by John Walters

Starting Five

1. Winter Is Coming Here

Ol’ blue eyes is back! A magnificent episode of Game of Thrones to silence the whiners for at least a week (although I do feel the episode could have used a little more of Roger Sterling) as the White Walkers finally launch their invasion. For as many times as Jon Snow has heard the line, “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” he did know enough to retreat from a massacre and live to fight another day. Or, as the knights in Monty Python and the Holy Grail would say, “Run away! Run away!”

Sepinwall’s review was okay, but The New York Times’  recap was equal to the occasion, with an Iron Maiden reference in the opening graf and the coining of the terms “kinder zombies” and “Danyrion.” Also, noting that Ser Jorah is the “Duckie of Essos.” Well done, Grey Lady.

So, what is “Winter?” Can we relate to it as ISIS? Or Climate Change? Unchecked capitalism? Man himself? Your thoughts in the Comments section…

2. Texas Rain Saw Massacre

“Enough rain fell in Texas in the month of May to cover the entire state 8 deep,” or so read one note from CNN. And, you know, Texas is a rather large state republic to put an 8-inch layer of anything on it.

Houston…

Dallas…

My question: Whither all the rattlesnakes and other varmints? Are they floating atop the waters (two by two), not very happy, like in that scene from Lonesome Dove? What a mess.

3. Mary Who?

Remember when every track writer, this one included, was all agog — and rightfully so — over the prep exploits of middle-distance runner Mary Cain? Well, Mary is now a sophomore in college, although she runs professionally (this wretch thinks she made a terrible mistake in bypassing the experiences and salubrious effects of being a part of a team dynamic in college, but we’ll see). And she has actually regressed this year.

Meanwhile, at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in Eugene, on the 40th anniversary to the day of Steve Prefontaine’s death, a high school runner from Camas, Washington, erased Cain’s two year-old mark (the mark of Cain?) in the 1500 at the high school and junior level. Alexa Efraimson ran a 4:03.39 in the women’s 1500.

Here I should note that Efraimson already runs professionally for Nike (like Cain), so…

The winner of that 1500, with the secod-fastest time in the world this year at that distance (4:00.98) was Jenny Simpson, who tweeted us on Friday that the event has been good to her over the years. And vice-versa. Simpson’s PR in the 1500 is 3;57.22, set last July in France…

4. Central Times

The four .600 or better teams in baseball as we turn a page of the calendar to June all have one thing in common: they are located in the Central Time Zone. The St. Louis Cardinals (33-17), Minnesota Twins (30-19), Houston Firstros (31-20) and Kansas City Royals (29-19) have the four best records in baseball — even if they collectively receive less pub than Riley Curry.

5. The Moses Bridge

A bridge in Holland whose floor is below the water level. Make an exodus to Fort de Roovere, where this moat is located, as soon as you are able. It really is called the Moses Bridge.

Music 101

Put A Little Love In Your Heart

Take a good look around/And if you’re looking down/Put a little love in your heart

As tunes go, this 1969 chart-climber from Jackie DeShannon is the spiritual forebear to the Black Eyed Peas’ first hit, Where Is The Love? This song, which only got to No. 44 — remember, the Sixties were the SEC West of Billboard charting — is also the spiritual descendant of a more popular DeShannon tune, What The World Needs Now Is Love.

Remote Patrol

The Long, Hot Summer 

TCM 8 p.m.

On this first day of June — yes, we still have three more weeks of spring; don’t rush me! — TCM gives you this sweaty 1958 Southern Gothic classic starring Oscar winners Orson Welles, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (the latter two were married during production).