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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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Wednesday Worries

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I’m worried that….

having a 4 month old son and a full time job precludes me from staying up past 9:30. I would have loved to see the Mavs come back on the Heat and close out Game 4 in Dallas but unfortunately, I didn’t make it past the LeBron to DWade alley oop making it 67-64 Miami with only 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. After that, nighty night. How can a global audience on the world wide web take a writer/blogger seriously after they admit to not watching the 2nd half of an NBA Finals game? Sure, I could disguise my fatigue and act like I watched the whole thing but that would be disingenuous. I did last 3 months in the Cub Scouts after all.

this series is going 7 and I will be too tired to remember any of it.

the national sportswriters of America have gone completely schizo regarding LeBron. One morning the headlines read “LeBron is Jordan”, next day it’s “Wade Plays Alpha to James’ Beta”, and now after Tuesday night we are looking at a days worth of “Gone Missing” stories. Let’s wait till the series comes to a conclusion before we etch anything permanent on LeBron’s headstone. I will say however that James scoring less than 10 points last night does shock me. Maybe Dirk’s German shooting coach Holger Geschwindner has been sending Lebron some evil eastern European vibes.

Rick Carlisle is going to panic some more and start Brian Cardinal over Tyson Chandler in Game 5.

this latest heat wave enveloping the Northeast will lead to a brown out right as the puck drops for Game 5 Bruins/Canucks. Of course, with a 4 month old son and full time job, I probably wasn’t going to watch much more than the 1st period anyway.

view from American Airlines Center courtesy of @cbs11news

Plodding through the Previews: Super 8

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Some folks boast a photographic memory while others claim to count cards. Me, I have a strange telekinetic ability to predict the plot of a movie based solely on the coming attraction. I will channel these talents every week in an effort to breakdown the latest summer blockbuster. With a little luck, and patience, I’ll also connect the movie to a current sports story.

Super 8

I played a game of word association with my wife this morning. I asked her what came to mind when she heard the words “Super 8” to which she responded, “a popular hotel chain in Ohio/Pennsylvania where I once spent a night sleeping on top of the comforter for fear that the sheets hadn’t been cleaned”. I proceeded to explain to her that Super 8 is a movie produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by J.J. Abrams, about a mysterious “life form” terrorizing small children in the American Midwest. Shockingly, my wife wasn’t all that interested until I showed her this preview. Now, she is mildly curious which leaves me without a date this weekend. I only wish my 4th month old son was seasoned enough to enjoy a fine piece of summer cinema.

A Second by Second Breakdown

:4 – Young, impressionable boy riding his six speed through a quiet Midwestern mill town while a magical score twinkles in the background. Yeah, I say this one has Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it.

:18 – Coach Taylor! What are you doing so far away from Dillon? Say hello to your beautiful wife Tami for me.

:33 – This thing is starting to play like an homage to the young disenfranchised, misunderstood filmmakers of America. We don’t feel sorry for you Mr. Spielberg. Well, at least not since Indian Jones 4.

:44 – Loud noises!!!!

1:17 – Wait, I thought aliens liked house pets? What could they possible want with poor Lucy?

1:33 – Remain calm, all is well. Remain calm!!!

1:51 – Darth Maul????

1:58 – Ron Eldard, what are you doing here? Haven’t seen you since Mystery, Alaska.

Ok, so here’s the skinny. A young J.J. Abrams and his dad move to a small town in the Midwest after the tragic/sudden loss of  his mom. At first, young J.J. struggles to make friends but eventually finds himself fitting in with a fringe crowd which includes a chubby sidekick akin to Jerry O’Connell’s Vern from Stand By Me and Dakota Fanning’s younger sister.

Next, some secret military cargo train goes off the tracks freeing a demonic alien who is all sorts of angry after being cooped up an underground laboratory in Los Alamos, Nevada since the lunar landing in 1969.

The only proof of what really exists lies in the Super 8 that the government doesn’t want released for fear that it will expose the truth of the situation which is that gov’t has been involved in a massive cover up involving the Russians, Al-Qaeda, and Charlie Sheen. The “monster” will eventually be revealed as an innocent and misunderstood figure, just like young J.J. Abrams. I’m picturing Iron Giant meets Goonies . Thoughts?

