With the NBA in a compressed off-season, the Association begins play on December 25th, the Phoenix Suns have been tame in their transactions.  Transactions and Depth Chart courtesy of ESPN.

Players Signed By Phoenix
Grant Hill – One year @ $6.5 million
Shannon Brown – One year @ $3.5 million
Sebastian Telfair – One year @ $1.5 million
Markieff Morris – First Round Draft Pick

Departures From Phoenix
Vince Carter Signed With The Dallas Mavericks

2011-12 Depth Chart

PG: Steve Nash – Zabian Dowdell

Shooting Guard: Josh Childress – Mickael Pietrus

Small Forward: Jared Dudley

Power Forward: Channing Frye – Hakim Warrick – Gani Lawal

Center: Marcin Gortat – Robin Lopez – Garret Siler

By default I am a Phoenix Suns fan. I started this rooting interest last season to have some common ground with my now two-year old son. In all honesty I didn’t really follow the Suns and I may have watched a pair of their games in the 2010-2011 season. I was aware of their work but not necessarily interested in it.

The recent NBA strike didn’t add to my love towards The Association. If anything, as I mentioned this in a recent post, it made me a hockey fan. But with the Nevada Wolf Pack never on TV, including tonight and they are playing in Tempe, AZ against Arizona State and I live roughly 35-miles from campus, and with the recent downfall of Jay Cutler’s thumb and the Bears’ playoff hopes I need something to occupy my time besides work.

Simply put, I am giving the NBA another chance. By my calculations, which are rough because I never got past Advanced Algebra while studying at Nevada, this is the fourth time I have given my love to the NBA in hopes of developing into a fan. This year it will be rough. The Suns aren’t very good and I want them to trade their best player, Steve Nash, so he can finish career on top and possible garner that elusive championship. Beyond Nash, Grant Hill is likely gone. They drafted the wrong Morris twin from Kansas, which is in line with them retaining the wrong Lopez twin too. Looking at their roster I don’t see a lot of talent but if they dump Nash and Hill hopefully they can bottom out, get a high lottery pick and begin to rebuild. I don’t really trust their front office since Steve Kerr left but I’ll do my best to be optimistic. Of course they picked up an aging Vince Carter and he blossomed into scorer phenom with 13.5 ppg. I shouldn’t harp on Carter too much, since he will likely be waived shortly.

In summation, it will be a rough year to be a Suns fan. Not a lot of glory and there is the distinct possibility that the Nash will be jettisoned to a contender. Negativity aside, I will stick with the Suns and become an active fan. For example, I am wearing a Suns t-shirt today. Mind you I bought it because it was $4.99 but that shouldn’t overshadow my life on Planet Orange. For Christmas Mrs. DPC is taking us to the Memphis Grizzlies game, which will be my second contest at US Airways Center. The prior contest was against the Charlotte Bobcats and I have no recollections from the game, so let’s hope this one is a little more memorable.

Phoenix Suns 2011-12 Roster
Aaron Brooks (FA)
Vince Carter
Josh Childress
Zabian Dowdell
Jared Dudley
Channing Frye
Marcin Gortat
Grant Hill (FA)
Gani Lawal
Robin Lopez
Markieff Morris
Steve Nash
Mickael Pietrus (FA)
Garret Siler
Hakim Warrick

Their roster leaves a lot to be desired. Because I haven’t been following the NBA too closely these last few years I am in no position to judge talent, of course I follow the NFL closely and I assume that Jeff George is a viable QB option for the Bears.  Anyway the Suns roster is far from stellar. Like I mentioned earlier, Nash will likely be gone and Hill will be somewhere else too. The rumor mill has Vinsanity being waived, so it looks like there won’t be a lot of star power in the Valley. 

