tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127901942024-03-18T23:47:23.194-04:00Throws Left, Bats RightA daily - or every-other-day - account of all there is in my head <br>that's dying to get out, via my fingers.
<br>
(I vow to attack this endeavor with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.comBlogger565125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-88929197346776998872011-09-11T00:05:00.004-04:002011-09-11T00:23:30.465-04:00Never Forget.I have no idea.<br />
<br />
No idea if September 11, 2001 was the worst day of my life. Or if it was September 12.<br />
<br />
Was it the day the Towers were struck by two jumbo jets, the Pentagon attacked by another, and a fourth plane went down in a field in Shanksville, Pa.?<br />
<br />
Or was it a day later, when internet service was restored and I found out a good friend and his girlfriend were on United 175? And heard the countless number of stories of near misses and, sadly, direct hits.<br />
<br />
I have no idea.<br />
<br />
No idea whether the smell of dry wall, the sound of fighter jets circling at low altitude, or loud, sudden, unpredictable thuds give me the most agita.<br />
<br />
No idea if, twice a day, I'll catch a look at the digital clock at exactly 9:11. Or 8:46. Or 9:03.<br />
<br />
No idea if I will spontaneously and automatically start sobbing when my iPod will play U2's "Walk On," Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," or JFK's inaugural speech when its on random shuffle on the drive to work.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how to react, feel, deal, cope, accept, and move on from September 11, 2001.<br />
<br />
Any previous attempts have been fruitless.<br />
-----<br />
No idea if I have moved on from that day.<br />
<br />
Have I adapted? I assume so.<br />
<br />
All this week, I have tried to block out much of the revisiting, rehashing, and replaying of that horrible day.<br />
<br />
It is everywhere on the news right now. The utter convenience of the news cycle. But it is more than that for me. It has been everyday for me. It has been everyday with me. Every single day for the last decade.<br />
-----<br />
Shortly after the attacks and collapse of the Towers, Grand Central Station was an introduction into the post-terror world. Every square inch of wall space was filled with flyers, asking our fellow citizens if they have seen their loved ones. <br />
<br />
Beloved daughters. Dear sons. Loving husbands. Mothers of three. Frat brothers. Big sisters. <br />
<br />
Flyers with smiling faces on the photos, stats with the individual's height, weight, hair color, eye color, all posted by grieving, soon-to-be widows, soon-to-be orphaned children, sad relatives, desperate friends. They had phone numbers and email addresses. Too many to process.<br />
<br />
And in the cruelest irony, quite often, the phones didn't ring. Verizon's wires were severed when the Towers went down. And the internet suffered as well. Information, like most everything in New York City, was at a shell-shocked standstill.<br />
-----<br />
Shell-shocked.<br />
<br />
Was then. Am now.<br />
<br />
The shots of the planes hitting the buildings. CNN had an angle. NBC had another angle. CBS had two angles. The tragedy taking on the instructions of a shampoo bottle: approach, impact, repeat.<br />
<br />
The still images of Fr. Mychal Judge being carried from the rubble. The somber face of FDNY Commissioner Thomas Van Essen, standing behind the podium shortly afterward, knowing not what the exact body count would be, but knowing it would be unfathomable.<br />
<br />
The seemingly endless video streams of the towers collapsing, people running, diving and screaming for their lives, the haunting pulses of the FDNY's personal beacons. It was all too much to understand, let alone constantly view or eventually accept.<br />
<br />
The television reports of the funerals. Twenty, 30, 40 a day it seemed. Cruel stories of police pulling license plates from cars parked at commuter lots, whose drivers would never return. A seemingly incessant stream of bagpipers playing "Rising of the Moon" or "Amazing Grace." Haunting, yet, becoming all too familiar.<br />
<br />
How the honor guard for the found fallen at the WTC site would hastily assemble. Six or seven rescue workers would carry their comrade to the surface, covered in an American flag, as all around them put down their shovel to honor as he or she passed.<br />
-----<br />
A few weeks after the 11th, I had to work a night football game in Jersey City, N.J. After the game, I drove to an industrial park across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. Guards were at the gate, but I asked them if I could drive to the edge of the park and just look over to the other side.<br />
<br />
They were great. They understood. One guard rode with me, not because he didn't trust me - which at that time was quite noble and uncharacteristic - but because he wanted to go down there too.<br />
<br />
He got out of the car, wished me well, waved, and walked away. I sat still and sobbed. <br />
<br />
I cried inside. I cried out. I asked the single-word question that had been posed over and over that week: Why?<br />
<br />
The first seven days or so were absolutely numbing. The next seven slightly better. The next seven somewhat functional. And so on and so forth.<br />
-----<br />
A month or so later, ironically enough, I visited New York City for an escape. A U2 concert. Mind you, I'd seen three of their shows in June. But this one was going to be different.<br />
<br />
U2 had played shows throughout their career when terror struck their home in Ireland. They had spoken out through song, when senseless killings made them ask, introspectively, how long must they sing those songs?<br />
<br />
The return to Madison Square Garden for the band that sang their own brand of Irish rebel songs was for healing purposes, like so many of their country's troubadours before them. When they came out for their encore…playing "One," it was like a prayer service. <br />
<br />
Then they dropped ceiling-to-floor screens at MSG and scrolled through the names of those who perished during the playing of "Walk On." <br />
<br />
And as those names scrolled through that night in New York, in stops along the way in that leg of the tour, and finally at halftime of the Patriots first Super Bowl win, the message was clear: Never Forget.<br />
-----<br />
And now, 10 years later, those two words may define our generation. Never Forget.<br />
<br />
Never let your guard down. Never take your liberties for granted. Never take your loved ones for granted. Never allow for complacency. Never let this happen again.<br />
<br />
The days will pass and we will mark the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the 15th anniversary, 20, 30, 50, and so on. It will all, I'm sure, bring all of us back to that day.<br />
<br />
Have I accepted that September 11, 2001 was the absolute life-altering moment in my life? <br />
<br />
Yes. Perhaps finally, I have some idea.<br />
<br />
(postscript: <a href="http://eefbarzelay-clemsnide.bandcamp.com/track/joy-to-the-world">Here's what my iPod gave me as the clock struck midnight</a>. I always trust in my iPod karma...)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-28251166671992394942011-05-02T10:34:00.000-04:002011-05-02T10:34:32.160-04:00A Return.Ironic.<br />
<br />
TLBR goes all Lazarus on you - rising from the dead - on the day the world learned that one of its historically most evil denizens was shot dead.<br />
<br />
Excuse my rambling nonsense here, because over a 15 minute span this morning, I've gone from "America, Shampoo YEAH!" to sobbing over my Honey Nut Cheerios, to laughing at the <i>Osama bin Hiding</i> joke from the "Black Gallagher" skit from the Chappelle's Show. <br />
<br />
No, I'm not menopausal.<br />
<br />
Without getting all crappy metaphorical on you, yes, the world has changed quite a bit in the last decade or so. And not to get tedious and painfully trite, but when you think of 9/10/01 to yesterday's events - <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/05/02/from-abbottabad-live-tweeting-the-bin-laden-attack/">a guy who happened to be taking some personal downtime live-tweeted the invasion</a>. <br />
<br />
When I got the news this a.m. by listening to Dennis & Callahan, I went directly to Twitter and was greeted by photos of college students on campuses all across the country, storming the Quad in jubilation.<br />
<br />
Those college kids were, maybe, nine or 10 years old on 9/11/01. They may not have been born on 2/26/93 - the date of the first attempt to bomb the World Trade Center towers.<br />
<br />
Regardless, the news of the death of Osama bin Laden brought back horrible, horrible memories of a singular day and several numb weeks to follow. <br />
<br />
Horrible memories, things I still can't handle. Things I'll never forget. Things that people will never know.<br />
<br />
