Fortunate 50

Sports Illustrated has their annual list of the top earning athletes in America, The Fortunate 50.

THE Finals

Just in case you were having a hard time finding something to read on the fixed Celtics Lakers Finals set to begin later this week...


LAKERS vs CELTICS ALL-TIME

Hall of Famers
Lakers: 15
Celtics: 25

NBA Titles
Lakers: 14
Celtics: 16

NBA Finals appearances
Lakers: 29
Celtics: 20

Playoff Wins
Lakers: 395
Celtics: 300

Head-to-Head Finals wins
Lakers: 2
Celtics: 8

Now for some (not so) random thoughts...

• POINT GUARD - Derek Fisher has the ability to be the quiet MVP of this series. That is, when Rajon Rondo refuses to shoot the ball or aggressively attack the rim, it would allow Fisher to roam and double team. Fisher may be the best defensive point guard in the league, and certainly has the capability to bother and pest the other Celtics. On the other hand, Rondo should be able to have his way when Farmar or Vujacic dares to try and stay in front of him. Look for Eddie House to come in off the bench and have an impact as well.

• KOBE - If you find yourself at a magazine rack sometime this week, pick up ESPN the Mag and read the article on Kobe. Amidst all the talk about the personality of Kobe, we sort of forget that he is a workaholic when it comes to playing basketball. The guy is so obsessed with the game, so Jordan like, and comes with such a great story growing up, that he almost becomes likable while reading this feature. This article reminded me that he is the best player in the world because he worked for it, as opposed to Lebron who is more blessed by being stronger and faster than everyone else. So yes, everyone knows that Kobe is hell bent on winning a championship without Shaq, and will take over games at will to do so.

• Does it matter who guards Kobe? Not really. Bruce Bowen and Andre Kirelinko got beat, and Boston does not have an individual defensive stopper like those two guys. Pierce and James Posey can do a decent job, but Kobe will be able to score when he wants. Having Kevin Garnett waiting at the rim does help, though.

• PAUL PIERCE - The second best offensive player in this series grew up a Lakers fan in California. Pierce ups his game when he plays his old favorite franchise, averaging 28 points against the Lakers all time, more than any other team. If the Celtics somehow win the title, Paul Pierce has to play out of his mind and win the Finals MVP.

• RAY ALLEN - This may be the biggest wild card. Ray could not find his shot for most of the playoffs until the final games of the Pistons series. Allen has had a long running feud with Kobe Bryant, so there is motivation to push him back to being the all-star sharpshooter that he is.

• LAMAR ODOM & PAU GASOL - We know that when these guys are attacking the hoop the Lakers are unstoppable. But I think the key is when they are guarding Garnett. Remember, Kevin Garnett's game is based on him being longer and more athletic than whoever is on him. He loves to simply shoot that fade away jump shot which no one can contest. However, Odom and Gasol are long enough to bother Garnett's usual shot. This will be interesting to see if Garnett adjusts and what type of game he plays then.

• CRAZY KEVIN & DESPERATION FACTORS - Garnett has never been here. He is going to be so ridiculously fired up, and it will trickle down to his teammates. It may be offensively, but more likely will be on the other end as he continues to will the Celtics to somehow playing great team defense. This is probably the Boston Three Party's best shot at a championship and they know it, while these Lakers will surely be back here again.

• HOME COURT (2-3-2) - No team has ever won those three middle games. The Lakers have yet to lose at Staples in the playoffs and the Celtics only lost once to the Pistons. The Lakers have proven they can win on the road, but Boston Garden is a whole another monster. The Celtics have only one once on the road in the playoffs, but were the best road team during the season, including a victory at Staples in short shorts. Each historic franchise should bust out their respective legends in the crowd, if only to further fire up their fans and players.

• BENCH - The Lakers bench is not that great, it is just that Phil Jackson always brings out the champs out of a bunch of chumps, which brings us to...

• COACHES - Phil Jackson vs Doc Rivers in the biggest mismatch in NBA Finals since...well, last year with Greg Popovich vs Mike Brown. Granted, Rivers has actually done a decent job in getting production out of his chumps. But no one can discount the fact that Phil has always gotten the best out of every one of his players, from the Chicago Bulls in the 90s to early 2000s Lakers and now in this latest generation of Lakers. This championship may be Phil's best job as a coach ever.