I have no doubt it will be a tough year for the Suns. To get better in the NBA you need to bottom out, rebuild and of course get lucky in the draft. I don’t know if I trust their brain trust or shot callers, mainly because they got Vince Carter, but they have some promising young talent to rebuild with, specifically Marcin Gortat. Once again I will do my best to be a dedicated fan of the NBA and the Suns. I have said this before but now I really mean it. Me and Mrs. DPC are rasing our son as a Suns fan (since he is two he has minimal input on the team he is associated with) and I need to set an example on how to be loyal, even when your team is hitting rock bottom. I should be able to root for a possibly terrible Suns team since I once rooted for the Nevada Wolf Pack during the Chris Tormey era and those were dark days on Virginia Street.

Last night I went to the Montreal Canadiens vs. Phoenix Coyotes game and in the process I knocked off another task on my bucket list.  Also I recently listened to Noel Gallagher’s solo endeavor, which was another facet of my Bucket List, so I need to revise my original list.

• Seeing my namesake graduate from The U or USC. Essentially any school besides my beloved Nevada.  Like any father, I want a better life for my child. Specifically I want him to go to a college with a better football team. Except Penn State, which is coached by pederasts.
• The Super Bowl. Regardless of teams involved, except the 49ers.
• MLB Playoffs. The Cubs picked up Theo Epstein recently, so in theory I may get the opportunity to see them in the playoffs. I am doing my best to be optimistic.
• NBA Slam Dunk Competition
• Tiger Woods playing in a Major. Tiger has not been Tiger since his marital fiasco but he may be the most dominate athlete of my lifetime. Yes, I consider golfers athletes, except Craig Stadler.
• Daytona 500 and the August race at Bristol.
• Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. I have seen them three times. At San Francisco (Jerry Rice Day, which was the low point of my life) Arizona (The Devin Hester Game, which was the greatest sporting event I have seen in person) and at Oakland.
• The Nevada Wolf Pack in a Men’s NCAA Tournament basketball game. The Pack is rebuilding so it could be a few years until they qualify for The Dance.
• The Wolf Pack in a bowl game. Hopefully without Coach Ault at the helm.
• Revisit London, Amsterdam and Dublin from my study abroad odyssey. Due to excesses of every kind I have a vague recollection of being in Europe and studying Art History and English Literature.
• Visit Graceland. It always time to TCB in Memphis, TN.
• See the NFL Draft.
• Marion Motley getting the statue and recognition he deserves at the University of Nevada.
• MLB retiring Roberto Clemente’s number 21.
• A bowling league championship. I didn’t spend three-semesters in bowling class at Nevada for no reason.
• See New York City. Convenient since my main man Our Kid resides there.
• Visit all the locations that Dazed and Confused was filmed at in Austin, Texas.
• Visit the Astrodome and Olympic Stadium. This will be difficult because the Astrodome has been open to visitors since Hurricane Katrina.
• See a Montreal Canadiens game in Montreal. Last night’s game was cool and the realization of a long held dream but there were very few Habs fans in attendance. I’d like the opportunity to be amongst my peers. I use the term peers loosely since I am not Canadian but I feel there is a cosmic connection among fans of the same team.

Dear David Patrick;
Today, May 31, 2011, is your second birthday. You were born in Phoenix, AZ at Banner Good Sam Hospital to your parents Lindsey Fay Myers and David Castro a couple of years ago and now we all live in El Mirage. The last two-years have been a blur. You’re growing up more and more and each day you never cease to surprise us with what you are learning.

Besides the gifts that we all got you, and you seem to like the tool kit and Dinosaur train toys, I wanted to let you know what world you were born into in 2009. What people were watching and of course who were the great teams from your birth year. I also included the birthday that you share with many famous folks.

You make me a better a person and I have no idea what my life would be like without you. Without further adieu the important things that have happened on your birthday, May 31st.