I love airshows - particularly the Navy's Blue Angels - but I still have trouble hearing the screech and roar of an F-16. It was the soundtrack of the skies in the NYC metro area after 9/11. It was both reassuring and disconcerting at the same time. It was the introduction of the new American Renaissance - the Life of Fear - that we were all so horribly introduced to that morning.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 2009, my fiancee and I attended a wedding in NYC and stayed at the Millennium Hilton. Our luxury room opened up to a front-row view of the Ground Zero construction site. <br />
<br />
I didn't want to look at first. Then I couldn't stop looking. I didn't want to cry. Then I couldn't stop the tears. <br />
<br />
I didn't want to be sad. So I didn't stop smiling. I find strength in Ground Zero, the resiliency of the citizens of New York City, the survivors, the widows, the families and friends of the fallen. When I get the opportunity to visit NYC, I make every effort to get down to lower Manhattan and pay tribute in my own personal way.<br />
<br />
Today's news brings back all of those sights, sounds, and smells - crippling at the time. I don't like to think back that that day. But I can't ever forget.<br />
<br />
A lot of innocent people died that day. Too many U.S. Soldiers have died in the days to follow. One bullet in one guy's head doesn't cure any of that.<br />
<br />
But it's a good start.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-22959525217273079312010-08-05T22:46:00.001-04:002010-08-05T22:49:49.298-04:00A Celebration of Life: May 10, 2005-August 5, 2010<strong>"I drank WHAT?"<br />
-- Socrates</strong><br />
<br />
Famous last words.<br />
<br />
How about famous first words? <br />
<br />
"Call me Ishmael."<br />
<br />
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."<br />
<br />
"This is the first post to my new blog. I'm starting this thing because it's better than doing nothing all day."<br />
<br />
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - the first day of <i>Throws Left, Bats Right.</i><br />
<br />
And today - Thursday, August 5 - is the last day of the entity known as TLBR.<br />
-----<br />
Some folks called it Tilber. In fact, Tilber even called a few folks.<br />
<br />
TLBR was part psychiatrist, comedic outlet, forum, inside joke, late-night activity, work day distraction, ode, tribute, slice and dice, and overall a life-changing experience.<br />
<br />
Truthfully, I started writing (literally) when I went down to Australia in April of 2005. My Mom talked me into it. Handed me a leather-bound journal and convinced me to finally use my "talents" for writing.<br />
<br />
So I did. Took the damned thing everywhere. And if you read the Oz Blog portion of TLBR, it's evident. But I took the thing EVERYWHERE. Trust me, when you're peeing and writing (and spraying off target as a result), people look at you funny.<br />
<br />
But since that the three-week chronicle of visiting a beautiful place and reuniting with a beautiful girl, lots of things have happened - and most of them were typed into TLBR for some sort of historical account.<br />
<br />
That account ends with me living with the aforementioned beautiful girl in the wonderful city of Pawtucket. It took a decade of wishing and and a solid three or four years of persistence (mild stalking), but here I am. And while there is a lot more living and experiences to enjoy, unfortunately, it won't be on TLBR.<br />
-----<br />
A few events and trends have led me to this decision. First and foremost, time.<br />
<br />
I said back in the beginning that the blog would be the enemy combatant of ennui. It was very successful in that venture. The blog would celebrate my muse, no matter how fleeing or flimsy. The blog would allow my inner thoughts to cruise on a seaside cabin with a balcony to the world of those who bookmarked the page and checked in every so often.<br />
<br />
I can't thank you folks enough.<br />
<br />
I never marketed the blog. I wanted it to be word of mouth, as it served as the mouth to many of the words and thoughts I never could possibly say. In some cases, it was the only way for me to say anything, because I was a few bottles of wine deep.<br />
<br />
But now, I have neither the time nor the inspiration to blog on a regular basis. And if it can't be a regular thing, it can't be. It goes against the essence of what I wanted TLBR to be.<br />
-----<br />
One thing I hate - almost more than anything in the world - is self-importance. Which is why this obituary for TLBR is so hard to write. I also loathe overly flowery and adjective-laden metaphors when describing stuff (see also: every press junket with actors talking about their latest movies).<br />
<br />
I hate all that, yet, I find myself dipping the proverbial quill into the ink pot to write the same sorts of words.<br />
<br />
TLBR meant so much to me - and hopefully all of you found some enjoyment from it - that it's hard to think that it will be no more.<br />
<br />
Yet, when I really break it down to brass tacks, it's a celebration, bitches.<br />
-----<br />
Not gonna lie, TLBR and the consequences surrounding it scare me. <br />
<br />
Some dude - who works in the same field as me - got "outed" for his particular blog. Granted, he violated rule one in the TLBR Magnus von Magnussen Carta: don't shampoo where you eat.<br />
<br />
(seriously, you're a compliance guy writing a blog about the NCAA and its rules? I found out - quickly - that you don't joke about the NCAA in a blog. They track your ass down and...well, I should probably stop right there. They're listening).<br />
<br />
But that sort of thing, combined with the Jeffersonian moving-on-up-to-the-Associate AD-level makes me question whether or not I want to risk my deeluxe apartment in the sky for some throwaway comment on Lindsay Lohan, Rick Pitino, or how much I can't stand the Japanese pitching contingency for the Red Sox.<br />
<br />
I finally got a piece of the pie. Don't need someone pooping on it.<br />
-----<br />
When you tack on technology, TLBR didn't have a chance. <br />
<br />
Facebook? Twitter? Four-square (still don't have a bleedin' clue what the hell that is)?<br />
<br />
Folks are all over those applications. Reading 500-750 word entries, no matter how witty and brilliantly written (two things TLBR has been proud to never have been confused with...) just doesn't happen anymore.<br />
<br />
I was more concerned with 140 character Tweets or 160 character texts. When I really had something to say, I'd BBM it.<br />
<br />
And hell, if I had 10 free minutes at home on the couch with a few select beverages under my belt, I'm firing up Guitar Hero 5. Stuck on the last song - Rush's "Spirit of Radio" and cannot beat it, which is the 7th ring of Hell because there's probably only one or two bands I hate more than Rush and one or two songs that I hate more than "Spirit of Radio." I feel like my Wii is mocking me and the only way to win is to smash it with a didgeridoo, but then I lose like $300 bucks.<br />
<br />
Talk about the circle of despair.<br />
<br />
And that's what was great about TLBR. It was a forum for me to literally let the voices - the crowd of voices in my skull - have a semi-organized shouting match.<br />
-----<br />
But I think I can confidently say that - maybe - I've outgrown TLBR.<br />
<br />
I don't have nearly as much angst as I used to.<br />
<br />
And while I'll always be bitter to my bones, it's not what fuels me anymore.<br />
<br />
Gosh, the pressure...if this is the last post, it HAS to be the best one ever...right?<br />
<br />
Shampoo.<br />
<br />
The site's not going anywhere - for now. I need to do a monster cut n' paste session, as to be able to save all the typing I did over the span of five good years.<br />
-----<br />
I can't thank enough any and all of you who ever read TLBR and dropped a line, left a comment, or just quietly observed and chuckled at how screwed up things could get here.<br />
<br />
I could get all Rodgers & Hammerstein on you, drop some "<a href="http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/solong.htm">So Long, Farewell</a>" but that's not my style.<br />
<br />
No. Not showtunes. That's not how we're going out.<br />
<br />
Or, I could leave you with one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel tunes: "Old Friends."<br />
<br />
<i>Old friends, old friends,<br />
Sat on their parkbench like bookends<br />
A newspaper blown through the grass<br />
Falls on the round toes<br />
of the high shoes of the old friends<br />
<br />
Old friends, winter companions, the old men<br />
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset<br />
The sounds of the city sifting through trees<br />
Settle like dust on the shoulders of the old friends<br />
<br />
Can you imagine us years from today,<br />
Sharing a parkbench quietly<br />
How terribly strange to be seventy<br />
<br />
Old friends, memory brushes the same years,<br />
Silently sharing the same fears</i><br />
-----<br />
In keeping with old TLBR tradition, I have a bottle of red and my iTunes flowing.<br />
<br />
But enough stalling. It's time to go.<br />
<br />
I used to sign off the blog entries in varied messages - apres moi, le deluge; one; it is what it is; whatever is whatever; your humble and obedient servant; que sera, sera.<br />
<br />
And in true TLBR and iTunes karma, the one song I thought of prior to writing this obituary just came on.<br />
<br />
