Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Vineyard" by Jackopierce

I believe this is the newest "Awesome Old Song" that I've featured to date.  Jackopierce released the single "Vineyard" in 1997, just 16 years ago.  But since this is my first Martha's Vineyard weekend of the year, it seemed fitting.  Even though the band is from Texas, the song is somewhat autobiographical.  It tells the story of lead singer Cary Pierce spending s few days on the island and meeting a nice girl.

In the brief time period that "burning CD's" was the norm, I made a mix including this song that never left the 5 disc changer in the bar I worked at all summer. That and the Cocktail soundtrack.





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Since when do weather forecasts go by hairstyles?

One day last week I turned on the TV in the midst of the local news, with the channel still set for NBC from whatever I'd been watching the night before.  I have an extreme dislike for local TV news, and I try to avoid it whenever I can.  But that's another blog for another day.  On this occasion the weather report happened to be going on, and this is what I saw:

Is this normal?  At first I thought it was a joke.  Can that graphic actually helpful to anyone?  It seems kind of insulting to me; as if women people with long hair are unable to determine themselves the difference between 30% humidity and 80% humidity.

On a random but related side note, I think I may be the only person in the world who likes humidity.

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I think I could be a clutch free throw shooter in the NBA

What is it that makes this so difficult?

On Wednesday night Zach Randolph stepped to the line with 11 seconds left in the game, and his team leading by 2 points.  He missed both free throws, giving the Thunder one final chance to tie, or even win with a three.  Luckily for Randolph and the Grizzlies OKC didn't score, Memphis won the game and the series, and his blown freebies will be forgotten.

For his career Randolph is a 76.5% foul shooter, so statistically speaking on any given occasion there is only a 5.5% chance that he'll ever miss two in a row.

Four day earlier Kevin Durant also missed a pair in the final minute of a close game, with his team trailing by 4 with 39 seconds remaining.  Durant is an 88.4% career FT shooter (one of the best in the league), and should only ever miss both 1.3% of the time.

You always hear stories about poor foul shooters like Shaq, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo having no problem making them consistently in practice.  What is it about being in a game (and even more so in big situations) that makes it so much harder?

A couple weeks ago I was shooting on my old childhood hoop, and I hit 4 of 5 free throws.  A little while later I took 5 more, and again went 4-5.  Now I'm not saying I could go out and shoot 80% in a game, and obviously I can't compare my driveway to being on the court in an NBA arena full of screaming fans.  But I hadn't shot a single free in years, and was never that much of a basketball player to begin with.  Guys in the NBA are professionals that practice shooting those every day.  They should be much, much, much better at it than I am.  Every other aspect of the game I would get absolutely destroyed at if you put me on the floor with pros; but with free throws I think I could hold my own without being embarrassed.  That doesn't seem right.

Having said that, it's pretty clear a big part of foul shooting is mental.  Some players want to be at the line in pressure situations, and some don't.  Personally I think I would be a great late game free throw shooter.  The closest analogy I can make to regular life is beer pong.  Back in my playing days I always excelled at hitting the last rebuttal shot to keep a game going.  My shooting percentage increased when it mattered most.

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Jason Kidd is setting NBA records for scoreless-ness

Somehow Kidd even missed this one.

I wrote about this for Celtics Life on Monday, and now Jason Kidd's streak has gotten even worse (or maybe better?).  The last time Kidd scored a point was in Game 2 of the New York-Boston series.  That was 8 games ago.

He's played a total of 177 minutes over those eight contests.  Kidd is averaging slightly more than 22 minutes per game during the stretch, and been on the floor for at least 15 minutes every night.  Spanning that time he's pulled down 31 rebounds, dished out 19 assists, had 6 steals, and even blocked 4 shots.  But he's also 0-16 from the field, with a grand total of zero points.

I have a pretty confident feeling that Kidd's streak of scoreless minutes is an all-time league record; but I can't figure it out, and nobody is mentioning it (I keep saying this, but I need a research department!  Or will somebody please create an all sports super-powered version of google that can automatically give me the correct answers to any questions I come up with about obscure records?).  I'm also 99.9% positive that Kidd is the first NBA player to ever attempt a shot and grab a rebound in 8 straight games without scoring.  Basketball-reference.com only goes back to 1985, but in that time nobody else has even done this more than 6 games in a row.

