Old S.I. Review (April 27, 1987)

Man, it's been a long time since I did an old S.I. review. Too long in fact. As soon as I came across the site of a triumphant Rob Deer in a box of old magazines this past weekend though, I knew what I had to do. Let's jump right in shall we...

Bobby V. Packing Wood
Strong start to this issue with a picture of Bobby Valentine carrying about 30 Rangers bats in the dugout in an attempt to shake them out of a hitting slump next to the table of contents. Probably didn't work though since the '87 Rangers finished in a last place tie in the old AL West.

1987 Toshiba Laptop Specs
Gotta love this copy from an ad for Toshiba's new laptop computer...

The Toshiba is the most powerful laptop you can buy. With a standard 640KB memory that's expandable to 2.6 MB. And a spectacular, high-resolution gas-plasma display that let's you work for hours without getting quint lines. It is an incredible example of Toshiba's technologies in miniaturization.

Zamboni Fan, eh?
Check out this fantastic letter from Steve Aureli of Knoxville, Tenn...

Thanks for Leigh Montville's fascinating article on the Zamboni (You're an Old Smoothie, March 30). I've been a Zamboni fan for years. In fact, I used to live in Waterbury, Conn., and when the Whalers were floundering not too long ago, we would go to the Hartford Civic Center and pay good money to see the Zamboni perform. Something resembling hockey was played during the long intermissions."

Things That Sounded Better At The Time
One other thing from the Letters page. Tim and Janet Matthews, a couple from Toronto, sent in a note taking writer E.M. Swift to task for his contention that Canadians, by and large, have low expectations for their athletes in international competitions. First athlete they cite to defend Canada's athletic prowess? Ben Johnson.

Remembering the Fast Start of the '87 Brew Crew
Moving on the meat of the issue, we begin with the feature story about the Milwaukee Brewers starting the season with an 13-game winning streak and a no-hitter from "embraceable lefty" Juan Nieves. Some highlights from that piece...

-Riding an 11-0 start, the Brewers drew 29,357 on Easter Sunday. I don't know what the capacity was at County Stadium but that seems like a low turnout for an 11-0 team.

-Juan Nieves channeling John Kreese..."People probably think this is a joke," Nieves said, "but it's not. It's a taste of what's to come the rest of the way. We're back. No mercy." It's worth noting at this point that Milwaukee finished 3rd in the AL East in '87.

-Did you know Juan captained the baseball, basketball and cross-country teams at Avon Old Farms? That's a fun piece of trivia. I have to admit, I didn't have Juan pegged as an Avon man.

-Best part of the article? I nominate this...

"Shortly before Opening Day, The Milwaukee Journal conducted a telephone survey of Wisconsin residents and found that 74% of them had no idea who the Brewers manager was?"

OK, first of all, a telephone survey to see how many people know the manager? That's awesome. I will pay money for copies of those phone calls. Even better that 74% didn't know though. 74%! That's tremendous.

The 1987 Phoenix Suns...More Sordid than you Remember
I think it's safe to say that the '87 Suns probably benefited from a comparative lack of media scrutiny. Consider the following...

-At the time, the '87 Suns were involved in "the largest single drug bust in the history of professional sports." No fewer than 11 players, past and present, were implicated by Phoenix law enforcement officials, including Walter Berry (a 6-time all-star and the leading scorer in Suns history).

-Berry was not only implicated but largely believed to have snitched on his teammates in the process. Good times.

-Aside from the drug bust, Phoenix police were also looking into allegations that a Suns-Bucks game from February of '87 may have been fixed.

Can you imagine the 24-hour indignation we'd be hearing from talking heads if all that was going on these days? Although....one thing would be the same and that's David Stern's reaction. Stern's quoted in the article and sounds exactly the same back then as he does now. "We've been assured there's nothing to the allegations but we're looking into it..."

The LaFontaine Game
Ahh, the old 4-OT Game 7 Isles-Caps thriller that ended on Easter Sunday. I remember it well. Hadley slept over that night and we watched into the wee hours. I can close my eyes and see Bob Mason standing dazed in the Wasington net after LaFontaine's turn-around slapper. Game over. Series over. Isles advance.

What I didn't remember until reading the article though is that Washington had a 3-1 lead in that series and lost 3rd period leads in Games 6 and 7. Now, that's a tough way to lose a series.

The Nigerian Nightmare
Skipping past articles on the Boston Marathon, Kentucky Derby prep races & a piece about Greg Louganis getting beat a few times at some indoor diving competition, we get a pre-NFL draft scouting report on Christian Okoye. Some highlights...

-Christian's favorite food was a pungent Nigerian stew called fufu.

-The stories of his athleticism and physique are pretty crazy. At the time, he was the African record-holder in the discus and a 17-time All-America in a variety of track & field events. 6'3", 255 lbs with a 34" waist. Ran a 4.45, 40. 35" vertical. Could bench 405 lbs. and could squat 725 lbs.

-Scouting reports were mixed because of his inexperience, as you would expect. Last first-round, early-second round seemed to be the consensus (and that's where he went incidentally...going to the Chiefs early in the 2nd round). Best part of the evaluations is this quote from Reed Johnson (head of player personnel for the Broncos)...

"Think of the acceleration from Asuza Pacific to playing against the Raiders! What a shock."

Ummmm...the Raiders then, or the Raiders now? Because I think Asuza Pacific could've given last year's Raiders all they could handle.

-My other favorite quote comes from Christian himself, after being handed a football for the first time in his life in college. Christian's reaction? "Very interesting....but very impractical."

Dr. Z on the '87 NFL Draft
Dr. Z goes 7 for 28 in predicting the first round of the NFL draft. Nobody ever does much better than that in hindsight. 7 for 28 is actually higher than I would've guessed. His best call, to me, is listing Rich Gannon in his top 5 underrated players section. Says if he went to USC instead of Delaware he'd be a first rounder. Good call on someone that ended up going in the 4th round (to the Pats by the way. We'll see you in at the Snow Bowl game in 15 years, Rich).

Chasing Patron

1) No, that is not that cool

2) My top can hold the f'n tequila inside the bottle so it doesn't spill- because that is the god damn purpose of my top. You know what is more important... that I come off easily.

And honestly, why the hell did they cast Imperioli here - was he really the best option. What the hell does he bring to the brand? Tough Italian Guy that knows his tequila? Not for me - when I see him, I think of a raging heroin addict that cries a lot and can't handle his shit.


...Meanwhile, look at Patron - just absolutely understanding what a guy drinking patron wants:


Great commercial, glides over the empty bottle (WITH NO TOP ON) as it scans a bra and jeans and other clothes... whose clothes you ask? A smoking hot chicks clothes that's who. Then they show the tequila on the rocks in a clear glass with a lime on the rim... bottle half empty and no top.


And we see why one feels the need to attack the other.


Grade:
1800: C-
Patron: A-

Target - Pearl Jam Commercial

Ok, so I love Pearl Jam. Or maybe I loved Pearl Jam... all I know is that at one point in my life - between Ten and Vitalogy and VS. - Pearl Jam was cool as shit. I wore flannel jackets in the midst of Summer because of Eddie Vedder did, I grew out my hair, I cut my jeans into jorts... I literally followed the man blindly. Then something happened... I am not sure if it was them, or if it was me... likely a bit of both, but the relationship hit the proverbial fork in the road. Outside of listening to their old stuff from time to time and my obsession with cut jean shorts - it has all but faded.

The point is - if Eddie Vedder told me to go shop at Target in 1994... I would have not thought twice. I would have jumped on my huffy, silver chromes and all, and b-lined it to nearest Target. But you know what, he never would have... because that Eddie Vedder, THAT Pearl Jam... they found their clothes at Salvation Army or Caldor or some other awesomely shitty store that may or may not sell pretzels that tasted great (Bradlees)

Furthermore, I am not sure how much they paid Cameron Crowe to direct this spot - but I might just call Target's VP Media and let them know that his agency convinced him to overspend for a big name director when my 14 year old cousin could have caught the same footage with better quality on his friggin Flip Video.

And then we have the group of advertising brain child's that must have creamed their pants with the "target logo" stamp idea to kick off the commercial. Not sure why that pissed me off so much, but it did.

So where am I at the end of the commercial? I don't want to go to that lousy themed concert... I don't want to buy their new album... I definitely don't want to go to Target for any reason... The association with Cameron Crowe didn't do shit for me - it just shows a lack of creativity and a fat wallet.