Thank you all so much. Much love.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://s0.ilike.com/play#The+The:Love+Is+Stronger+Than+Death:101856:s2219546.8105684.14056893.0.1.81%2Cstd_098fe049dc302ab2a5595911db3ef643">le fin</a>)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-52751694569023324042010-07-15T10:58:00.000-04:002010-07-15T10:58:42.469-04:00A few points for this fine ThursdayAfter reading <a href="http://patsblog.projo.com/2010/07/terrell-owens-d.html">this,</a> I realize that Terrell Owens and I have two things in common:<br />
<br />
1. he's open to playing for the New England Patriots.<br />
2. he's got no shot of ever playing for the New England Patriots.<br />
-----<br />
<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/15/2010-07-15_network_jihad_on_mosquebashing_ad.html">Quite a debate brewing.</a><br />
<br />
Saying all mosques support terror is akin to saying all priests diddle altar boys. There's a definite pattern of occurrence, but it's a wee bit irresponsible to make a broad statement.<br />
<br />
That being said, the smell test needs to come into play here.<br />
<br />
Perception is reality.<br />
<br />
To have a super mosque overlooking the sacred ground of Ground Zero seems to be a bit much. It's a big city. There are plenty of vacant buildings. Can't you move there? <br />
<br />
A super mosque among New Yorkers, who grieve each and everyday of their live, might make turnabout fair play. The mosque would become the target.<br />
<br />
To quote the great Bob Ryan, "what are we trying to accomplish here?"<br />
-----<br />
<a href="http://www.newser.com/story/95513/mtv-to-resurrect-beavis-butt-head.html">Yes!</a><br />
-----<br />
Classic. Simply classic.<br />
<br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437" height="289" id="viddler"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/82c0e40/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashvars" value="fake=1"/><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/82c0e40/" width="437" height="289" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="fake=1" name="viddler" ></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-60629910636974812312010-07-08T10:28:00.002-04:002010-07-08T10:28:56.003-04:00Witness.My one question regarding the LeBRO-ESP-N show tonight: will he inscribe a Lindsay Lohan-esque message on his middle finger nail to the cities and teams he has left in his egomaniacal wake?<br />
-----<br />
Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated made a funny on Twitter: No matter what happens tonight, here's the biggest revelation: Greenwich has a Boys Club. <br />
<br />
The legions of latchkey kids in Greenwich...all those sad-eyed youngsters who suffered through non-thoroughbred Polo ponies, Swedish automobiles, and a future filled with slumming it with Johhnie Walker Gold. <br />
-----<br />
Since I'm feeding into the ESPN-fueled cosmic worm hole that is LeBronamania, let's actually talk basketball nuts and bolts.<br />
<br />
The best team for LeBron to go to, in TLBR's opinion: the Bulls.<br />
<br />
LeBron, as proven by the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebrondecision070710">Championship of Me</a> through the NBA free agency season, is all about himself. Can't see that playing well in Miami with two other NBA upper crustacians like D-Wade and Chris Bosh. <br />
<br />
Can you imagine Erik Spoelstra with his dry-erase board, tie ballgame, 4th quarter, in Boston for game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals? Who gets the ball? Which of the other two pouts about it? Too many egos, just one ball. (besides, if you think Pat Riley is leaving that team to his former driver...so add another ego to the stew).<br />
<br />
The Clippers are my 1B choice. LeBron in L.A. - huge. The Clippers lineup with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman might be the most poised to win RIGHT AWAY for Bron-Bron.<br />
<br />
And with ESPN's L.A. studios at night, the focus and volume of his highlights could be replayed ad nauseum throughout the day on SportsCenter and ESPNNews reruns.<br />
<br />
But, using my East Coast bias, sometimes things on the West Coast get lost in the shuffle back here. The Clippers/Lakers - which would be quite a rivalry with Kobe and Bronnie in the City of Angels - would tip off at 10 p.m., best-case, and most NBA fans would be counting sheep at that time.<br />
<br />
Also, let's not discount L.A. due to the China Syndrome. LeBron is huge in China. And the closer he is to the Red Giant - not to mention a sizable Chinese media contingency in L.A. - the easier that LBJ can truly go global.<br />
<br />
But ultimately, the Bulls are where LeBron has the best chance to do it all.<br />
<br />
Win immediately. Build a legacy, doing so in the shadows of Air Jordan. Relocate to a major city. <br />
<br />
Chicago's roster is terrific and LeBron would compliment it very, very well. I don't think we've seen the talent-level of Derrick Rose yet. The world - and the league - is his oyster. To use ESPN parlance, D-Rose is NEXT.<br />
<br />
The Bulls added a bull on the blocks in Carlos Boozer, plus there are serviceable players like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and a solid Hakim Warrick.<br />
<br />
A few years ago when Chicago had the best player on the planet, they also had a great supporting cast from 2-12. The Bulls - right now - may mimic that right now.<br />
<br />
Sorry Knicks, Cavs, and Nets fans. There's just not enough "there" there, no matter how many Jay-Z songs you can recite. (speaking of which, Hova, if you're paying Dwyane Wade, LeBron might be paying D-Rose.)<br />
<br />
And besides, leave it to the Bulls to tear the heart out of Cavs fans. Again.<br />
<br />
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b-5G3OBKR3Y&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b-5G3OBKR3Y&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-55523143419041795832010-07-07T12:59:00.000-04:002010-07-07T12:59:08.156-04:00Enough AlreadyNews flash: One of the best players in the NBA has made a lucrative, long-term decision on a contract with his current Midwestern-based team.<br />
<br />
Well, don'tcha just wanna know who it is? <br />
<br />
Go to ESPN.com and see who it is.<br />
<br />
Wait for it...wait for it...wait for it...<br />
<br />
Nope, not LeBron. Although, the news that he'll provide news is the new sports media version of the cosmic worm hole. ESPN is legitimately reporting that ESPN has learned - through independent sources - that ESPN will broadcast the LeBron James decision.<br />
<br />
And it's not the other sideshow in the NBA free agent goat rodeo - D-Wade and Bosh - although that gets the headline photo.<br />
<br />
It's Kevin Durant. Second-year player out of Texas. Reigning NBA scoring leader. He inked a nice extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder and will stay there - get this, with no opt-out - through the 2015-16 season. <br />
<br />
He'll be 27 years old at the end of this deal, probably pretty rich (80 someodd million can buy you some pretty hefty ranchland in Oklahoma...), and then he can really cash in or do what many NBA stars do at that time in their careers: chase the ring.<br />
<br />
But you never heard word one from the Durant camp. No press conferences, no board meetings, no pleas from the citizens of OKC, nothing. His agent negotiated the deal and they announced it on his Twitter page.<br />
<br />
This is refreshing.<br />
<br />
All this other dreck - spare me.<br />
-----<br />
As for other sports figures behaving badly, spare me as well.<br />
<br />
JaMarcus Russell got caught with purple drank? The sizz-urup? Hard to believe that a guy who sleepwalked throughout his entire NFL career (past tense) would have a problem with codeine.<br />
<br />
Michael Vick at a party where there was a shooting? No one's "snitching?" Might be time for Ron Mexico to take a swim in the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
<br />
And Bobby Gonzalez. Career suicide tried calling you last week, but apparently your cell phone has been disconnected.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-18084472403886310592010-06-24T22:29:00.002-04:002010-06-24T22:29:32.362-04:00Back on the AttackA shout-out from America's preeminent blogger and social media guru - during an event which was my unofficial beginning to the summer - has spun me back into writing form.<br />
<br />
(It's been a month - and quite a month at that - but more on that later.)<br />
<br />
And the summer kickoff event? Well, it was only the seminal event of the month of June...the NBA Draft.<br />
<br />
From 1988-92, I used to literally watch the Draft on the phone with my boy Dave, and we'd compare our mock drafts. I got 19 right one year (take that, Ric Bucher...I was like 13 and kicking the draft's ass).<br />
<br />
Back then, it was two kids on the phone. Now, I have my ESPN HD on, along with my NBA.com drafttracker, as well as a live video blog and a chat room.<br />
<br />
And I'm blogging.<br />
<br />
(Ohai, Big Blue Nation)<br />
-----<br />
The World Cup.<br />
<br />
What to say about a sport where you can literally win by not winning?<br />
<br />
It's simple. Call it the "kiss-and-cry" phenomenon.<br />
<br />
Every four years, the world stops to watch little 14-18 year old girls skate around a hockey rink, then sit in the kiss-and-cry seat, awaiting their scores from the judges.<br />