• OFFICIATING - I hate to say it, but the officiating is going to be a big factor in every game, just as it has for most of these playoffs. The referees tend to get caught up and favor the home team.

• PREDICTION - I want the Celtics in Seven. I think the Lakers in Five.

Sex and the City

As we were walking out of a sports bar following the Lakers' impressive series clinching victory Thursday evening, we saw a line outside the movie theatres. This is not uncommon, midnight releases are very popular. However, a bunch of us guys were trying to figure out what big blockbuster movie was releasing this weekend. As we walked past the line, we then realized that there were only about three guys in a line of hundreds of women. Immediately we concluded that the unknown release was indeed Sex and the City. The powerhouse chick flick earned an impressive $55.7 million to lead the weekend box office. Considering most blockbuster hits are in the action and comedy genres and primarily appeal to young males, it is good that the girls finally get to see one of their beloved franchises do well:

"Sex and the City," released under Warner's New Line Cinema banner, had the best debut ever for an R-rated comedy, topping the $45.1 million opening of "American Pie 2."

The movie landed at No. 5 on the all-time list among R-rated films, behind "The Matrix Reloaded" ($91.8 million), "The Passion of the Christ" ($83.8 million), "300" ($70.9 million) and "Hannibal" ($58 million).

I'll drink (a cosmopolitan) to that.

Swallow the Whistle

Anyone who watches basketball over the years knows that the game is refereed differently in the final moments of a close game. Referees prefer to "swallow their whistle" and let the players decide the game. While the NBA did admit that Derek Fisher's bump on Brent Barry at the end of Game 4 should have been a foul, Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times has this report:

League spokesman Brian McIntyre said referees Joey Crawford, Joe Forte and Mark Wunderlich may have been following a league guideline in failing to make a call on Derek Fisher. "There is an explanation in the rule book," said McIntyre, "that there are times during games when the degree of certainty necessary to determine a foul involving physical contact is higher. That comes during impact time when the intensity has risen, especially at the end of a game. In other words, if you're going to call something then, be certain."

Gregg Popovich has never heard of such an advisory in all his years of dealing with referees. "It's a very strange thing," said Popovich, also before the league's statement. "If you talk to an official, the official will tell you that the game is called at the end of the game exactly like it is during the meat of the game. That's their story and they're going to stand by it. In reality, personally, I don't think that's true and I can give a thousand examples that things are called differently down the stretch where I think most referees feel -- and I agree with them -- that things need to be more definitive before you're going to make a call."

Cuban's Cap

Mark Cuban has an excellent blog post explaining why the NFL owners opted out of their collective bargaining agreement.

No Bruce, No Win

• One thing that is bothering me about all the post game chatter and analysis from last night's entertaining 20 point Laker comeback over the Spurs is the fact that everyone is focusing on Kobe Bryant taking over the game. If you watched the game closely, Kobe only went off went Bruce Bowen sat down in the third quarter. Down by 20 and realizing the Spurs' best defender was now resting, Kobe quickly blew by Ime Udoka. Udoka was benched immediately, and Greg Popovich put Manu Ginobili on Kobe, and the rest is history.
• This is the playoffs. The Western Conference Finals. It is no time to be resting. (How much did the plane debacle have to do with the Spurs wearing down in the second half? I am no conspiracy theorist, but the Spurs' delay and night spent on the runway after their Game 7 win in New Orleans had to be arranged by the bitter Hornets or Lakers) The Spurs have to play Bruce Bowen on Kobe Bryant for as much as possible. I am not saying Bowen can or would have stopped Kobe. But Bowen makes it as difficult as possible. Why make it easier for Kobe to get going?
• By putting Ginobili on Kobe, it tires out Manu on both ends. As it is, he has struggled against the Lakers all year long. Why make it even tougher on your best playmaker by making him play defense against the best player in the world?