I guess the one thing I might do is go to iTunes. But that is because I always go to iTunes and just quickly hearing iTunes at the end of this stupid commercial reminded me that the new Avett Brothers album came out today. That and I might also throw on my old flannel jacket.

Grade:
Target, Pearl Jam, Cameron Crowe, Hipsters: D
Apple/iTunes: B

Poppin' Ain't So Easy Neither

I'm eating my lunch in the company lounge this afternoon when one of my co-workers walks in to heat up a bag of popcorn. Ought to be simple enough, right? Well, apparently not.

First thing I notice is that the guy is pressing like two dozen buttons. Beep...beep....beep beep beep. Really dude? That many buttons? You can't put a minute up there? Or how about....oh, I don't know....maybe hitting the button that says "Popcorn?" No? Keep pressing buttons? Cool, cool.

Eventually this hooligan gets the microwave on. I go back to eating my lunch. Couple minutes go by. Guy goes to retrieve his Orville Reddenbacher and opens it on the counter...out comes the smoke monster from Lost. The popcorn is somehow both burnt and mostly unpopped. And he's irate.

"Oh my god. This always happens. I can't figure out what the hell you need to do!"

Ummm...you can't figure out how to microwave popcorn? This is a common occurrence? Wow. I am now officially terrified for the future of this company.

It's Showtime

Its official, in my opinion, Showtime is the new HBO. It has superseded the Home Box Office as the place where my favorite, must-see televisions shows reside. The tide started turning last year when in addition to Weeds, I started watching Californication (Duchovny is perfectly casted as Hank Moody, the sly-talking, self-destructive, shoot-from-the-hip, struggling novelist that the show is centered around). Then just recently, after several trusted sources vehemently recommended that I watch the show Dexter, I did. And that was the end of my internal HBO vs. Showtime debate.

While HBO has been hit (Flight) or miss (John from Cincinnati) lately, Showtime has been quietly churning out some of the best shows on TV. I urge everyone out there to watch the three shows listed above and please let me know if I should be watching one of their other shows.

Showtime Site

"I love women. I have all their albums." Hank Moody, Californication

I Was Born To Lick Your Face

While flipping around last night, I noticed TV Land was screening Caddyshack...albeit with one whopper of a description:

Movie, Comedy (1980) Chevy, Rodney. Oddballs and gophers undermine a
country-club caddy out to win a college scholarship.

Is it possible to create a more insane, misleading and boring description of one of the all-time great comedies?! Seriously? Who undermined Danny Noonan? Was the college scholarship even that relevant of a plotline? It's not even close to the most important golf match of the movie. Also, Ted Knight doesn't get top billing with Rodney? Come on...

The Tiger Woods Experience

Soon after we watched Tiger battle through 91 holes of inspiring golf, rolling in back-to-back birdies to raise his 3rd U.S. Open, we found out that he did it all with a stress fracture and that his season has come to an end. This news, undoubtedly, led to an industry wide “What the f**k are we going to do now” moment. TV Executives, Event Title Sponsors, FedEx, the PGA, Nike, Gatorade, etc. are all scrambling and rightfully so… they have all committed a lot of time, energy and money into Tiger’s game (aka the PGA Tour).

And it really is Tiger’s game at this point, isn’t it? His direct sponsors invested over $105 million into him this year alone. When he is in the field everything spikes: TV ratings, attendance, news coverage, it all goes up. I was trying to think of a parallel to the Tiger phenomena and it really doesn’t exist in popular sport. Typically, the sum is greater, and the sport (and even a team) can withstand injury to a great player… but not golf, not this day and age, not this player. I guess it is most similar to music and specifically bands difficulties overcoming the loss of their centerpiece. Sure, they can keep the band name, keep playing the same songs and they will still get the real diehards to come out and watch… but without Freddy, Queen is not Queen… without Slash, GnR concerts just don’t feel right... and there is no escaping it. The real fans may come, but they walk away whispering to each other that something was off. That while it was great to hear the songs, the environment never solicited the excitement and vibe that they have become accustomed too.

In a way, Tiger IS the frontman in the world’s biggest rock band. When he is playing, everyone else's shots seem more important, their game seems to be inspired and while the crowd loves Tiger… they also look as if they love the rest of the band more because he is playing. He has all the characteristics of a band leader too… he is the most confident and explosive of the bunch. It is not just the hip thrusting double fist pumps either… Tiger stands over a putt not wanting to make it, but with the feeling that he HAS to. Sometimes I feel like the rest of the field just doesn’t want to mess up. If Tiger is Jimi, they are the Experience and while individually they are fantastic musicians… it doesn’t seem right without Jimi up front wailing away on his manipulated Fender Strat. The Experience just wants to make sure to hit all the notes, to get to the end of the song. Jimi wants to stick some acid under his bandana and go on a 10 minute psychedelic solo that culminates with him brushing his teeth with his guitar. That’s Tiger. Tiger doesn’t want to just make the putt, he wants to brush his f’n teeth with it and that is why it’s his band.

I will keep watching, diehards always do, but it won’t feel the same… how could it.

Blogging Is Hard

Well, this blog has had quite a nap over the past year. After a strong surge of posts in late 2006, early 2007... we completely flat-lined and after a last ditch attempt to turn this place into something it wasn't, something easier, we died. What we tried to make the blog was not a bad thing, but it drifted away from our core values and what this place initially was meant to be; a stomping ground for our commentary on music, sports, news, movies, and any other form of culture that peaked the interest of 10CFP on a given day.

After recently looking back on it all, it became clear that we sort of missed it. Putting the pen to the pad on a daily basis not only gave us a warped sense of accomplishment, it was actually relaxing to a certain degree. And thankfully, unlike Dan Ackroyd's comedic timing, Freeze Pops are never lost for good. They may melt and turn into that liquid sugar that I was banned from as a kid, but they can always be put back into the freezer and in short order, mold into their proper form.

But the fact remains, blogging is hard. It is hard because everyone does it, because we have other jobs, because we have to consume media, TV, literature, sports, etc. to write about, because for 95% of us there is no tangible payoff. It is hard because we need more sleep now and because Celtics games end at sunrise. It is hard because we have DVR and Netflix to watch and Podcasts and Hypemachine to listen to. It is hard because everyone keeps sending me those damn Facebook applications. It is hard for a hundred reasons, but most of all it is hard because we want it to be good. We don’t want to post mindless, meaningless, trivial, bland, redistributed crap. We want the 4 or 5 people reading this thing to like it and to keep liking it.

But we missed it. So we have been rummaging around our cabinets, picking up all the unfrozen freeze pops, drinking a few grape ones, and getting them back to the way they are supposed to be.

White Collar Boy- Belle and Sebastian

BBC studio shows rule....they emote Austin Powers at his peak. Belle and Sebastian can really bring it....one of the more unique bands, a sound that distinct and a good deal of fun. Plus, they are absolutely enormous in Scotland. In January 2005, B&S was voted Scotland's greatest band in a poll by The List, beating Simple Minds, Idlewild, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, and The Proclaimers, among others (source: Wiki). Go Stuarts!

Tom Waits - Waltzing Matilda

No matter how many times I listen to a Tom Waits song, it amazes me to hear THAT voice come from THAT man. His voice was once described as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over with a car."

This gem is from '77 and the quality is great.

Otis, My Man

Just an incredible performance... builds as it goes, gets better every time a new instrument joins the party. The best part is, with just about a minute left he takes off and leaves the stage and then runs back on and finishes the song, successfully completing the quickest encore of all time. This entire time the crowd is attempting to rush the stage. Good times.

Springsteen - Candy's Room

The description places this show in Passaic circa 1978...right around the time Bruce & E Street released Darkness On The Edge Of Town. I don't think there's ever been a bad time to see Springsteen live but, watching this clip, you can't help but wish there was a way to take a time machine back to Jersey in the late 70's...



I mean, let's say, for the sake of argument, this was the September 19th show from '78. Here's your setlist:

1) Badlands
2) Streets Of Fire
3) Spirit In The Night
4) Darkness On The Edge Of Town
5) Independence Day
6) The Promised Land
7) Prove It All Night
8) Racing In The Street
9) Thunder Road
10) Meeting Across The River
11) Jungleland
12) Kitty's Back
13) Fire
14) Candy's room
15) Because The Night
16) Point Blank
17) Not Fade away
18) She's The One
19) Backstreets
20) Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
21) 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
22) Born To Run
23) 10th avenue Freeze-Out
24) Detroit Medley
25) Raise Your Hand

Not too shabby.

