Happy Birthday, Fes … sort of
Perhaps Kyrylo Fesenko accidentally gave the Jazz the wrong date for his birthday. Or maybe Ukraine is in a weird two-days-behind Utah time zone – because you know how ahead of the times they usually say the Beehive State is. Could be Fes doesn’t have a calendar.
Whatever happened, something got kind of lost in translation Friday. Fesenko told reporters that it was his birthday – and what better day than the Big 22 to notch a career-high and earn a (temporary?) pass out of your coach’s dog house.
The strange part is that the Jazz media guide says Fes’ birthday is Dec. 24, not the 26th.
Of course, after the way he played Friday – eight points, four rebounds and three blocked shots – the Jazz might decide to send birthday cake to his house every day.
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Fesenko joked about how he’s now legal, being 22 and all. When I asked if that is the legal age in his native country, the big jokester quipped back: “More than 12, that’s it.”
Ahhhh… now that explains why Ukraine has beer cans for sale next to the orange juice and Coca-Cola bottles in the vending machines in junior high school cafeterias.
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While we’re on the topic of Fesenko, it’s a likely assumption he’s headed to Orem to join the Utah Flash if/when the Jazz ever get their health back. But he certainly will make the easy decision a bit tougher if he puts together more games like he did against Dallas.
Sloan noticed, appreciated and remarked about the extra effort Fesenko showed against the Mavs and at practice lately. That warmed his heart considering how he only played about three minutes Tuesday against Milwaukee.
“I started him in the ballgame and he didn’t play very well, but I thought he worked a little harder,” Sloan said. “Somewhere along the line you learn how to work and I can’t do the work for him. He’s got to do the work, so he has a chance to get better.”
Fesenko did say he learned a lesson from his short appearance against the Bucks.
“I was just trying to stay with it, stay with my game, concentrate not go crazy on my birthday.”
Speaking of which, happy birthday, Fesenko – Wednesday, Friday or whenever it was.
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Just have to get this out of my system – poorly chosen words perhaps – but Ronnie Brewer was plain sick Friday night.
And by sick, yes, I do mean the way the cool kids use the word in an awesome kind of ’80s way and the way your doctor and mom use it in a he’s-got-a-gastrointestinal-ailment type of way, too.
Brewer had a couple of monster dunks against the Mavs during his team-high 21-point outing. He exploded for a mean one-hand jam a couple of minutes after re-entering game, which was only a couple of minutes after everything he’d eaten on Friday entered a trash can in the hall between the arena and the Jazz locker room.
Brewer warned Ronnie Price that he was going to puke, and Price will never doubt him again. Brewer left the arena and stopped in the hall underneath the stands to toss his cookies.
To Brewer’s credit, he came back a few minutes later – playing hard and dunking away. He did get some grief from Jazz trainer Gary Briggs, who jokingly motioned for Brewer to wipe his mouth off after he returned to the team.
Ewwww.
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Strange sighting of the night goes to a middle-aged woman holding up a sign not too far away from the Jazz bench in hopes of attracting both Kyle Korver’s attention and, apparently, his hand in marriage.
It read: “Marry me, Kyle” and included a heart.
What made the sign strange, though, was what was on the back of it.
That part read: “Dirk, I’m German, too.”
She better hope word doesn’t get back to Korver that she’s two-timing him.
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Every fan with a ticket to Friday’s game won a free taco because the Jazz had more than six blocked shots. So, don’t be surprised if you see Mark Eaton at Taco Bell tomorrow – he was seated right next to press row in the stands.
Seeing him during that announcement made me think that the taco fast-food joint might have given away a whole lotta free grub had they had that promotion back in the days when he was leading the NBA and setting franchise records for blocked shots.
The Jazz, by the way, ended up with seven blocked shots as a team – three from Fesenko, two by Andrei Kirilenko and one apiece from Kosta Koufos and C.J. Miles. By my notes, Koufos, however, should’ve been credited with two swats. But as long as it didn’t keep any fans from getting free tacos, I suppose it doesn’t really matter.