by John Walters
How to celebrate Kevin Bacon’s 57th birthday? Everybody cut, Everybody cut/Everybody cut, Everybody cut/Everybody cut, Everybody cut/Everybody cut footloose!
Starting Five
Laird & Gabby: Yes it is and yes, he is
1. Skin, Kin
So, yeah, ESPN’s Body Issue is out. That’s Laird Hamilton, 51, and his wife, Gabriella Reece, who is 45. Age is just a number, kiddos. Now get off your phones and stop smoking. Especially you, A.J.!
2. Feud For Thought*
*The judges will also accept “Bro vs. Bo”
So Seattle Seahawk QB Russell Wilson is dating Cialis Ciara, a singer. And recently Wilson, a born-again Christian, told followers at the Rock Church (an entire religion devoted to Dwayne Johnson? Sure.) in San Diego that the couple were practicing abstinence.
Which led to this disagreement yesterday between ESPNers Bomani Jones and Chris Broussard (If you follow Bo on Twitter, you know that’s as polite as he ever gets with someone who disagrees with him). The problem with Broussard is that he’s become better-known for arguing with his co-workers over religious beliefs than he is for being an NBA reporter. Believe whatever you want: But remember that the Almighty is named Norby.
3. Titans of Tennis
How much richer a career legacy Reggie Miller or Patrick Ewing might’ve had if Michael Jordan had not existed. Likewise Maria Sharapova, 28, who has won five Grand Slam titles as compared to the 20 won by her contemporary, Serena Williams.
The two will meet in the semis at Wimbledon tomorrow. Williams, who has beaten Sharapova 16 consecutive times (I think she’s in her head), would hold all four Grand Slam titles concurrently if she were to win Wimbledon later this week. Serena, 33, is the SotY in my book, if she wins this and the U.S. Open. Sorry, Carli.
4. Judy Blooms Again
It may be a good read, but I’m not reading it on a plane any time soon. Just like I didn’t read “Jaws” at the beach.
If you peruse the New York Times Bestseller List, you’ll see a familiar name from long ago: Judy Blume. The celebrated children’s author — so celebrated that my friend plays in a band called “The Judy Blooms” — from the 1970s, who hit it big with bestsellers such as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Blubber, is at No. 5 in Hardcover Fiction.
The novel, In The Unlikely Event, is based on Blume’s own real-life experiences as a teen in Elizabeth, N.J. when a series of plane crashes over her home town of Elizabeth, N.J., destroyed her sense of innocence. Blume is 77.
5. The Opening
Players choose to symbolically demonstrate a recruiting battle between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher
Now in its fifth year, Nike’s The Opening is beginning to be known by others outside of the college football recruiting atmosphere. Basically, Nike invites the top high school seniors-to-be to Beaverton for five days to participate in an NFL Combine type atmosphere with 7-on-7 passing games and OL skills competitions, too.
And, of course, Nike gets a chance to extend its brand.
Here are the rosters. I’m partial to the name “Boss Tagaloa.”
Music 101
All The Small Things
There was a lot of terrible music in the late 1990s (La Vida Loca, Mambo No. 5), but this punk charmer from SoCal trio Blink-182 always made you look for the Volume dial on the radio. What the Green Day trio were to NorCal, Blink had the chance to be for the O.C. crowd. They fell short of what we thought they’d achieve, but I’m sure they’ll always be welcome at Coachella.
Remote Patrol
Key & Peele
Comedy Central 10 p.m.
Season premiere. They’re funny.
SI’s has topped its own short-sighted use of “regional” covers – it now has imaginary covers. For only $19.95, one can buy a framed copy of SI’s USWNT cover (http://www.sicovers.com/product.aspx?pid=2915). Except that no such cover will ever appear on the magazine, this being SI’s summer week off.
‘The problem with Broussard…”. The problem with BROUSSARD? Are you kidding? The PROBLEM here is BOMANI’s self-importance, his g’damn smugness, his AUDACITY in calling “Americans” that believe & practice chastity “SILLY”. Really? He trashes people’s RELGIOUS or MORAL BELIEFS & Broussard is the one with the PROBLEM?
I am not exactly a fan of Broussard & not only do I find HIS moralizing out of place in sports TV but disagree with several of his beliefs/opinions I’ve heard him espouse, but Bomani Jones, wow, reminds me of one of my fave movies quotes (from ‘Last of the Mohicans’) –
Bomani, “you are a man with a few admirable qualities, but taken as a whole, I was wrong to have thought so highly of you.”
There are about a million things I find ‘sillier’ than humans not wanting to hump like dogs in heat. How about professional athletes who make $5, 10, 20, 50 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR jeopardizing that income & possibly their family’s entire financial security by PLAYING WITH FIREWORKS? Or fooling around in a sport/activity in which they are NOT expert & which can cause bodily & their athletic career harm? Or punching a woman in the face? Or taking/abusing drugs? Or gambling & losing most of their pay because they CAN’T STOP BEING “COMPETITIVE”? Or my favorite – when they excuse all of the above with ” I just gotta live my life even if I’m a pro athlete, blah, blah, blah”.
Ok, ok, the above aren’t “silly”, they are STUPID. Well, based on his tweets, Bomani knows stupid.
And one more – when an NBA player (assuming WITHOUT a gun to his head) willingly gives up $11 MILLION DOLLARS a YEAR to go chase a ring with the Spurs.
Hopefully, David West takes “financial advice” from Timmaaay & in 5-10 years we’ll read a sob story of how he’s “done gone broke”.
I think I struck a(other) nerve, Susie B.
I’m with you on the Bomani-Last of the Mohicans quote, and ESPN woulda been wiser to just avoid talking about this. It’s not about who’s side I’m on; it’s about taking on your teammate in public. Save it for the clubhouse.