Ain't No Sunshine

Bill Withers performing his signature song on Old Grey Whistle Test back in '72...



Couple things of note here:

1) Bill's sweating up a storm.

2) Bill's wearing a peach colored turtleneck. Are 1 and 2 related? You make the call.

3) Bill's intro is fantastic. You don't hear terms like "the old jive broad" too much anymore.

4) The drummer. Wow. Where to begin on that cat? I want to party with that guy.

Ch-Check It Out

Very cool performance from the Beastie Boys on Letterman a few years ago...

Wilco

Last summer I say Wilco at the Pines Theater in Western MA and it immediately became my favorite show to date. The current make up of the band (especially the additions of Glenn and Nels) are playing extremely tight. And of course, there is always the Tweedy/crowd relationship. IMHO, no one is better at it.

At Least That's What You Said

Lip Gloss by Lil Mama

There's no way to know these things for sure but there's a good chance this is the greatest music video since the turn of the century...

Chillin' With Jim Rice

Half price sale on scanners at Circuit City + a copy of the 1984 Red Sox Yearbook = this...

Still Fighting It

Well, there's no way around it. These have been dark times for the once mighty 10 CFP. New posts are just completely non-existent at the moment. But, contrary to the rumors, we're not quite dead and buried yet.

Hadley and I took in the Boston Pops/Ben Folds show last night. And, while our ridiculously good seats from the 4th row didn't give us the greatest vantage point of the brawl in the 2nd balcony...



...we did have a sick view of Ben rocking the piano. Which was amazing. Although, even when he wasn't working the Steinway, it was still pretty damn impressive...

He Has Me In Stitches

Happy Flooding! How I love the NHL playoffs without the Bruins in it...it allows me to flip between the Sabres-Isles and The Last Waltz with little consequence.

Anyway, here's some Bruins footage for you...or as YouTuber 'xclaimdotcom' calls it:

"Boston Bruins No.30 Gerry Cheevers "Cheesie"...the best NHL goalie of all time"

Well, that's a stretch. Regardless, check out the goalie style from the 70s....renegade is the word that comes to mind.

Classic

Let's all take a moment to stop and appreciate the brilliance of Bobby Brown....



The sneer. Double wristbands. Double thumbs in the pocket. Words can't even begin to describe how much this picture rules.

Mr. Intellivision

Many of you probably remember George Plimpton, to the extent that you remember him at all, for his brilliant work in the role of psychologist Dr. Henry Lipkin in Good Will Hunting. ("No more shenanigans, no more tomfoolery, no more ballyhoo...") Others may know him as an author of many fine books including a handful, such as Paper Lion, recounting his attempts to masquarade as a professional athlete. Me? I remember him for "beating out" an infield hit on a slow roller to me in a Phillips Exeter alumni baseball game back in '94. What can I say? I didn't have the heart to gun down a guy in late 60's.

But one thing you probably don't remember about George is his turn as "Mr. Intellivision" back in the early-80's. Hell, I was an Intellivision junkie back then and even I can't remember him doing ads for it. But he did. Many of them. And, thanks to Youtube, we can watch beauties like this...



Wow. That's all I can say about that. Just a tour de force. A is clearly better than B. Mr. Intellivision is right about that. Neither one of them should be all that proud of themselves though. I mean, what the hell is that sound when the runner gets cut down at home on Intellivision? I think it's the same sound they used in "Frog Bog" when you caught a fly. Good God. Atari baseball? Holy crap. Kids used to play that? 4 bases on a green screen? Three bizarre fielders moving in tandem? What the f***? That is too funny.

On a side note, if you never had the priviledge to play Frog Bog, you have no idea what you're missing...

The Masters

Couple random thoughts on The Masters...

-I've heard multiple people talking about how they were glad Johnson won because "he can use the money more than Tiger." Couple things. First, can't you say that about essentially every athlete on the planet? I mean, who's in better financial shape than Tiger? But, also, can we all gain a little perspective here? Zach Johnson has made almost $9 million on Tour in his career. He's a multi-millionaire whether he won this week or missed the cut.

-Nice f-bomb from Stu Appleby after his tee shot on 8.

-I'll give Faldo about a B for his first year as the lead analyst for Masters coverage. Seemed like he was a little nervous at times but overall I thought he was fine. I think he'll only get better. Definitely gets credit for calling a non-Tiger win from the start, even if he did beat it into the ground.

-Shot of the day? I've got two. Goosen's iron out of the pine straw at 7 was ridiculous. And obviously, Johnson's chip on 18 was probably the most important shot. That took some serious stones after bogeying 17 and fanning his iron into the green. Honorable mention to Tiger for the 5-iron into 13 to set up eagle. Great shot but also very lucky to catch that ridge by less than a foot.

-Worst shot? Vijay rinsing his approach on 15 in the middle of the pond. One thing to hit it in the water there. That one wasn't even close though.

-I knew the "praise Jesus" stuff was coming from Zach Johnson when I saw someone in his gallery wearing a hat with a rhinestone cross. So that didn't surprise me. Nothing we haven't heard before. It would crack me up though (and this has also been discussed a million times so I'm not pretending to pawn this off as an original thought) if someone that lost went the other way and blamed Jesus. I think I'd piss my pants if I ever heard Tiger say, "you know what? There was nothing I could do today. Jesus made me play too much break on 16. Then he underclubbed me on 17 and forced me to hit it in the bunker. Thanks alot Jesus!"

Not Bad, Biff. Not Bad...

In case you were wondering what the guy who played Biff (Tom Walker) in the Back To The Future movies is up to these days, Youtube has the answer...



Gotta give credit where credit is due. That's actually pretty funny.

It's Great To Be A Florida Gator...

In the wake of Florida's sweep of the football and basketball national championships, we offer this stat. In the last 2 years, going back to the start of the 2005 college football season, exactly two teams have beaten the Gators in Gainesville. That's it. Two home losses in the last two years combined. The football team has gone undefeated in The Swamp over that time. Basketball team went undefeated this year. You have to go back to 2/22/06 to find a home loss for them to Tennessee. South Carolina (2/4/06) was the other one.

Last football team to win in Gainesville? LSU on 10/9/04

Last non-SEC team to win in Gainesville? Louisville hoop on 12/11/04

To put it another way, say your a sophomore at UF in the class of '09. In your time on campus you've seen your football and basketball teams combine for a 51-2 home record and 3 national titles. Not too shabby.

Serving You Up

I apologize again for the lack of activity recently here at 10CFP. We do our best to add content but sometimes real life intervenes. In any event, I feel like we need a good dance battle or two to get the juices flowing this afternoon. Let's start with a little You Got Served for the masses...



And now let's take it up a notch...

Vintage Gus

Just finished reading Bill Simmons' latest basketball blog (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons) in which he (rightly) buries CBS for their inexcusable decision to cut Gus Johnson from their March Madness coverage this week. Like everyone else, we're huge Gus fans here at 10CFP. And, since you can never go wrong with clips of him going bananas at the end of a tight game, here's my favorite Gus clip of all-time (which I haven't seen linked as often as some others) from Gonzaga-Florida, 1999....

Hey Now, Jeffs!

We here at 10CFP would like to extend a hearty congratulations to the newly crowned 2006-07 Division III NCAA Men's Basketball Champions...the mighty Lord Jeffs of Amherst College.

The game story is here...

http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens/recaps/d3_0317_04/2007

Please Stop

As I opened the 2007 Red Sox Annual last night, the news started reporting a weather warning. Now, as I sit and read about the future of the Sox farm system... I look out the window and see a sheet of white. I feel like I have been had, with 70 degree weather early this week, baseball was on my mind. With our Ace extending fascinating insight ranging from his contract to his thoughts on CHB to how his change is doing, I am nipping at the bit for opening day. But now this. Mother nature decides to take a crap on my optimistic attitude and now I will have to go home and friggin shovel.


Side Note: I highly urge all Red Sox Fans to purchase the 2007 Red Sox Annual. It is by far the most in depth and thought provoking pre-season literature out there. I would push all Baseball fans in general to visit Schillings website... it is that good.

Lyrics Analysis (Things That Make You Go Hmmm...)

Been a while since we've done a lyrics analysis here at 10CFP. Let's jump back into it with this "classic" from C&C Music Factory. As always, my comments in red...

