobby Tanzilo’s piece over at OnMilwaukee.com. It’s an excellent look at the overall status of the Beautiful Game in our city.
Meanwhile, on the field, the Milwaukee Wave takes on the Baltimore Blast in the MISL semifinals. Kickoff is 2 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Cellular Arena.
Escape from New York
It wasn’t always pretty, but winning two of three on the road against the New York Mets is a welcome sign for Brewers fans. Early last week, Sportsline.com had the Brewers at No. 2 in their power rankings behind Arizona. Of particular note was that they hinged Milwaukee’s season on the health of Ben Sheets (who’s been silly good). But I think he’s at least third on Milwaukee’s “guys who can’t get hurt list,” and far behind Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
And finally…
It’s 4 a.m. Do you know where Carmelo Anthony is?
So maybe John Hammond and the Pistons were right in 2003 to pass him up. Just not for Darko Milicic.
Tune in every Tuesday morning from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM. And don’t forget to check out our Bar Time column.
