As you read this, the 5-at-10 is either high above the Midwest or actually in Las Vegas contributing to the tourist economy around this great nation. (Hey look, is that Jimmy Two-Times? Is he going to get the papers, get the papers?)
This mail bag was constructed in parts -- part in Chattanooga, part in the Atlanta airport; parts are good and other parts not so much.
Buckle up -- and remember two things: first, play nice today, and second, as Fredo said, "You can't come to Vegas and talk to a man like Mo Gree like THAT."
From the mobile "Cheez-Its rock studios," high above Wichita, here we go...
Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce reacts after being ejected during the second half of Game 1 of a second-round NBA playoff basketball series against the Miami Heat, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Miami. Pierce was ejected with 7 minutes left, after picking up two technical fouls in skirmishes with Dwyane Wade and James Jones within a span of 59 seconds. The Heat defeated the Celtics 99-90. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)From CelticVol
Hey 5@10,
Thanks for the gifts you sent for winning the 1st Annual Kentucky Derby Challenge. The MMA tickets were just too much. (Sorry EusticeChase) A lot of time and thought went into selecting 'Comma to the Top' to finish dead last. Anyways, by the time you answer this, mine and Blspy's Celtics may be finished (5-at-10 note: They are). If they do lose this series, do you see this as being the last run for KG, RayRay, and The Truth? Also, do you think Doc will come back or will he ride off into the sunset?
signed
CelticVol
P.S. How about some kind of challenge for the number of balls hit in the water on 17 this week at The Players Championship?
C-Vol earned the first question this week by winning last weekend's Derby Drama First-In, Last-In Challenge. Well-played. (And rest easy, EC, the prize was not MMA tickets - don't want anyone going all Kimbo Slice on anyone while the 5-at-10 is in Vegas. Stand down. And yes, that's the only MMA name that jumped out to the 5-at-10.)
The Celtics are an interesting case, C-Vol, because there may not be a team more affected by the potential labor stoppage, which could seriously delay the start of next season. While the core of the Celtics will hardly need the practice time to learn the playbook, this group is racing against the clock. And if they are not allowed to get into the practice facilities, well all bets are off if KG is working on his game face in Chicago and the Pierce is pulling his Wesley Snipes' "White Men Can't Jump" routine out in California.
The 5-at-10 believes these Celtics have one more run left if they can add an athletic defender and can get something out of Jeff Green. In fact, who knows how the series with the Heat turns out if Rondo doesn't blow out his elbow.
As for Rivers, if GM Danny Ainge blows up the roster, Rivers will move on to TV (or become the most famous Duke daddy in the stands since Mike Dunleavy and Doug Collins were watching their kids play for Coach K).
And, the 5-at-10 wishes we had moved more quickly on your e-mail because the "WaterShots at 17" could have been a good contest. (Side note: The 5-at-10 played the TPC course a long time ago. It was far from pretty, folks, but we made par on No. 17. There you go.)
This Feb. 1, 2011, file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall wearing a sweatshirt as he answers questions during media day for Super Bowl XLV, in Arlington, Texas. Mendenhall has created a stir with comments made on his official Twitter page regarding Osama bin Laden's death. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)From Steeler Fan
Five@10:
Just want to apologize to 5@10 fans on behalf of the Steeler Nation for the ill-advised tweets from Rashard Mendenhall after the Osama bin Laden killing. Not sure why Rashard feels like he is suddenly an expert in foreign policy. I'd rather he'd have spent the off-season thinking about football securty than national security. I still haven't gotten over his second-half fumble against the Packers in the Super Bowl. (D'oh! I'm having a Neil O'Donnell flashback.)
SteelerFan
Apology accepted, and thank you for addressing the issue directly and concisely and without a prepared statement.
And since SteelerFan did not have a question per se, here's one that can be crafted from his well-intended message: Why is so hard for professional athletes to understand the proper way to apologize?