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...
C&C Music Factory Featuring Freedom Williams

I was at the crib, sittin' by the fireplace
Drinkin' cocoa on the bear skin rug (I'm gonna go ahead and nominate those first two lines for "Best opening lyrics in the history of music." I mean,come on now. How can you top that?)
The door bell rang. Who could it be?
Thought to myself then started to shrug
Got to the door. Ding Dong. Who is it? (You seem genuinely perplexed by this whole thing. Why don't you just go ahead and end the suspense. Open the damn door.)
My girl's best friend had payed me a visit. ("Payed?" Come on, Lyrics World...you're better than that.)
Sly as can be, tight dress and all (I'm not sure "sly" is the right word.Her scheme, which you're about to drop on us, is awfully transparent.)
She knew that I was faithful. I really didn't have the gall. (Great line)
I tried to chilll. She made the move. (Lyrics World put the extra "l" in"chilll" and I'm glad they did. It belongs.)
Now I know my girlfriend wouldn't approve.
I didn't realize my girl was settin' me up
Yo, my girl didn't trust me. No! (Man, you can just feel the pain in his voice. That was cold, girl.)Yeah, but she lost control I wouln't take the bait.
I said chill baby baby chill baby baby wait (First of all, best line in the song. Just...awesome. But, also...did you really say that? Think about it. Think about the scenario. Then think of him dropping that exact line. Makes it even better.)
My girl bust in, Caught us creating a boom ("Creating a boom" is a phraseyou really don't hear enough.)
She said "Girlfriend"?

Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm, hmm, hmm
Things that make you go hmm

Here's how it started
Just an example of how another brother can trample
Ruin your life, sleep with your wife (Dude, maybe your buddy's not the problem. I think it's your wife.)
Watch your behind
There was a friend of mine named Jay
Would come over late at night and say hey (Jay wasn't very articulate.)
I watched the fight. I thought it was alright.
'Cause me and Jay were really really tight (Wow. Those two lines might be the worst lyrics in music history. Horrible. Just horrible.)
So damned close we had the same blood type. (Yeah, you and several million other people. Minimum. If you're O+ or A+ then over 30% ofthe US population alone has the same blood type. Even if you have AB-, the most rare blood type, there are still at least 3 million matches in the US.)
Months went by and my wife got big (Can't say it in a more genteel way than that.)
We were havin' a child and I got another gig
So I let Jay move into the crib and chill (I think the damage is already done at this point anyway.)
He had his own room and helped pay the bills (I would hope he had his own room. Nice of him to help with the bills.)
The time had come (for the baby down to the scene)
It looked like Jay and I couldn't believe (OK, a)are you really going to be able to tell the baby looks like Jay in the delivery room? And b)assuming you could, is it really something that would make you go hmmmm? Seems more like something that would make you go apeshit.)
Before my eyes in the delivery room.

The things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
The things that make you go hmm, hmm, hmm
The things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
The things that make you go hmm.

Robbie Rob - break it down! (Always a good suggestion...)

Give it to me Give it to me Give it to me Give it to me (x7)
Give it to me Give it to me

Seventeen and I was havin' a ball
Eleventh grade and "Joe" I knew it all ("Joe I knew it all?" I'm not sure Lyrics World has that quite right. 17 year olds definitely think they know it all though. I agree with that part.)
I fell in love for the very first time
With this girl she really blew my mind
Inner sense and whole lotta class (Got to mean "innocence" here, no? Inner sense? That's crazy talk.)
Style that could give you whiplash (Oustanding)
We said hello and my heart beat stopped
She was the world and I was on top
Time went by, She filled my universe (Wait, so she's the world and you're the universe? I'm getting confused.)
We made love, She said I was the first
My boy kept tellin' me. Yo, I don't know
I think your girl's been playing tic tac toe (I bet Jay was involved.)
I'll ask my girl I know she only loves me
Wasn't I the one who took your viginity? (I love pop songs that rhyme "me" with "virginity.")The look on her face read sorrow and gloom
She said "Yeah, Why do you guys always ask that?" (That doesn't seem to rhyme but that's OK.)

(Chorus)
Things that make you go hmm
Things that make you go hmm
It's the things that make you go hmm

(Repeat Chorus)

Hey ladies
Have you ever had a man
Go away for business, come back with a tan
Comes home late at night from work
You cooked him dinner now you feel like a jerk
Sayin' he didn't have time to eat
And he's not even hungry, he wants to be treat (What? "Wants to be treat?" Has to be another Lyrics World error.)
To the bedroom he said his head hurts
You're only makin' love in radical spurts (What's wrong with that?)
Mysterious calls and the phone goes click
You say to yourself "I'm gonna hit him with a brick" (In the words of Ron Burgandy, "Boy, that escalated quickly...")
Ain't no way he could be cheatin' on me
I wonder who bought him those BVD's (Really wish I had never read that line.)
Dressed to a T to hang with the fellas
Over the guys and I'm getting jealous
Comin' home late smellin' like perfume (fume)

(Repeat Chorus x7) (In retrospect, was that really necessary? Repeating the chorus 7 times? I say no.)

Things that make you go hmmm...

Shootout Goals

Apropos of nothing, here are eight of my favorite shootout moves from the youtube era in no particular order....

1) Pavel Datsyuk against Nashville. I've seen this one dozens of times and I still can't believe how bad he gets Vokoun to bite...


2) Marek Malik against Washington. This one's a bit over-rated in my book. It looks incredible if you've never played hockey but it's actually not that hard to do. There are plenty of guys who can pull it off. Trust me. But I still give him props for having the nads to pull it in one of the first shootouts in NHL history. Plus I love the reaction...


3) Henrik Zetterberg against Colorado. A lot of guys have scored on variations of this move but I like Zetterberg's best just for how smooth it is and how casual he is on the finish...


4) Ryan Getzlaf against Los Angeles. Harder than it looks in my book. Makes Garon completely buckle. Very nice...


5) Pierre-Marc Bouchard against Chicago. It's one thing to pull off the 360....thing I like about this one is that he's absolutely flying before he puts on the brakes and spins it in...


6) Sidney Crosby against Montreal. Just as cool as you like. The bottle-popper of all bottle-poppers...


7) Rob Shremp mix. Rob's kind of an underground internet legend for a handful of these kinds of goals. This is my favorite video of his...



8) Zach Parise against Toronto. A recent one. Love moves like this where a guy ends up with a wide open net....

Every Breath You Take

What is the all-time worst remake of a song. There is constantly talk about best covers (Toots and the Maytals, Country Road), but I am trying to figure out the worst. This question popped in my head last night as I heard the P-diddy version of Every Breath You Take and that is pretty bad, but there is no way it's the worst.

What is the worst cover of all-time cover?

Old S.I. Review (April 12, 1993)

For this edition of Old S.I. Review we go with an April, 1993 issue celebrating North Carolina's NCAA title over Michigan in the Chris Webber timeout game. As always, let's begin at the beginning...

Sign O' The Times

First indication we're looking at something from the early-90's? Within the first 5 pages we've already had appearances from Chris Sabo (with goggles), Vendela & Kathy Ireland. Strong start.

Letters

The first highlight from the Letters section is so good I'm just going to go ahead and transcribe the whole thing...

Air Ball?

Wait a minute! You finally give the Cleveland Cavaliers some overdue attention (Can The Cavs Finally Jam? March 15) and they come off as hayseeds from the set of Hee Haw. In Cleveland we love the Cavs as players and, more importantly, as upstanding citizens of our community. Lenny Wilkens will soon be the NBA's winningest coach, and Northeast Ohio knows him as the Knights of Columbus choice for Catholic of the Year. We respect Brad Daugherty for extolling the virtues of Cleveland and a college education on The Arsenio Hall Show. We love Mark Price for his all-out hustle, leadership and marksmenship on the court, and for the example he provides our young people at The Chapel in Akron. We relate to the blue-collar work ethic of Craig Ehlo and Hot Rod Williams's total unselfishness as our super sub, plus the toughness of all our role players - even Danny Ferry, with his continuing struggles.

You missed the hoop on this one. Air ball! The real story behind these Cavs is one of unspoiled and unselfish players who seem to like each other as people and as athletes. That cliche about family values really applies to this special team.

Lyle R. Pohly
Mogadore, Ohio

Wow. So many questions after reading that letter. Like, is that Brad Daugherty-Arsenio Hall footage up on youtube yet? What do you get for winning the Northeast Ohio Catholic of the Year award? And, finally, did Lyle really drop an "Air ball!" taunt in a letter to S.I.?

