by John Walters
Starting Five
Walton was one of three leading scorers last night with the ball in his hands on a game-winning or tying possession at the end who was unable to close the deal.
X’ed Men
In the final four minutes Xavier comes from eight down against Arizona and goes on a 12-2 run to end the game and win by two. We’ll have at least one Catholic school in the Final Four for the second straight year and we will have, for only the sixth time, a regional final between two schools who have never been to a Final Four:
So let’s correct that list:
2017: Zags-Xavier
1999: UConn-Zags
1994: Florida-BC
1990: Ga Tech-Minnesota
1981: UVa-BYU
1977: UNLV-Idaho St— Patrick Stevens (@D1scourse) March 24, 2017
Three of Thursday’s four games came down to a game-winning or game-tying possession. Michigan’s Derrick Walton and Arizona’s Allonzo Trier missed potential game-winning threes while West Virginia’s Jevon Carter never got a chance to get his off.
Walton, Trier and Carter were their teams’ leading scorers last night.
2. Murray State
I don’t want to take credit for putting this together first: @SportsCenter noted that it’s been a fantastic sports year for American treasure Bill Murray. These are good times for Murray, Santori times.
What a year for Bill Murray.
– 11-seed Xavier defeats 2-seed Arizona to go to Elite 8.
– Cubs win the World Series pic.twitter.com/rOTzpxSQzQ— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 24, 2017
Last November Murray’s beloved Chicago Cubs won the World Series and now his adopted college team, Xavier, is onto the Elite Eight (Murray’s son, Luke, is a Xavier assistant coach, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice). Can the Musketeers make it to the Final Four? Is this what the Dalai Lama meant when he told Carl Spackler that on his death bed he’d achieve total consciousness? Is Xavier baby-stepping on the road to the Final Four?
3. Phoenix Sons
At the age of 23, Len was the Suns’ oldest starter
The Suns lost their sixth in a row last night (keeping pace with the Lakers, who have also lost six straight) by falling 126-98 to the NBA’s worst team, the Boo-klynettes. But that isn’t why anyone will remember this game. What made that game historic was the Suns’ starting five:
Marquese Chriss: 19
Derrick Jones, Jr.: 20
Alex Len: 23
Devin Booker: 20
Tyler Ulis: 21
Not only did @Suns have youngest starting 5 in NBA history (@EliasSports), it was younger than 7 of 8 teams that played in Sweet 16 Thursday
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 24, 2017
The Suns put the youngest starting five in NBA history on the floor, according to Elias Sports Bureau. That’s funny, since the team’s namesake is the oldest piece of known matter in the galaxy. 60% of the starting five isn’t old enough to drink. Also, the Suns lost by 28 to the worst team in the league, so there’s that.
4. High Nunes
Nunez appears to be the latest link in the Circle of Scum
*Another Day of Trump (Day 64)
*The judges will also accept “The Devin Made Me Do It”
The newest member of The Worst Wing (All Trumps except Melania and possibly Barron; Steve Bannon; Sean Spicer; Kellyanne Conway; Mitch McConnell; Reince Priebus; Stephen Miller: Paul Ryan; Jeff Sessions; Rex “My Wife Made Me Do It” Tillerson; Paul Manafort; and of course, Vladimir Putin) is California Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Reprobate).
I’m old enough to remember when anonymous sources were bad https://t.co/UBOuCWIQcj
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) March 24, 2017
Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee investigating alleged ties between the Trump team and Russia, apologized yesterday (!) for taking information that he supposedly has acquired about the investigation to the White House and informing them about it. “Is that bad?”
Gee, almost like his rationale is same as why reporters generally use anonymous sources https://t.co/0P26X96bm8
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 24, 2017
Then Nunes refused to say if other information he has received that is exculpatory came directly from the White House itself and also suddenly became very protective about anonymous sources. “We want people to come forward,” Nunes said without a trace of irony, because that’s how this administration works.
Meanwhile, last night I caught the end of the original, 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You can FF to about 1:50 and tell me if you’ve seen a better illustration in film of those of us who’ve been warning against Trump for nearly two years:
5. It’s A Bluth White House
America gets a glimpse of Donald’s “O” face….
Major props to Dan Diamond, or @ddiamond, of Politico who some time while you and I were sleeping sussed out that the entire Trump administration is that episode of Arrested Development titled “The One Where They Build a House.”
