Nothing quite says summer like the pool. My new apartment complex has a pool-- perfect for reading, relaxing and doing the crossword while avoiding sunburn. Unfortunately there's the occasional Candlestick Parkesque wind... not ideal for reading a newspaper or eating chips. I still have yet to lock down my summer reading... previous winners include The Cloud Atlas, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, and Founding Brothers.
But nothing interrupts a lazy day other than a surprise resignation-- Jim Riggleman leaving the Nationals after a 38-37 start is somewhat of a surprise; evidently he wasn't pleased with his 2012 option status and threatened to walk if it wasn't resolved. This comes as the team wraps up an 8-1 homestand and is over .500 this deep in the season for the first time in six years. Zimmerman's back... and hitting well. Michael Morse continues to camouflage Jayson Werth's underachieving with a breakout season of his own. And the pitching isn't porous (although they still have their moments). Right now, it's a great time to be a Nationals fan... as for the first time since their arrival-- the upside is here! But then Riggleman bluffs and is called on it and walks off into the sunset. Did he at least wave the victory sign before he boarded the helicopter?
The NBA Draft is front and center this week; most media outlets try to pattern their coverage around the blueprint of the golden goose that is the NFL. Unfortunately, while most pro football fans dabble in following the college game- there's a bigger disconnect with the NBA and NCAA. Plus the European factor-- imagine if the Redskins picked a defensive lineman from Turkey (truth be told you could make the case for the Skins signing a defensive lineman who was a turkey), followed by a cornerback from Italy. And with just two picks for each team and 60 overall selections, the draft is over before you know it. Sixty players doesn't even get you 30% of the way through the NFL draft.
Will the Wizards pick the right player? This is the team that picked Kwame Brown. So things have a way of happening. In a draft as shallow as my swimming pool (3 feet-- NO DIVING) they might get some pieces who can help them win in the future. With the 6th, 18th and 34th selections the perfect world would yield an impact player at 6... a contributor at 18 and a 12th man at 34. Many of the mock drafts (and there are a multitude of them) have the Wizards grabbing a pair of foreign players (Czech forward Jan Vesely and Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas) with your guess in the second round (as things often are). One of the websites has Jordan Williams lasting until the 42nd pick... not ideal for skipping your last year at Maryland, especially with a lockout looming.
If you watched any of the U.S. Open over the weekend, you'd think that Rory McIlroy is going to win the next 25 majors in a row. The Irishman did lap the field and led wire to wire after making Congressional his little playground, but let's allow him to win a few before we jump all over ourselves. Ernie Els won three majors in his 20's... and I thought he'd be good for three more-- but no dice. David Duval hasn't added to his total. McIlroy has been anointed the future, and as the window closes on the generation of Phil/Ernie/Vijay (I would have bet the world Els or Singh would have been the one to get to 4 majors instead of Lefty)... the new breed of golfer that grew up during Tiger's reign is here. And winning.
Whither Tiger Woods? As he recovers from leg injuries, golf's number one lightning rod stands four majors shy of Jack Nicklaus' record. Four years ago as he was winning back to back PGA's after taking consecutive British Opens the year before (he also has repeated at Masters champ and won consecutive PGA's earlier in his career)... I thought he had a true grandslam in the future with a few other wins-giving Tiger eventually 20-21 majors. Now he's got a 10-15 year window to get four... and while I still think he can get there... I thought Tom Watson had 3 majors in him after age 33. Woods' career somewhat parallels Jacks in that each had an early dominant streak (Jack won 7 from 1962-67, Tiger won 8 from 1997-2002) followed by a mid-career peak (Jack took 7 from 1970-75, Tiger took 6 from 2005-08). Nicklaus added four more in his 1978-86 twilight... and you'd think Tiger could do the same if not better- once his knee works.
Last but not least, who plays Anthony Wiener in the TV movie? Keep in mind Alyssa Milano and Drew Barrymore both took shots at Amy Fisher on competing networks. I threw the question out on Facebook and some responded with Adrian Brody-- he seems a little too high-class for a quickie TV movie. Fisher Stevens is an inspired choice... as is Dustin Diamond (he would be on the CW version). Johnathon Schaetch, meanwhile, is still building off his role as Jimmy Mattingly in "That Thing You Do!"... and although I can't recall anything of note he's done since, would be a good fit in the creepy Congressman role. Now to cast his wife, interns and the porn star...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Fading through the door into summer...
Moving month has been madness for me. I recently changed addresses for the first time in 7 and a half years... and throughout each step I remembered why I hadn't moved in 7 and a half years. There wasn't just stuff I hadn't used in 7 years-- there was stuff I hadn't looked at in 7 years. Lesson learned: I've already started hoarding for my next move.
