Baller-in-Chief

(From Thomas Burr for the Salt Lake Tribune)

Playing ball an experience at the highest court

Washington » If President Barack Obama really wants to test his skill, he should take it to the nation’s high court.

Not the Supreme Court of the United States. The basketball court above it.

Obama is not shy about pitching himself as a basketball-loving commander-in-chief, and recently invited ESPN to the White House to see him fill in his bracket for college basketball’s Big Dance. And since the president’s new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. doesn’t have a built-in basketball court, the chief executive has to take his game on the road.

A sign outside of the Supreme Court’s basketball court, prohibiting play while court is in session. (Courtesy of Sharada Jambulapati)

What better place to shoot hoops than at the Supreme Court, which houses a gym just above the big hall where the justices hear arguments on the nation’s most important cases.

“Why not? You’ve got to play at the ‘Highest Court in the Land,’ ” says Jay Jorgensen, a Brigham Young University Law School graduate who clerked for former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Jorgensen has played ball there, as have many of the law clerks who toiled endless hours at the building a block from the U.S. Capitol. Obama may well be able to dominate the clerks — “We tend to be very bookish,” Jorgensen jokes — but not the well-fit security officers who also use the facility.

The basketball court, on the top floor of the 1935 marble building, wasn’t planned for gym rats. The original use was attic storage for the law library and extra chairs, tables and files.

But sometime in the 1940s, the justices converted it into a gym, with a weight room and basketball court with standards on each end of the concrete floor. Several of the high court’s members have used the space: former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor organized an exercise class every morning, and current Chief Justice John Roberts often played Rehnquist when Roberts clerked for him.

Former Justice Byron Raymond White, a former All-American football star who was played in the NFL, was an avid fan of basketball as well, and he loved challenging his clerks to games.

BYU law school professor Tom Lee clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas starting in the summer of 2004, right about the time Thomas injured his Achilles tendon during a game. Since the jurist couldn’t play a pick-up game, he would play a version of the game H-O-R-S-E.

“We invited him to play a game of H-O-R-S-E,” Lee said, “and Thomas said, ‘You know, Supreme Court justices don’t play H-O-R-S-E, they play habeas corpus.’ “

Lee’s brother, Mike, who clerked for Justice Samuel Alito in 2006, says that because the courtroom is right above the court’s chambers, a player dribbling the ball up there translates into big booms downstairs.

“People don’t realize this but it’s immediately on top of the courtroom, and there are signs everywhere, all over the place as you enter the court, on the walls of the court, as you enter the stairs, [that read], “Do not assume court is over. No basketball while court is being held.’ “

Playing ball at the higher-than-the-high-court court can also lead to some interesting conversations. Law clerks take their work seriously, and sometimes will litigate every foul.

And even when they’re just playing for fun, the clerks never really leave work, adds Tom Lee.

“Almost everything you did [as a clerk], you were living and breathing the Supreme Court while you were there,” he says. “Even when you’re playing basketball, you’d end up talking about the cases.”

(From John Altavilla for the Hartford Courant)

Sure, Congressman, but what does Sen. McCain think about this?

The office of Huskies Homeland is pleased to hear from the distinquished U.S. Congressman, John B. Larson (CT-01), Chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

He seems thrilled with the President’s choice for women’s basketball national champion – that would be the No. 1 UConn Huskies, of course.

Do you think we’d be mentioning it if it was Stanford?

Oh yeah, I guess we would, wouldn’t we?

“I am pleased that President Obama has seen the light on an important issue to the state of Connecticut – NCAA basketball and endorsed the University of Connecticut’s Women’s Basketball for the National Championship,” Larson said.

“Last night, before he addressed the democratic caucus on our nation’s long term economic plan, President Obama and I had a brief conversation about this year’s NCAA basketball tournament. I expressed my disappoint that he did not choose the UConn Men basketball team to win and cautioned he shouldn’t make the same mistake by picking against Geno Auriemma and the UConn women.”

“With the senior leadership of Renee Montgomery and the inside outside combination of Tina Charles and Two time big east player of year Maya Moore, UConn Women Huskies are surely on the path to perfection. I am proud to see President Obama agrees with me, our state and the Husky nation.”

Still waiting to hear from John McCain about tonight’s game against Arizona State?

(From Karen Crouse for The New York Times Online)

It was a bipartisan affair Monday night when Alonzo Mourning’s No. 33 jersey became the first one in the history of the Miami Heat to be retired. The state’s Republican governor, Charlie Crist, was one of the speakers and President Obama sent a handwritten note on White House stationery that was read aloud.

The jersey-raising ceremony took place at halftime of the Heat’s 101-95 loss to the Orlando Magic and reduced Mourning, considered a callus of a competitor on the court, to tears.

“I couldn’t hold it back,” Mourning said, referring to the tears that streamed down his face. “When you’re in love with something — I was so passionate about the game — it’s so difficult to part ways.”

