Starting Five
‘s all good, man.
See what I did there? No, there. Up above. And now, to our regularly scheduled programming.
1. Chelsea Mourning
Raise your right hand if you’d like to go home early
In the second leg of its home-and-home Round of 16 UEFA Champions League tie versus Chelsea, here is what French side Paris Saint-Germain faced:
–the game was at Stamford Bridge, i.e., Chelsea, who are in first place in the Barclays Premier League, which means they’re prit-tee, print-tee good.
–PSG was without its top player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for the 59 minutes of regulation, as he was sent off with a red card (Rule 8,337: You don’t mess with the Zohan, you DO mess with the Zlatan). This meant that PSG played 10 men versus 11 for the final 2/3 of the match (plus the 30 minutes of extra time)
–PSG fell behind not once but twice.
So, what happened? PSG pulled off a stunning upset, rallying each time on headers by defensemen David Luiz (a former Chelsea player) and Thiago Silva to forge a 2-2 draw. The second one came with just six minutes left in stoppage time.
Because the number of overall goals in both matches were even (3 to 3), the tiebreaker went down to who scored more Away goals, and that was PSG. Chelsea, the UEFA Champions League champions just three years ago, are out.
2. I Hate People Who Hate Christian Laettner
Lateness totally resembles a tennis dad these days….
When I heard the title of the ESPN 30-For-30 doc was “I Hate Christian Laettner,” my first thought was, So Bobby Hurley is making movies now? Anyway, bully for Laettner for turning the spotlight back on the people who thought they were going to put him in the glare as well as their sacrosanct colleague, Jalen Rose. I love what he said here.
3. Hazard
Medium Happy caught up with Roscoe, the alligator in residence at Myakka Golf Glub in Englewood, Fla., to talk about his brush with fame yesterday:
I’m trying to find some dinner here and you’re whacking a white sphere and you think you’re the one who’s more evolved? My kind, we’ve been around since the Late Cretaceous period, like 300 million years ago. You guys are like, literally, in the past 200,000 years ago. That’s right: Abe Vigoda is half the age of man himself.
So what I’m trying to say is, Snap all the photos you want. Go ahead and laugh. Blog about me! But you know what? Me and my reptile buds are going to be here long after you and your race are extinct, and we’ll know what caused it (selfies!), but we won’t tell a soul. Enjoy your brief time on stage, Homo erectus. And thanks for inventing guns!
4. Chairman Meow
Scherzer has the count up to seven…
Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez being interviewed by MASN reporter Dan Kolko. Watch this video right meow. All this was lacking was Max Scherzer interrupting the interview to demand “A LITER OF COLA!” Meow I’m going to have to give you a ticket. That’s the law….MEOW!
5. Mushin’ Impossible
In Alaska, it’s a dog-beat-dog world….
Quitting is easy. Finishing last is hard. Especially if the race in question is the 1,049-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race across Alaska.
Last year I profiled psychiatrist Ellen Halvorsen, the only person to FINISH last twice at the Iditarod, for Newsweek. Ellen is back this year, and of the mushers who are still mushin’ across The Last Frontier, (the leaders are halfway through), Dr. Halvoresen is two spots ahead of last place: 74th out of 76. I’m rooting for you, Ellen. I have to hope those other two mushers will drop out and you’ll garner a third Red Lantern (the prize for finishing last).
Music 101
“I Can’t Let Go”
One of my all-time favorite under-the-radar pops songs. Below, Linda Ronstadt lends her nuclear-powered voice (and a red jumpsuit!) to the vocals in 1980, and in this link I’ve got Allen Clarke and The Hollies, who wrote it, performing it in what looks like the same catacombs where the Beatles used to play in 1965 (that’s Graham Nash, later of CSN, on guitar). Notice: Ronstadt and Clarke could be wearing the same wig.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3wapH7H00I
Remote Patrol
Cavaliers at Spurs
TNT 9:30 p.m.
LeBron returns to the scene of the cramps
I want to believe this will be an intriguing matchup, sort of “Naked Heat-Spurs 2 1/2,” but I happen to agree with Susie B. that Pop will probably sit every one of his players who was born outside the 50 states just to spite some invisible nemesis. Anyway, the Spurs actually have the NBA’s longest current win streak, six games. I pray that it’s interesting, because LeBron won’t be seeing these guys in the Finals three years in a row.
“Returns to the scene of the cramps”, hahaha, it WAS a CRIME! I actually think all the twitter-trashing (“twitshin”?) after that incident ‘helped’ send LBJ back to Cleveland. Here poor Sweet Pea had thought all (ok, most) of his nationwide trashing days were behind him, being a 2-TIME CHAMPION & all, but noooOOOoooo, after that awful night, he must have thought it was 2010 all over again! How to solve? Become the Homecoming King.
Anyhoo, I actually hope Pop does sit his starters as I just want a WIN to keep the Cavs in 2nd place (I want that home court in the playoffs as long as possible). Plus, LBJ can use a little rest before the playoffs.
I have to ask – are you at home going thru all your child/teenhood albums? Love Linda, have several albums & cassettes myself. As for yesterday’s entry, I don’t dislike that song, just never really heard it that much except for “I DON’T WANNA KNOW YOUR NAME!” screamed at the top of your lungs when hanging with your buds. Did Sweet ever have another hit? As for MY musical faves in the 2nd grade – I was mostly listening to Motown, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, & ARETHA. And ok, ok, on Saturday nights when my aunt was babysitting, it was ‘The Lawrence Welk Show’ (“anna one anna two!”) & my sisters & I polka’d all over the living room till we about threw up – good times! No offense to Sweet or foxes on the run everywhere, but I think I “win”. 🙂
That Roscoe would make a nice set of luggage. Heavy but nice. Come on, only joking! Hey, maybe you can tear yourself away from your new friend & do a ‘conference call’ with the Elm Hill Farm groundhogs?
I was a Duke fan so didn’t hate Laettner. UNTIL I saw that Duke 20 year anniversary doc awhile back. I’ve watched it 3 0r 4 times & detest Laettner more every time. Man, I wish Bobby had just “accidentally” hit him in the head 10-15 times on “errant passes”. I’ll watch this new doc as MAYBE he’s not totally a self-absorbed jerk. And speaking of self-absorbed jerks, I REALLY HATED the “Fab 5” & was pee-in-the-pants-thrilled when 1st Duke & then Carolina BEAT them back-to-back in the NCG!
“Mushin Impossible…sealfies”. That’s what I come here for! 🙂
FIFA needs to ends these soccer matches in a shoot out but unlike a penalty kick that by definition should be difficult for the defense, a tie breaking shoot out should happen from the edge of the box. Luck could then be replaced by skill and a winner could be decided on the field. Just saying.
Saul-id…Saul-id as a rock!