Moving on, two readers wrote in to comment on a recent article about Bulls GM Jerry Krause. One guy said he thanks Krause for every single Bulls victory and claims his accomplishments are underrated. The other guy calls him a mediocre GM and argues that the Bulls wouldn't be a .500 team without Jordan. You can decide which guy was more right in the final analysis.

Finally, Lawrence T. Stoogenke (great name) of Stamford, CT wrote in to question how Phoenix Suns fans could've left Walter Davis off of their 25th anniversary team. The starting 5, as voted by the fans, was Paul Westphal, Jeff Hornacek, Alvan Adams, Charles Barkley and Tom Chambers. I don't feel like doing a ton of research but that seems like a valid point. Davis is still the all-time leading scorer in Suns history I believe. I'd have ranked him and K.J. ahead of Hornacek.

Bring Back The Smythe

In the Scorecard section, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is praised for getting rid of the old division and conference names and replacing them with "more user-friendly" geographic ones. Screw that. I hated it then and I still hate it now. I'd much rather still have the Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe divisions. Not to mention the Wales and Campbell conferences. Who cares if the other way is more "user-friendly?"

Hatin' On Vinny

"Testaverde looks like a quarterback, acts like a quarterback, he even talks like a quarterback. But he's got the heart of a placekicker."
-quote from Tim McDonald in the Florida Times-Union after Vinny left Tampa to sign with Cleveland

Mike Tyson Report

What was Iron Mike up to in the spring of 1993, you ask? Well, he was in prison. And he was reportedly about to convert to Islam and change his name to Malik Abdul Aziz. Which, apparently, he did end up doing according to his Wiki page. Also, according to his Wiki page, Tyson has 7 children: Gena, Mikey, D'Amato, Rayna, Amir, Miguel and Exodus. Awesome.

UNC-Michigan Recap

The cover story by Alexander Wolff, on Carolina's victory over Michigan in the national title game, was focused more on Dean Smith's greatness than Chris Webber's timeout. The headlines and the pictures are on Webber. And there's an insert titled "I Cost Our Team the Game" all about it as well. But the main article was really focused much more on Smith and the Heels.

One thing that was kind of news to me is that Michigan led by 4 with about 4:00 left. I didn't remember that. I thought they were chasing most of the game. But the game was very back-and-forth according to the story. And Michigan actually had a double-digit lead at one point.

Couple good points, which Wolff mentions in the story, on the Webber/timeout stuff.....1)Webber almost definitely traveled before he even took the timeout. 2)UNC had a bunch of fouls to give so, even if he doesn't call that timeout, Michigan's going to have a hard time getting a shot away in the final 10 seconds.

Best part of the story? I nominate these lines...

There also abides in Smith much of the activist spirit that helped integrate lunch counters and campaigned for a nuclear freeze - the man who, like John Stuart Mill, believes that society is perfectible. The coach takes after the public man, and thus his teams are the product of constant refinement.

Gotta respect anyone that can work a John Stuart Mill reference into a game story.

Birth Of The Marlins

Some highlights from Tim Kurkjian's article on the first game in Florida Marlins history, a 6-3 win behind starter Charlie Hough over the Dodgers...

-First AB in Marlins history was Hough against Jose Offerman. Charlie fanned him on 3 pitches.

-From 1982-1989 only Jack Morris won more games in the majors than Hough which, having lived through the 80's, seems semi-impossible to me.

-As of the article, Hough was the only pitcher in major league history to throw at least 375 innings both as a starter and a reliever.

-Chuck Carr, described as "an accomplished breakdancer," claimed he would steal 100 bases and could play CF as well as Andy Van Slyke. So, basically, he was biting Willie Mays Hayes' routine 4 years after Majoe League came out. Didn't do as well as Willie either. Chuck stole 58 bases in '93 which was the only time in his career he cracked 32 steals.

-Pitcher Bob McClure wrote a book called Rotting: The Craze of the 90's. According to Bob the book's about "doing nothing, looking like you're doing nothing, but not feeling guilty about it." It's currently unavailable on Amazon....

http://www.amazon.com/Rotting-Craze-90s-Rott-McClure/dp/0533092094/ref=sr_1_1/103-7848951-2299816?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173150023&sr=8-1

There is one customer review though. From 1998.

-SS Alex Arias used to rub a "red-haired voodoo Trool Doll" for good luck.

More Expansion '93 Tidbits

-Based on the records of previous expansion teams S.I. predicted that neither the Marlins nor the Rockies would have a winning season until at least 2000. Both beat that prediction with ease. The Rockies had 3 winning seasons in a row starting in 1995, including a wild card appearance. And, of course, the Marlins won the World Series in 1997.

-A blurb on Mile High Stadium, the Rockies' home for the 1993 season, speculates on whether the altitude would create a big home-field advantage. No mention of the impact it would have on offensive numbers as a whole though.

Sounded Good At The Time

In an article about the NFL free agency season being marked by numerous big-money deals for O-linemen, comes this this quote from Colts GM Jim Irsay...

"It's been a land rush to get the linemen. But we've got a franchise quarterback in Jeff George, and we're determined to protect our investment."

A year later George was shipped to Atlanta.

Muggsy

Moving on, the next story is a 3-page profile on Muggsy Bogues which, among other things, features a sublime picture of Muggsy trying to set a screen on Bill Laimbeer. I also enjoyed these two quotes from the story...

"People always say we'll probably never see another Larry Bird. But I've always felt we a better chance of seeing another Larry Bird than we do another Muggsy Bogues. Nobody has ever done what Muggsy is doing. And you really don't get the full effect of Muggsy until you go up and stand next to him."
-Hornets coach Allan Bristow

(You can debate the Bird-Bogues stuff all you like. I'm just enjoying the phrase "full effect of Muggsy.")

"Will a midget really bother Patrick Ewing?"
-Former Hornets coach Dick Harter, speaking from his hands and knees, mocking Muggsy and explaining to reporters why he didn't use Muggsy to front Ewing in certain defensive sets.

(Sadly, to this day, I'm not sure we've ever adaquetly answered this question. It's one of life's great mysteries.)

Sounded Good at the Time, Part II

In a story about Rock Newman, manager of then-Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, Rock is quoted as saying...

"We're on a roll. The wind's at our back. Everything we've touched has turned to gold."

While the 3 Evander Holyfield fights would ultimately define his career, Bowe would lose the title to Holyfield in their second fight about 7 months after this quote.

Letdown

Biggest disappointment of the issue is probably the one-page "Sports People" story about Shawn Bradley going on his Mormon mission prior to joining the NBA. Surprisingly bereft of any interesting anecdotes. A close runner-up is a big feature story on the history of ceremonial first pitches in major league baseball. Pretty boring for the most part.

NBA Coach Predictions

Finally, let's wrap things up by seeing how successful S.I. was in predicting which NBA coaches had the best chances of getting fired in April of '93....

Most Likely To Go - Ron Rothstein, Pistons

(Rothstein was fired at the end of the '93 season)

On The Bubble - Rick Adelman, Trail Blazers; Bob Hill, Pacers; Randy Pfund, Lakers; Jerry Sloan, Jazz

(Adelman lasted one more year before he was fired. Bob Hill was fired at the end of the season. Randy Pfund lasted until the end of the next season, when he was replaced by Magic Johnson. Jerry Sloan is still coaching the Jazz and is currently the 4th winningest coach in NBA history.)

Resigned To New Roles - Don Nelson, Warriors; Wes Unseld, Bullets

(Nelson lasted two more years in Golden State before jumping to the Knicks. Wes lasted one more year in Washington before getting the axe.)

Safe (Maybe) - Fred Carter, 76ers; Garry St. Jean, Kings; Bob Weiss, Hawks

(Carter was canned at the end of the '94 season. St. Jean lasted until 1997 with the Kings. Weiss went the way of Rothstein, getting fired at the end of the '93 season.)

So, by and large, the predictions were pretty solid. Only big misfire was Jerry Sloan.

Past S.I. reviews

http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2007/01/old-si-review-february-5-1990.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/11/old-si-review-november-21-1988.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-december-6-1993.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-december-8-1980.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-october-21-1991.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/09/old-si-review-june-26-1989.html

Sega On Your Mobile

See for yourself.


If they unleash 94, I am going to call my insurance company and let them know I will be rear ending five cars, smashing into three trees, and scoring 15 with Mogilny against the Whalers.

