by John Walters
Wiggin’ Out
The best player on the court for Golden State, for the second NBA Finals contest in a row, was former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins (perhaps the Suns should reconsider that rumored sign-and-trade with DeAndre Ayton). On an evening when the planet’s top shooter, Stephen Curry, went 0-9 from beyond the arc (the first such night since Nov. ’18), Wiggins, now in his 8th season, finished with 26 points and 13 boards. For the second game in a row, both Dubs wins, it was Wiggins who buried the important shots in the decisive moments of the fourth quarter as GSW won, 104-94.
Everyone’s favorite Twitter follow, @rexchapman, noted that 36 years ago Andrew’s dad, Mitchell Wiggins, had a solid Game 5 versus the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals (the Rockets won that game, but the Celtics won those Finals).
Pops. Yes, three of Golden State’s five starters are the sons of NBA players. At some future date, at least 90% of NBA players will be the offspring of NBA players. It’ll be like almost a whole other species.
RIP, Officer Bookman
Philip Baker Hall, renowned character actor, passes away at the age of 90. Yes, he appeared in Boogie Nights and Magnolia and a plethora of other films and TV shows, but his appearance on Seinfeld as the hardscrabble New York Public Library cop will gain him eternal (or as long as YouTube exists) renown. So many great lines that a few get lost (“hippies burning library cards”). Only Col. Flagg’s appearances on M*A*S*H are in the same league, and might it be said that Hall is channeling Col. Flagg here?
Questions, so many: Did Larry David/Jerry Seinfeld write this scene with Hall in mind? Or, with the character Col. Flagg in mind? Was it originally this long or did they see Hall’s potential and expand it? Did Hall just take this scene and run with it– the finger-pointing, for example?– or did they map all of this out for him? How did he keep a straight face?
Lowering The Barr
So, if you’re scoring at home, the former Attorney General, William Barr, testified that his former boss, Donald Trump, was “detached from reality” in terms of his ELECTION FRAUD! imprecations in December of 2020, but instead of informing the country that Trump’s cries were fraudulent, he simply resigned and went on his way. Listen, if you guys wanna burn down the Sequoia National Forest, leave me out of it. I won’t call the fire dept. or the cops, but I don’t wanna be associated with it.
I mean, don’t lawyers get disbarred every week for far less than this? This man was an accomplice to the greatest election fraud in presidential history, and his only response is to walk away as Trump’s tossing the match onto the pile of logs? Wow. And he behaves as if he is somehow the sensible adult.
Meanwhile, where did most of that $250 million the the Trump Election Fraud fund go? Man, he never changes, does he? It’s his birthday today. Thought we’d mention. He should be serving the rest of them in prison. #LockHimUp
Archie Bunker On Gun Control
A few years ago I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rob Reiner for an hour and the first thing I said to him was, “You once were on an iconic sitcom featuring a bigoted blowhard from Queens…”
Reiner smiled. “Yes,” he said, “but at least Archie Bunker had empathy.” Which is true.
Two clips here, from 50 years ago, demonstrating how little progress the USA has made on gun control. Notice in the first clip that the audience guffaws at Archie’s suggestion of arming passengers. Today that’s practically a GOP talking point.
All In The Family was such a smart, hilarious and important show. And it’s every bit as relevant today. Just think about the theme song (“And you knew who you were then/Girls were girls and men were men…”). That’s in 1972. The more things change….
Montrezl With the Fezl in the Wezl
Charlotte Hornets forward Montrezl Harrell, 28, is in some serious trouble. On May 12th in Richmond, Ky., Harrell was pulled over for following a car too closely (that’s a thing?) and then cops found THREE POUNDS of weed (even Britney Griner’s like, “HOW MUCH???”) in vacuum-sealed bags. That’s a felony and in the eyes of the law makes him a dealer. The po po said they smelled the weed, but it was, again, in vacuum-sealed bags, go I dunno on that one.
If convicted for drug trafficking, Harrell could spend up to five years in prison. As he’s right in his NBA prime at the moment. Do they even have chain nets in the yard? Tough to maintain your game in the joint.
The Hornets are/were Harrell’s fifth team in eight NBA seasons. That’s a red flag. Someone knew something long ago.