Mourning, 39, announced his retirement in January 2008, a month after sustaining a tear in his right quadriceps and patella tendon in his right knee while trying to block a shot. His career lasted 15 seasons and continued, improbably, after he learned he had a kidney disease in 2000. He played for another season, then sat out the 2002-3 campaign after having a kidney transplant. He returned to play another four-plus seasons and win an N.B.A. championship with the Heat in 2006.

Asked if the retirement ceremony provided closure to his career, Mourning said: “Yeah. No Brett Favre. None of that. This is it,” he said, emphasizing the “it.” He added, “I’m really excited about what other things life has to offer.”

Not one to sit idle, Mourning said he had taken up golf. As was the case in basketball, he is pouring all of his energies into the game. “My next challenge is to qualify for the senior tour in 10 years,” he said.

Among the people who showed up at American Airlines Arena to honor Mourning were his coach at Georgetown, John Thompson, the former Hoya, Dikembe Mutombo, who got the day off from the Houston Rockets, and the former Heat guard Tim Hardaway, who, in one final assist, handed Mourning a towel when he started crying.

But it was the person who sent his regards by mail, President Obama, whose words most deeply affected Mourning. “That was huge,” Mourning said. “It really was. For him to even take the time out at this particular time with all the things that are going on in this world, that was a great honor.”

Thompson, the Hall of Fame coach, was asked if Mourning, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All Star, deserves the ultimate honor: a place in the basketball Hall of Fame. “If he’s not a future Hall of Famer, I’m giving my ring back,” he said.

(From Zach Hillesland for the New York Times Online)

Lately, and for several reasons, I’ve had Obama on the brain.

Zach Hillesland is a senior on Notre Dame’s basketball team.
(Jeff Lewis/Associated Press)

I have never really paid that much attention to politics. I’ve been more or less blacked out politically speaking for the past eight years. The extent of my political knowledge almost entirely stems from three sources: bits and pieces from HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” K-Mac’s ramblings on Ron Paul and the Libertarian party, and whatever Kieran (a roommate in his second year of law school) feels like talking about on any given day. I’ll occasionally visit CNN.com or use the New York Times application that I installed on my phone, but I am by no means a political guru.

But let’s get back to President Obama. As I’m sure many of you know by now, a couple of weeks ago President Obama announced that he would deliver the commencement speech at three universities, and that Notre Dame was one of his choices. I’m usually not one for long, ceremonious events, but that announcement made this graduation a must-see event.

We get only three tickets for family and friends, and if I can’t get Bishop D’Arcy’s extras, I’m going to have to resort to selling them to the highest bidder. Of course, I’m only partly kidding. My mom (a k a DiAnn “If the first lady won’t step aside, I’ll gladly be the second” Hillesland-Obama) would cut me off if I didn’t give her the tickets, and without a job that’s something that I cannot afford. But we’ll talk more about that later.

Although I’d love to talk about graduation and I fervently disagree with those who think President Obama should not have been invited to Notre Dame (we’re not all like that, I promise), the real reason I bring up the president is relevant to the Notre Dame basketball team.

As has been well documented, President Obama loves to play basketball. I know he has played pickup with North Carolina, and so I would like to take this time to extend a semiformal invitation for the president to play a game of two-on-two with the Notre Dame seniors (Kyle, Luke Z., Ryan and I will be the only players on campus).

I’ve been thinking extensively on how this could possibly go down. I started with matchups, and since we’ll have five guys, I had to find a way to fairly eliminate one of the seniors. Originally, I thought that it could be the president and me versus Kyle and Ryan, until I realized that if President Obama and Ryan were matched up, it would be too hard to tell them apart (just ignore the height difference). Click on the links and decide for yourself.

Based on the visual evidence, those teams are clearly not going to work, even if President Obama is rocking his signature sweatpants as a differentiator. I ended up going with a President Obama and Big Smoof versus K-Mac and Zach matchup, with Ryan as a sub for Smoof if they really need help.

After settling the little matchup situation, I did next what any self-respecting college student would do and began to research. And like any self-respecting marketing major, I started my research on YouTube. The first video I stumbled across was the “Barack Obama Basketball Mixtape,” and as soon as the title screen popped up anointing him “Barack O-Balla” I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for. Signature sweatpants, check. Good court vision, check. Behind-the-back dribble, check. After watching and studying the video at least a half-dozen times, I came up with the following scouting report:

1. The sweatpants are a decoy. Don’t be fooled into thinking that they will slow him down or impede his movement; he’s still quite nimble and quick.

2. He’s going left (pun slightly intended). But seriously, he shoots lefty, finishes with the left, and he drives with the left. Sit on his left hand (I didn’t want to say force him to go right. I would never suggest that).

3. He’s a pass-first point guard. The first thing on his agenda is to get his teammates involved. I don’t know how this will change in a two-on-two game, but be ready for some Magic-esque dimes.