<br />
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup is held on a massive stage and 32 countries - and then some - flock to the telly to follow a bunch of guys kicking the ball around for 90 minutes (plus some in case of "injury").<br />
<br />
So if the world stops what it's doing for a few weeks - and literally, the world's GNP falls by 30% during the World Cup - then I'll give it my attention.<br />
<br />
Soccer - should I clarify - *good* soccer is beautiful to watch. So is Olympic hockey, as we all saw. And the US/Algeria game was one for the ages.<br />
<br />
Was it "the Miracle on fill-in-trite-phrase?" No. Hardly. Algeria didn't score during pool play. But it was dramatic, exciting, last-minute, and certainly karmatic, considering the US should have breezed thru if not for bad offsides calls.<br />
<br />
So go USA, beat Ghana. And if not, good run. See you in 2014 in Rio.<br />
-----<br />
Spent some time in Maui this month. Wow.<br />
<br />
If you haven't been, go. Hawai'i is a special place.<br />
<br />
I'm partial to Islands, being a(n) (Rhode) Islander - and actually living for some time on the island part of the Biggest Little.<br />
<br />
Having oceans with mountain seascapes, fresh pineapple, Bikini Blond pale ale, and a fun concoction known as Hula Pie...<a href="http://www.mauihawaii.org/images/restaurants/leilanipie5565.jpg">mmmmm, Hula Pie.</a><br />
<br />
Of course, the typical Rhode Island mentality wonders why you'd fly 12,500 miles for a beach...I say clamcake up.<br />
-----<br />
My thoughts on the continuous BP disaster - I'm not calling it an "oil spill" <br />
because that makes it sound as if it's past tense. Far from it. 35-60k barrels spilling into the Gulf of Mexico DAILY.<br />
<br />
Everyone's at fault - BP, the rig company, the U.S. Government (not that having oil men in office for 12 years would ever lend toward lax policies on offshore, deep water drilling).<br />
<br />
But, we here at TLBR believe that it's more important - and prudent - to fix the problem first, then figure out how not to have it happen again. Blame game? No time for that, as far as I'm concerned. <br />
<br />
Not when there's supertankers worth of oil spilling into the gulf area. <br />
<br />
Not when Louisiana and Mississippi fishermen, who were just getting back on their feet following Katrina and Ike, are going to lose their livelihoods...again. <br />
<br />
Not when some of the finest beaches and areas that rely on their resort and tourism money are covered in sludge.<br />
<br />
Not when there's no answers.<br />
<br />
Find the answer, then worry about the questions.<br />
-----<br />
That is all. Nice to be back. Hope to see all y'all soon.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-86769525345957745422010-05-11T16:46:00.002-04:002010-05-11T16:46:52.839-04:00Several Other Ionic Boston Sports MomentsBobby Doerr flying through the air.<br />
<br />
Brady leaving Pedroia in during game seven of the 2003 ALCS.<br />
<br />
Hannah stealing the ball.<br />
<br />
Did I forget any others?TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-72807669835559479632010-05-10T20:51:00.000-04:002010-05-10T20:51:05.530-04:005 Easy PiecesSo it has been a while since I blogged and I'm sure that the many readers - 1100+ click-thrus since the rebirth of TLBR (I thank you kindly) - thought that the blogging craze had died off as quickly as it came back.<br />
<br />
Nah, just been busy. But I have a whole bunch of text files here with notes - most of which have been proved outdated.<br />
<br />
So let's recap the crap that I originally jotted down over the last 10 days:<br />
<br />
1. Absolutely tragic story with the UVa. lacrosse programs. I only hope that all involved - student-athletes, coaches, admins, family members, et al - can find some small solace or escape with the upcoming NCAA tournaments. Can't even fathom what that must be like.<br />
<br />
2. Let me get this right about the Times Square bomber: Fashizzle Shasizzle - or whatever his name is - drove the car that he paid cash for on Craiglist (more on that later) into Times Square with a car filled with M80's, bottle rockets, fertilizer, and a rotary telephone...<br />
<br />
...then he fled on Metro North back to where he bought the car, drove to JFK, made a one-way reservation to Dubai, paying with cash, while subsequently eluding FBI investigators...<br />
<br />
...then made it through TSA security, onto the Emirates flight, and it pulled away from the gate...<br />
<br />
ONLY THEN DID WE REALIZE HE WAS ON A SHAMPOOING NO-FLY LIST?<br />
<br />
The locals in NYC got Times Square squared away pretty quickly. And in 53 hours, they had the Feds hot on Shasizzle's tra-zizzle.<br />
<br />
Until, that is, the Feds took over. Yes, they caught him. But c'mon. Left hand, meet the right hand. <br />
<br />
3. Some kid runs on the field in Philadelphia, gets tasered, begins conversation.<br />
<br />
Too much? Unwarranted? <br />
<br />
Just what he deserved?<br />
<br />
Consider me in the "should place him in the town gallows" category.<br />
<br />
This kid - yeah, I know he was 17 - but he knew it was wrong. Called his dad prior to jumping on the field to ask if it was OK. Dad said no. Kid did it anyway.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there were plenty of "hey, shampoo-head, don't run on the field" announcements. And once he got out there and was running around like Tanner Boyle in Bad News Bears, it should have been readily apparent that he was doing something he shouldn't have...<br />
<br />
If he stopped and let the goon squad take him down physically, so be it. But one cop was tired of him ducking, diving and juking his way around. So he tasered the kid. Pretty much stopped the whole goat rodeo.<br />
<br />
And I'd like to say that getting tasered for being a jerk and running on the field would serve as a deterrent to anyone thinking of doing it...but it wasn't. The very next night, some other muttonhead ran on the field *hoping* to get tasered.<br />
<br />
Philadelphia? More like FOOLadelphia. (and 4th grade called, they want that joke back).<br />
<br />
4. <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/12/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-trick/">This link</a> is why the internet is so great.<br />
<br />
5. You know what ruins a perfectly good pizza lunch? When someone who is not skinny decides to walk into the pizza place after she wrongly chose her skinny jeans to compliment her belly shirt.<br />
<br />
The locale was a bakery, and yes, the population of rolls more than doubled upon her arrival. (pseudo-intellectual way to say "girl had more rolls than a bakery.")<br />
<br />
That's all for today. Will try to keep it a little more current.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-36171509149409172052010-04-29T15:52:00.000-04:002010-04-29T15:52:07.071-04:00A Fond FarewellBack in the days of the Daily Update (circa 2004), a date which even predated TLBR, I penned a fond farewell to good friend <a href="http://www.thevillager.com/villager_66/bawdybarsclosing.html">The Village Idiot.</a><br />
<br />
It was a great New York City bar. It couldn't exist anywhere else. And it couldn't be duplicated, no matter how you tried. (and that means you, Hogs n Heifers, Coyote Ugly, and McFadden's).<br />
<br />
So when I read today that <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/92405674.html">Jim Hegarty's in Milwaukee is closing tomorrow at noon,</a> I had a similar forlorn feeling.<br />
<br />
Hegarty's was my headquarters on Friday and Saturday, from 2 a.m. onward. <i>(editor's note: I drank a shampoo-load during my 13 months in MKE. A SHAMPOO-load.)</i><br />
<br />
It was literally next door to my apartment building. Door to door, assuming the elevator was running slow, was 30 seconds.<i> </i><br />
<br />
It had good food. Not great food, but good. That included a good burger. Not a great burger, but a good one. The beer was cold. Not the coldest, but cold. And cheap. Not the cheapest, but cheap. <br />
<br />
You get the point. As bars went, Hegarty's was a solid B+. And in life, some things are perfectly fine with a B+ average. Bars are one of them. <i>(Intermediate Macroeconomics is also one. But I'm living proof that you can still graduate with a D.)</i><br />
<br />
I made friends with the bartenders and they were great guys. Some were unemployed law school grads - Hegarty's was a Marquette Law School hangout - and they all tried talking me out of taking the LSAT and heading to law school. They succeeded, temporarily.<br />
<br />
The clientele did include some undergrads, but as they're generally taboo in my line of work, I never bothered with them. I had more important things to tend to.<br />
<br />
Hegarty's never messed with anyone. Unless you messed with it. Or the Milwaukee Police Department.<br />
<br />
My final night in the MKE, I was enjoying a farewell beverage at Hegarty's - last stop, as would be apropos - and there was a raucous group of kids in the back. All underage, all loud, but we paid it no mind. <br />
<br />
The bartender was also paying no attention - to their ID's, their behavior, or to anything for that matter...I believe he was smitten with a bar patron.<br />