• May 31 is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 214 days remaining until the end of the year.
• 1929 – The first talking cartoon of Mickey Mouse, “The Karnival Kid”, is released.
• 1990 –  Seinfeld premiers
• 2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was Deep Throat.
• 1930 – Clint Eastwood, American film director and actor is born
• 1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer is born
• 1943 – Joe Namath, American football player is born
• 1948 – John Bonham, British musician (Led Zeppelin) is born
• 1964 – Darryl McDaniels, American musician (Run-D.M.C.) is born
• World No Tobacco Day (International) is also May 31
From the year you were born the 2009 Champions
• World Series Champions – New York Yankees
• Stanley Cup Champions – Chicago Blackhawks
• Super Bowl Champions – New Orleans Saints
• NBA Champions – Los Angeles Lakers
• BCS – Florida Gators
• NCAA Basketball – North Carolina

Top Ten Grossing Movies from 2009
1. Avatar
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
3. Ice Age
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
5. 2012
6. Up
7. Twilight: New Moon
8.Sherlock Holmes
9. Angels & Demons
10. The Hangover

Courtesy of Lost Letterman.com:

Former Nevada standout Kirk Snyder has been released by his Russian team, Nizhny Novgorod.

A first-round pick by the Utah Jazz in 2004, Snyder spent parts of four seasons with four different NBA teams but his basketball career was put on pause when Snyder was arrested for aggravated burglary and assault in 2009, for which he was sentenced to prison.

There’s no word on what caused the release but it’s needless to say that the future of Snyder’s basketball career is back up in the air.

“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” – Coach Ditka

Last night, my beloved Montreal Canadiens fell to the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime and were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is a sad state of affairs for the sports world in a Life In The DPC because I haven’t rooted for a champion since the Habs won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

I have a hodge podge of teams that I hold dear and collectively they have put together some good seasons since I have been a fan of them but they have been unable to win it all in quite some time. I am not a frontrunner and as a result my teams are each in their own championship drought.

• Montreal Canadiens: Twenty-four time Stanley Cup Champions. Last Championship was 1993
• Chicago Cubs: Two-time World Series Champions. Last title was in 1908
• Chicago Bears: Nine-time World Champions. Last title was in 1985
• University of Nevada: No NCAA Championships. Men’s Basketball made it the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and the 2010 football team finished 11^th in the AP.
• Phoenix Suns: No Championships. Two trips to the NBA Finals

Rooting for a losing team probably builds character or at the very least shows some dedication when times are tough. I really can’t complain though because my teams are usually competitive. In 2010 the Habs, Bears, Wolf Pack (football) all had good showings.

The Habs made the playoffs and pushed it to a Game 7 in the first round and that final contest went into overtime before they fell to the Bruins. The Bears played in the NFC Title Game this season and were in the Super Bowl in 2006. The Wolf Pack finished their 2010 campaign with their highest ranking ever and knocked off Boise State in the process.

I really don’t know what I would do if one of my squads pulled off a championship season. When the Nevada Men’s basketball squad had they’re great run in the previous decade, NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004-2007 and being ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll in February 2007, I was on Cloud Nine and was prouder than usual to have graduated from Nevada. I searched all news sources for coverage, which was the Reno Gazette Journal and the occasional ESPN.com blurb, and spent most of my days consumed with following them.

Of course I spend a good amount of time following my respective squads and most of my outside interests are sports, so in reality there is no difference for me when rooting for a good or bad team. I follow each my with the same amount of verve.

JaVale McGee Washington Wizards 10.1 ppg 8.0 rpg

Ramon Session Cleveland Cavaliers 13.2 ppg 5.2 apg

Armon Johnson Portland Trail Blazers 2.9 ppg 1.2 apg

Luke Babbitt Portland Trail Blazers 1.5 ppg 1.3 rpg

Mo Charlo Reno Big Horns of the NBDL 8.0 ppg 5.3 rpg

I am turning 33-years old on Saturday the 16th. For once I am not overly reflective and then melancholy as I approach my birthday. My usual practice was some dreaded soul searching and taking stock of the accomplishments of my latest year. I am forgoing this tradition and just want an easy, mellow 33rd birthday.

