【洪】ILHONG's Words

by Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports October 5, 2004

That was the year Pippen was suddenly thrust into the lead role for Chicago after years of playing second fiddle to Michael, and the results were a direct reflection of his personality and game. His unselfish nature led to a wonderful season of distributing the ball, directing the Chicago offense and helping the Jordan-less squad to 55 wins. Tex Winter asserts that the 93-94 Bulls ran the triangle offense more efficiently than any of his other NBA teams, mainly because of Scottie's direction and ballhandling skills.

Pippen won the All-Star game MVP that season and was third in the balloting for the league's Most Valuable Player award. And he was one bad call away from leading Chicago to a playoff upset of the favored Knicks.

But while his game flourished that season, Scottie struggled with the idea of replacing MJ. Critics for years had claimed that Pippen was overrated – that he had ridden Jordan's coattails and didn't deserve the all-star status he had achieved. So when Michael "retired," Pippen was on center stage to take the leadership mantle from him. The naysayers all wanted to see if Scottie could "be like Mike."

The truth was, Pippen was nothing like Michael.

Unlike Jordan, Scottie was actually affected by what fans and the press said about him. He had a human vulnerability that made him a wonderful, caring teammate but also made him sensitive to criticism. And no matter how well he played that season, it was never good enough – for himself or his critics. Never mind that the beauty of Pippen's game was in his defense, rebounding, unselfishness and ballhandling skills. Fans only wanted to compare him to Jordan. They wanted to see him drop 55 on the Knicks, hit game-winning shots and mentally intimidate opponents.

But Scottie wasn't cut out to do those things, and at times he became frustrated with his perceived failure to emulate Michael.

In Game 3 of the playoff series against the Knicks in '94, Pippen refused to go back into a tie game for the final 1.8 seconds after Phil Jackson called a play for Toni Kukoc. Pippen was already upset with Kukoc for making a mistake on the previous possession, so when Jackson drew up the final shot for Toni, it infuriated Scottie.

All season long, Pippen's critics were asking him to replace Jordan, and now the final shot would go to a rookie from Croatia? He refused to enter the game, and after Kukoc nailed the game-winning shot, Pippen was embarrassingly left to explain his actions. He was vilified in the press as selfish and insubordinate. It was the biggest mistake of Pippen's career, and unfortunately it will be part of his legacy.

The truth is that Scottie Pippen was a fabulous basketball player and an even better teammate. And while his human vulnerability got the best of him from time to time, he was a totally unselfish basketball player who loved to share the ball with his teammates. Without Pippen, Jordan and the Bulls never would have won six rings in the 1990s.

Scottie complemented Michael perfectly. MJ wanted to score, and Pippen wanted to pass. MJ was relentlessly hard on his teammates; Scottie was nurturing and patient. Defensively, the two terrorized opposing teams with their speed, length and versatility. And in the end, their partnership was the foundation of an NBA dynasty.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpNDQ3MW9lBF9TAzk1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwNvZQ--?slug=sk-pippen100504&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Derek Jeter pours champagne on manager Joe Torre in Thursday's celebration.(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

That was the sentiment in the Yankees' clubhouse on Thursday night, where champagne-covered players talked about the thrill of winning the American League East title in one breath, quickly adding that it was just the first of four goals they have this season.

New York earned its seventh consecutive AL East crown on Thursday, thanks to a walk-off homer by Bernie Williams. With the win, the Yankees will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason, so the road to the World Series will go through Yankee Stadium if the Bronx Bombers have something to say about it.

"Each celebration gets bigger and sweeter. It's step one, but it's an important step," said Alex Rodriguez, who returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2000. "We have home-field advantage, and even after all of the doubts, all of the things that have been said about this team, we've overcome a lot of stuff."

Those doubts included six early-season losses to Boston, as well as a late-season charge by the Red Sox, who slashed the lead from 10 1/2 games to just 2 1/2 over the past six weeks.

"Circumstances were tough, but what gets you through this is the players. They pull for each other," said manager Joe Torre. "The things that happened early in the year, getting roughed up by the Red Sox, good things came out of it. My firm belief is that you find out how good you are when bad things happen."

With injuries to several key players, most notably pitchers Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown, the Yankees managed to post their third consecutive 100-win season, securing the best record in the AL once again.

"It's a lot of work," said Jeter, still dripping of champagne. "Six months, plus Spring Training, you have one goal, which is to win the division. It's always worthwhile."

"I know these guys have won seven in a row, but this was a unique year for us," Rodriguez added. "We've been through a lot of adversity, and everyone jumped off our bandwagon when the lead went from 10 1/2 to 2 1/2. We fought long and hard for this, showing the character this team has."

Now, the Yankees can rest some regulars this weekend and get themselves prepared for the grind of October. The fun starts Tuesday, when they will take on the A's, Twins or Angels in Game 1 of the Division Series.

"I like the attitude of the guys, which is that this was just the first step," said Tony Clark. "You appreciate it, you enjoy it, but we know there's work left to be done. The ultimate goal is to be the last team standing."

Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20041001&content_id=877449&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp

Soju: The New Vodka
By Kate Bonamici


No liquor license? No problem. Alcohol trends move so fast it's hard to keep track, but one booze to watch is Soju, a Korean import gaining popularity as a vodka substitute.

Soju is distilled from rice, barley, and koji (a cultured grain), and cheaper brands are made from sweet potatoes. The brew is about 24% alcohol, compared with around 5% alcohol by volume for beer, 11% to 14% for wine, and 40% for vodka. Though Soju is twice as potent as pinot noir, for the past few years it has been lumped in with wine and beer under New York and California licensing laws, meaning restaurants without a full liquor license can offer mixed drinks using the mild-tasting spirit. It's a coup for small restaurants, since a full liquor license costs $4,352 for a two-year permit in New York City, while a beer and wine permit is only $480 a year. Soju's more popular cousin, sake, the Japanese rice wine, is also a popular mixer, but Soju contains more alcohol and less flavor, so it's better in cocktails and sweet drinks. Popular choices include Red Bull and Soju and a Soju screwdriver. As for Soju straight? Let's just say this writer advises against it.