<br />
A few of Milwaukee's finest walked into the bar, presumably to see who was illegally consuming Milwaukee's Best.<br />
<br />
The officer glanced at the bar and we older folks nodded back. Then they headed to the back of the bar and you could head the party come to an abrupt halt, like a train collision.<br />
<br />
The boys in blue started rounding up the young'ins, but not until one young lady decided to make a run for it, rounding the turn and heading for the door.<br />
<br />
Mere steps from freedom, the particularly portly girl hit the doorway seconds after two officers burst through to grab her and - essentially - hog-tie her. She tried - in vain - to wrestle away, but there was no escaping. Her summons for underage drinking - a misdemeanor in MKE County - just became resisting arrest.<br />
<br />
Without pause, the guy sitting next to me got out of his seat and walked to the jukebox. It was one of those internet jukebox things, where you could pay a buck extra and "request" a song.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iISyPz5XRyI">the song</a>)<br />
<br />
Priceless. Even the police officers couldn't keep a straight face.<br />
<br />
And that was the beauty of Jim Hegarty's. It didn't take itself too seriously. It was what it was - and that was a great bar.<br />
<br />
Fare thee well.<br />
-----<br />
A sore elbow for LeBron? Wow, shocking? He's played 90+ games over the last seven months and was one of the NBA's leading scorers. Of course his elbow is sore.<br />
<br />
ESPN's "breaking news" had LeBron had ice and treatment on it?<br />
<br />
Here's guessing that LeBron - and everyone else in the NBA - is being treated for something.<br />
<br />
It's not news.<br />
-----<br />
Perhaps a TLBR opinion piece for a later date, but new NCAA President Mark Emmert wants to revisit <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2010-04-28-one-and-done_N.htm">the "one-and-done rule."</a><br />
<br />
And this week's Sports Illustrated talked about several scenarios in which college conferences could expand (and contract).<br />
<br />
And my general overall opinion for both topics is: good.<br />
<br />
Some kids don't belong in college. Don't waste their time or ours.<br />
<br />
And some schools are better off with their peers. Let the BCS football schools do their thing. They already do. Remove the boundaries and let them do what they do, and let the non-BCS schools with basketball as their flagship do what we do.<br />
<br />
But more about that later.<br />
-----<br />
Great story about <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2010/04/29/maddon_get_hoodie_from_patriots_coach_belichick/">Bill Belichick sending Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon a hooded sweatshirt.</a><br />
<br />
While coaches in basketball and hockey are all about the haberdashery, football and baseball managers dress much less like an accountant.<br />
<br />
NFL rules stipulate that coaches wear official NFL gear. It's genius marketing and advertising. Belichick does it in his own way, as he's known to do.<br />
<br />
Baseball managers are viewed as on-field personnel. And within the rules of baseball - rule 1.11 (a) to be exact - "All members of the team must wear a similar uniform."<br />
-----<br />
I'm all about <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/28/grilled_cheese_and_tomato_soup_make_a_comeback/">this comeback.</a><br />
-----<br />
By my count, <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/tiger_woods_had_affairs_including_9anyGTcSIjOQI90evEjGbN">Tiger is 119-over par.</a> <br />
<br />
Not quite sure what that equates to on the modified Stableford scoring system.<br />
-----<br />
<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5146663">The Indians most hated?</a><br />
<br />
Well, at least the Sox are better than the Yanks in something.<br />
<br />
That's all for today.<br />
<br />
(thoc)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-31783509082843309022010-04-23T07:34:00.000-04:002010-04-23T07:34:09.355-04:00A Brief Friday PrimerThe Red Sox talk about defense and run prevention.<br />
<br />
The Patriots need to improve upon their defense and run prevention.<br />
<br />
Neither helped their cause last night.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-89846316232433965322010-04-22T11:49:00.001-04:002010-04-22T11:49:26.615-04:00Welcome to my new Diet.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-88260645205562586382010-04-22T08:34:00.004-04:002010-04-22T08:35:56.802-04:00The Thursday ThingFirst off, sad to read that one of the most talented and influential MC's <br />
of my generation - Guru - passed away this week. Born Keith Elam, the Boston native embraced the NYC scene and gave Brooklyn another groundbreaking hip-hop artist.<br />
<br />
Whether it was Gang Starr (w/ DJ Premier), solo, or his first-of-a-kind Jazzmatazz series, Guru always brought it.<br />
<br />
He died at age 43, due to complications from a stroke and cancer.<br />
-----<br />
Darnell McDonald? Yay! Kevin Youkilis? Yay!<br />
<br />
(sarcasm alert; do not be alarmed)<br />
<br />
Back to back game-winning hits by two guys who know Pawtucket well is giving Sox fans a pretty hefty bucket of fool's gold.<br />
<br />
Not this fool.<br />
<br />
This is a rebuilding year. No more, no less. A playoff run would be nothing short of a baseball miracle. Don't give me the pitching and defense crap, don't try to sell me on "run prevention."<br />
<br />
In fact, don't try to sell me anything - which seems to be the only consistently successful thing the Sox ownership has done since they arrived in town.<br />
<br />
Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro are nothing more than seat-fillers. And if the Sox had managed to re-sign Jason Bay, sign Mark Teixeira, acquire Adrian Gonzalez, or find a shortstop that doesn't suck, then the Sox would not be in this position.<br />
<br />
But it's hard to charge the most for tickets, parking, hot dogs, sushi, clam chowder, etc. without providing a product on the field that doesn't make you feel like you've been beaten and mugged.<br />
<br />
And that's how "run prevention" was born. Well, call me a birther on this one. I'd like to see that birth certificate. World Series trophies from 2004 and 2007 sit in glass cases because of power, pop, and pitching. Sure, there were a few nifty gloves in there, but the keen combo of OBP, OPS, key basehits, and tape-measure shots made this team World Champions.<br />
<br />
Run prevention is what you do when you're a middling NL Central team. Run prevention is a piss-poor excuse. Run prevention is an ugly, last-minute prom date. It's what you turn to when you miss out on all the pretty girls.<br />
<br />
And to compound the problem, the Sox don't even have a "good personality."<br />
-----<br />
Memo to David Ortiz: you're not the leader in strikeouts. I'd give that title to Oregon, with their search for a new men's basketball coach.<br />
<br />
In no particular order, here is who they're talked to (or tried to) and who has rebuffed $3 million per season:<br />
Missouri's Mike Anderson, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, Butler's Brad Stevens, Florida's Billy Donovan, Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Minnesota's Tubby Smith.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry...WHAT?<br />
<br />
Yes, there's a bit of a problem with who, exactly, is driving the ship. No AD (yet), old AD running the search, along with an alum and former track athlete who owns a local sporting goods conglomerate.<br />
<br />
But it's $3 million per. That's 3, comma, three zeroes, comma, three more zeroes, decimal point, two more zeroes. Break that up, take the 33% out for taxes, and divide it by 26 and that's $77,300.00 per paycheck.<br />
<br />
TLBR's choice: John Beilein.<br />
<br />
He's won wherever he's gone, and has never stayed at a place more than five years.<br />
<br />
THe Pac-10 struggled this season because the powers like UCLA and Arizona were down due to draft defection. There is "buzz" at Oregon State, some great coaching at Cal, and some great recruiting going on at Arizona. All three of those programs shine in the sun on the West Coast.<br />
<br />
So go and hire a great coach who has a *gasp* gimmick. 1-3-1 and 4-out; 1-in would win games out there. Beilein's won with under-the-radar guys who fit his system.<br />
<br />
Manny Harris was as talented a player as Michigan's had in years. But JB couldn't deal with him and the team suffered.<br />
<br />
If I'm whomever is captaining the search in Eugene, I reach out to him.<br />
-----<br />
Just read the obituary for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/us/19masterson.html?hpw">Dr. James Masterson</a>. The headline called him a "Narcissism expert." And reading through, he named an institute...after himself. <br />
<br />
Apropos.<br />
-----<br />
You can't say "assholes" on television.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n45NtigRcvA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n45NtigRcvA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
-----<br />