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Why won't anybody call out LeBron for being a liar?

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau accused LeBron James of flopping when he was "shoved to the ground" by Nazr Mohammed in Game 3.  LeBron said this in response:

"I don't need to flop. I play an aggressive game but I don't flop. I've never been one of those guys. I don't need to flop. I don't even know how to do it. So it doesn't mean much to me."

Really LeBron?  Really?  You don't even know how to do it?  There is a mountain of video evidence to the contrary.  Try searching "LeBron James flop" on youtube and see what happens.  But what blows my mind is that he can get away with these comments without criticism.  One ESPN guy, Ryen Russillo, called him out with this tweet:

After shrugging, he falls down. RT @basketballtalk: LeBron James shrugs off claims he’s a flopper dlvr.it/3MYShB
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) May 13, 2013

Russillo also mentioned on his show yesterday that LeBron often acts as if he's "been shot with a poison blowdart" when somebody brushes the back of his head, something I've been saying for years.  However, for the most part LeBron's ridiculous statement was received without argument.

I'd like to see a major news outlet feature a story called "LeBron, that's just not true," and show a video montage of his many, many flops.  Or even better somebody should say to him straight up in an interview "LeBron, watch this clip and explain to me how that 6 foot tall point guard who weighs 100 pounds less than you sent you crashing to the floor."  Why can't this happen?  How can he just lie like that and get away with it?


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Levels of losing

Before I went to Game 6 of the Celtics-Knicks series, I had a discussion with my dad about how painful it might be if they lost and were eliminated.  After coming halfway back from a 3-0 deficit, Boston had a chance to tie up the series at home.  I didn't really expect them to win, so I felt like the only way a loss could really hurt would be if they held a big lead all night, and let it slip away at the end.  Of course I never considered the possibility of getting blown out, then having a near miraculous comeback fall just short (both in the game and in the series).

Yesterday I wrote that because of their passion and history of defeat, I might actually feel bad for Maple Leafs fans if Toronto couldn't complete the comeback from 3-1 down and win Game 7.  But as with the Celtics, I never considered the possibility of them holding a 4-1 lead with under 11 minutes to go, giving up 2 goals in a 31 second span of the final minutes against an empty net, and then falling in overtime.  Wow.  Sorry Toronto, you win; as far as losing goes.


Note: Yes, I was rooting for the Bruins.  But since I haven't given them much attention, it didn't seem right to get all giddy and write about how awesome a game this was.   It was an amazing comeback though, and clearly too big a deal not to discuss, so I chose this angle. 

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If the Bruins still win this series I may feel a little bad for Toronto

Boston is on the verge of blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Game 7 will be at the TD Garden Monday night (see "Hockey plays Game 7's on no days rest???" from two years ago).  The die hard B's fans will hate me for saying this, but I can't get that upset about the possibility of dropping this series to Toronto.  It's just a way bigger deal to them than it is to us.  I'm not talking about the teams and players themselves, I mean actual Torontonians.

Thousands of them stand outside their arena each night to watch the games (pictured).  For us hockey is the 4th major sport; for them it's the equivalent of football, baseball, and basketball all put together.  They have the Raptors, who've only won a single playoff series since the NBA decided to put a team there in 1995.  And they've got the Blue Jays, who did have some fans when Joe Carter won them the World Series 20 years ago, but now they routinely play in a mostly empty stadium.  Which brings us back to their beloved Leafs, who last won the Stanley Cup when there were only 6 teams playing for it.  Toronto's 44 year championship drought is the longest in the NHL.  They want this a lot more than we do.

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Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Run Away" by Real McCoy

In 1994 the German pop band Real McCoy released an album called Another Night.  It's first single had the same title, and was the song that made them huge in the U.S.  But their follow up hit "Run Away" was just as big, and way cooler in my book.

I never really paid too much attention to the lyrics, but I do remember the "big brother is watching you" line.  As it turns out, the whole song in based on George Orwell's 1984.   "Run Away" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1995; oddly enough so did Janet Jackson's "Runaway."



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I know how to dramatically improve "instant replay" reviews in sports

The other night the Oakland A's lost a baseball game when a home run was incorrectly ruled a double.  Somehow even after reviewing the video the umpires still couldn't see that the ball hit the railing above the fence.  Rumored explanations for their failure include a bad TV, not having access to all possible replay angles, and just not caring enough/taking the time to get it right.