1. That time a novice chief executive made a foolhardy promise, his erstwhile allies rushed to get it done—and it all fell apart in the end.
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) March 24, 2017
I won’t reproduce all of Diamond’s tweets here, but the one above launches a 10-tweet storm that eerily and hilariously ties the Bluths to the Trumps and maybe, just maybe, as one @ reply suggested, G.O.B was always meant to represent GOP. Go find his feed from about 12 hours ago (just after 11 p.m. East Coast time) and read the tweets. It’s sad, hilarious and eerie.
Look, America, it’s the megalomaniacal, delusional son of a shady real-estate developer!
Even if Trump bankrupts America, financially, ethically and physically, remember, there’s money in that banana stand.
Music 101
Eight Miles High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSwOrytf_M
Few bands epitomized the mid-Sixties counterculture sound better than The Byrds, and this 1966 song is considered to be the genesis of psychedelic rock. It was banned by many stations because of connotations to drug use (note the title), which may be why, although it is a timeless classic, it never reached Top 10 on the charts.
Remote Patrol
Night of Classics
The Godfather
7 p.m. AMC
The Wizard of Oz
8 p.m. TCM
East Regional
North Carolina-Butler followed by Kentucky-UCLA
7 p.m. CBS
“Now who’s being naive, Kate?” If for some ungodly reason, you’ve never seen The Godfather, correct that tonight. It may be the best American film. Period. Then you can tune in to see the two schools that have won more national championships (19 combined) than anyone else, the Wildcats and Bruins. Good stuff.
Oh, look, you’re giving me a good reason to repost this: https://youtu.be/o9TvFkiLLMo
Can you list 5 things in the WEALTHCARE bill that is better than Obamacare? How about even one? Obamacare did not turn out to be exactly what we were ‘promised’ but I’m just at a loss why ANYONE would think this change is desirable, well, unless you are on the take from medical & drug companies. Not counting politicians, why would any regular (i.e. non-medical affiliated & NON multi-millionaire) American actually think this is the best or even a half-way decent method for health insurance coverage & care in this country? That the best hope to keep this disgusting ‘bill’ from becoming law is the GOP Ultra-Right who want to basically cut ALL spending for ANYTHING (other than military & ensuring abortions are once again illegal…) is revolting. WHO VOTED FOR THESE PEOPLE?!
Health care is ridiculously expensive in this country as it is. The “repeal” of Obamacare would only further confirm the GOP agenda is to KILL off the old & the non-rich (not just the poor). In future history books, there will be photos of Hitler, Stalin & the Republican Party of the USA as Biggest Mass Murderers of the 20th & 21st Centuries.
You mentioned “Survival of the Fittest” as the ‘what’s old is new again’ MO for our society. It’s really often Survival of the Luckiest, don’t you think? Yes, obesity & the often corresponding non-active lifestyle causes many eventual health issues but so does drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, TEXTING while driving, & participation in SPORTS. Compare the average 60 yr old man with former NFL players – who has spent more MONEY on health care? Who is in worst shape now?
It seems we are being pitted against each other over what SHOULD be covered as in *MY* lifestyle choices should totally be covered but yours are just too stupid/lazy/extreme so you’re on your own. YOU may not want to “pay for” the health care costs of the overweight but I don’t think *I* should have to pay for the possible devastating & lifelong brain-trauma affects to those who throw their leg over a Deathwish 2000 & either skid out or get mowed down by an “unattentive driver” (i.e. god damn TEXTERS). Because I think dividing up what is “ok choices/lifestyles vs “bad choices/lifestyles” (i.e. “I’m ok, you’re not”) will do nothing but FURTHER divide a country to ruination, I’m leaning more & more towards Universal Health Care as the most DECENT thing for all. Well, maybe excluding those damn texters. 😉
Healthcare is one of the more truly interesting things to study. It is a shame the GOP treats it like raw fish. Your perspective on “pay for” the overweight versus, say, the accident of someone driving while texting is interesting. Definitely something that deserves comment beyond these boards, but then again, what individual would consider healthcare a simple issue?
whats crazy about your stat about teams playing in elite 8 who never made final 4, UCONN. Before 1999, no final fours… since 1999, 5 Final Fours and 4 Championships.