Saturday, June 27, 2015

Awesome Old Song of the Week: New Kids on the Block's "The Right Stuff" (which isn't actually called that?!)

The other day when I wrote about the possibility of Danny Ainge getting the band back together this summer in the form of the 2008 Celtics, I referenced the fact that New Kids on the Block were playing at the TD Garden that very night.

It got me thinking, I've never actually used NKOTB for an Awesome Old Song of the Week.  When I looked up my favorite hit of theirs, 1988's The Right Stuff, I made a rather startling discovery--according to the internet, it's not actually called "The Right Stuff."  The real title of the song is You Got It (The Right Stuff).

I'm betting a large number of you reading this were equally as shocked by this revelation as I was.  The thing is though, I'm not so certain I believe the magical interweb of today.  Take a close look at the cassette cover from the Hangin' Tough album pictured.  In the upper left corner, the first track is clearly labeled "The Right Stuff."  I'm confident that if I dug my copy of the tape out of my parents attack, it would say the same thing.




Friday, June 26, 2015

The greatest tweet I ever tweeted

When I sent this out on Wednesday night, I though people might enjoy it--but I had no idea how much.


It's still being retweeted two days later, and at this point has passed 800 RTs.  I don't think I ever had a tweet RTed even 200 times before.  I guess people really liked the 2008 Celtics...

Here' a screenshot of the Twitter analytics:




RELATED: Twitter should tell you the "potential reach" of all your retweeted tweets


Thursday, June 25, 2015

The most fun water slide I've ever seen is brilliant, yet so simple

In 2004, I lived in Austin, Texas for a little while.  I was coming off of a lucrative Vineyard summer, and combined with the relatively low cost of living down there I hardly worked at all.  I really, really wish BSR Cable Park had existed 11 years ago, because I'm pretty sure I would've moved to Waco for three months and had the time of my life.

How is it possible I've never seen this type of water slide before?



Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The Celtics could sign a title-winning starting five as free agents this summer

Earlier today, Kevin Love opted out of his contract with the Cavaliers (although he very well may stay in Cleveland).  Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowksi, probably the most inside of all NBA insiders, then reported that if the Celtics can woo Love to Boston it might lure Paul Pierce back as well.

That got me thinking, if the Love plan doesn't work out, Danny Ainge and company might try going in a different direction:

Paul Pierce is not exercising his player option with the Wizards, making him a free agent.  Kevin Garnett's contract with the Timberwolves is up, but he hasn't made any announcements about retiring so he'll be a free agent too.  Rajon Rondo and the Mavericks have parted ways, he's becoming a free agent as well (with what is now most likely a fairly low price tag).  Another available free agent this summer is Kendrick Perkins, whose deal with the Cavs is expiring.  And then there's Ray Allen, who didn't play in the NBA this season but will reportedly "re-examine options" for next year.


The championship starting five from 2008 never lost a playoff series together.  Garnett missed the postseason in 2009 and Perkins tore his ACL before Game 7 of the 2010 Finals.

And if they need some help off the bench, Big Baby Davis will also be an unrestricted free agent.

OK, I'm obviously not serious with this plan because it's ridiculous.  But honestly, I kind of am for the shear awesomeness factor--sign them all to one-year deals (Rondo can stay for a few) and the whole 2015-16 season can be one long farewell/reunion tour.

Would it really be any crazier to see that at the TD Garden than what's happening there tonight?


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

In the new evidence, Pete Rose's biggest betting loss was on the '86 Celtics. How'd that happen?

Unfortunately, the Celtics bet does not appear in the picture, a photograph of the notebook ESPN's Outside the Lines acquired that belonged to Pete Rose's associate Michael Bertolini and contained records of their gambling.

Here are some quotes from ESPN.com's story:

"The documents obtained by Outside the Lines, which reflect betting records from March through July 1986, show no evidence that Rose, who was a player-manager in 1986, bet against his team. They provide a vivid snapshot of how extensive Rose's betting life was in 1986: 
In the time covered in the notebook, from March through July, Rose bet on at least one MLB team on 30 different days. It's impossible to count the exact number of times he bet on baseball games because not every day's entries are legible." 
"Most bets, regardless of sport, were about $2,000. The largest single bet was $5,500 on the Boston Celtics, a bet he lost. 
Rose bet heavily on college and professional basketball, losing $15,400 on one day in March. That came during his worst week of the four-month span, when he lost $25,500."

I really wish they shared the details (opponent, location and point spread) of Rose's Celtics bet, because I'm fairly certain he must have taken a bad beat on that one.  The 1985-86 Celts were one of the greatest NBA teams of all time, going 67-15 in the regular season and 15-3 in the playoffs on their way to winning the title.  Combined, the C's went 50-1 at home that year at the Boston Garden (Friday, December 6, 1985, the Portland Trail Blazers ruined the perfect home season).


Monday, June 22, 2015

I'll pass on my chance to win a trip to Detroit to meet Jonas Jerebko

I became a big fan of Jonas Jerebko after the Celtics acquired him from the Pistons this year.  He nailed a bunch of big three-pointers and even threw down a ridiculous dunk or two.  In all honesty, Jerebko was one of my favorite Celtics to watch in the second half of the season.

Having said that, I'm not convinced I'd be that all excited about winning a trip to Detroit to have dinner with him.


Come on Jonas!  I know you lived in Detroit for five years before coming to Boston, but how about meeting the winner in New York or L.A. or something?  Sweden would work too...


Sunday, June 21, 2015

Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Can't Cry Anymore" by Sheryl Crow

I have no trouble admitting I listed to Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club a lot in 1994 and 1995.  She first became mainstream-pop famous when the All I Wanna Do single shot up the charts in the summer of '94.  Leaving Las Vegas then did fairly well as the follow up.

Can't Cry Anymore could easily be the dark horse candidate for best song on the album though.



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