A Celtics game I went to this season was stopped twice in the final minute of play for extended periods of time as the referees all huddled around a monitor trying to figure out which team the ball went out of bounds off of.  On one occasion the scoreboard big screen zoomed in on them, and it was clear that they were just watching ABC's regular TV coverage of the game, with no control over the replays themselves.

I have a solution.  It's something that will work for all pro sports using video review.  In fact, I actually got the idea last NFL season from that atrocious Seahawks touchdown call against the Packers which brought an end to the replacement refs.  There is no reason why the actual referees who are on on the field/court/ice have to be the ones who watch the replays and make these decisions.  In fact, the people doing this don't even need to be at the game.  Each league should have it's own "replay office."

It would consist of five, ten, maybe even twenty (however many it takes) people sitting in a room somewhere.  They work for every game going on all at once.  They're only job is to watch replays and make correct rulings; so they have access to all the best available technology, and know exactly how to use it.  The replay office would have somebody watching each game as it happens, and in turn could already be working on getting the controversial calls right before the officials at the game even decide to check with them.  Not only would the accuracy improve, but this might even speed up the process as well.

5/13 UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that the NHL already has this.  So I guess my "idea" isn't that revolutionary after all.  Anyway, well done NHL, and it's definitely time for the other 3 leagues to get with the program.

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Who do I root for now that the Celtics are out of the playoffs?

For me, the most fun and exciting part of the game of basketball has always been long range shooting.  As a kid I used to practice jumpers in my driveway from as far away as I possibly could (even when I was back home at my parents' last week, shooting around on my old hoop for the first time in years, I still found myself doing this).  Reggie Miller was my favorite non-Celtic NBA player throughout the 90's for this very reason.

Another thing everyone loves to root for in sports is an underdog.  Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are the perfect combination of both.  Earlier this year Curry put up the greatest 3 point shooting game anyone has ever had, hitting 11 of 13 on his way to a 54 point night vs the Knicks at Madison Square Garden (where Miller had some of his best games as well).  He also just set the all-time record for threes made in one season, 272, breaking Ray Allen's previous mark of 269.

The 6th seeded Warriors were expected to lose in Round 1 to Denver, but now find themselves heading back home after splitting two games with the 2nd seeded Spurs in San Antonio (and they could easily be up 2-0).  Not to mention they have one of the best home crowds I've ever seen; I swear the fans were standing the entire game when Golden State eliminated the Nuggets.  If you like the NBA and you haven't been staying up late to watch the past few Warriors games, you've really been missing out.

For more on this check out a piece I wrote earlier today for Celtics Life called "A Celtics fan guide to watching the rest of the playoffs."


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Am I the only one who never realized "Wheel of Fortune" is "hangman?"

A few months ago Paul Pierce sent out a tweet saying "Look out for me tonight on Wheel of Fortune."  He didn't actually play or anything, just made a brief pre-recorded cameo as part of the show's "NBA week."  But when I saw his tweet on that February afternoon the first thing I did was set my DVR to record Wheel that evening.  And it was at that moment that I made this startling discovery:

Wheel of Fortune is just a fancy version of "hangman."  It's seems so obvious, yet somehow it'd never occurred to me before.  Is this common knowledge?  If not, it definitely should be.  I felt pretty stupid for not having come to this conclusion on my own at some point in the last 35 years.  And while I tend to be very critical of the show descriptions on the cable guide, on this day I was extremely impressed.

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Why doesn't Derrick Rose want to be a hero?

One of these guys is not like the others.

In 2011 Derrick Rose won the NBA's MVP award.  Last season he led the Bulls to a league best 50-16 record, and the #1 seed in the East.  A little over a year ago he tore his ACL in the first game of the 2012 playoffs, and Chicago lost to Philly in the first round (opening the door for the Celtics to reach the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami).  I'm not going to point out how long it's taking him to come back compared to other athletes, but I will say this:

As of today it's now been two months since Rose was medically cleared to play.  Not practice, that happened in January, I mean play.  In real live NBA games.  At the time he said he was waiting until he could confidently dunk jumping with his surgically repaired left knee.  A little over a month ago the reports starting coming out that he was "dominating practice," and here's a video of him dunking off his left leg in early April.