4. Don’t bring anything weak in the House of Obama. The video clearly shows him going on the defensive, blocking shots like a 6-foot-1 Hasheem Thabeet. Hopefully his elbows aren’t quite as sharp, though.

Now that matchups have been decided and scouting reports filled, it’s time to discuss the stakes. (You didn’t think that was all for just fun and games did you?) President Obama, the following is a list of rewards I would like when my team wins:

1. Include me in a revision of the stimulus package. With hundreds of billions of dollars being thrown around, I don’t think it would be hard to throw me a couple of bones, perhaps in the $55 million range. If the average life expectancy is around 77, I figure that a million dollars a year for the rest of my life should suffice.

2. Job as your personal adviser. If basketball doesn’t work out, I’d like to have a fallback plan. This would really be more like a reward for you, but what can I say, I’m in a generous mood today. That and the fact that my current fallback plan consists of living in the locker room (unless they change the door code). Let’s just call it a win-win.

3. I get to write your N.D. commencement speech. Fireworks. Let’s really give them something to talk about. You can even use the Teleprompter. I know I would.

4. At least consider letting DiAnn move into the White House. She doesn’t like dogs either. Allergic, in fact. Don’t even ask what she did to our dog. (Rest in peace, Kicks.) She requires minimal supervision, can cook a handful of dishes (enough for a two-week rotation), and gets along with everyone, so you won’t have to worry about potential friction with the first lady. You also have to let Haley (sister) move in if she can’t make a college choice.

In the odd chance that you would win, as your reward, you could choose any of the following options above, or combine them to find the perfect mix. I look forward to seeing you in May.

This is probably my last entry, and I would just like to thank everyone who has been a part of my experience. In case President Obama doesn’t follow through with my list of demands, I’m receptive to any job offers, straight-up money transfers, questions, or if you have something for DiAnn to do. And don’t forget to tune in Tuesday night to watch us take on Penn State in the N.I.T. semifinals.

Thanks,

Zach

(From John Coleman for the SMU Daily Campus Online)

Dear Mr. Obama, let them play the game

Sports are the great equalizer. Riots have broken out and cities nearly crumbled after European soccer matches. Wars have been put on hold for the pursuit of athletic greatness.

Sports are something everyone, on some level, can understand and relate too- the heat of competition, the elation of victory. Whatever level of experience you have with sports you can relate at some level to wanting to win and the drive to outperform in whatever facet you choose.

This feeling could not be more relevant to current events shaping our nation today.

Allow me to portray a sports scenario and we will evaluate whether it violates the true meaning of sports. The U.S. government is doing the very same thing right now.

Many of you know the NCAA college playoff tournament has been taking place. “March Madness” has swept the nation.

The rules are simple. The best teams get the highest seeds on down to those just good enough to make the tournament. The bracket is played out and the best teams beat out all the others until a champion is crowned. A team with the most drive, determination, heart and skill is crowned the best team in the nation.

Imagine a scenario where this wasn’t the case. Imagine a powerhouse basketball school whose name was common amongst college basketball conversations, a mainstay of the tournament. Now imagine this team starting to fall from greatness, not the shining beacon of basketball skill of past, but rather sinking to the realm of mediocre.

We will call this basketball giant, the University of Awesomeness. Now as Awesome U starts to tumble, the governing body of college basketball, the NCAA, begins to take notice. Awesome U sees no problem with their methods as it has been the traditional power, everyone knows them and that will never change.

Awesome U changes nothing, stuck in their old ways, they plummet from the ranks of the elite and no longer qualify for the NCAA tournament. This is bad news for the NCAA because everyone wants to watch Awesome U in the tournament, ratings are important.

So the NCAA decides to “prop up” the beleaguered giant to help them get into the tournament and keep “March Madness” strong and important. To do this the NCAA spots Awesome U 10 points a game to help them beat their opponents. This doesn’t seem fair to the other teams that have worked hard to be so good, but the NCAA deems this necessary to keep the tournament relevant and exciting.

Awesome U continues to deteriorate and now the 10 points is not even sufficient to help them win games so the NCAA has to step in again and give them 20 extra points a game. The idea is that if they can get through the tournament and win, they will get the good recruits and return to prominence.

The problems is that other teams worked hard and really play the game well and efficiently, and should be the winners, yet the NCAA gives Awesome U an artificial victory, just to keep fans happy.

This goes against everything sports were built on, the same with capitalism.

Right now the U.S. government is propping up “Awesome U” or General Motors. The outdated business practice ran GM into the ground and, according to the rules, should be out of the “tournament”.

The government even went as far as ousting GM “coach” or CEO Rick Wagoner on Monday. He was essentially fired by the President.

The idea of capitalism is that the strong companies thrive and prosper and the weaker companies are swept out of the way. The U.S. government isn’t playing the game by the rules and ruining the sport for everyone.

A cry to the Obama administration: For the love of God let them play the game. Stick to enforcing the rules and not running the game. You are violating everything sports, capitalism, and the “Great American Way” stand for.