by John Walters

Starting Five

1. All In The Family-ish

Some good friends of mine—let’s call them Midwestern elites—have been chiding me to tune in to Black-ish for awhile now, but I just have yet to do so. Earlier this week they did a post-election episode that was the closest thing to something from All In The Family I’ve seen since, well, perhaps The Sopranos. 

I can’t pull the clip independently from YouTube, but you can and should watch it on this link. It’s where the male lead, Dre (Anthony Anderson), is admonished by his boss for “not caring” about the outcome of last November’s election. Strong stuff. But I’m sure Clay would burp,  pump out 25 push-ups and cry, “DBAP!”

If you’re looking for a lighter touch, but definitely redolent of a conversation Archie Bunker and George Jefferson might have had in the house on 704 Hauser Street, here’s a funny N-word debate from earlier in the series.

2. Get Real, Madrid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw_LNyXHOt8

In the Spy vs. Spy intertwined careers of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (who may wind up being remembered as the two best soccer players ever—sorry, Pele—but who will be No. 1 and who will be No. 2?), Ronaldo has taken the latest advantage. Yesterday Ronaldo’s squad, Real Madrid recorded its 40th unbeaten match in a row, surpassing the La Liga record of 39 set only last year by Messi’s F.C. Barcelona club.

It wasn’t easy. With Ronaldo resting, as this was the second leg of a home-and-home versus Sevilla in the Copa del Rey and Real enjoying a 3-0 advantage after their first match (aggregate goals and all; if you don’t understand, tweet at Paul Carr or Grant Wahl), the team struggled. Real Madrid trailed 3-1 on the road after 80 minutes, but then scored in the 83rd minute and then subbed in superstar Karim Benzema in extra time, on the final kick of the game.

Did it matter all that much in terms of the Copa del Ray or La Liga overall? No, but Ronaldo (again, he sat out) and Messi have been playing this legacy tug-of-war for awhile now.

Real Madrid’s last defeat came last spring to German side Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

3. This Honey Mustered Courage

“She had a McNugget in her hand, a gun to her head, and no fear in her heart…”

—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News

Where’s Rosco?* He’s out writing hilarious ledes to true-crime, teen-crime stories. This one happened in East Harlem, on 103rd and Third Avenue. Take a bow, sir.

*That’s a familiar catch phrase for a local NYC ad about a bed bug-hunting hound.

4. Want Trump Off Twitter? Easy. Buy It.

I follow @realDonaldTrump on Twitter. And I actually think it’s to everyone’s benefit to have the Prez-Elect on Twitter. You can’t get a man to hang himself if you don’t give him the rope to do so, after all.

But for those of you who’d rather have him off, Vanity Fair–you know, this magazine:

 

Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFair Magazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

floated an intriguing solution. Simply buy Twitter. They estimate it would cost you about $12 billion to do so and suggested it would be a 21st-century Montezuma’s Revenge of sorts for our neighbors to the south. Don’t wanna pay for the wall? Great. Buy this. And then delete Trump’s account.

Also this week, People published a transcript of the note Robert De Niro sent Meryl Streep after her Sunday night Golden Globes speech:

Meryl, 

What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully. I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements.

I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough. You, with your elegance and intelligence, have a powerful voice—one that inspires others to speak up as they should so their voices will be heard too. It is so important that we ALL speak up.

We love you,

Bob

5. Hunter Renfrow v. Hunter Renfroe

Who’s your favorite Hunter Renfrow(e)? Is it the former Clemson walk-on wideout, Hunter Renfrow, who caught the game-winning pass in Monday’s national championship game and has four touchdowns and 17 catches against Alabama the past two Januarys (I couldn’t love him more if he were a Domer)?

Or is it the San Diego Padre outfielder, Hunter Renfroe, who got called up to majors in the final two weeks of last season and hit .371 in 13 games with four home runs and 14 RBI? Turns out the latter is a Mississippi lad, a former Mississippi State player, and an “S-E-C!” fan, but still was cheering for his homophone on Monday. And they’ve become buddies through Twitter.

Music 101

This Is Us

 

Before it was a TV show, it was an mid-tempo duet pairing Dire Straits’ front man Mark Knopfler and one of the loveliest women in music, Emmylou Harris. The song was released in late 2006. I’ve never looked into whether it inspired the NBC series, but it must have, no?

Remote Patrol

Saturday

No. 21 St. Mary’s at No. 5 Gonzaga

10 p.m. ESPN2

Hooray for the Catholic schools! There are six Catholic institutions in the Top 25 and none of them are Georgetown (even better, none of them are Boston College). The other four are defending national champion Villanova (3), Creighton (8), Xavier (15) and Notre Dame (20). The Gaels head to Spokane with a 15-1 record and the Zags, of course, are 16-0, the country’s last unbeaten team. This is a great way to settle in on a dark winter’s Saturday night.