It's not rocket science. Show a little compassion and a little remorse. Be sincere and not rehearsed and timely. The American public is forgiving sort and Holy Rocky Balboa, we love a good comeback, rags-to-riches underdog story.
From Reggie Bush's "It's called a sense of humor" twitter response to Tiger Woods' 30-minute soliloquy from a prepared statement from a team of speech writers, there have been countless bad apologies.
In fact, the 5-at-10 will throw this out there - no apology is better than a phony or canned or a "Sorry you got offended" apology.
As for the Neil O'Donnell reference, somewhere Larry Brown just smiled.
Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free Press Sep4, 2010
UT's Marsalis Teague, left, and Janzen Jackson break up a pass intended for UT Martin's Chris Thompson at Neyland Stadium Saturday evening.From scole023
On the drive to work yesterday, a police car with its lights blaring came speeding up behind me. I thought "Oh No!" and then he went flying past me. And it may not be the most Christian thing I've done, but all I could think was "Better you than me." Is there a sports moment that is similar to that?
The sports moment that the 5-at-10 thought at first was the basketball players' reaction between a block call and a charging foul. Those two players are involved and when the whistle blows, everyone knows the outcome is one of the two.
But the decision between the two is so quick, that there was not enough time to build up enough suspense for the full "Stink-there's-a-cop-in-the-rearview-I-don't-need-a-ticket-hey-great-he's-going-after-somebody-else," dramatic 30 seconds or so.
So, let's go with the obvious pushing and shoving on a long pass play in football. The ball falls incomplete and the flag falls to the ground.
That 15-30 second window of, "Their guy was pushing first," and the hushed silence that echoes through the delay before the offensive/defensive pass interference call is our final answer.
I like the 5@10,
But sometimes you talk to much. Here's my question -- Of the six NBA playoffs teams left (as of Thursday), what would be the most fitting intro song for them?
Ding, Ding, Ding - the weekly winner for the question the 5-at-10 spent entirely too much time on. Adn as a shoutout to our man Oso, who threw out a late 1980s music reference Thursday, we're going old-school.
Side note: We did this Thursday afternoon, so if the Bulls eliminate the Hawks, so be it.
The Chicago Bulls (AKA The Chicago Derrick Roses) - Got's to be "Every Rose has its Thorns" from 1980s hair band legends Poison, led by front man Bret Michaels, who quite possibly will be welcoming the 5-at-10 to a concert tonight in Vegas.
The Miami Heat - This one was tough because there are so many options. You could use "The Heat is On" but all the other intros would mock you for being a goof ball. You could go old-old-school and go "One is the Loneliest Number" by Three Dog Night -- and it would work on title and group levels. But it would also leave everyone in the audience under the age of 65 asking, "What is this?" OK, to stay in the 80s-90s cheese-machine, we have to go with, "Going to Miami," by Will Smith. Sometimes the obvious answers are the best.
The Dallas Mavericks - "99 Luft Balloons," the classic Nina tune that climbed the charts here even in German. It's a shoutout to Dirk Niwotzki, the best German import this side of VW. (All hail, VW.)
The Memphis Grizz - We first thought about something with Memphis is the title, but we already did that with the Heat. We also remembered the 80s-90s theme. Here were the three finalists for the surprise team of these playoffs:
-- "Round and Round" by RATT, great tune and the main hook is the name of RATT's album "Out of the Cellar" for the former cellar-dwelling Grizz who are two wins from the conference finals.
-- "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider. Another great tune from the "Vision Quest" soundtrack. Powerful beginning and drums -- it would be a great intro song; plus it fits the crazy turnaround for this team and their surprising star Z-Bo -- Zach Randolph.
-- And the winner is "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovim Let's face it, the Grizz still playing at all is a miracle.
The Oklahoma City Thunder - "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday," by Boyz2Men, and this was every bit as much about the band's name as it was the song. Although when the Thunder get bounced, this will be a valuable learning experience for this young club.
From the Webdesk
Uh, 5-at-10, why are there are only four questions?
This counts as number five. Plus -- we're in Vegas.
Until Monday.