Somehow the 5th seeded Bulls managed to get by the Nets in Round 1 on the road in 7 games.  Their second best player, Luol Deng, is still in the hospital recovering from a spinal tap.  Starting center Joakim Noah has plantar fasciitis and can hardly walk sometimes, but has been playing anyway.  Rose's backup, point guard Kirk Hinrich, is out with a calf injury.

Last night Chicago pulled off a stunning upset in Miami, taking a 1-0 lead over the Heat.  Third string PG Nate Robinson got hit in the mouth by LeBron (unintentionally) in the first half, causing him to get 10 stitches.  But Robinson stayed in the game, in part because the Bulls have no other options left.

Hollywood screenwriters could not script a better time for Rose to return.  But he won't.  Does he not see an incredible opportunity here?  Does he not want to be a hero?  Everything I know about athletes and competitive sports makes his decision to continue sitting almost unfathomable.  My guess is he decided a long time ago that he wasn't coming back this year, and never imagined his team would get this far without him.  Now he just looks like a chump.

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Clay Buchholz looks to extend streak without "spit balls"

Clay Buchholz will try to go 7-0 tonight.  So far this season he's emerged victorious every time he's taken the mound.  6 starts, 6 wins.  No other pitcher in baseball has more than 5 W's this year.  Buchholz also has an MLB best 1.01 ERA.  Last week ex-pitcher (a World Series MVP and five-time All-Star) and current Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Jack Morris accused Buccholz of throwing a "spit ball;" cheating by putting something on the baseball to give it added movement.

Oddly enough, my gut instinct is to believe Morris may actually be right.  It seems like a very strange accusation to make, and I doubt Morris would do it if he didn't think he was 100% correct.  And yes it's only been 6 starts, but Buchholz's number's are dramatically better than his career 46-32 record and 3.92 ERA heading into this season.

And then there's his hair.  A couple weeks ago I remember thinking to myself "what's the deal with Clay's hair?  Why is it so wet and oily looking all the time?"  Now we have a possible reason.  Hopefully I'm wrong.  Probably I am.  Maybe we'll find out more tonight.

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Coins are pretty much stupid these days.

For decades I've heard talk of "getting rid of the penny."  Honestly I can't believe that hasn't happened yet.  At this point dimes and nickels are basically useless as well.  I have a pile of coins sitting on my kitchen counter that I try to get rid of whenever possible, but mostly the only thing I do with them is toss them in the tip jar when I'm buying a coffee or burrito or something.  I don't even feel good about it though, because why would the Dunkin' Donuts guy want to carry that extra weight around any more that I do?

A friend of mine's wife has been throwing her change in the trash for years, and I'm starting to agree with her.  There is absolutely no need for any denomination less than a quarter anymore.  What costs less than 25 cents anyway?  Penny candy?  Suck it up and buy 2 pieces of Chinese fortune bubble gum (remember that?) instead of just one.

My bar (and most bars/restaurants everywhere) has already made this transition; we only use quarters.  No one ever cares if you just round every price to the nearest quarter.  In fact, more often than not we round to the nearest dollar.  Sometimes you round up, sometimes you round down.  At the end of the night we're always within a buck or two of where we should be; why can't everyone do that?

The only reason I save quarters is for laundry, and it won't be long before those machines all run on bills or credit cards.  The parking meters on my street just recently converted to accept plastic.  Even the guy who's always standing outside the corner store on my block doesn't even ask for "spare change," he asks if you "have an extra dollar" when you walk by.  Not to mention that half the population has already given up on using cash to begin with.  Change is just dumb.

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Did the TD Garden PA announcer ruin Paul Pierce's final moment as a Celtic?

I haven't fully wrapped my head around what happened at the Garden last night yet.  Later on I'll read the stories about the game, and probably watch my DVR recording of the 20-0 run in the 4th quarter.  But for right now I just want to talk about the events of the final minute.

There's a good chance that may have been the last time Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, or both ever wear a Boston Celtics uniform.  With 18 seconds remaining Garnett was subbed out, and received a standing ovation.  But just 9 seconds before that Pierce was taken out of the game as well.  For some odd reason though the PA broadcaster failed to announce this to the crowd.  The Garden fans were unaware that Pierce was heading to the bench, and because of this there were no cheers.  I really hope this was not Pierce's final moment as a Celtic, but if it was it's sad and disappointing that the announcer missed it.

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