He's Drinking a Frappe Down Cellar

I found myself at a sub shop the other day deciding whether I wanted an Italian or a Meatball parm. After weighing the pros and cons of each decision, I decided to go with the Italian. I put in my order and ask them to load it up. I turn around to start the same selection process at the chip rack and realize that the guy behind the counter is not done with me yet. He asks me if I want a roll or a wedge. I reply “a what”, he says “a wedge”… I am pretty puzzled at this point, but in an effort discover what the hell is occurring and end the current stand off I was in, I go with the wedge. Turns out it is just a sub, which I got me thinking about the whole sub category in general. Is there any other food group that has so many aliases? I thought I had heard them all, then “Wedge” gets thrown at me. Are there more variations beyond this that I have yet to come across? Well, hopefully some of you here can help me avoid any future situations where I stand in front of a sub shop employee feeling like Paris Hilton in a monastery.

I have now come across:
-The Submarine (Sub)
-The Hero
-The Grinder
-The Hoagie
-The Po’boy
-The Wedge

Furthermore, what other food/drink names are dependent on their geographic resting point. Well, after doing some google research I found myself at this website that compiles surveys analyzing dialect dispersion around the country. Some other categories I found entertaining are listed below

Thick drink made with Milk and Ice Cream:
-Frappe
-Milkshake
-Cabinet
-Velvet
-Thick Shake

Now, here at 10CFP it is a Frappe and it will always be so, but more than 96% of the people surveyed call it a Milkshake, which is just chocolate syrup and milk in our book. And I have never heard of it being called a Cabinet and Velvet.

Sweetened Carbonated Beverage
-Soda
-Pop
-Coke
-Tonic
-Soft Drink
-Cola
-Fizzy Drink
-Dope
-Other (2.5)

These are all familiar with the exception of Dope and if you are calling it Fizzy Drink and are over the age of 8, then you have some issues to deal with.

I guess the difference in dialect always intrigued me because I did not know I had such a distinct one until I was in college. Instantly after I arrived people began asking me what the hell everything I said meant. Words like cellar, rubbish barrel, elastic, bubbler (the fountain water you hippie), rotary, clicker, packie, jimmies, breakdown lane and hoodsies all rendered looks of confusion. It is a great moment when you first start to realize that you know very little and will be learning so much.

More Globe Archive Stuff (Tom Glavine, Hockey Player, Edition)

Couple more teasers from the Boston Globe archives. These are all from March of 1984 and serve as testimony to Tom Glavine's hockey ability. First teaser is from the recap of Billerica's 10-2 win over Weymouth North in the EMass Quarterfinals...

DIVISION 1 HOCKEY\ BILLERICA WALLOPS WEYMOUTH NORTH\ BYLINEBY JERRY HIGGINSGLOBE CORRESPONDENT
Published on March 10, 1984

It was supposed to be a showcase of two of the better centers around in Weymouth North's Kevin Heffernan and Billerica's Tom Glavine.

What it turned out to be was a good old fashoned whupping as Billerica jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and coasted to a 10-2 romp over Weymouth North in the Eastern Mass. Division 1 quarterfinals last night at BU's Walter Brown Arena.

Three days later the Globe ran this story on Glavine winning the Carlton Award...

GLAVINE WINS CARLTON AWARD\ BILLERICA SENIOR CENTER CITED FOR HOCKEY, ACADEMIC ABILITY
Published on March 13, 1984
Author(s): Larry Ames Globe Staff

Tom Glavine, one of the finest athletes to come out of Billerica High in the past few years, is the winner of the second annual John Carlton Memorial Award.

The award is given by the Boston Bruins to a high school senior who combines exceptional hockey skills with academic excellence. Glavine will receive the award Saturday between periods of the Bruins' game against the New Jersey Devils at the Boston Garden.
Glavine, a center, was the leading scorer in Eastern Mass....

And, finally, here's the teaser from Billerica's loss to my alma mater, St. John's Prep, in the EMass semis....

ST. JOHN'S EARNS FINAL REMATCH
Published on March 14, 1984
Author(s): Jerry Higgins Globe Correspondent

For the fifth time since the Eastern Mass. hockey finals were split into Divisions 1 and 2 in 1972, there will be an all-Catholic Conference final in Division 1 at Boston Garden.

And, for the fourth time, it will mark the third meeting of the year between Matignon and St. John's Prep.

Last night, the Prep got balanced scoring and hot goaltending to ward off Billerica, 5-3, in the semifinals at the Garden.

From the Boston Globe Archives....

I've been amusing myself no end this afternoon by searching the Boston Globe's online archives. So much so that I went ahead and bought a 25-article pass, by all accounts a horrible bargain, for the right to download a few of my choice. I'll definitely keep the citizens of Freeze Pop Land updated if I come across anything noteworthy. For now, enjoy this teaser for a 1982 column from the venerable Mike Barnicle...

MIKE BARNICLE\ I WAS JUST THINKING . . .'
Published on November 26, 1982
Author(s): Mike Barnicle

Not that it really matters, but:

Nancy Reagan had two turkeys in her house yesterday.

Stewardesses aren't as pretty as they used to be.

Diet Coke is a great drink.

Tab tastes like soap.

Pro football is as exciting as unloading a dishwasher.

John Glenn could be my President.

And things are so bad that even Bob Dole is looking good.

But Alan Cranston looks like E.T.

Of Babies & Brady's

In honor of Tom Brady becoming a father I feel like it's only appropriate to post this...



It's hard to pick a most ridiculous part. Is it the kazoo intro? Is it the outfits? Is it the faux Jan? Is it the synchronized swimming? Tough to say.

Young Shaq Throws It Down

All the Oden/Durant talk lately reminds me that I've been meaning to post this video I saw of Shaq blocking a shot and going coast-to-coast in the 1989 McDonald's All-American game...



I think Dickie V. may have literally had an orgasm after the dunk.

Lyrical Foolishness

I always thought Vanilla Ice was the leader in the clubhouse when it came to most ridiculous claims in a single song. (Witness such lines as, "turn off the lights, and I'll glow" and "if my rhyme was a drug I'd sell it by the gram.") But my sister Amy and I were discussing Air Supply the other night (within the context of someone singing one of their songs on American Idol) and the thought occurred that, with the song Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, they might just have Vanilla licked. I mean, take a gander at these beauties....

MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL (Air Supply)

I know just how to whisper
And I know just how to cry
I know just where I find the answers
And I know just how to lie
I know just how to fake it
And I know just how to scheme
I know just when to face the truth
And then I know just when to dream
And I know just where I touch you
And I know just what to prove
I know when to pull you closer
And I know when to let you loose

And I know the night is fading
And I know the time’s gonna fly
And I’m never gonna tell you everything I gotta tell you
But I know I’ve got to give it a try

And I know the roads to riches
And I know the ways to pain
I know all the rules and then I know how to break’em
And then I always know the name of the game

But I don’t know how to leave you
And I’ll never let you fall
And I don’t know how you do it
Making love out of nothing at all

Making love
Out of nothing at all
Making love
Out of nothing at all
Making love
Out of nothing at all
Making love
Out of nothing at all
Making love
Out of nothing at all
Making love
Out of nothing at all

Everytime I see you, well the rays of the sun are all
Streaming through the waves in your hair
And every star in the sky is taking aim at your eyes
Like a spotlight
The beating of my heart is a drum and it’s lost
And it’s looking for a rhythm like you
You can take the darkness from the deep of the night
And turn it to a beacon burning endlessly bright
I gotta follow it ‘cause everything I know
Well, it’s nothing ‘till I give it to you

I can make the runner stumble
I can make the final block
And I can make every tackle at the sound of the whistle
And I can make all the stadiums rock

I can make tonight forever
Or I can make it disappear by the dawn
And I can make you every promise that’s ever been made
And I can make all your demons be gone

But I’m never gonna make it without you
Do you really wanna see me crawl ?
And I’m never gonna make it like you do
Making love out of nothing at all

Making love
Out of nothing at all...

Will the streak continue

The Celtics are going to hit the hardwood tonight in pursuit for their 14th straight loss. I am not sure which is a more impressive feat, the Suns' winning streak or the Celtics losing one. History tells us it is harder to lose a lot of games in a row. The longest losing streak is 23 games, while the Lakers won 33 straight in the 71-72 season. The best part for us Celtics fans is we actually get to cheer on this puppy. With Oden and Durant in mix this year, I hope they lose 30 straight.