This is <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/04/21/2010-04-21_miss_hawaii_teen_sheryl_wolfe_dies_from_stroke_at_age_of_18.html">TERRIBLY sad</a> (sorry about the third obit of the blog post; I swear we're not feeling morbid or nihilist here at TLBR headquarters).<br />
----- <br />
It's a bit of an investment of time, but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/magazine/25allen-t.html?hp">quite a read</a>/ Good to see how "new media" is making the same impact as the traditional means and good to see folks of influence are altering their ways to embrace it.<br />
-----<br />
And speaking of the opposite end of that spectrum, <a href="http://www.observer.com/2010/media/newsdays-sports-page-its-all-good">here's a sad story</a> about how a newspaper is surgically removing journalism from its stories.<br />
<br />
Next thing you know, newspapers will <a href="http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2010/04/nj_devils_employee_writes_abou.html">hire team employees to cover teams</a> or worse...SID's will write stories as "Special to the newspaper."<br />
<br />
Still waiting for my byline and check.<br />
<br />
(thoc)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-20672866641447235112010-04-16T16:51:00.000-04:002010-04-16T16:51:07.453-04:00The New Muse?TLBR may have found its new muse: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266298/Woman-person-banned-EVERY-pub-club-country.html">click here.</a>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-50864360859074276402010-04-15T22:49:00.000-04:002010-04-15T22:49:08.246-04:00But a million's just a million of one thing...So the Tea Party rolled into Boston yesterday (and the Capital of the Biggest Little today), complete with the rootinest, tootinest shootinest less-than-one-term and less-than-one-brain cell former Alaskan guvnah as the keynote speaker. Thankfully Ms. Palin didn't grace us with her presence.<br />
<br />
In full disclosure, I don't have much against the Tea Party folks. Like everyone else, I'm in favor of paying less taxes and still getting awesome government stuff in return. In fact, if I could pay zero taxes and have less government, and throw in eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, and six geese a laying, that'd be pretty swell (you betcha.)<br />
<br />
But in reality, what is all this accomplishing? Can you truly protest in the U.S. in the information age and make a difference anymore? <br />
<br />
The world watched the protests (and subsequent beatings and killings) during the elections in Iran not too long ago. But how long did that last on the news cycle? It was top story until Lindsay Lohan tripped on the top stair after she consumed most of the top shelf...and then no more.<br />
<br />
Hell, look at me. I write a blog (allegedly) that, while appreciated nationally (kinda), doesn't exactly change the world (no chance).<br />
<br />
But the Tea Party folks...does your waving Salada tea bags by their string change anything? Did the Dow jump? Interest rates on CD's rise? Foreclosures end? Bureaucracy come to a grinding halt?<br />
<br />
No? Then you just wasted a few hours of your life that you'll never get back. Unless you're union, then you probably could claim comp hours and have it count toward your pension. In which case, you shouldn't shampooing complain.<br />
-----<br />
New York Yankees booing Javier Vasquez because he's 0-2? So what. Call me when it's August.<br />
-----<br />
Since my previous sabbatical from TLBR in June, 2009, I've managed to stumble upon some music that has been absolutely terrific. I mean, so good that you'd consider screaming "crowded theatre!" in a fire. <br />
<br />
Broken Bells - Gnarls Barkley's DJ Danger Mouse + James Mercer of the Shins. Pretty damned good. The song you prolly hear on the radio: "The High Road." The song that makes the CD spin round n' round: "Sailing to Nowhere."<br />
<br />
Deer Tick - Providence's own. But NBC newsie and music blogger Brian Williams has claimed them, so the national acclaim is building. You can purchase Born on Flag Day on iTunes and "Easy" is a tune you may have heard on the radio. But "Smith Hill" is pull-your-car-over-and-listen good.<br />
<br />
Sade - Yeah, she's been making proper baby making music for quite some time. And "Soldier of Love" doesn't disappoint. Pick a song and go with it. No preference.<br />
<br />
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3. Yeah, I've heard "Empire State of Mind" and "Run this Town" roughly 11,000 times in arena settings over the last six months. But g-d, this is a Hall of Fame hip-hop album.<br />
-----<br />
Boston's best burrito is back! <br />
<br />
And if you can get over that nacho cheesy line, then just go to El Pelon - reborn at 2197 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton.<br />
<br />
Or visit <a href="http://www.elpelon.com/">elpelon.com</a>.<br />
-----<br />
Finally, if you've ever sent a text message that you immediately regret...or if you drank 700 beers and THEN sent a text message that you thought was a good idea and then woke up to the morning reply and then tried to piece back the reason why your 9th grade girlfriend called you an a-hole (again, but for the first time in like 16 years)...then check out this <a href="http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/">website.</a><br />
<br />
(thoc)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-47835575137614145032010-04-13T20:52:00.000-04:002010-04-13T20:52:35.844-04:00Grand Re-OpeningThe last notable post with prose on TLBR: June 3, 2009.<br />
<br />
Lots of memorable stuff has happened since then. Let’s recap:<br />
<br />
It got hot; I moved to Pawtucket with Sara; the leaves fell off the trees; it got cold; Tiger crashed an SUV; it snowed; The Hangover came out on DVD; it thawed out; it rained a ton; it flooded; lots of basketball coaches got fired; I started blogging again. <br />
<br />
(<i>and WTF - there's another "Sex and the City" movie? In Abu Dhabi? Miranda joins the shampooing Taliban? Carrie wear a burka? Can't hurt. She still looks like a foot.</i>)<br />
<br />
There were several events in between that I may have left out, but at least I closed strong (unlike Cinco Ocho, which was another event that missed the list).<br />
<br />
As I’ve mentioned before, when the words were both plentiful and scarce, <a href="http://tlbr.blogspot.com/2005/05/and-begin.html">TLBR was born from boredom.</a> And it has suffered due to being busy.<br />
<br />
And beyond busy, let's be honest, I lost it. Like Chuck Knoblauch trying to throw to first, I couldn't find my way. I lost my muse.<br />
<br />
Here I was - your muse - and I was muse-less. Not even Scarlett Johansson - TLBR's former resident muse - could save me. Not even Zooey Deschanel - the second runner-up muse - could muster a pilot light for the TLBR inferno.<br />
<br />
All the things that fueled the first full go-around - angst, uncertainly, a wee bit of unfiltered sarcasm - it's still there. I found them again.<br />
<br />
But thankfully, they don't drive the ship. Just the blog.<br />
-----<br />
Onto some topics.<br />
<br />
<b>1. The coaching carousel and the 96-team field</b><br />
<br />
What in tarnation is going on in the college basketball world? Two Ivy League coaches get fired mid-season. DePaul was open for about seven months. Nobody wants UNC-Wilmington. And don't even get me started on the New Jersey corridor of the Big East Conference.<br />
<br />
Head coaches are getting fired for being unsuccessful and not. Head coaches are taking assistant coach gigs. Hell, Oregon's offering $3 million a year and no one's biting.<br />
<br />
TLBR's theory on this madness? The 96-team tournament is on the horizon. <br />
<br />
What does that mean? Don't ask the guy who is supposed to be able to explain it, because he couldn't. Don't ask the folks at the NIT, which will go away should there be an additional 31 teams added to the Dance. Don't ask AD's with contracts for coaches based on a 65-team tournament.<br />
<br />
Some coaches advocate for a 96-team tourney because it will help "save jobs." Doug Gottlieb argues - and I agree with him - that it will cause more upheaval because if you can't make a 96-team tourney...you should be canned.<br />
<br />
My feeling? It's almost as archaic as basketballs with laces. The tournament as currently formatted allows for Princeton to almost beat Georgetown in 1989. It allows for Coppin State in 1997. It allows for Gonzaga to shed the pejorative mid-major term. It allows for George Mason to have the sun, the moon, the stars - and an underachieving UConn team - align for a Final Four run. And it allows for Butler to come one or two inches off the side of the rim from becoming the biggest story in Tournament history.<br />
<br />
A 96-team tourney? Get used to the notion of chalk. It won't benefit the non-BCS schools - awwww, isn't that a cute way of saying mid-major these days? - it'll help the money schools and the money conferences, because that's what this whole thing is about.<br />
<br />
It's not why I got into it. Cue up the David Barrett piano solo during the first two-and-a-half minutes of the original "One Shining Moment," but it's the best playoff system in all of sports.<br />
<br />