• The Spurs have swept the Memphis Grizzlies twice in the first round of the playoffs. I know you are thinking that is completely irrelevant, but that means that Tim Duncan was 8-0 against Pau Gasol in the playoffs entering this western conference finals. Yes, Duncan's Spurs are far better than Pau's Grizzlies ever were. But an all-star should be able to win at least one game on his own in two different years. This means that Duncan has traditionally torched Pau, and has consistently had his number. Watching last night's game, this theory was confirmed as Duncan had 30/18/4 including a series of scoring on Pau one on one multiple times in a row. Duncan also showed he can school Turiaf, meaning the Lakers must double team Timmy.
• When the Lakers double Duncan, Manu Ginobili has to take advantage and the shooters have to hit their open shots. Neither happened last night, but the Spurs still built a 20 point lead in the second half.
• Finally, Tony Parker looks like he may have his way with the Lakers in terms of getting into the paint in creating. So the key for the Spurs will be to somehow get some production out of their bench, which has a clear disadvantage against the Lakers' strong role players.
• I am getting tired of the referees favoring the home team. I understand the home court advantage, and how the mortal officials get caught up in the momentum. But it would be nice to have an exciting finish that is not decided by a questionable call or no-call. It seems every great game is followed by understandable whining by the losing team. There is no solution to this problem; it is simply part of the game. The NFL plays the Super Bowl on a neutral site to avoid this issue, which I feel has become more of a deciding factor in the NBA this year.
• Everyone is quick to compare the Spurs losing Game 1 to the Suns' blowing their first round Game 1 against these same Spurs a couple weeks ago. Will the Spurs bounce back or be unable to recover from the Game 1 devastation like the Suns? This is good stuff. Hopefully we get some more awesome basketball games like last night's.

LA Times feature on Inside the NBA

I would love to hang out and watch a game with these guys.

Lottery 2008

The start of the conference finals marks a day that all the teams which did not make it into the playoffs finally have something to look forward to in relation to their losing team. Unfortunately, my Still Seattle But Almost Oklahoma City Sonics were not able to win the lottery after a woeful 20-62 season and a 39% chance of winning the top two picks. Chicago and Miami will get Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose, perhaps immediately proppelling them into playoff contention in the weak eastern conference.

Pick / Team / Chance at No. 1
1 Chicago 1.7%
2 Miami 25%
3 Minnesota 13.8%
4 Seattle 19.9%

Stern in Sacramento

David Stern is two-faced.

In a letter published in Sacramento, NBA commissioner David Stern explains his reasoning in supporting a new arena in Sacramento, CA. Stern says he is compelled "to exhaust every possibility to maintain the marriage of the Kings and Sacramento." He then admits that "new tax dollars are not a realistic option."

I find it interesting how the same person can have such a completely different stance in Seattle.

Football's Watergate

Bob Ryan has an excellent article on SpyGate, focusing on head coach Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft.

Halo Hos

Talk about the humorous decline of America. This is why other countries hate us.

Indians Call Out Fat Americans

Normally I try to shy away from posting business and economic news, but this was just too interesting to resist.

Some highlights:

Criticism of the United States has ballooned in India recently, particularly after the Bush administration seemed to blame India's increasing middle class and prosperity for rising food prices. Critics from India seem to be asking one underlying question: "Why do Americans think they deserve to eat more than Indians?"

Americans eat an average of 3,770 calories per capita a day, the highest amount in the world, according to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, compared to 2,440 calories in India. They are also the largest per capita consumers in any major economy of beef, the most energy-intensive common food source, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The United States and Canada top the world in oil consumption per person, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Now if you will excuse me, my Indian-American stomach is craving an In-N-Out burger.

FNL vs GG

A blog entitled Rumors and Rants compares the lovely ladies of NBC's Friday Night Lights to CW's Gossip Girl.

MVP at Salt Lake

With Kobe Bryant reportedly winning this year's Most Valuable Player award a day before beginning a second round series against the Utah Jazz, it seems like a timely reminder to look back on the first time Kobe played in Salt Lake City during the playoffs:

JAZZ 98, LAKERS 93 (OT) (May 12, 1997) — This was the fifth and deciding game in the conference semifinals in the Delta Center. Bryant was just a non-starting rookie at the time, but he showed that, for good or bad, he wasn't afraid to take the big shot at crunch time.

While veterans such as Byron Scott, Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones watched, Bryant tried to will the Lakers to the victory. The rookie took the potential game-winning 3-pointer at the end of regulation, but it was an airball. He then shot three more treys in overtime — all of them airballs. In all, Bryant, then 18, took six shots in the final moments of regulation and overtime and missed five of them as his first playoff experience ended on a sour note.

