Retorter's Notebook

Underdog Role Not Bad for Suns

October 12, 2012 By

Ask a group of people which super power they’d most want and a majority of them will tell you invisibility. Sure, plenty of people would say they’d choose the ability to fly, have x-ray vision or do celebrity impressions like Frank Caliendo for a myriad of reasons but the chance to go through certain aspects of life unseen supersedes them all. That’s because only the power of invisibility gives you the chance to accomplish things and do it with the element of surprise.

In sports it is a power that teams don’t necessarily want but sometimes will accept if it’s thrust upon them. The element of surprise for a team in sports isn’t called invisibility. It’s better known as being the underdog. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , , ,

Growing Up Dudley

October 6, 2012 By

The four years a person spends in high school are the most formative of their life. At least that’s what the experts say. You grow and mature both mentally and physically so much so that by the end of that period of your life you’re barely recognizable. The people you interact with, and the school you attend, go a long way to forming who you’ll become in life. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , , ,

Gortat Brings Lessons From Afghanistan to Camp

October 4, 2012 By

Players bring all sorts of things with them to training camp. From the normal like clothes, family and food to the more obscure like video game systems, special hair products and embarrassing backpacks. (OK, the latter is just for the rookies.) While in many ways Marcin Gortat is like any other athlete, there is one thing he brought with him that is unlike any of his teammates.

No, Gortat didn’t bring wild animals, exotic accoutrements or any other overly eccentric items with him to San Diego (at least none that we know of). What he brought was something of a less materialistic nature. He took with him to camp the memories of his summer trip to Afghanistan to visit with Polish troops stationed there and the impact it made on him. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , ,

Training Camp: Kendall Marshall has Bieber Fever

October 3, 2012 By

Training camp is as much about building relationships and camaraderie as it is about hard work, fundamentals and conditioning. That’s why it was about as shocking as someone having a drink on Mad Men– not at all — that after Tuesday evening’s practice the veterans decided to have a little fun.

Under the direction of the elder statesman Jermaine O’Neal, center Marcin Gortat surprised rookie Kendall Marshall with a little something he can wear around the rest of the week. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , ,

Optimism Reigns on Day 1 of Training Camp

October 2, 2012 By

The opening day for anything brings the most optimism. The first day a blockbuster movie comes out, people line up for tickets thanks to weeks and months of marketing and anticipation (See: Why I spent nine hours in a Dark Knight marathon).

The first day of school is when a child is most excited to see friends and meet a new teacher. A person’s first kiss is unlike anything they’ll ever experience again. In the NBA, the first day of training camp comes with a similar sense of anticipation and hopefulness. It’s the day when all 30 teams in the league are standing on similar footing. It’s when everyone is undefeated, literally and metaphorically. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , ,

Retorter's Video Notebook: Suns Social Media Day

October 1, 2012 By

Media day is all about fun. Fans get the chance to see their team for the first time, the media gets to ask anything they want and the players get to have a laugh before the grind of the season begins to take its toll. With that in mind, we here on the Suns official blog decided to have a little fun with the team. We got to know them by seeing how well they know their teammates and themselves.

If you’ve ever wondered if your favorite player prefers pancakes or waffles, would rather be Batman or Superman or numerous other off-the-wall questions, we’ve got you covered. If you’re looking for hardcore basketball analysis, you’re probably watching the wrong interviews from media day.

Filed Under: Retorter's Notebook

Retorter’s Video Notebook: Suns Social Media Day

October 1, 2012 By

Media day is all about fun. Fans get the chance to see their team for the first time, the media gets to ask anything they want and the players get to have a laugh before the grind of the season begins to take its toll. With that in mind, we here on the Suns official blog decided to have a little fun with the team. We got to know them by seeing how well they know their teammates and themselves.

If you’ve ever wondered if your favorite player prefers pancakes or waffles, would rather be Batman or Superman or numerous other off-the-wall questions, we’ve got you covered. If you’re looking for hardcore basketball analysis, you’re probably watching the wrong interviews from media day.

Filed Under: Greg Esposito, Retorter's Notebook

Channing Frye's Character Shines Through

September 21, 2012 By

“Character is more important than talent.”

Those words by Edwin Louis Cole describe Suns forward Channing Frye perfectly.

Frye has been known for his on-the-court talents since his years at Saint Mary’s High School in Phoenix. While fans have spent years cheering for his dead on three-point shooting and his ability to score in bunches, it is his character that has shown through most recently. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Greg Esposito, Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , ,

Channing Frye’s Character Shines Through

September 21, 2012 By

“Character is more important than talent.”

Those words by Edwin Louis Cole describe Suns forward Channing Frye perfectly.

Frye has been known for his on-the-court talents since his years at Saint Mary’s High School in Phoenix. While fans have spent years cheering for his dead on three-point shooting and his ability to score in bunches, it is his character that has shown through most recently. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Greg Esposito, Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , ,

Charles Barkley Makes a Comeback

August 27, 2012 By

If you’re a child of the 1990s you remember Charles Barkley in video games like the original NBA Jam, the NBA Live franchise and even his own title, Barkley Shut Up and Jam (like Sir Charles, the name was quite subtle). If you grew up with any of the new generation of consoles though, you’ve never known the pleasure of dropping 30 points and grabbing 10 boards on opponents with the 6–6 “Round Mound of Rebound.” That is, until now.

With the digital version of Sir Charles going MIA for almost as long as DJ Jazzy Jeff’s acting career, it took something pretty special to get him to allow his likeliness to return to a video game. After rebuffing previous overtures in the past few years, 2K Sports brought out the big guns (a music and entertainment mogul) to convince Barkley. It didn’t take long for him to say yes. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Greg Esposito, Retorter's Notebook Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »