STARTING FIVE
Flight 370 carried 239 passengers and crew.
1. Lost
How does this happen? A Boeing 777-200 that is two hours into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in good weather simply vanishes. To this point, nobody knows what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Two of the passengers were flying with stolen passports, one of them a 19 year-old Iranian male. The most plausible explanation, since no debris has been found and J.J. Abrams only has control over fictitious events, is that it ditched into the South China Sea.
2. SXSW
Diarrhea Planet: Giving new meaning to the term “the single will drop soon.”
Everyone from Bill Simmons to Lena Dunham to Edward Snowden (remotely) is speaking at this year’s South By Southwest Music & Arts Festival, which annually tops our list of “I’ve really got to go to that some day events that I will forget about one week from now.” The SXSW has gotten so expansive –music, film, forums on digital media, etc. –that it can feel overwhelming, but if you remember nothing else, please know that a band named Diarrhea Planet is on this year’s list of live acts, and they’ve made a video for their song “Ghost With a Boner.”
3. “They’re No Diarrhea Planet”
Price, of fame.
Speaking of bands worth remembering, you should really listen to and watch this video by Lake Street Dive (Minneapolis streets, representin’!). More than 1.6 million people already have seen it, so maybe you are one of them. They’re actually a Boston-based band (as opposed to a Bouillia-based band) and when half of your quartet is a trumpet and a stand-up bass, then you can count on music critics referring to your sound as “eclectic.”
Best thing about them? Lead singer Rachael Price’s smoky, ethereal Dusty Springfield-esque vocal chords. Here they are performing “Stop Your Crying” off their new album, “Bad Self Portraits.” Me like.
Oh, and this one’s for Jeff Pearlman.
“But, JW,” you ask, “where might I see Lake Street Dive live?” Glad you asked. I’m here for you.
4. Diarrhea Planet: Not To Be Confused With Oscar Vomit
A wretch
Oh, he’s good. Oscar Pistorius threw up yesterday as a coroner regurgitated facts about what the four shots that he fired through a locked bathroom door did to his girlfriend’s body. Honestly, throwing up in court? That’s a new one. Remember, though, it’s not a jury Oscar is hoping to persuade. It’s one black female 66 year-old judge.
5. Who’s This Spring’s Yasiel Puig?
Solarte, oh-oh.
I’ll never forget it. Last March, one of my very, very favorite co-workers at The Steakateria, Dan Leonard (if you ever see the steakaria ad in the back of a NYC taxi, he’s the good-looking blond dude with the spiked hair), would greet me every day at work with, “YASIEL PUIG!” Dan, a baseball fanatic, could not wait to select the then-unknown Cuban for his fantasy team based on the fact that Puig was batting over .400 in the Cactus League.
Puig spent the first two months of the season playing Triple A ball, but you know what happened from there. Dan, good for him, moved out to LA –presumably for his film career, but I’ve always thought it was to be closer to his protege of sorts.
Anyway, which rookie is generating the most buzz this winter (it is still winter, after all)?
Well, among rookie with 12 or more at-bats, would you believe that no one has a higher batting average than a guy playing second base for the New York Yankees –who did he replace again? It’s early, but Yangervis Solarte is batting .588 in 17 at-bats. He also has two home runs.
Reserves
Shrubbery
Barack Obama: “Between Two Ferns.” Bill Clinton: “Between Two Bushes.”
POTUS, who has previously slow-jammed with Jimmy Fallon, appeared on an episode of “Between Two Ferns” that will air this week. Host Zack Galifianakis asks, “What’s it like to be the last black president?”
******
Over at Grantland, Andy Greenwald liked the “True Detective” finale, but you know, he’s got some problems with the series. And, as for the sun, sure, it’s life-sustaining and all, but why must it be so bright?