"I had some good looks," Bryant explained afterward. "I just didn't hit the shots."

Oh George, you so funny

From ESPN's Pardon the Interruption:

The New York Giants visited the White House yesterday. President Bush made note of the fact that the Giants' road to the Super Bowl went through his home state of Texas, when they beat Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Bush's intimate knowledge was evidenced with this amusing reference:

"I'm a good sport. We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democratic National Convention."

Why do we hate this hilarious guy again?

My Team

With my beloved Seattle SuperSonics all set to move to Oklahoma, it is now time to address the questions most of you have been throwing my way for the past year or so:

Who is your team going to be now? Who are you going to root for now? What are you going to do with your life once the Sonics are gone? And other variations, but you get the point. Here is a list of potential destinations to redirect my passionate fanatical hood, followed by a lengthy explanation of how and why (not).

Basketball – I thought I could just be a fan of basketball. After all, the reason why we enjoy and watch basketball games is that we are basketball players. I always say those of us who play basketball understand the game far more than those who do not. As for being a fan of just basketball and not a specific team, it is more fun without the frustration and fear that you get throughout the grueling season and in close games worrying about your team. I am thoroughly enjoying these super competitive playoffs because I do not have a horse in the race, and can just appreciate all the games and the whole picture instead of worrying and stressing about one team. But then I talk to friends. Friends who are Lakers fans, Rockets fans, Spurs fans, Suns fans, Hornets fans, Celtics fans, Magic fans, and Lebron fans. And I see how much fun they are having, how the thrill of the wonderful playoff games and hope of winning and making a playoff run fuel their passionate nights. There is no feeling like when your team wins. Nothing like it. Only sports can give you this. Only your team winning can give you this. Only true sports fans understand what this is like. So watching these playoffs, I realize that it is not good enough just to be a fan of basketball. I need to be a part of something. I need the passionate feelings back. I need a team.

Portland Trail Blazers – They are owned by Seattle’s own Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and owner of my beloved Seattle Seahawks. With the Sonics gone, they are the closest team to Seattle. Their head coach is Mr. Sonic, Nate McMillan. Geographically, they are the closest team to the city of Seattle and will no doubt become the passion of the Pacific Northwest once the Sonics are gone. Their best player, Brandon Roy, is from Seattle and is a product of the University of Washington, located right in the heart of downtown Seattle. Throw in the fact that they have a bright future with an improving LaMarcus Aldridge and charismatic Greg Oden, and the Blazers seem like a natural fit to be my new team. But we Sonic fans were trained to despise our I-5 rivals down the road, and I really do not feel any connection to the city of Portland.

Orlando Magic – I loved the Orlando Magic as a kid. I have been to the city three times, most recently going for a Magic home game. I have Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal posters in my room and think Chris Rock as Lil’ Penny is the funniest character no one remembers. I followed that team throughout the 90s, with the likes of Horace Grant, Darrell Armstrong, Scott Skiles, Bo Outlaw, and Nick Anderson. I remember their memorable run to the 1995 Finals, and the league spent the next decade adjusting to the dominant Shaq. I thought they finally rid of the Curse of the Shaquino by signing Steve Francis, then Tracy McGrady, and then Grant Hill, but they all came and went without much success. Finally, Dwight Howard, the biggest man of God the NBA has ever seen, has made the franchise relevant again. I wish his strong Christian faith would be more publicized. On top of that, former Sonic Rashard Lewis is their highest paid player. The Magic will continue to be my second favorite team.

Los Angeles Clippers – I have been to more Clippers games than any other team. It was practically a short lived tradition with me and my dad to go to every Clippers Sonics game when they were good. I was there at the final game at the Los Angeles Sports Arena against, of course, the Sonics. I remember Lamar Odom, Danny Manning, Bill Fitch, and Pooh Richardson. I think Donald Sterling’s stingy ownership has doomed the franchise up until recent years. I hopped on the Clipper Nation bandwagon for their 2006 playoff run. The Clippers would be the easiest team to adopt, given their close proximity and that I can watch all the games on television at no additional cost. But…they are the Clippers. I am tired of losing, I want to win.

