by John Walters
Four For Four
Kerr, Curry, Klay and Dray. Four men who’ve stuck together for about a decade now and earned four NBA championships for the Golden State Warriors. They do it with teamwork, with joy, with humility and with selflessness. Let the clown-show talk shows spend all winter and spring discussing Kyrie and LeBron and Harden and KD and Luka, but when June comes around, it’s these four. Their names stay out of the mouths of the First Takers all season until June, when they must be mentioned.
Holy Cannoli!
Four NBA titles in eight years. In two other years, they held 3-1 and 3-2 leads in the NBA Finals and were it not for injuries (and a one-game suspension to Green), should have won both of those. In the other two years, they were without Klay entirely for both and without Steph all but entirely for the other.
Let’s face it: When Klay tore his ACL in Game 7 of the 2019 NBA Finals, you’d be forgiven for thinking the dynasty was over. Especially with Kevin Durant headed out the door. Instead, Klay rehabbed for TWO years (an Achilles tear on top of that), Steph and Draymond showed no drop-off, and the Dubs added key young players such as Andrew Wiggins (this series MVP runner-up), Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney.
As for the eternally humble Steve Kerr, it’s his ninth NBA championship as either a player or coach who played with all-timers (Jordan, Duncan) and now coaches one (Steph). “I’m just a guy who hangs around superstars,” he said last night.
Boston led 14-2 early last night and Marcus Smart had just flop/induced fouls on both Curry and Thompson on the same Celtic possession. For Thompson, it was his second. But the camera showed him lookin toward the Dubs bench, either toward coach Steve Kerr or self-actualization guru Tony Robbins, and motioning, “We got this. Don’t worry.” Not long after that, the Dubs went on a 27-0 run, the longest such Finals scoring streak in 50 years, and the lights effectively went out for the Celtics. They never came closer than nine points the rest of the night.
Super Teams? All three of Golden State’s future Hall of Famers were drafted by the Dubs. None were chosen first overall. Curry was taken 7th in 2009, Klay 11th in 2011, and Draymond 35th in 2012. All by the Dubs. All in the midst of the Super Team Era. Sometimes the good guys, doing it the right way, do win. Which leads us to the next item.
Fifty Sense
It was 50 years ago today, just after midnight, when the call came in to the D.C. police that there was a break-in in progress at the Watergate office plaza. Narcotics cops, who were nearest, took the call and found five intruders inside the Democratic National Headquarters. If you’ve seen All The President’s Men, then you know that 1) their cross-the-street spies were confused by the arrival of plainclothes dudes and did not make them as cops immediately and that 2) the crooks were sloppy, leaving an outside door lock taped down (for easy exit), which alerted the security guard that something amiss (the actual security guard, the first person to appear in the film, played himself).
So here we are fifty years later. What was once “follow the money” is now “follow the obvious.” Follow the video, follow Donald Trump’s own words, follow every word of incriminating testimony that is overwhelming these January 6th hearings with all of the co-conspirators unquestionable guilt. Fifty years ago Watergate happened and 14 months later President Richard Nixon (GOP) was forced to resign after conscientious elder statesman senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater, advised him that it was the right thing to do. That if he didn’t, they’d impeach him. Fifty years later, the Republicans have no such ethical bellwether (outside of Liz Cheney, whom they mock). The entrenched GOP power whores, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, Kevin McCarthy, etc., are just sitting there and saying, in essence, “Yeah, so what?”
As a nation, we’ve back-slid. It’s the thief running out of the Best Buy with a TV under his arm looking at the store clerk with brazen contempt, saying, “If you tackle me, YOU’LL get fired and they’ll probably apologize to me to avoid the lawsuit.”
Justice is upside down. The only hope for this country, and I don’t think I’m being too dramatic here because far more influential folks than the writer of an inconsequential blog are saying so, too, is to indict every one of these clowns, from Donald all down, and take them to trial. In later years Richard Nixon would infamously, shockingly tell David Frost, “It’s not a crime if the president does it.” Those words forever tarnished an already complicated legacy. If we really believe that no person, not even the president, is above the law, well here’s your obvious litmus test. Otherwise, it’s all over.
In the year 2022 the Republican Party is a terrorist organization. Listen to the conservative judge above. This man was Ted Cruz’s mentor. And he is saying this. Listen to him.
Maybe We’re Amazed
Sir Paul McCartney turns 80 years old tomorrowāand he just ended his American tour last night in East Rutherford, N.J. Five years ago, a few miles south in Newark, we saw him live for the first time. Even at 75, he was spry, energized and incredibly humbled by the throng of humanity enveloping him in love. He played a loooooooooong set or two of songs from both the Beatles and Wings, and like our guy Springsteen, left us not wanting more but rather thinking, Maybe you should take a knee; you’ve more than redeemed the price of this ticket. Easily a top 5 concert in this person’s list.