Side note: That Duke/Virgina game was great entertainment last night. Sean Singletary is really exciting to watch and the Cavaliers, in my opinion, have the best backcourt in the nation. Singletary's one-handed fade away over McRoberts for the game winner was great, but the entire game he showed why he has the best handle on the ball in the country.

They Say I Look Like Hasselhoff

This site is pretty cool. You throw a picture of yourself or anybody for that matter and it gives you a bunch of celebrities that have similar facial features. There is a boat load of other things you can do on the site as well.

Who Am I

Rollin' With Kid 'N Play

I don't have many regrets in life but one regret I do have is that I absolutely used to pull out the move displayed at the :49 seconds-remaining mark of this video at high school dances....



I'm not proud of it. But it happened.

At least I didn't go for the flat-top...

Mid-Semester Review

I decided to revisit the “what am I watching” post from earlier this fall. I gave a fairly long list of shows that I would try give a shot and now I want to see how the delivered:

Original Post:

Heroes: It seems to be well written. I really liked the opener and will watch it until it loses me. This is what happens every year and by October this list is cut in half.
Lost: No need to explain. Either you watch it or you don't
Studio 60: I loved the opener. I really did. I thought Pete was overacting a little, but lets be honest here... it's Amanda "Can I take my shirt of now?" Pete. Second show was not as good, but we love Sorkin and think this will work.
The Office: If you don't watch it, leave. Ahh, don't speak.. just walk away and never return.
Kidnapping: Not sure why I am watching this one, but I am.
The Amazing Race: The Family Edition almost killed the show. It was awful, but they come back this year with some killer teams (2 already eliminated). They have the couple, 2 years into it and deciding if they should make the next step, that absolutely hates each other. They have (had) 2 groups of very attractive women. Miss New York and Miss Cali are still in it, the spunky cheerleaders are gone. They have a lady with one leg. They have a middle aged giddy gay couple, that provide serious comedic entertainment. They have a father and daughter duo, where the father cries in disappointment about his daughter being gay. Two Country Bumpkins from Kentucky who have no idea where they are. They may win; they think they are still in Kentucky. It is amazing. Good cast, I am in.
Friday Night Lights: Machon liked High School.
30 Rock: Alec Baldwin, enough said.


Watching because of Machonette:
Greys Anatomy
Dancing with the Stars
Gilmour Girls
Desperate Housewives

Well to start off, I picked a fairly good lineup considering how many shows have been axed at this point. Everything is still on or finished the season except Kidnapping, which as you can see, I was barely with it anyway. Now for the mid semester review:

Heroes: It is well written and each show has been had numerous “get the F**k out of here” moments. They found a way to take the comic book concept and make it appealing on a mass level. They came out firing the first half of the season with “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World”, then did something most shows today don’t and answered that question. Now the question is “Are You on the List?”

Lost: It’s tough to say because we only saw the first 6 episodes, but as I have posted before… I thought they were great. That being said, they real party begins next Wednesday.

Studio 60: It has been very blah, but I still watch it. It is becoming increasingly clearer that Amanda Peet can’t act and her value rises drastically when she is taking her shirt off.

The Office: Anyone who reads visits 10CFP on a semi-consistent basis knows how we feel about this show.

Kidnapping: Axed and it wasn’t even that bad. It just wasn’t that good either and without the start power of a Studio 60, it was only a matter of time.

The Amazing Race: Well, it was what you would think. It was a race around the world with some good teams, some annoying ones, but carried your attention for an hour. The gay couple should have stuck around longer though; their final episode may go down as one of the best AR moments ever.

Friday Night Lights: This show is actually very good. The football scenes are poorly done, but the casting, writing and acting have been extremely solid. The thing is, and Hadley and I talked about it the other day, this show and every other show about sports could be significantly improved if they hired a sport analyst to help them out. A couple episodes ago they have the Panthers go for it on 4th and 8 from their own 40. The point of the play and the episode for that matter, is for it to be the QB’s turning point. All they had to do was have someone with a little bit of football knowledge on the staff and have the line of scrimmage be the other teams 40 and it makes sense. 4th and 8 from the opponents 40, that’s a play every team would at least consider going for it. This would avoid pissing off every football fan who watches the show. I mean crap like this happens all the time and drives viewers away and the actual games are not even a major plot mover.

30 Rock: As stated before, Baldwin is in it. Also, one of our pal’s sister will be on the show next week, be sure to tune in. She actually has a speaking scene with Baldwin and as I told him, if she amounts to nothing else after this… she will always be able to say she traded lines with Alec Baldwin.

And of course I watch 24, mostly because I am scared Jack Bauer would shoot my knee caps off if I didn’t.

It’s been a good year on the tube thus far, and I have no longer any obligation to watch the shows Machonette was pushing. This is a huge added bonus.

Keys to a Long Commute

I have recently been thrown into a long commute and to begin with, it certainly is not any fun. That being said, there are some things that help and I have decided to outline these in our little space on the interweb



-Ipod. Of course you say. Well it’s not just the music that gets you thru these long hauls. If you have the Ipod video, you can listen/watch the office on the way in, which kills about 22 minutes very quickly. If you don’t have the video, I strongly urge you to utilize some Pod Casts… keeping in theme with the Office, the Ricky Gervais Pod Cast kills time quickly

-Pretending you are 300 laps into the Indy 500. I mean really putting yourself into that mind set. I am talking about two hands on the wheel, body leaning into the turns, getting behind other cars and then using them to speed ahead at the opportune moment. I am actually thinking of installing those NASCAR seat belts into my car. You know the ones that hold you into your seat like a Baby Bjorn.

-Befriending other drivers. I like to find a buddy on the road early on. Then you have a running little competition for the remainder of the drive. The tough part is getting other people to buy into your game… I find the DeNiro “I’m watching you” finger point works the best.

-Traffic Reports. For me, 1010 is on the 2’s and 880 is every tenth (is that how you say that?). They work well enough and are a must listen for anyone who drives to work in a city. However, if they don’t already offer a system that not only tells you where the traffic is, but other routes to take, they should make it. It could be a cell phone service or an in-car device. Once you realize there is traffic it loads up three alternate routes with all important info on those. Do they have these?

-Timing. If you really want to avoid traffic, leaving before 7 is a must. I take off at 6:45 and have about a quart of coffee by 6:50. If this doesn’t keep me awake, I go with the Ace Ventura head out the window routine. Nothing wakes you up faster than shoving your melon outside of a moving vehicle in 18 degree weather.

-Radio. I always like to listen to once news segment (usually take 20 minutes) and a little sports radio. Everyone has their opinion on Mike & Mike, but either way… it passes time.

-Knowing how to drive quickly. There are two types of people; those who drive fast and get tickets and the rest of us. The key here is to drive fast with other cars that are driving fast. If you look are cruising past cars for 15 minutes and not part of a heard, chances are you are sticking out and nothing throws a wrench into a morning commute like getting pulled over and handed a piece of paper that let’s you know you can donate two hundred bucks to the state.

-EZPASS/FASTLANE. This one is pretty self explanatory.

-And most importantly, settling for the fact you are going to be in the car for a while. This is crucial, if you are constantly stressing out about the traffic or time on the road… you have no chance. I always thought that the worst drive was the hour and a half to two hour drive. I’d rather drive for 5 hours, because you get yourself into that “Ok, lets pack the car with food and start planning out the musical journey” mind frame when you know you will be in the car for a lengthy period of time. However, after a while you can get the same mindset with the hour and a half drive and it makes all the difference.

Follow The Bouncing Puck

Great thing about the internet is that I saw this goal on live TV Saturday night and knew it would be posted somewhere within a day or two. This is from the 2nd game of a weekend series between North Dakota and Minnesota....

Old S.I. Review (February 5, 1990)

For this review I decided to grab the first late-January, early-February issue out of a pile to see what was going on this time of year in the past. The issue that came up was this one from 1990 celebrating the 49ers' 4th Super Bowl title. Let's open it up and start plowing through...

Letters
Most of the Letters section is devoted to reader feedback and opinion at the conclusion of the 1989-90 college football season. And, as usual, most people were pissed off. But not everyone. Reader Stuart Wood, from California (naturally), was ready to drop the rankings, have everyone join hands, and sing Kumbaya. To wit...

"This season fans nationwide had reason to celebrate good football. No team is clearly No. 1, so let's call it a winning season for college football and leave it at that."

Sadly for Stuart, they did award a national championship in 1990. And it went, somewhat controversially (there were 4 one-loss teams that year), to the U. A couple readers wrote in to dispute the #1 ranking but the bigger outcry was over Miami's attitude and swagger...