San Antonio Spurs – I love Tony Parker. Total man crush. I manage to acquire him every year in my fantasy leagues and he works wonders. The guy is coming off the best year of any man’s life, leading the Spurs to the championship and winning the Finals MVP. But most importantly, he married the lovely Eva Longoria. His first date with her was breakfast. You can fill in the blanks and figure out how exactly that happened. When asked about his hard hit from Shaq, he responded, “it’s okay, my wife will take care of me.” But Tony seems genuinely nice and humble, as if he truly deserves it all. Everyone loves Manu Ginobili and his awkward game, he is a given favorite. I have been told that, when playing at my best, my game is most like Tim Duncan’s. And I felt crushed like he did when Fisher hit that 0.4 miracle shot. But other than that, I do not have a connection with the team built over years like I did with the Sonics. I do not feel the thrill when they win, and they have already won four championships. I cannot just jump on the small bandwagon just because they win. After all, it is San Antonio. For reasons we will never know, they are just boring.



Los Angeles Lakers

I am serious. I thought about it. This would be the biggest turn in the history of the world. It would be like if America suddenly turned and supported Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. It would be like when Stone Cold Steve Austin turned his back on his fans and joined forces with Vince McMahon. It would be like the Jews forgiving the Nazis and hailing Hitler. It would be like Ross and Rachel agreeing that it was a break, Ryan letting his brother anywhere near Marissa again, and Blair deep down really forgiving Serena. I could go on, but you get the point. Me being a Lakers fan just does not fit in the natural order of the world. Those of you who know me know that this could not possibly happen…could it?

The Lakers have the winning tradition that I have been somewhat a part of. I can honestly say I have followed the franchise and watched more of their games than any other team. I remember Jerry West’s brilliant roster moves, signing Shaq away and then mysteriously trading Vlade Divac for some kid barely out of high school named Kobe Bryant. I remember the amazing Game 7 comeback against Portland in the western conference finals. I remember the flurry of bandwagon flags during the three peat. I remember my bittersweet horror when Gary Payton signed with the Lakers. Hell, I even fell into the money trap and read Phil Jackson’s book. Just like any other true Lakers fan, I long for the days of Chick Hearn’s gifted calls. I still have the nightly “this game is in the fridge” rant memorized. I would immediately become the most knowledgeable Lakers fan given my freak obsession with watching and knowing everything about my team.

So I really thought it might happen, until I stumbled upon one problem: I cannot root for them. I think after so many years of rooting against them as our bitter Pacific rivals, it is now wired in my DNA. I like guys like Derrick Fisher, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, and even Andrew Bynum, but there is something about the purple and gold that makes me naturally root against them. Maybe it is the way everyone claims to be a longtime Laker fan only when they happen to start winning. Maybe it is because their marquee player cheats on his wife, is an alleged rapist, an ego maniac, a ball hogger, is always swearing and whining to the officials, drove the best player out of town, unprofessionally demanded a stupid trade, and changes his number to suck his naïve fans out of more money. But more likely, maybe it is just me. Just like water cannot mix with oil, Vishal cannot be a Laker fan.



So. None of these teams do it for me. There is only one logical solution.

