Starting Five

1. Plane Ridiculous

At least 23 people die when a TransAsia flight carrying 58 passengers and crew clips a viaduct, and a taxi (the driver survived), shortly after takeoff in Taipei and plunges into the Keelung River. In a sign of how far our planet has evolved in the past 30 years, Howard Stern did not phone TransAsia to inquire about flights from Taipei to the Keelung River.

2. To Kill a Mock (Yeah!) ing (Yeah!) bird (Yeah!)

Guns ‘n Roses had “Chinese Democracy.” Brian Wilson had “Smile.” And now Harper Lee, the author of one of the great works in American fiction, To Kill a Mockingbird, has announced that 55 years after that novel’s publication, she is releasing a sequel.  This news came one day after Rob Gronkowski announced that the last book he read, in 9th grade, was A Mockingbird to Remember. Coincidence? Hell, no.

Like you, I was surprised (“Harper Lee is still alive!?!?“). Lee, 88, actually wrote the sequel, Go Set a Watchman, five or so years before her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel, which has sold 40 million copies, or like, as many copies as Taylor Swift’s last 2 albums (I’m totally winging that statistical comparison, by the way). The sequel is set 20 years later with the same main character. Seriously. Scout is all groweds up and Boo Radley keeps popping up and saying, “I’m not a smart man, Jean Louise.”

Meanwhile, James Taylor and Carly Simon have not announced a sequel to this.…

The Newsweek had a few things to say about Ms. Lee shortly after her masterpiece made its 1961 debut.

3. Groundhog Dazed

Jimmy the Groundhog bites the mayor of Sun Prairie, Wis., mayor a couple of days ago. I hate to go off on another animal rights jag here, but imagine being a rodent and looking out a crowd of inane humans cheering you on. You have no idea if they’re about to ISIS your ass publicly or if you’re just part of some silly ritual (or both). Animals are extremely intuitive. Some day people, hopefully, will respect how cool it is to simply leave them alone. But I doubt it.

Speaking of getting it right, I’ve always said that Groundhog Day is a film whose theme you could build entire semester-long classes around. It’s fervently profound (this essay says it better than I able to) without actually being linked to a particular religion. A wonderfully funny movie whose “message” hits you before you realize you’re receiving an important life lesson.

4. Mountain Time

Maybe Prince Oberyn really never did stand a chance.

Hafthor Bjornsson, who plays Gregor Clegane, alias “The Mountain,” in Game of Thrones, won the World’s Strongest Viking competition over the weekend (Fran Tarkenton came in 4th) by carrying a 30-foot long, 1,433-foot pole for five steps. That breaks a 1,000 year-0ld record, we hear, although I’d have been even more flabbergasted had Bjornsson carried a 30-foot long, 1,433-pound Pole. That would be two records.

5. Geno’s 900

Thirty seasons and Geno Auriemma becomes the fastest coach, men’s or women’s Division I hoops, to 900 victories with last night’s yawner (96-36) versus Cincinnati. Yes, that’s an average of 30-plus wins per season. He only has 134 losses.

What I love about Geno, having been privileged to spend a season around him, is what a remarkably normal life he leads. He commutes from a nice home in an unremarkable town in Connecticut, through mostly rural two-lane roads, to campus. During the season he is living in a frigid part of the country, with a very cool wife and three terrific children (now grown).

In most of that, he’s a lot like Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, a good friend who, like Geno, may wind up No. 2 in D-I wins.  Geno lives well, don’t mistake that: he loves fine wine and every restaurateur in central Connecticut knows him well (as does the manager at the steakateria in NYC). But few see the days when he drives in 10-degree weather to Storrs and leads a practice in an anomalously unpopulated northeast area.

The other thing I love about Geno: no one is better at weeding out the b.s. I loved that after the game he told a reporter, “I’ve got a lot of players saying, ‘You’re welcome.'” He’s right. You don’t do that without outstanding talent. But Geno knows how to draw the talent. And better than that, he knows what to do with them once they show up.

Remote Patrol

Bulls at Rockets

ESPN 8 p.m.

Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard can discuss how much they (don’t) miss playing with Kobe between baskets. James Harden can advise Jimmy Butler what it’s like when you’re supposed to be a second (or third) banana and suddenly there are times when you are your team’s best player.