"After watching hours of bowl games and hearing hundreds of statistics on almost every conceivable subject over the recent bowl season, the only question I still have is this: How does the University of Miami afford all the mustard for so many hot dogs?"
-Don Dunn (Booneville, Ark.)

"As a young football coach, recently removed from my college playing days, I find your approval of Miami's antics disturbing. The finger-waggling, talking trash and "silly little dances" have no place on the playing field. That's what cheerleaders are for."
-Mike Godfrey (Seneca, Mo.)

I'm not sure that's what cheerleaders are really for either but point taken, Mike. My favorite letter, however, has nothing to do with Miami. It's from a Tennessee fan...

"The inclusion of Southern Cal in your final Top Five ranking of college football is a joke. Tennessee would beat USC like a drum. Ask UCLA which team it would rather play."
-H. Bruce Guyton (Knoxville, Tenn.)

First of all, love the name H. Bruce Guyton. But what I really love is that H. Bruce took the time to rattle off a letter about who finished #5 in the final SI poll. That's great. Suffice it say that H. Bruce from Knoxville and Stu Wood from California have a slightly different take on the importance of college football. (For the record...Tennessee beat UCLA 24-6 in the opening game of the '89 season, while USC could only manage a 10-10 tie against the Bruins in the finale. Hence, the UCLA line.)

Super Bowl Leftovers
Couple tidbits from the Super Bowl Scorecard section...

-S.I. pretty much nailed it's Hall of Fame predictions for the, at the time, current 49ers dynasty. Said they wouldn't get many. Montana, Lott and Rice were locks. Bill Walsh was probable. Roger Craig was a maybe. That's basically right. Usually when they predict stuff like that there's always a glaring mistake or two.

-Eddie DeBartolo gets a mention for noting that the 49ers "lost a little bit" of money in 1988 and would be lucky to turn a small profit in 1989. Kind of interesting knowing what we know about Eddie now.

-Not losing money were the hotels in New Orleans during Super Bowl week in '90. Le Pavilon, where the Broncos stayed, jacked the price from $69/night to $240/night with a 4-night minimum for Super Bowl week.

-Not sure why it was in this section but there's also a brief blurb about Karl Malone. Seems The Mailman was upset about getting snubbed for the All-Star Game (the fans voted A.C. Green ahead of him) so he decided to take it out on his next opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, to the tune of 61 points and 18 rebounds in 33 minutes. After the game, which the Jazz won 144-96, Bucks coach Del Harris remarked, "I knew Karl wanted to make a statement. I just didn't know he was going to write a whole book."

Joe Montana Is The Balls

That's basically the main point of the feature article. Nothing too exciting to be honest. Just a lot of (admittedly deserved) talk about how great the offense was against Denver. How they all felt ridiculously confident going into the game after watching the Broncos on film. A dejected John Elway saying, "can't you let a guy sulk in peace," to the paparazzi after the game. A smattering of Matt Millen quotes. Picture of Joe Montana holding up a picture of his daughters in the locker room. Picture of Joe Montana walking onto the field. Picture of Joe Montana scrambling. Picture of Joe Montana talking to Steve Young and Steve Bono at halftime. Picture of Joe Montana eating a hamburger with his dad in the trainer's room after the game. That's about all.

Nine & Nine

From the story on Media Day comes this factoid...As of 1990 Joe Montana, Kenny Stabler and Terry Bradshaw had combined for 9 Super Bowl rings and 9 wives.

The Rise of UConn

Outside a largely unnecessary 3-page story on Jack Nicklaus joining the Senior Tour, the first story after the Super Bowl stuff focuses on a tight Big East race and the emergence of the UConn Huskies. Some highlights from that piece...

-Several mentions of the immortal Nadav Henefeld, described as "a deft outside shooter with the passing and pilfering skills of a much smaller man." The story also describes how "the man they call The Dove" was not rattled by the "lewd woofing" of Alonzo Mourning in a win over Georgetown.

-Another immortal, St. John's Malik Sealy, is summarized in two words..."willowy finesse." Which, if you saw him play in college, kind of makes sense.

-Jayson Williams (the same Jayson Williams who was involved in that incident with the limo driver that was killed with a shotgun on his property) is mentioned in a blurb about St. John's winning at Providence, a place that hadn't be kind to the Redmen in recent years. Oddly enough, this is how he's mentioned...

"Two years ago we lost and I ended up in jail," said Williams, who had been charged with assault - the charge was later dropped - for chucking a chair at a spectator that evening. "Tonight we won, and I'm free."

More College Hoop

Skipping relatively boring articles on the retirement of legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker and the Australian Open (won by Ivan Lendl and Steffi Graf) we come to the College Basketball Report, which includes the following...

-Clarence "Big House" Gaines is profiled after joining Adolph Rupp in the 800-win club. Got to respect a man with the nickname "Big House." 800 wins is a hell of a lot of wins too.

-In the SEC write-up is a note about LSU blowing an 11-point lead to Georgia in the final 5 minutes of a game thanks to missing the front-end of 10 straight one-and-ones.

-Also in the SEC write-up is this bit on the state of the Florida Gators...

Florida, a preseason pick to contend with LSU for the SEC title, thanks largely to 7'2" center Dwayne Schintzius and 6'7" forward Livingston Chatman, staggered into Baton Rouge for last Saturday's game without those frontliners. Chatman had quit the team on Jan. 14, claiming he was "burned out." Last week Schintzius joined him, even though a student review board had forgiven him for his role in a fraternity-house fracas on Jan. 13. DeVoe, however, said he wouldn't take Schintzius back from a suspension that began on Jan. 15 unless he lost weight and got a haircut. Schintzius got a trim, then quit anyway."

-And, finally, The Small College Player of the Week was Shawnee State's Joe Smith. Among his accomplishments for the week were 19 points in an 88-87 defeat of Dyke College. Insert your own joke here.

Past S.I. reviews
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/11/old-si-review-november-21-1988.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-december-6-1993.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-december-8-1980.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/10/old-si-review-october-21-1991.html
http://homeofthedory.blogspot.com/2006/09/old-si-review-june-26-1989.html

Baseball is Better Now

Dan Fox over at Baseball Prospectus wrote a great article looking at, among other things, why the game of baseball has improved over the past century. Most of it is fairly obvious, but he goes in some depth about it and presents an interesting read. The evidence he came up with was:

-The increasing size and changing demographics of the talent pool
-The evidence of increased athletic prowess in sports with absolute rather than relative accomplishments
-The standardization and increased efficiencies in strategies and styles of play
-Better technology and medical care
-Decreasing variation in measures such as batting average as a sign that player skills are moving toward the "right wall" of human ability
-Direct (albeit) relative measurement along multiple metrics including relative EqA, fielding statistics, and pitcher hitting

Seems about right, but the reason I am wanted to share the article was one chart in particular. He looked at the average age and weight of players at their debut, in each decade:

Average Height and Weight By Decade of Debut
Decade Height (in) Weight (lb)
1870s ----68.9------162.9
1880s-----69.8 ------170.0
1890s-----70.2------171.7
1900s-----70.7------174.4
1910s-----71.0------172.5
1920s-----71.1------173.6
1930s-----71.8------179.6
1940s ----72.2------183.0
1950s ----72.6------186.1
1960s----72.9------188.3
1970s----73.1------188.5
1980s----73.3------191.2
1990s----73.5------193.7
2000s----73.7 -----196.8

So nearly 30 pounds heavier and 4 inches taller...

Read the article, he looks at whether or not the increase in bulk of players is directly correlated with the decrease in triples. I thought it was a pretty interesting read

About Time

Red Sox and J.D Drew finally reach a deal after 7 weeks. Man, that took a long time.

The language is similar to that in Magglio Ordonez's deal with the Detroit Tigers. Boras and the players' association agreed that if the Red Sox exercise their rights under that language, neither Drew nor the union would contend that the language is unenforceable.

So the Sox took their time and now have a deal in place with a saftey net. Rotoworld explains what came out of the 2 month negotiation nicely:

If Drew goes on the disabled list with a right shoulder problem in the third year of the deal, the Sox can void the final two years of the contract. If he is disabled in the fourth year, the Sox can void the final year of the deal.

I am very happy with this signing overall. They have a guy who will be more productive than Nixon and tagged some insurance onto the deal in the end. Well played IMO. That really sets up our front of the lineup, now to get a closer.