****
Blake Griffin: 22 first-quarter points, and a familiar tussle in the fourth quarter that leads to an ejection of Phoenix Sun P.J. Tucker as well as to a near-total Clipper meltdown. The Clips: Perhaps as much talent as any team in the West, and Griffin’s jumper now answers all those questions Charles Barkley once posed about it, but do they have the maturity to win in May?
******
“Roam, if you want to/Roam around the world….” My piece on Ryan Newburn.
*****
Jim Caple, ESPN: “Barry Bonds is back, and that’s good for baseball.” It is? Baseball needs a surly, selfish ex-player who littered his legacy with blatant steroid use?
*****
Mars Attacks!
Life on Mars
The Veronica Mars movie, starring Sarah Marshall Kristen Bell, opens on Friday. The film was entirely funded by Kickstarter.
The Hall
Charter Inductees: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner
1937: Tris Speaker, CF; Cy Young, P ; 1938: Grover Cleveland Alexander, P; Eddie Collins, 2B 1939:Nap Lajoie, 2B; Joe Jackson, LF; 1940: Billy Hamilton, OF; Cap Anson, 1B; 1941: Wee Wlie Keeler, RF; George Sisler, 1B; 1942: Rogers Hornsby, 2B; Pie Traynor, 3B; 1943: Mickey Cochrane, C; Frankie Frisch, 2B 1944: Ed Walsh, P; Old Hoss Radbourn, P 1945: Lou Gehrig, 1B; Kid Nichols, P 1946: Ed Delahanty, LF; Lefty O’Doul 1947: Pud Galvin, P; John McGraw, INF 1948: Carl Hubbell, P; Addie Joss, P 1949: Harry Heilman, OF/1B; Monte Ward, P/SS
Zack Wheat
1950: Cool Papa Bell, CF; Jimmie Foxx, 1B 1951: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, P; Josh Gibson, C 1952: Paul Waner, RF; Charlie Gehringer, 2B 1953: Mel Ott, RF; Hank Greenberg, 1B 1954: Eddie Plank, P; Dan Brouthers, 1B 1955: “Wahoo” Sam Crawford, OF; John Clarkson, P 1956: Chief Bender, P; Bill Dickey, C 1957: Sam Rice, RF; Joe DiMaggio, CF 1958: Bill Terry, 1B; Heinie Manush, LF 1959: Dizzy Dean, P; Tim Keefe, P 1960: Gabby Hartnett, C; Mickey Welch, P1961: Bob Feller, P; Ducky Medwick, LF 1962: Luke Appling, SS; Jesse Burkett, LF 1963 Jackie Robinson, 2B; Zack Wheat, LF 1964: Jake Beckley, 1B; Rube Waddell, P 1965: Ralph Kiner, 1B; Lefty Grove, P 1966: Ted Williams, LF; Smoky Joe Wood, P/OF 1967: Roy Campanella, C; Max Carey, OF 1968: Goose Goslin, LF; Rabbit Maranville, SS 1969: Stan Musial, 1B/OF 1970: Ferris Fain, 1B; Earle Combs, CF 1971: Warren Spahn, P; Yogi Berra, C 1972 Satchel Paige, P; Sandy Koufax, P 1973: Robin Roberts, P; Whitey Ford, P 1974: Mickey Mantle, CF; Eddie Mathews, 3B
1975
Vernon “Lefty” Gomez, P; 1930-1943, NY Yankees
A seven-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Gomez led the American League in wins and ERA twice and in strikeouts three times. His best season was in 1934, when he posted a 26-5 record and led the American League in strikeouts, ERA, complete games and innings pitched. As for October, his lifetime World Series record was 6-0.
Lewis “Hack” Wilson, CF; 1923-1934, Cubs, 3 others
Though he stood just five-foot-six, Wilson led the National League in home runs four times, including in 1930, when he hit 56 (which is probably still the NL record, if you exclude steroid users). He also led the league in strikeouts five times, hence “Hack.” However, Wilson did finish with a lifetime average of .307. He was quite the brawler and boozer, cutting a colorful figure in Prohibition-era Chicago.