by John Walters

Starting Five

 

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Red Herring Alert

Remember Rule No. 1 (or No. 2) that shady lawyer Roy Cohn taught Donald Trump: “Whatever scandalous, corrupt or illegal thing you are doing, accuse your opponents of doing.” Rule No. 2 (or No. 1) : “Never apologize or admit you’re wrong.”*

(The only time I’ve ever heard Trump apologize was in that Friday night appearance in September when he said, “I’m sorry” about the “Grab them by the pu**y” comments; even he realized that it could possibly cost him any chance he had to win.

The short lesson here: There’s no basis for Trump’s wiretap claim, the idea that anyone in Congress would even investigate them is all a charade, and FBI Director James Comey himself has declared it b.s. (as have any other number of people who would or could know how these FISA things work).

It’s all a parlor trick to keep people from talking about Russia.

Gar Heard, Part II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcXtjt2bMUw

The Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics played one of their better games on Sunday night, perhaps the most memorable since the “Gar Heard ‘Round The World” in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals (yes, that’s Brent Musburger on the call) (that said, I saw the Suns take out the Celtics in 1980, Larry Legend’s rookie year, 135-134; Bird had 45).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KduoLWqQ7vw

Boston owned a one-point lead with about :10 left but Isaiah Thomas hit only 1 of 1 free throws, making it 106-104. Eric Bledsoe tied it up with a layup with about :04 to play, then Thomas mishandled the inbounds pass and Tyler Ullis of the Suns hit a buzzer-beating three for the win. The Suns only have 21 wins, but three are off buzzer-beaters, and all three buzzer beaters were scored by former Kentucky guards (Bledsoe, Ullis and Devon Booker).

3. Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent

Last May Leicester City overcame 5,000-1 odds (We know what we are, but know not what we may be) to win the Premier League and manager Claudio Ranieri was declared a secular saint (Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown). But Leicester was awful this season and in danger of relegation so Leicester sacked Ranieri (Off with his head!). Interim manager Craig Shakespeare, who has told the players to become more accountable (The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves) has led Leicester to a pair of 3-1 victories and the club is now five points clear of relegation, which won’t get them into Champions League next season, but will keep them from ignominiously being moved down just one year after winning it all (Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing).

4. Get Out Easter Eggs

If you haven’t seen Get Out, you may want to skip this. If you have, it might be fun. A key giveaway clue early in the film is when Walter the groundskeeper sprints right toward our hero/victim, Chris. If you never gave it much of a second thought (I didn’t), the piece linked provides the explanation (I’m so STUPID!)

5. Collar Save

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PbFLa8cx5s

Oh, you think you’ve seen everything? Have you seen a goalie stopping a slap shot with the back of his collar? Look at what Martin Jones of the San Jose Sharks did (they still lost, but who cares?).

Music 101

Wouldn’t It Be Good? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qH4CT4f7fk

Mid-Eighties pop, courtesy of Nik Kershaw. The song never broke the Top 40 in the U.S., but it hit No. 4 in the UK and Kershaw did perform it at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium, and as a musician you can take that to your grave.

Remote Patrol

South Florida vs. UCONN

7 p.m. ESPN2

Granted, I’m not even sure what conference UConn plays in, but this is their conference championship game. Will the Huskies lose for the first time in 105 or so games? Prolly not. I really don’t see them losing for another year and a half, but tune in anyway.