by John Walters
Starting Five
Uncool And The Gang
The funny thing is, there are at least three people in this photo I’d rather have running this country than the man who is seated at the desk.
Apparently he wants to build a a wall around the southern border of the White House as well
Meanwhile, the sidewalk abutting the South Lawn will now be closed permanently because the pwesident is a scaredy cat. Again, and for the 45th (!) time, imagine Obama doing this and the scathing criticism he’d hear from Trump. What a blow hard…and hypocrite.
2. LeBrontosaurus Rex Indiana*
*The judges realize there is no such thing as a Brontosaurus Rex and apologize to all of our paleontologist readers
Down 25 to the Indiana Pacers at halftime, Cleveland not only came back and won, hell, they tied the score up midway through the fourth quarter (the three makes it an entirely different game). LeBron James, a.k.a. Sweet Pea, a.k.a. The Man Whom Susie B. will someday go Kathy Bates in Misery upon, led the revival, scoring 41 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 12 dimes, and yeah, if he really wanted to, he could play like this most nights and win the MVP without any questions asked.
More impressive to me, besides the fact that this was the largest halftime-deficit comeback in NBA history? The fact that this was the 20th consecutive first-round playoff game that James’ team has won.
Cavs up, 3-0. Now where is that fork I was searching for?
3. Blackhawks Down and Out
The Chicago Blackhawks, winners of three Stanley Cups in the past seven years and owners of the best record in the Western Conference, were ignominiously ousted, SWEPT (curled?), in the first round by the Nashville Predators (whose mascot is a middle-aged man sitting at a counter sheepishly asking questions posed by Chris Hansen…it’s true). Last night the Predators knocked out the Black Hawks 4-1.
Going back to regular season, Chicago lost its final 8 games. The Hawks not only lost as a top seed, they were swept, and by a team of y’alls. And were outscored 13-3 in the series. For shame, kids.
4. Trapped
Ehrmentraut Fishing, Caught By the McGill
Maybe it’s the fact that both protagonists (anti-heroes) in Better Call Saul have an allusion to fish in their surnames, but Episode 2 saw both Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmentraut take the bait and get caught hook line and sinker.
The final 10 to 15 minutes of the show played out with both men separately falling into the honey traps set by their nemeses. Jimmy, who assured Kim Wexler that he was okay, impulsively flew over to brother Chuck’s house in a rage, kicked down the door, destroyed property and threatened to hurt him (all with Howard and a P.I. hiding in a separate room to hear it all). He’s cooked and he knows it. How about that not-so-subtle harbinger moments before when Jimmy stops meticulously rubbing the tape off and just yanks it? A little heavy-handed with the symbolism, but okay.
As for Mike, how long do you think you can park outside Los Pollos Hermanos and not purchase a succulent roasted chicken before the manager becomes suspicious? He follows a car out into the high desert on a two-lane road with no egress only to realize he’s been literally led down a path with no escape. How’s THAT for symbolism?
Jimmy McGill is done. Jimmy and Kim are done. Mike, I suspect, is going to be recruited by Gus Fring who will make him an offer he can’t refuse. He can’t go back to being a part-time criminal any more. He’s all in now.
5. Great, But How Are They Going To Read This?
doing #unblockmebo at 6:30 et. think you should be unblocked? call 888.729.3776. #TheRightTime
— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) April 20, 2017
No sports media person I follow has a quicker trigger finger when it comes to Blocking followers than Bomani Jones. So I found this tweet funny yesterday for obvious reasons.
Fake News
BE AWARE: There is NO Limp Bizkit concert Wed. 4/20 at Sunoco station at Keowee St. & Wayne Ave. These ads FALSE. pic.twitter.com/wMo7bYxa9p
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) April 19, 2016
Music Patrol
1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOy_qOrJwck
Life is just a party/And parties weren’t meant to last. On the first anniversary of the death of Prince Rogers Nelson, let’s go back to the song that helped take him to superstardom. Released in 1982, it only peaked at No. 44, but then after “Little Red Corvette” was released, it was re-released in the summer of ’83 and went to No. 12.
Remote Patrol
Rockets at Thunder, Game 3
9:30 p.m. ESPN
Russ went off for 51 points and a triple double on Wednesday and OKC still lost, falling behind 2-0. This is make or break time for the Thunder.
🙂 🙂 However, I will never live in Cleveland or LA (seemingly LBJ’s eventual post-NBA address) so I will never have access. Plus, to think *I* would break HIS leg?! I do hope to see him play in person at least once. 🙂
NBA Last Night (4/20/17) : 2 Upsets & A REMINDER TO BOW DOWN TO THE KING
It’s actually quite fascinating that the one game talked about all last night & today is not the 2 upsets (Grizzlies maul Spurs & the Raptors now Fear The Deer), but the game that was A TALE OF 2 HALFIES. Yes, it was ‘the worst of times, it was the best of times’ (at least for Cavs fans; for Pacer fans – it was the exact opposite). Who knew the Cavs’ “switch” was ironically located in Naptown?! Well, for all those who did not watch – the Pacers came out HOT & completely dominated the Cavs in the 1st 24 minutes so that by halftime, my heroes were down by, gulp, 25. When I wasn’t puking in the toilet, I had the rationalizations ready – the guys knew they had this Round in the bag so took their feet off the gas. I honestly figured the starters would all sit most of the 2nd half & they’d just rest up & look forward to the next one. Happens all the time in the Playoffs. Hah! LeBron tears off his Clark Kent suit/shirt/glasses & got to work. He says (I’m, er, speculating) – “you don’t like us being UP 26 & then losing, well how about us being DOWN 26 & then WINNING?!” Answer to LBJ – we like it jes fine!
You know that Kia commercial with the guy strutting into his office building, riding up the glass elevator, throwing open the double doors into the conference room, low-fiving & butt-slapping, all while listening on his wireless headphones & bopping his head along to “the KING is in the building…”? Pretty much me this morning. Except our elevators are not glass & I don’t own wireless headphones. And I didn’t burst into a conference room. Still me though. 🙂
Two more things. 1st, last night’s game was LeBron instructing the alleged next NBA MVP – THIS is how you have a Triple Double, involve the rest of your team, AND win a damn playoff game. Speaking of the rest of the Cavs – if someone had told me before the 4th quarter that Kyrie & Kev both would not play a second of said quarter, I’d have
whined & begged. Now I think it’s the best thing to have happened – all those guys now feel not just involved but NECESSARY in the Cavs progress thru to the Finals. 2nd, I know you think I don’t criticize LeBron enough. Not true (sure, I think he’s the most magnificent human body since well, ever) because I do have a bit of constructive criticism for Sweet Pea so far in Round 1 – his post-game presser attire has not been up to his usual post-game perfection. On the other hand, the man works HARD, if he wants to come out there in his undershirt, who am I to criticize? And if he wants to come out there SHIRTLESS (oh please, oh please) henceforth, that would be just fine. 🙂