Leave it to the folks who can't get a football championship right to make its men's basketball championship all wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>2. The Red Sox</b><br />
<br />
Shampoo 'em. Ask me in May. Don't care right now. I've got a blog to restart.<br />
-----<br />
And with that, we'll end today's missive.<br />
<br />
Thanks again for coming and drive home safely.<br />
<br />
(thoc)TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-82602071891837276692010-04-12T16:23:00.000-04:002010-04-12T16:27:17.062-04:00Yeah, it's true...TLBR's coming back. Stay tuned on Wednesday, April 14 for the re-launch. <br /><br />You're welcome.TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-80201792483840628712009-06-19T11:01:00.000-04:002009-06-19T11:02:24.382-04:00Funniest Thing I've Seen in Months<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1WqZ5AlRneI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1WqZ5AlRneI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-75253374151400864882009-06-18T17:27:00.001-04:002009-06-18T17:27:59.445-04:00Shocking.Is this "Kate Minus One" or "Jon Minus Nine?"<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SIkdOHbtY1E&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SIkdOHbtY1E&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-75324879153698195272009-06-03T12:20:00.002-04:002009-06-03T12:39:24.018-04:00Wednesday Addams<div>I have figured out the perfect way to combat <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/sports/03marathon.html?_r=1&ref=sports">these afflictions</a>: don't run.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's National Running Day and I wish I could properly celebrate it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This time every year, for the last decade or so, I have tried to do something to kick-start the running career again. And as each year ticks on the odometer, it becomes harder and harder. I wish I could run again. Anyone want to loan me a healthy right leg?</div><div>-----</div><div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/sports/basketball/01wnba.html">This makes TOO much sense</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Watch the Barclay's Premier League. The WNBA is not exactly printing its own money. So kudos to the Mercury for tapping into the previously untapped revenue streams. <br /></div><div>-----</div><div><a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2009/06/03/harrison_hangs_up_his_helmet/">Rodney Harrison retired today</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Admittedly, I was a huge Rodney Harrison fan. I loved the way he played the game. I loved him in the defensive backfield for two of the Patriots' Super Bowl victories and look forward to his broadcasting career.</div><div><br /></div><div>But.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let us not overlook the fact he used performance-enhancing drugs as a professional athlete. He cheated.</div><div><br /></div><div>His hard-hitting ways earned him respect and accolades from fans in San Diego and New England. The wideouts who took the flying hits from #37 respectfully disagreed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Year after year, Harrison was voted as a dirty player - if not the dirtiest - by his NFL peers. </div><div><br /></div><div>By his actions of using HgH, everyone should look at him as dirty.</div><div>-----</div><div><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez3-2009jun03,0,6447736.column">I'd mess this up.</a></div><div>-----</div><div>That is all. When's Wednesday over?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-83265503294154193342009-06-01T17:07:00.005-04:002009-06-01T19:39:42.655-04:00TLBR's 2 cents on David Ortiz<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(since I'm seemingly the only Red Sox fan/blogger/Red Sox fan with a blog that hasn't chimed in on L'Affaire du Papi, here goes...enjoy)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Here's my two cents on the David Ortiz-not-hitting-his-weight-when-he-played-for-the-Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The Red Sox are screwed.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Maybe Ortiz rights the ship, gets himself to a point where he's hitting .250, with 20+ homers and knocking on the door of 100 RBI, and all would be well. With him hitting a buck-eighty-nine, the Sox are still a half-game out of first in the AL East (basically because the Yanks have played a AAA schedule for the last month). But that's baseball's fool's gold.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">If not - if he has truly hit the wall - then the Sox have no recourse but to ride it out or take a huge financial hit.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">As it is, Ortiz plays no position in the field. And when he was the runner-up for the 2006 Most Valuable Player award, we all heard that argument when A-Rod wrongly won the trophy. (funny, when I type in "10" into position into my baseball stat program, it accepts it...moving right along...)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">But without him using his first baseman's mitt but 7-8 times a year during the regular season - and hopefully 4-7 times during the World Series - when it's gametime, he hits and sits.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">So if Ortiz were to be platooned at DH, it would greatly diminish the Sox' depth - which (the depth), I think, is somewhat of a fallacy. Perhaps the return of Mark Kotsay helps that, but not a whole heck of a lot. The Sox have a pretty weak bench.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">But go back to the Ortiz-off-the-bench argument as a pinch hitter. In reality, there are two positions that would potentially PH for: shortstop and catcher. And it's most likely just SS.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">You're not pinch hitting Ortiz for Youkilis (1B/3B), Pedroia (2B), Lowell (3B), Bay (LF), Ellsbury (CF), or Drew (RF). Francona has shown he'll PH for Drew, but with a righty (Baldelli at this point).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">So if Ortiz PH's for Green or Lugo (or Jed Lowrie), then it's a three-person move: the player who comes out, the Ortiz at-bat, then the player who has to play SS next inning. If it's a game-winning inning, then all is bread and roses. But most likely not.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Ortiz is (most likely) not going to PH for Kottaras, because Varitek is going to take his spot in the field. And vice versa.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Potentially...and I mean potentially in that rare sort of instance where you need a long ball...Ortiz could PH for Ellsbury. But both are left-handed hitters, so there would not be a huge benefit in terms of a pitching matchup. And if Ortiz were to get on base, you have a very slow runner whereas Ellsbury getting on via a walk or a single has great potential to become a double.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">A trade is very unlikely. What team is going to help Boston rid themselves of an $11-million dollar designated hitter that is closer to being designated (for assignment) than he is a hitter? What would it take to get - as the rumors say - Cleveland's Victor Martinez? At minimum, it would take Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, and then someone else. Aubrey Huff? No, thanks. Wily Mo Pena? I just giggled a bit. Although the Pats could use him at tight end.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Unlike the CF situation in 2007 and 2008, the Red Sox do not have a looming </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">replacement in the minors. There are no power hitters in the organization. There are very few available for trades. And there are even fewer in free agency. Matt Holliday (FA in 2009) comes to mind. Google his stats right now. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Additionally, the last few power hitters that did hit free agency were: Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Manny Ramirez. Google who their agent is.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The best the Sox can hope for is a reasonable facsimile of the early 2008 David Ortiz, with the numbers I listed at the top of the post. Methinks the 2004-2007 Big Papi is all gone-no more, save for the museum exhibits at Fenway and in Cooperstown.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The Sox have no home run hitters on their roster. They have guys that can hit home runs - Bay, Youkilis, Lowell, even Varitek so far - but none could be classified as "home run hitters." That title used to belong to Big Papi.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Any future titles are incumbent on Ortiz morphing into Stella and getting his groove back.</span> </div><div><br /></div></span></div>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com264tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-15812309098321330832009-05-27T21:02:00.002-04:002009-05-27T21:08:59.836-04:00Cleveland YEAH!I've gotten these links sent to me numerous times and - in checking the YouTube hits - 1.5 million people have viewed them and hopefully laughed as hard as I did.<br /><br />So without further ado, here are the two (hastily made) Cleveland Tourism videos.