1. The atomic number of arsenic
2. A normal human spine has 33 vertebrae when the bones that form the coccyx are counted individually
3. 33 is, according to the Newton scale, the temperature at which water boils.
4. Lag Ba’omer is a minor Jewish holiday which falls on the 33rd day of the Omer
5. Jesus’s age when he was crucified in 33 A.D., according to many Christian traditions, though not verified historically
6. Jesus performed 33 recorded miracles
7. 33 is not only a numerical representation of “the Star of David,” but also the numerical equivalent of AMEN: 1+13+5+14=33.
8. Pope John Paul I, the 33-day pope. One of the shortest reigns in papal history, and it resulted in the most recent 3-pope year.
9. the highest degree in Freemasonry.
10. Jersey number of basketball player Larry Bird. The number was retired on February 4, 1993 by the Boston Celtics
11. Jersey number of basketball player Scottie Pippen. The number was retired on December 9, 2005 by the Chicago Bulls
12. Jersey number of hockey player Patrick Roy
13. On most occasions, the traditional number of racers in the Indianapolis 500
14. In reference to gramophone records, 33 refers to a type of record by its revolution speed of 33⅓ revolutions per minute. 33s are also known as long playing records, or LPs.
15. A significant number in modern numerology, one of the master numbers along with 11 and 22
16. In French, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese, the word a patient is usually asked to say when a doctor is listening to his or her lungs with a stethoscope (Trente-Trois, Trentatrè, Treizeci şi trei, Treinta y Tres and Trinta e Três)
17. The code for international direct-dial phone calls to France
18. The number printed on all Rolling Rock beer labels
19. Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer used to be advertised as “Blended 33 to 1″.
20. The namesake of the private club, Club 33, located in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square
21. The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry has 33 degrees.
22. The number of innings played in the longest baseball game in history (a 1981 minor league game between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox in Pawtucket, Rhode Island).
23. Jersey number of baseball player Eddie Murray. The number was retired by the Baltimore Orioles in 1998.
24. Jersey number of basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The number was retired on March 20, 1989 by the Los Angeles Lakers
25. Jersey number of basketball player Patrick Ewing. The number was retired on February 28, 2003 by the New York Knicks.
26. Kerry Earnhardt‘s Sprint Cup Series number for Richard Childress Racing
27. 33 is the largest positive integer that cannot be expressed as a sum of different triangular numbers. It is also the smallest odd repdigit that’s not prime (unless we consider 1-digit integers to also be repdigits).
28. Since the greatest prime factor of 332 + 1 = 1090 is 109, which is obviously more than 33 twice, 33 is a Størmer number.
29. The New General Catalogue object NGC 33, a double star in the constellation PiscesThe Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on -1982 August 2 and ended on -485 January 17. The duration of Saros series 33 was 1496.5 years, and it contained 84 solar eclipses.
30. The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on -1982 August 2 and ended on -485 January 17. The duration of Saros series 33 was 1496.5 years, and it contained 84 solar eclipses.
31. A song by The Smashing Pumpkins on their album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Also a song by Coheed and Cambria on their album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade (the songs are not related)
32. The title of the first episode of the new Battlestar Galactica television series in which the Cylons came every 33 minutes
33. Tony Dorsett wore 33 during his Hall of Fame career

If my son, lovingly known as DPC2, develops a taste for basketball I am going to show him YouTube highlights, non-stop, of two of my all time faves: Pistol Pete and Jason Williams. After watching and hopefully learning from that duo he will likely lack in basketball fundamentals but will be a magician on the court.

I tried to emulate The Pistol in my younger days of playing pickup games at Rincon Valley Junior High and the results were disastrous. I am poor basketball player in a basic fundamental kind of way and I made my game worse with too many behind the back passes that either ended up out of bounds or in the hand’s of the opposing defense. Hopefully DPC2 will garner better results at the tutelage of Pistol Pete and White Chocolate.