Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Lightning Crashes" by Live

In 1994 the band Live released and album called "Throwing Copper."  It was one of the cooler CD's to come out during my junior year of high school; and it was something you had to own in order to have any chance of being cool yourself.  Even though it was a little bit loud and angry for my tastes, I still listened to it a ton anyways.

My favorite song from the disc was one of the calmer ones, called Lightning Crashes.  It's lyrics can be a little creepy though, particularly when the word "placenta" jumps right out at you in the second line.





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I'm skeptical about this New Jersey/TGI Fridays liquor scam story

Yesterday a couple of people told me about this news story from New Jersey that's being referred to as "Operation Swill."  Apparently 29 bars (13 of them TGI Fridays) in the Garden State have recently been discovered to be replacing the liquor in their bottles with something other than the proper booze.  This NY Times article says the state ABC (Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control) collected 150 samples from 63 bars suspected of scamming people, 30 of which were not what they were supposed to be.

I have worked in a lot of bars in my day, and as far as I know, none of them have ever put anything else in the bottles.  But that isn't the part of the story that's hard for me to believe.  The thing I'm skeptical about is that all the reports I've read covering this have led with the fact that one bar supposedly sold a scotch that was actually just "rubbing alcohol and food coloring."

I need hear more about this; I want to know what bar it was, and how they pulled it off.  I'd like to see all the details of the ABC's report, and I want an interview with the perpetrators.  Because getting away with selling rubbing alcohol as scotch just seems impossible.

I'm not a scotch guy.  It's one of my least favorite types of liquor.  But I can still say with 100% certainty that there is absolutely no way anyone could put a glass of rubbing alcohol in front of me and sell it as scotch.  Logic would dictate that those who do like scotch should be even less inclined to be duped.  On the other hand, I can't say I really know anything about people who would order a "well" scotch at a TGI Fridays in Jersey...

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Wrestling may not be dead after all

Should a wrestler fight a wushu-er for inclusion in the Olympics?

I'm not talking about the theater involving 'roided up guys in speedos yelling into cameras and hitting each other with folding chairs.  I'm referring to the actual sport of wrestling that goes back to the ancient Greeks and the very first Olympic Games.  In February the IOC (International Olympic Committee) announced that they would be eliminating wrestling from the games in 2020.

I'm not a wrestling fan.  I couldn't care less about it.  But I thought it was a terrible decision by the IOC to drop it, because an Olympic gold medal is the greatest possible achievement in that sport.  In some Olympic events the athletes competing have greater goals in mind, and those sports are less deserving.

Today IOC President Jacques Rogge said that wrestling's governing body has "made the necessary changes" to potentially save it's place in the Olympics.  Wrestling is now competing with squash, baseball/softball, "roller sports," karate, wushu (another martial art), and wakeboarding for a spot in the games in 2020 and going forward.  This should be a tough battle; to me nothing says "Olympics" like wushu and wakeboarding.

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Why don't all motorcycles have mufflers?

I just don't get it.  It's illegal for cars to drive around without mufflers, so why don't the same laws apply to motorcycles?  And while I'm on the subject, I don't understand why anyone who owns motorcycles would chose to go without them.  The same painfully loud noises that irritate everyone else within a hundred yards have got to also be pretty annoying to the driver too, right?

And philosophically speaking, it blows my mind that any human being can think it's reasonable to make a choice for their own pleasure (especially something like this with no measurable gain) that is so clearly detrimental to everyone else around them.  It's like being the "loud cell phone talker" on the bus to the power of ten.

Related: It should cost $1 every time you honk your car horn

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It's time for the Super Bowl to ditch the Roman numerals already

The big news of the day is that the NFL has just decided to play the 50th Super Bowl in the San Francisco Bay area in 2016.  But the stupid thing about it is the fact that it is referred to as "Super Bowl L."  And even stupider is "Super Bowl LI," chosen to take place in Houston in 2017.  Nice job NFL opening the door to a bunch of idiotic Chinese jokes.

Back when I was 9 years old I had an awesome Patriots vs. Bears Super Bowl XX shirt (very similar to the one pictured).  And ten years later when the Cowboys and Steelers met in Super Bowl XXX, the Roman numerals were still pretty cool.  But you know what isn't cool?  Trying to figure of what next year's Super Bowl XLVIII is.  The numbers are just too big now, and nobody knows what they are anymore.  Get over yourself NFL.

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The 18 greatest Boston Celtics of all-time

People love lists.  As far as I know I've never done a list post before.  It's about time.  So without further ado, here are the top 18 Boston Celtics in franchise history:

18.  Danny Ainge

18, 2, 16, 8, and 9

17.  Frank Ramsey
16.  Dennis Johnson
15.  Kevin Garnett
14.  Cedric Maxwell
13.  Bill Sharman
12.  K.C. Jones
11.  Jo-Jo White
10.  Paul Pierce
  9.  Robert Parrish
  8.  Kevin McHale
  7.  Tommy Heinsohn
  6.  Sam Jones
  5.  Dave Cowens
  4.  Bob Cousy
  3.  John Havlicek
  2.  Larry Bird
  1.  Bill Russell

Obviously this list is extremely subjective and up for immense debate.  It's hard to factor the value of longevity for a guy like Pierce, who has 10 All-Star appearances and is the second leading scorer in club history (behind Havlicek), but won just a single title and was often the best player on bad teams.  And how do you rate someone such as Garnett (also just one title in only 6 seasons in Boston, but he changed the entire culture of the franchise at the time and was the driving force for that single championship) compared to Frank Ramsey; who won 7 titles but always as a complimentary player?

If you're wondering why I chose to list the top 18, I could be witty and say it represents the elusive championship banner #18 we're hoping to hang in the rafters.  But it actually comes from an article I wrote yesterday for Celtics Life: "Where do Paul Pierce & Kevin Garnett rank on the list of all-time Celtics?"  Eighteen just happened to be as far back as I thought it was worth discussing to find out where KG fit.  Take a look at that piece in order to get some insight as to how this list turned out the way it did.

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Do you know what this is?

No, I don't have magical and/or supernatural powers.  And it's not a giant alien spaceship getting ready to attack either.  It was a circular shaped rainbow around the sun that was visible on Martha's Vineyard for the past two days.  Apparently it's called a "sun halo," and it's something that happens on occasion when sunlight reflects at a certain angle through ice crystals that are present in very high thin clouds.


So there's my 9th grade Earth Science update for the day.  I remember seeing this once before several years ago, oddly enough also while I was on the Vineyard.  It feels kind of lame that I've written about weather related things 2 of the last 3 days; but they also both seemed worthwhile.  I'll get back to sports tomorrow.  Also I can't believe Independence Day came out 17 years ago.



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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 a 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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