I was born in Seattle, attended Sonics, Seahawks, and Mariners game as a baby and followed them throughout my childhood. I remember the good times and the bad, the happiness and heartache. I remember Nick Van Exel and Vlade Divac and the 7th seeded Lakers stunning the 2nd seeded Sonics in 1994, thus beginning my reign of disgust with the Lakers. I remember feeling sick when the Denver Nuggets became the first 8 seed to upset a 1 seed, the Sonics in the 1995 playoffs. I still wonder what could have been every time they show the clip of Dikembe Mutombo lying down on our green key clutching the ball above his head in laughter and joy. I remember the feeling when I recall that the Sonics were 8-0 against the Houston Rockets in those two years they won the championship. I remember the glorious 1996 Seattle SUPER Sonics. I remember trying to draw the new logo. I remember how I loved the green Sonics warm up jersey which is still hanging in my closet at home. I remember asking my dad why Shawn Kemp is laying the ball up instead of dunking it during the pregame warm-ups courtside at a Clippers Sonics game, then him throwing it down on his next drive. I remember Gary Payton chucking him dangerous lobs from half court during intense stretches of games. I remember the Glove shutting down the other team’s best player in crunch time, posting up every opposing guard, and trash talking like there was no tomorrow. I remember the Sonics’ big three being rounded out by Detlef Schrempf, the first versatile European phenom. I remember the best shooter in Sonics history, Dale Ellis. I remember Big Smooth, Sam Perkins and his awkward and slow style. I remember Nate McMillan, his tutoring of and feuding with Payton, then his success as a coach. I remember George Karl, and his brilliant coaching moves and offensive adjustments. I remember the thrilling series against the Phoenix Suns, with the Squatch and Gorilla mascots fighting and Rex Chapman’s buzzer beaters. I remember Payton and Kemp vs Stockton and Malone, and how the crazy crowds would get fired up for each one of the seven amazing games that it took to decide who was the best in the west. I remember holding on to hope against Michael Jordan and his 72-win Chicago Bulls in the 1996 Finals. I remember my dismay when I learned that the Sonics drafted Scottie Pippen and traded him to the Bulls…for Olden Polynice. I remember NBC’s powerful epic intro and Bob Costas’ articulate hyping. I remember Shawn Kemp and Dennis Rodman battling like every play was a WWF match. I remember the Sonics winning two consecutive games after they finally put Payton on Jordan. I remember Payton dunking on MJ and then staring him down. I remember thinking the impossible was possible. I remember being so bummed out that the Sonics lost the championship, that I went outside and played baseball. I remember when Seattle traded away my favorite players, Shawn Kemp, then later Gary Payton, and practically everyone else that could play well. I remember Vin Baker. I remember how I love Luke Ridnour’s childish underdog look and quick agile moves. I remember the Cinderella 2005 season, with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis pushing the eventual champion Spurs to the limit in the conference semifinals. I remember going to the McDonald’s High School All-Star Game where Kevin Durant won MVP, then watching him tear up the nation at Texas. I remember raising eyebrows at a sports bar when I jumped for joy during halftime of a playoff game once when the Sonics won the second pick in the lottery so they could draft Kevin Durant. I remember his knack for taking the big shot, hitting game winner after game winner…at age 19! I remember how happy I was to see Durant’s ‘where wearing the dream happens’ commercial before realizing that he needs to take off one more jersey to change from a Seattle one to an Oklahoma one. I remember how my team was stolen from my city.

But most of all, I want to remember more. So damn it, this is the 21st century, which means I can follow my team no matter where they are. When the Oklahoma Sonics, or whatever they are called by then, finally go on to win something, I can say I was along for the whole ride and remember what it took to get there, like a true diehard fan. I remember. Go Sonics!

RoYs

With Kevin Durant officially winning the Rookie of the Year award today, I thought it would be interesting to see who has won the award in the recent past. Note that nearly all of them turned out to be very well known and successful winners.


1984-85 Michael Jordan
1985-86 Patrick Ewing
1986-87 Chuck Person
1987-88 Mark Jackson
1988-89 Mitch Richmond
1989-90 David Robinson
1990-91 Derrick Coleman
1991-92 Larry Johnson
1992-93 Shaquille O'Neal
1993-94 Chris Webber
1994-95 Grant Hill and Jason Kidd
1995-96 Damon Stoudamire
1996-97 Allen Iverson
1997-98 Tim Duncan
1998-99 Vince Carter
1999-00 Elton Brand
2000-01 Mike Miller
2001-02 Pau Gasol
2002-03 Amare Stoudemire
2003-04 LeBron James
2004-05 Emeka Okafor
2005-06 Chris Paul
2006-07 Brandon Roy
2007-08 Kevin Durant

IV

I should be writing about the NFL Draft. Or the NBA Playoffs, as the first round winds down. But all my, uh, recreation time is going to this.

Routine Ray

Jackie MacMullan of the Boston Globe has a great piece on Ray Allen and his obsessive pregame routines, and how it has affected his teammates in Seattle and in Boston.

Indian Cheerleaders

ABC News and the Washington Post have a great articles on the debut of the Indian Premier League, which is merging the rich Indian culture and Bollywood buzz with western fashion and influence.

The Washington Redskins have sent their cheerleaders to Bangalore to help inaugurate the IPL and train India's first ever home grown cheerleading group.

Hot Indian girls dancing at sporting events? The kingdom of heaven is near.