MIXING IT UP

Raheel Ramzanali: Some off-the-wall ideas to save NBA All-Star weekend

Raheel Ramzanali: Some off-the-wall ideas to save NBA All-Star weekend
Lebron might be interested in the dunk contest in Raheel's new world. NBA.com

Well, another NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone, but the discussion regarding the weekend is not over. There was once a time when the Saturday night festivities were must-watch TV, but now because we’re desensitized to dope ass dunks or because I’m just older, the night just doesn’t have that oomph it once had growing up. So, being the visionary I am, here are some ways to improve the NBA All-Star Saturday Night festivities.

  • Team Flight Brothers vs Team NBA Dunk Contest: NBA players are so proud to be the best in the world that they hate being challenged for that title so it would be an interesting twist if we had a Team Flight Brothers vs Team NBA Dunk Contest. Simply put, Team Flight Brothers are professional dunkers that travel from show to show. These guys throw down stuff that we haven’t even imagined and mostly do it for YouTube views. Here, I’ll wait as you go down the YouTube rabbit hole of Team Flight Brothers dunks. You back? Yep, now you know why this would shatter ratings and bring the best of the best in the NBA to protect the crown.

  • The Markelle Fultz Rule: The 3-Point Shootout is one of the coolest things to watch, but it gets so boring seeing the best shooters go at it. That’s why every year we need to put in the perceived worst shooter in the game as one of the shooters so we get a point of reference showing how good these shooters really are in the game. Just imagine the cringe factor of Markelle struggling to hit the rim while Devin Booker easily strokes in 24 plus points.

  • One Free Throw Bet: This one is one of my favorite questions to post on Twitter: You have one free throw and if you make it, you get $50,000, BUT you can choose Dwight Howard to shoot it for you and if he makes it, you get $75,000! Pick five fans and they come out and get to decide on national TV how they want to go at this bet. Look, Howard struggles from the line, but he knows the pressure of shooting from the line on national TV. Do you risk missing it all OR go for it all and let Howard get you $75,000?!

  • King of the Court: One of the best games to play with friends after a grueling practice is king of the court. Simply put, this is 1-on-1 with as many guys as we want. The goal of this game is to score 15 on a revolving group of defenders. If you make it, you stay on. You miss? GET OFF and wait your turn to play defense and force a stop. Could you imagine LeBron, Westbrook, James Harden, Durant, etc. going at it for a million dollars to the charity of choice?! This would get a bigger rating than the All-Star game, honestly.

  • Twitter Dunk Contest: Simply put, right before the Team Flight Brothers vs NBA Dunk Contest, we get four of the biggest trash talkers on Twitter to compete in a 8-foot dunk contest. So you can talk smack from your couch, but can you entertain on national TV on a lowered goal?!

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That's five straight losses for Houston. Composite Getty Image.

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking two-run homer for his first major league hit, and the Chicago Cubs swept the Houston Astros with a 3-1 victory on Thursday.

Nico Hoerner had three hits and Mike Tauchman went 1 for 1 with three walks as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games. Hayden Wesneski (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings for the win in relief of Javier Assad.

Houston has lost a season-high five straight and eight of nine overall. At 7-19, it is off to its worst 26-game start since it was 6-20 in 1969.

First-year manager Joe Espada was ejected by plate umpire Jansen Visconti in the top of ninth.

Crow-Armstrong was recalled from Triple-A Iowa when Cody Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with two fractured ribs. The 22-year-old outfielder, who is considered one of the team’s top prospects, made his big league debut last year and went 0 for 14 while appearing in 13 games.

He picked a perfect time for his first major league hit.

Houston had a 1-0 lead before Dansby Swanson scampered home on a fielder’s choice grounder for Miguel Amaya in the sixth.

Espada then replaced Rafael Montero with Bryan Abreu, who threw a wild pitch with Crow-Armstrong trying to sacrifice Amaya to second. Crow-Armstrong then drove his next pitch deep to right, delighting the crowd of 29,876 at Wrigley Field.

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