Usually June and July are my recovery months after the madness that begins with training camp and doesn't let up until the last playoff game is done on the hardwood and ice. As I gear up for buying Phil Steele's College Football Guide, plenty of thoughts...:
Heat dissipate-- as the NBA season is put to bed, the Miami Heat wonder what they need to do to actually hold a championship celebration (as opposed to last years anticipation). Perhaps they could trade Chris Bosh for a low post monolith... or get a fourth quarter heart transplant for Lebron James. Kudos to Dallas coach Rick Carlisle for making every right move. Watch the league follow the Mavericks trend by having their coach boast ridiculous hairstyles.
Another parade Bruin-- After 39 years of near misses... with uber-talented teams outworked (by the '74 Flyers) or under-manned units coming up short (Oilers in '88 and '90)... or teams that couldn't beat the damned Canadiens (77-78-79...you get the picture). This title gives the Boston area 7 pro championships in 9 years (Pats' first SB technically the 01-02 season)... a grandslam of sorts. While cities have managed double-plays (Baltimore Orioles and Colts, 1970 or Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers 1979)... the only other metropolitan area I can recall having all four win titles within a short window would be New York: Jets 68, Mets 69, Knicks 70 & 73... and Islanders 80. Or you could backdate the Knicks 73 and use the Yankees 77 and Giants 86. Either way it's 12 or 13 years. Truly a great time to be in and around the hub. I only wish I invested in DuckBoats back in '01.
Horse sense-- the Triple Crown came and went in the blink of an eye... with three different winners and a buzzless Belmont. Once again I dream of a day where they gap the races better to accommodate how three year olds are run today. It would be as if they made starting pitchers throw every third day because baseball was bound by tradition-- now even four and five days off accommodate modern major league hurlers. Couldn't the Preakness be held Memorial Day weekend? Why not move the Belmont back to Fourth of July weekend?
Of Lockouts and Labor... it's the perfect non-story story. No progress is made? Is the season in danger? Will they be able to play a full slate? Word is players and owners met earlier this week-- and they're about 80-85% done on a deal. Thanks for sucking the life out of the offseason. What remains to be seen is how the lack of OTA's will affect the first year coaches and coordinators as well as first round quarterbacks expected to make contributions. I'm not saying Jamarcus Russell was going to be Joe Montana, but his holdout as a rookie severely stunted his growth as a player. Imagine a whole team like that.
Usually June and July are my recovery months after the madness that begins with training camp and doesn't let up until the last playoff game is done on the hardwood and ice. As I gear up for buying Phil Steele's College Football Guide, plenty of thoughts...:
Heat dissipate-- as the NBA season is put to bed, the Miami Heat wonder what they need to do to actually hold a championship celebration (as opposed to last years anticipation). Perhaps they could trade Chris Bosh for a low post monolith... or get a fourth quarter heart transplant for Lebron James. Kudos to Dallas coach Rick Carlisle for making every right move. Watch the league follow the Mavericks trend by having their coach boast ridiculous hairstyles.
Another parade Bruin-- After 39 years of near misses... with uber-talented teams outworked (by the '74 Flyers) or under-manned units coming up short (Oilers in '88 and '90)... or teams that couldn't beat the damned Canadiens (77-78-79...you get the picture). This title gives the Boston area 7 pro championships in 9 years (Pats' first SB technically the 01-02 season)... a grandslam of sorts. While cities have managed double-plays (Baltimore Orioles and Colts, 1970 or Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers 1979)... the only other metropolitan area I can recall having all four win titles within a short window would be New York: Jets 68, Mets 69, Knicks 70 & 73... and Islanders 80. Or you could backdate the Knicks 73 and use the Yankees 77 and Giants 86. Either way it's 12 or 13 years. Truly a great time to be in and around the hub. I only wish I invested in DuckBoats back in '01.
Horse sense-- the Triple Crown came and went in the blink of an eye... with three different winners and a buzzless Belmont. Once again I dream of a day where they gap the races better to accommodate how three year olds are run today. It would be as if they made starting pitchers throw every third day because baseball was bound by tradition-- now even four and five days off accommodate modern major league hurlers. Couldn't the Preakness be held Memorial Day weekend? Why not move the Belmont back to Fourth of July weekend?
Of Lockouts and Labor... it's the perfect non-story story. No progress is made? Is the season in danger? Will they be able to play a full slate? Word is players and owners met earlier this week-- and they're about 80-85% done on a deal. Thanks for sucking the life out of the offseason. What remains to be seen is how the lack of OTA's will affect the first year coaches and coordinators as well as first round quarterbacks expected to make contributions. I'm not saying Jamarcus Russell was going to be Joe Montana, but his holdout as a rookie severely stunted his growth as a player. Imagine a whole team like that.
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