As with a connection to a current sports story, you could make of some similarities to the cover up in Columbus, Ohio. It was recently revealed that Jim Tressel knew about improper benefits to Ohio State players, most notably the latest tattoo for memorabilia scandal. College football critics aren’t surprised while some fellow coaches say pay the players. With the amount of money these programs generate, it seems shortsighted to not compensate the players. Although, when you think about it, isn’t that what a 200K athletic scholarship is for?

view from Columbus courtesy of @thehoov143

Monday Morning Musings

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A Quick Trip Around the Bases

1B – Memo to the Chicago Cubs pitching staff, with the game on the line don’t pitch to Albert Pujols. He will beat you silly and steal your lunch money. The more I think about it, Pujols is Mongo from Blazing Saddles. But instead of shooting him, better not hang a breaking ball or leave a fastball middle in because you’ll just make him mad.

2B – Can the Mets really trade Jose Reyes this summer? I know they CAN but should they is the question. True, he is having a tremendous year and the Mets probably can’t afford a Carl Crawford like ransom for him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the year but if you get rid of Reyes, and then Carlos Beltran after that, you might as well invite the entire Buffalo Bison Triple A team down to Citi Field. Talk about attendance issues, Queens is going to be a ghost town come August. There will be more people watching US Open tennis at neighboring Arthur Ashe Stadium than there will be at the baseball game.

3B – At some point, MLB should consider using a lottery to determine draft order because who wants to see the Pittsburgh Pirates picking 1st again this week? Top draft picks haven’t helped them over the last decade and a half so what’s to think it’s going to help this year. (In the sake of full disclosure, as a Baltimore Orioles fan the same should be said about my team too.)

HR – Non baseball musing of the morning, The Killing, what the heck was that? SPOILER ALERT!!! It’s episode 11 of 13 of a season long search for the killer of a teenage girl and you decide to spend the entire hour focusing on the missing son of one of the lead detectives? Now is not the time for character development. Please don’t tell me we are going to wait until season 2, if there is even going to be another season, to find out who killed Rosie Larson.

view from Busch Stadium courtesy of @Corinn_Dixon

Lunch Break Basketball with J.J. Barea

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Not hard to imagine, seeing as how the diminutive Dallas backup point guard extraordinaire is often asked to show his credentials upon entering an NBA arena. Believe me, I’m not trying to pick on the 5’9″ Northeastern grad from Puerto Rico, the man has some serious “skeelz”, including showing no fear as he weaves his way through the giants sequoias en route to the basket. All I’m trying to say is that J.J., he of the fashionably metro beard from the little known land of Lilliput, could easily pass for a MD trying to fit in a quick game at the local Y between vasectomies at Columbia Presbyterian.

I’m sure Barea isn’t phased by all the confusion, at least I wouldn’t be if I were dating Miss Universe 2006. Last laugh’s on us I suppose.

Game 3 prediction: Mavs 92 Heat 88

view from American Airlines Center courtesy of @NBA

Rafael Nadal and The Majesty of Championship Wedgie Picking

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As an athlete and champion, Rafael Nadal has many admirable qualities. His dogged determination and work ethic have enabled him to win 10 majors, including the 2011 French Open over Roger Federer. But one aspect of Rafa’s game that goes undiscussed, but certainly not unnoticed, is his willingness to overcome high riding negligee.

That’s right, Rafa Nadal, winner of now 6 French Open’s, loves to pick his wedgie. As a tennis fan, you don’t go into the French Open finals looking for this sort of thing, but in the case of Nadal and his wardrobe malfunctioning, it’s impossible not to notice. Before every service point. On the way to his chair during a changeover. Arguing a call. You name it he picks it. At this point in his career it is probably part of his routine sort of like serving, vollying, and winning.

Now we can all empathize with Rafa. Who hasn’t gone for a jog on a nice humid July afternoon and traveled only a half mile into the run before realizing that the unmentionables are creeping towards the nether regions. It happens and we should not begin to pass judgment on one of the 4 or 5 greatest tennis players of all time. If anything, we should be complimenting Nadal and making an art form of the wedgie pick.

Congrats Rafael Nadal on winning another French Open and proving that you too are a man uninhibited by television cameras and millions upon millions of onlookers.

view from Roland Garros courtesy of @rolandgarros