There’s not many things I enjoy more than watching and reading, writing, or talking about the NBA.
wmzink asked: Is it just me, or was everybody drinking the LA Clippers Koolaid at the start of the season? What is it about NBA "analysts" on TV (ESPN especially) which makes them so much in awe of starpower, like teenage boys? Who are worse: baseball, football, or NBA analysts? (I actually think college basketball analysts are pretty good on ESPN). And finally, Blake Griffin or Kevin Love?
Absolutely they were. I’ll admit I myself was guilty of that as well, but they have been disappointing for a variety of reasons most notably Del Negro’s coaching ineptitude, Griffin’s lack of development, losing Chauncey, no offensive creativity, and a complete and total reliance on Paul at the end of games. What’s odd about the Clippers now is that they’re really not falling too far below expectations in terms of record as I think most expected them to get the 3 seed and right now they’re number 4 in the West. However, watching them reveals so many holes that their record doesn’t as I mentioned above.
I honestly hate ESPN’s NBA analysts and mute them whenever it’s pregame or halftime. I simply would not want to have a conversation about the current NBA with any of them. I avoid ESPN unless they’re airing actual games for the most part so I can’t really compare different sports analysts. I do have a soft spot for their college football team though, but that’s largely due to the fact that it’s been mostly the same crew for over a decade so I grew up with them and am more willing to overlook their shortcomings.
Is Griffin or Love really still a question? Love is better at everything except dunking. Anyone who answers Griffin is simply too enamored with dunks clearly prizes selling tickets over actually winning basketball games. He’s someone you can’t go to at the end of a game; he has no reliable offensive game, a spotty jump shot, and is abysmal from the free throw line. Watching Blake Griffin operate in the post is the basketball equivalent of knocking a glass of milk off a table with your elbow; it’s clumsy and nothing good comes from it. I hate to sound like such a curmudgeon in regards to Griffin, but once you look past the highlights and his point/rebound numbers, it becomes clear that a very flawed, but extremely athletic and potential filled player lies beneath them. Love is the best power forward in the NBA and anyone who disagrees needs to watch more basketball.
stakeswerehigh asked: Favorite scene in your favorite Woody Allen film?
There’s 4 scenes that immediately come to mind.
- The final scene of Crimes and Misdemeanors at the wedding where Judah and Cliff indirectly and unknowingly on Cliff’s part talk about the murder which the film revolves around. It is solemn, heartbreaking, and resonant. Such an evocative scene.
- The opening monologue of Annie Hall. This was the first scene I ever saw of a Woody Allen film about two years ago. It is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking and a great introduction to his work. At least it worked for me.
- The final scenes in Manhattan beginning with Isaac speaking about the things that make life living into a tape recorder. I simply love his acknowledgement of pleasantries and it makes me think of Kurt Vonnegut’s quote that says when you’re experiencing a nice moment to point it out and say, “if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” I also love the resolution of the Isaac/Tracy relationship and Isaac’s wry smile at the very end when she tells him he just needs to have a little faith in people. Anyone who thinks Woody Allen can’t act should revisit this part.
- The scene in Hannah and Her Sisters where Mickey attempts to kill himself and then goes to see Duck Soup and realizes that life is worth living even if there is no absolute meaning. It’s a fantastic encapsulation of his personal beliefs which are littered throughout his filmography.
EDIT: I just realized that you asked what my favorite scene in my favorite film was and not just my favorite film of his in general. Since my favorite Woody Allen film is Annie Hall, it is the opening monologue as mentioned above.
So apparently this Van Morrison guy is pretty awesome. Who knew?!
(Besides every rock critic ever and Tracie who has been telling me to listen to him for a really long time)
I do not think I will ever be able to understand how Bill Evans was able to create music so purely beautiful. At times, it sounds like a music box in the sense that it can sound ‘merely’ pretty, but there is so much more going on beneath the ‘mere prettiness.’ There is more to Evans than soft playing and seemingly telepathic interplay between his sidemen, but what it is seems to be something inherent in his style of playing or intangible that simply cannot be labeled or pinned down. I will never know what it is that makes Evans’ music so lovely and so stirring, but I will remain eternally grateful that it is so lovely and so stirring regardless. Things as beautiful as this simply defy explanation.
As if enough hasn’t already been written about Jeremy Lin…
In these modern times, it’s far too easy for sports fans to become cynical. Our sports figures are no longer mythical heroes, but men with flaws which we never fail to point out. Allen Iverson owes hundreds of thousands for jewelry and Tom Brady wears UGG Boots and this makes them more human, more easily criticized, and less easily idolized. It takes something extremely rare to snap us out of this, to remind us why we love these games in the first place and for almost every NBA fan, serious or casual, right now, that something is Jeremy Lin.
Tonight was my first chance to watch Lin since the 2009 Summer League as I’m sure it was for most League Pass deprived fans. I watched the game with seven friends and we all entered the game with a certain amount of skepticism wondering if these last three games were merely a fluke or a sign of things to come. Even if it were a sign of things to come, how long could he keep this up? Isn’t it unrealistic to expect him to average 25 and 8 for any period of time? He started out strong and one of my friends jokingly noted that he was on pace for almost points. It was true, but none of us actually expected him to do it, but he proved us wrong. Apparently defying and surpassing expectations is something he’s pretty good at. As the game went on and the points and assists accumulated, he took a crucial charge, and it became apparent that he was singlehandedly carrying the Knicks to victory, we quit trying to apply any sort of critical eye to the game and lost our collective minds shrieking and giggling and cheering every time Lin even touched the ball and cursory glances at Twitter throughout the game assured us we were not alone.
I honestly feel disoriented right now. As the flurry of text messages arrived from friends expressing the incredulousness that I felt, I continually realized that there was simply no way to articulate the feelings that I had. Everything I saw simply defied any sort of rational explanation. Players aren’t supposed to be disregarded by two teams and then play like this seemingly out of nowhere. Honestly, anyone playing as well as Lin did tonight would be noteworthy. But when you consider all the various factors going into this, that he was undrafted, the first Chinese-American to ever play in the NBA, that he is playing in the league’s biggest market, and that he is righting the ship of the most disappointing team in the league thus far, you quickly realize that we are watching something unprecedented unfold right before our eyes. If realizing that doesn’t make you happy to be a sports fan and excited to see the Knicks play again,you honestly probably aren’t one.
Does anyone know of any great solo jazz piano records?
What I’ve listened to and enjoyed:
- McCoy Tyner: Echoes of a Friend and Revelations
- Keith Jarrett- the Koln Concert
- Theolonious Monk- Solo Monk, Thelonious Alone in San Francisco, and Thelonious Himself
Graybones: The "Polish Goalline" tactic and the Super Bowl
On the third to last play of the Super Bowl the New York Giants were penalized for having 12 men on the field. However the Giants largely benefited from the play: The 5-yard penalty put the Patriots at their own 49, but New England lost valuable seconds and was prevented from completing a pass by…
This is seriously brilliant. I was hoping that it was intentional when I watched and it really does make perfect sense.
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