I thought about this last night: the Beatles would never have come close to being the Beatles without Paul. Besides his obvious songwriting talent and those Liverpudlian vocals that often provided the right fitting somber tone to a classic (“Yesterday,” “She’s Leaving Home”, “Hey Jude”, “Let It Be” as starters), it was Paul’s ineffable charm and sweetness that launchd Beatlemania. Ringo was goofy, George was dark and brooding, John was brilliant but caustic. Paul was… relatable. Cheerful. Amiable. Happy. Ringo grinned. George frowned. John smirked. But Paul smiled.
nd he still does. We love him (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!). All together now: Happy Birthday!
If you’ve never seen this Ultimate McCartney moment, do yourself a favor…
Uncle Milty Schools a Che Guevera DoppelgƤnger
An oldie but a goodie from Milton Friedman, who is right here. Liberty >>>> Equality.
The government owes you roads that work. Cops that do their jobs with competence and without favor. Judges who are incorruptible. The government does not owe you a house. Or food. Or even health care. There, I said it.
My only feedback (on an otherwise good post today), has to do with this line: “… the writer of an inconsequential blog …”
I certainly hope that you’re not referring to yourself, as I (for one) don’t count Medium Happy (and It’s All Happening) as inconsequential.
Have a great weekend, JW.
I guess I don’t understand the point.
Sure, the government doesn’t owe you any of those things you write above. Just as companies don’t owe you a fair wage. Yet it has been reported here often how ludicrous (my words) pay inequality is for most industries across the board.
I agree that liberty must come before equality, otherwise you have neither. Just as capitalism must come before equality, otherwise you have neither. But once the former is established in both, our level of greed dictates the rest.
I’d like to point back to your comments regarding the Republican party and love. And I think this can apply for believer and non-believers alike, as I think love is the common link amongst us all. As you know, Jesus doesn’t just talk about love as an emotion. He exemplifies it through his actions. So as humans, simply saying I support you isn’t good enough. We must actually support them.
As a resource-rich country, I see no problem in trying to create a more equal playing ground for all. People assume food insecurity or the receiving of health care is an inherent fault. Something that can only be fixed through better decisions. That is just not simply true.
What good is liberty if inequality is so poor that it serves as the downfall of the nation?
(Good to have MH back, JW. I’m waiting for my 10th anniversary party invite…)
Now, Jacob/Jason, let’s not jump the gun (which I have a right to cuz ‘merica!) on the 10th anniversary party. Susie B. is throwing it, I assume.
I agree with you on what you’re saying, but what I’m saying is that it’s not the government’s job. There’s another Friedman clip, from same forum, where a student asks about poverty and isn’t it the government’s responsibility… he says no, it’s PEOPLE’s responsibility. And of course you can reply, government IS the people. But I’d argue that it’s our responsibility as individuals.
Pay inequality… couldn’t agree more. I hope CEOs and other C-suite types who have no problem earning 100x more than their median workers burn for a long, long time in hell. In a perfect world, we regulate it. In this world, we hopefully find companies that eventually realize paying employees better, treating them better, will give you a better applicant pool, not to mention people who work harder for you.
I watch CNBC every morning for at least half an hour. All they ever talk about is stock price and how to raise it. And that’s all CEO’s, mostly, seem to care about. Building a better widget, creating a better workplace, giving employees a livable wage. All of that is almost anathema to them. It’s a shame Faber and Cramer never hammer that note.
The reason that Watergate is a fraction of the scandal of the 2020 election is the 147 Republicans who voted on Jan. 6 to overturn the results, and the many, many additional high-ranking Republican leaders, backed by a powerful TV network, who continue to insist that Biden’s election may have been illegitimate. Trump, Eastman, Meadows, and others “in the room” after the election may well be the rough equivalent of Nixon, Haldeman, Colson, etc. But when Watergate was uncovered, the Republicans chose country over party and Nixon was booted in infamy. In 2020, people at the very top levels of Republican congressional leadership, including Ted Cruz and Kevin McCarthy, voted in favor of a clearly unconstitutional rejection of the election results.
Has our government ever sought true liberty or equality for all? I donāt think so. We made some progress but itās gone backward since the Trump years.
I agree with Jacob and disagree with Friedman that the system is absolutely rigged in favor of some and against others. I think the guy asking questions in the video had a point he just was not presenting it well.