<br /><br />(for the record, TLBR has been to Cleveland twice, voluntarily, and has enjoyed both trips.)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysmLA5TqbIY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysmLA5TqbIY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oZzgAjjuqZM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oZzgAjjuqZM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-67381821358180834152009-05-18T11:05:00.002-04:002009-05-18T11:58:32.927-04:00Just Some Monday MusingsIt'll be great when it stops shampooing raining. It's cold and rainy and I'm sick of it. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? Perhaps I'm suffering.<div><br /></div><div>Ok, onto some stuff that's been boiling over:</div><div><br /></div><div>* <a href="http://www.moviesounds.com/vietnam/riddle.wav">One of my favorite jokes</a> from the movie <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Good Morning Vietnam</span> was "What's the difference between the Boy Scouts and the Army? The Boy Scouts don't have heavy artillery."</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, apparently <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14explorers.html?_r=1&hp">now they do</a>.</div><div>-----</div><div>* This might be the greatest headline ever: "Citi Field Mets streaker emerges clothed, unapologetic after night in jail."</div><div><br /></div><div>And <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/05/14/2009-05-14_citi_field_mets_streaker_emerges_clothed_unapologetic_after_night_in_jail.html">the story</a>? Even better. </div><div>-----</div><div>* <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/sports/baseball/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/sports/baseball/14willis.html?ref=sports">Here's rooting for one of TLBR's favorite TL's</a> - Dontrelle Willis. When he was pitching well, the D-Train was fun to watch. And off the field, in my brief stint as SportsTicker baseball reporter, he was engaging and a terrific interview. Hope he gets his form back.</div><div>-----</div><div>* Great line from NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams, regarding his off-the-camera life as a fan of all music blogger: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"I have a wife and two children and a house and a two-car garage and a dog. No one should fear me becoming a tragic hipster. I may be a hipster, but never tragic. I'm not going to bars in Brooklyn and drinking PBRs." </span> </div><div><br /></div><div>The entire interview can be read <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/28187163/nbc_news_brian_williams_embraces_music_geek_side_as_rock_blogger">here</a>. And for the record, there's nothing tragic about drinking PBR. It's not only economical, but it's damned good beer.</div><div>-----</div><div>* I'm wondering when the decision was made that we care about the vice president? I suppose it's relevant, considering the hate-monger (best case), borderline Satanic (worst case) that we just had for the last eight years essentially ran the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>And it was probably relevant this past election, when the old, bitter dude had the young, dumb chick as his running mate...one heartbeat away from the Oval Office, you betcha.</div><div><br /></div><div>But even now that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Change</span> has come to America, can we get a big "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Yes, We Can</span>" to the STFUVP movement?</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/17/oops-biden-reveals-location-secret-vp-bunker/?test=latestnews">Joe Biden should never talk</a>. Ever. <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2198543/">Unless someone else writes his remarks for him</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I tend to be liberal with my social conscience, conservative with my fiscal and judicial responsibilites. I think we can have civil dialogue with our enemies, while also dispensing the proper amount of justice in the proper setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd rather not torture terror suspects. But if they don't get three hots and a cot, and are mildly uncomfortable, I'm fine with that. If the floors of the prisons are slippery and, whoops, they fall down (repeatedly, over and over, until something gives...), then I'm fine with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just don't tell me. Don't make it public. Just make it happen. Go to a used book store and buy a copy of "The Prince." In some cases, the ends do justify the means.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to Biden - we do not need to know where the VP's secret bunker is. We do not need to know where the shadow cabinet and Congress get shipped to in case of global calamity.</div><div><br /></div><div>National secrets should remain as such. Our national leaders should have enough intelligence and foresight to know that.</div><div>-----</div><div>That is all. Time to go back to being miserable.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-79386180551958689292009-05-12T12:34:00.002-04:002009-05-12T12:40:35.531-04:00Lunchtime videosSomething to do while eating lunch...enjoy:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NShgvtEro7I&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NShgvtEro7I&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rW1oVdOxKko&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rW1oVdOxKko&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gVvmV3BnzM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gVvmV3BnzM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U502uzVmcAE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U502uzVmcAE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12790194.post-60875277031707078902009-05-11T17:33:00.001-04:002009-05-11T17:36:25.366-04:00Filing Through<div>From the "<a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2009/05/magic_fan_angry.html">You Can Take the Idiot out of New Jersey, but you can't take the New Jersey out of the Idiot</a>" file: </div><div><br /></div><div>In the second quarter, there was a play where Rondo outrebounded Dwight Howard, to which Rondo was knocked out of bounds and into the first row of "Gucci seats." </div><div><br /></div><div>Some guy with a blue shirt stood up and was yelling at Rondo and (potentially) the official - both of whom were within earshot. And from what I can remember, the guy had a kid next to him, wearing a white hat.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was YOU, Ernest Provetti. (Just in case you wonder what he looks like, check out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Ernest-Provetti/755143435">his Facebook page</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>And funny, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HIToSvlsVA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs%2Eorlandosentinel%2Ecom%2Fsports%5Fmagic%2F2009%2F05%2Fbig%2Dbaby%2Dshoves%2Dmagic%2Dfan%2D%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded">the play</a> was unfolding, you were closer to the court than Stan Van Gundy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nice double-standard, ass. If you don't want golf balls in your yard, don't move near a golf course.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you don't want to get run over by pro basketball players, don't sit in the front row. </div><div><br /></div><div>On an aside, his son was the only person on the floor to get a body on Big Baby down the stretch, so credit to him for that.</div><div>-----</div><div>From the "Beats the Alternative" and "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/us/12priest.html?_r=1&hpw">Boy, that last name is ironic</a>" files": </div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, I have a giant problem with the notion of "celebrity priest." The Pope has that job.</div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly, oh hell, it's better than a 10-year old altar boy. It's a 35-year old woman. It might be against the church rules, but it's perfectly normal from where I'm sitting.</div><div><br /></div><div>And his last name - Cutié - c'mon, you can't make this shampoo up.</div><div>-----</div><div>From the "<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?id=4158572">First time TLBR has ever purposely talked about NHL hockey</a>" file: </div><div><br /></div><div>Look, I care about the Bruins because they're winning. When they no longer win, then I no longer watch/care.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the sucker punch from last night's Hurricanes/Bruins game by Scott Walker to the face of defenseman Aaron Ward deserved a suspension.</div><div><br /></div><div>My dad was a hockey player. I was not. I would not have been able to stay on the ice, mostly because I couldn't skate. But also, if something like this happened to me or my teammate, I'd go apeshit.</div><div><br /></div><div>So maybe it's a bigger punishment for Scott Walker to be on the ice as opposed to in the upper press box...</div><div>-----</div><div>That's it for today.</div><div><br /></div>TLBRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08073612742726284338noreply@blogger.com0